Don't Open That Door - GoM 1

Echoes - 11

The summer sun sparkled on the stream that flowed into Baker Lake. Alex stood by the shore, a couple of steps away from when the waters mixed, waiting for George to fulfill his big-city ritual of locking the car.

"I can't believe how many amazing places you know in only a few miles around," he said, joining her.

She only nodded, hands in her pockets, feeling the cool breeze blowing from the north. They fell silent for a whole minute.

"You know I like you, and I like being with you, right?" Alex said, still avoiding eye contact.

"But you're not ready to commit. Yeah, I know, Al. We've talked about it. I've already told you it's alright, I'll wait."

She shook her head, grimacing. "That's the problem, George. I don't wanna keep you waiting." He turned to her, raising his eyebrows. She shrugged. "That won't work, George. I won't come around if I know you're waiting for me. Call me twisted, call me an idiot. That's how I am."

She turned to meet his eyes, but he was looking ahead and didn't face her.

"Fine. It that's what you want."

His sight made her click her tongue, annoyed.

"I wanna miss you, George! I wanna need you! And I can't if you're always there, so patient and faithful, praying my mood changes!"

George raised a hand to stop her from speaking further. She looked down, breathing deep.

"You met somebody else in Montana."

His blunt statement took her by surprised. She didn't want to lie to him, so she didn't answer.

"So that was it," he muttered.

Alex felt his quiet hurt. His nice, casual tone made her feel even worse.

"Shall we? I gotta cover for Pat."

"Sure," she mumbled.

The music started with the engine of his car, and U2 tried fill the awkward silence on their way back to town. Alex felt relieved when he pulled over in front of her house. To her surprise, he turned to her and grabbed her face with both hands, looking straight into her eyes.

"Goodbye, Alex Corban," he whispered before kissing her deep.

Claire changed Daughtry to Lady Gaga the moment Alex walked out of the store, and sat down on the dark floorboards to check the first boxes of books they'd received. Pete had brought the large bookshelf he'd made for them a while earlier. Now it stood empty against the wall opposite the window.

The girl was opening the last box when Alex came in with Felicity by the hand, both of them with traces of ice cream on their fingers and faces. Claire smiled, seeing the little girl looked happy. She didn't remember what had happened the other night, when Charlotte Seagan's ghost had tried to kill her mother and possess her. She'd also lost interest in the music box, and didn't carry it around everywhere she went anymore.

Alex handed her one of the bags she carried. "Fel helped me pick the curtains."

Claire checked the bag's content and nodded, approving the light white fabric sprinkled with tiny blue flowers. She put it aside and turned to the child.

"Look, Fel, we received a whole box full of fairy tales. Wanna check them out?"

"Yay!"

"Right there, little lady," Alex said. "First you gotta wash your hands. And if you do it alone, you can pick a book to take home with you."

Felicity sprinted to the small toilet in the back of the store. Alex opened the curtains to try the fabric on the window when Kat walked in with a bright grin.

"I got it! Thank you so, so much, Al! I don't know what you said to Olson, but he gave me the job!"

"I may have suggested that hiring you was the best way to make sure you'll keep up with your mortgage."

Felicity heard them laugh and hurried to join them back.

"Mom! They have boxes full of books! Help me pick one!"

The four of them kneeled around the box of children books. Felicity looked up at Mom, who smiled back at her. She liked it so much, seeing Mom happy like that. And she also liked a lot their new friends.

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