Malcolm was almost 100% sure that he knew the cause of Dodger's distraction. And that reason would be Lilly Grant. Little did Dodger know that Mal had trailed him the last time Dodger showed up at this little shop called Fire and Ice. And that's when he knew where to find this distraction.

Mal had waited until a week after Dodger had left before he attempted to go into the shop where this girl worked. Let's face it, Dodger would be pissed if he knew Mal was going to see his "girlfriend." But Dodger had this coming. If he had been more dedicated to his job and more focused, Mal wouldn't have to be starting to take matters into his own hands.

Sure, he wasn't planning on doing anything to Lilly today. Not yet, anyway. He just wanted to go in there, act like a complete nobody, and try to sum up this Lilly chick. Maybe see if she was some kind of threat, or if she even knew anything about Dodger's real line of work.

Malcolm parked his car and hopped out, trying to put on his best acting face. He walked into the shop and frowned when he didn't see anyone behind the counter. She must've been in the room behind the counter that he could see bits and pieces of. Well, she'd have to come out eventually.

Acting like he was curious about all of the shit she had in her shop, he started walking around the isles, looking at everything she had stocked. He rolled his eyes as he picked up a jar of crows feet. He set the jar back down and then began to walk down the isle again. Where the hell was this chick?

The shop had been anything but busy, and Lilly was grateful for the downtime. A new shipment had come in, and she had spent the better part of the morning cataloging everything and moving it around to her liking. One of these days she just might have to hire some help, but the truth was that Lilly liked being independent, and the sense of self accomplishment that came along with it.

Wiping her sweaty palms on her black skirt, she walked into the main room, nearly having a heart attack as she saw someone looking through the merchandise.

"You startled me," she said breathlessly, resting a hand over her heart. "I thought I was alone in here."

Realizing that scaring customers off probably wasn't the best way to make a sale she added with a smile: "Anyway, feel free to call if you need anything, just tidying things up."

When Lilly finally came out of the back room, Mal couldn't help but smile. Damn this woman was a looker. At least Dodger had good taste, and he wasn't screwing some mediocre wannabe. Malcolm quickly put on the "nice guy" face as he smiled at Lilly and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." He said, sounding really genuine even though he really didn't give a shit.

"Actually, I was just kind of wondering..." Mal started as he gave the store a quick once over before he brought his attention back to Lilly. He smiled at her with his charming smile, still trying to look as innocent as possible. "What exactly is it...I mean...I was just walking by, and this store kind of caught my attention. What are all these things for?" He asked, motioning towards the shelves. He figured playing dumb about her little witch store might make her feel like explaining things. And then they could get to talking. And then he could sum her up and see if she was a threat.

"I mean...I don't mean to sound ignorant or anything..." He quickly explained as he shook his head. "Just curious is all."

"No, it's all right," Lilly assured him, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't know why I'm so jumpy today."

The man in front of her was strikingly handsome, but she couldn't remember having seen him before. She had a small circle of customers that she knew very well, and while she sometimes sold harmless things like healing crystals and decks of tarot cards to newbies, Lilly generally knew who went in and out of her shop, and what they left with.

His question only confirmed that he was a stranger, and she smiled kindly. "No, you don't sound that way at all. We specialize in...New Age supplies. Mostly herbs and crystals."

The term New Age usually made Lilly grit her teeth. Her craft was anything but new, and the very term brought up images of spacey girls who wore a lot of patchouli and glass beads, but she had come to realize that admitting that she practiced witch craft, however good or harmless, usually left people thinking she was either some sort of Satan worshipper or cuckoo for Cocca Puffs. It was best to ease them in gently, and see how far they'd be willing to take it from there.

"So is it like..." Malcolm started, trying to think of how to finish that sentence. "You know, for...seance kind of stuff? Or umm...or for like paranormal kind of stuff?" God, Mal hated making himself sound so fucking stupid, but he was really trying to play the part of an innocent, curious person with no bad intentions. Ha, that was amusing.

"Oh, like in Practical Magic? You know, that Sandra Bullock movie? I'm embarrassed to admit that I've seen that, but...." Malcolm looked at Lilly and let out a small laugh. "I sound absolutely ridiculous, don't I?" He said as he continued to laugh. He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair, hoping that this "dumbass" front was working.

"A bit of both," Lilly said honestly. "Though I wouldn't reccomend having a seance just for the heck of it. There are some things you just shouldn't fool around with."

This guy probably didn't know just how true that statement was, but Lilly knew not everyone was raised in the same environment she was. Ouija boards and tarot cards were toys to most people, little did they know that they could be tools.

The guy was slightly adorable as he babbled on, but for some reason Lilly hadn't been able to shake that startled feeling she had the moment she saw him. Some witches were extremely good at reading energies, and following their gut, but it had never really been Lil's strong suit. She thought too much too listen to those feelings, and rarely listened to them. The truth was she trusted a little too easily, following her heart instead of her instincts.

"I love it too," she admitted. "Of course, I can't help liking a good chick flick now and again, but hey, mention that around the right girl and you could get some major points," Lilly joked.

"Oh, I would feel stupid trying to do some kind of seance." Malcolm said with a bit of a laugh as he looked around the shop again. "I've just always been kind of fascinated with this kind of stuff." He said with a shrug as he brought his attention back to Lilly. Janette would probably be pissed to know that Lilly was gorgeous. She got jealous really easily, and he tried not to laugh just thinking about it.

"Hey, there are just some chick flicks it's impossible to hate." Mal said with a nod, trying to think of one that he had heard people talk about before. "My sister made me watch The Notebook once, and I have to say...I almost cried. But of course I didn't because I still have to maintain at least some of my pride." Mal completely pulled that whole story out of his ass. First of all, he didn't even have a sister, and second of all, The Notebook was a terrible excuse of a movie.

When he mentioned an interest in the occult, Lilly nodded knowingly. "Most people are, they just don't know it really exsists." She laughed a little. "Of course, sometimes I think it's better that way, considering people makebig enough messes even without a little extra help."

She couldn't help but smile a little as he brought up chick flicks again. Lilly was something of an expert. Between her little marathons with Mackenzie, and her lack of a normal lovelife, they were practically her best friends. As he brought up his sister, Lilly couldn't help but feel a little pang of guilt for not being able to warm up to him. If he was bringing her up, he obviously cared about her, and a guy who cared for his sister couldn't be all bad.


"Nicholas Sparks lives to depress the hell out of people," she joked. "I mean, between the books and the movies I don't know how we're not all on Prozac or something. I know I should avoid all of them, but I can't. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment."