Tejano music filled the kitchen. Aria was dicing jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes for the hot sauce she was making while singing along to the radio. Chris stood near her making the corn tortillas for the mornings breakfast while dancing in place. Aria turned to the stove sliding the peppers off the cutting board and into the prepared skillet. Chris made his way to the refrigerator grabbing the eggs for his friend.

Last night, the pair were sitting with Alec explaining the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the forever teen. The event turned into the friends talking about Texas and Chris happily filled Aria in on everything that had happened while she had been in Washington. Before Alec realized it the duo were discussing food that Aria found to be atrocious and unpalatable. She discussed how sweet tea wasn't really sweet tea nearly breaking Chris's heart. Chris would go on to promise that he and Aria would make huevos rancheros the following morning and have a Mexican food kind of day.

The promise lead to the moment right here. The teens dancing, singing, and cooking together just like old times. Aria began frying the eggs and making the salsa while her bestie busied himself with cooking the tortillas. Chris finished his task quickly and begun helping his smaller companion. Soon the food was plated and they sat down at the table to eat.

"So," Chris said with a mouth full of food, "why isn't your boyfriend joining us for breakfast?"

Aria smiled softly at the mention of her boyfriend, "He doesn't eat human food."

"We could've whipped up some blood sausages for him!"

Aria laughed before taking a bite of her taco and wiggling in her chair. She missed good Mexican food and this was complete heaven for her. She had her best friend, good food, and good music playing. It all felt right making her forget her psychotic ex boyfriend that wanted to kill her was only a three hour drive away. Aria chewed her mouthful lost in the moment unaware that Alec entered the room glaring at Chris who glared back at him.

It wasn't a secret to everyone in the house, minus Aria, that Chris and Alec hated each other. Chris viewed Alec as a problem waiting to happen, while Alec viewed Chris as a threat to his happiness. When Aria was around the two boys got along laughed at each other's jokes, talked like civilized people, but when she wasn't around....let's just say things got heated. Alec couldn't hit the human for fear of killing him and his girlfriend rejecting him and Chris couldn't hurt Alec without hurting his little pebbles or himself. Instead heated glares, snide remarks, offensive terms and language was used.

They were the enemy in each other's eyes, but they tried not to let Aria know what was going on between the pair. Only, they forgot that she was an empath, Aria could already sense the growing disdain between the pair she just couldn't figure out the reason why. She would stay up at night trying to figure out the reasons that both could have for hating each other. She would confide in her aunt who was always more than happy to her come up with answers. Aria's answers made sense slightly for each boy.

She knew Chris always prided himself on being the only guy that knew her so well, so well in fact he could tell by how she breathed if there was a problem. They both wanted to protect her. Chris's need to protect her stemmed from a life long security need. She had always been small and weak, her only weapon was her gift and brain. It made Chris act like a bodyguard 24/7, he never wanted anything bad to her. After all, his mom raised him and his older brother to protect those they loved. By now, it was normal for Chris to throw himself in harms way or rush to her defense.

As for Alec, Aria understood that as long as she was human she would be a weakness to him. He wanted her to stay safe and well, but if a threat was looming too close for comfort he wouldn't hesitate to make the problem go away. She knew that mates were extremely protective of each other, she found out the hard way when she threw herself between Demetri and Alec when they were sparing and she had to have Carlisle pop her shoulder back into place. That wasn't a pleasant time, lucky for her though she got Alec's version of a dose of morphine to numb her sense of pain so it worked out. problem. Alec enjoyed having her all to himself, normally coming up with an excuse to get her alone with him, Chris got in the way o f that. Also, Alec was very protective and never strayed to far away from her because he was always so terrified something would happen.

Aria was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a small shock on her cheek followed by a coldness pressed against it. Alec sat down beside her with a steaming coffee cup in front of him. Aria felt a blush creep across her cheeks as her heart sped up, making Alec smile all the wider.

Chris watched the pair as he ate, his cognac eyes darting between both as he watched the vampire relax next to his closest friend and Aria turn into a blushing school girl. He was happy for her but he feared Alec was another Elijah, only deadlier.

Aria took a sip of her iced sweet tea and said, "I think today I'm goin' to go shoppin' with Aunt Alice and Rose."

"Awesome, when do we go?" Chris questioned, as he loaded his refried beans onto his second taco.

"I," Aria stressed, "will be going with them shortly after we're done cleanin' up our mess after eatin'."

Alec rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure? I mean with Elij-"

"-you and Chris need to get to know each other."

Chris looked at Aria and sighed knowing he wasn't going to win this battle. "Alright Pebbles."

Aria smiled at her friend and gave his hand a squeeze before looking at her immortal love. There was a silent plea in her eyes that Alec detected. A plea to try to play nice, since both boys meant the world to her.

Alec gave a quick nod earning a small squeal from the human girl before she kissed him and threw her arms around Chris. She finished her breakfast and helped Chris with the dishes before heading on her way with the Cullen girls to Port Angeles to shop.

Alec and Chris sat in the music room Alec practicing his cello and Chris scribbling away in his leather bound journal. Every now and then Chris would look up at the forever teen before looking back down at his journal. Alec would look over at the mortal as Chris clicked his pen rapidly.

"Stop that," Alec commanded.

Chris looked over at Alec, "Stop what?"

Chris clicked his pen again. Alec heard the spring, the plastic rubbing together, and the audible click driving his sensitive ears through the ringer. "That, that clicking."

"Oh," Chris said with a smirk before clicking the pen again, "did clickin'?" Chris continued to click the pen.

Alec growled before charging towards Chris snatching the pen away, broke it, and threw it to the ground. Chris was on his feet in no time staring daggers at the vampire.

"I asked you to stop!"

"No ya commanded me like I'm some servant of yers!"

"You are beneath me blood bag!"

"At least I'm not some leech!"

Both boys shouted back and forth. Chris's face grew redder by the second and Alec's eyes darkening as his anger grew. Both glaring refusing to yield from the argument. Each of them screaming at the other to leave or drop dead. Both wanting Aria to know they could keep her safe and the other was a danger to her.

Chris ran a hand through his hair, messing it up before screaming, "I'M TRYIN' TA PROTECT HER. YER GUNNA HURT HER!"

The human seer clamped his hand over his mouth as soon as he realized what he said. Alec stopped yelling, his eyes returned to their normal red color. "What?"

"Nothin'."

Alec stepped back, "I hurt Aria?"

With a sigh, Chris nodded, "I can't see her future when I sleep. I've always seen her, her decisions, her path. Everything is gone. Her future has disappeared only once before."

Alec watched the seer, "When?"

Chris looked out the window as his back slid down the wall. "When she met Elijah."

Alec sat on the opposite side watching his loves best friend. "You think I'll hurt her."

Chris's eyes narrowed on Alec. "I've seen ya and yer family since I was four. I know you'll hurt her. I couldn't see her sufferin' with that piece of shit," Chris's voice caught as he looked down at the ground, "I didn't see her gettin' hurt, I didn't see anythang and she hid everythang from me."

Alec watched as tears found their way into the boys eyes. Chris quickly wiped a tear away before he spoke, "I couldn't protect her. I saw her here in Washington but it stopped, I never saw y'all meetin'. I can't fail her again."

Alec nodded finally understanding why Chris loathed him. He was terrified that he would lose his friend this time. Alec remembered Aria telling him in private that for two months she was in a medically induced coma as she healed. When she awoke she saw Chris holding her hand asleep in the chair next to her bed. He planned her fathers funeral, paid for the coffin, held mass and the wake, saw him to his final resting place. Chris wasn't just a friend to Aria she was family, Alec finally understood that.

"I would never hurt her," Alec said softly, "To hurt someone like Aria could only happen if that person was a heartless monster."

Chris looked up at Alec. "Maybe I was wrong about ya Volturi."

Alec smiled happy he finally found some form of common ground between two owners of Arias heart. Alec held out his hand, a sign of the new found peace between the pair. Chris shook his outstretched hand giving it a firm handshake.

"So," Alec started with a smirk, "about my sister then-"

Chris groaned, maybe he should've kept yelling at the vampire.