Author's Note: I love this couple dearly.

Pairing: Alex/Gia

~Natty.

Love Always Comes as a Surprise.

~M~

"I cannot believe we did it again!" Gia laughed, twirling around happily.

"It was a team effort." Alex chuckled modestly as he slid the train door shut behind them after they entered. "But we did it. Our second successful show."

"It is so grand!" The jaguar exclaimed. "We must do exact same way again sometime."

Oh no. There it was. That whole tradition thing. It looks like there was still a bit of rut left that Alex had missed scrubbing away.

"Uh maybe not the exact same again." Alex said.

Gia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well we gotta keep the show fresh, you know? Change up the act."

"So we will just drop the act we have now?" Gia protested. "But Alex, we worked so hard to it!"

"We won't just drop the act. We'll do it for a while and repeat it for a few countries and then make up some new ones…"

"But the one we have will die, yes? Alex I do not like such things." The jaguar looked hurt and a bit disappointed. To be honest she didn't like for things to just die out. She had had many experiences with death or flames dying out in her lifetime and she wished to repeat none of them. It was hard enough for her to give up their old traditional routine. She always sat and stood and rolled over. It was the circus way and now it had been changed.

Now Gia was actually starting to enjoy and get used to the change of the new Afro Circus. So what she got used to it just so it could change again? She wasn't open to change. Change normally meant bad things. Although the last few changes made had been good ones, like Alex and his friends joining their circus and helping to reissue their success, but she was frightened terribly that that good streak would run out.

What if the next change turned out to be a bad one? What if there was no turning back from it? What if she lost someone close to her?

The jaguar's thoughts brought tears to her eyes and sniffles as she covered her mouth with a small paw.

Alex's expression dropped instantly. "Gia? What's…what's wrong? Why're you-"

Gia's crying rose in volume, turning into louder sobs as she shut her tear stricken eyes.

"Gia…c'mon, sit down." The lion guided her to a nearby crate to sit on. He walked away for a moment to slide the train door shut to ensure privacy. He kneeled beside her, taking her smaller paw in his giant one. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Oh Alex! I hate change!" Gia cried.

"We don't HAVE to change the show completely, we could just remodel it a bit and see how it goes from there publicity wise!" Alex tried to reassure.

"It is not about the show." The jaguar sniffed, shaking her head. "It is…other things."

"Is this about us having the train repainted? Because the penguins insisted on a different color scheme and I agree we didn't have that much say in it-"

Gia placed a finger to his lips to quiet him. Hearing him ramble actually helped to cheer her up, no matter how badly the lion was failing at trying to. "It is not that either."

Alex shrugged. "Then what?"

"It is you."

"Me?" The lion looked bewildered.

"Yes," The jaguar confirmed. "You."

"What did I do? Whatever I did to make you sad I swear I didn't mean-"

"Yes, it is you Alex. You who taught me 'Trapeze Americano'. You who…who makes my heart soar when we are doing the flipping and catching!" At this point Gia was twirling around enthusiastically. "And when you catch me I am one once more!"

"One? One what?" Alex blinked.

"With you," Gia laughed and took his large paws to hers seriously. "…and I am terrified of you."

The lion was so confused. "You're terrified…of me?"

"Everything is changing and I am afraid you will go with those changes. I am horrified of it very much."

"Wait a minute lemme get this straight…" Alex tried to register this. "You're scared…of me changing?" The lion snorted in a laugh. "Into a what? A vampire? Gia, c'mon, seriously. What could possibly happen to me?"

"You can go, leaving me behind and alone." Gia said solemnly.

"What?" Alex said in disbelief. He leaned in closer and lifted her chin to look at him. His thumb ran gently along her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."

"How do you know this yet?" The jaguar snapped stubbornly. "Things are always changing. Never do they stay the same."

"How do I know?" Alex repeated.

Gia nodded. "Yes, Alex. How?"

"Well…I know you."

Gia shook her head. "What do I have to do with it?"

Alex smiled and stood up, holding her paws and bringing her up with him. "Everything." His paw held her cheek, a few inches gap between their bodies. "Gia, I'm not going to run off and leave you behind. I'm not like that. I stick with my friends. Just ask Marty, Melman, or Gloria. They all trust me. And… I'd like to think you do too."

The jaguar looked back into sincere blue eyes. "Of course, I do."

"Then what are you worried about? I'm here to stay…but on one condition."

This confused Gia and so she frowned, tilting her head. "Condition? What is that?"

"Think of it as an exception." Alex explained with a slight smirk.

"An exception to what if I may ask you?"

"Of course you can. You can ask me anything! But…about that exception I mentioned earlier. There are some things I can do with you as opposed to normal friends like the ones I have."

"And what are these things?" Gia inquired curiously.

Alex leaned in slowly and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, closing his eyes for a second. The kiss lasted five seconds before the lion pulled back. "Things like that." He said then quickly added with a nervous cough. "If uh…that's okay with you."

Gia smiled and returned the gesture, pressing her own lips to his. She pulled back, looking up at him. "Yes, it is very much."

"Good." The lion nodded, reassured with their relationship and how things were going to go between them. "Well now that that's settled, it's kind of late. So you want me to walk you to your circus wagon or- mph!" Alex's eyes widened as arms wrapped around his neck and clung to him along with desperate lips on his moving. His initial shock worn off, his paws encircled her hips firmly as his eyes slipped shut in response to hers already being closed.

When the need to breath became a bit too known, Gia pulled back. The both of them were panting, staring into each other's eyes.

"Alex," Gia panted. "Sit."

With a raised brow at the sudden instruction, Alex blinked. He didn't get it but he also didn't argue. He went to go sit on the crate when he was stopped.

"No, no, on the ground." The jaguar explained.

Alex glanced between the crate and the wooden floor, and then did as told. He slowly sat down on the ground, paws planted behind him face down on the wood to hold up his upper body. His legs stuck out forward normally. He blinked more. "Now wha-" That was all he had time to say before the female jaguar was kneeling on his lap, kissing him again and holding onto his shoulders for support. Wow this was unexpected but it was…nice. "Mm…" The male made a noise of appreciation as she kept up their kissing.

Gia's kissing was innocent, merely pressing their mouths together and massaging them against the others. But her paws began to travel on the lion's body. He paws slid from his shoulders, down his back a bit and around to his well-kept chest. She ran her fingers through his golden chest fur, her small claws lightly grazing him as she did.

It was the lion who pulled out of their lip lock. He only had one word to say breathlessly. "Gia…"

"Yes?"

"What uh…what are we doing?"

"We are doing what friends cannot." Gia informed him. "Now you must lie down."

"G-Gia are you sure I'm the-"

"You are the change I have been seeking out, you are my very own trapeze Americano. Now lie down." Gia told him firmly.

Alex laid on his back for her and in return she got on top of him, their bodies pressing together. Again they found themselves staring into each other's eyes. The lion bit his lip. If they were going to do this then he had to get one thing out first. "Gia I- I think I…You know, I lo-"

The jaguar placed her own paw to his cheek and laughed. "Don't worry, I know."

Alex gave a smile. It was good she knew that he loved her. "I'm glad."

"Now, take me!" Gia instructed enthusiastically.

This was completely unexpected and much of a surprise for the lion. He blinked twice. "Take you?" Alex repeated incredulously. "Take you wher- woah!"

Gia flipped them over so the lion was on top of her, pulling him to her as she smiled up at him.

Alex breathed audibly and completely unsure, his paws on either side of her head holding him over her. Woah. This was…woah.

"Begin!" The jaguar told him.

"I- Are you s-sure you- You know…"

"Alex, I am sure. I am sure that I love you and I am sure what I want." Gia stroked his mane and tilted her head with a small smirk. "And I do want you, you are knowing." Her small paws rubbed over his chest, sliding down to hug his hips.

"Yeah," Alex nodded skeptically. "I'm knowing that pretty well right about now…"

The jaguar laughed and yanked him down by his mane, pressing their mouths together perfectly.

The lion pulled back. Still he had many doubts. Doing this was like a huge step right? Like REALLY huge! Like…the New York Knicks losing to the Golden State huge! He couldn't- they couldn't just do this like this! Could they? They could… She wanted to… He kind-of-sort-of…wanted to.

Alex just looked down at the feline beneath him. She was…amazing. She was enthusiastic and so full of life and beautiful. She was the perfect girl for him. They were like made for each other. A match possibly made in heaven. She-

"Alex," Gia brought his mind back to attention. "You are staring at me."

"I am? I- I am. Yeah. I was. I kind of…can't stop doing it."

"Then don't." The jaguar shrugged.

"Gia…"

"Look at me then and do not stop. I am ready." Gia said with a curt nod. She saw his hesitation and reassured. "You can go, Alex, it is okay."

"Alright…uh…" Alex look down between them, throat suddenly feeling very dry as he stared down at the jaguar's outspread body. It seemed that the temperature in the room dramatically increased. "Did it just get hot in here?"

Gia smiled at him playfully. "Perhaps it is just us."

The lion nodded. "Right…us. Forgot that fact." He took a deep breath and positioned himself a bit better. "Okay here we go…We can do this…" Alex murmured to himself as a pep talk. "I can do this…It'll be good." He placed himself at her entrance and he could have sworn he heard Gia sigh beneath him over the sound of his own frantic breathing. He paused and thought of something. "Gia…close your eyes."

The jaguar raised a brow but followed his request through, she closed her eyes and almost immediately felt the lion leaned down to connect their maws sweetly. She moaned as he finally pushed his head into her.

Alex froze, pulling back from her mouth. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine" Gia said, opening her eyes. "You are slightly above larger males."

"Oh so you've done this before?" The lion blinked.

The jaguar chuckled. "No, I haven't, but I would like you to keep going."

Alex nodded and pushed his length in a little more, not stopping at her small mewls. He was almost positive he was all the way in he could go when he stopped with a small groan. It sure was tight in there and with the way her face was scrunched up like that he thought he was hurting her. Oh man!

"Oh Alex, don't stop!" Gia cried, throwing her petite arms around his back and lifting up her own hips to help bring them closer together on the inside.

The lion began to slowly rock, in and out of the jaguar. His huge paws clasped around her small hips. They covered her whole waist almost. He thrusted into her, listening to the pretty cries and gasps she made as he did. Soon he started to feel his own pleasure creep up and so he continued to please the both of them.

"Alex! Oh Alex!" The jaguar clawed into his back, drawing a pained grunt from the male cat. She drew him in, wrapping her legs around his hips so he could go deeper. "I want more!"

Alex panted and went harder, deeper inside of Gia. He voiced his own pleasure in moans slightly louder than that of his other's. "Gia." He groaned out, feeling a pressure start to build. His previously shut eyes fluttered open to see his lover's face, the jaguar's teeth biting into her own lip in her pleasure.

As he gave another jostling thrust Gia could no longer hold back her crying out. He was doing so good with her and so gentle yet each time his head hit her spot she just wanted to scream his name louder. "Alex..! Alex I am coming!"

The lion sped up immensely, making her scream and shout out his name in almost shrieks. Alex felt his own climax rise within him. He thought he'd come alone just by the way she was chanting his name, so loud how much she wanted him.

Gia hit her end first, clutching Alex as tight as she could as she felt her orgasm rip through her. "ALEX!"

Alex moaned loudly as she clenched around him so much and with a final dive forward he came inside hot and fast. He shuddered and so did she, both lovers panting and breathing up their afterglow. Their eyes met, blue and hazel.

Gia wrapped her arms around his neck after he pulled out, and buried her face in his mane. "Oh Alex…" She sighed weakly and satisfied. Her cheek rubbed against his, and then she gave him a brief lick there.

The lion chuckled and hugged her back, rolling them over so he was on his back with her laying on him. The jaguar nuzzled into his chest, shutting her eyes.

Alex's paw absentmindedly went up to rub up and down her back. They caught their breaths together and it wasn't five minutes later that he noticed how calm and even Gia's breathing had become. She'd fallen asleep. He quirked a smile, lifting his head to give a kiss to her forehead. He hadn't expected to fall in love but it proved to be a welcome change.

"I love you Gia…" The lion whispered. A very welcome one indeed.