wounded

by Brandywine421

Darien's past comes back to haunt him................

1. Default Chapter

Author:  Brandywine421

Rating: R for language and suggestiveness?  

Spoilers:  Don't know, not many since I haven't seen all the eppy's

Disclaimer:  I don't own these characters, they belong to sci-fi.

Here I am expecting just a little bit
Too much from the wounded
But I see,
See through it all,
See through,
And see you.

          Darien Fawkes pulls on his lucky shirt and runs a hand through his rowdy hair.  He isn't sure if he is looking forward to this Friday night out or not.  He's used to spending quiet nights at home with his comic books and t.v. but Hobbes and Monroe wanted to try something different tonight.  After the ordeal with the rescue and subsequent giving up of her child, Alex Monroe loosened up and began to bond with both Hobbes and Fawkes.  Since none of the agents has much of a social life, they agreed to go out for a beer tonight joined by Claire, the Keeper.

          Darien is running late, of course.  He got off work, curled up on his sofa for a nap, and just woke up to see that he was supposed to be at Bobby's place half an hour ago.  He's been really tired recently and can't seem to pull himself out of dreams for petty things like his alarm or people shaking him.  Bobby came by his house a few days ago to get him for work and couldn't wake him.  Hobbes had just dialed the number for the Keeper when Darien fought himself awake.  Darien chalks it up to stress and hasn't thought about mentioning it to the Keeper yet. 

          Darien lathers up his teeth with toothpaste when he hears the knock on his door.  He walks barefoot to the door and swings it open without looking through the peephole.

          "Fawkes.  You still have the caution of a naïve civilian," Alex remarks.  She is dressed in tight black pants and a black shirt.

          Darien smiles with the rabid foam.  Bobby and Claire flank Monroe, both looking nervous. 

          "I'm not that late," Darien remarks, walking back into his bathroom.

          "Some of us are hungry and like to go to bed before daybreak.  What's keeping you?  Run out of hair gel?"  Hobbes jokes, finding a seat in Darien's cluttered apartment.

          "Overslept," Darien admits.  He rinses his mouth and joins his company. 

          "Did you ever ask the Keeper…" Bobby starts.

          "Ask the Keeper what?"  Claire perks up.

          "I thought we were going out," Darien sighs, not wanting to be probed and questioned tonight. 

          "We are.  Lets go, troops.  I need a beer to celebrate the end of this horrendous week," Monroe sighs. 

          "Aye aye, captain," Darien says, following her to the door.  Bobby, Claire and Alex go out first and as Darien turns to lock his door, the phone rings.

          "Who is that?  Everyone who would call you is right here," Bobby remarks.  Darien hates to admit it, but his friend is right.  He darts back into his place and picks up the phone.

          "Hello?"  Darien answers.

          "Darien Fawkes."

          He doesn't recognize the throaty seductive voice but he knows that he should.

          "Yeah?"

          "You're a hard man to track down." 

          The realization of the speaker drains Darien's face of blood.  He hasn't heard her voice in fifteen years but he remembers her perfectly.

          "Fawkes, come on," Alex turns to him.  She freezes seeing the stricken look on his face.  She nudges Bobby and Claire.  Alex has never seen Darien as frightened or anxious as he is right now.

          "Yeah," Darien manages.  "What…"

          "Oh, don't sound so surprised.  Remember what I told you the last time I saw you?"

          Darien remembers.  She held the knife against his throat and whispered, "I will have my revenge.  A life for a life.  Your life for my brother's life."

          "Darien, what is it?"  Claire asks, walking toward him. 

          "Why…" Darien starts again.  He is speechless.

          "See, when I last saw you, you weren't worth it.  You weren't worth the life you took so I let you live.  But now, it seems your life is worth a lot more.  So here I am to fulfill my promise."

          Darien grabs the counter to steady himself.  Claire and Bobby go to his side, but he turns away from them, holding onto the phone.

          "What do you want from me, Kaitlyn?"  Darien asks.

          "What I deserve.  I want my brother's life."

          "I didn't kill your brother…" Darien starts.

          "Shut up."  Her calm slips for a moment but she recovers.  "I'll be seeing you around.  And your friends too, if you're anything like you used to be, it won't matter when they die.  It didn't matter when Sinclair died."

          Darien hears the dial tone and feels Claire's hand on his arm.  He calmly walks into the bathroom and vomits into the toilet.

          "Fawkes?  What's going on?"  Bobby peers into the bathroom as Alex Monroe *69's Darien's phone.

          "What?"  Darien asks, wiping his mouth. 

          "Who was on the phone?  Why are you so upset?"  Hobbes is concerned for his partner.

          Claire and Alex talk quietly in the kitchen.

          "Telemarketer.  Just a telemarketer.  Give me a minute."  Darien closes the door to the bathroom and turns on the sink.

          Kaitlyn Isabelle Ashbury.  Darien hasn't thought about her in years.  He splashes cold water on his face.  A shiver runs through him as he thinks of her crouching above him with the razor against his neck.  Darien had just lost his best friend and was in a boatload of legal trouble and he was lying on the ground with his dead best friend's sister on top of him.  She was irate; she blamed Sinclair's death on Darien and swore revenge.  It had taken years for Darien to get over his friend's death, but he never forgot Kaitlyn. 

          Darien realizes that he is invisible.  Hobbes opens the door, carefully, too concerned to wait and Darien sheds the quicksilver.

          "Fawkes…what's going on?"

          Darien pushes past him.  "Guys, can I take a rain check on tonight?  I think that taco I had for lunch is angry with me."

          "And I think you're lying.  Who was on the phone?  Was it Arnaud?"  Alex asks.

          "Why would it be Arnaud?"  Fawkes asks.

          "Because it scared you," Alex replies.

          "Why do you think I'm scared?"  Darien asks, his thoughts still on Kaitlyn.

          "Because your pale and shaky and you just threw up after talking to an alleged 'telemarketer'," Bobby replies.  "Fawkes, what's going on?"

          The attention is too much for Darien after the phone call.  He sits down on his couch and holds his head.  "Come on, guys, I'm not feeling too good.  Can I just call you guys tomorrow?"

          Something in his voice frightens Claire.  She sits down beside him on the couch.  "Darien.  Please.  Who was on the phone?  Let us help you," She says quietly.

          Darien shakes his head.  "You can't."

          Claire looks at Bobby and shrugs.  Alex is talking quietly into a cellular phone. 

          "Come on, Fawkesy.  It can't be as bad as it seems."

          Darien sighs.  "I can't fight her.  I just can't fight her.  Its over."

          "Who?"  Claire asks.

          Alex walks over and perches on a chair.  "Kaitlyn Ashbury."  Darien shudders.

          "Who's she?" 

          Darien holds his head in his hands again, hunched over.  His breath is shallow as he tries to control his trembling. 

          Sinclair Ashbury was Darien's neighbor and best friend growing up.  After his mother's death, he was a slight delinquent, but Sinclair was full-blown.  The two boys joined forces and began learning the fine art of burglary.  When Darien was fifteen, Sinclair decided that they should widen their scope from houses to stores.  He wanted to steal an expensive ruby bracelet for his sister.  Sinclair's family was dirt poor and he wanted to impress Kaitlyn by stealing the bracelet.  Kaitlyn was known around town as a 'gangster'.  She had proved herself dangerous at eighteen and had a record most mobsters would wince at. 

          The boys scouted the store thoroughly and finally felt prepared enough to try it.  Everything went smoothly, the bracelet and other loot were retrieved and they were on their way out when a random patrol car passed by.  Sinclair panicked and pulled out a gun, a gun given to him by his sister for 'luck'.  Darien despised the gun and didn't know Sinclair carried it.  Darien escaped while Sinclair was gunned down by the police.  Darien, after being captured for burglarizing the store, was taken from his holding cell to the morgue to identify his best friend. 

          "Darien."  Claire's voice startles him back to reality.

          "Yeah."

          "Who is she?" 

          "Alex seems to know," Darien evades.

          Alex looks at him, confused.  "Why are you so scared of her?  It says in your file that she's an old neighbor.  The sister of your friend."

          Darien shakes his head.  "I really don't want to talk about this."

          "Is your life in danger?"  Claire asks, quietly.  Darien doesn't answer.

          "Call Eberts.  Tell him to find out everything he can about this woman…" Hobbes starts.

          "It doesn't matter.  She knows where I am and she won't stop until she…" Darien interrupts.

          "Until what?"  Bobby asks.  "Fawkes, what does this woman want with you?"

          Darien feels like a caged animal.  He grabs his jacket and runs out of the apartment, leaving his friends staring.  Darien runs down the stairs and lets the pounding of his feet on the pavement lull himself into a false sense of security.  He stops and catches his breath after several minutes.  He finds himself outside of a nearby diner.  He sits down at a booth and lets himself do something he hasn't done in years.  He thinks about Sinclair.

          Sinclair was Darien's best friend.  Darien met him right after his mother's death.  Darien's past jubilance at life had turned to bitter depression and he rarely smiled.  When Darien met Sinclair, his life changed. 

Darien had begun shoplifting and was crouched beside a department store examining his loot.  Sinclair walked up to him and gave him a deadly look.  Darien knew that he was busted, his face turned bright red.

"I saw that in there, kid," Sinclair whispered.

Darien couldn't speak. 

"You took the last copy of the new Springsteen," Sinclair had smiled, and sat down beside him.  Sinclair pulled several items that he had lifted from his waistband.  The two boys were inseparable after that afternoon. 

          Sinclair would be laughing if he were still alive.  He would be laughing at the stricken look on Darien's face and the fear in his throat.  Sinclair was never afraid of anything.  Sinclair would be very disappointed in Darien at this moment.  As soon as he heard Kaitlyn's voice, he accepted his death.  Darien shakes off his fear and the guilt from Sinclair's death and walks out of the diner, headed for home.  He's going to need his friends' help in order to make it out of Kaitlyn's grasp alive.

          Darien takes a deep breath outside his apartment building.  Bobby's van is still out front so he knows that his friends are still inside if not out searching for him.  He walks upstairs and prepares to tell his friends about Sinclair's tragedy and Kaitlyn's wrath.

          "I don't get it, I mean, his files don't say anything about this woman but it looked like he was really freaked," Alex is saying as he swings the door open.

          "Hey," He says, standing in the doorway. 

          Relief washes across Bobby's face.  Alex throws her hands up.

          "Sorry.  You want to hear a story?"  Darien asks, closing the door behind him.

          "Fawkes…" Bobby begins. 

          Darien perches atop his pool table, keeping his distance from his friends.  He's never talked about Sinclair to anyone, not even Kevin, and he doesn't want to break down in front of his friends.

          "You can't…" Bobby starts toward him but Darien starts to talk.

          "Once upon a time there was a little boy whose mother died and he had to move in with his aunt and uncle with his big brother."  The room goes silent.  Alex, Claire and Bobby listen.

          "This kid isn't what you would call emotionally healthy, he develops a small shoplifting problem and one day he meets another young kid who has the same interests.  Sinclair Ashbury."  Darien shivers slightly, saying the name for the first time in years.  "So this kid and Sinclair decide instead of becoming star students or athletes, to become master thieves.  The kids practice and by the age of fourteen, they're pretty decent house burglars.  Nothing heavy, just houses where the kids know the owners are out of town.  Well, Sinclair's sister was legendary around the kid's new home.  She was a bad bitch who had allegedly killed three people before she was sixteen.  She was the only white member of the gang that ran drugs and guns out of the kid's town.  Sinclair loved his sis but wasn't evil and never wanted to hurt anyone.  Sinc approaches the kid one day and says that he wants to lift this expensive bracelet for his sis."

          Darien's voice falters a little.  He is telling the story with as little emotion as he can manage.  He takes a deep breath.  He doesn't meet his friends' eyes.          

          "So the kid and Sinc stake out this store for weeks, and finally they do it.  The job went down flawlessly, they avoided all alarms and got all the loot they wanted.  Once they were out, Sinclair spotted a police car driving by.  The kid had already took off, trying to be as discrete as possible with six grand of jewelry in his bag.  What the kid didn't know was that Sinclair had brought his sister's Christmas gift along for luck.  An unregistered pistol."  Darien's eyes glaze as he remembers the sound of the bullets echoing in the alley where he was running.  He shakes it off. 

          "Sinclair pulls out the pistol and the cop, who was just driving by, not suspecting a robbery, stopped seeing this teenager dressed in black pointing a gun.  Sinc panicked and fired twice.  He missed, but the cop didn't. Sinclair took five in the chest before he fell to the sidewalk."  Darien pauses slightly, noticing Bobby's gasp.  "The cops busted the kid a little while later with the jewelry.  He was locked up for a few hours before a cop came to get him.  The cop took him across the street from the station in cuffs to the morgue.  The kid had to I.D. Sinclair 'cause he was listed as his next of kin.  The kid and Sinclair were more than partners, they were more than friends, they were family.  A few weeks later, the kid was walking home from school and Sinc's sister rolled up beside him.  Before he could think, she lunged out of the car and knocked the kid down.  He didn't fight; he would never hurt someone that meant so much to Sinclair so he lay there while she held the straight edge razor to his throat.  She said that he would pay for killing her brother.  She said that he was responsible for Sinclair's death and that he would pay.  She didn't kill him that day.  She took the razor and carved the letters, K.I.A. on his arm and said that one day when the kid least expected it, she would take his life in return for her brother's."

          Darien shudders.  He pulls up the sleeve on his shirt and looks at the faded initials on the underside of his arm.  "Kaitlyn Isabelle Ashbury."

          "Killed In Action," Alex whispers.  "Dammit, Fawkes…"

          Darien feels drained after relating the story.  He looks at the floor, trying to figure out something clever to say to break the tension when he feels his Keeper's arms around him.

          "You poor child," She says, soothingly.  He accepts the comfort for a moment before pulling away. 

          "She's going to kill me," Darien says flatly, walking over to the sink and drawing a glass of water. 

          "You should drink bottled water," Bobby says, breaking the tension.

          "This is just as refreshing and I can afford it on what the agency pays me," Darien remarks.

          "Good enough.  Me and Alex are going to head into the Agency and try to find this Kaitlyn witch for you, okay?"  Hobbes pats his friend on the back and follows the impatient Monroe out of the apartment.

          "So what are you going to do, Keepie?  Don't I get a lecture on…I don't know, don't I get a lecture?"  Darien asks.

          "Oh, Darien.  You were a child.  Do you think it was your fault?"  She replies, quietly.

          "No.  It took me years, but I know that it was not my fault," Darien answers.  He yawns.  "Since our plans for tonight are shot, would you mind if I just sacked out and went to bed?"

          "Are you sure you should be here by yourself?  She knows where you live," Claire replies.  Hobbes reenters. 

          "Claire, you're blocking the van.  Can you move the S.U.V.?"  He asks, blushing.

          "Sure, Bobby."  She disappears and Darien takes another swallow of water. 

          "I'm going to post a guard outside, Fawkes."  Bobby says.

          "Its not necessary.  Especially tonight.  She won't try anything for a few days at least, she'll want to smell the fear a few days," Darien yawns. 

          "I don't care, you shouldn't be unprotected.  If this lady is as nutty as you seem to think…" Hobbes starts.

          Darien lies down on the couch.  "Whatever, Hobbes.  I'm going to bed."

          Darien falls asleep before Hobbes can reply.

          *********************************************************************

          Darien can't see anything.  He feels intense pain in his right leg, sharp, shooting pain mixed with a dull throb.  He tries to reach for his leg, but he can't move. 

          "Darien…" He opens his eyes, cautiously looking for the sound of the voice.

          Alex Monroe is crouched beside him.  He feels movement beneath him and finds that he is inside a truck.  Alex's eyes are dark with concern.

          Darien starts to struggle, but she puts her hand gently on his chest.  He cannot speak, something is over his mouth.  Tape. 

          "Shh.  Wait, Fawkes," She whispers.

          "Is he awake?"  A male voice yells, out of Darien's line of sight.

          "I don't think so," Alex replies, glancing at Darien.

          Darien closes his eyes.  The last thing he remembers is falling asleep in his apartment after convincing Bobby Hobbes that he would be safe for the night alone. 

          "I know you're his doctor, but we are the ones in control here.  If you try anything funny, just remember that he's the one with the cash in his head and you're just the free gift with purchase," The man growls.

          Alex leaves her hand on his chest, trying to comfort him.  Darien keeps his eyes closed.  He feels the cuffs around his wrists and realizes that his feet are cuffed as well.  He figures that he must be wearing shackles and that he took a decent beating somewhere on this ride.  He hopes he put up a good fight.

          Darien feels the truck come to a jolting stop, and he slides several painful feet forward and bangs into something.  He doesn't cry out as his leg shatters his thoughts with pain.

          "Okay, Keeper lady.  Step back," The male voice orders.  Darien feels Alex's hand leave his chest. 

          The men think that Alex is Claire.  Darien wants to remember, but before he can fight through the pain to his memories, thick hands pull his leg, dragging him out of the truck onto what feels like concrete.   

          "Get up.  Get up, you pitiful excuse for a man!"  Someone says.  Darien grits his teeth as his hurt threatens his slight grip of consciousness. 

          "Just carry him inside.  They'll be plenty of time for playing with him later, we're too exposed here." 

          Darien doesn't remember the events leading to the present, but the speaker is Kaitlyn.  Kaitlyn has him.  Kaitlyn has Alex.

          Hands pull him by his arms to his feet, but he cannot stand.  His leg must be broken the way it crumbles beneath him.  Two men drag him, his knees scraping the pavement.

          "Please," Darien hears Alex say, with more panic than the ice-cold agent has ever displayed.

          "Shut up.  We didn't cuff you but we can still gag you, lady," A man snaps.

          "Don't talk to the woman like that.  She is important to this transaction and she is a lady before all else.  If I hear about any of you disrespecting or mishandling her, you'll answer to me."  Kaitlyn is behind Darien.  He is pulled through a door and into a large fluorescent room.  In the center of the room is a cage.  Darien is in too much pain to show the fear he feels as the men lift him off the ground and shove him face first into the cage.  He lands on his chest and his face slams into the cement floor.  He grunts through his taped mouth as he tastes blood. 

          "Darien!  What are you going to do?"  Alex shrieks.  Darien hopes the agent is faking the fear in her voice.  He would hate to be involved in something that invoked fear in Alex Monroe.

          "Go on, get inside with him.  You're here to take care of him, like always.  You won't be asked by us to compromise your security or anything, you just keep him breathing," Kaitlyn says. 

          Darien fights to stay awake as the darkness of unconsciousness reaches for him.

          "You have to take these chains off him," Alex says, suddenly beside him.

          "Gregor.  Give her the keys." 

          Darien hears the jingle of keys hitting the concrete near his feet.

          "You can remove the cuffs when you're both secured in the cage.  When we need to take him out of the cage for tests and demonstrations, you're in charge of cuffing him and if you fuck up its your ass," Kaitlyn hisses.  "I've been waiting a long time for this moment, the moment when I can avenge my brother's death and thanks to Darien's brother, I can make a lot of cash."

          "What are you going to do?"  Alex asks.

          "Auction.  I'm going to play with Darien a little, to satisfy my bloodlust or as you'll say later, my sadism, and then I'm going to auction him.  We've got bids from China, Russia, the Middle East and oddly enough, a Swiss company as well as several lucrative American organizations.  Gregor, you're on first watch.  I'm gone for the night.  Lukas will relieve you in four hours."  Kaitlyn's voice fades as Darien listens to the retreating footsteps.

          "Hold on, Darien…"Alex says, quietly.  Her voice doesn't soothe him as much as Claire's British lilt, but he is glad to have someone with him.  He feels the tight cuffs release his hands.  He listens to the chains jangle on the cement as she gently removes the cuff around his right ankle. 

          Darien pulls his sticky hands and tries to push himself off the floor.  His arms don't lift his weight and his chest screams in pain.  His wrists are raw and bleeding from struggling with the handcuffs and the hand that pulls the silver duct tape from his mouth is stained red.

          He takes a ragged breath.

          "Darien, I'm going to roll you on your back, okay?"  Alex asks.

          "I can do it…" Darien says, hoarsely.

          "You took a hellacious beating back there, Fawkes but you probably don't remember it.  She was putting something in your water, something to fuck up your sleep," Alex says, unconsciously whispering.  She helps him painfully flip over onto his back. 

          Darien's brown eyes are pools of agony.  He manages to sit up and look at himself.  His sight is blurred as he sees the blood that stains him.  His right leg is twisted and swollen.  His chest and abdomen are tender to the touch and bruised to the color of a dark grape.  Miserably, he takes a breath.

          "How do you feel, Darien?" 

          He remembers Alex.  She is crouched close to him, bloody but unhurt.  Her face is unreadable but her eyes are alert and cautious.

          "How do I look like I feel, 'Claire'?"  He replies quietly, needing to know why Alex is masquerading as his doctor.

          "I was in your apartment relieving Bobby.  You've been sleeping for a few days and we didn't need to risk moving you.  I had just gotten the call about the tainted water when these thugs burst in.  They had orders to capture you along with your Keeper," Alex whispers.

          Darien nods, realizing that Alex had decided to stay with him instead of leave him stranded with Kaitlyn's goons.

          "She's one cold bitch, Darien, I don't think your pathetic little puppy dog eyes are gonna melt her heart," Alex remarks, quietly.

          Darien doesn't smile at Alex's attempt to lighten the mood.  He looks around the room.  The cage they are seated in is the size of a jail cell.  The bars are built into the concrete.  There is a small toilet in one corner and that is all.  On each corner of the cage is a small surveillance camera.  Darien sees a hulking man right outside the cage and assumes that he is 'Gregor'.  Gregor is staring at Alex, pensive. 

          "I need to examine you, Darien," Alex says, suddenly.

          Darien looks at her.  "No you don't."  He doesn't despise Alex as he did when she first arrived, but he doesn't want her as a doctor.

          She looks at him, annoyed.  "Look at yourself, you can barely move.  Let me see what I can do."

          Nausea washes over Darien and he turns away from her, gagging.  He pulls himself to the toilet and vomits.  The water is red with blood.

          "That's not good," He coughs, vomiting again.  He feels Alex's hand on his quaking back as he heaves.  He is relieved slightly to feel comfort from her touch. 

          "Better?"  She asks as he catches his breath.

          The toilet swerves in front of him as his grip on consciousness falters.  He sees Gregor's leering face as Alex catches him before he hits the concrete.

          "Hey…watch him…he's got a look about him," Darien whispers before the blackness takes him. 

          Darien struggles to find the light.  He hears a scraping sound and opens his eyes.  Alex is sleeping above him.  He is lying down with his head in her lap and she is sitting up, leaning against the bars of the cage.  He realizes where he is, but the sound is unfamiliar enough for him to stay still.  His eyes find the source, combat boots dragging the floor. 

          Gregor is walking around the edge of the cage.  He passes out of Darien's sight.  Darien sits up in time to see Gregor holding a small syringe and reaching for Alex.

          "No!"  Darien says, grabbing her arms and pulling her away from the needle.  He realizes that he is late seeing the bead of blood on Alex's neck as she lurches forward, waking in surprise. 

          "Bastard," Gregor spits.  He drops the half-empty syringe on the floor.  He storms to the cage's opening.

          "What the hell…" Alex remarks, her hand going to her neck.  Darien doesn't explain, he is focused on Gregor.  Gregor unlocks the door and steps inside, closing it behind him.  He takes a step toward Darien who lunges, grabbing his huge legs in his arms. 

          Gregor, unbalanced, falls to the floor, but reacts, punching Darien in the face.  Darien's crippled body forces him to lie still after the impact and gives Gregor a chance to stand and direct several kicks to Darien's midsection. 

          Alex tries to stand and help Darien, but her legs are like gelatin.  She can't get up; she stares blankly as the massive man abuses Darien.

          Gregor pauses in mid-kick, and looks to Alex.  Darien coughs and blood sprays across the floor at Gregor's feet.  Gregor steps over Darien's curled body toward Alex.

          Darien can't see behind him, but he already knows that this is not part of the plan.  He remembers Kaitlyn's words and knows that Alex shouldn't be touched, let alone drugged.  Darien manages to turn enough to see Alex.

          Gregor squats in front of Alex and runs his hand down her cheek.  "Such a pretty little thing," He whispers, his hand trickling down her neck to her breasts.

          Alex shudders, but doesn't move.  The syringe must have contained a paralyzing drug of some kind because Alex's eyes are filled with panic but she doesn't fight him.

          One of his hands starts to unbutton her blouse, pushing her onto her back while the other hand drifts lower.

          Darien is filled with revulsion and knows that he needs to fight the pain and help her.  He struggles to his knees and crawls toward Gregor. 

          Alex has tears on her cheeks and her eyes are clenched shut.  Darien gathers his strength and tries to remember the many lectures from his partner, Hobbes.  He is surprised when the well-placed jab shocks the huge pervert enough for Darien to get his arm around his neck tightly.  The man struggles, but Darien doesn't let go.  He feels the muscles in the man's throat tense and fight him, but he doesn't let go.  He is lifted off the ground as Gregor stands up, trying to rid himself of Darien's grip.  Darien's ribs cry out for attention as he starts to feel himself giving in to the pain.  He is slammed against the cage, clinging to Gregor's back by the grip on his neck.  Darien's eyes rake over Alex's helpless body and he squeezes harder, praying silently for the man's collapse.  Blackness tinges the edges of his sight.

          Darien blinks and realizes that he is lying on the man's back, his arm still gripping his neck, but something is different.  The man is not fighting.  Darien moves his arm and tries to find a pulse.  Gregor is cold. 

          Darien pushes himself off of Gregor, repulsed.  He crawls slowly to Alex.  He shakes her gently, unable to sit up completely.  "Alex.  Alex."  She opens her eyes, slowly.  Darien props himself up on his elbow and starts to button her shirt, one-handed.

          She opens her mouth, "Fawkes?"

          Darien starts to tremble with weakness, but after several tries, her shirt is intact.  "Can you move?"

          Her hand lifts slowly from the floor and comes to rest on her chest.  Her eyes gradually show the horror and realization of the situation.  "Did he…" She starts, but her gaze finds Gregor's limp body.

She looks to Darien in confusion, but as soon as she opens her mouth, he starts to cough.  He turns his head away as he coughs blood into his hand. 

          Alex's agent instincts kick in and she sits up, fighting the drug.  "Darien…Darien, come on…"  She helps him sit up.  His face is swollen and his skin is gray.  After the coughing fit passes, she realizes that he is shaking.

          "Are you alright, Alex?  Was I too late?"  Darien's face fills with concern for her as his mind swirls with images.

          "No, Darien…Look at me…I'm fine…."  Alex takes his face in her hands and makes him meet her eyes.  "I'm okay, Fawkes," She says, trying to hide her concern in the familiar coldness.

          Darien relaxes hearing Alex's agent voice.  He nods to her slowly.  "Okay."  He realizes that he is freezing.  The trembling is his body shivering.

          She takes his tremulous body into her arms and holds him against her.  Darien hears her thumping heart beat as she tries to steady him.  His eyes never sway from the man he killed as he speaks.

          "Alex.  Can you walk?"  He asks, his voice weak.

          "Yeah," She replies, still slightly in shock.

          "You have to go.  Now.  It's our only chance, Alex."

          Alex lifts him slowly to face her.  "I'm not leaving you, Fawkes."

          "Then we'll both die here.  Think, Monroe," Darien says.  "You can get out of here and call in the troops.  You know the setup, you saw Kaitlyn's thugs and firepower and as soon as you get out, you'll know the location.  You have to go."
          Alex nods.  "You're coming with me," She says.

          Darien coughs.  He spits the blood toward Gregor on the concrete.  Alex stares at the scarlet trail.  "Alex, I can't come with you.  My leg's broken and I'm spitting blood.  There's no way I can stand, let alone walk with you out of here and you definitely can't carry me."

          Something flickers in Alex's eyes as she considers it. 

          "Alex.  Now.  Four hours is how long Gregor was here for and I have no idea how long we've been here.  You have to go NOW," Darien insists. 

          She nods slowly. 

          "Alex," Darien breathes quietly.  She gets to her feet and unsteadily searches Gregor until she finds a set of keys.  She unlocks the cage and walks to the edge of the room before turning to Darien.

          "Don't forget about me," He says, pulling himself into the corner of the cage, away from the dead guard.

          "I'll be back," She promises, vanishing through the door.

          Darien sighs and lapses into a coughing fit, trying to ignore the mounting pain in his chest and the spreading smear of blood on his shirt.

          Darien sits, fading in and out of consciousness until he hears the clicking of a gun.  He looks around him and sees Kaitlyn standing over him, holding a large handgun.

          "You fucking bastard."  She says, leveling the gun at his nose.

          "You should pick your men better.  You check your cameras and you'll see why he's like that.  I never thought you, of all people, would have men like that working for you.  Not after your father," Darien says, staring her down.  He is scared but he knows that it is probably not a good idea to show fear to Kaitlyn. 

          She smacks him across the face with the butt of the gun and the force breaks the skin. 

          "Miss Ashbury."  A man holds up the syringe.  She nods and looks in another direction.  "You should look at this tape, Miss Ashbury," Another male voice says.

          "Tell me what's on it," Kaitlyn says, returning her gaze to Darien.

          "Gregor injected the lady with something in a syringe and then entered the cage.  He punished Mr. Fawkes for interfering and then attempted to…take advantage of the lady."

          Kaitlyn 's white skin flushes but her face remains stoic. 

          The man continues, "Mr. Fawkes stopped Gregor by choking him.  The lady regained consciousness, took the keys and fled.  Over an hour ago, Mrs. Ashbury."

          "You sent your fucking Keeper out to save you?"  Kaitlyn smiles, evilly.  "She's a doctor, not an agent.  We'll have her dead in a matter of minutes.  Tracey, Bradford, go get her." 

          Darien continues the stare down with Kaitlyn as he hears footsteps pounding out of the building.

          "I've waited years to have you begging for your life, I won't let some half-assed heroic gesture save you from the punishment you deserve.  My brother's soul needs vengeance," Kaitlyn hisses.

          "Sinclair shouldn't be called your brother.  He would be ashamed to see what you've become.  He hated hurting people, he was nothing like you.  You didn't even know him," Darien whispers.

          She kicks his broken leg and he cries out in agony. 

          "He was my brother," She says. 

          "Where were you when he died?  Where were you at the funeral?  Where were you when he needed a sister all those years when you left him in that house with your father?"  Darien accuses.  Kaitlyn's father was a cruel abusive man.

          She kicks his leg again.  "Shut up."

          "I didn't kill Sinclair, I would have died for him," Darien says, tears of pain on his face.

          "Why'd you pick that store to rob?  Why'd you end up in jail and he end up dead, huh?"  She asks, her eyes bright with anger.

          "Cause he wanted to get a gift for you," Darien gasps, his lungs feeling saturated suddenly as the pain overtakes him.  "Ruby bracelet…"

          "What?"  Kaitlyn gasps.  She takes Darien by the hair and pulls his head up.  "What did you say?"

          "He wanted to get you a ruby bracelet.  Said it was your birthstone and only the real thing would do.  He saw it one day and said that it was the only one good enough for you…"  Darien watches as Kaitlyn's cold eyes search him.

          "How'd you get away, then, huh?  You left him to die," Kaitlyn spits.

          Darien looks away from her disconcerting stare.  "I didn't see the cop.  The cop didn't see us until Sinclair pulled out the gun.  The gun you gave him for Christmas.  The cop saw Sinclair and the gun and stopped.  I didn't see any of it.  I was so excited to be out of the store that I had already ran into the alley toward the car.  I heard the shots then.  I waited for Sinclair until the cops came by and picked me up." 

          Kaitlyn stares at Darien.  She raises the gun and points it at his face again.  "You're lying."

          Darien looks straight ahead, trying to find some sort of humanity in her eyes, seeing nothing.  He is in so much pain, that he doesn't care if she kills him.  He knows that Sinclair's death was not his fault.

          "You're lying!"  She shrieks, her calm shattering. 

          "Miss Ashbury, there's some activity outside, we should go," A man announces.

          Kaitlyn doesn't react.  She stares at Darien, the gun wavering in her hand.

          "Miss Ashbury, come on!"  Only one of her faithful goons remains still, standing over Gregor's body.  The others are frantically pulling guns and pacing with anxiety.

          Kaitlyn takes the gun and lowers it to her side.  She turns to leave but swiftly kicks him in the ribs, knocking the breath out of him.  When he finally gets air into his lungs, he starts to cough.  He finds himself swimming in pain, on his hands and knees struggling to breathe.  He is vaguely aware of noise and flashes around him, but he cannot breathe so it doesn't affect him.

          "Darien….Darien….Darien, come on…." 

          He recognizes the voice and reaches for it, fighting to breathe through the hurt.  His lungs feel full of fluid, and he panics, thinking of his lungs filling with blood. 

           "Darien, stop…you have to relax, Fawkes, come on…come back to me…" 

          Darien tries to concentrate on Alex's voice, but he finally focuses on the pressure on his hand.  He squeezes her hand and slowly catches his breath as she returns the squeeze.

          "Darien?" 

          "Help me…sit up…"  He gasps.  She gently turns his body and leans him against her so he is sitting. 

          "Claire's right behind me, she's waiting for the firefight in the parking lot to end before she comes in, do you think you can hold on?" Alex asks, her voice quiet in his ear.

          He nods, moving her body with his shakes.  "How'd you do?"  Darien coughs.

          "I took Gregor's car.  It had a cell phone so I called the boss and drove a few miles to figure out where I was and the troops met me.  How'd you do?"  Alex asks, disturbed at the intensity of his tremors. 

          "I'm still breathing…barely, though…" Darien's vision swims.

          "Stay with me, kid, hold on…" Alex looks around for the Keeper.

"Bobby!"     

          Darien's smile is drowned by his pain as he recognizes his partner, Bobby Hobbes.

          "Damn, Monroe…" Bobby says, shock on his face.

          "Go get Claire.  Now.  Escort her in or something, but…" Alex's voice is frantic.

          "No, its okay…I'm hanging in…" Darien tries to ignore the worry on his partner's face as he rushes away.  "Bobby…didn't even talk to me…" Darien scoffs, weaker.

          "Darien.  God," She says to herself, "I don't know how you're still conscious…Darien."

          "You sure you're okay, Monroe?"  Darien asks, trying to focus on the conversation and fight the pain. 

          "Stop worrying about me, Fawkes," Alex smiles. 

          "Anything to wipe that look off your face…I don't want to believe that you're scared…" Darien says, lapsing into a coughing fit.  He tastes blood as Alex holds his quaking body upright.

          "Alex?"  The British voice is distant.

          "Claire?  Over here!"  Alex yells. 

          Darien feels like he is sinking into a hole.  Alex and Claire both appear in his sight but he is far from them.  He can't hear them.

          "Darien, if you don't speak to me right now…" Alex says, holding his face in her hands. 

          "You'll what?  I don't think you'd hurt me any worse…" Darien coughs. 

          "Oh, Darien…"  Claire gasps, attaching a blood pressure cuff to his arm.  She speaks quietly to someone out of Darien's gaze.

          "Hey Alex…"  Darien coughs.  "How'd you like being the Keeper?"

          Alex tries to smile.  "I think you were my keeper tonight."

          Darien laughs painfully, locking his eyes with Alex so he doesn't focus on the Keeper's analysis.

          Alex takes his hand and Darien sees Bobby kneel beside her.

          "Fawkes…" The older man's voice cracks slightly as he looks at his friend.

          "You don't look so good," Darien coughs and tilts his head away from them.  Bobby looks at Alex, seeing the blood. 

          "Fort Leavitt.  Now," Claire says to someone.

          "Keepie?"  Darien refocuses his wavering gaze.  "You think you can get me an ambulance with some heat?  It's freezing in here."

          "Okay, Darien, that's because your body's going into shock so I want you to stay awake for me, okay?"  Claire's voice is businesslike but her face is lined with concern.

          "Just hold on, Fawkes," Hobbes encourages.

          Darien tries to stay awake, but his eyelids droop as a shudder of pain vibrates through him.  Alex squeezes his hand as he loses his grip.

          "Darien, Darien…please," Alex says, quietly.

          He coughs.  "I'm trying here but…" He coughs again and his face goes slack.

          "Aw, crap, Keeper," Bobby says, as Darien struggles out of his deepening hole. 

          "Still here," He says, weakly squeezing Alex's hand.  He opens his eyes and looks around for a focal point. 

          "I know you're more stubborn than this, Fawkes, come on!"  Alex cracks, still crouched beside him.

          "Somebody stop that woman!"  An unknown voice calls and Darien watches as Claire, Alex and Hobbes freeze in place.

          "…Kaitlyn…"  Darien mutters, trying to find an unused source of energy.

          "FREEZE!"  Several voices yell.

          Darien squeezes Alex's hand and she glances at him.  "Think fast," He mouths and coats them both with quicksilver. 

          In monochrome, Darien watches as Kaitlyn looms above him with a semi-automatic, looking for his invisible body.

          Darien loses Alex's hand and sees her invisible leg fly up and her foot contact Kaitlyn's surprised face.  The gun clatters onto the concrete as Bobby lunges and pins her arms behind her back and knocks her to the ground.

          The quicksilver flakes off Alex and she helps Bobby restrain the vicious Kaitlyn. 

          Darien loses consciousness but he is vaguely aware that he is unable to stop the quicksilver before he passes out. 

          **********************************************************

          "His body was in shock for several hours.  I don't know how he remained conscious as long as he did," The British voice lilts.

          Darien feels a warm hand on his arm as he blinks groggily. 

          "All I know is that he saved my ass the other night.  He took a beating that would have killed most men and got a huge guy off me, not to mention that quicksilver trick before the ambulance rolled up," Alex is saying.

          Darien tilts his head, his body slowly coming awake with throbbing pain and soft painkillers.  He sees Alex talking to Bobby and Claire.  No one is looking at him. 

          "That Kaitlyn is one crazy bitch.  She's still screaming for Fawkes' head upstate.  I can see why Fawkes was scared of her.  Hell, I'm scared of her myself," Bobby sighs. 

          "Well, he carried himself like a pro," Alex says.  "I just wish he would wake up."  She absently rubs his arm.  Her hand comes to rest on his shoulder and Darien grins slightly. 

          He bites her finger.

          She jumps away in alarm.  "Dammit, Fawkes," She says, holding her finger, pouting.

          "Fawkes," Bobby says, relieved.

          "Sorry, Alex.  You were asking for it talking about me like that," Darien says, hoarsely.  "I can't have you respecting me, can I?"

          "How are you feeling, Darien?"  Claire asks, with a smile, coming to his bedside.

          "Like Rip Van Winkle except I fell asleep on the train tracks.  Where am I?  This doesn't look like the Keep."  Darien winces,

          "Fort Leavitt.  You've been out for five days.  You had surgery to repair one of your lungs and you went into a coma.  You got taken off the oxygen a few hours ago," Claire explains. 

          "They operated on my lung?"  Darien asks, surprised.  "Is that safe?"

          "You're alive aren't you?"  Alex remarks.  "Do you remember anything?" 

          He shakes his head and immediately regrets the movement.  "Not after that kung fu kick you gave Kaitlyn back in the cage.  Hi-ya, Alex Monroe," He jokes. 

          "That was a pretty smooth move you played back there, but next time you're about to pass out, don't quicksilver," Bobby grins.  "It took us forever to get you visible again.  You turned Claire and the stretcher invisible on the way to the ambulance and we looked pretty goofy pulling into the E.R. with no patient."

          "For real?"  Darien asks, noting the i.v. in his arm and the pulse ox monitor on his finger. 

          "Don't even think about it," Alex scolds.  "You need to leave those tubes and things alone so you can come back to work."

          Darien frowns, thinking of work. 

          "The Official's got us on filing duty with Eberts until you get back," Hobbes explains. 

          Darien yawns dramatically.  "I think I should stay here a while.  Get some rest.  A week, maybe two to three weeks.  I'm very sick, you know," He sighs. 

          Alex smiles and punches him lightly on the shoulder.  "If you weren't so injured I'd injure you."

          "No you wouldn't," Darien grins wanly, "'Cause I'd give you my pathetic little puppy dog eyes and melt your heart."