Six Weeks

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Darien had come to realize something over the last few weeks, Alyx Silver, the woman he had fallen in love with, that he would walk through fire for, that he had unsuccessfully tried to forget for the last five years, was gone. But in her place was this amazing creature that, if it was at all possible, he had fallen even harder for. And it wasn't out of pity or some overwhelming sense of protectiveness, which would have been a perfectly natural response. No, it was simply that he'd spent the last several weeks getting to know and coming to admire Michele, who was a markedly different person from Alyx. Oh, there were most certainly hints of Alyx within Michele, the eyes, the strength, the pure ballsiness on occasion, but at the same time she was also far more like that young girl he remembered trying to cheat at poker. She had this... innocence about her that Alyx had been lacking, and Darien could only wonder what had occurred in that now-missing decade that had stripped it from her.

He had watched Michele struggle to relearn to walk, to read and write, to articulate even the simplest of words and do it without a word of complaint or railing against whatever god that had chosen to visit these hardships upon her. Not that she didn't have bouts of anger, unhappiness or depression. Some of the physical therapy was outright painful and she often grew frustrated at the rate she was allowed to learn; her tutors doling out information far too slowly for her vast capabilities. That was the one saving grace; her ability to learn had not been hampered and her memory was as frighteningly accurate as ever. She had made a serious start at relearning a decade's worth of world events in a little over a month, something that could not have been possible without the use of the Internet. It had been Rose who pointed out that her mother was perfectly capable of surfing the 'net and researching any bit of trivia she wanted, which had greatly increased Michele's reintroduction to the world.

It also proved that her eerie ability to connect mentally with computers was still perfectly functional and that with a keyboard in hand she could write concisely and clearly, whereas her handwriting was still marginal at best, mainly due to reduced motor function. Typing turned out to be far easier for her and she was quickly catching up with modern programming techniques and began writing a few, simple as yet, encryption keys. Simple to her, that is. The first one that made the rounds of the Agency had Eberts offering her a job contingent on her recovering enough to return to work.

She had considered the offer long and hard, as it became evident she would never return to field work, but after several serious discussions, including a couple with Darien, she decided against continuing to work for the Agency. Eberts had assured her it would be in the capacity as computer specialist only, writing and breaking programs: a comparatively safe and secure position, but she questioned what would happen if it became known Alyx was alive, in whatever guise. Would Eberts be able to keep other agencies from demanding her services as they had before? Would he be able to protect her 24/7 from those who would be more than happy to have access to her genes? They would be quick to learn that all of Alyx's memories were long gone, thus making her a liability instead of an asset to whatever nefarious plans that had been concocted this time.

In the end, it was agreed that it was better to let it Alyx Silver pass into the annals of history and for Michele to take on a new identity that just happened to be similar to that of a woman who had passed away almost a decade ago. It was deemed too difficult to resurrect her after all this time, but the Agency did their best to come up with an equitable solution. Michele's relationship with the Agency would inevitably continue, as they were the only ones capable of dealing with her unique medical issues, never mind the fact two of her four children worked for them.

Darien feared her relationship with him would be coming to an end now that she was heading home.

Home, as it turned out was in the planned community of Rancho Bernardo, about 25 miles north of San Diego proper. She and three of the kids (Dani had taken up residence in Alyx's old studio) lived in a pricey private and gated community on Lake Hodges, the house a huge sprawling mission-style with more space than you could shake a stick at. Neighbors included local money and a few of Hollywood's elite - the home being a second or third residence for them. There had been a time when Darien would have given his eye-teeth to case a place like this, now he just tried to blend in with the crowd that had gathered to welcome Michele home.

Hobbes had been the one to "remind" Darien about the surprise get-together, which, as it turned out, he'd known nothing about. Mike had conveniently forgotten to tell him. Not too surprising given the talk they'd had when it was confirmed when Michele was well enough to leave the safe haven of the Agency permanently. There would be security, of course, but they already watched the house and the kids, so it wasn't that big a deal to add Michele to their duties.

Mike had made it clear that he would prefer if Darien became less involved in Michele's life now that she was starting over. Darien had been straightforward and stated that it was Michele's decision and that, while he would not push her into anything, he had said he would not leave until she told him to go. Of course, he was hoping that day would never come, but for the time being, he was more than willing to keep things at the level of friendship, which she did indeed need and want. It didn't make his nights easy, as she made constant appearances in his dreams, very few of which included anything even vaguely resembling the platonic.

A smile from her would set his heart to pounding and Hobbes knew it, so he'd made sure Darien was here today even though Mike had tried, damn near successfully, to keep him away. Dani, had even expressed her thanks at his appearance - her uncle had told her Darien could not come - and that she hoped he would continue to spend time with Michele and their family.

"Fawkes, stop hiding in the corner," Bobby said with a shake of his head as he handed Darien fresh beer in exchange for the lukewarm one he'd been nursing for 20 minutes now.

"I'm not hiding," Darien insisted, after taking a long drink of the icy brew.

"Well, you ain't casing the joint," Hobbes eyed Darien warily for a second, "or are ya? You using that upstanding businessman routine as a front to get into places like this?"

It had been so long that Darien almost - almost - missed that Hobbes was ribbing him. "Maybe," he said slyly. "I could recommend a few upgrades to the security that's for sure."

Hobbes eyebrows rose. "Really? Thought you didn't do security?"

"I don't," Darien confirmed, "but some of my clients want a complete system and there's a couple guys I work with." He glanced about the room, the sound of her laughter drawing his attention. "Ain't found anyone I like well enough to hire full time, yet."

"Have you asked the kid?" Hobbes suggested.

"'Chele? Why would I do that?" Darien looked honestly confused.

"Fawkes, that's her specialty; writing security programs and encryption keys. Why else would Ebes want to hire her before she was up to par on today's tech? You can't have forgotten the way she can make a computer sing?" Hobbes asked in all seriousness.

Darien shook his head. He hadn't forgotten, but also hadn't really thought about it either. "She wants to try and get started on her own. If I offer her a job..." He paused, trying to find the right words. "I don't want her thinking she's a charity case, y'know?" Never mind that her twin would probably hire someone to pound him back into his component parts if he did.

"Fawkes, that is the last thing she would think if you asked her. I can guarantee that," Hobbes tried to assure Darien, but he wasn't as believing.

Darien shrugged. "Not the point. 'Sides, I'm still not sure I want to expand. Business is busy enough as it is." He then set about changing the subject. "We still on for Friday?"

Hobbes allowed it. "Yep, barring some situation that absolutely needs me. Getting so's that every time I'm out in the field I'm saving the world yet again."

"Same old same old, then," Darien deadpanned.

Hobbes snorted. "You know it, my friend."

Darien was about to respond when a familiar form made her way out of the crowd. She leaned heavily on a cane as she moved towards them. Her hair was all soft curls that made her look exceedingly sweet and innocent. "Hey, baby, welcome home."

::Thank you,:: she signed, going up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. ::Why are you hiding in the corner?:: she questioned, causing Hobbes to chuckle in amusement, to which she retaliated by giving him a hug and his own kiss.

Darien sighed. "I'm not hiding," he grouched.

"Yes you are, Fawkes," Bobby stated, adding an elbow into Darien's side for emphasis.

"Hobbes," Darien growled warningly, which only succeeded in making Bobby roar in laughter. "See what I have to put up with?" he said to 'Chele who smiled at him.

"C....c....c...an w...w...we t...t...ta...a...alk?" she asked of Darien. Her ability to speak had improved only marginally and it was doubtful it would get much better. It left her with what sounded like a severe stutter, but was in fact her brain literally getting stuck as she tried to say the words, skipping in the same spot until she knocked the mental needle loose. One day she had commented that she wished she could upgrade from vinyl to CD with a built-in buffering. It had earned a laugh from all present, but was no less serious a statement for the levity.

"Sure," Darien answered, glancing over at Bobby who shrugged, not having any idea what it was about either.

"C...c...c...ome o..o...n. I...I...I'll g...g...i...i...ive you th...th...the t...t...two b...b...b...it t...tour." She looked up at him with a thankful expression. Most people, he had noticed, became impatient and tried to finish her sentences for her, much to her irritation. He, Bobby and a few others didn't, and would wait calmly for her to say what she wanted. It was sad to think about, but that impatience was probably something she was going to have to get used to as the number of people who understood sign language was fairly small.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Hobbes said with a grin as he walked away.

'Chele looked to Darien to supply the witty comeback. "Is there anything you wouldn't do?" he asked, getting a thumbs up from her.

Bobby turned about, but continued to back away. "That would be need to know." He grinned and wagged his eyebrows in mock-lasciviousness, which caused 'Chele to snort in amusement.

"Y'know, the truth would probably frighten me," Darien commented as Bobby vanished into the crowd. He drank down more of the beer, nearly finishing the bottle and then set it atop the table he'd been standing beside for the last hour or so. "Lead on." He placed a hand in the center of her back and waved towards the nearest interior doorway, somehow knowing she wasn't up for a stroll outside.

She led the way through the dining room, the kitchen and up a back stairwell. Darien was just a step behind her, to catch her if she slipped, as stairs were still a challenge for her. They wandered down a hallway and finally ended up in what had to be her bedroom; he recognized the bed as one he'd spent more than few hours in... once upon a time. She bypassed both the lavish sitting room and the bed in favor of opening the French doors leading to a small balcony that overlooked the backyard and, in the distance, the lake.

She leaned out over the balustrade for a moment before turning back to face him. ::I'm glad you came. I had heard you were too busy.::

"Uh, more like I was conveniently left off the guest list," he said as he strode over to join her. There was no one below them so their conversation would remain reasonably private. "Mike didn't want me here."

She frowned. Even she had noticed her twin's behavior towards Darien the last few weeks. ::He is being a...a...a...:: She stopped her brow creasing for a second. "P...p...p...u...u...u...utz," she finally got out, which caused Darien to shake his head and grin.

"He doesn't want you to get hurt, is all. And I'm guessing he figures I'm a prime candidate for hurtin' you." Darien wanted to be as honest and up-front with her as he could be, but for all that he'd gotten special clearances at the Agency, he still wasn't allowed to talk about certain things with her.

She shook her head. "M...m...m...my l...li...life," she stated.

"Hey, that's what I've been saying, but he doesn't listen to me." He spread his hands in submission. It was obvious changing Mike's mind was going to be a long and arduous process that might never be successful. "There are things in my past that..." Darien didn't want to say he wasn't proud of them; he had loved being a thief, but the stigma of his bad boy image was not necessarily something she'd want to deal with. He'd lost jobs when it came out he was an ex-con, so it wasn't something he advertised, but if asked he would tell the truth. That honesty had won him a few clients he'd thought were out of reach initially.

"Let's just say I wasn't always the guy I am now," he added, hoping she'd understand.

::You were a thief, right? Or is there something else that I missed? Paid hit man? Pedophile?:: If the last hadn't been asked with humor easily visible in her eyes he would have been forced to wonder exactly what was in his files these days. Instead, he swallowed hard, afraid that the reason she wanted to have this discussion was to tell him to hit the road and get out of her life forever.

"Michele, I... I was told to not talk about my past. I wasn't hiding it from you..." She cut off his pleading explanation with a single finger laid gently upon his lips.

"I kn...kn...kn...ow," she said, her finger tapping his nose before slipping away. ::I hacked the Agency system and looked up your files. You used to be able to Quicksilver too.::

Darien had a sudden feeling of deja vu as he recalled Alyx having done something similar during her first weeks as the newest Agency recruit. "Ah. So you know why I left as well."

"Y...y...es." She nodded. ::And it does not matter. Your past, or the fact that you left...::

"Left you, you mean." Darien tipped his head down, not able to meet her eyes. He'd walked out on one of the best damn things in his life to get away from what he felt was the worst damn thing in his life, only end up unhappy and alone instead of reveling in the freedom he thought he'd more than earned.

"N...no," she argued, moving closer so that she could look up into his eyes. "Y...you d...d...did wh...wha...what w...w...was r...r...ri...right f...f...or y...you. Y...y...our l...l...life."

Okay, so she was still capable of winning an argument with only a sentence or two. He suspected it was a talent she'd always had, and that probably drove her family nuts. "Yeah, my life, but it was a lot emptier without you in it."

She stepped back, and he thought he'd gone too far for the tenuous relationship they were building. He was oddly relieved to realize she'd moved solely to have room to sign her response. ::Alyx Silver is gone. I need you to understand that. The woman you...cared for is not going to return.::

Darien knew that, with all his heart and soul, but hearing her say it for the first time, made it really hit home. "I'm not trying to turn you into her, or anything like that."

::Then what? I am a stranger to you; wearing the body of a person you knew very well. What is it you want from me?:: she asked, her question completely justified, though it saddened him to think she was probably asking him to leave already. Oh, he'd do it. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, even at the expense of his own happiness.

"Want? Nothing. I'd like the chance to be your friend. Unless you don't..." She interrupted him with a violent shake of her head. "Then what? I... I care about you 'Chele. Yes, some of it is because I knew you before, but... I just want a chance," he finished lamely, afraid to admit how deeply he cared for her already.

::All right,:: she signed, making his heart leap with joy. ::But with some conditions.::

"Like what?" As if he wouldn't be willing to do just about anything to be with her.

::Clean slate. We start at the beginning.:: The look in her eyes was a challenging one.

"No rush, huh?" Michele nodded in agreement. "Wait, does this mean no sex today?"

She chuckled softly and smacked him lightly on the arm. ::Not today. But a kiss would be acceptable.::

Darien's eyebrows rose as heat settled into lower parts of his anatomy. "A kiss. Well, I don't know. Seems a bit fast t'me. You don't want to get a reputation for bein' easy, do you?" The humor of his tone was almost lost in the sudden dryness of his mouth as she sidled closer, her hands settling on his hips as if they had always belonged there.

"I...I'll r...r...ris...s...sk i...it," she whispered, going up on her toes to bring herself closer to him.

Darien didn't even bother fighting it, his hands coming up to cup her face as he leaned his head down to kiss her. 'Oh, crap,' he thought as the softness of her lips impinged upon his awareness. Well, that and the tingle of electricity that he felt, along with a rush of desire that wasn't his. When she opened her mouth slightly, giving him the opportunity to explore further, he took it. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to find hers waiting to greet him. After that, his forebrain shut down, sizzling into overload like a live wire falling into a pool of water. The moment was all that mattered as opposing forces met and formed a joyous truce.

It was the growled, "Am I interrupting anything?" which broke through the euphoria and Darien pulled away enough to meet Michele's eyes. A feeling of utter peace and wonder was emanating from the tiny woman in his arms. Still, it took the raucous clearing of a throat before either of them could manage to switch their focus from each other. They turned their heads to see Michael standing in the doorway of the bedroom, fists at his sides, and anger drawing his eyebrows together.

"Umm, no?" Darien responded once the question finally registered.

Mike's frown deepened, if that was at all possible. "I want to talk to you, now."

"M...m...mi....ikey, d...d...d...don't," 'Chele warned, not liking his look any more than Darien had. "W...w...w...we..."

"You have guests downstairs," Mike stated, his voice colder than St. Petersberg in the winter. Darien would know; he'd spent a month there a few years back.

Michele crossed her arms over her chest, planted her feet and shook her head emphatically. "N...n...n...o."

"Shit, 'Chele, did you lose all your common sense?" Mike snapped, not bothering to even try to hide his dismay at the scene he'd walked in on.

Darien felt the crackle of energy in the air and the wave of anger coming off her so he did the only thing he could. "It's okay, sweets," He curved a hand about her neck, "he isn't likely to hurt me in front of so many witnesses."

"I wouldn't count on that," Mike riposted, which was just more proof to Darien of where Mike stood. The energy about 'Chele flared, becoming visible for an instant. Mike sighed, relaxing his posture. "Kidding. Jeeze, do you always have to assume the worst?"

::These days?:: she signed quickly. "D...d...dar...i...ien..."

He stepped around to face her. "Go back to your party. I'll be there in a few minutes."

::Are you sure?:: She glanced over at her brother. ::I think I can take him.::

Darien snorted. "No need. Now go on. Spend some time with your kids. Let Bobby spoil you rotten."

She met his eyes squarely, as if looking for something in their depths before sighing. ::All right.:: She gave him a swift kiss, on the lips, just to annoy her brother, he was certain, and then limped out of the room, shooting her brother a look that warned of severe harm should anything happen to Darien.

Once she was gone, Mike shut the door. "It's apparent you two are picking up right where you left off."

Darien didn't argue and stepped further into the room, meeting Mike half way. "Not really, just...feeling out the situation." He could have explained that the kiss had been her idea, that is had been her suggestion that they find out if what they were feeling was real, but he didn't, doubting Michael would believe a word of it.

"'Feeling out the'..." Mike sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly, his lips moving as he seemed to count to 10 before speaking again. "I can't make you do a damn thing, but I want you to listen to what I have to say with an open mind."

Since it was a reasonable request after an honest admission, so Darien nodded. "Sure."

Mike waved Darien towards the sitting room and leaned on the edge of the desk. "It's about 'Chele and her husband Jess."