Hi guys! So here it is the next cha[ter of the story. Now, I will ask for your understanding because for the enxt couple of months it will be extremely difficult for me to update regularly. I will do my best to give you at least one chapter of each story every week but I am not making any promises. Please understand. Some really rough months are ahead of me. I hope that you will enjoy the chapter. Have fun and review :) Have fun!
Alexandra is making an apperance." Amanda stated and left.
It had passed 25 minutes. Alex and Anna had driven the whole town stopping in several restaurant picking up food. They had bought enough food to feed an army but Alex didn't care. Anna's smile was her reward. She loved her smile and she didn't mind buy all the food in the world just to have Anna laughing saying that she will become fatty if she eats all that. No matter what had happened with their father, Alex couldn't help but love Anna, Lena and Mary. She didn't take them to protect Nikita, she actually liked them and she was planning to arrange a meeting for Mary with Svetlana anyways. It just happens the timing to be like that. She knew that she couldn't hurt them, not now not ever. She liked them and wanted them to be happy.
Alex was lost in her thoughts when the limo stopped in front of the chinese restaurant and Tom went to open the door for Julian and Nikita. Julian had an unreadable gaze, full of hate and anxiety. He knew that he couldn't do anything right now risking the life of his family. He needed to control his nerves. Alexandra had the upper hand this time and he knew it.
Nikita, on the other hand, was confused. She couldn't believe that Alex could kidnap Julian's family. She didn't want to believe that Alex was capable of hurting a little girl. She didn't want to give up in Amanda's mind games and believe that this was Alexandra, the real Alex, the Alex that she was trying hard to keep buried inside her. She knew that she couldn't discuss it right now, but she was going to have a really long conversation with Alex when they are back.
Nikita entered the limo first and Julian joined her. They both sat opposite to Alex and Anna, that had let her head rest on Alex's chest. Alex was looking down on Anna, when her guests entered the limo. She lifted her head up and smiled when she saw that Julian had played along.
" Julian! I am glad that you made it!" Alex said softly.
" I wasn't going to miss your invitation." Julian replied harsh.
" We brought chinese." Julian added not wanting to piss Alex off.
" Wonderful!" Alex exclaimed happily.
" Anna, go and give a hug to your daddy." Alex suggested and Anna obeyed instantly.
As soon as Anna reached Julian's hands, he put her into a bone-crushing hug. Nikita gave a disapproval gaze at Alex seeing the exchange between father and daughter.
" Are you having fun, sweetie?" Julian asked his daughter with shaking voice.
" I always have fun when I am with Alexandra, daddy, you don't have to ask me." Anna said smiling and looked at Alex, who returned her smile.
Julian stressed up hearing Anna's response.
" Daddy, what is wrong? You seem upset." Anna asked worried and sadly.
" I had a rough day, Anna. I will be fine." Julian replied and gave a small smile to his daughter.
Anna looked up at him confused and then leaned foward and kissed him. Then, she returned to her previous sit next to Alex.
" Excuse me... but who is the lady, Alexandra?" Anna asked staring at Nikita.
" My name is Nikita." Nikita replied and smiled to Anna.
Anna looked suspiciously at Nikita and then moved closer to Alex hugging her.
Alex laughed and looked at Nikita and then at Anna.
" She is my best friend, Anna." Alex said calmly and cupped Anna's face.
Anna take a moment to think and then she turned her attention to Nikita. Slowly and unsurely, she moved closer to Nikita.
" It is a pleasure to meet Alexandra's best friend. You must be a very lucky woman to have Alexandra in your life like that." Anna said calmly.
Alex's eyes filled up with tears moved by Anna's words. Julian backed off stunned. His daughter was totally in love with his enemy. Nikita smiled generiously to Anna. They tell that children can see behind the masks and they know where the evil is hidden. If Anna liked Alexandra so much, then she couldn't be such a bad person. Could she?
" It is a pleasure to meet you, too, Anna." Nikita replied to Anna.
" And yes. I am a very lucky woman to have Alexandra in my life like that." Nikita added staring at Alex.
Alex blushed and turned her gaze away from Nikita's.
" I don't want to be rude... but why do you have a bruise on your face?" Anna asked Nikita sheepishly.
Alex turned her attention to Anna.
" This is a really good question, Anna." Alex commented coldly and glared at Julian with a murderous gaze. Julian's eyes filled with an apology and begged Alex not to make her threat real.
Alex sighed defeated and took Anna on her laps.
" You know that the world have some really bad guys in it, don't you?" Alex asked softly.
" I know. Daddy told me to be really careful around strangers because some people are really bad and they might want to hurt me and make me pain." Anna replied seriously. It was an honest response from a 9 years old girl.
" Daddy is right. Not everyone is good and you have to be careful." Alex instructed seriously but calmly.
" Well, Nikita got into some trouble today and a really bad guy wanted to hurt her and he hit her on her face. This is why she has this bruise. But she is alright now, because your daddy saved her." Alex added softly and smiled at Anna.
" Really? My daddy saved her?" Anna asked surprised.
" Yes. Your father was a hero today." Alex lied but she felt better when Anna's smile grew bigger.
" My daddy is a hero!" Anna said excited and went to hug her father.
" Thank you daddy for saving Nikita. I love you!" Anna said honestly.
Then, the car stopped one more time.
" Ice-cream time!" Alex said to Anna.
" Yupi!" Anna shouted happily.
" You don't mind to go and pick up the ice-cream with Meredith, do you? I want to talk about business with your daddy. I promise, we won't talk anymore for business." Alex said.
Anna nodded and left the car with Meredith.
Before anyone could say anything. Alex spoke. Her tone was firm, her words sure.
" Every girl wants to think that her father is a hero, a gentle man. They want to believe that their father will come to their rescue if something happens to them." Alex said staring at Julian.
" I encouraged her fantasy because I really like her. And I am not going to destroy her lovely idea about her father. I like your family, Julian. I don't want to hurt them. We will live together for few hours, we will keep your family happy and after that, you can go back in hating me as much as you want." Alex ordered coldly.
" Is that clear?" Alex asked harshly.
Julian swallowed hard.
" Yes." Julian replied seriously.
Alex turned her attention to Nikita.
" I don't know how you feel for everything but I need you to play along. I know that it will be easier to drop you at Division but I am not letting you out of my sight today. Can you please do that for me? We will talk about whatever you want later but can you please for now, be in the same room with Julian, chat with him and laugh with him like nothing have happened?" Alex asked softly, her eyes tired and teary.
" If you can do so, then I will survive." Nikita replied not knowing what to expect from Alex anymore. She was going to play along, see where everything goes.
Alex nodded in relief.
" How are your wounds?" Alex asked worried.
" Julian took care of them." Nikita replied.
Alex looked at Julian.
" Please, don't hurt them." Julian begged her.
" Thank you for taking care of her even if you needed a little push." Alex replied ignoring Julian's plead.
Julian opened his mouth to say something but stopped when the door opened and Anna came back with three bags in her little hands.
" We brought the ice-cream" Anna said smiling.
All the three adults put their smiles back on their faces.
" Good job." Alex commented and smiled at Anna.
" Now, let's go and eat them!" Alex added and Anna laughed as he car started one more time.
They drove for another ten minutes when they reached their final destination. Alex exitted the car first and waited for the others to follow her example. They all went up to Svetlana's room. Alex introduced everyone with - well- everyone and then they all started eating.
Alex's eyes grew wide when she saw Svetlana taking in her hands a second burger.
" Sve, really? You will get fired!" Alex joked amused.
" I have you. You will buy the ballet for me, Alexandra, don't worry!" Svetlana said sarcastically and everyone started laughing loudly.
" Not funny, Svetlana!" Alex said smiling trying to hold her laughs back.
" Come on, Alexandra. You have the money, so why don't you help your friend who dies everyday dancing uncountable hours?" Svetlana continued taunting Alex.
" Sure. If my friend needs my help. But she followed her dream so I don't think that you need a rescue..." Alex retorted.
" And beside that... I don't think that you want me to be your boss, do you?" Alex added grinning challengingly.
" Don't answer that, Svetlana. It is a trap." Tom interrupted causing another laugh-outbrust.
" Are you complaining, Tom?" Alex asked seriously as she rested herself back.
" I am going to check the perimeter.." Tom said running out of the room laughing. He liked taunting Alex.
" Oh, you will regret that." Alex promised as Tom closed the door behind him causing another laughing attack to the others.
" Have you always wanted to become a ballerina?" Mary asked excited.
" I think so.." Svetlana replied thoughtfully.
" You started imagining yourself as prima ballerina when you were 5. We have just watched the Giselle when you turned to me and told me ' in a few years from now, I will rule the stage' " Alex said with tears in her eyes thinking of that memory.
Everyone stared at Alex with wide eyes.
" You remember?" Svetlana gasped.
" Of course and I remember. I remember your first day on ballet class, I remember your first day on pointe, I remember your first pirouette. I remember everything.." Alex replied seriously and stood up walking away from the others. She didn't want to break down crying in front of them but those memories triggered other painful memoires.
" What about you, Alexandra? What did you want to be?" Lena asked.
Alex smiled sadly and turned to look at Lena.
" I wanted to be normal" Alex replied honesty.
Nikita felt her heart aching thinking that she took Alex's dream away from her drugging her into this freaking life.
" Sorry." Lena whispered sadly. She knew that it would have probably hurt Alex to talk and admit something like that.
Alex looked at Lena smiling.
" There is no reason to be sorry. My life might not be exactly normal but I am alive. It doesn't matter how your life is going to be, what matters is how you choose to face the reality. It might not be normal but I like my life and I wouldn't want to change it even if the outcome was better." Alex said to Lena but in the reality she was trying to comfort Nikita as much as she could considering the situation.
" The little things are what make the difference in our life. If you can find happiness in little things, then you would be happy." Alex instructed and squeezed Nikita's shoulders.
" You were never normal, Alexandra. But you were always wise." Svetlana commented with tears in her eyes.
" Now... Alexandra, do you know what time it is now?" Svetlana asked smiling evilly.
Alex's eyes grew wide as she backed off playfully and faked a scared face.
" NO NO NO NO NO! I deny to continue this freaking game..." Alex shouted trying to hold her laughs back.
" Come on, Alexandra, move your hips!" Svetlana shouted excited and everyone started laughing again.
" Move your hips?" Nikita questionned amused.
" Nope. Forget it. All of you. I am not moving my hips or anything else, I have eaten too much." Alex tried to find an excuse.
" You are a coward." Svetlana pointed out.
" Dance with the girls. My hips will stay still." Alex stated firmly.
" Fine. Girls, who wants to dance with me?" Svetlana asked and instantly Mary and Anna started jumping and claping full of excitement.
" Let's go then!" Svetlana said and took the girls to another room.
As she passed next to Alex, she hit slightly Alex's ass.
" Sve!" Alex yelled laughing.
Svetlana smirked at her and left the room with the girls.
Lena walked towards Alex.
" Do you mind if I stay with you?" Lena asked politely staring at her fingers.
Alex placed a hand on Lena's chin and forced her to look up at her smiling face.
" Of course not. I like your company." Alex said softly and moved with Lena back to the table.
She was glad that she was able to make the girls happy and until now the day was going southly and everyone was happy.
" Can I ask you something?" Lena asked after a while.
' Sure ' Alex nodded as she took sip of water.
" You didn't want to ' move your hips' because you were forced to do so too many times in the past?" Lena asked sheepishly.
Alex almost suffocated with her water while the other adults chocked uncomfortably.
" What?" Alex asked as calmly as she could.
" I am sorry. Forget that I even asked about it." Lena said blushing and turned her gaze away.
" Lena, I don't have problem to talk about my past but I don't think that this topic is appropriate for your age." Alex tried to explain her reaction.
" You were younger than me" Lena commented sadly still keeping her gaze away from everyone.
" Lena, I am not having this conversation with you unless you have permission from your parents. I don't have problem talking but I am not doing so over them." Alex said seriously and pointed to Laura and Julian, who were in complete shock alterating their gaze between Alex and Lena.
Alex turned around when she felt Nikita moving closer to her, putting her hand on her hip, giving her power to withstand this conversation.
" Mom, please. You know that I have read everything about her and you always say to me that the press can alter the reality. I have the chance to learn the truth about the person that I look up to from the source. Please, don't take this opportunity away from me." Lena said with a pleading tone.
" But, Lena, her past is her past and it will hurt her to talk about it. And beside that, it will hurt you to listen to that..." Laura tried to reason her daughter. Laura wasn't ready to hear the horrors of Alex's past and she wasn't sure if she should let her daughter have this conversation either.
" Alexandra?" Laura asked quietly.
" I told you before Laura. I don't mind talking about my past but I can't make it less cruel for her. I can't turn the violence into gentle attitude. I can't try to make it seem less painful. It will be the raw, cruel true without holding back." Alex replied firmly.
" Dad? Please?" Lena insisted.
" I don't know, Lena." Julian replied scared. She didn't want her daughter to learn about the sex slavery and he didn't want to learn his involvement.
" Please.." Lena tried one last time.
Julian stared at Alex, who gave him a firm smile that she will keep his secret and protect his daughter from the truth.
" If Alexandra agrees..." Julian replied defeated.
" I will try to answer all your questions, Lena. Ask me whatever you want." Alex said looking at Lena.