"Girl you need to release all the stress you have to tonight. You can't have this type of energy tomorrow on your first day." Niamh sat on her best friend Blythe's couch as she shoveled spoonfuls of the ice cream she had only bought twenty minutes ago. Her spoon was already scraping cardboard telling her that she ran through the entire container.

       Blythe was a caring and loving friend. It seemed that Niamh had a knack of pulling people into her life that gave her enough love that she may not have for herself at times. Blythe was a beautiful photographer who never left home without a smile.

    It wasn't quite as infectious to Niamh as it was to others they encountered. Monday would be the first day of her internship at the beloved Kincaid Apex. It had been so surreal earlier that day, that Niamh couldn't remember that she would be training under Joseph after she first met him in person. Now she sat last minute at nine thirty the night before preparing herself for her big morning.

     " I don't like feeling this way Blythe. I can't even stay in my own house tonight because of the feelings swirling around there. The ones you love the most can put you through some of the worst pain..."

        She had gone home to see if everything had let up, but instead had come home to an empty apartment. To be on the safe side, she made up her mind up to stay away for the night, going into her room collecting everything she would need for the next day. Just as she walked out of the room closing the door, her mother and brother had entered the home. As they saw her, she could see the immediate sobering of their faces as they stood looking at each other. Niamh had awkwardly cleared her throat and said a low good night to them as she squeezed past them to leave.

     Niamh set aside her now empty ice cream container and pulled a leg up to finish painting her toenails.

      "They aren't telling you something, now I don't think that is quite right, but look at it as them looking out for their baby girl." Blythe said with a smile as she stood behind Niamh, helping her by putting pincurls into her hair. She patted her feet against the ground, trying to change Niamh's mood as she showed her excitement for her.

       " I can feel how happy you are Nia. It's making me giddy as hell too!" She grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her from side to side. She made up a song for Niamh on the spot, wanting to steal a smile from her.

     "My, my , my...." Blythe sang as she saw her head duck down into her knees hiding a smile.

     " Are you going to try and marry him or something?" She asked coming around to plop down on the cushion of the couch.

    " Who?"  Niamh exclaimed.

     "Old Joe! He isn't married right? He isn't that old. Forties don't count in my book..." She said down casting her eyes with a smirk.

     " Yeah, you're right, but he is my mother's age Blythe. She knows him personally too, what do I look like chasing after that man? If he only knew all of the letters I had written for him as a kid, he would think I was a lunatic. Plus, my views for him have nothing to do with romance or the other crap."

     " You might as well start laying it on him. Shoot, you can be his son's step mama." Blythe poked her in the side as Niamh's body stilled at the mention of Blaise. It had been one detail that she left out in speaking of her day.

      "I'm not so sure that would work out well." She laughed nervously. Getting up, she waddled to the guest room to check her outfit for the day.

    " Come watch me model!" She hollered to Blythe.

Oooooooooooooooooo

         Justin drove in his car on the highway in the early morning. He suppressed a yawn as the sunlight began to shine brighter. He tossed the manila folder he held in his hand to his passenger seat. It fell open to his latest assignment. For years Justin has been sent on missions to uncover the scum that walked among citizens, claiming to be the same.

    Oh, how easy that lie could be revealed.

    The Family-the only title they had come to be addressed as-has been under careful eyes for years. Even before Justin joined the team, their activities have caught government attention. Their every move has been tracked like never before for the last nine months, which is when Justin had been hired as a janitor.

      Pulling off an exit, a large looming building was what Justin's car was headed to.

     Kincaid Apex.

     He went through the usual procedure of the heavily secured premises. Parking in his designated spot,he removed the picture that had fallen partly from the folder. It was a snapshot of Justin's targets for this particular job. Blaise and Joseph Kincaid.

    They were the quietest of the villains and thought to be the most dangerous. There was little info on the son or father, but a transfer of power seemed to be on the brink of happening, and Justin wanted to be there to intercept it; strip it from the hand offering it to them. With the expansion of Kincaid Apex, Justin was now faced with figuring out how to keep track of two people in two different places now. He had been assigned to follow behind Blaise to the new area, having struck up a sound friendship with him.

       Had it not been for his job, Blaise was a passable human. Justin became close fast with the younger man, which made it difficult to be the murderer of the treacherous life they had now.

     This assignment was the longest to date under his belt. Before, he never stayed long enough to develop any connection with the subjects, this helped to make utterly destroying them easier to sleep with at night.

    Looking at Joseph Kincaid's profile, Justin couldn't fathom how a genuine seeming man like himself could get himself entangled in such a mess. For most of his adult life, he's walked around with this snail trail, unable to shake it. He had come to respect the gentleman and that had been a first mistake of his. He was to only view the people as the enemy here, but as the days turned into weeks and months here, he saw the line of work and life blurring.

     " I need to speed this up." He said to himself as he checked around the outside of his car out of habit. His eyes landed on a young woman climbing from her vehicle directly in front of his car. The woman wasn't located in the memory bank Justin held for all the people he has encountered while here. When she looked up most likely from the feeling of being watched, he was able to capture a mental image immediately.

      He saw no new threat from her, but curiosity had been sparked within him.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

      Blaise straightened his suit as he walked through the twists and turns of his father's business.  He took a deep breath as he settled his nerves for the day.

    He would show his father just how much he had earned his position today. Even as a grown man, he felt wonderful hearing his father compliment him on his efforts and talents. He had a humbling childhood, Joseph never pumped his son's head. He knew his capabilities, and never wanted to make his son too pompous. Even though now, it seemed to be the complete opposite with the way Blaise acted.

    Some things you're just born with.

      "Good morning Mr. Kincaid. You're father is already in." Said the secretary as he rounded her desk.

    "Thank you Mariah. You don't have to call me in, he's expecting me." He stopped her just as she picked up the receiver to alert Joseph of the incoming visitor. "Besides, it's going to be pretty quick."

     "Are you sure that's fine?" She asked timidly, not wanting to break protocol even for her boss's son.

     " I promise." Blaise waited until an uncertain Mariah lowered the phone. Giving him a warm smile, she began writing, just as she had been doing before Blaise arrived.

     Going through the doors leading to his father's office lobby, Blaise's brisk walk came to a halt as he stood outside of the door he hoped to have one day. He studied his father's nameplate as his hand reached down to turn the cold doorknob. He heard light chatter, but though nothing of it. The door was slightly ajar when words coming through caught his interest.

      " I see no need at all in extending this to the new Apex Danny. Let's jus t leave it untouched, things could get messy." His father's voice was anxious, and he could imagine him pacing his office and gripping his short hairs on his scalp.

     " I know. I know. He's gone this long without being in the mix though. Let him be a kid and keep up with the place on his own. It has to stay pure. We are already fucked for the rest of our lives and hell, maybe even in the afterlife as well. I wouldn't know for sure, I've never been there." Joseph's voice raised an octave.

     Before Blaise could wrap his brain around what he heard, he had pushed the door open farther, startling his dad to his dismay.

     " Hey." He whispered unsure as he closed the door behind him.

     " Let me go, I need to see him off. I sure will tell him." Joseph ended his call as he slowly evened out his breathing before he turned around to Blaise.

      "This is the day when your boy becomes a man today Pops." Blaise said, opening his arms as his father walked into them for a strong hug.

    " Your own man." Joseph said with more emotion than he meant to.

     "You and I both know that you have this. You're in control Blaise. Make sure you keep a tight hold on that." He pulled away poking him in the chest.

    "Of course, Dad. Was that Dan on the phone?" He asked knowingly.

    " Yes, yes it was. He was just calling to give you his best wishes for today. You know how proud he is for you taking up this job."

    " I remember how he looked like he was going to start crying when we announced it." Blaise said lost in his thoughts.

      " It's something he holds close. He...takes this very serious Blaise, you know that right?" Joseph went to his desk, leaning back against it crossing his arms.

     "It's pretty obvious.You both should know that I will follow everything to the ‘t'."

    " My advice son, learn to do this on your own. Dear God, do not always go by what you've been taught, find other ways."

     " Where is that coming from-"

      "Good morning Mr. Kincaid." They had been interrupted by Justin's light knocks on the door before he eased it open. He walked in, patting Blaise on the back and shaking Joseph's hand.

    " I hope I didn't barge in to your pregame speech." He asked raising his eyebrows.

   "Justin, you always seem to turn up places. What's the deal man, why are you here?" Blaise asked in a friendly tone.

      "I go wherever the wind takes me. I'm here to grab some things I had left back in my locker."

     Snapping his fingers, Joseph asked," While you're here, do you think you could take a look at the back leg of my desk. I tried fixing it myself, but that turned into a disaster. After all you still do work for me." He said jokingly.

    Justin nodded his head as he walked back to the desk that Joseph pointed out. Taking a glance at it, he estimated that it would take no less than three, no more than five minutes to fix the desk for him.

     "Oh, that? It'll take around ten minutes to get it done Mr. Kincaid." With the extra time, Justin figured he could take some time to look around at any evidence he could collect. That is of course, if Joseph left the room.

     "Great. I'm going to see Blaise off while you do that."

    How wonderful.

   " Don't you be late. I might fire your ass." Teased Blaise as he left out of the room.

     Justin had quickly fixed what he had promised to do, and took a seat in the stiff chair behind the desk. He scanned the various objects displayed neatly. Most of things he had already gotten a look at to evaluate their importance. The one thing he longed to finally get a hold of was blinking a red light.

    Joseph's answering machine.

    Pressing play, he listened to the automated voice stream out message after message from numbers Justin has been documenting for the past three months. He had seen a pattern in their calling times, and had himself programmed to them. Just as he would have expected, the morning number that called regularly began speaking in terms meant to divert anyone who's ears were not supposed to hear.

    The movement of a body in the room frightened Justin, thinking that he had been caught red handed doing things that were not part of his job.

    Before him stood the woman from the parking garage, peeking in at him slightly confused.

    " Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was Mr. Kincaid's office."

     " It is." Responded Justin.

    Leaning back outside of the door, Niamh checked to confirm the nameplate." Why, yes it is. " She looked  at him from head to toe taking note of his attire. The question formed on her face as she looked between him and the answering machine he had so suddenly turned off when she walked in.

    "Just the Janitor.Justin." Standing from the chair, Justin reached his hand to her, offering it for a handshake.

    " Niamh. Intern." She took his hand softly shaking it.  Thinking that she would look away out of embarrassment, Justin stared into her eyes, assessing her the way he always did a new person he met. He was surprised that she didn't waver her stare after the first seven seconds of contact.

       There, he saw a woman who would add a new element to his job here. She seemed stubborn and unbreakable.

    Could she be a person he would have to prove wrong?