permeant jet lag { ALEX

[aria levesque.]

i'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

[/b][/i][/size]
i can't remember the good old days[/center][/font]

Having both parents in the business of fame and fortune and art and talent, Aria had always wanted her chance at the big time. She wanted her chance to be famous. And now? Well, she had a job as a dancer, but it wasn't as glamorous as she had thought it would be, and she wasn't nearly as proud of herself. But she knew that eventually, it would take her to where she needed to go. Hopefully, it would get her noticed and help her slowly climb her way to the top. She had nothing to care about where she was now, besides her family, but even now she hardly saw them... even Grace she only saw several times a week, but when she did see her it wasn't always pleasant. The were both stubborn girls with blockhead personalities that put them on the edge, giving them a fifty percent chance of screaming, and loving each other when the met. It simply gave her a headache now a days, so sometimes, Aria simply avoided Grace and ducked the other way when she saw her coming. Sure it wasn't the polite thing to do, but she couldn't help it. If only she could kick off her career already and leave all of this damn stuff behind her. These juvenile fears of turning in a paper on time and trying to avoid the damn bitches in the other houses. She wanted them gone.

As for her job? Every night, after she was finished with her assignments, she opened the trunk at the end of her bed and pulled out a duffle bag which was filled with several different 'outfits' and 'costumes', then slung it over her shoulder and apparated from the inside of her dorm to the streets of Arindale Valley. She found herself in the back alleyway of the well-known gentleman's club, 'The Pole'. Crystal blue eyes scanning her surroundings, she made sure that there was no-one there to see her. Once she was positive no one was around, she took her wand from her bag and waved it twice. In less than a minute, she almost looked like a completely different person. Aria's hair had turned into a deep purple color with sparkles in it, and her eyes were a gorgeous sparkling silver. Wrapping her coat a bit tighter around her body, she took a card from her pocket and held it in front of her door, causing it to swing open for her a minute later. Stepping inside, she disappeared off of the streets into the noise and lights of the club.

Inside, the music nearly killed her ears. The base tonight was so loud, it drained every other thought out of her head. Several people called to her by the name of 'Sparkles' and she smiled politely then waived a few times as she walked towards the end of the long hallway to where a dressing room was. Inside was a long make-up table with at least fifteen mirrors. In front of each mirror was a girl dressed in lingerie some sporting interesting costumes, like cops, and mailwomen and firewomen. When Aria found herself at her mirror, she placed her bag on the counter and pulled out a very skimpy nurse's costume, with a bright red lace bra and a matching thong. In no less than two minutes time she found herself dressed and staring in the mirror, and just like every other night, she wonders over and over why the hell she's about to degrade herself in front of so many men just to try and make it to the top. Then, soon enough, she hears the music begin, and her manager Ben, comes up from behind her, slaps her ass and kisses her cheek, then shoves her on stage.

[/blockquote]

[alexander dolohov]

the thing was, no matter how many times he told himself he was going to change, alexander never did. he never cared to, and doubted he ever would. with a glass of brandy already in his hand, the young man shoved the door to the pole open, allowing the woman by the door to take his jacket and hang it on the wall with those of other men. from experience, mister montague had learned not to leave anything of value in the pocket of his coat, for the woman accepting them, despite how kind she looked, was a thief. winking at her, alexander placed a soft kiss on her cheek and brought the half-empty glass to his lips, scanning the stage to check out that night's show.

perhaps racing off to france hadn't been his brightest idea, but alexander couldn't bring himself to regret it. his life at the university had never been anything worth fighting for, and even his questionable betrothal had been put on hold while he decided to run off, hopping from one of his father's hotels to the next. that was the nice thing about having a parent in the pureblood hotel business; when they were a pain in the ass, there was always somewhere to run off to. sliding between a few rather full, round tables, alexander snagged a seat close to the stage just as an older man was getting up to leave. he smirked and took out both the medium-sized, purple velvet bag filled with galleons, and a cigarette. a much needed cigarette.

softly, he tapped the tip of his wand against the end of the cigarette and breathed a sigh of anxious relief as the light smoke brushed against the tip of his nose. pinching it between his lips, alexander felt himself relax slightly into his chair. it looked as if while he was gone, the men's club had picked up a new act, as he didn't recognize the woman with the green and blonde hair, nor the one with the purple and sparkles. however, something about the way she moved was familiar. chuckling under his breath, the young male took a long drag off his cigarette and eyed the girl with purple hair and captivating, unique silver eyes. lightly tracing over the table top with his fingertips, he nudged the bag of galleons, raising a brow at her. it was an offer, that much was obvious by the intentional jingle of his money stash. he didn't have to feel bad tonight. he was already on his way toward being shit-faced, and from there he'd score an easy lay and forget about it in the morning. that was all he needed.

to forget.

[aria levesque.]

i'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

[/b][/i][/size]
i can't remember the good old days[/center][/font]

Dancing had never been something Aria had thought she'd end up doing, but when she was offered this job, she took it. She could move. It wasn't like she wasn't the life of the party at the club when she went, so she would learn. That's what she did. She learned, and boy was she good at it. In several days, she had went from a new act, to headlining. It had become apparent that she was good at what she did, not that she was surprised. Considering that she had always been one to be one to be good with the opposite sex, and good between the sheets, she hat the utmost confidence in herself. When she stepped on that stage and began to dance, she could feel it in her blood as she wrapped herself around the pole, her bringing her leg up towards her head and a occasionally locking eyes with the guy closest to her. Sure this wasn't the most respectable to ear her own way, but she kept hoping that one day someone would see her in there and pull her out and towards a more respectable career.

The man who managed to lock eyes with was positively gorgeous. Amazing blue eyes. Stunning complexion and gorgeous hair. He was simply perfect, though there was something about him that was slightly family. She didn't want to go near him, but something was drawing her near. Something she couldn't ignore. Usually if she recognized someone, she stayed as far away as possible, ignoring them, due to the fact that she wanted to keep her job at the pole a secret, but this time she didn't care. Eyes shining with mischief, she watched him as she continued to moved to the music, watched as he lit his cigarette and took out the bag of galleons. It was only when she saw him raise a brow at her, did she pick up her pace slightly and eye him lustfully. Naturally, the lustful look was as fake as her hair and eyes. At this job, she could never be too attached. Sure she came home with a man at times, but she never attached herself. She would never attach herself again... not after last time.

Finally standing in front of him, she slowly crawled into his lap, her body still moving to the music. Tracing her hands up his chest, she nuzzled his neck bitting in several places, before pulling away to strip off her nurses coat, leaving her in bright red lace bra and thong and matching heels. Her next move was to straddle him, but as she made the shift to place her legs on either side of his waist, her eyes met with his and something clicked. Now she knew where she knew him from. Immediately, her silver eyes widened and she looked at him for a moment, almost frozen. "Alexander?" she breathed. Slowly, she reached her hand up to his face and let it graze gently down his cheek as if she couldn't believe it was really him. Truth be told, she couldn't. He had been gone so long and out of everywhere, she had to finally see him again when he beckoned her towards where he was sitting at a strip club! They were supposed to be engaged.. but apparently he gave up on that a long time ago. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

She knew she couldn't risk causing a scene and letting everyone else know she knew him so the moment she got control over her body again, she straddled him and placed several more hard kisses on his neck. She had to keep up the act, but the fact that she was sitting on him once again was driving her crazy. If only he knew it was her.

[/size][/blockquote]

[alexander dolohov]

the whore working the pole in front of him had responded to his offer rather quickly, and that alone was enough to please a man. he sighed and relaxed back as far as possible into the chair, watching her closely as she made up her mind. the way her silver eyes sparkled under the neon lights was almost captivating; he had to remind himself of a little deal he had made with mikayle to make him stop staring. he wasn't there to pick up another woman that would become a weekly lay. he just needed one night, that was all.

however, a lot could happen in one night. though purple wasn't his preferred choice in a woman's hair color, alexander knew at once that it must have been part of her disguise rather than a costume. she looked as if she were hiding something, at least until she looked at him dead on. for a split second, they shared a flash of doubt, followed by realization, though the latter was mostly felt on her part. there was something about the girl that was familiar, and he almost wished he had picked the one with the green hair. that was, until she straddled his lap and drug her hands up his chest. on the bright side, whatever was familiar about her turned him on, and that was all he cared about. the montague hadn't shown up to locate an old friend, though he assumed she was more along the lines of a one night stand he didn't remember and she held onto. it really was a pity he had to do such things to such nice women. on the downside of things, alexander could repeat those words to himself a hundred times and he wouldn't start to believe them or feel them. he said them because they were the right thing to feel, not because he actually felt regret. the only thing he felt regret for was leaving france.

that was another story for another day; preferably one where he wasn't in the middle of getting a well rehearsed lap dance. however, as the woman opened her mouth and half whisper-hissed his name, the young man closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. certain things, when dealing with women, were deal breakers. for instance, finding out something unpleasant about her physical condition (an example being that the woman is very much infected with warts in a painful place), finding out her blood isn't the slightest bit pure (for this could harm alexander's reputation), or the most common thing; when the woman spoke when she should have been listening. or in this case, when she should have been yes.giving him the fucking lap dance he was going to pay for.

he chose not to reply right away, hoping she would sense his displeasure and leave it at that. however, as she paused, he sighed and opened his mouth to reply. "look, if you don't mind, i'd like to skip the formalities." he began, running a hand through his hair. his body wasn't happy with the sudden change of pace either; he could still feel the spot where she had kissed his neck tingling. however, like a gift from merlin himself, she caught herself and continued on with the act. "wise choice," he sighed in relief, placing his hands roughly upon her waist and holding the cigarette firmly between his lips. "besides, since when have names even mattered?" he had to laugh at himself, even if it was only a low, inward chuckle. he had to do something to get the voice in the back of his head to go away; the voice that kept telling him she was familiar. but even he knew that the way she said his name was special. alex couldn't remember women's names to save his life, but he sure as hell could remember how certain ones said his name.

[aria levesque.]

i'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

[/b][/i][/size]
i can't remember the good old days[/center][/font]

How could this man possibly be her Alexander? How could he be here? He was supposed to be in France. He just up and left her two years ago, no goodbye, no explanation. He simply disappeared. He left her hanging there, with her heart torn in two and tears running down her cheeks. When he left, she couldn't possibly fathom why he had done that to her. She kept questioning herself as to what she had done wrong and what had happened that could have driven him away. As far as she had seen, everything was alright. They were happy. Perhaps she had been wrong and he was miserable with her. But then, why had he come back? Had he simply gotten bored of his life there and decided to take a new path here? Another path that didn't include her? She wouldn't be able to handle that. In truth, Aria still loved him, despite the fact that he had caused her a great deal of heartache, she would always love him. There was just something about him that caused a hook inside her that would never let go. It would destroy her slowly

Still gazing at him in shock, she felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest. He certainly look displeased, but she couldn't help it. She was seeing him for the first time was nerve wrecking and bringing forth so many emotions that for those split seconds she had no idea what to do. She was still slightly unsure on if it was really him, but the moment he spoke, she knew. It was him. It was Alexander Montague. For the slightest of moments, her heart jumped and then it plunged straight into her stomach. The urge to kiss every part of his body quickly disintegrated into anger and she wanted nothing more that to scream at him and smack him hard across the face, just to let him know how much pain he had put her through. How much heartache he had caused her. Not that it would work on him. Merlin knows how much that boy could be a son of a bitch. After all, he did just leave her in the dust with not even a goodbye.

Still, she managed to keep her cool for a bit, slipping her hands under his shirt and bitting at his neck gently before pressing her hips to his, still swaying towards the music. Slowly, her nips turned into kisses and she brought her lips to his jaw, kissing it gently. Her emotions couldn't have been more torn. Feeling his hands on her hips was driving her wild as she hadn't felt this closet to him in a long time and she had missed it, but the other half of her was holding a grudge. He had just left her feeling so betrayed. She had been so in love with him and in that moment, when she realized he was gone, she knew he didn't love her back and that he had been lying the whole time. Every time he had said it to her, he had bee lying. If he had really loved her, he wouldn't have left, or he would have at least said goodbye or taken her with him. All she had ever wanted was to be with him. Was that ever too much to ask?

He spoke again, he voice so mellow, but it angered her to the point where she forced herself to pull back and she placed her heeled foot wedged on the chair between his legs and placed her hands on his wrists, looking him dead in his eyes, her own watering. "Since you left me for France..." she hissed. With that, she used all her strength, which for her size was quite a bit and tipped Alex's chair back to the floor, and immediately turned on her heel, tears streaming down her face. She walked quickly, as her little display had caused a scene, and made her way back stage. As soon as she was in the dressing room, she pulled on her street clothes and waved her wand so her purple hair was returned to her long blond locks and her silver eyes to her cold blue ones. Then with that, she began to stuff everything in her bag, praying that Alex wasn't following. If she knew him at all, he would be in the dressing room in...

Five... four... three... two... one...

[/size][/blockquote]

[alexander dolohov]

finally, the woman seemed to learn her place. he chuckled under his breath and allowed her to trace her lips over his neck and her hands up his chest. certainly the quality of her work wasn't anywhere near those french girls he had run in to, but she was putting on a damn good show. sliding his hands up her waist and toward her chest, alexander managed to release the smoke out of the side of his mouth before allowing the cigarette to drop to the floor and stepping on it with the heel of his left shoe. just when he was starting to think he was going to be able to enjoy himself, the whore on his lap spoke again.

"Since you left me for France..."

"ah, i've had you before then, have i?" he asked, rubbing the stubble on his chin with one of his hands and chuckling. before he could get out what he had to say, the woman he would now know because of that glorious red lace bra had kicked back his chair and he was falling backward into a table of older gentleman. to say the least, alexander montague was fucking furious; whoever she was, she wasn't very bright. standing up and kicking the chair aside, alex brushed off the front of his jacket and tucked his wand deep into his pocket, shooting a dangerous glare toward the man he had been shoved into. without stopping to think about who she could possibly be, or the fact that she was only a woman, the young man took off after her, rounding the corner that seemed to lead toward the stripper dressing rooms.

he had been willing to play nice, and he had been willing to compensate her nicely. unfortunately, the woman had exchanged his generosity for this ferocious alternative. he had told himself this time would be different; that he couldn't go around doing the things him and mik had done before. however, there wasn't anything alexander wouldn't do to protect his dignity and reputation. unfortunately for the woman on the other side of the door he stood in front of, she was going to have to pay the consequences for making out to be a fool.

pushing the door open and shoving one hand in his pocket, alexander noticed the girl had changed her hair back to her natural shade of blonde. she was standing with her back to him, which worked out perfectly. he didn't have to see her face. he didn't want to see her face.

he should have looked at her face.

"look, i'm sure you thought we had quite a connection or whatever it is your women convince yourselves of, but i had business to take care of in france. but considering i don't owe you an explanation, i believe-" he paused, approaching her from behind and shoving her small body into the dresser and vanity mirror in front of them; it looked as if it were the station the strippers used to paint on their costumes. he bent her over the wooden stand, still not catching a glimpse of her face as he did so. "-you owe me something." he finished, purring into her ear with a low chuckle.

[aria levesque.]

i'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

[/b][/i][/size]
i can't remember the good old days[/center][/font]

The man had always had a temper, and a bad one at that. Though he had never once struck Aria, he had certainly shown enough anger to. He had stormed out of the room a few times. She had never been able to handle that at that point in time. She remembered when he would yell at her and storm out of the room, leaving her crying alone in the room. But he always came back. He came back and apologized then they'd 'make-up' and ooh what a make up session they'd have. Alex was the ultimate lover, to her anyways. Her skin against his was like heaven. She didn't ever need anyone else. While he was gone, no one could compare to him and it simply made her feel like she was completely empty. As if everything else was just second best. Because it was. Now one had been able to compare to Alex. Not yet, and she was pretty sure that no one was going to be able to top him.

Gazing back into his eyes, she scowled. Merlin, either he was completely dense or his IQ had dropped a few points when he was gone. "Quite a few times.." she managed to say though clenched teeth. Ooh she wanted nothing more than to slap him hard across the face and let him know all the hurt she's been through. But she couldn't. Not now. Besides, with this costume on, she'd be nothing against him. Alexander had no respect for women of her sort and truth be told, if she got him back she'd leave this job. He was still her fiance and she needed to be respectable about it.

Just as she had counted down, she heard the door swing open and soon enough, she was shoved into the dresser, her bag falling to the floor. Letting out a painful groan, she winced and bent over, her hand lightly falling over his as he spoke. She tried desperately to turn around to face him but her thin body was pressing too hard against the vanity. When he spoke, she quickly brought her elbow back and dug it deep into his chest. "Don't you dare Alexander Montague! Goddamn it! If you would only take one damned second and take a look at me!" she hissed, pushing him back. Finally turning around with tears in her eyes, she screamed at him. "If I owe you anything it's a good slap in the face! How could you leave me like that Alex?! How could you just up and leave me like that? How could you?!" Still glaring at him, she shook her head and turned away from him, wiping away her tears.

She knew that he would retaliate soon and get to her, but she didn't care. He knew who she was now. The worst was over. Right?

[/size][/blockquote]

[alexander dolohov]

as he pinned her against the edge of the vanity dresser, alexander had to fight to keep the distant memories of france from entering his mind. that wasn't why he had returned to the university and he knew it. he had come back purely for his education, hadn't he? somewhere, the intoxicated man knew the other reason for his return, but couldn't seem to get a grip on it. oddly enough, the more the whore pressed against his hips spoke, the clearer things got. just when he thought he wanted her to shut the fuck up and strip down, he was now craving her words. he needed more so he could think straight. he needed her to keep speaking so that voice could wash reason through his mind and actions, not to mention this alternate personality of his.

aria.

the second the answer struck him, alexander released her and rapidly backed away from the scene to the other side of the room. once his back had firmly collided with the opposite wall, all he could do was stare, shocked, at the woman he had ditched for another country. for another life. for another woman. he couldn't speak; hell, he couldn't even think. as soon as he figured out who she was,her honey voice stopped making things clear. things weren't clear at all. they were more complicated.

deep breaths, he forced, wondering if his body would even take orders from his mind anymore. his vision was slightly blurred, but he was choosing to blame it on the alcohol he had consumed. for two split seconds, he was happy to see the blonde before him. at one time, he had believed himself to be in love with her. that life seemed so far away. even though they stood less than fifteen feet apart, so did aria. she seemed like a distant memory; a reminder of his past. the life he had once lived. the one he had given up and in exchange, watched fall around him. but still, even though he had put her through hell and back and honestly forgotten her for the past year, alexander had been happy to see her. unfortunately, all good things came to an end.

oh, the irony. everything that had once been considered 'good' in alex's life, no matter what country it came from, had done just that. only in his drunken state would he allow his emotions to take over his mind like so. when he was sober, not even he could access his innermost thoughts. the happiness was quickly washed away with his rush of irate adrenaline. for some reason, even though he had left her in there, high and dry, alexander expected her to stay true to him. he expected aria to wait for him to go through his teenage crisis, and be there when he got back, even though he didn't think about her, wonder about her, or miss her. he expected her not to become the whore that stood before him. he was disgusted. not even all the soap in the world could wash that off of her body. the one he had once felt so close to. "i left because i had to," he began in an even tone, though he was obviously furious. it took a great deal of control to keep himself from grabbing her just to get his point across. "and you couldn't do one little thing for me while i was gone? one damn thing?" his hands roamed over his slightly unshaven face as he began to pace, pondering the situation in front of him. he wanted to yell. he wanted to scream and complain and shake her until she understood. unfortunately, she would never understand. she couldn't never understand what alexander was in the middle of and more than anything, she could never know.

the entire situation was an extreme case of deja vu, or in this particular case, a vision. he could see himself having this exact conversation with a brunette, begging her to tell him why she had left, where she had gone, and why he wasn't included. all he wanted was answers, and because of this, he was able to strap on his invisible muzzle and imagine just how it was like for aria to be seeing him. his eyes wandered over her face, that lovely skin, her blonde hair that sometimes liked to pretend it was purple, that obscene makeup he hated, her small body he knew, and her familiar eyes filled with something he couldn't identify. perhaps if he would have found her somewhere other than where he did, this would have been able to go back to normal. or at least alexander could have pretended. he had always been a good actor.

[aria levesque.]

i'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

[/b][/i][/size]
i can't remember the good old days[/center][/font]

as soon as she was released, she turned away from him and gripped the edges of the vanity, her knuckles turning white from the forces. silver tears streamed down her face as her thin body shook and she felt faint as her emotions welled over her body. she wanted to stay calm. she wanted this meeting to stay calm between the two of them so they could talk it out. but she couldn't. she was shaking just from feeling his touch. that force he had used on her. the feeling of his skin on hers again. as the tears streamed down her cheeks, she tried so hard not to sob, but the more she tried to hold it back, the more she shook. she couldn't take it. she knew then and there that she would have to quit this job. if he ever forgave her.

eventually, her tears became soft cries and she sat down at her vanity, head in her hands. she never cried. aria levesque never cried, but this was too much. he was never supposed to come back. how was she supposed to forgive him for running off like that? and not even sending a letter? she waited a year and a half for him. how was she not supposed to continue on with her life? when he spoke, she couldn't help but growl through her tears slightly. "you had to? just leave like that? no words no nothing? you had to just up and leave me without telling me a god damn thing? that's fucking bullshit alex." she hissed, shaking her head. oh she could hear how mad he was, but he had no right. if anything, she should be the one to be upset.

"i was supposed to do something for you? i did alex! i waited! i tried!" standing up, she spun around and looked up at him, eyes full or warm tears still. "i loved you and you left me without any notice or explanation! I waited for as long as i could and then i just had to give up!" by this point, aria's tears were falling down her face and with each breath she took, she took a step. when she was done speaking, she was standing inches away from him, her eyes glaring up into his. "how could you do that to me? were you lying to me after all this time?" her last words no longer held the anger she spoke with before, but simply the great sense of hurt. she wanted him. she missed him. he had left her with nothing and came back out of the blue leaving her feeling unloved and confused. she just wanted the trued.

for several long moments, she stared into his eyes and she held the silence, but she couldn't do it for long, as she blinked and took in a deep breath, turning away from him and walking back to the vanity, leaning over. "do you have any idea what i've been through?" she muttered to herself, looking at him in the mirror. "what you put me through? we're supposed to be getting married, alexander. we had a good thing. did that mean nothing to you?"

[/size][/blockquote]