Falling Down

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I made it all up in my strange mind. Al is my property…because I created her.


A/N: Sorry! I intended on updating yesterday, but on Sunday night I downed a bottle of wine and was not completely functional for a good chunk of the day yesterday lol Anyways, a huge thank you for the awesome reviews: nattiebroskette, ThatGirl54, xSamiliciousx, Rossi's Lil Devil, DeeMarie426 (Agreed!), Damnitambrose, and DenyingTheTruth. You guys are the best. And I love you all. I hope you enjoy this one. Love you all bunches and bunches! XoXoXo


Jon waited for Al to come back. He was growing a little concerned. She had already been gone for two hours. He couldn't focus on anything but her. He was pacing around the hotel room, driving himself crazy. He had attempted to distract himself by showering and getting dressed. But he wasn't distracted in the least. Jon was anxious.

Jon sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do. After what felt like hours, he heard the door unlock and open. He practically jumped off of the couch. Al walked into the room and shut the door behind herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice frantic.

Al gave him a weird look. "Yeah…"

"I was worried," he sheepishly told her, his eyes focusing on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Jon. I didn't mean for you to be worried about me," she apologized, seemingly sincere. "I just went downstairs, got some food, called Phil, then, I called Lizzy, and I came back here," she explained her whereabouts. "I just needed to clear my head."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel forced or uncomfortable or anything," Jon spoke. "That wasn't my intention at all."

Al put her bag down and stood in front of Jon. "You didn't. I promise," she assured him, her eyes on his, trying to reassure him.

"What's wrong? What'd I do?" he asked her.

She felt bad. He sounded genuinely worried about her and concerned about the situation at hand. "You didn't do anything. I just got scared. Sex for me is one thing. I can handle sex. I can't handle feelings. And…I may have some for you. I don't really know right now. And if you have any for me…I feel like that's just asking for trouble. You know?"

"Why?"

"Because I have a lot of problems, Jon. And those problems cause me to screw things up all of the time," she vaguely explained.

"Did you tell Phil?" he asked her.

"Oh God no. He'd come here and kill us. But I told Lizzy about things. She thinks that I'm just being paranoid and crazy."

"Who's Lizzy again?"

"Lana. Her real name."

"Oh…" He paused. "So why did you two break up?"

"Same reason none of my relationships have lasted. I couldn't give up the drugs. She tried to help me. But I couldn't do it," Al told him. "I'm lucky that she's one of my best friends to this day, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind when we were together."

"What about your marriages?"

She laughed. "Well, the first one was a bad idea to begin with. It was a guy I hadn't been dating for very long. We were both on a lot of shit, and we just up and got married in Vegas one night. I was eighteen. And my dad put an end to that one…which was really the best thing for me because he wasn't only a drug addict, but he was an asshole. The second one…well, that one's a little harder to talk about. But…it was with someone I cared for very much. He always tried really hard to help me stay clean. He was a genuinely great boyfriend and husband. But…" She took a deep breath and let it out, not wanting to get emotional about it. "But I was just a mess, and he couldn't help me. I wasn't ready to be helped. We got married in 2008 when I was twenty-one. We did it because we loved each other very much. But we didn't work out because I had too much going on. So, it ended, and we got divorced in 2010. And we no longer speak or see each other or have anything to do with each other. He's doing well. He just got married again."

"Is he someone I would know of?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Al didn't realize it would bother her so much to talk about this, but she wanted the topic of her second marriage to end immediately.

Jon made a note of that information and decided to not press her on it, seeing as it was clearly difficult for her to talk about. "What about your engagement?"

"To Nikki?" Jon nodded. "Same idea. The drug thing makes my relationships fail. He's an incredible guy. We're on good terms. He'll call me or text me every now and again just to check up on me. But I ruined that, too. And I know that we're not in a relationship or anything, but if we ever were, I'd fuck that up, too. It's what I do best. So, I don't like to get involved in anything other than just a sexual relationship," she explained.

"You need to stop worrying, Al. Remember, I told you, I'm gonna help you. I will do everything I possibly can to keep you clean."

She gave him a small smile. "I really appreciate that. It just isn't that easy," she told him. "If an addict wants to get fucked up, an addict will get fucked up." She thought for a moment. "You know, it almost feels like I'm getting addicted to you."

Jon smirked. "But unlike your other addictions, I won't ruin your life."

"But odds are, I'll ruin yours," Al said with a sad honesty in her tone.

"I'm not worried about me," he spoke, his voice genuine.

She smiled. "Why are you so good for me?"

He gave her a look. "I only want to make you feel good," he told her, his tone slightly suggestive.

"You must have a terrible case of blue balls."

"You have no idea."

"So, why don't you just whack it or something?" she asked him.

He let out a laugh, not expecting her to be so blunt. "Because it isn't the same. It won't be nearly as satisfying as you'd think."

She smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he told her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I just have so much on my mind, you know? I don't wanna create problems for either of us. And I have this awful tendency to do that."

"I don't think so."

She gave him a look. "Jon, I'm the worst person you could possibly get involved with. I'm not good at being a normal human being. I'm just a crazy bitch."

Jon pushed her hair behind her ear. "You're not like anyone I've ever known before, but that's what I like about you."

Al tried to hold it in, but the flattered smile crept onto her face anyway. "You know, you really do make it difficult to resist you."

He chuckled. "Oh, I do?"

She nodded, taking a step closer to him. "I wish things were different. Like I wasn't an addict and didn't have so many issues. That way it'd be a lot easier to let myself go. But…I like you, Jon. I don't wanna fail at this, too. The last thing that I wanna do is show you how much I really suck at everything."

"You don't suck at anything. In fact, you got me hooked on you. You're just...you're so much different than anyone I've ever known. You're a good person. I judged you at first. That was really wrong of me. I was harsh and unfair. But now, I can't get you out of my head. Literally, in a couple of days, you've changed my entire opinion of you. I like being near you all of the time. So, it isn't just about sex for me. I genuinely do like you. I want to hang out with you and see you…and just be around you."

"You're very sweet, Jon, but I don't wanna cause any problems for you. I like you a lot. I don't want to complicate your life. And I will. It's inevitable. Besides, you have Renee, who is really trying to build something with you. She's a good girl. You need someone like her in your life, not someone like me."

"First of all, I don't care about her like that. She's a friend. Nothing else. No matter what she wants. Secondly, is it really that strange that I prefer a headcase?"

Al smiled. "Strange…maybe a little misguided, too."

"I can deal with that."

She brought a hand onto his waist, as she stepped up to him. "Jon, anything beyond being platonic friends won't work for us," she insisted, though her actions showed him she didn't want to be just platonic friends.

"It can," he told her, pulling her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Al couldn't deny how attracted she was to Jon she really was. But she knew that this could not work out well, and it certainly wouldn't end very well, either. "Jon…" she softly protested.

He leaned down to kiss her, but she pulled away from him. "I should put my makeup on and get dressed," she said, walking over to the vanity in the bathroom.

Jon sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. This woman was absolutely going to be the death of him. He was going crazy over her. He couldn't seem to get her out of his head…not that he had actually tried to, seeing as they were together all of the time. He needed to figure out what he was going to do.

Inevitably, Jon would lose his mind, if things with her stayed the way that they were right now. Jon was addicted to this woman. An innocent thought about her could cause an inconvenient physical reaction from him. He needed to get this situation under control and soon.


"Hey Al, do you wanna get something to eat?" Jon asked. It had been quite the awkward morning. He just wanted to make things normal again.

"Uh…sure," she replied.

Jon couldn't deny how great she looked. Her makeup was flawless. She wore her black AG Adriano Goldschmied Leatherette jeggings with a white Equipment Keira Silk button-up top. She had a black bandeau top on underneath the shirt and left the top couple of buttons open. Al had her Christian Louboutin Pigalle 120 Crystal-Embellished suede pumps on.

"What kind of food are you in the mood for?" he asked.

"Um…I dunno. What are you in the mood for?" she asked, sitting next to him on the edge of his bed.

He smiled. "I dunno."

"I mean…we're in LA. We could go to the Ivy," she suggested.

"Oh. One of your celebrity restaurants?" he teased her.

Al laughed. "Yes, one of my celebrity restaurants."

"Alright. Let's go," he agreed.

"Okay." She stood up and grabbed her black Valentino Rockstud leather tote.

"I have to make the comment…you do look like a total celebrity right now. It's the first time I've really seen it work this well," he told her.

She chuckled. "Oddly enough, I am kind of one."

"Kind of? You're a pretty big one," he corrected.

"I dunno about that."

"Trust me, you are." He grabbed the keys to the car they had rented. "Ready?"

"I'm ready," she replied.

The pair left the hotel room and headed to the garage. She pulled her sunglasses out of her bag. "Now, you look even more celebrity-like," Jon teased her again.

Al smirked at him. "Well, then, lucky you, getting to hang out with a big celebrity. I will warn you, though, the paparazzi will probably find us and question us. They'll think that we're dating or something," she warned him.

"Like I'd have a problem with them thinking I'm hitting that," he quipped.

Al rolled her eyes, but he saw the grin that formed across her lips. They made their way to the car and got inside of it.

Jon pulled the directions up in the BMW's navigation system. He followed the directions, heading to the popular restaurant.

"Can I say something?" he asked.

"You just did," she pointed out.

"Wise ass." She smiled at him.

"You look pretty hot. I hope the paparazzi take pictures of you. You're looking perfect for some gossip magazines."

A blush crept onto Al's cheeks. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Once the pair arrived at their destination, Jon parked the car. They got out and walked down the block to the restaurant. And, as expected, there were photogs everywhere.

As they approached the entrance, the paparazzi began asking questions. "Alessandra, is Dean Ambrose your new boyfriend?" one asked her. She smirked.

"He's just a friend," she simply replied.

"You look great" another complimented.

"Aw, thank you."

They walked inside and were nearly immediately seated. The pair sat at a table, across from each other. Al finally took her sunglasses off and put them in their case, back in her bag.

"So, this is how the rich and famous live?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. But give yourself a little credit. You're one of us now. Even the photographers knew who you were."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Yeah…about that…not really my scene."

The waitress approached the table and introduced herself. She took their drink orders. Jon ordered a simple iced tea, while Al got herself a Raspberry Daiquiri."

"Look at you being all famous with your fancy drinks," he teased.

"Yeah. Yeah. You're not as far off as you think you are, pal."

"You really are so beautiful, though. You belong in this kind of place with this kind of lifestyle. You know?" he spoke, his tone genuine.

"I don't really know about that," she replied, blushing at his compliment.

"You are. That's not even me trying to hit on you or anything," he insisted.

"Well, thank you, Jon. You're pretty hot yourself, though. You're a great celebrity."

He rolled his eyes and laughed. The waitress brought their drinks over.

Al took a sip. "Oh God. This is delicious." Within moments, she completely froze, and her face went pale.

Jon gave her a concerned look. "Al? Are you okay?" he questioned her. He'd never seen that expression on her face. "Al, what's wrong?"

"My father is here," she finally told him, her eyes focusing on the table that they were sitting at, as she began fidgeting with her drink.

"Oh. Um…do you want to leave?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment and looked up. "No. You know what? He's the bad human being. So, fuck him. I'm not going anywhere," she stubbornly insisted. Jon was a little surprised by her sudden change in tone. But he understood where her hostility was coming from.

"Okay." He gave her a reassuring smile. She returned it. The looked at the menus and decided what they wanted to eat.

The waitress came back to the table and took their lunch orders, before walking away to put the orders in with the cook.

"I'm gonna be okay," she said. "I'm sorry for the reaction I had."

"No. Don't be sorry. As long as you're okay, I'm okay."

"Um…I'm about to be not okay."

"Why?"

"He's walking over here."