Matt eyed the woman carefully. He'd been noticing her around lately.. alot. Of course, she was a tad difficult to NOT notice. She was rather.. well he wasn't sure to say 'gypsy-esque' or just 'flamboyant'. She was fairly tall... probably close to his height which made her at least six feet... pitch black hair with white streaks at each temple. He couldn't help but snort at the bride of frankenstien image that kept popping into his head, even though her hair, while extremely curly and long, was held back with a clip and flowed down her back, rather than standing on end. Huge dangling earrings, big chunky beaded necklaces, huge rings on several fingers and a prefferance for ankle length peasant skirts in extravagant colours. "She---s baaa--aack.." a soft voice sing songed as a body plopped down on the step beside him. "Man.. she must have the hots for ya, man. Fifth day in a row.. and she's checked ya out every time." Matt snorted and kicked at the shin beside him. The thin spike-haired blond chuckled and kicked back, taking another pull off his cigarette before mashing it into the pavement. Matt snorted softly. "Those things are gonna kill ya, kid." he said softly, his eyes never leaving the woman watching him from the cafe across the street. "Lots of things are gonna kill me. Least this one I enjoy. " was his answer and a finger jabbed him in the ribs. "Hey... ya spare any? Things have been a bit... slim lately..." Matt snorted and turned to eyed the kid next to him, then dug into his pocket to pull out a handful of crumpled bills and change. He did a quick count then shrugged and handed the small pile over. "Food, Frog... alright? Food... I find out you used it for anything else, it's the last you'll ever get, got it?" Frog grinned as he pocketed the money. "Hey man... no prob...told you I was off that shit, right? Just hungry.. thanks. I owe ya, Graves.. really." he said then scrabbled to his feet. "I'll disappear so she can make her move on ya." he said with a grin. "'Sides... that cart on fifth and Benson is there with those great dogs... Hey man... you got enough to eat tonight?" Frog suddenly paused, playing with the pitiful handful of cash in his pocket. "I mean... the dogs aren't that much... probably got enough for two here.,. maybe three..." Matt smirked and whacked his ankle lightly. "Don't sweat it.. got something lined up. You know me. Now fuck off.. go get your hotdog." he said softly, flicking his hair out of his face. The deep chocolate brown he was so used to was gone, replaced by a shockingly bright blue. Frog had joked he should've gone for purple to match his eyes.. or left it bleached white... but he'd had the white hair for a few days and he'd hated it. Something about the white hair just rubbed him wrong, despite everyone telling him it looked great. Part of the reason he'd gone back for colour. And he rather liked the blue. Matched his tattoo. He turned and watched Frog vanish down the street and frowned slightly. Most people left him alone, as if instinctively knowing there was something diferent about him. But Frog had showed up a couple months ago and had decided Matt was going to be his new best friend. No doubt he figured Matt was a big enough and scarey enough guy that just hanging around him would afford him a bit of protection. True enough it seemed... the few times someone had cornered the kid, they'd backed off quick enough when they'd found out he was 'Graves friend'. Matt had only had to step in once; a couple quick punches and the guy had never so much as looked at Frog again. He wondered how old Frog was... he'd asked once but had only received a shrug, smirk and 'old enough' as an answer. He figured he couldn't be any older fourteen, probably younger... "That was nice of you." Matt looked up in surprise to find the woman standing nearby, oversized sunglasses perched on her head and the biggest purse he'd ever seen hanging off one shoulder. He snorted, scowling softly as he turned his gaze out over the street. "What do you want, lady?" he asked simply then pushed himself to his feet and turned to face her. He was surpised to find himself at eye level with her then remembered she was wearing heels. He felt odd as he stood in front of her, as if there was something wrong with the air in the space between them. He could feel a faint tingle, as if something staticy has just passed over his skin, raising the hair on his arms. He watched her watching him, her head cocked slightly to one side, her eyes a pale watery blue that seemed out of place with her dark hair and olive skin. He reevaulated his earlier guess at her age, deciding she was younger... in her early to mid thirties somewhere. He saw the corner of her mouth quirk in a soft smirk. "Care to join me for a walk?" she asked. Matt snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't answer my question.. unless thats your way of saying you'll explain it in private...?" He watched her smirk grow into a smile. He had the feeling he'd seen her somewhere before.. Frog had said the same thing.. she seemed familair, but neither of them could place where they'd seen her before. "Graves, hmm? That's what they call you?" she asked as she started walking slowly and Matt sighed, falling warily into step. "Yeah. That's what they call me." he answered softly, debating on whether he should say 'why' they called him that. Might scare her off... he just hadn't decided if that was a good thing or bad... "Cute. Better than 'Bones' and more origninal than ' Reaper or Grim'.." she said lightly and Matt frowned, wondering just what it was she knew about him. He'd thought she was just a trick... not his usual thing, but still ready cash and not something to be ignored lightly when offered. But, now he had the feeling whatever she was after was something else entirely. "Get to the point, Lady. I have things to do." he growled softly, somehow not surprised to discover they were about to turn onto the path that lead to the cemetary. "The point...." she said softly, her voice still light and casual as if she pulled guys off the street for a stroll through a grave yard every day. "The point is a bit... hard to explain if you don't understand.. if you don't know." she said, then flipped her hair over her shoulder and cast a smile at him. "Although I don't know how you couldn't know... not knowing is something I find hard to imagine..." Matt snorted and shook his head softly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Lady... you're fucking confusing... just tell me what the fuck you want and I'll tell you whether it's something I can do for you or not." She eyed him curiously for a moment, walking practically sideways on the path that changed gradually from the brick tile of the sidewalk to broken stone, but never faltered. Matt watched for a moment at the way she kicked out at the skirt as she walked, that smirk still tugging at his mouth. "How old are you?" she asked suddenly. "You don't look that old.. I can't imagine you being older than eighteen? Twenty tops..." she asked then her eyes suddenly glittered in a look that Matt could only think of as playful. "How old were you when you 'woke'? You're too strong a pull to be recent..." Matt stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "Okay... huh? What the fuck are you talking about? Who the fuck ARE you?" She turned to face him, but continued to walk backwards slowly. "I'm Marilee. And I'm talking about you.. about us... Necromancers. How old were you when you woke from the dead and came into your powers? I was thirty two... stabbed during a mugging. Woke in the park jammed under some bushes... no one even knew I died. What about you?" Matt was sure he could feel the color drain form his face and pictured his mouth hanging open. He watched her in shock for a moment then started to walk towards her slowly, his mind spinning. "Prove it." he said simply, his eyes narrowed, suddenly suspicious. He'd heard whispers from the ghosts that came to him about people who had 'pet' necromancers.... people like him who were kept as slaves and forced to do whatever was wanted of them. Marilee smiled then laughed softly before spinning around on her heels and striding deeper into the cemetary. "Okay.. fair enough. Your territory.. any suggestions? Something that won't cause too much of a mess or commotion?" Matt followed along behind her, watching her carefully. He felt several spirits following along with them, which was normal. What was odd was the way they seemed just as interested in her as in him. He had them search for any sign of ambush, ignoring their soft laughter as they did so. "Sure... follow the path to the left up ahead.. takes you back to a bunch of older crypts. Few have the locks broken." Marilee walked along briskly, her arms swinging at her sides, bangles chiming lightly at her wrists. He noticed several ankle braceletts as well, adding in to the soft music. "So... how old are you? and how old were you? Or do you wnat to wait until I prove I am what I say I am first?" she asked, casting a glance over her shoulder at him. "Perfectly understandable.. and very reasonable and smart. I'd considered the best way to meet you and finally just decided to stop waffling and just do it. But that's me. I suppose it things were reversed I'd be just as skeptical and careful as you're being." As the ghosts reported back the all clear, Matt closed the distance betwen them slightly, remaining behind her. "I'm nineteen." he answered simply. "What about you?" Marilee shot him another smile over her shoulder. "Fortyy one .. nine years a necro. But I started my carreer as a psycic before that.. wasn't as good as I was after that though.. " she added witha smirk. "That's when I hit the big time and started to earn an actual living at it.. pardon the pun." Matt snorted softly, his eyes narrowed in thought."Okay... you lost me again... huh?" Marilee spun around in a flare of skirts and curls and jewelry. "Seriously? You've never heard of me? You don't recognize me? Oh fabulous.. thats great. I get so tired of people coming up to me for autographes and then asking if I could, just for a quick moment...." she let her sentence trail off with a soft laugh. "I'm a psycic. Have my own tv show and everything, 'Dearly Departed.' " she rolled her eyes. "I did NOT pick the name... that was my producers idea... none of it was my idea actually, but it pays good." she offered with a shrug, toying with a necklace. Matt snorted softly as he realized he must have caught sight of a add for her show, or perhaps a piece of the show itself at some point and thats why she seemed familiar. Tv at a restaurant, bar or showroom or something. Probably one of the ones in the window at that place down town. "Sorry.. not much chance to watch tv around here." he said and watched her as she spun around and marched up to the third crypt without even checking the first two. Matt frowned slightly then catch the faint laughter of the spirits around him.. they'd told her which one was unlocked... She gave the heavy door a shove and it opened enough for her to slip inside. With a wary look around, Matt followed her. He stood by the door and watched her as she looked around the small stone room. She was running a finger along the edge of the stone lid, her eyes half closed as she walked around it slowly. She looked up suddenly, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Paying attention now? Don't want to hear some bullshit about me faking it afterwards." she said with a smirk and laid her hand flat on the stone, her fingers splayed as she watched him. Matt raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the cold wall. "I'm watching." With flash of material she was in front of him, her face so close her nose almost brushed his. She reached up and tapped the side of his head with one long painted fingernail. "Not watch... anyone can watch... people can fake things while others watch." she said frimly, surprising him more with her tone then her sudden move. "Pay attention.. up here." she said with another tap. "Feel what I'm doing.. don't just watch." she said then spun back to the center of the small room and placed her hands back on the stone lid. Matt narrowed his eyes, but did what she said, reaching out with his powers like he did when searching for potential 'material', be it corpse or ghost. He felt a sudden cool current or energy flare around her and down through the stone. He felt the body stir as the energy filled it and could even feel her calling it. He sucked in his breath and reached out himself to see if he could stop it. He shoved his power between her and the zombie, ripping the energy out of it and stopping it 'dead'. There was a startled almost pained gasp from Marilee and then suddenly he felt a hammer blow of energy slam into him, stealing the breath from him. He snapped his eyes open in time to see her stride angrily towards him and slap him across the face hard. "NEVER do that again!" she hissed furiously as she stared him down. Matt licked at a spot of blood of his lip from where one of her rings had caught him as he straightened back up. She jabbed a finger into his chest hard enough that he wondered if she drew blood there too. "You do not EVER use your power against another necro like that! Not unless they're attacking you, which is highly unlikely.. We're family.. we're all we have." she said, her eyes shining with a sudden wetness and he watched her turned away suddenly and dab at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. "I don't have any family." he said simply, his voice low as he watched her, feeling the sting in his lip slowly fade as it began to heal. "You have me." she snapped, giving a soft sniff before turning back around to face him. " We're necromancers, Graves. We're a rare thing and we're always alone in the world. No matter how many people we have around us, or spirits... we are always alone." she said, then lifted her chin slightly and looked him in the eye. "But we don't have to be... we have each other. I've only found one other necro... alive that is.. or as close to it as we can get." she added with a soft smirk. " He taught me what is it to be a necromancer... and I can teach you." she added firmly. "We are alone in a world of life, Graves... not truly alive, not truly dead. Always outside of things. The only beings that would even begin to understand what it is to be one of us are vampires... and they'd rather kill us then anything else. And perhaps a death elemental.. but they're even more rare then we are... I've never met one... never known anyone alive who has. and I'm not sure I want to... might receive an even worse reception than from the vamps... " Matt just stayed there, leaning against the wall and watched her as she spoke. "What if I don't want to learn anything from you?" he asked softly. She drew a breath then nodded softly. "You're strong. Stronger than me, I think.. but you're raw.. untrained and acting on instinct. You shouldn't have been able to break my link to that zombie. We can't take away someone elses..." she sighed in frustration and shook her head softly. "We're not supposed to be able to break someone elses control like that. I can't. I've never heard of it before. You're not supposed to be able to control another necros zombies.. not while that necro lives...." she said softly. "the fact that you did tells me just how strong you are.. and can be with training." Matt snorted softly. "So maybe I'm fine the way I am." Marilee stepped up close again, her chest brushing against his as she stared into his eyes. "You're strong.. but I still beat you. You rested control away from me.. but I still knocked you out. If you'd been trained, that wouldn't have happened." Matt stared into her eyes and smirked softly. "So what are you going to do if I refuse? You just admitted you can't steal my zoms away from me, so it's not like you can interfer in my life. What's stopping me from telling you to fuck off and walking out of here?" She stepped back after a moment, brushing her skirts flat before lifting her head and heading for the door. "Nothing. And I may not be able to take them away from you .. but I can stop you from getting control of them to begin with. Can you do that? Can you stop me from stopping you?" she asked then slipped outside. Matt growled softly then followed her. "So you're just going to hang around and piss me off until I give in?" he asked as he strode after her. "Of course not." she snapped, spinning around to face him again and catching him off guard. "I want to be your friend, Graves. I want to share what I know with you.. help you grow into your powers like I was helped." she said, her eyes suddenly flashed with that spark of humor as she added. "I want to call you by something other than Graves.. what on earth is your name?" Matt looked at her for a moment then snorted softly. "I'll think about it." he muttered softly then turned and headed off down a different path, leaving her standing there watching him. "Graves!" she called out behind him and he glanced back to see her still standing where he'd left her. "I'll be around when I can... if you need anything... let me know..." she said. Matt snorted softly and waved a hand at her as he turned back and continued walking, his mind racing through everything he'd just learned. There were others like him. Not many, but there were others. And he was stronger then them... or could be if he learned how. Did he want to learn how? Fuck yeah... the stronger the better.. the less likely he'd become a victim of someone else... Did he trust this woman enough to let her teach him, though? That was the question.. because if he took her up on her offer, there was going to be a time when she'd have the upper hand and could betray him. She could work for one of those people he'd heard about... she could be leading him into slavery. She could be just another person out to use him... not sure what she'd want from him that she couldn't do herself... aside from the obvious... Matt snorted as he left the path and headed for the line of trees and slipped out between a break in the fence. He checked to make sure she wasn't following him then made his way along the streets, winding his way towards a certain house, his fingers toying with the small pack of picks he always carried with him. It was something to consider. For now, he had things to do, money to make. Man's gotta eat after all.   part two *** Matt watched Marilee out of the corner of his eyes as they walked. For the past year they'd been meeting like this. She'd show up out of the blue and get in his face until he gave in and they'd take a walk, during which she'd tell him about stuff she'd done in her carreer. No doubt trying to 'draw him out of his shell'. He'd never seen any hint of her being anything more then she claimed and he had come to the conclusion that maybe it was worth the risk. Maybe. "..then the man beside her stands up and starts insisting that I'm really talking to him...that it's his grandfather I've contacted. I mean.. his grandfather's name is Fredrick, for crying out loud and he looks nothing like the person I just finished describing with a ' B' name.." she said with a soft laugh and shook her head. "The poor woman is in tears at me contacting her brother and this idiot is in her face being a complete ass, trying to get camera time! I'm telling you, I have never enjoyed a show more then I did that one. When my staff dragged that guy to the door and kicked him out, the crowd stood up and gave them a standing ovation. It was fabulous." she said with a smile then gave him a wink. "I bumped into the same ass last year... he's still an idiot as a ghost, let me tell you. Some people never learn." Matt snorted, smirking at the story, then asked something that had been on his mind for a long time." Aren't you afraid of being found out?" he asked softly. "I know you've heard the same stuff I have.. about the ones who hunt necromancers and either destroy them or enslave them.... are you afraid being plastered over every TV for them to see?" Marilee was quiet for a moment then shot him a soft smile. "Not really. After all, I'm just another psycic. A famous one and one who is 'gifted'.. but still...why should they look at me? I do nothing that would indicate I'm anything else... and I'm careful to screw up every now and then, get a few details wrong... be unable to contact someone... just like any other psycic." she snorted and kicked at a pebble. "Actualy, there are plenty of times I can't contact the ones they ask for... but lucky for me there are plenty of other spirits around to help out." She sighed deeply, a soft smile on her face. "I don;t think it's any different than you, Graves. I do my raisings in private, secretly. I don;t flant what I can do...what I can REALLY do... you hide on the street amoung the living and in the cemetaries amoung the dead... I hide in plain sight. We both hide... just in different ways." They walked in silence for a bit as they kept their own thoughts. finally Matt drew a breath and spoke. "I was ten... day after my birthday.. me and my cousin were run down by drunk." he said quietly, his decision made at last. For a while Marilee didn't say anything then she reached back and took hold of his hand, squeezing gently. "So we're the same age... ten years necros." she said with a soft smile then let go of his hand, shaking her head slightly as he turned and walked backwards. "So young.. I've never heard of one of us waking so young." she said thoughtfully. "The youngest I'd ever heard was... eighteen? Yes... I believe he was eighteen. He only lasted a few months before he was destroyed though. And yet you were younger and are still here." she added with a smirk. "Stubborn bastard, aren't you?" Matt smirked in reply. "So I've been told." he answered softly. Part of him was relieved to have finally told her something he'd never said before. Part of him wanted to tell her more, but he held back. He may have decided to let her teach him, and he may think of her as a freind, which he did.. but he still wasn't ready to trust her that completely. There was something else he wanted to tell her though, he decided as they approached the gate and the end of their walk. Once they went through that gate, she'd continue on to her hotel and pack her bags and head back to her home.. and he'd go back to doing whatever he'd had planned for that night.. same as always. As she reached out to push open the gate he called out softly. "Hey Marilee." he said, his hands in his jeans pockets as he watched he pause half way through the archway and look back at him curiously. "Matt." he said simply. Marilee smiled softly, her eyes sparkling as she nodded. "See you next time, Matt. Take care, alright?" Matt smirked and snorted softly. "You too, Marilee." he answered and watched her walk away, the long skirts swirling around her as she strode down the sidewalk, the soft jingle of her jewelry growing fainter. When she vanished around the corner, Matt gave another soft snort and headed through the gate himself, turned the opposite direction and going off in search of something to eat.       "Nice bike." Matt smirked softly at Marilee as she leaned against the door to his rooming house. "Thanks. Got it about a month ago... figured it was about time. It needs some work..." "Needs a lot of work..." She smirked softly and moved to let someone passed her and then waited until the door closed behind him. "Stolen?" Matt snorted and leaned forward. "Do I look dumb enough to ride around on a stolen bike?Shut up." he said, aiming a finger at her. "I bought it." Marilee smirked and pressed her lips together, earning a dark look from Matt. She snorted softly and crossed her arms over her chest. "With stolen money?" Matt snorted, smirking as he shrugged. "Well... fuck.. what else am I going to do with but spend it?" he said then gave a soft snort as he stood. "Don't get all preachy and shit, Marilee. It's not like I can get a real job or anything.. or even a real place to live. Can't even have a license, for fucks sake." Marilee raised an eyebrow. "Why ever not?" she asked incredulously. "You died, yes.. but you came back in a hospital, surrounded by doctors who verified that you were alive. If they even filed your death certificate.. which I doubt, they would've retracted it." Matt looked at her then shook his head softly. "Marilee... think about it for a minute. Think about some of the shit you know about me." he said softly as he went to lean against the wall next to her. "I was shuffled from psych ward to foster home to foster home for a year or so then I ran off. Pretty damn sure my own family tried to fucking kill me. I have no type of identification except a fake drivers license I bought on the fucking street. So just how am I suppose to get the paperwork I need for all that?" Marilee looked at him confused for a moment then snorted softly and shook her head. "Do you mean that's why you live in this shit hole and steal things for a living?" she asked softly then smiled almost saldy. "Matthew.. you fool. You should've just told me. Go get your things... time to move." Matt raised an eyebrow at her. "First off... my name's not Matthew. Secondly... huh? I'm not moving any where.. and what would you have done even if I HAD told you?" Marilee glared at him, her hands going to her hips. "I told you to go get your things, now get your cute little ass in gear and go get them. Do you need to settle anything with the landlord? Landlord.. is that what you call the person who runs one of these places? Doesn't seem right..." she said, her voice going soft as she thought about that. When she realized Matt still hadn't moved she reached out and smacked him in the arm. "I said move your ass!" Matt looked at her for a moment then snorted and turned, heading inside. "Whatever, fine.. I'll get my shit.. crazy old bat.." he muttered then gave a yipe as something hit him, leaving a stinging welt over his arm. He looked down at the angry red welt and turned to find Marilee glowering at him from the door way, one long string of beads hanging from her hand. "I heard that, you ungrateful pain in the ass. I'm trying to help you and you're being a shit about it. You'd better damn well appologize later. But right now, just get your stuff together." she said and turned to slip back outside. Matt stared after her, his hand rubbing his arm where her necklace had whipped him. He snorted softly as he finally turned and finished the climb to the small dingy room he called home and quickly gathered his belongings. It didn't take long since he didn't have much, and what he did have fit inside his beat up old back pack with only his jacket and the movie poster from his wall left to carry. He carefully removed the bits of tape as he rolled the poster, watching the overdone graveyard scene with it's lumbering zombies reaching for him vanish inside the roll. Slipping an elastic band over it to hold it in place, he did a quick check under the bed for anything that might have fallen, then grabbed his coat and left. The whole thing had taken less than ten minutes and most of that was spent rolling the poster so it wouldn't be damaged any more than it already was. He found Marilee leaning against the wall picking at a fingernail. He knew that despite how calm she looked, she was pissed off... pissed off and hurt. She looked up at him as he came to a stop and let her gaze take in the back pack. "That everything?" "Yeah. And no.. I'm paid up. And I banged on his door as I passed by and told him the room was free. " he said softly, shifting his bag a bit on his shoulder. "So... care to tell me where it is I'm suppose to live now?" She eyed him for a minute then held out her hand. "Give me that stuff. You can't handle it on that death machine you call a bike. I'll take it in the car with me. We can hire a trailer or something to haul that thing too..." Matt snorted softly and handed her the poster but held on to the coat and bag. "I'll carry it to the car then." he said simply. "And no.. don't need a trailer, I'll ride the bike. Just tell me where we're going." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you see my car here anywhere? No... And I don't think you'll want to leave your bike unattended while you walk me to the car. Give me the bag." Matt smirked softly. "The bike is fine. People know it's mine and they know better than to fuck with my shit. Where's the car?" Marilee huffed in frustration and reached out to snatch the bag from his hand, only to have him lift it away, one eyebrow raised. "Stop being a bitch. It's my bag, I have it. I'm not going to let you carry the fucking thing when I can. Now where's the fucking car?" Marilee scowled at him and turned on her heel. "Being a bitch, am I? Fine. Forget it. Take care of your own damned bag. If you can keep up on the damned bike, you can follow me. If you can't, you can find some place else to live." she snapped as she strode quickly away, leaving Matt standing there. He snorted softly and dropped the bag at his feet so he could pull on his coat, then shrugged into the back pack. The straps had been loosened as far as they could be, but it fit. Barely. Stradling his bike, he looked back down the street where she'd vanished and slipped a pair of sunglasses on before starting the bike. He listened to the rumble for a minute, glancing back at the empty street a couple times before he shook his head. "Fuck." he muttered softly and turned the bike around , heading off in search of her. ** After about three hours of tailing the black and silver Bug with the little skeleton-costumed, Garfield the cat suction-cupped to the back window, they finally left the main highways and turned onto the smaller roads. Another half hour and they turned onto a two lane dirt road lined heavily with trees. A short time later he noticed a stone wall running just inside the treeline on his right, than just as the trees started to thin out, the stone gave way at regular intervals to black iron fencing, through which he could see a cemetary. No sooner did he start to notice, than the Bug turned into a lane on the right, and he followed along behind. "Shit." he said softly as he shut the bike off, looking up at the small stone church with its stained glass windows sitting in the middle of a fairly well kept lawn. On either side and form the look of it, along the back of the yard as well, lay the cemetary, seperated from the lawn by the stone wall with its black iron bars. The gravel drive spilt and fromed a circle around a small stone encircled flower bed where a fountain bubbled away, the water flowing over rocks from a broken 'egyptian' jug, before collecting in matching 'broken' basin. "Shit." he repeated softly and watched as Marilee climbed from her car, idly flipping through a small stack of mail she'd retrieved from the mail box at the end of the drive. She climbed the stone steps to the small landing, eyes still on her mail as she fit a key to the door and went inside. "She lives in a fucking church." he muttered softly, and with a sigh got off the bike. "Fucking perfect." he said as he slowly followed her, shrugging out of his pack as he did. He set the bag on the floor just inside the door and leaned against the door frame, looking around. A wide open space greeted him, the dais where the alter once sat still in place, oddly enough to his left rather than in front of where he stood. He hadn't been in many churches, but he was fairly sure the dais was usually straight inside, the aisle from the door leading straight to it... he snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, deciding it didn't matter. Maybe it had been moved, maybe not all churches were laid out the same... this was obvioulsy not a church anymore anyhow.The dais held a small black piano. A dark wood entertainment center stood along one wall, holding a Tv, dvd player and stereo, the closed doors supposedly hiding the dvds or any other equipment. Matt let his gaze wander around the room, taking in the stairs that led up to a balcony that over looked the room, a large ceiling fan spun slowly above the center of the room. At some point a fireplace had been built in and the mantle above it held a small collection of figurines and framed photos. The furniture all looked in good shape but none of it matched, he noticed. The sofa was a dark brown with a darker floral pattern on it. A black throw hung over the back of it, brightly colored patterns worked into the weaving. A blue and grey love seat draped in a another blanket, this one done in rusty reds and chocolate browns sat cornered to the sofa and both peices of furnbiture bore a large selection of throw pillows of various styles and sizes and colors. The only pillow free seating in the room was a comfortable looking burnt orange rocking recliner with what looked like a heavy, black knit shawl hung over the back of it. "Going to stand there all day? Close the door before you let too many flies in." Matt looked up to see Marilee watching him from across the room. "Hungry?" she asked simply, nodding behind her as she saw him shut the door. "Kitchens through here. Don't track mud every where or you'll be cleaning it up." she said as she vanished and Matt snorted and kicked off his boots, leaving them beside the door. He stepped into the kitchen and looked around, not moving further into the room than the door way. "I'm not moving in with you, Marilee. I don't do the whole roommate thing... forget it." he said softly. The entire drive he'd been thinking about things. He knew he'd hurt her.. was still hurting her with his big mouth that just wouldn't stop.... but he didn't know what to do to make things right. Marilee snorted as she bustled around the counter making sandwiches, the smell of coffee filling the room as the dark liquid slowly filled the pot. "Shut up. I only have the one bedroom... you'll have to make due with the couch for now. I suppose I can move my office stuff either upstairs or into the living room and you can have that room..." she said taking a plate down form a cupboard. "No." Matt said simply and she turned to face him. "Look. I've spent the last four and a half years keeping my distance and letting you have your space, not wanting to crowd you. Watching you risk your life constantly with your thieving so you can live in that little shit hole of a room. And now I find out that you did it because you didn't know you didn't have to." she snorted and slammed the plate donw on the table and kicked a chair towards him. "Sit your ass down and eat. You're staying and that's final." Matt hadn't even finished opening his mouth to argue when she jabbed a finger at him and pointed to the chair. "Don't argue with me.. you're on thin ice already. Trust me, Matthew... you don't want to piss me off. If you don;t want to live under the same roof as me, fine. Since you were comfortable enough in that stupid little room, I'm sure something can be done. Hell, there's a caretakers shed on the property.. we can fix that up for you. Enough room for a bed and a few pieces of furniture... if I'm not mistaken I believe it once served as living quarters for the caretaker... so who knows.. you might even have a bathroom in there. I don;t know... never been in it. I have a little shed at the back door for my gardening." she said, talking as she went back to making a second sandwich. Matt sighed as he realized she wasn't going to take no for an answer and he didn't want to fight with her. He sat down at the table and lifted the top slice of bread on his sandwich. He eyed the slice of red onion that lay ontop and picked it off, dropping it on the plate before poking through the rest of the sandwich, looking for any others. A slice of tomato joined the onion and he took a bite of his sandwich, looking up to see Marilee eyeing him and the discarded toppings. He swallowed and smirked softly. Before taking another bite he nodded slightly towards her. "And I told you .. my names not Matthew." She snorted and sat down with her own sandwich. "Well it certainly isn't just 'Matt'." she said and reached across the table to snatch the onion and tomato from his plate and add them onto her sandwich. He swallowed his second bite and then sighed softly. "It's Mattias. Not MattAis.. like everyone wants to say it... MattIas. " he said then took another bite and shrugged. " It was... now it's just Matt." he said around a mouthful of sandwich. Marilee pointed a finger at him. "Don't talk with your mouth full." she said. "And it still is your name. And it's a nice name... suits you. A touch exotic, different... Mattias... may I ask 'Mattias what'?" Matt snorted, then coughed as the move threatened to choke him on a piece of bread. When he'd finished coughing he gave her a weak smirk. "Hogan." One daintily shaped eyebrow shit up. "Mattias Hogan? Lord and Lady.. thats horrible." she said, shaking her head softly. "A beautiful, eloquent almost musical name like Mattias... followed by .. Hogan." Matt snorted again, not bothering to answer her with more than a rueful shake of his head and he ate. "Anyways... you leave the paperwork to me since you obviously have no clue about any of it. If you behave, I MAY see my way to explaining it one day. MAY." she said, primly, a slight sparkle in her eye as she ate. "After you're done, you can grab a shower and get cleaned up. There's a fair on in town and we're going." Matt smirked, shaking his head as he shoved the last of the sandwich into his mouth and nodded towards the coffee pot. "May I?" he asked around the mouthful of food. Marilee pointed a finger at him with a look and he swallowed. "Sorry." he said sheepishly. She snorted and nodded. "Help yourself. Cups are right above, sugars in the middle canister and milk and creamer are both in the fridge." she said simply. "You can get me one while you're up though... three sugar and the french vanilla, please." Matt made a face as he poured the coffee. "Gross." he muttered softly and received a whack on the back of his leg. "Would you like some coffee with your crap?" he asked a bit louder, dodging another blow with a smirk and grabbed the requested creamer from the fridge. When he returned the bottle to the fridge, a rolled up newpaper whacked him across the rear end. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "See...You really ARE a pain in the ass, Marilee." he said simply as he set her cup down in front of her. She smirked as she set the paper down and wrapped both hands around her cup, raising it to her lips. She kicked at his leg playfully. "Yes.. but you love me anyhow." she said in a prim voice and drank her coffee. "Now hurry up and drink your coffee. I want to get there before it gets too late and I'm not going with you all covered in road dirt looking like a bum." Matt raised his cup in a mocking salute. "Yes ma'am." he said, pushing his chair in with one hand. He drank his coffee as he headed for the door and his bag. ** The fair turned out to be a fair sized event that included everything from the usual games and rides, to side walk sales, craft sales and shows, art exhibits from the local schools, as well as livestock, pet and fashion shows. Vendors were every where hocking everything from hotdogs and sodas, to jewelry, to t-shirts. He'd wound up buying a couple of the tshirts.. as well as the hotdogs and the sodas... and had spent too much money on the games. He'd even managed to win a few taudry stuffed animals that he gave to Marilee, who in turn gave them away to various children they came across. Marilee had informed him that there was a dance that night as well and she was going. Since they'd come in her car and she had the keys, he was obviously stuck going as well.. although she told him he was welcome to find his own way home. He'd noticed all afternoon how the people they met were split in their reactions to Marilee. Some were pleasant enough, even friendly.. but others were cold, not returning her nods or greetings. She waved it off, explaining that the more religious of the towns people didn't like her living in the old church or taking care of the old cemetary. Even though she owned the land the cemetary lay on, the cemetary was open to the public during the day and the gates closed only at night. As was the case with most cemetaries. She'd smirked at him, her eyes sparkling as she added that they'd probably be even more against her when the word spread that he was living there as well. As they slowly made their way back along the mid way, something caught his eye and he wandered over to investigate. One of the guys was replenishing his 'prize' stock, adding to the stuffed toys sitting on the shelf at the back of the booth and hanging off the awning. A rust colored teddy bear dressed in a skeleton costume, a small plastic mask hanging around his neck and a trick or treat bag hangin from one paw sat on the shelf near the corner. He didn't remember seeing it there earlier. He remembered that silly Garfield in a similar costume in the back window of Marilee's car and grinned, looking to see where she was. Spotting her almost excatly where he'd left her, she'd been cornered by a couple ladies, no doubt asking about him. Matt dug into his pocket and pulled out a bill and handed it over in exchange for three plastic rings he was expected to toss. He took a breath, eyeing the forest of pegs and the one with the number that matched the bear, and wondered whether he'd spend more trying to win the damned thing or just buying it off the guy. Fifteen minutes and twenty three bucks later, he found Marilee a mere three feet from where he'd left her, the ladies quickly excusing themselves as they saw him approaching. Before Marilee could say anythng, he thrust the bear at her. "Here. Don't give this one away, alright? I worked hard to get this guy for you... I'm sorry about earlier.. being an ass and all. I'm sorry I said the stuff I did... I didn't mean it. You've been great to me and.. well.. you're... you're my best friend, Marilee. I'm sorry." he said softly, blushing slightly. Marilee smiled softly as he took the bear and looked it over, the smile growning as her eyes began to sparkle. "I love him.. he's adorable. Thank you." she said , hugging the bear with one arm as she slipped the other one through his arm and leaned into his side. "And thank you... for letting me be your friend. And for being mine. And your forgiven." she added. "Come on... let's get to the beer gardens before all the good stuff is gone and we're stuck drinking crap. Plus I want a decent table... away from the speakers and amplifiers, close to the dancer floor but not too close to the bands... I like my ear drums intact, thank you very much." Matt snorted softly as they walked. "I can't believe I'm going to a fucking 'hoedown'. You do know I hate that shit kicker music, right? They start line dancing I may have to puke.... they play that achy breaky song.. I may have to kill someone..." Marilee laughed softly. "As for the line dancing.. you'd better grab a bucket then because that's assurred... as for the song.. I was actually thinking of requesting it. Now that I know you love it so much ..." Matt snorted and shot her a look. "Fuck... sick twisted bitch..." he said and she grinned as she punched his arm hard enough to make him wince. "Yes.. but you love me anyhow." Matt rubbed him arm, a smirk fighting with the grimace. "Yeah... but I love ya anyhow... silly me." He gave a shout and dodged aside as she aimed another punch at his arm, laughing. "Hey! Be nice or I'll start calling you 'mom'." Marilee glared at him, her eyes sparkling. "You wouldn't dare." she said. "Mattias.... don;t you dare.." she said as he opened his mouth as if to yell it. "Don;t make me hurt you, boy." she said and made as if to pull off one of her necklaces. Matt gave a laugh and took off, dodging his way through the crowd with Marilee laughingly chasing after him.      "Fuck... Mare I can't DO this !" Matt growled, shoving his chair back from the table and the books that sat there. A hand whacked him on the back of the head. "You Can and you WILL!" she snapped, giving him a shove back towards the table. "Really, Mattie... it's not THAT hard... every kid out there does this! And you've already learned most of it, you've just forgotten!" Matt shot her a glare as he sighed heavily. "Don't call me Mattie.." he grumbled as he turned his attention back to the books before him. Damn the woman and her inscrutible eye! She'd watched him a hell of a lot closer then he'd known and had quickly figured out that he couldn't read that well.. and now that she had him here, she was determined to remedy that.. along with math and every other damned subject out there! Marilee smirked softly as she turned back to the dishes. "Go on..." she urged, earning another heavy sigh. "Don't know where I was..." he grumbled irritably as he stared at the lines of print upon the page before him, his eyes fixed on the very word he'd stopped at. "Nice try.." she said with a smirk. "Unfortunatly for you, Mattie, you're not the first one I've taught... Mist tried tricking me into saying the words for her too.." she said, her voice going soft for a moment in memory as she spoke of her daughter. "Why don;t you ever talk about her?" he asked softly, seizing upon the chance to postpone the word-torture. "What happened to her?" Marilee was quiet for a while, her attention seemingly focused on a particularly stubborn pot. "It... I just don't, Matt. It's hard for me." she finally said softly. "She commited suicide when she was fourteen... I'd been a necro for three years... I..." her voice broke and she leaned on the counter for a moment as she struggled to regain her composure. "You tried to bring her back...." he said simply, then after a moment of hesitation, stood and went to pull her into his arms. "fuck Mare... I've done that... I know.." he said simply. Marilee tensed at first then suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shoulder, still fighting the tears. She just stood there, letting him hold her for a while, no doubt drawing comfort from having him understand... at least to a point. Finally she pulled back and gave him a light smack across the chest. "Get back to work.. you were on page twenty nine... you stopped at... Oh.. just start at the fourth... "she said, turning back to the sink. Matt snorted softly, but went back to his seat and picked up the book of poems. "As in... uffish.. thought he stood, the Jab ber wock... with eyes of flame.. " he read, speaking the harder words slowly, blushing as he did so. "Came whif.... whif..." he scowled at the word. "Whiffling through the...." He slammed the book back down on the table and cast a glare in at Marilee's back. "Fuck Mare! Who the fuck talks like this?!" "Read the damned poem, Mattie." Matt sighed heavily but picked the book back up, slouching in his chair as he did so with a grumbled. "Don't call me Mattie..." ~~ Matt woke earlier than normal and lay there for a moment in his bed, looking up at the ceiling of his little 'apartment'. The caretakers shed had proved easily made into a one room apartment, with it's own small bathroom, although if he wanted to cook anything more then would fit into his little microwave or keep anything that wouldn't fit into his equally tiny fridge, he'd have to head up to the main house. At the moment, he wanted a nice hot shower.... which also required him to make the trek through the cemetary to the house. Matt groaned at the thought of the walk through the cold and hoped the weather man had been wrong about the chance of snow. The low temperatures were bad enough and his little heater was barely enough to warm the the place as it was. Marilee was trying to get someone out to install a better one for him, but had been having trouble finding someone brave enough to work in a cemetary. Dragging his ass out of bed, he quickly pulled on the clothes that lay scattered on his floor, jammed his feet into his boots , yanked on his coat and grabbed the napsack he'd loaded a set of clean clothes and toilettries into the night before. Drawing a deep breath, he opened the door and stumbled out blinking at the sudden brightness... and cursed loudly as a drift of snow fell off the lintel above the door, landing on his bare neck. He was still cursing, although much quieter, as he slipped into the back door and shook himself free of any lingering snow. The kitchen was eerily quiet and he noticed the coffee wasn't even turned on. He snorted in surprise that he was actually up before Marilee. Removing coat and boots, he started the coffee , then his eyes fell on the envelope on the table baring his name. He looked at it curiously for a moment then opened it and laughed outloud. "Fucking college courses?! Mare!!" he said then snorted, pausing as he was about to toss it back on the table. Instead he flipped through the pamphlet, noting the choices of night classes or even online study. He turned to the back to read through some of the courses offered, then snorted again. He smirked softy as he set the papers back on the table and headed for the shower. Six months of playing teacher and she was already signing him up for college courses... Online might not be so bad... no driving through winter roads, no sitting in class... might be alright... With a final chuckle and shake of his head he flicked the bathroom light on and tossed his bag on the counter. "Me.. a fucking student... Damned woman.." he muttered, his eyes sparkling. ~ ~   Matt pushed himself away from the desk with a yawn and stretched, eyeing the computer screen warily. "How's it going?" Marilee asked from the doorway, coffee cup in hand.   He snorted softly. "Not bad.. think I got it down now. Care to check my work, ma'am?" he asked teasingly and she shot him a look, but still came around the desk to eye the work on the screen.   She flipped through thevarious pages and files then gave a satisfied snort. "Yes, I believe you have it, Matt. Good.. now you can handle the taxes from now on... I  hate doing them." she said primly, her eyes sparkling as she headed back for the door. "Congrates, Mattie...maybe I'll  make you my accountant..."   Matt snorted. "Only if you fucking pay me... and don;t call me Mattie." he added in a soft grumble as the door closed on her soft laughter. Alone again and the paper work done, he closed down the work that was open and quickly found the file he'd been working on. Keeping an ear out for her possible return,  he logged into his email and got back to work, smirking softly, as he read the first question.   "Dear  Graves; I just wanted to know how O'Bannon expects us to beleive in his fast-moving and talking zombies? I mean... they could actually carry on conversations, explaining why they needed brains ! And call for more people to come so they could kill them?! And the whole body parts moving on their own makes no sense! How is a severed hand suposed to be able to eat brains?!! And how are they supposed to kil them?!" signed, Confused Zombie Fan.   "Dear Confused .. the answer to your question is simple... You are an idiot. If you can't enjoy these movies for the cheesy corn that they are, don't even watch them. Stick with the classic zombie movies that follow the tried and true rules of zombiedom and leave the tongue in cheek  to those of us with enough working brain cells to enjoy them. " he typed,  snorting ruefully, saving both question and anser to his file, then moving on to the next one. Who knew that a big mouth, sacarstic attitude and love of movies could pay off in actually having people ask for him to insult them and have it posted where the world can read it...   "Dear Graves; I was wondering if Chuckie falls under the category of 'undead'? I mean, he's not a vampire or zombie, but he IS undead, isn't he? signed, Just Wondering in Washington.   Matt sighed and shook his head. "Fuck... " he muttered with a soft chuckle and started typing out his answer.   "Dear Wondering.... what part of 'possessed doll' don't you get? It's not that hard a friggin concept....              “Mattie!” Matt groaned as the soft whispered voice interrupted his dream. He pulled his pillow over his head, determined to ignore her. “Mattie!” the whisper came again, this time with a sense of something more.. urgency? Or perhaps more panic…? Matt groaned, ”Don’t fucking call me Mattie…” then growled softly as his blankets suddenly began slipping donw off of him. “Fuck off Marilee… that blanket goes any further and you’ll be sorry…” The blanket vanished off him in a sudden yank and he flipped over, prepared to whack her with his pillow… only to look around the empty room in confusion. He hadn’t heard the door open, and since he’d never gotten around to oiling the bottom hinge, he would definitely have heard it. “Mattie!” Matt jerked around as the whispered voice sounded right in his ear. He snapped the small lamp beside the bed on and looked around again, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He leaned down to retrieve his jeans off the floor and pull them on before making a circuit of the small remodeled shed that was home, even though he knew he’d find nothing. The whispering was almost constant now, but mostly a garbled rush of words and emotions that he couldn’t make out… He sighed as he sank back onto the bed and held his head in his hands for a moment, before going through the mental checks to lower his psychic shields enough. “Marilee?” he asked softly, afraid of the answer. The sense of panic eased immediately and he felt a warmth surrounding him. “Mattie… I’m scared.. I’m sorry…” Matt felt his eyes water as his worst fears were confirmed. Marilee; the woman who had saved him from the streets and taught him how to live among the living again; the woman he’d come to love like a sister.. was dead. “Mare? What happened?” There was another rush of emotions and blurred words and images before she seemed to get control again. “they got me… they found me…” came the whisper again. “Vampires…” Matt groaned and griped his head as he was suddenly assaulted by scrambled images and emotions. “fuck.. Mare.. stop…” he muttered, wincing. The onslaught suddenly eased. “Sorry.. so hard…” she said, the voice growing softer for a moment. “come get me, Matt.. please…. Don’t let them keep me… don’t let them use me..” Matt drew a deep breath and nodded as he grabbed the rest of his clothes and finished getting dressed, shoving his grief aside for the moment so he could do what needed to be done. He followed the whispered urgings of Marilee’s ghost and was quickly on the road. His machete was slung across his back out of sight, and a smaller blade was tucked in each boot. He took nothing with him except for a flask of holy water tucked inside his jacket, and an empty duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and by the time the soft whispers lead him off the main roads, the sky was already light even though the sun had only just crested the horizon. The farm house was set back off the road, and despite fresh tracks in the lane way, showed no signs of life. Matt pulled the kerchief form his pocket and tied it over his mouth and nose as the smell hit him, then pulled on the heavy leather gloves. He climbed off the bike and followed a heavily trodden path through the grass around to the barn. The smell doubled as he shoved the door open and walked inside, the air a smoky haze that made him cough despite the cloth. His eyes stung with more than just the smoke as he went to the source of both smoke and smell. The remains of a large fire still smoked fitfully in the center of the cement floor, two smaller ones to either side. He knelt beside the largest first and removed the bag from his back, laying it open on the floor before he carefully began to gather the blackened bones and set them inside. He had to stop several times to catch his breath form coughing fits, and to blink his eyes free of tears. He pushed through the ashes, making sure he had all the bones, then moved to the remains of the two smaller fires; one held nothing but ash, but the other held the blackened skull. They’d killed her like they would a master vamp; they’d beheaded her, removed her heart and burnt all three parts separately; no doubt they’d staked the heart as well… Matt forced the thoughts aside as he carefully set the skull inside the bag and closed it, then went to find a bucket and broom. As he carefully filled the bucket with the ashes from all three fires, he tried not to notice how faint Marilee’s whispering voice had become since she’d first woken him. A new spirit shouldn’t have the strength to do what she’d done, let alone the will… most were in a state of shock over dying for quite a while. Then again, Marilee wasn’t just another ghost… The sun was fully over the horizon when Matt carried the bucket of ashes outside and began flinging handfuls into the wind. His face was a mess of tears streaks through ash, but he’d long since stopped caring. When he’d flung the last of it away, he stood for a moment and looked out over the field as the wind carried the lightest bits away, then sighed heavily, turning back into the barn. He filled the bucket with water from the trough, then retrieved the bag of bones. After he had it slung over his back and settled against him, he took the bucket and threw the water across the floor, rinsing any remaining ashes away. Confident that he’d made sure nothing of her remains could be retrieved or used by anyone, Matt headed back to the trough, removing his gloves for a moment, then the kerchief and dipping it in the water to wash his face. He straightened up as he pulled the gloves back on, the wet kerchief stuck in a pocket, and headed back towards the farm house. He could feel the vampires inside. They were in the basement, barricaded in for the day, sleeping. The residents of the house were all dead, killed in their beds, no doubt before they’d killed Marilee.. or at least before they’d destroyed her body; their unsettled spirits still lingered near their bodies. Matt knew that Marilee would take the time to ease them on their way… but he had other things to do. He found the gas cans in the garage where he’d figured they’d be and splashed the contents around the base of the house, not bothering to enter the house itself, since he knew they’d have a human servant or two in there with them. Instead he found what he needed in the garage and worked quietly and quickly; the whispering voice of Marilee silent now. The flames raced to surround the house and Matt walked back to his bike to watch for a moment. He figured the human servants would probably escape… he doubted they’d be able to rescue their masters though and that’s all that mattered. Maybe the fire department would be notified and get here in time to save the house… if that happened, they might survive. The best way to make sure they didn’t, would’ve been to stake them or start the fire in the basement, but Matt hadn’t wanted to deal with the servants right then. He’d promised Marilee he wouldn’t go in, and he hadn’t… although the chance that the monsters who’d killed her might survive didn’t set well with him. By the time Matt hit the highway, the farm house was fully engulfed in flames, a column of thick black smoke drifting sideways in the wind, clearly visible to any who looked. He never did hear any sirens or see any trucks rushing by. ~ ~ Matt carefully removed the heavy wrapped bundles from the back of the hearse and set it in the wheel barrow, ignoring the ringing of his cell phone. He wheeled his burden through the gates into the cemetery, heading for the newest plot. The earth was still mounded slightly, and there were a few sprouts of fresh green poking through already. Matt removed the largest of the bundles and set it donw, cutting the cord that held the burlap in place, then carefully unwound it. The two foot tall statue settled easily onto the platform he’d already poured, the white stone seeming to almost glow in the soft afternoon sun light. He’d had it specially made to match the one on the grave beside it; the one she’d had specially made for her daughter… The three doves in flight that formed the statue had been done form a drawing Misty had done shortly before she’d committed suicide. Matt had had the sketch mirrored so the two statues formed a pair, the birds looking at each other. The cell phone rang again, and again he ignored it, moving to get the second bundle from the wheel barrow and unwrap the simple stone plaque. He laid it at the foot of the statue, pressing on it until it sunk into the soft earth about half way. “Mariposa Lee Jenkens” he read softly and heard the soft whispered sigh beside him. The feel of her was strong enough that he could picture her perfectly, then wondered why she never showed herself visibly to him. She was certainly strong enough… “It’s beautiful… thank you, Mattie…” she said. His phone began to ring again and she laughed softly. “answer your phone…that is the most irritating ring tone…” she said, and the bushes around him gave a soft rustling as he felt her leave. Matt snorted softly, but did as he was told. “Yeah.” “Finally. Did you actually leave your phone somewhere or were you ignoring it on purpose?” “Hey, Lady Kay… I was ignoring it of course. What’s up?” he asked as he gathered the wrappings and cords, stuffing them in the wheel barrow. “Just wanted to let you know that everything’s finished. The death certificate, burial records… all of it. It would’ve been better if you’d called me first rather then collect the remains yourself. We could have had it taken care of legally, rather than having to do all this on the sly.” Matt snorted softly. “No. There would’ve been tests and shit done and who knows what would’ve happened to her before they’d buried her? Plenty of creeps out there steal bits and pieces form morgues for use in spells and shit like that. You have any idea what a piece of Necromancer can do in the right hands, Kay? Better this way. No fucking way in hell was I letting anything more happen to her.” He added softly. There was a soft sigh on the other end. “Yeah… I know. But we could’ve tried to prevent all that, Graves. Anyhow.. I just wanted to let you know that it’s done. Sylvie sent the pertinent info onto Marilee’s attorney and sent the obituary in to your local paper for you as well. You sure you don’t want to move to Boston? We can squeeze you in here…” Matt snorted again. “No fucking way. I’d rather live in my car.” He said with a soft smirk. “No offense.” He added and received a soft snort in return. “Check your messages and shit more often… you want to work like this, fine, but we DO need to be able to reach you with your assignments. You haven’t worked for me very long, Matt, but you need to learn quickly that you come to me if you need something. I can usually manage to pull strings you never knew existed. Marilee warned me that trust was an issue with you, but that’s nothing new… Trust should be an issue with everyone. Just remember.. she trusted me.” There was the sound of someone yelling something in the back ground then she sighed heavily. “I gotta go… I’ve got a fist fight in my lobby and Sylvie is demanding I deal with it. Check in more often. “ Mat snorted and looked at the phone at the sound of the dial tone, then shoved it back in his pocket. He cast a last glance at the grave then took the wheel barrow back to the shed, trying to decide what to do with the rest of the day. He’d have to drive out to the small town near the farm where they’d killed her … her car had been towed to the impound lot and he’d need to claim it. Not sure how he was going to get it home again though. Maybe he could rent a trailer for his bike… or maybe he could ask Lady Chaos… Nah.. he’d rent a trailer or hire someone to drive it here…

 

Copyright © 2006-2009
The Gurgi Clan & Chaos Inc.
  Skye, Ruex, Sage, Washu & Miss Frost .
 All Rights Reserved.