Realization hurts(Darcy,cont.)

[darcyneumann]

Life was becoming a strange sort of blur to Darcy with on event rolling after the other, she was losing all concept of time and date. How long had it even been since they left the Venia to visit Casey? Two days? No. Three. Only three? It seemed like a month had gone by, and yet no time at all.

She answered Hugo's mother's questions as best she could while eating from the delicious breakfast spread. Even Casey had to agree that it was better than anything she could offer up. But she was only twenty, there would still be time for her to hone her already marvelous skills. The woman seemed to warm to her a little more over the course of the meal, and Hugo's father was certainly gracious and friendly. It was an odd situation to be thrown into, but Darcy felt she made the best of it.

She got some time in the gardens with Casey before she had to leave for New York. The gardens, much like the decor of the house, were exquisite - it took a lot of time and effort to keep a house like this, and Hugo was lucky to have grown up here - in her opinion anyway.

"So why are you leaving again?"
"There's a lead that Hugo wants to follow up in New York, and I'm not letting him go alone - he knew that as soon as he told me what he was going to do."
"You are stubborn like that."
"Thanks Case."
"You know what I mean." She heaved a sigh, reclining back into the bench they were seated on. "Just, look out for yourself, okay? You have to come back in one piece, that's an order."
"Yes ma'am."
"I'm serious."
"I know sweetheart," Darcy took Casey's hand in hers, "if I can survive an hour in the kitchen with you flinging all sorts of food at me, then I can survive this."
Casey raised a brow, "right."
"Seriously."
"Uh-huh."

Before she knew it, Darcy was giving her daughter a kiss goodbye and thanking Hugo's parents for having her, and for looking after Casey, then she was off on the jet, bound for New York.

Darcy eased herself into Hugo's lap, her head falling against his left shoulder. She let out a snort as he suggested she take his temperature. Placing a palm against his forehead, she smirked.
"You're a little cold," she said, her voice playful, "we may have to warm you up a bit."
Reaching up, the hand on his forehead moving to keep his face in place, she kissed up his neck to his jawline slowly, softly biting the lobe of his ear.
"Feeling any warmer yet?"

[hugodouglass]

Hugo smirked, feeling a kind of warmth spread throughout his entire system as she finished on his ear. He guided Darcy to where his arms were around her waist, directly facing him. Once there, he bit down on her neck gently, telling her:
"You are naughty, you know that?" He kissed her neck before going down to her shirt, hands reaching...

Wait. Wait. Wait.
Was this really what he should be doing at this point in their relationship? Yes they were in love, yes he would be willing to throttle her to the middle of next week...but they weren't ready for this. He knew it. And he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

He kissed her on the lips before sitting back in his chair, not saying anything for a few moments, allowing the silence to give him a chance to collect his thoughts. Then he spoke:
"I love you. So much. I can't let what happened between Lisa and I..." He blew out a sigh before continuing:
"You know how Lisa and I first got together? I met her at a stupid party in college. She was hot, she liked me, and before I knew it, we were making love three nights a week on campus. I never really loved her. It was physical...all of it. Physical." He looked up at Darcy as he wrapped up his story:
"I love you more than I've ever loved another human being. I don't want our relationship to become nothing more than just humping each other like animals." He laughed, putting a hand to her face and kissing her once more, saying quietly after the kiss:
"Besides, if we get through this, I want to marry you."

[darcyneumann]

"I understand completely," Darcy nodded. Obviously, her feelings towards him were leading her to want to do that certain act with him, but he was right. If this was going to work, then this relationship had to be real.
"I've never had a serious relationship before," she admitted, "and you're the first person I've ever loved," she smiled a little, "like this anyway, Casey is a whole other matter." Her daughter had been the only love of her life up until recently. And now she loved two people, quite possibly three: Lisa was a gorgeous child, she couldn't not be loved.
Her last relationship had been more about casual sex and learning how to beat each other up - mostly. This was complete new.

The last thing he said made her breath catch in her throat, and she looked up at him with those big hazel eyes of hers. "Really?"
Duh, of course really.
Her gaze fell down for a moment, mostly so she could shake her head at herself.
Then when she looked up at him again, she said. "I want to marry you too."

[hugodouglass]

Hugo could NOT believe what was happening: in the span of three days, he had: fallen in love, almost gotten killed(a few times), managed to destroy LAPD property(which he would have to answer for sooner or later), uncover a conspiracy and oh by the way, possibly arrange to have a marriage done within the next few weeks. Talk about a whirlwind.
"Ok hotness, get some rest. The bed is all yours. I have to take care of a few things. When we're close, I'll wake you." He kissed her once more before reaching for his duffel bag. There was still one or two things left he needed to arrange before their descent into New York.

It had been an hour since the shuttle had lifted off and Hugo was wrapping up his preparations. He had taken up residence at the mini bar, spreading out some supplies on the bar's counter while he worked the kinks out of the two holo ID's. They were in the names of James and Linda Smith, tourists from Columbia, New Earth. He couldn't secure facial morphing tech(that would have required a break-in to the UGAP intelligence office), but he did have a few tricks that would enable them to change their facial complexions enough to match the ID's. This would ensure they could move around New York without getting too much unwanted attention. She would have to drop the accent however. New Earth citizens didn't have much of an accent. Next, he looked over their weaponry: two lead firing pistols, something he had saved up for an occassion like this. All weapon detectors were geared to finding plasma and laser based weaponry, not old antiques like the two glock nine millimeters that Hugo had taken from his father's closet. He would have to make sure to teach Darcy how to fire one of these things. Speaking of Darcy...

He walked over to the bed, gently putting a hand on Darcy's shoulder as he said:
"Come on honey, we have to talk."

[darcyneumann]

Darcy was glad for the hour's sleep that she was able to get. Up here in the air, all her problems felt so far away, and she slept like a log until Hugo woke her.
Rubbing the sleep from the corners of her eyes, she rose from the bed, stretching her long body, easing the crick out of her neck from lying a little funny - you couldn't really control how you lay when you pretty much passed out.
"Are we nearly there?" she asked, casting her gaze over to the minibar, seeing the stuff lying there.
Thumbing through the things there, she noticed the IDs - so they weren't being themselves, she'd have to drag up those old drama skills of hers - and then her fingers traced over the glock. She hadn't seen one of these things in a while, the military always used laser guns so that they had the option to stun or kill, these things only really had one setting.
"What did you want to talk about?"

[hugodouglass]

Hugo walked behind the bar counter, motioning to the id's:
"In order to get into the city of New York itself, we needed new identities. You are now Linda Smith, a blond haired, blue eyed school teacher from Columbia, New Earth. Here, put this in your hair." He handed her a package of yellowish looking goop as well as a pair of sunglasses.
"Put the glasses on now and then take them off once we land. The lenses bounce blue light back to your irises and change them over for twenty four hours. Drop the accent also, babe. You know how flat people from New Earth can sound." He reached for the glock, continuing:
"Real easy to use these things. Cock the safety back here.."He motioned towards the back of the gun, where a small protrusion stuck out of the top.
"And fire. Remember to keep the safety ON. Please. Once we're inside, I'm going to need you to book a hotel room on the top floor and wait for me. I need to take care of a few things. Oh, and before you go to the hotel room, buy something revealing would you? Something that'll catch a man's eye in less than a second." Hugo picked a few things off the bar, telling her:
"I need to go become Mr.Smith. I suggest you become Mrs.Smith."

The shuttle landed at one of the more private airstrips, just a few miles east of Manhatten Island. James Smith emerged from the shuttle, his jet black hair ruffling in the passing wind. He could see the checkpoint in the distance: bingo.

They got through security alright, taking a bullet train to New Central station. The place was packed, people mulling to and fro as if their next destination were the most important one in their lives. Hugo put an arm around Darcy's waist as he leaned close to her, telling her:
"Get the clothing, get the hotel room, I'll call you when I can." He could see a large Hispanic man out of the corner of his eye, reading a holo news article, but not really reading.

They were being watched.

Hugo escorted Darcy to the entrance, where he then(albeit reluctantly) went back inside the station only to be grabbed by the Hispanic man.
"What took you so long?"
"You know how air travel is." The Hispanic man chuckled, saying:
"Come on loco, the guys waiting in the back."
"Good news."

[darcyneumann]

All that Hugo asked her to do seemed reasonable, going blonde and blue for twenty four hours was going to be interesting - something that she didn't get to do every day. It some ways this was going to be exciting, getting to be someone else for a little while, but the serious undertone was still very clear to her, however far away she got from her 'real life'.
"Less than a second, got it."

The goop worked its wonders, as did the glasses. By the time they were back on the ground, she was a completely different woman. Mrs. Smith held herself in a different way to Darcy, a little more uptight than usual, straight backed and proper. But considering what Darcy was going to buy next, Mrs. Smith wasn't exactly a goody two shoes.
Once outside the entrance, Darcy headed into a part of the city which she knew had shops, and strode into the closest one, thumbing through the racks, looking for something appropriate... or maybe, more unappropriate. Something that a school teacher wouldn't usually wear in public. Her eyes settled on the perfect black dress, and she smirked to herself a little. Oh, this was going to catch a man's eye all right.
Paired with some stilettos, she bought the clothes, putting the bill on a tab for one Mrs. Smith, then headed back to the hotel to book the room and change.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Darcy barely recognised herself.
This was definitely not something that she was used to, but it would be interesting to see what reactions there were when she left the room in this minidress. Jaws would hit the floor.
She turned her back on herself, peering over her own shoulder. God my legs are long.

[hugodouglass]

Hugo and the Hispanic walked past the crowds and out the doors, turning left and walking a block to find a small cafe. They went inside, securing a table before the other man spoke:
"It's been a while, Hu. What have you been doin since Boston?" The Hispanic man's name was Jorge Vargas, former Boston detective now working for the force in New York. He was the only one that had stuck by Hugo during the scandal and as a result was pushed into the scummier ranks of NYPD. Jorge could have cared less: he was loyal to the end, which made Hugo value him as a friend. And a resource.
"Well, I got pushed onto UGAP business."
"No! You? Pushin pencils for the Alliance? Come on ese!"
"It's a bit more complex than that. Of course I can't tell you. Hush hush, black project, you know how that stuff goes."
"Yeah, you said it brother."
"Listen, Jorge, about my call."
"Yeah?"
"I need you to help me."
"I've been wanting to solve this thing ever since it got brought down on your head. What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to help me interrogate Goodwin." Jorge sat back in his chair, raising an eyebrow as he asked:
"You...are serious? You know how I can get when..."
"Exactly why I want you there. I can get Goodwin distracted and isolated, but I need your help sniffing out clues. Once we get the dirt, I need you to put out an arrest warrant, make it look officially clean."
"But it ain't."
"Never has been." Jorge blew out a sigh before saying:
"Alright man, just say the word. Goodwin has been campaigning like crazy though. How are you going to get him away from all that mess?" Hugo only smiled.

After giving Jorge his comm frequency, the detective called Darcy on his own comm link. Once patched through, he spoke:
"What's the hotel name?"

[darcyneumann]

Standing in the center of the room hadn't really been that practical for long considering the size of the heels she was wearing, so she'd lay back on the bed, stretching out across the kingsize, trying not to drift off. It was awfully tempting on all those cushions to just go to sleep, make up up for all that she had missed in the last few days, but she had to wait for Hugo's call.
It came soon enough, and she answered the comm readily.
"It's the Solerion," she said. She'd picked one which was a little more up-market, but not too expensive, "why?"
That seemed like a silly question, but she had a funny feeling that Hugo wouldn't be joining her. This outfit wasn't for his benefit, that was for sure.

[hugodouglass]

"Stay put. We need to talk."

Hugo found the hotel and room with relative ease, quietly thanking Darcy for booking them in a nicer area of town. After retrieving a spare key from the front desk(My wife didn't give me a key! Women, I tell you! His exclamation made the clerk laugh), he walked inside their room and...

She looked...well, words wouldn't be enough. The detective walked up to his lover and put his arms around her waist, smirking as he told her:
"After we're done...wear that again." His smirk quickly disappeared as he realized the gravity of their assignment, what he about to ask Darcy to do. He let go of her, turning around as he told her:
"We're going after Goodwin. I can't get a clean shot at him. So I need you to do something for me..."He turned around as he continued:
"Goodwin has a campagining schedule he's on. From what I've been able to gather, he likes to frequent a lounge dowtown called Gravity. I need you to get in there and lead him to us." As an addendum, Hugo added:
"I'm not asking you to have sex with him, just get him to follow you. Tell him you want to go back to your place. I'll be guiding you by comm." He looked at her sorrowfully for a moment, saying quietly:
"You shouldn't have to do this."

[darcyneumann]

Nothing could keep the smirk from Darcy's lips when he first saw her in the outfit. She'd definitely got it right.
When his smirk dropped, so did hers, and she listened.
Quiet for a moment, she knew she'd already decided to help Hugo in whatever way she could, she was just thinking about how she would go about it.
Taking his hands in hers, she squeezed them gently.
"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," she reassured him, "if I could get into that club in the Third without any notice, I'm sure I can manage Gravity."
She leaned forward to give him a kiss, and as she pulled away, she said (with a smirk),
"So, you prefer me blonde, huh?"
Letting his hands go, she grabbed a clutch bag and stuffed some essentials into it, including her new ID, before turning back to him.
"I'm ready when you are."

[hugodouglass]

"I like you blonde. Your curves seem to stand out more. Maybe I'll just make you stay blonde. I'm selfish that way." Hugo chuckled, knowing that he usually didn't crack jokes on assignments. Usually he was tense, cold, precise. Darcy was helping him get loose, which he was thankful for. Quite a partner indeed.
"I'm going to lead you to the club, but make sure you tail behind me a few feet. Don't want any eyes watching to see us together with your new outfit on. Get inside and I'll guide you by comm."

Hugo managed to stay in front of Darcy the whole time, arriving at the entrance of Gravity unaware of any trouble. The detective crossed the street, talking into his comm to Darcy:
"Get inside. There's extra security, but you should be let in. If not, you know what to do. Goodwin should be in the VIP lounge, so you'll probably have to get creative to get inside. I do know that he likes girls with nice curves. Flaunt them a little. Call me when you get in." He terminated the call, then contacted Jorge, who answered quickly:
"Big D."
"You in position, Jorge?"
"Yup. Got a place about three blocks down. Hotel Palacio. Room 4523. I got the room soundproofed and the devices in place."
"Good. I'll be in touch when Darcy is on the move."
"Hope your girl can shake that moneymaker. She's gonna need to."
"Oh she can."
"You know from personal experience, huh?" Hugo smirked, ending the call as he stationed himself at a bench nearby. And now he waited.

[darcyneumann]

Getting past the first set of security proved to be very easy in such a dress. Darcy merely strode past the queue and into the building, giving the bouncer a self-assured look on the way past. He didn't stop or follow her. Once inside the club, she had to think a little harder about how to catch Goodwin's attention.
The club was pretty standard as far as clubs went; two bars, one in the centre of the main dancefloor, a throng of people swarming around it, looking to inhibriate themselves, and a second one set up on the mezzanine floor: the VIP area. The entrance to the VIP area wasn't just guarded by a hologram (who would be almost impossible to influence by herself) but it operated a DNA scan in order to identify the elite members of the club. Darcy had to catch Goodwin's attention, and be let in without being scanned.
Think, Darcy, think.
Scanning the room, a stage she hadn't noticed before caught her eye. A pole of ice, an inch thick and twenty feet high stretched from the centre of the circular stage to the ceiling, and it was shrouded in blue light.
Pole dancing. That would be one way to emphasise her body, her curves.
As soon as she set one foot on the stage, the light intensified. She could now feel the chill of the air surrounding the ice, droplets of water creeping down the sides of the pole.
"Would you look at that?" called the DJ, "a blonde bombshell has taken to the stage. This one is for you, gorgeous."
The DJ had caught everyone's attention for her, including Goodwin's, but now she had to follow through in order to be invited into the VIP area.
Here goes.
She traced one finger along the ice as she made one circle of the pole, running the meltwater on her finger down the centre of her bare chest. Securing a hand around the pole, she swung herself round, swivelling down into a crouched position, directly facing Goodwin, giving him a wink. She continued in the same vain until the music faded into another faster song, and she got the signal that her ploy had worked.
Two fingers gestured for her to come up to the VIP area.
Goodwin's.
"I'm in."

[hugodouglass]

"That didn't take long. Do it just like we said, hotness. Lay it on him thick and heavy. Once you get him convinced, get him outside and tail me. I'll be on the opposite side of the street." Hugo couldn't believe how smooth this was going...so far anyway. Now he would have to wait, maybe even formulate his interrogation approach. He may add a little cajoling if he touched Darcy too much.

Ok, a lot of cajoling if he gripped her too much.

After a long day of feeding the masses what they wanted(Change is great! I'm the change you need! Viva revolucion! All that fun garbage.), Gravity was certainly a place to unwind. He knew he could do what he pleased here, seeing as there were no monitoring devices, no snoopy reporters, just a lot of security and gorgeous women he had no problem seducing(he was a good looking man for the most part. Got compared to famous actor Jake Bridget, who was named Most Attractive male of the year this year). As he reclined on the seat he occupied, he couldn't help but notice that blonde woman...she was certainly a looker. And she handled that pole really well. Maybe she could handle him that way. A small smirk came over his face as he summoned her. This night just got way more interesting.

"Come on darling, take a seat." He slid over on the couch he occupied as he told her:
"You know, I've never seen you around here before. Then again, New York City is a big city. Faces blur together. Not yours though. What's your name sweetheart?"

[darcyneumann]

Lay it on thick, right.
Darcy added a subtle sway to her hips as she walked, taking the spare seat on the sofa, immediately twisting and stretching her long legs across his lap. "Linda," she told him, smiling and batting her eyelashes, she added, "but you can call me Linny." There weren't really that many ways to turn Linda into something else, but she thought she managed it okay.
"So, you liked my performance, huh?" Her accent was flat, non-existant, and she rested an elbow on the back of the sofa, twisting a strand of her newly blonde hair around her finger. "What sort of hot shot must you be to be up here?" Stroking her ego wouldn't hurt, "pretty big, I'd imagine."
She grinned.