Edge closed the curtain and glanced at his brother. "What are they doing here?" Christian just shrugged as Edge opened the front door. "What?"

Kael smiled, pushing his way inside past Edge. "Just popped by to say hello, exchange pleasantries and all that."

Edge and Christian followed them into the living room, watching them get comfortable on the couch. Edge rubbed at his sleepy eyes, hoping this was all just a dream.

Kael kicked up his feet on the coffee table. "Aren’t you going to offer us anything to drink?"

"Sorry fresh out of blood" Edge replied sarcastically. "But I hear there’s some juicy road kill down the road."

Kael shot Christian a heated glance and turned back to Edge. "That’s all right. I was in the mood for a brandy anyhow."

Edge angrily stormed into the kitchen. The faster he would get their drink, the faster they’d be out of there.

Christian made sure Edge was out of view then edged his way closer to Kael and Spider. "What the hell are you going here?" he hissed softly.

"Just came to continue our talk from last night."

"What about it?" Christian asked angrily.

Kael scoffed. "Brave man trying to save face with big brother in the next room."

Christian peered towards the kitchen again. He knew there was no way of getting out of it and would just have to go along with whatever Kael want. Even if he didn’t like it. "So what is it? What do you guys want?"

Spider smiled, gazing over at Kael. "Oh I so would like a new gold spider broach, and maybe a new sports car, not a convertible though cause then we couldn’t drive it out in the day…"

"We can discuss this later," Kael told him, cutting her off in mid sentence. Be at the Blackout tonight, 9pm." He grabbed Spiders hand, helping her up off the couch. He turned back to face Christian on the way out, his face calm but full of kept in rage. "Don’t be late junior, or we’ll have to come out looking for ya."

Edge came out of the kitchen with a glass of brandy in each hand. He looked around when he saw that the living room was empty. "Where are they?"

Christian shrugged. "I dunno,…" he stammered. "They just left."

Edge shook his head, slamming the glasses on the coffee table before heading upstairs. "I’m going back to bed. If they come back… don’t wake me."

**

Gabrielle woke up, feeling the emptiness in the bed around her. She darted up, tossing the covers off of her, stopping when she saw Raven across the room pulling on a t-shirt.

"You’re going out again tonight?" Gabrielle hesitated for a moment, already knowing the answer.

"Yea I am…"

"Where?" she questioned, almost afraid to.

"The Blackout." He tucked his t-shirt into his jeans and fastened them swiftly. "I have to go meet someone."

"Can I come with you this time?" she asked softly. "It’s been a while since we’ve gone out."

Raven turned to face her, her dark brown eyes watching his. He scratched at his dark stubbly beard and smiled. He knew that Christian and Edge would be there. Maybe it was time to liven things up… Just a little.

He walked over to her and grabbed a fistful of her hair in his hands. Gabrielle smiled as Raven traced one finger down her neck, and let go almost as fast as he’d grabbed her. "Get dressed," he ordered. "And make sure to wear something sexy."

**

Kael and Spider eased into their table and took a quick look around the Blackout. No sign of anyone they knew. They were a bit early after all. No one really started arriving at the Blackout till about 10p.m, but they didn’t want to miss a thing. Kael motioned to the bartender, and he obediently brought over a couple of beers.

"So do you think he’ll actually show?"

Kael glared down at his girlfriend, his muscles tensing up. "Oh he’ll show all right. He bloody well better. Unless he wants his affairs sullied around town." He took a quick slug of his beer. "Oh he’ll show up all right…"

"Well what about Raven?"

Kael scoffed. "What about him? The wankers in it for the money, same as you and I. He can’t hold that against us. And even if he does, what’s he going to do? Chase us down and kill us? We’re already dead love…" Kael stopped to laugh. "And we’ll be gone before the sod finds out."

**

It was about 9:35p.m when Raven had arrived. Kael perked up happily in his chair when he saw that Gabrielle was with him. "Well now…" he cooed. "Look what the cat dragged in. Seems to me that the nights turned out for the best. Now all we need are the two power poof twins and we’re set for a party."

They watched as Raven brought her to a table out in the corner and flagged over the bartender’s attention. After a few moments at their table, Gabrielle excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Spider grinned as she also excused herself, following Gabrielle towards the ladies room. When she opened the door, she saw Gabrielle by the mirror touching up her make-up. She didn’t know why Gabrielle was there; after all, she had no reflection.

Spider leaned on the sink counter beside Gabrielle, watching her. Why all this for her? Why for Gabrielle? What was it about her that would make one brother turn against the next? And make former enemies work together?

Gabrielle could feel Spiders eyes burning into her, watching her every movement, and she didn’t know why. She turned to face her hoping Spider would back away, but she didn’t. "What?"

Spider laughed at Gabrielle’s stupidity. It really was something to marvel. How could someone not be aware of things going on around them? Spider rinsed her hands, glaring Gabrielle’s way as she ripped a paper towel from the dispenser. "You don’t have a clue do you?"

Gabrielle watched her as she dropped the wet paper towel on the counter, turning to face her again. "About what?"

"Everything," Spider told her, this time a bit louder. "You really are that stupid."

Gabrielle felt her body tense up, just like the night before, in the alley. Who was this girl and why did she think she knew anything about Gabrielle? She stepped up to Spider wondering what was going on in her head and what she thought she knew that Gabrielle didn’t.

"Don’t try it unless you know you can beat me," Spider warned, her glare becoming more malicious. "Remember I knew you before you went to Raven, and now I know you better than you even know yourself. You better watch yourself," she advised. "Things are going to get hairy."

Gabrielle knew that she wasn’t playing. Knew that something was going on, but it was something that wouldn’t be told in a woman’s restroom. With all the secrets being kept from her and the constant sheltering, she knew it wasn’t a joke. She left the restroom quickly. She didn’t want to know any more, not now anyway. Whatever it was, whatever her life use to be, she couldn’t have been happier than she is now could she?

Spider heard the door open behind her and smiled to herself. She knew Gabrielle couldn’t leave without knowing everything about her life, she was too predictable. Spider turned to face her when she was grabbed by her neck and forcefully thrown against the bathroom door. She clenched her eyes closed for a brief second trying to take in all the pain. She heard soft groaning coming from all around her and opened her eyes slowly. Raven stood before her, looking her up and down, licking at his lips.

This was the closest she’d ever physically been to Raven, and she knew now why Gabrielle stayed with him. His intense sexual energy surrounded him and made him more desirable than anyone she’d ever met. She laughed softly. "Are you getting a good enough visual, or would you like me to strip down?"

Ravens eyes fixed on hers as he tightened his grip. "If you know what’s good for you, you and your boyfriend will stay away."

Her smile faded but only slightly. "We never were ones to follow the rules very well…"

Raven cut her off in mid sentence, shoving her harder against the door. "Don’t come near Gabrielle, or I’ll have to make this personal."

Spider ran one hand down his thick chest. She felt his hard body beneath hers as she reached his belt, pulling him closer to her. She raised one eyebrow playfully. "Business before pleasure?"

Raven let out a soft groan but tried to keep his composure. "I will hurt you if you go near her."

Spider bit on her bottom lip, pressing her body harder into his. "Do you promise?"

Outside, Kael was going frantic wanting to know what Spider was saying, or doing for that matter, to Gabrielle. He was on pins and needles, gazing intensely at the ladies bathroom door. He hadn’t heard any shrieks, that was a good sign… for now.

He smiled, peering around the open dance floor, watching the townies drink themselves into stoopers. These were the days he learned to love. Days that didn’t take much more than a flick of the wrist to have a good clean white-collar meal. He laughed, shaking his head to regain focus.

Kael turned his attention back to the door but the image of Gabrielle stopped him. She got up from her table, walking over to the bar. He examined the room thoroughly, but there was no sign of Spider. "Come on…" he muttered to himself. "Where are you?"

He watched Gabrielle, her eyes fixing on the bathroom door everyone once in a while. Kael got up, and in a matter of seconds found himself down the hall heading for the woman’s bathroom.

He jiggled the doorknob, pressing his ear faintly against the door. He knew she wasn’t dead, because if she were, he knew he would feel it.

He called out her name softly through the door, still gripping the knob in his hands.

She snickered, watching Ravens reaction. "You may want to hide in one of the stalls," she warned. "He may want to kill you when he bursts through the door."

His calls got louder, joined now by a pounding fist on the door.

Remember what I said," he growled, taking his hands off of her. "I don’t want to have to come remind you."

"Oh you mean the whole ‘don’t kill Gabrielle’ thing?" She asked teasingly. "Don’t worry. We wont have to." She pulled on her jacket, adjusting the sleeves while Raven took his place in one of the stalls. She followed him, pushing him inside. His eyes were fixed on hers as she grabbed the stall door to close it behind. She stopped for a moment, listening to Kaels fists pounding on the door. She smirked Ravens way, closing him in. "Just remember," she warned him. "Next time you want to throw me against the wall and torture me… buy me dinner first."

She couldn’t help but laugh when she heard Raven chuckling. Raven, the strong brooding fiend who was feared by many and loathed by the rest. The man who was now cowering in stall A in the woman’s restroom?

Spider pulled the latch open, and was thrown back when Kael bust in. "Geez Kael," she shouted. "What the hells wrong with you?"

Kael adjusted his shirt; it was obvious by her tone that there was nothing wrong and tried to stammer out an excuse as he looked around. "I though you were in trouble…"

She pushed past him out into the bar, knowing he’d follow. He joined her at their table, still trying to explain. "I saw Gabrielle out here and there was no sign of you, so when I went to the bathroom and you didn’t answer…"

Spider cut him off in mid sentence, taking a drink of his beer. "What? You thought she killed me or something?" She laughed. "Like that would ever happen. I just had to take care of some women stuff, that’s all." She turned her attention back to the dance area, examining the bar for Gabrielle. "Now where’s the little Miss goodie two-shoes?"

Kael nudged towards the back corner. "She’s been there since she came back. Haven’t seen Raven though, probably trying to get away from her. How he can handle that constant stammering of hers I’ll never know."

"And Edge and Christian? Where are they?"

"At the table by the back doors."

Spider beamed, looking past Kaels shoulder at Ravens image coming down the hall to go join Gabrielle. She was getting bored with just watching and waiting for an outcome. It wasn’t any fun. She wanted this whole thing to hurry. For Edge to see Gabrielle, for Christian to be out in the open, and for Gabrielle’s life to be turned upside down. Then in the end, she and Kael could watch as they all killed each other. She smiled to herself and her fantasies. He caught her reaction as he came out into the open floor, watching her. She looked cautiously at Kael and then over at Raven.

Kael swirled his straw in his whiskey glass, looking around the bar. She let out a soft breath. She wanted action; she needed action, any kind of action. She kept an eye on Kael as he lifted his glass to his mouth, and slapped it away roughly before he could drink, the glass shattering at their feet. "Bloody hell woman! You almost ripped out my sodding tooth!"

"I’m sorry Kael, she cooed. "Its just that I saw the waiter water down your whiskey and I know how much you hate the taste of it."

Kael stared around the dance floor angrily. "Where is he?" he shouted. "Where is that bleedin’ coward?! I’ll kill him!"

She shot Raven a troubled glance, and nodded in Kaels direction. Spider watched as Raven hurried to his table, grabbing Gabrielle and her things to go. She knew he wasn’t scared of Kael, far from it. But she knew that if Kael caused a scene then Edge and Christian would most likely see Gabrielle. That was one chance he was not willing to take, for him or his pocketbook.

Edge and Christian heard Keal yells and came out to the other end of the bar to see what was going on. Edge stopped abruptly as a couple hurriedly pushed past him, the male’s shoulder ramming into his chest. Edge spun from the momentum, grabbing his chest as he tried to regain focus. Edge watched the couple leaving, the woman trying to pull her arm free. For a brief second, as Raven opened the back door and the street lamps hit their face, he could see her. He could see Gabrielle.