Previously…

Dana put her hand on Alice’s arm. She almost couldn’t speak when the feel of Alice’s skin made a wave of need well up in her.

“Can you pull over for a sec? I need to say this now and I need you to look at me.”

Alice did as Dana requested and unbuckled her seat belt so she could fully face her. When she did, she saw Dana bite her lip and glace up before she started.

“When I’m with you it’s like I’m in this world that is apart from everything else. It’s when I feel alive and even though it’s only for a few moments, my heart is open and I’m actually breathing.”

Dana looked at her lap when she finished so she didn’t see Alice move before she took Dana’s face in her hands and looked into her eyes.

“Thank you,” Alice whispered before kissing Dana slowly, barely touching their lips together
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice pulled back from Dana when she heard sirens
approaching. She looked out the rear window and saw a
police car heading in their direction. There was a
moment of panic before she realized that he was going
to pass them. When he was a good distance down the
road she put her seat belt back on and waited for Dana
to do the same. They pulled back into traffic. Danas
hand snuck over to where Alice’s was resting on the gear
shift.

She lightly brushed her fingers over Alices in
a silent plea for possession. Dana needed to feel the
touch that she had come to savor more than any other.
When she felt the fingers of the sought after hand
entwine with her own she nestled into the seat and
sighed.

Why had she never noticed how supple Alices skin was
before? Why did she suddenly get so warm when they
touched? Maybe she had just been oblivious. They rode
the rest of the way to Shanes in silence, each
basking in the new found glory of touch.

When they pulled into Shanes the lights were on,
which seemed odd to Alice. That usually meant that
someone was home. Dana started to get out of the car
but Alice stopped her.

Whats up, Al?

I think theyre home..

But Shane said, Dana stopped when she noticed that
Alice wasnt paying attention to her, Alice, yoo
hoo.

Alice grabbed Danas arm.

Look!

What, Dana looked where Alice was pointing and saw
Cindy, one of the roommates cross in front of the
living room window.

Oh. Dana said.

She realized that Alice was still holding onto her
arm tightly and stared at it. Alice looked over and
noticed where Dana was looking.

What are they doing home early? Dana asked.

Making our lives harder. Alice answered with a
grin.

They sat like that for a few minutes, both trying to
decide what the next move was going to be and neither
wanting to suggest what was the obvious answer.

So, what are we going to do now? My offer still
stands. Alice offered.

When she saw Danas skeptical look she continued.

I will sleep on the pull out with Tina, you can have
my bed, and we can all be happy little teenagers at a
sleep over. Hey, if Tina doesnt want me on the couch
with her I will just sleep on my very comfy floor.

Dana took Alices hand and squeezed it to stop her
run on babbling.

Its okay, Al. Lets go to your place and talk to
Shane and see what she thinks. If I cant stay at her
place then I will just go to a hotel. Dana said.

No, I mean we can go talk to Shane, but I will not
have you go to a hotel. Alice stopped not knowing
whether to finish her thought.

I am sure we can keep our hands off one another for
one night. Alice finished waggling her eyebrows for
emphasis.

Alices expression made Dana laugh so hard that she
could barely manage a nod in acceptance.

In that case, Al, you have a deal.

Dana pushed Alice gently when the blonde gave her a
playful glare in response. They took off in the
direction of Alices, and again their hands sought
each other out. In that moment everything was okay.
They were together and they would stay that way.

 

By the time the duo got back to Alices their old
feeling of comfort had returned, with an added
feature. They had a new found intimacy that each
wanted to explore in detail. Alice lead the way up the
stairs and when they entered the apartment Shane
looked up with surprise.

So did you decide to stay here after all, Dana?
Shane questioned with a roguish grin.

Alice grinned, No, for your information Shane there
were darker forces at work. Your roommates were at
your house.

What? They swore they wouldnt be back until
Tuesday. They must have had a fight. Shane replied.
It wasnt at all unusual for her roommates to do
something like this, but she had hoped for the sake of
simplicity that Dana would be able to stay with her.
Since when were things simple in the land of the
lesbians though. Shane grinned again and wondered why
she found this situation so amusing.

Tina came out of the kitchen and handed Shane a cup of
coffee. She was a little startled when she saw both
Dana and Alice in front of her with stupefied smiles
on their faces.

Alice saw Tinas bewildered expression, Shanes
roommates came back early so here we are.

Tina nodded slowly and sat on the couch next to
Shane.

So what are you going to do now, Miss. Dana? Tina
asked.

I have no idea. That is what we are here to figure
out. If I cant stay at Shanes then I can either just
crash here somewhere or I can just go to a hotel.
Dana replied.

Shane nodded and wished that her house wasnt so
pressed for space.

Dude, Dana can just sleep on the pull out with Tina
if she doesnt mind or hey, sleep in with Alice.
Shane suggested making sure that all parties present
knew she was kidding on the last one.

Alice let out a nervous laugh, Oh, Shane how funny
you are. Alices voice reached a few octaves higher
than usual.

Tina and Shane both found this very laughable but
Dana and Alice were still a little nervous about the
implications of a sleepover. Tina finally settled the
whole thing by reaching out and pulling Dana onto the
couch with her and wrapped her arms around the
brunette in an affectionate embrace.

No worries Dane, you can sleep out here with me.
There is plenty of room on the old couch.

Dana smiled and stole a look at Alice.

Are you sure? Dana asked.

Of course I am, you nut.

Alice was deep in thought again, which was evidenced
by the fact that she had taken up her habit of chewing
excessively on her lip.

Alice, Dana asked carefully, is that ok with you?

Huh? Oh yeah, fine. Just let me go and get some
pillows.

Alice rushed into her bedroom and opened her closet.
She didnt know how to feel about Dana being there.
She didnt know if it was plausible for her to have
Dana that near and yet have a wall and several feet of
floor space between them. Could she keep herself from
going to Dana in the middle of the night with a silent
request to share their first night together? Alice was
afraid, of herself, of what she would do, and most of
all how Dana would respond.

She went back into the living room with two pillows and threw them at Dana
and Tina. Shane got up and stretched.

Alright guys, Im out. I guess I will see you all
later. Let me know how the sleeping arrangements work
out, alright?

She cuffed Dana on the shoulder, gave Alice a wink
and was out the door on her way back to face her
house, which was depressingly full of roommates. Tina
adjusted the blankets on the couch. She was trying to
ignore the sexual tension that was rearing its head
right next to her.

It was manifesting in every look
and breath that Dana and Alice shared, and frankly it
was making Tina a bit uncomfortable. When she was
finished with the blankets and had put the pillows in
the correct places she patted the side of the bed that
Dana would be occupying.

Well, I dont know about you guys but I am off to
sleep. Are you going to join me Dane?

Dana sat down on the couch never taking her eyes off
of Alice whose face was betraying the fact that she
wanted Dana and that was amazing. Her best friend,
Alice, wanted her. Her very cool, witty, experienced,
wonderful friend wanted her. The geeky but cute tennis
player who had never really seen that look directed at
her before. Yes, Lara had wanted her and Dana had
wanted Lara in return, but this was different. There
was something magical about this. Some grace had been
sent down from above to them. It was as if they were
dancing around each other constantly, causing more and
more energy to crackle between them. They both knew
that they would not be able to hold out long. Here
they were just staring into each others eyes and both
of them had begun breathing faster.

Dana broke the gaze and let her eyes travel down Alices body. She
basically knew what lay beneath the clothes, but she
had never thought about it in the way that she did
now. It was something to be savored. It was a whole
new world of experiences. She couldnt wait to touch,
smell, taste, the rawness of her emotions were driving
her mad. The fact that she knew Alice already gave a
depth to her feelings that wouldnt have been there
otherwise.

She would know what Alice wanted. If she moved one
way Dana would know just where to put her hand but
that couldnt happen yet. No, sadly she was determined
that she wouldnt go further with Alice until she had
finalized everything with Tonya. She wanted a clean
slate for them. There would be no more mars on their
relationship.

Goodnight Alice. Dana said as she laid down next to
Tina.

Alice whispered goodnight and turned off the light
before going into her room and falling onto her bed.
She just laid there thinking of what could have
happened that night, then drifted slowly off to sleep
still in her clothes.

It was three in the morning when Alice woke up. She
hadnt been sleeping well all night. She finally gave
up and smacked her pillow with her fist. She peaked
out the door and tiptoed to the kitchen. When she
reached for the light switch a hand grabbed hers. She
gasped and jumped backwards.

Sorry, Al I didnt want you to wake up Tina. came
the hurried whisper from the depths of the dark room.

Alice put a hand over her heart and kept her other one
in position for a moment longer before taking Danas
hand in her own and playing with it absently.

Dana sighed and stepped closer to Alice.

Whats the matter, cant sleep? Alice inquired.

Nope. Too many thoughts. Dana tapped her head with
her free hand and looked down at her hand in Alices.
This was what she loved the feel of Alice just being
near her. It was something she had taken for granted
until now, but she would never do that again. She
moved her free hand onto Alices neck, rubbing the
muscles she found there.

Dana, Alice breathed.

The feel of Danas strong hand on her neck made her
shiver and arch towards the body in front of her.
Danas eyes widened in the dark and she stopped her
hands motion. That was definitely the most erotic
thing that she had ever heard. Her hand started moving
again and picked up speed and it moved down the
slender neck and onto Alices shoulder.

Oh my god. was all Alice could get out before she
grabbed Danas waist and pulled her into her own
pulsing body.

Danas eyes closed as she felt the soft impact of
Alices ***** against her own. They looked at each
other for a long second and then it was as if they had
both agreed that this was what they wanted and there
wasnt going to be any way of stopping it. They backed
up against the counter, their lips pressing into each
anothers with gusto. Never had there been a feeling
like this for either of them before and somehow they
would make it last.

Just as Dana slid her hand under Alices shirt a loud
ring sounded. They kept on kissing not hearing the
blaring ring coming from Danas purse in the living
room. Tina woke up and stared bleary eyed at the
direction of the noise that had awoken her. She threw
her arm over to find Dana so she could make her make
the noise stop, but Dana was nowhere to be found.
Groaning, she sat up and lunged for the purse where
the ringing was coming from. She wrestled the cell
phone from the straps of the bag and looked at the
caller id.

It wasnt a number that she recognized, nor
was it in Danas phone book apparently. She set out to
find Dana before the phone stopped ringing. She looked
in the kitchen first where she was met with darkness
but she did hear something peculiar. It was the very
familiar sound of two people getting hot and heavy.
She turned on the light and cleared her throat.

Dana and Alice looked at Tina with matching
expressions of shock and disappointment. Tina shoved
the cell phone in Danas direction, who disengaged her
hand from Alices shirt and answered it. Who would be
calling her at three in the morning anyway?

Dana Fairbanks.

Hello, this is Amy Ross. Im calling from the county
medical center to inform you that a Tonya MacCammon
was admitted into the emergency room tonight. This
number was on her contact list in her planner so we
just wanted to inform you of what happened.

Oh my god. What what happened is she ok?

Miss. MacCammon was in a car accident. I cant give
you any information on her condition right now, but if
you come down to the hospital I can have a Doctor
speak with you.

You cant tell me if shes ok? I mean she IS alive
right? Danas stomach turned when she heard the woman
on the other end repeat her previous instructions.

Dana hung up the phone without saying goodbye and
stood there in a trance. Alice shifted from foot to
foot trying to decide what she should ask. She almost
didnt want to know. She wanted to go back to five
minutes ago when there was nothing wrong in her world,
but of course no human had mastered the art of time
travel yet so she was stuck in the here and now.

Tina asked what Alice would not, What was that
about?

Dana looked between her two friends not quite knowing
how to say this. She wasnt sure she knew what was
going on herself.

It was someone from the hospital Tonya she was ah
she was in a car accident. Her face contorted and
tears escaped her eyes. This was her fault. She had
caused this, and she didnt know if she could live
with herself if Tonya died or if there was some other
horrible result from what had happened. What if Tonya
was dying right now this very second, just because
Dana had finally told her that it was over. She would
have never gotten in that car and drove off if Dana
hadnt said the things that she had. It would have all
been okay if she had just kept her mouth shut.

She would have been unhappy but Tonya would be fine now.
The most horrible part about it was that she was
afraid that if she was given the chance to make the
decision over she didnt know if she would have been
able to not break up with Tonya.

She felt Alices hand on her face whipping away tears
and let it comfort her for a moment. Then she realized
what she was doing. She couldnt let herself feel
anything good. She should feel pain. She had caused
enough of it so she should feel all that she had
caused and more. This is what made her cry out and run
breaking the hold that Alice had on her. How could she
make this right?

Alice and Tina watched as Dana ran into the living
room. What she was doing they could only imagine. It
took a minute for it to sink in, but then Alice raced
after Dana catching up with her just as she was going
out the door. She threw herself between Dana and the
door.

Dana, wait what are you doing?

I have to go. I have to go. Get out of my way When
it was clear that Alice wasnt going to let her
through she looked down at the floor. She wanted to
hit something or throw herself down the stairs.
Anything to make this feeling of extreme guilt and
pain go away. She didnt do any of those things. What
she did do was to look Alice in the eyes. She turned
herself off. That was the only way she was going to be
able to deal with this. Her eyes were now void of
emotion.

Alice, I need to go to the hospital and I need you
to move so I can do that. Dana said evenly.

Alice stood her ground and looked right back at Dana.
She saw the signs. Dana had shut down. She was no
longer there. Alice choked back a sob and reached
forward gripping Danas face in her hands with a firm
grip.

Its okay to feel its ok to cry. Please show me
something Dana, show me that youre still here. Please
dont go away from me.

Danas face did not change, and Alice realized what
was going on. Dana was blaming herself for Tonyas
accident.

Oh god, Dana no! This is not your fault. It was an
accident. An accident, nothing you did.

Dana looked over Alice shoulder at the door and tried
to move away, but Alice kept her there.

Look, I understand that you need to go to the
hospital, but I am going to drive you. I am not going
to argue about this so just wait here until I get my
stuff together. Will you do that for me? Please?

She waited until Dana nodded and held her face for a
moment longer before going into her room to retrieve
her things.

When Alice came back Dana was leaning against the
door. She looked like a statue, which made her pause.
It was breaking her heart to see Dana like this and
there wasnt very much that she could do about it.
Then Alice remembered that Tina was still in the room.
She turned around to find her sitting on the couch
playing absently with a pillow.

T, do you want to come too? Alice turned to Dana,
Should Tina come?

Tina looked at Danas blank expression.

I am going to stay here actually. Sort of watch the
apartment, Tina hesitantly said.

Dana nodded and she and Alice left for the hospital.
On the way Alice remembered the whole night as if it
was a dream. Then a vague memory came back to her.
There was a cop that had passed them while they were
on the side of the road. Could he have been on his way
to the accident? She pushed the thought out of her
head and drove with determination. She would not let
her thoughts take her over. Dana would need her to be
there, and she would be because this was Dana her
Dana.

When they arrived at the emergency room entrance Dana
stopped. She stared at the doors as they slid open and
closed to admit people until she felt the cold urgency
of her task take over once again. Alice paused right
behind her when she had vacated the spot in front of
the door and stared after her. What was going on with
Dana right now?

Alice could only imagine the emotions
that went along with something like this. She hadnt
really had all that much experience with hospitals.
Over the years she had remained pretty healthy. She
took a deep breath and walked after Dana who was
standing at the nurses station waiting for
information. When she approached she saw a woman in
scrubs talking to Dana with an expression of sadness
on her face. Danas face was a mask of stunned silence
as if she were drinking in the situation for the first
time and realizing that it was really happening.

Alice wasnt sure whether she should approach Dana or
not. It seemed like a very private moment. It was
almost like intruding. When Dana looked up and saw
Alice standing ten feet away she could no longer hold
it in. Her face crumpled into a grimace and she
clutched her chest as she gasped for air. Alice rushed
to her. When she got there Dana reached out and
clutched at Alices jacket desperate for contact.
Tears ran down both womens faces as they faced
something neither had bargained for in this
relationship.

They walked over to a row of seats in the waiting room
still holding each other. When they sat down Alice
looked into Danas eyes and then hugged her tightly.

What did she say, Dane?

Tonya is in intensive care, but they wont tell me
anymore until the doctor comes. They they paged him
and said he would be here soon.

Just as she said that a doctor in scrubs and a white
lab coat approached the nurses station. When the nurse
pointed at them the doctor walked over and stood
waiting for the pair to notice her.

Alice looked up and pulled away from Dana.

Hi, I am Dr. Cho.

Dana whipped her nose and eyes with her sleeve and
stared back at the doctor.

What happened? How is she?

Dr. Cho sat down next to Dana and set her face in
grim determination before answering.

She is stable, but she hasnt woken up yet. From
what I understand she ran a red light and a car hit
her on the drivers side at a pretty high speed and
the force of the crash threw her into the passengers
side. She wasnt wearing a seat belt. We tried to
contact her other family, but yours was the only
number we could find. Her planner was a little beat up
from the accident.

Dr. Cho remembered the planner that the paramedics
had found on the scene. It had been ripped apart, most
of the pages rendered illegible. The only numbers and
addresses that they were able to find were Danas and
a dry cleaner shop.

Alice wrapped her arms tighter around Dana when she
felt her start to shake.

Is she going to be okay? Dana asked.

Dr. Cho put a hand on Danas arm and tried to speak
in the most convincing manner that she could.

We are doing everything we can. Right now it is too
early to say what is going to happen. It all depends
on Tonya. She could wake up anytime, or she could stay
in the state that she is in presently for some time. I
do want you to have hope though. I will contact you as
soon as I get any new information on her status.

The doctor got up to leave, but Dana caught her arm.

Can I see her?

Of course, just give me a moment and I will send a
nurse to take you to her room.

Dr. Cho left the two alone. Alice watched her walk
away then turned her attention back to Dana. She had
no idea what to say. She didnt have much experience
with things like this. She had known of people who had
died in accidents, but never someone this close to a
person that she cared deeply for. She was truly at a
loss for words, so she did the only thing she could,
she held Dana. Alice was startled when the brunette
broke their embrace to look her directly in the eyes,
her face filled with urgency.

You have to come in there with me. Dana insisted.

Alice swallowed and considered the statement. She
didnt know if she belonged in that room with Tonya,
but she didnt know if she could just ignore a request
like the one Dana had made.



A: Alice goes in to see Tonya with Dana.

B: Alice stays out in the waiting room and waits.

C: Any suggestions???