Pairing: Alek/OC

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my shoes, those are mine.

Summary: The last thing Oliviya King needs is yet another reason to resent her lovable little sister, but the Mai and all the prophecies they bring with them seem determined to make it so.

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2 Path of Pins

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San Francisco…it was a whole new world. The streets were alive with a pulse you could almost hear if you listened close enough, the culture dripping in diversity (she'd honestly never seen so many different faces, unaware skin colors came in such variety), and there was a sort of freshness about the air that was baffling in light of the urban setting. All in all, it was everything and nothing she imagined it would be.

And the lights, oh the lights…

Oliviya had never seen so many lights and she remembered quite vividly her first few nights in the Bay being unable to grasp how anyone could even dream of sleeping when the night looked as though the heavens had fallen to earth. For a time, she and Chloe had been enamored with the sport of trying to count them all from the front stoop of their new home, huddled together beneath a blanket with their necks craned to see over the trees and telephone poles that lined the street, giggling in secret as they pointed out each time a new ball of light caught their eye.

Those first few days—they'd been in awe of it all, the magic of the city had laid claim to their souls and Oliviya was pretty sure they would never get them back. And Meredith, the sweet woman, had been so amazingly kind that it made Oliviya ache with the realization that she finally understood what all of those girls had been crying out for in that dilapidated warehouse, what they were probably still crying out for as she laid safe and dreaming an ocean away. Because to have this kind of warmth ripped away from you so unexpectedly must have been nothing less than torture.

But she knew it wouldn't last, that feeling of rightness, of belonging. Not with her doubts still floating just below the surface, ready to drown her the moment she stopped treading. Not when she wasn't certain of her place in this new family portrait or how permanent the arrangement truly was.

She'd catch them looking at her sometimes, Malcolm more so than Meredith, when they thought she was preoccupied with Chloe or her ever growing mountain of books. Their gazes brushed against her skin like roughened wool, as if she were a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit. In her youth, it was enough to make her wonder if maybe she didn't. Because Oliviya could admit she wasn't a happy child most days nor was she the most deserving of the girl's in Chernyĭ Raĭona, and they'd have to be blind not to notice the way she'd flinch whenever Malcolm got too close, whenever anyone got too close.

Back at the orphanage, she'd been worried that no one would want to take her because she wasn't like the others, quick to laugh or smile at the prospective parents looking for children to love and cherish and call their own. Because she knew, even if no one voiced it, that she wasn't an easy person to love. That understanding had left her feeling empty after a childhood full of adoration, however tainted it may have been, that in another life, she too had been cherished, for all the wrong reasons maybe. But to a child's mind, that hardly mattered.

It didn't help that the King's had seemed to warm to Chloe right away, but then…she could hardly blame them for that. After all, hadn't the little scoundrel captured her own heart so completely?

It did, however, leave her feeling as though she were an outsider looking in. While she was in the King's family, she'd never really felt like part of the family. But, it wouldn't be fair to heap all the blame on them, for all her insecurities, they had tried their damnedest to peal back her walls, brick by tedious brick. But every time they ventured too close, reached their hands too far in, Oliviya found herself backing away, filling the gaps with something stronger, fearful of the contact.

Chloe, on the other hand, had no problems adjusting to their new family. That girl felt vital to her very existence most days, her bright smile warming the hardening edges of Oliviya's heart, their friendship so pure it would sometimes bring her to tears without warning, that she had a friend, a sister, someone in the world to love her without restraints.

Though she often questioned if that would always be enough.

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It was years before Oliviya grew comfortable enough to call Meredith King her mother—long after her husband had stolen away into the night without so much as a parting "see you in the morning". Meredith had taken up the mantle of dual-parenthood with a vengeance Oliviya had to admire, so when the two of them had set about baking a cake for her sisters' 8th birthday, unaware that she'd never actually said the word aloud rather then just in her head, Oliviya, who'd been eying the chocolate covered spoon with a wild hunger ever since they'd finished frosting the cake had thanked her mother profusely when she had finally caved and handed it to her with a laugh.

Taken aback, Meredith, who'd been having her own battle with the can of sprinkle's meant for said cake, shrieked at a decibel almost worthy of her youngest daughter, pitching the can and its contents into the air as she pulled the wide-eyed brunette towards her in a hug so tight the girl could practically hear her bones shift.

Oliviya had been confused and slightly lacking in oxygen being smothered in the overly excited woman's bosom. "Ca…Can't breathe, mom."

That only proved to set Meredith off again, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as she held the girl tighter to her, swinging her back and forth in her joy.

She had been so sure that her oldest would never gift her with the title of mother, even convinced herself that she was okay with it as it had taken every ounce of her resilience to get the girl to trust her when she said she cared, to feel comfortable enough to allow Meredith the privilege of tucking her in at night when she'd out grown the room she shared with Chloe.

Meredith could honestly say she'd never worked harder to earn someone's trust.

"Jeez, what gives, mom?" Her reluctant daughter asked again, patting her back awkwardly, while trying to maintain her grip on the precious frosted spoon.

Thrice in one day, Meredith thought, she'd definitely have to mark the calendar after this.

"I…" She faltered, the emotions she was feeling causing the words to get tangled in the base of her throat, "I-I, just really…love…cake." She finished with a sob, periodically squeezing the girl in her arms, kissing the crown of her brown hair reverently before loosening her grip.

And like any other kid on the cusp of adolescence, her ten-year-old sassed with an eye-roll to accompany for good measure, "Marry it why don't you."

The bellowing laughter that followed filled every corner of the house, traveling up the stairs to the ears of a rather anxious eight-year-old who'd been coloring patiently in her room during the birthday preparations, before the laughter had beckoned her out of her room and down the stairs.

The sight that greeted the little blonde had her giggling before she could bring her hands up to stop it, coming to stand between her sister who was shaking her hair free of sprinkles while slowly backing away from their mother, who looked to be crying she was laughing so hard.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, her wide eyes bouncing between the two in curiosity.

Oliviya answered through the side of her mouth as if she were scared speaking might set their mother off again, her eyes never leaving the heaving shoulders of the woman who struggled to get herself under control. "No wonder we only have cake once a year, it makes people crazy."

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AN: Just wanted to give a bit more background into the family dynamic before we move into the main portion of the story. I wanted you guys to get to know Oliviya a bit better, faults and all, care about her and where her story goes before the other characters come into play. Also, I wasn't exactly sure what Chloe's dad's name was so I went with Malcolm. I'm not sure if I heard them mention it on the show, and seeing as I haven't read the books yet, I just went with the flow.

I did want to clarify that the spelling of Oliviya's name is a conscious choice as it is the Russian pronunciation of the name Olivia. Kind of like Oleksandra is Alexandra's.

Already working on the next chapter, and I hope to have it up fairly soon. Let's all remember that reviews feed my muse. Whether you love it or hate it let me know. Constructive feedback is always welcomed.