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"I'm going over to Alicia's, dad. I'll be back for supper," Rhys called as he headed out the front door.

Heading up to the roof, he assumes his angel-form and flies high to Alicia's apartment building. Once there, he hovers outside her window and gently taps to see if she is willing to allow him in.

There's enough of a pause to have Rhys start to wonder when Alicia appears at the window and pulls it open.

She stands back to give him room to come in. As soon as he's fully inside, she silently gives him an attack hug, as if she hadn't just seen him a few hours before.

She's (barely) dressed in T-shirt and underpants and, from the look of her hair, has obviously just gotten up from bed.

Rhys accepts the hug, and gently rubs her head.

"How are you holding up?"

Alicia places a finger to her lips in warning, but it's too late.

Consuelo calls through the bedroom door, "Alicia? Mija, are you all right?"

Alicia looks at Rhys, biting her lip, then sighs. "Si, mami. It's.. Ree-is's come by to visit."

The arch tone in the older woman's voice can be plainly heard. "Well, you can tell him that polite young men get a lot more respect from their girlfriends' mothers when they have the courtesy of coming through the front door when visiting."

Alicia winces and looks at Rhys apologetically.

Rhys opens the door to address Consuelo directly.

"Of course, Mrs. Vega, and I do apologize. My concern for Alicia overwhelmed my common sense and I just took the shortest, simplest route. Can this wayward soul be forgiven?"

He is sincere, with no trace of sarcasm or condescension.

Consuelo looks at Rhys, one eyebrow raised. "Possibly," she replies, a trace of a smile on her face.

Her face settles back into a stern mask as she sees Alicia. "You're certainly in no state to receive visitors, though, young lady. You march yourself into the bathroom and clean up. Take a shower, get dressed."

"But, Mo-om..." Alicia begins to whine.

"Go! Now!" Consuelo states in her Mother voice, which brooks no disagreement. Alicia sullenly stalks over into the bathroom and slams the door.

As soon as the young girl is out of sight, the facade of disapproval melts from Consuelo's face, leaving motherly anxiety and concern. She motions Rhys over to sit with her on the small table in the kitchen/dining area and waits for the sound of the shower to provide at least a modicum of privacy to their conversation.

"Thank you for coming, Rhys," Consuelo says quietly, placing a hand on his in gratitude. "She hasn't said a thing or come out of her room since we got home." She bites her lip in worry, and Rhys sees where Alicia inherited that unconscious gesture.

Consuelo pauses before asking softly, "What happened?"

Rhys keeps his voice low as he explains.

"A teacher that was mixed up experimenting on the pep squad was found out and killed himself by blowing up his classroom. I think Alicia's blaming herself for somehow provoking him into doing it, but that's not right. I think he was going to do it anyway. At least nobody was hurt except for him."

Consuelo sits silent for a moment, looking levelly at Rhys.

"Rhys, dear," she finally says. "I understand that there are things that you're not comfortable telling me, and I respect that. I know my daughter enough, though, to tell that whatever's bothering her is a bit stronger than that. She's afraid; something has scared her but she's too stubborn to admit it to me."

She glances in the direction of the closed bathroom door and sighs, wringing her hands as she does. The similarity in the gesture to Alicia's habits brings out the family resemblance once again to Rhys.

Consuelo turns to give Rhys an intent look. "I know you're the kind of person that would do it without me asking, but I'll ask you anyway. Help her, please. She'll talk to you even if she won't to me," she says, helpless frustration straining her voice.

"If it'll help for me not to be here, I can go out for a while. Or you can take her somewhere. Just, please..." Her eyes are bright with unshed tears.

"I'd like to be able to tell you more, but that would involve telling some secrets that aren't mine to tell. I'm sorry."

Rhys looks toward the bathroom as well for a moment before continuing.

"I'll do everything I can to help, of course. And I don't think it's necessary for you to not be here. As a matter of fact, she might feel better knowing that you're close by."

Consuelo nods in understanding and opens her mouth to say something more, but hesitates when the sound of running water ceases.

A few minutes later, Alicia emerges covered in towels, one wrapped around her head and the other, barely, around her body. With as much dignity as a sulking teenager can muster, she strides over to her room but pointedly leaves the door open.

Consuelo nods again to Rhys in the direction of the bedroom in silent permission, then says in a tone obviously intended for Alicia to hear, "I'll start making some dinner. I'll trust the two of you to behave in the meantime."

She looks towards Alicia's room and, for a moment, Consuelo's love for her daughter shines on her face like sunrise on the sea. She briefly closes her eyes as the tears threaten to escape from their confinement, then gives Rhys a sad smile of supplication before shuffling over to the small kitchen and setting about busying herself with food preparation.

In the bedroom, Alicia is donning her usual selection of clothing: faded concert T-shirt and torn jeans. Once Rhys is in the room, she says apologetically as she balances on one foot while slipping a sock on the other, "Sorry about that. Mom's been all wigged out this afternoon."

"It's okay, really."

Rhys waits for her to finish dressing before coming up to her and running a hand through her hair while slipping the other around her waist. He pulls her into an embrace and just holds her for a moment before leaning back slightly to kiss her.

Alicia falls into his arms with no hesitation. She returns the kiss fiercely, pressing against his body. Through it all, there's that same urgency she showed when he first arrived, as if trying to drive his presence into every inch of her consciousness.

Even when she finally has to let the kiss end to catch her breath, she still holds onto him, resting her head on his shoulder, the tension still evident in the bearing of her shoulders and the pull of her muscles.

Rhys holds her for a while before leading her to her bed and sitting on the edge, pulling her down with him. Sitting next to her, with his arms around her, he asks, "Do you need to talk about it? Or anything? You know I'm here for you."

Alicia looks at Rhys, her lip trembling.

Her eyes are truly the window to her soul; her emotions can be read like an open book. The fear Consuelo spoke of is there, wrapped in guilt and festooned with a garland of anxiety.

When she hears his last comment, she tenses, and the tears she's obviously shed before, given the puffiness of her face, threaten to emerge again.

She reaches up to brush the hair over his forehead as she tries to explain. "I... If it hadn't been for John, you would've died in there. And it would've been my fault."

She places her hand on his mouth to stifle his immediate protest. "Listen. We were after Hamilton. I wanted to be the one who came up with the plan to bring him in. I wanted to, I don't know, show up Sylvia and Donnie and the rest, prove that I could be just as good.

"I wrote that note, thinking we could blackmail Hamilton into giving up, or at least give us the antidote. When he went after that other boy," and her eyes flicker, as a dark thought slides by behind them, "Sylvia got all worked up, and I got angry, thinking she was blaming me for it.

"So, I cooked up that stupid scheme and sent you in there, not realizing the pendejo was going to blow himself up. I even walked in behind you and didn't recognize the stink in the air until it was too late."

She grips his hands in hers, her claws almost but not quite digging into his flesh. "I saw him flicking that damn lighter and all I could think of was that you were there because of me and my stupid..." The dam finally breaks and the tears flow, as she buries her face on his chest and weeps softly.

"All... all I could think of... was that... you'd be dead... I'm sorry..." she gasps betwen sobs.

He holds her tight, and lets her tears dampen his chest. When they've subside a little, he speaks softly.

"But it didn't happen. We're safe and I'm here with you, right now. Don't get upset by the 'what-if' and 'might-have-been'. Focus on what we've got right now. We've got each other. We're both alive and well." And so on.

Rhys' soothing words succeed in calming Alicia down somewhat. She still clings to him, but it's out of comfort instead of panic.

Without lifting her head, Alicia says softly, "Ree-is, I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you... and I'm scared of feeling this way."

"I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, like it or not." Rhys smiles down at her. "Don't be frightened. I'm here."

Alicia rubs her cheek against him as she continues the clinch.

"But will you always?" she murmurs, lost in thought.

She straightens up to stare directly into Rhys's face, their eyes inches away from each other. "I've fallen for you. Hard. And that scares me. 'Cause the last time I did, I got hurt real bad."

Again, she raises her hand to his mouth to restall any argument. "I know you don't mean to do the same, but I can't help feeling this way. I just wanted you to know so... just in case things get weird."

"I can't know the future. But I know that I would never leave you. If anything tore us apart, it wouldn't be my fault."

Alicia stares intently at Rhys, indecipherable thoughts racing behind her eyes like clouds across a sunlit sky.

Finally, she sighs and, stroking his cheek, says with a sad enigmatic smile, "I believe you, my love."

Alicia brings her head down to hold him close and hide her face as the inevitable thought follows. I just wish I could say the same.

Rhys strokes her head gently.

"Feeling any better?"

Alicia snuggles closer, molding her body against Rhys.

"As well as I'm going to get," she says languidly.

She stops and moves her head up to look at him. "I'm a total selfish b**ch, aren't I? How are you feeling?"

"No. No, you're not. Don't say things like that.

"I'm fine... mostly. A bit shook up, obviously, but I'll be okay. Being here with you, though, makes everything seem better."

Again, Alicia's gaze is focused on Rhys, her cat-like eyes at once guileless and inscrutable.

Here eyes narrow and a dangerous smile tugs at her lips. "You're not turning macho on me, are you, Ree-is? 'Cause I'll just have to kick your ass then and put you in your place," she says, her playful threat indicating another mercurial change in mood.

Rhys smiles at her, and there is such genuine pleasure in that smile it lights up his whole face.

"There's the Alicia I know and love. I knew she was still in there somewhere."

Alicia's smile turns even more dangerous and she emits a mock-growl before tackling him off the bed.

A few moments later, an amused "Ahem," from Consuelo interrupts the wrestling match. "You're welcome to stay for dinner, Rhys, although I suggest you let your father know if you are." There is a warmth in her eyes that wasn't there earlier.

Rhys extricates himself from Alicia and fishes his phone out of his pocket.

"Thank you, Mrs. Vega. I'll do that right now."

He calls his father to let him know that he'll be staying at the Vega's for dinner.

OOC: Unless there's anything you need to add, G, I think we're done here.

{I'm good.}