In Fate's Hands

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah nodded, “Yeah, there are taxi’s. We’d have to call, though. They don’t drive around everywhere…” She let out a sigh. She shook her head as he apologized. “No, it doesn’t really matter. My house is just right down the road, my mom can take me, or I can call Ed, you don’t have to pay for a cab.” She sighed, knowing that once she told her mother there was no way she would be going to dance, and it would be the same thing with Edward. She wished Ali were, home, she wouldn’t make her stay home, but she was at Layne’s almost twenty-four seven.

Alegrah smiled lightly at him again, “Thank you. I swear I’ll find you tomorrow and we can talk, I’m just… still kind of flustered…” She let her smile fade and looked at her car before she climbed in and turned the key in the ignition. It started, but she knew it wasn’t safe to drive more than the few blocks it took to get to her house. She sighed softly and looked up at Wes, “I missed you.” With those words she closed the door and eased the car to a slow roll. She kept going and made it to her house within five minutes, you could see her pull in from where the accident had been.

[Déjà vu]

Wes nodded; it was completely understandable that she was still flustered. He wanted to reach out to touch her skin, to reassure her that everything would be okay, but he kept his distance. She needed time to straighten out her thoughts, and they'd deal with the next battle tomorrow. Somehow, the older he got, the more it made sense to compare love and war. It never had, when he was little, but now the struggles and the importance seemed as prominent in love as in war.

I'm sorry, he thought, in response to her last words. "I missed you, too," he said, instead, nodding. He watched her drive away, up until she got out of her car, as he spoke to Donia on the phone. "Hey, Donia," he started, "we're all perfectly fine, but we got in a car accident a couple of streets away from you." A Frisbee hit him in the head, and he glared at the friend who had thrown it while he tried to conclude the conversation, but then he picked it up and ran at Cameron, as if to tackle him, but simply turned and threw the Frisbee to Meredith, laughing because he needed to forget what had just happened, for at least a half hour or so. He needed to.
--

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah sat on her bed the next day staring at the piece of paper with his number on it. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do, but calling him just didn't seem right. They had never called one another, so why should they now? It just seemed ridiculous, but a text wouldn't do it either. She sighed and shook her head, her eyes rolling over to the address on the page. She sighed again, it wasn't too far away, and it was a nice day. She built up her courage and set out of her house, but not before putting something on that was at least flattering. Strike that, she wanted to look hot. With a pair of black skinnies and a t-shirt and tight cardigan, she thought she'd done that pretty well.

As she got to the front door of the home that was supposedly Donia's she knocked, feeling all of that confidence that she'd worked so hard to build back up disappear from her body. She took a deep breath and shook her head lightly. No, Alegrah, you've got to get through this. You need him.

[Déjà vu]

The apartment only had three bedrooms, and Austin had volunteered to sleep on the couch, so he was the one closest to the knocking on the door. He grumbled a little, but got up, because it wasn't really that early. Austin had pants on, but grabbed a shirt as he walked over to answer the door, pulling the tee on as he opened the door and saw Alegrah. "Uhm, hey," he said. "Just a second. I presume you want Wes?" Austin raised his eyebrows briefly, then turned, leaving the door halfway open as he went to knock on the guest bedroom door. He stuck his head in, yelling, "Everdeen, you'll get your ass out here if you know what's good for you." Then Austin shut the door and turned, shrugging. "He'll be with you in a sec." Austin gave in to his stomach's protests and headed toward the kitchenette to see what they had to eat, now disregarding Alegrah's presence entirely.

Wes had already been up, gone for a run (holding his phone, which was annoying), breakfasted and showered, so all he had to do was pull on a jacket and set down the math packet his teacher had assigned for the break before he could come out. He stepped over Cameron's limp body and then raked a hand through his hair as he exited the room, locking eyes with Alegrah as soon as he got around the door. Hey, babe. He almost dropped the response that would've been normal several months ago, but refrained. "Hi," he said. "Do you want to talk here, or somewhere else?" Of course, he'd rather just hang out like nothing had happened, but he didn't fool himself into thinking that might be an option.

[Kelli-wa]

As Austin opened the door Alegrah swallowed, worried that his friends might not like her, she wasn't sure what he'd told them, but after the way she'd acted yesterday, it could have gone either way. When he asked if she wanted Wes, though, she opened her mouth to answer but then closed it again and nodded as he walked back inside. She didn't know what to do, so she stayed rooted where she was, too nervous to move anywhere. She let out a sigh as she saw Wes and licked her lips, not sure how to answer that question either. She shrugged, glancing to where his friend had disappeared into the kitchen, "It doesn't really matter to me..." She let her hand rub from her elbow to her shoulder and back down, holding her arm in and uncomfortable manner. She looked up and met his eyes again then let a soft smile grace her lips for only a moment.

[Déjà vu]

Wes skimmed her body with his eyes, pleased, of course by her appearance but also hating that she was taunting him by looking so hot. He mentally berated himself for looking in the first place. None of this was about her body. Wes caught her smile, slightly relieved that she had offered such a sign, and smiled back. He glanced away, trying to find the words to fill their silence. "Have you eaten breakfast, or, um, lunch yet? I don't know what time it is," he said. "I'm sure there's some sort of food here, if you haven't...or we could go somewhere, my treat." Wesley, you idiot, you basically just asked her the same thing twice in a row.

Wes took a deep breath, trying desperately to find something to say. He hated having trouble talking to her, because it wasn't supposed to be like that -- not with them. "Have you, uh, had a chance to have someone asses the damage on your car? I don't want you to have to be without it for any longer than necessary."

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah saw his eyes sweep over her figure and it gave her a little ego boost. She wasn't exactly happy with him right now, but she didn't mind him looking at her that way. She licked her lips and shrugged again. "I haven't eaten anything all day. It's about ten o'clock." She shrugged lightly again and rubbed the back of her neck. "If you don't mind, I think I'd rather go somewhere else. I'm not sure how well your friends will like me…" She blushed lightly, she didn't mean to insult him or his friends, but they did make her feel a little big self conscious.

She shook her head at his question. "No, I haven't… Not yet." She licked her lips and looked up at him. "It's not that big of a deal. I don't mind walking. Dance is the only place I have to drive and I can borrow my mom's car until we get mine checked out." She licked her lips again, she was so nervous her palms were sweating and she wasn't entirely sure what to say to him next.

[Déjà vu]

"Well, then, you should definitely eat something," Wes said. The way she said it made it sound like she had been up for several hours, and he didn't know how anyone could possibly get through that large a time span without eating something. "I don't mind," said Wes, "but I really don't think any of them would have a problem with you being here, and, besides, they don't have any say in the matter." He shook his head slightly, wondering why all of his friends being together would be such a problem.

"Alright, well, I'm glad I'm not inconveniencing you too much, then. Just let me know when you find out how much it's going to be, alright?" Her words made things seem alright, but he wasn't so sure from her demeanor that she really meant what she said. God, Alegrah...She was really going to drive him crazy if she kept licking her lips like that. "Let me grab my wallet and put on some shoes, alright?" he asked, going ahead and zipping up his jacket to hide his wifebeater. It may be spring, but that didn't mean there wasn't a very chilly breeze in this town.

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah shrugged, "I'm alright, I am kind of hungry, though, I guess…" She glanced away from him looking past him into the home. Sh sighed and nodded, she would still rather go somewhere else. She didn't want to discuss any of the future conversations they'd be having anywhere near his friends. She didn't want to be horrible to him, but there was no guarantee that she could hide the anger she still felt at the fact that he'd left her alone in that stupid town.

She nodded again and watched him as he turned to get his things, doing a quick sweeping glance over his body. He was still very much in shape and she liked it. She knew she shouldn't be looking at him that way, not while she was angry about their situation, but she couldn't help any of this. Her thoughts were buzzing around her head telling her to forget everything and just kiss him, just be with him, just make love to him again, if he would let her.

[Déjà vu]

It was hard to adjust his mind to think of his friends as strangers, but Wes supposed he could understand her hesitation. The two of them hadn't often been around other people together. She didn't know his friends, and they were likely to make a scene, though his friends wouldn't likely mind. Cameron knew just about everything and wouldn't be bothered, Austin often had girls at his place raising their voices at him, and Meredith wouldn't -- okay, Meredith might vie for attention, but he'd ask her to step out.

Wes smiled one more time, before he walked toward his room, reminding himself not to trip over Cameron when he opened the door.

As if thinking of her was all it took to summon her, Meredith emerged from Lorelai's bedroom, which she'd slept in the night before, wearing jeans and a baby doll tank, and looking at the screen of her i-Phone. "Hey, guys," she called, "it's not New York or anything, but there's a show about an hour away in about an hour and a half, and it might be good. What do you say? We can catch a cab." Meredith looked up and stopped in her tracks when she saw Alegrah. Her expression changed from excited to an undecided one. "Hi," she said, looking the girl's outfit over quickly with mild annoyance. "Sorry, but you really ought to come back later, if it's going to take a while," she said. "I mean...sorry, it's early. Would you just excuse me?" She ducked into the kitchen to speak briefly with Austin, then turned back and ran into Wes coming out of the other bedroom. Hey, Wes,"

"Sorry, Meredith," he said, "but I think I'm going to have to pass, alright? Besides, Cameron's still asleep." Wes quickly put a hand on her arm, because it tended to calm her down. "I'll text you later, okay? There's some cash on my nightstand if you guys need any."

Without a second glance, Wes proceeded to the door and Alegrah, smiling slightly. "Sorry," he said, too quietly for Meredith to hear." He laid a hand on Alegrah's back, but then removed it, unsure if he was allowed to do so, and put his hand on the door instead, inclining his head that she might go first.

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah stood at the door as Wesley went to get his things. She could feel herself tense up a little as Meredith stepped into the room and spoke of a show that was close, she assumed she meant a play, and she knew of a play that was happening in the theatre where she preformed, so it was possible that was where she wanted to go. She saw Alegrah however and spoke.

Alegrah wanted to tell her that her little show wasn't as important as what she was going to say to Wes. She really just wanted to tell this girl off, but she knew that wouldn't male Wes very happy, although she wasn't sure why she cared about that. All that came out was, "Oh, I'm sorry..." But then Wes was back and had apologized to her and placed his hand on her back, which made her shiver. He removed it quickly though and a disappointed Alegrah started away from the apartment. She wanted to say, 'Hey I told you your friends didn't like me.' Those words wouldn't come out, however. "So... Do you want to tell me how your life's been going?" she asked, not looking at him in the eye. She couldn't let herself for some reason.

[Déjà vu]

"Wesley!" Meredith called after him as they left the apartment, but Wes ignored her and shut the door, following Alegrah as she started to walk, catching up to her after a few strides, and not at all sure where they were going. Wes shrugged, though she wasn't looking at him and probably couldn't sense the movement. "It's been...busy, I guess, which has been sort of a relief," he said, placing his hands in the pockets of his jacket as they walked. He wasn't sure that she actually wanted details and if he started talking, he'd just ramble on, as usual. He wished she could just get to what she actually wanted to talk to him about, because he was already having trouble pretending things were normal. "How have you been, and, uh, how's your family been?" he asked, though he'd only really met her niece, and, briefly, her mother.

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah nodded again, but still couldn't bring herself to look at him for some reason. She shrugged at his question, "I've been alright. Bored. There's not really much to do around here and no one to do it with," she said lightly. She really wasn't trying to make him feel bad or seem like she was feeling sorry for herself, she was just telling him the truth. "Family's okay, I guess. We're all separated and everything since the hurricane, which is really weird."

She bit her lip and finally looked at him, stopping as they reached the sidewalk by the street. "I miss you." She finally got the courage to say something that wasn't terrible to him, to tell him the truth. She didn't want to have to worry about this anymore and she didn't want to fight with him, although she'd put up a good one if he started it. She just wanted to understand what had happened and why he'd never called. She still didn't know why she didn't call within the first few months.

[Déjà vu]

Wes nodded. That was understandable. "Oh, wow. Where is everyone that isn't here?" he asked, hoping and expecting from the phrasing of her statement that everyone was alright.

Wesley stopped when she did, unsure of what she wanted from him. "I miss you, too," he said, because it was the truth, searching her eyes to try to understand what she needed from him. He took his hands from his pockets and ran one of them through his hair. "I'm right here, though, Alegrah, so, uh, if you can help it, save missing me for the times when I'm not." Which has been...basically all the time. He lowered his eyes to the pavement then, because he knew it wasn't going to be that simple, and he knew that he didn't deserve her forgiveness anyhow. "It's crazy that you're here in front of me, you know," he said, lifting his head and looking her in the eyes, then down at her lips, briefly, telling himself he couldn't have her. "I've just..." I've wanted that for so long.

[Kelli-wa]

Alegrah shrugged. "Cai's at my grandparents house. Most of the little kids were put into different homes, they were just foster kids and Mom and Kade didn't have the money to support them anymore. Aaden's the only one still with us, because he's one of the only kids that was actually adopted. A lot of the other kids shipped off to colleges, most of them far away from any sort of ocean. I don't think I could stand that…" She let out a sigh and shrugged again. "Most of us are still here, though."

Alegrah looked away as he said that he missed her, feeling a strange feeling that she didn't want to feel at the moment. She listened to his suggestion, but it wasn't that easy. "Wes…" she started lightly, trying to figure this out, "I don't really know how to just push through this. I planned out a million things to say to you at this moment and now none of them are coming to mind and I can't wait until you're gone to miss you because to me it feels like you're not really here. I don't know, I feel like I have no idea who you are." She shook her head and swallowed the tears that were already threatening to fall from her eyes like a geyser. "I mean, you're afraid to touch me. I know I'm probably not making this easy, and you don't want to do the wrong thing, but god, you could just act like you aren't afraid that if you touch me your skin's going to fall off."

She didn't know what was pouring out of her mouth now, because this was not the torrent of angry words she'd planned out before coming to see him. No, those were the emotional words that she couldn't help but say now, now that she actually saw him in front of her. It was harder to be angry with him in person. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that as sharply as it came out."