Chapter 13:

Third Person:

The next day, things have died down ever so slightly. The Avengers were busting their butts trying to take down the Guys in White (legally and physically) simply because Gear ordered them too- she scared them. Fury was taking the more legal route in taking them down. Meanwhile, Gear was still ordered to strict bed rest and to rest up, Danny was still passed out, Axel had yet to visit Gear again after kissing her and fixing her up (leaving things awkward on both ends), and Alex was still beating herself up at 'failing.'

Alex sat on one of the hospital beds with her head in her hands as she growled slightly. She wanted to go back to fight- but she wanted to stay longer to keep an eye on Danny and Gear, both of whom were still pretty injured. She looked over to Danny, who was asleep on the bed. He had yet to wake up. His torso was stitched up and bandages covered his midsection, arms, and a few other places.

"I failed," Alex whispered again with a far-away look in her eyes before she turned to Gear.

Gear didn't seem to notice Alex at all as Alex smirked. She knew all about the kiss- mostly due to Axel constantly thinking about the kiss and a lot of other things that Alex didn't really want to know.

"You really should make a move on her," She thought to her twin.

"I think she's mad at me though. I don't want to upset her or worse, for her to turn me into a fling."

"She cares too much about you to make it a fling, you know that."

"But it's still Gear," Axel thought, "She's flirty- she doesn't do commitment."

"Well do you love her," Alex asked.

"Well not now, but I really like her and care about her."

"Then there you go- problem solved. Don't tell her you love her and she'll be fine."

"But what if one day I do love her? She'll just run away."

"And so," Alex thought, "that's when you chase after her, you idiot. Yeah she'll be scared as hell- she hates love and doesn't really believe in it so I can't tell you how it will end, but she sure as hell believes in attraction and caring and she sure as hell is attracted to and cares about you, dumbass."

Gear sat on the bed with a thoughtful expression on her face, not paying attention to anything around her. She wasn't sure why Axel was avoiding her unless he regretted the kiss, which in that case, she was offended. She cared about him and liked him- she knew that much. She liked him enough that she wanted to do so not so innocent things with him and she cared about him enough to actually worry about him more than a friend should. Either way, a light bulb went off in her head. She had the perfect way to get his attention and all it required was a quick trip to the mall and for that she required a shopping buddy. She smirked. She knew just who to ask.

"I'm sorry."

Gear turned her head towards Alex, who stood up and headed towards the door.

"You don't have to apologize. Danny and I are alive thanks to you."

Alex glanced at Gear for a moment, and gave a barely noticeable nod before leaving. Over the past couple of nights she'd been thinking. Thinking about what she had been so prepared to do without even flinching. She was willing to kill. Yeah, they weren't all that innocent, and they almost killed her friend, but wasn't she supposed to feel disgusted about the thought of doing something like that? Wasn't shes supposed to be the one that saved people instead of killing them?

She shook her head, realizing she had more than just one fear. Now she had two.

She was afraid of the things in her head.

She couldn't help but think like that. Axel too. It was just the way their brains were hardwired. They were made for the sole purpose of killing the Avengers, and the thoughts of the best ways of taking them down permanently drove her practically bonkers. In fact, if it hadn't been for the fact that she didn't go through hell alone, she probably would have. She depended on Axel more than she thought she did. He was her tether to reality.

Axel understood Alex better than anyone, and he definitely shared the same thoughts about feeling peace at the thought of killing.

"Hey, you sure you're okay? Your thoughts have been all over the place," Axel thought. She sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...I'm just at a loss on what to do now. We saved the day, and we saved Danny and Gear."

"And..?."

"I just...Why do I feel like crap then? Do you think it's because I'm going against my original 'programming?'"

"Alex, you're not a robot."

"I can name five people at the top of my head that will beg to differ."

"Hardy har har. Look, if you really want to take your mind off of it and her then just go shopping with Gear. She's going later today I think."

"How do you know? You haven't seen her since you kissed her."

"Jan."

"Oh. Well, I do need a few tools. I guess I could go with them. Fracking Tony keeps stealing my monkey wrench and then never giving it back."

"That asshole!"

"I know right! Well anyways, Odin knows I'm not sleeping tonight. Again. So uh...Thanks...I guess."

Axel was a little more than surprised at Alex. She never said thanks. Well, not until they met the Avengers. It had always been a given.

"No problem. Just make sure Jan doesn't kill anyone over shoes like last time. That was ugly."

"You're telling me. Oh, and Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Make a move already."

"No promises. Now go do that girl thing."

"...Help."

"Ha, no way. See ya."

She didn't reply after that, but he was okay with it. She was after all Alex. But one thought really made him unsettled, and he had to admit that some part of him had been expecting it for a while. Alex being afraid of her own mind. In countless ways he could see why. They hadn't just gone through hell, they were born in it. If he had the chance to switch lives with anyone else on the team or otherwise, he would instantly decline. It wasn't that he didn't want a better life, he just didn't want them getting hurt the way he and Alex had.

He sighed and made his way to the infirmary. He was extremely nervous about telling Gear he more than friend liked her. But, he had to admit that Alex was right. He had to do this. Otherwise it would eat him from the inside out.

"Hey, Gear," he said nervously.

To his disappointment, she was already gone.

Gear rubbed her hands in an evil manor, which didn't help with her wicked grin. Carol almost regretted agreeing to the shopping trip just because of that glint in Gear's eyes. Janet (Jan) just arrived at the scene, carrying multiple bags. The three women were having a great time at the mall- Jan had just split away from the group for a while when she spotted a sale.

"I got some awesome shoes," Jan said, oblivious to Gear's somewhat evil look at the shop window, "And I got some things for you too, Gear!"

At the mention of her name, Gear's head snapped away from the shop window with brightly shining eyes. Yes, she was a rather tough girl with a mouth on her and she hated dresses (though the plan does count on getting one), she did love to shop- whether it would be for parts for a machine or clothes. Granted, she usually never wore anything different than her normal outfit, it was the point of the matter.

"What did you get," Gear asked eagerly as she nosed through the bags.

Jan stood back a bit and looked through the bags before finally, she handed Gear two of the many bags,

"Here you go!"

Gear looked through the bags with a smile on her face- she knew she choose the right people to shop with (Carol had gotten her a cool belt and most importantly, she was the one who offered to pay for the many food court trips). Inside the bag she found various things ranging from a nice pair of combat boots to earrings to shorts and skirts to shirts. Though one piece of fabric caught her eye. She took it out of the bag. It was a small black dress that smaller than the one that Gear had worn to school. The fabric cinched at the waist, sure to show her figure. It would end just below the butt. The neckline was a deep-v neck. The sides of the dress were nonexistent with only lace holding the front and back of the dress together. Jan smiled,

"It looked like it would fit you and you did say you wanted to get Axel's attention."

"Perfect," Gear said with a devilish grin.

"I still say if he doesn't like you for you, it's not worth it," Carol chimed.

"He's been ignoring me," Gear pointed out, "So I'm going to do my best in making sure he regrets ignoring me- Honestly, this is my tame plan when you think about it."

Both of the women thought to the time that Gear had made people's lives living hell after they did something to her- the poor businessman who hit on her (he ended up with an embarrassing video appearing on the screen at his meeting), the girl who posted that video of Gear (she ended up getting her own even worse video posted of her having sex with another guy behind her parents' backs- they weren't happy with that), and that guy she dated that cheated on her (that was such horrible payback that the women winced just thinking about it). They nodded in agreement with Gear.

The technical girl put the dress back and looked back to the shop window,

"Now just one more stop- I need some new girly things."

She almost shivered in disgust at the word girly, but it would be the ultimate way of getting Axel back. Carol declined in joining her, but instead offered to take their many bags to Gear's house for her while Jan and her would finish shopping. Gear accepted, handed her the bags and finally, Jan and her ran into the store.

"Gear, this will fit you perfectly," Jan declared as she held up a pair of black lacy undergarments.

"Add it to the pile," Gear chimed back.

The undergarments landed in a pile that was building up fast- Gear really did need new stuff. The fact that she would be able to buy something to make Axel's hormones go into overdrive (if he even would see the underwear) was just icing on top of the cake.

It was a full hour before they retreated from the store with smiles on their faces. Just as they were leaving, Gear ran (literally) into Alex. The mutant looked at her silently, a small look of 'can we talk- alone?' stared at Gear, who nodded. Jan noticed the look and excused herself to go back to the sale at another store.

Gear and Alex took a seat at one of the benches, Gear's bags placed beside her.

"So, what's up, It Happened Once In A Dream?"

"Odin, he's so nervous."

"Axel?"

Alex nodded.

"Yeah. He went to see you and now he's confused too. Look, just because he's been avoiding you doesn't mean he doesn't like you. He just...Doesn't know how to handle his feelings. You know...You're the first."

"You mean the first girl he's felt attracted to? Sweet. He didn't send you to tell me all of this, right?"

Alex looked her dead in the eye and raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not. I came here to pick up a few things, and get my mind off of a few others."

Gear nodded in understanding. She knew full well that Alex's and Axel's heads weren't very nice places to be unless you wanted to fall into a deep dark pit of depression. That told Gear that if she came shopping to clear her mind, it was probably to clear those thoughts away.

"Also," Alex said with a slight smirk, "Shopping at Whores R Us will not get Axel to like you more. He already likes you, and he can't stop thinking about you. Trust me-I know."

Gear chuckled slightly at the name.

"It's not for him liking me more, it's for me getting payback."

Alex smirked,

"Mind feeling me in on the plan?"

"No offense, but I can't have the plan get leaked to Axel. Jan and Carol only know that I am shopping for him and planning something- but they don't know what. My lips are sealed."

Alex felt a small twinge in her gut,

"This plan involves a certain organ of his, doesn't it? You do know that every bad image he gets of you gets sent to me, right?"

"Oh I know, I figured that's why you might be thankful for the twin thing," Gear winked, "I'm that much of a catch, after all."

She's teasing me about my bisexuality, Alex realized, like she's one to talk- she's pansexual.

"That doesn't mean I want those images from my twin brother," Alex said dry.

Gear got up as she shrugged,

"Nevertheless, I have a plan to carry out. And Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault- he'll wake up," Gear swore in a whisper before she dashed off- shopping bags in hand.

At this point, Axel was getting frustrated. He didn't want to interrupt the girls' day of shopping, so he was left waiting. However, a mere four hours later, he realized that Gear might not return to the helicarrier or the medbay. She was probably at her house- eating or working, doing whatever Gear did at nine o'clock at night. He realized that he might just want to see what she does so late at night- he smirked before he shook that thought out of his head. There was no use to think about what a future date with Gear may be like unless he got the guts to talk to her- something he was working on since his failure the first time.

He headed back up to his room at the hotel- Gear insisted on it and frankly, the twins were too flattered and awed to really deny it. Besides, they felt almost a bit bad that she spent so much on them to get them both their own rooms at the nice, almost fancy hotel. He sulked slightly before he reached his room, but he tensed when he heard some noise from the inside. He threw open the door, ready for a fight, but stopped at what he saw.

The lights were dimmed slightly and Gear was sitting on his bed, her legs crossed. His eyes started low- looking at her normal combat boots before his eyes travels up slowly. He took in her smooth, toned legs, how short the dress was and just how much he could get a glimpse at what was under the dress, the laced sides and just how smooth and sexy it was, the v-neck (more specifically what the v-neck showed), and finally he looked at her devilish, flirty smile that could bring any man to his knees within a moment. Hundreds of naughty images filled his mind- most were just her in her current state while the others were so graphically porno that from her room in the hotel his twin groaned.

"Slow down with the images Casanova," Alex thought to him, "Better yet- don't get those images at all. I take it you found Gear. Where is she?"

He thought about how he found Gear, the image going to his twin.

"Oh boy, dumbass. I told you to ask her out- looks like she's taking matters into her own hands, torturing you while she's at it."

"...Y-Yeah."

"...You just stuttered- You really got it bad. I'm going to sleep for once- if anything so I don't have to deal with these images."

"Hey Winged Prince," Gear greeted, her voice a bit smoother than usual as she stood up slowly.

She strolled over to him, a swing in her hips that finally made him have to cross his legs. She put a finger under his chin and he gulped as she smirked,

"Try to ignore me now, Currently Tapping That."

"I t-thought I was Wanna Tap That," Axel said, cursing silently about his stuttering.

"Hmmm, that's under debate," Gear winked, "Now, at this point we have a few options."

"Which are?"

"Well, you can take me on a date- you did kiss me after all."

"O-Or," Axel gulped, almost dreading the second option.

"Or we can make Currently Tapping That your official nickname," Gear purred into his ear.

Axel was putty in her hands. With that in mind, she parted away from him- her plan completed as she had managed to make Axel loose his composure and practically melt away.

"That second option was a joke, Winged Prince. Now get properly dressed- we're hitting the town."

Alex sighed as more dirty images flooded her head, planning on getting Gear back later. Without a word or so much as a grunt she jumped up and flopped down on her bed, turning off her human camouflage in the process.

"Way more comfortable than the couch back home," she muttered to herself as she turned to her stomach, thrusting her wings outward.

"Maybe I'll actually have a full night's sleep for once," she said as she closed her eyes and drifted into darkness.

Ringleader's mouth curled into a twisted, wicked smile that screamed pure evil. It was her first day in 42, the super villain prison. The twins were standing outside her cell, their shoulders squared.

"It's inevitable," she said, "You'll become just as you were trained to be, and when you finally realize that and turn to my side, you'll feel freedom like nothing before."

"No. We came here to tell you the exact opposite," Axel said, the power in his words surprising even him.

"We're not your puppets," Alex said, "Not anymore. We plan on using our skills and abilities to help, and protect those who can't help themselves."

"And why would you want to do something so childish, reckless, and stupid? Protecting the ones who hate you has no value."

"Because none of those kids deserved to die, you heartless bitch," Alex said, her hatred and spite coming into her voice.

"They had to go. They blinded you amd made you week. Although I would have gone without you losing an arm. It's just another weakness that makes you even less powerful."

"Luckily we still hate you, and all of that shit you put us through will drive us to never become like you," Axel said. "Because you're a monster."

"Have you looked in a mirror?"

"Dumbass," Alex said with a roll of her eyes, "We meant on the inside. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some saving to do."

As they were walking away Ringleader banged her fists on the glass, and the sound reverberated loudly throughout the prison.

"It's gonna happen eventually! You can't stop it, it's who you are! There's no avoiding that little voice in your head saying kill them."

They didn't look back as she kept ranting about that. They just kept there eyes forward and tried not to think about it to much as she kept hitting the impenetrable glass, over and over.

Alex's eyes snapped open and they greedily took in her surroundings. She was still in the hotel room, except now she was on the floor instead of the bed, and instead of Ringleader's fists against glass, it was just her cell phone. She quickly dug it out of her pocket and answered it.

"What?"

"Is everything okay?" Steve asked, "You sound mad."

"I'm fine. Just sleeping. What's up?"

"He woke up."

Alex didn't realize she could be out of the door quicker than Hulk when Tony said he's buying the pizza.

"When did he wake up?" She asked as she landed on the porch where Steve was waiting.

"Just a few minutes before I called."

"Did you check his vitals and give him the medicine?"

At his blank stare she sighed and rushed passed him. Right before entering she took a deep sigh to clear her thoughts and stepped inside.

Danny turned towards the door as Alex walked kn and tried to sit up. He stopped for two reasons. One being the extreme pain in his chest, and the second being the look Alex gave him, so he laid back down.

"How do you feel? Can you hear me?"

Danny nodded.

"Yeah, I can hear you. Why?"

"When doing dissections on any living being it's very possible to ruin the hearing and speech permanently. Now take this," she said, handing him a hand full of pills and a cup of water.

"What are they for?"

"Most of them are pain pills. I know it must hurt like hell so using different types at very low dosages will help numb most of it. And a TUMS in case you feel the need to vomit like I did."

"Uh...Thanks..."

Alex watched as he downed all of the pills with a few gulps of water. Her eyes narrowed in concern at his stiff and painful movements. She sighed and sat at the foot of his bed, running a hand through her hair.

"You look tired," Danny said. She nodded and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I am. Although I did get about..." she stopped to look at the clock on her metal arm that Gear made, "Three-ish hours."

"An hour long? I mean, I know you don't really like sleeping all that much but still."

Alex looked at him for about a minute before answering.

"About a...Week and a half I think. I would have probably gone longer if it wasn't for Axel and that pervy head of his. You should have seen what Gear put on to get him back."

"That definitely sounds like Gear."

"Yup."

"So...What's happened to the GiW?"

"Fury is working on legally taking them down. Shouldn't be long though considering they were video taping all of the shit they did to you and put it in unlocked files on their website. Gear wasn't kidding when they said they were idiots. Except the only thing worse than an idiot-other than a super villain-is a homicidal idiot bent on doing twisted things to innocent people."

Danny nodded in agreement and smirked, looking at Alex with a slight smile. She gave him a slightly confused look before asking why he was looking at her like that.

"Nothing...It's just..."

"Something obviously."

"Once people know I'm a halfa they don't really consider me a person anymore."

"Those people are shallow and don't know a good hearted person when they see one."

"Do you know other heroes that get hate all the time other than you and Axel?"

Alex scoffed.

"Trust me, we might save a bunch of lives but we're no where near good hearted. Not like you anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You're so...Innocent. You might have seen a lot but not as much as us. Trust me, you probably never will see as much as us. Be thankful for that."

"Would you like to elaborate on that?"

"Maybe one day, but you need to rest and I need to call Gear because it's to long of a list to even scratch the tip of the iceberg."

Without saying anything else she stood up and left, leaving Danny to his thoughts as he turned to his side and slept.

Axel shot up out of bed, breathing heavily with a thin layer of sweat covering his skin. He took a deep breath, what a crazy dream...

"I could hear your moaning and groaning from my hotel room," Alex thought to him, "It wasn't a dream, dumbass!"

Axel gulped and looked over to were a naked Gear was sleeping soundly beside him under the covers. He gulped again and lifted up the covers a bit as he looked down- he was bare as well. Then his memories came back. They did go on a date and discuss everything they needed to- he confessed that it was stupid of him to try to ignore her and she agreed. They went to the movies. They agreed to be girlfriend and boyfriend- Gear even comforted him, saying that he wasn't just a fling and that she cared (the fact that she was there when he woke up was proof it wasn't a fling). They went around town and eventually ended back at the hotel where things got a bit more than heated. He blushed heavily.

"I swear if I see any more images, I'll scream," Alex thought back annoyed, "Gear will pay for this."

Axel didn't pay attention to his sister's complaining as he admired Gear. She was laying on her stomach, putting her hands under her pillow. She was sleeping soundly and peacefully. He didn't want to wake her.

"Too bad. Danny woke up too so I suggest you two get there and fast. He might already be asleep."

Axel thanked his sister before he turned to Gear. Taking a risk, he placed a few kisses on her neck and back, which made her smile in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open.

"You know, I'm not a morning person but that is a heck of a way of waking someone up, hotshot," Gear smirked.

She slowly got up, popping her back as she stretched. Axel watched, almost hypnotized by the shape of her bare body with no blankets to cover it- even if he had just seen it a few hours prior. Gear winked,

"I'm sure you didn't wake me up for a round two so what's up?"

"Danny's awake."

Gear's carefree demeanor diminished. She would have rushed out the door if Axel didn't call out to her, reminding her about clothes- she might not have cared to suddenly be a nudist, but he did. She was his (And his first as well) and he didn't want anyone else to see her naked.

"Let's get going," Gear said seriously.

When they arrived at the medbay, the others were outside the door- conversing. Alex was no where to be seen. Gear, wearing Axel's pants and shirt since she couldn't find her clothes (they, along with her bra and underwear seemed to have disappeared or were found in shreds), strode up to them confidently. Steve choked on air at her attire as Tony laughed. Axel shifted under Tony's wink.

"Well, I guess someone has finally been updated to Currently Tapping That," Tony commented, "Way to go- didn't think you had it in you."

"He didn't," Gear said dryly, "I made the moves and most of the directing."

"Directing," Steve muttered confused before his eyes widened in realization, "OH!"

His face turned red as Gear clicked her tongue with a wink.

"Aren't you both a bit too young to do anything like that," Steve finally said, regaining his composure.

"Tsk, Cap I've known my way around males, females, and things in between, for a while now," Gear commented, "If anything, Axel is the one too young, but hey- he learned pretty fast."

She winked at her boyfriend, who turned pink. Oblivious to how uncomfortable she was making Steve (though she might have been ignoring it), she walked into the room where Danny was, Axel quickly following her (eager to get away from the glares of the female superheroes who didn't want him to hurt Gear).

"Danny dude," Gear said loudly and cheerfully, "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"

Danny groggily lifted his head as his eyes opened slowly,

"Gear?"

"Who else," Gear said with a smirk. She sat down beside Danny's bed and took his hand in hers.

Her attitude changed yet again as she looked Danny in the eyes.

"Danny, you sure you're okay? You gave me- us- quite the scare..."

"I'm fine, Gear, really," Danny insisted as he winced.

"Don't believe it. I'll tell them to up the dosage on the pain killers- your body burns through them too fast."

Gear got her thinking face on- a face that Axel found a bit cute- as she continued on and on about things that the nurses and doctors should do, ranging from changing the dosage of medicines to fluffing his pillows more properly. Danny raised his hands,

"Gear, really, I'm fine- really."

"No you aren't," Gear snapped before she realized what she did. She cursed to herself though both Danny and Axel heard it. She ran a hand through her hair. "Danny, you don't understand- I thought I lost you. I don't do the whole mushy shit- you know that, but damn it!"

She wiped away a few tears,

"Jazz was my best friend- your sister was so much mature than me, you know?"

She got a far-away look in her eyes as she continued to grip Danny's hands. He listened to her, knowing that Gear didn't open up that often.

"She evened me out," Gear explained, "Leaving Amity for New York was one of the hardest things for me to do. But it was going to work out. I didn't tell you- or anyone- but I wasn't here just on business as Quam Tu. I was here to check out the colleges. Jazz and I were going to go to college together- I knew I wouldn't learn anything there since I know everything already, but I was going to do it for her.

Losing her was hard as hell, Danny dude. She... She was my best friend- my sister practically. But I got over it, eventually, and the twins helped a lot- they became my new best friends and they evened me out just like she did. The thing is, I promised her that I would always protect you since you were like my little brother. So when I realized that you might be dead, I thought I failed her- more than that because... Every time I look at you, I see her. I see Jazz sitting there in a hospital gown, dying... I couldn't lose you- it'd be like losing her all over again... Shittles, I'm emotional today- I must be tired."

Axel watched the exchange- a bit envious that Gear wasn't opening up to him. Danny just hugged Gear,

"I understand, Gear. I really do..."

The two parted with smiles as Axel came over, giving Danny a nod. Axel stood behind Gear with a hand on her shoulder. Danny scratched at his head,

"Just one last question- why is Gear in your clothes, Axel?"