I run to the bathroom, throw open the door and charge in. I kneel down next to the toilet and start puking my guts out. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this sick. Probably when I was pregnant with Lexi. The thought of Trent being anywhere near my home absolutely nauseates me. It makes me scared not only for myself but for Lexi and my friends. None of them deserve to get hurt because of me.
I am pondering this when Harper barges into the bathroom. Noticing how sick I am, she kneels down next to me and pulls back my hair. An odd sense of de javeau fills the room. We both can remember a similar scene from five years ago. Of course, there are glaring differences. I'm not alone in a hole-in-the-wall apartment with bruises covering my body. Instead, I'm in my childhood home with my family completely safe from harm. I still can't ignore the major similarity: I, Alex Russo, am still scared. And no matter where I go or who reassures me, I'm still scared.
Finally, the puking stops. Unfortunately, the crying starts. I start to cry tears I didn't even know I had been saving into Harper's shoulder. She rubs circles into my back, whispering soothing words into my ear. I mentally count my blessings to have a best friend like her. Finally, I calm down enough to stand up. I wipe the tear marks off my face and fix my hair. I turn to look at Harper. She's studying my face like she looking for a puzzle clue.
"You know they would be understanding," Harper states, looking straight into my eyes. "Your family would understand if you told them what really happened with Trent. Sure, Max and your dad would probably get some wizard mafia to hunt the bastard down," I smirk at this statement, "but they would understand."
I'm shocked by my friend's statement, but I'm glad that she cares enough to say it. "Thank you," I whisper softly, not able to come up with anything else.
Harper shrugs. "It's what friends do," she answers nonchalantly. I shake my head.
"Not friends, sisters," I correct her. Harper is more than a best friend. She is family, and she'll always be family.
"Sisters," Harper repeats with a huge smile on her face. She gives me a hug and pulls back. "I'm going to go downstairs and tell them you're just freshening up." I nodded and watched her walk away.
The rest of our visit is relatively calm. Lexi wraps my entire family around her little finger like she does with everyone and plays with her baby cousin. I reconnect with my parents and Max and befriend Lisa. Before we know it, our vacation is over. I promise my parents we'll visit soon, and Harper tells me she'll be in Chicago for a long visit in the beginning of next month, a few weeks away. Everyone comes to see us off to the airport. Lexi cries as we board the plane. "What if they forget about me, Mommy?" she implores, hot tears running down her face.
I stop and pick her up, holding her as tight as I can. "I promise they won't forget about you, sweetheart," I comfort her. "Who could forget a little girls as sweet and cute as you?" Lexi smiles the smile I love so much. "That's better. Ready to go home now?" I ask teasingly.
"Yes!" she shouts. I smile and set her down. We get on the plane. The flight goes by in an instant. Lexi sleeps through most of it, her head in my lap, while I sketch. Mostly, I'm a painter, but I feel like the visit we just deserves a sketch. The image I remember is of my family sitting down together for dinner for the first time in five years. Everyone looks happy and relaxed. Still, there is a darker element to the picture. My expression in the sketch is pitched, like I've tasted something bitter. I'm gripping my napkin tightly, like I need protection. I don't look up from my work until the flight attendant tells me Lexi needs to put her seatbelt back on. I wake up my angel and fasten her seatbelt. Before we know it, the plane is landing.
I pick up a half-asleep Lexi and grab our carry on stuff. We make our way down to the baggage claim area. Worrying about finding all our bags, I look around to find our ride. Surprisingly, the person I spot is Beck, who somehow already got all of our bags. His hands are shoved into his pockets as per usual. I walk over to him. "Hey, Quinn told me you needed a ride," he explains. I only nod, waiting for something else. "And I wanted to make sure you were okay after, you know, what happened," Beck confesses.
"Thanks," I reply softly. Beck smiles that hypnotizing smile of his.
"It's no big deal," he shrugs. And for a moment, I am hit by how amazing this guy is. Words I've heard Quinn and Jamie and even Harper repeat to me finally start to sink in.
"No, it is a big deal," I argue. "You're always taking care of Lexi and me with absolutely no reason to. I don't know what I would do without you."
There's a moment of silence before Beck speaks again. "You're wrong," he says. They aren't the words I expect to hear. Still, I keep listening because something tells me he's not done yet. "I do have a reason to watch over you two. I care about you, and I would go nuts if anything happened to you guys."
I'm stunned to say the least. No words coming to my mouth, I just lean in and kiss him softly. It's a gentle kiss, but it means something.
Lexi stirs in my arms. I try to reposition her so that my arms aren't killing me. Beck notices this and takes her, easily carrying her and pulling our bags. We get into his prehistoric pick-up truck that no one else in the city owns and start the drive back to our apartment. Once we get there, I unlock the door and place Lexi in her bag. Beck, declining my offer of help, brings up all of our stuff. "Well, I guess I better get going," he states after carrying the last bag into the living room.
Despite the voice shouting no in my head, I reply, "No, don't go. Spend the night with me." I'm laying my armor down, and now it's up to Beck.
His intense eyes study me. "Are you sure?" he questions carefully. I nod.
"I'm sick of being alone," I state with a soft smile. Beck pulls me in for a deep kiss. When we pull away, I teasingly ask, "Is that a yes?"
Rolling his eyes, he answers "It's a yes." I grab his hand and head towards my room. And for the first night in a while, I don't have an awful nightmare. Instead, I dream of my family and of Beck with a smile on my face. I could only hope life stayed this good for just a little while.