Hey guys, I hope you're doing well! For once, I'm actually posting a chapter on time ;o; We're now officially in the fourth quarter of Unlocking the Key, to tie up the loose ties after the big climax. Get ready for some fluffy, fun, and wholesome chapters after all the intense, chaotic, and dark action (although there will still be some emotionally charged scenes). This chapter contains a mix of both feels and fun so read on for that!
Gonna reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much for the love and to everyone who reviewed!
ggk: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! There should be 7 chapters left after this one (provided I don't make any last-minute chapter splits or add in another chapter)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan and Alexei's Moscow friends, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. I have no intention of profiting off the Embassy Row series in any way. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
The events that happen in this fanfiction are not meant to be representative of real life. Any similarities to any real-life events or fictional works is purely coincidental and not intentional (with the exception of the original Embassy Row books by Ally Carter since this fanfiction is literally Take the Key and Lock Her Up but from Alexei's, not Grace's, perspective). The character's actions may not always reflect my own opinions or views. Based on what is mentioned in this chapter (spoiler alert), I do not condone abuse, breaking and entering into institutions, abandonment, forced incarceration, coups, or murder.
Content warning: moderate
This fanfiction is rated M, for explicit and suggestive themes (such as mental health and abuse), language, and violence. This chapter contains moderate to strong language, explicit mentions of murder and coups, and mentions of death, mental health, abusive relationships, breaking and entering into institutions, abandonment, forced incarceration, and fire. Please read at your own discretion.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Picking Up the Pieces
Despite the insistence of my friends on taking me home, I walked home from the hospital. It wasn't that long of a walk and I welcomed the fresh air. My leg wasn't that painful anyways and I could still walk, albeit slower than normal. It was fine anyways, given that I wasn't in a rush to go home. Besides, it gave me the opportunity to sort out the thoughts spiralling in my head. Like the revelations about my father's involvement with Princess Ann and in Mikhail's death and Karina's mental health issues. It was hard to wrap my head around it and looking back, it was all so crazy to think about and believe.
By the time I made it back to the townhouse, it was completely dark, the faintest traces of the setting sun lingering in the sky. I unlocked the door, letting myself in. The house was quiet, not a single light on. Karina must have been in bed already. I didn't know what she had done with herself all day or if she had eaten. But then again, she was a grown adult who should know how to take care of herself. I wasn't sure why I had taken it upon myself so heavily to care for her.
I knew I should have made myself some food, given that I had barely eaten all day. Yet, I was so tired and exhausted, those feelings hitting me all at once after the day's non-stop adrenaline rush. All I wanted was to have a shower and curl up into bed.
And so it was that I trudged up the stairs, my feet heavy and leaden with each step, my eyelids drooping. When I finally got to my bedroom, I was about ready to collapse on the bed but forced myself over to the bathroom, to at least have a shower first.
One look in the mirror told me I looked less than ideal. My hair was sticking up in all directions and my face and body was covered in dirt and ash. Stripping my shirt off felt like a gargantuan effort. Doing so only revealed the bruises and cuts all over my body, the mere start of the price I paid for the day's events.
Looking at myself now, I was transported back to my bathroom in the Russian embassy, where I looked just as weary and worn after those fights with Spence and with the mob at the Festival of the Fortnight. Except then, Mikhail was still there for me, cleaning me up and providing words of wisdom. Now, I was left on my own to pick up the pieces.
With another gargantuan burst of effort, I turned on the tap, running it until the water was hot. I lathered my hands in soap, trying to wash off the blood that was hopelessly caked on and crusted over. I furiously scrubbed the blood, wanting to get rid of all remnants of today's events.
"Sergei?" I turned to find Karina standing in the bathroom doorway. She looked timid, as her hair fell in front of her face. I ignored her, turning my attention back to my hands, scrubbing harder to no avail.
"Sergei, are you okay?" Karina stepped closer, her hands and body shaking.
"Karina, go back to bed," I growled in Russian. I didn't have the time or energy to deal with her now, not after everything that had happened today.
"Sergei, were you hurt?" Karina looked from my face to the blood on my hands. Her voice was small, quivering, as she spoke. "Do you want me to help you, Seryozha?" I froze, not believing what I had just heard.
"What did you call me?" I asked slowly, trying and failing to keep the ice from seeping into my words.
"Seryozha, do you not want me to call you that anymore?" Karina folded in on herself, stepping back. Despite my initial shock, the name that had come out of her mouth was unmistakable. Seryozha, the Russian nickname for Sergei, my father's name. I had never once heard my parents call each other by their Russian nicknames. But looking at Karina now, her eyes wide, her lip wobbling, I realized that perhaps had once been commonplace for them, many, many years ago when they had first fallen in love. Based on the story Mikhail had told me of their early days and how they met, that certainly seemed possible. But how did things go so awry, that their love had become lost?
"I'm not Sergei," I said. Yet, Karina furiously shook her head.
"No, Sergei, don't hurt me, I just want to help, please. Are you okay?" My head snapped back to Karina, who was now shaking violently, looking so small and timid. Had my father been abusive to her? Suddenly, things made a lot more sense, like the yelling and the fights when I was growing up and the days where Karina seemed so shaken and frightened.
I turned off the tap, taking a good, hard look at Karina.
"Karina," I said gently. She looked up at me, a hint of hope in her otherwise startled eyes. "I'm Alexei."
"Alexei?" Her eyes widened, taking me in anew. I tentatively stepped closer to her. Her mouth dropped open slightly but she didn't recoil. I stepped closer again, close enough to reach out and touch her.
"I'm not Sergei. I'm Alexei, your son." I cupped Karina's face in my hands, tilting it up so she was forced to look at me. She glanced away, shaking her head.
"No, you can't be."
"Yes, I am. It's me, Alexei." I looked at her again. This time, she held my gaze but shook her head again, frowning with her brows scrunched together.
"No, you're not Alexei." She looked like she wanted to believe me, but something was mentally blocking her and keeping her from doing so.
"Mama, it's me, Lyoshenka," I pleaded, my voice cracking. All at once, her eyes lit up, her mouth dropping open as the truth finally came to light.
"Lyoshenka, it's you, it's really you." Karina's voice came out in a whisper, her eyes wide as she took me in.
"Yes, Mama, it's me." I hadn't called her that in so long, not since I was a child. But somehow, there was a small part of me, my inner child, that still longed for my mother. And she knew it, as she embraced me, running her hands over my shoulders, over my face.
"Lyoshenka, I've missed you. I missed you so much, my baby," she cried, the tears flowing freely down her face.
"Mama, I've missed you too." My voice broke, the words painful to say, as I wrapped my arms around her. How long had I waited for this moment, to finally be able to embrace my mother after all these years? It felt too surreal, too good to be true.
Karina must have recognized that too as she held me tight, the words rapidly flowing out her mouth. About how she had missed me and how I was so grown up, about how she was sorry for leaving but had never stopped loving me. I returned it all in stride, grateful for this moment with her, knowing that my inner child finally felt safe and loved again. She hadn't been this lucid ever. I didn't know how long this was going to last but I savoured every second as we talked and hugged, fearing it would be ripped away from me far too soon.
As it turned out, that was very much the case as out of nowhere, in the middle of a story about a fun beach day, Karina frowned at me. "You're not Alexei."
"Mama, what are you talking about? Of course I'm Alexei," I said playfully, squeezing her tighter. At once, she ripped herself out of my embrace.
"No, you're not my Lyoshenka." She shook her head furiously, her eyes squeezed shut. What was she going on about?
"Mama, of course I am." I looked at her, concerned. What was happening to her?
"No, my baby is gone."
"Mama, I'm right here. I'm Alexei, your son. Remember all the time we spent at the beach, playing on the carousel? Remember all the days we walked through town, looking at all the market stalls and buying treats and toys?" For a moment, it looked like she really, truly wanted to remember. But at the last second, she turned away from me.
"No, you can't be Alexei. I left my Lyoshenka for dead with Sergei, my Seryozha, who was supposed to protect and care for me, for us. He told me he was sending me somewhere safe, somewhere to help me, and that he'd come back for me. But he never did." She looked through the window, staring into the twilight sky, a vacant, lost look in her eyes as she started humming the nursery rhyme. And with that, she was gone, lost inside her own mind. For a second, she really had recognized me. But now, she had slipped back inside those old memories, those old delusions, and I knew there was no getting her back. I should have known better than to think she would really, truly recognize and remember me after all these years. Binevale had destroyed her, and then some.
I tried not to let my heart break, knowing this was a product of her mental illness and the horrors that had been forced onto her and not her own doing. I had clearly gotten my hopes up. Maybe one day, she'd truly recognize and remember me. But today, nor anytime in the near future, was not going to be that day.
The next thing I knew, my text tone sounded. Then again and again, like someone was repeatedly texting me. I opened my eyes, internally groaning. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it, after spending hours lying awake last night, ruminating over everything that had happened with my father and the breakthrough with my mother. Given how much my mind had been spinning, I didn't think I'd be able to fall asleep. But sure enough, the early afternoon sun was streaming through the curtains.
My text tone sounded again. I let out a quiet curse in Russian. There was only one person who'd text me like that and I knew they wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. A quick check of my phone confirmed that. Sighing, I forced myself to roll out of bed, ignoring the waves of pain rolling through my body, and trudged down to the front door, begrudgingly opening it.
"Good afternoon, bro," Tanner said cheekily, waving his phone at me. "I hope you got a good beauty sleep. Because you're sure going to need it after seeing the tidal wave on social media."
"What are you talking?" I grumbled, still half asleep.
"Boy, have you and your girl caused quite the shitstorm in the palace," Tanner said, shaking his head.
"What?" I mumbled, too confused to follow.
"But first, food." Jordan held up a takeout bag and a large takeout cup. "Got your usual from Amelia's plus your favourite green smoothie with a double shot of protein powder." I looked at his outstretched hands, the thought of food making me salivate. I stepped aside to let them in, closing the door behind me. They wandered into the kitchen, making themselves at home. Jordan had already opened up the takeout container, placing it next to some cutlery from the drawer.
"Dig in, Alexei." Jordan nodded at the food. I eagerly took a large sip of the smoothie before taking a massive bite of my Mediterranean omelette, savouring in the taste.
"Thanks," I said, shovelling some hash browns into my mouth.
"No problem. Figured I'd at least get you something to eat before Tanner decided to flood you with the social media storm," Jordan said.
"But more importantly, before the squad gets here," Tanner emphasized, scrolling through his phone as he ignored Jordan's dig.
"What?" I froze mid-chew. "The squad is coming?" I was so not in the right headspace to deal with them right now.
"Shortly, after they wrap up a few things with your girl," Tanner said, levelling his gaze at me.
"What the hell is going on?" I mumbled around a mouthful of toast. They weren't making any sense.
"Here, take a quick scroll." Jordan handed me his phone. I looked at it like it was on fire, simply shovelling another bite of my omelette into my mouth.
"It's not another one of Tanner's ridiculous Snap stories, if that's what you're worried about," Jordan continued. He side-eyed Tanner, who promptly returned it with a glare. "Just my Twitter feed."
With that, I took Jordan's phone, which, sure enough, was open to his Twitter feed. All the posts were variations of the same theme. Lost Tomb of King Alexander the Second of Adria Recovered.
"Long story short, it looks like the bodies of the OG Adrian royal family have been found," Jordan said. "The Internet has been going absolutely bananas, between Twitter, Reddit, and all the major news sites."
"She did it. Your girl really did it," Tanner said. "Uprooted the entirety of Adrian history as we knew it and exposed all their dirty secrets."
"Well, not all of them," Jordan said. "I haven't seen any articles about that lost princess that lived. Just speculative tweets and Reddit conspiracy theories."
"Well, the world's gotta find out eventually," Tanner shrugged. However, the more secrets that were revealed, the more dangerous this would get. The lost bodies were just the tip of the iceberg. Revealing that Amelia lived and that Prince Thomas and his father weren't the true heirs to the throne would cause a global uprising, on top of the dissent that was already occurring.
"One thing at a time. The world can only take so much," I said, ripping off a piece of my toast.
"Same to you. You've been through a lot lately," Jordan said. I shrugged, spearing some hash browns, just as the doorbell rang.
"Or not. Looks like the squad is here whether you're ready or not." Tanner quickly glanced at his phone before jumping up to answer the door, not giving me a chance to respond. I internally groaned, sipping my smoothie, not ready to face the squad. Jordan gave me a sympathetic look as he shrugged, like this hadn't been his idea. Somehow, that didn't surprise me.
Commotion and voices sounded from the foyer before footsteps grew louder and louder, until the whole squad popped into the kitchen.
"Alexei, you're alive!" Rosie exclaimed, launching herself right at me. I barely had time to put down my fork before she landed in my lap. "What happened at the palace? Did you set off the fire? It all looked so cool! I wished I was there."
"Rosie, chill out. We'll find out what happened eventually," Noah said, nodding at me. I returned his nod as Rosie bounced off my lap, settling into the chair next to me.
"Besides, I'm sure you're a bit overwhelmed." Megan gave me a soft smile as she and Noah sat down next to each other. Overwhelmed was an understatement.
"Good, I see you've been fed. But in any case, I brought snacks." Lila marched in, setting a large bag down on the table. Tanner immediately dug into it, pulling out bags of chips and chocolate.
"Ooh, peanut M&M's." Tanner ripped the bag open, popping a few of them into his mouth.
"So you'll say that peanut M&M's are the shits when I bring them but you'll gladly eat them when Lila brings them?" Jordan deadpanned, glaring right at Tanner.
"Hey, it's free chocolate and I'm not going to turn it down," Tanner shot back, grabbing a few more M&M's before ripping open a bag of caramel chocolates. Jordan just rolled his eyes, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. Lila suspiciously side-eyed the two of them before turning to look at me.
"How are you feeling, Alexei?" Lila asked softly. I shrugged, eating another forkful of hash browns.
"I'm alive," I muttered, chewing slowly. That pretty much summed up the gist of it, not withstanding the storm of emotions in my mind.
"Please tell us what happened with the palace fire!" Rosie bounced in her seat as she ate a handful of barbeque chips.
"We didn't get any intel from Grace so you're the next best source, aside from Tanner's Snap story," Megan explained, as she and Noah dug into the bag of caramel chocolates. Seeing as I had no way out of this, I recounted my side of the story, starting with Thomas' desperate visit, to the journey through the palace with Dominic and Thomas, and of course, all the smoke and fire and seeing Dominic being carried out on the stretcher. I briefly mentioned the run-in with my father, glossing over those details. I wasn't ready to talk about all of it just yet, not when I was still processing what had happened. Besides, it was something I wanted to keep to myself, something private as a reminder of the boy I had once been and the man I was becoming.
When I finished, I was met with stony faces and shocked silence.
"Damn, bro, I thought what we had seen was crazy but that is absolutely bananas," Tanner said, breaking the silence as he looked at Jordan.
"I agree, that's insane about your father." Jordan shook his head in disbelief.
"I'll say," Noah seconded. "It seems like him and the princess were in cahoots this whole time."
"Doesn't surprise me that the princess was using your father as her own personal henchman," Lila said, digging into her bag of chickpea puffs.
"But why would she use him when she has a whole palace of guards at her disposal, who she could easily boss into doing her dirty work for her?" Megan pondered, frowning.
"My guess is she didn't trust any of them," Lila said. "She probably needed someone higher up, someone more elite."
"Doesn't get more elite than the Russian Special Forces," I muttered, cutting off another piece of my omelette. Besides, my father had enjoyed it just as much as the princess had, getting to relive his glory days in the Russian Special Forces and take innocent lives. At first, it very well could have been the princess needing him, as someone who could kill and do it discreetly without question. But maybe, eventually, it had turned into him needing her as well, to get the thrill of the chase, of the hunt, of the kill. It had become a co-dependent, dysfunctional relationship and a mutual need for blood, for vengeance, for power, until it burst into flames, quite literally, leaving both of them gravely injured. But my friends didn't need to know that, to know the way things had so brutally ended.
"Wait, so if the princess was behind everything this whole time⦠does that mean your father was too?" Noah asked fearfully, looking right at me.
"I think so," I replied gravely, as the cold, brutal truth filled the room with a sickening chill, seeping into every corner. I wasn't going to tell them all the details, like how my father had admitted to being involved in every single one of those kills, not just the king and the attempt on Jamie's life, but Spence and Mikhail too. But they knew enough to fill in the gaps. The rest, it was mine and mine alone to mourn, to bear the burden and knowledge of all my father's sins.
"Wow, that is crazy. But also kinda cool," Rosie said, as she stuffed a chip into her mouth. Megan gave Rosie a warning look that she promptly shrugged off, stuffing another chip in her mouth.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Alexei. It must have been really tough," Megan said sympathetically.
"It is what it is," I stated simply. Nothing could change what had happened. All we could do now was live with the consequences and move forward.
"Besides, I think we have more pressing things to worry about, like the Internet going apeshit over the discovery of the bodies," Jordan said, scrolling through his phone.
"All thanks to your girl," Tanner said, elbowing me.
"I'll say. It's totally insane, but also very much like Grace, to do something like that," Noah echoed. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Sure, the world now knows that the bodies of the OG Adrian royal family have been recovered," Jordan said. "But the fact that the lost princess lived still remains a secret."
"It can't stay that way though," Megan argued. "It's bound to get out eventually, especially with the discovery of the bodies."
"I was with Grace when the Society had their Council of Elders meeting, just now," Lila stated proudly. "Although most of the women wanted to keep Amelia's survival a secret, Grace had been adamant on revealing it. And this time, the rest of the women are in agreement, particularly with the concrete DNA evidence on the other bodies." So it really was happening. The unveiling of the last of Adria's deep, dark secrets. Grace did it all right. But now, she no longer had to live in fear. The truth was out there and she could live in peace. She was finally free to be her own person and live her own life, instead of being weighed down by long-lost secrets from the past.
"So when's that going to happen?" Jordan asked, grabbing a few chips. "I don't think those ladies can keep things in check for much longer."
"And that's only if the Society can reveal it in a controlled way before it gets leaked on the Internet," Megan added, digging into the bag of peanut M&M's.
"Don't worry, I think the Society realizes that. Based on their discussions, it looks like Amelia's survival will be revealed sooner rather than later," Lila said confidently. Regardless of whether that was true or not, I wasn't going to argue with her. It wasn't my place to question what the Society did. I had learned that lesson time and time again now.
"What happens next?" Noah asked. "Now that the world knows about the bodies and with the secret about Amelia's survival threatening exposure, it won't be long before someone figures out that Thomas and his father aren't the true heirs to the throne."
"And that your girl is the real heir." Tanner looked at me, elbowing me. "Your girl still want to be a princess or what?"
I considered that for a moment before shaking my head. For everything that Grace was, a princess wasn't one of them.
"No way. Grace pretty much told the Society to fuck off when they asked her about it. But obviously not so bluntly," Lila said. I glanced at Lila, who subtly smiled and nodded. It looked like we were on the same page about that after all.
"Well, Grace doesn't want the throne. So now what?" Noah asked.
Lila looked at all of us, a knowing look and grin on her face. "We find someone who does."
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between May 4 and May 20.
Who doesn't love some squad shenanigans and banter? I added in the second half as a way to transition to the remaining chapters and to lighten the mood after the emotionally charged first half. The first half was actually inspired by conversations I had with A New Look, dating back to 2017-2018 (when the fandom was more active) and their theories on how Alexei's parents never stopped loving each other. I was initially going to have Karina completely recognize Alexei (to tie up the loose end of how their relationship will evolve) but thought it'd be more realistic and moving if she remembered him, but only briefly (sorry for invoking all the feels with that).
After having all the chapter drafts written way beforehand for the entirety of this series (dating back to Falling for You), I've now reached the point where the remaining chapters are still in various stages of writing (some are done, some need a significant amount of work). With how busy work and life has been since I've started residency, I really haven't had much time for writing. So don't be surprised if it takes even longer for me to get the last few chapters out. But I still have every intention of telling the last little bit of Alexei's story and finishing this series. Thank you for your understanding and patience and I'll see you with the next chapter :) What do you think happens next?
Update (May 20): Hey guys, unsurprisingly, the next chapter will not be out today. I haven't had any time to sit down and finish writing the next chapter, between going away for a conference and vacation, being busy with work and tons of reports to write for patients, and doing an insane amount of call lately. I doubt things will be slowing down anytime soon with work, since there's an endless amount of paperwork. I'm thinking it may be realistic for me to get the next chapter up by June 30 but I'm not going to make any huge promises with that. Thank you for your understanding and patience and hopefully I'll be back fairly soon with the next chapter.
Update (June 30): Hey guys, unsurprisingly, the next chapter will not be out today. I've been in a paperwork hell for these last couple weeks, frantically trying to finish up all the paperwork for my patients (note to self: don't leave 8 reports, 5 transfer of care notes, and 10+ discharge letters to write in 2 weeks), as well as the usual day to day charting, dealing with acute issues for my patients, and call before I switch to another hospital in July. So fanfiction got pushed to the side, as usual, with no time to write and no inspiration. But I got inspired from post-call shower thoughts and I think I've found the missing piece to tie the next chapter together. So hopefully, I'll be able to finish writing then start editing sooner rather than later, with the goal to post it by July 31 (but if not then, August 31). Thank you all for your patience and understanding and hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later with the next chapter.
Update (Sept. 11): Hey guys, so it's way past July and August and the next chapter still is not out unfortunately. Life has been insanely crazy lately, with getting thrown into work and balancing both ward patients and outpatients and all the admin work that comes with that. And August just was not a fun month for me, as there were lots of personal things happening. With how crazy everything was with work and life, I barely had time to do chores, let alone chill out or work on fanfic, and I've just been so damn tired and sleep deprived. The next chapter is coming along though, as I finished the first draft in early August but only started going through edits for the first chunk. I do have some time off now so hoping to get through more of the editing and post the next chapter sooner rather than later. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding and hope to be back soon.
