Mirror's Mirage- That is an excellent question. :D I have no idea... loop hole .

Shyma- Probably so. I suppose we'll just see what happens.

Ugh, I got SDRUS again... I just can't leave this story alone lol

o0o

The day had slowly wound down to night.

During the day, Holiday had noticed subtle changes in 'her boys'.

Rex was just as clingy as always and once he found out she was fine, he hadn't pressed the subject at all. Though, it was unmistakable that he had suddenly become a bit overprotective of her. He had basically followed her around all day. She sneezed once and Holiday had never seen him move so fast. In a second, he was right beside her, with a tissue in hand, making sure she was alright. She had to stop him from calling Six and telling him that they 'had a situation'.

Six. Six was noticeably different, but it was like he was trying to hide it. After their little 'medical exam' that morning, he had stayed away from her. Like he was avoiding her. First, he makes it painfully clear how happy he is that she's back, then avoids her like she's a disease or something. In fact, she was walking down the hall and he was walking the other way. They would have passed each other, but he seen her and quickly dodged into some random door. He tried to make it look casual, like that's where he was going, but Holiday highly doubted there was something important for him to do in the broom closet. She had just let it go, but now she wished that she hadn't

Since he had avoided her all day, she knew he would turn up soon. They still had work to do, and he hadn't come to get the recent medical report, yet. He probably thought that she would've gone to bed by now & just left it on the desk, but no. She was not going to give up like that so easily.

Holiday had started to think that maybe he wasn't coming. It was late. The lights were off, save for the small light on her desk. The radio still played softly in the background.

She still had things to do. Since she got home, Holiday hadn't gone to see her sister, yet. Plus, she had an audience with White in the morning.

Finally, she gave up and decided to just go to the Hole for a few minutes, then head straight to bed. She was about to rise from her chair, when her song came on.

Holiday stared at the radio. That song. It didn't remind her of the whole 'being captured and almost turned into an Evo' thing, like she thought it would. It reminded her of Six and Rex saving her. Yeah, Rex did actually 'save' her, but the song reminded her more of Six than anything else.

She still felt horribly guilty for believing that they wouldn't come for her. Well, that Six wouldn't. That, and getting captured, in the first place, and putting them through all of that.

"I'm still alive, but I'm barely breathing"

She rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly at the radio, her mind going in about four different directions at once.

"Just praying to a god that I don't believe in

Cuz I got time while she got freedom

Cuz when a heart breaks, no it don't break even."

Why does that remind me of him so much?

"You're still listening to that?"

Holiday jumped, she hadn't even heard the door open that time. Calming herself, she turned around to face him.

Six just stood there, like nothing happened. Like he hadn't just purposely snuck up on her again. Like he wasn't a paranoid wreck just a few hours ago. Like she hadn't almost died the day before. He was just Agent Six. At least, on the outside, he was.

She stood up, to get the report from the desk beside her. "I happen to like that song," she answered, not looking at him.

Two can play at that game!

He followed her. "Isn't it a little late, doctor?," he asked, just managing to keep his voice as unemotional as ever.

"It's not that late," she defended, straightening the papers. She held the paper work out to him, but he didn't take it.

"You're were about to go down there, weren't you?," he said. Six knew she hadn't had time to go check on her sister, yet. He also knew that the Petting Zoo was even more dangerous at night.

From the sudden daggers she shot at him with her gaze, he had guessed he was right.

Holiday was about to shove the papers down his throat.

How does he always know these things?

Six was going to object, but her glare told him 'Don't. Even. Say. Anything.' He promptly closed his mouth and took the papers.

She had trained him well.

"Her best days will be some of my worst

She finally found a man that's gonna put her first

While I'm wide awake, she's no trouble sleeping

Cuz when a heart breaks, no it don't break even."

"What?," she asked him.

Usually, he would take what he needed and promptly leave the room. From the way he had been acting all day, she thought he was going to leave the vicinity, but he hadn't moved.

Her words jogged him back to life.

Hmm? What?

Why hadn't he left? Why didn't he move? What was he just thinking about?

After a quick look around the room from under his shades, nothing really brought back the memory of whatever he was just thinking about. About to take his awkward leave, he looked down at her to tell her 'good night and be careful', when his throat cought and no words came.

Now he remembered. Her eyes. That's what stopped him. Except, he didn't know why. They weren't remarkable or anything, it was just her eyes. Beautiful, deep, brown eyes that he thought he was never going to see again.

She thought about saying something, but the fear that he might stop and run away made her be quiet. He had somehow gotten awfully close to her. They were about an inch apart. No, closer than that. Somewhere in the middle, he held her gently by her elbows. Faintly, she wondered where those papers had gone.

Probably out the window or something. Is he- Is he leaning in? No way. Not Six.

Without thinking, she had leaned in herself.

"What am I supposed to do when the best part of me, was always you?

And, what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're okay?"

From the direction of the light, and the close proximity, she could see his eyes. She knew that look. It wasn't sadness, or lust, or anger, or worry, or anything she had expected to see in his eyes at that moment. It was a look that she never expected to see from Six, especially for her.

Not even an inch away from her lips, all the little alarms in his head suddenly started going off.

What- What am I doing? Did I start this? What am I doing?

He stopped with tremendous effort, but just couldn't bring himself to pull away. "I'm glad you're alright," he whispered.

Oh god, Six. Just shut up and leave.

Holiday was still in la-la-land. It took all the stamina she had not to grab his tie and pull him in, but he had stopped. She knew why, but it just... wasn't right.

"Six," she whispered, but didn't really know what to say. She could still see his eyes, and they refused to look back at her.

He was about to say something, but instead, he listened to the little voice in his head and promptly left in a flash.

That time, she heard the door close. Holiday was still on the stunned side and figured that was just one of those things that didn't happen and will never happen again, but...

"I'm falling to pieces, yeah."

She looked over at the door he had just left through. That look he gave her. It wasn't passion, or joy, or concern. It was love.

"I'm falling to pieces."

o0o

Six made it back to his room, locked the door, slumped against the wall, and let out all the air he had been holding since he entered her lab.

What was that, Six? Huh? What did you do?

He sat on the floor and took his shades off.

He knew what that was. He wasn't some confused teenager, he knew exactly what that was. All day, he had been avoiding her for fear of him freaking out over her condition again. Finally, he had gained his composure long enough to go in, get those papers, and get out.

Now, the paper work was on the floor in front of him, completly forgotten. He looked up at the ceiling.

Long before any of this 'Van Kleiss' business had started, he knew to stay away from her. He knew that she could push just the right buttons to make him feel... well, anything. Sympathy, compassion, and now!

Damn women. No. Not women. Just her. Just Holiday.

Great! Now, he was thinking about her again.

o0o

It was early and Holiday hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

I wonder why.

She had made a point to go around all of Six's routes that morning, just to get to White Knight's office. She was a little worried about the meeting, knowing what it was about. She shrugged off her ridiculous fear, and walked in.

Knight was already online. "You wished to see me?," she said, back in professional mode.

"Yes, Doctor," he said over the line. "I now know everything that had happened in Abysus. That Rex had... cured you. Except, we have seen this method of changing people, like yourself, before. We know the risks."

By 'we', she assumed 'him', since she had never heard of seen something like this.

"Therefore," he continued, "we're going to have to let you go."

Holiday's mind stalled.

"Sir?," she asked, at a slight confusion.

"I'm sorry, Holiday. You're fired," he plainly said.

"Fired?," she asked again.

Wait. This is Providence. I'm being fired from Providence.

She quickly turned to see the locked door behind her. A few of the panels on the walls opened, revealing nothing, but red-dot lasers pointed all over her body.

"I know this wasn't your fault," he said, completely uncaring, "but you understand."

His signal cut out. She spun around to face the door, knowing it was already hopeless.

She reached out her hand and started to run to it. Without realizing, she screamed.

"Six!"

She heard a loud, terrible sound.

Then a long, terrible silence.

Then, nothing.

o0o

Yeah.

I'm ready.

Let the flaming burn.

Just remember, people! The fic is not over, yet!

R&R