Chapter 2: Breaking Through

¤ ¤ ¤

He felt sick. Not chicken noodle soup and Kleenex cold sick but wanting to curl up in the fetal position and cry because it feels like there's a creature in your stomach wanting to get out. Or maybe like two creatures wrestling in your stomach. And not just in his stomach but in his head. He tried to move, tried to hold his stomach, hold his head, but he couldn't… He. Just. Couldn't. Move.

And then the fire. It felt like fire was moving through his veins, moving throughout his body, scorching everything in its path. And then he felt like he was in an inferno, his skin was on fire, his limbs were no longer under his control. He couldn't think at all.

And then something cool touched his cheek and it over, he was left in the dark. He gasped a few times and became aware of his surroundings. In a dark room. He moved. Or tried to move. He was strapped down to a hospital bed, machines all around, beeping, and an I.V. dripping hypnotically. And sleeping in a chair beside the bed was a girl… He stared at her for a few moments as memories slid back into place… the girl who had saved him. She was damn beautiful, especially in sleep. And she looked damn tough. He shifted, straining against the straps to get a better look at her.

She started awake, eyes darting.

And apparently a light sleeper…

"You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Good." He blinked. "Surprisingly good." The demons inside him were quiet for once. No, wait… he searched for them. They were gone. "What did you do to me?"

She stood up. "We healed you." She picked a hand mirror up off the table next to her and held it up for him.

He stared. Gone were the ridges, gone were the teeth, gone were the cat eyes. All that was left was the face he hadn't seen in years. "Oh my good god. How did you do it?"

"Sommerfield, our resident genius fixed you up."

He nodded, sliding easily back into humour as a safety net. "Can you get these straps off me? I'm just not that kind of guy…"

"Oh, of course. Sorry." She jumped to help him. As she leaned over him to loosen the strap, he caught her scent, a light citrus smell mixed with her own unique smell. He could hear the blood pounding through her veins, her steady heartbeat. So, obviously his senses weren't completely gone…

"So, what's the deal? Do I get to keep anything?" he asked casually.

She looked down at him. "Your senses are heightened, you're stronger but for the next few weeks we have to give you injections to complete the transformation back. And you have to stay in bed under observation for the next week."

"Okay, sure, whatever." He didn't care. If they asked him to stand on his head and juggle puppies with his feet he'd do it. Broken glass? No sweat. He might even be up for burning coals and bare feet… He was free of the demons that haunted him day and night, laughing at his weakness when he fed, egging him on. He wanted to laugh, to sing, to run out in the streets. Instead, he did the next best thing. He grabbed Abby and kissed her hard.

She pulled away, eyes wide. "I-I…"

He laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm just so…" He felt wetness on his cheeks and realized he was crying. "I'm sorry…"

She sat back down on the bed and put her hand on his arm, a bit awkwardly. "It's okay… you're going through a big thing…"

"Thank you." He hugged her around the waist, sobbing. "Thank you."

Her eyes softened and she rubbed his back, rocking him.

It was a long time before he quieted down and finally slept. She disentangled herself and stood up to find Sommerfield in the doorway.

"How's he doing?" the blind scientist asked quietly, holding out her hand for Abby.

Abby took it and they started walking along the length of the ship. "He's okay. Pretty emotional but that's to be expected."

"Yeah, I heard. Poor guy."

"He's tough. He'll make it through."

They got to the stairs and went up on deck.

"He's going to need someone to talk to…" Sommerfield said, feeling for the railing.

"Very subtle, Sommerfield…" Abby replied wryly.

"Well, it's just that we worry about you…"

"We?" Abby's eyebrows rose.

Sommerfield laughed. "I can just see imagine your face right now. Don't be so shocked. We worry about you all alone out there. You're too serious and sad for your age."

Abby stopped and leaned out to look in the distance. "We're all young. And we all knew the risks coming in…"

"Yeah, but you don't have to go it alone."

"I don't have time for a rookie…"

¤ ¤ ¤

"Come on, Whistler, you can do better than that," King teased, dancing around her.

She was tired and he knew it. She brought her hands back up and stalked him around the room. "You have an unfair advantage."

He swung and she ducked then came up with a one-two punch. He dropped and tripped her then danced back as she got up. "You're the one with the famous family ties."

She got back up. "You have super strength."

He circled her. "Yeah, but you're prettier. That's more distracting." He grinned.

Abby blushed and swung out at him so she wouldn't have to reply. She caught him off-guard and backed him into a corner. She faked a kick at his head, kneed him in the stomach lightly, and then flipped him over. She rested one knee on his chest and cocked a fist. "Give?"

He narrowed his eyes, grabbed her fist and rolled them over, pinning her to the floor. "Give?" he asked lightly, grinning.

She struggled but couldn't get free. "Fine, give."

He rolled off to sit next to her, breathing heavily. "Thank god. I don't think I would have lasted much longer." He got up, offering her a hand.

She accepted and as he pulled her up, Sommerfield entered with Zoe in tow. "Good, you've recovered real well… and your training has been getting better and better in the past few weeks…"

"So'm I slapped with a clean bill of health?" he asked casually.

She nodded. "You are one hundred percent human with a little bit extra, my friend."

"So, I'm good to go?" He was practically bouncing on his toes.

"Yep."

¤ ¤ ¤

Well, that's it… let me know what you think! Ciao!