Gwendolyn Stewart's Story

Hearing Alex's comment about his foot, she started to answer him but then felt the burst of excitement coming off of him in waves accompanied by Xander's own emotions filling her head. So, even before he started to mumble aloud, she knew he was waking up and she neared the bed on the unoccupied side climbing to sit on the edge. Gwen felt an amused sympathy for Alex and the worried and annoyed tone of his internal voice at not being able to see and she wondered what it was like to not have control over his own body anymore. She would have probably gone crazy after the first half hour if she were in his shoes.

At first, the drained tone with which Xander spoke made her feel worried, but she relaxed considerably when she heard that familiar snide humor again. When his eyes opened, squinting against the light, her face brightened with relief. Well, it looked like he was back, at least for now. She couldn't help worrying about if this would happen again. From what she gleaned of Alex's thoughts, he was worried about it as well and Xander's energy depletion seemed to be progressively getting worse.

When he mentioned his foot, she remembered her temporary bandaging job and also her plans for further mending it. No doubt a place like this had an infirmary in the main building somewhere with supplies or maybe a first aid kit in the rooms. If not, she'd have to call down to the front desk and see if they could spare something to help her straighten the toe out and keep it immobile. It would impede their escape if they needed to do any running, but she did not want to let it stay in it's current state.

And of course, Mr. Addict was concerned and feeling ornery about his precious coffee. She rolled her eyes and smiled down at him as he finally turned his attention to her with a flattering comment. "Actually, the cab driver helped me tote you up here," she said with a shrug. "He was a little freaked out about it but didn't make too much of a fuss with the extra $10 I gave him."

Her eyes grew distant for a moment as she looked over the mental map that Sal had drawn for himself, surprisingly still in her memory and she made note of where the nearest coffee shop was. Her smile grew as she saw that there was a strip mall with restaurants on the other side of the street in front of the hotel. "There's a Starbucks across the street, but not 10 seconds away, sorry. Hopefully you can hold out for a 5-10 minute walk to get there and are feeling spry enough to avoid traffic."

Glancing at his foot she continued with a tone of determination. "Before we do anything else or call for any room service, I'm going to fix up your foot. No arguments! If I don't straighten the bone out, it'll heal all crooked like that and could cause you problems later on. As much as I'm sure it'd be funny to watch you fall on your ass while we're trying to get away some time in the future, it's not an event I'm excited about acting out. Just think, if it's impossible to walk anywhere afterward, we can get you a wheelchair from the lobby and you can have fun in that." She giggled a little at the thought of him bullying a Starbucks employee from a wheelchair and rolling over people's heels if they complained about waiting in line.

She turned and started to slide off the edge of the bed but stopped and looked back to him. "Oh, and I'm glad you're okay," she said with a smile and a small blush. "We were worried about you on the way here - I mean...well, I was when you didn't wake up while Sal was carrying you. If coffee is what it takes to keep you from passing out, I'll buy a butt-ton for you and keep you loaded."

She was starting to feel a little awkward, sitting here making lame comments and grinning like a fool, so she quickly got up and started to look around the room for any first aid kits they might have tucked away. They had to at least have band-aids in a place like this with everything they offered in the rooms. And maybe some aspirin - she could hear the thoughts of those on their floor if she thought about and concentrated on them, but still, her head pounded with the low murmuring and emotions flying through her, every nerve feeling abused and pulled every which way like taffy. Even as she looked for something to help him, opening the bar under the flat screen TV hanging on the wall, her attention was mostly on Xander, although she tried not to show it.

There was a struggle... Slowly, she abandoned her search through the tiny liquor bottles crowded in the bar and turned to look at Xander with a quirked eyebrow. What was Alex doing? When the image of Xander's fist crushing into his own face flashed in her mind, she realized what the other man was trying to do: he wanted to regain control. For a few moments she watched as she felt him fight inside to feel his body and force his limbs to obey him. She was a little saddened that nothing happened - not that she wanted him to hit Xander, but she sympathized with Alex right now. Gwen knew how the ride here had been like torture for him, stuck in darkness because he could not even force his own eyes to open unable to move an inch through his own will and she thought it unfair that while they'd been in opposite positions, Xander seemed to gain control of the body seemingly whenever he wanted to. She hoped that they would eventually switch back or at the very least, that Alex would eventually reach the point where he got to feel something again. She still needed to test out that kiss...

As Xander started to laugh at Alex's efforts, she shook her head and turned away, returning to her search of the bar. In light of Alex's predicament, it was kind of cruel for Xander to mock him in such a way. Xander may have been through what Alex was in right now, but it was different when it was Alex's body in the first place. Then again, she wasn't sure if it had actually been worse for Xander not being in his own body at all. She thought of maybe saying something to him about it but decided against it. There was a lot she didn't know about their situation and she felt guilty enough as it was sticking her nose in it. Besides, what could she even say? 'Xander, now you be nice and let Alex have his body back! Alex, no hitting!' They weren't children - although their squabbling did occasionally border on the immature - they were grown men. Alex didn't need her to protect him and Xander did not need to be told what to do. Not by her.

"Ugh," she said with a frown as she pulled a small white plastic, rectangular case from a drawer in the bottom of the bar. Sometimes that smile could do wonders to her insides, but other times - like now, when it involved coffee - he could be a real jackass. She opted not to give him the money back because it wouldn't matter anyways; she was not going to leave his side. Although, the thought of walking anywhere right now did make her feel like collapsing to the floor, and her temple throbbed to think of how many caffeine addled freaks there would be in the coffee shop. Any other time it would have been entertaining to hear the guy serving Xander curse him out internally while crying and shaking on the outside, but right now she was worn out.

She had the case open on top of the bar and was looking through the contents when she heard Alex's exclamations and felt the pain in Xander's foot flaring in her own. Spinning around quickly, she gave him an annoyed look to see him standing on the foot, testing it out. "What are you doing?" she asked in an angered voice. "Sit back down right now, Mister, before you make it worse." Bringing the kit over to the bed, she sat at the foot of it and patted the comforter where he'd been sitting before, indicating she wished him to place his rump down. "Right here. Now. And put your foot up."

Waiting for him to comply, Gwen was busy looking through the plastic container for what she needed, finding better, more sturdy bandages than gauze. "Sal?" she said as she pulled out some tape and set it aside. "Oh, he's no one. Just my new boyfriend. He drives a taxi and he thinks I'm hot." Her tone was very aloof and indifferent, but internally, she was having difficulty keeping a straight face. "We...totally made out while you were gone in dreamland." A small giggle escaped her to think of herself kissing the portly, Italian cab driver. "I'm sorry, Xander, honey. I just couldn't wait for you."

She'd finally regained some of her composure, but continued to smile with a blush, small giggles erupting from her throat occasionally. None of that made any sense, and with what they'd been through today, Xander was probably asking out of wariness, so her foolish answer was immature. But she couldn't help it. She'd been able to tease Alex about how he was fond of her, and she wondered if she could do the same to Xander. He hardly never seemed unsettled - barring getting angry and obsessive about coffee.

The smirk did not leave her face when he bragged - was Xander being defensive? - about all the larger things he was able to operate and she said, "Oooohh, impressive. You gonna fly me somewhere, or will we have to tote you around like a piece of luggage for our next get away?"

Listening to their conversation, she found it interesting the new dynamic that was being established between Alex and his "roommate". Before, Alex had argued with him tirelessly about just about everything, but a lot of times, he relinquished control to Xander over decisions, seemingly depending on the other man for a lot of things. Now that he'd fully established that he could not control the body at all - the body that was rightfully his - he seemed to switch over to nagging a lot more, demanding Xander do things and trying to reassert control through his internal voice and reasoning alone. And of course, it had little to no effect on the other man. He was not going to budge.

Gwen had just been opening up the medical tape when Xander was eagerly standing again, ignoring the protests of his other half. She looked up at him and was about to voice her own protest when she realized it probably wouldn't do any good. Also, another thing came to mind with Alex's urging for her to drug him in order to get it done. Although she trusted Alex and liked him, when Xander had been "gone" it had scared her. She was starting to depend on him too, and she was not eager to see him rendered helpless again. Alex's other words about him passing out again when they got outside also made her nervous. If coffee would help revitalize him, then she really did want him to be pumped full of it at all times. She needed him to be here with her, to help her through this.

Tossing the things she'd taken out of the kit back into the tiny plastic suitcase, she nodded her head and sighed. "Alright, since I know I'm not gonna win this: let's get you some Starbucks," she said, snapping the case shut. She couldn't help looking down at his foot with a dismayed expression but said, "If you can put your shoe back on, then we'll go. I mean, the worse that could happen is it won't heal properly and arthritis could set in early, but if you can use it then I suppose it'll be alright. The swelling should go down...eventually."

She turned on the bed towards the chairs in the corner where she'd set her things, and crawled with her back to him to reach onto the nearest chair where she'd placed his shoe. Tossing it to him, she got up and got her purse, opening it to make sure everything was still in there and put the strap over her shoulder. "Oh, and the city we're in is called Vestal. I've never heard of it, but the driver seemed familiar with it. From what he knew of the area, I've got a bit of a map, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. He got us here, without turning around and getting lost, though."

At his comment about the train, she smiled big and felt Alex laugh and make a mental "rolling eyes" gesture. "Wow, a train?" she asked as she headed towards the doorway with a swaying walk to stop with a hand on the door frame looking back. "If you think you can handle it, maybe I'll let you drive me. I've got pretty complex controls..." Only after it was said did she realize how corny that sounded. Had she been reduced to flirtatious one-liners? God, shoot me now...

A shiver of pain ran through her own toes as Xander forced his swollen foot back into his shoe and she gave him a level look. Oh, sure, he could pretend all he wanted, but she knew what he was really feeling. He may not say when he was done having fun outside and past his limit, but she'd definitely make that decision for him when her sense of his pain had reached it's zenith.

Blushing a little at his response, her expression did not change, the smile on her lips placed firmly there, especially when she felt Alex burn with jealousy - and then denial. It felt good in a way to cause that reaction in him, because she really did enjoy his company on a more realistic level. Xander was definitely the fun one though. Then the smile faded to a more thoughtful expression as she listened to what else passed through his mind. He was right, it was extremely reckless. But what was she going to do? The man would not accept anything other than Starbucks and if his behavior in Roasters was any indication, when he got anything less he got passionately grumpy. If she by some miracle got him placated enough to settle for whatever the hotel offered, it would probably make him difficult to live with. She also worried that there was something special about Starbucks coffee in particular that might give him an extra boost. What did Alex expect of her?

She received her answer a moment later when Alex's thoughts drifted to possible responses Xander might come up with in answer to her own tired pick-up line. Even as she blushed, her mouth hung open in a shocked yet amused expression, a laugh escaping her when Xander mentioned it. Alex's denial of it only made it funnier to her. He was such a little pervert! However, with Xander's next comments, she realized the term wasn't exclusive to just him. But the blush and smile did not leave her face. Afterall, she'd been the one to start this dirty little game. She just hoped he didn't really expect anything.

Shaking her head at their last comments, she lead the way from the hotel room, looking around at the lush furnishings again on the way out. Sal may have never been in a place as nice as this, but neither had she. It was definitely a treat having the opportunity to stay here, even if it was a little hard to enjoy it with the threat of dying hanging over them.

"Oh! Just a minute!" she said, once they were both in the entryway, turning swiftly and jogging back through the rooms to one of the bathrooms. On the countertop beside the sink, she found a fancy, gold painted tissue box and she grabbed several and tucked them away in her purse. She wasn't planning on getting another nosebleed, but she'd gotten 2 today within hours of each other and it didn't hurt to be careful.

They left the elevator on the first floor, entering another hallway much like the one they'd left, and out the front doors to this wing of the hotel. As soon as they were outside, Gwen immediately tensed. Night had fallen completely while they'd been inside and now the borrowed light from lamps around the property, windows for nearby businesses and light poles on the street provided the only illumination. It might have passed for daylight if not for the ceiling of black overhead and the shadows drenching everything.

Before, Gwen had been helpless when it came to the flow of thoughts that entered her mind, but now, she stretched it out as far as she could, letting every person within the 1 mile radius fill her entire body. Her consciousness inspected each one for possible knowledge of the three of them or the familiar blankness of the Agents who'd been after her. It was different than in their apartment building and she no longer felt completely a part of everyone, ready to be swept out to the sea of moving emotion. She still felt everything as if they were her own thoughts and emotions, but she was set differently than the rest. Instead of them entering her mind, she was entering theirs. Maybe her practice with Alex in the taxi had something to do with it.

The front of the building had a few cars pulling up to it, other potential guests walking up to the front doors to get a room at this nice hotel for the night, but all of them were normal. Still, she watched them for a few moments as they made their way to the front of the property, passing the sign she saw before, now illuminated by two spotlights. The street in front of the hotel was moderately busy but there was a place to cross the street and a stop light right beside. Traffic flowed by like a river before them, her mind reaching out to catch glimpses and whispers of different people and different lives, like photographs and memories blowing by her like leaves on a breeze.

A great bulk of the vehicles turned in the left lane into a large parking lot bordered by shops and restaurants across the way, and Starbucks could be clearly seen among the other stores. Seeing a clothing shop over there, she started to think of tomorrow and what she would be wearing. Turning to Xander, as they waited for an opportunity to cross over, she said, "Could we stop at one of the other stores on the way back? I need to get something to wear for tomorrow." The serious expression she was wearing ever since leaving the hotel vanished a little as she smirked at him. "I mean, I know how much you like this outfit and everything, but it won't be flattering to wear again tomorrow."

Gwen wasn't sure if Xander was trying to be funny with his comment or not, but she half-grinned anyway. He was only paying half-attention to her right now and she didn't blame him. Not really. She still didn't understand the total fixation on Starbucks coffee - possibly the addictive properties of caffeine? - but it was there and she knew that anything else took a backseat to his addiction. As soon as the light turned he was off like a man speed walking in a race and she followed behind as close as she could get. Even with his foot all banged up, he didn't seem to have trouble taking full advantage of his long-width gait. She seemed to be the only one feeling the pulsing pain in his foot and she cast it out of her mind so that she didn't accidentally fall in the midst of traffic.

Once she'd joined him on the other side, he barely waited for her foot to step up on the curb before he was walking off again. Now on the other side of the road, she stretched her senses out again, looking for anybody who didn't fit. Could the Agents follow them this quickly? Did they know where they were yet? She didn't know if they'd somehow be able to track them this fast but being out in the open made her remember the last time she and Alex had gone to a coffee shop. They'd seemed just like ordinary people at first. She didn't want to get caught by surprise or ambushed again. So, she stayed on her toes, looking around and pointing her mental focus in every direction she could. As a result, she missed a lot of the conversation the men were having, keeping an ear to their emotions but not focusing on them so much, saving her concentration for scanning her surroundings. If they sensed or found trouble before she did - she doubted they would - then she'd know it without needing to hear everything they were saying.

At one point she passed two women on the sidewalk who were blonde and pretty, shapely curves moving with seductive sways of their hips. They only acknowledged her with a polite look, but she zeroed in on their thoughts anyway, searching for anything amiss. Did they recognize her? Did they know of Xander and Alex? Cherri was still feeling a little giddy about the cute guy they'd just passed and the charming grin he'd cast in her and her friend's direction. She wasn't too used to getting that much attention although the guys she knew did pine for her. But a complete stranger making bedroom eyes at her made her blush and giggle. Teresa on the other hand was feeling haughty. She knew exactly what he'd been looking at and she thought, Well, why shouldn't he? She definitely had it going on and she'd seen the way his eyes had dipped lower and his crooked grin had widened. Knocking strangers off their feet was what she did.

An angry blush filled Gwen's cheeks to read the thoughts of the women as they passed her and walked away in the opposite direction, and she glared at Xander's back. What the hell? God, he was such a jackass! All of a sudden she had the urge to slap him and she felt incredibly embarrassed at the way she'd been behaving towards him. Apparently, throwing herself at him and flirting was not what he wanted. He'd most certainly look for a woman like Cherri or Tere-SA who would put out for the first hot stranger to smile and wink at them. Well that was not something she was going to do, so he could forget about it!

She tried to read his and Alex's mind to see what he really thought of those girls, but she stopped herself. Why was she even upset? She'd met him for the first time last night. They hadn't even gone on a real date yet. Despite being able to read his mind - well at least one of theirs - she didn't really know him. She was not going to let this get to her. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted, just so long as it didn't endanger her.

And they WERE still in danger. Here she was concerned about the status of a nonexistent relationship and they had people looking for them breathing down their necks and threatening their lives. She was done being an idiot. Finally catching up to him at the door of Starbucks, she dug into her purse and brought out the rest of the money he'd given to her, shoving it at him apathetically. "No, let's just get you coffee and get back," she said stonily, trying to force herself not to be mean to him. Stop pouting, you big baby! He'll notice! "I mean, I'm just getting a little tired...that's all. We can worry about clothes tomorrow, I guess." She shrugged and tried to smile at him but it was distant and brief.

From the waves coming off of Alex, she could tell he knew something was wrong and she felt even more foolish for pouting about something so silly and inconsequential. So, when he asked if she was alright, her facial expression cleared to a more relaxed one and she started to shake her head 'No'.

"I'm alrigh-" But Xander interrupted her, in a distracted tone of voice. He didn't even really look at her and what he said told her he didn't even realize there was something wrong. Not even noticing that HE'D done something to upset her.

Despite what she knew about him and even realizing he was beyond normal human interaction right now with Starbucks a few steps away, she couldn't help feeling miffed by his lack of attention. He was so self-absorbed! Without meaning to, she walked into the place behind him, putting daggers in his back with her eyes, struggling to remain focused. Cut it out! There are more important things to be dealing with right now! With a begrudged sigh she turned away from him as he approached the counter, standing just a little to the side of him behind his elbow.

Looking around the place, she was unimpressed by the decor and boredly stretched out her senses to peek into the minds of those present. She didn't stay long in each, just enough to confirm for herself that they were not dangerous. Turning back to Xander, she reached out for Alex's familiar signature and felt him still worrying about her. Again she softened to know that he actually noticed her change in behavior but he still didn't get it. She liked him and he seemed like a great guy. One that if all of this wasn't going on, she might have a real relationship with. But he was half a person really. As long as he shared a body and mind with Xander, and as long as people were after them... it seemed impossible to expect anything to grow between them with everything else getting in the way.

And then there was Xander. He was rude, arrogant, immature, self-absorbed, and yet charming, smart, funny, spontaneous, and it did actually seem like he cared about her sometimes. Most of the time, his better qualities outweighed the bad and she felt herself drawn to him for reasons she couldn't quite articulate. Maybe it was the way he still kept everything hidden from her and mysterious, or maybe it was all the other characteristics and personality flaws combined had somehow wooed her. All she knew was that she wanted him to like her back and things like with those girls made her feel like for the first time since she'd met him, she was nothing but a brunette haired bimbo in his eyes.

Gwen was brought abruptly back to the conversation at hand when he screamed suddenly and she stared at him with a confused expression until she realized he was talking to Alex. He quickly corrected himself however when he adopted a subservient tone with the woman serving him, declaring his love for her. If it weren't for the addendum of 'Please make my coffee' immediately after that and the woman's internal response of having seen this behavior before, Gwen might have gotten mad again. It's just the coffee. It's just the coffee. It's just the coffee. she told herself over and over, folding her arms and waiting for the woman to finish his order.

Then she found herself berating her own thought processes again and just telling herself to remember the Agents. So, Xander just thinks about nothing but the Agents and coffee - that's what YOU should be doing! If you let yourself get distracted and let your guard down, you'll become not only useless to him but also a detriment to him as well! She didn't want that to happen.

Again she drifted into the conversation just long enough to hear him say he wanted to make the Starbucks lady his wife. Gwen's resolve broke and she glared at him. "Alright, you have fun with your girlfriend!" she said in a breezy yet icy tone. "I'm going to go to Sally's Boutique, just a few stores down, and start picking out some clothes to wear other than this for the week. Meet me there when you're done." Adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder she turned and left him there with his new coffee-making bride.

Pushing her way through the front doors she immediately toned Alex out and any emotional runoff that she got from the both of them, steaming mad as she stalked down the sidewalk towards the clothing store. SHE was the one who brought him to the coffee shop when there were plenty of other safer options she could have chosen! Why didn't he thank her for the risks she'd taken for his stupid-ass caffeine problem? Her temper was only dampened when logic chimed in that his addiction to Starbucks kind of prevented him from acting sanely right now, but she shoved it away for the much more satisfying burn of anger as she entered Sally's Boutique.

There weren't that many women in the store, besides the 3 or 4 employees who stood around stocking racks while waiting to offer help. One such approached her as the door chimed happily at her entry, a pleasant smile on her face. "Do you need any help today, Miss?" she asked in a distantly polite way. Probing her mind, Gwen gleaned that she was a stuck-up bitch, immediately casting Gwen in what she termed the "Homely girls" pile, only adjusting her own assessment when she noted the opened shirt top and her wrinkled skirt. Now she was a "Trashy slut" as well.

"No," Gwen replied, brushing the pretty woman off - probably another woman Xander would love to stick in his pocket - and she smiled to herself as the woman thought her rude and turned away with a roll of her eyes. Only to you, bitch...and well, any other slutty girl whom Xander might like better than me...

With a sigh, she tried to cancel such thoughts and stop herself from feeling angry - You're being stupid again, can't you see that? - as she started to look over the sales racks for a couple of outfits to wear while they were on the run. While she was searching, she got the urge to reach out to Alex and Xander when a fantasy of him making out with the Starbucks lady flashed in her mind, but she stopped herself. "No, I won't!" she said aloud to herself, ignoring the look a woman searching the same rack as her gave her. She didn't want to eavesdrop on whatever disgusting thoughts or feelings he was having for the new love of his life.

By the time she'd collected a few nice outfits, she'd cooled down a lot but still refused to mentally reach out to either him or Alex. In her time alone however, she did start thinking about her old life. It felt nostalgic to go shopping for clothes like this, as if without Xander or Alex nearby she'd gotten a piece of her life back. That led to her thinking about her past relationships. She'd never had very much luck with men, always knowing what she wanted but not willing to settle for an almost or a maybe. And then that freak who'd stalked her last year had set her back a few years. She'd completely shut down after that, not wanting anything to do with the opposite gender that could get so enthusiastic about their feelings, they would go so far as to not respect her desires and force them upon her waiting for her to break and give them the love they felt entitled to.

It had been a while since she'd been shown interest or even returned it, usually going for an ice cold approach - even polite smiles were an opening, she'd learned. Her books felt a little phony, writing about something she'd never had but longed for, but at least a million people had felt compelled to share in her fantasy. Gwen was finally willing to admit, after these past 9 months of telling herself she preferred to be by herself and liked the peace and quiet, she was actually very lonely. In the midst of the jealousy she still felt, it was a sobering thought.

Passing by some lingerie in the store, she browsed for a minute, but finally shoved the idea of seducing him out of her mind. No, that was not the way to get her "happily ever after" and would probably only make her even more of a throw-away doll if she reduced herself to that level just to get him to notice her. As she set her things down on the counter she decided the best thing to do was just suck it up and go with the flow. Enough of this pointless flirting and presenting herself as meat for him. She wanted Xander to like her for who she was, not because she was acting like one of these bimbos fawning for his male attention.

"$46.65, is your total," the college girl behind the counter said in a characteristically chipper voice. Gwen brought out her wallet and started counting out her money for the woman but she only had $30 of the needed amount in cash. Without even thinking about it, she brought out her bank card...

Thoughts of Alex and Xander were still occupying her attention as she automatically started to hand over the card with access to the money she'd saved up in the bank. Peripherally she noticed the alarm in the cashier's thoughts but she didn't actually look back at the woman until the card was yanked from between her fingers. Gwen gasped a little in surprise and watched as his fingers bent the card in two before her eyes, the voice in her ear causing a deep shiver to course through her body and fill her bones with ice.

"I--" she flinched as the tray of coffee was dropped upon the counter, instantly falling silent with every muscle in her arms and shoulders tensing. At the declaration that they were now leaving, his hand was around her slender wrist, his grip strong and intense making her feel incredibly small. The woman behind the counter spoke up and Gwen turned her blue eyes on her just in time to feel Xander do the same, the warm searing in the woman's brain flashing through Gwen's temple with a harsh pulse, her connection with the woman still strong enough that she felt exactly what Xander had done to her. She watched in horror as the innocent woman's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground in a fit of convulsions.

Then Xander was dragging her out of the store, the bundle of clothes she'd picked out held draped over his arm, leaving the scene of horror behind as well as his precious coffee. As they marched out onto the sidewalk, Gwen felt her eyes start to tear up even as her heart pounded rapidly in her throat with fear. What had she done? Suddenly everything leading up to this point - the girls on the sidewalk, the girl serving coffee, the girls in the store, the lingerie, her bank card - all of it felt like it had been the stupidest mistake she'd made in her life. Of course they were still on the run! Of course she couldn't use any cards attached to her old life! She'd let herself get carried away with the stupid little drama she'd created and thus left herself open and making careless mistakes.

"Wait," her voice was full of emotion and the tears ready to fall. He was not listening to her, still mad as hell and burning holes in the sidewalk with every swift, stomping step. "Wait, Xander, please!" Stopping in her tracks, she violently wrenched her arm free of his, her internal assessment finding a weakness in his thumb and breaking through his hold.

"I'm sorry," she said, pouting pitifully up at him, her blue eyes swimming with shining light and darkened color and her nose growing red with unshed tears. She breathed a soft sob and ran a hand over her hair, touching her bun lightly and some of it falling out into her face. "I didn't think you needed me right then. All I wanted was a moment by myself... I didn't think it would be a big deal. I was safe and there weren't any Agents around... I forgot what Alex told me about cards and it was stupid... but you didn't have to hurt that woman. She didn't do anything wrong." She cried then, tears falling down her cheeks.

Gwen wasn't just upset about the innocent bystander getting hurt because of him being angry with her, but also all the stupid and ridiculous thoughts that had been occupying her mind for the past 20 minutes. He was definitely going to leave her behind now, just because of the foolish risks she'd taken and put him through and that terrified her. Why hadn't she just waited for him? Why did it all of a sudden seem like a smile to a passing stranger meant more than everything he'd done for her? Why did she have to be in love with him when ANYTHING else in the world was more important right now?

After he'd taken her by the wrist in the store, she'd reopened the lines between them, so even as she stood in the middle of the sidewalk, sobs shaking loosely from her, she could hear Alex's familiar voice echoing inside. Distantly, she appreciated the effort, but she did not blame Xander at all. It had all been her and her idiotic jealousy; he had every right to be angry with her after what she'd almost done.

His voice was still curt and angered, but when he addressed her, she quieted down, sniffling softly as she listened, wiping her face free of tears with her hand. Everything he said made sense to her and she knew that having her around was probably a hard adjustment from the way he and Alex had always done things before. For a moment, her worry that he would leave her behind spiked sharply until she sensed his vibrations changing. He wasn't angry anymore it seemed, but still as he continued on she felt even more terrible for the mistakes she'd made, her eyes looking around at the shops and parking lot nearby, before coming to rest back on him. How stupid could she be? She hadn't been looking for the right things when she'd reached out and scanned the area. If there were Agents around that weren't looking for them yet, they'd probably be able to identify them quickly if the three of them had already passed them by. And that meant looking for "people who don't fit" and "empty holes in the universe" was not the only thing she had to watch out for.

And how could she have forgotten? The whole ride here she'd agonized over whether or not he would wake up in a timely manner if Agents showed up and the first moment she got, it slipped her mind completely. She'd put him in more danger than she'd realized, especially since she had cut him off from her senses the whole time she'd been shopping. What if something had happened? What if he passed out before he got a chance to drink his coffee? Gwen wouldn't have noticed until he'd drawn attention to himself - most likely nobody would accept 'He's narcoleptic' or 'He's drunk' if they were actually standing there watching him fall to the ground. They probably would have insisted on sending him to the hospital if they could not rouse him right away and her urging to just help her get him back to the hotel would be incredibly suspicious.

She was still sniffling a little when he apologized, but she calmed down considerably at his offer of it, especially with the squashing hug that made her grunt with a slight laugh. She could not help feeling comforted by his arms wrapped around her like that though and was a bit disppointed when he released her. After he stepped away the tears were gone from her eyes and only her slightly pink nose remained, her cheeks coloring the same as she smiled up at him. Taking her new clothes from his arms, she surreptitiously tucked a new set of underwear under the pile so it was not seen, and brushed her hair out of her face. From what he said about the cashier woman, she was even feeling somewhat better about that although Alex still thought it was an extreme response from his roommate.

Looking around the line of buildings built shoulder to shoulder, each with their own different colored signs and titles, she felt a moment of trepidation about whether or not any of the buildings held Agents in them. Stretching out, she did not feel the regular signatures she was used to but now knew that meant very little except the people looking for them were not here right now. But there might be others.

Looking at Xander, she trusted him to recognize them before she did, but at the same time she worried about him as well. She couldn't deny, however, that she was incredibly hungry. Most of the restaurants in this strip mall were sit down places, with one or two classier places, and also one buffet that was more like a cafeteria with several different food stations within it.

"Do you want to eat here?" she asked as she turned to him, indicating the area around them with a small gesture. "Or do you want to go back to the hotel room? I'm sure we could just order a bunch of room service and pig out." A smile appeared on her face at the suggestion. It was a fun option, one that was safer, one that she would prefer if anything were to happen. Although, that expensive Italian place, just across the way, might be nice and she felt a small swoon catch in her throat to think of sitting across the table from Xander and eating someplace high-class like that.

Xander's choice did crush the fantasy in her mind a little bit, but she immediately began building a new fantasy, one that involved laying back on the king sized bed in the hotel room and eating steaming food and rich sweets. And of course, sharing the dishes with her companions. As they started to walk along, she holding the new clothes she'd gotten and he walking beside her silently, she started to feel a lot better, leaving that sudden sadness and craziness behind. She resolved to be more focused from now on and to keep a lid on her emotions. She had enough trouble as it was controlling the flow of other people's thoughts into her head, she didn't need to worry about letting her own take over.

Gwen looked at Xander as she heard Alex speak, of course having felt the wave of relief from him earlier when the safer plan had been selected, but she visibly perked up when Xander suddenly changed his mind. There was the characteristic protest from Alex but she was not worried about Xander being shown reason, knowing the typical way these discussions went, and she smiled happily as she saw the restaurant he'd indicated. It was like he was able to read minds as that was exactly the place she'd been thinking of when he'd first suggested they get something to eat. Someplace quiet and soothing with a wealthy decor that made her feel like princess. Somewhere to be alone with him.

Tossing away the old plans to veg on the hotel bed with ice cream sundaes and watching TV with Xander by her side, she began to grow even more excited about the prospect of sitting down with him at the warmly sophisticated establishment. Her eyes sparkled as he turned to her with that smile of his, her insides turning to goo and a smile spreading across her own features in an uncontrollable response. And echoing into her mind was of course Alex, ever the voice of reason and always worrying about what was safe or not. He was agreeing of course, but in that begrudging manner that made her think of the opposite of what they were planning to do. Made her realize what they should be doing. Throwing away her earlier resolution, she instantly tuned him out and linked her free arm through Xander's.

"What are we waiting for?" she asked in a bright, excited voice. "I'm starving!" Gwen couldn't help but feel giddy and free when she was with him, locked deep within his spell, her veins pumping with a desire for whatever life had to offer. When he was around, she was tugged along and magnetized to his energy, feeding off of it. It was like nothing could hurt them. If he'd just smile at her like that again, she'd say yes to anything he wanted. Somewhat soberly she said, "All you have to do is ask," meaning it in more ways than one and smiling softly as they proceeded in the new direction.

It was hard to keep from squealing in joy and skipping but she managed it, as they approached the building, with affluent designs on the outside but not overstated or pompous. She didn't mind the fact that she wasn't wearing anything fancy, and that she had a bunch of clothes with her; afterall, it didn't seem like it mattered much to Xander. It was more about what they were doing rather than how they looked doing it, and it was a philosophy she could wholeheartedly get behind.

The doors opened into a darkly lit entryhall playing low and softly flowing classical music and she squeezed Xander's arm a bit in a small burst of excitement. As they entered the main building, the door being held open for them by an attendee waiting there just for that purpose, she remembered her newly established routine and probed every mind she could touch within the place. Her mental touch was brief for each however and she cast them out of her mind as a man in his late thirties stood up straight as they came up to his podium.

At the man's introduction and specifications, she got worried for a brief moment, turning to Xander with a searching look. But of course, he would not be denied and she smiled proudly as the waiter gave in without a fight with the promise of getting paid and she followed both men further into the establishment. Her blue eyes widened appreciatively at the lush decor and she took her time making her way up the steps to where they would be seated, drinking everything in. The color choices helped fill the space with an old world, classical feel, as if all of a sudden when they'd stepped through the front doors, they'd somehow been transported directly to Italy. She'd never been of course, but she couldn't help feel like this was what restaurants would be like over there, but it had a lot to do with the fact that she'd never been in a restaurant as nice as this before. The lights cast a diluted golden light on everything and she felt very secluded and calm here, even as ascending the steps made her feel like she was walking up onto a stage.

There were others here, seated at their own tables behind dividers and nosily she probed into their thoughts, letting a few emotions drift in here and there. Gwen did it partly out of curiosity of how a person who went to this type of place actually lived, but also to check and see what different meals on the menu were like. Every mind she touched, she got a burst of flavor into her mouth and a name to go along with it. It was a strange new thing but she didn't need the person to actually consciously think of something for her to know it. Their memories could be touched too. The first she got a mouthful of was someone eating "Orange scented seafood brodo" and she crinkled her nose, shoving the sensation of the fishy mixture away. The next she tried was a "Sardinian cheese and potato ravioli" and her expression cleared to one of appreciation, especially when the older gentleman eating the dish washed down the bite with a splash of Bordeaux wine. By the time they'd reached their booth, she'd sampled a bite from half the menu without feeling a tiny bit full from it.

Tossing the bundle of clothes down onto the inside of her side of the booth, she glanced at Xander and the comment he made, assuming instantly that he was talking to Alex, even though she could not hear him at the moment. What did he mean about that? What 'jobs' did he take? It only really occurred to her then to wonder where the money was coming from. Even so, as she seated herself comfortably across from him, she kept silent about it and concentrated on enjoying this evening eating out.

Hearing Xander's choice of a meal, she giggled aloud, shaking her head lightly at his explanation. "You're the ONLY guy I know who'd come to a place like this to get American food," she said giving him an amused look. It was that child-like freedom that she found especially captivating about him. "Then again, you're the only guy I know who could get INTO a place like this..." She shrugged and pushed aside her menu without even looking at it. "If you're ready to order? I have no doubt you'll find some way to get them to accommodate what you're craving."

Turning to the waiter she stopped herself from making out her order of Eggplant Parmigiana and glanced at Xander again. Out of all the things she'd tasted, this particular meal had struck her fancy for this evening, but she found his playful choice to be contagious. Looking at the waiter once again, she lightly jerked her head in Xander's direction and said, "I'll have what he's having. And the best bottle of wine you have as well, please." It did feel kind of silly and pointless to come here ordering food like that, but she didn't care and couldn't force herself to.

She was really starting to think everything would be alright. There was no telling what the future might bring or what troubles lay around the corner waiting for them, but tonight she was filled with a peace of mind. And it all had to do with the man sitting across from her. Hearing from Xander what Alex had said, she rolled her eyes noncommittally. Yeah? Well, he's an uptight little shrimp who doesn't know how to have a good time, she thought to herself with a smile. But it slowly faded as the waiter began arguing with Xander about their meals. Gwen was certainly willing to cave and order something more reasonable but so long as Xander was fighting for what he wanted, she would not add a dissenting argument.

Then she took in a sharp breath as she felt him release that same jolt of power that he'd used before. All the times she'd experienced it before had felt like he'd taken a white hot, pointed iron rod and jammed it violently into someone's brain, whereas this was more like standing really close to a large bonfire and feeling the heat on her skin. Uncomfortable and disorienting but it wasn't painful. Still, she did not expect it and sat for a few moments blinking at the man before he finally hurried on his way, his internal thoughts racing with suspicions and accusations, feeling incredibly distraught.

"Poor Antony..." she murmured as she watched him go, a small grin appearing on her face when she turned back to Xander. "He's putting in the order as medium-rare," she said, releasing the slender man from her consciousness after confirming what he planned to do with their order. She paused a moment, playing lightly with the cloth that was wrapped around her silverware before answering his question. "Well, if you take out the part where I got to fight a robot woman and you making me feel like a complete idiot... it's been pretty good. Never a dull moment."

Gwen looked across the table at him and smiled happily, but finally looked away again to adjust the cloth napkin again. God, why was she so nervous? It was Xander afterall. Her smile grew wider and her eyes were distant with recent memory for a moment as she said, "That scene you made in front of Roasters had to be the scariest shit I've ever been through but it was pretty damn cool though. If I wanted to write the next best-seller, all I've gotta do now is etch out an Autobiography." She laughed lightly and ended up tearing the cloth a little before nervously shoving it away so she was no longer touching it.

"How about you?" she asked, taking a sip of water to calm herself of the sudden butterflies that filled her. "Have I completely ruined your life yet?" There was humor in the question but also a sense of probing. She wanted to know how he felt about her as her normal powers gave her next to nothing as far as answers. It was surprisingly nice how quiet it was though, without Alex constantly chiming in with 'That looks dangerous' or 'This isn't a good idea'. If not for that same tingling on her skin that let her know when he was speaking inside, she could almost forget he was there completely.

She watched, completely rapt as his expression grew thoughtful and his voice when he spoke was serious and yet still light. As he answered her question by listing the things that would make his life a living hell, she smiled sympathetically when the first mentioned was being stuck as he was with Alex. Gwen could not begin to fully grasp what it must be like for them, but from what she understood and how she imagined it, she could definitely see it as worthy of the position 'number one' on that list.

The second thing he listed made her frown briefly, wondering what exactly the Agents had in store for her. She most certainly did not share a head with someone... and when they'd encountered that one Agent, the one Alex had left alive in the alleyway, Xander mentioned something about them putting Agents in peoples' heads to control their powers. Was that what Stephanie wanted with her? It was a thought that made her shiver, especially remembering the blank, dead look in the woman's eyes, but she shrugged the musings away in time to be graced with Xander's grin again.

God, how does he always do that? she wondered airily, feeling a warmth fill her limbs and the smile returned. Yes, she understood what he meant about Alex making things difficult for him, but she knew the other man probably felt the same way about him. In fact, she knew he did from the constant badgering he put them both through. Except when he got his way, but Xander had been like that when he'd been inside. Funny how they could both be so alike and so different.

As the wine was poured, she took up her glass under her nose and took it in with a deep breath, the scent of it filling her with an electric warmth. This'll go great with hamburgers and fries, she thought with a small smirk. As he finished the thought her smile grew gracious in an amused way and she bowed her head a little in a gesture of 'thanks', raising her glass to her lips. At his offer for her to get him coffee and a card, she murmured under her wineglass, "You might get more than that..." but she most definitely wasn't promising anything.

She almost choked on her mouthful of wine as she laughed at his suggestion about her book and she said, "Come on now, I won't need to stretch the truth for readers to know how dashing you are..." Her laughter faded off slowly as she heard the sounds of alarm coming from behind their table further into the restaurant.

Immediately, she reached out mentally to find out what was going on and was struck by the disgust and horror from some of the guests. She was in the midst of mentally counting heads, not being able to see anything from her position even as she craned her neck to look over the divider at her back, and had just found someone who had not been there before when they'd first entered. Xander's voice caught her attention with it's cold and serious tone from across the table and she quickly turned back around in her seat.

Looking at him with her eyes wide, Gwen immediately moved to obey, cutting herself off from the flow of thought and emotion that filled the room. She was like a deer caught in headlights, her whole body tensing in her seat as he spoke, only a fraction of the tension leaving when he mentioned the "he" was not an Agent. When he finally settled back however, it helped ease her mind a little more, but her thoughts mirrored Alex's. Agents showing up, whether they were after them or not, was not a good thing! With a bit of dismay, she realized she should have listened to Alex before and had to resist the urge to reach out to him now to make up for all the listening she hadn't been doing the past 5-10 minutes.

At Xander's question and still hearing the noises of people in fear behind her, she drained her glass fully and swallowed before wiping her lips and answering. "I think I need another glass..." Goddammit! Why did Alex have to be right all the time? Then again, the need to return to the apartment had been his idea...

Rarely did she ever indulge in drinking of any kind, except at the few social gatherings she'd attended to promote her books, but the warm sweetness of the wine and acidic tang afterward had a soothing effect on her. After hearing something glass break, she started to reach for the bottle hoping to take a swig directly from it. Screw decency. Anyone disapproving of her conduct at this moment was obviously not worried enough about the other spectacle going on.

There it was, the phone-call conversation again, with the light humming on her skin letting her know when Alex was speaking. It was still annoying only hearing half of what was said, and extremely tempting to peek into his mind in order to hear Alex, but at least Xander provided the "answers" side of it. From what he said, Gwen could somewhat tell what the questions had been and she knew that Alex was worrying again. As well he should be.

She wanted to believe Xander had everything under control, but she remembered something Alex had said before about them not exactly being quiet about damage control. Xander definitely had a way of handling things and fixing them, but it always got worse before it got better. Well, I'm part of the 'team' now, aren't I? she thought to herself. Normally she would be willing to depend on either one of them to make the decisions that needed to be made, but they spent at least 40% of the time arguing about who's plan was better.

She had her own opinions at any given moment about the best action to take but had kept quiet, mostly because she didn't want to interfere and possibly screwing something up. There was a lot she didn't know and had trusted them to make decisions based on experience about what was best. But now she realized that was a foolish way to go about doing things when it was her life at risk too. Afterall, Xander had said it himself; he'd never really needed to look after a third person before, so this was all pretty much new to him too.

Coming to the decision to offer her own vote whenever possible she leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice, "We should leave. As in right now. We can sneak out the back." The mysterious "he" and anyone following him would be none the wiser...unless Agents were surrounding the place. But so long as they didn't make a big deal out of things, they probably wouldn't even think them anything other than another pair of patrons fleeing the scene.

She'd taken too long however, as the young man finally came into view, as he got closer the noise following him making goosebumps cover her skin. They still might be able to get away with looking like scared people running away if they went now, but she found herself frozen and staring at him. As Xander started going on about the kid being cute or whatever, she took the time to look him over, wondering at his derelict appearance. He looked like he hadn't bathed in days and like he curled up in the corner of a sewer drain every night as a bed. That mixed with Xander's description of him made her heart go out to him for whatever life had thrown at him to end up this way. But surprise replaced sympathy as he turned around with purpose and looked directly at them - at HER! - and shouted her name.

Gwen was still sitting, blinking in shock before she realized Xander was right beside the young man, grabbing him up by the front of his clothes. Not even a second passed before he was staring into the kid's eyes and he went limp in the man's grip. Without her connection being made with either of them, she still felt the power of it but in a less direct way like before. A small bit of dizziness overcame her and she wobbled in her seat, but it was gone as soon as he'd shut the power off, leaving her sitting there for just a few seconds more to catch her bearings. Luckily, her nose did not start bleeding again and hearing her name called, she shook her head to clear it and started to gather her things.

By the time she'd risen from her seat, he was standing in front of another table talking with some old people who were looking at him with a mixture of both fear and concern. For the boy? Or for Xander? No. That was a silly question. When he glanced in her direction, he gestured at her impatiently, imploring her to hurry, and she followed after him as he descended the stairs. She only looked back at their table once with a bit of regret that the evening had been interrupted and she sighed. Any kind of relationship with either man was impossible because the day never ended and they were never alone...

Speaking of which, she turned back and stepped down the stairs with a light foot, her head surprisingly clear and silent for the block she still had up, and she looked over the man Xander was dragging along. Barely having left puberty, he looked like such a lost soul with the ragged clothing and trickling mixture of sauces wetly dripping from his bag. Who the hell was he and how did he know her name? As much as these questions pressed at her, she did not reach out to touch his mind, still holding fast to staying inconspicuous. Xander had of course broken that rule when he'd zapped the guy, but she was not going to make them an even bigger red flag by opening up her own powers. At least not yet.

She wanted to ask Xander about him, but as they were running away she didn't want to delay them by starting the interrogation here. However, she couldn't help when they'd reached the lowest level again, commenting, "These dates with you are really a blast. Although, a girl might tend to get the wrong idea with you constantly dragging somebody else off in the middle." She laughed a little, adrenaline and fear making her feel light. "And the fact that they're always men."

His laughter in the midst of all this helped ease the tension she felt and the regular humor with which he answered her made the smile stay upon her lips. Even when they'd entered another possibly life-threatening situation with a ticking clock over their heads, the fatigue setting into his posture and gait, he was able to let it brush off his shoulders like nothing was wrong. Just another day in his life. With the visual of him slowing down somewhat, each step seeming more and more labored, she knew that he was reaching his limit, despite what his expression and voice said and worry set in again.

At his question, she looked again at the young man's face as it bobbed with Xander walking ahead of her, her brow furrowing and trying to place it. Through the grime and dirt, it was a bit hard to tell, but she didn't know very many people his age anyways - and most were 16-17 year old girls who were fans of her books that she'd kept in touch with over the years. She doubted from the way he'd addressed her, that he was a fan. "I don't think so," she finally said, shaking her head as they left the restaurant. "He doesn't look familiar."

Out in the open again, she immediately tensed and had to stop herself from reaching out to scan the area. Not yet. Xander's side of the conversation confirmed this choice for her, since it probably wouldn't do any good anyways. She had no idea what she'd be looking for. The next words he uttered made her glance at him sideways and she tried not to smile. Even though it had been a terrifying experience when he'd exploded at her and Alex on the sidewalk near their apartment building, she couldn't help finding their circumstances and how they'd come together to be quite amusing to remember, considering how deep in it she was now. And of course, he was still angry about Alex blabbing to her all about it.

She continued to keep her eyes open and looking around them and behind them to make sure they weren't being followed - at least as much as she could tell, visually - and kept an ear to their conversation. She was very interested in knowing why or how the boy knew her, but with the prospect of Xander doing his disappearing act again, she was growing more and more worried. Maybe she might be able to fend for herself if the guy suddenly turned violent, but with the ability he supposedly had - teleportation? Really? Why did everyone have something more useful than she did? How cool would that be in enabling them to get to the hotel if he passed out in the street. - would definitely give him an advantage over her.

"Is there anything I can do to stop you from going out again?" she asked as they reached the street with the light, again the cars coming to a stop just in time for them to cross. "You can't leave me alone with him... I have no clue who he is and yet he knows me. If it's a choice between being alone with him and not finding out what he wants, I say we just drop him now. If he's in the same position as us, adding to our numbers will make it harder to hide and cover our bases. If he's not..."

They were almost to the hotel now, walking past the illuminated sign again, the engraved words shining in the lights as they passed. "What if he's like that Peter guy? Your friend?" Adjusting the clothes on her arm as they spanned the distance to the hotel, she held her breath tightly as they approached the doors they'd left earlier, feeling like a lifetime ago.

As they passed through the doors, she shut up about it, even as his response made her want to argue. Calm down? That was easy for him to say! He seemed to know what was going on all the time and yet was about to collapse any minute in the middle of the hotel lobby while hanging onto a possible hostage! HE shouldn't even be calm right now! Even so, she marveled at his ability to make everyone who saw them ignore the obvious implications and tried to keep a cool head. He would give her answers before he closed his eyes. She'd make absolute sure of it, for her own sanity.

In the elevator she watched him closely, obviously waiting for the answers she wanted and resolved to demand them once they got to their floor. He beat her to it however as they walked towards their room, his words giving her something to chew on for the moment. What he said - even the minor slight at Alex - made sense and she felt a bit calmer now that he'd let her know of a sort of 'plan' with dealing with this problem. He still didn't answer her about what they could do to stop him from passing out again, and she immediately assumed it was because he didn't know. It was not comforting to hear that he didn't always have an answer for everything or then again, it could just be not very important to him - although she doubted that was the case.

When Xander continued going on a related tangent, she hesitantly stretched out her senses again to hear Alex's part of the conversation. They were far enough away now that it probably would be okay, and now that were nearing 'home' she felt a little safer when using it. And also, it was annoying not hearing everything that was going on, the silence becoming like torture to her when she was forced into it by circumstance. Almost reminded her of the static cloud that Stephanie engulfed her in.

At the doorway to their room, Xander presented the young man and began to analyze his appearance and alternatively shut down and explored the different theories surrounding their new 'companion'. Again, she understood completely what he was saying but the prospect of being alone with the kid did not appeal to her any more than it had before. His confidence in his own convictions did not transfer to her like it usually did, watching him swaying on his feet with an overwhelming weariness she could now feel dragging him down. "I can't do this..." she mumbled, touching his shoulder lightly before he moved into the room.

But he was not listening to them anymore, the fog around his head so deep, she thought it a testament to his skills that he was still able to navigate into the room enough to drop the kid in the entryhall and land on the couch. The door swung shut behind her and all of a sudden she shivered to know that he was gone again. For several moments, she just stood there staring off into space, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth before she finally shook herself out of it at Alex's words echoing into her head.

With a sigh, she walked straight into the bedroom to the chair where she'd left Xander and Alex's bag and began to deposit her new clothes into it, taking a moment to fold everything up and put them in with his own things so they all fit and were separated. The automatic response to organize their belongings helped clear her mind for the moment and keep her calm but once it was over, she immediately began looking for something else to do. Kicking off her shoes and tucking them by the inside of the bedroom doorway, she went searching for a rope or something to make a rope. There were thin, golden braided cords that adjusted the drapes and using some scissors from the medical kit - tiny and not very sharp, so even as thin as the cord was, the braid made it thick and it took a while for her to break through it - she cut a length of them down.

Collecting that and tearing the bed sheets off the bed, she dropped them in the middle of the living room floor on her way to the entryhall. Grabbing the young man by the arms, she started to drag him into the living room, only stopping to unstrap his bag and fling it aside in disgust. Pushing him onto his stomach, she began to tie up his arms behind his back, stopping and untying him when she realized she had too much rope and wanted to use some to tie up his feet, getting up and going into the other room to retrieve the scissors to cut it in the middle. Working silently, she flipped him over when his hands and feet were tied and started to bind his arms and legs with the bed sheets. She remained focused on what she was doing, still not saying anything to Alex as of yet.

Stepping back after she was done, she looked proudly down at what she'd accomplished even though it would probably become useless in light of the man's gift, and she looked back at Xander, reaching out mentally to touch him but finding him unresponsive and completely dead to the world. Sitting on the coffee table, she sat for a few moments, slumped and staring into space before she reached out further to make sure he was okay otherwise. Immediately the pain in his foot blared in her own and she cried out in surprise, falling back and off of the table with a painful gasp, gripping her leg. Good God! What the hell!? He had been walking on that?

Guilt flooded her as she realized she should have been keeping an eye on it, as she got up and limped into the other room to get the medical kit. Tuning the pain out, she was still breathing heavily as she came back with the little plastic suitcase in hand. Kneeling by the coffee table, she pushed it out of the way so she could work and grunted while pulling his shoe off. Hissing lightly, she pulled out the medical tape and began to bind the big toe to the second toe on his foot, having difficulty with the way Xander was positioned, but finally managing to get it to a point where it would not longer move.

The swelling had not reduced very much and the toe was mangled with dark blues and red purples spotting the flesh and she sighed as she got up once more and went to the bar for some ice. Wrapping a cluster of five cubes in a napkin, she brought it back over and held it to his toe, sitting kneeling upon the ground next to the couch with his foot halfway in her lap. Remembering Alex and his suggestion, she looked over at the thoroughly wrapped up boy and shook her head.

"I can't go to sleep now," she said worry plain in her voice. "What if they come looking for him? What if he wakes up?" She was starting to feel exhausted herself, but the pressure of everything that might happen kept her alert and awake. Then again...there wouldn't be much time for it later would there? "I'm fine," she said finally, adjusting the icepack on his foot carefully. "I'll be fine. I'll just wait for Xander to wake up and he'll take care of everything..." Except himself, obviously. Today was so long and it would get longer still.

The dramatic response from Alex was expected of him and she couldn't help shaking her head and scoffing. Maybe she'd been wrong about who was the drama queen of the pair, or had things really changed so drastically since they'd switched? She stayed her response to it however as she followed him through a memory that flashed in his mind. It wasn't old but probably the oldest thing she'd sensed from him and for a moment it was almost like she was feeling something that had happened to her, like she'd been there. Gwen had enough control now that she could separate herself from it with ease, but the sensation was the same with her standing off to the side as events played out around her.

In real-time, she uttered a small giggle seeing the look on Alex's face as he tossed the television set down the ravine, feeling absolute boyish triumph from his inner companion and the nervousness with which he stammered an explanation to the police made another small giggle bubble up. God, what a little psycho! she thought with a touch of affinity for them both. Such troublemakers, even in the beginning, although Alex was a lot less trouble now but still had the habit of getting into it as much as Xander did.

Her expression changed and the laughter died as the memory altered to something new, something just as old as the first and yet not completely ancient in when it had occurred. The man was not someone she recognized and beyond what Alex sensed and felt she could not extend her power to the others in his memory. Going from Alex's own musings on the man however, she immediately understood him to be an adversary. An Agent. The one he was running from all these years.

Each memory only lasted a minute or two to run their course and when they were gone, she still held onto the images in her head, able to replay them back like watching a movie. The one she tucked fondly away as something that would always bring a smile to her face and the other she kept in the forefront of her mind of things to remember. Someone Alex dubbed "The Frenchman", she now had a face and a few details on what to look for next time she scanned to see if they were being followed.

Looking over his foot when he asked about it again, she saw that it was looking somewhat better but not much, and when he mentioned his hand, she instantly remembered it and reached out to look it over, at the same time as she mentally touched it to see what the damage was. It was his left hand so it made it easier to access it and it ached a little but it was not infected as far as she could tell - which was surprising. The memory of how it had happened flashed into her mind and she cringed a little as his fist slammed into the mirror. THAT was a memory she'd been a part of, remembering the noise of the breaking glass coming through the wall between their apartments, although at the time she'd had no idea he was hurting himself - or rather fighting with someone.

It definitely made her adjust her opinion of Xander, especially feeling the waves of Alex's own thoughts on the man, and she wondered if he wasn't somewhat right about him. Xander's priorities did seem a little skewed sometimes to the point where it was almost like he was all alone or thought he was, dragging Alex and Gwen along like a coat he wanted to keep with him just because he was obligated to. Shaking her head, she set the ice, now melting a little and starting to dampen the cloth, aside and brought out the tweezers from the first aid kit. Using her senses she probed the flesh inside and out getting every tiny little sliver out of it while she spoke.

"Alright, he is crazy sometimes, especially to do something like this over coffee. But think about it, if it is something he actually needs then no wonder he'd get upset," she shrugged a little and used the napkin with the ice in it to hold the tiny mirror pieces she removed. "I'm not defending him and I agree, my behavior around him lately has been a little...bimbo-ish, but it's really hard for me right now. Maybe I'm just clinging to him because he seems strong and like he can do anything and I don't want you to think poorly of me if I said I think I have feelings for him..." she blushed a little, not meaning to admit that to him, but continued to work on his hand pulling a still reflective piece from his flesh.

"Anyways, you have me now and I'm done sitting by and swooning like an idiot and making stupid mistakes. Together we can keep him under control a little bit. I haven't really tried to get him to listen to me yet but I'm sure I can sway him to see reason. I mean...he likes boobs, right?" she laughed a little with a smirk, setting the tweezers down and cleaning the now open and lightly bleeding wound. "If I cannot trust him to make the right decisions on his own, you and I will have to make them for him. I'll try and keep a level head and my ears open." By that of course, she was referring to him and any advice he might have to offer.

Once she was finished bandaging the hand she sat back with a sigh and looked over the glass she'd collected. "Shit, Alex, I don't understand what's wrong with him as far as pain is concerned. It's not that he doesn't feel it; I can feel it from his own nerves and everything. He's just really desensitized to it or something. I have enough glass here to make a touch-up mirror for myself. Well, anyways, your hand will be alright now and the foot should be sore but okay tomorrow. I didn't find any aspirin for him, but like I said, it's probably not gonna matter much to Mr. Hulk."

She shook her head before wrapping up the napkin and the soggy pieces of ice still within it and rose with a long exhale of breath. Stretching, she looked over at the young man she'd tied up with a bit of worry in her eyes, eventually letting her gaze fall to the room beyond him. She was not going to be any use tomorrow if she didn't try and get a few hours, so the smartest thing to do was to take advantage of everybody else being unconscious at the moment and get some sleep.

Walking into the other room, she tossed the napkin with watery ice and mirror shards into a waistbasket and got an extra bundle of sheets from the closet. Tossing two onto the bed, she walked back into the other room with the third, unwrapping it as she stepped over the teenage boy. Tossing it over Xander's sleeping form, she adjusted it so he was covered and leaned in close to his ear. "I'm glad you're no longer stealing things just because he told you to," she said to Alex, kissing him audibly on the cheek. She knew he couldn't feel it but she meant for him to hear it and in that way, it was meant for him. "Goodnight, I'll see you both," she paused. "You three in the morning or whenever wake-up time is scheduled for..."

Going back into the bedroom, she closed the doors and locked them from the inside before walking further into the room. Undressing down to her underwear, she put on a T-shirt and climbed into the bed, spreading the sheets out so she could use them and snuggling down beneath them. Sleep wasn't as hard to find as she'd originally thought, and it came swiftly, dragging her under without a fight.

The bed was nicer than anything she'd ever slept upon before, the pillows cushioning her head like she was sleeping on clouds. Sleep came and hit her hard, dragging her so deeply under that she barely tossed and turned through the night. Even so, the finely woven sheets wrapped around her form snugly, keeping her both cool and cocooning in her own heat against the evening chill.

Dreams flittered through her mind, memories that were not hers, transferred straight to her from other guests on their floor, her gift running freely without her consciousness to control it. So, all through the night she was several different people: A man on his wedding day standing at the altar nervously awaiting the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Gwen felt a burst of pride as she saw Jennifer come walking down the aisle towards her, her face aglow and all dressed in white, excitement and nervousness mirrored in her eyes as well. Then she was a woman who was a scuba diver, down into the Caribbean blue taking pictures of the fish in the reef. Fear gripped her as she lived through the moment of seeing a shark swimming nearby, floating like a ghost through the bright, ethereal depths, but it paid her no mind and swerved placidly deeper giving her enough time to return to the boat waiting for her.

Gwen was still so deeply under that she did not notice the sun rising nor the audible conversation of the two men she shared these rooms with, still lost in being a Mr. Noe who was teaching a class in his memories, standing at the forefront of the auditorium in front of a podium. Her heart beat rapidly as she adjusted her glasses and saw men walking down the aisle towards her. They knew what she'd done, that student had talked. It was all over now. Her eyes darted to the side of the room where there was another door. She could make it if she left now. She could run. She could get away.

Feeling all too much like a caged and wild animal suddenly she was ripped backwards violently, the bed beneath her lurching and coming up to smack her full-bodied in the face. A sharp gasp left her as gravity took over and her eyes popped open wildly, her heart beating so fast she felt like she'd swallowed it. Leaning up on her elbows, she blinked frightened at Xander who now occupied the bed with her, that smug smile on his face doing nothing for her after what had just happened.

Immediately following her abrupt wake-up call came the anger at being woken up so unceremoniously. While he was busy responding to Alex, the pillow she had under her head came whipping through the air like a plushy club, hitting him thickly in the face. And once it happened, the adrenaline rushing in her veins releasing the rage she now felt, she did it again and again, murmuring through gritted teeth.

"You bastard!" she spat angrily. "Don't you EVER wake me up like that again, you motherfucker!" Breathing heavily, she stopped suddenly and shrunk back down, kneeling in her spot on the bed a hand clutching her forehead. Not only did her head hurt from being put through a wringer all night, but she'd still been connected to him and had ended up hitting herself in the face. The headache was awful and she let out a soft moan, rocking on the bed for a moment before it had faded enough for her to get up.

Calmed down now, she just looked at him, her face drawn and weary and said, "Just don't jump on the bed, please." Throwing the covers off of her bare legs, she got up and started to rifle through the bag on the chair for a moment, getting out some new clothes to wear for today. Walking with a firm yet weakened purpose towards the bathroom she said, "Let me just get dressed," she paused to yawn, daintily covering her lips. "And I'll be right out..."

Closing the bathroom door and turning on the light, she stood for a few moments listening to the rest of what he said. She hadn't meant to react that way and she definitely didn't want to make him angry, but it had been an automatic response to the situation and...he'd been in the way. This was not a good way to start the day at all, and even through the doorway she could hear him clear as day. He was going to be sore about this for a while. She could tell. But Gwen was not above getting on her knees and begging for his forgiveness if it would get him to eventually let the damn incident go.

Still, even as she listened to him rant and rail to Alex about her, knowing that he was basically just whining because she'd hurt his feelings and wounded his pride, the things he said made her mad. Even after Alex repeatedly tried to explain to him the situation from her end - which made her feel a flutter of gratitude towards him - he still insisted on being pissy in her general direction.

Shaking her head, she walked into the room and set her things roughly on the counter by the sink. He would demand that she be in a sour mood just like he was and do his best to make it happen to justify his current mood even further, but she would not let him. As soon as she got the chance she was going to apologize for him being a dickhead, kiss his ass until he purred like a kitten and they would get on like normal.

Not wasting a moment more brooding about it, she started to go about her daily routine, first jumping into the shower for a quick rinse off. A lot of adrenaline and sweat had been collected on her body yesterday and she didn't know if they were checking out of the hotel tonight or when they'd be able to find another shower. Anyways, it did not sit well with her the idea of running around another day without cleaning herself off. She knew she'd promised to just get dressed but he had to understand that women spent a long time getting ready anyways.

Stepping from the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and went over to her new clothes, looking them over. Biting off the tags, she tossed them all into the peach and gold waistbasket, not expecting for a moment that she'd either need or have the opportunity to return anything that didn't fit. Slipping into new underwear and bra, she pulled on the pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her legs in a snug yet comfortable way, buttoning them an inch below her belly button.

During her shower she'd turned down the volume of what was going on in the other room, keeping an ear out if Alex said her name but basically reducing them both to nothing but murmurs. That is until she felt Xander use his power on the boy. She was sitting on the fuzzy toilet cover, still shirtless, wearing her new silky pink bra and pulling on her second sock when the jolt hit her. It was a hot pulse and she gasped aloud, her arm flinging out to grip the edge of the sink to keep herself from falling over. When her head cleared, and she heard the kid start to scream, she cursed under her breath and began to hurry.

Quickly she slipped on a red T-shirt with a flattering, low hanging v-neck, the shirt slim and hugging her curves yet not overly revealing. The hem did not reach down as far as she would have liked, letting a bit of flesh peek out between her pants and shirt - it was either that or pull it down to cover herself and let the v-neck dip even lower. Not her usual state of dress and she hadn't been thinking to impress anybody with it, but she'd no doubt turn a few heads. At the moment, despite truly liking him, she did not care if Xander took notice of her.

Gwen only took a minute longer to brush out her wet hair before leaving the bathroom, already having turned up her senses of what was happening in the other room and glaring at her reflection to hear him still acting like a child over their incident. And now she wouldn't be able to apologize properly because they had to deal with someone else he'd forced to wake up.

Stepping from the bathroom she tossed her old clothes over on the bed and stalked angrily to where he was in the living room part of their hotel room. "What the hell?" she asked curtly. "I'm in there for not even 10 minutes and you can't wait to start zapping people? You know it hurts me, right? If I'm not prepared, I can feel what you do to them. And stop using it when it's not even necessary. There was no need to wake him up that way. You just did it because I didn't laugh when you pounced on me. Well I'm sorry, Mr. Big Man! I have trouble finding things funny when I wake up in a strange place with the memory of people trying to kill me still fresh in my mind!" She came to an abrupt stop, standing there still feeling flushed and angry, finally remembering that they weren't alone and looked down at the frightened eyes of their new "companion".

Alright, so she'd been mistaken to assume that he would know that - how could he? She'd kept it mostly to herself until now, she realized, but he knew just about everything else it hadn't occurred to her that he DIDN'T know any more about her powers than she did. Even less, apparently. So she ended up blushing and feeling somewhat foolish when he responded which he was excellent at doing. Luckily, he didn't stay focused on her too much - offering another pout about her possibly hitting him with something harder in the future - before he turned his attention completely on the bound young man.

Rolling her eyes at the 'sad panda' comment, she ran a hand through her wet hair before folding her arms and watching the interrogation. The man had no shame when it came to looking like a jackass or complete baby in front of strangers. She should have known this by now but half the time she thought it had something to do with her, that he'd been putting on a show. It was becoming ever clearer with Alex's shared memories that was not the case and it was starting to get annoying.

There was something odd about the kid and the way he spoke, beyond the obvious fear and nervousness, his voice coming out in short, rapid bursts like someone firing a gun repeatedly. And he seemed to change his mind and alter his story from moment to moment. Stretching forth lightly, she sensed that he quickly switched between the desire to get away and an eagerness to talk to them while the whole time he struggled against his bounds. He had not loosened them enough yet.

She didn't know what to think of his comment about seeing her picture somewhere - especially considering his denial immediately after mentioning it, which was flimsy and motivated by fear - but the lab and Agency instantly sent up red flags and she got very brief images in her mind of what he was talking about. Unlike the memories she'd shared before, it was just a picture of a very sterile facility, filled with menacing promise - his emotions not hers. She tried to poke into it more, to pull more of the images from him, but he really struggled and did not want to be thinking about that place right now. The direction of conversation was making him more than uncomfortable.

At Xander's second warning, she immediately realized what had the kid answering questions at all, when a very gore filled image of the boy's head exploding before Xander's lazer filled eyes flashed into her mind. He'd obviously threatened the kid in order to make him cooperate and from what she could tell, it was exasperating an already addled and hyper sensitive consciousness. Glaring at Xander, Gwen shook her head to herself. The guy had no class sometimes and used the same methods over and over again no matter what the situation and their probability of working. This was NOT the Agent in the alleyway. He was just a teenage boy.

Xander's next questions got another flash of denial and she tried to hang onto the feeling of paranoia, but again he was speaking so quickly that when the images came along with the words, she barely had time to examine them for more than a few seconds at a time. Again she got a clearer view of the sterile room with pictures of people upon a board with their names attached, and suddenly she was staring back at her own image and reading her name.

Even before he went into an explanation of "dead" she knew he didn't mean the natural death where someone released their soul from the body, but along with the explanation came a very visual memory, the most she'd gotten from him so far. He'd watched someone go through the process of having an Agent put inside them. Whether he'd gone through it himself or not, she didn't have enough time to ascertain when he was shifting rapidly away from the memory. Why couldn't he hold still and let her see? It was like his consciousness itself was teleporting around his mind, jumping from one area to the next without stopping for breath. Connected as she was to him right now, he carried her along with him and it was becoming very frustrating.

Even Xander lost his patience for it and stood back from the kid with a small pulsing headache. She didn't need to sense it to know that he was referring to her and her protests against him needlessly using his powers and she was thankful in a way that he was listening to her. But she did not show it and gave him a humorless smirk at his pillow comment. "You're so funny, I forgot to hit you," Gwen said sarcastically trying to bring a bit more light to her comment than he'd had in his. She really hoped he got over this soon. The traded slaps and pokes between them were beginning to upset her and she did not look forward to traveling like this.

Turning her attention back onto the teenage boy, she ran her hand through her damp hair again before stepping forward to stand before him. She wasn't really sure how to start this sort of thing, especially since she'd never questioned anyone before let alone someone like him, but she tried to go with a more gentle approach. First thing was first, she had to get that image hanging over his head out of there.

"Listen, no one's going to hurt you, alright? We just need some answers," she said in her most soothing voice. She had the urge to untie him but knew that Xander would object and she was almost completely certain that when he was no longer stuck to the chair he would vanish and they would never see him again. At least at this point. Sensing that he was still uncertain and the way his eyes darted to Xander, she glanced at him too before looking back at the young man. "He won't do anything, I promise. He listens to me."

Tucking her hair behind her ears she thought about what she could possibly ask. As far as the lab went she knew he had trouble thinking about it and it made him uncomfortable to do so. Wanting to set him at ease, she decided to start with simple things to help him eventually open up. "What is your name? How old are you?"

She knew Xander had said he was 16 but it was more to comfort the kid with a somewhat normal conversation than identify his age. Remembering how he'd been stuffing his face and his bag last night, she then asked, "Are you hungry? Maybe we could get you some breakfast. Do you like eggs and bacon or are you a pancakes and sausage kind of guy?" She smiled then, the expression genuine, even though she was nervous. She hoped the idea of food might make him more comfortable and pliable and she had every intention of fulfilling the offer if he proved to be cooperative.