"The cop must be keeping an eye on him," Nick murmured when several moments passed after the policeman moved out of sight, and John didn't return to his efforts with the door. He was merely leaning against the telephone pole out front, his gaze fixed on Nick's storefront. "It looks like he's decided to wait out front for us to try to leave."
"Until he remembers there are back entrances and tries that," Jill said unhappily.
"You're right," Nick muttered and suddenly pushed the door between the back of the store and the front closed. "We'd better be quick."
Hurrying to her side, he caught her arm and urged her toward the back door. "We'll slip out through the alley and—" He paused and turned to frown when Jill didn't budge, but held her ground. "We have to move quickly, Jill."
"Not like this. Santa and Mrs. Claus are too conspicuous. He'd spot us a block away like this," she pointed out.
Nick peered from her red cape to the padded Santa costume he wore and sighed. "You're right."
Jill was about to point out, as patiently and gently as she could that it was safer for her to go alone, when he suddenly brightened, "I keep a change of clothes here in case of spills or such. They're in my office. You can wear those."
"What about you?" she asked with a frown.
"Unlike you, I have jeans and a t-shirt on under here," he said dryly. "I'll just strip off the costume and beard."
"Oh." She was silent for a minute, then nodded. "Yes. Go find the clothes."
The moment he disappeared into his office, Jill headed for the back door. Despite what she'd said, she had every intention of slipping away. She'd be doing them both a favor. The man had said one of the things he liked about her was that she was normal and sane. If that was so, he'd hardly be interested in her once he knew the truth of what she'd become. There was nothing normal or sane about being a shape-shifter.
No, it was better this way, she decided unhappily. She'd get out of his life before she forced him to break her heart by rejecting her.
Jill's hand was on the doorknob to the back door when she spotted the calendar on the wall next to it. Pausing, she stared. It was open to December and showed a couple walking down the city street in warm winter gear. Jill glanced from the picture down to herself and back. She'd be less noticeable in the calendar woman's face and outfit than as herself. And as much as she wanted to spare herself the humiliation of explaining everything to Nick—if she even could—she didn't wish to do so at the expense of getting caught and caged up for the rest of her life by a madman.
Shifting to look like the calendar girl seemed her safest route, and it would only take seconds, Jill assured herself. She'd be changed and gone before Nick got back.
Decision made, she released the door knob and concentrated on the picture, imagining herself looking like that woman. Wanting it. Needing it.
"Jesus."
Jill blinked and glanced toward the door to Nick's office, a small gasp slipping from her lips as she spotted him standing frozen in the doorway. He was beardless and in only his street clothes, the clothes he'd sought for her a bundle clutched to his chest, but it was the shock on his face that concerned her.
She glanced down at herself, not surprised to see that she had changed successfully to the calendar girl. Her only wonder was whether he'd been there long enough to see her change or if his shock was at finding a stranger in the room.
"Jill?" he said with disbelief. "How did you do that?"
Well, that answered her question she supposed, her shoulders sagging. He'd seen her change. Now he knew how un-normal and unsane she was.
It was all so unfair, she thought miserably. Up until this morning her life and everything about her had been boringly sane and normal… well, except for her brother and Claire and Beth. Now, because of one idiot mad scientist, everything was topsy turvy and any hope of romance with the one guy she'd really liked in a long time was screwed.
"You changed from yourself to this in like a heartbeat." Nick tossed the clothes he'd collected onto the nearest box and began to walk around her, surveying her from every angle. "The only thing that didn't change is the cape."
Reminded of the cape and knowing she couldn't wear it out of the store for fear of tipping off John to who she was, Jill slid it off and draped it over the clothes on the box.
"Noelle was wearing that cape," he said suddenly.
Jill stiffened and watched unhappily as he put things together in his head.
"Then you were wearing it," he went on slowly. "Then you turned into someone else wearing the cape."
Jill let her breath out on a resigned sigh. She'd always known he was intelligent. It was one of the things she'd liked best about him. She shouldn't be surprised he'd put things together so quickly.
"You're like a… What do they call them? Shape-shifter?"
Despite watching him figure it out right in front of her, she still felt a bit shocked when he said the words. She supposed she'd imagined that he'd need her to give him the explanation for what exactly she now was capable of doing.
"Don't look so surprised. I watched Star Trek growing up," he murmured, continuing to examine her, then added, "I didn't think shape-shifters were real though."
"Neither did I," Jill muttered under her breath. She really hadn't thought such things were possible, not even when Kyle had explained their work to her. She hadn't believed right up until Claire had got zapped and turned into Brad Cruise.
"Does it hurt? To change like that?"
"No," she said warily.
He didn't look like he believed her, but merely asked, "Can you do it again?"
When her expression became surprised, he said apologetically, "I know it's rude to ask. At least, I think it is, but even though I saw it once, it's hard to believe…"
Jill felt her tension return when he suddenly went silent, a frown claiming his mouth. She had a feeling he'd just thought of something, and it was obviously something that didn't please him. She realized why when he said, "I told you—When you were Noelle, I told you—"
"I'm sorry," Jill said at once. "I mean I'm not sorry you told me. I'm glad you like me. I like you too, but I'm sorry I let you tell me…" She paused and sighed, then finished unhappily, "Of course, now that you know this you might not be interested anymore and I'll understand if that's so, but—"
A noise from the front of the store made her pause. They both peered to the closed door between the two sections of the store, then Nick hurried to it, cracked it open, and peered out. Jill was just moving to join him by the door when he closed it again and turned to hurry back to her.
"The cop must be gone. That guy who's following you is trying to pick the lock. We have to go." Nick grabbed her hand as he moved past, drawing her to the back door. Jill allowed him to drag her out of the store, but reached up to grab a long winter coat off the rack by the door as she went. She wasn't cold and appeared to be wearing winter gear, but Nick wasn't. He was now wearing only jeans and a t-shirt. He'd need the coat.
She waited patiently as he locked the door, then handed him the coat and said, "I have to get to my brother."
"Why is this guy after you?" Nick asked as he shrugged into the long coat. "Is it because of what you can do? Does he know you're a shape-shifter?"
"Oh, he knows all right. He's who turned me into one," she said dryly, turning to lead the way up the alley only to find her hand caught as he whirled her back around.
Nick's expression was shocked. "What?"
Jill was silent for a moment, arguing within herself as to whether she should explain everything or not. This wasn't just her secret. Her brother, his wife who happened to be Jill's best friend, as well their daughter, would be affected by this.