Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

if if had been a normal situation Elliott would have been listening intently to what Cliff was saying and actually taking note of it. But in his current state he was very much out of it, letting the doctor's words wash over him while at the same time not actually hearing what was being said. The only point he took in was that Zan was still alive, the rest went straight over his head. Cal was far more with it, unlike Elliott, she hadn't been right next to Zan when it happened, she'd been walking at the other edge of the group. She was still experiencing shock, but it was nothing like what her brother was feeling as she hadn't been the intended target. Hearing her wife's voice also helped calm her. Although Cliff was using her 'doctor voice' the woman was rambling slightly, a nervous habit she had. She hadn't doubted Cliff's theory for one minute, as Zan himself had actually backed it up (when egging Jay on to shoot him, he'd told her which side of the head to aim for). She found herself nodding along in understanding, even though her wife could not see this gesture. One thing that did strike her as interesting was that Elliott was down as next of kin. She wasn't surprised that she was- even if you hated your family, the system still required their details so tehy could be informed if you died. But Elliott had been presumed dead for many years, which told her that either a) some computer glitch had kept Elliott's name in, or b) Zan had put Elliott back in once he found out his son was alive. Given his actions today, she was suspecting b) to be quite a viable option.

It shouldn't have been particularly surprising that Zan's heart had stopped (he had taken a bullet to the brain after all), yet somehow it was. Cal couldn't stop the gasp of horror from slipping out and neither could Elliott. To hear that their father had actually died saving Elliott's life it really made them look at Zan in a different light. John could only think of one thing to say upon hearing that the information was out and snowballing momentum "well bollocks." Elliott gave a very slight flicker of a smirk at that, before moving in ever so slightly closer to John. Chas and Dan just exchanged looks with each other, Dan's to check if he had heard it right and Chas' to convey his shock. "Yeah, it's not the way any of us wanted it to happen but it's out now. I wouldn't recommend looking at it, it'll just drive you up the wall more than you already are. I'm pretty certain they won't be holding court tomorrow- too busy doing damage control, not to mention the fact that we have just cause to postpone it due to 'unforseen changes in family circumstances'." She paused. "And if Jay does call you guys, feel free to pass on what I said on to her. I doubt she's got anybody's numbers aside from Elliott's in the new phone." "We can do that." Cal replied. "Anything else important?" "Well the usual stuff, don't forget to eat and stay hydrated, even if you have no appetite whatsoever the last thing we need is any of you dropping unconscious due to low blood sugar. Stay warm and try and get some form of sleep or rest. And stay away from the news and justice forums, it's a shitstorm of theories and no real information there."

 

[MzHyde]

To Kay it was of no surprise to her that they all became shocked at the news of Zan actually dying for a few minutes before being brought back. To her, someone would have to be completely devoid of emotion to not be shocked by that news. Fia noticed the tiny smirk that appeared on Elliott's face when John said his typical response to shocking news, glad that he was able to express something throughout this whole thing, even if it was minute and incredibly brief. It was something to show that some part of Elliott was still in the room mentally, even if he didn't fully feel like he was. They both looked toward the phone as Cliff spoke once more suggesting that they don't go down the rabbit hole of looking into it online or via any other means. Kay could only imagine it'd be a matter of time before Attil's news broadcasts got wind of it and tried to air it, and how much the government would react even worse to that. It also wasn't much of a surprise that court would probably be postponed tomorrow over this, guessing that no matter what excuse the decision makers come up with, everyone will no doubt call their bluff and think it'll be because of the leaked information.

When Cliff said about Jay and passing on any information if she called, reminded Fia that Jay wasn't even in the room and still at the military facility with the assassin. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she forgot about Jay being elsewhere. With Cal asking her wife if there anything else that they should know, they listened as Cliff gave the usual unsurprising suggestions of staying hydrated and fed even if they didn't want to or feel like they could eat. It made sense as to why she was telling them that, and it was perfectly valid that none of them needed someone passing out. They also felt like the last bit shouldnt need to be said but at the same time, knowing their group, it was clear that it really would need to be said, especially after they get into contact with Jay again. If any of them would go down that rabbit hole it would be Jay.

 

[_gallifrog_]

When Cliff told them not to go checking the internet or go looking for the information Zan had released into the public eye John couldn't help but feel that that comment was directed at him. He first instinct was to grab his phone and start searching. He really did what to see just what else the Attili government was hiding, The amount of information Zan had dumped on them that one evening had been mind-bendingly massive, and although it had left him with a pretty intense headache afterwards, it didn't stop John from wanting to know more everything. It was a combination of Cliff's words and Elliott pulling closer to him that made John realise looking all this up to satisfy his own curiosity mightn't be the best thing to do. Now was not the time to selfishly focus on himself, it was the time for being there for Elliott.

"Okay doc got it, we'll follow your instructions to the letter." John replied, genuinely meaning every word. All her advice made sense and while it may seem obvious, he knew from experience that Elliott was just as likely as he was to forget to eat and drink when he was so emotionally upset. When Elliott retreated into his mind like he was doing now he tended to shut himself off from all outside stimuli, including his body reminding him to eat and drink. there had been one terrifying time when Elliott had been with John for only a couple of months and the boy slipped into a coma. It only lasted four days, but they were up there as the most terrifying four days of John's life. He'd become so attached to this kid in such a short space of time and with the loss of Astra so raw, he did not want to lose another kid. Cal also voiced her firm agreement to do what her wife said. Cal felt that the very last thing Cliff needed after a long day of trial, handing over a copy of a cursed blade to an untrustworthy time travelling lizardkin and who knows how many hours of surgery was to come home and find everybody passed out and dehydrated. "We can do that, don't worry about that. Just go in there and concentrate on the surgery. Us back here at the apartment, we'll get through it." After more goodbyes, and more wishing her wife luck with the surgery, Cal hung up and gave a tired sigh (conveying both emotional and physical tiredness) "I'm just gonna make a shitload of toast, it's the only thing I feel up to eating."

 

[MzHyde]

Even though it couldn't be seen by Cliff, Kay and Fia both were nodding their agreements with John's and Cal's words of reassurance that they would be doing exactly as she instructed them to do. With the goodbyes had, both women leaned back after having unknowingly leaned forward during the phone call, hoping that Zan's surgery will go well and he'll pull through. Neither Elliott or Cal needed to their father in this way, estranged or not. This would be too rough a way to lose him. At the mention of just making a large amount of toast both Kay and Fia were more than fine with that suggestion. Like Cal neither really felt up to eating much else and even Kay didn't want to do any cooking for them all or baking, which had been becoming her go to other than sketching. They both then found themselves able to actually drink their tea properly, glad that they could as it was extremely comforting. "think it's all all of us will be able to have the motivation to eat" Kay replied.

Fia couldn't help but constantly think back on the leaked information, wondering what was in it but like John, knew now wasn't the time to cave into her own morbid curiosity, and instead it was far more important to keep their promise to Cliff and be there for Elliott and Cal. So she kept trying to force her mind to think about anything that wasn't Zan in surgery, the leaked files or the assissination attempt. All three subjects were just bringing her down all the more the longer she lingered on them, but that was a lot easier said than done. It didn't matter what she tried to think of, her mind kept reminding her that they almost lost Elliott and she almost lost her timeline. Kay was just glad that Elliott had John there to be there for him, to gain that comfort from. It was going to be a long night either way, whether it be for them staying up for as long as possible to see Cliff return home, or those who did manage to sleep, most certainly will get night terrors from what happened.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Kay was right, both in thinking that toast would be the only thing any of them could stomach eating and that it was going to be a very, very long night. Cal made good on her promise and produced a massive pile of toast, which everybody crunched away on in a very robotic way. The toast was a good call, Chas was pretty sure that if he'd tried to eat some spicy and/or super flavoursome dish like they usually ate every evening, he wouldn't be able to keep it down. He hadn't seen Zan get shot directly, none of them had, which was just as well, but the slumped body, gaping head wound and blood dripping onto the ground was enough fodder to fuel nightmares for everybody. It wasn't his first time seeing that kind of gunshot wound, but it was the first time he'd actually had such a direct connection to and understanding of the victim.

Elliott ate the toast with little prompting from John (who guessed by the vacant look on Elliott's face that he could have handed the man a whole lemon and Elliott would have eaten it robotically without even flinching). Elliott sure as hell didn't taste anything he was eating, and had he been more lucid he would have suspected that to be the same for everybody else. John, Elliott, Cal, Dan and Chas didn't move from the main living room. When the phone did ring again it was the legal team and Dan took over the job of answering and dealing with them, knowing that Cal was in no fit way to talk. Elliott and Cal nodded off intermittently, but it wasn't a peaceful kind of sleep, the tension and worry very much visible in their bodies and faces. The main room fell into a pattern of nod off into light sleep, stay unconscious for maybe half an hour then jolt awake when the nightmares came knocking. Very few words, if any were exchanged, there was no point in asking what anybody was thinking of, it was just the same couple of thoughts looping round and round again- how close they'd come to losing Elliott, how close they'd come to ending up with Rinaa's timeline, why the hell Zan had done what he did, whether the man was going to pull through, what they were going to do after and what the hell were the motivations of the shooter. There was no call from Jay, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing nobody could say. Cliff did ring again in the early(ish) hours of the morning to tell them that the surgery was over, they'd removed all the fragments of bullet, implant and general dirt from the construction site, fixed a chip in his skull and had treated the entry and exit wounds. She'd been ordered by her boss to go home and sleep, but once she was fully rested she (and the others) would be allowed to visit if they wanted to.

 

[MzHyde]

Just like Cal and Elliott had done particularly, Fia and Kay had dozed off a few times during the evening and early hours but always woke up, making it nothing more than glorified cat naps. Neither wanting to miss any possible phone calls from Jay or Cliff, and the fact like everyone else their sleep was never peaceful. When Fia dozed off at one point, she had her head on Kay's lap, and since then she never moved. If it was under any other circumstance she would have dozed off on John's other side but now wasn't the time and so she dozed where she was which was next Kay. It was only when Cliff did eventually call to say what the update was, that both felt a bit more awake than they did before. Kay had to agree that Cliff's boss was correct in making her come home to get some rest before coming back into work, knowing at home with her wife would be the better place for Cliff to rest up than at work.

After the call was done Fia had dozed back off on Kay's lap again, legs pulled right up to her chest, arms tucked in. If Kay had access to a blanket without disturbing her kid, she would have draped it over her but she didn't want to risk waking her so she left her to it. She somehow knew everyone would want to visit Zan tomorrow for one reason for another if they could, but her main thought was that she was just glad that Zan pulled through the surgery. With her thoughts had, she somehow managed to fall asleep where she was until the next day rolled round where she woke with a groan and a stiff neck. Fia woke up just as groggy and stretched her arms out forward as she sat up right, her knees clicking as she uncurled herself.

 

[_gallifrog_]

At some point during that night/early morning there was an official announcement that the trial would not be going ahead tomorrow and would be temporarily suspended for potentially the next few days. The reason given was 'unforeseen circumstances', but it was obvious to even the most casual follower of the trial that the real reason was that it was all hands in deck needed for damage control, both to stop the spread of the information and to keep a lid on the fact that Zan had been assassinated. Cliff arrived home about forty minutes after she called and fell right into bed, not bothering to change out of her scrubs. She said the briefest hello to all those who were awake, then dragged Cal up to bed with her, knowing that a) Dan would get a better rest if he could actually lie down on the couch and b) both she and Cal would sleep better when they were together. John only nodded off once, a combination of insomnia and worry about Elliott preventing him from staying asleep. Elliott stayed slumped against his side the whole time, not the most comfortable position to sleep in (Elliott always ended up with neck and shoulder pains afterwards), but with John's arm around him and his head buried in the side of John's neck, it was without a doubt the most comforting.

For once Kay and Fia were one of the first ones to wake up (John didn't count as he hadn't actually slept). Elliott woke maybe ten.. fifteen minutes after Fia did, with a sigh, stretching his arms out, then making circles with his shoulders in an effort to loosen them up. One arm was completely numb, but he'd lost the vacant expression in his gaze. The worst of the shock was over for him and his appetite had returned enough that he grabbed a bowl of cereal without any prompting from the others. Both Chas and Dan were out for the count, snoring quietly and didn't wake up for at least another hour. Cliff was the last to emerge, still wearing last night's scrubs, rubbing sleep from her eyes and with a bedhead that normally would have been hilarious. "I need coffee" she declared with a yawn. "Anybody else want some? Or something stronger?" she added, with a look in John's direction, knowing that as Jay still wasn't back yet he'd be the most likely candidate for alcohol this early in the day. Normally she wouldn't be in favour of alcohol this early in the morning, but the last day had been far from normal (by any of their standards).

 

[MzHyde]

Both women glanced over to see that that John cleverly hadn't slept at all and Elliott was still asleep, and still very much curled up into John like a child, which neither could blame him. When he did eventually wake up, both noticed how he didn't look so vacant in the eyes anymore and how he went straight for the cereal. Fia got up and followed Elliott to the kitchen wanting some breakfast as well, but wanting to stay away from toast for obvious reasons. She wanted to give him a brief side squeeze of support to show she was there for him and loved him, as she got breakfast now that he wasn't attached to their dad. Kay couldn't help but glance over and smile in a small way at how the two of them were, seeing that nothing could ever break Fia's fondness for her half brother. "guessing you didn't sleep at all" she said, as she turned her head to John to gesture she was actually talking with him. It wasn't in an accusory manner or annoyed, just a clarifying her own assumptions.

As everyone woke up in their own time, she and Fia both said their mornings to them, but appropriately left out the word 'good' knowing it was anything but a good morning, though they rarely said 'good morning' anyway. Kay didn't even blame Cliff when she appeared, bedhead and all declaring that she needed coffee or something stronger. She was sure that she wouldn't feel nauseous at the smell of the coffee, and even if she did she'd deal with it. She didn't even comment on the hint of anyone wanting alcohol at this time of day, knowing anyone who was a drinker and could drink, more than deserved it. "dunno if you guys have it here, but there is the option of something like an Irish coffee which combines the two things. If I could drink either that'd be my go to in this situation so you could do just that?" Kay threw out another suggestion for them all, whereas she'd stick with the decaffeinated tea and juice. She figured her suggestion would fully give them all permission to drink either or both around her and she would just deal with any side effects she got from the scents if they happened.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John started at Kay's question, having drifted into his own head somewhat. He was glad to see that Elliott was looking better, the colour had returned and the fact he was eating again (and of his own free will) was a relief. "Nah, not at all" he shook his head vigorously. "I maybe dozed off once?" he gave a shrug. "Though it's hard to tell whether it was insomnia or what happened yesterday that kept me up. Prob'bly both." As he spoke he reached over and grabbed the box of cereal from in front of Elliott, which earned him a look of faux irritation (a sure sign that Elliott was feeling better). Elliott then gave Fia a smile that would tell his adopted sister that he knew what she was thinking and appreciated it.

There was hearty nods from Chas, Dan and Cal when coffee was brought up. "Make the expensive stuff will you love?" Cal said to her wife. "After everything, we need it." The expensive coffee in question was incredibly strong and had to be shipped in from off-world. Due to it's cost Cal and Cliff only ever drank it at times of celebration or times of high stress and emotional tension (which now certainly was). "I was intending to." Cliff replied with a smile before answering Kay's question. "Yeah we have it here and it definitely exists back on my homeworld too. Though the origins of that are somewhat different to the usual reasons of it being a taste sensation or the drinker wanting to give the illusion that they're not drinking alcohol so early in the day." Cliff replied, pushing a large clump of hair out of her face before beginning to assemble all the things she'd need to make coffee."Back home it's synonymous with bootleggers. The alcohol industry on my home planet is non-existent, land is at a premium as you've all seen and it's more practical to grow grain crops for bread products than booze. So alcohol came in with bootleggers and they'd drink it with coffee to throw the law of the scent."

Elliott nodded with interest, leaning forwards at the impromptu history lesson. He vaguely remembered such stories from his school history lessons, but he really hadn't paid much attention, history wasn't his forte, he only liked select bits (mainly the mythology his mother taught him or the story of daring historical escapades). At the mention of Irish he couldn't help but think of the twins (and their older brother) and realised that he was missing them. Had either of them been there they would have grumbled about 'outdated drunken Irish people' stereotypes before proceeding to tell some pub based anecdotes from their father's side of the family- one of their uncles owned a pub and if the twins were a reliable source and not exaggerating it was the best place in the county to go for some craic (Irish slang for fun and banter, not to be confused with cocaine as Elliott had mistakenly thought the first time).

 

[MzHyde]

Seeing John shake his head vigorously showed her that her assumption was indeed correct. She really didn't expect him to sleep after everything that happened and hearing that he even got possibly an hour was more than she was expecting him to get. "I'd say probably both as well. At least you got an hour, it's more than I thought you'd say you got" she replied, seeing him grab a box of cereal in front of Elliott. She wanted breakfast herself but she was going to hold off until at least one of them had come out to make room for her walking around. Fia smiled back, glad that Elliott got what she was getting at by her actions, knowing if it in her time she no doubt would have told him she loved him, but didn't know entirely how he would have taken it in this time, so she decided her actions were very much the better option. Pouring the milk into her cereal, she walked dout deciding to eat her cereal on the couch, which also gave Kay the opportunity to get some breakfast herself, doing the same thing as Fia and taking it to the couch before Cliff had gotten up.

Seeing and hearing Cliff talking about making coffee also made her quite happy that she decided to get her breakfast before Cliff walked into the kitchen, even though she didn't mind them all drinking the stuff on this occasion, she certainly didn't want to be up close to it. Talking about Irish coffee, resulting in getting a history lesson from Cliff about such a beverage, she listened with great interest finding it highly interesting what Cliff had to say. "interesting" she replied, "on Earth I've only really seen it available in the upper class bars or restaurants on the dessert drinks menu" she said back, finding it intriguing and interesting how different it was for Earth and Cliff's home planet and here on Attil. It just showed her how yet again how different but yet the same all three places were.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Hearing that mixing alcohol with coffee had come about because of bootleggers on Cliff's planet was something that piqued John's interest. He hadn't given any thought at the time as to how the alcohol on the island was made, all that mattered those days before, during and after the wedding was that it was there and in plentiful quantities. It must have costs Cliff's family a fortune to get in enough to cater for such a large wedding party. He couldn't resist adding his own views on Irish coffee to the discussion. "It's a thing for toffs when you order it on a menu back home, it's a thing for drunkards if you sneak in booze with the express purpose of putting it on coffee- or tea, I know a few people who'd do that-, but if it's yer local and yer on good terms with the bartender it's totally acceptable to just straight up ask them to do it."

Cliff went up to the roof to make the coffee, it was very strong stuff and when made indoors the smell would linger for hours. As they hadn't had proof either way as to whether coffee would affect Kay at this stage of her pregnancy or not she knew it was the safer and more responsible thing to do to brew it on the roof. Just as a precaution she checked what way the wind was blowing (the opposite direction from their apartment, so there was no way it could blow into the apartment). John and Elliott weren't having any coffee, but decided to join the group on the roof anyway. Elliott wanted to ask Cliff some questions regarding his father's condition (what she'd said last night had gone in one ear and out the other) and wherever Elliott was going, John was also going. He didn't want to let him out of his sight, especially as they'd come so close to losing him yesterday. (Zan wasn't around to take any more bullets and neither was their resident assassin).

 

[MzHyde]

John's additional words were agreed by Kay. It usually was indeed the case with his examples, and she herself had been the type to do the sneaking in some alcohol when she was only just about old enough to legally drink in public without being arrested for it. She didn't care for many rules but she wasn't stupid either. The only other times she had put alcohol into a coffee was in the homeless camps when someone else had managed to steal a bottle of whiskey and shared it between them all, to which they all put a large dash of the whiskey into their hot coffees (which tasted like shit otherwise) to get them all by and keep them awake in turn to make sure nothing of theirs got stolen by the opposite homeless camp thieves. Or in Kay's situation, not wanting to stay asleep for long incase a demon found her and kidnapped her. "you ain't wrong there" she simply replied, not wanting to bang on about her own example.

As the others went up onto the roof for their coffee, she wasn't in the least bit surprised that John followed Elliott, knowing that none of them wanted to exactly leave Elliott out of their sight. If she wasn't so heavily pregnant and there wasn't potent coffee being made, she would have gone up herself but she knew better than to risk it. Fia finished her breakfast and gave Kay that questioning look of 'can I?' which surprised Kay, knowing it was the question of can she go up with everyone else. Nodding her permission, Fia went up after everyone else as she wanted coffee but not the alcohol addition, whilst Kay made herself a cup of tea and remained downstairs in the apartment. She didn't mind being left alone, but shhe knew deep down that the moment Fia was born she wouldn't let herself be alone so much if she could help it. She had gotten used to being around people, so being on her own was equally strange as it was familiar.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff was always precise when making coffee, but with this expensive stuff she turned the making of it into an art, each movement effortless and measured, like some kind of beautifully choreographed dance. Unsurprisingly John chose to add alcohol to his coffee, not giving a shit if it made him look like some kind of alcoholic, he really did need the buzz from something and if it wasn’t booze it would be cigarettes. Cliff might have had a small dash, but she was intending to go into work later, and knew that if she showed up smelling of booze, she’d never be let in through the door, let alone up to the ICU ward Zan was in (due to the nature of his injury he was being kept under observation). Elliott did consider adding booze, a sure sign that all was not back to normal, but in the end decided against it. Dan and Chas both added some, though nowhere near as much as John did.

At first they drank in silence savouring the feeling of a warm mug between their hands as well as the taste of the coffee. The step up in quality was noticeable from the get go, as was the increase in strength. John made the mistake of taking a massive mouthful initially and though his hair was going to stand on end cartoon style. He shook his head and looked at the mug with a ‘woah that’s strong’ expression. Cliff couldn’t help but smirk at the sight. “Yep, there’s a reason this stuff’s slang name is ‘weapon’s grade’, it’s not just exaggeration.” “Clearly not.” John agreed, while the others took more cautious sips. When Elliott did eventually muster up the courage to ask the doctor to repeat what she’d told the other’s about Zan’s condition yesterday Cliff did it without making a fuss or any remark on how deep in shock Elliott must have been (she’d heard it all from Cal anyway). As of when she left Zan vital’s had been stable and he’d been put in a medically induced coma. She suspected he’d remain in this state for a couple of days at least before they’d drop the drug doses, though how quickly he’d wake up after the drugs were removed from his system was anybody’s guess. The doctors were reluctant to make a call either way. Brain injuries were unpredictable, and with Zan’s medical history there was already the question in the air of whether he’d actually want to wake up again.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia watched at how much care Cliff was taking with making the coffee in question, thinking how much more special this particular brew must be if she's not being careless with how she made it for everyone. When it was done, she gladly took her mug and unlike the others but like Elliott and Cliff, she didn't put any alcohol in it deciding she wanted to try it just as it was, wanting the caffiene to wake her up rather than taste anything alcoholic in it as well. She waited for John to take a sip first, but instead he did the rookie mistake of taking a large mouthful of the breew and instantly looked like he was hit by the biggest gust spicy air. She was convinced she saw his hair stand on end in places, and even if it didn't she could easily imagine it happening. She took on board what Cliff was saying about why the coffee was called it's slang nickname, and instantly seeing why just from her father's reaction alone. After that little bit of talk, she then took her sip seeing for herself just how strong it was, but it wasn't so bitter that she hated it. She was just thankful that she could actually drink coffee here whilst Kay was safely downstairs out of the way of it. The moment she swallowed her first sip, she let out a very tiny almost inaudible hum of satisfaction. She listened as Elliott eventually gathered the confidence to ask Cliff to repeat what she said last night on the phone to them all.

She listened to what was said once again, mostly so she could see if what she heard last night was indeed true and she didn't mishear anything. As it turned out, she didn't mishear anything and did indeed hear everything correctly which just made her not sure if she should feel somber about that or relieved. She was glad that Zan was able to make it through the surgery and considering his injury, wasn't in the least bit surprised they felt the need to put him into an induced coma so he could recover a lot easier than if he was awake. Yet like the others would have no doubt thought of in some way, the realisation of knowing how suicidal he was did cross her mind and made her wonder if Zan would just let his body give up and die or if he would find some kind of fight in himself to pull through and not leave his birth kids in such a manner. Back downstairs and inside the apartment, Kay found herself enjoying her cup of tea that she made herself whilst sitting on the couch, massaging her bump subconsciously which had become a natural habit for her. She couldn't help but ponder with the trial being postponed for a few days because of the side shitstorm that had come their way, how much longer they'd be on Attil and how much of her pregnancy she would have left to deal with whilst here. She still couldn't fully decide if she would prefer going into labor on Attil or if she would prefer it in The House nearer Earth. On one hand she wanted Fia to be born on Earth or at least somewhere she would feel utterly safe and protected from anything that could come their way, but on another hand, she wasn't sure if she could do this without Cliff. She also felt a little selfish letting her mind wander off to something about herself when so much that was incredibly important was happening to the rest of her new found family.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The idea that Zan may not want to come back had crossed John's mind more than once during the night and early morning. John knew all too well what it was like to be in that place where it looked like the only way was to die and he knew just how much of a struggle it was to pull oneself out of that pit. John himself had taken the dying route, only to realise that what awaited him in Hell was far worse than what awaited him in the real world. But Zan didn't have that motivation and it was an all too real possibility that Zan would not possess the strength to pull through. John was hardly an expert on Zan, but even he could see that now the information had been released the man had very little, if anything to live for. John found himself wanting Zan to pull through, if only that he could first thank the man for saving Elliott's life, then get answers to all those questions that still remained. If anybody had told him a couple of months ago that he'd spend so long thinking about Zan's mental state John would have scoffed in their face and told them were 'completely bloody deranged, the man deserves all the mental anguish there is'. But after what they'd learned about Zan's past and what the man had just done John was starting to see the man in a new life. Nothing excused what Zan had done as such, but John was starting to come to terms with the idea that Zan was far more than just a two dimensional villain.

Elliott and Cal nodded along as Cliff spoke, both finding that they'd been even less with it than they thought. Cal thought she'd been fairly level headed and paying attention, but she'd somehow completely missed the part that Zan was in a coma. It made sense that he would be when she thought about it logically- the man had been shot in the head and putting him in a coma did offer the best chance for his mind to heal. After that there was little talking, the group sipping their coffee in silence (not the awkward, loaded kind thankfully). The strength of the coffee took some getting used to, even after seeing john's reaction and hearing Cliff's explanation Chas and Elliott took far too big of a mouthful and went through a similar 'woah, that's strong' reaction as John did. Cliff took her time with the coffee, she was the real connoisseur of the group, far too often she'd put up with barely drinkable, what could only be described as 'caffeinated sludge' at work, and so took great pleasure in proper coffee. The tension could be seen slipping from her shoulders as she drink, eyes closed, expression of bliss coming over her face. Cal looked at her wife with a fond smile over her own mug. Once all mugs had been drained Cal and Cliff did a rough wash of them using the sink on the roof, wanting to remove the worse of the coffee residue lest it be potent enough to set off a reaction in Kay. Back in the apartment Cliff turned to the group "So... em, whose coming to the hospital then? He obviously won't be awake, but maybe there'll be some news."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay was just finishing her tea and inner thoughts toward her unborn child and herself when the others made it back downstairs, all looking much much more awake than they did when they were heading up to the roof, which just showed her how strong that blend of coffee truly must have been for nearly all of them. She particularly noticed it in Fia as her kid seemed to look once again slightly more bright eyed like she would do normally, but even she saw yesterday and this morning how much of that spark in her kid's eyes had all but vanished before she had a well earned 'cup of joe'. "well you all look a lot more awake now, I'm guessing nearly all of you underestimated just how strong it was and accurate Cliff's words were?" she remarked to them as they got back down and inside. She could also just tell that they had been talking about Zan up there, having heard the murmers of their chatter and it didn't take a rocket scientist in her mind to work what was being spoken about. It could only be the one thing and she just knew that none of what discussed last night over the phone truly went in and logged into Elliott's mind. "you could say that. Thought dad's hair was gonna stand up on end when he took too big a mouthful for the first time" Fia half chuckled, causing Kay to smile a little bit.

As Cliff finally spoke up asking about who wanted to go to the hospital, both Kay and Fia had decided even last night that they'd go wherever Elliott and Cal wanted to be and if that turned out to be the hospital to see if there was any other news to be discussed or told, then they would go there gladly for moral support. "I'm going wherever Ell is. Also the chance of any more news would be interesting to know first hand." Fia replied. Kay nodded in agreement before speaking out her own comment about how she would go if that's where everyone else wanted to be. She couldn't bring herself to be that person who wouldn't go somewhere when friends or family needed to be somewhere of importance, and this was no exception. She had never once let someone do something important alone and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop now, pregnant or not, she was going to remain by their sides in solidarity and support. The other option of staying here at the apartment didn't even cross her or Fia's minds, and knew deep down they only would even entertain the idea if someone needed one or both of them to remain home to wait for Jay's return. Yet none of them had any kind of idea of when that would even be so it seemed like a stupid boring idea to the two of them to remain home on just an off chance.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John didn't bother to deny his reaction to the coffee, he had underestimated it, as usually in his experience people always exaggerated about how strong their coffee was. (How strong their alcohol was was another thing entirely). "I thought me hair was gonna make a break for it" John smirked, running a hand through his blond locks, pushing them upwards almost like a demonstration of what he'd expected his hair to do. "It certainly woke him up alright." Chas added with a chuckle, John now had way more of a pep in his step and a vigour to his actions than he had the day before (all the sleepless nights were taking their toll on him). "If I was my younger kid self I'd have been bouncing off the walls." Elliott added, to which Cal nodded and grinned "oh you totally would've." Elliot hadn't been a totally hyperactive child, but he'd had his moments, moreso with caffeine than with sugar. Caffeine really did send him up the wall as a young kid, but he'd grown out of that in his teenage years.

The sentiment of 'where Elliott goes, I go' was echoed firmly by the others. John wasn't letting Elliott out of his sight and neither was Chas. Dan was feeling the same protective surge for Cal that John was feeling for Elliott and had no intentions of leaving her side. He'd rung Simeon at some point in the night and made arrangements for the apprentice to open and run the place without him. With Cal's permission he'd told the apprentice the basics- that Zan had taken a bullet to the head for Elliott and was in surgery in the hospital. With it decided that everybody was coming along Cliff went to get changed into clean scrubs as well as going to grab her official ID. It was as they were all getting changed that Jay finally showed up at the apartment. She'd changed her clothes since she last saw them and was now wearing standard issue army trousers, combat boots and a plain dark t-shirt. There was a gauze bandage around her arm where the bullet had grazed her, as well as a selection of light graze on her hands and arms from where she'd climbed the wall. Like the others she clearly hadn't slept much- Elliott suspected she'd spent the whole time working on the shooter. Jay wasn't normally one for hugging, but today she made an exception, wrapping her arms around him tightly, as if confirming to herself that yes, he, was still there. Elliott's first reaction was a look of shock, this kind of action was so out of character for the assassin, and once again it really drove home to those watching, just how close they'd come to losing him. After maybe a minute Jay broke away and turned to the others. "Well I got good news, bad news and meh news."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay chuckled at John's words, happy to see him smirking and smiling again, even if it was possibly only temporarily before something else came crashing down on them all to wipe all their smiles off their faces once more. She also thought that if Chas even said it woke his mate up then it was most certainly true as Chas was the one who knew John best out of the entire group. At Elliott's words she had to chuckle again, his words making her think how it didn't have that effect on Fia, knowing how easily she could go almost over excitable from what they had seen. "I'm surprised this one ain't doing exactly that" she said honestly, gesturing her thumb at Fia. "I'm not that bad!" Fia protested, flipping her mother the finger. Kay laughed and gave her the raised eyebrow of 'aren't you?' with the matching smirk to go with it. She may not have been in the room when Fia admitted to John that they wondered if she had adhd at one point because of her temporary hyperactivity, but Kay did get that feeling about Fia of her own accord. She could see when days got her excitable, just as what triggered the down days or self doubt in Fia. The videos alone of her dancing with the two girls in the club and then with the twins was enough visible evidence she also needed to see what Fia was capable of.

Then came the fact that everyone was of the same opinion as Kay and Fia. No one wanted Elliott or Cal out of their sight after yesterday's disturbing and terrifiying encounter. With it all agreed that they'd all go to the hospital, Kay and Fia both headed to their retrospective rooms to freshen up and change into fresher clothes before returning into the living room and seeing Jay appear in new clothes herself, and scraped up but otherwise okay. The moment Jay just walked over and hugged Elliott tightly, it was clear to the girls as it was the rest of the room that yesterday really did happen and if Jay was prepared to break down that rule of 'not being a hugging person' then it truly was a close call. "in that case, I'd say start the meh news, then bad then end on the good news.. If it was me anyway" Kay suggested, thinking it was by far the better option. It was either that or starting with the bad news, but some part of Kay always thought if there was a way to have the bad news about anything in the middle of other less terrible news then she would personally rather have it that way to lessen the mental blow of the bad news. It's just how she was, but she was well aware that the others may not be on the wavelength as her with that thought process. She didn't want to come across as the decision maker, as some of the group knew well enough she could be terrible at it on some things, but this was an important situation and in that moment she could easily pick which way round she'd rather have the news, but was prepared to listen to whichever way round the others wanted it all.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff and Cal exchanged raised eyebrow looks at each other when Jay went straight over to Elliott and hugged him tight. They may not have known the assassin as long as the others had, but her aversion to hugging, in fact her reaction to pretty much any unexpected/spontaneous touching of her was something that had made an impression on both women. What further cemented that this was unusual behaviour was the fact that Jay didn't looked awkward or embarrassed like she usually would when she realised that everybody had seen her do it. As nobody objected to Kay's order of telling news Jay gave a nod and commenced. Normally the assassin would start with the bad news, just to get it out of the way, but what with everything that had happened, having the cushion of the meh news first seemed like a better plan to her. "Well" she started, pulling a phone out of her pocket and turning it over in her hands "the meh bit of news is that I've disabled the password lock and fingerprint scan on Zan's phone if anybody fancies trawling through it."

"The bad news is that the shooter's been following Zan for some time, looking for an opportunity to take him out. Their orders were to rattle him by whatever means necessary then kill him, making sure he knew there was a target on the back of his head and that time was fast running out at all times. Which means WE are somewhat responsible for him getting shot, by showing up at his flatlike we did and staying for such time, we made the shooter aware that there was some kind of connection between us and him, that Elliott meant something to Zan. Which was why they did their little text thing" Jay held up the phone so all could see the photo Zan had been sent showing a targeting dot on the back of Elliot's head as he walked through the construction site. Elliott paled considerably at the site, having not remembered this part of the story. "They figured shooting Elliott would be a good was of rattling him, in the same way that shooting Mara rattled him- it was the same shooter as you've no doubt figured out. They didn't count on Zan throwing himself in front of a bullet like that though." Jay let the words hang for a moment, before continuing.

"The good news is that the shooter isn't an assassin I know personally or anybody I grew up with, which makes it a hell of a lot easier for me to get answers from them. And the other good bit of news is that my reputation still holds sway these days despite me vanishing from the stage for a number of years. Once the shooter realised who they were fucking with, that the people in question were mine, they had enough sense in their head and fear instilled in them to make them change their tune and begin to talk." While giving the second good piece of news Jay couldn't help but smirk in a way that was both proud and predatory. "The fact they had a broken leg also helped matters along." Jay added.

 

[MzHyde]

The fact that Jay wasn't even the slightest bit embarrassed by her surprising actions told Kay and Fia that she was possibly starting to accept her feelings toward Elliott and quite possibly the woman was learning that it was now or never when it came to not being afraid to show Elliott she really did care and even maybe love him. Fia particularly saw it as the starting bridge to how their relationship grew into what she knew of it in her timeline. Yet that wasn't the most important thing to be focusing on in this moment in time, it was the three degrees of news that Jay declared she had for them all. Kay's suggestion of going from meh to bad to good with the news seemed like a pretty sensible idea to Fia despite the fact that normally she would prefer the bad news first. This time however it was highly probable that the bad news heavily revolved around Elliott and the target that was on his back in a round about manner whilst being highly about Zan. They both listened to the meh news first after no one else had any qualms about Kay's suggestion for the order of the news, nodding whilst impressed but not surprised that Jay managed such a task with Zan's phone, reminding themselves internally that if something should either happen to them or pissed Jay off for some reason, she could easily hack their phones if left unattended. Which lead to the decision to never do such a thing, even though both had done it many many times since being on Attil.

Then came the bad news which everyone was dreading, something that Kay and Fia just knew they wouldn't be alone in being hesitant in wanting to hear, but knew it had to be heard nonetheless. As Jay started to explain the bad news with how the shooter had been following Zan for quite some time, and that yes, they were the same person who did indeed assassinate his ex wife was strangely equally a surprise and not a surprise all at the same time. To hear that Elliott was targeted purely to just rattle Elliott was sickening to hear, yet it wasn't a shock to either of them either. They both saw how the news and the photo of the red sniper marker on the back of Elliott's head shook Elliott, making it clear to them both that Elliott was oblivious to that news until now. Though with how quickly the shock set into him, it wasn't exactly surprising that this would be the case with him. It also brought on some bit of guilt surge through them that he wouldn't have been targeted if they hadn't spent as much time as they had with Zan to give the sniper even a minute hint that it was him that was worth targeting, rather than Zan himself. They were also sure that it wasn't just the sniper that never once calculated Zan jumping in the way to save Elliott, but they all never saw it happening until they actually witnessed it for themselves.

As for the good news they were very much relieved that Kay suggested to end with the good news by this point, and started with the 'meh' news also, finding both really did prove to be a good cushion for the bad news. Hearing that it was someone that didn't know who Jay was which made it extremely easier to get any information out of them without nearly as much effort having to be put in. Both smirked and half sniggered at Jay's words and the fact that Jay was looking very proud of herself that she could instill that level of fear into someone still. Kay gave the tilt of the head and quick eyebrow raise to gesture that her inner words were expressing 'yeah...that would do it' in response to Jay's comment about the broken leg that she gave the sniper from shoving them out of the window on the construction window. "that'll certainly have something to do with it" Fia smirked, echoing vocally what Kay's expression said.

Spoiler: kay's expression

 

[_gallifrog_]

John had never heard somebody classify news as 'meh' before, in his life it had been often bad, rarely good and usually ugly in some form or another. But upon hearing what Jay considered to be meh news, he agreed that her classification was extremely accurate. It was a side thing at best, it didn't have groundbreaking consequences either way. Sure they would now read all of Zan's texts, emails, social media posts.... etc, but would it yield anything interesting? No doubt the man had enough cop on to do his main work from a proper laptop, or in the case of his spy work, something far more encrypted than a simple phone. Fia and Kay weren't the only ones making a mental note not to leave their phones lying around near Jay when the assassin was pissed off at them, or worse bored. Cliff had the distinct impression that a bored out of her skull Jay would be a Jay that would be one that found out people's secret's just for kicks. And she was right on that assumption- Jay had been a terror as a bored teenager, and once it had been figured out that boredom made her act out she suddenly found herself under an increased work and training load. Dealing with this extra load had moulded Jay into the kind of person who'd attack from all kinds of angles and work until they passed out rather than admit defeat.

At Elliott's blanching face Jay wished there was a way she could have broken her theory less bluntly, but there really was no two ways around it. Had they only met Zan at the safe house, the sniper never would have known, thinking that both groups were visiting different people who just so happened to live in the same apartment block. The schism between Zan and his kids was common knowledge to those living in the city and base town and with so many eyes across the star systems watching the trial all this stuff was getting stirred up again in the public eye. The sniper had smirked smugly (so much so that Jay very nearly had to be forcefully restrained from leaping across the table and punching them) when they said how they put two and two together and figured that Elliott would make an excellent target and the fact they were doing something dodgy in a building site was the icing on the cake. An investigation into Elliott's death would not only throw Zan to the mercy of the media, but would make people question what exactly Zan was doing there area and why.

John reached out a hand and squeezed Elliott's shoulder comfortingly at the same time as he swore "well shit" placing particular emphasis on the 'shit' part. The last thing John wanted to do was endanger Elliott and yet it looked like they'd unwittingly done just that. It had been a group decision to get answers from Zan, and there was no denying Jay's logic, they were all partially responsible for what had happened. For once John wasn't going to deny it. "Yeah" Jay agreed simply, she'd spent a significant portion of the walk back over fuming and trying to come to terms with it. As an assassin herself she couldn't believe that possibility hadn't crossed her mind, they'd been so convinced it was Zan's co-conspirators watching them that none of them had even considered there could be somebody else around. Her trainers would have giving her a right verbal bashing for that- just because you don't think you're being watching doesn't mean you aren't was a precept she heard all the time growing up.

Elliott couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly and roll his eyes fondly at Jay's clear delight that her reputation was not only still intact, but also well known enough enough to evoke fear in another assassin when they realised they'd fucked with something Jay called hers. Elliott couldn't deny that hearing Jay call him 'mine' made him feel weirdly happy. Jay was a hard person to get close to, so to hear her sound so protective about him made a welcome change from the whole 'does she like me or does she just tolerate me?' mindset he'd had for quite a while. Cliff wanted to give a disapproving tut at the subtext of Jay's closing remark- that she'd used the broken leg to get information out-, buts he couldn't. As nice a guy as Elliott was, what was really tormenting Cliff was what would have happened if the sniper had chosen Cal instead, and hit. Cliff didn't know how she'd cope with her wife's death so soon after her wedding, she loved Cal so much it sometimes scared her and the idea of losing her was unthinkable. Instead she asked what she though was a more useful question. "So what's happening to the shooter now?" "Some of your lot- Royal Guards- are holding them and asking further questions. None of it's going on official record, apparently your royal friend" Jay shot a look at Cliff and Cal "put a cap on things and made it a black op once he saw the connection with Cal. He's also responsible for the success of the media black-out."

 

[MzHyde]

Despite the fact that there would be no reason to have targeted anyone other Elliott or Cal, the very thought of any of them getting hit by the sniper went through their heads during the time and most of the night. They also found themselves thinking about how hard Cliff would take it if it had been Cal under fire, how it'd have been just as bad if Elliott successfully got hit, and how hard it was proving when it was Zan because it was the fact of it was meant for Elliott that shook them so. Yet that wasn't to say that the fact any of them could have been hit if they weren't as careful as they were didn't cross their minds as well. Fia was terrified for a brief moment that Kay could have been hit and risked her unborn self's life, or Cliff , knowing if their personal doc got hit they'd have truly been fucked. There were so many variables in yesterday's situation that could have happened that it was too much to really truly think about. Both Fia and Kay noted how John gave Elliott a reassuring shoulder squeeze, which was totally understandable, both knowing that they would have done the same thing if they were able to. At Cliff's question about what was to happen to the sniper now, both women found themselves looking between Cliff and Jay, eagerly awaiting the answer that they knew Jay could give them. Kay also noticed how Cliff clearly didnt approve of Jay's smug atittude toward the broken leg she gave the sniper, then used against them to gain more information out of them, but she had to question if any of them would have done any different. She doubted they would if they were all truly honest with themselves.

FIa found herself raising an eyebrow in curiosity and out of being impressed that the royal guards were getting involved and turning the whole situation into a black op, whilst also dealing with the confidential records leak and keeping it all off of official records. It showed her how greatly this place and government took things incredibly seriously, trying to make sure nothing was left out or not dealt with. It certainly in her eyes, put Earth's dealings with such to utter shame in her timeline, which she also figured would be the case in this time as well. "They've successfully dealt with the media leaks and black out already? Or am I understanding this wrong?" FIa questioned surprised, wanting to see if she truly understood it correctly or if she was thinking way off track for it. If she was correct about her understanding she didn't know how to feel about it, and if she was wrong then she wished to understand what Jay meant properly so she couldnt misunderstand again. Kay also wondering if she was understanding what was said in the same way as Fia or not.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Just as Cliff had spent an unhealthy amount of time mulling over what would happen if Cal had been shot, Cal had been doing the same thing. Cliff was one of Cal's few rocks in life, with her birth father estranged (to put it politely), her mother absent (now dead) and Elliott's whereabouts and status unknown these past few years Cal very much lacked anybody she could truly rely on until Dan took her in. Cliff had been around in her life for years, but she didn't realise just how important the woman was to her until years later (despite her protests on the matter, she really had been oblivious for that long). The idea of losing her wife, her other half terrified her more than anything- even losing her brother, as when it came down to it, Cliff had been there and Elliott hadn't. To lose Cliff would destroy Cal, not to mention the world would lose a doctor of such high calibre. As Jay spoke, she couldn't help but reach over and take Cliff's hand tightly in hers, twining their fingers together.

It was quite clearly news to both Cliff and Cal that their royal friend had been involved in suppressing the story. He certainly hadn't asked their permission to do it, but time had been of the essence and both women had already suggested a media black-out of some sort. Jay gave a nod at Fia's assumptions before elaborating properly. "He gave the interrogation of the sniper it's black-opp classification- officially nothing happened, apart from me being patched up at a military facility as I'm military personnel. As for the media black-out, He's the one who made it STICK, Cliff and Cal could only advise for it to be put into place, neither are high ranking enough to be able to order it. This guy however, as a member of the Royal Family- he had not only the power to make it stick, but the necessary clout to back up all his threats on what would happen should somebody go against his will and publish the story. And to be clear- this only refers to the fact that Zan was shot and we all witnessed it. Zan's information, the stuff that will bring down the government, that's not covered by the media black-out. It is still out there, gathering the momentum, their royal friend NOT the one stopping that from spreading. That's the government themselves who are a very different entity to the Royal Family."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia thought it was hopeful that she was understanding things correctly when Jay gave her nod to her question, listening carefully and fully at Jay as she elaborated on everything and exactly what had been controlled and what couldn't be for varying reasons. It made now made sense that it was the sniper and their interrogation that got classified as a black op classification, making it all seem like that nothing happened apart from Jay getting tended to. She continued to make sure all the news about the media black out made sense in her mind, nodding in understanding as Jay spoke. Hearing that it was all only about Zan being shot was entirely surprising when she thought back to how Cliff said on the phone the night before about the file leaks just kept coming even though they were quickly being deleted.

Everything Jay said now made even more sense, her having a good enough knowledge and common sense to know that like Earth in some ways, that the royal family and the government were different levels and thus, making it mean both departments of ruling beings could only do as far as their levels of security allowed them. "makes sense. Also not surprising that the media shit storm of the leaked information is continuing to gain its momentum. The stuff he knew isn't the kind of information that can go away easily once out. Even deleted people who have read it before it's deletion are going to remember that for a long time. Wouldn't be surprised if people makes copies somehow either if they're that tech inclined" she replied. Hearing what Fia was saying in response to Jay, made Kay think of the old saying 'once something is on the Internet it's never truly deleted' and thought it was possibly true in this instance.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Until she'd arrived back at the apartment Jay had been convinced that Zan was died. She'd seen a few snippets of the information that had been released and knowing that the information could only be released when Zan had died, had come to the conclusion that he'd succumbed to his injuries. This had set off a rage in her, knowing how easily it could have been Elliott in the position, how close she'd come to losing him for good if Zan hadn't thrown himself in front of the bullet. Zan had given his life and she wanted to make sure it wasn't in vain. She'd channelled this anger into her interrogation, determined to get the shooter to crack, using whatever method necessary. The other soldiers gave her a wide birth and didn't intervene, they'd all seen Jay throwing herself out of high window after the shooter then seen her crushing down on the shooter's leg to get information. None of them were stupid, they knew that the cold fury in jay's eyes meant that if anybody tried to stop her they'd receive similar treatment. It was only when Jay arrived back at the apartment and saw Cal and Elliott for the first time in hours that she knew that Zan was still hanging on to life. There would have been tears, anger and confusion if Zan had perished, but she saw none of those.

Cal, Cliff, Elliott, Dan and Jay all nodded at Fia's assumption that once the information was out there it wouldn't ever be entirely deleted. "People are definitely gonna copy it, in fact I'd say they already are. No doubt they've realised that all of it is being deleted as soon as the authorities find the site and have started taking screenshots or similar." "I'd put money on that being the case." Cliff added, making a mental note to profusely thank the prince the next they saw him. He had been informed of the schemes related to busting Elliott in and out of prison and was a far smarter man than people gave him credit for. Despite the rocky start between him and Cal, they were now good friends, close enough that she'd trust him with such information, and now based off his actions and the calls he'd made, more than a good judge of what cal would want done in this situation. "I haven't personally looked at any of it, but a significant portion of the soldiers had. Apparently it's popping up on social media now, all these accounts are popping up with whole files just available for download. Whatever the hell kind of programmes Zan had hooked up to that trip-switch, they're doing an excellent job at spreading it." She paused "I take it you're all going to the hospital to get an update of some sort and see the damage for yourself." "Yeah, we are" Elliott confirmed before giving a slight smirk (not as large as his usual one, but a mischievous smirk none the less) "Cliff's boss kicked her out and told her she wouldn't be let in again til she'd fully slept." "Yeah..." The doctor gave a sheepish look "that's exactly what happened. But I do have a secret weapon in the form of high quality caffeine to bribe him- or anybody else for that matter- if they refuse to let me in." Cliff pulled the thermos she'd filled up earlier out of her bag slightly to show Jay, who smirked "bribes always help in these cases." "That they do, that they very much do."