Thanks everyone for the last reviews, it warmed up my heart! And welcome to the new followers!
Come along and play
Lucas was staring at Alexandra who was dancing with Damon. A grimace was forming on his face, his disdain evident, when Skye came and sat next to him at the bar.
"Maybe you should invite her for a dance," she whispered in his ear. Lucas turned his face to see Skye smiling mischievously at him.
"I don't dance."
"I'm sure you do."
"The kind of dance I do can't be done here, if you know what I mean." He winked. "Some people like to do it in crowded place though." Skye suppressed a laugh. Lucas seemed to be in a good mood and it pleased her.
"So, you're back?"
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" He grinned.
"For good?"
"We'll see."
"I'm happy you're back."
"Haven't made any new friends since I left?" he teased her.
"Not really. You know, the routine."
"What, Malcolm was not talkative enough for you while you were in the second lab?"
"Shut up!" She shoved him. She glanced around the room and frowned. "I can't shake the feeling that people are still staring at me," she sighed, annoyed. "They are judging me and it's pissing me off."
"Life is too short to be distracted by the others' opinions," Lucas said to her seriously. "The way I see it is the more people hate me, the less I have to get along with."
"I wish I could think like you do. Why can't they understand why I did what I did? I mean, I wish I could explain to them why I spied for 3 years. It's not like I had a choice. And I haven't done anything wrong since then."
"I have a rule: never explain yourself because your friends don't require it, and your enemies won't believe you anyway," Lucas smiled.
"Still, it's not like I had a choice."
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something in your life," Lucas claimed. "You are who you are, you don't have to give a shit to people who don't like it. Live right now, just be yourself. It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else."
"I wish I was a normal girl with a normal life."
"Everyone wants to feel normal, but I don't think anyone ever does. Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Skye looked intensively at Lucas and so did he.
"How can you be so… So confident? After everything you've been through?"
"I am who I am and people can take it one way or another... but at least I'm living honestly. Life taught me that if you don't try to get what you want, no one's gonna do it for you. I look arrogant and so what? I'm a genius, I can be as arrogant as I want."
"People would have really hated you at school," she chuckled.
"They hated me and rated me simply because they weren't me," Lucas chuckled. "What I mean, my dear sister, is don't ever let anyone make you believe that you don't deserve what you want. You're worth it."
"Are you saying that when life kicks you in the ass you have to kick it back?"
"Never let someone bring you down when you're up and never sink to a lower level to be something or someone you're not. You never have to impress someone that you don't like. Never say sorry for something you meant to do."
Skye stared at Lucas, realizing how she had missed him. When he had come back without Alexandra, he had been a mess, yet he had tried to stay himself. At the beginning, they had helped each other to endure this hard time. Skye had lost Josh's friendship and Lucas was very sarcastic about it. It was what Skye needed at the time. In exchange, she had kept his mind busy so that he didn't think too much about the loss of Alexandra. It had helped her, but it had not helped him enough. He had started to withdraw into himself, supporting the others less and less. In the end, he was uncontrollable, unstable and obsessed with the portal. His father had tried to talk sense to him in vain. Actually, it had made things worse, triggering his wild side again, making his anger for Taylor surface again.
"Tell your boy to stop staring at me," Lucas suddenly commanded her, his face hard, yet his eyes mischievous.
"Who?" She asked, looking in the direction where his eyes were.
"The sheriff's progeny."
"He's not my boy," she groaned.
"Well, he has this fuming jealous possessive expression on his face," Lucas mocked.
"Like the one you've got for Damon right now?" She changed the subject when she realized Lucas was staring at Damon dancing with Alexandra again.
"This prick is so pretentious," Lucas spat, shaking his head.
"Jealous, are we?" Skye mocked.
"Don't be ridiculous! Jealous? Me? Of that twat? Pfff, he doesn't even have half my beauty or my cleverness."
"Oh my god! You are jealous!" she beamed.
"No I'm not!" he sulked.
"Yes you are!" she stated.
"I just think she shouldn't waste her time with that dick."
"And she should waste her time with someone like you, right?" she smiled. Lucas furrowed his eyes at her, frowning.
"It would be more sensible, don't you think?" he smiled.
"And what are you going to do then?" Skye asked him seriously.
"I'm not sure yet."
"Don't kill him, he's too sexy. We need sexy guys in the colony."
"Not obsessed with the Shannon boy anymore, sister?" He taunted her.
"You know the answer. What about your French crush? Still on her, aren't you?"
"The jury is still deliberating."
"Well the jury should hurry to pronounce its verdict because otherwise someone else might win the prize first!"
"I don't know who needs who anymore."
"I know that I need Josh in my life," she confessed. "But he doesn't seem to need me in his life though," she added as Josh went past dancing with Tasha. "Do you know what it's like to actually need someone so much that when that person is not here life doesn't seem worth it?" Lucas nodded. He knew this feeling too well. "Then you know what I mean."
Deborah, who was not far from the bar, spotted her daughter in an animated debate with Lucas. Skye seemed a bit desperate and Deborah felt the need to go and see what was going on. She excused herself to Taylor and walked to her daughter and Lucas. She had a special affection for the boy. When she was with the Sixers, he had never harmed her. On the contrary, he had helped her. She knew his relationship with Skye had been chaotic, but now things were clear between them, she almost liked him like a son.
"Enjoying the night, children?" She asked them, concerned.
"I was giving advice to Lucas," Skye grinned at her mother. Deborah felt reassured to see her daughter was fine. "About girls!"
"Oh, I see," Deborah said, looking where Lucas was looking.
"I'm not sure what to do. I've never met anyone like her before. Never," Lucas explained.
"Shouldn't you understand what it means?" Deborah smiled warmly at him.
"She doesn't want me to be close to her," he stated.
"Lucas, I'm sure you know her better than you think. Actually, I think you are the one who knows her the best. Don't underestimate yourself." Lucas looked at her intensely, stunned. What she had said seemed so true and she clearly believed it. "You love her, don't you?" Lucas was caught off guard by Deborah's question. Skye had asked him the same question earlier, but now the answer seemed obvious.
"Yes… and it sucks." His sentence made Deborah chuckle.
"Love. It's desired and feared. It's difficult to live with and impossible to live without. There are some things you can't escape and other things you just don't want to know. But in the end, when your love is real, pure and honest, it wins."
"Yeah, well it only works if it goes both ways. From what I've seen, she doesn't want me to be in her life anymore."
"Sometimes people play hard to get to know that the other person's feelings are real," Deborah informed him.
Alexandra felt thirsty and walked to the bar. She had not danced and talked for such a long time, it was exhausting. She ordered water from Boylan and drank it straight. Boylan laughed at her thirst and gave her a second one. She turned her back against the bar while she was sipping her water, looking at the people that were there. She didn't even know some of them. She guessed that when a party was on, people could not avoid not going.
She spotted Lucas talking to Skye and Deborah. He seemed to be in a better mood. He smiled at her when he spotted her looking at him. She arched her eyebrows, perplexed, yet a grin was slowly appearing on her face. She looked away before her smile gave her away. From the corner of her eye, she could see Lucas sliding discreetly along the bar and stopping next to her.
"So, you and Damon, huh?" he said with disdain, yet in a playful tone.
"What?" She sighed, annoyed.
"I didn't think he would be your kind."
"To think, you need a brain first," she snapped.
"Some people say I'm a genius."
"Well, from what I see, you've not used your brain recently."
"Shucks, you read into me so easily!"
"Why are you talking to me now? Are you suffering from a personality disorder?" Alexandra asked him.
"If I am, I haven't been diagnosed yet."
"Well, you should see someone. Don't wait too long, it's starting to be obvious," she joked.
"As far as I remember, you used to like it," he grinned widely, his eyes full of mischief.
"As far as I remember, you used to be smarter," she replied, forcing a smile.
"So you miss my smart ass, don't you?" he teased her.
"I miss a lot of things, it doesn't mean I want to have them back," she answered in the same funny tone he was using.
"Are you flirting with me?"
"Me? With you? You really need to see a specialist."
"I don't think that my intelligence is the part of me you miss the most though," he claimed.
"Oh and that part would be?"
"Some special skills," he beamed proudly. Alexandra choked at his innuendo, almost spitting out the water she had in her mouth.
"I think you don't see yourself clearly," she said, coughing. "You couldn't be less pretentious."
"It couldn't be less true."
"Whatever," she shrugged, rolling her eyes.
"You know, I don't believe in friendship between a man and a woman."
"I do," she replied, looking at him, her eyes trying to read what was on his mind.
"Maybe you should tell it to this little Lieutenant of yours," he smirked.
"You don't know what you're talking about," she huffed as she spotted Damon glaring at Lucas from the back of the bar.
"Yeah right, that's why he's scowling at me right now," he grinned playfully, sending a little smile at Damon. Alexandra slapped his hand to stop him, but it was too late.
"Stop acting like a child," she scolded him.
"What did I do, now?"
"Stop annoying him," she said firmly.
"I just said hello to my friend! I swear Sheriff it's the truth," he smirked, putting his right hand on his heart.
"You're a lost cause," she sighed, slowly shaking her head from side to side.
"I've heard you liked challenges," he murmured, moving his face closer to hers.
"I thought I was a mistake?" she reminded him.
"You are my favorite mistake," he smiled crookedly.
"In a better mood are we?" she taunted him.
"Always in your presence," he smirked. He was obviously teasing her and Alexandra couldn't fight the happiness that was invading her, making her heart flutter. She was not naive and knew it was his way of saying sorry, but she couldn't stay upset with Lucas too long.
"Not always… Not always…" she drawled.
"Not always showing it," he explained.
"You should work on that," she suggested to him.
"I'm on it," he winked at her.
"You should work harder then. Because you're far from succeeding," she said.
"Would you like to dance?"
"Yes, I'd love to," she smiled at him, and then she turned her head. "Commander, would you do me a favor?"
"It'll be my pleasure," Taylor grinned truthfully, holding her hand in his and leading her to the dance floor.
The way she flipped her hair to turn her back to him got Lucas overwhelmed. He put on a fake smile, yet it looked like a desperate grin. She had teased him and dropped him, knowing what kind of game he was playing with her. She had played his game and won it.
"God you have not forgotten who you were on the way. You're still driving me crazy, Alex," he muttered to himself. During the whole dance, Lucas didn't let Alexandra go out of his sight and she could feel his stare on her back. It should have not pleased her so much to know he was undressing her with his burning gaze, but it was.
"I can dance with you if you want," a woman's voice murmured to Lucas' ear.
"I don't dance," he said coolly.
"It´s not what I just heard," she insisted.
"Amy..." He sighed. "Don't you have someone else to plunge your teeth on?" He turned his head to see that the dark haired girl obviously did not understand his innuendo. 'That girl is definitely stupid,' Lucas said to himself. He was ready to throw a nasty comment to her face when an idea popped up in his mind and stopped him.
"Can I buy you a drink?" He said, a playful and sexy smile on his face.
"Oh yes!" she giggled.
"Boylan, two glasses of your best whisky!" he ordered the bartender, a mischievous smile on his face.
Fifteen minutes later, Alexandra had danced with Taylor four times already and she needed a break.
"Ok, I need to stop now," Alexandra said breathlessly. "You're a good dancer, Commander!"
"You're not too bad," he joked.
"Thank you, Taylor!" She smiled.
Her grin faded when, as she looked absentmindedly to the bar, she noticed Lucas laughing with Amy, both of them obviously drunk. From what she remembered, Lucas knew Amy from the lab. She was a nurse. But from what she had heard, she was also an easy girl, and Alexandra was annoyed to see the two of them chatting like they were best friends. She shouldn't, but once again she was.
Seeing him like that disappointed her enough to want to go back home, cutting all of her envy of partying. It was midnight already anyway and she was expected at work at 8 the next morning. A night of sleep wouldn't be a luxury. Maddy and Mark were already gone anyway.
"Alright, kid?" Taylor asked her as she was standing in the middle of the dance floor, staring at Lucas.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" she lied. "I think it's time for me to rest now. I'm gonna go home."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely. Thanks again for everything."
"You're welcome," Taylor said, before waving at Damon to come over. "Lieutenant, I'm sure you'd be happy to walk this girl back home, wouldn't you?"
"Of course, Commander," he agreed. "Alex?" He smiled, holding his arm to her.
"Good night, Commander," she said to Taylor, before putting her arm around Damon's arm.
Damon led her outside and slowly walked her back home.
"How was your night?" he inquired.
"It was a nice night," she answered.
"Did you like it?"
"Yes," she beamed at him, resting her head on his shoulder as they were walking.
"Good."
"So, you knew it, right?"
"Might have known few things," he lied.
"Liar," she shoved him.
"Am I that bad at lying?" He chuckled.
"Worse than me!"
"Hey, no, that's not possible," he laughed.
"Okay, you're second then. I have to confess, you did a great job."
"Thank you," he beamed proudly at her. "You're home," he said, freeing her arm. Alexandra felt cold as his comforting warm body was suddenly away from hers. She didn't want it to stop. She needed Damon to be there for her. She knew it was totally selfish, yet it was what her head and heart were screaming at her.
"So… I guess this is when I say thank you for walking me back home, Lieutenant?"
"You could…" He said, pressing his lips together. "Or…" Damon leaned to her slowly. He was about to kiss her when she stepped back.
"Oh my god!" she chuckled in stress, looking to the ground.
"Oh no, shit, I… I'm sorry, I…" he stammered.
"Damon, I'm sorry I... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry if I made you think that I wanted you to…" she stuttered. She knew she should not have let him flirt with her. Now he was confused and he had every reason to be. She had been stupid to think there would have no consequences with this game.
"Too early. Sorry, stupid me. Not ready for it, of course," he cursed himself.
"It's just… I can't do that," she confessed.
"You can't or you don't want to?" His question surprised her.
"I can't... I can't be with someone right now, ok? It's not you, it's me. It's not good timing."
"This is about Lucas, right? You still love him." Damon stated, shaking his head.
"No! It has nothing to do with Lucas. I swear to you, it's me, I need to be single. I can't be with someone." She was serious.
"He made you cry. It´s what he does you know, hurting people."
"I've cried a lot for no reason since I arrived here. I don't think you can blame Lucas for that."
"Are you defending him?"
"I'm not! Of course I'm not..."
"What are you saying then?"
"Damon... I need time to adjust here. I need to find out who I am here. Give me time to get my bearings, please."
"I'll give you the time and the space you need to find out what you want, you know it. Just... just don't forget I'm here. I'm right here if you need anything."
"I know. And I can't thank you enough for that. Your presence is a real help for me."
"My presence, huh?"
"Your sexy and funny presence," she smiled slightly, caressing his cheek.
"Sexy… hmmm, maybe I should try harder then…" he stepped closer to her. She stopped him, putting her hands on his chest.
"Damon, I adore you, I really do. But no means no," she smiled sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
She went in and shut the door, her heart racing in her ribcage. This night had definitely been the strangest night of her life. A party in her name, a total bipolar Lucas, a best friend who wanted more and so many strangers who wanted to talk to her… Yes, it was a lot to comprehend in a short time.
Not far away, hidden in the dark, was Lucas. He had watched and heard the whole scene. He had followed them, just in case, to be sure Alexandra made it home safely. It was what he had tried to convince himself when he had decided to follow them. In reality, he was jealous, very jealous. And he couldn't bear to see that guy flirting with Alexandra. But now, he was just thrilled she had not kissed him. He would have punched Damon the second he'd put his lips on hers. Fortunately, nothing had happened.
However, she did say it wasn't because of Damon or him. She had clearly said she needed to be alone. It was going to be harder than he thought to get her back. Lucas was happy she had not kissed Damon, but now he knew he had to be cleverer if he wanted her back by his side. He liked to think she had said no to Damon because she was still in love with him, but as she had spent the whole night with Damon and not him, he couldn't be one hundred per cent sure why she seemed to still be faithful to him.
He had to elaborate a new plan to win her back. First, he would need to know if she still had feelings for him. When he would know that, it would help him to decide what step two would be. If she wanted a friend, he would be there. He knew he had to earn her trust back first. And he was going to do whatever it took to reach his goal. It would not be an easy task though, but he'd do it.
