Alyx had just jumped through another portal, in hopes that this one would lead her home. She had been jumping portals for nearly twenty years now. When she had left Legolas she ended up in another era, still far from her own time.
First there was Egypt. She wasn't sure what year it was there, only that she barely understood anyone there. She barely escaped her fate there. The Pharaoh had tried to add her to his collection of women. She wouldn't have any of that, she fought desperately to get away from them, she was sure she would have been killed. She just barely made it to the portal in time before it closed.
After that she was constantly, it seemed, running or fighting to survive. So many times, she nearly gave up, she wanted to quit, to just let go and allow fate to take her, but the mere memory of her children stopped, they forced her move on and continue her journey.
Now she stood in a field, she looked around and saw street lamps, an old swing set across the way. Her hopes rose, she was home, finally home.
She crossed the field and headed through the familiar streets, looking for one street in particular. Her street. She found it finally, she looked up at the old street sign, 'crescent road'. She smiled brightly and ran as fast as she could to the house at the end. Running up the front steps, two steps at a time, she grasped the door handle and tried to open it. It wouldn't open. There was a light on inside so she knocked.
A few seconds later the door opened and an old man stood before her.
"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked her.
Alyx was confused, why was this man in her home. She was about to ask him that very same question when she noticed the name on the mailbox. It wasn't hers, it was someone else's.
"Oh I'm sorry, I must have gone to the wrong house. Forgive me." Stammered, backing away and walking slowly away from the house. Her heart was ready to burst. Where was her house, her children, did she change something in the past to cause this? Walking down the street she noticed her good friend Marilee still lived in her house, her eccentric taste in lawn furniture gave her away. Marilee was her best friend, they grew up together in the orphanage.
She walked up to her door, certain that she would be able to help her. Rapping lightly on the door, she stood there, fear and doubt lay in the back of her mind. Minutes past and she knocked a second time. A light turned on in the lounge and she heard the sounds of footsteps making their way to the door. She waited nervously. Time seemed to pass slowly as she waited for her friend to open the door. Finally she hear the sound of the dead bolt unlocking and the door slid open.
Marilee stood in front of her giving her a queer look. Alyx was shocked she didn't hug her right away, she just stood there staring at her as if she didn't know her.
"Marilee what's wrong with you. It's me Alyx." Alyx said to her impatiently.
"Excuse me? I'm sorry lady I don't know you. Do you have any idea what time it is?" Marilee replied harshly.
"That's not funny Marilee, stop kidding around. It's me! Your best friend? The one you grew up with in the town orphanage!" Alyx was stressing badly, her friend was acting like she didn't exist.
"I'm sorry lady but I didn't grow up with an Alyx at the orphanage, you should really get some help." Marilee gave her one last look, as if to say, 'you're a nut' and slammed the door.
Alyx stood there, stunned. What the hell was going on? She thought. She stood there for a good five minutes, stunned, then it hit her. Something had changed, she must have done something to effect her time. She did not exist anymore, and if she didn't exist? She gasped as the realization struck her. Her children, were they gone? She was nearly in a panic, she walked down the street. She didn't even notice where she was going, she didn't care, she just walked numbly. It started to rain, but she didn't notice. She stopped, collapsing to her knees, she wept, the grief was over whelming and she could not contain it any longer. In a daze she looked up, she was on a bridge, the rain cascaded down her body, drenching her to the bone. She stood, walked a couple of steps and climbed onto the edge of the bridge. Looking down, the pavement was a good twenty feet below her. She felt nothing, nothing but anger, it filled her. How could this have happened, who would do such a thing, to take the one thing she tried so hard to return to.
She knew what she had to do, she had nothing left here, nothing worth living through.
Without another thought her hands released the grip she had on the metal ridge of the bridge. She fell, the pavement rushing up to her. Then nothing all was black as she lay there, dying, or so it would seem.