Mourning Glory: Chapter Two

When Alicia awoke two hours after having finally fallen asleep in her daughter's bed, she didn't feel like the weight of the day before had sloughed off in her sleep.

"Ugh," she groaned as she put her hand over her face.

Everything that happened before she had gone to sleep flooded her thoughts. She had kissed Kalinda. A drunk Kalinda at that.

Alicia got up to pee, but remembered that the hallway bathroom once again had a plugged toilet. Oh, the joys of being a homeowner. She would have to sneak into her bedroom to use the bathroom in the ensuite.

Her bedroom door was still closed when she made her way into the hallway. She stared at the door as if it were the biggest obstacle facing her. It wasn't the door so much as the guest on the other side of the door that worried her. She couldn't believe she was acting this way.

She opened the door as quietly as she could, but it still made a creaking noise as it swung open. Alicia winced at the sound, thinking she'll have woken Kalinda. But Kalinda is still fast asleep, all tucked in like she'd hardly moved at all since Alicia saw her last. She hadn't even turned over. As Alicia entered the room, she found herself approaching the bed, noticing with interest how Kalinda's hair had come undone in her sleep and was now messily over her face. She smiled, and walked past the bed towards the ensuite. As much as she wanted to brush the silky raven hair from the sleeping woman's face, she was afraid of what it might mean and how she would explain it to Kalinda if she were to awake.

Alicia took care of her business, put a robe over her pajamas, brushed her teeth and exited the bedroom without giving in to the urge to touch a sleeping Kalinda.

Retreating to the kitchen, Alicia began a pot of coffee and opened the fridge to find the necessary ingredients for a hangover-killing breakfast.

Meanwhile, Kalinda began stirring in Alicia's bed. She opened her eyes, blinking several times. With one swipe across her face she brushed her hair aside and then propped herself up on her elbows. She realized she was alone in the bed, but could see the distinct impression of someone's body having been next to her at one point. She noticed the dip in the pillow and then a familiar smell wafted up to her nose. Alicia? She sat up quickly, blinking and rubbing her eyes, before looking around to find a familiar armchair in the corner of the room. She recalled sitting on that chair once upon a time, talking on the phone with Will. A deep pain filled her chest at the thought of Will. It had been the Carter Wright appeal and they had a mere nine hours to save him from execution.

"Holy shit!" Kalinda whispered after a sharp inhalation of breath.

What the Fuck was she doing in Alicia's bed? How did she get there? she wondered. She looked down and noticed the foreign pajamas she was wearing. How did she get into them? Kalinda thought hard about the last place she remembered being. Will's memorial. No, the bar. She had sat at the bar after the memorial, ditching the entourage to the cemetery. Did she call Alicia? Why would she? Did Alicia happen into the bar? Kalinda couldn't think.

Kalinda forced herself out of bed and began looking for her clothes. They were nowhere to be found. Boots? She couldn't see them either. She began to panic. Her pounding head and queasy stomach were another reminder that she must have had far too much to drink the night before. She went into the bathroom and caught her reflection in the mirror—oh, God! She had on no makeup. She was completely bare, including the smallest blemish on her chin. She was really annoyed now! What the hell happened last night? She went to the bathroom before storming off to the kitchen where she assumed Alicia would be.

Alicia was in the kitchen preparing a hangover concoction in the blender of banana and yogurt. It was something she used to make for Owen when he was hungover. It seemed to work for him and hopefully it would for Kalinda. She was also prepping the ingredients for a hash. Then she heard footsteps advancing toward her in a hurry. She turned around just in time to see a pissed off looking Kalinda entering the kitchen.

"You took my make-up off!? And where are my clothes!?" Kalinda charged.

"Good morning to you, too," Alicia passed her the banana yogurt smoothie, "here, drink up. It will help your stomach."

"What the hell is it? It looks like vomit. I'm not drinking it," Kalinda complained, crossing her arms. "Where are my clothes? I need to go home."

"Not before you've had some breakfast. You need to treat the hangover," Alicia's voice was calm despite the butterflies building in her stomach with every minute in the presence of Kalinda.

"Can I have my clothes first?" Kalinda demanded.

"Of course," Alicia said. "They're hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I thought you'd see them."

"Oh," Kalinda was embarrassed.

As the investigator left the kitchen, Alicia dished up breakfast and sat down with her cup of coffee. She was reading the newspaper when Kalinda returned.

"My makeup? And, uh, how I got into the pajamas? Your pajamas," Kalinda asked as she sat down on a bar stool and reached for a much-needed cup of coffee.

"Drink the smoothie first," Alicia urged. "It'll soothe your stomach."

"Are you going to answer my questions?" Kalinda was angry.

Alicia pushed a plate in front of Kalinda while gathering her thoughts. How should she explain what happened last night? So far the only questions were about her clothes and makeup. The more complicated questions would surely come.

"I thought you would appreciate not having to sleep in your makeup. You did it yourself, if that's what you are wondering," Alicia sighed.

"And the pajamas?" Kalinda looked at her plate instead of Alicia.

"I helped you," Alicia kept it simple.

If Kalinda knew how Alicia's eyes had followed the length of her stocking-clad legs and had tried desperately not to look at her chest, Kalinda would likely be angry and certainly uncomfortable.

"Okay."

Kalinda tried not to think about the process of undressing her and how Alicia's hands must have touched her. The thought alone made her squirm.

"You laid with me," Kalinda stated, not expecting a response.

There was silence once again. Alicia knew that Kalinda remembered some parts of the night before. She was curious, though mortified, of what Kalinda might remember. Did she remember Alicia's eyes on her legs? Did she remember the kiss? Had she felt anything?

"I drank a lot," she said, taking a drink of the banana/yogurt concoction. "I didn't know what to do."

Will. Did anyone know what to do in the aftermath of a heartbreaking shock? Alicia had no idea what to say.

"Were you at the bar," Kalinda asked. "Is that how—"

"I was outside the bar," the brunette took a deep breath. "I saw you through the window."

She realized after saying it that she sounded as if she were keeping an eye on Kalinda and not simply sitting outside the bar because she had no idea how to deal with her grief.

"I mean, I wasn't there to watch you," she backtracked. "I happened to be there and saw you."

Kalinda nodded.

"It was our bar," she spoke into her coffee mug. "And then it became Will and I's."

The lawyer knew this. She had avoided the bar after her falling out with Kalinda, but she couldn't break the routine of driving there after work and often saw the two of them entering or exiting. Once she watched them through the large front window, laughing and having a nice time. It hurt to see two people she had once cared deeply about having fun without her.

Kalinda looked up at Alicia, her face bare and open, and her hair messy, but pulled up. The casual way her face and hair looked didn't seem to match the tight black skirt and leather jacket she was wearing.

"I can't eat any more," Kalinda pushed the plate away and stood. "Toothbrush?"

"It's the one on the counter in the ensuite. You used it last night."

For a moment Kalinda thought she remembered minty toothpaste. She knew now that Alicia had been in the bathroom with her as she washed her face and brushed her teeth. This made her blush, something she hid by walking away.

"God," Alicia groaned as she put her head in her hands with Kalinda out of the room.

Once in the bathroom, Kalinda found herself doing the exact thing. Head in hands, she took several deep breaths before looking in the mirror. The mirror she had used the night before to remove her makeup. She remembered then that Alicia had stood behind her. Was she holding her up? She must have been. Why else would Alicia be pressed so close? Oh, god. I pressed my ass into her, didn't I? she thought. And she was flustered, wasn't she? Kalinda had no idea what to make of this. She found herself intrigued by Alicia's reaction, but at the same time furious. If Kalinda made her feel like this, if Kalinda meant enough to her to drag home in a drunken state, why hadn't Alicia spoken to her in months? Why hadn't they seen each other until now? Why hadn't Alicia forgiven her?

Kalinda spit angrily in the sink, slipped on her boots and left the bathroom.

"I'm going," Kalinda huffed as she came through the kitchen.

"You didn't eat much," Alicia was surprised by the investigator's sudden desire to leave. "And you don't have to go so soon. Plus I have to drive you. Your keys are at the bar."

"I'll take a cab."

"Kalinda, what's wrong?" the brunette stepped around the island toward her.

"Don't," Kalinda took a step back. "Nothing is wrong."

"Between breakfast and brushing your teeth something happened," Alicia remarked. "You can either tell me about it now or I'll keep asking."

"Drop it, okay?" Kalinda bit.

"Excuse me?" Alicia was fuming now. "I picked you up, I brought you home, I gave you a place to sleep, I made you breakfast—do you have any idea how long it has been since I made a smoothie?—and you're telling me to drop it?"

Looking at the floor, the investigator carefully considered her options. Having an argument while hung over was not her idea of a good way to spend the morning. She knew this argument was coming, she knew no amount of space or time between them would fix what had happened between them.

Without saying a word, the tall-booted woman walked toward the front door. A forceful hand on the door stopped her.

"Why won't you tell me, Kalinda?" Alicia seethed. "Why won't you tell me anything?"

"Why won't I tell you anything? Why won't I?!" Kalinda stepped away from Alicia. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were leaving LG?"

"That's what you're upset about? I didn't tell anyone!" the lawyer's hands were on her hips, her jaw clenched in anger.

"You told Cary. You told everyone that you took with you. You told Robyn," despite the anger building within her, Kalinda seemed cool on the outside.

"Robyn? That's your problem, that we didn't take you and that we took Robyn? Come on, Kalinda. You've always been Diane's right hand."

Kalinda's first outward showing of anger came with the shaking of her head and biting her tongue.

"You never told me about you and Cary," Alicia charged.

"What? Cary and I aren't anything," Kalinda answered. "And what business is it of yours?"

"What business is it of mine? Who dragged you home last night? Who kept the secret about your husband? Who continues to ignore your constant interactions with Lemond Bishop?" Alicia's hands were out, taking a step toward the investigator.

"You're kidding," she let out a cynical laugh. "Who keeps the secret about your husband? That's much more dangerous than my husband. You've known from the moment I met you that I'm the in-house. My 'interactions' with Bishop are a requirement of my job," Kalinda rocked back on her heels, swiping a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"You had to mention Peter, didn't you?" Alicia cringed.

The brunette began walking away, the anger overtaken by pain, but her abrupt turn back caught Kalinda unawares.

"You lied to me!" she advanced on the stunned investigator. "You slept with Peter and lied to me. We were friends! What was I? Your goddamn pity project?"

"We've done this before, Alicia," Kalinda held her hands chest high, a symbolic warding off of the conversation. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry?"

"Did you ever really like me?" Alicia asked, her voice losing its edge and taking on a hint of sadness.

"Of course I did!" Kalinda shook her head in disbelief. "I've always liked you."

"You liked me so much you slept with my husband!" Alicia's anger resurfaced.

"God, Alicia. Let it go," she walked away, looking everywhere for the clutch she realized she was missing so she could get out of there.

"Tell me how, Kalinda," Alicia was hot on her heels. "Why did you befriend me when all along you knew who I was and had your own history with Peter?"

Kalinda had entered Alicia's bedroom and finally spotted her clutch on the nightstand next to the bed. She was walking toward it when the lawyer caught up to her, her previous question remained unanswered.

"Why is the truth so damn hard for you?" the brunette ran her hands through her messy morning hair.

"Because the truth is complicated!" Kalinda fired back, her patience at an all-time low. "Is it inconceivable that I actually wanted to be your friend? That I thought you were interesting? That I thought we made a great team?"

"If all of those things are true, why didn't you tell me about your past with Peter?" Alicia couldn't fathom what Kalinda's reason was.

"I wanted to be near you! I didn't want to lose you!" Kalinda burst out. "I love you!"

There was a look of pure panic on Kalinda's face. She was right, the truth was complicated, not to mention incredibly dangerous. What did she have to lose? She had already lost her friendship with this woman. Her sexuality was already known. What could telling Alicia that she once loved her, still loved her, cost her at this point?

Alicia unceremoniously plopped herself in the armchair in the corner. Kalinda sighed and also found the need to sit, the edge of the bed holding both the weight of her body and her broken soul.

"You love me? Or loved?" Alicia spoke softly, not daring look at Kalinda.

Exasperated with Alicia's accusations and the woman's utter obliviousness to how Kalinda had been feeling for years, she fell backward on the bed, a deep sigh entering the space between them where an answer should have been. Looking at the ceiling, Kalinda took a deep breath before speaking.

"Does it really matter at this point?" she muttered.

Standing and moving to the corner of the foot of the bed, Alicia sat softly, not knowing what to do with her hands or her eyes. She looked at the art on the wall as she prepared herself for what she was about to say.

"I forgave you, Kalinda," Alicia directed her voice anywhere but at the woman with whom she needed to say these words. "I know why you did it, why you needed his help. I have never come to terms with how you behaved toward me. How you seemed to actually like me; how you offered me friendship. All the while not telling me what you had done."

Kalinda sighed.

"I ran from you," the seated woman admitted.

Closing her eyes to keep the flood of emotions she was feeling at bay, Kalinda tried to find the words to say and couldn't. What do you say when two people admit they were wrong and the path ahead is indiscernible? What do you do when an apology is not enough?

Alicia turned her body enough to face Kalinda and placed a gentle hand on her boot-covered shin.

Something about the woman's touch jarred Kalinda's memory. She remembered Alicia's touch the night before. She remembered Alicia getting her ready for and into bed, this bed. And then it hit her.

Sitting up quickly, Kalinda's eyes locked on Alicia's and the only thing to do was to ask.

"Did you…" Kalinda paused when she saw she had Alicia's undivided attention. "Did you kiss me last night?"

Alicia, sitting quite close to the now curious investigator, looked exasperated and flustered. For the first time that morning Kalinda took in Alicia's appearance. Her hair was mussed, her face void of makeup. She had a silk robe over her cotton pajamas. She couldn't prevent herself from noting that Alicia was sexy as fuck right then. She bit her lip, an action that did not go unnoticed by the flustered woman whose eyes were on Kalinda's lips.

"I…" Alicia stammered. "You were drunk and I…" She what? She hadn't been drinking when she kissed her friend. How would she explain how she'd allowed the touching and possible flirting to turn to a kiss? "I didn't mean to take advantage."

A slight smile escaped Kalinda. Advantage? Hardly.

"You didn't," Kalinda smirked. "As I recall, granted I'm a little foggy on the details, I asked you if I smelled minty."

This made an already off balance Alicia blush. She remembered it well. Their lips were separated by mere air. The question lingered between them as if it were something much more.

While Alicia continued to avoid eye contact, her cheeks a delicate pink, her fingers tracing the zipper of Kalinda's boot.

"I also recall you struggling with the removal of my stockings," at this Kalinda noticed Alicia pressing her thighs together, something that didn't require analysis. It was clear that Alicia still felt quite turned on by the night before.

Kalinda's hand reached out to still Alicia's where it was nervously playing with the boot zipper.

"Alicia," Kalinda's voice shot right to her core.

Closing her eyes to collect herself, the brunette could feel the tension between them. She had kissed Kalinda. There was no denying it. There was also no denying the attraction she felt toward the investigator and the thrill of their bodies pressed together as she helped Kalinda the night before.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the gentle touch of Kalinda's hand on her neck. She allowed her head to be tilted with the subtle nudge of that hand.

"Alicia," Kalinda tried once again.

This time Alicia responded. Without reservation, the lawyer's body turned and her lips connected with Kalinda's. She was as Kalinda imagined she might be-fierce. A torrent of emotions fueled that singular kiss. Anger and frustration, certainly, but also desire and desperation. These two women had harbored so much for so long, it was as if a dam had burst.

"Oh, God," Alicia moaned as they broke momentarily.

Kalinda's mouth immediately latched onto the neck she had admired from afar for years. The faint trace of yesterday's perfume wafted to her nose as her tongue peeked out for a taste. Alicia's moan of appreciation spurred Kalinda on. Her fingers peeled back the neck of the robe and pajama top to expose enticing flesh. As her mouth went to work the lawyer's hands busied themselves with undoing Kalinda's leather jacket.

"Fuck!" Kalinda growled when a hand snuck in to palm her breast.

When she reached for Alicia's hip to pull her closer she was inhibited by her tight skirt that wouldn't allow her to part her legs. This tempting position was not going to work.

"Wait," Kalinda commanded, sliding off the bed.

Pulling off her leather jacket, the standing woman revealed the tank top she'd worn the night before betraying the hardened nipples beneath. Tearing the top over her head, Kalinda had never looked sexier than looking down on Alicia with messy hair, swollen lips and nearly topless.

"Wait," Alicia repeated Kalinda's earlier command, smiling, standing mere inches from her greatest desire.

Kalinda watched as long slim fingers slid the zipper down her hip and outer thigh. Her breath caught as eyes locked on hers while no longer nervous hands slipped the skirt to the floor. Standing at her full height in bare feet, Alicia was nearly the same height as Kalinda in her high heels, a perfect height for their lips to resume a kiss years in the making.

In a tangle of arms, the lawyer's robe was dropped. Kalinda's fingers worked open each of the buttons of the pajama top. As she pushed it off Alicia's shoulders she looked down to find two bare wonders beneath. Dampness was now seeping through her own panties.

Breaking the spell, Kalinda stepped back against the wall and lifted a leg to the arm of the chair to unzip her boot. She was exposed and her damp panties did not go unnoticed.

"Kalinda," she spoke in a thick voice.

Without warning Alicia pressed Kalinda further against the wall, guiding her raised and incredibly flexible leg around her own waist. Their mouths explored with abandon, their hands wandering daringly. Feeling Alicia's bare breasts so close was driving Kalinda crazy. She managed to slip her hand between the wall and her back to unclasp her bra. Impatient hands ripped the straps down her arms while captivated eyes savored the sight.

With a look that spoke to her immense arousal, Alicia took charge. Kalinda never allowed her partners to be even remotely dominant but with Alicia it felt as though it was the only way. The brunette's fingers traced dark areoles, her eyes locked in a silent tug of war with the woman whom she was making increasingly wet.

"Up," she demanded.

Grasping Kalinda's ass and using the wall to support her weight, the taller of the two was displaying her strength as she lifted Kalinda into position. It was a look she would never have dreamed of—Kalinda in only stockings, boots and panties, wrapped around Alicia's waist. And it was a position the investigator had never managed with any of her female lovers, one she fantasized about often.

Kalinda's hands came to frame Alicia's face and their mouths once again met in a battle. Their breasts were forced together, wet panties pressed against Alicia's abdomen causing a guttural moan. Responding to the sound, the investigator's hips rocked forward. The grip on her ass tightened and Kalinda found herself rapidly losing hope of holding on. She had dreamed of this. She had hoped for this. But there was no way in hell to prepare for this.

"God," cried Alicia.

Mouths battled for the upper hand, though Alicia surrendered her dominance to trail kisses down Kalinda's chest. She reached exotic and tantalizing breasts, tracing the darker flesh with her tongue, her eyes looking up to the brown-eyed and quite aroused woman. As she took a nipple into her mouth, she was pleased to feel wet panties press even harder against her. Releasing the nipple with a snap, she caught the tortured look on Kalinda's face.

"What?" Alicia's brow furrowed in fear.

If this was to be the end of their intimacy, Alicia at least wanted to know why. She was certain Kalinda was about to either attempt to talk her out of this or walk out the door.

"I need to feel us again," Kalinda begged.

A sigh of relief accompanied by the heartache of the last few years and the arousal of the moment brought tears to the brunette's eyes. If they were to continue, if Alicia was truly going to show the investigator how much she cared for her, she didn't want it to be like this—against the wall. Using what remained of her strength, Alicia pivoted so she could place Kalinda gently on the freshly made bed. She hadn't even realized until now that her guest had been respectful and made the bed when she got out of it. She found herself wishing it had remained unmade, blankets already a crumpled mess.

Kalinda made a humming sound as she was placed in the middle of the bed or as close to it as Alicia's dwindling strength would allow.

Locking eyes with the now lying woman, Alicia toyed with the drawstring of her pajama bottoms before loosening the strings and slipping her thumbs beneath the waistband. She slowly slid the bottoms down her legs. From Kalinda's position she couldn't tell if Alicia had slipped the panties off with the pants or if she had not been wearing any. The thought that she may not have been wearing any all this time turned her on more than anything up until this point. She felt her own dripping.

"Alicia," Kalinda growled, attempting to come to a sitting position.

Surprisingly, Alicia forced her back down with a stiff arm. She moaned as she watched the zippers of her boots being slid down seductively. When Alicia's eyes met her barely covered core, clearly wet with anticipation, she smirked. They wanted this equally. She saw the animal come out in her friend who then ran her hands up Kalinda's legs after her boots were removed. So close to her waiting core, yet so far, Alicia's hands stilled on thighs to run a finger underneath the tops of sexy stockings. Remembering the night before and how nervous Alicia was about being the one to remove the stockings, she didn't see that same woman now. Alicia was a woman possessed.

There was nothing gentle in the way Alicia pulled the first stocking down the olive-toned leg. Her eyes never left Kalinda's. It was intoxicating, the look they shared. The woman bit her lip, doing everything she could to keep some semblance of control of herself as she was being undressed. She was rewarded with a moan from the brunette at the sight of her teeth toying with her kiss-swollen bottom lip. The second stocking came down much slower; a push-and-pull with Kalinda that drove her wild, the composure of the lawyer was phenomenal.

"For Christ's sake!" Kalinda sat up before Alicia could stop her.

Leaving the stocking around her ankle, Kalinda's hands brought Alicia's mouth to her own, the lawyer bent over to make up for the height difference in this position. Erect nipples grazed the tops of Kalinda's full breasts as their mouths once again danced. Like Kalinda's move, Alicia offered her own surprise—pushing Kalinda back and crawling over her.

When Alicia found Kalinda's hands near her face once again, she was able to grip each of her wrists tightly. She took each hand, putting it on the pillows above Kalinda's head, crossing them at the wrists and holding them there with one hand. The look of complete astonishment on Kalinda's face told Alicia she was doing this right. This is not something Kalinda was accustomed to with her other female lovers and likely not her male ones, either. This was a first for her in a very long time, her facial features revealed that secret.

"Alic—" Kalinda started, but was silenced by a single touch.

The polished nail of Alicia's forefinger nail grazed the other woman's saturated panties. Tracing the length of the wetness, she was rewarded when Kalinda's hips bucked. The gentle touch was unlike any she had ever felt. Maybe it was because this was Alicia, she couldn't even begin to answer that question in the state she found herself.

"Oh, fuck!" Kalinda cried as Alicia continued the motion with the added pressure of the pad of her finger.

"These will have to go," the brunette rasped as she hooked a finger into the narrowest part of the panties.

"I can't wait," Kalinda snarled.

Not wasting any time, Alicia used the position of her finger inside the panties to trace the bare, silky lips that Kalinda was thrusting into her. The feeling alone was making her weak.

"Dammit, Alicia!" the investigator had lost patience and was now ordering her with her eyes to do what they both had in mind from the moment they kissed this morning.

Alicia did exactly as Kalinda demanded, causing a deep moan with the resolute thrust. Eyes closed with the euphoria of the thrusting, Kalinda marveled at the feeling of their breasts pressed together right before lips converged. The kiss was sloppy and fueled with the promise of what was about to come.

Mouths broke apart, eyes locking in an acknowledgment of pleasure and pending release.

Hitting precisely the spot that Kalinda had been awaiting, she let out a strangled scream as she collided with her own limits. Her climax hit her and her eyes fluttered closed. Tilting her chin back in ecstasy, she moaned and bucked her hips one last time.

Losing all ability to hold her own body above the satisfied woman a moment longer, Alicia collapsed. She buried her face in Kalinda's neck, enjoying the feel and taste of her body that glistened with sweat. Alicia released the pinned wrists, though Kalinda hadn't have enough of her own power remaining to move them from that position. As the orgasm subsided, Alicia listened to Kalinda's heavy breathing, her beautiful, full chest moving up and down with each breath. She could then heat Kalinda's heart, galloping wildly in that chest. It was the most fulfilling sound Alicia had ever heard. And the most fulfilling touch came when Kalinda uncharacteristically wrapped an arm around Alicia and kissed mussed brunette locks.

Reclaiming her tired, damp hand, the lawyer sighed in gratification. Further nestling into Kalinda, she pressed a kiss against a slowing pulse point. The kiss spoke silently to the significance of the completed act.

Without a word, Kalinda considered what this woman meant to her. She thought about how easily the glory of this morning could lead to pain. All too often they had hurt one another. First Kalinda with Peter then Alicia with Will, their lies and their avoidance had created a gulf between them. She hoped that gulf had been eclipsed by what a single drunken kiss had led to.

Coming to a resolution in her mind that she would never leave this bed without telling Alicia what this act had meant to her, what the lawyer had always meant to her—repeating that she had only wanted to be close to Alicia, that she liked her, loved her even—Kalinda began to speak, looking down at the lawyer. Finding the words that would express felicity and contentment, the investigator tried to use the very voice that had released that strangled scream moments ago. She cleared her throat and noticed Alicia didn't budge.

She was asleep. The woman who had given without reservation had surrendered to exhaustion.

To be continued