Aldrich looked taken aback. No, he looked hurt. Once upon a time that look on his face would have made her reach out and hug him, but he wasn't the same person any longer, and neither was she. He took another step towards her, "Belle, please, you know that's not true."

"Oh, do I really? Is that something I know? Oh wow, why did no one ever tell me?"

Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but right now it was all that was coming to mind for her. She was so tired. So tired and stressed about everything that was going on, the last thing she needed right now was the biggest skeleton in her closet walking into her life again.

"You didn't let me explain five years ago, you wouldn't listen, for god's sake listen to me now!"

"What is there to listen to Aldrich? You said it was safe, you said that all the kinks had been straightened out, you lied to me. And you lied to Zach, now he's dead."

Belle put a hand to her mouth in shock, in fives years she had never referred to Zach as 'dead'. It had always been 'not here anymore', or perhaps 'gone away', but never 'dead'. That just made it sound so final, and she had never wanted to accept it. Five years she had managed that, but five minutes with Aldrich Killian had thrown it all out the window.

"I know," he said, "I. Know. Jesus Christ, Belle, do you think I haven't gone over and over again in my head how it happened? Wondered if there was anything to be done? You know me, you know that I don't regret much. What happened to Zach is one of the few things in life that makes me feel that. And so is staying away from you."

"Please," she whispered, refusing to look at him, "Can you just go."

There was silence, but then she heard a soft sigh, "I thought, I hoped, that maybe five years was enough time for you."

"It will never be enough time."

"You're many great things, Belle Hawthorn, a liar isn't one of them."

She didn't see him move, but she felt the heat radiating off him when he was suddenly beside her. Before she could step away, he'd leant down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and then he was gone. Walking towards the door at a normal pace, almost as if he wanted to give her time to reconsider and call him back.

But she didn't, she just stood there mutely watching him walk away, just as he had watched her go, and any words she might have said died in her throat.

Only after she heard the door to the gallery swing shut once again, and the soft purr of a car engine start up, did she turn away from the long empty exit. She found her eyes once more resting on the painting of a picture. Things had been so perfect in those days, so peaceful. The world had been balanced and everything had been right. Yes, the boys had their off days, caused by Zach's depression and Aldrich's disability for the most part, and she herself hadn't always been able to stay strong for them. But on the whole, she knew that it had been the golden age in her life.

And she could never return to it.

But even then, even during those perfect times, there had always been that shadow above the three of them. A shadow that Zach had never known about. And a shadow which, now that Zach was dead, could never be lifted from their friendship.

"J-Bell?" Anna's tentative voice spoke out from behind her, "Are you okay?"

"You were still in high school at the time, Anna," Belle said, turning around, "What do you remember about us?"

"I remember that you were happy," Anna answered instantly, "And I know that, despite having Lucas, you haven't been truly happy since you lost them."

"Him," Belle corrected, "I only lost one."

Anna shook her head, and stepped up next to Belle, studying the painting, "No, you also lost Aldrich after Zach's accident. You walked away from him, at a time when you both probably needed each other more than ever."

"What?" Belle whipped around to face her cousin, "And just how long have you had that opinion for?"

Anna shrugged, "Since it happened, but you weren't in a state to hear it, which is fair enough."

"And you think I am now?"

"Calm down, no need to get hysterical," Anna said gently, "And yes, why else do you think I let Aldrich in?"

It finally clicked then. Of course Anna would have known it was Aldrich, even though he looked a little different, he was probably easily recognisable to her considering the amount of time that he had spent around Belle's family. She'd known how Belle felt about him though, and still she'd let him in.

"I don't know why you keep blaming him, or yourself," Anna continued, no doubt prompted by Belle's silence, "What happened to Zach was tragic, but it was just an accident. People die in crashes all the time; you can't accuse Aldrich of being responsible, or keep thinking you are either. I never understood that."

Belle just stood there, gaping. Anna had no idea just how wrong she was. Sometimes Belle forgot that cover story on Zach's death, and to hear it talked about so ignorantly both angered and pained her.

"You understand nothing about it, nothing!" Belle snapped, "Don't ever let Aldrich in here again, or I swear to god I will find a way to manage on my own."

She stormed out after that, ignoring Anna's protests, and slamming the door loudly as she left.

Perhaps not her most mature moment, but she couldn't help it. At heart she knew that Anan couldn't be blamed, she didn't know the whole story, there was no way she could be able to understand no matter how much she might want to. But that logic refused to make its way deep enough into Belle's brain to make her go back and apologise.

More guilt hit her as she sat at the stop to wait. She shouldn't have acted like that if Anna was just trying to be nice. But she couldn't help being furious that Anna had just let Aldrich in without at least warning her about it before she went down. At least then she would have been more prepared. But actually, it was far more probable that she would simply have refused to go down and made Anna send him away. Although, Belle doubted that Aldrich would have left so easily. He had more confidence now, but he had never been easily cowed even when he had been disabled.

When the bus finally pulled up, Belle almost didn't notice, she was so wrapped up in her thoughts. It seemed as if one moment she was sitting on the cold bench, and the next she was sitting on a threadbare seat, though she didn't remember getting on and paying. Tipping her head to rest against the glass, she thought over what Anna had said.

"What happened to Zach was tragic, but it was just an accident. People die in crashes all the time; you can't accuse Aldrich of being responsible, or keep thinking you are either. I never understood that."

A car crash, it was the simplest way to make an accident out of what happened. An accident bad enough to made the body unidentifiable, when in fact, there hadn't even been a body of his left to identify.

Anna was wrong, she was so very very wrong. Perhaps is Aldrich had never suggested the idea, and if she had protested it more, Zach never would have gone through with it. It wasn't as if he needed it like Aldrich did, he was in fine physical shape. But they were such close friends, they did everything together.

Even Extremis.

~~8~~

"Guys! Guys!" Aldrich burst into the room, almost losing his balance between shoving the door open and walking with his cane.

Belle's attention was jerked away from her art, and she nearly smudged green paint from her brush all over the canvas, "Aldrich! Don't do that!"

Zach merely laughed from his place on the couch, "Lifelong friendship and the hasn't learnt not to barge in on you just in case you're painting, which you always are."

"Doesn't matter," Aldrich waved away their remarks, but looked a little scared by the glare levelled at him by Belle, "Uhh, much. Anyway, something bigger and better has happened!"

"Bigger and better, huh?" Belle quirked an eyebrow, "You're off to a roaring start with my attention."

"Maya and I have been talking, and we're sure that we've finally got the process working properly!"

"The Extremis? That's great, I'm happy for you!" Belle exclaimed; jumping up to give Aldrich a hug.

Zach pushed himself up of the couch and came to stand by them, "So...the 'problems' will stop?"

Belle winced, the Extremis virus which Aldrich was talking about had all manner of perks, but if it went wrong, it really went wrong...

Aldrich nodded, "We're 99% sure."

"Wait...does this mean...you're going to...?" Belle took a step back from Aldrich, looking him up and down.

A grin broke out on his face, and he gestured with his cane, "I'm going to get rid of this, finally. After the Extremis, no one's going to brush me off again!"

His ambition was adding strength to his voice, and Belle put a hand gently on his arm.

"We never have."

He looked at the both of them, "I know, which is why, now that it's safe, will you two join me?"

"Wait, what?" Belle spluttered.

"Join me," Aldrich repeated, "This enhancement would put us so much higher than everyone else, and I want you both with me."

"Are you crazy!? I can't to do that!" Belle's hands flew to her stomach, reminding the both of them of the news she'd shared a couple of weeks ago.

"Oh," Aldrich's smile faltered, "Right, I'd forgotten about that... you're right, of course, it probably isn't as safe if you're carrying a child."

They locked eyes for a moment, and Belle was cut by the sadness in his eyes. She bit her lip guiltily, as his gaze flickered briefly to the diamond ring on the forth finger of the left hand, and averted her eyes when he looked back up to her.

"I agree," Zach, who had been silently thinking for the most part, spoke up and slung an arm around Belle's shoulders, "While Belle's pregnant, she shouldn't go near this, I don't think that either of us wants to risk her."

"Absolutely not," Aldrich added instantly.

"But," Zach continued, taking off his glasses the way he always did before he said something that he knew Belle might not like, "That doesn't mean that I'll leave you hanging."

"Zach-" Aldrich began, but Belle cut him off.

"Excuse me?" she asked; stepping out from under Zach's arm and glaring up at him, "And just what part of you needs Extremis?"

He ran a hand through his hair, tousling the already messy brown curls, "C'mon, Belle. You've heard Al, it's not just about fixing people, it's enhancement too. And I'm not going to let him go through it alone. Besides, it's safe now, and wouldn't it be better to be able to do so much more?"

Belle looked between the two men, "To be honest, I'd rather neither of you did it. I know, I know Al and Maya say it's safe now, but how can you know? What would I do if I lost you guys?"

"So you'd rather I stayed a cripple?" Aldrich questioned.

"I've never thought of you like that, you know that," she shot back, "It just scares me. I mean, I like that it's your dream and it's working, but that doesn't mean you have to risk your own life."

"But Belle, I want to," he replied, "This is about more than just AIM and Extremis, my whole life this leg and everything else has just made it nigh on impossible to be taken seriously, for people to really see me as something worth their time. I'm sick of it. I want more, and this is something I'll have to do to get it."

"And you?" she turned to Zach.

"I'll stand by Al on this, it's his project, it works, and if he wants it then I'll go and get it with him." Zach knelt down and took her hands in his, "I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. You won't lose either of us, I promise."

Belle sighed, looking back and forth between them. Zach's pleading look, and Aldrich's fierce determination dared her to challenge them further. In the end, all she said was;

"This discussion isn't over, boys."