Nothing To Fear ....

What The Hell ... ?

      "Where did you get that idea ?" , Faith inquired , as she bent down to retrieve the shears . "Ash and I are friends , that's it ."

      "Yeah , it is now , but we both know that you'd like for it to be more . I've seen the way you look at him when you think nobody's watching ." , Alex replied , in the same calm tone .

      There was silence for a few seconds , then Faith let out a sigh and said , "Great , just great . If it's that bloody obvious , I'm screwed . I might as well start looking for a new job when we get out of here ."

      "I doubt that it is to anybody else . I noticed because you remind me an awful lot of some other people I know ." 

      "Who ?" 

      Alex raised her hand and said , "Me , for one . I was in basically the same position not long ago ." She began beating the eggs and continued speaking , saying , "You see , Jake and I were best friends for a long time , and when I figured out that I wanted to be more than just his friend , I didn't deal with it very well at first . I didn't want to admit it for awhile , because I was afraid that he wouldn't feel the same way , and then we wouldn't even be friends anymore ."

      "What changed your mind ?" , Faith asked , as she rinsed the scissors and continued cutting the onions .

      "A big honkin' bunch of zombie soldiers ." , was the response . "We were in a position where we thought we could very possibly die , and I decided that I didn't want to take the chance of that happening without letting him know how I felt . I got lucky , and he felt the same way ."

      "Somehow I doubt that I'd be as lucky as you were ."

      Alex put down the whisk and asked , "What is it you like about him , anyway ? Yeah , he's easy on the eyes , I'll give you that , but what else is there ?"

      "He's smart , and talented , and he's really sweet once you actually get to know him ." , Faith stated . "He sort of puts on this playboy front , but I actually heard him telling CC once that he was sort of envious of him and the other guys , because they all have solid relationships . I think he's lonely sometimes , and he doesn't deserve that , because he's an amazing person ."

      "Then why don't you talk to him ? If that's true , he'd probably do handsprings if he knew you actually think that much of him ."

      Faith sort of snorted , and said , "Not likely ! Look on social media and you'll see the kind of girls he actually likes , and they're nothing like me ! He goes for lingerie - model , Playboy - centerfold type women , and I couldn't pull that off if I tried ."

      Alex rounded the counter and put her hands on Faith's shoulders , looking her square in the eye as she said , "If that's true , and those are the only things that matter to him , that basically cancels out almost everything you said about him ! And if that's the case , he's not worth bothering with . But if you're right about what kind of person he is , then I'd guess that he winds up with those girls because they're the ones that make themselves available , and he might actually be looking for a change . So at least think about it , okay ? Because it would be a shame for you to be wondering in a few years , 'What would have happened if ...' ."

      Faith nodded in agreement , and as they continued the breakfast preparations , she finally opened up and told Alex what she had seen in the bedroom : Ashley , gravely injured and bleeding , begging her for help .

      "I guess that makes sense of what Diana saw , too ." , Alex mused . "It had put up the illusion of being hurt , but instead of Ashley , she saw Molly , because that's what scares her the most ."