Another Try At Peace and War

I was out of my mind with things to do. Should I stay at home, miss the conference Bee had called, or go to the conference, and pray I had enough time left to get everything out of the way? I\'d call in, I decided, and see how important it really was. If it was critical, then I\'d go; but if it was just some typical blue-collar ordering, then I\'d stay home and handle it.

Three rings, and Zell\'s voice came over the line.
\"Talk.\"
\"Zell, it\'s Gaffey.\" Always last names when you\'re calling on business. Though, I didn\'t really know Zell\'s first name, to begin with...
\"What do you want?\" How nice. But I shook it off- it WAS Zell, after all.
\"I might not be able to make it to conferencing today.\"
\"Fine.\"
\"Unless it\'s killer important, I\'m going to have to miss it.\"
He pauses, then clears his throat.
\"Fine.\" he repeats. He wasn\'t going to tell me if it was a red light or not. Typical of him.
I sigh, shaking my head at him, but stop as I remember he couldn\'t see it.
\"I\'ll try to make it.\"
\"Well, Haney\'s not showing so don\'t rush.\"
\"What do you mean?\"
\"Nothing.\"
\"Liar; what\'s going on, Zell?\"
\"Aren\'t you terribly busy? Shouldn\'t you be going? Call someone else if you\'re looking for a chat, some of us have to work right now.\"
He was being colder than usual. Had I offended him? Offended? ZELL? Ha! But I couldn\'t help but wonder what it was that I did to upset him. That is...IF it was me that did it.
\"What\'s wrong, big guy?\"
A dial tone. My jaw drops, and I hang slowly up, narrowing my eyes. He hung up on me!
Grabbing my coat as I leave, I silently curse the eagle-eye of JD. He was MAKING me go.

9:20am. I had ten minutes to be in the conferencing room, and I was just a floor down.
The elevator came to a halt, and I stepped out, taking a fresh breath of air; elevators freaked me out. Still didn\'t know why.
\"Kid.\"
I turned at the voice, my expression that of anger.
\"First you hang up on me, and now you call me the one thing I can\'t stand. \'Kid\'. God, are you ever nice? To ANYONE?\"
Zell frowned; it was more emotion than I\'d ever seen on his face, before now.
\"You know what\'s nice? You noticing how detatched I am.\"
I didn\'t understand him, not one little bit. And I suppose that was part of my intrigue.
Zell...fascinated me, to say the very least. Not only did he keep everything about him held up and secret, but he also was the only person I hadn\'t won over. I was willing to bet NOBODY had won him over, from the way he acted.
\"... Whatever.\" I mumble, pulling my coat off and draping it over my left arm as I walked up to him. \"I\'ll follow you to the room if you don\'t mind, oh fearless leader.\"
Sarcastic? Me? You could say that again.

He wasn\'t lying: Haney wasn\'t at the meeting. Something told me that whatever we would be discussing was something Haney would frown upon. Gut instinct, maybe.
Bee was sitting across from Quid, shuffling through a manilla folder, and the latter of the two was rolling a red ball between his hands. Cabrera wasn\'t here, either, I noticed.
Zell waited for me to come in before closing the door; once we had our little walls seperating us from the \"outside world\", we all sat down at the large polished, wooden table. Ready for discussion, yippee. I was just a-rearing to go. Not.

\"Alright,\" Bee sighs, rubbing his temples. \"Let\'s get down to business. Zell.\"
Zell nodded, making his way to the front of the room where a whiteboard was. Taking a marker, he began drawing out a map of the city.
I raise my hand, raking my fingers through my hair, and frown as I realize that I hadn\'t put my hair back in a twist-tie. Oh well, couldn\'t always keep up your appearance when you think you might be late for your job.
\"As we\'re all aware, Main and Third intersect in the Fifth Housing block- bad area; drugs, gangs, crime at an all-time high. We have report sightings of our favorite cockaroach, Millstrom himself, dead center in Fifth.\"
Now THIS caught my attention.
\"So we get a Squad, and take \'im out.\" Quid shrugged. I started to shake my head, leaning forward in my seat.
\"No, he doesn\'t go down easy. What you\'d need is a tank, or more. Maybe some missiles.\"
Zell smirked; I was doing my part: stopping them from any stupid mistakes they might have made otherwise.
I was suddenly remembering the first words I\'d said to Zell: \"You\'re a lousy Grey, you know that? Your tracks were too loud, I could hear you from a mile away. The big lug and his bike made a roar, too; it might be stiffled, but the sound\'s still there.\" ((Grey is a JD member.))
He\'d turned me around, shoved his gun tip into my stomach instead of my back, and slapped me. Then, he\'d talked to Haney, and hired me. Odd, the way that worked out.
\"Guy can\'t be that good.\" This, from Bee.
\"Oh, yeah he is. He had four decoys, identicals of him, when I met him.\"
\"You\'ve met the guy?\" Quid asked, his tone saying he was amused. I shrug.
\"He could have been watching through the cameras, but I know he was one of the guys in the room with me- there was fresh cologne someone was wearing, De Poigne I think, too expensive for anyone but him, and JD\'s Pres, maybe.\"
Zell snorts, placing his hands on his hips.
\"You know your perfumes, Gaffey? Bet you own a school girl uniform, too.\"
If he was being lighthearted, then I could be, too.
\"Yeah, I do. Look pretty damn hot in it, too.\"
Zell leaned down, pressing his palms flat on the table top as he stared down the table at me. I stayed still and kept constant eye contact; didn\'t want him to think he was making me nervous, or anything silly like that. Yeah...heh...silly. Ahem.
\"Red, yellow, blue, or green?\"
\"Pedophile.\" I accused, giving him my slow, lazy grin. \"If you\'re so desperate to know, why don\'t you come over tonight and see?\"
\"Now, now, boys.\" Quid smiled, his crooked grin reminding me of an alley cat for some strange reason. \"No frateranizing at the office. Save your hanky-panky and footsy games for later, \'kay? Now, Bee, when was the last time...\" His voice died out as Zell and I had our longest staredown, ever.
I could hear my heartbeat slow, could hear my very breath coming and going- Zell was suddenly the only thing that I could pay attention to.
And THAT is how I missed all the important little details.

Back at home, I hurried around in my red silk robe, trying to pick up as much clothing as I could; my floor was littered with old, new, dirty, and clean, articles of dresswear.
\"Hey, been wondering where these went.\" I grinned, finding my pair of skin-tight silver pleather pants. Slipping them on, and tossing what I had been wearing aside, I felt like my old self again: free to do whatever I pleased, whenever I pleased. Of course, I still had to fix my place up...

One knock, two knocks. Three knock\'s a charm. And three, I counted with a frown, making my way to the door.
I pulled it slowly open, mouth hanging ajar at the sight of-
\"Zell? What are you doing here?\"
\"I seem to remember an invitation, Gaffey. Or did you forget?\"
I gaped; couldn\'t help it.
\"What?\"
\"You going to let me in, or keep me out in the cold?\"
Actually, it was close to 80 degrees outside. Oh, the joys of summer nights, right? But I took a step back, allowing him room to enter. Of course, I forgot what I was wearing.
\"Nice pants. Uniform\'s better, though.\"
I laugh, sounding nervous, and cross my arms as to rest my hands on my shoulders. Feeling nude, or uncomfortable, around Zell? Possibly. I was wearing the silver pants, and nothing but. And I suddenly felt like a spent whore, because it was Zell I was dressed like this in front of, and not someone else. Someone...more lowly, I supposed it could be said.
\"Cut the cutesy-pervert act. What are you really here for? ...How\'d you get my addess???\"
\"JD files.\" he answers simply, hands in his jacket pockets. Of course he\'d have access to them, I thought sourly. \"And uh, \'cutesy-pervert\'? That\'s a bit of an odd mix, don\'t you think?\"
\"Hey, it\'s all you. So?\" He just looked at me, and I sighed in defeat. \"Whaddya want?\"
\"I wanted to see you in a school girl\'s uniform.\"
\"Whatever.\"
If he wasn\'t going to tell me, I wasn\'t going to play it smooth and business-like. I was going to be me; this WAS my home, after all, for all the home it COULD be.
\"I\'m serious.\"
\"No, you aren\'t. Never seen your joking side, but it\'s due time I had a heart attack.\"
I drop my hands to my sides, shifting my weight to my right leg; unfortunately, this pushed the right side of my hip out, bringing attention to just how tight the pants were.
They had a zipper, but it was only there for looks, not to hold the pants up; sheer tension did that.
Zell\'s eyes moved slowly down my body, and back up, lingering on my hip-crotch area long enough to make me shiver. But whether the goosebumps were from sexual tension, or fear, even I couldn\'t tell.
\"This how you normally dress outside of JD work?\"
\"Yeah. Point?\"
He shakes his head. \"You just look like a cheap whore.\"
\"If you\'re going to insult me, you can leave, and wait until I see you at Headquarters on Monday.\"
He took a moment to reply, and I could feel the smug look slide over my face; a smirk replaced my angry frown, and an eyebrow arched.
\"I\'m not insulting you, I\'m stating the truth. You look like you\'d be out in a club either getting high, or giving a paid-for blowjob.\"
My anger was back, stronger than it had been. Not insulting me, my ass.
I walked to the door, hand on the handle. My sign for him to go. He must have guessed right, because he made his way towards me. But he stopped.
\"What\'s wrong, Calyx? Afraid to relive the past?\"
Now that was too far. I had a fist made ready before I realized it, and I started to raise it when he moved, knocking me into the door, hard. My head hit the wood with a loud thunk, and it took me a moment to clear the spinning stars from my vision. I was pinned, his right knee between my legs, hands holding my wrists above my head tightly.
\"What-\" He was kissing me before I could finish the sentence. KISSING me. I pushed my body against his, actually trying to get him off of me, but he didn\'t move an inch.
\"Zell.\" I choked out as he moved back enough for our lips to break away. \"What the hell?\"
His forehead rested on my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath spilling along my chest.
\"You wanted to know, why I didn\'t respond to your flirting. It was because you did it with everyone; I don\'t like whores.\"
My head was starting to hurt, feeling like sharp knives jabbing into my neck, with nails being hammered into the back of my skull.
He let go of my wrists, dropping his arms to my waist, where his fingertips played out over my skin like he was writing words across my sides. It almost tickled, but didn\'t, all the same; before I knew it, I was covered in goosebumps, nipples growing hard from the little shocks he was causing to shoot through my body.
\"Z-Zell.\" I repeated, amazed at how I was starting to tremble. No one had ever affected me this way...it was usually the other way around. \"Sh...Shit, what are you doing to me?\"
He didn\'t answer.

A buzzing sound brought all my senses to alert sharply, and I flew into a sitting position, banging my head on the wooden frame above my bed. I slap my alarm clock into silence, and rub my forehead, wincing as I realized I was sitting straight on my backside- it had been sore from yesterdays escapades, and had yet to spot any bruises. I felt like my whole body should be black and blue, with spots of yellow and brown.
We\'d busted some of Millstrom\'s right-wing men, but had failed to catch the lug, himself.
And me? I\'d taken most of the beating. Yeah, good, clean fun, Bee had said. But what I\'d gotten was an ass-whooping. Not literally; I\'d been tortured.
Sliding off of my bed and onto the ground, my head began swimming and throbbing in such an exquisite pain that really wasn\'t exquisite at all. Unless you were a grade-a masochist, that is.
My phone\'s shrill ringing doesn\'t help the headache, but it does get me off of the ground and onto my feet. I pick it up on the second ring, slightly annoyed.
\"\'Ello?\" I try not to yawn into the receiver, but fail.
\"I need to talk to you. Feeling up to a walk?\"
\"Visit, MAYBE, but not a walk. I feel like shit, Zell.\"
\"I know. Anyone would, going through what you did. What time is clear to stop by?\"
\"Tomorrow.\" I state flatly, rubbing my side gingerly. A small, purple spot was appearing in the shape of a fist; I could almost make out the shape of the guy\'s knuckles.
\"How about in thirty?\"
I sigh, nodding. Then realizing that, hey, this was the phone, I agree.
We hang up, and I head to the kitchen for some tea to wake me up.

No sooner than I finish my cup of green tea, there\'s a knock at my door. I frown, swinging it open.
\"I thought you said-\" I stop, blushing at my neighbors\' daughter\'s stunned face. \"Oh, I\'m sorry, I thought you were...were someone else.\"
She gives me a small, sweet smile, and holds up a basket of cookies.
\"My mammy said you looked bad, so I baked you some snacks.\" Aw, how cute.
She couldn\'t have been older than six. I kneel down, taking the basket graciously, and thank her.
\"They smell delicious.\" I smile, recoiling as a sharp pain shot up from my jaw to my left eyebrow.
\"Well, just dont get in a fight anymore. You look like a Smurf.\"
I blink, then realizing she meant it in innocence, laugh.
\"I probably do. Well, thank you...uh...\"
\"Jessica.\"
\"Thank you Jessica.\"
She turns around. \"No problem.\" she calls over her shoulder as she walks back to her house, hands clasped behind her back.
I close the door slowly, long enough to make sure she made it inside safe, and set the basket down on the table nearest the door.
Eyeing them hungrily, I take a small pink one out; biting into it, I confirmed my thoughts. They were just as soft, warm, and delicious as they smelled.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at my door. Zell, I figured, but not wanting to make another mistake, I opened the door with a smile.
It was Zell.
\"Oh, it\'s you.\" Had my tone really been as flat as it sounded? \"Come on in.\"
He does, stepping around me and standing off to the left. I close and lock the door, gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch. He does, and I can\'t help but notice how he moved. How he was...dressed. He wore a loose black dress shirt, unbuttoned halfway down his chest so you could see where his smooth chest ended, and even smoother stomach started. His pants were black, leather, and almost as tight as my silver ones had been on me the last time he had stopped by. I felt myself blush, remembering.
\"How you feel?\"
\"Huh? Oh, fine. Well...been worse, but I have to admit, I\'ve got my share of complaints.\"
\"Yeah.\" he nods. \"So what are your plans for today?\"
\"...\" Was he serious?
\"The best way to treat an injury is to force it to heal. So I figured I\'d take you out for the night, and get you more active than stiff.\"
Take me...out... Hell-fucking-no.
\"Out where?\" Okay, so I was interested; who could blame me?
\"I was hoping you\'d show me just how it is you can walk, let alone DANCE, in those pants of yours.\"
Ah.
\"Which ones?\"
\"What, you own five pairs in different colors?\" he smirks, leaning on the armrest. He reminded me of a cat, the way he was sitting. His expression matched, except he was suddenly a cat...with it\'s eyes on a fat, juicy mouse. Guess who the mouse was.
\"I need to shower.\" I turned, leaving him on my couch with all his sexy, feline grace.
I could not be giving in, and I could not do this. But I was, and I was going to have fun tonight, even if it killed me. Though, considering the state I was already in...it wouldn\'t surprise me if I DID drop dead.

I emerged from the bathroom with my hair down, and dye washed out; my natural hair color was silver, and I was letting it show. At least for the clubbing, anyway. For JD, I\'d be going back to dyed brown.
My white shirt was cut-off into a halfshirt that read the words, \"Always single, never alone\" in bold pink letters, baring my own smooth, flat stomach. Though, if truth be told, I had more of a feminine figure than Zell, by far.
I wore black fishnet stockings under my blue cut-off jean shorts, which reached mid-thigh standing. Sitting, they were like underwear. I completed the outfit with one-inch heeled white boots that laced up the sides.
I may have looked like a hooker, but I felt comfortable, and that\'s what mattered.
Zell stood as I came out, his smirk widening into a grin. \"You look easy.\"
\"I know.\"
\"Real hair color?\"
\"Yep.\"
\"Ready?\"
\"Let\'s go.\"
And we left, just like that.

It was growing dark by the time we reached the club, Boxx, and as we stepped in, loud, thumping music greeted us.
People were almost moshing, bodies rubbing rigidly against bodies, trying to move to the heavy beat coming from the giant-sized speakers placed in all four corners of the high ceiling; it was rounded, made so it echoed and mirrored the songs.
Zell stood to my right, not tense, but not quite relaxed, either. With a teasing smile, I took his hand and led him towards the rooms beyond the crowds.
Past a number of beaded doors, we hit a quieter room, this one with a bar in the back. The DJ booth was alive, people moving back and forth behind it as they made requests to the appointed \"Mixers\". DJ\'s.
\"Some place.\" Zell said into my ear, loud enough so I could hear it, but no one around us could.
\"Too lively for you?\"
He laughed at me, I think, but the music drowned the sound out. He shakes his head, pulling me towards the center of the dance stage before I could make some sort of protest.

It was 1am before we left, and the walk back to my house was going to be killer. We were both pumped full of energy from the loud beat of the club, the feeling of live ants crawling along our skin finally fading.
\"Now that,\" he smiles, nodding. \"Was fun.\"
\"See what you miss?\" I laugh, unable to stop since we\'d walked out of the door. Clubs had that affect on people. I poke his chest lightly. \"This is the first time I\'ve seen you loose. I kinda like it.\"
He smiled in response, turning his eyes to the road ahead as we made our way slowly back.

I slump onto my bed, pulling him down with me; he catches himself before he could land on me, and I smile up at him apologetically.
\"Hello, there. What a surprise meeting YOU here.\" Okay, so I was a little trashed. No big crime.
He shakes his head as he silently laughed at me.
\"You\'re wasted.\"
\"Naw, can\'t be.\"
\"But you are.\" he smiles, and I thought, \'This is Zell: this awkward smile is the real him.\' It was a genuine smile, and that thought made me a bit giddy.
\"Maybe. Hey, you\'re hot already, but...your smile is killer.\"
His smile dropped, and he stared at me, long and hard. For a second, it crossed my mind that he could be either mad or sad, but he knocked that thought out with his signature smirk.
\"And your breath reeks of alcohol.\"
I pout jokingly, lifting my hands to his hair, and run my fingers through those black strands. They were as silky as they looked, and softer.
\"You still want to kiss me though...right?\"
His smile sent a shiver to run the length of my spine, while at the same time, brushing a part of me inside that had never been touched or seen before; it was...nice.
\"Yes, Calyx. I still want to kiss you.\"
\"Then why aren\'t you?\"
\"Because I\'d be taking advantage of a drunken kid.\"
\"I\'m not a kid. I\'m practically legal.\"
\"Yeah,\" he smirked. \"\'Practically\'.\"
I sigh, pushing back onto my pillow.
\"I\'ll be nineteen in two months.\"
\"I know.\"
\"...If you won\'t kiss me, can I kiss you?\"
He laughs, kissing my cheek before pulling back.
\"Sorry.\"
\"You can crash where you want, then.\"
\"Kicking me out?\"
\"No. I...I want you to sleep with me.\" He didn\'t say anything, and it took me a minute to realize how I had phrased it. \"I mean just sleep, not...not anything sexual. Unless you give up on that stupid rule of yours.\"
He laughs again, sliding down beside me. To my surprise, he pulled me to him by my waist, draping his arm over my hips as he closed his eyes.
\"You tired?\" he asks me quietly.
\"Kind of.\" I yawn, and give up. \"Yeah.\"
He nods, his chin on top of my head; Zell is taller than me, so he could have done it anyway...but it was easier now, because he was higher up on the bed than I was.
\"So am I.\" he mumbles, arm tightening and wrapping completely around me. He pulled me up, leaning his head back so our faces weren\'t touching. \"I had fun, Calyx.\"
\"So did I.\"
\"I...\" He frowned, opening his eyes to meet mine. \"I really do want to give up the rules, kid. I mean that.\"
I nod, swallowing against the lump that was creeping up the back of my throat.
The movement of my head was making me feel a little green.
\"I have to throw up.\"
We both laugh; I had ruined the serious moment and turned it into a natural, and yet unintentional, spot for jokes.
\"Too bad. I was-\" he stopped. \"Need to get up?\"
I frown, knowing what he had been about to say.
\"No, I\'m fine now.\" It was getting to me, knowing that he was thinking of kissing me, and I spoiled it by mentioning puking. Nice, great going, Gaffey. \"Oh, forget it.\"
\"What?\"
\"I really...want it. I want you to kiss me, Zell.\"
Much to my surprise at that moment, he did, and it felt so good that I could have cried out if it hadn\'t been for the lip-lock preventing such from happening.
His tongue slipped past my lips, soft, and warm, and probing. I pressed into the kiss, sliding my right leg between his and rubbing against him with my knee before I could stop myself. He deepened the kiss, making a small sound that resembled a stiffled moan; guess he wasn\'t going to kill me for it, then.
The kiss breaks, and I take a gulp of air, a bit taken aback. I\'d guessed Zell could kiss, but...wow.
\"You look flushed.\" he frowns, touching my cheeks and forehead. \"You\'re burning up.\"
\"I feel fine.\"
\"Nn. Lie back, and stay still.\"
I did as he said, disappointed that my body would do this...the traitor.
\"You just saying this so you can take advantage of my helplessness?\" I tease.
\"You mean \'willingness\'? No. You\'re getting a fever.\"
\"Probably from dancing, and then this.\" I stopped, but not soon enough. I didn\'t want him to think he should stop. \"All my blood pumping, that\'s all.\"
\"You saying I have your heart racing?\" he whispers as he leaned over me, lips brushing the spot where my ear met my neck. I shiver, goosebumps spotting my chest, stomach, and arms. It was one of my spots.
\"Yes.\" I whisper back, nodding to emphasize. \"You\'re like a heady drink.\"
He smiles against my neck, moving down so he could look at me properly.
\"Guess so.\"
I laugh, running my hands in his hair. I loved how it felt.
\"Self-involved bastard.\"
\"No, just sure of myself.\"
We both laugh, and I knew that any seriousness between us for the rest of the night would be either gone, or from sexual urges. And hey- I didn\'t mind one bit.