TITLE: Crouching Tiger, Live Wire

AUTHOR: Saritas

TIME: Let me vague it up for you... Somewhere during the time when Connor doesn't remember his past and somewhere before the time when Gwen discovers L.I.S.A.

RATING: PG-13 for language

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately Joss Whedon owns the characters I write about - and sometimes dress up as... Also, I'd like to say that when I write Connor I picture Ian Somerhalder as Connor, not Vincent Kartheiser. He just makes for a more manly and prettier Connor. :) I'm sure you'll agree.

It had been an easy snatch job, the security had been a joke but what wasn't when you could reroute the electric current of a supposedly very secure, hoity toity museum? Not much of a stretch for a woman like Gwen Raiden.

But then what was?

As she slipped out the building, having left a guard unconscious and nearly deep fried behind his desk she had a smile on her ruby red lips. Sure it was a rush, had been since the first time she'd used her freak like abilities for her own gain instead of her own demise.

Course, that was nothing next to the oodles of money she'd be getting for the bright little bauble she had taken tonight. The head of the local crime syndicate would pay top dollar to get it. And lucky for her, unlucky for them, she'd schooled herself to know that they'd be paying her at least three figures more then they'd planned. She wouldn't be hosed.

A lady had to look out for herself, y'know?.

Unable to stop herself she pulled the black bag from her shoulder and peeked in at her loot. Pushing past the very expensive object her eyes lit on the smaller item in the bag.

A tiny glass blown Bengal Tiger.

It had caught her eye along the way and she hadn't the inclination to stop herself from taking it. It was pretty and would fit nicely into her collection.

So focused on her gift, Gwen was completely caught off guard - something she never was - when she hit a solid wall of flesh. Blinking she instinctively pulled back and inward.

"You should watch where you're goin'." She offered without thinking, finally looking upwards to match a well toned body with a very good looking face.

Damn.

Connor blinked, "Uh, yeah, I'm clumsy that way." He retracted the hand that had gone to steady her when he realized that she wasn't going to need it. Strangely though, he noticed that he'd put out a hand before he'd run into her , as if he knew it was going to happen.

Shaking his head because he was clearly crazy, and had Crazy Aunt Rosie to prove it, he shoved his hands in his pockets and took a long look at the woman who he'd run into.

"What?" Gwen bristled as he watched her. "Is this the part where you push me into the bushes and attempt to have your way with me? Cause I can tell you right now that ain't gonna fly Yogie."

Connor frowned, "Yogie?"

"Yeah," Gwen smiled a little as she gestured to his bag which had a bat sticking out of it. "Yogie Berra? Would've picked a hotter player but I'm not much on baseball, besides you seem to have that slightly goofy - I'm gonna steal your pic-ki-nic basket - look about you."

"I'm not sure but I think a compliment was in there somewhere..." Connor wondered aloud with amusement.

Shoving the bag back to her shoulder Gwen place her hands on her hips feeling a little more at ease now, Yogie wasn't the type to play rough n'tumble. An eyebrow started to rise as she eyed him up and down. Or maybe he was...

As soon as the thought entered her head she went stiff and awkwardly looked away, "What's a kid like you doin' out so late on a school night anyway?"

Connor had watched her, baffled by the series of emotions that had crossed the woman's face. Did she know how easy she was to read? Probably not, and he knew that if he dared to bring it up she'd rip him a new one. Regardless he was curious now and more than a little interested.

"Kid?" He retorted, "I'm not the one running around in a ninja outfit in the middle of the night."

Gwen was glad that it was night and he couldn't see her blush. Looking down at herself she knew the image she must present. Dressed from head to toe in skin tight black, even her brunette hair which sported red and blonde streaks had been tamed into a bun so it wouldn't get in her way. The only spots of color on her were her moody blue eyes and bright red lips.

"Girl's gotta have hobbies." She said on a careless shrug even as she started backing away. She liked the guy, which meant it was time to leave. Her track record was bad with people seeing as they tended to die when they got too close.

Angel had been the only one to slip past her natural boundary and only because the man was dead. What did that say about her sex appeal?

Actually, her sex appeal was sizzling. Literally.

It was the actual touching that seemed to be the problem. Look but don't touch, perhaps that what had gotten her into stealing in the first place. Another person or place that told her what she could and couldn't do. It was her way of sticking it to the man. Or whatever.

Stealing was one thing, letting herself get mushy over some random guy when she couldn't act on those feelings? Not happening. A sexual tension no-no.

Finally Gwen rolled her eyes and started to turn away, "Well this was fun but I-"

"Connor."

Gwen turned back almost immediately, and she knew it was because she craved human contact. It sickened her. "What?" She hoped that she'd put a fair amount of annoyance into the one word response.

"Connor. My name? Connor Reilly. I usually like to at least know the name of the person I run into. Saves time with the insurance company later."

Had that been a joke? Connor rolled it over in his head wondering how pathetic it had sounded. He'd never had a problem with females from talking to flirting, but this wasn't Mary Jo Jacobs whom he'd charmed with an extra milk box back in first grade.

No, this woman screamed sex, and... strangely, vulnerability. He could see it in her eyes and automatically wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her like he would his sister. Of course that's where his brotherly thoughts of affection ended as the rest of them belonged in the

'stories' of a Playboy magazine.

Yep, Gwen thought, she'd outstayed her welcome despite the fact that the idea of staying and talking to him held appeal she turned away. "Gwen. And why don't we leave it at that Yogie."

Connor stood where he was and watched as she walked away in the darkness, watched far longer than most could have. He smiled sadly thinking he'd probably never see her again or ever see anyone that had such striking features.

Then his eyes caught a glint on the concrete, something many wouldn't have even noticed. He picked up the tiny shining object and held it up to the moonlight for a better look.

It was a tiny glass tiger.

"Fuck." Gwen said simply as she stood looking up at the apartment building in front of her. Why did things have to be so hard? She'd risked her ass to get that stupid orb of gangrene or whatever it was and all she'd asked was to walk away with a little something for herself in the mix.

She knew the baseball player had it too. She'd gone back to where she'd met him on the sidewalk and the Bengal Tiger hadn't been there.

Maybe if she hadn't been so eager to look at the little figurine outside of it's museum confines she wouldn't have ran into the guy she couldn't get out of her mind and she wouldn't have dropped her prize.

She began to cautiously climb the ancient fire escape muttering to herself, "I could be lounging in a bubble bath, with Nic brewing me up a double voddy right now dammit. But no, I'm playing Romeo to a baseball playing thief."

Unbeknownst to her, she began to smile as she climbed.

Connor was awakened from a dead sleep a hand moving to the baseball bat leaning against his bed. He couldn't really explain it but since he was a child he'd felt at home gripping a bat. The wood beneath his hands felt right and... simultaneously wrong.

But whatever his mixed feelings he'd been playing baseball since he was able to walk and he hoped his swings would come in handy now as he waited for whoever was on his fire escape.

Sliding into the shadows he waited.

Gwen expertly maneuvered her body through the oversized window, quiet as a mouse. Looking at the bed she frowned and walked closer. Shouldn't he be here?

Behind her, Connor couldn't help but smile. "Not exactly the best time to be paying a call but since your so pretty I'll let it slide just this once."

Terror collided with the fear of being caged in and she couldn't stop the burst of electrical current that came out of her and fried the lamp and alarm clock radio next to her. Realizing it was Connor who had gotten the better of her she turned around fully annoyed, "Shit! Where a bell next time double-o-zero! Why'd you sneak up on me?"

Connor looked at the lamp and clock which were both shooting small sparks out of exposed wiring. Half paying attention to her he spoke as he went to unplug both items, "Well, excuse me for not just letting you break in at..." He pointed to the fizzled clock, "Whatever time it may be at night."

Gwen crossed her hands over her chest and stepped back not wanting him to connect her with the power surge. "Yeah well, lock your window and you'd have less visitors. Besides, you're a thief. I want my tiger back. Thief."

The irony was not lost on her of course. The tiger had been taken from the local museum and now it had been taken from her. She had stolen it first so clearly it was hers... In a really twisted way...

"Ah, the tiger is yours. I found it on the ground after you left." Leaving the electrical equipment and questions for later he turned to her. "Funny thing is... I've seen that tiger before."

Gwen sulked and looked away, "Yeah well, I'm guessing there'd be more than one of them around."

Connor gave a half grin, "Yeah, but when you put that together with our proximity to the museum - where I've seen it before and the fact that you'd been wearing full black clothing..."

He looked at her now, thinking she looked even more stunning than before. Dark ringlettes mixed with blonde and red creating a mane that a man would want to bury his face in and breathe deep.

She'd kept the black top but from what he could tell in the low light, she was wearing red leather pants. He couldn't explain the fascination with her red leather pants but he knew he liked them, and her.

Gwen uncrossed her hands and stepped closer, "Well, I guess you figured me out slugger. I didn't really want to hurt you but I want that tiger."

In an act of self preservation, Connor placed the bat in front of him. He had no plans to use it but there it rested as if he was readying his weapon for battle. "Maybe you tell me why you took it I'll let you have it."

A sexy glint entered her eyes, she knew how to handle guys like him, "Thought it was pretty, I have a vice for pretty things."

"Yeah?" Connor asked huskily even as she moved closer.

"Yeah." She replied, calmly removing one silk encased glove. She placed her bare hand on the bat, neither of them noticing the small plume of smoke that began to rise from the connection.

Gwen leaned forward, her face inches from his, "Tell me where the tiger is." She asked though her breath had started to quicken and her voice was anything but demanding.

"Tell me what you taste like first." Without waiting for a reply Connor closed the gap between them, bringing his lips to hers.

At first it was sweet, warmth and need twined together between them, and then it was electrical.

Gwen noticed the change right away, her eyes widened and she started to pull away. "No." She protested beneath his lips.

Connor's eyes were open now too, wondering at the current that was coursing through his body, he noted that it hurt but more than the pain he felt the pleasure and held on to her.

Seconds passed slowly as they were locked together, and even Gwen couldn't hold out against the onslaught, she'd never been kissed this way, never thought there was anyone who could kiss her this way.

Knowing it would have to end soon though, because eventually his body would give out she pushed herself away but couldn't stop panting.

Connor rocked back and forth on his feet, his short hair nearly standing on end, but he focused on the important part. He was still standing.

"What was that?" He asked as breath rushed in and out of his lungs. His eyes momentarily glimpsed the bat still in his hand and he saw the burned out imprint of where her hand had been.

Use to hearing the question 'what are you?' Gwen lifted the defenses that were ingrained into her being. "I'm a freak - couldn't you tell?"

Connor nodded negatively, "What are you talking about?" Why couldn't he catch his breath? He felt like he'd run through a desert without stopping and without water, but the strange part was that he felt energized not weak. He actually couldn't remember a time ever in his life, no matter how much activity he did that he'd run out of breath.

Gwen couldn't hold back any longer as she was shaken to her core, "Why aren't you dead? You're suppose to be dead right now. I've got a long track record and your messin' up my quota..." She was shaking with the intensity of it now. "And STOP looking at me like that!"

A grin formed on Connor's face, he still wasn't quite sure what had happen or why indeed he wasn't dead as she'd said, but the woman before him had somehow opened up his eyes to this new part of himself.

When he started to smile, Gwen got scared. Not of him but of herself and what this might mean. He was able to touch her, maybe not for long periods of time, but he could touch her and not die. It was a breakthrough in her closed off world and it scared the shit out of her.

"I need to get out of here." She said looking around like a caged animal.

Connor nodded even as she went to the window. "Gwen?" He called out to her.

She turned and he could see the confusion and fear in her eyes.

He tossed something to her, "Don't be a stranger."

She smoothly disappeared and didn't think to uncurl her fingers until she was far enough away.

In her hand was the tiny, beautifully made Bengal Tiger.