Alexander
by Thomas Mc
Authors Note: This is the story of Alexander, the impetuous great grandson of Vincent and Catherine, and how his actions changed *EVERYTHING*. This story is also a sequel to 'The Hunter'. (As always reviews and comments are welcome.)
Chapter 1 : First Encounter
April 2066
It was a fine April night. The trees were flowering and the air was sweet and full of the scent of the park. The full moon was out, casting a pale silver glow over everything. Alexander loved the park at this time of night, especially during a full moon. There were usually very few people out this late and he felt relatively safe as he strolled along its many pathways. The long dark green hooded cloak he wore was to shield his unique leonine features from prying eyes rather than as a buffer to the early spring chill that still lingered in the late night air. He stepped back into the shadows, the dark green cloak blending in to make him virtually disappear, as he sensed a young couple approaching along the path. From this vantage point, he watched them pass by, a soft smile spreading across his face. They were holding hands and he could feel their love for each other radiating from them like a beacon. The couple stopped, embraced each other and kissed, totally oblivious to their surroundings. Alexander melted into the woods giving them their privacy as he moved swiftly away, the afterglow of the couple's love leaving a warm joy in his heart.
A few minutes later, he came across another couple sitting on a park bench. This time it was different. She wanted the boy and there was a hint of desperation mixed into her desire as well. However, there was no love in the boy; there was only lust in his heart. Alexander knew that, even if the boy didn't drop her after he got what he was after, the situation could only eventually bring sadness for them both. He started to turn away then changed his mind when he felt a hint of darker emotions in the boy. He quietly advanced until he was as close to them as he could get and remain hidden. The dark emotions he felt in the boy were stronger now. For a moment, he contemplated the couple before him. Then he let go with a low menacing growl from deep in his chest. They both looked up startled. He growled again. The young man spotted Alexander's dark six-foot tall form in the shadows, yelped and bolted from the bench as though his pants were on fire. The girl turned towards him and emitted a frightened squeak as she sat there shivering, paralyzed in fear.
Alexander smiled as he watched the young man disappear around the corner. Coward! He faced the young girl knowing that she could only see his silhouette and spoke in his softest gravely voice. "If that boy really cared about you, he would never run off and leave you behind like that." He could feel her fear now mixed with confusion. "You should go home, and be more selective next time." Her confusion grew as the fear slowly faded. "Just be a little more patient, and you will find the right person for you."
'My god, I sound just like my parents.' He thought to himself in amusement.
Slowly the girl stood up, backed up several steps then began walking quickly away. When she had gone about fifty feet, Alexander stepped out of the shadows. At that moment, she glanced back at him and with a shock saw his face revealed by the moonlight. She immediately quickened her pace and soon disappeared around a curve in the path. All the way home, she continued to play that incident over repeatedly in her mind, her heart racing with a jumble of fright, wonder, and confusion.
In his nineteen years, Alexander had seen love in all its many forms. Being empathic, he could not avoid it. The love he had sensed in his parents and that first couple was very special and very beautiful. Being a romantic at heart, he wanted that type of joy for everyone though he knew that it was not that common. He hoped that young girl found hers some day.
Alexander turned and headed across the park. Best not to hang around in this immediate area now that he had been seen. He was getting close to the drainage culvert entrance near the band shell when he stopped dead. Tense, furtive, alert, half-hopeful watchfulness. The emotions were the unmistakable signature of a hunter. The question was what type of hunter. He had encountered that combination twice before. Once had been a private detective stalking another man. The other had been a man hunting for the elusive Lion-man of Central Park or Broadway Leo as some radio wit had dubbed that urban myth over twenty years ago. It had been a while since someone had come to Central Park searching for that very elusive creature. But there had been other times when that urban myth had caused serious hardship for his family and the tunnel community that sheltered them.
~ o ~
Alexander's grandfather had often told him tales about the Central Park Lion-man craze of 2041. It had been brought on when Grandfather's brother had stumbled into and surprised a large group of collage students in the park late at night. They had been there with their girls on a snipe hunt (necking party). The resulting craze had lasted nearly two years during which you couldn't go twenty feet without stumbling over one of the eager monster hunters. That time had been difficult for his family, severely restricting their access to Above.
His father told him that his mother had actually been one of those creature hunters. She had found her creature all right and he had married her. Alexander always enjoyed hearing his father tell that story.
~ o ~
Cautiously, quietly, he had crept up on the hunter. There in that group of trees and brush, entirely too close to the entrance to the tunnels. He caught a glimpse of the hunter's profile. It was a young girl that appeared to be about his age, or maybe a bit younger, very pretty, lying on her stomach behind a low bush. She was armed with a sophisticated looking digital camera and a zoom telephoto lens. He scanned the area; there was no one else near by. Alone in the park this late at night, no one to follow . . . definitely a creature hunter.
He didn't know what came over him, as he watched her, unseen, but he couldn't help himself. Alexander let his mischievous side emerge and slowly, stealthily, as only someone with his catlike grace could, he crept up until he was quite literally standing astride her prone form. She was concentrating so hard on the view through her camera that she remained completely unaware that the object of her search was standing directly over her.
He let out a low sound, halfway between a purr and a growl, deep in his chest.
She rolled over, looked up and emitted a tiny squawk of fear and surprise. He could clearly feel the surprise, terror, disbelief and awe fighting for supremacy in her mind, as she lay there paralyzed by shock. She was so beautiful with her flowing jet black hair framing delicate perfect features dominated by incredible eyes the color of a bright spring sky. The scene held for about two seconds then he reached down and snatched the camera from her nerveless hands so fast she could barely follow the movement. He quickly snapped off several pictures capturing all the emotions he could sense in her as they flashed across her lovely face.
He slowly lowered the camera and found himself staring entranced into her pale sky blue eyes. Alexander felt his own desire growing within himself and tried to suppress it. He was caught by surprise when he felt a flash of interest coming from her with just a hint of desire mixed in. His desire surged back stronger than ever with a hint of erotic flavor added as she gazed back up at him. Then he felt her desire rising up to meet his and taking on an erotic flavor of its own. He felt himself sinking deeper into those beautiful hypnotic blue eyes. A moment later surprise then embarrassment surged up within her and he realized that she was now sensing his emotions. Caught up in his own surprise and embarrassment he dropped the camera, backed up a couple of hesitant steps then bolted across the park.
~ o ~
Alexandra watched in shocked surprise and embarrassment as the creature bounded with an incredibly catlike grace across the park. He was moving faster than she would have thought possible. Belatedly she snatched up her camera and aimed it at the retreating figure hitting the zoom button. With her special low light zoom lens, she had a perfectly clear image as he glanced over his shoulder back in her direction. The shutter clicked and she again felt her desire flare up as she looked at the impossible face displayed on her camera. Looking up, she continued to watch until his retreating figure disappeared behind a corps of trees.
That creature had scared the crap out of her when she discovered him standing over her. But, rather than malice or violence, she had seen humor and mischievousness in his leonine face as he grabbed her camera and aimed it back at her. Then the creature had lowered her camera and there had been something in his bright green eyes that had reached deep inside her and grabbed her heart. She was irresistibly drawn to him as she found herself falling into those, incredibly, humanly compassionate emerald green eyes. The impossible was made even more incredible when she realize that she was feeling her own desires reflected back at her and being answered by his desire. They were feeling each other's emotions! Then surprise, embarrassment and flight when he realized what was happening.
In all of her seventeen years, she had never experienced anything like that before and she could still taste the emotions in the back of her mind. She shook off her daze and began carefully packing up her camera equipment; it had been a gift from her parents on her seventeenth birthday last November. There was no doubt in her mind, she would be back and she would find that fantastic creature again.
~ o ~
Alexander did not stop running until he was inside the old drainage culvert where he leaned back against the curved concrete wall, his mind awhirl with conflicting emotions. He was breathing hard both from his run across the park just now and from the intensity of his own emotions. How had that happened? He had always been able to sense other people's emotions, it was part of being what he was, but, except for members of his own family, he had never encountered a another person that could sense his emotions.
Finally, he had himself under control and triggered the hidden door to his subterranean world. As he moved through the tunnels toward home, his mind kept wandering back to that lovely face and those incredible sky blue eyes that seemed to bore into his soul. He entered the library, historical center of the community. Linda and Mother were both up late discussing the various orphaned and unwanted children that were currently under the tunnel community's care. There were a couple of abandoned kids they had recently taken in that were having problems. These people were experts at helping children like that work their way through their problems. Children always left here healthy, happy and well adjusted. This hidden community was a place where broken spirits came to be healed and renewed.
Alexander dutifully reported the presence of a creature hunter in the park then headed to the dining chamber for a quick midnight snack. Soon the news of a creature hunter was racing along the pipes, alerting the rest of the community of the potential danger.
Alexander felt his emotions in turmoil as he ate. He had intentionally let a hunter see him and he felt just a bit ashamed for that . . . but he couldn't regret the moment they had looked into each other's eyes and touched each other's souls. He was sorry and joyful and uncertain. Had he endangered the community and his family over a childish prank? Would he ever see those incredible eyes again? Who was she? Why did he always have to be so damned impulsive? He had always been guilty of rash impulsiveness. Before the only one it got into trouble was himself. Well . . . there was the occasional cohort on some of his more outlandish pranks. But this time his impulsive prank could have hurt everyone. Finally, he finished his meal and headed to his room.
As he sat in his room reading an old Anne McCaffrey novel, his father entered. Like himself, his father, William Chandler-Wells, appeared to be half lion and half human. And like himself, his father could sense the emotions of others, particularly his own children.
"What's bothering you Alexander. Is it the hunter? . . . Were you seen?" His eyes widened as he felt the answer in the shifting of his son's emotions. He gripped his son's shoulder as he sat down beside him. "I could feel your turmoil all the way at the mirror pool." He tilted his head to the side, much like his son often did. "Tell me about it." He settled himself to listen.
Alexander unburdened himself, telling his father what he had done and what had happened. He did not have to explain how he felt. His father could sense that for himself. He finally ran down and sat there staring at the floor. Letting a stranger see him was a minor transgression but letting himself be seen by a hunter could be a serious problem.
William sat there for a while mulling over what his son had told him and what the emotions that he had sensed coming from him for the last two hours told him. Finally he spoke. "You know what you have done and you understand the possible results." He again squeezed his son's shoulder. "We will have to restrict access to the park for a while until the danger has passed. I think being unable to go Above 'til things are clear will be hard enough on you as it is. We will say no more about it." He stood up. "See you tomorrow morning." He left his son's chamber.
~ o ~
Later that night William was lying with Patricia enfolded in his arms. He kept thinking about Alexander and what had happened.
"Will, is Alex OK?" Patricia asked. She had noticed her husbands distracted mood, which seemed to match what she had seen in her son earlier when he reported the hunter.
"I don't know for sure." He nuzzled the back of her neck. "Alexander let himself be seen by that hunter he encountered this evening." He sighed. "I don't think he told me everything . . . I think he was smitten by her."
"Is this going to be a problem?" She asked. "You know how he is."
"Yes, I know." He replied resigned. "I think there may be more happening there than we know."
She shifted to look into her husband's golden eyes. "A connection? . . . With a hunter?" She shook her head, worry and uncertainty filling her. "That could be real trouble, especially for Alexander. To be linked to a dangerous enemy." She shook her head. The tragic potential was enormous, especially for her poor Alexander.
William tightened his embrace giving comfort to his wife. "Let's not borrow trouble. I think it is best if we just wait and see what happens. It may all just come to nothing."
He had tried to sound positive but like his wife, he was uneasy. The potential danger to the community was relatively minor at present. They had weathered such storms before but the pain of a full-blown love that was not returned could become a terrible ordeal, especially for someone as young and inexperienced as his son. He knew from personal experience how tough it could be for someone who had already been through a few romantic connections.
Continued in Part 2
'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.
