First of all, thanks everyone for your reviews. You don't know how much it means to me! After a hard day at work, you make my day with your comments! There is chapter 11, let see how our two people handle their life in the jungle! :)
Back to the beginning
Alexandra had never really thought about what it was going to be like living in the jungle with Lucas. She had already experienced it but now it was suddenly more real. It was going to be her new life, maybe forever. When she woke up the next day, Lucas was staring at her. His glance was impenetrable.
"Morning?" She said, confused.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Are you ok?" She asked, eyes furrowed.
"Perfect. I was thinking a lot last night."
"About what?" She asked, while sitting cross–legged, facing him.
"About us." He stated. "We have to leave the falls. It's too visible. I know a safe place, you'll like it. It's only a day's walk." He spoke quickly as if he had to say everything fast in order to not forget anything. Apparently, he had thought a lot about it.
"I like it here," she winced.
"I know you've been here before with some teens from Terra Nova. They will come back. We can't stay here."
"I knew it! You've been following me!"
"What?" He was startled.
"You were there that day when we jumped into the falls, weren't you? I was sure someone had followed us."
"I saw you save that girl. But I was not following you. It happened I was there when you all arrived. I just observed you."
"Why you didn't show yourself?" She asked seriously.
"Why didn't you?"
"I don't understand."
"I know you knew I was there. Why you didn't try to come to me?"
"No, I didn't know you were there. I… I only guessed it was possible. Why didn't you show yourself?"
"I didn't know what I could do to you," he confessed.
"Meaning?"
"As you may recall, I was still thinking you betrayed me at the time," he replied harshly than he intended.
"Hang on, are we having an argument right now, Seriously? Didn't we agree last night I was not lying to you so you should have to stop being paranoid?"
"Does it sound like it?"
"Yes it does!"
Lucas had not seen it coming. Once again, he realized how he wasn't used to talking to 'normal' people.
"I didn't intend to."
"You know what? It's ok," she sighed. "It doesn't matter. It's my fault, I'm not a morning person. I want you to feel free to tell me what you've got in mind. Even if you're not good at saying it, ok?"
Lucas nodded. He had thought about what they were going to do for the most part of the night. Actually, it was when he had heard her call his name during her sleep that he had started to realize what her presence with him would imply. He had promised her that he would stay with her, but he had some things to deal with first, such as Mira, the Sixers and the Phoenix group. And it was not an easy task.
Alexandra knew he had not been sleeping a lot. The dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. She could know by the expression on his face that he was worried about something. Being a genius was surely not easy every day. She felt sorry for him. His face was confused now. She rose and approached him to take him in her arms, in peace. She felt relieved when she felt him tighten his grip. For a moment, she had been afraid that he'd rejected her. She felt him relax in her arms. His muscles released him slowly from the pressure he had felt.
He sighed before taking a deep breath. Lucas liked the beneficial presence Alexandra had on him. However, it was all new to him and somehow, it frightened him. Lucas drew back his head slightly to meet Alexandra's gaze. He could get lost for hours looking at her beautiful blue intense eyes. Lucas wanted to lean closer, to kiss her again, to feel her lips on his again. But he was not sure she wanted to, knowing how he had reacted the first time, he would understand if she'd refused.
Alexandra had been the first to kiss Lucas and what had happened next had not been a success. She had decided she would let Lucas handle it next time. Only if he wanted to reiterate of course. Alexandra wondered if they were together as a couple or just as friends. Lucas had made no attempt to show her what he wanted them to be. In some ways, she knew him well, but at the same time, he was a mystery.
They kept staring at each other for a moment until Lucas slowly closed the gap between them and gently kissed her. She felt her cheeks blush. Her heart raced in her rib cage when his lips touched hers. They exchanged a long and deep kiss, their tongues dueling perfectly, their mouths fitting absolutely well. Lucas broke their kiss, panting. He laid his head against hers, his eyes shut. Alexandra felt relieved. He had kissed her. He wanted her the way she wanted him. He opened his eyes to see she was looking at him, her eyes bright, smiling. He couldn't stop him from smiling too.
"We have to go," he sighed.
"I know. I'm ready." She nodded.
He gave her a last quick kiss and took her hand. "Let's go, then."
It took them the whole day to reach their new home but it was worth the trip. They stopped twice to eat because Alexandra had asked him to. Eventually, Lucas stopped at night.
"We are here," he smiled.
In the middle of the jungle, near a river, a gigantic tree stood in the center of smaller trees. Lucas disappeared inside the massive trunk. Alexandra followed him, eyes wide open. Inside, the trunk was partially empty, giving access to a scale that took them to the top of the tree. Alexandra was stunned. The view from their new hiding place was breathtaking. They had a view of the river below, not far away was a mountain and they could see everything that was happening around them. It was like being in a tower, except that they were hidden and their shelter was made of wood. There was a large bed, a table, a chair and two big wooden boxes.
"What's in it?" Alexandra asked, showing the boxes with her hand.
"Clothes, toiletries and other stuff in this one," he gestured. "This one is for food. But it's empty so we have to fill it up!"
"I think I'm ok for tonight, if you are too?" Alexandra told him.
"Yes. I can wait until tomorrow before eating. Can you?" He was suspicious.
"Yeah I'm ok. It's not going to hurt me. I might lose some weight! It would not be a drama!" She joked.
"Ok, but I could go and grab some fruits if you'd like. Because if you're too lazy to go, I can," he mocked.
"I'm not lazy!" She smiled. "I'm perfectly ok," she tried to sound enthusiastic. But it didn't fool him though. A smile was playing around the edges of his lips.
"Tell me the truth," he smiled crookedly, looking her straight in the face, utilizing the full power of his intense green eyes.
"No it's… uh…," she gulped. He stepped closer to her.
"Yes?"
"It's just… I don't want you to go outside at night. It's dangerous out there," she confessed. It made him laugh out loud. She had never seen him laugh like that before.
"Stop it!" She smacked, half smiling. He took her head in his hand and kissed her softly.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll be out for 15 minutes max. Ok?"
"Ok," she nodded.
He was on his way out when he turned back to her. "Would you do me a favour while I'm out?"
She pressed her lips together, staring at him through narrowed eyes, deciding. "Probably."
"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who attracts accidents like a magnet. So… Don't fall from this tree or drown in the river."
"Yeah I think I can handle that," she snapped, forcing a smile. She was sure she heard him laugh long after he was gone.
When Lucas came back, he found Alexandra sleeping in the bed. He put the food he had found in the box and leaned next to her. He slowly wrapped her to not awake her. He quickly fell asleep too, exhausted from their walk and from his last night spent awake.
The days that followed, Lucas showed Alexandra how to hunt and fish, how to cope alone. He was reluctant at first, but she insisted, saying he had to train her, just in case. Lucas wanted to be the only one who could protect her, but he knew it was not possible. The last time he had left, she had paid a high price. She was clever, Lucas had noticed it when they first met. But now, he could see she had abilities to learn. Not like the genius he was, more like skills that needed to be developed.
It was almost dawn and they had spent their night talking. Lucas had always thought he did not like to talk about him. The only times when he did, it was often to brag or make fun of others. He was surprised to realize how easy it was to talk with her. It was not annoying at all. He discovered that he actually was quite chatty.
"Tell me something I don't know about you." Alexandra asked Lucas.
"You first."
"Ok, I'll start but you have to get our breakfast," She bargained.
"Ok. Won't change anything will it?" he smirked. She smacked his arms.
"Piss off!" She laughed. "Ok. Mmm… When I was 3, I went on the highway with my bicycle!" She smiled, proud of herself.
"How did that happen?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.
"My parents were working, as usual. They realized I was gone because it was too quiet in the street. Even the neighbors knew something was wrong!"
"I believe that!"
"A driver stopped and walked me back home."
"You've been lucky! Now I know that it's not only because of me. You've always been like that."
"Like what?"
"Reckless."
"I would not say reckless," she pretending to sulk. "Curious?"
"Fair enough." He smirked.
"Your turn!"
"Ok. A childhood story then. Mmm… When I was 8, my parents and I were in a military camp in Africa. One night, I sneaked out to see some lions I had caught sight of in the morning. I found them and realized that there were only babies. Their parents had left them, or so I thought at the time. I took one with me and ran away with it. I hid it in my cupboard. I didn't want my father to find out. The next morning, I discovered it was gone! I found my clothes cut apart and then I heard a scream from the kitchen. The lion cub was eating the food from the dish my mother had let fall. When she realized I brought it in, she didn't punish me. She explained to me we could not keep it with us, that his life was out with his family. She helped me to sneak out again and we released the lion cub. She never told my father. It was our secret…"
"She seemed to be a wonderful mum."
"Yes she was the best." She shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice.
"I can see you were reckless too," she tried to lighten his mood.
"I would not say reckless," he mimicked her. "Brave?"
"Fair enough," she smiled. They continued their chat until they were too exhausted, then fell asleep in each other's arms.
Commander Taylor was working, staring papers on his desk. He read the sentence on it for the second time and stopped. He couldn't concentrate. Jim had been a pain in the ass since Taylor had banished Alexandra. He wanted her back. But Taylor didn't need Jim to know that he had made a mistake. He had regretted his decision the day he made it. He knew it would not be that easy to find her in the jungle if she was with Lucas. His son knew how to stay hidden. It would be easier to find her if she was alone. Taylor didn't like this idea much. If she was on her own, she could not defend herself for long. At least, she would be safe if she was with Lucas. So he hoped. He knew he had banished her for bad reasons. He had made her pay for his son's betrayal. She didn't deserve it. She had always been loyal to Terra Nova, to him. His heart clenched at the thought of what he had done. He had to find her and bring her back home.
