Hi everyone,

So, here I am, getting back to TNLOCK - this is a fic that I started right after the finale, but have never published. I'm a bit stuck with my other drabble - if you are in the mood for a little Merlin, go check out my other story, The Unbearable Difficulty of Loving, which is getting close to its end... Back to my point - I'm stuck with that one, and well, you know how it works; I got inspired to continue this one. Read and review, so I know if I should keep publishing more chapters!

This is set right after the season finale, and is my interpretation of what would have happened afterwards. Again, R&R, it's super important! Otherwise, enjoy :).

I do not own the story nor the main characters. Only some additional characters emerge from my crazy imagination.

ooo

She was running, aimlessly. Not the kind of running one performs when trying to escape or hide from someone, but the kind to leave the whole world behind. Of course, that was not physically possible, but as long as Chloe kept running, she could pretend to herself it was. From rooftop to rooftop she ran, faster than possible for humans, leaving obstacles behind her with swift, agile movements.

But she couldn't continue forever. Even with an abnormally good stamina she got exhausted of the speed, and had to stop. It took a moment for the world and the view around her to settle down. She was standing on a rooftop, with three bulletholes through her abdomen, a shirt soaked in her own blood, breathing hard. Feeling dizzy, she finally sat down. This must be a dream.

She sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but in fact was only an hour or two. She was way outside the centre of San Francisco, and even though it was way after midnight, the halo from the big city lights was bright enough to help her see around. But she wasn't really seeing, really looking at anything. Her gaze wandered, but her eyes were empty. What have I done? At that moment she didn't care that her mom must have been worried to death. She didn't care that Alek and Jasmine and Valentina were probably going crazy, having no sign of her. She didn't care that she'd left Amy and Paul to deal with the arriving ambulance and police, herself running away from the situation. I am a monster.

But she couldn't continue forever. At some point her gaze gained a purpose again. Finally, she started to feel her own tiredness. And she started to think coherently. I need to get out of here. She rose to her feet, learning fast that they weren't strong enough to keep her up. Falling down to her knees she finally cried. Because of sadness, because of frustration. She wept because of Brian, because of her own stupidness. She cried because of Alek, and how she'd hurt him too. Why do everyone around me get hurt? And then her phone rang.

The screen read Amy. For a moment Chloe felt like tossing the damn thing over the edge of the roof, but she contolled herself, and after a few beeps she finally picked up. It was Amy to speak first.

"Chloe? Are you there?"

Chloe sighed. "Yeah."

There was a pause. "I talked to your mom." Another pause. "She is under the impression your spending the night at my place."

"Thank you." Her answer was barely a whisper.

"You need to tell someone where you are."

"Why? Who cares? I'll end up hurting everyone anyway."

"Chloe."

Silence.

Amy went on. "At least call Valentina. Or do you want me to?"

"I don't even know where I am, to be honest."

"I bet Alek could track down your phone if you just called him."

"Not gonna happen."

"At least turn up at my place in the morning. Or home, whatever, just… Don't disappear. It won't solve anything."

Chloe ignored her. "Brian?"

Amy didn't say anything.

"Amy?"

"He's.. gone, Chloe."

"I'll call you when I get home." And with that she ended the phone call. She was putting the phone back into her pocket, when her inhuman hearing caught on something. It was clearly a fight, considering the sound of cracking and punching, not even mentioning the shouting. She almost let it go by, why would she care of some fight, when she picked out a growl. Humans don't growl. And the click of someone loading a shotgun. And a oh-so familiar voice.

"Don't make me do this, Alek."

A whimper escaped Chloe's lips. Not him too! Quickly determining the direction of the voices sh egot up, her legs not feeling any better than before, but somehow she managed to stay up. Tears were running down her cheeks, as she half ran, half staggered towards the source of the voices.

ooo

Alek had backed up towards the impenetrable and high back waal of the alley. He was breathing heavily, his face bruised and his lip and temple bleeding violently. His hands, also gashed and bruised, were in fists, and his whole body was shaking. Behind the gun, Zane didn't look any better, if not even worse; he was holding his arm, which looked doslocated, against his ribs, and he was limping towards Alek.

"Don't make me do this, Alek."

"I can't let you near Chloe, " he spat back, trying to steady his breathing and clearly thinking of a way to escape.

"I kind of get the feeling it's too late for that, brother. Or is she currently under your protection?"

"I'll just have to kill you first."

Zane rolled the gun around his wrist, showing off. "How did you let her grow to you so badly? Personal feelings aside, you would probably be with her at the moment, if not for your crooked relationship. What is she to you, tell me? I'm very curious."

"Shut the fuck up."

Stepping closer to Alek, Zane smirked. "Maybe I should just keep you alive until you see her lose every last of her unprecious lives. Right in front of you."

Alek didn't reply, just growled again. At that moment Chloe appeared, somewhat staggering, behind Zane. She froze immediately, and a small, yet loud enough for the two Mai present to hear, shriek escaped her lips. Zane turned sideways, the gun still pointing at Alek.

Alek's eyes, went from angry to horrified. He took in Chloe's appearance – red eyes, her mascara all over her cheeks. Blue t-shirt soaked in blood, and a limping posture. He took a step forward, but Zane's attention was back on Alek.

"Chloe – get out of here!" Alek hissed, but Zane laughed.

"One move, Uniter, and the boy is dead."

Chloe's eyes were locked with Alek's, his horror mirrored in her gaze. "Save yourself. Please," was all Alek could get out of his lips.

"Let him go, Zane! I'm the one you want!"

Zane gave her a crooked, evil smile. "In that you are correct, sweetheart. Let's see.. Shall we make a deal?"

Chloe, despite her tiredness, had positioned herself in somewhat her fighting stance. "I said let him go," she growled.

"In front of me, on your knees, and Alek goes free."

She started to take hesitant steps towards Zane, but Alek's shout cut her off.

"Don't you dare, Chloe!"

"I cannot lose you too tonight!" She shouted back.

Alek froze, his eyes now confused. Even Zane's expression was confused.

"H-how do you know?"

"Know what? He died in my freaking arms!"

It was Zane's turn to question her. "He?"

But Alek knew already. He knew her too well – all those countless nights he'd spent watching over her, those countless afternoons he'd been on her roof, just watching her, trying to understand her. There was only one person who could get her this upset.

"You kissed him."

"He kissed me while I was dead! Or well, recovering from the loss of another life more precisely."

Zane's expression turned into a smile, while Alek's voice cracked a little. "You died?"

"See, brother? You leave her for a moment because of a stupid grudge against me, and she has already lost another life! Way to go, bro."

Alek pulled his gaze from Chloe back to Zane. "Do not. Call. Me. That." He stepped towards Zane, who turned fully towards him again, and saw Chloe start to creep towards Zane.

"Or what? You'll, let's see… kill me?" Zane laughed, throwing his head back.

It was all that Chloe needed to leap to cling on Zane's back. He fired the gun, but Alek had already moved out of the way. With her leg, Chloe kicked the gun out of Zane's reach, and had him in a headlock in an instant.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." She hissed into his ear, as Alek made his way up to them, now standing right in fron of Zane.

Zane gathered himself quickly. "Oh why, sweetheart, are you so careless with your lives?" And in a swift moment he pulled out a knife from his thigh pocket, and stabbed towards Chloe.

She fell off his back, the knife standing up from her thigh. But Alek didn't hesitate. His kick landed straight in the middle of Zane's chest, sending him flying over the whimpering Chloe. Suddenly, a car appeared on the street, and Zane used the moment it took for Alek to run after him to get up and in the car. In a second the car was out, and Alek and Chloe were left alone in the now dead quiet alley.

Turning around, Alek kicked an empty rubbish bin, sending it flying and crashing against the wall at the dead end of the alley. Then he hurried to Chloe, squating down to examine her injury.

"Chloe? Chloe, do you hear me?"

"I believe a knife in my thigh does not affect my ability to hear," she groaned, trying to get up. She failed, however, sending her body collapsing back against the concrete, but Alek was fast enough to grab her head before it smashed against the hard surface. He placed her head on his lap, pulling out her phone from her pocket.

"What are y-"

"He managed to destroy mine." He dialed a number from memory, and placed the phone against his ear.

"What's the situation? I've got her, but she's injured. I'll run, that'll be faster. Get everything ready."

"Who was that?" Chloe asked, confused.

Alek ignored her, and lifted her on his arms. Without delay he started running, back towards the centre. But Chloe wasn't satisfied.

"Alek Petrov!"

He glanced down at her. "Matt, one of the hunters."

"Where the hell do you think you're taking me?"

A long silence. Chloe's breathing became hitched and slower, and she growled of frustration, but the sound leaving her lips was a pathetic whimper. She raised her hand to punch him in the arm, but she no longer controlled her tired muscles, and she missed by a fair 10 centimetres.

"Hold on, Chloe. We're going back to the apartment."

With that, she lost her consciousness, and Alek puffed, increasing his already inhuman speed. All his muscles were crying for him to stop, his head was throbbing of pain, and he could taste blood in his mouth, but the only thing he could think of was not her, I cannot bear more on one night.

ooo

Chloe woke up to the loud sound of a door slamming shut. She was still on Alek's arms, and heard low murmurs all around her. Quickly Alek's sticky but warm arms were replaced by cooler ones, and before she could identify this person she was set on what looked and felt like a hospital bed. A middle-aged woman, wearing a white doctor's jacket, was flashing a light to her eyes, and she squinted of the brightness.

"She's conscious," the woman whispered over her shoulder, and Chloe caught a familiar sigh, that belonged to no other but Alek. The woman turned back to her, and Chloe's eyes took a while to adjust.

"Can you hear me, Chloe? Chloe?"

Chloe tried to reply, but the only sound leaving her mouth was a groan. The doctor turned her head slightly, raising her voice. "We need some morphine here!" A cart was rushed to her side, and Chloe felt someone puncturing the inner skin of her elbow. The doctor was back at her sight then, talking in a reassuring voice. "Your pain will ease up in a moment. I need you to stay still while I examine you and pull the knife out, ok?"

"Alek," was all Chloe got out of her mouth. Alek's head popped up, from the other side of the room. He had been tended by a nurse, but he rushed up and to Chloe's side, touching her shoulder lightly. "I'm right here, Chloe." Someone brought a chair for him, and he sat down, entwining his fingers with hers. The nurse continued to tend his face, but he kept his grip on Chloe's hand. She sighed of relief, closing her eyes. She was still conscious, but the voices of the doctor and the nurses were beginning to get very distant.

"She has three bulletholes on her stomach, I'm guessing the bullets are still in there. We need to open her up."

"Will she be ok? She's already lost a life tonight."

"I will make sure she survives."

This was when the anesthetics hit Chloe's system, and she lost her consciousness, slipping into anesthesia.