ONE MONTH LATER
"Lex?" A timid voice called into his room. Lex groaned quietly and rolled over in his bed, trying to ignore it. "*Lex please let me come in...I had a bad dream*" Mouse's voice whined. Lex sighed heavily,
"*Come in*" He said tiredly. The first night in months he actually began to sleep without pills and what do you know, it's the same night Mouse decides to have her first nightmare in a week. He sighed again when he felt her little body scramble into bed and cuddle into his side, burying her little tear-stained face into his side and taking comfort in the only person other than her brother whom she trusted. Lex raised an eyebrow but wrapped his arms around the little figure, marveling at how much the mere presence of another person to face the dark with comforted him beyond belief and within minutes, they were both sound asleep.
//"*Lexie my baby, come here," Lex's Uma said, patting her knee. Lex smiled toothily at his mother and complied instantly, resting his little head on her shoulder and inhaling the smell of cookies and sunshine that was his mother. "*I want you to promise me something.*" Uma said seriously, pulling him close to her. "*Yes Uma. Anything.*" Lex replied sincerely. His mother smiled sadly down at him, "*I want you to promise me that you will be strong for me. Be strong and never let the demons over take you.*" Uma said almost desperately. Lex stared at her before nodding slowly, "*I promise I'll be strong for you.*" He whispered.//
"I promise Uma.." Lex mumbled in his sleep, tears slipping down his cheeks and splashing softly on Mouse's forehead. Mouse's eyes flitted open and she frowned when she saw her protector crying silently in his sleep. She always knew Lex was sad because even when they were playing, he always contained that little glimmer of sadness in his eyes....but she had never seen him cry. Not once. Not even when he hurt his hands and they were all cut and sore. Maybe it was because he missed Tai-san. Mouse knew Lex had loved Tai- san very much and that she had gone away now, leaving Lex all alone. Mouse tilted her head to the side a little and reached up to wipe the wet face and copy the simple gesture Lex had used to comfort her and Charlie when they were sad. It was only then that she realized something horrible.
Selene and Pride took care of each other. Selene took care Ellie and Cloe. Lex took care of her and Charlie...but who took care of Lex?
"Don't cry Lex. Please don't cry. I'll take care of you. Me and Charlie will, we promise." Mouse said, tears of her own rolling down her cheeks. Lex's eyes opened blearily and gazed down at her sad face.
"You talked English..." He muttered, a tired smile brushing across his lips. Mouse smiled back and nodded, sniffing and rubbing her eyes,
"I know I can trust you." She said, snuggling closer. Lex paused for a moment, unused to physical contact, but he ended up just hugging her right back. They lay in the dark like a pair of lost children, clinging onto each other for dear life. "Lex..." Mouse began, yawning.
"Yeah?" Lex asked quietly.
"I'm hungry." Mouse complained, her stomach rumbling. Lex snorted and shook his head before releasing the little girl from his iron grip and picking her up off the sheets, carrying her easily as he padded to the kitchen and cursing children's fast metabolism all the way.
"What do you fancy?" He asked, setting her down on the counter top.
"Umm...cake." Mouse tried.
"Hah. As if squirt. How about..." He began to rummage through the cupboards before making a triumphant noise and pulling a packet from the inside, pointing at the picture on it. "Cookies. Kid's like cookies." He said more to himself than the the giggling child as he poured a glass of fresh milk from the pantry and set pulled out a few cookies from the packet. "Here you are." He said, pleased he'd gotten her something with minimal damage to the kitchen or himself.
"What's going on in here?" A voice asked from the doorway, making Lex jump half a mile. Oh shit. His shirt!! He's forgotten to put it back on!! Lex turned quickly so his back was facing the wall and glared at Pride.
"Does everybody make it their mission to give me a heart attack before I'm 20?" He snapped at the other man, folding his arms across his chest and praying Pride didn't already notice the odd scars all over his chest and back.
"Calm down Lex. It's 4 o clock in the morning and I heard a voice. I was just making sur.."
"Sure, whatever." Lex said flatly. Pride frowned when he noticed Mouse, swinging her legs as she munched on a cookie.
"What is she doing up at this time in the morning?" He asked Lex as though it were all his evil doing.
"She was hungry and I was awake anyway." Lex snapped. He needed to get Pride to leave and leave fast. He couldn't let him see all the scars. He couldn't let the tribe find out about how disgusting he was, how weak he was.
Pride was about to answer when he noticed bumps all over Lex's chest, dimly illuminated by the moonlight pouring in through the window. He frowned and squinted, wondering whether he was just awake too long...surely they weren't all scars? He would have seen them before...although, Lex always seemed so careful about never showing his chest and he'd flatly refused to swim without his shirt on.
"Umm...could you take that back to your room, I need to talk with Lex." He said to Mouse, though he didn't know her name because she still hadn't spoken a word to anyone...at least, as far as he knew. Mouse hesitated, looking to Lex for guidance. Lex swallowed nervously but nodded ever so slightly. Mouse smiled widely and jumped down, scampering off into the darkness of the mall. "Lex...how are you?" Pride asked uncomfortably. Lex simply stared at him,
"Why?" He asked suspiciously, fear rising in his chest. Now they'd know. Now they'd see what a murdering freak he really was and when they did, they'd cast him out into the street, alone once more.
"Well..since Tai-san disappeared you haven't been yourself. I thought you may have improved by now but..."
"IMPROVED?" Lex bellowed, anger coursing through his veins. "IMPROVED? This isn't something that can just go away Pride!! HOW DARE YOU think I could just 'get over it' and move on!! I LOVED her. I loved her and now she's gone. But I guess you wouldn't know how that feels though eh Pride? What did you do after Amber went missing huh? You shacked up with Selene. Well sorry if everyone doesn't just abandon their loved ones at the first sign of trouble!" Lex ranted, forgetting all pre-tenses as white hot fury took him over...and it was easier this way. Easier to deal with the fact that within moments, Pride would realize how ugly and horrible he was and just abandon him like everyone else. Of course, Mouse and Charlie hadn't done yet, but they were still young and naive. Eventually, they too would realize what a waste of space Lex was and leave him too. Leave him to rot in the dark hole he had dug himself into.
Suddenly, a song from the old days flew into his mind before he could stop it and he chuckled grimly at the how close the lyrics were to his life now. He noticed the lyrics were pouring from his mouth and he was unable to stop them...and why should he stop them anyway?
"You don't remember me but i remember you I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you But who can decide what they dream? And dream i do...
I believe in you I'll give up everything just to find you I have to be with you to live To breathe You're taking over me
Have you forgotten all i know? And all we had? You saw me mourning my love for you And touched my hand I knew you loved me then
I believe in you I'll give up everything just to find you I have to be with you to live to breathe You're taking over me
I look in the mirror and see your face If i look deep enough So many things inside that are just like you are taking over." He recited, not noticing the mixture of horror and confusion on Pride's face...and if he had, he wouldn't have cared anyway.
TO BE CONTINUED
Waaaahhh...sorry, I made that chapter a tad depressing but it was all getting a little too cutsie:P Anyway, I hope you like it! The song is called Taking me over and it's by Evanescence. I ADORE that band:)
"Lex?" A timid voice called into his room. Lex groaned quietly and rolled over in his bed, trying to ignore it. "*Lex please let me come in...I had a bad dream*" Mouse's voice whined. Lex sighed heavily,
"*Come in*" He said tiredly. The first night in months he actually began to sleep without pills and what do you know, it's the same night Mouse decides to have her first nightmare in a week. He sighed again when he felt her little body scramble into bed and cuddle into his side, burying her little tear-stained face into his side and taking comfort in the only person other than her brother whom she trusted. Lex raised an eyebrow but wrapped his arms around the little figure, marveling at how much the mere presence of another person to face the dark with comforted him beyond belief and within minutes, they were both sound asleep.
//"*Lexie my baby, come here," Lex's Uma said, patting her knee. Lex smiled toothily at his mother and complied instantly, resting his little head on her shoulder and inhaling the smell of cookies and sunshine that was his mother. "*I want you to promise me something.*" Uma said seriously, pulling him close to her. "*Yes Uma. Anything.*" Lex replied sincerely. His mother smiled sadly down at him, "*I want you to promise me that you will be strong for me. Be strong and never let the demons over take you.*" Uma said almost desperately. Lex stared at her before nodding slowly, "*I promise I'll be strong for you.*" He whispered.//
"I promise Uma.." Lex mumbled in his sleep, tears slipping down his cheeks and splashing softly on Mouse's forehead. Mouse's eyes flitted open and she frowned when she saw her protector crying silently in his sleep. She always knew Lex was sad because even when they were playing, he always contained that little glimmer of sadness in his eyes....but she had never seen him cry. Not once. Not even when he hurt his hands and they were all cut and sore. Maybe it was because he missed Tai-san. Mouse knew Lex had loved Tai- san very much and that she had gone away now, leaving Lex all alone. Mouse tilted her head to the side a little and reached up to wipe the wet face and copy the simple gesture Lex had used to comfort her and Charlie when they were sad. It was only then that she realized something horrible.
Selene and Pride took care of each other. Selene took care Ellie and Cloe. Lex took care of her and Charlie...but who took care of Lex?
"Don't cry Lex. Please don't cry. I'll take care of you. Me and Charlie will, we promise." Mouse said, tears of her own rolling down her cheeks. Lex's eyes opened blearily and gazed down at her sad face.
"You talked English..." He muttered, a tired smile brushing across his lips. Mouse smiled back and nodded, sniffing and rubbing her eyes,
"I know I can trust you." She said, snuggling closer. Lex paused for a moment, unused to physical contact, but he ended up just hugging her right back. They lay in the dark like a pair of lost children, clinging onto each other for dear life. "Lex..." Mouse began, yawning.
"Yeah?" Lex asked quietly.
"I'm hungry." Mouse complained, her stomach rumbling. Lex snorted and shook his head before releasing the little girl from his iron grip and picking her up off the sheets, carrying her easily as he padded to the kitchen and cursing children's fast metabolism all the way.
"What do you fancy?" He asked, setting her down on the counter top.
"Umm...cake." Mouse tried.
"Hah. As if squirt. How about..." He began to rummage through the cupboards before making a triumphant noise and pulling a packet from the inside, pointing at the picture on it. "Cookies. Kid's like cookies." He said more to himself than the the giggling child as he poured a glass of fresh milk from the pantry and set pulled out a few cookies from the packet. "Here you are." He said, pleased he'd gotten her something with minimal damage to the kitchen or himself.
"What's going on in here?" A voice asked from the doorway, making Lex jump half a mile. Oh shit. His shirt!! He's forgotten to put it back on!! Lex turned quickly so his back was facing the wall and glared at Pride.
"Does everybody make it their mission to give me a heart attack before I'm 20?" He snapped at the other man, folding his arms across his chest and praying Pride didn't already notice the odd scars all over his chest and back.
"Calm down Lex. It's 4 o clock in the morning and I heard a voice. I was just making sur.."
"Sure, whatever." Lex said flatly. Pride frowned when he noticed Mouse, swinging her legs as she munched on a cookie.
"What is she doing up at this time in the morning?" He asked Lex as though it were all his evil doing.
"She was hungry and I was awake anyway." Lex snapped. He needed to get Pride to leave and leave fast. He couldn't let him see all the scars. He couldn't let the tribe find out about how disgusting he was, how weak he was.
Pride was about to answer when he noticed bumps all over Lex's chest, dimly illuminated by the moonlight pouring in through the window. He frowned and squinted, wondering whether he was just awake too long...surely they weren't all scars? He would have seen them before...although, Lex always seemed so careful about never showing his chest and he'd flatly refused to swim without his shirt on.
"Umm...could you take that back to your room, I need to talk with Lex." He said to Mouse, though he didn't know her name because she still hadn't spoken a word to anyone...at least, as far as he knew. Mouse hesitated, looking to Lex for guidance. Lex swallowed nervously but nodded ever so slightly. Mouse smiled widely and jumped down, scampering off into the darkness of the mall. "Lex...how are you?" Pride asked uncomfortably. Lex simply stared at him,
"Why?" He asked suspiciously, fear rising in his chest. Now they'd know. Now they'd see what a murdering freak he really was and when they did, they'd cast him out into the street, alone once more.
"Well..since Tai-san disappeared you haven't been yourself. I thought you may have improved by now but..."
"IMPROVED?" Lex bellowed, anger coursing through his veins. "IMPROVED? This isn't something that can just go away Pride!! HOW DARE YOU think I could just 'get over it' and move on!! I LOVED her. I loved her and now she's gone. But I guess you wouldn't know how that feels though eh Pride? What did you do after Amber went missing huh? You shacked up with Selene. Well sorry if everyone doesn't just abandon their loved ones at the first sign of trouble!" Lex ranted, forgetting all pre-tenses as white hot fury took him over...and it was easier this way. Easier to deal with the fact that within moments, Pride would realize how ugly and horrible he was and just abandon him like everyone else. Of course, Mouse and Charlie hadn't done yet, but they were still young and naive. Eventually, they too would realize what a waste of space Lex was and leave him too. Leave him to rot in the dark hole he had dug himself into.
Suddenly, a song from the old days flew into his mind before he could stop it and he chuckled grimly at the how close the lyrics were to his life now. He noticed the lyrics were pouring from his mouth and he was unable to stop them...and why should he stop them anyway?
"You don't remember me but i remember you I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you But who can decide what they dream? And dream i do...
I believe in you I'll give up everything just to find you I have to be with you to live To breathe You're taking over me
Have you forgotten all i know? And all we had? You saw me mourning my love for you And touched my hand I knew you loved me then
I believe in you I'll give up everything just to find you I have to be with you to live to breathe You're taking over me
I look in the mirror and see your face If i look deep enough So many things inside that are just like you are taking over." He recited, not noticing the mixture of horror and confusion on Pride's face...and if he had, he wouldn't have cared anyway.
TO BE CONTINUED
Waaaahhh...sorry, I made that chapter a tad depressing but it was all getting a little too cutsie:P Anyway, I hope you like it! The song is called Taking me over and it's by Evanescence. I ADORE that band:)