"No." Aurum said combattively. "That one's obvious. It's got nothing to do with Lonnie. No... it's you." He looked at her seriously. "I remembered you. Not everything, but," hazel eyes flared. "Some things. For instance. You are not a freak. And I realized what's been bugging me here for a few minutes. You're not being yourself. Where's that lady who'd kick my ass if I gave her too much lip, who bossed me around like she knew what the hell she was doing during the investigation... even when it probably wasn't the right course of action, or even a good idea... I figured out why, when I saw you while I was standing there on the roadside, I was somehow glad. I'm an idiot."

He shook his head. Why was he an idiot. "I thought 'here's someone who can get my head in the game and help me piece this all together.' But then, I got ticked off by you holding back... and me, getting all defensive. And not knowing what the hell else to say except 'thank you, but I don't know why'." He was losing his train of thought here. Moments of revelation didn't usually last for long. It was time to slide it on home. "So, uh. Be yourself, I guess? I don't even know. All I know is... you're not a freak, and... we're in trouble."

"I have no idea why me and not you..." He finished weakly, looking away. A single derisive chuckle escaped him. "Must just be my bad luck."

Apparently Aurum hadn’t remembered anything about Lonnie, and a wide smirk crossed Riley’s face at the mild venom in his voice. She was ready to snap back at him, maybe try to make him sting a little…like he’d done to her…but he kept right on talking.

What. The. Hell?

One second he was jerking away from her like she’d attached hot irons to the tips of the fingers she was planning on touching his head with…the next he was telling her that the only thing he remembered from his mutant-induced memory wipe was her?

What a tool.

Aurum had been happy to see her…because she could kick his ass…because she…bossed him around…because generally she treated him like crap. Why did she care? She’d simply been unlucky enough to be riding down the highway where he was. She hadn’t been genuinely concerned…just like she hadn’t really been worried about him having a head injury. What the hell did he want out of her?

Nice. He wanted her to be herself. Riley had to admit…he had a point…she was off her game. He was wrong about the freak part…but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Not about that.

”If we’re done with the after school special….I’d like to go back to figuring out why someone thought it would be fun to run you through the shredder.”

Riley smiled, but it was slightly insincere and a little sarcastic, ”What’s the last thing you remember besides my smiling face?”

"Not a damned thing," Aurum grinned at her as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

He still couldn't remember all of the investigation. All the bits and pieces he got were what had stood out to him most... and what had most stood out to him had been... Riley. Being terrible at this whole 'investigation' thing. Making mistakes. He didn't know what mistakes, but... there were a hell of a lot of them. They'd probably gotten him kidnapped. Maybe that was why the cop and him had gotten wiped? Who knew. She certainly hadn't known the cop, though. At least that one thing was certain. She'd still have to fill him in. That was hilarious because... he really hated leaving important tasks to her. He wished he could do the job himself.

”Not a damn thing?”

”Surely you remember something.” Riley muttered with a sigh, running a hand through her hair and frowning in Aurum’s general direction, then scowling a little bit at the stupid grin on his face. ”It’s not funny. What if some creep is waiting outside the apartment door? You said you just randomly woke up in that truck with those two. What had you been doing before?”

She paused, not entirely focused on the investigation at this point. Sure there were things to tell, like how she’d found the drugs in the vanishing cabinet, and how she’d realized that Lonnie was in on the whole thing. That could wait though, they could hash out those details when they were sure nothing nefarious was going to be waiting for them when the elevator was finally fixed

"I know it isn't funny," Aurum replied to her, all joking out of his voice and off his face. "That's why I need to know every little detail about what we did and what we found. All of it. Because like I said earlier... it probably has to do with why I got targeted."

He didn't know if he was ever going to remember how he'd gotten into that vehicle with those other two, handcuffed together. He'd have to see what they said when they remembered. Right now, the important thing was figuring out where he stood with Lonnie and Hart... and getting out of the elevator... and getting a stiff drink. Maybe.

Riley’s scowl settled into a more comfortable glare as Aurum parroted his words from before about wanting to know all the details. Of course he wanted all the details. That’s how he operated with all his silly lawyer investigator skills. Because normal laymen like herself didn’t have the ability to keep up or draw conclusions on their own.

Riley looked up at the ceiling of the little box they were in, hoping to hear some kind of tapping or hammering that would indicate that someone was working on the elevator. Anything so she could put some space between herself and the questions that were quickly becoming incessant. She’d already told him everything that was important. What more was there?

No sounds. No indication of help. Riley sighed, then begrudgingly told him every tiny little detail she could remember about the whole thing. Begrudgingly and with heavy emphasis on every mistake she could remember him making. Even if it wasn’t helpful, it made her feel better.

Finished, and actually a little satisfied with herself, Riley smiled sweetly, ”So there. Anything else?”

"Thank you," Aurum said gingerly. "That's much better. Now I feel like a full man, instead of the bits and pieces of one." Full man. Full set of memories. He was no longer operating on a nothing. He had a few objections, sure. There had been a few glaring contradictions in her statements. There was no possible way, as he'd thought before, that he had been the one to make all of those mistakes. He was surely a better detective than that. He didn't call her on it. He was a better person than that, too.

Aurum glanced towards the doors with a sigh, resting his arm across his bent knee. "Now all we need is for these doors to spring open. Open sesame," He spread his fingers towards the door like a magician casting a spell. As if that would work.

Ding.

Dammit. The whole point of her emphasis on his mistakes has been to get Aurum up in arms. Instead he thanked her, and she couldn’t even tell if he was being sarcastic. Riley felt the urge to hit him…again. It didn’t make any sense, the way the lawyer was able to get under her skin, but Riley chalked it up to his ability to ruin her perfectly good days with nonsense like this. Riley sighed and let her head fall back against the elevator door, just as Aurum commented that all they needed was for the elevator to move.

Riley missed the wave of his hands, but suddenly the elevator lurched and the familiar ‘ding’ of floor passage sounded. Despite her ire at her companion, Riley had to grin a little.

”Ask and ye shall receive, apparently…” she commented, then watched the floors progress, concern replacing the excitement of a few moments earlier.

”Maybe we should be ready…just in case there is someone out there…” she said.

”Get up, and help me up.” she said, waiting patiently and wondering if he’d do it, or react like he had when she’d tried to check his head.

>>”Ask and ye shall receive, apparently…”

Apparently...

Maybe some of the magicians magic had rubbed off on Riley, and somehow hopped to him.

Pulling himself up with the railing and pushing off the floor, Aurum got to his feet. He got his balance and then extended his hand towards Riley. The lady needed help up. It was help he could give. She had helped him enough already tonight. It was about time he paid her back.

Aurum offered his hand, and Riley simply stared at it for a moment before reaching out and letting him help her up. She really hadn’t expected him to offer a hand, not after the way he’d flinched away from her after she’d explained what she was. Maybe he did have a head injury….was he having short term memory problems?

Or had she misunderstood?

The thought left a terrible taste in Riley’s mouth, because the only thing she hated more than being wrong, was being wrong in regards to something that had to do with Aurum.

They elevator was two floors away from her…their…stop now, and Riley moved to one side of the elevator door. If someone was going to be waiting out there to jump her, she wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

The elevator stopped again, this time on the right floor and dinged. Riley watched the doors open, heart beating much faster than it really had any reason to and saw….nothing.

Releasing a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding and trying to pass it off as a yawn, Riley made her way out of the elevator and towards her door which was the third one on the right.

”No comments…about anything. And if I hadn’t mentioned it before. You’re lucky as hell you’re here…and you owe me.” she said, digging in her purse for her keys, which she found with relative speed. In due time, the door was unlocked and an interior light was turned on.

The apartment was older, but by no means run down…and if the furniture was slightly dated it was still tasteful and simple as were the rest of the furnishings.

This was the part where most people said something like, ‘make yourself at home’ or something else to make their guest more comfortable. Riley wasn’t most people.


”I guess you can hang out on the couch. I’m going to change.” she said, then headed for the small hallway that held her room and the bathroom. Aurum was big boy, he could handle himself.

It took her a second to take his hand. A second he took note of. It didn't mean anything to him, but... well, she'd taken it eventually. It didn't even occur to him to dwell on it.

The elevator traveled the final few floors to her apartment level. As it moved, she moved to one side of the door... like she was expecting someone. He mirrored her, just because. He never would have considered this sort of situation as something he could have wound up in before today. It kind of stunk.

Nobody jumped them. Not that he'd been expecting anyone to. His shoulders slackened a little. He'd only been tensed up because Riley'd been.

Riley got tense again, for a whole other reason. Or at least, he took it as tense. Maybe not tense. Defensive. For no reason at all.

Was Aurum usually judgmental about this sort of thing? Homes? Not really. What the hell was she going on about. He didn't even offer a retort. Whatever she wanted to say, she could. She was being more like her old self, after all. Not that he'd really gotten to know her old self much anyways.

This was a little awkward.

He looked around. No thoughts came to mind. She had alright taste in furniture. It wasn't anything that made him want to maul kittens. As she walked away, Riley told him he could sit on the couch.

Forget that. He was making coffee. Or raiding her beer stash. He needed a drink. They both did. Or at least he'd get himself a glass of water.

Aurum made his way for the kitchen while she wasn't looking. He stopped in the door way. He just stood there, gaping. He was still gaping by the time she got back.

"You need to redecorate." He muttered in disbelief. "How can anyone even make food in this thing?"

Her room wasn’t far from the living room, the apartment was small, and that’s just how Riley liked it. She never…ever brought people back here. Especially not men. Especially not baby lawyers who seemed to get their stupid faces stuck right in the middle of her business. Seriously, who got their stupid amnesiac selves thrown out of the back of a moving truck on the highway? Apparently Aurum did. Just in time to flag down her cab. Damn the coincidence, damn Lonnie, and damn this whole situation.

Her clothes were taking the brunt of her frustration, and Riley sighed, trying to calm herself down so she didn’t rip or tear anything. She’d dressed nice for a reason, but she sure as heck didn’t miss the heels she’d kicked off almost immediately after crossing the threshold of her room. They gave her height, and confidence, and Riley openly acknowledged the fact that heels were made to make a woman’s lower body look great….but they were hell after six or seven hours. Slippers were much better, she thought as she slipped them on with her sweat pants, a cami, and a well worn hoodie. It was amazing how much better clothes could make a person feel, Riley decided, and she grabbed a ponytail holder on her way back out to her guest. Her…unwelcomed guest….who was not where she’d left him.

Riley looked around the living room, then made her way around to the kitchen, where the lawyer was standing in apparently abject horror. Riley came up next to him, suddenly missing the added height from her heels, and he spoke.

”Nobody does make food in this thing.” she said, working her hair up into a comfortably messy bun on the back of her head. ”Why would I?”

She shrugged her shoulders and pushed by him into the kitchen to get a glass of water, ”Besides, I thought I told you that you could sit on the couch, not snoop around my kitchen.”

He stared at her and her ponytail.

"How could I not?"

Seriously. This kitchen so bare bones it might as well have been a skeleton. "Nobody makes food here? That's kind of sad, really. Someone needs to fix that."

Now it was his turn to slip by her into the kitchen. He hit the cupboards, opening and closing them in search of something, a man on a mission. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Where was it?

He turned towards her with a disgruntled sigh. "If you don't have a tea kettle, do you at least have a coffee pot?"

Riley stared at Aurum, nonplussed by his disdain at the state of her kitchen. ”Really? After everything I’ve done tonight you’re going to come into my home and insult it?” There wasn’t any real malice in her voice, but it would do him some good to remember his manners…waltzing into someone’s kitchen, uninvited, and proceeding to talk crap about it just wasn’t something a person did.

”You could always go back to your own. I’m sure it’s super swanky and uptown.” she added, just a little peevishly.

He wanted to make coffee, and Riley sighed like he was asking her for something far more intensive. The kitchen was small already and with Aurum’s huge body taking up space, Riley hand to elbow him out of the way just to get into the proper cabinet.

The coffee pot was produced with a plastic thud onto the countertop and the freezer door was opened to reveal instant coffee.

”Filters are in the second drawer on the right. You want coffee. Make it yourself.”

He ignored her complaints. If she wanted him gone he'd be gone, yet he was still here. She obviously didn't feel too strongly about it. Though, she did elbow him.

"Hey! O-oh--" It took him a second to realize she was actually helping. Not that instant coffee helped, really. It wasn't even coffee, right?

"Good enough," He sighed. He'd take what he could get.

She hadn't even needed to suggest he make it. That came with the territory of being Aurum. He got to work. Water. Filters. Coffee. Coffee pot. He set it all up and got it going.

"I should buy you a coffee pot..." He muttered, more to himself than targeted at her, but not so quietly she couldn't hear. "A good one..." Because she needed better things... and he was just a bit anal about his coffee. Instant would be like salt in a wound.