Debbie rested her head next to Alex's. They sat atop Gary, the super soldier horse. They finally made it home. The sunset cast a shadow over the rustic house. The air cooled down. It was the perfect end to a less than perfect day.
Yvonne, Louis and Christopher stood around the massive stallion. They were all on their last legs.
Yvonne crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, Alex. Your house looks a little overcooked."
It was true. After the explosion in the living room when they tried to open the hard drive, the house was still lucky to be standing.
In fact, after the last few days of super soldiers, cyborgs and Riley Naysmith, the crew itself was still lucky to be standing.
Alex hopped off his steed, then lifted Debbie off the horse's back. "Eh, it isn't as bad as it looks. We'll make do with what we've got."
Debbie cringed as she stared at the house. Somehow, she didn't remember it being this burnt. "Isn't as bad as it looks? You're right. It's worse than it looks. We should move. Really, we don't have a choice. We're going to have to move. This isn't something you could spackle over and call it a day."
Alex tilted his head to the side, imagining what could be. "I don't know. I say we renovate the house. It was due for a little TLC anyway. We could tear down some of the walls in the living room. Then, rebuild. Get a fresh coat of paint."
Debbie took a big breath. After the long day, her patience was wearing thin. "Fresh coat of paint? You think all that needs is a fresh coat of paint?"
Exasperated, Alex brought his hand to his head. "That isn't what I sa–"
Yvonne interrupted, hoping to stop the couple from bickering. "Everyone knows where you live now, right Alex?"
He shrugged carelessly. "Yes, they do. We'll install new security measures in the forest. I'll expand SCOT's outreach. I just don't think I can part with this home. We're right by Baltimore, in the middle of nature. It's perfect. All it needs is a makeover, and we have some time to do it now that Riley is out of our hair."
Louis leaned forward. "As much as I would love to stand out here and talk about the house rather than going inside it... I'm going inside it."
As Louis walked toward the front door, Christopher followed him. "Me too. See you, love birds… and Yvonne."
"Alright," Alex said. "Let's head in." He turned to Gary, the horse. "Gary, we're going to build you a barn, but for now, just stay on what's left of the porch. Can you do that?"
Alex chuckled as Gary nuzzled into his shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes."
Yvonne kicked up some dirt as she walked forward. "You know what? I'll take this house over Riley's torture chamber any day."
"Me too," Debbie said as she grabbed Alex's hand. "The house is, at the very least, better than the torture chamber."
Upon entering the house, everyone collapsed inside of the charred living room. Louis and Christopher crashed on the couch. Debbie and Alex sunk into the chairs, and Yvonne found a comfy spot on the floor.
SCOT's disembodied voice rang throughout the home. "Welcome back, Mr. Ambrose. Congratulations on your victory."
Alex smiled at the sound of SCOT's voice. His AI creation had proved to be quite the useful invention. "Thank you, SCOT. Do you mind turning up the heat in the house?"
"The heat is no longer operating, sir. The system was destroyed during the explosion," SCOT replied.
Alex furrowed his brow. "Of course it was."
SCOT was not finished with his update. "I also wanted to inform you, I have fixed my own security algorithm. The system should be impossible to breach."
Alex gave a thumbs up. "Thank you, SCOT. Let's plan on making some more changes. We'll talk more tomorrow and get on with some repairs and security updates."
"Of course, Mr. Ambrose. Enjoy your evening." With that, SCOT signed off.
Half asleep, Yvonne struggled to keep her eyes open. She stared up at the ceiling. "So, you want to kick us all out yet?"
Alex glanced around at his friends. They all looked worse for wear. "Of course not. I think we should all stick together for a while. Just in case."
"Cool," Yvonne said. "Because I don't think I can move off the floor."
Though he was entirely worn out, Christopher managed to pull himself off the couch. "Okay, guys. I'm heading in."
Louis followed suit. "I'm heading up as well. Alex, thanks for saving my life. Yvonne and Debbie, I hope I'm never locked up with you again."
"Ditto," Yvonne replied.
The two men retreated to their respective rooms. After a few quiet moments of staring at the ceiling, Yvonne sat up. "I better call it a night. I have to get cleaned up." She looked down at her stained, murky clothing. "I have no idea what this goop is."
Debbie stared at the stain. "It's probably Toddrick Dangles' eye juice."
Yvonne pretended to gag. She stood up and stretched. "Alright, good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the super soldiers bite."
After the sound of Yvonne's footsteps disappeared, Alex and Debbie were alone.
Debbie sauntered over to Alex and sat on his lap. "I missed you, Lexi-boo." She kissed his cheek.
Alex stroked her hair. It felt as soft as ever. "I missed you too, Debbie. They didn't hurt you, did they?"
Debbie shrugged. "I'm a little bruised, but nothing too serious. I could hold my own. You know that. After all, you're the one who taught me how to defend myself." She playfully punched Alex in the arm.
Alex kissed her forehead. "I know. I just can't stand the idea of anyone else's hands on you." As the words came out of his mouth, Alex realized how much of a hypocrite he was.
Debbie smiled at him. Her eyes were warm and inviting. "I'm all yours. You know that, Alex. There's not a man on Earth that could compare to you."
She stared into Alex's eyes and parted her lips.
Alex knew he had to come clean. He knew he had to tell Debbie about what had happened with Kylie. However, Alex had a very small list of weaknesses, and Debbie's mouth was at the top of that list.
He leaned in and intertwined his mouth with hers. Her lips were soft and inviting. They kissed each other with an intimate passion.
Debbie positioned her arms around his neck. He welcomed her touch. He just needed to be near her, to feel her. She was a high he couldn't get enough of.
She raised her hands and ran them through his hair. Her soft touch was the opposite of Kylie's. But, hell, everything about Debbie was the opposite of Kylie.
Alex reluctantly pulled his head away. "Aren't you tired, baby? Do you need to shower?"
Debbie shook her head. She had a mischievous look in her eye. "Surprisingly, no. Sometimes it's like my body cleans itself. I'm kind of like a cat that way. Meow." She mimicked a claw with her hand.
Alex gently grabbed her hard and pulled it down, holding it in his. "Well, I could really use a shower."
She pouted her lips. "Lexiboo, I don't care if you're covered in super soldier guts. I missed you. Let's just kiss a little longer."
She was able to steal one more kiss before Alex pushed her way. She looked at him, confused. "What's wrong?"
Alex couldn't bring himself to look Debbie in the eye. "It's hard to explain."
She stroked the side of Alex's face. "What, my love? Come on, unless you created a super soldier army of your own, I doubt it's that bad."
Suddenly, Alex regretted every decision he had ever made. He bit his bottom lip. "Do you remember Riley's sister, Kylie Naysmith?"
Debbie scoffed. "God, remember her? How could I forget that spastic plastic? She's the absolute worst. I don't like to hate people, but I truly hate her, and I think for good reason. She's just despicable, and she's disgusting. I can't believe you used to date her. Ugh, I hate even thinking about her." She grabbed the collar of Alex's shirt. "Please tell me you killed her."
"What?" Alex asked. He removed Debbie's hand from his shirt. "No, I didn't kill her."
Debbie rolled her eyes. "Ugh, next time you infiltrate Naysmith pharmacies, just try to maybe, accidentally, find a way to kill her."
"Debbie, I slept with her," Alex blurted out.
Debbie laughed as if she had never heard a joke in her life. "Haha, yeah, and I slept with John the Executioner, the Cyborg."
Alex sheepishly looked her in the eye. "Debbie, I'm not kidding. I slept with Kylie to try and get information. She wouldn't tell me anything about Riley unless I slept with her. I had to do it. It was the only way to save you all. I hope you will understand."
Debbie's posture suddenly stiffened. Her expression dropped. She let out a forceful shaky breath. "You hope I'll understand?"
Alex knew he had made a colossal mistake. "Debbie, I had to. I really had no other choice."
Debbie nodded. She pressed her lips together. "No other choice? You couldn't just come with us from the get-go? You couldn't search every pharmacy yourself until you found Riley?"
Alex rubbed his palm over his forehead. "You and I both know he would have created more super soldiers if I took any longer."
Debbie pushed herself off Alex's lap. She stood up. "Don't talk to me like that, Alex Ambrose. I don't want to hear it."
Alex slowly reached his hand out, grabbing hers. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was imperative."
Debbie pulled her hand away. "Alex, you slept with someone else. And not just someone else, you slept with the only person in the whole world that I hate. How could you?"
Alex leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. "Debbie, come on."
Squinting, Debbie rubbed the side of her jaw. "You aren't even apologizing. You haven't even said sorry. You SLEPT with ANOTHER woman, and you didn't even say sorry."
Alex knew he had gone too far. Debbie never raised her voice, and she usually maintained her composure. He had never seen her this angry. He stood up and tried to reason with her. "Yvonne, I'm sorry."
Debbie's eyes widened with rage. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"I said I'm sorry," Alex replied.
Debbie gritted her teeth. She had never been this angry in her life. "You called me Yvonne."
Alex brought his hands to his mouth. "Oh, my god. Debbie. I'm sorry. It was a slip of the tongue. I didn't mean to."
Debbie stomped her foot. "I am going upstairs. I am going to bed. Do not follow me. Do not come and ask if I'm okay."
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Alex asked.
So engrossed in her rage, Debbie stumbled on her own two feet. "ON. THE. COUCH."
She turned around and stormed up the staircase. She slammed the door behind her.
Yvonne came running out of her room at the sound. She had just finished her shower. Her hair was sopping wet, and she only wore an oversized t-shirt.
She ran into the living room, where she found Alex standing alone. "What happened?!"
Alex put his head in his hands. "I just told Debbie that I slept with Kylie Naysmith."
Yvonne raised her shoulders. "Like seven years ago? Yeah, we all know that."
Ashamed, Alex slumped down. "No. I slept with her last night."
Yvonne nearly choked on her own spit. Then, she did a double take. "Excuse me?"
Alex shot her a glare. He didn't feel like repeating himself.
"Alex," Yvonne said. "Are you nuts? What's wrong with you?"
Lost, Alex raised his arms. He had no idea what to do. This was a miscalculation of epic proportions. "I did it to get information. You know how she is. She wouldn't tell me anything."
Yvonne's breath hitched. "You are dating the most perfect, beautiful, modelesque woman in the world. Sometimes I wonder if she's human because she's so insanely perfect, and you slept with, of all people, Kylie Naysmith."
"It was for information that would save your life!" Alex reminded Yvonne.
She shook her head. She stepped closer to him. "Some things aren't worth it, Alex. And I don't think that was it."
Alex pursed her lips. His cheeks flushed red. "Yeah, well, trust me, that's not the worst of it."
Yvonne raised an eyebrow at Alex. "What does that mean?"
Tension filled the room. Alex bit his tongue. "Nothing. It means nothing."
Yvonne rested all her weight on one leg and put her hands on her hips. She couldn't understand why Alex was being so standoffish. "You used to do this to me all the time, and I hated it. You would always say something ominous and refuse to explain it."
"What?" Alex asked.
Yvonne stepped toward him again. "When we dated, you would always do this. You'd mumble under your breath and pretend you never said anything."
Dating Yvonne was the last thing Alex wanted to be reminded of. He tried to cool down, but it was no use. "Well, maybe you should let sleeping dogs lie. We aren't even dating anymore."
Yvonne felt her heart beating in her chest. "Oh, trust me, you don't have to tell me that. I'm reminded of it every day."
The tension in the air, coupled with the heated words between the two, sent Alex into a frenzy. He leaned in, grabbed her by the shoulders, and kissed her with passion, fury, intimacy, everything. Yvonne couldn't help it. She kissed back. It was everything she wanted and more. A flush of adrenaline tingled through her body. She finally had Alex back.
But then, she remembered Debbie. A few days ago, she wouldn't have given Debbie a second thought, but now, everything was different. Debbie was her friend, and she refused to betray her friend. She used all of her strength to push Alex off her. She wiped her hand across her lips as if trying to reverse what had just happened.
Alex was furious with himself. He was never so out of control, so unhinged. "We have to pretend that didn't happen."
Yvonne looked down at her feet and nodded. She didn't say a word.
Alex paced across the room, as far away from Yvonne as possible. He knew if he didn't create some distance, he would find himself in more trouble. "This ends here. We have to stop. I love Debbie. She's too good of a person, and she means too much to me, and I can't lose her. We can never tell her about this."
"Okay," Yvonne responded. His words hurt her more than she could describe.