Happy birthday to this fic! 1 year ago I posted the first chapter of this story! 68 chapters later, I'm still here!
I'd like to thank the people who are still there, supporting me after a year! Thanks everyone! Some of you added me to their alert list, some of you to their favorite list. In any case, I thank you for that.
Now, let's just have some fun! Enjoy this chapter!
Alive
Lucas followed Mark to the headquarters in silence. Strangely, he was not in a hurry to know why he had been convoked. When he entered the room, Taylor and Jim stopped their conversation and greeted him with a nod.
"Morning Commander, Sherriff," Lucas greeted back. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this so agreeable convocation?"
"Where were you last night?" Taylor asked bluntly.
"Home," he shrugged innocently.
"That is strange…" Jim pointed out.
"What is?"
"Mark said you didn't come back home last night."
"I don't kiss you good night and that's it, you call the police?" He joked lightly to Mark.
"Do you know where Alex is?" Taylor inquired seriously.
"Why?" Lucas asked suspiciously.
"Where is she?"
"She's probably at her home. Why?" As nobody answered, Lucas insisted. "Why do you want to know?"
"Son, we know."
"You know what?" He frowned. Could they already know he had slept with her? And even if they knew, what was so annoying about it? They all wished they could come back together. Why did he have to come here and give explanations? Then he thought about Alexandra and wondered why they had wanted to see her in the first place. What had she said to them?
"We know she's dying."
Lucas' face darkened at his father's answer. He had thought he'd be the only one, beside Dr. Shannon, to know it. Or at least, he had hoped he would have had more time to deal with the situation before anyone noticed.
"And?" He asked, his face emotionless.
"Is this just how little it touches you?" Jim inquired, slightly annoyed.
"Hang on, Jim. The real question is why does he look so detached?" Taylor frowned, staring at the unreadable face of his son. "You have a plan, don't you?"
"Come on, Dad. How could I have a plan? I learnt she was sick just last night."
"Don't play with me like I'm a fool."
"I would never do that," Lucas swore with a smile, his hand over his heart.
"Were you even going to tell us she was ill?"
"Probably. Yes. Maybe," he shrugged. "I don't know. Eventually, one day, I'd have."
"Listen, son. We have a plan. And I ask everyone to stick to it."
"What is it?"
"We continue to prepare our troops for the war that is coming."
"And?"
"And we work harder on the portal as an exit door."
"What about Alex?" Lucas sighed, annoyed. He clearly didn't care about his father's plan if it didn't include the woman he loved.
"She asked us not to help her, and it's what we are going to do," Taylor told his son.
"You're kidding, right?" Lucas smiled, unsure.
"No."
Lucas' smile widened and he started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Taylor asked seriously.
"Do you really think I'm gonna believe you? You, the man who screams to everyone how generous and kind he is, you, you're going to let her die?"
"She decided her own fate."
"No, she didn't," Lucas said darkly, his voice rough.
"Yes, she did. And this is not something to discuss. The decision has been made."
"By who? By you?" He sneered. "Fuck your decision! Fuck your stupid ego! Fuck you!" Lucas spat angrily before he turned his back to his father. Taylor walked quickly to his son and grabbed his elbow tightly. Lucas didn't give him time to react and punched him hard in the face, sending him few meters away. Jim caught Taylor, stopping him in his fall.
"Don't you, ever, touch me again," Lucas warned him vigorously, his index finger pointed in his direction, menacingly.
"I forbid you to help her, is it clear?" Taylor insisted.
"Yeah," Lucas chuckled awkwardly before leaving.
"Reverse psychology, huh?" Jim sniggered once Lucas was out of sight. "Was it the reaction you were expecting?"
"Somehow, yes," Taylor forced a smile. "Not the punch's part, though," he added, his hand massaging his painful jaw. "But at least, now I'm sure he's gonna defy me."
"Let's just hope he'll succeed."
"He will. My son is the cleverest man I know. I trust him," Taylor stated truthfully, his icy blue eyes staring at the door where his son was a minute ago.
When Lucas had left with Mark, Alexandra had walked straight to the bar. She had stopped drinking when she had decided to fight her father and because it was not good to drink alcohol in her state. But now, all she needed was a long drink of gin and tonic.
"Hi Tom!"
"Hi frenchy!" He beamed warmly. Boylan really liked the girl. "What can I do for ya?" He asked, his elbows on the bar, leaning towards her.
"Have a drink with me!" She smiled at him, her bright smile and her mischievous eyes seducing him immediately.
"I'm working," he started to say.
"Like you care," she mocked. "I'll pay."
"First, it's a little bit too early, even for me. Second, you ain't got no money darlin'" Boylan knew that without a job she couldn't have any money at all. Not that it was a problem for him to give her a drink on the house, but it was quite early for anyone to drink.
"I've got some," she replied, plunging her hand into her pocket. "I've got… Uuuuh… 30 Terra."
"Where did you get that from?" Boylan frowned. It was a lot of money, even for him.
"Oh, you don't want to know," she waved away with her hand. She had stolen it, or, as she preferred to think, borrowed it from Damon. How could she survive without money? When she had hugged him in the field, the occasion had been too much of a temptation. It was a fair return of things after all. And it was not as if she was going to stay there for long anyway. It was a short-term investment for Damon. As a lieutenant, he had a good pay, he could well afford it.
"Then, how can I refuse that?" He smiled, grabbing a bottle of his best whisky for him and one of gin for her.
"What are we celebrating?"
"Life, Tom. Life!" She drank her gin straight and made a grimace. "Wow, just as disgusting as I remembered!" She coughed. "But give me another one!"
"You know it's not real gin and tonic, right?"
"Doesn't matter. It'll do the same."
"The Sheriff's here," Tom suddenly warned her, his relaxed attitude changing into a cooler one.
Alexandra stared at her empty glass and waited, listening to the steps that were coming closer. Without a word, Jim sat next to her and ordered a drink from Boylan. The barman served him and left the two of them alone.
"Hard day?" Alexandra eventually asked, embarrassed by the heavy silence that had installed.
"I've known better days."
"What's the drink for?"
"You know, sometimes, it just helps." Alexandra glanced at him and his kind face made her smile. "What's your drink for?" He asked her.
"You know, sometimes, it just helps," she repeated in a funny tone that made him laugh. "Jim, you're the only one who did not try to make me change my mind. Why?"
"I know what it is to spend a long time away from the people you love. Taken and put somewhere you don't belong to. I don't judge you Alex. I understand you. That's why I won't push you away. That's why I want to help you."
"Help me?" She looked at him, curious, as he put his hand in his pocket and held out a box to her. "What is it?"
"Take it," he commanded her, taking her hand in his and sliding the object in it. She looked around her to verify no one was spying on them and delicately opened the box. Inside were medicines with a note where she recognized Elisabeth's handwriting.
"You like it, don't you?" She claimed, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"What?"
"To break the rules. To disobey Taylor," she smiled mischievously.
"Kind of," he chuckled lightly.
Alexandra felt her heart sink at the sight of the man. He was so compassionated with her, it was tearing her apart. Without thinking, she launched her arms around his neck and hugged him. He wrapped her in his arms, responding favorably to her demand of affection.
"You're the best, Jim," she whispered in a tremble voice.
"I love you too, kid," he murmured as a father would to his child.
Alexandra felt tears coming and stopped their embrace.
"Okay, wow," she exhaled loudly. "Okay. That was…"
"Friendly," he smiled.
"Yeah," she grinned, her hand quickly brushing away a tear on her cheek.
"Let's have another drink before I go home."
"Wow, Jim, I'm not often shocked, but right now, I'm totally flabbergasted!" She laughed.
"There are many things you don't know about me," he smirked maliciously.
"I bet I don't," she smiled warmly too. They both ordered a second drink and drank it straight.
"You know, everybody thinks I'm losing my mind," Alexandra said with a grimace as the alcohol was burning her throat. "But at the contrary, I've never been so sure of what I wanted. It´s like they don't know me anymore."
"Or maybe you're not totally yourself anymore. Maybe you should be more yourself. I'm sure you're capable of it, aren't you?"
"I'm not sure. Things tend to go from bad to worse."
"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. Trust me on that," he affirmed. "Be yourself and you'll see, it's gonna be easier," he said, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I better go back to work!"
Boylan waited for Jim to be gone before coming back to her.
"Alright?"
"I'm not really sure… Do you know this strange feeling, when everything you do seems wrong, but you're sure you're right? I know I'm right, I made decisions and I pay for their consequences. It's normal to accept that, isn't it? I mean, it's rational, right?"
"Is it to be rational or to be stubborn?" He inquired, the corners of his mouth kicking up a bit.
"I'm not stubborn!" She said, almost offended. He chuckled at her response and her cheeks blushed in shame. "I mean, I know I can be stubborn, but... It's just that... I'm just..."
"Not totally able to be yourself?"
"I can't be myself anymore. I literally can't. I'm just stuck in this other me who's angry and in pain all the time. But it's comprehensible, my life has not been easy since last year."
"Are you looking for excuses? Or is it really what you're thinking? 'Cause if you truly believe it, then don't bother defend your theory, just live with it."
"I'm not looking for lame excuses. I mean, people should know that what I've been through changed me. I can't be the one they want me to be."
"If you're so sure you're right, why waste time explaining it to the others? Why defend your point of view?"
"I don't know... I don't know what to do, Tom. There's no solution to please everyone anyway, right?"
"You could start pleasing yourself first. Then maybe everything's gonna be easier for ya."
"What could I do to make things easier?"
"I'm sure you know what you could do. You might be a little bit afraid to do it though."
"What should I do? Tell me," she asked honestly.
"Be yourself," he shrugged.
"And all of my problems will magically disappear?" She mocked.
"Na, but you'll feel better."
"So... Be me again, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Just me and myself, all in one?"
"Exactly."
"Let's do it then," she encouraged herself, some kind of unknown force appearing from deep inside her.
"That's my girl!" He shouted, slapping her shoulder roughly. "Let's drink to that!"
They both drank many drinks, chatting like old friends, talking about important things and totally useless things. It was just the good moment Alexandra needed. It made her feel better. It made her feel alive again, normal again.
"Oh, oh," Boylan interrupted their conversation, nodding in the entrance's direction. "Someone's coming."
"It's bloody annoying, isn't it? We can't be left alone for a sec, can we?"
"I think this person might disagree with you."
Alexandra turned on her seat and saw Lucas coming to the bar.
"I've been looking for you everywhere!" He affirmed, concerned.
"Obviously not everywhere," she smiled. "Maybe you should have used that famous beacon!" She said, holding her wrist in the air as a trophy.
"Obviously," he repeated, his eyes narrowing on her. "I've talked to Elisabeth."
"Should I be jealous to see that you call Dr. Shannon, Elisabeth?" She taunted him.
"She told me about this morning," he said, not playing her game.
"She did, didn't she?" She giggled.
"She did... Are you alright ?"
"Yeaaaaah, I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I'm having a good time with my friend Tom."
Lucas looked at Boylan with a perplex face.
"Are you drunk?"
"Nooooo! It would be bad, wouldn't it!"
"I guess…"
"Do you want a drink?" Alexandra asked eagerly.
"Like… Alcohol?"
"Yeah, definitely like alcohol!" She laughed.
"I don't know, you look already drunk for two, don't you?"
"Naaaaa! Come on Lucas!" She said, putting her arms around his neck. "When was the last time you had fun? Huh? I mean, real fun?" She asked. He made a face and she pouted. "Come on lover boy," she whispered, before kissing him hungrily, her tongue licking his bottom lip, exciting him. "Don't you want to have fun with me?"
"Okay," he moaned under her lips. "Just one drink."
An hour later, they were still at the bar with Tom. Lucas had not emptied his first glass yet, not like Alexandra who had continued to drink. She was doing a real show in front them, dancing, laughing, telling stupid stories she knew. She seemed to have fun and, for the first time in a long time, Lucas did have fun too.
"Hey, Lieutenant!" Boylan welcomed Damon loudly. "What can I do for ya?"
"Heyyyyy! Damon! Yeah, my sweeeet Damon!" Alexandra shrieked. "Come here!"
"So this is how you planned to use my money?" Damon scowled at her.
"So you did eventually notice it had disappeared, didn't you?" She mocked, narrowing her eyes on him. She had difficulties to stay still. She was glad the bar was there to hold her upright.
"That was a lot of money Alex," he sighed. "How could I not notice?"
"Dunno," she answered, suppressing a laugh at the sound of her drunken voice.
"You didn't have to steal it. You could have asked, I would have given it to you."
"Where would have been the fun in that?" She said, bemused. "I'll give it back to you." Damon opened his mouth to reply but she cut him. "Oops! No, I'm sorry, I won't," she said, making a face like she was sorry. "Because I won't have the time to refund you. You know, I'm gonna die somehow," she explained to him as if he was a stupid person.
Damon looked at her, bewildered. How could she joke about this? Surely, she was crossed enough against him to say this kind of things. He shook his head in disappointment.
"Let's not go there. I'll see you later... When you're sober."
"Damon, don't go," she said as she ran in front of him and stopped him. "Have a drink with me!"
"I think I'll pass."
"Don't pout love!"
"What are you doing?" He frowned.
"I'm asking my best friend to drink with me?" She guessed, the corners of her mouth slowly kicking up.
"Best friends, huh?"
"Best friends," she stated.
Damon looked at her, wondering what he should do. Part of him wanted to stay with her, even if it meant tolerate Lucas around. The other part of him wanted to follow the Commander's orders and leave her alone.
"Drink with me Damon, like old times," she said seriously, her shiny eyes begging him to stay. He exhaled loudly and eventually gave her a small smile.
"What are we celebrating?"
"Me! And… My love for you! And, hmmm… Your love for me!"
"Tom, a whisky please," Damon ordered as he sat to the bar.
"Yippee!" Alexandra screamed hysterically, clapping her hands in excitement. "I've got my two favorite lovers with me!"
Damon looked at Lucas who shrugged with a mocking smile in response. Damon didn't stay too long alone with Lucas and Alexandra. Maddy, Mark, Skye and Josh had needed to free their mind a bit after how horrible the last two days had been. When they entered the bar, they didn't have the time to react that Alexandra was already screaming their names.
"Maddy! Mark! Oh and Josh and Skye! Fantastic! Come on everyone! Have a drink, it's on Damon!"
Josh glanced to Damon who frowned.
"Still kleptomaniac?" he asked Damon, arching his eyebrows.
"As you can see, there's no cure for that either," Alexandra beamed, grabbing Josh's arm and pulling him with her to the bar.
"I won't drink," Maddy informed everyone. She was so surprised by Alexandra's attitude that she had been caught off guard.
"Maddy, have a drink! Pleeease!" When Alexandra met Mark's glare, she felt the need to add, "Without alcohol, it's fine too. Anyway, you're too young. Tom, a juice for the lady!"
"What's goin' on here?" Maddy asked Damon.
"I don't know. I think we lost her," he stated, half amused, half perplex.
"Aren't we supposed to ignore her?" Mark inquired.
"Yeah, and I mean, she shouldn't drink, should she?" Maddy whispered.
"Come on, she just wants to have fun," Josh nudged his sister.
"I don't mind having fun," Skye smiled, taking the glass Josh was holding out to her. "It's been a long time."
Once everyone had a glass in their hands, Alexandra walked in front of her friends, clapping her hands.
"Excuse me! Excuse me! I have an announcement to make," she yelled loudly. "As I've got all of my friends here. There you go, here, my best friend ever," she pointed her finger to Damon. "My super sister, her brilliant boyfriend," she winked at Mark. "Her stupid sometimes, but likable, brother and his ex and now girlfriend again," she chuckled. "And of course, the last but not the least, my fierce lovely love!" She threw her arms around Lucas' neck and kissed him greedily, until Damon cleared his throat.
"We are listening," he reminded her. Without conviction, she stopped their kiss and looked at Lucas with a devilish smile. His eyes were burning with desire and it was hard for him to let her stop. She gave him one last quick kiss before turning back to face the others.
"Yeah, sorry. So, you know what? I need to tell you that you've all been really annoying lately, like annoyingly annoying," she said with a high voice, exaggerating her annoyance. "But… I know it's because you love me. And guess what? I still love you! I looove you all. And I think you need to know that." They were all staring at her, totally perplexed by her change of mood. "Hones', I love you guys, all of you, even if you hate me right now, I still love you all because… Well, because you're all I've got."
She felt her heart sink at her last sentence, sobering her up too quickly for her taste. But she didn't let the others see it and smiled instead. She could see their worried eyes all locked on her.
"And I'm not saying that because I'm drunk. It's just that, sometimes, things need to be said... Said aloud to the people who are concerned."
"So, let's cheer to our wonderful love for each other then!" Josh smiled, rescuing her.
"To our love," they all shouted forcefully.
"Except for him," Lucas added with a movement of his chin toward Damon.
Mark choked on his sip, making funny noise, and started coughing.
"You're such a wimp," Lucas mocked Mark.
"Don't laugh too much tiny Taylor," Alexandra warned him. "Do you really think I haven't noticed that you were faking to drink your whisky since the beginning?" Mark laughed at Alexandra's remark and Lucas' eyes narrowed on him in menace. "Now, you're gonna drink for real," she added, putting more whisky in his glass. "Go on, one shot straight."
"Alex…"
"Now," she said, crossing her arms on her chest, waiting. Lucas sighed but obediently drank his whisky in one go.
"See, easy," he smiled to Mark.
"Years of alcoholism must have helped a bit," Josh taunted him.
"Indeed young Shannon. Wanna play?" He challenged him.
"Josh!" Skye warned him with widen eyes.
"I like challenges," Josh grinned cockily.
"What if he wins," Skye murmured to his ear.
"Life's just too damn short for ifs and maybes. I don't mind having fun, you said it yourself," he winked.
"Russian roulette is not the same without a gun my dear sister," Lucas sent a playful smirk to Skye as he put six shots of whisky in front of him. "Come on, Shannon, let's see what you've got." Then he turned to Damon with an arrogant challenging grin. "Joining us, Lieutenant?"
"Why not?" He smirked. "Maybe I can teach few things to the young boys that you both are."
"Here it starts to be interesting!" Lucas greeted.
"They are so silly," Maddy sighed. "I'm glad you're not like them," she pointed out to Mark who smiled proudly in response.
Except for Maddy and Mark, they all carried on drinking and teasing each other, challenging each other to drink more or to accept bets even more ridiculous. Josh ended up topless handstands against the bar for 2 minutes. Damon had to run to the door 20 times in less than a minute. As he had already drunk a lot, he stumbled against a chair and lost the bet. He had to drink three glasses in punishment. As for Lucas, he won all the time, to the dismay of Damon and Josh, who suspected him of cheating.
Around one o'clock in the morning, Maddy and Mark helped Josh and Skye to go back home. Damon assured everyone he could walk back home alone but fell asleep on a chair. Lucas and Alexandra thanked Boylan for the nice evening and staggered back home.
Alexandra was laughing so much she couldn't breathe. She eventually fell down and Lucas tried to pick her up but fell with her, alcohol not helping. They laid on the ground, guffawing.
"Shhhh… We don't want to awake the neighbors, do we?" She giggled, climbing on him and putting her hands on his lips.
"Oh nooooo we don't want that," he chuckled. She hardly stood up and tried to pull Lucas up. His weight was too heavy for her and they eventually both fell down again and laughed very loudly even if they thought it was quiet.
Lucas was too drunk to care. He would have plenty of time to think about the consequences tomorrow. He looked at her and noticed she was sensually biting her bottom lips, her face very suggestive on what was on her mind.
"You said you wanted to show me something," she said in a seductive tone. A wide grin appeared on his face and in a second, he swung her in his arms and carried her to a dark alley. All his senses were suddenly awakened. He pushed her hard against a wall and started kissing her hungrily, while his hands reached for her bottom and lifted her up. She surrounded his waist with her legs in response, moaning in pleasure when her body gained contact with his hard length. Their movements increased and got erratic, leaving them soon breathless.
"I want you," he said in a raspy voice. "I want you now."
"Take me now then," she panted, totally in trance, totally unaware of what was surrounding them. They were in their own world. It was just them, just the two of them and they would make the most of it.
Feel the music, feel the story
"Tonight, my head is spinning. I need something to pick me up. I've tried but nothing is working. I won't stop. I won't say I've had enough. Tonight, I start the fire. Tonight, I break away. Break away from everybody. Break away from everything. If you can't stand the way this place is, take yourself to higher places. At night I feel like a vampire. It's not right. I just can't give it up. I'll try to get myself higher. Let's go. We're going to light it up. Tonight we start the fire. Tonight we break away." Break - Three Days Grace
So? Few drinks and everything seems better? I bet they relaxed a bit! Now, I guess reality is gonna slap them in the face tomorrow. Until then, time off for them!
