E p i s o d e 12 P a r t 3

Aleksios P.O.V:

After that, my twin and I, along with Marcel sped back home to the compound. I am currently sitting on the balcony railing, looking down at my twin and the army of vampires as Nik is giving them a speech.

"Not long ago, you all united against me. You failed. Since then, in my benevolence, I have wiped the slate clean. Yet, it seems clear you think that I am the one who needs to earn your respect, your loyalty. You're mistaken. It is you who must prove yourselves to me. Our community is under attack. I require soldiers. I need warriors, not cowards. Each of you has a decision to make. You either fight alongside me or you leave now." He gives them a choice. More than I would have done.

"We don't owe you anything. If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, I'd just as soon get the hell out." Thierry says and I glare at his head, hoping it would explode but alas it stays intact.

"Correct me if I'm wrong -" I start and their heads snaps up to where I'm sitting. "- did my brother not show you mercy and let you out of the garden, rather than just decapitating you or ripping your heart out?" I question him and at the same time, I defend my twin. They keep on staring at me like I'm a musuem exibit and I glare. They immediately advert their eyes and I watch as a handful of vampires join Thierry and walk out of the compound. Thierry looks at Diego in hopes that he'll come along, but he gives him a pained look and stays behind. My brother and Marcel leaves the room but I stay where I am. Not to long after, I feel a presance next to me and I look over to see my eldest living brother.

"Elijah." I greet stiffly but still politely.

"Lex." He greets back and we are quiet for a while before he speaks up: "I know we aren't on the best of terms right now but we are family and I wanted to express my condolences for your loss. I know you care a great deal about her and I'm sorry that she was taken from you." He tells me sincerely and I swallow the lump in my throat before I reply to him.

"Thank you, big brother." I say and he wraps and arm around my shoulder. I stiffen before I relax and lean on his shoulder. I realise he is right, we aren't on the best of terms right now but I will eventually forgive him because at the end of the day, we are family.

"Always and Forever." I tell him and I can feel him smiling.

"Always and Forever." He says back and I feel him nod and I almost smile. Almost. I sit there, leaning on his shoulder, content. Not happy but content.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask him as a thought occurs to me.

"Anything." He replies.

"Does it still hurt? Tatia's death?" I ask him slowly and carefully, she has always been a sore subject for him.

"Everyday." He answers without hesistation. "But not as much as it did. There was a time when I didn't want to get up in the mornings but I got up and everyday it hurt a little less until one day it only hurt a little." He tells me but then adds on: "It is going to hurt for a long time, Lex, but someday it won't hurt so much but you'll never truly get over it." He says carefully and honestly, afraid of how I will react but I just nod against his shoulder. I realise that it will take a long time for me to be happy again and I'll never truly get over losing her but that's okay because it was worth it. Knowing her, even if only for a small amount of time, was worth all this pain. She is worth it.

"Lexie!" I hear my twin brother call me out of my thoughts and I pull out of Elijah's embrace.

"Thank you." I tell him sincerely and he nods with a smile.

"Anytime. I'm always here for you." My eldest sibling says. I giving him a nod and using all my strength I give him a small smile before I jump of the railing. I landed in a crouch and listen to find my brother, only to realize he is upstairs in the study. I sped upstairs, stopping in the doorway.

"Yes?" I say but it comes out a question and I see him, along with Sophie and Marcel in there.

"Tell her what you told us." My twin says, pointing to the witch. I turn to her with a raised eyebrow and she sighs before talking.

"The reason Tunde is back is because of the harvest. It did work but someone jacked that power and they used it to bring back four witches... Just not the right ones." She tells me and my eyes widen.

"Does that mean..." I ask her trailing of, not wanting to but desparately hoping that I'm making the right conclusion.

"I don't know." She tells me and I nod.

"But there's another problem." Marcel says and I turn to him. "Tunde needs to sacrifice more vampires in order for him to have power. Now we can try and stop him from killing nightwalkers."

"Unless he finds the one place with a load of vampires ready to be sacrificed." My twin finishes his sentance and realisation dawns on me.

"The garden." I say and they nod. We speed of there only to discover we are to late. He all ready sacrified all of the vampires.

"Dammit." I say in frustration and I punch the cement wall, leaving a indentation of my fist. Realising that there isn't something we can do about it now, we go back home.

Later on, I am laying in my bed, unable to sleep. So, I decide to go and wake up my brother and have that talk with him but I first go and get each of us a blood bag downstairs. The compound is quiet. Everyone's asleep and the nightwalkers are out patroling the city. I grab a blood bag and I speed upto his room. I see him spwarled out across his bed, looking like a starfish.

"Twin." I call out and he immediately sits up, alert but he relaxes as soon as he realises it's me. I throw him a blood bag, which he expertly catches.

"I stil don't know who on earth you do that." I tell him, confusion lacing my voice.

"Do what?" He questions after taking a big gulp of the blood bag.

"Get up so quickly. I can't do that, it takes me a while to get up." I tell him, walkin over to the bed and he moves to make some space for me. I climb on top of the covers and I sit up crossed legged.

"Don't I know it." He says with a huff and I roll my eyes at him.

"Whatever." I say in a dismissive manner. "I wanted to talk to you." I tell him and he hums, signalling me to continue.

"What's up with you and Cami?" I ask him and he sit up with a sigh.

"I don't know." He tells me. "I like her but she likes Marcel. And I just slept with Caroline but the feelings I had for her didn't go away but I still like Camille. It's like I'm a magnet to blondes who have intests in someone else." He tells me frustratedly.

"Well, at least they are alive." I tell him quietly and the pain of her death takes me over. Again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" My twin asks me. No, I don't want to but I need to. I can't keep with bottled up.

"It hurts." I choke out in a voice filled with the pain I'm in. "God it hurts, Nik. And I miss her. I miss her so goddamn much. It's not fair. She didn't deserve this. She is good and kind and she deserved better than this." I tell him and by the end of that last sentance the tears are flowing freely. My twin takes me in his arms and rubs a soothing hand up and down my back.

"Let it out Lexie, let it all out." He tells me in a whisper and for the second time, I break down in his arms and I think about her.

Her laugh, oh I love her laugh, and the way her eyes would sparkle when she did magic. And I love her smile, god I love seeing her smile, that goreous smile of hers and the way she would blush when I called her love, not to mention the way she would say my full name and the pleasant shivers that went down my spine. I love how she lit up my dark world. And that's when it hit me.

I love her.

***

Okay I wasn't planing on updating today but the I saw my story reached 10K views!!!!!!!

That is just AMAZING. Thank you guys so much.

Enjoy!

-mixie_2000