It was late Sunday night, Lexi was in the kitchen getting ready for bed. She'd just grabbed herself some water from the cupboard as she heard the handle of the kitchen door being turned, instantly the blonde turned to see if it was her husband Zack who'd finally come home. She was surprised when she saw the face of her cousin, Tom Riddle.
Tom had been out at the pub, he'd had a terrible day and decided to go out and cool off. He was on his way home actually and with no thought whatsoever he'd found himself at his cousin's place in Ireland. Funny, he thought, how he went from a pub in Diagon Alley to Ireland. Standing in the kitchen only meeters from the door he stared at his cousin. Rage and anger flooding through his blood, he didn't even know why he was so angry. He just was.
"Evening, Tom." Lexi said slowly, she watched him closely. She didn't trust Tom as far as she could throw him, and that was quite literally impossible for her to do. She examined him closely, noticing the alcohol on his shirt and the rather strong smell of an unpleasent pub lingering around him she figured he was drunk. Her heartbeat started racing, why was he at her home?
"Alexis." Tom slurred, before he could even think of what he was doing his wand was in his hand. He saw the panic on the blondes face and smirked. He always liked seeing the terrified expressions on those around him. "Busy night?" He asked her with a clearly bored yet menicing tone, he didn't really care for an answer.
Lexi really didn't like him being there, but what could she do? She could ask him to leave. But at what cost. She had never seen Tom drunk and quite frankly she didn't like it. "How's Ginny?" Lexi asked, although she already knew the answer. The redhead had been to see her earlier, Zack had offered to take her out shopping for Nate to try and take her mind off the fight she and her husband had earlier in the day while Lexi stayed home and watched Nathaniel for her. She wondered if Tom knew Nate was in the house.
At the words of Ginny, Tom cocked his brow a little. He hadn't been able to get her out of his mind all day, but whenever he tried finding her she was nowhere to be seen. It was as if she'd disappeared into thin air, much why he spend much of his day in the pub drowing his sorrows in the strongest drink on offer. "No idea." He answered truthfully.
Tom didn't even wait another minute, he took a step forward towards the blonde and raised his wand at her. Before she could even try to defend herself from her mad man of a cousin, Tom had struck. He cast the torture curse at her, smirking darkly as she screamed and hit the floor. He'd missed the feeling of power it gave him. He'd almost forgotten the feeling.
Lexi's body hit the floor with a thud, she screamed so loudly she felt as if she'd break the windows. The pain she felt was unbearable. She'd always figured that Tom would one day do this to her, but she'd never thought he'd do it now. Not when he had his son in the house and his wife out there somewhere probably worrying sick over him. She didn't get much time to think though, Tom had cast another curse. More pain filled the blonde's body causing tears to fall from her eyes.
Grinning like the mad man he was, Tom let out an almost crazed laugh. He liked seeing her like this. He enjoyed the power. He lived for the pain he was putting her through. "You are of no use to me anymore." Were the simple words he said, sounding not even sorry for what he was doing. He stopped the spell and walked closer to Lexi, kicking her wand far away from her he let out another laugh as he saw her try to crawl away. "You can't escape me, Black." He said with a smirk, slowly reaching over for one of the kitchen knives on the side.
"Why?" Lexi managed to get out as she tried crawling away, she wanted to escape. She wanted to run. Not for herself, but for Nate. She didn't want him in the house. She feared that Tom would turn on his own son after he was done with her. Now Lexi wasn't the most open and caring person in the world, and she knew that, but she'd be dammed if she'd let Tom get to him. "Rod." The blonde called out almost quietly, still feeling the pain in her body she could barely do anything. Barely say anything. Barely even breathe.
"Do you think he'll save you?" Tom asked as he watched his cousin on the floor, amusement clear in his voice. "He's a house elf." Tom said simply, the hatered of the creature clear on his tongue. He didn't bother waiting any longer before he strode over towards the blonde and kneeled down next to her. "It has to be done, Lexi, you've always known this day would come." He whispered as he examined the blade.
Lexi stopped moving the minute those words left Tom's lips. 'You've known this day would come', those words were true. She'd always known it. From the minute she discovered Tom's plans she'd known she'd one day fall at his hands. Even as Tom met Ginny and they had Nate, that thought had never once left her mind. Another tear ran down her face, she pictured Zack coming home to find her cold on the floor. Her heart broke, he didn't deserve that.
"This isn't personal." Tom said with a dark grin as he roughly turned Lexi to face him, he noticed her tears and lazily wiped them away. He watched her features for a moment before slowly tracing the blade up her left arm, from her Dark Mark to her elbow. Cutting the skin Tom watched as the blood ran down her arm and spilled onto the floor. He was surprised when she didn't scream. She didn't show him much of a reaction, something that bothered him. He wanted her to feel the pain. He wanted to see the pain he was causing her.
"Could have fooled me." Lexi somehow managed to hiss at him, as the blade cut her skin Lexi bit down on her lower lip hard. She didn't want to scream, she didn't want to show pain. She knew Tom was sadistic enough to enjoy that and she refused to give him that. She refused to give him the enjoyment of what he was doing to her. She closed her eyes just as another tear escaped her eyes and ran down her cheek, she thought of Zack again. She thought of the words that made her realize she was in love with him. The words that meant so much to her, 'You're not alone'. The last thought she'd have before her life was taken from her.
Tom didn't say anything, he almost expressed how bored he was of her but he didn't. He just watched. He watched until he'd had enough. With Lexi laid in his arms, her blood covering the floor around her arm, he cast the killing curse. He watched as she took her last breath. Her head dropped to the side. The life slowly draining from her. He was disappointed he didn't get to see the light leave her eyes, he'd always enjoyed witnessing that.
But then he heard the familiar cry of a baby coming from upstairs. His heart skipped a beat. The cry got louder, bringing Tom out of his murderous daze. He looked down at his now dead cousin and instantly backed off. He stared at her before dropping the knife to the ground. He stood up and looked at the blood on his hands and his shirt. What had he done? The damage was irreversible. He'd killed her. His wife's best friend, his son's favorite person, his.. Friends' wife, even.
Images flashed through his mind of how Nate used to be with her. The love he clearly felt towards her making a single tear run from Tom's eye. Then the memory of his wife bonding with her, followed quickly by the memory of Lexi's wedding day. How happy Zack was, how adorable Nate was not wanting to let her go, how emotional Ginny was. He'd taken that away from all of them. How was he meant to go on with his life now? They'd hate him. He'd hate himself. He had nothing left.
"Rod." Tom called angrily, the cry of his son up the stairs still ringing in his ears. As Rod appeared in front of him Tom ignored the shocked and clearly devistated expression of the house elf's expression. "Get Nate and take him to Zack. Don't allow him to come home with Ginny. Don't allow him to come home at all, if possible." Tom said slowly. "He won't listen either way. But make sure that Nate is safe and eventually with his mother.. Wherever she is." And with that the elf was gone.
Taking a deep breath Tom moved about in the kitchen and grabbed a piece of parchment and quickly wrote a note.
'Zack, I am truly sorry for what I have done. I never meant for things to get this far. I didn't even mean to come to your home. I've taken away the thing that made you happiest the most and I've prevented you from having your own family. I've prevented you from growing old with your best friend. You will never know just how sorry I am and I know you will never forgive me. But all I ask of you is to not take my mistakes out on Nate. He loves you even if you think different, don't let him suffer.
Ginny, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I know you hate me and so will Nate. Not to mention Zack.. But you mean the most to me. Knowing that I've disappointed you is killing me inside. I love you, remember that. Please tell Nate that as well. I'll always love you both and I never once wish for you to forget that. Don't remember me as the murder I am, remember me when I was happy. Our wedding day. The first time I said I love you. Remember the good times and not the bad.
I killed her. I've taken away the life she had. The love Zack had towards her, the happiness Nate felt whenever he saw her and the friend you once had. After everything she ever did for me, I killed her. She didn't beg for her life. She didn't fight back. She didn't insult me, she only asked why and tried crawling away to get Rod. I figure she did that because Nate was upstairs and wanted to get him out of the house - I didn't know he was in until it was too late. I never answered her. Why did I kill her? I don't know the answer. I just did. The feeling it gave me almost scares me. What if it had been you, Ginny? That thought scares me even more.
She wasn't the first I've killed. I killed my father, but I'm sure you knew that. I killed Lexi's father, she knew that. She'd always known what I did to him. I want to say I think that's why she hated me so much, but I think we all know that was just a small part of her hatred towards me. Nagini killed Sebastian, but she wouldn't have done that I'm sure without knowing how much I despised him. So I guess, I actually killed him too and I even made Lexi's snake eat him, covering up the murder. And now I've killed Lexi. I could do the same with her. But I can't bring myself to do it. She deserves to rest in peace, if you will, I'm sure her wishes would be to keep her as far away from myself as possible.. That is if you give me a grave.'
Lexi's blood and Tom's tears stained the parchment as he finally finished writing it. He stared down at the letter for a few minutes before he finally left it on the side and turned to look at Lexi's body. She looked so peaceful, would it not be for all the blood he would have thought she'd have died peacefully with no pain. He found it funny, how even dead she looked as perfect as a Barbie.
He coudn't decide wich way to go. Either a knife to the throat or the same killing curse that took Lexi's life. He wondered, for a minute, how Lexi would have taken his life if she ever had the chance. Well, he figured she'd kill him. He wouldn't blame her if she ever wanted to. He was a monster and she was one person who fully knew it. At that thought he remembered Ginny coming into his life. She wanting to prevent him from becoming the said monster and give him a life filled with happiness. And he was happy, for a while. He had a perfect with and a perfect son, he'd even wanted another child. A girl who he would have suggested the same of Emily.
He didn't deserve any of that. If anything it was Lexi who deserved the life of happiness. The perfect family, the memories he had with his son that she'd never have with her own child. He was a monster for taking that away from her. Unlike with Sebastian, Tom was saddened by what he had done. He wished he didn't do it. He wished he could give his life to bring Lexi back, but he couldn't. Sebastian was an ass who deserved to die, in his opinion. Lexi was just a girl who only acted harsh to protect herself. The one time she finally opens up to someone and allows her to be happy and in love, he take that away from her. What posessed him to do such a thing?
He wondered what his life would have been like without Ginny and Nate. He never liked those thoughts, but he couldn't help himself. Would Lexi have still married Zack or would she have carried on her thing with Sebastian? Would Sebastian have still died? Would Lexi have been the first to have his mark on her arm or would it have been someone else, idiotic enough to willingly accept it? He wouldn't ever know. But he imagined that either way Lexi would have been happy, even with him becoming the monster Ginny would have grown up to fear.
Without another thought Tom headed over to Lexi's medicine draw and grabbed as many pills as he could find before grabbing some of Lexi's Russian vodka and heading over to sit with the blonde. "I'm sorry." He whispered to her lifeless body, a few more tears running down his cheeks before she emptied the many pills into his hand and and took them all in one. He then took an overly large swig of the horrible alcohol. It wasn't long before Tom started feeling the effects of an overdose, the room started to dim even though the lights were as bright as they could be. His thoughts were jumbled as he collapsed onto the cold stone floor, laying next to Lexi the alcohol bottle escaped from his grip and smashed on the floor mixing the liquid and glass with the blood of the blonde.
And then it all came to a stop. No more pain. No more hurt. Nothing. Just darkness. He took the cowards way out after inflicting so much pain upon one person, not just now but over the years of which he'd known Lexi. He'd never been nice to her and he doubted he ever would have been. He'd hurt her mentally as well as physically, perhaps huring her physically now more than he'd ever hurt her before. And that was a regret he died with.
The scene in the kitchen was truly a horrible one. Both Gaunt's laying dead next to each other, the smell of death and alcohol all throughout the room. The broken glass around Tom's hand mixing with the blood of Lexi making it look as if there was some kind of a struggle before her death. Lexi looked more respectable than Tom, even though she was just wearing her night clothes compared to Tom in his suit. His hair was messy and blood covered the majority of his shirt, Lexi's hair just looked tired and her clothes too half stained in blood. But the blood wasn't as visible on her dark green satin garments unlike with Tom's white shirt. What a horrible way to leave the world, but at least neither exactly died totally alone - just neither dying how they would have preferred.