Eli had been avoiding his family as if they were the plague. He was among those who didn’t know him one bit. They didn’t know about his reputation nor did they treat him as some sort of outcast because he didn’t fit the norm of what a Mossos was supposed to be. Even Ava, as much as she tried to deny it, was a proper Mossos. Eli, however, refused to portray himself as anything that he wasn’t. There wasn’t anything or anyone that could force him to act in any other way that wasn’t 100% Elijah Mossos.

So, of course, he had taken deliberate routes through the house to ensure they didn’t see him. The only exception to this was Georgios, but he was the only one that didn’t seem to really hate him all that much. After a short conversation with him, Eli had made his escape. And he found it in the garden. “Finally some peace and quiet.” He let out a sigh, walking a few steps to get a better view of it. He didn’t really give two shits about flowers, but the fresh air was welcomed. Though, as he had, he took notice to a woman who was enjoying a smoke all by herself. It was that same one from before. The one who had arrived with the human-sized mouse. “Got an extra?”




It had seemed like an eternity. Every moment spent enjoying one another’s company in any way, shape, or form that was physically or emotionally possible, these two had done it. Alexandros, when it called for it, was a gentle lover. And the reverse was the case when he needeed to take control. Both had chances to dominate the other while they also had more tender, submissive moments. To put it quite simply, it was like heaven between the sheets.

And when it had all been said and done and the two were laying beside each other, Audrey had asked the million-dollar question that had been on Alexandros’ mind since they finished. After all of the fun and games and the equal opportunities they took to hurt each other, what happened next? There was no going back from this point, that much was certain. Neither of them knew the other knew, whatever this was, it was a turning point in their relationship. As toxic as it had been, up until this point, it was nothing but a game of cat and mouse, but now Tom and Jeri had ceased fire and formed a pact with each other. This pact included some very real feelings.

So, truly, what will you do, Alexandros?

He took a moment to think about it. And then he took a few more. Before he realized it, Alexandros had been quiet for over three minutes. He occasionally looked over at her, thinking he was going to respond, but he smiled at her. He didn’t want to worry her, but truth was he honestly didn’t know how to answer this question. Or maybe he didn’t want to answer it. He knew exactly what this meant.

He turned his head to face hers, still smiling at her. “You’ve always been an impatient woman,” he noted, laughing slightly, “but I suppose this means we can’t go back to the way things were before, now can we?” That was rhetorical. Of course, he knew they couldn’t go back to what they were prior to this happening. “Then, I guess this means we’re...official.”

Saying those words actually made his heart lose a beat. Of all people, Alexandros Mossos, the womanizer of the West Side, was off the market. He was in a relationship.

What on God’s green earth just happened?

“It’s best to start young,” Elijah commented, leaning somewhat closer to Heather so that she would light up the cigarette in his mouth.

As he had inhaled slowly, breathing in that addictive smoke and letting it naturally(albeit slowly) flow out of his mouth, he remained relaxed as he saw the garden in front of him. Even with the limited lighting that it had from the lamp posts spread throughout and the partial sunlight the sun was giving due to it being mostly cloudy, it presented a nice atmosphere for the perfect smoke break. Odds were that Eli wouldn’t be able to relax like he was once he went back inside, so he was savoring this moment.

And it didn’t hurt to have an aesthetically-pleasing woman as company.

He took just a few more moments to enjoy what was in his hand, though as he had turned his head a slight turn, he was just now noticing her. Long, dark locks cascaded down her neck and shoulders that only put a spotlight on her slightly-tanned skin. Something about the way the fluorescent light had shown on her face at just the exact moment she had turned to face him, which as probably an instinctual reaction to him glancing at her whilst she was facing a quarter of the opposite direction. Whichever it was, despite her now looking at him, Eli didn’t utilize a common technique that most would avoid eye contact.

That simply wasn’t his speed. He kept his gaze, even offering her a smirk. As much as he didn’t like to admit it, he was indeed a Mossos. The flirtatious gene coursed through his veins as much as it had with Alexandros and even Georgie, though the latter wasn’t of the same variety that Eli and Alex seemed to be.

“You don’t seem to be as uptight as the rest of the Huntsberg clan.” Elijah offered up his observation about Heather. “Or you could be really good at hiding it.” He let that thought consume his mind for a moment. When he did, it didn’t make sense for her to be out here alone if she truly was faking the disgust about how upbeat the rest of her family was.

Alexandros literally heard little to nothing Audrey had said for the past five minutes. His ears were still trying to regain their hearing back after what initially sounded like a cat trying to sing over nails on a chalkboard. However, only was it that he saw Audrey moved her lips in response that he had put two and two together. That supposed screeching cat had to have been someone of her family. As for who it might’ve been, Alex didn’t know. All he knew was that she did seem to look like Audrey. There was a slight resemblance, so maybe it was a cousin or some other kind of distant relative.

After the exchange between the two of them seemed to end and Alexandros had since regained his hearing back(he didn’t actually lose it but the shock of that human screecher sure made it seem like he did), he had since then got out of Audrey’s bed and got dressed. It was at the perfect time too, since Audrey had done so herself. The entire time, they were looking at each other. The temptation to forget everyone downstairs and just barricade themselves in the room was an all-time high, but Alexandros knew better than anyone else to leave a bad taste in the hosts of a party he was attending. Besides, he couldn’t disappoint his girlfriend’s family, now could he?

“There’s always be more time for that,” he said, winking suggestively towards Audrey.

Just moments later, as the loud, screechy voice of whom Audrey had informed Alexandros was her cousin, Delilah, had gone room to room, informing all that dinner was about to start. Well, it wasn’t ready this moment, but those who were elsewhere, be it in the bathroom, back patio like Elijah was, or just not in the dining room, that little chipmunk of a woman sounded like Alvin from ALvin and the Chipmunks and moved like a cheetah traversing through the savannah. It was only when she had seemed to gather all from their desired locations, who all were emulating each other and were digging into their ears, doubtless checking to see if their hearing was still in check.

“She does this often, doesn’t she?” Alexandros commented lowly as he and Audrey rejoined the party in the foyer, to which he saw the rest of his family. The entire bunch had waved at the couple minus Eli, though he did give them a slight nod.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Eli said, confirming her suspicions.

Heather didn't suit her at all. Heather was the name of a dainty, little princess. Heather was the name someone gave their child if they wanted them to be the perfect doll in front of the cameras. It was what the famous actress, Heather Locklear was named and it was the name that all of those who had come after her had been given as a way to carry on that legacy. no, Eli didn't agree that it fit her, though, despite what he felt about that name, something that was obvious to him was that she wore that name with pride and made it into something that no one could associate with what it had actually sounded like.

Of course, it wasn't as though he couldn't relate to that. Being named Elias was a joke. He was a Greek-Italian-American, sure, but did he act like one? Not a chance. He looked like one, sure, but nowhere in his distant personality did it say that he was like his brother or father or mother. If anything, the one he had the most in common with was Ava and his Uncle Gabriel. Both exhibited the same qualities that he did. Ava hated how the Mossos' were often presented as the perfect family when the rumors of mob-related activity was always brought up in police investigations not only by the local police by the FBI. They had tried to bring up a RICO case, but nothing came of it. And, of course, his mother's brother, Gabriel DiVale, had been blacklisted from seeing any of his nieces and nephews because of how blatant he had been in his illegal activities. Apparently, his mother felt it would be bad for Mossos' image to the public.

What a load of crap, that was.

"Here is my life tale: Black sheep son of Adrianna DiVale and Baltazar Mossos. Not as disrespectful as Ava but nowhere near the prime example that Alexandros sets. they accept Ava for who she is. She might be a bitch sometimes and frequently causes them the most grief, but they accept her for her. Alexandros is the favorite." Elijah felt himself just ranting. "He screws up time and time again, but no matter what happens, he gets their vote of confidence." He continued, "he doesn't know the concept of a condom nor does he understand how to fuck in moderation. DEspite that, our mother had a talk with Audrey on his behalf and I bet they're upstairs fucking as if nothing's happened." Before he realized it, Elijah had been speaking way too loud for it to be just a passing rant. It was also that he looked at Heather, who seemed to be unknowingly the recipient of what sounded like an angry rant. "Whatever. Fuck them, that's what I say." Eli let out a low snarl at the thought of his family, taking in a puff of smoke before tossing his cig onto the ground and destroying the evidence with the tip of his foot.

Because he got so worked up, Eli now felt like he was craving another smoke. Or maybe he was in the mood for something just a little stronger. Part of him would feel bad for getting high at someone else’s party. He might’ve been a lot of things, but he didn’t want to bring attention to himnself, which of course had him reconsidering what he was about to do. That was, of course, until he heard the Human Screech yell once more, this time calling all partygoers that the feast was almost ready. That was all of the motivation that he needed. Plus, if he was going to make it through the evening with Heather’s sister running her mouth, he would need a little extra help.

“Heather, as much as I love cigarettes, they don’t take the edge off like they usually do. And I’m betting that, given how loud that sister of yours is, you might need something a little extra,” Eli said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small vial that had some white powder in it. “What do you say? Care to make this evening a bit more exciting?” He asked her, lightly waving the vial in the air as way to tempt her.

As the extended families of Huntsberg and Duclerc were called by the matriarch of the former, Alexandros saw the lack of attention that she was getting by those in the foyer, surmising that either they were too immersed in their own conversation to give her the time of day or she simply didn’t speak loud enough. For a moment, Alexandros was unsure what to do. He was a stranger in their house, so it wasn’t like the appropriate thing to do was be the first one to heed her call. However, there was also a part of him that felt bad for her.

A long minute went by and no one did nothing. Alexandros’ mind was telling him to move despite none thinking the same thing as he. Before he would even get the chance to do what he was going to do regardless, the familiar chirpings of a dainty brunette sounded off once more. The screeching sounds like a mouse with a megaphone repeated what her aunt said. Thanks to that, everyone took notice.

The families all walked into the main dining room. Alexandros couldn’t help but respect that cousin of Audrey’s. For such a little person to have such a loud voice and make people notice her, she was definitely related to Audrey. She demanded attention and whether or not people around her approved of her way going about it, Delilah Duclerc didn’t care. She had pride in her voice (as she should be). Alexandros respected that, though it wasn’t without consequences. He, once again, found himself struggling to hear. It didn’t last longer than a few, long moments. By the time he joined the others, he could hear.

After waiting only a few minutes for Elisabetha to decide the seating arrangements, most of the seats had been filled by the people in attendance. Alexandros couldn’t help but notice the absence of his darling brother. Knowing him, he was off elsewhere not giving any care to how it made their mother look. Alexandros took the time to subtlety look over to her and, though she appeared to be unaffected, there was a shine in her eye that Alexandros knew exactly what it meant. Eli was toast.

Alexandros felt bad that he was going to enjoy seeing his brother get it good, but at the end of the day, it was his own fault for bringing it upon himself. Whatever hell was pulled out of Pandora’s Box, he knew Eli wouldn’t be able to sweet talk his way out of it.

Food had been served and the families proceeded to eat and converse. The volumes were surprisingly calm with all of the people around. Truth be told, Alexandros thought these bunch would be a bit louder. Everything he had heard about hispanic families made him believe they were a rowdy bunch. But, as he had a keen ear on those who surrounded him, aside from a few, they were generally tame. Disappointment was obvious on his face, though perhaps that was what he got for making assumptions.

A mental note had been made. It would be cut short, of course, because Alexandros heard Audrey’s father speak directly to them. He made some comment about how they spoke earlier and Alexandros saw how that threw Audrey for a loop. He shouldn’t have been enjoying this, but the way she had to think of a bullshit excuse was priceless. Would she tell him about them or find some other reason to explain their acquaintance?

What indeed, Audrey?

When she finally started talking, Alexandros had this amused look on his face. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this. She could tell her father a bunch of things. She could say that he was the school womanizer and that they had slept together. She could’ve told him that they had just done it in her room a few times before coming down to join the rest of the guests. But no, she obviously couldn’t bring herself to do it. Alex saw it. She was going to choose the coward’s way out.

He had to hide his chuckle by subtly covering his mouth with his hand, though, he noticed that Ava saw what he was doing. She gave him a suspicious look. He gave one back, though it was to non-verbally tell her to shut up whatever she was thinking. Their eyes kept a deep lock on each other for the longest Mossos moment ever to exist. The only reason it was broken was because Arthur had addressed Alexandros after hearing what Audrey had to say.

“Yes, this is all true.” He confirmed what Audrey said, “but what your daughter failed to mention..” As Alexandros spoke, it seemed that every eye at the table was on him, though for the longest, brief moment, his eyes went elsewhere. The sight of his brother and Delilah’s sister caught his attention. They had just walked in and though no one at the table would know, Alexandros could tell exactly what was wrong with the way they talked and the way they seemed to be smiling. Even without hearing it from their mouths, he could tell they were high.

As the family would look at Alex curiously, as if wondering what he was going to say next, he collected himself and continued, “as I was going to say, when I had my first day at the school, she was the best guide. She showed me...exactly what I wanted to see.” He told Arthur, giving Audrey but a single look.

Both of them knew exactly what he meant. His family knew what he meant, but her family didn’t know. At the very least, that was a saving grace for Audrey. Perhaps now she would know he was entirely serious about them. Embarrassing her in front of her entire family would’ve been the one thing the old Alex would’ve done. But this wasn’t the old Alex. He was a new, understanding Alexandros Mossos. Whether that would stay the same throughout the dinner remained to be seen, but right now, Alex didn’t give Audrey any reason to doubt him. And better yet, he gave this image of him to her family that he was a good boy.

If only they knew...