After the Second Fall

Lilith sniffed and nodded.

"My Lord, Lilith," John said, moving his chair closer to her so that he could take her hand in his. "And all this because you are worried about people thinking less of you?"

"Not just worried, John," replied Lilith as a tear slid down. "I've seen it my entire adult life. Being taller, bigger, is somehow seen as being smarter or more driven. It seems so stupid, but nobody gives me a second look when I go out in the city in regular shoes. They literally look right over me."

John squeezed her hand until she turned to look at him. "Do you think it could have something to do with confidence? The Lilith I've come to know these past weeks demands attention. She's confident, assertive, and as smart as anyone I've ever known. She's a director, and a damned good one.

"Listen, Lilith, you taught me something tonight, so let me return the favor. Tomorrow, go to your office in the most comfortable shoes you own. If you see anyone giving you odd looks, give them that glower you used on me little while ago. You know, the one that could peel paint?" Lilith narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, that one," said John smirking.

"I mean it, though. Push through the looks for a day and you won't ever have to wear these damn things again," he finished, holding up the shoe.

Lilith wiped her eyes with a napkin and took a deep breath, but found she couldn't look in his eyes. "What about us?" she asked quietly.

John nudged her chin up. "Honestly, I have no idea..." he said seriously. "Because you're the one with the plan: remember Act 2?"

Lilith smiled timidly. "Really? You don't care that you're so much bigger than me?"

"Well," started John thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure how the, uh, logistics are going to work... but I'm looking forward to finding out. As for the rest, it'll be nice to not be the one that everybody stares at when we walk into a room."

Lilith reached over to smack John's leg. "Hey, I meant because you're so beautiful," he said, rubbing the spot dramatically. Lilith gave him a skeptical look, but he just nodded back, slowly mouthing 'you are hot'.

After rolling her eyes, Lilith took a deep breath and re-centered herself. "Thanks, John."

John shrugged. "No problem. I didn't tell you anything that isn't true.

"So, dinner?" Lilith nodded and John waved over the waiter, who had been graciously giving them time to complete their discussion.

After the meal, which included easier conversation, the two walked back to the Complex at a more sedate pace than either had left. In the first logistical puzzle of the evening, they found that their height differences prevented holding hands in a traditional manner, but a quick shift of their grips solved the issue.

Later that night, the size difference proved more challenging. Fortunately, Lilith's natural competitiveness and confidence returned, and the new couple thoroughly enjoyed the problem solving process.

Chapter 13

Early afternoon two days after the match found Pip outside a row house deep in the Second Quarter. With him were Rosie and Maggie, one on each side, their schedules having been cleared for the foreseeable future. Both were dressed in warm weather dresses, Rosie in pink and Maggie in pale yellow; their hair had been lightly styled and accent makeup applied. Maggie looked bubbly, bouncing from foot to foot, while Rosie was more reserved, it being her first time outside the Complex since she first sought refuge. Pip himself was attired in a tight black short-sleeved shirt so that his tattoos would peek out of the sleeves and neck. Black pants and loafers completed his outfit, giving him a casual, functional, not-to-be-trifled-with appearance.

Playing the role of bodyguard and standing at the rear, John was dressed more professionally, complete with formal shoes and jacket, also in black. Realistically, they all knew that Pip didn't really need additional protection in the city, but it was the easiest way to explain John's presence. At the fore was Lilith, dressed severely in black with her hair pulled back tightly; together, she and John lent the group an air of authority.

As intended, the first impression they made on the young woman that opened the door was overwhelming. Her name was Bonnie Madison and she already looked haggard, as could be expected. After all, she was recently widowed with two small children, who had thankfully been sent to a relative's residence for the duration of the visit.

After gaping for a moment, she recovered enough to invite them inside to join several waiting family members. Ducking and turning sideways to enter the house, Pip found a space along a wall and sat with his legs crossed beneath him, trying to reduce his intimidating presence. Even so, the family -- Bonnie, an old man, and a younger couple -- took their respective turns to gawk. Pip just looked from one to the next with a neutral expression, acknowledging them in turn with nods of his head.

Chairs were quickly brought for the ladies, once again on either side of Pip; Lilith and John remained standing, the latter fortunately being able to stand at his full height. When Mrs. Madison settled herself, Lilith began before silence could become awkward.

"Mrs. Madison, my name is Lilith Collins. I am a director at the Complex, and am the one that reached out to you yesterday." Nodding to Pip, she said, "You saw Adam Piper during the match. With him are his companions, Ms. Rosaline Smythe and Ms. Magdalena Samuel." The ladies nodded when their names were mentioned.

For Pip and Rosie, creating full names was an odd experience, neither having had use for such things in the past. In the end, Lilith convinced them that it would make it easier for the families to relate to them, so they went along.

"Our companion," Lilith continued, "is Mr. Rogers, who is here to ensure our safety." John continued to stand stoically, hiding any sort of expression behind dark glasses. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I fully understand the death of your husband put you in a terribly difficult situation, which is ultimately why we are here." The woman seemed unsure, but nodded.

"We are not here to discuss the events of two days ago, but to discuss the future --"

"You mean to buy us off!" interrupted the old man, who was standing along the rear wall. Lilith turned her head sharply toward the man, the force of her glare stopping his protest before it could gather momentum.

After pausing several heartbeats for maximum effect, she continued, speaking directly to the young mother. "It may be difficult to understand right now, but Mr. Piper admires that your late husband stood up for himself. He may not look it to people our size, but Mr. Piper is the smallest man to enter the Complex's combat pool in the last decade, and has had to fight for everything he's earned." At this, the woman turned to openly gawp at Pip, finding such a statement difficult to process. Playing his part, Pip nodded in confirmation.

Lilith waited for maximum effect before continuing. "Ultimately, the late Mr. Madison made a poor decision, and we find ourselves together today.

"It is not our intention to 'buy you out', as has been suggested," said Lilith, pointedly not looking at the old man, "but to provide a path to success for both you and your children. Are you interested in hearing more?"

The woman, Bonnie, looked at the strangers in front of her. As designed, her attention was drawn not to Pip, but to the colorfully dressed women, who both smiled warmly at her. When her eyes met Rosie's, the young woman gave her an encouraging nod. Unexpectedly, Bonnie turned to Pip, rather than answering Lilith's question. "Mr. Piper?"

"Please, call me Pip."

Clearly surprised, Bonnie recovered quickly. "Mr. Piper, are you sorry for what happened?"

Lilith was ready to interject, but Pip responded immediately. "I'm sorry that the situation happened, but I am not sorry for my actions, if that is what you are asking. For every behavior there is a natural consequence. The result of attacking a trained killer - and that is what I am - is going to be severe. Your husband agreed to meet me in single combat and lost. There is no shame in that; quite the opposite, actually, so I bear him no ill will, but I will not apologize for the result."

This was not what Bonnie expected, and she sat back as if stung.

"Mrs. Madison," Pip continued, "I did not expect the match to go as it did, or I wouldn't have agreed to participate in the first place. Like your husband, I can't take back my actions, but I can help you and your children."

"Alright, Mr. Piper," said the widow, anger now showing on her face, "what exactly do you think you can do?"

"When your husband agreed to face me alone, he showed legitimate courage. I was clearly bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone on the pitch, and yet he stepped forward. It doesn't matter that he was holding knives; the truth is that he posed little real threat to me." Pip paused and then looked away, as if remembering. "That said, he did manage to cut me, and deeply at that." Pip raised his shirt, showing that his ribs were bandaged. "I didn't expect that. Your husband had real skill. I don't know if that will make this situation easier for you, but you can be proud of him for that, at least."

Through tears the woman looked at Pip. "He was always practicing with those damned things. I told him it would get him killed."

"Ironically," replied Pip, "it's also what brought us here today." The woman obviously didn't understand, so Pip continued. "I've seen professional fighters with less fortitude than your husband. That is very important for this city, and it needs to be encouraged."

At this point, Lilith stepped in, as if the entire aside with Pip had been planned. "Mrs. Madison, when one of the men in our program is killed, we take care of their family. Mr. Piper has asked that we treat your family as if your husband had been killed while training at the Complex."

This statement took a moment to register, then Bonnie's eyes opened wide as she realized the implications. "You mean..."

Yes," replied Lilith. "Your needs will be provided for, for the rest of your life. Your children's as well, until they reach adulthood. Should you desire it, we will also find a place for you at the Complex, although you would be required to work if that is your choice." Lilith went on to explain the details to the astonished young mother.

"What's the catch?" asked Bonnie when Lilith had finished.

Lilith paused again for effect before continuing softly. "You know the catch, Mrs. Madison. Your family has already paid the price."

"Oh!" Bonnie replied flustered. "That's not what I meant at all."

"I know: I just wanted to make it clear that this is a 'no strings attached' offer. You are welcome to accept or not. You are free to talk to others, get advice, say whatever you want about me, my colleagues, or the Complex in general. There are no conditions for accepting, nor reprisals for declining."

"And the other families from Danny's team?"

"The same," stated Pip. "Your husband was part of a team, and they deserve to be treated with the same respect."

"And the other teams?"

"The family of the man that was killed from the other Second Quarter team will receive the same offer," answered Lilith. When it became obvious that she had said all she would on that topic, Bonnie leaned back in her seat, trying to digest the information.

When the silence had lingered a little too long, Maggie sat forward. "Mrs. Madison, speaking for Rosie and I, it gives us piece of mind to know that if something awful happens to Pip, we won't have to worry about housing, or food, or money. It means that we can have children without being afraid of --"

"Wait," interrupted Bonnie. "You're both his wives?"

Rosie blushed and looked down, clearly embarrassed, but Maggie wasn't flustered at all. "Not exactly, but we are his official partners. The Adams, that is, the fighters in the Complex, don't marry. We take care of him, and he... well, he does the same for us," Maggie finished with a wink and a smirk.

Bonnie looked down and blushed. "Is that usual?" she asked softly, not looking up.

Maggie laughed good naturedly and moved her chair over next to Bonnie, gesturing Rosie to do the same. The three women were soon engaged in a whispered conversation, their heads near one another in a conspiratorial manner. As time passed, Lilith looked to Pip, who shrugged and mouthed 'no idea.'

After more than a quarter bell, during which there were both tears and short bursts of quiet laughter, the trio broke apart with hugs. Bonnie didn't trust herself to speak, so she looked to Lilith and nodded, and although tears were slowly moving down her cheeks, she was smiling.

"Now wait a minute!" shouted the same old man from before.

This time it was Bonnie who responded, yelling back through her tears. "Shut your mouth, Roger! This is my decision, and you will say nothing more about it, or so help me you will never see your grandchildren again."

The old man's eyes went wide, shocked. Once again put in his place, he closed his mouth and sat down.

Turning back to Lilith, she motioned politely to the door, and walked outside with her visitors. Now under better control, she shook Lilith's hand. "Thank you, Director Collins. It means a lot to me that the future isn't quite as bleak as it seemed this morning." She turned to Pip, looking up as he towered above her. "And thank you... Pip... for making this possible. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your intervention." Pip smiled warmly and her hand disappeared in his as they shook.

Walking back to the transport, Lilith was pleased. "Nice job, ladies. You did a wonderful job comforting her."

"It wasn't actually that hard," replied Maggie. "It turns out that her husband wasn't all that great a guy. Lots of alcohol, some drugs, not much intimacy. She was mostly scared of what would happen to her kids if they grow up around the Complex. She doesn't want them to be fighting and playing violent games like their father did while he was growing up. For what it's worth, that's what would have happened if they moved in with the old crankpot, which was their only choice before we showed up. So we just reassured her that life at the Complex isn't all violence and gore.

Maggie looked up at Pip. "It didn't hurt that she's had a thing for Pip since she saw him shirtless on his motorcycle."

"Really?" asked John.

"Um huh," replied Maggie laughing. "She asked if there are more like him." Pip let out an exasperated sigh while John smacked his forehead and Lilith grinned.

Rosie sidled up to Pip and rested her head on his side, fortunately below the level of his injured ribs. "She'll be disappointed," said Rosie, "there's no one in the world like Pip."

By the end of the week, the five of them had visited all six families on their list; one of the dead men had been a life long bachelor, and the final man was from the Third Quarter West team. Of the six, four had accepted Lilith's offer during the visit, and one a day later. In total, four widows, a long-time girlfriend, and 9 children would benefit from the program put in place.

The meeting with the final family on the list did not go as intended, diverging sharply from the start. Rather than the widow answering the door, a large, gruff man in late middle age barged out immediately, followed by three equally large men. They all had similar features, especially a broad, pronounced nose, making it evident they were related. Lilith immediate stepped back to John while Pip gently pulled Maggie and Rosie behind him, stepping forward himself.

Although the men were well above statistical norm for the city, none of them were within two hand spans of John's height, so that they were all momentarily stunned by the two massive newcomers. Undeterred, the first man out, probably the dead man's father, soon began shouting obscenities, accusing Pip of cowardice, deceit, dishonesty, and a host of other things.

Lilith, knowing that such a scene was a possibility, had prepared the others to leave on quick notice. She gave Pip the signal to leave and turned, but he shook his head and motioned through the doorway with his chin, fully ignoring the vitriol being directed his way. Sitting in the first room was a petite woman, filthy and crying softly, with a deep bruise on one eye and second on the opposite cheek. Her shirt was torn at the shoulder and she was barefoot.

Seeing that he was not being heard, the man shouting stepped forward to push Pip with both hands, something that probably worked to intimated smaller men; he didn't see John move and was lying on his back before either hand made contact. With the wind knocked out of him, the diatribe momentarily ceased, and Pip seized the moment, pointing to the closest of the younger men. "You. Is that the widow of Matthew Frazier?" The man clearly didn't want to answer, but his courage only held for a few heartbeats before he nodded. While still looking at the man, Pip addressed the women behind him. "Director Collins, ladies, please go speak with Mrs. Frazier. Mr. Rogers and I will stay outside." Lilith, Rosie, and Maggie quickly followed Pip's instructions, trusting his intuition.

Meanwhile, the older man picked himself up and resumed his tirade. This time, however, he did it from a greater distance.

Although this was a Second Quarter neighborhood, it was on the border with the Third Quarter, and the standard of living was not as high as the others they had visited. Trash was present on the sidewalks and in the gutters, graffiti adorned many surfaces, and people loitered up and down the street. Not surprisingly, a small crowd had soon gathered around the men, who still stood just outside the house. Once the crowd was sufficiently large, the older man started pandering to them, trying to rile them up. John and Pip, once again dressed in black, continued to stare at the Frazier men, taking no other action. This only further enraged the oldest, whose volume increased while the coherence of his arguments did the opposite.

After nearly a full bell, Lilith emerged to see a large crowd had gathered. Some looked angry, but most seemed intent to see a spectacle of some kind, so long as it provided entertainment. Lilith walked up to Pip and spoke directly into his ear. Understanding that something had changed, the crowd quieted. This surprised the older man, whose stream of hate finally trailed off.

When Lilith finished what she had to say, Pip looked at her and nodded. Lilith herself turned to the door and gave a short whistle. Shortly thereafter, Rosie and Maggie emerged, each carrying a small bag. Between them was Mrs. Frazier, now wrapped in a blanket. The young woman kept her head down as she exited, not making eye contact with the four men that had come from the house nor her neighbors. Upon seeing her, the older man exploded, surging forward, only to be harshly checked a second time by John's hand in his sternum. This time, the younger men also reacted, each producing a baton from somewhere under their shirts and stepping forward. John didn't flinch at the pending conflict, standing his ground and looking at the men without expression.

Pip tapped John on the shoulder and motioned for him to step aside with a flick of his head. "I didn't come here for a fight," Pip said, addressing the men, "but what I have seen here today from you four disgusts me. If Matthew Frazier was of the same stock, then the city is better off without him." The older man shouted in rage, pulling a knife from his boot and charging forward, followed closely by the other three. The entire altercation lasted exactly long enough for Pip to take one step, throw three punches, and then a final kick. Turning away, Pip and John joined the women and walked back to their transportation. Not surprisingly, the encircling crowd quickly parted to let them pass.