Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.

Read on, oh faithful ones...

...

Chapter Twenty-Nine

...

"Okay, final question," Wendy said, glancing at Layla to determine if she would answer truthfully. "Why the hell are you so nice all the time? I mean, Gwen was popular, but she wasn't nice. She did things to get her own way, which some people mistook for her being nice, but she really wasn't."

"I know. One of the reasons Gwen wasn't suspected until the end was due to that mistake. People never expect the nice ones to do anything other than be nice. Besides, the nicer you are to someone, the more things they'll do for you without questioning it."

"Oh, that's a load of bullshit. No matter how nice you are, you can't ask anyone to do anything and they'll just do it, no questions asked!"

"I believe that you could. Within reason, obviously. I wouldn't go up to Ron Wilson and ask him to kill Will for me, pretty please with a cherry on top? But over time, it might be achieved."

"I'll believe that when I see it. Ron Wilson is Will's biggest fanboy," Wendy said, rolling her eyes.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Layla agreed with a smile and nod. "Now, if that was the final question as you said, I suggest we get back to our classes. If there's anything else you need answered, call me and we'll organise a time to meet again," Layla said, writing her phone number on a slip of paper and offering it to her.

"Sure thing," Wendy said, taking the slip of paper and trying not to let her surprise show.

"Oh, one more thing, Wendy. Don't ever sit next to me in Save the Citizen again," Layla said.

Wendy shivered at the green glow in her eyes and hurried to nod. She'd do whatever the hell Layla wanted, so long as she didn't have those eyes turned on her again.

...

"Remind me again why we're out here planting seeds in the middle of the night?" Warren asked, sitting back on his haunches to look over at Layla.

"Because we're both working and can't come out here after school," Layla replied, continuing to drop seeds into the small holes Warren had made. "We're almost done, don't worry."

"Hope so; we've been here for two hours already. The bus'll be back soon," Warren muttered.

"Well, stop your whinging and we'll get it done quicker," Layla said with a grin, pressing a kiss to his lips before moving on.

Warren sighed and moved further along the paddock to make more holes. Layla had said that the seeds they were planting would grow into a forest that would provide enough cover to hide the Hive from any passersby. Warren had to wonder what sort of things she thought they'd be doing that would need to be hidden from anyone going past - the actual Hive was underground, after all. He glanced over to where she was humming softly, planting seeds in the middle of the night and looking so damn happy, and Warren couldn't bring himself to question her again.

...

"I've invited Frieda over for dinner tomorrow night. She's expecting you to be here, so don't go staying with your boyfriend, as usual," Greta sneered.

Layla ignored the barb and gave a brief nod. "What time is dinner planned for? I'll have to let the Mayor know if I need time off. The election is only two weeks away, after all."

"Yes, I know. It's all you can seem to talk about," Greta muttered. "Dinner's for 7pm."

"I'll try to be back by then," Layla said, though she doubted that the Mayor would let her leave before 7 o'clock just to get home in time for dinner.

He'd been exhausted after the interviews with the five separate radio stations, but the polls were showing that his popularity was higher than ever. The Mayor had been further appeased by having three days off at his favourite pampering place (the booking was helpfully supplied by Nina), and came back looking as though he'd had an entire month off. After the popularity of his radio interviews, it seemed that every media outlet in town wanted to get time with the Mayor. While he had his three days off, Layla had been run off her feet organising various appointments, all the while trying to ensure that the Mayor wouldn't die of exhaustion in the midst of it all. Layla's own exhaustion was starting to take its toll too. Just last night, Nina had stayed back at work to help with the photocopying. The woman must have seen some sort of look in Layla's eye, because she'd ordered her to stop working and have a break, close to pushing her to the staff kitchen. Layla was reluctant to stop but took the break when she realised that she hadn't stopped since arriving at 4pm, and it was already 9pm.

"Well, if you're not here on time, I'll just have to tell Frieda that your job is more important to you than the only family you have left in the world. I'm even going out of my way to make a vegetarian meal," Greta said, looking smug.

"Wow, you really want Frieda to see me as a delinquent, don't you?"

"Just trying to make her see the truth. I know you're not as innocent as you act; I've seen what you can do first-hand."

"If you hadn't treated me like crap ever since I moved in here, I wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures," Layla snapped, her eyes glancing to her mother's brooch that Greta was still wearing and flaunting in front of her.

"Oh, no, I think you would have. Eventually, you would have done it, no matter what I'd said or done. There's evil in you, girl, and I'm the only one who can see it," Greta hissed.

"Right," she drawled, unimpressed. "I'm going to bed now. Unless you think me going to bed is an act of evil?" Layla said, rolling her eyes and heading upstairs.

Greta made a screeching sound of indignation, but it soon turned into a cry of pain as phantom thorns dug into her skin. Layla smiled to herself and went to get ready for bed.

...

"Layla Williams?"

"Yes, this is Layla," she confirmed with a slight frown.

Layla didn't recognise the voice on the other end of the phone, and she hadn't recognised the number either. She belatedly wondered just how wise it had been to confirm that she was who the caller was looking for.

"The work you requested under AAA Contractors is now finished. Could you please inspect the property at your earliest convenience? If you have any issues with the work that has been done, please contact us via the number given to you on your initial quote. If you are pleased with the work, please contact us via the fax number on that same quote, and we will destroy any evidence that corresponds to your request." With that, the mysterious caller hung up.

Layla looked at her phone, blinking slightly at the abrupt conversation. She saw that there was a message on her phone from Frieda, informing her that dinner had been changed to 8:30pm instead and not to worry about leaving work early.

"Everything all right, Layla?" Nina asked.

"Yes, fine. Sorry, I thought it might have been an emergency with my Great Aunt. Turns out it was a wrong number," Layla replied, putting her phone back in her bag.

"Okay then. Do you have time to help with some photocopying, or has the Mayor got you up to your elbows in work?"

Looking between the small stack of paperwork that the Mayor had given her at the start of her shift to the large bundle Ms. Peace was holding, Layla decided that the photocopying was more important.

"Thank you, Layla. I'll help with your work if I can," Nina promised, halving the paperwork and giving her a bundle.

"It's all right, Ms. Peace; I'm happy to help," she replied, going to the second photocopier.

They were silent as the machines started photocopying, and Layla looked at the amount of paper that had been thrown in the rubbish bin, rather than the larger blue recycling bin. She muttered under her breath and sorted it out quickly, oblivious to Nina's surprised expression.

"Do you always do that?" Nina asked, nodding to the sorted bins.

"Most nights, if I have the time," Layla replied with a nod. "Maria says it helps her if I do it, and I'd rather spend a few minutes of my break sorting it than letting anything go to waste. I'm just glad that the Mayor agreed to scanning and emailing this instead of wasting paper photocopying it."

Nina nodded in response, wondering just who on earth Maria was.

They both slipped into silence as they continued scanning the documents. With both of them working on the pile, they finished in half an hour. Nina offered to forward all of the emails on to the people that had requested copies, and let Layla return to her desk. Ten minutes later, after thanking Layla for her work and help again, Nina left the office area and headed to the elevators. One opened and the cleaner came out, pushing a large cart with cleaning supplies. As she passed the woman, Nina noticed that her badge read Maria. She heard Maria call out a warm greeting to Layla and then the elevator doors closed.

She'd seen this woman almost every week for the past six years, yet she hadn't known her name, Nina realised guiltily.

"Hi, Maria. How are you?" Layla asked, smiling at her as she started to clean the Mayor's office window.

"Good, good. Almost finished for the night. You?" Maria asked, glancing back at her briefly.

"I've still got another hour to go. How's your son?"

"Not bad. Not always good," Maria admitted, taking a bin from under a desk and emptying it into the large bin attached to her cart. "He is still looking for work. There's jobs here, but he thinks cleaning is below him. My cleaning helped put him through college, pah!" she said, waving off her annoyance. "He is smart, but not so smart to know that money is money, a job is a job. So long as it is legal, it is good. Pah, he will have to get a good girl to keep him in line. You sure you're happy, Layla?"

Layla snorted in laughter. "I'm very happy, thank you Maria. Besides, I don't think I could keep your son in line."

"Ah well. I will have to keep looking for him," Maria said with a grin, shrugging.

Maria swept through the office, clearing the bins and doing a quick vacuum of the floor. When she had finished, she called out a cheerful goodbye to Layla, told her not to work too hard, and left for the night.

Layla continued her work, organising the Mayor's appointments and various appearances for the upcoming fortnight and writing his speeches. She'd gone over the scheduled appointment list with Nina and then Ethan to ensure that the Mayor wouldn't be attending anything that went against his policies and promises. The more important appointments were highlighted in red, and any that could be changed or skipped entirely were highlighted in orange. Layla had also organised a full day at his doctor's during the next week to ensure that the Mayor wasn't being overworked to the point where he'd collapse. She had also included a visit to the children's ward in that day, knowing that the Mayor might refuse to go if there wasn't a publicity stunt in it. An anonymous tip to various media stations about the time and location the day before his hospital visit would cover the publicity side of it.

When her alarm went off an hour later, Layla packed up her things, locked her desk, ensured that The Monster was still locked away safely, and left the office area. Warren was waiting down in the lobby for her, Dave taking pity on him standing outside on such a cold night. Layla thanked Dave and left with Warren beside her.

"What's wrong, hippie?" Warren asked when they'd walked to the bus stop without a word from Layla.

"The Hive's ready. I want to go look at it now, but I promised Greta that I'd go straight home from work. She's invited Frieda over just to make sure that I follow through," she replied.

"Why don't you go there then, and I'll go to the Hive? I can record everything on my phone and send it to you," Warren offered.

Layla pouted slightly. She wanted to go and see the Hive in person too, damn it. Sighing, she realised that a compromise would have to be made, and this probably wouldn't be the last time she'd have to make one.

"All right then. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn't look right. The electricity should be switched on already, but make a torch if it's not working yet," Layla said with a smile. "I'll text you when I get home."

Warren nodded and he grinned suddenly, moving to kiss her soundly. The vine mark on his wrist flared in pain and he let in a shuddering breath as Layla licked his lips, the pain mixing with pleasure. His hands tightened on her hips, pulling her body closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Warren heard the bus coming and pulled away slowly, his lips pressing against Layla's a few times before he could make himself stop completely. He couldn't stop from grinning smugly when he saw how dazed Layla looked.

"Talk later, hippie," he murmured, helping her onto the bus, his smug grin firmly in place.

When the bus had pulled away, Warren crossed the road to wait for the bus that would take him to the outskirts of Maxville and the Hive.

...

Warren waited until the bus was out of sight before creating a small ball of fire and heading down to where the Hive was. As he came upon the block of land, Warren stopped short on seeing the trees that had already begun to grow. They were still small considering the size they were meant to be but the trees were as tall as he was. He put the fire out and pulled his phone out, using the torch function to see where he was going properly. Warren stepped into the small forest and made his way through the trees slowly. As he walked along, Warren could have sworn that the trees were actually growing with each passing second. He almost sighed in relief when he saw that the trees ended up ahead and hurried forward.

"Fuck me," Warren swore, his jaw dropping at the sight of an actual freaking house at the end of the tree line.

If it wasn't for the honeysuckle vine that was wrapped along the porch and the hive insignia by the front door, Warren might have thought that he'd gotten lost and ended up on some neighbouring property. He saw a piece of paper stuck to the front door and made his way up the small ramp to the porch and door.

Invoice number 91010

The property has been finished according to the buyer's guidelines. The company thanks the buyer for providing the wood-based materials that were used to complete the building that was agreed on at the initial signing.

Warren swore under his breath. He knew that Layla had been tired lately, but he'd put it down to her work at the Mayor's office. Now that he knew that she'd been growing trees for the contractors to use at the Hive, Warren had no doubt that her exhaustion was due to the overuse of her power. He continued reading, seeing that there was more writing on the note.

The work that was completed in the cellar proved to be difficult due to the tunnel system found in the surrounding area. The resulting hole has been left open temporarily. If you require it to be filled, please call us on the number provided at the initial signing, and it will done free of charge.

All documentation regarding this invoice will be destroyed in exactly one week. Thank you for choosing AAA Contractors.

"What the hell?" Warren muttered to himself.

Shaking his head, he figured he'd see what they meant when he went inside. Going back down the ramp, Warren swiped through his phone to open the video camera and began recording. His hand was steady as he filmed the note that the contractors had left, and then he started up the ramp again. Warren found that the porch wrapped around the entire house, and felt almost giddy (thankfully no one was here to witness this display of emotion) as he came to the front door again and opened it to step inside.

The foyer was actually a long hallway, and Warren was sure that he could see the outside world through the windowed door at the end room. Warren flipped the light switch and the foyer filled with light, spilling into the two rooms on either side. A lounge room opened to his left, and the open door on his right revealed an empty library, complete with a fireplace. Continuing down the hallway to the other doorways, Warren found what he presumed would be the meditation room and their costume room if the display-like wardrobe was any indication. The hallway ended abruptly and opened up into a large open-plan kitchen and dining room. The dining room already had a large rectangle table, and the kitchen had an oven installed, along with an island counter in the middle. Warren took a moment to look at the kitchen properly, grinning when he saw that it was an industrial one similar to the one at the Paper Lantern. His grin faded when he realised that he hadn't seen a door that led into the rooms beneath. He paused the recording, trying to remember where the hole in the ground had been when he and Layla had come before the house had been built.

Warren made his way back through the house, looking for a trapdoor, a lever or switch of some sorts to find the entrance. His frown deepened as he made his way through the house for a third time. Just when he was about to call Layla to ask if she knew where it was, Warren noticed a slight line on the floor in the library. Crouching down, he felt along the groove and found that it was actually a trapdoor. Looking around the library more carefully this time, Warren eventually found a similar piece of wood at the top of the doorway and pressed it. The trapdoor moved down slightly and slid across to reveal a set of wooden stairs. Relieved that he'd finally found it, Warren began recording again and headed down into the trapdoor.

"I'm not going to mention just how long it took me to find that damn trapdoor," he muttered.

A fireball helped him find where the light switch was, and the tunnel was soon filled with light. Warren looked down the tunnel and saw that he couldn't actually see the end of it. There were numerous doorways on both sides of the tunnel, and he grinned at the sight. Looking into the first door, he saw that it had another tunnel heading out of it.

"This is going to take a hell of a long time, so I might leave the whole thing until we're both here," Warren muttered to the camera.

He continued up the main part of the tunnel and looked into each room. Some were large rooms, others had more tunnels, and some seemed to connect to more rooms. As Warren continued walking, he realised that he could feel a slight breeze and frowned, trying to find the source. A few metres down, Warren found a room that had a large hole in the wall.

Well, this was probably what the note meant, he thought, stepping into the room to look at the hole properly.

Warren frowned on seeing the bricks and moss growing in the tunnel beyond the hole, holding his phone up to film it properly. He threw a fireball as hard as he could, watching as it lit up the tunnel, showing what looked to be an underground sewer. Thankfully there was no actual sewage flowing through it.

"We're going to need a few things to explore that properly," Warren said, heading back out to the main tunnel again.

He closed the door so the wind wouldn't bother him, and he'd know which room it was when he came in with Layla later. Checking his watch, Warren realised that he'd been in the Hive for longer than he thought, and the bus would be arriving at the bus stop in fifteen minutes. He stopped recording and sent the video to Layla, hurrying to leave through the trapdoor.

...

"I've called in sick. If your mother asks, it's a combination of exhaustion and the fact that I have an assignment due on Monday morning," Layla said.

"Right. Do you actually have an assignment due?" Warren asked, grinning at her.

"Yes, but I finished it last night," she replied, grinning back at him.

"Okay then. Ready for this, hippie?" he asked, looking down through the hole to the bricked sewer beyond.

"Ready," Layla said with a grin, turning on her torch and climbing through the hole, a rope wrapped around her waist.

Warren lowered her down carefully and then held onto the tree that Layla grew for him. He closed his eyes at it sank down towards the ground quickly, his heart racing. It slowed down suddenly, and then Warren was standing on the ground once more.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that sensation," he groaned.

Layla kissed him, grinning against his lips. "I'll take it slower next time, promise."

Warren pulled her back for another kiss, his hands hot against her hips. Layla pulled away slightly dazed and took a moment to get her bearings before turning around to survey the area. The area they were standing in seemed to be the mouth of a tunnel, but the tunnel itself was blocked up with fallen debris. The very top had a small opening, which is where the breeze was coming from. Layla briefly wondered if her decision to not call Ethan and Zach had been too rash. Ethan could have gotten through those rocks easily.

"I can try to blast through them with a fireball," Warren offered.

"No, we don't know what's behind there. If it's an actual sewer, then throwing a fireball into a methane-infused tunnel isn't going to be the best idea."

"True enough. Do you think one of your vines will fit through there?"

"Yes. But I'll need to get as close to that opening as I can," Layla said, heading over to the blocked tunnel and starting to climb.

Fifteen minutes later, she had reached the top. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Layla looked down to where Warren was waiting. He was trying not to look anxious, but she could feel his concern through her wrist's fire brand. She took a deep breath and turned to the small opening, beginning to create a vine. So far, she hadn't smelled anything other than dampness and dirt, but Layla wasn't entirely certain how much the debris blocked and didn't want to risk it anyway. The vine was fully formed now, and she closed her eyes, letting the vine snake its way though the opening and to the other side. The vine had a series of small feeler-like hairs on it that could form a rough picture of the things it came into contact with. Through her link with the vine, Layla could essentially see what it saw.

Warren forced himself to stand still as he watched Layla create the vine and send it through the opening. He wanted to do something to help, but again, he was left to the side while Layla did it all. Warren's fists clenched at that thought. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He would do what he had to do - even if that was stand to the side - until the time came when he could do what was needed. He was brought out of his musings when Layla called down to him.

"I'm coming down. You can blow it all away," she called, making her way down carefully.

"What's on the other side?" Warren asked when Layla was standing beside him again.

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely not a sewer. We'll find out together," she said, smiling at him and taking his hand.

Warren nodded and they moved back towards the Hive. He shielded Layla's body behind his as his arms lit up fiercely. She bit her lip as her wrist flared in pain, her body responding to the closeness of his with a pleasure that rivalled the pain. A coil of heat curled in her stomach as she watched his arms become engulfed in flames, the flames travelling down his biceps and forearms to turn into large fireballs in his palms. His hands often made the same trail down her body, and Layla knew how hot his hands could be even without the flames. A large crashing sound brought her out of her thoughts abruptly, and she peeked past Warren's body to see half of the debris falling away.

"Stay back, hippie. I need to take another shot," Warren murmured.

He'd felt a surge of desire coming from Layla in the seconds before he'd let the fireballs go, and was surprised that half of the debris had fallen to pieces. He'd only expected a third, if that, to move, not an entire half of the debris-filled wall! Before he could light up again, Warren turned around abruptly and kissed Layla, the surge of desire coming from both of them this time. He pulled away with flame-covered arms, the fire not harming her in the slightest. She grinned up at him, licking her swollen lips. Warren let out a shaky breath, the surge of desire turning to a wave that he was drowning in. He let more power into his arms and turned around, throwing both fireballs at the rest of the debris. It exploded into pieces, Warren turning to cover Layla.

He opened his eyes, breathing heavily, his arms on either side of her head as she stared up at him with lust-filled eyes. He couldn't stop himself from kissing her again, his hands sliding down to her hips. He undid Layla's pants quickly, wave upon wave of desire washing over them. Warren slid his hand between the fabric and her skin quickly, a finger sliding inside of her and resulting in a moan from both. He fucked her with his hand, sliding a second and third finger in as she rocked her hips against his hand wantonly, her body feeling hotter than his flames ever could.

"Come on, Layla. Cum for me," he whispered hoarsely, driving his fingers deeper into her as he moved to suck on her neck, nipping at her skin to mark her as his.

She screamed his name in response, her body clenching around his fingers tightly as his ears reverberated with her pleasure-fuelled scream.

"Oh... wow," Layla breathed, her chest heaving against his. "That was unexpected, but very, very welcome."

Warren smirked, sliding his fingers out of her slowly. His wrist was sending an ache of pain and pleasure through his body, and Warren could tell that Layla was experiencing the same emotions too. He cleaned his fingers on his shirt and zipped her jeans up again carefully, his lips pressing a kiss to the mark he'd left on her neck. Layla made a sort of whimpering noise in response, and Warren pulled away with a grin.

"Ready to go exploring, hippie?"

She nodded, despite the fact that her legs were still trembling from her orgasm, and made herself walk forward with Warren by her side. He slid a hand around her waist, trying not to be too smug when she shivered against him.

"The moment we get back upstairs, I'm going to kiss you until your toes curl," Layla said with a grin.

"Promises, promises," Warren said with a chuckle against her hair.

They made their way through the tunnel silently, looking around carefully to try and see where they actually were. Eventually, they came to the source of the breeze that had been blowing through the Hive. A ladder led up to a large circular manhole, and Layla made her way up the rungs quickly, Warren behind her.

"What's up there, hippie?" he asked when she opened the manhole carefully.

"I don't believe it," she muttered, her vine helping her to push the heavy disc out of the way completely.

Layla pulled herself up out of the manhole and waited as Warren came up to stand beside her. They walked out of the small side alley and Warren stopped short on seeing the building across the road.

"Hippie? Tell me you're seeing Labyrinth, too?" he asked, seeing the sign for the newspaper on the building's front window.

"Yeah, I am. I didn't think it was that close to the Hive," Layla muttered.

"It's not in the conventional sense, I guess. But the road does twist around a lot. That would take more time than walking in a straight line."

Layla gave a nod at his practical explanation, her face lighting up into a bright smile. "I'll bet that it's not the only ladder down there. Where else do you think we can go?" she asked with a laugh, heading back down the ladder.

Warren headed after her with a grin, replacing the manhole disc behind their descent.

...

"Are you planning on getting up at all today, you lazy brat?" Greta's words were accompanied with loud banging on the bedroom door.

Layla woke up groggily, her hair sticking up at all angles, and she glared at the door. Greta's voice cut off to a gasp of pain and Layla grinned when she heard her Great Aunt finally leave. Beside her, Warren wrapped his arm around her body and pulled Layla back down on to the bed, his lips capturing hers.

She had made good on her promise to kiss him until his toes curled, but they hadn't gone back to the Hive to make out. One of the last ladders in the tunnel ended up all the way in Westville, and she had recognised a street from her usual journey to Sky High in the morning. They'd made it back to her Great Aunt's by four in the morning, both keeping quiet as Layla snuck them in through her bedroom window. The moment they were both inside, Layla had launched herself at him and kissed Warren heatedly, tugging at his shirt as he held her hips against his. He'd ended up shirtless and in a pair of boxers, while Layla's bra had been thrown somewhere across the room along with her jeans, both of them falling onto her bed for a very intense make out session. (Warren's toes had curled twice.)

"So she's calling you a lazy brat now?" he asked with a slight frown as he pulled away from her lips reluctantly.

"If it wasn't for the vines, I'm sure it would've been worse than that," Layla muttered, rolling her eyes before moving to kiss him again.

Warren murmured something distractedly, his hand slipping under her shirt. Layla pulled away from their kiss to laugh against his bare shoulder as his fingers touched against a ticklish spot. Layla put her finger against his lips when she heard footsteps on the landing again.

"I just don't know what's wrong with her, Frieda! She's not coming out of her room, and it's almost 1pm!" Greta said, the concern in her voice laid on so thick that Layla felt suffocated by it. "What? I don't care if your daughter's there, this is... No, don't put her on! I don't want to talk to... Oh, hello Honey. Yes, it's lovely to talk to you too," Greta muttered, walking downstairs with a final glower at Layla's door.

Layla looked down at Warren and tried to stifle her laughter. He kissed her, muffling the peal of laughter that escaped her.

"Come on, let's get you out of here while Honey has her distracted," Layla said, patting his chest gently and slipping out of bed.

Warren stood and stretched, grinning when Layla stared at him for a long moment, and made himself walk past her to where his shirt was sitting on the desk chair. They were both dressed (and Layla's hair tamed with a number of bands and clips) in five minutes, and left the bedroom quietly, Warren waiting at each corner until Layla signalled for him to move.

"No, there's no clouds here. Yes, Honey, I am quite sure. Because I'm looking out the damn window!" Greta snapped.

Layla and Warren hurried past and left through the front door, Layla closing the door behind them silently. She waited until she could hear Greta walking away from the window before ushering Warren down the driveway and along the street. She broke out into laughter when they were at the top of the street, Warren chuckling along with her, a heart-melting grin on his face.

...

End of the twenty-ninth chapter.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!