The taxi driver dropped me off just outside the terminal, and I wandered in, tugging my suitcase behind me. It was nice and cool inside, which gave me some much needed relief from the soaring Parisian temperatures. Buying a ticket for a train that departed in half an hour, I sauntered through the departures lounge and picked up lunch for myself. At just over €300 the ticket to London had been pricier than I had expected, but I figured it was better than running into Will again. I texted Alice to let her know that I was safe, and then rang my parents. I'd forgotten to call them once I'd landed in Paris, and after a mini lecture from my father about how they'd been worried sick, they finally asked me about the convention. Now, I didn't really want to admit to my parents that I'd found my soulfinder, and was hoping never to see him again- they'd be angrier than Will if I admitted that. So, instead I lied, telling them that I hadn't met my soulfinder, and feigned a forlorn tone. They seemed to buy it, and I had to listen to them expressing their sympathies for ten minutes, which made me feel even guiltier for lying to them. Finally, they let me go, and I boarded my train.

Climbing aboard half an hour after buying my ticket, I stowed away my luggage and found myself a secluded spot in one of the emptiest carriages. I grabbed my phone, plugged in my headphones, and tried to forget about everything that had happened today. Try being the most important verb in that sentence. However much I tried to forget about Will, he just plagued my mind- I couldn't get rid of him! The further away from Paris I got, the weaker our bond became. By the time I reached London I barely needed to keep up my mental shields. The journey passed relatively quickly. From London I managed to catch a train to Rugby, where I transferred to Derby. It was an exhausting journey- the plane ride was definitely less stressful- there was no dashing for changeovers, or rushing to find a seat. But, I got home in the end, and that was what mattered. From the train station I took a taxi home, and rang Jack and Savannah to collect Monty. I'd missed my little furry friend terribly, and I wanted to see if he'd recovered from his injury. It didn't feel like home until Monty was with me.

Jack and Savannah lived in a beautiful little cottage in one of the most remote parts of Derbyshire. It took me about 25 minutes to get there from my flat via the thin country lanes that made Derbyshire so beautiful. I pulled up, and stretched my legs. Walking up their driveway I knocked on the door, and waited for a response. The door opened, and Monty came scampering out. He leapt on me, taking me by surprise, and knocking me over. I laughed happily, as he crawled along my torso and started licking my face. Scooping him up into my arms I stood up, and looked at Jack.

"You don't have to talk about the convention, Lex. I know it must have been hard enough talking to Mum and Dad about it." He scratched Monty's ears playfully. He was right. It was hard talking to Mum and Dad, but not for the reasons he was thinking of. It was hard to lie to them about my soulfinder, rather than being hard to talk to them about it because I was so consumed with grief that I hadn't found my soulfinder. I didn't reply- I was a terrible liar, and I didn't want Jack to suspect something. Only Alice knew the truth, and I was determined to keep it that way.

"Thanks. Anyway, did Mont behave himself? Thanks so much for looking after him Jack- I was so glad I didn't have to put him in the Kennels. How is he?"

"He was his usual cheerful self, Lex. He's still not quite a hundred percent, but he's close." I grinned, cuddling Monty to my chest. We exchanged goodbyes, and pleasantries before I set off home, Monty occupying his rightful place in the passenger seat. By the time I reached the flat, it was nearly seven, and I was exhausted. Too tired to do anything more than crawl into bed and sleep, I dropped Monty on his bed and headed to my room. I was just about to slip under the covers when my phone rang.

"Hello" I yawned sleepily down the line.

"Hey, Alexis it's me, Sam." His voice sounded worried, and tense. I sat up straight, rubbing my eyes blearily.

"Hey Sam, what's up?"

"Look, I know it sounds like a big ask, but I was just wondering if I could come and talk to you for a while, my flight's just landed. I found my soulfinder at the convention and I don't know what to do. You're the only one who understands where I'm coming from. I'm sorry for barging in on you-"

I cut him off mid-way through his frantic explanation. "It's fine Sam, that's what friends are for. Come over when you want." I reeled off my address to him, and said my goodbyes.

Sighing, I looked over at Monty who was fast asleep in his bed. How I envied him. I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight- Sam sounded really wound up. I made my way to the kitchen- a caffeine fix was the only way I could stay awake for the rest of this evening.

Wandering to the kitchen I boiled the kettle, and set about making myself a much required caffeine fix. A strong, black coffee was my beverage of choice, and I set about grabbing the appropriate implements, humming as I went. Whilst I waited for it to boil I nipped into my room to get changed into some warm, slouchy clothing, comprising of leggings and a massive hoody that I'd robbed from Jack. Hey! Don't judge me- it was way too snuggly to resist, even though it was his old rugby one. He hadn't noticed it was missing yet, and I was hoping to keep it that way!

Sam had texted to say that he was about 20 minutes away, having already left the airport. He'd left his car there whilst he was in Paris, so was able to drive to my flat as soon as he'd landed and passed through security. In the meantime, I was frantically charging round my rather messy flat, trying to make it look somewhat presentable. It wasn't that I was an unclean person- far from it! My flat always had to be immaculately clean. My problem was that I always seemed to leave things lying around, and never tidied them away. Not to mention the fact that Monty seemed to take great delight in scattering his toys all over the place, and enjoyed watching me find where he'd so ingeniously hidden them. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy this ritual as much as he did.

The doorbell rang half an hour later, whilst I was still trying to tidy up. Glancing over my apartment, I figured it didn't look so bad… Well, not so bad if you ignored the pile of ironing in the corner, my mail strewn across the kitchen worktops, and piles of marking dotted on any available flat surface. My flat, unfortunately, was designed so that it was nearly all open-plan (apart from the bedrooms, and the bathroom), which meant that all of my clutter was on show for anyone who came to visit. Cradling my cup of hot coffee I turned to answer the door, and was met with a very stressed looking Sam.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned, taking in his haggard appearance. I rested my hip against the door and took a sip of my coffee whilst I waited for his response.

"Yeah- I'll be okay. Sorry for dropping in on you like this. I'm so glad that you agreed to talk to me- I wouldn't have asked at such short notice, but you're the only savant I know that understands."

"Sam, it's not a problem- this is what friends are for. Come in, you must be knackered after the journey."

I pull the door open wider, and usher him in, gesturing that he should take a seat on the sofa in the lounge. He walked in, and moved to the sofa, dropping his bag and sinking into the mound of cushions.

"You want a drink?" I ask, placing my mug on the table and moving towards the kitchen. "I've got tea, coffee, hot chocolate, coke, water, squash…" I look at him enquiringly. "Oh, and sorry about the mess I haven't finished clearing up yet."

"A glass of water would be great, thanks." He says. I nod in response, busying myself by going to fetch it. Whilst I rummage through the cupboards I broach the subject of his visit.

"So you met her, then?"

"Yeah. She's called Elinor, and she's from Edinburgh. The convention was nearly finished when we got matched- I thought I'd gotten away with it."

I find a glass, and fill it up from the tap as he speaks.

"So what's she like?"

"Amazing. That's the problem. It was so different to what I was expecting- the connection between us was much stronger than I'd ever anticipated."

I brought the glass over, handing it to him, before I took my seat on the adjacent armchair.

"Did you like her?"

"Yeah, a hell of a lot. That's the issue."

"So, what did you do? Did you tell her about Catherine?" He cast his eyes downward, mulling over my question. He'd seen so sure of himself in the airport- so convinced that even if he found his soulfinder that she'd be nothing to Catherine, that nothing and nobody could make him change his feelings for her. But now… well. Well, now he was like a different person- no longer doubting the mystical connection between soulfinders.

"Yeah, I told her. It was awful, Lex- her eyes were welling up with tears, and her face just fell. It was like a whole chunk of me was just ripped out- as though I could actually, physically feel her pain. She'd waited for me, she just imagined that we'd get together, and walk off into the sunset together to live happily ever after. She never banked on me not waiting for her. Shit! This whole situation is such a mess!" He tugged fruitlessly at a loose thread on his jeans, yanking it roughly- channelling his frustrations at an inanimate object. I laid my hand on his arm, stopping his movement.

"Sam, look at me." He met my gaze. "It's all gonna work itself out. Have you got her contact details?"

He nodded. "Right, well then all isn't lost. Look, Sam, you're shattered, and we aren't going to get any further with this tonight. How about I order some pizza, you have a shower and then we watch a film and go to bed? You can stop in the spare room- it's best to sleep on it before you make any decisions. Besides, it's probably best that you don't face Catherine tonight- you've got too much going on."

"Lex, I can't impose on you like that! I've already been enough of a nuisance-"

"Sam" I interrupted. "I'm not taking no for an answer!" I grabbed the Domino's pizza menu from the cabinet by the sofa and handed it to him. "Pizza's one of the best comfort foods. Choose whatever you want, and I'll order it whilst you shower. I'll lay out some towels in the bathroom. We can talk some more while we eat." I turned to move, but Sam grabbed my forearm lightly.

"Thanks, Lex. For everything."

"You're welcome" I say with a soft smile, and with that I turn towards the bathroom, with Sam trailing after me.

XXX

I ordered the pizzas whilst Sam was in the shower. We'd gone for a Cheese and Tomato, and a Pepperoni , which was due to arrive within the next half hour. It couldn't come quick enough- I was absolutely starving! I hadn't really eaten all day, and now I was really feeling it. Right now I was rummaging through my film rack for something to watch while we ate. Normally I was a chick flick kinda girl, but I had a feeling that Sam would not share my enthusiasm for that kind of film genre. The back of my neck kept flaring up, like it had done earlier, but I was doing my very best to ignore it- despite how annoying it was. I was just deciding between 'Hot Fuzz' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' when the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock in disbelief- I'd only placed my order 15 minutes ago, delivery was never usually this fast! The doorbell shrilled again- the impatient pizza delivery boy was keeping his hand pressed down on the buzzer.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" I shouted, grabbing my purse and walking to the door. Fumbling through my purse for some cash I opened the door without seeing who it was. Boy, was that I mistake.

"Sorry, how much is it?" I asked, looking up at last, expecting to see Tom, the teenage who normally delivered my pizzas. Except, this was no spotty teenage pizza delivery boy. I gulped, taking in his appearance.

"Hello, Mary. Or should I call you Alexis?" Shit. I was so screwed.

Haha! How are we liking Will's surprise appearance? Hehe- I've been planning this encounter from the beginning! Please leave a review!