Free of family

22

Arkyn managed to keep himself busy for barely a few hours before he called Bonnie. She declined his call, which he was expecting, but he tried again.
"She's mad at you." Alexis greeted, picking up Bonnie's phone
"Just let me talk to her, Lex." He pleaded.
"Sorry. There's a bunch of ghosts roaming Mystic Falls."
"Ghosts?"
"Yeah. We're trying to send them back."
"Anything I can do?" He asked.
"Uh, wait." Alexis turned to Bonnie to repeat his question.
"Tell him to just stay away."
"Tell her I'm not going anywhere." Arkyn said before Alexis could repeat Bonnie's words.
"I am not here for the two of you to use as a middle man. You're both adults, and I am not going to act like the grown up. Now, Ark, Bonnie filled me in and I, for one, am pissed that you kept that little tidbit of super important information from us. We're supposed to be over with the whole secrets crap. But Bonnie, you can't define a seer's prediction. It always goes wrong. So either the two of you talk this out or I will lock you in a room together and not let you out. Deal?"
"Deal." Arkyn said as Bonnie disagreed.
"No deal!" She said. "Just tell him to stay away, and to stop calling me."
"Let me talk to her, Lex." He pleaded.
"Sorry, Ark. But she really doesn't want to talk to you."
"Tell her- tell her I love her, and, just tell her I love her." He said softly.
"Will do." She replied. "Bye."
"Bye." He sighed and she hung up. Alexis turned to Bonnie.
"He told me to tell you that he loves you."
"I won't let him die for me." She shook her head as Alexis handed her back her phone.
"He's an original. He can't die."
"He can be daggered."
"Not easily."
"But it's possible." Bonnie said, sighing as she sat on the ground with her grimoire. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You're seriously stubborn."
"Are you going to help me or not?"
"Well, we can't let ghosts just roam around Mystic Falls." Alexis shrugged.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about."
"I'm sorry, Bonnie, but I'm with Ark on this one. He deserves to be happy, and he could never be happy if he walked away from you. The two of you have been through too much together."
"The seer was pretty specific. She said to beware the original witch. The original witch tried to kill Elena. She also pointed right at me and said I'd be his downfall. And to beware me."
"Well, the original witch didn't end up killing Elena, so maybe we can avoid you being Ark's downfall."
"Yeah, by getting him as far away from me as possible."
"There's another way. There's always another way." Alexis insisted.
"I don't get you and Xavier."
"Bonnie, Ark has never dated or even had flings. I mean, in all the years I've known him- my entire life, I have never once seen him express, even vague, interest in anybody whatsoever. If you push him away, you're going to make him worse than ever. More closed off. You think you're doing what's best for him, but you're hurting him more than anyone else ever could. Think about that, okay?" Alexis said, before turning back to the grimoire in front of her.

Arkyn sat on the couch flipping his phone from hand to hand.
"Enough." Rebekah groaned. "Please let me try get Bonnie off your mind."
"I don't want her off my mind."
"You know what, it's time for a little tough love." She stood. "The girl dumped you. She said she didn't want to see you anymore and proceeded to snap your neck. I know it sucks. You love her and you let her get close enough to snap your neck, and I know you just want to get her back, but you can't force her to want to date you."
"If I thought, even for a second, that she didn't love me and actually had a reason to break up with me I'd give her some space."
"I'd give up, Rebekah. He and Bonnie have this thing where one of them persists until the other realises there's no point in trying to protect them and they get together."
"This happened before?"
"It's how they actually got together. Ark was determined to stay away from her so as to not let her get tangled in his life, but then she persisted and he eventually gave in and they got together."
"You're kidding me, right?" Rebekah frowned and Xavier shook his head.
"No, scout's honour."
"I'm going for a walk." Arkyn tried to get away from them.
"Great, I'm coming with you." Rebekah stood up.
"Why?"
"You're upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Yeah, you are. I can feel it. Call it twin bond."
"We've never had a twin bond."
"How dare you." She gasped but dropped the act when Ark didn't react. "Okay, fine, but I know you more than anyone else."
"That title goes to Kol."
"I know you more than anyone else in this town."
"Well, you've known me for a couple centuries. We grew up together. Getting to know one another was inevitable."
"Smartass. Come shopping with me."
"You literally went the day before yesterday. What else could you need?"
"Retail therapy always cheers me up. And it's no fun going alone. Nik and Stefan were absolutely lousy at helping me pick out clothes."
"I'd be equally lousy. I don't do shopping unless necessary."
"Yeah, even when we were kids, it was mom who took us. Ark would just drive us there and back. He'd only come a handful of times, and it took both mom and Lex to break him. You won't be able to convince him."
"Not even for your sister?"
"Rebekah, you're going to have to start coming up with a better argument than the fact that you're my sister for every time I refuse you something. I'm not Klaus, and I'm not Elijah. I am not here to spoil you and let you do whatever you want."
"You've gotten mean." She pouted, turning to Xavier. "Is he always so mean?"
"He's usually rather benevolent." Xavier answered.