Past Lives Could Never Come Between Us

23

"Would you just order your stupid piña colada already?" Luigi complains.

"No!" Mario says. "I am not ordering that in a cop bar full of cops, thank you very much. You look like a twink, they won't think twice."

Luigi smacks him, "Twink or not, I can still kick your ass before you've even thought to try and retaliate."

"You said you two work together?" Evelyn chimes in, making both Mario and Luigi remember she's still sitting with them.

"Uh..." Mario trails off, rubbing his head.

"Yes, we do." Luigi confirms.

"You don't have to lie. I can see it goes deeper than that." Evelyn assures them, sipping her drink.

When they just stare at her, Evelyn goes on, "Hey, I do this for a living, okay? I know what I'm talking about. And right now I'm talking about the serious tension between you two."

Mario laughs, "Oh please. You couldn't be further from the truth."

"He's right. Nothing romantic going on here at all." Luigi agrees.

"Now and again I'd even call us friends." Mario chuckles, nudging Luigi's shoulder. "But the real irony is my parents' old apartment isn't too far away from here, and I've never noticed this place before."

"How could you? It's mostly cops that come in here." Evelyn points out.

"Cops that won't even spare a booth." Clark adds as she joins them. "Mulder asked you to profile Charon?"

"She did." Evelyn nods. "But I never got the chance to give it to her before she died."

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Luigi asks.

"On the evidence alone? The killer single, in her late 20s, early 30s, anti-establishment, social butterfly, but eerily calm. The way the victims are posed, with two pennies over their eyes suggests remorse, meaning killing them wasn't personal, they were just part of what needed to be done."

"Then why stop?" Mario asks.

"Excellent question. Very rarely, a murderer like this can hold back or find another way to handle the urge to kill. Hope that helps."

"It does." Clark says. "Thanks, Dr. Myers."

"And here's to hoping you two work things out." Evelyn says to Mario and Luigi, who just stare at her. "I don't envy whatever it is you're caught up in, but if you're gonna stick to it, you need to clear this up pronto."

As she leaves, Luigi turns to Mario, "Excuse me, did either of us ask or even want unsolicited advice?"

"Nope." Mario sips his drink, chuckling.

"When can we dreamwalk?" Clark demands.

"Rebound isn't finished until tomorrow." Mario replies, then tells the bartender, pointing to Luigi, "Scuse me, this guy here's too shy to order a piña colada himself. Help him out?"

"Max?" Pauline says incredulously as Spike's brother shows up on her doorstep.

"Hey, babe." Max grins. "I've been putting feelers out, but nothing so far. Thought I'd crash here.", then walks in without being invited.

"How did you find--" Pauline starts to ask as Max cuts her off.

"You think alternate worlds in the Brooklyn sewers is some big secret? Please."

Then as he gets a look at the place, whistles. "And it's all decked out with magic! Nice."

"Look, I don't feel comfortable with this." Pauline says as she catches up to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay?" Max says. "That was between me and Spike. But we're family. You get it, right? Can't stand them."

"Well, yeah, I guess." Pauline admits. "Me and my dad aren't exactly talking right now."

"And say the word, I'll leave." Max promises, holding up a hand. "Scout's honor."

Pauline should know better, but she still says, "Okay, just a few days."

"Yessss!" Max claps his hands, cheering. "Way better than Spike's old dump. Huge stick up his ass."

"Hey." Pauline reprimands.

"Right, right, you two are..." Max starts, but when Pauline shakes her head, he realizes, "Oh wow, you're too nice for your own good. Spike could learn a thing or two from you."

Spike punches away at a punching bag as Clark walks in, asking, "When did you get here?"

"Sue me, arrest me, I don't care." Spike says through clenched teeth. "If I didn't clobber something, I was gonna clobber someone. "

"That bad, huh?" Clark asks, walking over.

"Worse. Brothers always make it worse." Spike says as he punches again.

"Give Pilates a try." Clark suggests as she comes over.

"No." Spike says flatly as Clark grabs the bag, and Spike resumes punching.

Neither are aware of Paula sitting outside Clark's house, watching them.