Blood Lust



I Only Have Eyes For You



The next few weeks passed quickly for Alex. She settled easily into Seattle and the new life she had there. Jam Pony was all right so far as work places go. Normal, much to her dismay, was an uptight asshole most of the time. The few good points she'd scored the first time she'd met him had apparently been lost when she started hanging out regularly with Max, O.C. and Sketchy. She didn't know why, but he seemed to take particular delight in torturing those three out of all of his employees.

In fact, the only person he was ever nice to was Alec. Sketchy filled her in on the fact that Normal was a huge cage-fight fan and that Alec used to be the best cage fighter around before he quit and came to Jam Pony. Alex had been surprised to hear that; Alec was in good shape, and certainly a treat to look at, but Alex had seen some cage fighters in her past. Hell, she'd even fought a few herself. They didn't mess around. Most of those guys fought for a living and it showed. They were either immensely big or they were trained in some kind of fighting style to give them an edge. Alex figured Alec, with his lean figure, must fit into the latter category and, now that she was looking for it, she could tell by the way he moved that he had a trained fighter's grace and sense of balance.

But that was her problem right there; the fact that she was looking in the first place. She still couldn't stop thinking about him, even though a month had past since their first 'encounter'. Neither of them had brought up the subject since then and neither of them made a move to push their 'friendship' into new territory. They spent time together outside of work, but it was usually in a group. But at least once every day Alex would catch herself eyeing Alec's chest as he lifted his bike onto a rack or wishing it were her hands running through his hair when he tried to straighten it in the mirror in his locker.

It was bad enough that she still felt this urge for him, but she had a nagging suspicion that he knew she did. She didn't hang out with him as much as she did Original Cindy and Max, but every time they met, he'd do something. Sometimes he'd make a comment that, taken out of context, could mean something entirely different and she'd flush slightly. Whether out of embarrassment or desire, she didn't know. Sometimes he'd be talking to her and his eyes would never leave her face, but he'd be staring at her lips, not her eyes. And sometimes when he needed to get by her in a tight hallway, he would forgo asking her to move and just squeeze around. Once when she'd been at Normal's desk picking up some packages, she'd turned around to discover him standing right behind her, close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. He'd locked eyes with her and leaned even closer and her breath had stopped, thinking he was going to kiss her, right there in front of everybody. And part of her thrilled at the thought. But he just reached over and picked something up from behind her. "Pen," he'd said by way of explanation, a small smile on his face and then he'd taken a step back and she'd come back to herself.

The one thing that had changed was she no longer thought about him while on patrol. She was too busy to think of anything but the task at hand. Seattle had a thriving demonic community, which was not unexpected. Demons delighted in pain, chaos and misery and ever since the Pulse there had been plenty in all the big cities in America.

Alex was kept active fighting a slew of monsters, but they were all fairly minor demons. While they were still deadly and dangerous, none of the creatures she'd come across so far had either the strength or the cunning to set up something so threatening that the Powers would intervene and send her the dreams she'd had. And those weren't getting any clearer either. In fact, she reflected one evening as she shoved her stuff back into her locker as she called it a day, they weren't contributing anything at all to her search for the Big Bad in town. Which was really annoying.

With her enhanced senses, she heard the others before she saw them round the corner. Original Cindy and Max came first, smiling when they saw her already at the lockers. Alec and Sketchy were a little bit behind, laughing about something, but they nodded hello too.

"Hey Alex," Sketchy said, coming to lean on the lockers beside her. He was wearing some ridiculous hat and a pair of tinted sunglasses he insisted were cool. "You're coming tonight, right?"

"Coming where?" she asked.

"To Isis, a club in sector seven. It's supposed to be a really rocking joint. We're all meeting up there at about nine. Should be fun," He added in a cajoling tone of voice when he saw the hesitation on her face.

"I dunno, I got a lot of stuff to take care of over the weekend," she trailed off.

"C'mon, girly girl, like the man said, it'll be fun," Original Cindy jumped in, throwing an arm around her waist. " 'Sides, with all of us workin' double time this week 'cause of Jim home with the flu, we deserve a night on the town. We can wind down, loosen up, and maybe," she added with a wink, "find some cute brother to put a smile on your face."

Max nodded in agreement. "And you know Cindy's gonna find some hot girl with legs from here to there and I could not stand being left alone with these two all night," Max motioned to Alec and Sketchy, who rolled their eyes at her.

"Well, when you put it that way," Alex acquiesced with a laugh. "But only to save Max from a night of torture."

"You're so good to me," Max teased, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "I've got some stuff to take care of, so I'll meet you guys there, 'kay?"

Alex bent over and picked up her bag too. "I'm going to jet, too. I'll get ready and meet you guys at the club."

"I'll call your cell and give you directions," O.C. said, waving goodbye.


* * * *

The club was packed, but Alex still had some breathing room while wandering around the dance floor looking for her friends. She'd managed to get there around ten o'clock, in spite of some unscheduled slayage. Running a hand over her hair, reassuring herself that was all still caught up in her clip, she re-adjusted her halter nervously. Though she'd die before admitting it to anyone, including herself, Alex wanted to knock Alec flat tonight. Which was why she was wearing a pair of tight pants and a tight black halter that showed off her back and chest to equal advantage. While it hadn't been the most comfortable outfit to slay vampires in, a girl had to be willing to sacrifice a little to be the sexiest bitch in the place.

After wandering around half the club, Alex finally spotted O.C. at the bar along side the far wall. She approached and yelled a greeting over the music. "Hey Cindy. Why're you alone?"

"Hey girly girl," Cindy smiled, turning to face her. "Max decided to hang at Logan's for a while, Sketchy's bustin' a move on the dance floor and Alec is seriously tryin' to swallow some girl's face on the dance floor." Actually, Max was on a mission for Eyes Only, but O.C. wasn't about to break down Max's dealio for Alex, no matter how much she liked the girl. Besides, she seemed much more interested in the last part of that sentence.

Alex turned around, a flash of irrational jealousy rushing through her system. It only took a moment for her to spot him, attached to some blonde ditz. Cindy hadn't been exaggerating; the two of them appeared to be trying to suck each other's lips off. Alex's eyes narrowed slightly as she saw Alec's hand slip beneath the waist of the girl's pants.

Cindy was watching her carefully. "If I was you, I'd go over there and put the smack down on that ho's ass."

Alex plastered an ironclad mask of nonchalance on her face and turned her back to the intimate display on the dance floor. "Why? Isn't as if I care that she's acting skankish."

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "Girl, when are you gonna stop frontin'? You been jonesin' for Alec ever since you met him. And I know he thinks you're just as fine."

"I'm not interested. I don't get involved with co-workers." Alex's tone was flat, but her face plainly showed the lie.

"Whatever," Cindy sighed, catching the eye of a pretty Asian chick beckoning her onto the dance floor. "If you want Original Cindy's advice, just jump him. You want to get all hot and heavy, the boy ain't gonna say no and who said anything about getting involved? Alec's all about one night stands." She turned, "You okay if I go join that fine sistah on the floor?"

"Hmm? Yeah, don't worry about me," Alex said, still somewhat shaken that Cindy had noticed how attracted she was to Alec. She'd always thought she was subtler than that. She looked back over to see Alec's girl groping his ass and felt her stomach tighten. {{Fuck it,}} she thought to herself and walked over to grab one of the guy's farther down the bar who'd been checking her out. Alec wasn't the only one who could have some fun.

* * * *

Alec wasn't sure what it was that made him look up from his ministrations to the girl's neck, but he was sorry he had. Alex was walking away from the bar leading some punk by the hand, throwing a stunning smile over her shoulder at him. Her hips sashayed enticingly from side to side, every detail visible to his enhanced eyes. She must have just arrived if he was only noticing her now. The two of them disappeared into the dancing throng and Alec unconsciously craned his neck to catch one last glance of her. Unfortunately he wasn't really paying attention to his movements and the girl in his arms jumped slightly when he stepped on her foot.

"Sorry," he murmured when she looked up at him in reproach and then flashed her a killer smile. But it didn't work as well as it usually did.

She pushed out her bottom lip, pouting up at him. "That's not good enough. I saw you."

"Saw me what?" Alec asked, rubbing suggestively against her, trying to forget about Alex.

"I saw you looking at that other girl," she accused, fake annoyance written across her face. They both knew that she didn't really care that he'd been checking someone else out, but she wanted to play the game of caring.

Alec was well versed in the rules and he nuzzled her neck, nipping her earlobe as he whispered, "Nah, baby, you've got it all wrong. How could I even think of another woman while you're here?"

She giggled and rewarded his efforts with a friendly grope that made him stifle a groan. Without another word they returned to their previous activities. But Alec couldn't help glancing every so often in the direction Alex had gone. Every so often the crowd would part and she'd be revealed to him amidst a swirl of brightly-clad bodies. Her original dance partner was no where to be seen, but she wasn't lacking for companionship. A small group of men had gathered around her, all attempting to get her attention.

Jealousy tensed Alec's muscles and he tried to relax and shove the feeling away. He'd just succeeded in pushing it down, when he noticed one of the guys dancing with Alex was trying to get a little friendlier. He could see her shaking her head at her pursuer, who was at least twice her body mass and a veritable mountain of muscle and then she turned to walk away. The man, unwilling to let her go, reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her flush up against him.

Alec pulled back as the girl tried to kiss him again. He reached up and disentangled her arms from around his neck brusquely. "Hey-" she started to object angrily, but he was already moving. He shoved his way through the crowd without thought for the other dancers and came up behind Mountain Man in time to hear him say, "C'mon, baby, we can have some fun."

"The lady said no," Alec said in a loud clear voice. The hulk in front of him turned his head to stare at him but didn't let go of Alex, who was staring at Alec with something akin to helplessness. While he assumed she was merely frightened, Alex was actually tied up in knots with the knowledge that she could deal with this guy on her own, but now Alec was going to get hurt trying to 'save' her from this walking pile of steroids.

"Who the hell are you?" Mountain growled, tightening his grip on Alex's biceps and pulling her closer. She grimaced in distaste but didn't pull away for fear of drawing attention to her less than normal strength.

Alec's jaw tensed, but his voice was deadly calm. "I'm a friend of hers and I'd advise taking your hands off of her. Now."

"Oh, yeah?" the man laughed, turning completely to face Alec. "And what're you gonna do if I don't, huh pretty boy?"

"This." Nobody even saw him move. Alec blurred forward, ramming his left fist into the guy's stomach and grabbing the hand holding onto Alex with his right. He gripped the man's wrist and squeezed hard. The man cried out in pain and his muscles spasmed, releasing Alex. Alec then twisted the man around and pulled his arm up behind his back, bringing him up on his toes. He stopped just short of breaking the bone. Alex gaped at him in surprise.

"Now," he growled in the man's ear, his grip on the man's arm tightening fractionally. "You're going to apologise."

"S-s-sorry, man. I didn't know she was your girl!" Mountain gasped in a high pitch voice, tears of pain welling in his eyes.

"Not to me, you idiot. To her."

The man hesitated and Alec flexed his arm. "Sorry!" he yelped. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

Alec looked over at Alex and it took her a moment to come out of her awed stupor and realise he was waiting for her decision. She shrugged, still shocked at how well he had handled himself. "Whatever. Just. . . Get out."

Alec suddenly released his hold on Mountain Man and shoved him away into the crowd. The man stumbled, but didn't stop moving as he quickly disappeared into the crowd that had formed a small circle around the show. People slowly returned to their own affairs, somewhat disappointed at not being witness to further excitement. Alec turned back around and nearly ran right into Alex. She stood barely a foot away from him, hand on hip, staring up at him with pursed lips. Alec was about to say something, but before he could open his mouth, she punched him on the arm.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his arm. Hell, she hit pretty damn hard for a girl. "What was that for?"

"That was for doing something incredibly stupid and making me worry! I thought that guy was going to squish you like a bug!" she said, still glaring at him but not making any move to back up and give him some personal space.

"Well, it's nice to know you think I'm so tough, but that guy was no trouble," he replied, sarcasm in his voice but bemusement on his face. Women really would take any opportunity to tell you what you did wrong.

She sniffed. "Yeah, I figured that part out after you nearly snapped him in half." She paused, then added quickly, "I could've dealt with him on my own, you know."

"Sure you could've." Alec decided it was best to play along and soothe her ego rather than risk another punch to the arm. The first one really had hurt. Maybe he was getting soft out here in the real world.

"Still," she said, glancing up at him, "It was nice of you to jump in like that, so. . . Thanks."

He grinned down at her. "Graciousness really isn't your forte, is it?"

She smiled back. "Usually other people are the ones thanking me," she replied honestly. "I don't usually get a chance to have someone stand up for me."

He wondered for a second what kind of life she'd led before coming to Seattle if she'd been so alone, but all he said out loud was, "Well, that's what friends are for, right?"

She blinked at him, then suddenly seemed to realise how close they were standing together, and she cleared her throat as she stepped back. "Yeah. Friends," she smiled wanly up at him.

Alec mentally kicked himself. Here he was, in the perfect set up after coming to her rescue, and he had to go and remind her about her whole 'let's just be friends' thing. He racked his brain for a way to return to the intimacy they'd had just a moment ago, but came up blank. Staring down at her as she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, he felt an impulse to concoct a scheme to spend some time with her and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Coffee?"

She stared at him quizzically. "Coffee?"

{{Great, Alec, really original.}} He hurried to complete his thought. "I mean, would you like to drink? Coffee, that is. With me. Somewhere that's not. . . here." She stared up at him, then burst out laughing. He winced, "Okay, not the most articulate I've ever been."

She waved her hand dismissively, still giggling. "S'okay. I think I got the gist of it."

"I'm just kinda tired of the noise and I thought maybe you'd like to go somewhere a little quieter. As friends," he finished with a small teasing smile when he saw her hesitate.

She returned his smile, then nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

"Alright then," he said. She stared at him for a moment as he just stood there and then he jumped. "Right. Let's go then," Alec motioned for her to go ahead of him and he followed behind her, cursing himself for suddenly turning into a bumbling idiot and absently wondering why the hell his stomach was tingly. It was understandable that he couldn't place the feeling; after all, it wasn't often a specially trained, genetically designed super being experienced nervousness outside of a life or death situation.







Okay, R & R, blah, blah, etc. In the next chapter, "Who Are You?" Alex's prophetic dreams begin to warn her about the truth about Alec and Max.