Black And Gold [anthony]

[Skylar E. Brown]

It was clear from looking at her, Skylar cared about how she looked. Her black shoes were shiny you can practically see yourself in them, her slack perfectly ironed with a crisp straight line down the front of each leg, her maroon red button up shirt perfect ironed, fitted and tucked into her slacks, and her black suspenders were attached to her belt with gold clips. Her hair was perfectly spiked, and she was sans jewelry, unless you counted the gold pocket watch chain attached to her belt and led into her front right pocket. She didn't care about her appearance for vain reasons, it was mostly just so she looked nice. In fact, the only thing she care about more than looking professional and put together was her job, which is how she found herself in front of Anthony's penthouse that day.

Getting out of her unmarked, black car, the red-head attached a holster onto her hip, and it blended in perfectly with her black attire. She pulled out a folder, the contents inside being information on who she was suppose to be killing today, and she shut the door, locking it with the key before putting the keys back in her pocket. She walked up to the steps, taking two at the time, and made long strides to his door. She raised the hand and knocked on the door loudly, then reached into her pocket and grabbed a peppermint, twisting the wrapper off and putting it in her mouth. She looked down as she pulled her watch out of her pocket, flipping it open to check the time, then closed it again and shoved it back into her pocket as the door was opening.

"The girl on the phone said ten-fifty, right?" Skylar looked up at the very pretty blonde standing int the door way, looking down into her purse instead of at Skylar. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed, which didn't make sense considering it was almost eleven at night, and considering she didn't seem to be wearing much under the robe she wore, Skylar assumed she was who Anthony was sleeping with. Which was really fine with Skylar, considering she had no interest in her boss, and didn't care who he slept with, but Skylar knew the girl. She was Pixel Conner, Irish Mob Princess. Skylar's hand flinched, itching to touch her gun, but she hadn't been told to murder Pixel, so she wasn't going to. Then the blonde looked up at Skylar, and looked like a deer caught in the head lights. "Shit.. You're.. Shit." Then Anthony's door was being slammed, hard, and Skylar reached up and starched her forehead slightly before knocking on door again. "What the actual fuck." She moved the pepper mint on tongue a little bit, then caught in her teeth and chewed it up. She looked at Anthony when he opened the door again, and tried to ignore the blonde that kept poking her head up over his shoulder from behind before diving back down and hiding behind him. Skylar nodded to Anthony, but was kind of at a lost for what to say. "Uh... Forgive me, I should have called." She would from now on though. In fact, she may never come back to Anthony's house again. "I was gonna talk to you about Stan-" The blonde peeked her head over Anthony's shoulder again, her eyes looking wide and child-like, and this time Skylar couldn't ignore her. "But I can see your busy. I didn't see anything, though if I did see something I'd tell the thing I didn't see not to answer the door because I could have just as easily been Cordelia, but since I didn't see anything I don't have to say anything." She nodded to Anthony again, already half turned. "Goodnight, Anthony." Holy shit she just wanted the fuck out of there. Was she on drugs? She got some bad x and wasn't having a horrible trip, right? She silently prayed for that to be the truth.

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony was having a perfect evening with Pixel. They'd made it a point to see each other at least once every other day if not every day. He enjoyed his time with her. He wished they were allowed to see each other instead of having to sneak around. But both their families would kill them .. or try killing the other. It was like a modern day mobster romeo and juliette with yours truly playing romeo. She'd wanted pizza and he had to admit that he was hungry after what they'd just been doing. He got up and put his jeans back on and moved down the few steps in his pent house that seperated where his bedroom was to where his living room was and then into the kitchen.

He was in the middle of getting water when he heard the knock on the door. Without thinking about who it could be Pixel was answering the door. Then she was slamming the door. That must have meant it wasn't the pizza guy so he moved to the door opening it. It was Skylar. Well crap. Skylar was speaking about how she came to talk about a job and that she could see he was busy and she didn't see anything. But he couldn't let her leave that easily. So instead of letting her leave his hand was grabbing her arm and pulled her inside closing the door. "You can't tell any one about this .. Especially not my sister." He was dead serious. Oh if Cordelia ever found out she'd probably kill him. It'd be worse then when she found out about his heroin use.

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[Skylar E. Brown]

Skylar didn't like being touched. She had her own personal bubble, other people had theirs, and other people shouldn't put their personal bubbles in her personal bubble unless they wanted the shit kicked out of them. So when Anthony grabbed her arm and yanked her inside she was having a hard time convincing herself not to break every one of his damn fingers. She quickly regained her footing and yanked her arm out of Anthony's grasp, her lip curling into a snarl as she brushed off the sleeve of her shirt roughly, like Anthony had cooties or something. She had no idea where his hands had been, she didn't want any gross sex juice on her sleeve. She unbutton the cuffs and rolled them up, quickly by neatly, to past her elbow, the muscles in her arm dominant, you hardly noticed the deformed skin on both her inner forearms, or down her left hand. The scarring has healed well.

Skylar composed her face before looking back at Anthony, the exact kind of little shit she would have made eat dirt in high school, but since the little shit was her boss she didn't want to glare at him. So she remained completely poker face. "I don't care who you screw, Anthony. Not my business. My business is killing whoever you and your sister tell me to. Since neither of you have told me to kill her," She used the folder to point at Pixel, who was not beside him. "You have nothing to worry about. I hope she's at least good in bed, though, cause what you're doing is stupid." Skylar's eyes snapped to Pixel, and she lowered the folder. Then she noticed something about the way the girl was touching her stomach.. Like she was protecting it.. She didn't cover her face like most girls would have.. she protected her stomach, and as Skylar realized, her child.

Her emotionless face had a dozen emotions run across it in a matter of seconds, then she looked back at Anthony, then she closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples. "And she's pregnant, good Lord." Pixel's arms dropped for a second, then wrapped around her stomach again. "A-am not!" Skylar's eyes snapped to her again. "So now I look stupid?" She looked at Anthony like he was the dumbest thing that ever walked the earth. "You're going to get yourselves killed, you know that? May I go now before I find out something else that I just really never wanted to know?" She just didn't want to have to lie for him.. They weren't even friends. "Anthony..." The blonde pulled Anthony's shoulder down and whispered something in Anthony's ear, and Skylar pretended not to be listening as Pixel asked Anthony not to let Skylar go until they were sure she wasn't going to tell. Skylar just closed her eyes and went back to rubbing her temples. It was going to be a long night.

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony stayed silent while Skylar spoke. Saying it wasn't any of her business. She was right it wasn't her business. But now that she's seen what isn't any of her business he needed to know she wasn't going to make it any one else's business. Like Cordelia, or Pixel's family. If someone found out he knew who to blame. Then she was saying Pixel was pregnant. He didn't think it was that obvious but then Pixel was denying it. Which in a sense made Skylar angry. She didn't like being called a liar. In fact she was one of the most tell you like it is people he knew.

"We won't get killed if you keep your mouth shut. Understood?" As long as they had an understanding they were good. And then she could go. He trusted Skylar. He trusted her enough to teach her the ways of the enforcers. And to pretty much let her into the business. He'd vouched for her with Cordelia. Cordelia didn't let just any one do the killing for her. Mostly cause if done wrong it could bring down the whole organization. And that would be bad. None of them wanted to spend the rest of their lives in jail.

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[Skylar E. Brown]

Skylar sighed and looked up at Anthony, trying not to snap at him but it was becoming really hard. She tucked the folder under her arm, and cracked her fingers to relax and calm herself. Pixel, however, cringed at every crack. Skylar resisted the urge to smirk at her reaction. "Yes, I understand that you don't want me to say anything, and I won't. Like I said, not my business, but if you guys continue to do things like open the door at each others apartments, it won't be me that is the reason you'll be killed. You realize I almost shot you, right?" Her green eyes stared at Pixel, who ducked behind Anthony again after her face turned bright red again. "And what about the pizza guy, did you not think he's recognize you either? You can't look at a news paper around here without seeing a Price or a Conner, and your engagement a couple months ago was front page, sweetie."

Skylar took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She was just about to ask to leave again but then the door bell was being rung, and Skylar stepped over to it. She pulled the door up, pulling a money clip out of her front pocket and shoving a twenty at the pizza guy and grabbing the pizza, warmer and all, and shut the door in his face. She quickly clipped the flap and pulled out the pizza, opening the top and pulling out a piece of pizza. Then she turned and handed the box, and the warmer, to Anthony. "Here." She folded the piece of pizza in half and took a bite of it, and was turning to leave when the blonde spoke again. "Would you like to stay? I mean.. I'm sorry, I don't trust you, I don't even know your name and you just seem like a bitch and I don't know why you wouldn't just go run tell Cordelia... How do I know you're not a spy?" Skylar shook her head and turned, staring at the girl. She didn't trust her? Skylar wasn't the one sleeping with the enemy. Instead of saying anything to Pixel the redhead turned her attention over to Anthony. "If I have to stay I want to know what the fuck is going on." None of this made sense to her.

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony knew where Skylar was coming from. He hadn't even been thinking when he let Pixel answer the door. Skylar was right that could have easily been Cordelia. Cordelia comes around a lot. And most days unannounced as well. And people around town would recognize them she was right about that. They just needed to be more careful. Then the pizza guy was there. He took out his wallet and pulled out a twenty to give Skylar since she paid the pizza guy. He took the pizza and moved to the coffee table and put the box on it. Then Pixel was asking Skylar to stay.

"What's going on is exactly what it looks like. I'm in love with her. And our families .. they wouldn't understand. You know that. We just .. want to be together" He swallowed some looking back at Skylar. "And as far as anybody else is concerned .. That baby is James' understood?" He was pretty much admitting the kid was his but telling Skylar that the baby was James' and that's how it needed to stay. Nothing in their life made sense. How were you supposed to make a life work with the enemy? And yet here he was .. trying to make it work with her. Doing everything he could to keep them alive and still get to be together.

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[Skylar E. Brown]

Skylar shook her head at Anthony trying to pay her back. Mostly that was a pride thing on Skylar's behalf, not wanting to seem like she really needed the twenty. She really didn't. Skylar didn't need a lot, and what she did was normally high in protein and carbs so she was most bulky than the stick figure thin she'd been in high school, and the majority of her money went to her rent and utilities, and she had a good amount saved up so she didn't really need to paid back the twenty. Then Anthony was explaining what was going on, and she almost threw up what she's just eaten. So... gross and affectionate. But Pixel seemed happy. She stopped staring at Skylar like the red head was going to attack her, and looked up at Anthony in awe. Skylar was guessing it was the first time Anthony had said he loved her to someone other than her.

Skylar watched as the girls arms dropped from around her stomach and she stepped over to Anthony, wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes as she rested her head against the man's shoulder. Skylar felt like she was seeing something private just with the intimacy of the whole thing. The volatile mobster averted her eyes, her piece of pizza suddenly becoming very interesting. She nibbled on it a bit, thinking over everything that had happened since she knocked on Anthony's door. She didn't want to trust Pixel, it wasn't in Skylar's nature to be a very-trusting individual. She didn't want to end up trusting the girl then have her turn around and have been planning something bad for Anthony the whole time. But as much of a know-it-all Skylar tended to be, she knew she didn't know everything, and she hadn't seen Anthony and Pixel's relationship from the beginning, and they could very well be in love. If they weren't, Pixel was a very good actress.

Skylar looked back up, realizing she'd quickly eaten her entire slice of pizza in the span of a couple seconds. "I, uh," Skylar cleared her throat slightly, trying to think of what to say. Pixel was still holding onto Anthony firmly, and it was clear to Skylar that she was trying to hold back a smile, the corners of her mouth twitching every once and a while. "I'm not gonna tell, Anthony.. You're a grown man who can make decisions for yourself, and I'm sure you know what you're getting yourself into. You don't need anyone parenting you and your choices, so I have no reason to tell Cordelia." Plus Skylar just really didn't like Cordelia and tried not to talk to the woman, because she knew if she did, Skylar would end up telling her to get off her rag and run her business like a real, strong, independent woman and not like a raging fucking lunatic bitch that was just trying to control people. Skylar liked her job, and her life, and would like to continue to live it, so she didn't talk to Cordelia and tell the woman her opinions, just like she didn't tell Anthony to deflate his big head because it was going to be the death of him one day. "Whatever the fight is about.. It's between your sister and her father, and if your sister didn't like cheese would you quit eating it? No, cause that's stupid." Skylar shrugged slightly. "I'm sorry I ruined your evening, have a nice night." Skylar managed a small, forced, close lip smile and she turned, walking over to the door. She twisted the door knob but didn't open it... Then she let go of it and walked over to Anthony, taking a pen out of her pocket. It was gold, and the pen part of it was actually fairly small, because there was a small knife in one end of it. She wrote an address on the top of the box. "If it ever becomes unsafe for you guys to meet here or at her place, this is the address to my apartment. There's a spare key hidden in the loose siding. Just wiggle a few, it's near the door. I don't have much to do there, except maybe read, but this is like if Cordelia decides to pop in for a visit and is waiting for your guys here or something. I ask that you respect my home and don't have sex on the kitchen counter, and just change the sheets in the spare room if you decide to do it there. My room is the master bedroom, so it has a bathroom attached. Have sex there and I'll kill you, okay? Okay. Goodnight, I have to go kill someone now." Then she was out the door before either of them could stop her, silently cursing at herself. Now she was apart of it, and if anyone ever found out she would be getting killed too. She found peace in the fact that she thought both Pixel and Anthony were idiots.

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony knew he had always liked Skylar, for what reason he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe because she was loyal what ever it was he saw it in her right now while she was was saying she wasn't going to tell any one. He trusted her. Cause she always did what she said she was going to do. She was one of those people. And you didn't have to worry about her running off and doing the opposite. Pixel probably didn't see that but it was ok. Because he knew Skylar's word was always good enough. That's why he got her in. There were few he could trust to have his back but she was one of them.

He frowned some when she wrote her address on the pizza box. Not that he didn't already know what it was. Had to make sure you knew more about the people around you then they knew about you. But then she was telling him they could go there if things ever got to unsafe to be somewhere they already had. That was ... nice of her. The threat in there was the only thing that sounded like Skylar and before he registered enough to say thank you she was out the door. "She just .. She just said we could use her apartment." He sounded super confused. And that's because he was. He never thought Skylar would offer something like that ever.

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[Pixel Ann Conner]

Pixel looked up at Anthony when he spoke after Skylar left. She didn't really care about what the redhead had done, she was just happen about what Anthony had said. He told someone other than herself that he loved her, and the baby she was pregnant was his. She knew it wasn't a good idea to tell anyone else besides the two of them, but something about having another person know it was like.. She was happy.

Pixel stood on her tip toes, her arms still wrapped around Anthony, and kissed his lips softly. When she pulled away she took the pizza and took it the kitchen, but she didn't get any, instead she walked back to the door and locked it, then walked over to Anthony once more, linking their fingers and began pulling him to the stairs. "I can't believe you said those things to her.. You said you loved me, and admitted that this baby was yours.. You deserve a award." She grinned at him and pulled him up to his room around, dropping his hand and then her robe once they got there. She jumped in his bed, then turned to him, holding out one finger and drawing it closer to her a few times to motion from him to get over there. "In case you were wondering.. I love you too."

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony could help but kiss back when Pixel kissed him. He loved her to death. And in their case .. to death might actually happen one day .. soon if they weren't careful. They got lucky with Skylar. And it was great that she was going to support their decision. And she felt the way he did, that what ever this feud was about, it was stupid. But their families would never go along with this, ever. She took the pizza to the kitchen and then moved to the door locking it. Anthony's face read puzzled. But then she was guiding them upstairs. He listened to her talk as they moved to the bedroom.

So because he told Skylar about them and all this stuff they were doing .. he got to have a reward. He'd tell the whole world if it wouldn't get them killed. Neither one of their families understood if they united with each other the Italians and the Irish would be untouchable. Even the Russian mafia would have a hard time denting them. He watched her drop her robe and motion for him to come closer to her. So he moved to her with a smile on his face. "I know .. But it never hurts to hear it." He loved being with her and it wasn't even just like a hook up feeling any more. It was so much more and she made him happy.

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[Pixel Ann Conner]

Pixel smirked at Anthony's words before leaning in and kissing him deeply. He was perfect for her, and she couldn't picture having a child with anyone else but him. Sure, a year ago she wouldn't have said that but she couldn't deny, even a year ago, there was a connection between Anthony and her, and had been since she met him in her attic. She and Anthony were meant to be, and maybe her father and his sister wouldn't like that but it was true.. Maybe she and Anthony could be what stopped the feud.

after they do it...

Pixel laid on side, facing Anthony who was on his stomach. She had her eyes closed, and a hand on Anthony's back, her finger tracing a heart on his skin. She opened her eyes after a few moments, looking at him. "Stay here.." She left, and came back moments later with the pizza, napkins and bottles of water. She crawled back into bed and laid it all out. "We need to figure out our cover story... How can have your family meet your child, you know? Maybe the mom died in birth?" She raised an eyebrow, nibbling on a piece of pizza.

[Anthony Matthew Price]

Anthony laid on his stomach most times after sex. Not all the time but most times. He was completely satisfied where he was at right now. The girl he loved was next to him and they were starting a family of their own. Sure other people were going to hate it if they knew about him and Pixel but after things like what they just did there were times were he didn't just care. And he liked how her fingers moved on his skin after as well. There was something that just .. so comforting, so relaxing about it. It was almost as good as having her hand in his hair. And he could lay like that forever. It what he really wanted. Some times he thought about telling his sister just so he didn't have to hide with Pixel. But then again came what might happen to Pixel if his sister found out.

Then she was stopping and telling him to stay there. And she was getting out of bed. Moments later she was back with food and some water. He turned and sat up some. He nodded some at the topic of conversation. "If we said that then Cordelia would wonder why I didn't have the baby all the time. Whatever this story comes out as it needs to be air tight. Cordelia will check up on everything I tell her. She's not big on trusting me these days" After the whole heroin thing she didn't trust him to tell her pretty much anything.

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