– M A K A Y L A –

My mind hadn't stopped running through dozens of outcomes where Alex and every other member of Division 52 met their end in her home.

It had been an hour since. An hour since I had been covertly flown through an underground network and back out into the city skies. I had begged the driver to take me back. Begged any of the three wordless guards watching me closely but they did not even flinch.

I was about to do something entirely crazy but Proximo came onto the comms in time.

"I am tracking your location. The driver will bring you to me and we will discuss... our situation." He said formally.

Situation? Really. That's what this is.

"Proximo! Where is Alex?" I demanded, not even caring that I was addressing her lethal second in such a way.

Silence followed and my blood seemed to freeze in my veins.

"Damn it you can spare protecting me or other such bullshit and just tell me. I've risked enough to at least be given that much." I said exasperatedly running a hand through my blonde locks.

A sigh came from the other side and the words I really did not want to hear found their way to me.

"Hades has her."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't even see straight. Colours blurred past me and I was sure Proximo began speaking again but I didn't hear him. Hades has her? Meaning she's not dead but she may as well be. That power mad psychopath has the woman I love and was likely doing god knows what to her now.

I braced my hands against the seats and took in deeper gulps of air.

"MAKAYLA!" Proximo's voice shouted into my head.

I leant back against the leather seats of the fusion craft and realised we'd begun to descend. We must be nearing his location. Not that it mattered.

"Keep it together. She is resourceful and smart. She will not die." He told me in complete confidence.

"Yes. I know. But Proximo it's not much use to her when she's entirely outnumbered and god knows where!" I shouted back at him, tears had started to escape my eyes and I took a much more ragged breath.

How many times was she going to do this to me before my heart just shattered entirely from the stress?

We landed and I was ushered out onto a rooftop where Proximo stood next to a much larger military looking ship. He took long powerful strides and was infront of me in moments. But he did the last thing in the world I expected.

He wrapped me into a tight hug.

But it destroyed the last bit of my self-control and I couldn't even linger on the fact that this cold, lethal and beautiful human was hugging me for support. Loud sobs racked through me and I let my tears soak his cloaked shoulder. But he didn't allow it to last.

After another minute of holding me together he drew me back sharply as if it had never happened and looked fiercely into my eyes.

"Enough of this now. You are no good to her—to either of us as an emotional wreck." He said bluntly.

Despite everything I laughed in a pained, broken way. He even dropped me a half smirk.

"You're right. God forbid—we have any emotion—in this place." I got out between sniffs.

"My thoughts exactly. What a ridiculous notion." He dismissed with a hand wave. "Now if you'll stop leaking out your eyes and nose and get in the damn ship I am going to track that bastard down and fill his lungs with enough plasma to make him melt." Proximo growled down at me.

If it wasn't for my own rage at having Alex stolen, I would be terrified. But I could only show him my own cruel smile in response.

I jumped in behind Proximo through the entrance hatch and was soon seated in the co-pilot's chair. Proximo swiftly crossed the straps over me and clicked them into place before doing his own. His fingers flew over the controls and soon a cheery robotic voice was telling us the last known locations of all Falcon G-67 aircraft (Hades ambush crafts of choice).

"Right we have seven possible locations and not enough time in the day, so we're really going to—"

"Going to what..." An agonisingly familiar voice drawled over the comms.

"Alex?" I choked out clutching my comm like it was my only life line.

"That's Scorpion to you, recruit." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"What is your location? Hades is he—" Proximo rushed into business.

"Hades is no longer our concern." Alex said cryptically. "Meet me at the coordinates I am sending you now. I will explain everything." She murmured as if she couldn't quite believe it herself.

"Very well. Inputting now... we should be with you in fifteen minutes." Proximo stated.

"See you then."

My heart was trying to escape my chest and it felt like I was actually alive once more. No longer a walking corpse because she was alive and not only that... Hades did not have a hold on her life.

* * * * *

We couldn't land fast enough.

I would have jumped the remaining fifty feet if I'd had those magic thruster boots Alex was so fond of but gods... she was there on the rooftop with her red cloak billowing behind and only slightly clutching her right arm. Rain had started to descend but I couldn't care less.

"Try not to kill her! She has been shot already!" Proximo called from the pilot bay.

Shot?! Good god did I even want to know...

As soon as the hatch hissed open I was running down the ramp, splashing across the roof and straight into her arms. I buried my face into her neck and took in her intoxicating scent. If I never left her side again it would be too soon. I couldn't even be mad at her for disregarding her life again. I'd only just got her back and could feel her warmth again. Alive. Not dead.

"Makayla." She whispered.

Then I remembered Proximo's words and drew back to see a plume of red staining her armour and clothing underneath the cloak.

"Your shoulder." I said looking at it in horror.

Her hands lowered to hold my waist. Her eyes continued to gaze at me though, as if the pain was in a far away place and all her attention was for me. For once those golden orbs weren't filled with amusement or arrogance but sheer relief and possibly something other. She brought a hand up to cradle my face and I turned into it to kiss her palm. She continued to watch me as if I would disappear if she blinked for a moment.

Water was dripping off us both but it only seemed to heighten her presence. A frown suddenly pinched her brow. It was as if she had just made her mind up. Because sheer determination replaced those god-like features and she said the impossible words that I had only considered in a dream.

"I am utterly and undeniably in love with you, Makayla Xavier." She blurted.

I almost collapsed.

"Wh—what did—that, I..." I sputtered out in a daze.

"I cannot continue to deny or ignore it." She said drawing impossibly closer. "I love you. I cannot let another day pass without confessing this because I just don't know how long we have. I have always been on the knife's edge and only until now do I have something truly worth living for." A humourless laugh left her. "Every damn time I try to tell you or show you how much you mean to me the world seems to have other plans. But right now the whole world can go to hell. I am going to stand here and tell you because I don't want to leave this earth with even a speck of doubt of my feelings for you."

I was sure that tears were running down my face all over again. But for an entirely different reason. I couldn't even comprehend...

"Scorpion!" Proximo called from behind, "We have the—"

I didn't even let him finish because to be honest, nothing was going to steal this from us.

"Shut the hell up Proximo." I muttered before throwing my arms over Alex's shoulders and crashing my lips to hers.

I could feel the laughter in her kiss and taste the rain on her lips. We were a collision of two forces once again and I wasn't sure I'd survive much more stress on my body. We were locked in our own world for who knew how long. I savoured every brush of her lips, from my mouth to my neck and the feel of her hands threading through my tangled wet hair. But impossible warmth was running through me, not just from her but from what she'd said. What she meant. Alex was in love with me and her words took me to a high that I didn't know even existed. How had I existed without her before? Life was so hideously dull without this demon with the raging golden eyes.

But she couldn't of said it better...

The world could go to hell right now.