Part 3
As soon as Alex saw Isabel pull away in the jeep he made a mad dash to get dressed. He had a lot of things to do to make tonight perfect, and not a whole lot of time to do it. He grabbed a pair of his baggy jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, clumsily pulled them on, grabbed his wallet, and headed out the door. He stopped halfway to his car, remembering that it had a dead battery. He rushed back in and grabbed the keys to his dad's car, leaving a quick note to explain that the car had not been stolen. He pulled away, heading to the mall. He looked around as he drove, curious as to why there wasn't any traffic around. Then he remembered that it was barely 6 o'clock. He sighed, knowing that nothing would be open yet. He made a turn at the next light and headed to the outskirts of town, to their place, the place he was planning on having their date tonight. He could get the supplies later when the stores opened, and he was too excited to go home and sleep.
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Isabel decided she would go to the mall to get a new outfit for their date tonight. She rounded the corner and waited at the light to enter the mall parking lot. She glanced over to see the lot completely empty. A confused expression furrowed her brow, but then she remembered it was only a little after 6 in the morning. She sighed in frustration as she pulled back into what little traffic there was. She decided to head to her special place, the place she went everytime things got crazy. She had been coming here ever since Alex and her had broken up. 'More like I broke up with him' Isabel thought about that day in the UFO Center, the way Alex had been so supportive. She had seen the pain in his eyes as he let her walk away from him, to chase some stupid destiny. She had also seen the fear in his eyes. Fear of losing her, not just to her destiny, but fear for her life itself. When Isabel had seen the concern in his emerald eyes she almost stopped herself from leaving. She had not only seen the pain and fear, she saw something else, something that made her heart ache all the more. She saw love, the love he felt for her. It took every ounce of strength and willpower she had to walk away from him that day. Isabel broke out of her reverie as she pulled into the small, gravel parking lot. There was one other car in the lot, a car that Isabel thought looked rather familiar. She brushed the thought off, 'Probably just some hiker'. She walked down the narrow path leading to the spot, their spot. As she approached the rock she noticed it was already occupied. She smiled softly as she tapped the person on the shoulder.
"Do you mind if I join you, Alex?" Alex jumped up, startled by Isabel's presence. He bashfully looked down at his sneakers, finding then suddenly fascinating.
"What are you doing here Isabel?" he asked, not allowing himself to hope it was the same reason as his.
"I come out here every once in a while, when everything gets kinda nuts. This place helps me relax," She smiled at him, causing his heart to melt for the hundredth time that day.
"But why here, Isabel?" he pressed
"Alex, I'm sure it's the same reason you come here. Everytime I come here it reminds me of you, and that night we sat here under the stars. And just thinking of that night makes me feel calm, calm and safe," she finished, now finding her shoes just as interesting.
"Isabel, how long have you been coming out here?" It seemed like a stupid question to him, but for some reason he just had to know.
"Since the night I broke up with you. After Liz left the pod chamber all of us kinda went our separate ways for the night. Max was devastated, inconsolable. Michael was way beyond his normal, moody, grumpy self. And Tess, don't even get me started on that one. She was grinning like a chesire cat, she thought she had finally made us come around to her way of thinking. I came here, I needed to be around something that reminded me of you, of us," she finished, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Alex gently wiped it away and cupped her cheek in his soft hand. "Alex, I'm so sorry for putting you through all that pain, if I could take it back I would, in a heartbeat,"
"Shhh, its ok Isabel. I told you that day that I understood. That you had to go, and you had to go alone. I know how important finding out where you come from is to you. I wasn't about to stand in the way of that," he gently told her.
"It's not more important than you Alex, I know that now. I'm just so sorry it took me so long to realize that," Isabel replied, a few more tears streaking down her face. Again Alex gently wiped them away before continuing.
"Isabel, you don't need to apologize! I told you I understand why you did what you did, and I'm telling you the truth," he paused, taking her hand in his. "I would like to know one thing though. Why Grant?" Isabel flinched, she had been afraid he would bring Grant up. She grasped his hand tighter as she started to explain, praying he would understand.
"Because he wasn't you Alex," Alex grimaced, a hurt expression etched across his gentle features. Isabel touched his cheek reassuringly. "What I mean is, Grant was nothing like you, so I knew I would never really care for him, and that's exactly what I wanted. I was so scared of being hurt, even more scared of hurting you, just by being who I am," Alex tried to interject, but Isabel stopped him. "Please, just let me get this out. Alex, what you and I share, it's so intense, and it scared me. So I ran, ran from you, ran from myself, from my feelings, from us. And I ran right into Grant's arms. I knew I wouldn't feel anything for him and that made me feel back in control. Alex, you make me lose myself in you, and until last week I didn't realize that's what I wanted," Isabel finished in a whisper, still on the verge of tears. Alex gently lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Isabel, I know how scary relationships can be. And I know how losing yourself in someone is just as scary. But you have to know I would never hurt you. You're the most precious thing in the world to me. You can trust me with your heart, you know I'll never break it," Isabel stared into his green eyes. His gorgeous, sincere, love filled eyes. She smiled at him before pulling him in for a gentle kiss.
"I know Alex, now. I guess I just needed some time to figure it out. You know what they say, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?. I can personally vouch for that!" Alex laughed and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Wait, I have an idea. Stay here, I'll be right back," he kissed her and dashed back down the trail before Isabel had a chance to protest. He returned a minute later with an armload of blankets and two pillows. He set the blankets up in front of the rock and motioned for Isabel to sit down.
"What are you doing Alex?" Isabel asked him, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Making us more comfortable. I figured you didn't get much sleep considering you were at my bedroom window at 5am," he positioned himself next to her and propped a pillow up behind him. He sat the other pillow behind Isabel for her to relax against. To his surprise she curled up against his chest in favor of the pillow. Alex smiled contentedly and placed a gentle kiss on her head.
"Thank you Alex,"
"For what?" He was confused.
"For just being you," she sighed happily before drifting off to sleep. Alex kissed her head again before settling into a blissful sleep, holding Isabel in his arms.
As soon as Alex saw Isabel pull away in the jeep he made a mad dash to get dressed. He had a lot of things to do to make tonight perfect, and not a whole lot of time to do it. He grabbed a pair of his baggy jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, clumsily pulled them on, grabbed his wallet, and headed out the door. He stopped halfway to his car, remembering that it had a dead battery. He rushed back in and grabbed the keys to his dad's car, leaving a quick note to explain that the car had not been stolen. He pulled away, heading to the mall. He looked around as he drove, curious as to why there wasn't any traffic around. Then he remembered that it was barely 6 o'clock. He sighed, knowing that nothing would be open yet. He made a turn at the next light and headed to the outskirts of town, to their place, the place he was planning on having their date tonight. He could get the supplies later when the stores opened, and he was too excited to go home and sleep.
****************
Isabel decided she would go to the mall to get a new outfit for their date tonight. She rounded the corner and waited at the light to enter the mall parking lot. She glanced over to see the lot completely empty. A confused expression furrowed her brow, but then she remembered it was only a little after 6 in the morning. She sighed in frustration as she pulled back into what little traffic there was. She decided to head to her special place, the place she went everytime things got crazy. She had been coming here ever since Alex and her had broken up. 'More like I broke up with him' Isabel thought about that day in the UFO Center, the way Alex had been so supportive. She had seen the pain in his eyes as he let her walk away from him, to chase some stupid destiny. She had also seen the fear in his eyes. Fear of losing her, not just to her destiny, but fear for her life itself. When Isabel had seen the concern in his emerald eyes she almost stopped herself from leaving. She had not only seen the pain and fear, she saw something else, something that made her heart ache all the more. She saw love, the love he felt for her. It took every ounce of strength and willpower she had to walk away from him that day. Isabel broke out of her reverie as she pulled into the small, gravel parking lot. There was one other car in the lot, a car that Isabel thought looked rather familiar. She brushed the thought off, 'Probably just some hiker'. She walked down the narrow path leading to the spot, their spot. As she approached the rock she noticed it was already occupied. She smiled softly as she tapped the person on the shoulder.
"Do you mind if I join you, Alex?" Alex jumped up, startled by Isabel's presence. He bashfully looked down at his sneakers, finding then suddenly fascinating.
"What are you doing here Isabel?" he asked, not allowing himself to hope it was the same reason as his.
"I come out here every once in a while, when everything gets kinda nuts. This place helps me relax," She smiled at him, causing his heart to melt for the hundredth time that day.
"But why here, Isabel?" he pressed
"Alex, I'm sure it's the same reason you come here. Everytime I come here it reminds me of you, and that night we sat here under the stars. And just thinking of that night makes me feel calm, calm and safe," she finished, now finding her shoes just as interesting.
"Isabel, how long have you been coming out here?" It seemed like a stupid question to him, but for some reason he just had to know.
"Since the night I broke up with you. After Liz left the pod chamber all of us kinda went our separate ways for the night. Max was devastated, inconsolable. Michael was way beyond his normal, moody, grumpy self. And Tess, don't even get me started on that one. She was grinning like a chesire cat, she thought she had finally made us come around to her way of thinking. I came here, I needed to be around something that reminded me of you, of us," she finished, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Alex gently wiped it away and cupped her cheek in his soft hand. "Alex, I'm so sorry for putting you through all that pain, if I could take it back I would, in a heartbeat,"
"Shhh, its ok Isabel. I told you that day that I understood. That you had to go, and you had to go alone. I know how important finding out where you come from is to you. I wasn't about to stand in the way of that," he gently told her.
"It's not more important than you Alex, I know that now. I'm just so sorry it took me so long to realize that," Isabel replied, a few more tears streaking down her face. Again Alex gently wiped them away before continuing.
"Isabel, you don't need to apologize! I told you I understand why you did what you did, and I'm telling you the truth," he paused, taking her hand in his. "I would like to know one thing though. Why Grant?" Isabel flinched, she had been afraid he would bring Grant up. She grasped his hand tighter as she started to explain, praying he would understand.
"Because he wasn't you Alex," Alex grimaced, a hurt expression etched across his gentle features. Isabel touched his cheek reassuringly. "What I mean is, Grant was nothing like you, so I knew I would never really care for him, and that's exactly what I wanted. I was so scared of being hurt, even more scared of hurting you, just by being who I am," Alex tried to interject, but Isabel stopped him. "Please, just let me get this out. Alex, what you and I share, it's so intense, and it scared me. So I ran, ran from you, ran from myself, from my feelings, from us. And I ran right into Grant's arms. I knew I wouldn't feel anything for him and that made me feel back in control. Alex, you make me lose myself in you, and until last week I didn't realize that's what I wanted," Isabel finished in a whisper, still on the verge of tears. Alex gently lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Isabel, I know how scary relationships can be. And I know how losing yourself in someone is just as scary. But you have to know I would never hurt you. You're the most precious thing in the world to me. You can trust me with your heart, you know I'll never break it," Isabel stared into his green eyes. His gorgeous, sincere, love filled eyes. She smiled at him before pulling him in for a gentle kiss.
"I know Alex, now. I guess I just needed some time to figure it out. You know what they say, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?. I can personally vouch for that!" Alex laughed and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Wait, I have an idea. Stay here, I'll be right back," he kissed her and dashed back down the trail before Isabel had a chance to protest. He returned a minute later with an armload of blankets and two pillows. He set the blankets up in front of the rock and motioned for Isabel to sit down.
"What are you doing Alex?" Isabel asked him, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Making us more comfortable. I figured you didn't get much sleep considering you were at my bedroom window at 5am," he positioned himself next to her and propped a pillow up behind him. He sat the other pillow behind Isabel for her to relax against. To his surprise she curled up against his chest in favor of the pillow. Alex smiled contentedly and placed a gentle kiss on her head.
"Thank you Alex,"
"For what?" He was confused.
"For just being you," she sighed happily before drifting off to sleep. Alex kissed her head again before settling into a blissful sleep, holding Isabel in his arms.