Awhile. I wasn't really sure how to interpret that. I guess I would find out when I got out of here and someone told me how long we'd been gone for. I hoped it wasn't nearly as long as it felt like on this side. My kids must be freaking out without me, not to mention my sister. Not that she had exactly been my number one fan before I left. Maybe I didn't wanna go back there.
I pushed it out of my mind and followed Connor out just in time for two guards to come at us before we reached the draw bridge. Two? I was almost insulted by that. I mean, c'mon. Two guards to fight the two of us? That was just the dumbest thing I ever heard. They should have sent an army.
Once we'd gotten past the two guards the two of us walked over the drawbridge and I frowned as I looked over at Connor. I briefly thought about telling him about my dream but then decided against it. After all, how could I really explain it? Even the part with Angel that seemed...like he was really there. That wasn't possible was it?
The birds were chirping loudly in the forest as we walked. "There's gotta be a cabin around here somewhere where you can get some sleep." I said to him as we walked under some brush. "I can see some smoke about a mile south of us. Probably from a chimney." I offered him.
It was an insult, but at least it allowed us to get out of here quickly. I was ready to go back to cabins. Castles creeped me out a bit in this place. As for how long we'd been here, I wasn't certain, but I knew I was in a lot of trouble once we made it back.
"The animals are creepily cheerful around here. It's starting to get to me." It was a stupid thing to complain about, but the bird chirping almost sounded like a song. Why couldn't we have ended up in Quor'toth? Faith and I would have kicked ass in about a day there and already been back with the answer we were looking for.
"One of these keys better open up what we're looking for." Whatever the hell it was that we were looking for. The answer to the prophecy. Some way to ensure Lexi and I were not bound to kill each other.
I nodded when she pointed out the smoke. We needed to regroup and hopefully find some food and rest. Not that she really needed more sleep after her long nap. Following the smoke, I spotted something red up ahead. What the hell?
"Is that a girl?" Okay it sounded stupid as soon as I asked. I still had the rifle with me and she seemed to recognize that more than us.
"You look different. Muffin?" She asked, as she held out the basket of goodies to me. One look at her face and recognized her from the Three Bears cabin. Up close and personal...she looked even more like Lena. Weird.
"Huh?" I asked Connor but before I knew it he was right. A girl who looked just a little bit older than we were came over to us. She was wearing a red hood so I immediately knew who she was supposed to be. Thank fuck that I didn't have to be Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood. I didn't recognize this girl at all though. Muffin?
"Umm. Thanks." I said to her as I took the muffin from her. Come to think of it, I was kinda starved. I held her gaze for a few minutes because there was something in her eyes that looked so undeniably familiar that I couldn't stand it. Shaking the thought away I bit into the muffin. This was Little Red so she probably wouldn't poison Grandma's muffins right?
Connor was eating it too so hopefully that meant we really were okay.
"On your way to see Grandma?" I asked her curiously before looking over at Connor. Was this the next test already? The next key? I thought for sure we could take a break from this shit so Connor could at least get some sleep. Who knew how long he'd even been looking for me and I had no clue how he'd even found me. Maybe I shouldn't have wondered off but when I did? It was for the best. Because I was withdrawing from the drugs and I was a little afraid I would hurt him.
"Thanks," I told her, as I accepted the muffin. Right well this wasn't weird at all. I'm eating muffins from the young Lena look alike who happened to be Red Riding Hood.
"What do you mean, I look different?"
She smiled as looked at me. "You're usually taller. Darker hair too. The rifle seems the same."
Red Riding hood...I was the handsome woodsman? I had to save her from the big bad wolf. Right.
"Yes, I am!" She said cheerfully to faith. That smile was really bright. "Do you know my grandmother?"
Ummm. Can I get a what the fuck? So I'm guessing Connor is the handsome woodsman who saves Little Red. Awesome. Where's the wolf? Let's kick it's ass and get the fuck out of here. I mean seriously, when does this shit even end? I was tired of hell and now that I was off the crazy drugs I was ready to get my life back.
"Sorry." I shook my head at Little Red. "Sure she's a real nice lady though." I smiled at her wryly because she was so damn cheerful that you kinda had to be nice to her. And Connor was givin' her a weird look that I really couldn't place. Did he have the hots for this chick? I hoped he didn't get too attached cause there was no way in hell I was letting him stay in Fairytale Hell.
Shit. Little Red Riding Hood. Big Bad Wolf. Wolf meant James, or at least that was what it usually meant to me these days. "Connor," I took him by the elbow and pulled him away from the little twink of a girl for a minute. "Right before I became Sleeping Beauty? Well, James and Dom and Aidan were there. I'm pretty sure Aidan's the one who put me into a coma. What kinda wolf are we talkin' about here?"
The kind that was completely unkillable? Don't get me wrong. I'm sure there's a way to kill them and one of these days I'm gonna find out what it is cause I've had it but here? This was more their playground than it was ours.
Before I could answer her question, there was a howl that sent a shiver up my spine, and made Little Red tremble. I could smell the fear rolling off her in waves, but she had a bit of a blank look in her eyes. Like she knew she should remember something, yet couldn't.
I understood that look well. It's the look of someone who has had their memory tampered with. How many times has she had to face this wolf? Did it leave a lasting impression buried deep that she couldn't quite get too?
I listened and growled when Faith told me about the partners. Fucking hell were we ever going to catch a break from them? Was this all their design? Of course it was. Every shitty thing that happened to us lead right back to that law firm.
"James is the wolf of wolfram and hart, right? You think we're about to go up against him?"
"No," Little Red said suddenly as she looked at Faith. "You can't come with us. Run."
"She isn't going to run. Are you all right? Look, why don't you sit this one out? We can handle the wolf." Maybe Faith wouldn't like that plan, but there was something in the girl's eyes that made me want to protect her from going through this part of the story again.
"I have too. It's my..." she shrugged again and turned her attention back to Faith. "Run. Please. Don't let him...hurt you."
I nodded at Connor when he asked about my father. Yeah, if there was a big bad wolf here? Well, he was the biggest and baddest wolf so it really only made sense that it could be him. This chick kept telling me to run as the sound of howling got closer and closer. "I'm not goin' anywhere." I told her, a little irritated that she wanted Connor to stay but me to run. Hey, I'm just as badass as he is, if not more so. Damn, girl.
I glanced up again when the sound of howling got so close it sent a shiver running down my back. The only time I'd ever seen my father in his true form was in that weird...flashback dream thing that Aidan had sent me on. I wasn't really looking forward to repeating the experience either. He wasn't a wolf, he was a straight up monster.
I guess that makes me part monster. I shrugged it off. Part monster's better than no monster at all. Made it a lot easier to fight him.
Suddenly the sky darkened again and in the distance I could barely make out the tall shadowy figure of a wolf. It's jaws were gigantic as it snarled and I immediately recognized it. This was no wolf, it was a demon. They didn't make wolves that big or scary looking in the real world. The real world. Heh. That almost made me laugh.
I stood up and could feel Connor tense up right beside me as the wolf stared us down through bright red eyes before suddenly charging right towards us. "Hey Little Red. You might wanna run." I told her easily just before Connor and I took the impact of the first blow.
Little Red didn't run though. She closed her eyes for just a moment and then took a step toward it. As if resigned that this was her destiny.
"Don't hurt them. It's me you want."
Right. Well that was noble. Hopefully she understood why I grabbed her by the arm and tossed her and her basket of goodies for Grandma behind us. The wolf was huge and it was snarling at us.
Leveling the gun, I pointed it straight between his eyes and went to fire off the shot. The next thing I knew, I was pinned to the ground and wolf claws were shredding my skin. Son of a bitch.
"Put this bitch to sleep like the bad dog he is, Faith."
What the hell was this bitch's problem? It was her he wanted? Wow. They make Little Red Riding Hood pretty brave in this dimension. I glanced at the wolf and realized why. In the meantime, the wolf seemed totally uninterested in me and a lot more interested in eating Connor's face off. I needed to put an end to this before I started having serious polar bear flashbacks here.
Lifting up a leg I kicked it hard in the side sending it rolling off of Connor. I grit my teeth hard as I advanced on the thing that was growling at me as if in warning. "Miss me, Dad?" I asked him casually just as he swung out a paw at me and knicked my shoulder with his claws. Son of a bitch! These were the only clothes I had here!
I kicked him hard again just as Connor got to his feet and that was enough to take the wolf's attention off of me for a split second. He probably thought I wouldn't hurt him anyways. After all, I am his daughter.
Grabbing the gun from the ground I fired off three shots, at least one of them was aimed straight for it's heart.
There was another howl after the last shot and then silence. The wolf's body was laying still on the ground as black blood pooled around it. Then the blood began to take on a smokey substance.
I watched as it became a portal. Was this it? This was the way home. Little Red was watching it and then she looked down and screamed. The wolf's body was gone. What. The. Fuck?
"Portal, let's go." I took Faith's hand and tried to walk toward it, but bounced right off. What the hell?
"You have to take the key," an elderly voice said. Looking up I saw what had to be grandmother from the story.
"Grandma, finally, you're okay this time." Little Red held her, but the lady gently pushed her back.
"No dear, but you will be fine. They will take you home where you belong."
"I can't leave you," Red said giving her a strange look.
"I'm always with you." Tapping her lightly across the heart, she whispered, "Go home now, and think of me when you look at your locket."
We can't take the girl with us. What was she...
Looking at Faith I asked, "We've been collecting keys...what if the chick is the key to the portal?"
I couldn't stop staring at the wolf as it died. That was supposed to be my father. If only killing him on the other side would be that easy. If I really thought a bullet would do it I would have done that long ago. I didn't have much to say except I was a little disappointed that this was it. I was happy to be going home, to see a portal even if we did have to bring Little Red with us but that was it? Where was the big mystery? The big secret that was supposed to help us protect our family and get rid of the Senior Partners once and for all?
I shrugged at Connor and looked back at Little Red. I guess if we had to bring her with us than we had to bring her with us. I didn't really know what we were gonna do with her on the other side but I guess we'd figure out something. There were enough strangers living at the hotel by now. Angel seemed to collect them so maybe Little Red would fit right in there.
I was kind of worn out which was weird because I'd just slept forever but I knew most of that was just disappointment over the end of this and how it hadn't really brought me the answers I was hoping to find here. I wonder if Connor felt disappointed to.
"It looks that way but there's only one way to find out. Say bye to Grandma." I said dryly to Little Red and watched as she hugged her grandmother before I took one of her hands and Connor took the other and the three of us stepped into the portal together.
I stared at my grandmother trying to understand why she was sending me away. The wolf was dead. We would finally be free. When she touched my heart, I felt the locket grow warm against my chest. I gave her a questioning look, but she merely smiled and hugged me.
"Be safe dear one. You're going home where you belong."
Pulling back, I took the girl's hand and stepped through the inky black hole with them. It felt as if everything was cold and then suddenly everything was bright.
Looking around frantically, I saw a big building unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
"Of course we come out in front of Wolfram and Hart," the woodsman said. He gave the girl a look and sighed. "We'll take her back to the hotel. Maybe Dad won't kill me for taking you and portal jumping with you if he's distracted by helping..."
I curled up against a wall and sank to the floor as tears streamed down my face. I could remember. I knew what he did to me. The wolf. I could remember. I didn't want to remember.
"Fuck. We need to get her back now before they find us." He crouched in front of me and reached for me, but I flinched at his touch. "We won't hurt you, but you're not safe right here." Looking up at the girl he said, "Faith, is it me or does she sort of remind you of someone?"
I seriously could have kneeled down and kissed the pavement right in front of Wolfram and Hart. I thought about running inside just to see Harry right away but I was afraid that I'd actually run into my dad or Aidan or Dom and I know right now is not the best time for that. That time will come and I would get in touch with Harry later.
I turned my attention back to Connor and the girl who was now cowering against a wall with tears streaming down her cheeks. Did she remind me of someone? There was something about her but I really couldn't put my finger on it. Not to mention? Kinda distracted right now by the fact that I'm finally fucking home. Can we dump this chick off somewhere so I can go see my kids?
"Yeah, I guess so." I said to him, sort of distracted by the usual hustle and bustle of LA. "Let's just get her back to the hotel. We can set her up in a room there and then uhh...figure out what to do with her."
So maybe my people skills kinda sucked. "Maybe Fred can talk to her." There we go. Put it off on Fred. Cause let's face it. Fred's people skills blew mine out of the fucking park. Plus, wasn't she crazy from another dimension once? So was Connor. Maybe the three of them could start a club?
"Listen, I know this place is really frightening..." I tried to talk to her, but she cowered away again. We did not have time for this. Reaching into my pocket, I found one of the old tranq darts I had taken with me for kidnapping Harry.
"I'm sorry," I told her before jabbing her in the arm with it. A moment later she went limp, and I picked her up so we could go.
"Let's go." I carried her over to the closest car and looked over at Faith. "Break in and hot wire it. They can bitch and moan about it later. I want us out of here as soon as possible."
We had a collection of keys and a chick from the dimension. Hopefully the keys opened doors to this dimension and that trip wasn't a total waste of space. I had to face my dad, Cordy, Faith's kids and Harry. It was going to be hell, but thank fuck we were finally home.
Break in and hot wire it? What the fuck? Does he think I'm a criminal or something? Oh wait. I am a criminal. With a shrug I smashed my elbow through the glass and reached inside to pull the locks up. It was an older car so there wasn't an alarm system and that meant it would be easier to hotwire too. Connor got to work getting Little Red into the backseat while I sat in the front and ripped the bottom panel out so I could get a better look at the wires.
Once I found the appropriate wires I sparked them together until I could get the car to start. Ha, Senior Partners. All your power ain't got shit on growin' up white trash in Southie.
"Ready?" I asked Connor as he climbed into the passenger seat and we both shut our doors. Once I had a nod from him I pulled the car out into traffic and towards the Hyperion. I couldn't believe we were back. How much time had even passed?
I pushed it out of my mind and followed Connor out just in time for two guards to come at us before we reached the draw bridge. Two? I was almost insulted by that. I mean, c'mon. Two guards to fight the two of us? That was just the dumbest thing I ever heard. They should have sent an army.
Once we'd gotten past the two guards the two of us walked over the drawbridge and I frowned as I looked over at Connor. I briefly thought about telling him about my dream but then decided against it. After all, how could I really explain it? Even the part with Angel that seemed...like he was really there. That wasn't possible was it?
The birds were chirping loudly in the forest as we walked. "There's gotta be a cabin around here somewhere where you can get some sleep." I said to him as we walked under some brush. "I can see some smoke about a mile south of us. Probably from a chimney." I offered him.
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"The animals are creepily cheerful around here. It's starting to get to me." It was a stupid thing to complain about, but the bird chirping almost sounded like a song. Why couldn't we have ended up in Quor'toth? Faith and I would have kicked ass in about a day there and already been back with the answer we were looking for.
"One of these keys better open up what we're looking for." Whatever the hell it was that we were looking for. The answer to the prophecy. Some way to ensure Lexi and I were not bound to kill each other.
I nodded when she pointed out the smoke. We needed to regroup and hopefully find some food and rest. Not that she really needed more sleep after her long nap. Following the smoke, I spotted something red up ahead. What the hell?
"Is that a girl?" Okay it sounded stupid as soon as I asked. I still had the rifle with me and she seemed to recognize that more than us.
"You look different. Muffin?" She asked, as she held out the basket of goodies to me. One look at her face and recognized her from the Three Bears cabin. Up close and personal...she looked even more like Lena. Weird.
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"Umm. Thanks." I said to her as I took the muffin from her. Come to think of it, I was kinda starved. I held her gaze for a few minutes because there was something in her eyes that looked so undeniably familiar that I couldn't stand it. Shaking the thought away I bit into the muffin. This was Little Red so she probably wouldn't poison Grandma's muffins right?
Connor was eating it too so hopefully that meant we really were okay.
"On your way to see Grandma?" I asked her curiously before looking over at Connor. Was this the next test already? The next key? I thought for sure we could take a break from this shit so Connor could at least get some sleep. Who knew how long he'd even been looking for me and I had no clue how he'd even found me. Maybe I shouldn't have wondered off but when I did? It was for the best. Because I was withdrawing from the drugs and I was a little afraid I would hurt him.
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"What do you mean, I look different?"
She smiled as looked at me. "You're usually taller. Darker hair too. The rifle seems the same."
Red Riding hood...I was the handsome woodsman? I had to save her from the big bad wolf. Right.
"Yes, I am!" She said cheerfully to faith. That smile was really bright. "Do you know my grandmother?"
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"Sorry." I shook my head at Little Red. "Sure she's a real nice lady though." I smiled at her wryly because she was so damn cheerful that you kinda had to be nice to her. And Connor was givin' her a weird look that I really couldn't place. Did he have the hots for this chick? I hoped he didn't get too attached cause there was no way in hell I was letting him stay in Fairytale Hell.
Shit. Little Red Riding Hood. Big Bad Wolf. Wolf meant James, or at least that was what it usually meant to me these days. "Connor," I took him by the elbow and pulled him away from the little twink of a girl for a minute. "Right before I became Sleeping Beauty? Well, James and Dom and Aidan were there. I'm pretty sure Aidan's the one who put me into a coma. What kinda wolf are we talkin' about here?"
The kind that was completely unkillable? Don't get me wrong. I'm sure there's a way to kill them and one of these days I'm gonna find out what it is cause I've had it but here? This was more their playground than it was ours.
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I understood that look well. It's the look of someone who has had their memory tampered with. How many times has she had to face this wolf? Did it leave a lasting impression buried deep that she couldn't quite get too?
I listened and growled when Faith told me about the partners. Fucking hell were we ever going to catch a break from them? Was this all their design? Of course it was. Every shitty thing that happened to us lead right back to that law firm.
"James is the wolf of wolfram and hart, right? You think we're about to go up against him?"
"No," Little Red said suddenly as she looked at Faith. "You can't come with us. Run."
"She isn't going to run. Are you all right? Look, why don't you sit this one out? We can handle the wolf." Maybe Faith wouldn't like that plan, but there was something in the girl's eyes that made me want to protect her from going through this part of the story again.
"I have too. It's my..." she shrugged again and turned her attention back to Faith. "Run. Please. Don't let him...hurt you."
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I glanced up again when the sound of howling got so close it sent a shiver running down my back. The only time I'd ever seen my father in his true form was in that weird...flashback dream thing that Aidan had sent me on. I wasn't really looking forward to repeating the experience either. He wasn't a wolf, he was a straight up monster.
I guess that makes me part monster. I shrugged it off. Part monster's better than no monster at all. Made it a lot easier to fight him.
Suddenly the sky darkened again and in the distance I could barely make out the tall shadowy figure of a wolf. It's jaws were gigantic as it snarled and I immediately recognized it. This was no wolf, it was a demon. They didn't make wolves that big or scary looking in the real world. The real world. Heh. That almost made me laugh.
I stood up and could feel Connor tense up right beside me as the wolf stared us down through bright red eyes before suddenly charging right towards us. "Hey Little Red. You might wanna run." I told her easily just before Connor and I took the impact of the first blow.
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"Don't hurt them. It's me you want."
Right. Well that was noble. Hopefully she understood why I grabbed her by the arm and tossed her and her basket of goodies for Grandma behind us. The wolf was huge and it was snarling at us.
Leveling the gun, I pointed it straight between his eyes and went to fire off the shot. The next thing I knew, I was pinned to the ground and wolf claws were shredding my skin. Son of a bitch.
"Put this bitch to sleep like the bad dog he is, Faith."
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Lifting up a leg I kicked it hard in the side sending it rolling off of Connor. I grit my teeth hard as I advanced on the thing that was growling at me as if in warning. "Miss me, Dad?" I asked him casually just as he swung out a paw at me and knicked my shoulder with his claws. Son of a bitch! These were the only clothes I had here!
I kicked him hard again just as Connor got to his feet and that was enough to take the wolf's attention off of me for a split second. He probably thought I wouldn't hurt him anyways. After all, I am his daughter.
Grabbing the gun from the ground I fired off three shots, at least one of them was aimed straight for it's heart.
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I watched as it became a portal. Was this it? This was the way home. Little Red was watching it and then she looked down and screamed. The wolf's body was gone. What. The. Fuck?
"Portal, let's go." I took Faith's hand and tried to walk toward it, but bounced right off. What the hell?
"You have to take the key," an elderly voice said. Looking up I saw what had to be grandmother from the story.
"Grandma, finally, you're okay this time." Little Red held her, but the lady gently pushed her back.
"No dear, but you will be fine. They will take you home where you belong."
"I can't leave you," Red said giving her a strange look.
"I'm always with you." Tapping her lightly across the heart, she whispered, "Go home now, and think of me when you look at your locket."
We can't take the girl with us. What was she...
Looking at Faith I asked, "We've been collecting keys...what if the chick is the key to the portal?"
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I shrugged at Connor and looked back at Little Red. I guess if we had to bring her with us than we had to bring her with us. I didn't really know what we were gonna do with her on the other side but I guess we'd figure out something. There were enough strangers living at the hotel by now. Angel seemed to collect them so maybe Little Red would fit right in there.
I was kind of worn out which was weird because I'd just slept forever but I knew most of that was just disappointment over the end of this and how it hadn't really brought me the answers I was hoping to find here. I wonder if Connor felt disappointed to.
"It looks that way but there's only one way to find out. Say bye to Grandma." I said dryly to Little Red and watched as she hugged her grandmother before I took one of her hands and Connor took the other and the three of us stepped into the portal together.
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"Be safe dear one. You're going home where you belong."
Pulling back, I took the girl's hand and stepped through the inky black hole with them. It felt as if everything was cold and then suddenly everything was bright.
Looking around frantically, I saw a big building unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
"Of course we come out in front of Wolfram and Hart," the woodsman said. He gave the girl a look and sighed. "We'll take her back to the hotel. Maybe Dad won't kill me for taking you and portal jumping with you if he's distracted by helping..."
I curled up against a wall and sank to the floor as tears streamed down my face. I could remember. I knew what he did to me. The wolf. I could remember. I didn't want to remember.
"Fuck. We need to get her back now before they find us." He crouched in front of me and reached for me, but I flinched at his touch. "We won't hurt you, but you're not safe right here." Looking up at the girl he said, "Faith, is it me or does she sort of remind you of someone?"
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I turned my attention back to Connor and the girl who was now cowering against a wall with tears streaming down her cheeks. Did she remind me of someone? There was something about her but I really couldn't put my finger on it. Not to mention? Kinda distracted right now by the fact that I'm finally fucking home. Can we dump this chick off somewhere so I can go see my kids?
"Yeah, I guess so." I said to him, sort of distracted by the usual hustle and bustle of LA. "Let's just get her back to the hotel. We can set her up in a room there and then uhh...figure out what to do with her."
So maybe my people skills kinda sucked. "Maybe Fred can talk to her." There we go. Put it off on Fred. Cause let's face it. Fred's people skills blew mine out of the fucking park. Plus, wasn't she crazy from another dimension once? So was Connor. Maybe the three of them could start a club?
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"I'm sorry," I told her before jabbing her in the arm with it. A moment later she went limp, and I picked her up so we could go.
"Let's go." I carried her over to the closest car and looked over at Faith. "Break in and hot wire it. They can bitch and moan about it later. I want us out of here as soon as possible."
We had a collection of keys and a chick from the dimension. Hopefully the keys opened doors to this dimension and that trip wasn't a total waste of space. I had to face my dad, Cordy, Faith's kids and Harry. It was going to be hell, but thank fuck we were finally home.
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Once I found the appropriate wires I sparked them together until I could get the car to start. Ha, Senior Partners. All your power ain't got shit on growin' up white trash in Southie.
"Ready?" I asked Connor as he climbed into the passenger seat and we both shut our doors. Once I had a nod from him I pulled the car out into traffic and towards the Hyperion. I couldn't believe we were back. How much time had even passed?
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