[IC] To be or not to be (Heroes)

[StarBoi]

Jack's eyes widened at the question. "Why?" She had asked. Why did he always want to help her. "That's just how I am." He retorted quickly. But it wasn't true. He wasn't like that. He wasn't that way at all. He didn't care about the well-being of others. Just her. But why? "It's irritating." He told her. "Irritating that I can't give you an answer because I don't fucking know myself."

"Maybe it's because. You're different."

That was the truth. Lex was different than any girl he had ever met, she treated him like he wasn't something special, she practically had to force herself to put up with him. He wanted her to like him, whether it meant getting with her or not, he finally didn't care. This was deeper than that, this was about something else entirely. It was about being accepted and about making someone understand.

Even possibly it was about making someone not hate him.

"I want to ask why you hate me, but I already know the answer." Jack made Lexa sit by pushing her hand off his shoulder and pressing on her shoulders so she would sit. Then he backed away. "You make me feel things I've never felt before. and I'm not talking about that lovey dovey shit. I'm talking about... you make me feel... human... I guess?"

[c3p-0h]

Lexa didn't know what to do with that answer. She didn't even know how to touch it. The weight in his words pressed down on her, nearly taking her breath away. If she'd had a hard time standing before, there was no way in hell she was managing it now. And asking him for help now after… that… it was completely out of the question.

Whatever she'd expected him to say, it hadn't been that.

She… made him feel human? He looked at her like she was a question. Like she was the answer. And what… was she supposed to be responsible for him then? His link back to humanity, to pull him back from whatever depths he'd dropped to?

Whoever Jack thought Lexa was… she wasn't that person. She could barely keep track of her own humanity, let alone someone else's.

But she didn't hate him. She knew that with shocking certainty. Lexa didn't like him. But after everything… she couldn't say she hated him either. Lexa wasn't sure how that had happened. She wasn't sure how any of this had happened. Care-taking and bizarre confessions and a tenuous sort of peace between them. A confused swirl of emotions churned within her, and she was too tired to pick them out and name them all. Confusion and apprehension were the only two she knew.

Lexa didn't know what to do with all of it. She looked away.

"I need to rest," Lexa finally said, breaking the silence, and any sort of moment they might've been having. She pushed herself back to her place in the center of the bed, and tried not to think on how she was laying down in his sheets, on his pillow, in his home, about to willingly sleep in front of him. Most of all, she tried not to think on how… she wasn't afraid of what he'd do when she slept. "I'll be ready to leave in the morning." Well, she wasn't exactly sure about that. She'd never had to recover from something like this before. Who knew how long it'd take her body to bounce back after this round of abuse? But she was leaving this damn confusing place as soon as she could do it with asking Jack for help, even if it meant she had to crawl her way back to reality.

She looked up at Jack one last time, almost reluctant.

"…Thanks."

Lexa was gone before dawn had even finished stretching its rose red fingers across the sky.

---

A week later and Lexa hadn't put on her uniform since that night. She was fully recovered, new scar and all. But something made her hesitate when she looked at her black outfit, folded under the rest of her clothes in her drawer.

She didn't even have her sword, Lexa tried to explain to herself. It had been buried in the rubble of that warehouse, and if not, then it was likely in police custody. She'd have to take it back, if they had it. If not… time to look for a new signature weapon.

(That sword had been a gift from her brother when she'd gotten her black belt. Well, from her parents. Her brother hadn't had that kind of money, but it'd been his idea and his name on the card. A heavy sorrow weighed her down at the idea of losing it forever.)

At least the city had been relatively quiet. Only average, petty theft and trespassing. Nothing that required her immediate attention. No news about the card deck villains, or Shirley (whether or not he'd survived the warehouse) or… Jack. That was for the best, she told herself. She didn't need that whole mess cluttering up her life.

It was ten at night when Lexa was walking back home from a closing shift at the bookstore, tired from trying to throw a couple out who just wouldn't leave. She walked slowly, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket and looked up at the light-polluted night sky. A pair of footsteps was trailing behind her. Following her. She knew because she'd taken four unnecessary turns, and still the steps echoed behind her. She was starting to get annoyed. Finally she stopped walking.

She turned to face the figure fully.

"Wrong night, wrong girl." Her tone was decidedly unimpressed. "What do you want."

[StarBoi]

Jack had spent the next week recovering. Mostly emotionally. Lex had left but with a small thanks in the midst. It almost made him feel special. ALMOST. The next week or so he really didn't know what to do. He spent quite a bit of time at the bar where his 'friends' wondered what had happened with his last 'conquest'. Well. What had happened? Hell he couldn't even remember at this point. His mind was going or, it was already gone. All Jack knew was that she still had a rather strong disliked for him and there was not a thing he could do about it. He was branded a killer and she hated him because of it.

He hadn't returned to the bookstore since. There was no chance in hell he was going to risk running into Lexa again. Since she was healed she probably would have ended his life for real. And he couldn't bare the thought. So. He got drunk and continued to get drunk for days until it finally took a toll on his unnaturally resilient body. Jack stayed home the next couple of days, sick as a dog, with his goat to take care of him. Not that that did much for him. In any case. The alcohol allowed him to have some fun while it lasted. Now if only he could feel that light-hearted feeling all the time...

---

The man in the suit had been following her quite a ways. Wherever she turned he followed. He wasn't about to lose her and risk getting his head ripped off by his boss. Once she finally stopped, so did he and when she turned to face him all he did was smile warmly with hands clasped in front of him. "Miss Alexandrie" The man said calmly. "I am not here to fight. Forgive me for tailing you. It's just that. My superior would like an audience with you. And I knew no other way to get to you then after work."

"Also. My superior has something of yours that he would like to return to you. If you would kindly make an appearance." The suited man held out a business card with nothing on it but an address.

[c3p-0h]

The hair on the back of her neck prickled when he said her name. Something about him set Lexa off, put her on alert. She stayed her ground.

Then he can send it in the mail." Anticipation was a slow building wave within her. "Who is he and what does he want me for?" Her voice was hard and demanding, though she didn't raise it. She was on alert, ready to act in case this guy wanted trouble.

[StarBoi]

"I believe you and him have met in the past. And if I may. It is because of him that you have the abilities that you do. You owe it to him to show yourself don't you think? Because of him you are able to save the city and what not. You should know, you and my superior both have a common interest. Serving the people. And you both have a rather strong dislike for the one they call Black Jack." The suited man knelt and rested the card on the ground in front of him. "If you would be so kind as to come, it would bring my boss great joy. He could tell you so much about your past that you don't know. He can help you with your night terrors."

It was insane what this man seemed to know about her. The only reason he did was because they had had someone watching her since her encounter with Shirley. They knew all they needed to know about her. All this man's boss needed was for her to come to him. Then things would get interesting.

[c3p-0h]

He… what? Lexa's expression didn't change as she glared at the man, but inside she was a swirl of confusion. What he was talking about… he could only be talking about Shirley, right? They'd met before, they both disliked Jack (well, for all appearances Lexa did, at least) and Shirley was responsible for Jack's abilities.

But this man was saying he was responsible for Lexa's powers too.

That was impossible. Nothing had happened to her to give her abilities. She just... had them. She'd been able to teleport since before she could remember. No experiments, no torture that haunted Jack. He said he had answers about her past. But Lexa had no questions. She'd come from a kind family, a stable home, and a quiet life, the past year not included. Lexa knew who she was.

A ball of anxiousness mixed with confusion settled in her stomach.

The man mentioned her nightmares and she snapped to attention. How the hell did he know about those? Realization struck her followed by anger. They'd been watching her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Like I said," she bit out, "wrong girl." Lexa pulled herself back. These people… if it really was Shirley, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Lexa didn't doubt her abilities, but she had to admit (reluctantly) that going to him herself, on her own terms, was the smarter option rather than waiting to get jumped by a bunch of goons. Even if her skin crawled at going back to meet that monster.

And she couldn't deny the tiny seed of curiosity at what he thought he knew about her. She grit her teeth together and forced the next words out.

"But if he's so set on meeting me, fine. I'll tell him in person." It was going to be a long night.

[StarBoi]

Jack was lying in bed, wearing nothing but sweatpants. His right forearm covered his eyes as he dozed off here and there, trying to stay awake. It was around ten o' clock and he did not feel the urge to sleep but did in fact feel like shit from drinking so much the past few days. His head ached along with his body from puking so much prior to laying down. It was worth it however. The alcohol always made him feel so alive, so free. Like, for once he didn't have to be a tortured soul forced to kill those who he knew were just as bad off as him.

The young man was semi-dreaming about being drunk when there was a loud knock on the front door. Bob came into his room and baa'd noisily at him. "What is it Baaaab?" Jack muttered, removing his arm from his face and sitting up. All the blood rushed to his head and he fell back. Bob made the same almost panicked-sounding noise but even louder. "A sales person.. this late at night?" His red eyes stared up at the ceiling for a moment before he forced himself out of bed and headed to the front door. Another semi-aggressive knock could be heard at the front door. He did not think to grab a weapon, he never assumed the worst when it came to answering the door. No one he hated knew where he lived so he was safe.

When he opened the door there was a large man standing there in a suit. "Whoa. Look at you King Kong!"

The man grunted and his hand shot out, gripping Jack's throat tightly.

"Wh-whoa, I don't do second base on the first date!" He joked, trying to free himself from the man's grasp. The large man lifted his hand like he was going to punch Jack, then, everything went black.

---

Shirley waited in the penthouse of a tall business building. He sat behind his desk in a rolling chair with elbows resting on the desk. It was only a matter of time before his plan went into action. He got a notification from his phone sitting on the desk. Trick was coming to him. And then another this one a lot more subtle. Shirley ignored the second notification and continued to wait, she'd be here any minute. Coming up the elevator so he could greet her. It was going to go smoothly. For her sake he hoped so.

[c3p-0h]

Lexa had to fight to control herself. She didn't like this slimy suited man, she didn't like the things he had to say, she didn't like the sleek black car or how he opened the door for her or how she had to sit next to him or how they blindfolded her. She stewed in quiet anger the entire ride.

They didn't remove the blindfold until they were standing in an elevator. Lexa watched the numbers flash over the door until the screen read PH. The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors slid open. Lexa walked forward into what looked like a wide open office. It was modern and well lit with huge, floor to ceiling windows. Lexa couldn't help a raised eyebrow to see that they'd all been blacked out. They'd taken precautions.

Shirley sat behind an ornate desk at the far end of the room. Lexa stood her ground as the elevator doors closed behind her. She didn't say anything. Just watched him. He wanted her here. He could speak first.

[StarBoi]

Shirley smiled at her. At last, he could talk face to face with his past experiment. "Alexandrie, how good to see you again." If she hadn't noticed, his left hand was missing, a robotic hand in it's place. He had that kind of money and power. "I have lots to tell you about, and even two presents for you. Not just one. But two." He reached under his desk and pulled out her sword, sheath and all holding it out in both hands. One of his cronies gently took his from his hands and walked over to Lex, handing it to her. Shirley knew he was enabling the girl to fight him, but he was unafraid. He knew he had too much to offer her for her to kill him.

"That's one, from me to you. I know this means something to you. So I'm glad I could get it back to you. I apologize for our previous encounter. I wasn't myself at the time and that boy Jack does tend to get to me." With a deep breath, Shirley continued. "I'd like to talk to you about your past and how you got your powers while we are waiting for your second gift to be delivered. Is that okay with you?"

[c3p-0h]

She really shouldn't have been surprised to see him pull out her sword, clean and undamaged. In fact, it actually looked better than ever – like they'd taken the time to restore it from mint condition. Lexa found herself irritated this, that they thought they had any right to alter her sword. She took it from the man and held it down by her side, still not speaking. Its familiar weight grounded her.

Smug pride tinged her as she looked at his robotic hand – a replacement for the flesh one she'd ruined. Served the bastard right.

Lexa met his patronizing questions with stony silence. He was speaking to her like she was a child and it only served to stoke her irritation. She told herself she didn't give a shit whatever he had to say. She knew who she was, her own past. Lexa knew where she came from. Her powers were just a freak occurrence. And Shirley was by all accounts a murderous, sociopathic prick.

But still, Lexa stayed.

[StarBoi]

He was glad she had stayed, he was looking forward to seeing how she would react to his second gift to her. She did not reply to him so he continued. "You see, before you were born, me and my people conducted some experiments on your mother to see if we could give you abilities easier than giving abilities to that of a fully formed child. The experiments were a success and once you were born you had amazing powers with which we tested you again and again to see what you were capable of. This is why you have the nightmares you do. My men may have been a bit rough on you. But you seem to have grown up just fine." He smirked. "My other experiments on the other hand seemed to not have handled the processes very well. Jack for example."

Shirley kept on. "Your mother and father took you away from us so you could live a normal life. Which, we allowed. In any case. We are so glad to have found you again. You have really grown up to be something incredible. Furthermore... We can help you. We can make you even more powerful, we can get rid of your nightmares. We can help you help more people. Would you like that?"

[c3p-0h]

Lexa kept her expression neutral as his words flowed over her, but there was an undeniable tenseness to her as they soaked in. He… this had to be a lie. Some sort of trick to get her, to take advantage of her.

But in a distanced portion of Lexa's mind, she knew what he said about her made a morbid sort of sense. Her power. Her nightmares. Gruesome scars, faded with age, she'd had for as long as she could remember but never explain.

She looked at Shirley with wary eyes. Either he was telling the truth and he'd experimented on and tortured her as a baby just like he had with the others, or he was lying through his teeth to get her on his side. Either way, the aforementioned title of murderous sociopathic prick held true.

Here before her stood the devil in a nice suit, and he was asking her to make a deal.

It really was no question what her answer would be.

"Nice story," she said in a surprisingly calm voice, "But like I told your goon, you've got the wrong girl. Thanks for the sword." And as casually as you please, Lexa turned back towards the elevator. She didn't expect Shirley to take no for an answer, and stayed on her guard. She was curious as to how long he'd keep up the cordial act for.

[StarBoi]

"Wait. I am, in fact, telling the truth. And I believe in the back of your mind you know I am. Regardless of all that. Wouldn't you like to see what I've prepared for you, before you go?" His voice was just as calm as her. He could keep cordial with her all day if he had too. He wanted her on his side and he was willing to go the distance to get what he wanted. Before Lexa arrived at the elevator it made a ping noise as it had arrived. "Ah. Just in time." A devilish grin formed on Shirley's face as Lexa was not looking. He had quite the surprise for Lexa.

When the elevator doors opened, there was no doubt she would be stunned. There were two burly men in the elevator, each holding one arm of their captive. It was Jack. Shirtless and barefoot with dark bruises already covering his body from them beating him on the way over. His left eye was blackened and swollen shut, a cloth gag had been thrust into his mouth and tied around his head so he couldn't joke around as he always did.

They dragged the bound and beaten Jack around Lexa and forced him onto his knees in front of Shirley's desk. "Jack, how lovely to see you again." Shirley stood and smirked down at Jack. Jack looked up at Shirley, glaring up at him. He hadn't even noticed Lexa there. "This is your second gift. It's your opportunity to kill the nuisance who has been plaguing your city with death and destruction."

Jack turned his head to see who Shirley was talking to and his eyes grew wide when he saw Lex. She was working with him? Was she working with him this whole time? Was the whole fight scene just a show? His hands balled into fists behind his back. He tried to stand up but the burly men held him on his knees this time facing Lexa. "Go ahead, do as you wish with him. End his murderous reign over the city."

[c3p-0h]

Lexa's first instinct was to ask if Shirley had remembered to get a gift receipt. Because… the hell kind of gift was this? Was Shirley… was he serious right now? Lexa looked down at Jack, bruised and bloody, and more of a mess than he usually was. Lexa tried to not be thankful for the gag in his mouth. She really didn't need any of his sass adding to this situation.

Somehow this meeting had spiraled out of any sense of control. She stared down at Jack, then back up at Shirley. Coming to a decision, she drew herself up to her full height.

"He doesn't reign over this city," Lexa said in a steely voice. "I do." She'd dropped all pretense of not being Trick. She unsheathed her sword in a long, smooth motion.

In the next moment she teleported just behind jack, in between the two men holding him. She stabbed the sword into the ground, piercing the rope that held his wrists. Yanking the sword out, she sheathed it again and took a step back. The rope was still in place, but just barely – the cut hadn't severed it entirely, but it'd take little effort for Jack to free himself.

"I've done as I wished," she said, mimicking his earlier words. Her eyebrow was raised slightly in challenge. She pushed the guard who held him down away and grabbed Jack roughly by the arm and tried to haul his dead weight to a standing position. "And now we're leaving." Jack was a pain in the ass, but even then Lexa couldn't bring herself to kill again. Especially not for this ass' agenda.

[StarBoi]

Jack was unsure of who's side she was really on. She teleported behind him and cut the ropes just enough for him to break free. With what strength he had left he snapped the ropes and stumbled to his feet as she pulled up him. The young man tore the gag from his mouth, leaving it around his neck. "Thanks..." He said wary of her.

Shirley crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the display. She must've have cared at least a little for Jack considering she had set him free instead of taking her chance to kill him. Who was this girl to deny his gift to her. They both wanted Jack dead didn't they? Why hadn't she taken the young man's life? "Alexand- Lexa, dear. If you could only stop to think what you're doing. You're setting free a criminal that I have captured for you. Don't you return criminals to prison where they belong. Or taken to killing them. Whatever you do you should do it now while you have the opportunity." Shirley told her.

The pale white haired young man, smirked and turned to spit at the ones who had bloodied him up. "Suck my dick, Shirley, she's not going to kill me and she's not going to turn me in..." He turned once more to face Lexa. "You aren't going to do those things, are ya?" He tilted his head slightly, questioning her. If she really was with Shirley, wouldn't she have killed him? It didn't make any sense. And yet, she seemed to be there on her own accord, not forced or anything.

He didn't have time to think about it when the two goons went after him. She may not have been a killer but he was, and he would have no problem taking the lives of those who had injured him. Jack knelt, trying to keep his balance as he did so and pressed his palms against the ground, pulling them up slowly. He seemed to be a bit of a one trick pony at this point as he transmuted his two scimitars from the carpeted floor. As he stood up he swung them around, tucking them in between his arms and his torso. "Cover me." He said to Lexa. Jack ran toward the men as they ran toward him.

It was pretty much a blur but with his two weapons, they barely had any time to bring their wrath down upon him before they were both stabbed in the gut. "How's that?" He pressed his feet against their torsos and used that to launch of of them, backflipping away and landing beside Lex. "We better get going, doll."

[c3p-0h]

Lexa's eyes flashed a dangerous gold at Shirley at the casual assumption that she'd taken to killing her enemies. She let go of Jack's arm when he was standing (mostly) upright and gave him a flat look when he double checked with her to make sure he wasn't going to be turned in.

Oh, she was absolutely turning him in. Just because she wasn't going to execute him in cold blood didn't mean he was off the hook. Then Jack was a blur of motion, killing the men who'd been holding him down. Lexa really shouldn't have been surprise. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting when she released him. Maybe she should've kept the ropes and just take out the goons herself. He'd still be tied up, she could handle herself, and best of all, he'd wouldn't have been able to take out the gag from his mouth.

But alas, the dye had been cast. Jack was out and murdering people again. Lexa didn't even bother drawing her sword. As soon as Jack had returned to her side, she grabbed his arm and teleported back to the elevator, slamming her fist on the button. Lexa didn't release her grip on Jack's arm, both to make sure he didn't get away, and to keep him upright. Fancy acrobatics or no, he look just about dead on his feet. Who knew how long the adrenaline would last.

Shirley looked pissed. He was stalking towards them with a thunderous look on his face, over the two bodies. The elevator dinged open and Lexa half lead, half dragged Jack in. She pushed once on the door-close button and hit the button with a G on it. The door slid closed.

Elevator music started playing. Lexa found herself oddly irritated at it. Her hand was still gripping Jack's arm, the other tight around her sheathed sword. She gave a quiet sigh and closed her eyes as the elevator dinged at different floors.

[StarBoi]

Shirley was in fact, pissed. As soon as they disappeared into the elevator, he called for reinforcements on his blue tooth ear piece. "Alexandrie has escaped with the prisoner. Find them. Do not hesitate to kill him. But bring her to me alive."

---

Jack would have preferred to wrap an arm around Lex's shoulder instead of her clutching his arm as tightly as she was. But whatever, she was helping him stay on his feet. He still didn't know who's side she was on. But she seemed to be rescuing him so for the moment, he didn't care.

"So.... what are you going to do with me?" He almost knew the answer. Lex was going to bring him to the police where they'd put him in a straight jacket and am muzzle like Hannibal Lector. Jack gritted his teeth at the thought. "Listen, Lex. I..."

There was another ping as they stopped halfway from the ground floor. The elevator doors opened and Jack readied his weapon in his free arm.

It happened before he could react. A bullet whizzed through the air and hit him appearing to pierce through his heart. If he was limp before he was definitely limp now. "AGHHH!!" He collapsed to his knees, clutching his heart, then he fell flat on his stomach.

A man tries to enter the elevator but the doors closed to quickly for him to reach them.

[c3p-0h]

Lexa jumped back with a curse at the clatter of gunfire, releasing her hold on Jack's arm. She watched him collapse to the ground as the elevator doors slid closed. Crimson blood painted the walls and pooled beneath his body. Her heart in her throat, Lexa knelt down. Her hand hesitated before it found its way to Jack's neck. But she couldn't tell if the pounding she felt was his heart or her own.

The elevator dinged again as it passed by another floor.

"Shit shit shit shit shit."

Lexa lifted his torso, using her knee to help support his weight. One arm was under his shoulders, the other over his waist trying to keep him in place. His hot blood was leaking all over her, staining her clothes and skin, slick and sticky and so red. She clutched him in an iron grip and looked up, eyes focused on the door.

The elevator finally slowed to a stop again on the ground floor.

As soon as the door slid open enough for Lexa to see out into the lobby, she and Jack were gone. They teleported past the group of armed gunmen, already opening fire on the empty elevator, out the building, and through the city, Lexa’s grip never easing from Jack’s limp body. Adrenalin pounded in her very bones. The world was a frantic blur of motion as she jumped through space. All that mattered was that Jack couldn’t die, she couldn’t watch someone die again.

Somehow they ended up in the empty, darkened dance studio that had doubled as Lexa’s aikido dojo before she’d quit. Lexa was a statue, clutching Jack’s body, blood already starting to pool on the floor beneath them. She was still kneeling, in the same position she’d been in in the elevator. Lexa couldn’t move. He was dying, maybe already dead in her arms, and she couldn’t move. She’d been so focused on getting away she hadn’t prepared herself to deal with the reality of the situation: she had to save him.

Now what?

With a jolt Lexa forced herself to let go of Jack. Stiff fingers uncurled from their grip around his shoulder and side, and Jack’s body fell unceremoniously to the floor, hitting her knee and turning so he landed on his stomach. Her sword fell next to him. Her hands were shaking. In the darkness, the blood was black as pitch on her skin.

Lexa stumbled to her feet and took a step back, absently running a hand through her crimson hair. Blood stuck the strands together in messy clumps as she tried to control her breathing and reclaim some sort of direction in her racing thoughts. He was dying Shirley was a liar she had to help him she wasn't ready for this she wasn't qualified he was dead he was dead he was dead she couldn't do this.

But she knew someone who could.

At the first hint of a solution, Lexa teleported away.

Before long she was in a tiny apartment, dark save for the light coming from a laptop screen. Tyrell was stretched out on the couch, one large arm behind his head as a pillow, and a laptop sitting on his chest playing some animated movie Lexa didn't have the interest in identifying. His eyelids were drooping and he wore nothing but a pair of long, checkered sleeping pants. His dark hair was a tangled mess, already showing the early signs of bedhead.

"Ty."

"Woah!" His alarmed shout was followed by a thud as Tyrell jumped in surprise and fell from the couch. The laptop landed in a clatter on the floor, exaggerated voices still coming from its speakers. His eyes darted around before finally finding Lexa's form in front of him. "…Lex?" He started to push himself up. "How did you – did I give you a key?"

"I'm sorry," she said, reaching for him. "I don't have time to explain." The light from the laptop shined off the fresh blood on her hand and Tyrell's eyes widened at the sight. Finally standing up, he caught her wrist.

"Is that blood?" He looked down from her dirty hand up to her face and squinted in the darkness. Concern was rapidly outgrowing confusion. "What the hell happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Her answer was too fast, too sharp to be sincere. "But I need your help and I need you to trust me, ok?" His eyebrows pushed together and he opened his mouth to question her again. But they were already teleporting halfway through the city, back to the dance studio to Jack's body. As soon as they stopped moving, Tyrell released Lexa's wrist and stumbled back, falling.

"Jesus fuck!" He looked ready to throw up. His eyes were wide, darting this way and that without really focusing on anything. Lexa took a step towards him and the movement immediately caught his attention. "What the shit was that?!"

"Teleportation." Tyrell froze and looked around again. Guilt mixed with frustration in the pit of Lexa's stomach. He was her friend and he deserved answers but they didn't have time for this. "I'm sorry, I'll explain I promise." She teleported to the wall and slammed a hand on the light switch. Bright light flickered on, momentarily blinding them and revealing the bloody mess that was Jack. "But he's dying and I need you to save him." Tyrell froze at the sight. Glancing at Lexa, he rose onto shaky feet and moved towards Jack.

"Christ, Lex…"

"He took a bullet in the chest that I think is still in there, and he was pretty roughed up before that." In a distant part of Lexa's mind, she was amazed at how even her voice was, how clinical she sounded – like she was just stating facts, and not having an internal break-down. She watched as Tyrell moved Jack onto his back and recognition flashed in his eyes. He looked at the bullet hole, perilously close to the heart. "I can't take him to a hospital and I didn't know what else to do." Tyrell felt the pulse point at Jack's neck and Lexa's own pulse jumped. What if he was–

"He's got a pulse." Relief was staggering. Tyrell looked down at Jack, hands floating around him like he didn't know what to do. "We can't remove the bullet. If he's not dead yet then the blood loss from that will kill him." He pinched Jack's nose closed and lowered himself over Jack's mouth. Tyrell blew and Lexa watched the rise of Jack's chest. "Lungs aren't punctured." Tyrell was speaking in the same detached voice Lexa used. "But the bullet probably hit an artery." He looked up at her. "Lex, I… I'm a nurse, not a surgeon. He needs a hospital–"

"I can't," she cut him off. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed the heels of her palms into them. "I can't take him to a hospital." She couldn't risk them discovering Jack's powers and who he was, she couldn't risk Shirley finding them, and she couldn't risk Jack waking up and hurting any civilians at the hospital. She could protect Tyrell on his own. She had to. She opened her eyes again. "Ty, please. You're all I have." The honesty in Lexa's voice was pitiful to her own ears. Tyrell stared at her for a long moment, torn. Then he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I need surgical tools." Lexa was gone before he'd even finished speaking. She returned in less that fifteen seconds with a borrowed satchel of surgical knives and clamps. Tyrell was quiet and stunned, still not used to her teleporting around. He opened his mouth, probably to question where she'd gotten that from and if it was stolen, but seemed to think better of it. "We should be doing this somewhere sanitary. An infection–"

"He can deal with it." Something told her an infection would do little to slow Jack down, if he could even get one. Lexa looked at him and something shifted in her eyes. "He's hard to kill." There was almost a grudging sort of respect in the admission. Tyrell raised an eyebrow before opening up the satchel.

"Ok, c'mere. I'm gonna need help." He pulled out a portable container of latex surgical gloves and put on a pair before holding it out for Lexa. She hesitated, looking from the gloves to Tyrell. Then down at Jack, pale and bleeding. Setting her jaw, she stepped forward to take the gloves.

[StarBoi]

Everything was fuzzy. Jack couldn’t hear much and couldn’t see anything. He had his eyes squeezed shut and was only semi-conscious while everything was going on. Of course he wanted to say something, anything, to let Trick know he wasn’t dead. But… Nothing would come out of his mouth. There was a searing pain in his chest. Was he going to die…? Was she going to let him die? She had at least taken him away from Shirley’s place, so that was good. He had no idea where they were, all he knew was that he felt sick and that he was losing a lot of blood.
As he drifted in and out of consciousness Jack couldn’t tell if he was alone. He had no idea where she had taken him. After a while he had lost consciousness. There was so much blood everywhere, his blood, he was going to die. Even if the bullet hadn’t pierced through his heart, it was all over…

Jack didn’t dream about what he normally dreamt about. There were no torture, no pain, no Shirley. This dream was different. There was a girl. It was Lexa. She was worried about him, almost painfully so. Lex was some distance away, yelling his name with her hands cupped at her mouth. Jack reached for her, but couldn't get up off of the ground. "Lex!!" He shouted back to her.

Time passed, the dream continued. But not much happened. She kept running toward him but never getting closer. A sharp pain shot through his chest. "Aghhh! What is this???" He raised his hand to clutch his chest. "What's going on?" By now it felt like he was falling, falling into nothingness with a light above him, Lex was gone. "Lex??"

His eyes eased open and it felt like he had just come back from the dead. Jack was weak and everything hurt. "L...Lex..." His voice was meager, he couldn't say much else. The bullet wound that he hardly remembered was pretty much healed up. He looked left, looked right. Where was he, what was going on? Who had saved him? Was he really alive?

[c3p-0h]

When Jack woke up, it was to a dirty, bloody, tired Lexa curled in a corner of the dark studio. It wasn't the furthest corner from him, but she'd squeezed herself as far as she could go into it, careful distance separating them. One knee was propped up, while the other rested on the side. An arm was thrown carelessly over the higher knee, and Lexa's head was bowed, face pressed into her thin shoulder as a makeshift pillow. She was tantalizingly close to sleep when she heard a sound.

Her head immediately shot up and her muscles tensed. Amber eyes flashed the briefest gold in the darkness. Then her gaze found Jack's body, so still it could've been dead. And she saw the slight rise of his chest. A feeling she wouldn't dare name washed over her, easing the tension she wore like armor. The brief flash of adrenaline was gone as quickly as it'd come, leaving an undeniable need to rest in its wake. But more than that, a curious willingness to rest. She closed her eyes for a long moment and then forced them open again to look at Jack, alive against all odds.

"You're like a damn cockroach," she said quietly, voice a broken rasp. Lexa honestly didn't think he'd make it. She knew she had to check on him, let him know he was safe for the time being, see about getting him some proper medical care. But Lexa couldn't move from her spot in the corner. Her body was frozen in time, refusing to close the distance.