Cale opened the front door of Alex's apartment and peered around it. "Good morning?"

Rile shoved him into the apartment. "How's Alex?"

"Tired," Alex said from the kitchenette. "Coffee for breakfast." She sipped from her mug. Her straight brown hair was rumpled and dark circles ringed her eyes. A weariness more than physical weighed her down. "Feel free to eat what you can find. There's the usual Pop-Tarts and boudin. I don't know how much pancake mix is left. I'm off to my day job."

"I'm your shadow today," Rile said.

"Doesn't matter," Alex said.

Drug deal tonight. Mess with them, drop the slipstream, let the bullets do the rest. Morgan's won this round but I'll win the war.

Alex didn't bother with her bait purse and took her regular handbag. Rile caught up to her in the driveway.

"Gabe's an idiot. You'll never see me. Morgan will come out and I'll kill him. Trust me."

"No," Alex said. "No trusting anyone. No false hopes. That's pain and misery. Enough of that. Be a Guardian of the universe somewhere else. Leave me alone."

"I'll show you." Rile disappeared into the bushes.

*****
Thursday the office was open late, and Alex left work after dark.

"Hello." Morgan's voice stabbed deep into Alex's brain.

Alex turned, terror freezing her muscles and the block on her powers slamming into place.

"Hello yourself." Rile didn't waste a second stepping out of the shadows, sparing Alex a few grey hairs.

"I've seen you." Morgan dismissed Alex's shadow.

Rile leapt forward and pinned Morgan, knife to his throat. "Not me, my brother. He thinks a beating and a warning are appropriate. I think a more permanent solution is in order."

Morgan twisted his torso loose with inhuman strength. He kneed Rile in the stomach and was free. Morgan pulled out his Glock 9mm.

Powers frozen, Alex dove for Morgan's feet and unbalanced him. Rile knocked the gun out of his hand and tried for a right cross, but Morgan blocked. Morgan grabbed for the gun but Rile kicked it into the gutter. Morgan punched the back of Rile's knee and he went down. Morgan took off running.

"Blast him!" Rile shouted as he gained his feet.

"Uhhmmm."

"What are you waiting for? Blast him! Great, now he's gone. What is wrong with you?" Rile rounded on Alex. "You freeze under fire."

"I do not."

Rile stared down at her.

"I mean, not with anyone else. Morgan's the exception." Alex picked up the Glock.

I am not telling him that my powers don't work on Morgan. Let him stick with the 'freezing' theory. Better someone who freezes than toilet paper that loves being used. What if Morgan was right about that? About me?

A short circuit built in her head, the painful buzzing and pressure building in her skull. Before it could peak, Rile's sharp voice cut across it.

"Gabe will jjuuuuussstt love this," Rile said sourly.

Relieved, Alex shoved the Glock in her purse. "Do we have to tell him?"

Rile looked at her in surprise.

"If you don't want to broadcast our failure over Morgan, that's fine with me," Alex said.

"Gabe doesn't have to know everything," Rile said.

The two conspirators walked back to the carriage house.

******

A/N: Now Rile has engaged Morgan. And lost.

Do you think Gabe could do any better against Morgan?

Or quiet Cale with his staff?

Dedicated to EGTczarzenskawitz

And DianaTheThird

Please note all eyes stayed in skulls