Windstar: Thanks very much to my wonderful reviewers! I really appreciate it! This chapter extends over a much longer period of time then the last few have, but the story is starting to pick up more then it had in the past. I hope you all enjoy!

I had a reviewer comment that this was a hurt/comfort/friendship story, but that it wasn't Romance. There is a reason for this, while yes - Romance is a huge part of Neal Caffrey's life, and with this plot - Alex's as well, I don't think that it's the romantic relationship between them that is the most important thing to focus on. They were always friends first, and in times to come - and Kate comes into the picture, the music box, jail, and the FBI come together - it's obvious that that romance isn't the most important thing. They're not together in the series, and I intend to bring us up to current events. Because of that, please keep in mind that obviously Neal gets with Kate and not Alex, and that he's not with Alex during the show. Romance is important, yes, but friendship more so. I hope that clarifies that!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter Seven: In Counting Time

November 17, 1995 – February 15, 1996

Alex made it a point to go through all of the paperwork and all of the forgeries needed for her to go back to school with Nick. She wasn't quite sure that she could contain herself from wanting to beat his so-called friends to a bloody pulp, but she was adamant on trying. When she told the Halden's of her plan, they were all stunned silent for a moment. Nick actually stared at her like she had three heads.

"You know…we won't be in the same classes…" He reminded here with a shocked expression.

"Sure we will, I'm sure you can forge a transcript that'll get me into it." He grinned wickedly, finished his dinner, and set off to work.

"Alley, you don' need ta be doin' this." Maire told her softly. Though she couldn't hide the honest to goodness touched look in her eyes. Alex shook her head.

"No…I promised I'd look out for him, and I will." She finished her own plate and stood up.

She did her own research about the event that took place only a few months before, and she read the what the news had to say about the situation. She wasn't too thrilled – to say the least – when she discovered that Nick Halden had been dragged through the proverbial mud by everyone and their grandma before Johnny went to jail.

It was only a few weeks before she had shown up when Johnny was put in a much more secure prison for a much longer wait, until the time of his next hearing. For a moment, she tried to consider what Nick looked like during that time, and if she could have guessed his troubles or problems with school. Now that she thought back on it, it was almost too convenient that she'd been allowed in the house so easily.

She knew that it had to do with her age, and her job, and her homelessness…but it also could very much have to do with the fact that Nick Halden was essentially isolating himself from the world and his parents were worried about him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had purposefully not spoken about any friends when she'd first come there because he honestly didn't believe he had any.

His life was just about in as much chaos as hers had been. She wondered if it was merely a coincidence that she had found him when she had. He seemed almost desperate for someone to talk to that didn't have anything to do with what had happened, and she needed someone to spend time with that wasn't intent on making her life a living hell.

Thomas was tight lipped about his reasoning for inviting to stay, but she was having trouble not seeing the bigger picture. The man didn't speak often, but he certainly cared greatly for his son. Nick meant the world to him, and no matter what anyone said – he would do anything if it meant his happiness and wellbeing.

Alex found herself curious about that fact, but she didn't quite feel confident enough to question Thomas about it. He probably wouldn't tell her anyway, so she focused solely on the schoolwork that was in front of her and she tried to get everything done that needed to be done.

It hadn't taken him long to get the paperwork and fake contacts together, and it certainly hadn't taken him long to arrange it all so it looked perfectly legitimate. The Haldens were listed as her primary contact numbers, and it was recorded that she was living with them now.

Alex looked over it with an amused grin and Nick pat himself on the back quite thoroughly for how well the documents came out. She had to admit – the boy had some extraordinary talent. He was fantastic at his work and she knew that type of skill was incredibly rare.

Now though, now she was just happy that she could be with him while he was having a difficult time, and she could be there for him when he needed her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a purpose. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was doing something right. She felt like everything was going good for once, and the feeling was exhilarating.

Months started to pass, and her presence in the Halden family seemed completely natural by the time Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years had come and gone. She was stunned at the offering of presents and the taste of good food. She had never had a genuine holiday before and the gathering was one of the most enjoyable she'd ever had. The Halden family, or at least Maire, had relatives that always made it a point to celebrate the holidays with them.

Having never been a member of a family before, a real one at least, she was astounded when she watched the various Irish relatives march through the door and parade themselves around the kitchen. Maire was delighted at having her sister, Emma, with her; and her joy filled the household. Alex was amazed at the love and care that Emma had for Maire and Nick, and she loved listening to the three of them speak in gaelic. It was a language so smooth sounding and so natural that she was mystified every time she heard the words. Emma's husband, Connor, was a broad man with a happy grin. Thomas and him would go out drinking and leave the women and Nick behind. No one complained and life fell into an easy level of contentment when they were around.

Emma and Connor doted on Nick with an almost alarming degree of love that Alex had never experienced before. Looking upon him it seemed clear that he was one of the most well cherished people in the world. His Aunt and Uncle doted on him with a relentless amount of caring that made her head spin, and through it all - the Haldens insisted that she was apart of their family. For the first time, she felt herself be loved and cared for.

Each holiday that came and went, the Caffrey side of the family would stop by and deliver presents and love. She found herself intoxicated by their caring, and they hugged and snuggled her almost as much as Nick. Her mood brightened greatly, and she found herself revealing in their attitude. She lamented that they could only come during holidays and that it was only for a short while each time. They were well off in Ireland, but that didn't meant that they could just take too much time off of work. Thanksgiving and Christmas through New Years was their greatest time that they could come, and because Thanksgiving was an American tradition - it showed just how much they cared for the Haldens that they'd make two trips so close together. Still, after new years, they'd return to Ireland and only be talked too on the phone and through copious letters.

It was during that time that Nick's mood in school seemed to improve with having her there, and she noticed that he was using her for more then just a friend while he was walking through the halls. She noticed it predominantly just before Thanksgiving. Emma and Conner had come over the night before and introduced themselves properly, and she had not yet become on close terms with them. There was excitement in the air though, and it seemed to make his resolve on certain things fade somewhat. He almost made a point to have his arm around her waist, and he was letting the world see the flirty smiles he'd send her way where before hand he'd tried not to.

Almost instantly the girls had backed off and had started to simply pine from afar. She didn't particularly mind, especially because she was irritated by their presence in the first place. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if Nick had a true girlfriend, but being as he didn't she was happy to make sure that all the other girls left him well enough alone.

Cindy though, was another matter. The girl seemed to try to redouble her efforts in getting close to Nick. She'd come up to him and speak with him with the attitude of purposefully ignoring anything and everything to do with Alex, and Alex was forced to just burn with the desire to see the girl get tossed into a wall.

Nick didn't like being around the girl, and it wasn't hard to see why. He was pretty confident on what had happened during the four hours he'd lost that night, and he was pretty certain it had to do with her. He wasn't one to honestly appreciate anything to do with her, and he was endlessly uncomfortable in her presence.

The problem was, as far as the two of them went, Alex would not make the first move towards him. He would not do it either. They were in a stalemate, and as much as Alex wanted to grab Nick and kiss him just to prove a point to the other girl – she knew that would hurt their relationship more then help it.

Case in point, Neal Halden did not like getting kissed. She was certain of it by this point. He looked almost disgusted with the thought of it, and she was certain it was all her fault. Four years ago she'd had a similar reaction to the whole experience. Anything to do with the topic of sex had been instant taboo. She wanted nothing to do with it, and apparently – neither did Nick.

Still, if Cindy was going to insist on assaulting him every time he walked down the hall, she was going to insist on beating the shit out of her the next time she saw her.

"Calm down little Alley-cat." Nick teased lightly as he started to open his locker. She glanced at him with a scowl on her face.

"One of these days, that girl is going to get punched."

"One of these days, I'm going to graduate and be far away from here." He tore some books from the inside of the metal cage and slammed the door shut. With a teasing smile he put an arm around her shoulder. "One of these days, I'm going to have a girlfriend who lets me take care of her instead of the other way around."

"Girlfriend?" He rolled his eyes.

"Word on the street is, we're soul mates." He blinked his eyes in the standard flirtatious way, and she scoffed.

"When do you trust word on the street-"

"When it comes from a reliable source." Both heads turned towards the voice, and Alex frowned slightly. Dante Haversham was the man who had given her the advice go to Thomas Halden in the first place. She hardly expected to see him here. Much less – did she expect the ear to ear grin that crossed Nick's face as he ran towards him and shouted –

"Mozzie!"

A few people's heads turned, but no one really commented. Nick's hand swung out and caught Haversham's in a clap before he pulled in to give a one armed hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off in Detroit!" The man was laughing slightly, and he shook his head.

"Never trust what you hear, my friend. I've been around for a little while-"

"He's the one that sent me to your place." Nick glanced back towards Alex with a frown before raising his eyebrows at the smaller man.

"I'm sensing a conspiracy." He intoned blandly, and the man shrugged.

"I have trained you well mon frère. Let's get out of here, we have much to talk about and so little time to do it in." With a smile, larger then Alex had ever seen before, Nick quickly followed without so much as a care that they were skipping the rest of the day of classes. Alex found herself not caring either, and she quickly trotted after them. His hand reached back and took hers and he gave it a squeeze as pure delight danced on his features.

Confusion of conspiracy or not – she was happy that 'Mozzie' had come back, because it looked like his very presence inspired life in his young counterpart. Nick had always been kind and flirty with her, but this view of pure joy had never been seen before in the house and she loved to dwell in his obvious excitement.

They exited the school building and walked at a brisk pace down the sidewalk, all the while Nick was practically bouncing with the need to ask questions and to talk to the man. He was showing admirable restraint though, and Alex had to give him credit – he was doing a good job considering how pumped up he was. She wasn't certain she could mind her words if she'd just been reunited with an old and dear friend.

"So tell me what life's been like for you two, you're living with the Halden's now, Alex?" Neutral topics seemed safe enough, and she nodded.

"Was this a set up?"

"Does it matter if it was?" It didn't, and she told him so, and so he shrugged. "Then it doesn't matter."

"We've been having a pretty good time, that's for sure. We've been illegally married." Nick snickered, referring to the ring he'd given her.

"I haven't seen that certificate just yet, Nick." She reminded him, and he shrugged.

"I said I'd give it you on your birthday. You're the one who screwed it all up by having the wrong date on your driver's license. I was perfectly prepared to give it to you in November, and you just had to tell me it was in February." She rolled her eyes, and Nick leaned closer to Moz – "And she's a rotten liar while we're at it, her real name isn't Alex, it's-" She swatted at him, and he ducked and it, only to swat back at her. She ducked and returned it in kind. It didn't take the two long to wage war through various swipes and teases right there on the sidewalk.

Mozzie grinned the whole while, enjoying the look of pure happiness that was radiating off of both of them. It had been a long while since he'd seen Nick look so cheerful, and while he didn't know Alex very well – it was nice to see her so enthused. The two of them had grown beautifully close and it was nice to see them so happy. By the time their fight had finished, he informed them that he was just around for the holidays, and they embraced that thought easily enough.

He swung around on all the major events. On Thanksgiving he had first arrived and assisted Maire with cooking and preparing the house. Emma and Conner seemed to know who he was and enjoyed his company greatly because of it. On Christmas, he swung back in to give gifts and to receive them, and Alex discovered for the first time that Neal Caffrey was born on Christmas Day.

"That's because I'm God's gift to humankind." He announced brightly as he gave her a huge grin.

"You wish you were." She scoffed, and then told him that his birthday sucked.

"Why's that?" He questioned with a frown.

"Because everyone else gets presents on your birthday too, it's not special." He was shaking his head though –

"Doesn't that make it even more special?" She frowned. "Everyone can be happy together, it's not just all about me."

"That's so Nick talking." She declared, and he snorted.

"Yeah, Neal's only a few months old, he's got a way to go before he gets a birthday."

"Too bad, he's total jailbait." He stuck his tongue out at her and she winked.

As they opened presents though, Alex felt her heart warm brightly. Nick was ever thoughtful towards her and she had hoped to be the same way towards him. He'd bought a necklace for her. It was tied on a silky string that tied in the back. The charm was that of an intricately designed oval that was almost shield shaped. It was an almost simple gesture with quiet words I'll protect you. She loved it.

To him, she gifted a simple black hat. The moments his hands touched it, he was grinning from ear to ear. Mozzie snorted and rolled his eyes, and his parents sighed dramatically. "What?" She asked in confusion, but her answers were met easily enough when he flipped it expertly and slid it onto his head with perfect precision. It looked perfect on him – just like she knew it would.

"He's always wanted a hat like that." Thomas explained. "I think he's got a rat-pack day-dream."

"Oh yeah, I'm totally Dean Martin." He grinned as he played with the fedora some more. "I love this hat." He seemed almost dreamy when he said it, and she laughed – happy to make an impression on him.

On New Years Eve, Mozzie took Alex and Neal to one of his favorite parts of the city – the rooftops. They got a perfect view of Times Square and they set up camp on top of the roofs.

A vicious game of poker soon broke out and it turned into an all out war. Alex discovered that Nick was not afraid to use his card shark ways in the game, and soon it was a game of who could con the conman better. Mozzie beat them both hands down, and when they complained he simply mentioned that they shouldn't play the man who taught them almost everything he knew.

On February fourteenth, Nick took Alex with him and they went to a theatre show together. Afterwards they ate dinner and took a walk through Central Park. Their teasing and enthusiastic natures soon led to a snowball fight that got them both wet and them both laughing so hard tears came from their eyes.

And it was on this night, that Nick and Alex had their first kiss. His took her face in his hands and he leaned forward just enough to lightly grace her lips with his own. Alex leaned in the rest of the way, and she felt her heart soar in her heart. She felt peace come over her. She felt as though the world vanished, and all that was left was her and her Blue-Eyed boy.

She felt as though nothing else mattered. Her heart bubbled with love and joy and euphoria. She felt as though she had been given the world on a silver platter. Her body thrummed with delight. Her arms reached up and locked behind his head.

Their lips pressed harder, they shifted and turned, one kiss turning into two. He held her waist close to him and for the first time she noticed that he was taller then her now. For the first time she noticed that he'd outgrown his 'short' status and was officially someone she had to incline her head towards. It wasn't much, but it was there. Next time they went out, she was wearing heels.

He pulled away, and met her eyes with a gentle smile. His fingers ran through her hair. "Happy birthday." He told her, and with another sweet kiss – this time to the side of her head. "And Happy Valentine's Day."

She wasn't sure she'd never been more pleased in all her life. Especially when he gave her a matching pair of earrings to her Christmas present, and when he teasingly gave her the marriage certificate he'd promised her months ago. She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder, and together they started to make their way back home.

Maire, though she hadn't been feeling well for a while, had thoughtfully baked a chocolate cake for her when they got back. It was three layers high and the frosting alone was to die for. She thanked the woman over and over again, never tasting anything more wonderful in all her life. Maire told her it was an old family recipe that she'd be happy to teach her when she had some free time. Alex thanked her over and over again, and chalked this moment – this day – down as her greatest Birthday that she'd ever had.

The next day at school, feeling as though she had just been gifted the whole world – she refused to let Cindy Crawford within ten feet of her Blue-Eyes. The moment the girl went to do her traditional attempt at flirting, Alex stood in her way and glared hard.

"Back off." She insisted, and Nick glanced towards them with raised eyebrows. Not too far down the hall Emrys and his jarheads were watching as well.

"Excuse you, you're in my way." Cindy hissed instead.

"No, you're in everyone's way. So get lost and stay there."

"Calm down Alley-Cat." Nick murmured towards her, his voice teasing. It was the name he always called her when she started to act predatory, and it fit well enough. She certainly felt as though she had her hackles raised on this one, but she wasn't going to calm down. Not until Cindy got the point and she left.

"You heard what he said. Calm down Alley-Cat." The girl using the nickname was certainly not acceptable though, and without further warning, Alex brought a hand back and smacked her hard across the face. Nick winced slightly and she could have sworn she saw Emrys' mouth drop with a mixture of surprise and humor – but she wasn't paying any attention to them.

"Only he calls me that, and you – need to learn that your place is not here. Leave him alone." Cindy glared up at her with a look of pure hatred on her face and went to swing at her. Alex shifted to the side and with the accuracy of one who had done it countless times; she placed her fingers behind the girl's ear and pushed. The pressure point crumbled under her touch and down Cindy went – yelping in surprise.

"Alex, you're going to get suspended." Nick warned with a bored tone.

"Promise you won't go near him again." Alex ignored him, and focused on Cindy.

"I promise!" The girl winced, and instantly the thief let up and patted her hands as though to remove imaginary dust.

"There, all better." And with that, she turned and interlocked her arm with Nick and the young boy just shook his head.

"You really love emasculating me don't you?" He chided blandly.

"No, I really love giving people what they deserve."

She would not tell him that the reason she'd done it at all, was the fact that she was sick and tired of looking at the other girl. She was sick and tired of listening to her in the girl's changing room during gym talking about how Nick Halden was the greatest lay that she'd ever had.

She was tired of listening to her go into detail about birthmarks and performance. She was tired of listening to her talk about Nick as though he were just a doll to dress up. She was tired of listening to her babble on about how she would just love to do him again, and if she could only get the chance…she would. In short: she was completely fed up.

Cindy Crawford liked his body, but she had no idea on his soul. She had no idea that the person she kept talking about was beautiful on the inside too, and that she was hurting him with all her talk and actions. Alex wanted retribution, and she wanted her boy to be free of Cindy forever.

The two of them walked home in relative ease, and were happy and at ease during the whole trip. Their hands these days, were always interlocked. She always wore his necklace and earrings, and he always wore his hat. They were tied together and they were never leaving.

Or at least that's what they told themselves when they walked into the house and they ascended the stairs to where Maire was usually at during the daytime hours. Nick knocked once on the door, and then opened it and let themselves in.

"Hey Ma, how're you doin' today?" He asked her as he rounded around the couch to look at her. He stood still for a moment, and Alex watched as the color drained from his face. "Ma?" He started forwards, the sounds of labored breathing just reaching Alex's ears. "Alley…get my dad. And call 911." His voice was shaking slightly, his hands reaching out to touch his mother, but whatever happened next – she wouldn't know.

She turned around and ran for the phone. She screamed for Thomas to come upstairs, and within moments panicked steps were racing towards her. The man burst into the room where Nick was still crouching before his mother. Maire was gasping slightly, her skin completely the wrong color. Her eyes were pinched clothes and it was clear she was in a great amount of pain.

Thomas ordered them to go downstairs and show the paramedics up when they came, but Nick was frozen to the floor. Alex reached out a shaking hand. "Nick…come on…come on…don't watch…" She took his palm in hers, and she pulled. His eyes stayed on Maire for as long as they could, but when they turned the corner, he looked at her and his heart was locked in his throat.

"It's too soon." He told her, words trembling. "They said two years. They said she had two years!"

"I know. I know, we don't know what's going on, but we'll see…we'll see Nick…We'll see." She gave his hand a squeeze, and forced herself to think positively…because as wonderful as the past few months had been…everything was going to change drastically if Maire died. If she died – everything they'd built, was going to come falling apart, she just knew it.