Author's Note: Ah, the elusive update you've all been waiting for. Let's hope it meets expectations! :)
I do not own ALIAS or any of its characters, blah, blah, blah...
Moving on.,..
He turns towards me fully suddenly and almost upsets my balance on the stairs. His close proximity makes my heart race as his scent invades my mind. "Your safety is my up-most concern. Always. We're going to get out of this alive. We're going to get your father. And then we're going to take a very long vacation on some strange little island and spend days in bed." He smiled at me disarmingly, making me forget why I was angry to begin with and then he kissed me.
"Let's do this." I tell him, returning his smile and we continue on our way.
"He should have listened to me. He was followed and now..." I can feel Julian's irritation at the insinuation that we were all about to die because his brother couldn't follow simple protocol, but I know he won't say anything to combat the charge. He knows that I'm at least partially right.
"My dear, could you possibly focus?" I saw his whole demeanor change and I knew we were close to the fight. There were still shots being fired, but it didn't sound like as many. I didn't dare stop to wonder who's side had lost a gun. A person, I mentally corrected myself. A person, not just another weapon to help. I have to force myself to remember that it's not just my family on the line here, that Julian called his brother in for the sole purpose of helping me. But something just wasn't adding up to me about Alexi. I tried to banish all doubts, if he was down there shooting, I wanted him on my side. Our side. It's not just me anymore. The thought scared me more than the sounds of destruction.
My thoughts have distracted me too long and now we're at the bottom and Julian is poised to spring out in case anyone is down here so we can move upstairs to the fight.
He's counting...
Almost to three now...
The door is opening, light flooding in...
The room is empty and we start progressing towards the doorway to the staircase to the upper level...
The guns are still shooting like mad, I survey the room quickly as Julian shoots the man closest to us and then the one next to him. Alexi is gone and my mother is crouched behind the counter, firing off shots without really looking to see where they're going. I think I call her name but I can't tell if my mouth is really moving. I feel like Alice in the rabbit hole. That's when I realize I'm hit. I squeeze off a few rounds taking out one, two, then the third man to my right while Julian works on the two to our left. And then there is no one left, my mother is running towards me, I'm falling... And there are Julian's arms. Like always.
And as I fall deeper into the hole I wonder when I fell in love with my worst enemy.
A/N: Sorry it's so short. I want to put a lot of work into the next chapter and with a six week maternity leave, hopefully I'll have some time to do just that :)
If you read any of my other stories, I'm working on updates for them too and thinking of maybe starting a new one or two in a different genre. Now wouldn't that be fun :D
R&R you know the love is appreciated!