The New Saviors 2.0

sunflower fairy

♡multidimensional traveler♡
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. One post per week
  5. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. No Preferences
Genres
Slice of Life, Modern, Horror, Mystery, Drama, Fantasy, Angst, Tragedy
Recap..

Aidan tracks down Alexandria in hopes of bringing her to Storybrooke. The two had previously been living in the same abusive foster home before Alexandria was adopted. After she was gone, Aidan was plagued with the presence of another voice in his head. Later identifying herself as the Evil Queen, she prompts Aidan to find the Savior, bring her to Storybrooke and kill her.

Aidan had successfully managed to convince Alexandria to leave with him, while also hiding his true intentions. The long car ride to Maine has been traumatic and irritating for both Alex and Aidan. He tells her of their origins and Alex's true identity, though she is reluctant to believe him. After things have settled down, Aidan suggests they play a game of questioning to try and get better acquainted.

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1.0
 
The suffocating silence was slowly starting to come back and Alexandria shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the silence set in. It sometimes felt as if someone took a blanket and draped it around the car, though they were squeezing all the air out until she could no longer breath. While she sat there waiting for Aidan, she wondered why she agreed to go with him and what she possibly thought that she could gain from coming. Maybe she thought that they would be able to catch up, that he would be different, or maybe she thought it would be a walk down memory lane which it kind of was but it was a lot more awkward than she was hoping it would be. In all honesty, she just wanted help him when he came to her asking for her help, but now Alexandria wasn't even sure if she would be able to do that, after all he wanted her to break some curse that she didn't even believe in. How was she going to be able to do that? The night made it hard to read the book that sat in her lap, but Alexandria could see the flash of gold that read 'Once Upon a Time' and her fingers trailed over the intricate lettering.

Finally Aidan spoke up, commenting that he was loyal almost to the point of destruction and she nodded her head. Well isn't that just interesting, then again he seemed to become an even bigger mystery than he already was. Alexandria thought back to when they were younger and she thought that Aidan was a fairy tale prince that stepped straight out of the book. He was cloaked in mystery and had an air of unapproachable to him, and yet... she still loved hanging out with him. And now Aidan still had the air of unapproachable to him but the mystery only seemed to deepen, to the point that Alexandria couldn't understand him and to be honest at this point and time she wasn't really sure if she wanted to understand him. "My favorite book?" She asked as she thought about it, tilting her head to the side. She had no idea, there were so many books that she loved, so many that she wanted to read, and so many she wanted re-read. That was a hard one. Though when she thought about it, she was always attracted towards Greek Mythology books.

"Probably The Odyssey or Percy Jackson." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, thinking about a new question to ask him. "Would you rather be twice as happy or twice as smart?" She questioned after awhile, glancing over at him before she looked away. He was like a closed book, one that Alexandria couldn't pry open (not that she really wanted to) but she couldn't read his expressions, nor could she tell from his tone of voice. Stifling a small yawn, she turned her gaze back out towards the window, watching the scenery pass by, nothing changing much. Unconsciously she began to rub the scar on her wrist, humming a small tune to herself as she waited for Aidan to reply.​
 
There was a sort of awkwardness in the car that the duo seemed unable to shake. Yes, obviously their current situation was full of tension and uneasiness but it was more than that. Aidan was so frustratingly aware of her presence next to him; he was unable to relax. He could hardly believe that the girl in the passenger seat was the same as the little girl in foster care that had gotten away from him. Then again, Aidan could hardly believe he was the same person either. They changed within their time apart. Most drastically, his feelings for Alexandria changed. As a youngling, he prided himself on his dedication to ensuring that Alexandria was safe. Aidan wanted to protect her, but reflection made him realize he sacrificed so much for an ungrateful brat. She just left him after all he did for her. He had given up his childhood to guarantee she had a small chance of one. Aidan voluntarily stripped himself of his childish blissful ignorance Alexandria still seemed to have. And she so easily abandoned Aidan; she so easily forgot him. Of course, he wasn't expecting a medal as this wasn't his motive for doing so. Aidan just didn't realize he meant so little to her. He was so easily tossed away.

It was hard to forgive her, and it was hard to not place blame. Aidan had spent years sulking and seeking revenge on Alexandria. But he grew tired of being hurt so he let it go. She was young and stupid. She didn't owe him anything. She never asked for a guardian. He was a nobody who meant nothing so how could he blame Alexandria for forgetting him? But being so close to her brought back those negative feelings which he so desperately wanted to bury. It bugged him. Everything about her bugged him. She got the life he wanted. She got everything! She took everything from him. And Aidan was just there.. He tried for so long to do the right thing. But it never worked out for him. He was bitter. And rightfully so.

Odyssey? Percy Jackson? "Isn't that a kids' book?" Aidan inquired, a smirk tugging at his lips. Personally, Aidan found Greek mythology pathetic. Instead of facing a crappy reality, people opted for fantasies to make them feel better. Oh no, a bad crop harvest? Blame it on Demeter! Oh no, a bad storm? Blame it on Zeus! Aidan chuckled. "Isn't it kinda funny that fairytales told to little kids are more accurate than ancient philosophy?" Aidan challenged. He couldn't quite examine her, but he saw the look of wonder on Alexandria's face as she pondered her book choice. She put so much effort into a decision that meant little to nothing. Earlier she had called herself an ambivert. Aidan had yet to witness the introverted side of her but all the thinking she seemed to do indicated that there was one. He was looking forward to Introvert Alexandria, as Extrovert Alexandria had caused enough enough headaches today. "You read a lot?" Aidan questioned, his brow furrowing as he tried to imagine other books she enjoyed to read. Alexandria was quite the enigma.. She was too trusting and yet very aware. Her emotions seemed to be a clustered whirlwind, quickly jumping from one thing to the next. Aidan had yet to figure her out.

Happiness or intelligence.. Which did Aidan value more? He couldn't help but show a goofy smile as he joked, "I mean zero multiplied by two is still zero." But he had to think about this question. He couldn't even imagine feeling happy.. and what other knowledge was essential to know? Yes, expanding your mind or whatever was important but knowledge, overall, was a hindrance. Knowledge is harsh and cold. And yet his previous statement remained true.. Being twice as happy as he was currently would definitely lack a drastic change. In fact, he was sure he would be unable to tell the difference. "Twice as happy," Aidan stated, matter-of-factly. He wouldn't want to risk further ruining his mind with knowledge he didn't want.

"You never thought about me, did you? After you left, that was that. I basically stopped existing to you, right?" Aidan's voice lowered and his brow twitched, this question had long bothered. Although he tried to mask it, there was a twinge of resentment and bitterness in his voice. Perhaps even hurt. He cleared his throat, trying to play this mishap off as nothing.
 
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The smirk tugging at the corner of Aidan’s lips sent a small thrill through her. Was he opening up? Probably not, but she enjoyed seeing more emotion on his face than just . . . annoyance. “It is, but it’s good.” She quickly quipped, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her own lips when he challenged them. “Maybe that’s why they’re told, because there’s hope that the kids will follow along with the heroes and slayers of evil than those that simply spew out facts that were proven in odd ways.” She gave a shrug of her shoulders at her own thoughts. Not all stories were meant to be comforting, just look at the original stories of The Little Mermaid, or all the stories written by the Grim Brothers. They were dark and twisted, just like reality and society itself. The disney movies, as much as she loved them, told children false lies, interwove hurtful and heartbreaking hopes and dreams when the kids grew up to realize that a prince wasn’t coming for them. Or that a place such as Neverland didn’t exist, though it seemed Alexandria was being proved wrong about fairy tales being fake.

Her gaze drifted towards the male when he asked if she read a lot. “Yeah, it’s a nice break from reality.” She explained with a shrug of her shoulders, silently adding, and friends I don’t want to hang out with. She enjoyed being able to escape reality and go numerous different places without leaving her bedroom. She much rather stay home and read a book than go out and get drunk like most of her friends. That was something they couldn’t understand, and constantly berated her for it. She was starting to question more and more whether or not they were really friends of hers or not. She was starting to lean towards just dropping them all together, but having no friends Senior year seemed all too lonely, but every once and awhile the thought of having no friends over friends who didn’t understand her at all was all too tempting.

There wasn’t a moment that didn’t go by where Alexandria didn’t question things. Like the goofy smile that was being shown while he joked, was that fake or real? There was a part of her that wanted it to be real, that way maybe then she’d feel more relaxed, more at ease. His answer given even stood to surprise her. She surely thought he would want to be someone who was twice as smart than happy, and maybe she thought that because of the scowl that seemed to reside on his face for half the time she had been with him. Though just as she was about to respond his next question threw her off guard, along with the twice of resentment and bitterness laced in his voice. Did she detect a touch or hurt too? Maybe. Her mind drifted back to the day when her real parents came to pick her up, the first time the Trents had ever put in effort to making sure the kids looked clean and were getting along. That the house wasn’t a hellhole that only took kids in for the money and used it for drugs. She remembered the realization that dawned on her though when Aidan couldn’t come with them, the tears that started to stream down her face and the fear that if she clung to the male sitting beside her, how she would lose her potential new family. She ended up choosing strangers over someone she grew up with and someone who took care of her, and there was always a small part of her that regretted that.

“I did.” Her voice was soft, hazel eyes looking out the window. “I cried a lot when you weren’t there and I questioned why my parents couldn’t have adopted you too, and by the time that they were financially stable enough to take on another kid they asked the foster care system about you but no information came up. We couldn’t find you.” She wasn’t sure if this would quell whatever he was feeling, and she wasn’t even sure that was her goal. Because in all honesty, she was every bit as guilty as her parents and foster parents. She should have fought harder for him to stay by her side. “The system said it either meant you were too old or you just ran away.” She let out a long sigh, slim fingers moving to rub at her temple.

“Eventually they gave up and I did too. I never really thought I’d see you again.” Moving from her temple to the scar on her wrist she rubbed at it, the memories she shoved to the back of her mind to keep from hurting resurfacing. “I may not have thought about you as often as I did when i was younger, but you never stopped existing to me.” She chewed on her lower lip. “To the younger me you were my knight and shining…whatever.”
 
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Books. Fictional reality. Somehow these authors could take a thought, a mere fantasy and spin it into a reality. That utterly fascinated Aidan. And to him, those fantasies were every bit as real as he was. Perhaps it was because they invoked emotion or their affect on the partakers of the fantasy. But books stood for the idea that imagination could be crafted into something beautiful and intricate. The human mind was such a complex being. Alexandria defended her book choice and Aidan shrugged, "I guess I'll take your word for it." Aidan listened to Alexandria's defense over Greek beliefs. Perhaps he could entertain her idea. After all, the ancient Greeks fully believed in their mythology so that possibly also made them real, similar to books. "Oh, but I doubt that ever did happen. Some poor full probably got his son killed because he told him Achilles was practically invincible or something," Aidan hypothesized.

"Ah, an escape from reality... Just like the Greeks'," Aidan declared, though his analogy hardly made sense. Aidan had wished he could take a break. Of course, he enjoyed reading but it was no break. He could never fully disassociate himself from his fucked up truth to be completely invested in a book. His reality was.. constantly disruptive. Two voices in the head make it hard to concentrate, believe it or not. And drug's never helped. But everyone's reality was different. For example, his reality was that he was on the path to befriending his future murder victim while the Greeks' reality was focused more on droughts and shit. And thus, their reality was different from Alexandria's.. though he wasn't quite sure what hers consisted of. All were considered reality, but separated into just as intricate and complex realities. Aidan hardly believed it was anything less than rainbows and sunshine. "Now what reality do you have to escape from?" Aidan probed, almost accusatory.

Aidan noticed Alexandria's weird gaze at his smile, causing it to fade. Right, he was on a mission. No time to be smiling and entertained. Just. Complete. Seriousness. His brows furrowed in concentration as he attempted to prevent further smiles from slipping. Aidan felt almost self-conscious, feeling slightly obligated to watch his body language now. The two were still a ways away from Storybrooke and while his tension had dissipated, it had rebuilt itself in an instant. Aidan listened to Alexandria's response, although he was unsure of how much of it he bought... He ran away at 14. That was a good 6 years to attempt to adopt him. And they never visited. Not once. "Well, I guess it's all in the past.. And I seemed to turn out okay so..." he smiled as he lied through gritted teeth. Alexandria had seem to have long forgotten him when he first re-introduced himself. Aidan gave a small chuckle, "Now I'm just your.." he thought about how to word this, "..kidnapper." It probably wasn't the best of wording.

"You mess with that thing a lot, weirdo," Aidan commented, glancing down at her wrist. Usually when it got awkward but he failed to mention that. "Anyway.. it's your turn so fire away.'

Aidan wasn't sure if he was grateful for this time to talk with Alexandria, or if it caused more harm in the long run. Either way, it was one of the only times he could think for himself so he wasn't going to give that up just yet.
 
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Well it seemed that Aidan probably wasn’t wrong about that. No one ever said the tales that were told were the best way to teach children lessons, and yet it was something people still did in this day an age…though just without a lot more severe consequences that resulted in death. She herself wasn’t necessarily sure if she wanted the Greek believes ruling over her life, but she enjoyed reading the myths that were create, the stories that were interwoven into such a beautiful culture. Though it was a bit messed up too, but it was all interesting. Now if you told her to try and live like that she would put her foot down and tell you she merely enjoyed the creation of what such imagination somehow brought to life. A quirked eyebrow and a careful glance upon Aidan’s declaration, though she chose not to call him out on it. She wasn’t sure what he meant, though she supposed that the use of the Gods as an explanation for things that happened could make anyone seem delusional.

“I’m pretty sure if you knew, you would be deeming it far too annoying to want to know.” Alexandria countered, pretty sure he would tell her that her issues are all trivial. And in a sense, compared to what was going on in the world, it was pretty trivial, even she knew that. And she hated herself for caring about it that much and needing to say she needed an escape from reality, and she couldn’t even begin to defend herself as to why she cared so much. It just…mattered, feeling like a misfit and that she didn’t fit in anywhere. Within the books she mattered, the characters that were written would accept her, and she could forget the callous friends that didn’t truly seem to care about her. The tension that had dissipated quickly returned, full force almost as if he had never truly left. “Says the guy who stole a car with his foster brother.” She muttered under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest. Honestly the redheaded female didn’t even mean it as a dig, it just kind of came out. But it was still yet another thing for her to put on her list of Things I hate about myself; leaving Aidan behind.

Though hearing kidnapper she couldn’t help but laugh faintly and give a shake of her head. “Technically that’s incorrect considering the fact that I willingly came with you in the first place and you’re not necessarily holding me hostage.” She countered, though it was a funny thought. Blinking she glanced down at her hand rubbing her wrist, pausing in her ministrations and offering him a sheepish smile. “Is it weird that the physical reminder of something so terrible that happened actually comforts me when I feel stressed or awkward?” She questioned. She wasn’t sure why it offered comfort. Maybe because it was connected to the boy she knew so long ago, and how instead of receiving a worse beating than she should have, he took it upon himself and now they shared similar scars. Or maybe it was a reminder of one of her many shortcomings and her silent way of telling herself to be better, to strive to be better and to be perfect so that no one else got hurt.

Why do you seem so shady? The thought crossed her mind, but she decided that it wasn’t an appropriate question. What happened to you? Was another question, because when they searched for him to adopt, he would have been ten since she was eight, at least two years after they had left, and yet the foster care system said he was unavailable. And maybe the system was so screwed up that it couldn’t keep full track of who was still in and who wasn’t, but she still should have pushed her parents to search harder.

“Did you ever forget about me? Did I ever stop existing to you?” She questioned, shifting her gaze down to her lap at the thought. Surely he too had to have stopped thinking about the brat that constantly troubled him. Well probably not fully considering the fact that he seemed to remember her completely upon reintroduction, but sometimes she honestly just chalked that up to having red hair that made her stand out. If she were to have brown or black hair, maybe she wouldn’t be as memorable, which was fine by her.
 
Aidan was quite frankly not expecting Alexandria to evade his question about her reality break. Obviously, if she invested time in escaping something from her life, something was bothering her. Aidan just couldn't decide whether it would be more harmful or beneficial to push on and pressure her to answer. Perhaps she'd get annoyed or feel bullied or something? He decided to pursue it anyway. "What do you mean by that? C'mon I'm giving you time to vent. Probably won't have anymore time.. You know, once you get back home to your reality," Aidan bargained. In a sense, this whole journey of there's was kind of a reality break.. It was completely different from their normal lives, that much was sure.

He decided to laugh with Alexandria, despite promising to keep his emotions to a minimum. She tried to reason that Aidan wasn't her kidnapper, which he found a bit odd. She had just threatened to throw herself out of the car a few hours ago. "That much may be true but you remember your little hissy fit? With all the panicking and bluffing. So technically, it is correct," Aidan insisted. But why was he even trying to prove he kidnapped her? God, how stupid was he. Aidan instantly regretted bringing the incident up and hoped Alexandria would just move on.

Although Alexandria said it very quietly, he heard her little comment. He didn't know how to feel about it. Was that something to get upset over? He sat silently before deciding he should probably address that situation. "I wouldn't have stolen it if we had another choice. That's not a first resort kind of thing, in case you didn't know," Aidan commented, remaining as neutral as possible. Although, he wasn't quite sure why that was the only thing Alexandria wanted to point out to prove his instability. She had a fair point.

She wanted to remind herself.. of when she got hurt? Yes, that was completely weird. How would that even help? However, Aidan was not just about to ruin their tranquility so he decided against pissing Alexandria off. "No, I don't think so," Aidan lied. What comfort did she find in bad memories? Aidan wish he could just forget all the bad memories. He ignored his scars as a way of denying they had ever happened.

Aidan waited patiently as Alexandria searched to find the right question. He hadn't noticed how much easier it became to talk to Alexandria once the two weren't at each other's throats. Did Aidan ever forget about Alexandria? This was probably the easiest question she had asked thus far. "Not once," Aidan stated. It was completely true. She was so integrated into his life. His point of living was to serve her.. Or kill her? He was born to protect her. She was the entire reason why Regina had sought Aidan out, and his mother was sure to make sure he never forget that fact. He tapped the steering wheel. It felt sort of weird to admit she'd never left his mind.

"What were your parents like?"
 
Alexandra had to admit that Aidan had a point, but he was probably just going to tell her that she was being a big baby. And even if she was it was one thing to tell yourself that, but another to hear someone else point it out. “It’s stupid, really.” She gave a wave of her hand. “It’s so trivial and dumb that even you might tell me that I simply wasted your time on it.” She let out a small laugh, though it was a little bitter. She didn’t need to be made fun of even more. “Anyway, maybe I’ll tell you later if we have the time, or if you still want to hear about it later down the road.” She blew it off, hoping that he would eventually forget it. Though it was a bit strange he seemed to be pressing and she couldn’t tell if it was because he cared or because he wanted more insight into her life.

The sound of his laugh was like music to her ears, and she couldn’t help but want to hear it more. Now whether that was because she liked hearing it or because it meant he wasn’t scowling and acting like mr. doom and gloom she wasn’t too sure. “Okay yes well…that was because you suddenly started talking about this cursed down. But i’m better now. I’m not threatening to tuck and roll, nor am I screaming at the top of my lungs about some weird guy driving off with me.” She quickly countered, deciding to leave out that the panicking mostly stemmed from the fact that he stole a car and just freaked out, she didn’t threaten to do anything. “But what’s done is done, you’re just my…whatever.” Alexandria decided to settle on that, feeling it was the best way to describe whoever Aidan was to her.

“No, no, I figured.” She muttered, narrowing her eyes when he made a comment about her scar. “You’re lying, you think it’s weird.” She pointed out, though it wasn’t like she was upset. She herself found it weird that she sought comfort in the worst memory, though she was sure, almost positive it was because it still tied her to the boy before her. Before he waltzed back into her life, it always tied her to him, kept her wondering how he was doing, and reminded her to do her best so she never put anyone else in the situation, or situations she had constantly put him in.

Upon hearing that he didn’t forget her, not once, she felt like crap, even worse than before. She didn’t know it was because his life was so intertwined with hers that it would be hard to untangle it, or that he was tasked to watch over her. Whether she knew that bit of information or not, she still had somewhat forgotten about Aidan, and in a sense that was wrong. She gave up on him, thinking that he would never be back in her life and in a sense that made her feel worse.

Alexandria pursed her lips and gave a tilt of her head. “My parents?” She questioned as if she didn’t know who he was talking about. “They’re really sweet. They were always there for me, and they’ve given me so much in order to grow and become a better person.” She explained. “They were much better than…” She trailed off at the thought of the foster parents and gave a shake of her head. “They were really good to me.” She wanted to open another door by saying and I wish you could have been part of the family too, but she decided it would be best to leave it closed. “Take away the cursed part and everything, and the fact that you need me cause I’m the savior.” She began, running a hand through her hair.

“But why didn’t you seek me out earlier? And don’t counter with why I didn’t do the same, because I don’t know.” She quickly added before he could counter with the same question.
 
Stupid. Trivial. Dumb. She spoke very lowly of herself and her problems. Alexandria had a lot of self disrespect. Aidan debated whether he should say something about it. But even that was crossing the line for Aidan so he decided to just give up. "I'm gonna keep you to that," Aidan promised. As talkative as Alexandria had first seemed, she seemed particular uncomfortable talking about and acknowledging herself. Although Aidan was sure that her problems weren't as intense as running away from the police or the foster care system or mind controllers but they obviously meant something to her. He at least owed her a ranting session.. After all, he was right about her chances to talk about her problems. But this was because her life was coming to an end soon.

They were probably talking about kidnapping too much.. If Alexandria had known his true motives behind bringing her to Storybrooke, she probably wouldn't be too eager to disagree with him about Aidan forcing her to come against her will. "Keep talking, Alex," Aidan teased. "And I'll have you know that plenty of people would feel honored to have me drive off with me," Aidan finished with a grin. Aidan found it so entertaining how quickly Alexandria tried to defend him. She seemed to be on a back and forth, it was like she hated him one minute and then the next she was appreciative. Then again, the same could probably given been said about Aidan toward Alexandria.

Alexandria "figured" Aidan had only stolen the car out of necessity. And Aidan "figured" she was probably lying. Oh, well. It wasn't like it was going to matter what she thought for long.. Somehow Alexandria knew he was lying. Aidan laughed, "Yeah, you caught me. It is pretty fucking weird but who am I to judge, right?" Just some murderous low life.. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't know, I guess I just don't understand it," Aidan explained, shrugging. He glanced at her scar, trying to possibly picture what she saw. But he saw nothing other than poorly healed flesh.

Alexandria and pursed her lips at the mention of her parents and Aidan wondered if that had been a touchy subject. "Yeah, your parents. Wendy and Pan are your biological parents but they didn't raise you. The ones that adopted you," Aidan continued, awkwardly.. He was confused as to how she wanted Aidan to explain. Alexandria trailed off while talking about her parents. "Better than what I was stuck with?" Aidan teased, although he didn't consider how this may have ultimately bothered Alexandria. "No, I get it. I'm just glad you got a good life.. It's.. It's what you deserve," Aidan hesitated.

Why didn't Aidan go after Alexandria? That was kind of difficult to answer.. without revealing too much. "Well, um.. didn't really know where you were for awhile. And it didn't really feel like you wanted me to come find you. And I guess there was no real reason to so I decided to just let you live your life.. Until absolutely necessary, you know? There was no reason to disrupt you," Aidan said, grimly. The absolute truth was that Regina wanted her to wait.. something about the prophecy? He didn't really know, Aidan just needed to follow orders. But he couldnt very well just come out and say that.

"Listen, it's getting late. Let's just find a place you can rest? I'm sure there's a hotel on the way.."
 
She couldn’t help but snort, the words please don’t falling upon her lips but never being uttered. If he remembered then he remembered, if he didn’t then he didn’t and she wouldn’t have to talk about it. Maybe a little ranting session would do her good and who knows, maybe he could even help her figure out the whole stupid friend/high school situation. As of right now though, she wanted to keep a lid on it, tightly sealed and pushed to the back of her mind. Her friends weren’t here right now, and she currently wasn’t even in her home state. Out of sight out of mind. She would open that can or worms as they returned after the little trip to Maine and the only, then will she face the situation she was dealt with, or she could choose to run from it, whichever sounded best.

With the talk of kidnapping, the petite female couldn’t help but snort. “I don’t think you want me to.” She quickly quipped back, giving a roll of her eyes. “Oh I’m sure. I bet you’ve got people lining up outside practically begging you to at least let them sit with you and claim that they got to be near the Aidan.” She teased back. Joking with him felt good, it felt right almost as if it was something that they had been doing for their whole lives. She had to admit she thought it was weird that they were at each other’s throats just mere moments ago, but now they seemed fine. She could only hope that they stayed like this for the rest of the trip, enjoying this more than the arguing.

There it was, that laugh again that she was slowly starting to like more and more than she realized. Which was weird in her opinion since she had also only heard it three times. She laughed faintly and gave a shrug of her shoulders. “It’s not something I completely understand either.” A pause. “I think because the reason I got this was because I messed up, so if anything it’s not the memory that comforts me…”Another pause and a furrow of her brows. “Maybe it doesn’t really comfort me either, but it’s more of a reminder not to be such a screw up.” The laugh, though bitter, was supposed to hide the fact that she totally just shot herself down, something she constantly did but never voiced out loud.

The teasing tone this time hurt and she offered him a faint smile. “Yeah.” The redheaded female muttered, glancing over at the male. “You might think so, or well I don’t know how you think, but you deserved much better than what you got.” She admitted, fully believing that it was true. When she was younger she always remembered him as being such a good protecter, like an older brother. He kept her little kid secrets, defended her to their foster parents and the bullies within the home, he was always by her side. He definitely deserved more than he got.

Aidan didn’t know where she was? So then how did he find her all of sudden, and walking down the streets no less. That in itself didn’t seem like a mere coincidence. “I wanted you to come find me.” She stated simply, moving to look out the window, the night shrouding the passing scenery in mystery. “If that’s you’re next question, then that’s a pretty sucky question.” She joked when he mentioned finding a place to rest. Though a place to rest seemed nice. Her limbs were aching and the yellow buggy suddenly felt far too cramped. She needed to get out and stretch her legs, get a breath of fresh air and just take a moment to not be in a car.

“Staying at a hotel to rest up sounds nice though.”
 
A snort? That was such an odd sound to hear come out of such a.. non-snorty type of girl. It made him smile. Alexandria really was a weirdo. Though it wasn't like he didn't enjoy it. Aidan was trying not to think about how much the little red head was starting to grow on him. He was afraid of what this meant. What if the Evil Queen found out? How could he go on pretending that he wasn't such a big threat to her life. He let out a little sigh as his brows furrows in thought. This was going to seemingly be more difficult than he thought. The idea never sat right with him but it was just a little easier to digest when he thought he hated Alexandria.

Damn, two snorts? Aidan shook his head smiling at Alexandria. She sure was a wild card. "You know what? You're actually right for once," Aidan teased, glancing at Alexandria. His lopsided smile snuck up on him and Aidan did little to try and conceal it. There was no use at this point. "You're damn right people do!" Aidan exclaimed, in a mock stern voice. Pausing for a second, he continued, "Just like that little friend of yours back there. She seemed quite interested in the Aidan!" His intention was merely to tease Alexandria and possibly cause her to groan in exasperation. He hid his true feelings about her friend, as Aidan expected Alexandria wouldn't be too fond of Aidan shit talking the people she hung out with.

Aidan listened intently to Alexandria explain her small obsession with the scar on her wrist. Apparently she had trouble placing her finger on her subconscious habit. It quite frankly concerned him. The habit had seemed harmless at first but as she explained it, it seemed rather unhealthy. "I see.." was all Aidan could muster at first. He cleared his throat as an attempt to gather his thoughts and form a coherent sentence. "Well, that kind of seems like a lot of pressure to put on yourself. It's unfair to base all of your worth on a few mistake. That invalidates the rest of you," Aidan rambled. He focused on the road, perhaps as a way to avoid looking at Alexandria. "Besides.. you're not the only screw up in this beloved buggy," he jokingly reassured. He did this merely to daw attention away from his previous statements.

Aidan thought about Alexandria's words. He deserved more than what he had gotten. He agreed. He deserved a much worse fate than what he had been destined to have. He was just destruction.. Wherever he went, whoever he interacted with.. They were doomed. Just like Alexandria. He shook his head, although he had no words for the red head. "No, it's not important what happened to me. I had enough to survive and finish my destiny. You're what truly mattered, Alex. Getting to Storybrooke, fixing the curse, that is your destiny. You were born with importance. I was born merely to inform you of that, so consider my life fulfilled," Aidan concluded. He tried his best to convince her to forget about his situation. All of his words were filled with truth, perhaps even too much truth.

She wanted him to find her? What exactly did that mean? Aidan was at a loss.. She had silenced him. He had no answers. What followed was a long silence as Aidan allowed her words to sink in. "I did eventually, didn't I?" Aidan pointed out. Although not in the best circumstances, he did find her. Of course, he didn't mention how. That would be too detrimental to reveal. His mood had taken a large hit after this conversation. Aidan no longer felt playful enough to joke or kind enough to reassure Alex. Aidan felt gloomy. He felt.. guilty.

"Consider it a "to be continued" on our little game. I see a place up here, we'll pull in." Soon, Aidan was parking his car, and turning off the engine to his car. He was sure his car was in a desperate need of a break. As did Alexandria, by the look of her. He got out of his car and walked to the passenger's side, in a useless attempt to relieve the guilt he felt. "My lady," he declared, opening her car door.
 
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Just the thought of her friend back there was enough to make her groan, her head falling back against the seat. She was one of the few people she seemed to be having issues with, more so now that they were in their senior year than anything. “My gods don’t remind me. I’m sure if she were alone with you, she would have had her way with you.” She laughed with a shake of her head. To be quite fair, Alexandria wasn’t even sure how the two had become friends, but with both of them slowly starting to go their separate ways, Genevieve seemed much more interested in partying than staying at home and watching a movie. As of late the girl alway seemed much more into berating and judging the redheaded female for every little thing she did, choosing to pass it off as a joke when there was obvious malicious intent behind it.

“It’s been more than a few mistakes Aidan, some worse than others.” She commented, her gaze focused out the window. She wasn’t sure why she was so hard on herself, constantly pushing herself to be perfect when perfect didn’t necessarily exist. Maybe that was a way she thought she could fit in, or maybe that was just how she lived her life despite knowing that trying to be perfect was going to break her one day. It was so much easier for her to tell Aidan that people screw up and it’s okay, but so much harder for her to tell herself that and accept that fact. She was hypocritical that way. “I guess we’re both just screw ups.” She joked back.

“Yeah, I guess you did.” The silence settled in once more, and though the tension wasn’t as thick as it was previously, it rolled in like fog. Quick and out of nowhere. With Aidan parking the car, the redheaded female unbuckled her seat belt, getting ready to open the door when the blond beat her to it. “Well, aren’t you the gentlemen.” She joked as she stepped out, stretching out her legs and letting a small yawn slip past her lips. The cool evening air was refreshing, a nice change from the stuffy little buggy. though the little question game she was playing was quite entertaining, despite the awkward moments here and there. “This is kind of a cute place.” She commented as she looked around the little hotel parking lot, a few other cars scattered here and there.

Fishing around in her bag she pulled out some money, and handed it over. “Here, this can pay for gas or a portion of the hotel room or whatever.” She waved it around briefly, glancing at the time on her wrist. She really needed sleep… and a shower. She needed both, desperately. “Do you want to go get the room and I can bring the bags in?” Though whens he thought about it maybe she was the one who should get the room. Not to say she didn’t trust Aidan to get a room with two beds but… she didn’t trust him. Reaching inside she grabbed the fairy tale book, wanting to flip through it in better light.
 
The way Alexandria spoke of her friend made Aidan shudder. "It would have had to be against my will," he stated, pushing the girl out of his mind. There was no use in being bothered by the image of a girl he'd never see again. Although Aidan tried his best to comfort Alexandria about whatever screw ups she was referring to, it hadn't worked. It had seemed the two had switched places. Alexandria was being the gloom, self-doubting downer and Aidan was the uplifting, playful helper. It was.. unsettling. Aidan laughed at Alexandria's acceptance of her new title. He didn't mind it much either. "That we are, Alex."

The guilt could not be shaken. She was so trusting and so oblivious. Alexandria ad practically put her life in Aidan's hands and we was being forced to just throw it away. It was ugly. This whole situation was a fucked up mess he was unable to fix. If only she'd realize what was happening.. Or if she came to her senses and returned home. It just would have been better if the two had never reunited. Alex would be safe and sound and Aidan would be dead, both happier endings than what was to come.

"I can be!" Aidan retorted. Although he didn't pride himself on his manners, he could be polite if need be. The place was cute? Aidan couldn't see it. It just seemed.. sketchy. But he nodded in agreement anyway. No use in arguing with the Alex, after all. She delegated their tasks and Aidan was a bit surprised to be handed some money. "Uhh, you got it, lady," he said before rushing off to go get the pair a room. "What type of room?" the desk clerk inquired, though Aidan was hardly paying attention. He was preoccupied with watching over Alexandria and making sure nothing happened. "Hm? Oh, uh.. Whatever is fine," Aiden decided. They exchanged money and a key and Aidan headed back to Alexandria, deciding he'd rather not leave her alone.

"Need help?"
 
Growing up Alex had always been kind of oblivious, it was one of her many faults. However, when it came to people she seemed much more attentive; she was weird like that. She could remember someone’s face, the way their eyes lit up when something interest them, the small gap between someone’s two front teeth. How their demeanor change when a topic that they didn’t like was brought up. It was the little things. And yet she was still clueless of the plot to end her life, and the fact that it was going to be by Aidan’s hands. Here she was just thinking they were awkward old friends trying to relearn who they were in the present day.

Watching him walk off she let out a long sigh before turning back to the car and getting their bags. The book was tucked under her arm, her duffle bag in one and his bag in the other. Walking inside she took note that the inside was a lot less sketchy than the outside, but still very cute in her opinion. If she didn’t dwell on how sketchy it was then there was a less chance that she was going to freak out, and freaking out wasn’t going to help anyone. Besides, she believed non-freaked out Alex got along much better with Aidan than freaked out.

“Huh?” She glanced up at Aidan, giving him a faint smile. “Oh yeah, that’d be nice.” She said as she handed him his bag and readjusted her things, moving the book to hold it in the crook of his arm, knowing that this book was important to the male before her. “Hope you got a room with two beds, because let me tell ya, sharing one with you is aaaawwwkkward!” she sing sang as she took a look at the room number and pressed the elevator button. “You know unless you’re the guy who is totally cool sleeping in the same bed as a person you just met, well that’s even more awkward.” She rambled, stepping into the elevator when it finally opened up. By the time they were at the door, she swiped the key, pushing the mahogany door open, her eyes landing on the single bed that presented itself in the room.

“Aidan…what…why?” Her mouth opened and closed and she turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing. “What the heck!?”
 
Aidan took the bags from Alexandria. The least he could do was make the rest of her life as easy and as comfortable as possible. He followed behind Alex, who seemed especially eager to get into their room. She made a comment about two beds and Aidan tried to hide his nervousness. He had been too distracted by wanting to get back to Alexandria that he completely forgot to request a two bed room. However, he hoped that the situation would work itself out and he had coincidentally rented a two bed. "Yea, tell me about it," Aidan tried to fake laugh but began to cough instead. "I mean technically we've known each other for the majority of my life so.." Aidan tried to reason, trying to soften the blow if he had ended up screwing up.

His nervousness rose the closer they became to their room. At this point, he would've prayed to the Greek god of beds or something to ensure they had two. Though, that didnt seem like a viable option currently. He was trying to act natural while also keeping up with Alex. They reached their door and she quickly opened the door. Here was the moment of truth... God damnit! Aidan cursed at himself. He hid in the doorway as Alexandria glared daggers at him. "It was an accident I'll fix it!" he shouted before rushing back down to the clerk's desk to try and switch rooms. Unfortunately, they only had the singles and the honeymoon suites available. Whoops.

"Okay okay, so there weren't any available double beds.. but! There was, drumroll please, a suite! It includes dimmed lights, a bigger mattress, and get this! Food! Just for $200 extra..."
 
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It wasn’t like Alexandria thought Aidan was going to take advantage of her. No, she was pretty sure he found her rather annoying, or at least wanted nothing to do with her. “That’s true, but we’re also technically strangers.” She countered with a faint laugh. Though when she opened the door her eyes widened and she looked from Aidan and the bed and back at Aidan before asking what the hell. She had to admit his eagerness to fix it was kind of cute. At least it showed that he had far more emotions than being grumpy or just a down right downer. Letting out a long sigh she leaned against the door frame, pulling out her phone and reading over a few of the texts that had been sent her way. Nothing too interesting of the sort, and all messages from Genevieve went unread.

“Aidan, we are not a married couple! We do not need dimmed lights!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. She couldn’t tell if she was mad at him, or if she was more stressed about sharing a room with a guy she used to know, but now didn’t, and not to mention he was hot. Though she couldn’t say she fully understand Aidan or got along with him, she wasn’t blind or dense enough to say he was ugly. And it most definitely didn’t take a genius or Genevieve to tell her that he was cute, she could easily see it. She was pretty sure if he even wanted, and he wasn’t going on and on about some curse then he could definetly get any girl that he wanted.

“Okay, this is okay, we’re okay. I’m fine, it’s fine, everything is fine.” She breathed, closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. It was going to be okay, if anything she would just make a pillow wall between the two. That or she could sleep on the ground if she really wanted.
 
Aidan wasn't sure what he would consider himself and Alexandria.. He wasn't quite sure if strangers was the correct term. He grimaced at Alexandria's dismissal of there past, "Yeah.. I guess." Just strangers.. For some odd reason, she deeply bothered Aidan but he pushed those feelings aside. He had guessed that this strange feeling somehow had resulted in annoyance at Alexandria. Besides.. he didn't see what the whole big deal was about the one bed. It was just as efficient and way cheaper than the other rooms! But Aidan felt as though he was not in a position to argue with Alex, so he settled on the less difficult route of trying to avoid conflict.

In his opinion, sharing a bed with anyone, including Alexandria, wasn't too bothersome. Aidan had grown up sharing rooms and beds and showers and toothbrushes. He never really achieved a great sense of privacy, as he lacked it during his adolescence. Aidan didn't really understand why Alexandria was so bothered by this but he decided against asking why. In retrospect, it should have been unsettling for Aidan as well. He lacked insight on Alexandria's un-comfortableness, but he knew it was best to just respect it. He was oblivious to the fact that he was often perceived as attractive and the affect that had on people when they were to become physically close. Aidan just didn't experience the feeling of being flustered so it was hard to understand Alex's perspective.

Married couple? How could Alexandria come to that conclusion? Aidan couldn't comprehend why dimmed lights bothered Alexandria so much and it only made him significantly more confused when she seemed to raise her voice. "I thought the lights were for people who were prone to headaches or something.. I don't know!" Aidan confessed, exasperated. What did she want from him?! Everything he seemed to do was the wrong decision. He laid on the bed with a huff, looking up at the ceiling as if it would help him escape the situation. "So what's the plan?" Aidan inquired, ignoring Alexandria's ranting.
 
Alexandria watched as Aidan laid down with a huff, and she herself let out a long sigh. This was going to be fine, it was just one night, not to mention she was sure that it would bring them closer. Did she actually want to be brought closer to him though? Well that she wasn’t quite sure, but she would like to get over the hump of constantly falling into awkward silence when one didn’t know what to say. “We can stay here for the night, unless you want the food then we can upgrade. Or we could just order takeout, I remember seeing a pizza place not too far from here.” She said calmly as she leaned against the wall, trying to collect her thoughts. She ran through the different ideas before she reached for the phone and dialed the front desk.

“Yes, can we please have some extra pillows?” She questioned, thanking the person at the front desk before hanging up the phone. Pillow walls always worked when she was younger and shared a bed with a friend who didn’t know how stay on their side of the bed. Grabbing her bag she rummaged through it before pulling out shampoo and conditioner, glancing over at Aidan out of the corner of her eye. In retrospect they seemed totally different, one two complete ends of the spectrum, and yet they seemed the same. That or she was just crazy. It felt as if the second that they understood each other, or started trying to understand each other, they quickly missed each other in another aspect or just in general. They could be on one page one moment and on a different the next, trying in vain to at least be on somewhat the same page.

It didn’t seem to work. “I’m going to take a shower.” She grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and letting out a long sigh. She moved to turn the water on, making sure it wasn’t too hot, nor was it too cold, the water rushing over her fingers as she tested the water. She couldn’t get a grasp on Aidan, finding something off about him but quite able to pin point what it was. It wasn’t like she could come out and ask either. She knew he probably wasn’t going to take advantage of her physically wise, but she didn’t know him that wall. All the thinking was hurting her head and she let out a frustrated grown before decided to step into the shower.
 
The Evil Queen hadn't been there for awhile. Aidan assumed she had fallen asleep. Although.. did the voice in his mind actually need rest? Did Regina ever actually leave when he stopped hearing her thoughts? This whole mind interference thing was so confusing for Aidan; he couldn't fully comprehend it. Her presence, at this moment, was missed. Perhaps she would have answers as to how to fix this situation. Maybe she would understand what upset Alexandria and help him fix it. He didn't particularly enjoy seeing the red head freak out. It was extremely unpleasant and it made Aidan feel incompetent. How hard could it possibly be to just say the right thing?!

Food.. Oh, right. They probably needed to eat. "Pizza is fine," Aidan decided, sitting up. He held a steady gaze toward Alexandria, observing as she searched through her things. She was so.. peculiar. He had spent quite some time with her for the past day and he was just as confused about her as he was when they first encountered each other. Aidan didn't understand why she spoke so lowly of herself or why she seemed so unpredictable. He could never correctly guess what she wanted, felt, or needed. Although, at times, he was fairly sure he was able to understand her. But as Aidan had thought he was becoming closer to figuring her out, Alexandria presented him with a new surprise. This always left things more complicated than before.

Pillows? Why did Alexandria need so many pillows? Aidan quietly listened to her speak to the lady in the lobby, trying to pinpoint her motives. "You know, the number of pillows you sleep with can indicate how lonely you are. The higher the pillow count, the more lonliness," Aidan explained, although he was unsure as to why he felt compelled to share this fact. He thought about his statement before continuing, "Are you lonely, Alex?" Aidan was sure it was a shot in the dark, but he was genuinely curious. It seemed weird she needed so many pillows considering how lively and interactive she seemed with her friends.

"Oh.. yeah, okay. You probably need one anyways," Aidan dismissed, trying to ignore the fact that he did not want to be left alone. He knew what was to come if he was left alone and it was certainly not something he enjoyed. It was too hard for Aidan to spend time with himself, as he usually only wallowed in self pity and regret. He had wished she would have just stayed. Perhaps they could have talked more. With a twinge of disappointment, Aidan picked up the phone and ordered some pizzas.
 
The last thing Alexandria ever expected Aidan to ask was if she was lonely. Well more along the lines that mentioning that the number of pillows indicated how lonely you are. She paused, a frown coming across her features. Was he joking? Looking over at him she tried to find any signs where he might bust out laughing, but found none. She thought about the parties her friends would throw and didn’t invite her too because she was a party pooper for not wanting to drink, or the few times her parents would have business trips away and she’d come home to nothing but an empty house and a single note telling her that they’d be back before she knew it. And sometimes those trips lasted far longer than before she knew it even meant.

The idea of her ex-boyfriend constantly dropping their plans towards the end of their relationship and leaving her hanging crossed her mind. She had gotten so used to be alone and telling herself that it was okay that she wasn’t sure if she ever realized she was lonely. “Maybe I am.” She stated, glancing down at the clothes in her hand. “Though I’m not really sure if it has anything to do with the number of pillows I choose to sleep with…or really have on my bed.” Her brow furrowed at the thought. She enjoyed being alone sometimes, having time to process her thoughts and just think to herself, but it was the loneliness that followed that she hated. It was that feeling she constantly shoved away, deep to the recesses of her mind and refused to acknowledge.

After telling Aidan that she was going to take a shower, she noticed the slight pause before saying okay. She for sure thought he would probably be jumping at the chance to get her to leave a different room. Alexandria knew full well that sometimes her constant ramblings or small freak outs got on people’s nerves, and she was pretty sure the blonde wasn’t an exception. Shrugging it off she headed into the bathroom, jumping under the shower head and letting the water rush over her body and through her hair. It felt good, it felt relaxing after a rather stressful day. While she was there she couldn’t help but wonder if Aidan himself was lonely; was the term lonely even in his vocabulary book?

When she finally finished she quickly got dressed and dried her hair the best she could before stepping back out to the main room. “Are you ever lonely?” She questioned out of the blue, peering over at him as she put her things back in her bag and moved it to the ground so she could sit on the bed. She wanted to add or do you think you’re such a macho man that you don’t get lonely?, but decided that for the sake of keeping things semi peaceful between them, it would be best not to ask.