I own nothing. Not Nine Lives, not Ben Stone, Alex Petrov, Skyler Samuels, Chloe King...you get the idea. Trust me, if I own any of the above...Ben and Skyler wouldn't even know what shirts were.

She was breaking his heart. He could feel it. The fissures were eating away at him as he watched her move easily about the store. He had promised Jasmine he could handle this, watching over her as if nothing was wrong. And nothing truly was. She had asked for time to sort it all out. And he was damned if he didn't give it to her.

If I don't say this now I will surely break

As I'm leaving the one I want to take

Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait

My heart has started to separate

But he so desperately wanted to have her. His mind was losing its grasp on the feeling of her in his arms, the way her lips moved against his. He needed to feel her again. He needed her to be his. But he wanted her to become his by her own accord. He wanted to hear the words fall from her delicate lips, that she was his and his alone.

Be my baby

I'll look after you

Truthfully, he felt sorry for Brian. He would never admit that to anyone but himself, but couldn't help the slight guilt that washed over him occasionally. He knew what it was like to watch from afar as the girl you want was with another man. Though, he quite liked the way Chloe hadn't refuted him when he referred to Alek as her boyfriend. And someday, I will be. He smiled to himself as Chloe caught his eye briefly, before returning to her work.

There was something about her that set her apart from the other girls. Besides being the Uniter, of course. Maybe it was that she didn't fall for his cocky smirk or smoldering eyes the same way most girls, human and Mai alike, had in the past. Perhaps it was the slight gleam he saw in her eyes when she beat him in a race. Whatever it was, it made him feel truly at home for the first time in his life. She challenged him and pushed his buttons, but she also had such a warmth and grace about her that Alek wasn't sure how he hadn't fallen for her sooner.

There now, steady love, so few come and don't go

Will you, won't you be the one I always know?

When I'm losing my control, the city spins around

You're the only one who knows, you slow it down

He still couldn't believe he had told her about his families. Valentina knew, of course. But outside of that, he hadn't really liked to talk about it with anyone. Instead he built walls around himself, to keep from getting hurt. Walls that a certain young Uniter was slowly breaking down. He caught her eye once again and smiled a soft smile, one he reserved just for her. She blushed lightly and went back to her work, biting her lip shyly.

Be my baby

I'll look after you

If ever there was a doubt

My love she leans into me

This most assuredly counts

She says most assuredly

He attempted to finish the assignment before him. They had training tonight and he wasn't going to have much time for homework afterwards if he planned on getting any sleep. He was just about finished when he heard Chloe's heartbeat stutter slightly. His head snapped up immediately and his eyes searched the cluttered space for her. He hadn't been aware of just how close attention he was paying to her heartbeat. Though, he supposed it was a habit at this point. As he met her gaze, he noticed she was slowly making her way toward him, eyes on the floor watching her feet move one in front of the other.

When she finally reached the table after what felt like years, Alek could have sworn he had never heard a heartbeat so fast in his life. He glanced down at his watch, noticing how much time had passed since he started working. Chloe's shift was over and it was time to head out. He began silently packing up his things, getting ready to walk her home before training. As he stepped around the table and started toward the exit, he noticed Chloe was not following him.

Be my baby

I'll look after you

"Chloe?"

Her head shot up, mostly out of instinct, and she met his eyes tentatively. She bit down on her lip yet again, the sight nearly driving Alek mad. She was stalling, for reasons unknown to him.

"Are you ready to go?"

Once again, Chloe glanced down to the floor. She examined her shoes for a short second, while Alek's mind raced with possibilities. Suddenly, she met his eyes firmly. Whatever she had been looking for in those boots of hers, she had seemed to find.

Her voice was exuding confidence as she spoke, "I'm ready." A small smile stretched across her face slowly as she waited for the words to sink in.

At that moment, Alek knew she wasn't just talking about going home.

It's always have and never hold

You've begun to feel like home

What's mine is yours to leave or take

What's mine is yours to make your own

At some sort of compromise between human and Mai speed, Alek scooped her up in his arms. His heart soared when a giggle passed her lips. He lightly set her down, keeping his arms around her waist as her own found their way around his neck. They stood like that for a long while, softly smiling into each other's eyes. He was letting her call the shots on this one, he didn't want to push.

Painstakingly slow, Chloe tilted her chin up as she raised to her toes. At the same time, she lightly brought Alek's face down to meet her own. As their lips connected for the first time in what felt like ages, Alek swore he'd do anything to keep this girl safe. She was finally his, and he would forever be hers.

Be my baby

Cheesy, corny, sappy, mushy. I know. but I heard the song, got inspired...you know how it is. this is gonna stay a one shot unless I get more inspiration. but I think I moved it a little too fast for it to turn into anything more...but let me know what you guys think! (: