"My worst fear realised," Felix murmured the next morning, head spinning and stomach churning as expected.

"Wha's tha' then?" Sarah's voice was thick with sleep and she didn't bother to raise her head of Cal's chest as they lay together in a makeshift bed on the living room floor.

"Splittin' hangover and the official," he paused to count in his head. "Seventh wheel of this group."

"Ne'er mind that, how do you think we feel being the token heterosexuals," Sarah replied.

"Least you have one another," Felix pointed, lifting his head off the floor now to take in the room round him.

Sarah and a sleeping Cal lay in a bed on one side of Felix, with Sarah using Cal's chest as a pillow and his arms as a blanket. To his right then was Cosima and Delphine, still sleeping and as ever a tangle of arms and legs and oh so much hair. On the couch then Beth lay nestled between Alison's back and the back of the settee, her arm draped over Alison's waist and their fingers entwined as they slept.

"They're pretty cute, you have to give 'em that," Sarah whispered, noticing where Felix's eyes had fallen last.

"Doesn't make me any less single though," her best friend pointed, before throwing himself back onto his pillow, praying he'd be able to get another few hours' sleep and wake up with a slightly clearer head.

-.-.-.-

"That was… interesting," Beth mused as she walked hand in hand down Sarah's path with Alison several hours later.

"Mortifying's the word I'd use," Alison corrected absently, readjusting their clasped hands so their fingers laced together and she could trace her fingertips across Beth's knuckles.

"You're being dramatic," Beth laughed, trying to ignore the swell of warmth in her chest when Alison traced her skin. "They didn't even ask that much."

"Which makes it worse," Alison insisted. "They were placing bets on us Elizabeth!"

"Well look at it like this then, at least our relationship managed to lose Sarah some money," Beth joked. "You know, every cloud has a silver lining and all that…"

"We were going to tell them pretty soon anyway," Alison nodded eventually.

"And it's not like we were really trying to hide it," Beth added, glad that Alison was finally on board.

"I suppose you have a point."

They walked for another few minutes in silence, simply enjoying the way the afternoon rolled out in front of them – kids playing in yards and cars driving by lazily, with no need to rush to the office. Eventually they came to the alley Alison used as a shortcut and they slowed to a stop.

"I suppose I'll come over tonight?"

"Actually." Alison could see the surprise on Beth's face as she slowly began to speak. "I was wondering if I could come to your house like… now?"

"Uh…" Alison had never set foot in Beth's house in all the weeks they'd been dating and the question threw the track star right off kilter. "I mean… sure?"

"I just… don't feel up to going home," she explained, as if that should be all the explanation needed.

"Can I ask why?" Beth was curious, especially given the underlying discomfort in Alison's voice.

"It's to do with why I brought my own wine," Alison only kind of elaborated.

"Can I ask what that was about too?" Beth's question wasn't pushy or demanding, and Alison knew if she wanted she could avoid answering it, she just wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Well first, is it okay if I come to yours?" Alison diverted.

"I'll call mom now and ask," Beth nodded, slipping her phone out of her pocket.

The phone conversation was longer than was really necessary, just as all conversations between Beth and her mother tended to be, and just like all conversations it ended with Alison going on the phone to confirm that it was in fact her Beth was with. Beth blushed profusely at this, and quickly grabbed the phone back off Alison, hurriedly muttering her goodbyes before hanging it up and shoving the device back into her pocket.

"I swear, she's so over protective," she huffed, and Alison didn't miss the contempt in her voice.

"I'm allowed to stay though?" Alison wasn't actually sure of the answer, even after the lengthy call.

"Yea, yea course you can," Beth nodded, her smile returning as they set off walking again. "So uh… wanna tell me what the deal is?" She added after a moment of weighing up whether she should ask again or whether she should let the topic go.

"My mother's an alcoholic," Alison replied stiffly, not taking her eyes off the path in front of her, even when Beth turned her head to try and catch her eye.

"Oh I'm-" But she stopped short, knowing sorry wasn't a helpful thing to hear.

"Mm, yes well it is what it is." Alison tried to brush it off. "Anyway, she refuses to admit it, so whenever I can I take alcohol from the house so she can't drink it and well… she tends to give me the cold shoulder the next day, which isn't really something I like to deal with." She paused for a while then, mulling over her thoughts before continuing. "And I don't want you to think less of her you know… she's not one of those alcoholics you see outside liquor stores downtown… she's suburban, she keeps up appearances… she's not… a drunk."

Beth nodded slowly, allowing herself to absorb the information. "Yea, I know your mom, and I think she's cool… I'd never think less of her." It may not have been one hundred per cent true, though Beth said it anyway, knowing that right now it was what Alison needed to hear.

-.-.-.-

Beth's house was nice, Alison decided, as they walked up the tarred driveway fifteen minutes later. It was much like her own in the sense that it was your typical cul de sac, though there was something slightly off beat about it that Alison couldn't quite place, though for some reason it reminded her of Beth in a way that made her smile. When she stepped inside it was obvious right away that the house hadn't been lived in for very long. There were some pictures hung and others left sitting on the ground next to a pack of nails ("Yea, it's kinda supposed to be my job to put those up."), there were also boxes sitting in the living room corner, full of knick knacks that a place hadn't quite been found for yet, though that were too important to merely be left in the garage to rot.

They were greeted in the hall by Beth's mother, just as they were about to climb the stairs to her room. Alison couldn't help but notice the strained look on Beth's face and she took a mental note to ask about it later.

"Oh you're home!" The woman greeted, wiping her hands on her jeans as she emerged from the kitchen. "And you must be Alison!" She added, spotting her on the first step of the stairs and extending her hand.

"Yes," Alison nodded politely. "That's me. It's lovely to finally meet you Ms Childs." She reached out her hand as she spoke to shake the one that had been offered to her.

"Oh please, call me Susan," Ms Ch- Susan corrected, waving off the formality with a grin before turning her attention to her daughter. "Did you have fun lastnight?"

"Yea it was good…" Beth half shrugged, not seeming too keen on the conversation.

"Whose house were you at again?" She enquired.

"Sarah's," Beth replied simply. "Sarah Manning."

"Oh of course… And you didn't drink too much?" Alison stifled a breath at the question, though it seemed like water off a ducks back for Beth.

"No, just some cider," she shrugged again.

"Good, good," Susan nodded, not seeming perplexed by her daughters underage drinking. "Oh by the way dinner's in two hours, though you girls can eat in your room if you like?"

"Uh yea," Beth nodded. "We probably will… thanks." There was a brief awkward pause then before Susan cleared her throat.

"Well I must be getting along, this pork won't marinate itself. Don't forget to skype your father sometime this weekend by the way, he claims he's forgetting what you look like," she added with a wiry smile.

"I'll see if I can fit him into my busy life," Beth teased, seeming a lot more at ease now that her mother had stopped her interrogation.

Susan left then, shaking her head lightly at her daughters comment, and Beth turned to face Alison, who was still standing on the step in front of her. She pointed forward and Alison took the hint, turning on her heel and ascending the stairs. She took a wild guess that Beth's room was the one with the name "ELIZABETH" spelled out on the purple name plaque ("Cute." "Shut up, I've had it since I was born and mom insisted we bring it with us here." "Oh sure, your mom did.").

When Alison stepped inside she couldn't resist nodding once at the room in front of her. It was just so… Beth. The walls were a simple cream colour that matched the painted wood of her bed, desk, bedside tables and wardrobe. The under-sheets of her bed were also cream, though the duvet and pillows were a calming blue, as were her curtains. She had a book shelf by her desk as well, with one shelf designated for the intended purpose, and the other two being used to house various trophies and plaques. Finally, above her bed, her medal from the race a few weeks ago was hung in a simple cream frame.

"Huh…" Alison mused, completing her 360 spin around the room, stopping again on Beth, who was now closing the door behind them.

"What?" the other girl smiled, taking a step towards Alison and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"It's so… you," she mused, not quite knowing how else to say it.

"Uh, and you're rooms not 'so you'?" Beth snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alison huffed, leaning away from Beth's embrace, though not far enough to break Beth's linked fingers on her back.

"Your rooms literally all pink… other than the framed musical posters," Beth giggled lightly.

"It is not all pink, I have white walls and white furniture!" Alison corrected.

"Uh three white walls, and one fuchsia wall behind your bed," Beth countered.

"It's pastel pink Elizabeth," Alison rolled her eyes at her (obnoxious) girlfriend.

"Mhm, whatever you say," Beth mocked. "Now can we stop arguing and start kissing?"

"You'll be lucky if I ever kiss you again," Alison insisted, though she didn't even try to stop Beth as she pulled their bodies back together and pressed her lips into either side of Alison's mouth.

"You sure about that?" Beth purred, her breath tickling along the curve of Alison's cheek.

"What can I say," Alison sighed, draping her arms over Beth's shoulders. "I guess you're just super lucky."

-.-.-.-

"Can I ask a question?" Alison asked some time later.

They were settled in Beth's bed now with the covers ruffled and misplaced around them. They lay far closer than necessary on the queen sized mattress – sharing the one pillow with their legs tangled together and Beth's arm draped over Alison's waist tracing circles on her lower back where her top had rode up, with Alison's arm rested over Beth's jean clad thigh.

"Shoot," Beth mumbled, her eyes still closed as she nudged her face closer to her girlfriend so their noses and foreheads bumped softly.

"Look at me first," Alison insisted, though not in her usual demanding tone.

"Gladly." Beth's lips quirked into a smile and she opened her eyes, pulling back just enough so she could look at the girl beside her without going cross eyed.

"Beautiful," Alison grinned, taking a moment to let her eyes wander lazily over Beth's features, taking in the way her eyes crinkled when she grinned dumbly, and the way her nose was ever so slightly bent from when she'd broken it as a child ("long story involving blind man's bluff and a cousin that failed to inform me I was heading towards a wall").

"Stop being so soppy," Beth teased, trying to divert attention away from the colour rising in her cheeks as she felt Alison's eyes pour over her complexion. "Just ask your damn question."

"I was just wondering," Alison began, suddenly very aware of how she spoke. "Why you were so tense around your mom earlier?"

"What d'you mean?" Beth murmured, though Alison could sense that Beth knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You just…" She faltered, trying to think of the correct way to word what she wanted to say to avoid the possibility of Beth getting defensive. "Seemed like you didn't want to talk to her."

"Well you know," Beth shrugged with the shoulder that wasn't against the mattress. "She's super protective and shit, and I don't like it when she pries."

"Yet she knows you drink," Alison quirked her brow at her girlfriend.

"Well yea…" Beth puffed out a sigh (it was almost as if she'd forgotten Alison was sharp as a razor). "I mean she's protective but she's not dumb… she knows what teenagers do." It was a valid point after all – even Beth's mother had been eighteen years old once. "She claims she doesn't mind though as long as I remember to respect myself and others while I'm drunk, so I figure fair enough," she added on, almost as an afterthought.

"Oh…" Alison nodded. "Why is it she's so over protective can I ask?"

If she'd blinked she would have missed it. Alison Hendrix was not the kind of girl to blink during a serious conversation though, and by that token she didn't miss the split second of panic that flashed in Beth's eyes before she came up with (what Alison deemed to be) a passable lie.

"She just always has been." There was no falter in Beth's voice to indicate the words were anything other than the truth. "Only child and all that. It probably got worse after the divorce though… I'm all she has left kind of a thing."

"Oh." Alison nodded. "And now I'm stealing you away from her," she joked, deciding to drop the subject (for now).

Alison liked to think, liked to hope, that Beth would tell her if it was something important. The same way she'd told her about her mother and the same way she'd trusted her not to laugh like everyone else when she found out she was a virgin. She allowed herself to push the thought away; it was probably nothing, and even if it was something Alison trusted Beth to share when she was ready.

"I don't really mind being stolen," Beth grinned, dragging Alison from her thoughts as she leaned over on the pillow to press their lips together.

"Oh Miss Childs, are you trying to seduce me?" Alison giggled through the kiss.

"Oh god Ali," Beth snorted, rolling them so Alison was pinned under her. "You're such a dork."

"I'm your dork though," Alison reminded her, letting her hands fall instinctively on Beth's waist as the runner peppered her face in light laughter filled kisses.

"Yes, yes you are."