Second chance

After a moment, Skye and Alexandra eventually came back to each other, pointing out that they could be a little bit warmer if they were closer. They sat back to back, but both stayed silent during half an hour or so, until Alexandra spoke again.

"If your mother has not noticed your absence, I sure know someone who noticed mine this time."

"You're talking to me, now?" Skye mumbled, half asleep.

"I was supposed to meet Maddy 30 minutes ago," Alexandra continued, not paying attention to Skye's sarcastic remark.

"At night?"

"Yes, she wanted to show me an insect that sings and lights at night. Looks like a firefly to me but Maddy insisted it was different... Well, you know Maddy, it's hard to say no to her."

"Yeah…" Skye murmured.

"I'm sure she didn't know about the storm either."

"Yeah," Skye whispered, her eyes shutting slowly. Alarmed by Skye's small voice and her lack of interest, Alexandra turned to face her.

"Hey Skye, stay with me," Alexandra commanded her, shaking her vigorously. "Stay awake. Don't let the cold get to you."

"I'm so tired."

"It's only the cold that makes you sleep. Hey, Skye, talk to me! Say something."

"Am I allowed to talk now?" She chuckled awkwardly.

"Yes, whatever you want. Just, don't sleep!" Alexandra ordered her, worried.

"Your disappearance destroyed him," Skye started to say.

"What?"

"He was so distressed."

"Who?"

"Lucas."

"Don't you have another subject to talk about than Lucas?" Alexandra wanted so much to talk about someone else. She was struggling to keep Lucas as a friend, to stay away enough so he would not think she wanted more from him. It was already a hard challenge. Why couldn't people stop talking about him in every conversation?

"He became violent again," Skye continued as if Alexandra had said nothing. "Madness drove him crazy. He was a danger for the others as much as for himself."

"I can't change that, can I?"

"Of course you can, only you can."

"God damn it! Why can't people stop thinking I'm a kind of antidote to Lucas' behavior?" She blurted out.

"When you were not here, nobody could control him. He had extreme reactions. We all thought he had lost his mind."

"Lucas doesn't need to be controlled," she complained. "He just needs people to listen to him, to understand him, to care for him, to be there for him. He needs what everybody does."

"It's what you used to do, what you used to give him. And no one can replace you. No one. Everybody was upset after what happened, of course, but Lucas... Lucas was completely unhinged. People started to wonder if he was sane enough to live with us."

"I've heard that…"

"You know, Taylor forbade people to harm Thomas. Otherwise, he would have been dead by now. Actually, he almost died in Lucas' hands… It took three men to stop him. Taylor had to put him in the brig for two days to calm him down. Once again, Lucas was renowned for having a short fuse and often got into fights."

"What's the deal between Lucas and Thomas? Why are they acting like they're friends?" Alexandra asked, taking the opportunity of the discussion to find answers she had not found out about Thomas.

"After Lucas almost killed Thomas, he came back to him and made a pact. Lucas promised he would not kill him if Thomas helped him with the portal. He was certain Thomas knew a lot of things about your parents and their projects. I think, in a kind of twisted way, Thomas reminded him of you."

"I would have killed Thomas if I had been there," Alexandra swore forcefully.

"The problem is, when Taylor realized how much Lucas was obsessed with his work, he decided he had to stop him. Taylor announced that they would stop looking for you… Lucas went hopping mad when he understood that. He had had a fit. He was really pissed off."

"When was it?"

"6 months ago."

Alexandra stayed silent at the discovering of this information.

"Don't misunderstand what I'm saying," Skye quickly added. "Taylor wanted him to stop looking for you only because it was driving his son insane. He had hoped it would help him, he just wanted to help him," she shook her head in despair. "But, of course, Lucas bit his head off! His blood boiled in a second and he shot Taylor... And Taylor shot him too in defense..."

"They shot each other?" For the first time, Alexandra dropped her cold and distant attitude with Skye, really surprised to hear that.

"Jim had to separate them. He sent Lucas away at Outpost 9. It took a good week for Taylor to be himself again. Every time you bring back the subject, it makes his hackles rise. But now, they are normal again. I mean, they can stay in the same room. Honestly, I don't know how they did this. Going so deep, so badly hurt, and then stand up again, like nothing has never happened."

"They are Taylors. You can expect them to survive everything," she chuckled, her lips trembling from the cold.

"It's not only them. It's you."

"Me?"

"You made them get back together. It's what you do. It's what you did. You always helped them to communicate."

"I can tell you that I did nothing recently to help them."

"You just don't see it, that's all."

"What about you and Josh, huh?" Alexandra changed the subject of the conversation. "I don't understand why you're not back together. Because you're talking about me and Lucas all the time, but look at you! Josh loves you. He really does."

"No, Josh is… He's not even talking to me anymore."

"Have you tried?"

"What?"

"Tried to talk to him?"

"What for? He doesn't want me in his life. He made that clear."

"Life is all about risks and it requires you to jump. Don't be a person who has to look back and wonder what they would have or could have had. No one waits forever."

"We accept the love we deserve… I don't deserve him. He deserves better."

"You think he deserves someone better than you?" Alexandra was surprised and slightly annoyed at the same time. She had hated it when Lucas had told her once she deserved someone better than him. People should stop deciding for others what was good for them. "It's not your decision to make."

"His love for me… Or whatever it was, it doesn't exist anymore. He doesn't want me anymore. It's evident."

"We all want to know that a man will never let us go, that he'll fight for us. It's how most women in the world were raised. An undying love for us, a man that don't want to see us go. But life is not as simple as that. The fact that Josh is not chasing you doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings for you."

"Like Lucas and you?"

"Can't you stop comparing what's not comparable?"

"Isn't it the same for you and Lucas? He still loves you and I'm sure you still love him too, but you're avoiding him."

"I was talking about you and Josh here."

"It's your theory I'm applying, not mine."

"It's different," she shook her head.

"Why?"

"I have my own reasons."

"Alex, can't you see how much you mean to Lucas? He stayed in Terra Nova, he fought next to his father to save Terra Nova, everything he did, he did it for you." Alexandra didn't want to hear it. It didn't fit with her plan at all.

"Skye, you are changing the subject again. Let's talk about Josh, would you?"

"Josh was flirting with Mia the other night. I think it's obvious he moved on."

"Who's Mia?"

"A girl from the ninth pilgrimage. She's his age. You probably saw her at your party. Dark hair, green eyes, as thin as possible... Perfect," she snorted.

"The only thing I noticed about Josh that night was how he was devouring you from head to toe! He was clearly annoyed when you danced with Max. It was pure jealousy!"

"Really?" For the first time, Skye's voice seemed normal again, her interest for Josh warming her up.

"I've heard Josh has been fighting a lot lately. Since when did his rebellious side take over again?"

Skye seemed to ponder Alexandra's question before answering.

"Since you came back."

"You probably mean since you are back! I remember clearly that you stopped working at the second lab when I came back. Isn't it obvious? He fights for you!"

"That's ridiculous."

"No, that's a boy thing! Millennia of evolution of the human race, and they remain practicing like in the Stone Age."

"Cavemen."

"Absolutely," Alexandra smiled lightly. "Skye, if you love Josh, then you should do everything you can to be with him. People say; 'What's the point in liking someone who doesn't like you back?' They are right, there isn't a point. But you can't help who you like, it's not up to you. Your heart kinda just decides for you and there is no turning back once your heart makes up its mind."

"My heart made up its mind a long time ago."

"Then you should give him a second chance. Give yourself a second chance, Skye."

"Maybe, if we get out of here alive…"

"Skye, look at me. I won't let you down. I swear to you."

"You're trembling," Skye stated, her voice suddenly filled with concern.

"It's the cold,"

"No, it's not!"

"It is," Alexandra lied. She had started to feel pain again and had hoped it would not show. Not now, not yet.

"Are you crying?" Skye asked with worry, this time totally awake.

"It's raining, Skye," Alexandra mocked. But it didn't seem to convince Skye who stared at her suspiciously, reminding her why she had followed her in the first place.

"You can talk to me," Skye said seriously.

"Thank you," Alexandra responded honestly. "But I'm okay."

"I know it must seem frightening to have your life turned upside down. I've been there too. Trust me, you'll make it through. You just need to accept people's help."

"Skye, honestly, I appreciate your interest for me, for my health. But I'm fine and I will not get back with Lucas. We are friends and it's better that way. I won't be good for him, trust me on that. I'd like to keep some things to myself and I know you want to help, but really, I don't want to share them with you, with anyone for that matter." Alexandra felt guilty for her previous attitude with Skye. She knew Skye wanted only to help, but all she wanted was to stay alone.

Alexandra was trying hard to look fine but stress was taking its toll on her, making her muscles tighten so much that huge trembling was threatening her. She couldn't miss her appointment with Dr Shannon at dawn. She was totally in control the whole way, but now, anxiousness was building inside her. "We need to get out," she stated firmly.

The second she told Skye they needed to get out, a huge lightning split the sky, illuminating the entrance of the hole. They heard a huge crack and looked up in time to see a big mass approaching the hole. Both Skye and Alexandra gasped as the huge tree fell at the top of the hole, covering the entrance, hiding them from the rest of the world as if it had never existed.

Skye jumped on Alexandra to protect her. They kneeled down, covering their heads with their arms, as branches fell on them. They stayed immobile until they were sure nothing would fall on them again. They looked up and sighed, relieved. Fortunately, the tree didn't completely fall into the hole. Yet, the entrance was totally covered. This time, fear invaded Alexandra and her mind seemed to be unable to think straight anymore, her thoughts totally incoherent. She stayed motionless, staring absently to the entrance.

"It's the end..." She whispered, her throat tight.

"No, this is not the end," Skye smiled. "It's the escape plan we were waiting for!" Alexandra looked at her and saw determination and joy in her eyes. "Let's go!" Skye informed her before starting to grab a branch to climb to. Alexandra mimicked her and they were soon out of their prison.

Once they were free, they let their bodies fall on the ground, panting. The storm seemed to stop as quickly as it started and the girls could see the sun rising slowly away. They stayed speechless, motionlessly lying on their backs, trying to catch their breath. When Skye saw what they looked like, covered in mud, their clothes soaked, she started laughing without reason, soon joined by Alexandra.

"Don't think I have forgotten you didn't tell me," Skye smiled mischievously to Alexandra.

"I know," Alexandra grinned too. "Life is too short for you to worry about me. Honestly, just enjoy your life, find Josh and tell him you still love him, be happy. But above all, don't worry about me, live your life."

"Skye?" They heard a known voice yell.

They both sat up and saw Josh and Lucas running to them.

"He came to rescue you, with Lucas. Lucas!" Alexandra chuckled in Skye's ear. "Do you see how desperate he was to find you?"

Skye didn't reply but she couldn't stop from beaming. Yes, Josh was there to rescue her. Her heart hammered in her chest, happiness filling her whole body.

"Skye!" Josh said, relieved, when he approached close enough to see she was okay. Lucas stopped few meters away and crossed his arms on his chest, his eyes narrowed on the girls. Alexandra stood up while Josh held out his hand to Skye and helped her to stand up. Skye looked at him and a smile spread on her face again.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head.

Lucas was staring at the girls, a mischievous smirk playing on his face.

"What?" Skye asked when she spotted him.

"Did you do mud wrestling?" Lucas beamed with excitement, lust reflecting in his eyes. Joking had always been a good way to hide his anguish. When he had seen their immobile bodies on the ground, he had thought they were dead.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Alexandra taunted him.

"I would not dislike it…" He smiled.

"Pervert!"

"I have no problem with that," he grinned. Alexandra shook her head, amused. Then she saw at the corner of her eyes that Skye and Josh were staring at each other. It was obvious they needed to talk alone. She grabbed Lucas' elbow and pulled him with her.

"Come on, leave them alone."

"Maybe I should keep an eye on them, just in case. I wouldn't be a good brother if I didn't, right?"

"I think they need privacy."

"I don't mind sharing," he chuckled.

"Well, I think they do," she snapped, putting both her hands on his back and pushing him forward.

"No, Alex, I will not follow you in that wild jungle, it's not a good idea just the two of us, all alone," he shouted, beaming.

"Come on," she said grabbing his arm while Skye and Josh were looking at them, bemused.

"How did you end up here with Skye?" Lucas asked her when they entered the jungle.

"I needed to get out. She just happened to follow me."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. Who knows what's happening in her head."

"No, I mean why did you need to get out?"

"I felt a little bit claustrophobic in the colony. I needed some air."

"You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep recently?" He asked, concerned.

"I have some… trouble sleeping."

"Trouble?"

"Mostly nightmares that keep me awake."

"You can talk to me about it. It helps sometimes."

"Thanks but, I don't know. I just can't sleep. That's all. I guess I have too many things on mind."

"Do you want me to sleep with you?" He asked her, half serious, half joking. "'Cause you would be tired for a good reason. I'm sure you would sleep well after that. And for sure it'd make you forget all your problems," he smiled.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she chuckled, quickening her pace, leaving him behind.

"We don't need to have sex if you don't want to," he chased after her. "I mean there are plenty of other things we can do," he said in a suggestive tone. "You know, I…"

"Shut up!" She cut him off, smiling.

"I'm just saying, as a friend, you know, I can help you," he smirked widely.

"Enough!" She shoved him away, leaving a large trace of mud on his shirt. "I really need a shower," she complained with disgust at the sight of her body still covered in mud.

"Do you want me to rub your back? I can do that! You know how much I'm good at it," he said in a seductive tone.

"God, you never stop!" She laughed.

"Is that a yes?" He said, coming to her and stopping inches away from her.

"No! Of course it's not!" She pushed him before continuing walking. Lucas followed her, insisting all the way back to the rover that he was there for her and how he could help her to feel better. Alexandra could see how much fun he was having teasing her. He was clearly enjoying this game. In the end, she turned to him and sighed.

"Ok, you won. I'm gonna have sex with you."

"Really?" He asked, his eyes widening in surprise as she approached him. "Here?" He continued, perplexed.

"Here," she stated. She put her arms around his neck, her sparkling eyes locked into his, and licked her lips seductively. Then she tilted her face and leaned close to his, letting her lips brush his jaw, heading to his ear. She felt him shiver under her touch and it made her smile.

"In your dreams," she replied simply before tightening her embrace and rubbing her arms, legs, hair, face… In fact her whole body against him, covering him in mud. He didn't move, though, knowing perfectly he had just lost at his own game and endured his punishment. She stepped away and gave him a satisfied look. "There you are. Perfect. Now, we match!"

And she left him without turning back to see his reaction. Lucas looked at her, smiling. She had won this part of the game and yet he couldn't be happier. He didn't know it was possible, but he was even more attracted to her than he had ever been before. Lucas had the feeling that the walls she had built around her were cracking and each time she was allowing him to be closer. Soon, he would have her back, he was sure of it.

"You're very funny for someone who has just spent her last night in a muddy hole accompanied by her worst enemy!"

"She might not be my worst enemy after all," he heard her say.

He was really surprised to see how quickly she had come back to herself, the one he knew before, the smiling one, the funny one.

"You're shivering, you should take your clothes off."

"Sure, I'd like to be naked right now," she mocked.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said seriously, taking his long sleeves shirt off and holding it out to her. "Wear this."

"Aren't you gonna be cold with just a tee-shirt on?"

"You know how warm I am," he winked. "I won't suffer the cold."

Alexandra hesitated a second, but when a quiver ran down her spine, she just grabbed the shirt and turned her back to Lucas to take her soaked shirt off.

"Happy?" Alexandra asked him, as she turned back to him, his shirt on her.

"Elated," he drawled.

"You drive me crazy," Alexandra chuckled.

"I know I do," Lucas beamed.

His smile faded when hers disappeared from her face. All of a sudden, Alexandra didn't feel well and nausea started threatening her again.

"Excuse me a minute," she said to Lucas, heading in the opposite direction.

"The rover is over there," he claimed.

"I need some private time," she shouted, continuing to walk away.

"Okay, but don't go too far. I don't want to rescue you twice!"

"You're so generous," he heard her laugh.

After two minutes of waiting, Lucas went where he had seen her go and slowly approached. He couldn't see her completely, but what he was sure of was what he heard : she was vomiting. Lucas restrained himself from coming closer and walked back silently to the rover, his concern higher than before.

Josh and Skye rejoined him a few minutes later, hand in hand. By the happy look they had, Lucas didn't have to ask them if they were reconciled. In a normal time, he would have made fun of them, but he was not in the mood.

"Everything okay?" He asked innocently when Alexandra came back a few minutes later.

"Yep, perfect," she smiled.

He wanted to tell her she was a liar, but instead, he kept a cool attitude.

"Good," he replied with a fixed grin, hiding his anxiousness. "We should go then."

Alexandra and Skye told the boys how they ended up stuck in the hole, then Josh explained to them how they had found them. Lucas stayed silent and drove them back to the colony where, as they had expected it, everyone was waiting for them.

Taylor, Jim and Damon were holding their arms to their chest, a disapproval look on their faces. Deborah and Elisabeth were arm in arm, apparently supporting each other.

"Oh Skye!" Deborah scolded her daughter when she got out of the car. "Don't you ever do this to me again!"

"Promise," Skye swore, embracing her mother.

"Josh, you were grounded…" Jim started to say seriously.

"Mum said I was allowed…" Josh defended himself.

"I know."

"And I swore to Mrs. Tate I would bring her daughter back," he continued.

"I know," Jim cut. "Good job," he smiled proudly, squeezing his son's shoulder.

"Lucas," Taylor greeted.

"Father," he nodded in return.

"I don't remember I allowed anyone to go outside the gates last night."

"Aging is not as easy as it seems, is it?" Lucas smirked, his comment resulting in a thin smile from his father.

"You made a lot of people worry about you two girls," Taylor pointed out, making Skye squirm.

"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault," Alexandra explained. "I knew Skye was working on plants at the second lab and I told her about one I know is in the jungle, and I proposed her to come with me to see it, and then Slashers attacked us, and I didn't know about the storm, and we've been stuck and…"

"Calm down! Easy Alex," Taylor stopped her. "We'll talk about it later. We're happy you're all fine."

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Skye has nothing to do with it. Lucas and Josh neither."

"There are no mistakes in life, only lessons," Taylor said warmly. "And I'm sure you both learnt one."

"You should go and have a shower," Damon stated. "You stink."

"Yeah, I won't refuse a good shower."

"Alex, you should come with me first. I'm gonna check you," Elisabeth commanded her.

"She's fine," Lucas responded defensively.

"You can't know that," Elisabeth frowned.

"Don't worry, Lucas. I promise I'll give your shirt back," Alexandra reassured him with a sly smile.

Lucas frowned suspiciously as Alexandra left him, following Dr. Shannon. Since the beginning, Alexandra had avoided the infirmary as we avoid the plague and now she wanted to go? What was going on? Her pale face and her sickly state started to worry him. Lucas tried to recollect the last events to find out what he could have missed to explain it. She was acting strange lately, sometimes upset, sometimes sad, sometimes happy. Also, she was tired all the time. And now, he had seen her vomit. All of a sudden, a horrible idea crossed his mind. Sick? Wait, sick as in, morning sickness? Was it possible? No, she couldn't, could she? She would have never done that to him, not her.

Lucas felt suddenly nauseous too. His Alexandra, pregnant? No, it was not an option, not even a possibility. She had always been faithful to him, even in their darkest moments. Could she have had someone else in her life during her time in 2150? Lucas' body and mind slowly filled with anger and anxiousness, as his thoughts started to wander about every reason why Alexandra could have lie to him so badly. There was only one reason why she would have lied to him and it was only if she had to hide very bad news from him.

What could he do? What should he do? He was suddenly unable to think. The only thing he was sure of was that he could not tolerate this treason. No, he could not live knowing that she was having someone else's baby. He could not let that happen or it would be the end of their relationship. But first of all, he would have to confront her and force her to tell him the truth, all of it. And now, he was ready to use whatever he needed to have that verity.


So... Is Lucas right or wrong? You'll find out in the next chapter! Any theory?