The night following her first encounter with the masked man, Alys was at work as per her usual routine. The front door had been propped open, supposedly to allow some cooler air to circulate throughout the crowded bar. Her gaze strayed to that open door each time she approached the bar to place an order with her boss, Tony, who was bartending. Finally, after the umpteenth time of glancing towards that door, she untied her apron and placed it upon the bar while speaking.

?I?m gonna step out for some air, Tone. I?ll just be a few minutes.?

She offered her boss a smile before walking towards the entrance. Once outside, she took in a lungful of crisp autumn air then exhaled slowly.

?What is your problem tonight, Alys??

Even as she admonished herself, she was already scanning the rooftops for a glimpse of the masked man that had reminded her so much of Danny. Why the rooftops? Well, someplace high is where a superhero should be so they could have a better vantage point, right? She assumed this is what he was trying to do with that crazy outfit he wore and by beating people up in order to help others.

She was only outside for a moment or two before Tony was there, standing behind her in a far too familiar manner.

?You doing alright, Alys? I thought you might need somebody out here to protect you from the riff-raff, after the other night.?

This was Alystelle?s chance to do what she had decided to do yesterday afternoon; take Tony up on his offer and make things better for Danny?s and her own siblings. She started to lean back; started to just force away that sense of decency that wanted to prevent her from taking this step in the wrong direction. Something stopped her, however.

I already have someone to protect me. That thought made her hesitate long enough that she had time to step to the side and turn around to face Tony. The thought of a stranger, that reminded her so much of Danny that it hurt, was enough to alter the path she had chosen to take. The masked man would likely never know just how much he had protected Alys and ultimately saved her life.

?Nahh, I?m good, Tone. Just need a few moments alone to collect my thoughts. It?s been a real jungle in there tonight.?

Tony wasn?t the type of man to take no for an answer. However, Alys was a prize he had wanted since the moment he had hired her for the job and he had been patiently awaiting her decision to become his mistress; he was so confident she would do so. Why wouldn?t she? He was a nice looking man that drove an expensive car, lived in a swanky apartment in New Haven, dressed to the nines, and had plenty of money to help Alys out; a fact he frequently reminded her of.

His proposal had been indecent but decency had never been something that governed his decisions as was evidenced by his business dealings. The bar was only a front for his more shady activities. And those thieves? They had been payed to rob the place and to slightly rough Alys up; not enough to injure her but enough to frighten her into allowing Tony to ?protect? her. It wasn?t the first time he had attempted this scheme but something always seemed to foil his plans. Last time had been the surprising reaction of Alys herself in the form of a bat to the guy?s head.

So this time he had sent two...only to be taken down by some masked vigilante if the rumors were to be believed. Alys hadn?t been much help in describing what had happened. She had just told Tony that someone had intervened but she hadn?t seen it happen. She seemed to be holding something back but he hadn?t pushed the issue...yet.

As Alys stepped away from Tony, his hand snaked out to take ahold of her elbow to draw her back towards him. With head lowered, he spoke low against her ear, while still holding onto that elbow.

?Don?t forget everything I?ve done for you, Alystelle...? He let his voice drop off there to allow her to draw what conclusion she would; hopefully the right one.

?Don?t forget that I have worked hard for everything you?ve done for me, Tony. I call it a fair boss and employee give and take.?

As she spoke, blue eyes lowered to gaze pointedly at the hand still gripping her elbow. When he didn?t release her, she began to step away only to be pulled back once again. Neither time was particularly hard or painful but he was far more insistent than usual. Perhaps it was because he sensed how close she had been to giving in or because he knew she was holding something back. Tony very much viewed her as his property and the thought of her intentionally keeping something from him ignited a deep anger that he was having a difficult time keeping in check.

Luckily for Alys, he felt it would be sweeter for her to yield willingly to him...the conquest would be far more satisfying. Therefore, after pressing an unwanted kiss to her cheek, he released her as she yanked her arm away forcefully. Alys was a heartbeat away from telling him off when she just stopped. A deep breath was taken and she finally forced a smile that barely reached her lips and did nothing to warm up those icy blue eyes. She needed this job in a most desperate way and Tony took advantage of this fact. All she could do was try to steer clear of him now.

?I?m gonna take my break now, Tone. Be back in a bit.?

And with that, she turned to walk in the opposite direction, which happened to be across the street. Her gaze was lifting to the rooftops once more. She was certain, in that moment before Tony had interrupted her, that she had seen her would be rescuer up there.

What were the odds that he might still be?

Alys frowned a little when she didn?t see her would be protector upon the rooftop; maybe she had just imagined him there. What was she expecting, though? That this stranger would just start following her around and keeping watch over her? Ridiculous, she thought to herself and even forced an anxious laugh at the situation.

Then she heard his voice behind her and that frown from only a moment earlier quirked into a most unexpected smile as she forced herself to keep walking for a few more moments; wouldn?t be good to let him know he had just made her feel a little better.

?Yeah, that?s just my boss. He likes to get handsy sometimes.? She said the words with as much nonchalance as she could manage, trying not to let any emotion into her voice; she was actually more bothered by tonight?s drama than most nights. Something was just different with Tony tonight and she couldn?t quite put her finger on what it was; he was edgier.

Alys finally stopped walking and turned as he stepped out of the shadows. For the briefest of moments she saw Danny standing there. It was there in the way he moved; that grace from his many years of martial arts and football. It was there in the near tilt of his head and set of his jaw.

Suddenly seeing ?Danny? in this stranger had caused her to hold her breath and it whooshed out loudly. With no explanation as to why she was staring so oddly at him with her head canted to the side, gazed fixed upon him with a scrutinizing squint, and her with her lips pursed thoughtfully; she had to appear strange to the man. By God, Alys...you are off your rocker. They?re gonna show up with a straight jacket and cart you away if you don?t stop seeing your dead boyfriend. She admonished herself and shook her head a little to clear it.

His words and light tone were enough to break the spell and she laughed a little. Had some other stranger spoken so freely to her, she might have clobbered them so why was he any different? Because he reminds you so much of Danny. But he isn?t Danny, Alys...no amount of wishing could make it so. Danny is dead.

?He needs to be put in his place sometimes. He is quick to forget I am just an employee and he doesn?t own me.? She shrugged a little and leaned against the wall across from him, smirking a little at his very obvious attempt at flirtation.

?Are you wearing the same tights you had on last night? That?s sorta gross, yanno.? Her tone was just as light as his, making it obvious she was simply teasing him in a retaliatory fashion. She did look him over though, and that smirk turned into a rather silly grin.

He isn?t Danny but he is really cute. I think. Can?t tell entirely with that mask on. But yeah... More of that internal dialogue and this time she didn?t try to ignore it; she actually laughed a little more.

? I bet that is what all of the superheros say. Speaking of...what got you into this gig anyway? Jumping around and beating people up, being all super stealthy. I can?t imagine you do it merely for a thrill...how thrilling is it to have a baseball bat taken to your head, anyway?? Her tone had been light at first as she teased him but then she was simply pondering her last question; her head tilted a little as she scrutinized him once again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that so early in their conversation.

Abruptly, the teasing aspect of her mood disappeared once the conversation switched to her boss once more; more importantly to people touching her without permission. Where Danny?s thoughts travelled, be certain Alystelle?s own thoughts were a mirror to that. She cleared her throat and shrugged, trying to pretend it wasn?t as big a deal as it really was.

?He can be a slimeball, yeah. Not always though.? Just usually. ?I handle him okay.? For now, he had been handled but Tony?s advances came more frequently and with a bit more insistence each time. She wasn?t so disillusioned that she didn?t realize things were nearing a dangerous point. She knew he was behaving more oddly and she just planned to steer clear as much as possible and hope she could find another job that paid as well as he did once it all blew up in her face. If only things could end so easily. Alys had no idea what was brewing in the back of her boss? mind, slowly making its way to the surface.

Alystelle?s mind ticked back to another memory where she thought she had been handling a situation okay. She had been abused but it hadn?t occurred to her that it was okay to try to get outside intervention. That line of thinking, or lack of, had resulted in her near death; leaving her comatose for over two months. A far longer period of time was devoted to relearning basic functions such as walking and rebuilding her ability to speak properly. It hadn?t even ended there. Even while recovering, her father had resumed his old patterns of behavior; it was amazing that Alys was as high functioning as she had turned out to be and a large debt was owed Daniel Brooks and his family for their involvement.

Alys felt herself begin to react physically to the memories; her heart began to pound in her chest, which had tightened considerably, and she started to have difficulty catching her breath. On the verge of having another panic attack, she closed her eyes tightly and just focused on the sound of his voice. Everything was tuned out aside from that and slowly she felt herself start to unwind again. Her breathing became regular again and her heart stopped pounding. Sweaty hands were rubbed along her jeans as she swallowed heavily. Maybe he wouldn?t notice what a freak she was?

Here Danny was, worrying that he was coming across too intensely; when Alys was standing across from him about to have a panic attack. The situation could be considered comical if it weren?t for the seriousness of it all.

?I need my job really badly. Four other people depend on me. Well, we all chip in but still...I can?t lose my job. So I?ll just deal with him. It isn?t that big of a deal, really.? It was a huge deal in all honesty. Every time Tony touched her she felt sick to her stomach and screamed inside of her head. If nothing else proved the depth of her love and loyalty to her siblings and the Brooks siblings, the fact that she continued working under these conditions did. Also, dealing with this sort of nonsense was almost normal for her.

To change the subject to one far less mentally heavy, Alys closed her eyes and imagined herself upon the roof above where the two of them stood talking. When she opened her eyes once more, she was looking down at the masked man with a little grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

?You gonna stay down there all night or are ya gonna come up here and show me what you do during your superhero time?? She called down with a little laugh. A distraction was needed or the rest of her night was going to be filled with anxiety over the situation.

Alys giggled lightly as she stared down at him as he made his way up the fire escape ladder. Backing away from the ledge as he grasped it, those big eyes widened further as he did the handstand and then managed to defy gravity and twist around, on one hand, so that he was facing her again when she landed. She blinked several times before applauding. Of course, she wasn?t going to let this go, not when a joke could be made.

?So, you are saying you just show off and look a little like a monkey? Interesting approach to crime fighting...?

Listening to his explanation for why he had pursued the lifestyle he was currently involved in, Alys chewed at her lower lip. ?Yeah, tragedy builds character.? She felt a twinge of guilt over that since she had survived some personal tragedy and yet her character wasn?t nearly as sparkling and selfless as she considered him to be already. ?So, you?ve had some tragedy? Like what, if you don?t mind me asking?? She was far too curious for her own good; bordering on rude at the moment.

That look, the lip bite and head tilt, was enough to make her swallow. Almighty Jesus, he looks like Danny. She had to will herself to stop that train of thought. She thought about, and compared everyone to, a dead man far too much. It couldn?t be healthy.

Swallowing again, and collecting herself mentally, Alys playfully narrowed her eyes. ?I told you what my name was last night. Even warned you of what not to call me...but if you can?t remember, I sure ain?t gonna tell you again.? A little teasing stomp of her foot and hands to her hips completed the pose of feigned anger.

?Hmph! Am I that forgettable? Even though I am the woman that about knocked your head off with a bat? Does that happen to you often?? So, she might have exaggerated a little there. She couldn?t maintain the feigned anger for long and burst out with a nervous laugh when he remembered her name.

?Monkey style...uh huh.? A brow was quirked as he began walking around her and her head turned to follow his progress until she couldn?t see him any longer. Turning so that she still had him in her sights, she began to shake her head at his question. ?They don?t have powers that I know of, no. I didn?t even know I had this...thing until my two brothers and the siblings of my boyfriend all ended up here. I teleported us all here somehow. I think that is what it is called, anyway. As for them knowing he is a jerk, no. I wouldn?t want them to worry about me or try to go without things so I would quit.? She shrugged a little. ?I promised him I would always take care of them...so I am.?

Alys managed to smile a little; better to stop thinking about all of that seriousness for now. ?You never told me your name. Of course, I didn?t ask either but now I am. Or am I just supposed to call you...MM for Masked Man??

?Whatever...I am always a knockout. Your vision must be faulty or something.? Then she realized what she had just uttered and blushed profusely. She hadn?t meant to imply that out loud. Covering quickly, she pointed at his head and cleared her throat. ?How is your head, anyway? Hurting?? She almost added ?good? after that question but caught herself. She didn?t really want to sound so mean natured, did she?

It was too dark to see his face really, so she did miss the shocked expression. ?I don?t think I?m special. I am just doing what I said I would do. What kinda person doesn?t keep a promise...especially to...? She stopped speaking; it hurt too much to say he was dead. She had said it enough and each time was like a knife, of truth, was being driven into her heart.

?His siblings and my younger brother are in college, so somebody needs to take care of them. They don?t need to worry so much about rent and food and keeping the lights on.? Shrugging again. It made perfect sense to her that she and William would take the brunt of the responsibility since they were the oldest. William had never wanted to go to college anyway. He was doing just what he had always wanted to do by running the ranch where he worked. He was happy.

?So, I can call ya whatever I want to? How ?bout...Sam? Sam is a good name...short for Samuel. He was a judge in the bible so it sorta makes sense. Yanno, since you are a judge of sorts.? Her voice took on a narrator?s tone as she comically spoke the next words in a far lower pitch than her own. ?A judge in the night...?

Then she just half beamed as he reached the Alys that hid beneath the surface; the one that had horrible self-esteem and any compliment seemed like such a huge deal. ?You really think I have a sweet accent? You don?t think I sound dumb?? Danny would remember this Alys far more than the one that had been able to swing a bat at the back of his head.

?So I give ya a name and ya toss it out. Pfft. I think I will just call you whatever comes to mind at the moment.? Except Daniel...never that, she thought to herself. ?So tonight it might be Michael and tomorrow it will be Lucifer...who knows.? She felt a little twinge of guilt at saying he would be called Lucifer. Alys was far away from her father but his influence over her stretched across the bounds of space and time. Would she never be safe from his grasp?

Forcing the frown from her face, a frown that marred her beauty on far too many occasions, she shrugged lightly. ?I don?t have a stronger character than anybody else really. When you love someone as much as I love him, you make whatever sacrifices you can to prove that. Besides, they are my family now. Even when he was alive, they were my family and now they are all I have left of him and are the only ties to my old life.? Which wouldn?t make sense to anyone that knew of her past...she should want to let go of those ties, shouldn?t she? If she let go of her old life, she let go of her memories and that was the only thing she, personally, had left of Danny.

?Oh my Lord...are you....? Yes, yes he was. Alys gaped openly and then lifted a foot to kick him square across his wiggling backside. ?You are the strangest superhero I have ever met!? Not that she really knew all that many of them. In fact he was the first. Did they all act this way?

?So, my break will be over soon, Jack. If I don?t get back inside, I will be dealing with Tony a little too up close and personal for my taste. You should come in for a drink, my treat.? She wasn?t exactly flirting with him; she just didn?t want the conversation to be over with just yet. For some strange reason, she found that she enjoyed MM?s company; he made her laugh and that was something she did on far too few occasions.

?Really? I wasn?t necessarily tryin? to pump you full of booze, Frank. I don?t drink alcohol, either. There is really no good reason to do so. I like sweet tea and root beer, though. None of that matters, though.? Alys chewed at her inner cheek as she tried to decide whether she should try to convince him to stay, somehow. What are ya tryin? to do, you fool girl? What was she doing?

?Maybe you could come in the back door and sit in the kitchen and drink a glass of sweet tea and I could cook ya somethin?. It?s the least I can do for somebody that tried to rescue me that was injured in the process.? Spoken oh-so-innocently like she wasn?t the one sneaking up on him and swinging the bat. She almost felt a little twinge of guilt for it. Almost.

Now she wasn?t sure what made her feel more confused and awkward, her bizarre pestering for him to stay or a stranger telling her that Danny was lucky to have her love and that he could see why he loved her. Her face burned hotly beneath that bright moon and she swallowed a couple of times as she tried to figure out what to say in response. Finally she just went with simple and heartfelt.

?That was a real nice thing to say, Gary. Not sure he was all that lucky...I caused a heap of trouble for him a few different times. He knew I loved him though, I am certain of that.? Her heart hurt for the loss of him. It was a fresh wound again, not that it was ever anything but that.

Alys needed to move on but she had just never forced herself to do so. Until this very moment. She stepped forward and touched his cheek with a touch that was almost not there. It lingered for just a moment, long enough for her to speak. ?Say you?ll stick around for a little while...?

Alys must have been holding her breath as she touched him because her chest tightened when he whispered her name. The was some strange chemistry at work in that exact moment; it was like an electrical current was moving just beneath his skin and into her palm as soon as there was contact between the two. Her breath whooshed out as the spell was broken by that scream for help.

She was anything but a hero but even she began to look towards the source of that plea. ?Go go...I understand! Go rescue someone and be sure to duck if they pop up behind you with a bat!? It seemed like a logical thing to say before she actually uttered the words. You big dummy. Nobody just pops up like you do with a bat in their hand, swingin? like they play for the Red Sox. The dialogue in her head was stuff comedies were based off of sometimes.

?I will definitely not tell him that but maybe you should be around pretty often, just in case he needs his hand broken or something.? There was a syrupy smile to go with that painful attempt at inviting him to stalk her.

Alys watched MM move towards the edge of the rooftop and lifted a hand to wave. ?Hey, George...be careful, alright??