Author's Note: A sequel to 'My Sentiments Exactly' and the next part of my Becky/Alexa series of stories, a list of which can be found on my profile. Not a required read, but might provide some context.

Moments Like This

Alexa adored her new home. It had been some odd months - it was honestly an uphill battle to keep track of anything living with someone like Becky - but that 'new house' feeling hadn't worn off just yet. The sheer amount of joy that she felt each and every time she walked through their front door was only matched by the amount of love that she had for her girlfriend. Becky lamented for the first few weeks that it wasn't the castle she had promised, but her worries were cast aside once she found Alexa's lips locked tightly around her own. Again, and again, and again.

Alexa was very happy.

She was eternally grateful to Becky, who worked way too many hours to make this dream - this dream of owning a home - a possibility. With the Irish woman's new job keeping her away for less hours, the two spent more time together than ever before. Coming home - Alexa seriously felt giddy every time she uttered the word 'home' - to see Becky waiting there for her was a feeling in her soul that she never knew she needed until it happened. She cried long and hard that afternoon, wrapped up in Becky's warm, tender embrace. How could she not shed tears?

Their neighbors were decent people as well, something that Alexa had been anxious about for months prior to their big move. Long gone were the days of listening to Lana scream through the thin walls of their apartment. A dancer, yes. A singer, she was not. Plus, living within walking distance of a few of their close friends always made for fun weekends. Was Charlotte sick of them yet? She was probably sick of them. Yes, everything seemed to be going perfectly.

Except for one small, tiny, barely noticeable thing.

It wasn't a major deal or anything, and Alexa would argue that she was probably nitpicking - she was not a pessimist, no matter what Bayley said! - but it was worth mentioning.

Their front steps.

Alexa wasn't sure what it was about them, but they seemed crooked? Or was it slanted? An angle at one-hundred and seventy-eight degrees? Whatever the issue was, it was impossible to walk up and down that death trap without attentively looking down at her own feet, like a child, and counting out the steps. One step in particular was an abomination to straight stairs everywhere. Becky always had trouble remembering which was the funky one, and it fell to Alexa to constantly remind her every few days, without fail.

A day much like today.

"Fifth from the top, Becky. Fifth!"

Alexa practically collapsed through their front door, shoving it as hard as she physically could. It wasn't easy to open doors with a limping Irish girl leaning into her small frame.

"I heard third!" Becky grunted in response. She was clearly in pain, her eyes squinting shut every time her foot made contact with the floor. Even with a potentially bruised leg, the biggest bruise was undeniably to her ego. "I remember because I made a 'Tri as I might,' joke that you laughed at!"

"First of all," Alexa began, still struggling to support Becky's weight as she closed the door behind her. "I already know that's a lie, because that joke is terrible. Secondly, the pun was, 'Fifth from the top? Would've preferred a high five.' Dork."

She made a mental note to work on her Becky impressions in the mirror after her shower.

"Aww, I really - ow! - am your favorite lass!"

"It's not that hard to remember one of your puns, Becks. And I told you to stop talking so much before you make me fall too!" Alexa reprimanded. Even if it hurt to breathe, Becky would never stop talking. On any other day, it was the cutest quirk. Today, it was the difference between life and death.

Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic.

With Becky now quiet, it was easier for Alexa to focus on keeping her feet straight. Left. Right. Left. Right. It was very 'military' of her, but extremely necessary to keep her balance. Finally, she made it to their living room couch. Carefully removing Becky from her person, Alexa helped lay her down as gently as she could - not without a few 'yips' and 'ahhs' from her girlfriend. Since Becky looked like even a single touch might shatter her to pieces, Alexa decided that ripping her clothes off would be a mistake.

Besides, it wouldn't be nearly as fun as it usually was.

"Maybe we should go to the emergency room?" Alexa asked. She wasn't an expert on injuries of the tripping-down-the-stairs-even-though-your-brilliant-girlfriend-told-you-not-to variety, so she figured now might be a good time to have Becky looked at. Of course, she already knew that the stubborn woman wouldn't go to the emergency room, considering that she viewed doctors and vampires in the same light - terrifying.

"Nah," Becky replied predictably. "Just need some ice and a good night's rest cuddled up to my amazing, beautiful, and - dare I say - genius girlfriend!"

Alexa shook her head in disappointment. There weren't any words too sweet for Becky if it meant avoiding a white coat and a stethoscope. Unfortunately for Alexa, they always worked.

"You're lucky I'm a sucker for sweet-talking."

"Ya always are," Becky said, her glee unable to be contained. "Though I do mean every word."

"Obviously."

Alexa looked over Becky's body, choosing to ignore that stupid, cheesy grin on the latter's face - the grin that she loved oh-so-much, the grin that consistently made her gush. That grin. Becky looked a little banged up, but otherwise, it didn't seem to be anything she couldn't handle. She was, however, favoring her left ankle, continuously grabbing at it in order to ease some of the pain, so perhaps some ice wouldn't be an awful idea right now.

Alexa scurried her way over to the kitchen - deliberately failing to catch any of Becky's blown kisses - the soreness in her own muscles finally catching up to her after hauling Becky's body inside only a minute earlier. That was it. As soon as Becky was healed up, they were going to start a workout routine.

Opening the freezer, also known as 'The place where ice lives,' Alexa was greeted with a whopping zero cubes of ice. Not a bag of ice, not three cubes of ice, not a cube of ice. Zero ice. In the freezer. Alexa grumbled something incoherent to herself, before rubbing her temples, relieving the pain from a headache that didn't exist. Yet. Surely they would've picked up ice of all things during their weekly grocery shopping trips. Whose turn was it to do the shopping this week, anyway? Like a freight train carrying ten other freight trains, it suddenly hit her.

And she sighed. She sighed long and hard.

"Hey, Becky?" Alexa called out to her clumsy girlfriend.

"Yes, my little love?"

"Just out of, I don't know, mild curiosity - where were you headed when you fell?"

Alexa prayed to every holy being above that she was wrong, but braced herself for the answer that she knew was coming.

"Grocery shopping."

"Right." Alexa wanted to bang her head against the wall at full force, but she highly doubted that Becky could nurse her own injuries were she to give herself a concussion. No, frustrated wall-banging would have to wait for another time. She scoured the frozen cabinet for any other source of cold. Some sort of ice pack, perhaps. There definitely wasn't going to be any-

"Lexi! You try looking for a big bag of peas?"

Alexa was sure she was going to pass out solely from sighing all of the oxygen out of her lungs.

"Becky."

"Yeah?"

"Where do you think we get peas from?"

"The gro-" Alexa could feel Becky's head shrinking inside of itself as the woman's voice lowered substantially. "The grocery store…"

Snatching a nearby water bottle, Alexa tossed it into the freezer. It would take awhile to freeze, but it was better than nothing, at least. Slamming the compartment shut - useless thing, thanks for nothing! - Alexa made her way back over to Becky's side, the resident klutz looking a little too happy for someone who nearly broke every bone, funny or otherwise, in her body.

"What should I do now?" Alexa asked aloud. She wasn't expecting much of a legitimate answer, but she was going to get one from Dr. Becky: fake Ph.D, fake M.D.

"You know," the pretend doctor started, already acting a little too coy for Alexa's liking. "I hear that a good rubdown can ease any pain away."

"Where did you 'hear' that from?" Alexa asked. "And you better not say the internet."

"Okay, I won't say it."

When Becky flashed that typical Becky smile, Alexa turned away. This woman. She was going to drive her up, down, and over the wall one day. "So, you want me to rub your ankle?" Alexa asked in defeat. She knew better than to fight Becky on, well, anything. She always got her way.

"Ankle. Calf. Anything else you had in mind."

Without another word, Alexa placed Becky's legs on top of her lap, sitting herself beneath them. She wasn't exactly a licensed massage therapist, but she was pretty sure that Becky didn't care, so long as Alexa was the one doing it. Her hand hovered over Becky's left leg, slightly shaking - just a tad nervous that she might touch the wrong muscle and cause her more pain. Although, Alexa was sure she was more nervous about touching Becky in general. Even fully clothed, her girlfriend was a treasure, and touching a gem so priceless always made her stomach perform somersaults.

"You know better than anyone that I don't bite," Becky chimed in, waving her leg around, egging the smaller woman on.

Alexa didn't need a mirror to know that every drop of blood in her body was currently residing in her cheeks. She was going to have a heart attack one day if Becky didn't stop teasing her. "D-don't be dumb. I just don't want to hurt you."

Becky said nothing, but her face said it all.

Deciding to get on with it, Alexa placed her hand gently atop Becky's waiting leg. Giving her calf a light squeeze, to test the rippled waters, she looked over to Becky and received a nod of approval. This was the only sign that she needed and, without another second of hesitation, she soon found both of her hands kneading the injured - yet still ever-so-toned - leg, still keeping a gentle pace. 'They have a mind of their own!' is what she wanted to believe, but they both knew what Alexa's hands were capable of when they acted of their own accord.

"Mmm, that feels nice."

God, why did everything that Becky said and everything that Becky did and every breath that Becky breathed have to be so gorgeous? And suggestive? Alexa was certain, now more than ever before, that, were she to mysteriously die, Becky would hire a psychic just to flirt with her from beyond the grave.

'I miss your bootiful smile.'

Alexa cringed at the thought.

"Of course i-it does," Alexa replied, voice shaking more than she had anticipated. "I'm pretty much an expert when it comes to your body."

"You're putting your expertise to good use, darling."

It was hard for Becky to speak in between her hums and murmurs of pleasure, Alexa noticed. Signs of a good job, she assumed. If Alexa hadn't witnessed the colossal idiocy that was Becky's clumsiness for herself, she would be questioning if this whole thing was a ruse. Not that either woman had to concoct an elaborate scheme to rub each other down, but it was certainly one of those 'after hours' role-playing devices that Becky would introduce into their lives.

For research.

Lost in the ghosts of sexual encounters' past, Alexa nearly forgot what she was meant to be doing. She shook her head to gain some sort of clarity. Why was she so embarrassed? This was her girlfriend, for crying out loud! If Becky wanted a massage, then she was going to get the best discount massage that Alexa was capable of dishing out. Steeling herself, Alexa began to roll Becky's pant leg, a newfound resolution surging through her veins like a bolt of lightning.

Becky began to moan as soon as the smaller woman's hands made contact with her skin.

Alexa could feel her own breath becoming caught in her throat. No, she was not going to falter, no matter how beautiful Becky looked lying down on their couch, her hair falling gracefully over her perfect features, painting her in reds and oranges that practically made her glow. The afternoon sunlight bathing her body in its warmth, outlining the smooth contours of her face. Her eyes shining so brightly that anyone who dared become lost in them would surely go blind, unable to find their way out for an eternity.

Maybe it was time for Alexa to take a cold shower.

With a much firmer grip on Becky's calf, she began to move her hands. Alexa was largely unsure of what she was supposed to be doing, but as minutes went by, and she noticed a lack of complaints from Becky, she decided it was time to experiment with different techniques. Pressing her thumbs into the bruised muscle caused Becky to audibly gasp, shuddering beneath Alexa's touch. A softer, slower caress of the fingers led to quiet sighs of relief, the pain flowing outward from Becky's body. Using both hands, moving her fingers about in a circular motion, caused Becky to make noises that Alexa couldn't describe even if she wanted to. Yet, something about it - she wanted more of that. She continued at the same pace, her hands repeating the same motions in order to listen to the same sounds.

So caught up in her work, Alexa nearly missed Becky's playful jab.

"I knew you couldn't keep your hands off of me."

Alexa raised her brow in confusion. "I'm only doing what you asked."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Huh, well that's strange, then. I don't remember my calf being all the way up there."

Alexa's eyes quickly shot down to her own hands. There they were, resting atop Becky's thigh - and very much not her lower leg. Mortified, she pulled her hands away from Becky's person at mach speed, holding them close to her chest as if they had been burned.

"Lexi," Becky started between fits of laughter. "You are way too cute when you're embarrassed."

"It's not funny!"

"It's pretty dang funny."

Alexa hugged in irritation. Stupid Becky. It was totally her fault that Alexa's hands magically appeared up there. That's all it was - magic. There was no way that she would so carelessly let her hands wander across Becky's body. There was no way that she would lose herself in the soothing sounds of Becky's voice. There was no way.

It was clearly magic.

Becky, meanwhile, was still smiling that trademark smile. Why the heck was she so happy, even while in pain? Alexa didn't think that her own embarrassment was that entertaining. Then again, this was the same woman who laughed for an hour straight at a, 'Chunky Cat Rolls On the Floor' video, so she supposed nothing made sense in that head of hers anyway.

"Okay, seriously. What gives?" Alexa asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've had this goofy smirk on your face forever. You nearly break your leg - the grin's still there. I can't tell if you're delirious or just invulnerable."

Becky placed a hand over her heart, eyes wide like she had been personally insulted. "Well, excuse me for being a big ol' bundle of joy!" When she received a deadpan stare from Alexa, she immediately dropped the act. "Ah, well, I just have a lot to be happy about lately, you know?" she finished, sheepishly, scratching at the back of her head.

Alexa did know, too well. She took a moment to look around the house - their home.

Their, admittedly tacky, paintings hung from the walls. They weren't Becky's cup of tea, but Alexa thought that they added some class and color to the living room. "Since forever!" Alexa had said adamantly, when Becky accusingly asked how long she was 'into' art. They both knew that was a lie.

A row of scented candles were neatly arranged across the coffee table. She couldn't remember who bought those. Her first thought went to Becky, probably performing some grandiose, romantic gesture. They never panned out like Becky wanted them to, but Alexa always found herself draping her arms across Becky's neck by day's end anyway.

An entire tabletop dedicated to their many photographs were on full display. A picture from their college trip to Disney World, two pairs of silly mouse ears adorning their heads. A picture from their first day at the old apartment - Alexa was not smiling in that one. Another picture of their first picnic, a date that was almost foiled by the rain.

So yes, Alexa did know about Becky's feelings of happiness, because she felt the same way. She returned Becky's never-ending smile with one of her own. "I get it. I've been pretty happy lately, too. The house, the neighborhood, the you."

"Careful, darling," Becky replied. "Keep talking like that and I might hurt myself trying to jump over there and hug you."

Alexa didn't respond with one of her usual quips, instead taking in this pure, sincere moment between them, soaking in the blissful silence. It was true, Alexa told herself as she gazed into Becky - it was so easy to become lost in her sparkling eyes. Crawling over to Becky's side of the couch, making sure to avoid bumping her leg along the way, Alexa allowed herself to fall into her love's waiting arms. With only a lone finger, she guided her girlfriend's face closer and closer to her own, until the gap between them was naturally filled by their waiting lips. It was a brief meeting, but when the pulled apart, the electricity was the same as always.

"Don't be silly," Alexa said, voice barely above a whisper. "I wouldn't make you come to me with an injured leg."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to sprain anything else and have your hands all over me and touching me and rubbing me, or anything like that again."

"Hey, the stairs are right there if you want another sprain," Alexa replied playfully.

"Uh… Less of the bants. More of the nuzzles."

With a giggle, Alexa nuzzled her head deeply into Becky's chest, the rise and fall caused by her steady breathing slowly wearing away at Alexa's eyelids. The smile on her face wouldn't disappear either, even as she drifted off to sleep. It was moments like this, Alexa thought, that she lived for.

It was moments like this that kept them smiling.