AN: This is the last chapter, Im writting a small epilogue where I describe other moments between Alex and Syusuke that seemed important, and just leave it open to imagination, but I'm tired of this story to tell the truth, and the lack of reviews doesnt tell me you are liking it either, so I'm letting you know, that I am pretty much done with this one.

Chapter 13

Disaster Averted

Grief is like the ocean. It's deep and dark; its wideness makes us feel like there is nothing else. And pain is like a thief in the night. Quiet. Persistent. Unfair. Something we cannot hear or see, but we feel it everywhere. Alex was there, in the midst of that ocean, under the bludgeoning of pain.

Tezuka did whatever he could to console Alex, but let's face it, there wasn't anything he could do, at least not now. He allowed her to cry, but when the half hour neared, they both knew they should be heading back before someone came looking. Alex composed herself as much as she could, and they headed back. Their compartment was only theirs. Momo and Echizen had fallen asleep in a seat pair, Inui and Kaidoh in front dozing off themselves. Oishi was sitting in the window next to Kaho, Eiji in the seat in front of her, Taka was sitting next to Kaho asleep. Syusuke was sitting next to a window opposite Eiji. He noticed when they walked in, and noticed as Alex walked over and sat in the window next to Eiji, the farthest from him. Tezuka sat down next to him, but didn't say anything.

Alex looked out the window, happy, that from the reflection, no one could tell she had been crying, not that they would, most of them were asleep. She didn't want their pity, she didn't think she could make an excuse about why she had cried, soon enough, she fell asleep as well.

Syusuke spent the next few minutes watching her, wondering what had happened, why she was staying away from him. He didn't notice he was being watched as well. After Alex had fallen asleep, Tezuka finally said something, though almost whispering.

"You are concerned about her?"

"Yes… can I ask what happened?"

"She told me what you said… I thought it was her"

"Wait what?"

"You told me that day on the roof that you felt yourself falling for someone, I thought it was her."

"It is" Syusuke said, raising his voice a little.

"Oh…" Tezuka said looking at Syusuke and then at Alex. "She thinks you meant someone else, someone you already knew before her"

"Crap" Syusuke swore, and Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "You know what I mean… I need to talk to her."

"I'm going to betray her confidence in me and tell you this." Tezuka started and after a moment. "She likes you Syusuke, more than she is willing to admit to herself, and she is hurting right now. This time when you talk to her, make sure the hurt gets taken away."

Syusuke nodded, and leaned back into his seat. He would ask to talk to her the moment they got off the train, walk her home.

His plan was derailed. When they got off the train, Kaho, Oishi and Eiji walked with them, and he couldn't talk to her alone, since she was trying to avoid him. When they were nearing the turn where she would head home, she said goodbye and walked off before he could say anything. Syusuke went to follow her, but Eiji chose that moment to hug him goodbye. He went into the alley, ready to chase after her, but she either walked really fast, or ran to the next turn.

Alex on the other hand was trying really hard to get home. By now she realized that it hadn't been just a crush; she had begun falling for him, and she was sure that it was now irrevocable for her. She ran. She made it to the street light just there by her house before she had to stop for a moment, and catch her breath, but instead, the tears fell down again.

She didn't hear him walk up, didn't see him, and then he was there.

"Alex?" Syusuke's voice rang in her ears. It was soft, concerned.

Alex didn't say anything, she couldn't, and it wasn't something she could hide anymore.

"Alex… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be… it isn't your fault" Alex said, trying to smile. "You can't help who you fall for"

"I know that, but I think you made a mistake"

"Mistake? What is that supposed to mean?"

"The girl I was talking about…"

"Don't… I don't need…" Alex started but she was silenced, by Syusuke's hands on her elbows pulling her forward, and his lips on hers.

It was perfect, at least to them. Alex's face still wet by tears went unnoticed for a few seconds. Syusuke's less than amazing revelation was a thing of the past by now. The scene from afar was a boy and a girl under a street light, together.

When breathing became a necessity, their lips separated, but they stayed together, close enough to feel each other's breath on their faces.

They stood there, looking at each other, not saying anything, until one of Syusuke's hands went to her lower back, and the other to the nape of her neck; while Alex's hands went to his chest, and gripped his shirt.

"It's you Alex… It's always been you" he said, before lowering his lips on hers again.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until the occasional late morning passerby saw them, and they realized, that it was broad daylight, in the middle of a street. They went to Alex's house to talk for a moment.

The moment they walked in the house and into the living room, Alex turned around and smacked him across the arm.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" Syusuke asked incredulously.

"For making me think you liked someone else!" Alex said.

"Oh… sorry about that. I guess I made a mess of things, that I did" he said smiling.

"So we are dating now?" Alex asked.

"Dating, courting, hanging out more often, whatever you want to call it?" he said smiling.

"Hanging out more often? Syusuke, the only way that could happen if it's you move in" Alex said jokingly.

"I don't think your parents would approve of that"

"Please, they adore you, they'd probably ask your family for a trade, me for you"

"I am quite lovable" he said with a smirk.

Alex smacked him in the arm again.

"Now, what was that one for?" he asked curiously.

"I'll come up with a reason eventually."

"All these offenses… I feel like I should make my apology" he said taking a step towards Alex, and putting his arms around her waist.

"True"

He pressed his forehead against hers before leaning in for a kiss. It lasted just long enough for the phone to ring. They separated, and Alex moved over to pick up. About fifteen minutes later, she was turning around and looking at a smiling Syusuke sitting on the couch.

"I have to go to the restaurant" Alex said, and before he stood up or said goodbye. "Feel like pizza?"

He smiled and extended his hand for her to take. The restaurant was a little filled up, and Alex's parents had a waiter that called in sick. They asked Alex to help, and Syusuke immediately offered his help as well. After the restaurant closed later that night, they all ate a pizza together, and soon enough, Syusuke was on his way home. While Alex and her parents drove home, Alex decided to tell them about Syusuke. Boy she didn't expect the conversation that actually took place.

"Mom, Dad, there is something I wanna tell you" Alex said.

"Sure sweetie" her mom said, using the rearview mirror to look at her.

"Me and… well… the thing is…" Alex started, getting a little nervous.

"Alex, you are worrying me" her dad said, his tone still a little playful.

"Me and Syusuke…" Alex started but was interrupted by her dad, in an uncommon display of anger.

He stomped on the brake and turned around on his seat. "ARE YOU PREGNANT?"

"What? God, dad, NO" Alex yelled back.

"DID HE DO SOMETHING TO YOU?"

"Honey…" her mom started, but her dad interrupted.

"IF HE DID I AM GOING TO MURDER HIM"

"DAD! He didn't do anything!" Alex yelled. "We started dating!"

"Oh… " he said at first like realizing it wasn't a bad thing, and then his tone turned a little surprised. "Oh!"

"When did this happen?" her mom asked, with a smile.

"Just before you called us to go to the restaurant"

"YOU WERE ALONE WITH HIM AT THE HOUSE?" her dad yelled again.

"Yeah… Dad, if you don't recall, we spend almost every Tuesday and Thursday either alone at the house or alone at his house for tutoring"

"NO YOU DON'T! BECAUSE TUTORING HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE RESTAURANT FROM NOW ON!"

"Dad!"

"Sweetie your dad has a point you know. We'd be a lot more comfortable if you weren't completely alone." She said, with a tone filled with understanding.

"I guess… but let's face it, at his home, his sister is always interrupting us with food, so its fine there" Alex tried to reason. "And, instead of here, we could just go to the café near the school."

"That's great!" Rei said smiling, and when her husband didn't seem to agree, she just put a hand on his arm, and he calmed down and nodded.

"Well, yeah… just wanted to let you know" Alex said, and with a small smirk, looked out the car window and waited until they were home. It was one thing to tell her parents, it would be quite another to tell the team.

The next day, Alex and Syusuke tried acting like nothing different was going on between them but there were two people they would have never been able to fool: Tezuka and Kaho. So, as Alex told Kaho when the guys were in morning practice, Syusuke told Tezuka once they had a moment. That day Tezuka also announced to the team, his decision to go to Germany. The rest of the team, found out in various ways.

Oishi was the first to find out, when he walked in on them making out in a, until then, deserted hallway. He was happy about it and happy to give them some privacy. Echizen was in a similar situation during lunch, when he walked in on them at the roof. Inui realized what was going on when he saw them walking together holding hands. Taka noticed too, but asked Oishi to make sure it wasn't anything else. Momo, Kaidoh and Eiji were the last to find out. After that afternoon's practice, Syusuke got showered and changed and when he went to say hi to Alex, he unconsciously kissed her.

"Nya! Alex-chan! Are you and Fujiko a couple now?" Eiji asked, almost teasingly.

"Please, Fuji-senpai is probably taking advantage!" Momo said smirking.

Syusuke looked at Alex who was smiling.

"Actually, we are dating" Alex said smiling, and laughed when Momo's mouth gaped open.

"Nope… she's my girlfriend" Fuji corrected.

"Whats the difference?" Alex asked.

"If we were dating, you'd be able to date other guys… " Syusuke said. "You are my girlfriend… no one elses"

Behind Alex, she could hear Kaho "aw"-ing at that.

"Ne, why isn't anyone else surprised?" Eiji asked looking around.

"Because we already knew" Oishi said, and everyone except Momo and Kaidoh nodded.

"Senpai-tachi aren't exactly discreet" Echizen said with a smirk, and briging a blush to Alex's face.

"So, does this change things?" Momo asked.

"What do you mean?" Inui asked.

"Well, they are a couple now…" Momo said.

"But, when you think about it, they pretty much acted like a couple before, so really this was just making it official." Taka said thoughtfully.

"True" Momo.

"And you're only upset because you lost the pool Momo-senpai" Echizen said with a smirk.

"Come again" Alex said a little more curious, and slightly angrier. "The pool?"

"Yeah, well… you see, Alex-chan" Eiji started but cowered the more Alex's look turned into a glare. "We knew you guys were meant to be, and we… we might have… we decided…"

"Inui!" Alex yelled, and turned on the now slightly cowering DataMan.

"We decided on betting the time it would take for you guys to officially become a couple" Inui said, taking one or two steps back.

"And who decided to join this?" Syusuke asked, more amused than angry.

"Well, obviously the regulars" Momo started. "And the freshmen all bet as one group, excluding Ryoma"

"Even you Tezuka?" Syusuke asked smirking.

Tezuka tried to seem completely in control, but Alex took one step forward, and he might have faltered a bit. "Er… well, I liked my odds"

"Who won?" Alex said, in a low tone, that everyone managed to hear.

"Based on today's date, and the closeness of the bets…" Inui said, looking through his notes. "It's a draw"

"Nya! That's impossible, we all picked different dates" Eiji said.

"Oishi's bet, and Ryoma's bet are both equally apart from today. Ryoma bet it would happen 12 days ago, and Oishi 12 days from today" Inui explained. "The pool is divided in half"

"Awesome" Ryoma said extending his hand. Both he and Oishi got barely a thousand yen.

"Who was the worst guess?" Alex asked a little more curiously.

"Eiji" Inui answered. "He wagered on graduation"

"Well then, Eiji is paying for my and Syusuke's dinner today, let's go" Alex said, taking Syusuke's hand.

"Nya! What?" Eiji yelled.

With that, the entire laughing tennis regulars, and the freshmen left the school towards the nearby café.