*Eleven*

Alastair's words kept ringing in her head, as well as her own response:

"Are you and Daddy going to break up?"

"...I don't know what's going on with your dad at the moment - it's complicated. But we haven't said anything about breaking up, okay?"

"Okay," he had responded, so happily, so reassured.

Well, it certainly felt like they had broken up now. Again, how quickly things could change.

It was going to break his sweet heart.

Hoping to avoid Max at all costs had been wishful thinking from the start, right from the beginning. She should have known it would not last. And besides, they had to face this new situation some time.

Here she was, clearing her stuff out of their shared apartment, her home, their home. This packing up made her realize just how much stuff she had at the apartment - all her stuff. This only made sense, for it had been her home, and their home, for many months.

The sound of the key in the door made her jump, breaking her from her jumble of thoughts - who could it be?

But who else would it be?

"Oh, Lina, hi. I'm glad you're here," Max said when he saw her.

"I'll be done soon." Was that more to reassure herself, or him?

"No rush, take your time," he assured her. Then he realized what she was doing. "You're really packing everything up."

"Yes."

"It's been lonely without you here."

His words pulled at her heartstrings, but she didn't admit that she had been missing him too, just as much.

"Alastair's been asking about you. He misses you."

"I miss him too." This she did admit. Then she handed him a cheque. "I returned the necklace, to the jewelry store. It was beautiful, but it was just too much. And you need the money." Especially now with the fall of the company.

"Oh." he nodded, sadly almost. Then he said, "Is there anything I can do, or say, that will make you stay?"

"I think we're already past that."

He nodded in defeat, head hanging low, bangs sweeping over his face, hands jammed deep into his pockets. "Worth a shot. So that's it then?"

"Well what do you want me to say, Max? What do you want me to do? I had no idea what was going on for days. First, the company is suddenly an overnight success, then you jaunt off to Cairo, then I find out you stole something from the Smithsonian, and then all the people, the wishes, the president, the screens..." She didn't need to continue. "And I almost got shot! Several times at the White House! Then, Alastair and I almost got attacked by the crowd outside the building, and then a nuclear war almost hit us!"

"I would never have let them hurt you."

"But it was chaos, anything could have happened! And you were certainly not yourself. And then having to tell Alastair that I wasn't sure if you were coming back this time was the worst thing I've ever had to do." The tears were coming back.

Max now looked close to tears himself. "Oh, Lina, I-" He didn't know what to say, and so he cupped her face in his hands, pulling her close to him. "I was misguided, Diana helped me see what I could not."

"Thank God she did. Not even I could, not even Alastair..."

"Oh, Lina-"

She pulled away from his embrace, wiping her tears. "I submitted my application."

"For college?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful, where to?"

"I've started saving - I'm really going forward with this," she tried to keep her voice steady, but her words came out breathy, almost unable to believe it herself. This was really happening - she was really reaching for college. "To NYU."

"New York? Out of state..."

"Yes."

"Oh..." He nodded, absorbing her words, absorbing what this meant: she was leaving. He didn't need to say it, his expression said it all: I thought you were staying local. "Please tell me this isn't because of what happened, of what I did..." But her look said it all in return. "Oh, Lina..."

"I think we both need some space..." But her tears betrayed her words.

They held one another, just held one another, and cried. As they clung to one another, their lips found each other, and they stumbled blindly to their bedroom, tearing at clothes as they went.

They ended up in bed, still desperately clinging to each other, not wanting to let each other go, never wanting to break apart.

But eventually, they had to.

"I don't know what to do now," she admitted into the dark a while later.

"I don't either," he agreed.

"I haven't even been accepted yet," she said, back to the subject of college.

"I'm sure you'll hear soon."

"I want to do this."

"I know. And I want you to do this. And I promised I would support whatever decision you made. And I will keep that promise. I promise."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You promise to keep a promise."

"Si."

"We had a good life, before. A few weeks ago. I know you were struggling with work, and between work and family, but we had each other and our support. When Alastair and I were at the mall that day, we were throwing pennies in the fountain making wishes. Do you know what I wished for?"

"What, mi amor?"

"That everything could stay as it was. I didn't have to go to college, didn't have to have that beautiful necklace, I had everything I wanted. I have everything I want... Life is good-" She didn't even mean to quote his commercial.

"But it can be better," he finished.

"It already is. I love you, Maxwell Lorenzano."

"Oh, Lina." He pulled her close to him again so that they were bare chest to bare chest. "I want to give you everything."

"You already have. You don't need to worry. Just be there, with us."

"That I can do. You are my everything. You and Alastair, mi mundo. I can't believe I ever lost sight of that. But I promise I will make it up to you both for the rest of my life. Also, I still want to marry you, if you will have me."

She grinned. "Is this a proposal?"

"It can be, although I had a plan for how I wanted to propose."

She chuckled. "I look forward to it, amor."

"Does this mean you'll stay? At least before college, I mean."

"Si, mi amor. I'll stay. I love you."

"Oh, good. That is such a relief," he breathed, exhaling a heavy sigh as though he had been holding a deep breath. "I love you too, so much."

"So much," she agreed. "I guess that means I'll have to move my stuff back here - my sister is going to be so confused. I'll have to move the clothes first - I only have the pair of clothes I was wearing."

"That's all right," Max said. "For what I have planned, we won't be needing any clothes."

Lina laughed and snuggled against him - did it ever feel good to be back to where they had been.

Spanish Translations

Si - yes

Mi amor - my love

Mi mundo - my world

This chapter took longer than I'd hoped, but here it is! I like the way it turned out :)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)