A/N: First of, a huge apology for the late update (I know I seem to be doing that all the time). I have an excuse this time - a good one. I started a new job, and my personal life feels like it is in shambles. But that's no excuse. If this chapter is too angsty, I'm sorry, that's my personal demons spilling out.

The story is also getting longer than I originally planned. So sorry guys. I think maybe 20 chaps or more. That means waiting for me to update. Yikes!!

Also, I saw so many hits for the story, but very few reviews. For those who have been faithfully reviewing (you know who you are!) thank you so much. You guys are the reason I'm still writing. And to the rest of you, please give me your opinion, so I don't constantly churn out trash. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Yes, I understand that I don't own ANY of'em. Doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though!

Watching.Living.Being: Chapter 9

Carol Danvers sat outside Sharon's apartment building, waiting for Angela Logan to leave. Sharon had left earlier to go to work, and when Carol had flown up to investigate, she'd found Angela curled up in front of the television, her eyes red from weeping, watching a Christmas video of Trevor Martin.

Carol felt a pang of guilt, which surprised her. Trevor Martin had been dangerous. He had killed good men when he had blown up three government facilities. She had studied his file extensively and knew about the other political candidates that he had assassinated. Trevor Martin had been a political terrorist, a murderer, and he had deserved to die.

So why was Angela Logan still mourning him?

Carol shook her head. It didn't matter. What mattered was finding and destroying the files that Martin had stolen from all three bases before disappearing. He had left everything to Angela, which meant that the files were with her, whether she knew it or not.

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It had taken Darling almost two days to complete the search for the mysterious blonde. Who knew that there were so many women who matched that description? It had taken Angela another three days to narrow her search down to six potential matches. Once she got near them, all she had to do was let the Wolverine out. He would find her quick enough. Angela smiled grimly. Then, they would see.

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Okay, so it wasn't Patricia Senton, Angela said to herself, mentally crossing that name of her list. She headed toward her bike, checking the address of the next woman. Damn, she thought. That's clean on the other side of town. Sighing, she started her bike.

Two blocks from her destination, Angela switched of her engine. Parking her bike in a corner, she pulled her jacket tighter around her and set of to the apartment. She looked around carefully before phasing through the door. As soon as she was in, she checked to make sure coast was clear before letting the Wolverine take over. The moment she did, a low growl escaped her throat. This was the scent of the woman she was looking for. She knew it.

"No way, Ted," she heard a voice coming from the back of the apartment. "I am not dressing up as a slutty nurse just to satisfy your nurse fetish!" There was a pause as Angela peered around the doorway. The woman, Carol Danvers, Angela remembered, was laughing at whatever the person on the other line was saying. A feral anger rose up in Angela, threatening to choke her. How dare this woman sit there and laugh when she had killed Ben and caused so much misery and pain? For a moment she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to just run Carol through with her claws, or to blast her with her optic blast, and watch the life leak out from her eyes just as she had watched Ben's. Only this time, she would enjoy every second.

When she heard Carol hang up the phone, she phased through the wall. She stood there for a long minute, waiting for Carol to notice her. When she finally did, Carol let out a short, piping scream. The plate she had been holding in her hand fell to the floor and shattered.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded. "And how the hell did you get in?"

"It's surprising what a mutant can do, isn't it, Lieutenant Dorian? Or should I say Carol Danvers?"

"You're a mutant?" Carol was shocked.

"Yes, and so was Ben," Angela snapped.

Carol looked confused. "Who's Ben?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," Angela said furiously. "Either you or one of your people killed him. I want to know why."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Carol insisted.

"Fine. If you want to play it that way. What were you doing pretending to be a police officer?"

"I am a police officer."

"No, you're not. Don't you think I would have checked?" Angela sneered.

"Fine," Carol conceded. "You want to know why? Your precious Ben, who's real name was Trevor Martin by the way, killed good men. Blew up three government facilities, effectively destroying years of research before disappearing. He assassinated political leaders who were at the height of their career."

"Do you expect me to be shocked?" Angela asked after a long pause. "Ben," she emphasised the name, "told me everything. He told me why he did it. Do you know why?"

"He was a terrorist," Carol said. "They never have real reasons."

"He did, you smug bitch," Angela snapped. "Your precious government kidnapped and tortured his lover, a man named Benjamin because they found out that Trevor could turn invisible. The only way Ben could ensure his safety was to do as he was told. Your government ordered those people assassinated. As for blowing up those facilities, he only did that because they killed Benjamin anyway. After Trevor did what he was told, after the all the politicians had been assassinated, they killed Benjamin. That is why Trevor did what he did."

"I don't believe you," Carol said, after a long pause.

"Why should you?" Angela asked bitterly. "You're one of them. Besides, I'm not here to convince you of Ben's innocence."

"Then, what do you want?" Carol demanded.

"I want Ben back, alive and safe. But since we both know that that's not going to happen, I want to take from you what you took from him."

"I didn't take anything from Ben! I was doing my job!"

"Is that how you justify it to yourself? That you were just doing your job? Ben, and every other person you've murdered were just people who wanted to be left alone, people who wanted a new life. You took it from them!" Angela said furiously.

"So you'll kill me. But will that bring your precious Ben back?" Carol sneered.

"No," Angela said with finality. "But it will stop you from murdering another person who was just looking for a second chance."

"You'll have to kill me first, and I can tell you now that's not going to be as easy as you think," Carol told her, lifting herself inches of the ground. She watched Angela's shocked expression with a little smirk. "Surprised? I'll understand if you're having second thoughts."

The mocking tone cut through Angela's shock more that anything else. "You wish," she retorted.

Taking that as a signal, Carol flew straight toward Angela, the smirk never leaving her lips. With a smirk of her own, Angela phased through the wall. The smirk disappeared, however, when the wall she had just phased through crashed down before a very angry Carol Danvers came through it. Before she could do more than stare in shock, Carol executed a military style kick that caught Angela directly in her midsection. The impact caused Angela to fly into the wall three feet behind her. She heard the sound of something breaking before waves of pain hit her. Oh, she thought vaguely, she can fly AND she has super strength. That explains it. Then she passed out.

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The first thing Angela thought when she came to was ouch. The next thing she realised that she couldn't move her arms and legs. Opening her eyes, she found herself bound hand and foot to a chair that she vaguely recalled seeing in Carol's kitchen. She opened her mouth to say something, and realised that she was gagged as well.

"Awake are we?" she heard Carol ask a second before she walked into view.

Her mind working furiously, Angela groaned through the gag. She closed her eyes, and tried to breathe as deeply as her broken ribs allowed. Slowly, she let a piece the Wolverine out. She groaned again when she felt the painful healing process begin.

"What do we do with you?" Carol asked conversationally, sitting down in front of Angela. "I could let you go, but you'll probably just come back and try to kill me again. Or," Carol smiled, "I could just take you in as the terrorists' partner. What do you think?"

The last of the healing process ending, Angela let her head hang down, as if in defeat. A single bone claw in each hand emerged, waiting for the moment to slice through the ropes.

"It didn't take that long for you to give up, did it?" Carol sneered, putting her face close to Angela's. When Angela still didn't answer, Carol fisted her hand in Angela's hair and yanked. A syringe Angela hadn't noticed before was in her hand and in Angela's neck before she could move. At the same instant, the claws cut through the rope binding Angela's hands and she brought them up, reflexively holding on to Carol's face.

For a second, green eyes stared into blue. Then she was assaulted with a barrage of memories and emotions. Carol's hand came up to push Angela's away at the same time her knees buckled, but as soon as she did, the influx of memories and emotions came faster.

"Let go," Angela panted, trying, and failing to pull her hands away.

"I can't! What are you doing to me?"

"I can't stop it. Why can't I stop it?"

"Please, don't kill me. Please!!"

"I don't want to," Angela wept. "But I can't stop it. What was in that syringe?"

"Just…a small…sedative," Carol gasped, struggling harder and harder to breathe. Her pulse slowed, and her eyes fluttered closed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I can't stop it." Angela kept on crying. "Please don't die. Not like this." After a long minute where she fought against the invasion of memories, she realised that they had stopped. She looked down at her hands, which were still holding on to Carol's face. Carol's face was ashen, and she was not breathing. "Oh God, oh God, please no. Please don't be dead!" she wept, finally freeing herself from Carol's grip.

MURDERER! You killed me! Angela jerked. With a small shock she realised that the Carol in her head was the strongest personality she'd ever had. Feeling dizzy and light-headed, Angela shakily got to her feet. Carefully she stepped over Carol's body, before collapsing on the floor.

BITCH! MURDERER! You killed me!

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean too!" Angela protested, weeping. She could feel the fragile control she had over the personalities in her head slipping before she let the blackness take over.