A/N: Sorry for the delay guys! I wanted a few chapters typed up before posting, so I decided to wait. Also, college is a bitch. This chapter starts a little rough but it's more fluff than anything.

Also, you should know that Mrs. Evans is not entirely fictional. She is a real person and I had the brilliant idea to tell a super religious woman that I was pagan as a joke because I tend to forget that not everyone shares my humor. Don't do it. Ever. You will get holy water in your mailbox.

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide.


Chapter 7

November 18, 2009

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

Annoyed by the sound of her heart monitor, Alessandra pushed the button for the nurse and waited impatiently. It was something she should have gotten used a long time ago, but for whatever reason the sound did nothing but set her teeth on edge.

As Madison entered the room, she noticed that Dr. Matthews was following close behind sporting a happy look on his face.

"The heart monitor is beyond annoying, can we turn it off now?" Her voice was full of forced calm.

"Yes, I think you're stable enough now." Dr. Matthews' voice on the other hand was only upbeat. "We need to talk about your condition, Alessandra."

Giving him a long look, she sighed and waited for the inevitable.

"Based on our more recent tests, it looks like you've only got about two hours to live."

She absently nodded her head, not even paying attention to the words coming out of her doctor's mouth.

A moment later the words seemed to register. "Wait. I'm sorry, did you just say two hours?"

Dr. Matthews only nodded before adopting a sympathetic expression. "Yes. Two hours max. We called your grandmother and she said that it was about time."

"Excuse me?" Alessandra's voice had a hard edge to it and you could almost see her contemplating how to gouge Dr. Matthews' eyes out.

Madison chose that moment to respond. "Yeah. She's off playing bingo with your mom. Don't worry though, Luciana said it was alright if we cremated you. I mean, she said nobody would attend your funeral anyway."

The words were said with a careless shrug, making Alessandra wonder if they really were talking about her impending death or the breakfast menu in the cafeteria. As Madison and Dr. Matthews left the room, she could only sit there with her mouth open. That was impossible! Her nonna loved her and took care of her when Isabella (she hadn't deserved to be called mother in years) dropped off the radar. Nonna had taken her to countless doctor's appointments, stayed by her bedside as she wasted away in that very hospital room, taught her to be a decent human being and made sure she knew that she was loved.

Not accepting anything either of them had said, Alessandra reached over and grabbed the telephone, dialing her Nonna's number with shaky hands. Luciana Costa had been completely against cellphones—not to mention smartphones—but after the first time she'd been hospitalized, Alessa had convinced her to get an old Nokia flip phone.

"Pronto." The sound of Elvis rang out through the background as her grandmother answered the phone.

"Nonna, where are you?"

"Ah, Alessa. I'm playing the Bingo with Isa." Alessandra stopped breathing at the familiar name.

"Wha- She's there?" Her voice broke, something she would deny if asked.

"Of course. We're celebrating." The sound of Suspicious Minds and talking got louder on the other end. "I've got to go."

"Wait! Nonna the doctor said I'll be dead in two hours." Her breaths were coming in short gasps now and tears threatened the fall from her eyes.

"Si, piccolo. I've already spoken to the doctor. Good luck." Luciana's voice was distracted and interrupted by loud cheers coming from the other end of the line.

The sound of the dial tone rang in her ears. It was true. All of it, her mother showing up out of nowhere and her nonna not giving a rats ass about her dying granddaughter. It was like everything she had ever feared had come true. She was going to die alone in a dank hospital room; never having really lived in the first place.

Tears flowed freely down her sunken cheeks. The feeling of hopelessness settled in her chest and made her sob harder. Of course, that was when she noticed the beep of the heart monitor increase in speed. Madison had probably been too excited to deliver her death notice to turn it off. The only sounds that echoed around the room were choked sobs and the various machines attached to her body. There was nothing left. Nobody to keep her strong, nothing to motivate her, not even a freaking priest to come and read her last rights. Hell, she didn't even know who her father was.

After another half hour of this, Alessandra decided to take matters into her own hands. There was nothing left for her here and she would be dying anyway. Who cares what happens now?

With that last thought, she pulled the IV from her arm, tore the leads from her skin and used every bit of energy she had to get out of the hospital bed. I will not be a victim, she thought. Looking both ways before exiting her hospital room, Alessandra made her way to the nearest elevator and hit the button for the top floor.

She burst through the doors of the roof and took in the setting sun over Las Vegas. Sunset had always been her favorite time of day. Slowly walking towards the edge of the building, she thought about everything in her life. Honestly, it was an embarrassingly short list. Everything she had ever had, everything she had ever experienced were either gone or nonexistent.

But Alessandra would be damned if that was how she would go out; sobbing alone on her hospital bed, waiting for someone who would never show. So, she did the only thing she could do. She took a seat on the ledge and watched the sun sink below the horizon. As the darkness approached, thousands of lights flicked on and lit the night sky. It was almost as if the entire city decided to ignore the concept of sleep, making her wonder absently why Paris was the City of Lights. Alessandra took her time memorizing whatever she could before she felt her body begin to shut down.

Cold and Empty. That was all she felt. Dying didn't hurt; a fact that calmed her down.

Taking matters into her own hands, she stood up and tiptoed closer to the edge. She would only die on her own terms.

And then, she took one step and let a bitter smile stretch across her face.


A loud knocking on the front door woke Alessandra the next morning. Her breathing was shallow and all she felt was empty as the last memories of her dream bled from her mind. It wasn't the first time she dreamt of her death. In fact, it happened quite often.

Regaining her composure, she lies still for a few seconds hoping that whoever is disturbing her much-needed sleep would just give up and go home. It seemed like every time she tried to close her eyes, images of death and loneliness invaded her thoughts. Despite this, she refused to acknowledge any of it. She wasn't lonely and she most definitely did not fear death. It was a part of life and just like everything else, she would deal with it.

At that moment, something shifted near her right side. Alessandra tore her face from its smashed position on the mattress and turned over to see what she hoped wasn't a rat—you'd be surprised at the amount of rats that frequented motel rooms.

Nope, it was only Tony, who was spread out on his back next to her, snoring lightly. Memories from the previous day came flooding back and she couldn't help but let out a small snicker at the ridiculous face he made in his sleep. Remembering that someone was at the door, she made to get up when Tony rolled over and wrapped an arm around her waist. Making a face, she tried to push and shove her way out of the bed, to no avail. Only when another knock sounded at the door did she succeed in pulling her tiny body from the billionaire's sleepy grip.

Looking down at herself, she shrugged. Whoever was at the door this early would just have to deal with her messy tank top and shorts. Approaching the front door, Alessandra took the time to glance through the peephole. Not seeing anyone there, she shrugged her shoulders and decided to make some coffee. She had seen what Tony was like without either coffee or alcohol in his system… it wasn't something she'd like a repeat of.

With the coffeepot running in the background, Alessa tiptoed back to her room and made sure the door was closed up tight. Tony had looked half-dead yesterday—not that she thought she looked any better—so she figured she would let him sleep as long as he wanted. Back in the kitchen, she turned on the old CD player she had gotten for her eleventh birthday and Elvis' greatest hits began playing. She hadn't really been a huge Presley fan growing up but because of her nonna's obsession with 'The King' she could sing every song word for word. Ever since Luciana Costa's passing, Alessandra would play this album after a bad dream, hoping it would bring her some form of comfort.

Smiling and singing softly, she got started on making breakfast for Tony. It wasn't long before the smell of bacon frying woke the billionaire. She could hear him stumbling out of her bedroom and into the bathroom directly across the hall, cursing as he tripped over the blanket that had fallen to the ground sometime that night.

She filled a mug of coffee and set it down on the breakfast bar just as Tony made his way out.

"Here, drink up."

He didn't say anything as his drank from the mug but she could feel his eyes following her as she finished making breakfast. As the last chords of Blue Suede Shoes faded out, she placed a plate in front of Tony before grabbing her own coffee and taking a seat next to him.

Nobody spoke as he shoved his face with food and she calmly sipped her coffee. It was just like every other moment they had together: comfortable and familiar. Five minutes passed with the music being the only sound before Tony came alive again.

"You're really good at this Suzie Homemaker stuff. Look, you've even got Elvis playing."

Alessandra rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Don't get used to it."

He tilted his head at her. "Which one? The Suzie Homemaker or the Elvis?"

"Suzie Homemaker." She paused to consider how comfortable he was in her apartment before continuing. "You should probably get used to the Elvis if you insist on popping up in my life every time I turn around."

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who popped out at me."

She had to laugh at that. "Touché."

"You're not eating anything?" His voice was light but his eyes were piercing.

Alessandra studied her coffee as she replied. "Nope. Not hungry."

"You didn't eat last night either."

"I ate before you got here," she said with a small shrug. "And that's actually the last of the food. I need to hit the grocery store."

"Okay let's go." He wiped his mouth on a napkin and turned expectantly toward her.

"What, now?" At his nod, she clarified. "You want to go grocery shopping with me. Why?"

The only thing he did was shrug and ask, "Why not?"

Before she could make a sarcastic comment, she stopped herself. Hell, she would be grateful for the company. She absolutely hated grocery shopping.

"Yeah, okay. Let me just put some clothes on."

As she retreated back into her bedroom, she heard Tony call out. "No, no I wouldn't dream of it. Those shorts are working for you, pipsqueak."

Glancing down at herself, she took in her outfit. It was what she had put on yesterday for her TV marathon, not expecting anyone to come over. Besides, it's not like she had much of a figure anyway.

"Shut up, perv."

Despite her comment, she was chuckling. She knew Tony didn't see her that way. He might have been your average manwhore but he definitely wasn't a creep who slept with girls half his age.

When she had thrown on a pair of slightly torn jeans, a plain white t-shirt, an old LV baseball cap to cover her long hair and her converse knock-offs, she joined Tony in the kitchen. Well, if you could call it that. The apartment wasn't very big so it really should have been called the kitchen/foyer/living room.

"Alright, let's go. But you're driving. "

Tony only shrugged.

"Oh! Alessandra, I'm glad I caught you." Her elderly neighbor was standing there blocking their path to Tony's Audi. After hearing her voice, Alessandra took a huge step sideways and tried to block her view of Tony.

"Mrs. Evans! What are you doing here?" Her voice was laced with wariness and more than a little false cheer.

Something you should know about Mrs. Evans: she was in her late eighties and was the nosiest person on the planet. When Alessandra had moved in less than a month ago, Amanda had given her the lowdown on the old bat. The words, 'nosy religious psycho' come to mind. At first, she thought Amanda had been exaggerating. Not even a little bit.

Their first meeting went a little something like this:

"Oh, you must be the new roommate." Insert barely concealed disdain here.

"That's me. I'm Alessandra."

"Hello dear. I hope you're more normal than that other one. Her hair is pink for goodness sakes! My pastor would call that 'the devil's work.'"

Insert uncomfortable chuckle here. "Right…"

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you're a nice young lady. You should consider bringing that girl by my church sometime. Pastor Robbins does exorcisms."

"Umm, exorcisms?"

Insert creepy old lady smile here. "Yes, dear, exorcisms. That girl is possessed by a demon. There are boys coming in and out of there at all hours and she insists on getting more holes in her face! It's simply not natural."

Unable to resist the temptation, Alessandra enthusiastically replied, "Is that why she has that huge tattoo of a snake on her back?! I saw it when we met down at the beach and told my coven all about it."

"Coven?" Cue old lady freak-out and Alessandra internally cackling madly. She had met women like this before and never failed to make the situation as awkward as possible; if only for the hilarity of it.

"Yeah. Us witches get a kick out of that sort of thing, you know?"

After that, Mrs. Evans took every opportunity she had to slip church pamphlets under the door, throw holy water in her face, tape crosses to the apartment door and Alessandra's personal favorite, present baked goods made with salt rather than sugar (she found that out the hard way.) It was funny for a little while but when the little girl who lived in 2C asked if she 'sacrificed people', the whole thing just got tiring.

Mrs. Evans' voice shook her from her memories. "I only came to give you this batch of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. They're freshly baked."

It was then that the old woman noticed Tony. "Who is this dear?"

As Tony opened his mouth to answer, she stomped on his foot, effectively shutting him up.

"Nobody! Just a friend that stayed over."

Mrs. Evans' eyes widened and the grip on her ever-present Bible tightened before she took a step closer to Alessa.

"Is he a prostitute?" She sounded absolutely horrified as she whispered the last word.

"What? No, he's-," she was cut off by Mrs. Evans' loud response.

"Hiring an escort is a sin! That other one must be rubbing off on you. Please, dear, consider coming to church with me tomorrow night. Pastor Robbins will be there."

"Wait, Mrs. Evans, that's not…" Knowing that any protests she made were futile, her voice trailed off.

She quickly told the old lady that she had to work before taking off for the car, hearing Mrs. Evans muttering in Latin the entire way.

After that, both Tony and Alessa quietly got in. She knew he had questions but more than anything she just wanted to forget it had even happened.

"Just drive."

He turned the car on and pulled away from the curb but refused to let the subject drop.

"No no no. What was that? And why does she think I'm a prostitute?"

Slumping down in her seat, she adjusted the Tupperware on her lap before she answered.

"That was my nosy neighbor. She's… strange."

Tony glanced over at her, "Right. And she immediately thinks prostitute when a guy leaves your apartment?"

Alessandra only nodded her head, not really knowing how to explain everything.

"Well at least we got some cookies out of it." He leaned over to grab a cookie from her lap but only had his hand slapped away.

"You probably don't want to do that. They're inedible."

"Inedible? Why? Does she suck at cooking or something?"

"These cookies are probably rock hard and filled with salt."

They pulled up to the front of the grocery and stopped the car. "I'm sorry, did you say salt? Why the hell would they be filled with salt?"

"Probably because she thinks Amanda and I are demons."

Only silence followed that admission. It wasn't something you hear in everyday conversation, so Tony felt that his reaction was completely justified.

A minute later he asked, "Demons?"

"Yupp."

"Why does she think the two of you are demons?"

Now, Alessandra got a bit uncomfortable. "I might have made a joke about being in a coven of witches and that Amanda was a devil worshipper. She took the leap to demon possession."

Again, only silence. She couldn't help but remember the face Mrs. Evans made when she said Tony spent the night. A choking sound coming from her left had her looking over at him in alarm. His face was scrunched up in suppressed laughter and the choking sound was his attempt at maintaining the silence. That attempt was failed spectacularly the minute they locked eyes. All at once, both were doubled over and howling.

Tony and Alessandra sat in the front seat of his sports car for over ten minutes while they tried to control themselves, only to fall apart again as they glanced at each other.

Demons and witches. It was the most ridiculous thing either of them had heard in a while but Alessandra couldn't help but feel lighter than she had in days.


A/N: There you have it. Again, sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoyed Mrs. Evans. Next up is grocery shopping and maybe a bit of Tony POV. Depends on my mood. Also, I'm thinking about putting up a poll on whether Alessandra should live or die in the end. What do you think?

EDIT: OKAY! I'm getting lot's of responses so I just put the poll up right now. Check it out on my profile so I can keep tabs on your responses. Thanks to anyone who left a comment.