Author's Note: So updating two chapters in the same month, it's an absolute miracle. And it's not like I literally have no time to be writing this anyways, because it's not finals season or anything. So enjoy.

Disclaimer: Yeah, you know I don't own zoids, you know which characters are mine. Please don't bother me with lawyers; I don't have time for them right now.

The Black Angel

Chapter Ten

The In Between

Rob Herman left the hospital room to see Karl Schubaltz ready to walk in. He carried a bouquet of black lilies. He shifted on his feet, nervous about how Herman would react to him.

"You know, she has told me many times how insane Dana was, but I didn't get it until now," Herman said. "I can't imagine her as the Black Angel, she's the girl that Kruger rescued and adopted. She's the girl who is practically my sister."

Karl placed a hand on Herman's shoulder. "She's still that person, but she had a job she had to do. If the job got done, you, Krueger, and everyone she cared about are going to be just a little bit safer."

"Thanks," Herman said with a nod. "When you go in there, do me a favor, convince her to stay in the hospital for another night. The doctors are going to kill her if she leaves early again."

Herman walked away, his shoulders still drooping a little bit as Karl went into the room. Alex was up and out of bed, shoving her few personal belongings into a canvas bag.

"Leaving early?" Karl asked.

"I can't stay here," Alex grumbled. "They won't let me smoke, I really need a drink, and Matt won't talk about breaking up until I get out."

Karl grabbed Alex by shoulders and forced her to sit on the bed. "Relax, you're worrying Herman."

That comment lit the fire under Alex's feet because she was back up again forcing things into her bag. "He's worried about me, I'm not the one who was fighting a war! He would be out of communication for weeks at a time while fighting people like you!"

Tears started to run down Alex's face and Karl pulled her into a hug. She gripped his uniform and buried her face into his shoulder. Karl held the shaking woman, being mindful of her wounds.

They stayed like that for a while until Alex noticed the flowers. "Are these for your other girlfriend?"

"They're for you," Karl responded, handing her the lilies.

Alex sniffed the flowers gently. "What is with you're family and lilies? Your parents got them for me the last time I was in the hospital."

"The black lily is my family's flower, so we give them to people a lot," Karl stated as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"So this is why you wanted to break up with me," Ford said simply, with a bouquet in his hand. He left the room.

"This is why I need to leave," Alex grumbled. "Matt, wait up!"

Karl put the lilies in a vase and left the room. He ran into O'Connell almost immediately. "Go up to the roof and go make sure that Alex and Ford haven't killed each other."

O'Connell raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Do I want to know what is going on?"

"It's a long story and I'm too involved with it to tell you much about it," Karl Schubaltz said before walking away.

"So you're dumping this on me?" O'Connell yelled after the colonel. "No respect, I swear."

O'Connell did as he was asked. He climbed up on to the roof. There were quite a few of the off duty soldiers smoking and chatting. They had confined themselves to one corner of the roof, a way from the yelling. O'Connell turned to the men. "So what has been going on?"

"Something about her cheating on him with Schubaltz and something about him not understanding the term broken up," one of the soldiers replied in between puffs of smoke.

"Thanks," O'Connell replied. He had always understood that Alex was just kind of toying with Ford, but he never imagined she'd cheat on any man she was with.

"He saved my life, Matt, he was just helping me get over it!" Alex yelled at him. "I tried to break up with you three times before he came in to check on me. Both John and Rob were there for the last two times!"

"I told you we'd discuss this, once you were in the right mind set and could think clearly," Ford said calmly

"I'll show you the right mind set," Alex yelled ready to take a swing at Ford. O'Connell rushed up and caught so that she couldn't harm anyone. "For all I knew, that psycho of a woman could have killed me, and I couldn't even think about you!"

"Ford, get out of here," O'Connell said as he continued to restrain Alex.

"I'm trying to talk to my girl, now leave us alone!" Ford told O'Connell.

All at once Alex stopped struggling. "Let me go, I'm tired and I'm going to bed."

O'Connell releases his friend, and Alex walked past the other smokers on the roof and through the maze of the base. She found her room easily and dropped down on to the bed. She heard the sounds of Cat moving in the darkness, before she jumped up on to the bed with Alex. The two fell asleep quite easily.

O'Connell sagged down into a lazy boy, in the lounge where the Guardian Force was hanging out. "That was pleasant."

"Everything okay?" Van asked.

"Oh yeah," O'Connell said with a sigh, "just witnessed Alex try to break up with Ford for what was apparently the fourth time today."

"Didn't even realize they were dating in the first place," Irvine said calmly as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Quietly, for about the past few months," O'Connell respond.

"Besides the clingy boy, how is she doing?" Moonbay asked.

"Tired, kind of lost the fight in her," O'Connell responded. "I have never seen her throw in the towel like that. I mean one time some commanding officer told her not go in a certain direction because we had bombs planted there. However, one of her contacts were behind the bomb line and she needed to talk to them ASAP. Well she made it to the contact with setting off one of the bombs, but she wasn't so lucky on the way back. The commanding officer was trying to yell at her, and Alex was yelling back as the medic was trying to patch her up. The poor man was covered in blood."

The Guardian Force started laughing. Herman, Kruger, and Karl Schubaltz walked into the room. The higher-ranking men were happy to see the good nature among the group.

"What's so funny?" Herman asked.

"That one time that Alex set off Kruger's bomb and then he got covered in her blood when he tried to yell at her," O'Connell responded.

"I don't remember that as fondly," Kruger grumbled.

Karl sighed, "I don't want to know."

"No you don't," Kruger sighed. "Alex embodies everything you wouldn't want in a soldier. Independent, loud mouth, self-reliant…hates taking orders. She's a more controlled version of Raven."

"Sounds like a nightmare," Schubaltz replied.

"But on the other hand, she has every quality that makes up a good soldier," Herman responded. "She's strong, intelligent, loyal…"

"Why are the two of you glaring at me?" Schubaltz said, glancing between Kruger and Herman.

O'Connell started to snicker. "It's because you are the potential next boyfriend for their precious Alex."

"Talk about over protective," Thomas whispered.

"It's all about Cat," Moonbay replied. "No man gets near Alex without getting approval from Cat first."

Fiona smiled happily. "Alex and Colonel Schubaltz will make an adorable couple. They'd compliment each other nicely."

"Slow down, all of you!" Schubaltz snapped. "Alex is still stuck with Ford, unless she wants an entire base to think of her as easy or a cheater. Not to mention she was almost just killed by one of her family member for the second time this month. How about you let Alex work through those traumas before you decide who she may or may not be seeing."

The group stared at Schubaltz with wide eyes. Kruger started to laugh before standing up and walking over to Schubaltz with an outstretched hand. "You're right when you say Alex might want or need time, but when she's ready, I hope she chooses you. You're a good man, and you'd treat her right."

Schubaltz shook Kruger's with a smile and a nod, before getting up and leaving the room. He walked through the base with a slight smile on his face. When he came to the hall where his room was, Cat bounded over to him. The organoid gently nuzzled his hand, trying to get him to pet its head.

Alex was sitting by his door, her knees drawn close to her chest. She looked up at Schubaltz. "I can't sleep."

"Don't blame you," Schubaltz responded.

"I want to sleep, my body knows its tired," Alex said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I have fallen asleep three times by now, and I wake up like twenty minutes later. I tried to find some people to hang out with, and they all shunned me. Do you know what it feels like to have half the base hating you? I didn't even do anything!"

"You work with the scum of Zi, and you're concern what a few soldier think about you?" Schubaltz asked as he sat down next to Alex.

"Karl, do you know how anyone can walk the scum of Zi and be okay with it? It's because there is something to go back to that makes working with them worth it," Alex responded. "It was worth it because I came back to this!"

Schubaltz wrapped hi arm around her and drew her in close. "You have a group of people who will never judge you."

Soft breathing met his words; Alex had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

"Well, at least the hospital will get her back," Schubaltz whispered. He juggled picking her up and getting himself up but finally managed to do it. He was headed towards the hospital wing when Cat caught his pant leg in her mouth. She gently tugged and nodded toward Karl's room. "Kruger and Herman are going to kill me."

Schubaltz laid her down on his bed and wiggled out of his uniform shirt. Alex automatically curled herself around the clothing. He then set up a bed for himself on the ground. Cat gave him a quizzical look.

"You can go ahead and get up there, because I am not," Schubaltz responded.

Cat jumped up on to the bed and wiggled under the blankets. Karl could only guess that it was because she didn't want Alex to be cuddling up against the cold body of an organoid. Karl fell into a fitful and uncomfortable sleep.