2.33

"Why's your hair all wet?" Alex fussed as he pushed me back towards the jeep. I pulled a hair tie out of my pocket to disguise pulling it from my space and tied my hair in a tight bun.

"I had a wash in the stream nearby," I replied, gripping his hand tight and pulling him towards the truck instead of the jeep.

"Next time take me, what if there'd been zombies or some creep?" Alex nagged, wrapping his arms around me, resting his hands on my lower stomach, "remember you're not just keeping yourself safe anymore."

My heartstrings tugged at his words. I needed to tell him now I knew that this child really wasn't his. But I was scared that the second I did he would go back on his words and abandon us. Realising the selfishness of my fears I swallowed them down and opened my mouth.

"It's not yours."

"He's mine," he kissed my neck softly, "unless you don't want me to be his father?"

I shivered with his kiss, realising he was covering the mark left behind by Noah with his lips. Was he trying to remind me what a monster her real father could be?

"Stop saying he, it's a girl," I tried to change the subject, after all, evading and running away seemed to be all I was good at when it came to living people.

"A girl?" His hands cupped my stomach more tenderly, "I hope she's not as pretty as her mother."

I playfully smacked his hands, "why not?" Remembering Izzy's face I continued, quite proudly, "she'll be even prettier than me."

"I'm already having to fend off your suitors," he chuckled, "I better get stronger before our girl grows up then."

My heart sank. I did not deserve this man.

"Hurry up and get off, my legs are tired I wanna go sit down," I tried to push him off, but he only scooped me up in a princess carry, making me self-conscious of the fact I was wearing a dress to help cover the bump more comfortably.

"Bus or truck?" He asked, his hand gripping the hem of the dress, keeping my thigh from being exposed.

Letting out a heavy sigh I looked at Ty who was happily chatting away to Laura and Victoria at the truck. "Truck."

"You look like a pair of newlyweds," Ty joked as Alex sat me on the edge of the opened truck door.

"Good," Alex smiled, kissing my lips tenderly, making both me and Laura blush.

Victoria took that as her cue to leave, I had a feeling she was off to look for Noah.

Having a rare moment of peace with just Alex and the doctors, I pulled Ty's arm to come close and lean so I could speak in his ear, not caring if Laura and Alex overheard.

"When Will interrogates you, and he will, you tell him this is Alex's child and I am only ten weeks pregnant."

"And what do I say when your little bundle of joy comes early?" He teased, knowing very well that babies never came on cue anyway.

"I won't be giving birth there," I scoffed, like hell would I stay put in the same camp run by that man.

"Where will you be giving birth then?" Alex asked, worried.

"We need to find someone, once we find him, then we'll figure it out," I felt guilty talking about Lex in front of Alex.

"Speaking of which, I'm sure we'll find him soon," Ty joined in, looking eagerly at the confused expression on Alex, then patted him on the shoulder before pulling Laura with him to climb back onto the truck.

"Who are we finding?" Alex asked, his hand resting on my thigh, squeezing it slightly.

"H-he's called Lex he's another doctor friend of Ty's," I bit my lip, concentrating on forming the words in my head before saying them out loud.

"Lex?" Alex asked, "who is he to you and should I be worried?" He laughed, but the smile was absent from his emerald green eyes. Instead, all I saw was how vulnerable, sweet and innocent the man before me was. And how cruel, ignorant, and naive I had been.

"Do you really want to raise this baby with me? Despite everything?" I asked, my hand nervously resting on top of his.

"Yes," his lips pressed against my still slightly damp forehead, then over my eyes, cheeks, neck, "just let me follow you, protect you," his free hand moved to rest on my stomach, "both of you."

"Why?" I felt tears fall, fucking hormones, "why me?"

"From the moment I saw you swing that sword I knew you were it for me," he sighed, "I know you don't feel the same way-"

I leaned to kiss and shut him up, each word was like knives to my heart. Every breath this man made was just perfection. If he wouldn't give up on me then I needed to be good enough for him.

Even if I found Lex, even if he was my soulmate with six hundred years of history, he'd have to wait for our next lifetime. No matter what had happened in my original life, or as Zhiyue, during this lifetime I only needed to be everything to Alex. So long he wanted me to be.

"I want you, only you," I kissed him passionately, only stopping when I heard Ty laugh in the background, then murmur something to Laura who was blushing again. Wasn't she much older than me? Why was she so shy?

Alex cleared his throat, hiding his face, was he blushing too?