Emily turned the final lock in the front door and pushed it open.  The house was quiet, the only light coming from the kitchen and a faint bluish glow from upstairs.

Emily: “Mary?”

There was a stirring on the couch, and once her eyes adjusted to the dark she saw that it was Mary, sleeping.  She frowned, then walked quietly upstairs, desperate for a shower.

She stopped dead at the top of the stairs and stared in partly-amused disbelief into her friend’s bedroom.

Emily: “Jacob?  What’s going on?”

Jacob: “We don’t have the internet.”

Emily: “So you came over to use ours.  Of course.  Does Mary know you’re in here?”

Jacob: “No.”

Emily: “Why does that not surprise me?”

Jacob: “Basic behavior patterns are already set up which we’ve yet to deviate from.”

Emily: “Of course.  Listen, Mary and I have plans tonight, and she’s going to kill the both of us if she finds you in here, so you should probably get going pretty soon.  I’m planning to whip us up a batch of triple chocolate chip cookies, and I’ll gladly bring you what Mary and I don’t finish.”

Jacob: “She won’t eat many.”
Emily: “What?  Why not?”

Jacob:  “I don’t think she’s hungry.”

Emily: “What on earth makes you say that?”

Jacob:  “There’s something wrong with her.”

Emily: “I know.  She hasn’t been feeling very well the last couple weeks, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Jacob:  “Maybe.”

Emily: “Either way, I’m in desperate need of a shower, so if you don’t mind finishing up what you’re doing…”

Emily waited while her neighbor shut down the computer before going soundlessly down the old wooden staircase.  When he reached the bottom, he paused to look back at her for the smallest fraction of a second before slipping out the front door and into the rainy night.  The absolute silence of his movement through the house had been downright eerie.

She exhaled sharply, grateful he’d left without waking Mary.  She showered quickly before preheating the oven in the hopes that the smell of cookies baking would gently waken Mary and get their night-in started on the right foot.  Unfortunately, her plan failed just a few minutes in when the phone rang.  She heard Mary groan and sit up, fumbling for the cordless in the dark before switching on a lamp.

Mary: “Hello?  Serge?  No, I haven’t seen him, not since the other night.  Hold on.”

Mary covered the mouthpiece of the phone and squinted at Emily through the light.

Mary: “You seen Markus today?”

Emily: “No, not since the Xenon, same as you.”

Mary: “No, she hasn’t seen him either…  Sure, okay.  I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

Mary hung up the phone and rubbed her eyes.

Emily: “What’s up?  Everything okay?”

Mary: “I think so.  Serge just got in from out of town for the weekend, Markus was supposed to be there but he’s a few hours late now.  He says it looks like the bed hasn’t even been slept in.”

Emily: “Maybe he pulled a double shift?”

Mary: “Probably.  He hasn’t heard back from anyone yet, but he says he’ll keep us updated.”

Emily: “It’s not like Markus to be unreachable.”

Mary: “I know.”

Emily: “Are you worried?”

Mary: “A little, but let’s give it a couple hours before we panic and start combing the streets for him.  Not everything is sinister, right?”

Emily: “No, I guess not.  How was your nap?”

Mary: “Refreshing!  I was about to wake up anyway.”

Emily: “That’s good.  I was about to start making us some cookies, did you want to help?”

Mary: “As long as you don’t expect my help to be anymore than sitting at the table drinking a beer at you.”

Emily: “I’d be worried about you if it were anything other.”

Emily grinned and started for the kitchen, not noticing Mary’s wince as she stood up to follow. 

Mary: “What kind of cookies are you making?”

Emily: “Triple chocolate chip.  Those go with beer and vodka, don’t they?”

Mary: “As far as I’m concerned, any kind of cookie will go with beer and vodka.”

Mary reached around her friend and grabbed a beer, and then sank into one of the kitchen chairs.

Emily:  “So how’d your day go?  Did you find out everything you needed to about the mayor thing?”
Mary: “I found out that there’s a lot of bullshit to go through, but nothing I can’t handle.  Besides, it’ll be worth it if I can make Stone sweat a little.”

Emily: “What are you going to do if you actually win?”

Mary: “I don’t have a chance in hell, Em.  He’ll end up buying everyone’s vote if I even manage to get close to his numbers.  And you know what?  It works just fine for me.  If I can bleed him of even just a little more of his money, it’ll be worth it.”

Emily: “Seems like a lot of effort for someone who doesn’t even deserve any of your attention at all.”

Mary: “Maybe, but the man makes me insane.”

Emily: “Mary, you were insane way before you met him.”

Mary’s retort was cut off by the jarring ring of the phone.

Mary: “Probably just Serge again.  I’ll get it.”

Emily continued to mix together the ingredients for the cookies as Mary took the call in the living room.  She was just putting the dough on the cookie sheets when her friend came back, her face a mix of amusement and disbelief.

Emily: “So is Markus OK?”

Mary: “What?  Oh.  I have no idea.  That was James.”
Emily: “James?  Is everything all right?”

Mary: “I’m not sure.  I think he may have been replaced by a body snatcher, or maybe a pod person.”
Emily: “What do you mean?”
Mary: “I’m now officially no longer unemployed, and by the sound of it will be making a damn good wage.”

Emily: “Wait.  James hired you?  For what?”

Mary: “Technically James and Tristan both just hired me.  They need a new accountant, and somehow they got word that I’d be perfect for the job.”
Emily: “That’s… well it’s surreal, to put it bluntly.  And fantastic!  Any word when you’ll be starting?”

Mary: “I got the impression I’d be starting tonight if he thought he could get away with it.  As it is, he wants to see me tomorrow as early as possible, daylight be damned.”

Emily: “I wonder what happened that’s so urgent.”

Mary shrugged and took a quick swallow of beer.

Mary: “Something about Stone screwing them over.  All I know is I finally have a real job again, with real benefits and the possibility of a very large bonus.  Tonight is definitely looking up.”