Author's Note: This is my longest note...I figure since I got back from the gym (Lady Gaga great for working out, as is Florence and the Machine, you can't go wrong.) around 12:45 I should write and now that its 1 AM hopefully this isn't horrible because this is the end of the story. Its obvious that authors use bits of their personality in their characters-in all honesty I've always been a degree of Marissa and a part of Alex in my stories. Possibly in part due to Olivia Wilde seems down to earth and someone I could see myself getting along with since she seems to be an endearing spaz and we could have vegan means together-ha. (Also Tron Legacy was great and surprisingly symbolic.) Of course things I've said and amusing conversations my friends say end up in stories but I hope the integrity is maintained and that the characters aren't unrelate-able and out of character. I won't lie it disturbs me that my coworkers want me to become pregnant (children is a clear theme in this story) but its never going to happen. The reason why this story was written is because its based on true events, the details have simply changed. I suppose its mostly about being honest and annoyed and being stuck in your head. For instance I hate that people think I'm anorexic. I'm vegan but I bloody well eat when I'm hungry and like Alex, I can't do breakfast. Random thought- Ever notice I don't do fluff well? Fully admit its not my forte but enjoy the story or hate it-fact is I'm done writing anymore fanfics unless something amazingly wonderful inspires me (like a Glee story). They'll be one more chapter. And anonymous reviews make me smirk. This is long (very long) overdue and here we go...

"The pillow ate my earring!"

"What?" Alex grumbled, turning over and felt that Marissa was out of bed and throwing the blankets over. A pillow flew up and hit Alex in the head.

"I swear it," Marissa kept ranting, though tried to whisper. "Misplaced doesn't even cover it." She kept on, "I wear them and poof they're gone" snapping her fingers together for emphasis.

"Or the tooth fairy's a klepto!" Alex got out in a mock tone as she was now fully awake and taking in how annoyingly cute Marissa was. She was ridiculous but it was also charming.

Marissa narrowed her eyes and lent her own mocking tone. "Ha ha ha," she said slowly. "You're a freak," she said in seriousness but with a loving tone.

"Takes one to know one. Can I go back to bed now?" Alex grumbled into her pillow as she tried to force the sun out of her view.

"No, no...can you help me move my things to my new place?" Marissa finished sweetly.

"Its my day off," Alex said louder as she sat up.

"Yeah but we might get really overheated and sweaty in the process...soooo we may have to take a shower together after." She smirked.

"Fine," Alex said in a terse way. "But its not anything I haven't see before," she said in a blase manner with a smirk. The next thing she knew was she felt Marissa hovering over her, her body pressed into her.

"You know you're a pain right?" Marissa said with a smile as she looked down at the former blonde. As Alex slowly lifted her head she heard Connor's voice.

"Are you two wrestling?" He asked with enthusiasm.

Marissa could only laugh as she rolled off Alex and responds to Connor, "Yeah, but I won."

"Duh, I win all the time, she's not really a challenge." He said matter of factly which made the standing girl laugh more as Alex still layed in bed.

"Alright Con Man, its official. You're spending the day with Jodie."

"Noooo," he said as he hopped in bed. "Whhhhy?"

"I have to help Marissa with something, but I'll be back later and don't worry, there's plenty of Jodie-proof snacks that she can't burn or over cook so you'll be fine," she said hugging him.

"Fine, but if I get sick its her fault," he replied as he jumped out of bed to go back to his room.

They both chuckled under their breath as they fully got out of bed, stretched and let their joints crack. Well...Alex's joints popped and shifted.

"Where's an oil can when you need one?" She mumbled.

"Awww, you're the best Tin Man a girl could ask for," Marissa said dramatically but bent forward to kiss Alex who frowned at her.

"You know in no way am I a man, right?" Alex said with her typical smirk.

"Of course and I appreciate that fact. Even if you brood, are quiet, have surprising upper body strenth..." her mind wandered to when Alex had picked her up, had her wrap her legs around her waist as the slightly shorter girl pinned her against a door...but that had been years ago..."or I could be digressing," she finished.

"And the rambling trophy goes to..." Alex said as she kissed Marissa's neck only to be rebuffed and gently pushed away. Apparently her teasing was hitting a couple nerves. The shorter girl knew that Marissa often felt self-conscious around her, second guessing herself, but being a smart alec was natural for her. Sometimes she forgot she should tone it down.

"I'm just saying," she tried to backpeddle. "It sounds like you got into my pot," she said lightly, as a grasp at comic relief.

"You smoke pot?" Marissa said narrowing her eyes.

"Ah...yeah...sometimes." Alex said honestly but with apprehension. It wasn't a big deal. Also she admitted she wanted it when she felt like relaxing and putting her life on hold.

"Okay...but why? You have Connor," Marissa tried to reason.

"True, but I'm always out and Jodie takes care of him when I need a break." Alex supplied without any defensive tone even as Marissa's contained an accusatory one.

"You can't always use Jodie as a crutch." Marissa supplied as she folded her arms across her chest. Looking at her ex Alex was trying to put two and two together, even if math wasn't her main skill.

"Are you jealous?" She asked with curiosity even though she knew that was part of the equation.

"No," The taller brunette said with certainty as she got this far away look in her eyes.

"Okay..."Alex said slowly and thought it over. Its pot, she and I smoked a bit when she was in high school, also it relieves stress...I don't see the issue. Instead of voicing her opinion she waited.

At that moment the apartment felt very quiet. Connor was in his room, there wasn't a tv on as background noise, Alex hadn't set her ipod alarm clock and now they were confronted with silence and truth be told-very few people really enjoy the quiet.

"The...guy...who died..in the car accident...he smoked a lot. He didn't that day of the crash but he had it on him..." She said as she looked at a nondescript part of the wall. Alex could see Marissa's shoulders tense. "I had to hide his things so the cops wouldn't think he was this lame delinquent. I guess...even when you're dead you want a good reputation...but," she paused and frowned, "he was a decent guy. He wasn't...the most considerate," she said slowly as though she shouldn't be admitting it out loud, the taboo of speaking ill of the dead as a wrong. She hesitated and pulled her arms closer into her body. "He knew I wasn't drinking, that I wasn't using any drugs, which is boring to most college people," she said slightly above a whisper, "but he once picked me up and had someone blow a large cloud in my face." Her voice betrayed any annoyance, it was devoid of any emotion. "I mean...its not like he knew I had been attacked or held down, but there's that...connection...the point of someone forcing you to do something you don't want and having that loss of control." She paused and gulped as though she were choking on the words or the effort.

"Marissa..." Alex said gently. She didn't know what to say but she wanted to help. Support her in some way. But looking at the younger woman Alex could only think that she was about to break or fall in on herself if she didn't exclaim her thoughts. She remained standing even though she wanted to close to few feet between them and hug the woman before her who had long ago said goodbye to the girl she had known.

"He was a decent guy," she stressed. "He was never malicious...he could be dense but he never...I don't know." Marissa said in frustration. Maybe that's what was annoying her so much. She didn't know. There had been so many thoughts of trying to understand how the accident happened, if she could change anything, but what would be the point now? Magical thinking never got her far, it was just a cruel repetition and dreams that she couldn't push down even when she tried to stay awake until the intentional point of aching exhaustion.

Marissa felt arms around her, strong but conscious arms that didn't try to encircle her in any dominating way. They felt supportive and warm. There was a soothing heat that came from her lower back as Alex delicately pressed her hand against the taller woman's skin. Her other arm came around half of Marissa's back, holding her shoulder as her fingers laced in the hair on the back of her neck. If anything it felt more like a cradling without any condescending tone. The sentiment was palpable and Marissa couldn't recall a single embrace that contained this much emotion and implications of altruism.

Instead of opening and expressing what she felt it was admittedly easier to shut down. And the way Alex was treating her provided with a nice distraction. The logical thing to do would be to keep talking. But what good ever came from being honest? Maybe she'll be brutally honest if she ever decided to drink again or when the thoughts batter around in her head to the point that she'll need to emotionally throw up. But at the moment the only thing she could do was lift her head from Alex's shoulder, brush her lips against the older woman's until they were pressing harder into a rough kiss. What could she say? She knew she wasn't the most logical person…