A/N: Here are the long awaited out-takes! They are unbeta'd, and hopefully add to my fic, House of Cards. If you haven't read that universe yet, I strongly recommend you do so. Enjoy!
Again, this is an amateur non-profit work, and is not intended to infringe upon copyrights held by Andrew Marlowe, ABC, Beacon Pictures, or any other lawful holder.
House of Cards - Addendums: In Which Alexis Meets Katie
(takes place between Chapter Three and Four)
She hears the front door slam first, and then, "Mom! I'm home!", followed by large thuds.
Alexis smiles to herself. THUD! THUD! , she thinks of making noises she knows are inappropriate, so she contents herself with reading the book in front of her instead.
She feels Aunt Johanna's warmth shift on the couch, before hearing her call back in response, "In the living room, Katie!"
Alexis looks up, and she can see her adopted-aunt's brown eyes smiling impishly back at her. "Alexis, I'll be right back. Katie - do you remember me telling you about her?"
Alexis thinks hard for a moment, before nodding.
Johanna smiles again. "I'm just going to say hi, and then we can have that pie you were helping me with. All right?"
Alexis returns her smile, and she settles back into her book. In the background she can hear Aunt Johanna greeting her daughter, and she thinks longingly - for a fleeting moment - what it would be like if her Momma was still here.
And Gina doesn't count, she thinks emphatically. Papa is just wrong sometimes.
All of a sudden, she can hear muffled laughter in front of her. Her Aunt Johanna with a tall giant of a pretty lady, who's saying to Aunt Johanna, "When were you pregnant, Mom, and why didn't I know about this?"
Aunt Johanna rolls her eyes - Alexis likes that, and files it under expressions to make in front of her Papa - and laughs. "Katie, this is Alexis. She's just visiting for tonight. Alexis," Aunt Johanna looks at her, "This is Katie."
Alexis shyly says hi before ducking her head behind her book.
To Katie, Aunt Johanna says, "Why don't you get freshened up? I'll just be in the kitchen - I made your favourite pie. I'll call you when I'm ready. "
Katie nods, but instead of going up the stairs once Aunt Johanna leaves, she sits next to Alexis on the couch. "Hi there."
Alexis peeks from under her book, and is surprised to see Aunt Johanna's eyes on Katie's face. Slowly, she puts her book down, but she still bash fully avoids Katie's gaze. "Hi..."
"So, whatcha reading there?" Katie smiles at Alexis as she lifts Alexis' book upright.
"Peter Rabbit," Alexis replies, still unsure as to how to act around this stranger, and uneasily adds, "I really like him."
Alexis doesn't know why she places so much on Katie's response; suddenly, she wants Katie to like her.
She has nothing to worry about.
"I like him too!" Katie grins at her. "I remember when I was your age, I had my own Peter Rabbit. Would you like to see him?"
Alexis turns wonderingly at Katie, her shyness forgotten. "A real Peter Rabbit?"
"Well, no," Katie admits. "He's just a stuffed toy."
Alexis smiles, and she slips her hand confidently into Katie's own (who startles just the tiniest bit). "Shhh. Don't tell them that." Then she says just a little louder, to the stuffed animals she assumes are in Katie's room, "Katie was just kidding. You are real!"
She can see her new friend smile a little bit at her words, and Alexis smiles back.
They walk up the stairs (Alexis hops), and Katie's room is at the end of the hallway.
Katie flicks on the light, and Alexis is delighted to see that the room in front of her isn't a grownup's room. Grownups didn't have stuffed animals, right?
Katie picks up a ragged bunny off of her bed, and Alexis claps her hands in delight. But when Katie's gaze lands back on her, Alexis shyly avoids eye contact.
To her surprise, Katie doesn't walk away like Gina does. Instead, she kneels down to Alexis' level, with the stuffed animal in her hands, and – was Katie telling her she could hold Peter Rabbit?
"Go on," Katie encourages.
"Really?" Alexis' eyes shine. She shyly touches the stuffed animal, and before she knows it, Katie's urged him into her arms.
"You can have him, if you like," says Katie.
"For real?"
"Mhm," hums Katie, smiling again. "He's been a good friend for me, and he'll be good to you too."
Alexis clutches her new toy for dear life, and can't really verbalize her thanks. But Katie knows, and she nods. "Alexis, would you like to go read Peter Rabbit?"
Alexis smiles back.
At that moment, Johanna calls, "Girls! Time for pie!"
And Alexis thinks, This is the best-est place ever.
A/N: As always, leave a review! Chapter 11 of House of Cards should be out on the weekend.
