Pretty Fabulous for a Dead Girl

He can see Duncan's dresser through her body, and there's a tinny echo to her voice, making it harder to hear. Blood soaks her hair, streaks her forehead.

It's hard to look at.

But he doesn't let that show. Harder to live it than to look at it, by a long road.

He nods, and steps through the door into Duncan's room. Into NeptuneCaliforniaEarth2005.

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Lilly's keeping herself from brushing at the drops of blood only because she knows it won't do anything. She moves towards the door into the hallway, not quite looking at Alain. Not until she gets a little more used to this again.

"I don't think anyone's home," she says. "We'll go out the back just to be sure, though."

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"All right."

His voice is low, and his footsteps silent. In case. It's automatic.

It's a strange house. Lush, and luxuriously furnished, even if Earth's furnishings still look odd to his eyes. But... flimsy, almost, for something so clearly expensive. And spark-lights and electronic things everywhere. It's all electric light and artificial color.

There are pictures, on the wall. Photographs, framed behind smooth machine-cut glass. Two blond children, a boy and a girl. Duncan and Lilly.

He can't help but study them, as they pass.

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The pictures of Lilly are almost all of her as a child. Reading to her doll, walking unsteadily in a polka-dotted dress, smiling goofily on a windy street, and riding a pony in a red cowboy hat.

When Lilly got a little older she was sticking her tongue out, giving Duncan bunny ears, and even flipping off the camera when she hit her teens. The only photos on display from those years that include her are the Kane Family Portraits, posed photos that have Celeste's hands on her children's shoulders, Jake's arm around his wife, plastic smiles on everyone's faces.

Lilly's not really looking at any of them, but Alain is. And then she freezes halfway down the hall as she hears a car roar into the driveway.

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Alain's head snaps around, towards the sound. The pictures recede.

And then to Lilly. Questioning.

It's her world. He's working half-blind here.

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Lilly's listening intently as the front door swings open. She's hoping desperately that it's Duncan so Alain can talk to him and he can help them, but then she hears the familiar sound of heels clicking over marble and her face goes pale.

Even before she hears the voice, she knows. It's not Duncan. It's Celeste.

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Two options. Hide, or meet her head-on.

No reason to hide. Skulk in Lilly's own house like a hiding thief.

No real inclination to.

Hands in his pockets, casually, and a shoulder leaning against the wall.

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Celeste rounds the corner, heels clicking impatiently over polished tile, a slim silver phone clutched in one exquisitely manicured hand.

"Look, Jake, I've told you already. He's off on some godforsaken field trip with the Mars girl. If you want me back in time for the party, I won't be seeing him-"

She's furious to have come all this way and have no chance of seeing her son but as she glances down the hall the fury changes to utter shock.

She'd never expected to see that man again. Had almost convinced herself that she'd never seen him in the first place. Certainly, she'd never thought to see him here, in her home, leaning against the wall as if he owned the place.

"You..." she breathes, the phone slipping from her grasp and snapping closed as it hits the floor.

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"Hile and merry-greet-the-day." Cheerful, and almost friendly.

Except... not.

Still leaning against the wall. Casual.

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It's a shock to see Celeste, yeah, but less than it was at Milliways. Also? The expression on her face right now is really almost worth it.

Lilly knows her mother can't see her, not here, but this whole thing with Alain and her mom is something she's totally going to enjoy just watching anyway.

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Celeste hasn't moved since she saw Alain. Her phone is ringing unheeded at her feet.

"What are you doing here?"

Still shocked, but even that isn't hiding the fear in her voice and eyes.

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"Just visiting."

Alain is enjoying this, too.

It maybe shows.

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Celeste attempts to pull herself together. This is her house, her town, and there's nothing this man can do to her here.

And if she believed that, it might work to steady her voice. She tries anyway.

"You have to leave now. You have no right to be here, in my home."

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Her voice shakes anyway. Just a bit.

Alain has a very faint smile.

"Be on my way soon enough."

Not moving.

He's off on some godforsaken field trip with the Mars girl, said Celeste.

"I'm looking for Veronica. I've a message for her."

He'll let Celeste deduce for herself who would be sending messages for Veronica through him.

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Celeste deduces just fine, from the look on her face, and it makes Lilly smile a little. This really sucks a lot less than she thought it would.

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Celeste's fury starts to return when Alain mentions Veronica. That girl and her father have done nothing but cause trouble for their family since Lilly died. Even as she stands here Veronica's off keeping Duncan from her-

Celeste pales, suddenly. If this man, this friend of her daughter's, is looking for Veronica he must be doing so because he has a message from Lilly.

Celeste can think of only one message Lilly would want to give Veronica, the perfect piece of information to separate her even farther from her son.

She manages a more level gaze at Alain.

"I'm afraid I can't help you. She doesn't really spend much time in this part of town."

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Alain just looks at her.

Level.

Still leaning comfortably against the wall.

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Celeste is almost looking Alain in the eyes. It's easier to deal with him here, in her home, especially since Lilly's not around.

"I'm sorry, didn't you hear me? I'd like you to leave now, before I call the police."

Her eyes flicker to the cell phone lying on the floor.

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"I heard."

Calm.

"I'm here by invitation, sai, and with Lilly. As much right as Meg Manning or Weevil or Veronica."

His eyes flick to Lilly, with a small smile. It's the first one Celeste has seen that isn't knife-edged under the pleasant veneer.

He's looking at empty space, to her eyes.

Glancing back at Celeste, mildly, "Lots of people about this house."

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Celeste pales further, her eyes darting nervously about the hallway. He can't be implying- but the smile, his easy knowledge of Lilly's friends-

"I don't know what you mean," she says, her voice tight.

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"Oh, but you will," Lilly mutters, coming forward to stand by Alain. She's seen Ghost. She knows what to do, even if she's so not Patrick Swayze and Alain isn't exactly Whoopi Goldberg.

"Tell her you can prove it. Tell her..." her eyes stray to a picture, and she takes a breath.

"Tell her that the book I'm reading in that picture is Corduroy and I read it to Kermit, the doll, every night for a month until she got fed up, hid the book, and told me it was lost."

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"Do you say so?" Deceptively mild.

"What would make you understand, sai Kane? For I'd not see you confused on this." Eyes glinting.

"Shall I tell you what she's telling me now? Of that picture, there. The doll Kermit, and the book Corduroy that you hid and told her was lost, when you couldn't stand to hear her read it any more. Every night for a month. Wore on your nerves, I wot."

He's not sympathetic. At all.

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Fear rushes over Celeste, turning her still paler before it recedes, leaving a numb nightmare calm in its wake.

She'll just do what he asks. Then this will end and everything will go back to normal.

"Veronica's on a field trip, with Duncan and her class. They've gone to the stadium, but they'll be heading back to town soon."

Her voice trembles, but she's beyond caring.

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"Thankee-sai."

See, his voice implies, was that so hard?

"How far is that from here?"

Directed half at Celeste, and half at Lilly.

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