Sister, I'm not much a poet but a criminal and you never had a chance… Love it or leave it, you can't understand… A pretty face but you do so carry on… And on…

It was the fifth time she had called that morning; the umpteenth time that week. He reached across his desk and deleted her message without listening to it. She wanted a meeting with him- something about recent events, family, and blah, blah; he didn’t know what she really wanted and he didn’t really care. He simply wanted to be left alone.

It wasn’t true that misery loved company for if it was then his sister would be the perfect companion, as she seemed as wretched as he. He had no solid proof or evidence as to the reason of her despondency, but he strongly felt it was connected to their ever-elusive Pretender. He had always suspected as much, that she had a personal attachment to Jarod- one that prevented her from actually delivering him to the Triumvirate.

But it didn’t matter anymore. It didn’t matter that he could ruin her by merely airing his suspicions to the right people in the hierarchy. Nothing mattered anymore.

He was staring blankly at the silken white Java orchid that was sitting on the corner of his desk where the photo of his most recent Asian interest used to be when the door creaked open.

“Are you ready?”

The rasping hiss of Raines’ voice filled Lyle’s thought with murder of the most violent kind. He slowly turned his hate-filled gaze to the man who had taken him from his mother, who had created him by way of destroying him… By the time his eyes met Raines’ the hate was masked behind a thick veil of arrogance and self-importance.

“Yes. Are they?”

“Yes. Now let’s go. We mustn’t keep Mutumbo waiting.”

Lyle rose, and with one last glance at the pristine beauty of the orchid, followed Raines out of the office.

I wouldn't front the scene if you paid me… I'm just the way that the doctor made me…

She was in foul mood; they had just returned from Canada chasing after Jarod and jumping through hoop after ridiculous hoop only to discover he was never in Canada to begin with; he had set up the entire obstacle course from a cozy spot in Florida.

Just as she was about to leave for the day, she saw Lyle enter the building with Raines. Disgust filled her; she couldn’t believe he would still be sucking up to the Ghoul after discovering what Raines had done to him.

You'll never make me leave- I wear this on my sleeve… Give me a reason to believe … You're running after something that you'll never kill… If this is what you want then fire at will …

With a smile that dissolved as soon as Raines wasn’t looking, Lyle left his associate with a scowl and headed to the nearest elevator. Parker decided to delay going home and went after her brother.

The door was just sliding shut when she reached the elevator he had gotten on. She caught the door with her hand it sent it back.

Lyle glared at her, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he tried to shut the door on her.

“We need to talk,” she said as she joined him inside. The doors finally slid shut.

“We’re not going to have this conversation again, are we?”

“What?”

“What floor?” he asked flatly.

“Whatever floor you’re going to,” she said with a thin smile. She ignored his dramatic eye rolling and grunt of irritation. “What’s going on with you?”

“And you care why?”

She didn’t have answer for that question. She folded her arms over her stomach. “You’ve been acting weird ever since the end of Dominatus and I want to know why.”

He let out a snort of derision. “Dominatus, Sis?” He turned a black glare on her. “Dominatus never happened. It never existed.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Incredible,” she breathed. “So that’s it, huh. You’re just going to brush it all under the rug and pretend it never happened.”

His jaw tightened visibly, but he did not respond.

“If you do that,” she continued, “then they’ve won. Raines has won.”

His silence was like a stonewall between them, so she tried a different avenue. “What about Amelia?”

Still he refused to answer or to even look at her. Finally, she’d had all she could take and grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face her. “If you think I’m going to just let this go-“

“What do you want from me?” he finally exploded, shoving her off of him. “You tell me every chance you get that I’m not a part of your family so why do you suddenly want to be my friend? You should be happy that I’m miserable; gloating over it even.” He backed as far away from her as he could while she remained rooted to the floor, stunned by his outburst. “Or maybe you are,” he ranted on, “Maybe this whole caring bit is just a twisted way of showing that.”

“It’s not,” she said, struggling to regain a hold on the situation. “It’s just that-“

“Just that what?” he demanded harshly. “Just that you want me to tell you that I’ve changed? That all these revelations have made me see the light and strive to be a better person?” His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “Well, it hasn’t. My agenda is the same as it always has been and my determination is even greater than it was before.”

She swore at him in frustration. “Lyle, if you’d just shut up and listen to me…”

The elevator chimed as it stopped at its destination and doors opened. Lyle turned away without looking at her. “Save it, Sis, for someone who cares.”

Preach all you want, but who's gonna save me? I keep a gun on the book that you gave me- lock and load… So give me all your poison and give me all your pills… And give me all your hopeless thoughts…

He was home, of that she was certain. She had followed him to his apartment to apologize, though that was not the word she would use. Now she stood outside of his place, knocking on the door with no response. After several minutes, she gave up and returned to her car. As she turned on the engine, her gaze fell on her cell phone, which she picked up to place one final call.

Ring, ring, ring! The answering machine kicked on. “Lyle? Lyle, I know you’re home. Pick up the phone!” She didn’t truly expect him to answer.

Night had fully fallen by the time she reached her place. Her eyes burned from weariness- weariness from trying to understand her brother; weariness from all she had been through recently. It was cold inside her home; the kind of cold that no amount of heat could chase away. She sighed heavily as she checked her answering machine- no messages.

A shadow passed along the wall as she made he way back to the bedroom. She paused, instinctively on-guard, and watched the phantom make its way towards the living room. It was paranoid, she knew, to follow the figment of her overworked mind, but she did so anyway. The apparition passed over the table where the phone rested and paused by the front door before disappearing completely.

Parker blinked- she was back where she started. Dragging a tired hand through her mussed tresses, she turned towards the center of the room and froze. The light on the answering machine was flashing though the phone had never rang. With unfounded trepidation, she reached for the machine and played the message.

“I guess I just missed you,” Jarod’s voice seemed to fill the entire house, rising above the hammering of her pulse. “Too bad. Anyway, I left you something on the front step. Sweet dreams, Miss Parker.”

What the…? was all that she could think. Warily, she cracked open the front door. Sitting on the stoop was a wire cage containing a black floppy-eared bunny contentedly nibbling at food pellets. Parker lifted the cage until it was at eyelevel. It was then that she saw the pale blue ribbon around the animal’s neck and the envelope that was attached to it.

Inside, she settled down on the couch and took the rabbit out of its cage. Within the envelope was a card that read Sorry about Your Loss above a bouquet of forget-me-nots. On the inside was a note in Jarod’s neat penmanship:

While nothing can replace what was lost- Snow White needs a home and can help fill the void. –J

Parker looked down at the creature nestled in her arms.

Snow White? There wasn’t a speck of white on the animal and she smiled a small smile, which she hadn’t done in a very long while.

The night was damp and the clouds that hid the moon threatened to release the rain they had been holding back for so long. He stood in the alcove between two buildings with a letter in his hands. It was the most recent one she had sent. The pages were rumpled from use- he had read and reread the letter probably a hundred times since it arrived the day before.

A drop of rain fell from the heavens and landed on the paper, smearing the flourish at the end of her signature. Carefully, he folded letter and replaced it in its envelope before concealing it in the interior pocket of his coat. He sighed and watched as his breath materialized in the cold before evaporating without a hint.

Another drop of rain fell and he turned his jacket collar up and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He walked down the streets of Blue Cove sinking further into his melancholy as he pondered the contents of her letter.

Listen to each drop of rain whispering secrets in rain… Frantically searching for someone to hear that story be more than it hides…

The last time he had seen her was in a pizzeria in Brooklyn, happy and smiling surrounded by good friends and family. For a few hours, he indulged his fantasy that she was his and those around her were his friends and family, too- it was closest he had been to happiness in his life. But those hours escaped from him all too quickly and the time to return to his reality was imminent.

“Thank you,” she smiled, her eyes shining with a light he had never seen before. “For everything. You’ve given me my hope back, Bobby.”

It was his good deed for the millennium. He smiled, but there was sadness behind it.

“What’s wrong?” Her contentedness turned to concern.

She never missed a thing. He shook his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“’Bout what?”

“You.”

She smiled, happy again. “Do you really have to go?”

“Yes.”

Her shoulders dropped slightly. “When will I see you again?”

He said nothing. Turning away from her, he looked up at the sky- storm clouds were gathering.

“Bobby?”

In response, he kissed her forehead, his eyes still on the clouds.

“You better get back inside. It looks like rain.”

Please don't let go… Can't we stay for a while? It's just too hard to say goodbye… Listen to the rain

The rain splattered on the concrete faster now and he quickened pace to match the rhythm of the falling droplets. He had to get away from the feelings, to drown her scent in another aroma, to purge his mind of the memories. He needed…

The heavens unleashed their fury as though as physical manifestation of the squall that churned within him. A tremendous surge of lightening illuminated the building before him. The restaurant’s old hand painted sign swung precariously in the gale.

It was a curious the name of the place and with nothing better to do, he decide to see what was inside. It was there that he found what he needed.

The Hidden Truth…

He needed a new obsession.

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly; "’Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy. The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, and I have many curious things to show when you are there."

"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain, for who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

“He’s here again, Mei.” The mischievous Sunni winked scandalously at the doe-eyed waitress. “I’m actually jealous of you- I wish he was interested in me!” She giggled as though it was absurd to be jealous of the shy, dowdy girl.

“You can have him,” Mei returned quietly, her cheeks burning. She made her way over to the patron Sunni’s comments concerned. It was the fifth time this week he had been in and it seemed as though he had singled her out from the other girls.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lyle,” she greeted him shyly. “What can I get for you today, sir?”

“What do you suggest?”

Every day he responded the same to her query. Every day he ordered whatever she suggested. Every day he asked about her interests and her life. Every day, every day….

Few people ever noticed her and even fewer took an actual interest in her. The girls she worked with were interested only in ridiculing her and she had no friends as she had little chance to meet anyone outside of work. So when such a handsome and distinguish man as Mr. Lyle took notice of her…

He had asked her out several times, but she was too afraid to accept his invitations. It had been drilled into her head since she was a tiny girl not to talk to strangers, and the murders of a couple of girls Sunni knew had only further encouraged her fear of unfamiliar people- especially men.

She quickly jotted down his order and scurried off to the kitchen.

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high. Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly. "There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin, and if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"

"Oh no, no," said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said, they never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!"

He was back again the following day and the day after that. Mei was near tears when he came in and he genuinely disturbed to see her so upset and invited her join him at his table on her break.

His charm was so beguiling that she could not help but tell him what had made her day so awful. So exhilarating was it to have someone to confide in that she continued talking, revealing the intimate details of her life to him until her break was over.

As he was leaving the restaurant, he gave her a sad smile and said he was sorry that things were so tough for her. Then he asked her to join him for dinner.

“Oh, no, Mr. Lyle, I couldn’t possibly! I’ve taken too much of your time already. I’m sure I’ve completely bored you.”

“Nonsense,” he said good-naturedly. “You’ll go out with me yet.”

Said the cunning spider to the fly: "Dear friend, what can I do to prove the warm affection I've always felt for you? I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice; I'm sure you're very welcome - will you please to take a slice?

"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "kind sir, that cannot be: I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” he asked the next time he came in.

She look stunned and turned wide eyes on him. Silently, she shook her head.

He smiled to himself. In truth, she wasn’t all that beautiful- perhaps with different clothes and hair and bit of makeup. However, he had yet to meet a woman who wasn’t eventually seduced by blarney, which he lavished on her liberally.

She was still somewhat afraid of him and still turned down his invitations to dinner, but she had revealed crucial information about herself- information that one should never tell a stranger. He was beginning to feel like his old self again and it was good to back in form.

She continued to deny his requests for the rest of the week.

"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise; how handsome are your gauzy wings; how brilliant are your eyes! I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf; If you'd step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."

"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say, and, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den, for well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again: So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly, and set his table ready to dine upon the fly; then came out to his door again and merrily did sing: "Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing; your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head; your eyes are like diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Two weeks passed and she was growing anxious to see him again, despite herself. Fourteen days with no sight of him and she now regretted rejecting him. Work was one long string of rude customers and Sunni took great delight in reminding Mei how stupid she was to let “that one” go and that she was a fool for thinking he’d ever come back.

Still, she entertained the fantasy of him returning to take her away from her miserable life. And come back he did, almost a week later, bear gifts of the expensive kind.

She did not say “no” this time.

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly, hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by; With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer grew, thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and purple hue, thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing! At last up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast; He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den - Within his little parlor - but she ne'er came out again!

Their courtship was a whirlwind and Mei lived like a princess. Life was better than she’d ever dreamed, but she quickly learned that sometimes the clichés were true: if it’s too good to be true it probably is.

Soon her world came crashing down and not long afterwards, Mei vanished.

And now, dear little children, who may this story read, to idle, silly flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed: unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye, and take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.

And everything was as if Dominatus had never occurred…