Sapphire & Jasper

By: Aubrie1234

Doyle had found the lab just in time to see them bring an unconscious Alex back in. More injuries had been made to the blond, mostly to his legs, and his shirt was stained red almost all over from a stab wound to the chest. Doyle grit his teeth to keep from saying anything, knowing it would give him away if he did. But it hurt, not being able to do anything to help the one you loved.

"Put him in." one man growled, "He needs to live if we're to keep torturing him." Hearing a whine, Doyle glanced to see a Wampus Cat in a cage brought over. The usually fierce cat was cowering, eyes wide and looking for a chance to escape. He watched helplessly as Alex was tossed into the chamber, as well as the Wampus Cat. Controls were typed onto a console and the chamber lit up from the inside, light shining through a window while it began to spin. As the cat began to scream in pain, Doyle was glad Alex was unconscious so he wouldn't have to feel it. Yet the combining didn't take long, the scream soon cutting out along with the light and spinning.

"Now reverse it." the first man commanded once again. Things were typed into the console, but it beeped in warning.

"The chamber needs to cool down, sir."

"Then lock the door. We don't need-" He was interrupted as something banged against the chamber's door, making a dent in it. A yowl came from inside the cylinder and a fur-covered pink hand appeared at the window. It sounded like Alex was pretty angry. The hand slammed against the window, creating cracks in the glass.

"Guards!" The chamber door was forced open quickly and a pink blur ran out before shots could be fired. The blur attacked the people in the room quickly, slashing at them and slamming them into walls. The only one to escape was the first man, who locked the door behind him. When there was no one left to attack (all were alive, but some looked quite dead), the blur slowed to a stop and was recognizable.

It was Alex, Doyle knew, but the blond usually didn't have four arms, a fuzzy tail, and pink fur. The half-Wampus Cat man glanced around wildly, his glowing yellow eyes wide, fangs bared, and cat ears pulled back. His claw-tipped hands twitched anxiously, as if awaiting a new attack while his clothes hung off his body in rags. Seeing that the spy obviously wasn't himself but no other choice or chance, Doyle removed the vent cover and jumped down. Alex immediately whipped around to face him and tensed. Blood covered his four hands from all the slashing and clawing he had done against his captors and Doyle knew that if Alex attacked, he would be dead, no questions asked. Wanting to show the spy that he was no threat, Doyle grudgingly took off his blaster and grenades and put them on the floor. Alex glanced between them and the redhead, a little confused. He didn't relax, either, so that hadn't worked.

"Alex, it's okay." Alex growled at the words, but Doyle pressed on, "I'm Doyle, remember? The guy you liked, you loved?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see those still alive after Alex's attack crawling toward the door, obviously hoping to get out before Alex decided to hurt them again. Doyle knew he had to keep the half-Wampus Cat occupied, so he continued to talk.

"I would never hurt you. Not now, not ever. I may have said some bad things to make you think I hate you, but you saw through it all. You know when I'm lying, you know when I've got secrets, but you don't push unless you have to. That's what makes you so lovable." Slowly, Alex's arms were lowering, "I don't know if you'd hurt me, but if you did, you'd feel awful for it. I don't know everything about you, but I know your feelings. So please, let me help." Doyle took a step forward, slowly and hesitantly. Alex instantly became angry again and the ex-mercenary backed off. He certainly didn't expect the spy to charge and pin him to the wall behind him. The cryptid hybrid bared his teeth again and looked ready to tear his throat out.

"Alex, no!" the redhead tried to reason with the Brit as best he could, "Don't let the cryptid get the best of you! I know you're in there, please show me that!" In response, Alex pressed on his shoulders harder and it was so painful to Doyle that he thought they might break. Alex's claws slid out of his fingers and dug into Doyle's shoulders as the half-Wampus Cat man began to growl, eyes glowing a dangerous yellow as they narrowed.

"Alex, please." the ex-mercenary begged, reaching out to hold the extra hands on Alex's body. He knew the Brit was in there somewhere, he just had to draw him out somehow. But he was also afraid of Alex, wondering what the Wampus Cat-side wanted to do to him. Being half-cryptid made the spy more unpredictable than usual, so the redhead didn't know what to expect. Suddenly a different look entered Alex's eyes and he eased up on the grip before leaning to where his mouth was near Doyle's ear. What was he doing? The redhead was answered as his eardrums were blasted with a yowl. Jerking away from the extremely loud sound (he was wondering if he was going to go deaf in that ear now), Doyle saw Alex laughing. It was a wickedly spiteful laugh, one that took pleasure in another's pain, and it made the redhead angry.

"You promised me something, you know." he growled, "You promised that you wouldn't do anything against me, like laughing at me or hurting me. You broke that long ago and you're still breaking it. But I gave you another chance, so I want you to fight that Wampus Cat right now and show me that you deserve my forgiveness!" Alex stared at him as if he was crazy, then closed his eyes. It looked like he was in pain and though Doyle knew he was getting to Alex, it hurt to see his ex-lover hurting.

"Fight the Wampus Cat, keep fighting it." Pushing Alex's hands off his shoulders, Doyle grabbed one and guided the half-cryptid to the chamber. Alex gave a whimper or two, which tore at Doyle, but the redhead stayed strong. Alex was fighting for him, so he had to get Alex back to normal.

"It's going to be okay." he whispered as he pushed Alex into the chamber, "I promise." Locking the door (it had an unbroken latch on the outside, which Doyle locked), he went over to the console to see if he could figure out how to reverse the process. He froze as he heard a small, yet sharp click behind him.

"Do as I say and I won't kill you." said a voice, the same as the man who had commanded everything Doyle had seen before. The redhead nodded and followed the man's instructions, wincing when he heard Alex scream in pain. The first man barked to someone in a language Doyle didn't understand as the chamber slowed then went back to English.

"Now, let out the spy and devil cat." Doyle walked over the undid the latch, stepping to the side as Alex and the Wampus Cat fell out, now separate. Alex groaned, holding his head as the Wampus Cat shot to its feet and ran, trying to escape. Even with its super speed, it didn't get far. It was shot and soon lying in a puddle of blood, making no sound. It had probably died instantly, wherever it was hit. Slowly, Doyle knelt next to Alex to check on him. He didn't dare make a sound in case they were shot as well.

"So you care for him?" Doyle turned to look at the man, the gun held steady in a tight grip and pointed at his face. A bit of defiance bubbled up in the ex-mercenary, something he learned from Alex that didn't always end well, and he spoke his mind.

"Why do this? Why do you hate him? Did he do something you just didn't like or do you want revenge?"

"What a sharp tongue you have, or maybe you just don't think before you speak. As for why we hate him, he destroyed us, just like how he destroyed you." Doyle went white.

"H-he didn't destroy me."

"Yes he did, he left you, so why don't you help us take revenge?"

"How do you even know what he did?"

"We know everything about him, including his relationship with you. You could make him pay for leaving you and we wouldn't kill you."

"No." Doyle didn't think about his answer, he knew he would never hurt Alex. He even said it aloud as he tried to calm the Brit a few minutes ago. The man sighed.

"Too bad." He gave a nod and suddenly Doyle was torn away from Alex. Briefly, he gave a panicked cry and fought back, nearly throwing the two men holding him, until something hard was pressed against his back. The cylinder shape gave him enough info and he stopped, keeping still in case they thought the slightest movement would be enough to shoot him. He watched as they put handcuffs on Alex and dragged the blond to his feet. Alex staggered slightly but was steady, his groggy mind probably kicking into overdrive to figure out what was going on. The Wampus Cat's body was dragged away as a new, bigger cage entered the room, holding a new cryptid: a white Amarok. It snarled and punched the cage bars, glaring at the humans around it.

"Let's see if you truly won't hurt Rider. Get in." Jabbed in the back with the gun, Doyle had no choice but to comply.

Please, don't the last thing I remember be the last time I see Alex alive. he thought as he was shoved into the chamber, as well as the Amarok. Doyle had to duck so his head wouldn't be bitten or punched off his shoulders.

Alex could hear clearly, but his mind was still trying to catch up. He knew someone had mentioned him, knelt beside him, before he was forced to his feet and his hands cuffed. He was quickly brought to attention as he heard someone scream, and much to his horror, it was a scream he knew. He waited with bated breath as the screams stopped and the chamber slowed. Before it slowed completely, Alex was shoved forward, causing him to fall on unsteady knees.

"Until we meet again!" Keith called before Alex was left alone in the room. The blond had a sick feeling that they were leaving to kill him another day. Either that or let Doyle kill him if it was possible. Alex faintly remembered the redhead talking to him, saying something about hurt and forgiveness, and he doubted that Doyle would ever actively try to kill him. Though that was put under intense questioning with Doyle now being half-cryptid.

Suddenly the chamber door was slowly opened, the latch having not been put in place, and Alex kept his eyes on the ground. He didn't want to see what Doyle looked like, not if the ex-mercenary was going to kill him. Claws clacked against the tiles of the floor as Doyle stepped out of the chamber and Alex held his breath. They continued to click and clack, the sounds growing closed to him until the Brit could see the half-cryptid's feet. The shoes were gone, replaced by thick, yet soft white fur and black claws. Alex waited for Doyle to strike him down, to kill him, but the hybrid didn't. Instead, Doyle knelt and pushed his head against Alex's chest, growling softly.

From what he could see, Doyle was covered in white fur, which even took away his mohawk. He had big wolf ears with two holes in the left one, one of the holes filled with an earring, sharp fangs, and bright red eyes. His shirt was intact, as well as the upper part of his pants (there was along, fluffy tail that jutted from over the rim, so no holes to be embarrassed about later), but his gloves were completely gone. Large black claws were on his hands, but there was no fur on his wrists. The scars shone through like dull red highlights and gave the appearance of gloves to his furry hands.

"Do you...remember me?" Alex asked slowly. The growling went low, indicating a no, but Doyle must have remembered him somehow. He was crossed with a wolf, so unless the wolf was a weird vegetarian, Alex should have been eaten or dead. He was brought out of his thoughts as Doyle rubbed against him again, acting more like a cat than a wolf, before the half-cryptid's ears perked. Doyle glanced around, ears twitching, then suddenly pulled Alex to his feet. There was worry in his red eyes, worry for Alex as he dragged the blond over to the still-open vent. Alex turned his head, trying to figure out what sound had put Doyle on edge, but he couldn't hear anything. He hoped his hearing wasn't slipping, because that would very much be the death of him if it was.

Hearing a snap, he turned to see that Doyle had broken the chain between the handcuffs and was now urging Alex to get into the vent. Feeling bad with what he was about to do, the spy shook his head.

"I can't." he spoke, "I need to get you back to normal."

"Rrr..." Though the worry was still there, Doyle narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. Alex knew Doyle wanted to keep him safe by any means necessary, but he didn't want Doyle to hurt anyone if they were who Alex thought they were.

"Look, everything's going to be okay. And if you want to make me happy," Alex grimaced, "if you want that, go wait outside." The half-cryptid gave him an angry look, but did as he was told and climbed into the vent. The single door to the room suddenly opened with a bang and in came what Alex could see as an American extraction team. He tensed instinctively, ready for a fight, until his name was called.

"Alex!" Ben was there, bounding over to him, "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy. What are you doing here?"

"Doyle." he smiled, taking a pen out of his pocket, "I'm just glad you're not hurt. I was certain we would have had to send you to a hospital once we found you." Twisting the top off, there was the head of a skeleton key, which Ben used to free Alex. The cuffs dropped to the ground with two separate clangs and Alex rubbed his wrists.

"What about Scorpia? Did you catch anyone?" Ben shook his head.

"No one was around and there were no cars out front. If they left, they're long gone by now." Alex frowned.

"In your report, please make sure not to mention Doyle or the Saturdays. It's bad enough Scorpia knows about Doyle, they don't need to know about the Saturdays too."

"They know about him?" Ben's eyebrows shot up.

"They know everything about what happened between us."

"Damn..." Ben breathed, "How could they know?"

"I don't know, but it looks like I've got a leak in my friends. Either that or MI6 somehow found out." Alex was mad, his voice showed, but his face was blank. If it wasn't for the fact that they were manipulative bastards, Ben would have felt sorry for MI6.

"And have you seen Doyle? He was supposed to come in here and make sure you didn't get killed."

"That was what I was just about to ask." Alex and Ben turned to see the Saturdays at the door, Drew having been the one to speak.

"I told you-"

"Leave it be, Ben. They're all stubborn." Alex gave the family a small smile, "Looking for Doyle?"

"We were looking for you too." Zak said, "Are you-" He went quiet when he saw the puddle of blood on the floor.

"Wampus Cat." Alex said, "It's nothing to worry about."

"Wait a second." Doc was looking at the chamber and console closely, "This looks very similar to what Lancaster had set up."

"But I thought we had that destroyed." Drew picked Zak up to calm him a little.

"Looks like you didn't." Alex mused, "All I know is that thing combined me with a Wampus Cat twice before the cryptid was shot to death." Komodo and Fisk shared a frightened look, not wanting to have the same fate.

"Then let's shut it down before it can do any more damage." Ben said.

"No, not just yet." Alex grabbed his upper arm before he could move and the elder gave him a wondering look.

"...Why?" Ben asked slowly, wondering why Alex was so much against it.

"Someone else is still combined with a cryptid. It happened before Scorpia fled." he turned to the Saturdays, "Doc, can you figure out how to reverse it?"

"Of course, but who's the one combined this time?"

"..." Alex wasn't sure he wanted to tell them, "Doyle." Spotting the redhead's blaster and grenades on the floor, Alex grabbed them and held them in his hands, which proved his point to the Saturdays. He wasn't sure what to do with the weapons (he wasn't about to give them to Ben just in case the older man confiscated them), so he strapped them on. He hoped he wouldn't have to use them, especially against their owner.

"What?! Then where is he?!" Drew's worry had kicked into overdrive at hearing this. It was bad enough her three sons had been combined, but now her brother?

"He's fine, Drew. I told him to wait outside."

"And he listened?" Alex gave Doc a short glare.

"He may not be the best guy, but he does listen. And he may not remember me, but he was willing to do whatever I asked. He also could have attacked if I hadn't made him go. He's just as protective of me as before, if not moreso, and he would feel horrible if he found out that he hurt his family, even if it was to protect me. Do you want him to go through that?" When all he got was silence, he continued, "I thought so." Alex's eyes had gone cold during the short speech and the blond now looked emotionless and cold. Without another word or glance, he walked out to get Doyle, steady on his feet despite what he had gone through.

"...He's not mad at you." Ben sighed, "You just pushed his buttons a bit. He'll be fine once everything is said and done." Komodo didn't stay behind to hear what Ben had to say, he became invisible and followed Alex. Alex would probably see him, but the guy just couldn't go alone, not if there was danger out there. Komodo hated to say it, but he thinks he's starting to like the blond.

"Doyle?" Alex called out the name before realizing that the half-cryptid might not respond to it, since Doyle didn't seem to remember his human self. Of course Doyle might come because of Alex's voice alone, but that wasn't always certain. Alex looked around as he walked, ears perked and eyes wide for any sort of sound or sight of the half-cryptid. Hearing something behind him, Alex glanced back to see nothing except a slight shimmer in the air. The air was too cool for it to be heat, so Alex stopped. The shimmer continued to get closer until he kicked out. He missed and there was a hiss as Komodo entered the visible spectrum.

"You shouldn't be here." the blond said lowly, "If Doyle comes back and sees you-" Komodo hissed, cutting him off. He knew the danger, but he couldn't let Alex go alone. The spy sighed, but stayed quiet and continued walking. Komodo took a step forward before sensing something was watching him. He looked around but couldn't see anything. He growled, irritated and attracting Alex's attention. The blond once again turned back to him and looked around. But, unlike Komodo, he had the sense to look up.

Above them was a sight Alex didn't expect to see. Doyle was sitting not much higher than Alex was tall, glaring at Komodo with bared fangs. His pristine white fur and teeth, as well as his torn clothes, were stained with some blood, especially on his hands (or were they paws now?). His ears were flat against his head in anger, probably at how close Komodo was to Alex. Had the half-cryptid gone hunting while waiting for him? Alex didn't doubt it if it was the truth, but this was a very dangerous situation. If Komodo made the slightest wrong movement, he was dead. Doyle was pretty strong as a human, and the new cryptid side of him increased his strength to unknown proportions. He could effectively kill Komodo just by landing on him, but there was no way the blond was going to allow that to happen.

"Don't move." Alex hissed. Komodo froze while Doyle gave the spy a curious look. He reached over and picked Alex up by the back of his jacket as if the man weighed nothing and hugged him close. Komodo noticed the movement and looked up, giving a cry of shock when he saw Doyle. The cryptid-man's eyes flashed and he snarled, hugging Alex even closer and irritating the spy's ribs. The blond winced but didn't make a sound in case that made things worse, his mind trying to think up a way out of this.

"Doyle, it's okay. He's not going to hurt me." A low growl rumbled through Doyle's chest, probably in disagreement, "I promise he won't. Put me down so I can show you." Grudgingly, the half-cryptid let go of Alex, but not before he got on the ground as well. He watched closely as the blond went over to Komodo and scratched him under the chin. The lizard immediately forgot about the danger to relish in the scratching, turning over onto his back for more. Alex complied, rubbing his belly. Doyle growled, probably in jealousy, but backed down.

"Good boy." Alex stopped scratching Komodo to give Doyle a scratching under the chin. The half-cryptid gave a growl of happiness and his tail wagged. Komodo hissed something and gave Alex his attention. Doyle's ears twitched and he also looked to Alex. They were probably wondering what to do next.

"Let's get you changed back." Alex grabbed Doyle's arm, "Komodo, lead the way."

Doyle's eyes flicked about, looking for danger when they entered the room, only looking away when Alex tugged on his arm. The blond seemed to think everything was okay, but how? There were unknown people everywhere that could hurt or even kill him!

"Calm down, you're scaring some people." But that's what Doyle wanted. He wanted to scare them so they couldn't hurt Alex, his Alex. If they knew Alex was his, they would either hurt the blond or stay very far away. It seemed the later was working right now.

"...That's him?" Doyle looked to the only woman in the room, an albino like himself. She looked both sad and scared for some reason. Why? She must have been scared of him, but why was she so sad?

"Yeah." Alex gave her a nod and walked over to a cylinder thing, taking Doyle with him. Getting a bad feeling from the thing, Doyle stopped in his tracks. Alex tugged at his arm, but the half-cryptid wouldn't budge.

"Alex, need help?" Doyle turned to the voice's owner and he put himself between the black-haired man and Alex. The man was holding a firing thing, like one of the ones he had encountered earlier. They shot out invisible bursts, a few of which grazed him and cut off some fur. If they were sharp enough to cut fur, then they could also cut skin.

"Great, now you've got him worked up again." A hand was put against his chin, beginning to scratch, but Doyle resisted. He couldn't let the man hurt Alex. But if Alex thought he meant no harm, then why was the man carrying a firing thing?

"It's okay." Alex told him, "Ben's not going to hurt me and neither is anyone else." It was like Alex had read his mind. Trusting the blond, Doyle leaned into the touch and allowed Alex to take him wherever the blond wanted. He walked forward, eyes closed with pleasure, until they stopped. Just before Doyle opened his eyes, he was shoved forward and ran into something metal. A clang was heard and he knew he had been pushed and locked into the cylinder thing. Heart hurting in betrayal, Doyle howled and pounded at the door.

"Start it!" Though the latch was enough to contain most cryptids, Doyle was no ordinary cryptid and Alex had to lean against the door to keep it from opening. The spy could hear the metal of the latch screaming each time Doyle hit the door and knew it wouldn't last long.

"What about the cryptid Doyle's combined with?!" Ben asked as he joined Alex in keeping the door closed.

"Let me handle it." Zak brought out his stick ("For the last time, THE CLAW IS NOT A STICK!" "May I remind you that I'M writing the story? You have no say right now!" "Fine!") and held it outwards like he would a club.

"I'd rather just have it shot instead of hitting it on the head with a stick!" Ben growled.

"Trust the kid, Ben. He knows what he's doing." Alex defended. Yet, even though Zak said he could handle it, the other soldiers had their guns ready. Zak focused his power into the Claw like so many times before, but now he was unsure if he would be able to do it. After he was freed from Kur, he discovered that he had some of his power left, but no where near as much as before. He only hoped he could keep the Amarok still long enough so that his uncle would be okay. He had seen the blood on Doyle and the scars around his wrists, the pool of blood made by the dead Wampus Cat. Even though he had seen Van Rook die and technically died himself, the boy was still not used to it or blood. He hoped that he wouldn't have any nightmares or a dead uncle at the end of the day.

As the chamber slowed, Zak felt a sudden surge in his powers, similar to when he had encountered Kur hotspots. But how? Kur was gone from him, so how was he getting a surge now? And if so, why didn't he get one earlier? Zak had no time to think about it because it was that that moment the chamber latch was undone and the door opened. Quickly finding the mind of the Amarok, Zak got into its mind. Because of the painful combining and diffusion, the Amarok was confused and easily compliable. He guided the Amarok back to the cage as Alex checked on Doyle, who was just as confused and hurting as the Amarok was. As soon as the cage door was closed by one of the soldiers, Zak relaxed.

"Haven't had to control a cryptid in a while." he sighed quietly to himself. He was hugged by Fisk, who gave a few words of happiness at what Zak had done.

"Did you feel like you got run over by a bus when you changed back?" Doyle groaned and Alex helped him to his feet.

"Yeah, but it came more from the lingering pain of my previous wounds. I went through that thing once before you came to the rescue the second time."

"I have a lot more respect for your endurance and tolerance for pain."

"Do you remember anything?"

"Not really." Doyle rubbed his head, "You were there, though. You faded in and out, but you were there. I don't remember anything else though." Alex frowned, but it quickly disappeared.

"Same thing happened to me, but you weren't in it. But let's talk about that later, okay?" Alex gestured for Ben to come over, "Doyle, this is Ben. Ben, Doyle." Ben held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you in person. Did Alex's luck rub off on you or something?" Doyle took the offered hand with contempt.

"It's not so much as Alex's luck as my own. I've had a tough life."

"So has Alex."

"I'm still here, you know." The blond crossed his arms.

"Heh, sorry." The handshake was broken. Alex also gave Doyle back his blaster and grenade belt.

"Thanks for your help, Ben." the blond smiled, "I thought you were in England, though. How'd you get here so quickly?"

"The CIA borrowed me and I was just about to go back home when Doyle called." Ben gave the redhead a glare, "You're lucky I was in the area."

"Yeah yeah..." Doyle glared back.

"Drop it." Alex snapped, getting between them, "Again, thanks for the help, but we need to head home. There's some stuff I need to explain and you don't need to be there."

"Understood. And I'll try to keep them out of the report as much as possible."

"Good. And before you leave, destroy this thing." Alex nodded to the 'Cryptid Combiner,' as he had mentally dubbed it, "And keep it out of the report too, if you can. We don't want this to happen a third time." Ben nodded and gave Alex a salute. The blond smiled again and saluted back. He then turned, grabbed Doyle's arm, and dragged the redhead towards the Saturdays.

"I'll explain everything once we get back to the ship." Alex whispered as he passed them, "Until then, keep quiet." With the spy having all the cards and them having none, the Saturdays saw no choice but to follow his lead.

"Before we leave, we need to pick up Zon." Doyle added.

"Where is she?"

"Not far. She also got a good vantage point on everything outside this place."

Maybe she can tell us why you were so bloody, then. Drew thought as she followed behind the two.

Sorry if the chapter isn't that good. I'm sick right now, but at least I managed to finish this chapter. And sorry if it seems lacking, because it does to me.

Here's a small notes: The blood that Alex and Doyle gained from attacking others disappeared when they changed back, as well as their clothes fixing themselves.

There are probably some other notes I should put in here, but I'm too tired to add them. So please, read & review.