Orange M&Ms and Pretzels

Orange M&Ms and Pretzels - Part 3

Before the empty can of Monster hit the edge of the trash can, Will plucked it out of the air.

"I have a recycle bin right next to my desk," said Will with a disapproving click of his tongue. He tossed it into the blue bin.

"One aluminum can isn't going to end the world," whined Reese.

"Oh really?"

Louis, watching from his own desk, rolled his eyes. "Here comes the soapbox."

"One can of aluminum carries with it baggage," started Will. "From being shipped from factory to store to vending machine and each trip costs gas in a transport, costs for handling, the environmental cost of air pollution from trucks—"

Reese slapped his hands over his ears. "Okay! Okay! Okay! I'll be more earth conscious!"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Will nodded, satisfied, and sat back at his desk. Louis shook his head and Reese knew he was being pitied for his defeat. Well, at least Louis was Will's partner, and they deserved each other; the eco-Fanboy and the jerk blond.

Man, he wanted his report over with. Reese turned back to the screen.


***


In the ballroom, Reese remained a wallflower next to a large, white ribbon vase. Entangled in the stems was the gun stashed from earlier; if shit went down, which he hoped it wouldn't, he would at least have that. He situated himself to keep an eye on the dance floor, the entrance to the Luvor infested with security, and the exit into the hotel. The ladies and gentlemen danced, and on the far side of the floor, Kara Palmer was making a last round amongst the contributors, pushed along by her private nurse and attended by Sharon, doing the introductions. Those that had purchased a plate for the party were dining at their tables, and every now and then a waiter passed with a tray laden with mouthwatering foods. Raspberry bisque, flaky cuts of fish in red wine and saffron sauce, Brussels sprouts tossed with olive oil, herbs and bits of bacon.

Reese swallowed hard. Damn that food smelled good.

The singer took up a jazz cover of a modern pop song, rendering it posh enough for the upper crush to enjoy without knowing any better. Everyone was still having fun despite the pat-downs. They were more hands on than a tailor measuring an inseam.

And Reese was alone without his "date".

"It's like high school prom all over again," he muttered.

A flutter came from his middle, making his back straighten and breathing hitch. Okay, maybe not like prom. Having to stand still with two people in his stomach made the situation very unlike prom. Hell, unlike anything he had done before in his life. How did Will stand the constant... feeling that someone was there? Did pregnant women feel like this?

A young boy, dressed in an all-white tux, walked right up to Kara Palmer's wheelchair and asked her to dance with an outstretched hand. A photo op that Sharon, the event planner, took great advantage of. The sick woman let herself roll along with her young partner on the dance floor, swaying back and forth, and smiling.

Doctor Palmer should see this, thought Reese with a slight pang of regret. She should be dancing on her feet with her husband.

He couldn't wait until they all got out of here. No matter what the party was for, or how much money it raised, it was still depressing.

A waiter with a tray of cinnamon and chocolate croquets walked by and Reese nearly peeled himself from the wall, dragged by his nose to follow. They smelled like donuts to the tenth power. But the shifting weight in his belly made him slouch back on the wall.

Oh, he wanted this mission over so much.

Will's little harem clumped together like drops of white silk paint on a canvas, and from what Reese could tell by their gestures, they were discussing leaving. The one he had sent over to Will, a dewy brunette, glanced his way, giving him a twinkle of her fingers and a smile. He nodded and smiled back. At least he got someone's attention.

Something impacted the bottom of his stomach and Reese grasped his stomach.

"Louis?" he whispered.

Reese felt more impacts, like a tiny struggle. Was something wrong? Were they suffocating? Forget Will's "yes and no" communication. He had a stethoscope; he might as well use it. He tugged the instrument from his white cuff and placed the disc under his vest. His travel stethoscope was much slimmer than his usual one, with the earpieces molded to fit his ears better. Hunched to the side, he took out his communicator and whispered.

"Louis?"

"Fuckin' anal sonofabitch!" Louis' voice was small, muffled by the sounds of Reese's own innards, but the acid in the words made it through.

"What the hell did I do?" hissed Reese.

"Not you! Will ran into Zachs and now he's stuck with him."

"Then why are you kicking me?"

"Cause I'm pissed!"

Massaru spoke, though it was faint. "He's worried."

Reese rolled his eyes and sighed.

A female voice spoke up from his left. "Excuse me?"

Reese spun around and found himself face to face with a blonde haired woman from Will's gaggle of girls. He straightened up despite the stethoscope still hanging down his vest.

"Can I help you miss...?"

"Rose Badderguard," said the blonde. "You helped my sister find James. I wanted to say thank you."

Ah, the distraction for Will to get through security. Reese took Rose's white gloved hand and bowed over it ever so slightly, but even that was enough to warrant a kick from inside that made his mouth tighten.

"It was no trouble, really."

"What are you listening to?" Rose's hand lingered on his own, her gloved fingers running up his knuckles.

Reese knew he should have taken the stethoscope off. "Pardon?"

"Your headphones. Is the music not to your liking?"

She thought he was listening to music player. "No, it's fine... I was just—"

Her hand made its way up until she had her arm around his. "I'd imagine it's hard to like this kind of music when you have no one to dance with."

It finally occurred to Reese that Rose was flirting with him. Well, this was an upgrade from prom.

"Oh, hell no," said Louis.

Rose tilted her head, shy and lips pouting. "Would you like to dance?"

"Reese... don't you dare," warned the voice from the stethoscope.

Screw Louis. Reese would finally get to dance. "I would love to."

"I'll tell Cetz about the safety deposit box in Brooklyn!"

Reese froze, one foot half off the floor. "But I can't," he spat out. "Stomach issues."

Rose smiled. "Butterflies?"

"More like a couple of very big moths." He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. I do appreciate the offer."

Rose accepted the refusal with grace and glided away with the rest of her group to the other side of the ballroom. Meanwhile Reese steamed, a hand pressed to his stomach like he wanted to rip into it.

"How the bloody hell did you know about the safety deposit box?" he said through clenched teeth.

"I didn't," said Louis.

"You're screwing with me."

"I knew you lived in Brooklyn for a while before joining the Watch. I knew you were very active in less than reputable jobs at the time. I deduced that you would have left something behind in case your job here didn't pan out."

Reese stood slack jawed for a moment as blood ran to his face. "I hate your fucking guts."

"Same here because me and Massaru are chest deep in them!"

Reese put the stethoscope away in his sleeve and stuck his hands in his pockets, refusing to acknowledge the pair stowed away in his stomach. Suddenly the party seemed very dim and tedious. He pushed away from the wall to stand next to a pillar, keeping an eye on Kara Palmer as she left the party.

Every now and then he would feel a wriggle from his stomach and his jaw clenched. He didn't want to feel anyone there, especially Louis. A few minutes later he saw Beni being patted down by the security by the entrance. About time backup got here.

She joined him at the pillar, her lips tight with annoyance, but she managed to slip an arm around his like a dutiful date.

"What's going on?" she asked. "I heard about Massaru while driving back in the van."

"Kara retired early with her nurse," said Reese, ignoring the shift he felt inside from Louis recognizing Beni's voice. "Will's little harem is deciding whether or not they should leave, and Will is on his way up to get the BT."

"Where's Louis?"

Great, she had to start with the fun questions. "He's... hiding with Massaru."

"Where?"

"...I can't really say."

"How informative of you," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why are you standing here? You couldn't help Will?"

"I'm to stay down here until I'm called for or until backup shows up to take us back to base."

Beni sneered. "Right, because your well-being is so important right now."

"As a matter of fact it is very important," hissed Reese.

"So we're just going to stand here while Will is being hunted down by security guards and Louis takes care of Massaru?"

"Right."

Beni took her arm away, disgust thickening her voice. "I never thought you were a damn coward—"

Oh that was it. He could stand being called a lot of things but being called a coward after he had nearly choked swallowing down two people? Hell no. Reese grabbed Beni by the shoulder and walked her over to an alcove between the ballroom and the silent auction, far away from any bugged vases.

"Okay, you know that secret you've been bugging me about? It has to do with that." Reese hissed, feeling Louis pound in retaliation on his insides. Well Louis could fuck off for all he cared. He hunched his shoulders and continued. "And I really didn't want to have to tell you like this."

Beni lifted an eyebrow, taken aback. "What is it?"

"Promise me you'll keep an open mind..."

"I'll try..."

Reese looked around again. "Turn off your com."

Beni did so, her puzzled look growing. "Now what?"

"Remember back in Wilson forest when you didn't want to bring me and Will back because we didn't have Louis with us? Well, we did, specifically, Will did."

"How?"

"Louis was inside Will."

Beni blinked. "Excuse me?"