Memory of You

Chapter Twenty Seven: Future Past

Chapter Twenty Seven: Future Past

"Good morning."

"Speak for yourself." Valek grumbled, looking to see Mark come in to the kitchen.

"Rough night." His cousin goaded.

"Shut it."

Though only a few months apart, Valek and Mark had a sibling relationship. Valek played the part of the older brother, while Mark was the younger one; and like a little brother, Mark knew exactly which buttons to push.

"Coffee, Valek?"

"Fine."

Sitting down across from his cousin at the kitchen table, Mark passed him a cup of his drink, and a basket of pastries he had found in the fridge. Handing Mark a plate, Valek put a pastry on his own. Nothing could fix his foul mood, he thought, taking a sip from his cup.

"Would you have agreed if it was anyone other than Nicholas?" He asked, the question having bothered him since their little talk with Alexandra. Though the two of them acted as though things were normal, a part of him wasn't quite ready to believe that the Queen was old enough to decide who she spent the night with.

"Probably not." Mark confirmed what he had been thinking. "Valek, she was going to ask us to back off eventually. At least we have comfort knowing she's with Nick, who's one of us, rather than some condescending ass like David."

"I know...it's just..." Valek gathered his words. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

He knew there would be a day when Alexandra would be old enough to choose what she did, but a part of him still wished they were back to when she was younger, and used to make them check under her bed for the monsters they had scared her with.

"You're surprisingly calm, Marcus." He noted, as the other guard sipped his coffee as though nothing had changed.

"I made my peace with her growing up a long time ago, Valek." He said, not looking at all fazed.

"You remember when the King asked Sir Devereux who would make a suitable suitor for Alex; and that night I told you from us three it would have to be Nicholas?" Mark asked.

"Yes, and I said she would probably kill you for suggesting it. Since we made so much fun of her after reading Sophie's diary."

"I've always believed in that. Nicholas is good to her, good for her. After that debacle with David, I didn't think she'd ever want anyone near her again." Mark reasoned, allowing Valek to see a different side to the situation. "She's content and so much lighter with him, and around her he's less serious. They love each other, and they're happy together, so we should be happy for them."

Mulling the words his cousin had said, Valek nodded, feeling slightly better. His cousin had a point.

"You're right, Marcus. When you're right, you're right."

...

His arms around her, she smiled at the memory of the past night. There was no one else she would rather have spent it with, Alexandra thought. They had talked long in to the night, before sleep finally found them.

It was still dark with streaks of light signaling dawn was about to break, when Alexandra woke up, the words Nicholas had said to her, still going through her mind. She had been surprised at his admission, truth be told.

'I just want you to know that...you're my first, Lex.'

Although she hadn't bothered to quiz him at the time, Alexandra couldn't help herself when she asked him before they fell asleep.