Do You Really Love Me?
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh GX! Love it, but don't own it. I also don't own the characters Lisa and Caitlin, but I am using them WITH permission.
A/N: Here's a little bonus for those of you who waited so long for an update. Enjoy!
Chapter 10 – Still Holding On To You
Later that same night…
After a long talk with Professor Banner over the dream Alexis had, Jaden offered to escort her back to the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm. For most of the way they walked silently hand in hand. Alexis's thoughts drifted back to what Banner had told them about the card from her dream as she unknowingly slowed her pace with each step.
This card sounds very familiar, but I can not place it, Alexis. If it is the card I'm thinking of, then it is very real. But don't worry! It has probably been sealed away. And not all dreams we have come to pass. He had tried to appear as though there was nothing to worry about for her sake if not for Jaden's and Rachel's as well. She knew the good professor meant well, but she wished that he had shared everything that he knew about the card with them. She knew what the card was capable of and that scared her, but what scared her even more was the unknown.
Upon hearing Banner's words Jaden had seemed thoughtful, but not concerned. What her professor had said about the possibility that her dream may not come true was very likely, but after seeing her dream foretelling Caitlin's peril earlier that morning come true, she wasn't sure if she should dismiss her dream of Jaden's demise as easily as her instructor had done. She cast a glance at her escort out of the corner of her eye. Was he worried about the possibility of her dream coming true at all?
"'Lex, is everything all right? You seem to have something on your mind," Jaden verbally noted, breaking her train of thought.
The two stopped in the middle of the moonlit path allowing Alexis to turn her full attention to Jaden. His eyes filled with concern met her gaze as she bit her lip, not sure where to start. "Are you still worried about your dream coming true?"
She nodded. "Aren't you worried about it, Jaden?"
"I don't know… Maybe a little, but I just figure that I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
"If my dream comes true then your life is on the line! You need to …"
Her voice trailed off as Jaden asked, "I need to what?"
Tears welled up in Alexis's eyes as she fought to hold them back, "You …just seem so calm… It's like you don't even care!"
It was then she started to sob. Jaden drew her into his warm embrace. "Alexis," he whispered gently in her ear, "I do care. We've already asked Professor Banner about the card and he's told us that he'll find out what information he can. What more do you want me to do?"
Her voice broke as she replied, "I don't know! I just want you to be safe."
"I'll take whatever precautions I can, 'Lex, but if my time to die does come soon, then I won't be able to stop it. I don't believe I'll die from a duel though," he responded with a grin.
Alexis looked into his eyes with tears still streaming down her face. "How can you be so sure?"
"First of all, Banner's right: your dream may not even come true. Our dreams sometimes show us what we're afraid of, and not necessarily the future. And secondly, I'm not sure, because there is no guarantee that I'll live to see a ripe old age. Death is the inevitable, but you shouldn't fear it or worry about it, because worrying isn't going to add an hour to anyone's life."
Alexis wiped the tears from her face as she pondered Jaden's words. He's right. "I don't want to lose you to that creep from my dream or to anybody! My dream could very well mean that I am scared of losing you."
Jaden's confident grin turned into a small smile. "I hope it never comes to the point where you and I will ever have to do without one another. I wouldn't want to ever lose you either. I love you, Alexis."
For a few moments she lost herself in Jaden's eyes and saw the words he had spoken were mirrored there. He drew nearer to her and closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. Alexis closed her eyes as she enjoyed the rich sweetness she found in his kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. When at last they parted for air she whispered, "I still love you, Jaden."
All the two of them could do was gaze into each others' eyes until Jaden found his voice once again. "Are you saying that you want to get back together?"
"I'm saying that 'I still love you'. I do want to get back together, but I want to make sure that it's for the right reasons and not because of my emotions."
Jaden sighed with slight sadness in his voice, "Alright, 'Lex."
The two of them turned and started heading down the path once again. Alexis felt terrible! "Jaden, I'm sorry…"
He stopped in his tracks as he turned to her once again. The sadness in his voice was still there as he spoke, but there was also understanding as he replied, "Don't worry about it. I said that we would do this on your terms and I meant it."
With that said Alexis felt a little better, but not by much. Jaden seemed to sense this as he continued, "Don't worry. If we have to continue on like this for a year or two or even longer then that's what we'll do. I want you to be sure of my love."
Alexis embraced him as she replied, "Thank you for being so patient. I don't think it will take more than a year though."
"Will you let me know when you are ready to get back together?"
"Yes, I will."
He smiled at her response. She kissed him again before they started back down the path hand-in-hand with both their hearts a bit lighter than before.
At 3:00 in the morning Rachel was lying in her bed listening to the hum of her ceiling fan hoping that sleep would come. She was exhausted but it seemed that all she could do was toss and turn. She sat up as she reached for Pharaoh to find that he wasn't there beside her. Oh, yeah, he's with the professor. Oh, no! Don't tell me I'm starting to miss the fuzz-ball!
She got up and turned her beside lamp on, and then proceeded to slip on a pair of slippers that were on loan to her from Banner until he got a chance to buy her another pair. A chill from the cold wind produced by the fan made her shiver, since her night-gown was a thin silky garment that came down to her ankles with a low-cut neckline, and spaghetti straps hugging her shoulders. She wrapped a fleece throw blanket around her as she headed for the door to see if Banner was still up.
Once she reached his door, she saw the light on in his window. She knocked but there was no answer. That's odd, she thought. Her hand reached for the door knob and found the door unlocked, so she let herself in.
When she entered the doorway though, she wasn't in Banner's room but in a beautiful ballroom with huge windows and candles everywhere. There were beautiful paintings of angels and cherubim on the ceiling and a huge chandelier hanging over the center of the room. Banner stood there close to the entry dressed in an outfit fit for a king! He wore a blue and gold dress coat over a white shirt, black trousers trimmed with gold running down the pants leg, and black boots. He offered her his hand as he asked, "Rachel, darling, shall we dance?"
All she could do to respond was nod. She blushed as she thought to herself, I'm wearing a night gown and he's dressed in… Before they made it onto the dance floor she caught a glance at herself in a mirror at the entry way and she found she was not wearing a night gown at all! Instead she was wearing a gold strapless dress with her red-gold curls piled on top of her head.
Banner drew her close to him as he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful!"
He gently kissed her forehead as she savored his touch. "Thank you, Professor!"
"No, my dear! It's not 'professor,' but Lyman."
Rachel smiled as she tried the name, "Lyman!"
He's asked me to call him by his first name! Is this really happening? If this is a dream I never want to wake up!
Soft music began to play as he bowed to her. In turn she curtsied as he took her hand in his and his right hand came to rest on her waist. When the song came to an end Banner spun her into his embrace as the lights dimmed and finally went out and the stars twinkled at them through the huge windows, but neither of the two noticed. The only thing that seemed to exist in the whole universe was them. Rachel whispered Banner's name as he gently kissed her lips.
A loud beeping noise caused Rachel to sit straight up in bed. She turned the alarm off with a frustrated sigh. It was a dream! Rats!
Banner reached for Rachel and kissed her passionately as he pulled her fleece throw off her shoulders. Her arms found their way around his neck while her long, slender fingers unbound his dark hair. She shivered a little, so she drew closer to him. In response his arms snaked around her slender body. He tenderly kissed her face and worked his way back to her lips. Once he found her lips she responded with a heated passion. They continued until their lungs started to burn for air. One of Rachel's straps on her night gown slipped off her shoulder. He wanted to kiss every inch of her soft white skin. She cast him a gaze he couldn't fully interpret, but she seemed to be inviting him to do just that. His hands were fully aware of her bare back as he kissed her mouth once again and moved down her neck. He could feel her heartbeat against his bare chest and her breath on his neck. She hugged him to her tighter as she started whispering over and over, "Banner!"
"Banner! Professor! Wake up!"
After Rachel yelled in his ear he fell out of his chair and landed on his side. As he rubbed his aching hip, Banner looked around and realized he had fallen asleep at his desk while researching the card Alexis had seen in her dream. He sighed as he looked up into Rachel's concerned face. "Um, Professor, are you okay? You seemed to be having a dream of some kind."
He blushed as he nodded in response. The muscles in his back tensed up as he admitted, "I did have a dream."
"A good dream?"
"That's putting it mildly, but yes."
"Well, you've got class in an hour, so you'd better get ready."
He nervously nodded and thanked her. She looked beautiful in her sleeveless white dress and her fiery red curls creeping over her shoulders! If only she was allowed to wear her night gown to class…
"Professor, are you okay?"
He had been staring and he hadn't even realized it! "Yes, Rachel, I'll be there shortly."
"If you want I'll teach class today," she said with concern still in her emerald green eyes.
He smiled at her as he mentally tried to pull himself together. "No, I'll do it. Thank you though, Rachel."
She nodded as she turned to go. Before she could open the door he got up from his place on the floor and called after her, "Rachel, we'll talk later?"
The beautiful red-head smiled brightly back at him and nodded as she let herself out.
For a few minutes he contemplated whether or not he should share his dream with her not. No, I shouldn't even think about the dream, he thought. If I really love her then I mustn't dwell on such fantasies unless she feels the same way. And that's only if she ever does come to love me.
With that he pushed all thoughts of his heated dream out of his mind and prepared for the rest of his day.
A/N: There you have it: an update on Alexis's and Jaden's relationship and how far it is on the mend as well as a peek into Rachel's and Banner's dreams. Yeah, I know Alexis and Jaden haven't hardly moved anywhere in getting back together. They will get back together. Jaden still hasn't quite had a chance to prove that Alexis is his number one priority yet. He will though. At least they're sharing some tender moments and working towards it. I loved making poor Banner squirm when Rachel asked whether his dream was a good one. Aren't I evil? Thank you all who reviewed and even those of you who didn't. If you think Banner's dream needs to be toned down heat-wise, then let me know. I was aiming to keep it PG to PG-13. Thank you, Raymanly73! You're awesome! Thank you Lisa, James, and Will for your help as well. 'Til next time everyone, peace out, and God bless!
