~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note: Don't drink and drive, kids. It's just a fic.~~~~~~~~~~


Chapter 4



"Okay... so this gland? There's only one?"

"Yeah... at least I hope so. They don't exactly like to tell me the whole truth at the Agency where I work."

"Sounds like a barrel of laughs."

They had pulled off to the side of the road near the railroad tracks, where Darien was trying to find the building where Leila had been taken. There were a row of warehouses down the street and they could've dropped her off at any one of them. Darien sighed and stood in the middle of the road. "Okay... we were coming from that way," he pointed, "and when the car went over the tracks, I was bumped and we went against," he motioned with his body, "this side of the trunk wall, so the car was turning left, right?"

"Right."

"Right?"

"No, I'm agreeing with you."

"Oh. So, she's in one of those warehouses over there."

"Seems like it would be the logical choice."

Darien checked his tattoo and said, "Look, uh... we have to get back to the Agency right now. My gland thing has certain needs and if they aren't met... well, you wouldn't like the other me. I need to get a shot."

They walked to the car and Megan nervously glanced over her shoulder. "I hope she's all right...."

---

Leila was sitting in the middle of a large room, her hands tied to the arms of the chair she was in. Her mouth was gagged. As they had been securing her, one of the guards had asked, "Should we blindfold her?" The other had replied, "No way. They don't call her the Bat for nothin'."

Now, she was alone. At least, she thought she was. The entire room was filled with what she thought was pre-recorded white noise and it was throwing her off. She was completely helpless. It had been so long since she'd heard Darien or Megan. She feared the worst...

For the first time since she was 11, she thought back to the car accident that had claimed her sight. She and her older brother Jake had been joy-riding and, unbeknownst to her, he had been drinking all night. She thought he was just being 'Fun Older Brother Jake'... until the car had lost control and her airbag failed to open.

Now, without her sight, she was beginning to feel like a target in a world full of archers. Every loud noise was making her jump. Someone had tried to kill her in the restaurant earlier and now... now she was being held captive by them. She cried, praying that someone would come to her rescue soon.

Suddenly, someone touched her hand. She jerked, trying to escape him, but he held onto her. He whispered, "The Chameleon is coming, my dear..."

She mumbled around the gag. Her captor reached up and pulled the cloth away. "Claude is dead... Darien killed him!"

"Claude? Come now... Claude was a patsy. But that's not the point. We have a new Chameleon now... a Chameleon no one will be able to escape from."

~~~~~~
1989, the prom
~~~~~~

Darien stood next to punch bowl, absently watching as the couples danced together on the gym floor to the tune of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You." He felt someone come up behind him, but didn't bother to look.

"Hi, stranger."

Darien turned. "Oh... Hey, Megan. Having a nice time? Where's uh... Uruguay?"

"In another country. If you're asking about my date... Elsiday is over there. He's from Brazil, not Uruguay."

"I could care less. Why aren't you dancing with him?"

"He still thinks it's weird for women to be showing this much skin."

Darien looked over Megan's trim form; she was wearing a low-cut evening gown and had her hair permed and hanging over her shoulders. "Wow... you're..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Where's your date?"

"Didn't you hear? I thought I was the joke of the school."

"Well... you kind of are. I didn't want to bring it up."

Darien sighed. Two days before the prom, his steady girlfriend Stacey, had broken up with him without any warning. The weird thing was, while he had no idea why she had ended it, he had a weird feeling that everyone else at school knew what it was. Whenever he mentioned Stacey they just laughed and changed the subject.

"You don't know why she's cheating on me, do you?"

"Can't say as I do," Megan smiled, turning away.

"So... where you going after the prom?"

"I don't know... there are some parties across town, but I'm kinda bushed. Maybe I'll just head home."

"That sounds fun. Actually, I was thinking about heading home myself."

"Well, have fun."

"I'll try."

---

Darien grumbled as he reached down to pick up the keys which had fallen from his hands. He fumbled with the keyring for a moment, looking for the right key. Even though there were only two on the ring, he had trouble deciding which one would open his car door. He'd spiked the punch a little TOO well and he was paying for it.

He managed to unlock the door when he heard someone calling his name. He turned, in his inebriated state, and saw Megan running from the gym door, holding her high heels in her hand. He noticed the right shoulder strap of her dress had been broken. "Megan? Wha' happ'ned?"

"Nothing," she said, getting into his car. "Could you just drive me home?"

"Sure." He climbed in and started the car. "I shoul' tell you... I'm a little drunk."

"Just go, Darien. Please?"

Darien started the car and pulled out of the gym parking lot.

After a few minutes, Megan said, "Don't take me home."

"Huh?"

"You know where Schaffer's Lake is?"

"Yeah... I've been there a coupla times..."

"Go there."

---

Darien parked his car next to Schaffer's Lake, where he had parked countless times with his ex, Stacey. He rubbed his face and said, "You doin' okay?"

"Fine," she muttered.

"What happened to Alpoday?"

"Elsiday. He... Nothing. He just couldn't take me home."

Darien leaned back, looking at the moonlight in the water. "Did he try something? Is that why your dress is torn?"

Megan stifled a sob and turned her face away from Darien, looking out the window. "Megan... Come on... What happened?"

"I told him that... it was okay for women here to show more skin than in his country. I said it was no big deal. So he kind of joked about it and asked if that meant he could show more skin and I said yes... so he tried to show more skin."

"Aw, crap... what'd he do?"

"He tried to tear my dress off... When I tried to back off, he grabbed me and pulled at it some more. He just kept laughing like it was a joke, but he almost got it off..."

Darien winced and said, "Are you all right?"

"It'll be fine. Fine... I got away. I just need time to, uh... process it." She wiped her eyes and sniffled.

Darien reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Megan. Really." She laid her head on his shoulder, trying to calm herself down. He stroked her hair and reached forward, turning on the radio. The Everly Brother began to sing softly.

*Ooh, my love... my darling,
I hunger for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much...
Are you still mine?*

Megan looked up into Darien's eyes and lightly pressed her lips against his cheek. "Thank you, Dar-Bear."

He smiled. "No problem."

She kissed him again, their lips meeting for the first time since their meeting atop the high school roof. He pulled her closer to him and increased the intensity of the kiss.

*I need your love... I need your love
Godspeed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me*

Darien slid his hand down Megan's arm, feeling the goosebumps that had formed there. She was tugging at his suit jacket, trying to get it off his shoulders.

*Ooh, my love, my darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time...*

Megan pulled back from the kiss, working at the buttons on Darien's shirt. He looked at her, then noticed the tear on her dress. He turned his attention to her beautiful face... her beautiful, tear-stained face. He reached down and took ahold of her hands. "Megan, stop..."

"What?"

"I... I can't do this. I can't do this after what you've been through."

"God... Darien... This is what you've wanted, isn't it? You've wanted me, right?"

"Of course, Megan. But I'm drunk, you're in shock... this isn't right."

She leaned back in her seat, staring out the windshield. "Will you please take me home?"

Darien sighed and started the car.

By the time they got to Megan's house, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you, Dar-Bear. You're right."

He smiled and said, "Uh... you're dress is still a little ripped." He turned in his seat and reached into the back, feeling around on the floor until he found what he was searching for. He pulled his baseball jersey into the front seat and handed it to her. "Here. Put this on."

"It's not sweaty and gunky, is it?"

"Nah... you've seen the games. I'm just the benchwarmer."

She put the shirt on, buttoning it all the way, and kissed Darien's cheek again. "I'll see you Monday?"

"Count on it."

~~~~~~
Present Day
~~~~~~

As Claire gave Darien the shot, Hobbes was telling his partner what he had learned. "He works for Chrysalis... We haven't heard from Waterlung yet, so I'm assuming she's not involved."

"A little good news... for once."

"We finally got the location of the warehouse outta him. We found out that she's being held at this abandoned warehouse where Chrysalis does most of it's work. You ready to go kick some terrorist ass?"

Darien grabbed his jacket and said, "Always."

As they were leaving the lab, Megan said, "Oh, and... about the prom?"

"I know. Stacey Meyer was cheating on me."

"How'd you find out?"

"This agency does it's research really, really well...."