Chapter 9:And No One Said A Word

"What I don't understand is how a person can tell you so many lies and never feel bad about it."

-Anonymous

The girl stared at me. Her dirty blonde hair hung about her shoulders, and dull grey eyes watched my every move. She must have been in her early twenties, maybe late teens, because she looked youthful, although she did carry a certain sensation of maturity with her. "Hayat Ruh." Her voice was grating, like sandpaper to my ears.

Nick Fury had called us up to the roof of the Helicarrier at two in the morning- all of the team, including Peter. What did I expect? It's been an entire day already... I wonder which assassin she sent this time. Then, of course, I realized the full significance of the situation: stand and fight or flee and die. I couldn't leave.

No, I was trapped. What I really wanted to know was if the team would stand by me.

I wanted them to be safe. I wanted them to leave. I wanted Time to forget their names and faces, let them live their lives. I wanted Sam to land that date with MJ. I wanted Peter and Ava to tell each other their feelings. I wanted Ava to find her sister. I wanted Sam to find out what had happened to his family. I wanted Luke to accept his parents' deaths. I wanted Danny to be king. I wanted Danny to move on and leave me to die. I wanted them to forgive themselves.

But I didn't.

Like most people, I am selfish. I wanted to believe they would fight to the death by my side. A silly fantasy I dismissed immediately...

I took a deep breath in. "Where's Ali?"

Taipan smiled mischievously. "With her dear Uncle Octavius," she replied seamlessly in a thick Russian accent.

My heart quivered. I can't be nervous now, I scolded myself. Not now of all times. I set my shoulders and stepped forward. "Then I'm guessing you're-you're here for me?"

"Wait- no..." Sam's voice died away like a soft desert breeze. Ava's eyes bored into the back of my head, and I could feel the anger radiating from her. I took another step towards Taipan.

Danny's face fell, his muscles going slack. He slipped the yellow bandana from his head. First something kind of like disappointment and confusion, then sorrow and betrayal mingled in his eyes. I had seen him sad before-no, I had seen him broken, yet this was worse. As if I had shattered his trust.

A single tear slid down his cheek.

He never cried. Danny had felt the stab of grief many times, but the last time he had truly cried was the day his parents were murdered.

I gave Taipan one last look, then spun on my heels and ran to Danny. Slipping it from my sleeve, I crashed into Danny's arms. He gripped me tightly for an eternity, and I savored the warm tingling spreading throughout my chest. The world was bright and colorful; fairly blurry, though the stars still shone through my hazy stupor.

Reeling back, I smiled at Danny one last time. I pressed my hand to my heart, the warm blood clinging to my fingertips, and touched his solar-plexus. A red handprint glimmered on the dragon emblem. My breath caught in my throat, and I struggled with it for a moment before blowing Danny a kiss goodbye.

He didn't let me go until the very end, when everything was gone, the pulse of life coming to an abrupt halt, and even then he still loved me. We never parted, even at Death's First Kiss and Life's Final Breath.

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A/N: So glad to be back! Thank you all so much for the support. :) :) :) Lovin' the new profile pic BTW leggo lover 99. ;-) Thanks for the commentary (love how you're always questioning everything) TheOnyxDragon12! And thank you for the inspiration Nerdy-Tomboy!

Hoping to update again soon,

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