Chapter 5:
Both Leonas and Irma were silent as they are standing in front of each other, not knowing what to say at first. But, finally, Leonas decided to just leave.
"Don't worry. I'll keep my distance.", Leonas said as he started to walk away.
After walking a few, Leonas felt himself being held back by his shirt. He looked back to see Irma holding it tightly with her head down. He didn't know what to make of this. In the beginning, she was doing all she could to avoid him, like the plague. And now she was grabbing his shirt, like a scared little kid.
'This is new.', Leonas thought to himself.
"Don't go.", Irma said softly. "Please don't go."
'Now it just got a lot weird.', Leonas thought to himself.
"Can we go talk somewhere more private?", she asked as she let go of his shirt.
Leonas turned around to see her pleading eyes. The same eyes of the Irma he fell for in his world. Eyes he hated saying 'no' to. He could tell she wanted to tell something important to him. But, should he take the chance after all he's been through?
"Um....... sure.", Leonas said finally giving in. "Where do you want to go?"
"How about my room?", she asked hoping he'd say yes.
"Sure.", he said.
"Thank you.", she said leading the way.
'What am I thinking, going to her room?!', Leonas thought to himself. 'Have I gone mental?!'
'I can't believe I'm doing this!', Irma shouted to herself. 'I must be going crazy!'
Soon, they were in Irma's room. Leonas looked around to see that it represented Irma in almost every way. From the posters of her favorite band, to her favorite sports.
"You've probably been wondering why I've been so freaked out, whenever you were close to me.", Irma said as she took a seat on her bed.
"It has crossed my mind.", Leonas joked, trying to ease the tension. "I figured that it has something to do with something the "me" of your world did to you."
"Pretty much.", Irma said sadly. "But can you tell me what the me, of your world, did to you first. You said something about it earlier, before Angelo flew off."
"Well, if you must know. She tried to drown me by using her power to make water go down my throat and fill my lungs.", Leonas said as he leaned against the wall. "Not the best feeling in the world."
Leonas looked at Irma as she gasped with her hands over her mouth.
"Why would she do that?!", Irma asked.
"To prove that her power could be just as deadly as the other Guardians.", Leonas replied. "I nearly died just so she could prove a stupid point!"
"After all that, how can you stand to look at me?", Irma asked a bit confused.
"Because, I know you're not 'her'.", Leonas said. "And from what I can tell, you've got your own story to tell."
Irma then placed her hands over her stomach remembering the pain she went through, caused by the Leonas of her world. Suddenly Leonas walked up to her slowly. He then, sat next to her and took her hand in his. At first she was startled, but somehow felt comfortable about it.
"You don't have to tell me, now.", he said as he held her hand gently. "I can wait."
"But I can't.", she said as she stood up. "I have to tell you now, or I it'll be a while before I work up the courage to do so again. And I have to do this!"
"If you insist.", Leonas said. "I'm all ears."
Irma then took a deep breath as she stood a few feet from her bed, with her back turn in front of Leonas, who was waiting to hear her story.
"It all started about three months ago in my world.", Irma began to explain. "The army lab boys wanted to see how my powers worked under extreme heat. You know, if I could make ice last long enough in dry climates."
"How'd they do that?", Leonas asked.
"They had me strapped to a metal table, with heat lamps beaming down on me.", Irma said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "The heat was starting to get to me after about a thirty minutes. I was about to blackout, until I saw Leonas walk up to me. I figured that he was going to have them stop the testing. But, he just stood there telling me to 'Quit being a baby, and make some ice'."
"And did you?", Leonas asked.
"Oh yeah!", Irma said as she leaned agaist a wall. "I blasted a thing of ice right in his face! Some of the solders were laughing at him as he banged his head against the wall, to break it off of him. It was the best laugh I had being trapped in there!"
"He must of been heated!", Leonas grinned.
"He was.", Irma said as she stood in front of Leonas. "And out of anger, he did this to me."
Irma slowly lifted the front of her shirt to show five scratch marks on her stomach. Leonas could tell that they were deep when they were first made. He then reached up to touch them. When he touched them, Irma flinched a little at his touch. It felt so familiar to her, yet it scared her a little as well.
"He did this to you?!", Leonas asked sadly as he traced one of the scratches.
Leonas looked up at Irma as she nodded her head.
"Irma....... I'm so........."
"Don't say it!", she said as she turn away from him hugging herself. "It wasn't you who did this to me. It wasn't you who hunted me in the forest, while I was in my human form, for sport, which gave me horrible nightmares. Nightmares that still haunt me sometimes. So, you shouldn't have to apologize."
Leonas then wrapped his arms around her from behind. Irma was a bit shocked to say the least, but didn't push him away.
"Then let me say this.", he said softly in her ear. "I wish I was there to stop him from harming you."
Irma could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes. Then when she blinked, they started to flow freely. She then placed her hands over his as she leaned her head back onto his right shoulder.
"Thank you.", she said between the tears. "You have no idea how that makes me feel."
Feeling that she needed sometime to herself, he released his hold on her and went for the door.
"I'll give you sometime to yourself.", Leonas said a he grabbed the doorknob of her bedroom door.
"Please stay!", she pleaded as she grabbed his hand. "I've had enough time to myself for awhile now."
Leonas looked into her pleading eyes and saw she didn't want to be alone at that moment. And deep down, he wanted to be with her.
'Why do I want to stay?', Leonas asked himself.
"Okay, I'll stay.", he said as he let go of the doorknob.
"Thank you.", she said with a small smile.
Leonas had to admit he liked to see her smile at him, instead the look of fear she had when ever she saw him.
'It's nice to see her smile.', Leonas said as she lead him to her bed. 'Why is she leading me to her bed.?!'
Once at the bed, Irma then turned to face Leonas. She looked up into his eyes, while he looked into hers. Leonas then held her face in his hands while wiping her tears away with his thumbs.
'I missed this.', Irma said as she slowly closed her eyes. 'I missed his touch. Even though it's not him, yet it is him.'
Irma then felt a pressure on her lips. She opened her eyes to see Leonas kissing her. She was startled at first, but soon she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
'Why am I doing this?!', Leonas asked himself.
He then wrapped his arms around Irma's waist, pulling her close.
'Because I want to.', he thought as they ended the kiss.
As they parted lips, a few bubbles came out of Irma's mouth. Both looked as the bubbles floated to the ceiling and popped. They looked from the ceiling toy each other, still amazed at what just happened. They then started laughing softly.
"Well, that was new.", Leonas laughed.
"You're telling me.", Irma laughed.
As the laughter subsided, Leonas sat on Irma's bed, pulling her down with him. They kicked off their shoes and laid next to each other on her bed. As Irma rested her head on Leonas' chest, she grabbed the remote to her stereo, and turned on her CD player, letting the music play as she enjoyed being held by Leonas.
Irma then leaned up and kissed Leonas.
"What was that for?", Leonas asked.
"For being here.", Irma said as she rested her head on his chest again.
"Well, I'm glad you're here too, Irma.", Leonas said as he stroked her hair gently.
He then felt her hold on him get a bit tighter, as she got more comfortable.
"I'm glad I'm here too.", she said. "And I don't want this to end."
"Me neither, Irma.", Leonas agreed as he held her closer to him. "Let's just pray to God that it doesn't."
Leonas then looked up at the ceiling, praying for a happy life with his brother, cousins, new friends, and Irma.
'Dear Lord, give me the strenght to fight for this new happiness to last.', Leonas prayed.
As Irma rested her head in Leonas's chest, she too prayed for their new life to be a happy one.
'Give me the strenght to fight to keep this new life with Leonas, and all my friends, God.', Irma prayed. 'Both old and new.'
Soon, with the music still playing, both Leonas and Irma slowly fell asleep in each others arms.
Meanwhile, Taranee was laying on the ground looking up at the sky, thinking about a few things.
'So far, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and just now, Irma have gotten with the counterparts of their old boyfriends.', Taranee thought to herself, as she just pick up on Irma's emotions of happiness. 'Took her long enough to get over her fears, of this Leonas.'
A smile came to her face being happy for her friend. But soon, it faded away as she thought about other things.
'Now Will's another story.', she thought to herself. 'Then again, she did go after Angelo to apologize. But more importantly, what about the Malcom here? Do I chance getting close to him? Or do I take it slow? Whenever I see him, I remember how it was with the Malcom of my world. I think that seeing as we all went through the same pain and suffering, it brought at least three couples together.'
"Mind if I join you?"
Taranee looked up to see Malcom looking down at her smiling that smile that she loved when the Malcom of her world did it.
"Be my guest.", Taranee said patting the ground.
Malcom then laid down on the ground next to her, looking up at the sky with her. He remembered doing this with the Taranee from his world just to pass the time.
"So, whatcha thinking about?", Malcom asked.
"About how weird it is that three of my friends got with the counterparts of their old boyfriends."
"You picked it up too, huh?!", Malcom asked with a grin.
"Irma and Leonas getting together?", Taranee questioned. "I could feel Irma's emotions of happiness from here."
"Same with Leonas. Ain't that something?", Malcom grinned. "I figured they'd of been the last of us to hook up, the way they were acting round each other."
"You and me both.", Taranee agreed. "What do you think about Will and Angelo?"
"For all we know, they could be making out right now!", Malcom laughed.
"Now that would be priceless, after all Will said.!", Taranee laughed.
After a few more seconds of laughter, Malcom then asked something that he felt he needed to ask.
"What about you and me?"
A/N: Poor Irma. No wonder she was so scared of Leonas. At least she's over it a bit. Who's next to get together?