Chapter 9
We arrived at my apartment about an hour after we had left the base. The door was unlocked so I walked into the apartment without knocking. I didn't expect Ethan to be awake, if he was even home. It was almost four in the morning and the bed was calling out to me, but I couldn't quite go to sleep.
Jack took in everything as he examined the arrangement Ethan and I had settled on for the apartment. I didn't hear anything so I didn't call out incase I would wake Ethan up.
"Help yourself to a drink, there should be something in the fridge," I told Jack.
"No thanks," he replied softly. He preoccupied as he looked over my bookshelf, occasionally picking up a novel and skimming a few pages.
I shrugged. He might not be thirsty, but I was dieing for something with caffeine. I walked down the hallway that led to the kitchen. I passed the door to Ethan's room, wondering whether I should check to see if he was there. Deciding against it I moved on. I heard a noise inside the kitchen as I got closer. Wondering if Ethan was there I turned the corner to look, and forgot how to breath.
Something caught in my throat. I couldn't breath, couldn't talk, couldn't do much of anything except stare at Ethan. Ashley stood next to him, and I had walked in just in time to see their lips meet as Ethan gently caressed Ashley's cheek.
Ashley noticed me first. Her mouth curved in a smile as she saw me gapping at the two of them. I didn't know what else to do, and still couldn't say anything. I probably should have left before Ethan said anything, before I had time to get mad. But I didn't.
Ethan turned to see what Ashley was grinning at, and looked strait at me. Ethan's face was a mask of surprise, and fear. I had just gotten over the shock when he spoke up. "Oh-my-gosh, Alex… I… I didn't think you'd be back tonight… oh god…" he muttered as he glanced at the clock. Obviously he thought that it was so late that I'd stay out the rest of the night. Ashley seemed happy that I had caught them, while Ethan was terrified. His terror took away the last I my confusion, replacing it with anger.
"Alex?" Jack asked from down the hallway.
I cursed under my breath, remembering Jack was here. Taking a deep breath I said, "Ethan, I suggest you get everything you have out of here in the next few hours. I'm leaving, for now. I don't want to know what's going on, I just want you out." With that I turned away from the kitchen. If I stayed any longer I would have hit him. Making a brief stop in my room I grabbed my backpack in case Ethan decided to do anything to my stuff.
Jack looked rather confused by the time I came out. Yet he was smart and didn't ask what was going on, my anger showing I wasn't in the mood to explain. I don't know what I would have done if he did, probably yell, a lot. I was mad, my anger slowly turning into rage, but it was a cold, white rage, which was a good thing for me.
"We're leaving," I told Jack, my tone of voice warned him not to say anything. "I don't care were we go, but we're leaving."
Jack glanced behind me, staring at the entrance to the kitchen. Nodding he stepped aside, letting me walk past him, then fell in line behind me as I walked outside, heading for the parking lot.
When we reached my jeep I pulled out my keys. Jack snatched them from me and pointed to the passenger seat. "I'm not going into a the car if you're driving while you're this angry. I'll drive, you can yell about what's going on, and I do want to know, but you're not driving." I glared at him, knowing he wasn't being unreasonable. I wouldn't ride with me at the moment, either.
I didn't know where Jack was taking us when we left, but we were driving away and that made me fell better.
The conversation I had with Zechs at the ball came back to me. He'd hinted at something, that there was something wrong, some reason why Ethan and I might be breaking up… could he have known? I shook my head. I would ask him later. The night was catching up to me and I needed a place to sleep. I didn't want to go back to the apartment. That left my parent's house, a hotel, or the hanger.
"Are you calmed down enough to talk?" Jack asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Maybe," I answerer, my voice carefully blank.
Jack shrugged. "Just don't hit me again."
The laughter in his voice made me smile. "What do you want me to say?" I asked.
He shrugged again. "I don't know, but my sister would always yell when she had trouble with boyfriends. It seemed to help."
"As of now I don't have a boyfriend," I stated.
Jack replied, "Okay, but you can still complain if you want to." He paused for a moment. "Who else was in the kitchen?"
So he hadn't seen Ashley, but he knew what had happened. I wondered whether he was just curious or actually cared. I wondered whether or not he would tell Duo what had happened. And I wanted to talk to Zechs. I'd feel more comfortable complaining to him than to Jack.
"Ashley," I said, decided to answer the questions.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "The woman who was at the lab? That's weird, how might they have gotten together?"
I wasn't sure but I could guess. "Um… Ashley was with Poe. He leads the Preventers now. Ethan works for him, as do I just not always. They probably met through work, but I don't remember anyone mentioning Ashley. I thought they would say something if they had."
He didn't say anything. In my head I decided that I wanted to stay at the hanger. It had been a while sense I was there last. It would be nice staying there again, if only for a couple of nights.
I gave Jack directions, and soon we were there.
On the outside it looked like its name, a hanger. a large door opened to two small planes. On the other side of the building a larger door opened to several mobile suits, including my gundam, RedZero. Two regular doors were positioned along the wall we were facing. We went in through the first.
The door led to a comfortable living room. We called it the lobby. It had two foosball tables, two couches, a TV, two game systems for the television and a few recliner chairs.
I ignored the room for the most part, aware Jack was following me, examining things as carefully here as he had at my apartment. I took him to the kitchen. Throwing my backpack on the counter I checked to see what I had in the refrigerator.
"This is like a house," Jack stated.
I nodded, grabbing a soda. "Yep, it's where we stay, the gundam pilots, I mean. This was my home on Earth for about three years. We all stayed here then."
"Do you miss it?" Jack asked.
I didn't answer right away, not sure what my answer would be. "Sometimes, but I don't think the fighting is worth it. All my friends are spread out over Earth and space. Some are even dead," I said softly. "It isn't worth it."
Jack considered my answer. "But you miss being here."
I nodded, "Yeah, it was easier." We were both quiet for a while.
"You staying here?"
I nodded while answering, "You can take my car if you want."
He shook his head. "No thanks, I'll call a cab." He pulled out a cell phone as if to prove it.
"I want to know when I'm hacking into the UD's system," I added before Jack left.
He paused. "I'll pull a few strings and make it tomorrow," he promised.
I nodded and thanked him, and then Jack left.
This is another of those transition chapters. I wanted a way to break up Alex and Ethan, even though I don't really have anything against Ethan, I don't really like him. He wasn't my choice of charectors for Alex, which was okay because I like the story he showed up in. I might write about him in a different story, or maybe Julia will. Anyway, he's gone, and I felt I should explain.
To Julia: Thanks for the review. Now I know why I wanting desperately for something interesting to happen gets annoying, what's interesting ushually shows up in the last place you expected. It's kind of funny actually, in the ironic way. I didn't expect you to apologise, and I was wondering how I can say sorry with out giveing the wrong message. I'm not sorry about the fight, but I am sorry that we didn't get over it. Assuming your e-mail adress is the one on the review you gave me I'll get back to you, if not you know mine.
~Rave
We arrived at my apartment about an hour after we had left the base. The door was unlocked so I walked into the apartment without knocking. I didn't expect Ethan to be awake, if he was even home. It was almost four in the morning and the bed was calling out to me, but I couldn't quite go to sleep.
Jack took in everything as he examined the arrangement Ethan and I had settled on for the apartment. I didn't hear anything so I didn't call out incase I would wake Ethan up.
"Help yourself to a drink, there should be something in the fridge," I told Jack.
"No thanks," he replied softly. He preoccupied as he looked over my bookshelf, occasionally picking up a novel and skimming a few pages.
I shrugged. He might not be thirsty, but I was dieing for something with caffeine. I walked down the hallway that led to the kitchen. I passed the door to Ethan's room, wondering whether I should check to see if he was there. Deciding against it I moved on. I heard a noise inside the kitchen as I got closer. Wondering if Ethan was there I turned the corner to look, and forgot how to breath.
Something caught in my throat. I couldn't breath, couldn't talk, couldn't do much of anything except stare at Ethan. Ashley stood next to him, and I had walked in just in time to see their lips meet as Ethan gently caressed Ashley's cheek.
Ashley noticed me first. Her mouth curved in a smile as she saw me gapping at the two of them. I didn't know what else to do, and still couldn't say anything. I probably should have left before Ethan said anything, before I had time to get mad. But I didn't.
Ethan turned to see what Ashley was grinning at, and looked strait at me. Ethan's face was a mask of surprise, and fear. I had just gotten over the shock when he spoke up. "Oh-my-gosh, Alex… I… I didn't think you'd be back tonight… oh god…" he muttered as he glanced at the clock. Obviously he thought that it was so late that I'd stay out the rest of the night. Ashley seemed happy that I had caught them, while Ethan was terrified. His terror took away the last I my confusion, replacing it with anger.
"Alex?" Jack asked from down the hallway.
I cursed under my breath, remembering Jack was here. Taking a deep breath I said, "Ethan, I suggest you get everything you have out of here in the next few hours. I'm leaving, for now. I don't want to know what's going on, I just want you out." With that I turned away from the kitchen. If I stayed any longer I would have hit him. Making a brief stop in my room I grabbed my backpack in case Ethan decided to do anything to my stuff.
Jack looked rather confused by the time I came out. Yet he was smart and didn't ask what was going on, my anger showing I wasn't in the mood to explain. I don't know what I would have done if he did, probably yell, a lot. I was mad, my anger slowly turning into rage, but it was a cold, white rage, which was a good thing for me.
"We're leaving," I told Jack, my tone of voice warned him not to say anything. "I don't care were we go, but we're leaving."
Jack glanced behind me, staring at the entrance to the kitchen. Nodding he stepped aside, letting me walk past him, then fell in line behind me as I walked outside, heading for the parking lot.
When we reached my jeep I pulled out my keys. Jack snatched them from me and pointed to the passenger seat. "I'm not going into a the car if you're driving while you're this angry. I'll drive, you can yell about what's going on, and I do want to know, but you're not driving." I glared at him, knowing he wasn't being unreasonable. I wouldn't ride with me at the moment, either.
I didn't know where Jack was taking us when we left, but we were driving away and that made me fell better.
The conversation I had with Zechs at the ball came back to me. He'd hinted at something, that there was something wrong, some reason why Ethan and I might be breaking up… could he have known? I shook my head. I would ask him later. The night was catching up to me and I needed a place to sleep. I didn't want to go back to the apartment. That left my parent's house, a hotel, or the hanger.
"Are you calmed down enough to talk?" Jack asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Maybe," I answerer, my voice carefully blank.
Jack shrugged. "Just don't hit me again."
The laughter in his voice made me smile. "What do you want me to say?" I asked.
He shrugged again. "I don't know, but my sister would always yell when she had trouble with boyfriends. It seemed to help."
"As of now I don't have a boyfriend," I stated.
Jack replied, "Okay, but you can still complain if you want to." He paused for a moment. "Who else was in the kitchen?"
So he hadn't seen Ashley, but he knew what had happened. I wondered whether he was just curious or actually cared. I wondered whether or not he would tell Duo what had happened. And I wanted to talk to Zechs. I'd feel more comfortable complaining to him than to Jack.
"Ashley," I said, decided to answer the questions.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "The woman who was at the lab? That's weird, how might they have gotten together?"
I wasn't sure but I could guess. "Um… Ashley was with Poe. He leads the Preventers now. Ethan works for him, as do I just not always. They probably met through work, but I don't remember anyone mentioning Ashley. I thought they would say something if they had."
He didn't say anything. In my head I decided that I wanted to stay at the hanger. It had been a while sense I was there last. It would be nice staying there again, if only for a couple of nights.
I gave Jack directions, and soon we were there.
On the outside it looked like its name, a hanger. a large door opened to two small planes. On the other side of the building a larger door opened to several mobile suits, including my gundam, RedZero. Two regular doors were positioned along the wall we were facing. We went in through the first.
The door led to a comfortable living room. We called it the lobby. It had two foosball tables, two couches, a TV, two game systems for the television and a few recliner chairs.
I ignored the room for the most part, aware Jack was following me, examining things as carefully here as he had at my apartment. I took him to the kitchen. Throwing my backpack on the counter I checked to see what I had in the refrigerator.
"This is like a house," Jack stated.
I nodded, grabbing a soda. "Yep, it's where we stay, the gundam pilots, I mean. This was my home on Earth for about three years. We all stayed here then."
"Do you miss it?" Jack asked.
I didn't answer right away, not sure what my answer would be. "Sometimes, but I don't think the fighting is worth it. All my friends are spread out over Earth and space. Some are even dead," I said softly. "It isn't worth it."
Jack considered my answer. "But you miss being here."
I nodded, "Yeah, it was easier." We were both quiet for a while.
"You staying here?"
I nodded while answering, "You can take my car if you want."
He shook his head. "No thanks, I'll call a cab." He pulled out a cell phone as if to prove it.
"I want to know when I'm hacking into the UD's system," I added before Jack left.
He paused. "I'll pull a few strings and make it tomorrow," he promised.
I nodded and thanked him, and then Jack left.
This is another of those transition chapters. I wanted a way to break up Alex and Ethan, even though I don't really have anything against Ethan, I don't really like him. He wasn't my choice of charectors for Alex, which was okay because I like the story he showed up in. I might write about him in a different story, or maybe Julia will. Anyway, he's gone, and I felt I should explain.
To Julia: Thanks for the review. Now I know why I wanting desperately for something interesting to happen gets annoying, what's interesting ushually shows up in the last place you expected. It's kind of funny actually, in the ironic way. I didn't expect you to apologise, and I was wondering how I can say sorry with out giveing the wrong message. I'm not sorry about the fight, but I am sorry that we didn't get over it. Assuming your e-mail adress is the one on the review you gave me I'll get back to you, if not you know mine.
~Rave