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Chapter Twelve- Part 2

“I bet most pop stars are,” Gabriel said. “But it could be kind of fun to go to a party.”

            Alice glared at him. “You probably wouldn’t care if he was a murderer, as long as you got to see that woman again.”

            Gabriel blushed red. “That’s not true”

            “You were all googly-eyed,” Alice accused him. “Don’t tell me I should walk into a situation that might be dangerous based on how cute Ambrose’s lackey is.”

“Not cute,” Shakra put in, “Dangerous.”

            “Like a black widow spider,” agreed Azura. “Most Sirens give off that feeling.”

            ‘Yeah,” Alice shot at Gabriel. “They probably kill their men after they done with them, so don’t get any ideas.”

            Gabriel, who was still bright red, crossed his arms and glowered at her.

            “And don’t pout,” Alice said. “It isn’t becoming.”

            She would have continued to pick on him, but a crowd of teenage Fairies entered the shop, and they were kept busy explaining what things did and keeping them from breaking anything.

            That night Alice tried to enjoy a relaxing bubble bath in the brass clawed tub, but her brain seemed to alternate between Allira’s smug face and Altair’s panicked expression of the night before.  Then her mind took her back to Jason’s call that morning and she sighed and sunk lower into the scented bubbles.

I wish everyone would just leave me alone.

            Monday morning Alice was back at the desk when Gabriel shuffled in yawning, coffee in one hand.

            “Hi there,” she said. “Listen, I’m sorry I snapped at you last night.”

“That’s okay.” he sat down in his chair and put his coffee beside the till. “You’ve had a rough couple of days.”

            Alice shrugged. “More like a weird couple days.”

            He nodded distractedly, eyes focused on the street. “I think it’s about to get even weirder.” Alice turned to see what he was looking at as the bell over the shop door gave a sharp clang.         

“Altair?”

            The man who entered the shop that morning was a far cry from the one she had hauled out of Rapture the other night.  Though he still had several days’ worth of stubble, his shaggy blonde hair was combed and clean, and he had changed into fresh clothes.

            “I told you…” Alice began, but he held up a beseeching hand and she stopped.

            “What do you want?” Gabriel asked crossly. “You come to bother Alice again? Maybe this time you’ll actually get her killed.”

            “I came to apologize properly,” Altair said gravely. To Alice’s surprise he came around the counter and took her right hand, kneeling in front of her. “Can you ever forgive me?”

            Alice looked at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or not.  Altair’s blue eyes were wide and innocent, but a smile danced around the corners of his mouth. What was he doing down on one knee anyways? Clearly he wasn’t serious.