Eventually Dwight heard the ruckus and he helped Duke separate Lexie and Nathan. Duke finally sighed, saying, "If you get hurt and bleed on me everything will get messed up." before she would stop resisting, glaring holes in Nathan as Duke pulled her away.

They explained it as a scuffle between Lexie and Nathan and Vince sighed dourly.

Duke managed to get her away, leaving Nathan to deal with Vince as they went to check out her apartment, cursing Nathan all the while. She kicked at dust bunnies as she ranted, dragging out her vacuum and attacking her apartment ferociously.

Duke followed behind, changing the bed and dusting shelves in his wake.

"Smug, arrogant, douchey, insufferable ass!" She scrubbed at a spot on the counter, chewing on a stale granola bar she'd found in the back of a cabinet.

"You forgot stubborn, pushy and pig-headed." Duke added.

"Those, too."

"Yeah, I've had this discussion too, me and myself. Maybe we're masochists, I don't know."

She threw the sponge in the sink, washing her hands. "We're clean. At least they kept your stuff safe and your brother out of the way. That would have been bad."

She looked sideways at him. "We need to fix your Trouble."

Duke took a deep breath. "I'm nervous."

"So am I. I won't lie; Aether is addictive. I don't know how much I can use without physical dependence. But until it's done, everything is in danger if you touch my blood. Trust me, Duke."

"I do trust you, I just... How will it change me?"

"You'll touch the blood of a Troubled person, absorb their Trouble and cry it to me. Poof! Trouble gone. Everyone except me. Because that would be bad."

"We don't want bad."

"No, we really don't. I know what I'm doing, Duke. Seeing your ability work properly in the Barn was a big help. It's a tweak, that's all."

"I trust you, Lexie. I do. Let's do this."

She went on tiptoe to kiss him, their height difference accentuated by her lack of shoes. "Sit at the table."

She opened her backpack on the table, taking out a few orbs. "I need to find some kind of box to keep these in. A big one for storage and a small one for travel."

"I have the perfect thing on the Rouge. We'll go get them after we're done here."

She turned to him, face alight with excitement. She moved forward to sit in his lap, straddling him. She looked into his eyes, serious for a moment.

"I want Jordan to be the first one we fix."

"Why, so she can stop threatening me?"

"No, because she's me."

"I don't understand."

"She's me that almost was. Still might have become if I hadn't met you. She was ready to kill just to feel someone or something other than disgust. She's not bad, Duke, she's suffering. Suffering because someone hurt her. Everything else aside, she deserves it. Please?"

Duke was frowning. "When you say it like that... yeah, okay. I get it. We can call her over after you fix me."

"Thank you." She kissed his nose. "This is going to be weird, please don't freak out. I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

"What's with you and weird?"

"I like weird. Stay calm." She gazed at her left wrist and the Maze, the symbol of the Guard, appeared there, etched in shimmering golden fire. Duke stared, transfixed.

"How'd you do that? Can I touch it? Does it hurt?"

She laughed at his wonder.

"Yes, you can touch it. No, it doesn't hurt. To process the Aether outside the Barn I need to manifest the symbol, let it recognize me."

"Why the Guard symbol?"

"Because we were the first Guardians, Duke. Think about it. Four opposing guardians for the Void. It was our unit patch, our identification. Some Gifted people wanted to help, and they learned to wear our symbol as a sign of commitment.

"Some people misuse it, but the same can be said of any symbol. The Swastika was a good symbol- the Wheel of the Sun -misappropriated by some bad people. Symbolic power is relative to the power we give the symbols. Do you see how that can get complex, metaphysically?"

"Why does yours look like it's burning?"

"I don't know. It always has. Mine and One's burned, Two's and Three's frosted."

"Okay, wow. Yours doesn't freak me out, the fire makes it feel different."

"Don't be afraid, Duke. I know what I'm doing."

She crushed an orb in her hand, holding the black up for Duke to see.

"There's a recipe, three ingredients needed to create or modify a gift. Target, Intent and Aether. The gift needs to suit the Target or it won't work right. I promise not to hurt you, but you have to let me concentrate. My Intent has to be completely focused and certain. Okay?" She waited for him to nod and she exhaled in relief when he did.

She focused her Intent, thinking of the kinks in the seam between his mother's ability and his father's. The barb that would allow him to take abilities from everyone but her-never her- and his need to release the Aether as he had in the Barn. She focused every cell and neuron, pressing her hand to Duke's chest.

She moaned, her head dropping backwards as her eyes rolled back. Duke grabbed her reflexively, before she could fall. He held her tenderly, feeling magic running through him.

"Not done." Lexie grabbed more orbs, crushing them in both hands. She could feel Duke twitch beneath her and instead of distracting her, it focused her more. She rocked against him, still without panties from their little nature walk.

She pressed her hands against him, shaking and grinding against him as her head rolled. "Duke, I need you."

"Now?"

"Now."

He undid his fly, shifting to free himself without dumping Lexie on the floor as she grabbed two more orbs. When he was free, she ground down, sheathing him inside her quickly, gasping through pink lips. Duke kept one arm around her, moving the other under her shirt to fondle her breast as she moved on him, her loose hair falling around them like a curtain.

She was glowing with a faint sheen of sweat, making rough, feral noises as she rode him, finally pressing her two black hands against his back. Her body ground down and rocked hard, lost in ecstasy as she repaired the flaw in his Gift, squeezing as she moved faster, bouncing, forcing the orgasm from Duke faster than he'd planned. He held her hard, pelvis tipped to push as deep as possible as he came inside her, whispering her name like a benediction.

They stayed just like that for several long moments until Lexie felt him softening within her. She raised her hips and stood back, adjusting her skirt, which had ridden up around her hips. She watched him do up his fly, somehow managing to look smug and impressed at the same time.

"Did that do it?" Duke asked, standing.

"Well, I know I certainly feel better. Did it do it for you?" Lexie teased.

"C'mere, smartass." He pulled her into his arms, hugging her and burying his face in her hair.

"I'm pretty damn sure it's fixed, but we need to test it. I need to make a call."

She pulled out her new phone, dialing Jordan.

"Hello?"

"Jordan? It's Lexie. Do you have some time free? I was hoping you'd come by. I... I think I know how to help you. Please."

"Are you still above the Gull?"

"Yep."

"I'm on my way."

Duke stroked her hair. "I'm not being a jerk, I'm just curious. Why Jordan and not Nathan?"

"Several reasons. The one I told you, plus she could be a strong ally. I also don't want to test it on Nathan until I'm sure it's perfect. And this is petty, but I'm still really mad at Nathan, and fixing him would undoubtedly lead to all sorts of schmoopy love stuff that I'm personally too mad to be interested in."

Duke grinned. "Schmoopy?"

"Shut up. Everyone makes fun of the way I talk, you're giving me a complex!"

"I think it's adorable. I wanna kiss it. Say it again."

"Schmoopy." Lexie said as he kissed her.

"Oops, just missed it. Better try again."

"Schmoopy," she giggled as he kissed her again.

She heard footsteps on the porch, followed by hesitant knocking. She looked at Duke. "Let's be superheroes."

She opened the door for Jordan, who looked nervous, then surprised to see Duke.

"Lexie, what happened?" Jordan touched her face gently, tracing the bruise around her eye.

"Nathan was being an ass. I got him back, though. But Duke, Jordan, both of you be nice. Truce flag. Right now all that matters is Jordan, okay? Past fights are irrelevant.

"Jordan, Duke's the real key to fixing the Troubles. We're going to fix you, but please understand- killing won't end the Troubles. It can't. Only an act of love can overcome an act of hate. So please, keep them from trying to hurt anyone. I'll have to deal with Vince eventually too."

"You... you remember?"

"Yeah, I do. But the killing has to stop, so I couldn't say."

"You're sure about this?"

"I am. But the more important question is: can you trust me?" Lexie took Jordan's hand, pulling the glove off to twine their fingers together.

Jordan stared at their hands. "I trust you. Please help me."

Lexie hugged her again before reaching for Duke's pocket knife. "I have to make a little cut, just enough to get a few good drops of blood, okay?"

Jordan nodded, silent.

Lexie took a cleansing breath, looking at Duke. He appeared calm and certain, and his faith touched her. She quickly nicked Jordan's palm, letting a little blood pool before bringing Duke's hand several inches below, turning Jordan's so the blood trickled onto Duke without their skin touching.

His head jerked back, his shining silver eyes staring up at the ceiling, the rush that accompanied the blood filling him with strength even as the full understanding of Jordan's pain washed over him. The tears came without effort- he hurt for her in that moment as he hurt for Lexie.

The tear floated to the fiery symbol on Lexie's wrist and Jordan gasped, seeing it for the first time. "What?"

"It's a long story, Jordan, but I promise to tell you everything soon." Lexie rolled her fingers, dropping the orb into her backpack. "It's time to test this."

Lexie looked beseechingly at Duke, smiling happily when he nodded. Lexie took both their hands, bringing them together and then pulling her own hands clear.

Nothing happened, and Duke exhaled in relief. Jordan stared at his hand in wonder as Lexie pulled off the other glove, taking the heavy leather jacket off to expose the skin of her arms, showing the tight black tanktop underneath. Duke stroked Jordan's arm, and she smiled, ecstatic.

"You really did it, despite everything. How? Why?"

"Because we can now, and because I understand. I understand all of it, and I don't blame you. We've suffered enough. We deserve happiness now."

"Thank you." Jordan whispered, hugging Lexie hard. She turned to hug Duke, too, surprising him for a moment before he hugged her back. "I was wrong about you and I'm sorry. I'll do my best to protect you. Will you be able to fix everyone?"

"With time, yes. I can even give new Gifts to people who want them, especially if they want to help rebuild a new Guard, one that really protects this town."

"What kind of gifts?" Jordan asked curiously.

"Any kind, really, as long as it fits the recipient. Just like the Troubles, but without the negative aspect. For example, if it had been done correctly, your Trouble could have been active only when you were in danger, not constantly."

Jordan looked thoughtful. "If you were going to give me a gift, what would it be?"

"Mmm. Probably something defensive, like being able to melt into shadows, travel through them. But if there was something you wanted, I'd try to see if I could give it. You just strike me as a shadow-dancer."

"That sounds beautiful."

"Think it over, Jordan. You have my number, you can call me anytime."

"Thank you so much. I'll never forget this."

"We'll talk to you soon. Go have fun. And when people ask how you got better... tell them. People should know."

Lexie stuffed the gloves into a pocket, handing the leather jacket over. "You should keep this in your car, you look perfect without it."

Jordan smiled, laughing happily as she took the jacket and Lexie hugged her again. "We'll talk soon."

Jordan let herself out, running into Nathan on the porch. She hugged him on her way past, surprising him. She laughed and ran for her car, bare skin shining in the early evening sun.

"So. Jordan looks... happy."

He gave Lexie a searching look and she sighed, trying not to be angry.

It was time to talk to Nathan.