The Daughter Extraction

Dinner and Disappointment

•LUNA•

I decided to make a casserole and bring it to Alec the next day for dinner. I was glad that my attempt to make dinner for him didn't end up as a complete disaster.

Besides, making casseroles was the only thing I was good at when it came to cooking.

He's definitely going to love this when he tries it.

I wrapped the top of the dish with a thin layer of Glad wrap before slipping it inside a bag.

I quickly turned off the lights inside my small apartment and, just as I was about to leave, my phone started buzzing in my back pocket.

I fished my phone out, and my stomach dropped when I saw Danny's name flashing across the screen.

After a little hesitation, I answered the call while walking out the door and locking it with my room key behind me.

"Hi Danny."

"Hey princess. You doing alright over there?" Danny responded with a hearty tone.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay actually. And how are you?"

"Still the same, I guess." A small pause. "Anyway, how's Agent Stone doing?"

"He's okay."

Another small pause.

I could tell there was something he wanted to say to me but was hesitating a little bit. I started down the staircase to leave the apartment building while waiting for him to talk.

"Your father is worried about you, kiddo."

Oh well, I was expecting that.

"You can tell him that I'm okay, Danny. I'm a grown woman now, and I can take care of myself."

"He knows that." He answered with a little firmness in his tone. "He's just concerned about you spending time over there with Alec. He knows what's going on and he received Alec's medical statement. He thinks it's a bit unsafe for you to be around him right now."

I stopped outside my car and exhaled a sigh.

"Unsafe? Alec is fine, and I feel safer around him than I do at home. You and Dad are so quick to forget that the only reason I'm still alive right now is because of Alec. He protected me and kept me safe. There's no reason for me to feel unsafe around him."

"Luna—"

"Look, I gotta go." I quickly interrupted. "I'm bringing him dinner, so tell Dad that everything is fine. You both need to stop worrying."

"Okay. Take care, Luna."

I ended the call, quickly jumped inside my car, and drove to Alec's place. Despite how hard I tried to distract myself along the drive, Danny's words still echoed in my ears, giving me an uneasy feeling.

OoO

The door was surprisingly open this time. I slowly walked in, looking around, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

The fireplace was lit, and the fire softly crackled, giving a warm glow inside the house.

"Alec?" I called out while placing the bag that contained the casserole dish on the table.

No answer.

"Alec, you home?" I tried again, but still no answer.

Where the hell did he go?

His car was parked outside, so he obviously didn't go into town. My only assumption was that he was probably in the woods or something.

I settled down on the couch and picked up the envelopes scattered on the wooden coffee table in front of me.

They were all addressed to him, letters from some people I've never heard of, and some postcards. I did find one from Martin and saw it was sent two days ago.

Another envelope was already opened, and some Polaroid pictures spilled out when I picked it up. A smile crept up on my face as I shifted through the Polaroids; he was in every picture with some friends.

A couple of them were just him, Blair, and Martin. They really were a tight trio. I flipped to the next one, and it was a shot of him alone.

Smiling at the camera and looking like...the old Alec. I don't think I've ever seen him smile like this before.

It warms my heart to see how happy he looked in all these Polaroids. This was the Alec we all knew and the Alec I had promised myself to fight for the longer I stay here.

I'm going to get him back no matter what.

The door suddenly slammed, and I jumped in surprise. I quickly tucked the Polaroids back inside the envelope and turned towards the door.

Alec walked in without seeing me. He started pulling off his coat, jacket, and shirt one by one and threw them all down on the floor until he was completely topless.

My eyes immediately betrayed me, looking at his bare abs, muscles, and shoulders on display in front of me.

He still hadn't noticed me yet and just stood on the other side of the room, dusting off the snow on his skin before he started pulling his gloves off.

It was only when I decided to stand up and reveal myself that he finally noticed me. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes before they narrowed at me.

"Hi," I softly greeted with an awkward wave.

He clenched his jaw tightly and just ignored me while gathering his clothes from the floor and disappearing inside another hallway.

I walked towards the bag on the counter and slowly pulled out the casserole dish and placed it on the counter. Alec walked back in wearing a new pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

He eyed the casserole dish before pinning his glare on me.

"I brought you dinner."

He stared silently at me, and heat rushed up my neck to my face.

"I made the casserole for you, so I hope you'll like it."

He slightly raised his eyebrow before looking down at the casserole again.

"Thanks. Now I have something to feed the strays outside."

My heart dropped at what he said. I struggled to say something else, but he turned around and walked towards the door. He opened it and stood to the side, waiting for me to leave.

I swallowed my pain and slowly walked towards the door. I stopped by his side and forced a smile on my face.

"Don't throw it away. At least try it and let me know what you think tomorrow."

He scoffed at me while frowning.

"Was I not being clear enough that I do not want to see you around here?" He snapped at me.

I remained composed and just stared back at him, meeting his glaring eyes head-on.

"Just leave me alone, Luna. I mean it. You can forget about coming back here tomorrow."

Before I had the chance to say anything, he pushed me out through the door and slammed it in my face. I scoffed in frustration.

Okay, rude.

But this is what I signed up for, so I should not take it personally with the way he was treating me now. He'll come around soon.

I'll just give him more time to come to his senses. So, I am definitely coming back tomorrow whether he likes it or not.