He was back in Arizona. Lisa knew this because there was always some kind of party when he was there. Of all the places he could have been working, tonight he was at the Demon’s Lounge.
[[[This part has been retconed from being in Arizona to being in Las Vegas]]]

He was in Las Vegas. Lisa knew this because there was always some kind of party when he was there, which he posted on Tweeter. Vegas was close enough. It was, of course, nowhere she wanted to be, in fear of running into someone she knew, but she needed this. Because after all these months, Lisa worked up the courage to visit him again. She had no one else to turn to – at least in her mind.

She entered the demons Lounge Lucy's Lounge late that evening and spotted him right away – David working the bar. As he finished an order, he glanced at the door and saw her. No turning back now. She entered further into the lounge and sat at the bar. David didn’t have to ask. He made her a large glass of old fashioned, and Lisa took it without a word.

As the evening progressed the glasses kept coming. Lisa didn’t know what to say or when. She had plenty on her mind, but was it any of David’s business? Another glass down. Soon, David felt uncomfortable with giving her another drink. He slowed her down with some water. Lisa didn’t fight it. She knew she had probably had enough to drink.

Eventually, when the crowd started to dwindle, Lisa worked up the courage to say something.

“He…” she began. David’s ear twitched. He was wiping down the bar when she spoke. He didn’t stop, but he listened. “He… wants me to quit basketball and run his company.” David nodded and kept wiping.

“Oh? Isn’t HE running his company?” he asked.

“Not for long.” Lisa slammed the bar. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s running for governor of Delaware.” David finally stopped cleaning and caned his way over to Lisa.

“Right. All of a sudden?” He was suspicious.

“Well, the election’s not ‘til 2028.”

“No, I mean he planned this now and not, say, five years ago?” David pulled a stool from under the bar and sat down in front of Lisa on his side of the bar.

“What do you mean?”

“What was his plan before he met you?”

“Before he met me?” Lisa slurred.

“Would he still run for governor if he had no one to take over his company? Would he had gotten his sons to do it?”

“Oh… No, they both run their own businesses. I… I don’t know what he was planning before meeting me.” David clasped his hands together in front of his mouth.

“Are there any stipulations or conditions to taking over?”

“Kinda?” Lisa thought for a moment. “He’s merging with another company. Wants me to be business partners with the guy’s son.” David smirked a knowing smirk.

“Is said son going to be taking over that part of the company?”

“Yeah. He is.”

“Uh huh. And is this son of his, your age?”

“Yes…” Lisa rolled her eyes, almost making herself dizzy doing so. “I know what this is. I know he’s trying to arrange for us to be together. And it sucks, but the idea is that he’s ‘trying to help me?’”

“Help you what? Take the load off his own shoulders?”

“He says I’m making pennies compared to what I could be making and that my doctorate is right up this company’s alley… Also, if I wanna consider children, I should consider it sooner than later…” Lisa rambled on.

“Thus, this son-guy. Lisa…” David sighed. “Since when do you ever do what other people tell you? You hardly ever listened to me. That’s how you met the duPonts.”

“True…” she admitted.

“Listen… The way I see it, this guy is taking advantage of you to advance his own career. He’s dumping his own company on you and arranging you with some business partner to make him even richer.”

“Right. You would know a thing or two about taking advantage of someone.”

Just then, the doors to the lounge opened. It was late, so anyone coming in now was a surprise.

“You!” Lisa shouted

“Yeah. Me. And it’s you.” Of all the people to walk into that lounge, why was it Ashley Nadeau?

“What are you doing here?!” But Lisa didn’t get an answer. Not one she was expecting. Ashley’s pace was quick as she made her way towards Lisa. And before Lisa could realize what Ashley was doing, Ashley slapped her across the face, sobering her for a moment.

“That’s for slapping me back when you came over to my apartment!” Lisa had completely forgotten she had slapped Ashley to get her to talk. When she finally remembered, she felt like she had it coming. But the anger on Ashley’s face quickly melted away, and she was her old silly self again. “It’s okay. I’m not mad anymore. Besties?”

“I…” Lisa didn’t know what to say.

“I’d like a strawberry daiquiri, please?” Ashley quickly said to David. David nodded, pushed himself up, and made his way to the wall of liquor to make her drink.

Ashley Nadeau. David Nadeau. Ashley’s mentor was named Dave. Even their hairstyles were the same. Lisa Looked back and forth between the mice, baffled. She had always wanted to confront David about Ashley from the moment she was mysteriously drafted. But she could never drum up the courage to do so. She had stopped keeping track of where David was as he hopped from city to city, from lounge to lounge. But they were both here tonight. Right in front of her. She had to ask.

“Do… you… know him?” she sheepishly asked Ashley.

“Kinda hard not to,” David chimed in, finishing the final touches for Ashley’s strawberry daiquiri. “You do realize most people know who I am after your little stunt back during that one All-Star game?”

“So, he’s like your father? But, like, not really?” Ashley asked.

“Well! Um…” Lisa quickly said. She went right for the heart. It was no secret that David was no longer her father and that Timothy duPont was her biological father. But it was hard hearing it from someone else.

“I raised her, yes,” David defended. Lisa’s eyes narrowed.

“I lived with you. You never raised me.”

David gave Ashley her drink and Ashley sat down next to Lisa. She was insufferable. Look at her: drinking her strawberry daiquiri, not a care in the world. Who the hell did she think she was? Lisa slammed the bar again and stood to her feet.

“I wanna know why you have his last name!” The other two just stared at her. When no one answered, Lisa continued. “It’s his name you changed yours to, isn’t it?! Somehow you two know each other, don’t you?!”

“Well, duh! He is my mentor after all.” Ashley said so plainly.

“Mentor?”

“I…” David started. “kinda… took care of her at the orphanage where she grew up. She was older than most of the kids there and harder to adopt. I… wanted to help. I didn’t know she had changed her name, though…”

“Yeah! It was super nice of him! Super random, too. But I thank him for every minute he gave. He even got me into basketball. Like you!” Ashley smiled at Lisa.

“You… spent time… taking care of her… while I took care of myself…?” Lisa said softly. “Tell me something… Was it guilt?”

“What would he be guilty of?” Ashley’s smile never left her.

“I’m no idiot,” Lisa whispered. “The timing. The way you treated me compared to how you treated her. What you said to me in the hospital. I get it.” David looked away. “But I will have no part in this.”

“Part in what? What is everyone talking about?” Ashley finally started to look concerned.

“Ashley. That’s a can of worms only you can open. Just never let your guard down with this one. There’s always something with him.”

The three sat silently for some time. The only sound between them was the straw in Ashley’s drink. Each of them wanted to say something. Even Ashley felt compelled to lighten the mood, but she was aware of their history.

“What do I do about… my father?” she purposely said to David. David closed his eyes as he knew she wasn’t talking about him.

“Lisa…” he started.

“It’s Eliza now,” Ashley corrected. David winced again.

“I… I would do…” He sighed. “What you always do: whatever you want. You’re your own woman now. And no one, not even that billionaire prick, can tell you what to do or who you are. You wanna play basketball? Then play basketball. You wanna run a business, then run a business. What is it that you want. You’re getting your doctorate, right?”

“This was my last semester… I’m graduating now.”

“Then you should no longer do what other people tell you.”

“Well, you gotta let the coach tell you what to do. Oh, and the GM, too. You gotta listen to them,” Ashley butted in. The two glared at her and she continued to sip at her daiquiri.

“My point is, what does Lisa… Eliza want?”

Lisa sat for a long time. What did she want? Of course, it was basketball. Basketball all the way. But she didn’t want to do it forever. She couldn’t anyway. Eventually she’d grow too old for the sport. And what then? As a matter of fact, when was too old? Was she already on the decline? There have been some who retired before she had. Some even in her own draft class. And despite how she treated the subject in front of Timothy, she did want children. Her own biological children. Was she getting too old for that, too? Maybe Timothy was on to something. But it couldn’t mean giving up basketball. On the court was where she truly felt like herself. The skill. The authority. Maybe she’d get that with ITCW. All these thoughts swirled in her head. It gave her a headache. After all, she was still technically drunk. How could she decide in such a condition?