NOT HUMAN

Chapter 43 - The end

"I believe him." Blade stated.

"Yeah, I mean he was like a dog that needed to be kept on a leash, he was a wildcard. It was most likely self-defense." Cherry agreed, trusting Zane.

"It was an accident." Trey shook his head yes. "I saw it all. Ya, see these bruises on my face? Jax was the cause of those." He winced at the pain touching his bruised cheek. He leaned back on the door. Cherry glanced at it, not in the slightest bit surprised Jax was capable of that. She believed he was capable of more than that, thinking back to their brief hook-up and how he treated her. He was evil, no good in the guy. He was a sadist. She was relieved by his death, and though it may sound wrong she felt safer with him gone.

After the shock of Jax's death, everyone soon calmed down. It wasn't a big deal, to say that was sad was an understatement. Jax didn't exactly have a clean slate, he was a terrible person, and he died one as well.

"So, what now?" Lily asked, glimpsing around the room. Blade was still near her, and this made her want to kiss him, just his presence unraveled her. But romance put aside, what was left of their team? It was over. All of it. They'd dealt with the Oculos finally. Two years passed.

"I would assume we'd go home to our families," Nixon said, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, and back to business it is for me." Blade sighed deeply. This changed nothing for him. He promised his dad before he'd take over the company. But his dreams of being a scientist were crushed.

"Does it have to be?" Lily questioned. She expected after everything they'd gone through, that he'd change his mind. He'd see that he only had one life to live.

"Uh, I'm going to go and see if we got something to eat." Trey stumbled out of the room sensing the tension between the two.

"Yeah, me too!" Cherry chirped, Angelica followed behind her, and Zane, Andy, and Nixon excused themselves too. They didn't want to be third wheeling.

"I like to keep my word-" He started to say, but Lily abruptly cut him off.

"But you need to enjoy life, I'm sorry that your dad passed, but I'm sure he'd understand your dreams. I bet he wanted that for you rather than following in his footsteps unhappy. You are allowed to enjoy your life." She clasped her hands over his and gave him a reassuring look. "It's okay to do what you want. You're always pleasing others but forgetting about yourself. It's one of the things that I love about you, you're selfless."

"...I just want to make him proud is all. I wasn't there when he..." He trailed off, his dark eyes misty now. It was rare that he cried, but he was human after all. Lily noticed this and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, comforting him.

"...Maybe you're right," He sighed, resting his head in the crook of her neck. Lily nodded silently and they stayed there for that moment embracing.

**

Nixon was on the couch continuing the book he was reading, and Andy was searching the cabinets to find food, Angelica was in the process of cooking spaghetti, and Zane assisting her with it.

"Andy, go sit down it won't take that long," Angelica scolded. Andy reluctantly stopped searching the cabinets for snacks and went to the couch sitting by Nixon.

"I can't believe it is over with. I wonder what the world thinks of this now. I mean we just had aliens attack us, kill some, and suddenly leave with zero explanation." Andy says leaning back into the couch, and Nixon lifted his head a bit to look at her.

"I guess they won't ever know that they were saved by us, by Lily." He said, quietly.

"Yeah."

"Here you can set plates out." Angelica placed a stack of plates into Zane's hands, and he did as she asked, and set them out on the dining table.