They woke almost an hour later. Alex stretched out first, well one half of her body. She didn't want to disturb Marissa who seemed to be sleeping soundly, so she kept her arm wrapped around her.

When Marissa made a noise like she was having a nightmare Alex leaned over, held her tighter and whispered in her ear, "It's a dream Riss, just a dream." Marissa unconsciously moved closer to Alex and stopped making anymore noises. Laying there for a few more minutes she felt Marissa grow tense and so looking back over at Marissa she noticed some tears brimming her eyes. Releasing her arm from Marissa's waist Alex began to rub her back up and down while repeating, "Marissa, time to wake up, it's okay, it's only a dream, Rissa…" but Alex was cut off by Marissa's eyes opening and peering at her.

Her eyes looked slightly more green when she cried. A frown crossed Marissa's sad features and Alex couldn't stop herself, she wiped the two tears that fell silently with her thumb, barely touching her.

"It was just a dream," she whispered, looking over her features one at a time, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her eyebrows that were still frowning….

"I know, they're just so…real," was Marissa's tortured response.

Alex didn't want to push Marissa so she lightly held onto her waist to try to convey that she was there to comfort her as she slowly rubbed along Marissa's side, attempting to ease the tension out of her back and tight muscles. Looking away from Alex at the wall and then back at her and then the sheets she tried to find the words to explain, her frown not vanishing.

"Sometimes…I dream about the beach and how he could have….and it was so loud, the yelling and I couldn't think…but everything seemed turned up, the feeling of the sand, the waves…it was like… this overwhelming mixture of…fear and…and I wanted to…get out of my body somehow…but he was on me and his weight was…crushing me and it was like…a sensory overload," she said quietly trying to make sense of her thoughts. She paused and looked at Alex, worried but Alex looked down at patiently and held her a little closer, in a way to ward off all the demons and harmful things that managed to make their way in Marissa's life.

Taking a shallow breath Marissa pushed herself closer to Alex as she shivered and turned back to looking at the sheets. "It keeps replaying in my head sometimes…and I want it to stop but…it only does when I'm too exhausted to remember my dreams…and sometimes I want to scream because I feel like somehow people know and they're looking at me differently and…other times I want to pretend it never happened but then I'm reminded by it when I feel this crushing weight…like this constricting force…and I feel like I'm going insane," she said choking up.

"Shhh Rissa, it's going to be okay. He's not going to come near you, I promise," Alex said reassuringly as she rubbed her arm. "If you want…maybe you could see a therapist," she said gently. Feeling Marissa tense she looked into her eyes. "It was just an idea," Alex said lightly when she saw Marissa set her head on her pillow again.

"I don't like them," she mumbled and left it in a tone that wasn't up for debate.

"Okay," Alex replied gently not pushing the issue. She didn't want to push but she needed to make one point… "it wasn't your fault," she let out quietly. Marissa turned over completely and looked at Alex bewildered.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Marissa asked barely above a whisper.

Alex shrugged in response and thought it over. I've unfortunately had friends go through various situations and I know one of the worst things is being trapped in your mind. Like post traumatic stress or something…replaying and almost becoming obsessive in an attempt to try to understand it; but there's no understanding something like that, someone being that cruel, which a delicate way of putting it is. It's evil. Alex finished her thoughts there. They laid together comfortably, Marissa was about to fall back asleep as she lay on Alex.

"Do you want to get up?" Alex asked gently.

"Mmm I should, get some homework done," she said stretching.

"Alright, I have to take Liv, but you're welcome to stay unless you want to see what Summer's up to or something," she said leaving options open for her. She swung her legs around the bed when Marissa released her hold on her. Her joints cracked when they pressed against the floor and she looked over her shoulder at Marissa who remained unmoved.

"Are you coming back to bed?" she asked with a hint of nervousness.

"Mmm no, I have to do some things…"

"Oh…maybe I'll go over to Summer's if wouldn't be too much to drop me off," she said lightly.

"No problem, let me just get changed," she said glancing at the clock. It was almost seven, she had to meet Jody and a few of her coworkers at a bar in a while. Going over to her closet she grabbed her skinny black pants and a somewhat revealing shirt that didn't have much of a back to it.

"Got a date tonight?" Marissa tried to ask nonchalantly but Alex could sense that slightly jealous undertone.

"No, just going out, meeting a few friends," she said fixing the collar of her jacket. "You'll actually get to meet them if you want to come to the party on Saturday." She finished remembering her plans.

"Oh, okay, sounds good," she replied lightly getting out of bed.

"Summer and Seth can come to if you want and you can bring Ryan," Alex said regrettably, pausing in her bathroom doorway.

"Alright," Marissa said nodding slightly, leaving Alex to turn to wash her face and put on some lip gloss, giving Marissa enough time to change back into her clothes.

Coming back out, into her bedroom, Marissa was just beginning to put on her other shirt and Alex stopped abruptly, willed her eyes to look away but they seemed glued to Marissa's back and the tattoo, remembering the events that led up to it and their spontaneity.

Luckily, Marissa didn't notice she was there so Alex quietly made her way to the top of the stairs and then headed down to let Liv out, leaving the door open as she put on her converse style high tops that had cute robots on them. Then she grabbed her iPod, looking over the playlist. She remembered when it fell and stopped working once, she was devastated without her music on her nearly at all times, but she bought a new one and as far as possessions went this one was key, just as a cd player had been years before…

Marissa came bounding down the stairs looking rested and picked up her bag.

"I'll do the work at Summer's," she said absentmindedly. Alex nodded, whistled and Liv came hopping back inside, looked at Alex and then saw Marissa so she pranced over to her with her little stubby legs she looked adorable.

"Awww cutie, I'll see you sometime later, promise," Marissa said bending down, picking her up, staying in the kneeling position and kissed her near her ears. Liv turned her head and licked Marissa's nose. Settling Liv down gently and headed out the door with Alex.

The ride was made in relatively comfortable silence while some of Death Cab's earlier songs played, mostly from We've Got The Facts and We're Voting Yes. Pulling up aside Summer's large house Alex let Marissa out and actually waved to her this time before driving away to meet up with her friends.

Arriving a little later than expected Alex pretended to not realize the glare Jody was shooting at her and took a seat at the bar with her friends. Hoping that Jody would get the hint she ordered herself a small coke and rum and lazily began drinking it.

"Were you with Marissa?" Jody said cutting to quick after everyone gave their pleasantries. Making a point to not roll her eyes, Alex shot her friend an annoyed look making everyone go quiet.

"Yes," came her short reply and then took a larger sip of her drink.

"You're getting in deep," was Jody's response after a short length of silence.

"Drop it Jody," Alex said without any interest or emotion.

Jody put up her hands as though she were being arrested and gave her signature smirk then turned back to the light conversation with her friends.

For the next three hours Alex, Jody and their friends enjoyed themselves until a few more friends of friends came and a girl came in, well more accurately a woman, Alex guessed around twenty-four who immediately started flirting with her. Alex tried to be nice and polite until the woman who slightly resembled Zooey Deschanel leaned over and kissed Alex softly on the lips when comfortable silence spread over them. Alex was somewhat taken by surprise but she started kissing back until something in her mind told her it didn't feel right.

I mean…it feels good but it's not what…I want… she thought to herself, cursing her brain for not just giving in and enjoying the girl who was easy to talk with, a seemingly nice personality and had nice eyes. Ugh, what is wrong with me! She thought as she pulled back with a frown. The woman looked her over and frowned back at Alex's expression.

"You're seeing someone," she said lightly in a way that was somewhat sure of itself and asking.

"No," she said with a light sigh, "but I might as well be," she muttered.

"What?" the woman asked as though she didn't catch what Alex had said.

"Nothing," she said solemnly, "you seem nice, but I…" she said trying to find the words.

"Don't worry about it," the woman said gently, with a surprisingly understanding tone and she nodded slightly.

Alex nodded back and let her shoulders release a bit of the tension that had built in them. Looking around and noticing nearly all her friends had left she glanced at the clock.

Midnight thirty! Okay it's not that late but I have to work tomorrow and finish a lot of deals. Ugh. She thought, using her own way of telling time because in the past she would say she'd meet someone at twelve something and they wouldn't know if she meant the afternoon or at night so it cleared up a lot of issues and people yelling at her because of her odd hours since no one knew what to expect from Alex's schedule. Shifting her gaze back over to the woman next to her she politely said she had to leave.

"But it was nice meeting you," she said charmingly to avoid any awkwardness.

"You too," she said nicely back after Alex was near the door and then Alex slipped out, got back in her jeep and drove back to her apartment.