Here I am again! Solemnly swearing to become more and permanently productive on the continuance of this story. I will not bore you with the details of my personal life, but trust me when I say that things have recently gotten a lottt easier.

Now, Shall we? I think we shall.

The ride in the back of Marcus' Jaguar was quite boring to say the least. As much as they did not want anything to happen to Rajiya under any circumstances, Blade and Jester almost found themselves wishing he'd try something so they could rough him up, get their mistress home, and end the whole damn thing right then and there.

Instead they found themselves subject to boring conversation for a solid half hour until the car finally came to a stop in front of what appeared to be a swank restaurant. A slight stretching done by the puppets showed they were near the piers.

"I remember you mentioned liking Asian, so I thought we'd go to The Slanted Door," Marcus was heard in the front seat, addressing Rajiya who could barely contain her excitement.

"I haven't been here since prom night!" she exclaimed.

"So we are on The Embarcadaro," Blade deduced, familiar with the roadway that was typically a tourist trap on the best of days. However The Slanted Door was closer to the Bay Bridge end of the collection of famous Piers and therefore out of the general kitschy interest of the massive crowds of out-of-towners.

"I doubt this is going to go as smoothly as her prom date," Jester said with morbid amusement as he heard Marcus and Rajiya open their car doors and exit the vehicle so the valet could take it to the designated parking lot. He felt a brief rush of anxiety that was relieved when the purse was grabbed up to be brought along inside. Blade expertly maneuvered his arms behind him to avoid accidentally slashing or gouging the smaller puppet that joined him for this covert mission.

The two puppets remained silent while the humans entered the restaurant and Marcus claimed his reservation at the host station. There was a brief pause in motion as the hostess retrieved menus and then they were moving again to the table. Once they were seated, Rajiya almost hung her bag on the back of the chair like she normally did before catching herself and setting it gently on the floor under the table. She could imagine being mid-conversation and witnessing Marcus's face contort into terror as Blade emerged dramatically slow and made a throat-slashing motion with his knife while making eye contact with her date over her shoulder. Yes...the bag was much better on the floor.

"Damn, I really wanted to spook him before the appetizer arrived," Blade lamented, shifting to become comfortable. At least Rajiya set it upright and propped against the table legs. Jester stood on her perfume bottle to gain some height since Blade was already using the clutch style wallet as his own stepping stool.

"I think scaring him mid-bite and making him choke on a spring roll would have been an exceptionally nice touch," Jester said, making the gothic puppet hiss in laughter.

"That's especially nefarious, I'm proud of you," he praised his brightly clothed comrade, who was wearing his mischievous expression. Conversation beginning between the two humans above them made them fall silent once more.

"Order whatever you like, Doll," Marcus said to Rajiya as he handed her the drink menu, causing her to smile at the pet name. "I hope our excursion tonight can become another fond memory at this place for you."

"I have no doubt that it will," she answered when the waiter arrived and ordered a Vodka Gimlet on the rocks. Marcus ordered a Whiskey Neat and when they were alone again he leaned across the table.

"Pardon my being frank, but you look absolutely ravishing," he told her as he looked straight into her eyes. Rajiya was used to flattery but only paid heed when it was coming from somebody she was actually attracted to... like the successful older man seated across from her and staring at her like she was the only woman on the entire planet.

"I've got to say, you clean up very well yourself. And thank you, for the kind words. For your generosity and for being a gentleman. It's hard to come by lately."

"With age comes experience."

Rajiya laughed. "So I have noticed. Hence why I haven't really bothered with dating in general, let alone within my own age group." She took a sip of her drink when it was set down on the table. "Not to mention my roommates have the highest of standards for me. Their screening process puts the TSA to shame"

"Oh, you live with more people besides Jake?" Marcus asked and Rajiya almost choked.

"Ohh-I used to, hahaa...its just Jake and I now," she said quickly, mentally chastising herself for not watching her damn words. She really needed to be more careful, its not like everyone grew up with living puppets Jesus fucking Christ...

"She almost slipped," Jester said gleefully as he and Blade felt brave enough to push down the sides of the purse to emerge halfway. It was a busy Friday night and there was a live jazz band playing not 15 feet from the table they were under. Nobody was paying attention nor could they be heard. The puppets turned to the legs of the man seated across from their mistress.

"It would be sooooo easy to give him a swipe right now," Blade said in annoyance, eyeing Marcus's shins and tapping his hook in thought. "This is so incredibly dull. If he could quit being so damn polite we can step in then get out of here and catch a cab back home."

Much to the puppets' ire, Marcus did not stop being polite. Nor did he stop being charming. The date went incredibly well and it seemed the connection between he and Rajiya had only strengthened by the time the check was paid and they exited The Slanted Door and retrieved the car from the valet. According to their count, the puppets had their mistress at 5 drinks and Marcus at only 2. This imbalance did not escape them, they sensed her motions being more wobbly as she carried the bag and tossed it into the backseat without the usual care she normally took when knowing there were puppets inside of it. They didn't take it personally, they took it as a sign that her judgment was clouded.

"Time to be alert, Jester," Blade said to his comrade as they got out of the bag and stood on the back passenger side floorboard after the car began moving. "I feel like he limited his intake for more reasons aside from being designated driver."

"The minute she becomes uncomfortable, he's fair game," Jester said in all seriousness as he climbed onto the backseat and stayed in the shadows, his eyes never leaving the man in the driver seat. "If he knows what's good for him, he will take her straight home and leave."

"You like Portishead?" Rajiya said suddenly after turning on the stereo and the song "Elysium" began playing through the expensive sound system of the Jaguar. "You just keep getting better and better, how is that possible?"

"Seems we keep finding more and more things in common, Doll," Marcus said, holding her hand over the center console.

"A man after my very heart," she said and leaned her torso to the left so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Blade hissed lowly in agitation; he wanted nothing more than to jump between them and end this.

This was not going the way it should. This foolish infatuation was supposed to sputter out like every other brief flare she had. She grew bored easily with male attention, but that did not appear to be happening here. Rajiya was a very intelligent person but she was also young and naive, she did not realize what she was getting into. The puppets knew, they have been around long enough and have seen enough in their lifetimes to recognize ulterior motives when they saw them. And they saw them manifested in this man. They saw it in the glint that appeared in his eyes when he looked at her that she apparently could not pick up on. There was something just very off about Marcus, but they were going to need solid proof if they were going to convince their mistress that she was about to make a very, VERY bad mistake.

A thought suddenly occurred to Blade. "Jester, do you think you can get his wallet?" he asked the smaller puppet, who moved across the backseat to get a better view. The wallet was in Marcus's left pocket, but was hanging out over halfway due to him sitting and shifting gears with that same leg.

"Oh yeah, I can definitely get it," Jester confirmed as he slid onto the driver side floor board and moved closer. He reached forward and waited for another gear shift to disguise the movement before stealthily pulling the leather wallet from the confines of Marcus's slacks pocket. He quickly rushed over and buried it deep in the contents of Rajiya's bag. He and Blade both wished to look at its contents immediately but knew that investigating needed to wait until they were with Jake, Pinhead, and Six Shooter. They knew also that they should not allow themselves to be distracted with the level of intimate touch occurring less than a foot away from them. Their full and unwavering attention was needed in case their split-second action was required. Nothing mattered more to them than the safety of their mistress, not even the highest level of gnawing curiosity could deter this instinct.

The drive wasn't terribly long and soon they were parked in front of Rajiya and Jake's loft. A light rain had begun to fall at this point and Marcus put the car in park before putting the windshield wipers on the slow setting. Neither he nor Rajiya moved to get out of the vehicle immediately. This is when Blade and Jester realized that she had begun to nod off and damned Marcus for getting her so drunk. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

"It started raining, would you like me to get your coat for you?" Marcus asked her quietly as he placed a hand on her face and lifted it from his shoulder, waking her. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You're home now."

Rajiya blinked and inhaled sharply through her nose as she sat upright, smoothing her hair. "Shit I didn't even realize. Yes, please," she said slowly and gave him a small smile. Blade and Jester sighed in relief and got back into the purse, more than ready to be back inside the loft with the others. They barely finished getting in there before Marcus had reached back and retrieved her trench coat, helping her put it on. She leaned forward so she could pull it around her torso and did not notice the way his eyes lingered on her cleavage, which was exposed far more than usual due to her inability to realize that she needed to adjust herself. His eyes snapped back to her face when she fastened the belt around her waist and turned back to him.

"Guess this is where I get off," Rajiya said, slurring her S's slightly and reaching back to get her purse. She pulled it forward onto her lap before opening the door. "Care to walk me to my stoop? It appears I am rather inebriated and don't wish to make a less than graceful exit by faceplanting out of your luxury car like a jackass."

Jester and Blade felt reassured pressed against their mistress through the walls of the bag and feeling her arms around them, but would not be completely at ease until she and they inside with the others and Marcus was long gone. The man exited the car and came to her side to assist her out. The puppets were jostled as they were suddenly sandwiched between the two humans as they went up the walkway to the front patio due to her moving the bag straps to her shoulder.

"Guess personal space is a foreign concept to this jerk," Jester grumbled and he clanged into Blade with each stride Rajiya and Marcus took. They could detect her stumbling almost every other step until finally all movement came to a halt at what they knew to be the front door.

"Come on, Raj. You're nearly there," Blade encouraged her, intentionally squirming to remind her of his and Jester's presence. She did not notice though, instead being embraced by Marcus. The puppets felt his arm move sharply underneath the bag as he ran his hand up her ribcage.

"God, you're sweet," he said in a low voice into Rajiya's shoulder, barely audible to anyone, certainly not to the drunk girl he had his hands on. "You would be so perfect, I could get so much for you..."

"And just what the hell does that mean?" Blade hissed loudly, his bullets appearing in his eyes in alarm at the husky tone of the male handling Rajiya. He knew Marcus meant that 'getting so much' for her entailed more than fancy dates and gifts. There was a deeper, more sinister meaning, it sounded like he was appraising a prized possession for the highest bidder. This has gone far enough.

"Oh I have had more than enough of this," Jester snapped when he looked up and saw Marcus's fingers trailing their way to the side of Rajiya's breast. He felt a rage consume him that he hadn't experienced in decades as he began clawing his way to escape the bag. "You get your damned filthy hands off of her-"

A sudden jerking movement sent him tumbling down back into Blade as Marcus removed himself from Rajiya in a split second, causing her to sway. The loft door swung open and Jake's voice was heard, much to the puppets' relief.

"Thanks for bringing her home, I'll handle things from here," Jake said in an elevated but short tone that did not betray the fact that he was assuming control of the situation. His eyes levelled with Marcus's as he took Rajiya by the elbow firmly and all but pushed her into the house behind him. She could barely react before Jake stepped inside with her and slammed the door shut behind them, locking it with finality.

"What the hell did you do that for, Jake?" Rajiya asked angrily as she sat on the entryway bench after tearing off her trench coat. She pulled her shoes off and cast them aside, her bag sitting beside her on the bench. "That was so fucking rude! He didn't even do anything!"

Jake stood in front of his best friend with his arms crossed as he looked out the window, ignoring her outburst as he watched Marcus get back into his car and leave. Only after the car pulled away from the front of their house did he turn his gaze to Rajiya.

"Didn't do anything, huh? Apparently you are too fucking tanked to notice him going for your tits like some horny teenager in the backseat at a drive-in," he snapped in return, his concern making him match her agitation.

"Oh bullshit dude, he was giving me a hug goodbye, is that suddenly illegal in the state of California?" she shot back as Pinhead and Six Shooter came into the room slowly, sending the tension and hearing the near-shouting exchange between the humans. The bag beside her began rustling fiercely as Jester and Blade struggled to get out.

"An innocent hug you say?" Jake said sharply. "If it was so pure and G-Rated, then can you explain to me why Blade felt the need to thrust his fucking knife completely through the side of your purse? That's real leather, that shit is TOUGH. I suppose he just felt like ruining your expensive tote bag Dad got you for your birthday and has sentimental value, for no good reason at all, none whatsoever right? Not because he felt you were literally in danger?"

Rajiya stood and looked at Jester and Blade, who stood on the bench looking back at their mistress. She looked and saw the 3 inch long gash that defaced the leather. It went clean through the lining and everything. Blade acted on instinct earlier and didn't even realize the effort it took to break through it in his attempt to stab Marcus, now he felt a slight soreness in his joints from the exertion of force. He and Jester were both going to need to have their injections earlier than scheduled from the energy they expended tonight. Jester was shaking slightly from residual anger and from a developing weakness. Blade felt less than stellar himself but was not about to show that to Rajiya. She let out a loud groan.

"God damn it, seriously? This is so fucking stupid, thanks a lot Blade! Thanks a lot, Jester! Special thanks to King Asshole here, Jake Steinberg! Thanks for not being able to handle me attempting to have a relationship for once in my damn life," she snarled in a witchy tone everyone hardly recognized as she turned on her heel and stormed off to ascend the stairs. Her bedroom door slammed so hard that a picture hanging on the entryway wall shook. Jake shut his eyes and sighed loudly before straightening the picture and kneeling in front of Jester and Blade, who were joined by Six Shooter and Pinhead on the bench. Jester was sitting slumped against Six Shooter, wearing his sad expression. Blade took a knee as Pinhead rested a large, reassuring hand on his leader's shoulder.

"Don't listen to her, its the alcohol talking and making her a totally insufferable bitch," Jake said to the puppets gently. "You know you did the right thing. Six, Pinhead, and I are very proud of you. Dad would be proud of you if he could see you now." He rose to his feet. "Stay right here and I will get you guys a well deserved refill." He turned and quickly headed to the office to retrieve the pack that contained the serum and needles.

"What in the hell happened tonight?" Six Shooter asked as he squeezed Jester's tiny shoulder reassuringly. "Are you guys all right?"

"This guy is worse than we thought," Blade replied in a morose voice. "He got her severely intoxicated on purpose. He acted fine, I guess, until he got here. When we got to the door he said the damndest thing..." He trailed off as he felt exhaustion creeping up and allowed himself to fully sit.

"He said 'You're so perfect. I could get so much for you' to Raj. Well, more to himself than her. It was the creepiest slew of words I have heard in...actually I don't even remember ever hearing something so lecherous," Jester put in, trying to stop trembling. It wasn't just from needing serum; Rajiya's fury combined with his own that he felt earlier had left him shaken.

"He can't mean anything good by that," Pinhead said morbidly. "That gives me really bad memories of the way Nazis would speak of female prisoners back in the camps. I heard horror stories when I would make my runs to the Jewish ghettos. People's daughters and sisters being traded off like meat at a butcher auction."

"That is absolutely disgusting!" Six Shooter spat angrily, clenching several fists.

"There's no being without-a-doubt certain yet that it is indeed what he was implying, but we might be able to dig further into this man's background in order to find out exactly what the hell his intentions with her are," Blade said and motioned to the discarded bag. "Jester managed to snag his wallet. It's stashed there in Raj's purse."

Pinhead quickly dug around in the contents of the bag before pulling out the mentioned wallet. Six Shooter patted Jester gently on the back.

"Great work, Little One," he praised his comrade as Jake returned with the supplies and serum. The tall young man sat cross-legged in front of the bench where the puppets were and worked quickly to rejuvenate Jester and Blade. He then motioned for Six Shooter and Pinhead to come forward.

"Come on, you too fellas. Everyone gets topped-off tonight," he said fondly, and the two larger puppets happily obliged. Jake allowed them all plenty of time to feel the full affects before smiling gently at them and rising to his feet. "Come on. Let's have a pow-wow in the living room."

The puppets hopped down from the bench and followed Jake into the living room where they all seated themselves on the couch and ottoman so they could all face one another. He looked solemnly at Jester and Blade. "Okay guys, did he try anything else with her before you all got back here?" The two puppets shook their heads and Jake untensed his shoulders. "Thank fucking god. I was genuinely worried but should have known better since you two were there. What's that you have there?" he suddenly asked Pinhead, who was holding Marcus's wallet. The burly puppet handed it to him.

"It's the bastard's wallet," Jester said quickly. "We thought maybe it could help us dig up some more information on him."

"You are all so clever and sneaky I fucking love and admire it," Jake said with a smirk as he opened the wallet and began removing various cards. "His ID pictures look so smug and stupid, impudent douche. And dear god this rich asshole has at least 20..different..credit...cards...…" The puppets watched in confusion as Jake's smile faded and his brow furrowed with each card he removed and examined. "Holy shit you guys...look..."

He spread the cards out in front of him in an arch on the couch cushion. The four puppets leaned in closer to read what was so disturbing and within seconds their shock matched that of Jake's.

There was a total of 5 photo ID's and 23 credit cards.

Each and every one of them had a different name on it.

Oh dear, just who the hell is this guy, anyways? Whatever shall unfold? Stay tuned to find out!

(Okay lame assed mid-day television outro aside, get ready for some crazy shit. Special thanks and welcome to all new readers who have come since the last update, and same gratitude is extended to the regulars as well. I appreciate you all, and I truly hope that you enjoy this story!)