September 3, 2006
Gazer Gets the Girl.
Chapter 1, A Cry for Help
by Stargazer_md
Disclaimer: The characters don’t belong to me. If they did, the show would still be on.
Summary: Alex needs help, who do you think he calls?
Setting: Middle of S-2, but it will be a while before Prom night rolls around.
Category: Alex/Isabel
Rating: Mature – eventually
A.N. When I found out that MT Gazer had nominated my story I figured that it was a good opportunity for a repost, so I took a look at the first part. It was horrible, and needed an almost total re-write, not to mention a good beta by MT Gazer. Following chapters will be put up as they are ready.
Paul.
**********
Sheriff Valenti pulled to a stop in front of Roswell High, allowing Alex Whitman to jump into the passenger seat of his Explorer. “You know Alex, I’ve been wanting to ask you why you’re taking the Emergency Medical Technicians class? I know it’s pretty intensive and takes a lot of effort, so I’m surprised you would give up that much time from your regular schoolwork.” The sheriff looked over at Alex, chuckling “I can’t imagine Kyle giving up a Friday night to do a ride along.”
“Well Sheriff,” Alex replied with his usual self-depreciating smile, “with everything that’s been going on, I figured it would be a good idea. You never know when something might happen, and Max can’t be there every time to fix things. The only thing worse than seeing Isabel or one of my other friends hurt, would be that I’m unable to help because I don’t know what to do.”
Jim replied, “Speaking of knowing what to do, we’re going to go to the station house and go over a couple of ground rules first.”
**********
Max was standing around in the school’s lobby when Isabel walked up to him, “Come on, I want to get home.”
“In a minute,” he said indifferently, still looking for someone. “Liz, Maria,” he called out. When they were within earshot he continued, “I want everyone to meet at the Crashdown at closing tonight, we need to talk. Maria, can you bring Michael?”
“He’s working tonight,” Maria sighed. “All you have to do is keep him there.”
Isabel rolled her eyes, “Not again! Why would I want to spend another evening listening to you tell us how badly we are all letting you down.”
**********
Moments later Alex and Sheriff Valenti were at the station house. “Here, let me snug the Velcro at the sides, now go ahead and put your shirt and jacket back on.” The older man looked his young charge in the eyes as he continued, “I want you to remember something Alex, you are a teenager and a student. Tonight you are to observe, ask questions and learn. We are not going to go out and save the world. The most important thing about tonight is keeping you safe.”
“Sheriff,” Alex asked, tapping his chest, “Don’t you think this is overkill? This is Roswell after all.”
The Sheriff looked at Alex with an incredulous grin on his face.
“Point taken,” Alex conceded with a smirk.
“I’m serious,” Jim emphasized. “I had a long talk with your parents before I agreed to this, and with them and a lot of the other parents out of town for the recreation departments Spring Fling Cruise, I feel especially responsible for you. You are not to go anywhere or do anything that I don’t know about, and in the unlikely event that anything does happen, you have to promise me that your only action will be to get clear of any danger.”
“I understand Sheriff,” Alex replied, somewhat abashed.
“Ok, I don’t want to dwell on what’s not going to happen, this is Roswell, after all,” Sheriff Valenti concluded with a grin to lighten the mood. “Lets go give someone a speeding ticket,” he added as they went out to his Explorer. “You’re going to love this. Red lights, sirens, pulling cars over, driving fast, helping people, this is the best job in the world.”
**********
Up in her room Isabel was preparing for her date, she almost didn’t remember who she was going out with. She looked in the mirror and slumped in disappointment. “Why did I go and do that?” she asked herself out loud, taking note of her red top and matching lipstick. “Alex, I am not dressing for you tonight,” she snapped as she changed into a black top and a much paler shade of lipstick.
Meanwhile Max lay on his bed listening to Counting Crows while Liz and Maria were at the Crashdown munching on Greek God Salads. “What are we going to do about this meeting Maria?” Liz whined.
Maria looked towards the kitchen to make sure Michael wasn’t listening in. He wasn’t. In fact she found that he wasn’t paying attention to them at all. She sent a grimace towards Michael that would of set fire to the kitchen if their abilities were reversed. Maria took a sniff of cedar oil, sat bolt upright, and exclaimed, “Chick flick.”
“What?” Liz exclaimed. “Where does that come from?”
“If they can’t solve their problems, how can we? Why should we?” Maria rambled on, forgetting to breathe. “We’re going to see ‘Leaving Las Vegas.’ I love Nicholas Cage’s eyes, plus his character’s the only person I know whose life is more screwed up than ours. A hunk of man-meat on the big screen, popcorn, butter, gummies, come on girlfriend, let’s go.”
**********
On the other side of town, Sheriff Valenti was sipping a coffee, talking with the owner of the Gas’n’Gulp. Alex preferred his caffeine cold. He was draining a Mountain Dew while giving hints to a younger customer who was playing a video game. “Well, we got to get back to work Sam,” Jim sighed. “Got to keep the streets of this thriving metropolis safe for the tourist.” He put two dollars on the counter.
“Sheriff, you insult me,” the shop owner said disdainfully, pushing the money back to the Sheriff, “You’re welcome here anytime.”
“Well I appreciate that Sam,” Jim replied happily as he folded the money and put it into a jar on the counter before heading for the door. Alex looked at the Sheriff with curiosity as they walked back to the Explorer. Jim answered him with a smile. “I don’t want to insult the guy, but I will not take advantage of his good nature either. So a lot of my coffee money ends up getting donated to a lot of good causes around town.” Once they were back on the road Jim continued, “So why did you end up riding along with me Alex? Most EMT students do their public safety ride along with a fire or ambulance company.”
“I don’t know anyone at fire and rescue,” Alex replied simply. “Besides, I can relax around you. I don’t have to worry about this big secret hanging over the conversation, and at the same time I get a night off from having to figure out who’s getting along with who.”
“Things are that bad, huh?” the older man asked with a touch of disappointment in his voice.
“Seem to be,” Alex sighed. “Max is riding Isabel like a bicycle for some reason, and the amazing thing is that she’s letting him get away with it. So she’s miserable all of the time, and whatever she’s hiding from him is coming between us. The thing is I understand she has this loyalty to her brother, and she can’t share a problem with me yet keep it from Max. All I want to do is walk up to her, put my finger on her lips and tell her that she doesn’t have to say or do anything for the entire evening, then take her to a funny movie.”
“Sounds like a plan Alex,” Jim replied softly. “You are a good friend to her.”
“Aaaggghhh,” Alex moaned. “There’s that friend word again.”
“I know,” Jim answered with a chuckle. “No guy who cares about a woman wants to be just a friend. We want to love and cherish, and a little, ahhmm cuddling. Looking at you I’m sure that while you think what you want is more from her, what’s eating you up inside is that you can’t comfort and protect her. But I am going to tell you something Alex, Isabel doesn’t know it yet, but she is going to need someone, and as long as you don’t give up too soon, she is going to turn to you.
“Wow,” Alex exclaimed as he was pushed back into his seat as the Sheriff gunned the powerful engine and turned on the lights.
“Yup,” Jim said as he reached for the radio. “This guy is in so much of a hurry he didn’t even see the sheriff’s car sitting right in front of him when he ran that stop sign.”
**********
“That movie sucked,” was the first thing Maria said as she and Liz left the theatre.
“I wasn’t really paying attention to it Maria,” Liz stated honestly. “Not with everything that has been going on. What was it about?”
“It was a stupid story about this guy who drank a lot and treated his girlfriend like crap,” Maria whined.
“Well, at least we know our guys don’t drink,” Liz said with a chuckle.
“But they treat us like crap. Lately they have been treating everyone like crap,” Maria replied, summing up things in a nutshell.
**********
The cruiser’s radio crackled to life, “~~Stationhouse to Sheriff Valenti.~~”
“Valenti here,” Jim replied efficiently.
“~~We have a report of a domestic out at the Kettle’s. Old Chisholm Trailer Park,~~” the dispatcher instructed.
“Well deputy,” Jim replied offhandedly. “It wouldn’t be a Friday night without a domestic at the Kettle’s, would it? We’ll be enroute.”
“Alex, listen carefully,” Jim instructed as he turned a moment and glanced at his young charge. “Domestics are one of the most dangerous things we get dispatched to. The families have so many problems and so much hate that they have trouble keeping a lid on things, but somehow they still have a spark of something that keeps them together. The problem is that an outsider who walks into that situation usually becomes the target of all their hate. Stay near the door, and be ready to get out.”
“Okay Sheriff,” Alex answered solemnly.
**********
Her obligation to her escort for the evening fulfilled, Isabel slowly approached the front of the Crashdown. She looked through the window and saw that Max and Michael were talking in the back booth. Not wanting to face the both of them alone, she turned away and sat on the curb, as she lowered her face into her hands.
Liz and Maria’s chatter died on their lips as they turned the corner and saw Isabel sitting on the cold curbstone. With a glance towards each other, they cautiously approached their tall friend. Isabel heard them coming and stood, turning to face them. Despite her embarrassment at being caught in a weak moment, Isabel adjusted her façade, not realizing that her reddened eyes betrayed her. Taking a deep breath she deadpanned, “Lets get this over with.”
**********
The still of the night was sliced by the wail of a siren as an ambulance flew through the streets of Roswell, it’s flashing lights cutting a path through the empty streets as they triggered the Opticom traffic light system, turning all the lights green. In the back of the rig a paramedic watched the Lifepak 12 cardiac monitor for any abnormality while reassuringly patting the shoulder of the patient on the stretcher, “Hang on buddy, we’re almost there.”
**********
Max looked across the booth at Liz, his feelings confused. He still loved her and never, not once, regretted his decision to save her, despite the fact that exposing his abilities had cost both him and his family, but his love for her could not excuse the certainty that she was hiding something from him. He decided to tackle the Liz situation first. “I don’t know how to talk to you anymore Liz. Ever since that night,,,” he closed his eyes, the pain of finding Liz and Kyle in bed together still fresh in his mind.
Michael watched a red warning hue rise up the side of Liz’s neck in response to this renewed attack. He patted Maria’s hand, stopping the blond pixie from defending her friend. He honestly didn’t think Liz would need the help.
“Why don’t you say it Max?” Liz challenged. “Go ahead. When you saw me and Kyle in bed together. I would rather see you blow your stack than continue to try to put up with your hot and cold reactions to me lately. All you have done is challenged me Max, you keep asking if I slept with him. You already know the answer, but you turn away before I can say anything. Why don’t you just say what you are thinking and call me a tramp, or try to find out what’s really going on. But you know something Max? I don’t even want to talk about myself.”
Liz was just getting warmed up “You’ve got bigger problems than me Max. You don’t have time to worry about me right now, you have enough trouble with Isabel and Michael. Why aren’t you talking to them? Why aren’t you listening to them? Michael’s got your back Max, he will never let anything happen to you. But do you trust him? You knew something was wrong in New York, but you left him behind. Why do you seem to trust Tess more than Michael, more that Isabel? You’ve known them your entire life Max, Isabel is your sister for crying out loud.”
“Liz, this isn’t the,,,” Max started to say.
“Shut up Max,” Liz bellowed, getting as in his face as the table would allow. “You wanted me here, you wanted talk, now you’re going to get it. Look at your sister Max,,,”
Isabel started to protest, but then remembered how upset Liz looked when Max was in danger in New York. She also remembered the conversation, right in this booth, when Liz told Ava she still loved Max. Maybe Liz hasn’t been able to talk to Max either, and maybe she could pound some sense into him now.
“,,, When Maria and I got here tonight Isabel was outside crying because she didn’t want to face you Max. What does it mean that your sister is afraid of you?”
“She is keeping something important from me,” Max explained lamely.
“Important? She is your sister Max. Tell me anything more important than your sister,” Liz bellowed, in full rant. “So she needs to talk to you Max, can she? Will you listen to her or will you judge her? Will you tell her how disappointed you are in her that she isn’t perfect? None of us are perfect Max, we’re human. You told me once that I make you human, well I must be doing a pretty rotten job of it, because you sure haven’t been acting very human lately. Your first reaction should be that something is upsetting her. Your first action should be to comfort her. Isabel can’t turn to anyone else Max, she can’t turn to anyone if she can’t turn to you.”
As Liz stopped for a deep breath Isabel’s cell rang. She looked at the caller ID and sighed as she raised the instrument to her ear. Never letting him say a word and in a voice designed to convey her irritation at being interrupted, she repeated her mantra, “Alex, I keep telling you, just friends, and this is a bad time.” Then she hung up on him.
“Great, now what am I going to do?” Alex muttered as he hung up the phone. “She’s going to be upset if she doesn’t hear if from me first, or at least I hope she still cares enough to be upset. Well, I’m not going to sit here all night,” he decided as he set off in a search to beg, borrow, or steal another quarter.
Isabel’s cell rang again. “What is it with him tonight?” She answered, “Alex…”
“Izzy,” Alex pleaded desperately. “Stop and listen! I don’t know who else to call…,”
Isabel’s voice softened, “Alex?”
“I’m not trying to bug you, in fact I’ve almost given up,…” Alex tried to explain.
“Alex, you’re babbling, what’s wrong?” Isabel commanded.
Alex’s voice started to break, “I need you,,, I got hurt,,, I’m in the hospital.”
“MOVE!” Isabel shouted.
Max, who had been watching Isabel’s side of the conversation with a mixture of curiosity and growing concern, did not get out of Isabel’s way fast enough. He was hit with a blast of energy, throwing him out of the booth and onto the floor. Isabel bolted from the booth, stomped her way over her incapacitated brother, and ran towards the front of the restaurant amongst a rash of shouts. Using her powers to open the door she shouted over her shoulder, “Alex is in the hospital.”
Liz was helping Max up and brushing him off while Michael and Maria got out of their side of the booth. “Iz, wait,” Max shouted, “We’ll come with you.” The men quickly gathered their things and started for the door, while the twins were speechless, a look of fear on their faces for her childhood friend. Hearing the jeep roar to life Max quipped, “So much for keys.”
Tires squealed as Isabel headed towards the hospital. “And so much for the jeep needing a tune-up.” Michael replied as they ran towards the Jetta. Max opened the door for Liz, reassuringly caressing her shoulder as she entered the car while Michael took a moment to take Maria by both arms and looked intently into her eyes, “He’s going to be okay.”
Isabel raced to Alex, she didn’t get a red light the entire way there.
**********
Isabel ran into the emergency room and rushed to the admissions desk. “I’m looking for Alex Whitman.”
The clerk looked at her computer, “I have no record of a Whitman.”
“What do you mean you have no record of Alex?” Isabel demanded, her voice rising. “He called me from here five minutes ago.
“Well, no one’s been admitted for the past several hours,” the clerk replied indifferently. “We’re full. But if he isn’t going to be admitted, his paperwork would still be in the back and I wouldn’t have a record of him.”
“Well do I have to run through the halls screaming his name?” Isabel shouted, her voice near panic as the rest of the group arrived. Max pulled Isabel to one side, calming her, while Michael had his arms around Maria’s waist, not letting her anywhere near the clerk. Liz engaged the bureaucrat in a minute of earnest conversation and finally a call was made into the back.
Five long minutes later a harried looking nurse came out to talk to Liz, but Isabel forced her way past Max and got to her first, wasting no time. “Alex Whitman. He called me from here a couple of minutes ago. I’ve got to find him.”
“Is he the one the Sheriff brought in?” the new arrival asked.
Isabel nodded yes, sensing that this woman controlled her access to Alex and didn’t seem to be in the mood to put up with any theatrics. “He was doing his EMT ride along.”
“There’s what five of you?” the nurse asked while looking at the group. “Well come on, but please be quiet, we’re busy tonight.” She led them through the emergency department and pointed them into a side room.
Isabel’s heart broke as she saw Alex sitting on a gurney so small and all alone. He was barefooted, wearing a hospital gown, with a blanket over his shoulders. “Oh Alex, what have you done.” She rushed to him and took him into a tight embrace. Feeling Alex stiffen and shy away she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t believe I’m going to say this to you Izzy,” Alex replied timidly, “But the truth is that hurt.”
Isabel immediately let go of him and stepped back.
Alex tried a smile, “Damned, I knew that was going to happen, that’s why I didn’t want to say anything.” He looked at Isabel and held his hand out towards her. She grasped it tightly in both of hers.
Maria looked at her best friend and asked softly, “So what they got you in here for girlfriend?”
“I fell down, go boom,” Alex quipped.
Liz looked at him, “You fell down, go boom? That’s all?”
“Yup, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” Alex explained. He started to laugh at his own joke but groaned instead. “I fell down, go boom. I’m really very good at it, I do it a lot in dodge ball. Oh, and there was a table involved somehow. I think the table broke my fall with my head, or my head broke the table breaking my fall, or something like that. It’s all pretty hazy right now.”
Max started to reach for his friend. “I can see the lump on your head, where else does it hurt?”
Alex grabbed Max’s hand before it could touch him. “Thanks for the offer Max, but I can’t let you do that.”
Isabel protested, “You’re hurt Alex, why don’t you let us help?”
“Izzy, I do need you guys,” Alex explained hopelessly, “But I can’t let Max heal me. They have already taken x-rays, and they’re going to take another set next week. I can’t take a chance of hurting you by having to explain how I healed so fast.
“Ok, we got the short version, what’s the long version, how did this happen?” Maria asked.
Alex shook his head tiredly. “Long version, I fall down, go boom, I want to get out of here, and I want to go home to bed.”
Isabel put her hands on both sides of his face and looked him in the eyes, “I’m going to go see what I have to do to get you out of here,” she said tenderly. “Max and the rest are going to stay with you, okay?”
Alex managed a slight smile and nodded yes.
Isabel left Alex’s treatment room and found the charge nurse, and they then went out to the nurses station where it was a little quieter. “The doctor wants to check his breath sounds once more, then we will be done with him,” Nurse Welch explained. “At that point I have a problem. He’s not injured badly enough to justify an admission, especially since we have no beds and would have to transfer him to Las Cruces, but on the other hand he can’t go home alone. An adult is going to have to sign him out.”
“I’ll take care of him,” Isabel declared. “Just tell me what needs to be done.”
“Let me see your license,” Nurse Welch replied, as she leaned towards the pass-through window and called out to the night admissions clerk, “Call the sheriff in the,,, ahhmm, downstairs. Tell him someone is here to sign out Adam.”
“Alex, his name is Alex.” Isabel handed the nurse her driver’s license, which was strangely warm to the touch.
“Lets see, age twenty-two,” Chris Welch sighed tiredly. “You can sign him out, but you’ll need to be responsible for him. He has to be monitored for the next 72 hours. He has a closed head injury, and bruised ribs. We’ll give you instruction sheets on how to take care of him. If there are any problems, or if he doesn’t seem right, you get him back here without delay, do you understand?”
“Yea, whatever you say,” Isabel replied halfheartedly, not really paying attention as she looked back to Alex’s room.
Nurse Welch reached out and took Isabel by the chin, turning the newly aged teen so that Isabel’s soft brown eyes were looking into Chris’s intense cobalt ones. Her voice softened, “I’m serious, if there is anything, anything at all that doesn’t look right, you have got to get him back here, as fast as you can. Do you really understand what I am saying?”
It dawned on Isabel that she was probably making one of the biggest commitments of her life. “I understand, I’ll take care of him.” She turned to find Sheriff Valenti waiting.
“Can I talk to you over here?” he asked softly.
Isabel followed him away out to the waiting area. “How could you let this happen?” she snapped. “How could you allow him to get hurt?”
Jim wished he could be anywhere but facing her, and despite the advantage he had in age and experience, he felt like a schoolboy called to the principal’s office. “Isabel, I swear, if I could trade places with him I would. If I could turn back time, I would. I never imagined something like this could happen.”
“Sheriff,” Isabel asked, “What did happen?”
“Alex will have to tell you that, if he ever can,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I can tell you that most peace officers go through an entire career and don’t see anything close to what Alex saw tonight. Jim braced himself before continuing, “I can’t get away from here until sometime in the morning, but I’m worried about you. Right now Alex is running on adrenaline. When that burns itself out he’s going to fall apart. Are you sure you can handle him?”
“I’ll be able to take care of him,” Isabel replied with determination. “I have to. I won’t trust him to anyone else.”
Their conversation ended as Alex walked out of the trauma wing, with Liz and Maria supporting him on either side, and Max trailing up the rear with Michael. Max excused himself, and then went outside to bring the jeep around to the door. Alex, although still barefooted, now wore a pair of old threadbare hospital scrubs. His usually tall and lanky frame was now stooped and turned in on itself as he clutched the blanket tightly around his shoulders against the evening chill. Isabel wanted to run up and grab him, she had never seen him look so small and vulnerable. She wanted to take him somewhere safe and warm where no one could hurt him, but she realized that she couldn’t take him from his life long friends. They needed to be able to help him too. “Don’t you have any slippers or something he can wear home?” Isabel asked of the admitting clerk.
“No, we don’t have anything like that in the center,” the clerk droned on indifferently. “We only have stuff like that in the wards.” She then turned her attention to Alex, “You’re going to have to leave that blanket.”
“We’ll return it,” Isabel replied with a surprising level of deference.
“If you don’t give me that blanket right now I’ll be forced to call security,” the clerk demanded, her sense of self-import in overdrive.
Maria took the blanket from around Alex’s shoulders and walked back to the admissions desk. She held it out at arms length. When the clerk reached for it, Maria dropped it onto the floor. “Bend over and get it bitch, I hope you throw your back out.”
Meanwhile, Michael took off his denim coat and slipped it over Alex’s shoulders. He started to lift his friend’s arm to take Maria’s place arm to help him.
“No, no, Michael,” Liz exclaimed, “That’s the side he’s injured on, and if you lift his arm that high it will hurt him.”
Maria returned and kissed Michael’s cheek, impressed by his action. “Move over Spaceboy,” she said softly, taking her place back at Alex’s side. “I finally found an advantage to being short.”
Isabel nervously hovered over Alex until she had him settled comfortably in the back of the jeep, her idea of comfort being solidly ensconced in her arms, a position which allowed her to notice him start to shiver in the cold night air. “Max, we need heat back here,” she called out.
“I already got it running as hot as it will go,” Max replied helplessly. “We’ll have him home in a couple of minutes.”
“Max?” Alex asked timidly. “Can you just swing me by my house?”
“Home Max.” Isabel commanded. In a softer tone of voice she turned to Alex, “You know you can’t be alone.”
There was a tremor in his voice he explained, “I can’t let then see me like this.”
“Them, or me?” Isabel whispered.
Alex relaxed and settled deeper into her embrace. His actions were all the answer she needed.
**********
Isabel gently led Alex into her room and made him comfortable sitting on the edge of her bed. As she settled next to him she realized that he didn’t know where he was, let alone what she was doing for him. But she did understand that he had opened himself to her, his trust in her absolute, his need boundless. Alex finally alone, alone as he wanted to be, alone with his Izzy as he needed to be, in a safe place where he could let go of the dam that he had been struggling to hold. His eyes, already red and puffy, overflowed with tears. Great wrenching sobs racked his body. He turned to her and she pulled him in close. Guiding his head to her breast she held him tight, slowly rocking back and forth in a comforting motion as old and natural as time itself. She didn’t remember lowering her head until her face rested against the top of his head, but she used that closeness to turn slightly and gently kiss him as she softly promised him that everything would be alright. Alex clung to Isabel as if his life depended on her, his sobs shaking them both. Isabel was now crying as well, as no human could watch a loved one going through such turmoil and not share the suffering. She instinctively knew there was nothing she could say or do to help him in his current state, for he would not hear her, but he would feel her. He would draw strength and comfort from her, and that she would give him all that he needed.
Minutes passed, and Alex’s sobs gradually eased. He panted to catch his breath as he slowly become aware of his surroundings, well aware that he was in Isabel’s arms. He lifted his head to look at her, but not before she was able to quickly wipe her eyes and put on a bit of a smile. Acting a bit embarrassed he started to speak, but not before she silenced him with a soft finger on his lips. “Later,” was all that she said. With self-conscious grins, they untangled themselves and sat straighter, both already missing the warmth of the broken contact.
Isabel stood and looked at him. “Close your eyes for a moment.” She stretched her tall frame taking off her outer shirt, leaving the underlying tank top in place. She then pried herself out of her jeans before pulling on a pair of flannel boxers. “OK, you can open them,” she said softly. “Stand up.” Decided that the scrubs Alex wore home from the hospital would have to do for him, she pulled down the covers of her bed. Having got the covers folded back at a precise forty-five degree angle, she performed her little night time ritual, looking around her room making sure everything was in it’s proper place for the night. Finally her eyes rested on Alex, and she felt the heat of a blush coloring her face as she realized what she was about to do. Noticing a similar color on Alex’s cheeks she expected some kind of comment or protest, but he just looked at her, his trust absolute. “You first,” she said, and then followed him in, settling on her side facing him. With a wave of her hand the light in the room dimmed to a soft glow, just enough for her to be able to watch him in the night. As she lowered her hand, she reached and tenderly caressed his face, pushing his hair back off his forehead. “I’ve got you now, I’m not going to let anything hurt you,” she whispered, her eyes boring into his.
“You have to promise me something,” Alex asked, his voice trembling.
“Anything Alex,,,” she replied earnestly.
“You can’t look at a newspaper or listen to the radio until I talk to you,” he said haltingly.
“Why Alex? What aren’t you telling me?” she asked, her voice full of concern as she inched closer to him protectively.
“Nothing, well everything,,, I mean I’ll tell you everything,” Alex yawned. “Just not right now.”
“Alex, you need get some sleep,” she replied reassuringly.
“I can’t! I’ve got to stay awake,” Alex whispered, terror in his voice. “I can’t go through that again.”
“Shhhhh, I’ve got you now Alex, nothing more is going to happen,” she vowed, rolling closer, gently resting her cheek on his shoulder. She slipped her free hand up under his scrub shirt, resting it on his chest. She could feel his heart beating, and she found that soothing. Her sense of peace was contagious, and soon Alex fell asleep.
Isabel stayed awake watching him and hoping that his sleep is peaceful, but after several minutes she could see that Alex’s slumber was troubled. She reached up and kissed him on the forehead. “I’m coming to take care of you, everything will be alright.” She touched his forehead with her finger, causing it to wrinkle, and slipped into his dream.
Isabel entered the dream plane to find herself standing next to the Sheriff’s Explorer, parked outside of the Kettle’s. She saw a run down trailer house in the worse section of the Old Chisholm Trailer Park, on the outskirts of town. Hearing loud angry shouts belching from the trailer’s broken windows, she remembered why she had come, and cautiously approached the open door.
Isabel poked her head through the doorway, and found a scene straight from hell. Ma and Pa Kettle were ensconced in a pair of broke down recliners which faced the only item of value within sight, a sleek looking large screen television. As she crept deeper into the living room her senses were assailed with the stench of stale tobacco, spilled beer, and the sickening smell of greasy unwashed cookware that made it seem as if she could feel her arteries hardening. Reaching dream-Alex, she watched over his shoulder as Alex stood several feet away from the doorway, trying to blend into the wall.
“~~Valenti to stationhouse, where’s that back-up?~~” Jim pleaded with his radio.
“~~Back-up in 10 minutes Sheriff,~~” the dispatcher replied flatly. “~~Everyone’s tied up at the jail.~~”
“~~Received,~~” Jim snapped impatiently. “~~Hurry them up. I don’t think we have ten minutes.~~”
“Get out of my house,” Pa Kettle shouted. “I’ve got trouble enough putting up with these two deadbeats without having to listen to you too.”
“You leave my boy out of this,” Ma Kettle screamed, almost simultaneously. Turning to the Sheriff, “Why don’t you make him get out of that chair and get a job.” She turned and threw her beer at Pa Kettle.
“Why you stinking,,,” Pa levered himself out of his recliner and punched Ma right in the face. As Ma starter caterwauling, Pa plopped back down into his recliner as if he had done nothing wrong. In his mind he hadn’t.
Isabel’s eyes were bulging as the train wreck that was the Kettle’s life continued to unravel in front of her.
Sheriff Valenti pulled out his handcuffs and started towards Pa when a scream came from the hallway to the side. The Sheriff backed away from the hallway.
“You stop hitting my Mom,” an older teen screamed as he ran into the room.
Isabel took the final step up to dream-Alex and wrapped her arms around him from behind, “It’s okay Alex, I’ve got you.”
The teen lifted a rifle and started firing at Pa. Pa pulled a handgun out from his recliner and started firing back.
Isabel held her hand up and a protective field surrounded her and dream-Alex.
“You leave my boy alone,” Ma shouted as she waded into the middle of the fight.
Alex was shocked as the shooting started, but he knew he had to get out of the line of fire. Seeing that the teen was nearer the door than he was, Alex threw himself onto the floor. The Sheriff, his Sig in hand, never had time stop what was happening. He put his hands over his head and ducked down the hallway.
As soon as the shooting stopped the Sheriff reappeared, radio in hand. “~~Valenti to stationhouse! Shots Fired!!! Medical emergency at the Kettle’s! I have multiple victims, multiple injuries, all critical!~~” He walked among the Kettles, gathering their weapons and throwing them next to the wall, away from everyone.
“~~Roswell (Fire and Rescue) copied direct Sheriff, dispatching apparatus. E.T.A. three minutes.~~”
“~~Roswell,~~” Jim instructed. “~~Requesting a station dump, send everyone you have! Be advised scene is secure, repeat scene is secure, it is safe for rescue to enter.~~”
As soon as the Sheriff had the weapons secured, he went to Alex, who was starting to standing up. “Alex! Are you all right? Did you get hurt?”
“I’m okay, I think moved that table out of the way with my head.” Alex looked at the scene of carnage played out all around him, “Oh my God! How did this happen so fast?”
“Alex, you better go out to the Explorer,” Jim advised.
Alex started towards the door when step-son Kettle groaned. “This is what I’m trained for,” Alex decided as he went to the teen and started a primary survey, checking for ‘breathin ‘n bleedin’.
Isabel had never been more proud of Alex. His patient had just put every life in the room at risk just moments ago, and now, after being told to retreat to the safety of the Sheriff’s cruiser, he had chosen to stay and do what he could for the young man. She didn’t even notice that time had passed when several minutes later the first due firefighters from the rescue entered the room. The new arrivals divided forces and efficiently started to work on the Kettles.
Alex never noticed the figure that stopped next to him, despite the bulky turn-out gear. “Hey lifesaver,” the new arrival said in a light but firm voice, “Let’s go over here and sit on the couch so I can have a look at you.”
Alex, covered with blood, turned to look at her. “I know CPR,” he said blankly.
“Yup, and you did real good,” the firefighter explained, “But the bus (slang for ambulance) pulled in right behind us, and we’ve got to let the para-gods do their work.”
Sheriff Valenti noticed the exchange and quickly crossed over from the far side of the room. He gently took Alex by the shoulders and moved him over to the couch, away from the Kettles. Jim looked at the firefighter, “He took a nasty bump to the head when he went to ground.”
Isabel wrapped her arms tightly around dream-Alex, her chin resting on his shoulder. The protective field she had placed around them glowing softly. “Don’t worry Alex, I’ve still got you, and they’re going to take care of you now. They’re going to get you out of here.”
“I’ll see what we’ve got Jim,” the firefighter replied, never taking her eyes off her patient. “I’ll take care of him.” She turned her attention back to her patient, “OK, face me and I’ll take a look at that lump on your head.”
Jim walked towards the door where Isabel and dream-Alex were standing. He consulted with the scene commander from the rescue wagon who shook his head slowly. He ran his hand through his hair as he reached for his radio. “~~Valenti to station house, have the State Police been notified?~~”
“~~Notified and standing by,~~” the dispatcher replied.
“~~Advise them we’re going to need them,~~” the Sheriff continued flatly. “~~We have a triple fatal here, with additional injury.~~”
Isabel gasped as she realized just how bad things were.
The officer’s conversation ended with the sound of a siren winding down and the hiss of airbrakes from the outside. The scene commander turned to the crews working in the room and called out, “Engine company coming in, who needs help?”
Firefighter Alex Taylor took her soft blue eyes off Alex for just a moment to make her report to the scene commander. “I’ve got a first responder with a closed head injury. Have then pull equipment off the wagon for a full board job.” Returning her attention back to her patient she started talking to him in a soft voice, “Come on lifesaver, something’s not right with the way you’re acting. What else have we got going on here.” She started running her gloved hands over Alex’s coat, looking at it carefully.
Dream-Alex turned his head so he was facing Isabel, a look of near panic on his face. “Izzy, I’ve got to get you out of here right now! I don’t want you to see this.”
“I’ve got to see this Alex,” Isabel pleaded. “I’ve got to know what happened so you can let me help you.”
They watched as the paramedic started to collect his equipment, there being nothing more he could do for the Kettles.
“Entry wound!” Firefighter Taylor shouts. “I’ve got a gunshot would to the chest over here!”
Isabel watched in stunned disbelief as Alex is swarmed by the paramedic and the additional firefighters from the engine company. “Lets get the coat off,” the paramedic instructs.
“C-collar going on, head’s secure,” Taylor advises.
“I think we got a vest here,” another firefighter calls out. “Maybe he’s going to be lucky.”
“He’s going shocky, get him flat on the floor,” the paramedic demands.
The scene commander cut in, “We got a rifle over here that will burn through any vest. Get him stripped and lets make sure we don’t miss anything.”
By now Isabel is holding dream-Alex with all her might, her protective field glowing blindingly white. Openly crying, she promises Alex over and over again, “I’ve got you Alex,,, I’ve got you, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you,,, I’ve got you, and I’m never going to let you go.”
Firefighter Taylor stepped back and picked up a clipboard with a blank patient record form on top. She started writing, efficiently making sense out of the confusion. “Level of consciousness is off - only times 2. Pulse and B.P. are good at 68 and 128 over 94, but respirations are 24 and shallow, He’s guarding,,,”
“I got the hit,” the paramedic dictated, “Upper left quadrant of the chest, six inches left of midline, no penetration. Lots of point tenderness, definite rib damage, possible cardiac complications.” He looked at the men from the engine company; “Lets get him on a monitor, start a line, (I.V.) and get moving.” Turning to Taylor he asked, “Do you have everything we need?”
“Not really,” Taylor replied, “But I have all of his vital signs. I can get the scene history, his name, and such on the way to the hospital.” She and the scene commander then stepped aside to allow the rest of the crew to carry Alex outside, strapped securely to a spine board. Isabel and dream-Alex followed the group through the door and then watched as the paramedic secured Alex, board and all, to a Striker stretcher, but before they could lift him into the rescue, Jim trotted out and went directly to Alex’s side. “How are you holding up Alex?” he asked, his voice is soft and tender.
“Everything seems to be capable of functioning adequately Sheriff,” Alex replied with his irrepressible sense of humor, “Although not right at this moment.”
“I’m going with you Alex,” Jim stated while looking at the paramedic who pointed to the front of the bus. “I’ll be right up front.”
Before Jim could get to the front of the vehicle, Deputy Hanson stopped him, “What do you need Sheriff?”
“There’s two weapons inside that need to be secured. They are just around the corner in the hallway, out of harm’s way. Secure those weapons, secure my vehicle, and get the ID of everyone who was inside the building. Meanwhile, I’m going to the hospital.”
“Sheriff, you’re the only eye witness,” Hanson whined. “You can’t leave.”
“My first priority is taking Alex to the hospital. Besides the State Police will take the scene over as soon as they get here.” Seeing a skeptical look on his deputy’s face, he ran his hand through his hair before continuing, “OK, we’ll set up a command center at the hospital.”
As Jim settled into the front passenger’s seat and reached for his safety belt as the doors in the back slammed closed.
“Smack!!! Smack!!!” The sound of a firefighter slapping the back of the rescue, the signal without which no ambulance can leave for the hospital without, was the sound that awoke Isabel. She found her eyes already folded with tears, with her cheek resting on the wet shoulder of Alex’s scrubs. When she leaned up to check on Alex, she was relieved to find that he was now sleeping peacefully. She continued to lean forward, kissed him gently on the lips, and whispered, “I’ve got you Alex, and I’m never going to let you go.” With this admission she found a sense of clarity that she had been missing for a long time, and with this newfound sense of peace, she settled her head back on his shoulder and returned to her world of dreams.
**********
The next morning Isabel awoke with sunlight streaking across her face, an unusually decadent luxury for her. Her first thoughts were of the events of the past night. Were they real, or were they a horrible nightmare that managed to evolve into the dream-come-true of Alex spending the night with her? A smile slowly grew on her face as she recognized the warmth of his body radiating into hers, while she measured the slow cadence of his heartbeat under her hand. It was a wonder to her that she could not remember ever awakening so refreshed and relaxed, despite the nightmare that she had rescued him from. Isabel settled back down, supporting her head with the palm of her hand, a position that allowed her to watch him sleep, his countenance open end honest in the innocence of slumber, and she stayed this way until the forces of nature persuaded her to slip gently from his grasp.
The smell of cooking food drew her downstairs where she found the rest of the friends scattered thought out the downstairs in small clusters of disarray. Piles of scattered cushions and blankets betrayed the fact that both of the other couples had stayed the night, close to their injured friend. Max had forgone his comfortable bed upstairs and built a comfortable nest for himself and Liz that they still occupied. Liz was snuggled into Max’s flank while he stole special moments, running his fingers through her hair, and whispering sweet nothings that he would never have the nerve to utter if she were awake. Isabel stifled a laugh as she realized that Liz was indeed awake, her face aglow just outside of Max’s line of sight. Her next shock was in the kitchen. Not the fact that Michael was trying to prepare breakfast, but the fact that he was cheerfully tolerating the impediment of having Maria wrapped around him, hindering his every move. Isabel was touched by how tenderly he was treating his blond pixie.
Max was the first to speak, following his sister into the kitchen with Liz molded to his side, “How’s Alex?”
”He’s still sleeping, but the last time I woke him up to check on him he was okay,” Isabel replied thankfully.
“You woke him up?” Michael asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to just let him sleep?”
Isabel remembered the unspoken warning in the nurse’s voice, but did not want to alarm her friends. “I have to check on him at least every four hours, waking him if necessary. I have to make sure his chest isn’t hurting him too much and that his breathing is regular. I have to look at his eyes, and ask him a couple of questions to make sure he isn’t getting a concussion.”
The relief in the room was palpable, but as Liz and Maria looked at each other they broke out laughing.
“That’s a real good idea,” Maria teased. “Lets ask him a question to check his mental condition. Alex, have you ever seen an alien in Roswell? Answer, Isabel.”
Liz joined in, “Oh, and try this one, what is the name of the center of our solar system? Answer, Isabel”
Maria took delight in the sense of modesty Isabel displayed as she continued, “What do you see when you look up into the night time sky? Answer, Isabel.”
Michael laughed, “They do have a point you know. If anyone at the hospital had asked him those same questions he would have been locked up for sure.”
Maria kept it going, “What day is today Alex? Answer, the day after I spent my first night with Isabel.”
Isabel almost choked when she heard that one, but they could see her laughing behind her hand as her face slowly turned a bright shade of red.
Michael was laughing so hard he could barely speak, “That last answer may be to much for Max to take.”
Everyone turned to Max who had his face buried in his hands. “Why do we have a strange boy hanging out in our house all the time?” The entire group’s relief was evident as he looked up with a big grin on his face, “Answer, Isabel.”
Maria looked over to Max, relieved that he was back to treating his sister so well, if only for the moment. She then pivoted and turned her attention on Michael. “You always say you need to stay away from me to protect me.” She stepped back, maybe an inch, and looked over to Max and Isabel. “You all do that. You think that the only danger comes from us being with you. Well, one of us got hurt last night, and you guys had nothing to do with it. You all have to realize that by keeping us out you can’t protect us. Instead your holding us away hurts us, and it hurts you too.”
The couples paired up, talking softly and comforting each other, which left Isabel alone, as usual. Max looked over to her, contemplating everything that had happened last night, and how that related to the conversation they just had, “Iz, go back upstairs with Alex, you need him.”
Michael kissed Maria on the top of her head. “Go ahead. I’ll make a plate for the two of you. ‘Ria and I will treat you to breakfast in bed.”
With hers and Alex’s breakfast plans covered, she ran back upstairs, already having been away from him far too long.
**********
That afternoon Alex and Isabel were still ensconced in her room listening to music. Max had offered to loan Alex some clothes, or go over to his house and pick up some things up, but Isabel had squashed both ideas. She wanted Alex to get at least one full day and another night of rest before she would let him do anything. Her devious plan included keeping him barefooted and in the hospital scrubs, thus assuring that he didn’t try to sneak out. At least she had granted him the privilege of taking a shower, which allowed her the opportunity to launder his clothing. He had emerged to find Isabel’s favorite robe waiting for him. The only thing worse than the garment itself, in an almost sheer hot pink fabric with fuchsia faux fur trim around a deeply plunging neckline, was the fact that for the entire time he was wearing it Isabel had embarrassed him beyond belief by trying to sneak a peek up the bottom of the woefully inadequate garment. On the bright side the entire ‘robe’ episode had cured him of being embarrassed while hanging around in her room wearing his newly acquired scrubs.
Isabel and Alex had played just about every game in the Evans’ household, an exercise which had taught Alex that anytime he wanted to get his ass kicked all he had to do was play a game with Isabel that involved trivia or memorization. Alex had struggled to hold his own playing Monopoly and Scrabble, but he had found himself hopelessly out of his class when they had played Concentration and Trivial Pursuit. They were now browsing through the questions on the cards from the game Scruples, which could be a very dangerous game for first timers.
“You are a married person who is on a business trip with a married co-worker of the opposite sex,” Isabel read from the card. “Due to a hotel mix up, you find yourself sharing a room with him/her. Although nothing happens between the two of you, what do you tell your spouse?” Isabel’s eyes were bright with interest as she looked at him expectantly, eagerly awaiting his answer.
“It would never happen,” Alex replied confidently.
“Oh come on,” Isabel pushed. “You have to admit that foul-ups happen. What would you tell,,,” she hesitated a moment, “your wife if you had to share a room with a strange woman,,, separate beds of course,” Isabel added quickly.
“The reason I would never get caught in a situation like that ,” Alex explained rather modestly, “Is that unless the co-worker were Liz or Maria, I would never have gone on the trip. It’s not that I wouldn’t act like a gentleman, I would, but I wouldn’t want,,,” Alex hesitated and took a sudden interest in Isabel’s bed cover as a blush crept up the sides of his neck, ”My wife to have to sit at home and wonder what I was doing. It’s not my feelings that matter, but hers.”
Isabel realized that Alex must have spent many recent nights wondering what she had been doing while she had been systematically dating half of the male population of the school, not to mention at least one old man, but before she could decide whether or not to say anything Alex noticed that the music had stopped.
“Hang on a minute,” he said softly, “I’m going to change the disk.” As he leaned forward putting weight on his arms he felt a sharp pain in his chest and flinched. Isabel was upon him instantly, pulling him tight to her chest giving him physical and verbal comfort since he couldn’t allow the alien kind. A new disk playing, he settled back against her headboard, still leaning into her shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes, as contented as a cat on a lap, “I just wish this could last forever.”
Isabel spun him by his shoulders and looked into his eyes with an intensity he had never seen before. “This is real, Alex, and I am going to do whatever I need to do to convince you that we can have this forever. I am going to do this for you because I love you, and for me because I need you. The time I’ve spent with you has been the only thing that has kept me sane through all of this destiny crap, not to mention the way Max has been treating me.”
Alex started to reply to her, to tell her that she didn’t need to explain anything, but she continued, “Ever since I heard the message from my other mother I have been trying to step away from all of madness, from anyone who knows the truth about me. I would try to spend time with people who didn’t know me so that they would believe all of the little fictions that I would tell them about myself.” Isabel paused to take a breath, “I scare myself sometimes, Alex. You’re the only one who isn’t afraid of me. You’re the only one who trust me without question, and you’re the only one who loves me without reservation.”
Isabel placed her hand over Alex’s heart and leaned in close, resting her forehead on his shoulder. “When you told me that you had been hurt my life almost ended. In that moment I felt something in me change, I felt a part of me, my shell, being left behind. I couldn’t imagine the thought of losing you,” she remembered Alex’s phone call, “twice.” she added softly.
Alex looked confused, “You didn’t lose me Izzy,,,”
“I had myself fooled into believing that you would always be there for me,” Isabel pleaded, her eyes moist, “that I could do whatever I wanted because I could always turn to you. I thought I could wait as long as I wanted, then say ‘Ok, I’m ready for you now,’ and you would still be there waiting for me. But now I’m afraid I’m too late, hearing you on the phone, saying that you were giving up, that you didn’t love me anymore.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to look into her eyes, “Izzy, I didn’t stop loving you,” he said earnestly. “I could never stop loving you. You are the air I breathe. I measure every good thing that happens to me against you. No matter what you choose to do with your life, or who you choose to go through life with, I will love you.”
Alex’s voice faded as he continued, his face slumping until he was now leaning on her for support. “But I have to face the reality that I can’t go through every day counting the hours until it turns dark, praying that you would visit my next dream. I have to find a way to live with the fact that you will never allow me to be for you during the day what I am for you at night. I have to find a way to love you without being in love with you, because you will never love me.”
Isabel’s face lit up, realizing that she still had a chance with Alex. “You’re not going to have to do that, wait here.” Isabel kissed Alex, and then jumped off her bed. She excitedly hopped to her dresser and picked up a delicately carved wooden chest. She held it like it was her most precious possession and returned to her bed. She placed it in Alex’s lap. “It’s time I show you just how much you mean to me,” she whispered as she gently ran her hand across the top of the box, caressing the inlaid gold emblem with it’s delicate engraving, ‘I.E. & A.W. forever.’
Isabel grinned at Alex as she held her hand over the chest. Moments later it snapped open as she explained, “I have to keep this chest locked. I don’t think my mother would understand if she found the treasure that I hide inside.” Isabel slowly reached inside the chest and carefully removed a precious bundle wrapped in delicate snowy white paper bound with a bright red ribbon. “This is yours Alex,” she said in a smoky tone of voice. “It is my gift to you. Do you remember our first kiss on your front porch? I told you I didn’t see anything relative to the current crisis. Technically, I was telling the truth, because I didn’t see Max. Instead I saw you, us, in a flash. I saw when you kissed me that we were going to be together, and that you are going to be the one. That afternoon I went to the mall and bought the softest and silkiest red negligee I could find. I have been saving this, and myself, for you, ever since that day. The day we kissed in the eraser room and you brought me home, the day with Lonnie in the UFO center? I was so happy, because I already knew, and had this.” She handed him the package.
Alex knew this was a special moment and he hesitated, afraid that he would somehow spoil it. His teenage hormones were raging. Looking at Isabel he could sense that she was just as close to losing control. The way she was looking at him, her face aglow, he realized that she had never looked so lovely. Never in his wildest dreams had she looked at him with the love she so openly displayed now.
“Alex, my defenses have never been so low,” she panted. “You can easily knock them down. Just tell me and I’ll put it on. You can have the girl of your dreams.”
“Come here,” Alex sighed, pulling her head down to his shoulder. He kissed her on the forehead to stall for time as he desperately tried to figure out how to put his deepest feelings into words. “Izzy, you are the girl of my dreams, ever since you shared your lunch with me back in junior high. There will never be another.” He kissed her again. “But I will never knock down your defenses, and I will never ‘have’ you.”
Isabel pulled back and looked at Alex, fear in her eyes.
“Shhhhh.” Alex whispered, pulling Isabel’s head back. He ran his hand through her hair. “I’m not going to break your defenses down, we’ll melt them, together, and I am not going to tell you to do anything. Neither one of us is ready for this right now, but working together, we will be. We’ll wait until the time is right, and you are willing to offer yourself to me.”
Isabel’s eyes overflowed, this time with tears of joy. She kissed Alex as if her life depended on him.
**********
The following Friday Isabel pulled Alex’s car up in front of the Whitman’s residence. She smiled as Alex climbed out of the passenger side, and he opened the door to let his parents out of the back seat. Alex walked his parents to the door and they wished him a good time with Isabel. He beamed and almost floated back to the car.
Isabel was struck by another act of kindness that Alex seemed to spread wherever he went. Very few guys would walk a girl to her door anymore, unless they were expecting a little something, which made it all the more special that he had shown such courtesy for his parents. As he settled back in his car she commented, “That was so sweet of them to include me at dinner tonight.”
“Are you kidding?” Alex gushed. “After what happened and how you took care of me, they can’t say enough good things about you.”
Isabel turned the car towards the Crashdown, and reached for Alex’s hand. “It’s so nice having a boyfriend who isn’t hung up about the girl driving.”
Alex started to make a self-depreciating comment, but instead he did something remarkable. He simply lifted Isabel’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“I’m just happy to have a chance to be with you, It’s been a long week,” Isabel sighed.
“Well,” Alex laughed, “My parents have been keeping me close to home this week, but if you didn’t go and get yourself grounded, we could have at least seen each other after school. Seriously Izzy, I am proud of you. Of how you took control of things when everyone came home from the cruse and showed up at my house. I had trouble with my two parents, let alone your facing all seven of them. You didn’t try to hide how you felt about me, and you proudly admitted to your little deception so that you could get me out of the hospital, consequences and all.”
”Well,” Isabel giggled, “We actually hid a lot, but only the teenage things that don’t really count when talking to parents, like the fact that there were three couples there all weekend instead of six friends. We owe Liz and Maria big time for thinking to mess up the guest bedroom. If daddy knew we slept together,” Isabel was glad it was dark and Alex couldn’t see her blush, “I would be grounded until I’m really twenty-two.”
Alex just kissed her hand again.
When she parked the car she got out and walked up to Alex. She waited until she was secure in his tight embrace before asking tentatively, “Alex, Sweetie?”
“Um, hmm?” he hummed into her neck.
Isabel continued hesitantly, “Last Friday night we lost the Ice Princess, and as soon as I get the chance I am going to get rid of the Alien Princess. All that’s going to be left for you is a scared little girl.”
Without hesitation Alex replied, “That’s ok, I haven’t had such good luck with princesses. He started kissing her, “All I want is the girl of my dreams.”
“Dreams, really?” she replied flirtingly. “How about I come and visit you this evening?”
Alex broke into a mischievous grin, “It would be my pleasure, and I have a new CD, ahhmm, band we can dance to. By the way, why don’t you wear that red negligee you told me about, I haven’t seen it yet.”
Isabel took a step back as her face broke into a big grin. She slapped him gently on the shoulder, both surprised and pleased by his boldness. “Down boy, I better get you inside and cool you off,” but as she wrapped her arm around him and they walked towards the door she added softly, “Soon Alex, very soon.”
Isabel was surprised to see that the whole gang was at the Crashdown, she didn’t remember Max calling another meeting. Everyone just went back to the old habit of hanging out together now that tensions had lessened. Max and Michael were helping Liz and Maria clean up so they could finish quicker and all go out back together. When they finished, the girls sent the guys back and gathered sodas for all.
When Isabel entered the back room, the first person she saw was Alex. A slow smile spread across her face. She walked up to him, “May I?”
“My pleasure,” he replied with a smile.
Isabel settled onto Alex’s lap, and she leaned back into his chest, careful to avoid his left side. His arms wrapped around her as if they belonged there. “I can do this,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can do this,” Alex whispered back confidently.
Isabel took a deep breath, gathering strength from Alex. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Max. “I want to tell you all a story, a story about a princess named Vilandra.”
