I don't see Alec for a few days. When I finally do, it's at three in the morning. He stumbles in the house with grease smeared up and down his arms, and a huge gash on his hands. I'm sneaking ice cream in the kitchen when he plows in to the sink and immediately begins washing his hands. He doesn't notice me as he reaches for some napkins to dry his hands and to attempt to staunch the bleeding.

I stand quietly, and softly grab his hand to hold it still from him continuously wiping the blood away. He jumps and glares at me hard, the look softening when he realizes that it's me. I sigh, "You have to put pressure to form a clot so the blood will stop."

He's silent for a heartbeat before grumbling, "Oh." He reaches for the napkin, "I've got it."

I let go, "Good. I'll go get the first aid kit."

"You don't need to do that, Harper!" He calls after me but I'm already down the hallway. When I return, he's sitting at the table still applying pressure to his hand, staring off in to space.

I place the first aid kit down and he jolts, once again realizing that it's me and relaxing, "Why are you so jumpy?"

His eyebrow raises, "I'm not."

I raise an eyebrow of my own, "It's like you forget that I've lived with you for eight years. What's wrong, Alec?"

He sighs as I begin to butterfly stitch his cut closed, "I don't mean to be so…" he scratches his head with his good hand as he looks for the right word, "Brutish." He looks at me with sincere eyes, "You're the only woman that's never been scared of me, no matter how I treat you, so I have this urge to protect you from any and everything that comes your way. I think you're really innocent and I don't want to see your smile ever be wiped off of your face, because I like it when you smile." Instead of looking relieved to finally confess all of that, he looks troubled, "But it always comes out to me being an arse, which I don't mean to be."

I sigh as I wrap his hand up with gauze, "And you have no idea why you feel that way?"

He shakes his head, "None." I see the truth of it in his eyes. He's serious.

I roll my eyes, putting all of the supplies away before turning back to him, "Alec?"

"Yeah?"

"You like me."

He stares at me, "What?"

"You have a crush on me. Probably have since we were kids, by the sound of it."

He blinks once. Twice. Before his eyes widen and he blushes. I've never seen Alec blush and it makes me smile when I do, which makes him blush more.

"Wa-wait a minute—" he stammers.

I lean forward and press my lips to his. He freezes and I begin to kiss him, he takes a minute to respond, but soon, he's kissing me back. He stands and pushes me back until I'm laying on top of the table, with him hover over me, still kissing. His bad hand rests on the table while his good hand is wrapped up in my dark colored hair.

My lungs start to burn, and obviously his does too because he pulls away, staring down at me.

"I have a crush on you." He whispers, more to himself than to me.

"Yes, you do." I answer anyway. I push him away from me so that I can stand up. I straighten my clothes when I do, and turn to him, "I'll give you a few days to think about what just happened. Come find me when you're ready."

He nods, obviously agreeing with me for once.

A few days later, I'm walking up the stares to my house when the door opens and Alec steps out. He's been AWOL since the incident in the kitchen, so this is the first time I've seen him in a while. I notice a new and healing tattoo scrawled along his bicep.

"Harper." He just says my name.

I stop, "Alec." I raise my eyebrow as I see his dangling keys in his hand, "What's going on?"

He scratches the back of his head, blushing before saying, "Do you…" it comes out garbled and he clears his theist before trying again, "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"A date?" He nods, "Sure, just let me get ready." He doesn't move as I step up to walk in. I step back down, "Alec?"

"You look fine." He says, exasperated. I guess him realizing he has a crush on me doesn't change the fact that I can manage to annoy the crap out of him with out even trying.

"Yes, but it's a date, Alec. I'd like to look like we're on a date."

His eyebrows draw in, "Should I go get ready too then?"

The laugh that leaves me is more because he's adorable than it is because I'm making fun of him, "No, Alec, you look hot."

His eyebrows shoot up and he smirks, "You think so?" At my nod, "Then what if I tell you that I think those boots are hot on you and I like the way your scarf makes your eyes sparkle? Then can we go?"

My face turns red and he laughs, stepping down and leading the way to his '97 Impala. I sigh, rolling my eyes before following him.

Once in his car, Metallica plays through the radio as he drives us off to God knows where. His car is pretty sweet and I've been in love with her since he got her when I was fourteen. She runs like a dream now that Alec was able to work on her. Her AC works and so does the heater, which is awesome considering it's the middle of November.

"You want to make out with her or what?" I blush and glare at Alec, who laughs, "I love her too." He pats the dashboard.

"Have you ever thought about selling her?" I question.

He shakes his head, "Not really. I love her. She's been with me since I was learning to drive. I couldn't ask for a better car."

"I feel like there is a but some where in there."

He chuckles, the sound deep and oddly sexy, "But I'm making a lot more money now. I think it's time to get a newer car."

"I'll take her off your hands." I grin at him, to which he chuckles again and shakes his head.

The date ended up being a trip to the bowling ally, which I completely slaughtered him. I have no idea why, but I'm really good at bowling.

On the way back, we stopped for ice cream and actually laughed and joked with each other for once. It's like that with the knowledge that he has romantic feelings for me, Alec was finally able to relax.

We pull up at my parents house at about midnight and he walks me to my bedroom door. I stop at the door and turn around, opening my mouth to speak but he cuts me off, "I have to tell you something."

"Okay?" I tilt my head to the side.

"I'm moving out." He says so quietly, "I've already talked with Mai and Naru, and they think it's a good idea too. I'm almost twenty-one, it's time for me to man up and get my own place."

My eyebrows draw in, "Oh." I look down at my feet.

His hand grabs my chin and tilts my head up, "I just don't think it's a good idea for us to date and both live with them. It would be disrespectful of their house and everything they've done for us. And I love them, Harper, they're like the parents that I never had."

I nod, "I understand, Alec." I did. It didn't mean that I had to like it, though.

"I've signed with an apartment building, I'll be out of here by the end of the week." He doesn't give me a chance to say anything back, he just kisses me and it shuts me up.

Alec was gone by the end of the week and his new apartment was actually really nice. When he finally got all of his stuff settled, he took me furniture shopping with him because he has no idea how to decorate. Basically sofa shopping was him sitting down on the sofa and seeing if it was soft enough for him or not.

Eventually and over the course of several long months, we were able to finally get his apartment fully decorated, and Alex stayed in that apartment for a long time. Long enough that I gave him my virginity when I graduated college at the age of 26 with my doctorate.

At my 27th birthday party, Alec pulls me aside from my family and Monk, who is reminiscing about me being a baby, to hand me his present. It's a key in a small, square box.

I look up at him and he smiles at me, "Move in with me, princess." He'd started calling me that after a few months of us being together.

I smile at him and nod. My mom squeals and it's then that I notice that she heard the entire thing. Suddenly, we're surrounded once again by our family.

Alec and I end up buying a house after living together for six months, and the house was huge. It rivaled my parents home, but with him now owning several mechanic shops and me working as a full time investigator at my family's research facility, we both made enough money to do it.

He asks me to marry him when I turn 30, and we have our first child when I'm 31. Our second is born when I'm 33, and our twins are born when I'm 34.

My mother is ecstatic with her grand babies and my dad helps my twin boys with their PK.

Eventually though, my dad's PK wares his heart down and he dies of a heart attack at the age of 65. My mom is understandably heart broken. She pushes through her heartbreak though and focuses on her grandchildren until she passes away at the age of 84.

All of my children are grown by then, but I watch them sob like children as their most beloved grandmother is lowered in to the ground. Alec wraps his left arm around me and I feel the cool press of his ring against my arm. I look up at him and we share a sad smile. We know that she's happier where she is.

After all, what is Mai, with out Naru?