So Night Follows Day Pt. 05

He went to stand in line.

* * *

"Helen," Troy said as she grabbed the phone and started hitting buttons. "I heard the words 'Triad' and 'Elders' used in that conversation, seemingly interchangeably."

"Yes, Troilus," Helena spat as the phone rang. "The Elders control the Triads. Your Area 51/Men in Black conspiracy theory IS bullshit, but that doesn't mean that ALL of them are! You've learned about two secret organizations today. This is a slow day for me!"

The call connected.

"Hernando! Triple Maria's guard and tell her call me as soon as she can! I'll want both of you on the line when it can be done. Call in all staff at the Hong Kong Embassy and tell them to bring their families, then lock it down. I'll need a word with the ambassador, too. Have the Minister of Intelligence round up all known Triad associates in San Finzione. Set up roadblocks at the borders and tell La Policia to watch the trains and the air and sea ports. Whyte's just picked a fight with the Elders for us, and now they're GOING to strike back at us, unless someone will still take my calls."

She hung up and turned toward her friends.

"Well, Leonard just started a war with the Triads. How's everyone else doing?"

"You've got to pull Rita out of there now, Helen." Troy told her. "Get her out of the You Makeup, take a regular vehicle; not a limo or helicopter, and put her on the next flight back to San Finzione. Take some of the cars that you and the Ultimados brought. Nobody will be looking for YOU in an '88 Chrysler sedan!"

"Yes," Helen said distantly, thinking of something else, then processing what Troy had just told her. "Yes, you're right. I need to get Ortega on this."

She nodded and ran across the street, Mander trying to keep up behind her.

Julie Equals stood up and walked over to her best friend for life. Between the ability to control minds, and a career Army Intelligence officer father who'd made damn sure that his only little girl knew how to fight off and/or shoot any prick who couldn't comprehend 'no;' Julie didn't fear much in the world.

She had a recurring nightmare, though. Her 6th birthday party had been a pool party. For some imagined and long-forgotten slight to her six-year-old self, Joowie shoved Toy into the pool. He hadn't been ready for it, and started drowning. Troy's father jumped in and saved him, and everyone was now angry at Julie on her birthday for what she'd done. She had nightmares of what could have happened every night the next week, and whenever Joowie Annwews had nightmares, she'd do what she had done since the age of four: Leave the house in the middle of the night, go next door, and crawl into bed with Toy Madeenah.

Twenty-two years later, Julie still occasionally had the recurring nightmare of Troy drowning, and developed an abject fear of him going anywhere near a swimming pool. Other bodies of water were acceptable; they could visit the beach or a lake with no problem, or even go on a boat ride. Swimming pools, on the other hand, were nothing more than deathtraps designed specifically to kill Troy Medina of Anchorage, Alaska; because of the time that the boy who would grow up to be her lifelong best friend, true love, and one day soon, father of her children; almost didn't live to be any of those things due to one.

It didn't matter that as soon as Toy Madeenah was all right and saw Joowie Annwews crying all those years ago, the grown-ups mad at her for what she did to him, he ran over and hugged her and said "No cwy, Joowie. I yuv you, bes' fwend." It didn't matter that Troy Medina forgave Julie Andrews when it wasn't enough that he had become an expert swimmer and taken the first aid and water safety courses to obtain a Lifeguard Certification because outdoor swimming in Alaska could only be done four months out of the year, and going to the pool was the one favorite activity that he had to do without his Partner-In-Everything. It didn't matter that Troy Equals forgave Julie Equals every time she woke up at 3 AM, shuddering and calling his name until he woke up too and saw the sadness and fear on her face, and held her closely; whispering reassurances that he loved her and wasn't going anywhere until they both fell back to sleep.

"Master," she said, taking hold of his hand. "I know in my heart that Helena can take care of this fucker. Whyte caught her off guard with a sucker punch, but she takes down little turds like him on her days off from kicking ass. And we're in this, because Ohana means family and all that. But Troy, we just had a conversation in our back yard, where 'stealth suit,' 'secret underground auction' and 'war with the Triads' were all completely serious topics of discussion. What was looking to be a lazy week around the house this morning, now seems very not that."

"I know, Mistress." Troy said, taking her in his arms. He looked over at Susan, who was still sitting and thinking. "Susan, this is the second time Helen's talked to him. He's mentioned my name and Julie's, but not yours. Helen's right, he must have seen us at the hospital; it's the only place Julie and I both went without you in San Finzione. If Whyte doesn't know about you, Susan, you're still safe in all this. Avoiding Seattle this week is an even better idea than we'd planned, so you might not want to stay with Rachel. Fact, I'd be more comfortable myself if you and Rachel wanted to see about staying with Claire or Brenda for a few days until all of this is over. Helen would put all of you up in a secure penthouse..."

Troy was interrupted by the sound of Susan's chair squeaking on the wooden patio as she stood.

"Fuck that, Troilus!" Susan told her boyfriend. "I didn't spend a week in Europe last month, having my own Very Special Episode about The True Meaning of Ohana to hide at the first sign of trouble! Helen's penthouses are 'secure' now, in the way that when they say on TV, 'we've got the witness under 24-hour guard in a top-secret safehouse,' and you already know you're about to see a house explode! And if we're wrong; if he knows who I am, but he's saving it for some dramatic reveal, then I'd be endangering one of our other loved ones. I love being your princess, Troy, but I'm not going to be locked up in the tower while the menfolk fight and die for me any more than Princess Mesmera would sit for that shit!"

She walked up and put her hand on Julie's shoulder, who turned to face her. Susan looked at both of them.

"You three played together as kids. You think I'm going anywhere now that Helen's shown up with a shit load of Hot Wheels and G.I. Joes?"

Troy reached out his arm for Susan to join their hug. Julie nodded with a smile.

"Not this time, Equalses." Susan told them. "Once again, Troy, too focused on the big picture to see what's right in front of you." She walked up and turned their heads so that Troy & Julie were looking into each other's eyes. "Like the look on the face of that gorgeous vision with whom we can't play Poker because it's just too fucking sad to watch. The one she's been giving you for the past couple minutes, but we're not used to seeing it in the daytime and out of the bedroom. Stop trying to save the world for a moment and you'll recognize it."

Troy looked and saw that Susan was right. He had been too distracted by everything, but saw it now. He'd missed it because the only time he'd seen it during the day was once, at the age of six. After that, he'd only seen it again rarely, in the dark at three AM, when his best friend would shake him and sob his name. The look that said, "I need My Man to be holding me and whispering how much he loves me right now."

He looked at Susan. She nodded and gestured with her head toward their bedroom door with a smile and a "go ahead, I got this" look. Troy led Julie into the house and toward their bedroom for the second time that day. Susan closed the sliding glass patio door quietly behind them. Alone now, she returned to her chair, sat down, and closed her eyes.