History Repeated - Part 15: I'll Stand By You

The next morning Tess began to pull her clothes out of the wardrobe. She'd hardly been unpacked for 24 hours, but she didn't care. If Alex wanted to play the good Samaritan then he could, she wouldn't stop him. But she wasn't going to stick around and watch it happen. If Nick was going to find out the truth, she'd rather it be while she wasn't around.

"So you're heading back to the city then?" Alex asked, coming into her room.

Tess turned to face Alex and met his gaze, "You haven't really given me a choice Alex."

"I'm not forcing you outa here, you're walking on your own Tess," Alex stated.

"Why can't you just support me?" Tess asked him. If Alex answered one question, she wanted it to be that one. He'd always been there for her in the past, what was so different now?.

Alex sighed, "I'm trying to support you as best I can Tess, but Nick's my brother. What would you do if you were me?"

Tess shuddered as the question ran through her mind and the answer hit her hard. She'd do exactly what Alex was doing if their roles were reversed.

"You'd do the same," Alex said as he noticed her reaction. "Tess you need help. You can't do this on your own," Alex stated the facts as they came to mind. "And this kid needs a father, what are you gonna do about that?"

"Well you're good with kids Alex" Tess said half jokingly.

"Oh yeah, and people are really gonna believe that I'm its father!" Sarcasm dripped off Alex's tongue. "Or do you forget what happened last time a McLeod tried to pull this sorta thing?"

"No I didn't mean that... I Just...Alex please," Tess whispered as she moved towards him. "Please... just understand where I'm coming from here. I love Nick too much to hurt him."

There was a long silence as Alex stared down into those beautiful eyes of hers. She was pleading for him to do this one thing for her. He'd never seen her like this before. He'd never seen her look so scared and helpless.

She was pulling his heart to pieces, this girl was. So he merely said, "Well don't just stand there, unpack your stuff," before exiting the room.

He knew that if he hadn't taken that leap and followed his heart, that he would lose Tess' friendship for good. And he didn't want that. Nor did he want her going through this pregnancy on her own.

The time would come when Tess would feel ready, and confidant enough to tell Nick about his child. And when that time was upon them, Alex would be by her side, giving her everything she could. As a mate, and as family, he would stand by her till the end.