Loving Merritt Forever

Loving Merritt After 10

Levi drove direct from the underground garage to the employee parking garage under the Black Corporation Tower. The new glass worked a divine treat. His skin and Merritt's had barely warmed, even though they could see the sun through nearly untinted glass. It was beautiful to see bright colors in sunlight on the sidewalks. The rosey glow of cheeks lit by the blood flowing underneath the skin.

Merritt fidgeted as Levi turned unto their destination. "Uh I don't think we belong here?" Merritt said as Levi scanned Joy's security badge at the check point. The security gate lifting, allowing them entry. Regardless of if they technically should be allowed in.

Levi grinned at Merritt. "Yet the door opened. Don't worry little dove. We aren't going to make trouble, Joy has left a gift for us." Levi explained. Manipulating Merritt with the mention of Joy's name.

Merritt looked down at her toes. She still felt poorly that Joy had taken her death so hard. Merritt could sense the guilt eating up Joy the few times she had seen her former friend and secret body guard. Merritt just didn't know how to explain that everything was ok now. That Joy didn't need to hold on to any guilt in her heart.

Knowing it was Joy who had a part in this strange, daytime adventure, Merritt and her demon were freshly intrigued. Curious what kind of gift Joy would leave here, in what was essentially the hub of the city's supernatural community.

Levi parked the car expertly. More than well acquainted with how to maneuver his antique car into even the smallest of parking spaces. He reached behind Merritt's seat and pulled out several folders, and a pair of fake reading glasses, handing both to Merritt. "A few props for our role play. Joy has given me directions to her office where her gifts are waiting. Come, we don't want anyone to notice anything suspicious and must act with haste." Using enhanced speed to exit the car and run around to open Merritt's door for her. Offering his hand.

Merritt exited the car, adjusting the suit that had been expertly tailored to fit her, and still managed to feel like it didn't fit. "Just pretend. A quick walk through an office is all we need to do." Merritt nodded. She could do this, it was for Levi and it was for Joy. Two people Merritt felt indebted to.

Merritt's heels clicked on the cement floor of the parking garage. The sound weird and muted thanks to the sound buffering fuzzy looking foam sprayed over the ceiling and rafters supporting the floors overhead. Merritt didn't like how the sound deadening material affected her ability to sense her surroundings. She had only recently started to feel like she had a handle on her new senses. She hadn't expected that something so simple as foam insulation would throw off her senses so much.

"You will gain more experience with time sweet one, focus on now. How your feet sound. If there are others are near." Levi whispered into Merritt's ear. Helping her to focus. She did as she always did when Levi spoke, doing as he said immediately.

She scented the air. There were unnatural currents caused by the air exchange systems. Helping to keep the underground parking garage from smelling of fumes. Merritt tried to focus. Scenting what was coming through on the subtle, event currents. "There is someone who has just parked on the level above us, heading to the elevator." Merritt could scent them. Could hear their feet. The sounds and scents were different here, if she focused she could pick out the important things in her environment.

Levi kissed her temple. "Good good." He praised. Waiting until he heard the elevator take the other person upwards before opening the doors to the stairs, he and Merritt would grab the elevator from another floor. Do their best to avoid people. They would be seen on security cameras. That couldn't be helped. But they needn't make it easy for the Black Corporation. They could afford to waste some resources.

Levi was so proud of Merritt. He knew how strange and off putting it would be for her to find out that her senses weren't infallible. She was stronger than before, could sense more than before, that didn't make her a god. Her skills, and control remained the most impressive of her new repertoire of skills.

After walking up three floors, and sensing that the elevator had been quiet, Merritt and Levi left the stairwell to empty hall, summoning the elevator with the call button, both listening carefully as the elevator came straight to them. Opening to reveal an empty car for them.

Levi and Merritt emerged on the eighth floor. It was quiet, but not empty. Both could sense the living heart beats around them. Levi quickly led Merritt down the hall, at an efficient, human pace. Merritt holding the clipboard like a shield in her arm. Did her best to hold pace with Levi as he prowled down the hallway with purpose. Trying to act like she belonged.

Levi stopped in front of a door. Producing a key from his pocket, quickly undoing the lock and pulling Merritt in behind him, as they heard footsteps join them in the hall way. From the other side of the door in a pitch black room, Merritt and Levi heard the footsteps and their living body walk past the door without stopping. Levi flicked on the lights for the office. Revealing to Merritt that the windows in the office had been painted black. There were several stands with legal page sized portraits of people Merritt was certain she did not want to know displayed on them, along with several thick files on the desk.

Merritt took a slow walk around the office. It was messy and very much unlike Joy. The paint fumes were still fresh, and it had not been done neatly, there were blobs and drips running down the wall. It was doing the work of keeping Merritt and Levi safe from the sunshine that was still bright outside.

Drawers and files were strewn everywhere, The posters and the thick stacks arranged seemed to be special. The ones Joy wanted her to have. There were two different paper bags with the remnants of two different meals in the bin. Merritt could only smell Joy in this room, making her the last human to have been here.

Merritt slowly went to the desk. The first portrait was of a man with dark tattooed lines over half his left face that made it look like his skin was made of shards of glass on that side. A very sinister look in his eyes as he stared down the camera for the mug shot. Turning she looked towards Levi, "Take a look at one then we need to pack up whatever we want to take and move along love." Merritt turned back to the first file and opened it, taking out a rap sheet that was fourteen pages long first, quickly skimming to see that it was mostly theft and violent crime in near equal measure.

The rap sheet on its own, while impressive in length, didn't seem to be anything overly sinister. Merritt put down the thick stapled bundle that was the rap sheet and picked up a smaller document. Unofficial notes. He was a human, and Fae trafficker. Stealing and selling people for profit. Merritt picked up file after file, all documenting how he had likely played a part in dozens of kidnappings and murder on the behalf of a crime syndicate.

The final file was a summary of the end of The Family, and old world European crime organization, Shatter was unaccounted for according to the informant that had been turned. Joy noted especially that she was not supposed to have this information. Her own handwriting over top the photocopied page. Source redacted. Merritt put down the last document looking at Levi. "What is this?" She had come across some very bad people while she had been working as a nurse. People who had hurt women, murdered, or worse. She had no idea that a real person could be as evil as what she had just read.

**Hello Friends, hope you are enjoying the second coming of Merritt, Levi and Asher. Progress is going to be slow, I want to get the story to feel right as it moves forward, and um honestly, Tears of the Kingdom is now taking up almost all my spare time. 

But as I map out Merritt's latest adventure, a new idea for my next story is starting to bloom in my mind. Just curious if there is any strong preference between first person narration or outside in story telling. Ie Loving Merritt forever is all first person, but Loving Merritt after is now outside in. **