Melody

2:23

This was how his life should have been. Raven would be unbearable if she ever learned that she really had been right all along. She was born for this, Alexander wasn't. He didn't feel any guilt at all now. As he laid Melody in a rocking chair so he could run a bath for her, he checked on his mother as she did the same for Ansley.

James was staying with Robin and her family tonight. James adored his older cousins, and seeing how other people lived their everyday lives. He was a nosey kid, Alexander hoped he didn't drive his very controlled sister insane overnight. James was more in tune with his grandmother or Lark. Almost like Robin could feel his worry, Alexander's phone buzzed with a notification, he checked and saw a video of a wide grinning James holding a Mario Kart Steering wheel in his small hands, his face aglow with joy as he tried to play with his older cousins, who were laughing at his eager attempts to widely steer around the course. The sound of generations, and blended families all laughing together, with his son was almost enough to bring tears to Alexander's eyes with how perfect his family was.

His eyes moved from the joy that was captured on the small screen of his phone, towards Melody. Blood stained, pale, her hair in tangles that would take ages to carefully comb out. His sweet Melody, his mostly all bark, firecracker mate, had killed someone today. This was going to be hell on her. Alexander had to push down his own feelings, to focus on Melody. He made sure everything was ready, her favorite soaps, the washcloths she preferred, the fluffiest towel and weird hair turban she tied up her wet hair with. He was certain he had everything he needed. Alexander undressed himself, deciding to throw out his clothes. He didn't want any memories of today coming back to trigger him later. Alexander Methodically and carefully undressed Melody, throwing the blood stained clothes directly into the trash. She didn't have shoes on, the well worn sneakers she loved must have been taken from her. The ones he had intended to replace anyways. The socks were muddy ruins from her run down the hill. Everything was soaked in blood, down to her bra, panties, all of it. Not a stitch of what they wore today would stay in this house he decided. He might burn it tonight really just to expunge it from the world completely.

Alexander carried Melody into the shower first. Her eyes had opened when he had been undressing her, but she didn't move or say anything. Alexander remembered this from the last time. Shock, she was in shock. He took Melody into the spacious walk in shower of their ensuite. Sitting her on the teak wood bench as he started the laborious process of washing her hair until the water no longer ran red with blood.

He did his best to ignore the obvious chunks and splatters of brain matter as he went. Hoping the drain was up to the task and making a mental note to have a plumber come and check the drains as soon as possible. There was no smell of gunpowder on her, however she had killed someone such that their brains were in her hair, she had done it with her hands. His heart broke. She still cried at Disney movies she watched with the kids. Hell Randy had to assault and torture her for an hour before she hit him once back in high school. She was a bright shiny person. She wasn't ever supposed to have to kill someone.

Alexander was finally satisfied that her hair was clean. Moving on to gently wash her face, she cooperated as he did the fiddly part of trying to wash off her day makeup, black trails of mascara tracing down her cheeks to be washed away with everything else tainting her skin. He sat beside her, pretending he didn't see the silent tears trailing down her face, using her small nail brush, he scrubbed under her nails until the tips were the natural off white color with not a speck of dark underneath. Her tears were coming faster, rivers down her cheeks, the smell of salt hitting his nose in the freshwater. He continued to wash her skin, until she was finally clean. The scent of blood vanishing down the drain.

Alexander carried Melody, their wet bodies dripping over the stone floor, lowering them both into the waiting bath. As he settled them into the warm deep water, scented with lavender, jasmine and rose, Melody broke down in body wracking sobs, turning to clutch at him as she pressed her cheek to his chest. He held her in his arms. "You have been through a storm and your body needs to feel it, let the storm hit Melody" He whispered in her ear. Holding her close as everything that had happened, all she had been through washed through her. "Sometimes we need to feel the storm."