Author's Note: Thank you, thank you for all the great reviews! I'm so glad that I was able to reach out to some M/A shippers too...that's so awesome. Anyway, here it is folks...Chapter 16. I hope you like it, I've re-written it many, many times to try to get it just right, since this chapter and the next, I feel, are the most crucial to the story. Okay, please review, hope you enjoy!!

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Okay? he thought. She had said okay? Well, why wouldn't she, there's obviously nothing here, he thought wryly. He felt hurt, especially after that fight a week ago that he thought had brought them closer together.

Alec had been listening outside the door of her apartment. Thinking Jacob had already left by then, since it was nine at night, he had heard everything. Jacob's corny confession of love, all of it.

Alec selfishly wanted her to stay, but it was better that she leave. White was still out there somewhere, doubtlessly furious that she killed Sean. The transgenetic frenzy was getting quite daunting even in Alec's opinion. She could live the life of luxury, probably better than even how Logan lived, and Logan was the richest guy Alec knew.

Hell, he should leave too, now that he thought about it. There would be nothing left in Seattle. Well, no, there was still Max and O.C. and Sketchy and Logan, but they would find new friends and a new pseudo-crime-fighter. He needed to get out of this place filled with memories of her. He went home to pack.

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Jacob's eyes lit up. "Great! The plane leaves in two hours so you have to pack just the essentials. I'll ship over the rest of the stuff later."

"Right," she said unemotionally. What did she just get herself into? It didn't matter now. She began packing some clothes. Why did she feel so empty? She tried to convince herself that she would be happy in L.A. She had nothing here.

Wait, how could she be this stupid? Everything was here. Alec was here. She stopped packing. She couldn't leave. What had she been thinking? Well, she hadn't been thinking, that was for sure. But now her mind was racing. She scolded herself and her momentary idiocy. She finally knew what she had to do, and leaving wasn't it.

"Hey, Kris, are you okay?" Jacob asked, coming into her room where she had stopped packing.

She turned to face him. "I can't leave."

Jacob frowned. "What?"

"I can't leave."

"Kris, c'mon, pack up."

"No, aren't you listening to me? I can't leave," she said for the third time. Each time she said it, she knew this was the right decision.

"What's here then?" Jacob asked suspiciously.

"My friends," she said.

"You can make new friends in L.A.," Jacob said dismissively. Though he liked Logan and Max, he didn't want her to stay just because of them.

"I don't want new friends, Jacob," she stated. "I love them, I can't leave them."

"They're a bunch of delivery people who get drunk every night to drown out the fact that they are going nowhere in life," Jacob said angrily.

"How can you say that?" she asked, never having seen this mean side of Jacob before. "You just helped two of them."

"I helped them because you asked me to, but you don't belong here," he insisted.

"People change, Jacob. I'm not the lost little girl I was a year ago who needed to be taken care of and read your work to drown out the pain she felt. I'm almost twenty-one years old and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I need to stay here," she said firmly.

"But we make such a great team," he said.

"Jacob, I've never even gone to college! And I don't want to be a scientist, I'm just good at the stuff," Kris replied. "You never bothered asking me if I enjoy science, which I don't."

"My family can pay for the college and then you can work for Medex with me," Jacob said.

Kris just looked at him. It was like he wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying.

"I don't want to work at Medex or any of that. I want to stay here," she stated.

"It's not safe here, Kris."

"It's not safe in L.A. either," she retorted.

"No, I'm talking about this transgenetic thing," he said, spitting out the word.

"What?"

"They're monsters, Kris, and they congregate in Seattle. It's dangerous here, you could get hurt. There are ones that look like humans who were trained to kill, Kris. They're these man-made soldiers who enjoy killing!"

She tried not to laugh at the irony of Jacob helping a transgenetic and then saying something as ridiculous as that. She didn't reply.

"Come home with me, Kris. I can make you happy," he persisted softly.

She looked at Jacob and knew that wasn't true. "You can't make me happy, Jacob. I'm the only one who can do that," she said softly, but full of determination. And the only way she would be happy would be if she got herself over to Alec's apartment quickly.

Jacob sighed. "Fine, Kris. You're making the biggest mistake of your life," he warned angrily, leaving her room and grabbing his suitcase. "You want to waste away in some shit town with unrealized potential then fine, it's your decision, but I'm not coming back again." He knew why she was staying. It was because of that Alec guy. He couldn't believe that he had lost to a delivery jerk with no future.

There was no way she could have dealt with Jacob's mean arrogance for a long period of time. She had never known that side of him, then again, she was really preoccupied during the time she stayed with his family. She probably never really knew him to begin with. She was making the right decision.

"I'm sorry, Jacob."

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It was raining hard. He was packed, it was about an hour after he had heard Kris say she'd go back with Jacob. He would leave in the morning on his motorcycle, go somewhere, anywhere, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

He chuckled to himself. He was such a wreck, all because of some girl. No, not some girl, the girl. But that didn't matter now. She had made her decision, and he couldn't blame her. What girl wouldn't want a guy who was intelligent and loaded?

But part of Alec couldn't believe that she was leaving. She seemed finally happy here, after all those long nights of crying about Sean. But he didn't know her when she was in Los Angeles and she was probably a lot happier then than now.

He did have one regret though, he never took the chance. It always seemed like the wrong time. First, because Kris thought Sean was dead, then because Alec didn't want her to be a one-night-stand, then because she killed Sean and suffered enormously, and now...well, it didn't matter now. Or perhaps it mattered too much. Either way, Alec didn't want to think about it anymore.

She would probably come by to say goodbye and he wondered what he would say. Confess his undying devotion to her? No, he wasn't some shmuck like Jacob. But the prospect of Kris leaving him forever hurt...badly. He hated these human emotions. He hated himself for having feelings for a girl who would be leaving him soon. And he selfishly hated her for leaving him.

There was a knock on the door.

Alec took a deep breath and opened it. Sure enough, there was Kris, soaking wet.

"Hi," she said as she shivered.

"Hey," he said, steeling himself for the news she would give him. But God, she looked amazing even though her hair was plastered to her face and she was shaking uncontrollably. Her green shirt clung to her wet skin in all the right places...

"I forgot your key again. Can I come in?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh, yeah," he said, allowing her entrance. "Why are you all wet?"

"I walked over here," she replied.

"What? With no jacket or umbrella?"

"I wasn't thinking about that," she replied. She just wanted to get to him.

"That's like six blocks in the pouring rain!" Alec exclaimed. Why couldn't Jacob drive her over here to say goodbye? What an ass, Alec thought.

"I wanted to see you," she stated simply, still shivering.

"How come?" Alec asked, trying to make her fess up to her departure as quickly as possible.

Kris thought hastily. She didn't want to tell him right then. She was cold and wet and her nerves were overwhelming her. So she thought of an excuse, "Pizza. The pizza you owe me from a week ago. I...I was just wondering when we were going to eat it," she finished lamely.

She walked five blocks in the rain to ask him about pizza when she could have just called him? Alec frowned. Lying was never her forte. "I'll get you a towel," he said, going to the bathroom.

She knew Alec didn't believe her. Why was she so terrible at lying? While he was gone, she saw there was a duffel bag on the couch. She panicked.

"Here," he said, handing her the towel.

"Thanks. Are you going somewhere?" she asked him tentatively, pointing to the bag.

"Yeah, I leave in the morning."

Her heart sank. Just when she was ready to...it didn't matter now. "Oh, are you coming back?" she croaked out, fearing his response. It's better, he'll be safer, she tried to convince herself. But her hopes had been trampled on right at the moment she wanted to pour her heart out.

"No," he said firmly.

Yup. She was too late, she had lost her chance. She wrapped the towel around her cold body feeling dreadfully alone even though Alec was in the same room. She looked at him. This would be the last time she saw him, and she memorized his image. His dark blue jeans and white shirt and slightly ruffled brown hair would always be with her. She couldn't tell if the drops on her face were from the rain or tears.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked impatiently. This was getting unbearable. He just wanted to get the goodbyes over with so he could move on and forget about her.

"Huh?"

"Jacob. Aren't you going back to L.A. with him?" he asked her, annoyed that she was playing innocent.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"I was outside your door. I overheard. He loves you, he'll put you through college, he'll shower you with riches, blah, blah, blah," he said causally.

"I'm not going."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not going," she repeated. She felt like she had been repeating herself a lot that day.

"You said okay," he stated.

"I know, but I was being an idiot," she replied. "Consider it as temporary insanity."

"But you could get out of this place. You could do important science research, save the world or something. And you could live comfortably. You could sit on a couch that wasn't lumpy. You could eat sorbet anytime you wanted instead of only after payday because that's the only time we can afford it. You could have anything you want, you could be happy," Alec ranted.

She looked at him curiously. Why did people equate riches with happiness? It really seemed like he wanted her to go. Did he want her out of his life? Things weren't making any sense.

"Like I told you, the college route was never for me. And I don't like science, I just understand it. I helped out Max and Logan because they're my friends, not because my ambition is to do research. And besides...I am happy," she replied.

Alec sighed. He couldn't believe he was trying to convince her to go. He should have been jumping for joy at that moment since she said she was staying, but instead he was trying to make her leave.

"What are you staying for?"

"My friends. Max, Logan, O.C., Sketchy, and you," she said.

"We're not worth it," he stated.

"Of course you are."

"No, I'm not worth it," he restated.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!" he yelled.

She killed Sean for him and went through all that emotional turmoil because she saved him. Now she was going to forsake a better life for him? Though it was touching because it reassured him that he was important to her, he refused to be responsible for her future regrets.

"Yes, you are! You are! Alec, I'm staying! Please don't push me away..." she yelled desperately.

"But you'll regret this," he warned loudly.

"No, I won't! I'll regret it if I go," she replied fervently.

"Why?" he asked, practically shouting. He just couldn't understand. "Don't you want that sorta life?"

"Damn it, Alec! I could care less about that. I only want you!" she blurted out.

She shocked herself with her own confession. She intended to tell him everything that night, all the things she felt for him, all the things she had kept inside, but she didn't imagine it like this...completely ungraceful and soaking wet. Nonetheless, it felt strangely comforting to say that after all this time. It was like a huge proverbial weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She wants me, he thought. There were no extenuating circumstances this time, nothing to make what she said untrue. He was in complete shock. He walked slowly over to her, his stomach in total knots and her confession ringing beautifully in his ears.

Kris looked up at Alec tentatively. What would he think of her now? She didn't want this to ruin their friendship, because that was the most important thing to her, but if they could be more...she was now completely willing to take the chance.

He brushed some of the wet hair off her cool face and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his warm fingertips. He kissed her then, slowly, softly. It was surreal. Never in his entire life had he been so overcome with emotion than at that moment. It was as though all his wishing, praying, and pining culminated in kissing her, fulfilling him.

She was ready and that fact no longer scared her. For months she had pushed the idea of a deeper relationship with Alec to the back of her mind, but she didn't want to anymore. She wanted his lips on hers forever. She wanted his arms around her forever. She wanted him forever.

All that tension that shrouded them for the past ten months dissipated with that one kiss. They parted, smiling.

"Please don't leave," she requested quietly, her forehead against his.

Her breath tickled his moist mouth and he loved it. She wanted him. "I was only leaving since I thought you were going," he replied.

"Good," she said relieved, kissing him passionately. She let the blanket fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt so warm and safe now. He held her wet body against his tightly and he could feel the water soaking his shirt. When they separated for air, she walked away from him.

Alec was completely confused. "Where are you going?" he asked her. "Bedroom," she said simply.

A huge, silly grin spread across Alec's face and Kris laughed. "Right. I knew that," he said, feigning confidence. This only made Kris laugh more.

When they actually got to his bedroom, Alec began to panic.

Kris held his hand as they walked in and felt him tense. "What's wrong?" she asked him softly, kissing his neck.

How could he do this? He, the emotionally-walled-up transgenetic who couldn't keep a girlfriend for more that a week, was going to be responsible for her heart? How could he possibly think this time would be any different than his other relationships? True, Kris was incredibly different from the other girls, but wasn't he the same guy? No matter how much he wanted to change, would he be able to treat this relationship differently? Could he trust himself to not hurt her? He honestly wasn't sure.

"I...I'm gonna screw this up," he said regretfully.

"What? You're the more experienced one, I seriously doubt that," she teased, still kissing his neck and playing with the hem of his shirt. She really wanted it off of him.

"No, I...this is different. You're not like them, you're...you're important," he tried to explain. It all sounded so corny in his head and even more so when he tried to express it.

Kris turned serious, realizing how uncomfortable he was. "We don't have to do this tonight," she said, stopping her kisses.

"No, that's not it. I don't want to be the in and out kinda guy anymore. I want you here, always. But I'll mess this up, I know I will. Someday, I'll hurt you and this'll all be over and I'll lose you," he stammered.

Kris had always imagined him as the suave lover, then again, he probably was with the other women. She held his face and stared into his eyes, trying to reassure him that she wasn't going anywhere.

She wanted him to see all of her, no walls, just her. Though she was fully aware that Alec could break her heart at some point or another, that was a risk she wanted to take.

"I trust you, Alec," she whispered.

Those four words amazed him. She trusted him with her heart, her soul, her future, everything. She gave it to him willingly as proof of her faith in him. He swore to himself that he wouldn't mess up this chance, this gift that she gave him. Alec wanted to tell her what he felt inside, but the words got caught in his throat.

So instead, he showed her.

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Author's Note: What do you think?? Chapter 17 is partially written, but I have a feeling, with school and all, that I won't be able to get that out for a while. There are a lot of issues I want to resolve as well, such as White, and I know how I want to resolve them, but it'll take a while to update, just a warning. I hope the knowledge that Kris and Alec are finally together will be satisfying enough for now. Thanks for your support and please let me know what you think!