A/N—Just for reference, the toe idea in the last chapter was inspired by a true incident that happened to me a few weeks ago (except I'm obviously not Jackson). Let me tell you, it hurts like hell.

Ok, done minor exposition. I hope you like this next chapter, please review!!

7:50 PM

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Rachel took a last glance in the mirror before setting the plastic comb on the sink. Sighing, she frowned at her reflection with mild distaste. It wasn't that she didn't necessarily liked how she looked, it was that she didn't like how she felt. Sleepy, confused, mildly depressed.

She used as much of the makeup as Alex gave her to try and mask the dark circles ringing her eyes, giving her a raccoon-like appearance but the exhaustion was still evident in her eyes. Running a hand through her damp waves, Rachel bit her lip to hold back the moan of anxiety.

Her stomach growled suddenly, jolting her out of her session of self-pity. With a start, she realized that she hadn't eaten anything except for half of a stale bagel and a few spoonfuls of some cheap Easy Mac that Alex forced into her. The nausea that had been battling with her system for the past three days had finally dissipated some, to her utmost relief.

Alex knocked on the door, making her jump nervously. Her elbow shoved the comb directly into the sink, where it clattered and dodged awkwardly around the drain. She heard a chuckle. "Everything okay in there?"

"It's just peachy." She twisted open the doorknob and bit the bullet.

Alex didn't say a word as Rachel pushed past him, quickly dumping her soiled clothes into the hamper in the closet. She heard his breath catch and mentally she angrily willed him to say something.

She felt his eyes on her as she pulled her old jewelry from the dresser. Her locket holding pictures of her parents, her mildly tarnished dew-drop earrings. On they went and nary a word from the man behind her. She heard him cough and draw closer as she slid the last earring through her earlobe.

Alex was suddenly behind her and when he drew his long fingers around her neck she jumped, and tensed in fear. What did I do now?

"Sh," he whispered in her ear. She felt a silver chain being pulled loosely around her neck. He latched it and let it fall. Rachel turned to him as he released her but remained in close proximity. She slid the necklace between her fingers and looked up at him.

The monogram AR emblazoned the sparkling silver circle resting placidly on her chest.

"Alex, I--"

"I want you to wear it," he nodded. "It was my mother's."

This came as a surprise to Rachel, and she looked at it again. "But it says--"

"Her initials were AR, too, when she was married to my father," he explained. "This was a wedding present to her from him. Her name was Adriana."

"Adriana," Rachel slid the words through her lips. "That's pretty."

"No," he stepped closer, lifting her chin with his forefinger. She tried hard not to tremble. "You're pretty." Rachel shook her head.

She had known this would happen. He'd told her to dress up, and she'd only bought one nice thing when he'd taken her shopping. It was a knee-length maroon dress with a butterfly collar and floating sleeves, a black sash at her waist. She felt self-conscious. She never wore skirts or dresses because she wasn't a huge self-supporter. Apparently, though, Alex liked it and that was why she worried.

She tugged at the chain. "I'm sorry, Alex, but I can't wear this. It's your mother's, and she never knew me. You should keep it, or maybe Lisa."

"No," he shook his head, smiling. "Jackson gave this back to me tonight. When you were in the shower I went over. Lisa had began holding onto it when I disappeared, but supposedly my mother gave it to her son for the girl he wanted to marry."

Rachel froze. He wants to…no. I can't. Not even in the future because it's just not logical. "I can't marry you, Alex," she murmured. "I'm sixteen."

"I'm not asking you to," he chuckled quietly. "Not now, anyway. But one day, hopefully not too far in the future, you will be mine. You're the girl I want to marry."

Rachel trembled under his hands on her shoulders. "I don't even know you."

"Yes, you do. I'm the same person I was a year ago, Rachel. You know that."

"Except you kill people," she jerked away from him, covering her face with her hands just as tears formed.

Alex grabbed her wrists away from her head and pushed her to the wall with his body. Rachel winced as the impact rattled her body. Her face fell. "And that," she whispered.

His eyes flashed. "You always make me do this," he hissed. "Why does it always come to this?"

"Because you're a sadist," she snarled back. "You'd only want me if I'm totally compliant. And I won't be, because you're a kidnapping, spiteful murderer."

"Look at she who's so high and mighty, tossing around judgments," Alex growled. "Just for your files, I'd want you either way. I expect your resistance and trust me, babe, I've planned ahead. But you'd think that after all the bitching and moaning you did after I 'died' you'd be a little more warm and welcoming."

"How can I be expected to love a man who's lied to me at least twice?" Rachel yelled. "I'm not joking, Alex. I don't even know what the hell to call you! None of this is conventional. When I cried for Dan I cried for Dan. Not Alex, and certainly not Alec. I want what I had then, but without the lies and without what I'm going through now."

"You want the easy lane," Alex muttered. "There is no easy way in this, there's no easy way in anything that's meant to be. Do you think any great couple in the history of humankind has ever had it easy? No. Because you have to work to achieve something good. That's life, Rachel, so get used to it. I may be back to my old self, but for crying out loud, don't go flinging around remarks saying how I should be less violent, more normal now that I remember my identity. Because you didn't know me. I've always been stubborn, I've always used whatever methods available to achieve what I want, I just was a little more set in my morals."

She slapped him in the face, her palm making a loud smack that ricocheted off the walls and resonated in her ears. Oh shit. What have I done? I did it again. God, why do I keep having to piss him off?

Alex held up his hands in defeat, his face reflecting anger and tension but mostly amusement and quittance. He began to walk away, his hand rubbing his face, but halfway to the bathroom he stopped and spun around.

Rachel had no time to think before he began striding rapidly back across the room towards her. She tried to dodge him, expecting a blow as he raised his hand inches from her face. Tensing, she closed her eyes in dreadful anticipation as the hand came to rest firmly on her neck.

Alex pressed her tightly to the wall as he kissed her ardently. Rachel's knees slid from underneath his, but he caught the small of her back with his hand and supported her. Support.

Part of her was screaming to get this foreign invader off of what belonged to her and her alone, but the rest was molding into his warm chest, his lips, wanting to regain what he had stolen from her a year ago.

Her sanity.

Rachel's hands moved solely and pushed him roughly in the chest. He stumbled backwards and stared at her. I love you. "I DON'T LOVE YOU, ALEX!"

He blinked, and his face partially crumpled, like he was about to cry. Rachel's stomach twisted into thousands of tiny knots and her lips pointed downwards as well.

Alex attempted to contort his obvious despair into nonchalance. He twisted his frown into a sneer that chilled Rachel to the core. Now she was deeply regretting what she'd said. She shrank into the corner, drawing her fists up to her chest in a weak fighting stance.

"You know what, Rachel?" he stepped closer, hissing in her face. "I can work around that."

He stalked off then into the bathroom, loudly slamming the door behind him. A vase fell from a stand nearby and shattered. Rachel sank into the corner, sobbing into her palms. She felt like the vase. Shattered.

Why did I do that? Why?