Through the Veil

Chapter One

This isn't right... Jynx felt her stomach tie in knots as she hung up the call. It's just that you hate talking on the phone... that's all. Putting her phone in her pocket she wrinkled her nose in disgust at how sweaty her palms were. She wiped her moist palms against her pant legs, chuckling at herself. You've handled cases way more fucked up than this. Taking a deep breath she shook her nerves off. "Just another walk in the park..." Fumbling with her pen she jotted down the address, blowing her choppy bangs from her face. She straightened up and winced, grumbling to herself as a painful twinge tightened her back into knots. Oh for fucks sake... Just move your ass and pack. She slid over to her hall closet and smiled fondly at the ugly, worn through duffle that lay wadded up on the floor. "Let's go, Lucille." She twisted her thick ginger waves into a messy bun and began tossing her assortment of tattered jeans and threadbare flannel shirts into the bag . Shit, I gotta call—

"Call Quinten" she said mechanically into her phone and waited to hear a ring. His nervous baritone voice was nearly drowned out by white noise as he answered on speaker phone. "Hello?" Jynx grinned, "Gueeeeeess who!" His heavy sigh crackled through the speaker and Jynx could feel him roll his gorgeous, hazel eyes at her. "Why can't you talk like a normal person on the phone?"

"Uuuuumm because I'm not a normal person. You should know this about me by now."

She could hear him grumbling something about manners and phone etiquette before responding loudly. "You're a pain in my ass, Jynx."

"You love me and you know it, Q. Why else would you keep me around for so long?"

He cleared his throat loudly and muttered something Jynx couldn't hear. Knowing she'd won the tiff, she grinned in satisfaction. "I'll be over in about 10, pack up the Jeep."

"Wait, what?!"

She hung up and quickly finished packing her essentials. Ignoring the nerves that were twisting in her stomach she grabbed her duffle and skipped towards the door. As she reached for the doorknob she felt her skin go cold and a shudder creep up her spine. Something suddenly felt very wrong, some unseen force trying to pull her back to keep her from leaving. This is ridiculous, stop stalling, She thought to herself as she quickly walked the three blocks to Quinten's house.

The further she got the more she felt like something terrible was going to happen, her gut twisting into knots. What is wrong with me, she thought to herself, shaking her head hard to chase the feelings away, This is the chance of a lifetime... Get your shit together...

All feelings of unease melted away when she caught sight of Quinten's house at the end of the block, a broad smile brightening her face. Her cheeks, slightly flushed from the walk, burned hotter as she blew her overgrown bangs from her face for the umpteenth time and skipped up to his door. She knocked out "Shave and a Haircut", waiting to hear his response with a childish smirk. When it took too long to answer her smirk turned into a pout. "Q, I know you're home... don't be rude. Lemme in!" Things crashed around inside, making Jynx jump and chuckle at the mental picture of Quinten knocking things over trying to get to the door. The door flew open and there he stood, his broad shoulders and wide stance filling the frame. Jynx felt her heart flutter when she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. His cocoa skin glistened in the sun as beads of water trailed down his neck and chest from his long locs. Hellooooo handsome... She thought to herself as she bit her lip a little too hard and startled herself from her distracted staring, her face burning with embarrassment. Quinten shook water from his hair, oblivious to Jynx's arousal, "I was hoping to get a decent shower in before you got, but I should have known better." Eyes gleaming, Jynx shot him a flirty smirk, "Waddya mean, Q?"