Chapter 10: Needs (Part 2)

Tugging at Allen's arm, Lenalee finally got the young man to move into her chambers. The distracted look on his face finally faded when he turned his focus on her. "I'm home," he said ruefully. "Again."

"Welcome back. How was the mission?" she asked, making small talk as they headed towards her bed, so they could sit next to each other.

"Piece of cake," Allen said. "It took longer to get out there than it did to take care of the Akumas."

"So, are you going to stay put for a while?" she asked, sitting on her bed.

"What do you mean?" Allen asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Earlier today, I thought I had made it clear that I would like you to stay at Headquarters with me a little more."

"Right," Allen said, scratching his head. "I guess that I could slow down with the missions. You know me, though; I just like being active."

"I know, but there's a certain niceness about taking breaks, too."

"You could come with me, sometime," Allen suggested. "We used go on missions together all of the time."

Lenalee laughed. "You know how nii-san feels about that now that we're dating."

"He's going to have to trust me eventually," Allen said, a frown crossing his face.

"I think that he's taking the long path to that road," Lenalee told him. "But you have to admit that he has been a lot more understanding lately."

Allen nodded. "I don't feel any hostility anymore," he ventured.

"It's good that our relationship is developing, and I think that it's important that we spend time together more often to help it grow." In response to her statement, Lenalee was met with Allen's startled expression.

"I didn't realize it was bothering you so much," he said. "I thought you were okay with the way I am."

"And that's my fault," she told him. "I never let you know how much your constant absences bothered me, because I know how much you enjoy taking your time to help others."

"I do!" he said enthusiastically, perking at the change in topic. "There's this little town that I've passed through a few times that I absolutely love. They've been really unfortunate with Akuma attacks, but the people there are just so kind and resilient."

"I'm really happy that you find your work fulfilling," Lenalee told him. "I wouldn't ever want you to give up on it, but …"

"I get it," Allen responded with his normal, gentle smile. "I should stick around once in a while to spend time with my girl."

"That's all I'm asking for," she replied.

Placing a hand on her cheek, he forced her to look at him. With an earnest expression on his face, he said, "I'll be more mindful of your needs from now on."

"Good," she managed to say before he sealed his promise with a kiss.

The kiss started so suddenly that she could barely process what was happening, but soon all of her senses were engulfed with Allen – his scent, the light touch of his hand gently cupping her face, and the feel of lips moving against hers.

Friction. Heat. Spark. The embrace was tender and passionate at the same time, the warmth of it engulfing her like a flame. When they finally broke apart, Lenalee was certain that her heart was going to jump out of her throat. For a moment, they just stared at each other, transfixed by the residual energy that was humming between them. And then, as if perfectly in sync, she reached for him just as he moved in closer to her. Before she knew what was happening, she was falling back on her bed as she clutched at Allen's shirt, pulling him on top of her.

~*~*~*~*~

A week after she and Allen had made peace, Lenalee found herself sitting in the medical ward keeping Lavi company during his second session of physical therapy. These sessions were broken into two parts, the first, in which he worked by himself, and then a second, where a doctor worked with him.

Staying with him during these sessions was a task that the red-headed, young man cheerfully described as so boring that even his mentor didn't want to do it. However, Lenalee disagreed with Lavi's assessment, as it gave her alone time with her confidant and allowed her to provide invaluable support for him, too.

"Allen stuck around for six days this time," Lavi commented, leaning on one of the two support bars he was positioned between.

"Yeah," Lenalee admitted with a triumphant smile. "Long enough to see you get that cast of yours off. He wanted to be there with everyone to celebrate that."

"Ah, so you have me to thank," Lavi teased.

"It has been better, and I'm happy that we seem to be seeing more eye to eye. We've had a lot more time to connect."

"Connect," Lavi repeated with a raised brow. "Is that your euphemism for making out?"

Lenalee flushed. "T-there is some of that," she managed to get out. "But that's not exactly what I meant."

"Whew, good. If there wasn't, I would have been worried about you two," he told her with a little laugh.

"Glad to see that we're living up to your expectations," Lenalee said dryly.

Lavi laughed at her response. "So, when is he going to be back?"

"In a few days," Lenalee told him. "He's in this little town in Belgium. Actually, he's been there a couple of times before. For some reason, they've gotten really unlucky with Akuma attacks, but Allen really loves the people there."

Lavi opened his mouth to comment but was interrupted.

"Mou!" a young nurse said bustling into the room, hands on her hips. "You're supposed to try not using those support bars, Lavi. Try walking and strengthening that leg of yours!"

Lavi, startled by the intrusion, straightened and saluted the other young woman with a gamely smile. "Yes'm!"

"Try taking it seriously today," she told him, writing something down in a notebook. "You wouldn't want me telling the head matron about your failure to improve."

Lavi blanched at the threat. "You wouldn't, Nurse …"

"Hazel," the young woman supplied for him, blinking big, blue eyes and giving him a brilliant smile. "And, you" Hazel said, addressing Lenalee with a stern look. "Make sure he's actually trying." With that, she walked to the back, and exited through a connecting door.

"You heard the nurse!" Lenalee said, clapping her hands at Lavi as a signal that she meant business. "I want to see you take a couple of steps without supporting yourself with those parallel bars."

"Right, right," Lavi mumbled, turning so that he was placed in the middle of the parallel bars with one hand supporting his weight on each bar. After a pause and a deep breath, he took a tentative step. And then he took another, and another.

"Let go," she told him. "You can do it." She watched with bated breath as his grip loosened on the bars. Eyes focused Lavi, she could see a fine tremor run through his hands and arms as he let go of the bars altogether. She saw him take a step with his left leg and then set it down, putting pressure on it for the first time in two months. When Lavi's left knee buckled beneath his weight and his hands scrambled to grasp the poles on either side of him, she let out a gasp of concern and was immediately on her feet. Although Lavi didn't say anything as he held himself up with his arms, she could tell that his head was lowered in disappointment and frustration.

"Keep on trying," Lenalee encouraged. "Take it one step at a time. You may have to be patient, but I know you can do it." Hurrying over to his side, she helped him to his feet, letting him rest his weight on her.

Again, she whispered, "I know you can do it." Within her grip, she felt his legs wobble unsteadily, and it caused her heart to ache. She empathized with his situation, as she knew exactly what it felt like to lose mobility. So she put her energy into cheering Lavi on in what she was sure was going to be a tough task for him.

~*~*~*~*~

Lenalee found herself rushing out of the medical ward after Lavi's fifth session with the physical therapist. She barely had time to marvel at the progress her friend was making, because she was late meeting her brother and knew Komui wouldn't take the slight well. Breaking into a light jog, she hurried to her room to pick up some paperwork she had finished for him.

"Lenalee!" A familiar voice called, stopping her in her tracks.

"Allen!" she cried, whirling around. She scarcely had time to prepare for an embrace before he wrapped his arms around her enthusiastically and spun her around. "You're home early!" She could hear the delight in her voice, and when he rewarded her with a huge smile, she was sure he could, too.

"It's good to be home," Allen told her. "I missed you when I was gone."

"Really?" she asked, blinking innocently at him.

"Yeah, I really did. I don't think I tell you that enough."

"No, you don't," she responded, teasingly.

"I think that I've found a solution."

The strangely serious tone in his voice added gravity to his statement, and so she backed away from him so that they could converse in a more formal manner. "Yeah?"

"You know how I've been helping the villagers in that Belgian city rebuild their town?"

"Yes ..."

"Well, they've really taken a liking to me. They think that I'd make a good law enforcement agent of some sort… I don't know; they just sort of wanted me to stick around until they finish rebuilding their town. They told me that they feel so safe when I'm there, because I can exorcise Akumas. Plus, there has to be a reason why remaining Akuma are drawn there, maybe even undiscovered Innocence. I feel like it'd be useful if I was there."

He looked so excited and hopeful that Lenalee really wished that she could return his enthusiasm. However, all she could do was manage a hollow sounding, "Oh?" After a moment of silence, she noticed that Allen was still looking at her expectantly, as if he was waiting for her to say more. She obliged with her true thoughts, "You want to stay there ... long term?" She did not like where the conversation was heading.

"No -- well yes, but I want you to come with me. I realized in the past week or so how important you are to me, and I feel like an idiot for not realizing it earlier. I plan on leaving again tomorrow, and I'll probably end up staying for a few weeks, maybe even a few months. And... I really want you to come with me. Won't you come with me?"

He looked so earnest and sounded so sincere that Lenalee was overcome with emotion. Putting a hand to her mouth, she began to process the idea. Her and Allen together. He wanted her to stay with him. Maybe she had finally become someone irreplaceable to him, just like she always wanted to be. The man she loved was in front of her asking her to go away with him; the thought of it caused her body to tingle, her heart to race, and her breath to catch in her throat.

'Yes,' she couldn't help but thinking. There was no other first reaction appropriate for the situation. The man she loved was beseeching her to stay with him. A euphoric, light-headed dizziness overwhelmed her senses and distorted her grasp on reality. It was as if she was in a fairy tale, and in fairy tales the couple always lived happily ever after. (She had read enough of them to know this was the case.) So, she opened her mouth to answer, to provide Allen with the response he wanted to hear, and to ensure her own happy ending.

At that moment, their conversation was interrupted. "Lenalee, you're late, so I came to check on you. I was wondering what could be keeping--" Komui broke off in mid-sentence.

Her brother's voice hit Lenalee like a sack of potatoes, grounding her senses and ending her dreamlike state. "Nii-san," she whispered. She had forgotten about him in her momentary bliss and couldn't believe that she had almost promised to leave her brother for months without giving it a second thought. He was so important to her. How could she have almost done something like that? She was horrified at the thought, and guilt wrapped around her heart like ribbon of cold steel.

"General Walker," Komui addressed. "I wasn't aware you were home."

"I just got in," Allen said, smiling back at the other man.

"Uhh, Nii-san ... I need to talk to Allen for a bit. I'll meet you down at your office in a few minutes. We can get lunch after that." Her gaze darting between Allen and Komui, she again weighed what leaving Headquarters in order to stay with Allen would really entail her to sacrifice.

"Ok," Komui responded without protesting.

Lenalee was grateful that her brother was being so agreeable. It was as if he could tell that she was in a precarious state of mind. "Thank you," she told him, waiting for him to leave before addressing Allen again.

With a sinking heart, she looked up at Allen and shook her head. "It sounds wonderful... to be with you, but I can't leave for months. And what happens when you're done with this town? Will you move on to another one that needs your help? I want a home that I can call home. And home is where all the people I love are."

The shock written on Allen's face showed that he hadn't fully thought through his earlier proposition. He recovered from it as best as he could. "We could come home and visit at times," he reassured, putting on a smile.

"Why can't you find a job around here in law enforcement or something?" she suggested. "That way you could help people and still stay at Headquarters with all of us."

"They need me over there," Allen responded without even hesitating.

"If I go with you on this trip, will you be able to promise me that we'll settle back down near Headquarters?"

Allen's eyes dimmed. "I-I can't do that."

"I know," she said, her heart wrenching painfully at the realization.

"Can't we just go together and leave the future to the future?"

She turned her head way from him. "I can't always be the one who gives..." she whispered softly.

"But I have to go," Allen stated simply, as if it was an unchangeable fact. "I've made bonds with people in that town, and I have to go help them."

"You have to do what you have to do," Lenalee replied, letting out a sigh. "...Even if it's not what I need you to do."

"I have to go," Allen said again, as if repeating the statement would get through to her.

And she finally understood. Even with their bond, their affections for one another, and their attraction to each other, they were very different people with very different needs. He needed his freedom and needed to help others more than he needed her company. And so she decided that there was no other option but to do the only thing she could for him; she would grant him his freedom.

"I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you," she told him, struggling to keep her voice steady. The tears were coming; she needed to leave before he had a chance to see them. Ducking her head, she turned her back to him. Now that she was no longer facing Allen, her resolve to keep her tears back faltered, and the first one fell. She took a step away from him. Another tear trickled down her face.

"We'll talk when I get back," Allen told her.

Lenalee froze at the empty promise. She couldn't deal with the emotional highs and lows anymore; she was simply too tired to put up with it any longer. Her emotions were worn, frazzled, and spent. Turning her head so that she could see his face and get her point across, she shook her head. "What's the point?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders. Before he had the chance to react, she ran from him, dashing as quickly as her Innocence would allow her, knowing very well that he would never catch her.

TBC…

Here's hoping you guys liked this chapter more than I did… Feel free to show like or dislike for it. XD;;;

(FYI: This fic is close to being finished. \(^o^)/ Only lots of editing is needed for the remaining chapters...)