Title: Love and let go
Summary: Alice confronts Dana about their kiss.
Disclaimer: I don't own the L word or any of its characters.
Spoiler: Set after the events of season one
Rating: PG 13
A/N: This may be a little OOC as it's my first L word fic. To my knowledge no explanation was given to how Dana and Alice met so this is AU.
Alice sat patiently on Dana's doorstep after the fifth time she'd knocked on her font door. "I know you're in there Dana, it's not even eight yet."
"Maybe I went for a jog." Dana shouted through the door as she sat huddled up next to her front door.
"So who's talking to me, your answer machine?"
It had been two weeks since Alice had arrived on Dana's doorstep in the middle of the night and kissed her. Dana had been avoiding her for that long too. Tonya 'the cat killer' had been out of town visiting family for a week and Alice had finally worked her nerve up again to confront Dana.
"Look we can have this conversation here, but it'll be better in private." Alice continued. "Please Dana just let me in…" Alice fell backwards as the door opened and landed flat on her back with Dana standing over her. "You could have waited till I stood up first." Alice grinned as a small smile crept onto Dana's features.
She got to her feet and followed Dana in to the living room. "Tonya will be back at like eight so you know…"
"Dana, you're not a good liar, you blush when you lie." Dana remained silent and looked anywhere but at her blonde friend.
"We need to talk."
"We are."
Alice sighed and stood up to leave, but as she looked back at Dana playing absently with her engagement ring a fresh passion stirred up inside of her. "You know what I don't care if you won't talk to me. I'll do all the talking myself. You cannot marry that…that…defective woman. She is a possessive, self obsessed, grifter…and I'm pretty sure she's a cat killer too." Dana sat uncomfortably and listened to Alice. "I mean I have no proof, but she admitted it she isn't a cat person. I bet she was jealous of the attention you gave him! I mean you treat him better than the Egyptians would have. Who hasn't been jealous of Mr. Piddles?" Alice stopped aware she was ranting. "She isn't good for you Dana."
Dana looked down to the floor as she spoke. "Alice, I love Tonya, she is going to be my wife and nothing will change that. She would never hurt Mr. Piddles and she is not self-obsessed, she's me obsessed. Okay? She loves me and cherishes me and this is the first time someone's done that…P-Please leave n-now."
Alice felt a bulge grow in her throat as she choked back tears. "It's not you know." She choked out. As she got to the living room door she paused. "I was obsessed with you from the second I saw you and I've loved you ever since."
As Alice left she heard Dana burst into tears and was distracted as she bumped in to someone as she left. "Watch where you're going." Tonya scowled and unruffled her jacket. Alice stared maliciously at her before forcing herself to move.
When Tonya entered the living room she found Dana curled in a ball on the sofa staring at a picture of her, Alice and Shane. It had been taken the day they'd met.
The Country Club - 1999Shane pulled her pickup to a halt and looked at Alice who was nervously chewing her pen. "Y'know if you eat the pen you won't get much written down." Alice smiled and grabbed her notepad.
"Hey, who's getting you into the Country Club, huh?" Alice asked as they got out. "Plenty little rich girls just waiting for you to break their hearts. You get to browse, I have to work."
When they got to the tennis courts they found a young woman and a man training. The man thrashed the ball to the young woman and she effortlessly returned it. As the woman went to serve she caught sight of Alice and Shane and lost her balance, falling onto the net and eventually to the floor.
Shane smirked and Alice ran straight over to the woman. She offered her hand and the woman took it gratefully. "Hi. I'm Alice Pieszecki. You must be Dana Fairbanks?" She laughed nervously.
"H-How could you tell?"
"Your agent said you'd be the first one to fall over me, didn't think he meant it literally." She blushed and smiled.
"I've been really excited about this interview."
"Alice!" Shane called out. "I'll see you back here in two." She followed a blonde in shorts inside the country club. Alice shook her head then turned to Dana.
"Shall we get started?"
They sat in the dinning room of the country club and sipped on the wine her agent had sent over. "So…um…how about we get started?"
The interview started and Alice watched as Dana talked animatedly about her life and her career. Two hours later Shane returned and found them still talking.
"Hey Alice, Bette and Tina will kill us if we're late." Shane watched as Alice's face fell at the mention of leaving the woman she'd been focused on for two hours. "You know what why don't you invite Dana?" Dana looked overcome by the prospect of socialising with Alice and her friends.
"Um…that's ok…you don't have to…"
"That's a great idea." Alice lit up. "Do you know the Planet?" Dana looked confused at the question.
"Which one?"
"Look here's the address, if you wanna come down just look for me." Dana smiled and nervously shook her hand. "See ya later."
"Dude you are so smitten." Shane smirked as she started the pickup. "So you gonna' rush home to get ready for your date?" Alice scowled and discretely checked her appearance in the wing mirror.
"I don't even know if she's…" Shane burst out laughing and only stopped when Alice jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow.
"You were talking to her for two hours and you don't know? What is your gay-dar out of action or something?" Shane shook her head and drove.
Alice watched the Country club fade out of view and looked at the notes she'd made on Dana Fairbanks. She had to find out more about her and if she would be interested. Shane was right. She was smitten.
Present DayShane found Alice sitting alone in the planet and sat down next to her. "What's wrong with you Al? You and Dana have seemed weird lately. Is this about Tonya?"
"Do you remember the night the gallery opened 'Provocations'?" Shane nodded as Alice stared at the table. "I went to Dana's to tell her not to marry Tonya…and I kissed her." Shane smirked.
"Go Alice." Alice shook her head. "Not go Alice?" Alice wiped at the tears in her eyes.
"She kissed me again after I pulled away. I took off…I was really confused. I went to see her today and I…I told her about Tonya, the gas money, Mr. Piddles and…I told her I'd been in love with her since the day we met." Shane sighed and nodded.
"Had to happen sometime. Feelings like that can't just be bottled up and left to go away, 'cos they don't." Alice smiled and looked at Shane.
"Go Yoda." Shane looked at the table and smiled. "You really loved Cherie didn't you?" Shane patted her shoulder and stood up to leave.
"Still do. Just don't tell anyone ok?"
"You got it Yoda."
Marina watched as Shane left and Alice slumped against the table and eventually head butted it. "Hey, dinting my table won't solve your problems." She sat opposite her and placed a hand on hers. "What's troubling you Alice?"
"I told Dana I loved her."
"Then what are you doing here?" Marina asked.
"Dana started crying, so I ran out." She answered guiltily. Marina shook her head.
"Alice, do you think Dana needed you to tell her that?" Alice looked puzzled at her comments. "You and Dana have danced around each other since the first night she came in here. You were always there for her. You were there for her when Lara left. She took you with her when she came out to her parents. You were there for her when Mr. Piddles died. Now you have to be there for her with Tonya. She's in love with her Alice, she's happy…"
"But I love her." Alice objected. "I could make her happier than that cat killer."
"But you haven't." Marina replied. "That's the difference." Alice broke down in tears and Marina comforted her. "You have to be happy for her Alice."
As she left the Planet it was almost midday and she headed home for lunch, intending to raid her ice cream supply. When she arrived there she found her door open and went in cautiously. "Hello?" She called out. She screamed as someone hit her head and she fell to the ground. She rolled over to see Tonya standing over her with a baseball bat.
"Stay away from Dana! You made her cry and you made her say those things…"
"What things?" Alice objected. "I just went to talk to my friend."
"She said she doesn't want to marry me. She doesn't know if she can love me!" Alice moaned as the bat connected with her ribs. "It's your fault…she…doesn't…want…me." With each word Tonya struck her ribs with the bat. By the time she left Alice was unconscious on the floor.
When Shane and Marina went to check up on her half an hour later she was still there. Marina hastily ran to phone an ambulance while Shane rushed to Alice's side.
When she woke up Shane was still by her bedside in the hospital. "Hey…Yoda." She croaked. Shane's eyes darted from her hands to Alice and a warm smile broke out on her face.
"You're ok. Oh god…I thought you could be like brain damaged or something…"
"No more than usual." She cracked as small smile then lost it as Shane burst into tears and hugged her tightly.
"Uh Shane, not to spoil the moment but my rib feels broken and you're not helping." Shane pulled back immediately, regaining her composure.
"You had me worried for a while Al. Who did this?"
"Tonya…"
"I'll kill her." Shane growled. "I swear she'll pay for this…"
Alice winced as she tried to sit up and was promptly placed back down by Shane. "You're ribs broken. You need to rest." She cradled Alice's cheek in her hand. "She'll pay for this…"
"Shane…" Alice was stopped as Shane lent in and kissed her. She pulled back almost straight away and edged away from her bed. "Shane…"
"I…I have to go…just lie down…gets some rest…I'll take care of this…"
The second Shane left Alice shouted for a nurse and a phone. Shane pounded on Dana's door three times before she answered. Tonya answered it, red in the face with anger. "What do you want?" Shane's fist connected with her face and she stumbled back.
"Well that was a good start."
As she went to advance on Tonya Dana and Tina rushed through the door and grabbed her. "Get off me!" Shane growled. "Do you know what that bitch did to Alice?" She was close to tears with anger and sorrow.
"We know, we know." Tina assured her as they pulled her out of the house and two police officers went in after Tonya. "Alice called us. It's ok Shane, ok sweetie? It's all alright."
Shane slumped to the ground in tears and looked at Dana. "Why the hell do you want that psycho more than Alice? She loves you." Tina placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Shane…."
"No! She's lying in that hospital bed broken because of you." Shane cried, finally letting her emotions out.
"W-why do you care?" Dana stammered in tears herself.
"I wanna' see her happy." Dana understood what Shane meant by those words.
"You're in love with her?" Shane looked to the ground trying to control her tears and avoid Dana's piercing gaze.
Ten minutes later her cell phone went off Shane grabbed it and listened as Alice frantically spoke. "Shane please don't do anything stupid. Please come back to the hospital. We need to talk and I need you here." Shane's dry eyes watered again as she shook her head.
"No. You don't, but I know who you do need. I love you Alice and I want to see you happy." She hung up as Dana entered Alice's room.
"Hey." Dana smiled nervously, much like she had when they'd first met. She went to walk over to Alice and tripped over her shoelace. She fell and landed half on top of Alice.
"Still falling all over me, huh?" Alice teased with a slight smile. Dana nodded and kissed her.
"I've been falling since the first day we met."
"It's ok." Alice whispered in her ear. "I've caught you."
Shane and Tina arrived at the hospital a short while later and found them both asleep in Alice's hospital bed. Tina hugged Shane. "You ok?" Shane nodded and wiped away the last of her tears.
"She's happy Tina. So I'm happy." Alice looked up from Dana and smiled as Shane and Tina who stood in the doorway. She'd been awake and heard what Shane had said. "Thank you." She mouthed and cuddled closer in to Dana.
Tina went to sit down beside them, but Shane walked out of the room. Tina followed and called out to her. She stopped and turned to face Tina. "I'm ok Tina. Sometimes love's about staying in there and battling through, but sometimes it's about letting go too."
The End