The One That Got Away (CC/FF AI/ Teen) 1/1 - 01/27/12

Finished Canon/Conventional Couple Fics. These stories pick up from events in the show. All complete stories from the main Canon/CC board will eventually be moved here.

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PML
Obsessed Roswellian
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The One That Got Away (CC/FF AI/ Teen) 1/1 - 01/27/12

Post by PML »

One additional note. The song ends sad. This story on the other hand is probably the closest I have ever written to fluff. Hope you folks enjoy.

Title- The One who Got Away

Author- PML

Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine. It is owned by Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and Fox. This is for entertainment only and no infringement is intended.

Category-FF CC- Ai

Rating- Teen

Summary – This is a challenge from my good friend and sometime beta, Mt Gazer. She wants a story put to Katy Perry’s The One That Got Away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahha3Cqe_fk&ob=av2e
Alex died a little later than he did in canon, during the summer, and Alex and Isabel became nearly inseparable after he returned from ‘Sweden.’ Just a random accident that turns horribly tragic. Tess was not involved. There is no Departure. Isabel still moves on to Jesse, although it takes longer and is much more natural. His career eventually takes them from Roswell to Boston and then to New York. Visiting Roswell is rare, but both sets of Grandparents live there, and so while the holidays are spent in New York, they visit during the summer.

Only this time it is only Isabel and her daughter who go. And so begins the tale.


My name is Alexis Eliana Ramirez. Everyone simply calls me Lexie, including my parents. In fact if I ever hear the word Alexis come out of one of my parent’s mouth I know I am in serious trouble.

Dad always jokes about it. Says I am named after the Battle of Lexington. Mom simply says nothing.

About my mother. She is tall blonde and beautiful. You can look at her old photos, back when she met dad, and you would see a different woman. She was tall brunette and beautiful.

Gah, if I only had an ounce of my mother’s beauty and poise, I wouldn’t have the same problems with guys. Surely they would have courage to ask me out if I looked like Mom.

But no. I am short and look like my father. My skin is a lighter tone, but my hair is just as dark. And curly. Why does my hair never stay in place, always flying about. Not like Mom.

Perfection.

Always perfection. Her clothes always fit just right, her hair just so. Her make up flawless. And she has shown me some of her tips. She always looks at me when she is playing with cosmetics and looks at me a little sadly and says some of her tricks won’t work for me.

I have never understood this cryptic comment. And there have been a few other mysteries I have discussed with my older brother. But while he agrees there is something going on, he simply pretends not to care.

So many secrets. Like does the woman even sweat?

I cancel the video playing in my Sunglasses to look at the woman as she drove. There was music playing, if you called oldies music. Some of it had an okay beat, but most of it was simply just dated.

Parents have no taste. Not in music anyway.

“Mom? Why are we here?” They were driving away from Roswell where both of my Grandparents live. And Uncle Michael. The man was cool if you could keep him off of sports. How Maria handled it I will never know. And five boys?

I had to shudder at that thought. I love my brother but five?

And Maria was expecting again, crooning to her belly and saying it would be a girl this time.

Good luck to her. If it was a her. It would be nice to add to the sorority even if the other was an infant. Mind you I hang out with the Evan’s twins whenever they let me.

Now they were cool. They didn’t have the same money as my parents, but somehow it just seemed to go farther with them. They basically ruled their crowd, even shy Hailey was capable of having her every wish catered to by admiring boys.

I looked down. It wasn’t like I was still an A cup, but maybe… I glance over at Mom’s rack. If I inherit that I should be okay.

Eventually.

Her mother’s voice was quiet. “I need to visit someone. Someone I haven’t visited in much too long.”

We pull up to a hill that overlooks the City of Roswell. Personally I am surprised it hasn’t been gobbled up by people wanting the view until I see the sign, Roswell Memorial Cemetery.

Oh.

I tried to think of who could be buried here. Oh there had been a few funerals that Mom has gone to recently, but none in Roswell of all places. Outside of Michael all of them had left.

The last letter I had gotten from my favorite Aunt Tess was in Tibet. Uncle Kyle had been going through another Buddha phase.

Men.

No. Outside of Michael and the Grandparents they would never visit this primitive little ‘burg. I glanced at my Glasses interface. It was still downloading a video. In any reasonable space it would take a fraction of the time. Here I could actually see the progress bar move.

Archaic.

I looked around the well-kept grounds and smelled the pine trees. There was a hint of flowers in the air as well. Mom was carrying a batch of white flowers.

Okay.

Where exactly did those come from? I remember Mom carefully plucking flowers from our garden, the white roses Aunt Liz prizes so highly. (Bet you didn’t know she has patent rights on the most commonly used gene mod on Roses? Yeah, she can be a little dull at times, but Aunt Liz is a genius.)

But even discounting the time we had spent travelling here, we have already spent a couple of days in Roswell visiting family. At no time did Mom water those flowers.

And yet they seem to be the same flowers.

All I can do is shrug. Just another strange thing my mother does. Maybe she thinks I can’t notice but I do.

I can trust you right? I mean you already know! Well my mom can ‘do’ things. Impossible things.

The world truly does hold mysteries. And wonders.

And there I saw one.

For there was someone waiting for us. Mom didn’t notice him at first. She was focused on the grave we stood in front of.

He was tall and lanky. He was about my age, perhaps a year older. And for me he had a smile. “How are you today?”

I looked over at my mother and I saw something I never thought I would see.

Tears. Not the kind you get when you watch a sad movie or hear some bad news. No this was serious tears.

“Mom?”

The boy touched my arm, “Let her grieve a little, She has held too much of it in for too long. It always was her habit.” He smiled ruefully, “I tried to break her of it, but I simply didn’t have time.”

There was something off with this guy. He seemed peaceful, almost serene. But his clothes were horribly out of date. I didn’t see a single piece of smart ware on him.

But then maybe he was a Retro. Didn’t believe in using smart ware.

I heard a thud and moved over to my mother. She was kneeling in front of the grave, holding the flowers before her, rocking back and forth. And there was a thin nasally whine.

“Mom?”

“I let him go. I could have, should have told him to stay. To stay with me. I didn’t mean it, Alex. Oh, God I didn’t mean it.”

The boy said, “It was quite the argument we had. Both of us said things we didn’t mean.” He shrugged, “I know I did.”

“Who are you!” I demanded.

“Your name sake. Alex. Alexander Charles Whitman.”

I reeled back. “That is impossible. You are dead!”

He ruffled a hand through my hair. “A family trait that bred true. More of them did than they believe. But then Isabel did always believe in hiding. It is almost ironic in a way.”

His touch felt so real.

Mom cried out, “Please forgive me Alex. Please forgive me for not visiting sooner, please….”

Alex said quietly, “I have already forgiven you, my dear. It is a shame our time this side of heaven was so short.”

I look over at mom; it is like she can almost hear him. But not quite.

“Why can I see you and she can’t?”

“Her mind is subconsciously editing me out. You don’t know enough to do that yet.”

Mom muttered, “White roses. You never liked white. You liked, you liked me in red.”

I watched in awe as the color of the flowers changed before my eyes. As they became red.

“Mom?”

Alex lifted her mother up. “If I could have this dance?”

I watched as shock and wonder flash across my mother’s face. A different bold look shot through them, a mix of hunger and fondness. “You are late!”

“No my dear. We aren’t going to argue. Not during out last dance.”

My mother laughed like I had never heard her before and she flowed into Alex’s arms. And they danced.

I don’t know if I ever saw something more romantic in my life. Admittedly I am still young.

It only lasted for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. And as the music played I saw things. Some of them fascinated me, others well embarrassed me to no end.

I knew that I had felt these things before, well some of them anyway. Other sensations I had yet to feel… in my body anyway.

Embarrassing, yep.

Flash- The oddity of one Isabel lying in PJ’s on her bed watching as a different Isabel and Alex dance.
Flash- Awkward moments between them slowly building to a break between them.
Flash- A comfortable and confident Alex returning from a semester abroad. Isabel sizing him up.
Flash- A giddy Isabel sneaking out her bedroom window late at night. Alex was waiting.
Flash- The two making love under the stars.
Flash-
Okay I am done repeating all embarrassing things I saw. Lets just say that Mom is going to have a hard time when I seriously date.

And he was gone.

But there was a life to my mother. A smile that I hadn’t seen before. She looked at me. “So Alex tells me that I need to Talk to you.”

All I can do is roll my eyes. The Talk again?

“This is a less awkward subject. As dangerous in its own way, but not as awkward,” Again she gave that full laugh. “For me at least.”

--
I sigh as I adjust myself and look at the man I love. What I had done…

Well Michael would likely be made, but Max would smile. My mother…

I asked her once when she had finally told me about the family secrets what she had thought of Liz. And I was not surprised at her answer.

She had smiled at me and said, “I hated it and wished it could be taken back. It wasn’t that I wanted Liz dead, just it opened up so many dangers. But now…. How I wish I could have been there for Alex.” Her eyes watered, “I would do anything if I could go back to save him. But I can’t. Max risked it all, but I understand. And when your turn comes….

--
I smiled at Jordan. “You ask me why I saved you. Well when I first saw you across the campus, I knew you were the one for me. I thought they were kidding. That my mom and my uncles were kidding.” I give out a little nervous giggle. I could lose it all right here.

What if he wanted a normal life? What if he didn’t like me?

He reached out to my black perfectly wavy hair, blue eyes on my deep brown, “You are so beautiful.” He gave a nervous laugh, “What is so great about normal anyway?”

And I laughed. It took him hours of persuasion. Hot sweaty and fun persuasion to wheedle that story out of me.

I wasn’t going to lose him like Mom had lost her Alex.

And as fate would have it I never did.
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