A/N: The music gives you a hint...
***
The next evening, Alex cuddled with Gabe on her bed. "Sorry I'm such a drag I feel so tired."
"You have a good reason. Why don't you change into your pajamas and I'll assemble the cleaning materials?"
"Gabe, I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl now."
"You can't reach the burn on your back, so hurry up."
"Yes, sir." She saluted and then disappeared into the bathroom.
Gabe picked up the various bottles scattered on the dresser and selected the cleanser. Then he unwrapped the gauze. Alex came out wearing the Avengers nightshirt that he had given her.
"Lie on your stomach and let me see that burn," he ordered.
"Stop fussing," she said mildly, but flopped on the bed anyway, face down, and raised her nightshirt.
He gently swabbed the burn with gauze dampened with cleanser.
"Scrub, Gabe. Don't be so timid."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"Gabe, that is about the only thing that doesn't hurt. Now put some muscle into it, it itches like crazy," Alex partially lied. The edges itched but the center of the burn still pulsed with pain.
***
On the stairwell up to Alex's apartment, Cale told Rile, "We shouldn't use Alex's apartment like a big refrigerator. We aren't supposed to start the movies until much later, after we escort Dr. Dewey home from his night class."
"I didn't see anyone with a gun to your head to come." Rile shot him a disdainful glance, silencing his brother.
They entered through the back door quietly, scanning the apartment. Cale was about to say something when Rile held up a hand for silence.
He pointed to the bedroom and motioned for him to listen. They could just make out Alex's and Gabe's voices.
"Gabe's here. We should leave," Cale whispered.
"All the more reason to stay. Let's peek." Rile crept toward the bedroom.
"Rile, that's not right. Let's go."
"Admit it: you are as curious as I am as to what's goes on between those two. Either shut up or leave. I'm looking." Rile shook off his brother's hand and crept to the bedroom door. He smirked when he saw that Cale followed.
The door was partly open, allowing both of them a clear view. Alex was stretched out on her stomach, head cradled on her arms, while Gabe rubbed her back with a wad of gauze.
"Feel better?" Gabe asked when he finished rubbing, applied a large bandage that covered the dragon-shaped burn, and pulled down her shirt.
She murmured a reply. Gabe pulled the covers over her and stood up.
Cale and Rile tried to beat a hasty retreat but ended up falling over each other. Gabe looked sharply at the door and in an instant was standing before them.
"Well?" he asked with his best 'mighty leader' look as Rile had dubbed it.
"We came over for a snack . . ." Cale faltered.
"Time to patrol, Gabe," Rile, immune to Gabe's various glares, said with aplomb. "Alex, want to come along?" he yelled into the bedroom.
Alex knew better than to feign sleep with Rile. "Uh, n-no, I don't...I don't feel up to it. Go ahead."
Gabe looked into the bedroom at Alex. "Don't worry about patrolling. You rest and gain strength. I'll ask Mary to visit with you. We're escorting Dr. Dewey home from night class first."
He picked up his staff and sword, sheathed them, and turned to follow Cale out, and asked, "Aren't you coming, Rile?"
"Mary's out. I'll stay with Alex." He locked gazes with Gabe. He knew his brother wouldn't let his duty to Dr. Dewey slide.
"Have it your way," Gabe said with a shrug.
Rile watched as Gabe left and said, "I always do." He turned, sourly watched as Alex flipped the covers over her head, and then called her by name.
"Yes, Rile?" Alex sighed, got up, and walked out of the bedroom.
He noticed that now she always came into the room when any of them called, instead of yelling back like she used to, and this irritated him.
"Why didn't you go with them?" Rile asked.
"Well, I, uh, I didn't feel up to it." Alex watched a spot on the floor.
"Don't feel up to much, do you?" His question was acid.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why do you hate me?" Alex fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt.
"I don't hate you." He took her wrist and pulled her close.
He towered over her and was further irritated that she looked down, instead of gazing up at him like she used to. "I hate what you're pretending to be, what you're hiding behind. The others may like the new meek and mild Alex, but I think it stinks. I remember what you're really like. You're aggressive and tough, a fighter. Instead you're acting like a victim, whimpering and jumping at shadows, and staying curled up in your bed."
"Rile, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Maybe you do and maybe you don't. Let's find out."
He stalked into her bedroom, pulling a mildly protesting Alex behind him. With his free hand he rummaged through her drawers until he pulled out her black leather pants.
"Put them on," he ordered. "Find a shirt."
"No, please, I don't want—"
"Put it on or I'll put it on you myself."
She took the pants and glanced significantly at her imprisoned wrist. He released it and she pulled a black T-shirt out of the drawer. Then she headed to the bathroom.
"Don't even think of locking yourself in there. I'll kick the door down," Rile said.
***
Just when Rile was contemplating such an action, she opened the door and came out, dressed in black.
"Please, Rile, don't make me beg. Don't make me go out."
"Save it. I'm already nauseous from how you've been acting. I'm sure I'll go over the edge if you beg. Now for a trip down memory lane."
He led her out the door but she stayed close to the wall. "What is your problem?" he demanded. "Never mind. This way." He pulled her along again, although he was cautious on the carriage house steps not to yank her off balance.
***
After a half hour of walking, Rile glaring at her each time she jumped at noises, he asked, "Know where you are?"
"I haven't the slightest idea."
"You wish. Keep going." He pointed up a fire escape ladder. "Recognize it now?"
"A ladder. Happy now?"
Rile grinned at the first sign of spirit that she had shown in ages. "Sort of. You might recognize where we are from higher up." He motioned her to climb the ladder.
On the roof, Alex huddled against the stairwell to escape the biting wind. It didn't seem to bother Rile as he paced the perimeter of the roof.
"Doesn't any of this seem familiar?" he demanded.
"No, my brain must be frozen. Can we go home now?"
"This might jog your memory." He peered over one side. "Come here and look."
Reluctantly she joined him. She looked over the side at an alley and her expression changed from annoyance to shock.
"Rile, you must help." She watched as the mugger menaced the man again with his knife.
"Not me." He crossed his arms and looked bored, staring into space and tapping his claws against his forearms.
"Rile, he could be killed. You have to do something."
"I don't feel up to it. You better act fast or that guy will be another corpse."
The mugger had put the knife to the man's throat.
"Fire truck, Rile."
Her anger flared, much to his satisfaction. It turned to disappointment when she leaned over the railing, took aim and fired. When the victim looked up in shock, Alex yelled to run.
"It's a start." Rile resumed his pacing. "Do you remember anything now?"
"No." But she sounded less sure.
"Let me tell you this: You used to come here all the time to look out for some action. Remember that? How you used to do something instead of sit on your butt all day? You used to take out five muggings a night and not even break a sweat."
"What do you want from me? So I'm not the big avenger anymore. Is that a crime? Maybe... maybe I'm tired of it, that's all."
"You can sell Gabe and Cale that crap but not me. I want you back to being you and I don't care if I have to drag you all over New Orleans to do it. Now come with me." He started down the ladder.
***
Two muggings later, Rile was discouraged. Alex had handled them from as far away as possible, with a minimum of contact.
Before, she would have been more than happy to mix it up with a little hand to hand, but now she kept her distance. Plus, she still professed ignorance.
He almost wished that he could find Morgan. Maybe the shock of seeing him would force her to deal with what had happened. But if they had a clue as to where he was, they would have killed this version as well.
Maybe if he could find another rape...it was an idea. Where to find one, though?
"One more stop, then I'll call it quits."
"Thank the Portal Guardian." Alex looked tired and strained, face pale and drawn, her shoulders slumped and her right foot dragging slightly.
Rile wanted her at the breaking point. He suspected that her front of timidity and helplessness couldn't last much longer. He just hoped that it gave way before his limited patience did.
"Are we there yet?" Alex asked.
"We're here."
She looked around, taking in the dilapidated buildings of concrete grey slabs, graffiti scrawled all over, some windows taped up, some covered by cheap plywood, a leftover hurricane precaution.
Garbage of plastic grocery bags competed with beer cans for space on the weed-covered dirt. "It's a red light district. What do you want me to do, hunt down some pimps?"
"Would you?" His gaze bored into her but she looked down again.
"I'm not in my pimp hunting outfit," she replied.
"You're in your black leather pants."
"I wear my black leather bodice with bustier with these pants," Alex explained but when she reached for the nearest fire escape, he pulled her back.
"No more high and mighty stuff. We're staying on the street this time, up close."
She was so tired that she kept stumbling as they walked the street. Her right foot often dragged when she was fatigued. At length she sank to the nearest doorway step.
"I can't walk another step. I'm sorry that I can't remember whatever it is you are so mad at me for forgetting. It's late and I want to go home and go to bed. Please, Rile?"
He didn't try to hide the anger on his face. But before he could answer, they heard a scream from inside one of dilapidated buildings. They heard an indistinct, angry male voice. In contrast, the sharp crack of a blow that followed stung their ears.
Rile was better at locating the source of the sound and he looked in the correct window.
"Over here, Alex. Look at this."
"No." She stood up and took several uneasy steps backward. "No, please."
Rile grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look into the window. Inside, a man yelled at a cowering woman, periodically slapping her.
"Rile, you do something. I . . . I can't handle this, I swear."
"It doesn't bother me."
The man tore the woman's blouse.
"Rile!" Alex covered her mouth with her hand.
"Just some fun. Where's the harm?"
Rile was far from upset that she threw him a look of hatred.
He was even more pleased when she slammed through the glass with a flying start.
He was downright smug as he watched her dispatch the man with several blows to the head rather than blasting him.
He watched with interest as she filled the man's belly with red light.
He was a little startled, however, when she flew out, grabbed him, and streaked upwards in a speed burst as to make them invisible.
She threw him on a roof but Rile landed nimbly, his wings deploying for stability. Alex set down opposite him.
"You bastard," she said.
"Welcome back."
"Why couldn't you leave me alone? I was happy. I had forgotten. Why?"
"You can never forget something like that. It will come back to haunt you," Rile replied sagely.
"Fire truck you and your pop psychology. I was happy."
"Is that why you wake up screaming at night?"
"How would you know?" She sat down and trembled.
"It's all over now." Rile walked over to her and held out his hand. "You survived. You proved you were stronger than Morgan's worst."
She knocked away his offered hand. "Get away from me. Don't touch me."
"Relax, Alex."
"Relax? Is that all you can say?" She hurled a blast at him, which he nimbly avoided. "I don't know who I hate more: Morgan for what he did to me or you for forcing me to remember."
A second and third blast followed, Rile leaping to avoid them.
***
Cale noticed the first flash from their path after they had dropped off Dr. Dewey and decided to patrol a bit. He pointed in time for Gabe to see the second one. "Almost looks like one of Alex's."
"Couldn't be. First of all, she wouldn't be outside at night and secondly, she wouldn't be firing at anyone up on a roof."
They turned in the direction of the flash anyway. Another appeared. They sped up.
When the flashes were directly overhead, they climbed up the building, talons digging into the worn bricks.
*****
A/N
Dedicated to
Angel_Eyes1514
efrosinia_g
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