Alek could feel the floor trembling beneath him, the whole building shaking as Goliath's boilers were sending even more energy and power to the massive machine.
Alek stared down at Nikola Tesla's electrical walking stick, still clutching it in his own trembling hands. He had just killed Tesla with it, by electrocuting the scientist. It was a last, desperate attempt on Alek's part, to stop the mad man from releasing all the energy that Goliath had built up. He let the deadly object fall from his grasp, hearing a clanking noise as it hit the floor.
Alek felt he had no other choice but to kill Tesla, because if the man had released Goliath's stored energy, it would surely set the Leviathan ablaze. The airbeast—filled with flammable hydrogen and more than a hundred British soldiers—was too close to the enormous building and would not have enough time to get out of range.
Suddenly, Alek felt the building shake with an even larger tremor and saw a flash of light outside that was as bright as the sun. His eyes traveled to Tesla's lifeless body and noticed the man's hand was resting on a large button. It was the same button Alek had tried to stop him from pushing only a few seconds ago!
With a jolt of terror, Alek realized that Tesla must have landed on it when he'd fallen onto the control panel! The pent-up energy from Goliath was being released, escaping the machine instantaneously, hungry for a way out.
Suddenly his thoughts turned to his best friend, Deryn Sharp, the brave airwoman who was currently aboard the Leviathan. He stumbled forward and the shattered glass littering the floor cut his feet through the partially-melted soles of his boots; he barely felt the piercing sting of it. The cold autumn air swept through the broken windows and washed over his body as he reached the windowsill.
He looked into the night sky, barely comprehending what he was seeing. His jaw dropped and his stomach twisted with horror.
The Leviathan was a raging inferno in the sky!
The overwhelming amounts of energy Goliath was releasing had caused the hydrogen in the airbeast to ignite. Multiple explosions and blazes were erupting along the airbeast's skin.
As his mind fully realized what was happening, Alek screamed Deryn's name and his knees buckled beneath him. He landed on the shattered glass beneath him and felt it cut into his knees. However, the pain in his legs didn't even come close to matching the searing agony in his heart.
Not until this moment did he let his mind truly believe what his heart had known for so long. That he was in love with Deryn Sharp!
But this realization came too late. He knew that Deryn was dead now, along with everyone else on the Leviathan. He would never see her again, nor would he be able to tell her that he loved her.
His body shook with harsh sobs…
"Alek, wake up. Alek! Aleksandar, wake up!" Deryn said loudly, shaking the man beside her on the bed, attempting to wake him up. She had been abruptly woken from sleep by Alek shouting her name and sobbing—but all while still asleep, trapped in what seemed to be a horrific nightmare.
Alek sat bolt upright in bed, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, his cheeks wet with his tears. He looked around the bedroom, his eyes wide with fear. Coming through the window above the bed, the soft hints of dawn light provided just enough light for him to see. With a start, he suddenly recognized the outline of Deryn beside him.
"Blisters!" She swore. "Alek, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Her face showed her concern as she gently rubbed his back and shoulders.
"You're alive!" Alek exclaimed, sounding astonished.
Alek quickly reached out and drew her into a fierce hug. Relief flooded through him, realizing that it had all been a terrible nightmare. Deryn was alive! She had not died on the Leviathan in an exploding inferno. She was here in his arms, safe.
Though Deryn was curious about what he meant by that exclamation, she simply held him tightly. Alek buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply of her sweet scent. She spoke softly into his ear, trying to reassure him in her Scottish lilt, and lovingly ran her fingers through his reddish-brown hair.
When he had calmed, Alek told her of the terrifying dream that had haunted his sleep, so similar to the events that had happened nearly three years ago. Deryn gently pushed him away, holding his face with her hands; her blue eyes stared deeply into his shimmering green eyes.
"I'm right here, your princeliness, and I'm not going anywhere." She whispered to him, using her favorite nickname for him. She knew, full-well, that Aleksandar von Hohenburg was no longer a prince. Not since he had given it all up, abdicating his claim as royal heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne—just to be with her.
She drew his face to hers and softly kissed his lips, feeling him relax and lean into her. He deepened the kiss, their arms encircled each other, pulling themselves closer. His hand ran through her cropped blond hair, a feeling like electricity traveling over their skin. All the love they felt for each other was said with each kiss.
Finally, they both lay back on the bed, now slightly out of breath. Still wrapped in each other's arms, they were content to simply hold each other close.
Alek wondered briefly what Deryn was doing in his flat, or in his bed for that matter—considering they were not yet married. Then it came back to him, the night before.
Alek had invited Deryn over to his place for dinner. He had recently read about an Italian dish, called Lasagna, that he wanted to try. Over the past three years, Alek had come to realize that he rather enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes. This was a great thing, because Deryn hated cooking. It wasn't that she was bad at it, she could hold her own in the kitchen quite nicely. She simply enjoyed eating food, rather than cooking it.
The dish was rather tasty and seemed to be a big hit. At least, he took it as a good sign when Deryn had a second helping of the steaming entrée. Even Bovril had seemed to enjoy the meal, though the beastie was now happily munching on strawberries for dessert.
Soon, Alek and Deryn were clearing the table and putting the kitchen to rights. Regardless of what they wound up doing, the young couple—still the best of friends and strong allies—always had loads of fun. They told silly stories, joking and laughing with each other through their work.
Before long, they were both sitting on the plush couch in Alek's living room, Bovril contentedly curled on a pillow in front of the warm fireplace. Nestled together after a long day of work, they talked about anything and everything.
Alek and Deryn made a good team, in Dr. Barlow's and the Zoological Society's eyes. Because of this, they had been sent on various missions over the past three years. It was now early October, 1917, and Deryn still regularly posed as her alias, Dylan Sharp—acting as Alek's bodyguard, whenever the Society required the two member's services.
A few of those assignments had involved travel on airbeasts—much to Deryn's delight—and exciting adventures with Alek. Therefore, they were able to spend a lot of time with each other.
This particular day had been a long and exhausting one, full of translating important papers and running errands for the Lady Boffin and other members of the Zoological Society.
It was rather nice to have time just to relax and enjoy each other's company.
There was a lull in their conversation and Alek looked down at Deryn when she didn't respond to his question. He realized that she had fallen asleep, her head pillowed on his shoulder. She looked quite beautiful and whatever he had asked her, suddenly flew from his head.
He was quite distracted by her thin, warm body resting against him, her arms loosely wrapped around his waist. With her face mere inches from his, he found himself wanting to kiss her. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he didn't want to disturb her sleep. He settled for memorizing the lovely face he already knew so well.
After a few minutes, he decided to carry her to his room. He gently laid her on the bed, intending to go sleep on the couch.
Unfortunately, she woke when she felt the coolness of the sheets on her skin and was quite adamant about him staying with her. He eventually relented, but (gentleman that he was) chose to lie on top of the covers and drape an extra blanket over himself.
"Barking Clanker." She said with a chuckle, giving him a quick kiss as she snuggled close to him for warmth.
Alek brought his mind back to the present. He found himself being grateful that Deryn had fallen asleep in his flat and that she had been so adamant about him staying with her. If he had woken up alone, after such a vivid nightmare, he feared that he would have believed Deryn was dead. He held her a little closer and kissed her forehead.
Bovril suddenly jumped onto the bed and climbed onto Alek's ribs. The creature must have been woken up by the ruckus coming from the bed a few minutes ago.
"Safe! Mister Sharp." The creature said. Alek reached his hand down and scratched the creature behind the ears, while Deryn stroked its back. It purred softly, enjoying the attention.
Knowing that all was well, and feeling the warmth of Deryn in his arms, Alek let his eyes drift closed. The three fell into a peaceful slumber a few minutes later.
Note: I hope this story was enjoyable! All credit goes to the amazing Scott Westerfeld!