Chapter Twelve - A kiss of change

A/N: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I was in Wexford(place in Ireland) over the weekend and my mom decides that yesterday and Monday she had to do EVERYTHING so I was run off my feet.

GO NOW AND READ AND REVIEW NUDGEISCONFUZZLED'S STORY! (after mine of course)

Another hallway. Another white room. Another steel table. Machines hung on the walls, practically dripping onto the floor. Wires hung form everything to swirl about the table. In the words of Iggy and Gazzy…it looked like a robot threw up.

The erasers ripped my t-shirt off and threw me on the table, quickly fastening me to it.

Something big was about to happen. But I didn't know what.

Wires were attached to me. My temples, my wrists, my collarbone, my chest, my ankles. Every section of me was covered. I could feel my heart beat race. Adrenalin coursed through my body, making my blood sing. I began pushing against the bonds that tied me to the table. I was panicking. I didn't know why. I had to get out of here. Something was coming. Coming for me.

Jeb sauntered into the room, white coat all ready on. He sat on the edge of the table and smiled down at me.

" Are you scared, Fang?" I was petrified. But I wasn't going to tell him that.

"No." My voice sounded stronger than I felt.

His eyes were on mine, like he was peering right past every lie I could tell him.

"I think you are." He sighed and looked off in the distance, his eyes glazing over. "You're genes are beginning to mutate again Fang. This process will speed it up. It might hurt but it will be worth it. You'll be faster, stronger, better. You'll be one of a kind. A mixture." He looked down at me again.

"Why?" He wouldn't give me an answer or any answer he gave me would be vague and in riddles and generally not worth my spit but there you go I asked it and oh my god, did I just ramble?

SEE WHAT PANIC DOES TO YOU?

"Because Fang. You're unique" The dark shadows from his glasses cut lines across his face.

Just like everyone else right?

He stood up and walked over to the machines. Whitecoats huddled in dark corners whispering amongst themselves. I was in the very middle of the floor, in a pool of yellow light. It stung my eyes and so I closed them, listening to switches being flicked on, buttons being pressed and the low murmur of voices that flowed around me. I followed faint footsteps as they walked over to me. Jeb.

"Are you ready Fang?" I cracked an eye open."No, but it doesn't matter really. Just do it." His footsteps walked away and I tried not to think about what was about to happen to me. Worry is a wasted emotion. It happens or it doesn't. No point freaking out if it is going to happen, its not going to help… all you can do is prepare yourself.

After all, all good things come to an end… and that goes for the bad stuff too.

More footsteps and I felt the slight sharp prick of a needle on my arm. In a few seconds I felt all my muscles relax and I was falling behind my eyelids without anything to hold onto. I returned with a snap to the sounds of the machines. Their humming had turned to purring and growling. I squinted against the light. Jeb's hand was on another switch. It was deathly quiet in the small room. Phantom white faces in the corners blurred and melted together. Corners where the shadows were as black as smoker's lungs. My focus was on Jeb. A flick of his wrist and the switch turned on. With a jolt I felt something rush through me. Electricity, it gave me the impression that my fingers were spitting sparks. Agony ripped through me and I'm burning. Right here I'm burning. The steel table no longer feels cool against my skin. It feels as if flames are rearing up from somewhere in it to lick at my arms and face and body. Each breath I take is a gasp that leaves my mouth tasting bitter, my tongue dry and cracked.

Almost as soon as it began, it was over. Pain slowly drained from each limb and the fire that had consumed me not moments ago had vanished, vanished back to whatever other hell it came from. The metal under my back turned cold again. I was left wondering if it had ever been hot at all. I was slippery and sticky with sweat, the ties cutting into my wrists, leaving raw angry marks in their wake. Gradually my breathing slowed and all heat was sucked from the room. A shiver ran it's way along my body. I was released and stood before Jeb. I could feel his breath coming out of his mouth, feel the weight of it, like fingers grabbing for my throat. "Soon Fang." He said and I was dragged back to the room. Nothing else, just 'soon'. The door opened and I was thrown in.

I didn't even have a t-shirt on. Between you and me, I was too tired to care.

"Fang? Are you alright?" Max came running from where she had been pacing and trying to wear a hole in the floor.

"Shower" I croaked out and stumbled into the bathroom. I set the shower to the coldest it would go and got in untill my teeth began to chatter. I turned the heat on a little and got out a few minutes later. Feeling a little drained but generally much better I got dressed and headed out to a worried and frantic Max. "What did they do to you?"

"Some kind of gene accelerator"

"Gene accelerator?"

"Yes my dear Max," I half smirked at her tiredly. "It appears my genes are mutating again. I'm a lucky freak."

" Well shut up and go get the cover off the bed, I don't suppose the lucky freak noticed he was shivering."

I held my hands outstretched in front of me. They were shaking. A droplet of water fell from my hair and hit them. It slid down my hands leaving a streak of light behind it. She sighed at my fascination with the droplet and went to get it herself. The drop had fallen off my shaking hands by the time she came back, the comforter wrapped around her. " I do believe that was meant for me." She grinned and shook her head, a few strands of hair shaking loose of the comforter to whip around her face. "I said you should go get it off the bed. I never said I couldn't get it first."

Damn.

I was really beginning to freeze my ass off, shudders rippling up and down my back making me convulse. And she was laughing at me! All snug and warm in her damn white comforter!

I lunged for her, fingers grasping for the corners of the comforter but clutching air as she turned away from my grabbing hands, stumbling a little on the long ends. Another lunge and she was having to work hard to keep her balance. I grinned and launched myself at her.

She shrieked, throwing the comforter behind her, laughing as we both went down on top of it. Her elbow however was now embedded in my stomach. I winced. "Ow" "Ow? You hit my funny bone!"

"You stuck your funny bone into my stomach!" She laughed and I noticed where we were. I was resting on top of her, my arms outstretched to keep me from crushing her. She was looking up from under me, smiling that half smirk that would make the Mona Lisa jealous.

Her body against mine, the nervous warmth of touching- a pale reflection of the fireworks of one mouth against another, but a reflection none the less…and in the almostness of the moment I cared enough to try. Her lips were bare inches away from mine, soft and pale pink and inviting. Smiling up at me.

I lowered myself the last few inches, trying not to think about after the kiss, when she would get up and leave and pretend it never happened. My lips connected with hers. There were no fireworks, no explosions. Nothing like I'd ever expected. It was like you've forgotten what light feels like after the dark and how laughter feels against your skin. Like cool running water flowing across your face, but this time its warm and dry.

Her arms crept around my neck and I slid to the side untill we were lying sideways on the ground, kissing softly, my arms gently wrapped around her waist. I pulled back a little breathing hard, my lips hovering near hers barely brushing at times, giving her a chance to get up and leave my heart bleeding on the floor.

She didn't.

Her fingers slid into my still damp hair and she pulled me closer. Our mouths moved together, synchronized and to me, they fit perfectly together. Everything in me relaxed. I wasn't feeling cold anymore but warm, from somewhere deep in my gut.

Her kisses became a little more desperate, a little more hungry and I responded in kind. I mean, how long had I waited to kiss her? How long had I wanted to feel like this?

I slowed us down a little and let her pull away. She was looking at me and I got lost in the sea of dark brown that was her eyes. Flecks of gold winked at me. I wondered what see saw in my eyes. They were just black, really a deep dark brown. Nothing special. Nothing like her eyes.

I still expected her to get up now, and go and I would be shattered and have to pick up the fragrant of my heart and cut my fingers on the sharp pieces.

"So what now?" She asked, looking still up at me.

"I don't know. I've never gotten this far without you running off." She winced and her cheeks filled with colour. I hoped she felt how much it hurt when she left me all those times. And then I didn't because I couldn't hurt Max. Not for the world. I got up, and reached a hand down for Max. She took it and hopped up to stand beside me. I grabbed the comforter and turned to her. "MY comforter." She shook her head trying to pull it out of my grasp but I wasn't about to let go. "MINE!" She was laughing and I was grinning and I knew that eventually the thing would get split down the middle if I didn't do something.

"Fine" I slung it over both our shoulders. "Ours." She laughed again, the sound bubbling in the quiet room.

"You know," I began, conversationally "If I had known that the price of getting warm was kissing you, I would have done it a long time ago."

I pulled us both into the TV room and onto one of the couches just as her lips hit mine.

A/N: AWWW! FAX! Reviews please! A thousand apologies fro it being so late, but it was worth it, no?