Girl's Night Out

Written by & copyright of Donna Fritz

Featuring Alex and Rachel, the drummer and keyboardist in Cassie's band

Cassie, the Rock & Roll Vixen
http://members.aol.com/rufinoform/Cassie.htm

Please read the prequil, "Radio Waves", featuring Cassie and Alex at
http://members.aol.com/katkottage/radio_waves.txt
Please read the sequil, "Sound Of Love", featuring Alex, Racheal, Rafe and Jim at
http://members.aol.com/CassieRockVixen1/sound_of_love.txt

Alex
http://members.aol.com/katkottage/donna_fritz_02.jpg
Rachel
http://members.aol.com/cassierockvixen1/donna_fritz_04.jpg


All characters created by & copyright of Donna Fritz except Rachel, who is created by
and copyright of Earl Bacon.


"What a great session!" Alex grinned up at Rachel. Rachel, her deer-morph companion,
wasn't particularly tall.  Alex's diminutive Arctic Fox ancestors had genetically doomed
Alex to a lifetime of looking up to practically everybody.  "The group resonates
well together," Rachel agreed.  She neatened the white corset she wore over her frilly
black ankle-length dress and gracefully clumped toward the door in her black Army boots.
Alex shrugged her black leather biker's jacket over her red leather minidress and
hastily opened the door for her friend, an inside joke since the Superglue incident the
night she had joined the band.  Alex grinned to herself at the memory of trying to get
Slim unstuck from the doorknob that night only a few weeks ago—it seemed like yesterday!

"I still can't believe I'm really playing with you guys,"  Alex admitted.  Her thick,
black-tipped tail waved in reflection of her cheerfulness.  "You're good."  Rachel eyed
the doorknob suspiciously, letting the white fox-morph close the door.  "If a trifle
impetuous at times."  Alex let the door bang shut and jammed her hands in her jacket
pockets.  She didn't want to go home yet, not while she was still on an emotional high
from the jam session.....what was the piece of paper in her pocket?  She pulled it out
and found a name and telephone number, and then recalled the bobcat-morph who'd given it
to her, unasked.

Made curious by Alex's sudden silence, Rachel peered over her friend's shoulder and saw a
name and number.  "Who's Rafael?"  "A cop. He scared off a bunch of kinda rowdy punks
outside a bar, that first night I arrived here," Alex explained.  "In all the excitement
of playing with all of you, I forgot he even gave me this."  Her grin turned neon. "Think
I should I call him?"  Rachel laughed and mussed Alex's hair in her half-friend,
half-maternal way.  "Sure. He sounds like a nice guy.  Can't hurt to go out and have
fun."  They walked on until they came to a stand of pay phones.  With some misgivings,
Alex dropped a quarter into the slot and dialed.

"Officer Ingrahm, may I help you?"  Alex was struck speechless for a moment by
the professional voice, looked to Rachel for silent support. Rachel nodded and made a
go-ahead gesture.  "I, uh, I'm looking for Rafael?"  "That would be me," the
almost-familiar voice chuckled.  "Usually go by Rafe. Hey, this isn't that cute white fox
I met outside the Lost Herring Saloon?"  "How'd you guess?"  Alex asked.  "Don't give my
phone number to many gals, and only use 'Rafael' when I'm trying to impress 'em."
He hesitated, then asked, "Does this mean you might want to get together sometime?"

Alex gave Rachel a look of pure panic this time. The deer-morph flicked her ears
forward encouragingly.  "Sure," Alex said with enthusiasm she didn't feel.  After
being attacked by her last guy's deranged ex-girlfriend, she'd sworn never to get
involved with anything male again.  Luckily unaware of her vacillation, Rafe leaped right
in.  "How about tonight? I'm off duty 'til morning."  Alex backpedaled at the immediacy of
his invitation.  "Tonight? I'm with Rachel, a friend from the band."  Rachel swatted
her across one black-leather-clad arm, but Rafe was unflustered.  "Bring her along!
My partner Jim'll jump at the chance to go out with a real, live member of a rock band!"

There was no damping his enthusiasm, so Alex gave in.  "Let me ask her."  She raised
her eyebrows at Rachel, and covered the mouthpiece.  "You want to double date?  He's got
a partner, Jim."  Rachel agreed with a grin.  "I will if you will."  Reluctantly Alex
told Rafe that Rachel was willing to come along.  "Great! Where are you?" he wanted to
know.  Alex glanced at the nearby street sign.  "On the corner of Central and Church
Streets, in front of the grocery store."  "We'll be right there to pick you up.  Ten
minutes, give or take.  Okay?" He sounded anxious.  "Thanks.  See you then."  "Okay, see
you in a bit." Rafe hung up.

Alex did the same, deep in thought.  She turned to Rachel "What did I just do?"
Rachel grinned "Sounds to me like you just agreed to a fun evening."  Alex shook
herself nervously, her tail continuing to twitch back and forth afterwards.  She glanced
at the clock by the bank across the street.  "They'll be here in ten minutes or so.  What
do we do meanwhile?"  Rachel shrugged and made herself comfortable on a nearby bench.
"We wait."  Alex envied her Gothic friend her sang froid,  and bent to pick up a
funny-looking bolt from the gutter.  "What in the world do you want that for?" Rachel asked
as Alex wiped it off and put it in her pocket.  Alex grinned "Looks important."

It was closer to fifteen minutes before Rafe and his partner showed up, in a maroon
sedan.  Alex and Rachel stood and shook hands with Rafe, a compact bobcat-morph, and
his partner Jim, a stocky raccoon-morph with a bright smile that contrasted sharply
against the black mask of his face-fur.  Alex glanced to see if he made the much-taller
deer-morph nervous, but Rachel was as calm and self-confident as ever.  Alex would've
given half her tail to have that mantle of unconcern.  Rafe held the front passenger door
for Alex, and Jim sat in back with Rachel.  Rafe trotted around the hood to get in
the driver's side, and made sure everyone latched their seatbelts.

"Okay, foxy lady. Where to?"  Oh, no, he wanted her to come up with where to go!  Alex
twisted around in her seatbelt "Rachel?  What's fun around here?"  Rachel thought for a
few moments "There's always Danby's restaurant.  It's nice, and they have this really
great aquarium, it's huge. Good food, and doesn't cost a fortune." Leave it to Rachel to
have a ready answer, Alex thought gratefully.  "Okay, Danby's it is," Rafe agreed easily,
and pulled the car out into traffic.  He drove competently, neither showoff nor timid;
exactly the kind of driver Alex preferred.  Her last boyfriend had driven in such a
manner that Alex had nearly worn a hole in the floor on her side where the imaginary
brake should be.

At the restaurant, Alex got out before Rafe could pad around the front of the car to open
her door.  "You're supposed to let me get your door," he complained good-naturedly.
"I'm sorry," Alex said. "Next time I'll let you."  Rachel, of course, had waited for Jim
to open her door.  "Great!  That means there'll be a next time!"  He tucked her hand into
his, asked if Jim and Rachel were ready, and they stepped into the restaurant.  It
was pleasantly lit, not too bright and not too dark. The interior definitely favored a
fish theme: the rugs and walls were sea-blue; painted wooden fish adorned the walls; the
bar in one corner was painted with an underwater scene—which Alex thought must be
terribly confusing to any poor drunks on the floor—and one whole wall was an
exquisite aquarium filled with exotic fish in all colors.

Alex disentangled her hand from Rafe's and went over to stare in rapt fascination until a
tug on her jacket sleeve brought her back to reality.  "You come to eat or look at
fish?" Rachel joked, half-dragging her back to where the guys were talking with the
hostess.  Alex shot her an apologetic grin. "Not sure, now."  "Come on," Rafe
smiled indulgently, catching Alex's hand again. "I assume you don't smoke."  "Only when
I'm drummin'," she assured him.  Rafe looked at her curiously "You smoke while you're
playing onstage?"  But Rachel had already gotten the joke and laughed.  Alex gave an
arch grin, briefly touched a finger to the middle of her chest, and made a sizzling
sound. "Smokin'!"

Rafe and Jim laughed along with the two band members, as they all followed the hostess to
a table—to Alex's delight, right next to the aquarium.  "This what you had in mind, sir?"
the hostess asked with a smile.  "Perfect," Rafe assured her. With a twitch of his whiskers
he took Alex's jacket and draped it across the back of the chair he pulled out for her.  By
now Alex had learned to watch Rachel; the deer-morph had waited patiently instead of
seating herself.  They ordered drinks—Rafe and Jim asked for beer, Rachel preferred wine,
and Alex wanted orange juice with cherry syrup—and sat back for awhile, everybody still
only half-relaxed in the presence of near-strangers.

Alex, trying valiantly to resist the temptation to stare at the aquarium, turned her
attention to Rafe.  "So, what do you do when you're not rescuing damsels in distress?"
she asked lightly.  "You mean for fun?" Rafe considered. With a sparkle in his golden eyes,
he raised his glass to her. "I wine 'em and dine 'em."  Jim snorted. "Yeah.  When's the
last time you were off-duty and within twenty feet of anything female?"  Indignant, Rafe
drew himself up to his full bobcat-height—which, like Alex, wasn't much.  "Just last
week, I'll have you know."  Jim dissolved into helpless chirring chuckles "Taking
your grandmother to dinner for her birthday doesn't count."

"You said anything female," Rafe argued amicably, then changed the subject. "Do you have
any hobbies, Alex?"  Rachel replied before Alex could come up with anything to say. "Alex
is an accomplished jester, Rafe.  You better keep on your toes around her!"  "I hooked
a couple of cables up so Cassie's guitar sounds like Rachel's keyboard, and man, nobody
ever forgets it," Alex  pretended to look hurt.  Rachel turned wide eyes on Alex. "That
was YOU? We thought that was an accident!"  "Oops," Alex had the grace to look sheepish
(quite an accomplishment for a fox-morph).  "I must've forgotten to mention it."

Jim laughed. "Oh, Rafe, you're in real trouble!"  Luckily the hostess chose that moment
to come back for their dinner orders; after she left, Alex deliberately turned
the conversation away from herself "So Jim, what do you particularly like about being a
police officer?"  Rafe answered "He's also a volunteer fireman, and a part-time EMT.  He
just has this thing about driving fast in vehicles with lights and sirens."  Jim
wordlessly threatened to pour the remains of his beer on Rafe's head; Rafe leaned out of
the way with the ease of long practice, and asked, "How many raccoons does it take to clean
a gun?"

Jim looked pained, and Rafe didn't wait for an answer. "Three. One to clean the gun, and
one to confuse the issue!"  Rachel laughed, then after a moment Alex got it and laughed
too.  Their orders arrived—salad for Rachel, fish for Jim ("I swear they put this aquarium
in just to make me drool!"), and steak for Rafe and Alex.  Conversation petered out a bit
as they all enjoyed the meal and the company.  After the last plate was cleared away and
the bill and tip taken care of, Rafe tapped Alex on the shoulder to reclaim her from
the aquarium.  Again.  "So?  Is there anything else you'd like to do?  Buy a goldfish,
maybe?"  Alex tilted her head in classic vulpine fashion, and took the offer at face
value. "Is there anyplace open that sells them?"

Jim laughed out loud, his striped tail twitching.  "You offered!" he reminded
his partner.  "They might have some at the department store about two miles back, I
think they're still open," Rafe gave in gracefully.  "You don't mind?" Alex asked.  "No,"
Rafe helped her into her jacket (a rather awkward process, as Alex had never before in
her life had a coat held for her).  "I think you're delightfully implusive. Everybody
ready?"  Rachel was already on her feet, amazingly graceful in spite of her combat
boots.  They all went out into the starry, windswept night to Rafe's sedan.  A few
minutes later they were hurrying into the big store.  A sign on the door of which
informed them they had twelve minutes to make their selection and check out.

Rafe led the way to the pet section, and Alex stopped in amazement at the small bowls with
an exotic fish inside.  "What are these?" she asked breathlessly. "They're gorgeous!"
"Rumble fish," Jim answered.  Rachel peered at a red one as if trying to fathom
Alex's obsession.  "Siamese fighting fish," Rafe explained, glad to be able to
furnish information of interest.  "Bettas.  They're pretty easy to keep.  You want one?"
"How expensive are they?" Alex asked wistfully.  "Alex, you just got a huge paycheck—you
don't have to scrimp anymore," Rachel reminded her in an undertone.  Rafe's sharp feline
ears caught it, however "And anyway I'm buying it," he announced, as if it was a
foregone conclusion.

Alex picked up one bowl in both white-furred hands, carefully cradling its
indigo-colored occupant. "I want this one." She looked around. "What do I feed her?"
"Him," Jim answered.  "These are all males, the females don't have the long fins." He
searched the shelves and came up with a small container, which he handed to Rafe.
"Not everybody buys his date fish food," Jim teased, then turned to Rachel. "Do you want
a fish?"  Rachel waved him off with a chuckle "No, I'm fine fishless."  "I have to get
you something," he insisted, casting about for ideas.  He noticed a plant display across
the aisle "How about a hyacinth?" When her ears came up at the idea, Jim padded over
and picked out a pretty pink one. "You like it?"

Rachel accepted the plant, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply of the wonderful smell.
"Mmmm. Yes.  Thank you."  The PA system interrupted, droning: "Attention shoppers, the
store is closing in five minutes.  Please make your final selections and bring them to
the registers."  The four made their way to the front of the store, where Rafe and
Jim purchased the chosen gifts, and Alex and Rachel thanked them.  Once outside in the
parking lot by the car, Rachel leaned down and gave Jim a light kiss on his cheek.
"It's lovely.  You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did."  Following her example, Alex
kissed Rafe on the side of his short cat-muzzle.  "Thanks, Rafael."  "I guess you want to
take your fishy friend home," Rafe gave a resigned sigh as he helped her into the car.

"Where do you live?"  Settling with her flower in the back seat, Rachel gave the
address, inhaling the heady perfume as if it were intoxicating.  Halfway there, Alex
leaned down around her fish (whom she had creatively named "Fish") and handed Rafe the
bolt she had salvaged earlier.  "What's this?" she asked innocently.  "Sheesh. Now what?"
Rafe immediately pulled over and stopped the car.  He got out and came around to Alex's
side.  She pulled her feet out of his way as he crawled in upside-down with the bolt and
a flashlight he'd taken out of the glovebox, trying to find where it had come from—
—until Rachel's laughter made him poke his head up and look at her quizzically, then at
Alex suspiciously.  He held up the bolt.  "You didn't just find this on the floor,"
he accused, trying hard not to smile.

"I never said I did," Alex pointed out, then couldn't hold back the laughter any longer.
Rafe drove them back to their rooms, and walked Alex to the door as Jim and Rachel developed
a deep interest in the flowering hedges to the side of the building.  Taking the
fishbowl gently from her, he set it on the stair, and gently folded Alex into a friendly
hug. "You're the most fun I've had in a long time.  Can I see you again?"  he murmured
into her blond curls.  Alex gave him a warm kiss.  "Sure, Rafael," She grinned up at him.
"I'd give you my number, but I don't remember it, and Rachel seems, um, preoccupied..."

"Call me? Tomorrow night?"  "Okay.  Around nine?  We should be done practice by
then." Reluctantly he released her, and returned her fishbowl to her furry white
hands.  "Don't forget."  He kissed the top of her head and padded back to his car just
as Rachel and Jim reappeared.  Alex and Rachel waved as Rafe and Jim drove off, then
Rachel unlocked the door and preceded Alex in, tossing her keys onto the table by the
door. "What a nice guy that Jim is!"  Alex set Fish down on the table and took her jacket
off.  "Well, they didn't run screaming, I must've lost my touch." She rummaged through
the jacket pockets for the container of fish flakes.  Rachel laughed. "You were charming.
Did Rafe say he'd call?"  Alex shrugged. "I couldn't remember this number, so he asked if
I'd call him. Tomorrow night."

"I'm sure by then he'll forgive you for giving him a heart attack with that bolt you
picked up." Rachel patted Alex on the shoulder. "And Cassie may, possibly, eventually,
forgive you for that amp-cord mix-up."  Alex quit doling out fish food in mid-sprinkle
and looked up in horror. "You wouldn't tell!" "Oh, wouldn't I?" Rachel asked with
alarming innocence. "What's it worth for me not to?"  "I won't play any pranks on you. For
a whole month," Alex added.  Rachel laughed. "Deal."  The two friends laughed together as
Fish complacently snatched up fish food as it floated by, the reflection of a pink
hyacinth distorted through his grape-fruit-size bowl.

THE END