(5 years, 2 weeks, 6 days into the Ban)

Avie shines her flashlight onto the pool, its smooth surface broken by a dark mass floating at its center. 

Has it really ended like this? 

The last several weeks have been intolerable.  Dark Storm wears out his welcome at the hotel in about three hours, but the days pass and he doesn't make another move.  No check, no mate.  He rents the room next to Troi's and spends most of his time following him around pretending that it's not weird.  She knows Hiram's his superior officer, but in truth, he acts more like a tag-a-long, as though Troi is the cool kid who's just invited him to sit at the popular table.

There is more to the dynamic, of course.  Avie's no fool; where Troi is dangerous, Hiram is deadly.  She's read his emails—this tag-along act is a front.  Under the surface, Hiram has a loaded weapon and the psychology of someone who needs to prove himself.

One morning while Avie is on desk duty signing guests out of the hotel, Hiram swaggers into the lobby, then leans himself across the counter.  He waits until an older couple exits the room before turning to her with a smile.  "You may be a stranger, but I have the most wonderful news, and I just have to share it with someone.  I hope you don't mind."

Avie smiles back.  "Not at all."

"Well, my friend, the one who's staying here—Troi.  He's been engaged to my sister for some time."

So that's it—Hiram is Gillian's brother.  This makes perfect sense, come to think of it.  One mystery solved.

"They finally set a date.  Next month!  It's just so gratifying to see such a patriotic young couple decide to commit, you know?"  Hiram leans in a little closer.  His eyes scan Avie, and to her horror, he licks his lips.

Avie's smile never wavers.  It can't.  Not if she wants to continue to delude herself into believing that she's keeping her head down.  "That is good news.  Give Mr. Onslowe my congratulations, won't you?"

She turns her attention to her computer screen, but Hiram isn't ready to let the matter drop.  "I bet Troi would love to bring her here on their honeymoon.  He's so fond of this place, Lord knows why.  No offense."

"I know we're not exactly providing luxury accommodations, but we'd love to have them." She taps her computer, bringing up her account information so she can reconcile the week's expenditures.  The best thing she can do, she figures, is act remotely interested in what he's talking about and be polite. 

"Of course." He pulls back from the counter, only to walk around and prop himself on the edge of her desk.  He eyes her laptop as if hoping she'd be stupid enough to have it open to some illicit realm work website.  "Or maybe you have some other ideas."

Avie drops her hands from the keyboard.  "Other ideas?  And please, guests are required to stay on the other side of the counter."

Hiram ignores her. "I thought, being in the business you're in, that you might have some notion of where a young couple in love might want to journey."

Journey.  That's a strange word choice.  Was he fishing here?  If so, he wasn't being very subtle.  "Well, I guess I'd recommend Grisholm Lodge up in the North Cascades.  I've never been there, but several guests have noted it over the years.  It offers a real old-fashioned experience—live moose on the slopes, dead moose mounted above each fireplace, scenic vistas, lots of trees.  Very nostalgic and romantic, if you like that sort of thing.  It might make a nice get-away for your newlyweds."

Hiram hops off of the desk and walks backwards, his eyes never leaving hers.  "I'll have to mention that to Troi.  Thank you for the suggestion."

"You're welcome."

He backs himself almost all the way to the door, then snaps his fingers and takes a step towards her again.  Avie does her best not to flinch.  "One more thing.  Totally different subject.  I'm planning a... business retreat with some of the higher-ups in my organization.  Moose and trees aren't really their thing, but this place—this hotel is just the kind of place they'd love, what with its sordid history." He steps back towards the door, his mannequin hair shiny as his teeth.  "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  I'm quite excited to see how they'll react when they arrive.  You can expect quite the scene."

The edges of her mouth ache where her smile remains plastered.  "How wonderful!  Let me know when your retreat will be and I'll see to the reservations."

He does his weird tip of the imaginary hat and leaves Avie alone with her pounding heart.

That night, Avie slips into Troi's room and listens to him argue with Hiram through the thin wall.  "I've been watching her for a long time now.  I've never seen her do anything—anything—remotely wrong.  I know her, Hiram."

"You know her and that's the problem.  What would Gillian do if she knew?"

A thud shakes the wall.  Troi's fist, no doubt.  "It's not like that.  Not like that at all.  I'm just doing my job.  You're the one who sent me here originally, remember?"

"Yes, originally, as in the first time.  I believe the second trip was your idea."

"I had to be sure of her.  And now I am.  She's an innocent victim in all of this."

"Really?  You know, while you were out here playing Gillian for a fool, I was digging a little deeper.  Did you know one of the authority officers interviewing her after Oliver Teide's take-down suspected she was pregnant?"

There's a long pause before Troi responds.  "Do you see a little kid running around here?  No, if she'd had a child, she'd tell me."

"Why?  You're just a hotel guest.  She doesn't owe you the truth, does she?"

Another pause.  Avie can scarcely breathe.  She contemplates running away from the hotel right then and there, but where would she go that they couldn't track her?

"I'll take care of this, Hiram."

"No, I will take care of this.  And the council too, of course."

"That's not necessary!" Troi's voice growls every word now.

"It is, I'm afraid.  The authorities have decided she no longer poses a threat, so it's up to the Militia to act.  That's final."  Even without being able to see them, Avie can tell Hiram is gloating.  "See yourself out of my room now, would you?"

Troi leaves, slamming the door behind him.  She listens as his footsteps reach the edge of the hotel.  Too afraid to exit through the door, Avie opens the tiny window in the bathroom and squeezes herself through it as quietly as she can.  She follows Troi down the road, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure they aren't being followed.

"Can't you leave me alone?" Troi turns on her, but his face softens the moment her eyes catch his.  He pulls her into the shadow of a building.  "I thought you were Hiram.  What are you doing out here?"

Now is the time for half-truths and partial confessions.  "I was listening.  I heard your argument with him."

Troi lets go of her arm.

"Is Hiram going to kill me?"

His hands fly back to her arms.  "Don't even suggest that."

"But I have to know. He's going to bring the council here.  He must think I'm a traitor, but I didn't know, Troi!  I didn't know what Oliver was.  I was more disgusted than anyone when I found out."

Even after all these years, Avie can barely say these lies, the same lies she forced herself to say to the authorities right after Oliver was killed.

"And what about the baby.  There was one, wasn't there?"

Avie squeezes her eyes shut.  He can't find out about Clara—He can't. "Yes, I was pregnant, but I—I aborted it.  I couldn't stand the thought of having other realm energy inside of me.  I wasn't even sure I would live through a pregnancy with that monster's child."

Troi's hands shake where they touch her.  She holds her breath, waiting to see if her half-truths will be enough to overcome her blatant lies.

"We'll figure something out." He brings her close, kissing the top of her head.  "I can still convince him.  I know it."

Avie nods, unable to fathom that he might actually be siding with her.  Despite his show of support, she knows he's wrong.  His attempts to convince Hiram will only end in his own downfall.  If he's smart at all, he'll turn her in to Hiram before the night is through. 

Instead, an hour before dawn, Avie finds herself shining her flashlight on Hiram's body as it lies face down in the hotel pool. 

There is no longer a need to convince him of anything.

A/N:  Bet you didn't see that coming!  Alas, Hiram's time at the hotel has been cut short.  But what happened to him?  Who sent him to his watery grave?  Anyone care to hazard a guess?

Faithful readers, we're reaching a turning point in the story.  Things are heating up, so keep your hats on and your Fold-opening formulas at hand, because there's a lot of excitement ahead.  Thank you for your continued readership!

Some of you may already be familiar with today's dedicatee.  @BrittanieCharmintine is the author of the massively popular and awesome book called MERMAIDS AND THE VAMPIRES WHO LOVE THEM.  Well folks, there's a reason this book is flying off the proverbial shelves—it's fun, funny, and totally addicting.  Come on, what other book have you seen where mermaids are courted by vampires while fairy godmothers-in-training stand by to make sure their favorite mermaid has just the right dress for the party?  Nowhere but on Britt's profile, that's for sure!  Join us, read, become one of Brittanie's minions, and never look back!

Today's media is courtesy of Margot Gabel, Flickr Creative Commons.