Story: Fighting Spirits
Chapter: 2. Unable to stop

Pending Pairings WITHIN the story (not the chapter, the story): Bella/Xander (both OCs), Max/Alex and Original Cindy/? (I’m thinking about it)
Chapter Rating: M (Curse words, and plenty)

Sexual Contents: There is nakedness, sexual intentions, etc. but nothing DETAILED (Originally, this fic was meant to be adult, but doesn’t like that, that is why we have Dark Angel doesn’t belong to me, but if it did, it might have lasted more than two season’s lol and don’t worry, not getting any profit from this, duuuh.

sibyl411 - Yay! One review! Curiosity is good, although they do say something about it and a cat. I'm afraid this chapter didn't turn out as good as I wanted it to be (blame the lack of sleep since I actually stayed awake for two whole days straight a day ago, finals and my recent Firefly obsession), but I promise the third will be better. I already have a few twists and plans.

Author’s Note: I took a longer time to write this due to finals and because I’m obsessed with reading Firefly (Mal/River) fanfics, so bear with me.

Alec’s POV

I looked down at the empty cup and asked Dix for a refill. Terminal City had become an official city, more or less. They actually fixed the place up, there were bars, little stores and a lot of apartments. Can’t forget the security either. They used to let some humans in, but some of them ended up being religious freaks trying to get close to bomb the place. The only respectable humans that were let in after that were most of the crew from Jam Pony, which wasn’t good business for Normal, but he barely cared anymore which made everyone think he lost it.

“Dammit, why all the good ones married?” asked Sketch looking up at T.V. I heard the news, but wasn’t really listening. Some politic chick confessed she was married to a transgenic. Congratu-fucking-lations I thought in my head as I downed the drink in one gulp.

“Hey there boo, what’s eatin’ you?” asked O.C. I just shrugged and looked past her.

“Hey Sketch, what’s up with your girlfriend? She’s taken?” I asked. O.C. rolled her eyes at me.

“She’s married, man, married.” he said sitting next to me with a look of defeat.

“Bout time you figured out it wasn’t gonna happen anyways.” said O.C.

“Hey, hey, a man should never stop dreaming. You say that, but next thing you know, one day, she’s gonna come bursting in and of all the people in the bar, she’s gonna talk to me” he said. I couldn’t help but smile. He was delusional.

“So Alec, how’s Max?” she asked. I took the empty glass and banged it on the bar table a little so Dix would fill it up. I downed it in a second.

“She’s not coming out. Not tonight, anyways” I muttered. Not any night. I looked around the room. So this is what our independence is like? Everyone is confined into a little city, we go outside, we either kill or be killed, man how I miss just laying low, but ever since that mission, where we wiped out White’s little cult and came face to face with Sandeman, well, our faces were pretty well known. Some idiot got the whole mess recorded, but like always they didn’t get the story straight. According to them, it was just a blood bath, transgenics fighting over territory and the most dangerous ones won. The humans wouldn’t know the fact that we saved their lives, they wouldn’t know that there was something worse than us and they definitely wouldn’t know that the bombing of the building wasn’t a terrorist attack, but an obligation to save their pathetic little lives. Ah hell. I threw some bills on the bar. “See you guys later” I muttered when O.C. grabbed onto the sleeve of my jacket.

“Sure you’re okay, boo?” she asked. I had to give it to her, she cared. She didn’t belong here, but she still hung around. She practically had a home here.

“Hey, I’m a big boy, aren’t I? I’ll be fine, just going to get some air” I said giving her a drunk smile as I walked to the outside. I put my hands inside my pockets as I looked at the sky. I looked at the Space Needle from afar, barely able to get a clear view. I wondered if she was there. I wondered if she was anywhere.

Original Cindy’s POV

“Hey OC, when am I going to get the chance to make you straight?” asked Sketchy. I groaned.

“Boo, you couldn’t make me straight even if you got a sex change. Dix honey, stop givin him any more of those drinks” I said, knowing the booze here was made specially to get transgenics drunk quicker, we didn’t stand a chance. I looked out the window and noticed Alec still outside. Poor guy, probably so confused he don’t know whether to walk or crawl. Suddenly I heard a loud thud. “Damned fool” I muttered.

“Don’t worry Mss. Cindy, we’ll pick him right up and just let him sleep it off” said Dix. I smiled.

“Thanks boo, and when are you going to start calling me O.C.?” I asked. He bowed his head.

“Sorry, bad habit” he muttered.

“It’s aiight… Hey Dix, could you answer a few questions for me?” I asked leaning forward, he stepped closer.

“Sure” he whispered.

“Being that you’re bartender and all, people talk to you a lot… people like Alec, right?” I asked. He laughed.

“Oh no, that one’s a stone. He used to talk his mouth off before, especially when the drink started getting to him, but after… well… Logan died, and Max went all crazy, he hasn’t been talking to anyone.” he said. You telling me. I looked outside to see he wasn’t there anymore. Poor guy had fallen and he had fallen hard, and like every other man he was too damn stubborn to let anyone help him out.

Max’s POV

I let the breeze hit my face. The air was cold and heavy… or maybe it was just me, who cares. I looked over the city I had grown so attached to. I’d been close to leaving a lot of times, but there was always something holding me back… After he died… There was nothing holding me back and I was feeling a greater urge to run, to just roam around without a care until everything went black. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes according to plan. I had O.C., Joshua, Sketchy… and I guess, Alec. I had this city full of transgenics that looked up to me for orders, well, all except Mole who still had something for us X’s. I brought my legs closer to my chest so I could rest my chin on it. These last couple years have been crazy, one thing after another… Just when I think I’m about to make a run for it, something happens. Jam Pony has been vandalized a few times, Sketch was even kidnapped once and O.C. got into a fight after some idiot threw a broken bottle to Joshua. The cops? They never did anything, unless a transgenic did something a human. Figures.

After Logan died I… I did some crazy shit, okay? Alec actually chased me around, had my back covered, and once the craziness was done, I did something crazier. I slept with him. I avoided him for weeks, until he cornered me and, don’t ask me how, we ended up in bed again. The cycle became so constant to a point where I knew it was unavoidable and I just let it happen if anything happened, but I was completely detached. That’s when I figured Alec liked it too much… liked me too much. I started creating a line between us that would only be crossed on special occasions. I couldn’t leave Seattle, I wouldn’t leave Joshua, O.C. or Sketch, but I wouldn’t let them get too close either. Anyone who got too close got hurt. I was always on the move, on the motorcycle, occasionally keeping an eye on the streets and never letting myself think too much, but couldn’t avoid that either. I was starting to get the feeling there was no where else to run.

Alec’s POV

I was walking down the hallways playing with my keys a little. I could hear the couple from the fifth floor going at it again. To anyone’s ears it would just be a fight between two rabid cats, well imagine those cats being 5’5” and naked, then you’ll get the right picture. I opened the door to see my very cozy apartment. It wasn’t a big deal, obviously, what can you expect from Terminal City? There was some furniture, a toilet in a room that looked like a closet, a bathtub near the furniture which helped when I wanted to watch TV and just lay in there, the kitchen was separated from the living room, thankfully and a bedroom across the bathroom. The bedroom was a good size at least, could’ve put the bathtub in there, but I didn’t feel like it. I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes. I just laid back without a care in the world. Can’t say I was drunk, I’ve gotten too used to Dix’ special drinks for them to have any effect, but they lost their kick after half an hour or so.

I can’t say when I fell asleep or how long I was asleep when I felt someone pull off my socks. I sat up, I already knew who it was, and she pushed me back straddling me in an instant. I opened my mouth to speak but she put her finger on my lips, just one finger, one look from her eyes, I didn’t need anything else. I pulled her into a kiss. Fine, if this is what you want Maxie, I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you everything I’ve got.

Max’s POV

I hated myself for doing this to him. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep myself away. We had made our way into the bed from the floor and he just lied next to me sleeping. I sighed as I moved slowly off the bed. I filled his tub with hot water which took me about an hour. Every minute that passed I thought more and more about everything. You can’t keep running, Max. You have to stop running. I heard the voice in my head. It was Logan. I heard his voice in my head often, mainly when I was around Alec, which is why I could barely ever face him. I cried as I lied inside the bathtub, my tears were lost inside the water. I’ve been running for so long, I didn’t know how to stop. I wanted to stop. I would sneak by the ‘X & F’ which was the name Dix had put on his special little bar, X meaning us, Freaks meaning them, or maybe it applied to all of us, who knew. I would see Alec, Sketch and O.C. drinking Dix’ weird drinks, sometimes laughing, just talking and now, I would notice Alec just drinking alone. I could tell he was miserable.

He didn’t call me Maxie, which used to piss me off, but now I kind of missed it. He used to fight me, demand to talk before we had sex, asked me what was wrong, begged me to talk to him, to let him in. I’d tell him to fuck off, shut up, mind his own business, but inside I was begging him to help me, to solve me, to cure whatever the hell was wrong with me. But one night, he finally listened to me, he didn’t fight me, didn’t argue, he just gave in. I hated it, even though I was the one that asked for it. At least I wasn’t as bad as I was a few months ago… The day we brought White’s little freak show down, Sandeman and Lydecker were there do help us. Funny to think those two hated each other when they shared the same vision, Lydecker wanted us to be physical weapons and Sandeman wanted us to be mental weapons. No matter how you dressed it, we were still weapons.

I remember when he injected me with that stuff… It gave me the ability to be just as strong as White’s people, if not stronger, that’s what he told me. What he didn’t tell me was that it had some nasty side effects that he didn’t consider so nasty. Maybe he didn’t know, maybe he did, I’ll never know, but after that day Logan and I had to be extra careful. Sandeman died, Lydecker was the one having me checked for the virus in my DNA, that’s when they realized that whatever Sandeman gave me made it worse. If I touched Logan, no matter how light it might be, there would be no going into hospitals and praying, he’d be dead in less than five seconds. Logan never stopped trying. He never stopped trying. Even when I threw my hands in the air in defeat, even made out with Alec just for show, so he would see, he never gave up.

Then it happened… He never got it through his head. No matter how much he played the hero, the world wasn’t going to play back with him.

Bella’s POV

I stretched and felt him next to me. I looked at him quickly and blushed to see him awake, sitting next to me and staring at me. “I blacked out again, didn’t I?” I asked covering my face. “Oh relax, it’s not like you have Narcolepsy” he said pulling my hands off my face and pulling me to him. I sat on his lap comfortably as I gave him a light kiss, not willing to give him anything more than that until I brushed my teeth. I rested my cheek on his chest as he kept brushing my hair with his fingers. Suddenly I heard Heather yelling at someone in the other room.

“Who is Heather talking to?” I asked curiously.

“Hard to tell. Tom has called ten times and Armand’s secretary called twice” he said. I scoffed.

“It’s so typical for him to use his secretary” I said. I sighed tiredly and looked up at the strong face he held as he looked towards the door, probably listening in on Heather’s conversations. “Xander?” I asked curiously. He looked down on me, his expression changing quickly from that of a focused stare into a gentle and warm gaze.

“Yes?” he asked brushing the hair from my cheek.

“Did Russell call?” I asked. He frowned. Suddenly the door burst open, it was Heather. I covered myself since I was the one naked, but Xander was relaxed wearing some boxers.

“Yes, once, which unlike Armand’s case is not a good thing” said throwing the cellphone on the floor with a tired expression.

“What do you mean?” I asked feeling horrible. I was the cause of all of this.

“He’s coming over, I just know it. Once he gets past the media, he is going to come barging in here and no matter what you say, I am going to break his nose” she said irritably. She didn’t like Russell, who wasn’t a bad guy. He was like every politician, a liar, but if I had to choose from all the others, I’d choose him. Even though he wasn’t the embodiment of goodness, he cared for the country and that was rare enough.

“What do we do?” asked Xander. Heather sighed as she laid her back on the wall next to the door.

“My advice is to lay low for a while. Unless Bella has other plans” she said with a smirk that made me feel rather uncomfortable. Then it dawned on me, a conversation we had had many times and that I usually dismissed because then people would know why I was so close to transgenics. They already knew, so I could pursue it.

“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” I asked with a grin.

“Only if you’re thinking of that handsome ballsy guy who had the guts to defend transgenics from the world. Honestly, he would make a fine politician with some help” she said licking her lips, I laughed.

“You kinky person” I said standing up from the bed while hiding my body within the sheet.

“What ballsy guy?” asked Xander lost, but he was quickly ignored.

“What? Isn’t that what you’re thinking?” she said crossing her arms.

“Yes, but then again, I don’t know how I could use him… I mean, he won’t be willing-”

“To help a future vice president married to a transgenic bring the world into light about the unfairness and ill treatment towards them when in truth they could co-exist in peace?”

“What are you two talking about?” asked Xander.

“You don’t remember that guy who started doing speeches against transgenic mistreatments?” I said looking at him, and then switched to look at Heather “I can’t believe you memorized his speech” I said with a grin.

“I memorized the lines in his face too. Give me three phone calls and in half an hour I can find out where he lives, what he eats, what he likes and what positions he prefers” she said with a grin.

“HEATHER!” I yelled throwing her the pillow and she laughed grabbing it, holding it and giggling like a school girl. Suddenly the cellphone rang making her face change into one of irritated anger. She didn’t make any motions to pick it up. Xander walked towards the corner of the room, making me stop thinking about the situation and think about his perfect legs, nicely shaped bottom and chiseled abs. I held back the grin that was coming.

“It’s Russell” said Xander holding the phone out to Heather.

“I know” she muttered as she looked at the phone like it was something vile and disgusting, which for her, he was. She had her own reasons for thinking that of him, which she always said was non-political and straight up personal.

“Pick it up” said Xander. She groaned and finally opened it.

“This is Heather” she said forcing a cheery tone. It didn’t work well. She listened for a moment and sighed. “Good to know you’re such an important man, too important to even knock” she said as she closed the phone and, I guess, hung up on him. I stared, confused and wondering what the heck she just did. Suddenly we heard someone knocking on the door.

“I suggest you get dressed”

“That’s him?” I asked my heart going to my throat.

“Yes, while you talk to him, I’m going to dig for the information” she said.

“I’ll be leaving too” said Xander, but I looked at him pleadingly.

“Don’t, please, stay with me. You were bound to meet him sooner or later, please stay, please” I said seeing him twitch every time I said please. Heather often said I said please like a dog. I didn’t complain as long as it worked.

“Fine” he said. I ran to him and held him in a long embrace almost forgetting the fact I wasn’t wearing anything, but Xander held the sheets in place.

“I’ll distract him while you get dressed, so please hurry up unless you want to find him dead” she said walking away. I chuckled.

“Should I take it slow then?” I asked teasingly, he grinned.

“Don’t joke, you know she’s capable of doing it” he said and at this I laughed.

Xander’s POV

I stood by the window looking at them sitting in the small living room. He was dressed like any politician, the blood sucking suits, I called them, except in this case the blood they sucked was black, dead, which fit them pretty well. Sometimes Heather and I would talk, argue, why the hell were we allowing Bella to pursue a career in politics? We hated politics, but in t he end it became clear. We, and Bella included, weren’t doing this because of the politics or the position in the government, we were doing it for the transgenics, because of the publicity an election brought and the speaking events that would bring more light towards the cause. I shifted, making Russell glance at me from the corner of his eye, we had been introduced when he came in, but we didn’t even shake hands. Good.

“So, you’re not going to go into the White House with me?” he asked crossing his legs. “That’s disappointing, you would’ve made a great vice president and, if for any case, I couldn’t go through with the job, I would trust no one else to take my place” he said. I scoffed. Bella touched the back of her neck every time she heard me make some sort of noise that could be taken the wrong way, it was her silent way of saying ‘please, stop’

“You have to admit, it’s still a good plan. We’ll find you a new vice president, I’ll just build momentum, I’ll be the one throwing wood into the fire and just when it’s ready to blow, I’ll let someone take my place and feast in your glory” she said, sounding a little much like a businesswoman for my taste.

“A transgenic” he said. Something in my mind snapped as I shifted again.

“What?” she asked in shock.

“A transgenic, wouldn’t it be fitting? We are supporting the cause to protect and give transgenics rights, who else to make sure that happens than a transgenic?” he asked. I walked into the room where I stood in front of them. He didn’t even acknowledge I was there, but Bella did and she was thinking the same thing I was. He was crazy.

“No offense Russell, but although you would get some votes, you’d be throwing the ball in their court, so to speak. We are just getting people to be comfortable with the idea of living AMONG transgenics, how do you expect them to get used to being RULED by one? We should just be content if we can get someone who is as passionate to this movement as we are” she said. I scoffed turning my back again. ‘You mean, you are, because he doesn’t give a flying fuck’ I thought.

“Is there something you wish to say, Mr.?”

“Xander Shields” I said crossing my arms as I turned around to face him. “Do you really give a shit what happens to us? Last thing I heard before you met Bella you were just another one of those senators who wanted to bring the transgenic plague down, until you saw the advantage you could get by joining our cause and using us to become more than just a senator, isn’t that right?” I asked. Bella bowed her head probably trying to find a hole to hide in. The little bastard smile.

“You do know how to pick them Bella, I’ll give you that much” he said, he didn’t even show a sign whether my remark had bothered him at all.

“I’m really sorry-”

“Bella, don’t apologize. I’ll accept your plan, find me that… Logan guy, see if he’s interested, if not we can find someone else in the senate, although I’d prefer him to be a normal citizen, we’ll see what happens. Take your time, I’ll trust your decision, all right?” he asked standing up and offering to shake her hand. She gave it to him and he put his other hand over it. I glared at the vision before me.

“Thank you, even if he says no, we can still find valuable information to keep the odds in our favor, and then, we can start looking for someone to see how they fit” she said. He hadn’t let go of her hand.

“I doubt anyone will be able to match you, Bella” he said. He was still holding on her hand, but this time he brushed a hair off her face. She drew back finally, sensing the fact that I wanted to snap his neck.

“It’s been great to see you again, Russell. I promise, next time we see each other, I’ll bear good news” she said with a warm smile as she held her hands behind her back.

“Yes, hopefully not as good as this one” he said taking a small glance in my direction. I held my head up hoping for him to push the last button so I could punch him. Future president or not, he wasn’t president yet.

“Well, if they keep going at it like the bunnies they are, you just might get one” said Heather walking inside the room, Russell’s guard walking behind her with extreme hatred as he rubbed his jaw. I didn’t even have to guess Heather was responsible for something.

“Heather, you came back to see me off?” said Russell. I looked at Bella who had a look of nervousness. Heather and Russell under the same roof was never a good thing.

“Yes, Russell” she said with a dramatic passionate tone, “I would travel to hell and back only to see the back of your pathetic human body” she said crossing her arms, “Now if you don’t mind, I have things to do, and your stench makes it a tad bit difficult for me to concentrate” she said with an innocent grin. Russell laughed, as he did with all of Heather’s remarks, which annoyed her even more.

“It’s been fun, I look forward to speaking with you soon Bella, especially you Heather. Oh, and Mr. Shields? Take care of Bella” he said.

“I always have” I said quickly.

“As you always have, then” he said with a smile that actually seemed genuine. I shrugged as they left.

“Well, I just felt like I was ice skating over a volcano.” said Bella letting herself fall to the sofa carelessly. I sat beside her.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah… it’s just…”

“What happened? Did he say something to you? Want me to kill him in his sleep? I could” said Heather. Bella gave her a humored look and shook her head.

“He actually suggested for a transgenic to take my place, after I stepped back” she said.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it wouldn’t work this early. After this win and maybe two more, then we can talk if the world is ready for a transgenic president. Hell, they’re still not ready for a female president, imagine a transgenic” said Heather sitting on the arm of the chair Russell had been sitting in.

“So, what did you hear?” I asked her putting my arm over Bella as I sensed her drift off into deep thoughts.

“I have bad news and a small thread of hope” she said with a light frown as she tilted her head back.

“Bad news? How bad?” asked Bella her eyes staring into Heather’s tired expression.

“Let’s just say, I’ll never get to fulfill my fantasy with the man. He’s dead.” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“You heard me, and from what I hear, it was bad. It was really bad. Logan Cale, also known as Eyes Only, became a public speaker for transgenics once the first riot began in Seattle. He got exposed as Eyes Only. He made new enemies and woke up old ones who had grudges with said E.O. They killers… They were good, professionals; I could even say they were proper human assassins. They didn’t waste their time holding him ransom, torturing him or threatening him. They slipped him a very rare poison; I don’t even recognize it. Its purpose was to keep him in pain for two hours until he finally died. To their bad luck his girlfriend got there.”

“Girlfriend?” asked Bella.

“A transgenic” said Heather making Bella look at me in horror. I squeezed her shoulder. I knew what she was thinking about.

“She was too late?” I asked.

“Ten minutes early, but the assassins had explained to him the effects of the drug. Once the hour passed it would take a very skilled doctor to help him, once he only had fifteen minutes left, he would need God.”

“The poison killed him” she said.

“It would seem so” said Heather with a shrug.

“Then what is the thread of hope you mentioned?” I asked.

“His girlfriend. She might be willing to help us”

“Might?” I asked. In cases like these, I knew Heather didn’t depend on maybe’s, things either were one way or weren’t.

“It’s a touchy subject, but if she’s willing to talk, to allow us to expose her story, it would win over a few hearts” said Heather.

“No, I couldn’t” said Bella.

“Bella, this is it. Any reporter would salivate over this. This is the center where it all began, Seattle. A lot of people recognize the name Eyes Only, they think he’s a myth, but he’s not. We can present him to the world as a hero and we can show the world who the monsters really are… although we should leave out the part where his girlfriend hunts them all down” she said with a grin.

“What do you think, Xander?” she asked. I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed.

“It’s worth a try.” I said plainly.

“Even if she doesn’t talk to us, it’d look good on you, going to the root of it all, meeting all those transgenics and maybe even convincing them to vote” she said.

“Transgenics can’t vote” I corrected quickly.

“Yet. They’re still pondering on that, and I’ll bet you a thousand that before this election is over, they’ll vote yes” she said, daring me. I looked at her and then grinned.

“Deal” I said. Bella heard something that neither of us understood. “What is it?” I asked.

“I said fine, I’ll do it. Just give me the phone so I can call my mom, she might just develop a heart condition once I tell her this” she said with a sigh.

“Make sure you tell your father first, I’d love it if he pops a vein” said Heather with a grin, but Bella didn’t laugh. She stood up.

“I’m going to take this in my room” she said tiredly.

We held silence until she closed the door. “So, what are you not telling?” I asked as I sat back. She sighed.

“He didn’t die because of the poison. His girlfriend”

“She put an end to his suffering”

“It’s not what she did, it’s how she did it…”

“How?”

“She kissed him. My informant told me that she is the one responsible for the fall of Manticore” she said with an awe struck look in her eyes. I pushed myself forward.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. She’s an X-5, Xander. They injected her with a virus that would attack only her boyfriend’s DNA if he ever touched him”

“Damn” was the only thing I could mutter.

“Exactly. She kissed him until he died. My informant told me that if we go in with hopes of her helping us, we have better luck ice fishing in hell” she said with a groan.

“Who the hell is your informant?” I asked curiously.

“You’re never going to believe it, but he’s in Terminal City. I never knew this until now, I swear. When I asked him about Logan he said he didn’t even have to investigate, he already knew. All he wanted to know was why I wanted to know, then he seemed fine telling me.” she said.

“You sure he’s trust worthy?” I asked. I knew of Heather’s informant, he had helped bring a lot of the politicians down, bringing secrets into light, things that we never told Bella of course.

“He has never steered me wrong once. Man, I hope he’s cute.” she said with a grin.

“Don’t you think of anything else?” I asked humoring her.

“I blame present company. By the way, don’t tell Bella, but my opinion, we’re going to need a miracle for her to help us. I wouldn’t classify as impossible, but it sure as hell won’t be easy” she said with a sigh.

“Heather, is anything ever easy?” I asked remembering all the past jobs we had done. She laughed and let herself fall in the sofa with her legs over the arms of it.

“Got a point, besides, easy isn’t fun” she said. I smiled as I laid back. She was right, easy was never fun, but it wasn’t dangerous.