# 5

For the fifth time in half an hour, Danny gazed quickly around him, wanting to be sure noone was around, then returned his eyes to the glass before him and the woman who lived behind it. Having read the incident report covering what she'd done to Claire and Bobbi, he felt he was fully aware of the danger Alex represented, but despite the knowledge, his fascination with her refused to wane. Over the weeks it had, in fact, grown stronger.

At first, he'd restricted himself to one visit a week, and that only for a few minutes. Now, however, he found himself here three, sometimes four days in a row, skipping lunch to spend the entire hour in front of her ersatz jail cell. He simply couldn't accept that there was no hope for her recovery. Agent Hobbes still insisted on referring to her only in animalistic terms, when he spoke of her at all, Agent Fawkes' sorrow and fear kept him perpetually silent on the subject and the Official had forbidden him to bring up her name. Danny accepted their attitudes and let it go; as the victims they had every right to their pain, but as he watched Alex pace the perimeter of her cage, he realized she'd been victimized as brutally as they had.

The first few times he'd snuck down to visit her, Alex had ignored him utterly, but very slowly, she worked her way up from stealing swift glances at him, to approaching the window and giving Danny as astute an appraisal as he was giving her. The glittering intelligence in her eyes had unnerved him initially, but he grew used to it and had even gotten bold enough to show her a bit of sign language, just out of curiosity. When she proved able to sign as fluently as he could, they began to have silent conversations. He knew full well that if his new teammates discovered what he was doing, he would end up neck deep in muck and recriminations, but he simply couldn't stop.

Over the past few weeks, Danny had learned things about Alex that he was certain she had never told anyone else. If the rest only understood where the tortured woman had come from, they would know why she had ended up in a padded box and would begin to treat her instead of shunning her. No matter what crimes she'd committed, she remained a human being and the closer they became, the more of her humanity she revealed. Though he hadn't told her yet, he was gradually putting together a plan for her recuperation and eventual release. He knew it would be near impossible to sell to the others, never mind to implement, but he was determined to see it happen.

Glancing at his watch, he was shocked to find he had only five minutes to make it back upstairs for afternoon briefing.

I have to go. They'll come looking for me if I don't show my face soon.

Tomorrow?

I can't. I promised to have lunch with the guys.

Alex scowled and backed off, signing furiously.

I open up to you and you're still hanging around with those bastards? You know what they did to me! You promised me you were on my side!

I am, you know that, but they're my partners and my friends, Lexy. I wish you could understand.....

Forget it! Don't bother coming down here again! I don't want to see your lying face!

Lexy....

Realizing he was about to be late, Danny let the argument drop, signed a regretful goodbye to Alex's stiff back and ran for the elevator.