;; D E A T H L E S S

“I don’t know       everything is upside down.” Lacey murmured quietly, closing her eyes for a brief moment, the drink in her hand disappearing down her throat, the clear liquid leaving a harsh feeling as she swallowed, but all Lacey registered was numbness. “God, everything is so messed up.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cate snapped, slamming her own glass down on the bar top. She’d tried to ignore the little traitor, she really had, but listening to her sit there and whine was enough to get Cate on her last nerve. “You really think you can betray him and then sit there and mope like people are going to feel sorry for you? Shut the fuck up.”

      “I’m not going anywhere.” The petite brunette replied stonily as she approached her friend. For all who rightfully feared Cate Cheshire, Popy was never afraid in her presence. When she was like this, there was even less to cower before. Feeling larger though she stood much smaller, Poppy came next to the woman and placed her arms around to hug her best friend tightly. “I’m not going to leave you. You can say whatever you want, you can do whatever, but I’m not going to leave you alone right now. Not ever, but especially not right now.”

It was strange, having a best friend. For years Cate had become used to being alone. She liked the solitude that came with not getting too attached to people, but Poppy had managed to weasel her way into Cate’s heart. She didn’t put up a fight when Poppy’s arms came around her. Instead, she shut her eyes tightly and tried in vain to ignore the moisture that filled them. “We’d started things back up again.” She murmured quietly. “Things were fine again and now it’s just gone. He’s been by my side for ten years and now it’s just fucking gone.” Cate’s head fell to the side and onto Poppy’s shoulder. “I loved him.”

      Rebecca had been enough. Not used to the weakness of caring for others, Jabba found it odd, foreign, to have such a gnawing hurt crawling within his chest and wearing him from the inside out. This feeling was not his own and he wanted to expel it from his body. Repulsed by the idea of having someone have a hold over him, the shocking blow of losing Marcus actually made him stop. When the news came, his body had been plagued by paralysis and once his limbs would carry him, the capo had one place in mind.

      “Good thing I’ve never quite cared what you wanted, Kitty Cat. I’m here with something you’ll like, not to console you as you cry. Pull yourself together. This is worse than you with Dodger.”

She certainly had been bad with Dodger, because she cared,, because he was one of the few people she had allowed herself to form genuine care for. But this...nothing compared to this. Marcus had been the first person she had ever met in Wonderland when she’d tried to con him out of everything he had. If she had known then what would happen, she wouldn’t even have approached him. “Of course it’s fucking worse. It’s Marcus.” Cate snapped at him, sniffing slightly and cursing herself for letting him see her like this for a second time. “I don’t have time for our banter games right now, Jabba. Either tell be something important or leave me the fuck alone.” 

                           Cate has always been bold. Rebecca knew that, had known that the moment she met her – but she hadn’t thought her stupid. Can she not see the instability in her eyes? Rebecca would kill her own Capo if properly provoked, and she’d feel no remorse for it. That’s what it’s like when she’s like this – and she’s only ever been like this twice. The number of bodies littering the streets of Wonderland after her daughter’s faux death had only been rivalled by the number after her father’s. Her eyes bore in to Cate’s with a furious glint within, and she snarls. “What?”

She knew this wasn’t a good time for this. Cate was very aware of how bad Rebecca had been after Tiger’s fake death, so her state after Marcus’ had come as no shock. Cate had made up her mind though. It didn’t feel right leaving Rebecca in the dark like this, not while hers and Marcus’ affair was happening and certainly not now that he was gone and no one else could come clean. This wasn’t the time, but if she didn’t tell her now then there was no chance in hell she’ll be able to muster up the courage to tell her at any other time. “Marcus and I were having an affair.” It comes out very bluntly and she feels both guilty and relieved the moment it leaves her mouth. 

      ‘                     I want her… ‘ Rebecca’s voice is low and rough. Her eyes rimmed red and her hands visibly shake as, with each word spoken, she gets louder and louder until she’s screaming in rage at every RED in sight. ‘ Did I stutter? Get out there, and find her, and bring her to me! ‘ She should have done something sooner – she should’ve killed the bitch the moment she realised who’d put the bullet in her heart… Mania glints in her eyes, hair dishevelled, as she searches for a face she will never see again – and rage burns in her bones. ‘ Fucking find her! ‘

She stands there, still as a statue as Rebecca screams and swears at all of them. She’s seen Rebecca ma before, but never like this. Cate’s own eyes are rimmed as red as her queen’s are and she’s spent most of her time drunk, crying and very briefly in jail. But now as she stands before Rebecca, all she feels is guilt for what she and Marcus had done. As the rest of the Reds file out, most of them looking grief stained or scared shitless, Cate remained behind. She wrung her hands as she stepped forward. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I really need to talk to you, Rebecca.”

“Ay mija.” she chuckled looking back at the girl “You either pay for the drink, or find yourself not coming back. Entiendes?”

Without a word, Cate stalked forward and slammed the customers face against the table. “You heard her.”

“Yes?” He raised his eyebrows with contained surprise, then smiled kindly at them. “What can I do for you?” God only knows who he was to this person this time: Was he the owner of the store, or was he a supplier of a different kind? 

“I didn’t know you were so opposed to people greeting you, Ichiro.” Cate raised a brow as she drained the last of her champagne and smiled at him as warmly as was possible for Cate. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you at this party.” It wasn’t a surprise, but still.

“The bitch is going to fucking get it.” 

“I’d love to get my hands on that bitch.”

“Nice to meet you, Elaine. What brings you here then, if you aren’t here for, uh, all this?”

“I was supposed to have lunch with a friend, but it appears I’ve been stood up.”

“Everyone is clearly incompetent,” mumbled Nikhita under her breath. Her eyes were scanning the report that she had just gotten. She felt like she was the only one who knew what she was doing. Whenever she wasn’t working it was like everyone was helpless. She inhaled sharply, wanting nothing more than to disappear. The pounding headache that she had was not helping matters. She was in desperate need of a cup of coffee,“ I cannot believe this.”

“That really doesn’t come as much of a shock considering it’s your people.” Cate barely flicked her eyes up from where she sat, knife in hand as she sharpened it. There was something about a blade that fascinated Cate so much more than the barrel of a gun did and it had been years since she had left the house without at least one strapped somewhere on her body. “Wouldn’t surprise me to hear it if the lot of you accidentally killed each other in the attempt to get to a level you’re not ready for.” Her head rose from her task so she could look at this girl. Younger than her and a pretty thing too, but she would be nothing but worthless, useless in Cate’s mind as long as she was a Joker. Not just a joker, but a fucking Romono.

She didn’t want to lose Poppy too.

This girl, this odd canary that she had never expected to like let alone become best friends with..she meant a lot to Cate. Having someone that listened and understood her and didn’t put up with her shit was important to her. So instead of tossing back another bottle of Jack, she swallowed her pride, put on her make up and headed down to The Red Heart where she knows she’ll find Poppy (it should probably be an odd thing that she actually knew most of Poppy’s schedule by now). Walking further into the nightclub that she now knew so well, Cate moved in close to the stage, a gentle smiling curving her lips as she caught the last few bars of the canaries song before the spotlight faded and the show was over. She pushed one hand into the pocket of her jeans, a nervous habit that rarely appeared, and she bit the inside of her cheek as she forced herself to speak. “So...I was an asshole.”

“I don’t believe we’ve met…?” Joshua said carefully, furrowing his brows in thought.

“I’m Joshua.”

“We haven’t.” She murmured casually. “Nice to meet you Joshua. You can call me Elaine.”

Joshua nodded, blinking a little at the woman’s rudeness. “Yes ma’am. I mean, I work here, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I thought so.” She nodded her head. “Can’t remember your name for shit, though.”