A/N: I am beyond sorry for taking soooo long to actually post this, I'm lamely admitting that I had this written for weeks now, it's actually been sitting in my desktop for like 2 weeks no lie! But I just haven't been home lately, and work has been getting busy since it's summer and all... Anyways, I wanted to remind you guys that any type of updates regarding myself, including explanations on why I'm taking so long on this or other projects of mines... To please check my DA page, I post journals all the time about what's going up with my life (There's a link on my profile). I also have to admit I've been working on art also, so that might also explain why I'm taking so long to write, but like I've mentioned I want to divide myself with this story... I don't want to dedicate myself 100% to it like I did last time, after all my main talent is art and my vein itches from time to time and I can't help it if art is what I want to do. Not saying that I'll forget about this story because I won't, but I went in a little art hiatus while writing the prequel, I don't want that to happen again, I want to be able and work on both. Hope you guys understand!

And I certainly hope this chapter answers a lot of your questions about Laurie! So please enjoy, if you read please review! :)

Brown combat boots touching the snow covered asphalt, Lexi removed her helmet and placed it neatly on her seat; Laurie doing the same and now both just adjusted their scarfs and coats before beginning their walk towards a large tall busy building.

"The mall?" Inquired Laurie with curiosity; quirking an eyebrow at her younger sister.

Lexi let out a soft chuckle before responding, "Yes, this isn't just any mall you know… It's The Mall of Acmetropolis! It got build a year or two after the meteor hit, I think you've already went back home by then. But it has at least 7 levels, and one of them is literally all restaurants."

Laurie's eyes widened at the size and how far they currently appeared from their destination, "It's huge that's for sure! Why park so far away though, it's cold?" She asked while rubbing her arms, making a sad attempt at warming herself.

Lexi looked at her with understanding eyes, "Sorry… It just drags less attention." She pulled up the collar of her coat even higher, almost hiding half of her face. This caused Laurie to give the younger female bunny an even more puzzled look, but decided not to ask, she'd suspect it had something to do with who she is and trying to have a normal life outside of her uniform so she just shrugged every doubt from her.

They finally reached the entrance and once inside Laurie took a moment to remove her gloves, hat and loosened her scarf. Lexi on the other hand only removed her gloves and placed them neatly inside her bag, her scarf remained tied around her neck, her coat still closed up to the fullest and the beanie still covered her head. She started walking towards the elevator which was thankfully empty and both females stepped inside. When the doors closed Lexi pressed the number 7 on the panel.

"Uh… Aren't you gonna remove you're hat and scarf? I think it's warm enough in here." Asked Laurie carefully, not wanting to trigger something on the now slightly nervous Lexi; who just turned to Laurie and literally faked a shiver.

"No, still feeling a bit chilly." Was all she answered.

Laurie looked at her unconvinced but again decided to not question her "Ok…? If you say so."

The doors opened and out they stepped to a level that looked more like a street filled with pubs and restaurants of all kind. From you're typical ice cream shop to your 5 star French Cuisine. Laurie just stared in awe at the extent options, she looked around a bit dizzy from all the different food aromas as she walked by a couple of restaurants. "So… What are we having?" She asked excitedly.

"Well… I really like this one place that has everything, but if you want to try something in specific that's fine." Responded Lexi, glancing at her sister as she awaited for her response.

"Oh ok, no that's fine we'll go to where you originally wanted to go! I don't really know what I'm craving at the moment, too many options to decide!" She chuckled.

Lexi nodded and walked into a regular grill style restaurant called, "Lucky Bite Cafe & Grill." The hostess kindly greeted them, "Hello, Um… Table for two." Informed Lexi.

The Hostess kindly smiled and looked at the digital floor/table planner she had placed on her podium, she looked back at Lexi, "Sure! You're name? It's gonna be like a 5 minute waiting…" She responded.

Lexi nodded and quickly responded, "Alexa!" To which the hostess nodded kindly and wrote down the name on the list.

"Alright Alexa, I'll let you know as soon as you're table is ready!" She replied with a friendly smile.

Laurie on the other hand gave her younger sister a very awkward and demanding look. Lexi noticed this and quickly walked outside of the restaurant as if that would save her from delivering her sister any type of explanation, of course that was silly because she knew exactly what was coming once she heard Laurie's footsteps nearing her spot. "Ok… So you're Alexa when you're not in uniform?" She asked in a low tone, hoping that Lexi would clear any doubting question she had in her.

"Shhh…" Hushed Lexi, nervously looking around then back at her sister, "Yes, I've been Alexa for two months now… I'll explain in a bit." She said in an almost whispered tone, turning around and as in queue the hostess walked to the entrance and called.

"Alexa party of two, you're table is ready!"

Both female bunnies followed the hostess inside who was now carrying two menus around her wrapped arms, and once she reached the booth she gently placed them on their respective places. They both scooted to their seats, the hostess informed them that a waiter will be with them shortly before she left back to her place behind the podium.

Lexi quickly grabbed the menu and started eyeing it like a newly discovered fascinating object, Laurie tried doing the same, but her mind prevented her of doing so, so instead she just cleared her throat to get Lexi's attention. Lexi broke contact with her menu and locked eyes with her sister and sighed defeatedly, "I guess you want an explanation…" She started, Laurie simply nodded in response and motioned her to continue; which she was getting herself ready to do so but the waiter, a young tall guy; walked up to them and asked for their drink order.

"Um… I would like some raspberry iced tea please." Ordered Lexi.

"Cherry soda is fine for me…" Replied Laurie.

The waiter kindly nodded and went to arrange their drinks.

"Ok…? You were saying…" Said Laurie, looking back at Lexi.

"Right… Well when me and Jake broke up, I had the paparazzi on me like hawks! I couldn't visit a place without them selling a false story about me; it was horrible! So… since it's winter I've been covering myself more lately, making myself a bit less recognizable and well… I'm Alexa whenever I'm not in uniform. Trust me it has saved my butt a lot lately, I even had Tech make me some false ID's and all just in case," She paused and took a soft but deep breath, "this breakup… I mean our relationship was ok and all but it ruined me! I thought I had left all the fame life behind as soon we broke up, I honestly thought it was all him that brought the extreme fame, not even realizing how much it really grew on me; but apparently not. Our breakup was the hottest topic in the city for weeks! And trust me, while fame might seem fun it's not when you're trying to get over someone. The constant reminder of him, his name is on the news, the magazines, his face is plastered everywhere I look and me? I'm hated! I'm the bad one, as if I was the villain in this situation! When really it was all misunderstood…" She finished her explanation by looking down at her fidgeting hands that rested on the table.

Laurie simply looked at Lexi with pity, no wonder she didn't like to talk about the breakup. The false media that followed the poor girl around, it might've seemed like a dream come true to others but to her it was simply a nightmare. The waiter came back with a tray that held their drinks, placing them on their respective places; he asked if they were ready to place their orders. Lexi nodded, not really looking at him and responded, "Veggie pasta Al Dente."

Laurie ordered the same plate since she didn't really took the time to carefully eye the menu and make a more thoughtful selection, but she really didn't bother; and it really didn't matter what her choice of plate was now. Lexi was opening up to her and that was of more importance at the moment.

When the waiter left Lexi looked back at Laurie, "And to make matters worst, the public didn't really want my help at first…"

Laurie looked at her surprised, she couldn't even believe her sister's words, "What?"

Lexi sadly nodded, "Yeah… We had this villain taking over the east side of the city. Ace split us up, and I was teamed with Duck; our task was to clear the area since there was falling debris everywhere and it wasn't safe. I saw this one lady and was trying to make her follow me out of the damaged site, but she refused to follow! She started yelling at me, that how could I possibly do what I did to Jake? And she refused to move, at least not with me… I had to call Duck and literally make him teleport her out to safety. After that I pretty much had the same feedback from a couple of people, what shocked me was how ignorant they all sounded to me; risking their safety to just lash at me about some stupid rumor… Here I am trying to do my job and people won't let me! Apparently bashing me is way more important than safety… It makes me sick what the priorities of this city are…" She finished taking her gaze away from her sister and into her drink.

Laurie didn't really know what to respond, she kept giving her pity looks; she did feel sorry for what she was going through, and suddenly it seemed like her words from the previous night collapsed as if they never really meant anything, even though to her it did, 'You are one of the most respected girls in this city.'

"I'm sorry, seems like it's been tough for you huh?" Was all Laurie really pushed out of her to support the conversation.

"It's ok, things have gotten better though… With me trying to keep it on the down-low, things have calmed down a bit; and my title as second in command has been rising more so it's been more professional out in the field, and thankfully people are taking me more seriously and slowly forgetting about what happened, even though now and then I do get the occasional question from the reporters…"

"Like what?" Inquired Laurie with curiosity.

"Oh the typical… Do I still talk to Jake, how is my new single life, why did I cheated on him and how is my supposed new relationship with Ace?" She finished and took a sip of her drink.

Laurie looked up to Lexi, carefully thinking about her next words, "Well… What do you usually respond?"

Lexi chuckled a bit, the first cheerful sign since the subject was brought. "No comment!"

Laurie let out a chuckle herself, since she was obviously trying to get information out of her. "Ok! But what would you respond to me?" She asked carefully.

Lexi's smile faded and now she just bit her lower lip in thought, " Well… Jake and I e-mail each other occasionally, he's still in Europe filming his movie; that's all I really know from him, Um… Let's see, my single life is great! I'm just enjoying what I do and having fun with my friends. Fun fact! I didn't! Repeat, did NOT cheat on Jake; EVER! And my supposed new relationship with Ace? Which is… Let's see… Nonexistent! We're just best friends, and I guess that wasn't accepted to the media; apparently hugging your best friend in public is as bad as literally sleeping with him. But on the bright side, our friendship has never been better! If anything we've gotten stronger and our bond is… I don't even know how to explain it; all I know is that I'm never gonna loose him again." She finished, and Laurie noticed something peculiar about Lexi, when she finished her sentence she noticed a spark in her eyes; it wasn't something obvious but her look changed to a more soft dazed one.

"Oh? Did you loose him once?" She asked, bringing herself back to the subject.

Lexi looked at Laurie a bit taken aback by the unexpected question, her gaze falling to the table. "Our friendship was on the rocks while me and Jake were dating. Lots of misunderstandings between us, he wasn't really too excited about me dating or anyone on the team for that matter… Things got awkward between us, and he just stopped talking to me; and the saddest part is that I let it happened."

"Sounds to me like he got a bit jealous…" Added Laurie before taking a sip of her drink.

Lexi gave Laurie a confusing look, "Jealous? Why would he get jealous? I mean yeah… I was spending more time with Jake because Duh! He was my boyfriend, and yeah I guess me and Ace kind of… Drifted apart."

Laurie smiled and shook her head, Lexi can be so naive sometimes… "Ok…" She said with a bit of sarcasm.

"What?" Asked Lexi not fully understanding Laurie's point.

"Nothing, I just think that…" She paused because she didn't want to reveal anything that she wasn't suppose to, after all she promised Rev that she wouldn't say anything about Ace's secret. And yet, even though he might consider his feelings a secret, to her it seemed more than obvious of what he felt, heck it was obvious to everyone minus Lexi. And for some reason she found that odd, but nonetheless; facts were facts regardless if they were a secret or not. "Well… have you ever considered that Ace might have a crush on you?" She asked, hoping that she wouldn't regret the assumption.

Lexi just gave Laurie a blank stare, a sudden chuckle escaped her lips; as if Laurie's words were a badly told yet funny joke. "What?! Are you kidding me?" She paused and tried containing her laughter but it was useless for some strange reason this was all too funny for the loonatic's second in command, something that didn't really pleased the older sister. If anything it confused her, she was expecting her to be hesitant to the option, maybe deny it, blush, but not take it as a joke like she currently is.

Laurie raised an eyebrow, her stare pretty much serious and confused. "Um… I didn't meant for it to sound funny though."

Lexi's laughter subsided as she registered the seriousness in Laurie's tone, "Oh…" She said, a bit confused herself. "I'm sorry, it's just that; I don't know why would Ace have a crush on me? He's basically my boss!" She expressed sheepishly.

Laurie's eyes softened at her words, "Well Alexa, he might be your boss; but he clearly likes you. And you two don't seem to mind having a very close friendship even though you're co-workers and he's your superior."

Lexi was silent for a couple of seconds, "But why… Why would you think that he likes me?" She Inquired, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Laurie smiled; gladly to explain, "The way he looks at you, he obviously flirts with you; and he seems to talk to you differently than the others… And don't get me wrong, but you seem to do the same." She admitted.

Lexi's eyes widened and her cheeks now burned with a bit of shyness, "Oh…" She chuckled softly to herself, "I mean that's the way we've always been with each other, sweet, respectful and caring…" She explained lamely.

"Really? Then now it sounds like you're the one with the crush." Teased Laurie, causing Lexi's cheeks to burn even more; leaving her speechless, and in good timing because the waiter brought in their plates, causing them to come back to reality.

They ate in silence, while the younger sister mostly thought about Laurie's words; of course she knew what she meant and what she was trying to get out of her and she knew very well the answer; she just wasn't ready to reveal it. When finished with their plates the waiter offered them some dessert which Lexi or rather Alexa gladly accepted to share with her sister.

"So… Laurie, enough talking about me. What about you? What really happened to you after college; I know we didn't really talk much by then, so everything I know is through mom, but knowing you I know there must be more to it." Started the younger bunny, attempting to change the subject.

"We're still not done talking about our previous subject you know… But I'll get you later!" She said winking to her younger sister, "What happened to me after college? Hmmm… Well I went home for a month because I just couldn't handle college, and after that I went to Acme Cali for a gig that some friends offered me."

"Doing what?" Inquired Lexi, quirking an eyebrow.

"Modeling for an indie clothing line, it was fun while it lasted… Then I met this guy; Matthew, gorgeous typical Cali guy… Surfer, skater, he played guitar; but I played with him so naturally that didn't work out. Moved in with some friends, started working at this bar as a waitress and that didn't work out either; too many bitchy drama queens around… And you know I've been all over the place, I've been traveling a lot and mostly waitressing; been crashing at mom's every now and then but we never really got along, not lately."

"Why not?"

"Well… She and Jason were pushing me to go back to college or get a better job, and you know I don't do too good when pushed to do something, so we always end up arguing and she usually ends up kicking me out; which equals with me ending up homeless, begging at a friend's doorstep for refuge. But that also stopped working, all of my old high school friends are married with kids or too busy with work and bills; they don't want someone like me in the middle of their living room crashing while I recover from my night shifts at the local bar, and of course I don't have enough cash to pay them for rent… That's why I decided to come back to the big city." Her tone had a hint or bitterness in it.

And it seems like the papers just switch, because now it was Lexi who was looking at her sister with pity and sorrow, it hasn't been easy on Laurie and she knows it; regardless of how she used to be or still is, because of her attitude she has lost a lot of friends, not to mention other's respect as a person. Even though who she was was not acceptable back in school; there's usually a limit and people tend to change as they get older, leave bad habits behind; that's what Lexi thought when she joined college with her older sister, that she would suddenly change for the sake of her success, but no; it seemed as changing was something really hard for her to do, it was as if it was part of who she was; and it wasn't pretty; it made her a really undesirable person on the inside. People avoided working with her in college, Lexi's life was hell because she lived with her; it seemed as if she didn't had her own time, her escape. Thankfully and tragically that all changed when the meteor hit.

"Lo… Why don't you go back to college?" Lexi asked, but it wasn't in a pushy way like the older sister stated that she hated, it was in a curious way. Laurie furrowed her eyebrows in thought, it's been a while since she's heard someone called her "Lo" and she couldn't deny that it sounded heavenly to her ears, so a soft smirk curled up on her lips.

"I don't like school… I mean I loved High School, but I lost my friends after that; since they all went to different schools. I didn't even get to the school I wanted to so I had to forcefully go to community college; which I dropped out of a year later, did nothing but work at the local gas station until you graduated college and got into Acmetropolis University, mom and Jason literally forced me to enroll just so I could leave the house and maybe do something with myself, so I agreed because they gave Dancing Arts major; but that didn't work out either, I was never in time for class; didn't even make it to the cheerleading tryouts… Then things with you were complicated… I wasn't happy there." Her gaze dropping to her drink.

Lexi also looked away frowning a bit at the memory, a bitter taste took over her mouth as she analyzed Laurie's words and she realized how selfish they actually sounded.

"You weren't happy?" She asked with clear sarcasm.

Laurie looked at Lexi a bit taken aback by her change in tone, she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows in question at her younger sister.

"I wanted more than anything to get along with you Laurie… Do you know what it's like to go through high school and be bullied by your own sister? It was so degrading, sad and I just felt trapped! You and your friends making my life miserable, and for what? What did you or your friends wanted to get out of that?" She locked eyes with her, her frown tattooed on her face.

"Lexi I…" Laurie started in a low shameful voice.

"I… I hated you…" Interrupted Lexi, and at the sound of her words Laurie's features dropped as if she just suddenly got shot by a gun; whilst giving her a hurt look. Was it that bad that she had mistreated her sister for her to get to the point of hate? She knew Lexi as a sweet and friendly girl, sure she hadn't treated her fairly in the past; but she couldn't believe that such sweet girl could ever feel something so putrid as hate, it just shocked her and it was all because of her own selfish ways.

Lexi looked away in shame, even she couldn't comprehend how suddenly she felt so much hatred in her, this wasn't the plan. She was suppose to make things right with Laurie, and even though she felt more than anything to express her feelings, she felt like she suddenly took 3 steps back from the sudden progress she thought she'd made. And now they just sat in an awkward silence, not really attempting to look at each other, but their thoughts were interrupted by a sudden thud on the table as the waiter placed a plate of strawberry cheesecake in between the bunny girls along with two spoons for each to use.

Lexi attempted to give the waiter a thankful smile while Laurie just picked up her spoon and literally fidgeted with it, not really having it in her to personally thank or even talk at the moment.

"Alright, do you girls need anything else? Another refill?" Asked the waiter in glee.

"No, we're fine thank you." Responded Lexi rather dully, he nodded and left them enjoy or try to enjoy what was left of their meal.

Lexi took the first bite of the cake, Laurie taking little bites out of courtesy; but not really in the mood or with the appetite to do so. She suddenly let her spoon fall causing the plate to clink; catching Lexi's attention and raising an eyebrow at the older sister.

"Look I'm sorry!" Was all she managed to say before her eyes started to glimmer with fresh tears. Lexi's frown disappeared and her pitiful shamed one returned; maybe she was a bit hard on her…

"So am I… I always admired you Laurie, ever since I could remember I always looked up to you, I wanted to be as pretty as you, dance the way you did, have friends like the ones you had… But it's like who you were drained from you, and you became someone else… What happened?" She asked, putting her spoon down.

"Dad left…" She responded in a low tone. Lexi's gaze fell to her plate again.

"I know it was hard Laurie, but I think dad leaving was kind of good for us." She tried by making the dull situation a positive one, but failed as finally one of Laurie's tears gave fall, which she quickly wiped away; they were in a public place and the least thing she wanted was to call for attention.

"We never had a normal family… He was always gone on trips, and whenever he was home it's like his work was everything he breathed. He wasn't always like that, but I guess the ambition of finally having his own company got to him. And he chose work and a life outside his home over us Lexi!" Lexi looked at her a bit awkward and looked around to check if anyone heard her name, Laurie noticed and gave her a sheepish look before she continued, "Sorry… Alexa. I guess I was just hoping that things would get better, and they never did, instead he left and they got a divorce. I was so angry, because I knew he was living the life; I know that he has a mansion and the most expensive car there is and he's probably married to a hoochie mama half younger than he is probably bathing in a hot tub filled with the most expensive champagne ever made while we were living in a middle class house with a depressed mother who didn't even had it in her to fight for the man she loved, she just let it happened, it's like she didn't even thought about us! We could've been part of his success! But no, her pride was more important than that."

Lexi knew her dad's story, and of course like every kid she suffered when they got divorced, but she got over it; her mom was always an independent woman and that's something that she always admired of her; and that's the lesson that she was trying to teach her daughters. Their father was a workaholic and while that might be good financially it wasn't good for the family, he used to leave for business trips a lot; strange phone calls appeared on his cellphone and of course his business trips eventually turned into something else; while he succeeded his marriage fell apart, there wasn't any communication between them anymore, no spark. Lexi noticed this and it saddened her, but she got over it once her mom started dating Jason, another male bunny around her age; in fact her mom has known him since her childhood days; since he was her good childhood friend, and at the end it meant well. Jason shared many things with their mom and that's something that she appreciated as she knew that her mom and dad were really opposites towards each other, she couldn't recall having a normal childhood memory that didn't involved her parents getting along; she does have the false hope that maybe in the beginning it was something lovely and beautiful but as all plants that you don't tend they decay when left unattended.

She understood why Laurie was upset and why she would take her anger on everyone around her, she found her father's actions selfish an act that only a coward would deliver. Still that didn't really give her proper reason to act the way she did, but she could see the pure regret in her eyes, specially after hearing the younger sister express herself with such hate towards her because of it. She acted wrong and she knows it, she can tell that she's been through rough patches because of who she's become to be, because of that hatred in her.

It wasn't the birthday calls or a card filled with money that Laurie wanted from her father, it was his presence, his advice, the long summer camping trips, the cookouts, his approval on dating, his speeches for getting bad grades and all things that a father usually tends to do. Jason took that place when he married Julia; their mother, but he was always hesitant whenever it came down to teaching his step daughters a lesson, he didn't feel like it was his place; it felt awkward for him, maybe because it was his first go at parenting and he was unexperienced. Lexi understood his motives for not being so strict on them, in fact he was quite caring and gave very good advice when asked to, it was Laurie that never really gave him a chance and disrespected him, reminding him constantly that he wasn't her father. And it was strange because besides everything, Laurie still praised their father as an example, she always dreamed of being as successful as he was, of course her luck hasn't been the same.

"Things happen for a reason Lo, and yeah I got upset too about what dad did; but mom has never been happier with herself. I love dad to death, even though we don't talk much… Last time I saw him was when the meteor hit and he found out about me being affected, and of course he wasn't too happy with that, he was even trying to find a specialist that could take the radiation out of me," She paused and gave a soft chuckle. "That was funny and ironic, knowing how good that's been to me, it's like he wanted to drain the success out of me." She expressed with a bit of a mixed sarcastic humor. Laurie chuckled as well.

"Well I can't say it's been the same for me… After the meteor he cut back my funds for college since I wasn't really assisting classes anymore. Basically left me out on the streets, I asked him if I could go live with him, and he said his life was too complicated to have me living with him at the moment, so naturally I ended up at mom's… It's like he's avoiding us…" She trailed off.

"Yeah, he cut mines too when he noticed I had an actual income with the team…" Added Lexi.

With all the sudden drama their appetite seemed to disappear, so they ditched on the dessert. Lexi threw their money plus tips on the table and left the restaurant with Laurie, now that the mood seemed to eased a bit their smiles returned to their faces.

"So what do you want to do now?" Asked Laurie, looking around the other restaurants.

Lexi pondered on the question for a bit before answering, "Hmm… Well we're at the biggest mall in Acmetropolis after all…" Commented Lexi, her words giving the hint of suggestion.

Laurie smiled, "Shopping it is then!" Both girls laughed at her answer as they walked towards the mall's infinite options for stores.

/

It was currently 9:30pm when the sister's were finally dismounting Lexi's hover-bike. Finally the younger sister took off her layers of coats as she entered the tower, the common room looked dark and Lexi used her super hearing to figure out what the rest of the team were up to. 2 were sleeping, 2 were in Tech's lab and one was probably in the monitor room.

They walked in front of Lexi's door and smiled at each other, "I had fun today!" Admitted Lexi.

"Yeah it was fun! Although I'm sorry for the rocky moment…" Added Laurie a bit lamely and looking at the ground in shame.

"Hey…" Said Lexi, putting a supporting hand on her sister's shoulder, "I think that was actually good for us, we opened up! We've never opened up to each other before so I think that was a mayor step up!" A soft smile on her lips.

Laurie smiled warmly at her and nodded in agreement, "Yeah I guess you're right!"

She removed her hand and pressed in her code that granted her access to her room, the door swished open and she looked back at her sister, "Alright, I'm gonna take a warm shower and hit the hay…" Expressed Lexi.

"Yeah me too it's been a long day, goodnight Lex and thanks for today!"

"You're welcome!" Replied Lexi before turning around and entering her room.

Laurie went back to her room, took a warm shower and dressed in her pajamas, but before tucking herself into bed she walked through the tower's dark hallways and into the kitchen for a glass of water. She sat alone on the table as she finished her glass, finally refreshing her throat from the hard and exhausting day with her sister, and she couldn't help but wonder about the day's event's how things went from good to wrong in only mere seconds; it just all confirmed to her that even though things are looking good for them some things might still be a little tense to deal with, and as much as she hated it they had to work on that and bring back the subject eventually…

Her thoughts were interrupted by heavy footsteps and a tired sigh, which made her jump in her seat and look towards the direction of the sound. A tired Ace still in uniform walked into the kitchen, finally noticing the other being present in the kitchen, he smiled tiredly at her.

"Oh you girls finally made it back!" He said, walking towards the fridge; opening it and taking out a plastic container out, he opened the lid gave it a light sniff and placed it in the microwave to heat.

"Uh… Yeah." Responded Laurie sheepishly while she nervously rubbed her arm. Why was she nervous around him? Yeah he was someone she found very attractive, but he was off limits to her, she knew that and Lexi made it very clear to her. "Snap out of it!" She whispered to herself, causing Ace to quirk an eyebrow at her.

"What?" He asked confusedly.

She blushed when she realized that her not so quiet words were actually loud enough for him to hear, he must think she's insane or something. "Oh! Umm… Nothing! I'm ok!" She tried.

The microwave beeped and Ace turned around to retrieve his food, he grabbed some silverware from a drawer and took a seat next to Laurie, still giving her a confused look. "So…" He started, trying to change the subject and hopefully get rid of the strange awkwardness that currently lingered around them, "Did you girls have fun?"

Laurie took a sip of her water and nodded before answering, "Yeah, we had lunch, then hung around the mall for a bit; we even watched a movie!" She replied happily.

Ace smiled at her, taking a bite of his food and nodding in approval.

Laurie looked at him a bit confused, "Say… If you don't mind asking, why are you still in uniform? And is that your dinner? This late?" She asked.

He chuckled a bit at her assumptions, "I'm leader, I don't think I have like a proper bedtime set up… I was in surveillance watch when you girls left, and I decided to catch up on some paperwork while I was on it. Just got out actually! And yes, this is my dinner."

"Wow, life is hard on you huh?" She commented.

He gave her a careless shrug, "It's what I like to do, I knew it wasn't going to be easy… But it's all worth it though, to me it's all about the safety of this city and making sure the team is up to it's game and most importantly safe."

She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it, "Specially my sister?" She asked a bit timidly.

Ace was currently chewing on his food when her words escaped her lips and he almost choked at the question causing him to cough a bit. He managed to swallow and immediately gave her a look, "What?" He asked, forcing a soft chuckle along the way to try and hide his sudden nervousness. He might be the fearless leader of the Loonatics but he went a little weak in the knees whenever it came down to Lexi.

Laurie just stared at him expectantly and blinked, "What's so funny?" She inquired a bit confused, and wondering if he would also give her a hard time like Lexi did to her earlier.

"Well… What to do mean 'Specially your sister'?" He asked, hoping that she didn't suspect a thing.

"Are you serious?!" She asked surprised.

"Well what about your her?" He asked, trying to play it casually.

"Oh come on Ace! I think it's a bit obvious what's going on here, and please don't pull the 'We're just really close friends' card on me! I know there's something more!" She said, crossing her arms.

He put his silverware down and chuckled a bit impressed by her words, "But we really are just best friends though…" He added.

"But?"

"But what? That's it!" He replied.

"Seriously? Come on Ace, just say it! Besides you're totally predictable around her, and Duck spilled the beans on you today so there! Now admit it! I just want to hear it from you!" She said in an almost pleading tone.

Ace just sat there in silence, staring at his plate with surprise, "Wow… Well I knew the cons of Duck knowing something so deep from me, but am I really that predictable around her?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her in curiosity.

"Yes! You look at her differently and the way you two interact it's different than just your average friend, and yeah Duck totally told on you." She said chuckling at her words.

"Yeah… A blabber mouth if you ask me!" He added carelessly, "So… Uh… Hehe, I know this would seem a little bit out of place but… Do you notice the same from her?"

Laurie giggled at his question, not really knowing why; maybe it was his sudden shyness about the subject, "My sister is a little hard headed that's for sure…" She commented, leaving Ace a bit confused at her comment. "I can tell she likes you… And I don't mean just plain like you, you're special to her and she cares a lot for you." She gave him a warm smile.

Ace smiled warmly at the information, "Has she said anything about the subject or is it just you?" He asked curiously.

"Hmm? No it's just things I noticed…" She replied.

"Oh… ok." He replied, not really sure if he should continue with the subject or not. "Well since we're talking about Lexi… I know you two have a rough relationship, sorry to intrude but how's that working out with both of you?"

Laurie was a bit taken aback by his words, and now she realized how close Ace and Lexi really were with their friendship; she had to admit it felt a little uncomfortable and intruding to hear Ace ask her such a thing, she would've thought that their problems was something Lexi would want to keep hidden, but seeing as Ace knows about it just made her feel a bit uneasy. "Wow you two really are close!" She commented with a bit of sarcasm while furrowing her eyebrows, she sighed before she continued, "It's been getting better, I mean there are some bumps on the road, but nothing overly dramatic…" She paused and bit her lower lip, "I regret what I did to her in the past, and I wish more than anything to change that original image of me she has plastered in her brain; but it's too late for that now huh? So instead I'm just trying to win her trust little by little. We made some progress today; we talked a lot about our past's touchy subjects and issues… But it was ok I guess, it's better to let it out than keeping in right?"

Ace gave her a pitiful look and nodded, silently agreeing with her words, "Seems like you need to work a lot of things out…" He started, Laurie glanced at him and nodded, "You know… I know Lexi like the palm of my hand, after all she's my best friend. I can probably help you out when it comes to making her open up more…" He offered.

"How?"

"Well… Don't tell her I told you this, but she was a bit hesitant when you first called, I kind of talked her into giving you a chance. She was a bit paranoid this morning about you being here, I guess she wasn't used to having you around and… Well You know I've been convincing her otherwise. I may not know you Laurie, but I can tell you mean no harm."

She gave him a kind smile for his words, "Thanks… And I don't, I promise!" She reassured lifting her hands to her chest as a gesture of honesty, "But… Since you're going to help me with my sister… How about I help you with her as well?"

Ace furrowed his eyebrows and chuckled a bit at her suggestion, "Please, I don't think I need any help…" Which only caused Laurie to give him a blank unconvinced look. "Well… Ok maybe some pointers might help, I may know her but I know shit about how to swift her off her feet!" He lamely admitted, causing Laurie to chuckle at his words.

"Ok! It's a deal then!" Added Laurie extending a deal ending hand towards him.

He smiled, took it and shook it, "It was nice doing business with you Laurie." He joked.

"Please, call me Lo…" She replied with modesty.

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