Rebecca Cruze's Story

Soren’s day had been going pretty good right up until that moment. Beautiful Strangers had played an acoustic set on local radio, done a Skype interview or two, and arrived at the apartment in loads of time to get set up and warmed up. They hadn’t played a private show in a while, but Richard, their manager, had said the girl organizing it had seemed really eager to book them and had paid handsomely for it.

None of them had asked too many questions. They were too tired, still jet-lagged from flying back from Europe and exhausted from playing six shows in six countries in seven days. Soren wished he could say it felt good being back in New York, but since his parents had moved back to Camden and had been renting out the apartment while he’d been touring, he was waking up to an empty apartment in a city where his memories weren’t exactly the fondest. But it was worth it all to get to do this. He’d do it all over again for that feeling of stepping out on stage.

He hadn't recognized the building at first. They went in a back entrance so they could use the service elevator, which was big enough that they could get all of their gear up to the right floor in just two runs instead of four or five. But there was something strangely familiar about the hall, something Soren couldn't quite put his finger on. It was only when the door to the apartment opened and an all too familiar face stepped out that things finally fell into place.

"Hi guys! Oh my god, it's so good to see you all, it's been too long!" Lauren gushed. Soren couldn't say anything. His stomach had plummeted through the floor and apparently taken his power of speech with it. This had to be some kind of sick joke. It had to be. By the time he came to his senses, Richard was chatting away to Lauren, having propelled them all into the apartment. "You know the guys already?" Richard asked. "Oh yeah, I knew them all the way back when Soren was still mopping floors and making frappés to fund it!" She laughed. Soren's jaw clenched even as he forced a smile.

"We'd better get set up, right?" He said, taking the opportunity to go over to where a small stage had been set up for them. Richard kept Lauren occupied for a few minutes, but eventually, he heard those heels tapping over, caught a whiff of her signature perfume.

"Hello, stranger," she purred, and his jaw clenched again. He didn't look at her, continuing to tune his guitar. "Look at you all. Big stars now, even bigger than the last time I saw you," she added, placing a hand on his shoulder. He wrenched his arm away and took a few steps away.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Lauren?" He asked. "Sneaking backstage isn't good enough for you now, you have to book my goddamn band behind my back?"
"Well, it was the only way I’d get you to talk to me. And besides, you didn't seem to mind me sneaking backstage so much last time," she said. Her tone was teasing but he knew her well enough to see the venom in those eyes and in that smile.
"Because you practically force-feeding me drinks had nothing to do with it," he retorted. Her smile widened, practically dripping with venom.
"You don't have to play the show, you know. If you're really uncomfortable," she said. He shot a glance back to the rest of the band. They had to have known what was going down, but they were making an exceptional show of pretending they didn't.

Soren knew two things. First of all, she had done this to torment him. This had nothing to do with loving their music or wanting to support the band. This had everything to do with him and their history.

And second of all, walking out would be letting her win. If he walked out, she could play the pity card and drag their name through the mud. And he wouldn’t, couldn’t, do that to the others. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her win that easily.

"Well, you've paid half upfront. Wouldn't want to waste your money now, would we?" He replied, matching that dangerous smile. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, enough for him to count it as a win. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to finish getting set up.”

They got their gear set up and tuned, and Lauren pointed them in the direction of a spare bedroom they could use to warm up and finish getting ready. Soren was glad that he usually took his time warming up, because every minute he was doing so was a minute that Lauren would leave him alone. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to Rebecca yet, because she seemed to always be in too close of a proximity to Lauren to risk it. As they went out to start the show, he spotted Erin pouring drinks at the bar. Well. At least he had that much. Erin would back him up if Lauren tried anything, and she’d slap some sense into him if needed. Catching her eye, he mouthed “What the fuck?” before grinning.

The show went well. It was a smaller crowd than their last few shows, but the atmosphere was still good enough that for just over an hour, Soren completely forgot about Lauren. He always put his all into the show, always had. So much so that when he came off stage, some of the crowd chanting for another song, despite everybody wanting to congratulate him, he had to go back into that spare bedroom to recover for a few moments. It was a mistake. He heard somebody by the door, and knew exactly who it was without having to look up, even before she spoke.

“How is it you’re even better than you were the last time I saw you guys play?” Lauren asked, leaning against the door.
“That’s how this works. You play enough shows, you get practice, you get better. Simple process really," he said, leaning in to the mirror to fix his eyeliner.
“You’ve grown up so much,” she mused, and he could see her making her way towards him. His heart was pounding in his throat, but he felt rooted to the spot. “I’m so proud of you.” And then she was right in front of him, a hand on his cheek. He pulled away from her.
“Get the fuck away from me, Lauren. I don’t want anything to do with you.” He warned, and she laughed.
“Oh, but Soren, darling, I’ve heard you say that before,” she purred, running a hand along his arm and going to take his hand. He snatched it away, taking another step away from her.
“You’re pathetic, you know that? It’s so obvious what you’re doing. I wasn’t good enough for you when I was mopping floors and making frappes, but now that people are taking notice? You’re all over me again. It’s sad, Lauren. I’m done with you. No amount of alcohol or drugs in this world could make me want to get with you again.” Lauren hadn’t changed. He knew now she never would.

Almost an hour later, Soren was still on edge after the argument. He didn’t trust himself to drink, didn’t trust that he wouldn’t do something stupid. Staying was a bad idea. He needed to go. He headed back to the spare room to grab his coat and his gear. He opened the door, running a hand down his face- and froze.

Lauren was slumped on the floor. Soren sighed, thinking that she’d had too much to drink or had taken something, and crossed over the room to her. “Lauren?” He called, kneeling down beside her and shaking her shoulder. Something felt wrong. He went to shake her again- and it was then he saw the small pool of blood. “Lauren? Lauren?” He kept calling, panicking. Soren went to feel for Lauren’s pulse, confirmation of something he already knew. Nothing. Lauren was dead. In the doorway, a woman screamed.

He didn’t know what happened then. He didn’t know how he reacted, if he yelled out for somebody, if he just froze. But suddenly it seemed that everybody else knew. He was numb, hardly able to move, hardly able to think. He was just kneeling numbly beside her. Someone said something about calling the police. And as he heard the sirens, something awful occurred to him.

Pretty much everyone at the party knew about their history. They'd been arguing earlier. If the police started asking questions... fingers were going to be pointed his way.

Today was the day, the first day in years since she would be back in America, back in New York. Since leaving she likes to think she’s grown and matured a little bit, but occasionally the wild side of her would come out while out traveling and her friends would be surprised with how she acted, since she mostly kept a professional and quiet life at work, there wasn’t much room to goof around when you’re the secretary and personal assistance of the CEO of one of the largest property development and investment companies in England, Telereal Trillium.

Over the years she didn’t keep in contact with many people from the states, only talking to her parents roughly once or twice a month. And maybe a message from Soren here and or to check in and update about his band, she felt bad when she couldn’t make it to one of their shows when they did their small European tour. But when Lauren messaged her on Instagram talking about one last party to relive the glory days, one that they would never forget, Rebecca quickly talked to her work and got the time off to head back to the States and have some fun.

Rebecca had only been back in New York just under a day, but it felt like it was just yesterday she was here and not many years ago, and she was hoping it would be just like the good of days of being an immature and crazy teenager. Sure she was still having fun in England and traveling around Europe, but it was here she became who she was and always able to let go and be free. Especially since Lauren was throwing a party for the good old times. Rebecca had tried to convince Soren to just tag along for a little bit just to relive the golden years but besides saying he didn’t want to have to deal with Lauren him and his band already had plans. But the two promised to meet up and get some drinks, maybe even play some music together, though it has been years since Rebecca had picked up an instrument.

After checking in at her hotel, Rebecca quickly went out to the shops to find an outfit for tonight, while she did bring enough clothes to last here while she was here, but of her clothes fixed the English atmosphere and their trends, not the American ones. Throughout the day she would be texting and trading pictures with Lauren, feeling like they were in high school again trying to figure out what to buy and wear. Over the years Becca had gotten a new phone a couple times and over time lost most of her American contacts as she didn’t need them, Lauren and Soren mostly talked to her over social media, so there weren't many people she could text right now, and knew Soren would be busy with his band to prep for their gig, wherever it was at.

Rebecca was out shopping for a couple of hours, a little longer than she planned but also buying more than she planned, though she wasn’t surprised by that. And when she got back to the hotel she started getting ready for the night, knowing it would take her a bit to do her hair and make up.

The phone to Rebecca’s hotel room rang and she quickly answered it to find out her taxi for the party had finally arrived. She grabbed her purse sprayed her perfume while talking down the stairs, it was one of her favorite senses she got as a tester back in London and quickly got refills of, made with siracusa lemon, an orange bigarade and support with a dark tenderness smell of juniper berries. The clicking of her heels on the lobby floor followed Rebecca as she walked through the rotary doors and quickly climbed into the taxi waiting for her on the street. It was already approaching the evening hours and Rebecca spent most of the time just staring out the window, gazing at the beauty of the city that made her who she was.

When the taxi pulled up, Rebecca immediately knew it was the right apartment for a party that Lauren would throw. While walking up the short staircase a very familiar voice caught her attention. “Wild!” Rebecca looked up and saw Lauren, stunning as ever. “Laur!” Rebecca shouted as the two open arms and hugged each other at the top of the stairs and giving a cheek-kiss. It’s been too long! Come in, I got a surprise.” Lauren said turning around and going in. Rebecca laughed and nodded some hellos to some people she knew roughly from high school. She wasn’t sure what the surprise was, but knew Lauren and knew it would be interesting. As the walked through she saw some more people she recognized but was basically dragged by the hand by Lauren to the main room, and upon entering her mouth taped open in surprised. Beautiful Strangers. “What? How did you get Soren to agree to this? I thought y’all werent on good terms.” Rebecca did a light wave to Soren before Lauren responded. “Didn’t ask him, talked to their manager and threw enough money. You should’ve seen his face, I’m hoping to rekindle some things.” The girl said with a wink. Lauren then showed Rebecca around some more, Rebecca felt bad for not staying and talking to Soren, but knew she had to entertain Lauren for a little before peeling off. The two continued to talk and Lauren showed her around.

“And I got the best bartender in New York.” Lauren said as she showed her where the bow was, showing Rebecca that Erin was also here serving drinks, which brought a smile and blush to her face. “Anyways, I need to go hunt my prey, Enjoy yourself!” Lauren said as she turned down the hallway. Erin hadn’t seen Rebecca yet since she was serving some people. Rebecca walked up to her blind spot on her right side. “Damn shouldn’t someone with buns like that be a baker not a bartender?” She said loud enough to catch Erin’s attention, and quickly hugging her from behind. She did a little giggle as Erin retorted her compliment. “Sorry if I startled you.” She said as she watched Erin give out drinks talking about work.

A smile came across her face as Erin poured her an old favorite drink of hers, something Rebecca nicknamed as a Wild Ride. Becca has tried to remake it numerous times on her own, and even asking bartenders for the custom drink to be made, but never came close to Erin’s, even thought every time she made it Erin would say she could make it better. Becca held up the cup that Erin had filled up for her. “I’ll be back for a refill, and then we can catch up!” As she turned a corner drinking the freshly made drink, which tasted perfect, she almost spilt her it when she bumped into someone, someone big. “Oh! I’m so sorr-“ she quickly cut off seeing it was her old partner in crime. Nathan. “Nathan!” She threw her arms around the gentle giant. “Wow it’s good to see you! Looking great. Are things gotten better? Been awhile and when I left…” Rebecca trailed off, not exactly wanting to say what Nathan was going through before she left, she knew he had an unfortunate run of bad luck.

The two talked for a little bit before Rebecca saw Lauren walk through a hallway and into a spare room. “Excuse me hun, but I gotta go talk to Lauren. We will finish this conversation I promise.” Rebecca gave him a kiss on the cheek and quickly went through the party crowd looking for Lauren.

After quickly spotted Lauren, Rebecca caught her attention and asked to talk to her in the spare room. “Everything okay wild child?” Lauren asked closing the door behind her. Rebecca put her drink down on the dresser before turning around to Lauren. “You really tricked Beautiful Strangers into playing here? I can’t believe you did this. You know how Soren is, he doesn’t want to be with you You need to let him go Laur.” She said to her, trying to be sympathetic. But the message wasn’t being understood the way she wanted it to be. “How. Dare. You. This is my party, and he’s my ex. I will get him back, and you aren’t gonna steal him from me, bitch.” She shouted into Rebecca’s face, probably could be heard from outside the room. This struck a chord with Rebecca, and she quickly reacted. “Are you fucking kidding me? Me, a bitch? No, fuck you Lauren. You shoved him away and cheated on him. You’re the one being a bitch, I’m trying to help you.” She said back to her. The two continued a little bit more before Rebecca stormed out, slamming the door behind her. And heading to the bathroom to cool off and get control of herself. After rinsing her face Rebecca decided she should go back and apologize to Lauren about how she acted.

Rebecca hung around a bit to catch up some more with some people and was getting ready to leave when a scream caught Rebecca’s attention and she quickly went to investigate. As she got to the door way she finally saw the thing that caused someone to scream. “Lauren!” Becca quickly shoved someone that was in the doorway aside and went to the side of the body, barely avoiding the blood on the floor. “Someone get help! Please! Call someone or something!” She yelled to the doorway where a group had started to form. Rebecca turned back to the body and held Lauren’s hand “It’ll be okay Lauren. Help is coming.” Rebecca barely got out of her mouth as tears started down her face.

Lauren said this would be a night they wouldn’t forget, little did she mean it like this.

"Hey Lex, how is it going? I know it has been a while since we've seen each other but... I was just wondering if you would like to meet up sometime? This is Jessica... just in case you forgot. Well, I'll be looking forward to your response. Don't be a stranger now, hun. Kisses!" The voicemail playing from Alexander's smart phone in his right hand had finally ended. He was massaging his his temple with his other hand as he tried, to little effect, alleviate the headache he felt growing from listening to the voicemail.

"You sure do have a number of admirers, don't you boss? Not worried that one of them is going to act drastically after you slight them?" Christina, also known as Tina, Lex's secretary, asked him jokingly while giving him a cup of coffee.

"It doesn't matter. Whether or not I return their affection, none of them really care or know about me, at least the true me." Lex said as he thanked Tina for the drink. As he slowly sipped he continued, "There are few who do... even less now."

While walking towards the door to exit Lex's office, Tina said, "I don't seem to remember you doing anything to change that sir. You should probably address that, the sooner the better. Everyone needs a few good friends." She giggled a little as she opened the door. Turning around and looking towards Lex she continued, asking, "Aren't you suppose to meet up with some old friends tonight?"Alexander casually looked down at his phone, looking at the date and time.

Earlier in the week Lex had received a message out of the blue from his old friend Lauren, taking about getting their old group back together again after the fallout years prior. He had blamed himself for what had happened and had distanced himself from them all of them afterwards. Now after years had passed he was slowly trying to repair his past relationships with those he could find in New York City. He was steadily making progress and this event provided him with the opportunity to try and patch up things with those he was unable to meet with earlier, due to the lack of free time Lex had to do so.

"Seems like it." Alexander got up from his desk, walking towards the exit where Tina was now located. As he walked past her and towards the coat rack to put on his coat, he said, "Cancel any unnecessary meetings and postpone anything deemed important. I don't want to be disturbed by anyone til tomorrow at noon. Knowing my old friends I probably won't be available until then." As he was about to leave he turned back towards Tina and said, "You can take the rest of the day off, if you like... Paid of course."

Tina blew a teasing kiss towards Lex as he left his office. He then messaged the front desk with his phone to have a car prepared for him to leave for Lauren's party, giving them its location. As he exited the elevator in the main lobby Lex was greeted by a number of employees. He waved towards them all nonchalantly as he left the building and entered the car waiting for him outside.

As the car left towards its destination Lex looked down towards his watch, thinking, "Looks like I'll be a little bit late... Just like old times." He laughed to himself quietly as he waited until he arrived at Lauren's party.

After a fair bit of time Alexander arrived at the party. Looking around he saw a number of familiar faces, those being: Erin, Nathan, and Lauren. Lex approached Erin and exchanged pleasantries with her while he ordered an Irish Buck. Thanking her, Lex said, "Thanks. Hopefully everything ends uneventfully tonight... unlike last time." Sighing Lex game Erin a short farewell as he looked for Lauren, to greet her.

While walking towards Lauren, Lex nodded and smiled towards Nathan, one of the few people Lex has spent time trying to connect to after the group's fallout years ago. When he reached Lauren he greeted her with a hug. Despite everything that went down between the group Lex had kept a mutually beneficial relationship with her. They were both affluent and influential people, within their own right, and used their abilities in order to assist each other whenever they needed the other.

Looking towards the stage Lex noted that Sorin's band would be performing for their party tonight. Looking towards Lauren he said, "I'm guessing he wasn't told that you were the one hiring him tonight, right?" After receiving an affirmation for his thoughts Lex laughed a little to himself. "Well... I hope whatever you're planning goes as well as you think it will. Me and Sor haven't been in the best terms since we... Just don't expect much out of me tonight. I'm planning on trying to reestablish the relationships I lost." Before leaving her Lex gave Lauren a kiss on her cheek before saying, "Happy Hunting."

Some time and a few drinks later Lex was quietly observing the crowd while Beutiful Strangers was playing their set. While looking over the crowd Lex had spotted Rebecca, his past crush while they were in high school. After knowing her for so long and from their first interaction Lex had slowly developed romantic feelings towards her. When she left New York City he was having a hard time, missing just having her in his life as a support. This was the time when he had his major slip up with Lauren and caused the rift between the group members. Lex's greatest hope for coming tonight was to rekindle the relationship he once had with Rebecca and possibly even more.

Alexander waited patiently as he watched Rebecca talk to a couple of the members of their group at the party. Smiling to himself as he thought, "I'm glad she can still make those expressions. Maybe moving away before everything went down was best for her." Not wanting to disturb her while she was enjoying herself Lex decides to mingle among the other attendants who catch his interest. Engaging in small talk with a few people until he grows tired of talking to them, bidding farewell as he walks to a nearby balcony to have a smoke.

While lighting his cigarette and taking the first drag Lex notices Lauren standing nearby. Looking towards her Lex smiles and offers her a cigarette. After inhaling a considerable amount he lets the smoke lazily exit his mouth as leans on the railing turning to Lauren, saying, "So what's with this party anyway? You can't tell me that this is all just to get us all together... If that were the case we could've done this earlier... What's the motivation?" Waiting to hear her answer Lex sees an all familiar cold glint in her eyes, one that tells him he may not want to hear the answer. While listening to Lauren talk an even colder glint could be seen in his eyes as he stared daggers towards Lauren...

After having talked to Lauren, Lex walked towards the bar to get another refill as a headache seemed to creep into his head. He didn't see Erin anywhere near the bar so he decided to mix himself a drink. Just after he finished preparing his drink Lex heard a scream over all the festivities going on around him. He wasn't really concerned about what happened until he heard Rebecca shouting for help. Hearing her triggered Lex to run towards the scene, pushing onlookers aside until he was behind Rebecca, Sorin, and Erin. The sight of Lauren laying in a pool of blood made Lex instinctively hold back some of his emotions, in order to better help in the situation and remained focused.

Alexander looked around, assessing as much as he could about the situation before leaning on a nearby wall to Rebecca. He stroked her hair gently, attempting to comfort her while calling his secretary Tina. "Sorry for calling but a friend of mine was... killed. I'm sure someone has already informed the authorities about this so I'm sure they will be on their way here soon." Just as he said this he could hear a number of faint sirens in the background. "Tina, this is going to be very important... Get a number of our experts to try and gather as much information as they can about the party that I am at now, anything that may prove useful no matter how minute. You know how we do things." After hearing Tina agree to everything with a serious tone, Lex returned his focus to those around him.

As law enforcement came by he saw Erin questioning Sor, preparing him for the investigation that would surely start sometime soon. Looking down at Rebecca holding Lauren's hand Lex promptly squatted down next to her, attempting to comfort her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder, patting her. He leaned towards Rebecca's ear, whispering,"Erin is right, the cops soon start questioning everyone here... and Sorin will most likely be their main suspect."

Looking around Lex noticed that their wasn't any law enforcement within eyesight. While still comforting Rebecca and with the cops currently distracted, Lex removed the hands she was holding Lauren with, wiping the hand Rebecca had just been holding. He turned to look at her in the eyes with the most caring look he could muster while maintaining his composure. "Your fingerprints would only lead to more complications for you... I know how much Lauren means to you but you being put in a holding cell for holding her hand doesn't sit well with me."

Looking at Rebecca's eyes he couldn't help but break down the emotional wall he had just built a little bit. He then held her even tighter as he said, "I'm sorry... I'm not exactly the greatest at comforting others. If you want to stay here with Lauren... we can do that. If you need some fresh air, we can do that... " As he looked down at Lauren while holding Rebecca he couldn't help but feel regret that he was incapable of keeping this event from happening and deciding that he would do everything within his ability to get to the bottom of what happened here, while protecting himself and those he cared about.

Soren was completely numb. People were talking to him, he was pretty sure that one of those people was Erin, but he just... couldn't respond. Rebecca was sobbing beside him, and he couldn't even comfort her. It felt like he was watching it all from somewhere outside his body, like this wasn't really happening to him. He could hear the sirens getting closer, but he couldn't respond. They arrived, and somebody- was it Nate?- gently pulled him to his feet and led him out of the room. They sat him down and disappeared again, leaving Soren alone. The whole time, all Soren did was stare at the floor. People moved around him, some of them even tried talking to him, but he couldn't process it. Lauren was dead. She was gone, just like that. It just... didn't seem possible.

He was vaguely aware of somebody talking to him, but he only really came around once they tapped him gently on the cheek. He finally looked up at the ground to meet Erin's eyes. She was saying something about the room they'd found her in, if he'd gone back in.

"I... I went in after I came offstage, I needed a.... a breather before I went out to.... to see everyone again. Lauren- she- she came in, she wanted to talk, she wanted to... but I left." And then it hit him. It hit him so hard it felt like he'd been physically kicked in the chest. She was gone. She was dead and everybody was going to think it was him and he'd ruined things for everyone, he'd ruined things for the band- he was never going to get anywhere now-

"I didn't do it, Erin, I swear to god, I didn't, you have to believe me-" he forced out between heaving sobs, somewhere between crying and a panic attack.

Erin looked at Soren as he simply sat there in silence. The look on his face mixed with the body language, as well as the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was in his own little world, and it only took her gently patting his face to bring him back down to earth, however helpful that may have been in the moment. But sometimes the only thing that someone needs in some tough love. She sighed softly as he finally began talking, his voice was wracked with emotion and was occasionally cracking from him having cried as much as he had. Erin gently placed her hand on his knee as he continued explaining that he had gone into the room, for only a minute and in that small time frame that Lauren did come and talk to him. She sighed heavily, if the police found out that they did indeed have one final talk before she was found murdered, Soren would indeed be the first one they went after even more, and she couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow any of her friends to be found guilty of this, it was absurd anyway, right? None of them could actually be found guilty of murder... right?

She gently squeezed his leg as he began crying as she slowly stood up and sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him as he began to cry once more. Erin could feel his entire body shake, and she could have sworn she felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "I want to believe you, I do. I really, really do...But...Anyone could have done it, Sor...Anyone...And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she said as she could feel the burn behind her eyes begin, and then finally the tears hit as she tried to remain calm in this moment. But seeing everyone go from having a good time and enjoying themselves like last time, this only caused her to be a mix of angry and entirely heart-broken. "Everything's going to be okay, Soren...I promise." she said softly as she kissed the top of his head, as well as rubbing his left arm with one hand, and his back with her other. He needed someone to help him in this moment, and she'd do her best to be there for him, just like she always was.

Soren instinctively leaned into Erin the minute she put her arms around him. The physical contact made him feel just a little calmer, a little more grounded. But Erin only said that she wanted to believe him, not that she did, and that just made it worse. Because he didn't blame her for not believing him. He probably wouldn't have believed himself. So how the hell was he going to make the cops believe him? How the hell was he going to get anyone to believe him? Goddammit, he hadn't even wanted to come to the party. He'd just showed up expecting to play the private show for some superfan, take a few pictures, make some polite conversation, maybe have a drink, and then go home. And then everything had gone wrong, and now he had ruined everything.

After a few minutes, the sobbing subsided, but he stayed where he was in Erin's arms, entirely emotionally drained and having returned to that awful, cold, numbness. "What do we do now, Erin?" he asked, not sure if he wanted an answer or not. The cops already seemed to be interviewing people, and he knew it was only a matter of time before his name got mentioned in all the wrong ways.

Erin continued trying her best to comfort him, ignoring how she felt entirely in that moment. Soren needed comforting more than she did. She held him close as he leaned into her embrace more, which only made her hold him even tighter. She finally waited until he had finished crying, and once he did she let go of her embrace slightly, which allowed him to compose himself better. Erin sighed as Soren asked what were they going to do, and honestly, she had no idea. There was nothing they really could do, except for try to remain as calm and collected as they could. "I don't know...Just try to prove that none of us did it? I honestly don't know, Sor...That's what scares me.." her voice showed evidence of being genuinely scared and uncertain. And the fact that two people walked in that didn't look like normal police officers sent a shiver down her spine. Something was unsettling about the whole thing, the fact that it wasn't just the average police officers arriving was worrisome. "No matter what...I got your back." she said as she gently held his hand. There was one thing she knew, and she wasn't going to let her friends fall for something they didn't do...If they were all innocent anyway. And she tried believing they were.

The attention of two new cops walking in, two that looked... different to the others, put Soren a little on edge. It just made the whole thing feel even more real. But it reminded him that he wasn't the only one dealing with this. He squeezed her hand. "We've got each other's back. No matter... no matter what." he said. "We'll be okay. We'll be okay," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He wasn't sure if he was saying it to himself or to Erin. But he had to believe it. He had to, because the alternative didn't bear thinking about.

Erin simply nodded as Soren spoke, whether it was to reassure the both of them, her, or even just himself, she wasn't sure. But she wasn't going to question it. She didn't really know what to say or do, except hold his hand and be there for him. She looked on as the officers began questioning more of them, as the people that stood out from the normal officers began examing the room and apartment. She knew what they were looking for, any sign of anytihng out of the ordinary. She watched silently for a few minutes as the male in the suit began encrouching closer, but she noticed how he simply kept to himself and was more invested in investigating than talking to anyone. She simply shook her head and looked back at Soren, "I'm going to go check on the others, see if they're okay...Think you'll be okay for a few short minutes while I'm gone?" Erin asked, genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure if it would be okay for her to leave or if she should stay. If Soren needed her to stay and comfort her longer, she would. But she just wanted to make sure that he was okay first before she left him.

Watching the police just made Soren feel even more anxious, so he turned his attention to the ground again, trying to keep himself calm. He nodded as Erin said she was going to check on the others. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine," he said. Fine was probably an overstatement, but the overwhelming panic was at least gone. It appeared to have taken a chunk of his chest with it, leaving him feeling numb and empty, but it did mean that he could probably manage by himself for a few minutes. "Go on, go make sure everyone else is okay," he said, forcing a smile. He knew they both knew it was forced, but it was better than nothing.

Erin gave him as much of a reassuring smile as she could give him as she ruffled his hair slightly. "I won't be gone for too long. If you need a place to stay tonight, you know my place is yours." she gave him a reaffirming nod before she turned to go leave and see how the others were doing. Even though it wouldn't be much of a guess, seeing how things had gone from good, to bad in a simple matter of minutes. And she doubted anyone was fairing better than Soren. Erin scanned the area to see who wasn't having to give statements, and saw that Alex was currently comforting Rebecca in the corner of the room. She turned back towards Soren and pretended to vomit before she walked over to those two to see how they were doing.

He nodded as she told him her place was his if he needed it. He was more than likely going to take her up on that offer. The thought of sleeping in an empty apartment after this... he couldn't do it. He caught a glimpse of her pretending to vomit at the sight of Lex comforting Rebecca and managed a smile, but couldn't manage much more of a reaction than that. He had no idea how long he was sitting there before the female cop came over. Nate also appeared to be beside him. Had he been there even when Erin and Soren had been talking? Had he only just sat down?

The cop introduced herself as Detective Arisa Winston and didn't waste much time in getting to business. Her manner was efficient but not totally cold. Soren ran a hand through his hair and at least tried to compose himself a little. "Soren Bowers, 25. I... Lauren is- was... my ex-girlfriend," he admitted. The wave of panic crashed over him all over again, and he had to fight to at least keep himself able to talk to her. "I was just going to get my stuff to leave when... when..." He couldn't get the words out. It still didn't seem real. It felt like a bad dream he couldn't escape from, no matter how much he tried.

Alexander was quietly thinking about the various things he could do in order to address the predicament Lauren's death had caused himself and the rest of the group who had gathered tonight. Lauren was guaranteed to cause drama whenever the group was together but this was something completely different from the usual, she wouldn't be here to enjoy the chaos. Sighing to himself Lex couldn't help but think Lauren is somehow a little delighted at the trouble she was causing all of them. A wistful smile began to form on his face thinking about her.

While sitting down in the hallway Lex continued to comfort Rebecca, knowing just how hurt she was after losing her best friend. He wanted to remove the pain she was feeling but he knew how much work he would have to burden himself in order to accomplish it. His secretary was already accumulating whatever they could, working with experts at Lex's company, in order to uncover what exactly happened tonight and depending on what they discover, to act accordingly. If the answer was simple enough then that would be the end of it but Lex had a feeling that whatever went down tonight was far from simple.

A number of guests had asked about his and Becca's condition. While exchanging pleasantries and noting that him and Becca were fine he noticed Erin walking towards them. Becca had nudged him to stand up, complying Lex stood up while supporting Becca making sure that she was fine. When Erin had asked them if they were okay Lex smiled slightly before looking towards her and saying, "Things could be better... Lauren always knew how liven up a party..." Lex tried to alleviate their situation with levity but he knew that nothing could really be said at this moment to ease any of their minds.

Becca was having a hard time speaking about Lauren, fumbling with her words as she was overcome with emotions. Lex would stroke her shoulder whenever she seemed to struggle, hoping that his actions were of some help to her. Looking up he saw the look in Erin's eyes which he found oddly sorrowful. It wasn't out of the question for her to have that expression, since Lauren just murdered, but there was something different there, something familiar to Lex, longing.

Not long afterwards a police officer has walked over to take their statements. Lex patiently waited as Becca and Erin gave their accounts. He noted everything they said into his mind, both Becca and Erin's accounts. Erin saying that she hadn't poisoned Lauren made Lex mentally facepalm, wondering why she would say something so unnecessary, especially while giving their official statement. When she implied the possibility of Khepri having something to do with Lauren's death, Lex couldn't help but stare daggers towards her.

When it was Lex's time to make his statement he calmed himself totally, as if he was completely removed from the situation. Turning towards the officer he said, "Name, Alexander Yang, legally documented as Yang Guowang. Age, 26. Relationship to the deceased... friend." After noting the essentials he then continued describing his account of what he had seen happen at the party, saying, "When I had arrived I had introduced myself to the hostess, Lauren, we had exchanged pleasantries before separating. During the band's performance I was in the crowd, drinking and exchanging small talk. Afterwards I went outside onto the balcony to have a cigarette, where I met Lauren again and we conversed about the party. I spent the remainder of the time talking to others in the crowd before getting a drink at the bar and hearing someone scream. When I had heard Rebecca I went towards the scene and had seen the my friend Lauren laying in a pool of blood. That's my account of the events of tonight."

Lex had left somethings out of his account: the fact that Erin had not been at the bar when the murder may have taken place, what exactly him and Lauren had talked about. Becca than talked about seeing Soren being in the room with Lauren, before shortly saying she doubted that Sor had killed Lauren, a belief they both shared. Lex and Sor's relationship hadn't been great after what had happened when the group split up years ago but he didn't believe that Sor would've murdered Lauren.

"If you need to reach me about anything concerning this case you should be able to get either in touch with me or my secretary by calling this number." Lex had given his business card to the officer after he said that. Continuing, Lex said, "I would like to extend my and my companies capabilities to assist in this investigation. As Lauren's friends we would like to find out what had happened to her... and a number of us no longer live in the country. If we will be kept from traveling out of the city it would inconvenience a lot of us, so the sooner everything is sorted out the better." The officer received the business card before walking away from them.

He heard Becca asking about whether or not Sor had murdered Lauren, before noticing Khepri. "I doubt it but until this investigation is completed... anything is possible." He turned towards Becca and said, "Your welcome to stay at my place during the investigation. I doubt that any of us will be able to leave the country before our names are cleared..." Lex smiled a little mischievously before saying, "My place is better than most hotels you'll find around here... and the room service will be exceedingly better."

Lex patted Becca on the shoulder before he turned and walked towards Khepri, saying, "Excuse me, I have something to talk to Pri about. We can do whatever you like once you've come to a decision." While walked towards Pri, Lex received a message from his secretary Tina, stating that they had gotten almost everything they could. He returned a message thanking them for their work, promising them a bonus once they obtain everything, before telling them his friend Pri would contact them soon.

Once Lex was in front of Pri he asked her, "Are you alright? You look a little shaken up." Lex listened to her response with concern visible on his face. "You need to take care of yourself... we don't need anyone else leaving us soon, especially you... We're gonna need your skills in order to get to the bottom of this, right Miss Journalist." Lex tried to keep things light but he needed to address everything he needed to, before any law enforcement overheard them. Lex slipped Pri a number before saying, "This is my secretaries number, her name is Tina. Tell her Wang sent you and she'll send you what information we had gathered about what went down tonight. I'm not going to force you into anything but... I think you and I both know we need to figure this out. Besides, breaking something like this would be great for work, right?"

Lex listened to everything Pri said before he said, "All of my resources will be available to you, you just need to say the word." He then walked up and gave Pri a hug, holding her close to him. "I don't want to lose you." Lex was about to offer Pri to stay at his place but when he thought of Becca possibly going with him tonight he was at odds with himself. He wanted to support Pri but this was one of the few chances Lex had to become closer to Becca. "I would offer my place tonight but... Becca's probably going to spend the night and I... You know how I feel about her, right? I hope you understand... After tonight you can come over, I just want to have one night."

He knew Pri was a strong and highly capable person, he saw a lot of himself in her. Lex believed that Pri would be fine but after what happened with Lauren he wasn't quite sure where she was mentally. Concerned but being driven by his desires, Lex chose Becca. Bidding Pri a goodnight he walked back towards Becca, seeing her talking with Erin. When he heard her say that she would be leaving with him, he couldn't help but genuinely smile.

Looking around the room Lex grabbed a nearby bottle of whiskey, pouring himself a drink before offering ones to both Erin and Becca. "My driver should be downstairs, we can leave now." Lex downed the remainder of his drink before he offered his hand towards Becca, holding it as they traveled down to their ride bellow. The driver was waiting outside for them, opening the door for them as they entered the limousine. When they had entered the vehicle a small gasp escaped Lex's mouth, he felt like he could finally relax after leaving that apartment. As the driver started to drive towards Lex's penthouse apartment Lex turned towards Becca and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Rebecca stuck the paper from Erin into her bra and gave a slight wave to Khepri as Lex led the two of them outside to her surprise an actual limousine. “Wow.” Rebecca said under her breathe as she climbed in, Lex following her. She finally took him up on his offer of the whiskey and poured herself a half glass full and quickly drinking in an attempt to calm herself down. “I don’t know…” she muttered looking out the vehicles windows as they drove down the roads to wherever Alexander’s place was. “Just, be here for me, I guess.” Becca said forcing a smile out to Lex.

It wasn’t long until the limousine stopped in front of what seemed like a luxury apartment building. Becca was a little impressed by how the lobby looked and stayed close to Lex as they walked in and into the elevator, holding onto Lex’s arm as he swiped a card in the elevator and clicked on the top floor. The penthouse. When the elevator’s opened Rebecca as shocked by how nice the place was. She slowly stepped in and let go of her purse as it fell on the ground, she looked around surprised by the whole place. [color=#D0209]0“Wow… I never knew you lived like this… like I knew you had money and such but wow.”[/color] She said as she walked around more and admired the place, just about turning/spinning as she walked to get a look at everything.

The apartment was huge compared to Rebecca’s place back in London. The luxurious kitchen that had its own island and bar, the stunning glass window wall that led out to a terrace with a pool and hot tub, also what looked like access to Lex’s own gym. As Becca reached the center of the room she assumed that upstairs was all the living arrangements, though not sure exactly how many bedrooms he had. She turned around when Lex spoke about money not being an issue and quickly walked over to him seeing his open gesture to take her coat. She let him take it off of her, and turned around back to face him.

“Lex, do you have anything more comfortable for me to wear? Kind of want to get out of this dress. I’m going to wash my face, I probably look terrible with crying with this make up on.” Rebecca asked and then walked into the bathroom to wash her face as Lex said he could find something and headed upstairs. By the time she was done washing her face Lex was back down stairs and the two met by the kitchen island, and he and handed her a dress shirt. Since he was taller than her it would work for now around his apartment.Rebecca thanked him and started taking off her jewelry and heels, placing them on one of the bar seats. “Hope you don’t mind.” She said as she took off her dress in the open. This revealed her numerous tattoos that she has gotten over the years, as well as her matching black underwear.

Rebecca took a seat at the bar and started buttoning up the shirt before looking over at Lex. “Do you think any of our friends would’ve done this?” She asked as she watched him get some drinks out of the cupboard and start mixing. He quickly handed her a familiar looking drink, as she took a sip she knew he had attempted to make her favorite drink, not as perfected as Erin’s, but she was a bartender and it still tasted good. She listened as Lex explained his thoughts, the last part peaking her interest. “First off, this tastes great, didn’t know you knew what I liked And what you mean? You’re going to try to find out who did it?” She asked, quickly downing her drink and putting her elbows on the counter and staring at Lex as he talked.

Rebecca took his hand as he looked into her eyes. “Well… I wanna help. Not sure how, but I want to.” Rebecca said nodding to Lex, she took a glance at the clock he had on the wall. [color=#D02090]“I think we should head to bed. I’m assuming upstairs?” She said as she stood up and quickly started heading up the stairs. She tripped on the second step, partly to her not paying attention and a little bit due to her tipsiness over the night. Lex helped her up. “I’m fine, just hit my knee. And Lex… do you mind if I sleep with you? Don’t really want to be alone…” she asked softly as they walked up the stairs.

As they got settled into bed Rebecca took off her bra from under the buttoned shirt and turned ti face. “Thank you, really missed you over the years. Glad to see you’re successful with everything.” Rebecca leaned in and gave him a kiss, holding for a couple seconds before laying down. She subconsciously snuggled close to Lex and quickly fell asleep. Rebecca actually felt safe.


Rebecca slowly woke up and found the paper Erin handed her and sent a message along with a picture of herself sitting on the edge of the bed to show that she was alive and okay. She then got up to find Lex, just following the smell of breakfast. When’s she reached the staircase she looked down and saw him. Shirtless, making food. Becca stared for a second before finally saying something. “You know, cooking shirtless is dangerous.” She headed down stairs looking at the island and all the variety of food Lex had set our. “Wow, this is amazing. Feel like a princess to wake up to all of this.” She quickly made a plate with a little bit of everything that Lex has made and started to eat.

While Lex continued to cook Rebecca noticed his phone buzz and out of curiosity noticed some talk about murder and crime, but not much from trying to read the small print upside down. “Lex.. what’s this about?” She asked pointing at his phone. She listened to his explanation. “Well? What do you know? Who did it?” Rebecca asked. She put on a pouty face with sticking out her bottom lip when Lex told her he couldn’t tell her. Either he didn’t want to or didn’t know, still both wouldn’t matter.

After finishing the meal that Lex has prepared for her Rebecca saw the time on the largeanalog clock Lex had up on the wall. “I have to head back to the hotel, need to gather some things and let my work know what’s going on.” Rebecca said as she slid her phone to Lex. [color=#D02090“Incase I want to message you…” she said with a smile as she got up and gathered her things and changed back into her dress. “Thanks again Lex, I’ll probably be back.” Becca said kissing him on the cheek before leaving.

As soon as the cop agreed to let Soren go, he went straight back over to Erin, still feeling as though he caught in a nightmare, making everything feel surreal and warped. He hated it. He knew he had a conversation with the rest of the band, but he couldn’t remember what he said the minute it left his lips. They left, and Soren found himself just sticking to Erin. He didn’t realise he was biting his nails until he’d bitten one of them so far down that he drew blood. But eventually, they left. He hoped the cold air might help snap him out of it. But instead, it just made it a little less horrible, but no less dreamlike. The smell of cigarette smoke made him look at Erin, but not to judge. He was almost tempted to ask for one. But the one small part of his brain that still remained functional reminded him that cigarettes were bad for his voice. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Everything was going to hell, and he was worried about his voice.

”I want to get really fucking drunk,” he mumbled in response to Erin’s question about what he wanted to do. ”I want to go back to yours and drink until I can’t remember… anything,” He wanted to feel numb, but not like he did now. He wanted to feel that hazy, stupid, free type of numb that he only felt when he was insanely drunk. And he needed to be somewhere that felt like home. And Erin’s was the only place he could think of that felt anywhere close to what he needed.

The crisp night city air helped relieve some of the stress she had been feeling prior, mixed with the chemicals that she was forcing into her lungs. Funny though, walking in the fresh night air while polluting her lungs with the toxic substance she relied so heavily on. She knew she should quit, but bad habits died hard and this was one of the few things she couldn’t let go. A golden amber glow flickered from her lips as she took another inhale and then coughed as Soren began to speak. She could tell by the look on his face before he even spoke, that for even a moment he considered asking her for one of her cigarettes. A smirk formed on Erin’s face as she held the small and burning object in her fingertips, “Trust me, pretty boy. This will kill you faster than the alcohol will. Best to not get hooked on this…shit.” she said solemnly as she took one last and final drag, feeling the smoke fill her lungs and throat for a few short seconds before she exhaled once more and crushed the cigarette butt under her boot as she pressed it into the concrete below. Erin smirked slightly as he said he wanted to go back to her place and just forget everything. Drink until they could forget, and hope that this was all some sort of dream.

A small chuckle exited her lips as she looked at him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder, “Trust me, we’re gonna get super fucked up. I have all of the drinks you could want. Besides, with it being just us two, means there’s even more.” she said with a small smile. She gave one more look behind them at the apartment complex, seeing Lex and Rebecca get into one of his cars and leave. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before shaking her head, “I don’t have a good feeling about those two being alone together...But what do I know? I only make terrible choices.” she started to say before her voice softened for a moment, “But what do I know? They can do whatever the fuck they want...Even if I don’t like it..” she muttered under her breath, partially loud enough for Soren to hear, but not enough for her to really care. It was obvious enough that she always had strong feelings for her friends, Soren knew first hand. Especially after something bad happened. The two simply continued walking down those streets as time seemed to linger on forever, much longer and daunting than it had prior. Any and all positive emotions had been sucked out from them, and the only real remedy they would have was from their old and trusty friend, alcohol. And plenty of it. Finally, after some time they arrived to a large, old stone apartment complex building. Erin ushered him along as they opened the metal barred gate which closed with a metallic thud and then lock as they closed it behind them. After having to walk up the first four flights of stairs, they arrived to the floor where her apartment was, being three doors down on the right side of the complex. Erin dug through her leather jacket’s pocket for a moment as she fished for her keys, “Sorry if this isn’t what you’re used to. But with this being Brooklyn, well...It’s more...Rustic? You remember, right?” she questioned as she opened the door and waited for Soren to enter the apartment behind her, and closed the door, making sure to lock it. “After all of this time...I never left Brooklyn. With the bar being so close to my childhood home as well as being in a part of the city I was familiar with, leaving would feel wrong, for me anyway.” she said casually as they made their way down the hallway. A large spiral staircase was at the end of the hallway which would lead to the spare room as well as the bathroom to the right, and to the left would be another way of getting to her room, which she decided would be in the small loft of the apartment that overlooked the living room. It was a rather large apartment, by no means was it a flat or penthouse, but it was large enough, especially for one or more people. Erin had preferred to live in a big enough space, just in the off chance if her friends ever needed a place to stay for a while, as well as being able to afford it due to her ties with her aunt and uncle. She shook her head as she walked into the kitchen that was in the adjacent room to the right, with the living room on the left end of the apartment and hallway.

“Make yourself at home while I get everything set up. You know where everything is by now.” her voice called from within the kitchen, which too was spacious and rather rustic like the rest of the apartment. A large spacious room, with an old and cozy look due to the interior, which were old stone covering the walls with hardwood floors and small rugs of beige and light browns and grays. Erin retrieved a few glasses from the kitchen, as she held a few bottles in her arms, as well as a food bags of chips between her teeth as she shuffled from the kitchen and into the living room. Placing the cups and drinks and food on the coffee table that was next to the couch. “Before we get entirely too wasted, I’m gonna get changed out from this and get into something more comfortable. I’ll make sure to grab you something as well and you can get out of that outfit. You always were one for that extra look.” Erin said with a small smile as she left the room by the staircase in the living room and disappeared from view as she went into the loft for a few short minutes. She came back dressed in a plain black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, tossing Soren his own t-shirt and sweatpants. For him, she grabbed him one of her old band graphic t’s and black sweatpants. It was a wild guess that they would comfortably fit, but they’d be better than nothing. Erin sat down on the couch with one of her feet tucked under her body as she pulled out a small bag and some paper, placing them down on the coffee table as she prepared the drinks, “I don’t know about you, but I plan on more than just drinking. You can join me if you want, but it’s entirely up to you. No pressure to smoke, as always.” she said casually as she began to pour some of his and her favorite drinks. She knew how hammered he’d want to be, and she would make sure he got what he wanted, even if he would regret it the next day. She handed him a small shot glass, as she grabbed her own and held it in the air, “To all of our bad decisions. Both past and future ones. Also...I missed you, Sor...It’s good to see you again.” she said with a small smile as gave him a small side hug, placing her head against his for a moment before she gave him one more salute with the small glass and took their first shot of the night. The first of many for the two.

He didn’t much like the look of Lex and Becca leaving together either. But he didn’t comment on it, Erin seeing troubled enough by it. Rebecca was a big girl, he was sure she could handle herself. The walk back to Erin’s apartment was silent, neither of them feeling much like talking. He managed a smirk and a chuckle as Erin apologised for her apartment not being what he was used to. “Erin, I’m just back off tour, what I’m used to right now is a tiny ass van that we took shifts in driving. Maybe a not-so-terrible motel room if we’re really splashing out,” he remarked. It had been a while since he’d been back to her apartment. In fact, it was probably only the second time he’d been here, and most of his memories of the first time was Erin yelling at him over the pounding headache of a hangover after the last time he’d been in New York. After he’d slept with Lauren again.

Lauren.

Even just thinking about her felt like a kick to the chest. How could this be happening? How? How could it have happened, just like that?

Erin reappeared with drinks and snacks, dumping them on the small coffee table before saying something about getting changed and getting something for him to wear. He’d almost forgotten what he was wearing. He was perfectly comfortable as he was, but he still appreciated the change of clothes. Maybe then things would feel a little more real. Or at least, like it had all just been a terrible dream and things were like old times.

He stepped into the bathroom briefly to change after Erin tossed the clothes to him. The sweatpants were a little short, but the t-shirt was at least a good fit. He sat cross-legged on her couch as she poured them drinks. She could still remember what he liked, even after all this time.

He shrugged as she said she was going to smoke. “Nah, think I’m good, but thanks.” He managed a smile as she leaned against him after her toast, giving him a small hug. “It’s good to see you again. Wish it was under different circumstances, though,” he said, before clearing his throat. “To the worst decisions we can make.” He downed the shot, the burn in his throat welcome.

He lost track of time and shots and drinks. His head was a swirling, tilting mess, and he loved it. Everything seemed a little less terrible. Everything seemed a little more fun.

“I missed everybody, you know,” he slurred, swirling another drink in his glass. “You and Rebecca and Nate and Kyle and… well, not Alexander. Fuck him. But everyone else. I love you guys,” he said, half leaning, half falling on top of Erin and wrapping her in a hug.

The two of them had become an absolute mess of alcohol and drugs, well, Erin became the mess of the two as Soren simply stayed to the drinks. Her vision was somewhat blurry and her mind was a slush of thoughts, albeit they were somewhat blurring together. She decided to finally lay off of the smoking halfway through as she could feel the alcohol canceling out the high. What was the point if she couldn’t exactly enjoy it. By the time that Soren had spoken up once more, they had both done nothing but drink one after the other. Would they regret it in the morning? Yes, but was it worth as an attempt to forget the reality of their situation? In the moment, yes. And that was all that they cared about. Just escape reality for even just a moment, a moment of hoping this was all some sick joke.

Erin was alone in her own drunken thoughts when Soren spoke up once more, his words slurred together but not to the point of where she couldn’t understand him. At least not yet. She had years of practice, and was always one of the few people that could understand his drunk ramblings. She looked up at him when he began saying that he missed everyone, except for Alex. All she really could do was limply nod her head in agreement at his statement. That was until he leaned over and gave her a hug, which caused her to almost fall over and off of the couch, causing her to catch herself somehow and push themselves back up. All the while laughing. No matter how long they went without talking, Erin always had Soren’s back, and he had her’s. They had been childhood friends the longest in the group, and nothing would change that. “I missed you too, Soren. Hell, I missed everyone…” she retorted, her words slurred slightly, but she wasn’t entirely drunk as Soren, not yet anyway. “After everything happened, and everyone kind of just...left...First Kyle, then you...and then some of the others, it was...lonely. Sure I had Nate and Lauren, but like. We didn’t really talk that much until after a while. And you know the rest.” she said as she took another shot, the burn never really faded or became less intense, it was just that she had grown accustomed to it. Pouring herself and Soren another drink, clearing her throat as she handed a glass to Soren, she began talking once more. “As for everyone that left, I had some contact, like you. And even Khepri, but that’s...That’s different. But until today, I hadn’t talked to Rebecca since she left that day and well...Kyle...I still don’t know where he is or what he’s even doing. Doubt I ever will.” she said rather solemnly, giving herself a moment before she took the next shot and put the empty glass on the table, “You wanna make some super stupid decisions, Sor?” she asked as she slowly stood up, her legs wobbling for a moment as she regained her composure enough to see straight.

This was what he had missed the most about New York. Him and Erin getting stupidly drink and talking the real talk. Even if the conversation veered into the depressing, they were still at least talking. And things felt strange, felt dreamlike, but in the alcohol clouded way that felt good. So when Erin asked if he wanted to make some stupid decisions, he just grinned. “Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said, getting to his feet. He, however, did not regain his composure as well as Erin and stumbled, having to grab her to regain his balance. This was enough to make him crack up all over again. “What should we do? What’s the dumbest decision we could possibly make right now?” He asked. “Nope. Not the dumbest. Don’t let me text Pri.” He corrected himself.

While Rebecca and Alexander were driven to his place he received a number of messages from his secretary concerning their investigation. He would look down at his phone every so often to see the first few lines of the messages but nothing really caught his eye, it looked like he would need to expend some of his own effort to find out more about what happened. However the investigation wasn't his biggest concern at the moment, what mattered more to him now was being here and providing all he could for Becca.

A number of people would wonder why he cared so much about her. Their personalities differed so much and it didn't seem like they have similar interests but they were still good friends despite their differences. The one person who had supported and defended Lex when he had first moved to America was Becca and she was the first person to accept him into the group. These few instances cemented an important feeling towards her in Lex's heart, feelings that eventually became romantic. Feelings which he would fail to express towards her before she moved, something which Lex has regretted to this day. This was his first chance in a long time to rekindle their friendship and he hoped maybe develop into something more.

When Becca had said that all she wanted from Lex was to be here for her, he couldn't help but smile. The drive didn't last too long before they had reached Lex's place, the residential building for Monarch Security Ltd employees and families, which was located next to the companies main office. The two of them exited the limousine and walked into the main lobby of the residential building, Lex waving towards the receptionist and security officer sitting at the main desk, before entering an elevator. With their arms linked Lex took out a residency card from his coat pocket with his free hand, swiping it across a mechanism to confirm his identity before pressing the button for the highest floor, the penthouse suite.

As the elevator doors opened and revealed the grand and expensive lifestyle Lex was accustomed to Becca's eyes were filled with surprise as her bag hit the floor. This resulted in a small chuckle leaving Lex's mouth, he found her reaction extremely cute. When she expressed her thoughts on Lex's lifestyle and her lack of knowledge about it, Lex couldn't help but feel slightly sad. He didn't take much pride in material things, unlike his parents who had first acquired this suite, and he didn't want to influence other's opinions towards him by throwing his wealth around. Becca at this moment was an exception, he wanted to show her that he was fully capable of taking care of her and her needs during this hard time, that she didn't need to seek help from anyone else.

Watching her twirl around as she walked further into his apartment made Lex happy, this was the Becca he wanted to see not the girl who had a hard time walking because of the tragic loss of her friend. While Becca was admiring the place Lex removed his coat, walking towards the walk-in closet. Turning around he said, "To me and my family... Money was never really an issue. We had other ones though... Don't be too shocked just yet, we just walked in. There is a lot more to this place." He opened the door for the closet, placing his coat inside before offering to take Becca's coat. She quickly walked towards Lex offering him to remove her coat for her. With a gentle hand Lex slowly removed her coat, making sure he didn't make any errors in his movements, cherishing the moment before he fully removed it and placed it on a hanger in the walk-in closet.

Becca turned around and asked Lex for something to wear and of her intention to wash her face because of the state of her makeup, saying that she must look terrible because she was crying earlier. Lex tilted his head in confusion and blankly stated, "There isn't any possible way you could ever look terrible Becca. I refuse to believe it." He laughed a little after saying it, knowing it must have sounded somewhat cheesy. "I should be able to find something for you to wear but... I don't believe I have any clothes of the female variety available."

After saying this he walked upstairs towards his room and opened his wardrobe, removing a white silk/cotton blend shirt and returning downstairs with it in hand. He saw Becca exiting the downstairs powder room and walk towards the bar in the kitchen. Following her they met in the kitchen where Lex gave her his dress shirt, saying, "I'm assuming this would work just fine?" Judging by how fast Becca was to undress Lex's assumption was correct. He couldn't help but stare as he saw Becca undress, revealing her beautiful body and the numerous tattoos she had on it.

Noticeably aroused and flustered Lex began to busy himself by preparing a cocktail for Becca behind the bar, a bar he was glad he had at this moment. While opening various cupboards to prepare the drink, Becca had finished buttoning the dress shirt, Lex heard her question about whether any of their friends were involved in Lauren's sudden departure. He placed the finished drink in front of Becca before quietly contemplating her question, fixing himself a glass of whiskey. After taking a sip he said, "It's possible. Definitely possible." He continued to sip while he thought more about the question. "Whether or not any of us did I'm determined to get to the bottom of it."

After answering her question Lex looked towards Becca, whiskey in hand, noticing the subtle expression of intrigue in her eyes. When she complimented his drink he smile towards her, Lex knew he wasn't as good as Erin when it came to crafting drinks but he payed enough attention to this particular drink while at her bar to reconstruct it for Becca. After asking if he was going to find out who did it Lex replied saying, "Yes. Someone is behind all this and I plan on finding out who... It's the least I could do for... " He looked directly into Becca's eyes, with a sad and troubled expression, before he continued, "... All of us."

Becca had taken Lex's hand in hers, revealing that she wanted to help him in his investigation in anyway she could. He already had a number of people working together with him in this investigation, Pri included, but he knew how much Lauren meant to Becca so he couldn't refuse her. "Of course... We all should do our best for Lauren. The fact that you're willing to act is enough... your willingness will lead you to what you need to do, if not... I'm always here."

Looking at the an analogue clock hanging nearby Becca suggested going to bed. Lex nodded his head when she asked if the bedrooms were upstairs, placing their finished drinks by the sink before following Becca towards the stairs. Her balance was wavering when she began to walk upstairs, loosing her footing on the second step. Before she could fall Lex had already wrapped his arm around her shoulder, steadying her by holding her close. He didn't believe her when Becca said that she was fine but what she said next stopped Lex's thoughts in their tracks. "... Lex… do you mind if I sleep with you? Don’t really want to be alone…”"

Lex wasn't a stranger to having others share his bed with him, he has several casual relationships, but Becca meant more to him. He knew that she wasn't in the best way at the moment and he didn't want to take advantage of her because of that. Lex was planning to refuse her before he heard her say that she didn't want to be alone, he couldn't after she said that. They continued slowly walking until they finally reached Lex's room. He opened the door and lead Becca towards the bed, sitting down next to each other and making themselves as comfortable as they could. Becca removing her bra from underneath the dress shirt she was wearing and Lex completely removing the dress shirt he was wearing.

"Thank you, really missed you over the years. Glad to see you’re successful with everything." After saying this Becca and Lex exchanged a kiss, one which lasted for several seconds. Lex leaned into the kiss as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, laying down on the bed. When Becca became to snuggle closer to Lex he began to softly stroke her hair with his free hand. Once he was sure Becca had fallen asleep he gently caressed her face, a wistful look revealed on his face as he said, "... I wasn't successful with everything."

Hours passed before Lex was woken up by a number of messages from Tina. Lex gently raised Becca's head and removed his arm which was supporting her, laying her back down before going downstairs to address the messages received. Nothing really notable had changed but they had listed all the party-goers that had been questioned by the police officers. He messaged Tina to attempt to get the statements that were made but to not do anything that may alert anyone's attention. After sending that message Lex began to prepare breakfast for Becca, having all the necessary items gathered by the kitchen staff downstairs that he didn't have in his apartment, as well as gathering her clothes to have them cleaned.

About an hour or more passed before Becca had woken up, she stood at the top of the staircase looking at Lex who was now cooking pancakes, after prepping fruits and condiments for them. When she noted how Lex was currently shirtless while cooking he looked down and then shrugged towards her. He had apparently forgotten to put one on after waking up since his mind was occupied with other thoughts, his full back intricate snake tattoo revealed to Becca.

Now sitting across from Lex, who was still cooking, Becca noted how she felt like she was being treated as a princess. "Mornings can continue to be like this if you choose to stay here. As I said yesterday I doubt any of us will be able to leave the country anytime soon... My place will always be open to you Becca." Seeing her happily eating, Lex couldn't help but smile, finishing the last of the pancake batter he had made.

Suddenly Lex's phone began to vibrate, another message about the investigation popping on it. Becca had noticed the message and had asked Lex, "Lex.. what’s this about?" Without missing a beat he answered her by saying, "I had some people gather what information they could about what happened last night." Becca then continued asking questions, asking, "Well? What do you know? Who did it?"

He finished cooking the remaining pancakes in his pan, the silence between the two growing as he did, before turning around to answer her. "Not much so far, I'm still trying to piece things together... It did just happen yesterday." Walking over Lex placed down the finished pancakes in front of Becca, saying, "As for who did it... I can't answer that... Not yet anyway."

After answering her Lex sat next to Becca and began to eat with her until they were finished. Becca noted that she would need some time to sort things out with her work and with the hotel she had a room with. An understanding look appeared on Lex's face as he nodded towards her, knowing that the two of them both had things they needed to sort out. When Becca had slid her phone towards Lex he entered his information into her contacts. Becca then began to gather her things and change back into her dress, which had just earlier been returned by the residential building's housekeepers.

"Thanks again Lex, I’ll probably be back." Lex smiled when Becca pecked him on the cheek before leaving, still smiling until he saw the elevator doors close and Becca had truly left his apartment. Once he was sure she had left Lex began to call his secretary, saying in Cantonese, "Have someone follow Miss Cruze, she just left my apartment... Just ensure that she is safe." Ending the call, after receiving an affirmation from Tina, Lex walked towards his study to read all the documents his employees had gathered. "Lets see how competent my people are..."

Soren couldn’t remember most of what he and Erin got up to that night. In fact, the couldn’t remember much after the shot, and had no memory of their conversation about missing each other. But given the state they woke up in, and the stinging of a new tattoo on his right wrist told him that he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to remember.

He couldn’t quite remember what came first- the text about the memorial service or the police interview. Everything felt like a dream; except for the moments when everything suddenly felt like it was going to crush him, like he was drowning in the air around him. He’d been going to Erin’s when he couldn’t bear to be alone or when he needed to drown his sorrows, but she didn’t know about the panic attacks. They only came when he was alone. And besides, she was finding it hard too. She didn’t need him to worry about too. But both of those incidents had brought on an attack, one that had left him sobbing alone in his apartment. He’d agreed to attend the memorial service. And when Lauren’s parents had asked him to read one of her favourite poems, he didn’t have it in him to say no. As far as they knew, they’d broken up on relatively okay terms, and he wasn’t going to break it to them now.

The police interview had gone about as well as could be expected. He’d been honest, but they didn’t seem too convinced. But they didn’t have anything concrete, so they’d just warned him to stick around in case they needed to ask any more questions. The band didn’t have any commitments for a few weeks because they needed a break after their Europe tour. He was assured he had management on his side, but he wondered how long that would last.

He’d arrived to the hotel early to help Lauren’s parents get set up. It was Lauren’s favourite hotel in NYC, and they had some drinks and canapés out for people to graze on as they arrived. He’d had to escape to the bathroom for a breather twice already, and he’d only been here forty minutes. He’d spent the past ten minutes avoiding conversation and trying to steel himself for small talk. The reminder on his wrist wasn’t doing all that much to help. He had a vague memory of just yelling “I want an MCR tattoo” at Erin when he really dwelt on it, which explained the three short words. “We’ll Carry On.” It felt oddly poignant, all things considered. He tugged at his sleeve, his new nervous habit since he couldn’t bite his nails any more, because it was painful to do so and he kept drawing blood. He couldn’t ignore the guests anymore. He picked up a glass of something and took a deep breath.

The third agent had landed in New York only a couple days ago but quickly got to work to catch up on the case, Agent Cassandra Heiks. Her previous precinct had sent her along to help Agent Winston and Agent Monahan, but also to get her out of their hair, a couple days after they reported back about the quick murder, Cass was interested and asked to go, hasnt been anything fun for awhile for her to work with, plus she just got done being undercover. In her mind this would be an interesting and fun assignment, and she thought easy. Well that was until she got to there and saw what they were working with.

Cass had checked out all the evidence tagged by the first team, read over the statements that were taken, as well as pictures of the crime scene. She wanted to talk to the other two that she would be working miss but somehow always missed them, so she decided to dig through all the current suspect’s files and histories. Soren, the ex, who most people thought did it, but that’s too cliche. Rebecca, the best friend, first time back in the country and had a bad car accident awhile back, but she was ruled not at fault. Erin, the bartender, has am unofficial criminal record only some know about, and told the cops she didn’t do it, smart. Nathan, the deadbeat, nothing to gain, but also nothing to lose. Alexander, the rich boy, seemed to have an affair with the victim at the same time, caused the break up with the ex, maybe some sort of jealousy or fight happened. Khepri, the reporter, small fly on the publicity scene and could use the story to make herself big, and Cass doesn’t like reporters.

Cassandra tried investigating a little bit off the record, but didn’t find much so she decided to try to hunt down her fellow Agents and see what they know that isn’t written down, luckily Agent Monahan was easy to track down and assumed he would maybe stop by the service. It was mentioned in the paper the location and time so wasn’t hard to find. She decided to not show up a little late after getting herself a coffee, and sticking towards the back before noticing Kyle towards the back and trying to stay out of sight, though Cass didn’t care.

“Well, well, Look who it is.” Cassandra said as she came up from the side of Kyle and giving him a light slap on the ass. “Been awhile since we worked together. Interesting bunch of suspects we have don’t you think. Especially your sister…” She said with a smirk before leaning against the wall and starting a scan of the room. “Well, the killer always shows up at these things, come on Ky. Plus wanted to see if there’s anything else you can tell me that’s not on paper.” She replied to Kyle’s question and taking a sip of her coffee, before something caught her eye. A female had some markings on her neck, but right as Cass was going to point them out to Kyle, not sure if he saw them, the girl put her scarf back on. “That’s Rebecca Cruze, right? Next to your sister. She has some markings on her neck beneath her scarf. Your reports didn’t mention any type of injuries like that…” She mentioned to her fellow Agent. Wanting to question Rebecca, but knew this wasn’t the place or the time, maybe later. Cassandra then scanned and took note of their other suspects and the states they were in.

As soon as Soren turned around and spotted Khepri, he nearly turned around and walked back out again. He couldn’t stand the thought of an argument with her right now. Even if they hadn't spoken yet, he just knew today would be one of those days where if they spoke, it would end in a blazing row. So instead, he just drained his glass and turned his back, striking up a combination with somebody else instead. He’d just gotten the beckon from Lauren’s parents to say it was nearly time to begin when Rebecca burst in, running straight to Erin. At first, Soren just thought she was upset, given the event they were attending. And then he looked at how disheveled she was and the look of panic on her face. Something had happened. He went to follow them out of the room, but instead, another one of Lauren’s old friends or co-workers or somebody who knew him well enough to know that he was her ex, but not well enough to know how bad things had been.

By the time he escaped, there were too many people for him to slip out and check on Becca. He glanced back for a moment to see her and Erin coming back in, and shot them a forced smile. He dug out his phone and texted Erin.

To: Erin
“Everything okay with Becca?”

Then the service started, with the minister introducing them with a prayer. This wasn’t a funeral. The body hadn’t been released yet for them to bury. But people had to travel home, had commitments, just wanted to move on. And so it still felt like a funeral, a lump rising in Soren’s throat. This had been a mistake. Agreeing to any of this had been a mistake. Coming back to New York had been a mistake.

He somehow managed to keep his composure until he was called to read the poem. He managed to stand to the lectern, his hands shaking as he put the poem on it in front of him. He shouldn’t have been doing this. This wasn’t his to do. Everybody thought they’d remained on good terms and he was lying to everyone, he was lying to everyone in the room. He couldn’t do this.

He somehow made it through the poem. He had no idea how he did, and he had no idea how he did it so well, somehow managing not to stammer or stumble over the words. But as he finished, he couldn’t just go back to his seat and sit there politely and hear everyone talk about her. So he stayed walking, stayed walking until he was out of the room, stayed walking until the familiar feeling of the wave crashed over him and he sank to the floor in heaving, choking sobs. Lauren was dead. Had somebody attacked Becca? Nate looked like he’d been in a fight when he came in. Had somebody gone for him too? Was it a matter of time before people were attending their memorial service? Or would Soren be hearing about it from jail after they pinned the murder on him? He pressed his fist to his mouth in an attempt to stop the sobs or at least muffle them. He didn’t know if he wanted to be found or not. He didn’t know if he wanted a hug or to be left alone to drown in the isolation and the fear and the panic.

He needed to go back before people started to worry. Would anyone worry? Should he wait, just to know for sure? Know if anybody cared for the man they were convinced had killed their beloved Lauren? Should he find out for sure?

No, that wasn’t right either. They didn’t need to worry about him, they all had too much to deal with. They’d lost her, and they had loved her, and they were in enough pain without him to deal with.

The weight of his own indecision, his own fear, kept him pinned to the ground where he was sitting, still sobbing, still gasping for air.

The days after the memorial service were hard. The panic attacks kept coming, and they were getting harder and harder to hide. He wasn't sleeping, was hardly eating unless someone reminded him to, had even stopped going around to Erin's to drink. Everybody thought he had done it. He knew it. He could see it in their eyes when they looked at him. Their expressions had shifted from one of pity to one of vague disgust. They knew it but there was no proof. Everything they had on him was circumstantial. But everything clearing him was also circumstantial. It was only a matter of time and he could feel the imposing threat looming over him.

Eventually, one of his bandmates came round to check in on him. Having found Soren on hour 39 of no sleep, he physically drove Soren to his doctor's office. Soren emerged from the doctor's office with a cocktail of sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication and an order to come back in a few days for therapy sessions. Soren didn't want to do any of the above, but the medication at least made him feel human enough to get through the therapy session. He'd had two sessions by the time the dinner party came around. The dinner party was less his idea and more of a "suggestion" from his therapist that felt more like an order. But having other people around made him feel a little less terrible, so he agreed.

But when the morning finally rolled around, things didn't play out exactly as he'd hoped. Because he woke up to a call from the cops, asking him to go back into the station for an interview. He begrudgingly agreed and went in as soon as he was dressed. He hoped it was a technicality, something they just needed to clear up.

He was sorely mistaken. They’d gone through Lauren’s phone, and they’d found… well. He had no idea how she’d gotten them. Lauren was smart, but she wasn’t exactly a hacker. But it didn’t matter. The police had thought they had him. They thought they’d found a motive. But two things put doubt in their mind. First of all, they’d crossmatched his DNA with DNA found under Lauren’s fingernails, and it wasn’t a match. Other witness statements aligned with his in that Lauren had been seen alive after he’d left the room. And their behavioural expert had confirmed that his reaction to seeing the photos was that of somebody discovering that for the first time.

But he couldn’t get the photos out of his head. Lauren had had those for weeks. She could have done anything she liked with them. So why had she kept them? What had she planned to do with them? He shouldn’t have kept the photos. They gave too much away, gave too much, but… it was a reminder that he had been happy. That good things could still happen.

He got home and wanted to do nothing more than just… try and deal with the aftermath of this. But instead, he was faced with an afternoon of cooking and prep. He tried to carry on as normal, but quickly found himself getting overwhelmed. So he rang Rebecca, who agreed to come over. The minute she saw his face, she sat him down, told him to relax, and took over some of the prep as he talked. He told her everything. How could he not? He told her about his morning, about the photos, about everything that had happened. And it didn’t make it go away, but it made it feel a little more manageable, calm enough to help her with the prep.

It was only when he looked at his watch to discover that everyone else was arriving soon and realised he was still a bit of a mess, physically and mentally. “Shit, Rebecca. I need to get changed, I need to… I need to tidy up the place… Shit, I need to take my meds…” he said, jumping to his feet and running a hand through his hair.

When he got back into his bedroom, he just flopped on to the bed and ran his hands down his face, exhaling slowly. This would be fine, he told himself. He was just stressed from this morning, that was all. Everything was fine. He was safe. Nothing bad had happened. He took a few deep breaths and got back to his feet. He changed his shirt into something a little less crumpled, ran his fingers through his hair to tidy it up a little, and put on the best smile he could manage. He still looked like shit, but he looked a little better than he had done a few minutes prior, and he looked better than he had a day or two ago. That was something, he told himself. That was a start. He smiled at Becca as he emerged from the room and she handed him a drink. “Thank you, Becca. Not just for the drink, but for this afternoon. I really needed it, and you really helped. So thank you,” he said, holding up his drink in a slight toast to her. “And loving the new look, by the way.” He added with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, before draining his drink. The burn felt good, and he left the glass beside the sink.

It didn’t take long for people to start arriving. At first, he was just aware of how tired he had to look, how people’s eyes seemed to linger on him for a little longer than he was entirely comfortable with. But then having people around him, complimenting him on how good everything smelled, people telling him how much he loved the album, people smiling back at him… it felt good. Erin clapped him on the shoulder and pressed a beer into his hand, told him she needed to talk to him later. He found himself wondering what it was about, but just drank the beer as he mingled, making his way back to the kitchen every so often to check on the food.

The alcohol seemed to be hitting him harder than usual. All he’d had to drink was the drink Rebecca had made him and the beer that Erin had given him, and he felt… odd. Like being drunk but… not. His doctor had said something about avoiding alcohol while on these medications, but… he hadn’t expected it to hit that hard and that quick. He just needed to sober up. No more drinks, he promised himself.

He spotted Nate as he came in and grinned, making his way over to him. “Nate, you came! I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!” He gushed, wrapping the other man in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!” He said as he let go. He was sure there was something he meant to say, but it disappeared as soon as it came, and he frowned. What had he meant to say? Why were all his thoughts flying around like that?

But it didn’t last long, as his eyes landed on someone across the room. He seemed to be about Soren’s height, with short, neat dark hair, and a focused, intelligent expression. He looked strong- not like a bodybuilder, but lean and powerful. He looked vaguely familiar, but Soren couldn’t place it. “Holy shit. Nate, be my wingman,” he said, grabbing Nate’s arm and starting to pull him across the room. He stumbled a little over his own feet and had to clutch on to Nate as he regained his balance. “Woah, that’s not good,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

|| Day of Lauren's Memorial ||

A week had passed since Lauren's unfortunate passing, her memorial would be held later today. During this time Alexander had spent his time going over all of the evidence that he and Khepri had accumulated. Despite the vast amount of information they were able to gather they weren't any closer to discovering any hints to who had committed the crime. There was very little Lex could do to further their investigation, there just wasn't anything there. Resigned to that fact Lex chose instead to get back into his usual routine, addressing the investigation if anything else came up.

While preparing to go to Lauren's memorial, while taking a shower, Lex heard his phone ringing on the sink. He ignored it and let the call go til it would leave a message but the phone would ring again right afterwards. Thinking it must've been important, considering not many people had his personal number, Lex exited the shower and answered the call. "Who is it and why are you bothering me?"

The voice on the other end was hurried and sounded out of breath, "Boss... You're not going to like this but..." They were hesitant to continue, not wanting to be the one to deliver the message. Lex silently waited for them to finish, feeling slightly perturbed. "...You know the lady you told us to take care of... Well she was attacked but she managed to get away... I think she ran to the memorial service for your... Friend."

Fury and anger erupted in Lex's psyche, impacting even his physical appearance. Before being overcome by these emotions Lex calmed himself down enough to talk, saying with an oddly cool but unmistakably furious voice, "Weren't you suppose to take care of it? ...Tell me exactly how she could be attacked if you were doing your job?" They replied that they were preoccupied. "Preoccupied? ...That would mean you were busy, correct? What exactly is more important than a direct mission given by me ...your Boss?" Between the silence and unintelligible mumbles from the other end Lex began to lose his patience. He knew that they wouldn't overlook any direction he gave them without a good reason, it was then that the answer was obvious. "Which branch was it? Who had overridden my order? Seconds passed until a single word escaped from the voice on the other end of the phone, the word Deputy.

Still fuming Lex ended the call with his subordinate, he knew that they didn't have a choice so he didn't question them further. While getting dressed Lex began calling his secretary. She answered the call cheerily asking, "What do you need boss?" While buttoning up his shirt Lex began to list a number of things he wanted his secretary to take care of. This list consisted of: delivering a gift to the Clarks after the memorial; expressing Lex's apology for not being able to attend due to company related issues; look into who had attacked Rebecca, as they were likely to be connected to, if not, Lauren's killer; to have a 'meeting' with his subordinate arranged; have one of his firearms placed in his car. His secretary could tell that there was something off due to the tone of his voice. She asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you? ...Have some drinks prepared perchance?"

Now fully dressed and prepared Lex laughed at his secretaries attempt at humor. Walking out into the elevator and pressing the button for the bottom floor Lex answered her, saying, "Yeah, I'll probably need it..." Lex pulled his lighter from his coat, lighting up a cigarette as the elevator started to go down. "Don't wait up for me Tina. I need to have a 'little chat' with someone..."

It took a while for his driver to arrive since there were some late minute 'arrangements' which needed to be made. Lex continued to chain smoke waiting for his car to arrive. He pulled out his phone, pondering whether or not to contact Becca or any of his 'friends'. Looking down at the new wallpaper on his phone, a picture he took while Becca was eating breakfast, a number of emotions swirling around his mind til he saw his driver park in front of the residential building.

When he reached his car and got inside he checked underneath his seat to find his Glock 45, fully loaded with four more magazines prepared. He fastened the gun into his appendix holster and clipped the magazines on the back of his belt. After he was done preparing that his driver asked him where they were going exactly. Opening up the window, Lex flicked out the remainder of his cigarette before answering the driver, saying, "Where does anyone in this city go with a gun? ...We are of course going to the 'shooting range'." The driver chuckled at this response before he started to drive to where he knew they needed to go.

Muffled sounds being emitted from the limousines trunk. Clicking his fingers Lex acted like he just remembered something. "Ah, that's right. Before we go to the 'range' we need to throw out some trash... Know any good places to do that?" The driver shook his head, knowing where they needed to go and his boss's preferred order. As the driver looked back towards he saw the cold glint in his bosses eyes, glad that he wouldn't be on the receiving end of whatever he was planning.

|| Day of Soren's Dinner Party ||

Days had passed since Becca's assault and there was no signs or information he could gather about the culprit. This frustrated Lex but he couldn't do anything about it, despite his skills and resources, just like in Lauren's case. Lex sent several messages to Pri, seeing if she was able to find out anything about the incident either. He hadn't received an affirmation yet but considering the difficulties he was having he doubted that she would've caught on to anything either.

"Boss, we'll stay nearby in case you need us... and as per your instruction we'll pay better attention than last time." Lex's eyes scanned over the subordinates he had gathered today. There was four of them, not including the driver, they were Chinese American like himself and were dressed in common New York street-wear to better blend in to their surroundings. It was a completely different group from the people who were first tasked to watch over Becca. Lex didn't want a repeat of what happened last time.

"Just stay outside near the building. Two of you have eyes on the car and each other, the driver will maintain surveillance on the main entrance. The others will patrol around the building and see if anyone goes in any other way, stay together and watch each others back." Lex had carried his gun with him since Becca's assault, not wanting to be without an answer to an unexpected incident like that again.

Lex and Soren weren't particularly the greatest of friends, especially after the incident between himself and Lauren, but he wanted to see everyone after what happened. Opening the door of the car, Lex slowly walked towards the entrance to Soren's residential building. As he was about to go inside he saw his men go into action and start following his instructions. He looked at them indifferently before the entrance closed and his view of them was obscured.

Arriving at Soren's apartment Lex knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open the door for him. A minute passed before anyone came to the door, whoever was inside must've been to busy to welcome Lex in. He began to think about whether or not he should open the door himself or wait outside for someone to answer the door. Not wanting to be rude and not being really interested in engaging in the majority of his 'friends' drama, Lex patiently waited across from Soren's door. Taking out a cigarette and lighting it up, taking a drag as he waited for someone to either open the door or arrive.

The service continued and not much caught Cassandra’s attention, outside of Rebecca Cruze having some sort of bruises and the ex-boyfriend storming out since he couldn’t hold his emotions. Cass was ready to question people but Kyle reeled her back in, saying they should let the people mourn and that they could always question them later when their minds were more clear. Cass reluctantly agreed and the two snuck out of the location with the crowd of people and headed back to the station

The following days the two didn't do much, but they did bring in Soren Bowers. Cass and Kyle let the actual officers interrogate him, but Cassandra did watch from the other side of the one way mirror. She was surprised with his reaction to the information they presented him, about what was on Lauren’s phone, enough to make their behavioral expert assume he was telling the truth, along with eyewitness reports of seeing the victim after whatever argument the two had. “Well, it seems like he’s out of the hot seat.” She said out loud, mostly to herself as the cops released Soren

Cassandra only knew about the dinner party because Kyle let it slip when the two were talking about the case after the ex boyfriend was questioned and they came up short. She would be lying if she said she wouldn’t be excited for a dinner party, plus another chance to question the other suspects out of the station. Cass was one to always regret having to interrogate someone under camera’s and people watching through a one-way mirror, people were always too uptight during those questionings and usually when they are outside of the stressful environment and more relaxed they tend to slip out information. Plus there are some things you can’t do when watched by cameras that Cass wouldn’t be against in some cases.

But Kyle quickly shut her down on coming, saying it would raise too much tension. “And you going wouldn’t? Just because you’re someone’s sibling doesn’t mean they don’t see you like they see all other cops.” Cass said, smiling a bit with Kyle’s correction of being called a cop. It was cute that he was proud to be more than just a cop, and Cass often teased him about it, purposely saying cop instead of their actual title. But she did understand where he was coming from. Atleast they had background and previous relations with Kyle, even if they didn’t know yet. “How about this. I’ll come, but stay out and scoping out the place. Better than sitting here, I promise to get the reports done tomorrow during lunch.” Cassandra said as she grabbed her jacket getting ready to leave. “Plus back-up in case things get out of control.” She said with a wink as she left the station.

Agent Cassandra was one to hate stake-out vans and never understood how people just accept a plumbing van or electrical van being sat in front of a residence for so long, or when the people who owned that residence would question why a van was in front of their house. Cass decided to take a vehicle from the repo yard to use as her vehicle for the night out, taking a honda civic with just minor damage but clean interior. “Eh, good enough.” She said as she signed out the keys and headed to the address she got out of Kyle when he finally agreed to her staking out.

When Cass arrived at the residence, she could tell she was early, which she knew she would be since Kyle gave her a rough time that they were expected to show up. Though within 10 minutes of her being there a taxi showed up and dropped off a black haired woman she hadn’t seen before, nor at the party or memorial service. But when the girl turned around she recognized her face, the best friend that was distraught, Rebecca Cruze. The girl must have been going through some rough times, especially after the attack that Cass had heard about from Kyle, and changed her look. “Interesting, definitely be something to ask about during questioning.” She commented to herself and took notes. As time went by more people showed up but no one out of the ordinary, and even eventually seeing Kyle and his Sister show up.

That was until a black car parked across the street and infront of two vehicles in front of where Cassandra was parked. She couldn’t see who it was or how many people there were until they crossed the street. Alexander Yang, and whatever associates he had, them all splitting up but Cass had no idea what they had said or what they were doing. Cass quickly took out her phone and texted Kyle.

Alexander Yang arrived, some others with him as well. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I feel something is off. You know the signal if you need me.

Agent Cassandra sent the message and went back to keeping an eye out and noting anything she felt was important, not expecting a reply from Kyle as she assumed he was busy.