Just In Time... But Was It Worth It?

[adelle fan.]

aw everyone is breaking them up lol

loved it can't wait to read more.

[jenlee]

Sad but amazingly well done

[katef2007]

love it poor aden i dont want belle and aden to break up through

[zzazzb]

I hope you liked it, i am completey for Adelle so if i did continue a fic like this it would be them getting back together! lol

then i deff, think you should continue

that was really really good! so powerfully written,

please continue

[matticus01]

OHHHHHHHHHH.........................

WOW..................

That was so powerful, I had tears at the end . . .

It was sad, but beautiful, loving, tender . . .. I can go all day but I'll stop there

Well done one such an amazing one shot . . . but I deffinately hink you should continue . . . I'm all for Adelle getting back together

Again well done

[SAM27#]

Wow that was beautiful, I like so many other had tears in my eyes at the end!!!

You MUST continue this!!!!!!!

I also think this is one of the BEST Adelle fic ever!!!!!! So please continue!!!!!

Please!!!!

[Lise]

Wow! That was amazing!

I could actually imagine that being what happens...but at the same, hope it's not.

Please write more!!!!

[wooo_im_cool]

impressive

[adelle]

I love this, its amazing!! Please update soon

sorry, i read this this morning but forgot to comment!

[wrongturntaken]

Thanks for all your comments! They really helped me write this chapter and i am really appreciative of them. This is really keeping me occupied over the two week break so hopefully updates won't take long.

Bit of a shorter chapter this time.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2.

Aden walked into the diner kitchen for the first time since he had been released from the hospital. He had yet to see Belle or Irene and was kind of dreading it.

Irene walked in and was surprised to see Aden stood there putting his apron on, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm usually on the roster for Tuesday nights," Aden told her confused at her shock of seeing him there.

"When did you get out of hospital?" she asked him and Aden could sense the bitterness in her voice.

"Uh… today," he answered knowing Irene was about to give him a lecture.

"Shouldn't you be at home resting?"

"Irene… I've been resting for the past five days, I need to do something," Aden told her. This was only the half truth, he really didn't want to go back home at the moment, there was something so depressing about living in a house where half the occupants were currently missing with no one knowing what had happened to them.

He had walked into the house that afternoon and realised he had only felt more alone at the time he tried to… He couldn't even think about what he'd tried to do, in his heart he felt that he really had no desire to complete the task, perhaps that's why he only took half the bottle; he just wanted people to understand just how much it hurt. He scoffed at the thought, what people? His Dad was dead, Roman was gone, Rachel was gone and the only other person that knew about his past; had deserted him.

He put his bags in his bedroom and wandered around every room taking in every nook and cranny, perhaps out of boredom; studying the place like he would find something there that he was missing. But he knew what he was missing and at the moment it didn't seem like he had a hope of getting it back.

"Well I didn't think you were working tonight so I got someone to cover for you but since it looks like we're getting busier, you may as well stay," Irene told him.

"Thanks… who did you get to cover for me?"

"Who do you think?"

"Oh," Aden said not knowing how he should be feeling because half of him couldn't wait to see Belle but the other half wasn't sure he would be able to stand seeing her; knowing that he wasn't with her.

Belle walked into the kitchen with her head down fiddling with her apron.

Aden swallowed, "Hey," he said nervously causing Belle to look up suddenly.

She gave a faulty smile back, "Hey."

And those were the last words they spoke to each other for the next three hours. Belle felt that it would be easier for her and she thought probably for Aden too, if they weren't to speak; as though without verbal communication they wouldn't feel what they did for each other or at least it wouldn't be as hard to deal with.

Unfortunately for the tactic, they worked under too closer conditions for it to work. Every time Aden would go to grab something, Belle would have somehow ended up in the way and his hand would brush against her causing shivers to go down her spine and her to feel as though she might cry at any second at the pain of knowing she wasn't getting his full touch. A couple of times he had leant near her and she could smell his natural luscious scent, she had to shake herself out of her state when she found herself closing her eyes to take it in.

Belle hadn't returned to the hospital to visit Aden and instead managed to find out about Aden's condition from other sources. Something she did far too regularly for Irene's liking. When July, the nurse had come in a couple of days ago Belle had asked how Aden was doing and July had told her that everyone at the hospital was concerned by the fact that he had had not one single visitor since Belle had left that first day.

That was the one time Belle had regretted her decision as her heart went out to Aden, realising how alone he truly was, but it lasted only a second as she realised Aden had to learn to be able to cope with life on his own.

Aden had caught himself staring at Belle for seconds too long when he was meant to be working. He couldn't stand the way they were behaving with each other. The silence was unbearable but if that's how Belle wanted to deal with the situation; then he wasn't going to do anything to upset her… at least not for those first three hours at any rate.

After that Aden decided he couldn't stand it any longer and if they weren't going to talk, he'd make them do something.

There was a plate teetering on the edge of one of the surfaces and as Belle swept past Aden to grab something he knocked the plate and it shattered all over the floor.

"God, Belle!" Aden yelled at her.

"What? That wasn't me; that was you!" Belle yelled back.

"…but it was your fault," Aden said eyebrows furrowed accusingly.

"My fault? You knocked into me," Belle exclaimed.

"Whatever!" Aden persisted.

Belle's response was one Aden hadn't wanted; she just shook her head and walked off. Aden couldn't let her go that easily.

"How could you do that Belle?" he said angrily.

"Do what?" Belle replied in an exasperated tone.

"How could you throw us away like that?"

Belle's eyes narrowed and Aden had never seen her look so angry, "How could I…? How dare you! After what you did… you're the one that threw us away Aden!"

"What… so this was about revenge?" Aden said harshly.

Belle's eyes narrowed again, this time in confusion, "No, it wasn't about revenge," she answered shaking her head and placing the plate she had been carrying on to the kitchen surface.

"Then what was it about?"

"It was about the truth Aden! I meant what I said… you can't always lean on me."

"I don't!" Aden defended.

"Yes, you do!" Belle said. She started to walk closer to him and Aden so badly wanted to reach out his hand and pull her into him. To feel safe in her arms like he was before; since they had been apart Aden had felt more insecure than ever. "Aden… you starting to see a counselor was great… but I'm just realising that when you said you did it for me; that was a bad thing because you need to do it for yourself."

Aden suddenly remembered a conversation he'd had with his Dad where he had told him basically what Belle had just said to him. That he needed to get better for himself and not for Aden. He suddenly understood what Belle was talking about.

Belle looked at him sadly seeing the look of comprehension that had finally appeared on his face. She turned around, picked up the plate and started to walk out of the kitchen.

"I miss you," Aden said quietly, looking at her leave. Belle only just heard him.

She stopped; without turning back and with a lump forming in her throat she replied, "I miss you too."

********

I hope you liked it.