Time after Time IC

[alderwitch]

That was all Alex had been looking for, all she'd ever been looking for, and she relaxed into his touch the moment Mike reached for her. Alex's arms went around his neck naturally, her lips soft under his. They were fortunate that the woods were a good distance away from other people. If Mark's kisses had strained the control of her shields, these blew them away. Of course, Mike already had open access to the emotions in her brain, so the effervescent joy that poured off of her was something he was already privy too. I love you too.

[angrydurf]

Mike returned her fervor, his own joy almost palpable across the bond. He effortlessly pulled her off the ground and slowly ascended just above the treetops easily supporting her weight in his arms.

He reluctantly broke the kiss and looked out over the setting sun, "So still think you can wait? I know I can't." He grinned coyley and pressed his lips to hers once more.

[alderwitch]

It would have been easy to take that the wrong way and grow offended but, especially with her shields down, Alex knew exactly what he meant so when he kissed her again, it muffled her burst of joyful laughter. When she pulled back, she was breathless and flushed and very happy. Trustingly relaxed in his arms, Alex tucked her face against his shoulder and watched the sun set with him, "I'd wait forever, you know that. I never said I wanted to. You're just worth it."

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled down at her, sliding one arm under her knees to cradle her in his arms. "Well maybe I'm just impatient then." He said laughter clear in his voice. He was silent for a time watching the sun set and relishing in the nearness of his other half.

[alderwitch]

Alex shivered and cuddled closer, knowing she wouldn't have to remind him that she felt the cold even if he didn't. Mike never forgot that his friends weren't as impervious to things as he was. Especially not her.

"We should eat the dinner you prepared." Alex was the first to break the companionable silence and she turned her head to brush a kiss over his cheek. She grinned at him and teased, "You put all that effort into it. It shouldn't go to waste."

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled and slowly descended as the light faded. He pulled jacket from where he had discarded it when setting up earlier and set it gently on her shoulders.

"Well if theres anything that I'll miss a meal for it'd be this." He said with a grin, "But as my Mom say theres kids staving in China."

He lifted a few solid looking candles from the basket and tiny beams of red-orange light lanced from his eyes to light them, casting the glade in thier joyfull flickering light.

[alderwitch]

Alex settled back down on the blanket and said with laughter in her voice, "Your mom also thinks tofu is a tasty source of nutrients. Remember the time that she made organic everything for Halloween. The sugar cane candies were decent but the tofu kibobs weren't. I'm still convinced that's what killed the shrub outside."

While he lit the candles, Alex shifted the plates around so she could cuddle up against his side to eat rather than face him over the picnic basket.

[angrydurf]

Mike laughed outloud. "No that was dad, he's alergic and hated that thing."

He quickly slid the roast chicken from its thermal wrapper splitting it on to the two plates. This was followed by potato salad and Alexes favorite greenbeansalad from when they were kids. He looped one arm over her should and balanced the plats on one broad thigh. He leaned in conspiritorily, "I'm not even sure its free range." he whispered and popped a morsel into his mouth.

[alderwitch]

"You rebel," Alex teased him with a laugh. "So, you cut your hair and have to express your inner teen rebellion some other way?"

She bumped her shoulder against his companionabally as she began to cut her food into bite size pieces. She smiled and added with rather ridiculous shyness under the circumstances, "I really do like your hair like that. I can see your eyes easier."

[angrydurf]

Mike blushed slightly at the complement, "Well I'm glad I went for the new look then."

He took a sip off his drink and set the cup down carefully. "It's gonna make it way harder to hide when I fall asleep in class though." He joked.

[alderwitch]

"It's going to make it much more obvious when you're doodling, that's for sure," Alex teased, one hand lightly touching his with easy affection. She had a few more bites of the chicken before her mood turned a little more somber. Mike felt the emotion shift before he saw them flicker accross her face.

"Mike..." she glanced up at him, "What do you think of Zoe? Of all that?"

[angrydurf]

Mike shrugged, "I dunno." He said his tone somber as well, "I wish she'd been more honest about who she was fromt he begining." It had hurt more than he thought it woudl to find out he had been lied too like that.

He sighed heavily taking the standard male tactic of addressing a what-do-you-think? with what to do about it rather than what he thought or felt about it, "But as for what to do about it now I really don't know. We're the only family she's got even if we're sixteen years early to the party."

[alderwitch]

Alex nodded her head, reaching out to thread her fingers with his, "I know. I think I'm going to juggle a few classes so that I can get a college degree right after Claremont. I mean, she maybe here a bit earlier than we intended but we have to take care of her, don't we? I mean, if that future is fixed and stuck, I'd rather die knowing that Zoe's going to be taken care of. Or is that way too morbid?"

She gave him a faint, lopsided smile at that.

[angrydurf]

"I dunno about the whole time travel thing but she doesn't have anyone else so of course we have to do what we can." He said matter of factly. He really didn't know how to take knowing the when how and why of his death even if it wasn't fixed. After finding out more of the story he tried to think if he really woudl do anything differently knowing what was going to happen the whole experiance gave him a headache and he basically had ignored the implacations since then.

"I Just don't know how to deal with her, uhm, choices." He said uncomfortably.

[alderwitch]

"Well, we can't interfere too much. That'll just make Zoe cling that much harder to Eddie. I just hope she sees who he is now rather than think of him as the adult she knew." Alex made a 'yick' face at that, her nose wrinkling up before she confessed, "I tried to point out the problems to Eddie but he was a little too, well, Eddie to focus. So I settled for warning him I'd give him psychosematic erectile dysfunction if he screwed up."

[angrydurf]

Mike laughed out loud at that, "Well you always have been a soft touch." He remarked sarcasticly.

"I know that though," He said more somberly, "I mean when it comes down to it we're not really in a position to bring alot more life experiace to the table anyway, though perhaps some better taste." He shrugged non-commitally, "Besides Eddies a bit out there and deffinately a dreamer but that kind of energy may be what she needs." He didn't really know what more to say on the matter, "I think I'll just plan on being there for her when she finally has to slow down enough to deal with everything."

[alderwitch]

Alex shrugged and admitted easily, "I have a temper. No one is perfect. I felt it was only fair to warn him that should he hurt her, I would feel obligated to hurt him in return. It's not rational or even helpful but I know that I'd do it anyways."

She leaned into his side with a soft sigh, "That's probably the best. I don't like the inactive thing though. I wish I could just fix people, but I can't. I mean I could technically but it would be wrong. It's hard though."

[angrydurf]

Mike gently squeezed her arm and pulled her in closer, "Well some of us may need less fixing and just some patience." He said with a happy smile, "Not all of us can keep up with you ya know."

Alex tended to overthink and expect everyone else to be at her level. She didn't begrudge them not being but didn't really know what it was like to not be as aware and bright as she was, how could she?

He shrugged, "But sometimes we're worth waiting for yea?" he asked with a mischevious smile.

[alderwitch]

Alex snuggled into the arm around her shoulders and playfully reached up to tap the end of his nose, scooting halfway into his lap to do so. "Being further along in the emotionally mature spectrum doesn't make one a more worthwhile person. Or even a better one. That is entirely to do with what choices people make."

She beamed at the end of her ethics 101 rant. "But, to give you the compliment you were neatly fishing for, yes. Yes, you are worth it."

The hand she'd used to tap him softened and she splaid the fingers of her delicate hand over his cheek, and tilted her head to examine him thoughtfully.

[angrydurf]

Mike beamed down at her long arms pulling her close against the chill air. "It'll work out." He said quietly but with newfound confidence adding gently, "I've discovered things usually do actually."

He certainly hadn't accepted Marks Laizze Faire attitude but he had come to understand some of it. They woudl be there for Zoe just like before, and when she stumbled they would continue to be there and when she needed them they woudl be waiting. There wasn't much more they could do, she had to come to terms with things on her own forcing the issue never helped.

[alderwitch]

They sat together in a comfortable silence, Alex's cheek tucked into his solid shoulder and her delicate fingertips spread over the back of his broad hand. As the sunlight faded, Alex's fingertips brushed the back of his hand questioningly.

Mike? Her thoughts brushed against his wistfully, as she tipped her fine boned profile up to the starlit sky. She turned to him with shining eyes and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, Take me dancing? Up there?

[angrydurf]

Mike looked down at her with a wide smile and sliped his hand down under her arms cradling her head under his chin and slowly drifted up above the treeline and further still slowly spinning as he did so. The lights of Freedom city winked on below their feet he was oblivious to the splendor, lost instead in Alex's gaze.