"Why does my brother smooch you?" Elodie twists around in her chair.

I laugh, "He doesn't smooch me."

"Yes he does. I saw a picture."

I raise my eyebrows, "Whatever you say."

She turns around and I resume my process of brushing out her dark hair, "Do you want me to French braid it?"

"Oh, can you??" She grins excitedly.

I smile and divide her part into the middle, and begin running my fingers trough it, and dividing a locke into three strands.

"There." I put on the rubber band at the end, leaving a two inch tail of stubborn hair that wouldn't stay in, "You look beautiful."

"You look beautiful." She giggles.

I poke her stomach, "You look beautiful. My brother says you are."

I frown, "So, he talks about me now?"

"I heard him talking to momma."

"Why were you listening to them?"

"I took Mason's phone and I didn't want him to see me." She sticks out her bottom lip, "And then I saw pictures of you! He was smooching you!"

I laugh, "Whatever you say Lodie."

She giggles, "I'm tired."

"You should be, it's late."

She grabs her blanket and we head up to her room.

"Can you tell me a story?"

I nod, "Only if you lay down under your covers and be ready to fall asleep."

She grins excitedly.

"Once upon a time, in a land far away there lived a girl-"

"Make her a mermaid!" Elodie forcefully suggests.

"Once upon a time, in a land far away lived a beautiful mermaid. Every day she swam with her mermaid friends, and loved swimming. She adventured one day, all the way across the deep, glimmering ocean. The mermaid was scared about what she would find on the other side, but when she got there, she found another mermaid, who was absolutely crazy." I smile, "But the mermaid made a friend. Pretty soon, she became friends with all the other mermaids and mermen-"

"Masey says mermen can't exist because then their wouldn't be a spot for his..I forgot what he said. Oh, pens! That's what it was. Masey said mermen need pens. What are pens?"

My eyes widen, shocked, but not all too surprised, considering this is Mason she's talking about.

"We'll make the mermen into Prince's then."

"But then how would the mermaid get to find her true love, if her Prince can't get in the water to see her?" Elodie's eyes widen.

I smile, "He can be a fierce dragon, does that sound good?"

She claps, "Masey never tells me stories with bad dragons, he said they're too scaredy for me." She frowns.

"Well, you're a big girl. Mason must just be acting like a little boy."

Just like the little boy he is. I mentally smirk.

"The mermaid became best friends with her new merfriend. The two mermaids one day swam to an island that was near their homes. On the island lived four fiery dragons. ROAAAAAAR." I yell, tickling her stomach.

"AHH." Elodie shrieks, giggling.

"The dragons looked big, bad, and scary, but the mermaid's friend told her they were nice dragons. Pretty soon, the mermaid became friends with the dragons as well. They met in secret, in the spot where the ocean connected with the island, and didn't tell anyone else. Pretty soon they fell in love. But how could they be together, when one occupied land, the other water?"

I tuck a strand of her hair behind her small ear, watching her eyes slowly seep shut.

"But in the end, all was well. The mermaid didn't need to be in love. She didn't need a magical Prince Charming, nor an abundance of merfriends, she just needed a small, fiery, dragon. The End." I smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead and pulling the blankets up to her chin, before flicking off the light, and closing the door, still smiling to myself.

"Ah!" I scream.

A hand immediately covers my mouth, another around my waist. My eyes widen, and I look up to see bright blue eyes descending mine.

"I heard you." He whispers, removing his hand from my mouth.

I shrug, blushing. If it wasn't as dimly lit as it is in this hallway, I'd definitely be bright red.

"Join me?" He asks, holding out a hand."

I smile. I could get used to this.

"As if I wouldn't." I respond.

"Hey, I heard you in there saying how you didn't want a Prince Charming. And I know for sure this princy kinda guy most definitely has rappelling abs and other assets that also apply to me."

"Nope. Mason, you are definitely one hell of a dragon."

"Am I? Mermaid."

He walks down the stairs, and into the kitchen, "Why are you here so often? I know you don't get paid."

"It's a good break for Louise. That's got to be hard on her, raising Elodie all alone."

"All alone? What the fuck do I look like to you?"

I raise an eyebrow, "Let me remind you that you haven't even told Elodie a fairytale yet with dragons, because they're too violent."

"Alright. I'm overprotective of her. I'll admit that. But tell me, what is so awful about her growing up shelterless? Painless? Living in a stable household with three meals on a table, daily, and plenty of money to buy anything she might want or need. You can't tell me that's a terrible life to have."

"It's good, I agree, but where's the adventure? The drive?"

"Sometimes adventure isn't always a good thing."

"Too little is inefficient."

"And too much leads to recklessness, hatred, and advantage." He says angrily, releasing my hand and storming around the corner, too what I suppose is his room.

My mouth gapes, shocked.

I sit down on the corner of an armchair, and bite my lip.

What to do.

Twenty five minutes later, I have it.

Mase,

I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was out of place of me, to think I had more of a say, of the sister I never had, than your say in the sister you do have. I get if you're mad, or whatever, but I'm ready to forget about this, if you are.

I glance at it, rereading for the fourth time. Would this get him out of his room?

A sudden idea comes to mind, and I grin, before sloppily adding an additional line.

I set it outside his door, and tiptoe into the guest room I've been accustomed to using.

After slipping into pajamas, a giraffe colored onsie, specifically the kind you'd wear to the animal day of homecoming week when you had nothing else to wear, I climb into bed, pull out my phone and send off a quick text.

Within minutes, I hear rustling from a few rooms over.

I grin, snuggling under the warmth of the covers a bit more, and closing my eyes in relaxation.

"Lexa?"

"Lexi?"

I don't answer.

"Alexis?"

"Lex?"

He cracks open the door, seeing my motionless form, and I see a hint of a smile tugging the corners of his cheeks, as he drops my card to the floor. With squinted eyes, I make out my sloppy handwriting before my eyes gently shut closed, and I drift into a restful sleep.

Mase,

I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was out of place of me, to think I had more of a say, of the sister I never had, than your say in the sister you do have. I get if you're mad, or whatever, but I'm ready to forget about this, if you are.

P.S. Maybe the fighting was worth it. I heard make up sex is pretty good. ;)

~ Lexa

AUTHORS NOTE
Look, tiny maintained her updating schedule for once!

COMMENT OF LAST CHAPTER
A conflicted commenter (awesomest_elephant) writes:
"I'm so conflicted, I like her with Parker, but that speech from mason was intense. I still think she should end up with Parker. Idk. This is why I like them [Parker and Lexa] together. With mason, it's all physical. With Parker, it's different."

Do you agree?
Comment on this chapter for a chance to have the next chapter dedicated to you!

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER
Why do you think Mason got so mad, when Alexa tried helping?