Disclaimer: Alpha Force is owned by Chris Ryan. I am just borrowing them for this fanfic.

Chapter 3- Promising Yourself

At 10pm, Alex and Paulo left for home. Li would be staying at Amber and Hex’s. There were two spare rooms, so there was lots of space, and the young couple who were currently renting Li’s house were still packing. They were supposed to have moved out by now (Li had warned them she would be back two weeks ago) but their 3 year old son had gotten sick, so Li offered them another two weeks to move out. When Amber offered Li a place to stay, she accepted gratefully, because truth be told, Li hadn’t wanted to go back to her house.

Li’s house was a nice two bedroom brick townhouse on Ambrosden Avenue, a quiet street that was 9 minutes drive from Amber and Hex’s place. It was the house Li’s parents had bought when they were at university, and where they had lived just after they got married. The place was home to many memories, but Li wasn’t quite ready to face them yet. Just the thought of returning to that house of memories was enough to send a shiver down her spine. No, Li wasn’t ready to remember her dad’s life. She still hadn’t got over his death.

As Li climbed into bed, Amber came in. She sat down on the side of Li’s bed. She smiled at Li. Li smiled back and Amber said “I thought you might need to talk. You seemed kind of, well, depressed today.”

Li shrugged. She sat up a little higher in the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. Letting go of the blankets, Li replied,

" Yeah, I was wasn't I? I hope I didn't ruin your evening. I really am truly happy for you guys. Don't let a sad-sack like me make you feel bad. Oh, gosh, I'm really tired' Li let out a yawn," Night Amber. I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

After saying this, Li slid back down into the bed and fell asleep. Amber stood up and walked out of the room, turning the light off and closing the door behind her. She felt oddly maternal after that, like she was Li's mother. It was a strange feeling, but Amber was sur it wasn't a negative one. Li had been looking after her mother and father throughout his illness, and had probably had to have appeared strong for her mother, even when Li felt at her lowest. If anyone deserved to be taken care of right now, it was Li.

She sighed. She didn't think getting Li to open up about her dad's death would be this hard. She had expected the story to just come pouring out in a torrent of words. Amber was sure that that was what the old Li would have done. But then again, in Amber's knowledge, Li hadn't lost someone close to her before. Amber wondered if there was something else on Li's mind besides her dad. The last time Li had acted remotely like this was back when they were in Africa, staying at Teak Lodge with Tessa and Joe quickly dismissed that thought from her mind. Of course it was her father's death that was making her act this way. What else could it be?

She sighed again. This wasn't going to be easy, but Amber promised herself that she would help Li get through this, no matter how long it took.

Li woke up feeling disorientated, in unfamiliar surroundings. She panicked for a second before remembering that she was at Amber and Hex's. She looked at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table. 6:21 AM. Much too early to be up on a Saturday. Relieved, she snuggled back down into bed.

Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep. She was remembering the very short conversation she had with Amber last night. Li realised that she needed to talk about what was bothering her. She needed to tell someone exactly how she was feeling. It would help, she was sure. Li made two promises to herself. First, she was going to talk to Amber, Paulo, Alex or Hex about her dad's death. Let them know how she was feeling, and hope that they would help her through it.

Second, she was going to book an appointment with a therapist tomorrow to talk about the other thing that was on her mind. Because she was sure that none of her friends would understand.

A/N: Thanks for reviews but I'm hoping for a little more! Please alert me to any typos and I promise I'll write some more exciting chapters soon. And longer ones. Please read, review and get your friends to as well. I would really appreciate it!

TCNINJA :)