Heidi took a deep breath as Thomas knocked on the door to Ren and Pharaoh’s apartment. They looked to each other quietly, offering a soft smile before Pharaoh opened the door wide, holding his arms out dramatically as he greeted them.

“Hello MTV and welcome to my crib!” He said loudly.

“Excuse me?” Thomas asked blankly, blinking cluelessly.

“Eh forget about it, come on in.” Pharaoh muttered letting his arm drop to his side. Heidi smiled as she stepped through the threshold.

“Hey Wendy’s, glad you could come.” Pharaoh said as he shut the door behind her Familiar. “Sup Tommy boy.”

“Hey.” Thomas greeted as he slid his hands into his pockets.

“What, you aren’t gonna fight me on that?” Pharaoh asked with a smirk.

“I've decided it’s better than Fido.” Thomas muttered, making Pharaoh laugh.

“At least you’ve got your priorities in order. Come on this way, let me give you the tour!” Pharaoh exclaimed as he led them deeper into the apartment.

“Here is the living room, complete with a couch potato Ward!” Pharaoh said gesturing to Ren who sat on the couch, messing with a PS4.

“To the left is the kitchen, the fridge is fully stocked with beer, please, feel free to help yourself! The bathroom is down the hall to the left; in the event that you drink too much please use the toilet to barf and not the sink, I will make you clean it up.” Pharaoh warned. “Please, take a load off! I’ll get the popcorn!”

“Well, he seems really excited for this.” Thomas said quietly, leaning closer to his Ward.

“He is.” Ren said with a grin. “He loves movies.”

As if on cue, Pharaoh reappeared with a bowl of popcorn and several bottles of beer in hand.

“Heidi; Tommy.” He said, offering them each a beer.

“Thank’s.” Heidi said, taking them, passing one to her Familiar.

“So, in honor of Tommy Boy’s arrival to the modern era, I have picked a movie that changed movies for the world. I give you, Star Wars.”

                                                               ~

“So, if this is the first movie in the set, why is it called Episode 4?” Thomas asked quietly, leaning in to whisper to his Ward.

“I don't know, because the movie starts in the middle of the war?” She answered, partially guessing.

“Shh.” Pharaoh hushed, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Heidi smiled as she stood from the couch, crossing the room to the fridge, opening it wide and fishing a beer from the shelving. As she shut it, she turned, watching as Ren placed a cup in the sink.

“Hey.” She said quietly, offering him a soft smile.

“Hey.” He responded quietly.

“Is everything ok?” She asked quietly, hesitating as she continued. “We haven’t really spoken since Sunday, it almost feels like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“No, Heidi, it isn’t like that.” He said quickly, turning his body to face her, sighing deeply. “I promise it isn’t like that.”

“Then what is it like?” Heidi asked quietly. Ren looked over his shoulder to where Pharaoh leaned his head back over the couch, glancing at his Ward in the kitchen.

“Let’s move out onto the balcony.” Ren offered, leading her out the double doors into the night air. Ren let out a deep breath which turned into fog in the cold air.

“So what is going on?” Heidi asked quietly. The street lights flooded orange light into the balcony, showing two small deck chairs with a little table in between. She sat in one as Ren leaned against the banister.

“I’m sorry Heidi, I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was avoiding you, I’m just…. Struggling with something.” He told her. “That night, when Kate and I talked, she asked me if I wanted to get back together.” He admitted. Heidi felt a weight fall in her stomach as she listened to what he told her.

“So, you’re back with Kate again.” She stated quietly.

“No, Heidi. No. I’m not.” He said pushing off the railing and crouching down in front of her. “I just…… It’s hard for me to figure out what to do right now.” He told her. “When we were together, I thought that I loved her. Then she broke it off.”

“So when she asked to get back together….” Heidi asked.

“A part of me wants to say yes.” He admitted to her.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Heidi asked.

“Because you deserve to know the truth.” He told her, letting out a huff of a laugh as he quoted his friend. “Because you don’t deserve to be yanked around by my indecisive ass.”

“Ren, I don’t want to make things harder for you.” She told him quietly. “You don’t need to walk on glass around me. If you need time to figure out what you want, take all the time you need.”

Ren looked at her through the dark, hesitating for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her lightly. When he pulled back, Heidi let out a breath, as if she had been holding her breath this whole time.

“You being you doesn’t make this any easier.” He said quietly.

“Come on, let’s go back inside." Heidi suggested, standing from the little chair. "It’s cold and I’m not a hundred percent sure the guys haven’t killed each other while we were gone.”

“Heidi.” Ren called out, stopping her for just a moment. “Please tell me that you don’t think I’m crazy for this.”

“No, Ren, I don’t think you’re crazy. You loved her. Maybe some time as just friends is what we need. It will give you time to figure out what you want and we can learn a bit more about each other.” She told him as she held out a hand to him. “Friends for now?”

Ren smiled as he took a hold of her hand. “For now.”

                                                               ~

“I never dreamed that something so amazing could exist!” Thomas exclaimed as Heidi opened the door to their small home.

“I’m glad you liked it so much!” She said with a laugh.

“Liked it? I loved it! And there's more?! We have to watch the rest!” He said with a smile. Heidi grinned as her Familiar fell into the fandom that is Star Wars. She hadn’t seen him so happy about something since he arrived.

“Once we get settled at the new house, we’ll watch the rest of them.” Heidi promised.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Thomas said with a grin.

Heidi’s blood froze in her veins as soft music started playing from the kitchen.

“Oh, can't you see, you belong to me. My poor heart aches, with every step you take. Every move you make, every breath you take, I’ll be watching you.”

The song accompanied a loud vibration.

Thomas quickly stepped past her into the kitchen, picking up a cellphone from where it vibrated against the kitchen counter. He pressed the button on the side of the phone, silencing the ring.

“Thomas, that’s my phone.” Heidi whispered as she looked from the phone in his hands to his face.

He unlocked the phone, opening a text message that had triggered the ring in the first place. He looked up to Heidi as he turned the screen to show her the picture that had been messaged to the phone. It was her and Ren on the balcony.

Heidi felt a choking feeling wrapping around her throat as she suddenly realized how vulnerable they were.

“He was in the house.” She whispered.

“Call the police.” He ordered as he walked past her, quickly searching the house. Heidi’s hands shook as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialing 911.

“H...hello?” She said into the phone. “My name is Heidi Butler, I was recently involved in an abduction and an attempted murder, I think he’s in my house.”