Rahab

Part Three: Rivalry



"What happened to YOU?"

Rahab looked up from the magazine that she was not focusing on. "Huh?"

Mikey was standing over her, eyebrows raised at the red lines on her arms. "Get inna fight with a cougar, or something?"

She looked at herself then up at him. "No," she said, and went back to pretending to read.

"So, what happened?" Mikey's persistant voice cut into her reverie.

"I fell into some palmettos."

"How did you do that?"

"Well, I just fell in."

"Well, how?"

"Gravity, Mike. Ever heard of it? I lost my balance." She stuck her muzzle farther into the magazine.

"Oh. Excuse me for asking, Miss Petulant. Sheez, what I GET for bein' concerned," he grumbled, throwing himself onto the couch beside her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him peering at her. He leaned over and started playing with her hair. She didn't respond until he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What do you want?" She kept her eyes on the magazine.

"Just lookin' at what you're readin', " he murmered, as he ran a hand up her thigh.

"Hey! Cut it out!" She brushed his hand off.

"Why?" He touched her again.

"STOP it!" She threw it off harder. "Quit doing that!"

"Why not?"

"I just don't want you to do that, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Did I mumble? I said I don't want you to-" She got up when he didn't relent, and threw the magazine at him. "WILL you leave me alone!"

He stared up at her. "What's eating YOU? I was just playin', no need to get spastic about it."

"You wouldn't stop, that's why. I told you to stop! Now GET that through your thick head, when I say stop it, you STOP. Understand?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but seemed to change his mind, for he shut it again.

"Sorry," Rahab said, settling down. "That was uncalled for. But... I think maybe we should get a few things straightened out between us, huh?"

"Like what?"

Rahab shrugged. "It has to do with... um... our relationship. Maybe what you want isn't what I want. Mike, I like you and everything, but-" she sighed heavily. "Don't look at me like that."

He laughed a short derisive laugh. "I think I know what you're tryin' to say." He stood up, and put one hand over his heart, eyes rolled up dramatically. "Dear John," he began in a girlish voice.

"Mike..."

He looked down at her in mock coyness. "Dear John, it's time to split." He ended the sentence in his normal voice. "Isn't that it? I said it for ya, didn't I?"

"Mike, let me finish. There really wasn't anything there to start with. Remember?"

He grinned. "There wasn't, huh?" He held the tip of his tongue between his teeth momentarily as he looked up in thought. "Three months of living in my house, eating my food, all the stuff I bought ya, you wouldn't call that anything?"

"I thought we were friends. We did things as friends."

"Friends..." he said, sniggering. "That's all you want out of this? A little old friendship?"

"What do you mean, that's all? Friendships are very meaningful, Being friends is just as important as any other type of relationship!" she declared, rising from her seat.

"Hey, I have PLENTY of friends! You have NO friends. What do YOU know about friendship?"

"What has gotten into you, Mike? You've always been so accomodating and understanding-"

"You STILL haven't told me how you got all those scratches!"

She threw up her hands in resignation. "All RIGHT, I fell off the rear deck, okay? I was talking to Raphael, and I lost my balance-" She ended her statement when she saw the look he gave her.

He stared a moment, and nodded in mock comprehension. "Oh-KAY," he said softly, giving her a half smile. "Now we're getting somewhere." He paced slowly around the room, pulling at his lower lip.

"Yeah, you could say that," she said softly. "Things are happening."

"WHAT things?"

She sighed. It was as though he knew what she was going to say already. "Things. Raphael seems to like me quite a lot."

Mike didn't reply.

"And... I like him."

"A LOT."

"Yes," Rahab said, pretending not to notice the sarcasm creeping into his voice.

"Wuh-ell..." he said, sighing gustily. "Amazing." She started to speak, but he raised a hand. "No! No-no-no, it's okay, you don't have to- I was wrong. We DID have an agreement. That's true, we had an agreement, a just-friends sort of thing, jee-ust FRIENDS, no commitments." He was talking fast. "Perfectly understandable, of course I thought..." He laughed nervously, "Maybe, just might be, you wanted a little time, that's all! Just some time, had to adjust to whatever the hell it was you were going through, and I'd be patient, that's all." He fell silent and stared ahead of him.

"Mike," she ventured.

He didn't answer.

"I think you knew as much as I did early on, that it wasn't going to work between us. You and I are so different. You have this- I don't know, lifestyle... like, Mr. Celebration, with all those bizarre L.A. people hanging around, I just wasn't comfortable with that. I don't like to do the things you do. I like to read and sit quietly listening to Mozart in the garden, and you like to go tear around in your Ferrari, and go to Metallica concerts. Why would you want to be stuck with me? I'd only be cramping your style."

He snorted softly. "Sure. Whatever. Why DO I want to be with you?" He came over to look into her face. "Because, sweetheart, you're one of US."

She sank back down on the couch, and watched him pace slowly back and forth. "Maybe I should go, then. I don't think I should take advantage of your hospitality any more."

Mikey stopped and wearily gazed at her. "That's up to you. You can stay here if you want, or you can go, it's not like I'm gonna tell you what to do, okay?" He gave her a half shrug, and left.



Later that evening, as she lay in bed, unable to sleep, she heard Raphael and Mikey talking quietly in the courtyard.

It sounded like the usual conversation at first, until she heard Mikey raise his voice. She got up to look out the window. It was closed, but she had no trouble hearing the type of language Mikey was using. She could see Raphael answering with relative calm, but Mike was bristling like a mad porcupine. If he had hair on his back, she thought, it would be sticking straight up.

He walked up against Raphael, nose to nose, but Raphael held his ground. They seemed to stare into each other's eyes a few seconds, then Mikey backed off a few steps, as though to walk away. Before Rahab knew what was happening next, they had both disappeared. A pot of geraniums rolled across the tiles, and gently came to rest against the side of the house.

Curiousity at its peak, Rahab put on her robe and hurried out to the courtyard. By the time she got outside Mikey was passing her to go in, eyes round and flat like a pike's. His knees were bleeding. Raphael approached more slowly, looking thoughtful.

"What happened," she asked nobody in particular.

Mikey glared at her as though he had been insulted. "It was NOTHING to do with you," he snarled, as he went into the house.

Raphael said nothing, as he sat down on one of the lounges. He ran his hand across his mouth and then looked at it, before looking at her.

"You get hit?" She sat on the lounge next to his.

He tossed his head a little. "Just a poke. It's nothing."

"Whole lotta nothing going on, lately."

He nodded. "Yep."

They were silent a moment.

Mikey was in the doorway, wearing his short leather coat. "I SINCERELY hope you both are gone when I come back," he said, fingering his car keys. " I think it will easier on everybody, don't you think?" His words were reasonable, but the tone of his voice chilled her. He wasn't looking at her, but at Raphael. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, Mike, no problem. I told you I didn't want any trouble..."

Mikey interrupted his brother with a bark of laughter. "You gotta be kiddin'! Back at the University of Hard Knox, trouble was your all time FAVORITE subject." He folded his arms. "Or maybe you just wanna play pacifist to impress the lady?"

"If you say so, Mike," Raphael sighed. He pressed his fingers into his eye sockets.

"What, get hit in the head one too many times, Raph? Did I give you a headache?"

When Raphael didn't respond, Mikey turned to Rahab with an odd light in his eye.

"How well do you know this guy, Rahab? Did he tell you much about himself, or did he tell you a nice little fairy tale? Or did you guys even TALK at all?"

"Mike, give it a rest," Rahab said, low.

He smiled at her. "Fine with me, you guys can hash it out. I'm outa here. Have a nice LIFE." He leaned over and muttered the last sentence in her ear, before he spun away, chuckling.

When he was gone, Raphael stood up. "Time to go," he said quietly.

Rahab leaped up. "I take it you still want me to come along?"

He smiled faintly. "Of course I do."

Next section... Rahab 4

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