Knowing the people's time was over she wasn't sure where she would find her, after checking the kitchen, the living area and the dinning area she getting frustrated. "Why does this place have to be so damn big?" She spoke loudly.
"Baby girl you need to calm down, you're not going to help anything by making a big scene in front of the stuff. Mother was only trying to help."
"Tony shut the hell up and helps me find Sophie before she gives everything of my husbands away." Cristina stopped in front of the study hearing Sophie's laughter from behind closed doors. Without knocking or announcing herself she pushed the doors open and stormed into the room finding both Sophie and Max sitting on the couch laughing. They jumped from the couch when Cristina barged in the room with Tony, Dave and Paul in tow.
"My dear what is wrong?" Max asked seeing that Cristina was upset over something.
"I want my husband's things back in our room now." She stated not taking her eyes from Sophie. "Whatever or whoever you have given them to you had better find them and get them back in our room before night fall."
"Cristina dear please sit down and let me explain." Sophie spoke softly reaching out to place her hand on Cristina's shoulder only to have her pull away from her. "I did what I thought was best…"
"For you, you did what you thought was best for you not for me. You have tried to ease him from my life but it's not going to work. Maybe you and Max and Tony want to forget that he ever lived but I don't. I love him, he is my husband and he always will be my husband no one can change that. Now give me his things."
"I wish I could do that sweet heart but I had it all destroyed expect for his wedding band and royal suit." Sophie stated tears forming in her eyes.
"You had it destroyed." Cristina cried. "How could you do that, he is your son just because he is gone none of that changes."
"You don't understand how much it hurt to look at the pictures on the walls of him then walk into room that held his things, my heart broke over and over again. I couldn't take Cristina because he is my son I had to get rid of all his things. You think it was easy for me. It wasn't but I did it my self and for you. Having you gone hasn't helped with loosing my son, when Alex died you died too, I lost a daughter too."
Cristina stood there with tears falling from her eyes along with Sophie, she was right she had died when Alex did. She lost her spark for life, for love, for everything. But what did everyone expect her to do, just act like them and say he never existed. Well she wasn't them she wasn't going to act like she never loved him.
"Cristina, you are carrying Alex child inside you and that child needs a father to help you care for him. Have you even thought about remarrying?"
"What?" Cristina exclaimed. "How could you ask me that, I'm married to Alex and I will never let go back the vows that I made to him. I can't believe you people you just go on like nothing ever happened, you live in a fantasy. Alex lived and he died that doesn't mean you forget about him and everything he did. I will never forget him or remarry and our child will not have another father, so you and everyone else can forget about it." With that she turned on her heels once again and stormed out of the room and out of the palace.
Sophie turned to her husband who reached out for her after Cristina left them.
"I never meant to hurt but to help her."
"I know dear, she is in a lot of pain probably more then you or I or Tony right now. Alex was her first and only love, he was the only one there for her for when her grandparents died and she moved here. She is still in a sense that scared little girl who came to us all those years ago, she has so pain built up inside her she's not sure how to deal with it. Keeping Alex's things around her meant that he was still alive to her, you removing means that she now has to let go of him and everything about him. She doesn't want to forget him or anything about him. She just needs time right now." Max explained rubbing his wife's back.
"Time and love." Sophie looked up at her husband. "She needs love most of all and not from any of us." Looking at Dave. "Maybe you should go talk to her. I know you care deeply for her I saw it in your eyes when you walked in receiving room earlier today. She needs to know that she can still be loved and love some one."
Tony turned to Dave. "You can find her on the beach, her and Alex used to take walks down there about this time every night."
Dave walked along the beach as the sun began to set, he had been following the same small footprints, the only other footprints on the beach, he was starting to doubt they were Cristina until he looked up and saw her sitting on the beach staring out at the orange sky just a little ahead of him. When he reached her he sat beside her, she never looked at him neither spoke for a while. He wasn't sure what to say to her, Sophie told him to tell Cristina how he felt but he couldn't do that just yet, or could he. Turning his head towards her he saw the tears still silently falling from her eyes. She had been more then hurt by what had happened today she really didn't need him preaching to her about love right now.
"I'm sorry." She whispered finally. "I shouldn't have made a scene like that." She raised a hand up to her face wiping the tears. "But when I walked in our room and found all of Alex's things gone I freaked out." She paused watching as a group of whales sang bringing a smile to her face. "Alex and I have sat here and listened to the same group of whales for the past ten years or more. This is the spot where he first told me he loved me and the spot that we wanted to get married at, until his parents stepped in and Sophie planned this big royal wedding. We shared our deepest and darkest thoughts with each other here. And the few times that we did get into a fight he meet me here and we forgave each other without speaking a single word, we just sat here and listened for the whales." She turned her gaze to his. "You're probably sick of hearing me go on about my dead husband about now. Maybe everyone else is right I should just like he lived and I was never married, just him and everything we shared together from my mind and start over. But I just can't do that. I love him so much, I don't know if I'll ever be able to let go of him and love anyone else."
Dave reached out to wipe the remaining tears from her face. "Cristina the last thing that I wanted to do here was what Sophie told me to do, but after hearing what you just said I think you need to hear it." Cristina looked at him waiting for what he had to say. "When I first laid eyes on you I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, I still think that. Then I got to know you and found out that you have a heart of gold and give everything you had to some less fortunate then you. You care more about other people then you do yourself and I love that about you, I have never met a woman like that." He paused. "Then you come to me one night and tell me that you want to have an affair with me, a loveless affair. I was bound and determined to have you in some form that I thought it would be great, I really didn't want to be tied down and neither did you. But after I made love to you that night I knew I was in trouble. I fell in love with you that night and my love for you is not going away." Placing his hands on the sides of her face he gently ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "I love you Cristina Mendes, I love you more then life itself. When picture my life without you it kills me and I can't handle it, I want you by my side for the rest of my life, I'm not purposing marriage right now but hopefully one day if you'll take me."
She didn't know what to say, she felt the same way for him that he did for her but could she actually tell him her feelings. If she did then that meant she was doing what everyone else had done to Alex and she couldn't do that to him.
Looking down at the sand between them she let tears fall. "Dave I don't want that. I'm already married and I will not go back on the vows I made to my husband. I love him and I can never love another man."
Dave hooked his hand under her chin and lifted her face up to look at him. "I know that's not true Cristina, I know that you love me as much I love you. I see it in your eyes every time you look at me and I feel it every time you kiss me. Every time we make love I hear it in your voice when you come." Dave leaned in and brushed his lips against her tasting the tears that she had been crying all day. "I can not continue this affair. It has to end. You need to really think about how you feel and what Alex wouldn't want you to do, not for your child, but for you. For once in your life do what you want to do and don't think about anyone else." Then he stood and walked down the beach leaving her alone with her thoughts.