Clockwise Reversal
With a Sharp Clink

"You humans really are pathetic."

This is the fifth time that John's come to her rescue and she isn't exactly sure what she should say. Part of her wants to question where this side of him came from or if he's an imposter ask him what he did to the real John Allerdyce. She weighs the option of testing to see if this is a shapeshifter, but dismisses that idea a second later. After all, she's never run into one that's able to manipulate fire like he can (or any element for that matter).

"And weak," He adds as an afterthought.

… Maybe it was because of the deal she made? She may not remember everything from that night, but there are pieces there that she does recall. And she knows that the deal was for the person (in this case the person being John) to redeem himself for the wrongs he's done. Did that mean he was supposed to help people? But… that didn't add up right. If that was the case then he would've been forced to help her at the very beginning instead of turning his nose up at the mere thought of aiding others.

"This is why we homo superiors are better."

She refrains herself from rolling her eyes. It's not like she couldn't handle the situation herself. Sure, she was having some trouble in getting the cheap plastic lighter to work, but it wasn't as if the situation was that bad.

…

OK, so maybe it was starting to get a little worrisome near the end there.

Clink.

"Are you still alive down there?" He asks but doesn't sound like he cares if she is or not.

It's not until then that she realizes she's still lying on her back from where she fell. If she were on her stomach the whole situation would be almost a perfect replay of the woods. "Yeah, I'm fine." She sits up and runs her fingers through her auburn hair that came loose from the messy bun she put it in earlier. It makes her think about getting a haircut until she comes to the conclusion that it isn't that long. Perhaps once the ends reach her hips she'll get one.

Now standing, she brushes the dirt from her jeans before reaching down and picking up the shovel. The sunrise won't be for another two hours and already she's not looking forward to filling up the grave that took her hours to dig up. Her eyes darted to where John stood and she thinks about politely asking him if he'd do it. But he did just save her for the fifth time in little over two months and she had to push the temptation away from her mind.

"Thanks again, Pyro." She's gotten used to calling him by his alias, but there are still times where she almost calls him by his actual name.

And his response to that hasn't changed since the first time he saved her.

Flick.

"Yeah, whatever…"

Clink.

Silence washes over the two which doesn't feel awkward like it once had. Only this time she's going to break the usual routine and asks him why.

"You rather I didn't?"

That… wasn't the response she was looking for. But she does note that he hasn't gotten angry at her like he would have like at the beginning. Did that mean he was having a change of heart? … That was highly doubtful at this point. If only he hadn't answered her question with a question. But did she dare push the topic further?

"No." She answers truthfully. "But you can't blame me for being curious is all."

He raises an eyebrow at her and his Zippo flicks open briefly before the lid comes down on the flame to extinguish it.

"It just has me wondering if you've had a change of heart." Trinity soon finds herself regretting saying the words as soon as they come out of her mouth.

His face becomes stony and his eyes turn to that darker shade.

Flick.

Her body tenses itself as if to brace for the scorching heat that'll be sent her way.

But after a few seconds Pyro only gives her a sneer and the lid of his Zippo falls back with a sharp clink. Not long after, she blinks after his retreating form.

There's a moment where she feels like slapping herself.

Why, in her drunken state, had she asked for him again?

Finally, she lets out a sigh and comes to the conclusion that she may (and most likely will) never know.

So instead she settles for vowing to never, ever get that drunk again.

I was thinking about re-vamping the third chapter completely but decided against it. After re-reading it I am partly satisfied with how it turned out. But anyway, my plot bunnies finally decided on when exactly John was pulled out from X-Men. Its post-X2: X-Men United/pre-X-Men: the Last Stand. Therefore John's hair hasn't been dyed blond (yet) and his personality is still mainly leftover from the second movie. Why did my plot bunnies settle on this? Well… you'll just have to wait and see; although something tells me that you, Crime Scene Fairy, will be able to figure it out. ;)

Oh yes! And before I forget to ask, has anyone read Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting by David Reed? I read it a few months back and part of me is considering incorporating it in the story but I'm not a hundred percent sure. What do you guys think?

sara winchester: Thank you for the review. :)

WoW: I'm glad to hear it. And who knows? Maybe you'll become an X-Men fan sometime in the (perhaps near) future…? =)

summer rain: Thank you very much for the review; I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying this story so far. And thank you for the advice (that was one of the reasons I thought about re-vamping the last chapter).