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Disclaimer: I own no one familiar to the movie. End of disclaimer.

Never thought that Lash and Layla had a past relationship beyond the movie? What? You never thought they could have been friends? Are you kidding me? Here! Have the story! My goodness, you've been missing out.

Past

"I know what to do." He called, being dragged away by another guard with Tipler. Lash was wild crazy, kicking and snarling and screaming, trying to get back to the girl on the opposite side of the glass. "I KNOW."

"Tell me." Was what he saw her mouth, her fingers shaking against the phone, her eyes red and puffy with tears. He wanted to have her stay. Another night, she could sneak back inside. He prayed she would do it again. He could only.

--

The large clock tower at the center of the jailhouse chimed 9. It was dark. And Lash still hung tightly to the bars of his cage. He had only one hope. Only one wish. And even though he couldn't see the stars, he had still wished upon them.

His eyes shut, and he marveled at the darkness behind his lids. A loud bang had echoed throughout the jail, and he opened them once more to find equal lightlessness. He couldn't even see the bars in front of his face. The floor beneath his feet. Lash heard the loud cries of anger by the prisoners across the leveled floors, and merely rolled his eyes. It was lights out, anyway. But it was never this dark. They always had some hall light on so that the guards could see. It was eerie, to know that he didn't know what was going on. Tipler wasn't down the hall like he usually was, but there was a substitute guard in his chair. Shaking off the darkness, he shut his eyes to block out the sounds, the ghostly fears of people's eyes upon him through the bars. They had done that the other week, shutting off all the lights to glare at them once the lights would come back on. It was a little game the idiot guards liked to play with the prisoners. It was cruel, but Lash got a big kick out of it a few times.

Taking a step back from the bars, he tried to not stumble across the floor. He opened his eyes once more, and one, single little trail of light was coming from down the hall, from the side where Speed was residing. Someone was holding a flashlight. Was there something wrong with the electrical outlets or something? "Calvin put that damned light out." Muffled words were exchanged, but Lash knew who was talking. "No, I want you to put it out. I'll put on the lights in a second. Somethin' wrong with the connection again. The wires were cut." Lash took a step back towards the bars. Something was going on. "And it's weird, cause the security system is making the TV's send us white noise. Been like that for about an hour, actually." His breath hitched as he tried to peer down the hall. The flashlight went out, but Tipler went on. "Keep the rookies on guard on the first floor. You, you guard the third. Sometimes the doors up there are a bit faulty. They open on their own. We gotta get a new cell door soon." Lash shook his head to himself. There wasn't anything interesting. Sighing, he lowered his head, and linked his fingers together behind his neck.

"Lash." No. It couldn't be. His angel? Reaching out past the bars he could not see, his fingertips fell upon a cheek. It was. His angel. His angel was back for another night.

"Layla." Her head tilted into his palm, and he could feel her breath crawl up his wrist as her own hand grasped his, tugging it down lightly. "Layla." He could only say, his wish granted. She was here.

There was a small jingle of keys sliding against the floor, and Layla had winced as they hit her toes. Lash reacted with a stiff grip, but Layla shook him off, picking them up gently, making sure not to make much noise. He guided her in the dark to his cell door, and she opened it slowly, doing her best to avoid any creaking, any sound to make the other people around them know she was there.

It made him smile, to know that she was alright now. That she was with him. He'd protect her. "Lash," she began, clutching his shoulder and steadying herself to shut the door once more, placing the keys on the ground on the opposite side for when Tipler would come around. "Lash I couldn't even go home." Wrapping her tightly into an embrace, he picked her up and slowly walked to his bottom bunk, laying her down gently to kiss her good cheek long. "I couldn't face him. I couldn't face anyone."

"You're facing me." Lash said matter of fact-like, seeing only her outline. His eyes adjusted a lot in the matter of darkness, but he couldn't see her pale skin that usually, nearly glowed in the closeness and dark room of hers. "You're here with me, and that's all that matters now."

"I'm in pain." He nodded, hating the strain in her voice, the fact that Stronghold was the one to bring her this all. "I hurt, Lash."

Shaking his head, he almost growled in frustration. What could he really do to help? All he could truly try and completely make her, was happy. Make her realize that he was the right one for her - anyone could be better than William fucking Stronghold. "I know. I know. And I'm gunna make him stop."

"When? When you get out during the summer? When you get out and kill him, just to turn right back around to your cell?" Her voice was sour, tart. But Lash could see that happening. It was a possibility, but he wanted to be with Layla. And he hoped to whatever the hell was watching over him, that she wanted to be with him, too.

"I just...know when. It'll be soon, though." She peered at him with curious eyes, and Lash dug his face into her neck, slowly sliding his fingers across her arms and collarbone. Resting his lips against her shoulder, he knew she wanted to know what was going on. What was going to happen. She was being left in suspense. "I'll have him finished. Don't worry too much about it, Lay. I'll protect you."

"Wha..." She whispered, her fingers now resting against the back of his head, her left hand upon his back in a never-ending hug. "What's goin' to happen? What are you planning?"

"When the day comes, love, you'll know." He sighed, causing her to shiver. "Just, go to sleep, little Lahlah. We both need it." She whimpered a response, and he lifted his head, turning slightly so that he wasn't crushing her beneath his body. But her hands were in the way. She held him where he was. "Layla, I'll hold you forever, just go to sleep." The redhead shook her head, and he took a firm, but soft grasp on her chin, making her look up at him. "Go. To. Sleep." Pressing his lips to hers, he felt her melt just a bit in his arms, and held her hip with his long slender fingers as she could only lean up to try and deepen it. He guessed it was the one true kiss that she's really had in a while. But he lifted his mouth away from her, and listened to her breathe. Listened and felt her heart beat against his chest.

Closing his eyes, he scurried a bit down so that his arms wrapped around her torso, his face slightly below her chest, his cheek jammed into the soft green shirt she wore. He felt her heart race, and it made his own beat just a bit faster, causing him to smile. His angel was with him. His Layla Williams, his Lahlah. She was with him tonight - and she just might have the thoughts he held, running about her mind. She had to sleep, though. She had to rest her eyes. She's been away from her bed for such a long while.

Slowly her fingers entangled themselves in his hair, and her eyes closed, making Lash feel like he's won something amazing. "Sing to me?" Layla whispered, rubbing her fingertips on his scalp. He felt woozy. Everytime she did something like this, all he wanted to do was fall asleep in her arms.

But he sang. And you thought it would be funny - to keep me hangin' in suspense. Then I'd run over to your house, and I'd scale the chainlink fence - that - borders yourbackyard and mine," Layla chuckled a mouthful of tears. "- And I'd climb through your window. And I'd whisper that I love you, as you fall out of your clothes. He could feel the room become warmer, and he knew that she smiled. "Layla, please sleep."

"Yes, yes, your majesty." She joked quietly, leaning down the best she could to plant a kiss upon the top of his head. Oh, how he's missed this. He'd do anything to keep it this way.

----

Tipler slowly walked up the steps to the Stronghold house, unsure of it Will was even there. His friend, the police officer Calvin, was behind him, gun in hand. "Stupid." He grumbled, shaking his head with a roll of his eyes. "No one'll answer the door. Lash this is stupid." He was talking to himself, scowling for the thought of insanity. But Calvin looked calm, his face stern and focused on the door. It was like he knew something already. Something was going down.

"Layla, listen to me!"

"No," CRASH. "No, Will, don't touch me, please." A woman begged. Tipler ran up the stairs quickly, banging on the door. Calvin was short to become behind him, but he was there, cuffs around his belt loop at the ready. And he knew that voice. Layla Williams. She was in danger. Constant danger. "No, don't -!"

"Layla." Will had growled, and Tipler heard a screech, the sound of something hitting a wall to have it crumble to the ground. Now panicking, he began to pound on the door. This was frightening. What was going on? "You called the police?" Another frightened, struggled noise. It was female, and Tipler pounded even harder, now being pushed to the side by his partner in justice to shove the door open. This had to be illegal, but Calvin was a dirty cop. "Shit, shit, get up. I gotta move the piano over. Get up, Lay, and fix your shirt. Get the dust off." There was a loud rumble against the floor, and Tipler rolled his eyes. "Uh...who is it?"

"Maxville Police, let us in or we'll knock the door down." Calvin ordered, his eyes stern and full of malice. His hand was already on the door, his knees getting ready to dislodge the hinges on the front door. "You have 10 seconds, or we're coming in by force." They heard shuffling for about a second or two, and quiet whimpers of pain from the inside corner - it was faint. The Stronghold's entrance opened slowly, Will's head peeking with a smile. So fake.

"Hi...is there a problem?" Tipler could see over the short boy's head, into the home, where Layla was rubbing softly upon her shoulder. There was a small cut on her face, and Tipler had to push past Will, shoving the door aside to enter the home. "Excuse me, what are yo -" Walking completely past the boy and towards Layla, he took her hand gently, and squinted his eyes at the teeny cut above the redhead's eyebrow.

"Does he do this to you often?" He whispered, tilting his head slowly. With a whimpering nod, she wrapped her arms around him to cry. Calvin stood behind him, smiling madly as he slammed the metal cuffs against Will's wrists. "That's all we needed to know." He quickly turned around to mention that Stronghold had super-strength, but the man was already packing on the second cuffs, the ones with the shimmering white speckles so similar to the Detention Room at Sky High. Tipler smirked in triumph as Layla gasped in shock, but Will was being tugged away, a tight jaw in his expression. He was going to jail.

----

"He's comin'."

"Stronghold's showin' up today."

"Lash is gunna kick his ASS, bro!"

It was being spread around the entire jailhouse. Since hearing of Will Stronghold's trip to the cells, rumors have been spread wild. And all made Lash smile evilly. Because they were all true. This was a fight that included no powers. The bastard was going down. And fast.

--

Tipler led him down the hall, his back hunched slightly in irritation. He hasn't seen Stronghold once, at all, at the jailhouse. They weren't still ringing him in, were they? This long? And his pent up anger wasn't exactly helping by practically banging itself against his skull. It needed out. And Lash knew it could break him. It could just tear him to pieces - hel-lo, there he is.

Stronghold was looking quite sour, with his hands across his front, the chains clinking together against his ankles. It made Lash smile, even brighter, when he saw the expression he received when Will looked up to spot him. It looked like death. Will knew he was going to be in trouble. Hell, just staring Lash down was giving him a deeper grave. With one hand movement from his own eyes to Stronghold, he watched a large gulp throw down Will's throat. Oh, this would be good. He was already shivering with fear. Well he should be. Lash was going to place him in a hospital bed for the next week or two. He didn't know - he didn't really care. He was leaving soon, anyway. Lash would be home in his own bed, with the know that Layla was okay. She was all that ever really mattered nowadays.

----

Oh crapp! There's gonna be a fight!

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