fire ; diego hargreeves

24 ; the cage

Alex watched as Diego made Hazel take a beating. It was a little terrifying to see how angry Diego was getting, fighting the man who had been there when Alex had died.

Both Patch and Five watched on the side lines. Patch looked unimpressed, just watching it go down. Until Five knocked Diego out for biting Hazel's ear. Apparently Five drew the line at biting. Alex didn't even think Five had a line.

Alex and Patch sighed at the same time, looking at Diego's unconscious body on the ground, surrounded by glass.

The assassin looked at Patch. "You're not gonna go for a round, are you?"

Patch raised her eyebrow. "I'm not an idiot like him," she said, looking down at Diego for a brief moment.

"Sorry for trying to kill you," the assassin offered a little belatedly. "And for my partner trying to kill you ... and actually killing that friend of yours."

There was a hint of amusement in Patch's expression. "Thanks, I guess. Why are you here?"

"I left my partner, quit the Commission, came to volunteer."

"Damn." Alex said. He knew he didn't know much about the Commission, but he knew it had to be a ballsy move. "Bad guy turned good at the end of the world. How cliché. Bet he has a love interest."

"For what?"

"To help stop the apocalypse,"

Alex nodded his head. "Yeah, I think it's not over yet, please do help - no, Five! The apocalypse might still be happening!" He glared at the literal man-child, wishing he was alive so he could just shout at them, make them see sense. "They were protecting Jenkins for - a - reason! Ever stop to think that maybe killing Jenkins might not stop the apocalypse?"

He didn't get a response. Naturally. None of them could exactly talk to the dead, and Klaus was off doing something with Ben once more. It wasn't like he could manifest himself ... again. He didn't even know how he managed that. Maybe he'd turn into a vengeful spirit? Alex hoped not.

He sat on the floor, beside Diego. "You and every single one of your siblings is stupid as fuck. How the hell have you all survived this long?" Alex wished his hand wouldn't just go through Diego's head when he went to brush at his hair. "I had to be a good ninety percent of your impulse control, huh? Miss you, babe."

The assassin, Hazel, gave the gun over that the trigger woman had used to kill Alex before he departed.

"Wow, this family is more weird than I thought it was," Patch said, mostly to herself. Five nodded along. "Surprised Alex could deal with them as much as he did." Alex smiled at Path, a soft spot in his non-existent heart for her.

"Shame about Alex dying," Five said, and Patch looked over at him, eyebrow raised just enough to prompt Five to continue. "The whole apocalypse thing, he survived. However, this time around you're alive."

"Excuse you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked offended for the pair of them.

Five shrugged a shoulder. "He died in your place. Hence why you're here right now and he isn't." He sipped at his drink. "I think that's the only thing that makes sense. You weren't dead with the others, Alex was alive surrounded by them. You two swapped places."

There was a horrified look on Patch's face. She breathed in deeply, which made Alex feel jealous, and then took Five's drink from him and downed it in one.

"This is bullshit."

"Yes it is."

Slowly, Diego woke up. Patch and Five were drinking together, either celebrating or commiserating. Although Alex had never really been much into drinking himself, he found he was missing the action. He guessed it was because it was a living person thing to do. He missed his job at the bar. Missed the one at the library. He missed Sally, all weird and bright in his life. Hell, he even found himself missing the guy watching hentai in public.