The Price of Love

Chapter 24

Alex's PoV

It's raining. Tears stream down my face. "No." I whisper through my gag. "No no no, please no." Thunder booms loudly and I scream in fear. I hear gunshots all around me, but they seem to come from far, far away. I'm swept up in a whirlwind of old memories that I can't escape. I bite deeply into the gag around my mouth, sobbing. I don't know how long it's been when it happens, probably hours, but I feel the ropes fall away and the gag gets ripped from my mouth. I fall to the floor and curl up into a tight ball, my eyes squeezed shut and my weak body racked with sobs. I hear two people's voices, but I can't identify them and they too sound like they're coming from far away. Memories surge around me, and I can't control them, try as I might. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"A-Alex?" A familiar voice asks. "Is, is that really you?" I nod as best I can. John. He came back. He came back. I turn around and grip weakly into his clothes, crying hysterically.

"D-don't leave me." I choke out, burying my face in his shirt.

"He won't." A female voice says. Maria. "Will you John?"

"N-no Maria." He says.

"I'm sorry John! I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I-I sh-shouldn't have-have let you drink, or at least made sure you knew what I was doing before! I love you! I'm so so sorry!" I cry into his jacket, shaking. "Please John. I'm so sorry." I whisper, somehow sobbing harder when I don't receive a response. I feel his arms pull me up and wrap around me. I cry into his shoulder and one of his hands pets the back of my head and the other supports me.

"Shuuuu, shuuuuu. It's okay. I'm here. Dear boy, don't cry." He says softly, cradling me. "Don't cry. I'm here. I love you. It's not your fault. I was being stupid. I love you. Don't cry. I'm here now." I fling my arms around his neck and bury my face in the crook of his neck as the battle wages around us. "It'll be okay. I love you."

John's PoV

This is not what I expected to happen. This is not what I expected him to be like. He was already crying when we managed to slip inside the shack. Maria untied him, and he fell to the floor and curled up, crying. I've never seen him like this. Despite myself, I did feel sympathy for him. He looks awful. He has way more scars than he did when I left him, his jacket is a very dark red, he's much thinner, and he's a lot paler. His muscles have also seemed to wither away a bit, he looks even smaller than he used to. Maria, through use of hand gestures, makes me sit down next to him. I put my hand on his shoulder. "A-Alex?" I ask. "Is, is that really you?" This can't be the same man that I left nearly two months ago. He practically throws himself on me, grabbing my clothes and crying even harder.

"D-don't leave me." He wails, burying his face deep in my shirt.

"He won't." Maria says, glaring hard at me. "Will you John?" I swallow hard.

"N-no Maria." I say, honestly terrified of her. She smiles in satisfaction. Alexander starts rambling, and I only catch little bits. 'I'm sorry', 'it's all my fault' and 'I love you'. In that moment, I don't know why, I decide to forgive him. I wrap my arms around his small frame and pull him up into my lap and cradle him, one hand in his blood-soaked hair as he sobs into my shoulder. I whisper comforting words into his ear, trying to calm him down.

"I love you." He whispers, his face in my neck. I grip him tightly.

"I love you too Alex." I whisper back. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I love you so much, dear boy." I stroke the back of his head, combing his hair. I laugh softly. "You need a shower, my dear. When was the last time you had one?"

"I don't know." He sniffles, his sobs letting up a bit. "I haven't been clean since I got captured, and I didn't have a real shower for a while before that. The only thing that could count as one is when we crossed the Hudson."

"We'll get you a good shower when you get home, okay?" I say, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He nods, then yawns.

"G'night John." He mutters. One more tear slides down his face, then he falls asleep. I hold him tight to my body, and he eventually stops shivering. I kiss his forehead and he smiles slightly.

"Aaah, young love." Maria says. I jump slightly, I forgot she was here. "You're so cute. I'm still pissed you left him though John." She adds sharply.

"I shouldn't have. I was an idiot." I say regretfully. "I hope he'll forgive me."

"You were." She agrees. "And it looks to me you've already been forgiven." Alex mumbles something, his brow furrowing slightly, and clings onto my shirt. I move a strand of hair out of his face gently.

"I hope so." I mutter. "He's such a sweet boy." I kiss his forehead again, and we wait for the battle to finish.

---

About an hour and a half later, the sound of guns firing starts to let up, so I figure that the battle will end soon. "Alex. Alexander. Alexander, wake up, dear boy." His eyes open. He looks at me blankly for a few moments, his gaze blurry and unfocused. Then his eyes widen.

"John I'm so sorry it's all my fault please don't be mad at me I love you so much I'm sorry please please please don't leave me again I love you I need you." He says in a rush, crushing me in a surprisingly strong hug. I hug him back.

"No Alex, it's my fault. I was being stupid and I was drunk. You did nothing wrong, love. The battle's ending, we can't be seen like this." I say softly. He sighs slightly and moves back to the chair. "You really do look awful, my love." I say, looking him up and down.

"I know. But that's what happens when I'm an idiot and allow myself to be captured." He sighs, swinging his legs. "Good Lord, it feels good to move." He groans. "They only let me off this blasted chair once. Fucking assholes."

"Well it was your fault." I say.

"I know." He replies, humming softly. We sit and wait until the gun fire finally dies and a New York soldier pulls back the blanket. Alexander grins.

"Dodgeson! It's been awhile!" He laughs, staggering to his feet. "Glad to see you've made it through so far."

"He's in here!" Dodgeson yells, and I recognize him now, one of the men from the attack on Kips Bay, so many months ago. "General, you don't know how glad I am to see you alive." He says fervently.

"I'm glad I'm alive too, Dodgeson. Though I think I'm much too valuable for the British to kill. Now, I've been greatly weakened through this ordeal, and I would appreciate it very much if you could assist in my getting home." He says lightly.

"Of course sir." Dodgeson says. He walks to Alex's side and Alex loops his arm around the older man's neck. "Let's get you home, General."