Would you die for me? Wait, no. That's too easy... Would you live for me?

These days Alejandro is completely upset about everything that happened between James and Imogen, and he just wasn't able to think about anything else. At work, at home .. Wherever he is, these two idiots were in his thoughts.
Is ihe really the only one who is thinking about the consequences?
However, his bosses have noticed a change and it was really bad.
They asked him what is the problem and he absolutely didn't know what to tell them.
If he said he is concerned about a potential relationship between his brother and sister in law, they would surely have declared him insane.
That's why he did lowest thing ever, he used his child as an excuse.
He said that Jasmin is very sick and that he was worried and they gave him three days off, hoping that his daughter will be better soon.
How wonderful, now he will think about that all the time, without anything that might draw his attention.

He returned home early because of his sudden short vacation, but Jasmin was already asleep.
He locked the door with spell when nanny left.
He believed that it is pointless to use the key.
Muggles couldn't pull off the spell to break into the house, but when it comes to the magical world, the keys are simply useless.

He showered and put on the lower part of tracksuit and then came down to the kitchen and ate dinner.
Dinner was delicious. As always, nanny made an excellent meal.

He just washed the dishes when he heard the front door open.
Front door?
He took out his wand ready for burglars and instead of them into the house entered... "Katrien?"
He looked at her in surprise. How dare she just show up here?
"I know you heard about James and Imogen" he said before she said anything and then he put down his wand.
Katrien is on his black list, but certainly she isn't someone who would hurt him or Jasmin.
At least not physically.
"I'm taking care of this, Imogen will be okay, I promise. You can go, there is no problem" he continued to stare at her. Even now, it was hard to figure out that she is  alive and in his house with her turquoise blue hair and covered in tattoos.

It took her six months to plan every step of this visit. No, the idea came to her overnight, but she was already in Sweden with Elizabeth's kids and months away from going back to England. However, during those six months she had a plenty of time to come up with a proper plan, unlike the previous time that ended up being a failure, all that while she watched over her nieces and a nephew while they were too busy exploring all the hidden places of the estate where she spent her early childhood before her parents didn't ditch their children and disappeared, and her grandparents took custody of the kids. She hasn't visited the estate ever since, yet she was the one who offered Elisabeth to took her kids outside the country until her sisters sort out the family problems she caused.

She wondered if people think that she ran away again. If her sisters thought dad. Katrien liked to call her trip a strategic withdrawal. Leaving until she figures up what's the best way to achieve her goals, without making lots of damage in the process. So there she was, standing in front of the house in London suburb, dressed in pink shirt and jeans stuffed in knee length booths and oversized coat that hid her figure. The exact same clothes she wore when she disappeared a couple of year back. On this date. She waited for this specific date because she wanted to play this part perfectly, the plan itself was enough crazy only a few people would actually believe in it, she didn't care. The only person she has to convince that she's telling a truth is the man who lived in the house. Her husband.

The only thing that was different was her hair. It was still the very same shade of turquoise she had ever since she disappeared, although her dark roots could now be seen, unlike the previous time she tried to reconnect with the family she abandoned.

Her former try was doomed ta fail, she knew that from the second she saw the way Alejandro looked at her, but it was worthy. She learned her lesson and left until she was ready to try again.

That's why she was now gripping a plastic bag full of pink hats, cake candles and a bag of sugar, the very same things that were her excuse when she disappeared the last time. She went to the shop to buy them but never came back. She couldn't come back, not without bringing a danger (and possibly death) to her family.

Katrien walked over short path until she was facing the door, pulled a copy of the key Imogen made for her and unlocked the door.

"Honey? I'm home!" She rushed in, pushing the door closed and hugged Alejandro that happens to stand near the door. It wasn't a coincidence, she waited for him to walk over there before making her move. She kissed his cheek and let him go, looking at him with a wide smile on her face. "They didn't have any sugar in the nearest shop so I had to walk three blocks to find some, but we're all good now and ready to start making a cake." Katrien put the bag on the table next to the entrance door they used to leave keys on and pulled down her coat, hanging him neatly in the wardrobe. "Is the princess still sleeping?" She turned back to him hearing him rumbling something about Imogen and James. It almost made her chuckle, he was more upset about the whole thing than Imogen was, but instead of amusement her face gave up the impression of her being confused. "Mo? She's still in the USA, I told you that after we talked yesterday, she hoped she could come over for Jasmin birthday but she got some extra work to do for that annoying boss of hers so she can't make it work. It is going to be Jasmin's first birthday without her so we need to make sure her birthday party will be a blast. It's the first time my princess is turning 2, after all."

If someone asked Alejandro what was weird about this evening, the answer would be very clear and simple; everything was weird.
Katrien hugged him and kissed his cheek and 'Honey'? Really?.
Alejandro was just staring at her noticing some details which almost made him throw up his dinner. Not actually details but...
Her clothes .. Her clothes affected like a hurricane on him. With the exception of her turquoise hair, she looked the same as the day she disappeared.
When she went to buy the ingredients which, by the way she has now, and Alejandro spent three hours waiting for her to come home, before Elizabeth came to him crying and told him that Katrien was dead.
Imogen was in the USA and was preparing to return immediately to London.

"What is this Katrien?" he said through his teeth, fighting with the need to scream.
"Some kind of funny way to make things right after 3 years? You show up here now as if we can just continue a story that stopped when you left me?" he looked at her fully and frankly angry.
When she suddenly appeared a little over six months ago, that was fine, even though he was hurt by the fact she lied to him, he understood that she wanted to see their daughter.
But this? This was some kind of sick joke, and he didn't want to be part of it.

He looked at her when she said 'two years' and he almost hysterical laugh.
"2 years? Tomorrow is Jasmin's fifth birthday and you know it. Time didn't stop at the moment when you left us" he said angrily and then looked back at her clothes.
"You know what? Fu*k you Katrien. Whichever sick game you play, I won't be a part of it" he shook his head and moved away from her.

He couldn't bear to look at her. He just couldn't look that idiot, precisely his wife, or ex wife (he wasn't sure anymore) who acted as a psychopath.
Maybe she is a psychopath? Hell, who is woman with whom he was in marriage for 5 years?
Alejanro marched into the living room looking for a drink.
Katrien has obviously decided to come periodically, every time he thought he was okay, she appears again.
Now she even preformed a show for him, unlike the last time when she just came and demanded to see Jasmine.
He found a bottle of tequila, the same on which opened last time she was here.
Hell, does everything need to have something with her? He threw the bottle against the wall, he could almost see the moment when the glass scattered in a million glittering pieces and liquid created a dark stain on the wall.
He will need to fix this in the morning, but now he simply doesn't care.

He looked at his watch, it was only 5 pm but he felt exhausted as if he hadn't slept for 50 hours at least.
"I'm serious Katrien, I will NOT be part of your sick games or whatever you're doing now. You know where the door is, I'm sure you can left the house by yourself. It's not like it will be the first time you leave us" He shrugged and headed up the stairs to his room.
He simply decided that he won't allow her to see how she hurts him, over and over again.
Broken bottle, that was the only evidence of his emotions for tonight, but it will be gone by morning, just like her. At least he hop

Katrien Faulkner wasn't foolish enough to think that her husband would believe in her story. After placing herself in his place and wondering, would she believe him if their roles were different if he's the one that disappeared and now returned (for the second time!) with amnesia she wouldn't believe in any word he said. Thus, she was ready to take everything to the different level to make it more believable.

She stared at him with tears already glistening in her eyes, the curiosity of the eye drops she took half an hour earlier knowing they need some time to start working. "Alejandro, don't…don't yell at me." She took a step back, faking just enough fear and surprise to make it real, or so she hoped. "What are you talking about? Leaving you? If you hadn't wanted for me to go to the shop, you should have said something before I left." Her lower lip trembled slightly like she's on the edge of crying. Or starting to yell.

"Why are you doing this?" She hugged herself and walked towards the living room where she sat at the end of the sofa, hoping that Alejandro would follow her.

"Why are you doing this to us?" First teardrops fell and slid down her cheeks until she angrily wiped them off. "Am I not good enough for you, anymore? You don't love me, anymore?" Her voice was louder and louder and sounded more panicked than the minute before.

"Even worse, were you lying the whole damn time?" She stopped, catching her breath. "Were you lying when you were repeating your vows?" She sobbed and curled up on the seat, refusing to look at Alex.

"You should have told me you want a divorce. I could have handled that, it would be painful as hell but I'd survive for Jasmin…. But this… this thing… it's killing me."

"You're killing me, Alejandro."

For about five minutes Alejandro was just staring at Katrien as if she lost her mind. Which seems to be true, she is definitely insane right now.
"Yell? I don't yell at you Katrien. And even if I do, I have every right to do that." he said almost whispering.
He frowned and shook his head "Go to the shop? Did you lose your mind? What, you forgot that you left me THREE YEARS AGO? Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about." he smiled ironically.

He was standing in the middle of stairs; thinking if would be the best choice to continue and go in his room or to follow her.
The decision wasn't really hard, of course, he should go to his room and wait for her to leave his house.
But while he was thinking about that, he was already in the living room where his wife was sitting on the sofa and.. Crying?

"What? I.. I mean.. You... No.. I don't... Stop! Just stop!"
It took five minutes for him to be able to say anything that actually has sense after he heard her questions, even it was the just a word 'Stop'.
"Stop screaming, please, you will wake up Jasmin."

"You have never been just good enough for me; you were the best for me, and you know that. And of course I love you, how can you say that?" Alejandro looked at her totally confused. Katrien knows he loves her; he made that clear last time she came here.

Her words don't make any sense because she was talking as if she really doesn't know what he was talking about. It was like if she can't remember anything. Like if she has... Amnesia? Is it possible that she actually thinks that she never left him?

"Wait a second. Don't you remember that you left Jasmin and me for three years? You don't remember that tomorrow is her fifth birthday?" he looked at her now worried about her mind.

But her next words hurt him. She thinks he lied to her about everything that he feels for her?
Alejandro sat next to her and hugged her even if he wasn't sure she wouldn't escape from him.

"Kati, please stop crying, okay? Just stop. I'm sorry. I was an idiot. Please forgive me." he looked at her. He felt terrible because he told her some really bad things. She is guilty, but he can't be mad at her when she even doesn't remember what she has done before.

"I don't want the divorce. I just want my wife back. Even if you obviously don't remember that, you left me, twice. Just don't do that again and we can go through all the rest together, as a family. If you want that. We will find a way." he wiped away tears from her face.

"Don't," her body went rigid and hugged herself harder, "don't touch me ever again! You sick bastard." She jumped from the couch and moved as farthest away from him possible. "How could you say something like that?" Her tears left dark lines of mascara down her face, but she did nothing to clean them. Although knowing that she probably looks more like a racoon than like a human being after this much crying, she did nothing to wipe them off, leaving them to remind Alejandro what he and his harsh words and approach did to her. Or at least what would they do to her if she wasn't faking it.

"How could you even suggest that I left you and our daughter and simply disappeared?" Katrien whispered as if she couldn't find enough of strength to say those words aloud. "What awful mother and wife would do something like that?" She tangled her fingers in her hair and clenched them, pulling her hair so her scalp was burning. "Why? Why would you say something like that?"

"I would never do something like that. I could never be that coldhearted huss that could leave her family behind." She leaned back on the wall and let herself slid down until she hit the floor. "Could I?" her voice broke and Katrien Faulkner launched herself into another round of sobbing.

"I'm trying but, Alejandro, I don't see you."

"I don't see a man I know my husband is. I don't recognize a man I wowed to spend my life with. Until death bring us apart, Alejandro, but I can't see that man."

"And it scares the hell out of me."

Alejandro Faulkner could do nothing than just watching his wife while she was trying to escape as far away as it possible from him. And it scared him, a lot.
"Kati... Don't... Don't do this to me" he shook his head desperate because he has no idea what he could do to make her feel better.
He didn't know. He just didn't know that Katrien forgot everything about last three years. If he did, he would never say something bad to her, he didn't want to hurt her.

He was just sitting at sofa for five minutes and then he got up carefully.
"Okay, be calm." he said softly as if he is talking to the wild animal and then started walking toward her slowly just to give her time to walk away if she wants that.
"Get up," he said softly but she did nothing so he knelt in front of her and looked her into eyes.

"That man, your husband, is still somewhere inside" he pointed at his chest. That was true, he is still the same person, but she built so many walls around himself, that he can find a way to be the same person as before.
"But you need to help me to find him. We thought that you are dead Katrien. And I was devastated. I thought I would never see you again and it was hard to tell Jasmin her mother is dead. She thinks that even now, she never met her mother."

"And she needs you in her life. I need you, to find that man who used to be your husband. Please" he hugged her again but this time he kept her close to him.
"Please, just stay. I.. I will find a way to help you to remember everything, I promise." he moved away just enough to look at her.
"I promise. just... Just stay here this time." he kissed her so fast that even he wasn't sure he actually did that, but before he was able to even blink his lips was on hers and he was kissing her as if his life depends on of that kiss.

This was something like cheating because she left him, maybe because she didn't love him anymore, or he was just a really bad person. And now, it was like they restarted everything and she was there, thinking she is still in love with him.
He saw that as a new chance to make things better, to be a better friend and husband to her and make her love him again.

Katrien warily watched him as he came closer to her, but made no attempt to escape again. Deciding to let him believe he got through to her, while in truth she stayed there, not trying to get away from him because she simply didn't want that. It was never a part of her plan in the first place but she did it only to make the whole thing more believable.

„Alex, I'm afraid“, she launched herself at him, closing her arms around his head and hugging him tightly before placing her head on his chest below his chin. His body felt soft and warm, and she was immediately welcomed by his scent, masculine scent she has never been able to figure out what smelled like that, along with the smell of cologne she bought for him after they started dating years ago and he seemed to like it since he hasn't bought a cologne of different smell ever since.

She was secretly satisfied because of that. Even after she left, he seemed to still use the cologne she chose for him, it was minor and she doubted he continued to buy it because of her, he probably liked it or grew used to it. Either way, she could still smell it on him, and it gives her hope that she hadn't ruined anything with her disappearance.

„I'm afraid that if you're right I…. I can't believe I'd ever do something like that. How could I know, right, it seems that everyone knows what I supposedly did, everyone but me.“ Katrien hugged him tighter before looking up at him. „If that what you are saying is the truth, then I have no recollection of past two years. Where was I? What did I do for those two years? Why did I do that?“ She sighed and searched for his hand, placing her petite one on his palm.

Years has passed and…

She missed him…

So she greatly returned the kiss when his lips found hers, trying to express every feeling she had. All the regret, all the love she couldn't express otherwise, she tried to do that through the kiss. Everything felt the way it should be, and Katrien wished that this moment can last forever.

When she hugged him back, Alejandro Faulkner believed he finally succeed and crashed all that walls his wife built around herself.
He felt the warmth of her body shrouded around him like softest and warmest blanket and that feeling was painfully known. Even her smell was like before. It's not some high-class perfume, just her smell mixed with the mild floral scent of shampoo. This felt so right, having her in his arms again and for few moments he could pretend that she never left.

Alejandro looked at her, desperate because he isn't one able to give her answers she wants to hear. The truth is, he doesn't know where she was for last three years.
In last six months, he spent hours just lying in his bed and thinking why she left him and where she was. He wanted to know at least if she was happier without him. If she was, that was the only important thing.
So he shook her head.

"I don't know. I would like to tell you but... I just don't know. I thought you were dead for more than two years Katrien. And then you just came here six months ago and told me you faked your own dead but even then you didn't explain to me why. You just wanted to see Jasmin but then we started drinking and arguing and you left again. This is the first time since then that I see you. I asked Imogen where were you because I needed to talk with you, but she didn't tell me. She just told it was your decision to leave again and you don't want me to find you."

He said all of this almost in one breath and then looked at her again.
He wanted her to know. He wanted to say her how much she hurt him when she left, twice. He wanted her to know that he was sure that his love for her was gone and there was only hatred that left but he didn't find strength to tell her all of that.
Because even if she probably doesn't deserve that, he forgave her everything and even if he don't want to, he loves her like before.

That's why he is kissing her now, ready to give her all she wants from him.
Katrien Faulkner is his drug, and he knows he is ready for everything just to be close to her, even if that means he will cross over his pride.

He was the first one who broke the kiss and moved away from her.
"I'm sorry... But.." he paused because he was afraid that is not a time yet to be honest as much as he wanted to be at the moment.
But she probably knows why he broke the kiss anyway.
"We need to stop, because I hadn't seen you for a long time, and this time kiss just isn't enough. I need more."

"But I think Jasmin is awake for at least half of hour. So, do you want to meet our daughter?" he smiled a little and then stand up pulling her with him.
"Just go to the bathroom and clean your face while I go and try to explain to her that her mother is alive. Then when she is ready, we will come here."
He kissed her cheek once again and then went upstairs to find his daughter.

"Alejandro Aaron Faulkner, my dear, you're an idiot", she backed away from him so she could look him in the eyes. She waited a couple of seconds cause she wanted to make sure he heard her words. Katrien was ready to continue only when she was positive he understand her, or so she thought based on the look on his face. "An idiot, yes, you heard it right." she nodded, although he didn't voice his question Katiren was sure she could see it in his eyes.

"If all those things you've just said were true. And don't get me wrong, I don't know if they are true, but for the sake oft his conversation let's say all those things happened like you described them. Why did you kiss me then, my dear?" She scowled at him, "if you did the very same things to me, you'd be missing certain body parts by now, it wouldn't matter how much I love you, I'd never think about kissing you, so why did you do that?"

She stood up from her position on the floor since she finished with her little act and could say it worked quite well, even beyond her expectations, she was ready to return to the sofa. The sofa was, although she was very loud to express just how unimpressed she was with Alejandro choice when he bought it, still more comfortable than the floor, and since it seemed that his conversation might last for quite a while, they could continue it there.

"Please, don’t! If what you told me is the truth, I don’t want Jasmin to see me just now, that way she would never be able to fall asleep tonight. Although I couldn’t think of a thing I’d rather do, I don’t want to disturb her, so please don’t tell her anything just yet. I have no explanations. What would I do if...when she asks me where I was for the whole time. How am I supposed to answer her question when I’d like to know the very same thing?"

However, she rose again, lightly touching his face as she passed by him, and walked to the bathroom, deciding she could do what he suggested – clean her face. Remove all the traces of tears he believed are real.

While she was walking back, a thought formed in her mind, he was too good for her, it was true, but she was too selfish to let him go, so instead of disappearing once again, she offered him a sad smile as she returned to the room and took the same place on the sofa.

"Do you have some wine, perhaps? I think, we’re going to need it."