Rise and Shine

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen

Alek had been spending much of each day at the hospital, stewing silently in Lex’s private room. Whenever a Ministry official came by, he was not as silent, letting them have a piece of his mind about their effectiveness and idiocy that caused this whole disaster. When he wasn’t at the hospital one of his pack was there. It had been a trying ordeal making the guard outside Lex’s room understand that it did not matter that his man wasn’t family and wasn’t an Auror, he would be permitted to wait with Lex in Alek’s absence. In the end, Alek had won the argument. And the subsequent arguments.

Today, Alek was by her side. The doctor was looking over her charts and checking her vitals, nodding his head and making approving noises. "Well, she seems to be improving," the man said in a jovial manner.

"When will she wake up?"

"Sadly, I can't say for certain. But she's making progress. I expect she'll be up soon. Hang in there." The man patted Alek on the shoulder sympathetically, but Alek jerked his arm away and scowled at the man. The doctor frowned as he left the room. Alek returned to his seat and stared fretfully at his sister.

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

Lex felt heavy, but suddenly clear, as if her body and mind had been struggling for consciousness and yet the potions had kept her under. They had been lessening the doses daily as her body healed.

"I can hear you scowling." Lex frowned at the sound of her voice which was scratchy and extremely dry.

"What happened?" she tried again struggling to sit up and open her eyes.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

Alek leaped from his chair and rushed to Lex's bed. Her eyes were open. Alek sighed, relieved. "Don't be a hero," he scolded her. "Lie down."

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

"Don't tell me what to do." she ordered and frowned, "And why the bloody hell do I sound like a dying cat?" she was frustrated, still in pain, and her memories causing the incident hadn't returned yet. All she knew was that her brother was there and being a loving pain in the ass as usual.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

Alek smirked as she scolded him back. He wouldn't normally permit such behavior to go unaddressed, but he was happy she was awake so he'd let her have that one. "I don't hear the difference," he taunted. 

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

She wanted to reply that he was growing deaf in his old age, but her voice wouldn't cooperate. She reached for the water at the side of the bed, and groaned in pain.

Suddenly memories began to surface. Dorian. Christine. The Impostor. Christine.

"Christine." she said, panic making her eyes wide.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

Alek's joy at Lex's wakening was tampered by her panic about the woman she'd nearly died protecting. The same woman Dorian had had a meltdown over last time Lex had said her name. Dorian had insisted that he be notified immediately upon Lex's stirring, but Alek would not be taking orders, especially from his bastard half-brother. "The Aurors are handling it. Calm down."

Alek helped Lex to sit up a bit so that she could drink her water. Her voice really did sound terrible and she was clearly in pain. 

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

She drank viciously, but then pushed the water away. She was too weak to get out of bed, but that didn't stop her from trying, "Oh God..." she cried, "He got her didn't he? How long have I been out?" she asked gripping Alek's arms.

There was panic and sadness deep in her eyes, and guilt, so much guilt.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

"Lie down," he said roughly, but making no movements to physically restrain her. She was weak. He was certain that she'd tire herself out just attempting to swing her feet over the edge of the bed, and he didn't want to hurt her further by manhandling her.

"It's been a few days," he answered.

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

"A few days?" she repeated in shock, while she tried to process the last few moments of consciousness that she had had during the attack. Her eyes were wide and fearful, she looked up at Alek, "Do they...have they found her?" she asked afraid of the answer.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

Alek was conflicted. He hadn't wanted Lex to insert herself into Ministry business in the first place, especially not as a way to get closer to their half-brother. But Lex was passionate about her mission to protect this Christine woman. His emotions battled for dominance and finally he decided to simply tell her as much of the truth as he knew. 

Alek knew from Dorian's outburst that the girl had been taken by the serial killer. Alek had no idea if they had been able to find her yet, or even if they had any clues. He suspected not, as the Ministry was full of imbeciles who couldn't find their dicks if they were holding them. "I think they're still looking." He managed a somewhat sympathetic tone, which was quite a struggle as he really couldn't care less about the Ministry's problems.

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

She looked up with hope, "Then she's not-" she couldn't get the word past her mouth, "I mean she might still be alive then." she knew the killer liked to make a display, and with a capture of this magnitude, he wouldn't leave that to chance. Lex became very excited.

"Where are they looking? I have to-" she felt faint as she tried to stand and fell back sitting on the bed.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

"You don't have to do anything," he said with a low growl. "You've done more than enough for that woman. You do realized you almost died!"

Alek didn't have the answers to her questions, and he knew that she would keep asking until someone told her. Alek also knew that if he couldn't provide her the answers she wanted, she'd make a request of him that he wasn't prepared to fulfill. 

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

Lex looked at him stubbornly, the way only a sister could look at a brother - more pronounced due to their being twins - and shook her head with determination.

She thought about where they could be looking, and where the most likely spot for Christine to be. She remembered that one of the pack remembered smelling humans out near the woods when he had turned. She knew that Alek had likely moved the pack if they were looking in the woods too. "The woods." she said looking up at him to see if he would give anything away.

She tried to get up again, but her strength failed her and she ended up reaching out for him.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

His eyes narrowed and he exhaled loudly as Lex mentioned the woods. The MLE were swarming there, hunting for the missing girl. It wasn't safe for his pack there any longer and they were forced to move. But he had no plans to interfere with their search. That would only lead to trouble for the wolves.

He caught her as she struggled to get up. By the end of the day Alek's face would be permanently stuck in a combination of concern and utter frustration for his sister. "Merlin's beard, you are persistent," he remarked exacerbated. "Get in bed, lie down, and stay there. If you can manage that, sister dear, I will send a party out to the woods. But only to appease you."

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

Lex laid down, tears of frustration in her eyes at her own weakness. She looked up when Alek said he would send a scavenging party out for her. Lex didn't have much strength but she had enough to reach for him, "Please Alek." she whispered desperation in her eyes, "Please. You go. You're the strongest and the best of the pack please."

She wasn't paying him lip service either. Alek had earned his rightful place as leader. He was stronger, faster, deadlier than anyone else in the Eiriksen pack. He truly was the alpha male. He was even more powerful than their father, it was the veela blood that gave him quite an edge, but the psychological scarring their father had inflicted upon Alek often held him back.

Lex gripped him tightly, "Please, she's my friend, Alek." she begged.

This wasn't about the ministry or work. Lex had developed a relationship with Christine. Growing up as they did only Alek could understand the loneliness Lex had felt for most of her life. But there was more. When they were younger Lex had developed a relationship with one of the other wolves. The girl, Rebekah, was shy and definitely lacked the strength and killer instinct of the Eiriksen wolves. Of course their father couldn't abide weakness in anyone in his pack. One full moon as the wolves were out, Lex heard a piercing howl. She didn't think much of it until morning when the wolves came back and Rebekah wasn't among them. Lex had begged their father to go out after her, but he refused. It wasn't until later that Rebekah's body was found, her leg nearly torn in half by a vicious trap set out for the wolves. She had died in pain and alone, and Lex had never recovered.

From that day Lex kept her distance from anyone except her brother. Until now. Until Christine.

[Aleksander “Alek” Eiriksen]

"Garin can manage to-" Alek stopped short as Lex pleaded for the sake of her friend. His chest tightened as she pleaded with him. Neither of them had many friends growing up. Anytime Alek made friends with another wolf his age, his father would kick him and scream that he had no leadership skills. "Leaders don't have friends. They have subordinates. You pathetic piece of..." 

Alek knew that Lex had also struggled to make friends after Rebekah's death. She had basically given up. And while Alek enjoyed the time this afforded him with his sister, he knew it was selfish of him to wish a friendless life upon his sister. 

"In bed," he ordered. "If you put so much as one toe out from under that blanket, I'm done looking."

[Aleksandra "Lex" Eiriksen]

Lex laid back down and relaxed putting complete faith in her brother. There was nothing she could do in the woods that he wouldn't be able to do much faster, especially in her state. No one knew the woods the way the wolves did, if Christine was out there Alek would find her.

She had to hope that Christine was still alive, it wasn't fair for Lex to lose the second friend she had ever had. As for M, she almost hoped he ran into Alek.

She loved her brother, and she was the only one to know his softness. The huge potential for love and care that he had inside of him, that was still stronger than their father's beatings, but buried deep down inside beneath the scars. But to the outside world, and in particular to an enemy, Alek was the last person she'd want to have to fight. She'd rather go another ten rounds with M, then face her brother as a true adversary.