Lexi never liked Darla, but somehow she wishes that her great-grandmother were with her now. So many stories told about the Scourge of Europe it makes Lexi hunger for more. Something bigger and better, something more powerful and violent than any of her predecessors could have imagined. Sophia has a healthy appetite for destruction but Lexi is still just a baby, bound by youthful exuberance and the words in a prophecy.

Europe has never seen a vampire quite like Lexi before and as she feasts on city after city she wonders if Harry is proud of her somewhere. If he can push aside his soul long enough to see the art that she's been making. Now she understands why Harry liked Darla so much, because she could see the art even when she stopped creating it.

She wonder what it would be like to ransack villages during rebellions and make history with her own hands. She's not even two years old yet but she knows she has something to prove to those who came before her. She never cared much for Angel either, but somehow Angelus seems fascinating to her. The Spike of old seems like a larger than life presence to her in stories that Sophia spins. So brash, so hopeful and so lethal. It's a wonder how he ever became the affectionately coined "Uncle Spike" that she grew up knowing.

She wants to line them up in a row, thinks about it while she's tearing people apart in Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and London. She dreams about it while Sophia licks her clean before she dresses her up just like the sparkling fairytale princess she's always been.

"One day I'm going to rule the world." She tells a young Italian boy in a villa just south of the city. And he believes her up to and including the moment when she disembowels him just to see what color his insides are.

Life is a Soundtrack
Rules:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie.

( here )

Backdated to the night before the battle

I'd taken what James had to say under very careful consideration. I was ready to do what he'd asked of me now that he'd somehow gotten my parents to get off my back. It wasn't just for James though, this was what I had wanted to do from the very beginning. It was just that I let Tyler talk me out of it. I should have never done that. I'm so much more than he is now, and he can't see it just yet but he would once he woke up. That's all it took. Just ten minutes of my time and I could have him where I wanted him. The problem was, Tyler had taken off with Lily. By the time I found out that he was all the way in New York I was already too angry to go and see him. He'd run away without even telling me and now I was afraid that if I caught up with him I'd end up killing him instead of turning him.

He was gone for a real long time and so I'd spent my time away from Sophia finding my own hobbies. You know, the usual. Music, shopping, the blood of the innocent and stalking Caleb and Lacey all around. I hadn't made my move on Lacey yet but I was sure I'd Caleb enough material that would last his nightmares for over a decade. By the time Tyler came back I wasn't even sure what I wanted anymore. Things were happening. I didn't know exactly what because I hadn't taken the time to figure it out. Not that I expected James would have given me or Sophia any straight answers. I like my family, living at Wolfram and Hart with them now but I wasn't stupid. I didn't trust them.

Yeah, something big was definitely gonna happen. I'd already figured that out a little bit when Tyler came back to town and him and my mom disappeared off the face of the planet, but now I really understood it when I realized everyone was living at that stupid slayer school. Even Lacey had abandoned her cousin's house to go and stay there. My parents, Tyler, Kennedy and all of the slayers were just beyond the outside fence, that I easily scaled over. Stupid slayers. They all knew they were safe in their dorm rooms but out in the common areas they were fair game. And I'd already stood outside of the windows for enough nights in a row to know that my brother hadn't been sleeping very well. Most nights he spent pacing through the hallways in the dark. Poor boy. Was he sad?

I easily broke the lock on one of the side doors and slipped inside the hallway near the gym. Looking around I realized I was completely alone, no one was in the corridor, yet. I wasn't worried though. If any of the slayers or even the vampires showed their faces I was sure that I could disarm them before Tyler was even the wiser. Luckily there was only one heartbeat growing closer and I immediately knew it was him. Eagerly I walked towards him waiting to see how he would greet me.

Warning: By posting this up you are subjecting yourself to other peoples tastes in music. First rule of Play List is do not get offended by the music people share with you. Your cup of tea is could be someone else's leafy water.
Warning: By posting this up should be willing to seek out the same meme on your friends list and give them some music too!

01. How it works: Place this post up in your journal.
02. Fellow friends list members [and their writers too] are to then in turn comment to your post with music.
03. Said music is shared via an upload that you can download, or a link to lyrics for the connection challenged that reminds them of you.
04. When you comment leave the song title and artist in the subject line so that if someone else thought of the same song they don't have to send it to you again, ;)
05. With enough people and enough variety of songs you should end up with a lovely playlist inspired by those that know you pretty well. [or so you hope]

1 question...
1 chance...
1 honest answer...

That's all you get. Ask me one question. Any one question, anything, no matter how crazy it is. An honest answer. No catch.

Well, okay, there's just one. All comments will be screened so your question stays private between you and me, and only you will get to see my answer to your question. But I dare you to repost this and see what people ask you.

Those who restrain their desires, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained. -William Blake

I liked it here, it was nice. I had a big fancy apartment to share with Sophia and James made sure I had whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. It was kind of like living with my parents except for Sophia lived with me and there was way less rules here. Still, I was getting bored. Shiny things can only hold my attention for so long and Sophia always had her own plans and schemes. I should have mine too, just for fun. Not that everything was fun. Sometimes I had to work too. Well, James wanted me to turn Big Brother. I would too. I'd eat Tyler right up but I couldn't find him anywhere. It was like he ran away from me and that made me very angry. I was gonna have to punish him when he came back to town. Not nice to run away.

Eenie meenie miney mo. There was so many people to play with and so little time. There were my parents, they were always fun but they got so mopey. Daddy especially was such a buzzkill lately. Always running around after me and cleaning up my messes. Sometimes I stacked up enormous body counts just to see if he could keep up. He always did. I worried a little bit about him coming after Sophia if I hurt anybody in the family but if he did that I'd just make Angel go poof and then it would just be us. What then? Besides, once I'd turned Tyler it wouldn't be long til Mom was one of us too. And once she was Daddy would have to come and play, right?

Hmmm. Not Mom, not Dad. Too boring. Not Auntie Grace, she had that pesky magick stuff working for her which made me a little nervous. I had to hurt Auntie Grace in different ways, like tattling to Alec about her affair with Kennedy. One day I'd find a way around Gracie's tricks and treats but for now I would leave it alone. There was always Auntie Nicole. She was fun and so very angry. I could use that. She was so pretty too, I wanted to pull on all that long blond hair. Hmmm maybe Auntie Nicole. Or maybe my bestest friend Lacey. She was kind of like my parents, all tears. I didn't remember Lacey being that emo back when I was human. She had a lot to learn about being a slayer. I could show her so much. Who else? There was always Caleb. He was the funnest to play with because he just took it all in stride. He didn't cry, he didn't get mad. Poor boy just didn't understand. Which was exactly why I had to kill his new friend and leave her as a present in his car. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't give him presents?

Lisa was pretty. Not as pretty with me no way. But she was fun and she screamed a lot before I finally drained her dry and left her in the front seat of Caleb's car. He wasn't sleeping very well lately, which meant I only had to wait for so long until he came out to his car and found her there. I heard the door of his house open and solid footsteps to his car in the driveway. I was getting very excited. This was gonna be so fun! Way better than just sitting around at Wolfram and Hart. I clapped excitedly when I saw the horrified expression on his face.

"Do you like it?" I asked him with a smile as I stepped out of the shadows and towards him. "I picked her out just for you."


(Caleb....)

Takes place after the crazy snow storm....

I was tired of behaving. People might laugh at that but it was true. I was behaving, I was being the perfect little girl. Okay, fine. So I had left a trail of bodies behind me that could probably span the entire border of Los Angeles but a girl's got to eat. What am I gonna do? Live off of pig's blood like Angel and Spike and my dad do? Ew. That is like so nasty, I can't even think about it. Besides, people are way more fun to play with. I wanted to play with family but Daddy kept threatening to have Sophia killed if I stepped over the line. So I went to the only person I knew who was like way more powerful than my parents or Angel or anyone else who wanted to put a leash on me.

I was sitting at James' desk with my feet propped up on it when he came in for the morning. I thought he'd be mad at me for just letting myself in but he only smiled at me.

"Good morning, Alexia." He said to me. "What brings you to my office so early in the morning?"

"Well, grandpa. It's not really early for me. More like....late." I clarified for him as I took my feet off of his desk and spun around in his chair once just for fun before stopping to look at him. "I need some help. You'll help me, right?" I asked him sweetly.

"Of course I'll do anything in my power to help you. What is it that's troubling you?" He asked me as he set his briefcase down on his desk and immediately went to his bar and filled up a glass with scotch without asking me if I wanted any. That was probably for the best. Scotch was so icky.

"Daddy keeps cleaning up after me. He told me if I hurt anybody in the family he would take Sophia away from me. I know my mom is gearing up to kill Sophia herself which is like...so dumb." I rolled my eyes at Faith. She was so predictable it was a miracle she wasn't dead yet. "And Grace is trying to stick a soul in me. Can you imagine? A soul? Ew."

"Well, you needn't worry about Grace, my dear. I'm afraid it's quite impossible to put a soul into someone who never truly owned one. The soul you possessed before your death belonged to Harry. He's now the rightful owner of it once again and it can not be stripped from him. Your parents however, are very strong willed, they could become a problem for you."

"I'm saying!"

"Of course no one is completely unstoppable. I can look into ways to keep them both quiet but I need you to do something for me." He smiled at me as I finally stood up from his chair and began to walk around the room a little bit, inspecting things here and there. He had a nice office.

"What's that?"

"Your brother."

I turned around and gave James a curious look. "What about him?"

"I want you to take him, make him part of the family." James continued on as I watched him. "I have the feeling we have the same goal in regards to this. You miss him, I know you do. Bring him home, Alexia. I am sure Sophia will welcome him with open arms just as the rest of us here at Wolfram and Hart will. He's your twin, the two of you belong together."

"Hmmm." I bit down on my bottom lip as I tapped my finger against my chin for a minute. That had been my plan from the beginning, to make Tyler like me and then the two of us would go for my mom together since Daddy wouldn't. But then none of that happened because they were so stupid and mean to me! Didn't they realize the power they could have if they just gave in? I knew it was hard, I fought Sophia a lot but I was so glad she won now. Maybe Tyler would be too. "Okay." I shrugged.

"Fantastic. Now, run along and go have your fun. Don't worry about your parents rules, just make sure you set your sights on Tyler."

I grinned at James. "Thank you, James!" I gushed as I rushed over and gave a hug before I walked towards the door. "I'll see you later." I winked at him before I headed out into the hallway to head back upstairs to the penthouse where I was sure the prettiest girl I had ever seen was already fast asleep in our bed.

Death is way better than life.

Some people like to say that I'm spoiled. They're definitely not wrong. Daddy never thought he would ever have the chance to get to know me and my brother and when Angel gave him the shot he made the most of it. He gave me and Tyler everything we ever wanted, except for one thing. He could never seem to hold our family together completely. I know that's a pretty big gift but when you're a kid you think that your parents are larger than life, than the world around you. Especially when you have parents like mine.

So I've been given a lot of things. Jewelry, clothing, shoes, makeup, handbags, cars, computers, you name it and I've probably owned it. But the greatest gift I've ever been given didn't come from my parents, or even my brother. It came from Sophia. She saw through everything, who I was, the empty life I left behind. She knew that I was too powerful to be destroyed but still not strong enough to defeat Connor. She knew that the prophecy was weighted in his favor and so she did what she had to.

I'm not stupid. She turned me to keep me, like duh. No matter what her reasons were for doing it, she helped me. She made me understand exactly what I was supposed to be, and what I was capable of. Even when I couldn't see it myself and refused to believe, she forced me to understand it. When she killed me I was more scared than I'd ever been before, but I had to get past that. Because the feeling of waking up all shiny and new made up for all of that fear. I'm never gonna be afraid again, and it's all because of Sophia.

I was so mad at Daddy. He couldn't just come into Sophia's house and tell me to be a good little girl. Didn't he get it? Sophia turned me so that he and my mom couldn't just lord over me anymore. The princess in the tower? Oh no. Nobody was ever gonna control me ever again. Not my parents, not Sophia, not Wolfram and Hart and not anyone else. Sophia told me I'd bring the world to my knees and I knew she meant that literally. I dunno about all of this prophecy stuff or bringing the world to it's knees. I just wanna have a little bit of fun.

It was easy to track my mom down. Where else would she go if she wasn't home? The very first place I checked was Lily's room when I broke into the hotel. She was my first choice in bait. I didn't really have a lot of interest in making Lily eternal but I figured my brother would. Either that or he'd want her to be his first meal when he woke up. Either way worked for me really. Too bad she wasn't home, that meant she was off with Tyler somewhere. Plan B.

Stalking down the hallway I knew I had to be careful because I had no idea if Connor or Angel were home. If they were I knew they wouldn't just let me leave with my mom. I'd have to take care of them too. Not that I'd hurt Angel much, after all I wouldn't hurt Daddy's sire if he didn't touch mine. Connor though? Well, that fight was just waiting to happen. I didn't really have big plans to go looking for a fight with him but if I ran into him? I bet prophecy boy blood is delicious. Besides, one of us was supposed to kill the other anyways. There was no way he could take me on now.

I heard soft crying coming from somewhere down the hallway and I frowned because it smelled like family but it definitely wasn't my mom. Walking a little bit further the only thing I could hear was a female voice crying about a wolf. The big bad wolf? I smiled to myself as I kept walking and when I gently pushed open the door to a room I paused listening to the sound of sobs coming from the bathroom. Walking softly towards the door, I stood in the doorway and watched a dark haired girl sitting on the floor by the sink and crying. I recognized her immediately. Serenity. Grandpa had told me all about her for my birthday.

She slowly looked up at me with curiosity and I smiled at her for only a second before I let my vampire visage come to the forefront. "Boo." Was all I had to say before she stood up and raced past me and out of the room. "What?" I asked the empty room. "I was only playing."

Some people were just no fun.

Walking outside of the room I didn't see Serenity anywhere and that was just fine. I couldn't really use someone who had no ties to anyone yet, even if she was technically my aunt.

After I went down the stairs it was easy to find my mother. She was fast asleep in the room that Tyler and I used to share when we were little, right when we came back from the island. She didn't even stir when I peeked in on her and so I gently closed the door again. I could feel family. Not from the Lehane side, but from the Aurelian side still in the hotel somewhere. Wasn't Connor. Here Grandpa. Come and play.

Sneaking downstairs as quietly as I could I barely caught the dim shadow of someone sitting on the lobby couch. Angel was hunched down, with his nose buried in a book and I used the distraction to my advantage. Coming up from behind him I hit him hard in the head watching him crumble to the ground before his face met the sharp end of my designer pumps. It's hard to kick this much ass in stilettos, but I manage.

Once he was out I dragged him down the stairs into the basement, letting his enormous head clunk on every single step as I went. I didn't understand the appeal he had for my parents. I get the vampire attraction but not this one. He was a fucking loser. He turned Daddy wrong and made him all broken. He should pay for that.

When I slammed the cage door shut on him he was just starting to come to and I smiled at him from the other side of the bars.

"Hi, Angel." I said sweetly to him as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "Aren't family reunions the best?" I chirped out as I did a little twirl before stopping at the bottom of the steps and turning back to look at him through yellow eyes. "We should have them more often." I winked at him and giggled mischievously before I turned around and raced back up the steps.

I didn't stop until I was back in my mom's room. Without a second thought I leaped up on the bed, and landed right on top of her. Her eyes fluttered open immediately and I quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhhh." I whispered as I petted her face a little bit, brushing the hair out of it with my free hand. "Don't worry, I got you." I cooed to her. "Do you remember when me and Tyler were little and we used to have to throw stuffed animals at you from across the room to wake you up because you always came up swinging? Well, now I don't have to worry about it anymore." I grinned at her. She was trying to talk so I finally pulled my hand away from her face.

"Alexia?" She whispered at me. "What are you doing?"

"I came back for you. You know the least you could have done was stay at home, you know thats where all of this should happen. Instead you all just abandoned me. Why did you do that?" I asked her, feeling my voice tremble a little bit and I hated it because I'm not supposed to be sad anymore.

"Lexi...." Her voice was strained and I wondered about all those years before. Back when Mom was such a bad little girl. All those years in prison, all of that killing. How long would it take to undo what Tyler and I had done to her?

"Shhh. It's okay." I whispered to her as I easily vaulted off of her and pulled her off of the bed easily. "I'm taking you home."

With that I grabbed her arm and whipped her away from me easily, sending her sailing through the window. The crashing of the glass made a fun sound as I raced to the window just in time to see her hit the ground like a sack of flour. "Ooops?"

Grinning I jumped out of the window after her landing on one of the ledges. From there I easily jumped to the ground and pushed her back over onto her back. Slayers were so strong, she only had a gash on her forehead that was bleeding hardly at all. Thanks Mom, for all of that yummy Slayer and Senior Partner blood running through my veins. Would Daddy change his mind once I'd turned her too? Would he give in to us then?

Grabbing her by her hair I lifted her up to her feet, helping her stumble to my car before I shoved her inside of it.

I was already halfway home when she finally groaned and opened up her eyes.

"Lexi?" She muttered, rubbing her forehead and pulling her hand back so she could look at the warm sticky mess of blood on it. I wish she wouldn't do that. It was making me hungry. "Where are you taking me?"

"I told you. We're going home. I know you're upset and that's why you broke your cellphone. But don't worry, Mom." I smiled at her as I pulled a new cellphone out of my purse. "I got you a new one."

With that I dialed Tyler's number and waited for him to pick up. I wasn't sure that he would pick up if I called him so I had to do it from her phone. After a minute an angry voice answered and my mouth turned up into a smirk.

"Wanna play a game, brother? I just made it up."

Twisted Logic- Coldplay & Muse

1. I Ran Away- Coldplay
2. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face- Coldplay
3. Brothers and Sisters- Coldplay
4. Only Superstition- Coldplay
5. Crest of Waves- Coldplay
6. Warning Sign- Coldplay
7. Square One- Coldplay
8. Fix You- Coldplay
9. Talk- Coldplay
10. X and Y- Coldplay
11. Speed of Sound- Coldplay
12. The Hardest Part- Coldplay
13. Trouble- Coldplay
14. In My Place- Coldplay
15. Twisted Logic- Coldplay
16. Starlight- Muse
17. Sing For Absolution- Muse
18. Stockholm Syndrome- Muse
19. Time is Running Out- Muse
20. Hysteria- Muse

Space was so big. Really. You could float in it forever and still not find what you're looking for. Trust me, I've tried. I was trying now. Reaching out desperately with my hands as I soared, trying to grab onto anything. Other people passed me sometimes. My dad reading his newspaper, my brother and Lily deep in conversation, my mom and Angel fighting each other, Caleb and his stoic silence, Lacey trying on clothes just like a real life Barbie doll, Kennedy teaching classes, Gracie deep in some kind of trance, Nicole and Alec locked in an angry stare. I reached for them all but they were busy doing what they do. That's when it hit me, when I was out there floating in space, further away from the sun and towards the dark bitter cold. We're all busy doing what we do. And what I do? Isn't anything like what they do. That's when I looked up and saw Connor floating effortlessly in front of me, his eyes locked right on mine. He could see me.

"Ready to die, Alexia?" He asked me and I just stared at him calmly. Was I ready to die? I felt dead already. Eagerly I went to him, floating closer and closer. Once I was close enough I felt my face begin to shift. I might be the daughter of a slayer and he might be the son of a vampire but I was now more vampire than he would ever be. Without a word I ripped into his throat feeling his warm blood rush into my mouth, I held him closer, almost like a lover as I drained him dry carefully before flinging him back into the abyss.

"I'm hungry." I said as I wiped my arm across my mouth, painting it red.

I jolted up with a start, surprised by everything and anything. I recognized the room because it was Sophia's. What I hadn't noticed before were the colors, the intricate patterns on the ceiling, the lush red of the satin sheets, the unmistakable scent of her. I licked my lips greedily as I gracefully slid across the bed and looked into the mirror there. No reflection. But if I had one, a wicked smirk would be reflected back.

I was all shiny and new. Wouldn't Mom and Dad and Big Brother be so proud?

I rose from the bed, my bare feet hitting the wooden floor soundlessly. I'd always moved so gracefully before but this was a brand new feeling. It was like I was hardly even walking, I was gliding across the floor so easily. The way I moved, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever felt before. I felt strong and at ease. It was amazing how much better everything felt when your heart stopped beating. When the guilt stopped eating at your half a soul.

Walking into the living room I saw Sophia sitting on a chair and easily I walked over to her, kneeling at her side so I was just below eye level with her. "I'm hungry." I pouted.

I know all about reunions because I have like the craziest family in the whole wide world. No, I seriously do and if you don't believe me I have a family tree that my demonic grandfather gave me for my birthday. You wouldn't even believe the kind of people I'm related to and they always just pop up out of the woodwork. Luckily for me most of them showed up before I was ever born. Like my aunts, I guess Daddy and Mom didn't know their sisters all that well before they had me and my brother. And then out of nowhere, there they are like they had always been there. As far as I'm concerned, they have been. I mean, I've known them my whole life.

They tell me that when we were babies my mom wouldn't let Daddy anywhere near me and Tyler. Because Angel turned him into a vampire and they didn't know what that would do to him and blah blah blah. I'm glad Mom got over her whole stupid vampire slayer thing for like ten minutes which was long enough to give him a chance. I don't remember that reunion with my dad because I was too little but I'm glad it happened. I'm not sure what life would be like without him in it. That wasn't the last time I reunited with him either. My mom killed him cause she got taken over by some ancient slayer or whatever. It felt like the whole world ended until he came back.

Most recently I reunited with Sophia and my mom. It was definitely a different kind of reunion. Nothing could really compare to the relief I felt when Mom showed up in our living room. I missed her a lot but I know that Tyler needs her, and Daddy needs her and my Aunt Grace, I guess we all do.

I was planning a reunion with Connor too, but that could wait for another day.

Sophia well, she's a secret. I try to kid myself a lot and say that I'm only doing it so she won't hurt anyone else. Maybe that was the reason for going to see her in the first place, to stop her because I thought for some reason that I could fight her. I know that one of these days I'll have to make that choice and I'll have to stop her because it can't go on forever. There's only so many bite marks I can really cover up.

Which brought me to my next reunion. Caleb was....well, he was nice and he was cute and I liked him a lot but he was different. And he was just so quiet and curious about everything. Duh. Obviously I couldn't really hide bite marks from him but I couldn't stay away from him forever either. He was part of the roots to my normal life, even if he wasn't normal either.

I brought him over to the house and he met my mom who seemed way too enthusiastic to meet him. I already knew what that was about. Anybody was better than Sophia, right? And Caleb seemed nice, normal and respectable. All things that parents (even mine) tended to like.

Afterwards, we walked outside my expensive shoes clicking along on the pavement as I squeezed his hand and grinned up at him. "So what do you wanna do now?" I asked him mischievously.

When I was a little girl there was this kitten that wouldn't stop yowling at the backdoor of the Hyperion. I don't know how she got there but from the minute I saw her I wanted her. I asked Daddy if we could keep her and he said yes before Mom or Angel could say no so I brought her inside and I combed her pretty fur and gave her a bath and named her Precious. The next day Mom took me and Precious to the vet so that Precious could get her shots and whatever else it is that kitties need.

Everybody else in my family are dog people. Tyler has Prince and Mom has Killer and Dad has Bella. I guess Daddy has Tigger too and he's like a giant cat so maybe he is a dog person and a cat person. Anyways, nobody else ever really liked Precious and Precious never really liked anyone else. I don't really know why but she's always loved me. We used to play together when I was little and now as we both get older she spends most of her time curled up on the foot of my bed.

She usually hisses at Tyler which is weird because he's my twin brother but she does it anyways. I think it's cause he pulled her tail once when we were little and then she scratched him but really Precious doesn't like anyone not even Alec and all of our animals love him. At the end of the day I can always count on Precious to listen to me and then curl up next to me before I go to sleep. I love her which is why no one is ever ever ever ever allowed to get rid of her no matter how much they hate her.

( Picture of Precious )

I really enjoyed your birthday present! Thanks for thinking of me. I'd like to talk to you if you have some time. We can get together somewhere of your choosing if you want.

And by talk, I mean kill you.

A lot.

I'd been staying with Lacey at her house but I knew that I couldn't get away with missing school or else my dad really would come and track me down. Tyler was a pain in the ass because he could usually find me really easily but I was way better at outrunning him than I was at outrunning my dad. I really just wanted to be left alone so I could work it out.

Which might take, like a zillion years because I really really hate everybody right now. And I must be seriously mad because it's hard to stay pissed off at my dad and my brother.

Unfortunately for me we were on slayer duty. A couple of times a week the two of us went over there and mostly just sat around and hung out but every once in awhile we'd have to like actually...do something. God, my mom doesn't even live here anymore and we still have to help out with her dumb school. At least the girls here were cool. Except Kennedy, I wasn't talking to her either.

Speaking of keeping things from people. I really should tell Lacey that she's a vampire slayer sooner or later.

I knew that Kennedy wouldn't really make us do anything unless she really needed us too. Plus she's just been wicked distracted with....I don't know. I guess her dead girlfriend. Dead girlfriends really suck. I should know.

Too bad Kennedy wasn't in and that left Spike in charge. My other relatives insisted that he was somehow my uncle but I wasn't related to him. At least not technically. And he was one of the few that didn't just give us everything we wanted when we wanted it. Even though every once in awhile, I'd catch him looking at my ass. At least I had that working for me. It didn't really save me from weapons duty with Tyler in the basement under the gym.

I hate my life.

I'm staying with some friends. I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe. Don't come looking for me though, I don't feel like talking about it.

I poked my head into my parents room and looked around, glad to see that Daddy was at work or wherever. He wasn't here and neither was Angel or Darla. Ew. Like we don't already have enough issues without skanky vampires always hanging around my parents. I guess I just got used to them, as long as I didn't have to think too hard about their relationship with my dad, or my mom. Not that it matters anymore, cause my mom isn't here. And I guess, I want my dad to be happy and if Angel and/or Darla make him happy then that's okay by me. Besides, I already have enough memories of my dad and Angel to outlast anyone else's therapy bill. Even Connor's.

I miss my mom. That was really the reason I was in here and hoping that my dad would be out. It's not that I couldn't talk to him or Tyler about Mom but sometimes it's just girl stuff, y'know? And I'm not about to talk to Darla about girl stuff. She's like a million years old. And so not my mom. I'm pretty sure Angel would actually be more entitled to that role than Darla would and he was definitely not my mom.

I know. I can go see my aunts, they're always around and making time for me and sometimes they really remind me of my mom. Like my Aunt Kennedy, she might not really be related by blood but she's a lot like her. Nicole and Grace are too, in their own ways. But it's not the same and the only other one who really gets that is Tyler. But still, there's just some things that even twin brothers don't get.

Walking over to the closet I pulled it open and looked inside. My dad had moved most of his stuff to the front of the closet. There was lots of Armani, and even though I appreciated his fashion sense way more that wasn't what I was looking for. Instead I pushed my way further into the walk in closet until the smell of leather became clearer and I could smell her. It was about as close as I could get to her now. Standing in the closet.

God, I'm pathetic.

Frowning a little my fingers curled around a blue v-neck shirt I'd only seen her wear once or twice. It wasn't her usual style which meant it was a gift but I'd seen her wear it before and it still smelled like her. Pulling it off the hook I clutched it tightly as my back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor, hidden behind the mass of clothes that belonged to my dad. He was a vampire, so he would know I was here if he came home but I wasn't too worried about it. He wouldn't kick me out. And if Angel came in here I'd just remind him that he wasn't the boss of me.

I leaned my head back against the wall and took a deep breath, letting out a sigh and just as I did something else caught my eye. It was a shoebox on top of the rack holding my mom's clothes. Curious now, I stood up on my tiptoes and grabbed the box, pulling it down onto the floor with me. Biting my lower lip I set it down in front of me and pulled the top off. The first thing I saw was a picture of my parents, and they were both smiling. So I smiled too, because I missed the way things used to be. I put the picture on the floor, carefully cause I wanted to keep it and I didn't wanna accidentally wreck it by getting fingerprints all over it.

The next thing I pulled out of the box was a book and when I flipped it open I realized it wasn't a book but a journal. My mom's handwriting was inside and judging by the dates it was from a long time ago. Back when she was my age. Immediately I decided I was gonna keep that too so I set it aside next to the picture.

After that the only thing left in the box was a manila folder. "Hmm." I bit down on my lip again as I pulled it out of the box and opened it up. The very first thing that caught my eye was my name. It was like, all over this thing. And so was Connor's. I glanced around the closet again suspiciously before I settled back to read it.

By the time I was done I couldn't formulate a thought let a lone a sentence. How...? I mean, I always knew that I was some prophecy or whatever. That's what everyone told me but I just thought it was because...I don't know. I never really thought about what a prophecy was, I just assumed everyone would tell me when they figured it out.

But apparently, they'd figured it out a long time ago and no one had bothered to tell me that I'm supposed to kill Connor. Or maybe he's supposed to kill me. After all, I'm the one who only has half a soul. Whatever the hell that means.

So what? Is it a non-issue now? Am I off the hook since Connor took it upon himself to kidnap my mother and disappear? Screw the prophecy. Either way, if I ever saw him again I'd be tempted to kill him. Evil or not.

And you know, it just figures. My parents, my aunts, my brother, various other non-relatives who pretended that they were related to me- they were always trying to protect me from something. I'm not like other kids, obviously and I'm tired of being kept in the dark. About everything. At least I could count on the fact that Lacey, Caleb and my brother didn't know anything about it. They wouldn't have kept anything like this from me, would they? Well, it wasn't likely that Caleb and Lacey knew anything at all because they weren't exactly part of the family. But my bossy brother?

Without warning I jumped up suddenly, leaving the pictures and the diary behind, I walked quickly out of the master bedroom with the folder clutched tightly in my hands. I didn't stop until I was at Tyler's door. Bursting in through the door I didn't bother to knock even though I knew how much he hated that. His mouth opened, probably to reprimand me when I shoved the folder into his hands.

"Do you know anything about this?" I asked him. And I wanted to believe that he didn't know, I wanted to so badly because even when the rest of my family is crazy I always have him. Always him. Me and Tyler against the world. Except he knew. I could see it in his eyes, and even more in his lack of speech.

Shaking my head I took a step backwards away from him before turning around and storming out of his room and out of the house. Getting into my car I turned on the engine before peeling out of the driveway.

Give me three names of people, any three people. Famous, friends, Idon't care. Just list the three and I'll tell you which one I'll Marry,which one I'll Kill, and which one I'll Fuck.

Daddy wants to take me on vacation to our private island in Greece and he said I could invite my friends. We're leaving tonight on the private jet so I hope you guys are all fast packers because I'm not going without you.

Lucy and Molly- I'll talk to Kennedy to get you guys the time off. She can't say no to me.

Alexia doesn't always understand her life. In fact most of the time it goes without saying that she doesn't understand anything. She guesses that goes hand in hand with being the miracle child of a vampire and a slayer. She doesn't try to dissect it too much, if there's one thing Lexi has learned over the past year it's to cope, to adapt. Her mother's missing, her father's withdrawn, her ex-girlfriend is a psychopath and everyone she knows keeps slowly disappearing into the midst of Wolfram and Hart. She tries not to think about it, to let herself fall into all of the distractions that beauty and youth and wealth have to offer at summertime in Southern California.

Her friends, shopping, dancing, drinking, the beach- it's always been easy for Lexi to lose herself in the shiny things of life and Caleb is the shiniest. She can feel the power radiating off of him and it excites her, she knows that she's attracted to the powerful, Sophia proved that much to her. And when she can feel the intense heat of Sophia's scrutiny as she goes to the next club, or the next shop laughing with her friends she tries to lose herself even more. Lexi can feel a lot of things other teenagers can't, and hardly a night goes by that she doesn't feel Sophia's eyes on her. She can feel the tingling down her spine at the closing of the night before she walks into his bedroom and pushes him down on the bed. Caleb is a fun distraction just like everything else in her life, and when her legs wrap around his waist she almost gets lost enough to forget who she really is and who she really wants.

She knows that she has to move on. Her brother, his girlfriend, her father, her aunts and uncles- they all look at her as if it's expected. That she can just cut out another part of her life and write it off as a lie. Sometimes she's sure that Sophia is the only person she knows who bothered to tell her the truth, and sometimes she's burned with the bitter betrayal. She has to hold herself back from a confrontation, because she wants one so bad. Sophia is the drug, and Lexi is finding the habit harder to quit than she thought it might be.

Lexi knows where she comes from though. Her parents are strong, and so is she.

One night she easily escapes from Caleb's apartment back into the darkness. Moving with a careless ease she heads towards her car but stops short when she realizes something on top of it. At first she thinks that maybe a drunken co-ed or a bum passed out but when she gets closer she can feel the cold. Whoever this is, they've been dead for awhile. When she gets closer she recognizes the figure and her heart almost leaps into her throat for a minute. The corpse looks so much like her father that for a horrifying second she thinks it is until she gets closer and sees that it's only someone who bares a startling similarity to the male side of the Osborn family. It could just as easily be her brother as it could be her father but the deep etches in his dead face are so akin to the ones Sophia has made on her father in the past that she instantly balls her hands up into two small fists.

Turning around she can feel eyes on her as she looks into the darkness but can see nothing. Yes, Lexi can do things that other teenagers can't but so can Sophia and she's had a lot more practice.

Lexi feels sick as she drags the corpse off of her car and haphazardly rolls it down a nearby hill into a stream. It's not a very fitting burial but it's the best she can do.

Closing her eyes she says a quick prayer that she's learned in Catholic school.

May their souls
And the souls of all the faithful departed
Through the mercy of God
Rest in peace.

//locked//

Summer vacation is supposed to be the best. At least that's what all of my friends at school tell me. I wouldn't know, it's not like I've ever had one before because coming this August I'll only be a year old. Although I guess for the sake of keeping everyone sane we'll say that I'm turning seventeen this year. After everything that's happened this year a vacation of any kind would be nice I guess. And not one where I'm traveling, because I've already done a lot of that for someone who's only a year old.

I decided not to attack Sophia, even though I really wanted to after what she did to Daddy. It wasn't really that anyone talked me out of it besides myself, I just decided that the last thing Tyler and everyone else needed to do was go out and start a fight that I might not win. I know how strong I am, and I get stronger everyday but I don't know if I'm strong enough to take on Sophia. If she ever tries to come near us again, if she ever even thinks about trying to hurt Daddy or Tyler, I'll make sure I'm strong enough to stop her but until then? I just wanna be a normal teenager, and I know it's what Daddy wants to. He and Tyler already have enough problems with Mom being missing and Auntie Grace working at Wolfram and Hart.

It was hard at first to go to the beach with my friends, and order pizza with my brother and pretend that everything was okay. I know that things aren't exactly fine after the year we've had but at least for right now it seems like we're getting a small break. I go shopping, I get my nails done, I go to parties with my friends and sunbathe during the long sunny afternoons. I spend so much time in the sunshine and I know that I fit in, I always have even when you really think about it, I don't fit in at all. One day I'm gonna be Prom Queen and all of the people that vote for me won't have any idea about who I really am or what I'm really capable of.

That's the thing, is I can do all of the things that normal boring people do but I'm not normal, and I'm not boring. There's the island, and my family, and Sophia and well, after everything that's happened it gets hard to pretend. Or maybe it's gotten even easier to pretend and that bothers me even more. I might seem like I fit in to the casual observer but I know where I belong, and it's not out in the sunshine.

"Yesterday is yesterday. If we try to recapture it, we will only lose tomorrow." - Bill Clinton

I really wanted things to go back to the way they were before, but unless everyone is going to pack up their things and move back to a deserted island that they hated I don't think that's possible. I knew that going back to the island was never really an option, and I even understand why for the most part. Tyler and I grew up there, it was all we ever knew. We were just kids playing on the beach with all of our favorite people and even though I think I knew that things were bad there somehow I didn't think they were that bad. At least back then we were all together. I'm not stupid, I was never stupid enough to think that things could go back to the way they were when I was just a kid no matter how much I wish it. And can you blame me? I'm really only a few months old, not even a full year yet.

I would have settled for things going back to the way they were at the hotel afterwards. My parents would fight sometimes but I think they were happy. My aunts and uncles were all there, in and out of the hotel all of the time. Alec would take Tyler and I to school and even though we had a bodyguard we were still almost normal, at least for us. But then Daddy died and went to work for Wolfram and Hart and everything changed so fast. It was like one day things were the way they were supposed to be and then the next everyone was fighting and there was nothing I could do about any of it.

Maybe it was stupid to think that I could change things. Yeah, I'm some kind of Prophecy Girl (whatever the hell that is) but I'm still just a girl with superhero parents. My mom saves people all the time and all I wanted to do was save my family. My mom is gone, and Daddy says he's gonna find her but I don't think that he can. I'm not mad at him about it anymore, I just don't think there's anything he can do about it. She's just not coming back. Daddy still has to do everything that Wolfram and Hart tells him to do, and Sophia hurt him so badly. I can't pretend that didn't happen, no matter how much I wanted to believe in her. Kennedy's girlfriend died and Auntie Grace has to go and work for Wolfram and Hart now too. Alec got kidnapped and Tyler tries so hard, way too hard to hold everyone together.

Do little kids see the world differently? Because I don't remember things being this hard yesterday. I can't go back and try to recapture the past though, because life just doesn't work that way. No amount of prophecies is going to change that.