C1 One

The pain was too much sometimes. She felt like it was trying to suffocate her, that's why she'd left. Giving her parents the excuse that she wanted to study abroad, Alexis had packed her bags and moved across the continent to put distance between her and the place that reminded her of the good memories she had of him.. When she'd met him, she'd been at the hospital battling Leukemia and he hadn't wasted any time or lied to her. He'd told her who he was and why he was there and immediately she'd felt a connection with him. He had been her savior back then, telling her everything will be fine as long as he was there. He'd taken her fears away and given her hope. But now he was gone.

Two years later, she thought it would be easier to come back. Easier to breathe in and not feel so much pain but she was wrong. It hadn't lessened. While she had been in London, she'd found it easier to forget. There were no memories there or places that reminded her of him. As each day passed, she'd learned to live again, to be happy, to smile and remember him fondly. That's why she'd come back. Because she thought it would be a bit easier since she'd overcome the pain. But seeing a child pass by holding their grandfather's hand had transported Alexis back to when she was a child, going from one store to another to shop for her brother's things. Jim had let her pick anything she wanted even if they weren't necessarily for her brother's. They'd picked so much that her mother had forbidden them from buying anything more. Jim. His name alone brought tears to her eyes. It still hadn't registered that he was gone. She refused to believe he had left.

Sucking in air, she stopped taking in her surroundings. She had booked a hotel room, wanting to leave immediately if it was all too much which is why she hadn't told anyone she was back yet and she wanted to keep it that way. A few days was all she needed. To be Alexis before she went back to being the Rutherford Princess. Jim had dubbed her that once while speaking to the press and it had stuck. Only her parents called her Alexis now. Her younger brothers called her Lexi, something they'd done ever since they were young because they couldn't pronounce Alexis. And the rest called her RP. She hated it as much as she loved it. It was a love and hate relationship. Right then, hate was what she felt for being the Rutherford Princess. She couldn't walk down the street without people staring at her or the papparazi following her. She had to resort to wearing a disguise like she was right then. A black wig to cover her blonde hair and a cap just in case someone had sharp eyes and recognized her.

Looking left and right, she wondered what she was going to do. She couldn't go back to that hotel room. It was suffocating and she didn't want to go home just yet. So she kept walking with no destination in mind until she saw a motorcycle shop. She always wanted one but her parents wouldn't let her buy one. But now she could. She was twenty-three with a trust fund that could last her two lifetimes and she was definitely getting one. Walking hastily to the shop, she got in and looked. around. Her brother Jayden had taught her how to ride one behind their parent's back, after making her swear she wouldn't tell anyone he was the one who'd taught her. According to him, she got away with anything but they paid a very heavy price if they were caught doing something wrong. To some extent it was true, but she was never going to admit that to him.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" a middle-aged man asked approaching her.

"Yes. Do you have anything feminine?"

"What's your budget?"

Alexis scoffed "I don't have one. I just want something easy and girly. Don't think about the price" with eyes as wide as saucers, the salesman scrambled to show her different types of bikes, but only one caught Alexis's eye. Black, sleek, stylish. That's all she saw. "That one" she pointed out at it walking towards it. She sat on it, testing how it would feel under her and for some weird reason she had this urgent need to buy it. So she did. After an hour of signing papers and promising the manager she'd come back if he kept his mouth shut about who she was, she took the bike for a ride. It was shiny and she felt it was only right to finish her look with a leather jacket. Instead of going back to the hotel to retrieve the one she had there, she just bought another one. Then sped away. It was exhilarating

The adrenaline rush she felt from being in charge of the powerful engine beneath her made her forget about everything else. She stepped on the gas, thankful that it was starting to get dark outside and traffic was dwindling. So immersed in her thoughts she didn't see another biker speed to catch up with her until he passed her honking. Looking up, Alexis took that as a challenge and increased her speed. They raced, each taking a lead before the other did. She was having fun, kicking the guy's ass until a police car appeared behind them. Cursing, they both stopped, the guy insisting to park in front of her just to show off. The cop got out of the car walking towards them with purpose. "License and registration please" Alexis blinked.

"Does my driving license count?" she asked the police who just looked at her. "Right" she took it out of her jacket handing the small rectangular card and paper to him. He looked at the photo on it then back to her.

"Take off your cap please," he said still looking from the papers in his hand to her. She'd forgotten she was wearing a wig covering up her blonde hair. Pulling both the wig and cap off, she shook her head from side to side, letting her natural hair bounce. She heard a gasp come from the guy she was competing with and turning her head she blinked in shock.

"Ray?"

"Lexi? When did you get back?"

"You idiot" she groaned.

"Okay. Both of you, you're coming with me to the station"

"What!?" they both asked in disbelief

"You heard me. I can't let you go knowing who you are"

"And who are we?" that from Raymond

"Rich kids who have no regards for their lives or the lives of those around them."

"But.... I...... I.... "

"Get used to it cuz," Raymond said chuckling. Alexis gritted her teeth wanting to sock that idiot. He hadn't changed one bit except getting bigger. And apparently being escorted to the police station was a routine for him since he didn't mind. She would bet his father had instructed the cops to pick him up whenever they caught him on the wrong. Dammit, she wasn't ready to go back home.

"What about my bike?"

"Follow me and if you even think of running off I'll hunt you down and lock you up without caring who you are"

"Aargh, I hate you. This is all your fault" she growled slamming on her helmet. She should have known it was Raymond, judging by the way he flew past her. Damn him. She knew from experience that there was no talking her way out of that one. They were going too fast and the cop was doing them a favor by not giving them a ticket.

"Watsup man. What did you do this time?" the police behind the desk at reception asked Ray as they were walking in.

"I met a pretty lady who's leading me down the wrong path. The things we do for love" he sighed and Alexis had an overwhelming urge to knock his teeth out. She just wanted to forget everything for a while but now she was about to get an earful. "Do you have coffee?"

The nerve of him. "What do you think this is, a fucking hotel?" Alexis asked throwing him a glare.

"Wow. Even mad you're still so pretty. And why are you even mad? It's not like I forced you to follow me. You turned this into a competition, not me"

"I turned this into a competition? You jerk. You're the one who overtook me blaring your horn like a mad man. You didn't have to show off"

"Always blaming someone else for your mistakes Alexis. I thought the world out there would make you grow up but you're still the spoiled brat I remember." he scoffed leaning on the desk. The guy behind it watched them in amusement sensing this is how they fought and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Spoiled brat? You're twenty-five and the police have to bring you in every time they catch you in the wrong because they can't trust you enough to send you home. The only reason I'm here is because of you. I did nothing wrong"

"Except you were overspeeding"

"Right beside you, you moron"

"I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee. Want one?"

Alexis stomped her feet. The only reason she wasn't beating the crap out of him was that she didn't want to add assault to her list of offenses. They were in a police station full of men who had guns. Maybe she could steal one and blow Ray's brains out. That imbecile. Deciding to ignore him, she sat on one of the waiting chairs by the door and held her face in her hands. They definitely called Vince who had probably called her parents and she could imagine them breaking all traffic rules to get there. They were going to be mad at her for not telling them she was back. One of these days she was going to put Raymond Lachlan in his place. She peeked at him between her fingers.

He was talking to another cop holding a glass of coffee. It looked like the guys here knew who he was and were fond of him judging by how they laughed together. He'd filled out his T-shirt in the two years she was gone. The black V-neck molded his body, stretching across his chest. His hands looked like they wanted to rip the material because of how big they were. As if feeling her gaze on her, he turned their eyes colliding. She should have looked away but Alexis wasn't one to shy away. She stared back at him not willing to look away first. Why the hell was he looking at her like that? As if..... His eyes shifted looking behind her before she could decipher what that look meant. Then he smirked shrugging his shoulders and Alexis turned to see who he was looking at. Vince. And he was furious his eyes on his son. He hadn't seen her yet so she looked back at Ray who gestured to her with his eyebrows.

"Alexis?" Vince asked from above her. She would deal with that idiot later.

"Hey Vince" she got up walking to his outstretched arms that went around her squeezing the life out of her.

"When did you get back? How are you, princess?"

"She's a lawbreaker now. What do ya know?" Ray said his voice sounding like he was beside his father. When had he walked over?

"Quiet. What did you make her do Raymond?"

"It's not always my fault you know. It's not like she's perfect"

"Alexis would never break the law unless you coerced her. She's an upstanding citizen unlike some people I know" Vince said his arm now around her shoulders. Alexis stuck her tongue out at Ray who just shook his disapprovingly. "Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me you were back?"

"I haven't told anyone."

"Did you just get here? Where's your luggage?"

"It's at.... "

"Princess! You're back" Nick said walking in with JR hot on his heels. He pulled her from Vince and hugged her for a second before JR pushed him aside, to get to her. "Hey I wasn't done yet"

"You have two daughters Nick. Leave mine alone" he said pushing her hair out of her face. "Hey"

"Hey dad." she tightened her arms around him and he did the same, resting his chin on top of her head. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until he hugged her.

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And just like that, they'd forgotten he was there with them. Alexis had that effect on people. Everyone loved and adored her. She stole the spotlight wherever she went. That's why she was known as America's Princess. Ray stood aside looking on as his father and his friends doted on her, fighting for her attention. The second they saw her, they all forgot they were in a police station or why they were there in the first place. He remembered how he used to envy her when they were kids. Everyone had worshiped her and he couldn't see why since she was like every other kid out there. Nothing about her was special. That was until he'd seen her walk down the stairs on her fifteenth birthday. Then he had understood why everyone wanted to be her friend or even talk to her for a minute. She was so beautiful and had made him forget how to breathe. She still was. Only she wasn't a child anymore. She'd grown up to a stunning woman.

Ray had almost fallen off his bike when she took off the black wig and cap she had on. Yes, he'd goaded her into racing with him but she would have ignored him if she wanted to. He hadn't known it was her. All he saw was a nice ass he wanted to get himself acquainted with. If he'd known it was her, he would have stopped to race her officially and ask for a prize if he won. Which he would have made sure to because the kind of prize he would have asked for would have been worth a night in jail for breaking all speed limits. Running his gaze from her head to toe, he wondered if she'd finally seen him. The way she looked at him before his father walked in had made everything around him stand to a halt. Had the Rutherford Princess finally seen him?

"I know that look," Nick said from beside him startling him.

"What look?" Ray said sipping the already cold coffee he was still holding. It tasted like shit and that made it even better. He liked to remember that even though he was a Lachlan, he hadn't always been. Once upon a time, he had been a normal person living in a one bedroom house with his mother.

"The one that says you're smitten."

He scoffed "I don't know what you're talking about Nick. Go fuss over the Princess."

"Let me give you some advice my boy...."

"I didn't ask for one" he cut him off but Nick just continued ignoring him.

"As someone who's watched Alexis grow up, I'd say she's way out of your league. Even if you were the King of England, she'd still be out your league. That's how special she is. But as a hopeless romantic I'm telling you to make a move before someone else snatches her up. You might never be good enough for her but you can still try"

Turning to face him Ray glared at him "Gee thanks for your useless advice. I'm leaving" he said the last part loud enough for his father and JR to hear him.

"Where are you going?"

"Home dad. I promise to break any laws but I can't guarantee it" he retorted feeling annoyed. Who the hell did Nick think he was telling him he wasn't good enough for Alexis? And why the hell was he mad about it? He didn't care what anyone said. If he wanted Alexis..... He stopped beside his bike. He did want her dammit. He'd wanted her for years but he never had the courage to tell her. So he'd settled to watching her from a distance. When she left, he thought that was his chance to move on. Find someone who could make him forget her but he'd come empty. No one could replace her. There was only one Princess. Alexandra Barret Rutherford.

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"What did you say to him?" Vince asked Nick who just shrugged.

"I gave some advice."

"What kind of advice?"

"The kind uncles give their nephews. Do you have a problem?" Vince shook his head. He knew his son. He also knew what was bothering him and he was going to have a sit down with him soon. He wanted his boy to be happy and if he kept acting the way he did, he was never going to be happy. Not everyone was lucky enough to find love.

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