Riley was relieved when Alex answered her call. "Hey." She greeted, letting the air out she was holding in. "Not much, um, listen I hate to ask you this, but could you pick me up? I'm at Rosie's Cantina, that Mexican restaurant in town." She said, sitting down at a bench. "Something came up at Oliver's work. He had to leave, it was important." She said, sighing. "I would really appreciate it if you ca-" She didn't get to finish before her phone beeped twice then died on her. "Damn." She groaned, stuffing it back in her purse. Well, hopefully he got where she was, she'd wait a little bit and see.

---

Oliver Queen

This was hard, very hard. He loved Riley, but he hated lying to her. Oliver stared at himself in the mirror. He had snapped on a vest to stop bullets, and he had on some black slacks and a black long sleeve shirt. He zipped up a black hoodie, covering his face. After that Alex guy was taken out, things could go to normal, he can just tell Riley he decided law wasn't for him, he'd think of something, it couldn't be that hard. A part of him didn't want to do this, because this was Riley's best friend, and practically her brother. Sighing, he grabbed his guns and placed them both in a holster, along with a sharp dagger he hid in his brown combat boots. Now, time to find Alex and take him out.

"I got to go." Alex told Archer, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks man, for all of this. Can you look further into it for me?"

"Sure."

Alex thanked him again and left the apartment in a rush. Heading down the stairwell he exited through the front door and hopped onto his motorbike, sticking the keys in the ignition he started it. He placed on his helmet and flipped the visor down before revving the engine and taking off. Veering between cars in a traffic jam Alex found himself at the front of the line, stopping at the red light. When the light turned to amber, Alex revved the engine twice before taking off again just as the light turned green.

He wasn't exactly sure of where this restaurant was, but he was pretty sure he had passed it a number of times in his work. The one upside to being a courier was that you got the rundown of the town pretty quickly. It didn't take him too long to find it as he pulled up outside and stopped the engine. Taking off his helmet holding it under one arm as usual he waved and called over. "Riley!" Alex's lack of safety gear apart from the helmet was often a worry to his friends. His jacket and jeans wouldn't do much to his body if he was unfortunate enough to crash and skid along the ground.

Riley glanced up and smiled when she saw Alex. "Hey!" She said, walking over towards him. "Thanks, again, for coming." She said. She climbed on behind him. "I owe you once." She said, grinning. She always wanted to ride on the back of a motorcycle, just something about the thought sent shivers down her spine and gave her an adrenaline rush. She wrapped her arms around his stomach, holding on tightly to him, her cheek resting on his back as they took off. It was a beautiful day and she could feel the looks at them. Not many people rode motorcycles in Seattle, only a couple handful of people, and she felt pretty damn lucky to be one of those people.

She frowned when they reached her loft building. Riley got off and smiled at him. "Again, thank you. Oliver is just always busy." She said, shrugging. "I don't blame all this overtime he is putting in, he said he wanted to make sure this case was settled before the wedding so he can take some time off." She said. Giving him a hug and quick peck on the cheek, followed by a good-bye, she entered in her code and waited for the door to bing open, and when it did she made her way to her loft room.

When getting there, she yawned. There wasn't much for her to do. The loft was clean. She turned over towards the art easel and smiled. Quickly, she changed into a pair of black sweats and an old white shirt and black socks. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and went over to the easel. She scratched the painting she had been working on and started on something new.

Alex waved Riley off, waiting to see she had got in the front door of the apartment complex. Once she was inside he gave it another few moments before driving off. The plan was the head back to Archer and see what else he had fished up on the situation.

|One Week Later|

On tonight's news... A young federal agent has been found dead on 5th street. His body was found only hours ago after the armed response unit of the police had responded to apparent gunshots from atop of the apartment building which below the man was found in an alley. The man has not been identified yet and neither has the specific agency he had been working for. Our sources tell us that it appears to have been some sort of "covert operation", the source described it as having "gone wrong". Forensics teams were immediately scrambled and while they cannot release too much information at the moment in the police commissioner's statement, he came out saying that a second set of blood had been found at the scene. The assailant has been described as a average height, shady male dressed in dark clothes. He was seen fleeing the scene on foot.

|A Few Hours Earlier|

Knock. Knock. Knock. The knocking was rapid at the the door to Archer's apartment, Alex turned his head in the direction of the door and sighed. Patting Archer on the shoulder he told him that he'd address whoever was at the door. The whole apartment was dim, most of the lights were out save for a couple of lamps placed seemingly randomly around the apartment space. Alex answered the door, surprised to see who it was. "Oliver?" He asked, confused as to why Riley's fiancee was standing in Archer's doorway. "You're a friend of-?" He began, only to be cut off by Oliver who held up his hand.

"I'm going to need you to come with me two-seven-five-four-two-one-" He didn't have the time to finish, instinct had kicked in. Something was incredibly off and Alex had caught on to it as he forced his way past Oliver, knocking him against the wall before heading up a flight of stairs, expecting there to be a group waiting for him downstairs. Oliver screamed, "Stop!" Whipping out his gun and firing two shots in Alex's direction before pursuing him up the stairs. Archer who had heard the commotion began wiping files frantically from his computer hoping he wouldn't have to destroy the hard drives.

Oliver as he reached the top landing ran out the open fire escape door leading to the roof of the building. From behind the door Alex grabbed his arm, disarming Oliver of his gun but not before two shots had been fired. He sent his boots down on the gunman's knee before running towards the edge of the roof as Oliver hit the ground with a thud. "Shit!" Oliver yelled, reaching for his gun and standing up, his leg throbbing, he raised the gun and as Alex jumped took a shot.

Bang! The gun roared as a bullet ripped from the chamber. Alex winced in mid flight as he felt a burning sensation in the back of his leg, he'd made the jump, barely and crumpled to the ground. He looked up to examine his leg which was in agony and it wasn't long before Oliver stood above him, gun pointed at Alex's head. He grimaced, teeth bared like a wild animal, his breathing heavy as he narrowed his eyes, snarling at Oliver.

"You know. I am truly sorry about this." Oliver began sniffing, relaxing his gun arm and allowing it to fall by his side. He ran his fingers under his nose, it was a cold night. The rim of his jacket flapped with the wind that was harder up here than down on ground level. "I know how much you mean to Riley and it's a shame that you won't be around anymore. But relax I'm not going to kill you." He began, looking down at Alex who was gripping his leg at the knee, bent at a ninety degree angle. "What I'm going to do is bring you back in, we'll... 'Reprogram' you as such." He said as a sick grin crossed his face. Alex lunged with both his legs, fighting against the pain. The soles of his boots made contact with Oliver's stomach, the shock and surprise causing him to drop his gun once more. This time Alex lunged for the gun and stood as best he good. Leaning his weight onto his good leg he raised the gun at Oliver who began to back away towards the corner of the roof, pondering on his next move. Alex knew that if Oliver lived, he'd have to die, there was no good way this was going to end, especially with Riley being so close to the both of them. He sighed, knowing Oliver was the true bad guy in this situation or at least one of them he raised the gun, the end of the barrel aimed directly at Oliver's forehead.

"You can't run away from this." He started, rushed in speech for breath. "Fuck..." He uttered under his breath, thinking of Riley, a single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked Alex in the eye. "I-I can say you got away... You can leave town... It doesn't have to end like-" He stopped and then a strange thing happened, Oliver began to weep.

Alex sighed and watched the man weep as he begged him not to do this and to think of Riley but in a way, that's exactly what he was thinking of. "I'm sorry, but you brought this on yourself."

"N-no! Please! Don't do th-" Bang! Silence. The hole left in Oliver's cheek began to poor blood as he stumbled staring directly at Alex. Bang! Oliver's limp and lifeless body swayed before falling backwards off the rooftop and crashed on top of a car. The car alarm blared and Alex made his escape.

A week had passed, and a wonderful week it was. She had spent almost every day with Oliver. She had found her the perfect wedding dress, and picked out the bridesmaid dresses. She beamed when Oliver informed her he found his tuxedo and the groomsman. He had seemed to be working almost every night, lately, which kept Riley down and to painting more and more. She still kept in close contact with Alex, happy she found her best friend from her childhood. So when she received the news about him, she game unglued.

Sunday Morning

Riley was still down about not getting to go watch a movie and eat dinner with Oliver that night, but she wanted him to wrap this case up so she had her wedding day and night and their honeymoon together. She sighed as she flipped on the news, listening to a murder that happened last night as she made her coffee. She had on her attire for that day, a pair of faded blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt with a v-cut and her black boots. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail. It was Sunday, so she was off work. Stirring the creamer and sugar in the green coffee cup with her initials on it, a gift from Oliver, she went to sit down on the couch but was interrupted by a knocking at the door. It was almost nine in the morning so she wondered who was at her house this later, beaming at the thought of it being Oliver.

She rushed to the door and opened it, but only to see two uniformed officers. "Um, hello." She said, giving them a warm smile. "Are you Riley George?" One of the officers asked. He had a bushy brown mustache but kind eyes. "I am, did I do something?" The officer who spoke shook his head. "No ma'am. I'm Officer Holden, and this is my partner, Office Greene." He said, the other officer nodded his head in greeting. "It's nice to meet you both, but, not to sound rude, can I ask what your doing here?" She asked them curiously.

"Ma'am, we were told you know a Oliver Queen." The officer who called himself Greene asked, handing her a picture of Oliver. "Yes, he's my fiance, we're getting married in almost three months," she paused and handed the picture back, "did he do something?" She asked, her heart racing. "No ma'am, but we do have some unfortunate news." Officer Holden said, his face solemn. "Ma'am, Ms. George, the body we found in the ally last night has been identified by the parents..." Officer Greene said, thinking out the right words to say, "it was your fiance, Oliver Queen." All the air felt like it had left Riley's body. "No, it can't be..." She said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry ma'am, but could you come down to the station tomorrow afternoon for questioning? We believe it was murder. We looked into it and he belonged to some government agency." Office Greene said, handing her a card with their numbers on it. "Government agency? You mean a lawyer, right? He was a lawyer, going to school." She squeaked, looking blandly at the card then back up to the two officers. "No, he wasn't enrolled in any schools, and he certainly was no lawyer. We're still looking into it, but we're questioning his friends and family." Holden said. "I'll be there..." She whispered, closing the door.

. . .

Four Days Later

This was it- the time Riley had to say good-bye to Oliver. So many questions raced through her mind. Why did Oliver lie to her about what he did? Who would kill him, and why? What was he really doing that night? Has be been lying to her about everything? She blinked back the tears that threatened their way out. She had on a simple black dress with black heels, her hair curled and pinned back. That night when she found out about his death, she tried to call Alex twice, but she couldn't get him. If there was a time she needed him most, it was now.

They had chosen to do a closed casket visitation and funeral, because he had severe damage to his face and body. The officers told her he was shot in the face twice, and fell off the building, which had to be over nine stories high. Riley was standing up at the head of the casket with his family, they insisted. His mom was weeping, she hadn't took her eyes off the casket. Riley wrote a speech to deliver before they were to lower him in the ground. The family decided to bury him in the church cemetery in the back. When the pastor called Riley's name, she went to stand in front of everyone. She chose not to wear make-up, giving she had been crying and her eyes were red and puffy and her nose runny.

"Hello everyone, to those who don't know me, I'm Riley George, I'm... was... Oliver's fiancee. We've known each other for about two years, and knew it was meant to be. After a year of dating and knowing each other, he proposed to me, and I said yes. Our wedding, today actually, would've been three months from today. The time we spent together was truly amazing. Oliver was a great day, who would do anything for anyone, and he loved me, and I loved him, unconditionally. He'll be missed by all his friend, family, and me. Thank you." Riley said, her voice slightly cracking as she walked off to stand back with his family. A couple more people came up to deliver their speech.

After the funeral, Riley stayed behind as everyone walked off. She wanted to stay until they were done burying him. It started to get cloudy, but she didn't budge from her occupied seat. She had started crying again, would she ever stop? She looked down at her engagement ring he gave her and she twirled it around her finger. Sighing heavily, she brought out her cell phone and tried calling Alex again. "Damn it, Alex." She muttered His phone was disconnected now, she just needed him.

When they had the casket completely covered with dirt, she stood up. "Good-bye, Oliver..." She whispered as she headed back to her car to head home.

|The Next Day|

"Hello?" A groggy voice answered, recognizable as Archer's. He sat up in bed, sleep practically gluing his eyes shut. A loud yawn.

"It's me."

Archer's eyes snapped open, wide. "Alex?" He asked, not needing an answer. "Alex, where the fuck are you man!?" He hissed down the phone, the receiver not even at his ear anymore, he was done listening. "Man, we've lost fucking everything. That Agent who was killed last night... Dude! That's some serious fucking shit. You planted one right between his eyes. Fuck man. I knew you were some kind of... Super Human soldier but this whole situation is fucked up man. How did he know who you were? How did he know you were here!?" Archer was full of questions, yet to be talked to by the Police, or worse... Thankfully. With long, deep breaths he calmed himself down to allow Alex a chance to speak. "You know it's not safe to talk on these cells man this is totally against my policy. Where are you?"

"Listen." Alex replied, his voice stern and full of authority. "I know this is fucked up man. You're not the one that pulled the trigger." Alex pressed the fingers of his right hand against his brow. "I don't know what to think. Riley must have told him about the tattoo on my neck or something. Who could've guessed that her fiancee would have been working for these... Fuckers." He began, emphasis on the last word, just getting used to cursing. "I know it's not safe, look I'm out of town, out of state in fact. I'm going to be coming back in a few days. I have to see Riley." He paused, taking his hand from his brow as he looked over his shoulder, confined in the payphone box. "You need to start from scratch. This time start with the girl that was found with the similar tattoo. Work from there. Look, I've got to go." Alex hung up the phone and rushed from the payphone box pulling up his hood he headed down the street not truly knowing where he was going.

"Will do..." Archer replied, despite the phone having hung up.

|Funeral Day|

Alex hadn't attended the church ceremony, he couldn't. While he had no true knowledge he could only imagine how many missed calls would have been left on his old cellphone, all from Riley. He was back in Seattle and had driven his bike to the cemetery grounds where the burial would take place. Having no idea how much Riley knew, if anything, Alex knew that he had to see her. He'd been parked, stationary on his bike for about an hour with no sign of anybody. He knew he must have just missed everybody entering the church when he had arrived, his eyes fixed on the heavy oak doors that guarded the front of the church, a wrought iron fence between Alex and his bike and the resting dead.

The doors opened and a procession lead the coffin out. Alex took a deep breath from behind his helmet and sighed, he caught a glimpse of Riley, no make-up and a simple black dress. He shook his head. Grief and guilt were two emotions never have been meant to be felt by these "perfect" Humans but they hit Alex now harder than ever. Perhaps it was how long he had spent away from where he was made and who he was. A knotted feeling built in his stomach as he watched the procession head into the graveyard and stop at the open grave, freshly dug.

When Riley stood up to make her speech, Alex removed his helmet. From this distant he couldn't make out what she was saying other than a few words but he could see her face distraught with emotions. He sniffed, it was heading further into the winter now and the weather was showing. Alex could feel the cold on his cheeks. Running one hand down his lower face he continued to watch.

Before long it was only the two grave diggers and Riley left at the unmarked grave, it hadn't been time enough for a headstone to be laid down. Alex got off his bike and left his helmet on the steering bars. As Riley began to walk away he entered the graveyard approaching her. Swallowing the last of his guilt.

"Riley..." He barely managed to mutter as he got in front of her, embracing the girl in front of him. "I'm so sorry." He added, holding her close to him.

((Double post, sorry.))

Riley glanced up, not wanting to believe who it was approaching her. At first she didn't protest when he hugged her, apologizing. Something ignited inside Riley and she shoved Alex off her. "Don't even!" She said, raising her voice. She brought her hand back and slapped his face, stinging her hand. "What the fuck, Alex?" She said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Where were you? I've tried for nearly a week to call you, but you disappeared off the face of this damn planet!" She said, practically screaming now. "I needed you! I needed my best friend around! But you weren't around!" She said, choking on her words. She turned back to where they were finishing the final touches on Oliver's mark. She turned her head back to him, her eyes cold and icy.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and the first drops of rain fell down, growing heavier. She glared at Alex a few more seconds, not saying a word. "I guess I can't count on you, can I?" She said, her voice like ice. Without another word, and dripping wet, she stormed past him and got into her truck, starting it up and speeding out of the cemetery entrance, it wasn't long before she reached her apartment complex. She came to an abrupt stop and got out, slamming her truck door, and stormed into her loft. She threw her purse and keys down, tears streaming her voice. She stomped over to her paintings and began going through, tearing every one that had Alex in it. She stopped at her most recent one- him sitting in the coffee shop the day she first seen him after all these years. Breathless with anger, she punched the middle of the painting, ripping it to pieces.

Riley laid out on the couch a couple hours later, an empty bottle of vodka laid by the couch. She was really feeling it, unable to stand because of the alcohol in her system. She had changed into a pair of shorts and a white camisole, her hair down and in pretty waves. Her eyes were black from her running make-up and ready and puffy. She had pieces of her paintings she destroyed laying out everywhere, along with some broken glass. Her engagement ring rested on the coffee table beside the couch. She lay in silence, her vision cloud and fuzzy, staring at the ring and thinking of Oliver. Her Oliver. She stood up off the couch, stumbling in the process, heading to the fridge, grabbing out some wine. The vodka hadn't done anything to erase her memories, she needed more, she needed to be taken out of this world if only temporarily, so she popped open the cap and poured her a glass, her hands shaky, spilling wine everywhere. She picked the glass up and finished it all in one gulp, helping herself to another glass.

Riley's lack of protest was a relief to Alex and her sinking into his embrace was a comfort after the events of the last few days. He'd pondered on what he would do and if he would ever be able to see Riley again. At the same time wondering if it was only a matter of time before he was picked up on a murder charge and inevitably taken back to be reprogrammed into the perfect soldier who would never disobey an order.

"Don't even!" Retreating at the aggressive tone of her raised voice, a burning sensation stung his cheek as the blood rushed towards where he had been slapped, his kin going red around the impact. His eyes closed tightly and when he opened them again, Riley was still shouting at him. He opened his mouth as if to protest or at least offer some explanation or even an apology, but the words escaped him. Alex's gaze drifted to Oliver's grave as Riley turned around to look at it. He swallowed, hard before she turned back to him. He couldn't help but feel almost lost when he saw her eyes staring deeply into his as cold and icy as they were. The thunder had not phased Alex and he relished the rain drops as they began to caress his face, cooling down the heat he was feeling from the confrontation.

"I guess I can't count on you, can I?" There were no words.

After Riley had left Alex approached the grave. The two men had finished and were leaving, greeting Alex as he approached. To Alex it felt as if they knew, paranoia. At first he stood, for about fifteen minutes the light drizzle by this stage was becoming apparent in Alex's appearance, his hair was dripping as the rain picked up and the fall became heavier. Another low rumble of thunder, Alex couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign from some God to say that his act was not only wrong but standing here at the grave was in someway taking the piss. He meant no disrespect. Crouching down he ran his bare fingers across some of the soil. "Rest in peace..." He spoke, sincerely and full of remorse.

"Can I help you, son?" A voice asked from behind, taking Alex by surprise who stood and snapped around quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you." A priest, much to Alex's relief. He shook his head and walked past the priest going to leave the graveyard. "I didn't see you at the ceremony." The priest persisted. Alex stopped and turned around for a brief moment, looking at the priest before continuing on.

"No one can help me, Father."

[b]---[b]

The low hum of the motorcycle coming to a stop. The rain hadn't eased off at all and it was beginning to downpour. Alex was thankful he had made it here to Riley's building before the roads had become too slippy for him to drive on. This time around he didn't remove his helmet until he had reached the door to the building, about to press the buzzer and beg Riley to let him in he saw that the front door to the complex itself had been left open. Glancing between the door and the buzzer, he used his better judgement and pulled it fully open, walking inside before closing it tightly behind him.

Stopping outside Riley's apartment door he noticed that this one too was left ajar, just slightly. Riley must have entered quickly and not paid much attention when closing the door, Alex thought. He stepped inside, his hair and jacket dripping water onto the floor, something he would apologize for later. Glancing over the apartment the first thing he noticed was torn canvasses, secondly Riley spaced out on the couch drinking a large glass of wine, an empty bottle of vodka strewn on the floor along with all sorts of crap. He sighed and walked over, was Riley so blind drunk that she hadn't even noticed him coming in? What if he'd wanted to harm her? He sat down beside her still fully clothed and breathed out deeply. "Hey." He introduced himself, leaning his head back onto the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

Riley was in her own little world. She down three more glasses of wine, deciding to ditch the glass and stick with the bottle. She was staring at the TV, too drunk to realize it was off. She felt the couch sink when someone joined her on the couch. "What do you want?" She said coldly, seeing Alex's reflection in the TV. She put the bottle down on the coffee table and shut her eyes, rubbing her temple. She knew she drank too much and was starting to seriously regret it. "Get out." She said, her words slurring. She stood up, wobbling a little bit. Her hair was in disarray now. She tried stepping over Alex's feet, but ended up stumbling forward instead, catching herself on the wall. "Damn it!" She said, her words still slurred and probably hard to understand.

"I don't need your sympathy, I tried getting that from you days ago,,," She said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "But you were gone." She said, throwing her hands up and doing some hand motion to emphasize. "Where'd you go, Oliver? Did you see the folks like you said. No, you didn't because I talked to them." She sad, hiccuping. She stumbled back over and took a swig of wine. "You're an ass, you know that?" She said, still slurring. Riley fell over, toppling on him. "You're so hot and infuriating." She said, reaching up and kissing him, pressing her lips against his, but she rolled her head onto his shoulder and passed out.

Alex felt the pressure on the top of his boots, pressing down onto his feet before Riley stumbled. Luckily she caught herself at the wall but he had been quick and caught her by the waist. Once she had regained composure, he let his hands fall back down to his sides. The state she was in there was no point in arguing, it would only infuriate her more and that was the last thing either of them needed. Alex knew at this point the best thing he could do was listen.

"I don't need your sympathy, I tried getting that from you days ago..." Alex shook his head, barely enough for Riley to notice. "Where'd you go, Oliver? Did you see the folks like you said. No, you didn't because I talked to them." He frowned when she called him Oliver, she was obviously beyond confused in her state of drunkenness confusing who the two of them were. Shit. Parents. Alex thought to himself, he'd promised he would go and see them soon but he kept putting it on the long finger, it was something he'd have to do soon. When Riley went to take another swig of wine, straight from the bottle, Alex decided against saying anything. He knew he should have. He knew the right thing to do now was to take the wine off her and put her to bed. However, maybe the best thing to do now would be to just let her ride it out. "I know." He replied when she called him an ass.

Alex raised his arms when she toppled onto him, "Woah, there... Maybe you've had enough, mm?" He asked, rhetorically, deciding that his plan to let he just drink her worries away for tonight was a bad idea. "Come on, we'll get you to bed." He began.

"You're so hot and infuriating." Alex narrowed his eyes, a confused look crossing his face.

"What?" He asked her, a hint of annoyance coming across in his tone of voice. When she reached up and kissed him, he was caught off guard, his arms still up beside him, hands pointing to the ceiling from when she had fallen. Alex turned his head away, breaking contact just before Riley's head rolled and she passed out on his shoulder. Widening his eyes Alex took a deep breath and sighed. Carefully he positioned Riley so that he could carry her and stood with ease. Slowly and quietly he brought her to her bedroom and placed her down on the bed before putting one of the blankets over her. About to leave the room, instead he sat for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, knowing that she was passed out and wouldn't hear him. "I did it... I killed Oliver." He began, looking up to the ceiling, "I had to do it, he wanted to take me back to that,,, Place." Alex's voice was still in a whisper, he couldn't explain why now but he felt it had to be all confessed to Riley, even though she was not conscious to hear it. "He pulled a gun on me and I-I... I killed him." Alex finished, he brushed Riley's cheek with his fingertips, knowing that he was the cause of this pain and that was when it happened. Raising his palm, Alex touched his face, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Tears.

---

Alex sat on the edge of the bed for another hour before leaving the room. He decided that it would be best if he stayed here for the night, to make sure everything was okay in the morning. Maybe Riley would even want to see him then. Picking up the glass that had rolled along the floor, leaving a thin trail of crimson and the empty bottles of spirits and wine, he made his way to the bin. Looking around the flat he sighed and began a quick but efficient tidy before lying down on the couch. He didn't bother to pull it out into a bed, or fetch himself a blanket. Instead he used one of the cushions as a headrest and crossed one leg over the other. He stared at the ceiling, deep in thought, until morning.

The night was chilly, Riley found herself standing in a dark alleyway, she wasn't sure why or how she got here, but she was. She felt as if she was glued to the spot, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She just stood there. Bang. Bang. Two shots were fired and then Riley saw a body fall in front of her. A light appeared from somewhere, getting closer to the body. She wanted to scream and run away from whoever killed this man, but she couldn't get her legs to work. Finally, the light fell on this man and she let out a silent scream. It was Oliver, her Oliver. Finally she was able to move and she ran to the body, but he disappeared. Riley frantically spun in circles, looking for her fiancee, but he couldn't be found.

"Riley..." She turned quickly and was relieved to see him in once piece, but he didn't look himself. He pointed his finger at her as a wicked smile crossed his face. "You've been played." He said, a laugh that was not his own came out of his mouth and Riley screamed, getting noise out...

Riley let out a scream as she sat upright in bed, drenched in sweat, her hair matted on her forehead from it. It was morning and she had a pounding headache, with no memories of last night. She vaguely wondered how she got into bed, not having remembered getting here herself. Her thoughts drifted back to her nightmare as tears stung her eyes and made their way out.

The night was chilly, Riley found herself standing in a dark alleyway, she wasn't sure why or how she got here, but she was. She felt as if she was glued to the spot, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She just stood there. Bang. Bang. Two shots were fired and then Riley saw a body fall in front of her. A light appeared from somewhere, getting closer to the body. She wanted to scream and run away from whoever killed this man, but she couldn't get her legs to work. Finally, the light fell on this man and she let out a silent scream. It was Oliver, her Oliver. Finally she was able to move and she ran to the body, but he disappeared. Riley frantically spun in circles, looking for her fiancee, but he couldn't be found.

"Riley..." She turned quickly and was relieved to see him in once piece, but he didn't look himself. He pointed his finger at her as a wicked smile crossed his face. "You've been played." He said, a laugh that was not his own came out of his mouth and Riley screamed, getting noise out...

Riley let out a scream as she sat upright in bed, drenched in sweat, her hair matted on her forehead from it. It was morning and she had a pounding headache, with no memories of last night. She vaguely wondered how she got into bed, not having remembered getting here herself. Her thoughts drifted back to her nightmare as tears stung her eyes and made their way out.

"That guilty feeling can kill you." It was something he remembered Archer telling him. Archer was a man of God, surprisingly, Alex did not believe him at first when he was told but the hacker swore by the fact. He was adamant in his faith. A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him. He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, But he who is crooked will fall all at once... Alex let out a heavy sigh as he turned onto his side having been staring at the ceiling for the last couple of hours. He never thought it would be the idea of faith that would increase his guilt tenfold. Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back. In other words - If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. Let no one support him. Let no man stay him. Let no one help him.

The events of that night played through in his head like a film on a reel being run through the projector. The loud bang of the gun and the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone as the first and second bullet entered and exited Oliver's skull. Pondering on the moment he pulled the trigger, Alex remembered feeling nothing, it was instinct, training, his genetic build. Obviously he must have escaped before they taught you how to deal with something like this emotionally, maybe for some people it just wasn't possible to justify taking the life of another. Did his will to live give him the right to play God and take the life of another? Yes. At least, so he thought.

A shrill scream stirred Alex as he jumped up from the couch, his eyes darting to the slightly ajar bedroom door in front of him. He waited, staying upright, crunched over, his abdominal area pressed against his bent legs. Then he heard it, the crying. Alex shut his eyes tight and clenched a fist raising it towards his mouth and biting down hard. Fuck... He thought. Glancing around the apartment he was glad he had cleaned up for Riley last night.

A good while passed, Riley had not left the room. Alex wasn't sure if she was still crying or not but couldn't hear anything coming from the bedroom other than the occasional sniffle. He stood from the couch, a stinging sensation suddenly shot up his leg causing him to audibly wince. "Ouch..." He hissed with an open mouth as he looked down at his leg gripping his stitches tightly. He took a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Alex had sought medical treatment from one of Archer's contacts but even with his body's enhanced healing abilities it still acted up from time to time over the last couple of days. Mustering his resolve he walked to the bedroom door and pushed it open, looking in at Riley, "Good morning." He greeted her, unsure of what sort of response he would receive.

Riley had laid in bed for several minutes. Her head and body throbbed, and her eyes were sore from the constant crying. She felt hungry and nauseous, but she didn't want to move from the bed. In a pretty white picture frame held a picture of Oliver and her, standing on a bridge in the park. In the background was the setting sun and they were staring lovingly at one another. She barely noticed her bedroom door opened and a voice reaching her ears. She slowly sat up, her eyes meeting Alex. "Alex..." She said, her voice hoarse as the memories from yesterday afternoon popped in her head.

She jumped out of bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, digging her head into his chest as new tears sprang up. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Alex." She said weeping. "I shouldn't have said what I did, I'm just so sorry...." She whispered, turning so her cheek rested against his chest. "Please forgive me... I really need you right now." She said softly, tilting her head up to look at him. "I just can't believe he's gone.. I really can't. I feel like my world ended." She said and glanced over at the time, noticing it was almost twelve in the afternoon. "Wow, are you hungry?" She asked, turning towards him. She wiped the tears from her face. "I'll order some take-out, they'll deliver it here. You still like Korean food, right?" She asked, grabbing her cell phone up from her bed, already dialing and ordering. She quickly read off her debit card number to the person on the other line. "25 minutes." She said, setting her phone down. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at the floor, biting her lower lip.

As she embraced him tightly Alex also placed his arms around her, the hung around her lower back, loosely. He listened to her frantically explaining herself before he moved his hands up to her shoulders. Adjusting her so that they were looking at each other, shaking his head slowly from side to side for a moment he looked at her with a wide smile and told her, "You've got nothing to be sorry about. I don't have to forgive you for anything." It was all water under the bridge as far as Alex was concerned. After all, he was the cause of this whole mess. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Alex took a step back, "Not anytime soon at least." he added.

"Sure, Korean is good." Alex told her as she began to dial the number to the restaurant. He took out his wallet and left in cash the price of both meals hidden under a lamp sitting on a small end-table while Riley wasn't looking. He'd text her about it later.

"Twenty-five minutes." Alex's stomach rumbled, he was actually pretty hungry after all.

"Good." He told her with a smile once she turned around to set her phone down the smile instantly dropped from his face. Alex sat down next to Riley on the edge of the bed, his rear sinking into the mattress. "How can you sleep on this?" He asked, prodding behind him with his hands. He had always preferred a firm mattress, something with a bit of spring rather than something you could sink into. He could see the appeal but failed to understand it.

Riley laughed when he mentioned the bed, her spirits lifting. "Hey, I like it. Shut-up." She said, playfully pushing him so he fell back. She reached up and quickly grabbed a pillow, hitting him in the stomach with it. "That'll teach you to mess with me." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. She sighed, laying beside him. "So what incredibly stupid thing did I say or do last night? She hid her face with her arm, not wanting to look him in the face. God, what if she tried to have sex with him last night or something? Obviously she did something wrong. She vaguely remembered outside being a mess from her rage and then she quickly sat upright. "Damn it!" She exclaimed, getting out of bed and walking out of the room.

It was surprisingly clean. Her mouth formed an O shape as she looked around. Did Alex clean up some? She made her way over to her art easel and frowned. A significant number of her paintings were missing. Looking through, she couldn't find any of Alex she had done- then the realization had dawned on her. She destroyed every single one of them. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Why would she do that? A buzz at the door caused her to jump. She pressed the button to let the delivery man in. "Hello." She greeted, taking the receipt asking for her signature. "Good afternoon, ma'am." The guy said. After she signed, she handed the yellow piece of paper to him.

He reached in his bag to pull out the food, but instead brought out a black gun, putting his finger to his mouth. Panicking, Riley tried to shut the door and screaming for Alex. The man at the door was much faster and much stronger, very strong actually, as he kicked the door open, grabbing Riley as she tumbled backwards. He pressed her close to him, holding the gun up to her head. "Oh 2754212, come out wherever you are." The man holding Riley at gunpoint called out. "I've got you're lady friend." He said through a dangerous grin, taking the tip of his gun and trailing it up her thigh. "Quite a beauty- now I see why Oliver was so interested." He said, breathing down Riley's neck. She froze at the mention of Oliver's name- how did she know him? And what did he mean by those numbers?

Riley laughed when he mentioned the bed, her spirits lifting. "Hey, I like it. Shut-up." She said, playfully pushing him so he fell back. She reached up and quickly grabbed a pillow, hitting him in the stomach with it. "That'll teach you to mess with me." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. She sighed, laying beside him. "So what incredibly stupid thing did I say or do last night? She hid her face with her arm, not wanting to look him in the face. God, what if she tried to have sex with him last night or something? Obviously she did something wrong. She vaguely remembered outside being a mess from her rage and then she quickly sat upright. "Damn it!" She exclaimed, getting out of bed and walking out of the room.

It was surprisingly clean. Her mouth formed an O shape as she looked around. Did Alex clean up some? She made her way over to her art easel and frowned. A significant number of her paintings were missing. Looking through, she couldn't find any of Alex she had done- then the realization had dawned on her. She destroyed every single one of them. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Why would she do that? A buzz at the door caused her to jump. She pressed the button to let the delivery man in. "Hello." She greeted, taking the receipt asking for her signature. "Good afternoon, ma'am." The guy said. After she signed, she handed the yellow piece of paper to him.

He reached in his bag to pull out the food, but instead brought out a black gun, putting his finger to his mouth. Panicking, Riley tried to shut the door and screaming for Alex. The man at the door was much faster and much stronger, very strong actually, as he kicked the door open, grabbing Riley as she tumbled backwards. He pressed her close to him, holding the gun up to her head. "Oh 2754212, come out wherever you are." The man holding Riley at gunpoint called out. "I've got you're lady friend." He said through a dangerous grin, taking the tip of his gun and trailing it up her thigh. "Quite a beauty- now I see why Oliver was so interested." He said, breathing down Riley's neck. She froze at the mention of Oliver's name- how did she know him? And what did he mean by those numbers?

"... Come out, wherever you are."

Alex was already pressed against the wall in the bedroom next to the door. He'd heard the commotion and the door being kicked in. He knew the man had a gun, it was all simple things he picked up on without having to reveal himself and he knew that he was holding Riley at gunpoint. Alex pressed the side of his face up against the door frame allowing his eyes to peek around and see behind the couch. He made a break for it, ducking behind the couch just as a shot was fired his way. He rummaged around in his jacket until he found Oliver's gun, the one he had kept. He stood up pointing the gun at the man although Riley was blocking a clear shot. He could have aimed for the head but what if he'd missed. His hands had been a little shaky since he took the wound to the leg. He couldn't explain it, perhaps it was just nerves.

"Let her go." Alex spoke, his tone calm and reserved, trying not to become antagonized. He gestured with the gun before making sure it was visibly aimed at his forehead. "Let her go." He repeated, his voice this time more gruff and agitated.

The man laughed, holding Riley closer and shaking his head, aiming his gun in Alex's direction.

Riley struggled against the man, but he was too strong. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Alex. "Alex, no." She said, fear in her voice. Desperately, she tried to free herself from the man holding her at gunpoint. The man just laughed. "You think you can beat me.... Alex." He sneered, his lips curling into a very dangerous smile. "I doubt that- if you had stuck around then you might have a chance, but you missed the training- the training you could have really used." The man said. Riley was confused as to what was going on- if we would have stuck around where? And what training. She stared frantically at Alex, then felt her heart drop. The gun. The gun he was holding. She instantly recognized it because she bought it for Oliver on his birthday- she knew how fond he was of guns.

"Here, you can have your bitch back." The man said, slightly shoving Riley forward, but in an instant aimed the gun and fired. The bullet nipped her skin, enough to cause a serious flesh round. Riley cried out, falling over, but ended up hitting her head hard on the ground. Dots danced in her vision, pain seared through her side as blood seeped through her camisole. She saw Alex, and then darkness as she slipped into unconsciousness. "Oops." The guy said, bending down by Riley's body. "Such a shame...." He said softly, the pistol he held he used to start to move up her camisole, lifting it completely up, revealing her lacy white bra. "Ah, that looks like it might need stitches." He said, poking at the wound. "Such a pretty girl- shame what happened to Oliver- does she know? That it was you?" The guy said, standing up.

"Come with me, Alex. There is nothing for you here, especially not when she finds out." He said and laughed.