So this is the first fanfic I've actually liked and finished enough to post. Please read and review, I love what ever feedback you can give me. If you spot any grammatical errors or sentences where the words seem out of order or something, let me know so I can fix them up. Sometimes my editing can get a bit sloppy when I get tired.

I haven't actually read the books but when I heard how they went I was kind of disappointed so I got inspired to do my own thing. I don't know if how much I'll get written but I thought I'd give it a shot at actually writing down the ideas that I already have.

As the stories go I will add more characters that I come up with.

This story is set a bit less than two months after the season finale of Nine Lives.

Brian lay sprawled on the theatre staircase. His eyes closed and his hands covered in blood, not his but Chloe's. Chloe sat there with Brian's head cradled in her lap, tears running down her face. The shirt she's wearing is covered in her blood and has several holes in it but already there is barely a mark on her. One of Chloe's hands rested lightly on Brian's chest, but it is enough – with her Mai senses – to feel Brian's weak thready heartbeat. As she sat there holding him and crying she felt his heart sputter and then stop.

"No... no, Brian! Wake up, please, please don't die! This is my fault, all of this is my fault, please don't be dead." Sitting there on the steps Chloe continued to cry hugging Brian to her.

Next thing Chloe knew she was running down an alley way at night, she didn't know where she was and was confused – how did she get here? She had barely a moment to dwell on this; there were heavy footfalls following her. As Chloe ran she glanced briefly behind her, there were three people chasing after her, she felt exhausted, it was like she has been running for miles and she was starting to lose speed.

Where was Alek? Why wasn't he here? He should be here, he's always somewhere nearby. Why wasn't he here now? Chloe tripped over something on the ground and one of the men who had nearly caught up to her lunged at her. Chloe kicked out at him with all her strength, making contact, but what with she wasn't sure. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted onward, making a dash for the main road ahead of her. If only I can get to the main road surely there will be cars or people around Chloe thinks, they won't chase me in a public place with witnesses.

Making a last gasping sprint Chloe broke out onto the street, racing out to the middle of the road. Chloe registered only for a moment that the street was empty of people oh no, it's later than I thought, there's no one out at this time. All of a sudden there was a flash of headlights and Chloe spun around just as the car slammed into her and sent her flying across the road. Lying sprawled on the road in agony Chloe was aware of someone approaching her, but the car that hit her had gone, speeding away into the night. Chloe knew she had broken bones and was bleeding badly, but she just couldn't work out where her injuries were, it was like there was a cloud in her head and she just couldn't focus.

Into Chloe's vision swam a face, female, sharp and with short red hair. It was Simone. "Three down, six to go then" she said to Chloe, moments before Chloe blacked out completely.

Chloe sat suddenly upright. She knew exactly where she is. She's at home in bed. Having the same nightmare she's has every night since Brian died nearly two months ago, and the same one she's had every night since she lost her third life just over two weeks ago.

Leaning forward she rests her head on her knees and begins to cry. Sobbing her heart out as she does every night when she wakes up. You'd think having the same dream over and over again you'd get used to it, but every night she relives those two nights in her dreams is just as horrible as the night before for Chloe.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed Chloe continued to sit there and cry with her head in her hands, as she does every other night. Chloe has no control over it, the tears come thick and fast as she tries not to hyperventilate and tries not to cry so loud her mother hears. Then she pauses in her sobs, the tears are still running down her face though, she suddenly whispers one word "Alek."

Chloe knows he's out there sitting on her roof, or up the big tree by the house. He's up there nearly every night watching out for her. Tonight is no exception, because she knows Jasmine was busy having a meeting with other Mai leaders that had been in the city since the death of Valentina – Jasmine's mother and the leader of the San Francisco Mai. It was also too early in the night for the second shift of her protectors. Chloe knows with his Mai hearing that Alek can hear her crying every night.

Since Brian's death Alek had barely spoken to her though. He was there when she woke up in the street that night, leaning over her, white as a sheet, fear for her written over his face, and a large nasty gash along the left side of his head stopping just below his eye. But after helping her home he'd gone back to his ghost state of the weeks preceding that. When she saw him at school he was always disappearing around a corner, or into a classroom. He was still up there every night on the roof, she knew that, she could sense him, but whenever Chloe went up to the roof he disappeared, so she'd given up going out there. Instead she sat on her bed crying, knowing he heard her cry and him knowing she knew he was there. Chloe was so tired of feeling alone though, she missed her friend, and she missed Brian, and she was so tired of always being scared. So tonight she whispered his name and hoped he'd come. She just needed someone.

Looking up as she heard a rustle there he was, balanced lightly on her window sill. She stood up from the bed as Alek climbed into the room. He didn't say anything, and neither did she. They didn't need to say anything; they could each read the look on the other's face perfectly. Please... I need you said the look on Chloe's face and Alek's read I'm sorry, I wish I could make it better, but I don't want to make it worse.

They each took a step towards each other quickly covering the short distance between them. Alek pulled Chloe towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around her and she leant into him resting her head on his chest. "It's ok," he whispers "you're not alone, you're never alone", Chloe began to cry into his chest and he held her tighter, resting his cheek gently on her hair. They stand like this for some time, Chloe feeling safe and comforted with Alek's strong arms hugging her tightly, she continued to cry softly. Alek continued to whisper comforts into her hair "I'm sorry... It'll be ok... You're safe... I'm here..."

Eventually Chloe gently pushes herself away from Alek, his arms falling loosely to his sides as Chloe wipes the tears from her face. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... You shouldn't be in here... I'm fine" Chloe whispers in between hiccups, everything is in whispers, if Chloe's mother woke up and found them she'd be in deep, deep trouble.

"I know you aren't fine Chloe, it'd be stranger if you were fine considering everything."

"Then why are you never there, or here, or anywhere?"

"I'm always here Chloe, I'm always protecting you." Alek sounds hurt and troubled by the insinuation that he isn't doing his job properly, Chloe could hear it plainly in his voice but she didn't care, she felt hurt to.

"But you never show yourself, you won't talk to me or look at me." She pauses looking at him in the darkness, he still isn't meeting her eye even now "You're supposed to be my friend."

"I'm sorry... I just... I don't know," Alek stumbles over his words at a loss for what to say, "I thought you'd want space, I thought me being around would just make it worse. I know I usually seem so cocky and sure of myself, but when it comes to you, Chloe King, I never seem to be able to say or do the right thing."

Sighing to himself, Alek turned around and flopped lightly onto the edge of Chloe's bed. Looking up at Chloe he gently patted the space beside him and Chloe perched herself next to him. The two of them sit there silently Alek with his hands braced on either side of him as if he is about to get up, Chloe with her hands clutched together in her lap.

After taking a deep breath Alek started to speak, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you that night." They both know what night he meant.

"But you were there..." Upon waking Chloe had remembered the rest of what had happened and why Alek hadn't been there...

"But not when I should have been, I should have been there the whole time, that fight shouldn't have ended the way it did and I'm sorry," Alek said interrupting her, "it's just, I saw you with the flowers going in to the cemetery and I thought you might want some privacy, so I left. I was only gone a few minutes, when I got back all hell had already broken loose. I saw you fighting off those three guys... and honestly it's all kind of fuzzy after that."

"Jasmine said you got a pretty bad concussion," Chloe told him gently brushing her fingers along the faint scar that was still visible on the side of his face. "After you got there and took their attention away from me you told me to run, so I did, I ran like hell, I thought you'd follow. When I eventually looked around you were gone and it was just them chasing me."

"And I'm so sorry for that Chloe."

"It wasn't your fault." Chloe sighed, "Sometimes I think it might just be easier to hand myself over to them, let them take all my lives at once and get it over with. I'm so tired of running, always looking over my shoulder. I don't want to be the mouse in this never ending game of cat and mouse anymore."

"Chloe you can't think like that. You should never think that. You are the uniter." Alek took her hand squeezing it in his.

"But what does that even mean? How am I supposed to unite people who want to kill each other and me, and won't listen to reason?"

"We'll figure out what you're meant to do, but handing yourself over to them definitely isn't the answer, if they kill you it'll only open the gate for them to hunt down the rest of us. Without you the other Mai will lose hope, they won't want to fight anymore, and it'll just end in a slaughter."

"People keep getting hurt because of me and for me and I want it to stop. Paul and Amy, Jasmine, Brian, Valentina and you," Chloe whispering the last quieter tears in her eyes again as she touched his scar again. "If they have me they'll have what they want."

"No they won't, they'll only have part of what they want, and it won't stop with you." Alek gently brushed the tears from her face. "You say you don't want to lose the people you care about or for them to get hurt, but think about it from our point of view."

"Our...?"

"Like I said, I'm sorry I haven't been here for you, but I still care about you Chloe."

"I've missed you. Can things try to go back to at least a little bit more like normal for us between us?"

"Of course." Putting his hand on her shoulder and pushing himself off the bed Alek said "You should try to get back to sleep, you look tired, you always look tired these days, you need it."

"Wait," Chloe said, putting her hand over Alek's to stop him removing it from her shoulder. "Please don't leave just yet."

"Fine," Alek sighed, suddenly Chloe noticed he looked exhausted. "You should still try to get back to sleep though," he said pulling back the doona. Chloe suddenly realising how exhausted she herself was obligingly crawled over the doona and flopped into bed. After pulling the covers over her Alek sat back down on the side of the bed. After a minute of sitting in silence Chloe took Alek's hand and gave it a squeeze, as she was about to take it back he stopped her, taking her hand in both of his he just sat the staring down at it. Eventually letting her hand go, he took off his shoes and flopped himself down beside Chloe.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Shhhh..." Alek whispered putting his arm around Chloe and pulling her into his chest. Chloe looked up at him through the hair that was now falling in her eyes, he looked tired and sad, and as he looked down at her she saw in his dark eyes that glint of what looked like protectiveness that she'd noticed in his eyes before. "Try to go to sleep," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. Chloe put her head back down on his chest and wrapped her arm around him. At this action he tensed for a moment, as if he hadn't expected it but then he relaxed, holding her close he planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

Sunlight streamed through the open window along with a cool breeze. It took Chloe a minute to remember where she was and a minute longer to register that Alek's arms were still around her. Looking up she could see he was sound asleep, he looked peaceful, the worry and sorrow that had painted his face the night before wiped clean. Chloe lay back down, she was about to doze off again when a noise caught her attention. It was her mum downstairs in the kitchen. Oh crap Chloe thought, crap, crap, crap, I've got to get him out of here, if mum finds him I'm dead.

"Alek... Alek, wake up," Chloe hissed, shaking him lightly.

Waking up suddenly he just about fell off Chloe's bed. "Wha... What happen?"

"You fell asleep," Chloe told him finding it hard not to laugh at his dishevelled and confused state.

"Oh, crap, I'm going to be in deep shit when Jasmine finds out."

"Shhh, she won't, I'm not going to say anything to her. Are you? You just have to be quiet, my mum's awake!" At that he looked mortified. For all his joking in the past Chloe knew he understood the trouble they'd be in if he was found in her bedroom at this hour. "You need to go" she told him handing him his shoes. He put them on quickly and headed for the window.

Just as he was about to climb out Chloe stopped him, grabbing his arm she asked "We're ok now, aren't we?"

"I'll see you at school" Alek responded giving her hand a squeeze and flashing her a smile before disappearing out the window.