Authors Notes: I'm truly sorry this one took so long guys! I've had a hectic few weeks. The boyfriend was in a car accident, I had to spend an entire weekend with NO computer making sure my sister was not bored and helping my folks take care of a German Shepard puppy (they are the cutest damn things!) So thank you all for reading and being patient! I hope it was worth the wait! Happy Holidays!
Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own anything to do with NT's. I'm not that lucky. My character, Alex, is mine so please ask should you ever get the itch to use her. Oh, and any products or brand names used in this story I also do not own!
Chapter Eight
"Oh come on Leo! I was watching that. Please don't turn in!"
"Yeah, but Alex…the news is going to be on in five minutes."
"And it'll be on again a few hours from now. They always replay the news. Please Leo? I just want to finish watching this movie and then you can have the TV. I promise."
Raphael barley managed to keep the smirk off his face as he listened to his brother and…well, unofficial girlfriend gently argue over the TV. So far she was winning and he found that hilarious. Especially considering that if it were him instead of Alex, Leo would already have the remote by now and Raph would be off trying to kill some inadequate object…and Alex knew that. She also knew that the movie has been his choice and was now lying to Leo just so he could finish watching the movie.
Finally Leo relented, smiling and releasing a small sigh. "Alright. You win," he muttered good-naturedly, "I wanted to train anyway."
"Thanks Leo! I'll let you know when the movies over," she called to him as he walked to the training dojo. Then she turned her attention to the TV, making a disgusted face. "How can you watch this crap?" she asked.
Sitting beside her on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and his arms crossed loosely over his chest, Raphael chuckled softly. "It's a lot better than some stuff I've seen." He threw her a sideways glance. "What exactly do you consider quality entertainment?"
She thought about it for a minute and then slowly started to smile. "A good romance."
"Well," Raph murmured, focusing his attention on the movie, "I've already got a good romance."
Alex's heart melted. "Oh Raph," she whispered, snuggling up against him and laying her an arm over his plastron covered waist. "You're brothers have no clue how sweet you really are, do they?"
Uncrossing his arms, he wrapped one around her and dropped the other over where hers lay across his stomach. "I'm just good at keepin' secrets I guess."
They sat in silence for several minutes watching the TV but not really paying attention. After last night things naturally weren't the same between them. The innocent flirting, the toying with the idea of a relationship…that was all pretty much over. Same with the silent treatments and the sleepless nights spent wondering what the other was thinking. The only problem now was that neither of them really knew what was next.
"Hey Raph?"
"Yeah."
She turned her head so that she could look up at him. "What do you think about…well…this?"
"This?"
"Um…" A deep red blush stained her cheeks and she shifted uncomfortably, sitting up. "I mean us," she stated bluntly, watching him for a reaction. "Is it weird for you?"
He regarded her with a small grin. "Depends on what you mean by us."
"Hmm, good point." Alex slumped back against the couch frowning. "I'm not sure what I mean by us."
"Well, I think," Raph drawled, reaching for her hand and pulling her back to him, "that you wanna be my girlfriend."
She laughed as she eagerly returned to his embrace. "And I think its you who wants me to be your girlfriend."
"That would be nice."
Nodding, Alex rested her head on his shoulder. "Can't say I would mind," she murmured, eyes on the TV. "You didn't answer my question though."
"What question?" he asked, running his hand over her sleek blond hair.
"Is it weird for you?"
"Different," he replied thoughtfully after a moments hesitation, "I wouldn't call it weird though. I've just never been…ahh…" his voice faltered as his face grew warm. Suddenly the guy how always had something to say couldn't think of the right words.
Alex looked up at him, smiling at his obvious discomfort. He was so cute when he was nervous. "You've never been someone's boyfriend before?" she offered softly.
"Yeah, that's the word."
She laughed, curling up beside him and pulling a blanket that had been tossed at the edge of the couch over herself and Raphael. Despite the warmth that his body provided, that didn't change the fact that winter was coming and it was starting to get very cold out.
"Hey, this doesn't mean I'm gonna have to change for you, does it?" Raph asked, eying her suspiciously.
"No sweetie. You lucked out. I'm not that kind of woman. You'll just have to…do a few things for me."
The comment caused him to pull away slightly. "Such as?" he asked, his eyes narrowing further.
Alex sat up, draping her arm across the back of the couch behind his shoulders as she playfully returned his glare. "Oh you're just going to hate me," she purred. "Lets see…I'm going to need more cuddles, a few nights out of the week sleeping next to you…possibly every night and…oh yeah, a hell of a lot more really good kisses."
A look of feigned revulsion crossed his face. "Holy shit…anything but that!"
"You're so funny, "Alex grumbled, resisting a smile as she lightly shoved him.
Using that ninja speed that she so often cursed, Raph grabbed her wrist and pulled. He curled his other arm around her waist, flipping her and in a matter of seconds she was on her back, taking up the length of the couch. He lay beside her to the outside, trapping her slim body between his and the back of the couch.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked, staring at him intently, her hands gripping his shoulders.
"Well…the way I see it I've got all these crazy needs that I have to see to…why not start workin' on 'em now?"
"Because one of your brothers might walk in," she said, sounding not at all convincing. She contradicted her own words by wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him close.
Raphael smiled down at her, his heart thudding a mile per minute beneath his ribs. "You don't really look like you care."
"Oh, I did," she replied in a smoky whisper, "until I remembered how good it felt to be kissed by you."
"That good?"
She brushed her lips across his, smiling when she heard his sharp intake of breath. "Better than you'll ever know," she whispered, lifting her head and pressing her lips against his, kissing him hungrily. Needing more, she parted her lips to allow for a deeper kiss and sighed when his teeth grazed her bottom lip, gently tugging at the tender flesh.
If I didn't know him so well I would never believe that he hadn't kissed a woman before, she thought as she ran her hands up and down his strong arms, feeling the muscles shift beneath her questing fingers. She pressed her body against his, trying to get as close as possible and he groaned softly. The deep sound caused a pleasant, quivering ache to spread through her stomach. Oh, how she wanted him. It had never been like this with anyone before…never. What she was had always gotten in the way. Please don't let that happen, she thought, not with him.
But fate had never exactly been kind to Alex and it wasn't about to start now. The moment she started silently pleading, Raph's hand slid under her sweater and came to rest over her scar. She stiffened immediately, her entire body going still.
Confused by her sudden lack of response, Raph pulled back, staring down into her frightened blue eyes. "Alex, what-," he started to ask and then felt the smooth, puckered flesh of her scar beneath his fingertips. Knowing without a doubt that her fear was somehow connected with her ex, he brushed his thumb over the mark and said very softly, "That kid used you because of this."
She paused only a few seconds before nodding, closing her eyes against a wave of hot, angry tears. "Yes."
Turning her head towards the couch, she opened her eyes and stared at the brown fabric, ashamed of the tears, ashamed of herself and what she was. "They usually do. Why have a girlfriend when you can have a god damn-." She clamped her mouth shut, not just to stop the words pouring from her but also to cut off the strangled sob now clogging her throat.
"Whoa…Alex, it's okay," Raph said, trying to soothe her. But handling crying women wasn't exactly something he was good at. That was more Mike's department than his. Well, you've gotta learn sometime, he thought, ready to try anything to stop her tears. "Alex, look at me," he gently coaxed.
Slowly, she turned her gaze to meet his. Her luminous blue eyes were sparkling with unshed tears and her expression was guarded.
Watching her closely, he laid his palm flat against her stomach, covering the scar. "This means nothin' to me, okay?" he said. "I don't care what it means…I don't care what it does. The only thing that I care about Alex…is you."
A radiant smile spread across her face. It was as warm as the sun and far more tender then any smile she'd given him before. "Come here," she whispered, pulling him down and pressing her lips to his. Her body came alive, no longer lying unresponsive beneath him. Her hands ran eagerly over his arms, her leg rubbed against his intimate caress. Obviously he had said the right thing.
When Alex made a tiny sound of impatience, arching her back and pressing against his palm which still lay over her scar, Raph smiled and slid his hand up over the quivering muscles of her stomach, over the soft skin covering her delicate ribs-.
"Please Leo! I just want to finish watching this movie and then you can have the TV. I promise!" a voice said right above them.
They both jumped, Alex throwing Raph off balance and sending him toppling off the couch. "Mikey!" Alex yelled, sparing the orange-masked turtle who was laughing uproariously as he gripped the back of the couch a quick glare before turning to Raph. "Oh honey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, getting up and sitting beside her on the couch. "I'm fine. Nice timing smart ass," he said to Mike, also glaring at him.
Taking a seat on the other side of Alex, Mike propped his feet up on the battered coffee table and regarded them with a disarming grin. "If you don't want to get caught then don't make out on the living room couch when everyone's home. And you're lucky it was me that walked in on you instead of Leo. Or worse…Master Splinter."
Alex tried to picture the expression on the aged rats face had it been him who had walked in on them instead of Mike. It didn't make for a very good situation at all. She felt Raph shudder beside her and smiled, knowing he was thinking the same thing.
"Hey! Faces of Death!" Mike exclaimed, eyes glued to the TV.
"It's almost over Mikey," Raph said, "and then Leo gets it. Alex promised."
Elbowing him lightly, Alex sank further into the couch and crossed her arms. "Where did that blanket got?"
Raph leaned forward and picked it up from the floor, handing it to her. "You cold?" he asked, looking uncharacteristically concerned.
"I've been cold," she said, snuggling close to him, Mike's presence no longer bothering her. He had busted them a few too many times for her to actually care about him seeing them together. "It's not exactly warm down here and I'm running low on clean clothes. I'm either going to have to go to the Laundromat or run to my apartment and stock up on some winter clothes."
"I vote apartment," Mike said, opting for the one that involved less time and, even better, less people.
"What about an apartment?" Donatello asked, walking into the room and flopping down in the chair kitty corner from the couch.
"I need more clothes," Alex explained and then added, "Donnie, I know this might sound a little far fetched but…have you ever considered tapping into the ventilation systems or the gas lines of the buildings above you guys and building a fire place?"
"I…well," his brows lowered in a quizzical frown. "No. But that's a really good idea Alex. I've been looking for a new project to work on."
"Give up on the bike already?" Mike asked as he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and started flipping through channels.
Don shook his head. "What's left is pretty minor stuff, mostly just detail work that I figured Raph could handle on his own."
"Consider it done," the red-masked turtle inserted somewhat arrogantly.
Rolling his eyes and smiling, Don continued. "Besides Mikey, this project is much more deserving of my level of expertise."
"And if you get it done by Christmas we can hang stockings on the mantle!" Alex said cheerfully. A blush rose to her cheekbones as she realized how overly enthusiastic that had sounded. "Ahh…if you guys want to, that is."
"You plan on stickin' around that long?" Raph asked.
She looked up at him and her heart melted. Good lord, she was falling in love. "Yeah," she whispered, smiling at the relief she saw swimming in his dark, intense gaze. "You guys are kinda growing on me."
"That's a disturbing mental picture," Mike joked, dodging Alex's elbow when it came at him. "It was a joke!" he yelped.
Just then Leo walked into the room stopping any further beatings Mike may have received. He looked startled to see everyone sitting in the living room but he quickly masked his surprise with a smile. "Hey guys. Done with the TV?"
Grabbing the remote out of Mike's hand, Raph tossed it to him. "It's all yours bro. Unless you want to go topside with us," he said.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Alex needs to run to her apartment for more clothes."
Leo thought it over for a minute and then put the remote down on the coffee table. "I'm in. When did you want to go?" he asked Alex.
"Well, I guess now would be fine," she replied. "I'll get my shoes and we can go." Standing up, she wrapped her blanket around her like a cape and with a very sheepish smile that clearly said, "I'm freezing my butt off, so sue me," she shuffled off to her room.
It took her ten minutes to find her shoes (mostly because she had forgot they were in Raph's room.) After slipping them on she pulled a long sleeve shirt on under her bulky sweater and took her light fall jacket from where it lay draped over her duffle bag on the floor. She stared at the bag for a moment, trying to recall if she owned more then just the two she already had with her. Then, deciding it was better to be safe then sorry, she dumped what was left for clothing in the bag on the bed, slung the nylon strap over her shoulder and left her room.
As she walked down the hallway back to the living room she hummed softly, thinking about how wonderful it had felt to be wrapped in Raphael's arms. She had never felt so warm and safe in a man's embrace before. Maybe that was someone's way of telling me I didn't belong with any ordinary man. "Or at least not a human," she mused with a smile, walking into the living room and right into Raph.
"Well, at least ya didn't knock me over that time," he quipped with one of his usual smirks, which she now found irresistible.
She smiled back, giving his new attire a quick, appreciative once over. He wore a dark blue coat over a red hooded sweatshirt, baggy blue jeans and a pair of DC shoes that looked relatively new. "What, no trench coats?"
He shook his head. "Nah. This stuff's warmer."
"Well," Alex slid her arms under his coat, hugging him. "You look…really cute."
"I do, huh?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
Alex tilted her head slightly to the side and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, brushing her lips against his.
Across the room Don stopped tying his shoes and Leo paused in pulling his coat on to watch Alex and Raph, their mouths gaping. Sitting on the couch, Mike twisted around to see what they were staring at and laughed. "Better get used to it guys. They've been doing that all morning," he said as he pulled on a navy blue stocking cap with two orange stripes around it that matched the blue of his coat and the orange of his sweater.
Adjusting his own gray stocking cap, Leonardo cleared his throat to get Alex and Raph's attention. The two broke apart, Alex casting him an apologetic smile and Raph glaring at him. "A little busy here Leo," he said, unable to keep the grin from his face.
"I couldn't tell," Leo muttered, zipping up his dark gray coat. "We should get going. It's getting late."
Taking a step back from Raph, Alex studied the four with amusement. "Wow. You can hardly tell you're turtles under all those clothes. Where did you get them?"
"April and Casey," Don said as they made their way into the dark sewers. "They started giving us clothes a few years ago for birthdays and Christmas."
"Yeah, cuz some hothead decided to prove to us how tough he was by going out in the middle of winter unprotected. Idiot almost died of hypothermia," Mike added, shooting Raph a teasing smirk.
"And that's one stupid thing compared to your how many, Mikey?" the brother in question asked.
"We goin' by days, months or years?"
Alex laughed along with everyone, silently congratulating herself. Had Mike made that idiot comment a week ago he might not have lived to see the next day. But now…now it was like Raphael had changed completely. Well, not completely. His attitude was still there, something Alex was extremely grateful for. She loved his cocky, self-assured attitude and his bad boy image almost as much as she loved the fact that he was a complete romantic and she had been the only one allowed to see that side oh him Attitude aside though, Raph had changed. Instead of getting defensive or starting a fight with his brothers when they poked fun at him he joined in, laughing and joking with them. And all it had taken was one tiny sacrifice of Alex's stubborn price, which, in her opinion, had been well worth it.
As they neared the street where Alex's apartment was located an uneasy feeling crept over her. She tried to shake it, telling herself it was nothing, but it clung with fierce tenacity, forcing her into a state of over alertness. Something wasn't right. She looked at her four companions, surprised to see them looking so laid back. They had always sensed danger before her.
If they don't sense anything then you're probably freaking out over nothing, her sensible inner voice scolded. Alex wanted to agree more then anything but that apprehensive feeling refused to let her.
Sooner then she wanted they were climbing the ladder to the alley, entering her building and going up the flight of stairs to her floor. When she was standing before her apartment door, clutching her keys in her hand like a lifeline, the uneasy feeling exploded with the force of a volcano, bringing with it a deep fear. Go back, it screamed. Leave this place now before its too late!
Her body trembling with the force of her emotions and Alex took a step back. The action immediately caused her friends to jump into ninja mode, hands going to their weapons.
"What is it?" Leo asked in a hushed voice.
Alex stared at the door a moment longer, not knowing the answer to his question. If she had an idea of what was making her so uneasy maybe she could tell him…but she had no clue. Finally, she gave a quick shake of her head and forced a smile to her dry lips. "Sorry, I zoned out," she muttered, making the excuse as she slid her key into the keyhole and turned the deadbolt. Twisting the doorknob, Alex pushed the door open and stepped inside, flipping on the light switch beside the door and bathing the apartment in light.
"Oh….my god," Alex breathed, taking in the sight of what used to be her apartment. Dining room chairs lay in splintered shambles, tilted on their sides and scattered over the dinging room floor. The circular oak table was split in two, leaning in towards the middle. Cabinet doors had been ripped from their hinges and smashed against the counter top. Her couch had been brutally slashed and lay upturned; beneath it the shattered remains of her glass coffee table. Artwork she has slaved over lay strewn about the living room, each canvas ripped beyond repair. Not sure she could take anymore, Alex turned her eyes to the wall on her right and her gaze came to rest on the mutilated body of her landlady laying beside the wall face down, her blood forming a crimson lake beneath her. Above her, scrawled on the wall in her blood was a message. "She wasn't the only one looking for you."
A low, anguished moan escaped Alex's lips as her legs started to buckle and her keys dropped from her lifeless fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.
Raph was there to catch her when she started to fall, gripping her trembling body gently. "Easy babe," he murmured, holding her as she stared in horror at the message Danny had no doubt left for her.
"Raph, take Alex to her room and help her get her things together," Leo ordered in a low voice. "Donnie and I will check the rest of the apartment. Mike, find a payphone and call the police. Make up a story. I don't care what you say as long as you keep Alex out of it."
Mike nodded solemnly and left.
"Alright, let's do this and get the hell out of here," Leo said, turning off the lights. The last thing they needed was to be spotted by any foot soldiers that might have been posted around the area.
As Don and Leo went to look over the few rooms of the apartment, Raph guided Alex to her bedroom. He waited in silence, leaning against the wall next to her dresser and watching her as she shoved clothes into the duffle bag she had brought with her. He wanted to say something to her but the words wouldn't come. Even if he could talk, he didn't know what to say. What did you tell someone in a situation like this? I'm sorry your psycho ex is stalking you? Already Raph had promised to protect her and he could do it a million more times…but no amount of promising would erase the image of the woman lying dead on the floor. Nor would it change the fact that Danny was a very real and very dangerous threat to Alex. One that wouldn't let a little senseless killing get in the way of finding her.
Finally the silence got to him and he said the only thing he could think of, "Alex."
She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, her haunted gaze meeting his. Then it happened. Her composure violently shattered and with a wordless cry she sank to her knees.
Raph quickly crossed the floor to
her and pulled her into his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding
her as she let her fear and sorrow overtake her. "Why…why is this happening?"
she whispered, burying her head in the crook of his neck.
"I
don't know," he said, giving her the only answer he could. "I wish I did
though." He waited until her sobs had subsided before speaking again. "Are you
gonna be okay?"
Pushing herself up, Alex hastily brushed the back of her hand over her tear-streaked cheeks. "Maybe." She visibly collected herself, forcing away the image of her demolished apartment and dead landlady. Thinking about things you couldn't change would not help you move past them and that's what she had to do right now…move on. "We should get out of here."
They rose, Raph took Alex's bag and they went into the living room.
"What did you tell them?" Leo was asking as they walked in.
Slumping against the kitchen counter, Mike pulled off his stocking cap. "I couldn't keep Alex completely out of it Leo," he said, keeping his voice low. "I said that I was her neighbor and she had gone out of town a few weeks ago. Told 'em I heard someone in her apartment and they should come check it out.'
"Now how's that going to work out if the cops start questioning her neighbors?"
Mike shrugged. "Not our problem."
Already sirens were wailing in the distance, drawing closer with each passing second. Leo turned to Don who stood to the side of the massive picture window, staring pensively through the glass. "Donnie, how does it look?" the blue-masked turtle asked.
"There's two on the roof of the building across the street. They just showed up about a minute ago so I don't think they know we're here," he replied.
"Well, they're about to know something's up. Alex, is there another way out of here?"
She nodded slowly, still dazed. "A fire escape. It's at the end of the hallway, out the window."
"Alright then. Let's go."
After grabbing her long suede winter coat from the closet, Alex slipped it on and followed the guys down the hallway and out onto the fire escape. By the time they were in the alley the sirens were right on the other side of the building, accompanied by the sound of tires squealing and doors slamming. Red and blue flashed on the dark brick of the buildings surrounding the area.
With Leo keeping an eye out for any unwelcome company, they made their way into the safety of the sewers.
"Lets wait here…just in case," Leo said once they were all down in the dark tunnels and the manhole cover had been pulled back into place, muffling the sirens low wail.
Pressed against the walls, surrounded by the darkness, they waited, wanting to be positive that they hadn't been followed. Alex wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She tried to will the erratic beating of her heart to still but knew it wouldn't. How could this all have happened? Her apartment…poor Mrs. Thompson…none of it made any sense. Had Danny done all those things to scare her or because he was angry? Did he know she had been there? Did he know where she was right now?
With a whispered curse she let her head fall back against the cold, damp wall, not caring if she was getting unknown filth in her hair. Her chest was tight with anxiety and her hands shook terribly in the deep confines of her coat pockets. So this is what an anxiety attack feels like, she though wryly.
Then, just when she thought she was going to loose it for sure, Raphael's arm slid around her shoulders and he pulled her close to him. She moved into his embrace willingly, thankful for his silent support.
"You okay?" he whispered.
Placing a hand on his chest she nodded, even though she felt far from "okay."
"Alright," Leo spoke after a sufficient amount of time had passed. "Let's get back home."
Staying in the half circle of Raph's arm, one of the only places she seemed to feel safe at the moment, Alex let him lead her back to the one place left she could consider a home.
Though it felt much more like an hour to her they reached the lair within minutes and were about to descend the short flight of concrete steps when Raph pulled Alex to a stop. "You guys go on ahead. We'll be back later," he said to Leo.
The older turtle stopped halfway down the steps and turned to face him, his expression skeptical. "Don't stay out too late Raph," he finally conceded after studying him for a long, intense minute.
"We wont. Come on." Taking Alex's hand, Raph started to pull her down a tunnel opposite the one they had just come from.
"Where are we going?" Alex asked
He glanced back, giving her one of his charming I'm-not-telling-you-anything grins. "You'll see."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. She did love a good surprise. She followed him down the tunnel to a dead end where a ladder sat propped against the wall, leading up into, what Alex could only assume, was a very, very dark room. She couldn't tell much more from the square shaped opening in the ceiling other than that. "Is this it?" she asked, resting her hands on one of the cold, rusted rungs.
"Yeah." Raph gestured towards the ladder with a nod of his head. "Ladies first."
"Oh thanks," she muttered dryly, not at all happy about being the first to go into a dark room full of only God knows what.
"Relax Alex, there's nothin' freaky up there."
"Then why am I going first?" she grumbled, more to herself then to him as she climbed the ladder. Once in the room, completely unaware of her surroundings she could tell right away by scent alone that she was standing in a garage. The smell of oil and gas dominated the air, masking the underlining aroma of leather and metal.
"Where's the light switch?" she asked.
"I'm workin' on it. Patience woman."
The hissing chink of a pull chain broke the silence and dim light flooded the room, shinning on pieces of scrap metal that littered the concrete floor, various tool boxes, all standing open, an old van with the sliding door missing and the hood up and a sleek red and black ninja bike.
"Oh wow," Alex said in awe when her eyes settled on the bike. "Is this what you and Donnie were talking about earlier?"
Still standing behind her, Raph nodded. "Yeah, that's the bike," he said, watching her reaction and feeling his chest swell with pride.
"It's amazing." She circled the machine, running a hand appreciatively over the glossy paint finish, the chrome handlebars, and the black leather seat. "What part did you do?"
Raph walked over to where she was standing, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat to keep them warm. "Well, I helped Donnie piece it together. He did all the wiring and engine work and I did the paint job."
"The detail is incredible," she complimented, glancing at him and smiling. "I never knew you were an artist."
Her praise caused a blush to rise to his cheeks and he ducked his head. "I wouldn't go callin' it art. It was pretty easy."
"How fast does it go?"
"Not sure," Raph said, looking back up at her. "Haven't taken it for a ride yet. You wanna find out?"
The look she gave him said it all. An eager smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement. "Are you serious?"
"Sure." Crossing the floor to a long, bench like table that ran the length of the wall, he grabbed two relatively new helmets and tossed one to Alex. "Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere," she said, sliding onto the bike behind him.
Raph nodded, pulling on his own red helmet and starting the engine. It roared to life, the deafening sound reverberating off the bare walls of the garage. "Hang on!"
Alex did as she was told, wrapping her arms around him. With a push of a button on the remote garage opener the door opened, whining on its hinges, and they shot out of the garage, tires squealing against the pavement. A few turns brought them to one of New York's main streets. It wasn't exactly busy so Raph took his time, swerving leisurely in and out of traffic as he followed the street out of the city.
Gradually, buildings became fewer and trees started to replace them, their bare skeletal branches stretching towards the heavens. When the headlights of the last car following them dimmed into nothingness Raph grinned. Now it was time to have some real fun.
He gunned the motor once and the bike jerked forward. Taking the hint as he hoped she would, Alex immediately tightened her hold on him, pressing her body against his back. Raph started to pull the accelerator back, watching as the speedometer made its rapid climb. Fifty, sixty-two, seventy-four, eighty. It was when they were pushing eighty-five that Alex started laughing, a wonderful clear sound that carried over the constant roar of the engine.
Mission accomplished, Raph thought, smiling. He'd wanted to hear the sound of her laughter all night. Of course he wasn't deluded enough to believe that just because she was laughing it meant that she was okay. It would take a while before she ever fully forgot the horrors that had happened tonight…but she was getting there.
They drove for a while, the road passing beneath them with a low hum, the trees reduced to a mere blur. Finally, beside a small lake where the half moon glittered on the glass like surface, Raph stopped. Dropping the kickstand, he took off his helmet and left it to hang over one of the handlebars.
Alex pulled off her helmet and handed it to Raph so he could do the same with it. After shaking out her hair she rested her head on his back, staring at the calm waters of the lake. A thin layer of ice had formed around the shoreline, stretching a mere feeble foot towards the center of the lake.
"It's so peaceful," she murmured.
"I thought you could use it. Hasn't exactly been a quiet night," Raph said.
Alex released a short bark of somber laughter. "That's an understatement. But thank you Raphael, for bringing me here." She tightened her arms around him, giving him a quick hug.
"It was nothin'," he muttered dismissively, watching a lone heron coast over the lake, ignoring the cold water. You don't belong here buddy, Raph thought; go fly south with the rest of your friends. The heron, as if to reply, let out a low, mournful call and Raph smiled. It really was peaceful out here. It made him miss the long, lazy days on the farm with his brothers. Maybe they'd go there once winter was over, take a little vacation from the city. He could take Alex out to the pond behind the house at night where they could sit on the dock and watch the stars.
"Hey. You got awfully quiet up there," Alex half whispered. "What are you thinking about?"
Twisting around, Raph looped an arm around her waist, picked her up and pulled her into his lap. She landed with a startled gasp, her legs straddling his waist. "Just stuff," he answered, enjoying the surprised look on her face.
"Just stuff, huh?" she asked, relaxing and wrapping her arms around his neck in a loose embrace. "What kind of stuff?"
"Hmm…random stuff."
"Like?" she pushed, knowing she could get an answer out of him.
Frowning at the cold that had started to bite at his hands, Raph slid them under Alex's coat where the thick lining had trapped the warmth from her body. "I was thinkin' about this farm house we all went to once. Belongs to April. It's a nice place…real quite. I bet you'd like it."
"Mmm, I bet I would too. I like quiet," she said. Then, giving him a coy smile, she tugged gently on the long tails of his mask, forcing him to tilt his head back, and she placed a kiss on his nose. "Know what I was thinking about earlier?"
"Not a clue. What?"
"This."
Raph gave her a quizzical look. "Sitting out here in the middle of nowhere freezin' our asses off?"
Alex laughed, shaking her head. "No. At breakfast…when I sat on your lap, sorry about that by the way-."
"Apology accepted."
"-I was thinking about…well, sitting like this…with you."
A slow grin worked its way onto Raph's face. "So that's what took you so long to ask Leo if he was okay with us."
Ducking her head, Alex nodded, feeling the telltale heat of a blush creep into her cheeks.
"Hey," Removing one hand from under her coat, he placed it against the side of her face, pushing her head back so that he could see her eyes, "you're really cute when you're embarrassed, you know that?"
And then he moved his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her down, pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss.
Succumbing to her passion, something that seemed to come so easily with him, Alex tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him back, letting the troubled images of the day that had haunted her fade away. All she wanted to think about right now was Raphael and how safe she felt in his arms. It was like nothing could harm her there.
With one last, slow kiss they broke apart and Alex dropped her head to Raph's shoulder, resting it there while she waited for the pleasant dizziness to stop. Her fingers lightly drew tiny patterns on his neck. All around them the night stretched on, calm and silent.
"Do you think he'll find me?" she asked after a while.
Rubbing away the tension at the base of her neck, Raph shook his head. "Not if I can help it," he said with conviction.
Smiling, Alex opened her mouth to respond but the words died on her tongue as something cold and wet landed on her nose. Not even a second later another landed on her cheek. Sitting up, she looked around and gasped. Big flakes of snow filled the sky, drifting quietly to the ground and blanketing the earth. "Raph…look," she whispered, afraid speaking too loudly would disrupt the serenity of the moment, "it's snowing."
"Sure is," he said, smiling at her child like exuberance. He moved his hand from her neck back under her coat and hugged her. "Kinda romantic, huh?"
She nodded in agreement. "Very romantic."
"Ya know…I hate to ruin this but we should get back."
Alex sighed. Going back was the last thing she wanted, but he had a point. Pulling away, she looked down at him and smiled. "You've got snow all over you," she murmured, pulling his hood up over his head.
"So do you." He ran a hand over her snow covered hair, brushing away several of the snowflakes that clung determinedly to the gold strands. Looking into her vivid blue eyes he was struck with a sudden urge to tell Alex that he love her. Where the hell did that come from, he thought, slightly alarmed by the idea. Why would he want to go telling Alex he loved her when he didn't even have a clue what love was? Must have just got caught up in the moment.
Forcing away his scattered thoughts he kissed Alex and handed her the helmet she'd been wearing, waiting for her to get situated behind him and wrap her arms around his wait before starting the motor and taking off towards home.
The drive back to the city took much longer, mostly due to the fact that the snow had made the roads a little more difficult to drive on but, never the less, they made it back in one piece.
After putting the bike back in the garage they made their way back to the lair only to find that everyone had gone to sleep already and most of the lights were out except for the one in the kitchen. Alex made one stop in her room to grab an extra blanket and then followed Raph back to his.
"So are we going to do this every night?' she asked as she lay beside him in bed, one leg draped over his and her arm resting across his stomach.
Rubbing his hand slowly up and down her arm Raph thought about it. He could see no problem in sharing his bed with Alex. In fact the idea held a lot of appeal. Go to sleep each night beside a beautiful woman and wake up next to her every morning? Hell, he'd have to beat the crap out of himself if he actually thought for one second it would be a bad deal! His answer though took too long and Alex sat up, giving him a stern look, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You're not going to go pulling the strong, silent thing where you go hiding your emotions from me, are you?" she asked.
Raph blinked at her a few times, thrown by her question and then he started laughing. "Damn woman, calm down," he said once his amusement had died away, "it's nothin' like that. I was just think' about how nice it would be to have you here every night."
"Oh," Alex mumbled, feeling mortified. "Well, you can't really blame me for thinking that way," she quickly added, "You're the one who would always start the silent treatments after something happened between us."
"Hey, in all fairness you started the first one," he accused, giving her a teasing grin.
She crossed her arms over her chest indignantly. "Yeah, well…the one you started was the worst."
"Tell me we're not actually arguin' about this." Circling her waist with one arm, he pulled her down on top of him. But she wasn't ready to give up yet.
Using a common female ploy that had worked on him once before, she pushed out her bottom lip in a subtle pout. "For a while there I thought you didn't like my kisses," she admitted.
"That's far from the truth and you know it," Raph said, tucking a strand of her silken blond hair behind her ear.
She smiled down at him, feeling a lump of emotion rise in her chest. "Yeah, I know." Leaning down, she gave him a lingering kiss, then rolled off him to once again lie by his side. Within minutes the two were asleep…and that's when the nightmare began.
It was cold. So cold there in the dark where she existed all alone with no friends to speak of, no one to hear her cries. That was all she could think of as she pulled the threadbare blanket tighter around her frail, numb body. How many days had she been locked in this tiny cell now? Four? Five? She couldn't even keep track any more. She could be scared though and at the age of nine it was an emotion that came all too easily for Alex. She couldn't remember the last fear free day she'd had. She knew she had been happy once though, but that was before they had taken her from the old woman who had cared for her. Before she had been brought to this God forsaken place.
Sniffling, little nine-year-old Alex drug a sleeve-covered hand over her nose. She was too young to care that she was making her uniform filthier then it already was. The white shirt was stained beyond repair and the hem of her green and black pleated skirt had become severely frayed. But in all honestly Alex had bigger things to worry about…like Master Segatou. He was the reason she was in this cell now, being punished for her insubordination. Being punished because she had stepped left when she should have dodged right. And she didn't understand…she couldn't understand. Why was she here? What did she do to deserve a life like this…if you could even call it a life? She didn't have any special powers like the other children in the school. What did they want from her?
A commanding shout came from the other side of the door and Alex cried out. "Please…please," she whispered, although she wasn't exactly aware of what she was pleading for. Days with no food and little sleep had left her in a delusional state. She huddled under the blanket terrified, her little heart racing.
Soon she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching and the rough, accented voices of men. They were so close. And then there came the sound of a key grating in the lock…her lock. The door swung open, squeaking on rusted hinges. Light spilled into the tiny room where she was held captive, partly blocked by the tall, robed silhouette of a man.
"Have you had enough child?" he asked in a raspy, feminine voice.
Alex bowed her head and replied meekly, "If you feel I have Master Segatou." She may have only bee nine but she was a quick learner and had been with Master Segatou long enough to know that any answer given that caused him the tiniest amount of displeasure would result in a very severe beating. Sometimes, very rarely, the beatings could become deadly.
"I'm glad to hear this. Come with me," Segatou commanded, extending a bony-fingered hand to her.
A shudder of revulsion spread over Alex's body but she forced herself to stand and take the hand offered. If she was going to die it was going to be when she was an old lady. And she refused to die here as a prisoner.
Segatou brought her out of her cell and directly into a wide courtyard. Looking back, she saw that her cell had been one in a long row of cells shaded by the overhang of the dormitories built above them. The other three sides surrounding the courtyard were brick buildings. More specifically, the school and Master Segatou's personal offices. The facilities were built like an old castle; tall, threatening and formidable.
As they approached the center of the courtyard Alex noticed the eight figures cloaked in brown with hoods drawn low over their heads. They waited for them, hands folded together in front of them and covered by the thick fabric of their robes.
"Master Segatou," Alex murmured quietly, daring a glance at him.
"You have nothing to fear Alexandria," he said with a note of malice. He looked down at her, his beady, black eyes full of loathing and greed. His thin lips stretched over his yellow teeth as he smiled, the canines very much resembling fangs, and his sallow skin drew taught over his sharp cheekbones. Again, Alex felt the nausea wash over her, joined by a deep fear when he spoke to her again. "Today dear, you will show us what great power you possess."
"But…but Master Segatou…I don't have any powers! I'm just a little girl!" she said, shocked by his words.
The skeletal man chuckled, a sound like dry leaves blown against the pavement. "Oh, but you do my dear," he said, tugging impatiently on her hand. "Your powers are greater then all of the student's combined, for you Alexandria…are the prophecy and today your full powers will be brought to life."
Before Alex could even attempt a response he shoved her forward and she fell in a heap before the cloaked men, scrapping her hands and knees on the gravely earth. Segatou started speaking in rapid Japanese to the men and when he was done one of them handed him an ancient looking scroll. "Get up Alexandria," Segatou demanded, grabbing a fistful of her already tangled blond hair and pulling.
Alex bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from crying out as she stumbled to her feet. She was far more terrified then she had been in her life. Tears burned her eyes, her chest hurt from the sobs she was forcing back and her palms stung. She wished with all her heart that she could understand what was happening and why it was happening to her. She was a…a prophecy. She didn't even know what a prophecy was!
Behind her, Segatou had started talking again but she didn't hear a word of it. Instead, her horrified gaze was fixed on the man walking up to her. Once in front of her he stopped and gripped her chin between his finger and his thumb, turning her face this way and that and all Alex could do was stand there unmoving, her body paralyzed by fear.
"Well, is she the one you seek or not?" Segatou asked anxiously.
The mans hand moved from her chin to the hem of her once clean shirt and he yanked at the fabric, ripping free four tiny buttons and exposing Alex's stomach. Finally, like a wild animal being freed from captivity, an ear-piercing scream tore from her throat. She tried to move away from the strange man, crying as she did so, but two others were suddenly at her sides, grabbing her arms and holding her in place. She fought against them, kicking and screaming but there was no use. She was only nine and they were grown men.
With a mournful sob, Alex gave up fighting and went limp, dangling like a rag doll between the two men. The one who had torn her shirt, the one she assumed was their leader, walked up to her and pulled aside the dirty fabric to expose the birthmark shaped like a flame on her side. "Yes, this is the child we seek," he said in a deep voice.
Segatou smiled. "I was hoping you would say that. When we found her I saw the mark and was, at the time, just hoping it meant she was the one. I'm pleased to find out my assumption was correct."
The leader made a humming noise of acknowledgment in the back of his throat and raised a hand, motioning to one of his companions to come forward. When he did, he brought with him a red-hot branding iron that had been burning in a small fire pit built behind the line of men.
"The birthmark needs to be replaced by the symbol and then the transition will be complete," the leader said, moving aside.
Alex lifted her head slowly, feeling weary and defeated. She glimpsed the branding iron the second before it came down over her birthmark, searing her flesh and again she screamed. Tears ran in rivers over her flushed cheeks, the smell of her own burning flesh stung her nose and on and on she screamed until her throat was raw, until every child in the building was standing at any available window, their faces pressed to the glass as they watched they watched the horror taking place in the court yard.
Finally it was over and Alex could do nothing more then whimper and wait for them to kill her. Surely that's what they had planned. It had to be. Why else would they torment her so?
"You child, are a great Prophecy given life," the leader said to her. "Through your mother the gift was bestowed upon you when you were bathed in her blood and now you will do as we ask of you."
Alex felt her heart shatter the moment the words were spoken. Bathed in her mother's blood? That meant her mother had been killed! A low moan escaped her mouth and she shook her head, not wanting to believe it.
Segatou stood aside, watching in anticipation as the leader spoke his command, reciting the words that would awaken powers he would soon claim for his own. The child was his; he would not release her to anyone if she were as powerful as these men claimed she was. If it came to it he would marry the child just to keep her at his side. He was not beyond such measures.
"Rise Prophecy and grant thy demands," the leader cried, lifting his hands to the heavens. He spoke then in Japanese, rattling the words off quickly and watching the child before him with avid interest. His fellow comrades joined in with low, monotone voices.
Halfway into his recitation the clouds took on an ominous gray color and thunder rumbled, reverberating off the stone walls of the massive school. A cold wind picked up, swirling around Alex as she sat with her head hung. Suddenly her head snapped up and her eyes, now a glowing an eerie pale blue, stared accusingly at the eight cloaked men.
With cat like grace she rose to her feet, her fingers splayed at her sides, her hair whipping in the wind. And when she spoke it was in a voice not her own. The voice was that of a woman, low and seductive. "You ask I grant what thy heart demands, you call upon this prophecy to meet your commands. But hear my words and hear them well, eternal life shall be granted to you in hell."
And with that her arms snapped up towards the heaven. A small, electric blue sphere took shape above her hands, expanding to the size of a tennis ball and then it broke off into eight tiny spheres, each one flying through the air to the eight men. Once they were in place Alex dropped her hands to her sides and the eight spheres shot into the bodies of the eight men and for one second there was silence. Then the air was filled with pained screams. Each man fell to his knees, clutching at his chest, trying to rip out the very thing that violated them. Soon their breathing became tight and labored and their screams drifted off into strangled gurgles as each lifeless body fell to the earth with a dull thud. Each man who had greedily sought out the girl for his own means, thinking she would do as the Prophecy stated and grant them eternal life now lay dead in the courtyard.
Eyes still glowing, Alex turned to face Segatou. "I will be leaving this place and if you should say or do anything to stop me…their fate will be yours. Do you understand?"
The scene then changed from the school courtyard to the enclosed junkyard the turtles had rescued her from. It was night and it was raining, large drops splashing against the pavement. Alex stood in her drenched coat, her blond hair plastered to her face and tears swimming in her eyes. Before her stood Danny, a sadistic smile curving his lips and next to him, his hands bound behind his back and a furious scowl on his face, was Raphael.
"You should have done as I asked the first time Alex," Danny said. "None of this would have happened if you would have just played the obedient girlfriend." Reaching behind him, Danny pulled one of Raph's sais from his belt and twirled it in his hand. "Hope you'll be able to live knowing it's your fault he died."
Alex's scream of denial fell on deaf ears and all she could do was watch as Danny plunged the deadly point of the weapon into Raph's side. As his blood spilled from the open wound at his side, Raph looked up at her with pleading eyes…
In the real world Alex jerked up in bed sobbing, desperate cries spilling from her mouth, making no sense what so ever. Her sobs immediately woke Raphael and he sat up, alarmed to see his girlfriend looking so frightened. "Alex, babe…what is it?" he asked as he pulled her into his arms.
She shook violently; choking on sobs that refused to stop. "I can't do this," she muttered, "I can't do this anymore!"
"Do what Alex?" he asked, starting to panic.
She spun around in his embrace and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for all she was worth. "If I tell you…you have to promise not to tell anyone." She pulled away and looked at him, her pleading gaze holding his. "I can't do this alone anymore…but I don't want anyone else to know…please."
Raph nodded. "Sure Alex. I wont tell anyone," he promised.
Drawing as shaky breath, Alex pulled free from his embrace and crossed her legs, placing her hands in her lap. For a long time she stared at them, not sure what to say or how to phrase it so that he would understand. Would he even want her once he knew what she had done? But she couldn't live with a lie anymore and she trusted him enough to tell him. "When I was nine," she started, her voice hardly audible, "I killed eight men."
She heard his sharp intake of breath and winced, but pressed on. She had to make him understand. "It all started when Master Segatou took me from my home and brought me to a school for specially gifted children. Children with powers he would force them to acknowledge and use for his own greedy purposes. That's where I learned how to use weapons like the ones you and your brothers have. It's where I, and many other children, were treated like slaves and forcefully molded into fighters.
"Punishments were always horrible and few never lived through them. It was at the end of my punishment, being locked in a small, dark cell for six days with no food, that they came for me. Eight men in brown cloaks. They…sought the Prophecy. They wanted to use the powers she possessed to gain eternal life. But I guess over the years the Prophecy became messed up and it no longer stated the actual facts."
Taking several deep, calming breaths, Alex lifted her head and looked at Raphael, only slightly surprised to see his sympathetic gaze focused on her. "You see…these guys though that when sought out the Prophecy would grant them eternal life. They thought it was stated that she would come and grant eternal life to those deserving or those greedy enough to seek her out. But that's not how it went. The Prophecy does grant eternal life to those who demand that she use her powers on them…but it's eternal life in hell.
"When these men came for me, they…branded me with this mark." She lifted up her shirt, showing him the symbol they had all seen the night they had brought her to the lair. "And they told me that my mother had been killed so that the Prophecy could live on…in me. And then…they-," she stopped, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth as horrible memories of her childhood once again filled her head. "They made me use my powers….and I killed them."
"Jeez," Raph murmured, trying to take in everything he had just heard and stay as far from judging her as possible.
"I didn't want to kill them," she said, "I was only nine! How was I supposed to understand what they were doing??" She shrunk back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest as a fresh wave of tears sprang to her eyes. God, she was never going to be able to stop crying. "I was scared. I couldn't even think straight and when those guys started chanting…something took control of me. I couldn't stop myself from doing what I did. I wish I could have." She dropped her head to her knees, letting her tears flow freely. She couldn't hold them back now, not even if she actually wanted to.
"Alex."
Lifting her head, she warily regarded him through bloodshot eyes, expecting him to leave…and honestly? She wouldn't blame him if he did. Not many people were fond of having a killer in their room. At least not many that she knew of. "I didn't want to do it," she whispered.
Raph nodded. "I know ya didn't. Come here." He held his arms out to her and Alex, relieved beyond words that he understood, threw herself into them.
"Had to be a pretty creepy thing to go through at the age of nine, huh?" he asked once she had curled herself into a tiny ball in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.
Alex sniffled. "Yeah," she murmured in a small, tired voice.
"So what happened with that Segatou guy and the school?"
"A year later I left." She released a deep sigh. She had already started telling him her story. There was no point in stopping now. Not until he had heard everything. "Segatou didn't try to stop me…mostly because I warned him not to. But I think by that time, he wanted me gone. I kind of…fell apart after what happened. I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep and when I did I would have these horrible nightmares that would…well, they basically pushed me right to the edge of insanity. I would have to be restrained and heavily sedated. So instead of working for Segatou, I worked against him and cost him a great deal of money in the process. I'm pretty sure he was relieved to see me go."
"Where did you go after that?" Raph asked, listening intently to her story.
" I went back to the old woman who cared for me before Segatou had come and taken me away. She was able to help me a lot. The first thing she did was help me sleep so for the first few days that I was there all I did was sleep. She would wake me up and every now and then feed me, but for the most part I was out cold. When I finally did wake up she told me everything I needed to know. She told me about what I was and how the Prophecy had come to be. She even told me about my mother and father. It turns out she knew them both very well and had helped them take care of me before they were…"her voice died off as a thick lump of emotion rose in her throat.
"Both of 'em were killed," he said softly, knowing what Alex couldn't bring herself to say.
She nodded. "I never even knew them."
Raph held her tight, suddenly having problems controlling his own emotions. He couldn't believe everything she had been put through. It sounded more like a sick, twisted horror movie then the life of a nine-year-old girl. Unbidden, an image of that small girl with wide, frightened blue eyes and a mass of wavy, golden hair appeared in his mind. His heart clenched painfully and a deep sadness filled him. No child should have to deal with so much pain.
Forcing away the image, Raph attempted to switch the subject slightly from the past to the future. "So that Danny kid thinks you're gonna bring old Shred head back to life?"
Alex made a sound of disgust through her tears and shook her head. "I don't know how the facts could have gotten so screwed up. It doesn't state anywhere that the Prophecy can bring things back to life. The guy's an idiot."
He chuckled softly. "What does it actually say then?"
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she chewed thoughtfully at her bottom lip. "I can't remember it word for word. Its kind of one to the trickier Prophecies that doesn't exactly make sense. I can give you the gist of it. Long ago this written prophecy contained in an ancient Chinese scroll was given human form. A man whose daughter had been captured by a lustful Egyptian prince created her as a tool of vengeance. The daughter was to be the prince's wife but she wanted nothing to do with him. She wrote to her father, pleading for him to help her and his answer came in the form of a beautiful woman. She was a gift to the prince if he would only release the man's daughter and send her back home. Of course the prince refused but kept the woman and made her his mistress.
"On the night of their wedding the daughter sought out the mistress, knowing that she was the Prophecy given flesh. She proved herself to the Prophecy and in doing so was able to command her to seek out her husband and destroy him, sending his soul to hell. And that's just the story of how the Prophecy came to be in human form."
"Pretty intense story," Raph observed.
Alex looked and him and for the first time since she had woke up from her nightmare, she smiled. "That's exactly what I said when Hildy told it to me."
"Hildy?"
"The old lady who took care of me." Feeling a bit better, she continued. "Before it was given human form the Prophecy stated that any man or woman who should come across the ancient scroll containing the words of the Prophecy and was found to have a pure and worthy soul would be granted the ability to command the Prophecy to use its powers and kill off the evil that haunted them, whether it be an ex lover, a person causing them a great deal of pain…or, sometimes, themselves. The purpose of the Prophecy was to destroy evil and put it where it belonged."
"In hell."
Alex nodded. "That's how it works. That's what I was made to do."
"How'd you get stuck with a crappy job like that?" Raph asked.
Grinning, she rubbed the few remaining tears from her cheeks and said, "It happens when you're the great, great, great, great grand daughter of the prince's mistress."
With a sigh, Raph leaned back against his headboard, giving her a bemused look. "So…that it then?"
She shook her head, the last image of her nightmare flashing in her mind with painful clarity. She could only pray that it wasn't an omen of things to come. "You…were in my nightmare," she whispered.
"I was what?!"
Alex winced at the note of shock in his voice. "You were in my nightmare," she repeated. "Danny…killed you. And it was my fault. He killed you because I wouldn't obey him."
Raph stared at her for a long moment before saying, "Okay, now there are two reasons why that will never happen."
She gave him a questioning look. "What are they?"
"One…there's no way in hell that kid could ever kill me. I could out maneuver him in less then a second. Two…you don't obey anyone."
"I fail to see how that proves what happened in my dream wont happen in real life," Alex muttered, twisting her hands together in her lap.
"It doesn't." Placing a hand on either side of her face, he stared deep into her eyes, looking very serious. "But there is no way I'm ever going to leave you Alex."
A tremulous smile curved her lips. "Promise?"
"Yeah," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. "I promise."
"And you wont tell anyone what I just told you?"
"Your secret dies with me."