Blink&Clean

He was staring at her with his mouth open and eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. Malia bit down the tears.

After months of fighting and sleeping alone and more fighting… Their relationship had come to an end. In the worst way ever, but it had.

"I never cheated on you, Malia, for fuck' sake!" Stiles recovered his composure and now he seemed to be inflating in anger.

She didn't think he had either. Malia wasn't stupid, she was well aware of how loyal Stiles could be. However, loyal or not, Stiles also didn't know when to move on.

He had swiped his feelings for Lydia for under the rug and thrown himself in a relationship that could work – Instead of his childhood crush for the brilliant girl. And still, Malia felt alone and cheated on.

She felt cheap, a distraction that had consumed seven years of her life. An illusion of moving on, while Stiles shared secrets with Lydia (because, somehow, the ginger girl had ended up knowing more about him than Scott did) and played the nice bestfriend.

"You did" Malia started to walk toward the door "Just because you didn't kiss her, didn't sleep with her, doesn't mean you didn't! If I am the last one to know that you don't ever plan on getting married, that you changed majors on college, and that you want children… I'm the one that should know those things. Who… Who am I in your life?!"

"My girlfriend!" He started to walk toward her, but Malia was already leaving his room in the small apartment "You are my girlfriend, Malia. It's been seven years! And now you want to break up with me because I tell Lydia things?"

"No!" Now there were too many tears for her to see his face and, still, she knew that he wasn't crying. He was impassible. Their breakup had been waiting to happen had been years "I'm breaking up with you, because you don't even know my father's birthday, Stiles! But you know her mother's dentist appointment for some reason! I'm breaking up with you, because you don't love me and I can't waste anymore years trying to change it!"

The fact that started to rain the second she turned the corner of her street didn't even annoy Malia.

Her head was a mess of thoughts and things she should have said and things that maybe she shouldn't… No.

"Malia?" Henry Tate looked up from his book and frowned "You are all wet, Malia! What do you think you're doing walking home in the middle of a storm?" he complained, setting the book aside and walking toward his daughter.

"Malia?" only then he realized her eyes were red and puffy from crying and the humidity in her face wasn't entirely from the rain "What happened, sweetheart?"

"Stiles and I broke up" she answered, voice firm despite the yelling and crying from before.

"What?! He broke up with you?!" Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her inside, forcing her to walk to the kitchen and putting his daughter sitting down in a chair "And the little shit even made you walk home in the middle of a storm… You've always been too good for that kid, sweetheart…"

"Dad" Malia cut him off. Her head was hurting from thinking, but something was starting to puzzle together "I broke up with him."

"Why?" Henry asked before he could stop himself "No, you don't need to tell me. I'm sorry. C'mon, you should take a shower and get out these wet clothes"

"Dad" Malia interrupted again "I want to go away"

"You just went through your first heartbreak, Malia, of course you do" Mr. Tate smiled "Come, I'll help you up"

"No" She shook her head "I'm fine. I can do it by myself"

Leaving in the middle of the night was a bad move to pull, but her father just wouldn't listen and there was no way Malia was staying in that house to keep on hearing the phone ring.

She knew it was Stiles, he had left eight voice mails in her cell phone and Malia had deleted all of them. She was already feeling guilty enough without listening to him cry on the phone.

Still, with the small white card - "Need help with the filth? Blink&Clean has it!" – resting on the passenger seat, Malia knew that she was doing the only thing capable of saving her of that damned city. Beacon Hills had already taken all of her teenage years and early adult ones. It would take no more.

That card had been in her wallet for the last nine years, since the last time she had seen her biological mother. An imposing, rude woman who had almost, almost, made Peter seem nice in comparison.

Laura Milligan had wanted nothing to do with her biological daughter. As soon as she had discovered that sixteen years old Malia was in her track, Laura had came to Beacon Hills only to make clear that she had let the baby at the hospital for a reason and she did not want to have a daughter.

However, something – not feelings, that's for sure, but something - had made Laura leave the business card behind.

"Only go to this address if it's a life or death situation. I'll not be happy to see you, so make sure it's a choice between facing my wrath or death"

Those had been harsh words for young Malia to take and for many years she had hated that woman.

Nevertheless, when she entered college the realization that Henry was all of the parents she could ever wish hit her. 'Biological parents' were nothing if they were not around. And with that thought, the hate had vanished.

Now Malia was twenty five and all she wanted was to run away. She knew that Laura wasn't going to be happy, but honestly? Fuck Laura's feelings.
The woman was going to help her whether she wanted or not, because Malia Tate was not staying in Beacon Hills.

Seattle was nothing like California and she loved it. The rain that she once hated? She loved it. The buildings? She loved it. The homeless guy grabbing her arm and begging for change? Eh, almost there.

"Hi" Malia opened her biggest smile, which was quite a feat, after driving for twelve hours when she despised it "I have this card… My mother told me it would get me to the boss…"

She slipped the card across the transparent table. The girl took it slowly, staring at Malia like she had just grown a second head.

"Your mother… Ah" she had seen the annotation on the verse: DD – LA, followed by a signature. Malia had never understood that, but she figured it was some code that only people on the cleansing business got.

The girl stood up and opened a warm smile. She was dressed entirely in grey and looked a little too well dressed for a simple secretary. Maybe the Blink&Clean was a fancy enterprise?

"Follow me, Miss Ashton"

"No" Malia frowned "I'm Tate. Miss Tate"

A small sulk appeared between the girl's eyebrows, but she kept her smile on "Right. Follow me, Miss Tate"

Malia was mesmerized by the place, as they crossed room after room. Some huge, industrial washing machines were placed in a clinically clean room. Another one had a huge tank filled with water that once had been transparent, but at the middle of the evening had already turned maroon.

"This place is huge" she mumbled. The annoyance that had been in the back of her head since leaving Beacon Hills – was she really going to waste her 'BTEC Diploma in Martial Arts Instruction and Coaching' working in a cleansing company? – left completely.

"We have the best system of the continent"

"Oh"

Gaia, that was the name appearing in her tag, guided Malia to an elevator and pressed the last button.

"We're going to the underground?"

"All the installations are downstairs"

When the elevator finally stopped (and Malia was starting to believe the construction had been built downward, because there was no way they hadn't passed at least two underground floors), confusion hit her like a brick.

The last floor looked like a bank. People were sitting in small tables, typing and writing and there was mess of papers everywhere. The place reeked stress.

"This way" Gaia said, pulling Malia across that small labyrinth of anxious human beings and stepping into a long corridor "The bosses' hallway"

"Bosses?" Malia raised an eyebrow. Surely a cleansing company couldn't be that huge.

"Yes" She kept walking and Malia was forced to ran to accompany her "There are four of them. The Doctors and your mother" Gaia opened a small smile and made a gesture for Malia to stop "I'm going to let her know you are here"

The receptionist knocked twice, waited for the green light to show up at the top of the door – Really?! For a cleaning company?! – and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

Malia started to feel doubts and anxiousness fill her up all over again. But more than everything she felt curious. What was this place? Because it certainly couldn't be a gigantic laundry, no way.

"Desert Wolf will meet you now" Gaia opened the door and stood on the door way, making a small gesture for Malia to enter the room.

As soon as she did, the door was closed and Malia heard a frightening amount of locks bolt.

"Malia Tate" Laura hadn't changed much in the last nine years. Aside from a big scar going up her arms, she looked exactly the same. Safe one or another wrinkle.

"Laura Milligan"

"You don't look like you're dying" She was sitting in a presidential chair and had both hands over a fancy, iron and marble table. She didn't offer Malia a chair.

"I'm not" Malia frowned "You gave me your card"

"Did Henry die? Peter?" a small smile "I doubt you'd be here if Peter Hale died… I doubt anyone would care if that man died"

She wasn't wrong, but Malia felt a small shiver ran down her spine.

"Nobody died"

"Then… What are you doing here?" her voice got deadly, the manicured nails looking now too much like claws and her white smile shining.

Malia crossed her arms, bit down any alarm and said "I broke up with my boyfriend"

"Oh. That solves everything!" Laura raised her arms "She broke up with her boyfriend, so she decides to invade my workplace and… What are you doing here, Malia?" she was standing up, so slowly that her daughter almost didn't notice it.

"I want a job" Malia rolled her eyes "I can't stay at Beacon Hills anymore… I want a" whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a loud noise. The wall near Malia lighted up and she realized she had been leaning against a huge flat screen.

"Case 09.183.A – Solved. Subjects: Eliminated. Agent: T.R Chimera." The words appeared in bright letters in the screen and Malia opened her mouth in shock. What the most absolute fuck was that?

"Case 09.184.A – Unsolved. Subjects: 1 obit. 1 paralyzed. 1 obit. Agent: T.S. Chimera."

"Case. 09. 185. A – Solved. Subjects: Eliminated. Agent: D.D. Chimera."

"What is it?!" Malia exclaimed, reading again and again the words 'obit' and 'agent' "You're killing people?!"

"Not anymore" Laura's voice came from behind her, startling her even more. Malia turned white.

"Not anymore?! What… I'm calling the police! You're insane, you're killing people!" Malia turned around and tried to walk past her, but got her arm grabbed by a strong hand and was thrown against a wall.

She kicked her mother in the knees and threw her on the floor "Don't touch me!"

"Sensitive much?" Laura stood up, cleaning some imaginary dust from her skirt "Sit down, Malia"

"No!"

"Sit down" She made a move to grab her daughter by the arm again and Malia quickly defended herself, grabbing her mother's wrist.

"I said 'don't touch me'" she whistled.

"I said 'sit down'" Laura whistled back, forcing against Malia's hold "What are you going to do, Malia? Break your mother's wrist?"

"You're not my mother."

"We agree on that" she opened a smile and forced her hand more. Malia just couldn't believe that, it should be hurting a lot! How the woman was still forcing more? She would end up breaking her own wrist! "I still doubt you'd break it"

With a strong push, she forced her hand down and a sickening sound was heard. Malia opened her hand in shock, still with the feeling of the small bones breaking between her fingers.

"Now, sit down, please, Malia" Laura pointed a chair with her good hand, before pulling the bones back on place with a grimace. She pressed a button on her table, while Malia sat down quietly and terrified.

"Gaia, send Corey down with the first aid kit, please" Laura asked the small device over her table, still pushing a silver button.

"Right away, Mrs. Ashton" a pause "TR Chimera insists in talking with you, Mrs. Ashton"

"Send him down with Corey then. And clean the rest of my evening, I'll solve personal issues…" she threw a dirty look toward Malia.

"Alright, Mrs. Ashton" a small beep and the call finished.

Laura rested against her chair and took a look on her daughter. Her pale, terrified but still angry, daughter.

"You have nerve" she sighed "Don't take that as eulogy, it's not. It's a fact"

"Thank you" Malia answered anyway.

"What are we going to do with you, Malia?" a small groan and then her dark eyes lighted up "Witness Protection Program it is"

"What? No" Malia shook her head "I have a father who will have a meltdown if I don't call him every week. I can't be isolated in some hole just because you kill people"

"Don't be dramatic. It'll be just for a year or two"

"No" Malia squeezed her eyes "What do you even do? I… You just kill people? Like that?" she snapped her fingers.

"I'm going to repeat myself one more time, Malia. I don't kill people anymore"

"Oh, fine" Malia opened a sarcastic smile "My bad"

"This is a..." before she could finish her sentence a double knock was heard and Laura let out a sigh, taking out the silver (almost mercury like) keyboard and typing a password.

The locks opened one by one, small mechanical noises like birds chirping. And then the door was pushed open and a man entered the room.

He was covered in blood, from the spiked hairs to the knees of his pants.

"I'm never working with Tracy again!" he yelled "She has no common sense! She's a mess with everything; she paralyzed a dude because she couldn't break his neck right! Who does that?!"

"TR Chimera " Laura sighed "Calm down"

"No, I'm not calming down! I've been on this mission for the last months and she ruined everything! If Donovan hadn't stopped me, I'd have taught her how to break a fucking neck using her own! She's absolutely useless!" He passed a hand over his face, cleaning the still wet blood in his shirt and Malia finally could see his face right "No! She's not even useless! She's worse than useless. Useless people don't bother, she's a trouble! Failure… Yeah, she's a fucking failure!"

Malia wasn't even listening to what he was saying. All she heard was a scrambled mess of "breaking neck" and oh, shit, all that blood…

"I want her dead, Desert Wolf! Better yet, I want her neutralized!" he was still yelling and Laura was still looking at him with an unimpressed glare, while a small young man – he couldn't be older than eighteen years old – bandaged her hurt wrist.

"Are you done, TR Chimera?"

"No, I'm not done!" he scoffed, but the anger was leaving him now and he looked around the room, finally realizing Malia was sitting there, staring at him with a disgusted face.

"Who's the newbie?" His voice got calmer, softer… Curiosity shining in his eyes and Malia couldn't even try to say the color of them, because…was that a piece of flesh in his hair?

"TR Chimera, that's my daughter, Coyote" Desert Wolf pointed Malia with her good hand.

"Coy…" Malia frowned, rolling her eyes to the nickname that made no sense "Malia" she corrected, not offering a hand and starting to guess she had slipped on shock. There was no other way she would be so calm with that man covered in blood and guts.

"I'm Theo" he opened a bright smile "She could take Tracy's place, after you neutralize that useless piece of crap"

"I'm not neutralizing TS Chimera and Malia is not working here" Laura grimaced to the name.

He frowned deeply "If you don't neutralize Tracy, I swear I'll kill her."

Malia didn't doubt him for a second, even if Theo looked like petulant child in that moment.

Laura threw him a glare that was enough to shut him up "Are you a Doctor, TR Chimera?"

"No, Desert Wolf"

"Then you don't have permission to neutralize or kill anyone in this facility" she sighed and turned to Malia "Gaia will take care of you, Malia. What do you think of Alabama?"

"I'm not vanishing because of you and your little hit men club!" Malia exclaimed "All I wanted was a job! It's not that hard!"

"You want to work for me? The killer with a hit men's club?" Desert Wolf tilted an eyebrow and Malia scowled.

"No"

"Then Witness Protection it is"

"I don't even know what you do, aside from killing people" Malia crossed her arms and sank her feet on the ground. She was not going anywhere, much less to Alabama.

"We kill people that the government doesn't want walking around anymore" Theo explained, smiling "It's not that complicated"

She could feel him patronizing her. Asshole.

"It is a little more complicated than that" Laura rolled her eyes "But since you are not staying…"

"You kill people for the government?" Malia frowned, interrupting her "So, this is all legal?"

"Legal is a heavy word" Theo mumbled from his dark corner.

"Let's put it as 'not illegal' " Desert Wolf said.

"But it's still homicide…" Malia frowned "Right?"

"Half our cases are America's Most Wanted. We take some of them off prison, eliminate them… new shinning seats for a new shinning prisoners"

"And…" Malia knew she was going to regret it "What about the other half?"

"You don't want to know" Laura cut Theo's answer off. Corey, still kneeling and finishing his bandage in her wrist let out a small smile.

"I do" Malia squeezed her eyes "You don't kill family guys do you? Working people with small jobs and families and friends…"

"Those people are numbers for the government" Laura rolled her eyes "Nobody is going to pay the paycheck we ask only to kill a family's father"

Paycheck. As in money. As in job. As in legal job and not going AWOL.

"And how large is that paycheck?"

"I'm not going to kill anyone" Malia said again, mostly for herself, as Laura was no longer listening.

And no longer Laura.

After Malia had decided to stay and yelled some more that she wasn't going to Alabama, Laura had taken the girl home and sat her down.

The fact that Malia was starting to slip off shock was just in time, as she had begun to shake and hyperventilate right after their awkward dinner.

Laura Milligan didn't exist. Instead, she was Lara Ashton, codenamed Desert Wolf for her agents and Mrs. Ashton for her general, less murderous, employees.

Desert Wolf was her old Agent name. If the medals and trophies in her walls were to be believed, Desert Wolf had been elected president of the Blink&Clean by the President himself, in a private ceremony.

The job had been discussed after Malia was shown the guest room, the one she would be crashing from now on.

Her martial abilities would be put at test. If she passed the test, she could stay as teacher for the younger agents (and Malia was terrified of how young could be those little murderers she might train).

"Go get ready" Lara sighed, already done playing carrying mother to that twenty-five years old, stubborn little woman.

Malia tried not to be amazed by their changing room. Why everything had to be so… nice and fancy and clean?

When she got out of the changing rooms, there was a small commotion.

This floor was a gym. It felt like home. Training and fighting and physical exhaustion made sense for her. Much more than murderers and Cleansing Companies that worked as disguise for contracted killing.

"You're the Coyote?" a girl asked, grabbing Malia by the hand and startling her enough to almost gain a punch in the face.

"Yeah…" Malia frowned. She hated that codename. Stupid codename.

"You're the daughter of Desert Wolf?!"

"Yeah…"

"That's so cool!" she squealed, gaining the attention of the people around her. Malia felt all eyes on her and she wanted to curl up in a corner or beat up someone. She hated being the center of attention.

"Come here" a male voice said, grabbing her arm ruthlessly and pulling her through the sea of people "Don't get mixed with the Count and Numbers employees, they are annoying and will get you killed"

"You're so snobby" Malia complained, when he let go of her arm. She realized he had pulled her to the fighting ring.

"I'm honest" Theo corrected and then kicked her knees.

The movement was too fast and Malia didn't even know how she ended up laying down in the floor. She blinked, feeling anger bubble up.

"What do you think you're doing?! Are you stupid!?" she yelled, kicking his ankles and tripping him down. She climbed on top of him, pinning him on the ground, her knee pressing to his neck.

"Mommy didn't tell you, 'Lia?" he spat, face turning red "I'm the one you're fighting to win the job"

"Then I might as well knock you out right now" Malia growled, pressing her knee down.

"There are five rounds" he coughed, lips turning purple and swollen "If you knock me out now, you gonna have to wait for me to wake up and fight the other fours"

Malia sighed, grabbing his hair and taking her knee off his neck. She hit his head against the floor "That's for not warning me, asshole" hissed, standing up and getting into position.

He was fast, experienced, and most importantly: Not angry.

Anger was never something good when trying to win a fight. It blinds you.

However, Malia trained martial arts since she was nine, when her mother and sister had died in a car crash. It had been suggested by the children' shrink that she had been forced to consult.

Nine years old Malia didn't talk a word for three years, but she learned fast and had devoted all of her energy, all of her core, into fighting.

She doubted Theo was nowhere as motivated as her.

He tried to punch her and she dodged it easily. His sea eyes, not blue or green for certain, squeezed in concentration.

And then he grabbed her by the arm with a sneaky movement, punching her temples at the same time as he kicked her knees. She fell on fours in front of him, vision swimming and knees hurting.

And then she punched him in the stomach and stood up in a jump, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him on the ground with both their weights.

He groaned, eyes closing with the strength of the impact.

"Round two…"

"One more and I get the job" Malia smiled, untangling her arms from his, only to have her ankle grabbed by his hands and twisted. She let out a cry of pain and tried to kick his face, but he climbed on top her, immobilizing her legs with his weight.

With one hand, he pushed her hands away and with the other, he started to choke her. Malia felt his calloused fingers around her neck, his weight already taking away the rest of air she could inhale.

She tapped on the floor to indicate she had given up that round, but Theo didn't let go. He leaned in, mouth scarily close to hers and smiled "Under me, you look even prettier…"

Malia untangled one hand from his hold and smashed her fist against his nose, making him let go of her and fall to the side spitting the blood from a broken nose.

"Do not touch me again" she hissed, walking out of the ring "Round three"

"Malia" her father's voice was coated in relief when she picked up the phone that evening. It was the first time they talked since she had left in the middle of the night, leaving only a note behind.

"Dad" she sat on the guest room's bed, which would now be hers, and crossed her legs "I'm sorry I ran away, Dad"

"Then come back, Malia" he pleaded "I'm gonna take care of you. It's your first heartbreak after a seven years relationship, I'll be more understanding…"

"Dad" she cut him off "No. It's not you, Dad. You are great. I… I just need some fresh air."

"Malia…" Henry sighed "Where are you, sweetheart?"

"Safe. I'm with Laura" the name no longer belonged in her mouth and Malia felt a pang in her chest. She had gotten used to that insanity far too easily.

"Laura Milligan?!" her father shrieked "Since when this is 'safe', Malia Tate?! She's a psychopath, you come back home right now!"

"Dad…" Malia sighed "She took me in, gave me a job… She's a nice person" It was so much bullshit. But he didn't need to know that.

"No!" Henry screamed "Come back home, Malia, or I swear to god I'll go after you in Hell and bring you back!"

"Dad, I'm twenty five years old. I'm not supposed to even live with you anymore."

"You don't live with me, you live with St…" his answer died in his mouth and there was an awkward pause.

"I have to go, Dad" Malia answered, rushed. Stiles was the last thing she wanted to think right now, and thanks to the assassin's club mess, she had forgotten him completely in the last forty eight hours.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart…"

"It's ok, Dad. I just really have to go now"

"Take care, Malia"

"I always do"

"You did an awesome job beating up Theo" Corey praised her, two days later, while Malia fixed the floor that now was entirely hers. She had never been organized or methodic, but sitting down and thinking wasn't something Malia could do.

"Thank you" Malia smiled "You're Corey, right?"

"Yes" He opened a smile and sat down on the lat-pull-down "So, are you staying? For good?"

"I don't know" she sighed "I'm staying for as long as I can handle…"

"I bet this is crazy for someone new… Someone from outside" he agreed, looking around "Have you met the little monsters?"

"Yes… They are fourteen, Corey, this… this is crazy" and morally fucked up, but Malia was trying very hard not to judge.

"They don't kill" he tried to comfort her "Sometimes one of them beat the crap out of someone, but generally, all they do is deal with technology and do research during the missions"

"When… When do they start to kill?" she couldn't help it. Her curiosity was bigger than her disgust.

"Some of them never do. I didn't yet" He smiled "It depends on what they do better, their skills and what area of B&C they are placed on"

"What area are you from?"

"Medical, floor S2" Corey had a small shiver "Surgeon picked me from the other agents when I was sixteen, I have been studying it since then. All I do is try and not let any of you get killed by their own stupidity"

"Seems like hard work for me" Malia smiled, remembering Theo yelling about Tracy and how he had come back covered in blood "Do they… die a lot?"

"We have a burial site behind the building" Corey's face turned sour "How did you end up here, Malia?"

"I…"

"She broke up with her boyfriend" Theo's voice cut her off. His tone was sharp and bitter. The agent crossed the gym and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a little more than he should "Tell him, Malia… She broke up with her boyfriend and came running to Mommy's lap"

"What's wrong with you?" Malia tapped his hand away and took a step away from him "Still bitter I beat you up?"

"If I was allowed to hurt you, I would have won that fight" he growled, green eyes shining with annoyance "So, let's not stop talking just because I'm here. Tell us, Malia, what brought you here?"

He knew the answer already, but she just couldn't say it. 'Ran away from my town after a mean breakup' sounded shallow and spoiled in her ears.

"You are a jerk" Malia growled, walking past him to the changing rooms.

"What was his name?" Theo sat down by her side in the building cafeteria. He was in casual clothes, not dressed entirely in black and Malia frowned a little. It was uncomfortable to see him so relaxed.

"That's none of your business" Malia forked a carrot in her plate with more anger than needed.

"What did you do to be dumped? Did you cheat on him?" Theo opened a smile and leaned closer across the table "What made you run away from your entire life and join a Killing Company?"

"How about you take care of your own life and leave me alone?" Malia whispered back, leaning across the table too.

"You think this is a game, Malia. But this is my entire life, it's your mother's legacy… This might be just a pastime for you, but I'm here because it's all I am. So don't fuck shit up" He growled back "There's no going back from where you are now"

"Come back home, Malia, please" Henry begged, voice tired. Malia sighed, looking the still blank walls of her room.

She had been working on Blink&Clean for the last month now. Life hadn't got any easier, but it had become her life.

Malia wasn't sure when she had switched the option "off" for judgment, but she belonged in Blink&Clean. Maybe not as a killer… But dealing with those anger filled children, fighting and finding peace in her mind.

"I don't even know what to tell him anymore, Malia… He won't stop calling. I told Stiles you were travelling and he still calls and stops by…" Henry's heart was melting for Stilinski, Malia could see it. Her father had always been a closet softie and the nerd boy had won him from the start "Come home, sweetheart. We're going to figure it out together"

"I'm not coming home. Tell him…" and the Malia said the lie that would settle her life for good. "Tell Stiles the truth, that I've met someone. And that I'm not coming back, I'm building a life here… And I like this."

N/A: So, what did you guy think? Things are only going to get messier from now on, I hope everyone is as trilled as I am!

Read&Review?