Alan was at peace and his body was finally relaxed, as he listened to the rain slowly falling. He kept his eyes closed and tried to listen to any other sounds but nothing came. Finally he opened his eyes and found himself not in some abandoned room, but rather in a comfortable bed. As he surveyed his surroundings, he felt a smile tug on his lips…he was home. He wasn't stuck in a jungle running from people and dinosaurs, but rather he was safe at his home.
"You're awake," a sweet voice stated from the doorway. Alan allowed his eyes to wander to the voice. And there in doorway stood a goddess.
"Ellie," Alan whispered quietly.
"You need to take a shower and get dressed. We have to be at the reception in four hours," Ellie started as she walked over to her closet and pulled a blue evening gown.
"Reception?" Alan asked confused.
"Alan, that's not funny, you know that Kelly is getting married today," Ellie said as she placed the gown on a hanger next to the door. "Go and take a shower."
Alan smiled to himself. He knew where he was and most importantly when. It was because of this wedding that he and Ellie had broken up. He shook his head trying to remember the actual scene that had played out. In a flash he remembered everything, he remembered Ellie saying that she wanted to get married soon and have kids. He felt as if the walls were caving in on him, he couldn't believe what she was saying. As if he was still dreaming he felt himself drifting into another time period. This time however he was looking at himself in a mirror. He was dressed in a tux but his bowtie and jacket were taken off.
"Alan what do you think about marriage?" Ellie asked from the bathroom.
"You know my opinion on that," Alan shot back as he went to the bed and lied down.
"Is there any hope that you might change your mind?" Ellie asked from the bathroom doorway, she was now wearing a bathrobe.
"Ellie, I think marriage is good for some people, but I'm not one of them. I don't want to be married and I especially don't want kids," Alan said without ever raising his head off the bed.
"We need to talk," Ellie said quietly.
This caught his attention, he opened his eyes but instead of looking at Ellie he found himself staring directly at a tree. He knew this was a dream of some sort, but it was starting to get on his nerves that he couldn't control it. He turned around and studied the environment as a sense of dread flowed over him. He had been here and he knew what to do. Without a second thought, he spun around and took off into the jungle as fast as his legs would take him.
Meanwhile:
Ellie watched Alan in silence. She couldn't sense he was scared by the way his eyelids were twitching. She sighed quietly as she looked at him, wishing that he would wake up. She had tried everything just short of kissing him. She smiled and remembered when she had once kissed him to wake him up from a horrible nightmare, but that was in the past and she couldn't bring herself to kiss him, especially after what she had heard him say.
"How is he?" Tim asked as he took a seat next to Ellie.
"Out cold, but he seems to be dreaming which is a good sign," Ellie replied as she placed Alan's hand in hers.
"He'll be fine, just give him some time," Tim stated before getting up and heading back to the group, who was talking about ways to get out of the room.
Ellie leaned closer to Alan and slowly whispered what she felt. "Alan, if you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign. I still haven't forgiven you, but I'm here just like before and I'm not going anywhere until I know you are going to be alright…I love you."
Alan stopped dead in his tracks, out of breath, but that wasn't what had stopped him. He had heard something not in a dream like trance but a voice from beyond calling to him to wake up. Alan concentrated on slowing his breathing in order to hear the voice again, but it was no use. The only sounds he heard were those of birds chirping. Taking a deep breath of air, he set again on a fast run through the jungle knowing damn well that whatever was after him would show its ugly face soon. With one fluid move, Alan felt the Earth slip from below him and he lost his footing, causing him to yell out in pain as his shoulder connected with the ground. He looked up and saw the shadows of someone near him. Rising to his feet, he looked directly at the shadow in front of him. As the shadow emerged he felt his eyes widen in horror. The shadow was not that of a monster or even of a person he hated, but rather it was Ellie.
"What are you doing here?" Alan tried to ask but the words never left his lips. Ellie held out a hand to Alan. Without a doubt in his mind he reached for her hand and felt himself transported into another world.
"Daddy," a little girl screamed as she ran up to him. "Mommy said you were coming home today, I've missed you so much."
"I guess she was right then," Alan said as the little girl threw herself into his arms. Alan was taken back by the sudden move but the minute she was in his arms he felt a feeling of happiness.
"Mary, leave Daddy alone, he has had a long trip," Ellie said as she came up from behind him. Alan set the girl down and with a quick smile she was off running to her bedroom.
Alan watched the girl in amazement. He couldn't believe he was a father and without a doubt he knew the child was his. She had his eyes. Alan was pulled out of his trance when he felt a pair of arms circle around his waist.
"I missed you," Ellie whispered into his ear.
Alan smiled and turned around in her arms. "The feeling is mutual," he stated as he lowered his lips to hers. He had forgotten how good it felt to have Ellie in his arms, but he hadn't forgotten what it felt like to kiss her. For the first time in years he felt as if he was truly home. As their kissed deepened, he felt his mind fogging over as if he was waking up but it was different, he slowly opened his eyes and found himself once again in the jungle. He cursed silently to himself. "I'm getting really sick of this place."
"Ellie, we need to wake him. I'm not sure when those guys are going to return, but we need to be ready which means we need Alan," Malcolm whispered as he stood behind her.
"I know, I'm just concerned about what might happen if we do," Ellie said sincerely.
"You'll never know until you try," Malcolm responded as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ellie nodded her head without ever breaking her eye contact with Alan. After hearing Malcolm walk away, she sighed and closed her eyes.
"It is the only thing I can do, but what would he think?" she whispered to herself.
Ellie battled her options in her head, but without missing a beat she knew what she had to do, so slowly she leaned down and pressed her lips against Alan's, praying that it would work just like last time.
Alan was sick of the jungle and tired of running, so he had finally pushed himself to stop running and wait out whatever was to come his way. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt something on his lips. Opening his eyes, he looked around but saw nothing. In a blink, he found himself reliving his life from when he was a child digging holes, to attending school and not knowing what to major in, then to working on dig sites and trying to uncover the past. Another blink and he found himself face to face with a younger Ellie and then he saw himself back on the island running for his life with Lex and Tim. The last image he saw was of today's events and the hurt look on Ellie's face as he told her the truth.
Alan's eyes opened slowly and to his surprise he found Ellie's head very close to his own. As the cobwebs disappeared from his mind, he found the reason why she was so close. She was kissing him. Without hesitation he kissed her back, but before he could place his hand behind her head to deepen the kiss, she broke it and jerked back.
"How are you feeling?" Ellie asked quietly, as if to test the waters of their friendship.
"Umm, I got a headache but fine otherwise. What are you doing here?" Alan asked curiously.
"We stumbled into Radcliffe's little hideout," Ellie answered as Alan tired to sit up. "He is waiting to talk to you and I don't think we can get away this time."
"We aren't going to run. I'm going to ask Radcliffe to let everyone eat something, then I'm going to finish what I started…. alone," Alan said matter-of-factly.
"Do we get any say in this?" Ellie asked as her voice rose.
"No," Alan said. As he stood up, he noticed the rest of the group in the back of the room.
"Alan?" Ellie questioned.
"Listen and listen good. This is my fault and thanks to me you are all paying the price and for that I am truly sorry. But I don't need you guys to help me."
"Nice speech, Dr. Grant," Radcliffe said from the doorway. No one had noticed that he had unlocked the door during Alan's speech.
"It's called being honest, something you wouldn't know, Alan shot back.
"Okay, why don't we test your honestly and loyalty," Radcliffe stated as he walked over to Alan and handed him a gun. Alan didn't move one inch.
"I'll make it simple. Shoot one of them and then the rest can go, including Ellie," Radcliffe explained with a wicked smile.
"What kind of game are you playing?" Alan asked sternly.
"I want to see if you're being honest about your work and in order to be honest about it, then you must be loyal to me. I'm just testing your loyalty. One shot and they all can go," Radcliffe replied.
"No catch?" Alan asked.
"None.
Alan took a deep breath as he grabbed the gun from Radcliffe's hand. With a smile, Radcliffe moved back and looked at the group.
"Pick your target, Radcliffe beamed. Alan slowly pointed the gun towards the group.
"Alan!" Ellie yelled. "What are you doing?"
BANG!
The bullet flew out of the gun before anyone had the chance to react. Silence filled the room for a few seconds, then a loud scream erupted throughout the room. In the corner of the room Malcolm stood, holding his arm and wincing in terrible pain.
"What the hell did you do?" Ellie scowled.
"Proving my loyalty," Alan replied callously as he handed the gun back to a smiling Radcliffe.
"I was so hoping for a death," Radcliffe stated.
"You said one shot, not where or who…now let them go," Alan threatened.
"Touché," Radcliffe smirked. "I'll call for the helicopter tomorrow morning and they can go free. For tonight, they will stay here while you help me. And to show that I'm not an evil man, I will have my men bring in some food…and a few medical supplies."
Radcliffe laughed to himself before heading towards the door and walking out. Everyone except Alan rushed over to Malcolm who was still wincing from the bullet that just grazed his shoulder.
"It doesn't look too bad, so he'll be fine after we clean it up," Sarah assured as she looked at his shoulder.
"That's nice to know," Malcolm growled as he looked at Alan.
"It could have been worse," Alan declared.
"Shut the hell up…as far as we are concerned, you are not part of this group," Ellie said hostility.
"This is why you shouldn't have come…but no, do you listen? As far as I'm concerned, you are just as bad as I am," Alan shot back angrily.
"You…" Tim began to say when Ellie cut him off.
"Don't, it isn't worth our time. Let him feel sorry for himself."
The opening of the door stopped Alan from replying to the comment. In walked one of Radcliffe's men, who was carrying a first-aid kit. He glanced around the room before setting his eyes on Malcolm.
"I was asked to give this to you. In an hour I will bring some food," he stated without any emotion. Ellie nodded her head and took the kit from him. The man nodded and then headed back to the door once again, locking them inside.
"Here, use this to clean the shoulder, then the gauze to wrap up the wound," Ellie stated as she handed some of the medical supplies to Sarah.
"Where are you going?" Sarah whispered.
"Malcolm isn't the only one hurt," Ellie replied as she grabbed the kit and headed towards Alan, who was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
"Take off your shirt," Ellie said quietly.
"Pardon me?" Alan said as he raised his head.
"Your shoulder needs to be cleaned out and I'm damn sure you can't do it by yourself. So once again, take your shirt off," Ellie clarified.
Alan sighed and then slowly took off his shirt wincing as he slipped it off his shoulders. Ellie felt her thoughts starting to feel sorry for him, but she yelled at herself mentally. When Alan turned his back to her, she felt herself gasp. His shoulder was bright red and looked infected.
"What's wrong?" Alan asked tiredly.
"I think you might have an infection," Ellie replied quietly.
"Go figure…can't get much worse," Alan stated enthralled.
"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your voice," Ellie said with a smile as she poured some cleaning solution onto a rag.
"No," Alan replied sarcastically. He jerked his body when the liquid touched his shoulder.
"Sorry, " Ellie said sincerely.
"I know," Alan said as he closed his eyes. "I owe you an apology. I don't know what has come over me. Maybe…maybe I'm…I don't know."
"Alan, you're a good guy and I wish you could see that, but these past two days have showed me that you have issues and you personally need to work them out. I'm not forgiving you by any means. I'm just saying that I'm still here and will be as long as you want my friendship," Ellie explained as she finished placing the gauze on his shoulder.
"Hopefully it won't always be that way," Alan said with a grin as he turned around.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ellie asked, but she already knew the answer.
Without a second of hesitation Alan leaned over and kissed Ellie on the lips. Despite her anger, Ellie felt herself kissing him back. As she kissed him, she couldn't help but notice that this was the old Alan, the one she had fallen in love with. A few seconds later, Alan broke the kiss and placed a hand against her cheek.
"That was better than the last kiss, especially since I'm awake now," Alan said quietly.
"Alan, don't do that again. I'm not going to forgive you just because you kiss me. What has happened will require more than saying you're sorry or a kiss. You need to find yourself before you find me," Ellie whispered before standing up again, leaving Alan to his own thoughts.
Alan sat on the couch, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't believe Ellie was lying to him and that made him feel even worse than he already felt. Cracking his neck, Alan slowly rose off the couch and looked around the dark room. Everyone was safe for the time being. He knew he had to talk to Radcliffe and there was no wasting time standing around wondering what he should have done in the past. With that thought, Alan walked over to the door and pounded on it hoping for an answer.
"What?" a man asked when he opened the door. Alan noticed the gun and took a deep breath of air before speaking.
"I need to speak to Radcliffe."
"Regarding what?" the man asked matter-of-factly.
"He knows," Alan avowed back. The guard nodded and closed the door in front of Alan.
"What are you doing?" Malcolm asked as he looked towards Alan.
"Correcting a mistake," Alan replied softly.
A few minutes later, the door reopened and Radcliffe walked through it with a huge smirk on his face. Two men carrying rifles followed him.
"You wanted to see me," Radcliffe gloated.
"You have a deal," Alan said quietly as he lowered his head.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Radcliffe said sarcastically.
"You got a deal. Everyone goes except me and Ellie," Alan said louder.
"That is what I thought," Radcliffe beamed.
"Alan, what is he talking about?" Ellie asked, shaken.
"Everyone is going to go free, while you and I will stay," Alan answered.
"What?" Malcolm yelled.
"It is for the best, Alan shot back tiredly.
"You always have to be the hero, (added a comma) don't you," Malcolm hissed.
"Just do what you are told," Alan said quietly.
"The helicopter is waiting outside. So I recommend you grab your things and then my men will escort you out," Radcliffe said pleased.
"What if we don't go?" Malcolm asked angrily.
"Then my men will be forced to drag you outside and I highly doubt you would want them to touch Sarah," Radcliffe stated uncaring.
"You son of a bitch," Malcolm replied.
"You got one minute," Radcliffe replied as he looked at his watch.
Malcolm swore under his breath before he grabbed his stuff and started to follow the rest of the group out the door. He stopped just short of the exit and looked at Alan.
"Don't expect us to come back to save your ass."
"I wouldn't," Alan replied unshaken.
"I'll be back later for you," Radcliffe said as he closed the door leaving Ellie and Alan alone.
"So this is why you didn't want us to follow. You knew all along that Radcliffe wanted me to stay," Ellie said hurtful.
"I tried to convince him to let you go, but he wouldn't listen. I did what was best for everyone, including yourself," Alan replied heatedly.
"I know your heart is in the right place, but this time you are wrong. Radcliffe isn't going to let us go and for all we know, he is going to shoot the rest of them or leave them out in the jungle," Ellie shot back.
Alan opened his mouth to respond, but than closed it in horror. He hadn't thought about that and considering Radcliffe was known for lying, how could he be sure that he let them go free. Suddenly Alan felt sick to his stomach, pulling up a chair that was nearby he sat down and took a deep breath. Never in his life had he felt so hopeless and wrong as he did at this moment.
P.S. Thanks to my editor for all the work she does to correct each chapter. Thanks to all my faithful readers and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.