[IC] Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

[AlteredTundra]

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Eli had been avoiding his family as if they were the plague. He was among those who didn’t know him one bit. They didn’t know about his reputation nor did they treat him as some sort of outcast because he didn’t fit the norm of what a Mossos was supposed to be. Even Ava, as much as she tried to deny it, was a proper Mossos. Eli, however, refused to portray himself as anything that he wasn’t. There wasn’t anything or anyone that could force him to act in any other way that wasn’t 100% Elijah Mossos.

So, of course, he had taken deliberate routes through the house to ensure they didn’t see him. The only exception to this was Georgios, but he was the only one that didn’t seem to really hate him all that much. After a short conversation with him, Eli had made his escape. And he found it in the garden. “Finally some peace and quiet.” He let out a sigh, walking a few steps to get a better view of it. He didn’t really give two shits about flowers, but the fresh air was welcomed. Though, as he had, he took notice to a woman who was enjoying a smoke all by herself. It was that same one from before. The one who had arrived with the human-sized mouse. “Got an extra?”

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It had seemed like an eternity. Every moment spent enjoying one another’s company in any way, shape, or form that was physically or emotionally possible, these two had done it. Alexandros, when it called for it, was a gentle lover. And the reverse was the case when he needeed to take control. Both had chances to dominate the other while they also had more tender, submissive moments. To put it quite simply, it was like heaven between the sheets.

And when it had all been said and done and the two were laying beside each other, Audrey had asked the million-dollar question that had been on Alexandros’ mind since they finished. After all of the fun and games and the equal opportunities they took to hurt each other, what happened next? There was no going back from this point, that much was certain. Neither of them knew the other knew, whatever this was, it was a turning point in their relationship. As toxic as it had been, up until this point, it was nothing but a game of cat and mouse, but now Tom and Jeri had ceased fire and formed a pact with each other. This pact included some very real feelings.

So, truly, what will you do, Alexandros?

He took a moment to think about it. And then he took a few more. Before he realized it, Alexandros had been quiet for over three minutes. He occasionally looked over at her, thinking he was going to respond, but he smiled at her. He didn’t want to worry her, but truth was he honestly didn’t know how to answer this question. Or maybe he didn’t want to answer it. He knew exactly what this meant.

He turned his head to face hers, still smiling at her. “You’ve always been an impatient woman,” he noted, laughing slightly, “but I suppose this means we can’t go back to the way things were before, now can we?” That was rhetorical. Of course, he knew they couldn’t go back to what they were prior to this happening. “Then, I guess this means we’re...official.”

Saying those words actually made his heart lose a beat. Of all people, Alexandros Mossos, the womanizer of the West Side, was off the market. He was in a relationship.

What on God’s green earth just happened?

[Venus]

Heather Duclerc wasn't a fan of family gatherings. Although she loved spending time with her cousins, exchanging stories of loves found and lost while sipping mimosas at Audrey’s ocean view balcony, she despised the uptightness of the family’s adults. They always seemed to ask the same stupid questions: What do you plan to do after college? Are you still single? Why are you still single? Is there any special someone lingering around? And on and on and on... Yuck!

It always made her so angry! Why was it that her family members insisted that she had her life figured out already?! It had been the same way all throughout the trip to Beverly Hills. Her parents were adamant in her having her life together. It wasn't enough that Heather had graduated in the top ten of her Business class, that she’d landed a job with one of the most prestigious finance companies in Beverly Hills, or that she was a semester and a half away from earning her Master’s degree in Finance. Noooooo, they wanted to see her settled down, furthering her education or even getting married soon.

Why couldn't they understand she was only twenty-three, and only wanted to live her life her way?!

And so there she was, sitting in a bench well hidden from view by rose bushes in her cousin’s garden, smoking a cigarette. Nicotine always helped her simmer down when things became too overwhelming. Her picture-perfect parents would oppose, of course, but this was a thing Heather didn't give two rats as about. The dark haired woman puffed out smoke in neat circles, playing around with it. Heather savored the loneliness, staring out into the ocean and feeling the cool November breeze in her smooth skin.Then, out of nowhere, her moment of solitude was interrupted.

“Got an extra?”

A male voice. She took a moment to acknowledge the person standing a few steps away from her, and when she did, she was surprised to see that it was the young man who had been sitting with her cousin when she'd arrived. Heather’s hazel-green eyes examined him briefly: from his icy blue eyes, his sharp features yet boyish face, his expensive yet shabby ensemble, and his disheveled blond hair. He seemed to be… Not as uptight as the rest of them, so she decided that a little company wouldn't hurt.

Heather curiously cocked her head to the side. “Aren't you a little too young to be smoking?” she asked him. However, she quickly smirked at him teasingly and produced another cigarette from her small but expensive clutch. “Here.” she said, handing him the item he had asked for. After a few seconds if rummaging through the clutch, the young woman pulled out a dainty lighter. “Need a light?”

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Audrey Huntsberg wasn't an anxious person by nature, but the silence that hung in the air after she'd popped the question made her feel like that. There were times in which it seemed he would speak up, but all Audrey got in return was a coy smile. All the while, the young woman's head was racing. Had she been too straightforward? Had she asked too soon? Did he feel the same way she did?

Finally, Alexandros spoke the words that sealed their pact: she was impatient, they couldn't go back to way things were and... They were official.

He’d said it so calmly, so sure of it, that it took Audrey a few seconds for the words to sink in. Official… That meant that Alexandros Mossos was now Audrey Huntsberg’s boyfriend. He was no longer the man she fought tooth and nail to have, no longer the man she loved and hated at the same time, the man that made her feel happy and angry and crazy… He was her boyfriend

’Well, shit.’

“Aaaaaauuuuuudreeeeeeyyyyyyy, we're starting dinner soooooooonnnnnn!”

A familiar, high-pitched voice called out from outside the door, interrupting the moment.The Latina’s eyes widened at the sound of the voice, and she immediately shot up from her position in the bed next to Alexandros. The doorknob began to rattle, signaling Delilah’s failed attempts to open the bedroom door. Meanwhile, her older cousin was scrambling to put her clothes back on, urgently gesturing to her too-calm boyfriend -ugh, it felt so weird to use that word!- to do the same.

“Um, why is your door locked? You never lock your door when we’re here. What the heck are you doing up here?”

“I, uh, was dealing with some, uh, private matters.” Audrey replied, a tell-tale edge in the voice she had tried to keep cool and collected.

She heard Delilah gasp loudly. “Oh my God, are you in there with Alexandros?!” The young woman shrieked excitedly. Audrey could picture her silently clapping and giving little hops of joy outside the bedroom door. Her cousin was such a sucker for happy endings in love stories.

“Oh, I don’t know… Maybe I am, maybe I’m not…” the brunette replied with a smirk, shooting Alex a wink.

“Ooooooh, okay! I'll just let you two finish up, then! But we’re about to be starting dinner, so chomp chomp!” And with that, the clinking of her heels on the hardwood floor signaled Lila’s retreat back to the party.

Fully dressed now, Audrey sat down on the bed next to Alex. She carefully put on her heels again, and once finished she stood up to check her reflection in the mirror. The brunette smiled at her slightly smudged mascara and missing lipstick: all signs of a moment of passion well spent. She quickly freshened her makeup and turned to look at her boyfriend with the smile still in place. Her brown eyes were still shining brightly.

“So… I guess we better get going before anyone else puts two and two together or notice we’re missing from the party.” she told him, walking up to him and planting a kiss on her boyfriend’s lips.

[AlteredTundra]

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“It’s best to start young,” Elijah commented, leaning somewhat closer to Heather so that she would light up the cigarette in his mouth.

As he had inhaled slowly, breathing in that addictive smoke and letting it naturally(albeit slowly) flow out of his mouth, he remained relaxed as he saw the garden in front of him. Even with the limited lighting that it had from the lamp posts spread throughout and the partial sunlight the sun was giving due to it being mostly cloudy, it presented a nice atmosphere for the perfect smoke break. Odds were that Eli wouldn’t be able to relax like he was once he went back inside, so he was savoring this moment.

And it didn’t hurt to have an aesthetically-pleasing woman as company.

He took just a few more moments to enjoy what was in his hand, though as he had turned his head a slight turn, he was just now noticing her. Long, dark locks cascaded down her neck and shoulders that only put a spotlight on her slightly-tanned skin. Something about the way the fluorescent light had shown on her face at just the exact moment she had turned to face him, which as probably an instinctual reaction to him glancing at her whilst she was facing a quarter of the opposite direction. Whichever it was, despite her now looking at him, Eli didn’t utilize a common technique that most would avoid eye contact.

That simply wasn’t his speed. He kept his gaze, even offering her a smirk. As much as he didn’t like to admit it, he was indeed a Mossos. The flirtatious gene coursed through his veins as much as it had with Alexandros and even Georgie, though the latter wasn’t of the same variety that Eli and Alex seemed to be.

“You don’t seem to be as uptight as the rest of the Huntsberg clan.” Elijah offered up his observation about Heather. “Or you could be really good at hiding it.” He let that thought consume his mind for a moment. When he did, it didn’t make sense for her to be out here alone if she truly was faking the disgust about how upbeat the rest of her family was.

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Alexandros literally heard little to nothing Audrey had said for the past five minutes. His ears were still trying to regain their hearing back after what initially sounded like a cat trying to sing over nails on a chalkboard. However, only was it that he saw Audrey moved her lips in response that he had put two and two together. That supposed screeching cat had to have been someone of her family. As for who it might’ve been, Alex didn’t know. All he knew was that she did seem to look like Audrey. There was a slight resemblance, so maybe it was a cousin or some other kind of distant relative.

After the exchange between the two of them seemed to end and Alexandros had since regained his hearing back(he didn’t actually lose it but the shock of that human screecher sure made it seem like he did), he had since then got out of Audrey’s bed and got dressed. It was at the perfect time too, since Audrey had done so herself. The entire time, they were looking at each other. The temptation to forget everyone downstairs and just barricade themselves in the room was an all-time high, but Alexandros knew better than anyone else to leave a bad taste in the hosts of a party he was attending. Besides, he couldn’t disappoint his girlfriend’s family, now could he?

“There’s always be more time for that,” he said, winking suggestively towards Audrey.

Just moments later, as the loud, screechy voice of whom Audrey had informed Alexandros was her cousin, Delilah, had gone room to room, informing all that dinner was about to start. Well, it wasn’t ready this moment, but those who were elsewhere, be it in the bathroom, back patio like Elijah was, or just not in the dining room, that little chipmunk of a woman sounded like Alvin from ALvin and the Chipmunks and moved like a cheetah traversing through the savannah. It was only when she had seemed to gather all from their desired locations, who all were emulating each other and were digging into their ears, doubtless checking to see if their hearing was still in check.

“She does this often, doesn’t she?” Alexandros commented lowly as he and Audrey rejoined the party in the foyer, to which he saw the rest of his family. The entire bunch had waved at the couple minus Eli, though he did give them a slight nod.

[Venus]

As Heather extended her hands to expertly light his cigarette, the young man commented that it was best to start young. “Touché.” she replied simply, putting the lighter back in her clutch.

She continued to mindlessly blow smoke circles, staring out into the never-ending blue ocean, enjoying the peace and quiet of it all. However, out of the corner of her green eyes, she noticed the young man shamelessly staring at her. It was as if he wasn't even fazed by the gorgeous sunset stretching out in front of them and into the distance. All he seemed to be interested in was her.

Well, that was weird.

Heather turned to look straight at him. To her surprise, the handsome stranger sitting beside her didn't even pretend that he wasn't staring. His gaze remained on her, now locked in her emerald eyes eyes. Heather raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and in response got… A flirtatious smirk.

“What?” she asked him bluntly, looking away and taking a long drag of her cigarette.

“You don't seem to be as uptight as the rest of the Huntsberg clan... Or you could be really good at hiding it.”

The corners of Heather’s mouth turned upward and into the shape of a smirk. It was a common observation made by people when they put two and two together and figured out to which family she belonged to.

“You’d be surprised.” Heather answered mysteriously. She let the words hang in the air, taking another drag before answering. “Once upon a time, in the beautiful city of Philadelphia, I fit the mold of a picture-perfect Duclerc daughter. Then I got to college and stopped caring.” she said matter-of-factly, adding a shurg at the end of her statement. Having just noticed her cigarette had reached the end of its life, the young woman extinguished it with the heel of her nude pumps and threw the stub into into a nearby bush. She gave the young man a long look up and down, silently studying him for and second before turning back to the ocean. “Looks like the same could be said about you.” she told him quietly, remembering the unknown family she’d seen around and assuming they were his. It was in the eyes.

There was a pause when only the leaves could be heard rusting before the brunette spoke up again. “Name's Heather.”

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Holding hands, the young couple exited Audrey’s bedroom and made their way back to where the rest of the guests were. They were seen by Alexandros’ family, who offered them enthusiastic waves. Audrey waved back at them, noticing the triumphant glow in Adrianna’s eyes, the satisfied look im Ava’s face, and the less than excited look in Elijah’s. Another pang of guilt rippled through her, but was quickly distracted from it by Alex’s comment about Delilah.

Audrey smirked, playfully swatting his arm as they entered the drawing room. They had let go of each other's hand beforehand as to avoid any awkward questions. “Seriously, though, she's a pro. I always tease her she will be a formidable boss one day. Lils is never amused.”

As if on queue, the expectant crowd at the drawing room was asked by Elisabetta to be seated in the dining room, that dinner would be served. Excited murmurs rippled through the guests, which followed all the way to the dining room. It was here where Audrey and Alex were separated, each taking a seat in opposing sides of the table. The young woman sat beside her father and Romina, while her boyfriend sat beside his mother and brother. The chatter in the dining room died away as the plates were served, and after the Thanksgiving prayer had been said (by Delilah, to no surprise), the guests finally dug in.

“So, Audrey.” Arthur began in his ever cheerful tone. “I was talking to young Alexandros earlier, and he mentioned he attends Beverly Hills High. Did you guys happen to know each other before today?”

“I - uh-”Audrey stammered, looking around at some her fellow diners. She hadn't expected to be put in the spotlight so quckly, much less in front of her whole family. Ava Mossos had a mischievous smile in her face, but a look from her mother instantly quelled her. Romina was looking amused, while Delilah had a case of the silent giggles. The Huntsberg girl secretly prayed the floor would ope and swallow her. “I mean, it's a really big school.” she contined, still unsure of whether to lie or not. Finally, her eyes landed on Alexandros, and she read the reassuring look on his face. It’s okay.

“But, um, yeah, we have. He's okay.” she told her father, brown eyes falling back on Alex with a soft smile, her gaze playful. “He’s a pretty cool guy, but he has a huge ego.”

[AlteredTundra]

"Like you wouldn't believe," Eli said, confirming her suspicions.

Heather didn't suit her at all. Heather was the name of a dainty, little princess. Heather was the name someone gave their child if they wanted them to be the perfect doll in front of the cameras. It was what the famous actress, Heather Locklear was named and it was the name that all of those who had come after her had been given as a way to carry on that legacy. no, Eli didn't agree that it fit her, though, despite what he felt about that name, something that was obvious to him was that she wore that name with pride and made it into something that no one could associate with what it had actually sounded like.

Of course, it wasn't as though he couldn't relate to that. Being named Elias was a joke. He was a Greek-Italian-American, sure, but did he act like one? Not a chance. He looked like one, sure, but nowhere in his distant personality did it say that he was like his brother or father or mother. If anything, the one he had the most in common with was Ava and his Uncle Gabriel. Both exhibited the same qualities that he did. Ava hated how the Mossos' were often presented as the perfect family when the rumors of mob-related activity was always brought up in police investigations not only by the local police by the FBI. They had tried to bring up a RICO case, but nothing came of it. And, of course, his mother's brother, Gabriel DiVale, had been blacklisted from seeing any of his nieces and nephews because of how blatant he had been in his illegal activities. Apparently, his mother felt it would be bad for Mossos' image to the public.

What a load of crap, that was.

"Here is my life tale: Black sheep son of Adrianna DiVale and Baltazar Mossos. Not as disrespectful as Ava but nowhere near the prime example that Alexandros sets. they accept Ava for who she is. She might be a bitch sometimes and frequently causes them the most grief, but they accept her for her. Alexandros is the favorite." Elijah felt himself just ranting. "He screws up time and time again, but no matter what happens, he gets their vote of confidence." He continued, "he doesn't know the concept of a condom nor does he understand how to fuck in moderation. DEspite that, our mother had a talk with Audrey on his behalf and I bet they're upstairs fucking as if nothing's happened." Before he realized it, Elijah had been speaking way too loud for it to be just a passing rant. It was also that he looked at Heather, who seemed to be unknowingly the recipient of what sounded like an angry rant. "Whatever. Fuck them, that's what I say." Eli let out a low snarl at the thought of his family, taking in a puff of smoke before tossing his cig onto the ground and destroying the evidence with the tip of his foot.

Because he got so worked up, Eli now felt like he was craving another smoke. Or maybe he was in the mood for something just a little stronger. Part of him would feel bad for getting high at someone else’s party. He might’ve been a lot of things, but he didn’t want to bring attention to himnself, which of course had him reconsidering what he was about to do. That was, of course, until he heard the Human Screech yell once more, this time calling all partygoers that the feast was almost ready. That was all of the motivation that he needed. Plus, if he was going to make it through the evening with Heather’s sister running her mouth, he would need a little extra help.

“Heather, as much as I love cigarettes, they don’t take the edge off like they usually do. And I’m betting that, given how loud that sister of yours is, you might need something a little extra,” Eli said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small vial that had some white powder in it. “What do you say? Care to make this evening a bit more exciting?” He asked her, lightly waving the vial in the air as way to tempt her.

[Venus]

_{Featuring Heather Duclerc}

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Heather’s companion didn't bother to provide his own name. Instead, he surprised her by launching straight into a short version of his life story. Judging by the ferocity with which he spoke about it, it was obvious that he wasn't one to say these things aloud, but that whenever he did the words came from a place of frustration and bitterness. Strangely, he reminded the young woman a lot of herself, back in the early college days in which she would rant her family frustrations at her roommate/ex-girlfriend Stacy, only so they could end up in bed together as a way of consolation.

It was weird and surreal to see a reflection of oneself in a stranger.

The young man started out his rant with comments about his sister, and how his parents accepted her even if she was the one that gave them the most headaches. On this manner, Heather remained neutral and refused to form an opinion. From the few things he’d said her about this Ava girl, she was pretty much the Mossos version of Heather- minus the acceptance part, of course. Christopher and Marietta would never accept anything less than perfection.

Then he switched gears to focus on his brother, who turned out to be the same guy that was the source of her cousin Audrey’s never-ending soap opera. According to this guy, Alexandros was the family favorite no matter how many times he screwed up. He was also apparently a manwhore who didn't protect himself. That particular bit of information gave Heather cause for concern (as seen by the frown now visible between her brows), especially because she knew Audrey had been intimate with Alexandros. She would very much cause bodily harm to anyone that messed with any of her family members- no matter how annoying they could get with her. Even so, Heather couldn't help but sent up a silent prayer: May God bless her cousin with his holy protection from all evil and illness.

It was in this moment when the guy chose to look at her. From the dead serious look on her face, he probably thought she was displeased about his tone, because he chose that moment to finish off his rant. He let out the rest of his pent-up anger by letting out a snarl and destroying beyond recognition the last bit of his cigarette.

There was a moment of silence before Heather spoke up slowly. “Well… Looks like you could use another cigarette…” the young woman commented, starting to pull out her lighter and another round of cigs from her handbag. However, she was stopped by the young man’s mention of her name and his comment on how he would need something stronger if he was to get through the rest of the evening. When she turned to him with a questioning look in her green eyes, the dark-haired woman noticed the blond male had pulled out a small, dainty vial from his pocket, and was waving it tantalizingly in the air for her to see.

Heather took one glance at the vial with its powdery contents and felt her the corners of her mouth turn upward. How convenient was it that the one person who chose to join her in this moment of relaxation happened to carry around one of her old solutions to ignore the world and its ridiculous demands? Drugs and an unknown, handsome face sharing similar family issues like her own... It was as if destiny was conspiring for this particular Thanksgiving to be a rather interesting one.

With the smirk still in place, Heather motioned for the guy to pass her the vial. “How do you think I got through coming home for college breaks?” she said, in answer to his earlier comment about her Delilah, while she opened the vial and scraped a bump of the white powder with the nail of her index finger before passing it back. The dark brunette loved her sister to death, but she was the first to admit that the munchkin’s high-pitched voice was only tolerable up to a certain point.

“A toast: to dysfunctional families.” Heather declared, raising her finger up at the male as if it were a shot glass. “Bottom’s up.”

The young woman ducked her head, placed the back of her pinkie fingernail with the white powder under her right nostril, and took a long, abrupt snort.

She felt her eyes widening as the effects of the fairy dust hit her in record time, and she blinked rapidly as her widened pupils adjusted to her surroundings. “Shiiiiiit… That’s some good stuff right there. Hit the spot instantly.” Heather commented, staring at the vial in amusement. “It's good I only did a bump, ‘cause any more than that would have probably knocked me the hell out,” she chortled, wiping her nose with the side of her index finger and giving a few sniffs to make sure no evidence of her misbehavior remained.

She turned to the male with a relaxed smile, her serious demeanor now lessened- no doubt influenced by the drugs in her body. “So, Fairy Godmother, we should probably head back inside before my sister decides to bless our ears with her heavenly screeching again.” Heather said teasingly, looking at the guy with a mischievous expression, lip biting included.

[AlteredTundra]

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As the extended families of Huntsberg and Duclerc were called by the matriarch of the former, Alexandros saw the lack of attention that she was getting by those in the foyer, surmising that either they were too immersed in their own conversation to give her the time of day or she simply didn’t speak loud enough. For a moment, Alexandros was unsure what to do. He was a stranger in their house, so it wasn’t like the appropriate thing to do was be the first one to heed her call. However, there was also a part of him that felt bad for her.

A long minute went by and no one did nothing. Alexandros’ mind was telling him to move despite none thinking the same thing as he. Before he would even get the chance to do what he was going to do regardless, the familiar chirpings of a dainty brunette sounded off once more. The screeching sounds like a mouse with a megaphone repeated what her aunt said. Thanks to that, everyone took notice.

The families all walked into the main dining room. Alexandros couldn’t help but respect that cousin of Audrey’s. For such a little person to have such a loud voice and make people notice her, she was definitely related to Audrey. She demanded attention and whether or not people around her approved of her way going about it, Delilah Duclerc didn’t care. She had pride in her voice (as she should be). Alexandros respected that, though it wasn’t without consequences. He, once again, found himself struggling to hear. It didn’t last longer than a few, long moments. By the time he joined the others, he could hear.

After waiting only a few minutes for Elisabetha to decide the seating arrangements, most of the seats had been filled by the people in attendance. Alexandros couldn’t help but notice the absence of his darling brother. Knowing him, he was off elsewhere not giving any care to how it made their mother look. Alexandros took the time to subtlety look over to her and, though she appeared to be unaffected, there was a shine in her eye that Alexandros knew exactly what it meant. Eli was toast.

Alexandros felt bad that he was going to enjoy seeing his brother get it good, but at the end of the day, it was his own fault for bringing it upon himself. Whatever hell was pulled out of Pandora’s Box, he knew Eli wouldn’t be able to sweet talk his way out of it.

Food had been served and the families proceeded to eat and converse. The volumes were surprisingly calm with all of the people around. Truth be told, Alexandros thought these bunch would be a bit louder. Everything he had heard about hispanic families made him believe they were a rowdy bunch. But, as he had a keen ear on those who surrounded him, aside from a few, they were generally tame. Disappointment was obvious on his face, though perhaps that was what he got for making assumptions.

A mental note had been made. It would be cut short, of course, because Alexandros heard Audrey’s father speak directly to them. He made some comment about how they spoke earlier and Alexandros saw how that threw Audrey for a loop. He shouldn’t have been enjoying this, but the way she had to think of a bullshit excuse was priceless. Would she tell him about them or find some other reason to explain their acquaintance?

What indeed, Audrey?

When she finally started talking, Alexandros had this amused look on his face. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this. She could tell her father a bunch of things. She could say that he was the school womanizer and that they had slept together. She could’ve told him that they had just done it in her room a few times before coming down to join the rest of the guests. But no, she obviously couldn’t bring herself to do it. Alex saw it. She was going to choose the coward’s way out.

He had to hide his chuckle by subtly covering his mouth with his hand, though, he noticed that Ava saw what he was doing. She gave him a suspicious look. He gave one back, though it was to non-verbally tell her to shut up whatever she was thinking. Their eyes kept a deep lock on each other for the longest Mossos moment ever to exist. The only reason it was broken was because Arthur had addressed Alexandros after hearing what Audrey had to say.

“Yes, this is all true.” He confirmed what Audrey said, “but what your daughter failed to mention..” As Alexandros spoke, it seemed that every eye at the table was on him, though for the longest, brief moment, his eyes went elsewhere. The sight of his brother and Delilah’s sister caught his attention. They had just walked in and though no one at the table would know, Alexandros could tell exactly what was wrong with the way they talked and the way they seemed to be smiling. Even without hearing it from their mouths, he could tell they were high.

As the family would look at Alex curiously, as if wondering what he was going to say next, he collected himself and continued, “as I was going to say, when I had my first day at the school, she was the best guide. She showed me...exactly what I wanted to see.” He told Arthur, giving Audrey but a single look.

Both of them knew exactly what he meant. His family knew what he meant, but her family didn’t know. At the very least, that was a saving grace for Audrey. Perhaps now she would know he was entirely serious about them. Embarrassing her in front of her entire family would’ve been the one thing the old Alex would’ve done. But this wasn’t the old Alex. He was a new, understanding Alexandros Mossos. Whether that would stay the same throughout the dinner remained to be seen, but right now, Alex didn’t give Audrey any reason to doubt him. And better yet, he gave this image of him to her family that he was a good boy.

If only they knew...

[Venus]

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The moment Alexandros opened his mouth to reply to her father, Audrey held her breath. There were a lot of things he could say, many of them granted to put her ten feet underground. But to her surprise, he decided to play nice. Instead of revealing all the scandalous scenes lived throughout the course of the past months, Alex limited himself to praising her, saying something about how she’d been an excellent guide on his first day of class and how she’s shown him ‘everything he wanted to see’.

Audrey bit back a laugh. Well, that was a freaking lie. On the first day they met, he’d acted like a total creep by following her around, and she clearly remembered her ex-boyfriend Jackson coming to her defense at one point. Of course, she wasn't about to say that. Instead, she merely resorted to giving him a gracious smile and a wink. She would reward him later for being a good sport and behaving himself.

Then came the unexpected twist.

“Well I would certainly hope my granddaughter here didn't show too much. After all, a real lady doesn't show all the cards in her hand at once. A little mystery is necessary to maintain one’s decency.” Miranda said sassily from her seat at the head of the table, shooting Audrey a knowing look that spoke volumes.

The young woman’s blood turned to ice, even if she kept a cool exterior. There was no doubt about what exactly her grandmother meant with her words and, most importantly, that look. She’d seen Alex and her leaving the party to go up to her room. She’d seen them arrive together to the drawing room. She'd seen their interactions, and she knew exactly what was going on. If there were any doubts, her grandmother’s slight eyebrow raise before going back to her meal were conformation enough.

Romina, ever the sharp, observant one, was quick to realize what was going on. Underneath the table, she noticed Audrey’s knuckles turning white while grabbing her knees: a sure sign she was stressed, angry and ready to blow. The last thing this dinner needed was a confrontation between Audrey and Miranda, so Romi decided to intervene while the situation was still manageable.

Before an uncomfortable silence could settle in, the Mexican spoke up in what only few would recognize as defending Audrey. “With all due respect, Miranda, I have to disagree with you on that. I mean, sometimes ‘a little mystery’ isn't really that beneficial. Sometimes, it only keeps you from letting others see you exactly for who you are.” Romi said politely, placing a Miranda comforting hand on top of Audrey’s underneath the table. I've got you, primita.

Heather was quick to jump up on the bandwagon as well, but more to stir up a little trouble. “I'm with Romina on this one, grandmother. You never know what's hiding behind people’s façades. Charming men can end up being cheating scumbags that sleep around. You never know.” The dark-haired young woman shot Alexandros a quick, knowing smirk that seemed to say I know exactly who you are before turning back to her meal.

“Now, now, girls.” Elisabetta piped up, smiling softly at her nieces. She could sense the girls’ comments had a hidden meaning that went much deeper, but she decided to open that can of worms later, after the guests had left. “Let's play nice and behave in front of our guests now, shall we? We don't want them to get any bad impressions.”

Heather snorted at that comment. Nobody else noticed.

Elisabetta shifted her eyes from her nieces to the Mossos matron, the smile still in place. “Adrianna, darling, might I ask what brought you guys to Beverly Hills? I was so surprised when Arthur told me! I didn't imagine that you guys would choose to live here, of all places. What are the odds?”

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

There have been a plethora of things that had occurred since the Mossos Family arrived at the Huntsberg Thanksgiving gathering that could easily take top billing as being the most surprising. There was the grimacing expression that Audrey had given them when they were out in the front porch before they had officially joined the party. The arrival of the Human-sized Megaphone was another that Alexandros would add to the list of events that were noteworthy. Though, to his and Audrey’s knowledge alone, quite possibly the highest on that list was how they had a genuine conversation and made headways in their relationship (meaning there actually being one).

Their new-found union has brought them some unwanted comments. First, it came from his family - well, Ava mostly - about what exactly happened. Her exact words were: what the fuck happened up there, Alex? A time and a place, Ava. A time and a place. Though, Alexandros couldn’t help but feel better going forward. He did his best to contain they had all sat down and even when Eli had come strolling in with that Heather woman. It didn’t take him long to notice that they were high on something. He honestly wasn’t surprised that Eli would get high. He was, however, surprised that he would choose to do so knowing full well that, if this dinner doesn’t go well, their mother would blame him.

He let out a low sigh, catching Ava’s attention. “What’s the matter?” She whispered.

“Nothing,” Alexandros quickly waved her away.

He didn’t need the hassle of alerting their mother to what was happening before her eyes. She probably knew that Eli was high on something. His usual choice is marijuana, but Alexandros had seen people high on weed and what he saw wasn’t that. Eli usually was mellower than usual when he had a few puffs of a marijuana joint. This was not what Alexandros saw. It was a different kind of high. Eli was talking and actually smiling.

My, foolish little brother. You’re going to get us both in trouble.

To save face for at least one moment, Alexandros would engage in small talk with Arthur and some of Audrey’s other relatives, but that didn’t last long at all.

“I would have to respectfully disagree.” Ava opened up her mouth in response to Miranda’s comment about a woman having to keep a little mystery. “You fancy sorts and fakes want to keep people guessing, but that’s pretty dumb if you ask me.” Ava dug into a piece of ham and as she still had half of it in her mouth, she continued, “fu-ing bi-ches should ju-t lay it a-ut th-re.” Half of all that was inaudible due to Ava’s lack of ladylike manners. Though, she finally swallowed and finished. “Sorry, that ham was a bitch to get through. What I was going to say is keeping mystery just for the sake of playing mind games is honestly the sign of weakness. If you have to play games to keep a man’s or woman’s attention, then maybe you aren’t all that interesting.” Ava said, stabbing her fork into the ham, keeping her eyes locked on Miranda.

Everyone whose name ended with Mossos looked at Ava. Balthazar looked at her with what looked like a bit of pride but also fear quickly replaced that when Adrianna turned to him. Georgi wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but he was trying not to freak out. Eli wasn’t exactly responsive. He was too busy snickering to himself as he enjoyed the show. Adrianna, however, she seemed to be at her breaking point.

And, just like that, Alexandros had abandoned all hope once Ava’s big mouth entered the fray.

He had made a mental note to do some sort of damage control. To think, Alexandros, of all people, was the one who could save this dinner from diving into complete anarchy. Just as he had decided that, however, more women decided to open their mouths. Thankfully, this wasn’t directed towards Ava. It wasn’t directed any of his family of the female gender. In fact, it wasn’t directed any of his brothers or his father. No, it had been centered on Alexandros. Or at least the glances he got from the one called Romina and the Human Loudspeaker’s older sister that was just as coked up as Eli was.

“So this is where we are, huh?” Alexandros muttered to himself

About to say something, Adrianna shot Alexandros a glance, subtlety shaking her head. Leaving his gaze, she did nothing in return to Ava. Disappointment was high from mother to daughter, though, as Ava happily ate her food, she didn’t seem to care. Alexandros could have sworn he heard her cheerfully humming to herself.

Adrianna, though she wanted to berate Ava in front of everyone here, it was bad enough that she embarrassed the family with her disgraceful actions. ADrianna wasn’t going to add salt to the wound. Instead, she ignored Ava and would respond to Elisabetta. “Well, it’s all about location, location, location, is it not?” Adrianna said, giving a smile. “Mossos is a worldwide brand that seizes the moment where it’s most lucrative. Beverly Hills has a large market and the richest clients for our company are here on the west coast.” She stated, talking briefly about their family’s business dealings. “Plus, I cannot lie and say the view isn’t a nice addition.” She admitted, finding herself chuckling.

[Venus]

---

The moment Ava Mossos opened her mouth to speak, Audrey grimaced. She knew firsthand about what sorts of things could come out of the youngest Mossos’ mouth, and they weren’t exactly pretty. As expected, the petite girl’s words were vulgar and unfiltered, causing everyone at the dinner table to either make disapproving expressions or shake their heads. Alexandros was part of this last group, and it was clear that he wanted to intervene. However, a swift look from his mother prevented him from doing so. But to Audrey’s dismay, Adrianna Mossos didn’t do a thing to Ava. This only caused the Latina to become nervous. From the way her grandmother was looking at Ava, she knew things were not going in a good direction.

Meanwhile, from her seat a few chairs to the right, Heather could not wipe away the amused grin on her face. In her twenty-three years of existence, nobody had spoken to her grandmother in such a disrespectful way. Back when the girls had been younger, even the slightest hits of a raised voice would earn them the look, which was enough to make them lower their heads and apologize. Audrey would get the look the most, as she and their grandmother had such similar personalities. But NEVER had any of them dared to pull a stunt like the one Eli’s younger sister had done. It was truly a sight to behold.

“Watch out for this one: the chiwawa bites…” she quietly muttered to Eli, who was sitting beside her.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Elisabetta spoke and addressed Adrianna, and the latter replied with much enthusiasm. It looked like the evening could just maybe be saved, but then...

“Well, Beverly Hills certainly has a lot to offer,” Miranda began, interrupting Elisabetta and using her fork to play with her food. “You’ve got international companies, A-list movie studios, even prestigious military schools to enroll that unruly daughter of yours.” she finished, shooting Ava the look from her position at the head of the table.

“Jesus Christ, Mother!”

There was a collective intake of break or a gasp. Tensions were running high in the dining room, and it was obvious that if Ava and Miranda spent another second in each other’s company, there was no doubt blood would be shed. Her grandmother was going for the kill, and Audrey knew that soon Ava was sure to counterattack in that blunt way of hers. It was time to act fast before any tragedies happen...

“Hey Mom, why don’t we just serve dessert back in the drawing room?” Audrey offered loudly out of nowhere, standing up from the table looking at her mom with slightly panicked eyes. She hoped the older woman understood the reasoning behind the odd request.

“Wonderful idea, Audrey. Let’s all make our way back to the room, then.” Elisabetta declared, taking the lifeline her daughter had thrown at her. She motioned for everyone to get up from the table, and once they had done so the woman was quickly ushering them back to the drawing room, making sure that Ava and Miranda left the room at different times.

However, Audrey hovered behind. She took advantage of the rush of people exiting the dining room to take a few steps towards Alexandros. The brunette briefly placed a hand in his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, motioning for him to stay back. Once everyone had vacated the room and they were the only ones in it, the young woman spoke up.

“I am so sorry about that.” Audrey apologized to Alexandros, taking his hand and caressing the back of it with her thumb. “My family can be quite intense, especially my grandmother. I’m actually shocked that she kept herself together back there. From the looks she was giving Ava, I thought a knife was going to be flying across the table if I didn’t step up when I did.”

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

There was hardly anything that was going to turn this dinner around after that unfortunate, unfiltered, rant that Ava had dropped Miranda’s way. The Mossos’ all -- most of The Mossos’-- shared the same grievances about how she represented them. Even after Elizabetha had since moved the conversation, as well as the dinner to a speeding end and subtlely, though obviously forcefully, moved the gathered families and guests to the drawing room for dessert. She was smart to do that because everyone saw the way Ava was looking at Miranda and let’s just say that it’s not North Korea that the US would have to worry about being the cause of World War Three.

As the families were moving from the dining room and to where Audrey’s mother had led them, Audrey would sneak Alexandros away from the fray just long enough to apologize to him for her grandmother’s attitude. Well, it was more than just her grandmother. She apologized to Alex about her entire family. Alexandros did what most guys in his position would do: let the female finish before opening his big mouth. He could tell that Audrey was really fearful about what her grandmother would do. Truth be told, the thought of a physical altercation crossed his mind as well. He knew Ava was scrappy, but Miranda didn’t appear to have the patience to indulge the childish antics of someone who simply was “scrappy”. No, that seemed like child’s play. Miranda Priestly wasn’t a child.

“God help us all if there’s a round two,” Alexandros mused, collecting himself.

He rubbed the area between his temples as if trying to both think about what he, as big brother, needed to do and to balance out the stress he was getting from just this day. If this was what he had to look forward to as boyfriend of Audrey Mossos, he might need to pop a few of the Xanax pills his father has shipped in every month.

“You know what the problem is? Ava hasn’t gotten laid in six months.” Alexandros casually revealed. “I think the last person she told me that she did it with was some chump.” He probably didn’t realize what he was saying, but he looked at Audrey with a serious look. “You know that little shit, Jackson Drake, right? He’s the one always trying to start fights. I don’t get it, but he and Ava are apparently tight as any two people could be. Anyway, she said something happened to where an ex of his picked a fight with Ava and they broke up” Alex did the air quote hand gesture. “If you ask me, he’s one mistake away from landing in juvi. He’ll end up there before I do.”

He knew he was rambling on, but anything to get his mind off of what had just transpired. Alexandros knew that they would have to get back at some point, but part of him didn’t want to. Was it proper for them to linger around? Probably not, but this has gone from bad to decent to we’re fucked, so no one couldn’t blame him if he just wanted to distance himself from it for a while. Plus, it wasn’t so bad hanging with Audrey. He might even go as far to say it felt nice. Talk about a shocker, but stranger things have happened.

“So, was it just me or did my brother and your cousin seem like they were high as Snoop Dogg?” Alexandros asked out of the blue, breaking whatever silence had formed.

[Venus]

---

“God help us all if there’s a round two,” Alexandros mused while he rubbed the area between his temples, visibly looking stressed.

“I’ll say…” Audrey admitted, letting out a sigh as if to let Alex know she was just as done with this issue as he was. Why did their families have to embarrass them like that? Would this be a common occurrence if they continued to date? The brunette shook her head, trying to clear away any thoughts of what could happen if Miranda and Ava continued to be exposed to each other. God help them indeed.

In a comforting gesture, Audrey began to rub his back, making circles with her open palm. She felt the tension in his muscles lessen, a sign that he was less stressed. She didn't know if it was because he was feeling more comfortable around her or he just wanted to excuse his sister’s behavior, but out of nowhere, Alex began to tell her about how Ava was probably acting up due to ‘not getting some’ and a possible falling out with the school’s walking disaster (who was apparently the younger woman’s boyfriend or something).

Audrey’s eyes widened at the revelation, her surprise at Alexandros’ bluntness quickly turning into amusement at his sister’s dilemma. So the rough, tough-as-nails Ava Mossos actually had a vulnerable, human side after all, and wasn’t as exempt from the trials and tribulations of teenagers her age faced. The Latina understood perfectly what Ava was going through, though. She’d had her fair share of times without getting some, and it certainly turned her into a bigger bitch than she already was. The scenario was never pleasant for those around her. The rest of his story was drowned out as she had flashbacks of the horrors Ava must be living during these dry, turbulent times.

“As much as I disagree with your sister in some things, I can totally see where she comes from,” Audrey admitted, visibly cringing. “God knows I would go crazy at not having my "special needs" met."

“So, was it just me or did my brother and your cousin seem like they were high as Snoop Dogg?” Alexandros asked out of the blue, breaking the awkward silence that had formed.

Audrey couldn’t help but smirk, remembering the way a very giddy Heather and Eli had arrived at the table stumbling a little and some time after everyone else. The fact that someone outside her, Romina or Delilah had actually managed to get Heather to break her eternal resting bitch face to crack a smile was no easy feat. On top of that, he’d actually gotten her to laugh and speak in a manner that looked like it wasn’t layered with sarcasm. And that the conqueror of said feat was Alex’s brother? That had been the big surprise of the evening.

As if on queue, Audrey’s phone chimed in the pocket of her skirt. Frowning, she pulled it out, and her brows furrowed even more when she saw that the messages came from Heather. She looked around, thinking that maybe her older cousin was sending her a warning about someone coming their way. Failing to see or hear anything out of the ordinary, the young woman turned back to her phone to unlock it… And found herself with a juicy piece of gossip when she read the messages.

“Well, looks like my cousin and your brother are getting along swimmingly,” Audrey said suggestively, handing her phone to Alexandros with with wiggling eyebrows. On the screen was a text from Heather that read as follows:

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

“Well, looks like my cousin and your brother are getting along swimmingly,”

"Not a real selling point for confidence, is it?"

Alexandros let go of what he was actually going to say in response. The fact of the matter was that, whatever Eli and Heather seemed to have for each other, he knew it wasn't going to last. He knew his brother more than anyone else did. The two of them were, to the surprise of many, twins. It's crazy when you look at the two of them. The fact often escapes Alexandros' short-term memory because he and his brother are so different than each other. Not like he and Ava are. The brother and sister have their distinctive differences, sure, but there's an underlying trait among the two that doesn't make them doubt they are truly each other's sibling.

And yet, when Alexandros thinks about Eli, he has a tough time believing that's his brother. From Eli's wild side - which is nothing like Alexandros' wild side. In Alex's case, he participates in sexual and night racing endeavors. In Eli's case, he has anything from sex to drugs in his nightly errands. That's not even including tonight's games he played with Alex and Audrey. It didn't work, of course, but that doesn't completely excuse how Eli found joy in ruffling his brother's feathers.

Rubbing his temples, Alex tried to refocus his efforts on something higher up on his priority list. That brought him to Audrey's gaze. He spent a long moment smiling at her. Thinking about her body was more interesting than stressing about his differences with Elijah. Though, his hopes and dreams of keeping his blue stones on Audrey were cut short when he heard the very disappointing words from Ava.

"Hey, buttmunch! We're leaving. Say your goodbyes and get your ass to the car."

Alexandros squinted at a few things: the possibility of not staying, the name that Ava called him, and just how he really wanted to tackle the sequel of what he and Audrey were doing before dinner. And then he was hit with an overwhelmingly good idea - well, good for him and bad in every other way. "Actually, I'm going to stay a bit longer."

"I don't think mom will like that--"

"Let him stay if he wants." Adrianna surprised both Alex and Ava by appearing behind them. "You've proven yourself to be trustworthy, Alex. Just don't stay out too late. I'm sure you know about the uber app?"

Alexandros nodded.

"Then enjoy your extended stay."

Alexandros wasn't exactly sure what just happened, but he caught a few things that set him off, causing his legs to slightly shake. As Ava rolled her eyes and left behind their mother, Alexandros' eyes went back to Audrey's. "I don't frighten easy, but my mother's tone just now is enough to give any man the shivers." Alexandros admitted openly, "I hope she doesn't murder them all in their sleep.."

[Venus]

---

While her Prince Charming presumably made his way to her home, Audrey Huntsberg was busy staring at her sideways reflection in the full-length mirror. She was pleased to see that the persistent bloating in her stomach had somewhat lessened after a day of nothing but a strict diet of water and almonds and a week of chicken, salads and water; so the faint dizziness she was feeling at the moment had been worth it. For the past six weeks, Audrey's body had been acting up for some reason she couldn’t quite explain. It had all started with that constant feeling of tiredness that had been plaguing her since about three weeks after Thanksgiving dinner. She’d tried to justify it with her body trying to normalize its biological clock after the stress of winter finals and dance competitions, but after that the nausea had made its appearance to further mess up with her mornings. Being the stubborn female she is, Audrey had merely sucked it up and continued to go about her daily life…

Until four weeks ago, when she’d begun to throw up every morning. The Latina had begrudgingly decided to go to the doctor then, but after giving her instructions to get some rest and make sure to stay hydrated he dismissed her with claims that it had been that 48-hour virus that had been going around. But then the puking continued, and she’d noticed that even though she couldn’t keep any food down until mid-day her stomach had started to bloat. None of her jeans seemed to fit her right, and her tight clothes made her look eternally pudgy. Then there was also the time that she had to run out of the cafeteria to puke at the smell of seafood, and the coming-going feeling of sore breasts… Not even the missed periods worried Audrey or gave her any sort of inkling to the thought of what might be her current ‘condition’. There was a nagging feeling in her that told Audrey this was something much more serious than what she considered it to be, but in typical Audrey-fashion, she continued to push these thoughts aside and carry on.

Making sure her makeup and outfit were flawless, Audrey gave herself one last once-over. Her dark brown locks were styled in soft waves, and fell down her back and right shoulder, while her makeup consisted of nude lipstick and a smoky eye to highlight her best feature. She’d opted to wear a silver necklace with a big pendant that resembled the sun, the diamond earrings that Alexandros had gifted her that past Christmas and silver pumps to bring attention to her dress: a short, ¾ sleeved model, made out of mesh and periwinkle-blue sequins with a plunging cleavage. Since the dress had mesh on the abdomen and was form-fitting, Audrey had made it her –successfully accomplished- mission to lose the bloating before tonight. Smirking in satisfaction, Audrey took her small evening bag from where it had been laying on top of her bed and confidently made her way downstairs.

In a strange occurrence, her parents were excitedly waiting for her in the foyer, wanting to see their princess make their way to her last high school Valentine's Day ball. The couple usually went out for dinner on Friday nights, or were most often busy with work, so it was nice for Audrey to see them there for a change. As she went down the stairs and headed in their direction, she gave them a bright smile.

“How do I look?” Audrey called out to them, doing a small twirl before stopping in front of her parents.

The first one to act was Audrey’s mother. “¡Princesa! ¡Te ves hermosa!” exclaimed Elisabetta, hurrying over to her daughter to embrace her in a warm, tight hug. She smelled like Audrey always remembered: Chanel No. 5. “I am so proud of you! You better tell Alex that I'm going to take a lot of pictures when he arrives!”

Arthur Huntsberg followed suit, giving his daughter a tight hug and a loving kiss on the forehead. “Your mother is right. You look stunning, dear.” He gave Audrey a quick once-over before jokingly declaring, “Maybe a little less mesh and cleavage would’ve been nice, but oh well.”

Audrey couldn’t help but laugh: leave it to her dad to make a half-joking, half-serious comment about her dress’ plunging cleavage when he made his living fixing up women to wear things just like Audrey was.

“Daddy, you’re too jealous.” Audrey told him with a good-natured smile. It was then when the doorbell of the Huntsberg Villa, and Audrey’s stomach filled up with excited butterflies. “I’ll get it! That has to be Alex!” she announced to her parents with an excited smile as she hurried to the door and swiftly opened it.

“Well, hello there, handsome,” Audrey cooed, wrapping her arms around Alexandros and planting a quick kiss on his lips before whispering in his ear: “You look amazing, love. I’m so lucky to call you mine.”

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

When the news broke, at first everyone who knew Alexandros thought he was crazy. They thought that there was no way he could handle the load that he suddenly undertaken. They said he was mistaken in wanting to go down this route. They said that he would come to regret it. Every ounce of his inner-circle’s weight was devoted to trying to get him to see the error of his ways. They tried to get him to remember what he was before everything changed. They tried to get him to remember everything that he was giving up if he was going to stick around. And though there were moments of doubt, at the end of the day, Alexandros knew exactly what he really was getting himself into. Despite the outcry from some of his closest friends; friends that were more than members of the Mafia Elite’s children. They were, as some might note, his best of friends.

Yet, none of them could talk Alexandros Mossos out of dating the woman that gave him such a workaround for the longest time..

The night that the legendary playboy of Beverly Hills High had found himself into a committed relationship was, as both Alexandros and Audrey found out, the night that they were under some sudden attention from their peers. It was unheard of. To think that they, of all people, had found themselves together in more than just a sex-based engagement. It couldn’t be further from that. Soon, they became the power couple that everyone feared they would be, ruling the halls with each other.

As Alexandros had entered the final moments before he left his house for Audrey’s villa, he was coming down the stairs in his suit. It was the one suit he had been saving for quite the special occasion. Tonight was just an occasion. Handpicked by Greece’s best tailor himself, Baltazar promised it was the best that money had to offer for someone of Alexandros’ build.

He stood before his family -well, his parents. Eli was off somewhere. He had been gone for hours. Ava had already left for the ball. Against the better judgement from her entire family, she was with Jackson Drake. Alexandros didn’t let that ruin what was quite possibly the biggest night for both he and Audrey. He wasn’t about to sulk on his sister’s poor choice in individuals. Besides, he had to admit that he looked rather dashing. In a rarity, his hair was combed back and he was wearing minimal of his expensive, Italian cologne. He was told that it had a strong scent and strong scents were bad for the baby, which after some trial and error, Alexandros became more courteous to Audrey’s needs. Imagine that, right? He was actually considerate of someone’s feelings that weren’t his own. The prospect of being in love has changed him.

“You look so handsome, sweetheart,” Adrianna spoke with pride in her voice.

“I know.”

Well, Alexandros hasn’t completely changed.

“Stavros sure chose quite the suit. I may have to commission him for one myself.” Baltazar mused, smiling at his son, “so, are you ready?”

“I was born ready.”

“Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?”

Alexandros nodded. “Here’s to hoping it goes all according to plan.” Though it was rare, Alexandros had copious amounts of anxiety surging through his expensive veins.

“Remember to get her home at a decent hour.”

“Always.”

After a few more minutes of pictures, Alexandros had left his family home, heading to the garage. In a rare change of moods for him, he was afforded permission to take his father’s Lamborghini tonight. It was the same car that he had taken to Audrey’s pool party during that fateful day that he caught her with that ISIS-wannabe, Omar. As soon as he hit the accelerator pedal, the Italian engine purred throughout the Sunshine Hills neighborhood until he got on the freeway. Within ten minutes, he made it to Audrey’s house. His street racing skills had proven to be quite useful as he was in front of her house after an additional five minutes of traversing through the many houses.

When he stepped out, Alexandros approached the house. Though, before he would knock, he remembered the plan tonight. If anything, Alexandros would have to do it without fail. Nothing must go awry.

Uncharacteristically, he took in a deep breath. The next action was his closed fist knocking three times. The wait after the fact was the longest minute he had experienced, but worth it when he saw her the door. Not like the last time he was on the opposite end of this door, there wasn’t any awkwardness or feelings of grimace. This was if there was a word for it, awe. The way the dress cascaded around her natural curves was one thing, Audrey had this natural glow even after she had kissed and embraced him.

“You look amazing, love. I’m so lucky to call you mine.” She said, whispering in his ear.

A smile was his response, giving her one last look before he walked inside. The first sight was her parents, Arthur and Elizabetha. He shook Arthur’s hand and gave her mother a respectable hug. After some small talk, they would pose for pictures. He told himself this would only last a few moments, but as it would turn out, they kept them for over ten.

“As much as I’d love to take more photos with your gorgeous daughter, we should get going. But how about this! When we return, you can take all of the photos you want.” As the king of smooth-talking, Alexandros won them over with this proposal, though they would keep them an additional three minutes with the waterworks. After the fact, Alexandros and Audrey were free.

With haste, Alexandros led Audrey to the Lamborghini. They stopped, however, as Alexandros looked at her. “This is the same one I drove to that pool party of yours. Do you remember? It was when we were tested. Now, on this night, we will be given the biggest test yet: the test of winning King and Queen. Come on, let us show that we are the top couple of Beverly Hills High.”

After he gave her a kiss, they were off. The sound of the Italian machine reverberated throughout the neighborhood. Their destination was the Governor's Ballroom where the Valentine’s Ball was being held this year.

[Venus]

Even with her health feeling sort of delicate in the last week, Audrey couldn’t help but enjoy the rush of Alex speeding through the streets of Beverly Hills on their way to the Valentine’s Day Ball. Having his hand on hers during the short drive brought her a sense of comfort, as simple as the action was. In the weeks that they had been dating, the young woman had realized just how much she truly appreciated the feeling of companionship Alex provided. There was now someone to go to talk about when the dance team nailed their set, when her day had gone to shit, or simply just because she felt like it. In a shocking twist and to Audrey’s delight, the Beverly Hills Casanova had proven himself to be the ultimate boyfriend material. His ego and arrogance were still very much present of course, but there were sides of him that the Latin-American girl would have never imagined him having. He attentive, affectionate, a very good listener, unintentionally funny… A guy who not only loves to spoil her, but to always make sure she had everything she needed. Feeling a sudden rush of love for the man, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek before turning back to face forward, an appreciative smile on her face. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them.

They reached their desired location rather quickly, leaving the Ferrari in the valet parking and walking to the their final destination. The second Alexandros and Audrey set foot in the Governor’s Ballroom, all eyes had had been on them -and rightfully so. They were, without a doubt, the reigning couple of the school: everybody either hated, loved or admired them. Holding onto Alex’s arm, Audrey proudly made her way across the ballroom, the sequins in her blue dress shining like diamonds when they caught the light. The young woman’s hips swayed side to side with her every step, silky brown waves bouncing and her tan skin glowing. All throughout, Audrey kept her head held high, exuding the aura of a woman ready to take on the world, with her love at her side.

About halfway through the room, her brown eyes landed on the far right, where the rest of The A Team were waiting for her. A triumphant grin came across the Latina’s features at the sight of them, which earned her waves and motions to hurry up and join them. After planting a brief kiss on his lips, the broke free of Alex and rushed off in the direction of her beloved girl friends.

“You guys look stunning!” Audrey excitedly told her friends, stretching out her arms to embrace them in a tight group hug.

“The same could be said about you, sweet thing!” Leslie replied with a grin, looking every bit Audrey’s best friend with her one-shouldered, form fitting, short royal blue dress. Her black hair was up in a high ponytail, and her outfit topped off with gold chandelier earrings and matching heels.

“Mossos treating you okay?” Lola asked the fellow Latina in her usual blunt tone, jerking her head in the direction of Alex, who’d gone off to speak to his own group of friends. Even while wearing a delicate, high-necked, long-sleeved nude lace mini dress, there was no changing her confrontational, abrasive nature.

“Duuuuh!” Audrey replied in a second, rolling her eyes with a smile. “I wouldn’t be here with him if he wasn’t treating me right.”

“Enough about that! What about you, lovebug? Are you feeling any better?” Katrina cooed, gently stroking Audrey’s cheek with a look of worry on her attractive face. She was, of course, referring to the stupid stomach bug that had been messing up her poor, pretty best friend. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“Oh yeah, totally!” the brunette lied, giving Kat a fake yet believable smile. There was no way she was telling the girls about the lengths she had gone to in order to have her dress fit perfectly tonight. They’d think she had some sort of eating disorder or something and start freaking out, which was the last thing she needed right now. "I'm still feeling a little queasy if I'm honest, but nothing a bit of punch can't solve," she added with a wink.

“And speaking of punch..." Phoebe began, linking her arm with Audrey's and wearing a mischievous smile on her usually goody-two-shoes face. "I heard Eliza Gomez spiked the punch bowl with vodka when the teachers weren't looking. It won't be long until one of the nerds notices and rats out, so we should get ourselves a little liquid courage before it's gone."

[AlteredTundra]

---

_{Featuring - Nicholas Belmont | Johnny Dixon | Chance Sinclair}

---

As astonishingly-glamorous the ball looked - and, from what Alexandros saw - it was, without a doubt set up in a way that was far more expensive than most high school dances were, that's not where Alexandros' eyes fell when he and Audrey had made their grand entrance. The various, red and pink hues blended with white lights created from the heart-shaped ball that hung from the ceiling had illuminated Audrey in a flattering image, those same hues reflecting off of her glittery, glamorous dress, bringing even more attention to her. The way the light reflected had Alexandros looking at her and nobody but her.

When they made their way into the center of the ballroom, that gave Alexandros the perfect position to see just exactly who was here and how they were handling themselves. While he certainly wasn't surprised by the variety of those seemed to show up with each other, what had the male teen somewhat surprised was how many people he knew from his own social circle and the extended branches seemed to be warily glancing his way. Still, to this day, most thought it weird that someone like Alexandros, who up until just a few months ago, was the guy who had a different girl under his arm every week -sometimes with more than just one. He knew this because they failed at whispering behind his back. He heard them speak and honestly? Alexandros enjoyed knowing he was the topic of their dull conversation

Flowing through the ballroom with as much grace as they possibly could, Alexandros noticed Audrey's pack of disapproving ladies waiting for her to break from him long enough to, what he assumed, was to tell them about the latest. After all, regardless if it was the politically correct thing to do, he knew girls liked to gossip. It was okay because he saw his boys waiting by the punch bowl.

Walking up to them as casually as he could, Alexandros saw just how comfortable the pack of his brothers from other mothers were with each other. If it wasn’t for the known fact that each of them from Nicholas Belmonte to Chance Sinclair were arrogant womanizers like he was, Alexandros would’ve thought they were circle jerking each other in the triangle formation they always took. “Nicky, I thought you weren’t going to show up. Something about your stepmom having a meltdown with her lack of nosejobs.”

The witty, jokester of what most in Beverly Hills High refer to as The BDSM Club (partly because of their sexual reputations), cracked a smile at Alexandros. “And miss you look like a whipped bitch with that fine piece of ass you came with? Get the fuck out of here, man,” Nick smiled, laughing as he and the others nudged each other, who also laughed.

“Seriously though, Lexi, what is up with you and that Huntsberg girl? I thought you would’ve dumped her already. Or at least knocked her up,” Johnny chimed in, admitting the grim truth that not everyone was willing to state. Luckily for Alexandros, Johnny Dixon never spared him the truth. Perhaps that was why of the three, he and John were the closest.

Alexandros had chuckled, taking his rightful place next to the only non-brunette of the group, Chance as he took a red cup and poured some punch into it. As his lips met the red, fruity liquid, the surprise of the taste of Russian vodka was a pleasant one. “You know full well that myself and Audrey are quite serious, Johnny-boy. As for knocking her up, I learned my lesson after that bullet I dodged with--uh, what was her name?” Alexandros tried to recall the name of Principle Anderson’s former secretary. “Oh right, Janice.”

“Didn’t you slip it to her good?” Chance asked, curious, though he mostly like teasing his boy, Alex, about it.

“Once, but that’s not what I was going to say,” Alexandros said, taking another sip of his punch, “she hit me up last week. Something about thinking she was pregnant with my child. I..was not expecting to hear from her again, but turns out it wasn’t my child.”

“Whose was it?” Nick asked.

Alexandros offered a shrug in return. “Hell if I know. Once I knew for certain it wasn’t mine, I told her never to call me again, or I’d tell Audrey. Well, I told her anyway.”

“Oh damn! How’d she take it?” Johnny asked, curious as all hell.

He said nothing in return, though Alexandros let his smirk speak for itself.

“Fuck Alex! You really know how to get bitches to see to your way of thinking, don’t you?”

Though he usually let Nick’s comments slide because he knew how oh-so immature he was, this was something he wasn’t going to slide. “Nicky, you’re one of my oldest friends, but if you don’t watch how you speak about Audrey, we’re going to have a problem,” he warned Nickolas sternly, returning his blue eyes to the view of Audrey with her own friends.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Nick wasn’t usually so quiet, but in the rare moment that Alexandros gave him a not-so-subtle threat, which Alex didn’t do often. To the surprise of many, he was relatively friendly with his boys, but as of late, he has become fiercely protective over the way they casually talked about Audrey. He understood they were the same entitled fucks that he grew up with and with that came with some attitude adjustments that had yet to be made, but Alexandros wasn’t as tolerant to it as he was when he and Audrey were just fooling around, but ever since Thanksgiving at her house, he was really starting to develop genuine feelings for her. It was a little scary for Alex if he was being honest, but it was something the teen welcomed with open arms.

After another moment, the silence was broken. “So, are you two like an item now? Like a legit boyfriend-girlfriend couple?” Johnny asked, prompting the other two to give Alex their full attention.

He had to think about that for a long moment. Were they really that far into their relationship? They had been dating for a few months, of course, but was it really that far along that Alexandros could answer any question related to that with ‘yes’? He honestly didn’t know what the answer to that was until he looked over at Audrey with her friends. She looked so beautiful and had such a radiant glow about her. Even if she might’ve puffed up a bit, Alexandros didn’t mind it. She had a mouth and was opinionated more than anyone he knew. She was arrogant, but so was he. She was confident in herself and he loved that about her.

After he thought on it, Alexandros found himself smiling and not in his usual arrogant sort. “I suppose that we are.” He replied quite simply. There really was no other way to put it. When he thought about Audrey, it was how someone who was falling in love thought about their romantic partner. Alexandros Mossos was falling in love with Audrey Huntsberg.

[Venus]

After a few drinks and the latest gossip had been shared, the group of girls had decided it was time to check on their makeups. Laughing along the way, the five young women walked the short distance from the punch table to the ladies’ bathroom. Everything seemed to be alright at first. Some of them took turns to pee, others did indeed checked her makeup, and they even took a round of selfies to immortalize the night. But when the time came to move the party back to the ballroom, things suddenly took a turn.

“Audrey… This is as intervention,” Leslie informed her dearest friend as she positioned herself in front of the door, while the rest of the girls assembled alongside her blocking the path to the exit.

Far from being intimidated at her friends’ ominous demeanor, Audrey merely gave them a curious look. “About…?” she asked slowly, smiling at them and raising a questioning eyebrow.

“We think you’re pregnant!” Katrina blurted out immediately, earning herself groans and exasperated looks from the other girls.

“Seriously, Kat, couldn’t you just give us the second to explain?” Lola complained, rolling her eyes at Katrina.

“For real, though! You always have to mess up all the fun!” Phoebe whined, siding with Lola.

“I’m sorry, okay?! I couldn’t help it! You guys know I’m bad at keeping secrets!” she whine, crossing her arms in front of her chest. But before she could go off about any previous experiences she could use as examples of her bad secret-keeping skills, she was quickly interrupted by the girl suddenly placed on the spotlight.

“Me? Pregnant?” Audrey repeated in disbelief, letting out an amused cackle. “You’re all fucking crazy,” she told them confidently, flipping her hair back with a smile on her face. “What the hell was in that punch? Crack? Because you all sound really freaking insane right now.”

Leslie let out a deep sigh. “Just think about it for a second, Audrey. Like, take this moment to really think about it. All the symptoms you’ve been having, the timing… You can’t seriously think that a stomach bug’s got you all bloated and that it made you miss your period twice now”

“Okay, fine: so maybe it’s all a little weird. But that doesn’t mean I’m fucking pregnant!” the young woman responded with a tinkling laugh, talking to the girls as if she was explaining a basic thing to a five year-old.

“Are you seriously that delusional, Audrey Elizabeth?!” Leslie cried out in an exasperated voice, looking at her best friend as if she wanted to punch her. “I just can’t- Just pee on the damn stick, won’t you?!” she said brusquely, forcefully pushing the pink box of pregnancy tests into Audrey’s chest.

“Alright! Fine!” Audrey cried out, taking the box from Leslie’s hands and shooting her best friend a nasty look before walking over to the nearest bathroom stall. Before she closed the door she turned back to look at each of the girls. “But when it comes out negative, you’re all going to be very fucking sorry for making me waste my time like this!” she declared before closing and locking the door behind her.

“If that test comes up negative you can slap us all in the face, but I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case,” she heard Leslie say from outside the stall.

Rolling her eyes, the Latina did as she was told. She opened the light pink box and pulled out one of two tests, removed it from the wrapper and followed the instructions. Once finished, Audrey exited the stall and placed the test on top of the nearest sink.

“And now, we wait the ten goddamn minutes for it to tell me the obvious: I’m not fucking pregnant.”

The next ten minutes were, without a doubt, the longest ones she’d ever had to wait for. Any attempts at conversation between the girls were quelled by Audrey, and the tension in the air as they approached closer to the deadline became heavier. When the timer in Leslie’s phone went off, the Latina visibly jumped. She was expecting her brown eyes to fall onto a single pink line across the white box, effectively proving to The A Team that their baby idea was nothing more than a drug-induced conspiracy theory.

What she was not expecting was for that second pink line to appear across the first one, forming an unmistakable plus sign that shone brightly in all of its positive glory.

There was silence in the bathroom, only interrupted by the thumping music of the ballroom outside. The five girls were huddled up around the sink where the test rested, staring at it with various expressions of shock and disbelief. Audrey’s mind was racing a mile a minute, thoughts and emotions flowing through her body with such speed she was unable to pinpoint exactly one. As much as she had refused to admit it earlier, every piece of the puzzle was falling into place now, and the story she’d pieced together made perfect sense. Her friends had been right all along.

Unable to stand thile silence in the room any longer, the Latina suddenly blurted out a feeble “I have to go,” before pushing Phoebe and Lola out of the way and rushing through the door. Wasting no time, her dazed self navigated through the sea of grinding bodies. After what seemed like forever, Audrey was finally able to locate Alexandros: standing in the corner with his friends, drink in hand and looking like he was having a great time.

The young woman sighed, a rising panic working her way to the surface. This was going to suck.

Taking in a deep breath, Audrey walked the few steps to where her boyfriend was. “Alex, we have to go. Now,” she told him as soon as she’d been within earshot, a sense of urgency painted all over her voice and face. This whole thing was already making her feel nauseous and dizzy, and she unconsciously found herself holding onto the young man’s shoulder for support.

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

The guys were quiet and, for that matter, so was Alex. After he had dropped the bombshell about he and Audrey were dating - or as Chance had tactlessly phrased it ‘slipped it to her good’. As their conversations went on, he chose to ignore Chance and Nicky. Johnny was honestly the only one who decided to spare him the immature comments. But, of course, this would be proven to be impossible because both Nick and Chance made it obvious just what kind of boys they were. They spared Alex nothing by pointing over to Audrey with her own group of friends as they, yet again, proved that they were nothing more than immature assholes.

The other students around him were repulsed by Chance fake-humping Alex, to which the Mossos teen decked the blond idiot. It sent him crashing into the refreshments table behind them, causing a bit of a scene in the process. “I told you we’d have a problem,” Alex said to Chance who was on the floor, drenched in vodka-laced fruit punch, the bowl over his head. A crown fitting for Chance Sinclair.

As it were, Alexandros would soon have the best excuse to dart away from his pack of little children he called friends as Audrey approached him. He didn’t see her approach, but by the time she was in front of him, urging him that they needed to go. In the same moment she said that, near the back of his mind, he was going back to a point in time where he was a fan of those romantic comedy films. He knew that whenever the phrases ‘we need to go’ or ‘we need to talk’ came up, he knew one of two things were going to happen: sex or a break-up. Call him a bit old fashioned or whatever have you, Alex felt like he was becoming a changed man, so he didn’t particularly like the idea they were going to break up. And he sure as hell didn’t think the Valentine’s Day Ball was the best place to have a quickie (or at least not in the bathroom stalls). He thought Audrey had a lot more class than that.

“If you want a quickie, can we just go to the locker room like the time we almost fucked?” Alex asked her.

Audrey didn’t seem to understand. Her eyes were less open than they usually were and the way she was holding onto his shoulder was tighter than she usually did. Whenever he made any sort of comment about sex or something that would have the potential to embarrass her, she always said something to him that involved the threat of physical violence. Since she did nothing of the sort, Alexandros grew suspicious. Something was off about the way she was acting.

As he looked at her, he wasn’t sure what it was, but her words that were urging him to leave with her became even more prevalent when her grip on his right shoulder increased almost double from before. A clear indication that when she meant they had to leave, she meant now.

And so Alexandros obeyed the forceful order. He didn’t always fall in line, but he was getting increasingly worried for Audrey’s state and the sooner she explained to him what was happening the sooner he could cease his worry and focus on everything else.

“Fine, let’s get to my car,” Alexandros said, waving back to his friends.

As they were in the parking lot and the valet handed him his keys, Alexandros helped her to the passenger's side. He took out of the parking lot and glanced to Audrey as they were at a red light.

“So, where are we going anyway?”

[Venus]

“If you want a quickie, can we just go to the locker room like the time we almost fucked?”

There was no question in anyone’s mind that Audrey Huntsberg did indeed love Alexandros Mossos with every fiber of her being. But it was in moments like this that she truly question whether getting arrested under assault charges was worth teaching a lesson to her clueless boyfriend. Was he really stupid enough to not notice she was looking more like an extra for The Walking Dead than anything else? That her grip on his shoulder was what kept her standing up straight, because her body was so weak it was threatening to give up at any moment?

“I’m not playing around, Alexandros. We need to get the hell out of here now,” she said more forcefully, emphasizing just how serious she was by tightening her grip on his shoulder.

This last tactic seemed to work, because after letting out a resigned sigh, Alex finally agreed, waved to his band of fuckboys and walked off with Audrey. The young woman linked their arms together along the way, holding onto her boyfriend for dear life as her body debilitating with every step. The valet seemed to take forever driving the Ferrari back to them, which did no favors to the girl’s weak state. As soon as her butt hit the luxe leather of the passenger seat, Audrey back the headrest and closed her eyes, praying that by focusing on keeping her breathing steady it would help her forget about how close she was to passing out.

“So, where are we going anyway?”

And it was this small, innocent little sentence that sent the young Latina to the edge.

“What do you mean ‘where are we going’?! The fucking hospital, Alex!” Audrey shouted, suddenly fueled by the panic and frustration that had been swallowing her whole since seeing those two bold pink lines on the little windows of the pregnancy test less than ten minutes previously. “I’ve been feeling nauseous and throwing up every morning for the last six weeks, my tits feel like they’re constantly being run over by a semi, and I’ve been starving myself for a goddamned week trying to fit into this dress because no matter how much I barf, I’m still looking goddamn fat! So can you please stop asking stupid questions and drive me to the ER?! I feel like I’m about to pass out!”