Work Text:
Waking up from the realm of sleep, the first thing Alex could feel was someone shaking her. Peeling her eyes open, she spotted Andy hovering over her, a vibrant smile plastered on his face.
"You're awake! Mitéra and Patéras have been waiting for you to get up; We're leaving soon," Andy explained, bouncing up and down on the end of Alex's bed. The young girl pushed herself into a sitting position. "Okay okay. Let me get up so I can get ready."
With that, her brother leapt off the bed and disappeared out of the room. Alex glanced around their shared room. It was a mess of toys, books, clothes and everything in between. Luckily they packed everything the night before so they'd be ready to go as soon as they got up. They were going to America for something to do with their Mitéra's and Patéras's jobs. Andy was super excited to go to another country; Personally, Alex wasn't that excited; She didn't see the big deal. It was just another country and she'd rather stay in their home country of Greece. But she didn't want to put a damper on Andy's mood so she kept her thoughts to herself.
Grabbing her backpack, she made her way out of the room and into the living room. Andy and her Patéras Bailey were sitting on the couch. Walking over, Alex sat next to her father.
"Look who finally decided to come to the land of the living," he said with a smile. The young girl just rolled her eyes, "Ha ha. I could just go back to sleep if you like."
Bailey reached over and hooked an arm around Alex and Andy, bringing them close in a tight hug. "You can't escape now. You are forever trapped in my hugs," Bailey laughed, bringing the two siblings closer.
"Patéras!" Alex whined while Andy just giggled.
"Alright that's enough."
Alex looked over the back of the couch to see her Mitéra Rita, standing there holding a bunch of bags. "Is it time to go?" she asked. Her mother gave a nod.
With that, everyone gathered their bags and made their way outside their apartment home. By now Alex had a bit of a buzz in her step. The sun was out, the birds were chirping and there was a gentle breeze. What a perfect day.
The young girl happily walked with her family as they made their way through the streets. Andy was skipping up and down, being a bouncy bubble of joy.
"Mitéra, what's America like?" he questioned.
A smile formed on Rita's face as she looked down at the young boy. "Well, it's a big place, much bigger than Greece. There are many different kinds of environments and people and there's so many different things you can do."
Alex couldn't help but chuckle as Andy's light lit up.
"This is going to be a great vacation, I can't wait," he exclaimed.
"This isn't a vacation Andy. Me and your Mitéra have important work we need to do," Bailey cut in. Andy stopped bouncing and let out a pout.
"Hey, we'll be able to explore ourselves and we'll be able to do so many things," Alex cut in, putting an arm around her brother's neck. That put the smile back on her adelfós's face.
Their Patéras let out a hearty laugh. "I'm afraid you can't do that. You two will be staying with a babysitter while we work."
Both Alex and Andy let out whines of disappointment. They were going to another country and they weren't even allowed to explore it? That seemed unfair.
Rita ruffled Alex's hair. "Don't worry. Once we're done with our work, I promise we'll all go out and do many fun things together."
Andy let out a cheer and Alex felt a smile appear on her face. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.
Five years later...
Freezing rain drenched Alex and she, Andy, Damien and Tia stood there in the graveyard. Andy was clinging to her, his head resting on her shoulder for comfort. A few weeks ago, Damien had said that they'd finally been able to recover the bodies of their parents and Julie. The memories of seeing those rotting bodies would forever haunt Alex but at least they'd be able to put to rest. Andy let out shaking sobs and Alex felt tears streak down her own face. She deeply missed their Mitéra and Patéras. It felt like there was a hole in their hearts that wouldn't be able to be filled.
Anger flowed through Alex as she couldn't even properly remember the last time they saw their parents. She wished she could see them again and speak with them one last time, for both of their sakes. But that wouldn't be possible, even in this world of magic and wonder. Alex didn't like dwelling on the past too long, on the things that would never be able to be changed. They needed to move forward.