I stole some lines here and put my own spin on them. But thats OK right? By the end, I'm aware it gets a bit patchy and stale, but that's cuz I was trying to focus it on Sellie not Jalex.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

Home Sweet Home – Kano

August 2002
Alex: 13
Jay: 15

"I don't wanna go home yet. This place is awesome!" Alex whined as she and Jay packed to go back to Toronto.

"Well, all things must come to an end. And don't throw that in like that. Fold it." Jay swiped the jeans out of Alex's hand and folded them neatly and placed them gently in.

Alex smiled to herself at this odd sight before her. She was throwing her clothes into her bag in any old haphazard fashion, whilst Jay was folding and sorting, as if his life depended on it.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked, his tone soft and flirtatious.

"I never noticed these little things about you before."

"Hey there's nothing little about my thing, OK?" He said smiling wickedly.

Alex had to smirk. "You know what I mean!"

"Yep. I just like to mess things about a bit."

"Just not when packings concerned, obviously."

"Some things you just don't joke about, Nunez." Jay gasped in mock horror.

With Jay in a considerably better mood, the flight home didn't seem to take half as long as it did going out.

"I'll miss you aunt, she's pretty cool."

"She's a little shopaholic. I never pictured you and her getting along in a million years"

"Opposites attract." Alex reasoned.

"Don't say that." Jay said shortly.

"Why?" Alex asked in confusion.

"It makes me think that we won't last. Cuz we're not opposites, we're the same. You're like me with boobs."

"Boobs? I don't see any boobs!" Alex threw her hands up to her flat chest and made a joke to try and lighten to shady area this conversation was headed. Jay held his gaze for a few moments, and although Alex saw his eyes drop to her chest, she couldn't help but to notice a shiver shoot down her spine at the briefly maintained eye contact.

"Doesn't matter to me." Jay threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. They'd lifted the arm rest up between their seats just to be an extra few inches nearer to each other.

"I can't believe we're going half way across the world and back together." Alex said as she allowed herself to be encased in the shoulder hold by Jay.

"It's not that far." Jay pointed out, annoyingly but lovably at the same time.

"Whatever, Mr. Geographist!"

"Oh yeah, like that's a word!" Jay taunted. Alex had to admit she had never seen Jay like this. He actually seemed happy for once. Especially since the way he'd been acting during their stay in Portland.

The usually vile so-called 'food' they gave you on planes was also OK. This is getting better and better! Alex thought to herself as she tucked into chocolate mousse. All in all, things were going very well.

Jay was a lot more organized this time. He and Alex actually got a cab home from the airport, unlike the horrifically long and treacherous battle against the elements that Jay faced last time he was leaving this airport.

He went home to his new place when they got back to the homeland in Toronto, but not before he dropped Alex off at the trailer park.

"Jay, you can leave me here." Alex said as they reached the gates. She went to retrieve her bag he was carrying for her, but he gently shook her hand away. Alex sighed, but she wasn't angry.

"No way. I'm walkin' you to the door." Jay kept his other arm tight around Alex as they got nearer to the trailer. "I like making sure you're OK. Then I don't have to worry about you so much."

"Well, I'm here now. I won't get lost on the way to the door." Alex said, stood just mere inches from the steps up to the front door.

"OK, I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" He pulled her in for a slow kiss, but he knew it wouldn't last long, he could practically feel Emily's eyes burning into his skin. Right on cue, Alex pulled away and slightly chuckled, sheepishly.

"Bye." She waved discretely and disappeared into the house, leaving Jay stood outside, the taste of Alex still in his mouth.

"Alex! You're back! I missed you sweetheart!" Emily pulled her daughter into a hug, barely giving her time to drop her duffel bag. Alex allowed herself to be suffocated by her mother, waiting til she let go to ask her a big question.

"Mom?" Alex spoke clearly and calmly.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Emily was drunk.

"Who the hell is that?" Alex pointed toward a man sat in the arm chair, eyes glued to the NASCAR on the small, snowy screen.

"Oh, Alex I was meaning to say! How silly of me! This is Chad, my new boyfriend!" Emily was way too happy.

"New boyfriend?" Alex echoed in disbelief. She tried to keep her voice level. "Who the hell is he, mom?"

"It's Chad! You know Chad!" Emily hooted with laughter.

"No, I don't!" Alex hissed absurdly.

"Chad!" Emily shouted. "This is my daughter, the famous Alexandria!"

"Alex!" Alex corrected her mom. Chad took his eyes off the TV for sheer seconds, nodded, grunted something incoherent then looked back to the drivers.

"Say hello, Alex." Emily tried to gently knee Alex in the back, but it came out a little to forceful. Alex staggered forward and turned round to throw dagger stares at her mom as she steadied herself. As she did, she caught sight of a small baggy of ecstasy pills on the end table.

Correction: Emily was not drunk. She was drugged up.

Alex looked at this new guy, Chad – what a horrible name – then toward her mom, and scoffed loudly in disgust. "Whatever mom. I'm going to bed." She swung down to grab her bag and barged through the living room to her bedroom, without even saying goodnight.

When in the safe confines of her bedroom, once she had bolted the doors and windows twice, she collapsed against the wall and tucked her knees up closely under her chin. She didn't flick the lights, but in the dim moonlight she could see her room was no different to when she'd left it. At least that was something. Her mom hadn't been in rummaging through her drawers searching for the last quarter or dime to scrape together to buy booze or cigarettes with.

She felt the bumpy contours of her bony spine pushing against the paper thin walls. She rested her chin miserably on her knees, and she hugged her arms tightly around her legs, but she didn't cry. There was plenty of time for that. When something actually happened that warranted crying over.

Sean Cameron looked around his now empty house. Tracker had been gone for less than a week and already he was feeling at the end of his tether. He was so freaking bored... When Tracker left, Sean didn't realize he'd actually miss his company. Or maybe it was the fact that Tracker took with him the brand new Play Station 2 and most of their collection of DVD's, Sean couldn't tell.

Sean had the phone in his hand. He kept hitting redial every few seconds, but each time to no avail. For some reason, no-one in Ellie's house were answering their phone...

They didn't have any personal touches. Their message was pre-recorded and steady. After hearing it for the ninth time, he decided maybe he should let it go.

He listened to the message nearing the beep, and hit the 'end' button before it had a chance to connect. He threw the phone down on the cushions next to him and exhaled loudly.

There was a lot to be said for the hype surrounding living on your own. Parties, drink, girls, freedom? Ha! Sean was tearing his hair out, and it hadn't been a week yet!

Ellie had disappeared from reach and couldn't be found, and he had absolutely no idea when Alex and Jay got back from Oregon. He couldn't quite understand why they went for just four days, but hey, each to their own, eh?

It was getting nearer and nearer to nine, and he knew that by the laws of social etiquette, he couldn't really ring the house after nine. He despaired he wondered whether it would appear too needy to leave a message. The lead him to wonder if the calls he'd made would show up. Then he'd look an idiot...

Jay's new place was rattling with space as well. He got in at a little after eleven thirty, and sat alone in the dark and dismal half-light. The refrigerator buzzed and spluttered, and the huge wall clocked ticked steadily. A dog barked somewhere far away and a helicopter floated past outside, but other than that, it was silent. Jay flicked the TV on, just to turn it off mere moments later.

Ellie had left the phone off the hook for a reason. She wasn't sure why, but she did. Her mom was enjoying spending time in the living room with a handsome young man named Jack Daniels. She wouldn't notice if the phone rang or not.

She lay on her bed with her head hanging over the edge. Her vivid red hair swept the floor and the blood was streaming to her head, making her feel quite tingly. She didn't look, but she ran her fingers over the bumpy lacerations on her arm. She drummed a steady rhythm on the wall with her feet. The way things were at the minute, she couldn't care less what happened to her, or anyone.

It was the blood pumping around and gathering in her skull that did it, but she thought she'd heard the phone ring a few times over the heavy bass of her Nirvana mix tape.

An unbearable lonely morning followed an unbearably lonely night. Sean was out of bed before the sun was up, and he was showered and dressed before the mailman had even been round. The massive atmosphere in the room was suffocating. The ring of the phone jerked him to life with a start.

"Hello?" He was relieved at the prospect of another human life communicating with him.

"Hey, Sean, it's Ellie."

"Oh, hey!" Sean exclaimed a little too enthusiastically. "I mean, hi." He tried again, this time only calmer.

"Did you call my place last night? There were a few hang ups."

Ah, busted! "Nope, no wasn't me."

"OK..." Ellie said, sounding like she didn't completely buy it. "Anyway, what are you doing today?"

"Well, my hectic social life brings me extremely fun filled days, so I'll probably be out painting the town red."

"Oh..." Ellie sounded aghast.

"I'm joking, El. I'm doing nothing. At all. As always."

"Oh!" Ellie said again, this time sounding more upbeat. "Do you wanna..."

"Sure, sounds great." Sean jumped in there, worrying he sounded desperate. But, in a way, he was.

Jay was another lost soul dying to escape the suffocating surroundings of living alone. He was up and out, restlessly pacing the streets at 8am the next morning. He knew for a fact Alex was not a morning person, and he didn't want to risk knocking on her door at this small hour, but he was deteriorating quickly, and he was feeling bored.

Walking along the lonely sidewalk, he could feel a spirit haunting him. A familiar streak of uneasiness zipping around behind him, invisible to outsiders. As soon as he tried to make eye contact it faded. The memories and recollections of this area were almost too overwhelming. Upon his return from Oregon, things had felt different. Sure, it had been only less than a day so far, but he couldn't help but to feel something was off.

Alex's good company – if a little grumpy – an hour later half took his mind off things, but it was still there in the back of his mind. He didn't bother mentioning it though. Too much like hard work explaining it to his rather cynical girlfriend.

Sean wasn't quite sure where the words came from, and he wasn't quite sure why they'd not had the chance to register in his brain before he said them, but he was now wishing he was dead. Or that the wind would pick up him and sent him flying miles away from all civilization, until he'd learned how to cope in situations where there might be people around.

"Live with you?" Ellie uttered in shock as she processed what he'd just proposed.

Sean cringed and his insides curled up and ached as he heard back what he'd just asked Ellie. "I'm sorry, please forget I ever said that, I wasn't thinking! God, what an idiot!" He cursed himself, hitting his thigh angrily.

"What would I say to my mom?" Ellie sounded dubious.

"Ellie, please, don't!" Sean wailed dramatically. He couldn't bear to hear the words. "Please just forget I ever mentioned it, OK?"

"No, Sean that's not what I meant." Ellie said slower. "I mean, you'll have to help me come up with something to tell my mom."

"Serious?" Sean uttered, not quite believing his luck.

"Serious." Ellie confirmed, not quite believing what she was saying.

Well that was an odd one. Longer than usual though.

Please review, I'd love to know what you guys think. :)

Thanks to all my awesome reviewers who reviewed REALLY quickly on the previous chapter, it means the world to me, it really does! :D