part2HiddenSecrets

Alex woke up with a start, somebody was pounding on her door. Ready to investigate, Alex slid out of bed and opened the door. A pretty woman stood there frowning at her. “You Alex Carpenter?”
“Yes.” Alex answered curiously.
“Need you to come down lobby, check out a suspicious character. Says she knows you, but she is not in your records.” The woman said coming in the door. “Hurry, we should only keep her a few moments.”
Alex rushed to dress, though a little embarrassed to have the woman watching her.” Let’s go.”
The two women walked down to the elevator and went to the first floor lobby. Once Alex stepped out, she saw a familiar face and smiled. It had been eight years and Nora had not aged a bit.
“Nora?” Alex’s voice hopeful. The slender women standing near the couch turned slowly. A smile lit her face and she rushed to her friend. “ Oh Nora How have you been.. I haven’t spoken to you.. in.. oh god.. it doesn’t matter you’re here now and that what counts.” Alex spouted as she hugged her friend excitedly.
Nora hugged Alex back with just as much excitement as she could muster. “Alex, we need to talk…” Alex pulled her self back and looked into her friends eyes, searching for an answer to the question they both knew was going to arise. The two friends sat down next to one another and sighed. Nora spoke first. “Well I saw Brady a few months ago, and well he really hasn’t changed-”
“Yeah I realize that.” Alex said looking down at the rug. Nora grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes now.
“You went to see him? But why?” Nora asked curiously.
Alex swallowed slowly and answered in the same manner as a young child would. “I wanted to. I just had to.” Nora hugged Alex again understandably.
“Well aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” Nora asked trying to put a smile on both their faces.
Alex looked up at Nora and smiled, “He growled. He knew it was me before he even looked up. he even tried to make a joke out of it. I’m ok really. I have a lunch meeting with his boss tomorrow afternoon, care to join.” Nora smiled back and graciously declined the invitation. “Argh. Excuses, excuses. Nora.. you’ll never change.” Nora smiled again and told her to get some sleep. Alex laughed and promised that she might just take her up on that. The two laughed and parted with friendly goodbyes mixed with the promises of seeing one another again. Alex returned to her room refreshed and alert, she decided she would write a letter home to her mother.
Dear mom,
How is grandma Hannah doing? I hope her illness is letting up. Sometimes I wish we all could go back and fixx all the things that happened that were never supposed to occur. Nora came by the hotel tonight.we talked about things that happened, and all the things real friends do. We talked of you and grandma Hannah, and grandpa Jack. I really did have fun there mom. Tell him I wish eh were here. And ma, you’ll never guess who works in my new job site, Brady Wilson. Can you believe it. I almost fainted when I saw him in the bosses office. If it weren’t for the space between us and the shock of it all I just might have, that would have been terribly embarrassing. He looked well off, and well in general. Just like you all assured me he would be. Someday I hope you explain all your reasons for keeping me at Jack’s. Perhaps it is not my business, but I would like to know just the same. I never imagined I would see him again and here in Willow Creek. I will be home in a few months so do not go fussing over me yet. Oh mamma. Tell everybody hello for me, and tell Jake that I don’t think Misty is going to take him back.. not after all he did to hurt her this time… love you all lots
Alexandrea Carpenter

Feeling oddly satisfied with her letter, she placed in it an envelope and set it on her dresser. ‘ I am not sure how this will end, but I have good feeling about it.’ Alex thought laying down on the pillow undecided on whether or not to sleep off her excitement or just lie there thinking…the latter won out eventually.


“ Tell Emma to post all my messages till I return alright.” Brady asked politely as he shrugged into his coat.
“Yes sir.” The desk clerk near the buildings entrance answered politely.
“ Thank you a lot Maddy” Brady said striding out of the door. Maddy just smiled at his retreating back and sighed, it had been a week since he had said a word to her. With a slight shrug she turned back to her work and resumed typing away on her laptop.
‘Alright Brady Wilson got a grip. She may be asleep…. Well here goes.’ Brady thought walking towards her hotel room door. Apprehension filled his mind as he drove around the city looking for the address that Nora had repeated to him. Apparently, she had already met with her prior Alex’s appearance in his office. After a few minutes he just sat looking up at the window that seemed dark with an overwhelming sense of emptiness and unfounded hope. Brady had to fight the urge to concentrate and watch her dreams. Strangley it was easier to move his feet then he thought it would be. Absently he wondered if he should tell her about the things he had been hiding for so long. With a strong shake of his head, Brady wiped the thought right out of his mind. There was not time enough to explain. He would just do what he came there for and get the hell out of there, it appeared to be the safest.

A footfall in the hall made her jerk upright and wipe the sleep from her eyes. The sound was getting louder...they stopped. She stood up as the door handle moved silently and the door slowly opened. She held in a scream of shock. There standing with an amused grin on his face was a man, one that she recognized right away. She stared at his crossed arms and noticed the distinct sense of power that she never noticed when she was around him so many years ago. A laugh rang through the room shattering her gaze. Reluctantly she tore her gaze from his arms to look up at him with wide-eyed wonder. A second later, her mouth formed an embarrassed smile that portrayed her uneasiness. Even more amusement crossed his features as he closed the door and watched her blush even deeper. “I’m deeply sorry if I woke you up Alex, I was just trying to talk to you alone, and in a neutral place.” Alex let her mouth hang open with renewed surprise.
“Brady?” Alex asked after shaking her head a bit to get the emotions controlled and to get her eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in from the hallway. Brady glanced at her eyes then back at her mouth not saying a word.
She stood there looking at him with her beautiful brown eyes and he stood waiting. Alex sucked in her breath as he closed the door slowly and stepped towards her, not because she was excited, but because she was afraid. A look of understanding spread across his face as he stepped forward to close the distance between them in that dark room. “ I am very sorry Alex to have come here to bother you, may I turn on a light?” Brady asked trying to relieve her fears.
Alex silently whispered “ yes” into the darkened room and the word seemed to drift from her lips to his heart. Brady licked his lips and felt around for a light, finding one he clicked it on. Alex didn’t seem to notice the sharp change from darkness to light, her eyes just as wide and curious. Brady just stood there a moment, forgetting why he was there, intruding on her in the middle of the night. Their eyes met briefly, then Alex regaining herself looked away. Brady shook himself as well and crossed the room towards her. Alex flushed and stood straighter, her eyes slightly widening. For once Brady didn’t look like he was so confident about everything, in fact he looked a bit freighted. Finding his voice Brady stepped closer, trying to regain his position.
“ I have come to talk, so you don’t have to say it in a restaurant..” not seeming to understand Alex raised an eyebrow. “The deal with my boss.. the lunch.. well you’d be talking to me, not him.” Alex looked up into his eyes in surprise. Brady plastered a big smile on his face. “surprise!” he said enthusiastically. “So how to begin..?” Brady looked to Alex for the answer, but she stared blankly at him. “ You know that there was not a deal don’t you?.. my boss didn’t actually want to speak of business matters, unless you consider a date a business transaction.” Understanding seemed to cross her face and she frowned.
“Then why did you play with my head?” she asked so innocently, Brady groaned. Alex looked so intent on a answer, that Brady couldn’t get word to pass through his lips. “ I always hated it when you played around with my head Brady. Did you know that. You made me feel so… I don’t know. innocent.” Brady had to smile.
“But you are Alex, you are.” Brady said looking a her face and noticing a tinge of sorrow. Alex turned away and strode to the bed at the back of the room. A sigh escaped her lips as she slumped down into a comfortable position. “Look, it’s not your fault. You weren’t made to know those things, we take for granted” He added silently then. “You weren’t meant to ever have to.” Although said quietly, the tone of his voice found its mark in her ears, and she turned to look at him again.
“If there was no deal, then why are you here?” Brady glanced down then back up into her face. The smile returning a little more. “ Do you have some motive, you always do. Master of made up schemes to frustrate me.” “Trust me Alex” he said with deliberate force. “ This time it is not intended to frustrate you.” He added a little quieter. “Then…..what?” she asked sheepishly as he dreamily glided closer. Alex held up her hand, and frowned. “ I don’t need this right now. Please leave… I can’t, just go Brady. It will be better that way. It has been too long.” The hurt he felt hit home. Brady held up his hands and backed up again. “ Brady, that’s.. not what I meant..” Alex said standing up. Brady frowned and looked at her thoughtfully. “ Then what did you mean? Do you want me to leave?” Brady asked glancing at the door. Alex sighed and looked at her feet then back up at him. “ umm.. no I don’t. It’s just hard to believe it’s you….So close to me after so long. I don’t know really what to do.” Brady began to understand a little now. “ Alex, I must know. Do you love me?” Shocked that those words came out, Brady flushed. Alex snapped her head up to meet his eyes,Wondering if the truth would make any difference. “ I don’t know… I honestly don’t.. I used to think so.. but now I don’t know what it is that I am feeling…” Brady did not waste any time he crossed the short distance between them and pulled her against him. “ I have missed you Alex.” Those words were spoken with such passion, that Alex began to cry. “ I missed you too.” Alex finally chocked out through her tears as her arms wrapped around him. “ Why did you come here Brady? Why ?” Brady stepped back a little and looked down into her teary eyes. “ To be honest, I just felt that I needed to see your face, and remember the days when things were different.” Alex swallowed her tears and stepped back as well. Looking into his eyes she sighed inside. After so long she could look into those beautiful eyes of his and hear his sweet voice, and yet she knew of nothing to say, muchless what to do. Brady tried to smile and lighten the mood as he always was able to do in the past, but it was not so easy anymore. “ Look Brady. My life is changed now… I don’t see a way to go back to what once was. Besides,what life is there to go back to?” Alex asked sadness prominent in her voice. Brady’s voice not too much different answered. “ None I suppose.” Alex for moment just staring into his eyes feeling a feeling thst she had almost forgot exsited. Brady looked back at her with such intensity the air around the two seemed to dissipate and relinquish its hold their silence. Alex spoke first. “Well..I don’t know how to begin Brady.” Looking into her eyes less intensely Brady responed simply and to the point. “And you think I do?”
All her reservations from the past few years slipped form her in a moment, and she slumped to the ground crying. Brady kneeled down beside her and wanted to console her, but could not do such a awful thing to her. “Alright look Alex, we have been apart for a long time. That is given, however I am not complelty sure what drew me to your door tonight other theni needed to know your heart. I see that is hurting and wants to love, and I, the one your heart longs for. I wish to return the gift you have held for me for so long, but frankly I cannot right now.” The muscle in his cheek twitched sympathetically and his heart swelled with love he didn’t understand. Alex drew away from him and cried harder mouthing “Please go then, leave me here..please” Brady reluctantly stood up and with one last glance at her shuddering form walked out of her room.
Crushed and crying, Alex climbed back into bed determined not to come back out. If Brady had not come, she might not have realized how much she cared. ‘ Maybe it is better this way’ Alex thought stuffing the pillow under her head. Just moments after she laid her head down and fell asleep the hotels phone woke her up. More then irritated, Alex threw the phone a icy glare. The innocent contraption seemed to sense her mood and stopped ringing. To Alex’s relief it did not ring again for another four hours. By the time Alex needed to check out it was high time to go home. Alex walked around the room wondering what the best thing to do was. She was certain that seeing Brady again was a good thing for her..especially since Matt had hoped for a better relationship with her. Alex was thinking about all of this as she treid to repack her things and get herself away from the smell of the man she had seemed to know all her life, and probably would the rest of her life.

The stairs seemed to go on and on as Brady rushed away from Alex’s room. Brady found himself thinking about why he did what he just did. He could not really fathom the explaination. However hard it would be, he decided that this was to be a time when he should just back off and concider his choices. Another frown blurred the lines of his face and he was struck with the thought of Alex. He knew in his heart he would never allow him to stay away for long.