DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN WOWP OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

Chapter 7: Love you enough to let you go

He shouldn't be here.

He shouldn't be out here, looking for her. He shouldn't be throwing away everything just for her. He shouldn't feel this panicky, this afraid. He shouldn't be out in the goddamn rain with no coat on. He shouldn't have gone without a word of explanation to Cami, his lawfully wedded wife. He shouldn't have nothing else on his mind but the single thought, where the hell is she? He shouldn't care how things play out, for they were doomed from the start. He shouldn't be so damn frustrated and really…

…he shouldn't be here.

(But she should, 'cause he's been searching for nearly an hour, damn it.)

"Alex? Alex…Alex!" He's not even trying to hide the desperation in his voice now. All he can hope and pray for is that she hasn't gone and done something stupi-

"What do you want, Justin?"

(And just like that, she's here.)

"Oh, thank God, Alex! I've been looking all ove-"

"For what joy, brother?" Her voice is cold and unforgiving and her mouth is in a thin line now.

"I…"

"What more could you possibly want, huh?"

He can think of a thousand different answers to that question but-

"I want you to be honest."

"Honest? You wanna talk about honesty?" She's yelling now, every trace of any emotion apart from fury gone from her face. "You. Fucking. Hypocrite."

"Yeah, well, why did you come back?"

"I dunno, Justin. I've been asking myself the same thing." Her eyes narrow and her voice is dangerously calm.

"Well, let me tell you something, Alex. I wake up every morning next to a beautiful woman who loves me. I'm successful at my job and I'm good at whatever I do. I live a good life. I have a good time. And honestly? No complaints."

She lets out a frustrated moan and stamps her foot, and if it weren't so serious, he might've laughed out loud.

"I don't need to stand here and listen to how perfect your life is. I already know that."

"No." He shakes his head with a small, sad smile. "See, that's where you're wrong. It's not perfect. Because something's missing. For the longest time, something that I need more than anything, has been taken out of my life; the part of me that's supposed to make me whole."

"…"

"It's you, Alex. You're why I can't sleep at night, can't find my peace of mind, can't ever feel right. You're part of me, and you always will be. You're in my veins. And I would leave everything and do anything for you, if I could only know that you need me as much as I need you. And something tells me…you do."

If his words have moved her, she doesn't show it. In fact, she looks more distrustful than anything. This throws him slightly off guard, and he stammers,

"Y-You believe me, don't you?"

"I don't know if I should." She says in a cold, flat tone. "You say a lot of things, Justin. You've never had a problem with words. In fact, you even said you didn't love me. Did you lie then, or are you lying now? How am I supposed to know, huh? What am I supposed to do? Because at least," Her voice is rising now and her calm is shattering, "if you don't have me, you have something, ok? I. Have. Nothing."

"Then you have nothing to lose, right?" He counters, a tad too hopeful, which effectively ruins the sarcasm.

"Not now…but eventually you're gonna leave and this whole thing is just gonna blow up in our faces, and then I'll really have nothing left. And if we're being honest with ourselves," he winces at the word, "…this isn't gonna work out, Justin. You know it isn't. We were never meant to be. We were doomed from the start."

(His heart seems to have no limit on the number of times it's allowed to break.)

"What if I don't care, huh? And besides…since when are you the cautious one?" He laughs bitterly at the irony.

She shakes her head, a resigned look coming upon her face. "Oh, you don't really mean it, anyway."

"Of course I do! Do I look lik-"

"You say this now but I know you will end up regretting it and then you'll hate me forever…that is, if you don't already." There are unshed tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I don't…I don't hate you." He feels a prick of moisture at his own eyes.

"...I don't love you."

A heartbeat. That's how long they stare at each other, the same sad expression reflected in the others' eyes, before she takes a step back and speaks softly,

"I know you better than you think, you know. And this is just the kind of heroic stunt that you love pulling."

"…you don't always have to play the goddamn hero!"

"You think you end up being the better man by throwing it all away for me, or for us or whatever you think this is! And…it's just not worth i-"

In three long strides he closes the distance between them and captures her lips in his with a viciousness bordering on the pure, raw desire. He pours his heart and soul into her, and for a moment she relents and gives in, sinking into his arms; tears slipping silently down her face. After a tiny eternity he pulls away, still gripping onto her shoulders for dear life. She looks at him for a second and then ducks her head down. Before she can complete the motion, however, he jerks her head up almost violently with a finger placed on her chin.

"Look at me, goddamn you, look at me!" He growls, hands shaking, "Look into my eyes and tell me…that you don't see how much I fucking love you."

(Because when it comes to her, that's all he really knows for certain.)

She stares at him, wide-eyed, tears still falling from her eyes. Her lips move, but there's no sound.

"I love you, Alex." He whispers. "I love you. I really love you, and I…" He leans in and kisses her once more, unable to contain himself, finally letting his own tears spill down his face and onto her hair. It's all he's ever wanted for as long as he can remember; to feel her in his arms again and feel the paradoxical bliss in their obvious disharmony. It's wrong enough to feel right, somehow. And for the first time-

"…Justin?!"

They break apart with identical startled expressions and swing around wildly to see a red-faced Cami. Justin's mouth is in the shape of a perfect, horror-struck 'O'. Cami gasps and takes a shaky step back, shaking her head slowly, eyes widening, lips quivering and tears starting to form in those endless pools of blue.

(And still he doesn't let her out of his grasp; wanting and needing to feel her there, by his side.)

There's a moment similar to the one in their living room, that happened not all too long ago, and now, at last, all the cards have been placed on the table. It's finally come to the light, but it couldn't feel less liberating, for some reason. Justin's got a sinking feeling and his heart is in his mouth.

"I should go." Cami is the first to break the silence. Her eyes are now dry, her voice completely devoid of emotion, like someone put a vacuum inside her and sucked every last feeling out of her body.

"Cami…" Justin says faintly, his eyes clouding over with guilt and helplessness.

"No, don't say it. Just…don't." She almost smiles and then drops her hands to her sides. Her eyes flicker with a hint of longing and regret and it's killing him a little because he knows how much he's destroyed her as well.

(His hands are turning numb, and he somehow can't tear his gaze from her face…because he feels he owes her at least this. This moment.)

"If it means anything…" She's walking away even as she speaks, "…I really loved you, Justin."

It stabs at his heart like a dagger and he feels a gut-wrenching pain. He wants to say he's sorry, but the tiny part of him that knows that he's actually the farthest thing from sorry prevents him from even forming the words on his lips before they die away. All the same, he watches her walk away right up until the moment she's no longer in his line of sight. Then suddenly, with a jolt, he remembers: Alex.

He turns around and looks at her, standing a few feet away- she must have slipped away from his hold unbeknownst to him- looking like the most exhausted person in the world. And in that moment, he knows. He knows exactly how this is going to go down.

(Funny how that never makes it any easier…)

"You know, Justin…I guess, sometimes love just isn't enough."

(And just like that, she's gone.)

And of course, right at that moment -heads up ladies and gentlemen, poetic justice is about to be served-… it starts to rain.

(Because that's what his life has become now, hasn't it? A fucking movie.)

Not even gradually, but in a sudden, torrential downpour. It drenches him from head to toe, and yet, ironically takes away nothing from him. Oh, how he wishes it would; the pain, the anger, the shame, the fear, the desperation, the hopelessness…and did he mention, the absolute fucking pain? Although, that would probably make sense if there were anything left to take.

For he is Justin- perfect son, perfect brother, perfect husband- and this is the last place he's supposed to be. He's always played it safe, lived by the book, worked harder than anybody else, persevered to excel at everything he does, and succeeded at that, too. Well, almost everything.

Now, stripped of everything that has ever meant anything to him, all he can do now is put his head in his soaking hands and wonder;

…How the hell did I end up this way?

A/N: Yay, we finally reached the prologue scene! And the climactic part of the story...anyway, stay tuned! And please review! :)