I know, I know I've been putting this off for years, but hey, we're in quarantine and I have nothing better to do, so here I am!! It's all in the third person's POV, and it has a snippet of what Liz was thinking/feeling and well, it's a happy ending!! Happy reading :)
(I just read a couple of chapters from on here and they're all so horribly cheesy, omfg. I hate it)
Alternate Ending
(This is right after Chapter 27)
Three weeks and four days later.
Blaze sits in the chair beside Alaska's bed, her hand loosely clutched in his. It has been weeks since he's had proper sleep, his back aches from slumping over the edge of the bed all day, and he just wants to crawl into his bed and sleep for ages, cocooned in warm sheets until his bone-deep exhaustion wears off, but at this moment, nothing feels more important than that hand that is intertwined with his.
As he looks at Alaska lying against the sterile sheets, he feels sadness creeping up upon him starting from all the ends of his body slithering through his veins until it makes it's home in his heart. It feels as though icy fingers are clutching at his heart, squeezing away the joy until deep melancholy is all that he can feel. He shudders, a storm of emotions brewing inside him. He feels his breathing get faster as bullets of sweat form on his forehead. Before he can fully lose himself in the buildup of yearning and hurt, Liam strides in the room, giving Blaze a soft smile. He feels himself calm down, his heartbeat slowing down, head clearing from the haze. Blaze feels deep affection for his friend-- they'd gotten pretty close in the past few weeks. Gone were the feelings of pettiness and jealousy, and instead, all there was left was fondness and gratitude.
Liam drops himself in the seat next to Blaze and nods his head towards Alaska. "Any improvement?"
"The doctor was here, say, a couple of hours ago. Said that they're positive that she'll come out of the coma. How soon, though, they have no idea."
Liam nudges Blaze's feet with his and gives him a smile that is filled with so much hope that Blaze can't help but return it. Things were starting to look up. The investigation was finally starting to go somewhere, Nolan-- Alaska's father-- had told them. Evidence had been found, and the results were due soon. Today, if they were lucky.
Just as Blaze stands up to get some fresh air, Kyle rushes inside, settling in the chair Blaze had just emptied. He starts talking to Liam and Blaze excuses himself. He walks to the balcony, leans against the railing and smiles in amusement as he sees Tony (he recognizes most of the staff now because he's been around since Alaska was admitted) trying to get an old man into his wheelchair as he resists. That's a thing that happens everyday, but it never fails to make him smile. Soon, Alaska's parents join him, giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. They talk aimlessly for a while, laughing.
"Mr. Gill called. They have the results, but they can't disclose them over the phone, so we're heading there right now. I just wanted to keep you boys updated," Nolan says and Blaze smiles in gratitude.
He spots Liz in the corridor outside Alaska's room a while after Alaska's parents leave, and Blaze furrows his brows. Not once had visited Liz visited Alaska in the past weeks and Blaze could feel his instincts kick in. He rushes over to her and before she can enter the room, Blaze stops her with a hand over her shoulder, roughly turning her around. He feels his lips twist into a sneer, and he feels more than he sees Liz's shaky exhale.
"What are you doing here?" he demands, eyes flashing.
"I wanted to see her," Liz says and Blaze sees a crazy glint in her eye he has never seen before. Her pupils are dilated and she's sweating slightly. Her eye twitches slightly and Blaze feels on edge immediately. He can't help but feel that something is terribly, terribly wrong.
"You're lying," he accuses and Liz's eyes widen, eyes filling with panic.
"How- I'm not- That is- What I mean is...." she trails off and she feels her heart race. Nobody is supposed to know! Nobody is supposed to know why she is here and what she had done... How did Blaze know? Maybe he had been following her... Yes, that's right. She always feels like someone is following her.
She feels Blaze shake her by the shoulders and she turns her glassy eyes on her. Her eyebrows are furrowed and she can see his lips moving but she cannot hear anything. Voices are whizzing past her and she does not understand what is happening. As if sensing her panic, Blaze stops talking.
"Liz? Liz? Liz!" he shouts, roughly shaking her again.
"Huh?"
"Are you high?" She stares at him blankly.
"Drugs. Are you on drugs right now?"
She thinks that nods shakily, she can't be sure as cannot comprehending anything. A million thoughts are passing through her head, but she can't hold on to one long enough to understand what is happening. Liam exiting Alaska's room captures her attention. Focus, she scolds herself, eyebrows arching downwards.
Ah. Alaska. God, how she hates that girl! You have to understand! How can she not? Alaska has taken everything away from her! She took her friends away from her! The only thing that gave her happiness! And- and- and she took away her boyfriend from her! Liam... even if he didn't know they were dating... yet. She was going to ask him out soon, she swears! But then Alaska had to step in and steal him away with her jokes and smiles and... and... and... flirting! Yes, flirting! That little bitch! Oh, how she needed to get rid of her. So, when she was drinking the other day, she came up with a plan. It was flawless! Trust her, it was! She would sneak into her house at midnight and then... and then, Alaska would be dead by the time anyone found her next morning! She wouldn't even leave any evidence! She would be so, so careful. Except... she had. She didn't even realise it until earlier this morning, but now she had to finish what she had started before they took her away for attempted murder! She had to do it soon! The police could track her phone she knew, but she had left it in her car in the parking lot and she was up here. She had to hurry and destroy her phone! She had so much to do. She had to kill Alaska. Now! Stupid Blaze getting in the middle like he always does. Stupid, stupid Blaze.
Liz wasn't even aware she was moving towards Liam as soon as she saw him, but just as she felt herself stumble, hands held her waist to steady her. She smiled at Liam and he frowned at her, lips turned downward. Okay, maybe her smile was coming off as a little crazy, but it was Liam! He was touching her! And he saved her! She knew he loved her, see? She knew it, even if he hadn't realised it... Maybe he had. He saved her, after all! He had to love her, right?
After making sure she was standing upright, he took her hands off her and she felt her lower lip push out in a pout. Just as she was about to say something she can't really recall, she heard a voice that made her freeze and blood turn cold. She could feel the colour drain from her face and she felt as if she was going to be sick. Could she run away right now? It surely wasn't too late... She could see Blaze's and Liam's faces twist into fury. No! Not Liam! Liam couldn't hate her! He loved her, for God's sake!
"Freeze! You are under arrest for attempted murder of Miss Alaska White. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to be silent, and consult an attorney before speaking to the police and..." she could see the officer still talking but she tuned him out. Her vision was getting burry and her body heavier. How could his happen? She hadn't been quick enough to escape...
Blaze glared at her with all the hatred he could muster, while Liam held him back with an identical expression. Blaze could feel his hands clench in fists and the urge to hurt her as much as she had hurt Alaska. Multiple times. He could feel Liam holding him back as he struggled, but he could also feel the tension radiating off him in waves. He stopped trying to free himself. This girl right here was the reason why the most important person in their lives was swinging between life and death.
"Why?" He whispered harshly, his jaw clenched. He heard her rambling on about ignorance, and attention, and revenge and death. It took everything in him not to march over to her and rearrange her face. He could see the exact same desire in Alaska's parent's faces as they stood behind her, arms crossed and jaw locked. Mr. Gill stood there, talking to Nolan in hushed whispers, explaining how the fingerprints they'd found on the bracelet matched with the ones in their database. Apparently, Liz was involved in robbery and vandalism, and had spent some time in juvenile centers, too. Attempted murder though, was a crime that would lead her to spend several decades in jail. They tracked her location through her phone and dispatched officers over before she could attempt to do anything.
As the police dragged her away, her hands cuffed behind her back, Blaze said, "I hope you think of her when you're rotting in jail, and I hope it fucks you up," and she smiled at him widely, all teeth, hatred burning in her eyes.
As Blaze and Liam walked over to Alaska's parents, who were still talking to the detective in charge, they heard him say that they were likely to consult a psychiatrist, as she wasn't in the right state of mind. Drug addiction could be an issue, too. It could affect her sentence. The parents then thanked Mr. Gill and left to the station with him, as the boys promised to stay and watch Alaska. Kyle was still in with her as they entered the room. They flop down on the couch carelessly, exhaling heavily.
"What a day, huh?"
* * *
A week later
Just as Blaze is about to enter Alaska's room, he is pulled aside by an excited Liam. He is bouncing on the heels on his feet and he has a smile on that is too big for his face. His eyes are glistening with happiness and hope. He clutches Blaze by his shoulder so tightly that it hurts and says, "She's awake! Alaska is awake!" He shakes him once more with a wide grin before he pulls Blaze in for a warm hug. Blaze feels a wide smile form on his face and embarrassingly enough; he feels his eyes tear up. He closes his eyes and hugs Liam back. They pull back after a minute and surely, through the glass on the door of her room, he can see a doctor and a nurse rushing around, as Alaska blinks at them slowly.
"What-When? Wha- When?" Blaze doesn't know what to say, he only knows that his heart is filled with joy and he could combust any second. Warmth trails through his veins, melting the cold, icy sadness, making him feel as though he was glowing.
"About four hours ago! Both of her parents and Kyle were with when she woke up! They spent a lot of time in there. All of them were crying- it was a mess" He laughs. "I went in a while ago. We talked for a bit. I've already informed the rest of the boys, they'll be here soon. I wanted you to meet her first. Anyway. Basic tests have been, uh, carried out, and she's out of danger, Blaze! No life-threatening situations, no memory loss, no major complications! No nothing! Everything is as okay as it can be! Visiting hours start in seven minutes! You can go in first."
Blaze spent the next seven minutes thinking of everything he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how lonely he was without her. He wanted to tell her how worried he was and he would not let anything harm her again. He wanted to tell her that he would always hold her close to him. He wanted to tell her that she was his world. He wanted to tell her everything-- pour all of his heart out. The next seven minutes passed excruciatingly slow and came too soon.
As soon as he walked in, all of the things he wanted to say to Alaska flew out of his head. All the breath left his lungs and his eyes fluttered shut as he felt emotions pass through him. His stomach felt funny, like he was going down on a rollercoaster. He must have made some sort of noise because when he opened his eyes, Alaska was looking at him, a soft smile on her face.
He rushed towards her and fell back in the chair he had started to all 'his' because he had spent so many nights in it. He shakily lifted a hand to her face and swiped away the tears that had begun to fill the corner of her eyes. He then traced her freckles with his thumbs, softly caressing her, feeling her warm skin. They smiled at each other for a second before Alaska leaned her forehead against hers. He felt electricity zipping through his veins and a content sigh left his parted lips. His thumb kept on stroking her cheek softly and they closed their eyes. Alaska felt Blaze's lips softly bushing hers and she smiled softly. They stayed like that, breathing in the same air. Just being. Just existing. Then, Blaze leaned in and slowly moved his lips against her. She pushed back and both of them were smiling too much for it to go further. It was slow, and it was warm, like they had all the time in the world. Like nothing would ever stop them again. Like they would never be apart.
"Hey. Hey. I love you, Nov," he whispered, his fingers tracing her bottom lip. He looked at her through lowered lashes, an intense expression on her face. There were a million things he wanted to say to her, a million things he wanted her to know, but for now telling her that he loved her for this first time was enough. She was warm and alive under his hands that now clutched at her waist as he held her to his chest, slipping into the bed with her, one hand of his hands on the back of her head, just as he had longed to do a thousand times before, when she was too fragile to touch.
"And I love you, Blaze," he heard Alaska whisper, her right hand on heart. Then, her eyes slipped shut as she drifted off and Blaze kissed her temple, the love for this girl oozing out of him.
Yes, there were a million things to say, they would have to tell her about how Liz betrayed her, all of their friends to meet (which the both of them were looking forward to), but for now, holding Alaska protectively as she slept was more than enough. As Liam slipping into the room and smiled at them, Blaze knew he felt the same way. Her being alive was enough.
* * *
It's almost 5am, oof. I might add to this, but for now I like the ending. Feedback is much appreciated! Love y'all.
Also, (the rewritten version of) Those Perfect Flaws is available as a paperback and e-book on Amazon. Please check it out!