A/N: Based off of the song by Scott Alan, "Again". Yes, it WAS sang by Hadley- Hadley Fraser, that is.

And whoever catches the Fireproof reference gets a cookie. Whoever's SEEN the movie Fireproof gets multiple cookies. Hehe.


Today was the day.

Today was her wedding day.

Today was his last chance.

She can't marry him. I have to stop that wedding.

He tore through his apartment, threw on a tuxedo, grabbed his guitar case, and ran out to his truck.

His truck that wouldn't start.

"Damn it all," he muttered among other countless obscenities. The neighbor merely looked up.

He sighed. "Mr. Reynolds."

"Hadley."

Kicking one of the car's tires, he sighed. He couldn't let her get married to… him. He could never love her as much as Hadley did. He ran a hand over his face, leaning on his truck and sliding to the ground. It was hopeless.

"Out of the way, Hadley."

Looking up, his eyes widened. Mr. Reynolds was driving his Civic right at him.

Jumping to his feet, he ran to the other side of his own car. "We'll jump start the car," Mr. Reynolds was saying as he climbed out of the Civic. Hadley nodded and stood there, watching. He wasn't exactly an expert with cars.

"Why are you doing this?" he mused aloud, shaking his head slightly.

Mr. Reynolds sighed, clipping one end of a short blue cord to an unknown part of the Civic. "Young love always deserves a second chance," was his vague answer.

Hadley, unconvinced, merely shrugged.

"Start up your engine, Hadley," Mr. Reynolds ordered. He merely nodded and hopped inside, turning the key and nearly shouting his relief to the world as it started in time with the Civic.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Reynolds!" he yelled, rolling the truck's window down as his neighbor rolled the Civic back into his own driveway."

"Go on. Get your girl. And think nothing of it."


It was as if he was falling in love with her all over again. The soft cream color of the wedding dress melded perfectly against her skin, showing her curves in all the right places. Her hair was in a bun, save for the few golden strands which framed her face. Her eyes sparkled, and Hadley had to stop and stare at the sheer beauty of her.

He knew he was too late. The wedding started in thirty minutes, and here she was, waiting to be escorted away by her father. The flower girl was eying him strangely, as well as the bridesmaid. Thankfully, the father in question had yet to arrive.

He had thirty minutes to convince her.

The flower girl tugged on her wedding dress. She laughed- the sound lifted Hadley's sore heart and spirits- and turned to see what the little girl was pointing at.

Him.

Her face fell immediately. She turned to her bridesmaid and said something he couldn't hear, which made him grip the guitar case's handle a little tighter. His heart sped up as she started to walk away from him.

"Alexis, wait!"

He took a single step toward her, eyes shining with a mix of happiness, awe, and… devastation. Which made her stop where she was.

"I need to speak with him alone," she murmured. The bridesmaid took hold of the little girl's hand, who offered him a bright smile, and led her away. He chuckled lightly.

"She's adorable," he commented offhandedly. His gazed finally reached hers. "Alex…"

"Say what you have to."

Hadley paused, then with a coy smile, set the guitar case down, kneeling next to it.

"Good lord, Hadley…"

He pulled the guitar from its case, slinging the strap across his shoulder and strumming the guitar strings with his thumb as he stood. Thank God he'd tuned it before he'd approached her; he didn't have time to now.

Gently, he plucked the strings in a tune he'd practiced for weeks. He'd perfected the notes, the lyrics, everything. It all had to be perfect, or she was as good as married now. With a soft, despairing smile, he began to sing.

"You look beautiful as always. Never fail to take my breath away. He's a lucky guy to have you. How'd I ever let you slip away?"

Her defensive expression wavered. He continued.

"In our completely perfect world, the two of you would not have met. You wouldn't look so radiant there in your wedding dress. But this is not a perfect world, and I know I should not be here, just have to say one thing before you disappear… again."

She bit on her lip, shaking her head. But his song wasn't over.

"I love you, still. I've never stopped; who knows if I will? I don't want to see us end… so here I am, hoping you'll come home to me… again."

At the short musical interlude, she shook her head again. He sighed.

"Please say something. Say anything at all! I can't handle the silence! Yes, I know that this is not the place or time, but I can't bear that I may lose you!"

Her eyes began to water. She couldn't speak if she tried. Was it working?

"If I could turn the hands of time and have a chance to right my wrongs, would've loved you twice as much, held you twice as strong. I should have never let you go and I shouldn't have walked away believe, now that we are here there's one thing that I need… to say."

Hidden at the side of the building, both the bridesmaid and flower girl could hear everything. The flower girl commented on his 'pretty voice'. The bridesmaid smiled to herself.

"I love you still. I've never stopped; I don't think that I will. I don't want to see us end… so here I am, begging you'll come home to me again!"

Slowly he got down on one knee, continuing to play the guitar and sing. Tears trailed down her face, and for the third time she shook her head. "Hadley…" she managed to croak.

"And I'm down here on my knees again, begging you not to marry him! If you do, I know my heart will break! There is only so much it can take!"

He rose again, strumming the guitar a little harder. His emotions were working up again. He could not lose her. Not for good.

"Come with me, go on, take my hand! Leave him a note; I'm sure he'll understand!"

She took a small, hesitant step toward him. He would've smiled if he wasn't scared out of his mind that she'd leave.

"I love you still. I've never stopped, I know I never will."

She could've died at the tone of his voice, full of utter despair, only an ounce of hope left in him. This was what she'd done? What she herself had reduced him to?

"Please don't let this be our end…"

She brushed her thumb against her engagement ring. It fell to the ground. Hadley didn't notice, having his eyes fixed eternally on hers.

"Here I am, praying you'll come home… to me…"

With a half audible sob, she pushed the guitar so it fell against his back and pressed her mouth hard against his, throwing her arms around his neck. Startled at first, his heart sped up beyond anything. Both his hands cupped her face, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. If only this moment could last forever…

"Hadley, I'm sorry."

She released him, stumbling backward a step. "I'm so sorry."

Only a moment later, her father approached the pair. He sent a cold glare in Hadley's direction, but that wasn't what fazed him.

The remains of his heart had been shattered.

The last words Alex ever heard from him were, "I'm not."

"Not what?"

"Sorry."

It was only after she'd walked into the church that he spotted her engagement ring. He left it there.