607We all looked at the computer blankly. What had seemed a full proof plan ten minutes ago seemed to have a few holes in it now. Standing with me was Zach, Magenta, Ethan, Leila and Patrick. We made a motley crew, one half of a rescue group. Our flush of initial excitement and determination was fading.
Schematics? Why did someone have to mention schematics? I have no idea how to obtain schematics.
"This is stupid." I aired my opinion to the general collection of people.
"Kinda necessary though," Magenta countered.
I sighed. She was right. No point breaking into a bank if we didn't know our way around, super powers or not.
"Ok we all agreed that we need the plan but who knows anything about computers?" Leila asked.
As if sharing the same thought we all turned to look at Ethan who had picked that exact moment to start cleaning his glasses.
He noticed us staring at him. "What?" he asked, startled.
"C'mon Ethan. I shouldn't have to say it," Zach slapped him on the back.
"I guess I know some stuff about computers." Ethan looked uncertain.
I caught Patrick's eye and couldn't help feeling I knew what he was thinking when he arched one eyebrow. We had definitely bitten off more than we could chew.
"Do you know anything about hacking?" Magenta persisted. Ethan shrugged shyly.
Hope surged in fuelled by the absence of outright denial from Ethan.
"I'm not an expert," Ethan hastened to clarify.
"That will have to do," Leila said, leading Ethan to the seat in front of the monitor.
Ethan began tapping away; hesitantly at first but with an increasingly fluid motion.
I began to pace. I was starting to lose the momentum that intense emotion had infused me with. I was feeling hollow and a bit disjointed.
I sank abruptly into an available chair. The suddenness of the movement made Leila glance at me with concern but she didn't say anything. I rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hands wondering how I ended up here.
I knew how I had ended up here. I had made a choice regarding a boy and it seemed like it was going to be bad choice.
I mentally shook myself. I wasn't going to give up on Lash already. He had made a bad decision, and a stupid one to boot but then again I knew I had known he was an idiot from the beginning. He was going to get scolded and probably slapped but he needed someone to believe in him. He needed me to believe in him. And rescue him. And I do believe I mentioned slap him.
Ethan let out a whistle.
"Was that a good whistle or a bad whistle?" Zach asked. He was leaning easily against the wall, apparently not perplexed by the seriousness of the situation.
Ethan didn't answer at first.
"Ethan?" my tone wasn't relaxed at all.
"Good," he hastened to assure me. "I mean I think so."
"Explain, nerd boy!" Magenta commanded.
"Well the building is old. So the original plans are probably in the library database. We will have the floor plan but not the security details."
"Which won't matter much," Patrick started.
"Because the police already know someone is in there," Magenta finished with a wicked grin.
I nodded. "Download those babies, Ethan. Then we can rendezvous with the others."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Will dropped the heavy load in his arms at the feet of his class mates.
"Where are Leila and the others?" he asked after doing a quick body count.
"With Mindy getting schematics." Speed struggled with the word 'schematics.'
Warren smirked clearly at the idea of his friends crowded around a computer trying to extract information from it.
I chose that moment to make my entrance. I flung the door open with an open-palmed shove. The plans were in my raised fist.
"Ha!" I declared.
"I knew you could do it," Warren cheered feebly, surprised by our success.
"Save the ass-kissing, Warren. I saw that doubtful face." I spread the plans on the desk while Zach snapped his fingers victoriously, if dangerously close to Warren's nose.
"Did you get the equipment?" Leila asked Will.
"Certainly did. I flew home and raided my parents stuff."
"Lauren, Speed and I got into the school supplies," Warren said.
I looked at the pile of weapons on the floor and felt a tingle of apprehension. Those uniforms were pretty cool and only genuine heroes were supposed to wear them. My eyes skimmed over some uniforms that had obviously belong to criminals too.
I caught Speed's eye over the assembled hero & criminal paraphernalia. His eyes were narrowed with determination.
"Shot gun slapping him first," Speed said.
I shrugged. "Done."
Magenta raised her arm in the air. "Question? How do we avoid the police and beat the other superheroes in?"
"Huh?" I looked up from the plans of the bank.
"Well, everyone knows that Jake has telekinesis so I'm assuming that the heroes are probably making plans." Magenta noticed our glares. "What? I'm just saying!"
"Magenta's wrong," Lauren said slowly.
"Hey hey, there's the positivity we need," Zach said.
"Uh if Lauren is about to say a good thing, why isn't she smiling?" Ethan asked.
"Well the superheroes have a lot more practice at this then we do. Chances are they're already there." Lauren winced as if it was painful to say.
I threw my hands up in the air. "We suck!"
"We don't suck," Leila countered angrily.
"We can't compete with the police and the actual heroes." I shot back.
"And they don't know what they are getting into with Jake." Patrick pulled out the seat next to Warren, looking defeated.
"They just look like kids to the police. He'll kill them." Will paused as if his own words had only just sunk in. "He'll kill them."
"Maybe we should just leave this up to the proper superheroes?" Leila asked, defeated.
There was a morose silence in the room as we considered the magnitude of the problems.
Ethan mumbled something.
"Say what now?" Zach asked.
"We are proper superheroes." Ethan repeated.
"Yeah, in a few years maybe," Magenta snorted.
"No!" Ethan snapped. "Now! We've done this kind of thing before. We are underestimating ourselves. Now pull your heads out of your butts and think of a solution. I got schematics out of a computer for god's sake!"
There was another silence but this one was stunned. We had never seen Ethan lose his cool in such a dramatic way.
"Hell yeah!" Speed pumped his arm in the air. "Bring it on!"
Leila was smiling one of her rare devious smiles. "The police should be easy to elude."
"So it's just the superheroes we have to get around," Warren said.
I surveyed my group with a grin. "We're gonna need a really good distraction."
"I'm sorry; explain to me why I should help you again?" This incredulous question was combined with a hair flick. We were so doomed if our one shot wouldn't help us.
Penny looked at Speed and I derisively. The team had voted us two as having the best chance at persuading her to help us.
"Penny, I know you and Lash used to be friends. You have to help," I pleaded.
"Yeah we were."
"It's not our fault that you were forced to come back here," Speed said. "We all followed Gwen."
"I didn't blame you guys for that." Penny stomped her petite foot. "But you guys ditched me this year. You both rehabilitated and left me to be the only bad guy."
"Um does Penny have feelings?" I hissed out of the corner of my mouth.
"Apparently."
"She can also hear you," Penny growled. It was disconcerting hearing such a menacing sound out of such a pretty girl.
"Penny, you didn't actually try to become friends with... well, anyone." I said.
Penny shot me a withering look. "Duh. You guys are losers. But it still would have been nice to have been asked."
"Well my world just exploded." I pressed my fingers to my temples. We didn't have time for this emotional therapy. I can only imagine the time necessary to deal with Penny's latent issues of insecurity and bitchiness.
"Penny, you're the perfect person for this. If you help us rescue Lash-"
"And Elsie," I grumbled.
"Yeah I guess her too. But mostly Lash. If you help us don't you think you they might take you off the superhero black list of potential villains?"
"Does that mean I'll actually get out of this school this year?"
I nodded slowly. "No more ridiculous classes and dance lessons. No more summer camp."
Penny inhaled sharply. "Summer camp."
I knew we had her with those two words.
"What do I have to do?"
Speed and I high-fived.
"Ugh hopefully not that. I don't do team spirit."
I raised my eye at her cheerleading outfit.
Penny crossed her arms defensively. "Well, none of that genuine crap."
"Trust me, Penny, genuine is the last thing we need from you right now."
"Where did you get this outfit from, Will? The Xena shop?" I mumbled.
Will flushed. "It was all I could find to accommodate your specific needs."
"Yeah well, it's riding up my butt!" We were all wearing outfits made out of that strange material that looked like a cross between rubber and leather. Hopefully they would absorb the brunt of any impacts or take the edge of knife attacks, which were all too likely with Jake involved.
"Hey focus," Warren snapped.
"Sorry," we all murmured.
Scolded into paying attention to our current situation, I couldn't ignore my racing heart or the butterflies in my stomach.
Leila put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Are you ready?"
"Totally!" The first part of the plan depended on me being able to do something that I wasn't a hundred percent sure I could do. I had been practicing but the pressure wasn't helping.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the eagle inked into my skin. The pornographic warrior outfit left my ribs exposed. I visualised the tattoo in my mind, imagining the bird moving. The eagle flexed its wings in my imagination, lifting up off my very skin.
I heard a gasp. Something must be happening but I stayed focused.
"It's working," Magenta whispered.
What was happening was a very weird sensation to describe. I could feel the eagle making movements in the sky, waiting for my direction. It had no thoughts, emotions or instinct. It was just a 3D picture.
I pushed it toward the bank, swooping high in the sky so it could take in the whole scene. It was exhausting keeping it away from my body and moving. I took a deep breath and put all my energy into keeping the bird in the air.
Hazy images were starting to form in my mind. "Ok everyone is still outside the building. There are other people in the building but they don't look too concerned. They think they are just kids apparently. Kids with guns."
"And they don't look concerned?" Lauren sounded confused.
"The superheroes are here. They think it's going to be ok. Either that or they just looked wicked calm."
"Mindy, are you ok?" Patrick sounded worried.
I could feel my body start to shake and sweat run down my face. Apart from the fire tattoo, the others were still new territory.
"Just a little bit longer," I said through gritted teeth. I pushed the bird closer to the windows. I just had to see if Lash was still ok.
His face flashed in my mind and I released my control of the bird. It rushed back into my body and I felt it seep back into my skin like it was a brand. My eyes flew open and my head dropped back against the wall I was sitting against.
Lash was alive though looking a little worse for wear. He had a cut above his eyebrow and blood had smeared across his forehead as though he had used the back of his hand to wipe it out of his eyes. He had obviously been defiant and punished for it. That was the guy I loved.
"Wow," I breathed. "I'm beat." I looked at the eagle tattoo. The skin was angry and raised, just like it had been when I had first had it done. I brushed my fingers across it and they came away bloody. I flinched in pain.
"Do you want to stay here?" Warren asked.
I shot him an incredulous look. Did he seriously think I would come this far and leave Lash to be rescued by a bunch of misfits. Granted they were my bunch of misfits and I had a lot of faith in them but I wanted to keep an eye on the potential chaos.
I bit my lip and wiped my fingers on my clothes.
Lauren's phone beeped. "Penny, Ethan and Speed are in position," she said reading the text. Originally Speed had forbidden Lauren from joining the expedition but I suppose she used her feminie wiles and negotiated her way into coming.
The other three had made their way through the underground system where Ethan would use his liquid abilities to seep up through a locked man-hole in the back. After opening it for Penny and Speed, Penny would create a distraction. Speed would grab Ethan and get the hell out of dodge as fast as he could. They would back us up once we could enter.
According to the eagle the main bad guy action was happening in the front.
"It's going to happen soon then." Zach was bouncing on the balls of his feet, full of nervous energy.
"We should get down there," Will said, standing up. We followed his lead. Will was going to take point in this fight. He was the only one with leadership quality in abundance.
We left the rooftop of the nearby building. I was painfully aware of how conspicuous we were. We had coats over our noticeable clothing but we were still a big pack of teenagers and we stood out.
I kept my head down and tried to move as fast as I could. If we timed it perfectly with Penny's distraction then no one would even notice us slip by.
Warren's hand hovered near my elbow. As my training partner he was aware how much using the tattoos still took out of me. I suspected he thought I was totally over my head with this mission. He was a thousand percent right.
I brushed my fingers over my right wrist where the fringe of my fire tattoo was. I was going to limit myself to using fire as a weapon. I would do anything to save Lash but I was no good to him dead or too exhausted to move. I'd become nothing more than a burden.
Jake was dangerous. I was hoping that sheer numbers would be enough to overpower him. Once we got Lash, and Elsie, out of the way then the superheroes would hopefully come in and take Jake out.
We heard a commotion, doors flung open and people surged out. Hundreds of people running in all different directions. Well hundreds of versions of one person. Penny's incredibly useful power was causing an epic distraction.
"I didn't know she could turn into that many people," I whispered to Warren.
He just shook his head at the chaos. The police were grabbing at people clearly baffled, suspecting a trap. This one even threw the superheroes. I saw Will's parents examining the sea of Pennys, looking for one of the bad guys to be amongst them.
Our group, tiny in comparison, used the girls as cover to slide into the bank. Some of us had to stoop so the diminutive cheerleader could provide the necessary cover. Zach pulled the door shut behind us and raised himself out of the hunch.
"Let's do this, bitches!" He cracked his knuckles as we turned to reward him with blank silence.
Magenta furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head at him.
"We need to focus, Team," Will scolded.
I nodded grimly. Will was right. No time to joke around if we were going to get in and out relatively unscathed.
Leila looked toward the stairs, up which we knew what we were going to find. A bunch of scared bank employees, a misguided teen girl, my Lash... and a psychopath.
"Not too late to consider being a lawyer. We could just walk back out of this foyer," Patrick said but not with any real conviction. I don't think he believed anyone of this group would walk back out.
I rewarded him with a weak grin. "Nah, wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world."
Magenta snorted. "Yeah, what a glorious day." Speed and Ethan picked that time to join us, flushed with the success of the first stage of the plan.
"It's anarchy out there." Ethan delivered this fact in a boasting way. He clearly didn't feel any moral twinges at misleading the police.
"Ok I'll lead," Will said, still all business. Warren's face was serious too, mind on the job.
Before we had a chance to take another step I heard a sing song voice that chilled the blood in my veins.
"I sense new guests to play with." Jake's voice floated down the stairs, without a hint of irony. He didn't give any indication he thought the word 'guest' was a poor choice or that he was using it sarcastically. He was literally insane. Or more insane!
I felt Leila shiver next to me and we grasped hands for an instance. Something about Jake just made you want human contact. I think it was the vacant eyes and the voice devoid of any warm emotion.
Will gave no indication that he was affect ted and he began walking towards the stairs. Speed back him up, his eyes narrowed with determination. Warren walked shoulder to shoulder with Speed, his face calm but his body taunt. Ready for action.
It made sense for the three boys to lead as they had the strongest super powers. Leila and I came next; voted the next most powerful. The others brought up the rear.
We appreciated the partner system because it was a good idea but after only a year we hadn't perfected it. Our best chance was to send in our powerful gunners. The others would work on getting the normal people out of harm's way. If our first line failed then the others would go for help as soon as possible.
I wasn't so arrogant that I didn't think there was a possibility we might eventually need the professional superheroes to help. As long as Lash was accounted for and not a target they could do what they wanted to with Jake. My vote was put him in a box somewhere they could watch him through a reinforced window.
My whole body tingled with anticipation as Will took his first steps into the other room. I wasn't expecting Jake to try and take us out with a sneak attack. He thrived off fear and the terror in his victims eyes. If he thought he could, he would drag this out as long as possible. Before he made a move he was going to assess the situation. Which suited me just fine.
My stomach had turned to lead by the time I emerged into the room. My eyes swept the area, taking in the terrified hostages, huddled and crying. I only barely registered them; I knew who I was specifically searching for.
Lash was still on his feet. His expression was rebellious. The blood I had seen through the Eagle's eyes had dried, creating an eerie Halloween mask. Our eyes locked and his expression changed dramatically. I watched an array of emotions fly across his face. Surprise at seeing me, love, fear for me, shame at what he had done; all featured before he regained control. Lash's face was now downright murderous. No blank calm for my baby and all hi anger was directed at Jake.
I have no idea what he would have seen on my face. My knees just about collapsed with relief at seeing him still standing. I wanted to keep drinking in his image with my eyes but I reminded myself now was not the time. If we got out of this, I would have plenty of time to stare at Lash.
Jake was grinning manically; not at all concerned that he was confronted with a ten strong force. He was very confident in the efficiency of his powers. But I had faith in the combined strength of ours.
"You know why we're here, Jake!" Will said steadily.
The grin on Jake's face vanished as if it had never been. "I figure you're here to release these things." His voice was bland and he gestured toward the hostages and Lash.
I caught Lash's eyes again and tried to indicate that he should begin edging toward our side so they could present a united front. Almost imperceptibly Lash shook his head and made a move almost like looking over his should but much, much subtler.
I took in Lash's surroundings, for the first time looking beyond my boyfriend. He was standing in front of a cowering heap on the ground. With a gasp I realised it was Elsie and she wasn't cowering, she was unconscious. There was blood on the floor, clearly seeping out of her body. There was a knife lying discarded on the ground too.
I took a calming breath. I tried to evaluate the situation intellectually. She had to be alive otherwise Lash wouldn't be standing guard of her body. I heard Patrick mutter a curse under his breath. Everyone else had noticed Elsie too but they were keeping their reactions small. Nobody wanted to draw Jake's attention back to the broken girl.
Will was still on mission. "You don't have to hurt these people anymore, Jake." He was still trying to reason with him which I knew would get him nowhere.
Jake pretended to consider it for half a second before shaking his head again. "But I kinda want to, Will. Don't worry I'll include you all. Especially you." The last bit was directed at me.
Lash let out something akin to a snarl. Jake flicked his eyes toward the sound and I realised what we doing wrong. We were being too cautious. We had to be bigger and bolder, engage his attention in a more dramatic way. It might set him off but no one could sneak any hostages out in this environment. We needed a bit of disorder.
I stepped forward and somehow found my voice. "If you like pain so much, Jake, maybe you should be on the receiving end for a change," I sneered. My voice didn't shake and it was a little louder than I intended.
Jake zoned in on me like a shark that smelled blood. A hunter oblivious to anything but his prey. Warren took another step closer, becoming more physically imposing with every invasive step.
Will was still negotiating but he was moving forward too.
Jake ignored every word out of Will's mouth, no longer interested in indulging the pantomime now that someone had challenged him out right.
"But I much prefer inflicting pain." The look on his face was subhuman. Craving blood as much as the fear now. His mental condition had deteriorated. He may have tricked Lash into thinking that he was going to rob the banks for money but they real reason was new victims and infamy.
"You're not going to have much luck with us then," Speed said. We were advancing on Jake now; it wasn't like proximity made any difference with Jake's power. The closer we were the more we could shield the others to do the work they needed to. There was a tiny bit of movement and I knew they had started the evacuation.
Jakes eyes were darting back and forward, taking in our faces. I could see his mind working and shoulders tense. He was starting to feel trapped. This was both good and bad for us. Good that we had his attention; good that we had him on edge and he might make a mistake; but bad for us, because he was about to snap.
Will cocked his head. "Last chance, Jake." There was a potent silence as the offer hung in the air.
Warren, never known for his patience, broke first. "Enough of this," he said. His arms from the forearm down ignited. Before any of us had a chance to react he flung a fireball at Jake, who dodged with an inhuman agility.
With a flick of Jake's wrist, Warren was sent flying backwards. Lucky for Speeds natural gift otherwise Warren would have collided with him. As it was Warren hit the floor with an impact that drove the air from his lungs.
Leila gasped in horror before whirling back to face Jake, her eyes narrowed and angry. Warren was getting to his feet. He was a bit shaky but otherwise unscathed. Thankfully Warren was made of resilient stuff.
Jake took a threatening step forward and Leila sent a flurry of vines out binding his movement. Warrens hand was on fire already. That snapped me out of my witness role. Warren had just been slammed into the ground and he was already in attack mode again.
I took a breath and focused on bringing the fire into my hands. It streamed up my back, over my shoulder and into my arms. I conjured a ball of flames into my palm. I was startled by how much it took out of me. The eagle had really exhausted me. My knees collapsed, when I threw the fire at Jake. It went wide and collided with his arm.
Jake's arm was singed and from the hiss of pain it was evident the burn had hurt him. Warren sent his own assault but he was still shaky and his burnt Jake's leg.
The flames sent the vines into retreat though and Jake was free. He was initially distracted by his two new wounds. Will took advantage of the moment and swung a punch at Jake's face that should have ended it but Jake regained control at the last second and deflected the powerful blow.
We had formed a semi circle around him, finally settling on a tactic. If we kept him preoccupied enough then he wouldn't be able to use his power effectively and eventually one of our strong blows would hit him and incapacitate him.
Speed zipped back and forward, landing sharp hits, that would sting and irritate. Every time Jake tried to move, Lash was there with his long arms, grabbing his clothes, tripping and basically hindering his movement.
Warren and I were sending fireballs that weren't doing as much damaged as we hoped. We didn't want to kill Jake but he seemed to be immune to the pain of lesser potency. Leila had replaced Lash as Elsie's guard.
Will was getting closer and closer. Jake saw his time was limited. His next display of power drew a grunt from his lips but sent a shock wave of energy out, throwing us all off our feet. The boys caught the brunt of it but Leila and I were knocked down too.
My stomach tightened and my mouth gaped ineffectually, trying to draw in breath. I pulled myself up onto my knees. Will was stirring but Warren, Lash and Speed had hit the far wall and were still.
I looked up at Jake. His face was murderous and I prepared myself for the next onslaught. There were footsteps and voices in the bottom level of the bank. The superheroes were here.
I coughed and sweet oxygen filled my lungs. I flicked my eyes back to my friends quickly. Everyone was moving, gingerly.
Jake was backing away. He knew with the superheroes, he wouldn't be able to do defeat them. He turned away and started outright running.
I felt fury flood my veins. He was going to get away! I reacted purely on instinct. If I had thought it through it would have known it was a bad idea. Very bad for me.
I was on my feet, propelled by the hate in my system. Jake had messed with my life more than any person had a right to.
Almost without conscious thought, I raised my arm and felt the ink bubbling under my skin, ready for my direction and crackling with energy.
With a scream I ripped it out of my skin, into reality and shooting towards Jake back. The lightening shot into him and he shrieked in pain. He fell to the ground twitching and jerking. After a moment he lay still. I didn't know if he was dead. I wasn't sure if I even cared.
The lightening shot back into my arm and the residual electricity ran through my body. My arm was a bloody mess, much worse than my ribs. Even though I was used to the fire tattoo my back still felt raw from overuse. I felt something warm and wet trickle over my lips; my nose was bleeding too. Distantly I thought about how much blood there was in the bank.
I felt myself falling. This time it happened in slow motion. I could hear someone shout my name but they sounded far away. It was almost a relief to be on the ground. My body was shattered.
I was aware of the commotion in the room. Superheroes flooding in, followed by the police. I blinked slowly and a ghost of a smile played across my lips. Someone took my hand and Lash's face swum into focus.
His hair was falling over his eyes and his expression was frantic. I tried to lift a hand to brush his hair back but it was too heavy to move.
I just wanted sleep. Lash was speaking but now it was like I was cut off by a fog. Nothing was getting through.
I grinned once more at Lash, trying to convey all the love I felt. Then my eyes shut and I was out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I was propped up in bed and sunlight was streaming in my window. I was surrounded by cards and balloons. There used to be chocolate... but I had eaten the chocolate.
After two days in hospital assessing my state, I was relieved to have spent the last four days at home.
Though now, I was starting to get antsy. One room was not great for long periods of time.
Things couldn't be better. I had no permanent damage. The doctors said I had suffered from extreme exhaustion. My back, ribs and arm was still tender. The tattoos had scabbed over just like they were new. I hadn't even attempted to use my powers since but I could still feel the ability to use the tattoos simmering under the surface.
It was nice to know that when I was ready, I could start training again.
Jake was in jail. A special cell somewhere far away. The lightening strike had altered him. He didn't talk and he was docile. I knew I should feel bad about destroying his mind but I couldn't work up many negative emotions. I was too happy.
Penny was almost reformed. Her new act of heroism had her considering legal avenues of employment. Though as far as I could tell it hadn't made her the slightest bit less bitchy. Elsie was recovering fast but still in hospital.
Speed and Lauren had apparently kissed in triumph when Jake had gone down. They were going steady now and I was glad. Speed needed Lauren's sanity and calm nature.
Patrick had been motivated to get into law enforcement. His rhyming might hinder him but he said he was interested in looking into profiling. He could help out that way he had told me. He was happy to have a backstage role.
No chance of that happening to Zach. He was still enthused by the partnership plan and every time I saw him he talked loudly about how him and Will would defeat criminals worldwide.
Ethan would just shake his head. He was content to sit in the corner of my room with a book while the rest of us gossiped. I was relieved he didn't have a malicious bone in his body and we didn't have to worry about another evil genius.
Magenta didn't talk much about the future. She seemed more the content to have done the good deed and be alive. She wanted to take things as they came.
Warren didn't say much at all. He ruffled my hair affectionately when he saw me and grinned a lot. Warren was relaxed and at peace with his situation. We hadn't been the friends he imagined having but we'd do. And after being a hero twice, no one compared him to his dad.
Leila and Will had sorted out their issues. I had no idea if they would last forever but they seemed totally in love for now. She seemed a little more comfortable with the use of violence in the most extreme circumstances. Will was still Will. Confident, reliable and stable; still very much the leader of our ragtag bunch.
The clock hit ten am and like clockwork I heard footsteps on the stairs.
The door opened and Lash stepped into my room. He had visited me every day since the event. He was careful to keep his distance and never stayed more than an hour as if afraid he would tire me out.
I sighed. I loved seeing Lash but I was sick of the wary act. I thought after everything we had been through it would have straightened himself out.
"Do me a favour?" I said before he had a chance to take a seat in the far seat.
"Of course."
Too compliant and he hadn't teased me once.
"Sit here," I patted the bed beside me.
He paused and I raised my eyebrows, daring him a little.
He slowly walked over. Lash sat down next to me.
I took his hand. I had considered my approach for days and had decided to go for simple.
"Don't you love me anymore?"
This startled him. "How can you ask that? I felt like I was dying when I watched you fall."
I slapped him sharply. "Then what the hell is going on?" I demanded. He had a stunned look and a red mark from where I hit him. Whatever, I owed him that one.
"Sheesh Minny, don't ease into it." The use of my nickname calmed and strengthened me.
Lash couldn't look me in the eye. "How could you still want me?"
I put my hand on his cheek and forced eye contact. "Because you're you," I said gently. "Because when it counted, you made the right decision. When it counted you acted like a hero."
He covered my hand with his own and held it to his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow.
When Lash opened his eyes he had a new sense of determination in his eyes. He looked like he'd made a decision.
He mirrored my movements, cupping my face in his own hands.
"I love you," he said steadily and leaned in to kiss me softly. My stomach dropped and my heart thundered.
"I love you too... this better not be the part before you say goodbye."
"How could I say goodbye again? You'd just stalk me."
I punched him playfully in the arm. "Watch it buddy."
He kissed me again and this time when I sighed, it was contentment.
Yes, life was good.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
AN: And that is the end. I know it is epic but I wanted to end on a decent chapter. Thoughts? Compliments? I appreciate all the support and the people who have stuck with the story over the years. It's been fun. Takecare everyone.
MD666
