Escape of the clone. (closed for slut in white and myself)

[slut_in_white]

Abby cursed under her breath at the news, then shot an apologetic look towards the security guy, who seemed momentarily afraid that he'd upset her. It wasn't his fault that CB knew where they were and had apparently spread the news. Who knew who was in that crowd?

Taking a deep breath, Abby looked at Alex. "We'd better go now, before they have a chance to plan anything else. Anything worse." She steeled herself, trying to suppress the fear she felt at the thought of losing him. She took his hands and pulled him close, then reached up to caress his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheek bones. "I love you. No matter what happens, remember that, okay?" Then, with a grim, pale face, she turned back to the security officer. "We should go now."

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"I can't face them now. I'm too tired. Is there any way we can avoid the crowds?"

The security guards exchanged glances, then shrugged. "We can drive you out the service entrance and have a taxi waiting for you," one of them said. "We understand you're trying to keep as low a profile as possible, Mr. Matthews. We can arrange for a discrete driver to take you and your girlfriend here wherever you want."

Alex just looked at the guard and said with a small voice: "Please." They were unceremoniously whisked off the plane and placed in an unmarked black car with their luggage. As they approached the service entrance, they realized their deception wouldn't work. There were hawkeyed Brentheads there, scanning every passing vehicle. Luckily, the glass on this car was tinted. They managed to push through the crowd by the gate before they caught a real glimpse of Alex. And that was when it got scary.

Some of them all but threw themselves in front of the car. They managed to lock the doors moments before a throng of crazed hormonal teens managed to open them. As it were, they were stranded in a sea of screaming girls, rocking the car, clawing at the windows, and tearing at the doors. Alex had never been more frightened in his life. They were like a ravenous pack of hyenas, lunging and baying and demanding a piece of him. And it got worse.

One of the younger girls was trapped between the car and the steadily growing mob of Brentheads outside. As Alex watched, he saw her struggling against the crowd, panic evident on her face. And then her eyes closed as she was quashed against the window. "They're killing her!" Alex yelled in distress.

Desperate measures was the only option now. Without thinking, without ever handling a gun in his life, Alex yanked one of the guards' pistol and lowered the window. "STEP AWAY FROM THE CAR OR I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!" he yelled in panic. The first few girls that had managed to stick their heads inside as he opened the window froze. Then they screamed in panic and tried backing away from the car. The scream "he's got a gun!" spread like wildfire in the crowd, and the girls backed away enough for Alex to get the door ajar, then fully opened.

The guard on Alex's side of the car stepped out and leaned over to Alex. "Let me handle this, Mr. Matthews." Alex gave up the gun and stood there watching the maddened creatures as they retreated to a safe distance. Abby looked after the fallen girl while both guards brandished their guns. This was MADNESS!

Alex climbed on top of the car and yelled: "PLEASE! I wasn't going to harm any of you, but you almost killed the girl here. I couldn't let you do that! Now, I have something to tell you, something you may not like to hear..."

When Alex started talking, he scanned the crowd of confused young girls. Far off in the distance he saw a taxi slowly reversing away from the crowd. Behind the taxi was a large gray van. On top of that van was a man. The man held an object which seemed to be pointed straight at Alex. Puzzled and fascinated by the crouching man on the van, Alex had a confused look on his face as he loudly decared: "I am not Brent Matthews!"

There was a flash from the direction of the van, and Alex suddenly had the wind knocked out of him. He spun in place as the world slowly tilted over. As colours rapidly faded, he saw a gaggle of horrified girls with dawning terror etched on their faces. He slowly sailed over Abby and the unconscious girl. Abby was in the process of looking up at him. Crimson droplets, vivid red in contrast to the blacks and whites sailed towards her. The unconscious girl looked pale beneath Abby. The ground came rushing towards him, and he had time to think "this will not be cozy" before he registered a loud thud and gravel cutting his ear. And then, all was black.

 

[slut_in_white]

Everything happened so fast.

Abby was still kneeling on the ground next to the car, checking on the girl who had nearly been crushed. She seemed alright - just afraid. But she was paying too much attention to the girl to notice Alex was on the roof of the car. In full view of the entire crowd. She didn't turn until she heard the gunshot.

Alex tumbled off the car, over Abby and the terrified girl, who had passed out at the sound of the gunshot, and hit the ground, head first. Abby screamed - perhaps it was the shock, but it looked, for a moment, like Alex's neck had jerked at a strange angle, and she was certain it was broken.

And then it was all moving too quickly for her to comprehend again. Hands seized her arms and she panicked, thinking that it was someone hired by Constitution to silence her, but it was just the security guard, hauling her to her feet and pushing her towards the car. He shouted at her to get in, and the moment she'd scrambled into the back seat, Alex was pushed in after her and she grasped his shoulders, pulling him into her lap. And then, the unconscious girl. And just like that, the guard leaped back into the driver's seat, blared the horn, and set off. The crowd was scattering. Several other guards had arrived and were herding the people to safety, while others were chasing after the gunner.

Abby saw none of it. Tears blurring her vision, all she could do was stare down into Alex's torn-up face and pray that he was alright. She wasn't religious, but there was nothing else she could think to do. She pressed her hands over the bleeding gunshot wound - at least the steady pulse of blood leaking out of it said he was still alive - and cried. "Please, please, please..."

She didn't remember much after that. There were lights. Shouting. Someone took Alex away and, though she screamed, her arms just wouldn't work properly, and she couldn't stop them. More lights. Bright, white, fluorescent. Motion. Voices, but none of them made any sense. Someone pushed a mask over her face. Someone else gave her a blanket. She kept asking for Alex, but no one would answer. And then, she found herself sitting in a small metal box, and Alex was lying on a gurney, and she took his hand, and then she didn't care what happened after that. She didn't have the energy to care about much, beyond just staying with him.

-----------

When they got to the hospital, the nurse said she was in shock, but was otherwise uninjured. The paramedics had been concerned that some of the blood smeared across her clothes was hers. She'd grown a little more coherent once they were inside the hospital - enough to know that it was okay when the doctors took Alex away again, this time to perform surgery. The other girl, it seemed, was okay, too. The police wanted to know why Brent Matthews was carrying a passport with the name Alex Johnson. Abby wouldn't answer, and she started trembling out of terror that the cops would be loyal to Constitution instead of protecting Abby and Alex, and she started shaking. The nurse sent the cops out of the room, saying that Abby was still in shock, and that they needed to come back and ask her later.

Will showed up, a little while later - the news was running video footage of the shooting. It had been practically impossible to find out where they were, but he'd called Abby and she'd told him, and then when he arrived, she assured the hospital security that he was okay. She gave him a big hug and burst into tears again, this time out of relief that finally, someone else who knew the truth was here to help them.

And then she slept. The nurse gave her access to a cot and told her that she'd come get her when "Brent" was out of surgery and awake.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

There was darkness. There was pain. There was pain in the darkness and darkness in the pain. It stirred. It knew only the pain and the darkness, and It was afraid. For the longest time that was all It knew. Then a faceless voice, calling itself Mother. It was afraid of Mother now. It knew what mother had done, did, and could do. It had crossed Mother, and Mother had punished It.

And growing gradually stronger was something removed from It. It was not "It", but a "he". And he had a name. His name was Alex. And he owed Abby everything.

But he found himself by a calm serene siberian lake. It was twilight. He was unsure whether it was dusk or dawn. The lake was calm. HE was peaceful here. Alex sat by the lake and listened to the scream of the loon. A haunting sound. Darkened shadows of trees mirrored in the water, accentuating the light from the sun, rising or setting. Fish jumped for insects with impertinent splashes, daring him to try to catch them. He let out a contented sigh. He could stay here forever if he wanted to. But he would have to stay here without Abby. He had heard her scream. He had heard her cry. He'd wanted to console her, tell her he was fine. He only wanted to sit by the dark waters for a little while. Then he would be with her.

A little lighting bug started buzzing and beeping in front of him. He'd never seen one in Siberia, but he'd heard of them. This one was stationary, just out of reach. And it beeped ever louder and louder. Alex tried swatting it, but his arms were numb and unresponsive. And then the sun rose. The sun was Abby was the sun, and he smiled because she was his sun to cast light over him and save him and keep him warm.

---------------------------------------------------

It was early morning. The dayshift had just taken over the ICU, and the nurses made their rounds. "Brent Matthews" lay in a VIP room facing east. The nurse responsible for him noticed the night nurse had left the blinds open, casting sunlight directly into his face. He'd been in a chemically induced coma for three days now. He was liable to wake up any minute. She looked him over. Vitals were good. Slightly elevated heartbeat told her that the drugs were wearing off. And then he smiled. It was a happy content smile, making her smile as well. And then he ever so slowly opened his eyes and blinked. He looked up at the nurse's kind face and smiled, although there was a dull throb in his left shoulder that increased in intensity.

"This isn't the Compound," he said, smiling still, "and you aren't Mother. Where am I?" The nurse replied that he was safe and that Abby wanted to see him. Tears streaked down his face then. "Abby," he said with a voice filled with longing. The nurse called the doctor. The doctor deemed Alex fit to receive visitors.

Alex was washed and fed a light breakfast after they had removed some icky tubes from his nose and his penis. He was feasting on toast and lemonade when the door opened and Abby stood before him again. Pain or no pain, he smiled.

------------------------------------------------------------

The shooting of what everyone at first had thought was Brent Matthews had caused a major uproar when the real Brent Matthews had appeared on TV and assured everyone that he was okay. The footage from several cellphone cameras and other recorders left no doubt in anyone's mind that the man shot was, scruffy beard and dark hair aside, the spitting image of Brent.

To his credit, Brent footed the hospital bill for Alex, Abby, and the girl brought in with them. Brent started asking questions -loudly- in the press. He admitted to being cloned, but he'd been assured that the clone would be an empty vessel, not a sentient person. He said, going explicitly on record, that Constitution Biotech had lied to him. The day Alex woke up, popular opinion had demanded a hearing about CB's business tactics and ethics. CB issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge, that they had been lied to by subcontractors, and that they of course were horrified if the allegations regarding the status of the clones were true.

As Abby entered Alex's hospital room, Brent Matthews arrived incognito in the hospital basement. He had someone he wanted to meet after unsuccessfully trying to get hold of one Abigail Cooke.

----------------------------------------------------------

Up in the hospital room, Alex gently grasped Abby's hand and kissed it. "Hello sunshine," he said.

 

[slut_in_white]

Once she was assured Alex was going to be okay, Abby spent her days pestering the nurses about when Alex was going to wake up (until they told her, firmly but gently, to go away) and then scanning the internet for news on the impact of the shooting. It seemed that word was out about the clones, and that Constitution was trying to distance itself from the PR disaster that the story was becoming for them. A few senators and congressman had come out demanding an inquiry into the cloning facilities. People were already wondering what was going to happen to the other clones - there were probably hundreds of them, maybe thousands.

Several people had tried to contact Abby for various things. Dozens of news stations had wanted to get her for an interview. Several universities were trying to contact her about bringing Alex to them so they could study him and his psychology. And tens of thousands of people had come hunting for her to pass along their well-wishes to "Brent's clone." It got out pretty quickly that he was going by "Alex" and the police came back to discuss getting him a proper identity. It was a relief - things seemed, finally, like they were going to be okay. A lawyer came by once, too, a friend of Will's who put together as legal a document as he could, giving Abby full rights as Alex's caretaker. It wasn't perfect, since Alex didn't have a proper identity yet, and it wouldn't hold up in court if Alex decided that he didn't want Abby's care, but it would do for now, and it allowed Abby to make decisions for Alex regarding his care at the hospital while he was still unconscious. She'd have to continue to be the one to make such decisions for a while, since Alex couldn't technically make decisions for himself yet, since he wasn't legally a person yet. She didn't mind. Of anyone, she (and maybe Will) were the only people she trusted to keep Alex's best interests in mind. Once he was awake, she fully intended to leave the decisions to him, anyway. She'd just need to be the one who signed on the dotted line for a little while.

Her sleep schedule was a mess, and she was still a little ball of stress, but she was mostly okay. And when the nurse came in to get her, to tell her that Alex was awake and asking for her, she practically leaped to her feet and nearly bowled the nurse over with a hug. The nurse laughed and took her to Alex's room.

He was still covered in bruises, and there were still unpleasant looking scabs on his cheek where he'd hit the pavement, but he looked healthy, otherwise, and Abby stopped short when she walked into the room the first time and he smiled at her.

Hello sunshine.

He caught her fingers in his hand and kissed them, and Abby found her vision swimming as tears sprang to her eyes. She made a strange noise, some combination between a sob and a laugh, and practically threw herself at him, clinging hard to him and crying into his shoulder. "I was so scared..."

Only then, a moment later, she realized - stupidly - that he was injured and her collision with him probably hurt. "Ohmigod!" She sat up, leaving her kneeling on the bed next to him, and took his face in her hands, being careful to avoid the scratches. "Oh, Alex! I'm so sorry, that was so careless of me! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

She all but barreled into him, making him let out a low 'oof' as she burrowed her head in his shoulder and cried.

"I was so scared..."

"I wasn't," he replied. "It felt like I was back in Siberia by that little lake. It was very nice, except you weren't there. And you would never be there with me. And that made me sad. So I woke up."

His left arm was in traction, a huge useless lump extending from his side. The bullet had shattered blood vessels and cut some tendons as well as the left clavicle and the upper ribs. His recovery hinged on the arm being kept immobile the first week after the operation. And then would come grueling months of physical therapy and a gradual weaning off of pain meds. He had full use of his right arm, thankfully.

"Ohmigod! Oh, Alex! I'm so sorry, that was so careless of me! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"I just got the wind knocked a little out of me," he reassured her. "I prefer to have the wind knocked out of me by you than by whatever ... what ... what HAPPENED to me?" He still hadn't made sense of what he'd seen the day he was shot. Comprehension dawned on him as Abby, laying in the cradle of his right arm, patiently explained what had happened.

So that's what it feels like to get shot, he mused. He didn't want to experience that ever again. He hugged and kissed Abby several times during her retelling of what had happened that day. The stress and strain was evident in her voice, and all he could do was hold her.

The nurse stuck her head in. She pursed her lips disapprovingly when she saw Abby in bed with him. "We don't normally allow anyone in bed with our patients," she told them, her voice lacking conviction as a smile crept on to her face.

Alex told her earnestly: "But I feel so much better when Abby is with me. Please?" The nurse by now had to hide her grin as she busied herself with the measuring apparatus monitoring him. "I won't tell," she said with a voice bubbling with mirth, "but you must be careful to, ah, not exert yourself. You need rest still. I'll be back in an hour."

Drowsy after the first solid food he'd eaten for days and from the meds, as well as warm and happy because of the presence of Abby, Alex's eyelids grew heavy. "I love you, Abby. But I'm sleepy. Please don't go away."

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the basement, Brent Matthews was preparing to be transported incognito to the ICU. He had his face bandaged, he was dressed in patient's clothes, and he was carted off in a wheelchair, his bodyguards at a discrete and safe distance. When he reached the ICU he was put in contact with Alex's duty nurse. She explained that she'd promised them one hour of peace and quiet, and could Mr. Matthews possibly wait that long? Mr. Matthews could. He was a strange sight, sitting in that wheelchair and reading magazines and drinking coffee, waiting for his clone to see him.

 

[slut_in_white]

It was difficult for Abby to explain what a shooting actually is, especially when her emotions on the topic were still so raw. She ended up pausing to wipe tears away from her eyes several times as she explained, but Alex deserved to know, and so she forced herself to continue.

She'd just finished when the nurse came in and chided her for laying in bed with him, though it was clear the nurse was only halfhearted in her attempt. Her comment about exertion made Abby blush brightly, because it was very clear what she meant, and Abby was struck by the somewhat childish desire to explain that she had no intention of making Alex exert himself in that way. Well, not right now, anyway. All she wanted was to be close to him.

The nurse left, promising to be back in an hour, and then she heard Alex's breathing slow. He told her he loved her, and that he was sleepy. She smiled, pressing a series of kisses to his cheek and neck, and cuddling as closely and carefully up to him as she could without hurting him. "I love you, too, Alex. Go to sleep. I'll wake you when the nurse comes back."

---------

Abby had dozed off, too, which wasn't surprising, given that she hadn't gotten any proper sleep in days. Fitful naps on a cot in one of the offices wasn't good enough, but the adrenaline from the stress had been keeping her awake. And now that she was finally reunited with her love, and he was safe and (relatively) healthy and happy, she could finally relax. She wouldn't have been all that surprised if she and ended up dropping off to sleep as fast as he had, even with all the drowsy medications he was on.

But, as promised, the nurse showed up an hour later, and grinned to herself when she opened the door and saw the two of them. She was tempted to let them sleep, but she really couldn't make Mr. Matthews wait any longer. Still, she didn't wake them until after she was finished checking all the various monitoring tools and spent a moment watching the two of them, with Abby curled up against Alex's side, and Alex's good arm tight around her waist.

"Time to wake up, you two."

Abby's eyes blinked blearily open, and it looked for a moment like she didn't quite understand where she was. Then she spotted the nurse and yawned. "W-what is it?"

"You have a visitor."

Abby looked confused. A visitor? She couldn't imagine who would be coming to see them who had the pull to get through the ridiculous security surrounding this room. Maybe Abby's parents? They usually let family in to visit people, but strictly speaking, Abby wasn't the one in the hospital, so she would have guessed that she'd be sent out to see them rather than them coming in. Besides, she'd been on the phone with them at least once a day, every day since the shooting, and they hadn't given any indication that they were coming to visit physically - they'd wanted to, of course, but her dad hadn't been able to get the time off work on such short notice.

But instead, a man in a wheelchair who, from the bandages, looked worse-off than Alex, was wheeled into the room. As Abby watched, her confusion only grew, because the moment the door was shut behind him, the man pushed himself energetically up to his feet and started yanking off the bandages. What the hell was going on, here?

And then? His face was revealed and Abby's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're Brent Matthews!" She sat up, a wide grin on her face. "The hospital staff told me you've been paying for Alex's stay here. Thank you, thank you so much!"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"Time to wake up, you two."

Alex blinked awake and looked around. His sleep had been dreamless and happy because he was filled with the wonderful warmth and scent of Abby. Abby looked like she had been sleeping as well. Alex recognised the confused look she sometimes got when waking up abruptly, a look he found both cute and endearing. He ran his fingers through her hair as she spoke to the nurse, but he froze when he heard of his visitor. He'd seen enough thrillers to know that people were especially vulnerable when in hospitals. He said nothing, but he was afraid that CB had sent an assassin to finish him off.

His apprehension only grew as the man in the wheelchair was brought in. The way he moved told Alex that he was in good condition and not sick or wounded at all. Oh, he wants us to see his face before he dies! he thought, and then ... himself, only not. And as Abby exclaimed and thanked Brent Matthews, Alex started giggling, then laughing, then howling with laughter as the ludicrous paranoia he'd felt gave way to relief and- wait, he'd paid for his hospital bill?

Brent Matthews stood looking rather puzzled at him, and Abby had a look of concern on her face. Giggling still, Alex explained about the paranoia he'd just experienced. Brent didn't laugh. Instead, a shadow passed over his face as he sat down and looked earnestly at Abby and Alex.

"First of all, there's no need to thank me. It's the least I can do. I had no idea you were sentient, Alex. If I had known, I'd never have gone through with the procedure. And besides, you're a carbon copy of me. What kind of man would I be if I didn't look after my own- GOD this is freaky!" Brent rose from the chair and paced the room, raising his hands and placing them on top of his head in a gesture Alex had come to recognise as confused upset.

"It is ... strange for me too, Brent," Alex ventured. "Please don't be upset."

Brent stopped and looked at Alex. "I'm not mad at either of you," he replied. "I'm upset because I've been lied to. No, strike that, the whole fucking world has been lied to!" His voice thickening and his eyes growing shiny, he continued: "They told us you'd have no thoughts, no emotions. But you ... you clearly have that!" He paused, overcome with emotions. "I'm sorry guys, but this is just so ... so wrong!"

"I didn't know anything but the Compound until I was flown here to be taken pictures of," Alex offered. "I thought life in the Compound was all there was." It was a very clumsy effort on Alex's part to console Brent who seemed very distressed.

Brent looked at Alex and Abby, a determined look on his face. "Please. I want you to tell me everything. Your earliest memories, life in this "Compound" of yours, how you escaped, how you two met ... EVERYTHING!"

And so, Alex and Abby told him while Brent recorded everything with his cell phone camera. They paused for lunch, and Alex needed help with certain bodily functions, and Alex needed rest from time to time. They spent the whole day together. By the end they were all exhausted and Alex's nurse told Brent that superstar or no, she'd kick him out if he didn't give her patient a rest.

They had covered his story in details where needed and in broad strokes elsewhere. Brent bid them a fond farewell and wrapped himself in bandages again, with eager help from the staff.

When the two of them were finally alone again, Alex felt a need to lighten the mood. Telling his story had made his head hurt, and he was exhausted. But still, he wanted to see and hear Abby laugh again.

"Well, he seemed nice," he began slyly before continuing. "And so HANDSOME!" he added with a humorous glint in his eyes.

 

[slut_in_white]

When Alex admitted his paranoia, Brent seemed distressed by it, and Abby winced - that was her fault. She should have better explained the kind of protections in place around Alex right now. The nurses would never have allowed anyone in who wasn't safe. She rested her head against the pillow next to his and offered a quick, whispered explanation of why he didn't need to be afraid. He was being very well protected.

Abby had to admit, she was heartened by the distress that Brent displayed with talking about how he'd been lied to about the cloning. Part of her mind had been faintly afraid that the world would see Alex, collectively shrug, and go back to whatever it was they were doing. Humanity had, after all, engaged in all manner of horrific practices in the past; slavery, torture, and worse. She had been partly afraid that she would be one of few voices in the world who saw Alex as a person, and that, given humanity's predisposition to treat those different from themselves carelessly, they would simply declare clones as less than human and thus somehow deserving of their fate. It was a relief to see that someone like Brent - someone who had the conflict of interest in that his continued treatment of Alex as subhuman would provide a reward to him - was still entirely capable of seeing how wrong it was and reacting with that strength of emotion.

She knew, of course, that there would be those who wouldn't care, and who would hate Alex for being what he was. The sort of people who still treated those with differently coloured skin didn't strike her as particularly likely to see Alex as a person. But Brent's response was enough to convince her that they would probably be in the minority. That most of the world had enough of a heart to know what was right.

It was strange, when Brent got out the cellphone and started essentially interviewing them about their story. When she mentioned it, he laughed and said that it was strange for him, too, because he was always the one answering the questions instead of asking them. Then he winked and gave them a few, half-joking tips about how to handle a press junket, as if he expected this wouldn't be the last time they'd be answering these questions. And he was probably right. Which was just made all the more amusing when, after Brent gave his advice, Alex had to pipe up to ask what a press junket actually was.

Abby was growing to like Brent. He was easy-going, charismatic and, perhaps most importantly, he was patient with Alex. A few times, Brent used some modern slang that Alex hadn't encountered yet, and when Alex stopped him to ask what he meant, he'd chuckle, apologize for being unclear, and either explain the word or just rephrase the question. Their story was long, but they left almost nothing out. Abby knew, by now, about Alex's strange experience coming out to LA the first time to do a photoshoot. He talked frankly about Brent being in rehab at the time, which made Abby wince and apologize to Brent, who just shook his head, shrugging.

"It's fine. I mean, everyone struggles with something. And besides, I'm 6 months clean now, and I would prefer to share my success with the world rather than hide it, anyway. The less we stigmatize addiction, the more people are going to get the help they need."

And Abby liked him all the more.

By the time they were finished, Abby was nearly as exhausted as Alex, and Brent was ushered out by a few giggling nurses.

Well, he seemed nice. And so HANDSOME!

Abby giggled, leaning in to kiss Alex on the lips, the first time she'd had a chance to do so since he'd woken up. "Oh dear, are you feeling jealous?" she teased, a little bubble of joyful laughter rising up in her throat. For the first time since that video was posted on the internet by that girl on the airplane, she was finally feeling like things were going to be okay.

Another nurse came back in and crossed her arms when she saw Abby in bed with Alex. "The patient needs rest, miss." This one seemed a little more prickly than the nurse this morning. "Come with me."

Abby looked up, frowning. "But..."

"Now."

She flinched and sighed, then kissed Alex one more time. "I'm sorry, love. I'll be just down the hall, and I'll come right back in the morning..."

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"The patient needs rest, miss. Come with me."

Alex looked up, flinching just a little at the command in her voice. He didn't much like her tone, or the fact that she spoke the way she did to Abby. It was ... wrong.

"I'm sorry, love. I'll be just down the hall, and I'll come right back in the morning..."

He seized Abby's hand. "No." He spoke in a calm, matter-of-factly voice. Looking at the nurse now, he told her in that same calm voice: "You don't get to talk to her like that. She is kind and she is brave and she does not deserve to be treated like she does not belong here. She does. Without her I'd be back in the Compound or a frozen husk in Siberia." The nurse furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to answer, but Alex cut her off.

Still speaking calmly, he continued: "Now, you all say I need to rest up. I feel most restful when she lies next to me. I love to feel her skin against mine and I love to hear her breathe calmly when she sleeps. That, more than anything, makes me restful. I WANT her here. We are both too tired to have sex, and I am in no state to have sex anyway right now. And I was almost lost in my head without her. I want her, no, I NEED her here!"

"But it isn't ... right!" the nurse countered. This made Alex look at her curiously. "Why isn't it right?" he asked with genuine innocence. "The ... the regulations ..." stammered the nurse. "Then the regulations are wrong," Alex countered simply. "Abby sleeping here is good for me. Please?"

The nurse clearly wasn't finished. "NO!" she lashed out with her voice, a little too loud. Alex's voice rose. "Don't yell at me! We haven't done anything wrong!" The nurse's face turned a deeper shade of red. Turning to Abby, she said loudly: "YOU! OUT! NOW!"

"Why are you being so mean?" Alex asked loudly, visibly upset now. The nurse ignored him and started talking to Abby: "You don't see it for what it is! It is an abomination in the eyes of Our Lord and you should fall down on your knees and pray for forgiveness for sharing your body with this ... this ... this THING!" Only now did Alex notice the crucifix around her neck. He started weeping.

He did the only thing he could think of: he pressed the call button and hoped another nurse or a doctor would come and help.

 

[slut_in_white]

The nurse was calling Alex "it." Abby was most definitely not having any of that.

She pushed herself up and out of the bed, her focus on the nurse so intent that she hadn't noticed Alex's weeping (because if she had, there wasn't a chance in hell she would have left his side). The nurse seemed to lift her head and calm, as if she thought Abby had come to her senses and was leaving the room as she was told. She could not have been more wrong.

"Cold-hearted bitch!" Abby snapped, standing toe-to-toe with the nurse. It would have been comical, because Abby was so much shorter than the nurse was, were it not for the clear fury in her expression. "If you think you get to come in here and spew your hateful, small-minded bullshit and I won't call you out on it, you're wrong! The world will look back on people like you with shame. There have always been people who hate others for being different. You're no different than the racists and the homophobes and the rest of us would pity you for your sad, lonely little lives if we didn't hate you for trying to make other people feel worthless. Get out!"

The nurse had gone wide-eyed and taken as step back from Abby during her rant. Another pair of nurses came running down the hall, already approaching because Alex had pressed the help button, but they broke into a run when they heard Abby shouting.

"What is going on here?!"

The hateful nurse turned around to face her colleagues, wide-eyed. "This girl is interfering with my ability to care for the patient!"

Abby growled. "She's a racist!" It wasn't the perfect word, but she wasn't interested in coining a term for discrimination against clones at the moment, either.

The two new nurses stopped short, looking confused. The hateful nurse looked horrified. "I am no such thing!"

"You called Alex an abomination because of how he was born," Abby spat in response, her whole little body shaking with anger. "Racist sounds like a pretty apt word for what you are."

The other two nurses exchanged meaningful looks. "Oh dear." One of them, a short, stout woman, touched the hateful nurse's arm and gestured out into the hall. The two of them stepped out, leaving the last nurse, a tall, willowy woman, standing in the doorway looking faintly upset. "I apologize for what happened, miss. I'll speak to the head nurse and we'll see to it that any caregivers assigned to this room are not inclined towards such judgmental opinions. Please, come with me, and we'll find somewhere for you to sleep."

Abby, who had calmed significantly since the hateful nurse left, looked slightly embarrassed. "Um, actually, it all started because Alex wanted me to stay here with him for the night."

The nurse raised a brow, the corners of her lips quirking up. "I'm quite certain you can see why that might be considered against hospital policy."

Abby nodded. "But it's comforting to him! He'll sleep better with me. I promise I won't do anything but sleep!"

The nurse laughed. "Well, yes, sexual contact is certainly a concern. The increased heart-rate and muscle tension is probably a bad idea, not to mention the fact that he's very likely to wrench something he shouldn't during those sorts of activities. But there are other concerns, as well." She got out Alex's chart. "The nurse who let you nap with him today probably shouldn't have, but there isn't much concern for accidentally blocking blood flow enough that it would have any impact after only an hour. But for a whole night? It could cause problems if you were lying on him such that you were restricting blood to one of his arms, for example. This isn't a terrible concern for a healthy person, because they can move in their sleep, but Alex can't, so weight on his shoulder or chest like that actually poses a danger." She paused, considering. "Listen, I can have a cot brought into this room so you can stay in the same room as him, alright? But I must ask that you not sleep in the same bed. Only for a few days."

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Abby was fierce, almost frightening in her defense of Alex. He had never seen her furious before, but he feared ever having to face that wrath himself. And she went up against a woman larger than herself. Alex was so astounded by the display of protective fury that he stopped weeping.

Other nurses came running and took the mean nurse away, much to Alex's relief. The tall kind nurse that stayed behind explained why Abby couldn't be in bed with Alex, first to Abby and then to Alex. He trusted her when she told him about restricted blood flow and the forming of blood clots complicating his recovery. Alex readily accepted that explanation, but he was still saddened by the fact that he couldn't feel her warmth next to him. But it was still an immense relief that she could stay in the same room as him.

They brought in a cot, a kind of folding bed that didn't look too comfortable. Alex felt almost ashamed for having the large and luxurious bed while poor Abby would sleep near the floor in that small bed-thing. But aftter the nurse and Abby explained to him why it was important that he stay in the bigger bed, he accepted that as well. The nurse left, and Alex was treated to the sight of Abby undressing and getting ready for bed. He couldn't deny that he wasn turned on by the sight of her, but at the same time he was almost sad for her. She looked so worn out. And it was because of him.

She had fought for him and stood up for him and cared for him in so many ways. "Abby, I think I understand what you were trying to tell me about feeling humbled by another person." It had been one of the more fruitless discussions back in the cottage as she tried to explain the expression after it had shown up in a text they read together. She had managed to convey how one, when humbled by another person felt a multitude of emotions. Alex hadn't understood how a humbling experience could be both a good and a bad thing. "I am so happy I met you," he began, trying to weigh his words carefully. "You have been nothing but good to me. You took me in and warmed me and fed me. Then you taught me about the world and protected me. And then you loved me. I am happy and grateful for what you've done for me and what you are for me, yet I'm sad because I feel I can't even begin to repay you for all you've done."

He looked at her face, tired and worn. She had taken her socks off, while her jeans and her bra were still on. She looked almost owlishly sleepy now, calm after her furious outburst. There was almost a vulnerability to her semi-clad state and her tired look which made Alex love her more deeply than he'd thought possible. For a little moment he was at a loss for words.

"I've been trying to find the words to tell you how grateful I am and how much I love you, but it sounds so ... little in my head compared to what I feel, Abby. And I wish you could see what I feel for you, because I can't describe it. But ..."

A frustrated sound escaped him. The more he tried to say what he felt, the more difficult it became. "But I want you to be happy with me, and I want to be the one that makes you happy and safe. Because I love you. And that sounds so big and small at the same time. Isn't that strange?"

They spent a little while kissing goodnight and talking before she lay down on the cot. She was asleep almost instantly, and Alex quickly followed suit.

-------------------------------------------------------

Alex slept all through the night without nightmares, Abby's calm breath grounded him and kept him happy in his sleep. He wasn't even disturbed when the nurses checked in on them.

Waking up, Abby was unceremoniously whisked out of the room as the nurses needed to wash him and see to his bodily functions. He was told that she was borrowing a shower in the nurses' locker room. Experiencing a weird sense of deja vu, Abby entered the room as Alex was having his breakfast. The difference this time was that they'd fixed food for her as well. "ABBY!!" he cheered, raising his good arm in an enthusiastic greeting.

 

[slut_in_white]

Because I love you. And that sounds so big and small at the same time. Isn't that strange?

Abby smiled sleepily, and shimmied out of her jeans, leaving her wearing only her bra and panties. "It's not strange at all, actually," she answered softly, crawling up onto the bed with him. She was sorely tempted to accidentally fall asleep with him, but she didn't want to risk his health, so she whispered sweet things to him for a little longer, kissing him good night, and then slipped into the oversized shirt one of the nurses had lent her (emblazoned with the logo of the hospital's resident charity on the back) and got into the cot to fall asleep.

-----

In the morning, the willowy nurse came back to offer her a shower. Abby realized, belatedly, that she needed one, very much, and enthusiastically agreed (though she was cautious to remain quiet so Alex wouldn't wake). She had hoped to finish before he was awake, but she ended up staying in the shower a bit longer than she had originally intended, just enjoying the water and the feeling of being clean, as well as making sure that every inch of her skin was properly scrubbed and shaved to her preference.

When she returned to Alex's room, looking fresh and much happier, she grinned at Alex's jovial greeting and came to sit next to him. "Good morning!" she chirped, chuckling. "Aren't you in a good mood today!"

They simply enjoyed each others' company for a while as they ate, but when they were finished, Abby got out her laptop. There were several things Brent brought up yesterday that she hadn't thought to teach Alex yet, and she wanted to explain those. Plus, as uncomfortable as the topic was, she also thought it necessary to explain the behaviour of the cruel nurse last night.

"Humanity has a dark history in certain regards," she explained solemnly. "We, as a people, have historically been very unsuccessful at allowing ourselves to see those who are different from us as people worthy of dignity and respect. It's not okay, but it's the reality of the situation. As your nature as a clone becomes more public, you should be prepared to be the target of that. You were born differently from most people, and some people will use that as an excuse to dislike you. It won't matter if you're nice, or if I love you. They're small people who desire, more than anything, to hold power over someone else. And if that means looking at other people as less than human, they'll do it. To make matters worse, there are many people who see cloning as evil, because they think that we're messing with stuff we shouldn't. That we're playing God by performing cloning procedures. This whole scandal might reignite those sentiments, and there are people who will probably target you as the personification of everything they think is wrong with science and cloning and all of it." She took his hands, looking into his eyes. "It won't be easy, Alex. I wish it wasn't so, but this is the world we live in. There's a lot of bad that comes with the good, and I'm sorry to say, but you're going to be at the heart of some of that negativity. I'll be with you, every step of the way, but I didn't want you going into this blind. You understand?"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

It was as if she'd read his mind. He had a plethora of questions. He thought he'd been well prepared for the world at large, but there were so many things he didn't know he needed to know, so many new words, so many nuances in human interaction he was oblivious to. And there were still so many things to discover. It scared him and excited him all at once.

Abby's introduction to the darker side of human nature put Alex in a sombre mood. The next few hours were spent debating concepts like racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, ethnic intolerance, political intolerance and other subjects that made Alex's skin crawl.

He realized that what he'd been subjected to amounted to a form of slavery. He also realized that the world was an unfair place. And some times he just couldn't contain himself. He heard about violence visited on people deemed "different", and he heard and read detailed accounts from people being treated differently. He reacted like a child would: "That's unfair!" And then Abby, with great patience, explained about how the ones who were persecuted might turn around and behave equally bad towards others. She softened the blow by telling him about people that would never harm another human being, and how most people, reluctant though they might be, mostly did what was right. He learned about the extremes, From Hitler to Gandhi. Alex's head spun.

When they broke for lunch, Alex said with an almost pleading voice: "Can we discuss something else after we've eaten? Hatred and genocide makes me nauseous." He was shocked to the core and saddened beyond what he thought possible after learning about the Holocaust. They'd had to take a break after he was told that no one were spared, not even children, not even babies. It was beyond scary and beyond nauseating.

Alex needed a rest after lunch. His head and his heart were heavy and he neede to digest the information about mankind's inhumanity. He awoke 45 minutes later by voices. Abby was still here, and Brent was back. A new man was with Brent. He was older and shorter and wider than Brent, but still taller than Abby. "Ah! He's awake now. Why don't we ask him!?" It was the short man who spoke, pushing himself past Abby and extending his hand.

"Hey Alex! I'm Brent's agent. We need to talk." Brent grasped his agent by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Give Alex a chance to wake up before you pounce on him, Freddie," Brent said. Alex blinked, confused. "You'll have to forgive Freddie," Brent continued. "He's a good guy but he's sometimes too eager for his own and everyone else's good." Freddie chuckled goodnaturedly at that. "He's right, you know. Sorry Alex, Abby."

They gave Alex a minute to clear his head before Freddie the agent spoke again. "Hey Alex. I'm Brent's agent. Do you know what that means?" Alex shook his head 'no', and Freddie explained what he did for a living. This in turn set off a series of questions that Freddie, Brent, and Abby patiently explained to him. It took 15 minutes before they were back on track. "Brent wants to blow your story wide open, Alex. We're talking interviews, book rights, film rights ... the works." There followed a five minute discussion as to what exactly 'the works' meant. Then: "We'd like to have you BOTH on board for this, Alex and Abby. What you earn from this will be a nice nest egg for you two kids, and maybe even further work in Hollywood for the both of you if we play our cards right!"

Alex was more confused than ever. "You want to blow our story so we can make eggs?"

 

[slut_in_white]

Abby hated telling Alex about all the horrible things humanity had done, but he needed to know. It would be worse if he didn't understand the extent that human hatred could reach and was blind-sided by it later, but some part of her wished she could have protected him from it for just a little longer...

And so, she agreed very readily when he asked if they could talk about something else after lunch. But, after they ate, he seemed more interested in napping than anything else, and she was perfectly happy to allow him that. Settling into a comfortable place next to him, she soothed him with her fingers through his hair while he drifted off, and nearly drifted off herself when she heard the door open.

Brent was on the other side, this time with a hood pulled up over his head and a pair of sunglasses, but it was a face she'd recognize anywhere. He was wincing. "Sorry!" he mouthed, and tried to pull the door closed again, but Abby smiled and shook her head and motioned for him to come in. She extricated herself carefully from Alex's bed without waking him, and went to greet their visitor, only to find, to her surprise, that there was a second, excitable man standing just behind him. He peered over Brent's shoulder and, before Abby could say anything, he seized her hand, grinning widely.

"Oh! You must be Abby! I'm very pleased to meet you!"

Abby chuckled and put a finger to her lips. "Please keep your voice down. Alex is napping."

Brent looked entirely unsurprised that the other man was being too loud, but the man himself made a show of wincing and dipping his head in apology. "Whoops! Sorry, get a little too excited for my own good sometimes! My name's Freddie, Freddie Kirk. I'm Brent's agent. I'm here to speak with Alex about, well, a lot of things! But you have to know this is a story that's going to be told. Over and over, by books, interviews, maybe a movie... And I want to make sure you two are involved. Do you think he'd be interested?"

Abby shifted, uncertain. "I don't know. I mean, I expect we'd both like the ability to make sure no one portrays us inaccurately or negatively, but I don't know how much of the limelight he's going to want."

Behind her, Alex stirred.

Freddie caught sight of the movement and his whole face seemed to light up. "Ah! He's awake now. Why don't we ask him!?"

Over the next few minutes of conversation, Abby came to the conclusion that Freddie, while grating, was genuinely interested in helping them. Abby herself already had a job, one that she wasn't certain she wanted to leave. Not forever, anyway. But for a short while? If Alex wanted to do this and wanted her help? She'd be willing to do that.

And then Alex, in his usual straightforward manner, asked about making eggs. Abby giggled, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "A nest egg is a turn of phrase. It means a sizable sum of money. The kind of money we could use to invest, or put a down payment on a house. Or keep, in case of an emergency."

Freddie was smiling so wide it looked like his face might split into two. "Oh no. I'm not talking about down payment money. I'm talking about buy-a-house-with-cash kinds of money. Maybe more."

Abby's eyes went wise. "R-really?"

Brent seemed excited too, which made her think that this was more than just Freddie's tendency towards drama and excitement getting away from him. "Really."

Abby nearly started bouncing up and down. Eyes wide, she turned to Alex, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting into laughter. "What do you think?"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

It was one of the reasons he liked Abby so much. No matter how skewed his understanding of things were, she was there with that quick laughter and an equally quick kiss before she patiently explained what was what. He kissed her back, a trusting smile on his face.

From Abby's reaction, Alex could tell that what was offered to them both was a big deal. And Brent confirmed with a smile. Alex was unsure of what to make of all of it until he saw Abby's wide-eyed face.

"What do you think?"

Alex started reasoning from his limited understanding: "You want us to tell our story. For money. I have no education and I have no work experience." Freddie butted in her. "We can run you through aptitude tests to gauge your education level. And if you want to act professionally, or sing, or both, we can hire coaches for you. It'll pay off."

Alex gave it some thought. "But ... won't it be too much with two men looking exactly alike?" Freddie replied: "Not necessarily, no. But it's good that you think of these things, Alex. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions! First we need to get the book out, then the two of you must go on a book tour, and if Constitution Biotech are hauled in front of a court you will have to testify, which can be added to later editions of the book, and we need to coach you in between talking to the ghost writer and-"

Alex looked alarmed. "GHOST writer!?" Freddie laughed. "Yes Alex. A ghost writer is an author that writes your story for you, not an actual ghost. They're called ghost writers because their names don't go on the cover of the books."

"This is a lot to take in," Alex said. "And it is tempting to earn so much money. I want to be able to not live off Abby the rest of my life. It's wrong that you should work and provide for two," he said, turning to Abby as he reached out and caressed her cheek. "I want to contribute. I want to do it when I get well."

"There's another thing," Brent said. "The story you told me, I sent it to the local District Attorney. He was on the phone with me just before we got here to inform me that it's passed on to federal authorities. You can expect a visit from federal agents wanting to conduct an extenxive interview with you both. I think they need to move fast so CB can't cover their tracks. Co-operate with them and DO NOT talk to the press before they give us green light to do so!"

At this point, Alex just nodded, overwhelmed and more than a little confused. "Um, sure," he said, blinking owlishly. "I can see you've had enough for today, Alex," Freddie said. "We'll leave you two kids alone and we'll be back tomorrow with a contract. I suggest you get a lawyer to look it over with you. Come on Brent, let's leave'em alone."

Brent hesitated. He was looking intently at Alex, a wistful look on his face. "My family wants to meet you, Alex. I told them about you both and, well, they're curious. Especially my mom. You see, ironically, I'm one of a pair of identical twins. But my brother, he ... died. And it almost destroyed her when she saw you got shot, thinking it was me. If it's okay with you, can I bring her by to see you?"

 

[slut_in_white]

I want to be able to not live off Abby the rest of my life.

Abby bit her lip, fighting the sudden urge to practically throw herself at him and kiss him senseless. Not because she cared whether he was bringing in money, but because he wanted to be her partner. In the long term. They hadn't really spoken about the state of their relationship or intentions - largely because she felt like Alex just wouldn't understand yet - but this was the first time either of them had said aloud that this love between them was likely to be a permanent thing. He said "the rest of my life." Abby knew her mother would think she was insane - she was sweet, and it would mostly be out of worry that Abby was rushing things, but she would still think they were moving too fast. And maybe they were. Abby was absolutely not going to tie herself to him in any legal fashion before Alex had been given the chance to see what the rest of the world had to offer. Because, as much as he cared for her, he'd never really met any other women, and if he found another, she'd be heartbroken, but it would be a thousand times worse if he felt like he couldn't leave Abby out of a sense of duty or some other obligation.

And yet... he seemed perfectly okay with giving up on the opportunity to meet and court other women. For all he knew, the woman of his dreams could walk into his life tomorrow, but he seemed convinced he would want Abby, even then. And it warmed her heart to think that it was such an easy thing for him to say - "the rest of my life."

But the others were still talking, and she tuned back into the conversation on time to hear that Brent had once been a twin, and that his mother wanted to meet Alex. Of course, that was Alex's decision to make, but Abby took his hand and smiled encouragingly. "I think it's a good idea," she answered. "Are you okay with that, Alex?"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"I am okay with that," Alex replied with a certainty he certainly didn't feel. He was cloned from Brent. Brent had come out of his mother. Was he then her son? It was a strange thought that he might have an almost-birthmom. The one woman he'd called "Mother" at the Compound couldn't be his mother. He'd learned that one evening when they'd discussed biology at the cabin. The woman playing Alex's mother was of african descent, while Alex was caucasian. Brent's mother was the closest thing he'd ever have to a real mother. But meeting her? That was a scary notion. But he couldn't NOT meet her.

And so, in a louder, clearer voice, he reassured Brent: "It scares me because she's as close to a mother as I'll ever have. But yes, I want to meet her, Brent." Brent seemed to slump a bit as he exhaled, and a look of relief crossed his face. "Thanks Alex. I'll bring her here tomorrow. I think she's looking forward to see you." Then Brent raised his fist and pointed it at Alex. Alex looked carefully at Brent, who kept his fist raised and pointing steadily at Alex. "Fistbump, bro," he offered by way of explanation. "Form a fist and gently bump mine with it. It's an informal friendly greeting." Oh! Alex did as he was instructed and Brent smiled before giving Abby a friendly hug. Then he was out the door and they were alone again.

Alex felt he'd had enough information hurled at him today to digest. But still, a fevered excitement ran through him and he couldn't stop talking about tomorrow and the days after that.

"I'm ... my head feels almost full, Abby. There's so much happening! I'm- WE are meeting Brent's mom tomorrow! Can I call her 'mom'? Should I call her Mrs Matthews? 'Brent's mom'? Do you think she'll like us?" Alex's stomach was churning with anxiety. "What if she doesn't like us!?" he said, his fear rising. "Should we do something, maybe? A gift?" It took him a while to calm down.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms as they discussed the future. Alex wanted to give acting a real shot. He also wanted to shed as much light as possible on the plight of the clones as he could. They discussed the future for quite a while.

They made an early night of it but Alex was wide awake for a long time, contemplating meeting Brent's mom the day after. Eventually, sleep claimed him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breakfast was done the following morning when the duty nurse stuck her head inside and announced visitors. Alex was nervously fretting, trying to sit as straight as he could and running his hand through his hair one more time. "All right," he said. "We're ready."

Brent appeared first. "Don't be nervous, ma. I bet both Alex and Abby are, too. It'll be okay." A woman appeared in the doorway behind Brent. Alex saw that he and Brent had inherited her eyes and her mouth. Her shoulder length blonde hair was done up in a thick ponytail, and she was tanned and slender. She wore white slacks and a denim shirt, and a strong flowery scent followed her. From what Alex could see she was fairly young. She was carrying a paper bag.

She stopped, a gasp escaping her as her free hand covered her mouth. And then she started crying. She approached the bed slowly, hesitantly, tears streaming down her face. She almost looked afraid as she reached out and gently stroked Alex's cheek. Alex raised his hand and gently grasped her hand, pressing it to his cheek and closing his eyes at this unexpected display of affection. And then she hugged him, bawling her eyes out as Alex hugged her back, a bewildered look on his face.

She was soft and warm, but touching her was not like touching Abby. There was love, sure, but it felt different somehow. Brent sidled up and put a hand on his mom's shoulder. "I told you it was different up close, ma," he muttered.

After a few minutes she released Alex from the hug and sniffled as she accepted paper towels from her son. "Hi. Please excuse me, but it's quite a shock to see a living, beathing duplicate of my son sitting in front of me." She blew her nose and went to wash her hands. Returning, she managed a wobbly smile when she told them: "I'm Lilah, Brent's mother. You," she pointed at Alex, "are Alex and you," nodding towards Abby, "must be Abby. I'm very pleased to meet you both."

Unlike Brent, she had a very distinct accent, one Alex had trouble recognizing. "I must admit I'm unsure how to proceed from here. You look exactly like my sons. Of course you do. And Brent showed me the recordings he made the day before yesterday. I know you never had a real family. If you'd like, maybe you'd- you'd want to be in our family, Alex? You don't have to answer right away, but I'd like to get to know you, both of you, if that's okay."Alex was overwhelmed.

Lilah had an energy about her that seemed uneasy. She was fidgeting and glancing at Alex, quickly looking away if their eyes met. Alex reached for her hand. "You can touch me if you want to. I'm not afraid. Please don't be afraid of me, Lilah." She accepted, his hand and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's so strange," she whispered. "It's almost as if Steven is back, only changed." Alex squeezed her hand again. "I am sorry you lost your son, Lilah." A sad and pained smile lit up her face then. "I am sorry too. Thank you Alex." They hugged again. Alex lost himself a little in that hug. There was something immensely comforting and reassuring in being held by Lilah this way.

"Oh!" Lilah exclaimed, hands suddenly eagerly aflutter. "We brought gifts!" She brought up the paper bag and produced an envelope for Abby. For Alex, she'd bought a stuffed toy (an obnoxiously cute pig that Alex fell in love with instantly) a notebook and some quality pens. They'd also fixed a cell phone for him, a sleek and shiny thing. While Brent helped Alex logging on the phone and exploring all its options, Lilah turned to Abby. Abby had opened the envelope, a puzzled expression on her face as she pulled out a key card.

"Abby, I'd like to watch over Alex tonight. Those keys are for the top suite at the best hotel here in Cleveland. I think you should go and spoil yourself. From what I've heard, you've been at this hospital ever since ... that day. I think you need a night of massage and room service, sweetheart. Go nuts. Mister Millionaire over here," Brent lifted his head at that and said halfheartedly 'aw mom!', "is picking up the tab. You've earned an evening off, Abby." She smiled before adding: "Of course, I'll understand if you'd rather stay here, and no hard feelings if you do."

 

[slut_in_white]

Abby started chuckling when Alex straightened, looking nervous and uncertain, when the duty nurse announced the visitors had arrived. She was sitting on the bed next to him and ran her fingers through his hair, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of his head. "Everything is going to be fine, Alex. Relax," she cooed, smiling reassuringly at him.

The interactions between Lilah and Alex, once she arrived, were adorable. He seemed to do everything he could to assure her that it was okay for her to treat him as she desired to, and she seemed overjoyed to finally meet him.

Abby, for her part, was entirely happy just to sit and watch. Which was why she was surprised when Lilah turned her attention to her and offered her the night at the fancy hotel.

Abby's mouth popped open and she simply stared down at the envelope for a moment. "I... It's too much, I couldn't..."

Brent grinned. "Oh, sure you can."

Frowning slightly, Abby clutched at the voucher and bit her lip. "But, I mean, I can't leave you here all night to take care of Alex."

Lilah smirked. "I'm asking you too. This isn't as much a favour to you as to me. Besides, it's not as though I'll be here alone. We're in a hospital after all."

Abby still looked uncertain. It wasn't that she didn't want a chance to relax, it was that she wasn't sure she wanted to leave Alex alone, and more, she didn't want to leave him if he was uncomfortable with the idea. "I, um, maybe?"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Alex caught the last part of the conversation between Lilah and Abby. He thought for a little while, then piped up: "Abby, I think you should go. I trust Lilah. She seems kind. And if there's anything I need to talk to you about I can-" and here he brandished his sparkling new smartphone, "just call you! And I have this-" holding his stuffed pig aloft "to comfort me. You have to feel it Abby. It's almost as soft to touch as you are!" he finished eagerly.

His outburst was greeted with equal amounts of chuckling and embarassed looks. Lilah had a triumphant smirk on her face, directed at Brent: "See Brent, he LIKES the pig, same as you and Steve did!" She turned back to Abby again and smiled: "He agrees with us. I'll stay here with Alex tonight and get to know him better. Brent is staying at the same hotel if you need someone to talk to. Security has been told to expect you, so you should have no problems if you need to speak with him. Now shoo! Go spoil yourself! Charge anything you want to the room and just relax and enjoy yourself. You've more than earned it for what you've done for Alex."

Alex and Abby kissed goodbye. Alex put up a brave face since he didn't want to show her how scared he was of being without her. She was his link to, well, everything. And now he was stuck in this room with a strange woman, albeit a seemingly kind and warm woman. As he saw Abby's back as she left, he couldn't help himself. He started tearing up. Lilah sat down beside him and took his hand. "She IS the whole world to you, isn't she?" Alex could only nod in return. "I think it's healthy for the both of you to be separated for at least one night. It's plain to me that she loves you and you love her, Alex. The way you two look at each other makes that obvious for everyone. But you've only known HER. What if, when you get well enough to move around, you meet another girl and fall in love with her instead? You are young, and young men's hearts stray easily, Alex. Or, God forbid, what if SHE meets another man and wants to leave you?"

Alex hadn't given that any thought. "I love her," he said. Lilah waited patiently. "She is pretty. But that's not important. There are many pretty women. I love her for more than that. Not only did she rescue me and save me from freezing to death and the guards, she let me choose my own name when I had none." And he continued telling about how patient she'd been with him, how she'd taught and guided him to the best of her abilities. And finally: "And she taught me about sex and love as well-" Lilah raised her hand and said: "Hold it right there, young man! There are certain things we don't discuss quite so openly in polite society. I'll take your word for it, Alex." She looked and sounded strict then, but there was a hint of mirth that told him she wasn't mad at him.

Lilah sighed. "Well, should anything happen between the two of you, you are more than welcome to come down to New Orleans and stay with us. But it sounds like you two are genuinely fond of each other. You're off to a better start than many other couples that get together out of sheer lust," she said, a quick look at Brent as she said that. "For what it's worth, you have my blessing. Do right by her and I'm sure she'll do the same."

She brought out a tablet. "I want you to see some family pictures, Alex." He was shown pictures of Brent and Steven, pictures of Lilah and her husband (and this sent shivers down Alex's spine) Alexander, and Brent's and Steven's little sister Jasmine. Alexander had died in a car accident ten years ago and Jasmine had just started college, paid for by Brent. Both Brent and Lilah beamed with pride when talking about Jasmine. Alex looked at her photo. She had the same hair as her mother, with warm brown eyes and a smile he knew well. "She's beautiful," Alex said.

They spent an hour looking at different childhood pictures that had Brent squirming in embarassment more than once. It was fun and heartwarming to see the carefree banter mother and son had, and Alex felt an ache and a longing he'd only felt hints of before. Looking at Brent, he said: "You're so lucky to have had all this. But why did Steven die?" It was an issue they'd avoided so far. A shadow passed over their faces. "He was driven to suicide," Brent finally said. "He hung himself in the basement. It was Jasmine who found him." Lilah started softly crying, and both Brent and Alex reached for her to comfort her.

"He was homosexual. You know what that means, Alex?" Alex nodded. "He loved men instead of women," Alex answered. Lilah and Brent nodded. She continued: "Some people think homosexuals are abominations. So they think it's okay to bully them. Steven was very sensitive, but he never told us about the bullying that went on. He carried it inside of him until he couldn't bear it anymore, and then ..."

"That shouldn't have happened," Alex said. "He had every right to love men. There's nothing wrong with that." He'd discussed this with Abby in the cabin. "I've been called an abomination as well. It made me upset. Abby got really angry at the nurse. It was very unpleasant. I've never seen her angry before."

Lilah just nodded and smiled. She decided that she needed to have a talk with Abby about teaching Alex as much as possible about the world and human interaction. He was too bluntly honest when talking to others. It was disarming, but it could be construed as impolite. She'd already told him 'no' when he was about to launch into explicit sex talk. He would never be Steven, no one could replace him, but odd though he was, Alex seemed like a gentle soul. She only hoped Jasmine would accept him.

The rest of the day Lilah, Brent, and Alex talked about the childhoods of Brent, Steven, and Jasmine and the lives they'd led so far. It was very comfortable to be able to just listen and watch as these people laid bare their lives before him. Little by little, he felt a profound love for these people that so willingly accepted him and wanted to adopt him into their family. He wasn't comfortable with calling Lilah 'mom', but he liked her and wanted very much to have her as family nevertheless. She was a warm and caring yet strict person that loved her children immensely.

Brent left eventually and only Alex and Lilah remained. She started instructing Alex like she'd instructed her children the proper way to address other people. She encouraged Alex to practice on the hospital staff, which he did. He came across as overly formal at first, making the duty nurse giggle helplessly when he addressed her as "my dear Miss Price". Lilah corrected him on the spot, making the nurse realise what was going on. She helped them by letting Alex address her and she corrected him when he faltered.

After the nurse, doctor, and physiotherapist had been with Alex, he was tired and in need of sleep. He dozed off with Lilah by his side, humming softly as she sat by the bed, watching him. He felt safe and loved, but this love felt different than Abby's. Not better or worse, just different. Her soothing humming sent him off to deep sleep and-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-the next thing he knew, it was morning anew. Still very early, he reckoned he'd slept for 11 hours and 16 minutes. "Well hello, sleepyhead," came the soft voice of Lilah. "You really needed sleep, you little snoremonster," she continued with a smile. "I texted Jasmine after it became obvious you were out for the night. I think she might want to meet you, but not right away. Like me, she thought it was Brent that got shot on the news. And now she needs to wrap her head around the fact that you're Brent's clone. She'll need time, but she'll come around."

Lilah borrowed a shower like Abby had done while Alex was cleaned and looked after by the nurses. He was told he needed to get up and start moving around now and that he would be transferred out of ICU soon. When Lilah heard, she pursed her lips and called Brent: "They're transferring him out of ICU soon. I think you should bring Abby and come here as soon as you've finished breakfast. There are things we need to discuss."

They ate breakfast in a comfortable silence. After the doctor's round it was the physiotherapists turn. Alex was chased out of bed where he discovered to his surprise that walking hurt. The therapist explained that his ligaments had started contracting due to inaction. Alex didn't know it could get so bad so quickly. Luckily, the pain subsided after a little while and he swore to himself he'd never be this inactive ever again. It just felt wrong.

The swish of an opening door heralded new visitors, and Alex turned around to see Abby and Brent enter his room. "Abby," he said softly as a big smile spread across his face. For the next few minutes, Abby was all he knew as he embraced and kissed her. When he looked up, Brent and Lilah watched them with indulgent smiles. "You two lovebirds," Lilah said with a giggle.

They sat down to discuss the latest development. If Alex was well enough to walk around and transfer to another ward, the time had come to make a decision. Lilah and Brent wanted to move Alex to a private secluded clinic in California so he could recover sheltered from the public eye. Lilah turned to Abby: "We'd love for you to accompany him, dear. We can set up an office for you so you can continue working from there if you want to. We want the best treatment for Alex, and we don't want you two to be separated. We know this is a big decision for you both. Please think about it."

 

[slut_in_white]

At Alex's assurances that he'd be okay, Abby finally relented and agreed to go spend the night at the hotel. She'd arrived, been whisked into a beautiful room and left alone to shower and properly clean up. Brent arrived and knocked on her door to check on her not long after she'd finished. She'd only been out of the shower maybe 15 minutes and she'd started getting antsy. She ended up inviting him in. They ordered in room service and spent the evening talking.

Brent was able to sense that Abby was anxious about leaving Alex alone at the hospital. She finally broke down and explained that it was because she was torn. On the one hand, she fully recognized that it wasn't okay for her to be around him all the time. They needed time apart. Alex had to be given an opportunity to find out who he was outside of the context of being with her. But at the same time, there was still a lot that he didn't know and she couldn't stand the thought of him being lost and alone. Though she trusted Lilah to take care of Alex, he still had some very strange behaviours and triggers that Lilah wouldn't know about and Abby wasn't there to explain.

Brent, for his part, did a good job of reassuring her that everything would be fine. He reminded her more than once that the hospital was just a phone call away, and that she deserved some rest. By the time they were finished, Abby was feeling mostly better, and Brent retired to his room for the night shortly afterwards. And Abby spent the rest of the evening on the phone with various people; her parents, her brother, Will and a few of her friends who had started sending her panicked texts when they realized that the woman on the ground next to the car in the video about the shooting of Brent Matthews had looked an awful lot like Abby. Mostly, she assured them that she was alright, that everyone was alright, and that she couldn't tell them much more about the details of the crime because it was still an active investigation. She wasn't lying, exactly - she simply led them to believe that the investigation was about the shooting, rather than Constitution Biotech being involved in slavery and human trafficking.

She didn't sleep particularly well. Funny how you get used to things like hearing the breathing of another person in your ear, lulling you to sleep. Still, she slept enough, even if it was fitful, because she managed to sleep for about 10 hours before she got the phone call from Brent asking her to come to the hospital.

Anxious to see how Alex was doing, she tossed on some clothes and went straight over. When she arrived, her whole face lit up when she saw Alex on his feet again, and she went straight to him, kissing him and whispering about how proud she was of him and how much she loved him, only to be interrupted by Lilah's comment about their lovebird nature.

But soon, things took a turn for the serious, and they spent some time discussing Alex's recovery. There wasn't a question in Abby's mind that sending Alex to this care center in California.

"We'd love for you to accompany him, dear. We can set up an office for you so you can continue working from there if you want to. We want the best treatment for Alex, and we don't want you two to be separated. We know this is a big decision for you both. Please think about it."

Abby smiled sheepishly, feeling touched by how much they had thought about her in the process of planning this out. "Actually, my contract with NASA is technically over now that I'm back in the US. I need to go be debriefed at the space center and pick up my pay check, but that's it. I'm unemployed, I guess. So I could just go to California and find a job near the treatment center for now, I suppose. Or I could live off the money I made while I was working in Siberia."

Lilah and Brent were both staring at her, and Abby realized rather abruptly that, while they'd heard most of Alex's story, she hadn't really explained her own side of things. And so, in as few words as possible, she gave them the run down on what she'd been doing at the Cottage when she found Alex - that she was a freshly graduated student given an opportunity to work at a remote weather station for NASA in Siberia.

"Well," Brent began, chuckling, "I'm certain a scientist from NASA shouldn't have a problem getting a job. Wow."

Abby blushed. "Well, yeah, that was kind of my thought, too. It's part of why I took the job to begin with." Then she turned to Alex. "So, what do you think about this treatment center? Whatever you decide, I'll be with you. I'll follow you to California, if that's what you want. Whatever you want to do, okay?"

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"So, what do you think about this treatment center? Whatever you decide, I'll be with you. I'll follow you to California, if that's what you want. Whatever you want to do, okay?"

Alex was happy. Abby wanted to go with him to what sounded like a nice place. He couldn't help himself. He flung his right arm around her and said: "I love you Abby! I want to go to California and get treated and then we can help with the book and I can learn to act and sing and make money for us and we can buy a house and live together and I-"

He stopped short. Everyone were looking at him with funny expressions on their faces. Alex became bashful. "I- just want to live. And I want to live with Abby. I want to be as kind to her as she has been to me. I want to-" he lacked the words. He struggled for a moment and then: "For what you've done to me I wish to make it so that you won't have to work unless you want to. Because you're so kind."

"You wish to provide for her, Alex," Lilah added helpfully. Oh. So that's what it was called. It had its own word. That was clever. "And it's a very sweet gesture," she continued. "But most young women WANT to be a part of the workforce, and Abby here even went to university to get educated enough to work with what she wants. I'd wager you couldn't drag her away from work no matter how hard you tried. But it's still a grand gesture on your part."

Alex felt at once chastised and complimented by Lilah's words. He understood what she was saying, and he nodded. But then he added with a glint in his eyes: "I did say 'unless you want to', didn't I Lilah?" Lilah flushed ever so briefly before she laughed, a low and nice sound. "You're not afraid to talk back, Alex. That's good. Never lose that. You will need it."

Alex and Abby spent the morning together while Brent and Lilah organized the move to California. Having trained rigorously all his life, Alex was in excellent shape which, unbeknownst to him, was the only reason they'd been told to exercise. This stood him in good stead the coming weeks.

By the end of the day, an ambulance drove from the hospital without sirens and flashing lights, heading for the airport. Having never been conscious in an ambulance before, Alex was deeply fascinated by all the paraphernalia inside and he was so engrossed in the paramedic's explanation of what the different things were for that he forgot to long for Abby that followed the ambulance in a limo with Brent and Lilah.

At the airport, Alex had a brief panic attack. The private plane looked exactly like the plane he'd flown in to Los Angeles that fateful day so many months back. It got so bad that he tried to get off the stretcher, screaming bloody murder. It took the combined efforts of Abby, Lilah, Brent, and the paramedic to calm him down. In the end, they had to solemnly swear that they were going on the plane with him and that they were not returning him to the Compound. Or, as Brent bluntly put it: "I wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to get to know you only to return you to CB, Alex."

The flight itself was blissfully uneventful. The vigilant presence of Abby made Alex relax, so much so that he managed to fall asleep. When he awoke, he was no longer on the plane. He was in a quiet cool and dark room. There was illumination from a moon hanging low over the ocean, and Alex heard the crash of waves and smelled fresh sea air. And Abby was there, sleeping in a chair beside his bed.

A sad sigh escaped him as he watched her. She deserved better than to be constantly his guardian. It hit him then, with full force, how much he'd demanded of her. He'd been dependent on her ever since she took him in and she'd taught him everything about the world that he knew.

A fresh feeling of shame washed over him. He needed to do things right for her. His want, no, his NEED to be something more than a big child to her first manifested itself as an almost physical ache and longing to make things right. It ended up as an almost fierce resolve, filling him with so much adrenaline that he could all but hear his own pulse. He could certainly feel it, as his body shook with every heartbeat. When the duty nurse peeked inside 33 minutes later, he was still wide awake. She offered him a sedative, which he gratefully accepted. As his mind grew numb and his body relaxed again, Alex told himself: I will be the best man I can be for Abby, starting tomorrow.

The following weeks, Alex took to physiotherapy with an almost frightening fervour. He pushed himself so hard that his therapist told him to slow down several times. But Alex pushed himself past his threshold of pain as often as he could get away with it, impatient to start life as Abby's equal and not her charge.

The room that Brent paid for was more like a small apartment, big enough for Abby to live in. It faced the Pacific ocean, and Alex fell in love with the sunset and the moon over the ocean. He loved to walk along the beach with Abby, feeling the sand between his toes, hearing the waves and the seagulls, and just taking in the beauty of it all. And steadily, he got better. They received Brent and Lilah many times, and Alex started socializing with the other recuperating residents as well. Little by little, he started acting and talking like a normal young american man.

In their downtime, they spent some time with the ghost writer, Marcus. He'd seen the recording Brent had made. He'd created a framework of their story, but he needed, as he put it, meat to fill out the bones. Abby and Alex talked. And talked. And slowly, the book took shape. The investigation into the shooting of Alex progressed slowly, as did the investigation of CB. But with pressure from Brent and his lawyer, the case progressed nevertheless.

Two months in, and the case made front pages across the world. And then came the thing Alex had feared more than anything: a press conference with him and Brent. As he waited behind a door with Abby, waiting for Brent to introduce him, Alex looked at her. "This is it," he gulped. "I wish you'd be there with me, but I need to do this on my own. Wish me luck?"

Brent's voice droned over the loudspeakers, condemning CB. They'd saved Alex as the nasty surprise when all the skeptics were set to pounce and tear Brent's story apart. Gasps and exclamations were heard as Brent read a prepared statement and then he opened the floor for questions. Predictably, the first question, asked in a snarky male was: "Mr. Matthews, you've made some wild and serious allegations against Constitution Biotech today. There have been rumors circulating about sentient clones. But how are you going to prove this?"

"Alex?"

Alex entered the room. New gasps, and Alex was blinded by flashes and camera lights. Brent and he had dressed alike, and their hair was cut and styled to make them look exactly alike. It took a few minutes for the journalists to calm down. Alex started a prepared statement of his own: "Until about 8 months ago, I had no name. I was an inmate or prisoner at one of Constitution Biotech's compounds in Siberia ... "

Alex's statement ran on for 5 minutes, giving a brief recap of his escape and ending with a video of his shooting. Abby's face was pixelled away, so the first question after the video was, of course: "Who's the girl?"

Brent answered: "She is the courageous individual who sheltered and educated Alex here. She's in the next room, listening to and watching the conference as we speak. I invite her in, but if she declines, we will of course respect that, won't we, ladies and gentlemen of the press?"

Staring directly at the camera now, Alex asked the question: "Will you come out?"

 

[slut_in_white]

Ironic, that Alex ended up thinking about how much he demanded of Abby once he woke at the care center in California, because Abby, meanwhile, had spent most of the trip thinking about how happy she was. She didn't feel as though he were demanding anything of her at all, because 'demanding' suggested that she was giving something she didn't otherwise want to give. But in reality, she was happy to help Alex. He gave her so much joy. She's never seen the world through fresh but intelligent eyes like that, and it was a pleasure to watch him learn. It was unquestionably only because she loved him, but in the end, regardless of the reason, she liked helping him. She wouldn't deny him the opportunity to grow into his own man, of course, but she didn't feel like he owed her anything.

Over the course of his recovery, Abby spent her days first searching for a job, and then working. Brent had gotten her an interview with a small group of consultants who spent their time professionally consulting on movies who needed someone to talk to about scientific accuracy. It wasn't all fun and games - a lot of it ended up demanding quick research at occasionally odd hours - but she fell in love with the job almost immediately. And better, her hours were quite flexible. There were core office hours, but for the most part, Abby could spend her time working from home if she wanted, and she ended up often doing so, as well as occasionally bringing her laptop to the care center to work there while Alex did his physio.

The best part was, her coworkers were accustomed to working with famous people, so when Brent came to pick her up from work one afternoon (since he was on his way to visit Alex at the time), nobody blinked an eye, and Abby realized that if she was going to be able to avoid workplace drama as a result of the upcoming publicity she'd be forced to handle, it was here.

Soon enough, the day of the press conference rolled around. Abby was standing just backstage next to Alex while Alex seemed intent on fidgeting nervously, no matter how much she held his hand or tried to smooth away the worry lines on his face.

"I wish you'd be there with me, but I need to do this on my own. Wish me luck?"

He sounded terrified. Abby pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips, smiling. "I know you do, Alex. I'm proud of you, and I'll be here when you're finished. You'll do just fine. Good luck, love."

Abby withdrew from near the door to avoid anyone catching a glimpse of her before they were ready for her, if they were going to be ready for her at all. Both Brent and Alex had talked about wanting her to come out to join the conference, if she was comfortable with it. She hadn't been sure whether she'd be able to handle the attention, so they'd told her that it would simply be up to her.

She took a seat on one of the couches backstage and watched the conference on the screen. A few of the journalists looked like they were there for the truth, but most of them just looked like they were there for a scandal. Any scandal. So it wasn't that surprising to her when a sneering man asked for proof, as if he was certain Brent wouldn't be able to produce any. She felt more than a little schadenfreude when Alex walked out and the journalist in question snapped his smarmy mouth shut.

It was a little weird, though, seeing Alex and Brent sitting next to each other looking almost exactly the same. When they were both sitting still, she couldn't even tell them apart - it was only the fact that Alex seemed to move with a nervous energy Brent lacked (probably because of his experience dealing with the press) that allowed her to tell at a glance which one was which.

"Will you come out?" Alex was looking straight into the camera.

Abby hesitated a moment. She was afraid they were going to tear her apart. She didn't like this kind of attention. And yet... She needed to. She knew that her old, anonymous life was over now, whether she wanted it or not. At this point, the best thing she could do was to control how and when the press learned about her. People were going to nitpick over how she'd deal with Alex when she first found him, and she knew some people were going to question the ethics of her relationship with him. Best go now, and show them she had nothing to feel ashamed of.

She stood, smoothing out her dress with shaking palms, and opened the door to the stage. She was met with blinding flashes and a cacaphony of incomprehensible questions. She simply stood in the doorway for a moment, looking faintly dazed by the onslaught of light and sound. And then, just like she'd practiced, she smiled at the cameras, her gaze clearing and seeking out Alex. He was motioning to the chair next to him, smiling, and she returned his smile gratefully.

"My name is Abby. Up until a few months ago, I was working at a weather research station for NASA in Siberia, when I went outside during a storm one night and found a man collapsed in the snow..." She told the story of finding Alex, nursing him back to health, of the abuse they endured at the hands of the men from CB who came looking to retrieve Alex, and of trying to teach him about the world while hiding him from anyone who might return him to his captors. She tactfully left out anything about their romantic relationship - she wasn't ready, yet, for the questions that would raise. And, as far as she was concerned, that wasn't any of their damn business anyway.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

What neither of them mentioned, the journalists picked up on. It was the obnoxious man with the snarky voice who first broke the silence: "So we're to understand then, that two attractive healthy young people lived in a secluded cottage in the siberian wilderness for several months, with only each other for company. And you taught Alex here about the world, Abby? My my, that must have been some education."

Alex by now understood fully that openly discussing sex and private matters in public was Not Okay. He resented the journalist's tone and his implications. He let Abby answer for herself before he added: "I don't like you prying into matters that don't pertain to the bigger issue of Constitution Biotech's crimes. I don't care for the way you put your questions to us. And I think I don't like YOU very much. I will not answer any more of your childish questions."

As part of the recovery of his shoulder, Alex had taken up boxing. He had a fleeting picture in his head of using the snarky journalist's head as a punching bag, causing him to smile momentarily. A titter of laughter went through the throng of newspeople. Brent placed his hand on Alex's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze of support. "I should have warned you people, Alex doesn't suffer fools lightly," he said, humiliating the offending journalist further.

Another journalist in a placating tone said: "Then we're all in trouble!" Even Alex had to laugh at that. The situation was defused, the journalists had been put in their place, the conference continued. One of the journalists approached the podium, brandishing a computer tablet. "Alex, you mentioned seeing the image of your bunkmate from the Compound on a billboard in LA. Was it this man?" Alex looked at the picture and felt as if he'd been punched in the guts. "Yes," he said quietly as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Yes, that's him." Alex produced a list he'd prepared of celebrities whose clones he'd seen. As he read out the names, one could have heard a pin drop every time Alex drew his breath. The list of names was long, but far from complete.

When he'd read out the names, he looked up: "Now, if these other people are anything like Brent here, they've been misled by CB. Let me assure you, we're sentient. Basically brainwashed, but sentient. Please release them. Give them the same chance I've been given. Clones or not, no one deserves to be treated like this."

"Finally, I have two direct appeals. The first is to the leadership of CB: you'll get what's coming to you. The second is of a more personal nature: I never got your name because I was too afraid at the time, but I want to extend my thanks to you, the make-up woman that talked to me and warned me about me being a clone and a sentient and independent being. Thank you. Please come forward. I want to thank you in person."

The questions continued. They ranged from the personal (though not intimate) to questions about life in the compound and questions about CB. As the mood became more relaxed, Alex and Abby both replied more freely. At one point, one of the reporters asked why they'd waited so long to come forward, to which they truthfully replied that they'd waited until they were given the green light by the Department of Justice. "Do you know why?", came the question.

Alex could only reply 'no', but suddenly there was a disturbance in the crowd. It spread like wildfire as every newsperson checked their phones, prompting Alex to do the same. The news were grim: Strike teams across the globe had launched joint co-ordinated assaults on CB's known compounds. Details were sketchy, but there had been loss of lives.

They switched on a TV and watched as events unfolded all over the globe. Several compounds were liberated bloodlessly, while the guards put up fights in other places. Alex couldn't suppress a gasp as he watched his compound in Siberia burn to the ground. It soon became evident that no one came out alive.

Several of the reporters clamored for his attention, but Alex had had enough. Brent called out that this was it for today, and he thanked everyone for coming. Security escorted Brent, Abby, and Alex back to his quarters. Alex was stunned and numb. So much violence and death, only so a corporation could make money. It was ... obscene! He was in turmoil. Would they have survived if he hadn't come forward? Was this HIS fault!?

Entering his quarters, he sat down on the couch and wept. Abby came to him and he hung on to her as if his life depended on it. He didn't notice Lilah entering the room with a young woman in tow. Brent went to them and quickly explained why Alex was so upset. They understood and waited until Alex was a little more composed. Then Lilah cleared her throat: "Alex, Abby, I'd love for you to finally meet my youngest child, Jasmine."

Alex looked up. A younger and prettier version of Lilah was in the room, fidgeting and looking timid. Alex got up and reached out to shake hands with her. Then he stopped. "Do we shake or hug, Jasmine?" A shy smile appeared on her face before she quietly replied: "I think we hug, Alex." And so they did. He was surprised by the strength with which she hugged him and when they separated after, he saw tears in her eyes as well. "Mom and Brent were right. This is weird. It's like you're Steven, only not. And you!" she said turning to Abby, "thank you for taking care of my clone brother for me!" And she embraced Abby with the same fierce hug.

It wouldn't bring the dead people back, but meeting Jasmine softened the blow just a tiny bit. They made a tacit agreement in not switching on the TV. Instead they sat and talked through the afternoon and evening, pausing only to order and eat takeaway. By the end of the evening, the mood was good between them despite the evil they'd witnessed.

It was only after only he and Abby remained in the late evening that he aired his doubts. Had he caused these deaths? Was he an evil man? Would everyone condemn him? He asked Abby this as they lay in bed, spooning. He was acutely aware of the fact that he and Abby hadn't been intimate since the cabin. But his physician had told him that he was strong enough to be intimate with Abby again.

After they'd talked about his doubts and questions, they lay quiet for a while. And then: "Abby, the doctor says I'm strong enough to make love with you again." He kissed the nape of her neck. "I want to make you scream like you did back in the cabin. May I?" He punctuated the last question with a lingering kiss and lick in the crook of her neck.

 

[slut_in_white]

"So we're to understand then, that two attractive healthy young people lived in a secluded cottage in the siberian wilderness for several months, with only each other for company. And you taught Alex here about the world, Abby? My my, that must have been some education."

Well, so much for being subtle. One of the reasons Abby and Alex were matched so well was because neither of them were particularly inclined to suffer fools. Abby, however, appeared to have a bit more of a temper than Alex did - or at least was more inclined to unleash it, anyway.

"I'm sorry, I thought this was a press conference about a international corporation accused of deception, abuse and human trafficking, not an excuse for you to fill up your personal spank bank," Abby snapped, glowering at the man. A few of the other journalists laughed, apparently also feeling that the question had been inappropriate, but her comment had only heightened the tension, and it didn't start to leave the room until after Alex made his comment and yet another journalist made his joke.

After that, everything seemed smoother. Those who thought they'd be able to talk circles around the two who were unused to being the center of (sometimes vicious) public attention had been cowed by Abby's and Alex's respective responses to the questions about their intimate personal life, and the remainder of the questions were both insightful and respectful. At least they were, until the news broke about the simultaneous attacks on the compounds, and Alex watched the Siberian compound burn to the ground. Always eager, a few of the journalists seemed to put two and two together from Alex's reaction and started shouting questions, but Brent put them firmly in their place and all three of them were escorted back to his quarters at the facility.

Abby was glad for the presence of Jasmine to distract Alex from the turmoil he was feeling. She knew it wasn't going to go away, but at least he had some time to digest it while paying attention to something happier.

Of course, once the others left, and Abby and Alex were alone, it came back out again, and she listened, horrified, as Alex asked if he was at fault for the deaths. "Oh god, Alex, no! Of course not!" She ended up talking in circles in her need to make sure he knew, knew that he wasn't at fault and that this didn't make him a bad person. She explained that his intentions had been pure, and that it wasn't his fault that the compound guards had chosen not to surrender. That was their choice, and they were the ones to blame for it, not him.

Lying together in his bed, Abby was acutely aware of Alex, with her back pressed tight against his chest, and her bottom nestled against his groin. She could feel the stirring there, and was thinking about how long it had been since they last made love when Alex asked her if he could make her scream again. An involuntary shiver rolled down her spine and she rolled over in his arms to face him. "You keep saying things like that and you'll be already well on your way," she promised, grinning cheekily. Then, as she looked him in the eye, her expression turned softer, a little more serious, but no less happy. "I missed being intimate with you."