If you're new to this series and want to know the important bits, read my fic Steps chapter 31 and forward.
And if you just got here from Steps, you know what this is. And just so you know, I am going to be very mean to Alice from here on out.
About Locked:
This fic is basically a rewrite of the books, but with my OC Alice mixed in to the bunch. So it spoils practically everything from the canon. If you want to read Defy me without knowing anything, turn back and come back later.
But if you're just here to read about a young girl being emotionally manipulated for a bit, come on right in :)
Alice was sitting in the sofa in Warner's office. She had meant to read The time machine by H.G Wells. She had meant to do that for almost a week now. She purposefully went here to hide away from all the buzz of the base for the last two days.
Juliette was gone now. It was the outcome she had actually hoped for, leading up to the symposium. A total and utter fiasco.
She hadn't been there. Obviously. Instead she had sulked in her room in the nice shirt Lena had lent her. Jasper told her afterwards that perhaps it had been for the best.
They had seen things. Things he couldn't explain, but hadn't been real. Things he was glad she had not taken apart of.
But Warner had also disappeared; leading to their current predicament. Jasper was running around, trying his best to establish some kind of order among the soldiers. She didn't mind that. She understood that he had duties to perform, a roll to fill. Still, not that she'd ever admit it out loud, she felt lonely. Almost abandoned.
Jasper spent so much time with them. The resistance members from Omega Point. He barely had time to eat together with her these days, their morning tea sessions gone with his busy schedule. A good-night kiss in the evenings if he had time to return to their quarters.
Castle, the leader, had time and time again pointed out that she was one of them, in the sense that she had abilities on her own. That she could move across any distance and through any material seemingly on a whim. But as long as they were on the side of her Alice had no interest in even speaking with them. Especially now when Warner was missing.
The only exception was James, but as he too worried about her Alice eventually grew tired with him. Him and his ideas of performing a rescue mission. That Alice could take them to where Juliette and Warner were kept. What was James supposed to do? Stand and watch?
A plausible plan, had it not included saving Juliette.
She put the book down, she wasn't getting anywhere with it anyway. She crossed her arms, considering going to the cantina and talking to the soldiers. They seemed to know much more than she did, and they were the only ones who shared her scepticism to the whole situation. Unlike Jasper and the Omega pointers…
Or, Jasper stressed about it. He had told her they were supposed to surrender the Omega Pointers to the Re establishment. What he hadn't said out loud was that they were going to help them get away, but she understood that much.
Her sulking was interrupted by the door opening.
Her heart skipped a beat as a suit clad arm entered.
"Aaron?", she called out already halfway across the room.
She quickly realized her mistake however as a pair of blue eye aimed her way.
A surprised laugh.
"Well, hello there. Just who I was looking for."
She stopped dead, just staring.
"What is it darling? You look like you might have seen a ghost!", he said.
Aaron's Dad.
It was Aaron's Dad.
Anderson.
Paris Anderson.
She coughed, unsure whether to laugh or scream.
Instead her tone of voice remained unaffected. Perhaps her vocalchords hadn't caught up with the situation.
"They said she killed you", she said. She said this matter-of-factly. A girl explaining the source of a rumor to another acquaintance.
He laughed again.
"Oh, she tried alright", he told her.
"But it takes more to kill me."
The girl was still rather confused by all this, but figured it made sense. Jasper had said something similar.
She realized she was staring at him.
"Is Aaron here?", she suddenly asked, leaning past him to look into Warner's bedroom. All she could see was a guard standing by the bed. The red lines in his tattoos telling her he was one of Andersson's.
"I'm afraid not", Andersson, Aaron's dad, said.
When she turned around again she saw that Andersson was observing her. Then she remembered what he had said. He had been looking for her.
"I never liked her by the way", she suddenly said.
"Sorry?", he asked.
"Her. I knew she was a psychopath, but no one listened to me. I didn't think it was right to kill you. Aaron was really mad when I cried, but he was sad too, I know he was, afterwards."
"Jasper said she probably wouldn't have had to kill you", she said. She knew he had only said it to make her feel better, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to tell Aaron's dad about it.
"Jasper was sad. Or, he was mostly stressed. He helped them with medicine and food and all that-"
"I know Darling, but it's alright. It's his job after all."
She smiled and nodded at that. She really didn't want Jasper to be in trouble.
"Or...", he suddenly adds.
"Was."
She doesn't understand what he's getting at.
She thinks that Delalieu must have been removed from his Lieutenant post. Because after all, he's been helping the rebels.
She feels bad for him still. Delalieu loves being a Lieutenant. Loves helping Aaron with his daily duties.
"Sweetheart, could you sit down?", Anderson said, gesturing for the sofa.
She liked being called sweetheart. And so she sat down.
"There is something I have to tell you", he said, suddenly somber.
"There is a reason why I came here, other than the brewing uprising in this sector."
"I was called this morning saying Lieutenant Delalieu had a heart attack."
She blinked.
"What?" she said dumbly.
The words seemed to scramble around in her head. Like balls on a commenced billiard table. Lieutenant. Morning. Delalieu. Heart attack.
"What?!", she repeated.
This morning Lieutenant Delalieu had a heart attack.
"Is he going to be okay? There's two healers. Two girls. Are they there? They can help-"
Why was she still sitting there?
"I need to go...!", she said standing up. She almost went to the hospital wing in that instant, but she was held back by his hand was on her arm, trying to make her sit down again.
"No Alice, darling. It's not like that..."
Then-
"There was nothing that could be done."
-the world slowed.
"What?", she asked one more time.
He just looked at her sadly. His face told her that she hadn't misheard.
"No…", she said.
"No no no no it's not funny stop it…!", she kept saying as tears started rolling down her cheeks. But Aaron's dad didn't stop looking sad. He wasn't making a joke.
It was true.
Jasper
"He can't be...", she begged.
"He can't..." She was about to bury her face in her hands. To start to cry really loud.
Instead Anderson took her chin in his hand and tilted her face back up. His gaze seemed to pierce her. Ground her.
"I'm sad to to tell you, but Jasper is dead, honey", he told her, making sure his words were slow so that she would listen.
She sniffled, making new tears roll down her cheeks. But she let him distract her as he pulled out a napkin.
"Now, I know Jasper cared about you. Almost like his own little daughter, didn't he?", he said as he handed it to her.
Alice startled.
"And that Aaron is like a big brother to you, although he'd probably never admit it", he continued.
She nodded again, tears gathering in her eyes again, a little ashamed to admit it to his Dad. But it was true.
"Now, I know Aaron is your guardian on the paper, and that Jasper was planning to do something about that once this mess had settled down…"
"Did he tell you that?", she interrupted.
"Did he…?" She could feel her lower lip quiver like a leaf.
He nodded. Stroked her over the arm.
"He had the paperwork ready, sweetheart", he told her.
"And you need a guardian, Alice, you do. But Aaron isn't here, is he? But even if he was he'd a bit young for it anyway, don't you think?"
He gave her a pause to agree. Because, yes, Aaron was only seven years older than her. And stupid for joining Juliette.
"But here's what I think we should do", he said, steadying her chin with a hand as he spoke.
"We're practically family already. So I think it's only right for me to take you in. So you won't be alone in this mess."
She tried to process this.
Anderson who the Omega Pointers had tried to kill.
Anderson who Jasper had said had been an evil man.
But he was also Aaron's dad. Aaron's dad who Aaron had cried about when he thought no one was looking, and how could he cried over him if he had been evil? And she didn't want to be alone in this mess. She was tired of being alone in this mess. With everyone scattering around her.
"So you'd be my Dad then?", she wondered.
"Exactly", he said, his tone commending. She can feel his thumb moving across her cheek.
"And you and Aaron get to be siblings for real. But there is no need to start calling me Dad so soon. Let's take it one step at a time."
He hugged her then. Scooped her up and let her sit on his knee while she hiccuped, her face hidden against her arm slung up on his shoulder. And she couldn't deny that it felt so very nice. Mr Anderson was so strong and tall and handsome. She felt safe.