Author's Note: To mend or not to mend…. Well only one way to find out.
Disclaimer: I mean this is published on a website called fanfiction, it is pretty self explanatory.
Enjoy \('0 u 0')/
Izzy is sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of, well it is supposed to be hashbrowns and scrambled eggs, but what it is now is unidentifiable. She still eats her food too stubborn to admit that just maybe she isn't meant to cook….anything. She places her fork down on the half empty plate as she tries calling her brother for what seems to be the hundredth time this day. The phone calls out, but is met with another out of service message.
"Angel damnit Alec, turn on that damn phone of yours," Izzy hisses at the phone as if that will be enough for her voice to reach Alec's. It is now almost ten a.m. and Maryse and Robert will be home anytime now expecting Alec to be waiting for them.
Izzy picks up her fork again ready to shovel through the substances on her plate. Just as she is about to sacrifice her taste buds to her stubbornness she hears the door opening and footsteps entering the house. Izzy puts down her fork as she awaits her parents.
"Where is Alexander," Maryse asks Izzy looking around the room, but not once at her.
"I am not sure…"
"Not sure? He was supposed to be here waiting for our arrival. I trusted you to notify him of this after his disappearance last night," Maryse informs her not hiding her disapproval.
"I have tried contacting all day. He does not have his phone on," Izzy retorts through gritted teeth.
"Only today? You should have contacted him last night when I asked you to."
Izzy just glares at her mother. How can she be so cold. She has no idea what she is putting Alec through, or if she does she doesn't care. Izzy gets up from where she is standing and starts to walk to the foyer.
"Where do you think you are going young lady," Maryse exclaims to Izzy's turned back. Izzy turns her head slightly, just enough to let Maryse understand she is about to address her.
"I am going to check on my big brother. I am worried about him. At least one of us needs to be," Izzy's voice is cold yet at the same time rimming with the vibrations of emotions she is trying to hold back. She walks out the door leaving her mother and her unfinished pile of burnt mush behind.
_ooOoOoo_
Izzy grabs her key to Alec's apartment from her jacket pocket as she nears the door. She puts the key in the lock and turns it to find the door is already unlocked. Izzy wonders if Alec really does have Magnus over for company and that is why he is ignoring calls. Izzy knocks on the door not wanting to intrude on the boys.
"Alec?" Izzy waits a moment longer, but receives no response. She slowly turns the handle of the door and pushes it open. She steps in and closes the door as she looks around the apartment. Izzy sees Alec's sweater on the floor, a chip in the wall with Alec's keys resting on the floor just below it, and two mugs on the counter at the kitchen. Izzy smirks a little, she didn't think Alec had it in him if she is being honest. Then her features turn a bit more disgruntled as she wonders what she will be walking into. This is not something she wants to intrude upon, but she is left with no choice. She walks towards the hall and sees that Alec's bedroom door is open. She averts her eyes from the door as she gets closer to it then stops just before reaching it. She knocks on the wall since the door isn't an option.
"Alec, it's Izzy. Look you need to talk to mom and dad okay?" Izzy still doesn't get any response and starts to feel annoyed. She makes her way to the bedroom door again. "Look Alec I-
That is when Izzy sees Alec. He is laying on the ground shirtless, blood smeared all over his chest and staining the carpet, and a razor blade in his limp hand. Izzy runs over to her brother, kneels by his head and pulls his head into her lap.
"Alec! Awake up! Please Alec, you promised! You pr-promi-" Izzy can't continue as she chokes on the building emotions in her throat. Her tears flow as two rivers only meeting at her chin then dripping down onto Alec's hair. Izzy gets her cell phone from her pocket and dials for the ambulance.
"You have reached the emergency number, please state your emergency."
"My brother h-he isn't w-waking up. H-he c-cut - there is s-so much b-blood."
"Please try to remain calm ma'am. Is your brother still breathing?" Izzy swallows before answering so she can speak more clearly.
"Y-yes, but it is weak," Izzy manages to say with a thick throat.
"Okay. I am going to send an ambulance your way. Can you tell me where you are?"
Izzy gives the emergency worker on the phone Alec's address and waits for the paramedics. It takes them 20 minutes to arrive and Izzy reluctantly moves off to the side to make room for the paramedics. Izzy watches everything they are doing as they analysis her brother, but isn't able to take anything in. She can't help but feel that this is her fault. She knew Alec was having trouble and relying on harming himself again like he had in highschool. She shouldn't have let him go off on his own last night knowing how distrot he had been. She could have stopped this if she had just stayed with him. One of the paramedics starts talking to her and Izzy struggles to focus on what he is saying-
"-to join us staying by your brother's side in the Ambulance to the hospital?" Izzy nods catching enough to understand that she is joining Alec in the vehicle.
_ooOoOoo_
Robert is sitting on the sofa in the parlour with Maryse sitting in the chair she sat in the previous night and the two of them are discussing the marriage meeting they were at earlier.
"It went extremely well and I see no issue of Alexander impressing Mr. Branwell," Maryse states without doubt.
"Yes. And the Branwell's have always done this family well. If Alexander is going to be arranged into a marriage I am happy to entrust the Branwell's to be the partnering family."
"I agree. However if Alexander is this aloof tomorrow as he is being today then he will jeopardize all of our efforts and his chance as well. I just hope he quickly comes around and sees how smart this marriage is for him."
"Yes...but is a smart marriage really what is best for him," Robert lets loose revealing his own wavering feelings.
"Oh no. Not you too Robert. I get enough of that from Isabelle and certainly don't need it from you."
Robert makes no effort to respond to his wife's last statement. He is deciding what to do know that the conversation between himself and his wife has passed when his phone starts to ring. He reaches over to the table beside the sofa where he had earlier placed his phone. Once his phone is cradled in his palm he looks at the screen to see who is calling.
"It's Isabelle, she must have gotten in touch with Alexander," Robert reports to his wife then answers the demanding phone. "Hello?"
Maryse watches her husband listen to their daughter on the line. Robert's face ashens shortly after he picked up the phone with his ensuring 'hello.' By the time Izabelle is done talking Robert feels cold, sick, and heartbroken all jumbled together to a fogging numbness.
"We will come immediately," Robert says in tone that reflects how numb he is feeling and then hangs up the phone. He looks Maryse in the eyes and reveals to her what was just revealed to him. "Izzy found Alexander in a pool of his own blood. It seems he had cut himself several times with a razor. Although the amount of blood he lost isn't fatal it was enough for him to lose consciousness." Robert words are monotone still not able to bring his emotions forward.
_ooOoOoo_
Izzy is sitting in a chair beside the bed Alec was put in once there was one available. She has one of her hands holding Alec's and the other bent with her resting head on it near Alec's leg. She watches her brother rest waiting for the moment where she gets to see a conscious Alec again. Realistically it isn't that long ago she was on her way to Alec's place, but the shock of finding him and everything else that came with it has Izzy drained of energy and she finds herself fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Alexander…" a sorrow whisper breaks the silence.
Izzy looks up to see her father walking over to where her and Alec are. It isn't difficult to see the pain stained on her father's face and Izzy's stomach drops lower than it was already feeling despite not knowing how that could even be possible. She watches as her father stops at Alec's bedside and reaches out to caress his head, stroking his hair. Tears leak their way down Robert's face and Izzy stands up, hurries around the bed, and hugs her father. Robert wraps one arm around her, not wanting to break the contact of the hand that is stroking Alec's hair, and buries his face on the top of Izzy's head. They stay like that for a long moment finding strength in each other's presence.
"This is all my fault. I pressured him into this idea of marriage and n-now," Robert's voice cracks and he doesn't try to continue. Izzy pulls back from him shaking her head.
"We are all to blame. None of us were there for him," Izzy says cutting wounds in Robert's and her own hearts with her words. Izzy looks towards her brother, her face turned to stone as she is about to ask her father a question she already knows the answer to. "Where is mother?" Robert hesitates before answering.
"She is at the house speaking with Mr. Branwell about postponing the meetings."
"She isn't even in the building," Izzy scoffs. "And what is she going to say, 'my son cut himself to the point of being hospitalized because I chose to marry him to your daughter instead of thinking about what is bes-"
"Enough Isabelle," Robert snaps at her then watches as the tears flood down his daughter's face. Izzy goes to sit back down this time burying her face in her crossed arms next to her brother's head.
_ooOoOoo_
Alec lets out a deep sigh as he feels himself waking up. He is not looking forward to talking to his parents about the marriage meetings. He knows he will receive the pitying, disappointed, and disapproving look that has been mastered by Izzy all day from her to look forward to. He loves Izzy to death, but she doesn't understand the pressure of the expectations that are on him. He needs for her to accept whatever he decides to do because he truly doesn't think he could do it without her support no matter what it is. Alec slowly opens his eyes forfeiting any part of him that wants to just lay in bed and not deal with anything. As his eyes open he first notices how bright the room is. He keeps the blackout curtains in his room lowered 24/7. His eyes begin to focus and adjust to the bright, pale lighting. Confusion and fear hits him all at once. Where is he? This isn't his room. Then Alec recalls the night before the blood draining from his face.
"Alec," Izzy says breaking into tears of relief missing Alec flinch since he had not yet notice her right beside him. He turns his head to where Izzy's voice had come from and ends up bumping her nose with his as he finds her face right beside his head. He chuckles lightly, but it quickly fades.
"Izzy I-...I almost broke my promise," Alec speaks no louder than a whisper and goes to turn his head away from Izzy ashamed that his actions have hurt Izzy. Izzy reaches out to Alec caressing his face preventing him from turning completely away and places her forward on his.
"Don't apologize. Not now," Izzy breath's and Alec feels the tears falling on him making his stomach knot. "I am just so relieved you didn't break the promise." Alec strokes her cheek with the back of his fingers then Izzy leans back and throws on a big stupid grin on her face. Alec can't help notice the mischievous and prideful glint in her eyes. "I have something for you!"
Izzy grabs a cloth bag that was hiding under her chair and hands it to Alec. Alec goes to sit up, but is stopped quickly by the pain in his chest. Izzy points to the remote for the bed and Alec gives a weak smile before altering the angle of the bed to a more upright position. Alec peers into the bag and his eyebrows shoot way up as he begins to pull out the object that has been residing in it. Alec is now face to face with a teddy bear that appears to be homemade. He looks up at Izzy with nothing but questions. Izzy's grin turns a bit sheepish to Alec's surprise although truthfully it is such a slight shift that he only sees it because he knows Izzy too well to be fooled.
"Do you remember when you were eight and were in the hospital because you came down with the flu and a high fever?"
"Vaguely."
"Well I guess you were pretty delirious for a good chunk of it with the fever. Anyway the hospital had stuffed animals that are made and donated by a local church for sick children. One of the nurses gave you one, but mom made you give it back saying men don't need stuffed animals to stay strong. You were really upset. So I had explained this to the nurse taking care of you know and she let me pick out a one for you. So now you have one!"
Izzy's smile is triumphant and Alec can't help but to return it. Alec can't help but think that it is so like Izzy to do something to help out in any way that provides some level of rebellion. Alec chuckles, but once again it fades away quickly. It is only now that Alec is realising the lack of his parents presence.
"Where are mom and dad," Alec asks Izzy and her smile falls.
"Dad was here earlier, but they are both back at the manor now. Apparently they had something to attend since they had to-...well they had to make some arrangements to their schedules," Izzy tells Alec pitty reaching her eyes. Alec doesn't want to see Izzy look at him like that. He hugs the bear to his chest and gives Izzy a warm smile.
"Thank you Izzy. This is a perfect gift."
Sorry that this is such a filler chapter but it had to be done to set up other things and help prevent loopholes….so yea fill things….'cause filler chapter...
Tune in next time
-PinkFyulongDragon
