Where You Belong

Fate Is Our Master

Brittany was speechless.

For several moments, the only sound between the two was their unsteady breathing and the sound of the tires eating up the miles on the highway towards the house. She swallowed, licking her lips as she tried to formulate something to say in response to what he'd said.

"...you're...an alien." She finally settled on, intentionally keeping her eyes on the road so they didn't drift to the man sitting beside her. Suddenly she could feel every hair on the back of her arms, a strange tingle running up her spine as the brunt of his words finally sunk in. She gave a humorless laugh. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I assure you, I speak the truth." He glared at the woman, knowing by the small shake of her head and the breathless laugh that she didn't believe him in the slightest. He internally sighed, wondering how Lexi's world accomplished anything with everyone's narrow-mindedness.

"Right, let me get this straight...you're telling me that you're some pirate in a make believe land," She waved her fingers in the air childishly, "and that you are best friends with a talking kung fu polar bear, and that you have magical powers that allow you to do super cool stuff in a blue bubble."

A sidelong glance confirmed that she was grinning in amusement, obviously finding this whole thing rather humorous. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms.

"I don't quite see what you find so funny." His dark tone indicated he would not be laughed out any longer. Brittany stopped her audible laughter, but if the shake in her belly and the still-present grin were anything to go by, she was still laughing on the inside.

"Oh, just the fact that I now know why Lexi was so hesitant to get with you." He raised a brow in surprise. "You're a total nutcase. Belong in a mental institute."

They finally arrived at Lexi's street, turning down the road and heading towards the house. Once they were close, Brittany slowed the truck and turned into the driveway, cutting the lights once they'd come to a complete stop. She cut the engine and got out of the driver's seat, and instantly she tried opening the backdoor to try reaching her bag. Law, however, was prepared for this. Not having gotten out yet, he turned in his seat and snatched up her purse, holding it out of her reach as he exited the vehicle from the other side.

Brittany huffed, eyes narrowing as he walked around the truck and smirked at her. "A valiant attempt, Brittany-ya."

"Bastard." She muttered, walking up towards the house. From the windows inside, she saw Shachi and Penguin peeking through. They opened the door once they came onto the porch.

"Captain! Is everything alright?" Penguin questioned.

"Where's Lexi-chan? And her grandmother?" His friend inquired, looking around behind them for any sign of the brunette or the older woman. Pushing past the two, Law walked into the house and immediately went to the closet. The others finally entered back into the house, closing the door behind them.

"Lexi's grandmother died at the hospital." Brittany said softly, and the two men looked to the floor.

"Oh...I'm really sorry, Brittany-chan." Penguin rubbed the back of his head, while Shachi dug the toe of his shoe into the tile.

Law's perusing of the closet caused several bumps and thumps, and finally he withdrew a long black and white object. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was, taking a step away from him.

"Lexi-ya has been taken by that murderer." Law explained matter-of-factly, facing his two friends. "We are going back out to find her and bring her back."

At the mention of their host in danger, their solemn expressions cleared up just as suddenly as they'd appeared. Backs straight and chins up, they were looked decidedly angrier than before.