" I hope you are right. I miss her so much. " Carly said. She had been young when her mom had gone missing but it as young as Deanna had been.

Alex walked towards Carly and placed an arm around her. "I know I'm right," he said. He knew that the bond between a mother and her child was strong with almost nothing that could come between it.

Carly blushed a little bit at the arm around her. " Alex. I need to tell you something. " She said.

"Hm?" Alex asked as he turned his attention to her and was curious as to what she had to say.

" I have a crush on you Alex. Please don't hate me for saying that. " Carly said, not wanting to lose his friendship.

Alex was glad that the full moon was currently hidden by the clouds, knowing full well that Carly would have seen the blush covering his cheeks right then and there after her confession.

He knew that she was awaiting an answer, knowing that for every second he stayed silent; her fears would continue to mount. "I'm a little new at all of this to be perfectly honest with you," he started, glad that his late night talks with Zero and Yugito on the matter were for not. "And while I might not know how I truly feel about all this...I'm willing to give it a shot," he replied sincerely. He just hoped that his answer wouldn't turn her away, or make her sad.

" Alright. That's all I ask. " Carly said blushing too. She was glad that Alex didn't reject her and that there was a chance that they might date.

"Did you think I would reject you or something?" Alex asked.

Carly nodded solemnly. " I had a crush years ago on a boy at school. He rejected my feelings when I told him and I felt very hurt. " She said.

"Why do I feel there's more to the story?" Alex asked as he looked at Carly.

" There is. We had been friends since we were kids. After I had told him, he left town and haven't heard from him again. " Carly said.

Alex winced at that. "That must have been a blow to your pride..."

" I was. But I got tired of being in the rut of despair and became a trainer. " Carly said and had met Max shortly after that.

Alex nodded lightly as he went back to enjoying the night air with his girlfriend. Though he still wasn't sure if he could see Carly like that or not just yet. However, he was willing to give her a shot.

( time skip to morning?)

(sure)

Deanna heard the alarm and groaned. She knew they needed to get to the mountain village before the storm hit and was feeling nervous. She just hoped they would be able to find her mom.

Carly moaned lightly as she heard her own alarm clock start to blare out it's tone. "Ugh, it's morning already?" she muttered lightly before yawning softly, a light smile on her face after she finished yawning. While Alex didn't completely agree to be her boyfriend, he was willing to give her a chance.

Deanna took a quick shower, letting both Thalia and Sakura sleep a little bit longer. " Wake up sleepy heads." Deanna said to them once she had dressed up warmly. She hoped this would be an easy journey up the mountain, knowing once they got there things wouldn't be so easy.

"Is it morning already?" Thalia asked, yawning lightly as she woke up. When she got a nod from Deanna, the demi-goddess rolled over lightly and shook Sakura's shoulder lightly. "Sakura...time to wake up," she said.

" Already?" Sakura said with a yawn. She had slept better than the night before, but still didn't like getting up this early.

"Already," Thalia replied with a light chuckle. "I had a hard time waking up myself you know," Thalia added. She knew that it was necessary to get up this early, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

" I know, but still." Sakura said and sat up, stretching her arms out wide.

Thalia nodded her head in agreement. "I know what you mean," she said before playfully ruffling her hair. "Now then, let's get ready. We have a long day ahead of us, I'm sure."

Sakura nodded and got out of bed." You want to shower first?" She asked. She still needed to pack a few things.