A/N: Whoa, long time no see right? But I'm determined to finish this story come Hell or high water. Even it takes me 10,000 years. (Which by the looks of it, it just might.) Not too many more chapters left I think, the end is in sight, the sidewalk is about to end. For those of you who've stayed with me through my long boughts of procrastination I thank you. Big shout out to Answer for sorting of inspiring me to get the ball rolling once more with her great review and encouraging message. Enjoy!

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Chapter Fifteen

SAMANTHA

It was almost two in the morning and I still couldn't sleep, pulling back the covers I got up and moved away from the dingy mattress. Its springs creaked under even the slightest amount of pressure and sounded like they were in their last death throws as I pushed myself off the mattress. Opening the door I stepped out onto what served as a poor excuse for a balcony and looked down. Even if the peeling wallpaper and musty smell of the hotel room behind me hadn't served as a constant reminder of what had happened and where I was now the lights of the street coupled with the sounds of late night sidewalk stragglers before me would have.

The hotel was in the Kensington District but the place was as far from being a palace as a building could possibly be. The carpet was threadbare but what was still visible- a diamond pattern of yellow, red, and green so repulsive it could make a blind man reel- was garish to say the least. Pulling the small dining chair out onto the balcony with me I sat down and ran a hand across my face and through my hair. In my head a myriad of emotions did battle with one another over a dominant position but the one that seemed to keep winning out was guilt. I closed my eyes, a poor attempt at blocking out everything that had happened, but it was no good. All I saw behind the lids was Alex, his spring green eyes staring back at me with hurt and resignation. I shivered at the memory of what had gone on only hours before.

…

We had been sitting together near the edge of the pond. Scooting forward I dipped my feet into the water, then stretched out before lying on my back to look up at the sky.

"It's so pretty out here. I love how easy it is to see the stars." I said, a small breeze twirling around my head.

Alex looked down at me and smiled. He went outside more often now, I'd bugged him repeatedly about keeping me company when I took walks around the grounds that finally he'd relented and I think he enjoyed it, being out in the open. It made me wonder just how long he had spent inside. We were spending more time than ever with one another, I would be leaving to go back home next week. We didn't talk about it but I knew he was aware of the passing time just as much as I was. A few more minutes went by when finally Alex spoke.

"Sam can I tell you something?" he asked, not looking at me.

I turned my head towards him. "Of course." I said, wondering what could be making him so serious all of a sudden.

He took a deep breath before standing up, with his back to me he started to speak but then stopped again, curious now I stood up too and stood a little bit behind him. "What is it Alex?" I whispered, knowing that something important was about to happen.

He turned slightly and bent his head down to look at me and in a voice that was even quieter than mine had been he told me he loved me.

Startled, I flinched and moved back a few feet. "You what?" I asked him, my brain suddenly unable to register the simple sentence that had just been thrown my way.

"I love you Samantha." He said again, eyes fixed with worry.

I took another step back, "I… I don't know…" Don't know what? I wondered blindly, if I could believe it? No, I couldn't believe it, I wouldn't. Believing it would mean acceptance, it would mean that I would have to face this strange new territory we had suddenly entered into. And I wasn't ready to do that, not now, not ever. I felt as I had that first night we had met in that hidden room so many months ago. Words weren't coming out with the ease that they usually did, I didn't know where to look, how to stand, what to do.

"Alex, I value our friendship very much, I do like you. I just…" I sputtered, every phrase a silly cliché that made me squirm as I said them.

Alex waved one hand in the air as if to push away my words from his face. "You don't need to explain." He said as he walked past me and back up to the house once more. "I understand."

His words were accusing, the unspoken statements swirling around me: "I understand…." You're just like the others. Why would you be any different? Why did I think you could be any different? Tears started to well up in my eyes as I continued to stand out on the lawn, staring at the dark shadows on the grass around me, not really seeing them. I don't know how long I stood out there when I was finally jolted back to reality. Moving forward I started to make my way up to the house before stopping short. I couldn't go back there. I realized to myself, I couldn't come down to breakfast the next morning and see Alex, his eyes- looking back at me as they had tonight- sadness mixed with anger and, even worse, disappointment. I wouldn't be able to stand it. After all that had happened, I just couldn't. Pulling out my cell I called a taxi to come pick me up. Thankfully I had just enough money for the ride and a stay at a cheap motel. I would figure out what to do in the morning, sooner or later I'd have to go back for my stuff but not now. Not tonight.

…

ALEXANDER

I sat in my room, staring at the empty fireplace. The chill of the room seeped out of the air and into my skin, like a disease. How could I have been so stupid? Why, why did I tell her I loved her? What had I expected, really? Imagine it, a monster telling you they love you. I wasn't even human, for God sakes, no wonder she'd been so disgusted.

"I value your friendship" I laughed to myself. The words twisting around and around in my head, making my stomach churn as I remembered the look of shock and sympathy that had crossed over her face as she tried to think of a way to let me down easy. To tell me that the whole idea disgusted her.

Probably how Aleisha felt.

The thought snapped into my head so quick it was almost as if someone else had said it out loud. For the first time in forever I thought back to how I had rejected her. But it was completely different, I told myself, she was crazy. Look what she did to me! Wasn't that proof enough that she was more than a little… unstable?

"Completely different." I muttered to myself. But was it really? That small voice I would much rather have ignored asked me. I suddenly imagined everything again, only from Aleisha's eyes, living for so long without ever being denied anything, anyone. And suddenly someone comes along and destroys that ideal, that vision of a world filled with people just itching to serve you with whatever you wanted. I couldn't forgive her for what she'd done. I don't think I ever could, but now I at least understood- in some small way at least- what had driven her to do it.

Suddenly the quiet was broken slightly by the sound of music being played at a distance. I sat up a little straighter, telling myself that it was my imagination; I was only hearing it because I wanted it to be real. Wanted her to be back. But as I told myself this I still walked to the door and through the halls, down the stairs to the music room.

And there she was, sitting in the dark with the piano, her hands drifting softly over the keys. Playing a sad song I'd never heard. The dark night coming in through the large window made her hair seem darker than ever. And I felt the breath in my lungs come out a little faster.

"I didn't even hear you come in."

She didn't answer, just cocked her head to the side slightly and I could tell she was listening.

"I'm sorry. For what I said earlier. It was stupid. Just…just, forget about it, you know?

She stopped playing then and started to turn around to face me. And as she did the moon finally came out and shined through the windows reflecting on Sam's hair, making it bright. Too bright. Too pale.

"Oh, Alex." Aleisha said as she walked towards me. "I knew you'd come to your senses. Sooner or later, I knew you'd come to me."

A/N: To tell you the truth I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with this chapter, I've been away from this narrative for so long I feel like it's hard to get back into the same tone of voice that it had before. Do you agree or not? Or do you not care a jot either way? Let the opinions fly by reviewing. Please and thank you!