And Now We Meet Again II
They got out of the taxi and saw that the police was already there. Alex Brandtner was there. He was standing outside the house.
There they are, Xena! – Gabrielle said.
-Who? – Xena asked, pretending she doesn't know.
-Alex, Böck, Kunz and Rex!
-Oh, yeah. – Xena said. She saw him, yeah, she did. It was dark, but the street lamps were on, even though she didn't need light to recognize the man she loved.
-Let's go there! – Gabrielle said.
-No, no, Gabrielle, we shouldn't…
-Why?
-You know why. – Xena said. She knew Gabrielle knew about her feelings.
-Then I'll go alone. - Gabrielle said and went. Xena got back in the car. She didn't want Alex to see her.
-Don't mention I'm here! – Xena shouted to Gabrielle, who was already a few meters away from her.
-What's happening? – Gabrielle said to Alex.
-Gabrielle? What are you doing here? – He said surprised.
-I was going to ask you the same but… since you asked first… Our friend David found a murdered woman, so we decided to solve the case.
-Why didn't you and Xena call me?
-We…We…
-Speaking of Xena, where is she?
-Gabrielle, you're back! – They heard a voice from behind. It was Böck. Gabrielle felt relieved – Böck came just in time to save her from Alex's questions.
-Christian, I'm so glad to see you! – Gabrielle said. Oh, yeah, she was really glad to see him.
-I'll go get some ham rolls, come with me. We might have a little time to tell a story or two. – So they left. Maddie and David were talking to Kunz about the murder. David was happy that he wasn't the main suspect anymore and soon everything would be over. The last few days were a nightmare to him, in fact not only the last few days, but also the last few weeks, the last few months. The last few months…without Maddie. But he didn't want to think about that, he didn't want to think about Maddie – it was all over between the two of them and he knew that better than anyone else. He had given up on her, on them. But what else could he do? He tried his best to become the perfect man for her, but it was never enough. "Well, I guess it was just not meant to be." – He said in his mind and looked at Maddie, who was explaining to Kunz what happened.
Alex was left alone. Rex was sitting next to him, doing nothing, until he saw something and stood up. Alex knew Rex had seen something...or maybe someone. He looked around and saw her. Right there, in the car. The blue-eyed woman with the long black hair. He recognized her immediately.
-Well, Xena? Why didn't you call me? –She heard from behind. It was Alex. Her heart stopped and her blood froze in her veins. That was a surprise even for the warrior princess. She turned around slowly and saw him. She looked him in the eyes; they were filled with so many questions she didn't want to answer.
-Alex? Did Gabrielle tell you I was here? – She said after she calmed down. It was the first thing that came to her mind. A foolish try to change the subject.
-No. I found you myself. Actually Rex found you first. – He said as she got out of the car. She had no time to change, so she was still wearing that black dress. He saw the dress but he didn't pay much attention to it - to him Xena always looked beautiful. - So, why didn't you call me? You didn't even come to say hello!
-I…I don't know, Alex. It was just… Something was stopping me... I really don't know… - That question again. One of the many she didn't want to answer, one of the many to which she didn't know the answer…or didn't want to admit it. – Are you angry at me?
-No, not at all. – He said and hugged her. She didn't expect that. He didn't expect it too, but it was stronger than him. The hug lasted not more than three seconds, even though they both wanted it to last longer. But Xena had to keep distance. She didn't want to fall in love. She knew how it all would end if she fell in love – most probably Alex would get killed. She was a warrior and love wasn't a part of a warrior's path. Her friendship with Gabrielle was something else though, they were soul mates, and they had to be together.
- How did you find out about the murder? – Xena asked Alex, trying to change the subject. She could suppose that somebody found the corpse and called them as it always happens.
-Well, you know we always find out about these things. – He answered and smiled. He knew what she was doing, but he really wanted to talk to her about his feelings. And yet she kept on acting like there was nothing between them:
-You know, we found a piece of Bieber's cloth at the crime scene…
-I gave it to Kunz! – said Maddie, who was now walking towards them, followed by David.
-Good, Maddie. – Xena said, and then she looked at Alex. – Alex, meet our friends Maddie Hayes and David Addison. They're detectives.
-Nice to meet you, I'm Alex Brandtner.
-Nice to meet you too. – Maddie said with a smile. She had noticed the conversation between Brandtner and Xena and knew that something was going on.
David smiled as a sign of "Hello" or something… He was trying to be polite, but he wasn't in the mood for making new friends right now. All he wanted was to… actually he didn't know what he wanted and that was the problem. This was soon going to end and then would come the question "And now what?" He didn't have a family, he didn't have a job and he didn't have where to live… What did he have at all? He looked at Maddie again. No, he didn't have her, definitely not. At lest not the way he wanted. "Stop thinking about her, it's all over!" – He said to his mind.
Gabrielle and Christian got back with a big bag full of ham rolls. They left it in Christian's car and went to the others.
Suddenly Rex came out of nowhere and started barking. Xena and Alex followed him behind the house. They saw Justin Bieber trying to run away through the back door and went after him. Rex was fast so he managed to almost immediately catch up with him, while Alex and Xena were running a few meters behind. The chase didn't last long. It didn't take much time for Rex to stop Bieber.
-Well done, Rex! – Xena said to him with a smile, while Alex was putting handcuffs on Bieber's hands.
After a few minutes the others came.
-Well, looks like we got him. – Böck said.
-Yeah, it looks like that. – David agreed. – Well, since I'm no longer a suspect and I've got no business here, I'll go now. – He added. – It was very nice to meet you all, no matter of the circumstances.