A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net

A/N 2: VivaGlam: *shrugs* I get critique, I reply to it. It's that simple. And Fortune and I agreed a long time ago that 'the Unholy Trinity' somehow fits them perfectly ^^

WritingMoose: *smirk* The bite-mark was Jordane's idea, and how could I possibly say 'no' to her? Oh, and Jhonen *can* talk to Prue - the question is if he wants to. *Thoughtful look* Maybe later on in the fic...I'll keep it in mind :)

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

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Chapter Forty-Eight: Truth and Deception

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With the exception of Diana, Kyle was probably one of the people who knew Ryan best. Their friendship went back more than four years, and by now Kyle was generally able to guess Ryan's mood, both from his body language, but certainly also from the faint, telepathic connection that had slowly evolved between the two. The only situations when Kyle found himself at a loss when it came to Ryan, was the rare times when the telepath shut off the mental link they had. It was a rare occurrence, but it *did* happen.

This particular morning, though, there was no way Kyle could have missed the fact that something was bothering Ryan. Being a light sleeper, Kyle had woken up and found Ryan sitting in one of the chairs, studying the maps, despite of the fact that Ben had told him to take it easy and sleep in.

A quick look at the alarm clock confirmed Kyle's suspicion.

"Ryan, damnit," he groaned. "What are you doing up now? It's not even six yet."

Ryan looked up from the map, and at least had the decency to look a bit ashamed of himself.

"Sorry. Couldn't sleep," he replied, and returned to the maps.

Couldn't sleep. Right, Kyle thought, not believing Ryan's explanation for even a second. With a sigh he got out of bed and put on his clothes, then sat down heavily in the chair next to Ryan's.

"So? Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

Ryan sent him a brief look.

"Nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep. I guess Ben did a better job than he thought," he replied with forced casualness.

Kyle snorted.

"Nice try."

Ryan didn't reply, but kept studying the maps and pointedly ignored Kyle's comment.

"Ryan...we've been friends for what? Four years? I *know* you, and it's pretty damn obvious right now that something's bothering you," Kyle continued.

Ryan finally looked at Kyle, and for a long moment he just watched his friend. He considered his options for a moment, then sighed and shook his head.

"I kissed her," he admitted.

Kyle blinked, surprised by the sudden admission. His still-tired mind desperately tried to keep up with Ryan's train of thought, but did a very poor job of it.

"Who?" he asked, then felt the first pieces of the puzzle fall into place as he realized something. "...You kissed *Diana*?"

The expression on Ryan's face was the only reply Kyle needed, and his eyes widened slightly.

Oh, damn...

It wasn't that Kyle had anything against the relationship - as long as both parties in question were happy, he really didn't care who people hooked up with - it was more that he knew Ryan...and more importantly, he knew how strong a sense of morality Ryan had.

And even though Diana was obviously in love with Ryan, that morality was bound to get in the way sooner or later.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, encouraging Ryan to continue.

Ryan sighed again, then leaned against the wall.

"Long story...one of the times when I woke up while I was wounded, I...I kissed her. I didn't mean to, but..." he shook his head, trailing off. "We talked about it yesterday, after the rest of you had left the room. I tried to convince her that a relationship would be a bad idea, but she didn't want to listen."

And that surprises you? Kyle thought, not without a small bit of amusement. He knew how Diana felt about Ryan, and the fact that Ryan had kissed her had probably done nothing to help the situation.

"So you kissed a girl who's in love with you, and then expected her to just accept that it would never work out," Kyle summarized.

"You're not helping, Kyle," Ryan replied and glared at him. He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I kissed her again yesterday, and...I want to be with her, but I don't want to hurt her," Ryan continued, his frustration starting to show. "She's just a teenager - she doesn't even know what she's getting into!"

Well, that certainly explained a few things, Kyle realized. He'd spent most of the previous day watching over Suzuka, and just being there for her. Her, and West and Deirdre as well - he knew that it was limited how long Diana could keep up her mental shields around them, and he didn't want her to go through any more pain than she had to. But busy as he'd been, he hadn't missed the sudden change in Diana - there was still an air of sadness and tiredness around her, but beneath that, it seemed there was a certain, radiant glow. Kyle had dismissed it as a figment of his imagination, a need to see something other than pain and grief around him, but now...

Yeah...Ryan's admission certainly explained a few things.

But what was he supposed to do? Ryan had a point when he said that Diana was only a teenager. On the other hand, she often behaved older than she actually was. As far as Kyle could see, she was in love with Ryan - and had been for a long time, if Kyle's suspicions were correct - and Ryan...well, he'd just admitted that he wanted to be with Diana.

That pretty much settled it for Kyle. He wasn't sure how a relationship like this would turn out, and he knew that it would have a big effect on the team if it didn't work out between Ryan and Diana, but...

...They deserved a chance, didn't they?

Yeah.

"Does she look like she's 'just a teenager' to you?" Kyle asked with a wry smile, and Ryan sighed.

"That's the problem. I know she's..." he hesitated for a moment, trying to find a proper way to say it. "...grown up, and that she isn't a little girl or something, but she's *sixteen*! She doesn't know what she wants."

"She does a pretty good job as second in command," Kyle noted.

"It's not the same thing."

"No, it isn't, but you have to admit that she acts a lot more adult than most other sixteen-year-old girls," Kyle replied. "What's your *real* problem, Ryan? We both know that this whole 'she's not ready to make her own decisions'- thing isn't it."

Ryan sighed.

"She's...I'm seven years older than her. She should find someone her own age, someone who doesn't have my emotional luggage."

"She doesn't *want* someone her own age. She wants *you*," Kyle said exasperated.

"I feel like I'm taking advantage of her," Ryan confessed. "I feel like I'm some asshole taking advantage of an innocent girl's crush."

"Ryan...you're not taking advantage of her," Kyle sighed. "And knowing Diana, I doubt it's just a crush." Ryan didn't reply, and Kyle continued. "I don't think she's the problem - I think you are."

Ryan's head snapped up at that comment, but Kyle continued ruthlessly.

"What is it? Are you scared of commitment? Or do you have issues with your self-esteem?"

"Kyle, damnit!" Ryan snapped. "I don't want to hurt her, that's the problem!"

"You've already kissed her twice. Telling her now that it won't work out, will hurt her a lot more than a relationship ever could," Kyle pointed out. "You want to be with her, she wants to be with you...just give it a chance, damnit. If it works, fine. If not, well, at least you tried, and the two of you won't have to spend the rest of your lives wondering 'what if...'."

Ryan sighed. Kyle had a point; that was the worst part of it. At some level he'd hoped that Kyle could give him some reason not to get involved with Diana, could tell him that it was wrong, but looking back he realized that it had been a lost cause from the beginning.

He still felt a little guilty about his feelings for Diana, but a lot less after talking to Kyle. And Kyle was right, wasn't he? It would be better to see if they could make it work, than to spend the next decade wondering what would have happened if they'd taken a chance.

Ryan nodded slowly, then looked at his friend.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I think I needed to hear that."

Kyle shrugged.

"Someone had to knock some sense into you."

Ryan sent him a faint smile, and Kyle got out of the chair.

"Now turn the light off and go back to sleep. I'm tired, and I can't sleep with you fumbling with those damn maps."

Ryan grinned and complied, feeling a bit better about the situation with Diana. Maybe this could work out after all.

* * *

Blade watched silently from the window as the two cars drove away. Laetitia was down there and had given the team some last-minute instructions - knowing her, it was probably something along the lines of 'kill them before they kill you' - and Jordane was resting in one of the chairs, tired from the long hours of planning.

Blade studied his partner in the reflection in the window, and could almost see her relax as she heard the two cars drive away. It only served to confirm his suspicion that something had happened between Jordane and Zach, and it made him glad that he had let Zach get out of reach before demanding an explanation from Jordane. Zach's power was a valuable asset, and it would be a shame to lose that asset permanently just because he let his anger get the better of him.

"Are you going to tell me what happened, Melee?" Blade asked, and turned around to look at the girl.

Jordane winced slightly at the sound of his voice. There was no anger like she'd expected, only an unnerving lack of emotions.

It was a bad sign.

Blade raised an eyebrow, waiting for her reply, and Jordane got out of the chair, forcing herself to act casually.

"Zach just wanted to talk to me, that's all," she explained, bending the truth just a little. Zach *had* wanted to talk...they had just got caught up in the moment.

Blade smiled faintly. Jordane was usually a good liar, but not when it came to people who knew her. Like so many other people, she had a few, bad habits that were a clear sign that she wasn't telling the truth.

"What happened, Jordane?" he repeated, and the girl looked away for a brief moment.

"Nothing!" she denied, and shook her head. "We were just talking! And it's none of your business, anyway!"

She turned around to leave the room, but Blade was one step ahead of her. Before Jordane could react, Blade had pinned her against the wall, keeping her wrists in a solid grip above her head. He hadn't used nearly enough strength for it to hurt, but applied just enough pressure on her wrists to remind her who was in charge.

Jordane tried to get free, but Blade was unrelenting. The thought that she could easily have gotten free if she'd let herself go into a rage, never even occurred to Jordane. Blade had spent many long, painstaking hours trying to teach her control, and they'd both had the bruises to show for it. At some point, it had started to feel wrong to use her power on the man that had saved her life, and by now it was an option she wouldn't even consider.

Blade sent a reproachful look, and Jordane looked away and stopped her struggle to get loose.

"Well?"

Jordane hesitated for a moment, then sighed. It was only a matter of time before he'd find out the truth, they both knew that.

"He kissed me," she admitted.

Blade let go of her and took a step back.

"What?!" he demanded, and this time his anger was obvious.

"We-we were just talking, and then...we got caught up in the moment. It wasn't his fault, Blade. It didn't mean anything," she pleaded, for the first time in her life feeling a genuine fear of him.

"'Got caught up in the moment'?" Blade repeated, and the cold fire in his eyes was echoed by his voice.

"He didn't think about what he was doing, and I was too shocked to stop him," Jordane explained hurriedly. "It didn't mean anything, believe me."

She looked at him, eyes begging him to understand, and Blade felt some of his anger fade away. It was hard for him to stay mad at her for long, even during circumstances like this. He cared about Jordane, and her sudden fear of him felt almost like a physical pain. He reached out and caressed her cheek, barely touching her skin, and could see the girl relax slightly at the gesture.

"I'm not mad at you, Jordane," he said quietly, soothingly, and let his lips brush across hers in a feather-like kiss. "It wasn't your fault."

Jordane leaned closer, and let herself melt into his embrace, feeling the fear in her mind dissolve into nothing. Another kiss, this time deeper, more passionate, then Jordane leaned against his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat.

Blade watched the girl in his arms for a moment, and could feel her muscles relax under his touch. So trusting, so responsive to him...it hadn't been her fault. Her loyalty was too strong for that. Zach, on the other hand...

Blade cast a brief look out the window, in the direction where the cars had left.

You and I have a few things to discuss when we meet again, Zachary...you can count on that.

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