TF- Trust is Earned

Trust is Earned
Rating: PG-13
Takes place in the TFA T.O. Universe, many years into the future

'I'm sexy and I know it….'

The music rumbled throughout the entire club as the green and blue lights flashed on and off. If you weren't careful they could cause a seizure for how fast they were going.

Men surrounded the small catwalk like stage with dollar bills held up high. They yelled louder and louder as more girls came out from behind the stage and started dancing.

"Take it off!" one of the guys in the back yelled as he tried to push passed the other men to get closer to the stage.

"Now now boys, patience is a virtue." A woman on the stage said as she danced around a little more before removing some articles of clothing. A loud roar went throughout the club.

In the backroom a woman with black hair applied some lipstick as the manager of the club entered the room. "Nessa, time for your break."

The woman just looked up and nodded slightly. She glanced at the mirror before getting up and grabbing her coat. She slowly buttoned up. She never understood how Boston got so cold.

At least it wasn't as bad as Detroit though. The winters were insane there.

Nessa opened a door that lead to the back of the club. She let the door close behind her as she dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

She leaned against the wall as she dug through the tiny box. "Almost out…." She sighed as she pulled one of the sticks out before shoving the box back in her pocket.

She next pulled out her lighter and sighed in relief as she took that first huff. Nessa got ready to sit down on the cold cement ground but stopped as she heard footsteps approaching.

She slowly put her free hand into her left coat pocket and grabbed hold of her pepper spray.  She didn't look up as the footsteps got louder and louder.

Once she heard the person stop she quickly turned towards him and pointed her pepper spray, ready to get him in the face. "Back off buddy I'm not in the-" her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her cigarette and pepper spray.

"D-Dylan?" she stuttered as she saw the tall muscular figure in front of her. It had been two years since she saw him. Back then though she usually called him Tap-Lan and he rarely spoke a single word to her.

"Hey Nessa." He mumbled as he looked at her "I see you got your leg fixed for your….job." he said as he eyed her leg that once had absolutely no skin on it.

"I….I got synthetic skin." She said nervously "How did you-"

"How did I find you?" he asked "I was surprised that you hid your tracks so well. You were usually never good at that kind of thing." He said giving her a gentle smile.

"You guys kept finding me no matter where I went, I had to improve on my hiding." She explained "Why are you here? I told you all I'm not going back to Detroit and being part of your childish little team again."

He gave a small chuckle "Childish? I remember you being childish no matter what the situation. You were like a ten year old in a sixteen year olds body."

"Well….things change." She said turning away from him.

Dylan's small smile turned to a frown "I know."

"I gotta get back to work soon so can you just leave?" "Not until we talk." "About what Dylan?" she asked angrily turning back towards him.

"About Tamera abandoning me? About me having to go back to living on the street? About me not being able to do anything with my life cause I couldn't get into college? Is that what you want to talk about?" she yelled. She was glad that the music was too loud inside for anyone to hear her.

"It depends, do you want to talk about all that?" he asked her "Nessa, I'm not here to argue with you. I just want to talk some reason into you. I mean, look at you!"

"What?" Nessa questioned "You're a stripper!" Dylan said "I could never imagine you being something like this. You were always that tough, optimistic kid who looked on the bright side of things and never let anything bring you down. What happened to her? What happened to the Nessa we all used to know?"

"Tamera took her when she left." She quickly responded. "I thought I could trust her. She was the closest thing I had to a mother and she left me." A few tears came to her eyes but she managed to hold them back, not wanting Dylan to see her cry.

"Shiloh and I offered to open up our home to both you and Jay. Jay was fine with it, why weren't you?"

"I wasn't taking your pity." "How was it pity?" he argued, accidently allowing his anger to get the better of him "We were trying to help you! Everyone tried to help you! You isolated yourself from everyone and wouldn't accept our help!"

"You would have ended up abandoning me too! That's all everyone ever does!" she screamed causing Dylan to take a step back in surprise. "What could I have done even if I would have lived in your house? I would still be here and this low down job!"

"But you would be around people who want to be around you and who care about you."

"These men do want me!" "Not the way we wanted you! They want you for their own sick fantasies, they don't care about you the same way we did! The way you are acting makes you seem like such a-" he had no time to finish as Nessa slapped him across the face.

Dylan blinked in surprise and turned his head to look at her. It hadn't hurt him but it still was a shock to him.

"Stop caring about me; tell the others to leave me alone. I can't even call myself a techno-organic anymore. I ripped the headband off my head, I got fake skin put on my leg, I haven't even tried to transform in years,"

"That doesn't matter." He interrupted. "You don't have to be a techno-organic for us to like you-"

"But it was the only thing that made me part of the team. I don't have the heart to be on the team anymore or even be near you people." She retorted.

"Nessa please," he tried to place a hand on her shoulder but she quickly slapped it away.

"No, don't touch me." She started as the tears finally broke through "Just leave me alone. Just….just screw you! Screw you all!"

Nessa quickly threw her cigarette onto the ground and ran back inside. The door slammed in front of Dylan's face as he tried to pull her back outside but failed.

He stood there as the winter air blew. He wondered if he should go in after her. If anything else he had to say would really make a difference to her. He reached for the handle of the door but pulled back and let his hand drop to his side.

He slowly turned around and headed back towards his car. Stephanie would want him to call soon.

This was a wasted trip, he thought all the way back to the car. The others had actually given up years ago, but he hadn't. Sure Nessa was always that annoying kid who caused more trouble than good but it was still hard to see that once bright kid turn into some one so dark and alone.

He unlocked the door to the vehicle and slowly got in. He blasted the heater once the car was started and drove back onto the road.

Dylan wouldn't see Nessa again for another seven months, when he attended her funeral.