Disclaimer: Still no.

Challenge: Closer

Set during Destiny Defeated

The sun was little more than a line of orange fire along the rim of the world. Jen sat cross-legged on the couch, her eyes blankly scanned the pages of the book on her lap but her mind was elsewhere. She finally gave up and silently closed the book as her gaze shifted to the window and the figure standing there. Alex had taken up his silent watch over the city again. His familiar profile stood out vividly against the fading sunlight and Jen couldn't' help but wonder what had happened to him to make him so distant and cold. She wanted to go over to him and wrap her arms around his waist, and tell him that everything would be ok. But the truth was, she wasn't so sure anymore.

She often dreamed about Alex and happier times, but lately, another man had slowly and silently slipped into her dreams and replaced the man at the window. He had the same face, but he was not the man she loved. Or was he?

Wes was always smiling and laughing. He was caring and warm; all the qualities that were so suddenly lacking in her fiancée. They were so alike physically, but their personalities were like night and day.

Jen sighed. Why was she comparing them? They were both good men, and despite Alex's cold and dispassionate treatment of her the last few days, he was still the man she was engaged too. She didn't know what had happened to him to change him so much but she was determined to find out.

She stood and walked to the window, her silent footsteps echoed dully on the wood floor, but they caught Alex's attention. His back stiffened ever so slightly, but he remained hunched over the stone window, his eyes locked on some far away point.

"Alex?"

Alex swallowed hard but didn't turn to meet her questioning gaze.

"Please Alex." She reached out and lightly touched his shoulder.

He sighed. "Jennifer." His voice was quite; filled with an emotion that Jen couldn't read. She wasn't sure but it might have been pain.

"What happened to you?"

Alex chanced a glance in her direction. "What do you mean?"

Jen silently cursed. They had already had this conversation. "No Alex, I want the truth. I don't want to beat around the bush about this. You know exactly what I mean. What happened that changed you so?"

"I died, Jennifer. That has a way of changing people. What did you expect? That I would be completely the same? I'm not, I can't help it."

"I—" She stopped, word's failing her for the first time. Of course she had expected him to be different, but not like this. He was so….bitter. She could hear it in his voice, and she had a feeling that there was more to the story than he was telling her.

She looked around the empty clock tower and spotted the only other occupant. Wes. He sat alone at the picnic table, his head resting in his hands as he doodled absently on a sheet of paper. He was supposed to be balancing the budget, it was his turn after all, but Wes had a short attention span when it came to math and he….that was it. That was the answer to her question. She knew that Alex didn't like Wes, and now she suddenly understood why.

"Jen?"

She pulled her attention back to the man beside her. Alex was leaning against the window, his elbow propped up on it as he stared at her with sad eyes.

"Sorry," she stuttered. "What?"

Even in the darkness she saw a dark shadow of anger cross his face. "I said I was sorry."

Alex glanced in Wes's direction. "I see," was all he said.

In the time it took Alex to glare at Wes and return his gaze to her, Jen knew that she wasn't going to get anymore information out of Alex. She sighed and gazed deep into his eyes, trying to see something, anything, that would give her peace. As she stared into his eyes, the windows to his soul, she saw nothing. Alex masked his emotions better than she would ever be able to. She had almost given up when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Jen," he said quietly, his voice barley more than a whisper. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. I—"

She shook her head as a moment of silent understanding passed between them.

"I still love you, Alex," she said.

He graced her with a small smile, but none of its warmth reached his eyes. "I love you, too."

Jen shook her head as his hand left her arm and his gaze returned to a far away point on the dark horizon. She slowly walked back to the couch as a knot tied itself together in the pit of her stomach. She did love Alex, but not the way she once had, not the way he still loved her.

She glanced over at Wes, who had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. No, Wes had slipped into her heart…but was it love? Or was it because she had thought Alex dead and tried to replace him with the closest thing she had, his double? She shook her head again as her sights returned to the man by the window with his shoulders hunched over against the chilly night air. It was in that moment that she understood…there was more than just darkness between her and Alex now. A chasm had opened up that she knew would never be fully closed again, a canyon with one on each side and neither wanting to be the first to cross it. Neither she nor Alex knew it yet, but his actions were dictating their future together and if he didn't start giving a little, he was going to push Jen closer and closer to Wes.

Perhaps that was where her destiny truly lay, but only time would tell.

Thanks to whoever nominated this story at the Season of Love awards! And to whoever nomiated my other stories too:)

It's cold here, so as soon as I coax my stubborn muse off of the tropical island he ran away to I will update my other stories too! I promise!