I don't own them, except for Alex. I just took them out to play.
Thank you for the reviews. Right now I have bronchitis so I have been trying to write in between my sleeping/coughing fits.
TG
"I'm a videographer." Mark said with a smile, showing Alex his camera. She feigned interest and ran her fingertips lightly over the machine.
"Make anything I've seen?"
Roger laughed. "Probably not, he's only made one documentary."
"And you've only ever written one song." Mark retorted punching Roger in the shoulder.
"It was a good one too." Roger grinned at Alex who examined his unruly hair with an air of disapproval. Her eyes wandered over to Joanne who was sitting on Maureen's lap, the brunette's arms firmly wrapped around her waist.
"So tell us about you." Mimi prodded the younger girl gently.
"I'm sixteen." She offered nothing else pulling her knees up to her chest. They stared at her, rotating from her to Joanne who offered a weak shrug.
"Surely there has to be something more to you than just your age." Collins said flashing a grin.
"I'm sixteen." She repeated again glaring at them. "I'm sixteen and I just lost both my parents. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jumping up like she was burned she shifted her weight from side to side. "Is that what you all wanted? That's all there is about me."
"Alex…" Joanne warned softly.
"DON'T!" She spun on her heel and clenched her jaw. "Don't ALEX me. You don't have the right!" Storming out of the Café she left the table staring at each other in confusion.
"Sorry guys. I should go and check on her." Joanne apologized standing up.
"No, you wait. I'll go check." Mimi said pushing the lawyer back down. "I'm a bit younger, and I've been through it." She explained wrapping her thin jacket around her. The weather was getting colder, snow threatening in the wind.
"Alex…" She called. "Alex, I know you're around here."
"What do you want?"
Mimi looked up and saw Alex sitting on the fire escape above Life Café. "Can I join you?"
"Doesn't matter what I say, you'll do it anyway."
Quickly she scaled the escape and sat beside the teen. "You know, Joanne is probably worried about you."
Alex rolled her eyes, looking an awful lot like Joanne. "Yeah right. Then why did YOU come out here?"
"Because I'm closer to your age and I thought we could chat."
Crossing her arms across her chest Alex shook her head. "Joanne cares about one person and that's Joanne. She's just taking care of me because she has to. NOT because she wants to."
"How do you know that?"
Glaring at the dancer, her light eyes flashing Alex pursed her lips. "NO ONE ever wanted me. I was a mistake. Who wants kids fifteen fucking years apart?" She spit out bitterly. "That's why they sent me Westover, forget about me for the school year and then send me overseas for the summers. 'Learn. Get experience.'" She scoffed. "Yeah right. It was more 'Get out of the house.' I'm not Joanne so I didn't matter to them. Do you know how many times I heard 'It would be so much easier if you were like Joanne?' Hell, even the teachers at Westover liked Joanne better. Why does it even matter? Joanne doesn't care about me." She sighed, the energy draining from her body.
Mimi sighed and watched the girl lean against the frozen railing. "I know your sister better than you do. She'd give the shirt off her back to anyone. She's not the wicked witch you're trying to make her out to be."
"So she likes YOU, big deal." Alex flicked some rocks off the fire escape and watched as they narrowly missed two pedestrians.
"She loves you." Mimi replied softly. "Come on, let's go back inside. I'm freezing."
Alex shrugged but followed the tiny dancer down the ladder and back into Life Café. Mimi sat down with a triumphant smile on her face. "She was just out for air."
"We should get going, we have lots of stuff to take care of tomorrow." Joanne apologized.
"Give us a call if you need us." Angel said, giving Joanne a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks." She extended her hand out and pulled Maureen to her feet. "Let's go."
Giving a small wave to the crowd, Alex shuffled after them, her eyes downcast.
--
"This is the spare room. Make yourself at home."
Alex placed her backpack on the floor and sat down on the bed. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hey, Alex…it's okay." Joanne wrapped her arms around her sister and let her cry. Maureen watched in the doorway, her heart breaking for her lover.
Slowly Alex pulled away. "I'm okay…I just want to sleep." She whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Okay. You need anything, you just ask." Joanne gave her a kiss on the top of her head and left the room, shutting the door behind them.
"You gonna be okay, Pookie?" Maureen passed her an opened beer and they both collapsed on the couch.
"Yeah I think so." She took a long swallow of the beer and sighed. Tenderly Maureen ran her fingers through Joanne's hair and left the lawyer lean against her. "I'm just not sure about Alex."
Maureen shrugged and kept playing with her hair, moving the lawyer's head onto her lap. "She'll be okay. If she's anything like you, she'll be fine. If she's even half as strong, half as caring, half as amazing as you are…she'll be fine." Her lips brushed Joanne's gently. "You're amazing Joanne. How did I get so lucky?"
Joanne sniffed softly, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "No, I'm the lucky one." She whispered closing her eyes. "I'm exhausted, but too wound up to sleep."
Pressing a small pill into Joanne's hand, Maureen nodded. "I figured as much, take this. It's just a sleeping pill. Take one and try to get some sleep."
"Will you hold me?" Her voice was soft and defeated.
"Forever baby. Forever."
--
Some soft footsteps woke Maureen. Joanne was still sleeping fitfully beside her. Pulling a pair of sweatpants off the floor, she threw them on and padded out of Joanne's bedroom. Alex was standing on the counter, riffling through the shelves.
"She usually has breakfast meetings." Maureen said softly.
"Oh." Alex stared down at the brunette who's hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail.
"We can go pick something up." Maureen offered. "There's a bagel and coffee place just down the street."
"Okay." She hopped off the counter and pulled on a grey hooded sweatshirt and a bright coloured knit toque.
"We'll let Joanne sleep for a bit longer, she didn't sleep very well." Maureen explained.
"Whatever." Alex shoved her hands deep into her pockets and followed the loud brunette outside. They walked silently until they reached the "Great Bagel". "What type of bagels does Joanne like?"
"Cinnamon raisin usually."
"Half dozen cinnamon raisin bagels." Alex turned to Maureen. "What type do you like?"
"Chocolate chip."
"Half dozen chocolate chip bagels and half dozen 22 grain bagels please. And three large coffees." Then the realization hit her. She didn't even know how her sister took her coffee.
"How does Joanne like her coffee?"
Maureen smiled. "Just cream."
"And you?"
"Two cream, two sugars."
"One black, one with just cream and one double-double." Alex passed over a few bills and grabbed the coffees.
"Can't believe you drink your coffee black." Maureen commented as she watched the girl take a sip of what could only be described as sludge.
Alex shrugged and held the door open with her foot. They bounded up the stairs and put the bagels on the counter.
"Maureen?" Joanne poked her head out of the bedroom. "Where were you guys?"
"Food." Alex replied pointing to the bagels. "And coffee." She placed the steaming cup in Joanne's hand. "Cream."
"Thanks Lexi…"
The girl shrugged. "I was hungry and your…Maureen said there was a bagel place close by." She placed a grain bagel in the toaster and perched on the edge of the counter. "What time do we have to start doing shit?"
"Later this morning, about 1130, we have a meeting with the funeral parlour. You don't have to come if you don't want to."
"I'll come along." She bit into her bagel and hopped off the counter. "Bathroom?"
"First door to the left."
"Thanks."
They watched as the girl finished her bagel and coffee and left the room. "Thanks Maureen."
"For what?" The diva asked smiling as Joanne wrapped her arms around her.
"You didn't have to go with her. I'm sorry if she gave you any trouble."
"No troubles. She's just really quiet."
"Not usually." Joanne sighed. "It's hitting her hard."
"She just lost her parents, and I think she's afraid of losing her whole family…you." Maureen kissed Joanne's neck.
"Can I handle a teenager? One that I don't even know?"
"That's not the question you should be asking. Can WE handle a teenager?" Maureen smiled. "And the answer is yes. It takes a village to raise a child…and I think we have the best village in the area."