Welcome to the Masquerade

"Bad Timing" by Young Mozart

AN: Ok so...I know it's been longer than a month but it's been a really, really rough month. My daughter was sick with the croup (who knew that was an actual thing still).  I've been very sick with a cough that is trying to turn into whooping cough (severely unfun).  And my Aunt lost her battle with cancer just before Thanksgiving.  Trying to work on this has been a case of bad timing in my life. This chapter is really short (only about 1700words) and not really as good as I wanted it to be, but with everything going on it's as good as its going to get for now. With Christmas coming up and then my daughter's birthday I will not be writing before the second week of January.  I just won't.  I'm also going to have my publisher hat on finishing off a book I need to get to print before the end of January.  I have two originals cooling their heels in my "I-have-got-to-find-time-work-on-this" file.  So please, please, please extend me just a little more patience as I juggle all the irons in my fire right now. I only own Lory the rest belongs to someone else. 

*~*~*~*~*

Brandon knew the minute the girl behind him wrapped her arms around his waist, it wasn't Lory. He was very familiar with the feel of her pressed to his back after their ride that evening. He'd actually been dreaming about it when she'd called. When he got back to the Sergeant Jasper, he pulled his bike into the garage. He didn't usually bother with parking his bike in the garage, but reading between the lines of the call he'd gotten, it was Sang on the back of his bike and she needed to stay out of sight.

Once they were in the elevator he pulled off his helmet and looked at the petite girl to his left. She still hadn't removed her helmet so he led her to Axel's apartment instead of his own. If Sang had to be out of sight and protected Axel needed to know. Raven was out, again, but Marc and Axel stumbled into the living room to investigate the noise. Lucky for Sang, they had on pajama pants. He was pretty sure Sang would have spontaneously combusted if she'd witnessed Axel coming out in the buff or Marc in only his boxers.

"What the hell is -- Sang?" Marc questioned as she finally pulled off the borrowed helmet. He pulled her in for a hug before asking, "What happened, hon?"

"Volto messed with the boy's phones and contacted Lory to have her get me away from them." She rushed out her answer still anxious over the drama that interrupted her night.

"Volto?" Marc said in confusion as he rubbed his face willing himself to wake up faster. "Why do I know that name?"

"Lory called him 'super-creepy-stalker-dude'...," Sang trailed off while prompting Marc.

"Why does your hair look plastic?" Axel interrupted. "And brown."

"I snuck out of the hospital." Axel and Marc blinked at her briefly trying to understand what that had to do with her hair color before it clicked in.

"Why?"

"The stalker she told you about contacted Lory. Must have sent her to us to keep her safe." Brandon chimed in being moderately more awake than his brothers.

"I still don't get the whole trainer thing," Axel said in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure its a way to ease her back in Academy work after she got hurt on a mission," Sang answered with a thoughtful look. Then she tossed out, "Besides, she's family. She's Uncle's daughter."

"Really?" Marc said with raised eyebrows obviously remembering overhearing the conversation of a few days earlier. "Wait, I thought I thought Lory was Owen and Sean's sister?"

"That, too," Sang confirmed as she struggled to undo the braid. "Can I borrow your tub? Lory said hot water would help take this paint out."

"Lory Anderson? Yay tall, brown hair? She's your trainer? I knew she referred to Doc Roberts as her Grandfather and I suspected she saw Sean and Owen as brothers, but she's your trainer too?" Axel questioned making a motion indicating an inch or two above Sang's own head. He wasn't sure he had made all the connections.