DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters; they are the brilliant
creation and property of James Cameron, FOX etc. I do own Faith and some
minor characters, but you know the rest.
SPOILERS: Takes place after Freak Nation - the imaginary season 3.
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Faith was running towards him through a field and Alec smiled happily, she was so beautiful, but she was more than that, she was the sweetest most giving person he knew. He held out his arms as she fell onto him, causing them both to land in the thick sea of grass. He anticipated her touch and kiss, but felt only the impact of her knuckles with his jaw. "What the?" She hit him again, holding him in place with her left hand, her right continually smacking into him. She sat up, pinning his body down and hit him again. Alec rolled them over, so he sat on her. He grabbed her arms and held them by her sides. He looked deep in her eyes, to see a flicker of humour that this was just a game. Nothing. Not even the spark that usually lit them up. They were empty. He backed away from her as he looked down at his hands and clothes, stained with sticky blood, "Faith? No! I can't lose you..." She stood up swiftly and kicked him, before tackling him again. Alec jumped up and she followed, except that she had become Rachel. He reached out to her and she slapped him. He grabbed her and she fell into the grass, her eyes closing and face paling. "Rachel. Not again. No please!" He stood up and spun around screaming, his eyes wild, "I don't want this. TAKE ME INSTEAD! Let them live their lives! I never wanted this! WHY ARE YOU PUNISHING ME?!" He collapsed onto the ground sobbing in loud gulps and felt warm hands stroking his face. He looked up and saw Faith before him, "Who are you?", Her disarming voice echoed around him. "I'm a soldier. 494." Her beautiful green eyes filled with tears, "I never loved a designation. Or a soldier. I loved a man. A man who knew who he was and what he wanted." "I wanted you. I want you. I'm not a man, I'm a creation, an invention. And how could you possibly love me. If you weren't in love with a designation, then you weren't in love with me." "Your barcode is not who you are. You're Alec, a brave soldier yes, but also a man who would anything for love." "I couldn't even save you. Or Rachel.", He told her bitterly. "You can by saving yourself. You did more for the two of us than you will ever know." Faith took his hand delicately in hers, "Let me show you."
"You warned Rachel of the plot against her father. In full knowledge that you would lose her." Alec shook as the events replayed in front of him, narrated by Faith's voice. "You spent months in tormented in Psy-Ops for her." He shuddered. "You were willing to let her father kill you, just so you could see her one last time." Tears welled up in his eyes, "I was the one who planted the bomb. I killed the first girl I loved." "We were never taught about love and feelings. You did what you were taught and then you acted against that to follow your heart." "Faith. Stop. No more." "You have to see. Rachel died, knowing that you loved her. That was the greatest gift you could have given her. You helped her move on, you didn't kill her - you set her free! And me. You accepted me, brought me to your world. Trusted me and made me feel the happiest I have ever been. You waited for me, fixed up my wounds, spoilt me. You took care of me and made me laugh. You loved me and made love to me. And blessed me with a child. You made me feel human. Passionate. Alive. Not just a freak or soldier. Not just another number, but like I belonged in this world. You made me who I was Alec, and that was greater than if you had given your life for mine. Please understand that only you blame yourself for what happened. Let go and allow yourself to be free. Do it for us. We both love you."
Alec awoke with a start, springing up and brushing tears off his cheeks. He rolled onto his side, staring sadly into space, before drifting off to sleep.
"It's like everything I say, you ignore it. But listen to me carefully Alec...I'm not coming back. Don't make me kick your ass again, move on with your life!" Alec shook his head slowly at Faith who frowned at him. She looked amazing, a smooth white dress and she had a pink shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was done by on her head, little bits hanging around, framing her beautiful face. There was a white lily tucked at the back. She bit her bottom lip and her dimples appeared as he grinned at him, "You sure are stubborn. Guess that's what I love about you." Alec looked around, they were in the most stunning place. Vast green grass and shady trees, a waterfall splashing into a sparkling lake. He could hear the ocean crashing in the distance and the he lifted his head up feeling the hot sun touch his neck. There were fields of daffodils growing around him and butterflies danced around them. "This is my home. I belong here. I grew up here." "Mantecore?" She laughed, "I wish. We used to sneak out at sunrise every morning, come here. They knew we did it, but they never said anything. Then one day we came here and it was burned down, everything black and dirty. You've never been to Australia before have you? Mantecore's just over that hill." "It's beautiful here." "I know. It's a good thing you're dead soldier otherwise I would have been lonely here.", Faith told him, biting into a crisp green apple. She held it towards him. "I'm not dead." Alec answered, reaching for the apple. "You may as well be." Faith pulled her hand back, throwing the apple into the lake. A baby boy emerged out, crawling towards them. "Is he?" Faith nodded as the boy stood and walked over to them, becoming taller and more grown up with each step. When he reached them he was an almost mirrored image of Alec, with just slightly darker skin and hair. "You don't need to stick around dad. I'm sure you have lots to do. I can keep mum company, so she's not lonely." Alec didn't move, just stared into the boy's eyes, his own eyes. "You're still here? Why?" "I don't want to leave. I don't know where to go." "You have to leave. You have to go home." "Come with me?" "You know we cant.", Alec's son told him, as he dived back into the lake. Faith turned to follow, then looked over at shoulder at Alec, "It really is beautiful here. I cried when I saw that it had burned down. I was put in solitary confinement for showing weakness. One month. But you can't stay here, I can't even stay here. I told you I wasn't coming back, you have to go. Leave this place, move on. I hope you'll listen to me for once. I love you."
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Faith was running towards him through a field and Alec smiled happily, she was so beautiful, but she was more than that, she was the sweetest most giving person he knew. He held out his arms as she fell onto him, causing them both to land in the thick sea of grass. He anticipated her touch and kiss, but felt only the impact of her knuckles with his jaw. "What the?" She hit him again, holding him in place with her left hand, her right continually smacking into him. She sat up, pinning his body down and hit him again. Alec rolled them over, so he sat on her. He grabbed her arms and held them by her sides. He looked deep in her eyes, to see a flicker of humour that this was just a game. Nothing. Not even the spark that usually lit them up. They were empty. He backed away from her as he looked down at his hands and clothes, stained with sticky blood, "Faith? No! I can't lose you..." She stood up swiftly and kicked him, before tackling him again. Alec jumped up and she followed, except that she had become Rachel. He reached out to her and she slapped him. He grabbed her and she fell into the grass, her eyes closing and face paling. "Rachel. Not again. No please!" He stood up and spun around screaming, his eyes wild, "I don't want this. TAKE ME INSTEAD! Let them live their lives! I never wanted this! WHY ARE YOU PUNISHING ME?!" He collapsed onto the ground sobbing in loud gulps and felt warm hands stroking his face. He looked up and saw Faith before him, "Who are you?", Her disarming voice echoed around him. "I'm a soldier. 494." Her beautiful green eyes filled with tears, "I never loved a designation. Or a soldier. I loved a man. A man who knew who he was and what he wanted." "I wanted you. I want you. I'm not a man, I'm a creation, an invention. And how could you possibly love me. If you weren't in love with a designation, then you weren't in love with me." "Your barcode is not who you are. You're Alec, a brave soldier yes, but also a man who would anything for love." "I couldn't even save you. Or Rachel.", He told her bitterly. "You can by saving yourself. You did more for the two of us than you will ever know." Faith took his hand delicately in hers, "Let me show you."
"You warned Rachel of the plot against her father. In full knowledge that you would lose her." Alec shook as the events replayed in front of him, narrated by Faith's voice. "You spent months in tormented in Psy-Ops for her." He shuddered. "You were willing to let her father kill you, just so you could see her one last time." Tears welled up in his eyes, "I was the one who planted the bomb. I killed the first girl I loved." "We were never taught about love and feelings. You did what you were taught and then you acted against that to follow your heart." "Faith. Stop. No more." "You have to see. Rachel died, knowing that you loved her. That was the greatest gift you could have given her. You helped her move on, you didn't kill her - you set her free! And me. You accepted me, brought me to your world. Trusted me and made me feel the happiest I have ever been. You waited for me, fixed up my wounds, spoilt me. You took care of me and made me laugh. You loved me and made love to me. And blessed me with a child. You made me feel human. Passionate. Alive. Not just a freak or soldier. Not just another number, but like I belonged in this world. You made me who I was Alec, and that was greater than if you had given your life for mine. Please understand that only you blame yourself for what happened. Let go and allow yourself to be free. Do it for us. We both love you."
Alec awoke with a start, springing up and brushing tears off his cheeks. He rolled onto his side, staring sadly into space, before drifting off to sleep.
"It's like everything I say, you ignore it. But listen to me carefully Alec...I'm not coming back. Don't make me kick your ass again, move on with your life!" Alec shook his head slowly at Faith who frowned at him. She looked amazing, a smooth white dress and she had a pink shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was done by on her head, little bits hanging around, framing her beautiful face. There was a white lily tucked at the back. She bit her bottom lip and her dimples appeared as he grinned at him, "You sure are stubborn. Guess that's what I love about you." Alec looked around, they were in the most stunning place. Vast green grass and shady trees, a waterfall splashing into a sparkling lake. He could hear the ocean crashing in the distance and the he lifted his head up feeling the hot sun touch his neck. There were fields of daffodils growing around him and butterflies danced around them. "This is my home. I belong here. I grew up here." "Mantecore?" She laughed, "I wish. We used to sneak out at sunrise every morning, come here. They knew we did it, but they never said anything. Then one day we came here and it was burned down, everything black and dirty. You've never been to Australia before have you? Mantecore's just over that hill." "It's beautiful here." "I know. It's a good thing you're dead soldier otherwise I would have been lonely here.", Faith told him, biting into a crisp green apple. She held it towards him. "I'm not dead." Alec answered, reaching for the apple. "You may as well be." Faith pulled her hand back, throwing the apple into the lake. A baby boy emerged out, crawling towards them. "Is he?" Faith nodded as the boy stood and walked over to them, becoming taller and more grown up with each step. When he reached them he was an almost mirrored image of Alec, with just slightly darker skin and hair. "You don't need to stick around dad. I'm sure you have lots to do. I can keep mum company, so she's not lonely." Alec didn't move, just stared into the boy's eyes, his own eyes. "You're still here? Why?" "I don't want to leave. I don't know where to go." "You have to leave. You have to go home." "Come with me?" "You know we cant.", Alec's son told him, as he dived back into the lake. Faith turned to follow, then looked over at shoulder at Alec, "It really is beautiful here. I cried when I saw that it had burned down. I was put in solitary confinement for showing weakness. One month. But you can't stay here, I can't even stay here. I told you I wasn't coming back, you have to go. Leave this place, move on. I hope you'll listen to me for once. I love you."