.x.
Sprinting in my condition wasn't easy, but somehow I managed. As I half stumbled, half hurtled down the stairs I was inwardly panicking. What if Cora told her mother? What if she told someone else? What if Reed caught wind of this? Fueled by my alarming thoughts I leapt off the stairs and skidded around the corner, clutching my ribs as they protested the wild movement. I could see Cora up ahead; she'd tripped and fallen in her mad flight, and was now struggling to get to her feet.
"Cora!" I lunged forwards, and just as she managed to get upright my fingers closed over her shoulder. She screamed and twisted in my grasp and I almost lost my hold on her but managed to turn her so she was facing me. Still struggling, she stared with enormous, teary, frightened eyes up at me.
"Cora! Cora, it's me, just me. It's alright," I kept repeating this, keeping my voice low, my words soothing, and after a minute she stopped fighting. Trembling violently in my grasp, she tried several times to form a sentence, and when finally she did her voice was choked with tears.
"D-Did it h-hurt you?" She stammered.
I almost laughed at this. Hurt me? No, but I almost wished he had. Things would be so much easier if he was merely hostile … "No, he didn't. I'm fine, Cora. I promise?"
"H-He?" she hiccupped, and I closed my eyes and inwardly berated myself for my slip of tongue.
"It," I correctly quickly.
"You're not hurt?" she asked, and her voice had steadied somewhat.
"No." I said, giving her a wan smile in an attempt to calm her.
"Why was it with you?"
It took me a moment to come up with a response, "I … I don't really know." I regarded her for a moment, wondering just how much I could divulge. To hell with it, I thought suddenly, and forged on. "Cora, the accident on the island … the reason I'm alive is because of the monsters. They saved my life."
Her expression was as skeptical as it could be with her nose running and her flushed cheeks streaked with tears. "They look mean," was all she said.
I had to agree with her on that. "Yes, I know."
"But they're not?"
I snorted softly. I couldn't help it. "No … not really."
"What do they want with you?"
That was a very good question. "I don't know, Cora." I said resignedly. "But I wish I did."
A silence fell between us, marred only by her snuffles. She hadn't tried to pull out of my grip, but I hadn't let go of her, either. Finally she said, "Does that monster back there follow you around?"
I was surprised by her question. She was perceptive. "Yes." I said.
After another long pause, she said, "Maybe it's here because it likes you."
The expression on my face must have been priceless, because abruptly she dissolved into high-pitched giggles, earlier terror forgotten. Torn between grinning and wanting to curl up on the floor and sink away from the world, I stood and propelled her to walk with me by placing my hand on her back. I risked one glance behind us as we walked and as I'd suspected, a shimmering apparition lurked near the stairs, displacing the air. Don't follow, I willed silently. Leave us alone.
Cora's laughter had died, and she snaked her hand through mine as we walked. "Alexa?" She asked softly.
"Yes?"
"I won't tell anybody about the monsters if they're not going to hurt anyone."
I smiled down at her, and this time it was a genuine smile. "They won't hurt anyone. I promise."
"Ok." We walked a few more steps before she asked, "Can I meet the monsters?"
Visions of Cora playing with Scar's hair crossed through my mind, and I had to stifle another snort. "I don't think it's a good idea."
"Why not? What are they like?"
"They're … big. And grouchy." Yes, grouchy was an apt description.
"Oh. Do they like kids?"
I grinned. "No … no, they don't."
.x.
We made our way back to the infirmary, where Ana was treating one of the salvage crew for windburn sustained on his face. He was leaving as we entered, gracing us with only the merest of nods before sliding out the door. Ana regarded us both with hands on her hips and a wide smile; she was happy, I could tell, that I had "warmed" to her daughter.
"It's your bedtime," she informed Cora, who began to protest.
"I want to stay up with Alexa."
"Alexa's tired," I said dryly, and it was the truth. I wanted only to sleep and forget that my life had actually taken this unbelievable twist.
"Of course you are," Ana said briskly, ushering us out the door. "Come on, I'll show you your quarters."
I followed mother and daughter as they walked hand in hand, and we had only just entered the crew cabin area when Ana indicated a door marked with the number thirteen. "This is one of the spares," she said. "You get it all to yourself. Do you need anything?"
"No," I replied, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. Like the rest of the ship, the room was white upon white, with a bunk bed set into the wall on the left. There was a small desk in one corner and an open closet in the other while a door on the right wall led to what I presumed would be the bathroom. I nodded and smiled at Ana and Cora. "It's perfect, thank you."
"You don't need anything?" Ana repeated. I shook my head. "Alright, then. Have a good night, Lex."
"You too," I said. As Ana turned, towing her daughter with her, Cora winked at me and waved. It was incredible, I mused, how quickly the child could go from scared witless to being my cheerful partner in crime. I stepped into the room, closed the door, and was delighted to find not only a deadbolt lock but a sliding chain as well. I fastened them both, even though I was certain I wouldn't receive any midnight visitors. I walked to the bed and collapsed onto it with a sigh. I wouldn't bother turning off the light because I felt safer with it on. I disrobed to my underwear and crawled into the stiff, starchy sheets, wondering if I would have trouble falling asleep.
Five minutes later, I was oblivious to the world.
.x.
The next morning I felt terrible. My exertions the night previous had hindered my healing, and every part of my body ached. Ana, coming to check on me, noted I looked rather pale and recommended I try and spend the day at ease. I agreed, because I didn't feel like facing anyone, human or predator alike. Ana brought me reading material in the form of scientific journals and magazines, and at lunch and dinner she brought me small meals from the cafeteria. Cora accompanied her both times, and I could tell by her eager energy that she was dying to talk about our mutual secret. Her mother, however, wouldn't allow her to remain alone with me, and I was somewhat grateful for that.
When I had grown tired of lounging about and reading and boredom weighed heavily on my mind, I checked my watch and found that it was rather late at night. Deciding to chance the risk of luring the hunters out of hiding, I ran the brush Ana had given me through my hair before unlocking the door and stepping out into the dim hallway. A glance in either direction revealed nothing lurking about, and so letting the door close softly behind me I began to walk.
My path was aimless. Walking had always cleared my head and I found it useful for deep thinking. I meandered throughout the ship, lost in thought, and when a shadow unfolded itself from within the shadows of the hall, I stopped where I was, half expecting it to be one of the hunters. What stepped out in front of me, however, was none other than the current figurehead of Weyland Industries.
"In the mood for a little late night stroll?" His tone was conversational, purposefully blank, but the light in his eyes belied his placid manner.
"I couldn't sleep," I replied flatly, contemplating sidling past him and knowing that he wouldn't allow it. He'd been waiting for me, waiting to talk to me in private, away from the ears and eyes of anyone else.
"I know what you saw," he murmured as I passed, just loud enough for me to hear. He leaned in and blocked my way with his arm—a high school boy's trick—and spoke again. "You know what it is, too."
I turned my head very slowly to face his as it hovered mere inches from my own. I was furious, but I was also nervous. Reed was clearly man not to be trifled with, and it was just he and I now. When I spoke, my voice was as low as his own. "I don't know," I emphasized, "what you're talking about. Get out of my way."
"No." The word was casual, nonchalant. He was enjoying this, the bastard. "Now, why don't you join me for a drink or two, and we can talk about the creatures that seem to follow you around? The tall ones? Guys with armor and masks?" He grinned.
I became utterly still, the breath catching in my throat. I couldn't hide my reaction and Reed's grin became one of malicious triumph. For a moment I thought about denying it, but it would have been a futile action, pointless. "Where did you see them?" I asked instead, and the tremble in my voice gave my inner turmoil away.
Reed actually seemed disappointed that I admitted it, though he didn't move. "I keep tabs on my ship, Ms. Woods. I caught a glimpse of them when we were salvaging on Bouvetoya, and a recording from your stay in the infirmary yielded interesting results. I thought it better not to inform Ana why one of her bottles was broken." He did move then, taking my hand and tucking it into his arm. "Really, this isn't a conversation to have out here. I suggest we continue somewhere more private."
I snatched my hand back and stepped quickly away before demanding, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure yet," he sighed. "Ms. Woods, there are so many ways we can help each other. I want some of that technology, some of those weapons those creatures possess. Imagine how powerful Weyland Industries would be, developing things the world has never imagined! And you know them, or at least," he almost touched that mark again in his fascinated way, "One of them."
I swallowed hard, batting his hand away. "I don't … It's not like that."
He was unconvinced, his hand rounding back to my face despite my attempt to push him away. "No? Then perhaps you should tell me exactly how it is, Ms. Woods, because my patience has a limit." His tone grew darker as he spoke, his arms trapping me against the wall, his thumb now actually stroking the rough mark. I don't know what he wanted more – me, or the possibility of power I represented. I didn't really care. He was invading my personal space, and I was getting sick of fending him off.
"Back. Off." I ground out. His breath so warm against my face incited tingles of alarm to rise throughout me. Was he hoping that one of the hunters was nearby and would show itself, or was this merely an act of his whim? I didn't know, didn't want to know, and so I shoved him back hard with both of my hands flat against his chest. He fell back only for an instant, and as I lunged past him he caught my injured shoulder firmly and wheeled me back around.
I made a sound of pain then. Knowing just where my wound was, he squeezed with his fingers. He pushed me backwards, walking with me, until again the wall was at my back. I kicked out at him but he twisted aside without releasing me, and his retaliation for the blow was to dig his thumb into the puncture in my shoulder. I whimpered, hating the sound, and he lowered his head directly beside mine to speak directly into my ear.
"I do not accept anything less than one hundred percent compliance," he said quietly, casual once more, yet punctuating each word with pressure to my wound. I forced myself to stand despite the pain he was obviously enjoying. "You know what I want from them." He chuckled, and unbelievably, I felt the brush of his lips under my ear, my jaw. I might have struggled, but he put more pressure on my shoulder than he had before. He timed the kiss to land on my mouth just as I opened it to scream in the wave of pain and surprise that followed.
Two things happened simultaneously: I bit down—hard—just as a roar that shook the hall around us erupted. Reed reared back, spitting blood, and beyond his shoulder Scar took form. With one powerful swing of the hunter's arm Reed was airborne, flying several feet to land in a rolling skid on the floor. Gasping, wiping furiously at my mouth with the back of my hand, I watched wide eyed as Reed came up more quickly than I would have thought he was able. His own gaze was one of mingled stupefaction and exultation – he'd kissed me not because he desired me, I realized then, but because he'd known this would happen.
Scar was advancing on Reed with a tread I could only fittingly describe as predatory, but to his credit Reed stood his ground. "We meet at last," he uttered quietly, calmly, and Scar roared again in response. Even though he was unarmed, I knew that Scar could tear Reed apart with nothing but the greatest of ease, and though I despised the man I simply could not stand by and let that happen. I pushed away from the wall and stepped forward—
-only to be hauled back roughly by a large, scaled hand on my arm. I half turned to see Scale regarding me with his head tipped to the side, and beyond him I could see the tell-tale shimmer of the unnamed hunter as he observed the scenario from within the cocoon of his invisibility. "Let me go!" I hissed urgently, but Scale merely growled softly and did not remove his fingers from my wrist.
Reed didn't bother to wipe the blood from his mouth, instead letting it drip onto his shirt, the occasional drop hitting the floor. "I've been wanting to talk to you," he said, as if Scar wasn't ready to separate his limbs. There was fear in his expression, yes, but a euphoric fear, the kind one has when they jump out of a plane for the first time.
"Reed," I said, and there was a hysterical quaver in my voice, "get out of here. Now."
Scale's fingers flexed almost as if in warning, but I paid no heed. Scar had stopped and was standing stock still before Reed, a tribute to untamed power and ferocity. "Reed," I said again, louder, "Just go."
He was ignoring me, eyes only on the predator before him. Scar flexed one thickly muscled arm with a quiet rumble, and I knew then that Reed was about to die. I shoved my elbow back hard into Scale's chest and while it wasn't a blow that would particularly hurt it served its purpose. Scale grunted, and his fingers loosened, and I took the opportunity to wrench free and dart forward. Scar was reaching for Reed as I swiftly inserted myself between them. He gave me a warning snarl and pushed me roughly aside.
"Stop it!" I shouted, trying to fight past his restraining arm. Finally I ducked under it until I again stood between him and Reed, and the sound he made was distinctly not pleased. He didn't try and remove me, however, and I was thankful for that.
I half turned, keeping Scar in my sight but speaking to Reed. "Leave now, Reed, because if you don't you're going to get your ass handed to you."
He tore his gaze from Scar finally, at first annoyed, and then understanding dawned. He knew, he finally understood to some degree, that it was my doing that he even lived now. I wanted him to know it was me that stood between him and death at Scar's hands, that he should by all rights now be dead. He stared at me for a moment. If I hadn't been so much in pain, so weary, so tired of all of this, I might have taken a heartbeat or two to gloat about my position.
But then he ruined the moment. God help me, I couldn't believe the new speculation on his face when he looked from Scar to me, and then to Scale standing several feet away. "We will meet later," he said quietly as he passed, earning another furious growl. With a meaningful glance at Scar, he slid past the hunters and moved away down the hall. I watched as Scale's head turned, following his progress, watched as the cloaked hunter stood silently in the shadows. I knew what was running through their minds, and a part of me was wishing I had let Scar do what he'd wanted to do.
An angry grumble let me know Scar was unhappy, and with a sigh I turned to him standing large and obtrusive before me. "I couldn't let you kill him," I said.
His hand lifted to brush with his large fingers at the corner of my mouth, and I remembered then what Reed had done. I raised my own fingers to my lips, and they came away slightly red with blood. I felt somewhat mollified that I'd injured the son of a bitch after what he'd done, but I would have felt a lot better if I'd somehow castrated him. Scar's hand lingered, moving to brush at a stray wisp of my hair and then tracing the now familiar path of the marks on my cheek. After a moment I stepped back, out of reach, and hung my head as Cora's earlier words echoed through my mind.
Maybe it's here because it likes you …
"I'm going to bed." I said flatly, not knowing or caring if the hunters understood. My knees felt weak from the adrenalin that had flooded me and then left in the aftermath, and Reed's intrusion into my personal space made me dearly want a bath. My shoulder was aching something fierce, and I could feel blood seeping through the gauze; Reed had reopened the wound.
Scar had followed me, hand now moving carefully over my shoulder, probing. I let him, knowing that to resist would earn me knuckles on my head. When he let his arm fall to his side with a clicking growl, I merely nodded before turning and making my way slowly down the hall. The hunters let me go, and I was beyond relieved at that fact.
Maybe it's here because it likes you …
The sound I made as I rounded the corner was a mingled laugh and sob. What on earth was I going to do now?
.x.
A/N: I would like to give the utmost thanks to my close friend Chocobo Goddess, who has agreed to write the role of Reed for me throughout this entire story. If you liked the exchange between Reed, Lex and Scar, you need to know that it couldn't have been done without her help. She is vital in the completion of this story, and I hope you all enjoyed her writing as much as I have.
