All I Want For Christmas...(Conclusion ,A/I, M, 12/26)

[KaraGail]

All I Want For Christmas Is You

By: KaraGail

"Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended."

Category: Alex and Isabel

Rating: Teen (possibly Mature in later chapters)

Setting: Alternate Universe Christmas FF

A/N: This is something I have been working on for a few weeks. I actually started it before the terrible tragic news of the Kim family being stranded in Colorado Please let me know what you think and if I should continue.

Part 1

Alex Whitman let out a huge sigh of relief when the pair of head lights flashed through his rear window. He had been afraid that it would be hours before someone came along and found him in the broken down rental car that was quickly becoming covered with the falling snow.

Buttoning up his coat and tightening the scarf around his neck, Alex braved the cold and got out of the car. He hoped that his would-be rescuer had a kind heart and give him a ride to the nearest town.

Alex was able to make out the all-terrain jeep in the dark and cursed himself for allowing the clerk at the rental stand to give him the first available car in the lot. He should have requested a vehicle that could stand up to the elements, but it was Christmas and he had been lucky to get anything at all.

He trudged over to the driver’s side and let out another sigh of relied when the window rolled down. Alex squinted his eyes but was only able to see the shadow of the single figure in the dark interior.

“Thank God!” he exclaimed through chattering teeth, “I have been here for half an hour and you are the first person to drive by.”

Alex was met by silence as he felt the driver look him over with a sense of wariness emitting from them. He couldn’t very well blame them for being paranoid when a stranger comes up to them covered head to toe.

“My name is Alex Whitman and I was heading to the ski lodge when my car stalled in the road.” He motioned to the lump of snow in front of them, “Could you possibly give me a lift?”

After another pregnant pause a feminine voice replied, “Sure. I was heading there myself.”

Alex grinned with happiness, “Okay. Let me get my bag and skis. I’ll call for a tow truck when we get there.”

The woman nodded her shadowed head and quickly rolled the window back up to block out the cold air. He took it as his cue to quickly retrieve his belongings and load them into the back of the stranger’s jeep.

A few minutes later, Alex finally slid into the passenger seat and, before he shut the door, was able to get a glimpse of his rescuer. He couldn’t tell the color of her hair underneath the red-knitted cap, but some how his heart was able to tell him that she was beautiful.

“I really appreciate this,” he pulled the seatbelt across his chest, “I was worried that I might end up there all night.”

“Well you are in luck. We are only a few miles from the lodge.” She slanted him a quick glance but kept her focus on maneuvering the car through the snow.

“I’m not use to this type of weather where I am from.”Alex peered out the window trying to help look for some road signs.

“Where’s that?”

“Currently, Southern California but before that I grew up in New Mexico,” he motioned to the blanket of white that surrounded them, “We had snow but never like this.”

They drove for a few minutes more in silence and Alex began to relax once he realized how well she handled herself driving. She must have tons of experience on these types of roads than he did.

“Are you also spending Christmas at the lodge?”

“Yes. I am meeting my brothers for some skiing. We try to get together once a year here. How about you?” she asked with another furtive glance in his direction.

“My two best friends some how have guilt tripped me into this trip. I haven’t seen them in almost a year and so they planned this week as a way for us to all reconnect.”

“Won’t your family be upset that you aren’t spending the holiday with them?”

Alex grinned, “Maria and Liz are my family. They are closer to me than sisters.”

“You have two women for your best friends?” she asked incredulously

He nodded, “Ever since elementary school when Maria beat up Frankie Coolidge for picking on Alex, the new kid. I knew that my life wouldn’t be my own again.”

The woman laughed and Alex could swear that the sound made his heart stop for a moment. How could he feel this strong attraction from someone that he didn’t even know their name?

“Look.” She interrupted his thoughts and slowed the car down to a crawl, “There is a diner up ahead. Should we stop and regroup before heading to the lodge?”

Alex quickly agreed, “I could definitely drink a whole pot of coffee right now.”

“I probably should see if they have a phone to call my brothers and let them know I am running late.”

“Doesn’t your cell phone work?” he questioned seeing her phone sitting in the charger.

“I tried to call them right before I picked you up and all I got was static. Probably because of the snow and mountains.” She explained while pulling into the mostly empty parking lot.

He watched as she slipped her hands into some warm gloves and opened the door. Alex was unable to stop himself from reaching across the small distance and placing a hand on her shoulder causing her to turn to give him a look of surprise.

The dome light finally allowed them both to see each others face. Alex had to agree with his heart’s earlier assessment. This woman was a knock out.

“By the way,” he questioned with a suddenly dry mouth, “what’s your name?”

The woman smiled and her dark eyes flashed with merriment, “Isabel. Isabel Evans.”


TBC....

[KaraGail]

Part 2

Isabel Evans was not in the habit of picking up strangers. In fact, strangers were always trying to pick up her even when she showed little interest. Over the years she had grown accustomed to men falling all over themselves in order to get her attention.

Never before had she been asked to rescue someone from the snow. Normally she would have just kept driving by, using her cell phone to call for assistance, but Alex Whitman seemed harmless enough.

At least she thought so until she got her first real good look at him as they sat in the parking lot of the diner. He wasn’t what most people would consider handsome but there was definitely something about this green eyed man that seemed to grab her attention.

This puzzled Isabel since in her line of work, as a fashion designer, she had seen her fair share of good-looking men. Models, who seemed to be the happiest sitting in front of a mirror than across the table from her; as well as rich men who used their power and looks to attract women into their beds. She had quickly been disenchanted by the male populace quit early on in her career.

Alex Whitman was definitely not in either category. She knew just by looking into his beautiful crystal clear green eyes that seemed to glitter with intelligence that he was no man to trifle with. He could either break your heart or have his heart broken.

His hair was covered with a knit cap similar to her own, but she was able to make out the dark chestnut-brown locks that snuck out at the back and clung to his collar. Isabel had a feeling that when he took it off it would not be cut and styled in the newest fashions that most men seemed to be sporting lately.

Feeling the intensity of his stare in the small interior of the jeep, Isabel scrambled out of her door calling back, “Last one in buys the first round of coffee.”

She wasn’t surprised that Alex caught up to her right when she opened the glass door. Warm air hit her face as they walked in to the small restaurant while brushing the snow flakes from their jackets and shoes.

“Good evening!” a plump grey haired woman called to them from behind the counter, “Take any booth and I will be with you in a jiffy.”

Isabel couldn’t help but smile at the elderly woman as she pulled her cap and gloves off, stuffing them into her coat pockets. She was surprised when Alex reached out to assist her as she shrugged off her coat and hung it up before doing the same with his own.

Alex turned toward the hook to place his coat and gave himself a moment to take a deep breath. Just the sight of Isabel pulling the cap off and revealing her silky blonde hair had made his heart begin to race like a locomotive. He briefly wondered if anyone had ever died after viewing something so beautiful as Isabel Evans.

Settling into the booth across from her, he wasn’t able to keep himself from admiring how the cream colored cable knit sweater seemed to bring out the darkness of her eyes. In that moment, Alex wanted to know everything that he could about this woman.

“Are you here for dinner?” the waitress, whose name tag proclaimed her as Edna, asked coming up to them.

Alex’s stomach at that second decided to make it’s presence known to the ladies causing them to chuckle while his cheeks turned a bright red with embarrassment.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Edna grinned down at him in amusement, “Our special is vegetable soup with corn bread.”

Isabel felt her mouth water at the thought, “That sounds wonderful.”

Alex nodded his agreement, “I’ll have that as well.”

Edna scribbled their order on her pad before glancing back at them, “How about some coffee to warm you up? It’s colder than a cast-iron commode out there.”

“How about a carafe of coffee?” Alex requested knowing that it would take more than one cup to warm him up.

“Coming right up.” she beamed at them before leaving to fill their order.

“So tell me about yourself, Isabel Evans.” Alex asked and hoped he didn’t seem to obvious with his interest.

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, “What do you want to know?”

“Well all I know right now is that your name is Isabel Evans and you have two brothers. I’d like to know a little more about the woman who rescued me.” he grinned.
“Not much to tell really. I live in New York City and work as a fashion designer.” Isabel thanked Edna as she returned with the coffee and cups.

“Fashion design?” he questioned as he poured them both a cup, “That must be an exciting world.”

Isabel shrugged as she picked up her cup and began to sip the steaming brew, “It has it’s good points and bad points.”

Alex gave a mental sigh. Getting this woman to talk was like pulling teeth. He was so used to Maria and Liz telling him anything and everything without him even asking.

He decided to take another route in his questioning, “So you are spending the holidays skiing with your brothers?”

Isabel grimaced, “Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?” Alex frowned in confusion, “Don’t you want to spend time with them?”

She set her cup back on the table, “I love spending time with Michael and Max, but how could they want to go skiing on Christmas? We should be celebrating together at home with the tree that I decorated and participating in the traditional holiday festivities.”

“What kind of things do you normally do?”

“Well I usually help with the Christmas pageant at the orphanage as well as work the shelter. I enjoy organizing the events and watching everything come together perfectly. It just doesn’t feel right to not be there this year.” Her voice came out with a tinge of sadness.

“Sounds like you really enjoy the holidays” he noted just as Edna set their bowls of soups in front of them, “It smells delicious.”

“I do tend to get a little manic this time of year. My brother Michael gave me the nickname ‘Christmas Nazi’ because I am pretty demanding and like things to be my way.”

Alex chuckled at the image, “I am sure your not that bad.”

Isabel rolled her eyes, “I’m not so sure about that.”

A comfortable silence befell them as they began to enjoy the soup letting the warmth spread through their bodies thawing them out from the cold. Soon spoons were scraping the bottom of the bowls trying to get that last piece of vegetable or broth.

“That was fantastic.” Alex stretched glad to have a full belly, “Not even my grandmothers soup is that good.”

Isabel had to agree with him. She was pleasantly surprised that everything from the food to the company had been excellent. Never before had she been as comfortable with a stranger as she was with Alex Whitman.

“It’s getting late.” he looked at his watch, “I am going to see if they have a phone that we can use to call to let our families know we are running late.”

Isabel nodded and watched him arise from the booth as she sipped her coffee once more. A stray thought ran across her mind, ‘Maybe a week in the mountains won’t be so bad as long as he's there.’

TBC...

[KaraGail]

A/N The name of the lodge is from one of my favorite movies from the 80's "The Man From Snowy River". I was trying to find some name for my fictitious place but it seems that all of the good names are taken. There is a Snowy River Resort but it's in Australia. So forgive me for using the name and I am just making my disclaimer here that it is not mine

Part 3

During the remainder of the ride to the Snowy River ski lodge, Alex somehow got Isabel talking about her childhood in the small town of Antar, population 752. It was obvious that she loved her hometown but also that she and her brothers couldn’t seem to wait for graduation before they all took off for the big city.

“How did the town get the name Antar? It’s very unusual.” Alex questioned with interest.

“It actually came from our town founder, a man known as Nathan, back in the 50's. People say he was a strange fellow and most thought that he was really crazy.” She explained glancing over at him quickly before turning her attention back to the snow slick street. “Seemed that Nathan believed he had been abducted by aliens from a planet called ‘Antar’ and was experimented on quite thoroughly. He named the town to honor the aliens if they ever came back for a visit.”

The sound of Alex’s laughter rang through the enclosed jeep and it sent a warm flutter to her stomach. She wasn’t surprised by his reaction to the legend of the town since most people tend to crack up when she told them. What she hadn’t expected were the feelings that his laughter seemed to be stirring within her.

“Are you serious?” he finally breathed out through his laughter. Even though she couldn’t see them in the dark of the jeep, Isabel was sure that his green eyes were twinkling with mirth. “I don’t know why I find that so funny since I come from a town that makes its livelihood on aliens.”

“That’s right.” She nodded in remembrance of an earlier conversation, “Isn’t there some town in New Mexico that reported a UFO crash?”

“My childhood hometown of Roswell. Supposedly a UFO crashed near there in 1947 and now it’s the Mecca of every alien enthusiast and conspiracy theorists.” Alex then laughed once more, “Well how about that for a coincidence? We are both from ‘alien’ towns.”

Hearing a little about him, Isabel decided she wanted to know more of this stranger that she had picked up in the snow. She knew that it was insane to be interested in someone who lived on the other side of the country, but there was just something telling her that maybe he would be worth it.

“So tell me about life in Roswell with your two best friends.”

Alex grinned thinking that this was definitely a topic that he could talk on for hours. If he had his way, he would love to spend a lot longer with her. It did not take him long to have her laughing at one of the many stories that he had to tell. His life had certainly been interesting as the sidekick to his two girls.

Before they both knew it, the lodge loomed before them. The building was lit up as it beckoned travelers to come in out of the cold. The sight should have cheered them, but realization that they would soon depart each others company dampened their spirits as the jeep grew quiet.

Isabel couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised with her brothers’ choice in a destination. The huge log constructed lodge looked like it had come to life from a Christmas painting. The snowy white mountains that surrounded the building seemed to dwarf everything into insignificance.

Pulling up to the entrance, she turned off the engine and said softly, ‘We’re here.”

Alex gave a sad smile and a nod of his head, “I’ll get the bags.”

Once he had exited the jeep, Isabel let out a long sigh of frustration. Pulling her knit cap over her head, she followed him out into the cold. The valet was there to meet her and she quickly gave over her keys so that he could move the vehicle to a spot where it would remain until she left at the end of the week.

Alex struggled for a moment in getting the skis and baggage. He couldn’t say that he was surprised to see that Isabel had three suitcases for her one week stay at the lodge. Alex, on the other hand, packed most of his necessities into one bag that was barely bulging with his belongings.

“Let me grab something.” Isabel came up from behind him and reached out to take the bag from his hand.

Alex felt like a live wire had just electrified him with her touch. He suddenly felt light-headed and was thankful that he wasn’t already lying unconscious at her feet. He really must get better control over himself, he thought.

Isabel was also surprised by the touch. Never before had her heart stopped from a man’s touch. She really needed to get control over her wild emotions, she thought. She needed to play it cool with this man or else he would get the upper hand and she just couldn’t allow that.

“Umm.... It’s cold out here.” She stuttered and hoped he thought it was because of the cold.

Alex quickly agreed relieved that he didn’t have to speak. Not telling what would come out of his mouth and embarrass him. Already he felt like a huge dweeb over his reaction to her touch. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been touched by a woman before and had acted more suave than he did at that moment. Following her inside, they entered the lobby and both were hit once again by the warmth but this time the scent of pine greeted them.

The first thing that Isabel noticed was the huge decorated live Christmas tree that stood proudly in the foyer. Every corner of the room seemed to explode with wreaths, ribbons, candles and flowers that screamed the holiday’s had arrived.

“Alex?” A feminine voice called causing the couple to turn toward a small sitting area.

“Maria.” Alex grinned widely setting the bags down and the seemed to brace himself as the small blonde tornado crossed the distance and flew into his arms.

Even knowing that they were just friends, Isabel couldn’t control the flash of jealousy that shot through her. Seeing the comfort level between the two hugging she wondered if perhaps at one time that they had been more than friends.

“Alex!” Another voice yelled this time from a long hair brunette who quickly joined the hug making a Alex sandwich between them.

“I’ve missed you girls so much.” Alex was whispering as the girls cried and hugged him tightly. He hadn’t realized until this moment how much he had really missed them and had a feeling it would be very painful to leave them once more.

Isabel didn’t want to intrude on the warm moment and thought that maybe she should go check in when her name was called. Turning toward the wide staircase she grinned to see her brothers quickly moving toward her.

“Max! Michael!” She grinned and pressed kisses to both their cheeks, “Sorry I am so late.”

Max took his sister’s hand, “If you hadn’t felt the need to be a hero and rescue someone from the snow then you wouldn’t have been so late.”

Isabel wanted to groan at his response. Her brother always had a habit of stating the obvious, “Well at least I called.”

“Did you eat?” Michael questioned brusquely.

She nodded thinking of her meal with Alex. Looking over her shoulder she saw that the hug had finally broken up and the girls were talking excitedly to him about their itinerary during their stay at the lodge. From what she could hear, Alex was going to be very busy.

At that moment, Alex looked up and met her gaze, “Isabel...I want you to meet my two best friends, Maria Deluca and Liz Parker.”

Isabel took a step away from her brothers to shake hands with the girls. Instead on the hand shake both girls pulled her into a deep hug causing her to frown in confusion.

“Thank you so much for helping Alex out. We owe you a huge debt.” Liz smiled broadly at the tall blonde, “This guy means the world to us.”

Maria was nodding her head in agreement, “How about we take you to dinner one night during your stay?”

Alex looked up at Isabel hoping that she would say yes. He really would like to see her again and it would give him something to look forward to after a long day getting bruised and beat up on the slopes.

“That sounds great.” she said, smiling.

“Uh Um” Someone cleared their throat and Isabel looked over to see her brothers standing there expectantly.

“Yes?”

“Is this the guy you picked up?” Max asked but Isabel noticed that his eyes were not on Alex but a little further to the right. Looking in that direction she wasn’t at all surprised to see him eyeing the brunette.

“This is Alex Whitman and his two best friends, Maria and Liz.” She introduced them while a smile tugged at her lips.

“Nice to meet you.” Max murmured toward causing Isabel’s smile to increase in size.

“So how long you staying at the lodge?” Maria questioned as she eyed both men sizing them up in the way that Alex had seen her do many times over.

“Through the week.” Isabel answered for them wondering why her brothers had gone uncharacteristically quiet.

“Great!” Maria jumped on the balls of her feet with joy as her long blonde curls bounced around her, “We should get together as a group and have dinner.”

Alex nodded in agreement as he found himself focused in on Isabel again and trying to think of ways that he could “accidently” bump into her during their stay. Maybe he would be able to spend time with her away from their family and friends.

A few minutes later, even Maria had run out of things to say and they admitted that they were exhausted and ready to call it a night. The late comers were surprised to see that it was already 11:00 and if they expected to get up early to ski bed time would be soon.

Isabel and Alex would have liked a moment to say good bye in private, but knew it would be unlikely. So with a smile and another thanks for his timely rescue, they moved off in separate directions hoping that tomorrow their paths would meet again.

TBC...

[KaraGail]

Part 4

Max Evans sat across from his sister, as they finished lunch, unable to ignore her and the mood she had been in for most of the morning. Maybe signing her up for the “design your own ornament” class hadn’t been as good an idea as Michael and he had believed.

“Come on, Isabel.” He sighed then set down his drink, “She was just doing her job.”

Isabel’s eyes flashed in anger as her fork dropped to her plate with a loud clatter, “Who does she think she is telling me to sit down and shut up? I don’t think she knows who she is dealing with.”

“You tried to take over the class, Iz.” He shook his head with disbelief at her actions, “She could barely get in a word edgewise.”

Michael grunted his agreement since he was also still perturbed, but for a different reason than his sister, “I still don’t know why we had to take the class with her. I thought the plan was for Isabel to go alone.”

His sister cut her eyes to him and Michael knew he needed to keep his trap shut, “You guys decided that we would come here for the holiday together. We are going to spend time together even if that means that you have to do girly things like decorate ornaments.”

Michael grunted once more before going back to eating and trying to tune out his siblings while enjoying his meal. He was used to his sister’s overbearing ways and usually just went with the flow to keep her happy. When Isabel turned her attention back to Max he gave an inaudible sigh of relief.

“I still don’t think she had the right to ask me to leave.” She frowned as she thought about her half-finished ornament that had been left behind.

“Her name was Karen and she asked you to sit down plenty of times. You shouldn’t have been trying to fix everyone’s project.”

“Well Karen wasn’t listening to my ideas.” Isabel huffed, “I mean, really? Who uses that much glitter? It looked more like a disco ball than a tree ornament.”

Max suddenly noticed that Isabel had attracted the attention of the guest at a nearby table with her rant. He gave a smile in their direction and lowered his voice, “The kids liked it, Iz.”

“I’m not a kid, Max.” She spat out, “Besides, I think the ornaments would have looked better my way.”

Her brother let out a sigh in frustration. He knew that Isabel was an immovable object when it came to her stubbornness and would probably hold a grudge. Max just hoped that he could manage to keep her away from Karen for the rest of their stay.


While Isabel was tormenting the instructor and her brothers, Alex was on the slopes scanning the crowds. He had hoped to run into Isabel on the slopes but so far had mistaken five different women for her. Very little skiing had taken place which he knew had aggravated his two companions.

“Earth to Alex!” Maria cupped her gloved hands around her mouth like a megaphone, “Come in Alex!”

He grimaced and turned his head back to the girls, who were currently covered from head to toe in snow gear. Liz was wearing a deep purple ski jacket with white pants while Maria was all in pink. Alex had toyed with the idea of calling them Easter eggs, but had valued his life too much to do so.

“Do you want to head back?” Liz questioned wondering where his mind was wandering off to and getting worried over his constant distraction.

Maria jumped in quickly with a nod, “Why don’t you go back and we will meet up with you later. I think Liz and I want to ski a bit more.”

‘I do?’ Liz wanted to say but was stopped by a harsh look from Maria that told her to keep quiet. She knew exactly why her blonde best friend wanted to stay. It had nothing to do with skiing and all to do with the blonde skier she was flirting with a few moments earlier.

Knowing that he was just holding them back, Alex nodded, “I think I will go grab some coffee and sit by the fire in the lobby with a book.”

"Great! We will see you soon.” Maria dismissed him and grabbed Liz’s gloved hand giving her a tug to follow behind.

Alex watched them for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and heading back to the lodge. He was actually looking forward to getting in front of the fire and having some quiet time to read the latest thriller that he had brought.

Stopping off at his room, he shed himself of most of his heavy snow suit and gear before grabbing his book and heading back downstairs. He remembered seeing a lounge near the lobby and decided to head in that direction for his drink.

The sight of Isabel Evans slipping inside a room down the hall made him stop in his tracks. He had been thinking of her all morning and now she suddenly appeared making him think that it was just a figment of his imagination. Alex decided that he could live with another embarrassment just in case it was her and followed her inside the door.

He was surprised to find himself in a huge room with tables scattered throughout. Currently it was empty which caused him to wonder why Isabel was there.

“Isabel?” Alex called out as he watched her stop by a specific table.

Like a deer caught in a set of headlights, Isabel froze in place before slowly turning to stare at him with wide eyes. The sight was almost comical as she continued to stand there as if her hand had been caught in the proverbial cookie jar.

“Alex?” She breathed out on a sigh of relief, “What are you doing in here?”

He stepped closer hoping she didn’t thinking he was stalking her, “I saw you come in and wanted to see if you would join me for a drink by the fire.”

Isabel found herself flustered. She had been so focused on her task that she’d been caught off guard by his appearance. Although, she couldn’t say she wasn’t glad to see him. Alex looked fantastic in his dark navy blue ski pants and white turtle neck.

Finally, she found her voice, “A drink sounds good. Let’s go.”

Alex watched her start to head for the door, “Wait a minute. You never did say what you were doing in here.”

Isabel stopped and looked at him sheepishly, “I came to get the ornament I made this morning.”

“Really?” his eyes widened in delight, “Can I see?”

She grimaces, “You don’t want to see it.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No you don’t.” Isabel shook her head, “I got kicked out before I could get it finished.”

“What?” he chuckled as her face flamed with embarrassment, “How did you get kicked out?”

“The instructor didn’t seem to care for my assistance in teaching the class.”

Alex frowned at that in confusion, “That doesn’t seem fair.”

Isabel grinned that someone was finally agreeing with her, “Exactly what I told her.”

“Well, where is the ornament that you started?”

“I think it may still be at the table I was working at. I was hoping to grab it before Karen, the instructor, came back.” She walked back over to the table and quickly spotted her half decorated glass ball.

Isabel had only gotten as far as creating the illusion of starlight on the blue ball. She wanted to do more but knew that, since she had been banned from the arts and crafts room, that she would have to work on it later.

“Okay, how about that drink?” She grinned at him and wasn’t surprised that her heart kicked up it’s beat when he returned her smile.

Alex followed her out of the room and soon they both found themselves sitting near the fire, talking and laughing. He had begun telling her about his work in computers but after seeing her eyes glaze over with all the information, he switch the topic.

“Do your brothers also live in New York?”

“Yes or else I probably wouldn’t have made it as long as I have in the city. No matter what, I am still the small town girl from Antar.”She smiled with humor, “Max is in residency at one of the local hospitals and Michael is pursuing a life long dream to be an artist.”

“An artist?” He said with surprise remembering the big hulking guy that he had met the night before.

“Well...right now a starving artist, but he has his first show soon and it looks like it will be a success.” Isabel was proud of both her brothers accomplishments.

“You big goof! You ran in to me!” a familiar voice cried from the entry way of the lobby and caused Alex and Isabel to look up at the commotion.

“I told you before. I did not run into you on purpose.” another voice bellowed.

Isabel frowned, “Is that Michael?”

Alex nodded, “And the girl he is arguing with is Maria.”

They abandoned their seats to find out what was going on with their friends. They came upon the scene of Maria poking Michael in the chest giving him a dressing down for something that happened on the slopes. Liz and Max seemed to be standing at a distance watching with growing amusement.

“Haven’t you heard of the code of etiquette? I had the right of way!”

Michael grew quiet as he watched the spit fire berate him with every breath from her mouth. He kind of had to admit that the little pixie was actually cute.

“What’s going on?”Isabel demanded stepping into the fray.

“What’s going on?” Maria turned her eyes on the interloper, “This neanderthal just caused me to fall face flat in the snow.”

The tall blonde turned to her brother, “Michael, did you cause Maria to fall?”

“She wasn’t watching where she as going.” he grunted remembering how he had seen her making googly eyes with another skier before she crossed in front of him.

Isabel let out a long sigh. There was no way Michael was going to apologize even if everything was his fault. She had a feeling that putting these two in a room together would be nothing but disastrous.

“Maria, how about my brother buys you a drink to apologize and all of you can come sit with us by the fire and warm up.”

Alex seeing that this could escalate, with Maria, decided he also needed to step in, “Yes come over, take a seat and rest. I am sure you are tired from being out there all day.”

After a few more words from Liz and Alex, Maria finally calmed down and gave in to their suggestion. Isabel then sent off a grumbling Michael to fil their drink orders.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

TBC...

[KaraGail]

Part 5

Max opened the door to the room that he and Michael were sharing. He had just come from escorting Liz Parker back to her own room after the groups afternoon spent by the lobby’s fire. They had a great time just laughing and talking about their lives and each other. Max definitely had enjoyed getting to know the petite brunette who spoke with almost an angelic voice. Of course, Michael had spent most of the time frowning and starring at Maria Deluca. He clearly had not gotten over their earlier run in.

“That was a long walk to her door.” Michael murmured from his bed where he sat sketching.

Max shut the door behind him and grinned at the memory of the last hour spent in the company of Liz, “Yeah, well we stopped off at the lounge for another drink and to talk.”

“Talk, huh?” Michael glanced up at his brother unable to ignore the fact that he was grinning like a fool, “Are you sure you didn’t do more than talk?”

Max shook his head knowing that Michael had no understanding of what he was currently feeling. This girl seemed to appeal to him in every way and he couldn’t get his mind off her.

“All we did was talk.” He threw his ski jacket on his bed, “She’s incredible, Michael.”

The wild haired sibling looked across the room with a frown in his brother’s direction. He had never heard him talk about a woman in such a manner and it worried him a lot. Sure there had been other girls in Max’s life, but there was something in the way he was talking about Liz.

“No, Max. You have only known her for a few hours.”

Max sighed and sat down heavily onto his bed, ‘I can’t help it, Michael. I have never felt like this before.”

“Well snap out of it!” he grunted and went back to his sketching.

The room went quiet for a few moments, the only sound coming from the scratch of Michael’s pencil. Max knew his brother was just worried about him. There had been many times that he had proclaimed himself in love, but they always seemed to fizzle quickly out.

“This is different, Michael.” He ran a hand across his neck wondering how he could convince him of his sincerity.

Michael let out a long drawn out sigh and threw his sketch book on to his bed. He was tired of listening to his love sick brother and decided to take a shower. He was half way across the room when a thought struck him and quickly turned back toward his bed and book. Max beat him to the punch and grabbed it up and starred down at the picture that Michael had been focusing on when he had walked into the room. There in pencil was a sketch of a familiar fiery tempered blonde.

“So it seems I’m not the only one affected today.” Max teased his brother.

Michael tried to grab the book from Max only to have it held out of his reach, “Give it back, Max”

He was embarrassed that he had gotten caught thinking about Maria Deluca, but there was just something about a woman whose eyes flashed with fire when she was angry. He had been surprisingly turned on by the barbs she threw his way and Michael had a feeling it wouldn’t be hard for him to get her riled up again.

Max finally dropped the sketch book back to Michael bed, but couldn’t stop the laughter that continued. His brother had always been antisocial and never showed emotion to anyone but his family.

“Aren’t we a pair?” he shook his dark head with amusement.

‘Somehow the Evan’s men had just lost their hearts’



Isabel glanced at her watch and then back up at the door to the lounge. Alex had called and asked her to meet him for a late night drink at the piano bar. She had quickly said yes, but now wondered if she had seemed a little too eager.

There was no doubt that she really liked Alex and wanted to spend time with him. It had been a few years since she had gotten excited about a man and that one had turned out disastrous. Isabel just hoped that Alex Whitman was nothing like the controlling Jesse Ramirez that she had dated for almost a year. Ever since the break up, she had promised herself that there would never be another man who had that kind of control over her and her life.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Alex grimaced as he sat down in the chair across from her, “I got stopped by this girl, named Trude, who needed directions to the hot tubs.” He grinned as he remembered the girls offer for him to join her, “She is visiting from Austria.”

“Austria?” Isabel raised an eyebrow, “What is she doing here at the ski lodge? Austria has the Alps, right?”

“I think so.” He shrugged, “I’ve never been there. The only thing I know about Austria is that it’s the birth place of Mozart and the setting for The Sound of Music.”

Isabel couldn’t help but let out a chuckle in amusement, “You’ve seen The Sound of Music?”

At her question, Alex felt the blush slowly rise up his neck, “ummm... Maria and Liz made me watch it.”

“What other movies have they made you watch?” she asked with humor shining in her eyes.

He chuckled and shook his head, “Every chick movie that has ever been made.”

The waitress finally arrived to take their drink orders and then quickly disappeared to fill them. Alex and Isabel sat comfortably in silence listening to the pianists play a familiar Christmas tune.

“I really enjoyed getting to know your brothers this afternoon. They both seem like good guys.” Alex smiled again as their eyes met.

Isabel returned his smile, “Michael can be a little rough around the edges, but they both have hearts of gold.”

“I’m sure you had a lot to do with that.” He said assuredly.

Her heart warmed at his compliment and Isabel wondered if Maria and Liz had a hand in the man he had become. The girls seemed very protective of their male friend and she had a feeling that if they knew that she liked him they would be watching her like a hawk.

Their drinks arrived and as they went back to silence while taking a sip, Isabel couldn’t help but notice the way the candlelight flickered in his eyes. The sight caused her heart to begin to pound in her chest as she realized that maybe it was too late and her feelings were more than just ‘like’.”

Alex grew silent as he continued to gaze at her, suddenly in awe of the fact that this beautiful woman was spending time with him. He wondered if he was a fool in trying to pursue a relationship with someone who was obviously way out of his league.

The music changed and suddenly one of Isabel’s favorite Christmas tunes began to play. She began to hum the verse as she remembered all the times that her family had gone out caroling and sang all of the songs to her neighbors.

Seeing the wistful look in her eyes, Alex glanced around the room and saw a small area reserved for couples who were dancing to the soft piano music. He cleared his throat and ran his hands down his pants leg to make sure his hands were not sweaty before asking her, “Would you care to dance, Miss Evans?”

Isabel’s eyes lit up even more and Alex knew he had done the right thing. Standing up he held his hand out to her waiting for hers to close around it. And when she did, that warmth in her heart suddenly exploded sending heat to her every part of her body. She intertwined her fingers with his as he guided her in the direction of the dance floor.

Alex felt his own heart throbbing and wondered if he would be able to survive this one dance. He had a feeling that the minute he got her into his arm there was no way he would be able to let her leave them ever again. He gazed down at Isabel and for a moment he completely forgot how to dance.

She seemed to see his dilemma and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him forward until his body brushed up against hers. Alex felt as if he had burned by her touch but couldn’t resist wrapping his own arms around her waist and drawing her ever nearer.

They swayed together, but neither one really heard the music as they became lost in the other’s eyes. This was a moment that neither one wanted to forget. It was the moment where Alex dipped his head forward while Isabel tipped hers back and then so slowly he covered her mouth with his own.

Her lips opened up easily underneath Alex’s as her taste intoxicated him making him want more. He hungered for more and deepened the kiss, tilting her head back even further as he cupped her face in his hands.

Isabel curled her fingers around the nape of his neck letting the digits slip through his hair. She returned his kiss with equal fervor and moaned when his tongue began to plunder her mouth.

Neither was sure how long they stood there so entwined in each others arms, it could have been seconds or even hours, they didn’t seem to care. It was the change in music that finally had Alex lifting his head and opening his eyes to find her eyes just as dazed as he knew his was.

Seeing that look, Alex began to feel his confidence take over and a smile slipped across his face, “Isabel," he began “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Without hesitation she replied, “Yes.”

TBC...

[KaraGail]

Part 6

Maria was fuming.

Her two so-called best friends had ditched her in favor of spending the day with Max and Isabel Evans. She was outraged that they prefered their company to hers, especially since they were supposed to be on vacation together.

Although she was angered by their action, Maria had still enjoyed her morning alone on the ski slopes. When there were still no signs of Alex and Liz by lunch time, she had grown quite grumpy and had stomped off to the dining room for a quick bite to eat.

Maria had been surprised to find out about her friends interest in the siblings. She was usually the one who was in and out of relationships while Alex and Liz waited on the sidelines for the moment that they would help her pick up the pieces of her life again. It had made her weary of the opposite sex after being on the receiving end of such disastrous relationships.

She sighed, ‘Like mother, like daughter’ and walked into the crowded restaurant.

Since she as alone, Maria did not have a hard time getting a table and before she knew it her order was placed before her. There would be time later for her to think about how to get even with her friends, right now she wanted to warm up with the soup that was steaming in the bowl.

“Ummm....Maria, isn’t it?” a masculine voice came from above her causing her to choke on the soup that she was sipping.

Sputtering, Maria brought her napkin to her lips and looked up angrily at the intruder. She was hardly surprised to see that it was the other Evan’s brother. The one who had knocked her over yesterday and now was making her choke on her lunch.

“What are you? Crazy?” She finally coughed out and flashed him a look of indignation.

Maria was surprised to see him shrug off her words and then sit himself down in the chair across from her. He was a big man that seemed to fill the whole table not leaving her much room underneath to place her own legs.

“Where in that, ‘What are you? Crazy?,’ did I invite you to sit down?” She expelled an exasperated sound.

Michael raised his hand for the red headed waitress he spotted walking by and asked for a menu. He knew Maria wasn’t too happy to see him, but he had been walking by the dining room and seen that she was sitting and eating by herself. Somehow his feet had taken a life of their own and instead of going on to his room, they had turned to enter the restaurant.

“I’m waiting for an answer.” Maria continued as she placed her spoon down and starred at him.

“I was hungry.” He finally said before taking the menu that the waitress brought giving a glance to her name tag. “I think I’ll have the soup as well, Sybille.”

For some reason the girl blushed at the way he said her name, before slipping off with a smile to place his order. Maria wanted to groan out loud at the attention that he was getting from their server, but decided not to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she had noticed.

“Did you go skiing this morning?” Michael asked trying to start up a conversation. He was never good at small talk and hoped that Maria would start and all he would have to do is give a nod of his head at the important stuff.

Maria was still a little perturbed that he had sat at her table without being asked, but decided not to get her blood pressure up over this neanderthals’ behavior. She had been around far worse manners and would just have to handle him as she had with countless others.

“I did.” Maria nodded before going back to sip on her soup and trying to ignore him.

Michael frowned and wondered what he had done wrong. He didn’t think he had insulted her by asking about her morning, but maybe unknowingly he had. Why were women so difficult to understand?

“Were you with Max and Isabel?” He tried again.

Maria grunted in displeasure, “Your siblings and my best friends decided that they wanted to spend the day together and not with me.”

Michael raised an eyebrow in understanding as he realized that this is probably what got her panties in a wad. Maria did not like to be left out of anything.

“Did you really want to be around them while they were making googly eyes at each other?”

Hearing that, Maria couldn’t help but smile and shake her head, “I guess not. It was bad enough seeing them do it by the fire last night.”

Michael had to agree as well, “I think Max and Liz went five minutes without blinking while starring at each other.”

She sputtered again but this time with laughter, “You were timing them?”

He shrugged, “Nothing else to do.”

“You could have joined in on the conversation.”

“I’m not very good with conversation.” He admitted with abashment.

Maria frowned at that, “You are doing fine right now with me.”

Michael was surprised to find that she was right. He had been able to hold up his end of the discussion without his normal grunts and head nods. Why was this woman so easy to talk with?

“Well, Michael..” Maria turned her head to give him the once over before making her decision, “If you have no plans for the rest of the day, and since we have been ditched, would you like to spend it with me?”

Michael felt a moment of apprehension while his heart beat raced in anticipation. Looking into her beautiful blue grey eyes, he was helpless to do anything but nod his agreement and hope that he hadn’t just agreed to do something that he was unprepared for. Like falling in love.



Isabel couldn’t believe how her date with Alex was feeling like a beautiful dream. Dinner had been wonderfully prepared and presented to them in a candle-lit corner of the restaurant, while the conversation had been light and entertaining. After spending the day with him and then having dinner, Isabel felt as if she had known him forever.

“You sure you don’t want another bite of this cake, Isabel?” Alex asked as he raised his fork that was filled with the luscious chocolate treat.

Isabel groaned and sat back in her chair, “I am stuffed. If I eat any more, you will need to get a forklift in here to move me.”

He chuckled and shook his head, “I sincerely doubt that, but I do have something planned for after dinner if you are up for it.”

“A surprise?” Her eyes lit up with the thought.

He nodded and signed for the bill, “We better get going. We are supposed to be there in about five minutes.”

“Be where?” Isabel quizzed. She may love surprises, but it was hard for her to be patient.

“Come on.” He rose from his seat and helped her, “You will find out in five minutes.”

Isabel’s hand slipped comfortably into Alex’s as he led her out of the room and to the front lobby. She hoped she was dressed properly for what he had planned. It had taken her hours to pick out the long black leather skirt and burgundy low-cut sweater with her knee length boots. By the way Alex was dressed, charcoal pants and long sleeved black sweater, she figured she had done well in her decision.

“Here, you will need this.” Alex caught her attention and she looked up to find him standing there with her coat. “I asked Max to bring it down for you.”

“We are going out?” Isabel frowned as he helped slide her arms into the coat.

He merely smiled and began putting his own coat on, “Yes.”

A few moments later, they were out the front door and Isabel stopped short when she saw the horse drawn sleigh parked at the front of the lodge. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she turned to look at Alex who was giving her a look of expectation. Suddenly, Isabel spun around and threw herself into his arms.

“How did you manage it?”

“I just had a feeling it would be something you liked so I asked the concierge if they had anything like this.” He murmured into her ear while holding her tightly, “I take it you approve?”

Isabel leaned back and nodded before grabbing his hand again and pulling him down the steps in excitement. Alex helped her into the sleigh before nodding to the driver to proceed and with a tinkling of the bells tied to the horse’s halter, they were off.

A heavy dark fur blanket was provided for them to drape across their laps, while Alex curled his arm around Isabel’s shoulder in an effort to provide her warmth. Soon the driver had them out in open field and away from the lights of the lodge.

“This is magical, Alex.” Isabel whispered in awe as she tipped her head back to look at the clear night sky. “There are so many stars.”

He tilted his own head back, “When I was a teenager in New Mexico, I used to drive out to the desert to look up at the stars.”

She glanced over at him with a small smile, “I’m sure you were not alone on those rides to the desert.”

His face flushed in embarrassment at her innuendo even though she was right, “Well, I was still a teenage guy even if I liked corny things like stargazing.”

“I don’t think stargazing is corny.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.

For a few minutes they sat there in silence just enjoying each other’s company and the sounds of the horses hooves crunching into the white stone. Isabel snuggled closer to Alex, relishing the feel of his arms wrapped around her.

“I never expected this.” Alex found himself whispering.

“What do you mean?”

He sighed and turned her head so that he could meet her eyes, “You. I never expected to meet you.”

Isabel understood what he was telling her. She never expected to find someone as wonderful as Alex on this trip.

“It’s complicated, Alex.” She let out a deep sigh of her own.

Alex nodded in agreement, “You live in New York and I live in California.”

Isabel lifted a hand and caressed his cheek with her fingers, “I really like you, Alex Whitman. If we had met a few years ago, I probably would have chucked my whole career and moved to California to be with you, but I can’t do that now.”

He felt his heart breaking slowly and had to shut his eyes to block out seeing the pain in her own, “I know.”

She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek, “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. Will I see you?”

Alex opened his eyes and frowned in confusion, “Do you still want to see me?”

“Yes.” Isabel gave a sad smile, “I would love to spend the rest of the week with you Alex even if it’s all we will ever have.”

He nodded in agreement. They would just have to make the most of these three days that were left. Alex had a feeling that he would be thinking about them for the rest of his life.

TBC...

[KaraGail]

Part 7

Liz walked down the corridor with a giant smile spread across her face. She had just come from spending another day with Max Evans and would soon be meeting him again for dinner. He had wanted to see her back to her room, but Liz couldn’t see the sense in it since they would be seeing each other soon.

Max was certainly not like any other man that she had ever met. He was so gentle, kind, intelligent and good looking that it was impossible for her not to be attracted to him. Plus he was a doctor.

Liz shook her head and chuckled at the notion. Most women would want a rich doctor; but she on the other hand, found his scientific mind to be quite a turn on. The fact that he could keep up with her discussion of the newest vaccine that she was researching and that his eyes were not glazing over, made him very special.

Glancing at her watch, Liz knew that she needed to hurry if she was to get showered and changed before Max came to pick her up. Never before had she gone on a date on Christmas Eve, but it seemed that she was doing a lot of new things on this vacation.

Placing her key card in the slot, she waited for the light to turn green before pushing the door open. She hoped Maria was there and would be willing to help her get ready, she had seemed awfully perturbed with Liz when she had come in late the night before. Liz had not wanted to ask her where she had been and rile her up even more so she had pretended to be asleep.

“Maria?” She called out while entering into their room, but was stopped in her tracks at the sight before her.

“Liz!” Maria cried out as she scrambled off the bed where she had been pinned beneath the fully clothed body of Michael Evans. It was obvious by their disheveled appearance that she had caught them in the middle of a very heated make out session. “What are you doing back so early?”

Michael sat up on the edge of the bed and began buttoning his shirt back up and not looking at either woman. He was still a little confused at how they came to be in her room, kissing like there was going to be no tomorrow. It seemed that he had been on a roller coaster ride of emotions from the moment he met Maria Deluca and he had no idea what to do about it.

“It’s after 6.” Liz couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the embarrassed couple. This was certainly an interesting turn of events, “I didn’t see a towel on the door knob so I didn’t know you were busy in here.”

Maria groaned at her best friends needling. She should have never brought Michael up to her room, but the minute he had kissed her at the bottom of the ski slope she had thought of nothing but getting him alone and seeing if it had been as amazing as she had first thought. Maria had not been disappointed the second time around, or even the fifth.

“No, Michael was just leaving.” She nodded in his direction not wanting to make eye contact. Maria feared that if she looked into Michael’s dark eyes again there would be no doubt that Liz would quickly be kicked out of the room so that she could ravish him.

He grabbed his coat from the end of her bed and with a slight nod of his head left the girls standing there. Michael needed a shower, preferable an ice cold one.

“So?” Liz raised and eyebrow and wrapped her arms across her chest in a ‘I’m waiting’ gesture.

“What?” Maria asked innocently as she began straightening the cover on her bed that had become twisted with Michael and her movements.

“Come on, chica. Spill.”

The blonde let out a sigh and sank on to the edge of the bed, “I don’t know what happened. One moment I was yelling at him for knocking me over and the next I was kissing him senseless.”

“Looked like he was an active participant.” Liz chuckled but stopped when she saw the look of pure misery on Maria’s face, “What wrong?”

“What am I doing, Liz?” She shook her head, “I can’t afford to be feeling like this now.”

Liz sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in comfort, “What are you feeling, Maria?”

“I have no idea.” Maria sniffled and brushed an escaped tear from her cheek, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone, Liz. I have only known him for a couple of days and I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Liz pulled Maria in to her shoulder as she thought about her time with Max, “I have a feeling that you, Alex and I are not going to be leaving this lodge with our hearts in tact.”




Alex had never felt so excited and yet so depressed at the same time before. Isabel was planning a surprise for their quiet Christmas Eve celebration, but the thought of her walking out of his life soon kept his mood tampered down.

Another day had been spent enjoying the snow and each other’s company. They easily ditched Max and Liz before they slipped off to go ice skating. Isabel had been a natural, while Alex had fallen on his butt over and over until she took pity and wrapped an arm around his waist to guide him around the rink. He hadn’t minded too much.

Knocking on Isabel’s door, he wondered what her surprise was. She’d been quite secretive and had disappeared when they returned from skating, claiming that she had a lot to take care of and for him to come to her room at 7:00.

The door creaked open and Alex gasped in pleasure at the sight of Isabel standing there. He had a feeling that if they were to meet again in 50 years, his breath would still be taken away by her beauty.

“Hi Alex.” She smiled with joy at seeing him, “You are right on time.”

“Are you ready then?” Alex asked when he finally found his voice.

“Actually your surprise is here.” Isabel felt heat creep up her neck. She had never invited a man that she had only known for four days to her room.

“Here?” his voice was barely audible.

“Shut your eyes.” She commanded even as her own heart raced in anticipation.

Alex did as she asked with no protest and was rewarded by a brush of her lips against his. He gave a slight moan of pleasure and she was unable to stop herself for deepening the kiss for a second longer.

“Keep them shut.” She whispered as their lips lost connection and she took his hand in hers, “Follow me.”

A few minutes later they were in her room and she took a second to give it another look before glancing back up at Alex to memorize this moment, “Okay. You can open them.”

Alex was floored by the sight before him as he glanced around her room. Isabel had gone to the trouble of decorating her room into a romantic winter wonderland for two. There was a beautifully decorated tree all lit up with twinkling colored lights and a fire roaring in the fire place keeping the room cozy and warm. His attention was then brought to the small table for two that was especially inviting with the flowers and candles.

‘Wow!” He whispered in amazement, “How did you do all of this in a couple of hours?”

Isabel glanced around the room with pride in her eyes, “I actually had help. Do you remember the woman who kicked me out of the ornament designing class?”

Alex nodded and frowned in thought, “Her name was Karen or Kara, right?”

“Karen.” She smiled happy that he remembered their conversation from a few days prior, “I found her today and apologized for my disruption of the class.”

“You apologized?” Alex asked with shock. He may have only known this woman for a short while but he did know that apologies did not come easy for her.

“Yes, I did. Don’t be so shocked.” Isabel chuckled at his expression, “Anyway, Karen accepted and when I told her what I was planning she offered to help.”

“Well you both did a wonderful job.” Alex moved over to the table and held out a chair for her, “My lady.”

Dinner was a success as they both relaxed and just enjoyed the romantic atmosphere that Isabel had created. Alex had even reached across the table and took her hand in his own as they sat there watching the candlelight flicker in each others eyes. Without the other knowing, they both gave silent pleas that the night would never end.

TBC...

[KaraGail]

A/N Merry Christmas!! This story is dedicated to my league members who have each made a personal appearance thus far... Nathan (crazy man), Karen (her way or the highway), Trude (coaxing Alex to the hot tubs) and Sybille (gladly waiting on Michael).. You are the reason I continue to write and I am thankful that you still seem to enjoy it.


Part 8


Alex did not want to wake up from the dream that had Isabel in his arms all night long. During the past few days she had starred in many of his night time fantasies, but this one had them all beat.

He let out a small groan at the intensity of the dream, but kept his eyes shut with the effort of retaining the erotic images that seemed to continue parading through his mind. In fact, it had been so realistic that he could swear that the flavorful taste of her was still lingering on his tongue, as well as smell the musky fragrance of their coupling.

Knowing that he needed to give in to the inevitable, Alex slowly opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust. The girls would be expecting him soon for their Christmas morning celebration and if he was just a minute late with their presents they would do serious damage to his body.

“Damn.” He muttered under his breath as he also realized that this would be his last day with Isabel.

In reply, a muffled murmur came from the other side of the bed, and he turned his head on the pillow to find that Isabel had indeed stepped out from his dreams.

And then, all of a sudden, last night hit him. The dream had not been a dream after all. They really had made love. If he recalled correctly, it had been more than once.

Alex lifted a hand to brush a stray hair from her face while he took in her beauty. He grinned at the sound of a soft snore coming from between her luscious red lips. Alex was certain that Isabel wouldn’t think that it was as cute as he did.

Unable to help himself Alex leaned over and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder, once again enjoying the taste of her skin. The memory of how he had used his mouth and tongue the night before was still fresh in his mind and his body began to react at the thought.

“Mmm.” Isabel stirred turning on her side to face him.

Alex smiled but then groaned when he felt her extend one long leg to brush against his own. Her eyes were still closed, but it was evident that she was awake and aware of him beside her.

“Merry Christmas.” Alex offered as he caressed his lips across her temple.

“Merry Christmas.” Isabel replied sleepily

He scooted over to close the few inches that separated them, then rolled to cover the top half of her body with his own. The feel of her naked beneath caused his blood to start boiling.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked with a husky voice filled with passion.

“Mmm. Very.” She replied with a naughty smile as her eyes opened to half-mast to gaze at him.

Alex leaned down and captured those smiling lips with his own. He couldn’t help but think that it had been a kiss, such as this, that had led to their clothes being scattered around Isabel’s room while the heat over took them and they made love in front of the fire place and then later in the comfortable bed.

Isabel curled her fingers around his nape and pulled him even closer as the kiss deepened. Alex’s tongue swept inside her mouth seeking her very essence and she moaned her pleasure. She felt him stirring with arousal and reached between their bodies to wrap her fingers around him.

“Oh God!” he sighed before dropping his lips to her throat trailing open mouth kisses along her collarbone and down to find her breast.

She was flooded with arousal at the feel of him taking her taught nipple into the wet caverns of his mouth. Alex, with just a simple touch, had aroused her faster than any of the men that she had been with in the past.

Soon he was cradled between her thighs, both crying out in pleasure at the feel of him entering her. Unlike the frantic tumbles of the night before, Alex and Isabel took their time as they found a rhythm that was leisurely but also demanding. Hands caressed, lips mated and sighs were answered with sighs. It was a magical experience for them both as Alex continued to bury himself in her over and over until Isabel cried out her completion which sent him over the precipice with her.

“Alex.” She whispered in awe as he nestled between her breast trying to catch his breath.

Finally, Alex lifted his head and looked down at her. He was surprised to see the tears that were swimming in her eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked worriedly.

Isabel tried to smile and gave a slight nod as she reached up to caress his cheek. He truly was a special person and their future separation was upsetting her more than she thought it would. She knew she should be regretting spending the night with him, but somehow when she looked into his eyes she was certain that she would never regret being with him.

Alex could see the pain in her eyes and knew they were reflecting what he was feeling in his heart. How was he going to let this woman go? In such a little amount of time Isabel Evans had come to mean everything to him.



“Where is Alex?” Maria demanded of Liz as she paced their room.

“I am sure he just over slept.” Liz said from her bed flipping through a magazine and trying to ignore her friend.

“Let’s just go over to his room and pull him out of bed like we used to.” She grinned evilly. “That will teach him not to keep us waiting.”

A knock on the door kept Liz from responding.

“Finally!”Maria cried out and quickly pulled open the door., “Where have you been?”

Alex stood there with a pile of gift wrapped presents in his arms. Automatically both girls sensed that something was wrong and went immediately to comfort him.

“Are you alright?” Liz helped him unload the packages and shut the door behind him.

Maria stood there silently watching him. She had always been protective of Alex ever since that first day and was ready to go and defend his honor once more. If someone she loved was hurting then she would be the first to offer her support.

“I’m fine.” Alex gave a small smile as he looked down at them, “At least I will be.”

“What happened?” Maria finally asked as she took his hand in her own.

“I’ve fallen in love.” He answered her with a shake of his head.

“That’s great!” Liz smiled at the thought, “It’s Isabel, isn’t it?”

Alex nodded before sinking down on to the edge of one of the girls bed. He had left Isabel only a half hour ago and already he was missing her and he just knew that she was feeling the same.

“Okay, why are you so depressed then?” Maria sat down beside him.

“She is leaving.” Alex sighed in frustration, “Isabel is going back to New York and I will be heading back to California.”

“Oh!” Liz said in understanding and then tried to give him some thing to hope for “Well maybe you will still see each other.”

“Long distance relationships never work, Liz.”

Neither girl knew how to comfort Alex. They knew that he was right but couldn’t help but be relieved that they only lived a few hours drive from Michael and Max. If they had lived on the other side of the country then it would have created a huge problem.

Maria wrapped an arm around Alex as Liz did the same on the other side. The three of them sat there for a moment until he let out a deep sigh and tried to give them one of his famous grins.

“Some Christmas, eh?” Alex said sarcastically wondering how he could find love only to have it taken away.

TBC...

[KaraGail]

Part 9/ Conclusion


Max watched the taillights of his sister’s jeep as it faded out of sight. He had not wanted Isabel to leave, but she had been adamant that she needed to get back to work and he was helpless to stop her. When Isabel set her mind there was no changing it.

He should have known that something was wrong yesterday while they were celebrating Christmas together. She had been unusually quiet and unlike herself during holiday event. Even Michael making a pig of himself at breakfast did not rile her attention.

It had not been until last night, during a visit with Liz, that Max had found out what was going on with his sister. Finding out that his usually cautious sibling had fallen for the stranger that she had pick up on the road had come as quite a shock

Both Michael and himself had tried talking to Isabel, but with very little result. Instead she had basically, kicked them out of her room feigning exhaustion and begging off the rest of their holiday activities. Neither brother were surprised when she called early that morning to inform them that she was leaving.

Max let out a frustrated sigh and turned to head back into the lodge. He hoped his sister would be able to get over the heart ache that he knew she must be feeling. He was glad that Liz and he would be able to still see each other when they got home. If he had to go through what Isabel and Alex were he didn’t know if he could do it. Max had a feeling that Michael was thinking the same about Maria.

“Hi Max.”

As if conjured by his recent thoughts, Alex appeared before him. Max couldn’t help but notice that he had his coat on and packed bags by his feet. He also noticed the pain in his eyes that Max had just seen in his sisters. He wondered if Alex knew that Isabel had just left and that was why he was also leaving.

“Hi Alex. Are you on your way out?”

Alex nodded and gave a small smile, “The rental agency dropped off another car and my flight leaves in a couple of hours.”

“Well it was nice meeting you, Alex?” Max held out his hand, “Maybe one day we will meet again.”

As he shook his hand, Alex tilted his head to the side and regarded Max. Finally he murmured, “Take care of her for me.”

Max didn’t have to be a mind reader to know who he was referring to, “Always.”

The tall man gave a final nod of his head before grabbing up his bags and headed out the front door. Max hoped for both of their sakes that somehow Alex and Isabel would work this out and get on with their lives.

****

Isabel was miserable.

She had been in this state for the last week and every day that passed was getting worse. Immersing herself in work didn’t seem to be helping at all like it used to do when she was upset.

In fact, Isabel had been hard pressed to even think about sketching a new design and found herself doodling initials on her pad.

Alex.

She was missing Alex terribly and didn’t know what to do about it. It didn’t help that it was New Years Eve and everything was reminding her that it was one of the most romantic day of the year and should be spent with the one you loved. Of course, the man that she had fallen in love with was thousands of miles away and probably not even giving her one moment of thought.

‘That’s not true and you know it.’ Her inner voice scolded causing Isabel to sigh in defeat and throw her pencil back on her desk.

The image of Alex on Christmas would stay with her forever. He had come to her room to give her a gift and tell her goodbye. They both knew it would be too hard to have another night like the one before and wake up knowing that it was over.

“Wait till you get back to New York before opening it.” Alex had pleaded as he sat the gift on a nearby table.

Tears had pooled in her eyes as he took a step toward the door. This was it, the moment that she dreaded as he left her life.

“Wait!” Isabel had cried out and raced into his arms.

She needed this. One final kiss so that she could always remember the taste of him and how it felt to have her heart race with his touch. A second later that very same heart was broken when he tore himself away and fled her room with a murmured “Goodbye”

Isabel had spent the rest of the night and most of her journey home in tears. At one point she was crying so hard that she had to pull off the road only to find herself in the parking lot of the diner Alex and she had stopped at on the first night. Big sobs had racked her body and she knew she must look a sight crying into her steering wheel. Eventually she had made it home, but it had taken her another few days before she was ready to open his present.

With shaking hands, Isabel picked up the snow globe that now sat on the corner of her desk. The sight of the couple in the horse drawn sleigh always choked her up, but she couldn’t force herself to put it away. It helped her remember how perfect it had been with him and how romantic that evening was.

The door to her office opened and Isabel looked up to see her assistant, Martina, standing there, “Miss Evans there is a gentleman here to see you. He says that you are expecting him.”

Isabel frowned and glanced down at her appointment book. She had no one scheduled for today and knew it couldn’t be her brother’s who had plans with Maria and Liz for the evening.

“Did he give you his name?”

Martina gave a shake of her head, “I figured you would know what it was about. He assured me you would want to see him.”

Isabel let out a deep sighed and nodded her head, “Very well. Send him in.”

Her assistant returned her nod and left leaving Isabel to clean up her desk and put away her non existent sketches. Maybe she would have time to try to get some more work done once her visitor left.

“Hello Isabel” A familiar voice said from the doorway causing Isabel’s heart to race and her head to fly up.

In the last week, Isabel had pictured this moment. She had never really believed it would happen, but seeing Alex standing there in the door way of her office made her think that maybe dreams did come true.

“Alex? What are you doing here?” Isabel quickly rose to her feet.

He grinned and shut the door behind him, “Well it seems that I got all the way back to California before I realized I had lost something. I figured you would know where it was.”

Isabel frowned in confusion trying to think if she had found anything of his in her room. She knew that she would have noticed if she had.

“I don’t have anything of yours.”

Alex’s smile got even bigger as he rounded her desk and came to a stop in front of her, “I wasn’t sure either that’s why I had to come to see you. Now that I have I am certain that you have it.”

She simply looked up at him, “What?”

He reached out and took her hand in his before bringing it up to place against his chest, “My heart, Isabel. You have my heart.”

Isabel closed her eyes feeling the tears well up and whispered his name. Why was he doing this to her? He had to know that it would be impossible for them to be so far apart.

Alex brushed the moisture from underneath her eyes and held his breath waiting for her response. He had spent the better part of this week getting prepared for this moment and now he was here and with her again. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

“It would never work, Alex.” Isabel finally sighed and opened her eyes to look up at him, “We talked about this.”

Alex’s hands cupped her face as he gazed into her brown eyes, “I don’t give a damn, Isabel. I love you and I know we can make this work.”

“How Alex?” She asked on a sob as her gaze searched his for an answer.

He smiled, “It’s the prerogative of the boss if he decides he wants to move his company to New York.”

Isabel frowned and sniffled her nose, “Boss? Your boss is moving his company here?”

Alex chuckled with amusement, “Actually you are looking at the boss and yes I decided to move my headquarters here.”

With those words, Isabel felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. He was moving to New York and he was doing it for her.

“Oh Alex.” She cried and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love you and missed you so much.”

He held her tightly and brushed his hand down the length of her golden hair. Alex felt his own eyes stinging when she admitted that she loved him. He had been worried that maybe he was the only one.

Isabel lifted her head and looked into his eyes “Are you sure, Alex?”

He smiled and dropped his lips to hers for a quick but thorough kiss, “Absolutely. In fact, I am so sure that we were meant to be that I already made reservations for next Christmas at the lodge for our Anniversary.”

“You did?” Isabel asked surprised while running her fingers through his hair. She was still in awe that he was there and that she was in his arms.

“From the moment you rescued me from the side of the road, Isabel, I was yours.” Alex took a deep breath and let it out, “I plan on being around for quite awhile if you will have me.”

Isabel bit the bottom of her lip and smiled, “That definitely will not be a problem, Alex.”

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly and reverently, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Mmm.” She moaned on the end of the kiss and nodded, “Or we can just lock the door and have our own New Years Eve celebration here.”

“Lady,” Alex grinned as he pulled her closer to him, “I like the way you think.”


The End.