*~*~*~*~*

Jenny drove Marina to work, staying long enough for coffee and morning conversation.  Marina shuttled between their table and the kitchen, overseeing the preparation of dishes for the day crowd AND the open house.  She knew she was probably stepping into Lara’s territory, but the once-and-future Soup Chef wasn’t here, and she felt an obligation…she was still part owner in The Planet, still responsible for ensuring that services met the quality standard that she and Lara shared.  At least, they had that much in common.  Whether it was enough to forge a genuine partnership out of remained to be seen. 

Shane joined them, face pale and shimmering at the same time, some electricity crackling through her skin.  Jenny tried to engage her in small talk, asking her about Tina, her work, but the sweep of Shane’s eyes around the café telegraphed her restlessness.

“So…you’re coming tonight?  You and Tina?”  She asked Shane.

Shane’s eyes snapped.  “Of course we are.  And you?”

“Yes,” Jenny smiled shyly, “we’ll be there.  Though I don’t think I understand the reason for the occasion.”

Shane dropped her head, bangs sweeping into her eyes, rubbing her half-empty cup between her fingers.  “I think Helena wants the company.”  A true loneliness drifted from Helena, and Shane knew exactly how that felt.

Jenny tilted her head, green eyes curious.  “Really?  What makes you say that?”

Shane shrugged her thin shoulders.  “Dunno.  Just feels that way to me.  Strength in numbers maybe.”

“You make it sound like… I don’t know … like combat.”

“Not if I can help it,” Shane said darkly.  “I just mean, Helena’s a stranger here.  But she knows what she wants.  And Bette only wants people to want what she wants them to want, not necessarily what’s right for them.”  She swept her hair off her forehead, looked up with a piercing gaze.

Jenny took in a deep breath.  Helena’s words came back to her.  “Is she as dangerous as she feels?”  Looking at Shane now, the way her eyes seemed to glow with a golden swirl in bright green, the way her muscles bunched…Jenny would almost be tempted to answer “yes, she IS that dangerous” because she felt dangerous at this moment.