Know Your Role

Anna stared at the shopping bags surrounding her. She had tried so very hard to quit her habit, but after driving past the shops on her way to the range, she had been sucked back in. Stu's teasing comments, spurred on by Stephen, had pushed her to curb her spending habits. There was nothing she wanted to do more than prove them wrong. First stepping into Agent Provocateur, she had told herself to just get a little something; with Stephen in mind of course. But as soon as she handed that shiny black credit card over she had lost all control. Four hours and thousands of dollars later, she was washed with guilt.

Part of her mind told her to shove everything in the back of the closet and forget, but Stephen would see the bill anyway. It was useless. Glancing around the bedroom she contemplated slipping into the new lingerie she had bought, causing a brilliant distraction from the bags full of clothes. A smirk crept to her lips; that was exactly what she was going to do.

Grabbing hold of all of the bags, she rushed through to the walk-in wardrobe and set them down. She pulled the goodies she had purchased out of the bag and tore at the black tissue paper they were wrapped in. After changing into the new garments and touching up her makeup, Anna stood in front of the mirror making sure she looked perfect.

The black lace matching bra and panties with baby pink undertones had set her back quite a bit, but she knew Stephen would approve. In her eyes that was justification for buying them.

Figuring she would have some time to spare, Anna slowly made her way down the staircase, wondering what to do to pass the time. However she didn't have to wait long to get what she wanted; she smirked as she heard the front door open, slowing stalking down the hallway waiting to see her husband. Her smirk quickly faded as she heard more than Stephen's voice. Stu and Tommy were with him. Dashing into the kitchen, Anna pulled her heels off so she wouldn't make a noise on the tiled floor. She stayed put in the middle of the room, hearing the voices of her husband and his friends get louder with each passing second. She looked around, eyeing the door to the pantry just behind her. Cursing under her breath she scurried into the pantry, quietly closing the door behind her. The only reason they would come in there was for Jell-o, and she didn't quite see that happening.

"It felt good showing Drew that we don't take things lightly." Tommy grinned, running a hand over his bruised knuckles. The satisfaction of making a man face his consequences was extremely high.

Stephen laughed, nodding in agreement with his friend. "Damn right there, fella."

"Look, this is only worth it if we send a message to Del Rio. He needs to know he can't fuck us around." Stu hissed, getting angry at just the thought of the slime.

"We beat Drew within an inch of his life, if Del Rio doesn't take that as a warning then there's only one thing that will do it." Anna covered her mouth with her hand, mentally shouting at herself not to gasp at Tommy's words.

"Here's the money yeh wanted." Stephen handed a thick envelope over to Stu, who looked inside, flicking through the crisp one hundred dollar bills.

"Surprised you have any left, mate," Stu raised his eyebrows. Another jab at Anna's spending habits. "Maybe you should take your credit cards back?"

"It keeps her happy, and busy," Stephen shook his head, confused as to why Stu was worried about his money and how quickly his wife was spending it. "And as long as it keeps her off me back, then Ah don' care."

Anna scowled at Stephen's words, feeling like she had just taken a punch to the gut. She suddenly felt ridiculous in the new lingerie she had bought. If he wanted her off his back, he would get just that. The ringing of a phone brought her out of her thoughts.

"That's Lara, she'll be wondering where I am," Stu murmured, rejecting the phone call from his wife. "I said I'd be back an hour ago."

"Best go before you get into trouble," Tommy quipped, laughing with Stephen.

"Right," Stu shoved the envelope of money into the pocket inside his jacket. "And where is Alex this evening?"

"Working," Tommy grumbled, running a hand over the stubble lining his jaw. "Phil's making her stay."

Stephen shook his head at the look of trepidation on his friend's face, "Get her out of there before it's too late."

"You try telling her that," Tommy snapped, annoyed that he had little to no control over Alex's job. "We've had this conversation before, and right now it's just not going to happen."

Stu and Stephen remained silent, deciding to drop the subject and not press Tommy any more. "Look, we'll go." Stu nodded to Tommy before slapping Stephen on the back. "See you later."

Anna continued take quiet steady breaths as she heard the men retreat out of the room. With her heels clutched against her chest, she gently prised the door open. She relaxed a little when she could see with her own eyes that the room was in fact empty. Peeking around the door into the hallway, she couldn't see anyone. As quick as she could she rushed upstairs, adrenaline pumping around her body.

She stepped into the bedroom, hands shaking and breathing still unsteady. For a few minutes she didn't know what to do with herself. Contemplating finding Stephen, she sighed and closed her eyes.

She yelped as she felt hands at her waist, whipping around she saw Stephen looking startled and confused. "Give me a heart attack why don't you!" Anna snapped, receiving a glare from her husband.

"Sorry, lass," his features softened as his gaze travelled across the length of her body, taking in her attire. "Yeh always walk around dressed like this?"

Anna turned around, Stephen's words from earlier still sounding in her head. "Not anymore," she mumbled under her breath.

She felt him behind her again, his big hands brushing her long hair over her shoulder. His arms wrapped around her waist, hands gently skimming over her toned stomach. They tightened around her, stopping her from going anywhere. "Ah like this look verra much." His lips grazed her neck and she writhed against him, wanting out of his hold. His grip tightened as his kisses moved to her collarbone. She shivered with delight, annoyed that her body was reacting to Stephen's actions.

"Ste, stop it," Anna spoke through gritted teeth, her small hands gripping onto his thick forearms.

"Yeh kidding, right?" She stepped out of his hold as soon as his grip loosened. "Anna?"

Anna shook her head, running a hand through her hair. Her chest tightened, anxiety taking over her body. "Please," she dared to look over her shoulder, regretting it as soon as her eyes locked with Stephen's. "Just leave me alone." Anna hurried across to the closet, rushing inside and slamming the door behind her without a look back.

Staring back at her was the mountain of shopping bags amassed during her spree that afternoon. Rushing over to the bags she gathered them up, her vision quickly blurred by the tears now falling freely. She slumped down to the floor, pulling her legs to her body to rest her head on her knees. More than anything she wanted things to go back to how it used to be; before she knew what her husband could do to another man without feeling any regret.

Hearing the door open, she wanted to somehow make herself disappear. "Anna..." Stephen sat down beside her, and she couldn't help but cry even harder. "Tell me what's wrong?"

Feeling Stephen's arms wrap around her, Anna no longer fought back. She settled herself into the warm embrace. His hand rubbed circles over her back, trying to calm her down so he could figure out what was wrong with her.

Wiping at her eyes, she eventually looked up, shimmering grey eyes staring back at her. They were full of concern and worry. "Tell me," Stephen spoke again, his hand reaching to cup her face, his thumb stroking away tears that continued to slip down her blushed cheeks.

"I overheard you talking to the guys," Anna watched his jaw tense. He looked away from her briefly before turning back. "I put this on to surprise you and, well, I didn't expect you to bring anyone home."

"What Ah said-" Stephen started talking but she quickly interrupted him.

"Yeah I get it; I'm a pain in your ass." Referring to what he had said to Tommy and Stu, Anna felt her heart ache a little bit more.

"Ah only said those things to shut them up," Stephen pressed his lips to Anna's, hoping she would believe him. "Honestly, lass."

Anna didn't say a word; she just stared back at him, feeling like a complete failure. She wondered if he could read it on her features. "What else did yeh hear?" Stephen immediately knew the answer when she ducked her head slightly, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm not going to apologise for what I heard, this is our house." Anna finally looked upwards, her words strong but her eyes were still glassy with tears.

Stephen sighed, trying to put things together in his head. "Jus' let me explain."

"Explain what? That you almost killed someone?" He shook his head, not quite believing that she would just put things so bluntly. Yes, it was the truth, but hearing it from his wife didn't sit well with him.

"Things got ou' o' hand, that's all." Stephen's hand was still cupped around her face, thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"You sure sounded like you regretted it." Anna mumbled then suddenly wished she had stayed quiet as Stephen scoffed at her words.

"Yeh don' know any o' me business. Yeh going to stay quiet abou' this, got it?" Again his mood had shifted. As soon as 'business' was mentioned he tensed up and pushed her away.

"I won't say anything," Anna said, making Stephen smile lightly, his mood returning to loving husband. She wouldn't be saying anything to anyone; other than Alex and Lara, of course. She would go crazy if she didn't.

The obnoxious buzzing of an alarm clock broke through the silence of the bedroom, groans from the bodies intertwined beneath the covers responding to the sound.

Tommy raised his head, glaring at the bright red numbers flashing under the dim light. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," he grumbled, throwing one arm across his head while the other held on tightly to his wife. "You come home late, and now you have to be up at this ungodly hour so you can leave earlier for work?"

"Now you know how I feel," Alex replied, her voice laden with sleep. "Just a few more weeks, then we're back on regular schedule. I promise."

"You better be filing for a vacation."

"Oh trust me," she said with a low chuckle. "I'm already picking out places I want to go to."

Pressing a soft kiss to his bare chest, she wiggled out of his embrace. Throwing the covers off of her, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her arms up to work the kinks out of her shoulders and back. He took the time to let his eyes wander, the silk of her nightgown clinging to every curve, his mouth going dry at the sight of her, softly framed in the early morning light filtering through the curtains.

"Don't even think about it."

Tommy snapped his head up, his wide eyes meeting Alex's knowing gaze. "I can't help it," he said with a smirk. He rolled over to his side and propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes now shining with mischief. "Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"

She shook her head at his question, laughing softly as she rose off the bed. "Do you want some breakfast?" She asked.

"I'll take care of it," he replied, getting out of bed himself. "You get ready."

"Right so let me get this straight," Stu trailed off as he followed Lara through the house. "You're going out to lunch with Anna. Just...Anna?" Yes, she could see how the prospect seemed odd to her husband. When Anna had called her up not even ten minutes ago, unusually cool-headed, she gladly accepted her offer of lunch on her; well, lunch on Stephen. She would have done anything to get out of the house for an hour or so, having had enough of Charlie's whining and the television being locked on children's programmes.

She turned to Stu after checking her makeup in the mirror, deciding not to address the trepidation in his voice.

"Yeah, why is that so difficult to believe?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I just thought that Alex would tag along too seeing as the three of you seem to be joined at the hip lately."

"She's working through her lunch. Her boss is kind of a ball buster."

"So I keep hearing," Stu deadpanned, running a hand through his hair. "It's a bit impromptu though, don't you think?"

"It's lunch, Stu, it doesn't need meticulous planning," she answered with a condescending tone to her voice, making sure that he heard her clearly. It seemed to bother him that she was leaving without any warning. He sighed; perhaps this was a taste of his own medicine for all the times he had up and left for late night work. Lara turned to him, taking a gentle hold of his large hands, rubbing her thumbs over his skin soothingly. "Besides, it'll be good for you and Charlie if you were to spend some time alone together." She dropped his hands upon seeing the outraged look on his face, and disappeared from the hallway.

"I don't see enough of my son now?"

"You know you don't. You drop everything to go to work," she said pointedly as she searched for her keys in the living room. The located keys jingled in her hand as she went to place them in her pocket. "It's just you and him so if work calls then you need to tell your boss that you can't do his dealings for once. Our boy needs you more than you know."

Stu scoffed, muttering under his breath as Lara came back into the hallway. "If only it were that easy..."

He could hear her chattering away, reeling off things he needed to remember like he was Charlie's babysitter, not his father. Her words were going in one ear and out the other as he thought about how tense she had become recently. It was his job to be stressed, not hers. He was brought back to reality when she playfully shoved him in the chest.

"And you are not pawning our baby off to the neighbours either, especially not mean Mark Henry next door," she wagged her finger at him as if he were a child, "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, and let me tell you, that is not far. At all."

"I'm not going to do that, Lara. You're right, Charlie needs me." At least he admitted that she was right; that only happened once in a blue moon so it was certainly a moral victory. She nodded in agreement, watching him as he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I could take him swimming." Without any bout of hesitancy, Lara nodded again with a smile.

"Do it, you promised him weeks ago that you would."

Stu looked over at their son, sat on the rug in front of the television, happily playing with his trucks.

"How about that buddy, huh?" He called, Charlie turning his head to see his father. "You want me to take you swimming this afternoon?"

The toddler got to his feet immediately, "Yeah!" He zoomed past the pair of them, running off into his bedroom with a little squeal of excitement. Lara laughed, turning back to the Englishman to give him more specific instructions.

"His trunks are in the drawer, and his Nemo towel is in the linen closet, alright?"

Ah, Finding Nemo: the bane of the parents' lives for the past couple of months. Lara was glad to be leaving the house before Charlie insisted on watching the movie for the twelve thousandth time that week. She was convinced that was why Brigette had requested more time off too, after the little boy decided that 'Nemo' was his new favourite word, and that was mainly because he liked to accentuate the vowels. Stu smiled reassuringly at his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders and squeezing them lightly between his fingers.

"I know all of this already, love, you need to stop worrying and let me be the parent too."

"I'm just so used to you not being around," Stu pursed his lips together in a thin line, trying to mask his disappointment. She could tell that her words had affected him in the wrong way. "I'm sorry, baby. That came out much worse than I intended it to."

"It's," he paused, processing what she had let slip. "It's okay. I kind of deserved that."

His sullen words ended on a deep sigh. This afternoon was a great opportunity for him and his son to bond further, and make up for lost time; he needed to focus on his family for everyone's sake. His hands slipped down her arms and eventually stroked over her waist, pulling her to him possessively. She steadied herself by bracing her hands on his broad shoulders. A small smile graced his lips before he leaned down, taking her lips in a tender and loving kiss. All of the worry seemed to float out of her mind, and she felt more protected than ever; ironic, given what he was hiding from her. She was the first to pull away, giving him a sweet peck before smirking at him.

"Don't forget your Speedos," Stu's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed in confusion. He couldn't detect one note of sarcasm in her voice.

"You know I don't own a pair of Speedos, Lara."

"Then what's been hiding in my underwear drawer all this time?" Her question earned her a laugh. He hoped she was referring to the handcuffs and various silk scarves cleverly concealed at the bottom of the bedside table's drawer, not some budgie smugglers that she had bought for him as a joke.

"Do you really want to go there?"

"No," she abruptly answered him, a smirk still etched on her features. "But it's best you don't wear those anyway, especially not in public. You'd get arrested for indecent exposure." She giggled, nodding towards his crotch. Stu followed her gaze and couldn't help but shake his head at her silly schoolgirl antics.

"Oh, it would be decent..." He quipped, pulling her hard against him and raining kisses over her neck. Her arms were locked behind her back to stop her from getting away easily.

"I have to go," she sniggered, his playful kisses tickling her skin. He felt her wriggle out of his grip to say her goodbyes to their son, before slipping her trench coat on. She opened the front door, turning back to her husband with a salacious smirk. "Have fun!"

"We will," Stu grinned, moving to the living room window to see her get into her car and pull out of the driveway. He followed her actions through the half-closed blinds, not even noticing Charlie running into the room.

"Daddy, I want to bring Nemo swimming!"

Stu whipped around as Charlie began climbing on the couch in a failed attempt to reach his father's eyes line. "What's that, mate?"

"Nemo!" He shouted, pushing his hands out to reveal a large stuffed toy of the clownfish. His hopeful smile was unmistakable.

"You can't take him in the water."

"But he is a fishie..."

"Yes but he's a special fish, isn't he?" Stu said, crouching by the arm of the couch to get to a more realistic eye level. "If you get him wet you'll ruin him, and then how would we ever get you to fall asleep at night?"

"Please, daddy?" He hugged the stuffed toy close to his small body, rocking it from side to side like a baby. The Englishman sighed; his son had the same dark eyes as his mother, and of course they wore him down like they always did.

"Okay, he can come along for the ride but he's staying in the car when we get to the pool." Charlie threw his toy up in the air in celebration, unable to catch it before it hit Stu on the head. He feigned hurt, gathering the toddler up in his arms. "Come on then, let's get your stuff together and we can go. Hey, maybe I'll even treat you to a Happy Meal afterwards if you're good." Bribery was much easier with a young child than it was with a drug dealer or an uncooperative rogue, plus he didn't see the harm in giving Charlie exactly what he wanted, even if it was just for one afternoon.

"Nuggets!" He cheered, his arms wrapping tighter around Stu's neck as he walked through the house.

"Yeah, nuggets," he chuckled, "Just don't tell your mum."

Alex took a sip of the energy drink she had swiped from Tommy's stash, forcing the liquid down her throat. She could never understand how he could gulp the things down like they were water; the taste was definitely not appealing to her palette. But with how her schedule had been the past few days, she needed something to help keep her going.

The day after driving Karen off to the hospital to see Drew, the redhead had gone to work with a brave face on. But it was clear to everyone in the office, including Phil, that she was unable to focus on doing any actual work. He had ended up telling her to go back home, giving her indefinite time off to deal with her personal matters, much to Karen's chagrin. She had argued that being at work gave her something to put her mind on other than the physical state of her boyfriend, but it was easily refuted by her unfocused behaviour.

It was one of the few times since starting work with the company that Alex was reminded that Phil was actually human. Seeing the sympathy in his expression as he explained to Karen why it was better for her to go home or go to the hospital rather than come to work showing that he wasn't the huge asshole that he was most of the time. But while the redhead got an indefinite amount of time to get her bearings straight, Alex had ended up with her share of the work, resulting in earlier starts and late nights, made worse by the fact that it meant spending more time with her boss.

"Not holding up too well, huh?"

Alex turned her head towards her office door, surprised to see Karen leaning against it. "Hey," she greeted warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"I feel guilty that my work ended up getting dumped on you," she started. "So I asked Phil if it was alright for me to take home some of the stuff. I can work on them on my own time at least. And he agreed so I'm just here to pick them up. I figured I'd come see you."

"Are you sure you're okay to work?" Alex asked, her brows furrowing in worry.

"I need something else to do other than wait at home for news or sit at the hospital and listening to those damned machines beeping," Karen replied. "I know I've said it a million times but I really just want to say thank you again."

"Stop. It's really no problem," the brunette said with a warm smile. "I'm sure you would have done the same for anyone."

"How about you let me thank you one last time?" She offered. "Want to grab some lunch with me? My treat."

"Karen, you really don't have to."

"Oh come on, Alex. I highly doubt that energy drink will keep you going for the rest of the day," she said with a chuckle. "And by the look of disgust on your face, I don't think you'd want to rely on it so much."

"Alright, you twisted my arm," Alex said with a chuckle of her own. "Is Phil still in a meeting?"

"Yeah," Karen said. "I already told him I was planning to take you out to lunch so he won't go crazy if he goes to find you and you're not here."

Alex nodded in response, throwing her phone in her purse as she stood up from her office chair. "Let's go then."

The two women chatted idly as they walked out of the office. Karen had offered to drive, promising to drop her off as well after lunch. The redhead had gone on and on about a restaurant that she had wanted to check out for some time, glad to finally have the opportunity to go.

Alex was well aware of the particular restaurant, having gone there several times with Anna and Lara, and even had a private dinner date between her and Tommy there once or twice. When the car pulled to a stop, her suspicions were only confirmed as to where they were eating.

"Do you mind if I grab a smoke before going in?" Karen asked as they got out of the car.

"Not at all," Alex replied with a shake of her head. "I'll keep you company."

She let her eyes wander up and down the street, admiring the colours of the Chicago autumn, as the redhead lit up a cigarette. Alex's gaze turned to look inside the restaurant, checking how busy it was when she noticed two familiar heads in the lunch crowd. A lump had immediately formed in her throat when the waiter had moved away from the table to give her a clearer view, now certain that it was Anna and Lara that she was seeing.

Any other time, she would have gladly joined her two friends, perhaps even inviting whoever she was with to join them. But with Karen's identity still very much in question with her odd relationship with Phil and her involvement with Drew, Alex was hesitant to bring them all together.

"Okay, I'm good," Karen said, stubbing out the cigarette with the ball of her shoe. "Let's head inside and out of this cold."

Anna snapped her fingers in the air and pointed to the table, getting the waiter's attention.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Lara mumbled under her breath as she watched the young man quickly approach the table.

"A bottle of your finest red wine, please," Anna smiled at the man, who nodded and left to get what she wanted. "It would be nice to have a man so attentive."

"What?" Lara frowned at her friend's statement. She wasn't quite sure what Anna and Stephen's relationship held behind closed doors. There was no denying that they loved each other, but they were both hot and cold, moods changing as drastically as Anna's wardrobe did.

"Ste wants me to spend his money; he thinks it gets me off his back." Anna knew where she was going with this. She was going to tell her everything she had heard and now knew.

Lara shook her head, not believing that Stephen would so bluntly tell his wife something like that. "He said that to you?"

"Not directly," she bit her lip, trying to decide how to approach the subject. "Okay, I was walking around the house and waiting for Stephen in the new lingerie I had bought."

The waiter clearing his throat stopped Anna's story; she glanced to see the waiter who had returned with a bottle wine. He smiled before announcing, "Dom Romanee Conti, one thousand dollars." The bottle was held out to them and the blonde didn't hesitate to pluck it from the waiter's fingertips.

"Perfect." She shooed the waiter away, eager to carry on her conversation without anyone else around.

"One thousand dollars? Are you insane?" Lara uttered as she watched her friend pour the liquid into the glasses already set on the table.

"If Stephen wants me to spend his money then I'm going all out," she placed the bottle in the middle of the table and picked up the glass by the thin stem. "Cheers."

With the alcohol flowing, Anna continued to tell Lara exactly what had happened the previous day. From her every purchase at the mall to her stakeout in the pantry. Though she wanted to tell Lara that Stephen knew she had heard the conversations, she was a little reluctant. Known for being the one who got caught or let things slip, she didn't want to be a let down again. But she had to tell her; she would go crazy if she didn't.

"I had a mini breakdown in my closet too," Lara shook her head; still trying to take in everything she had just been told. "I told Stephen I heard everything."

"What?" Lara shouted, catching the attention of the tables around them. She ducked her head and tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear, hoping that by the time she looked up everyone would have gone back to what they were doing.

"He doesn't know that you and Alex know. He only thinks I know because of what I've overheard."

She picked up her glass of wine, taking a large gulp in hope that Anna's rambling would somehow make sense. "I still can't believe that they don't care."

"Maybe we should drop this topic," Anna suggested, seeing how uneasy her friend had suddenly become. Lara nodded in agreement but unable to think of anything else now.

"So," Anna blew a steady breath through her lips. "The nanny has Charlie?"

"No, Stu does," she took another long sip of wine after those words. Stu was an excellent father, but the time he spent with Charlie recently had been dwindling.

"Really? That should be interesting," the blonde mused.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, he would rather meet Ste and Tommy than spend time with his son." Anna was only recalling conversations they'd had, but she saw the disappointment in her friend's eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish it was different for all of us."

"Oh look, there's Alex!" Lara grinned as she saw her friend outside of the restaurant. She watched Anna set down her glass of wine so she could wave furiously at her.

Anna's smiled dropped as Alex's eyes widened at the sight of her friends. She frowned before quickly turning away, a little startled that they had ended up at the same restaurant.

"Did she just-"

"She's ignoring us!" Anna gasped, wondering just what the hell they had done to receive such a reaction.

"Who is that she's with?" Lara muttered, not recognising the red haired woman that was accompanying her.

"She's cheating on us," Anna concluded, not once taking her eyes off Alex who was still stood with her back to them.

Alex hoped that her odd behaviour wouldn't be so obvious, letting out a sigh of relief under her breath at seeing Karen talking to the hostess about her seating preferences. The hostess was quick enough to agree, extending her arm out to show them to their table.

She let Karen walk ahead, holding in a breath when she noticed that they were heading in the direction of Anna and Lara's table. She grew curious when she heard the scoff bubble from the redhead, her head tilted high as they passed by her friends. Alex could see the question in their eyes, wondering why she had ignored them when Anna had waved her over.

"Hey Karen," she called out, hoping that her friends will get the hint. "Did Phil tell you about that new client?"

"What new client?" The redhead asked, turning her head slightly to look behind her.

"Oh, never mind," Alex waved off as they finally sat down. "I think it was Erica's charge. Sorry, my head's a mess."

"I swear, I'm gonna take as much work as I can home to help take the load off you."

"You have other things to deal with," the brunette said ruefully. "Speaking of which, how is Drew?"

From the corner of her eyes, Alex could see her two friends sit up straighter, eyes wide. If Anna and Lara were still clueless after saying Karen and Phil's names out loud, she was sure the identity of who she was dining with was clear as day now.

Karen lifted her head from perusing the menu, her lips pursed, one brow raised, giving her a seemingly indignant air. "I don't really want to discuss it given that we're out in public. It's really a private matter and I'd rather keep it that way. You just don't know what kind of leeches are crawling about."

The venom in Karen's voice had Alex's eyebrows shooting up in surprise, not quite sure what had gotten into her co-worker. "Is something wrong?"

The redhead turned her head from side to side, looking to see if anyone was too close and able to hear what she was saying. The tables closest to them were empty but it didn't stop her from leaning forward and speaking in hushed tones. "See those two over there?" She asked, her head subtly nodding in Anna and Lara's direction. "I know them."

"You do?" Alex said, hoping her nervousness wasn't apparent in her voice.

"Well," Karen started. "I know of them. But of what I do know, it's safe to say I won't be going over there any time soon and try to be friends. I kind of hate them. No, wait. I do hate them."

"Hate is too strong a word if you don't really know them, isn't it?"

Karen scoffed at Alex's diplomatic query. "Really? I heard the blonde got married to some guy just for his money, and she's off shopping and doing absolutely nothing on her free time. I wouldn't be surprised if that was all she was good at. She looks stupid to me." Well, that's not true, Alex thought.

She was all too grateful when a waiter approached them to take their orders, the brunette taking no time in placing hers while Karen politely asked what he would recommend for her. But as soon as he had left to fetch their drinks, the redhead had started up on her tirade again.

"And the brunette, oh god, don't get me started on that cheating wench," she groaned. "My boyfriend's boss actually knew her. I think they were even supposed to get married or something but she goes and gets knocked up by some other guy and gets married to him instead." And that couldn't be further from the truth, Alex said in her mind.

She didn't quite know how to respond to what Karen had been saying about her friends or that little detail about working with someone from Lara's past. She had no doubt that she was talking about Del Rio, wondering how she had gotten involved with someone on his payroll, her mind swimming with troubling thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Karen said. "I don't want to spoil our lunch but those two really just grate on my nerves."

"It's okay. Let's just forget about it."

A/N – Thank you Menaji, xj0j0x, Blackhat, Colourful Raging Cancer and xFindTheEnigmaWithinx for the great reviews :) Lou, Katie and Mox