A/N: Hi there, reader! So some basic information you will most likely need before going into this is that my OC's name for this fandom is Samantha Pentowski, and her and Alec are together. These are all of my Alec one shots so far. However, if you'd like to PM me with ideas for some in the future, I will most definitely take it into consideration.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Warnings: Yikes, um…swearing, death, violence, hate crime, so much anger, kind of couple problems
Sam's POV
Jogging into Jam Pony, I punched in my card and quickly tried to slink off to my locker. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as lucky as I usually was. "Samantha!" I winced as half of the eyes in the place turned to fix on me. Because Normal couldn't just shut his trap; oh, no. He just had to make a freaking scene.
As always.
I met Alec's sympathetic gaze from across the room before growing a set and turning to face my boss, grimace on my face. "Well, look who's late for the third time in a row!"
Exhaling to keep my cool, I reasoned, "Normal, look-"
But he cut me off. My jaw clenched with my attempt to keep my mouth shut. "Oh, no. Not another one of your sorry excuses. You should be lucky that I haven't fired you!" Normal kept going, rounding the counter and irritably pushing the fence door out of the way as he approached me. "You are in big trouble!"
I couldn't hold it back this time. "What're you, my mother?" I snarked. Trust me, I knew right away that it was a bad idea. But I couldn't really help what I said when I was angry.
Normal rose his eyebrows. "You know, there are a hell of a lot of people out there that would gladly take your job! This is your last chance, Pentowski!" He flew behind the counter once again and, still in his rage, threw a package at me. To be completely honest, it smarted a little. "And take that to sector three while you're at it! Bip, bip, bip!" He turned to the computer and shook his head, mumbling under his breath as I walked away.
Alec and Biggs were leaning on the wall on either side of the old telephone, talking back and forth casually. As I came up to them, Alec smiled and pushed himself off of the wall, throwing an arm around my shoulders and firmly kissing the side of my head. "You okay? He was kinda making a scene, don't you think?"
I shrugged in response. I had pinpointed the pain to my left shoulder. Man, I didn't know that Normal could throw that hard. Alec waved a hand in front of my face to break me out of my trance. "Hello? You still in there, princess?" I shook myself back into reality, clearing my throat awkwardly.
"Yeah, 'm fine. What were you guys talking about?" I fired back, not ready to admit an obvious weakness.
Alec sent me an odd look as Biggs answered, inappropriate as ever. "We were talking about which chick in here would give the best sex. It wasn't really an argument. We both thought it was you," he commented cheekily. I couldn't help but laugh as Alec silently grumped beside me. He didn't like other guys talking about me like that, even as a joke. I told him to tell Biggs that, but who would take my advice, anyways, right?
"Sorry, Biggs, I think that the best man here is definitely this guy," I giggled, shaking Alec's arm slightly. "If you know what I mean," I added with an exaggerated wink.
Biggs immediately made a face. "Ew. I so do not need to know about your sex life." He shook his head as if getting an image out of his head. "But the best ever is definitely Lola. Remember her, Alec? First case we ever worked together."
Alec's head whipped up from where he had been staring at the floor, trademark smirk slowly creeping onto his face. "Wasn't that the case with that drug lord dude? Who definitely had it coming, by the way," he finished, with a pointed look at me. I rolled my eyes.
"No, the first thing we ever did together was the Volkovitch job, over in Kezmekistan or wherever," Biggs quickly corrected, but his face was showing that he was definitely not thinking about whoever they had most likely had to assassinate.
I adjusted Alec's arm so that it wasn't directly putting pressure on my shoulder as his forehead crinkled with thought lines, then melted back into his usual easy look. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Ooh, the off-hours were definitely the highlight of that mission."
The boys exchanged a look. "Lola," they concluded in unison.
Feeling uncomfortable suddenly, I murmured, "You two are gross," before gently pushing off Alec's arm. The hurt look he sent me made the words just bubble right out of my mouth. I held up the undelivered package in my hand. Perfect excuse. I almost had the urge to thank Normal. Almost. "I've gotta get this over to sector three. Normal is gonna fire me if I keep pulling the 'golden boy is my boyfriend' card. He already doesn't like me, and I can barely put food on my own table even with the income." Alec pouted and I sighed, giving myself permission to stride forward and wrap my arms around his waist. He immediately responded, embracing me tightly, like he always did. I couldn't help but grin at the thought. "I'll see you later, I promise," I whispered to his chest.
Just as I pulled away, Alec's phone started to ring. He scrambled to find it in all of his pockets, then pulled it victoriously from his back left pocket and answering. "Yeah?"
I watched his face carefully. There was always something going on when Max called. I could see by the way his back subtly stiffened that it was a tense situation. All at once, I couldn't make my legs move. I was too consumed with the curiousity of what was happening. "We'll meet her there." Shoulders still tense, Alec pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up. Focusing fully on Biggs, he ordered, "Let's go," and strode off. I quickly scampered after him, worry filling every inch of my being.
"Alec! Alec, where are you going?" But he kept going, not even acknowledging my pleas. "Alec, listen to me!"
He whirled quite suddenly, and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. I felt the urge to back away, but I stood my ground nonetheless. "What? What could be so important that you have to slow me down from helping one of my own? Huh?" Hurt panged in my chest. I knew that it was important, of course, but it still hurt how he shoved me aside like I was practically nothing.
"I, um..." I rushed forward and placed a short peck to his cheek. "Please be careful..." I murmured, then turned to go to my own bike before he could see the tears slipping down my face.
It was that night before I saw Alec again. I'd buried myself in work all day, but the feeling of hurt bothered me the entire time. It definitely wasn't a pleasant feeling when Alec yelled at me like that. Like I didn't really matter. And, I suppose, I didn't. Not in the big picture, at least.
When Alec walked in the door, I couldn't get up the courage to face him. I stood quickly from my spot on the couch, set my book down, and tried to flee into our bedroom. Unfortunately, he actually wanted to talk to me. "Hey, sweetheart. C'mon. Don't walk away from me. Please?" I sent a little glare back at him through red, puffy eyes before shaking my head and continuing. I heard his footsteps behind me, so I hurried into the room and closed the door. A sob breaking through my barrier, I slid a chair against the doorknob and flopped myself face-first onto our bed. It wasn't going to hold him. I knew that. He had strength that humans could only ever dream of having. I'd hoped that he might've taken the hint that I wanted to be alone, but the door opened a second later, chair sliding uselessly across the floor. I sighed. It was times like these that I really wished I hadn't decided to be in a relationship with a genetically modified super soldier.
"Leave me alone," I demanded, my voice cracking as I turned my face to bury it in my arms. A sigh sounded above me and the bed dipped. "Alec, please get out," I whispered, still curled into a ball. I held my breath for the answer that I so desperately wanted.
And that I didn't get. "No, Sam. We need to talk about what happened." God, I hated when he used that voice. It was practically the puppy dog eyes but for speaking.
I let out an involuntary sniffle. "I'm sorry that I got in your way. I know that you have important work to do and-"
But Alec wasn't having any of it. Next thing I knew, my back was pressed against his chest and his arms were fastened around me. "No, no, no, sweetheart. Don't you ever think that you're in my way. I wanted to apologize for everything that I said. I was in a rush and kind of panicked and I wasn't thinking. I love you. C'mere." My dam broke, and I wriggled so that my face was buried in his chest, quietly crying. Alec's hand brushed up and down my back in comforting circles.
"I'm probably gonna regret this," he started after a while, when I had calmed down a bit. I tilted my face up to look him in the eye. "But... What is the big deal with me leaving, anyway? If you say that I don't spend enough time with you, I'm dumping you," he joked, gingerly tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
He got a bit of a chuckle out of me with that, but I was pretty busy trying to figure it out. Why was I so bothered that he left all the time? It was for a good cause. But I knew exactly why. "Alec, if you worried about me half of the amount I worry about you, you would keel over and die." I said it in a bit of a playful tone, but the words were dead serious.
Alec gave me a bit of a surprised look. "I am shocked. You don't have faith in me? I can protect myself, I promise. I'm not gonna get hurt, and I'll always come back to you safe and sound," he reassured, rubbing my arm. It was probably meant to be a comforting gesture, but it only really succeeded in setting me more on edge.
"But what if you don't?" I whispered, fear flooding my system.
"Then I'll hang around as a ghost to keep you company. Let's get some sleep. It is way past your bedtime, missy."
As we settled into each other's embraces, I could only hear that stupid sentence repeating in my head over and over again.
'But what if you don't?'
The next morning, Alec let me sleep in. Again.
He's going to get me fired, the bastard.
Apparently, it was all part of his "grand plan", though. He was trying to get me in trouble so that I would be partnered up with somebody, and he was certain that it was going to be him since he was "golden boy". I almost smacked him, I swear. He got a long talking-to about it. In actuality, I had gotten paired up with Biggs, but since they're always hanging out anyway, and Alec's ego was severely bruised, I kept that part under wraps.
Not that we actually did our work. We went straight to Terminal City, Biggs complaining that his motorcycle was acting up and Alec insisting that he had something to take care of with Max. I don't like going to Terminal City. It's not that the transgenics are the monsters they say on the news stations. No. It's that they don't trust or like me. Well, and the fact that the leaked chemicals start to burn your lungs if you spend too long there.
I was plopped in Alec's lap as he made casual conversation with Biggs and Max when I felt it. The familiar nausea. Tapping Alec's shoulder, I rose my eyebrows pointedly. He grinned. "Right. Hey, I've gotta get little miss ordinary out of here before she passes out on me. Call if you need anything, though."
Max whirled from her conversation with Logan. "Actually, I need you now," she stated promptly.
I had a feeling it was coming, but my heart still sank in my chest when she said it. "Oh. I-um... Okay. I'll see you later," I stuttered out, pressing a quick kiss to Alec's lips. His hand closed around my arm before I could get out.
"Woah, slow your roll, princess. What are people gonna do if they catch you all by yourself coming out of this place?" Thinking about it a second, I came to the obvious conclusion, but I shrugged anyways.
My mind rolled through the options. "Well, I could just take Biggs. He's a reasonably handsome guy," I teased. Arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I yelped, almost breaking Biggs' arm I had spun so fast. He did, however, get an accidental smack in the face, which probably caused me more pain than it caused him. Alec let out a rambunctious laugh at the scene. "Ouch. Do I have to put a restraining order out on you? Because every time you see me, you hit me," Biggs joked.
"Shut up and let's go. I need to make some money," I ordered, grabbing my bag from the table as the pain in my gut just got worse. Oh, I'm gonna be hurting tonight.
"You know, there's a different way you could earn money, but it involves a lot less clothing." That remark earned Biggs a slap on the back of the head from Alec.
I laughed as I headed towards my motorcycle.
It was much later when Alec joined us again, this time talking about some weird markings on Max's wrist and something about her and Logan. We were collected in a small group for lunch break in sector two.
I wasn't really listening until Biggs spoke up, since he really hadn't had the chance to talk, either, seeing as Alec was dominating the conversation. Again. "It's pretty freaky, huh?"
Alec looked over from his motorcycle to switch his gaze to meet Biggs'. "Logan'll figure out what's going on. He always does."
And then, just like every other time, his phone rang. He did the same thing every time, too. He wouldn't remember which pocket he'd put it in, so it was a labyrinth just finding the damn thing. At least, that's how he described it. When he finally flicked it open and held it to his ear, I was distracted by a man who was across the street, can in hand and yelling about "those trannie freaks". It made my jaw clench, sure, but I wasn't about to go and stop him. Jackasses will be jackasses. It's in their DNA.
Before I could even register that any conversation had happened, Alec was shutting his phone with a sigh. "I gotta go for a pick up in sector nine." He sent a cheeky glance my way. "Wanna come with, sweetheart?" he purred.
In response, I held up the package that I had yet to deliver. A large '2' was stamped on its side. Alec smiled sadly. "Maybe next time, huh?" Oh, God, the crushed hope in his eyes. I swung my leg over my bike and sashayed over to Alec's, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him down to meet my lips. He was trying to add tongue to the equation, but I pushed him away by the shoulders. "Uh, uh, uh. Wouldn't wanna leave the boss waiting, would we? I'll see you later. Stay safe! Please!" I gave Alec a pointed look, and he nodded as he turned to Biggs.
"Catch you later, man. Look after her, would ya?" Great. His own personal way of giving me a babysitter 24/7.
"Right. See ya." I followed Biggs' distracted gaze to the man on the corner, now trying to reel more people in.
Alec drove off with one last wink in my direction. Shoving down the blush that so desperately wanted to rise to my cheeks, I focused on Biggs. He needed someone right now. In this moment. "Hey, don't pay attention to him, okay? He's just a loser who wants attention." When Biggs only grunted in acknowledgment, I decided on a different tactic. "Let's go get a coffee. I heard there's a cheap place right around the corner," I offered, grabbing his arm for extra effect. That seemed to grab his attention pretty fully.
"Ah, nah. Coffee drives people like me nuts. I'll totally go for some juice, though." Biggs attempted at a smile, but I could see right through it. "C'mon. There's this great place right by where you need to deliver that package to."
Biggs started his motorcycle, and I quickly mounted mine before taking off after him, hair whipping in my face and making me smirk. I always, without fail, feel like a badass on my motorcycle. There's no way you can't.
We couldn't have been riding for more than five minutes when we pulled over again. The nausea was still in my gut, but I just blamed it on my elongated time spent at Terminal City earlier.
"I totally beat you," Biggs murmured under his breath. I gasped in mock shock.
Giving him a lighthearted shove, I retaliated, "That's because I didn't know where we were going, you ass!"
We laughed all the way up to the juice seller, and then Biggs kind of blanched. I felt my eyebrows knit together. "Hey, you okay?"
His hand was at the small of my back, leading me away hastily from the table. My heart started pounding on my chest. Oh, God, something horrible is about to happen. I could see his eyes flicking from one position to another. "Stay close. We're getting surrounded," Biggs practically mouthed, he was talking so quietly.
I knew better than to whip my head around, so I copied what he had done before. Quick, calculating looks all around us. And I was immediately struck with fear. Cold and deep. There were men. And they were closing in.
Fast.
"Freeze!"
I whirled at the yell, then yelped as Biggs yanked on my wrist to get me running. I vaguely heard a gunshot, but I didn't see any blood or feel any pain, so I assumed that neither of us had been hit.
Barely keeping up with his running pace was one thing. But when he started scaling a building?! Seriously?!
"Biggs, c'mon!" I whined, but I knew that there was terror in my voice.
He reached down and easily picked me up. "Easy, Sam. I've gotcha. Now, c'mon, quick!" His grip fastened around my wrist again as he tugged me along the rooftops.
After a while of running, we dropped into an alleyway. Black spots swam over my vision, my head was pounding like crazy, I was drenched in sweat, I'm 90% sure that Biggs sprained my wrist, and my lungs felt like sandpaper. "Wow. You... Do that... Every day? No wonder... You're... A... Super... Soldier," I wheezed out, wincing at the quality of my own voice.
I would've jumped at the feel of his hand rubbing at my back if I had had the energy. "Easy there, cowgirl. Let the good Doctor Biggs take a look at you." His hand moved to my chin to lead my gaze to his. "Your eyes look okay. Let's get you some water. C'mon."
He stooped down and, before I could say a word in protest, helped me to my feet, one arm wrapped around me to hold me up. I could barely walk, after all. My knees kept wobbling as is. Being without a support would be impossible. I would've been stuck in that alley for another month.
Biggs fished his phone out of his pocket as it rang. He pressed answer and held it to his ear, struggling to carry me along a bit because of the awkward position. "Hey. You won't believe what just happened to me."
There was a short pause. I winced as my ribs seemed to puncture my lungs with every breath I took. "Near your place. Yeah, she's with me." My head snapped up, causing me to groan in pain. I hadn't even noticed that we were near my place, though it did make sense. I would definitely change my clothes and freshen up after that game of cat and mouse. I'd been too exhausted from a workout that put even military men to shame. "Why? What's wrong?"
A gruff voice sounded from above us. "Excuse me." I prepared a glare in my head, but somehow managed a smile to the man who had been disrespecting transgenics so openly earlier.
"Hang on a sec, Alec." Biggs lowered the phone from his ear, turning his attention toward the suspicious man. "Yeah?"
The man shoved his collection can basically into our faces. "You wanna help keep the neighborhood trannie-safe?"
Biggs grunted as I shifted more weight into him, really starting to feel the drag of exhaustion on my body. "Some other time."
Our eyes caught on the TV at the same time. A picture of him and some very derogatory words were flashing across the screen about him, along with one of me. My stomach dropped.
The man rushed us, and I was suddenly sprawled on the concrete. "Hey! It's one of 'em!" the man yelled. I pushed myself up with my hands to see Biggs struggling against the hold of three men, all who were beating him brutally.
Panting, I grabbed the car next to me to pull myself up, only to be charged by three more men. My head snapped to the side and pain exploded from my cheek as the first punched me. I cried out and tried to get away from them, only to be thrown to the ground. "How do you like that, freak?" the first man spat as he ripped me back to my feet.
The next hit came to the gut, making me double over and clench my eyes shut. "Stop. Leave her alone! Please! She's not a transgenic, even check her neck!" Biggs pleaded from the ground, being silenced quickly by another onslaught of fists.
"We don't care. She was hanging off of you like a stripper. She might be carrying your filthy kid or something."
My nose makes a sickening sound as my face was smashed into the car that had seemed like my friend just a second ago. I fell to the ground again, pebbles digging into the soft flesh of my hands. A grip at the front of my shirt made me wince as the man pulled me back up and brought his fist up, positioned to come down on me again. "No, stop! She doesn't know me! I-I kidnapped her. I'm sorry. I told her to keep her mouth shut. I'm so sorry."
The men had stopped in their brutal beatings at Biggs' "confession". They took one good look at me and dropped me so hard that my temple whacked against the street. "Go. Before we change our minds."
I paused. I can't leave Biggs. I can't. They're gonna kill him. "Go!" Biggs screamed, eyes filling with tears. "Please! Go! I forgive you, now go! Tell Alec that he's the closest thing I've ever had to family! Please just go! While you still can!"
A fist connected with Biggs' face, and I made my decision. "No, you let him go. So what if he's not human? What gives you the right to-"
A sharp pain spread from the back of my head and I collapsed forward, finally surrendering to the darkness.
I woke up in tears. I remember what happened. I remember everything that happened before I got attacked from behind. My hands were tied behind my back with rope, and I was latched onto a tire when I came to. I screamed myself hoarse as everything came into focus.
Biggs was hanging by the hands next to a burning red X made out of firewood.
And he was dead. Bloody and beaten and tortured and dead.
Tears blurred my eyesight as I sat there helplessly on the ground, face grimy and wrists bruising.
Even when Alec and Max found and untied me, and as I cried inconsolably into Alec's shoulder, I was feeling hopeless and dead and horribly, terribly guilty.
Even as Alec whispered to me over and over again as we fell asleep that night with my shell wrapped in his own grief that it wasn't my fault, I still blamed myself.
Biggs was dead. And I hadn't done anything to stop it.