Jane and Lex were back in her room. Lex was holding a cup of green tea in her hands. It was a miracle she hadn't spilled it with all her shaking. Her black wavy hair now was hiding her face. The women didn't speak to each other after returning. Lex just couldn't, right now she was just staring into the hot liquid, and Jane felt it wasn't the best time for talking and asking questions.

Dr. Lon was sitting at the Lex side on her bed, looking at the bat plushie, lying on the younger woman's lap. Jane was confused, she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be with Lex right now or it would be better to leave. Finally, as she came to solution to leave, Lex spoke, almost making Jane jump out of surprise.

- Why were you sad? - Lex asked. Her words sounded like low snake's hiss. - When you were telling me about what happened... Why?

At first Jane was about to say, that Lex was mistaken, but as soon as her hazel eyes met with dark brown, almost black eyes of Lex, she knew it would be stupid to even try to lie. The tan-skinned woman was looking at her doctor with heavy look, making the former) feel uncomfortable. She felt herself like a rabbit in front of tiger. Jane closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it. Ever. But there was no choice. Maybe Lex would begin to trust her more...

- I lost someone dear to me at that expedition... - Jane replied, rubbing her ear. - It took me a week to calm down and return to work. I won't hide it, but I was happy to know, that there was a survivor. And I was even more happy to know it was me, whom they choose to supervise you.

Lex took a sip of tea, turning away from Jane. This situation was one of those she hoped to avoid. Talking to the relatives of those buried in Antarctica. But she couldn't not pay a tribute to Jane.

"She could have told me this earlier. She could have been pushing me to answer, to remember, could have been crying and begging, like many would do in her place... But she didn't... she acted as if she wasn't in pain, looking at the living reminder of her loss.. But she didn't... "

- Who was it? - Lex finally asked.

- Maxwell...

Lex felt that Jane stood up from her bed and started to leave, but was stopped by Lex voice.

- Wait...

Jane looked back at Lex and smiled. She saw that Lex wanted to ask her something and quickly interrupted her.

- You need to rest. This isn't over yet, I bet my guts that they will question you more as soon as you become stable, - Dr. Lon left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Lex closed her eyes and finished her tea. She put her mug on the table and laid back on pillows, hugging the bat plushie.

"Now I at least can come up with a believable lie..."

Lex looked at the toy.

- I hope I'll... - she started to talk to the plushie, but abruptly stopped as she saw a familiar bottle cap around its neck...

xXx

Dr. Lon was sitting in the furthest corner of the dining hall, chewing up a small piece of chicken leg and hypnotizing her cup of tea. She was as gloomy as the sky during a storm. She tried to move her thoughts away from conversation that took place about half-an hour ago, but it didn't really work. Jane didn't even think that Lex would notice her being sad, and surely never expected her to ask why she was like that. Not after so many days.

"Well, maybe it's better this way. I'm sure it would ruin our relationship if she found out earlier. Heh.. I hope it won't ruin anything right now..."

She was about to finish her dinner when someone sat in front of her. Jane looked up, wondering who could it be. As soon as she saw the intruder's face, her eyes darkened and she became even more gloomy.

- Hi there, Sweetie. Meeting with the bosses didn't go smoothly?

At the opposite side of the table was a sitting young man. It was an asian man about thirty years old, his black hair was dyed blond near its ends. Jane silently growled, turning away from him.

- None of your business, Kadai, - the young woman said, taking a sip of her tea. - Nothing that I didn't expect. And I told you already, don't call me Sweetie.

Kadai smirked.

- You told them, that Miss Woods was mentally ready to talk. But it seems, that she wasn't.
Jane clenched her fists, her face hardened. She slowly stood up, closing her thermos and taking her plate, then, started to leave. As she passed the asian she hissed a reply.

- It's my problem and I'll answer for my mistakes if needed. And you're not the one to whom I'll answer. Have a nice day.

Kadai stood up as well, following Jane. She put her plate into the sink and turned around to see Kadai standing dangerously close to her. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the chin and whispered.

- Your dear Maxwell won't help you now... Old Weyland is dead. You'll be kicked out soon.
Jane's eyes widened with anger and hissed furiously. She punched him hard on the cheek, taking Kadai by surprise and forcing him to back off. Jane's second punch landed on his nose, making the young man shout in pain, shutting his eyes tight. Kadai backed off more, holding his bleeding nose. He was cursing Jane both in English and Japanese. Jane's fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white.

- Now listen to me, Butt-Face... - She growled, looking with pure hatred at the asian man, who returned the look. - I did everything I could to get this job... Maybe I wasn't the best student, maybe I'm not as smart as you, but I did everything on my own. I got this job in a fair way! Do you hear me?!

She stepped closer to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. She was fighting not to beat Kadai to death. How dared he to accuse her?!

- I knew nothing about it! I was shocked to know that he helped me to get this job. And I wish he didn't! - she shouted at his face. She then smirked. - But you know what? I doubt Mr. Weyland would allow me here, if I wasn't worthy, wasn't good enough! And I'm pretty sure that I would be kicked out already, right after their death, if current authorities thought that I wasn't good enough for this job.

She pushed Kadai away, who regained his balance.

- And now I will work even harder. I'll prove to everyone that I deserved this job, that Maxwell didn't make a mistake, helping me to get it... - Jane looked at Kadai as if he was a disgusting slug.

She turned around and left the dining hall. She couldn't hold her tears any longer and she didn't want someone like Kadai see her cry.

xXx

Next morning was very dreadful. Dark, almost black, clouds covered the sky like an endless blanket. Here and there arrows of lightnings pierced the sky, heavy drops of rain drummed their music on the windows of the hospital. The only thing people wanted on such day, was to hide in their beds and not stick nose out. Lex wasn't an exception. She only woke up when a silent thud reached her ears. She yawned and opened her sleepy eyes, looking for the source of the sound. Jane was placing Lex's breakfast on her table and didn't notice her patient awakening.

- Good morning. You're early today, - Lex said, rubbing her face and yawning.

- Since when almost midday became an early time for you? - Jane asked, not turning around. - Breakfast is ready.

Lex could sense some tension in Dr. Lon's voice. And it was clear to her that Jane was tired and not in good mood. That was unusual for her. Jane told Lex herself that she loved rainy days. And today was a really rainy day, stormy even.

"What has gotten into her?" - Lex thought.

She got up and went to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, she came back into the room and glanced at Jane. The latter was sitting in the second chair at the table. Her pale face was now slightly grey and wore a tired expression. Jane turned her head towards Lex and smiled, failing to look cheerful. Lex smiled back and sat at the table. She hesitated, wondering if it would be alright to ask, but decided to remain silent. As soon as she finished her breakfast, she looked back at Jane.

- Mind telling me why you look like hell? - Lex asked bluntly.

The young woman looked at Lex and the latter realized that Jane was crying her eyes out last night. Her eyes were red and swollen. Lex doubted she even had any sleep last night.

- It's nothing. Got into a little fight with other doctors. Nothing more. And I have two pieces of news for you. Which one I should tell you first?

- The bad one, please.

Jane nodded.

- Well, the bad news is that you'll be questioned once more today, - she said and quickly added, when she saw Lex opening her mouth to protest. - And I'll be the one to question you.

"Well, that's kind of a good news to me."

- And the good news is?

- You'll b able to leave this hospital tomorrow morning or, if you want, this evening. All the expenses for your treatment were taken care of by the company.

Lex smirked. That was indeed good news. She was getting sick of this place.

- What about moral compensation? - Lex asked. – I certainly need one.

Jane let out short laugh.

- You'll get it.

- Good to know, - Lex replied and looked straight at Jane.- And thank you for retrieving that bottle cap... It... It's important to me...

Dr. Lon smiled. Those words certainly made her mood a little better. The women were silent for some time. Finally Jane spoke.

- You know... How about answering questions right now? I can feel that you'd like to leave this place as soon as possible.

Lex paused for a moment, but then nodded. She had enough time last evening to make up a believable lie. She still didn't believe that those... Images that exploded in her mind yesterday were true. It was so unreal... Lex never really believed in aliens and didn't want to believe in them, at the moment. She knew how bizarre it would sound and she totally didn't want to be taken to the asylum. Jane clapped her hands in approval and took out a small notebook and started with her list of questions.

- Now... What did you find, when you arrived at whaling station? Was there anything strange?

- They didn't tell you, that I've answered that already?

- Nope, they didn't. Maybe they think that you will remember something new now and, now that you can calmly answer.

And so Lex told her "true" story.
- We found a big crack in the ice at the whale station and it was decided safe to use for climbing down to the pyramid. I and the other members of the expedition, except a few people left in the camp, proceeded until we found pyramid.

- What did you do next? – Jane asked as she wrote down Lex's words.

- After some investigation we found a tomb with sarcophagus of some chief or noble warrior. Mr. Weyland decided to take the spear that warrior held in his hands, but such act activated a secret mechanism, trapping us in the pyramid.

- Oh…

- It made all of us wander there, trying to find the way out and, unfortunately, getting caught in the other traps. I, Weyland, Maxwell, Verheiden, Sebastian and Miller got trapped in some kind of tomb. Verheiden decided to use some of his explosives to open the door, but screwed up the formula. The force of the explosion turned out to be much more that perceived, blowing up not only the door, but the nearby walls, the ceiling and Verheiden himself…

Lex closed her eyes. Here came one of the hardest parts.

- I, Maxwell and Sebstian managed to survive it, but Mr. Weyland and Miller got killed by falling rocks. The pyramid began to rumble and the three of us ran as fast as we could, hoping to reach an exit. And we did. But, unfortunaty, not all of us… - Lex looked at Jane with guilt and pain in her eyes. - Maxwell fell on trap with spikes in it. His death was immediate. He didn't suffer.

Jane's look hardened when she heard about it. Her face stiffed and she lowered her head, clenching her teeth and fighting back tears of agony. Her mental wound was still fresh and now it was re-opened. It took her about five minutes to calm down before she looked back at Lex.
- What happened next?

The black woman rubbed her cheek and continued.

- We were able to reach the surface, but soon the ice there began to crack. The remainder of the expedition tried to escape, but they didn't succeed and were swallowed by the forming crater. It seems that Weyland's people had brought the bombs with them and those detonated during the catastrophe, worsening the situation. I and Sebastian were the only ones who reached more stable ice. We thought it was over, then the ice under Sebastian cracked and he began to fall into the abyss too, - Lex went silent, trying to calm herself. It was now her turn to fight back tears. – I… I managed to grab him by his jacket, but he slipped and I was left only with his bottle cap in my hand…

Lex reached for the plushie and tenderly rubbed the bottle cup with her thumb.

- I was lucky to find the last remaining Shadow Cat. My clothes were damaged and didn't save me from cold. As soon as I got in the vehicle I threw them away and made my way to the Piper Maru... - Lex finished, with a morbid expression on her face.

Jane was silent. Slowly she moved her notebook away and hugged Lex. The latter froze for a second, but returned the hug, closing her eyes. The two women sat like that for some time, comforting each other.

- You're a strong woman, Miss Woods. I wouldn't be able to take it if I was in your shoes, - Jane said, moving away from Lex.

- Heh, thanks... That's all, right?

- Yeah. I'll go now. You can start packing up.

Dr. Lon left the room and Lex let out a heavy sigh...

... As did Micheal, who stood by the hidden window, which served as a mirror, in Lex's room...

xXx

As the evening came, Lex was ready to leave. She didn't have much stuff to pack, it were mostly her pajamas, underwear and bat plushie. She wanted to say goodbye to Jane, but her doctor wasn't found anywhere. She met with Micheal Weyland near the exit. They shook hands.

- Thank you for your help, Miss Woods. At least my father's death wasn't in vain. Thank you and farewell.

- Indeed... Farewell...

Lex went towards the car that was waiting for her to get her to the airport. She opened the front door and sat near the driver, not looking at him.

- I hope you don't mind me accompanying you a little longer, - Lex looked with surprise at the owner of a familiar voice.

She saw smiling face of Jane. It was unusual to see her without her lab coat, wearing black jeans and a dark blue turtleneck.

- I guess I have no choice, - Lex laughed. - But why you?

- Today is my day off, so I asked them to let me drive you to the airport. - Jane said, starting the engine and driving off the Weyland Hospital territory. - Hope you're fine with that. You were my patient and I wanted to know, for sure, that you'll be alright. I know that it sounds strange, but I can't help it.

Lex shook her head with a smile. Jane indeed was such a child. A kind and naive child.
The women were driving in silence for some time. Right near the airport they were caught in a traffic jam. Jane switched on the radio and laid back in the driver's seat, closing her eyes. Lex studied her face for a couple of minutes. She remembered how this girl cared about her, did more than doctors should do. And she remembered one young asian looking at his reflection in the mirror, whom she passed on her way out. His nose was blue and swollen, as was his jaw and cheek. He was cursing silently, studying his face. Lex was able to hear only one line... "Maxwell's whore". She wanted to return Jane compassion that she gave her.

- Who was Maxwell to you? - she asked suddenly.

Jane's face, that was calm moment ago, now stiffed, her eyes remained closed.

- The last member of my family. My father was a military and was friends with Maxwell for many years. He paid us visits whenever he could. I knew him since I was ten and used to call him Uncle Max, - she said with an unhappy smile, But even this smile disappeared as she spoke again, clearly fighting tears, - Five years ago my parents died in a train wreck and he was kind enough to take me in and pay for my studying at the university, since I wouldn't be able to do it alone. My father helped him out numerous times during his life, so Uncle Max kind of repaid the debt, I think. He also helped me to get the job at the hospital. And I didn't know about it until recently. Due to this I now have problems with other stuff. But that's okay. What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Sorry if that is too much info for you.

Lex smirked to herself.

"So she indeed doesn't have any friends... And I guess that man hit her nerve... Pretty hard..."

- Good to know. I thought you were his... You know... Even though he was much older than you..

Jane blushed and looked at Lex with shock and slight anger.

- No! He became a second father to me. I won't let him and my parents down, - she said, calming down and looked back at the road. Traffic jam began to dissolve. - Yay, we can move again. And, about him being much older than me. Lex, I'm not interested in old farters!

Both women burst into laughter. As they arrived at the airport Jane went to check if there were any delays in Lex's flight time. While she was away, Lex saw her small notebook in the glovebox. Rather soon Jane came back.

- No delays! Come on.

- Yeah yeah yeah.

Lex moved out of the car, took her package and followed Jane. They exchanged warm goodbye's before Lex got on the plane.

- Take care, - Jane said, hugging Lex for the last time.

- You too. Good luck with our job.

- Heh, thanks, I'll need it.

Jane stayed at the airport and watched Lex's plane take off. As soon as it disappeared from her eyesight, into the night sky, Dr. Lon returned to her car. She noted that something had changed there. Her notebook was lying on the dashboard instead of the glovebox. Jane frowned and looked to see if anything was missing. But to her surprise instead of something missing she found something new. It was Lex's writing. It was her telephone number, skype and e-email address. Jane smiled happily and laughed. Maybe it was a beginning of good friendship?

Whew, that was really long chapter, but I hope you liked it!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the updates!~