Heather wants to be fair to Kendra

Heather bit on a knuckle playfully as the lustful bliss thanks to Kurt's expertise drained from her brain. Focus, Heather. They'll be plenty of time to shatter societal taboos later. Her eyes slid towards Peter, bounced to Gavin, and wandered around Zack. I have to save my strength anyway. Long night ahead...

Heather recounted the the entire game in her head, and found, not too shockingly, that a few had yet to be entertained with the name of the game. It was to be expected, she said to herself. There were fifteen people here, and let's face it, you really want to go for some over overs and shove them to their limits. And so far, everyone seemed to be willing to dance beyond the wall.

Gavin was truly a happy surprise, and she sensed a certain yearning for exploration in his eyes. Science geeks, of course, always love to explore, and few things were more erotic for Heather than a competent man with steady hands on his precious equipment. Telescopes, test tubes, and technological triumphs and tributes. Heather had an appreciation for ingenious prowess that openly courted obscenity.

Chloe almost nearly had Shawn between her legs in front of everyone, and she admitted her envy to herself. If she actually ever released her sex appeal, god help anyone who catches her attention. And Heather had a very hard time conceding fights.

She did know how to feign surrender and with Vicky's mortified expression, she at least reciprocated with a silent acquiescence. Vicky snorted through her nose and ground herself into Ashley's more than willing lap. Well, she shrugged. At least Brandon's happy.

Damn her distracted mind. Heather had a choice, it seemed like a month before she spoke. In those that hadn't gone officially, they were already revealed to the world, ready to set sail on the heady winds of desire.

Except one. To Heather, she seemed to be pondering the gangway for far too long for comfort, and, worse, Heather knew why.

"Kendra." She perked up at her name, reaching her through the mists of glowering gloom. "You know the question by now."

Shawn responded enormously, as if even the slightest movement demanded the kind of laborious exertion not seen outside of 19th century steelworks. He dribbled an ugly grin, apparently anticipating only one response.

Kendra blinked over her churning mind. Only one logical answer.

"Truth."

Heather raised an eyebrow. "I'll be honest, I expected dare." Apparently so did Shawn.

"I know. That's why I chose truth."

The unsettling dispassion of her voice sent chills up the spines of a Bishop and Woodsen, as if an eldritch horror had been awakened. Everyone else seemed somewhat on edge, but were unable to place precisely why.

Heather just smiled. "Truth it is. Tell me Kendra, my cousin aside, because he only dances that way with women he likes," Heather gave a grinning Kurt a wink, "name one guy in here other than your ex over there you wouldn't mind having oh-so much fun with tonight."

Kendra absorbed her words to no effect. Heather expected something, maybe a smile or even a glint in her eye of repressed--

"Dustin," Kendra croaked. She sheepishly turned to a recoiled Hannah. "I think you were right, honestly. I think I did date the wrong Lewis brother. And missed an opportunity for both of us."

Dustin couldn't blink. The lightning bolt of the admission had fried his neurons. Kendra stared him down like headlights on a deer.

"Things... may have been different."

"Excuse me?" Shawn slobbered. "You ungrateful bitch, all I've done for you and you want to waste it on my hopeless romantic of a brother!"

"Shawn, you little--" Kendra's raised finger ended Taylor's verbal onslaught. Forces beyond the veil reasoned with her to let Shawn continue.

Kendra craned her head up, the elder Lewis now propped on rickety legs. His collapse was evidently imminent for the others, but Kendra saw none of that. She witnessed his mouth spinning the noose that looped around his neck.

"Don't you remember? Remember how you were bullied by your so-called friends? You tried and failed so painfully to gain their favor, and all they could do is shit on you like some kind of chamberpot." Shawn slithered over her like a tree-dwelling python. "I pulled you from the trash and made you what you are. Don't tell me all of that was wasted and I should've left you to the rest of the bitches."

An unearthly snarl ballooned in the air. Only Hannah and Taylor knew immediately it came from Kendra's larynx.

"You never did answer that question," Kendra grated.

Shawn snorted. "What? What question?"

"Did you ever love me?" Darkness blazed in her eyes. "Did you?"

Shawn wobbled backward. He tittered uneasily, "Careful, don't get too excited Kendra. You'll need your stamina tonight at the rate you're going."

"Pig." The insult may as well have rumbled straight from the Necronomicon. "I'm the one who wasted my time." Her eyes caught Dustin's, pouring sympathy and awe to her. Her legs sprang up underneath her and she found herself inches from his face. "I'm so terribly sorry. We both needed this a long time ago."

Carnal fury entered Dustin's mouth, raked across his teeth, and cradled his head. The past played out before his eyes, all those times he saw Kendra distraught over something callous his brother had done. Yet another moment of happiness crushed by his sociopathic soul. Then came the night after breaking up with Victoria, and how he soaked his pillow with salty hurt. Kendra had seen him, their roles reversed, but over the exact same source.

Even though it did, he shouldn't have been surprised when he unloaded his own frustrations through his tongue, dueling battle against many years of bad, bad memories.

Kendra gasped and groaned when Dustin dropped his lips, feeling as if she came by mere satiation of her hunger. She found her hands deep inside Dustin's shirt, and he was equally amazed to find she had crawled into his lap and he swore he felt a bare nipple against his palm. Given her shoulder lost both requisite straps that were to be expected, his conclusion seemed likely.

"Well then." Heather knew she would carry the smile on her face to her grave. "That turned out much better than I expected."

"You... really are a cold bitch." Shawn wavered, black spots formed over his vision. "You've ruined all of this. All of what I've built here to get what I want!"

"Excuse me?" Hannah bristled through Shawn's word choice. "Whose idea was truth or dare in the first place?"

"Quiet, you bimbo shit. Look... you wanna be in control, fine, see I care, I done need your shtupid ghaaame..." Shawn drooled despite his brain telling him not to. With his last effort, he shot an accusatory look at Kendra -- which reflected straight back to him in her glacial pupils. He pitched forward, and spectacularly did not break his nose when he impacted the floorboards.

Peter and Gavin found themselves corralling him as the circle broke. Jennifer, with the most concern and most on the line, asked, "He okay?"

"Yeah," Gavin hollered, checking his vitals. Pulse, fine. Breathing rate, fine. Plastic vial in his shirt pocket, fin-- wait, what?

He looked up, and knew Peter saw it too. They both gave the punch bowl an uneasy look.

"Say, Gavin," Peter coolly began. "Think the punch had been out for a bit long? I think I saw Shawn take a swig not that long ago, best not anyone else drink it, yeah?"

"Uh, no! I mean, yes, I agree!"

Brandon and Peter hefted the **** asshole away from the scene and to a nearby bedroom at Hannah's insistence. Jennifer attempted to protest, but caught herself. He seemed fine, but knocked out. And after Gavin returned sans dishware and far less anxious, she figured it was for the best that Shawn remain clear of the floor.

A clap of Hannah's hands ushered everyone to the circle again. This wasn't ending if she had any say about it. Gavin surreptitiously glanced at the vial's label before throwing it in the trash. He gave a sharp snort. At least we would've been safe. Shawn's too much of an idiot to know the homeopathy actually doesn't work, and it wasn't even the right chemical anyway. Power of the mind. He glanced at Taylor and Chloe before sitting. Depends on how you use it.

Kendra had disentangled herself from Dustin in the commotion, but remained close to him. The better Lewis brother indeed.