"Al Heaven": Chapter Fifteen - by Char

Disclaimer: This story contains adult material and may not be appropriate for those under 18.

Comments: Send the author an E-mail, or leave a message on the Al Fan Fiction Forum.

Summary: Will�s Philosophy, Joe Feels for Jen

Will and Al�s Place�

Will is home cranking his stereo. Al walks in and hears lyrics:

Don�t wanna go to the mall
Don�t wanna go to the movies
I think we done it all
Just take me to the backseat
Al: What is this? Girl music? I mean, is this research or something?

Will hits his remote to turn down the volume.

Will: Awww man! I can�t play Life of Agony for the rest of my life.

Al: Yeah, sometimes you play some pretty depressing stuff.

Will: Its not like I can party all the time either.

Al: So what�s with� Isn�t this The Donnas?

Will: Yeah. They�re actually sort of funny.

Al: Sound skanky too.

Will: What� women who want to be with a man without needing a commitment are sluts? See, I don�t get that.

Al: Well, it would ruin that joke about why beer is better than women.

Will laughs.

Will: Sounds like time to get a beer. You want one?

Al: Oh yeah.

Will: I�ve read that one before, about beer. Let me see� uh� Beer doesn�t mind if you have another beer.

Al: That�s the one.

Will: I don�t think Marcy would appreciate that kind of humor.

Al: What woman would?

Will: I hope you and Marcy love each other forever. I really do.

Al: Aw man. You think I�ll end up wanting someone else because she�s� Will: No! Absolutely not! For all I know, she�ll outgrow you.

Al: So I should never have a relationship with her?

Will: That�s not what I�m saying at all. I�m saying that you�ll have to learn for yourself, and that, hopefully, you and Marcy will grow together enough to accept each other the way each of you are, even if it means parting as friends down the road should your journeys need to go in different directions. I�m saying that you shouldn�t lose sight of what�s important� loving someone completely isn�t about owning them but wanting what�s best for them, even if its not you.

Al: What do you mean?

Will: To love someone is about wanting the person to be fulfilled.

Al shakes his head and squinches his eyes.

Al: Okay. I think I�m following, even though I�m not sure I agree with you.

If I�m really in love with Marcy, I accept her and her faults. That�s a given. However, if I�m getting what you are saying, I guess I�m supposed to be so cool, that she can trust me to be open even if it meant letting her move on one day, even with another guy? I dunno about that man. I can�t imagine just being able to let go. I think I want to keep her forever.

Will: There you go! You said the word keep. Love isn�t about ownership. And what�s more, it�s not about being blindsided, but coming to decisions together over time.

Al: Since when did you get to be such an expert on love?

Will: The real question is how did a couple of guys start talking about relationships over beers?

Al: Maybe we�re just living in a Matrix and someone�s deciding what we�re doing, or some woman is just writing us into existence.

Will: Remind me to see the Oracle again. I got questions. But seriously, I�ve been through a lot. So have you Al. I mean, look at what happened with Jen. If Cris knew what I know before he got with her, maybe things could have been different.

Al: So you don�t hate Cris anymore? You think he was just young and impetuous?

Will: Look, I don�t hate anyone. I hate his actions, and I recognize I was out of control. See, I don�t blame the guy for thinking he fell for Jen enough to make a commitment, and then realizing he wanted someone else. What I don�t understand is why he wasn�t real with her in the first place. Why couldn�t he be honest about what was going on in his heart as it happened, in real time? It wasn�t like something he said in the heat of passion or drunk, because that would be on Jen. He LIVED with her. If he really cared about my sister, and they were true friends, they could have talked, and yeah, it would have hurt Jen, but she wouldn�t have been blindsided. And if they weren�t friends enough to want each other�s happiness first, why was he living with her? Its one thing to get her into bed, but to actually commit their lives together by living together? If he�d only talked some garbage and got her into bed, well that would be on Jen. She is and was an adult, and until they change the laws about what age someone is to be an adult, that�s the way it is. But he moved in with her, he made a home with her! Maybe, just maybe, I could forgive his fear of owning up to his mistakes because he was probably in over his head, and he was learning about life. But he still needed to understand it wasn�t cool, and that there are consequences. All we can do is face our consequences and move on, It was like the people of Waterside just thought he was hunky dory, and Jen was some horrid thing from hell for reacting to the blindsiding. He owed her honestly, and to walk down the road with her to parting. I don�t know if I�m saying it right but I hope you know what I mean.

Al: I can�t imagine it though.

Will: I think everyone has to come to these conclusions in their own time.

Some people never do. You live your life as you see fit. I�m saying I�ve realized these things, and I do judge people. I mean, look what I did to Cris. But my judgments are not based on generalized agreements in our society. For example, you mentioned the concept of skank. Which woman is a skank? Choice A, the woman who marries a guy and sleeps with him over and over in order to have privileged slavery in exchange for safety, prestige, or perhaps money. Choice B, the woman who strips for men for money, but calls her own shots, and doesn�t have to sleep with any of them. I�m not advocating stripping. I�m saying that people accept givens without questioning the validity of their assumptions.

Al: What about when kids are involved? And since when did you get so wise about relationships, I mean, assuming you know a thing about what you are talking about?

Will: Loaded question, but a good one. First of all, when you have that kind of relationship, theoretically, since I obviously haven�t had a kid, I think agreeing about the kids� welfare is just another thing that comes with being open and honest. If you have a relationship, you talk about these things. It�s when you don�t have a relationship that kids become victims. I don�t understand why anyone would think they are raising kids together if the parents have no home together in the first place. Blood has nothing to do with it. People adopt kids from 3rd world countries, and they don�t share genes with the child. These are stories about people wanting to RAISE kids, something often confused with creating them. But that�s another story, a story that might be too much to ask you to take in. Just make sure you never involve yourself with someone you don�t trust with a relationship. If I wanted you to hear anything about what I�ve said, it�s that. You asked me something else, something that I�ve never really talked about before.

Al: Okay. About how you came to all these conclusions?

Will smiles and looks off in the distance.

Will: Is it dark out yet?

Al: Yeah, why?

Will walks over to the window, and gestures to Al to come too.

Will: See that star there? That one right there, the one that shines so brilliantly?

Al: What are you talking about now?

Will: I call her Star because I don�t know her real name. She listened to me, just LISTENED, and� I wanted to stay in that moment forever. I felt understood and like everything made sense. But she insisted on not exchanging information. She told me that whenever I need to talk things over, that she�d always be there for me in the way that counted, that� I should just look to the stars. She said the answers are always inside ourselves, but sometimes we all need a little inspiration. Al mockingly puts his hand on Will�s forehead checking for a fever. Will pushes it off, and gets into fighting stance with a big grin on his face. Al follows in the goofball game of pretend fighting. They fall onto the couch exhausted, laughing. They talk again, staring forward.

Will: You wouldn�t understand.

Al: Try me. Geez, I�ve followed you this far. Bring it on home, homey.

Will: I�m gonna have to save that story for another day Al.

Al: Okay, then what about Flash? It�s obvious that you want her so bad.

You think she could relate to all this?

Will: I know she�s young� And maybe she wouldn�t understand anything I�m saying either. I�m not saying she�s even like Star, except in the sense that Flash is not intimidated by what anyone tries to sell her. She doesn�t stay down for long, ya know?

Al: You�re talking to someone who remembers her since she was a kid. She�s always rocked to the beat of a different drum.

Will: Fiercely independent. I know I don�t stand a chance of getting through that wall of hers.

Al: Then why invest in her?

Will: That�s something I look to the stars to ponder on.

Al: You really have to tell me about your Star.

Will: All in good time.

The Community Center�

Jen: So Joe, you decided against going out with a liar?

Joe: It�s none of your business, and you�re one to talk after telling Flash, I mean Sarah, .. that we slept together.

Jen: None of my business? At least you even KNOW the truth because of me. And at least I came forward to make things right, like the next day! She�s been lying to you for months,, and if I didn�t find out the truth, you�d still be in the dark!

Joe: So a thank you is what you are looking for?

Jen: Whatever. I�ll see you later.

Joe: What do you want?

Jen begins to leave, and responds as she walks away.

Jen: Nothing.

Joe chases after her.

Joe: I�m sorry.

Jen turns to look at him.

Joe: Look, I believe in you Jen. The Flash-Sarah business wasn�t your shining moment.

Jen: I�ll talk to my therapist. You don�t need to worry about me. I�m not your problem.

Al walks in.

Al: Am I interrupting something?

Jen: I was just leaving.

Al: I�m not scaring you away, am I?

Jen smiles and brushes his nose with the tip of her index finger.

Jen: Al, you should know better.

Al: See ya later kiddo.

Jen: Back at ya.

Joe has a bewildered look on his face.

Joe: Did I just see that?

Al: Oh, you mean�

Joe: Uh, yeah!

Al: After all she�s done to you, I might as well tell you. Jen�s turned a corner.

Joe: I guess so, if you both are getting along. You�re going out with Marcy though right?

Al: Marcy�s my girl alright! Jen�s just� well� hmmm. I can�t give you all the details, but she stuck her neck out for me big time.

Joe: But only as a friend?

Al: Oh yeah. I�d never do anything to hurt Marcy. She�s the only girl for me. It�s just that� I didn�t realize how bad Jen felt about what she did.

Joe: You know, come to think of it, she was pretty choked up about what she did to me.

Al: I�m not saying she�s not capable of messing up again, but it means a lot to me that she actually cares, and she�s going in the right direction.

Joe: Wow. I�ve been so busy thinking I need to stay away, I never stopped to consider she�s changing. But she�s seeing Rex right?

Al: Oh, no! You like Jen huh?

Joe: Can I trust you?

Al: Man, we go way back.

Joe: She� Jen� I� how do I say this?

Al: You like her?

Joe: She� haunts me.

Al: You need an exorcism dude.

Joe: It�s crazy I know. I see something inside her, something maybe she doesn�t even see herself.

Al: Joe, you gotta know, she has to figure things out for herself. You have your job working with kids because you like to help people, and I�m down with that, but sometimes you have to let go to help them best.

Joe: And watch her with someone else?

Al ponders the thought.

Al: If she means that much to you, you�re facing a tough decision.

Joe: What am I gonna do?

Al: Let�s just say I�m glad I�m not you right about now.

Joe: I forget I�m speaking to someone who knows what its like to be under Jen�s spell.

Al: It�s not far from my memory, but I do count myself lucky that she has no hold over me.

Joe: But she has turned a corner.

Al: Yeah.






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