On My Own | Hale - TVD/TO/TW [4]

18 | Runaway Adventure

"So, pesky little hunter was no big deal?" Lexi asks with the phone nestled between her shoulder and her face as she lugs boxes into her car. The trunk, already full of cardboard, struggles to shut, even with Lexi's added weight.

"Nik took care of it," Rebekah replies. "How's your Alpha situation?"

"Dealt with," Lexi replies. "Now, I do believe I'm truly free of responsibility. I'm thinking Europe? Maybe Bora Bora? Some sort of beach, but it must have some sort of forest as well. Oh! And a library." She chuckles as she finally manages to close her trunk. "I plan on rereading all my favorites."

"You're not coming back?"

"To see Elena as a vampire? No."

Rebekah pauses. "What about me? And Nik?"

"Nik does not want to see me," Lexi sighs as she glances at the Beacon Hills Preserve so close to her car—the trees she once ran by, the leaves she once watched change color. "And, honestly, I do not want to see him. Not yet, anyway."

"So, your plan is to, what? Find a beach in the middle of nowhere? Settle down? Find a nice man or woman?"

Lexi shakes her head. "I don't think I can even fathom a partner anymore. Everyone I care about has betrayed me, except for you. Or they hate my lying guts. I'm not sure I trust anyone anymore. But you have the beach part right."

"Got room for two more?"

Lexi frowns, turning to find Cora standing behind her with a duffle bag at her feet. Derek jogs up behind her with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Cora, seriously—" he starts.

She shushes him, pushing his chest. "You don't remember. I do."

Lexi drops the phone. It shatters on the concrete below her as she gapes at Cora. "Y-You what?"

Cora grins. "Hey, Lexi." She twirls her fingers in a wave. "Been a long time."

"H-How?" Lexi glances at Derek. "Do you—?"

"He's clueless," Cora laughs. "I, however, remember everything. And, I want to catch up. After all, you've saved our asses enough times."

Lexi stares at them both. "I-you-I—"

Cora leans over towards Derek. "I think we broke her," she jokes. "She never did like when things didn't go according to plan."

Stepping up to Cora slowly, Lexi narrows her eyes. "Please tell me you're joking."

Cora shakes her head. "I must have died for a few seconds, so all that compulsion went away. Perks of dying, right?"

"Do you understand how much danger you're in right now?" Lexi exclaims. "There is a reason—"

"You do what you do, I know." Cora waves her hand. "But Mikael's gone. And Jennifer is gone. And Mikael 2.0 is gone. We're fine. So, you got room for us or not?"

Clenching her jaw, Lexi crosses her arms after scooping up her phone. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

Cora shakes her head with a grin. "Great! This is all we have, so we can fit it in the back seat." Stepping around Lexi, she throws the back door open and climbs inside. "Get your asses in the car!"

Meeting Derek's gaze, Lexi shifts her weight. "What did she tell you?"

"Not much, to be honest," he replies. "I think she's waiting until we're stuck in a car together."

"Absolutely!" Cora shouts. "Now, come on! We're losing daylight!"

Lexi sighs as she scoops up her shattered phone. "This is going to be a long car ride."