A/N: Chapter two: Hell on the Throat. I do plan on continuing this. It won't be terribly long, but it shouldn't be too short either. I know Lauren Oliver doesn't believe in happy endings, but I do. Well, not really, but I don't think you can make people fall in love with characters without giving them a full story. We, as readers, need to know. I am no Lauren Oliver, but I will try my best. And I cannot find my copy of Delirium. I lent it to my sister before she left on vacation to Ireland, so I may never see it again. I am unsure of whether or not Alex and Lena have actually discussed the real Bible before, but let's just take artistic license into full effect here. They have never talked about it, and Lena does not know what it is. There. Read and Review, and most importantly, please enjoy.


Hell on the Throat

One last tug, one last push. My breath catches halfway out of my mouth. A tingling starts in my toes and causes my body to convulse upwards. The feeling spreads throughout my body, fuzzing my brain even more. I fling my arms around Alex's neck to steady myself as his hands grip the discarded clothing beneath us. He groans into my neck and shivers, pressing his lips against mine one more time before collapsing.

The motion brings me down as well, but I am too hazed to register the feeling of the fabric underneath my back. All I feel is Alex, sweaty on top of me. He pants in my ear and it gives me a warm feeling. I expect to feel different in some way, but aside from a throbbing between my thighs, which is not entirely unwelcome, I am the same girl. God did not smite me and Alex has yet to run.

"I love you," he whispers, his voice thick and throaty as if he needs to cough. I pull hard on his back, bringing him closer to me. He slowly lowers himself down, pressing his entire weight against me. Our chests meet and I do not mind the uncomfortable feeling of pressure against my breasts.

Alex ruffles a bit above me, fiddling his hands behind my back. He grabs my sides roughly and twists us around so I am now on top of him. He smiles up at me, childishly.

"I love you too, by the way," I mumble into the air, looking down at him. I begin to move my right hand through his hair, gliding over the sticky caramel until I reveal his forehead in full. It glistens with the light sheen of satisfied sweat.

"Good," he replies, cupping my face gently. Silence spreads across us like a blanket. It is not awkward. Not scared. Not forced or angry. It is happy and content.

Through the silence I am able to think. I try to push away thoughts of family and of Hana and focus plainly on the young man whom I love. So that was sex, I try to casually think. I force the words out even in my mind, though. Old habits die hard. And then my mind wanders, what would Hana say to me? Would she scold me? Or hug me?

And then a darker thought, Would she turn me in? Turn us in?

No, don't be stupid. She loves you and loves you with Alex. And besides, I think more sorrowfully, she isn't here to discuss it with me.

Alex must notice my somber expression because he leans up and kisses me. Not on the lips, but on the cheek. It is his sign that he is there. He did it when we would be locked up in 37 Brooks Street. He never said anything when my eyes got glossy, but he would kiss my cheek softly and bring me back to him. Now he does it to reassure me, to tell me with no words that this was not a mistake. We have made our decision and it is final.

"We should probably get dressed. Or at least find a stream to bathe in," he says after the long period of silence. I stare at him, a grunt escaping from my lips in protest. My eyebrows furrow in mock disgust and I cross my arms best I can across my chest. He laughs then, a hearty laugh that forces me out of my pretend sorrow. "Come on," he says as I roll off of him. He sits up, stretching, allowing his muscles to become taut.

"Are you flirting with me?" I tease, staring at his arms as they bulge with strength.

"You still don't know what flirting is," he whispers, shaking his head as he leans in again to kiss me. My belly bubbles at the feeling and he brings me closer to him, gathering my hair in one hand and holding my waist with the other.

I am the first to break the kiss. "We need to find water," I say, standing up. I brush crushed leaves off of my sticky body and realise that I am perfectly okay with being naked in the wilderness with Alex at my side. I refuse, absolutely and stubbornly refuse, to allow any thoughts that don't have to do with Alex in my head. It reminds me of a song I heard playing once when I was with Alex. It was not on the Approved list of songs and it moved me in ways none of the actual Approved ones could. "I don't care what you think as long as it's about me." He explained to me that the hidden message behind the song was that the generation before was so obsessed with themselves that people tended not to mind what was being spread about them, as long as it mentioned their name.

Right now, I don't care what Alex is thinking, I just hope it's about me.

"You're okay walking around like Adam and Eve?" He asks quietly, disturbing the silence. My face must contort someway because he laughs and adds, "You don't know who Adam and Eve were?" Anyone else would make that statement sound like an insult, but Alex's voice smooths over the words and I know he isn't trying to make me seem stupid.

"Who were they?" I respond, standing still.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure if they were real. The Bible seems to think they were, though," he stares at me again in silence. "Don't tell me you also don't know what the Bible is," he laughs again silently, allowing shivers to convulse his body. I shake my head no.

"My dear Magdalena," I melt in place at the way he says my name. He moves over to me, lowering his voice even more into what I assume is meant to be a seductive whisper. It works. "The Bible is this thing written thousands of years ago telling stories of this great man called God, his son Jesus, and their friend The Holy Ghost. The Holy Trinity," he laughs humorlessly, gripping my bare waist. Moisture forms again at the base of my stomach. "Adam and Eve were the first people on this earth created by God to be his people. They walked around like we do now," he gestures his head around us in an overtly enthusiastic way, swiveling until he looks down at me again. "Naked."

My face blushes at the word, but I understand now. We are like the first humans. Walking around the wilderness with no clothes.

"I'll tell you more about them later," he whispers in my ear, leaning his head down to kiss my throat. I close my eyes, wrapping my arms around his neck. "No, no, honey, you want the water so we're getting the water." He smirks at me, becoming his full height once more.

It does not take long to find a stream. It is cold. So very cold. But we bathe in it anyway, ridding our bodies of the dirt and sweat built up from running.

I do not know how far away we are from Portland and I begin to open my mouth in question of our whereabouts, but Alex cuts me off, "Far enough." He says, returning to cleaning himself up.

How he knew what I was going to ask is no mystery. I am a fragile piece of glass he has taken with him and he knows I will be able to cut him deeper than anything else out here. The harshness of his words reverberate around in my head, spinning like tape collecting dust.

Once we finish ridding ourselves of the remnants our activity left on our skin, we return to our clothes. They feel warm against our cooled skin and when we lie down to rest, our bodies entwine in a way I know will keep us warm throughout our nap.

I thought it would be difficult to get to sleep, but the moment my head hits Alex's chest, I drift off into a dream state so vivid I wake up worrying that Alex is not with me and that I am still in my bed strapped like a prisoner.

My body pushes itself into a sitting position and I hold back the scream threatening to rise in my throat. I feel something hit my skin. It is light, but cold. It happens again. And three more times before my sleepy mind registers what it is: "Rain." I whisper.

A few more drops hit me and I can tell that soon it will be pouring. I turn around, looking for my Alex. He is where he was when we fell asleep. He has turned around, his back facing me. I sit there for a moment, watching him in slumber.

His back moves as he breathes and I can see his face. It is the most relaxed face I have ever laid eyes on. He looks like he is ten. Not nineteen. I love him.

But then I can feel the rain pick up and I know we must move to find shelter. I shake him, but he does not move. Shock shoots through me and for a stupid second, I am frightened that he is dead. But I still see him move with breaths, so I shake harder, whispering his name.

When he wakes, his eyes flash open and before I can blink he is standing alert and ready to attack. My heart thuds and I stare blankly at him. When he realises there is no danger, he looks down, his face softening by a million degrees. He kneels down to my level and smiles.

"Rain." I say again, pointing to the sky. He looks up, stupidly. Water catches in his eyes and he blinks, rubbing the pain away.

"We better get a move on, Eve." He says, holding out his hand. I don't do it at first, I just stare at him.

"What?" He asks but I don't reply. I simply get up and take his hand. He called me Eve. And I think that right now we can pretend to be the first humans. Alone and together.

We move quickly through the woods and I hope Alex knows where he is going. He must do. The rain has begun to fall heavily and it blinds us to much of our surroundings, adding to my worries. But with Alex's hand in mine, I trust and move with him.

The air has begun to get thick with the humidity of late summer. The sun peaks through the rain, splashing against our skin. I can't help but laugh at how Romantic this is. Running with your lover through the wilderness, escaping a tortured world together through the muddy, wet ground. I imagine one of Alex's poetry books to be full of scenes like this.

Upon hearing my gurgle of happiness, Alex turns around. I almost can't see him through the haze of rain, but he stands out against the beating sun, shining like a diamond. My hand leaves his and I can just about see his face turn in confusion. I quickly step in front of him and guide my mouth over his. I hit his chin with my lips and try not to laugh at my miss. He smiles against my forehead and brings his lips correctly on top of mine.

"We're almost there," he says when we break apart. My heart skids forward at his words and we quickly fall back into a good pace. The ground squelches beneath our feet and our hands make odd noises when one of us squeezes, but we march on like soldiers. And then, all of a sudden, the rain, as if controlled by a switch, stops. We two are startled into ceasing our movements. Alex looks at me, drenched in water. My teenager, rebellious mind goes to how his muscles are outlined through the fabric of his wet tee-shirt and I can't help but lick my lips in a hopefully seductive manner. He grins at me, the childish glint in his eyes returning slowly.

And then we hear a noise. A voice calling out to us from the distance. It rumbles in the silence, rocketing off stones and trees, circling us in a web of chants. Alex steps closer to me, gripping my shoulders as he stands against my back. I try and move. I want to face him. My mind rushes with a thousand things. I am going to die right here. I couldn't escape from them. Not really. I can't escape now. I love you.

But he doesn't let me face him. He holds me steady and whispers in my ear, "Shh." I hear so much more than the sound. I hear be quiet, be calm, I love you too, and we will survive.


A/N 2: Okay, so that's chapter 2. It's not really going to be a M rated story, by the way. Some scenes will require the rating, but others will not. Most will not. The chapter is named after a Dashboard Confessional song. It's a good, sad song. Listen to it and imagine being Alex. Alex, the wilderness survivor who fell in love with a girl too controlled by society to know what love really is. Thanks for reading. I assume you did read it if you're scanning this little thing.

Your's truly,

(insert name here)