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 "I'm
Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers. 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. And I always love feedback. It will keep me writing, so if you want more, you've got to tell
me.
Distribution: Ask
and ye shall receive.
Alex POV – I'm Gonna Be I asked her once, last summer, how I ever got to be so lucky. She grinned at me and told me that she was the lucky one. But I know the truth. Every night before I go to bed to dream about her, I look up at the sky and thank whatever lucky stars that were shining down on us that night, nearly eight months ago. In the beginning, no one expected us to last. Not really. They may have wanted us both to be happy, but I'm pretty sure that they expected her to freak out again and pull away. She didn't. Every day she tells me she loves me. Me, Alex Whitman. Isabel Evans, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, loves me. Every night, she comes to me in my dreams. It pays to be in love with an alien – you get quality time together and you get plenty of sleep. But to tell the truth, I wouldn't care if I ever slept again. I would trade them for a heartbeat for the hours we've spent together while we're dreaming. //When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to youWhen I go out yeah I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who goes along with you//
I wish I could wake up with her every morning, the way we did this summer, at Liz's cabin. Sure, we've had a few opportunities since – thank god for parents with busy careers and lots of travel – but I never seem to sleep as well as I do when I'm holding her in my arms. I told her that, once, and she gave me a brilliant smile. "Thank-you," she whispered. "For what?" "For being the most romantic guy on this world and any other." //If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to youAnd if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who's havering to you//
It's the last day of classes before Christmas, and I've barely seen Isabel in the past week. The Christmas Nazi, as Max and Michael have dubbed her, is back in full force. I prefer to call her my Christmas Angel. I'm walking along the corridor when suddenly a hand snakes out of the eraser room and pulls me inside. "Izzy!" I laugh. "Don't we have class?" "Who cares?" she asks, kissing me with an intoxicating passion. Finally, she breaks away and gives me a brilliant smile. "If Maria and Michael can ditch afternoons for their adventures in here, I think I can skip study hall, don't you?" As long as she keeps kissing me like that, I don't care if she ditches Christmas. //But I would walk 500 milesAnd I would walk 500 moreJust to be the man who walked 1,000 milesTo fall down at your door//
"Hurry up!" she calls. She's actually bouncing with excitement. It's beginning to attract the attention of the other shoppers. Isabel Evans is not known to bounce. I can't help but smile at her as I drag more than a dozen shopping bags across the mall. "Haven't you bought everything yet?" I ask. We must've walked a thousand miles today. She leans over to kiss my cheek. "Thank-you for being such a good sport, Alex," she says, sitting down on the bench next to me. She opens her purse to check her shopping list – Isabel is the only person I've ever known who actually makes a naughty or nice list and buys gifts accordingly – and I can see the lights glinting off the ring I gave her last August. She hasn't taken it off since the morning I put it on her finger. She says it makes her feel closer to me. "So, Sweetie…am I on the naughty or nice list?" She pretends to ponder that for a moment. "I don't know…maybe you can convince me?" "Are you sure this is the right place?" I ask, leering at her jokingly. "On second thought, maybe we should go somewhere more private," she whispers, her lips grazing my ear. Then she grabs some of the bags with one hand, and entwines her fingers with mine. "Come on!" //When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who's working hard for youAnd when the money comes in for the work I'll doI'll pass almost every penny on to you//
The band's been doing really great this year, and we've picked up a lot of regular gigs around town. I've been saving my money to buy her a special Christmas present. It's our first year together as a couple, and I want to give her something to remember it by. I actually dragged Kyle shopping with me, although I probably should've brought Liz or Tess. They probably would've been more help. But they're honour-bound by the whole 'girlfriend' pack, and of course they would've been hitting speed-dial on their cell phones in their hurry to call Izzy the moment I was out of sight. So, Kyle became my shopping partner. Although I think I helped him more than he helped me; he wanted to buy Tess jewellery for Christmas, and was seriously considering buying the ugliest brooch I have ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on. Tess better thank me – she's getting a nice pair of earrings we picked out following a twenty minute debate on the merits of gold versus silver. But that didn't help me any – although it did put me in the right store. //When I come home yeah I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who comes back home to youAnd if I grow old well I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you//
On Christmas Eve, Isabel and I attend church with her family, and then we took a drive out to the desert to exchange gifts. It's a beautiful, clear night, and I can see the V-shaped constellation twinkling above us. "I wish I could be with you Christmas morning," she whispers, tracing our initials on the palm of my hand. She loves to do that. "We'll have a lifetime to do that, Sweetie. We'll be together forever. We're going to grow old together and have tons of Christmases together." I kiss her cheek. "Do you want to open your present now?" "Open yours first." My present is actually several small boxes and one big one. "Which one should I open first?" I ask, quirking my eyebrow at her. She giggles and leans over to kiss me quickly. "Whichever one you want." When I've finally opened them all, I've discovered a sweater, two CDs I've really wanted, a book on stargazing that reminded me a little of the one I gave her a few years ago, and a framed picture of the two of us. It's the picture I love the most. Liz took at the cabin last summer. Isabel's on my lap and we're kissing. Our eyes are open and we're staring at each other. We didn't even notice the flash until Maria and Tess began giggling and Kyle and Michael started whistling. "Oh, Alex," she whispers when she finally opens her present. I'm momentarily terrified that she hates it, but then she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me passionately. "I love it," she finally says, when we break apart, gasping for air. I kinda guessed. "Want me to put it on for you?" She nods and lifts up her hair. I undo the clasp of the necklace and fasten it around her neck. The delicate gold chain circles her throat a heart-shape locket dangles from it, resting just above her heart. "Beautiful," I whisper, unable to resist kissing the nape of her neck. "I'll never take it off," she swears. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already put our photo in it," I tell her, opening the heart to show her. The picture inside was taken just last month, out in the desert. My forehead's resting against hers and we're smiling at each other. "And I had it engraved, too." On the back, written in a loopy script, are our names and the date. "It's perfect. That way you'll always be right where you belong. In my heart."
I grin and kiss her again. I know I'm gonna be with her forever. Life is good. //When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man whose lonely without youWhen I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dreamDream about the time when I'm with you.//