Time seems to fly. I didn't even realize it's been this long since I posted to this story. But anyways: Thank your for the follows/favorites and thank you Prettyprincess45 for the review.

Alexandria belongs to me, Ravannah belongs to QuietAlias.

Chapters are getting longer, so bare with me. Enjoy :D

OoO

Alex stood in front of the couch, looking at her unexpected guest. It was no Vlad, but it was much worse. She couldn't turn him away with the face he gave her or with the bruises on his neck. So she did the least she could do – she got an ice pack, a bottle of mountain dew, and a bag of cheetos. He made himself at home, laying his black leather jacket on the couch, and being polite enough to leave his boots in the hallway.

She would have rather had him show up when her boyfriend and one of her best friends wasn't upstairs, but she wasn't in control of that apparently. Talking to Yuri would have been a delight, but not with two of her gang in the house. There was a chance they'd over hear any nice conversation and she didn't want to explain her and Yuri's friendship.

"You need anything else, Yuri? Maybe a real meal? Or a new ice pack? That bruise is nasty. And I'm pretty sure it'll welt."

Yuri rubbed the dark purple marks on the left side of his neck, "No, this is more than I could ask you for, Alex. I'm used to scrapes and bruises, so I'll be completely fine…" His eyes trailed off, "How are you, though?" Voice lingering, like he knew something was amiss in Vlad's house.

She smiled at him. It had been awhile since she had been alone with Yuri, though technically she wasn't alone with him. She hadn't been alone with him since… since last year. "Good, I guess. School is good, social life is alright, home life is… well you know how it is." She relaxed a little bit and sat on the coffee table in front of him.

"What about you? How are you? How are you and your… parents?" Parents were an iffy subject for him, especially since she knew his father caused the marks on his neck. Although she knew the answer, she wanted to hear it from him. She could only hope Simon and Jason weren't listening in.

He looked at her, "Well, you know how it is," he just about mocked. His fingers pressed against the bruises once more, "I'm glad things are going good for you, though. Besides Vlad, of course, but we all know what he's like. Especially when Natallie starts running around again."

Alex rolled her eyes at Natalie's name. "Oh don't get me started on Natalie. That blonde bimbo just waltz's into my house like she owns the damn place. Sits on my brother's lap all clingy and shit, and orders me around. That girl just makes me want to rip every single one of her blonde hairs out of her head!" She groaned. "Do you feel me here, Yuri? I can't be the only one who finds that slut annoying!"

"Natalie is very abrasive and bossy… But I don't think Vlad is going to have her around much longer," he took a sip from his drink, "he's been talking about a new girl lately."

"And I think we both know who he's talking about. I don't like it, Yuri." Alex squirmed in her seat. She didn't like the thought of Ravan and her brother being a… couple. It just didn't sound right.

Yuri sat up right, "I don't really have a negative thought about it, besides what you and your friends would do," he set his drink down, "Ravan's a good girl and all, maybe she'll help Vlad stop acting as bad as he does, you know? Kind of like an angel in disguise type of thing. You helped me calm down a bit, don't you remember?"

Alex felt her face heat up and couldn't help herself as she hit his shoulder. She whisper/yelled at him, "Be quiet! I have Jason and Simon hiding somewhere in the house! What happened is supposed to be a secret, remember? Can you imagine the fuse Vlad would blow if he found out? Or my friends? I don't want that kind of attention and I'm pretty sure you want to live a bit longer!"

His eyes bore into her being, "I'm not the one hiding friends, or boyfriends in the house, Alex. I didn't know they were here, so I thought I could speak freely with the other secret holder." The headlights shined through the window yet again, the deep purple bruises being shown in an almost choking manner. As the front door opened, Vlad walked in. The weird part, he wasn't walking his normal stride. It seemed lighter, and you could almost see there was a smile on his face today. It sent a small chill up Yuri's spine.

Alex raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Well you look… happy?" Happy was something she'd never seen on Vlad. Maybe once, but it was hard to remember when.

That small, almost unnoticeable, smile on his face stunned her. "Oh, just had a good night is all."

She looked between Yuri and Vlad. This was not her brother. This was invasion of the body snatchers in full force, because he didn't even realize Yuri was in the living room with her. And he didn't make some snide comment like "You know where I was." or "Where do you think I was?" It made her feel a tad uncomfortable.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but did you happen to smoke something tonight? Or take some sort of drugs?"

Vlad shrugged, a certain gleam in his eyes. "You could call it a drug." Alex just stared at her brother, stunned. She looked at Yuri and saw him the same way.

Yuri stood up to stand by Vlad, "Where did you go? Did you go watch the boxing match between Quincy and Gerald?" Scanning over his face, this was something he had never seen in the long time that he's known Vlad. He casually sniffed like he was going to sneeze, why did Vlad smell like a fresh Spring day laced with lime? He had smelt that before, but he couldn't place where. Maybe it was one of the cheerleaders.

Vlad shrugged and threw his jacket on the leather chair next to couch. "The Coffee Bean to see Ravan." It was as if Vlad finally realized Yuri was at his house. "And what are you doing here? I got your texts. You alright my friend?" To Alex, it sounded like he was trying to change the subject.

He shifted uneasily while looking at Vlad, "Yes, I am alright. By going to see Ravan, do you mean to see her to get coffee? Because you smell like a Spring day, my friend." He lifted up his jacket, "And," he sniffed once, "a female hair product. That seems more than just coffee, friend."

Vlad rolled his eyes at Yuri. "She needed a ride home. I didn't want the pretty little thing getting mugged or worse by walking home alone."

Alex leaned against the couch. If her brother was in such a good mood, maybe she could get away with some teasing. "Oh you're not telling the whole story, Vovka," Alex turned to Yuri with a smile. "he hugged her, say, twice, and kissed her head."

Then Alex raised an eyebrow at Yuri, about to ask how he knew what Spring day and lime smelled like, until she remembered that she and Ravan usually used the same hair products and perfume. She felt her face get red once again as Yuri looked over at her, like he knew what she was thinking about.

Vlad sat on the leather chair and took a mountain dew from the coffee table, apparently not going very far from his jacket. "Would you shut up Alex? Don't ruin my mood." But Alex just couldn't help herself and burst out laughing, and ended up needing to use Yuri as support. Oh this was just too funny for her! Her brother was starting to get defensive.

He glanced down at his arm as Alex crackled off, it felt good, but burned him inside. He was still a tad sore from the break-up, and remembered Alex not being okay with the whole Ravan/Vlad coupling. A smile tipped-toed its way across the face, "Vlad, it seems Alex is all giddy that you and Ravan seem to tolerate each other. So, if best comes to best, you and Ravan," he said that looking down at Alex so she'd hear it louder, "start dating, she shouldn't have any problem with it."

Alex immediately stopped laughing and looked at Vlad, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, you seem to find this very funny. Wasn't it you who told me not to go?"

Her mouth dropped open at him. Oh she was screwed, and not with Vlad, at least, not yet. She'd deal with Yuri later. But Vlad's question/statement to her roused the boys in the house. She could hear them whispering at the top of the stairs from where she stood next to Yuri, and by the look on Vlad's face, he heard them too.

"Alex, what the fuck was that?" She glared up at Yuri. "Nothing, no one!"

Vlad wasn't so easily fooled. "Alex, who the fuck is in my house!?" She sighed. She didn't feel like fighting with him. She had already lost the first fight, and knew she'd lose this one. "You two can come out now." She tightened her grip on Yuri's arm, and smiled when he winced as her fingernails dug into his skin. Bastard.

Simon walked down the steps, but instead of walking completely through the doorway, he stopped. He put his hands against both sides, Jason reeling behind him. "It is a lovely night out tonight, isn't it? I mean a cool seventy-eight degrees, and a nice little wind chill. The sky clear of clouds and the moon full."

Jason pushed on his back, causing his abdomen to lead forward slightly, "Gerald won against Quincy, by the way. I think we should all go out and celebrate this wondrous occasion!"

Yuri looked weirdly at Simon, "You are a weird one, aren't you, friend? We know how the weather is, we all were outside tonight while you were kept in this house with Vlad's little sister." He glanced at Vlad, "Without Vlad even being here."

Simon's eyebrows furrowed, "Shut the fuck up, mate, you don't know anything. Jason was here the entire time."

"Rooms have doors, my friend… Rooms have doors…"

Before Simon could retort, Jason shoved him hard enough to make him stumble forward. He walked into the room, but didn't leave Simon's side. Simon looked over at his friend and then turned his attention back to Yuri. "Sorry, mate, I'm not some pervert who can't keep a girl because all he cares about is sex, you moron."

Vlad was on his feet in a second and at his sister's side in under two. If there was one thing that he hated the most, it was Alex having a boyfriend. He glared at her and she backed up against Yuri. "You invited your boyfriend into my house while I wasn't fucking here or without my fucking permission!? What the fuck did you do!?"

Her grip on Yuri's arm tightened. She needed to be saved, but she doubted any of them would come to her rescue. "We sat out here and played the Xbox! We didn't do anything!"

"They really didn't Vlad, I was here the entire time!"

Alex gaped at Jason. She had never ever heard Jason raise his voice around her brother. Jason looked shocked himself, and Vlad, he was more pissed than before. "And what the hell are you doing in my house? You and your friend have no business being here!" Vlad was infuriated that not only was Simon, Alex's boyfriend here, but Jason as well.

"Hey, let's all just calm down." Simon made a smoothing motion with his hand, "It's kind of late—"

"It's only eight thirty, you moron." Yuri spat.

"…It's kind of late, we're all a little tired. Let's not have anything rash happen," Simon grabbed Jason's arm, "You three seem to have a lot to talk about, Jason and I are going to go over to Gary's." He left Ravan's name out of this, hoping they'd be too infuriated to remember that Gary and Ravan are related. It's pretty difficult to forget, since they're the only twins their school.

"That's right, just run off like a little fairy," Yuri smiled, "Run, run, little boy."

"At least I don't get smacked around by my daddy," Simon growled back. Yuri pursed his lips for a moment, not saying anything more. For the moment.

Alex gaped at Simon. That was a low blow, especially for him, and he was going to leave her here. Alone. With Vlad and Yuri. But Simon had a point. "I think Simon's right. Let's all calm down before someone gets hurt." She glanced up at Yuri and gave him a reassuring squeeze on his wrist. She still cared about his life and knew that had to sting.

Even though Alex, Simon, and Jason had agreed to some peace, Vlad was not done. He had some twisted plan going on in his head, Alex could see it. "Oh, leaving so soon? Please stay a little longer." His voice was tense and angry.

Vlad took a menacing step forward at Simon and Jason. "Or you can both run out that door back to Jason's," then, Vlad looked at Jason. "Tell your friend Ravan hello for me tomorrow… or on second thought, I'll do it myself."

Simon watched as a vein in Jason's neck began to show, something that only happened when he was getting angry. "Or, how about you don't say hi to Ravan, we don't tell her you said hi, and we all stay in our groups. We don't want you in ours, and I'm sure people in your group don't want Ravan with yours." Ravan had been Simon's best friend since they were three, she, Gary and himself all grew up with each other, not meeting everyone else until middle school when their families moved together to get away from the bullying problem at their first school. He wasn't going to let Vlad move in on her, not in a million years. Neither was Gary, and that over-active, short fused, brother wasn't going to go down without a fight. Knowing damn well that Gary wouldn't last a minute with Vlad, it was time for Simon to stop hiding in the shadows of this. He wasn't sure how long he could last in a fight with Vlad himself, but a whole lot longer than Gary ever could.

Yuri pulled his wrist away from Alex, "How would you even know what his friends thought? You don't know us, so don't be putting words in our mouths, you fucker."

With a simple smirk, Simon retorted, "I know for a fact Foley doesn't like her because she kicked his ass in eighth grade. I know for a fact that Alexander doesn't like her because she's too bubbly. Maybe even too bubbly for Vlad, as a matter a fact. I mean, really, do you think all of you guys could deal with someone who's pretty much always happy, always eager and someone that would outshine all of your intelligences in a heartbeat? Do you really think you'd be able to handle that?"

Alex was lost, confused. She didn't know what to say or what to do. Simon was standing up to her brother and Yuri, she was in the shit house with Vlad and one wrong move from her he'd have her hide. Not to mention Yuri wasn't being much a help. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to cry, and she knew everyone could see her eyes getting watery. She never cried. Last time she cried was last year, when she broke up with Yuri. But the events before her were not under her control and one false move from anyone could lead into a brawl, one that may end with serious injury. She didn't want that to happen.

As Vlad went to speak, she grabbed his arm and twisted it around so he went to the couch. "Vlad, you shut the fuck up and stay on the fucking couch!" He was shocked at her outburst.

She moved to Simon next. "And Yuri's right! You don't know what the fuck goes on in their group or how they fucking think! And I'm not going to deal with your fucking mouth trying to start a damn fight!"

And then she looked at Jason. She couldn't yell at him. She was shaking with anger and hurt. "Both of you, please get the fuck out of my house!"

"This is my house, Alexandria!" Oh no Vlad did not call her Alexandria. She pointed a finger at him. "Don't make me call the Big Man!" Vlad's jaw clenched and he sat back down. If there was one person Vlad actually feared, it was the Big Man. It was always a last resort when they were left alone at home. This was the first time she had actually used it as a threat.

Simon's jaw tightened, "I'm going to protect someone who's like my little sister, someone who's treated me good all my life and someone who is close to my heart from your brother. The fact being that I knowtwo of them don't like her should be enough of a reason," his eyes shot to Yuri, "And I love how you're going to defend him over me. I love that so dearly, Alex. I have the right to protect Ravan, so I'm going to do so. Even if you're not on my side with it." He walked towards the door, "Let's go Jason, we should get to sleep earlier to be able to walk with Gary and Ravannahlike he wants us to."

Her own boyfriend just yelled at her. She watched him slam the door and leave with Jason. She made a bad move – she shouldn't have defended Yuri. But what about him? He made some bad choices. And he protected Ravan instead of her. She needed protecting from Vlad, and Simon wasn't going to protect her from him now.

She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and Vlad saw it. If he had one weakness, it was seeing his sister crying. And he knew it was his and Simon's fault, but he was going to blame it on that cocksucker. He took a step closer to her but she back up. "Please don't, Vlad. You've already done enough."

Vlad looked to Yuri for help. He'd never had to comfort his sister before. He could be an asshole to her and beat her up, but that's what a brother does, in his mind at least. When someone else messed with his sister though, it was a whole other story. "Alex…"

Alex shook her head and moved to the kitchen. "I'm calling mom!" She glanced at Yuri. She wasn't going to let him see her like this. She knew Simon and Ravan had known each other forever, but she thought that being his girlfriend, he'd protect her. Her tears wouldn't keep Vlad at bay for long.

Vlad watched his sister leave for the kitchen and ran a hand through his thick black hair. "Yuri, can you help me out here? What the fuck do I do? My mom is going to murder me!" If there was one thing in the entire earth he feared, it was the Big Man, or in a simpler name, his mother.

"I don't know how I could help with anything right now," Yuri tossed him his jacket, "You could stay the night over at my house." A light smile crossed his face, "You know… I live closer to Ravan and all that." Vlad nodded only once, slipping on his jacket. The two of them left the house, Vlad only glancing towards where Alex fled, before locking the door behind him.