Change of Heart
Ch. 7
AN 1: First off, I'd like to say I am so incredibly sorry for being gone for so long. It wasn't intentional; my Internet is still having all kinds of problems (because I live out in the boondocks were reliable internet is extremely hard to come by, even today. Go figure), and then I ended up going on a two week trip overseas to visit my grandparents, which meant I had absolutely none of my documents with me. To make this up to anyone who is still interested in this story, I will be posting two chapters today. Again, I'm extremely sorry guys! I truly did not mean to leave you hanging for so long! I'm beyond excited to be back though, and have most of this story finished, so hopefully that will prompt a quicker update time. And now that I've said that, I need to say I hope that you guys really like this chapter; it's definitely been modified a lot since I first wrote it and I hope that it's appreciated despite the long delay. I even made it longer than all my other chapters so far, so hopefully that will help with the possible hate. Once again, I own absolutely nothing.
Sue: I'm really happy that you liked the previous chapter! That's always a beyond wonderful thing to hear, and that's why I try to take the time to reply to those who have reviewed. Your reviews are always very kind, and I'm extremely grateful for that. Keep them coming! And I couldn't agree with you more! Alex is head-over-heels for this girl, and anyone who messes with that has another thing coming to them. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Trainwreck2212: Haha, I've gotta keep you guys on your toes somehow, right? Maybe this chapter will be a step in the right direction! Let me know what you think!
: Well, we would all like to see that I think. Only time will tell though, I suppose. I'm super glad you enjoyed the last chapter and hope you'll enjoy this one just as much. And I'm happy to be back again, hopefully the long waits won't be happening now that I'm on summer break and have no more really intense travel plans haha :)
MyGlitterDreamCloud: It's great to hear from you again...I hope I don't disappoint with this story and you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the review.
Demenaforever13: I'm glad you liked it! Like I've said before, you leave reviews all the time and I really appreciate it. Asses will be taken care of, but I'm not for sure I'm 100% satisfied with how I did it, so if you (or anyone really) has any ideas on that, let me know! I'm definitely open to suggestions.
Now, onto the story. Enjoy, guys.
Alex's POV
I walked out of the kitchen as my 'shift', as Justin called it, finished. My head was spinning, filled with the conversation I had last had with him, and of thoughts of Mitchie.
Mitchie.
I didn't want to hurt her. I don't think I could survive with that knowledge if I did hurt her. But I didn't want to be without her either. It was a delicate situation, one I was sure I would manage to screw up in one way or another. The words 'Alex Russo' and 'delicate' simply did not mix, and anyone back home would be able to confirm this for me. Hell, even my family would happily confirm this if asked.
"Just stay away from her," a rough voice said from somewhere to my left. "Stay away from Alex Russo." My interest, already perked because of the way the first sentence was said, increased tenfold as I heard my name. I turned suddenly, headed for the sound of that vaguely familiar voice.
I passed another tree, to find the owner of the voice standing over Mitchie; my Mitchie, sprawled in the dirt and covered in paint. I lost it.
"What the fuck?!" I burst out, moving towards the fallen girl before me. The boy looked towards me, startled, and I finally recognized him: the boy who had been hitting on me earlier in the week, Mike. Casting my eyes around, I saw the other boy, Nick, not far away.
I stepped forward, my body trembling in fury. It took all my willpower not to deck him in the jaw. Without another word, I pulled Mitchie gently to her feet and wrapped an arm securely around her waist. "Come on," I said tenderly, voice deathly calm despite the rage I felt flooding through my veins. I sent an acid glare over my shoulder at the two boys. "I'll deal with you dickheads later." I saw them both flinch in response to the venom in my voice, and smirked internally. Payback is a bitch, and I wasn't going to have any mercy on those two.
As soon as we cleared the trees, Mitchie stirred. "Alex, I don't want to get paint on you," she said, pulling away slightly.
"Shh," I murmured, my voice tight despite the underlying caring tone. "Come on, don't fight me. Let's get you cleaned up." I snuck a glance at her, noticing how her fingers gripped my shirt like it was the only thing on this earth left to keep her here. "My priority here is making sure you aren't traumatized, Mitchie; don't worry about me. It's only clothes, and I've got a way to get the paint out, okay? I'll sneak you into the lodge showers. They have hot water."
She stumbled as I spoke, and I tightened my grip around her waist even more. I wasn't going to let the girl beside me fall. I would be there for her in the only way I could now, and take care of her despite my deep desire to go back and tear those two jackasses a new one. Mitchie was what mattered now, I reminded myself. Only Mitchie.
Mitchie's POV
I couldn't believe this was happening. How things had gotten so out of hand was beyond me. It was like a veil of darkness had dropped in front of my eyes. I remembered how in the seventh grade I had been bullied; and the paint incident that had just occurred brought all the pain back. Then Alex came; and out of the darkness I could see her brilliant light, guiding me. I had to hold onto that, because otherwise I would drown in the depths of darkness I suddenly found myself sinking in.
I felt disconnected from my body as we moved towards the lodge, and I tripped over my feet several times as we walked. I glanced towards Alex's face, noticing her tight face and locked jaw. I had never seen her so deathly silent, and it scared me to witness this side to her. Now I understood why she was considered a troublemaker at home, I realized. When she wanted to, Alex Russo could become beyond simply 'scary'. Her face no longer held the playful gaze I had come to know and love, but a new mask of anger that I didn't recognize. And her eyes – those dark, expressive eyes that I had come to love – appeared to be even darker than usual in her anger. In that moment, she reminded me of an angel of darkness; dark and beautiful and dangerous.
Alex caught me staring at her and gave me a reassuring smile, dispelling any misgivings I had with that single gesture. "I've got you, Mitch," she said gently. She seemed to realize that her face was revealing her internal anger and those dark, dark eyes lightened as she smiled at me. "I'm sorry; that scene just made me so incredibly angry," she admitted as we walked. "But I won't let them hurt you again, I promise." She stared into my eyes as she spoke, as if she was trying to simply will me to understand what she was saying. "I've got you," she repeated softly. "I won't let you go."
She's got me, I realized, and allowed her to tighten her arms over me in a comforting manner. She's got me.
"Alex," a voice called out to us as we moved past the kitchen. I winced as I recognized my mother's voice. "Is that Mitchie?" she asked, panicked. I heard her footsteps drawing closer to us as she spoke.
I whimpered, gripping Alex's arm tightly. "I don't want her to see this," I cried softly, fighting back tears. My mom knew how much I had been hurt by the bullies I had encountered in the past. If she saw this she was sure to freak out. I was already internally freaking out; if she started to as well I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it and would have a complete breakdown.
Her warm chocolate eyes found mine, and she shook her head, gently telling me not to fight her. "Trust me, Mitch," she said. "I'll take care of you. But your mom is worried about you. I won't let you go, even if she tries to make me, I promise."
Mom appeared next to my side and carefully examined my face. I was thankful that the paint obscured most of the black eye I could feel forming. "Oh, my sweetie," she called gently, caressing my face tenderly. "What happened?"
"Two dumbasses decided to prank her," Alex's voice said harshly. "I found her after it happened."
My mom hissed in annoyance. "I see." She then looked at me apologetically. "I'm in the middle of preparing lunch. I was actually coming to see if Alex was going to show up when I saw you two. I can't possibly get away though." She had turned to Alex as she spoke. "Alex," she began imploringly.
"I'll take care of her," Alex replied firmly. "Don't worry about a thing, Connie. I won't let anything else happen to her." I felt my heart leap in my chest despite the still-numb feeling I felt throughout most of my body. If this didn't prove that Alex cared about me, I didn't know what would.
We parted after that, and Alex led me to the room where my mom stayed.
Alex's POV
Silently, I pulled Mitchie into the lodge's shower. "Okay," I whispered, letting out a breath I hadn't been aware I was holding. "If you need anything, I'll be right here." I said, looking into Mitchie's eyes.
She nodded and I reluctantly let go of her waist. After she had entered the shower, I turned so that my back was pressed against the door. I heard the water hiss, and another sound I couldn't quite identify. Turning my head to press my ear to the door, I recognized it as the sound of tears. Mitchie was crying.
After a second of hesitation, I pushed through the door. Yes, I was fully aware Mitchie was in the shower. Did it matter? No. I like to think that if it was me in there, she'd to the same. I remember lying awake in our cabin one night and how she told me she had experienced bullying before, and how badly it hurt her. Mitchie needed me, and that was all that mattered.
I walked in, noticing the large amount of steam rising from the shower. Slowly, I pulled off my clothes and slipped into the shower. I didn't stop to think of the possible ramifications of my actions as I appeared next to her. I didn't remind myself that this was clearly overstepping the carefully constructed - although somewhat blurry - boundaries of 'friends' that we seemed to be operating under. I simply looked at her, and knew that I had made the right choice in coming in after her. I could tell that the water was scalding hot and Mitchie simply stood under the water, letting it leave angry red trails on her otherwise flawless skin.
Gently, I pressed myself against her, her back to my front, and used my body to shield her from the hot water. I bit my lip harshly to prevent a hiss of pain from escaping my mouth at the temperature. I felt her stiffen at first, before she slowly relaxed into my grip. "Are you trying to burn yourself?" I asked softly.
Slowly, she turned so that she was facing me, and I noticed for the first time the bruised skin under her right eye and the various cuts running up and down her arms. "It hurts," she said brokenly, tears she had been fighting back welling up in her eyes.
I pulled her closer, and placed a soft kiss under her eye before I turned down the water temperature to a more bearable level. "I know," I mumbled into her hair.
She broke down, sobbing into my shoulder. I tightened my grip even more, and whispered things to her; things I had said a hundred times before, but never before meant. "I'll take care of you," I told her softly. "You don't have to be alone if you don't want to be; I'll look after you." Over and over again I told her these things as I held her against me, dimly realizing that for all my past experience, I had never actually comforted a girl in the way I was now. It was an experience that I wouldn't give up for the world. All that mattered to me was the girl in my arms.
At one point, she pulled back and choked out, "I'm sorry."
I pulled her closer to me and rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay," I whispered. "Just let it out, Mitchie." She began crying harder, burying her face back into the crook of my neck. "I'm here, Mitch. It's gonna be okay. I'm not gonna let you go," I murmured, my lips brushing against her jaw.
How long we stayed like that I'm not sure, but eventually her tears stopped and I pulled back slightly to look at her. Slowly, giving her time to back away, I leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a needy kiss, filled with lust; but a soft kiss, telling her I would always be there for her. One hand rested on her waist, and the other reached behind her, causing her to pull away slightly.
I could see the panic rising in her brown eyes, causing me to blush slightly. Normally, I would've made a move by now. But I couldn't do that to the girl standing in front of me. She was too special for a quick and dirty encounter in a random shower. If we ever got to the point in our relationship where we were both ready to have sex, possibly even make love, I wanted it to be special. "I'm not going to do anything. I'll be good. Just getting the shampoo," I explained, honestly. My eyes peered into hers earnestly, silently telling her that I wouldn't take advantage of her like that. I wanted her, oh Lord I wanted her, but I was willing to wait forever for her.
I pulled the bottle down and handed it to her. She took it, and gently I brushed the bruised area of her eye with the pad of my thumb before placing a brief kiss on her lips and turning away. "I won't go unless you want me too," I said, staring at the wall. "I just figured you wanted to shower in peace."
She placed a kiss on my shoulder, causing me to internally shiver, and whispered, "Thank you." I kept my eyes fixed firmly towards the wall, determined not to mess this up. Whatever this was, anyways. I'm unsure what to call it, and I'm pretty sure if I asked her what she thought this was that she would have no idea what to call it either. I don't think we could really say that friends really did this kind of thing for each other, especially after we had kissed so many times. After a few minutes, I felt her tap my shoulder, and I turned to face her again. "Will you wash my hair for me?" she asked shyly, holding the bottle towards me. "I can't seem to lift my arms that high at the moment."
I smiled slightly. "Of course," I replied, taking the bottle from her and squeezing a generous amount of the shampoo in my hand. I ran my hands through her hair, working the product in gently. After she rinsed the shampoo out, I proceeded to help her with the conditioner and even ended up helping her wash her back.
Despite my earlier doubts on whether or not I'd really be able to control myself, we didn't have shower sex. I didn't even really stare at her body. I just wanted her to know she wasn't alone. When she was done, I stepped out, toweled off, and pulled on the clothes that I had grabbed from our cabin – magic was a wonderful thing – on before she stepped out and did the same.
"So," she said, a little breathlessly, pulling her still-wet hair out of her t-shirt as she spoke. "Where does this leave us?"
I stared at her. It was safe to say that the 'friends' boundary was completely obliterated at this point. And that didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Looking into Mitchie's hopeful brown eyes made me realize that I was willing to try again with her. "I think," I said slowly, "that you should go on a date with me tonight, and then we'll see where we go from there."
AN 2: Don't hate me for that cliffhanger too much guys, please! I did promise that I'll upload another chapter before the end of the night, so be on the lookout! You'll even learn a little more about Alex's background next time, for those who are interested. Again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm still sorry for my long absence. Drop me a line and let me know what you think, pretty please. You know I do enjoy reviews. Click that button and let me know what you thought! Unless no one is reading this anymore and I'm just talking to myself, which is totally possible...and I'm rambling. Before I embarrass myself further, I should just say: Darklighter out.
