The Bearer of Bad News

Alex sighed, shuffling along down the street. He had to tell her. He couldn't let it be a horrible surprise.

She would cry, he knew. And she would probably hate him, too. But he couldn't risk her safety....

It was killing him to do this, but it had to be done. He stopped at the Fitzgerald house. Maybe she would be there. If not, the twins could tell him where to find her.

Every step was almost unbearable. When he got to the door, he hesitated for a long time.

Finally, he knocked.

"Checkmate."

"Seriously? Are you sure you haven't cheated? That, like, the sixth time you've beaten me."

Tremor nodded and leaned back, crossing his arms smugly.

Frowning, Thatch scratched his head. "This is so wrong..."

Knock, knock, knock.

"...Hmph." Giving up on the game, Thatch stood. The game board vanished, along with the pieces, and little bits of wood and straw twirled to the floor.

He walked to the door and opened it. "...Alex? Can I...help you?"

Alex swallowed, forcing a smile. "Uhm, yeah...can I um...talk to Door?" he managed.

Thatch raised a suspicious brow, but nodded. "Come in," he offered, jerking his head to the side.

Walking back in, he called to his sister. "Door! Company!"

Alex prepared what he was going to say in his mind, trying not to throw up from worry.

Door peeked her head around the corner, face lighting up. "Alex! What are you doing here?"

Tremor had organized the little bits of debris into another gameboard, and was patiently waiting for Thatch to synthesize the game so he could smash him down again.

"Well, I needed to talk to you...can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, I guess." She glanced at Thatch, who was already lost in his game with Trem. "I'm going out for a bit, Thatch. Be back in a while."

"M-kay," he replied, waving, not taking his eyes off the game. "Have fun."

Once they were outside, he spoke. "Door. I needed to tell you something very important..." he began.

"...Okay?" Door blinked nervously. Why did he sound so sad? Had something happened?

Alex took a deep breath...

"Door...I'm engaged."

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The twins came from their bedroom, (which I'm assuming they share with Door....lol), their hair in braids.

"Door cleared out fast." Aislin noted, getting a cup of water, "I finished Ariel's hair before I came in here, though. Was it Alex or something?"

Door blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...You're... what?" she asked, her innocent smile frozen on her face.

---------------

Thatch nodded. "Yep."

Tremor pushed a piece with his thumb and leaned back, blinking smugly as Thatch's frown deepened.

"Figures." Ariel laughed, sitting down to watch the boys' game.

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Alex swallowed. "I'm...engaged. To another woman."

Door laughed nervously, gazing into Alex's eyes for any teasing, any laughter.

But there was none.

"You're... what?" she asked again, horrified. "What?"

Alex frowned grimly. "In a month I'm going to be married to a woman named Jetta Nielson. It's an arranged marriage."

Door's smile vanished, and she swallowed.
"...Oh?"
She suddenly felt very cold, and her knees threatened to start shaking. But no! She wouldn't...

"...Why?" she whispered, finding her voice had left her.

Alex was fighting back tears. "Well, like I said, it's an arranged marriage. My family has decided it's time for me to settle down. And so they found me a bride."

She just stared at him, her gaze ever-changing from adoration to distrust and hurt. "...Oh."

{{*tissue'd*}}

Alex sighed, "I'm so, so sorry, Door. I wish I didn't have to go through with it, but I can't get out of it. You have no idea how much I hate this. I don't want to marry her..."

If she heard his words, she didn't acknowledge them.

She just shook her head in horror. "No," she choked, taking a pace backwards. "You can't... Why? How could you?"

Alex's heart was breaking. He couldn't tell her anything else without risking her safety...or her life. But she didn't know that...she couldn't know that. He was trapped.

He quickly looked around to see if someone was watching them...perhaps Gabriel?

Alex saw no one, and that frightened him the most.

"Door," he said quietly, "Don't do this. Please. I don't want this, but I can't change it..."

"Why not?" she cried, voice rising an octave. "Why, Alex?" She took another step. She didn't want to, but she did. She didn't want to believe him, but that look in his eyes gave her no room for doubt...

"Because I just can't, alright?" he said, eyes pleading, "It's impossible. I can't do a thing about it!"

Tears ran earnestly down her face, but she made no move to wipe them away. "But...!"

He took a step towards her, "Door, listen to me. I love you. I love you so much. But..." his eyes stung with tears. "I can't...I can't fix this."