Rush Hour

We sat in the living room, Sebastian, his partner, and I. The woman, I can't place her name, cast an inquisitive glance towards Sebastian from my wife's recliner. I need to stop calling it that...

I sat in the center of a love-seat while Sebastian tilted back and forth from my old recliner. I need to get rid of all these reminders. Then memories of the other night filled my head with pain,

"Smash and burn." The six-legged creature said from the doorway before waddling away and disappearing.

"I had another dream last night."

I told them what details I could remember. Which wasn't much...

"Was that woman in your dream?"

My eyes widened in surprise, how the hell could I forget that? Trepidation followed however and I asked,

"W-what's STEM?"

I heard Sebastian's wooden pencil creak from the pressure he put on it.

"Why do you want to know?" His partner asked.

"Laura said that we might see each other there, or Beacon."

Sebastian's partner's eyes widened, "Just Beacon?"

I nodded slowly.

"Whoa." She exclaimed before leaning back with a scrutinizing look as she got in the Thinker position.

"Mr. Camilius? Do you know my partner's name?"

"Noooo," I said.

"Her name is Julie Kidman. She's with INTERPOL."

"Am not," Kidman said as Sebastian chuckled.

Kidman rolled her eyes at Sebastian and got back onto the task at hand, saying,

"Mr. Camilius, the less you know the better."

"Were you able to identify anything about the woman?" Sebastian said, "We have some serious suspicions about our perp but the more confirmation the better."

I tried to think but couldn't.

"Was she a red head? Blonde? Brunette?" Kidman asked, seeing if it would spur my memory.

I shuddered, the memories flowing back,

"One second she was a blonde and then the next second she was this-this six armed l-legged gurgling thing."

"Hmm," Sebastian said, "did this creature do anything?"

"Yeah! She held me down and smashed my head!"

Mr. Castellanos glanced over at Julie and shared a brief nod. They must be speaking some language with tacit expressions. I finished my last water bottle when they stood up.

"Well," Sebastian said, "you try and have a good one alright. Me and Kidman will stay in touch."

I sighed and asked while they were walking out,

"Sh-should I go to the doctor?" I said, exhausted to the core.

Kidman stopped and looked back at me with a reassuring smile.

"You just drink some water okay? That should help."

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(Sebastian's pov)

Once the door closed behind us Kidman's fake-as-hell smile disappeared.

"God, that was pretty awkward."

"Sucks that you two had a bad introduction," I said as we went down the steps of Camilius' porch, "he's my daughter's favorite teacher."

Once in the car I started driving.

"I don't think it's the water." I thought aloud.

"I don't think it's Mobius either." Kidman commented.

"Everything is pointing back to Beacon."

We drove a few moments in silence and came up behind some traffic on the highway.

I cussed and added,

"Rush Hour."

Kidman groaned as a car horn blared. The car next to us started blaring their horn as well and Kidman chuckled.

"Some douche is impatient."

"The water though," I interjected, "its gotta have hallucinogens in it or something."

"Perhaps addictive?"

"That's a possibility but whatever it is Mobius isn't exactly into girl-scout cookies."

Kidman laughed, "You say that, when in reality they probably own the Girl Scouts."

"True that. True that."

There was a moment of reflection until I said, looking out the window,

"So... its been five years."

Kidman gave me a look, "We saw each other on Christmas."

"We still shouldn't be so distant Kidman."

"We've both changed Sebastian, you- for instance, seem much more optimistic."

"And you, don't act like a robot."

"Pfft," she gave me an eye-roll before sobering and asking, "that blonde. You don't think that means-"

I leveled a cool glare on her with exaggerated slowness.

"No, it's not her."

Kidman sighed and we waited in the traffic for a few minutes. Then she glanced at the clock on my dash and narrowed her eyes on it. Once she noted I never set my clock in this dumb car she impatiently took out her phone. Once I saw her screensaver for only a millisecond I snatched it from her.

"Oh, no wonder you don't act like a robot!"

On the phone was the picture of Kidman giving a taller man a peck on the lips.

"Sebastian!" She snatched the phone away and sighed.

"Ex. In-case your wondering."

I laughed, "Still love him?"

Her entire face twitched and she said,

"Nearly shot him."

I slapped my leg in laughing, "But you didn't."

"That's because he was with my friend."

I stopped in my tracks.

"Ohh..." I cleared my throat awkwardly as she looked at the picture and sighed.

The traffic finally started clearing up and we mazed our way to a good place for some late lunch or early dinner.

"So," Kidman said as we walked into the Italian restaurant, "after we eat, you are going to drop me off at my car so that I can keep an eye on our friend and see how the change of water pans out?"

"I was actually thinking about watching him. You haven't seen Lily in ages. That, and he's more familiar with me than you. If caught by him, or other locals for that matter, I'd have a better time weaseling my way out."

Kidman seemed to like this and arched a brow, "Girl's night? Haven't had one of those in ages."