Mr. Hartley (Alternate Places Book 1)

by P. S. Power

  Early for once.

  That meant he had about half an hour before he needed to meet Patty, and Merri would still be in rush hour, busy making food for the Chinese Place.

  He knew Hilda had a client right now, the small woman that still lifted more weight than he did, even though he was closing in rapidly according to Lars. He had a feeling Lars might just be trying to keep his spirits up though, that being what his under-self, his Shadow had said the last time he lifted weights there. Not that it wasn't true, but that the giant wondered if Zack would feel embarrassed about his low level of strength.

  Valerie worked this time slot, mainly so she could listen in on his sessions with Patty. He knew that she reported daily to everyone else, this time because she'd simply told him. She'd looked darned nervous when she did it, but Zack had just accepted it with a shrug. Everyone else in the Mall probably had the same data anyway, why not the people in his life it may eventually affect? Better they find out from Val than say, Riley, right?

  He was about to sit down in the food court and re-read his homework when Rose called him over from where she stood in front of the Fun Zone. He went, interested, but a little wary as to what she had to say, especially since her brother had just crossed his mind moments before. Tricksters were best approached with caution, he'd heard, though the ones he knew all seemed nice so far.

  The woman in question smiled at him a little and waved a hand.

  “I know I'm supposed to be all sly and tricksterish about these things, but since I know you and so far none of the 'tricks' my brother has tried on you have actually worked, since you really don't seem to need most of the lessons, I'll just ask. I need to go into the Alfric lands. Can you get me there? I heard you recently helped open up one of the old routes. I'll also need a guide if you can help me with that. I can pay...” He stopped her with an upraised hand.

  “I can get you there. One of the perks of being my friend, I guess. Since we're technically married... I suggest you talk to Merri, who's my wife as well, about a guide. Since, you know, she's from there. I've been planning to take her as a Christmas present, but if she's needed to help you, that would come first. I can take her anyway and just get her something else, though I have no idea as to what she'd like. This present thing is hard.” He looked at her for a moment then grinned and told her that this could be her present.

  “Nope, this is all business. You can take me to Lesser Shia though. Mom raves about the shopping there. I've never been.” This last a bit wistful, Zack thought.

  “I've been there a lot, nearly two hundred times today alone – but they won't let me out of the 'secure area' just because someone tried to kill me during a business meeting there. I gather it's pretty safe for everyone else. Virtually no crime, simple laws that are easy to follow and a lot of leeway given to strangers that may not know any better. It actually sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe they'll let me in some day?”

  Chuckling warmly she reached out and took his upper arm in her hand for a second, then dropped it. Her dog self preened in front of him and told him he seemed really sweet. Then she made suggestions that almost made him blink. Apparently dogs had good hearing too, along with bats and Vampires, and Libby really hadn't been very quiet at all.

  She asked him to watch the Fun Zone, since he knew how and no one had come in for the last two hours anyway. She planned to go and see if she could liberate Merri's ear for a second, ask her some questions and come right back.

  Mentioning that he had a meeting with Patty at seven, she just laughed a bit and said she knew that then promised to get back before he had to be there.

  He decided to sweep the place up while he waited. The old wooden broom handle gave him a splinter, a huge one, which he pulled out quickly. Then he used the old metal dust pan just as Rose came back.

  “Merri's going to ask the guy from 'Fried Things,' Glen, if he'll be my guide. She thinks I'll need a male Alfric with me if I want to get anything done quickly. I should be able to let you know when in a few days, maybe sooner, maybe later. I need to go and get back as soon as possible, but everything always takes longer than it seems like it should. You understand that though, right? It's hard to explain why I need to go... Needless to say it will probably prove important to someone in the end. These things always do, after all.”

  Pointing at the clock on the wall near the line-up of cheap prizes, nearly seven, she pushed him a little to get him walking toward his meeting. She waved as he left and called out that she'd see him soon. The trickster sounded happy enough about the whole thing, which he hoped would be a good sign.

  When he got to the door of Patty's office, all three of the Alede working there stood around, listening to something according to their Shadows. One of them seemed to be a new girl, too. Sexy, light brown hair, slightly more curvy than the others, wearing a nice outfit that looked new, close in style to the things sold in The Chasm across the way.

  Zack got right away that this was a person he had encountered before. In his bed, if he remembered correctly. This 'new girl' would be Robert, the other guy at the store. He'd turned into this form when the Alede had helped him trigger all those memories.

  Zack stopped when Norris headed over to him and gestured for him to not go into the office yet.

  “The Police are looking for Robert. Four guys jumped him last night, because he slept with one of their wives or girlfriends or something silly like that. He fought, not knowing what the heck was going on, and they didn't fare too well it seems. So in retaliation for him not letting them kill him, they're trying to claim he attacked them with a gun and beat them with it. So he's hiding as Sarah. Patty's furious, mainly with the morons that attacked him, but with him too for being so careless.” Norris motioned the others over, the rest of the store being both orderly and empty of customers.

  Val gave Zack a hug and Sarah did too, which he found odd, until their Shadows explained that Sarah, unlike Robert, didn't have an actual address and only the flimsiest of identities. She needed a place to stay and transportation, and since they were all such good friends...

  He laughed before any of them could speak.

  “Fine, you can stay with us until this blows over or gets resolved. I'm not sleeping with you though. Nothing against you, obviously, my life's just already too full of beautiful women. You can sleep with Troy. Or Betty, though I think she likes guys. Nikki maybe, but Vampires don't give energy the same way from sex, do they? Don't try Hilda. That won't work. Merri? I don't know, but that's between you and her, if anything happens or not.” He summarized quickly, then realized Sarah probably already knew most of this from discussions with Val. In fact, she probably understood a lot more about the dynamics of the strange situation than he did.

  Val smiled at him, seeming kindly, and like he was being cute. Norris did a more manly version of the same. Sarah though, teared up. After a moment she wiped at her eyes carefully with a tissue and said, “I wish I had what you have, Val.”

  The other Alede seemed to get it, though Zack didn't exactly. Val seeing his bafflement explained.

  “You have to realize how strange this situation is for us, Zack. Everyone is following your lead, which is amazingly non-selfish. I mean group dynamics are tricky, but I don't think I've ever seen a better managed and organized relationship. Maybe not all needs are being met for each person yet, but each person has the right to go and get those needs met if they want to, without worrying about being kicked out of the group. Really rare. It's kind of the secret fantasy of most Alede, to have that kind of thing. Love and people that understand them without judgment or fear.”

  Sarah nodded, and dabbed again.

  “Oh, Patty's off the phone now. Let's go see what's up then.” Norris led them all to the back and opened the door. He waved Zack in first.

  “The Police refuse to accept that Robert is missing and perhaps dead. I can tell they don't think for a minute that he actually did what was claimed, but they seem willing to let it go to court with one person'
s word going against four, and sanity be damned. Oooh, I could just kick them!”

  Her Shadow self, while very angry over the whole thing, managed to be very cute about it, acting almost like a cartoon version of Patty, stomping her feet, waving her fist in the air. With a bit of focus he ignored this and tried to listen to her words instead.

  “We need to find a place for Sarah to stay...” She began.

  “She's staying with us. So that's not an issue for now.” Zack broke in, wondering if listening to the phone meant that Patty couldn't hear what they said outside her office? That made sense in a way, or else everything would overwhelm them all the time. Every squeaking door and dripping faucet making life nearly impossible.

  “Good. Then we may have to generate a new identity for Sarah and have her stay that way for a while. Armed assault with a firearm is serious. Even though he didn't do it, we can't prove it in this case. We...don't fare well in prison on the whole, Zack. It's best to avoid even the slightest possibility of it.” She shuddered at the thought, Val going around the desk to comfort her while Norris did the same for Sarah.

  “On the good side, if you did get sent away, I'm pretty sure I could break you out almost immediately. Probably before they got you to the jail house, though it wouldn't be easy. Uh, because of the moving vehicles and stuff.” Zack explained, in case they thought the rest would really be hard.

  Instead of laughing they all looked at him in something like amazement.

  “You'd do that for me? I mean...” Sarah exclaimed, a bit louder than she obviously expected to.

  “Of course. Especially if you were wrongly accused of something you didn't do. It's basically what I did for Hilda's brother Karl. Or, you know, if they were going to lock you up for something really stupid. Like parking tickets or something like that. Though, you know, pay your parking tickets... Anyway, yes. Why wouldn't I? You all know you made the Christmas list by now, 'Family and Lovers' that list is called and you're all on it.” He shrugged again and realized it seemed to have become a habit, shrugging all the time. He decided to work on it. It didn't look very strong, did it?

  Patty and Sarah actually started to cry, for some reason. Norris teared up, but turned away manfully. Val just smiled at him.

  “Don't worry, they just didn't expect someone that doesn't seem to want anything from them to also be there for them. That's the reason the Alede stick together so closely you know, because almost everyone else just wants to use us, own us, possess us, or worse. Often a lot worse. Yet here you are, not really wanting anything from us, certainly nothing we all wouldn't gladly give, offering things that most kingdoms couldn't afford to buy and meaning it as if it were only to be expected. It takes some getting used to.”

  Norris clapped him on the shoulder, holding a crying Sarah in the other arm.

  “Just know that if you ever need anything we can provide, anything, let us know. Someone for a porn shoot, a date to a reception, a quick blowjob, even if you want to see what it's like to be a girl, we've got your back.” They all started to laugh except Zack, whose eyes grew far away suddenly.

  Robert hiding as a girl, one with unique fingerprints, a female brain altering even the thought patterns, while leaving knowledge and ability intact. Even a Demon might have trouble seeing through that kind of disguise...

  “What...” Patty began, stopping when he put his finger to his mouth, making a 'shush' sign. He looked at her hard and mouthed 'later.'

  “Indeed... Back to the issue at hand then, did you do your reading?” Her lips curled, and the interest in the room suddenly shifted, as sex remained one of their favorite topics, being central to who they were.

  Nodding, Zack lifted the book as if to show he had it and read it.

  “You said to focus on kissing, but I read the whole section. Twice.” This had included all forms of oral sex including some he simply didn't want to try. Still, he read the literature, just in case. If it would be required of him, he could shut off his emotional reactions and simply follow instructions, he decided.

  Norris and Val headed out, though Sarah stayed in the office listening to him as Patty quizzed him on what he read. He realized that she wasn't there to help test him immediately, the Shadows gave that away. She'd stayed simply because she felt lost and Zack seemed steady and comfortable.

  Patty seemed pleased with his knowledge of the information on the whole.

  “Well, tomorrow we'll drill technique on a model – plastic so don't worry about embarrassment – then we'll take care of some other things... I'll see you then.”

  Zack wondered why she thought that doing the things from the book on a plastic model in front of her wouldn't embarrass him? Especially if she wanted him to work on a male one. He didn't think he could do that at all, not yet at least. Not only wasn't he interested in men, but even without the emotional content he'd have to work up to that kind of thing, if the class required it. The Alede were far more flexible that way than he could ever be. All that could be done would be to show up and try to explain this to her, if it came up at all. Until then, why borrow trouble? This thought caused him to nod to himself slightly.

  Considering things carefully, he asked her if she'd lend him Sarah early tonight, so that he could take her, and possibly Libby, back home with him early.

  Tilting her head she said “I think I see. Yes, that will do nicely. Libby is at your place often, but doesn't live with you. So it will look like a party or sleep over rather than a single guest. Not that anyone's looking for Sarah in particular, or even knows to look for her, but the caution is appreciated.”

  Sarah seemed relieved that things were being handled for her, rather than angry as he thought she might be. He'd guessed correctly that she didn't feel like she had a lot to hang on to at the moment. He could provide that port in the storm that people talked about, or something like that.

  They found Libby at work. Her shift ended in an hour and fifteen minutes, so Keeber, her roommate asked if she could be gone all night if he covered for her.

  “I, uh, have a date.” Inside the large man who looked more like a lumber jack than a trendy store employee – the bear – shifted restlessly. “So, you get the idea...”

  Zack started to shrug, stopped himself, and just looked at the large man, “Sure.”

  He introduced Libby to Sarah, new to the Beautiful Plus and vice versa. Libby gave no clue that she'd overheard the entire conversation that took place earlier, even though she almost certainly had, her real job having a lot more to do with information gathering than selling clothing.

  They all made the rounds, so that the other women would know what the situation had turned into. Everyone agreed happily enough, though Merri suggested they look into a bigger domicile soon. It was a real point. Even if they had just gotten his old house.

  He got Sarah and Libby home and both settled in with Betty and Troy in the living room playing video games.

  Sarah dispatched the question of whether or not Betty liked to have sex with women by simply asking. After all, she explained, this wasn't the nineteen-fifties anymore, so why not?

  The Human servant didn't seem insulted by it.

  "I like men, but I've done things with girls too. It just isn't what really does it for me." There was a shrug, but a slightly curious look, rather than the rejection that might be expected given the words. The Succubus nodded and made a slight head gesture that was really clear to Zack, directing Betty toward Troy's room. After that, the interplay got avoided mentally, since it wasn't his business.

  Claire got there a little before nine, to see him... and the others when they got home, if only for a few minutes. He hugged her hard and kissed her cheek, as her Shadow told him that she worried that she had blood on her breath still. She did kiss his cheek back, her cold lips against his skin. She paused for a moment, her lips lingering, to feel his heart beat.

  Zack explained the whole Robert-Sarah situation and that Libby planned to stay the night at his invitation. Claire picked up o
n the reasons why – that Sarah would have someone familiar around until Val got there – quickly so didn't ask any questions.

  “So, Libby will be staying in your bed then?” The implication rang in her voice, though without judgment.

  “That's the plan. Though I guess she could bunk with Betty... It's just that she knows me better.” He tried to convey that he didn't want to slight anyone or make anyone uncomfortable, using a Shadow speaking. It seemed to relax her a bit, even though he hadn't realized the tension she carried before.

  Just before nine he ran to get Merri, Val, and Hilda. They were back in time to go and meet Lisa for coffee. Everyone wished him luck on his date, as if it were real. Maybe to them it seemed that way?

  None of them had ever done that with him, after all.

  Merri suggested that Libby might be double dipping on the list, since she'd already had her turn this week, but let it go quickly with a bemused look, and dismissed her own words with a wave, saying that everyone had their favorites after all.

  Zack agreed.

  “The problem is, I seem to have about six or seven favorites. It makes things difficult.” Then he picked up Merri in a sudden and passionate kiss. She squealed a little at first, in glee, then melted into it. Apparently the tips in the book work well. He'd have to make sure they stayed committed to memory.

  He put her down softly leaving her a little breathless.

  “Now, if there's nothing else, I need to get to my date.”

  Even he realized how funny that had to sound.

  No one else laughed though.

  Chapter thirty

  Lisa picked up the hot chocolate that sat on the table in front of her slowly. Cradling the warm ceramic mug, a nice cream colored thing that was smooth, but not cheap looking. Both of them had to be up in the morning so cocoa seemed like a good plan. It also made a good excuse to eat whipped topping, which always seemed a plus to him.