Tell me no one else kinda ships Fred and Alice after that last episode.

Hal had told her he had to work late, that there were a few things he needed to fix up before tomorrow's issue of the Register. He didn't need her help. But who the fuck comes home at five and then goes back at 9pm?

So Alice had followed him. And at first, when they arrived outside the Register office, she'd breathed a sigh of relief, scolded herself for being paranoid and untrusting. But a minute later, some random woman had walked in behind him. They hadn't even bothered to go somewhere private before they started going at it.

Sick to her stomach, and against her instincts, which told her to march in there and throw a fist in Hal's face, she drove home.

And now she's sobbing in the driveway, knowing she can't go inside until she can compose herself again. Betty and Polly are still awake. She can't let them know anything is wrong.

There's a knock on the window and she jumps, startled by the sudden noise. She quickly wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath before winding down the window. Fred Andrews leans over the car, his forehead creased with worry.

"You alright, Alice?" he asks. Alice almost laughs. Any normal person would ignore a woman crying in her car. Not Fred Andrews. He always has to be the knight in shining armour. What a fucking saint.

"Fine, thanks, Fred," Alice snaps. She knows he's only trying to help, but she doesn't want anyone to see her like this. And, well, she and Fred aren't exactly friends, despite living next door to each other for almost ten years.

Fred looks up at the Cooper house, as if he knows exactly why Alice is sitting in the car, rather than going inside.

"You want a cup of tea?" he asks. "Archie isn't home."

Alice hesitates. Almost says no. But what the hell, right? She gets out of the car and follows him inside. He makes the tea in silence while Alice leans against the counter watching him. He seems tired. She wonders how long he's been tired.

Fred hands her the mug of tea, and takes a sip from his own. "You want to talk about it?" he asks.

Alice takes a sip of tea. She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes again.

"Marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh?" Fred muses. So perceptive. Alice shakes her head again, and the tears starts to spill. God, it's so embarrassing to be falling to pieces like this in Fred Andrews' kitchen. But she can't seem to stop.

"What would you know?" she says. "You and Mary have it all figured out."

Fred is silent for a moment. "Her mom isn't sick."

"What?"

"Mary isn't visiting her mother in Chicago. She left me. It's over."

Alice stares at him, the shock of what he's saying stopping her tears for a moment. She feels like an idiot for not realising it sooner. Mary has been gone months, and Alice really believed she was visiting her sick mother?

"I'm sorry," Alice says quickly. "I didn't know."

Fred shrugs. "It's fine. Everyone will know soon enough. I guess I just thought we could work it out, and no one would have to find out."

Alice nods. "Hal is cheating on me," she admits. "I followed him tonight."

Fred gives her a look of sympathy. "Oh, Alice…"

They fall into silence, both taking sips of their tea.

"Are you lonely?" Alice asks, setting her mug on the counter.

Fred nods. "All the time."

She looks at him then, really looks at him. And she's thrown back to high school, when for a snapshot in time they were as close as two friends could be. They were different people then. When she looks back, it's almost like she was living someone else's life. Or maybe it's now that she's living someone else's life.

Her eyes flick to his lips, and she finds herself wondering if he's still a good kisser. "Me too," she says softly. And he's looking at her too, and she can see the years on his face, the loneliness in his eyes. His eyes flicker to her lips too, and then she's leaning in, taking his face in her hands. He meets her halfway, his hand finding her waist as she presses her lips against his.

She likes the way his lips feel under hers, the scratch of his beard against her face, the gentle pressure of his hand on her waist. How long has it been since she was kissed like this? Hal barely even touches her anymore.

She tugs at Fred's shirt, and he doesn't stop her, letting her undress him. He pulls her blouse from her skirt, and Alice unzips the skirt, pulling it down her thighs to let it pool at her feet. If Fred has any reservations about any of this, he doesn't show it. Perhaps he's not as much of a saint as she thought.

With their clothes off, they stumble to Fred's bedroom. He lays her down on the bed, so gentle and intimate it's almost loving. He traces the serpent tattoo on her thigh with his fingers. She wonders what he's thinking. It's always been hard to tell with Fred.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Alice wonders if she's doing this more out of revenge on Hal, than out of her own loneliness. But in a split second it doesn't matter, because Fred's head is between her legs, his beard tickling her thighs, and she feels more alive than she has in years.

She comes with his name on her lips and her fingers in his hair, and then she flips him over, straddling him.

"Never in a million years did I think this would ever happen," Fred laughs, and for a few moments he doesn't look so worn and tired.

"Don't ruin it," Alice replies, leaning down to capture his lips with hers again. He grips her hips and she rides him until they both reach their climax, releasing months, or perhaps even years of pent up emotion. They've both been swallowing their pain forever, trying to show the world a brave face.

Alice collapses to the bed beside Fred, void of any and all emotion except satisfaction.

"Did it help?" Fred asks, after a few moments of silence.

Alice almost says no. She wasn't expecting it to help. And yet, she thinks maybe it did. Not because she's giving Hal a taste of his own medicine. Not even because she finally got the affection she's so desperately been craving. But there's something about opening up to Fred, about being in his ever-calming presence that gives her a clear head. She can look at her situation with a removed sense of understanding.

Alice turns her head to look at him. "Strangely, I think it did." She sits up, pulling the sheets with her.

"What are you doing to do?" Fred asks, sitting up beside her.

"I'm going to quietly let Hal know that he needs to end it with her," Alice says. "And then we'll pretend it never happened. For the girls."

Fred nods. Listening without judgement, though she knows he probably thinks she's crazy to stay with Hal.

She says nothing else as she pads downstairs and collects her clothes. Fred joins her moments later, fully dressed. She hands him his sheet, now that she's dressed herself.

"Thank you," she says.

"It was my pleasure," Fred says with a wry smile. "Literally."

Alice gives him a rare genuine smile. "Goodnight, Fred."

Fred nods, and Alice heads for the door. "Alice?" he calls after her. "Thank you, too. If you ever want to talk…"

Alice nods back, though she knows she won't take him up on his offer. They'll go back to being near strangers. But at least she'll always have this night.