Title : The Goodbye Girl
Author's Notes : Follows "New York". My version of the events prior to and during "Copycat Caffrey". A poor attempt in writing a possible romantic partner for Alex Hunter. Same rules apply...please be kind!
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the original characters. That honor belongs to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network. All rights to the song, "Feeling Good" belong to Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse.
Summary : The same people responsible for Kate's death now have Alex on their crosshairs. Who can she turn to for help? Also, she crosses path with a mysterious stranger. Could it be possible for her to fall for a man other than Neal Caffrey?
CHAPTER ONE
Alex's adrenaline was beginning to wear off. Her legs were tired and was starting to slow down. She was having difficulty breathing. She had been running for what felt like hours. Pfffzzztt She heard the sound of a bullet hitting the wall, barely missing her head. A reminder of the reason why she couldn't stop running at the moment. Three men dressed in black, armed with guns with silencers, have been chasing her in the streets of London late at night.
She turned left into an alley and looked for a place to hide. Another bullet whizzed past her hitting a lamp post this time. Alex tried to run as fast as she could, all the while looking for an open window, a crevice, any place she can use as a hiding place. She found a dark corner and hid there. The next thing she knew, someone from behind her grabbed her hand. She turned around to find out who it was. She found herself looking at a tall stranger in a long, dark grey coat. He didn't look familiar at all. The man didn't let go of her hand.
"Run!" the man said, as he pulled her onto the other side of the dark alley. So she did the only thing she could and ran.
FLASHBACK...
She left the hotel back in New York City, believing that she could finally go home to Budapest to be with her son. Once she was at the airport, she noticed men following her not far behind, watching her every move. She ducked inside the ladies restroom and stayed there for a while, knowing that those men won't be able to follow her inside without raising questions. By the time she came out, she no longer resembled Alex Hunter. Instead, she became Astrid Bronstad, a blonde flight attendant for Norwegian Airlines. Alex went past the men who were following her earlier, who fortunately, didn't recognize her in disguise. She kept on walking until she reached the terminal. She took a deep breath.
There's no turning back now! she thought. She boarded the flight from JFK to Bergen International Airport in Norway.
From the plane, Alex called Aretha to alert her of the situation. "It seems that its going to be a while before I can go back home!" Alex explained what had happened. About how the people who were after the music box were now after her. And how she now had a bullseye on her back.
"Just come home, Alex! We'll figure out what to do next once you get here!" Aretha told her.
"No! It's too risky! I'm not bringing danger to where I live! I won't endanger my friends' lives, nor my son's!" she explained. She continued. "I'll fix this, I swear! Just promise me one thing, Aretha! I want your word that no matter what happens, you WILL keep Nicholas safe! Please!" Alex pleaded.
"Alex, you don't even need to ask! You have my word! I will protect Nicholas at all cost, I promise! Just be safe! Watch your back!" Aretha said.
"Thank you, Aretha! I'll be in touch as soon as I can!" Alex promised. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she hung up the phone.
The chase that had started in New York didn't end there. Alex had been running for months now. Whoever was after the amber music box had very powerful reach. Alex found out that Kate had been killed in a plane explosion.
Poor Neal! He must be devastated! she thought.
But she had problems of her own at the moment. It seems like Alex was next on the hit list. She had mercenaries following her no matter were she went. She did everything, changed the way she looked, wore disguises. She went from one fake identity to another, from one international city to the next. Prague, Lugano, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Palermo, Barcelona. She couldn't go anywhere that those men didn't follow.
She was running out of places to go, not to mention resources. She had been keeping her contact with Aretha to a minimum. She was careful not to stay on the line long enough to be traced. She couldn't even use Asher's laptop because one of the goons had put a bullet in it back in Amsterdam. Alex was starting to run out of hope. If it weren't for the son whom she needed to get back to, she would've just sat there in the middle of the street and wait for those mercenaries to come and get her.
Alex's next stop was London. It was past ten o' clock there. She was very tired and was really looking forward to getting some rest at the hotel. She wasn't even out of the airport yet when she noticed three men in black clothing following her.
Oh, great! Here we go again! she thought.
She was hoping she didn't have to do any running until the morning after. But, as usual, the bad guys were one step ahead of her. So, she did her best to dodge the men in black. It was easy enough to do in a crowded place like inside the airport, but once they were outside, it became a whole different story. The men wielded and started using their firearms. As Alex ran, they kept shooting at her. Either those men were really bad shots or Alex still had a little bit of luck on her side because the bullets kept missing her, barely.
Alex kept running. The bad guys kept following. The shots kept coming. This cycle went on for a while. Alex prayed for someone to notice what was going on, for someone to help her get away. And it seems like someone finally listened to her prayers.
PRESENT...
The mysterious stranger was still holding her hand as they ran away from the men, who were now pursuing the both of them. More shots followed, barely missing them. Without letting go of her hand, the stranger reached for his gun and shot back. And they kept running again.
"Where are we going?" she asked the man.
"Just keep running, straight ahead! I have a plan!" the man replied, with a Scottish accent.
Alex saw what lied not too far ahead, they were about to run into one huge wall. "Straight ahead, right! I really would love to hear your plan now, since we're about to slam into the wall of one the towers of Westminster Palace!" Alex announced.
"I know! That's where we're headed!" the man answered.
"You're crazy!" she yelled at the man.
"We're not going to run INTO the wall! We're going to CLIMB it!" said the man, who finally let go of her hand. So they ran, building momentum. "On three! One. Two. Three!" said the man. They both jumped and started climbing the walls behind the House of Parliament, much like a pair of human spiders. They didn't stop until they've reached the top.
Once they were the roof deck, Alex finally took a breath. Her heart was beating madly as she glared at the stranger who had just helped her. The stranger noticed her staring at him.
"Hello!" the man greeted, as if nothing had happened.
"Do I know you?" Alex asked him, as she now had better view of the man.
"You'd want to KNOW me!" the Scottish man replied, grinning. His toothy grin revealed his pearly white teeth and gorgeous dimples, his smile reaching his beautiful blue eyes.
Well, hell, Alex! You're favourite flavor! she thought. "I don't have time for this! Thank you for saving my life, but I really must go now!" Alex said out loud.
"Yes, right! You're going to climb back down there? Is that your plan?" the man asked mockingly. "That's going to be a little tough. Look down." the man continued. As they both looked down, they saw the goons who chased them earlier being seized by the guards. "Whoops! You can't exactly shoot at the direction of the Palace of Westminster and expect the palace guards to look the OTHER way, can you?" the man said. Then, the sirens came. "That would be the good people of Scotland Yard, London's finest! In a few moments, this place will be surrounded!" the man continued. He turned to look at Alex. "So you see there, Miss! It looks like you're stuck in here with me!" he said.
There's that smile again! Alex thought.
The man finally introduced himself. "My name is James Hartnell. I usually go by Jack." The man extended his hand, gesturing for a handshake. Alex shook his hand, but didn't introduce herself.
"Jack? Not Jim?" she asked him.
"That's what my mum called me. And I never dared to question that woman's judgement!" he quipped. He walked closer to Alex. "Begging your pardon, but I never caught your name!" Jack inquired.
"I never threw it at you! Do yourself a favor, Jack. When this is all over, forget you ever saw me!" Alex said, as she walked away to check if the authorities were still in the vicinity.
"They're going to be there for quite a while. They have to take witness statements." Jack told her.
"We were the only witnesses!" Alex replied.
"Still, they have to look around. I believe they call that 'investigating'! If only to make sure this wasn't a terrorist threat!" Jack said.
"You seem to know a lot for a civilian!" Alex said, getting suspicious.
"Who said I was a civilian? Tell me your name." Jack asked.
Alex ignored him. "Where did you learn how to climb walls like that, Jack? 'Buildering' is not exactly a sport for regular people." Alex questioned him.
"From Her Majesty's Royal Marine Corp. I could ask you the same thing! Now, tell me your name!" Jack persisted.
"Well, let's just say that in my line of work, I'm used to clinging to buildings with my fingertips!" she answered vaguely, still not revealing her name.
"Ah! A thief! How exciting! Tell me your name." Jack asked again.
Alex ignored him again. She was still looking down the streets, studying how to get past the authorities.
"They're still there and they're not going anywhere anytime soon! What are you going to do? Sneak inside the House of Parliament and have some tea?" he challenged her.
Alex looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
"Tell you what, I'll stop pestering you, but only if you dance with me!" Jack negotiated.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Jack, but there's no music! Unless, of course, you're hearing things inside that head of yours!" Alex said mockingly.
"I'll sing to you! That will be our music!" Jack said.
"Oh, you'll sing to me now, will you? This I've got to hear!" Alex obliged to his request for a dance.
Jack put his arms around Alex's waist. Alex put her arms around his neck. With the light coming from Big Ben, she stared into Jack's eyes, quite hypnotized by their intense blue color. Even more mesmerizing was Jack's voice, as he started singing a song very dear to Alex's heart. Jack sang his own rendition of the song, Feeling Good, one of Alex's favourite. As their bodies swayed, Jack's husky voice permeated the air.
"Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good.
Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom on the tree
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good.
Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
And I'm feeling good.
Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good."
After he was finished with his song, Jack flashed Alex one of his 50 kilowatt smiles once again.
"I take it that you liked my song!" the Scottish man teased.
Alex could feel her face blush, but remained silent. Her heart was pounding inside her chest. A familiar feeling for her. All TOO familiar. Jack's hand caressed her face, his thumb and index finger slightly pinching her chin. They stared into each others eyes in silence.
Jack spoke first. "Now, will you PLEASE tell me your name?" he asked once more.
"Alexandra Hunter. You may call me Alex." she finally answered.
"See, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Jack said, grinning. "This is good. This is really, very good! Because as it turns out, you are EXACTLY the woman I've been searching for!" Jack continued.
Alex furrowed her eyebrows and started to panic and pulled away from him.
"No, wait, Alex! I'm not here to hurt you, I swear!" Jack said, trying to stop Alex from bolting. What Jack said next made Alex stop in her tracks. "Alex, a friend from back home sent me here to help you!" Jack said.
~END OF CHAPTER ONE~
Footnotes :
*I needed inspiration to write a character that could actually compete with Matt Bomer's portrayal of Neal Caffrey. I found it in John Barrowman. If anyone was to portray James Hartnell, it'd be him! Seriously, look him up and tell me I'm wrong! That dance scene in front of Big Ben was inspired by John Barrowman and Billie Piper's dance in "The Empty Child".
*Places Alex went to before arriving in London, England : Prague, Czech Republic; Lugano, Switzerland; Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Lisbon, Portugal; Palermo, Sicily; and Barcelona, Spain.
*Buildering is an extreme sport that involves climbing buildings, walls, and other artificial structures, usually without the aid of a rope or other climbing gear.
*"Feeling Good" is one Alex's fave songs. [Budapest]
*Seriously, who else would send Jack to help Alex? Three guesses, and the first two don't count! =D
***Thanks so much for taking time to read this chapter! I'll write the next one as soon as possible!***
