Thirsty.

That’s how Devon would describe the guys at the Toolbox. Of course, he’d been thirsty when he’d sauntered in but there was a bit more chatting than drinking going on there than he had preferred. Sure there were a couple nice guys who’d bought him drinks, but what was with the all the getting to know you crap? Didn’t anyone just get drinks and make out anymore? What was wrong with this world where even the hook up apps got people talking about the future?

Gross.

So after excusing himself for the bathroom and exiting out the back door contrary to most gay men’s preference, he dashed up the street to Reif’s tavern. It was noisy, drinks were flowing, the bar was much bigger with shadier corners, and he could drink without being pressured into super-duper fabulous meet-cutes.

Of course a few cocktails later – mostly Jack Daniels – and he was chatting up the locals. They’d never heard of him, which was great. He was some local psychologist he told them, fine. He also said his name was Don. That was fine too. If he was sticking around or visiting this way too boring world often he’d need a good watering hole.

But then he got too drunk, throwing up a mix of greens and fried chicken on one of the pool tables. What? He was sick. All that rich food without anything to wash it down but water, followed by batting eyelashes, biting lips, and get to know you sentiments didn’t agree with him. At first the other patrons were okay with it, but when he knocked over a few glasses on the way to bathroom and yelled at the bartender with a few choice words apparently it was time to leave.

Totally Sober Devon may have been a bit out of it when he gave the bouncer Haven’s number to get him a car. Grabbing a taxi may have been wiser, but he was having trouble walking. Which really, walking was totally useless anyway when you could fly. Problem was up kept seeming like down so flying seemed really, really totally hard. There were probably some guys at the Toolbox in such a state that maybe he could…

Oh but they called someone Haven had on file to call when ‘situations’ arose? Okay, great. Devon leaned back against the wall at the side alley of Reif’s, sliding down to the ground as he awaited his savior. Was it Sarah? Oh wait, was he even at the right New York City? He couldn’t remember.

Maybe the whiskey in his flask would help remember. Mmm, nope, but yay it was full! At least it was when he started though not likely when Noel arrived.

The first thing she noticed was that the bar smelled like sick. The sweet tang of stomach acid and fried foods was unmistakeable to Noel who experienced that and worse flavors when someone dared speak with the intent to mislead in her presence. She didn't go out much for that reason. Restaurants and bars were some of the worst offenders for lies. Especially a place like this: a bar full of the best of the worst.

This place was so far below Hadden that she thought she might have the wrong address.

If he'd been talking someone down off a ledge or talking someone up out of their depression, she might have believed it, but Noel didn't see him at all on her way in. Not at the bar. Not on the roof. Not playing pool. Not dancing, if that could be called dancing. This had to be some kind of lame prank meant to besmirch Hadden's honor.

A quick circuit of the patrons and Noel moved to the bar to ask the bartender about her pick up. She didn't see him until he was specifically pointed out to her. On the floor. Nursing a metal flask.

A smile and an apology on his behalf and Noel was really starting to get worried. She squeezed through some people boasting proudly about their unmentionables with boorish confidence and frowned at their lies and the grab someone made at her passing. These things were beneath her as well.

Noel crouched in front of Hadden, irritated and more than a little concerned to observe the state he was in. His clothes rumpled in a disheveled sorry way, dark circles under his eyes, and the neck ruffling stench of whiskey. He wasn't drunk. He was pickled. Noel held up the hand she had used to shake the bartender's hand like the threat it was as she licked each finger purposefully. Noel’s eyes dilated and glazed over as she ran backwards through the bartender's evening at super speeds. He hadn't been watching 'Don’ as closely at the beginning of the evening, but at the end he was.

“I can't even keep up counting your drinks.” Was that awe or disgust she was feeling? Noel shook her head and let the memories drop as she caught sight of Devon Haddon puking backwards back into his mouth. That had to be extra gross going forwards, but seeing it in reverse as she was it was a little humorous at least.

“So here you are at rock bottom, huh? I'd ask what put you here, but you almost looked like you were having fun." Noel offered the man a hand, ready to pull him up and support him through. A more serious concern was why she, specifically, had been called to come here, but that could wait for a more private setting. He might not even know right now, he seemed so beyond his normal and controlled state.

"I have an car and driver waiting outside.” Noel spared a glance for the pool table that no one was using. There was a reason for the dark stain at it's center. She couldn't make this many people unsee that.

>> “I can't even keep up counting your drinks.”

Don grinned with pride. Of course, it looked more like one lip raised at the corner and the other twisted in a snarl. How many drinks had he had? Also how’d she know? He liked the way she licked her fingers. His fingers probably tasted like vomit and whiskey. Oh and there was his flask again as he gazed down into his hands.

>> “So here you are at rock bottom, huh? I'd ask what put you here, but you almost looked like you were having fun."

“You know it, beautiful,” he laughed. With difficulty he took a swig of his flask while the other hand took the woman’s. He struggled slowly to his feet, clearly wobbling but he was practiced. He could walk – er, stumble – when he needed to. The important part was to remember your feet were on the ground so don’t raise them toward the sky too quickly.

>> "I have an car and driver waiting outside.”

“Ah good,” he nodded, though his eyes rolled nearly as much as his head went side to side. “I like it when they send someone capable.” He didn’t know whom this girl was, but he liked her already. She brought a separate driver.

"Ohhh you are so far gone if you are wasting your time with compliments, Don." Noel did spare a moment to wipe his face on his own collar and smooth down that bit of hair that was standing up before she pulled him upwards and settled her shoulder firmly under his. At first, his shoes didn't seem to want to be flat on the floor. Not because she was tall enough to warrant that. Probably because of the incredible depth of his inebriation. Noel lifted, levered, and wiggled him until he was sort-of almost standing. Good enough.

She snuck the flask out from between his fingers when she was pretty sure he wouldn't notice. Which, really, could have been any time so long as she made no sudden moves. The flask, Noel stuffed into her back pocket. He wouldn't dare go digging around in there for it.

"I will carry you if you don't help me. I don't care how ridiculous it looks." She growled the words, her sympathy fast sliding into annoyance since he didn't even seem to recognize her. "It's me. Noel."

And then all that was left was for them to navigate through a rowdy bar full of people who didn't especially appreciate the man she was juggling.

"Excuse us." Noel hefted the man who was more affectionate limp noodle than helpful. The car was waiting just outside, a dark sedan and driver behind a partition. Anything they said in the back seat would be confidential. With Noel, that could be doubly true.

>> "Ohhh you are so far gone if you are wasting your time with compliments, Don."

Who the hell was Don? Oh that’s right, he was. Guess they’d told her? At least she was cleaning him up even if she made fun of him. Guess there wasn’t going to be any shagging in the car. That was as shame. She helped him up at least and then they were mobile. The earth was rotating too fast; probably another temporal anim- anilam- anomalie?

>> "It's me. Noel."

“Anomaly,” he laughed aloud for some reason. Noel was frustrated he realized. He frowned as they started their long trek through the rotating bar. At least Devon was pretty sure it was rotating. He waved goodbye to all his friends. The few he’d bought drinks for at least looked in his direction.

“Adieu, adieu,” he stammered.

Outside the air was fresh and cool but it was bright and loud. It wasn’t late enough for a quiet hum to settle over the city. Devon groaned and climbed eagerly into the car. “Oof,” he barked as he banged into the door. He laughed and fidgeted with the handle, throwing the door open, and then jumping in. “Sorry, my bad, Christmas.”

“You coming?” he continued, tapping the seat next to him. “It is July so I think you’re allowed.” His eyes went wide and his mouth slowly opened, “Oh no. It is still July right?”

A-yup. Skunked. Sh*tfaced. Schlonkered. Noel was touched, in a way, that he'd called her. There were only a few people she trusted to handle her in such a state. She was touched in a whole other way after he fell into the car and then flung the car door open into her face. She caught it millimeters from her face.

And he was calling her Christmas.

He had the social credit, but he was spending it like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

> “You coming?”

Noel helped one of Hadden's shoes into the vehicle since he seemed to have left it behind without noticing and slid into her seat behind him. The cooled interior of the car was a stark contrast from the humidity of summer. It was sticky outside. Summer was great and all, but air conditioning was an absolute blessing.

"Yeah, still early summer unless you're driving through an anomaly." Noel pulled the door shut behind her and leaned across Hadden to grab his seat belt and secure him into his seat before she did the same for herself. Thankfully this was going to be a short drive back to Haven.

She tapped the partition, glad to not be driving with this distraction on hand.

Oh. Hadn't he said something about an anomaly? No. Actually, haddn't Hadden giggled something about an anomaly? Maybe it had him all twisted up or maybe he'd been trapped in that bar with those stinky heathens and had to dull his senses somehow. Thaaaat was a stretch, she knew. It was just that she was having such a hard time figuring this out with her incomplete knowledge. The dark sedan rolled forward into traffic, sleek and smooth as a snake.

"So, you gonna talk or are we going to pretend like I didn't just scrape you up off the floor like bubble gum? I'd ask for your consent to figure out your problem, but— One, ya just puked your guts out. You're gonna have to brush your teeth. Two, I don't think you're in a position to give consent." Noel gave him all the side-eye. All of it.

>> "Yeah, still early summer unless you're driving through an anomaly."

Devon laughed out loud too loudly. He continued as Christmas shut the door and then buckled his seatbelt. He waggled eyebrows at her as his laughter died, like the chance of any snogging. She was a curt, uptight one wasn’t she. She must’ve worked for security, former government or military type. Figures.

He turned and watched her mouth move while she was talking. His lips pursed and his eyes narrowed as he nodded a couple times. Something about how gum was bad for your teeth so brush them. She glared at him all shifty like and mentioned his cent.

An arm went up as he sniffed at himself. Nope. He wasn’t all fresh and cologne but he didn’t smell that bad. I mean clearly he had vomited. She’d said that right? What did she want? She wanted something. Maybe she needed to report.

“I went to a gay bar,” he said, exasperated and frowning. “They were everywhere! I couldn’t handle that. Oh my God,” he shook his head far too quickly, blinked his eyes, and then leaned his head back. “They were so friendly. So friendly.” He lowered his head, dropped a side of it, and looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

“SO friendly.  I snuck out their back door!"  he shouted with a laugh then threw his hands over his mouth like they were in a library.

Devon grimaced. The car was nearly at Haven already, though it turned to go around the back through the private garage. That was good. He didn’t need publicity with some stuff shirt. I mean, she was pretty but clearly no fun. Did he know her? Is that why she was pissed? Oh God, had they hooked up?

No, no. Well he was drunk but he’d remember that pout and glare. Damn it all.

“I may need to lay down,” he nodded slowly.

Noel found herself appreciating this peek behind the curtain. This wasn't perfectly coiffed and rose-scented Devon. This was a side of Devon with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes. Despite all that, and all the nonsense, he still managed to be weirdly charming. Maybe it was that hint of boyish insecurity that was wrapped up in the promise of... well, Noel wasn't exactly sure what Devon was promising, but it appealed to pretty much everyone.

> “I went to a gay bar,”

"Oh. Were they nice to you?"

> “SO friendly. I snuck out their back door!"

Okay. Now that was funny. A laugh bubbled out of her despite her irritation at being called to babysit. This was Karma, she was sure. Well, Karma would be satisfied to learn that Noel had put alcohol firmly back on her 'NO' list. Every breath was a whiff of eu de vomit that hammered that decision home again.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone be too nice to you anymore." She gave her most solemn bodyguard oath, but since they were sliding into the back loading area for Haven, that might actually prove to be a smidge difficult. "Eugh. Maybe I shouldn't promise that. Everyone here's too damn nice."

> “I may need to lay down,”

And a shower to boot. Noel pursed her lips together and slid out of the vehicle first, eyes sweeping for a threat that just wasn't there.

Damn. What she wouldn't give for an honest threat right now. The driver got out and offered her a hand, but she declined, thanked, and dismissed him before going back for her charge.

"Come on, Hadden." She tugged his arm over her shoulder and hefted him up and out with her hand as a preemptive protection against smacking his face against the car door frame. "Like a reversal of getting stuffed in the back of a beat cop's car." She noted how upsidedown and backwards the world had gotten lately. Her only experience with the police dynamic was as the one getting arrested.

"There's a step," she helpfully reminded him at the bottom of some steps. He seemed more than a little incapable at the moment. "If you can't do it, I will." He was taller than Michael, but she'd hefted the Ranger up to his apartment. Hadden couldn't be any worse.

>> "Don't worry, I won't let anyone be too nice to you anymore."

Devon gave her a look like she’d better not coupled with some sharp nodding. The people here were sickeningly nice and trusting. I mean, people back home were pliable but this… Oh yeah, this wasn’t his New York City. That’s right. Who was this girl again?

Er, woman?

>> "Eugh. Maybe I shouldn't promise that. Everyone here's too damn nice."

“Oh my God, yes,” Devon laughed almost hysterically. “I may need to lay down,” he nodded slowly. This was all very dangerous. He needed to rest. Man that whiskey was whiskier than the whiskies at the we were born this way happy club. They were more about the pineapple though, weren’t they? Oh and the coconut.

“Rum rum for the tum tum but watch out for your bum bum,” he muttered for some reason.

They were taking slow careful plodding up some steps. Was she helping him? Oh apparently she was. He tried to stop chuckling at his silly rhyme and pay attention, “Sorry Christmas, thank you,” he grinned dopily. His eyes almost focused though!

Yay progress!

“And here at Haven we’ll help progress progress through with great progression!” Devon laughed into the hall past a couple guards from security and into the residence elevator. The two guards gave Noel a questioning glance but said nothing. Meanwhile Devon was tapping his finger into the biometric pad and then entering a keycode: 081871.

Up the elevator went as Devon leaned against the wall. “You know, I don’t bring just anyone up to my graaaaand sky estate here,” he half-whispered, half-slurred as he wagged his eyebrows at her. It was pretty honest; he hadn’t brought anyone up to this place yet. Granted that didn’t seem likely with how pushy she was, but she’d laughed or something right?

Oh forget it. Vomiting all over the furniture sounded fun as all hell! Devon the Super Tidy be damned!

Noel had a choice, she realized. She could remain irritated, or, she could let the absurdity of the situation carry her through to gigglesnort at the absurdity of it all.

"Oh you definitely need to lay down. Don't worry, I'll get you there before Christmas." She chuckled at her own joke, because, really she didn't expect him to get it in his current state.

> “Sorry Christmas, thank you,”

"Yeah, yeah. That nice includes you, Hadden. Let me tuck you in with some grunt candy and water." That's what the Ranger had tried to do for her so that was probably the best course of action. Also, toothbrush. She was serious about the toothbrush. She was quite impressed with his number typing. Muscle memory was a hell of a thing.

> “You know, I don’t bring just anyone up to my graaaaand sky estate here,”

She snorted. "Yeah, you said something like that last time." She still wasn't impressed. Ah, but she did, at least, remember where the bathroom was. She used her hip to bump him that way and left the overhead light off while flipping on the shower light for some distant and indirect illumination. Noel parked Hadden on top of the closed toilet and got a washcloth wet for... some reason. Washcloths were what you gave to people. She squeezed it out until it was nearly dry and flopped the square of cloth over the top of his less than perfect hairdo. It she had to say, not that she ever would, the less than perfect look was much preferred.

"Toothbrush." She helpfully got it ready for him and stuffed it into his hand. "I know you're squeamish about kissing or whatever, but you can trust me not to go too far. It doesn't have to mean anything." Just information. She was flying blind without it.

Christmas laughed at him and he laughed with her. It laughed at him every year. Every year when everyone else bundled up against the snow, trudged out of the city upstate to see the folks or the train out east or a flight out west… And Devon stayed in, a bottle of bourbon and two black eyes to make the snow dance. Sometimes he had some nice friends over to dance for him, but they were usually only around a couple hours and they certainly didn’t bring presents.

But Christmas here? She seemed wonderfully enchanting, so fun and friendly! She laughed at his jokes, guided him upways and downways, and promised to tuck him in. Ah, mom would like this one if she wasn’t a million pieces long dead. Ah what to do, what to do. Lots of vomiting.

Oh look they were in the bathroom. He worked so hard to clean it up after he cleaned up for that Derek fellow. What a nice guy with good food and dark urges. He was probably fun. His head felt wet. “My head feels wet,” he muttered, glancing up.

Toothbrush in hand he did what only came naturally and brushed his teeth. He nodded and narrowed his eyebrows at her as she mentioned kissing. So she did want it! Ah ha! He was right. Him? Squeamish? That was ridiculous.

Oh right Devon Goody Goody didn’t like getting nooky nooky. What a moron. Maybe he was actually gay here? Weird. Oh maybe it’s cause she was an employee. That made sense. Can’t fraternize with coworkers. Devon laughed on his toothbrush, unable to hold it back.

It doesn’t have to mean anything.

Dear God in heaven where was this woman from? Hell probably. Oh maybe they’d met at the Inferno. Awesome.

“If you’re sure,” Devon said sheepishly as he took the toothbrush from his mouth. He stood slowly, a hand to the counter and then used the little cup for water the boy wonder had near the sink. He spit as carefully as possible though he could feel how dizzy he was. But good, right. His mouth was clean.

Time to end this night on a high note.

Spinning around a bit too quickly, Devon threw a hand around to Christmas’ lower back and one behind her shoulders. His arched his eyebrows seductively and then laid his freshly cleaned lips on her. Oh yeah.

Time to dirty up the bathroom!

It was a little like negotiating with a sleepy kid, Noel guessed. If she got him halfway there, years of habit filled in the gaps. He brushed his teeth because he'd done that ten million times, but left the washcloth on his head, unsure of what it was for. Since Noel was equally unsure, she tugged it back off without much notice from Hadden. She left it in a heap on the counter. Ugh. Maybe she should fold it. Hadden seemed like a fold-er to her.

Was Noel sure? She watched him rinse out his mouth and figured this wasn't really the consent that Hadden had intended she receive. He really wasn't in a position to make that decision for himself and just because she wanted to help didn't mean that he wanted it. Or was ready for it.

"Maybe we shouldn--" But he was the one to turn and pull her close. One hand, two hands, and then eyebrows? Noel's sentence died on her lips when he was the one to initiate contact. She slid her hands at the side of Hadden's face to better control his head. She didn't understand the eyebrows, but his body language was clear. He was more than okay with sharing his memories.

What started as lips pressed against lips moved very quickly into Noel using her tongue to explore Hadden's mouth. This wasn't about romance. This was about crawling into his head through his mouth.

Christmas. She must have still had her newest nickname on her mind when she made first mental contact because she saw Hadden sitting alone at Christmas.

Wait. Not alone. Not alone at all! Noel put those memories on fast forward while she tried to think through what she was supposed to be looking for, but it was like watching a train wreck. The strippers, the booze, the depression. She got a compressed blast of what it had felt like to have a hollow holiday. He hadn't be alone, but he had been lonely.

Lonely. That reminded her enough to trigger her power in search of what was next. She needed to see what had prompted this sad romp through both bars. She'd once told Hadden he over thought things and that it was only sad if he let it be, but this...

Noel thought she knew what it was like to be sad. She was wrong.

Her parents had died in an explosion... no, Hadden's parents had died. She forwarded through Hurricane Sandy and wasn't sure what her body was doing, but Hadden's had been roaring with power directed by anguish. He blamed SUPER. Which was... a couple memories back. A shadowy government agency?

Noel delved deeper. It was bizarre in the most unexpected sense. Hadden was wild. Dismissing his doctors, ignoring his medications, untidy, unruly, drug addicted... This was not the Devon Hadden that Noel knew. There had to be some good.

Haven still existed, but... was that one of Nate's women? And the parties, some of the information gleaned wasn't used as blackmail, some at least, was fed through to the authorities.

God, there was just so much information here! Noel wasn't sure how to un-spaghetti-fy it all. Every time she thought she found resolution to a question, it prompted 4 more. What was the Syndicate? WAS THAT HER ARRESTING OFFICER GETTING FLIRTY!?

She felt herself reaching the edge of her working capacity for memory and pushed for more. This Devon... he knew things.

She tasted like spearmint and fluoride, which was weird, but Devon went with it. At least her mouth was clean. There were some what others might call ‘ladies’ but he didn’t that weren’t so fresh. Kissing was far more intimate. He saved that for clearly a higher grade of person. Christmas here was definitely one of them.

He was fairly certain he felt a knife pressing into his hip at one point. It didn’t really matter what it was honestly, but that confirmed his suspicion she was probably some army or special unit – he chuckled briefly into the kiss – that this Devon-o had picked up. What a lad he was finding these fun friends with interesting powers and special training… My, did dear old Devon have something up his Haven sleeve too?

Probs, right?

Off went his shirt with some popped buttons. Devon was far more careful with Christmas’. He wouldn’t dare damage her things, plus it gave him more time to let his hands wander. He helped her up onto the counter. A shame all those dainty bathroom things had gone to the floor. Oh no. What a mess! It would certainly be the end of the world.

Man, she was into this. Devon must’ve had her stringing along a while. Oh don’t kiss me. What was it she’d said? He was squeamish? Oh no, the girl cooties. They’re all up in my mouth getting inside me. They’ll steal my soul.

Or maybe just find out he had part of one left.

Time to head out to that bed before he vomited anything up! He was feeling pretty good actually. Must’ve been that water. Oh look she was a drinker too, flask in her pocket. This chick rocked!

She felt like such a voyeur. Noel had intended to go into Hadden's mind to find out what made him drink himself into oblivion. She found it. The problem was... well, there were too many problems to count at this point, but the biggest problem was that she'd found the impetus for his issues and that had made the memorymancer realize that this was the wrong Devon with the wrong issues.

After yet another spike of pain behind her eyebrow told her that she had taken in too much, Noel mentally fought her way out of the mess that was this Devon's life.

"Y-" She'd tried to tell him that she knew, but her lips were still entangled. Noel tipped her chin up to break away and keep her taste buds to herself. She had to fight off dancing visions of Jorge Cervantes asserting his dominance over-- Yeah. She shut that one down hard and fast as she panted to catch her breath. What had she been trying to say?

"You're-" The heck? Noel felt something squishy behind her. Squishy like bed squishy. Like bed and sheets and this Devon was down a shirt in front of her. Her lips felt swollen from pressing herself aggressively against his mouth for who knew how long?

Devon knew how long.

The location change, the partner change, the whole situation took on an entirely different meaning. This was bad. What was she supposed to do? Beat the guy up? She had literally asked for this. Just... she hadn't meant this.

"You're in the wrong universe, party Devon." Party Devon was quite possibly the lamest designation, but that was what Noel's headache had left her with. She grabbed- oh, hell. There was no shirt to grab. Noel instead opted to try to push and buck her way to a reversal so that she would be able to control the situation a bit better. There was no way she was going to let him decide what was happening here since he was unaware. "Not sure what you came here for, but I see the real you now."

Christmas worked out. Devon was seriously impressed, though he kept thinking about nonsense. Gay guys plying him with drinks, a vomit covered pool table, the number of drunk politicians downstairs, the number of events held throughout Haven tomorrow- When was tomorrow? What day was it?

But her lips were nice and that was distracting. He’d helped her to the bed. Knocking his – well other Devon’s – shoes off. Hers were harder to get off. Man she was eager. Oh right. This wasn’t his bedroom. Ah but pants. Who needs pants? I mean shoes and pants in bed was silly, but getting pants off was hard. Har har. Man he was drunk. The soft sheets were so nice against the skin. Maybe she’d come up for air and they could get more comfortable.

Oh she was moaning too. Yeah, Devon the Dumb Dumb didn’t know what he was missing out on. His hands wandered over the sides of her rib cage, teasing the tender rarely touched lines along her back. She was loving it! He had to get himself some more fun bodyguards!

>> "You're in the wrong universe, party Devon."

Devon laughed as her lips left his, “Oh I can go wherever you want me to.” His blue eyes grinned as much as his mouth as his hands sailed down her back to the waistband and slowly slid around to the front. He leaned into her as she grabbed for him and started shaking with anticipation. Oh she was feisty! He pushed on her shoulders as she pushed at him.

>> "Not sure what you came here for, but I see the real you now."

“Yeah, now you’ve seen me,” he drawled, voice deepening in what presumably he thought was seduction. “I don’t know how I held back so long,” he almost frowned. “I was scared to trust myself with you. I’ve lost so much and can’t imagine…” His eyes glanced away as Devon the Totally Sincere sighed. “I’ve thrown myself into my work, but I can’t resist this any longer,” he looked back to her, nodding. “Every time you’re near me… I’m so glad you came for me. So glad that I can truly be myself around you.”

Lightning flashed with incredible brilliance filtered through the heavy black curtains across the doors to the patio. Thunder boomed immediately, so close was the strike. Both filled the room, drowning out Devon’s heavy breathing but illuminating another from the hall. Darkness retreated for the moment revealing him, his head cocked to the side and twin pools of midnight staring out from it. “The real you,” a terse, too calm voice intoned.

“Ah shit,” said Not Right Devon, his back toward the hall and bathroom. “We have company don’t we?” he chuckled even as his eyes lost their blue. He started to lean back off the bed, “Well I guess we can make this a threesome.”