Sitting between a smirking Duncan and clearly amused Blake, I stared into my now-cold tea with what I can only assume is a look of pure shock.

"The team anticipates surveillance being in place at the estate within a week," Blake was explaining, his hand on my thigh like a red-hot iron - is he hot? Or am I cold?

Well, I mean... it's Blake... Blake has always been hot. Wait, that's not what I meant...

"And the other residences?" Marcel asked, far too calm sounding for the panic swirling in my soul right now.

"Well both of her brothers' security is pretty minimal," Blake shrugged, "The eldest brother has external cameras - no audio. The younger doesn't even have that. Not really what we're looking for, I'm afraid," Blake admitted, rubbing his thumb back and forth suddenly and sending the heat that had just calmed in my cheek right back to maximum flush.

"That's not ideal, but not unexpected," Marcel nodded in understanding, crossing his legs thoughtfully, "Set them up to have surveillance installed as well. The estate will be easy - join the cleaning and maintenance crew. The brothers you'll have to be clever - don't use the same reasoning for both."

"You think they'd get suspicious?" Caleb asked, tilting his head.

"No," Marcel admitted, "But Derek might."

"Speaking of Derek," Blake said, his voice sharper and lower than moments ago, "His security is impressive. Remotely gaining access will be a challenge. It'd be a hell of a lot easier handling it on sight."

"You need an in?" Duncan asked seriously, his fingers lazily brushing against the back of my neck as he played with my hair.

He always does that - putting his arm around me on the back of the couch and playing with my hair like that. Why is it making it hard to breathe today? What is wrong with me?!

"Ideally? Yes," Blake sighed, "If we could get an HID installed in the security server, it'd make this a whole hell of a lot easier."

Blinking, I furrowed my brow for a moment then asked - without looking up, "What's today's date?"

"Huh?" Duncan's ministrations froze, turning to me and answering after a moment, "September 23rd. Why?"

"Darling's birthday," I mutter, looking up and feeling the flush move away as my mind shifted back toward reality, "What year is it? It's been... yeah, it's been two years, right? This year is the big party."

Turning toward Duncan, studying his face and fighting the blush even as I thought it through I tried to explain.

"If everything goes the way it did the first time," I say slowly, getting my thoughts together, "There is a big party planned at our... at Derek's house this year for Darling's birthday. Everyone went all out since it was her first real celebration with us since returning. Everyone was invited. There was a party planner, catering... the works."

Without me, she shouldn't stage any theatrics, I grumbled internally even as I looked toward Blake, but even if she did make a scene for some reason, that'd make for a good distraction.

"You could have the team slip in without anyone ever being the wiser during the party. Security will be high, but not around the server room - they'll be focused on guests. I could give you the access code to get the team in without drawing any attention. In, out, and done before they even cut the cake."

"When is the party?" Marcel asked, leaning forward slightly with interest.

"October 2nd," I said after a moment, having a hell of a time remembering, "Uh... I think... it's... it's been a long time, but I'm pretty sure it was the 2nd."

Why don't any of those revenge dramas about being reborn mention how hard it is to remember everything? They always make it seem so simple - go back in time, recall with perfect clarity everything that happened the first go round, and apply it easily in the second pass.

Of course, I could barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday on a normal day - so maybe I just wasn't drama main-character material in that sense.

Marcel... now he could have done that. He's the one that should have gotten to be reborn - that would have made way more sense than someone like me.

It took me a moment to recenter my attention on the conversation, realizing the boys had already moved on - clearly not surprised by my zoning out.

"I can work with this," Blake was saying, nodding to whatever Marcel had just said, "I'll arrange it first thing Monday."

Nodding, and suddenly feeling a bit more normal now that we've pivoted the conversation to work, I find myself leaning my head back into Duncan's hand habitually.

He takes the hint immediately, fiddling with my hair again like he always does even as I think things through.

"What else happened around that time," I murmur to myself, closing my eyes and enjoying the feeling of Duncan's fingers running through my hair, "Darling should be getting a job at Derek's company soon. Or maybe she just started? September... September... wasn't it in October sometime that the Louvre Heist happened?"

"The Louvre? Like the museum?" Caleb's startled voice had my eyes opening and looking his way a bit dazed before I finally nodded.

"Oh yeah, it was the dumbest heist in the history of all heists ever," I snorted, shaking my head, "Absolutely ridiculous. Just wait, that one will really get your goat."

"Wait, why was it ridiculous?" Marcel asked, the corner of his lips twitching upward in a mixture of fascination and amusement.

"Because they basically just walked in, took things, and ran," I laughed, shaking my head, "They didn't even have guns or anything! They threatened people with power drills!"

"I'm sorry," Blake blinked, his hand on my thigh freezing in place as he turned to look at me, "What do you mean... power drills?"

"Yep," I nodded, donning a fake serious face, "So! Once upon a time in a lifetime not that far away, there was a group of idiots that decided they wanted to steal a crown of France."

Duncan snorted, trying to cover his mouth before the sound escaped - failing terribly. Caleb, on the other hand, just let the smile spread across his face without hiding how ridiculous he found me in this moment.

"They drove a truck right up to the building," I continued dramatically, waving my hands like I was telling an epic tale, "It was... uh... I think it was actually, like, a worker's van? Whatever - it was a coooool van, and it had a ladder on the back of it so they could climb up on top."

The moment I stumbled trying to remember what kind of van they drove, Blake's mask cracked and a helpless smirk broke across his lips. Still, he didn't interrupt me, and just started moving his thumb on my thigh again - as if to say 'alright, I'm humoring you. Then what happened?'

"They parked it right under a balcony on the second floor, climbed up on top of the van - in broad daylight, mind you - and used power drills to open the window... er... doors? Doesn't matter... they managed to get in from the second-story balcony."

Marcel pinched the bridge of his nose then, clearly not sure what to do with the story... or me... at the moment, I suppose it's the same thing.

"Then, armed with literal power drills, they rappelled down to the first floor over the second-story railing. They used the butt of the drill to bash open the glass cases, grabbed like... four things... then dashed out the front doors and right past the still-frozen security guards, whom they threatened with those same power drills. They got in their van, drove off and... I shit you not... they got away."

"Okay, well that's obviously not real," Duncan snorted, tugging on my hair gently, "You're pulling our legs. Pranking us because you know the future so you think we'd believe all of your bullshit."

"Just wait," I smirked, eyeing him mischievously, "You said it's the end of September... that means that you only have to wait, like, a month. When it happens, I want chocolate filled croissants as your apology gift for not believing me unconditionally!"

"Uh, I was definitely there when you convinced Duncan that tampons came in different flavors, Cupcake," Caleb snickered, eyeing Duncan as Duncan's face flushed cherry read at the memory, "You can't blame him for questioning a story that sounds like a child's fairy tale."

"Okay... but he was asking for it that day," I giggled, catching the way Duncan scowled and breaking into full cackles.

"How was I supposed to know the colors were for labeling the different sizes?!" Duncan snapped.

"Oh yes, because assuming that a yellow feminine hygiene product was scented lemon makes way more sense," Blake said, completely deadpan.

I lost it then, flopping sideways into Blakes lap as I cackled at the deepening scowl on Duncan's face.

I can't help replaying the memory of him seeing it on the bathroom sink, picking it up curiously, then asking if it was scented lemon - because it was yellow. God, I'll never forget his horrified face when I said in complete seriousness, 'no, that's the flavor - not the scent. Scenting them would be weird.'

I thought Caleb was going to die laughing when he found out.

Best. Prank. Ever.

"Alright, listen here you!" Duncan finally lost it, dashing forward and digging his fingers mercilessly into my ribs.

Gasping, I immediately tried to wiggle out of his hold.

"NO! No fair! Blake! Blake, save meeeeeeeeeee!" I squeal instantly, the giggles forced from me as Duncan smirked evilly - his tickling only intensifying when he realized he had successfully pinned me between Blake and the couch.

Blake - choosing to not save me, like a jerk - reached over and snatched up my wrists, holding them over my head and giving Duncan the perfect access to both sides.

"Traitor!" I howled, wiggling in a desperate attempt to get free, "Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!"

The entire room devolved into laughter as I quickly lost the battle between the two men that tickled me within an inch of my life.

This is how it's supposed to be, I thought as I caught my breath after an eternity of torture - which only ended when I agreed that Duncan was the best and I was a meanie head for pranking him all those years ago.

It's supposed to be me and my boys. Just like this.

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