Willow and Alex hit the first hurdle in their relationship. The next day...

The flute lay on the ground, a long scratch up its side, forever tarnished. I strained to reach it, my breath sobbing in my throat. Slender fingers picked it up, and Alex stood, gazing at it for a long moment before lifting eyes to my face.

Instead of handing it over, he whispered, "You're too good for me."
I reached for him, my heart shattering at the haunted look in his eyes. My hands were a centimetre away from his hand and the flute.
Then the ground opened up beneath him, and he fell.

I woke with a shriek, flailing around, and tumbled off my bed. Hitting the ground with a thud both hurt and left me winded, but it did wake me up. I lay there, sucking in huge gasps of air as I tried to stop myself from shaking. It's alright, it's alright. Only a dream…
Was it? Asked a reasonable part of my mind. Or was it a warning of things to come?
I shoved the thought away with a sob. No, Alex would never fall like that. I wouldn't let him.

Willow. The name purred through me. I stilled.
Willow.

I rolled over, getting to my hands and knees. Faithful sat there, purring.
"How did you get in?" I whispered, not really caring.
The black cat stretched luxuriously. Does it matter? He studied me for a moment, then stood, padding into my sitting room. Alex leaves in the hour.

"What?" I stared at the tip of black tail as Faithful disappeared outside, not even bothering to wonder when the door had been opened. "But he never told me!" I gasped. Racing to my wardrobe, I threw open the doors and began to change frantically, not caring what I threw on as long as it was decent.

Finally I scrambled into my sitting room. Faithful was on one of my chairs. "Where is he?" I demanded. "Why aren't you with Alanna?" I added as the thought occurred to me.

I believe he's preparing his horse with his squire, replied the cat. I'll keep an eye on your room, he added. And I think that Alanna can sleep by herself.
I stared at the creature for a long moment. "Are you really a cat?" I whispered.

Violet eyes met my own. What do you think?

"You're not from this world, are you? Are you an Immortal?"

I am whatever you think I am.

Definitely not from this world," I muttered as I raced out the door, Faithful's purring laughter echoing in my wake.

~oOo~

"Well, this is it."

Alex looked up. His squire was standing there, waiting for him, having finished with his farewells to Jon. For some odd reason, Myles was there too. Alex said farewell to his teacher and shook hands with Jon. "What happened?" muttered Jon, searching Alex's face.
"Doesn't matter," replied Alex, knowing that it mattered a lot. His heart twisted painfully as he glanced at the stables. She wasn't coming. Maybe he'd done his job too well.
Taking a deep breath, the young knight turned to his squire. "Let's go," he said softly, ignoring another twinge in his heart.

"Alex!" The cry arced through the air like an exotic bird call. A figure emerged from the stables, running towards him. Ebony hair streaming behind her like wings, the figure threw herself into Alex's arms.

Alex returned the embrace fiercely as I buried my face in his chest. "I thought you weren't coming," he whispered into my black tresses.

"I'm sorry." The words spilled out of my throat like the tears that spilled from my eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said last night, and the way I acted-"

"Shhh," Alex said. "It's okay. You didn't mean it."

I tightened my arms around him, the embrace of a child who didn't want to be left alone in the dark at night. But there's a monster under my bed, Mama.

"How long are you gone?" I whispered.

Alex's fingers touched my chin as he lifted my face to meet his gaze. "The rest of the month," he replied quietly.

I stared into his grey orbs. They were the colour of rain and thunder. The colour of a coming storm.

"You'll be back right? We'll sort this out, and-"

"I promise," replied Alex, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

Geoffrey was standing further away, his back turned, giving us some semblance of privacy. I knew Jon and Myles were watching. Mithros, Stefan the hostler was probably watching too. That meant that George would find out about this. But at the moment I didn't care. I just wanted to remove the look of loss from Alex's face.

For the first time since we had started our relationship, I kissed him first. I pressed my lips to his, trying to pour all my feelings, everything I'd never said, everything locked away into my heart, into him. I kissed him as he was leaving forever. I kissed him as if he wasn't going to return. When we finally broke apart, Alex rested his forehead on mine. "If this is how I thought you would say goodbye I would've gone on more border patrols."

I gave him a choked laugh, and was rewarded with a small smile. It was the first I'd seen since the disastrous duel yesterday, and I clung to it with my heart and soul.

"Promise you'll come back?" I whispered, the words spilling from my lips uncontrolled.

Alex gazed down at me, the haunted look banished for the moment by an expression of such tenderness that I felt tears forming in my eyes again. "I swear it."

I nodded. In that moment I realised that I trusted him with more than my life. I trusted him with my heart, my soul. I trusted him with me.

Taking a step back, I looked into his eyes for one last time, our fingers still intertwined. "Goodbye."

Alex smiled gently. "It's not goodbye, silly," he murmured, his free hand brushing my cheek. "I'll be back."

He gave my hand one last squeeze before letting go, then turned to mount his horse. Gazing down at me, he said, "I'll see you in the new month."

"The new month," I repeated, sealing the promise.

Then Alex and Geoffrey rode away.

Well, it's all sorted out now...hopefully...

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