A/N So I had to delete the old version of this story due to the chapters getting mixed up. I have changed the story a little but nothing major. Hope you enjoy and please leave comments.
Chapter 1: Lexa
My name is Alexandria Sahar Trikru, but I go by Lexa and sometimes Zander, but that's another story. It has been a long hard road for me to get to where I am right now. Today is the first day of my new life here in America, specifically in San Francisco, California. I have been fighting my entire life for the chance to be here. I knew from an incredibly young age that I was different from everyone around me. I don't just mean the color of my skin or sexual orientation either. I mean everything about me. I can run faster, jump higher, hear, and see better than anyone I have ever met, and I have never been sick, not even a cold. I can speak Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Kurdish, Turkish, Hebrew, Hindi, English, and Spanish. I pick up languages quickly and have always done well in school. Long story short, I'm here because I met an amazing woman, Commander Ashley 'Ash' Fletcher, whom I helped with the US Navy bring down an entire cell of terrorists in Afghanistan.
Now, here I am, standing in a huge house belonging to Ash's mom Amelia in San Francisco, California. Although the road to get here was rocky, I feel confident that everything that has happened has led me here, and this is where I am meant to be. When we pull into the driveway at Amelia's house, I see that the outside of the house is more significant than any I have ever seen. The typical home in the desert consists of about four rooms total and is only one story. This one is at least two if not three stories from what I can see pulling into the garage. We grab our luggage and head into the house. The first room we walk into is some sort of game room. There is a pool table, foosball table and a couple of arcade games.
Ash says, "Lexa, if you want your own space, you are welcome to have this floor to yourself. Let me show you around." She shows me the bedroom and private bath, a living room area out past the game room, and a fabulous patio area with a fantastic view. There is also a laundry room and wine cellar on this level.
I look around and say, "You are kidding, right?"
Amelia says, "No, you are welcome to stay as long as you want. You can have this entire space to yourself, or if you want, you can stay upstairs in one of the guest rooms up there. Whatever you feel more comfortable with."
Ash looks at me and says, "See, I told you we have plenty of room. So there is no need to be in such a hurry to get your own place. You have everything you need right here. You even have your own entrance, so it is like having your own place. You can even use the catering kitchen and never have to come upstairs, or we can put in a kitchen down here."
"Whoa, Ash, slow down. This is great, and I will give it a few weeks before making any decisions."
She smiles and says, "Great, drop your things in the bedroom and let me show you the rest of the house."
I do as I'm told, and she takes me down a set of stairs off the game room that leads to a hallway with a walk-in closet she said is mine to use. There is also what she calls a media room, but I call a movie theater. We go down another flight of stairs, and there is the kitchen she was telling me about and a massive bathroom with something she calls a sauna. I have no idea what that is, but then we continue down the hallway, and it opens up into a half-court basketball court.
I look at her and say, "Damn Ash, you didn't tell me your family was loaded. I do have a couple of questions though, what is a sauna, and will you teach me to play basketball?"
She laughs and replies, "The money comes from my great grandfather. A sauna is a steam room. It is meant to make you sweat and release all the toxins in your body, and it is quite relaxing. As far as basketball, I will try to teach you if you want. Now let me show you the pool and the view from the balcony down to our private beach. Then I will show you upstairs, which is really the main part of the house."
We walk through the basketball court out onto a patio surrounding an infinity pool that reminds me of the one in our suite in Dubai. The view here is impressive, and I can see a walkway down to a gazebo area and then on down to a beach. I can't believe she never told me about any of this. I follow her up three flights of stairs and into the main living area. This house is crazy. A breakfast room leads into the kitchen, which goes into the dining room with a library next to it. Then there is a living room that opens out onto a huge patio overlooking the pool. I follow her up another flight of stairs to where the bedrooms are located. There are four of them, the master, two guest rooms, and then Ash's room. We go into her room to drop off her luggage, and then she shows me a space attached to hers. She has it full of weapons. I just laugh and shake my head.
She says, "I thought you might like this room. Now, if you don't want to stay downstairs right away, or ever there is a spare room right through the bathroom, you can stay in right next door to me."
"Ash, we've talked about this. I think we both need some space, so I will stay downstairs for the time being and see how that works out. Then we can go from there, okay?"
"Fine, but I don't know if I will be able to sleep without you. I mean, we have shared the same bed for almost a year now."
"I know it is going to take some time to get used to, but I really think it is for the best."
After she finishes showing me the workout room, we head back downstairs to the kitchen. Amelia has the table set and pizzas in the middle, so we sit down and eat. After dinner, I say goodnight and head down to my room to unpack some things before taking a shower. Once I'm finished with my shower, I try to lay down, but I can't sleep. The bed is too empty. Ash is right. I can't remember the last time I slept alone other than when she was in a coma and then I was right next to her. I toss and turn for about an hour before I decide to get up and watch television. I'm not sure how long I'm asleep on the couch before I feel someone picking me up. When I open my eyes, I see Ash. She smiles down at me and carries me to my bed, and then crawls in behind me.
I say, "Um…Ash, what are you doing?"
"Well…Um…I couldn't sleep, so I came down to see how you were doing and found you on the couch, so I thought I would put you in bed. I figured since you were asleep on the couch with the TV on that, you couldn't sleep either, so…here we are."
"Fine, but we can't make a habit out of this."
