She'd had worse.

Physically, Lori had been through the wringer. She wasn't sleeping well with all the stress at work, Roger teething, dishes, and... well, it was mostly the stress at work. Her job and that damn cure had been her life and now she was fighting tooth an nail to keep it in her hands.

So this? This was just icing on the cake.

Lori loitered under the canopy of a shop across the street from the tow truck that was backing into Hubcap Paradise. She dressed for the location, skinny jeans and a loose tee instead of her usual business formal. Without her power suits, she felt vulnerable. The jewel tones were her armor, but she hadn't wanted to get jumped in this, the wrong part of town.

The blonde knew what she'd find when she came to visit. She'd been the one to make the decision to quit wasting the money. Her dad wasn't coming back. He might even be dead. There was no point in paying his bills when he wasn't even living there anymore.

So Rupert was just going to have to forgive her for this one little cigarette. Package. He was going to have to forgive her this one package. One cigarette hadn't cut the tension like she'd hoped.

That was where she'd grown up. That tin can was as good as her childhood home.

Lori used the still glowing end of the first cigarette to light her next.

Butterfly was walking down the road when she noticed what looked like a house being towed away and a young woman standing not too far away smoking. Butterfly, wearing a tank top that shows her butterfly wing markings that arose at puberty and a pair of jeans that her brother, Ty Fisher, bought her when they would go on their shopping sprees together. She had her long dark hair pulled up into ponytail so that the wind wouldn't keep blowing it into her face as she walked.

It was one of those days when Butterfly really missed her brother. He had been gone about a year and she had no idea where he was or if he was even alive. She hadn't heard from him and since he's been gone, Butterfly has felt kinda lost. It hadn't been that long since she found her brother and gotten to be close to him. He was the only family she had and now that he was gone, she didn't know what to do. She had picked up the habit of smoking trying to deal with his absence and she thought about she could just see him now getting on to her for it.

When she saw the young woman smoking, it kinda triggered her urge to smoke a cig and knew that smoking might help calm her down and keep her from crying and being so upset about missing her brother. She pulled the pack of cheap cigarettes from her back pocket, no doubt it was one that she managed to lift from some lady's purse earlier that week, and opened the box to pull one out, but she had forgotten that she smoked the last one earlier and needed to get more. Butterfly sighed and walked over to the young woman, hoping that she would let her bum one or a few from her. Butterfly waved to her and called out,"Hey, do you have a cigarette I could bum off you? I smoked my last one earlier and need to get another pack. My name's Chloe by the way. Is everything okay?" Butterfly had noticed that the young woman seemed kinda flustered or upset.

A culture of generosity and solidarity grew between smokers. No doubt it rose from the growing hate and fear of addiction, the smell, and, of course, smoking was officially recognized as a potential cause of cancer in the state of California. That wasn't why she smoked. That wasn't why anybody smoked. She just needed an outlet and, believe it or not, smoking was a healthier alternative.

"Sure." No hesitation, no question. Lori tapped a cigarette out of the package and passed it over along with her old stub so that the newcomer, too, could light from the ashes of the old one.

"Sh*t." The blonde brushed at the ash that had dropped onto her tee while she'd been busy sharing. %*$# that was going to leave a bit of a scorch mark. She liked this shirt.

"Lori." She said, by way of introduction. It came out in the same tone as the string of swear words that circled her head. "Aaaaaand that's my house." She motioned with the flick of her ash toward the guy across the street who was working to hitch up the small trailer to his tow vehicle. "Nothing I can do about it." Or, rather. Nothing that she should.

Damn her dad. Damn Rupert. Damn everybody. Lori let the smoke out in a long steady exhalation.

Butterfly took the cigarette that Lori had handed her and lit it with the stub of her old cigarette. "Thanks, Lori. I appreciate it." Butterfly held the smoldering stub to the end of her cigarette and proceeded to inhale a couple of short times to get the cigarette to light. Once she had it lit, she dropped the stub onto the ground and stepped onto it to put it out. It had served its purpose and if they had another cigarette that they wanted to smoke then they could just use the ones they were smoking now. She took a deep inhale and held it for a moment before letting the large cloud of smoke escape in her exhale. Lori was definitely smoking cigs that were pretty strong and were pretty good quality cigs. She had good tastes. The natural flavor of regular tobacco was decent and she could tolerate it as long as it didn't taste like dirt, but if she had to pick a kind that she preferred, it would have been a more menthol cig. At least then the smoke felt cool going down.

Butterfly had stood there with her eyes closed as she took her first few hits, but opened them when she heard Lori curse. She opened her eyes and saw that the ash from her cigarette had burned her shirt. Butterfly reached over and helped her brush the ash away. "Don't you hate when that happens. Ever since I had that happen with one of my favorite tee's, I constantly try and flick my ash away. No since in ruining anymore of my clothes with burn holes. Man, if my brother could see me now, he's probably fuss at me and flick the cig outta my hand. I actually wouldn't mind if that did happen. At least then I would know that he was here with me and not God knows where. I haven't even heard from him in almost a year. Hell, his disappearance is the reason I started smoking. Just another way to cope without crying and feeling like you're completely alone. I'm sorry about your house Lori. Do you have anywhere else to stay? I know we just met and all, but I could maybe help you get a hotel room until we could find you somewhere if you need it. I know what its like to have a house that you can't go to anymore. It's not fun. Let alone having to worry that if you go back someone might try to kill you. That's why I'm here now. I couldn't stay in Georgia any longer. Dad's dead, Mom abandoned me to "go find herself", house got robbed, and didn't even know I had a brother til I came north and now he's gone. So I guess I really am alone in this world. Not just a feeling, but an actual fact. I have no one." She watched as the tow truck took the trailer, wondering where she would go after this. She puffed on her cigarette some more, thinking about Ty and if she would ever see him again. She contemplated the idea of just saying f@$% it to her life and always being nice. Screw everyone. They would just leave her anyway. The least her brother could have done was tell her where he was going. She stood in silence with Lori, she looked over at her to see if she was maybe feeling any better.

The stranger had no compunctions about reaching over and swatting at her boobs. It both annoyed Lori and impressed her, this girl Chloe.

"Daman, girl. Stop and take a breath." Lori chuckled. She popped her cagarette into her mouth and let it dangle precariously as she spoke and held up her now free fingers as she ticked off her points. "One. Don't worry. I got a place to stay." Her apartment where she cohabitated with a man and their love mutant child freak. But Lori wasn't about to brag about her Manhattan place. She was here to mourn the loss of this junkyard of a mobile home park, Hubcap Paradise.

Lori ticked off another point on another finger."Two. S#*%, don't even get me started about my brother. He left soon as he turned 18 and left me holding the bag. I don't even remember how many years ago that was at this point. Yours younger or older?"

And then there was the matter of who had actually lived in that mobile home last. "Three. My dad's a $(%tard. Maybe dead I haven't seen him in so long. Mom's a (#$%hole. Remarried. She doesn't want to talk anymore. Trying to start a new family that isn't so @)#$*ed up. That b@#$ was wearing velour and raising two little s#@*heads in the 'burbs last I checked." It was so easy to revert back to how she used to talk. She'd scrimped and saved and put herself through college. Past Lori would have slapped current Lori. For the cigarette. For the cursing. For coming back so often. Past Lori would have cheered if that trailer went up in flames as it was towed.

"You don't have anybody?" Lori smirked. "Your life blows as hard as mine. Let's start our own family. Here." Lori offered her hand so they could shake on it. "There. Now you got me." She'd always wanted a little sister.

Butterfly listened to Lori's points, surprised that her life was about as bad as her's. Though she was glad her brother was different. She knew Ty wouldn't just leave her for no reason, but she was just mad that she didn't know where he was and if he was even alright.

When Lori asked if her brother was younger or older, Butterfly responded, "Older, but I wish I would have had him around when I was growing up. He was a great guy. I'm just worried about him because I don't know what's happened to him. He was someone I really cared about. My mother sounds like your mother. She was always bringing guys home with her, but never really cared much for being with me. I kinda raised myself."

Butterfly shook hands with Lori and smiled at her. It felt kinda nice to know that someone actually would take her as family. She looked down at her cig and flicked away the excess ash, drawing another long puff from it. It was almost to the point of being a stub."Ya know I didn't even know who my father was until I got here. I found out how horrible he was to my brother and am glad he wasn't around when I was growing up. His name was Jonathan Fisher. Thank God Ty stabbed him. If he didn't, I would have. He was a bastard. I would have drug his death out much more painfully. He deserved it."

She looked down at the ground and exhaled her smoke before looking over to Lori, " At least I have you now. So where are you gonna go now since the mobile home has been towed? Could I come with you? I mean, I understand if you don't want me to. Just meeting me and all."

She really was an interesting diversion, this Chloe. She babbled and babbled, yet it wasn't an annoying sort of thing. It was refreshing. Like the babbling of a brook.

She enjoyed her cigarette until she was down to the filter and then she enjoyed stubbing it out on the brick next to her. She hadn't expected to enjoy anything today. She especially enjoyed the part in Chloe's story when she both supplied her father and brother's names. Lori was downright smiling by the end of Chloe's story. It was damn funny, the coincidences in this town.

"Are you in the habit of ending other's lives painfully or is that a right you reserve for family alone?" She made a joke of it. She didn't want Chloe to clam up now. Especially not now. And, could Lori turn this Chloe on to Ty? Because wouldn't that be a neat little solution to the electricity elemental's problem? Ty had to die anyway.

"I'm gonna come clean with you, Chloe. I started here, but this is by no means where I live now." The implications? With her fresh clothes and nice nails? "I've got money. Let's go shopping. Retail therapy, my treat." Did Lori want Chloe to come? Yes. She wanted it bad enough that she was offering to pay for some of her time.

Chloe tossed the cig butt on the ground and stepped on it. She looked up at Lori and said, "It depends. Kill my dad...yes. Kill my brother or anyone I'm close to...no, but mess with them and I will end whoever they are in a heartbeat. I'm very loyal and protective over the people I care about. I get tired of being lied to and treated like a kid. I can handle it. I'm an adult now. "

Chloe looked up at Lori when she spilled about having money without surprise. "I could tell you have money with the nice manicured nails you have and brand of clothes you're wearing, but I wanted you to tell me. And sometimes you don't know all the details of what a person's going through, but I'm willing to be a friend through anything and help however I can."

Chloe thought back on the days when Ty would go shopping with her and how much fun she had and how much she missed him doing that with her. She hoped that her memories wouldn't be the last ones she had with Ty. She hoped that there would be another day for them to shop and laugh and pickpocket lessons like the countless times before. Maybe shopping with Lori would be fun. Maybe she found someone she could trust. Besides from the looks of her kinda money, you don't turn down a shopping invite, especially if it's on her dime. Chloe smiled big for her and nodded excitedly,"Where do you wanna shop?"

Ah. Well, things worth doing were never that easy.

> "Where do you wanna shop?"

"I have an idea, but... can it be a surprise?" There was mischief in her eyes. Oh yeah. A plan was definitely forming.

"So how'd you find out this guy was your brother?" Her face was a perfect mirror of her skepticism as Lori started them walking out of the area. No way they were catching a cab here. No cabs ever came around these parts.

"Let's pretend for a moment your dad wasn't a rat b*@#$(d that deserved it. Look at this from my perspective as an outsider to this story you just told me." Lori checked her pack as they walked. Less than half. But the fact that any were left was an absolute miracle. She rolled the package into her sleeve, just like she used to in college.

"You meet this guy. You somehow arrive at the conclusion that he's your dad? Right? He has a kid, that makes that kid your brother. If he's such a b@#)$, how do you know that's really his kid? Really your brother? Or even really your dad?" Lori didn't know how many times she'd wished her family was NOT her family. Now, with her ready access to medical testing, she'd run the genetics. She couldn't get rid of them that easily.

Once they were a few blocks out of the dumps and into a slightly more busy area, Lori hailed a cab with an impressive whistle.

Chloe walked alongside Lori and nodded upon being asked if the shopping place could be a surprise. But when Lori began to question Ty being her brother and her @$$hat dad being her dad, Chloe began to get really ticked off. She could see the look of mischief on her face and knew that Lori had to be up to something, but wasn't sure what just yet. So Chloe held her anger in for the moment until she could see what Lori was up to. She also noticed that Lori started to take a liking a little too much into her family. Why was she so interested in Ty and her father? Why is she questioning it so heavily? All of these things made Chloe suspicious of Lori and her motives. To be honest, Chloe even debated on even telling her thte true story of how Ty and Chloe came to realize that they were brother and sister, but she decided to give it to her. To get close to an enemy, you have to be willing to part with some truths, but not show your hand with all that you know.

"Well, when I first came here, I ran into this guy and he touched my necklace and had a psychic vision with details about my mom that only I could know and he then talked about his dad being in the vision and described him to me. I realized who he was because I remember him being around my mom when I was a kid and his name was on my birth certificate, but never met him after I came here. After my dad left, my mom would try and find other guys to date, but she never stayed with one for long. Before then I had never seen Ty before, but with the knowledge that he knew there was no doubt that he was my brother and he began to spend time with me and helped me and never took advantage of me in anyway. So even if I were to find out that he wasn't my "actual" brother, I'd still treat him as such because we've bonded and grown close to each other and he has treated me as such, but the question comes to mind as to why a person would be willing to do all of that for a person that they don't even know, doesn't have any alterior motives, and spend time, energy, and money on them, if they aren't family or love them?"

She wasn't trying to start an argument with Lori, but was more or less trying to pick her brain a little and see if she would give up some info she may be hiding. Chloe was trying to trust her, but until she understood where her heart and intentions lay, there was no way that Chloe would be willing to give all of herself to Lori. No yet anyway.

Psychometric Ty using his dirty powers to con a poor little soul like Chloe. "There are so, so many explanations for why that guy's dad and your mom were in his visions, but I'm just kinda paranoid by nature, hun. Also, my parents cheated on each other enough that I sometimes think I can't possibly belong to either one of them." It probably helped that she'd pretty much been disowned by them both, in turn had disowned them back, and even sent an assassin after one.

Po-tayto, po-tahto. Either way Chloe was Ty's sister, at least in her head. Headcanon was hella hard to fight.

"Ugh. Well either way it sucks balls that he's there one minute and gone the next. And like I said, paranoid. To me, some asshole offers to buy me something, he wants something." She laughed then as they piled into the taxi. "No. I'm not exempt. You'll see when we get there." Lori's grin was contagious. She was counting on that.

"The old General Motors Building. I think it's 700-something on 5th Ave?"

"Uhh isn't that-"

"Shhh! Yeah. It is, but shh!" Lori glanced between the man with the Indian/New York hybrid accent and Chloe "It's a surprise, yo."

The cabbie snorted. "Sure. Whatever you say, Miss."

"I've always wanted to go sooooo, so bad when I was a kid. It's not the kind of place you go alone. I need you Chloe. You're my ticket in." Yes. She was using her. Lori was almost certain Chloe wouldn't mind.

It didn't take long. The slums were a razor's edge from better parts of town. Better parts of town were just a stone's throw from the shopping district.

The cab rolled to a stop in front of FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy company in the U.S. and the same one from that old movie with Tom Hanks.

"I'm afraid to wander around a toy store alone and look like a creep. I never had the cash before." She was bouncing out of her seat and out of the cab, her words tumbling out in an excited jumble. "Uhh tell me I'm not totally lame, please?" She paid the cabby through the front window. "Or tell me I am so long as you still come with me to go buy candy and play with the people-sized piano?" Her enthusiasm was genuine. She'd really never gotten to go and just play around.

Chloe looked at Lori funny as she shhh-ed the cabbie. She was wondering in her head what Lori was up to, but it was when they pulled up to a very old toy store and saw Lori's excited reaction, Chloe realized that she was totally nuts and may be using this as a means to hide something. But Chloe played along with her and smiled at her and told her that she was indeed very lame, but that she would go with her inside the toy story.

Chloe never really got to go to places like that as a child. They never had the money and so there was no reason for her to go inside and look around and tease herself with toys and things she couldn't have. She hid back her excitement from Lori because she didn't want it to take over her mind and get caught in a trap. Lori said herself that she wasn't exempt from wanting something if she was going to buy something for someone.

Hiding back her excitement was hard and she decided that she would let Lori see some of it, but would be wary in case she tried anything. Chloe stepped out the car and started walking toward the store. "Hurry up. I wanna see this piano and find books and robots."