BB says: At last! The long awaited sequel begins! I would like to thank all the fans who are returning from the prequel, Everywhere is the Anywhere of Someone and welcome all my new readers! Salut et Merci! Let's get this party started! Can I get a What-what?

Rating: Like its predecessor (that I strongly recommend you read before getting to this) my new story is Teen. Ya dig?

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever owned, Generator Rex or the works of Lewis Carroll.

"It's a great huge game of chess that's being played-all over the world-if this is the world at all, you know. Oh, what fun it is!"

~Lewis Carroll

He had been following her for quite some time, watching her appear and disappear based upon her own whimsy. Confident steps and a broad stride, the smile dispersed without prejudice and her cautious ally following at her heels. She would stop, they would stop, and gaze upon shop windows as any number of young women would, perhaps speaking of what they would buy if they possessed the fiscal requirements and where they would wear it and whether they should go in and attempt to try them on. Maybe some shoes too? Or a bag? When in Rome! Or France, as the case may be.

Their efforts to intermingle with a lesser race disturbed him. How they freely walked the streets and acted as though the vocal one's oddness wasn't earning them stares and the quiet one's lowered head wasn't a sign of past injury. Assume that they could ever be considered the same as they had been despite the knowledge that they were now so much more. Anger writhed in his gut at the thought, at the mere suggestion that they could ever think to be mediocre after being granted with such gifts. Moral prostitutes, spitting upon the name of evos as they gazed from their pedestals of paper and sand.

What made humans so great anyway? Why should they survive and force evos to run into extinction? Because that's all a cure was, really. A politically correct term for the elimination of the genetically differentiated. For though their bodies would survive, their spirits would once again be shackled by the chains of monotony. Humanity had reached the end of its run, dragging through the last morsels of their own survival and deterring the inevitable. It occurred in nature every day, the evolution of one organism into a greater, more efficient form. They were among the lucky first, those who would pave the way for the rest to follow. The more it was fought, the longer cowards attempted to stifle the flood, the more force would build behind the gates. They were all doomed to drown.

But he would save her. No! He would save both of them.

"I really think it would look good on you. I wish we had a little more in the paycheck area. Did you hear White when I asked him? He was all like 'you are supplied with food and board. That is your pay.' The nerve of him. We risk our lives for windowless rooms and rubber mac and cheese." Cheshire huffed, turning away from the perfectly adorable dress she wanted to put Allison in. "The worst part is that I told him I hated it. So at this point I know he's just messing with me. What are the chances the European branch would have macaroni day too?"

Rue de Liberte, the shopping capital of Dijon, France, was bustling with life. Flags from different periods in the nation's history were twisted in a brisk wind, the sun just beginning its descent in the sky. People passed the two girls in casual comfort, too engrossed in their own conversations to notice the odd young woman snapping pictures at every opportunity and the strange mounds on her head were not quite normal. Unlike the fakes Allison wore upon her shimmering locks, Cheshire's pivoted at every new sound, every new face. But it went unnoticed. Most probably assumed the two girls, much too old for pretend and tea parties, were playing dress up.

Like many of the other tourists struggling to make themselves understood with the French masses, Cheshire and Allison had arrived for the International Gastronomy Fair, a chance to try dishes from all over the world. They had spent the morning wandering through booths and bumping elbows with foreign chefs, Cheshire charming many into granting them recipes and tastes. She had been particularly fond of the takoyaki booth from Japan; the chef had insisted upon a picture of the "cute girls with kitty ears." She was working on learned the Asian culture, but from the look on the man's face at her attempt, she may have insulted his mother.

"Excusez moi, Mademoiselle! Voulez-vous acheter quelques fleurs? Les belles fleurs pour de belles filles, n'est pas?(Excuse me, ladies! Would you like to buy some flowers? Beautiful flowers for beautiful girls, right?)" They turned, noticing for the first time a little flower cart to the side of the store. The woman was rather tall, glancing down at Cheshire and Allison with a gracious smile, pecan brown hair held back in a ponytail. Cheshire smile sheepishly behind her camera.

"Très fâché, mon ami. Nous ne avons pas l'argent pour de fleurs aujourd'hui (Sorry friend. We do not have money for flowers today). The woman waved away her apology, still smiling jovially. "Ah, non, non! C'est-" she was interrupted by a scream, a sigh escaping Cheshire as the all too familiar scene of fleeing people rushed by. It was her one of her many self-proclaimed days off, and she honestly didn't feel like wrestling a large and possibly smelly beast into submission. Nevertheless, she looped her prized possession around her neck at the surge in rampant nanites, looking to her friend with a subdued smile.

"You guys should go for cover. I can handle this. If I have to." The pale girl nodded, her face grim as she latched onto the stunned form of the flower woman and hauled her away with more strength than one would think she possessed. It didn't happen often, but Allison was used to hustling the shocked and the stupid away from her companion's potentially deadly foes. The woman on the street was not the largest person she had ever dragged away, and was far more willing to cooperate then those who panic and nearly trample her.

Cheshire made it to the center of the rushing crowd, close enough to see the cause of the disturbance, when she came up short in order to raise an incredulous brow. It seemed like a lot of fuss for nothing, a sense of disappointment entering Cheshire as she realized the monster to be contained was a toy dog. From what she could gather from the shredded remains of a pricey handbag and the tiara that was still tangled its matted hairs, it was once a prized and pampered pet brought from store to store with an owner who was just as spoiled.

In its evo form it was only as big as a large motorbike with soft looking green fur springing up where is had once been shaved. Paws the size of Cheshire's hands paced the ground, watching onlookers flee as its long body adjusted to its larger size. All in all, Cheshire wasn't impressed, having seen larger evos with the same basic build. What was perhaps the only feature that classified it as extraordinary was its head. Or, rather, heads. Because it had three.

"C'est génial (That's awesome)!" Cheshire crowed, watching the dog in fascination. It turned on her outburst, the lips on one of its mouths lifting in challenge as it focused on the one being that wasn't running. It winced at the flash from Cheshire's camera, the girl pointing at it with a waving finger. "Bet you're happy to be out of that bag, huh?" It continued growling, although the pacing halted a few steps away. "I think that's animal cruelty. What dog wants to be cooped up all day? You're creatures meant for fun and run!" A growl erupted from all three throats, synchronizing in discontent. Cheshire tilted her head to the side, allowing her camera to fall back to her neck. "Oh? You want to make up for lost time? You want," she grinned wider, cracking her knuckles "á jouer avec moi (to play with me)?"

The canine evo made the first move, darting forward and snapping with the center head. Cheshire was barely faster, foot colliding with the gaping mouth as she performed a back spring into the air. The dog wasted no time in leaping after her, snapping at her toes from its stance on its hind legs. Cheshire pulled her upper body forward and placed her arms on its back, midsection dodging its teeth in order to pull her legs close behind. The evo's heads couldn't turn far enough to bite at the girl who was now sitting, backwards, on its spine and wrapping her fingers in its (soft!) fur. It surprised the unwanted rider as the formally inert tail wrapped around her waist, throwing her several feet away.

Cheshire landed roughly on her shoulder, hissing and rolling back to her feet. She stepped back and spun, losing a large patch of her jacket to the fangs of the beast and barely yanking her arms out of the way of a second mouth. A bike collided with the creature's side, pushing it back as the blonde evo regained her bearings. Three heads shook and swiveled back to the girl.

Cheshire let it come, forcing her legs to remain locked in position as it approached. At the last moment, when she could practically feel its breath on her face, she pivoted out of the way. With a solid, meaty clang, the wild evo ran into a light pole, the center head colliding roughly. Feet were slammed to the top of its flanking heads before recovery was possible, a wildly grinning girl pressing her advantage and once again leaping onto the back of the creature. Because honestly, this may have been her only chance to try and ride a dog.

The tail returned, only for her to grasp it in one hand. "Bad doggie!" With a mix of barks and yelps, the evo bucked and wriggled, trying to dislodge its blue eyed opponent. The heads swerved desperately, vainly trying to tear at what they couldn't reach. Cheshire held on with one hand, grinding her teeth stubbornly and keeping the tail from snatching itself free. She was thrown forward, smashing her face on the back of the middle head, but refused to let go despite her now bloody lip. It rolled over. Once. Twice. Crushing Cheshire beneath it and attempting to dislodge her. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.

After fifteen minutes of twisting and hopping, the evo began to tire, three heads panting and its barrel chest heaving with strain. The jumping stopped, its only movement shaky steps and low breaths. Cheshire released its limp tail, using her hand to pat it on the side fondly as her tongue worked the bust in her lip. "You're a fighter, huh?" The animal whimpered a bit, not reacting as Cheshire swung her body to the side and down, using her weight and powers to roll it over. Its belly exposed, she made her point. She was dominate.

By the time Providence arrived, a big show of hovercraft and firepower, Cheshire was well on her way to napping, the evo curled at her side with one head lifted as guard. They leaned on the side of a building together, with one of Cheshire's hands running through fur and her eyes drifting shut. The sound of lasers training on the two was high and disruptive, the canine hopping to its feet and growling loudly. Each head was facing a different direction, its large flank in Cheshire's face.

"Hey guys. Can I keep her?"

Hidden eyes narrowed as Providence approached, his body fading back into the shadows as their jets lowered upon the city. It was simple enough to stay out of sight when they were preoccupied with the large, wonderful creature they were targeting their guns upon. With a powerful, graceful body and incredible speed and prowess, it should've been a crime to attack the piece of art. The beautiful beast retained much of its shape, the nanites within choosing a more classical look to the animal's body type. He truly was tempted to save it, keep Providence from placing their filthy hands upon it and committing a crime against nature. They didn't appear to have their so called "secret weapon" among them, so he could only assume they came with the intent to destroy.

But then she stood in defense, lifting all parties five feet in the air and dropping them, painfully, before they could attack each other. Voices were raised, the guns retrained, and through it all, her face held passivity. The smile that she wore more often than not. An arm on the shoulders of her new companion spoke volumes.

This is mine now.

I will keep it.

No discussion.

He watched her lips pull back together to cover her snarl, grin accommodating conversation but body language daring anyone to come forward and state why she shouldn't. Why she couldn't keep what she'd so skillfully tamed.

The weapons were lowered.

And while he was quite taken with the powerful girl, he knew he had to report to his master.

It took a few days for the troops to become used to become used to the newest member of Providence. To overcome their primal fear of long fangs and razor blade claws pacing the halls at night. After much awkwardness and questioning it was deduced the evo was indeed female. And while the newly dubbed Berry (short for Cerberus, of course) was somewhat less than accommodating for those outside Cheshire, she was so passionately loved by the enthusiastic blonde no one could find the heart to point out her flaws. That the spoiled pooch from France was still a bit of a diva, demanding attention whenever she entered a room and, forgetting she was now quite the titan, leaping onto the laps of anyone who was unfortunate enough to be seated at the moment. Knocking into tables with surprising clumsiness and demanding to play fetch with Providence equipment.

At least she was house broken.

Cheshire didn't help. She was fond of braiding the monster's tangled hair and slept with her at the edge (and two thirds) of her bed. Rex's reaction when she brought the dog to visit was amusing, as he wasn't expecting his girlfriend to drop by with a three headed evo at her side. He jumped a mile in the air and landed on his backside, spilling his milkshake down the front of his shirt. He was back on his feet in less than a second, moving to protect her, but the young woman couldn't stop laughing enough to explain, at the moment. Because it had gone much better than she thought it would, Berry wagging her tail with slow uncertainty.

While Allison wasn't much of a dog person, she soon became used to the fact that Cheshire was going to keep the mutt, despite what anyone said. Including White. Who remained happily unaware of Berry's presence. Besides, one could not become friends with Cheshire without being forced to adopt a sort of…acceptance, to life.

"How are you doing this?" She roared, flipping the game board for the third time in so many hours. The pieces went scattering across the room, pawns dropped to the floor as a knight struck the unfortunate Berry on one of her heads. She slinked away, tucking her tail between her legs and moving to jump in Deloriano's lap as he watched football.

"You are too good at this! And you never played before I taught you?" Allison smiled bashfully, shaking her head. "I taught you today!" Allison scoffed a laugh, practice allowing her to ignore the pieces and board drifting back to the little table in the longue. A yelp was heard from Berry's victim. "Geez, Alice. Color me jealous." The game was nearly reset. "One more time." The dark blonde thought for a moment before shaking her head. She pointed to the canine crushing their comrade, the poor man's face turning blue. "I guess we could go for a walk. I heard the outback is lovely this time of year. Or maybe Tuscany?" Allison smiled and nodded, holding up two fingers. The second choice. "Italy it is! Mue bueno (very good)!"

Before the two could move for their shoes, before Cheshire could whistle for her dog and the final piece was on the board, the room was flooded with red lights. Cheshire jumped and lost concentration, knocking over the white king.

Cheshire's ears swiveled in agitation, the sirens much too loud for her. "The flip is going down, Deloriano?" The Providence private had leapt to his feet with a speed seconded only by Berry's removal from his lap. He was already heading for the door shouting over the alarms. "That's a Class 1 alert!" There was a barely audible note of panic in his voice, eyes hard and somewhat scared as they lit upon Cheshire.

"A what and a who now?" She had crammed her fingers into her ears, fighting the ringing by grinding her teeth. "I didn't go to boot camp!"

And then they were down the hall, surrounded by groups of rushing Providence troops, pulling on masks and checking weapons as two young women were hustled along. Chest to back, feet stepping over and onto each other as the crowd rushed to the hanger. Cheshire grabbed Allison's hand and held tight, frightened the smaller girl would trip and be trampled by the rushing crowd of soldiers. The light haired brunette was biting her lip and clinging to her friend, eyeing their chaotic surroundings wearily. They were only freed when Berry caught up, a natural girth that everyone granted her engulfing them and allowing their lungs to expand. With a fierce yank, Cheshire pulled Allison into a side room, followed by her loping dog.

"You stay here, si?" Cheshire tried to keep the trepidation from her voice as she addressed Allison, grinning with all she was worth. There was no point in worrying her. "Since you're a little very human and lacking the training of most soldiers, I can't drag you out there like usual. No worries though," the platinum blonde shined her winning smile, hand on bicep like one Rosie the Riveter "I can handle my own. Especially with Berry at my back."

The amount of progress Allison had made over time was nothing to frown at. Her therapist had only positive things to say these days and she no longer winced when Cheshire mentioned Van Kleiss. The day before she was seen wearing a sweater her grandmother had made for her, a picture of the reunited family hanging in her tiny room. She smiled more, laughed more, even subjected herself to Cheshire's so called dance lessons. The longer she was human, "normal", the more of the past girl seemed to be surfacing. Allison's mind was recovering.

So when she opened her mouth, attempting to say something, anything –be safe, be careful, this is bad, I can feel it- what came out was a high whine, an improvement from the silent rushing of air that had once been.

"This'll be easy! Just get ready for Italy. We'll be home in time for that walk." Cheshire had already turned towards the door, missing Allison extending her hand to stop her.

The world was spinning. On a massive pinwheel, around and around, Cheshire stuck in the middle with debris in her hair and blood in her eyes. She couldn't see, not really -buried deep in a recently collapsed building- but the darkness on the inside of her lids ignited with bursts of pain and light as she screwed her face, straining to free herself and protect the less powerful members of her division.

A whimper escaped but finally she wrenched herself free, ache flaring through her bruised body.

The lower the number was the worse the mess, a factor that should've been obvious from the level of man power Providence had thrown into the situation. Hardly five minutes had gone by, three hundred, twenty-seven seconds, and White was announcing that the North American division would also be joining in order to aid with evacuation. Which meant they were losing. Before they even arrived.

Cheshire hadn't registered the announcement, too busy swallowing her horror at the scene that was unfolding before her eyes, the smell that hit her miles before they even arrived on scene. A sudden tension in her heart that she couldn't shake, throbbing before they even came across the first flaming car. She recognized a strong scent in the air, for although she had never encountered such a thing before a primal part of her knew what it was.

Burning flesh. Burning human flesh.

Her stomach lurched although those in her cabin didn't seem to notice the odor as it perforated the air. She chose not to tell them, her tongue frozen and stiff with shock and dread. They didn't land, they crashed, a screech of metal and the shouts of men as they began to spiral out of the air, Cheshire the only reason most of them survived. Some had been disintegrated when the beam cut through the ship.

A path of wreckage and flame had been carved through the city, ash clogging the blood red sky and burning Cheshire's eyes. Many buildings were still on fire, others sagged in on themselves like defeated warriors. The young evo kicked a doll where in lay on the cracked ground, its owner some distance away with her head bashed in.

Level 1, huh?

What a flawed system, because there was no possible way for them to have been prepared for this. Not level to describe what they had been sent to face.

There were so many, fangs, claws, lightening and fire, it was impossible for this to have been a spontaneous attack. They were organized in their fighting, skilled in their blows and movements as they cut down the ranks of soldiers. It was obvious that they were engaging in total war, complete decimation of the city and its occupants regardless of age and gender. For this was not a battle. It was a massacre.

Everything hurt so bad. Cheshire's body screamed for her to stop, begged for her to just stay down after what felt like an endless stream of wild evos lunging at her only to be struck down. She stopped seeing them as former humans, as people, as her exhaustion grew, too weak to hold back any longer and live. Many of the men who had arrived in her jet had died, regardless of her desperation in protecting them. There were simply too many opponents for them to take, and she couldn't be everywhere at once. But she had avenged them, in her own way. For every man taken from her unit, she had killed two evos. That was, she lamented, over two hundred bodies surrounding her, not counting those she had simply ripped apart, and the few of her men swept away by flying beasts.

A grunt escaped her cracked lips, tears in her aching eyes as a long, muscled tail lashed at her from behind. Anger drove her as it burst to dust, her heart heavy as she realized what she had done.

But she couldn't stop.

She couldn't.

She was going to die if she held back.

She had to turn it off. She had to turn it off.

Off with their heads!

She yanked an evo back from where it sought to attack a survivor, a young man hiding under debris. The creature snarled at the disruption, unnaturally green eyes narrowed as a mouth opened wide enough to tear off Cheshire's arm. It was tackled by a bleeding, limping, Berry.

They were not going to win this.

The last of the soldiers formed a tight circle. The order to retreat had been given, but many of their aircraft had been destroyed, and there was no way in Hell Cheshire had the strength to teleport so many at once. And if she couldn't save them, she wouldn't save herself. They were being herded this point, several evos out of the mass deciding to have a little fun with Providence before ripping them apart.

An evo with scaled wings and eyes the size of saucers swooped from the sky, yanking up a screaming man. Although Cheshire quickly followed, it had already broken his neck and dropped him by the time she grabbed a wing and swung onto its back. She dug extended claws into the tender area surrounding its ear holes, the heels of her feet pressing on the joints linking wings to body and driving it into a spiral. They collided with the top of a wrecked office building, Cheshire snarling as she used the evo's body to skate and skid to a halt. She left the bloody mess behind as she once again joined her men.

They were not going to win this.

A burst of power from her fingertips decapitated an evo before it could finish off a soldier.

"Stay close to me!" Cheshire screamed to those who remained, their guns sputtering ther surrender. Her final attempt to protect, her trump card, blew up as larger than it had ever been, encasing everyone in a shield of epic proportions. She was at the last bit of her strength, the familiar pain shocking her body as she mercilessly forced her body to perform. Monsters knocked at the wall, curiosity turning into irritation when they realized their prey was beyond their reach.

At the moment.

Seeing that the enemy was kept at bay, Providence took a shaky breath, allowing their trembling limbs to show as they reloaded their weapons. Berry's heavy panting was the only sound, Cheshire carefully folding in on herself in order to meditate and prolong their defense.

Surely back up was on the way. Someone had to have noticed that they needed help. Someone-

It was like a knife was jammed into her back and twisted, a sharp gasp clenching her lungs together at the force. Her eye flew open, full of pained tears. Many of the evos attacking had pulled back, granting room for what could only have been a battering ram. He looked human, like a man that one would see on the streets, with shaggy brown hair and five o'clock shadow. His shirt was tattered and his pants ripped, but that may have only been the result of a rough life. Even his eyes, one of the first things to change with most evos, were a clear, and very human, brown.

The only mutation Cheshire could note were his larger than life hands, fingers curled to form two very powerful wrecking balls.

He smiled in a predatory way as he noticed Cheshire watching him with weary eyes, his movements slowing so that he could speak between blows.

"You must be Cheshire." Strike. The shield shook and Cheshire winced. His voice was also very normal.

"I've heard of you." Strike. Cheshire gasped out a sob, the troops around her raising their guns in preparation.

"You're so pretty!" Strike. Her eyes threatened to roll back into her skull as an illuminated crack arched through her wall.

"I'm gonna kill you." Strike. The crack expanded, the pain engulfing Cheshire's body refusing to allow her to repair it. A few soldiers muttered prayers in their respective languages.

"And wear your skin!"

With a scream of agony and defiance, Cheshire turned her shield inside out and changed the charge. It was like nothing she had ever done before, ever tried, her most dangerous attribute pushed and twisted to dangerous proportions. The heavy handed evo widened his eyes moments before he and several his companions were struck down, bursting into little more than dust as the crackling mass engulfed them and decimated their barest molecules.

The advancement of hostiles ceased their snarls and sneers silenced as they wondered at the fate of their comrades. A few stepped back, paws, claws, feet putting distant between them and the greater beast lurking before them, their weariness justly earned at Cheshire sized them up. She doubted she could do such a thing again without rebounding, but if they were afraid she would, why ruin the fear? She hissed through her teeth, and several jumped. There was a moment of limbo –evos still, Providence clenching their fingers on their triggers. It was as though the next shot would signal the second half of the battle- when the evos vanished in a very comical, very corny, puff of smoke.

What.

The.

Hell?

The blonde evo could barely keep her eyes open, but forced herself to stay as alert as possible, trying her hardest to ignore the startled looks her fellow soldiers were giving her.

Cheshire didn't really care. All she knew was that she had made it through this, with at least a few of her compatriots still alive. Although their appeared to be teleporting evos by the dozen lurking somewhere.

Folded ears twitched at the sound of a hover carrier, Berry sniffing her mistress' hair and whimpering as the girl finally collapsed.

She was in a hedge maze, green on either sides of her. She was alone, but this was good, because alone meant safe. There was no one there to fight, no one to hurt. Her dress was long and old fashioned, a large white sash tied at her lower back and matching the white ribbon in her white hair. Violet and lavender with feet made of mist and hands made of knives. Everything was silent, still, the sun hazy above her in a polka dot sky.

There were white roses lining her path, lovely little buds and flowers smiling genteelly and waving with petal hands. They spoke sweet words and riddles alike, and she couldn't help but grin back and approach them. Their smiles fell, the bushes shaking under a sudden that overcame them on the heels of their visitor . Clouds started to gather, deep black and angry, lightening limbs lurching as the first drip dropped. It landed on her upturned face, rolling beneath her eye and falling from her chin.

The clouds broke, a crimson torrent unleashed. She ran, attempting to shield herself from the drops that were dying her hair and painting her roses red. She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, everything was spoiled. Voices were crying out her name, no, not her name! She's not that anymore! She didn't know these screams, these people, joined by newer cries of woe and pain. She found the end of the maze and rushed on, into the deep, dark, edge of the world.

It was a struggle to open her eyes, fighting the need to rest more. But her heart was still pounding with adrenaline, her mind unable to forget the feel and smell of war. Her screaming muscles tensed reflexively at the terrifying thought that she had fainted in the middle of battle. That she would wake to even more deaths. They were doomed without her; even with her aid they were being forced back! So if she had…if she was…

Ermanno, and Simone, and Alphonse, and Orlando. Were they all dead too?

Cheshire jerked and lashed out, throat constricted as she fought against invisible hands and arms. They held her tighter and breath appeared at her ear, gasping against her blows. A breathy whimper escaped her body and she lashed furiously. Her eyes finally opened, blurry images focusing.

"Ah!"

"Ow Cheshire. Geez," Rex didn't quite accomplish his tone of humor, eyes liquid amber as the girl in his lap finally realized who she had been scratching and punching. She tried to smile sweetly, but she couldn't, a shaking grin taking its place beneath her hooded eyes. They were in a jet, she realized, and a relatively empty one at that. The only other passenger was Berry. Bandages were wrapped through her fur. They were surrounded by other aircraft; she didn't have to see them to know that they were immersed in a group of their allies, beating a hasty retreat. Perhaps in the wake of one of a "glow in the dark" solution.

"The civilains?" Panic ran through Cheshire, and she once again attempted to escape her beau's embrace. Her voice was little more than a croak, aching from smoke and exertion. "It's okay! They're okay! Watch the face!" It wasn't like her weak flailing could do much damage anyway. The blonde evo's ears was still flickering in agitation, blue eyes darting as her smile twisted. "They're not okay. Not all of them. They're not okay, Rex." Her eyes burned but stayed dry and too wide to be sane. "It's my fault. I did this. I couldn't save them. They're not okay. Not okay. Not okay. Not okay." Rex wasn't quite sure what to say to her, his brow crinkled as she yanked herself up straighter so her cheek was touching his. He nuzzled it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear, pulling her closer. She didn't quite understand, watching her scraped fingers flex and bend as they came to rest on his shoulder. "It's my fault."

"No. No, it's not." Her brow wrinkled as she faced him. Their noses were touching as she burned her eyes deep into his. "Yes. It is." He sighed a bit, air rushing from his lips to hers. His eyes were frustrated, shimmer diminished in the wake of poorly hidden fear and anguish. Was she hurting him? What was he afraid of?

"No, gatita (kitten). No." She didn't break eye contact, teeth clacking together behind her pulled lips. Please the lights in his eyes were dancing, begging don't force yourself to hurt for this.

At times it felt like he was so young in comparison to her, a large child wrapping his arms about a little adult. That the world had cast its hand and aged Cheshire to the point of no redemption while Rex was still attempting to catch his breath from the race through adolescence. For though he looked to be older -a year perhaps. Or even two- there was so much Cheshire was afraid he would see. Would know. About her and everything else this world was. For though her discriminatory habit of only counting sunny hours had fueled so much of her life, that didn't mean the clouds upon the horizon were invisible to her. Didn't mean she didn't know what must be faced.

In a way, she supposed, it was up to her to educate him. Her and everyone else in his life. A young adult whose memory, save for basic functions, had only lasted him the past five years was practically a child. She wanted him to remain this sweet, innocent boy so badly. But knew he would grow up someday.

She was going to let him soothe her. Although she was absolutely certain that she could've done more –been faster, stronger, better- and she didn't want that belief to be squashed. She could find no reason for her not to be the one at fault, as she was easily the most powerful Providence agent on the field at that particular moment, and it was her unspoken duty to protect those below her. But she had failed, in the worst way possible, the taste of blood still fresh in her mouth as she brushed chapped against chapped in a brief touch.

She was tired. And sore. And so grateful to have woken up to him, of all people. Because he was warm and strong and trying to squeeze all her pain away. If only for his comfort, to make that look of sad anxiety in his eyes vanish, she would bury this inside like so many things. She wanted for this to convince her. More than life, death, and the little things in between.

Rex smiled softly as the girl unwound and kissed him gently. "Okay," it was an exhausted whisper as she buried her face in his neck. "Okay." His sigh vibrated against her cheek.

It wasn't over, she knew. The knowledge wracked her body with involuntary shakes, fingers clenching into Rex's back. Mistaking her discomfort for chills, Rex hummed in her ear and rubbed her back. She worked her arms beneath his jacket and closer to his body to share his warmth.

There was more to this, the tip of the totem, really.

Nolens volens (whether willing or unwilling).