To Be the Last

Alex furiously stormed into her grandfather's office. Her grandfather's welcoming face turned inquisitive as he assessed her dark mood. Just when she opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, she was dragged away by very familiar hands.

"Sir, I must speak with Miss Alexia for a moment." Matthew spoke quietly.

Alex watched her grandfather nod then look pass her to see Clara. He motioned for Clara to approach as he waved a dismissive hand at Alex and Matt. He dragged her to the next room in the spacious English flat. Spinning around angrily, Alex poked Matt in the chest with her pointer. Matt tried not to grin as he rubbed the sore spot. He knew Alex was in a bad mood and smiling would make her even angrier.

"Explain to me again what the hell is going on." Alex demanded as she threw herself down on the nearest chair.

Matt took a seat across of her and cleared his throat. "Originally we sent Clara in to be your bodyguard. Then we became aware that Richardson Corp. was up to some illegal business. At first we just had Clara do a little digging, but that isn't her forte. Your grandfather knows how much working at Richardson Corp. means to you. With that in mind, he didn't want to worry you with telling you until he was certain. So we had to send in Blake. We didn't think it was anything serious until Blake hacked into the main system. Alexia, they're involved in human trafficking. When Blake found this out...he was kidnapped. We have no idea where he is. Master Dane says that Blake is well aware that if he were captured, he's dead to us. And seeing as Blake doesn't know anything valuable, your grandfather even more so won't negotiate for Blake's release."

Alex covered her hands over her face and remained silent. For a moment Matt thought she was crying. Then she moved her hands and shrieked. Her grandfather burst through the doors, moving fast enough to contradict his ripe age of sixty-eight. The half dozen men accompanying him put their raised guns down as they realized there was no real danger.

"Alexia Rosaline, what is the meaning of that ungodly noise?"

Her grandfather's voice was deep and almost hypnotic. Alex hated how he could be so calm. Then again, nothing really mattered to him. Why should he be bothered with Blake's disappearance? Other than losing a good agent, Alex was sure her grandfather wasn't at all upset.

"You know full well what that scream was for!" Alexia shouted, rising from her chair and walking to her grandfather.

Much to their annoyance, the guards tensed and a couple took steps forward. Dane raised his hand and dismissed his body guards. He gave a look at Matt and Matt excused himself and left.

Dane assessed his granddaughter's pout and tried to figure out the best way to go about soothing her. In a way it was his fault for always spoiling her. Now Alex would have to learn what it was like not to always get what you want.

"I want-" Alex was cut off with a hand motion by her grandfather.

"I haven't seen you in three months and you already start off with 'I want'. Can I at least get a hug before you start asking the impossible?"

Alex begrudgingly crossed the room and hugged her grandfather. She loved her grandfather dearly. He raised her where her parents abandoned her. Alex knew that her parents were only trying to protect her, but it didn't change the fact that she grew up with abandonment issues.

"Now, you were saying?" Dane asked after he pulled back and kissed her forehead.

"I want Blake back." Tears began to form in her eyes.

Dane was weak against tears when it came to the women in his family. Alexia was a replica of her mother with her father's dark eyes. And Alexia's mother looked like Dane's late wife except she had Dane's light blue eyes. He let out a sigh as his shoulders drooped.

"I cannot do that. Richardson has no desire to talk to me since I told him I will not give into his demands. He wants the information we stole in exchange for Blake and I cannot allow that. I will not allow the continued sale of thousands of people in exchange for one man. No matter how much he means to you." Dane pulled away and sat down across of Alexia, who dejectedly fell into a seat.

"I understand." Alex whispered softly. And she really did.

Alex could never ask her grandfather to save Blake when it meant thousands would suffer for her selfish act. Her grandfather reached for her hand to give a squeeze, but Alex quickly moved and stood. She tried to ignore the look of hurt on her grandfather's face as she turned towards the door.

"I'm tired from my flight. I'll be up at my room. Unfortunately, I don't feel up to eating either so I will have to decline dinner tonight. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'm certain I'll feel better by tomorrow." Alex put her hand on the doorknob when her grandfather spoke up.

"I hope you'll be staying here for awhile." Dane also stood.

With a slight nod, Alex turned the handle and paused. "I think I'll be staying a long while." She exited the room as Matthew entered.

Matt watched Alex walk down the hall and closed her solid wood door behind her firmly. He turned to look at Dane who wore an unreadable expression.

"Destroy all evidence of Blake Xander's whereabouts. Knowing my granddaughter, she'll probably do some snooping. And I do not want her doing anything foolish." With that, Dane exited the room and left Matthew with clean up duty.

---

Hiring an investigator that didn't know Dane Whitt was trickier than Alexia thought. But it wasn't impossible. After two weeks of searching, she finally found someone. Detective Kaleb Jensen. Luckily Alexia had a large sum of money given to her by her parents that she used to pay the investigator. It was an account that she was fairly certain her grandfather didn't know about so he wouldn't be questioning her about the hefty withdrawals. Now all Alex had to do was wait.

Three weeks passed and Alex was miserable. Trying to keep herself from going insane, Alex immersed herself in humanitarian work. It also provided a cover about her spending where her grandfather to find out. She left early to help at charity functions and usually returned late. When Alex would get home, she would fall asleep in an exhausted heap on her bed. Dane began to worry as he got reports as to her meals either being hardly touched or not touched at all.

It had been a month since Blake's disappearance. Alex had spent countless times sneaking into her grandfather's study to look for information, but she always came up blank. Eventually Alex had to resign to the fact that she'd never see him again. Especially since her informant hadn't contacted her in three weeks. She was afraid he ran off with her money.

One morning, Alex wasn't feeling so well. She brushed off her grandfather's and Matthew's worried looks as she appeared for breakfast. Since she wasn't hungry, Alex decided to skip breakfast, but when she stood up she suddenly felt dizzy. Trying to remain strong, Alex took a few moments to compose herself before she let go of the chair she was clinging to and tried to walk away. All she remembered before she collapsed was her grandfather and Matthew shouting her name.

When Alex awoke later that evening, she wasn't surprised to see a doctor hovering at her bedside. He had his back to her as he discussed something with Matthew. As if realizing she was awake, Matthew quickly hushed the doctor and neared Alex's bed. He sent for one of the men standing by the door to alert Dane.

A moment later, Dane was in the room. He spoke quickly in Hungarian with the doctor and Matthew, knowing Hungarian wasn't one of the languages his granddaughter knew. But one word did catch her attention, causing Alex to gasp.

"I'm pregnant?" She asked out loud.

Three pairs of eyes turned to her and Alex suddenly regretted opening her mouth. The doctor looked at his employer worriedly. Giving the doctor an 'ok' signal, the doctor approached Alexia. He ran some tests to make sure everything was fine before answering.

"It would appear you're a little over a month pregnant."

Alex felt the need to lie back down. "How is that possible?" She felt her face heat up. Well she knew it wasn't impossible. But she had been on the pill. Oh shit. I go to med school and I flipping forget that antibiotics cancel oral contraceptives, Alex thought suddenly. "I um...had sex without a condom while on the Pill, but I was taking antibiotics for my ear infection around that time."

She closed her eyes for a brief second, hoping her grandfather wouldn't question how she had forgotten such a thing. Alex had been so caught up in the moment that she wasn't thinking straight. She highly doubt she could have told Blake to stop, much less pull out.

"Alexia Rosaline-" her grandfather began.

"I'm keeping my baby." Alex announced, cutting her grandfather off.

"I wasn't going to suggest you do otherwise." He stated. "Dr. Schewe," Dane said, turning to the renowned doctor. "Thank you for coming. Matthew will show you to the door with your payment. We will be calling on you soon again for checkup progress with my granddaughter and her condition."

The doctor nodded, knowing he was being dismissed and he followed Matthew out. Dane went over to Alex's bed and sat at the edge. Alex reached for his hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

---

Each day Alex would awake with a sense of purpose in life. After talking to her grandfather, she convinced him to allow her to read Blake's profile. She didn't think she could fall in even more in love with him, but she did. Alex treasured the slim folder that held the life of the man she loved inside. Since she now knew she was pregnant, Alex took better care of herself. She would eat all meals as well as hired a nutritionist. When her grandfather or Matt wasn't busy, she'd drag them outside for walks at the park.

As her belly grew, so did her worry and excitement. She already loved her baby so much, Alex was afraid of anything happening to him. Alex was convinced her baby would be a boy and that he would look exactly like his father. Since she was so certain her baby would be a boy, she had chosen the name Gabriel Daniel Xander. Gabriel was the masculine form of Blake's mother, Gabrielle and Daniel was for her grandfather. Blake had told his mother's name to Alexia during one night they lay in each other's arms in the afterglow of sex and just talked. How many times Alexia replayed those times when they would communicate and Blake told her bits and pieces of who he really was.

Finally, after five months, Alex received a call.

"Hello?" Alex answered her cell phone at the restricted number.

"Miss Whitt? This is Kaleb Jensen. I've located Blake Xander."

---

Blake sat in a brightly lit room. The white walls were blinding in the fluorescent lighting. He had come to despise his prison with its sterile environment. There was a metal toilet bolted in one corner as well as a shower and sink that only gave forth cold water. Even so, Blake never took a bath. Although he didn't take bathes, he did take care of his dental hygiene. But all-in-all, he refused to be a well behaved and compliant pet. And Blake rather liked to think Richardson enjoyed their little sessions where he'd torture Blake to points of unconsciousness because Blake refused to give in.

But Blake was getting weak. A first he thought he'd be able to find a way to escape, but the more he studied his surroundings, the more he realized he couldn't escape without help. On many occasions, Richardson offered to put Blake out of his misery, saying all Blake had to do was beg for death. Unfortunately, begging was something Blake was never good at.

One thing Blake wouldn't have minded was a prison buddy. At least he wouldn't be left to his thoughts that drove him near mad. If only he hadn't stopped at the eighth floor to find Alexia, he would not have gotten caught. He had stupidly thought to take her along at the last second. And what would that have accomplished? He had nothing to offer her but a life filled with danger and loneliness. But a part of him didn't care. At least they'd have each other.

Many times when the pain of torture became so unbearable his body began to go numb, Blake would fantasize. In and out of consciousness he thought how he could have meet Alexia on different terms. He was just a normal man with a normal life and a normal job.

They would meet at a restaurant he decided. A small mom and pop shop that was the neighborhood's secret. The place would be packed with couples and in the corner he sees her. Alexia. Sitting alone with an available seat. So he would walk over to her and ask politely if they could have dinner together and keep each other company. Knowing Alexia, she would give him one of those beautiful smiles that went straight to his heart-and groin as she would reply 'of course' and offer him the seat. Then they would talk about how normal their lives are and their normal childhoods. By the end of the night, they would have made plans to meet again.

Yes, Blake thought as his vision blurred, they could live a normal, happy life. In his fantasies, he was the first to say I love you. They'd get married in the small chapel near his mother's hometown. They'd buy a place by the beach and have half a dozen children. Beautiful little girls who looked like their mama and troublemaking boys who would give both their parents grey hairs.

The sound of an opening door tore Blake from his thoughts about Alexia. He looked up to see the familiar face of Richardson. Except Richardson wasn't looking smug like he usually did. In fact, he looked like he would have a conniption. It was a nice look, Blake thought with a hint of jaded amusement.

"Do you know that my company has fucking failed? I've been exposed! All my money went into the company's pensions funds. How the fuck did that happen? The government is looking for me. My wife is filing for divorce and took the children. I've been forced into hiding and the accounts that I do have money in are frozen. Once I receive the money from my off-shore accounts, you're dead."

Blake shrugged a skinny shoulder. He had lost so much weight in the pass months. "I'd rather you put me out of my misery than for me having to listen to you bitch and moan."

Richardson's face grew red before he spat out an order to the two buff men beside him. "Hold him down."

Blake scratched the matted hair on his head and stood as the two men approached. He long gave up trying to fight.

---

Kaleb Jensen sucked on the end of his unlit cigarette. He had long given up on smoking since his mother died from lung cancer due to smoking. But sometimes he was just too high strung and today was one of those days. He didn't like his clients getting too involved. And Miss Alexia Whitt was definitely getting too involved.

Removing the old cigarette from his mouth, Kaleb tucked it back in the pocket of his worn leather jacket. Although he was a Boston city boy born and raised, Kaleb preferred the vast expanse of open land that his current location didn't offer. After he had contacted his employer, she had insisted on meeting with him. At first Kaleb thought they were meeting simply to talk about the case. But the crazy broad had it in her mind to actually help with the case. The only reason he put up with her demands was because she sounded close to a breakdown. He was a sucker for a woman in tears.

Then it made Kaleb wonder. Alexia Whitt was obviously young. She sounded very sweet over the phone and through their email correspondence. So how could a sweet girl like her, get caught up with a guy in such a situation that Blake Xander was in? Alexia Whitt must find herself to be in love with Blake Xander. A man who had been a hell of a case.

Kaleb was able to get a little information about Blake Xander and Alexia Whitt working together at Richardson Corp. before the business was shut down. Richardson had been exposed for dealing with human trafficking. He and his partners were in hiding and wanted by the FBI. Scary thing was that Blake Xander, Alexia Whitt, and her assistant Clara Kentwood all disappeared months before the discovery. Kaleb had no doubt they were somehow connected. It was suspicious enough that the three of them worked on the same floor in close proximity.

In conclusion, Kaleb assumed that Blake Xander was snooping around where he wasn't supposed to. Alexia Whitt probably fell for the guy seeing as they worked together. Blake Xander tried to pull Alexia Whitt into his questionable pursuit and he had gotten caught...leaving poor, little Miss Whitt to find him and pull him out of the shit he got himself into.

Of course Kaleb could have just asked Alexia, but offending her was not something he could afford to do. Kaleb needed her money. If his adoptive baby sister wasn't depending on him for food, shelter, and a good education, Kaleb would have chanced it. When Kaleb had graduated high school, his parents got lonely years down the road. Unable to conceive, they adopted a French-Tahitian baby girl from Tahiti. Unfortunately, his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after. Kaleb and his father worked hard to pay for the medical bills, having to move in with Kaleb in his small apartment. His father worked himself to death, leaving Kaleb with the responsibility of a four year old girl and crippling debt. And so was Kaleb's situation. Scrounging for money so he could send his now six year old sister who everyone mistook for his daughter to a private school and pay off his mother's medical bills. It was a lot for a thirty-four year old to handle.

An itch started on his hand again as Kaleb fought the urge to reach back in his pocket for his cigarette. He checked his watch noting that the babysitter would just be tucking Willow into bed back in Oregon. He looked up and scanned the people passing. After much debate, he had agreed to meet with Miss Whitt in New Orleans where Blake Xander was being held. He motioned for the waitress to get him another coffee before he glanced at his watch in irritation again. Where was Alexia Whitt?

---

Alex was in so much trouble. Her grandfather constantly told her that tardiness was unforgivable. But it wasn't her fault that her stomach decided to rebel right after the flight. She spent the better part of half an hour dry heaving. So she didn't waste anymore time when she hailed a cab and gave him directions to the diner she would meet Mr. Jensen at. As the car started to move, Alex had to close her eyes before she gagged. She replayed the conversation she had with her grandfather.

When she told him she would be leaving England for an important charity function, he had refused to let her go. It wasn't until she agreed to take Matthew along that her grandfather allowed Alex to reenter the United States. As far as her grandfather knew, she was in Louisiana for the Abused Children Foundation charity and a Hurricane Katrina fund. That wasn't scheduled to happen for another month.

It had been hard enough to ditch Matthew with the bags to return to their lodgings at the French Quarter where her grandfather owned several condominiums and timeshares. With her superb acting skills, Alexia played the whole hormonal pregnant woman needing some alone time to the 't'. She had caused such a scene that the usually scary-calm-while-in-public Matthew threw his arms up in defeat and told Alexia he'd just see her back at their place.

Alex paid the driver and entered the diner. She counted the rows of tables and chairs until she reached the fifth row where Mr. Jensen said he'd be waiting. She walked to the table and slid in to the booth across of him. Which took a bit of work seeing as her stomach was protruding significantly. She gave the man across her a cheerful smile that quickly turned into embarrassment.