Kelsey Horn: *She comes out of her room, looking for anyone who is awake at a little after Midnight.*

Aerin Thomas: Aerin is in the great room, having just hung up his cell phone. He's dressed in nothing more then a pair of boxers, hair a mess, cigarette burning between his lips.  His laptop is in front of him, and he's typing away on it. When Kelsey comes up, he speaks without looking to her. "Hey. Can you get me a drink...and probably one for yourself? You're gonna need it."

Kelsey Horn: *She muffles the phone slightly.* Uh, Aerin, I can't drink remember. And anyway, I can't stick around long. Got Brice on the phone. She's been arrested and I gotta go make sure Andy doesn't do something stupid when he finds out.

Aerin Thomas: "Yeah. Then get me a drink. And give me that phone. I need to talk to her."

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Kelllllllsey. Babe c'mon, I ain't got long, y'know? Fuckers are pricks 'round here.

Aerin Thomas: "Please," he adds, after the fact. Gee, he's so polite when he's in take-charge mode.

Kelsey Horn: Uh, Aerin wants to talk to you. Here. *She hands over the phone and goes to get that drink, keeping an ear peeled.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Wait! Who the hell is Aerin? ~Probably as she's handing the phone off~

Aerin Thomas: He takes the phone and puts it to his ear, exhaling a drag of smoke when he types. "Brice. Hey. We haven't talked before, but I'm Aerin. Very good friend of Andy's and Kelsey's.  Andy's apprised me of the situation. How are you?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Uh.... a'ight.... nice t'meetcha I think. ~A dry chuckle~ Doin a'ight. So he got tha note?

Kelsey Horn: *She comes back in holding the drink with a "What the Hell?!" look on her face.*

Aerin Thomas: "Yeah, he's got the note. I'm on it." He glances briefly at Kelsey, taking the glass from her with a grateful nod. "I've looked into the charges, and I've got good news and bad news.  Dunno what your lawyer's told you...but which do you wanna hear first?"

Kelsey Horn: Note? *She blinks, then shakes her head, guessing she'll ask more later. Obviously Andy already knows so she's not needing to go anywhere. She sighs and rubs her forehead, goes back to get a drink for herself. ALMOST... ALMOST grabbing alcohol but switches to milk instead*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Bad news. I'm pretty upta speed on shit. They showed me tha pictures an all that.... An that fuckin cunt PA 'bout got 'er ass kicked. I know who it was that fuckin turned my as in an when I get outta here I'mma fuckin make what I did ta him in tha ring look like a makeover.

Aerin Thomas: "Well, that's good. Then you probably know the bad news, which is that on circumstantial evidence, it looks bad. You've got a hell of a motive, not that I would blame you if you had."

Brice Halloran [Phone]: ~She grunts~ Yeah no shit. I gotta temper, yeah, but I ain't fuckin stupid. I cleaned my shit up fer a reason, an he was it. I jus wanted ta get tha fuck 'way from 'im, an I sure as hell ain't dumb nuff ta go killin no ex cops.

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little, exhaling a drag of smoke. "Well, here's the good news. It's ALL circumstantial. Every bit of it. There's no evidence tying you to the scene. Now...who's this guy who turned you in?"

Kelsey Horn: *She mumbles quietly, and just goes back to listening to Aerin's half. It's really too bad she couldn't pick up and listen to Brice's too.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Fuck, man, I didn' even know tha fucker was livin in tha city till 'e jumped my ass. Like I'm really gonna be able ta track 'im that fast. ~A snort~ The dipshit? Oh... uh... Think 'is name's Mark Johansen er some shit. He was my las' sanctioned fight, an prolly took tha loss likea lil' bitch.

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little. "Lovely. Bitter boxer. What's he told them, then?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: No clue, all's I know is that he handed over pictures ta tha cops of what I did ta 'im in tha ring, an' they're usin that in tha case matched up with pictures of tha cop.

Aerin Thomas: He frowns some. "That...makes no sense. Unless they think the wounds look similar, or the brutality..." He sighs. "Okay. Well. There's one thing that destroys this all. An alibi. I assume they've asked for one...what is it?"

Kelsey Horn: *Kelsey Raises her hand as Aerin asks that*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Man they don' look NUTHIN alike. I mean yeah, I did some damage ta Mark, but hell... I can't bash no one's head in. Tha pictures'll only stand ta show my violent streak, tha's it. All's I got fer alibi is Kelsey an Gabe. I was atta diner with 'em tha day it happened.

Aerin Thomas: He glances over to Kelsey when she raises her hand and nods. "Diner?"

Kelsey Horn: *She nods at Aerin.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Yeah.... that's tha day me an Kelsey started talkin an shit.

Aerin Thomas: "Gotcha. How long were you guys at the diner, and when did you leave each other's company?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: No idea.... I know we was there a few hours jus hangin out. I left an headed home cuz I was still sore from tha fucker beatin my ass.

Aerin Thomas: "Give me an approximate. Were you guys in each other's presence between, say, 10 pm and midnight?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Naw.... Don't think so. Think I headed home 'round 9 maybe?

Aerin Thomas: "All right. So 9 or so." He nods a little bit, thinking about it. "What have you told the cops, if anything, about what happened when you got home?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: I told 'im jus wha happened. I laid my ass on tha couch and watched the tube till I passed out.

Kelsey Horn: *She bites her lip* Um...*She scratches the back of her head* I can confirm that she went home, after. *A kinda sheepish look* We were planning to get at Andy...so...I kinda...sorta...followed her.

Aerin Thomas: "Hmmm." He frowns. "All right. Let me see if I can work with this. I'm willing to provide you with an alibi..." He stops there and looks over at Kelsey. "Really? That's...got potential."

Kelsey Horn: *She grimaces and nods.* I er...never actually did tell her about that. I let her assume I got her address from someone else.

Brice Halloran [Phone]: I ain't gonna lie 'bout no alibi, that'll jus make shit worse. Ain't like I'mma stranger ta jail time. ~Laughs~

Aerin Thomas: He nods to Kelsey, and then looks to the phone. "Brice. Let me make one thing crystal clear. You're not going down for this." He's got that sort of take-charge authortiy voice he gets to him.  Alpha in control here. "Under no circumstances, whatsoever. They don't have shit on you, and they're not going to take you down. Got me on this?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Uh..... Can I ask ya somethin?  Y'know.... without ya gettin all offended an shit.

Aerin Thomas: A short nod. "Shoot."

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Why ya so worried 'bout me? Ya don' know me. I mean... I ain't sayin I don' 'preciate it er nuthin. I think it's cool as hell. I just.... I dunno. It's kinda weird.

Aerin Thomas: He smiles faintly. "Because I know that Andy cares very deeply for you, Brice. And I care a lot about Andy...which means I have a vested interest in you.  And if Andy thinks you're that good...well, there's no accounting for his tastes sometimes, but on you, I'm willing to take the chance."

Kelsey Horn: *She bites her lip and looks at the floor at that. Maybe he really does care for Brice. He COULD have been lying to her. It wouldn't have been the first time.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: ~She chuckles at that, nodding, even if he can't see it~ Fair 'nuff. Jus lemme know how I can get ya back fer helpin out an I'll be all o'er it like flies on shit. ~Such a lady with that mouth, isn't she?~

Aerin Thomas: He chuckles slightly, even as he catches that look from Kelsey. "I'll do that. Now, you just stay cool, Brice.  Andy wants to see you as soon as he can...you may want to talk to your lawyer about getting visiting rights for that. Explain about him being your child's father...the courts may make a special case for that.  I think it would do some real good for him to see you, and I think it may do you some good, too."

Kelsey Horn: Is that a good idea...they might try to pin it on him if they can't get her...*Being careful with how she says it figuring that call's getting recorded*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Yeah, you too Aerin. Nice t'meetcha..... OH! Hey. Um.... I know a girl. Her Uncle's a judge 'er somethin. uh... He's a fan, s'how I met 'er. Maybe that can help out?

Brice Halloran [Phone]: ~She grunts to the bit about Andy coming~ Um... yeah.... I can see. Dunno that he really wants ta come see me. He ain't been 'round much lately.  ~The tone does indeed go a little dry at that~

Aerin Thomas: "Don't think it's a problem, Kels." He goes back to the phone. "A judge's neice? Yeah, that may help. What's her name?"

Kelsey Horn: *She nods, and waits, hoping to get the phone back before they hang up.*

Aerin Thomas: "And trust me. He ~very~ much wants to see you. There's just a whole bunch of shit going on, and he's been a bit wierded out. Guys get that way...especially loner guys like Andy."

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Moira Conelly. Gothy slut. Gabe knows 'er, so if ya get Kelsey ta track down Gabe he can prolly find 'er. ~A pause, then a sigh~ I dunno what he's told ya... but he comes an goes. I dunno what his deal is, t'be honest. We're s'posed  ta be all like.. a couple an shit, but then he dis'pears fer days atta time. I'm crazy 'bout 'im, yeah, but I done told 'im once I can't deal with this shit no more.

Aerin Thomas: He writes down the name 'Moira Connelly' on a notepad next to the laptop...one filled with dates and shorthand scribbled information. "It's..." He sighs. "He's lived a lot of his life alone. He lost his mother, the only person he knew for years. He's afraid of relying on other people...afraid of letting people in, because they might leave again and he'll get hurt."  He pauses a moment. "Maybe now you see why I'm so adamant about keeping you out of jail for the next 30 years."

Kelsey Horn: *She winces a little and sets the remains of the milk down, eyeing Aerin's glass. Dammit dammit dammit.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: I know.... 'bout all that. An I love 'im, I jus.... I dunno. He freaks out o'er stupid shit, an jus gets all weird on me. Then when I think shit's goin fine, he vanishes. I know he was cheatin onna girl with me when we first hooked up.... but it jus makes me wonder, y'know?

Aerin Thomas: "I know." He sighs. "Far be it from me to claim he's kept from making a lot of mistakes. But don't give up on him. I have a feeling he's worth it."

Brice Halloran [Phone]: I know 'e is.... s'why I ain't gave up on 'im yet. But so help me Aerin... if I hear 'bout 'im fuckin round on me after all this shit? Ya can 'spect ta see 'im crawlin to ya with a fuckin busted leg at least.

Aerin Thomas: He chuckles a little bit. "I wouldn't blame you. Just gotta set the ground rules with him." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "All right. So, what do you need? How can I help you, besides all this?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: I did. But this is Andy. ~She snorts, then pauses~ Keep an eye on 'im fer me? I don' wan 'im tryin ta do somethin stupid while I'm in here. Don' need nuthin, no. Maybe a book 'er somethin ta read. Hell.... only time I ever spend readin is sittin in jail. ~Laughs~ S'how I graduated high school.

Aerin Thomas: "That, I can do. The book, I'll have Andy bring when he visits. Any preference?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: True stories. Like.. People's life stories an shit. Cheesy, I know, but always hadda thing fer people's stories.

Aerin Thomas: 'Perfect. I think I've got a couple for you." He takes a breath, and looks over to Kelsey. "Gonna hand you back to Kelsey now...I've got some work to do. Hang in there, okay?"

Brice Halloran [Phone]: A'ight... take care man. An thanks. I owe ya.

Aerin Thomas: "Don't mention it." He hands the phone over to Kelsey, and then starts typing.

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs and gives Aerin a look. It's similar to one Bliss gives him. The "you're doing too much" look. Then takes the phone.* So, looks like all you need from me is finding Gabe and trying to find Moira?

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Guess so... ~Chuckles~ He always like 'at?

Kelsey Horn: Aerin? Yeah. He takes on too much sometimes. But, I can understand why he does. You don't KNOW something's getting done right unless you're involved right?

Aerin Thomas: "Hey, hey," he murmurs around his cigarette without looking away from the screen. "I'll let you know when I've taken on too much. You can be the one to order the funereal flowers." His tone is dryly joking.

Brice Halloran [Phone] [Phone]: Yeah, 'xactly. He's cool shit. I'd like ta meet 'im when I get out so I can like... shake 'is hand 'er somethin.

Kelsey Horn: Yeah, I'm sure that can be arranged. He really is. I live with him and a bunch of others. I'll come by and visit too. Um, to let you know, cause I don't think you heard me behind Aerin. You...actually do have an alibi.

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Naw, I didn' hear nuthin. What alibi? ~blinkblink~

Kelsey Horn: *She sounds a bit embarassed.* Me. I kinda followed you home that night. I was in such a good mood and couldn't wait to get ideas for the prank we were going to pull. So...um...yeah. *Aerin can probably see her blushing if he looks.

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Ya..... followed me home? Girl. ~Laughs~ Why didn' ya jus say "hey, I wanna talk more. I'll come witcha"?

Aerin Thomas: ((Aerin Thomas [PB 3]: d10: Per+Alertness: 3,6,10,7,1,8,)) "Because that would have been too easy," he murmurs with a slight smirk as he types.

Kelsey Horn: *She can just SEE Kelsey scratching the back of her head.* I dunno...*She sticks her tongue out at Aerin, though he's rather hit it on the nose.*

Brice Halloran [Phone]: ~She snickers~ Crazy ass woman. A'ight..... well that 'splains how ya knew where my place was cuz I fergot ta give ya d'rections.

Aerin Thomas: The stuck-out tongue is met only with a glance and a waggling of eyebrows, and then he goes back to his computer work.

Kelsey Horn: Yeah, I figured you'd assume I got them from someone else. So, yeah.

Brice Halloran [Phone]: Only a couplea people know where I live. ~Chuckles~ Andy, Gabe, tha guys down at tha club, an Moira. I didn' think Andy'd tell ya where I live, since he didn' even want me anywhere near ya fer awhile there.

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs* That would have required me seeing him too. Though once again, that's unlikely. *She shakes her head, massaging her forehead.* Anyway, they're probably getting grumpy at you there for being on the phone so long. I'll find Gabe and track down Moira, *She glances at Aerin* Or one of us will, anyway. And get everyone up to speed. Then I'll come by and visit.

Brice Halloran [Phone]: S'cool. Thanks again, fer ev'rythin. I'll see ya soon. ~click~

Kelsey Horn: *She hangs up and slumps in the seat, closing her eyes for a moment, mouthing a few more curses.*

Aerin Thomas: "It'll be fine, Kels." He shuts the coputer down finally, yanking the wireless card out of the thing after, and leans back. "Don't stress it too much."

Kelsey Horn: Yeah, except the part where Andy hates me. Let me know when he's going to be visiting Brice, so I don't show up?  *She sighs.* He doesn't even know she and I talk.

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit. "Will do." He runs a hand over his hair, sighing. "It's probably for the best. He made it pretty clear he didn't want you coming to talk to him over this."

Kelsey Horn: *She purses her lips and swallows hard and nods.*  I'm sure he's going to just love that I'm the alibi. *She says VERY quietly and looks at the floor.*

Aerin Thomas: "Probably not." He shrugs. "But if it keeps Brice out of jail...he'll deal."

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs* Need anything else?

Aerin Thomas: "I don't think so." He shakes his head. "For now, I think we're fine...oh! Yes. We need to talk about something else entirely."

Kelsey Horn: *She rubs the back of her neck* Yeah?

Aerin Thomas: He rubs at his eyes. "So. I may or may not have told you this...forgive my memory. But, if you see me acting in a way that you would not expect me to act out in public...well, just go with it."

Kelsey Horn: Okay? What's up?

Aerin Thomas: "So..." He looks over at her. "The way I see it, we've got several problems. we've got the Gavin investigation. W've got the Reapers. And, we've got the Kinfolk hunters who shot me."

Kelsey Horn: *She nods* Right...

Aerin Thomas: A deep breath is taken in, and let out. "Okay. So the plan is simply this. You know, of course, that I don't have the best reputation around the Green. I'm gonna work on that...and make it far, far worse."

Kelsey Horn: Er...why?

Aerin Thomas: "Because it'll possibly put me in contact with the party-girl Silver Fangs, it'll let the Reapers start to underestimate me, and the people who shot me...well, it works on multiple levels there."

Kelsey Horn: Okay...and how am I supposed to play off of it if I'm around? Like you're new attitude is pissing me off?

Aerin Thomas: "Ideally." He nods. "Bliss may be playing along with me on this. Which makes you the stable one in the pack."

Kelsey Horn: *She smirks* Well we already knew that.

Aerin Thomas: He grins at that. "Hey. Denial is my anti-drug."

Kelsey Horn: *She laughs softly and nods* If Bliss is going to do the same...warn him that in order to properly play it, and take this for yourself...if you guys would be getting me really pissed, pregnant or not, I might pop you one.

Aerin Thomas: "No problem." He grins a little bit. "And that's totally fine. I can take a punch from you."

Kelsey Horn: *She laughs softly again.* I'll try not to knock you out with one blow. *She winks*

Aerin Thomas: "That would be appreciated. I do have my male pride to deal with." He chuckles.

Kelsey Horn: *She nods, then takes a deep breath and lets it out in a slow, sad sigh.*

Aerin Thomas: He looks over to her, brow furrowing. "Talk to me, Kels."

Kelsey Horn: Just...the thing with Andy. I...didn't want things to go like this. I thought I was doing the right thing by making sure he didn't find out from someone else. *She shakes her head.* I still care about the ass. Him hating me...It's hard.

Aerin Thomas: "Kelsey..." He smiles a little, reaching out to run his hand over her shoulder. "What did I tell you before. Fine line between love and hate.  And I don't think he knows which side of it he's on. He's hurt. It'll pass, eventually."

Kelsey Horn: *She shakes her head a little, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck.* I wish I could be so sure. Dammit, I TOLD him. I damned well TOLD him how things were. He didn't need me being pregnant to know it.

Aerin Thomas: "Yes, he did." He smiles a bit. "You can hear things all you want. It doesn't make it real until the cold water of reality hits you in the face with something like that.  Trust me. I know."

Kelsey Horn: So saying he was 'cool with me boning some other guy' was another lie?  *She shakes her head again and rubs hard at her eyes.*

Aerin Thomas: "No." He shakes his head. "And yes." He nods. "He meant what he said. But he was lying to himself  He just didn't realize it."

Kelsey Horn: I didn't mean to hurt him...I really thought he wanted her. Not me. I thought giving up finally was doing the right thing. He didn't come when I hoped he would. He never came to look for me. Just ran into me in the Park.  It wasn't until after Dirk that he bothered.

Aerin Thomas: "Don't know what you've got until it's gone," he says softly.

Kelsey Horn: *She swallows hard* Does he love her? *Almost like she's hoping the answer's a yes.*

Aerin Thomas: "Maybe." He shrugs. "That, I don't honestly know. But I know he was desperate to see her, and soon. I know he's taking being a father pretty seriously."

Kelsey Horn: He said he didn't. He told me that he couldn't tell her how he felt about me because it'd break her. Which is BS. She'd kick his ass and be hurt, but she's a lot stronger than that.

Aerin Thomas: "Yeah, I know." He shrugs a little bit. "I don't think he lies maliciously, for what little that's worth."

Kelsey Horn: *She shakes her head* I know. It doesn't stop it from hurting though.

Aerin Thomas: "I know it doesn't. Wish I could help with that."

Kelsey Horn: *She gives a sort of half shrug.* It doesn't matter much now, does it?

Aerin Thomas: "Always matters, Kels. Because it matters to you."

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs* It's not going to make him stop hating me. I suppose it might make that hurt less, but *She shrugs.*

Aerin Thomas: "I know. The hurt goes, Kelsey. Eventually. Just...never fast enough."

Kelsey Horn: *She nods a little.* Yeah *She sighs.* I know I didn't do everything perfectly, but...he's trying to lay the blame all on me.

Aerin Thomas: "That's just human nature, Kels. It's not right, but it's how we are. We're in pain...we try to redirect that pain. You know?"

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs and nods* I didn't tell him I'm getting married. And officially mated. Well I didn't know about the second at the time, though really there isn't a whole lot of difference to me, just his aunt seemed to really want it and

Kelsey Horn: I can't really complain. *She smiles softly, then sighs* But Andy's having a fit now...it'll be worse when he finds out that, I think.

Aerin Thomas: He nods. "It might. But knowing that, does it change the fact of whether you'd do it?"

Kelsey Horn: *She shakes her head.* No, not in the least. *A faint smile.* Dirk treats me better than Andy ever did.

Aerin Thomas: He smiles and nods. "Then there you go."

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs* But I still don't want to keep hurting Andy.

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit. "I know you don't. But you can't control how he'll react to what you do. And you have to take care of yourself, as much as you want to not hurt him. He'll come to deal with it."

Kelsey Horn: *She nods and hugs him* Thanks Aerin.

Aerin Thomas: He smiles a bit, wrapping his arms around her. "Any time, Kels. Any time."

Kelsey Horn: I should probably go call Gabe and see if he knows where Moira is. Then...I think I'm going to call Dirk and have him come out here tonight.

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little. "Be careful with the Moira thing. That name sounds familiar to me...I'm having difficulty remembering how, but it's not a good connotation."

Kelsey Horn: *She smirks faintly* Might be either that Andy hates her, or that she was the one to tell me Brice was pregnant

Aerin Thomas: He blinks suddenly, and he tenses. "No, I know. Stay the hell away from her. She's...something abnormal. I think Andy had said something about her...made Brice see spiders or something. And...I saw her in a bar a while ago.  Scented her...she felt like..." He shakes his head, shivering. "A nightmare. A bad dream."

Kelsey Horn: *She blinks* Aerin, uh...I'm supposed to find her and tell her about Brice being arrested. I can't exactly explain this sort of shit to Brice.

Aerin Thomas: "And if she's a Bane spirit? A fomori, or something like that?"

Kelsey Horn: Then I'll kill it and figure something out later?

Aerin Thomas: He sighs a bit. "Kelsey...this is where we go over the 'You're pregnant and not supposed to be putting yourself at risk' coversation again, isn't it?"

Kelsey Horn: *She sighs* I don't honestly think she's a bane or fomori. Maybe she's something else, something weird. But...

Aerin Thomas: He shakes his head. "I think you should ask Dirk if 'don't think' is good enough. Because I imagine he'll have the same answer I've got."

Kelsey Horn: *She frowns* Fine, you talk to her. *She gets up and starts for her room.*

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit to that. "All right." If he's apologetic over the thing, he doesn't seem it. "Get some rest, Kelsey. It's been a hell of a night."

Kelsey Horn: *She just sort of grunts and walks out of the room, already pulling out her phone and dialing.*

Aerin Thomas: He sighs and shakes his head, then goes back to the computer. He's got a lot of work ahead of him.