Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lexi Howard has always been comfortable living in the shadows. She was never the loud friend, or the first one to raise her hand in class. She loathed public speaking and was just doing her best to get through these remaining years of high school.

Though it wasn’t perfect, she was pretty damn comfortable with her lot in life at the moment. Things could always get better, sure, but over all she was happy to go to school, hang out with Rue, and fantasize about what her life would be like if she was the one holding Nate Jacob’s hand at lunch instead of the resident school bitch Maddy. It wasn’t the most glamorous life, but it was a fine for now. She was going to go on to better things in a few years any ways, when she is free from the constraints of her existence at East Highland High School. 

At home, it was just her, her sister Cassie and their mother Suze. When they were younger, Lexi would always joke that there had to of been a mix-up at the hospital at one point because there was no way that she was related to Cassie. Suze would always be quick to brush those comments off, and at the age of thirteen she had learned why. In the wake of Gus’ abrupt departure from the family, Suze drunkenly confessed that she had had an affair with a beautiful European man after Cassie had been born and that Gus wasn’t actually Lexi’s father. In what was already a pretty traumatic time in her life and this revelation had caused Lexi to question almost everything that she had known about herself. 

Cassie was a stereotypical blonde bombshell. With giant blue doe eyes and boobs bigger than Lexi could ever dream of, she was yet another reason Lexi felt like she was always playing second fiddle in life. Cassie was a year older and ran in the same circle as Maddy and Nate. She never really had much time for Lexi after their dad left at the end of middle school and then after her mom dropped the bomb about her biological father, the wedge between them grew bigger. She will also never stop Maddy for making cruel comments about people that she deemed to be unworthy of her time, and Lexi and Rue fit in that category. And frankly, Lexi can’t really respect that. 

Lexi loved her best friend, Rue was her person - she was kind of nuts, but always there for her. They had been through some rough patches when Rue’s father passed away around the same time that Gus left. Rue had started to experiment with drugs and was teetering towards a full slip into addiction, but with the help of her Mom and some solid doctors and therapists, she got herself off that track quickly. Now her friend was passionate about her podcast that she had started. It was a small show, she probably only had about 12 dedicated listeners, but she was really proud of it and Lexi was thrilled that this is how she wanted to spend her time these days. 

Rue and her were definitely not cool by any means, hell, one of Lexi’s main ways she stays fit was rollerskating - hardly the normal route a teen girl goes. They spent most of their free time sitting in each other's room or as of lately hanging out with Rue’s friend Fezco. Rue and him had become really close over the past few years, and she regularly claimed he was like her brother. Fez was in the same grade as Cassie, but definitely was just as much of an outcast as the two of them were. He was shy and didn’t speak much - his family came from a rougher part of town and his grandmother was a known former drug dealer. Lexi knows that is how Fez and Rue met, but they never discuss it. Fez had told them that his grandmother made the decision to get the fuck out of that business when his little brother Ash had almost been kidnapped by one of their customers. After that, she converted their store into a very legal and pretty successful dispensary. 

He was always sulking around the school writing down lyrics in his phone, and could usually be found sitting in the music room using the school piano in his free time. He was a keyboard player in a band with some guys who had graduated the year before, and when he wasn’t with Rue, he’d be at band rehearsal. 

Lexi wasn’t sure how to feel about having Fez around at first, but the more she got to know him, the more she was pleased to see him. He was one of the few boys who actually took the time to listen to her when she was speaking, and that was a lovely treat.

“Lexi? Lex!” All of a sudden, Lexi’s vision is blocked by Rue’s frantic hand waving in front of her face. “Dude, were you fucking staring at Cassie and her gaggle of assholes again?” Rue gives her the same look that she always gives her whenever she catches her eyes linger too long on her sister's group of friends. Lexi could never admit to Rue her long-standing fantasy that one day Nate will dump Maddy and sweep her off her feet. She can feel the judgment already. 

“It’s not like they’ll ever notice me any ways, I mean no one notices me, I literally got sat on in the cafeteria yesterday. I’m well and truly invisible.” Lexi spares another glance towards the table that her sister was also sitting at. Nate and Maddy were now fully making out, they had zero regard for anyone around them. Lexi can’t help but stare, swapping Maddy out for herself in her mind. She had spent more hours than she’d care to admit thinking about what it would be like to kiss Nate Jacobs. 

“Someone sat on you? Man, that’s fucking rough.” Rue shakes her head, she follows Lexi’s eye line and scoffs. “What, have you never seen two assholes eat each others faces before?”

Lexi shakes herself out of her fantasy and gives Rue an agreeing grunt. Thankfully, Rue is thinking about a billion things a minute, so she quickly drops the subject and moves on. 

“So, are you ready for debate?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. You know, I suck at public speaking. Mom kept trying to give me all these tips this morning before I left, but I think I’m going to throw up.”

Debate class is the bane of Lexi’s existence - it’s god awful, today she has to get in front of the class and give her argument on if East Highland High should move to having a school uniform. She doesn’t think they should, but she had been assigned to argue that they should. Maddy and Nate are in this class as well, and Maddy holds no bars when it comes to dressing down anyone who gives a debate that she thinks sucks. Which Lexi is 100% positive she will think about her speech and considering that she is debating against Nate she pretty much knows she’s fucked. 

“Lex, you’ll be fine - just read what you wrote and try your best.” Rue claps her on the back and gives a quick wave to Fez, who is a little further up the hall. “Come on, let’s go get this over with.”

–

Nate’s speech was kind of dumb to be honest. He really just talked about control and didn’t make any other points. But her classmates were eating it up, at one point Nate had climbed up onto a chair to demonstrate the ‘freedom’ of free dress. Lexi could feel herself sinking further and further into her chair as she fiddles with the edges of her now frayed cue cards. 

“Rue, what’s my point again?” Lexi leans towards Rue as Mr. Wagner ushers Nate back to his seat and changes the signage on the podium to signal it was her turn to speak. 

“You like the idea of uniforms. They act as an equalizer in a school with a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.” Rue whispers back her rehearsed point. 

“Miss. Howard, please come up to the podium and tell us why we should move to having school uniforms.” Mr. Wagner said from the front of the room. 

Lexi could already feel all the eyes in the room on her and the familiar nauseous feeling that accompanied public speaking as she inches toward the podium. Once she’s there, she is gripping on to the wooden podium for dear life. She takes a deep breath and tries to do what her mom suggested and focus on the back of the room. The problem is Maddy whispering to her friend sitting next to her and Nate’s smug grin are super distracting. She hears Mr. Wagner encourage her to speak.

“Umm. Our school.” Lexi can feel her whole body tremble as she tries to find what she needs to say next, not even a sentence in and her anxiety has already taken over. She makes a rash decision to step out from behind the podium, this was a mistake. She can hear Maddy and her friends make a comment about her hair and now standing out from behind the safety of the podium, she knows that everyone in the class can see her knees shake. Not only that, but she sees Rue looking more and more frustrated with the whole scenario, giving Maddy and her posse a glare.

It’s at that point that Lexi realizes that the feeling of nausea she was feeling was going to make itself real. In a panic, because there was no way in hell she was going to let these people see her throw up, she launches herself down the middle aisle of the class and out the door. She can hear the teaching assistant try and chase after her, but she is not going to look back. 

Outside, she finds a convenient bush to gift her lunch to, hops on her bike and flees school, not even considering her last class of the day. 

–

Once she is safely back at home and sends Rue a text about grabbing her backpack that she had abandoned, she tucks herself into the corner of the love seat in her and Cassie’s shared bedroom and pulls out her journal. She’s just finishing up spilling all the details of the horrific experience when she hears a small knock on her door and hears the sound of a cat bell sneaking past the cracked door. Louis, her big orange cat, makes his way into the room, taking a few sniffs before jumping up next to her and purring into her touch. 

“Lex?” her mom says, poking her head in the room. She can see the sympathy written all over Suze’s face. 

“Rough day at school?” She says now fully coming into the room and propping herself on the arm of the sofa. She runs a comforting hand over Lexi’s curls. 

“You heard?” Lexi sighs.

“Mr. Wagner called, he was concerned. He seems very nice and is willing to let you try again later in the term.”

“Mom, you know I’m never going to be a good public speaker - can’t you just tell him I’ve taken like a vow of silence or something?” Lexi groans. 

“Lexi, you may be shy, but you love to talk - there is no way in hell you’d be able to take a vow of silence.” Her mother chuckles. “Um, there is actually something I need to tell you.”

Lexi looks up at her mother and sees that her brows are knit together as she tries to find the words to say. Lexi’s not sure what other news Suze could probably drop on her - after all, she dropped the whole your real dad isn’t here and the man you though was your dad isn’t actually your dad bomb already. 

“Your grandmother called.” She states.

Lexi gives her a confused look, both Suze and Gus’ mother passed away within the past five years.

“Philippe’s mother.” Suze clarifies. 

Philippe is her birth father, she’s obviously never met him, she’s not even sure that he knew she existed. Her mother swears she did send him a letter telling him about her when she realized, but Lexi had never heard anything from him. The only thing that Lexi really knows about her birth father aside from seeing one photo that her mother still had been that he had passed away about a year ago. Suze had somehow received a notice of his passing. 

“His mother is reaching out to us? We haven’t heard from him ever? Why would she reach out - isn’t she from Genovia?” Lexi is racking her brain to try and figure out why this woman would all of a sudden reach out now. 

“She’s in town and want to have tea with you.” Suze says calmly. 

“She wants to have tea? What, is she the queen or something? This is America - we don’t do tea.” Lexi almost laughs at the idea of this random old European women coming to East Highland to have tea with her. 

“Lexi, this is your father’s mother - you should give her a chance. I know you didn’t get to meet him and I know that is mostly my fault, but Clarisse has told me that he really had hoped that the two of you would get to meet one day.” She looked up at her mother, who was giving her pleading eyes look that she pulls out when she really wants Lexi to do her a favor. And Lexi has always been curious about her father since finding out the truth, but she also can’t help but feel weird about the fact that this woman has never once reached out to her before now. 

“Fine, I’ll meet with her.” Lexi concedes. 

Suze’s face lights up.

–

The music room is a busy space at the best of times, but there was something about the 15 minutes before choir starts that had the room buzzing as everyone messed around with the various instruments that litter the room. This is a class that Lexi and Rue share with Fez, who always is there to play piano for the choir. Currently, he is sharing a piano bench with Nate, who is miming overdramatic piano playing next to him. Fez look’s like he’s ready to deck him, but is being very restrained considering. Maddy, Cassie and Kat are dramatically dancing along to the rhythm, and it’s a sweet relief to Lexi when Ms. Henderson comes into the class and tell’s everyone to take their places. 

Wiggling her way into a spot next to Rue as Ms. Henderson ask’s Fez to start playing Catch a Falling Star, Rue whispers to her.

“Are you able to come with me to that volunteer thing my mom is doing? I don’t want to go alone.” 

“I can't, I’m meeting my grandmother after school.” Lexi rushes out before their cue to start singing comes. As they start the verse, she can see the confusion on Rue’s face, she knows both of her grandmothers are dead. Under her breath, she whispers, “bio dad.” and Rue nod’s in understanding. 

–

After school, she pulls up the text that her mother had sent her with the address of where her grandmother was staying. The word grandmother still felt foreign on her tongue as she has no real connection to this woman, but technically she supposes grandmother is the best title for her. Lexi assumes she must be in the wrong place as she walks up to a large, gilded gate in front of what appears to be an embassy. Unsure, she double-checks the address again. Nope, this is definitely the place, maybe her grandmother was rich or something? 

Not seeing any other options, Lexi presses the button on the intercom.

“Tours are by appointment only, please visit our website to book.” A bored voice rings through the speaker. 

“Oh, um, actually, I’m here for a meeting with my grandmother.” Lexi squeaks out. 

“Name please?”

“Clarisse Renaldi?” Lexi’s voice tilts up in a question as she double-checks the women’s name in the message from her mother again to be sure. 

“Oh, please come to the front door.” the guard says as the gates slowly open with a loud buzz. 

The grounds and building that lay behind the gate are a feast for the eyes - it seems’ as if it was plucked from a fairy tale and dropped into her city. Lexi makes her way to the front door, which is every bit as impressive as the gate had been earlier. As she reaches up to knock on the door is opens in front of her, a man in full coat and tails and white gloves gestures for her to come inside. 

“Ah, Miss. Howard. We’ve been expecting you.” A man who looks like he is cosplaying as a man in black steps out from behind a large wooden desk, reaches his hand out to shake.

Lexi awkwardly shakes the man's hand and pulls away quickly.

“I’ll need to check your bag before you take a seat, Miss. Howard.” the man requested.

“Oh, um, okay, sure.” Lexi is sure the confusion is plain on her face as she hands her backpack over to the guard.  

“This is a really nice place you’ve got here.” She takes the apparently safe backpack from him. 

Lexi’s eyes trail along the wood paneled walls and the rich fabrics of the sofas. It seemed, well, very European - royal almost. Unlike anywhere Lexi had frequented before, in fact, she was surprised that a place like this existed just a 20-minute bike ride away from East Highland. 

The butler she guesses gestures for her to enter the room. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable” 

Lexi, who wasn’t the most graceful at the best of times, flopped herself down on to one of the prim sofas in the space before quickly adjusting herself to take in the surrounding space. The flower arrangement on the center of the coffee table caught her attention and upon closer inspection she noticed that there were pears woven into the arrangement. Who puts fruit in bouquets?

She hears the click of heals before she sees a blonde woman with AirPods in strut into the room, she doesn’t seem to notice Lexi at first as she continues her conversion with whoever she was talking to on the other end of her call. Eventually, her eyes land on a now standing Lexi. 

“Ah! Alexandra, welcome to the Genovia consulate, My name is Charlotte, and I’m with the Genovian council.”

“Oh hi, it’s um, it’s nice to meet you - I have to ask, why are there pears in the flowers?” Lexi’s not really sure why that’s the first thing she decides to ask when based on everything around her there are probably a lot of other more pressing questions to ask. 

“They’re Genovian pears, we’re famous for them.” Charlotte explains as if that was enough of a reason. 

“Your grandmother will be down to meet you in a minute for tea.” Charlotte starts, only to be cut off by an older woman who is descending the stairs behind her. This must be her grandmother - the one she didn’t know existed until 2 days ago, the mother of the father who was never around, the father that she didn’t even know to miss until she was already a teenager. 

“No need to wait, Charlotte, I’m here.” The woman makes her way towards them. “It’s so nice to meet you, Alexandra.” 

Lexi feels out of her element here, everything is fancy around her, this woman is a stranger with a vaguely British accent, and it was all starting to feel like it was a bit too much. 

“It’s nice to meet you too - you’ve got a really nice place here.” Lexi looks around the room again, not keen to make more eye contact than needed.

“Yes, well, let me get a look at you.” Her grandmother says, it’s something that grandmothers love to do - take a look at their grandchildren, she supposes, especially their long-lost ones. She can see the mild disappointment of her appearance on her grandmothers face. Lexi gives her grandmother an awkward twirl, feeling a small bead of sweat creep along the nape of her neck where her curls are starting to feel suffocating. 

“You look so… young.” is what her grandmother decides on.

“Oh, thank you.”  Lexi is unsure of where to go from here, and thankfully her grandmother turns to Charlotte to check on the status of tea and gestures for her to sit back down. 

“So, my mom said that there was something you wanted to talk to me about?” Lexi wants to get to the point, get out of this stuffy room as soon as she can. 

“Yes, I do.” Clarisse nods. 

“But first, I want to give you something.” A staff member hands Clarisse an intricate silver jewelry box, that she then passes to Lexi.

“Go on, open it.”

Inside is a heart shaped locket, it’s beautiful, and something Lexi would actually wear, surprisingly. 

“It’s beautiful.” She pulls the locket out of the box and holds it up to the light, in the process nearly dropping the box to the floor. She can see Clarisse wince from the other sofa. 

“It’s the Genovian crest, it was mine when I was a girl. The box was my great-grandmothers.” She points towards the jewelry box that Lexi is currently manhandling. 

“Oh, I’ll be sure to take good care of it, thank you!” Lexi in all of her awkwardness shoves the box into her already pretty full bag. Keeping the locket out to put on. 

“So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Lexi was still very confused about where she was and why her grandmother appeared out of the blue. 

“It’s about something that will have a big impact on your life.” Clarisse says cryptically. Charlotte pops her head into the room to alert them that the tea is ready, and they move out to the garden. 

Lexi had been to a high tea once before, it had been her 7th birthday and she had begged Suze to take her to a local hotel for afternoon tea after reading her fair share of Eloise books. She wasn’t sure exactly what the protocol here was, and it was obvious as she dressed her tea as if it was a coffee. 

“Alexandra, do you know who Eduard Christoff Phillipe Gerard Renaldi is?” Clarisse asks over her cup of tea.

“Nope, should I know?” Lexi takes a less than lady like gulp of her tea. 

“He was the Crown Prince of Genovia.” Clarisse explains.

“That’s cool, what about him?” Lexi feels like this conversation is going nowhere, is Clarisse here to give her a lesson about where she is from?

“Alexandra, Eduard Christoff Phillipe Gerard Renaldi was your father.” 

At this point, Lexi knows this has to be some elaborate prank that Maddy or one of her minions had set up. There was no way this woman was telling the truth - shit like this doesn’t happen in real life.

She lets’s out a snort as she chokes on her words, “Yeah, right. My father was not the Crown Prince of Genovia. There's no way.” 

Clarisse’s face looks dismayed, she’s really committing to the bit. 

“Why would I lie about something like that?” 

“Because he can’t really be a prince, like if he’s a prince then that means I’m a…” Lexi can’t even bring herself to say the word. 

Clarisse cut’s in. “Exactly. You’re not just Alexandra Howard, you're Alexandra Elizabeth Howard Renaldi, Princess of Genovia,” 

Clarisse is saying this with such a sincerity that it doesn’t feel like a lie anymore, it’s starting to feel like she’s telling the truth and Lexi can’t believe what she’s hearing. 

“Me? Me - a princess?” Lexi stutters, all the thoughts are crowding in her mind and the only thing she can think to say is “SHUT UP!” in shock. 

“Excuse me? Shut up?” Her grandmother gives her a look of horror across the table. It takes less than 5 seconds for one of the wait staff to lean in to her and explain the shut up doesn’t always mean to be quiet, but can be used as a statement of surprise in America. 

“Oh, of course, I understand.” Clarisse wave’s off the waiter. 

Lexi is settled back into the patio chair, unsure of what to say next. She had thought that she had crossed all the weird life altering things that could happen to her off the list already, but this one takes the cake. 

“I know this is probably a pretty big shock to you, Alexandra, but you are our princess. And I am Queen Clarisse Renaldi.”

Lexi’s mind is still running on overdrive as she takes in the expectant look of the women sitting across from her. 

“But, like why on earth would you pick me to be your princess - I’m never picked for anything, like ever.” Lexi shakes her head. 

“Alexandra, I’m royal by marriage, you’re royal by blood. When your father passed away he left the throne empty, I’ve been ruling the country since he’s been gone, but our laws say that it is you should be ruling.”

“Ruling?!” Lexi almost stands out of her chair at that idea. “I can assure you I am not fit to rule anything, like really. I spend all my time hiding in the shadows, that is fully where I expect my lot in life to be, and I’m pretty good at it. I assure you there must be a better fit for this.” 

“Alexandra, I had other expectations of what was going to happen as well. This was not anywhere near what I thought would happen. But the fact is that you are the legal and only heir to the Genovian Throne!” Clarisse give her a firm look. “And we are more than ready to take on the challenge of making you the princess that you’re destined to be.” 

This can’t be happening, this really can’t be happening. She can hear Clarisse explain all the ways that she can teach Lexi to be a princess, but she can’t focus on the words until one catches her ear. 

“I think you’ll find the palace in Genovia a wonderful place to live, it’s a truly beautiful country.”

“WAIT, no, no, NO! I am not moving to Genovia! I am not ruling a country. Hell, I’m still waiting for my first kiss - this isn’t happening. And most of all, I don’t want to be a princess!” 

With those final words, Lexi does what she does best - she grabs her bag and runs. She can hear the guards and Clarisse calling after her, but she doesn’t look back, she needs to get out of there and never look back. 

What Lexi doesn’t hear is Clarisse asking Ali, her head of security, to take on the role of babysitter and chauffeur for Lexi, insisting that she’ll need protection. 

Her grandmother was right about one thing, this news did greatly impact her life. And right now, Lexi was sure it wasn’t going to be for the better.

Chapter Text

Lexi's heart was beating through her chest as she fled the grounds of the Genovian Embassy. The sidewalk pounding under foot as she ran through the streets of East Highland back to her house. She was hurt, hurt that so much about her life had been hidden from her, hurt that the adults in her life felt it was okay to just drop all this information on her during an already stressful year of high school. How could Suze do this to her?

Pausing for a second at the front door to try and collect herself and face her mother, who she knows will be anxiously waiting on the couch inside, Lexi pushes the door open. 

“How did it go?” Suze clamours up from the couch, half a glass of chardonnay sloshing with her quick movement. 

“How’d it go?” Lexi’s voice instantly betraying any hope that she might've had of hiding the general rage and panic that was coursing through her body as she faced her mother.

“Did you plan on telling me that my Dad was a prince, before or after you shipped me away to some random European country to rule?”

“We were going to tell you Alexandra” Suze starts before Lexi cuts her off.

“Like hell you were!” Lexi can feel the tears of frustration building in her eyes, she doesn’t want to cry over this, but it’s her bodies natural reaction. “You didn’t even tell me that Gus wasn’t my actual father until you were so drunk one night that you couldn’t help yourself! I don’t think you were ever going to tell me unless Clarisse had of show up on our door step!” 

“Alexandra, that’s not fair! We made a choice that I was going to keep you here in America and let you live a normal childhood, not one where the press would be all over you and your life would be constantly watched.”

“What do you mean we, you told me that Phillipe never responded to your letter telling him about me.” A new wave of rage washes over Lexi at this news, not only was her biological father a royal, but her mother was a liar. It was all too much. Shutting down, she turns on her heel and marches up to her and Cassie’s shared room.

“Lexi, where are you going? We’re not done talking.”

“Up to the royal bedchambers to contemplate if every part of my life is a lie.” Lexi yells back down the stairs. She can hear Suze sigh and put her glass down on the table and follow her up. 

“Lexi, I wasn’t trying to hide this from you to be malicious.” Suze says through the door, only to be greeted by silence as Lexi curls into the corner of the couch that divides her and Cassie’s space. Louis hops up next to her and nudges her hand for pets. 

After a few moments, Suze cracks the door open and hovers in the doorway.

“Phillipe and I meet at a time when I was incredibly young and dumb, I didn’t know he was a prince when we met, I just thought he was a young, attractive European guy here to enjoy the Californian sun.” Suze, slowly makes he way across the room, tentative as if Lexi was a wild animal ready to attack at any point, which based on her behaviour so far might be a fair assessment. “I made choices that were not good, I shouldn’t have cheated, but I don’t regret it because I got you out of it, and Lexi you are one of the most wonderful things in my world.”

Lexi stays silent as Suze sits on the other end of the couch.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. I knew It wasn’t Gus’ child, we hadn’t been intimated since Cassie had been conceived, which had led me to finding other places to get that satisfaction at the time.”

“Gross mom” Lexi couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose at that statement.

“Well it’s true. But when I reached out to Phillipe and told him he freaked out and told me the truth, that he wasn’t just from a small family in Genovia, but he was in fact the next in line for the throne. We had a conversion and came to the conclusion that it was best for everyone if we kept it quiet, didn’t say anything about him having a daughter with an American who he slept with while abroad. The press would have had a field day with it, and I didn’t want you to be constantly under the limelight or scrutiny of the foreign press. You’d get to live a normal life here in East Highland, have normal friends, school, go to university like everyone else.”

“But why didn’t he ever reach out, why did he just hide in a castle all these years, like privately, he could have told me, you could have told me.” Lexi’s tone still exasperated. 

“He wanted to, but I couldn’t let him. You girls had been through hell and back with Gus, I couldn’t stomach you having to go through all of that trauma only to have another man who you don’t know waltz in and let you know that he was your father, not the man you had thought was your father all these years.” Suze tries to explain, but knows that none of her words are making Lexi feel any better.

“He knew about you, he was proud of you. I’d send him updates, let him know how you were holding up. We were going to tell you everything when you turned 18, but then I ruined it by confessing about the affair and the continuing to lie to you about the whole story. I’m sorry Lex, it was never my intention to hurt you. I just wanted to protect you and us, it would have impacted all of us if that news story came out.” 

Lexi sighed, she can understand where her mother is coming from. She has seen how the media treated Harry and Meghan when they got together, she can only imagine how it would have gone over if the press found out that their prince had been the other man with random American women who had a new baby at home. It would have destroyed them. But even understanding that Lexi is still hurt by her parent's actions, it wasn’t her fault any of this had happened, and she’s the one who has to deal with all the fall-out. 

“Mom, I get it, I know it would have been horrible if that story broke. But I’m still pretty upset with you for not telling me all of this before you sent me off to meet with Clarisse. Like that was pretty fucked up.”

“I know Lex, I’m sorry I was scared of your reaction and I guess I thought it would go over better coming from her. Well, I didn’t even want to tell you right now, but with Phillipe’s passing, Clarisse was getting really antsy about it.”

“Mom, just imagine how I’m feeling right now, to be honest I don’t feel like you guys protected me. I was just going about my life and then all of a sudden I find out that I’m a princess. Like I’m already a freak at school, why not pop a tiara on it as well?” Lexi feels herself lose control of her words as she reaches the end of her sentence, the anger she feels bubbling to the top. She knows that she’s not going to get anywhere with this conversation at this point, and it seems like Suze has come to that conclusion as well as she stands up and gives Lexi a look of disappointment. 

“Well, okay, there’s dinner downstairs if you’re hungry.”

“I’m not really feeling like eating right now.” Lexi mumbles. 

“Whatever you want, Alexandra.” Suze gives her a tight-lipped smile while closing the door behind her, leaving Lexi to sulk to Louis. 

–

The next morning, Lexi looks over her outfit in the mirror, the humidity in the air causing her curls to puff up even more than usual. She can see the bags under her eyes, she didn’t get much sleep last night, tossing and turning about the news that had been dropped on her and waking up around midnight when Cassie came home for the night. But this morning, she’s decided that she is just going to pretend like it never happened. Move on with her life, tell Clarisse no thank you and continue on her path like this whole experience is a weird blip in her already fucked up life. 

That is, until she comes down the stairs and sees Clarisse sitting with a cup of coffee across the dinning room table from her mother, holding an old photo of her father. Cassie is hovering in the kitchen pretending to make herself a bowl of cheerios, clearly anxious to see whatever drama was next in Lexi’s life unfold. 

“Nope, no, this is actually a nightmare, so I’m just gonna go back to bed where I clearly belong.” Lexi stops short and backs up the stairs.

“Lexi” her mother calls out to her.

“Alexandra, please just listen.” Clarisse plea’s. 

“We need to talk as a group, Lexi.” Her mother says, giving her a look that says she is not thrilled about this scenario either. 

“Oh what do we have to talk about mom? Are we about to go live on Instagram and announce that Cassie is actually the president's long-lost daughter? Or did you only decide to launch countries on one of your daughters?” Lexi knows she’s being rude, but she doesn’t really care. She can see Cassie watching the conversation like she’s watching an intense tennis match from the kitchen. 

“Alexandra, please sit down and listen to me.” Clarisse gestures to the chair at the head of the table, one that no one has sat in since Gus left. Lexi bristles at the thought of sitting there and remains standing at the bottom of the stairs. 

Clarisse sighs and continues on. “Alexandra, in a few weeks time we have our annual ball, and I was, or well I still am hoping to be able to introduce you to our country. But the fact of the matter is that you need help, this is a lot to take on and instruction would serve you will in this matter. I’m not just speaking for myself, but the entire Genovian parliament and royal family.” Clarisse gives Lexi a serious look as Suze chimes in about how she is also speaking for their family. Lexi can’t help but laugh at the two women.

“Oh really, you’re speaking for my families. Right, okay, last time I checked I don’t have families with either of you because families don’t spend 17 years lying and ignoring each other. How dare you come here and tell me that you’re speaking as my family.” Lexi’s words are left behind her as she rushes out the back door and up and into the treehouse that her and Cassie used to play in when they were younger. It was filled with spiders and rarely used now, but Lexi always liked to come here when things became too much for her. 

“Lex?” she hears Cassie’s voice call from the ground.

“Leave me alone.” Lexi doesn’t even want to know what hell Cassie is going to bring to this whole scenario, she’ll probably be jealous, as far as Lexi is concerned she can have it, she doesn’t want to be a princess. 

“Lexi, what the actual fuck is going on?” Cassie hauls herself up into the tree house next to her. 

“Oh, didn’t you hear? On top of all the other fucked up things in my life, turns out mom didn’t just sleep with some random European man - but he was the crown prince of Genovia, which makes me…” Lexi doesn’t have to finish because Cassie finishes for her.

“A princess.” 

“Yup.” Lexi pouts. She knows how this must look to her sister who has spent her whole life fantasizing about being something grand, the fact that Lexi is an actual princess and is complaining about it must kill her a bit inside. 

“Why are you acting like this is the worst thing that could ever happen to you? Like you’re a fucking princess, girls dream about this, and you’re acting like a brat.” The thing is, Cassie was right, as much as it pained Lexi to admit it. She was acting like a child, and she hasn’t even given her grandmother a chance to show her what this new part of her life could be like. 

“Lex, I know things have been hard over the these last few years and this isn’t going to be easy, but I really think it would be dumb of you to not even give this a shot.”

“But, I’m not meant to be a princess. Princesses are demure, and elegant, and don’t throw up in front of their entire debate class. Princesses don’t get regularly bullied.” 

Cassie looks down at her hands at the last point, knowing that she has had a part in that. “Look Lex, I think you should give it a shot, what’s the worst that happens. Maybe tell her that you’ll take her lessons that I heard her and mom talking about leading up to the ball, and then make your decision.” 

Lexi looks back at the house, she can see her mother standing at the back window watching the two girls. 

“Mom sent you out here, didn’t she.” 

“Maybe, but I would have said all that to you anyway.” Cassie shrugs as she shuffles back down the ladder and makes her way back into the house.

Maybe Cassie is right, maybe she is acting too hastily, out of the standard amount of lack of self-confidence and a general fear of change that Lexi carries around with her at all times. Maybe this is a chance for her to make a difference in the world, and she is being an idiot for not even giving it a shot. 

With a groan, Lexi pulls herself out of the treehouse and go back into the house. Both Clarisse and her mother are looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

“Fine, I’ll give your princess lessons a shot - I will do them until the ball and that is when I’ll make my decision of if that is the life I want to lead, not before then, only then.” Lexi says firmly, addressing her grandmother, who looks a bit taken aback my her directness. 

“Very well, it’s not exactly how I saw it going but very well, I’ll respect that.”

“Thank you, Clarisse.” Suze breathes out a breath that she must have been holding since Lexi had walked back into the room. 

“Now, I want you to keep this until yourself until the ball. Both of you.” Clarisse cuts her eyes over to Cassie, who is hovering in the kitchen doorway. “The press would have a field day, so we need to keep this under wraps, especially if you decide not to be a royal after all.”

Both Cassie and Lexi give the older women a quick nod in agreement. 

“Now, come with me, I’ll get you both to school. There is someone I’d like you to meet.” Clarisse stands from her seat and makes her way to the front door, giving Lexi and Cassie no choice but to follow. 

“Woah.” Cassie says as they exit their front door and see not one but two limos lining the sidewalk. Lexi thinks about the vintage blue mustang that she has sitting in a garage across town that she got for her 16th birthday. It doesn’t currently run, but Fez has been helping her get it going, or at least trying to. One of these days she’d love to be able to drive it to school, but now it looks like her life is going to include limos. 

“You travel with two limos?” Lexi asks in shock. 

“No, one of them is for you to use. Now, please come and meet Ali.” Clarisse marches towards the first car, where a tall back man stands in a suit waiting to great them. 

“Alexandra and Cassandra, this is Ali, he is my chief of security, and he will be with you to ensure your safety leading up to the ball.” 

Lexi reached out her hand, which Ali firmly shakes.

“Hi Ali, it’s nice to meet you!”

Cassie quickly follows her lead, greeting Ali. He’d got kind eyes, but also looks like he is not going to take anyone’s bullshit. 

“Now I’ve got to get to a meeting, but I’ll see you soon, Alexandra.” Clarisse gives a quick wave before getting into her own limo. 

Ali opens the door for both girls, who slide in the back. They’d never been in a limo before and despite everything going on it was kind of exciting. Lexi asked Ali if they could pick up Rue on their way to school, as they usually go together.

“Damn Howard - is it prom today and I forgot? What’s up with the limo?” Rue laughs as she stands on the curb outside her house.

“Um, Rue this is Ali, Ali this is Rue, my best friend.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ali!” Rue gives him a giant smile and over the top handshake, Lexi swears she sees a small smirk cross his face. 

As Ali makes his way back to the driver's seat, Lexi and Rue give themselves a second to have a little freak-out before jumping into the back seat with Cassie. 

“So, is your mom dating a funeral director or something?” Rue asks as she pokes and prods all the buttons that surrounded them in the back seat. 

“No, um so my long-lost grandmother showed up and wanted me to use it, I think she is trying to get me to forgive her for all those lost years?” Cassie gives her a look that tells her fib is a bit weak, but Rue doesn’t seem to mind as she takes in their new surroundings. 

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

“Hey Ali? Can we park a block away from the school? I just don’t want this to cause a scene.” She points vaguely, indicating the limo. 

“Of course, this limo is not in the business of creating scenes.” Ali smirks from the front of the car. 

–

As the school day ends, Lexi and Rue make their way back to their neighbourhood, deciding to walk rather than ask Ali for a ride. 

“Damn, Howard, it’s hot out. Next time we should take the limo.” Rue jokes as she huffs next to her, climbing the hill that leads them towards their houses. 

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Anyway, my mom says that I need an attitude adjustment and is forcing me to go to dinner with her and Gia tonight. I have nothing to say to her at this point. I’ve run out of things to say to my mother.”

“ Rue, I’m sure you’ll be fine!” 

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Rue whines, but then her eyebrows jump up her face. “Hey! Do you want to come with me?”

“Sorry Rue! I’ve gotta go see Fez about my car!”

“Why do you need that piece of junk now that you’ve got a limo?” Rue calls after her as she makes the turn to head towards the garage Fezco worked at part-time. 

“It’s different, and you know it is! Later Rue!” Lexi calls back. 

–

Lexi can hear them before she can see the building around the corner. Fez and his band jamming out in the corner of the garage. One of the owner's brothers is in the band and lets them have the space to rehearse in. They sound good, Fez is sitting at the keyboard, totally in the zone. Skittles littering the keys, Lexi can’t help but think it’s kind of gross but also kind of endearing as she watches him pop one of the candies into his mouth while playing. 

A group of older girls and a few guys she recognized from around town are lazing out on the beat up couches that surround the band. Fawning over Ned, the lead singer and guitarist of the band. Lexi walks past them as she spots her baby tucked in the far end of the garage. She makes her way over to it and squats down to inspect the Mustang logo on the front, giving it a quick shine with the sleeve of her sweater. She doesn’t hear the hand stop and is startled when Fez quietly walks over and knocks on the hood to get her attention. 

“Oh hey!” Lexi is a little flustered, she often finds herself a little flustered about Fez. “You guys sound really great, Ned’s really going for it, isn’t he.” 

“Hey Lexi” Lloyd, the owner of the shop, greets her, making his way to stand next to Fez.

“Hey Lloyd, soo, what's the diagnosis of my baby?” Lexi leans on the driver's side window of her convertible. 

“$400” Lloyd tells her and Lexi feels the air blow out of her chest. 

“Oh wow, um. Today is not my day.”

“Hey, it ain’t cheap to be the cool.” Lloyd jokes. 

Lexi gives him a half-hearted smile. 

“I can do some free labour.” Fez pipes up. 

“Oh yeah?” Lloyd looks at Fez and then back to Lexi.

“It’s okay, I’ll talk to my grandma about it.” Lexi says, oblivious to the look the Lloyd is giving Fez. “I’ve got to go, I have to be somewhere soon.” Lexi grabs her bag from the front seat of the car and waves goodbye to the two men, not hearing Lloyd mock Fez’s ‘I can do some free labour.” comment from earlier. 

Lexi did have somewhere to be, today was day one of her princess lessons, and she has a feeling Clarisse wouldn’t take kindly to her being late.