Archive of Our Own

Only Girl (In The World)

Judy was on the edge of consciousness, still in that strange space between waking thoughts and lucid dreams.

She knew that she was in her home, in her bed. She had an idea that she was asleep, and probably for a while, because for the first time in a very long time, she felt rested. And she felt...warm. Safe. Fulfilled.

Then, she remembered how she got here.

Dammit, she thought to herself. 

Should she regret it? Why? Nothing about this felt wrong, or out of place. Did it feel sudden? Yes, absolutely. 

So what?

However, she made a promise to herself. After everything that happened in her life, all of the pain, the heartache, the manipulation, the lies, and the bullshit she dealt with, she made a pact with herself that she’d make it on her own, by herself. And just like Rogue, she was prepared to be alone. 

But something happened the night before, something that lasted until the sun came up. 

It was beyond sex. It was so much more than that.

Sex would have been simple. One, done, in and out. Quick satisfaction, easily forgettable, just get that itch scratched and be done with it. Then, move on. Move onto the next project, the next phase of the plan that she and Rogue had been working on for over two years. Moving on…

Judy paused. This was unexpected. 

She promised herself.

Never again. That’s what she said.

She had been through so many of these situations before, following her heart, falling fast and saying fuck all and just going for it. And every time she fell too hard too soon, and then she’d get another rose tattoo as a reminder of the lessons learned from her experience. 

Each rose served as a reminder that love hurt. And every time she looked at each of her roses, she was reminded of the experiences that inspired every single rose on her body. 

She had many rose tattoos.

Judy was smart, but when it came to women, she made decisions with her heart instead of her head. Often, she’d repeat her mistakes.

She swore, moving forward, she’d think with her head. 

If only it could be that simple.

Even though she knew that her mind always made better decisions than her heart, she was sensitive. Judy was an artist. She followed her intuition, listened to her feelings. Feelings that often overwhelmed her thoughts. Feelings were compelling, they elicited a physical response. Sometimes, rational decisions hurt . They hurt her heart. Judy didn’t want to hurt. Never again.

Never.

A memory from the night before came to surface.

“Careful, Judy.”

“Of what? You gonna hurt me?”

“Never...I only ever wanna make you feel good. Really good…”

Last night, Judy gave in. She gave into her heart’s desire and let V have her way with her.

And it was amazing. 

V was right. It was far beyond what Judy thought she wanted. Somehow, V knew how to uncover what Judy needed. And V fulfilled that need, over and over again, in ways that Judy hadn’t ever dreamed possible.

Thousands of hours of tuning smut virtus and nothing came close to what V gave Judy.

Because it wasn’t an act.

V was sincere.

It was real.

Fuck, Judy thought to herself.

Another agreement breached. Judy swore that if she would take someone in, she would decide who, where and when. And in a sense, she pretty much did. She called V and invited her over. When V arrived, Judy was the one in control, dictating where they were headed and how they would get there. Judy started it all.

But V sure as hell finished it.

Or maybe…

...maybe V brought them somewhere else.

Judy thought she had it all figured out. Set herself up in business, set herself up with financial security, set her home up so she was secure, safe, and...isolated. 

Secured, tied down, bound and protected.

She figured she couldn’t get hurt if she was alone.

Maybe there was some truth to that. But if that was the truth, why did loneliness hurt? Why did it make her ache, make her crave human connection so deeply?

And why did it feel like everything she had been holding onto, holding back and safeguarding was exposed and exploited last night? 

But it didn’t feel bad. It felt like V said it would. It felt really good.

It was as if V exposed every flaw in Judy’s plan, tore it apart and showed her every piece, every fragment that made her plan vulnerable to attack. 

Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe the plan itself was broken, and V was there to show Judy how to bring it together.

Maybe...maybe Judy was wrong. Maybe her plan really was flawed.

It got her this far over the past few years, but maybe...maybe her plan needed to evolve.

Judy really thought she had it down. Selfmade . No one could tell her a goddamn thing. But then...whispers. Promises in the dark. And she yearned to hear them, to decipher what she was being told.

She was facing an internal struggle. She made a deal with herself. No more of this shit. No one would get in. No one. She was strictly business. 

But then business led to passion, and passion led to immense pleasure.

No, more than just pleasure.

Fulfillment. Satisfaction.

What was happening?!

And why did it just feel so right ?

Who was V? How did she know how to get through to Judy? 

It just felt natural. Easy. None of Judy’s warnings went off in her head. She didn’t resist, which completely caught her by surprise. 

Another memory.

“You ain’t ready for that.”

“Like hell I ain’t.”

“No, you’re not. But you will be .”

Then...holy shit. 

V was sensational. 

Sure, the sex was incredible. But it was deeper than just sex. The energy between them, the exchange, the mental and intellectual stimulation, the challenge, the power, the control, those moments when V surrendered to Judy, and how electrifying and arousing it was when V regained control…

Who was V? And why now? How did they get there?

What if…

What if Judy tuned that scroll for Evelyn? What if V was one of the mercenaries lined up for the Konpeki gig? What if Judy tuned the scroll for V?

What if V came to visit Judy in Lizzie’s with Evelyn that day? What if they were on that very job together ?

That job, though. It was destined to fail. It had disaster written all over it. Too many holes in the plan, too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. And, most of all, Arasaka was too big and too powerful to fall. 

It would have been impossible.

And V, like Evelyn, would be dead. Or, at best, constantly on the run, living her life, trying to move forward while looking in the rear-view mirror, knowing, waiting, and almost feeling a sense of relief that it would all eventually catch up to her. 

A waking death.

Walking, talking corpses.

No. Judy was glad that V wasn’t on that crew. That job was cursed.

Judy continued to wonder.

What if…?

What if she had met V some other way? What if V came back to Lizze’s, after her drunken celebration with her friend that night that V asked the server at Lizzie’s for a braindance with Judy? What if, after she sobered up and got her shit together, V came back and actually got to know Judy on a deeper level? 

Would they get coffee? Would they date? Would Judy take V scuba diving?

Would Judy let V in, and would V be the person that she’d take back home? Not home, on Charter Street, nor the mansion. But back to where Judy was from.

Laguna Bend.

What if Judy and V did an experimental braindance together - the tandem underwater scroll that Judy thought about doing, before everything went to shit?

What if V got through to Judy, helped drop her guard, and found her way into Judy’s heart?

What if they fell in love?

Fell in love?!?!?

Judy’s eyes fluttered open.

And there was V.

Judy’s head was resting on V’s shoulder, and she had her hand on V’s chest. V was simply looking up at the ceiling. She looked calm. Peaceful. Contemplative. 

Patient, like she had no expectations that Judy would wake up anytime soon. V’s hand was on her chest, right on top of Judy’s. As V looked up, she had a slight, barely noticeable curl on the edges of her lips. 

She was still smiling.

Fuck , Judy thought to herself. V is gorgeous . 

And it was far beyond physical appearances, though to her credit, V definitely had that working in her favor. But it was deeper than that. V had an air of confidence, but also a caring, soft quality. What did she say the night before? Endearing. Charming, even.

Dammit. She really was charming. 

She was also tender and gentle when Judy wanted her to be, and intense, passionate, and vigorous when Judy craved it the most. Every beat, every step, V was with Judy, giving her everything that she wanted and so much more.

Goddammit. 

V got through the chinks in Judy’s armor. Just like V was able to circumvent and outsmart Judy’s security protocols at IEC, V was able to find Judy’s vulnerabilities and find her way through to Judy.

But unlike Judy’s security measures at IEC, she was okay with V getting through to her. Judy realized that maybe now that V was in, maybe she would let her stay.

Shit…

This wasn’t part of the plan.

V quietly sighed and her finger lightly stroked Judy’s hand on her chest. 

Judy had a sense that maybe V was also contemplating her own what if scenarios. 

What if…

What if…

What if…

...they both wanted something more?

And what would that be? What would that look like?

Could it be something amazing? Incredible? Lasting? 

Or was last night simply a pleasant distraction for them both?

What did it mean for V?

Thankfully, Judy didn’t have to say much. V turned her head and saw that Judy was awake.

“Hey, you’re awake. Seemed to sleep really good. You feel rested?”

Judy sleepily looked at V and answered, “Yeah. Been a while since I slept like that.”

V smirked. “You earned it.”

Goddammit she really is charming, Judy thought.

Then V asked, “So. What’s your breakfast routine like?”

Judy chortled. “Routine? Ha. Usually I’ll grab whatever I’ve got layin’ around. Pop-Turds, cold pizza, ham sandwich. Or I’ll just grab a coffee and head out the door.”

“How do you take your coffee?”

“Splash of milk.”

V said, “Noted.”

Judy sat up and asked V, “What about you? What do you want for breakfast?”

That glint in V’s eye; flirtatious, full of desire and mischief. 

V looked down Judy’s body and when she looked back up, she licked her lips and then grinned.

Judy laughed. “You’ve got a voracious appetite.”

“I’ve got an acquired taste.”

Judy felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Dammit, it was too early for this. She was blushing before breakfast. Goddammit…

And then down V went; down Judy’s body, hands on Judy’s thighs, lips expertly kissing her way down Judy’s body before she looked up.

Judy bit her lip and reached down. She ran her fingers through V’s hair, and then guided her further down. Then, Judy laid back in her bed and readied herself to enjoy yet another -

Then, her notification pinged; she had an incoming holo call.

It was Rogue.

When they first met, Rogue told Judy that she expected her calls to be answered immediately. Rogue said that she didn’t give a damn if Judy was in the middle of a shower, a shit, or getting laid. Judy was expected to answer Rogue’s calls. 

Judy never imagined the latter scenario, though. 

“V, hold on. I’ve got a call comin’ in, I gotta take it.”

V looked up and asked, “Business?”

Judy nodded.

“Well, how ‘bout tryin’a mix business with pleasure?”

Judy knew that was a pointed comment. V wasn’t just talking about just sex in that moment. She was talking about something bigger. V was talking about them .

And Judy shared V’s sentiment.

But for now…

Judy gave V a slight nod. As V’s face went back down between her legs, Judy answered the call.

She figured if she could tune smut for hours on end, then sure, she could take a business call while V went down on her. Judy was no stranger to separating the two.

However, as soon as Judy answered the call...holy shit. 

V…

V…

V…

Judy swallowed hard and said, “Heh...Hey. Good morning.”

Rogue answered, “Morning? It’s almost noon. You still in bed?”

Judy bit her lip and nodded. “Mmm hmm.” She was losing composure. Goddammit V was good. Fuck…

Rogue asked, “That’s not like you at all. Late night?”

“Yep. Was up ‘til sunrise working on some business that I think has potential. A lot of…” Judy sighed as V continued to please her. “A lot of potential.”

After a brief pause, Rogue looked at Judy and there was a light in Rogue’s eyes. Judy hadn’t ever seen that look before, not on the Queen of the Afterlife. 

Ever since the moment Judy met Rogue over two years ago.

Rogue was always steeled, steady, and serious.

There had never been a light like that in Rogue’s eyes before.

Until now.

Rogue then said, “You’ve got company.”

“Um...yeah.”

Amused, Rogue asked, “Some business ? C’mon, Judy.”

“I’m serious, Rogue.”

V looked up and said, “Oh, you on the holo with Rogue?”

Rogue actually smiled. She obviously recognized V’s voice.

Then, V came up and brought herself into view. “Hey Rogue, good morning!”

Judy looked away and said, “Jesus Christ, V.”

Still smiling, Rogue finished with, “Call me later.” Then, Rogue ended the call.

Judy exclaimed, “You’re fucking unbelievable!”

“Daring! Bold! Charming!” V was smiling like a complete gonk. She looked very pleased with herself.

Judy shook her head, put her hands on V’s head, and pushed V back down.

Might as well finish what she started.

Over an hour later, V was down in the kitchen making breakfast. Judy was still in bed, getting her bearings. 

It took her a few minutes to get the strength back in her legs. For the first time ever, Judy regretted having an upstairs bedroom.

As she descended the stairs, the smell of freshly brewed coffee heightened her senses and helped her wake up. Or was it that she was coming out of a daze? Whatever it was, coffee would help.

V saw Judy and grabbed a mug. Then, V filled the mug with coffee and topped it off with a splash of milk. After she stirred the coffee, V offered the mug to Judy.

They were both standing in the kitchen, completely naked, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Judy sipped her coffee while she watched V cook. “You sleep at all?”

V shook her head. “Nah. I’m still wired.”

“Wired? Shit I’d think you’d be as exhausted as I was after that.”

After she flipped the food in the pan, V looked at Judy and said, “Got pretty good endurance.”

Judy’s legs felt weak again. 

V totally caught it. That grin...that cocky ass sly grin…

Arrogant fucker.

But she sure was cute.

Judy sipped her coffee and then asked, “Where’d you learn to cook? Seem pretty good at it.”

V slid the food out of the pan and onto a plate. “Family’s always been big on mealtime, sharing a table together. Corpos and their gatherings, you know how it goes.” V looked up and realized that she made an assumption. She corrected herself. “I mean, well, ya know?”

Judy shook her head. “I don’t. Tell me more.”

This was it. She was going to get to know more about V. 

“Well, my parents always hosted dinner parties, invited some of Night City’s biggest players into our home. They started me on cleanup crew until I earned my way into the kitchen. Soon as I could reach the counter they let me start doing mise en place , standard stuff. Joked around, calling me the sous chef and all. Joke was on them, though. I started sneaking into the kitchen and experimenting. After a few surprise breakfasts, they officially put me on cooking duty. And I was fine with it, never liked big groups or crowds. All that chit-chat, fake smiling, socializing...ugh it’s exhausting. Pretense and bullshit. So I stayed in the kitchen with our staff. Even got some of their family recipes. This here’s one of ‘em.”

V slid a plate over to Judy and there were scrambled eggs nested beautifully in golden-brown pan-seared potatoes. “Found some dehydrated potatoes and egg powder in the cabinet. Then, to my pleasant surprise, you had butter in your fridge. Real fuckin’ butter. Damn Judy. You’re not fuckin’ around. That shit’s expensive as hell. Worth it, though. Hope you don’t mind that I used a bit to crisp up the potatoes.”

“What’d you make me?”

“I was attempting an eggy in a basket, but since I couldn’t find any bread to make toast, I did it in the potatoes. Honestly my personal preference is this way with the potatoes. Although the traditional eggy in a basket is a lot easier to just pick up and eat. ‘Fraid you’re gonna hafta pick up your plate and,” Then, V gestured picking up a plate and pretended to lick it.

Judy shook her head. She was grinning, but...Jesus. V was too damn much.

V cackled. Then, she handed a set of silverware to Judy. “Here. I got ya covered.”

Judy looked at V, then back down at her plate, and then back up at V.

V asked, “Need somethin’? Salsa? Hot sauce?”

“Nah, I just,” Judy looked back at her breakfast. “I’ve got so many questions.”

V poured herself a cup of black coffee and leaned on the counter as she looked at Judy. “Me too. Wanna start one at a time?”

“Where’s your breakfast?”

“You’re wearin’ it.”

“Jesus, V.” Judy buried her face in her hands. “You’re relentless.”

“Glad you noticed.”

Again, Judy blushed. When she realized there was no winning, Judy grabbed a fork and dug into the eggs and potatoes.

It was delicious. 

The butter, the seasoning, the sear on the potatoes, all of it. V could cook. V could cook well .

As Judy ate, V sipped her coffee and watched Judy. 

Judy felt V’s eyes on her, but she was strangely comfortable with being watched. Plus she was ravenous; she didn’t realize how hungry she was until V slid the plate in front of her.

After a few bites, Judy took another sip of her coffee. The food, the coffee, it was so good, She was starting to feel invigorated. Judy figured after breakfast, she’d get cleaned up and...then what?

She was supposed to be in the office hours ago, but she didn’t regret that she stayed in bed. The IEC offices operated just fine without her, and they’d be fine for a few hours before she went in. 

If she went in.

Because staying home was an option.

She hadn’t ever done it before, but sure, Judy could work remotely, just for the day. Her network was completely secure, shrouded in Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics that she and Nix wrote themselves. 

Then, Judy wondered how secure her ICE really was. Would V be willing to take a look at it?

Or was that too much to ask?

Judy peered over her mug and V winked at her.

Fuuuuuuck.

After Judy finished her sip of coffee, she put her mug down and asked, “So. What are your plans for today?”

V sighed and answered, “Guess I gotta go home at some point. My partner and I - you know, Jackie. Big guy, total gonk?”

Judy nodded.

“Gotta do a weapons inventory, tally up what we’ve got, what we can sell, think about upgrades. That IEC job changed the game for us. Gave us a lot more options.”

“Been together a while?”

“Me and Jackie? Shit yeah. Guy’s my best choom. Known him pretty much my whole life.”

Judy then asked, “How’d you get into this line of work, V?”

V took a sip of her coffee and answered, “Funny. I was thinkin’a askin’ you the same thing. ‘Cept I doubt my story’s as interesting as yours.”

“You go first.”

“Well, went to school for cybersecurity but I was already way ahead of my classmates. Fuckin’ waste of time. Plus I already had connections inside the corporate world, family and all. Big network. So didn’t really need school. Already learned a lot on my own, messin’ around with tech, code, and some netrunning. But I really found my stride in hacking. Figured since I knew how to hack, could make a livin’ doin’ the opposite. So I got into counterintelligence. Then, I got picked up by a headhunter at Arasaka.”

That made a lot of sense. It explained how V was so natural at her work during the gig at IEC. With a background in hacking, she could foresee Judy’s moves, even anticipate the honeypot before Judy activated it in the server.

V continued. “Kinda ironic how shit works out, ya know? I was voluntold-”

Judy asked, “Say that again?”

With a laugh, V repeated, “Volun told . Involuntarily told.” V continued. “Was ordered to put a hit on my boss’s next up. Guess she was a threat to him. But I couldn’t do it. I uh, I’m not proud to admit that I asked Jackie for his help. Met up with him at Lizzie’s Bar and started goin’ over ideas, and then bam! Arasaka’ goons came and grabbed me, deactivated my corporate-assigned chrome, drained my bank account, and left me there. Unemployed, broke, and in shock. So, Jackied did what he thought was the best thing to help me in the moment. He got me really drunk. After we sobered up the next day, started talkin’ about workin’ gigs together. Jack introduced me to the fixers and it just snowballed from there. Worked my way up, but always with Jack. We’re a team, I only take jobs if Jackie’s with me. I figured it’s the least I could do. He and his mamá let me crash at their place ‘til I could get my own apartment. Took me six months of bustin’ my ass, but got my own place and still livin’ there now.”

“Where’s your apartment?”

“Megabuilding H10 in Little China.”

“Not far from where I used to live.”

“Oh yeah? Where’d you live before movin’ into this place?”

Judy answered, “Kabuki. Off Charter Street. The apartment belonged to my grandparents ‘til they moved out. Few years after I bought the apartment, I built this place and sold the apartment.”

V asked, “Got any family livin’ in NC?”

Judy took another bite of eggs and potatoes and shook her head. After she finished chewing and swallowing, she said, “Nah. Only family I got left is up in the Pacific northwest. That’s where my grandparents live now.”

“Only you here?”

V’s voice wasn’t sad; it didn’t sound like she felt sorry for Judy. She sounded genuinely curious.

“I wouldn’t say it’s only me. I’m surrounded by people all day long. Livin’a double life definitely keeps me around a lotta people.”

V leaned toward Judy and said, “And yet here you are, highest point in North Oak, huge property lot, livin’ in a huge ass mansion. I don’t see anyone else around here, Judy.”

“Plan on robbin’ me?”

“Nah. I’m not takin’ anything from you. You’ve already given me more than I could ask for.”

Judy put her fork down. She asked V, “And? What now?”

V shrugged. “Well, I’ll take whatever else you wanna give me.”

“V?”

“Yeah, Judy?”

“What do you want?”

V’s eyes searched Judy’s. It was much easier last night when there was less talking. Judy guided V, and V followed Judy’s lead. Every step, every kiss, every touch, every moment of mind-blowing, intense, passionate…

V put her mug down and answered, “S’like I said during our call last night, when you told me to come over and pick you up. I wanna take you out, get to know you. Last night was incredible, but there’s more to learn. More to explore.”

“Not much to know.”

“Oh, but there is. But tell me what you wanna tell me. I’ll take what ya give me.”

Judy stepped away from her spot at the end of the bar and moved closer to V. “Who are you really?”

“Name’s V. But we’ve already established that.”

Judy scoffed. “And again, I’ll say this - V’s a letter, not a name.”

V leaned in and said, “And like I said, only those closest to me know my real name.”

Echoing her words from the pool the night before, Judy said, “I’d say we’re,” Judy then got closer and touched V’s shoulder. V looked at Judy’s hand, and then looked into Judy’s eyes. “Pretty close now.”

“Not what I meant,” V whispered in Judy’s ear.

Another bolt ran through Judy’s body. Last night, V’s touch sent a surge through Judy, and now V was able to do it simply with her voice.

Then, V took Judy’s hand. “Let me take you out. At least once. This is great, really, it is. I had an amazing time last night. But Judy...there’s more. There’s somethin’ between us. You feel it too, right?”

Judy waited. She knew what V was talking about. The energy between them was charged, passionate, and intimate. It was a connection unlike any she had ever experienced. They already had a flirtatious exchange in their professional lives, and then they got to share an evening of incredible sex. 

Judy couldn’t help but wonder...what else was there?

And even more, what did she want now?

She was closing in on her ultimate goal. Judy and Rogue were making huge strides on their long-term plan. V’s work at IEC, connecting the Afterlife to IEC’s mainframe, put the next phase of their plan into motion. Things were happening quickly.

But Judy wasn’t done with V, and after the successful job at IEC, Judy knew that Rogue wasn’t done with V, either.

However, Judy knew damn well that her ideas for V, what she wanted with V, was vastly different than what Rogue had in mind. 

What Judy wanted...she wanted V for herself. 

Judy’s thoughts drifted. 

Again, she wondered…

What if?

What if, after a long day at work, someone was waiting for her at home?

What if that someone was V?

“Judy? Hellloooo, Judy! Earth to Judy Alvarez!”

Judy shook her head. V was waving her hand in front of Judy’s face, trying to get her attention. 

She got momentarily distracted, lost in her head as she ran through more what-if scenarios, wondering what life would have been like if she and V had met earlier.

No, not what if they had met earlier...Judy’s last thought was what could possibly happen now.

Then, she thought about what V had asked her. 

Did Judy feel that fire between them? Hell yeah she did. Did she feel - and know - that something was happening?

Absolutely.

And now that V said it, Judy felt more at ease admitting it to herself. She was even ready to say it out loud.

But she didn’t know what that could mean, how it could possibly affect her long-term goal, her work with Rogue, her vision for how she wanted to live her life.

However, she couldn’t just leave V standing there, wondering what her answer was.

“Yeah, but-”

V put her hands on Judy’s waist. “But nothin’. Yeah’s all I need. And I got it.”

“V, I can’t promise anything. I’m in this situation, there’s so much to consider, and-”

“Judy? I’m not askin’ for anything at all from you. And I get the ‘no promises’ thing. I’m a mercenary for fuck’s sake. I get the whole temporary thing. My whole life’s a goddamn gamble. You know why Rogue brought me in for the IEC job?”

Judy answered, “Because you’re a brilliant counterintelligence agent?”

V laughed. “Ha! You’re so sweet, you know that?”

“I’m not tryna be sweet. That’s the truth. You’re really  fucking good, V.”

V answered, “I just know how to read moves. Pretty good at readin’ yours, especially.”

Judy wanted to kiss V. She wanted to kiss V so fucking badly…

V saw the look in Judy’s eyes and knew what she wanted. V beat her to it, and she kissed Judy.

It was soft and gentle, but holy fuck how there was so much fire and passion in that kiss. Judy felt warmth through her entire body, and as V kissed her, Judy couldn’t deny how she felt. 

Things between them were getting intense on multiple levels.

V’s hands came up and held Judy’s face. Then, after V pulled away from the kiss, she looked at Judy and said, “Rogue knew that I’m expendable. That I could go at any time, and it’d be no skin off her ass.”

“You’re not expendable, V.”

“I am. Got no issue with that. Doesn’t matter who I’m workin’ for - Arasaka, IEC, Rogue, fixers, anyone - I’m just another link in the chain. Way of the world.”

“But...I don’t want you to go.”

V smiled. “No?”

Judy wrapped her arms around V’s neck. She quietly said, “No.”

V kissed Judy again. Then, she sighed. “Judy, I got someone waitin’ for me at my place.”

Judy immediately went rigid. “Oh. Okay. I see.”

“He’s very demanding. Loud. Walks around naked, screaming and demanding pets and cuddles. But he’s good company. He’s a good boy. Only guy I’ve ever let in my bed. You’d love ‘em.”

“Sounds nova,” Judy said despondently.

V leaned in and said, “His name’s Nibbles. He’s my cat.”

Judy felt like she was slapped out of reality and then brought right back into the fold. “Oh! You have a cat?”

V nodded.

“Wow, that’s...I wouldn’t ever figured you for a cat person.”

“Yeah,” V replied. “Me neither. But I had all these packages of cat food that I randomly picked up around town, and then I found him hanging out by the trash drop in my building. He looked so sad and skinny, just made sense to feed him. Kinda felt bad watchin’ him eat, seemed like it’d been a while since his last meal. Poor guy. Soon as he finished eating, he looked up at me and did this pathetic little meow. Little fucker. Couldn’t help myself. Brought him in and he’s been with me since. Pretty easy upkeep. But last night I didn’t think I’d be out all night, so I should check on him. Make sure he’s okay.”

Every damn time V told Judy something about herself, it raised more questions, but it also made Judy like V even more. 

She saved a cat, for crying out loud. 

No one gave a shit about anything or anyone in Night City; murders happened on the side of the road all the damn time and no one batted an eye. 

But then there’s V, who fed a skinny cat and decided to rescue him.

V ran her hands up Judy’s back and she said, “Although, gotta admit. I’d hate to leave here. Hate to leave you. I like it here.” Then, V cupped Judy’s face. “I like being here with you. I like being anywhere with you.” V kissed Judy again. “I like you.”

Judy still had her eyes closed, and when V pulled away from their kiss, Judy wanted V to kiss her again. She didn’t want to wait. Judy pulled V closer and kissed her hungrily.

How did V do it? She made Judy feel like she was the only person in the entire world. Everything else seemed to fall away whenever they were together. It always felt just like the two of them, ever since that moment they first talked outside of the IEC building. 

And in that moment, as they kissed, Judy wanted to hold onto V. She wanted to bring her in, hold her close, and let V into her life and into her heart.

This wasn’t part of Judy’s plan.

So, her plan needed to change.

But Judy couldn’t think. All she could do was kiss V back.

Fuck, V was an amazing kisser…

They both broke from the kiss when Judy’s notification alert pinged again. This time, she had to take the call without any interruptions. 

Judy pulled away from V’s embrace, and she ran to a closet near the kitchen. She quickly threw on a blazer, buttoned it up to the very top, and answered the call.

“This is Judy Alvarez.”

A familiar face popped up on Judy’s heads-up display. The caller was the Chief Technical Officer of International Electronic Corporation.

“Good morning, Judy. We’ve got a high-level security breach. Shutting everything down. Need you to come in.”

“Send everything you’ve got over secure channel eight one three. Opening the port now,” Judy granted access and continued. “I’ll start working on my tablet ‘til I get into the office. On my way.” 

Judy ended the call, and made another call.

“Delamain, come get me at the house right now.”

“On the way, Miss Alvarez.”

Judy ended the second call and looked at V.

V jutted her chin at Judy and asked, “Nice outfit. Goin’ in like that?”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

V walked up to Judy and kissed her forehead. “Nah. I’m likin’ the exclusive view. That outfit’s for me.”

Judy wanted to stay, but that call was important. Judy had been waiting for that call. 

It was part of the plan.

And she had to go.

“I gotta get ready and head out. Cab’s gonna be here any sec. But V, I wanna take you up on your offer. Take me out sometime.”

V reached for Judy’s hand and pressed their wrists together. Both of their eyes glowed, and V said, “You’ve now got access to my pad. Come find me when you’re ready.”

Then, V pulled her hand away, kissed Judy’s forehead again and said, “Go. Do your biz. We’ll catch up soon. Call me, or just come by when the mood strikes. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

V walked out through the back door, went to the pool deck, grabbed her tank top, jeans, and boots. She got dressed and walked to the driveway. Then, V got into her car, started the engine, and was gone.

Judy ran upstairs and got fully dressed. Within minutes, the Delamain cab was waiting for her. Once she was in the cab, Judy was headed to the IEC offices, ready to install the countermeasures to the security breach that she and Nix planned.

This would give Judy unfettered access to the goldmine. 

This would give Judy access to everything shared between IEC and the European Space Agency.

It was all part of the plan.

The plan that Judy pitched to Rogue the night they met.

The night that Judy walked right into the Afterlife with zero resistance, and shared a booth with the queen of the Afterlife herself.

They talked. Had a few drinks. And Judy laid out her master plan. Rogue listened to every word, took in every detail, and looked for ways to dissect Judy’s plan. 

She found no flaws.

Rogue knew, just like Judy knew, that the plan was genius.

It was just an idea, at first. Then, it became a plan. A spectacular, ballsy, high-risk, high-rewards, unabashedly bold and intrepid plan.

The world was theirs for the taking.

But they wanted more.

And soon, they’d have everything they wanted, everything that they had been working for.

After working together for several months, word spread around the Afterlife that Rogue wasn’t alone. She brought in a partner. And together, they were ascending to a higher level. 

Rogue was no longer a queen.

She and Judy had become something more.

They had become goddesses.