A/N: Aaaaand here's the final chapter. Posting two chapters at once is unlike me but now I have the satisfaction of this story finally being complete. WHOO! And yes I totally ripped the title from the Final Fantasy 7 strategy guide. What is with my unoriginal titles as of late?

Chapter 10: The Final Confrontation!

Alex landed within fighting distance of her friend, observing him intently. While he seemed to recognize her, Terrence appeared to her as having an internal battle with himself. His eyes were crazy and his pupils were small, and Alex wondered briefly how much MRD had to do with their current situation.

"You...you're dead..." he told her.

"I look pretty damn good for a dead chick, don't I?"

"I k-killed you...!" Terrence ground out, looking like he was losing control of his body.

"Alex, don't! Something's wrong!" Logan called from behind her.

"No shit, Sherlock." she muttered sarcastically. Alex glanced back at him. "Keep MRD off my back. I'll take care of him."

"You can't beat him!" Storm argued. She looked back at her friend.

"I don't need to." Terrence finally snapped, morphing his arms into long katanas. He looked up at her.

"I...can't stop..." he groaned, his body readying itself for an attack. "A-Alex..help me.."

"Don't get involved, Alex!" Logan shouted.

"Don't worry; I'll knock some sense back into you." She held her arms out and they were surrounded by electricity all the way up to her shoulders.

"That's new." he stated, referring to the darkened electricity.

"C'mere and I'll show you what else is new." she taunted. With a yell Terrence lunged at her.

"Damn, he's gotten faster." she thought, barely dodging his slashes. Alex leaned back to avoid an attack aimed at her face, then blocked as he swung his other arm around. "But so have I!" Taking advantage of his open spot, she quickly pushed his arm away, landed a few punches to his gut and then a hard roundhouse kick to his jaw. Terrence flew back and she smirked, waiting for him.

"You've gotten slow, Terrence."

"I was testing your fighting level. Nothing more." he informed. She glared at him, her top lip twitching in annoyance.

"Get up." Alex ordered, walking toward him.

"Alex-"

"Don't you have something to do?" she irately cut the X-men leader off. A beat of silence followed, and she sighed. "I'll be fine, Logan. Go."

He hesitated, but then looked at Storm. She held his same fear but let out a resigned sigh.

"Don't get yourself killed, again." He warned quietly before he turned to run off in front of the team, who reluctantly followed.

"You're gonna pay for that," Terrence growled. Alex just grinned, falling into her fighter stance.

"Make me regret it!"

A building collapsed. Cars exploded.

Alex landed on her feet, bouncing away onto the side of a building. She panted loudly while blood dripped from numerous cuts on her body. Her hair fell down to the bottom of her neck and her face; her jacket had long been cut and fallen off of her. Alex ran across the roof of another building, jumping from it to the ground and turning around. She dodged to the right as the giant hammer came down with the intent of smashing her head; when her feet touched the ground, she realized he'd turned the street into quicksand.

"Shit!"

"I've got you now!" Alex glanced up in time to see him rushing at her.

"Like hell you do!" Electricity flowed around her hand and she threw a powerful shockwave punch at him in an attempt to ward him off. Terrence was hit hard and flew into a building across on the other side of the street. Alex freed herself and floated above the deadly sand; she touched down where it was safe, but suddenly felt a long spear slice her stomach when she tried to avoid it.

"What's the matter, Alex? Had enough?" Terrence taunted, blood dripping from his broken nose but in much better shape than she was. She shot a ball of electricity at his head from her palm; he blocked it by turning his forearm into a shield. Bringing it down he was surprised to find Alex up right in front of him, her hand then covering his face and pushing him backward. "What the-"

"Move bitch, move bitch, MOVE BITCH!" she yelled, skidding to a stop and launching him clear across the area and into the park.

"Wow that was unexpected." Terrence admitted, getting up a few moments later and brushing himself off. He made his way out of the park and found her patiently waiting for him. "And here I thought you were almost done for."

"Not even close." She was gripping her abdomen with one hand, giving him a stubborn stare. He grinned at her fatigue, then laughed.

"Well considering I thought you were dead, I didn't think you would have anything new up your sleeve."

"You wish." Alex stated, standing up straight. "Your fighting style is different from our first fight; it's matured. And while you have gotten stronger, you're not as powerful as me."

"A likely claim you'd make," he said, raising his arm-katanas again. "I think it's time we ended this."

"I couldn't agree more," Alex surrounded her arms with electricity, her own katanas appearing. "Come on Terrence. Let's see which of us is the strongest."

"With pleasure!" Terrence attacked her, the metal clanging echoing through the streets. They bounced around, each trying for the first opening they saw.

"Could you really hurt me again, Terrence?" she inquired as they fought. "I'm your friend, your best friend!"

"Shut up!" he yelled, his eyes struggling to return to normal. A few moments later it had succeeded, and Alex knew she was getting through to him.

"Terrence, it's me! This isn't a mirage! I'm alive!" she tried. "Come on, snap out of it!"

He continued fighting as if he hadn't heard, and in fact his attacks intensified. She had trouble dodging and blocking, especially when he unexpectedly changed one of his arms into a mallet and hit her over the head. Alex flew down the street and fell over herself a few times until she came to a stop.

"Damn," Terrence watched as she pushed off the ground, stopping to prop herself up on her forearm. With a running start he changed his foot into metal and kicked her in the gut. She screamed in pain, flying into a parked car and collapsing to the ground. Terrence dragged her to a nearby wall, slamming her against it by the front of her shirt.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" he questioned in a bored tone.

"What're you...talking about?" she panted, standing on wobbly feet. She smirked as uneven streams of blood fell from the corners of her mouth. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"How do you plan to win, Alex? It's obvious that I'm the stronger one now."

"Who said anything about winning?" she inquired.

"What?" Terrence was caught off-guard by her response.

"I told you I was going to knock some sense back into you." Alex elaborated. "I never said anything about fighting just to win."

"That's stupid. You always fight to win." he stated.

"We're fighting two different battles, Terrence. You're fighting to beat me; I'm fighting to get my best friend back. After some thinking I've come to the conclusion that I can't blame you for what you happened. I forgive you, and I want my best friend back, you bastard!"

"If one doesn't fight to win, they are already the losers!" Terrence yelled.

"Shut up, that's not the real you talking! I want the real Terrence back so we can be together again! So we can go back to Vegas and cheat the casinos! So-"

Alex cut herself off as she felt a sharp pain in her side. Terrence regarded her silently as she tried to speak, but ended up hacking and gasping. She slowly looked down, suddenly aware of the dark blood pouring from where his katana had stabbed her.

"T-Ter..?" Alex questioned, tears filling her eyes. His face was expressionless as he stared at her, though his eyes showed the faintest glint of recognition. A long moment passed before his body relaxed and his eyes softened.

"Alex...?" he whispered, unsure. She only managed to just barely suppress the blood trying to splutter from her mouth in response. Rain began quietly tapping on and around the two, but they could've cared less. Alex watched his eyes fade back to normal and he looked down at her side in the same fashion she had. "Oh my God..."

"G-glad you're...b-back to your old s-self.." she grunted mostly with a weak smile. Tears fell down Terrence's face as he looked back up at her.

"I...I-" he stuttered. "I'm...so sorry..."

Terrence removed the blade to return his hand back to normal, and her legs buckled immediately; he caught her but they still both fell to their knees. Alex's head dropped down to her chest, and his arms slowly encircled her wet body.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he repeated, a sob escaping his chest. The tears fell one after the other as he placed a hand on her hair when she quietly groaned and coughed, spitting drops of warm blood on him. "Alex...please...I'm sorry.."

"Ter...nce," a barely audible whisper came.

Terrence lifted her dead weight up to lean her back against the wall. She looked at him blearily, a ghost of a smirk appearing on her face.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," he explained, shaking his head. "You always get hurt because of me."

"This was...the only way...I could - g-get th-through to you.." she explained, then muttering as her eyelids drooped, "The things I d-do for love.."

He smiled sadly, shedding his jacket to put pressure on her wound; she jerked away and gasped but soon relaxed. Terrence cupped her cheek to make her look at him.

"Don't leave me again," he pleaded softly. Alex mumbled something incoherently but then her eyes slipped shut and she heard him call her frantically.

"'m fine, Terrence...promise," Her unfocused eyes popped back open, but slowly drifted shut again. "Jus' tired..let me sleep.."

"Okay." he conceded quietly. He moved to sit behind her, pulling her into his chest and laying her head in the crook of his neck. He watched the rain, observing all the damage their fight had caused. If he hadn't come to his senses, they might have been forced to kill each other.

"Thank you...for knocking some sense back into me. I owe you." Terrence whispered into the wet hair of her still form.

"...big time," Alex slurred groggily. Slipping his arm around her he put pressure on the wound again, not surprised when she didn't respond; he relaxed, feeling her tired shoulder melt into his chest.

"I'll be here when you wake up," he assured, then sighing in relief. He'd gotten his best friend back from the dead, and she didn't hate his guts. In fact, she loved him. Loved him enough to risk her life to challenge his rage and bring him back to his real self. Terrence smiled and gingerly laid his head back against the wall, settling in to wait for the X-men to find them.

Despite the rain, things were beginning to look sunny again.

He frowned. "But I'm still not getting you that CSI guy for your birthday."

A/N: Crappy end. I know. But who cares (sarcasm, I do).