Freak and lover

"Alec!" I pounded on the door again. Max had called me and asked me to meet her at HQ. She had waited impatiently for Alec for a grand total of 6.32 minutes and then had sent me to, and I quote; "see where pretty boy has got his head stuck this time."

So there I was banging on Alec's door and probably irritating everyone in the building. "Alec!"

"What?" Alec opened the door his hair still dripping wet clad only in a pair of frayed jeans. I forgot what I was supposed to be doing and just stood there gazing appreciatively at him. He smirked, one side of his mouth drawing up higher than the other, one of my favourite quirks in him, "Like what you see?" he asked suggestively, confidence just oozing out of him.

I shoved past him, "You know it." I grinned determined not to blush.

"I knew you only wanted me for my body." He sighed in mock disappointment.

I laughed, "Well it was never going to be for your razor sharp wit." I scooped up a t-shirt and flung it at him.

He caught it but didn't put it on, "I think we can have more fun without this don't you?"

"Nice try. Max wants us ASAP."

Alec snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, I resisted, with very little enthusiasm. "Tell her she can't have us. We're busy." His lips burned along my sensitive neck making me shiver and the little git knew exactly what he was doing too.

"She said it was important…" already my resolve was weakening. Dammit! I was an ex-soldier wasn't I? But it was so hard to motivate myself…

"No! C'mon!" I grabbed hold of his wrist and tugged him determinedly down the corridor. I ignored his quiet chuckling behind me.

Max looked up as we entered, "Jeez Alec put a shirt on." Alec slipped the shirt he was still holding over his head. "Right, I have a favour to ask you two."

Alec shook his head, "You want me to crawl through some sewers again don't you?"

The guy called Logan grimaced, "Only a little bit." Although Logan was human he didn't get sick from the toxic waste like most. He'd had so many transgenic transfusions he was almost transgenic himself. "We need you to break into the governor's office. One of my sources says that they've just taken possession of a bio-toxin specifically targeted to transgenics."

"I thought we got rid of that way back when." Alec said leaning back on the table.

"So we thought. But we can't risk taking any chances. Can you and Angel go? Just check it out."

"Yeah, and try not to get killed." Mole puffed on his cigar.

"Or kill anyone, we can't do with any more bad press."

"You hear that honey?" I said to Alec, "Smile pretty for the camera."

Alec laughed and tucked the small pistol that Mole handed him into his back pocket. "Give us half an hour. Then we'll be ready." I nodded.

Twenty five minutes later we were ready. Alec had more guns than I was aware of stashed about his person. I refused any guns, Max and I shared a hatred of guns, but I had a short knife hidden in my belt and lock picks slid into the lining of my jacket. Coupled with my standard issue training in nearly every martial art known to man, and some unknown, I didn't need much else.

We snuck out through the sewers. The catacombs ran throughout the entire city it was easy enough to get past the joke of a 'siege'. The only reason we were staying inside was because Max was trying to work with the humans, not against them.

Alec gingerly lifted a man cover a few inches and peered out. "All clear." He crouched and reached his hand down. I didn't need any help, technically, but I let him pull me up.

The governor's house had pretty high security. I rested my weight on a telephone pole Alec leaning against me his face buried in my hair. To the entire world we were just another couple in a love who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, no way we were casing the place. Oh no. "What d'you think?" Alec murmured into my neck.

"I'd wait till night, more cover. They've got armed guards around the ground but none on the roof. What the hell's this guy thinking? Should be cake. His office's on the top floor anyway."

"So we got some time to kill." Alec said. I unhitched myself from the pole and looped my arm through his. Nonchalantly we strolled along the road. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"Something definitely above PG?" I laughed.

"Dirty mind." Alec feigned horror and flicked me lightly on the nose. "Actually I was thinking; pizza." I stopped dead in the road and kissed him hard. "I'll take that as a yes?" he chuckled one eyebrow raised.

Soon after we were sitting in the corner of a tiny little pizza place with a margarita, a pepperoni and a house special in front of us. I bit into a delicious slice closing my eyes as I relished the cheesy, doughy, tomato-y goodness. "Alec." I moaned in pleasure, "I absolutely adore you."

"So easily bought." He said around his own mouthful of pizza.

"I feel like I should be insulted but it's just so hard to care…"

As one we leapt over the barbed wire and landed with catlike grace on the other side. Alec held up a hand his eyes sweeping the area he nodded once and we set off at a half crouched run until we were next to the building itself. I pressed myself against the cool, rough brick and glanced to my left. All clear. Silently I wrapped my hand around a drain pipe and tested its strength. Then we began to climb. We reached the roof undetected. Alec grinned at me and I too felt a rush of adrenaline at breaking and entering.

There was a skylight leading directly above the governor's desk. I handed Alec a small screwdriver and pulled another one out myself. We made short work of the screws holding it down. Alec lifted it up and off setting it down gently on the concrete. I lay on my stomach and dangled my head down. Looking around the upside down room seemed safe. I briefly gave Alec the thumbs up and then flipped myself over so that I was holding on to the ledge with my fingers my whole body inside. I let go and landed silently Alec jumped down after me. "Get the desk!" I hissed. Alec nodded and began rifling through the draws. I was halfway through the filing cabinet when I heard the terrible click of the safety being flicked off a gun.

Very slowly I turned around to see a tall well built man pointing a gun directly at Alec's heart. I recognised him from the picture on the punch bag. "494." he said cordially, "I do so enjoy getting to kill you over again." I went to rush him but at a click of his fingers five men in full body armour and huge rifles poured through the door. I froze. "Now you" Ames White said turning his dead eyes on me, "are new. You are…"

"About to kick you ass." I said as calmly as him.

"Ah, another genetically engineered smart mouth. You make one move and you're dead. You mutant monster."

"If you don't let us go you'll live to regret it." I said through clenched teeth, "You inbred monster." Through the corner of my eye I could see Alec very carefully pulling out a small gun. Everyone's attention was on me and White. I kept talking. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're as stupid as you are, I mean all that inter breeding, narrowing the gene pool. Mental problems are rife I hear. Something about snake worship? Missing a padded cell?" Alec took his chance. Three ear shattering shots sounded out and three of the muscle men went down. White lunged at me a dagger clutched in his fist. I dodged but he just caught my upper arm.

One of the remaining armed men aimed at Alec, the shot went wide and before he could fire again my knife had flown from my hand straight into his chest. It wasn't fatal but it was enough to make him drop the gun. "Saved your fine ass!" I yelled at Alec.

Alec wasn't really in the laughing mood, he threw a chair through the window, grabbed me around the waist and jumped into midair. We landed awkwardly in a tangled heap of limbs gun shots pinging all around us. Alec pulled me to my feet and half dragged me to the checkpoint. Kicking a guard off his motorcycle he gunned the engine to life and shot through the barricade me clinging desperately to his back.

There was a small group of transgenics waiting for us at the man cover we'd used to escape. Alec and I dropped gratefully into fetid darkness. "Are you OK?" he asked me holding my upper arms tightly.

I winced, "Alec. Alec you're hurting." Immediately he loosened his grip I peeled back my ripped sleeve and saw a strange symbol carved into my skin one straight line with two intertwining ones around it. Alec sucked in a breath. "What?" I said panicked. "What is it?" I felt scared and hot. "Alec…" I said uncertainly as my legs gave way underneath me.

Alec was at my side in an instant holding me gently against his chest. "You'll be ok. You'll feel sick but you'll be ok. Oh God!" I opened my eyes to see what had caused his horror and saw a dark patch on my shirt. My finger came away bright red when I touched it.

"I don't understand. I don't feel anything." Weakly I pulled up my shirt to reveal smooth skin underneath. "It's not me. It's not, ALEC!"

Alec was looking down in confusion at his side where his shirt and jacket were already sodden with blood his face said 'how did that happen? I don't remember that happening'.

"Joshua. Pick him up! He needs help." I tried to stand up but I felt wobbly. Someone else scooped me up. "Alec. Alec…" my world faded into complete blackness.

"Angel? You awake?" I lay very still, my head spinning, nausea threatening to overwhelm me.

"Where is he?" I whispered, my voice sounded raspy and my throat felt like it was on fire. Someone handed me a bottle of cool water and I gulped it down. "Where is he?" I asked more insistent now.

"Max." someone out of my immediate eyesight said, "She's awake." I heard someone come in.

"All right everybody out!" Max ushered the small crowd away from my bed and then bent to help me into a sitting position. "How d'ya feel?" she asked concern in her dark eyes.

"Where's Alec?" I repeated.

Max sighed and closed her eyes. "No. No!"

"He's alive." She said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "But…"

"He lost a lot of blood; we patched him up and gave him a transfusion now all we can do is hope."

I fought back tears, "Can I see him?" I whimpered.

Max nodded and helped me up. With her arm around my waist she led me to a room down the hall. His face was pale, paler than I'd ever seen him. His chest rose and fell with his breaths his eyelids almost purple against the whiteness of his skin. "I'll leave you two alone."

I settled myself in a chair next to him and very slowly reached out to brush his fingertips with mine almost afraid to touch him in case I made it worse. His eyelids fluttered and he fixed me with his clear gaze. Gingerly he shuffled over leaving enough room on the bed beside him for me to curl up next to him. "I was so afraid I'd lose you." He whispered. "I just want you safe."

"Don't you dare give up." I whispered into his shirt. "You have to stay with me. We have a future."

"Tell me about it." He asked softly.

I smiled weakly, "We could leave here. Go somewhere where it's sunny. Somewhere in the countryside maybe, with fields and forests and lakes for swimming. Somewhere away from all this fear and hatred. Somewhere we can be happy together. Maybe have a kid…"

"I'd like more than one." He interrupted.

"Oh yeah?" I smiled.

"Yeah. Three's a nice number. Two girls with your hair."

"And a little boy with your eyes."

"Sounds perfect." He said.

"So, you have to fight for it." I choked out. "You have to fight for us Alec. Please don't leave me. Please" I breathed. "I love you."

"I love you Angel."

I didn't know if this barcode had an expiration date. I couldn't say how many tomorrows I would have. But I wanted to spend them with Alec. In our own little broken world.