"Shell

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

Thanks to Superhoop3 for not killing me like she should about sending her chapters. Lol

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

"Shell." Scott's voice left him as he turned to follow Shelby out of the small room. He ran after her as if his life depended on it, leaving Brittany to fend for herself with Daisy. "Shelby, stop!" By now, unknown to them, they had the attention of everyone in the lobby. "Shelby, listen to me." He finally caught up to her right before she entered the ballroom. He was able to get a good grip on her arm without much trouble. "You have to let me explain-"

"There's nothing to explain." Shelby struggled against his hold, but he was just too strong for her. Their gazes crosses and Scott could see seven months worth of hurt and pain in her light baby blue eyes. The one thing he didn't see was anger. Without thinking, Shelby jerked her arm away from him. "Let go of me!" She snapped harshly as she turned and ran into the ballroom.

That was when Scott became aware of all of the people that had been watching them. Peter being one of them. Shaking his head slightly, Peter walked away from his group of chaperones, past Scott into the ballroom.

Shelby ran past the Cliffhanger table, headed for the staircase. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. Wiping her face with one hand, she allowed the tears to flow freely. Suddenly a hand clutched her arm and she turned sharply, prepared to do whatever it took to get her arm back and get up to the suite without incident. "Leave me-"

"No." Alex looked every bit the dark mysterious hero when he looked up at Shelby through his dark lashes. "Not when you're like this." He pulled her off of the stairs and into a hug.

Shelby didn't know what to do. She stood there, tears still running out of her now gray eyes and down her pale cheeks. "I can't do this." She said simply, wiping her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. "Why did I ever think I could?"

Alex took her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. Pulling Shelby to him, he felt her relax, and the sobs lessen. The song the DJ decided to play at that time, in Alex's opinion, had to be the best thing in the world.

I can see that you've been crying
You can't hide it with a lie
What's the use in you denying
That what you have is wrong

Shelby just let herself go as Alex led her around the dance floor. She didn't have the energy to fight him anymore. Scott had taken so much out of her. Slowly, as if waking up from a dream, Shelby began to move on her own. She wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and smiled. If she can't be with Scott, she might as well be with one she knew she could learn to love.

Alex felt her surrender to him and smiled. Maybe she was ready to see that there were other guys out in the world other than Scott Barringer. She began pressing her body to his and he couldn't help but to wrap his arms more tightly around her waist. This was going to be a good night.

I heard him promise you forever
but forever's come and gone
Baby, he would say whatever
it takes to keep you blind

To the truth between the lines

Daisy finally gave up on Brittany and made her way back to the ballroom. She knew that by now Shelby was either in a deep conversation with Alex, or she was up in the suite having a deep conversation with the knife that all the girls knew came with her.

She didn't even look at Scott as she passed him in the doorway. If she did see his face, as he watched Shelby and Alex dancing incredibly close, she would have known how much Shelby seeing the kiss (that never should have happened) was killing him. Scott felt as if everything in his world was crumbling. And if he didn't find a way to fix everything he would try to find Shelby's knife when they got back to Horizon

I will love you more than that
I won't say the words
Then take them back
Don't give loneliness a chance
Baby don't listen to me when I say
I will love you more than that

Alex sang the next verse into Shelby's ear. He knew he should back off and let Shelby come to him, but he just couldn't. He smiled as she turned to look at him. Her eyelids closed and she leaned into his touch.

Baby you deserve much better

What's the use in holding on?

Don't you see it's now or never?

Cause I just can't be friends

Baby knowing that in the end that…

The feeling deep in Shelby's stomach still hadn't gone away. Every time she closed her eyes she could still see the look of passion lust mixed with anger on Scott's face when Brittany pulled him to her. No! Her mind shouted at her angrily. You're getting over Scott Barringer, and moving on to Alex. He can take care of you now. Shelby could feel the words weighing on her and she stopped. Was she really that helpless girl that her and Alex made jokes about earlier that day? Did she really need a man to take care of her? If she did, then how did she make all those years on the street before she met Patty and Alex?

I will love you more than that
I won't say the words
Then take them back
Don't give loneliness a chance
Baby don't listen to me when I say
I will love you more than that

I love you.

Shelby's eyes snapped open and she looked around the room. Then her eyes looked at Alex's face. "Did you say something?" She asked him attentively.

"No," He shook his head and grinned. "Would you like me to say something?"

Shelby shook her head and placed it on his shoulder. I love you. The voice said again, and Shelby closed her eyes and felt as a tear rolled down her cheek onto Alex's jacket.

There's not a day that passes by

I don't wonder why we haven't tried

It's not too late to change your mind

So take my hand, don't say goodbye

Taking a few deep breaths, Brittany watched Scott watching Shelby, a wry smile on her face. Scotty was almost miserable. He was so close to turning around and coming back to her. Her plan was working out perfectly.

I will love you more than that
I won't say the words
Then take them back
Don't give loneliness a chance
Baby don't listen to me when I say
I will love you more than that

When the song ended, Alex led Shelby over to the Cliffhanger table. She smiled at the group just as an arm wrapped around her waist and took her out to the dance floor before she could protest. When she was turned around her dark eyes met Scott's. "What?" She barked angrily.

"We're talking." He said as harshly as he could. He had to get his point across.

"You didn't think asking me to dance would have been more appropriate?" Her voice was as cold as her glare as she stared him down.

"You would have run, Shell. That's what you do when you don't want to deal with anything."

Her palm hit his cheek like a gust of harsh wind. "Don't think for a moment that you know me." She blinked back the hot tears that stung her eyes.

"I do know you." Scott forced her eyes to once again reconnect with his. "I love you."

"How could I forget?" she asked, her voice coldly.

One doesn't mean anything to me

Come; show me the meaning of complete

Where did our love go wrong?

Once we were so strong

How can I go on?

Everyone at the table knew that this was either the moment that was going to make or break Scott and Shelby's relationship. Juliet stared at the couple and smiled painfully. The only person out on the floor she cared about was Shelby. After so much pain, Juliet wished with all her heart that whichever prince Shelby chose, she was happy.

Shelby closed her eyes and just listened to the song. She tried to pretend that it wasn't Scott in her arms. That the beating in her heart was anticipation of what he was going to say rather than her body responding to how close she was to him. His words were just so fresh in her mind. I love you. He had said to her. Over the summer, Shelby wished she would have been able to hear those words come from his lips. But him saying it now only added to how hard it was when he disappeared. And it reminded her that sooner or later, he would leave her again.

When you told me you loved me

Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?

To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream

Didn't turn out right

When you let me believe

That you were incomplete without me by your side

How could I know?

That you would go, that you would run

Baby I thought you were the one

Scott didn't know what to say. For someone so adamant about them talking a few minutes ago, his mind was completely blank. So instead of talking, he slid his hands around her waist and just held her against him. She has to remember that we did have some good times. He said to himself. "Shell?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?" Her voice was smooth, her words languid. Shelby wasn't angry with him anymore and they both knew it. Being like this with Scott made all the problems of the world go away. Maybe that was the problem.

Why can't I just leave it all behind?

I felt passion so bright that I was blind

Then something made me weak

Talking in my sleep

Baby I'm in so deep and you know I believed

"I love you." Scott said again, more clearly this time.

All Shelby did was smile as the memories swept over her.

*Shelby stood all alone on the outskirts of the group watching the miklovsky meteor shower. Even though her body was there with the hundred or so Horizon students, her mind was in a completely different place. Her eyes closed lightly, and she could see the person she thought to be her one true love. But he had left her. Just like all the people that claim to love her left her. Scott was different though; he never said he loved her.

While the rest of the group "ohhh"-ed and "awww"-ed, Shelby was silently weeping for the love she thought she was capable of, but never seemed to hold onto. Tears ran down her pale cheeks like rain, and she brushed them away without even noticing that they were there.

Then she sensed something behind her. Turning only slightly, she saw him. Scott walked up to her in his tux and just stood there. Then he took her in his arms and smiled at her tear stained face.

"Why'd you come back?" She asked him softly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question though.

Scott's mind battled over to tell her the truth or not. "Because…" He started and looked deep into her eyes. He wanted to make her believe what he was about to say more than anything. "Because…" He started again. "I love you."

Her heart rejoiced and she pulled him into another hug. Twirling her around, Scott lifted her off of the dirt and wouldn't let go of her. With all his heart he wanted to keep her. And with all her heart she wanted him to prove her luck wrong. *

When you told me you loved me

Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?

To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream

Didn't turn out right

When you let me believe

That you were incomplete without me by your side

How could I know?

That you would go, that you would run

Baby I thought you were the one

The tears fell from Shelby's eyes again. She could still feel the softness in Scott's kiss that night. The way he held her when they were alone in the gazebo, she felt safer there, in his arms than anywhere else in the world. Even now, when he was responsible for turning her world upside down, she still remembered the way he held her in his arms.

"You don't mean that." She stated so matter-o-factly.

Scott's heart stopped. He couldn't believe that she could ever doubt the fact that he loved her. "How do you know?" His gaze challenged her.

"Because I know you all too well, Cowboy." She looked up with timid eyes. "And I remember the way you used to be all too well to believe that you would just give away love so easily."

Your lips, your face, something that time can't erase

My heart could break all over again

Scott held his breath as he ran a finger over Shelby's lips. Her breath caught in her throat and she was unable to speak much less move away from him. "When I told you I loved you, I had every intention of loving you for the rest of my life." He spoke so softly, that even Shelby strained to hear him. "You're the one I'm supposed to be with."

"When you told me you loved me-" Shelby's voice dropped off as the music picked up again.

Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?

To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream

Didn't turn out right

When you let me believe

That you were incomplete without me by your side

How could I know?

That you would go, that you would run

Baby I thought you were the one

Thin fingers brushed away tears that shouldn't have been shed. Murmurs and "sorry's" filled the space between them. The world was suddenly set back into place. Then, as if to insure that this is how it was supposed to be, pale pink lips brushed against Scott's neck, and that was all it took.

Cannot touch, cannot hold

Cannot be together

Cannot love, cannot kiss

Cannot have each other

Must be strong

And we must let go

Cannot say what our hearts must know

He cupped her chin and raised her face toward his. He lifted his gaze to hers, the thick lashes casting shadows until the blue in her eyes appeared black. It had been those dark orbs that he had first fallen in love with. Her ever-expressive eyes that always reminded him that she was a force of nature trapped in the body of a seventeen year old girl. As he looked back on his months without her he felt the urge to take her in his arms and never let her go. He couldn't do that, because he knew she wouldn't allow it. So instead, ever so gently, he brushed his lips against hers.

How can I not love you?

What do I tell my heart?

When do I not want you here in my heart?

How does one waltz away from all of the memories?

How so I not miss you when you are gone

It was a moment of tender uncertainty. Mouths gentle, soft, a shared breath. A sweet delicate kiss, and then a more passionate one. More hunger. Mouth against mouth with more pressure, more urgency. Hot, moist, drinking each other in, exploring, tasting. The room had dissolved, and the only people in the universe were the them. There was not a better feeling in the world.

But then reality came back to them, and Scott and Shelby were forced to part, to breath. And suddenly Shelby felt a piercing jolt of fear. She pulled back to look into Scott's blue eyes. "What are we doing, Scott? What are we trying to do to ourselves?"

He silenced her with a kiss. She tensed for only a moment before relaxing into his arms. Was there a world anywhere beyond here in her arms? Scott asked himself as he breathed in the scent of Shelby's vanilla shampoo. Unfortunately, his mind told him solemnly as he caught Alex and Brittany out of the corner of his eye. There is.

Cannot dream

Cannot share sweet and tender moments

Cannot feel how we feel

Must pretend its over

Must be brave

And we must go on

Must not say what we've known all along

They knew that they should stop this. Stop the madness that turned their tender love into a semi-tragic soap opera. Scot should go and talk to Brittany, just as Shelby should pull Alex aside and speak her thoughts, but both knew it wasn't going to happen. Their lives were too complicated when they were together. Complication wasn't something a person needed at Horizon. Being on the outside looking in was easier than joining the party.

How can I not love you?

What do I tell my heart?

When do I not want you here in my heart?

How does one waltz away from all of the memories?

How so I not miss you when you are gone

Pulling away from Scott, Shelby tried not to look into his eyes. When she did, she didn't want to accept what she saw there. Love, lust, insatiable need. All of those were mixed into Scott's incredibly expressive eyes. She bit her bottom lip gently as she forced herself to let go of him. The words that needed to be said died on her lips before they could be uttered.

Must be brave

And we must be strong

Cannot say what we've known all along

Watching through sorrowful eyes, the entire table knew that it wouldn't be over for the pair on the dance floor. Although both were strong, no one could fight love and survive. But their reasons were the important thing at the moment. Scott was trading in the uncertainty of true love for the predictable nature of desire. Brittany might not be the one he's supposed to be with, but the need to quench the physical hunger overcame the want of true companionship. He wasn't about to force Shelby to give herself to him entirely until she was ready.

Looking into Scott's eyes, Shelby watched as he mouthed the three words that made what she was doing feel so right. I love you.

How can I not love you?

What do I tell my heart?

When do I not want you here in my heart?

How does one waltz away from all of the memories?

How so I not miss you when you are gone

How can I not love you when you are gone?