Pointdexter: A Swooning Over Stan-fiction

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Alice stopped about a mile out of town, opening the gift that the Pines had made for her. She smiled sadly, trying not to let the tears stream down her face. She pushed the gift onto her passenger seat, tipping her head back against the headrest and closing her eyes.

No- Do not cry- She scolded herself.

What was she supposed to do now? There was nothing for her outside of this town, and part of her was desperate to stay. Alice shifted the gear into drive, pulling out of the sadness and starting to drive again. She drove, her music low and muffled in her ears.

And then her car started driving itself again, swerving over the dashed lines that had just started to appear on the road. The tires squealed against the asphalt. Alice jerked against the wheel, trying to drag it to the right side of the road, but it resisted.

Yanking again, Alice managed to pull her car over the line, but her eyes widened, she was going too far to the right. She only had time to gasp, her arms instinctively flying over her face before her car bumped off the road and skidded into the trees.

Her body was thrown forward, only caught by the seatbelt across her chest, and the car came to an abrupt stop.

When Alice finally opened her eyes, she realized she was only inches away from bumping into a tall redwood. She pushed the door open, fumbling to undo her seatbelt. She managed to regain her balance, leaning on the open car door as the sound of crunching dirt sounded in her ears. Her head snapped up, catching the DeVille skidding to a halt on the side of the road, and out of the passenger seat appeared an all too familiar figure. His eyes were wide with worry, his thick, cracked glasses crooked on his face.

"Ford?" Alice managed to gasp his name as he rushed toward her, his coat billowing behind her. She suddenly felt lighter, like a cavern in her chest was filling.

"Alice-" Ford gasped out, Alice couldn't believe how relieved she was to hear his voice. "Are you alright?"

"Ford," Alice breathed out, easier than before, as she lurched toward him from her car door. "What are you doing here?"

His hand flickered over her collarbone, and when Alice looked down, she could see the start of bruises.

"I'm fine-" Alice reassured him. "It's just a little bruise. Besides, this isn't your fault."

"Actually-" He smiled hesitantly, reaching into his pocket and removing the agent gun. "It is. I' sorry- I didn't know how else to stop you."

"You could have called-" Alice laughed, shaking her head. "Or honked the horn."

"I acted in haste, Alice-" Ford explained, pushing the magnet gun back into his coat. "I- there's something I need to tell you. Well, I- I wanted to ask you- I was wondering-"

He turned back over her shoulder, and Alice followed his gaze to see Stan sitting in the driver seat, grinning and giving Ford a thumbs up. Ford took a deep breath, turning back to Alice.

"Alice-" Ford started again. "These past few weeks have been the strangest in my life... And that's saying something coming from me. I've never been one for relationships... Or 'dating' in general. I especially would have never expected... to fall in love."

Alice sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. Her heart was thrumming in her chest, positive that if he was looking at her, he could see her blush and hear her heart.

"Ford..." She whispered. "What are you saying?"

Ford tugged at his collar, before finally looking her in the eye.

"Well-" Ford took a deep breath. "I've never felt this way before, so really I'm not sure, but... yes... I... I think I'm in love with you, Alice."

Alice tried to keep her jaw from falling open, her heart beating so violently it could have taken her away.

"I love you too..." Alice breathed out. Ford's eyes brightened, brighter than the sun shimmering off his cracked glasses.

"You do?" He asked as if he couldn't believe it.

"Um..." Alice hesitated. "May I?"

He said nothing, smiling and giving her a slight nod. Slowly, Alice lifted her hand to his cheek, warm against the palm of her hand. She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his height, but even then, she was still too short. She stared into his eyes, watching as they flickered from her eyes to her lips. To her surprise, he leaned forward.

Alice drew a sharp breath, closing the space between them. His kiss was so gently, Alice thought she was dreaming until his hand rose to cup her cheek. Alice leaned into the six fingers she'd come to adore, tipping her head to press her kiss deeper into his lips. She could feel him smile against her lips as she snaked her arms around his neck.

When she broke away, Alice was grinning, her thumbs brushing over the back of his neck. As Ford caught his breath, he rested his forehead against hers, his hands loosely holding onto her hips.

"So-" He breathed out, breath still ragged. "Does this mean you'll stay?"

Alice's eyes widened, her eyes staring up at him, studying his face and the mix of nerves and eagerness. Stay? She'd had the thought a thousand times since she'd driven away, and that wasn't more than twenty minutes ago. Her hands cupped his face, her head shaking slightly from the shock.

"But-" She managed to stammer out. "You and Stan- You're leaving- You're going to sail-"

His expression softened his hands moving to cover hers, holding her touch tighter against his face. He took a deep breath as if he was hesitating.

"Not for a few days," He reassured her. "I'd have left already otherwise. You- You could come with us- We have room on the boat and-"

Alice didn't let him finish, throwing her arms around his neck and lifting herself into his grasp. His arms wrapped tight around her, swinging her around so her feet no longer touched the ground. Ford laughed, his grip tight around her and keeping her tight to his chest.

"I'm taking that as a yes-" He breathed out, his laughter fading as he set her back on her feet.

"For the smartest man I've ever met-" Alice breathed out, her hands clasping his cheeks. "You sure can't read a woman."

"I'm a scientist-" Ford chuckled, leaning into her touch. "Not a mindread. Perhaps you'd care to teach me?"

"Count me in," Alice said, pulling him down and pressing a kiss to his lips. "Every time."