tabula_rasa

"Because there wasn't any other way, Jenny. We had Argo's follower Corey with us, and he's just a regular guy. The best we could have hoped for was Argo and I getting out, but then we'd be short another soul." Andy says.

"And I knew that Argo would bargain his soul to save them both. He'd already made a deal with our uncle, Pluto, before we got there, Argo did.

And I've got a plan that might make all of this worth it in the end if it doesn't me killed first." Andy says.

"But I'm going to have to get some help from a lot of people who know magic...like your friend Quinn."

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His brother had a follower? She'd been under the impression that High Priestess and the God was a modern day sex game that she'd thoroughly enjoyed. The follower bit would require more research when she returned to London.

"Quinn facing off against magical creatures is becoming a running joke, but he's good at it and dependable in a tight corner. What is this plan? What can I do to tip the scales in your favor?"

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"Honey, with all due respect...but I shouldn't tell you the plan. I can't be certain someone wouldn't show up and try to get you spill it by threatening to hurt you or your friends. I can only say that people like Quinn will be a big help in it.

Which is why I've got to tell Titan's "friend", Marlow, we I get back to Los Angeles and hope she doesn't vaporize me on sight." Andy says.

"The reason I told you, though, is because I need you to know that I...I want you to know how I feel about you in case the worst happens Andy says, stopping to pull Jenny close to him.

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Jenny felt the familiar flow of energy that tried to bounce between them and couldn't find the force needed to push him away. She found a moment to be amazed again that he'd caught on so quickly how to handle her to keep the damage to a minimum.

She wound her arms around his waist inside his coat to get closer to his warmth. "I don't like being kept in the dark, even for my own good."

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"I know and if I could tell you and still be sure my plan had a chance of working, I would. But if things don't work out, I don't want you ever blaming yourself or feeling like you didn't do enough. This whole thing starts and ends with me.

We couldn't let Mephisto get his hooks into a god of Olympus. Things would go Very Badly if he did." Andy says.

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"I suppose I can see that logic," she said in a voice that clearly indicated she didn't want to see logic. "The books are filled with bad things happening when gods are involved. When is this happening?"

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"Not sure. Right now, I'm pretty much on-call for the end of the world, so to speak." Andy says.

"Can we go home? I really don't want to think about this. I just want to focus on my High Priestess." he says.

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Jenny wanted to discuss this more, but she was out of her depth on the doings of gods. "You really don't know when this will happen? You could just not come back and I'll never know?"

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"Well, Mephisto didn't exactly give me a time frame. As things go, it could be tomorrow or next century." Andy tells her.

"I get the feeling that he's not going to wait that long, though. My luck rarely stays good for long...except where you're concerned." Andy says.

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She stopped walking. She'd think about it after he was gone. There was nothing to be gained from getting angry or depressed or anything else by something that could turn out all right. "Right. Let's get a cab and go home. I don't feel like walking anymore."

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"Okay, honey." Andy says. He wishes that things could have gone differently and still worked out for everyone, but right now that doesn't seem to be an option.

He hails a cab and soon enough, they're both on the way back home.

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The cab ride home was silent. Thanks to the holiday traffic, it took as longer than usual. Jenny leaned her head against Andy's shoulder and held his hand in both of hers. She wanted to reassure him and felt that she was failing miserably at it.

She finally moved to lean in close as if it whisper in his ear and bit his earlobe. Only a little to get back some of the playful mood they'd had earlier.

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Andy sat in silence during the ride, worried that he'd lost Jenny. He wouldn't blame her if she decided to end things with him over this. After all, he'd made a decision about their relationship without consulting her.

So it was that he didn't expect the nibbling at his earlobe. He moans a little when she does, then turns to kiss her.

"I've missed you so much. Did you know that?" he asks.

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"I know. I missed you too." She squeezed his hand. "I'm going to email as I always do, and when your /mission/ is done, we'll have that vacation."

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"I really want to take you to Greece someday, if you haven't been. I think you'd like it. We could walk from town to town and see the sights.

I love walking the paths that my father took, long ago. I'd love to show them to you." he says.

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"I want to see it all." The idea of a walkabout appealed to her. People did that all the time in England, walked from one small village to another for a vacation and the weather was rarely decent.

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"Then we're going to. I'll find a way to make it happen." Andy tells her.

"Is there any other place in the world you want to see that you never have?" Andy asks.

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"Everything." She smiled and rested against him comfortably as the cab made its slow way up Amsterdam Ave. "If I saw anything before the last few years, I don't remember it. I want to see the whole world."

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