( WHERE WE REALLY ARE )

[alex]

come closer now, i know your desire is to

[/i][/size][/font][/color]
BE DESIRED, STEAL A KISS YET AND CALL US FRIENDS
( MALIKA HARPER . ALEX'S HOUSE . CLOTHING )[/font][/b][/center]

The beginning of the weekend was something that Alex was looking forward to. Not only was he closed on the weekend but this weekend he didn't have any obligations with the Army so he was going to be home all weekend and he couldn't remember the last time that had happened. Usually some idiot would forget that he was closed and end up bringing their car in anyway or he would get called in for guard duty or something else like that but so far none of that had happened. It was now Friday evening and so far everything was going good, Alex just hoped it would remain like that for the rest of the weekend and he was actually pretty optimistic that it would. He was tired and stressed from the long week he had before and now he just needed some time to relax and what better chance to do that then on a three day weekend? Yes Brooke was still going to be around but she was a good girl, she never really gave him or Malika any troubles so he didn't have to worry about that either. The day had been pretty uneventful after Alex closed shop up at noon to pick Brooke up from preschool and then they went to the movies before coming back home and chilling out with Mal. The night went by rather quickly and before Alex knew what time it was he was tucking Brooke into bed.

It was still kind of surreal that Brooke was now four years old, almost five. She had grown so much in the past couple of years and if you were to ask Alex six years ago if he would have a daughter who was nearing five by the time his twentith birthday arrived he would have laughed in your face. The same would have happened if you even asked him if he thought he would graduate high school or have his own business. Times change though and so do people, sometime for the better and sometime for the worse. In Alex's case it had been for the better and he even if given the chance he wouldn't go back to change anything. Sure there had been hard times where he didn't know if he would have enough to pay the bills or times when he thought that he wasn't being a good father but now he was more than confident that things worked themselves out all for the better. Brooke was his life now and he had even given up most of his partying ways. Most not all, remember that. He was Alexander Joseph Franklin after all and he was known for his intense partying and the way he used to sleep around. While he still partied occasionally him actually sleeping around had diminished and now there were only a couple of girls he would fuck on a regular basis. His roommate slash best friend, Mal being one of them.

The two of them ( meaning Malika and Alex ) had been friends for over five years and very close. Alex considered her his best friend and she was the mother of his child so it was good that the two of them were so close he supposed even though he knew it would probably cause riffs between him and whomever he ever decided to date in the future. Alex wasn't looking for a girlfriend now, sure he always had a slight crush on Malika but she was pregnant with another guy's baby and she was dating said guy. Not that either of them actually wanted the relationship because from what Alex was told it was simply a physical relationship but it wasn't his place to go shoving his nose in people's business, not that it ever stopped him before but he didn't like Kyle to begin with so he didn't want to hear about him. Alex would put up with it if Malika was talking about him but during most of those conversations he would envision smashing the boys head through a wall or something else to make him pay for trying to slink out of his responsibilities as a future parent. The guy was one of those few people that Alex could honestly say that he hated and nothing who change his mind about that. The asshole was hurting his best friend and didn't even see any harm in it and of course that pissed Alex off to no end.

After tucking Brooke into bed and making sure she was asleep Alex left her room, closing the door silently behind him and he made his way through the house to his bedroom, thoughts of ways to hurt Kyle for what he was doing still running through his head but they immediately vanished to the back of his mind as he moved into his room and closed the door behind him. After turning around he smiled at his best friend who was still laying in the bed watching a movie in the same position he had left her when he disappeared to check on Brooke. After sliding out of his shoes Alex crawled up the bed and laid down beside her, his eyes drifting on Malika for a big longer than was actually needed before turning his attention to the television. The movie was one he had watched countless times before but it was still a good movie that he had no problem watching over and over. "She's out like a light.

[/color]" Alex whispered even though there was no need to. "And since she's a deep sleeper like I am I think it's safe to say she'll be sleeping through the rest of the night.[/color]" Alex stated with a smile. Now that Brooke was asleep it was time for Alex and Malika to have sometime to just relax and that was exactly what he was planning on doing. Sinking back onto his soft bed he closed his eyes and just laid there, he was perfectly content just where he was. "Any ideas on how you want to spend your Friday night?[/color]

[/justify][/blockquote]

( ONE THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN . -DANCES- )

[/size][/font][/center]

[malika]

* just one night couldn't be so wrong ,

ALEXANDER FRANKLIN. 684 WORDS. CLOTHES. COMPLETE.
( HA! I FIXED IT >D )

IMPATIENT was the perfect word to describe her. It was Friday night and she was waiting for it to be late enough for her to go out and get shitfaced. She didn't care that she was pregnant, nor did she care about the possible side-effects it would have on her unborn baby. She was dying to get out after being cooped up in the house all week. Alex had given her the week off as her body had been particularly badly out of whack this week. She had spent hours upon hours hunched over the toilet and sleepless nights trying not to put any pressure on her overly sensitive breasts as she slepts. She hated pregnancy. It was worse this time around because she knew what to expect. Expecting the symptoms of pregnancy didn't make them any easier to deal with. In fact, it pissed her off even more because she had been through all of it already and didn't feel it fair that she had to suffer through this all again. However, none of this could even compare to the pain she would feel at the end of the nine months. Giving birth was, without a doubt, the worst memory of her life. Labour was a horrible process and Malika had spent the entire fifteen hours wishing she would die, or that Brooke would die, just to stop the painful process she had been caught in.

NOW she was just wishing she could move past the first trimester so that her insides would stop attempting to escape every morning. It was not an unreasonable request. The only downside to that would be that she would start to show. Once her baby bump came, she would no longer be able to go out and party and sleep with however she pleased. Having sex during pregnancy was amazingly carefree. If she knew the guy was clean, she didn't care if he used a condom or not. She couldn't get pregnant twice and she knew who the father of her baby was. She just wished Kyle would accept that responsibility. He really was a coward. He made her angry. It wasn't like he was the one going through pregnancy or childbirth, so what did he really have to complain about. He might have to give up a little bit of his time to look after an infant. Malika would be doing most of the parenting. All he had to do was fork over some cash every month or so. It was quite simple. These were the types of thoughts going through her head as Alex crawled up the bed towards her. Thank god for him. She had no idea what she'd do without him. He was keeping her grounded through the entire ordeal. He was her rock.

SLOWLY, she turned so that was facing Alex. It pained her to have to say that she planned on spending the night out. She knew from experience that it was probably better for her not to mention where she was going because she knew that Alex disapproved of her drinking whilst pregnant. "I think I'm going to go out instead. I'm so tired of being cooped up inside this house." Malika knew Alex would understand. He knew better than anyone what a free spirit she was and her desire to always be doing something. She could not just sit inside all day every day. "You don't mind do you?" If he did, she would probably skip her night out to keep him company. Contrary to what many thought, she was quite capable of caring for someone other than herself. Alex was one of the few people she did care four. How could she not? He was her best friend, father of her daughter and he was letting her live with him. She would've had to be heartless not to care about him in some way. "We could always go out together?" she suggested, not really sure how effective it would be. Alex had been working hard all week and probably wanted to relax. Mal didn't blame him in the least bit.

[alex]

come closer now, i know your desire is to

[/i][/size][/font][/color]
BE DESIRED, STEAL A KISS YET AND CALL US FRIENDS
( MALIKA HARPER . ALEX'S HOUSE . CLOTHING )[/font][/b][/center]

It was amazing how much time could change a person. Back before Brooke was born Alex was the guy that was usually out partying all the time, the guy who used girls and the one who was rather immature. For the past four years though all of that had changed. It had taken awhile but he slowly went from that guy to a more mature and well, just an all around better guy. The change had taken awhile and Alex was at the point in his life where he really had no time for anything apart from work, Brooke and well, Malika. Not that he minded that of course but sometimes it would still be good to go out and have some fun. Hit up a club, meet a girl then take it from there just like he used to. That wasn't an option right now though and it wouldn't be for awhile. Alex was supposed to be focusing on other things, like work or his daughter, yes, his daughter. He had to make sure to stay out of trouble for her sake. Alex wanted Brooke to have the best life possible and he knew that if he reverted back to old ways that wouldn't happen because he had been a pretty messed up guy to begin with. Alex had turned over a new leaf and he was hoping that things would stay like that. He couldn't afford to lose everything he had worked so hard to obtain, he wouldn't let himself fall back into that hole.

Now while Alex had done a lot of things in his life there were a few that he hadn't done. One was having a girlfriend. Sure Alex had his friends with benefits, the girls he would just randomly hook up with and other things like that but he had never really committed himself to just one girl. Then there was the fact that he had never been in love, he was scared to death of getting in a relationship to begin with then to trust something into his mind about potentially falling in love with someone was something he didn't feel like trying to figure out just yet. Don't get him wrong, he did want a relationship eventually. There was one girl he had had his eye on for the past couple of years now but things had always been just casual with them and right now she had a boyfriend anyway so he was perfectly content with just staying her best friend and not mentioning anything about how his feelings were a tad deeper than friendship. Alex knew that relationships could screw things up and complicate them but he couldn't afford that right now, not with this girl. It wasn't just the fact that she was his daughter's mother but also the fact that she was his best friend. As far as Malika was concerned his feelings for her were simply platonic. Alex knew that he had been doing a good job of keeping his feelings to himself and he would continue to do just that. He was good at things like that and well, since he really cared about Malika he was determined to make sure that nothing would mess up what they already had.

After he made himself comfortable laying beside Malika and she spoke he nodded his head slightly, still not opening his eyes just yet though. "I'm your best friend, Mal, not your father. If you want to go out then you go out.

[/color]" He stated simply with a small shrug of his shoulders before finally opening his eyes and glancing over at her. As much as Alex was looking forward to spending the night with Malika he wasn't going to say anything. If she wanted to go out then it was her choice, he wasn't going to stand in her way. It wasn't like they were dating anyway so he had no say over anything she did. If she wanted to go out then she could just leave, he wasn't about to make her pass everything by him. "We'd have to find a baysitter and I don't know who would be willing to give up their Friday night.[/color]" Alex chuckled softly as he moved his arm so that it was under his head, propping him up a bit and with his other hand he moved it up to brush some strands away from Malika's face. "Are you feeling any better, babe?[/color] He asked quietly. Mal hadn't been feeling well all week because of the pregnancy and Alex had been concerned. It showed in the way he was acting right now and the way he had been acting all week. He knew that it was natural and expected, the sickness that is, but that didn't mean it changed his concern levels at all.[/justify][/blockquote]

( EIGHT HUNDRED AND THREE .BOM BOM BOM BANG )

[/size][/font][/center]

[malika]

* just one night couldn't be so wrong ,

ALEXANDER FRANKLIN. 692 WORDS. CLOTHES. COMPLETE.
( -YAWNS- NIE IS SO TIRED x___x )

OF course she knew that he wasn't her father and had no real say over what she did, but that did not mean she didn't appreciate his input sometimes. Well, it became obvious to her that he did not want to give it to her. She wasn't going to push it, so it looked like she was going out. She just had to find someone to accompany her now, although that had never stopped her before. She often went to the bar or club by herself and simply spent the night in the company of some attractive guy who was most obviously interested in her. It would be sad once she started showing as it would stop for a long time. Six months, plus the time after she had the baby while she was breast feeding and would be too tired to get up and make the effort to go out and party. It was kind of sad to think that for the next year or so, Alex would become her only source of entertainment, unless Kyle decided to step up and be a man about his decision. For some reason, Malika didn't see that happening. "Fine," was her simple reply to Alex. It wasn't a haughty statement, it was just a simple word; rather expressionless. Still, she didn't move, just lay there next to him. It was still early. She had plenty of time before she had to be at the club.

AFTER a bit more thought, Malika realised that if she wanted too long, Alex might suspect she was going to the club to drink. Then again, he probably already had some sort of idea about her plans. He knew her well and he knew what a party animal she had become when she hit sixteen-seventeen. He may have expected her to think about the baby inside of her, but she was inconvenienced by it, so she really couldn't care less about the damage she was going. "My parents could babysit?" she suggested, knowing that they probably would. They had been unhappy about her becoming pregnant at fourteen, but they were thrilled to have a grandchild and loved to spoil Brooke. Their attitude was the same towards the baby she was going to have. They hated her for getting pregnant again, but once the baby was here, they'd be overjoyed. Her parents were so strange. She wasn't trying to force him into anything, so she just shrugged to let him know it was his own choice. She could go a night without hanging out with Alex. Besides, there was the rest of the weekend, as he had mentioned Brooke was spending the day with Jessica and Randy. A small smile became apparent as they came to mind. Malika really adored Alex's parents.

WITH a small nod, Malika answered his question. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was worse with Brookie." Saying that made her realise just how truly fucked up her situation was. Nineteen and she was pregnant for a second time. She could be having two kids before she turned twenty. this situation just didn't seem right to her. Well, there wasn't much she could do about it. "Don't worry so much." She smiled at him as she pushed him down onto his back and crawled over him. She was straddling him, her chest parallel with his. Looking down at him, she smirked before kissing him lightly. This was just a giant game to her. She had no idea of his feelings for her and her acting this way with him probably didn't make it any better. If she had a clue, Malika probably would've distanced herself just a little bit. No doubt they would still be best friends, but she would likely stop the physical contact and the pet names. "Baby, you just need to loosen up a bit. You're so tense." Her tone was playful now that she had broken the kiss they had shared. She remained in her position comfortable with it and taking advantage of the time she had left where she could do this. Physical contact would become harder as her bump grew. She knew this through experience.

[alex]

come closer now, i know your desire is to

[/i][/size][/font][/color]
BE DESIRED, STEAL A KISS YET AND CALL US FRIENDS
( MALIKA HARPER . ALEX'S HOUSE . CLOTHING )[/font][/b][/center]

Alex never liked Kyle, even the first time that Malika had introduced the two of them Alex felt his blood boil and he instantly hated the guy. He hadn't even given him a chance and he knew that but at this point in time he didn't even care. As far as Alex was concerned Kyle was a horrible boyfriend and Mal deserved better, not only for herself but for the baby she was carrying. Kyle wouldn't be a good father figure, he was already denying the baby and trying to get her to have an abortion. If this was how he was now Alex couldn't even begin to imagine what it'd be like when the baby was actually born. If asked Alex would gladly step up and take the father roll in the baby's life. Hell, he probably would even say that the kid was his. He didn't care to be completely honest. He ... well, basically he was in love with Malika and he had been for quite sometime. He would do anything for her and that was obvious. Most people just thought that they were friends with benefits and while that may be true from Malika's side it wasn't from Alex's. Love was something that Alex always knew that he felt for her, at least over the past year that the two had gotten closer but that would remain his secret, there was no way he would let that out.

Alex knew that Malika liked his opinion on things every now and then but he knew that he didn't have any say over what she did or didn't do and he didn't want her to think that if he told her to do one thing that he was trying to run her life because he wasn't and he never would. If she wanted to go out he would let her even if he knew what she was going to be doing and how it could harm not only the baby that was growing inside of her but her as well. Alex tried to reason with her, tried to talk to her about how she shouldn't go out and drink but she wouldn't listen to him. Right now he didn't feel like fighting with her about it either so he simply pushed it out of his mind. At least he would be here for her when she came back. That was more than one could say about her 'boyfriend'. At her question he fell silent for a few moments going over a few thoughts that were running through his mind before shaking his head. "You've been stuck with me all week and you'll be stuck with me all weekend because Brooke's going over my parents. Go out and have some fun. Just please come home tonight?

[/color]"

That was Alex's only request. He knew how Mal would go out, get drunk and hook up with some random guy and every time she did he worried about her. He knew she was a big girl and could take care of herself but he was a guy and he knew how other guy's worked, he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of her. "It's my job, I can't help it.[/color]" He replied as he allowed her to push him back down and he laid there as she moved over him so that she was straddling his toned waist. As she lowered herself so that her chest was parallel with his and smirked the right corner of his lips turned upward in a half-smirk before she pressed her lips to his. His hands slid up her legs to rest on the sides of her thighs and as their lips moved together he let his eyes slid close. No sooner did the kiss start had it ended and he smiled at her as she spoke. "It's just been a long week, babe.[/color]" The shop had been busier than usual and between doing his work and Malika's he had been rather stressed, that and the fact that he had also been helping his older brother with a few things so he had been all over the place. That was why he was so glad it was the weekend. Three nights and two days just to relax and he was looking forward to doing that more than anything else.[/justify][/blockquote]

( SEVEN HUNDRED TWENTY EIGHT . o_o uh .... )

[/size][/font][/center]