Wake Up

by S.T. Le

It has been 14 years since the Team discovered Ghostwriter and 7 years since he vanished. Now as adults, they continue on. Each striving for success and fulfillment. And yet, they are still sleeping in a void - one that Ghostwriter had created for them.

15. Chapter 13: It Started with a Kiss

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me love
Just one kiss, kiss will do
Kiss, kiss kiss, kiss me love
Just one kiss, kiss will do

Why death?
Why life?
Warm hearts
Cold darts

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me love
I'm bleeding inside

It's a long, long story to tell
And I can only show you my hell

Touch, touch, touch, touch me love
Just one touch, touch will do
Touch, touch, touch, touch me love
Just one touch, touch will do

Why me?
Why you?
Broken mirror
White terror

Touch, touch, touch, touch me love
I'm shaking inside
It's that faint, faint sound of the childhood bell
Ringing in my soul

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss me love
Just one kiss, kiss will do

- Yoko Ono

September 2005

Alex walked Gaby to the door once she was ready to leave while still wet from his recent shower with his t-shirt and sweat shorts clinging onto him. He wondered what Tina and Gaby talked about while he was showering. Knowing Blabby, he worried she may have said too much.

Whew! Alex thought once he closed the door after her. He loved Gaby to death, but today she was just exasperating.

Why did she make us tell us that story? Alex thought. Today was time-sensitive and she knew it. Despite Alex saying he was not getting in Victor Torres' way on that particular Homecoming evening, and that it was Victor who was in Alex's way, the truth was that nearly ten years later, Alex still felt a tinge of guilt for how that night transpired and other nights transpired where he and Tina left casualties in their wake.

This bothersome feeling was not what Alex wanted to feel today of all days. He had planned this for way too long and got too many people involved to let that happen.

Alex glanced towards the direction of the kitchen and saw the time. He felt an anxious trepidation flood over him. Then he inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, a practice Tina had taught him from her Yoga lessons. He felt calmer. Then a sudden giddiness overtook him and he could not help but smile at what was to come.

"Anh! What are you thinking about?" Tina asked catching Alex leaning on their kitchen counter staring into space with a huge grin on his face.

Landing back on Earth, Alex came to his senses and answered, "Oh nothing Em." He had forgotten she was right in the kitchen.

Tina gave Alex a look betraying some expression of skepticism on her part before deciding to leave well enough alone. She then told Alex she was going to go shower and get ready.

Despite Alex feeling as though he was in a rush with his baby sister not helping matters on that front, the truth is he wanted some hours to spend with Tina before they went about their day.

"Em, wait," Alex said. Before Tina could answer, Alex strode towards Tina and picked her up. "We never got to truly finish what we started before the party," Alex said softly.

That's because you ended up getting wasted last night, Tina thought amused by Alex's tonal shift veering from the casual to the seductive. Before Alex could make their way towards his bed, Tina laid a passionate kiss upon his lips. The taste of his tongue was minty fresh thanks to the toothpaste and mouthwash that was still lingering inside his mouth. At this moment, Tina could kiss Alex for the rest of their lives.

Not waiting for an invitation, Alex hurried towards the bed with immature eagerness. Whether they were just pecks, familial greetings, or slow and long and wet, Alex could never get enough of Tina's kisses. This girl has no idea how wild she makes me, he thought. That troubled him as he suspected Tina was still reserved towards him, even after all of this time. It was not the kind of reservation where a man did not know his partner; on the contrary, it was because Alex knew Tina all too well that he felt something was up. It was his fault, as they established last night.

Alex would not be able to solve this particular problem today, but he knew he and Tina were willing to give the rest of their lives to do so.

Right now, all they both wanted to do was kiss…

It all started with a kiss.

That's not true. It started much earlier than that, but that kiss would be the focal point for both Alex and Tina.

---

Late Spring 1993

The Ghostwriter team hit the jackpot!

They figured out that John Miller of Miller Hauling Company might be the man responsible for illegally dumping barrels of toxic waste into a new garden that the residents had built to beautify the neighborhood and provide free food to the community. Sure Fort Greene was not Gowanus, but it needed all the help it could get at the time before gentrifiers came in causing Spike Lee to raise a fuss.

The Ghostwriter Team learned dry cleaners like the French Garment Dry Cleaners hired Mr. Miller to legally haul the toxic waste (also known as perchloroethylene or PERC), to waste sites. It was becoming clearer that Mr. Miller was not holding up on his end of the bargain.

After speaking to Mr. Miller under the guise of being kids sent to do a photo-op with Mr. Miller to celebrate being named "Citizen of the Year" at the Hurston Middle School, Alex and Tina also learned Mr. Miller had a scheduled appointment with a shredding company that Saturday at noon.

Furthermore, French Garment Dry Cleaner just had their offices broken into and the unusual thing was that the only things stolen were old invoices…invoices involving the hauling of PERC. This was becoming way too easy for the Team.

After Tina and Alex made this discovery, they quickly called a Rally to Alex's room.

At the Rally, Alex and Tina stood side-by-side to inform the Team of their findings.

The team figured out that Mr. Miller was contracted to haul out the same waste that were found in barrels buried under the new community garden that made a good number of people sick and stopped the community from being able to feed the homeless and hungry people of Fort Greene. Why else would he be so impatient to shred those documents if they weren't tying him up with those barrels?

The pieces were fitting together!

"We figure Mr. Miller had the invoices stolen from French Garment Dry Cleaners. The invoices will prove that Miller hauled French Garment's PERC. And the lot numbers on the invoices will show that he dumped it in our garden." Said a twelve-year-old Alex Fernandez in his and Gaby's room in the Bodeda's attached apartment unit. He spoke with a sure confidence as he informed the Ghostwriter team, then-consisting of Tina Nguyen, Jamal Jenkins, Lenni Fraizer, Gaby Fernandez, and Rob Baker at the time.

"And from this note, we know that Miller is going to shred the evidence tomorrow at noon." Tina informed the rest of the Team, with a worried and frustrated cadence to her voice.

"Man, if only there was a way to get a hold of that evidence before Miller destroys it," team leader Jamal responded.

"Why don't we call Lieutenant McQuade? The police can bust into Miller's and slap the cuffs on him before he can do anything." Said Lenni who spoke with the sureness of someone who felt they had their issue figured out. She usually did.

"They can't do that without a search warrant, and they can't get a warrant without evidence," Rob added, informing the Team of the some real world obstacles they were facing to prevent them from simply obtaining the documents before Mr. Miller shredded them. The team never wondered how Rob knew such much about criminal procedure.

"Which brings us right back to where we started," Gaby said full of frustration as she got up from her chair to pace the room. Despite Gaby's early role as the youngest member who needed things explained to or to state the obvious, this helped the team gather their thoughts and not miss any details that they may have passed over. Alex would some times wish Gaby was always there with him on his cases now.

"There might be a way to get something against Miller even if he does shred the invoices," Jamal said trying to figure out a logical way to get what they need with those obstacles in mind.

"How?" Rob asked.

"By catching him in the act!" Jamal said with a swagger indicating that he solved the problem.

Jamal's confidence and sure smile even convinced Rob who answered with a "yeah!" as if he liked the sound of that.

"You're right!" Tina said excitedly. "I have my school video camera checked out for a project this weekend from school. Alex and I can go back to the warehouse tomorrow. We know the place better than any of you. We get it all on tape."

Jamal, Rob, and Gaby celebrated this new brilliant idea.

"Why not?" Alex asks thinking it could not hurt while figuring reasons it may not. He was also excited at the prospect of spending another few hours with Tina alone tomorrow. He only hoped Rob and Lenni did not embarrass him now the way they did the other day when Rob teased Tina and Alex about them going off by themselves to interview Mr. Miller.

The next morning.

Alex and Tina found themselves running away from an angry and screaming Mr. Miller after he recognized them and caught them filming him shredding the aforementioned documents with the shredding company's giant-sized shredder.

Once they lost Mr. Miller, Alex and Tina quickly hid near a truck full of garbage bags and barrels. Their hearts were racing. This is the most danger either of them had ever been in, and Alex had once went undercover as one of the members of the THABTO "gang" to infiltrate them, and botched it - resulting in a very real and scary chase scene.

"Hold it you guys. You better be really careful." They both remembered Lenni telling them before they decided to go ahead with this mission. They swore they heard some ominous music playing along to match Lenni's words of concern and worried expression. They sure wished they heeded Lenni's sage advice now.

They watched as Mr. Miller ran past the truck in hot pursuit of them.

Alex could hear his heart beating a million miles a minute. He also listened as Tina's rate of breathing increased as his had.

"Come on, this way!" Alex said and ran, thinking quickly on his feet and directing Tina, camera-in-hand, to his direction.

Alex quickly climbed the garbage truck they were just using as cover to hide from Miller.

"Hurry up," Alex whispered to Tina as he grabbed her hand helping her onto the truck. "In there," Alex added attempting to direct her to the back of the truck with all the garbage and dirty barrels.

"What!" Tina yelped.

Why is she being so loud? Alex wondered. "We have no other choice!" Alex said matching the volume of Tina's yelp as he forcibly helped her to enter the back of the truck. "Come on!"

Despite the fact that Tina was not acting like the obedient partner when this frightful situation called for it, Alex could not help but be entertained by her reluctance to enter a dirty garbage truck despite the danger they were in. This was the one of the first indications that Tina would not be an easy partner, and Alex liked that.

Tina quickly entered the garbage truck and hid amongst the trash bags with Alex following.

"It stinks!" Tina screamed as she crouched down to hide, clearly more concerned with her disgust being amongst the unsanitary trash all around them than making sure Mr. Miller did not hear them thus blowing their cover.

"Yeah, well it's better than getting caught," Alex responded as he crouched down near her. Do I really need to explain that to her? Alex thought. Maybe she's not as scared as I am.

Alex was truly afraid. He had no idea what would happen if Miller caught them. This unknown was frightening beyond belief. Alex turned all around to check to see if Miller was anywhere near them, alert of his surroundings.

"I'm really scared, Alex," Tina said.

Alex could then tell by Tina's voice that she was just as afraid as he was. Then he quickly glanced at her face and saw the very real fear in her eyes. That made something switch inside of him. He suddenly felt an urge to protect Tina, to calm down her fear, to act brave in front of Tina, and show her that he had the situation under control.

"Yeah, so am I." Alex quickly replied telling the truth, but also hoping to put Tina at ease in showing she was not alone in feeling her fear while also being on the look out for Miller.

"Oh no Alex, he's coming back. What if he checks this truck this time? We're going to get caught!" Tina started saying.

Alex felt Tina's panic rising in her. It was rising in him too as he desperately kept a look out for Miller. Alex did not know what he would do if Miller caught them. All he knew was that he would do everything in his power to make sure Tina was safe.

"Yeah well…no matter what happens to us, at least we're together." Alex had no idea what made him say that other than the fact that he meant it. Right now, the only thing he was concerned with was not getting caught by Miller, but to also make Tina feel safe and actually be safe.

Then, Alex and Tina turned towards each other. Alex was hoping to give her a strong serious stare to indicate he meant what he said and to communicate to her that he would protect her no matter what.

Then it happened…

They kissed.

…then they stared at each other in astonishment over what had just happened and what they had just done. That stare felt like an eternity for them. Despite the fact that just a few moments ago Alex and Tina were afraid for their lives, they now felt like they could take anything on, even Miller catching them.

It was a quick peck on the lips. They would have countless kisses in the years to come: many of them much longer, meaningful, lustful, romantic, and affectionate; but that first kiss in the dumpster was truly the best kiss of their lives.

True, the seeds of their relationship were being planted before that kiss: their first meeting where Alex was smitten with Tina at first sight; Tina helping Alex make a campaign movie to help him win the Class President election at Hurston Middle School; Alex figuring out Tina was too afraid to go to the cemetery near South Ferry in lower Manhattan and deciding to stick with her while the rest of the team went elsewhere; Tina and Alex's first one-on-one conversation near the land viewing telescopes in front of the Statue of Liberty where Alex first told Tina that she'd have nothing to worry about because he would be there to protect her (and far from the last time he would say that to her); to Alex unintentionally giving Tina anxiety by calling Lana Barnes' phone and then hanging up when Tina answered while Lana had a scary stalker; to Alex mustering up the courage to ask Tina out to the movies via a movie script he drafted after he took his Papa's advice to figure out something both were interested in and finally figuring out that they both loved movies.

It all started with a kiss. That kiss was the point of no return. That's where "Alex" and "Tina" became "Alex and Tina".

---

The Present

Alex allowed Tina's moans to provide the soundtrack to their lovemaking. As Alex thrust himself inside of her with a gradually increasing rate of motion, he savored the way Tina licked his chest, and grabbed his head closer to hers so she could taste every inch of him that was within reach. Alex in response bit the side of her neck, which caused her to squeal. Tina was absolutely irresistible right now and all he wanted to do was squeeze her as tightly as possible to somehow fuse their body together into one.

The bed was already plenty moist with their previous climaxes, and Alex's thighs felt the familiar giant wet spot on the middle of the bedspread. Alex let out a growl which caused Tina to moan in an even higher pitch. They were communicating in a language they full of grunts, moans, growls, noises their voices only made when they were having sex. They continued on this way until both had their final climaxes of the late morning.

After they finished, Tina forced Alex to get up because otherwise they would just keep on going once Alex got his third or fourth wind. Tina lost count. In order to make sure Alex didn't play any more games, she aggressively pulled hard on the bed sheet so she could fold it up and put it on the laundry hamper…or at least the hefty bag that was being used as a laundry hamper until they bought a proper hamper together. Tina made a mental note to buy one today.

As Tina watched Alex stretch and pulled up his boxer shorts, she was nearly seduced to just push him back onto the sheet-less mattress and continue. No, they had all week to do this. They have to pace themselves. Tina hurriedly left that trap called a bedroom and entered the living room and took a look around at her new space.

Tina was grateful that despite how drunk everyone was last night, every member of the Ghostwriter team plus some extra guests pitched in to help clean up the party by the time they left, which was around 4 or 5am. Tina was not sure. Despite not catching enough sleep for the past few days and having an incredibly busy day yesterday, Tina felt energized. This was the first day of her and Alex's vacation and she was ready to enjoy it. She excitedly hopped into the shower.

Once Tina was in the shower, Alex decided to get dressed and texted the rest of the team. He wanted nothing more than to dress in his best clothes, but he decided instead to go with something casual but stylish. He put together a look he felt he looked smart in. He wore his casual light grey blazer with a fitted crew-neck charcoal t-shirt with white chinos that Tina's parents tailored for him.

Next, Alex wanted to make his hair just right. He went straight to the bathroom where Tina was showering to grab the hair clay from medicine cabinet and started applying it to his hair. It sure was steamy in this bathroom right now. Maybe I should do my hair in the bedroom, Alex thought.

Looking upon his reflection as he was carefully sculpting his hair, Alex wondered if he should add that navy cardigan he had hanging from the closet and a burgundy pocket square to add some color. Alex became more self-conscious over the fading bruise upon his cheek. Why did he have to have a fistfight with Francola this week of all weeks? Before Alex could obsess more about his appearance for today, he heard the shower curtain open slightly.

"Anh," Tina said from the shower. Alex saw Tina's head pop out of the shower curtain from the reflection of the mirror. "Where are we going?" Tina asked. Then her eyes went wide, "You're dressed nicely."

"Oh, I figured we could just take a walk around the neighborhood and maybe go to Fort Greene to visit the Bodega and your parents for a bit." Alex said trying hard not to betray a sly smile.

Tina looked at Alex quizzically. "I thought you said we had plans today."

"Yeah, we could do some shopping as well. I figured we can take it slow. We are on our own schedule right now."

"Yeah but you're all dressed up…"

"No, I'm not," Alex interrupted a bit too quickly while raising his voice losing a small tidbit of his temper. Can't she just get ready now?

Tina narrowed her eyes slightly and gave Alex a once over.

Feeling the pressure of her gaze, the seasoned detective responded, "I said that to get Gaby out of here. I just wanted to enjoy the first free vacation day with you and see where it takes us," Alex explained.

"Ok Detective," Tina responded closing the shower curtain again.

She's getting suspicious! Alex thought.

Alex decided to finish his hair in the bedroom to avoid any more questions Tina conjured up. The shower had a way of clearing one's mind to focus. Knowing that seeing him dressed the way he was and grooming himself the way he was would make Tina spend more time in the bathroom to put on her make up and do her hair, Alex went to the wall safe and inputted the combination code.

He reached inside and grabbed the black ring box. Alex opened it and took another look at the ring. He smiled. The plan was set in motion. Alex was going to ask Tina to marry him. Surprisingly, they had not discussed it yet. Since they had gotten back together about two years ago, they just spent most of the time enjoying being back together and juggling their increasingly time-consuming careers with their relationship, not leaving much time for anything else. However, this engagement had been on Alex's mind since the beginning.

---

Two years ago, Alex started saving for an engagement ring for Tina. When Alex made detective fairly quickly, he decided to increase the budget he had set for himself for this ring. Alex tried not to think about that higher-than-expected budget too much because that figure simply warped his mind. He was sure that figure made up a huge proportion of many working people's yearly salary. He then imagined himself back at the Bodega ten years ago and seeing his parents' faces if he told them how much money he was planning to spend on this engagement ring.

With that frugal upbringing in mind, Alex originally wanted to get the best bang for his buck and possibly spend much less than what he had originally budgeted. He received a tip from his partner Yvette that nobody cared about brand names and that it should be about the size of the diamond as it is the only thing that mattered. She said the online vendors would offer Alex "more bang for his buck" as if she read his mind.

Alex had this confirmed by some anonymous online posters from some message board he found via his preferred search engine one day who smugly stated to only look for the biggest diamond he could find and not worry about the brand name.

Inspired, Alex started searching the inventories of online vendors like Blue Nile, Brian Gavin, or James Allen to find the perfect ring for Tina. Then he realized he had no idea what he was looking for. Therefore, he decided to conduct some research on how to smartly shop for a diamond ring. However, after falling down a rabbit hole of diamond research and getting lost in the endless sea of low-quality pictures* of the online retailer's inventory, he simply felt overwhelmed even after speaking to an online representative from Blue Nile.

Alex's on-and-off online detective work lasted for more than a year. He felt as if he had some time to spare since he was not going to ask Tina until she had graduated college and both of them were more settled in their careers. However, he also gave himself a deadline of two years from her graduation date to ask; whichever came first.

With the deadline approaching, Alex decided he needed some real help with the diamond shopping. Just two months ago, feeling secure in his job and having signed the lease of his new apartment, Alex decided to bite the bullet and check out Tiffany & Co. on 5th Avenue with Lenni and Gaby.

Alex was apprehensive about inviting Lenni given her history with her own engagement to a now deceased fiancé, but Lenni was over-the-moon and said, "finally!" Lenni's ecstatic reaction to the news was what he expected from Gaby, their biggest cheerleader since forever. However, Gaby's first reaction was "Tina is only 23, what is she a child bride?" which Alex answered with an eye roll. Alex sensed Gaby was not entirely joking, but quickly changed her expression to one of full support.

He wanted to speak to someone face-to-face and see the actual rings in person. They had intended to just look around to compare the prices and designs to what he had found online until Alex fell in love with the customer service and the environment at the flagship store. He also thought that there were a bunch of rings that were within his budget even if they those same diamonds may have been cheaper online. Much cheaper.

Then he saw it. The ring he was looking for. What stared at him was a platinum Pave Tiffany Setting Engagement Ring with a Pave Diamond Band. The clerk told Alex that this particular ring was a great choice for its price since it was over one carat, had a F-grade color (from D to I with D being most colorless), and a grade of VVS2 on the Diamond Clarity Scale, which Alex knew was third best on a scale of ten thanks to all the research he did. He was slightly higher than his budget. But he seriously wanted that ring around Tina's fingers.

"Alex, that ring is beautiful!" Gaby said while eyeing it carefully.

"Yeah, I mean I know Tina is pretty active since she's always holding a camera, but the way it's cut, it's totally her, even with the diamond bands around," Lenni added.

"And we know Tina won't be wearing her engagement ring while filming no matter what ring you buy her," Gaby added.

Alex knew Tina would not wear this ring on most days because that simply was not who she was, but he also knew that she would love a ring like this on those days where Tina would wear her ring.

The sales clerk kindly allowed the trio to examine the ring while explaining how the color and clarity affected the ring. Then he told them the price.

Lenni and Gaby nearly choked despite neither of them having any food or drink. Sensing Alex was about to go ahead and "say si to the D[iamond]", Gaby blurted out, "you gotta be kidding, Alex! You can't spend that much on a ring for Tina!"

"Gaby!" Lenni exclaimed. She apologetically looked at the clerk and asked him to give them a moment. Once the salesman was out of the way, Lenni began to whisper how much she agreed with Gaby.

"If Tina ever found out how much you spent on this ring, she would kill you!" Lenni exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? Who would get mad at their boyfriend buying their girlfriend an expensive diamond ring? I mean look at it!" Alex said turning to go back to the counter to show them the ring. As far as he was concerned, this ring was perfect for Tina. "And it's Tiffany's!" Alex said with emphasis as if his point was obvious.

Looking at their confused faces, Alex continued, "You know, like Breakfast at Tiffany's? One of Tina's favorite movies?"

"You mean the one with that cringey racist caricature of a Japanese man played by Mickey Rooney?" Gaby asked.

"Hey, she loves Audrey Hepburn and that song 'Moon River'," Alex said with full authority. If there was one thing he knew, it was Tina's favorite films. "Anyway, like I said," Alex said exasperated, "no girl would get mad if their boyfriend spent that much money on her."

"Maybe you shouldn't marry Tina since you don't seem to know her," Gaby said. After seeing Alex's face showing equal amounts of puzzlement and anger, Gaby continued, "Tina would rather you save that money for your future or even for yourself. She would feel nothing but guilty for you spending over 14K for a ring. Who do you think we all are? We're just kids from Brooklyn…the real Brooklyn, not this new hipster, out-of-state transplant Brooklyn."

"Why shouldn't Tina have nice things?" Alex demanded to know. "She deserves it and I can afford it! I've been saving up and I make enough to buy it outright."

"Boy, make a little bit of money and now you think you're Arab money," Gaby said thinking about all of her customers at Tyre.

Sensing a blow-up between the Fernandez siblings, Lenni chimed in. "Alex, just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should spend it. Think about it. What you're asking Tina to do isn't just an invite to a wedding and to give her something to show off, it's about making a future together. Right now, you're just excited and I get that, but you should really think about it before splurging. After you really think about it and want to buy it, then we'll come back and fully support you." Lenni said. Lenni then shot a death glare at Gaby for her to not respond to the "come back and we'll fully support you" part. Gaby got the hint and kept her mouth shut.

Alex then apologized to the clerk and said he would have to think about it. He spent the rest of the night in the Bodega. Tina was busy filming some of her transgender subjects at work on the streets. He had wanted to come to provide some protection, but she insisted he stay back since him being a cop may scare off many of her subjects and their friends. She also said Mickey and Koji were with her and that her subjects feel protective over her. Alex wanted to respond that they already feel threatened, so how could they provide her with any? But he knew Tina was adamant.

In the background, Alex could hear his parents helping customers. The Bodega had becoming increasingly busy over the past few years as Fort Greene developed, and his parents were finally reaping the rewards of keeping the Bodega alive all of these years.

He checked his text messages and saw a bunch from Gaby apologizing for how she had acted at Tiffany's. Feeling bad for uncharacteristically giving Gaby the silent treatment after they had left Tiffany's, Alex responded telling Gaby that she did the right thing. In the excitement of everything, he would have bought that ring right then and there without thinking about it first.

Alex chuckled at the thought of Gaby having to calm him down. Usually, it was the other way around. Alex suddenly felt compelled to leave his room and check out the old room that he and Gaby had shared for so many years. It was just as big. Most of Gaby's old stuff was there despite the fact that she hadn't lived in the Bodega for about four years now. He suspected that his parents thought Gaby would be moving back.

His parents spoke about resizing the room to make it more appropriate for one person so they could expand the Bodega and add a grill and a deli to serve hot food for the increasing professional class moving into the neighborhood. Alex encouraged his parents to do so, but the idea made him feel sentimental about all of the memories he had in this room. So many Ghostwriter team rallies were held here. He and Gaby spent their childhood together in this room. It was some times a pain, but now, Alex was grateful he had to share a room with his baby sister for all those years. He truly believed it was what made them as close as they were now. He knew Tina felt the same way about Linda.

Alex then looked around and remembered that it was in this very room where he first met Tina.

---

October 1992

"Ghostwriter, what a trip!"

Alex could not believe it.

What a crazy world! This could not be real, right?

This illuminating orb with a cool blinking design that he would later say looked like a computer mouse cursor spoke to him! He took letters and rearranged them into messages that only he, Lenni, and Jamal could see. Alex mentally pinched himself a few times to make sure this was not just some strange dream.

Alex was simply stoked. This day could not get any better. He had already been excited that Jamal Jenkins sought him out to help him solve the mystery of the stolen backpacks. Jamal really was one of the most admired dudes in the school because everyone knew he was one of the smartest kids there. Jamal just exuded this sort of smart guy coolness that people gravitated towards.

Not only that, but his upstairs neighbor Lenni Frazier had been the one to recommend Alex to Jamal when he was seeking assistance in helping solve this mystery. Lenni was such a cool girl! Alex talked to a lot of girls both in his classes and through letters via his pen pals, but he was sure Lenni was one of the coolest he had ever met. The fact that she singled him out as someone to help Jamal solve this mystery meant he also must have made some sort of great impression on her.

Lenni was always writing these songs in her notebooks and dressed with such style. It must have come from being a daughter of such a cool dad. Max Frazier had such a cool job. Max played in a real life band. His Papa always complained about the "noise" coming from Max and his band mates, but Alex always loved to hear the busy music's muffled sound coming through the Bodega's ceilings. Why couldn't his Papa just understand that this music was good stuff? At least his Mama liked it, though she never said so. Alex just knew she did. He at times envied how easy and confident Max was compared to his Papa.

His father was so strict and had such a short, curt way to speaking, not like Max Frazier. Max always seemed to know what to say and how to say it. Alex imagined that Max never lost his temper when dealing with native English-speakers the way his father had. Alex loved and admired his Papa, but he admitted that he was at times embarrassed at how heavy his accent was and how hard it was for him to communicate, which resulted in him losing his temper easily.

Alex had grown up at times having to translate or to play mediator between his Papa and other people he had business dealings with when his Mama was not around. Sometimes when rude customers would come and make fun of his dad's accent or when Alex came along to help his dad handle some business when his Mama was not around, Alex had to advocate for him. Alex had envied Lenni for not having to do that.

Lenni also seemed like she was confident in herself, like actually confident. Alex was confident too, but he felt like a fraud at times. Sure he liked to boast and everyone knew he was running for Class President next year, but his confidence was a façade. He always had to rev himself up to play the cool, fun Alex people at school thought he was. Alex always felt like he had to play up his toughness to not show all the jerks out there how vulnerable he actually was. Especially that Calvin Ferguson who always knew what to say to make him and his whole family feel like crap with his superior grades in English. He wanted to know what made both Lenni and Jamal so sure of themselves.

Because of all of this, Alex always felt Lenni was someone he should be a closer friend with even though he did not like her in that way. She was simply an awesome person who he had a strong feeling of needing to know better. He felt the same towards Jamal. That's why Alex was secretly ecstatic when Jamal sought him out at the recommendation with Lenni.

Alex was happy to know Jamal even knew his name. However, he did not want to make that too obvious. Luckily, with years of practice, he learned early on how to hide his true feelings through boasting and swagger. Plus it helped that when Jamal sought him out, Alex's attention was focused on the level of the X-Men arcade game he had been playing. He just made the top ten! He hoped Jamal did not judge his character of choice. Alex always picked "Storm" because for some reason that he could not explain, he had a thing for strong female characters. What could he say? He found himself drawn to girls, especially tough ones with personalities.

Hence all of his pen pals were girls. Alex did not want to admit that he liked the attention he received from girls. He did not know why but it filled him up with a sense of warmth, energy, and accomplishment – not unlike making the top ten in his favorite video game. He knew early on that he liked the attention of the opposite sex and basked in it. He himself liked giving them attention as well.

Alex did not think Jamal judged him because they quickly bonded over their favorite fictional superhero characters.

Man, that Jamal was sure easy to talk to. Almost like one of his pen pals.

Before they got to cracking a secret coded message that Jamal needed help with, they simply hung out while enjoying snacks Alex's Mama prepared. Alex hoped that Jamal would like to be friends with him after they solved this case. There was no question in Alex's mind that they would solve this case. After all, when it came to solving puzzles and mysteries, he was "great at it". It's not bragging if he was simply telling the truth, Alex told himself.

As the afternoon wore on, Alex felt strongly that he could make his first close friend in Jamal. He did not know what made Jamal different, but it was something in both of their energies that made it seem like they should be friends. Not only was he a smart dude and liked mysteries too, he was simply fun to hang out with.

Alex did not understand why he did not have close guy friends even though he a lot of male buddies to talk to in school. For some reason, he just never made a close connection with any of them. In fact, he did not make close connections with anyone other than Gaby, who didn't count because she was his sister.

Speaking of his baby sister, a reason Alex was ecstatic that Jamal had sought his help was personal. Because of his impatience with Gaby while walking her to school, some thieves stole her backpack. What hurt him was that it happened when he was in proximity to the scene of the crime. Why did he lose his temper at his sister and left her alone like that? That is not what a big brother should do! The memory made Alex so angry he wanted to punch the thieves' lights out. Worse, the fact that this happened "under his watch" dug a deep pit inside of his heart. He was supposed to be watching out for his baby sister and protect her. Instead, he let himself lose his temper at her and made her a victim of a crime. On top of Alex's own self-blame was the blame his Papa gave him for leaving Gaby alone and vulnerable like that. That was nearly as bad as the guilt Alex had already given himself.

Never again! Alex vowed. He did not care if he and Gaby grew up to be past a hundred-years-old, he would never let Gaby be put in that position ever again. Cracking this case would be a way for Alex to redeem himself and get revenge on the people who hurt Gaby and the other young kids targeted. Why would older kids target vulnerable younger ones? And they thought they could get away with it? Not if he, Lenni, and Jamal had anything to do with it! The injustice of it all incensed him deeply.

But Ghostwriter…meeting him was like winning the lottery after buying the pot at a poker game. Ghostwriter even knew he loved mysteries! That was not to say Alex was particularly thrilled when he first met Ghostwriter. He hounded Jamal and basically gave him one of the first interrogations of Alex's life. He thought there had to be something suspect about all of this and tried to come up with some explanations for Ghostwriter's existence and motivations that made sense to him at the time, though some in retrospect may have been ridiculous.

Once Alex warmed up to the idea, Ghostwriter showing himself to Alex made it clear that he had been "chosen". This gave Alex a sense of validation of his feelings that he was meant for grand things. Alex suspected he was meant to do something big or have some sort of huge impact some how. He did not know what that grand or big thing was, but he was on the watch for it.

Now that Ghostwriter showed up in the middle of Alex and Jamal solving a mystery, the picture was becoming clearer. Alex was great at solving mysteries. Ghostwriter even singled that out in him. That had to mean something. Alex was hungry to prove his worth, and Ghostwriter may have helped Alex discover how he could do it.

On the very next day, Jamal and Alex decided to work on cracking the code again after school. They were both so excited about working on the case that it was all they both could think about all day in school.

As Alex and Jamal made their way back to the Bodega, Alex and Jamal were hyped up to figure out the messages as a surge of inspiration hit them hard.

"Man, I cannot wait to work on this code!" Alex exclaimed.

"I know, man. I wonder what it says," Jamal responded.

Alex and Jamal then came up with all sorts of messages over what they could be, getting wackier with every imagined message.

"Ok, I think it's time to get serious," Alex finally said after he and Jamal finished from nearly dying from laughter. Alex felt he had to put on his "serious" mask to mentally prepare himself to do some serious detective work.

Detective. That title…Alex just then realized what he wanted more than anything was to be called "Detective". He made a mental note to go to the library after they solved this case to see if there were any books or other material on becoming a detective. This only made Alex even more focused and serious. Nothing was going to distract him from solving this case now! Once he put his foot down on the ground, not even Hurricane Hazel could knock him from his position.

As Alex and Jamal made their way back to his and Gaby's room, Alex said to Jamal, "I figure if I looked through my code books one more time maybe we…"

Then Alex had a good look at this incredibly pretty girl standing in front of him with the cutest smile he had ever laid his eyes on.

Whoa! Who is that girl?...Wow!...She's so….Wow!

"Uh…oh hi…" Alex said compulsively. He just felt the need to say something to her. He did not even remember saying that after he did it. Alex was usually quick with the ladies, but something about this girl made him freeze in his tracks. He was simply awestruck by her.

As Gaby was introducing Tina Nguyen to Alex and Jamal, Alex was not thinking about anything. Instead, warm tingly sensations were invading his body - preventing Alex from focusing much on anything other than the view he was enjoying. All he could do was smile admirably at Tina. He suddenly felt as though could stare at this girl for the rest of his life. There was simply something about the way she looked, the expressions she was making, the way she smiled, the way her hair was so long and had that cute braid, even the way she dressed…so professional and yet somehow looking stylish on her that caught Alex. By a simple glance, Alex felt he figured everything about Tina and loved what he saw. He felt as if she had come down from the heavens just for him.

Why isn't he greeting this girl after Gaby introduced her to us? Wait, why isn't he talking at all? Why does he have that dumb smile on his face? Jamal wondered. He had only gotten to know Alex for a day and a half now but he already felt he got a great sense of who Alex was as a person. Talking was one of the distinctive features of Alex Fernandez. Jamal was surprised to see Alex look so…well…dumbstruck. With Alex's cocky attitude, Jamal did not think he'd see that from Alex this early in their friendship.

Meanwhile, it was taking everything in Gaby's power for her to not double over in laughter at what she was witnessing. She could see it in her big brother's eyes and that dumb smile he had on now…he liked her! This is so funny! I can't wait to make fun of him for this! Wait…this is perfect! I want Tina to be my best friend and to be in her movies and news programs. Tina is so cool! I mean she's a big time reporter! Maybe if she likes Alex… I can make this work!

Alex's mind, meanwhile, was thinking a million thoughts a minute. Whoa! Look at the way she smiled and moved her head down and shuffled a bit after Jamal said 'hi' to her! How can anyone be that pretty and cute?! And she's holding that giant camera. Gaby said she was a big time news reporter, so that makes sense. She must be super smart and serious at investigating things…like me! I wonder if she makes movies too. Imagine her carrying that camera around and just shooting all kinds of things. I wonder what else she likes…what's she's interested in…how do I find that out? Gaby seems to know a lot about her…but I don't want her involved…she'll just laugh and blab about it to everyone.

After nearly dying of embarrassment by proxy, Jamal decided to slap Alex on the chest to bring him back to his senses. Could this girl be making him go mute? Jamal wondered thinking how ridiculous it was to get all that bent out of shape over a girl of all things. A girl totally changed Alex's personality! I'm not going to let any girl do that to me! Jamal vowed.

"Oh…" Alex said with a goofy laugh, "hi!" Alex repeated with an even bigger grin.

Smooth! Jamal thought sarcastically after observing that greeting.

Alex would have gone back to dreamland if Tina hadn't started talking about the case. The case! Alex thought.

As Tina recollected that there were fourteen victims in the backpack theft case: eight girls and six boys, Alex quickly made a mental note to remember those figures. This was crucial information.

Tina then described that the perpetrators of the thefts wore double-sided masks. Jamal informed Alex that he was sure that was what he saw in the park that night.

Alex instinctively went into detective mode, and went towards his binder to jot down the new information in their newly made casebook. This was much too important to not write down now for his new friend Ghostwriter to see. Later on, they could ask Ghostwriter to find anything he can with this new information.

"What are you doing?" Gaby asked accusingly. What is Alex doing? Why is he writing this stuff down? What is he up to? Is he trying to steal Tina's story? That's not fair, she's the one who's been working hard to gather all of this information together and is trying to help all us elementary school kids get the creeps who have been stealing our backpacks and money!

Alex turned towards his sister. He was annoyed. Why did she care what he was doing? "What does it look like I'm doing?" Alex responded clearly aggravated. Gaby can be so annoying for no reason!

"This is Tina's story! Not yours!" Gaby responded back.

Both Fernandez siblings were now too hot-headed to react calmly. Anger and annoyance was rising inside the both of them. They stopped being aware that third parties were in the room observing them. Unconsciously, they had already accepted Jamal and Tina as one of the family as they could show them this more intimate and familial side of their relationship.

"Oh that's ok," Tina said with an expression indicating she was clearly worried about a fight starting between the brother and sister pair. If Tina only knew that was just the beginning of her refereeing to two Fernandez siblings.

Alex, influenced by many detective protagonists in the many detective novels he read by that point in his life, automatically adopted a cocksure demeanor and an exaggerated accent to calm the situation down and explain things to Tina in case she got the wrong idea.

"Listen…" Alex started with a big smile and tone of voice meant to calm Tina down in case she felt similarly to Gaby. He really did not want Tina to get the wrong idea. "This stolen backpack stuff's a mystery; a case! And a good detective always writes stuff down like suspects and evidence."

Suddenly Alex felt a swelling of pride. He wanted nothing more than to be seen as a legitimate detective who garnered respect. He hoped Tina started seeing him as one. It was of the utmost importance that she did.

"Who says you're a good detective?" Gaby teased. Since when is Alex a detective? Gaby wondered while giving Alex a mocking face.

Alex never hit Gaby before in his life but boy did she work hard to ask for a clobbering right about now. Alex lost his temper to Gaby multiple times a day but he had never been as angry with her as he was right now. She was mocking him right in front of Tina! Just when he thought she would be impressed with him, now she was going to think he was the biggest fool in the world.

"Hey cool! A casebook!" Tina said seemingly impressed and not paying any heed to what Gaby had just said.

A casebook? Alex wondered. Then he realized she was talking about the binder he was holding that he was writing stuff about the case in. Suddenly, a surge of happiness overflowed from Alex. "Yeah…a casebook! I'll show you how to make one some time!" Alex exclaimed.

"Ok!" Tina said happily while grabbing her camera and the rest of her things to leave.

She gets it! She understands why I had to write the stolen backpack info into a book! And she seems impressed with it…maybe she's impressed with me too! I can't wait to show her how to make a casebook! Maybe Gaby won't be around and we can spend that time alone together…Alex thought even though there was not much a twelve-year-old boy was imagining doing with a girl alone.

"Well, I gotta go, thanks again Gaby," Tina said towards her. Then Tina faced Alex and said "Good luck, detective!" with that smile Alex had already fallen in love with.

Tina could not have said anything better to Alex than what she had just said. His heart was beating a million beats per minute. She called me detective!

Suddenly, Alex's body was no longer in his control as he followed Tina to his door and said, "Thanks…hey I'll see you later, alright?" Alex then watched Tina leave. Man, she's cute from behind too! Alex thought as he admired her hair and body from behind before happily closing the door.

Oh man, what a dork! Jamal thought completely entertained by what he had just witnessed.

Alex was on cloud nine. He was about to burst with all these crazy feelings rising inside of him. Tina made Alex feel as though he had been in the dark for all of his life and then all of a sudden he could suddenly see the trees, the meadow, the lake, the sun, and the sky for the first time even though in Fort Green, lakes and meadows were not easy to come by unless you were in one of the bigger parks. He never felt this combination of euphoria, excitement, anticipation, and hope inside of him before. He felt it in his heart. He could not help but bang on the pin board that contained pictures and postcards from his pen pals attached to the door he had just closed and was now staring into. This banging provided a small outlet for him to release this new built up cornucopia of feelings building up inside of him.

Suddenly, Alex heard some laughter behind him. It was Gaby!

Gaby simply could not hold it in any longer. She was relieved when Tina had left so she could let it out. Seeing her big brother be all gaga like that was too much for her. It was the best thing she had witnessed in a very long time.

Alex's feelings of pure happiness was replaced by anger and frustration. He was right, Gaby did laugh at him. He thought she was asking for it minutes ago, but she was really asking for it now. Alex instinctively went into self-protection mode and unconvincingly told Gaby he had no idea what she meant when she said "he likes her." As Gaby continued to laugh and mock him, Alex desperately made an empty threat showing Gaby his balled up fist, to which she responded by continuing to laugh as she knew Alex would never hit her.

Then he heard Jamal laugh. Alex turned feeling betrayed. How could Jamal laugh at him? Weren't they boys? He thought Jamal would understand. Didn't he like girls too? They were supposed to be new best friends with Lenni. Would Lenni laugh as well?

Alex imagined what a hardened detective would do to try to get someone to stop laughing at him. Alex then strode towards Jamal hoping to give him an intimidating stare to get Jamal to quit it. Jamal just continued laughing. Now Alex felt deficient as a "detective". Alex made a mental note to work on in intimidation stares. A good detective needed a good stare to get people to fess up.

Alex quickly changed the subject and convinced Jamal to go back to the case. He put the image of Tina in his back pocket and decided to not be open about this to anyone, not even his sister or his new best friends.

There was always Ghostwriter though…Alex thought. Ghostwriter seems honest. He would not cheat for us when we "joked" about it. Maybe I can tell him and he will understand and keep it to himself. It'd be like writing to a pen pal. It was always safe to tell them things you don't want people who know you in person to know about.

Later that night, despite having a case to solve, the only thing Alex thought about as he lied in bed was Tina. He took an extra pillow and squeezed it tight. Many years later, and well into adulthood, Alex would get into the habit of holding onto an extra pillow when Tina was not lying down right next to him in bed.

---

Two Months Ago

"Alejandro, hijo, what are you thinking about?"

Alex turned and faced his Papa who was giving him an amused smile.

"Oh nothing, it's just…Papa, I have something to ask you," Alex said.

"What is it, hijo?" Eduardo said pensively.

"It's about Tina…" Alex said hesitantly.

"I think I know what's going on," Eduardo answered.

"You do?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Eduardo said laughing, "Your Mama and I have been discussing this day for a long time."

"Oh yeah, I guess two years is a long time," Alex said bashfully.

"Oh no, not two years, longer than that," Eduardo answered.

"What? Really? Since when?" Alex asked angrily, for reasons he did not understand.

Eduardo burst out laughing. "Oh hijo, it's ok. It's just parents and their wishful thinking. You'll understand soon enough."

I'll understand? Alex wondered. He just then realized he and Tina never discussed having kids yet. He was only 25, what is he? A homeschooled boy living in a commune? Then Alex wondered if he and Tina should discuss these things before he asked her to marry him or even bought a ring. Alex honestly did not know how he himself felt about it, so what could he tell Tina? All he knew was that he wanted to marry Tina.

Eduardo sensed the trepidation on Alex's face. Aye! He thought to himself. He and Estella and the Nguyens had been waiting for this day for forever. He did not want to ruin it with that one little comment.

"I mean, if you decide to have children," Eduardo said while thinking, They better have children!

Alex took some breaths and then said, "Well, since you know what all of this is about, I have a question about the ring. How did you decide to buy Mama's ring?"

"Oh, I just bought her something simple since you know your Mama, so serious and not flashy at all."

"Excuse me, Eduardo, who says I'm not fancy?" Estella asked walking into the bedroom.

"Aye! Who is watching the store?" Eduardo asked. "And I said 'flashy' not 'fancy'!"

"Any customers can wait a minute," Estella said. "I couldn't help but notice you two in here talking like old times and I wanted to see what was going on." Estella then gave both of her men a warm smile.

Alex sighed. He might as well get it over with. He told them he planned to ask Tina to marry him and then what had happened at Tiffany's. What resulted was Estella screaming excitedly with Eduardo smiling in the background and then the both of them reading Alex the riot act for even considering paying over $14,000 for an engagement ring of all things.

Observing the looks on both of his parents' faces, it seemed as though it finally dawned on them how much money he made as a detective. No, Alex was not rich, but he would not be hurting for money the way their entire immediate family had been all of their lives.

Getting over the shock, Estella and Eduardo made a phone call and got Alex an appointment with a friend of his Tio Jaime who owned a small wholesale store on the fourth floor off of 47th Street in Manhattan aka the Diamond District. They described the cut, clarity, and shape Alex had seen at Tiffany's and was told he could get it for about a quarter of that price and he knew someone who could make a custom-made platinum band in an identical design for even cheaper.

Once Estella and Eduardo got off the phone, they looked straight at Alex and asked, "Did you inform Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen of any of this yet?"

Another thing Alex forgot to do. He made sure to do it as soon as the ring was ready and when he was exactly sure he was going to ask. It turned out, Alex did not inform them until just a few days prior, after he had already whisked her away to his apartment that Monday when he was bruised and bloodied from fighting Francola.

---

The Present

Alex and Tina finally exited their apartment. Although Alex dressed smartly, he had rushed Tina so much so that she hurriedly chose a strappy white floral-patterned maxi dress with sandals and her hair semi-done up in a low bun while parting her hair in the front giving an illusion that it was an intentionally Boho messy do when Tina was just working as fast as she could with Alex rushing her out. She was lucky to grab ahold of her camera before they left the apartment.

Alex suggested they walk about Prospect Heights and get more familiar with the neighborhood. They greeted and made small chit-chat with various store front owners of local businesses and He was surprised that Maya and Miguel of the local gift shop already knew Tina when they stopped by to greet them. Tina eager to capture the energy of the neighborhood took some candid shots with her camera.

After taking a nice stroll around the northernmost tip of Prospect Park, Tina and Alex walked under the Soldiers' and Sailors Arch at Grand Army Plaza. Tina took her camera out to take a few shots because of course she would. Alex admitted that the arch was truly a grand sight to see with the huge thick bricks and marble of the arch holding up the crowning structure of what looked like angels with trumpets on horseback. Inside the arch are carvings or moldings of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. grant on horseback.

Tina suggested they just stand by the arch and enjoy the moment for a bit, but what she really wanted to do was capture some shots from different angles and perspectives. The cars zooming by in the roundabout surrounding the arch forced Tina's hair in front to flow freely. Alex was tempted to ask her right then and there, but that was not the plan. This sight with all of the soldiers reminded Alex of the Vietnam War veteran, Tommy "Double-T" Truborn or Thomas Norburt.

---

Late Spring 1993*

The team was looking for "Double T". Double T was a homeless poet who lived and begged around Fort Greene who Rob had befriended even though Rob did not want the team to help him find his friend as he felt they would not care. In an act falling back into his distrust of others and reluctance to inviting anybody in, Rob told the team he would find Double T on his own.

This made the rest of the team feel as if they had been dumped. After all this time, Rob was still feeling as if he was not a true part of the team. Alex wondered why Rob would think that the team would not want to help him. He was their friend after all. Whatever the reason, Alex thought it was best to respect Rob's wishes. After all, Alex would feel the same way. The last thing he wanted was having people around him when they were not wanted. It was probably years of living with nosy Gaby in a confined space that conditioned Alex that way.

However, Lenni disagreed. The team debated whether the team should help Rob despite his request for them to not get involved. After a discussion and a vote resulted in a tie, Jamal decided to ask Ghostwriter's opinion. He told them, "Friends must help." The team then decided to go ahead and help Rob find his friend anyway as they considered him a friend worth helping. Alex realized, Ghostwriter and Lenni were right. Some times, being a friend meant being there for someone even when they don't want you to be because you know it's what they need.

The team focused on a poem Double T left behind titled "To the Light" that mentioned "the tunnel's end". To help the team find Double T, Ghostwriter wrote the words that were closest to a discarded letter he found that Double T drafted to his daughter, Lisa. The words were "Turn to clear vision. Quarters only.", "Ellis Island", "Statue of Liberty", "Staten Island", and "New Jersey". The team figured out that Double T must have been at South Ferry by the viewing telescopes since the telescopes contained the instructions that Ghostwriter wrote, South Ferry being the location where one could see all four locations Ghostwriter named, and the South Ferry subway stop was the final stop of that particular subway line aka "the tunnel's end".

The team decided to go to South Ferry that day.

After finding Double T's letter indicating they were correct in their deduction of where he was, the team decided to split up to look for Double T in the area. They deduced that he had to have gone to a place where one could "light a flame near sacred names" as written in Double T's poem. Tina and Alex felt strongly that Double T could be referring to a church or a cemetery.

"Cemeteries are creepy, I'll go to the church." Tina said clearly looking uncomfortable at the prospect of going to a cemetery.

Alex quickly responded, "I'll go with Tina!" He could not help but have a wide smile on his face.

Finally, a chance to be alone with Tina! Alex thought. He then sent some vibes to Lenni, Jamal, and Gaby to not join them. With nearly one school year and four mysteries under their belt, Alex still never got his chance to be alone with Tina. The closest times it happened were when Tina filmed a campaign video for Alex to fight off a smear campaign against him where Calvin Ferguson used some secret personal information of Alex to disparage him when he ran for Class President. However, that did not really count because Tina's sister Linda was around the whole time. What's with little sisters always being around? Alex thought.

Although Alex and Tina enjoyed a great one-on-one conversation during that time where they got to know each other better, it had not been followed-up since then. There were the countless times Tina would come to the Bodega and hang out with Gaby in his and Gaby's room. Obviously, Gaby was always around when Tina hung out in their room. Plus, Tina had been there to see Gaby and not him.

The previous night was close though. Tina hosted her very first dinner party for the Ghostwriter team. Although Tina's small apartment was filled to capacity with Tina's parents, Linda, and the entire Ghostwriter team sans Rob, and thus did not lend itself to many opportunities for Alex to get Tina alone, Alex would be able to observe Tina in close proximity and have a chance to talk to her outside the business of solving a mystery or having Gaby fully listening in. Alex had been looking forward to this dinner party for what felt like forever. He imagined all kinds of scenarios where he would have Tina all to himself and enamor her with his "charm". For the most part, however, Alex just wanted to enjoy Tina's company.

At the dinner party, Tina was surprisingly not there to greet them. Like her mom, Alex grew increasingly worried about Tina not being at her own party. However, he was also impatient to try the dishes she made. They smelled so good! The delicious aromas emanating from the dishes were too much for Alex to resist as he quickly sat down at the table and grabbed some chopsticks when her father invited them to enjoy the food without Tina.

Her father had mentioned Tina made the fried noodle dish herself. Alex could not wait to try it. He had been curious what Tina's cooking would be like. He would never openly admit to imagining Tina making food just for him, but those were some of his favorite fantasies. Not that a woman was cooking for him, but that Tina herself would care enough to make food for him and he would do the same. Alex felt as though eating a dish Tina made specifically for him (and the rest of the Ghostwriter team) was as if he was tasting a piece of Tina's soul.

Then Tina rushed in. Alex then became worried she would get a harsh scolding in front of the team. Alex personally knew what a scolding felt like. Then Alex observed the way Tina made her mom so happy when she interrupted her mother's scolding to give her some pretty flowers that obviously meant a lot to both of them.

Alex felt so proud of Tina at that moment. From the moment he first met Tina through the four mysteries they had solved together to now, Alex was already convinced Tina was the most amazing girl he had met. As he watched Tina with her mother enjoying the flowers Tina brought, Alex himself was amazed over the fact that Tina still found new ways to astonish him. While enjoying the view of Tina's smile for the countless time by this point in his life, Alex put his chopsticks down and made his way over to Tina's side.

Then the rest of the team plus Mr. Nguyen and Linda joined them. Alex suddenly felt Tina's father behind him. Regarding Mr. Nguyen, Alex at first imagined a stern man with a harsh accent much like his own father, and although he was right, he also saw a friendly, open, and good-hearted man who was proudly watching his daughter.

Alex then imagined himself winning Mr. Nguyen over one day. He knew it was important to do so because he came from a similar background where pleasing one's parents was of the utmost importance, but Alex himself simply felt it was important personally as he wanted Tina's parents to like and accept him.

Back to finding Double T, Tina and Alex walked through the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in the Financial District one minute away from the South Ferry subway stop.

Alex walked through the halls as if he owned the place. He was very familiar with what a Catholic church looked like and this one seemed similar to the ones his family brought him to for Spanish mass throughout the years. Although his family did not go to mass every Sunday, they attempted to go for every religious holiday. Alex knew that he would have to get confirmed in about four years and would be forced to join his parish's Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes or CCD to prepare himself for that.

Alex was amused at the way Tina looked around the church with curiosity. It was as if she was transported to a different planet or dimension. He loved the way her eyes were wide at the candles and pictures of saints.

"This is all so ornate," Tina said taking all of the ornamentation around her in.

Ornate? That's a big word, Alex thought. "First time in a church?" Alex asked smiling in amusement. He simply could not imagine what never stepping into a church was like.

"I've been to one once for a wedding when I was a kid," Tina said while looking around at all the candles and statues of the Virgin Mary and all of the saints. "My cousin Kim from New Orleans married a Vietnamese Catholic man. Actually, my mom's side is Catholic, and it was a big deal in our family when she married my Dad because he's Buddhist. My mom said usually the non-Catholic converts into the church, but she went the other way and became Buddhist even though she didn't have to. She never told me why. A lot of people in my mom's family are still mad about it, and because of that and with them being in New Orleans, I don't get to see them much. But we all went to the wedding anyway because she's my mom's closest niece."

This made Alex wonder if there would be any issues if….

Alex was close to asking Tina more about what her own family personally thought about her cousin marrying a Catholic. He suddenly stopped himself from even thinking about that. He even stopped himself from wondering if his parents would force his and Gaby's partner to convert to the Catholic Church. This was getting too complicated too quickly for Alex. Right now, all he wanted was some alone time with Tina.

After searching around the church for close to half-an-hour, there was no sign of Double T.

Man, I really thought I was right about Double T would be here! Alex thought, frustrated that he was wrong about this strong hunch. He pretty much brought Tina all the way here for no reason and looked like a fool. What kind of detective am I? Alex thought.

Tina then suggested they go back to the viewing telescopes near the spot where they found Double T's abandoned letter to meet with the rest of the team. Alex studied Tina's face to try to see any hint of disappointment but could not find any sign of it. Instead, he observed that she had a concentrated face looking at all the candles and incense burning off to the side of the entrances.

Alex and Tina wordlessly walked back to the meeting spot. Alex wanted to fill up the dead air between he and Tina, but was unsure of what to say. He was still disappointed about not finding Double T at the church. Then a frightening thought entered his mind. What if Alex could never figure out where Double T was? Alex wondered if Tina was quietly going over the clues as he had been as they were walking back to the meeting spot.

Tina led Alex to the meeting space. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a great breeze. The loud fog horn blew from the ferry floating past the Statue of Liberty. Taking all of this in, Alex felt that this day was not so bad after all. Alex rarely got to see Tina in this setting, and he certainly enjoyed what he saw. This brightened his mood.

"You know when I saw those candles and incense burning, I thought Double T would be there for sure," Alex said, his mind still on the case. Where could he be?

Before Alex could beat himself up any further about his detective work, Tina responded, "So did I. But at least you were right about the sacred names. They were all over the place!"

Simply hearing Tina said that absolutely brightened Alex's mood. So, it was not a stupid guess on his part. Even Tina thought Double T would be there even though she was the one who challenged his guess that the place with the sacred names with burning incense had to be a church.

Alex could not help but give a broad smile and say, "Uh..huh…thanks. Maybe Lenni, Jamal, and Gaby had better luck at the cemetery." He sure hoped they did for Rob's sake.

"I hope so." Tina responded encouragingly.

Speaking of cemeteries…

Alex hesitated before pushing forward. He had to know this and validate his own inclination. "You were afraid to go to the cemetery, weren't you?" Alex said without being able to control himself from smugly smiling. He knew he was right and he was trying to set up the ideal situation he had imagined in his head ever since he heard Tina say that cemeteries were "creepy". Girls who are scared like it when a guy puts his arm around her to make her feel safe, right? Alex thought to himself.

"I didn't say that," Tina responded.

Alex was disappointed with Tina's response. He was sure she'd admit that she was afraid and then he would be able to swoop in to make her feel safe. She was obviously lying, why wouldn't she just admit it?

Without thinking, Alex replied, "Yeah well, you wouldn't had to worry about anything I would've been right next to you."

Alex suddenly stopped himself from caressing Tina's hair. Instead, he played it off as if he was just slicking his own hair back and then cupped his left cheek. It was like his hands had a mind of their own for a moment. What am I doing? Why was I about to do that? I hope she didn't notice!

Then Tina suddenly turned towards the view of the Statue of Liberty on the Bay. This prompted Alex to turn as well. Alex's mind was now racing imagining that Tina did notice but was being polite to not say anything.

I can't figure this girl out!

*(A/N: I know "To the Light" aired in January-February 1993, but it was clearly shot some time in the Summer or mid-to-late Spring/early Fall considering the wardrobe of the characters and how sunny it was in that arc. Plus, I have to make it fit within the timeline as the "summer" after the first school year in the show happened in "Just in Time". I'm pushing it with having "To the Light" happen in the Spring as that means five story arcs/mysteries take place between like mid-April to late-May/early-June, but these are the cards I'm dealing with here.)

---

The Present

As Tina was focusing in on a shot of a lovely young couple walking hand-in-hand, she felt tingly sensation on her cheek. Alex caressed Tina's hair to move it out of her face.

"Thought that would make it easier for your shot," Alex said matter-of-factly, smiling.

Tina gave Alex a small smile and focused again and snapped the picture. As Tina put her camera down, she gave Alex and encouraging nod, but could not help but notice the faded bruise on his cheek. Alex looking so dapper and sleek made his bruise stand out a bit more. She hoped that whoever did that to him paid triple for what he gave Alex. Despite opening up last night, Tina still hadn't gotten around to asking Alex what exactly happened that Monday. She did not want to ruin their first day of vacation, so she pushed that thought out of her mind and put it on the back-burner for now.

After leaving the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, Alex seemed to be pushily forcing their way up Vanderbilt Ave. They were heading North towards Fort Greene. For someone who said that there was no structure today, Alex sure seemed to be heading somewhere.

"Where are we going?" Tina finally felt herself asking. She wasn't the type to just go along with the flow.

She really isn't one to just go with the flow, I should have thought this through, Alex thought. Before he could answer, he felt Tina grabbing inside Alex's leather messenger bag.

"Why did you bring that with you?" Tina asked curiously as Alex dragged her north past the bustle of Prospect Heights on a Saturday afternoon.

"Force of habit," Alex lied.

"Really?" Tina asked skeptically.

"Really," Alex said, Damnit, she probably figured it out!

Don't tell me he has to drop off some files or documents at the precinct, Tina thought. Then she felt guilty for even getting frustrated with that. Stop complaining, at least you have him for a whole week and he was going to let me use this week to finish the movie in case I failed to do so, and these are real people hurt by real crimes…

"Alex, if you need to drop off some papers at work, you can tell me, it's fine. I'm just glad to be with you," Tina said.

"Oh uh, yeah, thanks for that," Alex said avoiding any eye contact with Tina.

Catching some annoyance from Alex who clearly had some sort of destination in mind, Tina decided it was better to stay silent the rest of the way until they hit Fort Greene, then she would ask again because she was not the type of person to just go with the flow.

Alex was annoyed with himself. He had wanted to take a leisurely stroll up Prospect Heights under the guise of enjoying getting to know their new neighborhood with Tina not realizing they were heading towards Fort Greene. He also wanted to spend some time at the Brooklyn library and the Brooklyn Museum as well, even though it wasn't First Saturday and thus it cost money, just to make her distracted and catch her off-guard.

Of course, in retrospect, that plan was stupid because how would she not know they were heading to the neighborhood in which they were raised? Not to mention, it was a 28 minute walk from where they originated to the location he was heading. Plus, he mistimed it and now he was practically rushing her through the neighborhood.

Alex stole a glance at Tina who looked as though she was resisting solving this particular case. He thought that they must have looked quite funny as he was close to literally dragging her behind.

Whatever. Alex knew that in the end, all of this would be worth it.

---

Late Spring 1993

This was it, Alex thought. His Papa gave him some sage advice on how to approach Tina and ask her out on a date. She was her own person. Women were not all the same. He made sure to consider carefully how he was going to ask Tina Nguyen out on a date.

At first, Alex was confused as to how to go about it because he did not understand what was it about Tina that made him want to ask her out. There was just something about her. Did he really need a reason? No, he did not. He just felt it in his bones.

But that did not help him at all when it came to formally asking her out. At first, he tried to play it cool at South Ferry. That did not work. All it resulted in was him nearly creepily touching her face by the Hudson. What a dork! Alex thought.

Then he tried calling her at Lana Barnes' house, where Tina worked, to casually ask her out. All that happened was him calling her and hanging up. He only later realized he was giving her an anxiety attack since Lana was receiving threatening messages from who turned out to be Lana's former stunt double.

His plan was lame too. He wrote down a few lines to say to her when she picked up the phone to break the ice, only for him to realize how stupid those lines were. Some of them included, "Hello Tina. I like you a lot." Which was straight to the point, but not conversational at all. He even tried to use "Hola, Tina. Que Pasa?" even though she didn't speak Spanish. It wasn't really the communication issue that was the problem but the way he said it was the goofiest sounding thing he ever heard in his life, and reminded him of his cousin Richard Anthony hitting on girls when he babysat him and Gaby.

After Alex hung up on Tina for what seemed to be the 10th time, he decided to start over and wrote a new way to begin asking Tina out. He wrote "Hi Tina, it's me, Alejandro, I'm sorry about all those times I called you up on the telephone and hung up. I just wanted to tell you how much I really dig you." Then he read it out loud. Dig you…dig you….When did he ever use that word? What gotten into him? Did he overhear Max use that word once?

By sheer luck of timing, Eduardo came in while Alex crumbled it up into a ball and attempted to throw it into the waste bin. As the crumpled up ball hit Eduardo, Alex hurried to clean it up resulting in them hitting each other in the head like in a comedy. Then Eduardo amusedly told Alex it reminded him of a Cantiflas movie. It was serendipitous because Eduardo then mentioned how he used to take all of his dates to see Cantiflas movies prompting Alex to ask him if that was what he did with his Mama. Instead of confirming, Eduardo simply said his mother was much more serious and he was older when they met, and how she used to love to listen to him read her poetry.

Alex then thought all women may like poetry and thus Tina may like it too. But then Eduardo simply stated the obvious, that all women are different, which he already knew. He was just excited at the prospect of having an "easy" answer. Eduardo then told Alex to use his imagination and find out what both he and the girl liked to do and go from there. Basically, think about what he and Tina liked to do and just get to know one another to see if they were compatible. That was it. The simplest thing, and yet even some grown people some feel the need to use tricks.

That was the problem when Alex first started. He was not being himself and thinking of this whole ritual as some sort of game, when all he had to do was talk to Tina and figure out if she was interested and if he was interested once he knew her better.

Eduardo not only taught Alex an invaluable life lesson, but he also made Alex think about who Tina was as a person and what she would appreciate. Then he figured it out.

After the Ghostwriter Team solved the case of "Who's Who", Alex came by Tina's apartment only to be told by her mother that Tina could be found at Lana Barnes' house as she was working her last shift there. As he came in, Alex approached Tina with a movie script he had been working on – knowing that would get Tina's attention. What he knew about Tina was that she lived and breathed film. Luckily for him, Alex also enjoyed movies.

Under the guise of going over the script, Alex asked Tina to read for the character "Tischa" while he read "Alfred".

Looking at the script, Tina started.

Tischa: Hello Alfred, why do you look so sad?

Alfred: I have a confession to make Tischa…

Tischa: What is it, Alfred?

Alfred: Well, Tischa, I've been trying to tell you how much I like you for a long time, but whenever I call you up on the phone, I freeze up and I don't know what to say.

Then Tina broke character and asked "Was that you?"

Not knowing how to respond, Alex simply pointed back to the page and directed Tina to continue.

Tischa: Was that you, Alfred?

Alfred: Yes, Tischa, that was me. I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just too shy to come right out and ask you if you would… like to go to the movies with me, Tischa.

Then Tina created her own stage directions and put the paper down making Alex nervous. Out of character, Alex asked "Is anything, wrong?" He was close to having a panic attack.

Tina then started improving. She looked solemnly down and readied herself to give Alex some disappointing news. "I'm sorry Alfred, I can't go." Then Tina looked down again, looking very sorry for delivering that line.

It took everything in Alex's power not to run out of there. Instead, he readied himself to calmly leave as his mind was racing. She had a right to reject him as she was under no obligation to go out with him just because he liked her. That was fair, and at least Tina was blunt about it.

Before Alex could finish collecting the papers of his script, Tina then smiled mischievously and said "I rather go with my good friend, Alex."

Relief was not the proper word to describe what Alex was feeling. He simply took hold of her hand and smiled at her to which she returned brightly.

Later on, Alex realized how a minx Tina was and wondered if she was fully aware of the power she had over him right then and there and forever more.

---

Present – About 30 Minutes Later

Tina was trying not to be pissed off, but Alex was truly testing her patience at this moment. If they were going to be doing all that walking, she might as well put on her sneakers and some jeans. She noticed beads of sweat dropping from Alex's head. Then she felt beads of sweat coming down from hers as well. She always thought she and Alex were in good shape, but that was some stroll.

Observing Alex, Tina took note of an expression of pure determination. Wherever he was taking her, it was probably good. He seemed to be a man on a mission. Secretly, Tina hoped he was taking her to that new biergarten that opened up near the border of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill that showed old movies on a large screen while patrons sat on long wooden community tables. Maybe he invited some family and the team to hang out. Jamal and Casey were in town and it would be nice to see them again. Last night they told her they were only coming in for the weekend and leaving early Sunday. It made her feel warm inside knowing they traveled all that way just for her dinner party.

Then Tina started to imagine Alex proposing to her. That would be some shock. It just felt like they got back together and were still trying to figure out how their relationship was going to work. Last night was a turn page turning, but a proposal would seem like it was coming from nowhere, while at the same time be totally expected. It did feel right, didn't it? It's not as if she would say 'no' because she did want to marry Alex. He seemed to be as keen as her with all the hints he had been given. But it was odd. Every married or engaged friend she had knew ahead of time that they were getting engaged, had discussed marriage with their partner, their future plans, kids, where they wanted to live, and what kind of wedding they wanted.

Despite dating for two years now, at minimum since they had been dating on-and-off for years since they were children, Tina realized she shockingly knew very little about what Alex was thinking long-term. Would he ever want to move out of Brooklyn or even NYC? She hoped not. Tina wanted to live and die a New Yorker. But what if he wanted to buy a house one day, with a lawn? That's impossible in this city unless you were the son of some Sheik or Chinese mogul. Did he want kids? Wait…did she want kids? Would she keep her last name?

The more Tina thought about what she and Alex NEVER spoke about, it became clearer to Tina that a proposal was unlikely. She and Alex had a lot of things to discuss before that step took place, and it would not be fair to expect Alex to do so when both of them were still trying to figure out their lives out and how to fit each other in them.

However, that would explain his vague and uneventful timekeeping schedule today. Tina could not help but build up that expectation in her mind. She started imagining how romantic Alex would be with it since he was so into big gestures. All kinds of scenarios played into her head, the kind Tina had seen in countless romantic movies. The idea of the proposal kept Tina distracted from her increasingly hurting feet as she did not wear the right kinds of shoes for this sort of rushed hurried walking.

Alex could hear Tina breathing a bit heavier behind him. Why didn't we just take a cab? Alex thought. No matter, they were at the destination, even though he did not dare look back at Tina for fear of what she must have looked like. Alex had become concerned as Tina grew increasingly quiet as she was being dragged along this half-hour trek. He wondered what on Earth she could be thinking about right about now. If he was in her shoes, he would be pissed off.

Finally, he hit the corner of his destination. The excitement was bursting inside of him. He could not wait to see the look on her face. She would be so surprised.

"Oh look! That's what I'm looking for!" Alex exclaimed.

Before he could grab Tina's hand again, Tina simply said, "What are you talking about Alex?"

Alex noticed Tina's face change from curiosity to one of disappointment. "Over there, Tina! Come on!" Alex then grabbed hold of Tina's hand and led her to his destination.

They rounded the corner were suddenly faced with an empty lot filled with garbage bags stacked on top of each other in a faded wooden cart parked against a white brick background with some graffiti.

"What the hell?" Tina reflexively asked once she stood side-by-side with him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alex asked smiling broadly and proudly seemingly not listening to Tina's agitated tone of voice.

"I mean, I guess it's an aesthetic," Tina said puzzled. "What are we doing here? Did you buy this lot or something?"

Alex shrugged off Tina's question. "Here, I have something to show you," Alex said. He reached into his messenger bag, and pulled out two copies of some stapled pages. "It's a script I've been working on."

"Really? You've been working on a script?" Asked Tina skeptically.

Alex noticed Tina's raised eyebrow and brushed off any thought that she already knew what he was going to do. Choosing to play dumb, Alex continued, "I wanted you to read it and see if it was any good. After working on so many cases, I figured that I had enough plotlines and characters saved in my head for at least a Law and Order: SVU episode. I'm a bit nervous, so I wanted to get the atmosphere right to help you visual it. It takes place outside a busy dumpster scene like this."

"Is there a dead body involved?" Tina asked half sarcastically and half increasingly interested this imaginary script now.

"What? No!" Alex responded, genuinely shocked.

Tina giggled, which prompted Alex and look at the sky.

Before Tina could continue to ask more questions, Alex took Tina's camera off from her shoulders and said, "Ok, now, you read the part of Tischa, and I'll read Alfred."

Wait…this sounds familiar, Tina thought.

Before Tina could delve deeper into her thoughts, Alex grabbed her hand and made her go into the cart with the trash bags.

"What!?" Tina exclaimed.

"Come on, just get in character," Alex said.

He is really asking for too much now, Tina thought before Alex strong-armed Tina into the cart.

The trash strangely did not smell bad or of anything really. She felt it was mostly made up of paper or packing peanuts when she momentarily leaned against one.

"Ok, Tina, go ahead and read the first line."

Tina coughed a few times to clear her throat, and then started.

Tischa: So, Alfred, why did you take us back to the scene of the crime of a case we already solved?

Alfred: Because, Tischa, this place is special for us.

Tischa: What do you mean, Alfred?

Alfred: I know that this wasn't our first case together, and we've had many cases since them where we've done better work, but this was the case that started it all for us.

Tischa: Oh because we…

Alfred: That's right, Tischa. It was the first case where we took our professional relationship into nonprofessional territory.

Tischa: But Alfred, we socialized before and even went to a movie together.

Alfred: I know Tischa, but this was our first kiss. Right here, when we were in the height of danger. The heat of the moment overtook us. Knowing this might be our last living moment, we threw caution to the wind and let our true feelings towards one another be known. That kiss, right here among the trash while we were being chased, it is the kiss I remember the most.

Tina stood there dumbstruck as Alex's reading of Alfred went from being stilted to natural. Then Tina remembered she had a part to play and fumbled with her page to see where her next line was. Alex then grabbed her hand and threw the script to the wind.

Then Alex inhaled deeply and dropped his script and then dropped to his knees and took both of her hands into his.

"Forget the stupid script, Tina," Alex said. "I just wanted to tell you that I've remembered every moment with you. Every mystery we've solved as kids, every conversation we've had, every fight, every look we've exchanged, every time I thought about you, even though we were separated…and I never fail but to think about this kiss right here in the dumpster…yeah I know it's not the same dumpster, but Mr. Miller's hauling company is now two coffee shops, a consignment shop, an organic food co-opt, a pop-up space, and a three different bakeries selling fusion baked goods, believe me I checked."

Tina giggled with her eyes tearing up.

"And I think it's just so perfect that our first kiss wasn't this lame awkward thing happening after we had a meal or after a movie or in some romantic scene, but it was among trash while Mr. Miller was chasing us down. I don't know why it's perfect, but it was. Life isn't always perfect but you find love even in hopeless places. And it's fitting because all of those movies or photographs you show me, you're always guiding me to finding the beauty even in the worst images…to find love even in the worst times but also the best. In other words, Tina, you are the beauty I find every day that I'm breathing. Not a moment goes by where I'm not thinking about you in some way, nothing I do from now on will ever not consider you. You are a part of me, and have been since that kiss back in the dumpster…Tina, I need you to be there with me and to kiss me when I'm down with the 'trash'. I can't imagine going through life's trash without you and knowing you will be there to kiss me when I need it most…."

Then Alex reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the black box. Alex was not nervous at all. Instead, he was just holding his breath with anticipation of the answer he knew he would be receiving. He propped the box open showcasing the ring he worked so hard to have come together.

Alex watched Tina's lips forming a smile as she wiped away tears and visibly shaking.

Then things went silent.

Why isn't she saying yes? Alex thought.

Alex watched As Tina started to awkwardly hold her position.

"Uh…" Alex said in response.

"Oh my God Alex, just like with me moving in, you haven't actually asked me yet!" Tina finally exclaimed while holding back laughter as best as she could.

"Oh Jesus!" Alex exclaimed in response. How stupid! "Tina Tram-Anh Nguyen, will you accept Alejandro Oscar Fernandez as your husband, even when he forgets the most obvious steps and just makes assumptions?"

Tina took a moment to clear her throat and then surprised Alex by kneeling in front of him. They knelt face to face amongst all the trash bags. Then Tina squeezed Alex's hand, which were still holding up the ring box. Alex felt her tear soaked face brush against his as her lips touched his cheek where his fading bruise was located. Then, Tina simply smiled, nodded, and replied, "Yes." This resulted in Alex screaming at the top of his lungs that she had indeed accepted his proposal. Alex quickly put the ring on Tina's finger and picked her up eagerly. He had the strength of ten bears.

Some passers-by were screaming slightly confused congratulations and mazel tovs to the newly affianced couple surrounded by a ton of trash bags.

Then out from the corners came Jamal, Lenni, Gaby, Rob, Hector, and Casey. Then Linda and her parents followed with Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez.

At this very moment, Lot 352 on Carlton Avenue off of Dekaulb was the most jubilant joint to be in.

---

Late October 2005

Alex frantically ran into the emergency room of Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital. The last thing he remembered was getting a frantic call from Sandra Nakano, Tina's agent at Creative Artists Agency, that Tina had collapsed at their meeting regarding submitting Sassy Street Walk to Sundance and if they should reconsider the title prior to submission.

He just knew Tina added too much on her plate, and he let her do it! In the past month, Tina remodeled their apartment together, was doing all kinds of preparations Sassy Street Walk before being released to the festival circuit. These preparations included doing reshoots, interviewing more participants who heard about the project and wanted to add their own stories, and re-editing the film. Furthermore, Tina shot a music video for Lenni, and was preparing a reel of all of her past films to submit to audition for various projects looking for directors that she had wanted to work on. On top of that, she and Rob started talking about writing a screenplay together.

Alex angrily admonished himself for being too busy to notice that Tina had run herself to the point of pure exhaustion. The problem with being put on an undercover internal investigation of the NYPD Vice Squad was that he had to be assigned to a few more cases at the 90th Precinct just to justify Alex still being there and not yet being transferred to the Major Case Squad in Manhattan. Therefore, he was again working late nights or continuous days on major investigations running the gamut from armed robbery and conspiracy to cracking down on counterfeit currency operations.

Some engagement honeymoon, Alex thought. The only thing he got from McQuade was a "finally!" then it was back to business. On his way to Beth Israel, Alex's mind ran the gamut of various conditions and diseases she may have had driving him mad.

Alex pushed his way towards the counter and demanded to know where Room 107 was located, startling a few people in the waiting room and the hospital staff. He showed his badge out-of-habit before realizing he frightened the poor nurse who now thought Tina may be getting arrested.

Before she could answer, Sandra came out from the corner and lead Alex to Tina.

"It was so shocking, Alex. Actually, Tina and I were having an argument before she collapsed. I couldn't believe it, I was so stunned, I screamed and yelled for an ambulance before realizing I had a phone and could call one myself.

"An argument?! What were you screaming at Tina for?" Alex screamed.

"We always argue. It's how we brainstorm her next step."

"You didn't notice any signs of stress during it?"

"To be honest, we were both heated up to notice much of anything," Sandra said matter-of-factly and like I said before, it wasn't a real argument, it's just how we get ideas out of our heads and find one that sticks." Sandra quickly added fearing Alex's wrath.

Alex was fuming until he realized they passed up room 107. "Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"Oh, they took her out of the room because she no longer needed it. They just put her on a bed with the other non-serious cases in a common area," Sandra said sounding chipper.

"HOW COULD THEY DO THAT? SHE COLLAPSED! DID THEY EVEN EXAMINE HER?" Alex exploded.

"Alex, calm down," Sandra said, "She's really fine. Believe me."

Before Alex could respond, he and Sandra entered the room with all the patients lying in beds. For a hospital space full of sick and/or injured people, it sure was energetic and lively. Alex took in the sounds of IV machines, heart rate monitors, various doctors and other staff speaking, and conversations between patients and their loved ones.

"She's over at the end there," Sandra told Alex pointing to the bed furthest to the window on the East Side of the room. Tina's curtains were up, and he wouldn't have known she was inside had it not been for Sandra.

"Alex, I'll let you and Tina be alone. I'll come check on you guys later."

And without another word, Sandra skipped out of out of the room. She seemed a bit lighthearted about this situation, Alex thought.

Alex carefully opened the curtains and saw Tina eating a chocolate pudding cup with an empty plate of hospital food in front of her. This was not the image Alex expected.

"Oh hey, Anh!" Tina said cheerfully.

Alex responded by rushing towards Tina and squeezing her tight. "Oh my God, Em, you're ok!"

Tina just embraced his hug knowing how scary all of that must have sounded when Sandra initially called him to notify him that she had collapsed and was in an ambulance to the hospital.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. Someone had a flat tire on the Brooklyn Bridge, so there was only one lane, and McQuade didn't let me drive myself because I was in such a panic, and Yvette had to drive me…Yvette is looking for parking now, but maybe I should just call her up and let her know she can just go back to the Precinct…anyway, I can't believe it took me so long to get here, what if it was something really bad and I would have missed it and…."

Tina gave Alex a spoonful of chocolate pudding to quiet him up. The taste of the chocolate pudding was incredibly tasty must to Alex's surprise. He got the hint.

"Well, Em, what happened? It wasn't just because you've been forgetting to eat, have you?" Alex asked going from pure concern and veering towards a tone of admonishment.

"Oh," Tina said before taking another spoonful of pudding, "that's part of it."

"So, there's more? What is it?" Alex asked veering back towards pure concern.

Tina hesitated, which only annoyed Alex.

"Tina, you have to tell me what it is, don't worry, the wedding can still go forward no matter what it is…I know we haven't set a date yet and your mom is pressuring you to find a date, and there's the whole matter of whether we'll be having a Catholic or a Buddhist ceremony that we haven't even dealt with yet…and…"

"Alex, I'm pregnant." Tina stated flatly.

Alex looked at Tina, then looked at her stomach, then looked at her face again, then her stomach, and then back. "How? You're stomach is so flat."

"Alex, I'm only four weeks pregnant. It's only the size of a poppy seed right now. There's nothing to see there."

"You're…you're really pregnant? You're going to be a mom? Wait, that means, I'm going to be a Dad?"

Alex could not wrap his mind around it. They were so young. How did it happen? Well, ok, he knew how it happened. Thinking about it, he was surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Tina chuckled at Alex's expression. "Yeah, we are." She finally answered. Truthfully, Tina was scared shitless over Alex's reaction.

She and Alec hadn't even talked about having kids and last time she checked in with herself about that topic, she was still unsure whether she wanted to have children. What twenty-three year old professional woman would even think about kids right now? And yet, she was so incredibly happy at this news.

But what about Alex? What if he didn't want a baby? Given their ages, where they were in their careers, and the fact they never discussed having kids, it's not like she could blame him, except for the fact that he kept seducing her. It was also her fault too as her being increasingly busy with work that she failed to take her Dep-Provera shots on schedule, thus missing her last appointment counting on the fact that the chances were still slim that she would get pregnant.

Then Alex let out a huge yell. "Everyone! I'm going to be a Papa!" he exclaimed to the entire hospital room. Tina watch Alex beam with sheer happiness and excitement. It was incredibly contagious. Tina was close to bursting into tears of pure joy at this sight. Some patients and their visitors congratulated them while others were so not in the mood. The hospital staff came by, and instead of admonishing Alex, ended up congratulating him and offering the both of them their best wishes.

As Alex pulled Tina into a warm embrace, they could not help but kiss again.

A/N:

Hey guys, sorry about how late this chapter was. This was a hard one to pin down. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the proposal justice since Alex and Tina were my first ever OTP ship. Also, real life responsibilities and work got in the way plus an unexpected major family event that wasn't so pleasant to deal with. I hope you guys enjoy this one. This is the last chapter taking place in the fall and the next set of chapters will take place over Christmas and Winter. The next chapter will focus on the team and their parents.

Again, I am begging you. Please leave a review or a message about what you think about the chapter or the fic so far. I really need to know and it motivates me to keep writing and going.

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate the lot of you who have made it through the whole thing so far.