A/N: Written for LJ's 1sentence community. Let's face it, this couple would never happen – but it was massively enjoyable to write (and cliches galore!). The title is inspired by a Latin Playboys song: Forever Night Shade Mary. Don't mind the strange numbering system, its part of the challenge and there for my benefit. The list is in chronological order – so read away!

FOREVER NIGHT SHADE
(a piper/dark ace story)

(part one: only a daydream)

20. Green
Dark Ace and his accompanying Talons headed into agricultural land, specifically Terra Malus; the Storm Hawks followed and wondered what the Cyclonian Empire wanted to do with the farming families.

46. War
Master Cyclonis had two simple orders for her champion: feed the empire, starve the enemy.

15. Flexible
Interesting – the only female member of the Storm Hawks differentiated herself by riding a Heliscooter – was she trying to prove something to the boys?

29. Old
Same scenario, different place: 'You're going down, Storm Hawks!' the Dark Ace boasted.

01. Air
Falling – they were f a l l i n g - and Piper held onto an unconscious Finn, looking around frantically for Aerrow when she heard him calling, and his hand grabbed Finn before reaching for hers when a Talon Switchblade blasted them apart - and now she was falling alone and Piper screamed when she couldn't see anymore and Aerrow shouted her name and his Skimmer spiraled out of control – and he – and he – she was gone.

12. End
Aerrow yelled desperately when he regained control of his vehicle and dove down again to look for Piper – but she was nowhere to be found; 'Aerrow, look!' Junko called, 'The Dark Ace is flying away!'

13. Fall
The Cyclonian heard her yell in surprise, saw her blasted off her Heliscooter, and dove down to grab her outstretched hand when her leader failed to return.

28. New
Same fight, different ending: 'Stork, get the Condor ready, the Dark Ace has Piper and we need to find them!'

22. Hollow
She was a white hat. He was a bad man. Enemies didn't do this. They don't rescue girls falling from the skies (but they certainly bound their prisoner's hands and feet when they tried to run away) – 'You're coming to Cyclonia with me,' he smirked and Piper felt a little afraid, just a little.

(part two: maybe a moonbeam)

32. Pretty
They ran across the pastures and hid under the gnarled tree boughs, he pulled on the ropes to make her walk faster, crouch lower, keep silent; Piper whipped her head and she snarled at him – and her dark eyelashes fluttered with anger.

09. Drink
'It's not poisoned, is it?' she asked hesitantly and watched him unscrew the lid and drink some of the water himself.

06. Dark
The first night she pretended she wasn't sleepy and reluctantly trudged along as her captor constantly tugged on the rope binding them together, but soon her eyelids drooped and she stumbled uphill making him falter as well, before she closed her drooping eyes – Dark Ace was suddenly behind her, his arms around her body, and he dragged her up the hill.

11. Earth
He kept glancing her way, his red eyes staring and she found it disconcerting, especially in the dark; naturally, the Dark Ace would not tell his captive that he thought her skin colour most fascinating and he almost wanted to touch it.

18. Foot
The girl slept fitfully, she constantly woke up and huddled into a ball, making herself as small as possible despite the lazy warmth of the terra; and when her boot accidentally brushed up against his leg he suddenly pulled away as if she had burned him.

05. Coffee
The first morning she woke up with bad breath and winced at the bonds around her hands and feet when the Dark Ace appeared, untied the knots (circulation!), and gave her a tin cup and an apple for breakfast (Good morning sunshine, she said to herself).

14. Fire
It was warm on the terra, and the air was perfumed with fruit blossoms of springtime; 'Come on,' the Dark Ace urged impatiently, pushing Piper ahead of him and the girl fumed when his hands touched her back, wishing she could turn around and give him a good smack on the head.

26. Lost
Piper told herself, 'big girls don't cry' but when all she could see in the starlight was the silhouette of man (who was her rescuer, her captor, and her enemy all at once), she couldn't help but feel like a small child.

07. Despair
The Dark Ace didn't say anything as the girl curled up into a ball and sobbed quietly as if her heart would break; for once, he wasn't in the wrong - all because her squadron leader couldn't save her (maybe he chose not to save you).

40. Spring
He could feel her confidence slipping, her mood becoming darker as she worried over her comrades and her own predicament, and he liked it that way, it made him feel young and reckless again.

43. Summer
She had dark blue-black hair with bangs that fell into her eyes, her skin was a dark brown like the colour of chocolate, and her laugh – he had heard her giggle before in her Sky Knight's presence – was so light and airy and carefree.

47. Water
'Here,' and he tossed an aluminum flask into her lap, it was no good for her to pass out from exhaustion and stubbornness if he was going to take her to Master Cyclonis (a present for past failures, he mused); Piper sipped just enough to wet her mouth.

24. Hope
He's not coming - she looked up at him in disbelief - He hasn't shown up in two days, he smirked -You're a jerk, you think you know everything – he laughed – It's better than a forgotten bookworm – she fumed, How dare you! – he turned away and she raged at his back – I hope the Talons forget about you, and you starve and rot on this stupid terra!

(part three: just a star bright)

17. Food
The rest of the Storm Hawks were searching for her, scouring the terra with the hope of bringing their only female member back home on the Condor safe and unharmed; they needed her like they needed water and air, but Aerrow missed her most of all.

21. Head
The Dark Ace tilted his head to get a better view: the Storm Hawk's crystal specialist was probably in her mid-teens and he noticed she swayed her hips with ease; she moved with grace and femininity, much more than Master Cyclonis anyways.

08. Doors
The Condor was right above them and he grimaced; where on this terra, spotted with orchards, farm lands and green hills, could he hide the girl – was that a barn over there?

23. Honor
Fire smouldered in her eyes, the same kind he had seen in his Master's when she was threatened or provoked, and it said: my Sky Knight is coming for me.

41. Stable
She collapsed on the wooden floor of the unused barn, eyelids drooping from weariness and stubbornly refused to stand up when the Dark Ace pulled hard on the ropes (You've been doing that all day, she protested), so he picked her up and dumped her on a large stack of hay to sleep.

02. Apples
She liked her apples peeled, especially when the ones he picked were Red Delicious and therefore the skin was thick and tough to chew, and Piper's eyes widened in surprise when the Dark Ace sat down on the dirt, took out a pocketknife, and started to peel an apple in one long, swirling piece (This is mine, that one is yours).

33. Rain
She had to ask him (What's your name?) and he scoffed at her; no one knew his name, not even his liege, because names were very powerful things and his name happened to belong to the past, and he didn't need another gray cloud hanging over their already miserable situation (stupid Talons, they were useless).

38. Snow
It was so sunny and warm here on Terra Malus that they kept to the shadows; and judging from the heavy sweat on the Dark Ace's brow, Piper wondered if his land was as cold as his heart.

04. Bugs
She could have laughed, she should have laughed, but when the Dark Ace came back with a swollen face and a temperature Piper knew that something was wrong with him.

37. Snakes
It wasn't a bee, it wasn't a wild mushroom, and it most certainly wasn't a battle wound: what had gotten the Dark Ace was green, slithery, and kept to the shadows under broken foliage.

45. Ugly
'Are - are you allergic to something?' the girl knew she was treading on eggshells but winced at the sight of his inflamed face, 'Is it supposed to be that swollen?'

03. Beginning
'You don't mean anything to me,' he grumbled as he lay down on the floor; Piper ignored his talk and attended to her thoughts, her eyes watching him carefully, before looking down at her tethered ankle and the chain that held her.

39. Solid
Dead weight – that what she was when he threatened to haul her to Cyclonia with him; and now that he was sick (and therefore compromised), she could get up and seek her comrades, it would be so easy.

49. Winter
Aerrow frowned when he surveyed the map of the terra; searching for two people would be a lot easier if it snowed – their tracks would have given them away easily (Talons approaching! Stork called).

36. Secret
I don't really care if you die tonight, Piper projected her thoughts forward as she watched Dark Ace's struggle between the role of captor and sick patient, I certainly won't miss you; and the Dark Ace replied, I know.

(part four: forever nightshade mary goodnight)

34. Regret
I'll be repaying the favour, Piper talked to herself, I'm not going to let a man suffer just because I was too proud to help him.

19. Grave
The Dark Ace wondered what was wrong with him; he was capable of laughing, he could crack a joke, but the look of sullenness on the girl's face was as if she had just returned from his funeral.

35. Roses
The air in the barn smelled sweet and fragrant and calmed him immensely; the Cyclonian struggled to turn his head sideways to see where it was coming from – the girl was bent over a small basin of water with loads of apple blossoms in her lap, placing petals into the dish.

31. Poison
He was sick, really sick, and needed care; Piper removed her orange headband reluctantly and soaked it with some water gathered earlier, and placed the cool, wet cloth on his burning forehead (only until his body's flushed out the toxins).

25. Light
At sunset his fever was no better and his prisoner was going nowhere; both resigned to their fate, Piper stared at the red-orange sky and the Dark Ace felt a terrible (and delusional, he reasoned) urge to reach out and touch her face and make her look at him with that soft look in her eyes (it was pity, but for him?).

30. Peace
Piper eyed her captor warily, 'If I help you get better,' she started and he finished tiredly, 'I promise not to take you to Cyclonia.'

27. Metal
She removed his clothing, piece by piece, and felt strange to know that there was a man underneath all this armour.

44. Taboo
He had saved her life, just like Master Cyclonis did, but Piper had grown a little wiser and was reluctant to accept the Dark Ace's hand in trust (I promised to let you go, now help me sit up).

50. Wood
'Your fever's gone down,' Piper whispered to the dozing man, 'I'm going to be gone for a little bit - I'm going to build a fire and cook food you can actually hold down.'

42. Strange
Her hands were cold and she showed her emotions easily on her face, his body was burning up and he didn't even have the will to tie her up anymore, but she didn't run away and he didn't ask why.

48. (You're) Welcome
He didn't say thank you, he just watched her dust off her clothes and open the barn door.

16. Flying
Finn's sharp eyes were the first to catch sight of Piper running through the apple orchards, 'Aerrow!' he called to the pilot flying beside him, 'Aerrow, I found her!'

10. Duty
At midday, she ran away for good and he didn't come back for her, he didn't have the strength for it yet, but he remembered her face, her words, her fear, and the Dark Ace felt a little disappointed her debt was repaid so quickly.