Run, Girl (If You Can)

Gray seemed like a petty person. If he managed to connect getting caught back to them he might want revenge enough to cause harm despite being on parole and not care about going back to prison. There were a lot of uncertain factors here.

Honestly, the more she thought about it the more Keeley wondered if it was better to simply leave him alone. But she didn't want a murderer spending time with her children! And she knew how much having him around stressed Aaron out.

"What do you want to do?" she asked right after finishing off her yogurt.

Aaron sighed and gestured for her to take one of the babies now that she was done eating. He looked at her seriously.

"This is all dependent on whether or not Aiden can even find anything incriminating. For him not to trace it back to us it would have to be something the police are capable of finding on their own. Gray is a hacker as well, though not as talented as Aiden. If there are any high-level encryptions involved I'm afraid it won't work."

So it would have to be simple, easily attainable evidence or Gray wouldn't fall for it. It was a tall order but she hoped it was possible. It would at least give them the option to choose whether or not to try and get a conviction.

"That makes sense," Keeley said darkly. "I still think you should have him try. We can figure out what to do from there."

He may have helped them a few times but Gray had proved in both this life and the last that he wasn't afraid to use murder to get what he wanted. He really would be better off behind bars.

"I'll talk to him on Monday. Right now he's probably playing World of Warcraft or something"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you even know what that is?"

She only knew because some people in her dorm at NYU had been hardcore players. It didn't seem like the sort of thing Aaron would be aware of since he barely knew what Harry Potter was and that was a worldwide phenomenon.

"…you have no idea how much Aiden actually talks, do you? I know more about video games than someone who doesn't play them ever should," Aaron said with a slight shudder, which made her laugh. So dramatic!

For all his big talk about how annoying he found the guy, if Aaron really hated it he would have viciously shut him down. The fact that he knew so much about what Aiden was interested in despite not liking it personally spoke volumes about their relationship.

Her husband wasn't nearly as anti-people as he wanted others to believe. He may not care widely but he did care deeply.  Most people didn't know that Aaron Hale was definitely the kind of person you wanted in your corner because they were too afraid of him.

It was a bit sad but he seemed to prefer it that way. The people he actually liked were few in number and he didn't care about that one bit.

Keeley felt strangely special being the only person in this world (aside from the twins, who were too young to understand) who got to enjoy all of the hidden aspects of Aaron's personality. She figured out the mystery behind him that her younger self was so intrigued by after all. It only took two lifetimes to do it.

"It just means he likes you," she informed him.

Aaron readjusted his grip on Violet and rolled his eyes. "He keeps insisting that he's my favorite and it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Why is that?"

He looked at her like she was stupid. "Because you're my favorite. Obviously."

Right. She already knew that. He had told her she was his favorite person back before she found out he had been reborn. It really was obvious.

"That was a dumb question. Excuse my tired brain."

"It's excused. Go relax for a while, sweetheart. Read something, binge one of your shows, go down to the pool. Do whatever you want and I'll watch the babies," he said with a soft smile on his face.

Watching one of her shows sounded excellent right now but she didn't want to just leave him on a Saturday. Weekends were the time they were able to hang out together the most.

"Are you sure?"

Aaron nodded. "You deserve it. Besides, you see our babies more than I do. We could use some bonding time."

Keeley could practically hear the TV calling her name. She thanked him and kissed his cheek before heading to the TV room. Dinah and Molly both joined her at different points during the first episode and she basked in the peace and quiet.

She didn't leave the room until it was lunchtime because the babies needed to be fed as well. A quick glance at the clock told her that Alice had been gone for nearly five hours. Did it really take that long to shop for furniture?

===

Alice liked Keeley and appreciated all of her help but she had to say she did not appreciate her fashion sense. Or more accurately, the lack thereof.

Alice was used to wearing dresses most of the time but Keeley hardly owned any and the ones she did weren't meant for casual wear. This was how Alice found herself going to meet Marissa Clark wearing a pastel rainbow striped tee shirt, jean shorts, and knock-off yellow Converse All Stars.

The outfit seemed too casual for her usual hairstyles as well so all she did this morning was curl it and leave it down. She couldn't even remember the last time she wore her hair down in public.

High society's fashion standards were strict. She never left the house without a full face of makeup, jewelry tastefully coordinated with her dress, and high heels. Dressing down like this felt very strange.

What was she going to do when she moved out next week? She couldn't keep borrowing Keeley's clothes then. She would need to buy a whole new wardrobe from discount retail chains but she didn't know a thing about them.

Once again, she would have to trouble Keeley to help her. Unfortunately she didn't seem like the best person to go shopping with. After all, she did wear rainbow striped tee shirts.