Now That She's Back, an in a heartbeat fanfic

Now That She's Back

It had been so unexpected at the time, but it was almost a year later and by now they had come to accept the fact.

Val had left. After her father's second heart attack that left him weaker than the first, Val had been pulled in too many directions to know what to do and the stress had gotten to her. She had ended up being Super Val again, but worse this time because she was taking control of her home life and trying to get on honor roll at the same time while her dad was in the hospital, her mom was working extra to make enough money, and though Brooke was doing her best, her best wasn't enough.

And eventually it had all come down on top of her, leaving her flailing like a fish out of water. She screwed up on calls, started pulling a C- in math and a C in Spanish, was tired every morning because she had stayed up all night trying to study.

So she had left. She went to stay with her aunt in Quebec to relax and take a different road, saying that she needed space to think and time to be free. She wrote and called often, sent emails and talked on IM when people were on, and she seemed to be doing much better, but it was unclear when she was coming back.

And so now it was April in their senior year and she hadn't returned yet…and Tyler missed her so much it killed him. Honestly speaking, by now he had a feeling would go from heaven to hell for her, just to see her smile again. He had been so incredibly happy when he talked to her on the phone once and she had laughed, her first laugh he had heard from her in months.

And so it was a complete surprise when he walked into the station that day and found her sitting on the couch, complete as ever.

She leapt off the couch with a grin at seeing him, winding her arms around his neck in an enthusiastic hug. Tyler returned the hug, still in shock, and then pulled away.

"You could have told me," he informed her. She answered that with a grin.

"But that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun," protested Val. Tyler was amused to find that she had developed a small accent.

"I honestly can't believe you're back," he said. Val smiled.

"I let myself unwind…I took my time…and I'm back in time to finish my senior year and rejoin the squad. Alex said I could," she assured Tyler. He smiled.

"Always check with Alex," he reminded her. Val laughed.

"Definitely a good idea."

Tyler looked her up and down, from her blond hair twisted into a clip to the blue flowered sundress to her black sandals. "You look fantastic."

"Thanks. You do, too."

Tyler was glad she was back, indefinitely, but as Jamie walked into the room and Val greeted him, he started to wonder if maybe she was too good for him now and maybe he wasn't worthy of her…

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

Tyler slid into the booth, Val after him. They had gone out for pizza with Jamie, Caitie, and Hank in celebration of Val's return.

"So…what's up in Quebec? I mean, what did you do there?" Hank asked Val. "I'm assuming there's no teen EMT program."

"Unfortunately," laughed Val.

"Meet any cute guys?" inquired Jamie with a teasing waggle of his eyebrows. Tyler's breath caught in his throat. Please say no, please say no, please say no…

"Nah. Not many." His breath released.

"Pity. But that's all right, because at least Tyl—ouch!" Jamie cried as Tyler kicked him in the shin. "Tyler!"

"What?" Tyler sat in wide-eyed innocence and hoped Val didn't notice.

"Never mind," grumbled Jamie, rubbing his leg. "Nothing."

"So," Tyler changed the subject, "you liked it?"

"Definitely. But I missed you guys so much." Had her eyes really flickered towards him with that statement or was he dreaming? Dreaming was more probable, because he had done nothing but dream of her coming back since she left and now that she was back he was going to do nothing but dream that she loved him as much as he loved her. "Of course, I do know how to speak French now."

"And that makes up for not seeing us!" cried Tyler teasingly. "Val, I'm so sad. What with us missing you so much and all." He pretended to cry, and Val laughed.

"Like I'm so sure you didn't throw a big party the day I left."

"Val, we were absolutely crying our hearts out, really…then we had the party." Val slapped his arm gently and turned back to the others, who were watching with amused faces the scenario in front of them.

"Tyler and Val, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Jamie chanted softly. Tyler rolled his eyes and kicked the rebel again.

"Shut up," he said. Val smiled.

"I missed you guys, though. Promise."

"We missed you, too," Jamie sighed reluctantly, "as much as I hate to admit it."

Val scowled at him. "Be quiet."

The table broke out in laughter.

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there

Punch-punch-kick-kick-punch.

That was yet another thing Val had taken up in Quebec: Tae Bo. It made for a good workout and a way to unwind, cool down, let loose her rage and uncertainty, and that was why she was doing it now, with Mozart playing on the stereo as she kicked and punched the air.

This was sort of surreal, she supposed. She had hoped Tyler might have grown less attractive and less wonderful, she had hoped that she would have fallen out of love with him, but no, he was just as fantastic as ever and she was just as head over heels for him…if not more so. The duration of not seeing him had made for an explosion inside when she had seen him again.

Val swore heavily under her breath, driving more force into the kicks as the Fifth Symphony played.

Deciding that this music, though obviously good, was not what she needed to listen to right now, Val flicked the switch from CD to Radio.

"And as she carries on without a doubt, I wonder if she's figured it out, I'm crazy for this girl," she muttered along to the music. Much better. The rhythm was easier to kick to.

The song ended a couple of minutes later, and a familiar tune struck up. Val furrowed her brows for a minute as she tried to remember why the song sounded so familiar, then laughed.

"Of course. Drops of Jupiter." The song had been popular in Quebec. "Now that she's back in the atmosphere, drops of Jupiter in her hair…"

She readjusted her ponytail and wished that Tyler felt like she did…

Now that she's back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there's time to grow, hey, hey
Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

Fifty-seven. Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine. Sixty.

Tyler stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. He was alone in the house, the radio blaring as he did sit-ups. And push-ups. And crunches. And every other kind of calisthenics known to man.

The good thing about being worried, troubled, or confused was that he would be in very good shape, and what with the confusion and mixed-up thoughts tumbling through his mind, he figured he could probably win the award for most-in-shape guy under the age of 18.

Sixty-one. Sixty-two. Sixty-Val. Sixty-Val.

"You've got to stop this, man," he mumbled to himself. "Stop thinking of Val. She's back, she's here, but she's never going to like you, let alone love you, so you need to give up."

But if it was easy to give her up like that, he would have done it a long time ago. Like, maybe an eon or so. He turned the sound on the radio up higher.

"My shackles you won't be, and my rapture you won't believe, and deep inside you will bleed for me," he muttered, beginning his sit-ups again. "So here I slave inside of a broken dream, forever holding onto splitting seams, so take your peace and leave me alone to die, I don't need you to keep my faith alive…I know now what trouble can be, and why it follows me so easily, half the distance through the open door before you shut me down, again…" Seventy-four. Seventy-five. Listen to the radio. Forget Val. Vertical Horizon, not Val. Vertical, not Val. Not Val. Not Val. Seventy-nine. Eighty. Eighty-one. "And my laughter you won't hear, the faster I disappear, and time will burn your eyes to tears…"

Eighty-five. That song was over, but the next one started immediately after it.

"No," moaned Tyler. "Not Train. Anything but this song. Have mercy, someone…" The doorbell rang. Tyler lowered the volume on the radio and headed downstairs, still thinking.

I hope she missed me, he thought as he bounded down the steps. Come on, Val, please say that you did.

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

"Val!" It was unconcealed surprise as he looked at the blonde.

"Hey. Brooke was doing some filing at the station and you left your sweater there." She held out the dark blue sweater and smiled. "That's all. See ya."

"Wait, Val…"

"Yeah?" She turned around and looked at him with slight curiosity.

"You want to come in? For, like, dinner? I mean, you don't have to and you won't want to, but it was just a suggestion…" Tyler honestly wanted to smack himself on the head. This was really not turning out correctly. Val smiled again.

"Sure."

"What do you want?" Tyler questioned as she entered and he closed the door behind her. She shrugged. "Because I make good soy lattes."

"Where on earth did you learn how to make a soy latte?" Val asked with amazement. Tyler grinned.

"That's my secret," he informed her. Val returned the grin. "And we have leftover deep-fried chicken."

"Deep-fried chicken and soy latte?" Val inquired dubiously. Tyler nodded.

"Yep."

"Okay."

"This is actually very good," Val had to admit as she took a sip of the soy latte. Tyler looked proud of himself.

"I know."

"It's not instant mix, is it?" Val asked suspiciously.

"Nah. I'm not smart enough to make an instant soy latte." Val cracked up at that.

"Remember that phone conversation?" she recalled. Tyler started laughing too. The phone conversation had been five hours long and a great deal had consisted of talking about mental capacities and IQ's, particularly those of Tyler, Val, and Hank.

"That was expensive, though," he informed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tyler. Did I get you in trouble?" She seemed genuinely worried.

"No. My parents understood."

In the awkward silence, the strains of music from Tyler's room could be heard.

Why in God's name are they playing this again? Tyler cried silently. Don't you people know this is too hard for me already?

"So, what's happened since I was gone that you didn't tell me about?" Val inquired.

"Well… We got another ambulance, there's a new squad now, so we're off duty an extra day, and I fell in love with you," Tyler listed, then realized what he had said. "Oh…shit." Yet another silence followed, and the strains of music were still audible…

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me

"I didn't mean it that way." Tyler groped desperately for an excuse. "I mean…"

"Were you kidding or not?" Val asked simply, boring into his eyes.

"No," Tyler said faintly. "I mean, I've liked you since tenth grade, but then you left and you were so upset and I was so incredibly happy when you laughed for the first time…and I fell in love."

Val didn't respond, but rose from the couch.

Stick your foot into your mouth, Connell, Tyler reprimanded himself, that'll get her attention. And then she'll run away just like she is now.

He stood up and followed her.

"Val, wait… I know it's not what you want—that's painfully obvious, isn't it—but you don't have to love me, or even like me, back. It's all right." But it wasn't all right. It was horrible. She would never talk to him again.

Val reached into her black bag and handed him a crumpled envelope.

"It's a letter I never mailed," she whispered hoarsely. "Look, just read it. Please."

Tyler looked at her curiously, then tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper.

Tyler,

This is so incredibly wrong and this letter will end up in the trash with all the rest of its brothers because you'll hate me forever if you read this. Tyler… look, somewhere along the way I started thinking of you as more than just a friend, and I thought it was just a harmless crush, but then all that stuff with my dad happened and I had to leave and I missed you and I realized… There's no easy way to say this, no easy way at all… but I've fallen in love with you. I can't get out of it because I've tried so hard, and it's going to ruin everything, but this is absolutely the real thing and I need you to understand that I love you. I love you as much as I possibly can. That's all there is to say, Tyler, except that I hope you'll forgive me…

Love always, Val

Tyler looked up from the letter into her eyes. "Shit," he whispered. Val managed a small smile.

"Well, look at that, super-boy swearing," she mumbled. Tyler grinned slightly to match her own.

"I guess this is the end," he said, "of everything practical as we know it."

"I'm starting to think that practical is a dream and that reality is as non-sensible as we think our dreams are," Val told him.

"We're supposed to kiss now, I think." This was surreal. Surreal and strange and awkward and odd… he looked into her eyes, suddenly aware of the fact that he was inches from her, inches from her face, inches from her lips…

"Yeah." There was a long, silent hesitation before Tyler slowly leaned down, just barely, just enough to bring her lips into a heated kiss that had been waiting inside of them for so long.

Tyler pulled away just slightly to get a breath and speak. "Was Quebec everything you wanted?"

"No," responded Val. "You weren't there," she explained as she kissed him again.

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way

TA DA! YAY! FUN! SAP SAP SAP SAP SAP! Fluffiness. Anyways, please review. PLEASE. PLEASE PLEASE. I'm hyper. Did ya like?

Disclaimer: "Drops of Jupiter" by Train belongs to (guess who!) Train. Not me. "Crazy For This Girl" (Val's song) belongs to Evan and Jaron. "Shackled" (Tyler's song) belongs to Vertical Horizon. Great song. ~_^ (Sorry, had to do that) Characters belong to Disney and Alliance Atlantis. Not me. NOTHING BELONGS TO ME 'CEPT PLOT! Bye bye!

---IVY LEAVES