Okay...disclaimers: yup there are some. I own nothing..repeat nothing. If two cats, an iPod, a laptop and a couple hundred books are what you're looking for - sue away. But ya know..please don't lol. Uhmm...yeah, this is obviously making use of the D:TNG characters Alex and Paige, this is by no means a reflection upon the personalities or thoughts of the actual actresses, Miss Collins and Miss Casaluce. So, that's about it. This my first online fan-fic so be gentle, but negative reviews are welcome, as well as positive lol.

-shalamar-

Complex Simplicities

It struck Alex as ironic that it was always the simplest of situations, that were the most difficult to face. "Go on, Paige. Just go." Blank, blue eyes turned upon her, "Excuse me?" her girlfriend replied, a slightly stunned expression affecting her countenance. They were standing on Main Street, the darkened winter sky behind them, a sniff to the air and those, with experience, could smell the snow that would soon fall. "You heard me. Leave." Alex answered, this time slightly more forceful, stamping her feet to keep out the cold; she watched Paige closely as her words finally sunk in, Paige's eyes widened, her face tightened, her small, delicate hands trembled before defensively clenching into stark, white fists, for once devoid of gloves, – but of all, what Alex couldn't turn away from were those eyes, where hidden tears threatened to fall. "You're breaking up with me? All because I said I love you?" The key to Paige's emotions were behind her emotional eyes and light tone, at the moment the barely-hidden forceful nature of the words and her struggle in finishing the sentence told Alex everything she needed to know.

"That's right. Why are you still here?" Alex couldn't understand why this was so painful; after all she was doing it out of love. She couldn't love anyone more than Paige but yet she was turning her away. 'It's for the best.' She chanted to herself, 'for the best.' "But Alex, I" a long pause, fell between the two young women, Alex watched as Paige steeled herself, "I love you." Arrow heads tinged with poison, struck at Alex's vulnerable and un-protected heart; those three little words, meaning and saying so much while only taking a few seconds to utter. "More fool you then," was the stoic reply and again Alex watched Paige. She took in the defensive stance as unstable hands crept around to encircle the feminine waist of their owner, the quivering lips and the quiet convulsive gulps preventing the tears from falling; ocean-blue eyes cast upwards towards the sky, and then suddenly they were on her, that penetrating gaze stilling the raven haired teen in her place. All around them time seemed to slow and the surroundings of the busy street fell away, fading the noise into a quiet hum. "Fine." And with that last word, blonde hair whipped around from a simple spin of the heel as Paige walked away from Alex.

It felt like years, when in fact it was only an hour, before Alex found the ability to speak. On the now dimly-lit and peaceful street, words shattered the well kept silence. A pain-filled voice uttered the final speech as if the world had truly come to an end; and in the circumstances, for Alex, it probably had. "I love you." Yet the utterance went unheard, as planned. While a silent, warm tear pealed down Alex's face, faster than European drivers – it came to her again how much she hated the fact that it was always the most simplest of situations, that were the most difficult to face. Alex gave once glance over to the direction her friend had disappeared by, but, defeated, and with a stubborn hand scrub to her darker face, she turned to return home.

A full moon watched over her, as she quickly stumbled through the illuminated empty streets towards her mother's apartment. It was then the snow began to fall, and with it came the promise of second chances, of healing hearts but most of all, as the snow fell – two miles in the other direction Alex was currently heading, a pair of sorrowful blue eyes stared up at the sky, needles piercing at her heart, tear tracks the only marks of continued sadness as the recent loss cut deep into her soul. The moon was her guiding light as she softly whispered into the night, "Oh Alex, why can't you love me?" A keen ear would have picked up the word use, 'won't' would have implied a conscious inability to love, while 'can't' stressed a general inability to ever let go of the final wall, which the solemn blonde knew was the last defense left that stood as a guard over her true love's vulnerable heart.

A low buzzing alerted Paige to Marco's returning call. "Paigey, what's up? I just got your message. You sound really down." Paige drew in a labored breath of an age old worker, and sighed softly. Marco caught it, "That was a pretty big sigh for such a peppy lady. Wanna share?" Paige smiled her first real smile since her encounter with Alex, granted it was hesitant, and only small; but all in all, the soft curving of her lips, though stained with tears, was an emotional breakthrough even Freud would have been proud of. "Alex," she whispered, the name was still like a caress to her lips – the traitors! "Oh, P. What's going on with my favorite girls?" Marco's kind voice was enough to spark off the tears again, and Paige bit her lip in vain to prevent the sobs from ringing out across her cell.

"We broke up, or rather, she broke up with me." There was a stunned silence from the other end, as Marco tried to digest what his best friend had just told him, however, at the moment he was struggling as the words refused to break into smaller, more comprehensible pieces. "She did what?!" he cried out, before he could stop himself. 'Shit. That's probably not what she wants to hear del Rossi.' "Do you want me to come over?" Paige looked to the sky again, pleading with gravity to kick in and stop the tears that were fighting to break out of her ducts, like a raging river enclosed by a dam. "Uhmm, no. I'm just…you know." Paige whispered. "Okay, P, I'll be at your locker bright and early with hot beverages and enough carbs to frighten even Heather Sinclair!" Paige smiled weakly and, after a subdued goodbye to Marco, disconnected their call. She settled into the silence of the night, staring at the moon which was eerily glowing, a powerful, luminous white.

Suddenly, as if upon command her cell let loose the only song she truly wanted, while not wanting it at all, to hear – "Let me hold you, girl caress my body, you got me going crazy you, turn me on, turn me on!" "Alex?" Paige said, to no-one in particular; time seemed to slow down as she reached for her cell and flicked it open before fearfully pressing it to her ear, "Lexi?" there was a palpable silence before a clearly scared, but trying to cover it with her usual false bravado, voice replied "Yeah. Uhmm…I wanted." There was a pause, and then "Uhmm…that night, on our anniversary – you remember, I promised that I would never let you…" she trailed off and dutifully, Paige filled in the rest "go to sleep alone or sad. Especially not sad, because beautiful girls like you should never bother with sadness." Paige's knuckles clenched as she reminisced over the perfect anniversary date that Alex had created for her.

She sighed heavily, and Alex replied softly, "Baby, I know I'm probably like the last person you wanna hear from but…a promise is a promise." Those final heart-felt words from Alex were the final straw, the dam which had been constantly undergoing the strain of the raging water broke, and the river flowed cleanly through with nary an obstruction to fault it. "Oh baby, please don't cry. Please don't. I hate to hear you cry." Paige hiccupped and whispered the only question she wanted an answer too, "Why, Lexi? Just tell me why." Alex sighed to herself and looked up to the luminescent moon, praying to Gods she didn't believe in for strength. "Trust me Princess, it's better this way. I can never be the girl…person that you need. We're destined for two truly separate walks of life." Paige's mouth fell open, her 'reluctant to mention the future' girlfriend – ex-girlfriend was ranting about their ill-fated loves, like they were some kind of modern Romeo and Juliet. "That's why? That's it?! You think that we can't be together 'cause I deserve some guy that's gonna be from my social circle?!" As Paige's tone began to rise beyond hysterical, Alex flinched as she knew the verbal assault Paige would surely unleash upon her was about to start, and answered with a weak "Yeah."

"What the hell, Lexi?! That is utter crap! I don't give a flying fuck, what the fucking 'Fates' say about us! This isn't fucking Camelot, and you're not some gallant knight! Stop being so fucking chivalrous about us and fucking feel! I love you, do you get that Nuñez? I love you." "Paige, please. Don't. This is hard enough." Alex began to shake as Paige's heartfelt, pain-ridden words struck at her soul leaving gaping wounds. "Don't? Did you just tell me don't? Alex, who the fuck do you think you are?" Alex opened her mouth, trying to find the perfect words to say, but stopped when she heard Paige's renewed wracking sobs. "Oh baby. Shh..." but the phone had fallen from Paige's hand, in her distraught state. She gave one final glance at the moon and stumbled over to her bed, still fully dressed as her tears seemed to possess her and take control of any thoughts. She was blind to anything; such was the greatness of the waterfall of emotion controlling her lithe, gymnastic body. She collapsed onto her bed, fully expecting to wake up from this horrible nightmare, with Alex's arms holding her protectively so as to keep her safe from the demons of the night.

She didn't know how long she lay there, or how it happened, but as if she had always been there – she felt Alex's arms wrap around her and gently cover her with the down coverlet; her ex-girlfriend's body slid in beside her, stubbornly encasing her in tanned, strong arms, somehow still managing to keep her safe. Yet if Alex had been able to see into Paige's currently addled mind, she would have realized the thing or, person, the feisty blonde most feared was not Dean, her older and darker tormentor, but in fact it was Alex herself. However, too drowsy to sense this, Alex pulled Paige closer, hating herself for selfishly indulging in the intoxicating smell of Paige, and the warmth of her body that was constantly a comfort for the usually cold brunette. And as if planned, both girls fell into that heavy sleep that only came after immense sadness; that dormant slumber that was dreamless, un-fulfilling and nowhere near in the stretch of the human imagination at all healthy. And, for a moment, both girls unconsciously enjoyed the feel of the body beside them, as it was the final reminder of what they had both lost – one through a selfless, yet blind, act, and the other, through being born on the right side of the tracks.

The moon, now finally void of the intense scrutiny of one pair of blue eyes, and one pair of hazel, relaxed. White, fluffy clouds – the clouds of young, childish dreams – passed lazily over it, briefly dimming the bright light that had been cast over Degrassi Street. Unseen by Alex and Paige, as well as the majority of the small community, the relaxing snow which had begun to fall in a light flurry, suddenly began to fall thickly and furiously as if raging a war with enemies unknown. The torrents of sparkling ice swirled and twirled to an imaginary sonata, with calming lyrics and soulful notes that belied the stormy, elemental battle. In less than ten minutes the streets had become engulfed in the delicious snow. As it was trampled and squished by inattentive and intoxicated night-time ramblers, mainly consisting of baggy-clothed hoodlums, the snow settled and the music, that had been inaudible to start with, ended with a resounding crescendo – worthy of Mozart himself.