Summary: Alek, of course, must have an opinion about Chloe and Brian's blossoming relationship, and since every rose has its thron, here is that thorn. As it would turn out, Alek heard every word Chloe and Brian said, and he's not just going to let it go. He has to make sure Chloe knows that he knows. But maybe he's going to let her know some other things too.

Enjoy! ;)

CHAPTER TWO: NOTHING IS EVER EASY

By the time I got up to my bedroom, he was already there. I can't say I hadn't expected it. The window stood agape, allowing a cool breeze in, and he was sitting on my bed, watching the rain begin to fall outside.

"Alek."

He turned to face me, his eyes dark, clouded over like a summer storm. "Don't think I couldn't hear every word. Every motion," he said, his voice quite nearly a growl.

I simply nodded, unsure what exactly to say to that. Maybe it was better this way. At least I wouldn't have to tell him.

After a moment of heavy, lingering silence, he spoke again, his voice heavily laced with sarcasm. "Well isn't he just a charmer." The words alone formed a question, but his tone left it more like a simple statement.

"So what, Chloe," he continued, "This is your solution? Every single time you kiss, you have to have a shield? Seriously? How is that okay with you?"

"I... Alek, maybe it's not perfect, but it's worth it. Life's not perfect, especially not now, but I'm going to let this whole Mai thing ruin an otherwise sound relationship," I responded, the harshly defensive tone of my voice causing even me to cringe.

He laughed, a strangely dry and humorless sound. "Alright, you can justify it all you want. But you know, 'otherwise sound' is hardly a good argument. In that case, maybe nobody should ever break up due to cheating, or lying, or even abuse. I'm sure their relationships, too, are 'otherwise sound'."

"That isn't the same and you know it," I retorted, stung by his words.

"You're right, it's not the same. I am so sorry," he said, rolling his eyes, "your reasons are far worse actually. You can kill that boy if ever he really kisses you, you know, like most boyfriends do with their girlfriends. Yeah, that's certainly a healthy relationship. I see nothing at all wrong with that."

"Alek," I said, "this isn't up for argument. I never asked for this destiny, and I'm not about to let it rule over every other aspect of my life. Period."

He sighed. "Regardless of whether or not you asked for it, this is your life, Chloe. There's no changing that. So what is it you're planning to do, marry Brian and start a family? Maybe at your wedding the priest can hold your ridiculous piece of cling wrap for you. And then what? Good luck settling down with him, constantly having to baby-sit him from the hoards of creatures who are out to get you. They won't see in shades of gray. If hurting him will, in a roundabout way, also hurt you, then that's precisely what they'll do- use him to get to you. And no matter how strong or sweet or anything he is, at the end of the day, he's still human. He can't protect you. Hell, he can't even protect himself when it comes to other Mai, or Jackals, or any of the other things that want to kill you. Nine times over, I might add. If you think about, and I mean really think about it, Chloe, how is that fair to him?"

And I had nothing left to say. Alek had really covered all the bases there, leaving me staring at him, speechless. What was there to say? That it didn't matter, because love would conquer all? Ha. That wouldn't exactly have blown over well. So I stood wordlessly watching him as he got up from my bed, undoubtedly taking my silence as a small win.

At first it seemed that he was walking toward the window, leaving. However, when he reached the wall, he simply leaned his weight against it with his back to me, seemingly thinking, considering what to do next.

After a few moments of painful silence, he moved, shifting his weight off the wall quickly. Once he gained sufficient distance, he lifted his fist, bringing it back to hit the wall at a superhuman pace, causing me to jump at the sudden shock of the vibrations it sent through my room.

"He's not the only one, you know," he said, his voice cracking over the words.

"Wh-what?" I stammered, taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"He is not the only one who loves you, Chloe," he whispered quietly, almost inaudibly, as a strong shiver ran through the entirety of his body.

Once again, I felt as if there was absolutely nothing in the world I could say or do. My mouth fell open as I stood dumbfounded, watching him double back from the opposite wall of the room and come toward me instead. Fast. Like the kind of speed no human could ever achieve, as if to prove to me that he was not human, he was like me. Mai.

Before I knew it, Alek was standing right in front of me, having closed the distance before I could so much as blink. His arms immediately went around my waist, pulling me ever-closer to him, like we could never be close enough. His lips pressed against mine in a soft kiss while I stared at him, not even thinking enough to close my eyes.

I don't know exactly how or why, but I found myself letting him. I loved Brian. I really, truly, did, but there was a moment during that kiss when I wouldn't have replaced Alek with anyone else in the world.

Not Brian, not anyone.

At some point my eyes closed and the kiss grew, Alek constantly pulling me to him. And still, I didn't stop him. The thought crossed my mind, but the spark of anger his forced kiss had lit in me was soon put out by something, as if it had been trying to survive the rain storm outside. Somehow, I found myself laying on my bed with him laying on top of me, our lips still dancing against each other in perfect sychronization, and still, I hadn't raised one single protest.

The kiss drug on and on, seeming to encompass an eternity, yet no time at all. And when I opened my eyes, he was gone. Alek was no longer in my bedroom, and the previously opened window was closed. He was gone.

I threw a backwards punch at my bed, accompanied by a little scream of... Anger? Happiness? Confusion? Yeah, I didn't know.

When I heard my front door open, I reached out to the side and turned off the lamp on the table beside my bed. I heard my mother's footsteps on the stairs, but I simply rolled over, turning my back to the door and pretending to be asleep.

"Chloe?" she called once she was on the landing atop the stairs.

I didn't answer. She cracked the door open, peeking in at me and seeing me 'sleeping', and simply whispered, "I love you," into the darkness at my door.

But I wasn't going to answer. Implied, I thought, feeling a tear drop from eyes and wet my pillow.

Why hadn't I stopped him? There was still no doubt in my mind that I loved Brian, that I wanted to be with Brian. But somewhere, deep inside, there had to be a reason I hadn't stopped Alek.

Well. This put a damper on my plans.

Story needed a twist ;)

It was originally supposed to just be a cute, fluffy little Chloe/Brian oneshot, but this is what happens when unstoppable ideas hit me in the middle of the night. So opinions? I know you've got some, & I'd love to hear them :)

Chapter three should be available shortly, since I suppose I can't leave things as they stand.

Much love to the reviewers!