Shadows Of A Butterfly 2/2 Category Conventional Couples Rating R Summary Tess decides the fate of her child. Tess' POV, featuring Kyle. Spoilers None Author's Note Co-authored with Tesserkitt. Icalynn has written all of Alex's pov and Tesserkitt has written all of Isabel's pov. This Fic is based on Nehal’s "Butterfly Wings" challenge. Ashlyn originally responded to the challenge and made it into a RR. Kitt and I decided to branch off and fully explore the A/I relationship. To the other RR writers: we still love you and thank you for your support. Warning this fic contains referal to drug using and its reactions. Drugs are bad, do not use. ----- Isabel-Jolt =========== She wakes up screaming, trying to capture the last fragments of sleep. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with Alex. Even as she knew she was in the dreamworld, she knew part of him was anchored in reality. He was half-asleep, but he was doing something to himself. "ALEX!" she screams stupidly into the room, sitting bolt upright on the bed. She puts on her shoes, and grabs her jacket. She had to go to Alex. His scream was still reverberating in her mind, as if he was right beside her as he called her name. With instincts honed in battle, she packed up her gear, her body in autopilot as her mind raced to the place she saw him in her dream. She stood up. Tied her hair. Jacket. Shoes. She moved with efficiency as her mind was scrambling to remember the rest of what she saw. She was sure-- almost sure-- that she had dreamwalked him in the middle of the dream. She knew that the last part, what she remembered about it, had been partly real. Her mind clicked on the memory of having done so with Max, all those years ago. Max had been in extreme pain, so delirious with it in fact, that she was able to see through his eyes and determine where he was being detained. That meant-- "Oh my God!" she exclaimed Something odd had happened to them while they were dreaming. She felt him. His thoughts, his emotions. In the past, it had been as clear as watching TV, he was that open. And in return, it had been easy to open up to him as well. But now, the images were faded, and she was getting more feelings from him, than before. Powerful thoughts, and feelings, rather than pictures and words. She tried to get to him today, but he had refused. He said it was a violation of his thoughts, something she had no right to the moment she left. She hijacked a car parked in front of the motel parking lot. In her panic, she nearly melted away the door handles to wreck the lock. She waved her hand over the ignition, and the engine came to life. She drove like a maniac to the museum, where the refugees were milling around. She raced up to Alex's room, to Kyle's, finding them empty. And then finding Michael in Maria's room. Michael said that Alex had left a couple of hours earlier, muttering about finding Liz in her lab. He was about to ask more, but she had already left, running. "Where is Liz Parker's laboratory?" she demanded the moment she burst into the door Several people in worn lab coats and glasses stopped to look at her, slightly alarmed. "Where is Liz Parker's laboratory?" she demanded again, from the man closest to her. He could not have been more than twenty. Stammering, he told her, and inside she despaired at finding Alex in time. At the entrance of the science wing, corridors branched out in long rows in front of her and at both sides. The kid talking to her ran up behind her and said, "Third door in this side," he said, pointing, "to the right" he finished. Hearing this, Isabel bounded down the corridor. She tried to shove memories of Max being wheeled down a corridor like this, strapped and screaming. She quelled down the panic rising inside her as she remembered the dreamwalk. Of Alex lying on the floor, convulsing, his body jerking erratically. White walls loomed around her, the stale smell of antiseptic.. "Stop it, Isabel," she snapped sternly at herself. She counted, "One.. Two.. Three.." She turned and slammed her weight into the door, putting in her powers into the effort as she did so. Not even bothering to see if it was locked. "Alex?" she nearly screamed into the room She heard a moan. It wouldnt even have been heard had she not tuned herself to hear it "Alex," she said softly as she ran towards him, convulsing behind the medical table, away from the door. She noted the syringe that lay on the floor and the wrapper that had been thrown across the room and missed the trashcan. She saw the empty zip-lock bag.. "Alex? Alex, can you hear me?" she asked him stupidly, struggling to calm his jerky movements and not succeeding. His eyes were dilated, and his skin was so pale.. "SOMEBODY HELP! Somebody help me!" she screamed. Then, standing up hastily, she ran to the door and opened it wide. "Someone help! Someone's collapsed in Lab--" she paused to check the door-- "21. Someone!" But no one was there, and the hallway was empty. Praying hard that at least someone heard, she went back to the room, and checked his pulse. It was beating erratically, and the black of his eyes had rolled back into his head. A wave of cold washed over her, and she scanned the room hastily. Yes. A phone. She ran to the terminal, punched the code for the main lobby and yelled at the receiver. "Get the hell in here NOW!" she said, and cut them off "Alex, please, hold on. Alex? Come on. Help is on the way." she pleaded with him. She cradled his head on her lap, and stopped his arms from flailing. Had it been hours? Years? No one had come to help. And Alex's skin was turning drastically into a sick shade of gray. She checked his heart again, and *her* heart nearly stopped. His heart wasn’t erratic, it was jumping all over the place, beating one on top of the other. She was going to have to do this on her own. “Alex?” she asked him worriedly, cradling his face in her hands. She tried frantically to remember how Max would heal people. She never polished up with that power, so consumed by she with other things “Alex?” she asked him, willing him to respond. “Open your eyes. You have to open your eyes. Please” she urged. In the distance, she could hear the phone receiver buzzing, and a tiny voice telling her help was on the way.. “Alex. You have to look at me. Open your eyes and look at me, please,” she whispered to him. “Just look at me,” she told him, when he opened his eyes, not seeing. She took his shirt out of his jeans, and pulled it up. She placed her hand on his face, took a deep breath, and placed her other hand on his bare chest.. Whoosh Isabel was sucked into the vortex, flashing lights dancing behind her eyelids. She heard herself gasp, and reminded herself to concentrate.. concentrate.. There. His heart was weakening.. like a small tired bird having been caged. She tried to feel it, to check it. His heart was tired.. too tired, but it kept on beating. It had been overwhelmed with too much stimulation. In her mind, she reached out to touch it, to cradle it in her hand, stroking it as if it were a kitten. It wanted rest, really wanted rest. But she reached out and coaxed it to calm. It slowly stopped beating erratically. And if it were possible, she actually felt it sigh, and rest. Slowly, surely, it started pumping again at a normal rate. Gasp, she heard herself. There was more to this. So much more. Alex was still down on the floor, unconscious. Where? Where else? Whoosh She felt herself being dragged into the blinding lights again. Pump, pump, pump his heart beat as she was being moved.. It was.. There was another substance fighting this sickness, trying hard to combat it. But she could see it was fighting a losing battle. It’s introduction was too much for his body to bear, and instead of healing him, it was killing him.. “Stop!” she cried in her mind, and she knew that she had to lessen this substance. This substance that was causing his body to react so violently. She flowed with the blood, easing the pain, diluting the substance until there were few left. That will hold it off, but not for long, she knew. She moved on, and followed. Whoosh More lights, faster, faster. She felt her powers being drained away, but she had to finish this. His heart thundered and beat reassuringly around her. In his mind, yes. They were invading his mind.. Taking a deep breath, she went in. It wasn’t here. But it was. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she.. knew somehow. What she DID see, however, was a jumble of images, like broken pieces of different colored glass flying all around her. She caught sight of some as they flew around her. They reflected bits and pieces of images in his mind, broken, colored and incomprehensible. She was confused. They floated all around her, lights still blinking behind her lids. Nothing was wrong here, she told herself. At least nothing she could try to fix.. but it was.. destroyed somehow. She reached up and the bits of glass floated out of her reach. She was done. She wanted to get out, and try to see if anyone was coming. She tried to disengage the connection but it held firm. She tried to catch one of the broken fragments instead… FLASH ** Alex, getting dizzy, vomiting into the wastebasket of his new room in the bomb shelter FLASH ** Sitting on the cold examination bed, feeling Liz’s concern. She had turned her back on him, looking at the monitors. He saw her gasp, put her hand on her mouth, and her examination sheets falling to the floor. “No, it can’t be” he heard her say “Liz? Liz, what is it?” he asked when she started typing furiously on the keyboard again. “This is a mistake. There’s got to be some mistake.” She turned to look at him, her eyes swimming in tears. “Alex,” she said, her voice trembling. “What, Liz? You’re scaring me” “You have the virus, Alex” she said softly, her eyes wide. “And it’s a terminal case.” He folded her into his arms, both of them weeping silently. They knew what that meant. In the silence of their weeping, they heard the chirpy beating of the heart monitor. FLASH ** “You have to take this.” “What the hell-? Drugs??” “Alex, believe me, this is our only choice.” “Liz, what the hell are you doing, giving me drugs?” “Alex, all of the others have died. You’re the only one surviving. Do you think Id kid with you on this thing? This is the only way to keep your heart from stopping” Flash ** Looking at the bag, almost empty. Staring at his arms, riddled with the pricks of so many syringes. His mind felt woozy, but it had always been woozy since his sickness. Staring at the mirror. At the gaunt man that stared right back at him. He threw up at the sink, not bearing it. ** Isabel was abruptly cut off from the connection. She felt weak. Boneless, and unfeeling, she saw tears drop down onto his rumpled shirt. She wiped at them, surprised that they were her own. She looked at Alex, who was opening his eyes. He stared at her, realizing what had happened. Before he could speak, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” He opened his mouth and tried to lift his head. It was too much for him and she tried to help him up— The sound of frantic footsteps and a door crashing open. “Oh my God.” Cried a female voice. She looked behind her and saw Liz Parker, already crouching down, already digging into the pockets of her lab coat and barking orders at the people that came with her. It was too much to bear. Looking helplessly at Liz, she only had strength enough to tell her “Help him, please.” And fainted. ---- Alex pov The darkness engulfed my senses. It took over my mind, my body, and my soul. It sensed out my pain and created a vast emptiness inside. The darkness frightened me as the silence overwhelmed me. My heart beat echoed in the silent void around me. I listened as my own heart beat turned and joined the darkness. The erratic beat was weaker and thready. I'm dying. I collapsed to the floor as the nothingness took it's toll. It pushed in and out of every pore of my body. It breathed it's darkness into my body. It wanted me... It wanted my life. It had been taking my life slowly and now it wanted all of me. It wanted my life. I always knew it could happen. I even craved it at one point, but she came back. No! I cried out with my mind. Not now. I stood up determined to fight for my life, to fight for another chance with her. I turned around searching through the darkness around me, I needed to find a way out. I needed to find my salvation. I needed to find her. "ALEX!" Her voice pierced the thick air. My heart skipped a beat and fluttered. A ray of light broke through the darkness as her voice echoed through my mind. The light morphed into a dazzling white butterfly. The butterfly danced in the air as it guided me to a door. I put my hand on the door. I felt afraid to open it, but I knew I had no choice. I opened the door. Flash I covered my eyes as the radiant colors and images flashed before me. The fragments of colors and lights shimmered and danced on the glass in front of me. "Alex!" Isabel's voice rang from the shadows of my mind and rattled the glass walls around me. Her voice was filled with concern and fear. Isabel! I felt lost in the sea of light and colors. I traced my fingers over the delicate glass walls. It formed a maze around me. A maze of my distorted memories and feelings that held me prisoner in my mind. "Alex? Alex, can you hear me?" Her soft voice panicked. Isabel! I cried harder as I tried to push my way through my tangled mind. "SOMEBODY HELP! Somebody help me!" No one can help me! I cried out... only you, if you dare . I pressed my hand against an image of a red heart. I was mesmerized by its haunting shade, it's unearthly beauty. FLASH "Isabel will you marry me?" He asked on bended knees. "Yes!" She cried as she embraced him. They kissed softly and moaned with pleasure. He slipped the ring on her finger. "Tonight?" She asked with determination in her voice. "As you wish, my love." FLASH I pulled my hand away and blinked back the feelings that washed over me. I stood with shock over the power and feelings I felt through the flash. I turned around and looked at the other images trapped in the fragments of glass. Curious at what each one would mean, I pressed my hand against an image of a Monarch butterfly. FLASH He sighed as he pulled the tourniquet tighter. He examined the cold harsh needle. He took a deep breath and pressed the needle against his pale skin. He flinched as the needle broke through the skin. He immediately withdrew the needle and threw the syringe against the wall. "No," he moaned as he wrapped his arms around his body. The pain raging within. "No... Never." FLASH "Alex, please, hold on. Alex? Come on. Help is on the way." I turned around as her voice filled my head. I turned away from my haunting memories and walked towards her voice. "Alex?" Isabel! I cried as I continued to search for the end of the maze. "Alex?" she urged. "Open your eyes. You have to open your eyes. Please!" I can't. I can't find my way out! I screamed with all my heart. Help me! Show me the way! FLASH A blinding light flashed before me as I came to another dead end. The image in front of me was the vision of my past self, of the Alex she remembered. "Alex. You have to look at me. Open your eyes and look at me, please," she whispered her voice trembling with the unknown. "Just look at me," She urged. I continued to stare at the image in front of me and I knew. The only way I can enter the realm of the living is to accept my past. I kicked the glass image in front of me. The glass splintered and shattered into a million pieces. FLASH The bright light engulfed me. I tried to focus on the hazy image of Isabel above me. I found you. I immediately felt a connection with her as she concentrated on our love. She wanted to save me and I let her. Our connection went deeper as she explored my body. I felt a warm surge of power messaging my heart. I felt the tight muscles begin to relax as she encouraged it and sent her love into it. I sighed as I felt her love and electric power warm up my blood stream. The newly energized blood began to circulate with in my body, reaching every fiber of my body. I breathed easier and my heart beat with a stronger beat. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. Her tears dropped onto my rumpled shirt. She looked at me with a newer understanding and of betrayal. I stared at her, realizing what had happened. She knew the truth. Some how she discovered the truth. “Why didn't you tell me?” she asked softly. I felt my heart rip into a million pieces. I'm sorry. I opened my mouth to tell her the truth. I tried to tell her. I tried to sit up. I barely moved on my own. I had little control over my weakened muscles. Isabel tried to help me up. I looked up at her one more time as a shroud of peaceful darkness overcame me. The darkness soothed my senses, it was the rest that I was lacking, the rest that I needed. I drifted into the deepest cavern of my mind. She healed me, but is it to late? ----- Isabel-Aftermath “How is he?” I asked Liz as she checked Alex’s pulse. Max, Michael and Maria had all come together into the cramped makeshift hospital room to check on Alex’s condition. “He’s fine. I think.” Liz told me distractedly. “What the hell do you mean, ‘you think’??” Liz put her hand to her temples and told me tiredly, “Isabel, you haven’t been here, treating him day in, day out, for the past five years. There are good days, and there are bad days” “Although you DID save him today. If you hadn’t been there, he would’ve died.” Liz conceded, and placed her hand on my arm. “So, what do we do now?” I asked her “We wait to see if he recovers from the shock again.” “Is there any way we can do this faster?” I asked her, hating the sound of pleading in my voice. I saw her shoot a glance at Max, and I looked at him too. He looked at the two of us. “There is,” Liz said unnecessarily “Yes,” Max said, cutting her off, already standing up to move towards the bed. “I’ll try,” Max said slowly, as if apologetic. I saw him place his hand on Alex’s arm. After several moments, Max straightened, and turned. He looked at me strangely “Well?” Liz asked, concerned, “I tried to heal him. But there wasn’t much left to heal,” Max said, still staring at me “What do you mean?” I asked “I mean, that, if Alex heals completely, or this virus is going to be combated at all, I’m not the right person to do it.” Max said, and shot Michael a look. It seemed that Michael understood. “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked him, starting to get angry. “What do you mean? We have to look for another person to help him out? They’ve done everything this damned planet could—“ “No, Isabel,” Max said gently I looked at my two brothers, not comprehending. “It has to be you,” Michael said. "Wha- What do you mean?" she asked Max in a daze. She hadn’t realized that she had braced herself hard on the doorknob to steady herself. She did, however, feel that another dizzy spell was about to come over her for the second time that day. Liz had excused herself, and asked to check Maria's condition in another room. Since they had arrived back on Earth, Maria had been less catatonic, she noticed. Now only the three of them remained in the room, with Alex lying motionless on the bed. Beep, beep, beep, was the only sound heard in the room for a long while. “What do you mean, Max?” she asked again, shaken. Max sighed. “I couldn’t heal Alex completely, Iz, because something’s changed in him. Or something that’s made you the only person tuned to heal him.” “What are you talking about?” “Was there anything you forgot to tell us when we arrived on Antar, Iz?” Michael interrupted. She looked at him sharply, and found him smiling slightly. She was about to retort that what she did and did not do was none of his business but Max put up a hand to stop them. “Let me put it this way, Iz. Do you ever wonder why the elders never forced you and Michael to marry? It was such a big deal here, but when we got there, it was never even mentioned?” Inwardly, she cringed, remembering Alex’s fury at having thought she left because of Michael. She nodded slowly. “What ABOUT Michael?” “It’s a—characteristic in our species that, when a person gives of himself to another he has chosen.. ah,” she could see Max getting uncomfortable “So, you mean, what? Michael did it with Maria and that was why we were never forced to marry?” “Yes. And also because now we know you’ve already chosen long before as well.” Max said. She looked at Michael, who had leaned forward in his bench, forearms resting on his knees, assessing. “What does it have anything to do with Alex and me?” she asked “Everything, Iz. We just never brought it up with you before because we thought it was solely Michael’s issue. The elders took him aside to discuss it with him, and we found out. So they dropped it, and we never discussed it. We never brought it up with you before because at that time you were still recuperating from that heart attack you had just before we landed on Antar.” She wave it off. “Max, I still don’t understand—“ “It’s a quality in our species.. or maybe the human species that makes us tuned to the person we’ve chosen to connect with,” Michael said impatiently. “When you connected with Alex a while ago, his body, his chemistry, his physiology, recognized you, because you connected with him before—“ Max explained. “Was it because we had s-“ “No, it was more than that,” Michael said. “It was connecting with the person who—recognized you. I don’t know how else to explain it. It happened between me and Maria, so the two of us. you and me, were never forced to marry. As Michael was speaking, her mind was slowly piecing together what had happened. She had thought that the sense of right and wrong, the feeling of she can heal him, was something that’s natural to healing. She remembered knowing where to go, which to heal, in his body. She never thought that it was something that only she can do, with Alex. “What about his sickness?” Isabel asked impatiently. “Alex is DYING here. Spare me the history lesson some other time, okay?” “Let me put it this way: lock and key. You fit with Alex. If there’s any way that he can get through this completely, it’ll be through you.” Max said, and continued. “I can only help out a little, Isabel,” he said sadly. “The rest is up to you.” He said. “How do you do it?” she asked after a while. “You make the connection,” Max explained. “I know. I already did that—“ “But not enough. And you didn’t know what to do then,” Max said. “Okay, so, now, I do what? Can you give me a walk-through?” she asked her brother. “Uhm, I can’t, actually.” “Why the hell not?” she demanded. “Because it’s never happened to me, so I don’t know what to do—“ “What about Liz getting shot?” “That was before we-“ “All right, whatever,” she cut him off, knowing the answer. She looked at Michael, who shrugged, indicating the same. She sighed and dragged her hand through her hair. “But when I tried, I couldn’t get right back out, and I was sucked in—“ “Something must’ve gone wrong,” Max said, thinking it over. From his seat, Michael spoke. “Something holds you back, Isabel. Something that stops you from being completely open with him. And I don’t mean ‘talking-it-over’ open. You have to let the two of you connect. And you have to look within yourself for why.” She couldn’t take it all it. It was too much. “This is too much for me to take. I gotta.. I gotta go. I need to.. be alone for a while.” She backed out, turned, and wildly ran out the door. ----- Alex pov Darkness. Silence. Serenity. The calming sensation of the healing gave my body a sense of calm and peace of mind. Even the constant electronic beeping of the monitors were calming. The rhythmic beat was soothing to my ears. It was a constant reminder that my loved saved that she still cared. fuck I cried in my mind as a crushing pain radiated through my body. No... Oh, God! I moaned as the pain returned in waves. I had lost all sense of time, my body began to ache. The virus was fighting back with a vengeance. Isabel! I cried out as I could vaguely hear the hushed voices around me. I picked up fragment's of their heated conversation between my pain and struggle to live... There voice's joined and intertwined. Their feelings mixed and overwhelmed me. "He's fine. I think. What the hell do you mean, you think??There are good days, and there are bad days. Although you DID save him today. If you hadn't been there, he would've died. Is there any way we can do this faster?" I moaned in pain as I felt Max's place his hands on my chest. He pushed his energy into my body. He struggled to explore my body, to heal the sickness around me. His power was weak and harsh compared to her's... I needed Isabel. "I tried to heal him. I'm not the right person to do it. What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean? We have to look for another person to help him out? They've done everything this damned planet could. No, Isabel, It has to be you." Fuck I groaned as I tried to move in my weakened condition. I tried to talk to them. Isabel? Why have you not healed me? "Wha- What do you mean? I couldn't heal Alex completely, What are you talking about? It's characteristic in our species that, when a person gives of himself to another he has chosen.. So, you mean, what? because now we know you've already chosen long before as well.. I still don't understand. It's a quality in our species.. or maybe the human species that makes us tuned to the person we've chosen to connect with, When you connected with Alex a while ago, his body, his chemistry, his physiology, recognized you, because you connected with him before." Isabel! I moaned as I tried to piece the voices together. Why do you not tell them? We are connected, mind, body and soul. We are married! It can only be you... "It was connecting with the person who recognized you. I don't know how else to explain it. What about his sickness? Alex is DYING here. Lock and key. You fit with Alex. If there's any way that he can get through this completely, i'll be through you. The rest is up to you." Isabel! you are the Key! You are the only one that can stop my pain! I screamed with agony. But nothing came out of may mouth. "How do you do it? You make the connection, I know. I already did that. But not enough. And you didn't know what to do then, whatever, But when I tried, I couldn't get right back out, and I was sucked in. Something must've gone wrong, Something holds you back, Isabel. Something that stops you from being completely open with him. And I don't mean talking-it-over open. You have to let the two of you connect. And you have to look within yourself for why.This is too much for me to take. I gotta.. I gotta go. I need to.. be alone for a while." No!! I moaned as I felt her leave the room. She left me. The pain was increasing and multiplying. Why? Why must you always leave me? The room was deathly quite as the other followed her out. I was left helpless in my bed. The harsh beeping was no longer serene it was cold, harsh, and uncaring. "Fuck," I cried as I realized my voice worked. I had broken through. I struggled to sit up in the bed and wearily looked around the room. My blurry vision rested on a narcotics box in the corner of the room. My mouth watered with anticipation and my body trembled as the craving returned. I wanted it, I needed it. I needed the release from the pain. I needed a release from her. I needed to be free. I used the pain to my advantage as I slowly stood up and struggled to walk to the box. A wave of nausea rippled through my body. I grabbed onto the railing as the acidic contents of my stomach lingered in my throat. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes as I waited for the wave to pass. A few seconds passed as I was able to walk towards the box. I smiled as I noticed the silver key sitting in its lock. I opened the box and pulled out a vial of morphine. Morphine would work. I looked around the room for a needle and syringe. I dug into the drawers and fond the supplies I needed. Sinking to the floor I drew out the drug and injected it. Quick and harsh the drug began to coarse through my veins. The monitor started to slow down as the drug took it's toll... I escaped once more into my mind. The shattered color glass started to rebuild around me as I withdrew more drugs into the syringe. She left me. ----- Isabel She ran. Running had always helped her clear her mind, even when she was young. It blanked out her thoughts and worries so that all that remained was the pain of breathing, the thunder of her heartbeat, and the wind on her face. She ran blindly outside, Michael and Max rushing to the door, trying to stop her. She assumed that they had gone after her, and she ran faster. She ran out the makeshift infirmary, to the stairwell that led to the ground floor and outside where the sky was perpetually gray. It was still raining. She ran outside until she ran out of breath, rain falling in huge droplets around her. And, like when she first arrived here, she stood in the rain and cried. Liz found her in the open space behind the bomb shelter. She was wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. “I knew Id find you here” she heard Liz say behind her, She turned, mentally cursing herself for letting her guard down. She badly wanted to go back to the motel for pills she left behind. Her hand shook as she ran it through her hair. She sighed, leaned against the wall and turned her face up to the rain, letting it soak through her. “You’ll get sick,” Liz said gently, when Isabel didn’t bother to reply. “Liz, what are you doing here?” she asked wearily. “Max and Michael were worried. They asked me to help out.” “Where are they now?” “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Looking elsewhere, I suppose.” “I’m going back in, you know. I just.. need time to be alone for a while.” Isabel told her. “I know. But you’ll get sick-“ “I never get sick. One of the perks, you know,” she told the other woman wryly and passed her hand across her body to illustrate. “Not that it can help anyone else,” she muttered to herself. “Oh,” Liz said, not knowing what else to say. “Liz-“ Isabel said warningly. “I’ll be fine. God, can’t I have some privacy? Come on! I come back here and everything’s going all to hell--!” she cried. And, looking at Liz, she crumbled. “Ssh, ssh,” Liz soothed, dropping her umbrella and hurrying to embrace her, not bothering with the rain. Then, she led Isabel out of the rain and back into the shelter. *** “What was it, Liz?” Isabel asked her in what seemed to be a cafeteria by a stretch of the imagination. They were in the “mess hall”, and Liz insisted on making Isabel change her clothes and have something hot to drink. “Hmm?” Liz asked from the counter. She took out two worn and chipped mugs from one of the cupboards and opened a tin from the counter. Moments later she was holding two hot cups of coffee. “What’s Alex’s sickness?” Isabel asked her, shaking her head when Liz offered her the second mug. “No caffeine,” she said, by way of explaining. But Liz shot her a look. “Im a doctor, Isabel. Please. For my own peace of mind regarding your health,” she said, and pushed the mug towards her friend. Isabel rolled her eyes in defeat and waved her hand over it instead, and when she was done, the smell of the liquid filled the air. “Chicken soup,” Liz said, sniffing and peering at the contents of the mug. “I can’t recall when was the last time I had chicken soup. Much less chicken.” She said. “Choice of liquid.. Ironic,” Liz added wryly, and picked up her coffee. “It’s Adenochondritis,” Liz said said after a while. Isabel felt her lungs constrict, and her heart pinch. She forced herself to calm, to focus. Isabel, focus, focus, she told herself sternly. “What does it do?” Liz sighed, and for the first time, Isabel noted the lines of strain around her friend’s eyes. Liz still looked young, but her eyes betrayed years of hardship and training. Since they arrived, Liz had always been in the perimeter, flitting in and out of rooms, hardly pausing. She was always checking some patient, or looking through microscopes. She knew that Liz was part of a medical drive to help those who got sick by the second wave of the alien virus that had been attacking Earth. She doubted if Liz had been able to give herself a break, a real break, since the attacks had come. Come to think of it, none of them were given the luxury to be their ages since they were sixteen. “We’re not exactly sure how it came out. I suspect that it was the crystal cave hive was the source. The queen mother must have infected more people than we thought. It was Grant’s dead body that disseminated spores of it, and it reached the human populace within months and nearly wiped us out.” “But all of us were exposed to it,-?” she interrupted. “It was benign when we found Grant’s body. But when it was delivered to the morgue, the queen had died but left the spores. Pretty soon the town where his body was taken for autopsy was down with it. Then it became an epidemic, and after that it was pretty much unstoppable. I’m thinking that Alex may have gotten it at Ground Zero itself: the town.” “What was he doing there anyway?” Isabel demanded “When you guys left, Isabel, the rest of us, the ones that were left behind, signed up to help the cause. This is mine: the science and medicine of it. Kyle’s was the refugee system. Alex wanted to be in the rescue missions.” “He was exposed to it!” “Yes.” Liz said simply. “You know Alex,” Liz tried to explain. “He never was one to let people down. And he knew that it was his way of helping. Plus when you left, it was like he had this death wish-“ Liz stopped herself, knowing she had revealed too much, and her eyes shot to Isabel’s. Isabel’s eyes widened, and then she shuttered her emotions. “It’s okay. You can tell me, you know.” She said. “What does the sickness do? This Adeno-“ Isabel asked, changing the subject. "Adenochondritis" Liz clarified. "The spores stick to your skin and goes to any available opening in your body. Then it burrows into your bloodstream. It weakens the immune system and causes muscle pain and spasms. It also casues the sufferer's heart to beat faster at an erratic pace until it gives up. By the time we found out about that piece of information, it was too late. We tried to do the research as quick as possible, and when we had the answer, there were only three remaining survivors. Not actually survivors, coz they were all dying if we didn't find the solution." "Do they have heart attacks?" Isabel interrupted. "Yes, in a way. The heart beats too fast, and when that happens, we have to put them under observation, because their hearts could just stop at any moment. We've already had one scare like that with Alex, five years ago. We thought he had died, but he was revived after ten minutes." Liz agreed. "Oh my God," Isabel said in dawning knowledge. She remembered the last dream she had before arriving on Antar.." "What is it?" Liz asked, alarmed. "I just remembered.." Isabel said, but she trailed off and shook her head. "What do you do to heal this? I mean, is this some medicine? What do you do to help him out?" "He's the last remaining survivor of this sickness. Of course we've looked into all the options. But it's only temporary. If he stops using it, he can die." "You're treating him with what?" "Heroin." "What the hell, Liz? DRUGS??" Isabel cried out, jumping out of her seat, scraping it against the floor. Liz had the grace to wince at Isabel. "The drug slows his heartbeat to an almost normal pace. We've tried nearly everything Isabel. Everything. " "Two thousand years of technology and you resort to Barbiturates ??" Isabel cried, her voice rising in anger. “What the hell kind of treatment is that?!” “And what do you want me to do? Just sit by and let my friend suffer from this unnamed sickness? I won’t allow that. I cannot allow that, Isabel! I’m going to do whatever it takes to help.” Liz said, and Isabel saw the fire that burned in the other woman’s eyes. “Wait a minute, Liz. You’re not telling me everything,” Isabel said suddenly. Liz’s looked away suddenly. “You already know everything you need to know Isabel.” She said “What else do I need to know, Liz?” she asked. “What has Alex told you? What did you see when you were inside?” Isabel shrugged, not wanting to give everything away. “I had.. flashes of when he first found out about getting sick. He throws up and gets dizzy… I don’t know much else. I know it’s serious, but I don’t know anything more than that.” Liz was looking at her closely. “I forgot that it was only yesterday that you arrived..” she said, shaking her head slowly. “Isabel..” “What, Liz?” “When you arrived, you came just in time..” “For what? Why?” “The drugs can’t hold it off for too long. He’s been fighting all this time, but he’s become addicted, and his body can’t take this any longer.” “What are you saying, Liz?” “I’m saying that he’s dying, Isabel. He’s really dying.” ~ The smell of antiseptic and the beep-beeping of the machines assailed her as she walked into Alex's hospital room. Inwardly, she recoiled, because she had seen too much death and sickness that she instantly felt the despair, the helplessness. She smelled the scent of sickness in the room, and walked inside. She shut the door, and looked at where he was lying, still and asleep. Beep, beep, beep, came the incessant beeping from the monitors. She repressed the urge to rip them out of their sockets in frustration. She hadnt told Liz, but they, her and Max and Michael, had seen the sickness before, on their planet. The disease was the same, although the symptoms were not. And the manner of treatment was completely different here. There was no way that Alex would not succumb to addiction to the drug, weak as his immune system was. She forced herself to place one foot in front of the other to cross the small room, arranging things as she did when she was nervous. When she approached the small bedside table, she noted that his medication had run out. On the way in, she overheard some medics talking about Alex waking up, but none of them were on hand to help him out. When they did, they said that he had already gone back to bed. Her eyes teared up as she saw the discarded needles by the trashcan. She knew, instantly, that he had used up his whole ration of medication in one shot. She had a feeling that Liz turned a blind eye to his addiction, only because she believed the situation to be so dire. Once again, she was confronted by the sense of foreboding. She knew what to do, but she was unsure exactly as to the how. She sat by the bed, taking in how his face looked. Back in simpler days, she remembered the nights when she would wake up and he was still asleep. She would touch his face, his eyes, his lips. She would wonder, and wish, which of his features, and hers, that their children would inherit. Then he would smile, his eyes closed, and tease her that she stop using her powers to rearrange his face. She would laugh, and whap him on the shoulder, and he would wake and tickle her. But those days were gone, and lost, between them. She sniffled. She couldn't help it. She reached out, and ruffled his hair a bit, straightening it out. Then she arranged the sheet a little, all the while fighting the urge to fidget and start arranging everything else on sight. She must've made a sound, because he adjusted himself on the bed, and he opened his eyes. Brown eyes shot to clear blue ones as Alex woke up and looked at her. She held her breath. He started to move, to speak. "Hi," she said softly. He struggled to sit up. "Ssh. No, don't. You're still weak." She assured him, and placed her hand over his lips. He started against her hand, shocked. She drew her hand away, sensing that he didn't want to be touched. Her heart squeezed within her. "Alex," she said, tears filling her eyes. "I love you. I've loved you all this while. It's always been you, no matter what you think happened between Michael and me. No, I have to say this," she started, when she saw him about to speak. "All this time," she reiterated. "I know everything that's happened. Liz told me. And I'm sorry. Sorrier more than I can say. But I know a way to help you. To heal you," she said. "I don't need your help, Isabel." He said, tightly, through clenched teeth. "No, please" she appealed to him, putting up a hand, and then dropping it. "I'm saying that I can help you, Alex," she barreled on, wanting to finish before he said a word in edgewise. "And I love you. That's what you need to remember. Please. And I hope you can forgive me for what I'm going to do." She said, wiping impatiently at a tear that fell on her cheek. Because he was weak, he couldn't sit up, and do much of anything. She touched his face with her right hand, and held his arm on her left, for leverage, leaning closer. She focused herself, and finding her strength, felt her energy surge within her. Alex looked at her hand on his face in surprise. His eyes widened when he saw her space between her hand and his face starting to glow, and her eyes drifting close. His hand shot up to grasp her right arm. "Isabel-?" he asked in a mixture of confusion and warning. Although she hadnt told him what she was going to do, somehow he had an inkling of what was about to happen. "Isabel, dont-!" he said. But then her powers overcame his consciousness, and he fell back into sleep. ===== They were in a table outside a coffee shop. The day was clear, and people were walking in and through the streets. Women in business clothes, walking around, cellphones attached to their ears, talking impatiently. Teenagers walked past, coming from a store across the street, chattering excitedly and bumping into each other with their shopping bags. A man walked by them, holding the leashes of five or six dogs. She saw him smile at them, and she had a thought. At that moment, three street performers walked by and took up space in the sidewalk in front of them, taking a guitar out of its case, a saxophone and bongos. After a minute, the sound of a pop song filled the air. A couple of passersby dropped a few coins into the opened guitar case. "I didn't know 'Barely Breathing' could be played by a sax," he said wryly. A light breeze ruffled their hair, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted out of the shop. "You like?" she asked, smiling a little "You've gotten better," he said, gesturing at their surroundings. "Even the coffee smells real." "I had tons of practice with you," she said. "You always had trouble with concocting smells, right? Remember the cedar smell during the barbecue?" he asked. "Oh yeah! I think I spilled the bottle Maria gave me, and then the smell came into the dream. Gosh, I had weird dreams after that.." she said, and they both laughed. After a while, the laughter died down, and they looked away uneasily. "What is this about, Isabel?" he asked quietly She looked at him. "What are you doing to me?" he asked again. She took a deep breath. "As of this moment, your body is being healed. The virus invading your body is being eradicated, one by one. I've seen it in my planet, and the effects of it there are different here. But we were able to offer progressive treatment there. We were able to develop a type of medical technique-psychic hybrid to combat it." "So you're saying that you know how to do this-?" he asked "Yes." She said, her smile wobbling a little. He thought it over. Then he frowned. "You said that it was a mix of psychic-whatever powers and a medical technique. That means you used a machine, right?" "Yeah," she said slowly. "Did you bring it here? I don't remember you having anything when you started" "The doctors in my planet use this.. body suit and head gear when they perform the procedure" "You didn't have one," Alex said, remembering. "Yes. But I can still proceed with it, regardless. The body suit and helmet is only an add-on. The basic part of it is the healing part." She said, reassuring him, smiling brightly. He seemed to take it into consideration. Satisfied that she had answered his question, she stilled her fidgeting hands under the table and continued to dream up more images to the dream for him. As it was, she was losing control over the dream, but she knew he wouldn't notice. She was using every once of concentration she had to heal Alex on one hand, and to control the components of the dream on the other. "More coffee?" she asked cheerfully. He nodded absently, and a waiter magically appeared at his elbow, refilling his cup. They watched the street performers, and laughed when a mime suddenly appeared beside them. She soaked up the atmosphere, the mood. She fought her tears. This wasn't for her. This was for Alex. She wanted him to have this day, to remember this day forever. That was her gift to him. --- Alex POV Darkness. Soothing. Silence. I accepted the soothing darkness as the heat of the drugs flowed through my veins. My muscles relaxed and my pain drifted away. Time passed swiftly as the affects of the drugs wore off. I vaguely recalled the buzz of the machines and the orderlies picking me off the floor. "Alex?" I heard a whispered voice cry. I turned to her voice and opened my eyes. Liz's image blurred before my eyes, "what?" "Alex. Why?" Her voice wavered with tears. I could see the empty vials of morphine in her hand. I just smirked in response. "Why do you think?" "Alex, I just talked to Isabel..." "You had no right!" I groaned as I tried to move. A surge of pain radiated through my wrists. I felt my anger peek as I looked down at the restraints around my wrists. I shot a heated glance over at Liz. "These are for your safety, Alex. I'm worried about you." "Now you are worried?" I spat as I struggled against the restraints. "You don't understand, Alex! You are going to..." She paused as she looked away. "Just say it Liz," I groaned. I already know. "I'm going to die." "No, don't say it Alex. I can still find a way..." Liz moaned as she wiped a tear from her eye. "It's over Liz, only one person can save me and she ran away, again." I replied bitterly looking away from her. "Alex, give her time." I don't have time. If only she finished what she started. I sighed deeply and I struggled once more against the restraints. "Liz, please." Liz nodded and gently removed the restraints. "Alex?" "Thank you Liz," I managed to whisper as I closed my eyes. "I'll let you rest." She whispered as she squeezed my hand. I nodded in response, keeping my eyes closed. Just leave, damn it! I don't need your help. I don't need anyone. I listened to her leave and fell back into a restless sleep. The pain radiated through my body. I accepted the darkness once more, I needed the calming affects of sleep. The darkness was rippled with shards of light. The orange and red lights reflected my tortured mind. They reflected images of my past, they haunted my sleep, they were the promises that were never kept. I felt her all around me. I felt her love, why does she torture me? I snapped from my haze to see her beside me. Isabel? I looked into her vast brown eyes. I could see her tears that were held within. I tried to move, to speak. "Hi," she said softly. I struggled against the pain as I tried to sit up. I opened my mouth to speak. "Ssh. No, don't. You're still weak." She tried to assure me as she placed her hand over my lips. Slightly shocked, I tried to pull away from her. She withdrew her hand, sensing that I didn't want her to touch me. "Alex," she whispered, her eyes overfilling with tears. "I love you. I've loved you all this while. It's always been you, no matter what you think happened between Michael and me. No, I have to say this," She paused and glanced at me. "All this time. "I know everything that's happened. Liz told me. And I'm sorry. Sorrier more than I can say. But I know a way to help you. To heal you," she said. "I don't need your help, Isabel." I replied tightly, through clenched teeth. I don't want your help, if you don't love me. "No, please," she appealed to me, putting up a hand, and then dropping it. "I'm saying that I can help you, Alex," she continued on, not letting me have a word in edgewise. "And I love you. That's what you need to remember. Please. And I hope you can forgive me for what I'm going to do." She said, wiping impatiently at a tear that fell on her cheek. I studied her as she touched my face with her right hand, and held my arm with her left. She leaned in closer. Her touch was hot and a slight pulsating energy radiated from her. The space between her hand and my face started to glow and her eyes fluttered and closed. My hand shot up and I grasped her right arm. "Isabel?!" I moaned, my mind raced with confusion. She wouldn't... Not now? She can't do this on her own. "Isabel, don't!" I stated harshly as the surge of power overcame my consciousness, and I felt the black surge of sleep overcome me. //flash// Suddenly, I was sitting at a table outside of a coffee shop. The streets was buzzing with activity, the day was clear and bright. I watched as three street performers walked by and set up in front of us. After a minute, the sounds of a familiar tune filled the air. "I didn't know 'Barely Breathing' could be played by a sax," I replied wryly as a light breeze ruffled our hair and the smell of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air. "You like?" she asked, smiling a little. "You've gotten better," I stated, gesturing at our surroundings. "Even the coffee smells real." "I had tons of practice with you," she replied softly. "You always had trouble with concocting smells, right? Remember the cedar smell during the barbecue?" "Oh yeah! I think I spilled the bottle Maria gave me, and then the smell came into the dream. Gosh, I had weird dreams after that.." she said, and we laughed lightly. After a while, our laughter died down, and I looked away uneasy with our situation. I felt her power surging within my body, this scene was fake. "What is this about, Isabel?" She looked at me her eyes blazing with the unwritten truth. "What are you doing to me?" I asked again. She took a deep breath. "As of this moment, your body is being healed. The virus invading your body is being eradicated, one by one. I've seen it in my planet, and the effects of it there are different here. But we were able to offer progressive treatment there. We were able to develop a type of medical technique-psychic hybrid to combat it." "So you're saying that you know how to do this-?" "Yes." She said, her smile wavering. Her gaze seemed to go through me, her mind was not here with me. She's lying, she's hiding something. "You said that it was a mix of psychic-whatever powers and a medical technique. That means you used a machine, right?" "Yeah," she said slowly. "Did you bring it here? I don't remember you having anything when you started." "The doctors in my planet use this.. body suit and head gear when they perform the procedure." "You didn't have one," I stated harshly. "Yes. But I can still proceed with it, regardless. The body suit and helmet is only an add-on. The basic part of it is the healing part." She said, trying to reassure me. She flashed a bright smile. I nodded in response taking her explanation into consideration. I pretended to accept her word. "More coffee?" she asked cheerfully. I nodded and a waiter magically appeared at my side. The waiter refilled my cup and I took a sip of the bitter coffee. I looked up at the sky as the familiar orange streaks flickered in the sky. The fresh smell of coffee turned rancid in the air. "You're losing control," I whispered as I looked at her. She smiled back as I could see the tears reflecting off her face. //flash// The familiar crackle of lighting lit up the darkening orange sky. I looked around as I felt another pulse of power run through my body. "Isabel, you must stop!" I cried as I fell to the ground with pain. "No, Alex. I can't stop now." She moaned as she grabbed her head. The ground shifted under me. //flash// I felt the ruminates of the virus dissolve. She had finished the healing, she had finshed what she had started earlier. "Isabel!" *boom* The thunder crashed above as I felt the power still flowing in harder and stronger, she had lost control. //flash// I looked at my hands as they started to glow, the excess power flowed within my body. I looked over at Isabel as she fell to her knees. She started to flicker in and out. "Isabel!" I cried as I ran to her with renewed strength. "You can't leave me again." "Alex?" She whispered as she grew paler. Her eyes lids fluttered and closed. "No!" I cried as I held her close in my arms and I laid her down gently on he ground. "Oh, God. Izzy. Look at me." I begged as my hands grew brighter. "MMmmm..." she moaned as she managed to look up at me. "I can't live with out you, I love you." I whispered as I pressed my hand to her chest. Our connection was stronger. I easily reversed the flow of energy back into her. "No, Alex..." She protested, the color starting to return to her checks as her power restored her strength. "I don't need it all," I laughed lightly as I laid beside her. My hands drifted to her face. I traced her profile with my finger tips. "I love you," I moaned. I leaned in closer and kissed her softly. Our lips joined in a hungry passion. Her lips were soft, and warm. I held her tighter to my body as our tongues explored our mouths. Our passion soared as our connection completed. We had become one. The lighting and thunder ceased as the sky brightened to a brilliant blue. The smell of roses lingered in the air. "I love you," Isabel moaned as she took control of our dream. My eyes opened to the brightness of the room. I looked at Isabel beside me. I held her in my arms. "Don't leave me again." "You are stuck with me," Isabel whispered as she snuggled in my embrace. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Good night, my love," I whispered as I stroked her hair. I pressed my lips to her forehead an sighed. Our love had conquered the virus and with her help, I can conquer my addiction as well. ---- Isabel "Youre losing control" He was right. I was. I had been alternating my concentration between two things, and I felt my control slipping away. I felt the environment changing, turning colors. I could see the sky behind him melting orange.. No... not again.. Lightning streaked in the sky, and thunder followed. I felt my body weaken as the thunder rumbled around us. "Isabel, you must stop!" I heard him tell me. I wouldve turned to face him had I the strength to open my eyes. I felt myself sway, and my legs buckled underneath me. "No, Alex. I can't stop now." I tell him weakly, as he lifted my head and placed it on his lap. I could smell his shirt, feel his worry. I tried to raise my hand to his face, but I was too weak. The ground moved under us, and he cursed. Despite the situation, I felt myself smile. Ive never heard him curse. He must really be worried. "Just a bit more--" I tried to tell him, and mentally I envisioned giving myself to him. Pouring my whole self into him to give him strength. //flash// I tried to tell him in images what I couldnt already in words: I loved him. There was never anything between me and Michael except a feeling of brotherhood. That I had suffered myself in the long months of separation. That I missed him. That I thought he was dead. I heard him scream in the distance. "Isabel!" *BOOM* I remembered seeing him lifeless in my dream, the beeping sound of the machines, the doctors trying to save him two years ago when he had his first attack of the disease. And, all of a sudden, the long, mournful note. I tried to tell him that it was that image that haunted me for years: the thought that he had died. And that Id be damned to let that happen again. More, I told myself. I had been the reason why he was this way. I owed him this much. I tried to stand up. And he helped me up, his face concerned. I gripped his hand and straightened as much as I can. //flash// He looked at his hands. I knew what he was looking at: they would be glowing by now. I felt myself weaken as his body absorbed the strength I gave him. My knees gave way. "Isabel!" I heard him say. "You cant leave me again!" he said desperately as he caught me just in time to fall to the ground. "Alex.." I whispered. The world around me was cold, so cold. His eyes burned fiercely into mine as he willed me to hold on. I closed my eyes to rest. "No!" he cried, and I felt myself enveloped in his arms. "Oh, God. Izzy. Look at me." I tried. I really tried to summon up the strength to open my eyes. If only to see him again. All I could muster was a whimper. "No!" he cried again. I moaned. I felt that I had been bruised, and drained. Every muscle in my body was sore and throbbing. Somehow, I had managed to look up at him . "I can't live with out you, I love you." he whispered, and I felt his hand over my heart. "Ssh," he told me, when I started to speak. I looked down at his hand over my chest, and saw it glow. I was glad. He was getting better. But I also felt the heat of it over my heart. I felt the glow within me, and I realized that he was healing me back. "No, Alex..." I told him, even as my lungs started to expand, to fill. I protested. This wasnt supposed to happen. He laughed. "I don't need it all," he told me. But I didnt understand. I started to shake my head, and he smiled. "You can stop being so noble now,", I heard him tell me in my mind. All of a sudden, I understood. With every surge of his heat and his energy, I understood what he was trying to say. I didnt have to continue. All I had to do was finish what I had started. And, I understood a lot of other things too. How was it possible that we could be closer than we have ever been? I knew what he felt. I *felt* what he felt, what he was trying to say, and the thoughts behind them. I smiled weakly, and his hand lifted to touch his fingertips to my face. "I love you," he told me again in a whisper. His eyes bored into mine, burning blue fire. He smiled and leaned closer, and we kissed. Was it possible to see stars when you're so weak? Was it possible to see flashes of light behind my eyelids? Visions? My mind blanked out of all thought and images except for him. And us. The two of us together. My world whirled, even as I knew that I was anchored to him. I was twirling, spinning. Images flashed so fast and hard behind my lids. Images of us, of him. Of the two of us laughing and smiling and fighting and making up. Always, always making up. I felt my strength return and the energy flowing back and forth between us. How did I last this long without him? Without us? I poured myself into the kiss. I leaned into him with renewed strength. My mind, once separate, opened to his. In love. In trust. In complete honesty. Our hands traced each other's faces and tears fell from my face. Our kiss had become more than a kiss. It was a remembering. We broke apart, gasping. It was hard to remember that this was in the dreamworld. Everything had been so real. We smiled a little at each other, and I couldnt stop touching his face in awe. I looked up, and I was amazed. The sky was so blue, and the air was crisp. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Roses. Thanks, I told him in my mind. "I love you," I told him, and, steadier, took a deep breath and took control of the dream. ***** She jerked to wakefulness and was not surprised to realize that she was on Alex's hospital bed, her head on his shoulder, and his arm around her waist. She blinked at the brightness of the room and tried not to move so abruptly. It would be a hard task, because they were fully wrapped in each other's embrace. Trying not to breathe too loudly, she risked looking up at his face to see if he was awake. He was. And he tightened his arms around her when their eyes met. "Don't leave me again," he murmured, determined. She gave a little nod, and said, "You are stuck with me." and hugged him a little tighter, knowing how close they came to danger. "Good night, my love," he whispered, and she felt his hand run through her hair. She sighed a small, contented sigh, and closed her eyes. ~ She woke up a long while ago. She had been reluctant to get up from bed, and daylight wouldnt come for another couple of hours anyway. Besides, this was usually the only time when the two of them would be rested. She turned in bed to face the wall, and his arm tightened unconsciously to draw her back. She smiled inwardly. It had taken time, and would take a lot more time, to heal the side effects of Alex's addiction. But slowly, determinedly, they were making progress. Liz had checked him out, and she told the two of them that she was almost prepared to give him a complete bill of health. The two of them had gotten a better understanding of each other after the ordeal. They had talked, fought, taken long walks. Two years of separation and trauma had to be discussed. And what they still couldnt express in words, they simply just connected. They both have come close to disaster with their attempt to heal each other, but they dealt with its consequences better. If there were any consequences, she told herself. So far, it had made them understand each other better. So far, the consequences they were aware of were all good. And if it were possible, she had gotten better with her powers as well. "You're awake," she heard him murmur to her ear. She snuggled into his embrace. "How'd you know?" she asked, smiling. "You werent there," he mumbled. She turned in bed to face him, and wrapped her arms around him. "It's lonely, dreaming alone," he said with his eyes closed, and kissed her neck. She shivered, and moved to fit her body closer to his. "We're going to remedy that, arent we?" she asked, smiling. "Go to sleep," he said, gruff and half-awake She kissed his cheek, and said, "Sweet dreams," And she did, and they did. The End

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