Chapter Four:

Don't Go!

Disclaimer: Only thing I own is this story and Marie.

DOOM Fangirl: "Here's another chapter. I'm coming out with them pretty fast, eh? This one takes place about a week after the last. Anyway, read, enjoy, review.

"I'm bored!" Valon complained.

Raphael, Alister, and Marie all looked up from the books they were reading.

"Deal with it," Alister said.

"Find something to do," Raphael said at the same time.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Marie asked at the same time as the other two.

"I like Marie's idea!" Valon said.

"Do you like war movies?" Marie asked.

Alister stiffened, but Raphael was the only one who noticed.

"Yeah," Valon replied. "Why? You got one?"

"No. But there's one coming on, like, now on HBO 2. Wanna watch it?"

"Yeah!"

So, they turned on the TV and started to watch the movie.

The entire first scene was basically guys getting their heads blown off for no explained reason.

Alister tried to distract himself by returning to his book, but the words blurred together.

A few scenes later, when tanks came into play and kids started getting killed randomly, the redhead couldn't take it anymore. He got up and ran for the door.

Marie and Valon were so involved in the movie, that they didn't even notice until Raphael said, "Where are you going?"

"Out," Alister said, his voice choked with tears.

How his voice sounded worried Marie, so she got up and ran after him.

"Alister!" she called. "Wait!"

He didn't listen. He barely even heard her through his emotional pain and the steady pounding of the rain.

He got on his motorcycle, but Marie was caught up to him before he could start it up.

"Alister, what happened?" she asked. "What's wrong? Can't we at least talk about it?"

"No," he told her, kicking the bike into gear.

"Alister! You can't drive like this! You can hardly see! You don't even have your…"

He pulled out of the driveway, and started driving down the road.

I don't have legs of steel for nothing! she decided, and began to run after him.

She was very fast and, with worry for her friend driving her, she was able to run right beside him.

"Alister!" she shouted. "Please don't go! Come back inside! I'll make Valon turn the movie off! I'll bake your favorite cookies! We can talk! Please!"

Alister stopped the bike.

"You don't know, Marie!" he yelled. "You have no idea! You don't know the hell I've been through!"

"You're right!" she admitted. "I don't! So, tell me! Talk about it!"

"Get on," Alister said suddenly.

"What?"

"I wanna take you somewhere."

"But…"

"Please. Just come with me. Then we can go home."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Yes."

So, Marie got on the back of Alister's motorcycle, and he brought her to a cliff with another ledge above it, so that they could look over the cliff without being in the rain.

"Wow," Marie said. "I…didn't know this place existed!"

"I found it while randomly wandering."

"When do you randomly wander?" she asked.

"When you think I'm working," he said.

"What?"

"Valon and I each took 500,000 dollars from Dartz-our last boss, who's…sort of…dead now. That's why we've been able to pay the rent without a paycheck."

"Are you serious?" she demanded. "Wha-what about Raphael?"

"No, he really does work."

"Well, it's nice to know, someone is honest!"

"Look, Marie…do you…really wanna know why I got upset?"

"Yes! You know I do!"

"Well…" And he told her all about the war in his home country and the death of his family. He even showed her his brother's old action figure.

When he finished, he looked at Marie and saw that she was crying.

"Whoa! Hey! Wha-what's wrong? A-are you hurt?"

She shook her head, and hugged him tightly.

The redhead was stunned for a moment, then hugged her back.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She looked up at him. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.

"I-I'm…so…sorry," she told him. "I…I d-didn't know!"

"Well, of course you didn't; how could you have? Don't cry about it-it's fine."

She stepped back and composed herself.

"You know," Alister began after she'd stopped crying, "I don't talk much about this kind of thing. I never really felt comfortable talking about my past. Not with anyone."

"Well, of course not," Marie replied. "It's not something that's easy to talk about."

"But, I…I don't mind talking to you about it," he said. "You know…you're easy to talk to…And…you're pretty much my best friend."

"Oh…Um…thanks," she said uncertainly.

"Come on," he said, walking back toward his motorcycle. "We should get back, or they'll worry."

"Oh. Y-yeah." She walked back with him.

"Oh, and," he began turning back toward her, "I have to do something."

"What?" she asked.

"Promise you won't hit me?"

"Uh…s-sure."

He kissed her cheek.

"Wha…what…You…Why…" she trailed off, blushing.

"Sorry," he said, his face as red as his hair. "Poor impulse control on my part."

"Oh…Okay."

Things changed after that day.

DOOM Fangirl: "That's the end of the chapter. I was going to make this fic a love triangle (Valon/Marie/Alister), but I don't feel like it, anymore, so this has become a Marie/Alister fic. Anyway, leave a review, okay?"