FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter -2-

Arguments

Monday, March 1, 2049 - 11:45pm (GMT -2, Lower District Coast time-zone) Old Louisiana Bayou

" Fox, Topaz, the two of you are certainly too old for this." Sinopa began pacing the floor of the small kitchen. "You will wind up like the rest."

Fox Parker stroked the trim, neat lines of his short brown beard. He glanced at his sister then back at his mother, Sinopa Crevan, and said, "I'm sorry. Didn't you hear the news? Reno Nevada showed up in a hospital in the ruins of Washington DC yesterday. We flew in Lance Patterson and an old man named Wilfred Greg. They managed to defrost him and he's alive however he's in a coma. But he's alive."

Sinopa brought her palms together, with her fingers overtop of her lips. She spoke against the sides of her index fingers. "He is not immortal. Have you contacted Steven Milford?"

Fox made meaningless gestures with his hands while speaking. "Topaz spoke to Mr. Milford. We're leaving Reno in Karla's care. He'll be taken back to her place in Paris."

Topaz Nevada looked from her brother back to her mother. "Steven said that Reno recently came out of something called 'cryogenic suspended animation.' He was apparently frozen at nearly two hundred degrees below zero, Celsius. The thawing treatment caused some tissue damage, but it's mostly skin deep. Surface abrasions. However, he's in a coma. That means he's unresponsive and won't wake up right now. The good news is Steven was able to prove there is just enough brain activity to prove he's not brain dead. In fact, it's unlike any coma they've seen. He has a great deal of brain activity, but will not wake up."

Sinopa Crevan ran her fingers through her lengthy red locks of hair. It stopped at her waist, where four fluffy fox tails sprouted at the base of her spine. Her fingers stopped, atop of her head, to tug gently at a golden hoop piercing that went through a triangular red-furred fox ear, which peeked from the thick ginger strands.

"This is huge," said Topaz. "Everyone we thought was dead is possibly alive and preserved. The whole team."

"Hai. I thought for sure they all died. How do you suppose he showed up in Washington DC?"

Fox pushed both of his hands through his bearded cheeks, up through his hair then dropped his hands at his hips. "As you know, your son-in-law is Reno's brother. So now we think Vincent must still be alive and active. Perhaps Vince was never put into suspended animation. Perhaps he managed to sneak his brother out of that complex and had him sent somewhere considered safe. Remember Rufus? The werewolf? Well he's owed a favor by the Homeland Security agent, Greg Watson. Homeland Security's clandestine sector, and the CIA still have branches in a town called 'Old NoVa,' south of historical D.C. - maybe that's the link. I can't think of any other reason to send Reno to District Coast. But Rufus showed up on scene as Reno arrived. So there's a connection."

"Do you two still keep in contact with Rufus?" asked Sinopa.

Topaz smiled weakly. "We see him once every couple of years. He'll stop by the house to see Conner, and have dinner with us. Then he'll disappear again. He's the one that found Reno topside. He called me the moment he found Reno. At least he still comes around, though, unlike that worthless turncoat bitch over in Paris. She all but disappears for over five years then, when I finally see her, I find out she'd been hiding secrets from me for twenty-five years."

"Paz," Fox said with a sigh. "Just ... relax."

"I'm sorry," said Topaz. She turned to Sinopa. "Sorry, mom. It's just ... Karla Loupe is the epitome of bitch. I doubt I'll ever forgive her. I just spoke to her today and I'm still angry about what she told me."

Sinopa shook her head slowly and stood up. "Do you remember that Karla and Eric Loupe had a daughter a number of years ago? She would be turning, mm, either twenty-five or twenty-six at the end of this year. The girl wound up having no abilities - nothing ever manifested. She even ages. She works for the Federal Government under Gregory Watson, looking for surviving supernatural people."

"Elvena," Topaz murmured softly. "Her name is Elvena."

Sinopa frowned. "Hai, that is the girl of which I speak. She has disappeared, just like Carmen."

Mention of Topaz's daughter caused her to tense up. "Elvena is a good girl. I'm her godmother, mom. I fucking trained that girl," Topaz sneered. "Was a proper godmother and trained that girl. And how does Karla repay me? She keeps a secret from me just to save face."

"Paz," Fox said with a sigh.

Topaz clenched her hands into fists. "I can tell you right now, even though she doesn't have any abilities, Elvena is able to take care of herself. She joined the United States Government under a dual-citizenship and spent eighteen months working as a clandestine agent." Topaz turned to her brother and said, "I got her that job with Greg Watson. And that bastard is worse than Karla. Karla just kept his secret, but he's the son of a bitch that murdered our father and lied about it to our faces."

Fox frowned. "Karla hates that man. Just imagine if she learned he's the boss of her daughter."

"So wait, mom, you're sure Elvena is Missing in Action? Neither Watson nor Karla mentioned anything about her missing."

Fox added, "If she disappeared, people would be looking for her."

Sinopa sighed. "Elvena Loupe is missing, presumed dead. She was working on an assignment and disappeared. Her handler went through the proper channels and they contacted Watson, who informed me. She went 'dark,' and tracked a lead to Falcon's underwater city. She's been missing for a while. Perhaps she rescued Reno Nevada. Perhaps she was killed. The point is I don't want you two to be killed. Fox, Topaz, please. I'm begging you. Your fourteen-year-old son needs you right now."

Topaz shook her head. "Mom, I'm sorry. Fox and I have made up our minds. We're going down there to look for my little girl. I need to find Carmen. I want my daughter back. If my goddaughter is there, then I'll find her, too. Maybe she went to look for Carmen. Those two were best friends growing up."

"Topaz, why are you doing this?" Sinopa began pacing, visually distressed.

Fox shook his head. "Reno was down there with us, mom. When Karla apparently ditched any attempt at saving everyone, Topaz and I fought our way out. At the time, we thought Karla was still our friend. It wasn't until today that we learned that she made a deal with the devil, so to speak. EVERYONE was taken down. Evan Balmoral, Reno Nevada, Johann Foster, not to mention Collobulous ... everyone. So many good people. Donovan Loupe. The girl who was one of Watson's agents. Some gypsy girl. People dropped like flies against Aris Falcon. But the fact that Reno just ... shows up like this? We have to find out more. We may be old but we're in amazing shape and we're far cleverer than when we were kids."

"What about Conner? You can't just abandon your fourteen year old son, Fox!" Sinopa's fox ears laid back in her hair. The kitsune turned away from her twin children. "You know that Jules is going to be turning fifty-seven this year. Don't you think my husband will be a little too old or anxious to help with a teenage boy?"

"Mom," Topaz exclaimed but in a soft voice, "He's only eight years older than us. It's not that big of a deal."

"I'm just concerned for the undo stress you're asking without giving a chance to prepare. It's very sudden and I'm trying to talk you out of going, so you don't die. You're my little girl, Topaz."

"You _don't age - you can handle our son. Your grandson. It's just for a few days while we explore. We're not going back to that damn place and starting a war. We're just going to look at our options. I need you to understand that we _have to do this."

"Hai, and you're going up against a very dangerous man who somehow caused hurricanes, earthquakes, and freak snowstorms in the southern states. He is somehow responsible for a strip of land over fourteen hundred miles long to be ripped away from the United States. Because of him, it was pulled out to sea, creating tsunamis and quakes that killed millions. Stay away from that man."

Topaz shook her head vehemently. "That was a long time ago."

Sinopa continued her pacing. "The quake of 2025 and all that flooding; it lasted fifteen days. Fifteen days of uninterrupted earthquakes. Fifteen days this strip of land was dragged out to sea. Bermuda was destroyed and is a mountain towering above Myrtle Beach. Millions died. Nobody could stop that man. Please, I am begging you to stay away from him."

"Mom, there hasn't been a single quake in fifteen years," Paz said to her mother. "That's what happens when the entire East Coast rips off the American continent and moves out to sea. It messes up everything for a while, mom. I'm going down there as a concerned mother. I want my daughter back. I have renewed hope that she's alive. For the first time in my life, I'm not grieving over her. I need you to watch Conner. Please."

"Topaz..."

"Don't give me that shit about you and Jules growing old. You're an immortal kitsune. Fox and I have to go down there while we're still young enough to have a shot at this."

"Conner-kun needs your protection until he's old enough to..."

"No, mom. I'm going after my daughter and I'm not waiting another goddamn minute."

Sinopa grasped at straws in frustration and worry. "I'm not even sure if Jules and I will be staying in Louisiana much longer. I have to do everything, here. Now you're asking me to watch a teenager as well? It's not been easy. You shouldn't be going out there, especially at fifty years old. Perhaps in a few years when Conner is older, he can assemble a team to try and retrieve those artifacts. I'll go with him and we'll do it as a family. Rufus can even join us. Perhaps even Reno if he's up to it."

"If he wakes up," Fox murmured. "Steven mentioned the idea of possibly putting him back on ice until he can figure out how to properly help Reno recover. God knows if he'll ever wake up. We can't sit around and wait anymore. You know my sister has made up her mind, and I won't let her go alone."

Topaz put her hand on Sinopa's shoulder. "We're going. We've already told Conner that we have to go away on business. He won't be difficult to handle. I assure you. In fact, I've been training him on the island. He's taken the Master Trials. He's able to get through it. In fact, on certain tests, he's beaten my records. But he won't be ready for another few years and I cannot wait that long."

"Topaz, I can't lose you."

"If you want to get away from Louisiana, take him to the island in the Pacific. Let him continue his training if he likes. He has heart, mental discipline, and maturity. He won't be a burden. But we need you to step up as his grandmother and watch him."

Sinopa folded her arms across her chest. "Did you ever tell him that he's my grandson?"

Fox frowned. "Uh, no. How do you explain to a fifteen year old boy that his grandmother is an immortal kami fox spirit who was a messenger for a Japanese Shinto god? It's a little ... over the top for him. At this age, I think he's more concerned with getting the latest model of smartphone."

Sinopa sighed with disgust. "You want me to step up and be his grandmother, but you tell him that I'm a distant relative who takes care of his grandfather. Jules isn't even blood relation. That man is my husband yet I can't even act like his wife when my grandson is around. You're tying my hands."

Fox held his hands outwardly, gently gesturing for her to calm down. "Mom, please. We need you to watch him for a few days, tops. If Reno is alive and hasn't aged a day ... then the rest of them might be alive. Everyone that Karla betrayed could still be alive and well, waiting to be rescued. We need to do surveillance. We've already spoken to Lance."

Topaz added, "If there's even a remote possibility that my daughter is alive I have to go after her. Those kids gave me a renewed outlook on life."

"Why are you so sure she's there?"

"Because, mom. We lied to the world and convinced everyone that Carmen was the daughter of Fox. We all know that Falcon wanted the child. He's been planning this out for fifty goddamn years. She disappeared on her twenty-first birthday. It's obvious that he came for her, thinking she was some sort of artifact or whatever. By now he'll have figured out that he was tricked. It's only a matter of time before he will try coming for Conner. And that fucking man cannot have my son. I have to go down there, preemptively and free everyone. He even has Aunt Nicky. This has to end."

Fox held both of his hands up, standing between his sister and his mother. "Maybe we should gather with the rest of the supernatural people around the globe and talk this out before we run down there. At least then we'll have backup. Can we all find a way to compromise, here?"

Sinopa clenched her jaw and turned away with moist eyes. "Topaz, I was devastated the day that Carmen disappeared, do not presume to act this does not affect me." The kitsune cut her golden gaze to Fox and said, "Did you forget that the United Nations has declared the surviving supernatural people a threat? Now we're all hiding like fugitives, scattered around the globe. You going down there without help will end badly, but our hands are tied. There is no help. Please think this through, both of you."

With a shrug, Fox offered an optimistic smile. "Maybe Carmen managed to infiltrate Falcon's city. Maybe she's the one that managed to have Reno sent home. Maybe she's teamed up with her biological father and..."

Topaz rubbed her face. "My daughter has been missing for three years Fox, I know you raised her as your own, but don't weigh in unless you're going to say something realistic. Here's the facts: Conner hasn't seen his sister in years. I miss my little girl. And the fact that the governments of the world consider us 'dangerous freaks of nature,' prove that we won't get help in looking for her; we're all on our own. And if we don't act right away, he will come for Conner next. And I'll be damned if that piece of shit gets anywhere near my son."

Sinopa folded her hands. "That is why Jules and I have been lying low for all these years. My heart aches for Carmen's disappearance. I think about my granddaughter every single day. But I cannot lose my entire family to this nonsense! We have laid low for over two decades. Mundane people likely do not remember us any longer. The documents of our abilities are now dusty folders in some forgotten file cabinet by now."

"Yeah," said Topaz with a frown. "Those asshats in 2024 were inspired by Karla's television stunts with Reno and Evan. People started using their powers in public; they attacked political rallies if I recall correctly. Dumb little shits; they got our kind labeled by the Government."

"Hai. We need to keep it that way, lest our people wind up on the Government's radar once more."

Parker gave his sister's shoulder a reassuring squeeze then turned back to his mother and frowned. "Reno showed up alive. That's a miracle in and of itself. My sister needs to know if her daughter is alive. We're just going to have a look. We'll sneak in and back out, no problem. Please, mom, please watch Conner. If anything were to happen, you're the only one that is capable of protecting him."

"I thought you said he could protect himself," Sinopa said with a smirk.

Topaz cleared her throat. "Mom, he's uh ... starting to display some of the stuff that Fox can do. He managed to set his laptop on fire from across the room out of frustration. He's just starting to manifest but hasn't realized it yet. He can protect himself. But he'll still need you if something goes down that's beyond our control."

Sinopa clenched her hand into a fist, causing her forearm to ignite into a glowing orange flame. "Johann Foster, all those decades ago, was able to capture the hydrocarbons that come off the fire I create. He was able to manipulate the molecules, turn them into carbon dioxide and water, and extinguish my flame by smothering it. I might be a demigod messenger but I was not able to create fire against a twenty-year-old boy. If Aris Falcon were to attack, do you honestly think that any _of us would have a chance? The _whole lot of you went and fought him. We lost. The thought of you two going alone ... that upsets me. More than you could ever know."

"It's something we have to do," said Fox. "But we can't put Conner in danger. We have _to go and see if our daughter is still alive. Reno showing up ... that was a _sign. We're going to find that place, sneak in, find her, and sneak out. We're master thieves. No attack, just infiltration."

Sinopa smirked again, growing impatient with their closed-mindedness. "You will never find the place."

Topaz smirked in return to her mother. "We went to Japan. We let ourselves into the Imperial Palace. Fox obtained the Chrysanthemum Compass."

"You stole it?" Sinopa exclaimed.

Paz held her hands up, defensively. "No. Listen, mom, please. Fox was able to interface with it as though it were computerized technology. He's somehow managed to learn how to follow its guidance without physically needing it."

"We were going to steal it," Fox said. "But I've come so far with my other ability; I managed to interface with it. Turns out it's a computer older than recorded history. But it still communicates the same way our modern computers do ... with math."

"Dear me," Sinopa murmured. "You are really going to do it, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Topaz. "We won't take no for an answer."

The kitsune closed her eyes and frowned. "Where is Conner?"

Fox fidgeted. "He's asleep in the car. I told him we're stopping here on the way to a business meeting. He knows he'll be staying with you for a few days, tops. Please, mom."

Sinopa offered a reluctant nod and a poignant smile. "Good luck trying to find Carmen. I will say a prayer."

Topaz hugged her mother then withdrew so Fox could hug her.

Paz licked her lips then said, "Thanks, mom. I'm sorry this is an inconvenience. But it's something we have to do. I want my daughter back."

"I ... I understand. I do." Sinopa sighed. "Bring Conner in. I will fetch sheets and put them on the second floor guest bed. Meet me up there."

X

---

X

Tuesday, March 2, 2049 - 8:30pm Paris, France...

** "Eric!" Karla Loupe threw her hands up in disgust.** The youthful woman's long blond hair swirled around as she pivoted on her ankle, coming to face her husband. Her soft green eyes sparkled in the lighting of the chandelier above her. "I'm not going to argue about this with you again! I'm telling you that there's nothing to talk about. We're doing it and that's final. This is my chance to make up for..."

"Karla," said her husband in a softer tone. He appeared to be in his early forties, compared to the young blond girl that looked like a teenager. "Please. It's over. Surely they're still upset. Surely they haven't forgiven us. And you heard that there was an attack. If you bring Reno Nevada here, you're putting this household at risk. We have children now. And with Elvena having disappeared, I can't lose you, too. Donovan needs us."

A little boy's voice came from the top of the steps, behind Eric.

Loupe looked straight up at the ceiling, standing on the staircase and groaned. "Your yelling must of woke him."

"You ignorant twit, you got me upset by telling me I can't leave the house and I can't bring anyone into it. This is my house, Eric. It was my house since Topaz gave it to me twenty-five-freakin-years ago. Do not tell me what to do in my house."

"Karla, you're being irrational. Don't you think I want to go storming back out to the Atlantic to see if my uncle is out there? The only family I know, since Justus decided to disappear twenty-four years ago. Yes, I get it. Fox calls you and says Reno is alive. You freak out and go running. But we haven't even heard from Elvena for... how long now? For all we know, she might have been involved in this, she might have been killed, and if you go running off, I can't protect our son. He's just six, Karla! You're irrational. A decision to bring Reno here means that our son will _be in danger. You heard the Parker boy! He said Falcon's men attacked a _hospital to get Reno Nevada back! What makes you think they won't track that man to Paris?"

Karla disappeared from where she stood at the bottom of the steps, leaving her purse and coat in the foyer. She reappeared behind Eric and walked to little Donovan's door and lowered to one knee. "Sweetpea, mommy has to run some errands and go to a business meeting, okay? I might be gone for a few days. It might even be a week or two."

Donovan looked up at his mother and put his hands on her left knee. "Are you going to look for 'Vena?"

"Yes, honey. Mommy's going to find Elvena and bring her home. You know how I told you that your big sister has a job in America? Well, she works as an agent for the American Government, just like Mister Secrets in that TV show you like. She couldn't tell anyone before now."

"What happened to her, Mommy?"

"Well, babyboy, Sissy went on a special job. And I think she has to keep her new job a secret. She goes on missions just like Mister Secrets, but she does it in real life."

Eric sighed. "I've not heard from her in almost seven months."

Karla glanced back at her husband, glared, then turned a softened green gaze to her son. "Now, I want you to be good for daddy. I promise I'll look for Elvena. If I find her, I'll bring her home. But I need you to be a big boy for me. I need you to be a big boy for daddy."

"Why are you going away for so long, though? A week or two is a long, long time, Mommy."

Karla grimaced and looked over her shoulder at Eric once more. She turned back to Donovan and put her hands on his little cheeks and said, "It's temporary, muffin. Mommy is going away for work. I promise I'll be back. I'll even visit you this weekend, and then go back to work. I will bring home Elvena and everything will be great."

Donovan fidgeted his hands together atop of his mother's knee. "Mommy, are you going away because you and daddy fight?"

The room fell completely silent.

Karla swallowed back a lump in her throat. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes welled up with moisture. "Oh, baby, no ... no, sweetheart. I'm just going to find Elvena. It might take some time because she was last seen in America. It's far away, pumpkin. The other side of the ocean. It takes time. I just need you to be patient with me. I have to take my time and look for your big sister. I miss her very much and I want to make sure she's safe. And you and daddy can help look for her, too, by waiting here in case she comes home."

"I can help, too, by looking for clues on the internet. Okay?"

Karla feigned a smile. "Yes, you sure can, babyboy. I'm so proud of you."

"We'll find her, mommy."

Karla nodded and kissed his forehead. "And you can also help out in other ways. You and daddy can take care of mommy's friend; we'll be keeping him in the basement."

"Okay, mommy."

Karla picked him up and carried him into his room. She tucked him in and spoke to him in hushed tones. A few moments later, she appeared at the top of the stairs, nearly face to face with Eric.

She swallowed back emotion that welled up in her chest and threatened to creep up the base of her throat. "Did you hear what he said? He said he thought I was leaving because we fight."

Eric clenched his jaw. "I heard him. But you're needed here. To help me keep him safe incase Falcon's people come for Nevada."

"Hon, don't start. You can protect him without me. You sure as hell threw the coat rack across the room with those goddamned shadows the other day."

"Karla," he said, trying to keep his temper in check. "You know I was upset. Those men from the US Embassy came to tell us that they think Elvena was killed in action. I couldn't handle that."

Karla sneered, "Keep your voice down, dammit! You don't want Donnie to hear you."

"Karla, what if it's true? We cannot lie to our son forever. And you know that was an emotional accident. They'd just told me that our daughter was missing in action."

She glowered at her husband. "Using shadows, you threw the coat rack while they were standing in the foyer. You know that our kind was hunted, once. You know they called us 'esoteric ... whatevers.' What was that freaking word..."

Eric sighed. "Eso_terrorists_."

"Exactly! What were you thinking? They could have reported that! If I wasn't here to tell them it was our pet that knocked it over, startled itself, and ran, they might have reported us, you idiot."

"Karla, they haven't hunted for our kind in over fifteen years. Supernaturals have been forgotten. Thought to be extinct. Why are you doing this?"

"Because all we do is argue! Don't you get it?"

"Get what!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "That you stopped aging while you were in the midst of puberty? So now you act like a goddamn four hundred 'n fifty year old adolescent? Is that what I'm supposed to get? Because I get it. It's super clear to me. You throw tantrums like a child."

Karla clenched her jaw, curling her upper lip. "How dare you...!? You prick. I'm distant and resentful because you act like I'm your teenage daughter in public. I'm your fucking wife. You've hardly touched me since ... Christ, since Elvena took that job in DC."

"Karla, it's not like that."

"You've been emotionally distant towards me for almost two years now. I was a goddamn sex demon. A succubus. I used to have sex several times a day every day. I may take the pills, now, but I'm still used to the attention and affection and emotion. Newsflash: I'm getting _real _damn tired of the cold shoulder. I resent feeling alone when we're in the same goddamn room together."

He threw his hands upwards but spoke with an angry whisper. "We have a toddler to raise! You deciding to leave means I have to single-handedly father our son and protect this house while holding a job. Why? All because you feel guilty about what you did to those people twenty-five years ago, now that one of them is apparently alive. You're afraid they'll judge you? Is that it? So now you've got to come to their rescue, huh?"

"You ... ass. If they're alive then there's a good chance our daughter is alive. And yes. They were our friends. They're the reason we have money, a home and a nice life. We owe them. I made a bad decision. I made my bed and now I've had twenty-five years to lie in it. Well, it's time to get out of bed and change the damn sheets. I need to fix my mistakes. So don't undermine my decisions. You're my husband and I expect you to respect and support my decisions. And I expect you to keep this house and our son safe while I go out and find our daughter. A man provides more than bread in a household. He provides security and emotional support. Is that fucking clear?"

"How long are you going away?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Until I find her," Karla sneered. "Dead or alive."

"Karla..."

"I'll occasionally stop by for visitation."

"Why..." Eric licked his lips. "Why are you using that word? Visitation?"

"Because, Eric." Karla vanished then reappeared at the bottom of the steps. She picked up her purse and her coat. "We need time and space apart. This isn't divorce, but it is a temporary separation. If time heals all wounds, then ... this will be good for our relationship. I am not your teenaged daughter. I am your wife. I want you to remember that the next time you tell someone from the US Embassy that I'm your 'child.' Are we crystal clear on that?"

"Karla!" Eric hurried down the stairs towards her. "Listen, you have to understand why I said that when I introduced you to them! You said that we had to lay low by fitting in. How can I tell them that I look forty, and you look fourteen - but that we are married?! At the very least they'll think I'm a sick pervert. At the very most, they'll figure out that you don't age and that will get back to the paranormal agents."

"Oh." Karla put her hands on her hips and turned to face him. "So ... you couldn't just say I had really good plastic surgery? Or, better yet, you had to tell them a lie to keep us safe from being discovered ... but then when they tell you about Elvena, you throw a fucking coat rack across the room with a shadow. So, tell me again how you're trying to keep us safe from being discovered, huh? Tell me again." Karla threw her hands up in the air. "I need space. Okay? This is your apparent 'teenage daughter' going through 'teenage politics.' So I'm running away from home, okay? You know you can't stop me so stop arguing with me about it. I'm tired of it."

"Karla, please don't go. Don't leave us. I am lost without you."

"Go buy a GPS! I'm going to get our daughter," Karla snapped. "Be a man and keep this house and our son safe. Not to sound cliché, but I'm a mother who has been scorned. Okay? I think she's still alive. When Fox said Reno was in DC, I told Lance Patterson about Elvena's disappearance."

He shook his head. "I know, I know. You've said this a thousand times already," Eric muttered. "Lance, the all knowing and all powerful and all seeing ... thinks Elvena is alive, but that she's been captured by Aris-fucking-Falcon. Karla. I think this is more than just Elvena's disappearance. You saw all our friends get taken down - probably killed. Then one of them turns up alive and you want to get right back into this mess. Well, you're a mother and a wife, now. You have responsibilities other than gallivanting around the globe, playing 'freedom fighter.' You're needed here, at home."

Karla leaned close, until her nose was touching his. "Listen here, you cold-shouldered pea-brain. That little boy is crazy about his daddy. He latched onto you so much that I was jealous over the past year. But I dealt with it. Then you started pulling away from me. We've not built up our romantic bonds in ages. That little boy is rooted here. He goes to school; he has friends ... I cannot ... will not uproot him. He'll be upset that his mother is not here ... but he'd be devastated if his father went to look for our daughter. So you are staying. And I am going. And, as a secondary footnote: we need the time apart. As a tertiary footnote: you need to get your head out of your ass. Finally, I need to blow off some steam by throwing things around like the goddamn demon that I am. And, no, I'm not talking about coat racks in front of two soldier boys in uniform at the front door, like your-dumb-ass-self."

"Fuck you," he growled.

"No, fuck you."

"Why are we cussing at each other?"

Karla smirked then picked up her belongings again. "You started it, dipshit. You're the first one to cuss at me. I'm your wife. I deserve more respect than for you to cuss at me. You're lucky I'm not through with you. But I need to be away from you. I need this separation."

"You'd better take your pills."

"You'd better not order me around anymore, Eric. Or I'll throw your ass around this house without a second thought."

"God you're being such a..."

Karla pinched her thumb and forefinger together, forcing his lips to clamp shut. "The diatribe is getting old quick. If the next words out of your mouth aren't the most respectful and polite things you've ever said about your 'teenage' wife ... then I will telekinetically charge my foot and kick you in your ass so goddamn hard, you'll be wearing it as a hat. Am I clear?"

"Karla ... you're even acting like a teenager. The things you say. The things you do. How you act. Please. I don't mean that to sound like I'm putting you down but, hon, seriously, the threat you just made ... I mean ... really? Do you hear yourself? You want me to treat you like you're forty, but you look and act fourteen."

She shrugged unsympathetically. "C'mon, every man wants a young, hot looking wife. You're the envy of every man you've ever met. Why're you acting like such a cranky old boob? You stopped aging, too. Pretty soon, Elvena is going to catch up to your age. Then you won't look like her father - you'll look like her brother. You no longer need to act like any certain age because age is now just a number, not a mentality. Lighten up."

"Fine. You wanna leave? Then leave," Eric said in a tone of disgust. "Run out on your husband and your son. Go run to Washington DC and find Lance and Rufus and all your little friends who hate your guts, now. See how far that gets you. You look like a child, so believe me when I say that you're not going to get very far in the modern world without me at your side."

"Oh yeah? Maybe I'll find another teenage boy, who acts like me, and have all the fun I want. Fuck Falcon's pills. They're what got us into this mess in the first place. I sold my soul for those pills and it's ruined my life."

"You did it so we could have a family!" Eric took her by the shoulders firmly. "You said you wanted to do this for me! For us! Now you're saying that the pills, which allowed us to be together ... have ruined your life? That's like saying you want to take a shit on our marriage. How dare you."

"No, how dare you," she snapped back. "The minute we were told our daughter disappeared and was presumed dead, you should have manned up and found her. I'm giving you another shot at protecting this family. So be a man and protect our son while I'm out looking for our little girl. Are we clear? I'm tired of your resentment. I stopped aging when I was a teen. You knew this when you married me! If it's that big of a deal breaker, then go live somewhere else."

"Karla..."

"Now. I'm leaving. You're staying right here and fathering our son. You're going to make sure the nurse takes care of Reno, because he's in a coma. You're going to call me at least every other day and let me talk to my son. You're going to do all these things without complaining. Do we understand one another? And for the record, the only person that we know for a fact hates me ... is Topaz. I've yet to hear it from Rufus' mouth."

"Fine." Eric sighed in frustration. "When you come home from your little playtime adventure, I expect you to respect me as your husband. I'll respect you as my wife if you stop acting like a kid. Are we clear on that?"

Karla stared at him for a moment, pondered sticking her tongue out at him but decided against it. She took a slow, deep breath. The succubus put her hand on the side of his face and shook her head. Their eyes met. She disappeared without saying another word.

X

---

Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/678356