"I just heard something you should know,"

she says without preamble after I answered her call.

"About Dan? Yeah, I just heard. I'll be fine though, don't worry."

"Oh, okay. Hey, are you working tonight?" She asks, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, I tried to get this week off so I could study for finals, but Mikel wouldn't hear it."

"I'm glad to hear you will be working! Not about Mikel. I will be working too, I'll see you there."

Shortly after I hang up, I got a text from Tina, warning me of the same thing, but she's not worried either.

She knows what l'm capable of, now….. My roommate also gave me the same stern warning when I got home, and I only laugh. Just A couple weeks ago, no one would have said anything to me. Today I have plenty of friends covering my behind.(lolz) I can tell he was surprised by my way of response, then, I told him the same thing I told Stephanie. But he doesn't look convinced and that's fine with me.

I have still have a couple hours left until I start my shift, so I play a few games before getting ready.

The snow is lightly falling as I drive to the restaurant, and I can't help to smile as I think about the last time Stephanie and I had worked together. The snow is still piled high on the sides of the road from the storm of that day, though the power is likely to stay on tonight. Darn the luck. Of course, if push comes to shove, I could still turn off the power myself like that day.

Stephanie greets me with a smile as I walk in through the back door of the restaurant, and I gave her a quick wink in return.

I suddenly wonder if this is Stacy, and realize the only way for me to tell them apart is when I'm sleeping with one or the other. I can use my switches though, to tell them apart. Then I easily make a small switch that will make her happy when I move it, and I notice that it's already on. In fact, with the way it's shuddering, l'd have to say she's pretty giddy. There, that will do it, I thought with satisfaction.

Despite it being Monday, it was a busy night.

Stephanie and I have little opportunity to talk, and Mikel seems to be on a rampage as he bellows out orders and chews one cook out for being too slow, then chews a bus boy for moving too fast and not being careful. He leaves Stephanie and me alone though, so I decided not to mess with him with my switch. I need to save my strength for whatever Dan has in mind. I can just faintly feel him off to the east somewhere at the edge of my awareness.

When the restaurant finally closes, Stephanie waits for me in the parking lot with a smile. We kiss for a while in her car.

"We need to stop," she told me breathlessly after a bit.

"Why," I ask, cupping her cheek in my hand, and pulling her face back to mine.

"Because my sister is home, and I'm getting pretty Hot and I don't want to do it in the cold car!" She laughs her wonderful little laugh as she pulls away from me.

"We can go to my place," I whisper.

"Didn't you say you needed to study for finals?" She tries to sound serious but I can see the mirth and desire in her eyes.

"Sure. How about we study anatomy together?" I suggest, smiling wickedly. She giggles again, and I feel her long lashes against my cheek as she hugs me tight.

"Another night, I need to do some studying as well," she tells me, and I feel let down.

Reluctantly I let her go, Hot as hell, but unwilling to manipulate her into having my way.

I really should study anyway…..

I ended up playing on my computer instead of studying until I go to bed.

I woke up immediately, when I feel Vage's switches close to me, and everyone else's switches vanish. I did not even realize I'm still monitoring all the switches until they are gone.

Where has Vage taken me that is outside of my newfound range?

"Have you been practicing?" The dual-tonal voice of Vage asks me as I'm bathed in the tiring/ strengthening white light.

"No," | told her honestly,

"I have been saving my strength. Something has come up that I need to be ready for." I don't want to tell her about Dan since it's a personal problem.

"More important than your entire race?" the question hurts all the more because it's said with almost no emotion.

I know she is right, but what am I to do? Dan plans on hurting me somehow, and I need to be ready to deal with him, but at the same time, the human race is depending on me too, though they don't know it. If Dan beats the crap out of me, Vage can heal me. And if I'm not ready to face the demons when they arrive, we're all doomed.

"I'll keep practicing," I promise her.

And what better way to practice than right now? I flip the newest switch in the pink alien with a little effort, the one I hope will put her in heat, and I watch as her eyes grow large, and her 'Hot' switch flips hard to full blast.

She makes a loud strangled noise, that sounds like two different voices sounding at once, saying two different things, but neither intelligible, before reverting back to English after a pause.

"What have you done?" For once there is emotion in her voice. Unfortunately, it's terror and despair.

I know there is no way for me to deny it. She knows what I can do, and if she is in heat when she isn't supposed to be, the only rational explanation will be because of me.

"You said to practice,"

I try to explain, knowing how lame I sound.

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