Bedtime Storybook Pictures Presents

The eagle and the wolf

Starring: Alex mercer and Desmond Miles

Once upon a time, thare was a scruffy black wolf named Alex mercer who lived in the concrete jungle.

One day Alex was taking a walk and decided to climb one of the many iron trees in the jungle. When he got to the top he discovered an eagle laying on one of the other nearby treetops. Jumping down onto it to get a closer look, Alex saw that the bird had broken a wing.

Now normally Alex was not a very nice doggy, in fact he was a very bad doggy who had bitten his master and ran away from home but as he looked down at the injured creature cradling it's broken wing to its white hoodie clad chest something stirred in that bad doggy's heart.

Carefully Alex kneeled down beside it and scooped the poor little birdie into his arms, heading off into the concrete jungle to find someone to help him save the wounded bird.

Alex growled angrily pouring on the speed as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop. the impact of his feet hitting the concrete roof jostling the human he was carrying, that in turn irritating the man's broken arm making him cry out in pain from his near comatose state. Alex wished he would just black out already and let him concentrate on getting them out of the infected zone.

Blood was quickly seeping through the hoodie the younger man was wearing. Staining the white cotton a deep sickly red. Alex could feel the pulse of the other fading in his hands as his blood drained out of his body. If Alex was going to have any chance of saving this poor bastard he had to move fast.

As he passed one of the wooden water towers that were oh-so common on the roofs of New York he failed to notice the red cracks that formed up the side, or the groaning of wood as the creature inside sensed his presence. Only when he was a good distance away did he hear a sickening crack as the water tower split into splinters, accompanied by the sickening splat of the vitellus-like material that had been encasing the incubating hunter as it hit the paved rooftop.

Alex knew that sound well enough to know what it was without looking but he shot a glance over his shoulder anyway. True to his feeling he was treated to a look at the red-skinned, mutated, humanoid monster that was already hot on his heels.

Swearing angrily Alex switched tactics, jumping onto the nearest skyscraper and sprinting at a ninety degree angle up its side. His heavy foot falls breaking the glass of its windows as he ran sending a shower of sharp shards down to the street below.

An angry roaring came from behind him as the hunter tried to follow. using all it strength it leaped toward Alex, it's sharp claws coming within inches of the back of his jacket before gravity kicked in and the beast hurried to his date with the pavement below.

When he got within range of the roof Alex tensed for a moment, readying his legs, then he jumped propelling himself strait up for the last few hundred feet before landing on the top of the tower. Once thare he stopped to survey his surroundings. From this high viewpoint he could see the area where the infected zone ended and further on he caught a glimpse of St. Paul's Hospital.

"It's not much farther now" he whispered encouragingly to the limp body in his arms even though he wasn't sure if the other could hear him.

Painstakingly slowly, making sure not to cause the least bit of damage, Alex shifted the position of the passenger in his arms easing him up over his shoulder and onto his back. Holding the other's thighs and draping his arms around his neck.

Once he was satisfied that his companion was secure on his back, Alex locked eyes with the edge of the roof then sprinted forward till his feet met the drop and threw himself forward off the building. He started with a few air dashes to get a good distance from the structure. Then as gravity took hold he leaned forward in the air, spreading out his arms and legs but making sure to keep one hand firmly planted on his companion's butt to make sure he stayed in place on his back.

Alex shifted his biomass and directed ample streams of it out of the spread appendages and used the velocity generated to glide forwards.

He managed to keep it up until his head begin to ache from the blood loss. He stopped and let himself drop down to another building. Crouching low to the roof, pausing a second to catch his breath and give his cells a chance to divide and replace the one's he expelled.

But then, just as if the gods hated his guts, a Blackwatch helicopter appeared overhead. Alex jumped, another intangible string of curses falling from his lips as machine gunfire decimated the area that the two men had been occupying milliseconds before.

Alex hit the streets running, weaving left and right to avoid the missiles launched from above. He vaulted over an upturned taxicab and suddenly veered left, darting into an alley. The helicopter followed its pilot straining to see where the target went.

He had a few more flybys but the masonry and stonework blocked almost all of his visibility into the small crevice between the two buildings. The pilot was just about to use his radio headset to call for backup when the helicopter jerked forward spastically. Looking down at the nose of the craft, he saw that a red hooked claw attached to a long rope-like tendril was sunk into the reinforced metal. A second later ZEUS was on his hood. The last thing the Blackwatch pilot experienced in his life was the flash of light off five razor-sharp claws, the shattering of the bulletproof glass windowpane and the murderous glint in a pair of silver eyes.

The crash as the helicopter fell to earth reverberated around the empty streets. Alex leaned down to the man slumped against the dumpster that he had set him down beside. Still remaining persistently dead to the world.

Alex gripped the other's wrist and to his relief he discovered that he still wasn't dead yet. Alex picked him up again, positioning him sideways in his arms so his head rested lazily on Alex's shoulder. Taking it at a human pace this time, Alex exited the alley and crossed the street to the hospital.

And so Alex took the unfortunate birdie to a nearby pond, where his good friend Dr. Ragland the otter worked. Nice Dr. Ragland assured Alex that the little bird would be all right.

Alex waited anxiously while the doctor put the eagle's wing in a cast and bandaged up all his wounds. Sadly, the birdie still didn't wake up… but the doctor otter promised Alex that the birdie would be okay and suggested that he keep him somewhere safe till he woke up.

So Alex decided to take his advice, helped the birdie onto his back and went off to look for the perfect place for the eagle to recover.

Alex kicked open the door of the safe house and stepped in, his companion's freshly cast encased arm bumping on his chest with each step. The place felt awfully empty without Dina. He hadn't returned to this place since she had been captured by the leader hunter and the apartment was showing all the signs of neglect. The plants were wilting and dropping thare leaves and a fine layer of dust was accumulating on the unused surfaces.

Alex grunted and carried the other passed the abandon desk that was still covered with files and documents, the map of the city pasted across the wall, and into a second room setting him down on the queen-sized bed. His Burdon finally lifted Alex stood up, finally getting a chance to really look at the man whose life he had just saved.

He looked to be in his early 20's, well built but not overly muscular. He had Short black hair, partially hidden under his white hood which had a strange pointed indent on the top.

Alex again looked over his white hoodie that was now sporting a copious blood stain that nearly covered half of the total area of the hoodie. Alex didn't know much about Laundry but he seemed to remember something about bloodstains getting worse once they dried.

He leaned over the other and unzipped the garment. Slipping his arms around the other's waist and propping him against his chest as he maneuvered the clothing around the cast. Letting the other rest against him as he worked. The man's chest was pressed against ZEUS's and his head rested on Alex's shoulder. As Alex manhandled him his head shifted. Alex stopped cold as he felt hot breath and cool lips pressing against his neck

It took him a full second after that to realize that the other was still unconscious. Alex shivered, a little unnerved by the unfamiliar feelings, kinda like nausea but much more pleasant. Deciding to ignore it he finished removing the hoodie.

The shirt underneath was black, so it likely wouldn't stain. Alex didn't have to take it off… but on the other hand, he really should wash it if he was doing the hoodie anyway... you know? To save water...

Alex pinched the hem of the black fabric between his fingers and pulled it off over its wearer's head. After placing the shirt down next to the bloodstained hoodie, the hand that was resting on the other man's chest was beginning to wander. Alex traced his fingers over the lithe muscles, not completely aware of what he was doing 'till his fingers had traced down the other's firm stomach and begun unfastening his pants.

Alex started, what the hell was he doing? But before he could remove his hand an idea occurred to him. As long as he was resigned to doing the Laundry anyway, he should make sure he got everything... and those pants did have quite a few dirt patches on them.

Alex set the limp body back down on the bed and unfastened the belt around the other's hips. The problems only started arising when he was unzipping the fly. A mental image of himself leaning down and kissing the freshly exposed skin just under the man's bellybutton flashed behind his eyes. Alex quickly finished pulling off the lose denim, gathered it up with the other clothes, and hurriedly stepped out of the room before he could think of some contrived reason to wash the other's underwear.

However just as he was leaving, he made the mistake of taking a second look back at the human laying mostly naked on his sister's old bed. Forcing himself to ignore the sudden leap of his heart in his chest Alex tore himself away and headed for the Laundry room.

Alex kicked his legs lazily into the air, His whole body vibrating slightly from the reverberations of the washing machine he was sitting on. He leaned against the wall mulling over this morning's wild ride.

The machine beeped under Alex's butt. He slid off the machine and checked the progress of the clothes. Unsatisfied with the results, Alex grabbed a bottle of bleach and dumped half the contents into the water and set it up for another cycle. Deciding the clothes would be fine on their own Alex went to go check on his patient.

As Alex cracked open the door, He noticed that the other was shivering in his sleep. "Idiot" Alex growled, chastising his own absent-mindedness for forgetting that humans had to stay warm. He took the extra blanket that was folded nicely on the end of the bed and settled it over the slumbering male. Pulling the covers all the way up to the man's collarbone, thoughtlessly leaning down to give the other a little peck on the forehead.

A sudden growling broke Alex out of his romantic trance. A second of confusion was followed by the realization that the loud noise had come from the other's stomach. A reminder to him that humans also had to eat on a regular basses.

A few minutes later Alex was digging through the kitchen of the safe house. Most of the food had rotted in the long absence of human life in the apartment but he found some can's of chicken soup that were still okay.

Alex fussed with a can opener for a few moments before mentally yelling 'fuck it' and using his claws to slice the tin into two equal pieces over a medium sized pot. Pouring out the liquid the way most people would crack and egg.

He flicked on the stove setting the burner on high. Then after searching the drawers a little more he found the silverware and picked out a large spoon. He gave the yellowish mix a stir, sending small noodles and little bits of precooked chicken swirling around the pot. Leaving the pot to sit, Alex went back to the washer to check on the clothes.

When Alex came back up after transferring the clothes to the dryer, he noticed the soft hissing sounds and faint smell of burnt chicken coming from the kitchen. He found that the soup was boiling over the edge of the pot and hitting the burner. Alex reached for the pot hastily accidently burning his fingers on the hot liquid as he grabbed the handle. "Ow! Fuck! Shit, Shit, Shit," Alex hissed, managing to force himself to hold on just long enough to drop the pot on the counter. He cradled his burnt hand to his chest waiting for the virus to kick in and repair the cells.

A few moments later Alex stepped quietly into the bedroom brandishing a tray with a bowlful of the only slightly overcooked soup.

It was only once he set the tray down on the bedside table that He thought about how he was going to feed soup to an unconscious man. However Alex didn't have to think about it long because the lifeless form on the bed was just beginning to stir in his sleep, perhaps smelling the chicken broth.

A second of panic flicked over Alex, he wasn't afraid of this human was he? But before he could answer that question two auburn eyes flicked open.

Alex tensed for a sudden movement, but the other's eyes were still glazed over. The room for him was still only a ball of fuzz and glare. The waking man groaned gutturally and rolled onto his side closing his eyes again. When a long moment passed and he didn't move again Alex reluctantly reached out and tapped his shoulder.

Unenthusiastically the other turned his head and as his eyes refocused, he suddenly seemed to realize that he had no idea where he was.

He sat up quickly, highly sensitive assassin's senses taking in and analyzing the environment. His eyes slid from the uncovered brick walls to the unkempt bookcase and pine dresser finally stopping to stare at Alex. A sinking feeling emerging in the pit of his stomach as he recognized the face that was plastered all over the city's billboards and took up every second on the news. The same face that kept half of New York's residence hold up in thare homes for fear of meeting.

The Super powered terrorist himself, Alex mercer.

By all means he should have panicked then, but somehow he didn't. Maybe the bleeding effect had given him some of Altair's level-headed demeanor… or maybe it was just that he was too tired to panic. For even the adrenalin from the shock of waking up to a mass murderer wasn't lasting long and soon Desmond slumped back to his pillows. His body was beginning to ache as it came back to life.

Desmond moaned again as the pain encased his mind. Everything hurt, except for his right arm he couldn't feel that at all. He tried to move it, the arm felt unrealistically heavy and the effort caused a single pulse of pain to travel down his arm, drowning out all the other aches he had felt earlier in a tidal wave of agony.

Desmond's head span and he closed his eyes. Letting his mind slip back into the lifeless blackness of sleep. However the gravelly voice intruding on his rest prevented this by insisting "Wake up, you need to eat."

Desmond heard the soft "tink" of a metal spoon on the inside of a ceramic bowl as the food was offered to him, his head clearing a little as he smelled the tantalizing chicken broth. His stomach gave another loud grumble and it probably would have been aching with hunger if he could feel anything besides his injured arm.

Des gave sitting up another shot and to his credit almost made it, but luckily just as he was sliding back down an arm wrapped around his chest and helped him up. Dragging his body back against the pillows and the bed's headboard. Desmond looked down at Alex who had placed the bowl back so he could adjust Desmond's pillows.

Strange behavior for a killer… but then the same could be said for his ancestors and indeed himself...

After Alex was satisfied that he wouldn't slip back down, he reached over picking up and passing the steaming bowl to Desmond, who received it cautiously but after staring for a few moments into the bowl he decide he would take his chances.

He gripped the spoon lightly, lifting it up and capturing some of the mix in the metal indent. He blew gently over the spoonful before placing the metal utensil in his mouth. Letting the liquid slide off onto his tongue. Desmond's left eye twitched, the soup tasted a little off.

"I made it for you... is it okay?" Alex asked as he sat down on Desmond's left side.

Desmond nodded and tried to prevent the displeasure from sliding into his facial expression. Deciding it was prudent not to question a mass murder's cooking skills. Fortunately the hunger was nagging again and the slightly off taste didn't stop him from wolfing the whole bowl down.

"So what's your name?" Alex asked once the bowl was back lying empty on the side table. The assassin paused, mentally flipping over all his aliases but to his surprise his lips didn't wait for his brain to pick one before he answered "Desmond"

Alex nodded "how's your arm?"

"Terrible." Desmond groaned "What happened to it?"

"I don't know it was like that when I found you passed out on the roof of the Viacom building."

Desmond leaned back, scanning his head trying to remember what happened before he had woken up here. Thare were Templars... a fight... then another thought crossed his mind. "Where's my blade??" he asked panic setting in.

"What?" Alex asked thoroughly confused.

"I had a gauntlet... brown leather with a metal covering in the shape of a triangle-like symbol?" he could see that none of this was registering with Alex. Desmond sighed, Fucking Templars must have stolen it...

Alex frowned, "if you want I can go back and look for it..." Desmond shifted uncomfortably. "Could you? I mean I wouldn't impose but it's kinda important..." Alex hushed him and insisted that "It's no trouble"

A momentary silence ensued. Only broken when Desmond shivered and suddenly realized that under the ample covers he was completely naked except for his boxers.

"W-where are my clothes?" he asked hesitantly. Alex shrugged "they were dirty so I washed them… actually, they should be about done by now I'll go get them." He offered sitting up from the bed side.

Five minutes later Alex returned and dropped a warm bundle of clothes into Desmond's lap. The assassin smiled gratefully until he noticed his shirt. Now his memory may have taken a hit in the last few hours but he was fairly certain it had been black before and not gray. However He didn't think the worst, at least until he saw his jeans which were now a very light baby blue.

"It took a lot of bleach to get the blood stains out"

And so for the next four weeks Alex looked after the injured eagle named Desmond.

Thare were difficulties of course, for the birdie didn't eat the same things as a wolf. So when Alex went hunting for food he had to stop to look for special birdie food too and sometimes it was hard to find in the twisted mass of the concrete jungle, but Alex kept at it and ever night without fail he would bring back just the right fare.

Eventually Desmond grew accustomed to living in the wolf's den, but it was much colder and darker then his old nest. So often times Alex would come home to find the birdie laying in bed shivering, but Alex always knew how to solve this problem. All he had to do was sleep next to the birdie, because his big black body would give off enough heat to keep the fragile bird warm.

Sadly Alex was never able to find the eagle's missing talon, no matter how many times he stopped by the tree he found Desmond in. when he asked the birdie about it all the avian would say was that it was very important.

Slowly day turned into night and days turned into weeks and soon it was time to pay another visit to kindly Dr. Ragland.

The mechanical whirring of a small rotating saw blade filled the empty morgue. A cloud of small pieces of plaster, bandages, and fiberglass billowing up into the air from where the blade touched the cast covering Desmond's outstretched arm.

It was with a practiced hand that Dr. Ragland ran the blade from the fingertips to the elbow in one smooth motion. Desmond looked pointedly away from the cutting, trying not to picture what could happen if the blade cut too deep. Alex was standing behind the autopsy table Desmond was sitting on, watching the doctor's every movement with anxious eyes.

The cast made an audible cracking noise under the blade that made Alex tense and Desmond wince. The long gash that followed the blade was almost all the way up Desmond's arm now and with one quick moment it severed the last few inches.

The blade's whirring slowed and stopped, Dr. Ragland reached out to start on the other side but Alex intercepted him. Taking the cast into his hands and using the leverage of the two separated pieces to snap the whole rock hard plaster mess off Desmond's arm.

"Well that's one way to do it..." Ragland sighed turning to put away his medical saw. "Alex, help Desmond wash his arm then we will do some tests." He instructed as he begun to disassemble the tool.

Two arms slipped around and held Desmond's hips helping him slide off the table. Once he was on the ground Alex turned the faucet on the nearby autopsy sink, warm water slowly filling up the body shaped dent.

Alex turned to Desmond and reached out lightly grabbing his shirt. Desmond's lips twitched giving away the barest trace of his inner conflict. This however was lost on Alex who was sliding the shirt up and over the ebony haired man's head. Alex pressed his chest to Desmond's bare back as he leaned the other over the sink, guiding the healed arm under the warm water flow.

Alex moved his strong hands over the arm, washing a layer of dirt that had accumulated under the cast. Desmond couldn't help a shiver, it was the first contact with the outside world his skin had had in nearly a month and it was sensitive to the every movement of the other's fingers.

Once Desmond's arm had regained its human pallor, Alex returned Desmond to the doctor who proceeded to perform a few "tests" poking Des's arm and asking him to rate the pain he felt. After a few minutes he came to the conclusion that Desmond's arm wasn't in need of physiotherapy but that it would take a few weeks for him to regain full use of the Appendage.

The two left the morgue together, both silent as they walked. Desmond was biting his bottom lip unsure of what came next. Now that he was better would Alex leave him? Or was thare some debt that he owed the other for taking care of him? But before he could wonder to long Alex spoke.

"That arm still isn't strong enough yet, you're staying with me until you've regained your strength." Alex insisted firmly, not turning to look Desmond in the eyes when he spoke to him.

Desmond didn't reply, allowing his silence to communicate his accession. 'After all' he thought 'what harm could few more weeks with Alex do?' Or at least that was how Desmond pitched the situation to himself. However the niggling feeling in the back of his subconscious left Desmond feeling like thare was more to it than that.

Suddenly Alex stopped, taking a good look around to make sure no Blackwatch officers were watching. He turned on his heal and unceremoniously reached out and took Desmond into his arms. Ignoring his companion's mutterings of "not again". Alex lifted him up, carrying the adult male like a husband with his newlywed bride. Desmond reached up instinctually holding the other around the shoulders. Alex girded up his loins for a moment before jumping five stories up to a nearby rooftop.

Desmond's grip tightened around his neck as he sped up. The whipping wind beginning to batter Des's body. He absolutely hated this, he definitely would have complained more about it if it wasn't the only way to get safely around the city.

His teeth rattled in his skull as Alex took another leap, clearing a two hundred meter gap in one well executed movement. Alex hit the next roof with his usual concrete braking crash. Even through Alex's unfeasibly strong body, which took most of the force, it still hit Desmond hard enough to force a pained grunt. His newly healed arm was starting to ache along with all the little bruises and bangs that he had picked up on the way thare. No doubt soon they would be joined by many more…

As they entered an infected zone Alex picked up on the unmistakable cry of a hunter, and for once in his life Alex decided that a fight wasn't the best option and dropped into a nearby alley. Coincidentally the same one he had left Desmond in four long weeks ago.

One he hit the ground he returned Desmond to the earth only to push him up against the brick wall and press his slightly larger body into the one of the now trapped assassin. Covering his conspicuous white hoodie clad body with his black jacketed one. Then he waited, nerves set alight, waiting for any indication that the hunter had spotted them.

However the human pinned under him was a lot more focused on the gentle movement of Alex's hips against his as the elder scanned the area.

Like always, Desmond was really confused about Alex's behavior. At times he would seem cold and distant as if Des was just something he was forced to put up with. Others he would wake up to find the man lying in bed beside him. One night he had even woken up to the elder spooning his previously sleeping body, although at the time he had pretended to still be slumbering.

And now he had dragged him into an alley and pinned him to a wall, only to look away distractedly into the middle distance. Ether completely unaware of how Desmond's breathing was hitching irregularly and how his skin was heating up at the close contact or just not caring in the slightest.

Desmond had felt the sexual tension mounting between them ever since he had woken up naked in the other's bed and it was absolutely killing him now. If only he had something, anything, some kinda signal from Alex to clearly indicate that his heroic act wasn't just out of random charity.

Reasoning that the danger had passed Alex stepped back but Desmond stayed slumped against the wall. Alex looked over at his companion raising an eyebrow at the other sensing something was amiss.

"Why did you save me?" The question had been burning at Desmond's mind for the past few weeks and now that he had full control of his arm and a clear escape route down the alley thare had never been a better time to ask it.

Alex turned away and growled, mentally cursing Desmond for asking that. In truth it had been a question niggling at his own mind for all those weeks as well.

He was responsible for the deaths hundreds of humans so what had made this one so special? What was it about Desmond that had made his cold heart show the first sign of human compassion he had felt in what seemed like his whole lifetime?

Alex begun to pace back and forth trying desperately to streamline his thoughts into some kind of coherent answer. Taking a chance, he opened his mouth and began to talk, unsure of the words until only a second before they passed his lips.

"When I was on the rooftop that day, and I saw you lying thare broken and bleeding… it hurt. All I could think was how I wanted to help you… and I- well... I don't know..." Alex growled angrily smashing his face into his hands and digging his nails into his hair in frustration as he tried to work his feelings into words. "I don't know!" he repeated practically screaming in frustration. This simple metal block was causing him more pain than a thousand Blackwatch bullets to the chest.

Then turning back to Desmond he tried one last time to explain himself. "Have you ever felt like... you know, you just couldn't stand to see someone suffer? Like you want to make them happy, because you know that you can't be if they aren't? And even when your apart you constantly think about them, worrying if thare all right, wondering what they're doing… if they miss you... because you know you miss them."Alex broke off then, turning away from Desmond and resolutely facing the other brick wall.

"Yha… I do" the soft reply was accompanied by a hand on Alex's shoulder. He turned around only to find his eyes stolen by a smiling Desmond who pushed him back against the cold red brickwork.

"It's called love..." Desmond finished nuzzling into the other's shoulder and resting his hands flat on the front of Alex's white dress shirt before moving in and joining their lips.

And so children, that is how Desmond the eagle and Alex the big bad wolf became the bestest friends ether of them had ever had.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end