Thanks to everybody that's been reviewing. It's great getting feedback! Just a side note; I don't know how to use italics when posting text, so everything with {{. . .}} around it is a character's thoughts and everything in between @---@---@---@ is a dream sequence. Enjoy!



Blood Lust



Who Are You?




Brian clenched and unclenched his shoulders again and again as he stood staring out the window from his post in the dark living room. He'd been standing there for over an hour even though it was the middle of the night and the pouring rain made even a glimpse of the moon impossible. Alex was out on her rounds by herself. She'd insisted that he stay home after working over time at the docks. Now, contemplating the weather outside, he wished he had gone with her, sore muscles or no. The rain would cut down both visibility and mess up her kinesthetic sixth sense. The slippery surfaces would make traction more tenuous and the constant pounding of rain could drown out approaching footsteps, not to mention the water would help wash away the smell of decay that often warned the Slayer of the undead.

He sighed to himself as his mind continued to come up with possible problems the rain presented. He did this too often. He worried excessively about Alex instead of concentrating on the ways he could actually help her. He remembered his father had once told him that worry would be his life-long companion. He had said that when you took the vows of a Watcher, it was much like becoming a parent to a rebellious teenager. You were the guardian of a charge you had no real power over. Yet still you had to find some way to give the Slayer a sense of order, discipline and direction. Being a Watcher wasn't all just researching and recording demons. It even went beyond merely training the Slayer in battle. Every Slayer had a Watcher, one man or woman who was their only companion, the only person who, while they would not always be in the thick of things, would always be a short distance away, ready to help. Personally Brian thought that was the most important thing a Watcher had to offer his Slayer; the knowledge that she was not alone.

The creak of floorboards in the hallway brought him out of his reverie and he listened to the sound of keys in the lock without turning around. Alex paused in the doorway when she saw him outlined in the window, then quietly shut the door behind her as she slipped her shoes off. He only turned when he heard her hiss slightly as she lifted her bag full of weapons onto the table in the small kitchen.

He approached her quickly with a questioning look, but she waved him off and sank into the dilapidated couch in the middle of the room. "It's nothing," she said with a strained smile as she stiffly sank into the cushions. "Just some bruised ribs."

He looked at her closely in the dim lighting. She was drenched to the bone, blonde hair hanging limply around her face. She had a light bruise on her right cheek and despite her claims of relative health she was gently probing her own side, checking for broken bones. She let her hands drop when she found nothing and Brian sat down next to her.

"Rough night?" he asked quietly, wrapping an arm around her, offering her the warmth of his body. She pulled her feet up and tucked them under her body. They sat like this all the time, ever since she'd first been called. That night, after she'd learned of her destiny, he had offered her not his body heat, but a shoulder to cry on as she wept for all her lost hopes and dreams.

She leaned into him now, resting her head on his shoulder, "The roughest."

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

"No," she shifted slightly enjoying the comforting presence of love she felt whenever he held her like this. "Just a couple of vampires. Nothing major, I just got careless and let one sneak up behind me with a plank of wood. Lucky for me the idiot nailed me in the side and not the skull."

He frowned slightly. "What made you careless?"

She was quiet and he sensed the tension in her body. "No particular reason," she said lightly after a moment. "Guess I'm just tired."

He absently rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "You sure you weren't thinking about something other than the vampire?" he asked quietly. "Maybe about work. . . or Alec?"

She sighed and pulled away from him, slowly standing up. "No," she replied, knowing even as she said the words that Brian could see right through her lies. "I wasn't thinking about Alec or anything else. I was just a little off tonight." She shrugged. "It happens."

He remained silent for a moment, staring at her with dark eyes hooded with concern. She turned away, uncomfortable with his silent appraisal, but then he spoke.

"What's going on Lex?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, pretending ignorance. He didn't buy it.

"You know what I'm talking about, Lexie. What's going on with you and Alec?" He waited for minute but she wouldn't look him in the eye, so he continued. "You talk about him all the time and you've been spending more time with him-"

"We're friends, Bri," she interrupted, tension outlined in her body. "Friends tend to spend time together, it's what they do."

"I've seen the way you two look at each other," he said quietly, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees. "You're not friends. I don't need to ask that. I know you're interested, I'm just wondering how you're interested in him."

She stared at him, confused. "What do you mean, 'how I'm interested in him'?"

"Do you love him or are you just in lust with him?" Brian asked bluntly.

She stared at him in surprise and a small laugh escaped her lips, but there was no real humor in it. "Of course I'm not in love with him." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed, suddenly tired of the conversation. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Listen, Brian, you don't have to worry. Alec's nice; he's very nice actually. And I don't know, maybe in another dimension, we could've had something." She looked him in the eye, face set in an impenetrable mask, "But not in this dimension. You don't have to play the part of my conscience here. I know I can't be with anyone."

He stood and gently pulled her into his arms. She resisted for a minute, angry that he'd brought up such a sore subject, but then she let him hug her. He pulled back and lightly kissed her forehead. "Hey," he whispered, tilting her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, okay Lexie? I just worry about you, that's all. I don't want to see you hurt."

She nodded and said simply, "I know." She forced a tiny smile onto her lips and pulled back. "I'm gonna go take a shower and hit the sack. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," he replied quietly, staring into space as she left the room. "See you in the morning."

* * * *

The water rained down on her, great billowing clouds of steam filling the small bathroom. She hissed slightly at the heat, but remained under the showerhead for a few more minutes, allowing the pelting water to wash away some of the tension and fatigue that had taken up permanent residence in her body. Finally the water began to cool and she opened her eyes reluctantly, reaching over and turning it off. She grabbed a towel of the rack and quickly dried off before stepping out of the stall. She was about to wrap the towel around her body when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She turned to face it full on and stood on tiptoe to see the reflection of her stomach. The entire left side of her abdomen was tinted blue and purple. She winced; just looking at it hurt. She carefully wrapped the towel around herself and ventured into the cold air in the rest of the apartment.

Brian had already gone to bed, so Alex made her way to her room in silence. Once inside she changed into one of Brian's old dress shirts instead of one of the t-shirts she usually slept in. After the agony of getting out of her shirt before the shower, she didn't plan on lifting her arms over her head for a couple of hours at least. She combed out her hair quickly and crawled into bed, gently settling down on her uninjured side. Curling up into a ball, she pulled the blankets up to her chin, burrowing into their warmth. Closing her eyes, she wished the entire world would just fall away. After a few minutes her breathing slowed and she got her wish.

@---@---@--@

"Wake up, wake up," the voice was low but persistent. Alex slowly blinked and opened her eyes to find Alec leaning over her, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes. His clear green eyes closed slightly as he leaned down and brushed her forehead with his lips. She sighed happily and sank deeper into the bed, unwilling to leave the warmth his body offered, but he didn't let her stay there. "Wake up, soldier. Everyone's waiting for you."

She groaned and pushed the blankets down to stare at the clock on the bedside table. She squinted at the glowing red numbers that read 7:03 am. "It's so early," she moaned, turning back to face him.

"It's later than you think," he smiled down at her, long lashes shadowing his eyes. She couldn't help but smile back at him and she reached up to trace his jaw with her fingers. He leaned into her touch, but his eyes never left her face. "You're not supposed to be here you know."

She sighed and dropped the hand caressing his face to grasp his. "I know," she said in a small voice, sadness creeping over her. She had the feeling in her stomach that she was supposed to be somewhere important, she was supposed to be doing something. She could almost feel something physically pulling at her, trying to get her out of the bed. Her eyes fell on the door and a sense of foreboding washed over her. "Alec?"

He didn't answer her, he just continued to stare at her, waiting.

"What's out there?" she asked, trying to shrink into his protective presence. She glanced up at him and he shrugged his shoulders gracefully.

"Everyone's waiting for you," he repeated and she held his gaze, confusion furrowing her brow. The doorway seemed to grow darker at the edge of her vision and cold was slowly seeping in under the covers. Alec didn't seem to notice, but Alex shivered as she eyed the wooden barricade separating her room from everything else. Slowly she sat up, the covers pooling around her waist. She swung her legs around and stood, never taking her eyes off the door. Alec watched her go without a word. The wooden floors were freezing and stung her feet and her breath formed clouds of condensation in front of her face. She approached the door cautiously, watching as it grew and darkened the closer she came. She reached out for the handle, but stopped just short of it as she felt the cold emanating from it hit her skin. She looked over her shoulder at Alec, who she could tell was still warm despite the dropping temperature around him. For a second she considered turning around and crawling back into bed with him, but they were waiting for her. She reached out, turned the knob and stepped through the doorway.

Crash was full of people as usual, but it was strangely silent. Alex turned in a slow circle, her shirt falling to her mid-thighs. The door had vanished behind her. Most of the occupants were bathed in shadows, but she could make out familiar faces here and there. Sketchy by the bar, Max and Alec at the pool table and Original Cindy at a table to her right.

Alex slowly wandered through Crash, studying everything around her. When she reached Sketchy he gave her a weird look. "Why are you in costume?" he asked.

Alex stared at him, uncomprehending, then glanced down to find herself in a short sundress with a pair of feminine sandals. She raised her head, "I have to hide."

Sketchy shook his head, then smiled at her. "There, that's better," he said, looking at her outfit once more. She was now dressed in combat fatigues with a small crossbow strapped on her back. "No more camouflage. Just you."

She picked at the battle gear with one hand, wishing she could put on her dress again but knowing it no longer belonged to her. Sketchy stared over her shoulder, then asked, "So, are they monsters too?"

Her brow furrowed and she turned to find him staring at Max and Alec as they played pool. They were dressed in gray and black army attire with black barcodes tattooed across their foreheads. When one was taking a turn, the other would stand at attention, holding the pool cue like a rifle, eyes staring forward blankly.

Alex walked towards them, Sketchy forgotten behind her. They paid no attention as she approached, studying them carefully. She stopped and watched them play for a second, then asked simply, "Who are you?"

Max straightened from her shot and stood tall with Alec beside her. They answered her in one voice. "We are the forsaken."

@---@---@---@

Alex walked into Crash the next morning feeling as if she'd been hit by a Mac truck. Not only was her side still killing her, her dreams had kept her tossing and turning all night. She remembered all of them, but as usual had little idea what they meant. Especially now that they no longer seemed concerned with whatever evil was residing in Seattle. Alex was certain that her dream with Alec and Max in it had been one of her prophetic ones, but she had no idea why the hell the Powers would send her a message concerning two bike messengers.

Sketchy came bounding up to her as she made her way to her locker. "Hey Alex, look at this," he said excitedly, holding out a newspaper to her.

She took it and read out loud, "New information on identifying the mutant wave- genetic tattoos." She eyed Sketchy sideways. "Please tell me you don't buy this bullshit."

He looked offended and took the paper from her. "This isn't bullshit, man," he said, "There've been eye witness reports of mutants. People are seeing monsters all over the city. And now," he brandished the paper, "we know there are marks to identify them with."

"Right. Just one question, Sketch; if these things look like monsters, don't you think you'd be able to tell they're mutants without checking for a tattoo?"

"Hmm," Sketchy looked deflated for minute, "good point. Hey!" He brightened. "Maybe they don't all look like monsters. Maybe some of them look just like you and me."

"And maybe," she said, matching his excited tone with her own as she reached her locker, "they're actually little green men from Mars come down to give us the lost eleventh commandment. Thou shalt not read stupid tabloids."

"Whatever," Sketchy rolled his eyes at her and wandered off. Alex shook her head as he left, wondering how many times his mother had dropped him on his head as a child. She began getting her stuff from her locker and returned to pondering her strange dreams.

She didn't notice Max and Original Cindy until O.C. waved a hand in front of her face. "Mission control to Alex." She jerked in surprise and Original Cindy and Max gave her concerned looks. "You a'ight, girly girl?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, fine. Sorry 'bout that. Just got caught up thinking. It's a bad habit I have," she joked lightly.

Cindy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her as Max said bluntly, "You look like crap. Did you sleep at all last night?"

Alex shrugged, "Bad dreams, that's all. But thanks for the compliment." Max grinned at her, then gasped as Alex reached up to grab her gloves from the top shelf of her locker. "Oh my God, what happened?"

Alex realized her shirt had come up, exposing her injured side and she quickly lowered her arm, but Cindy stopped her and pulled the fabric aside to reveal a dark bruise the size of a football. "Jesus, girl, looks like you got the smack down put on your ass!"

"Oh, it's nothing," Alex stammer, trying to come up with a believable lie quickly. "I just, um, was twisting around a lot last night, because of my nightmares and I fell of bed. I hit the nightstand on my way to the floor." She laughed half-heartedly, "Got myself pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Original Cindy said, eyeing her doubtfully. She was about to continue when Normal's strident voice provided a timely distraction.

"Hey, this isn't a social club people! These babies need to be delivered to their lucky mommies and daddies. Now bip, bip, bip!"

"What a moron," Max grumbled, but turned to go with Original Cindy. "Well, better start working before Normal cans my ass. Take it easy, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Alex replied dazedly, staring at Max with a strange look. Max returned her gaze before mentally shrugging and following Original Cindy to the desk to pick up some packages. Alex probably just needed a good night's rest.

Alex stood frozen in place for a minute, staring off into space. {{Oh my God oh my God oh my God,}} her mind raced a mile a minute. {{No, no, I'm imagining things. I'm really tired and my eyes are playing tricks on me. I mean, come on, this is Max we're talking about.}}

Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she came out of her trance, looking around the room. She spotted Alec standing over at the benches talking to Sketchy and a couple of other guys. Alex quickly shut her locker and made her way up behind him, being careful not to be noticed by Alec or any of his companions. She crept up to a cement pillar a few feet behind him and cautiously peered around the corner at him. Her eyes widened and her breath flew out of her as if someone had just kicked her in the stomach.

Beneath the brown fringe of hair on the back of his neck was a stark black barcode, just like the one Max had revealed on her neck when she had swung her head round to look at Normal.




Next chapter: "Listening to Fear". Max and Original Cindy begin to worry about Alex's numerous injuries.