The air of the base of was buzzing. You could feel the excitement. Especially good old Jazz, who was feeling the brunt of Chloe's emotions. He felt like his spark was going to pop from how Chloe felt alone. The couple, along with a few of the other soldiers and Autobots, were waiting at the shoreline for the boat to approach. Aboard it were families of soldiers who knew the secret, as well as Lennox's family, and Alexis Lovell.
"Hey Jazz?" Chloe said, finally finding her voice and confidence enough to speak to her bondmate.
"Yeah?" Jazz looked down at Chloe who was standing near Jazz's leg.
"How come you guys aren't all 'done up'?"
"The party ain't for a while yet, and the people on the boat need a lil time to get ready," Jazz replied.
"Ahh right ok..." Then a sudden, cold thought hit the teenager, making her expression fall.
"Cazz, what's the matter?" Jazz questioned.
"Uhh... I uhh... don't have a... dress..." Chloe replied unhappily, turning away from Jazz and sighing. Jazz smirked.
"Who said ya don't?" Anything Chloe was planning on saying was stolen by the sound of the boat's horn ringing through the air.
"They're here!" A first-rank soldier shouted, "Everyone and bot take three steps back!" Everyone did as they were told; as the boat docked and anchored, Chloe could not help but feel nervous at the thought of seeing her best friend after such a long time.
As soon as they could safely disembark, it was as if there was a constant stream of people rushing past Chloe and Jazz, each heading to their family members. However there was no sign of Alexis disembarking from the boat. Chloe's nervousness soon escalated to anxiety and agitation. Suddenly, Will Lennox broke through the crowd and grabbed onto Chloe's shoulder.
"Eek!" Chloe shrieked in shock and surprise. As soon as she turned to face Will the question had already left her lips. "Where's Alexis?"
"Follow me," Lennox said, motioning for the girl to join him. The teen looked up at Jazz who just shrugged, before following the soldier into the crowd.
"Lennox? Where are you takin' me?" She asked, curiosity plaguing her mind.
"You want to see Lovell, don't you?"
"Yeah... but why didn't Alexis come see me straight away?"
"It's not that she didn't want to. She's not feeling well, and Sarah brought her out of the crowd. I was sent to get you."
"Ohh... Wait, not feeling well?" Chloe almost froze again on the spot, worry and concern pressing down on her mind again. Will slowed when Chloe did, and looked back at the techno-organic.
"Yeah, she's been... sick for a while. Ironhide's with her and my family. She's been asking for you," Will responded.
"Will she be ok?" Darn, there was that same small, vulnerable voice again. It reminded Will of just how young and how inexperienced Chloe was. Will sighed, since he wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that.
"Hide's commed Ratchet. I'm pretty sure she'll be fine." Chloe nodded slowly, barely registering Will's words. Then, for the second time, she took a gasp of air and was shivering again. She noticed that her skin felt as if it were wet again and her lungs were screaming for oxygen. Will stopped walking, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Hm?" Chloe jerked back to reality and away from the dark corners of her thoughts, "Oh... I'm fine..." But she didn't meet Lennox's eyes.
"Chloe, I need to know what's wrong. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! I'm just..." But she stopped short and forced a smile, "No, I'm good." Will frowned, but he let go of her shoulder and started walking again; Chloe quickly following suit.
They quickly left the crowded beach behind, heading to the nearest hanger. Just outside of it was the rest of the Lennox family as well as a threatening black truck, a shivering blue girl, and a holoform. Annabelle was standing beside Alexis, holding the taller girl's hand, while Sarah was standing off to the side near Ironhide's vehicle mode. The black mech had his holoform activated, and he had Alexis in the holoform's arms. Alexis' optics brightened upon seeing Chloe, and she weakly fought against Ironhide's grip to try to get to her friend.
"Don't Alexis, you gotta hold tight til Ratch' gets here," Ironhide said sternly, keeping a tight grip on the Xyleon.
"Alexis!" The words had left Chloe's lips before she knew what she was doing. She ran towards her friend at full-pelt, skidding to a tense stop when she was within hugging range.
"Chloe!" Alexis rasped, her voice extremely grating and rough from illness. Her hand slipped from Annabelle's, and she fought harder to get away from Ironhide, even though she normally loved to have him being around her. Chloe didn't wait for an invitation, she just threw herself at her friend and hugged her tightly, sniffing into her shoulder.
"I missed you so much!"
Alexis wrapped her arms around Chloe.
"I missed you too."
The human techno-organic couldn't find the words to express how ecstatic she was to finally see her friend again, she could only hug tighter and cry slightly into Alexis' top. Ironhide loosened his grip on Alexis to allow her to properly hug her friend. He looked up when Ratchet walked up.
Instead of breaking this fragile, precious moment, Ratchet waited by Ironhide for a few minutes before Chloe pulled away to wipe her optics. Alexis, who was having trouble focusing on anything, looked up from Chloe and noticed Ratchet for the first time. She gave him a very slight smile and sagged against Ironhide's holoform. "Easy... easy Alexis..." Ironhide chided gently, supporting the much more frail life-form in his arms.
"Uh huh..." Alexis said absently, her optics moving back to Chloe. But the British girl wasn't looking at Alexis. She was off in her own little world slightly, not registering what was being said or done in front of her. It was bliss. There was birdsong and soft melodies instead of chatter and noise. But Chloe was ripped from it when Lennox touched her shoulder, jerking her back to reality.
"Chloe?" Lennox called to the girl.
"Hm?" Chloe tore her glazed gaze from a glittering icicle, that hung from Ironhide's front bumper, and looked at the soldier in a somewhat befuddled manner.
"You okay? You were kind of spaced out," Will questioned.
"Oh... I'm fine..." Chloe replied, her optics still slightly glazed but that was hidden by her blue visor. Ratchet transformed and activated his holoform almost directly behind Will to tend to Alexis, accidentally making the soldier jump.
"My apologies, Major," Ratchet said sympathetically, moving to Alexis' side swiftly to tend to her illness. Will swore under his breath, glaring daggers at the medic's holoform. He looked back at Chloe briefly before heading over to Sarah and Annabelle, since it had been months since he'd last seen them. Ratchet chuckled briefly before setting to work with mini scans on Alexis. Chloe, however, just remained silent and unmoving. Too silent for anyone's taste. Eerily silent.
Alexis reached out for Chloe again, her fingertips brushing Chloe's shoulder. The human girl jumped, almost shrieking again, and looked around wildly before realising that it was Alexis who had touched her shoulder. "Calm down, Chloe," Alexis said softly. Chloe just looked at her friend, embarrassment obvious in the redness of her cheeks.
"Sorry... was away with the fairies..." She mumbled. Alexis smiled at her.
"Missed listenin' to you say things like that..."
Chloe smiled back, her visor flashing warmly.
"Missed you doing things like that..."
Alexis straightened, startling both Ironhide and Ratchet. She started pushing her hands against Ironhide's thick arms to try to free herself. "Please let me go..." she mumbled. Her nails accidentally dug into Ironhide's arm.
"Ow!" Ironhide yelped, freeing his arm and Alexis in one fell swoop. She stumbled, almost losing her balance at being suddenly released. Ratchet quickly steadied her, concern laced deep in his face.
"Sorry, Hide... I wasn't trying to," Alexis said, shakily walking over to Chloe. Ironhide nodded, bemused at what the Xyleon was doing.
"Alexis?" Chloe said distractedly, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I guess," Alexis responded. "Feeling a lot better now that I'm here."
"I believe you both need to get some rest," Ratchet stated, transforming along with Ironhide. Chloe just nodded, yawning at the mention of rest but not giving in.
"Not yet..." She half-slurred, sleep trying to claim her.
"Why not yet?" Ratchet asked. Will pulled his daughter into his arms, since the seven-year old was falling asleep standing up.
"Not tired..." Chloe replied drowsily, slipping easily back into 'deny most things' mode.
"Yeah, and I'm a human," Alexis joked, propping her fists on her hips. Chloe giggled sleepily, rubbing her drooping optics and half-falling, half-leaning forward in a poor effort to stay awake. Ratchet gently picked Chloe up, setting her in the palm of a hand, while Ironhide did the same with Alexis. Chloe immediately settled down in Ratchet's hand, not caring whether it was Jazz or Ratchet, and rubbed her eyes again. With a rare smile, Ratchet turned to Ironhide. His smile grew when he saw that Alexis had already fallen sleep.
"I'll take Chloe back to Jazz," Ratchet softly stated. Ironhide nodded and smiled too, chuckling when Alexis stirred slightly and rolled over.
"I'll take Lexie back to her private quarters then, in a bit Ratch'"
The medic smiled and walked off in search of Jazz.
The following afternoon, Alexis, Chloe, Mikaela, and Sarah were gathered, getting ready for the party that was taking place later that night. However, Chloe just sat meekly on the end of Alexis' berth, not getting herself ready at all. "Chloe? Aren't you going to get ready?" Mikaela asked, glancing back at Chloe. She was currently playing with Alexis' hair, trying to figure out exactly what to do with it.
"No..." Chloe sighed, drawing her knees into her chest. Sarah walked over to Chloe, and placed a hand on the techno-organic's back.
"Why not? I bet you'd look gorgeous in the dress Alexis and Jazz picked out for you," Sarah said. Chloe just shrugged.
"I just... don't feel like I should... too nervous I suppose..."
"You were the one to suggest this," Alexis pointed out, secretly delighting in the fact that her voice was sounding much smoother than the day before.
"Yeah I know... but I didn't think anyone'd agree with me!" The fourteen-year-old sounded beyond nervous, downright scared was more like it. "Besides, I won't even look that good at all!"
"You'll look beautiful, I'm sure," Alexis told her, pulling her head away from Mikaela to look at Chloe.
"I won't... unless you can whip out your magic wand and pull a Fairy Godmother on me, I won't." She replied flatly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I lost my magic wand somewhere out around Mars," Alexis said with a slight smirk. "Besides, I'm only going because you are. If you don't go, than I won't either. I don't want to run into Optimus Prime alone." Chloe just sighed and flopped backwards onto the berth, being careful not to land on any of the dresses. Sarah was wearing a beautiful white and green laced dress with short sleeves and a mini corset. Alexis took a deep breath and stood, walked over to the berth, sat Chloe up, and pulled her into a hug. "Are you really going to stay here when you could be spending a romantic evening with Jazz?" Chloe didn't try to pull away nor hug back, she merely sighed as tears of confusion and uncertainty filled her optics.
"I don't know Alexis... I mean, I do wanna go but... I just won't look..."
Alexis let go of Chloe suddenly, and looked into Chloe's optics. "You could look like a, pardon the expression, like a princess, or like you just stepped out of a giant mud puddle. It won't matter to Jazz. You'll ALWAYS be beautiful to him. No matter what you think of yourself." The teen just stared at Alexis for a few seconds before making her decision.
"Fine..." Chloe agreed, "But on one condition, from all three of you guys."
"What condition?" Mikaela asked for all three of the other girls.
"You help me." Chloe looked away uncomfortably, "I can't do make up, hair, any of it! I suck!"
Alexis laughed, very carefully ruffling her friends hair. "What, did you think we'd let you go without giving you the spa treatment? Hardly. If they get to mess with my hair, we get to mess with yours," Alexis responded. Chloe giggled before shaking her head.
"C'mon than honey," Sarah spoke up, holding up Chloe's silvery blue dress, "Get changed."
"Fiiiiine..." Chloe reluctantly took her dress from Sarah, slipped behind a curtain and started getting into her dress while Mikaela finished messing with Alexis' hair. Alexis fought a pout at having hands messing with her hair. Again. Sarah readjusted her own dress.
"Sarah?" Chloe piped up nervously from behind the curtains.
"Yeah?" Sarah called back.
"Umm... can you... can I have a little bit of... help?"
"Of course," Sarah said, making her way over.
"Thanks" Chloe mumbled, feeling heat rising in her cheeks, edging out from behind the curtain, "It's the zip..." Sarah smiled, quickly doing up the zipper for Chloe. "Thanks" Was the mumbled response as Chloe disappeared behind the curtain again to put on her shoes.
Mikaela smiled at Alexis in the mirror, gently pulling the long wires into a bun, the same way Ironhide had described it. She and Sarah were secretly trying to recreate how Alexis had looked when she first met both Ironhide and Optimus. Apparently, it was one of Optimus' favorite moments of her.
The dark haired girl glanced over at Sarah when Chloe stepped out from behind the curtain again, looking absolutely stunning already. Chloe just reddened deeply in her cheeks, almost shuffling forwards in a ditch-effort not to trip on the hem that trailed along the ground.
"Jazz will love it," Alexis said to Chloe.
"I don't know..." The girl mumbled, her cheeks turning a deep crimson.
"Trust me, Chloe. Jazz'll have trouble taking his optics off you for more than a second," Alexis responded. Mikaela finished with her hair and stepped back, allowing Alexis to stand.
"You... think so?"
"I know so."
A small, shy smile passed over the Brit's face before she had to tug at the top of the dress; Jazz had insisted that she wear a corset with the dress, for numerous unknown reasons. Sadly though, that corset wasn't doing her much good for breathing.
Alexis smiled at Chloe, trying to keep back the fear that had been creeping up on her since she arrived back on base. As much as she seemed her normal playful self, she was terrified. Optimus would certainly be at the dance, and she did not want to go anywhere near him. And yet she was sure that at some point she would. She straightened the skirt out of her own flowing red dress and sighed softly, not feeling ready in the slightest. Chloe caught the emotions in the Xyleon's optics, placing a reassuring hand on Alexis' arm and smiling at her friend.
"It'll be ok, Alexis, we wouldn't have done this if it wasn't."
"I guess... I don't want to ruin your fun though," Alexis said with a very slight wince. The block of the bond was up on her side, but it still hurt.
"Alexis... You won't. Besides, I doubt he'll try anything." Chloe replied, smiling at her friend before being pulled away and pushed down into a chair.
"C'mon, I gotta get your hair sorted!" Mikaela said, brushing away any knots in the fourteen-year old's hair.
"Hah! If you can make this look good, you're a goddess!" Chloe snorted, wincing as a tight knot was brushed out. Alexis smiled and laughed, shaking her head at Chloe's antics. She stepped back up to the mirror to apply her own makeup. She watched Mikaela work with Chloe's hair, and soon took the full human's place to work with Chloe's hair herself. Chloe sighed, knowing her hair would never look as good as her friends', and played with her nails before Sarah came over and started to paint them a metallic-silver colour.
It wasn't long before they deemed Chloe as ready. "Done!" Mikaela sang, stepping away with the other two females to admire their handiwork. Chloe nervously stepped up to the mirror and saw for the first time what they'd done. Her long red-streaked fringe was pinned back by a silvery-white butterfly clip that matched the colour of her nails, the rest of her hair had been straightened and curled slightly so that it was draped across her shoulders and back and, for the finishing touch, layer upon layer of hairspray had been applied to hold it all in tightly.
"Wow..." Was the breathless response, "How... how did you guys do that?" Alexis smiled and winked at Chloe.
"Our secret," she teased, once again straightening her skirt. Chloe shook her head.
"This is crazy... you guys seriously managed this? Are you sure you didn't employ a hairdresser or something?"
"Nope. We should get you two out there. Your escorts are waiting," Mikaela said.
"Escorts?" The two girls echoed, puzzlement clear on their faces.
"Since when did we get 'escorts'?" Chloe said, tugging at the dress and corset again. Sarah and Mikaela shared a look and decided not to ruin the surprise.
"Well... It's usually nice to have someone escort a girl to the ball," Sarah replied, motioning to the door as a sign that she would say no more. The two friends exchanged confused glances before heading outside the room.
Waiting for them were two smartly dressed holoforms. Sideswipe offered his arm to Chloe, while Ironhide approached Alexis. The former just giggled before taking the offered arm, hoping to use this as blackmail for later and storing the picture under 'Too Funny To Be Seen Again Under Serious Circumstances' The latter merely stared at the other holoform. Ironhide did something then that surprised those present. He gave Alexis a quick kiss to the cheek before offering his arm the same way as Sideswipe. Alexis' optics widened and a deep blush stained her cheek even as she took Ironhide's arm.
"Well... this is new..." Chloe giggled as Sideswipe tugged at his suit, discomfort obvious in his face.
"Not my idea..." Sideswipe pointed out. Chloe just giggled more.
"Whose was it then? I bet you absolutely LOVE him for this!"
"His!" Sideswipe hissed, pointing vaguely at Ironhide and Alexis. The two were talking quietly, and Alexis wore a huge smile. Chloe burst out into fresh fits of laughter, gasping for breath desperately.
"Oh my Primus! Ironhide you are amazing!" She said through her laughter. Ironhide blinked at her, completely confused. Alexis giggled at them. "You got Sides to do this! You're awesome for that!" Chloe giggled, barely managing to compose herself as they neared the party.
"He volunteered," Ironhide responded, slowing his pace with Alexis did.
"Like frag I did!" Sideswipe said indignantly, earning more giggling from the two girls at the bickering mechs.
"Now now mechs, let's not start arguing on a night like this!" Alexis teased. Ironhide wore a smug expression as they arrived in the doorway of the rec room which had been cleared for this purpose. Almost everyone was already there, and music had begun to play. Nerves began to eat away at the two girls, making the younger one tremble.
"I-I... n-no..." Chloe stuttered, backing away slightly when she caught sight of how many people where there. Alexis reached out and gently took Chloe's hand, offering her a smile despite the fact that tears were beginning to glisten in her optics.
"Come on Chloe. No turning back now," she whispered. The younger girl shook her head furiously, the silver butterfly threatening to fly away.
"I c-can't... I never been in a party w-with so m-many people before..." She whispered in fear, her own optics starting to shine with tears.
"Yeah you can..." Ironhide said softly, gently setting a hand on the trembling girl's shoulder.
"I remember when I went to my first one... I freaked out so badly. But there's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone's in their own world besides your dance partner or friends," Alexis encouraged. Her optics scanned the crowd, and she quickly caught sight of Jazz's holoform. He was making his way over to them.
"I-I..." Chloe sighed, knowing that she was fighting an uphill battle, "Fine..."
"There's my beauty," Jazz called gently, taking Chloe from Sideswipe who then walked away. The Brit reddened insanely, wishing that she had her visor to hide away from the world.
"H-Hi Jazz..." She said shakily, nerves already eating her inside-out. Alexis gave her friend a pat on the back as she and Ironhide continued into the room.
Chloe could only look helplessly on as she watched her friend walk away and leave her alone. Forcing herself to look up at her bondmate, she smiled nervously. Jazz was wearing a black silver-tinted Dolce suit, capped with little silver dagger cufflinks, a smart black tie and a little white rose in his breast pocket. Jazz pulled out the rose and offered it Chloe with a smile. The techno-organic smiled shyly at her bondmate, taking the white rose and tucking it behind the butterfly clip.
"You look amazing Jazz..."
"So do you." A fresh blush attacked Chloe's cheeks, making her bondmate laugh. "You're so easily embarrassed..." Jazz noted through his laughter, grinning hugely as the blush deepened. He held out his hand to her in a silent request to have her company for the rest of the dance, the girl happily taking it as he whisked her away to dance.
Ironhide looked down at the Xyleon still firmly attached to his arm. Alexis had hardly said a word since they arrived, choosing to remain by his side. "You alright?" Ironhide said softly, making the silent girl jump slightly.
"Huh? Oh... yes, fine," she replied quietly, her optics still darting around the room for she knew she couldn't meet the eyes of Ironhide's holoform. Ironhide frowned but shrugged, continuing until he neared where a surprise was waiting. None of the mechs knew if this was a good idea, for none knew how the Xyleon may react, but if it meant getting more happy faces on the base then it was worth it. Alexis carefully tightened the grip she had on Ironhide's arm, more than content to stay with him, even if it meant not actively taking part in the party herself.
Ironhide smiled as he led the girl to a small cleared space, one just beneath a glittering Christmas tree. At first, no one would've noticed the blue-haired figure that stood below it but upon a closer look they would have seen the familiar sight of the Prime's holoform.
"Optimus?" Alexis asked so meekly that her voice didn't carry well. The Prime turned with a warm smile on his face, smoothing out a small crease in his murky-blue Dolce suit, and nodded. He moved forwards slightly and carefully, hoping not to ruin anything.
"Yes Alexis, I'm here." He said kindly, his blue eyes glowing. Alexis didn't release Ironhide's arm, and there was a look in her optics that the two mechs couldn't place. The block slipped ever so slightly, a sign that she didn't hate him. Slowly she reached one hand out in Optimus' direction. Optimus closed the gap and embraced the Xyleon carefully, wary that any move could appear hostile to her.
Finally, Alexis let go of Ironhide. She wrapped her arms around Optimus gently, fighting back tears. The block evaporated, shattering the separation between them. Emotions of love and happiness flooded the bond, filling both of their sparks with joy at the hostility between that had disintegrated.
"Optimus..." Alexis whispered, pulling away from him only slightly to be able to look at his face. Optimus looked down at his mate and smiled for once in a long time since she had left.
"Right here Alexis..." He said quietly, caressing her face lightly. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she felt like she would burst from the sheer force of the feelings he was showering her with. Ironhide disappeared into the crowd, probably to inform those in on the secret that it had worked. But Alexis couldn't have cared less.
Optimus held Alexis tightly to him, promising that he would never do anything like that again. It had killed him to know that she had left because of him. "Let's put it behind us... I don't want to think about it. Ever," she said, gently resting her head against his shoulder.
"Let's put it behind us... I don't want to think about it. Ever," she said, gently resting her head against his shoulder.
"Agreed." The Matrix-Bearer replied before his head bobbed up as his favourite song came blasting from the speakers. It was a little known fact that the two bondmates shared a likeness for the same song, 'Pretty Girl' by Sugarcult. Alexis giggled with a smile, looking up at Optimus who had started singing along to the song casually.
"You know what would be nice... to dance with you after being off base for quite a while," Alexis told him, fighting the urge to sing along herself. Optimus smiled, looking down at Alexis, before pulling her into the crowds of dancers and completing her desire. They made their way over to Chloe and Jazz who were happily dancing themselves since Chloe had gotten over her fears to a certain degree.
"Look who decided to join the party!" Jazz said as he spun Chloe around for a second time, her dress spinning out in a mesmerizing display. Alexis blushed, relishing the gentle feeling of Optimus' hand resting on the small of her back. The Prime then took the chance of spinning her in a graceful full turn, Alexis' own blue dress flaying out beautifully like a flower just flowering.
The song ended, and the next one was thankfully of a slower pace. All of the dancers then switched to a routine similar to that of a waltz.
"Whose idea was it to get us back to together?" Alexis asked, her voice loud enough to be heard by Chloe and Jazz as well as Optimus. All three sets of eyes turned to the youngest dancer who just stopped and reddened, hiding behind Jazz.
"Mine..." Came the small voice from behind the silver-haired holoform. Alexis smiled at Chloe then, walking over to her with a hand still entwined with Optimus'.
"Then I have you to thank," Alexis said. The darker headed girl reddened further, peeping out from behind the saboteur nervously, her optics scanning Optimus in worry and slight fear at how he may react. The Prime nodded in agreement, giving Chloe a slight smile, hoping to get over the rough patch completely now that he had Alexis again. The British girl smiled slightly too, slowly edging out from behind Jazz and jumping when he wrapped an arm around her waist. Alexis turned back to Optimus, smiled at him, let his hand go, and was quickly lost in the crowd. A look of puzzlement passed over the Prime's face before he took off after her, hoping that nothing would happen to her.
Optimus tailed Alexis until long after he lost sight of her, his worries running high for her safety. He briefly caught sight of her stepping outside of the rec room, and he rushed to catch up with her. "Alexis?" He called, "Where are you going?" Alexis glanced over her shoulder and winked at him, leading him further from the ball. Optimus just arched an eyebrow in confusion but didn't miss a beat and quickly caught up with her.
"Where are you going?" He said, trying his best to keep up with her.
"What, and ruin the surprise? I just hope you know your human traditions," she responded. Optimus frowned again, still tailing the girl as she led him deeper into the base.
Suddenly she stopped and took his hand, looking up at him with an innocent expression.
"What are you planning Alexis Lovell?" Optimus asked, a smile gradually making its way onto his face. She giggled, pointing at something above their heads, the expression not changing at all. Optimus looked up, his sky-blue optics widening slightly before he smiled. Suspended by a small wire above them was some mistletoe. The Prime laughed softly before sweeping Alexis into a warm embrace.
"Just as well I took the time to brush up on my Earthen traditions," He said with a wide smile, looking Alexis directly in the optics before lowering his blue-haired head and planting a loving kiss on Alexis' red lips. Alexis returned the hug happily, feeling any fear of him disappearing forever. There was no need to fear this mech. Not when he loved her so much.
Alexis smiled when they separated. It was good to be home among the NEST team where she belonged.