Almost every day, Reese comes to the graveyard with flowers to put them on her parents' graves. Despite her knowing it is pointless, she speaks to them, asking them for advice, reassuring them that she'll be back soon.
It was strange but she felt like it's needed, not to mention that it made her feel better; there's nobody else she'd pour her heart out to. Everything that was going through her mind all those days made her anxious in a weird way.
No responses.
No hugs.
No smiles.
It wasn't them... She kept everyone away from her, but that made her feel even worse.
As always, she headed on board of the Black Pearl and checked on the dinosaurs. They were happy to see her, being in a very similar situation as her—their cards preserved their lives; they didn't age and survived for so long, missing their friends.
Being surrounded by several of her friends' dinosaurs, she smiled, however, that was quickly swiped away when her eyes fell on the Saurolophus couple; they were nuzzling happily. She glanced away at Mahin the Megaraptor who was lying far from others. He must have been lonely; Reese knew that feeling. She'd go to him, but he still growls at her.
Soon she went to the lab, no one was there, but she noticed an opened book on a table. It was the book Cretacia tried to give to her, a different version of the book Rex got two years ago. She took a peek.
So, how exactly get a guy when you're a dinosaur geek...?
"Tip 30: Give him his favorite things so he will think of you positively..." she read the first line. Then her eyes trailed to the bottom of the page. "Bonus tip: Announce your pregnancy by saying you're going to be his Maiasaura..." She raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"
"It does have a certain charm, you know," a feminine voice sounded from under the table. Then there was a bump and a yelp. After that, Cretacia peeked from there, rubbing her blonde head.
"What were you doing down there?"
"My glasses fell down..." She jumped to her feet energetically. "So, you've found liking in that book after all!"
"I'm not so sure about that. Well, I am aware this comparison of Maiasaura being a great mother is a known fact, however, apart from Aki mentioning to me that Dr. Taylor used it in his proposal to her, I've never heard anyone use it like that. Have you announced it to Trias according to that tip?"
"Unfortunately no..." Cretacia shook her head. "I hadn't read that tip before I've found out I was pregnant. I wouldn't remember it anyway. But I can confirm the rest of the book works!"
"Trias actually fell for these things?" Reese sighed, turning the pages.
"You have no idea how much power this book has!"
She wasn't really sure if the tips actually worked or if Trias simply pretended to fall for those tricks while already being in love with Cretacia.
"You're right, I don't," Reese replied, sitting down.
Despite her best afford to hide her feelings, Cretacia managed to see through that. She poked her cheek to cheer her up.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to make you smile," Cretacia chuckled as she hugged her.
Reese turned away from her, pushing her away. "Stop it. I'm not really into...physical contact..." Some could argue that was a lie due to several people, mainly her friend Kyra, repeatedly hugging her, however, in moments like this, it only made her feel vulnerable.
"You're still thinking about your argument with Zander, aren't you?" Cretacia sat beside her.
"What? No. Why would I be thinking about that? Plus it wasn't an argument. He agreed with me."
"Okay." She shrugged. "Then you miss your family," she guessed.
Reese looked at her. "How did you-"
"Rex has been the same. Distant from everyone, sad all the time."
"I see... It's dumb to be sad about something like that."
"Not at all; it's understandable to be sad. I miss Rex as well, you can't even imagine how much."
"I think I can. Missing home is one thing, but I am constantly reminded of everyone who's already gone; either by places, objects or people's personalities. That could be another reason why I'm avoiding getting too close to the Alpha Gang," Reese theorized, "they just remind me of some friends."
"Are you sure it isn't because you're afraid of them finding out what happened?" Cretacia asked her.
"How do you do that? How do you always know what I'm thinking?" Reese questioned her.
"Reese, I don't know you that good, but I heard a lot about you from your parents when we were timenapped. You take pride in everything you do, making rational and wise decisions. I can imagine your experience with the Dark Pterosaur must seem like a failure."
"If you consider accidentally summoning a devil and causing deaths of several people a failure... How can you even say these things so calmly? It almost got you and Trias killed."
Cretacia pulled her light blue shirt's collar away from her neck, revealing scars between her shoulder and throat.
Reese took a slight gasp of surprise, her eyes focused on the scars, her lower lip trembling.
"I always look on the bright side of light! I don't see these as a reminder of our near-death; they remind me that everything bad is good for something. The whole Akuno incident led to Rex finally being happy in the present." Such a positive, carefree and silly attitude... It reminded her so much of Aki, Kyra, and Dr. Owen, but that wasn't all.
The paleontologist of the future took Reese's hand. "What happened to you is definitely going to bring some happiness to you in the future, you just have to find it."
The younger woman bit her lip. That kindness reminded her of the one person she wished to have by her side right now. She couldn't help but see her in Cretacia's place. Reese hugged her.
Cretacia was caught off guard, but she smiled anyway, patting her back.
"Thank you. I really needed someone who'd listen to me," Reese said.
"Anytime. Want some cookies? I have plenty of them in the kitchen.
"No, thank you." She shook her head. "I guess I know who Rex has his appetite after."
"What? N-no. Trias is more of a cookie eater than me," Cretacia chuckled, "they're all for him."
"If he's anything like Rex about that, I'd rather not steal his cookies."
"Then want a drink with me or something?"
"Sure."
She got up. "Hey, and I remind you of someone from the present?"
Sooner than Reese could say anything to that, a beeping started with a map lighting up on one of the screens. "A dinosaur signal?"
"Maybe next time. You should go to the Alpha Base and join the others," the cyan-eyed told her.
Reese nodded, leaving Cretacia alone in the room. She went to get Paris and made her way to the Alpha Base where she met up with the gang. The dinosaur was apparently in caves near Sanjo.
—
The trio, Reese and their dinosaurs were in the Alpha Craft, flying to the place. Terry, Spiny and Tank were playing together while Paris was resting on Reese's lap.
"Any guesses about what dino is it this time?" Ursula asked the blonde.
"The biggest possibility is that it is an earth type dinosaur, which only leaves Stegi the Stegosaurus or Hana the Euoplocephalus. They both aren't very aggressive unless they're told to. If it really is Hana we should have no problem."
"Is it the 'Megaraptor situation no problem'?" Ed wondered.
Reese shook her head. "Not at all. Hana is a partner of my sister's best friend. If she doesn't listen to me, there's no doubt she'd listen to Paris. Of course, there is still a chance it could be a dinosaur of any other element that only hid in those caves, so we don't have a guaranteed win."
"Don't worry, we've never had that..." Zander lowered his head. "No matter what we do we're always defeated."
"I am certain that isn't completely true," Reese told him, "you three managed to defeat a big amount of dinosaurs if I am correct, you only weren't fast enough to claim the cards. Hana's card is one of these instances. There is no one who'd take the card before us, making it much easier."
"Yeah! We also have a lucky charm with us for these missions." Ed smiled at Reese.
"No way!" Ursula snapped, crossing her arms, "it's simply because the brats aren't here to stop us."
"I told you not to call them that," Reese reminded her.
"Whatever."
They landed the craft near the caves. These caves were never meant as a tourist attraction; despite being stable, it was very hard to access—they were the only ones there.
According to the Alpha Scanner, the dinosaur was still inside the caves. The Alpha dinos rushed in, followed by the others.
The group was walking deeper into the dark caves—there was a cave bigger than the rest with a river flowing below a cliff—when they heard a hostile growl.
The A-Team jumped back in fear while Reese started unsurely into the darkness; she knew that growl too well, it used to be part of her nightmares.
Unlike the other dinosaurs who charged forward, Paris his behind Reese.
A small striped theropod walked slowly over to them.
"Cryolophosaurus?!" they all gasped.
This dinosaur gave them all troubles two years ago. Terry. Spiny, Tank, and the D-Team had no chance against it.
"We're doomed!" the trio yelped.
"Not yet." There was still hope of defeating it—the Dark Pterosaur purposely weakened it, making the Cryolophosaurus take over a new element. "She's weaker than before; we might have a chance."
"What do you mean?" they asked her.
"Just trust me."
The trio summoned their dinosaurs in battle forms.
"I don't think there's enough space for this..." Zander pointed out.
"We better be careful. We don't want another girl-brat incident."
"Don't remind me..." Ed shook just at the memory from Ancient Japan.
"What incident?" Reese shot a suspicious glare at them.
"No incident!" They jerked nervously —if she knew what they caused to her sister, they wouldn't walk out of there alive.
The dinos charged at the Cryolophosaurus, however, she dodged them all.
"Ria's fast and still pretty strong. Don't let her use a move card," Reese advised them.
"No need to worry, Blondie; it won't even have a chance to attack. Terry, Volcano-"
"Ursula, wait!" Ed stopped her mid-attack.
"What?!"
"We're in a cold cave," he reminded her, "sudden changes of temperature could make this place collapse on us."
"Collapse?!" Zander yelped more.
"Fine!" Ursula snorted, "Terry, knock that dino down!"
Spiny reached to bite Ria's tail, but she ran away, making him hit the stone wall.
Then Tank swang her tail to smash Ria's side, however, once again the Cryolophosaurus managed to escape. The club tail collided with another wall. Several rocks fell down.
"No good!"
"We're gonna get buried alive again!" Zander and Ed panicked.
"Quit crying!" Ursula yelled at them, "we gotta move this outside. Quick!"
Terry charged at the Cryolophosaurus; she avoided him and he tripped over a boulder. As he landed he separated Reese from the others.
The blonde called Paris back into a card to keep her safe; there wasn't enough space for her to join the battle.
The T-Rex was getting back up when Ria used one of her moves. Snow Crystals flew at him; Terry was fast enough this time, but Reese wasn't that lucky.
The attack hit the ground under her feet, shattering it into small pieces of rocks. Reese accidentally let go of Paris' card, which flew away, while the scientist was falling off the cliff, reaching her hand to the card or anything that could stop her fall, but it was too far.
Instead, somebody grabbed her wrist, keeping her from falling.
"Don't worry... I've got you..."
Reese's eyes widened when she saw the one who saved her was Zander. His right arm was wrapped around a rock that was part of the floor and his left hand was clenching onto Reese's. It was very clear that he was struggling to hold her.
He tried to pull them both up. Sure, he wasn't the strongest man alive, but his muscles also betrayed him. His right arm was starting to slip, making it harder for him to keep them from falling.
Reese knew that he couldn't last much longer.
"Let me go, Zander."
"WHAT?!" He stared at her in shock. How could she even want that from him?! "You can't be serious!"
"We're too heavy. There's a bigger chance that you'll survive than both of us! You got to let me go."
"No way!"
"Sparing one life is better than losing two."
She knew that there is a possibility that they could survive the fall if they hit either the rock platform closer beneath them or the river which was unknowingly deep but didn't want to risk that.
"I can't..."
"Zander, please."
"No! I won't do that! You mean too much to me!" he cried.
Reese's expression softened. Is he..serious...?
The Cryolophosaurus stepped to them, growling. She started to glow, ready to attack. The blonde noticed and gasped. "Zander, watch out!"
He looked up at the dinosaur. "N-no! Get away from us!"
Ria was about to attack when suddenly...
"Fire Cannon!" Ursula swiped a move card.
"Ursula, don't!" Ed tried to stop her, but it was too late. The T-Rex charged at the Cryolophosaurus with a fireball burning in his mouth. Ria headbutted his stomach and threw him away. She stomped on his neck.
To get her off, Terry shot the fireball at her when the Cryolophosaurus dodged. The Fire Cannon attack flew up and hit the ceiling.
The whole cave trembled and rubble started falling down.
Ursula and Ed quickly covered their heads; the others couldn't. With the worst luck, he could have had, one of the big rocks fell on Zander's right arm. A pressured pain vibrated through it and with his half-scream his arm slipped from around the floor boulder, dropping Reese and himself off the cliff.
"ZANDER!" his siblings yelled, seeing only his arm disappear and then...
Splash!
They must've fallen into the river.
The Cryolophosaurus used her Snow Crystals attack again, defeating all three Terry, Spiny, and Tank.
Scared for their lives, the remaining Alpha Gang members grabbed all cards, including Paris', and Zander's scanner and ran out. They knew that they should help Zander and Reese, but they can't do anything without their dinosaurs to battle for them.
They flew away and Ria roared at the craft.
Hearing the roar, Zander opened his eyes slowly. He was lying on the rock platform between the cliff and the river. He gasped when he realized what happened; he swiftly sat up, leaning on his right arm only to yelp in pain. He stopped and rather stood up. It ached so horribly; not only that the rubble fell on it, he must have landed on it as well. He looked around worriedly; Reese was gone!
Then he remembered the splash he heard as he hit the rocky ground. He glanced into the river, hoping to catch a glimpse of the golden hair. "Reese!" he called for her but got no answer.
He rushed to climb down as fast as possible. His injured arm betrayed him and he fell down. It took him a while to snap out and get back to his feet. He then followed the stream, calling Reese's name.
It felt like he's been walking for hours, watching the same water; the only thing changing was the sounds of splashing water due to rocks in the river.
In the dark of the cave, he spotted what he was looking for; Reese's motionless body was repeatedly carried into rocks in the river, she was unconscious. Thankfully, her head was above the water.
Zander hurried to her, pulling her out of the water.
"Hey, wake up... Reese...! Can you hear me? Please, wake up, my angel!" He pled, shaking with Reese. She was breathing, but she wasn't responding and her body was wet and cold. He had to warn her up. No, he couldn't start a fire here.
A sudden breeze of wind gave him a solution to his problems; there must an exit!
He hardly picked Reese up and carried her towards the source of the wind, despite having troubles to hold her due to his lack of strength. Once he saw the light, he sped up, ending up outside the caves.
They were surrounded by a few trees, a lake, and a setting sun. It was getting late.
Like he knew his siblings, he was sure they left them behind, so he had to take care of Reese and himself.
He laid her down and made a fireplace with a place where he could hang the wet clothes above it to dry them. Before that, he had no idea he had such skills. It seemed as need taught him most of that.
As the fire was burning, he first hung his dry coat above it to warm it up. Although, the hardest part was about to come. He gulped with his eyes locked on her. He must do it to help her, but... The worst scenarios projected in his mind; one of them resulted in her hating him forevermore; the best one in his opinion was her killing him, at least he wouldn't get to suffer any longer...
Zander knelt down to Reese and got her out of the wet clothes, his face burning more than the fire. He left her with some pieces of clothes and covered her with his already warmed up coat.
He tried avoiding looking at her, but something on her body caught his attention; a wound on the side of her lower stomach. Such an angelic beauty was scarred so horribly.
Then he hung the clothes to dry them.
—
"How come you always manage to lose him?!" Dr. Z yelled at his two stooges when they told him, the Ancients and Rod and Laura what happened.
"We're not doing it on purpose!" Ursula argued back.
"There was no way we could beat that Cryolophosaurus," Ed added.
"We should go look for them," Trias suggested, "they could be in danger."
"They can handle it themselves," Cretacia objected.
"That's crazy."
"Of course it is!" she agreed with Trias, "that's why I say we should do it!" They all stared at her confusedly. "Reese can deal with their situation."
Rod nodded. "That might be right; we don't have a way to fight that Cryolophosaurus. Terry and the others couldn't defeat it together, so..."
"Exactly. The Cryolophosaurus was altered to be weaker than she used to be, but that due to her original strength didn't make her beatable," Laura explained, "the Dark Pterosaur ordered me to do it because she hated any kind of experiments on the dinosaurs; every secret card was disgusting to her. I've only managed to do it with the Cryolophosaurus and Pachycephalosaurus. They both should have their own move cards separated, however, that doesn't make them easy to defeat."
"Although, there's been one instance of the Cryolophosaurus being defeated, am I right?" Trias wondered.
"Final Thunder," Dr. Z replied, "the Triceratops turned it into a card with one of my strongest moves." Everyone's eyes lit up in hope. "That move card disappeared afterward," he quickly added, putting them back into the state of deep thinking.
Rod folded his arms. "None of our current moves work and we also cannot use the Dinotector because we don't have the stone plates anymore, so, the ultimate moves are as well out of the question."
"New moves..." those two words echoed throughout the Black Pearl, making it harder to think of a solution.
Laura's eyes traveled across the room and fell on a drawer with the dinosaur cards and move cards. The Dark Pterosaur didn't only make her alter a few dinosaur cards; she was also asked to make new moves. That's it!
She jumped over to the drawer and opened it. She grabbed a handful of cards, throwing them out. In an immediate panic of any of the cards getting lost, Dr. Z rushed behind her, catching the cards. Ever since him leaving the cards scattered around the Backland resulted in the brats stealing them all, he rather kept them all in one place.
"What are you doing?" he asked her as she threw more cards.
She didn't reply, only kept searching. When there were only several cards left in the drawer, she spotted what she was looking for. She showed it to the others. "Flare Sword; one of the moves I've made for the Dark Pterosaur. I'm not certain it can help us by itself, but if we create new moves for Spiny, Tank, and Paris, there will be a chance."
"That's a great idea," Rod told her, "you've really matured, sis." He knew how old his sister actually was due to all the shenanigans of the Dark Pterosaur, but she still seemed like that little girl he had to protect.
She smiled and her already rosy cheeks turned red. "Thanks!"
—
Feeling the warmth near her, Reese opened her eyes slowly. She was lying on the grassy ground. She gasped when she realized what happened; she swiftly sat up, leaning on her right arm.
She wasn't in the cave anymore; she was near a lake, surrounded by trees. She noticed a fireplace and her clothes hanging above it.
Wait a sec! Her clothes?!
Yes, her clothes... Her lab coat, scarf...Her shirt and her skirt as well...
Reese's face flushed, snapping into the reality, realizing how much of her skin is showing right now. She dressed in the coat she had over her when she was unconscious, covering herself and the last bits of clothes she had on.
What on earth happened?
The answer to her question soon approached her with some wood to the fire.
Zander stopped frozen on the spot when he saw that Reese was awake, looking at him. He was lost for words, mostly because he was afraid he'd screw up more than he already did.
She noticed that he wasn't wearing his coat; she must have been wearing it.
"Zander," hearing his own name in such a reproaching and strict tone made him feel so small compared to her despite being almost a foot taller in reality. He's been treated like that his whole life, but it never hurt so much.
"Explanation. Now," she demanded.
He dropped the wood and fell to his knees, holding his hands together; it was an instinct. "I'm so sorry, my an-Reese!" he quickly corrected himself, "it isn't what it looks like! I pulled you out of the river and since you were wet I...I had to make sure you don't catch a cold. I only did it to dry your clothes faster! I swear!"
Reese didn't seem amused by his weeping; a frown took over her face.
He had to convince her fast! He jumped back to his feet. "If this had a different purpose; if I were really a perv, do you think I'd leave you with something on you?"
He had a point... If that was only for his pleasure, he'd possibly take everything off her. No, he wouldn't do something like that! She knew he wasn't a perv!
She knew it...?
How could she? She barely knows him! There's no way she could know that, but somehow, she was sure about that; she couldn't explain why...
"I didn't mean to accuse you of something like that. I'm sorry," she apologized to him.
"No, it's fine. Nothing bad happened..." Zander rubbed the back of his head, glancing away, blushing, "I shouldn't have done that."
"I understand your intentions," she reassured him.
He sighed. "Your clothes should be dry now, so..."
She touched the hanging clothes and he was right; they were dry. Reese looked at him. "Could you please turn around?"
"Oh!" Zander looked away from her, blushing more. He started picking up the wood instead. His injured arm made it really hard for him.
Reese dressed up. Her lab coat and her scarf were left hanging when she noticed Zander's issue. She snatched the scarf and walked over to him. Being close enough, a fresh bruise on his right arm caught her attention.
It was her goodwill that didn't allow her to just leave it be.
"Oh, God..." she breathed.
Her worried look made him feel unsettling. "It's nothing..."
"Nonsense. You got hit by a rock," she reminded him, "you can't know how bad the injury could be; you shouldn't strain it."
"But, Reese-"
She frowned and wrapped her scarf around his neck and arm. He only stared at her speechlessly; she was so concerned and careful. He couldn't keep his eyes off her glare and dedication to make sure he's okay.
"There. Does it feel any better?" she asked him. He didn't answer at first, he was too focused on her perfect smile.
"Zander?" He jerked his head. "Yeah, it's alright... You seem to be experienced in the medical areas." "Because I am; don't forget that I am from a vet family; most of that stuff can be applied to humans as well."
"Wonderful..." he murmured.
"What?"
"Oh, just that I should take that wood!" he quickly replied, jumping back a little, pointing at the pile of wood he had dropped before.
Sooner than he knelt down, she slapped his left hand. "Do not strain your arm. I'll take it." She picked the wood up and carried it over to the fireplace. It took him some time to snap out and walk over to the camp.
He sat down, watching the fire burn.
Reese reached for her lab coat, which has been still hanging over the fire, but she stopped. The coat was not only dirty but ripped as well. Sure, it was destroyed before—the lowest part seemed as it was burnt—however, now the sleeves were literally thorned apart; it wasn't worthy of wearing anymore...
Zander looked up, seeing the lab coat. His mind instantly started blaming him for that. "I'm so sorry!"
"Excuse me...?"
"Your coat... I-"
She shook her head. "It isn't your fault. It's been damaged before, so I suppose I simply won't wear it anymore."
"Has it?" he wondered.
"Yes," was all she answered; it felt like she was meant to say more, but she stopped herself.
"I mean, I've never paid attention to parts that the end of the coat cover. I mean-!" His face turned redder if that was even possible.
Reese rolled her eyes.
"I've always been more distracted by your beautiful face. I..."
She added a log in the fire and sat on the ground on the opposite side from Zander.
He explained to her what has happened and they found out that Reese's phone has drowned while Zander's had been left at home. As it was getting colder, he insisted that she keeps his coat on.
The sun was already set when Zander spoke up after a while of silence. "Is it alright if I ask you where are those scars you have from?"
Reese was taken back by the question; what she feared the most has come... "So, you've noticed?"
"It was hard not to... I mean-"
"I know what you mean," she interrupted his panicking. She wrapped her arms around her legs, bringing her head to her knees.
"Reese? Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to..."
She shook her head. "I've been hiding from that for way too long..." She sighed and started. "I guess you know from Laura about all the mess that has happened in the past. She and Rod used one of those random time warps after they found out that that's how the whole Ancients family disappeared."
"I know."
"They ended in a far past and got very close to a certain family. To protect them, Laura surrendered herself to a woman known as Zepar, the Dark Pterosaur's human form... She was forced to live in the Akuno for 100 years. After that time, the whole Space Pirates situation happened. When all of you left, everyone was sad because Rex was gone. The next day, I found a part the Dark Pterosaur; convinced that it could be used to open the time warps, I ran a few tests on it and it resulted in her being brought back. For two years, Zepar kept haunting me. She's done a lot of disturbing things not only to me. As I suspected, she was able to open the time warps and that's how the Ancients ended up in my present. ...she almost killed them...and she actually killed at least three people. Not to mention how many times she hurt my friends and family..."
She looked into the fire. She was trying to keep herself from talking because every single word made it harder for her to breathe, but the need to vent all of it was stronger.
"I kept my actions a secret. When I finally faced off against Zepar in front of my family, I was so scared they'd find out the truth, I acted in a rush and Zepar attacked me..." She touched her wound. "I've been impaled..." Despite not looking at him, she knew he was shocked. "That attack damaged my organs; most of them were healed, but my womb..."
"Does that mean that you can't-"
She nodded. "It meant exactly that. That diagnosis woke something inside me; I lost something I've never known I needed... Zepar then found me and offered me to heal me as an exchange for my body. I figured that if we shared a body, I'd be able to find her weaknesses and defeat her. ...and I did. However, she still had me under her control and made me attack others... They helped me...to snap out... After that, we found the Ancients and Rod and I managed to apply my new knowledge about Zepar against her, defeating her and the Pterosaur. She did everything she promised me...she healed me...Despite the fact that I did it only because I had a plan...I think I'd agree even if I had none..."
He was watching the reflection of the fire in her glasses silently. He had goosebumps from her story; it was much worse than he could have imagined.
Reese hasn't spoken for a while, so he assumed that was it. He bit his lip, not sure what to say... Then a few words escaped his mouth. "I'm sorry..."
She looked up at him quietly.
"I'm sorry for asking you about that," he repeated.
"You don't have to...You had no idea." She shook her head, saying something he'd never expect from her: "Go ahead. Hate me."
"What?" He stared at her in utter surprise. Why would he ever hate her?
"You know what monster I really am; you have all right to hate me..."
"Nonsense!" he snapped, "there's no way I could ever hate you. Not because of a little mistake."
"If you call causing several deaths and endangering my own family a little mistake...!"
"You...didn't mean to. You only did it to make others happy again and to..." He couldn't find the right words that would help her feel better.
"It was stupid."
"I can't say it wasn't, but I can't believe that you'd ever do something like that if you'd know all the consequences. The angel that saved me wouldn't-"
"I am not your angel!" she yelled suddenly, but apologized immediately, "...forgive me for that...I just-" She paused when she saw him smiling.
"I'm not judging you," he told her calmly, "I might not know that feeling, but I understand your motives. As a villain myself, I don't have a right to judge you. We're no angels, but you'll always be an angel to me."
She was taken back by his kindness. He used to be a bad guy and yet he is one of the best people she's ever met. That's what impressed her about him and his family; they managed to overcome what they did and be somewhat better than they used to be—they live with their sins.
Of course! They know they're only people and that mistakes can be made even with good intentions, however, Reese has always been doing everything right.
A smile formed on her face. That sight alone made Zander chuckling happily.
"Could I ask you about something?" Reese wondered.
"Sure! Anything."
"What's the deal with your sunglasses? Why are you wearing them even in complete darkness?"
Zander bit his lip again, touching his sunglasses, glancing away. "It's...complicated... though, I suppose it would be only fair if I told you..." He took a deep breath and started. "As you know, Ursula, Ed, and I were adopted by Dr. Z as little kids. All three of us have unique stories that led us there. Before I got to the orphanage, I lived only with my mother... I don't know much about her, but I remember that she was upset most of the time and since I've always been a clumsy freak, she yelled at me several times because I screwed up. I think that one day, it was too much for her. I was only 6 when she dragged me outside on a playground during the night. She looked me in the eyes and told me to stay where I was, she said that she would come back for me in a few hours."
His body trembled and he looked into the flames.
"...I've waited there for days...after maybe a week, I was taken to the police station, asked about what happened; I told them everything and after several hours, I was told that my mother died... As I was led out to the orphanage, I saw my mother being arrested. I was lied right in my eyes by the officer and by my own mother. Since then, I have a problem with looking into someone's eyes. Not only that; I can't even see my eyes because I get instantly reminded of her every time. That's why I wear sunglasses; no one can see that I'm avoiding an eye-contact when I have them on..."
Tears ran down his cheeks.
"I apologize for making you remember."
Zander shook his head, wiping his tears. "It's alright... Talking about it actually helps and you're the only person I trust enough to tell it to..."
"You do? Why? You barely know me."
"I feel like I know you my entire life..." He sighed adoringly, making Reese's face turn red. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" he gasped, waving his hands as he was sweating.
The panic that took over him again brought a smile to her face and as it continued a sound that has been forbidden to her lips for so long escaped her mouth. She laughed.
He calmed down and enjoyed that angelic voice; it was the most beautiful melody to his ears. Still as wonderful as he remembers it. "I'm glad I could make you happy."
"Huh?" Until he said that she didn't realize what she was doing. "I..."
"I kept at laugh in my memory since the time we said our goodbyes two years ago," Zander said with evidence of daydreaming in his voice.
"That was the last time I've ever laughed until now," Reese admitted. Sure, she technically laughed during that time span but that was actually Zepar inside her body. Laughter was something that was rarely heard from her and even rarer after she brought the devil back.
"How come only I have the privilege to hear it?" he asked her jokingly.
"I'm not sure... I suppose you are funnier than anyone." She smiled softly. "I'm sorry for how I acted in the hospital. I shouldn't have-"
"You did it because you thought it was right. I'll do as you wish if that's what makes you happy; your happiness is what matters the most to me."
She heard a tiny click at that moment as if somebody opened a lock, the lock that had been keeping her heart closed to everyone. It slowly replayed in her head; all her experiences with him.
His song.
His flowers.
His kindness and sacrifice.
Everything he's done for her.
She was looking at him across the flames, watching the fire reflecting from his sunglasses. His body shook as a cold wind blew around them. Of course, he was cold; he was wearing only his sweatshirt, his long coat was still on her instead.
Reese got up and walked over to him. She didn't see it through his glasses, but his eyes were closed. That's why he was surprised when he felt his own coat being put over his shoulders; he looked up at her, raising his eyebrows.
"You need it more than I do," she told him. She had a point; her shirt did have long sleeves unlike his.
"I already told you to keep it; I have more of them at home."
"I insist you take it for the night."
"But-"
"You made sure I don't catch a cold; now it's my turn." She touched his shoulders, glaring at him.
She cared for him so much even if she had no reason to; that's one of the things he loves about her so much.
She sat beside him and Zander put the coat over her.
"Zan, I already told you-" she almost spat at him, though she paused when she saw his red dumbfounded face. In a sudden feeling of losing her nerves, she accidentally used a nickname for him.
She covered them both with the coat, snuggling to him. "Do you feel any warmer?" she asked him.
"I... I-I...!" He was on fire. The closeness with his angel made his temperature leap higher than it ever was.
"Zander..." Reese figured that was her fault and with a frown scarring her face, she attempted to move away, however, she suddenly felt a hand grabbing her arm.
"Please, don't go..." he begged her. Looking into her eyes, he quickly let go. "Sorry... I shouldn't have..."
She smiled at him understandingly and as if she was a piece of metal and he was a magnet, she was pulled back to him by an invisible force. She rested her head on his shoulder. "How's your arm?"
"...huh? ...it doesn't hurt anymore," he reassured her, watching her close her eyes.
"Good. I'm glad I could help."
"You did more than that... Goodnight, Reese."
—
Sunlight shined at a sleeping couple of adults in the morning, waking the Alpha Gang member up. His arm was wrapped around the blonde, holding her close. He opened his eyes and after he snapped out of his sleep daze, he blushed, removing his arm. Reese took it and pulled it back around her, snuggling into him.
"Cuddles..." she sighed softly. He's never known that sweet side of her; actually, no one has.
He flustered even more. Not sure if he'd handle more physical contact with her, he shook with her, trying to wake her up. "Hey, Reese. It's morning already..."
"...Hm...?" she hummed and the amethyst eyes lit up behind her glasses. She pulled away, blushing slightly. She yawned quietly. "Good morning, Zander."
"M-morning, an-Reese!" he did his best to correct himself.
She stood up and walked over to the lake, washing her face. She noticed in her reflection that her hair isn't messy.
Zander went to her and put his coat over her shoulders. "It suits you more than me. You can keep it, I have plenty of these."
"Thanks." She dressed in it. "What do we do now?"
"I have no clue... I doubt the others are going to come back for us," he told her, "Ursula and Ed have never really cared enough..."
"Oh, how wrong you are. They do care even if they don't show it very much. And...that doesn't apply only to them."
Suddenly, they heard a loud roar from the other side of the lake. Focusing their vision there, they saw the Cryolophosaurus.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Zander whined, "we're so screwed!"
"We still have a way to fight her, don't we?" Reese wondered.
"We... we don't..." Zander murmured, holding his head in frustration, "I dropped my Alpha Scanner as I rushed to save you!"
"And I accidentally let go of Paris' card...No way... In that case," she stayed quiet for a split second, unintentionally adding to the dramatic effect, "We should run."
"Good idea!"
Turning to the cave, they realized that their only way would be climbing up the outside of the cave. The hole in the cave was big enough for the Cryolophosaurus too for through, plus there was nowhere they could run there.
"We have to get up there," Reese said.
"I can't climb that with my arm!" Zander objected, "go without me. You don't have much time."
"I'm not leaving you; I'll pull you up," she suggested.
"There's no time!"
"Then we'll make it."
His body was trembling, but seeing the determination in her eyes prevented him from giving up. They had to slow the Cryolophosaurus down somehow. His brown eyes fell on Reese's lab coat that was still hanging over the burned-out fireplace. As quick as lightning, an idea struck in his head; he grabbed the lab coat, laying it on a piece of wood and sending it to float on the river.
"That could give it a false sense of our smell," he said convincedly.
She was looking at him amazedly. "Zander, that's..." He didn't give her time to snap out; he took her hand and dragged her to the rock. "Go first."
"But, Zander-"
"Just go. I won't look up your skirt," he reassured her with a goofy grin on his face.
She nodded and did as told. It was unbelievable—his sudden idea filled him with so much euphoria and confidence; he really knew what he was doing.
As the dinosaur was approaching them, it sniffed around, making its way towards the lab coat—it worked!
Zander soon started climbing as well; it was hard for him because his arm still hurt very badly. Reese was nearing the top and she reached her hand to him, trying to pull him up. She was stronger than he thought and she managed to get him up.
They stood up and glanced down.
The Cryolophosaurus already looked through the trick and tried climbing the huge rock to them. It was hard, but not impossible.
"This is bad, so bad, so bad, so bad!" Zander yelped, pulling his hair.
"Zander, stay calm. We'll figure it out," Reese told him, but that didn't keep him from panicking.
He was almost crying when Reese slapped him a few times, calling his name. He stared at her, touching his red cheek.
"Snap out, Zander!" She glared at him, but then her face softened with a kind smile. "We'll get through this together. Everything's going to be alright."
"Oh, Reese..." He grabbed her arm. "You really are perfect... So kind, smart, beautiful, caring."
"Zander... Now's not the best time-"
"No. I need to tell you just in case we don't make it!" he insisted, "every single new thing I found out about you makes me fall for you all over again. At first, I thought you were only pretty, but then I saw how much you want to help even a stranger like me, how quick thinking you have and your incredible patience. Every little detail about you is what all people can only wish to be."
His words were like blankets wrapped around her heart, like a fire burning around her. Subconsciously, she leaned to him, standing on her tiptoes, she pecked his cheek.
"...um...What did you just do/What did I just do?!" they screamed when they realized what happened, their faces all red.
She hung her head down. "I apologize; I don't know what's got into me... I suppose that when I was listening to you I-"
"Don't worry about that. I-it felt nice," he reassured her, rubbing her arm.
"I'm sorry I'm sending mixed signals to you. You deserve better than that..."
"There's nothing better than seeing you happy," he whispered, reaching his hand to her cheek.
Before he could touch her and purple craft raised above them while a seemingly innocent male voice asked them: "Are we interrupting something?"
They both looked up at the Alpha Craft.
A smug crossed Reese's face. "About time."
"Alpha Gang to the rescue!" a much more strict female voice called.
"It still sounds weird..." Zander commented.
At that moment, the Cryolophosaurus got on the top of the rock.
Zander jumped behind Reese scaredly, holding her shoulders. "It would be great if you actually helped us!" he reproached his siblings. As soon as he said that, his Alpha Scanner hit his head, falling in Reese's hands. Several cards popped out of it, including Paris' card and move card with completely new ones.
Reese took the grass cards and Zander grabbed the Scanner in his right hand, holding it carefully. They summoned Paris and Spiny at the same time.
The Parasaurolophus immediately went to nuzzle the scientist.
"No, not me!" Reese told her, "it's time to battle, not cuddle."
The Cryolophosaurus charged at them, knocking both dinos down. When they got back up, their partners swiped assist move cards. Both Metal Wing and Futaba Super Cannon managed to strike hits on the Cryolophosaurus, but it was still left with enough energy to battle.
As the battle continued, Ursula and Ed landed the craft and were about to make Terry and Tank join the battle, but were stopped by the others. Reese and Zander kept the battle going until the Cryolophosaurus had nowhere to run, then they struck with the new moves, Thorn Whip and Aqua Javelin. Paris and Spiny attacked it with giant vines and water spears, sending the Cryolophosaurus flying and turning into cards that were blown away by the wind.
Reese smiled at Zander, making him blush.
"So, what did we miss?" Ursula asked them, her arms folded.
The two glanced at each other and then away.
"Well, that..."
"It's a..."
"As much as I'd like to know that too, shouldn't we get those cards?" Ed pointed out.
"Right!"
They called their dinosaurs back and climbed back down, splitting to find the cards.
Zander was the one who spotted them as he was by himself, however, before he could pick them up, they were snatched right in front of him by Reese...? Wait, no... It couldn't be her; the person in front of him looked exactly like her but was wearing her lab coat and green scarf.
The woman made a few steps back, smiling her him mischievously, her body changing as he watched her. Now she had a long silver hair that was covering her left eye, her skin was strangely lavender-pink. He was so caught off guard that he didn't even try stopping her from leaving.
—
Despite his attempts to explain the scene to the others, they didn't believe him. They discussed it with Laura, who confirmed that the Dark Pterosaur and one of her followers were shapeshifters, but they're both dead now...
Being blamed, Zander left the room on the Black Pearl, claiming he's heading to the hospital to have his arm checked. Reese stopped him on his way.
"Zander, I wanted to thank you," she told him as he turned to her.
"Saving you was a matter of course..." He shrugged. "I couldn't let you fall off that cliff."
"I suppose I should thank for that too, but I'm talking about your support and for not hating me. Not many people would accept me after knowing what I've caused. It means a lot to me..."
"Don't mention it; I'd do anything for you."
She lowered her head, looking at the floor. "...you're too kind and you don't deserve to be mistreated by me, so..." She stepped forward, offering him her hand. "Can we at least be friends?"
His face lit up in indescribable happiness and he didn't waste time to take her hand. "Of course!"
"Maybe we could even go out together? Like a..."
"Like a date?!" he interrupted her. He blushed. "Um, s-sorry... I'm sure you didn't mean to-"
"No, I did mean it like that," she reassured him with a smile on her face, "if you don't mind."
"Why would I mind?!" he chuckled.
"You should go get your arm checked now."
"Yeah. See ya."
She waved at him as they parted ways. She went into the lab, where Trias told her about another anomaly signal they caught while she was gone. She listened to everything with the same smile on her face. The one to notice and point it out was Cretacia.
She nudged Reese's side and whispered: "What happened? Are you thinking about your mission with Zander?"
"What? No. Why would I be thinking about that?" Reese asked lightheartedly, still smiling and blushing.
With her heart newly opened, Reese is looking forward to whatever future awaits her.
—
This got a little bit longer than I planned. Whatever, I still think it's the best CoL chapter yet.
Tip 30 was made by Raven.
This chapter shares a name with a Pokémon Chronicles episode.
The cliff scene was inspired by another Pokémon Chronicles episode, Training Daze; however, it accidentally turned out to resemble a certain movie. And there's also a reference to the episode Pokémon Shipwreck, which is Reese slapping Zander and reassuring him. And Paris heading to nuzzle Reese instead of fighting right away is also taken from Pokémon, specifically from James and most of his Pokémon.
Reese chuckles in the last episode as she has her last moment with Zander in Japanese, so that's what they're referring to.
There are many other references, mostly to the original Dinosaur King anime, but I'm too lazy to point all of them out.
I hope you enjoyed this one just as much as I did!