Disclaimer: We don't own it, we just like to borrow it and use it for our own fangirling means.

Authors' Notes: So here we go... we're getting close to the end of this part and we've got a bit of crack to post for you once this is done before we move onto part 3.

Charissa's eyes widened as she rushed over to him, "Shit. Devon, are you okay?"

He groaned and rubbed his head and sat up slowly, "No. Not really." He stood and pulled her up with him, "Why did you leave? Did I do something wrong?"

She cringed… she hadn't counted on this either really, "Devon… you're a nice guy, but-"

"But what? I'm not as exciting as that staff boy?" He sighed, "It's not nice to make love with a man and then just up and leave him in the middle of the night Alice, especially when he loves you."

She froze and then began laughing, "You're in love with me… after three days?"

"Aren't you… in love with me?" He asked, his face looking like he had just been hit hard.

"No. I don't even know you!"

"Then why did you sleep with me?"

"Because I wasn't thinking straight." She said without pause.

Face was folding towels when he heard the commotion up on the side deck. He hurried over, only to spot Charissa and that...other guy, Devon. He crouched behind a cabin door, watching them.

This was unbelievable. It was ridiculous. Devon nodded slowly, "Well you're definitely not the woman I thought you were. I never should've let you into my room last night."

"Hey, I didn't make you. You could've shut the door as easily as you pulled me inside and slammed it shut."

"Really? You expected me to just turn a blind eye to you standing there in a robe and your knickers?" It was Devon's turn to laugh sarcastically.

Charissa sighed heavily, "Devon. That's not love, it's lust. You don't love me, you lust me. I know the difference believe me."

"Really? You do?" He shot back at her, growing annoyed now, "Well I guess so since you like to play fast and loose with men you don't even know and in the same night too. You're nothing but a whore Alice."

She cringed, he has basically verbally slapped her, but he was right.

She nodded, "You know what, you're right. That's exactly what I am; I'm not a good girl." She smiled darkly at him, "Did you enjoy what I did to you last night Devon?" She stalked forward towards him, smiling as he backed up against the wall, "You sure sounded like you did." She watched shame cross the man's face as he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"We're done Alice, leave me alone and please send my regards to your Grandmother. I feel sorry for her, having a granddaughter like you to deal with." He slipped passed her and left the area.

Once he was gone, Charissa sighed with relief, "Well that was easy." She ran her hand through her hair headed off in the opposite direction from Devon.

"Maybe for you." Face said, harshly, as he stepped out from behind the cabin and shut the door. He gave her a look that was somewhere between anger and betrayal, "And I thought I was the one with the problem."

It was the second time within twenty four hours that the blood drained from her face. She turned around slowly and stared at Face standing there, the look on his face cut into her, first she felt guilt and then anger as well, "I never said I didn't have problems." She folded her arms, "At least I don't eavesdrop." She added.

"Hard not to, when you're practically announcing it. I happened to be out here already," He lifted the towels in one hand, "since I'm working around here. You, on the other hand, seem to have real trouble laying low. Then again," He frowned, almost a sneer on his face, "you don't have trouble LAYING. Low."

She waited and prepared herself for the onslaught of words and emotions she was about to get from him, her own beginning to boil to the surface for counter measures, "Me?" She stepped forward, "What about you? At least I don't walk around with a harem of bimbos." She shot back at him, "And you poor thing, having to get your hands dirty with work." She attacked his vanity.

"I've done a lot worse. I was actually having a good time. This has been a fucking vacation for me, so what if I have to give out a few towels?" He didn't care at all about that, "I love you, Charissa, you're the only woman I ever have loved, and all you want to do is run. Well, if you wanna run, go. I won't bother you anymore." He put a towel over his shoulders and hung onto it. "But I'm going to stop chasing you."

She opened her mouth and then shut it. She stared at him, she couldn't speak… what do you say to that? Suddenly everything was gone, knocked out of her; her anger, the air from her lungs, everything. It took her a moment to realize that she was still even functioning properly. The silence roared and she was at war like she always was. Finally she spoke, "You scare me." Her voice was very quiet, almost mouse like and very unlike the fiery woman she normally was, "When we hooked up… I didn't think it would go that far. I knew what your reputation was, so I figured you'd put an end to it before it did. Six months in I didn't think much of it...and then six more months passed." She sighed, "It still freaks me out, when you tell me you love me. Being loved freaks me out." She admitted, "I've seen the messed up shit love can do to people, what it did to me…" She lowered her gaze then, looking away from him and feeling stupid.

"What did it do to you? What did I ever do out of love that hurt you?" Face frowned, folding his arms and holding on to the towels. "That's not fair, Charissa."

She made a noise of frustration, "Damn it. It's not you Face, it's me okay? It's me. I'm the one with the fucking problem." She clenched her fists a moment and took a series of deep breathes, "You never did anything wrong, you… you were perfect." She sighed heavily, "You are… perfect." She closed her eyes tight a moment and shook her head, "I've finally become the one thing I swore I never would… I've become my sorry excuse for a Mother." She looked at him, "I'm sorry." She began to back up, "For everything…" She moved to walk away and stopped and studied him for a moment, "I don't understand you, how can you still love me… after all of the shit I've done to you and put you through?"

"Because that's what falling in love means. I love you unconditionally, Charissa, that's what that is." Face explained, "I'm always gonna love you. I'll never fall out of love. You can break my heart, but if I only loved you with my heart, that's not love - I love you with my whole self, and you can't break that."

She tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying; to her love was something messy and hurtful. She remembered how her Dad acted after her Mom had walked out on them. She remembered the rejection she got during high school because she was an army brat basically. Then David and how he screwed her up and then there was the man standing before her like a bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel. She blinked repeatedly, her emotions coming to the surface. She closed her eyes and rubbed them hard with her fists, "Damn it." She muttered and then nodded slowly, "You know… I think I'm tired of running." Her wet hazel eyes stared into his eyes directly and unwavering.

"Then don't." Face said, simply. He uncrossed his arms and hung on to the towel, glancing off the side of the ship, "You know, you can't run very far on a ship, and it'll be at least another day or two before we even spot land."

She nodded slowly, "Okay." A small smile spread across her lips at his little joke. She knew she had to say it, and she knew it wouldn't kill her if she did, so why was it so damned hard? She moved forward, stopping directly in front of him, "I need you. I missed you… I do love you." It wasn't as hard as she thought it was going to be, and it actually felt kind of good to admit. She looked up at him, "And I think that is what scares me the most, because it feels too good to be true."

"Well, it's good, and it's true." Face grinned, "Besides. I really wasn't in the mood to chase you into the ocean if you did run."

Murdock hurried up to him. "Face, listen - we got trouble. Come on!"

She grinned back, she felt better… whole, like some long lost puzzle piece to who she was had been found. She closed the gap between them and leaned up to kiss him when Murdock's words stopped her, "What's going on?" She separated herself from Face.

See! We told you it was going to turn out alright! Well... maybe...