Nina pays Cyd a personal visit. Cyd asks Ruyb for time. Time for what? Heather has an odd talk with Daniel. Leaving her with even more questions about the pink box. Dina is pregnant. Who’s the baby dayddy? Magic is schooled by Lisa. Mitch claims his relationship with the slut twins is platonic. If that’s true, how does he know such intimate details of their life?
Meanwhile…
“What? Warned me? Not very likely.” Heather shakes her head bewildered. “You’ve spouted off about some Mütevazi. Which I still haven’t a clue what that is-”
“Who. Mütevazi is a who, erm… a man… a powerful man.” Daniel visibly shudders.
“So you say… then you spout off about preparing for someone and you’re really creeping me out.” Heather takes a step backward away from Daniel. “Do you talk like this to strangers all the time? Or am I just lucky?”
Daniel smiles sadly. “I’m not crazy. Really…”
“Ya… uh huh, I’m sure you aren’t.” Heather is finally safely out of reach of this strange man and a shiver runs through her. “Your creepy factor is rising at an alarming rate. I think I need to go… anywhere.”
“Heather?” He watches her hasten her step to walk away. “I’m sorry.”
Heather can’t help but glance at him. “Creepy… I’m just saying, Daniel… if that’s really your name.”
Daniel simply nods. “Daniel… Daniel Pleasant.”
She does a double take. “Pleasant?” She holds her sides and laughs. Gripping the post she uses it to brace herself. “I’m sorry…” She wipes her tears of mirth. “The irony. This encounter… it has been anything but pleasant.” She walks away, her shoulders still shaking from her laughter.
Daniel shakes his head. “Like I haven’t heard that before…”
The clanking of the wrench rings loudly in the small room. He beats relentlessly at the pipe cursing his own stupidity. “Sure, I can fix it…” clank, “who am I kidding?” Clank. “I’ve never fixed-” clank, clank, “a damn thing my whole-” clank, “life.” His wrench pauses, his brow furrows and he tilts his head listening. He looks around peering at the room as if it holds the answer to what that muffled distant noise is.
He jumps at the piercing scream. The wrench falls from his hand. He steps out of the shower and wipes his shoes on the small carpet. The scream was muted yet he is sure it was piercing wherever it originated from. Toots is off at a work convention so no one should be here. Silently he creeps to the bathroom door. He looks around listening. Again the muffled noise. This time the noise is louder. A woman? A girl? Female… definitely female. She sounds distraught. He curses silently as his rubber sole gives off a small squeak as he pivots towards the bedroom door. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob. Robbers? Possibly, yet doubtful. It was relatively early in the evening plus robbers rarely scream so loudly. The voice is joined by another, male, low rumbling followed by the female pleading. Gritting his teeth feeling a gutteral growl growing within him, he prays he’s wrong about what he will see on the other side of the door.
Ruyb slips in to the master bathroom surprising Cyd. “Hi there.”
Cyd chuckles and slips his arms around her waist. “Hello yourself.”
Ruyb presses her body to his, arms around his neck, breathlessly speaking in his ear. “I was just making sure you’re okay.”
He pulls away and quirks a questioning eyebrow before responding. “Ya, I decided to take a long hot bath instead of a shower. Why? Are they here?”
Ruyb nods a bit too quickly adding to his confusion. “Sorry… so one of the girls is pregger sick and the other one decided to come in to our room and I, um…”
“Jealous… oh, that green-eyed monster can be so cruel.” He kisses her softly. “I didn’t see her… and I’m pretty sure she didn’t see me. “ He smirks.
She melts in his embrace. “If she did I’m sure she got an eye full.”
He chuckles. “Come on, we have company.”
Darren stands in the doorway stunned silent. Words escape him as Lillith scrambles off the bed fighting back tears of relief, fear and embarrassment. Dirk stares at his father. His relaxed demeanor only adds to Darren’s annoyance. Lying there with a prominent tent in his drawers looking at his father’s intrusion as a mere set back. “Hey Dad.”
“Hey… Dad?” Darren blinks at his son. He keeps his eyes from viewing Lilith. “Hey… Dad… That’s how you want to start this conversation?” Darren’s teeth are clenched as he tries desperately to hold on to his anger. Who the hell if this punk and what did he do with his son? He can feel his hands shaking with rage and his son just lies there as if… “What the… “ Darren tries again. “What’s going on?” In his anger, his voice deepens instinctively. Lilith recoils and whimpers.
“Nothing… yet.” Dirk grins at his father. Darren loses what patience he tried to hold on to.
“Nothing yet? What the hell, Dirk? You’re eighteen, boy! Lil is only fifteen-”
Lilith’s shakey voice corrects him. “Sixteen.”
“You’re not helping, Lil. That’s not the point. The point is Dirk is an adult in the eyes of the court and you’re not! Not to mention that what I heard sounded more like he was trying and you were saying no! Dirk have you lost all sense, boy?”
“Chill, Dad. Lil and I were just having fun.”
“Fun?!” The vien in Darren’s neck throbs with his anger. His jaw tigtens has he keeps from strangling his only child. “Dirk! The girl said no. That means no!”
Lilith winces. “I’m sorry.” Her voice is a mere squeak.
He rounds on her. His eyes are hard as onyx. “What? Why are you sorry?” Darren’s voice fills the room causing her to flinch.
“Dad, you’re scaring Lil.” Dirk’s disinterest was the last straw. Darren loses his temper.
“Young man, do you have any idea what trouble you’re in? What trouble you could be in is unthinkable.”Darren’s voice booms. “You’re a young adult and it is high time you behave like one.”
“I was about to.” Dirk flashes a grin at Lilith who blanches.
“Dirk! This is no laughing mat-”
“Uh, Mr. Dreamer?” Lilith’s hesitant voice breaks through. “Mind if I uh… can I put my… I mean, it is so embarrassing.” Her voice ends in a whimper.
He finally looks at Lilith and bristles. “Put some clothes on young lady.”
“Oh!” Lilith stares wide eyed, her tears still threatening to fall.
Dirk sighs heavily and pulls himself from the comfort of the bed. His erection gone, the ‘mood’ ruined. “Lil, I’ll take you home.”
Darren shakes his head. His hands are clenching and unclenching as he rounds on his son again. “You will do no such thing. I am not through speaking with you yet.”
“At me… you’re not speaking with me, Dad.” Dirk approaches his father and stares blankly at him. “She is going to need a ride home.”
“Thanks?” Lilith grabs her clothes in her arms hastily and makes a clumsy exit.
“Dirk…” Darren grabs for him… to shake some sense in to him… something.
”Whoa…” Dirk backs away from his father. “You’ve never laid a hand on me before, now suddenly you think he can?” Dirk chuckles. “Ya, I have no idea what you’re thinking, Mr. I’m shacking up with my woman but it isn’t okay for my kid to have any.”
“What?” Darren stares in disbelief. “I don’t even know who you are any more.”
“You never knew me. You never had the time to know me. You and your paintings and work and it wasn’t until Mom died that you remembered I was even alive.” Dirk stares at him daring him to contradict him. “No you have no idea who I am. The guilt ate you up and ya, I let you ply me with stuff… money… but never think for one minute that you know me.”
“Son, I…” Darren is deflated. He shakes his head at a loss for words. Everything the boy said is true. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Keep your apology. I don’t want ‘em.” Dirk looks at his father with disgust. “Where were you when Mom was sick? Where were you when I was growing up? Huh? Off working? Off fucking around and cheating on Mom more likely.”
“What?” Darren shook his head in confusion. “Cheating? I’d nev-”
“Save it for someone who believes you.” Dirk scoffs. “You were never there. If you weren’t home you were at what, your studio?”
“Well, yes.” Darren snaps out of this guilt ridden trip his son suddenly threw him in to.
“No don’t change the subject here. We aren’t talking about what happened between your mother and me, we’re talking about you raping your girlfriend!” Darren grasps at the situation and steers it back to Dirk.
Dirk looks at him and smirks. “Rape?” Dirk looks at his father as if he’s lost his mind. “Look just because you’ve got some weird shit going on with your little whor-”
“Don’t you dare call her that! Toots is a good woman. She loves me. And dammit I love her. You will respect her or I swear on all that’s unholy I will put you out on the street.” Darren’s temper has taken full control. He’s nostrils are flared, his teeth gnash.
“Oh, just like that, huh… I see. So you’re going to pick her over me, too.” Dirk just sneers at his father. “And you wonder why I’m so fucked up.”
“No…” Darren shook his head. “No, I refuse to take the blame for this. You are an adult. It is time you took responsibility for your own actions.” His brow furrowed as his mind reeled. “Son, I may have failed your mother, but never did I cheat on her. Never did I love anyone but her until the day she died and even then…”
“Cassandra.” Dirk watches his father blanches. He smirks. “After graduation, I’m out of here. You’re a fucking hypocrit. Now if you’ll excuse me. I think my girlfriend is probably freaking out about now thanks to you.”
Darren moves from the doorway turning his back on his son. “I don’t…”
“Save it for someone who gives a shit.” Dirk storms past his father leaving him to his thoughts.
“Fuck.” Armando grabs his middle and groans. His hand flies to his mouth as his stomach rejects its contents. His body convulses. “Huuuuuu…..”
The urgent pounding on the door comes almost immediately. “Hey, you okay?”
“Huuuuuu…”
“Aw, Mando, I’m not cleaning that shit up!” More pounding is heard on the door. “Mando!”
“Fuck…” Armando falls to his knees and grips the toilet. “Fu-” His word is lost in bodily noises. None are pleasant as bile and booze is expelled missing the bowl completely. The contents of his stomach splash with a thick pouring noise to the tile. The stench makes him recoil. “Oh Gods.”
A groan can be heard from the other side of the door. “I just cleaned that bathroom.” The growling voice recedes leaving Armando to wallow alone.
Dirk grins. “Hey, Babe.”
Lilith jumps letting out a little squeak of surprise. She turns to look at Dirk with a furrowed brow. “You okay?” She glances at the open door behind him and bites her lip with worry.
He shrugs indifferently.
His grin broadens the close he gets to her. “I want you so much right now.”
“I thought he was going to shit a twinkie back there.” She supresses a giggle lowering her voice, “can you imagine his reaction if he came in any later than he did?” Her cheeks warm to a blush that reaches her ears.
Dirk chuckles and shakes his head. “That would have been something.”
“Dirk that would’ve been horrible. My pasty white ass in the air? Oh mercy the thought makes me sick to my stomach.” Her gaze drops suddenly causing him to frown.
“What?” He glances over his shoulder and back to her. “He still thinks you’re a virgin. Hell he thinks I was raping you.”
She flinches, “I’m so sorry…” Her voice trails off.
Dirk shrugs. “Why? That scene back there with my father was long over due. He’s a pompous self-righteous hypocrit.”
“But your college fund…” She shakes her head and frowns. “Your dreams… our plans…”
He reaches up and wipes away the tear that fell. “Babe, it’s in a trust. He can’t touch it. Mom took care of me.”
Lililth sighs in relief. “All I could think is that he was going to ruin everything.” She leans in to his touch and closes her eyes. “It would have been all my fault and you’d hate me for it.”
Dirk chuckles and shakes his head. “Nah. Besides, I love you. None of that shit was your fault.”
“I love you, too.” She kisses his palm and sighs again.
“Come on. I need to get you home before I throw you down right here and rape you for real.” Dirk waggles his brow.
“Oh my gosh, Dirk. Your dad would have kittens.” She smiles shyly, warming to the idea.
Dirk laughs. “I still can’t believe you told him you’re sixteen.”
She looks at him horrified. “I had to! Can you imagine his reaction if he knew I was only fourteen?”
