A perfectly manicured nail traced a line around Marcus's chest and he let out a shuddering breath. If he'd known it was so good with her, he'd have made a move years ago.

She raised her head, her shining black hair a tousled mess, her make-up smeared across her cheek. “Our 'partners' aren't going to like this.”

“I don't care.” He stretched, lazy as a cat, showing off his finely sculpted body, his eyes glittering. He was surprised that he meant what he said; he was glad that he'd finally had the opportunity to go to bed with Damon's sexy henchwoman.

She frowned in disapproval. “Surely not, Marcus, you are the 'good guy' and must always care.”

Marcus let out a bitter bark of laughter. “No, that's Jason's job. I think he must be the only guy on the planet who can care about everything all the time.”

“Nobody is that perfect.”

“He is.”

Angelique shook her head. “He's still human, even after the laboratory accident that gave him his extra... talents.”

“I've known him since High School, Angel, and he's always been-” He hesitated, searching for the right words, then concluded softly as he looked into Angelique's wicked green eyes, “- a good man.”

“But he's still human, and all humans have their weaknesses.” Her smile let him know what their respective weaknesses were.

Marcus shrugged. “I think his one weakness is his strength.”

She frowned, not following his meaning.

“He loves being a hero, Angel. Take that away from him and-” He couldn't finish.

“That won't happen.”

“No.” Marcus sighed with relief. “All his powers are part of him now, completely irreversible.”

“Oh well.” She shrugged and kissed him. “We can still have our fun.”

He chuckled. “Oh yes.”

Damon stalked round the laboratory, feverishly excited since he'd captured his adversary yet again: Jason Beckett, known affectionately to the public as 'The Protector'. This time, however, after learning from his many mistakes, he knew exactly how to dispatch him.

He smiled down at Jason, bound helplessly in indestructible bonds.

Jason glared up, his mouth sealed by a ball gag. Damon lifted a syringe and tapped the needle before carefully injecting it into Jason's arm. Much as he wanted to discuss the hero's fate, he had learned to set the ball rolling before indulging in confessions.

Jason struggled, but could do nothing to stop the injection. Damon placed the syringe back on the table and lifted the gag from Jason's mouth.

“What was that, Damon? Poison again? You should know by now that my body is impervious to toxins.”

“It's not a toxin, it is a medicine.” Damon said, almost kindly. “It will cure you of that terrible malady that has been inflicted on you.”

He smiled as he saw the flash of fear in his old enemy's eyes.

“No,” Jason murmured. “You can't do that, you can't take my powers away. People need me.”

Damon nodded sympathetically. “It's too late now. The modified retrovirus is right now removing all your altered DNA and returning you back to your old self.”

“No.” Jason protested, struggling against the bonds before sagging back onto the table. “Damn you. I'm weaker already.”

Damon's heart fluttered with anticipation.

“Please, Damon.” Jason begged. “Don't take my powers. You must have a way to stop this.”

Damon sighed. “I'll tell you what, Jason, since we're such old adversaries, I'll strike a deal with you.”

“What?” Damon heard the unspoken “I'll do anything.”

“How about you let me win this battle, and I'll help you get your powers back.”

“How?”

“Look around you, Jason, you know this place. This laboratory is identical to the one you used all those years ago.” He leaned closer, “If you promise to step aside, and not interfere later, I will let you repeat the experiment that led to your accident.”

Jason moistened his lips, considering, but not ready to agree.

“Think about the people, Jason, all those innocents you rescue every day. Do you want to go to them and say, 'sorry, I can't help you , I'm just an ordinary guy?'”

“No.” Said Jason. “I don't want that.”

“So? Do you agree?”

Jason paused. “I can't promise to stand aside if you get the world's governments under your control, you know I can't.”

“I suppose that's a bit much to ask. So it will be business as usual between us...if you succeed in recreating the experiment.”

As Damon looked into Jason's eyes, he could see in them the confidence that everything would work out because he was the hero. Jason was certain that he could do everything in time to stop Damon and that was what Damon was counting on.

He smiled and released the straps. “Take your time.” Damon left the laboratory, leaving the door unlocked. He knew that Jason wouldn't want to leave.

He went back to his control room and waited. Several hours later one screen showed Angelique and Marcus running hand-in-hand along the 'secret' corridor. Another screen showed all the world leaders who had been forced to agree to his conditions.

Usually, this was the point where The Protector and his friend would step in and thwart his plans, but Damon was confident in Jason's obsession.

Before Marcus and Angelique could do anything, an explosion tore through the laboratory. Damon had known that the odds of Jason's success would be slim, but he'd also known that Jason would be so sure of his own abilities that he would take any risk.

Damon turned to the screen that showed the wreckage of the laboratory. He watched as Marcus soundlessly screamed and dragged Jason's lifeless body from the debris.

He sat back, his hands behind his head. There it was, that moment of perfect triumph when everything had gone exactly as planned. Maybe later he'd regret the loss of his old adversary, but for now he wanted to bask in fact that he had achieved his goals. Despite a worthy foe, he'd won.