Reece's Faith

by T J Vertigo

Faith's face was severely pinched as they left Niketown and headed to the 'safety zone'. You can't go wrong at The Gap. She practically flew passed Victoria's Secret, much to the dismay of her friend.

  "Hey, Faith, wait up, they're having a thong sale!"

  "Are you willing to take Mother in there?" she pointed at the large lingerie store.

  "On second thought, I have the catalogue."

  "I thought not. Let's go, we're pretty safe with chinos."

  * * *

  Quinn was content to sit on the back of the bike and let Reece lead them. He had no idea where they were going, only that they headed out of the city and into Brooklyn. After the harrowing experience of being on a motorcycle crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, the man was finally at ease and enjoying the ride.

  Reece picked her brain at what to do with Quinn. At first, she thought about taking him to the pool hall, but then decided against it. It was too risky. Someone was bound to make some comment about her that would raise Quinn's eyebrows. Then she thought of just riding out to nowhere and that was nixed. Quinn was sure to be sore and need to use a bathroom soon. Fine. We'll go. I can do it. "You alright back there?" Reece asked at the first light since leaving the highway.

  "Yeah, where are we going?" he adjusted his grip, yet still his fingers hurt.

  "Since we're both not thrilled with the idea of you hugging me, put your hands in my jacket pockets; it'll take the load off your fingers."

  "Thanks," he slipped his hands into the pockets and found them very warm and comfortable. Ahhh, that's much better. "You haven't answered my question."

  "You'll see when we get there."

  Quinn sighed. He hated not knowing where they we're going, but was excited at the same time. He had never done anything like this before and he was wondering what had taken him so long. Perhaps this is a mid-life crisis? he wondered. He sighed again.

  Reece misread the sighs. "Okay, we're going to a baseball game."

  "Baseball?" He cocked his head. There wasn't any baseball in Brooklyn.

  "I was going to surprise Faith with it today, but since I wound up with you, you'll be my date," she joked.

  Suddenly Quinn remembered. "The new stadium in Coney Island? Isn't that a minor league team?"

  "You don't want to go?" she asked in alarm. She had no other ideas.

  "Yes! I want to go! This is fantastic!! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

  "I had no idea if I really wanted to do such a thing. I don't know that I like you that much yet," she said honestly.

  "Well... okay... I can see your point."

  "Don't sweat it, Pops, I like you a little... enough to take you to a ball game."

  "Oh, wow. Thank you, Reece. I never would have expected it." She's really something.

  "It's nothing." My ass. I'm, doing a father-son thing here... god help me.

  Quinn smiled broadly behind Reece. This, he never imagined. He never took Faith to a ball game and here he was, going with Reece. She was going to take Faith to her first ball game. Suddenly Quinn felt sad. He waited until the next light to express himself. "Reece, I'm sorry we ruined your day. I'm sure Faith would have been mighty excited to see her first baseball game with you today."

  "Her first? She's never been?" Reece felt disappointed to be spending the day with Quinn now.

  "Well, I was always too busy," he floundered.

  "Faith adored you. Did you know that?" She turned halfway around in her seat to see the sad face of her girlfriend's father.

  "Yes, I know. I don't know what happened between us, she was my little girl. Now I feel like shit."

  And he looks like it, too. Reece sighed, "Look, what's past is past, we can't change that. Trust me on that one."

  "Sometimes, though..."

  "Forget it, it doesn't work. You're stuck with the mistakes for the rest of your life." Quinn looked miserable and Reece pulled the bike over to the curb. "I tell you what, we don't have to go to the game today... I'll give you the season tickets and you can tell Faith that they're yours.

  "Why would you do that? You don't owe me anything... I don't understand."

  "No, I don't owe you a thing... but you owe Faith."

  "You'd really do that for me?" Quinn was shocked.

  "I'd do it for Faith. I'd do anything for Faith. Anything," Reece stated.

  "I believe you." He studied Reece with new eyes. She was still very imposing... and she still scared him, but he respected her and he trusted her... with Faith's life.

  Reece began to sweat under the scrutiny and she fingered her jacket uncomfortably. "What are you looking at?"

  Quinn chuckled, "You know, I am afraid of you, you don't have to give me that look."

  "You were staring at me and I hate that."

  "Can we go to the game now?" he asked with a smile.

  "Sure, I guess so. Nothing else to do," she said feiging boredom.

  "With the girls out shopping, we have to whole afternoon together."

  The club owner winced, thinking about spending the entire afternoon with Quinn. "Whatever. Let's go." Reece was highly uncomfortable with the new relationship. She knew it was the right thing to do, but it was new and very unusual for her. Acting civil wasn't going to be hard, but it was going to be new. Reece hated new.

  "Thank you for all of this," Quinn said sincerely.

  Reece nodded and pointed the bike in the direction of Coney Island.

  * * *

  The girls were settling into a booth for a late lunch when Faith's phone rang. After climbing over the many bags beside her, the actress finally found the phone and smiled broadly upon hearing the voice.

  "Hiya, babe."

  Faith strained to here Reece over the background noise, "Where are you?"

  "You'd never believe me if I told you."

  "Try me."

  "Me and Pops are at a baseball game."

  Faith didn't know what was more shocking, Reece calling her father 'Pops' or where they were. "A what?" She covered the mouthpiece and told Cori and her mom. Marsha almost choked on her tea and Cori's eyebrow piercing threatened to tangle in her hair.

  Reece looked over at Quinn who was having the time of his life. "A baseball game. Your dad is having too much fun. Maybe I should scare him or something."

  "Stop that," she paused, letting it all soak in. "You're really with my father? Together? At a baseball game?"

  "Yeah. Here..." There was a rustling noise and Quinn's voice came over the phone loud and clear. "Hi, honey! Are you having a good day?"

  "Yes, Daddy, a great day a little shocking, but great. Are you having a good time? Is Reece behaving herself? Where'd you get tickets to a baseball game?"

  Quinn laughed at his daughter's many questions, "Yes, I'm having a fantastic time. Reece has been, well, Reece and the tickets..." There was more rustling and Reece came back on the line. "The tickets are the old man's. He was going to surprise you with them today, but, well, shit happens." She glared at Quinn who closed his mouth. "We gotta go now, see ya at home later."

  Faith stared at the phone for a moment before putting it away. Catching the expectant stares from her tablemates, she shook her head and relayed the odd phone call.

  "He had tickets to a baseball game?" Marsha's brows drew together.

  "That's what she said. I'm telling you, this is creepy. I don't know what's going on with them."

  "Hey, don't knock it, Faith. Your dad is getting along with Reece. It's a miracle."

  "I'm sure there's more behind it. It's too good."

  "He didn't have tickets to a baseball game," Marsha pouted.

  "Maybe he did?" Cori wondered.

  "Well, we didn't give anyone a chance to talk this morning. It's possible that it's true," Faith thought out loud.

  "I can't believe they're at a game together. I tell ya, it's eerie." Cori said.

  Faith mock shivered.

  * * *

  After a mighty fine day of shopping, the three women piled into a cab with their purchases. With all
the bags, one person had to sit in the front and Faith volunteered. The actress winced when she looked at the driver. The hack was ugly -- he had a huge scar across his cheek, his eye socket looked like it had been crushed, his nose was most definitely broken and his cheekbone was deformed, like someone had smashed into it with a bat. I bet he got robbed or something, she thought. However, after being on the receiving end of some pretty rude stares from the cabbie, she figured, whatever happened to him, he must have deserved it. Finally, the actress had enough of his sideways glances and turned to glare at him. He gave her a somewhat disgusted look.

  "Excuse me, but what is your problem?" she asked with annoyance.

  "You're that actress," he said with a frown.

  Cori tensed up, not liking the tone of his voice. "Hey, you got a problem, buddy?"

  Marsha leaned forward to hear what was going on and the dancer fought with her for space in the little opening of the bulletproof partition.

  The driver looked in his rear view and grimaced, "Great, dykes and freaks. What's your gig, old lady?"

  "I beg your pardon?" Marsha shouted.

  "Funny though, you don't look like a lesbo," he once again looked Faith up and down making the actress very nervous. "You look normal to me."

  "What the hell is that supposed to mean? What's a lesbian supposed to look like," Faith countered, more angry than scared, "and what constitutes normal?"

  "You just don't look like a real lezzy, is all."

  "You fucking asshole..." the dancer began.

  Cori's fit faded into the background. Faith's head was pounding. She'd never been confronted with something like this before and she didn't know how to react. Sure, she was angry. Who was he to tell her what she should look like? And who was he to tell her she wasn't a real lesbian? She was certainly was a lesbian; Reece was definitely a woman and she loved Reece fiercely. Wait just a minute... Just because he thinks I don't look like a lesbian, does that mean other people think the same thing? Are they trying to invalidate Reece's and my relationship based on what they think she or I should look like? Faith mulled over that while her mother's voice pierced through her thoughts.

  "...and who are you to judge what people should look like? How do you know I'm not a lesbian? Just because I don't wear a shirt that says 'I'm a big, old lesbian' doesn't mean I'm not..."

  The actress stewed some more until she was enraged with the idea of this man making her feel like she was. Fuck him. Fuck him and anyone that thinks like him. Reece and me are real. I don't need to prove that to the likes of him. Asshole.

  "...and another thing, mister..."

  "Mom, drop it. Pull over, we're getting out."

  "My pleasure," he snickered.

  "Let me just tell you one thing, you narrow-minded shit-for-brains, you are so incredibly lucky that my girlfriend, who also looks nothing like your version of a lesbo isn't anywhere near the vicinity of this conversation. I can guarantee you this, you pig, she, who is every single inch a breathtakingly beautiful woman, would hand feed you your nuts in an heartbeat if she even thought you may have insinuated that we are not a valid couple, based on your twisted idea of what we should look like."

  Marsha and Cori got out of the cab and Cori was holding Faith's door open, trying to coax the highly irate actress out of the car.

  "Don't even think about getting paid, I have your name, you moron, and that's all she needs to know in order to hunt you down and kill you. They call her The Animal..." Faith noted the change in the hack's expression when she said that, "...and do you know why they call her that? She enjoys tearing the throat out of her prey before she rips it apart and eats it." The actress stormed out of the cab.

  Cori had peered in the door and watched the man pale. She glanced at the driver's identification and laughed loudly. This guy knew The Animal, all right. She'd kicked his ass... hard. "And don't ever call me a freak again," she slammed the door so violently, the man's teeth rattled.

  "Hey, Faith! Wait up! Wait 'til I tell you who that was!"

  Faith stopped in her tracks. She was so mad; she was positively fuming. "Who was it?" she bit out through her teeth.

  "Joey. He used to have a club in Times Square, but Frankie found out through the grapevine that he was pimping teenagers."

  Marsha looked horrified.

  Faith swallowed. "Frankie sent Reece after him, didn't he?" She looked sick. "Reece did that to him..." her sentence trailed off as she leaned heavily against a wall.

  "Dear god! Theresa mangled him?" Marsha leaned next to her daughter.

  "Yeah, she fucked him up real bad. She brought the kids to the church that she was at when she was a kid. After spending some time with them, she became enraged at what they went through and went back and beat him again while he was in the hospital."

  "God, Cori. I can't say he didn't deserve what he got, but shit," Faith buried her face in her hands and gathered her thoughts.

  "It alarms me, Faith. Is Theresa capable of that kind of brutality now?" Marsha asked with genuine fear.

  "The answer would be yes, mother. Reece is still Reece. She was trained and conditioned to fight and sometimes kill. She's capable, but I can guarantee she will never, ever, harm a hair on my head."

  "She'd sooner jump in front of a subway," Cori agreed.

  The three women stood, lost in their own thoughts for a long while, each coming to terms with what they had seen and heard.

  "If you trust her, Faith, Cori... I trust her too."

  Faith was still reeling from the encounter and the face of the man, knowing Reece was the cause of his disfigurement. The sheer naked violence that her lover was capable of still scared her immensely. She couldn't justify what she'd seen and heard with the intensity of emotion they shared, the safety and warmth she felt when wrapped in Reece's arms, the depth of love she saw in her clear blue eyes and the gentleness of her touch when she wanted to be tender. Those are the same arms and fingers that tore that man apart. It never failed to amaze Faith how these two people were one and the same. Oh, it scared her, all right, but this was Reece and she could not condemn Reece for her past, just as much as she could not stop loving her because of it. Suddenly, she really craved her lover's arms holding her tightly, soothing her, loving her. It was okay now. That had been a long time ago.

  "Wanna get another cab?" Cori offered.

  Faith looked around them and spotted a TGI Fridays. "Nope, I could sure use a drink right about now," she winked at Cori who nodded rapidly in agreement.

  * * *

  There was a fashion show in full swing when Reece and Quinn came in the door. Faith was modeling a new short's set and Reece whistled her appreciation.

  "Hi, baby!" Faith threw herself in her lover's arms. "You like?"

  "Hell, yeah," Reece bent her head to kiss Faith and raised her eyebrow. "You've been drinking?" she asked as she shrugged off her coat.

  "It looks wonderful, honey," Quinn agreed as he handed Reece the leather jacket he had been borrowing.

  "Just a little," Faith giggled and scrunched her nose up in that way that warmed Reece's heart. "Can I have my kiss now?" she asked as she draped her arms around her tall lover's waist.

  "But of course." Reece touched her lips to Faith's and the actress's tongue exploded into her mouth. She had to reach out to the wall to catch her balance. Mmm, gotta love her, just add alcohol... she thought as she held on and returned the kiss with gusto.

  "Break it up, guys, there are other people in the room!" Cori laughed.

  The two parted and Reece stepped sideways into the smirking face of Quinn. "That was some hello," he mentioned casually, although the embarrassment showed clearly in his face.

  "Yeah well, I had no idea. They've been drinking."

  "Oh, no, not Marsha too?" he winced.

  "Here she comes, Miss America," Marsha's voice preceded her body and she waltzed into the room clad in a sports bra and Lycra bike shorts.

  "Good god!" Reece whispered.

  Faith shot her a
withering glare and Reece rubbed her eyes. Quinn was slack jawed, frozen where he stood and didn't say a word.

  "Well, Quinn? What do you think?" Marsha paraded around the living room.

  Reece leaned her head close to Quinn and spoke out of the side of her mouth. "I don't know about you, Pops, but my eyes are burning."

  "Quinn?"

  Reece elbowed the stricken man.

  "Oh, it's... um, unusual, Marsh."

  Reece chuckled and whispered again, "Oh, that sucked, buddy, you're in for it now."

  "Unusual?" Marsha questioned, hands on hips.

  "Well, not really unusual..." Since Reece apparently knew what to say, he looked to her for help. Seeing nothing but a humorous glint in her eyes, he winged it, "I meant different. It's lovely, really."

  "So, you like it then?"

  "Why, of course I do. You look..." he attempted to look at Reece again but she was rubbing her eyes, "...younger."

  The room let out a collective sigh of relief.

  "Hey, Mrs. A, show us what else you bought, I don't know if I can behave myself when you walk around like that."

  "Oh, Theresa! You're such a card!" Marsha giggled and ran out of the room with a spring in her step.

  "That's the way to do it, Mr. A." Reece laughed and sat on the couch to wait for Faith's next outfit.

  "I don't know that I like your charm all that much, Reece. You have a way with the ladies," Quinn narrowed his eyes.

  Seeing his point, Reece grinned. "Don't you worry, Mr. A, it's all about Faith. I'd never disrespect her."

  Quinn tried his best intimidating posture. "You better not," he warned.

  Understanding his protectiveness, Reece smiled reassuringly. "Never," she stated seriously, then nearly fell off the couch as Faith sashayed into the room in a teeny-tiny, little sundress. "Oh, yeah, you go, girl!" she encouraged as her lover twirled.

  "It's a keeper?" Faith teased with a wink.

  "C'mere you," Reece reached out and snatched Faith into her lap. "Definitely," she purred into the actress's ear.

  "Aren't you in a mood?" Faith shivered and took a deep breath. "If I didn't have my period..." she whispered.