Free of family

23

It was late when Alexis got home that night. Bonnie had dropped her off. Arkyn went to greet her at the door, but saw that she had been crying. She walked into his arms, giving her a hug and he wrapped his arms around her. He saw Bonnie drive away, but decided to stay with Alexis.
"What's wrong?" He asked. She just cried harder, as he soothed her. He led her into the house, closing the door. "Lex, come on, sweetheart. What is it?"
"Jeremy kissed Anna." She cried.
"He did what?"
"He kissed her." she repeated, crying into Arkyn.
"Oh, sweetheart." Arkyn rubbed her back as she cried.
"I mean, he's been seeing her for months, and the first chance he gets, he just- he kisses her? Like he didn't already have a girlfriend. A living one, at that." She sat up to rant. "I thought he loved me. Or cared for me at least. No one forced him to go out with me. We've been dating for months. And I didn't even hear it from him. Elena caught him, and told Caroline who told Bonnie who told me. Then he tried to make excuses like the stupid jerk he is."
"Lex."
"I loved him." She said.
"I know sweetheart."
"He chose her over me." She started to sob, as  she leaned into him.
"He's an idiot. He's not worthy of you, or your tears, darling. You are a badass, legendary witch. Pain in my ass. Deadly fighter, drop dead gorgeous young woman. You are amazing and Jeremy Gilbert got way more than he could have ever deserved. You, my sweet darling, are the rarest gem of all, and you will find someone who will appreciate that. You have your whole life, and you know what? It might take time. Maybe you'll get your heart broken again. You'll definitely break some hearts yourself, but that's okay. It takes some time."
"You think?"
"I know. Am I ever wrong?" He challenged and she shook her head giving him a teary smile.
"Thanks, Ark." She said.
"Of course. Now I think I have just the trick for you." Arkyn picked her up and sped her to her room. He set her on the bed and sped back down, getting out tubs of ice cream.
"Contrary to popular belief, ice cream doesn't fix everything." She rolled her eyes.
"That's true, but it's a good place to start."
"I can accept that." She grinned as he scooted on to her bed.
"You know, your mom's very first break up. Philip Lambert."
"Mom dated a guy named Philip Lambert?"
"Yeah. She was about your age. He was an entitled douche bag."
"So Mom had a type?"
"Alexis..."
"You never talk about him."
"Well, if you want to talk to him, you can always give him a call."
"Oh, god no." She gagged.
"You don't remember him."
"And thank god for that. I just want you to talk trash about him."
"Lex, sweetheart..."
"Don't." She said. Xavier walked over to the room.
"Am I interrupting?" He stood at the door.
"Not at all. Come on in." Arkyn invited and he walked over to the bed.
"Isn't it a little late for ice cream?"
"Never too late for ice cream." Alexis pouted.
"Okay, scooch over. I want in." He said moving on the bed.
"So what did you guys get up to today?"
"Xavier and Rebekah barely let me out of their sight."
"We just wanted to stop you from moping around all day."
"I wasn't moping."
"Where is Rebekah?" Alexis tried to stop their bickering.
"Somewhere." Arkyn shrugged before raising his voice. "Bex!"
"What?!" She yelled back.
"Come on up!" He called and she sped into the room.
"There a party going on or something?" She asked.
"Just some ice cream. You want some?"
"Absolutely. I haven't had any for ninety years."
"Klaus is an asshole." Alexis stated and Rebekah giggled. "What?"
"I don't think I've ever heard anyone not related to Nik insult him."
"Well someone should knock him down a peg or two."
"He's not always so bad." She tried. "At least not to me."
"He kept you daggered for ninety years."
"It's his own misguided way of trying to protect me. I'm mad, but he wasn't doing it to be an ass."
"Why don't we table the Klaus talk?"
"We all missed you." Rebekah said. "Kol especially." He looked away.
"Tell us more of what Ark was like over the centuries." Alexis pleaded. "I mean he's told us some of his past and family and what times were like, but not much about himself."
"Well, he was always with Kol, the two of them were practically joined at the hip. The two of them were pranksters, so mischievous. He's all serious and brooding now, but as a human he always had a smile on his face."
"Ark's not usually as down as he's been lately. I mean he was the one we went to when mom said we couldn't do something and he'd talk her into it." Alexis said.
"But he did have a limit. Nothing extreme and nothing while we were grounded."
"He's been more of a hard ass since mom died, though. Less liberal since mom's not around to say no, but not too strict. Except for this summer."
"Crime and punishment, Lex."
"I didn't even do anything wrong."
"You almost got yourself killed, and you went against my explicit instructions."
"What did you do?" Rebekah looked interested.
"Help try to kill Klaus." Xavier sighed, taking Alexis's spoon to have a bite.
"And what was the punishment."
"I sent them away for the summer to spend time with their actual, blood related family. Apparently they'd prefer death."
"Your family can't be that bad."
"These two are kind of protective and a family member in particular doesn't like vampires, including me."
"She hates Ark and wants to kill him and often tries to persuade us to."
"She wants you dead?" Rebekah asked, concerned for her brother.
"She just doesn't approve of my relationship to these two because she had a bad history with vampires."
"Who is she?"
"So you can track her down and kill her?"
"Pish posh. Hold your tongue."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It basically means shut up, and pish posh doesn't have an actual meaning. It's more of an expression of absurdity."
"More more more!" Alexis giggled. "I want to hear more weird British phrases."
"It's bedtime for you, Lex. You know you don't wake up unless you've had at least nine hours of sleep."
"I don't want to go to school tomorrow. Jeremy's gonna be there."
"Still mad at him?" Rebekah asked.
"I broke up with him." Alexis informed her brother and Rebekah. "He cheated on me with his ex girlfriend."
"What, when?" Xavier leaned forward.
"Today. Anna was one of the ghosts who materialised and he kissed her."
"I know you don't wanna go to school and see him, sweetheart, but the Lex I know would never let him think he got to her. She'd march right into that school, and show him exactly what he lost."
"Easy for you to say. Bonnie broke up with you to keep you safe. Because she loves you."
"Doesn't change the fact that she broke up with me and doesn't want to be with me. And this isn't about me. This is about you. And if you really don't want to face him, you don't have to go to school, but I think you gotta go there and show him what he's missing. Be you, be happy, and I will make sure he doesn't even get to be within a foot of you. Deal?"
"Fine. Deal."
"That's my girl." He held out his hand and she high fived it.
"Who needs Jeremy Gilbert? I have my family right here." She grabbed Xavier's hand too.