As one would expect after Lily’s screaming, a crowd rapidly began to form at the end of the alley, cell phones whipped out to record video. Of the thirty or so people attempting to see and record what was happening, it only occurred to one of them to notify the police of a disturbance behind the pizza place. The sight that greeted the police when they arrived a couple minutes later definitely had them scratching their heads.

Before them lay one unconscious man, a woman with a very broken wrist, another woman whose hand was furiously moving under her pants and making obscene noises, and five other women who were crowded around one guy who was awkwardly trying to put them at ease.

“I’m fine, I promise! He never actually tried to hurt me, and he told the other two not to charm me.”

Reese nodded at his words. “It’s true. He went all supervillainy and started monologuing and shit like we were in a comic book or something. Talking about what he’d done to Phil in the past and what he planned to do to him in the future. What kind of idiot gives away their plan like that?”

Phil turned to Britt. “How did you get here so fast? Weren’t you back at the house?”

“Excuse me.”

Britt smirked and hooked a thumb at the black sport bike behind them. “Like I said, on my second favorite ride. She’s got a few aftermarket improvements. That idiot is lucky we didn’t get here sooner, though. He’d be worse than unconscious right now if I’d have gotten ahold of him.”

“Second favorite ride? If that’s your second, what’s your first?” asked Tina. Britt didn’t answer, but gave Phil a very pointed look, causing him to blush and Tina to smile and say “oh” in realization.

“Excuse me!” a voice bellowed.

“What!?” Britt bellowed back, turning to see a couple cops standing at the end of the alley with their hands on their sidearms. “Oh. Evening, officer!”

“Would someone mind explaining what the hell is going on here?”

Reese smiled and patted Britt on the shoulder as she approached the cops. “I got this. Come on, Party Leader.” As they approached the men in uniform, she let her hand brush behind a fold of her dress for a brief second, allowing her to pull a card out of thin air. Phil recognized it as one of the plain white cards they all carried, then raised his eyebrows as he saw text and a picture materialize on its surface. Phil pulled out his own card and examined it, surprised to see the same thing happening to his.

On it, a picture he didn’t remember posing for appeared in the upper left corner. Text showed up next to the picture listing his name Philip Thomas, his position Party Leader, his race Human, and his time in the guild 00Y 04M 14D. Under the picture it listed traits. His said Party Leader and Soul Cleanse.

“Soul Cleanse? What’s that?” Reese asked as she glanced over at his card.

“Ah. Right, I haven’t told you all about that, yet, have I?” She shook her head, giving him an odd look. “Alright, after we get this sorted, we can have a meeting back at the house and I’ll tell you everything, ok?”

She looked at him for a couple more seconds, then nodded as they approached the cops. She held out her card and Phil imitated her. Giving them odd looks, the closest officer took them while his partner stayed back and kept a clear line of sight on both of them while also keeping an eye on the four women who were doing their best to look harmless. Britt was having less success than the others as she stood with her arms crossed in calf high riding boots and a leather jacket, a scowl directed at the crowd. The murmur of the crowd, the whimper of Lily as she cradled her wrist, and the moaning of Felicity made for a pretty overwhelming scene for the young cop.

“What are these?” the first cop said. WALKER, his nametag said.

“Those are our guild cards. You should report a 10-Alpha-Golf to dispatch and then wait for instructions from Chief Gomez,” said Reese, the model of professionalism.

“There’s no such code,” the cop said, confused.

“Please, officer, I promise the sooner you make that call, the sooner you can pass this mess off to someone else.”

Raising an eyebrow, he leaned his head over to the handset hanging off his shoulder and made the call as he held up the cards for another inspection.

Looking over at Reese, Phil watched as her eyes flicked to the crowd while Walker was distracted with the cards. They flickered briefly, and suddenly phones started sparking and smoking in people’s hands. Numerous cries of alarm and lots of swearing followed as the phones were dropped, their internals superheated and fried. Phil shot Reese a questioning look, but she just shook her head. He nodded, figuring she’d fill him in later on what she’d done, but also having a fair idea of why she’d done it, which gave him an idea.

Suddenly, the crowd found each other a lot more interesting than the alley. Quite a few of them were suddenly off and running, while others were staring deep into their neighbor’s eyes as they walked off hand in hand. Eventually all that remained was their group and the cops, who’d watched everyone scatter with confused looks. Phil felt Rachel come up behind him as she rested her chin on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“What’d you do?” he asked quietly.

“Exactly what you wanted. I gave them something far more interesting to think about. The level of control I now have is ridiculous. All I had to do was think about what a romantic night it was, and they did the rest. Before meeting you, all I would’ve accomplished was an orgy.” Rachel sighed as she rubbed her head against his.

Reese grunted, catching both of their attention. The blonde frowned and mouthed my night at Rachel, who suddenly released his waist and backed off, mouthing sorry in return. Watching her retreat, his eyes fell on Lily, who still cradled her wrist as she rocked back and forth in pain. After a thought, he saw Rose move over to treat her while Britt followed to pull guard on the Amazon/Succubus in case she tried anything.

“Rachel,” Phil asked quietly, mindful of the cops still talking to dispatch a few feet away.

Rachel stepped closer, but kept her hands off of him this time, mindful of Reese’s hawk like stare. “Yes?”

“Is there someway we can secure her, so she doesn’t try to charm someone or do that teleport thing you guys do?”

“Blindfold her. She can’t jump where she can’t see. Same with the charm effect.”

“It’s seriously that simple?”

Rachel chuckled. “It’s seriously that simple. It’s all in the eyes for our kind. The passive charm that can mesmerize a room with is done with our peripheral vison. It’s only when we focus on someone that we truly charm someone. Wrap a blindfold around her and she’ll just be a blind Amazon, and Britt can easily handle that.” Even as she told him that, Tina was already moving to do it. Finding an old dish towel near the trash cans behind the pizza place, she wrapped it around Lily’s eyes and gave Phil a thumbs up with a huge grin. Then he turned his attention to the other incapacitated woman.

“What about her? Anything you can do?”

Rachel turned and looked at the track star. She had her pants and panties pulled down to her thighs now as she worked her fingers in and out of herself with reckless abandon. Her other hand had pulled up her shirt to reveal her small breasts and she was tugging on a nipple as her back arched, her only points of contact with the ground being her feet and her head. She was growing louder by the second, and the younger cop of the two was definitely getting himself worked up watching her. Phil had to admire his self-control in not approaching her.

Rachel shook her head. “’Fraid not. She can play with herself all day, but it won’t release the charm. Sorry. I hit her with more power than I’d intended. Someone’s gonna have to fuck it out of her. Probably multiple times.” She gave him a sidelong glance, but he held up his hands.

“No thanks. I draw the line at murderers. Besides, I think Reese and Britt would turn her into something resembling modern art if she touched me.”

Reese shrugged. “If she wasn’t a killer, I might have considered it. I wasn’t lying earlier when I said she was pretty. But these two have been sucking men dry for most of a year. If she got her legs around you, especially with her in this state, you’d be done for.”

“We could always wake Chuck and let him take the hit,” Phil suggested, earning surprised looks from Rachel and Reese. “What? They both have the ability to suck power through sex, right? So, it’s unlikely she could drain him to death like other men, since he’d be feeding off her at the same time. Not to mention he’s under a charm effect too, so they’d take care of each other in all respects. What do you think?”

Rachel and Reese exchanged looks before Reese shrugged. “That could work, yes. Not what I would have thought of, but a possibility. We can try suggesting it when the guild takes custody. Let’s leave them as is for now, though, since we know they’re not going anywhere.”

“Are you guys done?” asked Walker impatiently. “I’ve been told to secure the perimeter and leave it to you guys. I don’t know who you are, but you apparently carry a lot of weight with the chief.”

Reese beamed at him as he returned their cards. “Thank you, Officer. Blocking the alley from onlookers should be enough for us. Our people should be here soon to clean up.” Raising an eyebrow, he just nodded and turned back to his partner. He had to yank on the young man’s uniform to draw his attention away from the Felicity Show.

“So, what’s going to happen with the cops?” Phil asked as they moved to rejoin the rest. “We’re supposed to be a secret, right?”

“Someone from the guild will pay them a visit and alter their memories. Make them think it was just a few kids fooling around or something. It’s the college part of town, so it’s not unexpected,” said Reese.

“That’s actually why I picked this area to live in,” said Rachel with a smile. “So much sexual energy here. So many willing partners who can’t go ten minutes without wanting to fuck someone. They may all be adults, but they’ve got the self-control of teenagers who just figured out that jerlking on their meat feels good. What?”

Phil shook his head and smiled. “It’s just weird hearing talk like that come out of such a pretty face, that’s all.”

The Asian beauty blushed from her ears down to her chest, unable to respond.

*

A team from the guild showed up a few minutes later and took the team’s vocal report of what happened, then took custody of the three troublemakers. The senior guild rep had raised an eyebrow at Phil’s suggestion of letting Chuck and Felicity sort themselves out but hadn’t said anything. Phil did notice, however, that Chuck had been revived before being tossed into the back of the delivery truck with Felicity and Lily. Felicity’s cries and moans quickly took on a new rhythm before the door was pulled closed and secured. The party was then informed that they had to submit a written report to the guild master no later than sundown the next day, at which time they’d receive their reward for completing the investigation if the two women in custody proved to be the culprits.

Rachel and Tina went to retrieve some overnight items from their respective apartments and joined everyone back at the estate. Phil had asked them to so he could fill them in on everything he had learned about himself from Gaia, keeping his promise to Reese to explain everything. He stared at the faces arrayed around the dining room table, all of them gawking at him.

“So let me get this straight,” said Britt. “A goddess stopped time, pulled you from your body, said Rose was going to destroy the world, pulled Bruce’s soul from your body, and said your trait is some kind of soul cleaning ability that allows people to what? Improve themselves? Unlock hidden potential?”

Reese raised her hand. “I have questions about this ‘future wives’ thing you claim she mentioned.”

“I… I almost destroyed the world?” Rose said softly, her face dangerously pale.

Phil slumped back in his seat. “Ladies, I know it all sounds unbelievable, but I have no reason to lie to you. She even helped restore all my lost memories. All of them. Turns out Chuck was an even bigger asshole than I thought he was.”

“How much of your memory?” asked Tina, eyeballing him.

“I just said all of it, right? Yes, I do remember last night quite clearly now. Including that little birthmark on your left hip near the bikini line.”

Tina’s eyes widened slightly. “I believe him,” she stated.

“Future wives?” Reese asked again, more forcefully this time.

Phil shrugged. “That’s what she said! I’m not making it up! If I could get her here to tell you all, I would!”

“You could just ask nicely, sweetheart.”

The girls all started looking everywhere, trying to locate the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“Was that…” began Rose.

Phil nodded. “Yes it was. Gaia, would you please show yourself and confirm everything I said? I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Oh? And just how would you show your appreciation to me?”

Heads whipped to the other end of the table where the nine foot tall vision of unearthly beauty was now standing. None of the women said anything as they took in the goddess. Her fiery red hair, her sky blue skin, her voluptuous curves. The goddess giggled and looked at Britt.

“Oh no, my dear. I only do that sort of thing one on one. Maybe if you’re lucky in the future.”

Britt turned red so fast Phil was actually worried she was going pop. Gaia then turned to regard both Reese and Rose.

“Really you two. That kind of thinking is completely out of character for both of you, although I know our man here wouldn’t object in the slightest.”

Phil raised an eyebrow as the two women repeated Britt’s color changing performance. What kind of thoughts are they having?

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Gaia giggled, looking at Phil. “I can assure you, you’d definitely enjoy yourself. We all would. But like I just said, I’m more of a one on one kind of gal these days.” She winked at him.

“Right then,” Phil said, adjusting how he was sitting as mental images flashed through his mind. He decided it would probably be best to get on with it and save the girls any more embarrassment. “Uh, shall we go over this again, please? Perhaps in a bit more detail. There was a fair bit to cover this morning.”

Reese was shaken out of her stupor when he said that. “That really was only this morning, wasn’t it? Christ, today feels like it’s lasted forever.”

“Right,” Gaia, clapping her hands and making herself comfortable in thronelike chair that hadn’t been there a second ago. “So, let me start with the good news. Rose, congratulations. If the world ends now, it’s not your fault. I know you’ve still got a long way to go but stick with Phil here and you’ll know a happiness you’ve only dreamed of. Oh, I don’t mean that way. Whether you choose to love him in the future or not is something I can’t see, oddly enough. Your own conflicting emotions and mental state leave too much in flux. But I can say that he will be the dearest friend you will ever have.”

Rose nodded numbly but didn’t say anything. She still had traces of red in her face after Gaia’s earlier comment, so Phil just assumed she was still processing the information.

“Reese, he wasn’t lying. I absolutely said future wives. Some you will love as a sister. Some you will continually butt heads with.” She shrugged and smiled. “One or two you may even fall in love with yourself. Who knows? Whether that happens or not, the key thing to remember is that big things are going to be happening, and Phil is going to need all the support he can get. You’re the First. It’ll be your job to support your husband as best you can.”

“Husband? We’ve only been together for a couple days.”

“Hey! Why’s she get the ‘First’ title? We both confessed our feelings at the same time!” complained Britt.

“That may be, but she realized her feelings long before you did. That’s why she felt the need to tell him what had happened between her and Bruce. Why do you think she started going to counseling? She knew what she wanted. What she lacked was the mental stability to tell him. She knew a full month and a half before you did how she felt. Therefore, First. Don’t worry. You’ll always be his strongest. And his favorite ice cream is peanut butter cup.”

Britt raised an eyebrow in confusion at that last piece of information. “Uh… noted?”

Tina raised her hand, smiling brightly. She was clearly enjoying this more than anyone else. “Ooh! Do me next!” Gaia smiled at the energetic 30 year old.

“The heart of a teenager in love and energy of the same. I do so adore the fae of this world. Even in the darkest of times you all just find the hope. You’re also incredibly lucky. If you’d have stayed in that marriage, you wouldn’t have lived to see 40. Your methods were… brutal, but as I see it, the ends justified your means, and you’ve certainly traded up. Oh, you don’t have to worry about your ex, either. He did some pretty nasty things recently and no one will be hearing from him for the next 15 to 20 years.”

Tina’s face froze at the mention of her ex, then fell as Gaia finished her statement. “I was unhappy and being controlled, but once upon a time I did love him. I take no pleasure in hearing what you just told me. I only hope he finds the help he needs. I’m happy now, being part of the party and near Phil after all these years, and I hope that John finds his happiness one day too.”

Phil gave her a reassuring smile, which caused her eyes to glitter when they met his. He would honestly swear they were sparkling later if anyone asked him. Gaia watched the silent interplay between them with a soft smile of her own.

“Truly a gentle soul. Speaking of one in love, Rachel, how much do you think your adoration of Phil is a result of your heritage and his effect on that?”

Rachel looked down the table in front of her, her fingers nervously running along the trim as she considered the question. “If I had to be honest, I’d guess most of it. I’ve known Phil a day. The man I’ve gotten to know since he woke up this morning is unfailingly kind and respects everyone around him, but I still know absolutely nothing about him, really. But last night… I have never had anyone have the effect on me that he does. I somehow know that if I’d run into him outside all of this,” she gestured around the room and at everyone present, “and explained who and what I was and what I needed, he’d have volunteered to help me out anyway. Not because of my looks or because he’s the type to think with his dick, but because he’d genuinely want to help. That’s the impression I get from him. You can also tell a lot about someone by how they act in bed.”

“Oh?” Phil’s eyebrows, wondering where she was going with this. Gaia winked at him and waved him silent.

Rachel smiled at him. “Oh yeah. A lot of people out there claim to be selfless lovers, but secretly they’re just waiting for their chance to rush to their own release. Even under the charm effect, your sole objective was to take care of all three of us last night. No matter what someone was doing to you, your focus was on whoever was in front of you. No matter how hard we worked to break the charm, you refused to give in until we were satisfied. Poor Tina was nearly catatonic before I managed to pull you away from her.”

“No complaints from me!” Tina chipped in.

Rachel shook her head and smiled at her friend’s comment. She leaned back in her seat and looked at Phil. “Phil, we know nothing about each other. We just met last night, and I charmed you almost instantly. You have no reason to see me as anything more than a party member and a friend. I may be a succubus, but that doesn’t mean I ignore the emotions of others. I talked it over with Reese and Britt before this meeting started, and I’ve got their approval to see if a relationship is possible. As old fashioned as the saying is, and it may be a bit backwards since it’s usually the guy who does it, but I’d like to court you. Give us time to get to know each other. To see if these feelings are real, or a side effect from you turning me inside out last night.”

“Uh…” Phil blinked. “You, uh, certainly have a way with words, you know that?” Chuckles could be heard from around the table. Phil looked at Reese and Britt and they both nodded. “If it’s ok with them, then yeah, I’d like that. You’re stuck with me for life anyway, so we may as well make the best of it if we can, right?” Rachel’s face lit up, then she quickly looked around, her cheeks a light shade of red as she realized everyone was watching her.

“Hey! What about me? I’ve known him the longest, you know!” Tina suddenly interjected. “Don’t I get a chance to prove myself too?” She looked at Britt and Reese, “Or do I get a free pass and a spot on the schedule?”

Gaia raised a hand to resume control of the table. “You may sort out the little details later. Please allow me to finish explaining the bigger picture?”

Tina shut her mouth and sat back but continued raising questioning eyebrows at Reese and Britt who were studiously ignoring her for the moment. To Phil’s surprise, Rose raised her hand.

“Um, excuse me? He said you pulled Bruce’s soul from his head?”

Gaia nodded. “That’s probably the closest term for what I pulled from him, yes. It was the last piece of the man you once knew. Let me say that again because I know you didn’t get it. It was the last piece of the man you once knew.” She waited a couple seconds for it to register, then smiled as Rose’s eyes got wide and jaw dropped. Covering her mouth with her hands she looked back at Phil, who nodded.

“It’s true,” he said. “I got to meet your Bruce. He thanked me for taking care of everyone, even though you guys have taken way more care of me, and he asked me to have patience, because one day you’d be one of my dearest friends and allies.”

She stared at him. “You… you spoke with him? Did he say anything else?”

“Um…” Phil hesitated. There was no way he was going to tell her that he’d sort of given his blessing about a relationship between them. That was not something she needed to hear right now, and he prayed that Gaia knew as much and didn’t spill the beans. She responded to his thoughts by giving him a look that asked, “who do you think I am?”

“I think you’re missing the point, Rose. Phil killed the monstrosity the Bruce had become. He ‘caught the dying breath,’ as Reese would put it. That dying breath was all that was left of Bruce, which included the bond you all shared with him. During his time in Phil, that darkness that had taken over his soul was cleansed, allowing the man you loved, still love, to once more be himself.”

What Gaia was trying to say finally clicked. “You healed him?” asked Rose.

“I guess?” Phil said uncertainly. “I’m still not sure how all this works myself.”

“He killed the monster,” said Britt.

“But saved his soul,” said Reese.

All three women from Bruce’s party stared at Phil in a mix of wonder, adoration, and confusion. Rachel and Tina exchanged glances, not entirely sure what was going on. Phil smiled awkwardly and shrugged as he met everyone’s eyes. Reese’s intense stare captured his attention, which is why he never noticed Rose leaping over the table at him.