***Author Note***
I'm in a super AlvinxLeia mood after playing Xillia 2, but in pretty much all of the fics I'm writing about these two, I am in the headcanon that Alvin and Leia have some sort of relationship. Something greater than friends but not quite officially a couple. I think it's on the line of "Friends with benefits," except they're the only two that they kiss with. Something like that. Anyway, almost all my AlvinxLeia fics will be written with that in mind.
Also this has Spoilers for Alvin's Character chapter 4, seeing as it takes place right after.

Not too long ago, Alvin had left the Fennmont hotel to clear his head and file his report to Spirius on the fractured dimension, leaving a concerned Leia and Ludger behind. After the events of the fractured dimension, especially seeing his former self, Alvin did not have the clearest of heads. Ludger looked at Leia with concern as he placed his hand on his hip. She had her hands behind her back and her head lowered – was she crying? Ludger sighed and quietly spoke, "Hey…" Leia's eyes slightly looked up, with a bit of a sparkle in her eyes. She flashed Ludger a soft, painful smile, which only made the concern on his face grow. "Are you-"

Leia nodded. "Yeah I'm okay. A lot better than Alvin for sure," Leia sighed and crossed her arms. "But… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried."

"Maybe you should go after him?" Ludger had stepped closer to her. The suggestion wasn't far-fetched, but she knew it would be better to leave Alvin alone for now.

Leia gave a gentle shake of her head. "What he needs is time alone. But, what I can do is give him a quick reminder of where he belongs." Leia smiled at Ludger, who mirrored the gentle smirk. "I…" She gently shifted her eyes, her cheeks turning a little red. "I already booked a room for Alvin and me here at Fennmont…" Ludger's smile grew. She looked at Ludger, slightly blushing. "So um, like… If you have something to do tonight elsewhere, don't wait for us! Okay?"

Ludger nodded and gave Leia a sincere smile. He gently put his hands on Leia's shoulders and smiled at her. "If you need anything, call me." He let go of the younger girl's shoulders and left the hotel, making sure to turn around and wave at Leia before he actually left.

She nodded and held her hand close to her chest, and she went to the food vendor right next to the innkeeper to buy some pre-cooked meals. After she had a bag full of food, she decided to walk up the stairs to her room. She had already booked the room and told the innkeeper that the other room key was for Alvin, who as she described, was a shady looking businessman. Unlocking the door to her hotel room, Leia flipped on the lights and sighed at the outcome of the room. One bed. It was a big bed, but there was still only one. At least there was a couch and a table. Leia slowly closed the door behind her and rolled her sleeves up. "All right Leia, let's do this!" Determined and motivated, she brought the food to the table and organized it in a fancy way. All she bought were two servings of a beef bowl, and for dessert a peach pie to share, which she set on the side of the table. The two beef bowls were already steaming hot, so they needed to cool down. Leia sat on the couch and leaned back, awaiting Alvin to come back to the hotel. She had no doubt in her mind that he would return to the hotel to get rest.

After having time to think, Alvin had returned to the Fennmont hotel. He looked to the right where he had left Leia and Ludger standing, but of course they were both gone. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed – he must have taken longer than he thought. Alvin walked up to the counter and rang the obnoxious sounding bell for service. The innkeeper came out from the back and smiled, and then stared at Alvin up and down. Shady looking businessman? "Alvin?" The innkeeper spoke.

Alvin cocked an eyebrow, rather confused. How did the innkeeper know him? "Yes…?" He was being extra cautious.

"Oh good! Here!" The innkeeper handed Alvin a key. "Somebody already reserved a room for you. It's on the second floor," The innkeeper smiled as he held his hand out, just waiting for Alvin to take it.

Still confused, Alvin hesitantly grabbed the key. He wasn't about to pass up a free room. He nodded and walked up the stairs to where the innkeeper directed him. Maybe Ludger and Leia had gotten a hotel room and were waiting for him there. Alvin couldn't help but smile at this thought – it was much more than he deserved, but knowing that someone cared that much…

He sighed and unlocked the door. If Only, he thought to himself. Seeing Presa and his former self in the fractured dimension set him off in ways… well, ways that he didn't even realize could be set off, and it definitely put a damper on his mood. Alvin gently opened the door and a delicious aroma filled the room. He took off his suit jacket and hung it up on the small hook on the front door. He then looked toward the other side of the room to see a young girl on her side, lying on the couch and just free of all thoughts. Alvin couldn't help but gently smile at the display.

He loosened up his tie and sat down on the floor, cross legged and unwrapped the utensils next to the food, not keeping his eyes off of Leia. The food was a beef bowl. "Hey snoops," his voice seemed to jar Leia, as she perked right up.

Her hat fell off and her hair was a little sloppy and she may have had a little bit of drool on the corner of her mouth. "A-Alvin?" She seemed almost surprised. Leia rubbed her eyes with her sleeves and looked at the older man. He began eating.

"Hey, it's still warm. I guess I wasn't gone that long," He grinned at Leia as she hurriedly unwrapped her utensils and began eating too. Between slurps, he continued the conversation, "Where's Ludger?"

"Oh that…" She spoke between slurps. Leia wasn't the most graceful of eaters, and she spoke with mouthfuls, but it was a bit endearing in a way. "Ludger went to check on the others. It's just you and me here."

Alvin stopped his hand midway between the bowl and his mouth, a little surprised to hear this. "Just… me and you?"

Not even realizing the kinds of context that brought to Alvin's head, Leia simply nodded as she stuffed her face. "Yeah. I didn't want to get in the way of Ludger… with the way I am now…" She set the utensil down and shifted her gaze to the peach pie. "For dessert… um… I got peach pie."

Alvin dropped the utensils into the bowl and stared to his right, seeing the delicious peach pie just asking to be eaten. However, happiness and joy was what he did not feel at the moment. The peach pie - the catalyst to bring his emotions to a full jolt and cause him to slump back to how he felt only about an hour earlier. All the pie did was remind him of his mother, and inevitably remind him of his past. His smile drastically changed as thoughts poured into his head. He abruptly stood up, almost knocking the food over. Leia jumped up, concerned.

"Alvin… a-are you full? I can put it in the fridge to preserve it-"

"No that's okay," Alvin appreciated what she was doing for him, but at this moment the last thing he wanted was to see her, or anyone for that moment. He turned around to walk toward the bed, only to feel a gentle pull of his arm. He slightly looked down toward the girl, who was noticeably shaking.

"Alvin… what's wrong? You're not… yourself," Leia's head was down – she was trying to fight back the tears.

"I wonder why that is. It's enough to have to shoot down a past version yourself, let alone watch yourself kill the only serious girlfriend you've ever had!" Alvin barked back at Leia and practically pushed her off his arm.

He… didn't mean to say any of that. Which is why he was trying to get away from Leia, so he wouldn't lash out at her like that, but that is exactly what happened. Leia fell onto the table, knocking the two beef bowls over, but the peach pie was safe. She looked back at the mess, and then looked back at Alvin, determined. He looked back at her – he hated that look she gave him. It was the same look she gave when she was protecting Jude from him – that determined, "I'm going to hurt you," look. The look Alvin felt he deserved more than anything.

"Then tell me what I can do to make it better!" Leia yelled back. "That's why we're here- why I'm here! So you don't ever go back into that slump again. But you have to let us… you have to let me in!"

Alvin clicked his tongue and put his hand to his head, turning away from Leia. "Tcht, maybe I don't want to let anyone in." An obvious lie. "Maybe I just want you to leave me alone." Another obvious lie. Alvin looked at Leia, tears about to form in her eyes, and then walked toward the bed, not saying another word. He wanted to be alone – an hour was just not enough time to cool his head. He sat down on the bed and undid his tie, letting it hang loosely on his shirt. He stared down at his hands that he clasped together, thinking about the fractured dimension that they had just come from. What could have been – he and Presa could have been together, but at what cost? At a relationship built by lies, but it was the only thing he really knew. The only love outside of motherly love that he knew, and it bothered him.

What bothered him even more than that was when he saw his past self shoot Presa – that could have been the Leia and Jude of this timeline. One false step, one screw up, and those two would have been gone. Alvin clenched his fists tight and buried his face in his hands. What was wrong with him? He spent a year building up this confidence and courage to stay by everyone's side, but with just one fractured dimension, everything he remembered about himself and his past crept up. What was the real him anymore? Who was he trying to fool? He was a bad guy, a traitor, and a bastard – those facts never changed, so why did he try to think otherwise? All these cold facts about himself came to light. He didn't need to see Leia anymore – she was too good for that.

Stuck in his thoughts, he lifted his head from his hands and looked up, getting a swift smell of delicious peach pie. He saw the person he dreaded the most walk closer to him with a small piece of peach pie on a flimsy plate, and she gave it to him. She sat down next to him and looked at the wall, not at him. He stared at the girl, then back at the pie, then back at Leia, then at the pie again. He took a bite and smiled, "It's… not as good as my mom's, but…"

"I'm sorry," Leia quietly said.

"Sorry?" Alvin looked at her, confused. He acted like a child and she was sorry? "What the hell are you sorry for?"

She wiped her tears with her sleeves. "It was selfish of me to think… that I could be of any help to you. I should have left you alone. I know I can't ever be the girl you're dreaming of, or the person who can be closest to you, but I want to at least try… Maybe it's selfish to want to prove to myself that I…" She blushed and looked opposite of Alvin.

He sighed and set the pie down on the stand next to the bed. "It could have been you…" He said, quietly and solemn.

Leia, confused, looked over to Alvin. "Huh?"

"I could have killed you…"

Leia shifted her gaze. Why was he bringing that up now? "But you didn't…"

Alvin shook his head and grabbed Leia's hand in both of his. "That… had been eating away at me this whole time. After seeing Presa get shot I," he struggled to get his words straight. "I realized that I could have killed you. When I shot you, if it was only a few inches closer to your chest, if I mis-stepped, if I aimed in a different direction, if I-"

The next thing that happened was what Alvin was least expecting. A cold hand across his cheek. He slowly looked at her. "What if this? What if that? Alvin, that's all in the past!" His eyes widened. "I won't lie and say that… sometimes it still scares me, but you didn't kill me and now…"

"But I could have."

Leia shook her head. "But you didn't! The fact that…" She blushed and looked away. "… Well, the fact that you're so shaken up about it means… you really do feel bad. Even after a year." Leia smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "Is that why you…"

Alvin nodded. "I lashed out at you hoping to drive you away…" Alvin put a hand to his head. "Who am I kidding though? You wouldn't go away even if I was swinging my gun at you."

Leia scowled at him. "Not funny Alvin."

"Too soon?"

She glared and then sighed. "But… why would that bother you Alvin? Even more so than seeing Presa?" Leia was a bit confused.

"Because…" Alvin blushed, which was something he was not familiar with doing at all. "If I didn't have you to knock some sense into me, I-"

Leia's face turned bright red and she jumped up, flailing her arms in front of her. "N-no, I didn't do anything at all. I just-"

Alvin smiled at her, as gentle as she'd ever seen before. "No one else would stay behind to make sure I ate properly, or stick around after I knocked them onto a table of hot food." He shook his head. "Even before tonight, you…"

Leia blushed and leaned in closer to Alvin, kissing him and stopping him from his words. She gently let go and shifted her gaze, a little embarrassed. It's not like it was the first time the two had kissed, but this time seemed a little more… emotional. "Alvin, please promise me that you won't ever think of the past again, okay?"

"That's asking a bit much."

Leia shook her head. "If you do think of it, think of it fondly." She smiled and stood up straight, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't let it eat at you, okay? Because…" She sighed, "And maybe it's selfish, but it pains me to see you this way. Like everything we did was for nothing – everything you've been through was for nothing if you let the past consume you. And I know that isn't true." Leia flashed a big grin toward Alvin.

Alvin smiled and clasped his hand on Leia's tie, bringing her closer to him and locking lips with her. However, this endeavor seemed to fail since the two clumsily fell off the bed, Leia gently lying on top of Alvin all while they still had their lips locked. Leia released the kiss and nearly panicked from the position she was on. However, Alvin wrapped an arm around her back, keeping her securely in place, while placing his other arm behind his head, resting and looking at the ceiling. Leia rested her head on Alvin's chest, listening closely to his heartbeat, which seemed to be beating slightly fast.

"A-Alvin, we should get up!"

Alvin tightened his grip on her. "Nah, I kinda like this better." Leia stopped trying and just rested her head. To be honest, she did too, but it was still a little embarrassing. "You're right Leia. The past is the past. It… still hurts but, how can I hope to move ahead if I'm stuck in there." Alvin closed his eyes in thought. "Presa was my first relationship, but it was built on lies. We had a connection but," Alvin opened his eyes and stared down at Leia, who had her eyes on Alvin's face the whole time, well as much as she could. "I still don't know if what I felt for her was what she felt for me." He shook his head. "I don't regret the time I spent with her though, but…" He kissed the top of Leia's head, which surprised her. "I can say this with the utmost honesty; what I feel for you now is genuine and different," He smiled. "That's a good thing, since I've never had genuine feelings like this before." He then sighed, "Leia… you really are too good for me."

She hated how he would talk down on himself like that. "That's not true at all and you know it. So please, Alvin, don't say anything like that anymore. Please?"

Alvin sighed, "It's easier said than done but…" He smiled and tightened his grip around Leia. "With you around, it might just be possible."

Leia chuckled. This was comfortable; this was right. Forget about the "what ifs" and "what could have beens." Hearing Alvin say it reaffirmed her belief. Even though she had those strong, one-sided feelings for Jude, even though somewhere in a fractured dimension, she could have been with Agria, those feelings were not as strong as the ones she felt right here and now. It took a lot to get here – Leia would be damned if something like being tossed into a table would stop this wonderful relationship her and Alvin had started.

"Hey Alvin," Leia quietly said, making sure they didn't doze off.

"Hmm?"

"There's only one bed… how are we going to sleep?"

"Yeah… it's not like two people could fit on that bed," the sarcasm was clear. That is exactly what Alvin had intended. Normally, Leia would have minded, but now she didn't. The ordeals they faced together was proof enough that they needed each other. Maybe it was okay to take their relationship to the next level. At least, that's what Leia wanted, and she was almost certain that's what Alvin wanted. This was where they both belonged.