***Yet Another Year
***
Helena looked up as her phone rang, picking it up to listen to the panicked voice on the other end. "I was outside, I'm fine," she said, hanging up again. Her head hurt way too much to even think about chatting with Goemon at the moment. She shifted, moving the heating pad and ice packs to the other bruises gotten from the building she was in front of blowing up. Stupid drug dealers were pissing her off. A plan was forming in her mind but she didn't want to do that. It would mean dropping her good guy persona for at least a month. She could get it back, it was all an acting job as far as she was concerned, but it'd hurt her to have to do business their way. The phone rang again and she sighed, reaching back to pick it up. "What?" she whined. "I'm aching here!"
She went limp when she heard Jigen's quiet voice. "No, I'm fine. I was outside. I got knocked down from the blast, nothing else." She smiled. "Thanks. Yeah, we're still friends. Sure. I may not be here, but that'd be fine. No, I've got to do something about them. Because it's my job and no one else will." She listened to him trying to rationalize her job away. "Jigen, stop. It's my job. No one else does my job but me. I'll be fine and I'll be home in about a month. I'm paying some kid to come in and watch the pets. We'll be fine." She hung up and went back to resting. That short rant had awakened a former memory and she had a wonderful, better idea of how to get those people off her streets. "A whole new role to play," she said smugly.
***
Helena, in her wonderful disguise as a major assassin, rode up beside her last target of the bunch and sniffed the black rose, tossing it to him with a grin. "See you later," she said smoothly, then sped off on her motorcycle. She had presented her other targets a black rose as well, giving them a day to panic and put things in order for their demises. Then they found themselves 'dead' and 'buried' when they woke up homeless, poor, and badly injured and traumatized after their hurried surgeries. She had known that illegal doctor was a good friend to have on her side. She pulled off to the side when she heard the crash, looking back at the new wreck. Then she went back to check on the unlucky person the dealer had gotten involved in his suicide. She was fine and so were her kids so it was all good. She nodded at the cop who came to check on them. "I was watching after I tossed the rose at him. He ran the red light and hit her. She's responsive and alert. Her kids should be fine too." She got back on her bike and left, heading off to have a drink.
This fear stuff was addictive. She could get to like it. She knew why Jigen was so sure she was going to go bad now.
"Huh, have to teach him better the next time my friends come into town." She smiled when the waitress winked at her. "Getting off soon?" she asked. The girl blushed and hurried on. "Or not," she said philosophically. "I'm not pushy." She sipped her beer, liking the mellow glow she had about her at the moment. She really did need to repaint the bike though, too many people knew what it looked like.
Back at the scene of the accident, the novice cop got some very good advice. "She's a credible witness, but you don't ever turn your back on her. If she tells you someone's bad, you believe her and you handle them with the utmost care so she doesn't taint your arrest. Then you go home and celebrate not earning her attention." He closed the door behind the last stretcher and patted the ambulance to let the driver know it was closed and locked. They sped off, taking that family to the hospital.
***
Lupin pushed the button his phone that dialed Helena automatically. "Hello, doll," he said fondly. "Bored?"
"No," she said through the speaker. "Why? Fujiko leave you again and you need a girl?"
"Well, yeah, but there's other problems. She couldn't do this job anyway." He shifted, putting his feet up. "I need someone who can play innocent and fool a very discriminating person."
"In Chicago?"
"Texas actually."
"I've never been to Texas. Sure, I can schedule you some time to go see the people everyone says are slower versions of Fifth Avenue New Yorkers. When and where?"
"Abilene and say two weeks? You'll get there the day before us. I'll pay your airfare and all that good stuff."
She snorted. "Lupin, honey, I've got cash."
"You finally broke into that stash?"
"No, but I do have cash. Listen, I'm about to head out to do a job. Email me everything I need to know that won't be dangerous and then we'll chat this weekend. Okay?"
"Great with me," he agreed, letting her hang up first. "How does she have money?" he mused, thinking about it. "They're paying her now?" He checked with an online source, but his email said that she hadn't gotten past the 'this really happened' stage with the judge in the lawsuit. He did have something interesting to say, that she was taking money for certain jobs that were more necessary than practical. He sighed in defeat. She was so close to the line now. He had his source check her lines and email for monitoring and remove it, then went to share the bad news. He found Jigen napping in front of a quietly running News Channel update. "Jigen." Jigen shifted and looked at him. "We need ta talk. Your girl's...."
"She's not my girl anymore, Lupin. Quit rubbing it in."
"She is until you give up hope, Jigen, the same way Fujiko is mine."
"Yay. I'd rather not lose my brains each time I see her," he said bitterly.
"Jigen, shut up!" he snapped. Jigen gave him a hurt look. "Her last persona, the one with the roses, she's lost in it. She's taking money for some parts of it." Jigen sat up, giving him a long look. "She just turned down my generous offer to send her a ticket to help us in Abilene."
"She's coming on that job?"
"She is, we don't have any other handy females around who can play coy and smooth, yet very innocent."
"True," Jigen admitted. She could still play that part. "She's taking contract money?"
"They're considering them rewards. She's officially licensed as a bounty hunter and some of the guys there know how to manipulate the system to get someone wanted. She hasn't killed any of them, but she has turned a great many in and gotten the rewards. Always to the cops."
"Does she know who's setting them up?"
"I'd hope so, it's usually pretty obvious. It says it on the form. That one's always through some small bail bondsman out of the West Side. I told her *we'd* see her in two weeks."
"I said I'd go even before you decided to try and be sneaky," Jigen said impatiently. "We're still friends, Lupin."
"Good. I'm glad, because she needs you more than I will. After this job, I want you to take her off somewhere and fix this. You're a miserable prick most of the time and your drinking's getting out of hand again. Her drinking's picking up as well. Plus she's off her medicines, she's gained about ten pounds since the pictures of the explosion."
"Pictures? You didn't mention pictures." Lupin went to find them, bringing them back for him. Jigen frowned. "Damn, she has gained weight."
"With her medicines being off, I'm sure that's all it is. If we get that fixed, it'll slim her down again. She does look good with that bit of extra weight though, not really fat, just comfortable. Plush."
"Yeah, but she's got to be miserable during the summers." He handed it back. "Can we get a blood sample so we can prove she needs it?"
Lupin smirked. "Of course. I don't know where she just left for, but as soon as we do then we can."
"Good." Jigen got up. "How long before we leave?"
"We pick up Goemon tomorrow," Lupin told him. "Then we're heading for Paris and from there Abilene. Give us a few nights on the town."
Jigen nodded. "That's fine. Thanks, boss."
"Welcome, Jigen. I want you to be happier than I am at the moment," he said pitifully. Fujiko had been gone for nearly a year this time. He went to write her another email, hoping she'd answer and tell him what he'd done this time.
***
Jigen looked up as Lupin joined his girlfriend on the sidewalk. He clicked that he was watching and went back to his lunch, and of course watching for her mark.
"Helena, I said innocent, not tasteless," Lupin said in greeting. "That dress is a bit tight."
"I know, but it's all I had and innocent women do often wear the wrong thing," she said, sounding pitiful. "What's wrong with it besides the fit? The mark shouldn't mind."
"Mark?" a deep voice said from their right, Jigen's blind spot.
She smiled at their mark. "This is Lupin, he wanted me to charm the guy in the watch store to get something done for him. He's the one who brought me down here. He thinks I'd make a charming thief with some training," she said happily, bouncing a bit. For the small-town girl she was supposed to be it was a perfect job and even Lupin looked a bit stunned. He'd never had to work with her before. "Then I could afford all that stuff I ever wanted out of the wish books."
"I'm sure you could, but doing so means that you'd lose some of that naive charm," their mark said, taking her hand and moving her away from Lupin. "You really shouldn't associate with rabble like him, Katie. In the old days, we'd have already lynched him and removed you to somewhere safer." He kissed the back of her hand then tucked it around his arm. "I do agree with his fashion sense. That dress is a bit tight."
"Yeah, they took away my thyroid medicine and I always gain a bit," she admitted sheepishly. "I thought it fit."
"It probably did when you bought it," he said kindly. "Let's find you something spectacular for tonight. We'll be going to opera."
"I've never been," she said honestly. "Will it be loud?"
He smiled and laughed a bit. "It shouldn't be." He walked her into the nearest boutique and let the saleswomen help his poor dear. First she was hoodwinked by men like that thief and now her body was trying to rebel against her. His poor mother had nearly died from something like that. He'd have to make sure she got some help when he let her go. If he let her go. She wasn't like the others he had killed, she was more innocent. She might even be a real virgin.
***
Jigen watched as his girlfriend was led out, and something inside him started off his warning system. He watched the guy, watching as he led her away from their car. He called Lupin. "He's dragging her off somewhere," he announced. "Away from the car." He grunted in annoyance at the order to stay there. "No I'm not." He hung up, moving to follow them down to the cheap motel. The same one some murders had happened in recently. The clue stuck and he rushed up, finding her tying him to a chair and the guy unconscious. "You okay?" he asked, moving to check her over. "Did he touch you?" She shook her head and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Then it'll be fine," he soothed. Someone kicked in the door and he looked at the cops. "That's the guy who's been murdering those girls. He tried mine." He walked Helena out, talking to her quietly to keep her calm. Once outside she led him into the alley and leaned against the wall, laughing heartily. He gave her a funny look. "You're insane," he noted finally.
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. Not even close. You rushed in like some white knight, Jigen. Did you forget to put on your suit of armor?"
"He was a murderer."
"I figured that out last week, when I got here early to watch him. Who do you think called that room to startle him and got the cops up there to help her?" His mouth fell open. "Just because I'm doing this job doesn't mean I'm not a cop," she said quietly, glancing around.
"Okay, so you do still use those skills," he agreed, giving her a hug. "I'm just glad you're fine."
"Me too. Thank you for being the cavalry. Now, what about that thing?"
"I have no idea, we'll have to find Lupin." He walked her away, taking her away from the lights. There weren't hardly any cops there yet, it was working in their favor. They found Lupin in a bar gulping a beer. "Feel better?"
"It's washing the taste out of my mouth from where I realized," Lupin told them. He looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Helena."
"It's not a problem. I figured it out last week. I'm the one who turned him in." She kissed him on the tip of the nose. "Now, this dress is itchy and much too loose. Take me dancing?"
"Sure," he agreed, leading her away to help her find something decent to wear. Her extra weight was giving her curves she hadn't had before and it was quite exciting. He had never liked heavy girls, not even those who were just a few pounds overweight like Helena was, but he could see the attraction to her. Apparently heavier girls were mor willing to be compromising. He'd have to check on that. After he made Jigen jealous. Lupin looked over as smoke came from under the door, then tried to open a window but it had been nailed shut. He opened the door and got a facefull of knock out gas.
Jigen walked in and gassed Helena as well, then dressed her and took her with him. She could buy new clothes that she liked.
***
Helena woke up on a soft rug. There was a small fire on one side of her and a warm body on the other. She looked at the warm body, then at the hand he was holding out. In it were two familiar pills. "Oh, you're a fucking saint, Jigen. Thank you." She took her medicines and laid back down, getting comfortable but not snuggling up. "Where are we?"
"Colorado. I thought we might celebrate the start of your sixth year undercover together." He reached over, shifting some of her hair around. "I'm sorry, I had no real idea. You were right to dump me." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "But I'm not the pushy sort so I'm leaving it up to you."
She sniffled. "That's probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," she admitted. She shifted closer, laying next to him but not snuggling in. She still wasn't sure she could forgive him for that. "What brought that on?"
"Watching you work over the last week," he admitted. "It's all an act from you and I know you're good at it. I want to help support you. I miss you."
"I missed you too." She hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. "What did you use on us?"
"Lupin's new fast-acting gas. He kept saying he needed to do a field test for speed," he said smugly. She pinched him. "You're not his, you're mine."
"No, you're not pushy in the least," she said dryly, blowing in his ear and making him shiver.
"At least I held back the caveman instinct or you'd be wearing this fur rug."
"Eww, real fur?"
"Nope. Can't be. It's not the right texture." He shifted onto his side, holding her in place with one arm around her waist. "I was a miserable prick. I was even more quiet than Goemon."
"That's hard to do," she agreed. "Why were you quiet?"
"I was thinking about what you and Lupin said. Even Fujiko wrote me a letter to tell me what an asshole I was to you."
"You weren't, but I need the support of belief, Jigen. I can't be with you if you can't believe that I'm not those people I pretend to be. It'll undermine me and make it harder for me to not become them for real."
"That's the point that finally got me. Lupin told me about the bounty stuff and I realized that you were getting stuck because you didn't have an anchor back to your real self. It made me take a long look and realize how stupid I was. So then I went and stole your other duty logs to read. I hope you didn't mind."
"I don't. Someone else should know. I'm not sure if my new boss reads them. He wanted me to quit investigating and do more taking out. We had a small argument about that part. I'm hoping he retires once he's out of rehab."
"He didn't. He was hobbling around his office swearing about you when I saw him to give them back. Then he fell over his chair and rebroke his leg and hurt his back. He might give up now." He stroked down her back. "Did you mind me kidnaping you?"
"No, it makes up for not being able to meet me in Mexico a few years back." She shook her head to move her hair then got comfortable against him. "I'm sorry I bulked up this way."
"It's not a problem. You're not that heavy and you look decent like that. You've got those curves that you didn't before. Lupin called you plush."
"I'm not quite as fat as a stuffed elephant," she noted.
"I don't think he meant that definition of the world, though cuddly is very accurate. You have a body that makes men want to cuddle up to you and not let go. Before you were really muscular and you put some guys off. Now you look like a womanly sort of woman instead of some dyke. By the way, I like the hair if I never said it," he said, playing with a bit of the shoulder-length mass. "Keep it like this for a while?"
"Sure, Jigen." She closed her eyes and yawned. "I think I need more of a nap."
"We're here for a week, nap away," he agreed. "This is my first vacation in a while too." He suddenly chuckled. "I wonder if Lupin's being smug because he told me to take you somewhere to make you rest or mad because I gassed him."
"I'd guess both, but he'll let smug win out when he sees you," she offered. "He does smug very well. It's apparently his favorite emotion."
"It might be," Jigen agreed, letting the hair go to stroke her back. "Take a nap, I'm not moving except for to order dinner."
"Are we at a resort?"
"No, a private cabin. The owner's out of town but he said he didn't mind." He smiled at her as she fell asleep in his arms. He had missed that sense of not being able to feel his arm. He knew within a few minutes she'd shift over until he was on his back and she was on top of his whole left side, and he had missed the sensation of not having any feeling just as much. She made not feeling worthwhile.