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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Halftime Hideaway
Fandom: Romani Detective original fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,430
Summary : Andrej needs some time alone, but he’s not likely to get it.
Author’s Notes: Written for the weekend challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
1_million_words for the weekend of 10/21/16. Yes, I’m a slacker, I know. My prompt was ‘Leeds Bobcats, American Football’.
“Zeklos,” Andrej sighed into his phone. All he wanted was a little peace and quiet, but as long as he had his phone on him, he’d never get it.
“Where are you,” Hilary asked, her voice laced with amusement. “Trish and I came by the house to kidnap you and you’re not here.”
Feeling slightly guilty, Andrej looked down at the bowl of ice cream he’d been eating. “I am at the ice cream shop down the road,” he finally admitted. “If you still desire to kidnap me, you may do it from here. Just… do not tell Jay and Zayne where I am.”
“Got it,” Hilary laughed. She knew as well as Andrej did that, if either detective found out he’d gone for sweets without them there’d be hell to pay. “We’re on our way.”
xx
Not quite ten minutes later, the two female detectives joined Andrej at his table. “You have an extra spoon, Andy?”
He flicked his gaze to Trish and shook his head. “I do not, but I would be willing to buy you your own sundae, if you’d like.”
Zayne liked to tell people that Zeklos would give you the shirt off his back, but if you even looked at his dessert, he’d shank you. Andrej disagreed, but you couldn’t reason with Reyes when he was telling a good story. There was a huge difference between being generous and letting someone else eat off your plate, however. Zek tried hard to always be the first, but the second he had a hard time allowing. In most cases anyway. At times, it took a monumental effort to keep Reyes’ fingers out of his food.
Grinning, she shrugged. “It’s more fun to share yours,” she teased.
Turning to Hilary, Andrej asked the question of the hour. “Where did you tell them I was?”
“At the bookstore,” she chuckled. “Neither is likely to follow you into Barnes and Noble.”
“But why aren’t you home,” Trish asked, returning to the table with two spare spoons she’d pilfered from somewhere.
Zeklos frowned at her, but gave in. He should have known that she’d find a way to eat half of his ice cream whether he wanted to share or not. “I do not like football.”
“Neither do I,” Hil agreed. “Tennis, baseball, even hockey I can stomach. But no thank you, football.”
“Is that what they were watching,” Trish asked, taking a spoonful of ice cream, caramel and whipped cream. “I didn’t know any of the major affiliates had British commentators.”
“They do not,” Andrej sighed. “They’re watching a UK team playing American football. It is a very weird thing to watch, even for Jay and Zayne.” And those two would watch anything as long as it was on ESPN. Curling. Competitive Frisbee. Billiards. Professional poker. If they could place a bet on who’d win, they’d watch it. And then argue throughout the entire game, match, or hand.
“Why would a bunch of Brits want to play football anyway? Aren’t they into soccer and cricket?” She shook her head and picked up the spoon Trish brought her.
“Better question is, how bored are the cowboy and the narco to even consider watching it?”
Shrugging, Zeklos pushed his sundae closer to the girls. “I do not know,” he said, honestly not understanding why they watched half the stuff they did. Andrej wanted to believe that his boyfriend and his partner were bonding, so he left it at that and snuck out as often as he was able. “But I do know that I cannot handle the fighting, the bickering, and the name calling that is always present whenever they watch sporting events together.”
“So you did the girly thing and went for ice cream?” Trish’s grin was both amused and sympathetic.
“Nah,” Hilary said, licking the back of her spoon. “The girly thing would be to hit the mall and spend all of your man’s money, but he’s out of luck because Reyes has none to spend.”
Trish looked at Zeklos and smiled. “What about the redhead? Does he have any cash you can be loose with?”
Andrej looked at her, confused. “I do not understand how you can be loose with money?” English was his worst enemy sometimes. It often felt like the longer he spoke the language, the less he understood any of it.
“She means spending it liberally,” Hilary clarified, pulling the glass dish closer to her. “Not that you’d need Rosewood’s credit card for an impromptu shopping spree.”
Frowning, Andrej pulled the sundae back towards him a bit. They were crazy if they thought he was going to let them monopolize his ice cream. “I do not need Jay’s or Zayne’s money,” he agreed, bothered by the idea that he’d ever spend anyone’s paycheck but his own.
“But it’s so much more fun spending someone else’s,” Trish laughed. “There’s a lot less stress attached to your partner’s wallet.”
He did not understand these two one bit, but they could be a lot of fun once they got rolling. Zek did have to be careful though, because they were notorious for charming him into a state of agreeableness before striking with their real motive. “Are you trying to get me to go shopping with you?” It was the strangest thought he’d had lately, and considering he lived with Zayne, that was saying something.
“That’s exactly what we’re asking,” Hilary confirmed, spoon clattering against the side of the now-empty sundae glass. “We won’t even ask you to be our sugar daddy either.”
“She won’t,” Trish grinned. “Hills has herself a man now but me? I’m still all on my own.”
Not knowing what the proper response to an admission like that was, Zeklos kept his mouth shut. If there was one thing he’d learned from Zayne over the years it was that sometimes remaining silent was your best option.
“You scared him,” Hilary observed, pointing at Andrej with her spoon. “First you ask for his DNA and now you’re asking for his money. Rude.”
“It’s not rude,” Trish said, winking at Andrej. “I mean, at least he wouldn’t have to sleep with me to give me his DNA, right? That’s got to count for something. Right, Andy?”
“I –” Zeklos’ voice trailed off. He was well and truly lost and, for the first time all afternoon, he wished one or both of his boyfriends were present to explain exactly what the hell the women were talking about. “Never mind.”
“There, in the back.”
Trish looked up and trained her eyes on the front of the ice cream shop. Andrej followed her lead and sighed when he realized he’d been discovered. So much for his quiet break.
“Told you he’d go looking for sweets, dumbass,” Zayne stated with his usual mixture of conceit and confidence.
“Shut your mouth, cowboy. I didn’t say you were wrong.”
And there was James with a roll of the eyes and a quick dismissal of Zayne’s egotism.
“You think this place has a back door we can sneak him out through,” Trish asked, glancing around the room for a secondary escape route.
“Too late now,” Hilary countered. “Those assholes have spotted us.”
Pulling out a chair, Reyes dropped into it. “Why’d you take off and not tell us, baby? We were worried.”
“Liar,” James said, glaring at Zayne. “I was worried, he didn’t even know you were gone.”
The girls looked at each other and laughed. “Neither one of you knew he was even missing until we came looking for him so you can both stop right now.”
Looking guilty, James stole the remaining empty chair. “But we were worried when we realized you weren’t in the house. I knew the bookstore was a lie,” he added, giving Reyes an indecipherable look. “You told me a couple months back that you buy all your books online.”
That much was true. A well-meaning if nosy cashier at Barnes and Noble had once asked if the romance novels he was buying were a gift for his girlfriend. Although she hadn’t meant anything by it, the comment had left Zeklos feeling mortified and a little ashamed. It was the last time he’d bought anything from the fiction section at a brick and mortar store. Besides, he couldn’t find the truly trashy romances anywhere but online.
“Other than eliminating the bookstore, we had no real idea where to begin looking for you.” Reyes shrugged like this was a common admission from either himself or James.
“So, how did you two find him then,” Trish inquired, chin resting in one hand.
Reyes muttered something, causing Trish to raise her eyebrows. “Care to repeat that, Reyes?”
“He said ‘we got hungry’,” James confessed. “We were contemplating getting a pizza when the cowboy mentioned Jesse’s because it was right next to an –”
“Ice cream parlor,” the girls squealed together. “And then it all fell into place. Excellent work, boys.”
“They aren’t lead detectives for no reason,” Hilary pointed out, if a bit sarcastically.
“But there’s one thing we can’t figure out,” James said, reaching for Andrej’s hand. “And that’s why you disappeared without telling us.”
“He doesn’t like sports,” Trish offered.
“More to the point,” Hilary interrupted, “he doesn’t like the way the two of you are at each other’s throats whenever sports are on the television.”
Reyes looked at Rosewood. James looked back at Zayne.
“Really?” James shook his head. “I always thought you knew it was in good fun. We never really care unless the Broncos are playing the Cowboys.”
“But when they are,” Zayne said, narrowing his eyes at the redhead, “it’s war.”
“So I’ve noticed,” Zeklos muttered. “You fight often enough without the sports. We do not need more disagreements with them.”
“Fair enough,” Zayne said. “But since it’s football season, baby? You might want to arrange a hook up with these two ladies for the next several Sundays.”
“But then there’s basketball,” James said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “And baseball and tennis and…”
“And I’m moving out,” Andrej growled. Who cared if it was his house to begin with, he could only take so much.
Laughing, Trish patted Zeklos on the arm. “Relax, Andy. We’ll come rescue you from these two Neanderthals every Sunday. We can go do that thing where you paint and they give you wine.”
“And when they watch other sports,” Trish said, drawing everyone’s attention her way. “We can go to the movies, or dinner, or see a show. Leave them at home, fighting.”
“Hey,” Reyes whined. “That’s not fair. You can’t go to movies and shows and get food without me.” He side-eyed Rosewood before correcting himself. “Us.”
“Oh yes we can,” Hilary confirmed. “Watch us.”
Andrej could tell by the looks on their faces that Jay and Zayne finally understood how much their incessant bickering was getting to him. It wasn’t going to change anything, especially not when two alpha males sat down to watch an aggressive sporting competition, but knowing that they’d gained some sliver of awareness was enough for the moment. The rest could wait until he and the girls went to see the new Cirque du Soleil show next month.
“If we promise to behave,” Zayne was saying, “will you come home with us?”
He looked from the Texan to the redhead and nodded. “One condition. Whoever starts the first fight – and whoever continues the fight – will be sleeping either in their room or on the couch. Înțeleasă?”
“Um,” Jay began.
“Just say yes,” Zayne whispered. “It’s the safest bet when he starts speaking in tongues.”
“Not the way to earn your pillow tonight, Reyes,” Hilary chuckled.
Ignoring his ex-girlfriend’s jab, Zayne focused on Zeklos. “So? Can we take you home or not?”
He flashed the girls a look, trying to keep the smile off his face. “Yes,” Andrej said, slowly. “But the first hint of an argument, I’m leaving again.”
“Deal,” James said, taking Zeklos’ car keys from the table.
“Agreed,” Zayne echoed. “But he’s riding with me, narco.”
“I have his car keys, Reyes. He can ride with me.”
“How about this,” Trish said, stepping in. “You two assholes can ride together and pray to God that Andy follows you home.”
Before either could respond, Zeklos snatched his keys back from Jay and headed for the front of the shop.
“If I were you two, I’d make up really quick and follow him,” Hilary suggested.
“Nah,” Zayne said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “We put a tracking device on his car after the last time he bugged out without telling us.”
“So you knew he was gone,” Trish asked.
“No,” Zayne hedged.
“But it would have taken four seconds to find him once we did notice,” James added.
“You two are awful,” Hilary groaned. “No wonder he runs away from home. C’mon, Trish. If we hurry, we might be able to catch him in the parking lot.”
“Now wait a minute,” Zayne growled, leaping to his feet. “We gotta catch them, Rosewood! Who knows what they’ll tell him.”
“I suggest you move your ass then, Reyes, and get out that door!” James pushed the Texan towards the exit.
“Oh, never mind,” Reyes grimaced, stopping dead in his tracks. “He’s right there, staring at us.”
James looked from the angry face at the front of the shop to his partner in crime. “You think he heard all that?”
“Judging by the look on his face?” Reyes looked sheepish for a moment. “I’m going to say yeah.”
“We’re in trouble,” James said needlessly.
“Trouble is your middle name,” Andrej pointed out. “Both of yours. We will discuss this later, at home.” Zeklos raked his fingers through his hair in frustration as he stormed out of the ice cream parlor. He’d long suspected they’d done something like this but hadn’t ever had reason to ask. As much as he wanted to strangle them both, there was something ever so slightly endearing about the fact they were willing to risk his ire so that they’d always know where he was. It was demented but… maybe a little sweet, too.
Or, maybe he’d been a cop entirely too long and needed a change of professions. It was a thought. But then, so was freezing both boys out until they were willing to do anything – anything – to get back into his good graces. That was a much more pleasant prospect. One he planned to put into effect immediately.
The girls would be so proud, he was finally becoming as devious as the rest of them. Lord help them all.
Fandom: Romani Detective original fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,430
Summary : Andrej needs some time alone, but he’s not likely to get it.
Author’s Notes: Written for the weekend challenge at
1_million_words for the weekend of 10/21/16. Yes, I’m a slacker, I know. My prompt was ‘Leeds Bobcats, American Football’.“Zeklos,” Andrej sighed into his phone. All he wanted was a little peace and quiet, but as long as he had his phone on him, he’d never get it.
“Where are you,” Hilary asked, her voice laced with amusement. “Trish and I came by the house to kidnap you and you’re not here.”
Feeling slightly guilty, Andrej looked down at the bowl of ice cream he’d been eating. “I am at the ice cream shop down the road,” he finally admitted. “If you still desire to kidnap me, you may do it from here. Just… do not tell Jay and Zayne where I am.”
“Got it,” Hilary laughed. She knew as well as Andrej did that, if either detective found out he’d gone for sweets without them there’d be hell to pay. “We’re on our way.”
xx
Not quite ten minutes later, the two female detectives joined Andrej at his table. “You have an extra spoon, Andy?”
He flicked his gaze to Trish and shook his head. “I do not, but I would be willing to buy you your own sundae, if you’d like.”
Zayne liked to tell people that Zeklos would give you the shirt off his back, but if you even looked at his dessert, he’d shank you. Andrej disagreed, but you couldn’t reason with Reyes when he was telling a good story. There was a huge difference between being generous and letting someone else eat off your plate, however. Zek tried hard to always be the first, but the second he had a hard time allowing. In most cases anyway. At times, it took a monumental effort to keep Reyes’ fingers out of his food.
Grinning, she shrugged. “It’s more fun to share yours,” she teased.
Turning to Hilary, Andrej asked the question of the hour. “Where did you tell them I was?”
“At the bookstore,” she chuckled. “Neither is likely to follow you into Barnes and Noble.”
“But why aren’t you home,” Trish asked, returning to the table with two spare spoons she’d pilfered from somewhere.
Zeklos frowned at her, but gave in. He should have known that she’d find a way to eat half of his ice cream whether he wanted to share or not. “I do not like football.”
“Neither do I,” Hil agreed. “Tennis, baseball, even hockey I can stomach. But no thank you, football.”
“Is that what they were watching,” Trish asked, taking a spoonful of ice cream, caramel and whipped cream. “I didn’t know any of the major affiliates had British commentators.”
“They do not,” Andrej sighed. “They’re watching a UK team playing American football. It is a very weird thing to watch, even for Jay and Zayne.” And those two would watch anything as long as it was on ESPN. Curling. Competitive Frisbee. Billiards. Professional poker. If they could place a bet on who’d win, they’d watch it. And then argue throughout the entire game, match, or hand.
“Why would a bunch of Brits want to play football anyway? Aren’t they into soccer and cricket?” She shook her head and picked up the spoon Trish brought her.
“Better question is, how bored are the cowboy and the narco to even consider watching it?”
Shrugging, Zeklos pushed his sundae closer to the girls. “I do not know,” he said, honestly not understanding why they watched half the stuff they did. Andrej wanted to believe that his boyfriend and his partner were bonding, so he left it at that and snuck out as often as he was able. “But I do know that I cannot handle the fighting, the bickering, and the name calling that is always present whenever they watch sporting events together.”
“So you did the girly thing and went for ice cream?” Trish’s grin was both amused and sympathetic.
“Nah,” Hilary said, licking the back of her spoon. “The girly thing would be to hit the mall and spend all of your man’s money, but he’s out of luck because Reyes has none to spend.”
Trish looked at Zeklos and smiled. “What about the redhead? Does he have any cash you can be loose with?”
Andrej looked at her, confused. “I do not understand how you can be loose with money?” English was his worst enemy sometimes. It often felt like the longer he spoke the language, the less he understood any of it.
“She means spending it liberally,” Hilary clarified, pulling the glass dish closer to her. “Not that you’d need Rosewood’s credit card for an impromptu shopping spree.”
Frowning, Andrej pulled the sundae back towards him a bit. They were crazy if they thought he was going to let them monopolize his ice cream. “I do not need Jay’s or Zayne’s money,” he agreed, bothered by the idea that he’d ever spend anyone’s paycheck but his own.
“But it’s so much more fun spending someone else’s,” Trish laughed. “There’s a lot less stress attached to your partner’s wallet.”
He did not understand these two one bit, but they could be a lot of fun once they got rolling. Zek did have to be careful though, because they were notorious for charming him into a state of agreeableness before striking with their real motive. “Are you trying to get me to go shopping with you?” It was the strangest thought he’d had lately, and considering he lived with Zayne, that was saying something.
“That’s exactly what we’re asking,” Hilary confirmed, spoon clattering against the side of the now-empty sundae glass. “We won’t even ask you to be our sugar daddy either.”
“She won’t,” Trish grinned. “Hills has herself a man now but me? I’m still all on my own.”
Not knowing what the proper response to an admission like that was, Zeklos kept his mouth shut. If there was one thing he’d learned from Zayne over the years it was that sometimes remaining silent was your best option.
“You scared him,” Hilary observed, pointing at Andrej with her spoon. “First you ask for his DNA and now you’re asking for his money. Rude.”
“It’s not rude,” Trish said, winking at Andrej. “I mean, at least he wouldn’t have to sleep with me to give me his DNA, right? That’s got to count for something. Right, Andy?”
“I –” Zeklos’ voice trailed off. He was well and truly lost and, for the first time all afternoon, he wished one or both of his boyfriends were present to explain exactly what the hell the women were talking about. “Never mind.”
“There, in the back.”
Trish looked up and trained her eyes on the front of the ice cream shop. Andrej followed her lead and sighed when he realized he’d been discovered. So much for his quiet break.
“Told you he’d go looking for sweets, dumbass,” Zayne stated with his usual mixture of conceit and confidence.
“Shut your mouth, cowboy. I didn’t say you were wrong.”
And there was James with a roll of the eyes and a quick dismissal of Zayne’s egotism.
“You think this place has a back door we can sneak him out through,” Trish asked, glancing around the room for a secondary escape route.
“Too late now,” Hilary countered. “Those assholes have spotted us.”
Pulling out a chair, Reyes dropped into it. “Why’d you take off and not tell us, baby? We were worried.”
“Liar,” James said, glaring at Zayne. “I was worried, he didn’t even know you were gone.”
The girls looked at each other and laughed. “Neither one of you knew he was even missing until we came looking for him so you can both stop right now.”
Looking guilty, James stole the remaining empty chair. “But we were worried when we realized you weren’t in the house. I knew the bookstore was a lie,” he added, giving Reyes an indecipherable look. “You told me a couple months back that you buy all your books online.”
That much was true. A well-meaning if nosy cashier at Barnes and Noble had once asked if the romance novels he was buying were a gift for his girlfriend. Although she hadn’t meant anything by it, the comment had left Zeklos feeling mortified and a little ashamed. It was the last time he’d bought anything from the fiction section at a brick and mortar store. Besides, he couldn’t find the truly trashy romances anywhere but online.
“Other than eliminating the bookstore, we had no real idea where to begin looking for you.” Reyes shrugged like this was a common admission from either himself or James.
“So, how did you two find him then,” Trish inquired, chin resting in one hand.
Reyes muttered something, causing Trish to raise her eyebrows. “Care to repeat that, Reyes?”
“He said ‘we got hungry’,” James confessed. “We were contemplating getting a pizza when the cowboy mentioned Jesse’s because it was right next to an –”
“Ice cream parlor,” the girls squealed together. “And then it all fell into place. Excellent work, boys.”
“They aren’t lead detectives for no reason,” Hilary pointed out, if a bit sarcastically.
“But there’s one thing we can’t figure out,” James said, reaching for Andrej’s hand. “And that’s why you disappeared without telling us.”
“He doesn’t like sports,” Trish offered.
“More to the point,” Hilary interrupted, “he doesn’t like the way the two of you are at each other’s throats whenever sports are on the television.”
Reyes looked at Rosewood. James looked back at Zayne.
“Really?” James shook his head. “I always thought you knew it was in good fun. We never really care unless the Broncos are playing the Cowboys.”
“But when they are,” Zayne said, narrowing his eyes at the redhead, “it’s war.”
“So I’ve noticed,” Zeklos muttered. “You fight often enough without the sports. We do not need more disagreements with them.”
“Fair enough,” Zayne said. “But since it’s football season, baby? You might want to arrange a hook up with these two ladies for the next several Sundays.”
“But then there’s basketball,” James said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “And baseball and tennis and…”
“And I’m moving out,” Andrej growled. Who cared if it was his house to begin with, he could only take so much.
Laughing, Trish patted Zeklos on the arm. “Relax, Andy. We’ll come rescue you from these two Neanderthals every Sunday. We can go do that thing where you paint and they give you wine.”
“And when they watch other sports,” Trish said, drawing everyone’s attention her way. “We can go to the movies, or dinner, or see a show. Leave them at home, fighting.”
“Hey,” Reyes whined. “That’s not fair. You can’t go to movies and shows and get food without me.” He side-eyed Rosewood before correcting himself. “Us.”
“Oh yes we can,” Hilary confirmed. “Watch us.”
Andrej could tell by the looks on their faces that Jay and Zayne finally understood how much their incessant bickering was getting to him. It wasn’t going to change anything, especially not when two alpha males sat down to watch an aggressive sporting competition, but knowing that they’d gained some sliver of awareness was enough for the moment. The rest could wait until he and the girls went to see the new Cirque du Soleil show next month.
“If we promise to behave,” Zayne was saying, “will you come home with us?”
He looked from the Texan to the redhead and nodded. “One condition. Whoever starts the first fight – and whoever continues the fight – will be sleeping either in their room or on the couch. Înțeleasă?”
“Um,” Jay began.
“Just say yes,” Zayne whispered. “It’s the safest bet when he starts speaking in tongues.”
“Not the way to earn your pillow tonight, Reyes,” Hilary chuckled.
Ignoring his ex-girlfriend’s jab, Zayne focused on Zeklos. “So? Can we take you home or not?”
He flashed the girls a look, trying to keep the smile off his face. “Yes,” Andrej said, slowly. “But the first hint of an argument, I’m leaving again.”
“Deal,” James said, taking Zeklos’ car keys from the table.
“Agreed,” Zayne echoed. “But he’s riding with me, narco.”
“I have his car keys, Reyes. He can ride with me.”
“How about this,” Trish said, stepping in. “You two assholes can ride together and pray to God that Andy follows you home.”
Before either could respond, Zeklos snatched his keys back from Jay and headed for the front of the shop.
“If I were you two, I’d make up really quick and follow him,” Hilary suggested.
“Nah,” Zayne said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “We put a tracking device on his car after the last time he bugged out without telling us.”
“So you knew he was gone,” Trish asked.
“No,” Zayne hedged.
“But it would have taken four seconds to find him once we did notice,” James added.
“You two are awful,” Hilary groaned. “No wonder he runs away from home. C’mon, Trish. If we hurry, we might be able to catch him in the parking lot.”
“Now wait a minute,” Zayne growled, leaping to his feet. “We gotta catch them, Rosewood! Who knows what they’ll tell him.”
“I suggest you move your ass then, Reyes, and get out that door!” James pushed the Texan towards the exit.
“Oh, never mind,” Reyes grimaced, stopping dead in his tracks. “He’s right there, staring at us.”
James looked from the angry face at the front of the shop to his partner in crime. “You think he heard all that?”
“Judging by the look on his face?” Reyes looked sheepish for a moment. “I’m going to say yeah.”
“We’re in trouble,” James said needlessly.
“Trouble is your middle name,” Andrej pointed out. “Both of yours. We will discuss this later, at home.” Zeklos raked his fingers through his hair in frustration as he stormed out of the ice cream parlor. He’d long suspected they’d done something like this but hadn’t ever had reason to ask. As much as he wanted to strangle them both, there was something ever so slightly endearing about the fact they were willing to risk his ire so that they’d always know where he was. It was demented but… maybe a little sweet, too.
Or, maybe he’d been a cop entirely too long and needed a change of professions. It was a thought. But then, so was freezing both boys out until they were willing to do anything – anything – to get back into his good graces. That was a much more pleasant prospect. One he planned to put into effect immediately.
The girls would be so proud, he was finally becoming as devious as the rest of them. Lord help them all.
