Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, Roswell would be a totally different world. This wouldn't be necessary. And I would be SUCH a happy camper. Also, I don't own "Heaven is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle. So please don't sue me.
Author's Note: Alex and Isabel didn't get to play out the story most of us know they deserved. Since the writers chose to kill off a wonderful character, and therefore can't tell the story that still needs to be told, I've decided to attempt it. Obviously, in my AU world, Alex doesn't die. I'm also creating my own happy world after prom. This is the first time I've attempted anything other than angsty-stuff, so I would really love feedback. It will keep me writing, so if you want more, you've got to tell me.
Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.
Isabel POV – Heaven is a Place on Earth
"You know, I think this is the first time we actually went camping when we said we were going camping," Alex said, grinning over at me from his place behind the wheel.
"I think you're right," I answer, laughing. I can't remember a time that I've laughed more than I have in the past few months with Alex. It's been nearly five months since prom, and I've got to say that I've never been happier. With Alex, it's like it's okay for me to be a normal teenager.
"We should be there soon."
All eight of us decided we needed a break – we've barely seen each other all summer. Actually, except for Max, because I share a bathroom with him, and Alex, because I'm head over heels in love with him, I can't really remember the last time I saw everyone for more than five minutes at a time.
But it's not just me. Tess and Kyle 'saw the light' about two weeks after prom, and decided the whole brother-sister thing was just a last-ditch effort to mask their true feelings. Ever since that realization, you're lucky if you can pry them off each other with a crowbar. That left the road open for my brother and Liz. They were back to staring in each others eyes before you could even say the word soulmate. Maria and Michael? Well…let's just say that if you need a crowbar to pull Kyle and Tess apart, you'd need to smack a sledgehammer over Michael's head to disentangle him from Maria. I don't even want to know how Amy DeLuca does it – when I asked Michael about it, he just muttered something about Amy moving from newspaper to broom. That's when I decided there are some things better left unsaid. Believe me, I wish I didn't know about the 'huge step in human-alien relations' they took after prom.
Anyway, the I-know-a-Czechoslovakian club has been drifting apart over the last few months. It's been nice, in a way, because it meant that Alex and I got to spend a lot of time alone, cementing our relationship, but we all miss the whole group dynamic. And with school starting in just over two weeks, we all agreed we needed a major bonding session. We decided we would spend a week at Liz's grandma's cabin, although finding a time when we could all take off proved to be more of a challenge than getting parental permission. Liz, Maria, Tess and Michael had managed to get a three-day weekend from their jobs at the Crashdown; Brody was eager to give Max and Kyle – yes, Kyle – a couple of days off from the UFO museum once Maria sweet-talked him; and Alex and I had already finished our jobs for the summer. Actually, I had originally intended to continue working for another week, but my employer's a big softy. I am still Daddy's little girl after all, no matter how much I try to convince him otherwise. I have a sneaking suspicion that I always will be, no matter how old I am…and I'm pretty sure Alex agrees with that suspicion.
My parents love Alex – what's not to love? But that didn't stop my dad from having 'the talk' with him. For a week afterwards, Alex was afraid to hold my hand, let alone kiss me. And Alex still refuses to tell me what he said.
So, here we are. Liz and Max are up ahead, bouncing along in the jeep; Tess and Kyle are in Kyle's car; and Michael and Maria are behind us in the Jetta. And Alex is driving the new jeep my parents gave me when school let out for summer.
I've gotta admit. I'm in heaven.
//Oooh
baby, do you know what that's worth?
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth
They
say in heaven love comes first
We'll
make heaven a place on Earth
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth//
Alex grins at me as we pulled into the driveway
behind the Mustang. Somehow, I expected
a quaint little log cabin in the woods, despite all attempts to tell me
differently. And this was
certainly no cabin.
"Did you know it was this big?" I whisper in awe.
"Yeah…I spent the summer here with Maria and Liz
when we were twelve."
"Oh…"
Finally, after a rather lengthly search to find
my sneakers from where I'd thrown them in the backseat while we were driving,
and a lot of teasing from Alex, we gather our duffles and the bags of
groceries and joined the others inside. Liz has already taken charge and has Maria and Tess stocking the kitchen
while Max and Michael carry the bags upstairs.
"Liz?"
"Yeah, Max?"
"Where's everyone going to sleep?"
I gulp. How on earth did I manage to forget to worry about sleeping
arrangements?
"Well, there are four bedrooms, so two to a
room. We can either divided up by
couple, or the girls can take two rooms and the guys can take the other ones."
"I vote for couples!" Tess, Kyle, Maria and
Michael all said at the same time. Max
is grinning and Liz is smiling, so I figure it's pretty much a done deal.
Alex grabs my hand and pulls me outside. "Are you okay with this? I can sleep on the couch if you want."
I smile at him and ran my fingers through his
hair. It's getting really long – I
should remind him to get a trim. "I
trust you. Even though we haven't slept
together yet doesn't mean we have to do it this weekend unless we want to. And falling asleep in your arms sounds like heaven. At least this time, my dad can't catch us…"
//When
the night falls down
I
wait for you
And
you come around
And
the world's alive
With
the sound of kids
On
the street outside//
He grimaces. "I don't think I'll ever live that one down," he whispers, nuzzling my
neck.
"Don't be silly. My parents love you." I
try to keep a straight face, but I can't stop the laughter from escaping.
His lips stopped their exploration of my throat
and he pulls away to look at me. "Isabel. Someday, when we have a
teenage daughter and we go in to wake her up for work to find her sprawled
across her bed with her boyfriend, then we'll see how much we'll love the
boyfriend."
I can't stop laughing at the pained expression
on his beautiful face. "Alex, we were
fully dressed."
"So what?"
"We told them the truth, and they believed
us. You came over, we were talking, and
we fell asleep listening to the neighbour's kids playing ball." Then his earlier words sunk in. "You think
about us having a future together? Kids?"
"Don't you?"
He looks kind of hurt, but when I beam at him,
the hurt turns to confusion. When I
threw my arms around him and began kissing him, the confusion turns to that
adorable look he has. His 'I-don't-know-what-I-did-but-she's-happy-and-kissing-me-so-maybe-I-should-do-it-more-often'
look.
I've gotta say, I like that look.
//When
you walk into the room
You
pull me close and we start to move
And
we're spinning with the stars above
And
you lift me up in a wave of love...//
Later that night, when we close our bedroom door
to a chorus of "goodnights," he pulls me into his arms and traps me against the
wall. But maybe 'trap' isn't the right
word. Because there's nowhere else on
Earth I'd rather be than in his arms.
"Feel like you're in a Walton's rerun
yet?" He asks. I giggle when I hear
Maria scream goodnight to Liz and Liz bellow goodnight to Kyle. Alex has to grab me to keep me upright
because I'm laughing so hard when Max calls goodnight to Michael and Michael
passes the message along to Tess.
"Think I should tell John-boy to go to bed?" I
ask when I finally catch my breath. He
smiles gently at me and wipes away the tears of mirth that had trickled from my
eyes.
"I think you should dance with me," he says.
"There's no music," I whisper as I hold him
tight, swaying to an invisible melody.
"Can't you hear it?"
"Yeah…" I answer. Because I can hear the music in my heart.
"Look up," he says, pointing. Above us is a huge skylight.
"The stars are so clear. They seem so close – like I could reach up
and touch them."
"That's why I fought Maria for this room," he
whispers as he picks me up and carries me over to our bed. "We can go stargazing until we fall asleep."
//Oooh
baby, do you know what that's worth?
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth
They
say in heaven love comes first
We'll
make heaven a place on Earth
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth//
Waking up the next morning, cradled in his arms,
feels like nothing short of heaven. I want
to do this every morning for the rest of my life.
//When
I feel alone
I
reach for you
And
you bring me home
When
I'm lost at sea
I
hear your voice
And
it carries me//
I look up from where my head is cushioned on his
chest to see him grinning at me. The
early morning sun is streaming down on us, bathing us in its warmth.
"Hi, beautiful," he whispers.
"Hi," I answer, kissing his chin and then his
cheek. I'm sure he doesn't want to kiss
me on the lips - alien morning breath is just as bad as human – but he doesn't
let me stop there. He captures my lips
with his and our tongues entangle.
Finally, we break apart, and he grins at
me. "Now that's what I call a
good morning." I can't help but laugh
as I let him pull me back down into his arms. Then his expression turns serious. "Izzy, do you have those dreams often?"
I bite my bottom lip. My dreams were one of the few secrets I've refused to share with
him. "What dreams?" I ask cautiously.
He gives me a patient look. "I know, Izzy. I fell asleep holding your hand and you took me into your dream
with you. Why didn't you tell me?"
//In
this world we're just beginning
To
understand the miracle of living
Baby
I was afraid before
But
I'm not afraid anymore//
I fiddle with the straps on the tank top I'm
wearing to avoid looking him in the eye. Then he tilts my face towards him, but he doesn't say anything. That's his way of giving me the space I need
to sort through my feelings before explaining them to him.
Finally, I shake my head and sit up against the
headboard, giving in to the inevitable. There was never really any question about it. I tell him everything, so why not this? He pulls himself up next to me and begins to stroke my hair.
"What did you see?" I ask softly, wondering how
much explanation I have to go into.
"The car crash…me pulling you from the wreck,
you begging me to take care of the baby, telling me you love me. And…" he trails off, unable to say the
rest.
"And me dying." I say, shivering a little as I
recall the morbid scene my subconscious somehow created. He pulls me into his arms and rests his chin
on my head.
"That will never happen. I will never let you go," he promises. I can hear his words vibrating in his throat
just as easily as I feel his panic.
"It's just a dream, Alex. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to
scare you."
"I know."
//Oooh
baby, do you know what that's worth?
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth
They
say in heaven love comes first
We'll
make heaven a place on Earth
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth//
Suddenly, he drops a kiss on my forehead and
gets out of bed. I can't help but
admire his body – he is my boyfriend, and he is only wearing
boxers, after all – as he rustles through his duffle bag for a few minutes
before climbing back in beside me. I
snuggle close and lay my head on his shoulder. "What's that?" I ask.
"I've had this for a while, waiting for the
right time to give it to you…and this seems like the right time."
Slowly, he opened a little velvet box to reveal
a heart-shaped ruby ring.
I can't help it – my mouth drops open as I stare
at the ring. "Oh…Alex…it's beautiful…"
He smiles and slips it on my ring finger. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to get you something to remind you
of us…what I really wanted to get you was an engagement ring, but
that'll have to wait a few years yet if I ever want your dad to like
me…"
//In
this world we're just beginning
To
understand the miracle of living
Baby
I was afraid before
But
I'm not afraid anymore//
"I love you," I whisper as I wrap my arms around
his neck and pull him towards me. Somehow, this man has managed to break down all my barriers and find his
way into my heart. I hope he knows it's
his permanent home, because from now on, I don't intend to le him go. We've started a new life together this
morning, and I won't be afraid to love him ever again.
//Oooh
baby, do you know what that's worth?
Oooh
heaven is a place on Earth
They
say in heaven love comes first
We'll
make heaven a place on Earth//