Alexis Donovan (home): The house is
quiet, almost eerily so, despite the light on in the livingroom window. A
realtor's sign sits dejectedly in the neglected front yard a few feet away from
Lex's shiny black pickup with its small and dirty U-Haul trailer.
Lex herself sits in the single remaining chair, the phone close at hand, a tiny,
warm, beloved body curled close to her own, small head mirroring the curve of
her breast.
Tori makes soft little sounds of contentment as she feeds, drawing an almost
heartbroken sigh from her mother's lips. Carefully, Alexis shifts the baby,
settling her more comfortably.
Her mother's eyes never leave the child's face; her hands don't leave the small
body, even to wipe away her tears...The tears that have to be finished before
she even looks at the phone.
Alexis Donovan (Home): She'd sat like this
for hours, craddling her daughter in her arms until the baby had awoken. She'd
promised her father that she'd do it fast, that she wouldn't linger but here she
was...Lingering. Gently, she slips a finger into Tori Dream's mouth, breaking
the suction and shifts her to the other side. A shaking hand picks up the cell
and speed dials...calling the only person she wants to see, who happens to be
the only person she never wants to see again.
Aerin Thomas: *Click* "Hey, you..." The
voice on the other end is warm. "How are you?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): Her breath leaves
her lungs in a hard, startled rush and she has to swallow hard before she can
find her voice. When she does, its thick and tight, the words almost clipped.
"Aerin. I need you to come to the house. My house."
Aerin Thomas: "Your ho..." It trails off.
"You're home?" He notes the tone, instantly becoming concerned. "Of course. I'll
be right over...what's wrong?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): Tori makes a
soft sound of discontent and Lex shifts her up onto her shoulder, one hand
rubbing and patting her back, holding the tiny body easily. "Everything."
Aerin Thomas: A door shuts in the
background, and the sounds of him moving, traveling down the stairs. "I'm on my
way. Are you in danger?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): "No," she whispers,
swallowing hard. "Why did I have to meet you?"
Aerin Thomas: "...what?" The sounds down
the stairs stop. His voice is just...confused. "Alexis...what do you mean?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): "Please just get
here. There's someone you need ot meet," she adds with a soft, broken laugh.
Aerin Thomas: A moment's pause, as he
swallows. "All right. I'm on my way." *Click*
Alexis Donovan (Home): She drops the phone
to the floor and lowers Tori back into her arms, holding her gently, brown eyes
turned down to the baby's unfocused blue. "Your daddy's on his way. He's gonna
love you so much. He's gonna take care of you the way I can't, sweetheart."
Aerin Thomas: He heads straight to his
car, getting in and starting the thing up, heading on over. He does a quick
check of his gun on the way... something's up. She may not have been able to
talk straight...he'll be ready, whatever it is.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "But I don't want
you to think I didn't love you..."Her eyes close and she swallows the sounds
that shake her strong shoulders. "Mommy loves you more then life but...Gaia,
please don't let her think I didn't love her...I just can't take care of you
Tori, I'm not strong enough or good enough. But Aerin is. He pulled me back from
the pit...He can keep you safe."
Aerin Thomas: He heads through traffic as
quickly as he can, cutting people off, slipping through questionable yellow
lights...for once being the New York Asshole Driver himself, though without the
yelling. He's silent as he drives, heading over, a look of concentration on his
face as he pulls into Staten Island and up to Alexis's home.
Alexis Donovan (Home): The realtor sign
sways slightly in the light breeze. The U-Haul looks out of place on the back of
her glossy black truck. A single light shines from the livingroom window,
calling him home.
Aerin Thomas: He pulls up to the house,
blinking a couple times at the U-Haul trailer, then the For Sale sign. Okay, now
he's totally lost. Slowly, he turns the key in the ignition, pulling it out and
opening the door. He steps out of the car, surveying the home...so many good
memories here, some very bad ones, too. With wariness, he moves to the front
door, opening it up and stepping in.
Alexis Donovan (Home): Lex doesn't look
up; her eyes are glued to the tiny, perfect face of the baby nestled in her
arms. Tears track slowly but silently now, down her pale cheeks. "Hey," she
murmurs.
Aerin Thomas: He freezes where he is,
seeing his daughter, resting there. The surprised joy he sees at this is washed
out by the concern he has for Alexis. "Hey." He shuts the door, managing a
smile, and comes over, dropping to a low crouch in front of them, looking at
Tori first, amazedly, then Alexis.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "She came early.
I was with Alexi and he wouldn't let me call." She rocks softly, back and forth
in the rigid chair, her arms tightening around the baby.
The house echoes oddly devoid as it is of furniture. All that remains is the
chair Alexis sits in and the pile of baby stuff in the corner of the livingroom.
Aerin Thomas: A slight nod, and he smiles,
regretful as he is that he couldn't be there. "It's okay, Alexis." He looks to
Tori, smiling. "Hi, you. You're beautiful, you know that?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): Tori makes a face
and jerkily waves her tiny little hands at the new blur in front of her face.
Alexis Donovan (Home):
7,7,3,3,8,
Alexis Donovan (Home): Lex swallows a
sound and slowly relaxes her arms, offering the baby to Aerin.
Aerin Thomas: He reaches out and, very
carefully, takes the baby into his arms. He pulls her gently to him, cradling
her carefully, beaming down. "Goddess, Alexis. It's..." He trails off, sighing
deeply. "Wow."
Alexis Donovan (Home): She pushes back the
chair and surges up to her feet, arms wrapping tightly beneath the full curves
of her breasts, shivering softly. "If I give her to Liam they give me back my
wolf..."
Aerin Thomas: He blinks at that, looking
up to her, stunned. "They--" He stops himself, lips pressing tightly together.
After a moment... "And...does Liam want her back?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): "It doesn't
matter. She's yours." Lex pauses, drawing a shaking breath. "You should take her
home to your mate."
Aerin Thomas: He relaxes at the first
sentance, starting to look back down...then, eyes snap back up to Alexis. "She's
ours, Alexis. You're her mother." Something in his gaze is wary, eyes searching
her face.
Aerin Thomas -> Alexis Donovan (Home): ((Per+Emp,
WP))
Aerin Thomas:
3,5,5,8,10,5,9,
Aerin Thomas:
8,
Alexis Donovan (Home): Lex stares down at
the two of them, something in her gaze broken and lost. "But I'm not your mate,
no matter how bad I want to be. If I was, you'd have been in Chicago not here
with her." She sighs and blinks, lifting a hand to scrub at her cheek.
Alexis Donovan (Home) -> Aerin Thomas:
((Broken...sad, tired, scared...hopeless))
Aerin Thomas: "Alexis..." He trails off,
pausing a moment, to collect himself. "I had...obligations here. I had
to...Xu...the house, I..." He stares at her, heart falling deep into the pit of
his stomach. "I couldn't...I'm sorry."
Alexis Donovan (Home): "To Ita," she
murmurs tiredly. "I know." She moves away, towards the pile of baby things and
picks up a sleek, black wolf toy, holding it against her and rubbing her cheek
and chin over its head. "Tell her that this is what I looked like in my wolf
form. Tell her I was good."
Aerin Thomas: "Alexis, please..." He's
changed in the past few months...become whole again. He can take charge in so
many situations...but not this. Not with her, or with Ita. He knows this. So he
pleads. "You don't have to do this. You...we can find another way..." Not that
he has the slightest clue what that is. He even figured it might come to this,
but he didn't dream it would be like this.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "We both know, deep
down where we don't have to admit it, that there's something wrong with me. And
I know that one day, I'll lose it and I'll kill her and you'll hate me for it
and Tori will hate me for it." She swallows and glances up at him. "Do you know
how much I love you?"
Aerin Thomas: He shuts his eyes, biting
down hard on his lip between the canines on the left side...hard enough to draw
blood. A small nod, and his voice comes out in a shuddering breath. "I know you
do, Alexis. I know."
Alexis Donovan (Home): "And you love me
but not enough and i'm so tired, Aerin." She sits down, her back to the wall and
the toy clutched in her arms. "I can't do it anymore...And its not just you. Its
Laidan and Liam and Josh and Discard and Xu and Karlos and Ita...I've hurt
everyone I love and I can't fix it and I don't don't want to do that to her."
Aerin Thomas: He shakes his head, forlorn
gaze on the floor. "No, Alexis...Goddes, that's SO not fu..." He manages to stop
himself. He's holding a child...their child...in his arms. "It's not true. Yes,
you've hurt a lot of people. But..." He shakes his head. "There has to be a way.
You can't...you can't just go."
Alexis Donovan (Home): "Thou shalt not
suffer they people to tend thy sickness..."
Aerin Thomas: "Bullshit." Okay, he
slipped. He looks up at her, eyes glistening as tear ducts start to leak. "If
that's the case, I should've been killed months ago. The hell with that." He
rises finally, looking down at her, gaze intent, even if clouded. "You...are
not...a lost cause." The words come out whispered, shaking with conviction.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "I have nothing
left to live for, Aerin. Everything I have is right here in this room and none
of it belongs to me."
Aerin Thomas: His body stiffens, and color
drains out of his face. "Goddess, Alexis. Please don't tell me you're thinking
of..." He can't complete the thought.
Alexis Donovan (Home): She looks away,
pressing her face into the toy's damp fur. "Take your daughter and go
home to your mate."
Aerin Thomas: "You can't...please, no..."
He stares at her, hopelessly, for a long moment before swallowing, a hard look
coming to his face. "Don't you dare do it." The last bit is angry, though the
tears starting to fall. "Don't you Goddess-damned dare, Alexis."
Alexis Donovan (Home): "Do you love
me," she asks, looking up at him, her brown eyes full of pain.
Aerin Thomas: He stares at her. "Why do
you even have to ask that? What have I ever done to make you think
otherwise?"
Alexis Donovan (Home): "Then help me do
the right thing,"she whispers, voice pleading, her eyes on his face, fresh tears
falling. "You have a gun...Just leave it. Kiss me and take our daughter and go
home to the woman you can't leave and let the one you can go."
Aerin Thomas: He stares at her, eyes wide,
shock registering. He's simply, utterly...stunned. His mouth opens, but nothing
comes out.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "I can't do it
anymore. Not any of it."
Aerin Thomas: He shakes his head. No. It's
just... Eyes squeeze shut, and he takes a step away. He can't be a part of this.
"Stop it." It's said through gritted teeth. "Just...stop."
Aerin Thomas: ((takes a step backwards,
away))
Alexis Donovan (Home): Tori whimpers and
fusses, woken by the wierd sound from her mother as Lex begins to sob. There's a
pause in sound from the baby and then, suddenly, a wail. Too much tension for
her to handle!
Lex chokes back instantly and lifts her head, eyes wide as Tori begins to cry.
"No...No, baby, don't cry...Please," she begs, fighting to stay where she is and
not rush to the baby.
Aerin Thomas: He looks down to Tori and
purses his lips, comforting the infant. "Shhh...honey, shhh. It's okay. Iiiit's
okay, Tori..." He rocks her slightly, soothing her.
Alexis Donovan (Home): "Gaia, please," she
begs, though what she's begging for even she's not sure of. Her eyes lock on
Aerin and the baby and a tiny, terrified smile curls her lips. "You're, both of
you, my life..."
Alexis Donovan (home): ((*staple*))
Aerin Thomas: ((Activating Persuasion))
Aerin Thomas:
9,1,1,6,1,2,5,
Aerin Thomas: ((Or not))
Aerin Thomas: He looks up at her, eyes
filled with sorrow, even as he smiles for their daughter's sake, soothing Tori
with slow, gentle motion of his arms. "Alexis...if..." He sighs, brokenly. "If
you have to go, then...please, go. I can't understand, I really can't. But
I...can't accept you killing yourself. You have a life ahead of you...you're not
a lost cause, you never will be. If you have to cut ties, I guess...I guess I'll
deal with that. And our daughter will grow to know of you in love, and honor.
She'll know her mother...who fought so hard to live, who sacrificed her own
soul, and to become well, because she loved her daughter so much, she wanted her
to live. Don't make me lie to her, and say her mother gave up in the end." ((Charisma+Expression))
Aerin Thomas: ((WP))
Aerin Thomas:
3,10,2,9,2,3,
Aerin Thomas: ((Don't make me lie to her,
about whether her mother gave up in the end.))
Alexis Donovan (home): "I don' wanna go I
just don't know what to do anymore. Sharing you hurts...not having you hurts
worse and walking away from..."She pauses to try and pull herself together.
"F-from Tori...I-"
Aerin Thomas: He takes a deep breath, and
does the hardest thing he's ever had to do in his life. He steps forward, moving
to her, and leans in, kissing her. Deeply, tenderly, and passionately. Filled
with all the love and pain he has for her. Everything they've ever shared, in
one gesture, their child held gently between them.
Alexis Donovan (home): She whimpers into
the kiss, one hand moving to untie his hair, the other, dropping to cup the back
of Tori's head. She lets him feel, just how much she needs him and loves him and
then she steps back and takes their daughter into her arms, moving to settle in
the chair with her. Eyes on the baby she settles her to a breast, lifting her
tank top and praying that she's hungry, needing to feel that soft, sweet mouth
on her one last time.
Aerin Thomas: He stands there, watching
her, watching them, giving her all the time that she needs. After a moment, he
moves to take the baby stuff out to the car. He's going to need it.
Alexis Donovan (home): "I love you, my
little dream," she whispers, rocking as the baby nurses, her eyes lifting to
watch Aerin, drinking him in. "What am i gonna do without your daddy, Tori?
Without you?" She sighs and licks the salt of her tears away from her upper lip.
"A-aerin," she asks, when all the stuff is gone.
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah, Alexis?" The words
come softly as he watches her, arms hanging at his side, forcing himself to stay
calm despite the tracks of tears running down his face.
Alexis Donovan (home): "C'mere," she
murmurs, holding out a hand to him. "Please...Touch me." She exhales softly and
sniffles. "You are my mate and I am gonna miss you so much. You saved my life.
Couple times now and I won't forget that."
Aerin Thomas: He nods, moving over, and
takes her hand in his opposite hand, fingers curling around her thumb. He moves
to her side in the chair, allowing him to hug her, hold her close, without
hurting the baby. "You saved me too, Alexis. Don't you ever...EVER...forget
that."
Alexis Donovan (home): She rests her
head against his, curling into his side before switching Tori to her other
breast. "I'm gonna miss you. I never stopped missing you. Um...In one of the
boxes there are pictures of of me when I was pregnant. My mom took them...And
there's a couple pictures of Tori and I at the hostpital...When she's old
enough, will you show her? And when I get wherever I'm going I'll call
you...Send me pictures, please," she begs, lips beginning to tremble as she
fights off more tears. "And um...In the fridge, there's bottles. Enough for
maybe two more days. Breast milk, just...you feed her, kay?"
Aerin Thomas: "I will, love." He nods a
little, leaning up to kiss her forehead. "I promise."
Alexis Donovan (home): "I love you. Never
thought I could love until I met you." Lex lifts Tori to her shoulder again and
slowly rubs her back, patting gently. "Don't forget me, eh?"
Aerin Thomas: "Couldn't if I tried...and
Goddess knows, I never will." He smiles to her, through tears, and crushes her
cheek with his hand.
Aerin Thomas: brushes
Alexis Donovan (home): She nods and kisses
his lips softly then gently lays their daughter in his arms. Lex bends and
brushes a kiss to the baby's forehead then stands, grabbing her HP emblazoned
mail bag and cell. "If you need me," she says, holding up the phone. "You better
frelling call."
Aerin Thomas: "I will." He nods. "And you
do the same." A momentary pause, and he smiles to her, love in his eyes. "You
helped break my curse, Alexis."
Alexis Donovan (home): "Good." She stands
there, staring at the pair of them for a very long moment, tears spilling slowly
down her cheeks, a soft smile touching her lips and eyes. Then, without another
word she turns, and strides purposefully from the house, the mail bag slapping
against her thigh.
Aerin Thomas: He watches her leave,
letting her head off, leave completely, before he looks down to Tori, smiling
gently to her before he wipes his eyes. "C'mon, little girl. Let's go home." He
cradles her gently as he takes her out of the house, locking the door behind him
and heading to the car.
Aerin Thomas: ((Fade to black))