No Longer Alone

Chapter Nineteen

    *Damian's POV*

    Feeling a bit restless while waiting for Alex to finish up with what he was doing, I changed into some swim trunks and headed to the pool to swim for a while.  Being in or near water has always relaxed me, and I enjoyed most water sport.  

    I caught sight of Alex standing to the side near the deep end of the pool and swam over, hanging onto the edge near him.  Alex grabbed a chair pulling it up closer to the edge and ran a hand through his hair, looking me in the eyes before looking down again, his body language showing tension and unease, which was fairly abnormal for him.

    "Well?"  I waited and watched him sigh a little.

    "First, it turns out I actually knew a little of her from high school, but she was a different person back then.  She had been very lively and outgoing at the time.  It's probably why I didn't put things together until later, looks wise she hasn't changed much."  I nodded, after seeing this town I could understand how everyone seemed to know everyone else somehow.

    "Alright, I understand that."

    "I also found at least part of the reason for the change."  He looked up and when I saw his eyes they showed repressed fury and sorrow at the same time.  "She's raising three kids on her own, evidently she's gotten a bit of grief over her kids, and the father of her youngest child has caused her some major pain.  He showed up while I was there, sounding like he wanted to fix things with her..."  He paused and looked away for a moment.

    "And what happened?"  I almost growled at him, he seemed to be struggling with something here and this waiting was driving me crazier than the dreams.

    "I took the wrong approach asking about it," a shadow of a smile flirted across his face, "she tore into me about it, my tone evidently set her off and her old temper showed up.  In her anger she admitted something I don't think she planned to admit.  Nicole had several choice words about him, that lead me to believe he was mentally abusing her, and she said something about not wanting someone who would wait until a woman was asleep to try and r**e them."   The rage was back in his eyes, and shook like he was trying to contain a desire, to go beat someone.  A feeling I could relate to at this moment.

    "Do we know any details there, who he is?"  Alex shook his head. 

    "I get the feeling that's not all she has had happen. She is harder to read than you are, and has more walls.  Even when I got her riled up, she had amazing control of her voice and how far it would carry so it didn't reach her kid's ears."  He smiled for a moment thinking again.  "Her kids are unique, they are fearless talking to someone visiting their mom, the oldest one is a teenager that may give you a run for your money one day, the middle a bundle of energy like no other, and her youngest offered me a hug because I looked sad, but has more confidence in her pinky than I have in my body."  He chuckled a moment thinking back.  "She's done a great job raising them, and let me tell you, I could die a happy man after tasting her cooking." 

    Seeing the look of pure bliss on Alex's face I had to fight down the jealousy coursing through me, jealousy I had no right to, she was just a puzzle, I had no right to feel like this.  Alex saw the look on my face and laughed a bit, shaking his head.

    "If you insist on believing that she is just a riddle to figure out, I'll go after her myself, her food alone is enough to make me want to settle down if it means I would get it again."  I cast a dirty look at Alex and dived under water for a moment to clear my head.  When I came up Alex was watching me with serious look.  "In all truth though, if you are going to keep saying this is just to figure her out, leave her alone.  I still think she is hiding more, but what she let slip today tells me she's been hurt too much already.  She has kids man, do you even want to take on someone else's kids?  Could you love them the way they deserve?  If you aren't really interested, don't go there, that's the only time she dropped her guard fully, was talking with her kids."

    "Kids wouldn't bother me, they would be a benefit Alex, you know that."  I gave him a look, reminding him of prior talks.  I'd been tested multiple times, all the equipment worked, but I would never be able to give my parents biological grandkids.  At one point I had even commented that I may have to adopt Alex's kids if he ever had any.

    Alex nodded, and sighed again "Sorry I forgot man, that interaction really got to me.  I hate seeing women abused, and to see what a change it did to someone I knew...It just kinda threw me for a loop."  He looked at me and shook his head meeting my eyes with almost a challenge.  "The rest is still true.  If you just want to solve the puzzle and walk away, do it now instead, drop it.  She's been hurt, there's the answer."

    I let go of the side of the pool, floating on my back and I thought of the dreams I had been having, a neglected castle, a shattered throne and broken crown, and scars that only showed when seen a certain way.  The cuts and wounds from rebuilding shattered crystal and locking it away from touch, and how her wounds had bothered me.  I sighed a bit, and looked at Alex, still waiting at the edge of the pool for an answer from me.

    "She isn't just a puzzle."