before my shower , i decided to get a little personal business out of the way so that i would better focus on the case the rest of the day. rome had brought me my purse, and i'd blessedly remembered to pack my cell, so as i made my way to a room john kept for agents who had to pull all-nighters, i called the dress shop and printer to reschedule, then called the caterer and pretended everything was fine. i even scheduled a day to come in and sample some of their main dishes. i cursed myself the entire time, but damn it, i'd pay for that food (with rome's credit card) even if the wedding didn't happen.

it will.

but would it?

yes! stop arguing with yourself.

no way grilled cheese sandwiches and bowls of tomato soup - the extent of my culinary prowess - were going to be served to my guests. (hey. some of us were too busy saving the world to learn how to cook.)

when i hung up with the golden swan, i called sherridan and asked her to bring a change of clothes.

something better than my beautiful but ruined dress. then i did something else that made me ashamed. i finally called my dad back and lied. everything's fine. rome and i are great, i told him. uttering that delightful gem made me nauseous, but he had a weak heart and i didn't want him worrying about me.

we talked for fifteen minutes before one of his silver foxes hollered for him in the background. seemed he'd kissed maggie in the garden while dating kate. judging from the tone of kate's voice, there was going to be hell to pay. i smiled. it was good to know some things never changed, especially when so much else had.

"take care of yourself, dad."

"always. love you, baby belle."

"and i love you." we disconnected, and i threw the cell into my purse. "time for my shower," i muttered, padding into the small but clean bathroom. maybe i could wash the guilt and the anger and the sadness away.

halfway through my shower, soap in my eyes, sherridan arrived with that change of clothes. as she held her choice up for my inspection, i slid the stall door open a crack and shook my head in wonder.

shouldn't be surprised, i supposed. part of me had known she'd interpret my "something better" to mean "something as slutty as possible." it was her warped way of helping me win rome back.

"hurry it up, will you? i want to see you all dolled up."

"you see me dolled up every day." i rinsed off and stepped from the stall.

she had a towel extended. "more like hoboed up, if you want to get technical. you're the worst dresser i know, always wearing the same lame outfits."

i grabbed the fluffy white terry cloth and wrapped it around myself. "have i ever told you how amazing you are for my self-esteem?"

she blew me a kiss and breezed from the bathroom.

sighing, i donned the tiny skirt, bright blue halter top and knee-high boots. cool air stroked my too-bare, damp skin as i stepped into the room, a thick mist floating out behind me. i did not want to know where she'd gotten this stuff.

tanner was there, saying something to sherridan, but he stopped midsentence and whistled. "look at the delicious piece of candy that just walked in."

he was looking pretty tasty himself. injured yet strong, just the way he liked.

"oh, you look so hot!" sherridan said, clapping excitedly. "do i know how to dress a girl or what?"

"i'm still waiting to hear how you un dress one," tanner muttered. clearly jessica alba was still on his mind.

i held out my arms in exasperation. "i have to do interviews in this, i hope you know."

"interview the men," tanner suggested. "'cause they'll take one look and answer anything you ask." i rubbed my temple, knowing a headache was imminent. how i longed to sink into that dark leather couch and snooze the rest of the day away. or maybe i'd recline in the matching leather chair. hell, i'd even splay myself on the worktable in the center of the room. "unfortunately for me, our first meeting is with a woman. elaine daringer, the energy vampire - not to be mistaken with the blood-drinking kind like reese, and - "

a buzz sounded. "subject is waiting in interrogation room three." john's voice echoed through the room.

"she's been waiting for half an hour. do you need a second monitor to watch the clock for you?"

"we're on our way," i said with a sigh. it'd be a miracle if i survived the rest of the day.

elaine daringer was not what i expected.

when tanner and i had entered the interrogation room, i'd actually gasped. she was young - probably in her early twenties - with a short crop of blond hair and an angel face. big brown eyes, a pert nose and dimpled cheeks. seriously, she could have fallen straight from a copy of heaven's gates weekly .

the only thing menacing about her was her outfit. a black cloth covered her from neck to toe, and not even her fingers were visible. had to be that way, i knew. one touch of her skin, and she could drain every ounce of our energy.

as a further precaution, she was cuffed to an inflexible, uncomfortable-looking chair.

"hello," i said.

instantly her eyes glared pure hatred at me. "go to hell," she snapped.

o-kay. not so angelic, after all. "welcome to psi. we have a few questions for you, and you have my word we're not going to hurt you. all right?" i watched her, waited for a response, but didn't get one.

"i'm sorry about the accommodations, but they're regulation for someone with your abilities."

"please." she snorted. "sorry? ha! you're grateful for the accommodations. you're too scared to face me, girl to girl."

"actually, no. i've - "

"save it and feed the lies to someone else. i want to go back to my cell. i'm done here," she shouted to the two-way. "do you hear me? i'm done!"

i stepped into her line of vision. "look, i've been where you are. well, not exactly. but close." she might be working for desert gal, she might not. she might be tobin's mystery friend, she might not. but i wasn't going to treat her as a hated enemy during this interview. not without cause, and her crappy attitude wasn't exactly cause. she was cuffed, for god's sake. probably sweating underneath all that fabric. i'd be pissed, too.

she pushed out a forceful breath to blow the hair from her brow. "is this the part where you sympathize with me and i tell you all my secrets?"

tanner choked out a laugh. "someone's been watching b movies, i see." those puppy-dog browns strayed to him as though noticing him for the first time, and she stilled. for several seconds, she even managed to keep all hints of emotion from her features. but after a while, the effort drained her and she sagged, fascination consuming her expression.

hello, attraction.

i couldn't blame her. tanner was a heartstoppingly good-looking guy when he wasn't wasting away from heartbreak.

"who the hell are you?" she demanded shakily.

he inclined his head in greeting. "they call me mr. sensitive."

"really? i'd have pegged you for blueberry lollipop."

she'd meant it as an insult, i think, but predictably, tanner took it as a sexual innuendo. "god, i wish. it would let girls know up front that i'm okay with being licked." red spread over her cheeks like the wildfire had spread over my body.

"i just realized i forgot to make introductions, and i'm sorry for that," i said. "i'm belle jamison and this is my friend and associate, whose real name is tanner bradshaw."

"feel free to call me lollipop, though."

elaine cleared her throat and tried to shift in the chair, as if that tiny movement could somehow save her from tanner's penetrating stare. "yes, well, everyone calls me draino."

"seriously?"

yeah, seriously? and i'd thought homicidal tendencies wench was bad.

"yes" was the sniffed and clearly offended reply.

"sorry," tanner said, "but that name sucks a big juicy one. you need something new." not exactly the way to win the girl to our side. actually, at this rate, tanner would guarantee elaine joined the other team. if she wasn't already part of it. time for me to take over and at least pretend i knew how to conduct an interview. "listen, we're getting off track. what i was starting to say before mr. sensitive here interrupted is that a few months ago this doctor came rushing into the cafe where i worked and spiked my drink with a formula that gave me power over the four elements. earth, wind, fire and water."

her eyes swung back to me, the anger returning. "so?"

"so," tanner piped up before i could say anything else, "she's trying to prove to you that she's been where you are, just like she said. two agencies marked her for extermination, one of them being the group that was keeping you prisoner in that warehouse, and began chasing her. i helped her get away. it could even be said that i saved her from certain death, but i'm not one to brag so i'll leave that part out." elaine looked between us, a spark of jealousy stealing over her features. jealousy she couldn't hide, even when she cast her gaze to the gray tiled floor.

"he's like my brother," i explained, palms up. did i ever understand what she was feeling. "swear to god."

"like i care," she said, but slowly she relaxed, her body seeming to melt into that slatted wood. "if i'm going to talk to you, i need proof that your intentions are good. something more than just your word.

i've learned to be cautious."

"all right. how?"

"first up is proving you can do what you say you can do. you have control over the elements? well, make it rain inside this room. here, now."

uh, not just no but hell, no. "i'm afraid not." i shook my head to emphasize my refusal. "sometimes i can't stop it once it starts."

"then you're a danger and need to be neutralized."

for a moment, her comment returned me to the good old days. rome might have been trying to kill me back then, but at least he'd known exactly who i was. "same could be said of you."

"yes, and that's why i'm tied down."

i sighed. for her to trust me, i had to be willing to trust her. so i said, "would you feel better if i told you pollutants are my downfall? i can't work my magic around them. i become too weak." oass

already knew my weakness, so i wasn't revealing so much john would have an aneurysm.

her eyes locked on me and for a moment i thought i'd reached her. then she shrugged. "nope, i wouldn't feel better. you could be lying about that, too."

"true. you don't know us. but think about what we're asking from you, what we're not. how we're treating you, how we're not." tanner and i hadn't hurt her in any way. we hadn't degraded her, or demanded world-crumbling secrets.

there was a long pause. then, "so what happened to you? after you drank the formula?" there was a twinge in her voice, as if she were finally softening.

"well, i got sick. so sick i almost died. and for several weeks, my new powers were unstable. more unstable than they are now. remember the freak ice that covered several buildings?"

"when?"

"about a month ago." or was it two months ago? i really was bad with time.

"i was in those cells your agents 'rescued' me from, so no." poor thing. "well, that was me." i gave her a moment to digest that. "so what about you? were you born with your ability or was it thrust upon you?"

she shifted in the chair again, grimaced when the cuffs pushed into her bones, and glanced between me and tanner. little angel couldn't get comfortable. "the information isn't going to do you any good."

"tell us anyway. we're curious about you."

"why?"

still so distrustful. had the situation been reversed, i wasn't sure i would have believed anything my captors said, either. she was alone, vulnerable, helpless, her wits her only weapon. "because i see a lot of myself in you."

elaine snorted. "you look like a hooker and i look like a nun. i doubt we're similar." sherridan and her damn outfit choice! "i didn't mean in appearance, smart-ass." tanner laughed. "well, i can see the similarities now."

i punched him in the shoulder. "funny."

elaine watched the byplay with something akin to longing. "just forget it," she said. "none of it matters, anyway. you can't help me, and i can't help you."

"give us a chance," tanner said, expression growing serious.

"look," i added. "we're all you've got right now. we know that. and you know we need to pick your brain. so what will it take to get some answers? you want a lobster dinner brought to your cell? done.

you want an ipod? done. anything you want is yours. except freedom."

"what about a pony?" she asked sarcastically, but the pessimism didn't quite reach her eyes, and she was having trouble controlling her breathing.

"if you're willing to clean up after it, why not?"

she licked her lips, and then words were suddenly tumbling from them without pause. "i want a meat loaf. with mashed potatoes and gravy. white. homemade rolls and dressing. and broccoli and rice casserole. do you know what that is? i also want a chocolate cake. do not scrimp on the icing. and i do want that ipod. i'll make you a playlist."

she paused to inhale and tanner whipped out a tiny notebook from his back pocket to write everything down.

"we'll get it to you as fast as we can," i said. if john complained - or flat-out refused - to meet these demands, i'd see to them myself. again with rome's credit card. he owed us all. "that it?" there was another round of silence before her shoulders slumped. "you asked how i came to be in that warehouse. well, a bastard named gordon jones read a newspaper article about a mother and father who weakened every time they held their little girl. parents who were looking to give said girl up for adoption because they couldn't deal with her." her chin rose defiantly, probably in an attempt to hide its trembling. "he bought me from them, experimented on me, and suddenly i didn't just weaken people, i killed them. gordon used me to keep his agents in line. 'refuse me, and watch draino work her way through your family,' that kind of thing."

"truth," tanner whispered, and the single word possessed an edge of...fury? affront?

my hand fluttered over my heart. "i'm so sorry, elaine. truly sorry." gordon jones. father to vincent jones, no doubt.

surprise filled those beautiful brown eyes. but that surprise soon morphed into anger. "yeah, i'm sure you're real sorry. here i am, another agent to recruit, huh? another subject for your agency to experiment on. maybe you'll even control me the way he did, huh? promise to fix me if i just do one more thing for you."

"i don't want to recruit you," i said, "and i sure as hell don't want to experiment on you. and i know beyond any doubt that i'll never be able to fix you."

outside the room, someone rapped on the window.

all three of us turned, but we couldn't see who it was. probably john, issuing a warning, i thought. with him, it was always business first, the people that business affected second. i flipped him off and turned back to elaine.

"like i was saying, i don't want to recruit you," i assured her. "other people might, but i don't. if you don't want to be an agent, no one should force you to be one." once again surprise lit her eyes, turning the dark brown to a bright amber.

"look," tanner said. "you deserve to be free. no one can deny that." another knock.

"stop that," i shouted. "we're not going to lie to her or tell her only what you want us to. you left me in charge of interviews, so i'm doing this my way."

bang, bang, bang.

well, this was getting us nowhere. "since you're here, uncuff her," i called without looking back at the window. "i want her to finish the interview unfettered."

now her mouth fell open.

"do it!" i shouted. "or i'll walk out of here and - "

"me, too," tanner interjected.

"and we can guarantee she won't talk to anyone else. right?"

"r-right," she said, clearly confused. most likely, no one had ever trusted her not to use her superior abilities and attack. because all it would take was a single brush of her hand to send us to our knees.

finally, the door swung open. i expected john's short, stocky legs to stomp inside. expected john's dark eyes to bore into me. instead, it was rome. he strode to elaine, bent down and carefully unlatched the metal bands. they fell to the floor with a clank.

she drew her arms into her lap and rubbed at her wrists.

rome straightened, looked me up and down and said, "that is not appropriate," in a tight voice.

whether he meant freeing elaine or my outrageous clothes, i didn't know.

"if you hurt them," he told elaine, "i will personally kill you." he left then, slamming the door shut behind him - but his gaze remained on me until the last possible second. i could only stare at the door in wonder.

he'd been watching me...protecting me? my heart began an erratic drum in my chest. or was this part of his monitoring duties? my heart now slowed.

"your boyfriend?" elaine asked. no longer was there even a hint of disdain or unhappiness. perhaps i'd finally earned her trust.

"no," i said for rome's benefit. let him take that as he would: that i no longer wanted him, that we were over forever, or that we were over right now but there was hope for the future. whatever. right now, it didn't matter. it couldn't. but later..."maybe once." tanner patted my shoulder, forcing my attention from the door, from rome. "how long had you been locked in this last prison?" he asked elaine.

once more, her gaze dropped to her feet, and she shrugged. "i realize you're being nice to get the information you want, but i don't like it. we already came to terms. so you can stop the act. okay? all right?" she didn't give us time to reply. "i was in that particular prison for a few months."

"months!" tanner shouted, clearly outraged on her behalf. "that's barbaric. and just so you know, we aren't just being nice to get what we want. time will prove that." she gave another of those falsely negligent shrugs, though there was a spark of hope in her eyes. "i'd started resisting vincent's commands - he's the guy who took over after his dad died. i knew he would never help me, so i even tried to escape. again. he'd warned me what would happen." i eased into the chair across from her. "you were incarcerated with a man named tobin mcaldrin. do you know who i'm talking about?"

"yes," she said with a nod. "the meathead."

that was the guy. "he told me he had a friend, someone who wanted to talk with me."

"that would be candace bright."

tanner wrote the name in his notebook. if elaine was telling the truth - and i thought that she was, since tanner hadn't called her a liar - we now had a lead. i wanted to grin.

"tell me about her," i said.

"she's pretty, a redhead, but the color isn't natural. it's just too red. she brought us food and water, made sure our cages were cleaned. for the most part, she wasn't bad, as far as jailers go. i don't know a lot about her, just her name really. and i only know that because she used to work for vincent."

"maybe she worked for him because her family was being threatened, too," tanner speculated.

elaine shook her head. "i doubt that. she talked about desert gall like the woman was god. and trust me, that kind of affection has nothing to do with force. anyway, tobin, a.k.a. brick, and a prisoner called memory man were her favorites and the only ones she spoke to. me, she stayed away from. i think she was afraid of me."

memory man. or m-squared. this was the first time one of our interviewees had brought him up.

now, he was verified. rather than excitement, i experienced a wave of anger. enough to cause little tendrils of steam to waft from my nostrils. he had been one of desert gal's favorites? did that mean he had willingly aided her and hadn't been forced as we'd begun to think? oops. there went more steam.

it would probably be best for everyone to keep him out of the conversation for now.

"where did vincent - who we not-so-affectionately call 'pretty boy,' by the way - keep you?" tanner asked. "before the escape attempt? and did you do any jobs with ms. bright? can you tell us her fighting style?"

if elaine was fazed by the barrage of questions, she didn't show it. "he has - had - a house in every corner of the world, it seemed. he moved me around a lot. i didn't even know i was in georgia until i arrived at psi. but no, i didn't work directly with candace."

"what about desert gal? have you ever met her?" i asked.

"no. sorry. my social life as an oass agent was...limited."

limited. sadly, the description was probably generous. i felt so bad for this girl, wanted to take her under my wing, protect her. maybe she and tanner could - no, i thought sadly. they couldn't. one touch of her skin, and she'd kill the boy. that, i couldn't allow.

i couldn't even give her a hug unless we both wore full-body condoms.

"tell us about the jobs he had you work." tanner plopped into the chair next to mine.

"i was his killer, just as i was his father's." shame dripped from her. shame and regret and horror. "it was easy for me. quick. no one ever suspected, never realized they'd welcomed death, until it was too late. all i had to do was walk past them, brush my hand against theirs. and i know what you're thinking.

i should have touched vincent and killed him. i would have loved to do that, but he made sure he was never in striking distance."

my chest constricted, and i wondered again if that's what had happened with m-squared. which caused me to soften. again. pretty boy had issued commands from a remote location, so there had never been anything m-squared could do to stop the man. except, he'd been desert gal's favorite. why would he have been her favorite if he hadn't helped her? oops again. there was more steam.

apparently, i was a yo-yo when it came to that man.

"who did he want you to kill?"

"people who disagreed with his business practices, psi employees who wouldn't join him, no matter the incentive. innocents who had something he wanted."

and that had clearly torn her up inside. even after everything she'd already endured. okay. i didn't care if she could drain me. i didn't care if one touch of her skin could destroy me. i stood to shaky legs and strode forward, closing the distance between us. there was another rap on the window, but i didn't slow. i knelt in front of her and placed my palms on her gloved arms. there was no buzz of sensation, no zap of my strength.

she stiffened.

that didn't deter me, either. this lonely girl had not known the kindness or love of even a single parent, as i had. hers had sold her, as if she were a car or a boat. they hadn't contacted her afterward, i'm sure. hadn't visited her on her birthdays or called her when she was sick. no one should have to endure such a travesty.

"wh-what are you doing?" she asked.

"giving you a hug." slowly, so i wouldn't startle her, i leaned my head into her chest, my shoulder into her middle.

her eyes widened the closer i came. "you could be hurt. something bad could happen to you and i wouldn't - i - "

she didn't tell me to stop, i noticed, and that was more telling than she probably realized. i wrapped my arms around her and pressed my cheek just above her breast, heard her heart pound as if it wanted to beat its way out.

a tremor moved through her, shaking us both. i think a teardrop even splashed atop my hair.

i held on to her for a long while. finally, her arms reached around me, tentative at first, then squeezing tight. "why are you doing this?" she whispered, the words broken.

"because no one should have to endure the things you've endured. because i hate that you can't be touched. because you deserve better." i wanted to absorb all of that pain inside myself, take it away from her and show her just how precious and wonderful life could be.

a hand suddenly patted my back and i turned slightly, seeing tanner kneel behind elaine. his arms wrapped around her, too, but had to slide around me to make contact. that's when the flood of tears came, no mere trickle, not anymore.

we held her through it all. i didn't care what i looked like, didn't care that rome saw me this way rather than as a badass agent who beat the crap out of "subjects" for answers.

when she quieted, i pulled back but tanner held on, his hands flat on her stomach. i think he needed the contact as much as she did, because there were tears in his eyes, as well. perhaps elaine was somehow absorbing the pain lexis had caused in him.

i swallowed the hard lump in my throat as elaine gripped his wrists, holding him to her.

then her gaze lifted and clashed with mine. "i may not have met desert gal, but i know that she wants you," she told me quietly.

me? i hadn't challenged her yet. not really. "for what?"

"i'm not sure, exactly. i overheard candace tell tobin that psi would be rescuing us soon, and he would get a fat reward from desert gall if he brought you in." i'd been right. some of the "victims" were plants. so many pieces were falling into place, and soon the puzzle would be complete. i was more excited than i'd been in a long time. the excitement was blended with fear, though. desert gall was after me, yet my powers were wonky and my filter a stubborn shithead. tamp down both emotions before you summon wind.

"any idea where desert gall is?" i asked.

"i wish. i'd like to shove my foot up her ass."

"me, too," tanner and i said in unison.

elaine nibbled on her bottom lip, dropped her gaze again. her gloved fingertips traced tanner's arm, and she watched the movements as though mesmerized. "wh-what are you going to do with me?"

"we'll take care of your food requests and ipod as promised, that much i know," tanner said and released her. "the rest, i'm sad to say, is up to our boss." a little whimper escaped her lips, but she didn't ask him to touch her again.

the cell i'd hooked to my waist started buzzing. i reached for it, saying, "for now, i'm going to have tanner take you to - "

the rap on the window was harder than ever.

"to my house," i finished determinedly. bringing her there was a risk, but i couldn't have her thrown back into some dank cell. i just couldn't. "you might have to go to lockup for a little while first, though.

and as tanner said, we've got to talk to my boss, convince him of the wisdom of my plan." hope had been blooming in her expression, but it quickly died. "hey, don't worry about it." she laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "i'm used to cells like the one here and we both know he's not going to allow me to leave."

i threw a glare over my shoulder, hopefully pinning rome with my anger. "we are not like vincent. we are not cruel. and if you were my daughter, i would never allow such a thing to be done to you." i knew the remark would hit its target. because sunny, rome's daughter, could mist through walls, rome feared psi - or some other agency - would one day try to use her.

tanner pushed to his feet and squeezed elaine's shoulder. "when belle puts her mind to something, it gets done. don't worry."

slowly a smile curled the corners of elaine's lush pink mouth, and she angled her head up to him adoringly. "thank you."

he returned her grin, even reached up and caressed a fingertip over her cheek. "my pl - " immediately she lost her smile.

he did, too. his knees gave out and he crumpled to the ground in a motionless heap.