Between Us and A Hot Tub

JP with Trustno1 and Cindy

In the chip; "Alyssa you need to rest for the rest of the day. We can talk in our room later. I'm curious about previous visions and dreams. I'm so glad you are safe." said Sartre. Further in the chip in a whisper making sure even Cassinn would have trouble picking it up. "You seem to have developed some sort of psychic connection with Prue Halliwell. How do you think that happened? I don't think that will go away even though she is no longer on this plane.”

"I don't know how it happened, maybe it's connected to the knife but that's out in my van. I'm not sure, when I asked her if I'd ever see her again Alyssa responded, 'Never say never.'”

As he got the hot tub ready for the hacker, he decided he would help a little bit by getting into the mind of the Prince of Chicago.

He felt himself being enshrouded by purple mist,

As the mist began to clear, he saw things he was not expecting.

There was a young woman in what looked like ancient Greece or Rome.

She was extremely beautiful, in her twenties.

"What if Hannibal of Carthage comes?"

"He'll be bringing the Ventrue with him."

"I have something to protect you Portia" said someone clad in a toga named Minius.

A vampire bared his fangs.

The woman Portia is seen standing in a position of power in a classically crafted type painting.

Lodin is embraced in an alley in Mexico City during the night in the 19th century.

"Alyssa, shove me in the hot tub." Peter said.

Alyssa shook her head, and responded onto the chip. "You do realize that that hot tub is only about 3 ft deep. You'd crack your head open. The pool - sure but the hot tub - no.”

He stepped into the hot tub. "Hot. But not as much as you Alyssa. I was able to profile The Prince of Chicago.”

"Oh?" Alyssa got into the tub. The hot tub wasn't that far from the pool and she didn't know what Peter was alright with the other couple hearing. So, she sat down in the tub and asked into the chip. "What did you find out?”

"The Prince of Chicago was sired by someone from ancient Carthage. They were probably a Ventrue, they were a rival of this other woman I saw. Her name is Portia.” Peter explained.

"Oh, wait I do remember reading that vampires are sired though their own clan, soa Ventrue could only make a Ventrue." Alyssa commented, as she relaxed in the hot tub.

"Portia seems like a powerful Toreador. " said Sartre. "She is nowhere as beautiful as you, Alyssa.”

Alyssa smiled at Peter, blushing slightly. She moved closer to him in the hot tub. "Thanks and this is nice, being here with you.”

"What would you suggest the team do next?” Peter asked.

"Eat lunch," Alyssa joked, but was realizing Peter was as much of a workaholic as she was, maybe more. He might not have been the best person to ask to help keep her from working too much. "I think that tonight we should watch those movies, I mentioned, take notes and compare. Choi had a good idea for older movies, so, maybe a list can be worked on. Research maybe after lunch, though, to be honest I might need a nap by then." Almost drowning does tend to wear a person out.

"I'm not quite sure what we will be able to learn from the horror films. Perhaps something.” Peter said then in the chip: "May I take a nap with the hacker?”

"There's some truth in most fiction." Alyssa wasn't expecting 100% accuracy. "It's more to get research ideas as we might miss something." Into the chip, she responded, "I was hoping you'd ask.”

In the chip: "That means yes?”

Alyssa smiled softly, and into the chip said. "Yes.”

Peter swam close to the hacker. In the chip: "Movies and a makeout session? I want to hear about your dreams later.”

"Not necessarily in that order," She responded, into the chip. "I'm not sure there's much more I can tell you about them, but alright.” Outloud, Alyssa commented to Peter, "I'm getting hungry. You want to come to the kitchen with me and see what we can find?" It must be near lunchtime, anyway.

"What about hamburgers or cheeseburgers?”

"Can you cook?" Alyssa asked, then leaned closer to Peter and whispered. "I don't want to disturb Max and Ekaterina's time together.”

"I can't cook. But I can order burgers and fish and chips from The Yellow Sign chip shop in London.” Peter explained.

"That's sounds good. I've not had fish and chips in years." She paused, "Drones are amazing but won't it be cold by the time it gets here?" Alyssa really only stuck to more local food, maybe 40 minutes away tops.

"I'm sure they would still be warm. To be sure, I'll have the drones deliver from a local burger place. What kind of burger would you want?” Peter thought of something. He ordered the burgers as well as other needed items. "It's good to see you relaxing. Your paleness and smallness is attractive." He began kissing the hacker. Pulling her deeper into the warm water. He wondered what Matt Wilson would think.

"Oh, let's get some beef, turkey, veggie ones so there's something for everyone. Small salads on the side, so Max can not be worried that I'm not eating anything healthy." Alyssa had assumed he was buying lunch for the team, as it would be rude not to. Then she waited as he made the order.

Alyssa returned the kiss, and just went with him into the water

After ordering the burgers Peter said, " Now you kiss. Let's see what you are thinking, if you don't mind me getting inside your head.”

"You've been there already." Alyssa responded. She wasn't hiding anything from him but did she want to bring down the mood. "Considering what just happened to me and what has been happening to me are you sure you want to go there?”

"Well I figure there may be some answers in there, and you don't want to work on the case right now." He splashed water playfully pulling her into a hug, "Kiss me first.” Peter responded, "And yes, I want to go there. "I figure a kiss might make things brighter in there. There are answers in there somewhere.” He wanted her to be relaxed and comfortable.

Alyssa smiled slightly and said, "Well, alright." The hacker kissed him, letting him into her mind.

[/i] As the purple mist disappeared images of blue water and Prue, and panic. It seems as if Alyssa's trying to shove those things to the back of her mind. Memories of Prue coming to her in dreams, sometimes in a place like a park, sometimes in an area that there's nothing but it's never scary and Prue doesn't say anything. Her nanny taking her to swimming lessons when she was little. Spending time at the pool at her house, and in college but other than when she's little and her nanny's there, she's alone. Showing the pool at her house to Max and telling him he can use it whenever he likes but herself spending almost the entire time working. Always in the back of her mind is the black thing that's been after her, though, it's hard to tell if it's a memory or that thing lingering or maybe a little of both. Alyssa thinking to herself maybe she needs to carry the knife always with her, and wanting to see what it can do.[/i]

"Prue seems to come a lot in your dreams. It's interesting that you sometimes meet in a park but don't say anything. The dark, whatever it is, is still there in the background, but I think you feel a little bit more confident now. You may want to experiment with Prue's blade. “May I tease you later tonight, after we're not both covered in chlorine?" he asked.

"She does. I'm not sure why she never spoke until today, in the visions of her." Alyssa sighed, then addressed the black thing that had been her nightmare for over 5 years now. "It's always there. It always feels like it's lingering, but just unable to attach itself to me completely. " When he asked if he could tease her later. She nodded slightly, "Yes, but only if I'm up for it.”

"I mean joke with you. The burgers should be here soon.” Peter explained.

Alyssa had to laugh at the difference between what he meant and what she thought he meant. "Oh, then we should get dried off then and start putting things out in the kitchen." She started getting out of the hot tub. As she walked past the pool, if Max and Ekaterina weren't too engaged in each other Alyssa would let them know lunch would be there shortly. She then texted the rest of the group, got dried off and waited for Peter to be ready.

Peter got dressed and moved into the kitchen.