A/N: I took this down a few months back because I was annoyed at the whole thing in general. But Alex and Rixon have been making frequent appearances in my dreams recently, begging for their story to be told. So here we are. I'm republishing the entire thing, tweaking some parts of the original to make it sounds more believable. Well, as believable as possible anyway. So to my old readers, if you're out there, welcome back! To my new readers, hey! Hope you enjoy Alex and Rixon's journey through friendship, love and hospital madness.

Music video/Song is 'Don't Want an Ending' by Sam Tsui. I love him. Kurt Schneider, too. Seriously, you gotta listen to their covers and original songs.

---

(Alex)

"Dr. Fabrae, I'm surprised you're still here," I felt his presence behind me even before I heard him speak. "Well, not really."

"Good afternoon to you, too, Dr. Grayson," I kept on scribbling on the chart, not even bothering to face Evan. I'd already been caught. No point in hiding it. "Just catching up on some paperwork. I don't really want to fall behind."

"If I'm right. And I know I am because I have your schedule on my desk. You're supposed to be off."

"I clocked out at three, sir. No worries."

"And that was half an hour ago. Of course, I'll worry. You are no longer a doctor at this hospital as of the aforementioned half hour. Which means," he leaned closer to me and grabbed the chart I was working on.

"Hey!" I protested. I turned to face him, arms crossed across my chest. Before me stood Evan Grayson, Chief of Surgery at Galewind Grace Hospital, and unfortunately a cousin of mine.

He continued his earlier statement, "that you are doing paperwork as a civilian. As chief, I do not and cannot allow civilians to chart."

"Don't be silly, Ev. I've been doing this for years, you know that."

"I know. I'm chief. Nurse, please take these." He handed the binder to the nurse on duty. "I'm absolutely positive this wasn't the first time. Alex just admitted as much. And I also doubt it will be the last. Don't let me catch you again."

"Yes, doctor," The nurse blushed at being indirectly reprimanded. Nevertheless, she continued to stare at him like a lovesick puppy. Not that Evan gave her the time of day.

Evan could be often described in three letters. H-O-T. At least that's the popular opinion on the hospital grapevine. He ranks right at the top alongside Nikolas Alicante, one of the Trauma residents, and Greg Martin, a paramedic that frequented the ER. But his good looks shouldn't fool anyone. He was a formidable force when need arose.

"Good," he nodded. "Oh stop pouting, Alex. Your charm won't work for me anymore."

He waved me off, looking at his watch. I knew what was coming.

"Now, isn't Nick supposed to pick you up? Or is he in here somewhere? I remember authorizing someone's change in schedule. But at this moment, I can't remember if it was his or someone else's."

"He's not here. He's just..." I trailed off, hoping he didn't hear the slight tone of irritation, or probably disappointment, my voice.

"Late?" He guessed.

I pursed my lips, refusing to acknowledge that he was spot on.

"Again? That makes all of this week he didn't show up on time to pick you up," Evan frowned. I was hoping he didn't notice that. But nope, nothing escaped the almighty Chief Grayson. "Come to think of it, he's late even during his own shift. Is everything okay? Are you guys okay?"

"We are, Ev," I shrugged. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, whatever his problem is, it's affecting his work performance," he huffed. "If you don't mind, give him a talking down before I decide to do it myself."

"I will."

I checked my phone for probably the third time in the past minute. Nothing. I was starting to get really annoyed. The least Nick could do was inform me if he wasn't picking me up from work. He drove me here yesterday, which means my own car was chilling in my garage.

"If you're tired, I could always give you a ride home," Evan offered. "Wait for me in the parking lot. I'll just go get my keys."

I was tempted to take him up on it. I was in no mood to take a cab today. But before Evan could walk away, my phone beeped.

NICK: HEY BABE. SORRY IM L8 AGN. U STL THR? B AT THE FRNT IN 5

"Or not. Is he coming?"

"Nearly here," I tried to put on a show of glee. "Thanks for the offer anyway."

"Anything for you, kid. Dinner at my place tomorrow night. My parents are in town. I'm sure they'd be glad to see you."

"Ev," I wanted to laugh at his forgetfulness. "You, of all people should know where I would be tomorrow."

I waited for realization to dawn on him before I chuckled. This guy's obviously stressed. Chief of surgery at thirty. The youngest ever to become chief in the while county. His parent's are mighty proud of him. Heck! I'm proud of him.

"Oh, right. You're covering the pit. There's always next time."

"But hey," I tried to reassure him. "If they're staying beyond the weekend, I'd love to catch up."

"I'll pass the message along."

NICK: IM HERE
ALEX: BE RIGHT OUT

"Gotta run."

"Finally," he shot me an almost sympathetic smile. "I have to go as well. Have a whole department to run. I'll see you around."

Evan kept his eyes on me as I picked up the overnight bag I stashed behind the nurses' station and slung it on my shoulder. He stepped forward to hug me and drop a kiss on my cheek, earning nasty glares from the nurses lingering on the floor. Chill, hunnies. We're related. I squeezed him back wordlessly. I could still feel his eyes on me as I walked away towards the hospital lobby.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Nick began grovelling, sheepish smile already in place. "Got caught up in traffic-"

"It's fine," I cut him off mid-excuse. I've heard every one of them, maybe twice. "Ev caught me charting outside hours. He berated me while waiting."

He stepped closer to me, securing an arm around my waist. My arms automatically reached up to wrap around his neck. I felt his lips on my forehead as I breathed in the scent that was uniquely Nick. It was our moments like this that I felt truly secure.

"I really am sorry," he pulled back a bit as he coaxed me to meet his chocolate gaze.

"I know," I sighed as I ran my fingers through his equally dark brown strands, noticing they were still quite damp. He must be fresh from a shower before he came to pick me up.

He landed another kiss on my forehead before he let go and opened the passenger side door. He stepped aside and waited until I got in before walking around the front of the car. I watched him, noting the extra spring in his step. He must have noticed me staring for he quirked an eyebrow at me as he slid in behind the wheel. He locked his seatbelt in place before reaching over to me to make sure mine was secure. My eyes misted at the gesture. He's been doing that since we first started dating. It never ceased to overwhelm me that he knew how important it was to me. He ran his fingers down my arm before taking one of my hands in his. My other hand lifted to stroke his jaw.

"You come late," I attempted to lift the sudden sombre atmosphere. "Yet you forget to shave."

He leaned into my palm and kissed it, as well the knuckles of my other hand, before placing both back onto my lap.

"I often forget about myself when I'm thinking about you," he teased. I had no response but to smile at his uber cheesiness.

"So, where to?" He asked as he started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. "Home?"

"Nope. It's Saturday. I have to be at the resto, remember?" I furrowed my brow. I distinctly remember telling him that almost every day this week. "Liz is pulling extra shifts to cover for her leave. And Carl's speaking at some seminar out of town. That leaves me to pick up some slack tonight."

"Right. We got time. Coffee?"

"Guess so."

Nick must have picked up on my lack of usual enthusiasm at the mention of caffeine. "You alright, babe?"

"Huh? Yeah. Probably just tired," I made it a whole production by sighing and rubbing my temples. "Difficult patient, you know how it is. I feel a migraine coming on."

"Your migraines seem to be occurring more frequently. You sure you're okay? I could always just take you back to the hospital. Have that head of yours checked out."

"Seriously?" I couldn't help but laugh. "The hospital is the main source of my stress and you're taking me back there?"

"Just trying to lighten the atmosphere," he shrugged. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"Yep. Nothing some caffeine can't fix. Got any ibuprofen?"

"Glove box. Do you wanna go straight to Imperfect or somewhere else first?"

"Erm, somewhere else. I could use some peace before tonight's chaos."

I dug through Nick's glove box, inspecting each medicine bottle before finding the one marked 'Aspirin'. Only, it was crossed out and replaced with 'Alex's candy stash' instead.

"Really, Nick" I held up the orange bottle. He smirked at me but offered no apologies.

I shook my head at his ridiculous antics. I popped two pills in my mouth and washing it down with the bottled water he automatically handed me. We were silent during the remainder of the short drive. I was glad he was the kind of guy who didn't expect me to fill the silence with random chatter. This was one of those times that I relished the quiet.

It gave me time to think.

---

(Nick)

Alex shook out two pills from the bottle. I handed her a bottle of water to wash them down. She whispered a quiet 'thank you' and was quiet for the rest of the way. Usually, it didn't bother me. But today, the silence felt loaded. Something's wrong.

The coffee shop we frequented whenever Alex didn't feel like hanging out at the bistro was occupied with the usual stragglers. She left my side in search of a table, while I jogged over to the counter. The barista manning the cashier recognized me immediately.

"Hey, doc! Been a while," she beamed. "What's it gonna be?"

She batted her lashes at me and bit her lip. Normally, I'd take the bait and flirt back. Alex thought it was ridiculous and hardly got jealous. But there's something about the way she's acting today that made me certain I'd rather not push my luck.

"The usual for me. Ugh, probably for Alex, too. I can't seem to remember what that is though," I said with an embarrassed grin.

I could remember a patient's medical history from birth to present, yet I can't recall how my girlfriend takes her coffee?

'Wow!' I thought. 'I should really pay more attention to detail. Maybe that's what's wrong. Did I forget something important?'

"Lucky for you, I do," the barista pulled me back down to Earth. "So, one Caramel Macchiato for you and a Cafe Americano with an extra Espresso shot and Hazelnut syrup for the other doctor. Both large. Anything else?"

"Err, can you take out the extra shot from her drink? She's insistent on taking on a shift at the bistro tonight. She needs to sleep after what I'm sure will be a circus, being a weekend and all. The added kick might make that difficult."

"Sure thing," she nodded. "Oh, hey! She owns that restobar a couple blocks from here, right? What's it called again? Perfection?"

"Imperfect," I corrected her. "I'm hazy with the details why it's called that. So if that's your next question, you'd be better off asking Alex herself. She and her best friend came up with the name."

"Oh," she giggled. "So do you, like hang out there often? When you're not here, that is."

"Me? Nah. That's her place. Her haven when she's trying to de-stress. I'm only there if I need to pick her up or stuff."

A throat being cleared behind me reminded me that I wasn't the only one in line. And that the barista was getting far too flirty.

"Sorry," she apologized, coming to the same realization as me. "Will that be all, doc?"

I pointed to the muffins behind her and got two before handing her my card. She rang up my total while I looked around to see where Alex had chosen to sit down. As soon as my order was complete, I carried the tray to the table near the back of the cafe. She was reading her notes on her recent patients when I carefully placed the cup and a blueberry muffin in front of her.

"I thought you were tired?" I remarked as I sat down from across her, biting into my own muffin.

"Yeah," she shrugged, not lifting her eyes from the papers. "But I couldn't help it."

She was kind of a workaholic. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I'm a workaholic too, maybe even worse than her. No wonder we clicked. We were both quiet for a few minutes, each lost to our own thoughts. I observed my girlfriend absentmindedly tracing the rim of her cup with a finger. There was a crease between her brows that had little to do with the papers she was studying. She let out a deep sigh. I took this as my cue to break the silence. Better have it out now than letting it fester.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I already told you," she glanced up at me, but looked away just as quickly. "Migraine."

"Alex, come on," I reached out and took her hand in mine. "I know you better than that. Spill."

"I'm fine." She released her hand from my grip. I lifted her face by the chin and looked directly in her eyes, trying to convey that I was not even the least bit convinced.

"Okay. Maybe I'm not."

"There you go. Honesty is key. Whatever the problem is, it can't be that bad."

"Actually, it kind of is," she sighed. "Nikolas Alicante, we need to talk."

"Whenever you use my full name, it kinda turns me on yet freaks me out at the same time." I chuckled, trying to make a joke of it. But she was having none of that.

"Nick! I'm trying to be serious here."

"Chill, babe. You're too serious most of the time. Lighten up a little," I teased, reaching out to run a finger from between her scrunched up eyebrows to the tip of her nose. "Now, what were you saying?"

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I can't do this anymore, Nick," she said softly.

"What?" What? I think I'm more tired than I realize. There's no way she just said what I thought I heard. "Can you repeat that? I think I might have heard you wrong."

"I don't think... What I meant is that," she cleared her throat and straightened up in her seat. "This isn't working anymore. We aren't working anymore."

I was momentarily taken aback. Actually, that was an understatement. I was shocked. I had a feeling something was wrong, but this was not what I was expecting.

"We've been together almost three years. How can we possibly not work?"

"Exactly that. It's been you and me for so long, but we don't seem to be going anywhere. Sometimes I feel like we're stuck in the same place we were when we started out."

"How is that a bad thing?" Shocked and confused now. "Doesn't it mean that we still feel as strongly as we used to, that even time didn't burn us out? I don't get your point, Alex."

Denial.

"Nick, listen. You're right. It's a good thing that we still love each other as much as when we first fell. But that might not be enough. At least, if I'm being honest, not enough for me," she took in a deep breath, steeling herself for the words she was about to say. I knew that the words about to spill from her lips would hurt. Hurt the both of us.

"A relationship needs growth, from both parties. And I, loath as I am to admit, am not growing. I feel stuck and helpless to do anything about it. I blame myself now but if we continue on like this, I can't promise that there won't come a time I'd start blaming you and our relationship."

She gently placed a hand on top of mine, making me realize it was tightly clenched. She stroked my fist with her thumb as she continued.

"I'm afraid of that moment," she attempted to explain. "I'd hate myself for not speaking up, and hate you for not noticing I wasn't happy anymore. Do you get what I'm trying to say, Nick?"

I was dumbfounded. Her words refuse to make sense in my mind. I thought we were getting along fine. Great, even! I had these plans lined up for the two of us, just waiting for the right time to spring them on her. Then she comes and tells him it isn't enough for her? I'm not enough for her? I snatched my hand from beneath hers, stuffed it in my pocket. I ignored the look hurt that flashed across her face. Yeah, I'm hurt too.

Anger.

I had a sneaking suspicion of what might really be going on, but first I had to be sure. I had to ask.

"Is there someone else?" I ground out

"What?! No!" It just had to be that exact moment for her phone to ring. "Sorry, it's just Rixon. I can call him back. There's no one else, Nick. I swear."

My throat must have closed up on me. I found myself incapable of a response. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her anymore. And to think that I was about to...

The hand I had shoved in my jacket pocket curled into a fist.

"Nick, please don't be like this," she nearly pleaded, probably upon seeing the storm slowly brewing in my eyes.

"Be like what, Alex? Upset?" I spat. "I think, given the circumstances, I have every right to be upset."

"I'm-"

"Don't, please. Don't apologize. I'm a big boy, Alex. I can handle most things, even psychiatric patients," I chuckled humourlessly. "But please don't say you're sorry. It makes me feel like you're regretting the past few years."

Alex's phone chirped, signalling a new text message.

Rix <3: YO! WHR U AT?

"I don't regret anything. I just-"

"Just what, Alex?" I cut her off mid-sentence. "Want to re-evaluate your options?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what? 'Coz I've tried, babe. God knows I've tried," I've started sounding desperate.

Bargaining.

"I've pushed myself be that guy you've always dreamt of. But maybe I tried too hard. Maybe I-"

Rix <3: I KNW UR OFF. WHR R U?

Alex's phone kept beeping and ringing at intervals. She just kept glancing at it, as if deciding whether to answer it or not. I snuck a glance at the screen to whomever it was interrupting my pleas.

Rixon. Of course. Always there to save the day, aren't you? I mentally scoffed.

"You know what? Never mind. I don't think you're still listening anyway. You're tired, I'm upset. I'd rather go now than say things I know I'll regret later on. To you, we may be over. Fine," I stood up, knowing this conversation was going nowhere now. "Just know that I disagree wholeheartedly. I'll give you the space you need to grow, as you say, but I'm not giving up on us. Keep that in mind. I'll see you around, Alex."

I turned on my heel and left. I left her there staring at me in disbelief. I willed myself to go straight through the doors and not look back. If I do, I might just end up on my knees begging her to give us another shot. No, I wasn't above doing exactly that. But this is Alex we're talking about. Dating her for nearly three years gave me ample of insight into her way of thinking. If I was intent on fixing us, I would have to plan it through.

I'd gone through the first three stages of loss in the past ten minutes. I'd probably even give in to depression for a while. But hell if I actually reach the last stage. Nope. I'd do whatever it takes to get her back. Acceptance is not an option.

---

(Alex)

I remained in my seat, stunned that he just walked out on me. I was the one prone to doing that whenever we argued, not him. He must be really upset.

Well of course he would, I thought, I just broke up with him.

This wasn't how I imagined this conversation would go. I thought we'd both be mature about it and amicably go our separate ways. But, no. He just had to walk out on me. I don't know whether to be annoyed or understand where he's coming from. My phone started ringing again. Not knowing what else to do now, I picked it up.

"Hey," I spoke into the receiver weakly.

"Hey! Dude," Rixon's voice filtered through the speaker. My body started to feel at ease just hearing his familiar tone. "Where are you?"

"Bittersweet. Just got off shift."

"If you wanted coffee, you should've come straight here. Traitor," he teased.

"I'm just about to collapse from coffee deprivation," I defended myself. "I might not have made it there in time. This was closer."

"Oh," he laughed. "You coming in today?"

"On my way out of here. Want anything?"

"Large Caramel Macchiato, please," he answered. "With-"

"Lots of cinnamon. I know. Anything else?"

"No. What? Hold up, Alex." I could hear voices in the background but couldn't make out what they said. Rixon probably had his hand over the receiver.

"Hey, you still there?"

"Yep," I choked back a sob.

I will not break down, I will not break down. I repeated it like a mantra.

"You okay? You sound weird. Where's Nick?"

"I'm fine. Nick drove me here but I'm alone now." The effort not to cry was proving too difficult. "So, anything else?"

"You are? Huh, that's weird. Where'd he go? Doesn't he always pick you up and bring you here on Saturdays?"

"He's busy, I guess. Be there in 15. Bye." I hung up before he could say another word. If he asked any more questions, I might've cracked. I could cry all I wanted in the safety of my room, but out here I had a reputation to uphold. I prided myself for being strong, and that wasn't about to change any time soon. As soon as Rixon's order arrived, I hailed a cab and reigned my emotions in.

Time to face the music. Smile, Alex, and maybe they won't even know that something's wrong.

---

TBC

A/N: Matthew Atkinson as Nikolas Alicante. If you have no idea who he is, he plays Nick Fadden in the series Jane by Design. See what I did there? Just kidding. Too bad the show only lasted one season. Anyway, JbD's Nick is a jock. Somehow I always imagined Nick Alicante as a jock in high school before he became a doctor. But that's just me.

Anyway... 

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