DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. If I did, I'd be happy.
Alex and Paige walked away from the festivities at the fair. As therapeutic as it was to see Spinner get dunked in the water tank by Jimmy fifteen times, it was more gratifying to be together out in public. "So, did you hear what they're saying about us?" Alex said, grabbing Paige's hand in her own, standing in front of her and kissing over her knuckles as they got closer to the lake.
"What're they saying hun?" Paige smiled, brushing her fingertips across Alex's bottom lip.
"They're calling us Palex." Alex laughed a bit, entangling their fingers as they reached the bench seated closest to the lake. She pulled Paige close to her and kissed her softly, running her fingers through her downy hair. Alex let Paige sit down first and then Alex lay across the bench, her head on Paige's lap.
Paige looked over the horizon across the lake. She watched as the water ripples the light beams bouncing off of the waves. She ran her fingers across the edges of Alex's mouth, leaning down to kiss her passionately, then back up again, bracing herself as Alex smiled up at her.
"We should come here more often if I get kisses like that." Alex said as Paige swatted playfully at her.
"It's so, peaceful, and you plus being here, does not equal anything of the bad." Paige rolled her hand down over Alex's chest, trailing across the simple fabric of her white tank top.
Alex stopped her hand over her heart. She let Paige feel how it beats for her, then kissed up the length of her arm softly. She looked up into Paige's eyes and whispered, "Nothing equals 'bad' when you're around." She leaned up again, kissing underneath Paige's neck. Paige complied with a soft moan and wrapping her arms around Alex's neck.
Paige opened her eyes and smiled at the dark haired beauty in front of her. "I have bad in my life. Did you miss the days I was with Matt? Spinner? What about-" Paige trailed off. She realized that Alex wasn't around when Dean had torn through her life.
"What about what?" She looked over Paige's face to find some kind of answer, but got only a blank expression. "What is it?"
"Nothing, it's nothing." Paige stood up and walked over to the edge of the lake, crouching down close to bank. She picked up some rocks and then stood up, skipping them across the rippling waves.
"Paige…" Alex went over to her, wrapping her arms around her waist, and leaning her chin on Paige's shoulder. "What's going on in that head of yours?" She kissed the side of Paige's neck. As son as she leaned in again, Paige spun out of her grasp, and started walking down the bank of the water. "Paige, hey, what a minute." Alex jogged a bit to catch up. She stood by Paige to receive an explanation.
"Do you even know why I took the job at the theater in the first place?" Paige asked, looking over at Alex sternly. She looked back down to her feet and kept walking.
"I know it's because of that loser, Spinner, and something about a wrecked car, but yea, what's that have to do with you pulling away from me?"
"It's because of the REASON I wrecked his car. Do you know that one? I'm surprised if not."
"Paige, I'm not following you. Hey, stop." She grabbed Paige's arm as she was about to walk into a mud hole in the ground. Paige turned around and started crying against Alex's shoulder. "Hey, it's ok, a little mud wouldn't have hurt you, but yea, I know that you would have been ever more upset—"
"Shut up, Alex." Paige looked up at her. Through her tears she smirked at the taller women. Alex wiped some of the tears away, searching her eyes for some sort of explanation.
"Tell me what's going on then." Alex dropped her hands from Paige's face, folding her arms across her chest.
"A few years back, I went to this party with Hazel. I met this guy from another school that was there and he invited me." Paige kept walking and Alex was right beside her, listening to every word. "He wanted me to go upstairs with him, and like a fool I followed. I thought it'd be nice to be alone with him, that charming man he was." Paige closed her eyes and felt a rush of tears spark at the edge. She looked up to the sky and saw looming gray clouds over head, then looked over to Alex who was listening intently to Paige's story. "I don't know what I was thinking exactly. He was another guy, a guy that liked me back. And he was older. He called me spirit."
Alex gritted her teeth. She realized where the story was heading and she felt old instinctive feelings reforming and manifesting down to her fist. She tucked them safely into her pockets, realizing that violence would have to wait till later.
"I told him to stop, I told him no." Paige bit down on her bottom lip, looking down at her feet. "But of course, like any good rapist, he wouldn't."
"Bastard." Alex said, clenching her fist so hard she felt the blood pulsating through her heart from them.
"At least he wore a condom. Pretty nice of him to do that, huh?" Paige let more tears fall from her tired cheeks. It was hard to tell anyone, but she figured that Alex had a right to know. And more importantly, Alex is the only one who cared.
Alex pulled Paige to her, feeling the smaller women sob against her chest. "Shhh, Paige, you're safe now." Alex lifted Paige's chin up with her fingertips, feeling Paige melt against her. "If I could I'd kill the bastard for you. No questions asked."
"Thanks, but I'm sure he's no where around here anymore. He knows I'm serious about never wanting to see him again. And I'm not afraid to take drastic measures."
"Did you go to the police?" Alex asked feeling a part of her wanting to run and find the scumbag that did this to her.
"Yea, but since I waited so long to do anything about it, he got away scotch free, and he admitted it afterwards. But I can't do anything about that now, stature of limitations and double jeopardy both get their fair say in his game."
"Paige, I'm so sorry. I didn't have any idea." Alex places her hands on Paige's hips. Paige conformed, and formed against Alex. Their bodies fitting so perfectly against one another.
"It's not your fault, so no sorries." Paige kissed over Alex's collarbone gently. She buried her face against her chest again as Alex kissed the top of her head. "This is nice. Me and you togetherness. It seems almost perfect."
"Almost perfect?" Alex questioned, "You're not thinking about something else are you?"
"No, I just meant," Paige sighed and continued, "I feel safe with you Alex. No matter how much of a 'bully' you are. I know you wouldn't let anything happen to me. Like at the premiere when Jay called me a skank, you so tore him a new one. Just for me."
"Heh, you noticed that eh?" Alex smiled, "I'd known all night that all of it, the premiere, the dancing, even tearing Jay a new one, it was all about you."
"So why did you even start liking me?" Paige whispered, "I'm not something to be proud of. I'm not perfect."
"And you think I am?" Alex laughed, "I've liked you for a long while now. I was just trying to figure things out on my own. Hell, even when we smoked pot together, I felt like I was going to jump you right then and there." Alex gave a mischievously grin to Paige who was now looking up at her with a sexy smirk. "And my mom, what she said about me talking about you all the time, not a lie. You were the only thing that came out of my mouth for weeks." Alex looked up at the sky.
"But why, is what I want to know." Paige slowly started kissing over Alex's neck, Alex flushed at the sensation.
"Have you looked at you lately? And besides," She pulled Paige back at arms length. "You get me, and make me want to be better. I am better when I'm around you. You know? At first I thought that me talking about you all the time was because you annoyed me, not thinking about when I got your job back for you. But then it turned into concern about you about what happened with Matt and how I knew I could treat you better. And you believe in me. You're my lucky charm, Paige."
Paige gave her a smirk and bit her bottom lip. "The first time you told me that, sitting on your couch, I almost kissed you. I could feel that I wanted to all night, and I just hadn't. Especially when you took that ridiculous cowboy hat off and put it to the back of my head." Paige nuzzled her nose against Alex's.
"I don't know what I was thinking when I did that, except that I wanted to be closer to you."
"Did it suck?" Paige whispered, running her hands down Alex's tank top.
"Did what suck?"
"You wanting to be with me. Where you scared."
"Not really, I knew it would be scarier for you. That's why I hid it so long. But you took up for me with Hazel, and you did go to the premiere with me instead of her. Yea, I freaked when you told her I meant nothing-"
"Which was a lie"
"Yea, but it took you coming back to my house to tell me that. I let Jay come in that night, and I realized he is just like Chad. Nothing better then him."
Paige leaned to the side to check out the scar left from the coffee table incident. "I was so upset that night. I was scared for you, and just wanted you to be comfortable. Then you kissed me, which was what I had wanted all night, and well, I freaked."
"I noticed. I shouldn't have been a jerk about it though, I should have talked to you about it in the morning."
"I didn't really want to talk about it."
"That's true too." Alex smiled as they walked, sprinkles of rain started falling on their head and they decided that they should get back to Alex's car.
When they reached the car, Paige leaned over and kissed Alex, passionately and slowly, pulling her close to her. "Thank you" she whispered under her breath through the kiss.
"For what?"
"Not taking advantage of me."
"Paige, I'm not going to lie. Sometimes, I want you really bad, but I can handle it, as long as I have you." She laced their fingers together, started her car, and headed back home.