I hate you. I hate you, El Tigre!

… I am such an awful liar. But I do hate what you do. You never look at me. Not the way I want you to look. When I do catch your eyes, it is always boredom or pity I see. Why? Why am I not enough for you? What must I do to win you?

I hate that you don't talk to me except when you want to use me. But I love it when you use me. It makes me feel… bad, when I think of the ways I want you to use me. But when I think of the ways that you do use me I feel… broken. Or incomplete. Do you know what that's like? No, you wouldn't would you?

I hate that you love her without knowing it. I want you to love me. Every night I cry myself to sleep, wishing you would love me. I have so much to give you… so much more than she has to offer. Why can't you see that? Why?!

I hate that the only way I could have you is by going to someone else. The devil is not one to keep a fair deal. And he didn't. No sooner did he give you to me did M turn around and try to take you away. And you know why I asked him to help me? Because you are so blind… you can't see me in front of your very eyes.

I hate everything about you! But I love you… and I hate that I love you, but I love that I hate you! I care so much about what you think, Manny…and it's driving me crazy!

--

Chapter 18, Breaking Point

--

It never works out like it does in your head… you always plan it out perfectly. They either say exactly what you want them to say or say nothing at all. Nothing ever interferes with the plan in your head. And they always understand what you are trying to do and say. It goes perfectly, and in the end you are always happy. But it never happens that way, does it? Manny looked out across the hospital roof, waiting for her to show her face, waiting for whatever it was that was meant to happen here and now. He knew she would land behind him… no matter what direction he was facing. That was just Cuervo's style; attack from the blind spot. So, in a bid to retain absolute control over the situation, Manny faced forward, not even trying to find Black Cuervo, forcing her to make the first move. And for some reason, Manny thought this evening would be about combat. There was a sound behind him, exactly what he was waiting for. Cuervo had jumped from her spot on the stair well and the gravel shifted loudly with her landing. Without a second thought, Manny spun his buckle and roared. Transformed, he spun on his foe, claws extended.

"Black Cuervo, face- gahh!"

He tipped over as he spun, clutching his chest violently and almost falling flat on his face. But something happened he did not expect. He was in someone's arms, someone strong, independent, and dressed in black. Manny looked up into Cuervo's eyes, seeing not the malice he expected, or sick satisfaction at his weakness… he saw concern, sadness, and tears. She bit her lip as she lifted him to his feet.

"Oh Tigre… you shouldn't be up. You're not better yet."

"I'm fine."

He pushed away from her, which actually hurt Cuervo a bit. She was only trying to help him, and he was still bitter from who knows what. She shuddered a bit and took in a deep breath, calming down with the cool air in her lungs.

"I came here to tell you something important…"

"Oh? Well, I'm all ears."

"You…" Cuervo bit her lip and clenched her fists. She needed to say it. "You have to get out of town."

"… What?"

"M let you live… which means he's giving you the one chance to go and never come back."

"What do you mean 'let me live'? I got away, didn't I?"

"You don't think that he could've had you killed while you were here?! He's everywhere, Rivera!"

She was shaking again… or at least her fists were. Never mind the fact that she was the one that saved his life. It really was the truth. M was being either gentlemanly or foolish, and giving El Tigre a free ticket. But there was no way he would take it.

"Miracle City is my home. I'm not leaving it to him!"

"You Riveras are so stubborn."

"At least we don't sell our home out! Look at you! You're like his pet, or something!"

"Shut up!" Her laser was out in a flash, aimed and charged. But for some reason, Cuervo's eyes were closed and she was whimpering. Manny recognized that whimpering… it was just like Frida's.

"Are you… afraid?"

"No… I'm just… M told me to kill you if you don't leave… and I can't."

She was crying now, and not just a little. Her laser was disarmed and she fell to her knees, tightening her fingers on her thighs and crying hard into the night. But Cuervo was not comforted as she wept… that made her cry harder. What did she have to do to earn something from him? Why was he treating her so awfully? She did feel something though… he was close by. Standing over her, Manny contemplated simply embracing her. He didn't like to see young women crying. But he was already in a love triangle… would this make things worse?

"Cuervo…"

"Please… just leave. I'll take you from here myself. But you can't stay. He'll kill you. He'll break you in half!"

"I can't just leave… there are people here. People that are important to me."

"People?"

"My family, and my friends, and my… my girlfriend."

"Zoe Aves…"

"How did…?" Manny backed up a step as he looked at Cuervo. She rose to her feet and stared at him. Rather than make the obvious jump in logic, Manny instead chose to entertain the notion that Cuervo had been spying on him all along. "How exactly did you know about that?"

"Tigre… Manny. If I swore to you that if you left Miracle City that Zoe Aves would be there with you… would you leave?"

"How can you promise something like that?"

"I can because I'm M's agent. I am negotiating on his behalf. If I promised that, would you leave Miracle City?"

Manny looked to the ground; this was definitely a serious meeting. And he had to really consider this. He cared a great deal for Zoe… would he feel right in leaving Miracle City behind, keeping her with him as a consolation? "I… Cuervo, I… I can't."

"… Manny. Why not?"

"Zoe's not the only one who's important to me. Frida, my family… I can't just leave them."

"… So," Cuervo started, whimpering pathetically as she spoke, "I'm not important enough for you?"

"What?"

There was a pause. The two remained quiet, just staring at each other. As the wind brushed past him, Manny felt a great cold in his gut. In an instant everything made sense, and he remembered the days long passed when he had actually thought…

"Zoe?"

For a time Cuervo stood stock still, not wanting to do anything that would blow her cover. She had always been trained not to reveal her secret identity… and now she had to fight against that training. He knew because she wanted him to know. Finally, Cuervo raised her arms to her helmet and pushed it off, lifting away the equipment that had for so long hidden her face from the world. As Zoe's hair fell loose from its confines, gently masking her tear-filled eyes, she let her helmet fall to the ground. Manny's mouth was slightly open; the wind stopped blowing.

"Zoe…"

"Manny, before you-."

"Let me finish." Manny closed his eyes and dropped his head. He wasn't sure if it was anger in him, or disappointment, or anything he had ever before felt. "Zoe Aves is Black Cuervo."

"… Yes."

"For as long as Black Cuervo has existed."

"Yes."

He had one question caught in his throat. One question that made all the difference to his path, though he didn't know it yet. True, he felt betrayed. He felt angry. But he had no idea how much of those two things he should feel. Should he feel worse? Should he feel… hate?

"Was it all a trick?"

"Was what a trick?"

"Don't pretend that you don't know!" He shouted at her, raising an accusing finger. She cringed a bit and let out a sad moan. "Were you using me?!"

"No! Of course not! Manny, I lo-."

"Don't say it! Don't you say it!"

"But I do…"

Zoe cried and clutched her chest. She felt cold inside, like she had been robbed of her heart and all that was left was the emptiness. He doubted her so much. Had this happened years ago, when they were still just kids, this would have been so much easier… he wouldn't have to have any reasons not to doubt her. But in the past month, they had built something together, however small it was and brief its time. Combined with their pasts…

"Manny… please."

"Please what?" His voice was filled with poison. It seems the sense of betrayal had filled him.

"I love you… I love you so much that I gave my will to him."

"Why'd you go to him?" Manny raised his arms aggressively. "Why didn't you just talk to me, huh? Like a normal person!"

"… I didn't think you would accept me… and when he gave me the help I needed, it worked. You… you fell in love with me."

He was silent… was it true? Did he fall in love with her? He couldn't tell. But judging by how bad he felt now, he must have felt something. He thought back on the days they shared. They were happy then, weren't they? Yes, of course they were. But…

"It was a lie, Zoe. You deceived me."

"I did not! I told you everything I felt. Everything! Not one word I said was a lie!"

"It was still a lie. You tricked me. You and M."

"If I could take it back I would… even if it meant I would never have meant anything to you."

"… No you wouldn't."

Zoe shed more tears, lip quivering in silence. This was the silent admission that he was right, and he took it to heart. Turning a half step, he kept his green eyes fixed on her.

"Zoe… I did love you. But that was before I realized how selfish you could be." He completely turned from her and walked to the edge of the roof. Injured or not, he was leaving in the way he wanted. He stopped walking when he heard a click and a buzzing noise. He turned his head to glance back. "What do you think you're doing?"

Zoe had drawn her laser on him again, and in the moonlight Manny could see her tear-stained face; she looked broken. But he felt nothing for her now. Her arm shuddered gently as she struggled to maintain a fix on him.

"Manny, please don't go. Come with me instead! We can leave together, leave M behind. We can go somewhere where he won't find us!" She inched forward, becoming a little more hysterical as she got closer. "Please? Please?"

"I'm not going to do that, Zoe. And deep down, you know exactly why."

"Then," she swallowed hard, choking on her words as she went, "I h-have to kill you."

Only the sound of Zoe's weapon permeated the following silence. Not even the wind disturbed them. But as the seconds added up, Manny turned and faced away from her once more, and started walking to edge of the building.

"Manny, no!"

He stood at the edge and looked down. Never before did he feel such conviction, such righteous fury. But at the same time this all felt very wrong. Though he was conflicted, he did not acknowledge the struggle in his soul. Manny raised his arms as he began his dive, then jumped off the roof with perfect formation. As he disappeared from her sight, Zoe crumbled into dark oblivion. Tears streamed down her face and she aimed her laser high. She screamed at the top of her lungs, firing madly into the sky. When her ammunition ran dry she continued to hold the trigger, not even giving a thought to stopping. It was only when her body gave way beneath her that Zoe Aves let go of the trigger. She fell to her knees crying, then to her side, and then rolled to her back. She clutched her face so hard she thought her skin would tear, but that mattered so little to her right now. She was without him… the love her of life. And as he stormed off into the night, Manny Rivera could think of only one thing.

"M is gonna' pay…"

--

To be continued…

--

That is the end of Line in the Sand. I really hope you enjoyed it. But as you can see, it is not over. Why would it be? Who said it was?! ... Anyway, I'm going to open a forum about the story where you, the readers, can tell me what you liked, didn't like, and are hoping to see in the sequel: Clean Fall.

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the reviewers who were with me from start to finish: acosta perez jose ramiro, greenpanic6, oh so avpc, eltigre221, and SuperMacho. But of course, I must also tip my hat to all the readers who did not leave reviews. Thank you for both not leaving hurtful replies and for cranking up my hit count. +1300 hits for a story like this is something that I'm proud of.

Exit disclaimer: if I had ownership of El Tigre, none of you would have ever seen it. I'd have kept it for myself, and just laughed and laughed and laughed.