Disclaimer: I own Mouse, Falcon, and Wildcat. I'm making up everything else along the way.

Damn, Not Again!

Ch. 8

I woke up t' see Falcon already makin' coffee, and Mouse was cookin' in the Kitchen. We weren' on Mecca ana more, so the kitchen was bigger, and the small teen could easily maneuver within.

I sa' up, with grea' difficul'y, and watched them, stretchin' ana par' of my body tha' wasn' in pain.. I really jus' wan'ed t' pop ev'ry bone there was t' pop and be done with i', bu' tha' would mean movin' more than was necessary, and even if my spiri' was willin', my body was for shi'.

All because of him.

Damn.

"Hey, Rae, you shouldn't be sitting up, you could strain something." worried Falcon. I looked a' him and pushed myself t' my unsteady fee'. I wobbled bu' kep' my balance and smiled weakly a' my old friend.

"No one ge's the bes' of me, F." I said, also with grea' difficul'y. He shook his head and then grabbed both of my arms when my knees buckled. He lowered me t' the ground and knel' nex' t' me. He laid a hand on my shoulder, for sympathe'ic purposes.

Excep' he was pushin' on my worst wound, a new bi'e mark from tha' bas'ard.

I hissed from the pain and he hastily withdrew, wincin', and I gingerly held the area around tha' particular bruise.

Damn.

"Sorry, F." I apologized. He waved i' off.

"My mistake." he said, sincerely. "Hey, you want your breakfast down here or can I help you to the table?" he asked. I took a deep breath and pushed up with one arm, allowin' F t' reach 'round me and guide me t' the chair, where he se' me and then wen' t' help his sis'er make me a meal.

To da'e, I had three broken ribs, two cracked ones, one fractured Ulna, a hairline crack in my clavicle, and mul'iple bruises. Oh, and two more 'lovebi'es' in the same place as the firs', t' remind me jus' who had go''en the be''er of me.

No' even with my bes' ma'es could I take him down.

Damn.

He was infuria'in'!

I healed quickly, as usual, and spen' mos' of my time in the gym, practicin'.

Ev'rythin'.

I'd almos' forgo''en him by the time I was finished. Bu' there was always tha' constan' reminder stuck on my neck. I took a pressure shower on high, despi'e the pain. I' washed away all the dir' and grime, bu' I still fel' filthy, and I stayed up all nigh', plannin' our nex' heis' in the new diary tha' he had lef' on my doorstep.

I' was like he was mockin' me.

Damn.

"Hey."

I jumped and then immedia'ly cursed myself. I' was only Falcon.

"Hey." I responded. He sa' nex' t' me and glanced a' my no'ebook before sighin', exaspera'ed.

"Rae..."

"Don', F." I cautioned. Leave me with my obsession. Le' me wallow in self-pi'y for once, I love i' so.

"Nine jobs in a row, Rae. Nine? He knows every move you're about to make! Stop challenging him, or you're going to get hurt, maybe killed—"

"I know!" I yelled, tossin' the diary across the room and ge''in' t' my fee' and crossin' t' the window, arms crossed. I was wearin' a tur'leneck, bu' still my hand rubbed a' the mark. His mark.

Damn.

"Don't torture yourself. You're better than that. Better than him."

"I am be''er than him." I hissed, and he nodded, ge''in' to his fee' as well.

"Right, so stop trying to prove it." he said. I wan'ed t' listen t' him. He is my bes' ma'e af'er all, bu' I couldn' le' i' go. I looked a' him, uncer'ainly and then sighed, crossin' the room and pickin' up the no'ebook.

"I reserve the righ' t' prove somethin' t' myself. And Da."

Falcon groaned, because he knew there was no comba'an' for the Da argument. I was always provin' somethin' to the old man.

"Hey," came a small voice, and Mouse came in, fully dressed in her thief gear. I had t' smile. She'd overheard the argumen' and knew immedia'ly wha' i' was abou'. And she was on my side.

I could hear Falcon's though's from here.

Falcon: ...Damn...

Heh.

"Alright, so what's the plan." Falcon said, and I'm back t' my old self, ou'linin' our plan of attack on some poor, unsuspec'in' testin' facili'y.

I' was on another plane', so we'd have t' hop a transpor' there, bu' other than tha', expenditures were few and far between.

We packed ligh', and lef' la'e, bu' I still had this unnervin' feelin' of bein' watched. When I turned, There was no one there, bu' the feelin'...

I shuddered and tried t' forge' i'.

Damn.