Just Juxtapose

*************

"Everything is under control General, I assure you."

"Doesn't look like it. What I see, is shear lack of discipline. Make no mistake, if your ass winds up on the grill, I'll be the one cookin' it. I suggest you tighten things up from here on out."

"I know General. Have some faith, or a shot of whiskey is you like."

"What I'll have is a quiet retirement without a 12 by 4 cell anywhere near it."

"General Montgomery, have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

"You don't want me to answer that!"

"Oh come on, this..."

"Good day!"

Kurt Pryce heard the line cut off and with a small gesture, hung up his own end of the line.

"Every dog gets his day." He said aloud to no one, reaching for a small box, "And every General gets his funeral." He smiled as he picked out a cigar and clipped off the end.

His dealings with General Montgomery had only intensified since A.J. had screwed up his end of the job. And what was Pryce after? Control and power; he'd always been. He'd originally intended to buy out the highly reputable research facility but it turned out that certain ties held stronger than his money could break.

It had been Morris' job to break those ties but the short, pompous piece of overqualified shit-stirrer had neglected to sever said ties. Instead, he'd made them stronger.

Nonetheless, all was not lost. He picked up his phone again and dialed behind a cloud of cigar smoke.

"Hello?" The call reached its destination and the other person answered.

"It's me, call the senator." Was all Kurt had to say, he never had too many pleasantries for anyone who irked him as much as the person he was speaking to.

"I think that'll dangerous territory, we're yet to ascertain the benefit of our current endeavor."

"Well, I don't remember asking you for an opinion but as a piece of advice your mother failed to give you; it's always good to have many options."

"Say what you will about my mother, but this isn't a good option."

"Yet, you'll do it with a smile even if you have to paint one on." Kurt said and hung up the line. He puffed on the cigar to get the taste of the conversation out of his mouth. He leaned back into his chair, - control and power. He prepared himself for the receiving gesture; the motion that occurred when you reached out for something. The initial flex of muscles and tendon before your fingers closed and you withdrew, prize in hand.

*********** Later that day in New York ***********

"Why isn't she answering?"

"A part of me wants to know, the other part's already disgusted."

"Grrr! Call her again!!"

Joann stomped through Bellinda's office, wondering where the hell her red haired friend had disappeared to. There was a shit load of work to be done for the New Year show and here they were, chickens without heads.

Construction at Illusions was well underway. Frames, support beams and light racks were being installed among a host of other structures.

"Shit!" Adam snapped, "Do you think she's with Mavin?"

"I dunno the status on those two, but it's very possible." Joann said with a groan. She was helping Adam, answering the gazillion calls that kept pouring in.

"Hmm...Looks like we'll never know." Adam sighed as he put someone else on hold.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Joann was pacing.

"I don't have Mavin's number on file, anywhere?" Adam threw on a quick smile as one of the carpenters shoved a sheet of paper at him. It was a list of needed supplies. He wasn't exactly authorized to sign out supply budgets but Bellinda wasn't around.

"Great, just what I need." Adam sighed as he signed the slip. Bellinda would just have to deal.

"You mean Mavin never called her?" Joann asked, scrolling through the rolodex on Bellinda's table.

"Does she realize that she hasn't finished her own paintings? This is no time to go dirty dancing." Adam ramble in his own world.

"What about her office, did you try there?"

"Hi you've reached the IMAG, how may I help you?" Adam's cookie cutter greeting escaped his lips. "You have an appointment with Miss Ross for 2pm today?....I see....Well, I'm sorry but there's a small scheduling conflict and we'll have to move the appointment back....No, I can't give you a time frame but I can guarantee a personal call from her to confirm your appointment....No problem....Thank you very much and have a lovely day." Adam groaned as he ended the call. "I'm about 2 minutes away from ripping the lines outta that phone."

"How the hell can you guarantee a personal call, when she's not here?" Joann's eyes went wide.

"I'm banking on the probability that she'll be done fucking before the New Year."

"Oh whatever, call Mavin's office and see if she's there or if anyone there knows where she is." Joann rolled her eyes.

"Would they even be open this time of the year?"

"Just try, maybe you can get a directory."

"Okay, hang on." Adam dialed Lecter Corp. "I'm getting a recorded message, what does she do again?" Adam eyed Joann.

"She's some kinda engineer or something."

"I can't believe how little we know about her." Adam said exasperatedly.

"Keep trying." Joann flung her arms up in surrender and scurried to Bellinda's desk as another call came in.

"Miss Ross' office, can I take a message?" Joann asked and began to scribble down a note.

************* Meanwhile *************

Mavin paced back and forth in her office. She was there for a couple of reasons. The first was official; she'd come to bundle up her reports for the next conference that was scheduled for the post holiday season, sometime in January. The second reason was personal. She wanted space and time to preoccupy herself and not count the hours to noon or imagine the dastardly acts she would commit against Bellinda's assailants.

Nevertheless, Lecter Corp. wasn't completely closed for the holidays. It remained opened for resident workaholics, security staff and custodians. There were maintenance contractors working in the facility as well as federal investigators who were still trying to decipher the mystery of José's murder. A few suspects had been apprehended but Mavin had declined to know who they were; she didn't want to know until there was utmost certainty about the killer's identity.

The dark woman paced, her body rippling with unstable energy. Even to herself, she was unpredictable. Her emotions were highly combustible, and to worsen her state of mind, she couldn't distinctly separate them. Her head pounded with force of blood rushing through her temples. She was thinking and simultaneously trying not to.

The whole idea was absurd to her. And then it struck her, what if the kidnappers were holding Bellinda for ransom from her father? He was a senator and a very important one too, being the chairman of the Health Education Labor and Pension (HELP) committee.

"Damnit!" Mavin fumed releasing a small amount of steam, though not enough as she reached for the phone and made a last consideration on whether or not to be the bearer of bad news. She wondered if Bellinda's father knew she was missing. Just as her hand kissed the phone, a call rang through. She hesitated for a moment and then answered.

"Hello, you've reached Lecter Corp. These are non-business hour so what do you want?" Her voice rumbled with a threatening force.

"Hello...Mavin?" The other voice sounded familiar, "It's Joann."

"Joann..." Mavin heaved a sigh, "Odd time to call my office."

"Yes, I know. Very sorry to disturb, but there's an odd situation I'm hoping you might be able to help me with."

"Okay, shoot." Mavin sat on the edge of her desk. She glanced at the clock; it was thirty-seven minutes to noon.

"Well, I was wondering if you know where Bellinda is. She's gone AWOL and we're sorta going nuts here."

Mavin though her options through for a second. If she told Joann the truth, she'd only be spreading panic. If she didn't, Joann would find Bella's apartment and figure something was amiss, and then panic anyway. Perhaps she should have someone clean up the place a bit. But that'd be tampering with likely evidence.

"Joann, I don't know where B is, but if you hear from her, tell her I'm looking for her." Mavin squeezed in a few truths.

"Oh, wow. Okay." Joann had been hoping for more. "Well, thanks...I guess."

"Bye Joann." Mavin said and hung up. She grabbed her coat and left the building.

*************

"What did she say?" Adam sucked the tip of his fingers.

"She hung up on me." Joann shook her head.

"What?!"

"No. I mean, she said she has no idea where Bellinda is, and that I should tell the girl that Mavin's looking for her."

"Perfect! Per-fucking-fect!!" Adam banged his desk in frustration.

It was going to be a long day.

***************

The city whizzed by in a flurry of black-iced roads and frost-grey building scraping against dark, clouded skies. Some fucking Xmas this was turning out to be. Her audio system blasted something from Linkin Park, but she wasn't really paying attention to anything but the road. The distraction was what she needed.

Mavin stopped at a light and rubbed her gloveless hands together. She glanced around the intersection and then opened her glove compartment. She pulled out a Beretta 96 and inspected it. She tucked it into her shoulder holster and made a right turn toward the Star Breeze Theater. She parked a block away and got out to walk. Just as she stepped onto the curb of the theater, her cell rang. It was the same caller.

"Head to Plaza Park; the bench with the old lady getting up." The voice said succinctly, and then cut the line.

Mavin added a spring to her pace. She was tempted to run but that would draw too much attention to her. She settled for walking briskly, as fast as her long legs could carry her. The plaza was a mall of malicious magnitude, at least to its competitors. It was the kind of shopping mega-center that doubled as the 'middle of town' even though it wasn't anywhere near the middle of town. The entire complex was abuzz with the impressive throng of last-minute shoppers, shifting with the amount of hurry last-minute shopping allowed.

For no reason other than sensory overload; Mavin harbored an intense dislike for such crowded places. She found herself zoning out, locking all her senses on nothing whenever she was tagging along with anyone. In a nutshell, she always got the 'lost in wonderland' feeling and she hated it; wonderland be damned.

Frantic shoppers breezed by her as she made her way to the small pseudo-park. She turned a wide corner and the park loomed just a few paces away. It was packed with children and their keepers who stood nearby. There were security officials present making rounds in between small talk. Beyond the multitasking guards were the resting shoppers, adding coffee breaks to their shopping lists. And of course, there were the wannabe Santa's.

The scent of fresh pastries and creamy beverages polished the atmosphere with warmth. Mavin breathed deeply and allowed her eyes to scan the place again. And there she was, the old lady getting off her seat, as though she'd been paid to. Out of habit, Mavin glanced at her watch and noted fifteen minutes past noon.

She walked slowly to the vacated bench and sat down. The holster hugged her body, comforting her. Not long after, someone else joined her. The scent was purely Channel and out of the corner of her eyes, Mavin could see the pair of smooth, stocking-covered legs. She swallowed hard. Sometimes, her body and mind were on two different frequencies. Mavin kept her gaze on her shoes.

"You seem nervous, does my presence bother you?" The voice was undeniably feminine and British but the timbre was smack-dab bedroom.

"That's an odd thing to say to someone you barely know." Mavin replied, ignoring the question altogether.

"Well, my name is Selene and you are Mavin, so were not strangers after all."

Mavin turned to look at the woman. She'd done away with underestimating people since high school; in fact, she'd done away with judging people beyond the inevitable first impression. But this here was over the top.

"Why are you here?" Mavin asked, wanting to cut to the chase.

"I'm here to help you." Selene replied, her dark blonde hair bouncing lightly in a cascade down her shoulders.

"Well, you're not helping by wasting my time." Mavin spat, "Who sent you?"

"Oh, don't be so testy, my employer has a proposal for you and I'm here to deliver it." Selene shifted closer to the dark butch, leaning over Mavin's chest to whisper in the ear farthest from her. "So, are you interested?"

"In what?" Mavin felt the heat rising from the woman's exposed neck.

"The proposal, of course." Selene pulled herself back from the dark butch.

"Fine, let's have it." Mavin said, getting impatient and not wanting to cause a scene.

"Hmm, you realize there're children about?" Selene smiled, she was enjoying herself.

"Aight then, I'm outta here." Mavin got up to leave, "It's too early for games."

"She's in danger." Selene did not get up. She combed her fingers through her hair and kept her eyes on Mavin.

"And I suppose you think this shit is funny?" Mavin leaned into Selene and snarled, only because she was biting down her anger, - and something else.

"No, I actually don't. But you are taking this all much too seriously." Selene got up and rose to her full height, which, - thanks to her stilettos, came to be about Mavin's height.

Mavin just glared at the woman whose dark brown eyes threatened to disarm her; they seemed to be feasting on her.

"Come, let us go somewhere more private," Selene uttered after a long moment of gaze-raping the dark butch. She'd pictured Mavin's features dripping with something, glowing softly with a wet sheen. That led to other mental concoctions, dominated by primal screams and spiked whips.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know who's behind the fucking charade!" Mavin was beyond furious.

"There isn't mush time to waste playing charades dear." Selene snapped in a tone that sucked the air out of Mavin's lungs, "Follow me." She commanded as Mavin eyed her all the more fiercely. Her rage mounted higher, if that was possible.

They walked out of the plaza. It was a much shorter trip that Mavin remembered. Selene walked a step ahead of Mavin. She played to the butch's weakness for women in every way; with a subtle flourish of her hips as she walked and tension in her calves as she balanced on her sharp heels. Mavin's throat went dryer and dryer with each step. By the time they got out of the mall, she was practically choking. The cold air whipped ferociously outside the plaza. Mavin didn't bother pulling her jacket close. She was already overheating.

"My car is that way." Selene stated as she walked through the frosty lot.

"Don't worry, I'll let you drive." Selene smirked just as a call came in. She swiveled her hips and turned her back to Mavin. They kept walking while Selene spoke.

"Hello?" The tailored skirt gave her slick, femme-fatale look that no doubt caught Mavin's wayward attention. "We're getting to it, just a detail." The call ended with just that and Selene spun on her heels. "Here we are, come on Mavin. It'll all be over so-..." Her voice fell short in her throat as Mavin grabbed her by the neck.

The tall butch spun Selene around and pushed her into the car, setting off the alarm. Mavin pulled her gun and moved in close, pointing it to Selene's head. Somehow, in the force of the moment, Mavin found herself pressed close to the woman. She did a quick pat-down that sent thrills through her body even though her mind wasn't registering them. She picked out the woman's cell and fiddled with it to find the most recent number. It was the same as the one on her cell.

Mavin contemplated this bit of info and felt Selene wiggling against her body. Mavin cocked the gun and pressed it harder against the woman's head but that only encouraged her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mavin asked, flabbergasted in more ways than one.

"Exactly what you want." Selene said with a moan and pressed herself back into Mavin.

Mavin stepped back and eyed the bitch standing eye to barrel with her gun.

"Why do you look surprised? I know you want me." Selene licked her lips. Mavin watched the vapors rising around both of them.

"NO!" Mavin rushed forward and grabbed the woman again, harder. "You'll tell me who that was on the phone and maybe I won't kill you right here."

"Hmm...Release me." Selene whispered as her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Shut up!" Mavin pressed the gun against the woman's neck, noting the indentations that were marked by a quick flush of blood beneath the pale skin.

"Please..." Selene whispered again, despite Mavin's tight grip on her neck.

Now it was all just too much to fucking bear. She didn't want anything with this bitch but here she was; a gesture away from fucking her. She hadn't been expecting to pull her gun, but as with so many things in the last 48 hours, Mavin felt her control slipping beyond the bare minimum. She'd been biting down her emotions for too long a time and her mind was buckling under the weight of it all. But hell, that only fueled the disjointed, irrationality of her actions. Her body too voiced its cravings and Mavin just had to be, Mavin.

"You have one last chance..." Mavin trailed off as her senses overloaded and more of her control slipped.

"Take me." Selene pulled Mavin closer, raising her thigh around Mavin's waist and hooking her legs to the back of Mavin's thigh. The sharp pointed heel, dug in just a little bit.

No, no, no, no! The remnants of her rational mind screamed, but Mavin was too far gone. She needed the release and didn't care anymore if they standing a few feet away from the main lot, or that it was early in the afternoon and it'd begun to snow.

"Don't fight it, I promise it'll be worth your while." Selene egged her on in a tone that seemed designed specifically to hypnotize the butch.

Mavin breathed deeply and blinked. The snowflakes came fluttering down; each one giving her cold kisses against her hot flesh. Every kiss, a stinging reminder of the guilt to be, yet the situation was aimed at relief from the guilt she already felt. In a small gesture, Mavin tucked the gun away; sliding it into its holster with one hand. Her other hand stayed in place at Selene's neck. Selene's body undulated against hers even as Mavin drew her hand back up to peel open the blouse Selene wore, and touch the heated skin.

"Ah!" Selene gasped; Mavin's thick hands were cold, so very cold. She moaned at the thought of where else she'd like them to be.

Mavin ran her fingers over the skin, liking it more than she should. It'd been a while. She kept her other hand on Selene's neck, pinning the woman where she was.

'Love Bellinda, need to get off. Need Bellinda, love to get off.' Her one-track mind struggled for balance. While her hand closed around a lace-covered breast. The roughness of the lace against her palm made her squeeze hard on the soft globe.

"Ughn!" Selene moaned and arched her back. This for her was all too thrilling. She'd been sent to seduce Mavin and was reaping the preliminary benefits.

Mavin squeezed and fondled the left breast, liking the texture. The tingling in her fingers made her want more. Her eyes burned with the mixture of salacious lust and brutally cold winds. But she didn't care, her vision was blurred and time seemed to stop. She felt trapped suddenly and her actions became frantic in an attempt to break free. 'Love Bellinda, need to get off. Need Bellinda, love to get off.' Mavin's head sang in spite of itself. She ran her fingers down the woman's torso and pulled up the skirt.

"Yes...yes." Selene panted in anticipation. She was hot and wet and at risk of being caught. But there was no one around to see them as the snow came down harder, pelting her face and exposed chest. She moved her arms up Mavin's shoulders, caressing the hard body.