I stare in the mirror, looking at the dark offence colouring my jawline. The swelling has gone down significantly, but it's still tender to touch and far too noticeable. Sighing, I look down at the countertop, refusing to meet my gaze in the mirror any longer.

"Mags? Your parents will be wondering where we are," Alec pipes up from outside the hotel bathroom. His voice sounds muffled through the door.

"Yeah, coming." I dab the faintest amount of cover up over the bruise, blending it in despite the throbbing it creates before stepping out. As we head down to the lobby, he glances at me.

"Are we," he pauses, sighing and ruffling his hair nervously. "Are we going to talk about last night?" I feel my chest constrict. The last thing I want to think about is what happened last night. I'd gladly sweep it under the rug and forget it ever happened, but Alec isn't the type. He likes honesty, he appreciates discussions and openness. Sometimes, too much for my taste. I sigh and run a hand through my hair, pushing it up further.

"What do you want to talk about?" I finally respond as the elevator sings, signalling we've hit the bottom floor. Stepping out, I glance sideways at him. He's chewing his lip, playing with his keys.

"I hate that this happened. I want to go back and change everything." I reach out, taking his hand in mine.

"It doesn't... what that absolute idiot did... it doesn't change a thing. About us. About how I feel about you." I smooth my thumb in methodical circles on the back of his hand as we make our way to the car. Sliding in, I look at him.

"I'm glad." He breathes, offering me the softest, sweetest of smiles that makes my chest thunder. I grin back and start the car, heading towards my parents house.

As we pull up, the scent of flowers and juniper fill the air, a soft reminder of home. My mother exits onto the front steps with a welcoming smile. My father, though, is not a part of the welcoming committee.

We slide out of the car, the hot, early spring air damp and humid as it clings to our skin. Momma kisses both of our cheeks and squeezes us tightly before we head inside. The air conditioning is a welcome haven compared to the heat outside and I slide my blazer off, hanging it by the door.

The house seems smaller. Or maybe I got bigger. I guess that's a big part of growing up.

"I'm so glad you two found the time to come have some drinks and talk. I feel like I never see the two of you!" Momma gushes, motioning for us to sit at the small kitchen table that bathed in sunlight, a bright bouquet of flowers in the centre.

"I know, we've been so busy. But that's no excuse. You know, you're always welcome to come visit us in Brooklyn," Alec offers, thanking my mom as she sets an icy glass of sweet tea in front of him, doing the same for me.

"Oh, I'd love to. I've been dying to see the floral shop and design business, Magnus. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see you perform, Alexander," she sits down after placing a tray of biscuits and sweets on the table.

"You've got front row tickets whenever you'd like, Adley." Again. Suck. Up. I swear the boy is aiming to be the favourite Bane child. And we aren't even married yet.

"I can hardly wait." Momma smiles vibrantly and pats Alec's hand on the table. I bite back the urge to roll my eyes.

"Where's Kamren?" Alexander asks, taking a sip of his tea.

"Just in his office. I should go fetch him, I'm sure he'd be happy to see the two of you."

"Oh, no trouble, just curious," Alec covers, smiling softly, charmingly.

My father walks into the kitchen, all business, I almost expect him to be in his uniform, but instead, he's wearing black slacks and a grey golf shirt. I stand up as he enters, whether it's out of respect or fear of disappointment on his part, I'm unsure.

"Magnus," he begins, but I don't detect much in his voice. It's as if he's answering a boring question about the weather or something as equally irrelevant. It's as if, even after all these years, he just really doesn't care.

"Father, hello," I reply tightly, Alec standing beside me.

"Mr. Bane, it's great to see you again. How've you been?" Alexander asks, sweeping in to save the day as always. I'm forever grateful for this man.

"I've been fine. I wasn't aware the two of you were still in town."

"We leave tonight, actually. But we didn't want to leave without seeing you," my father grunts uninterestedly and accepts a glass of sweet tea from my mom.

"What brought the two of you here anyways?" He asks after taking a sip. It feels odd standing for so long, but I don't dare sit down.

"It was my sister's birthday yesterday," Alec explains.

"And you only came for a couple of days?" He criticizes, raising a sharp brow.

"We would stay longer if we could, but Alexander and I have to head to Italy in a couple of days for a few performances. We were fortunate enough to get down here for even a few days," I argue simply, intent on not bending to his words anymore. I want to be strong, unafraid and unapologetic for who I am and the life I live. It's not always easy, though.

"Well it's good that one of you is making the money." I want to argue this, but I honestly can't find the energy inside of me to be angry anymore. After my argument with Maryse and my incident at the club last night, I think I've grown tired of defending myself.

"Actually, if we were to sit down and do the math, I'm sure if we look at travel costs and instrument upkeep, Magnus probably makes more than I do. He's got a strong base for his company, and with his new line of interior design products, he's doing very well actually." Alexander reasons, setting his glass down. He's arguing for me as if he knows that I just can't do this right now.

My father just scoffs.

"I knew letting you help your mother in that shop of hers growing up wouldn't do you well. You should be doing something different, like being a CEO or something. A businessman, a lawyer, a doctor, anything else. You should be having your first baby at this point, but I guess that's off the table too. To think, after all this time, the Bane name dies with you." Turning around, he exits the room, leaving it in heavy silence. My gaze rests on the ground, and suddenly, I'm small again, and the room is towering around me, hovering too close and closing in.

"Sweet heart, I'm so sorry about your father." Momma apologizes, but I shake my head, forcing a lopsided smile.

"Believe me when I say I've heard worse, momma. It's alright. You don't need to apologize for him. He isn't sorry." Her arms wrap around me and Alec touches my lower back faintly, a reminder that he's here. I wish we hadn't come back to New York City. I wish we'd stayed home where it felt like nothing could touch us. Where Alec and I felt invincible.

"I think...I think we should probably get going. I'd hate to get in terribly late." I comment, rubbing my moms back softly. She sighs into my shoulder, but nods, letting go.

"Next time, I'm coming to see you in Brooklyn. Alone." She vows, a hard set in her eyes. I smile appreciatively, because mom gets it. She always has.

We say our goodbyes and head out to the car. To my relief, Alec offers to drive and I gladly hand him the keys, sighing softly as I sink Ito the passengers seat.

"Looks like we really haven't had much change in your father and my mother." He notes as we begin to drive. I thank the heavens that we already said goodbye to his family. I don't think I could do another disgusted look from Maryse or laughing and smiling like NYC hasn't taken its toll on me.

"I don't think people like them ever change." I reply sadly, running a hand through my hair and turning on the radio for the drive. We fall into silence as I rest my head on the headrest, letting my eyes flutter shut and trying to focus on getting home with Alec and getting back to some form of normal.

***

"I missed Italy." Alec sighs happily as we get off of the plane in Perugia, where the first show will be held tonight. It's cooler here than back in America, only 52 degrees and I'm glad I kept my light jacket on. Our rental car is waiting for us just outside, Meliorn, our driver, loading our bags and opening our doors.

"I've missed it, too. There's something really great about Italy." I breathe in deeply as I get into the car, noticing the floral scent around us from the rich, full hanging baskets above us.

"I'm always happy when we get to come here," Mel comments as he confidently pulls out into the midday traffic, heading towards our hotel so we can get settled.

"What time is the concert tonight?" Alec asks, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"7 pm sharp. We have dinner reservations at 5 and practice for you at 6." Alec hums contently and nuzzles in. The poor soul would be lost without me. Luckily, we're past the point of forced shows and endless nights. His sponsor is more than impressed with his commitment and standings, so travelling has become less of a task. It's normally just the three of us, flying around the world, Alec filling up rooms with his enigmatic talent, living our lives.

I let him rest until we reach the hotel and thank Mel as he takes our bags inside. I check in and soon enough we're settled in our suite, overlooking the charming, brilliant architecture of Perugia. It's a smaller city than say, Venice or Rome, but it holds a certain charm, a vibrancy about it that reels you in. It's always been my favourite place to be.

Alec stands beside me at the balcony window, watching as the sunlight dances across tiled rooftops and aged concrete.

"It feels good to be away from it all." Alexander confesses, his fingers sliding into mine.

"I hate feeling like we have to run away from it all," I murmur. He nods, brow creasing slightly. "You know, I feel like I did it all backwards. I was so confident when we were kids. I knew who I was, what I wanted, and I wasn't so afraid." It feels right to tell him this, to open up and unleash all of the troubles I've been hiding.

"What are you afraid of, Mags?" He asks softly squeezing my hand.

"All of it, I guess. Myself... Who I am, what everyone's going to say or do to me because of it. I never noticed it before, but lately, it seems like everyone is out to get me. I just want to feel stable again, like I've got it all figured out."

Alec doesn't say anything, and I don't expect him to. He simply leans over, kissing me softly and letting all of these silly fears evaporate. I try to swallow them whole, but I'm afraid I'll choke on the ferocity of them. I've done it all backwards, and here is my better half, confident, proud and set in his identity. He's what I once was. And here I am, a fumbling, distraught mess, hoping that somehow, I'll figure myself out before I completely lose myself.

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A/N: I hope all of my readers are having a happy holiday season! Please vote and comment, let me know what you think of this so far and what you think is coming next! I love to hear your thoughts.

-Sierra