A/N: This chapter is the way it is because I'm writing on anger fumes. This chapter is a personal chapter, but all of its content has been completely changed and undisclosed mainly because you guys shouldn't have to know what happened and also for the sake of the story plot although the outcome was still the same which is why I'm sitting in an empty house right now sans my pets. Anyway, I hope you all tolerate this chapter.

Casey frowns in her sleep as she finds herself awoken by an unknown source. After a brief moment of waiting it out, she simply shrugs it off and pulls her lover's body closer to her own, almost drifting off to sleep only for the loud banging to start up again. She groans as Alex gives her a silent nudge to get out of bed and she reluctantly retracts her arms and slides from beneath the blankets, pulling on her t-shirt and shorts as she pads her way out of the bedroom.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the redhead stretches out the stiffened muscles in her back before she pulls open the front door only to be met with an angry looking visitor. "Kim? What're you doing here?" she questions, barely stifling a yawn as she takes in the brunette's sneakers, running shorts and jumper. "Did you…run here?"

"No I was out running when I acquired a very interesting piece of information." Kim responds before her scowl deepens. "Where is Alex."

"She's, ah, she's asleep." Casey answers, stumbling as the other woman nearly steamrolls her to get into the apartment. "Um, can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?"

"Go wake her up." Kim demands, rounding on the attorney with her arms folded. "Go wake her up and tell her to get her ass down here or I'll go up there and do it myself."

"There's no need." Alex's calm and collected voice answers as she gracefully descends the stairs clad in her robe. "Kim I love you to death but why are you hear banging on my door at seven o'clock in the morning? You know I need my beauty sleep."

Though the comment is said in a humorous manner, Kim's jaw tightens as she is not in a joking mood. "I want to know why you felt the need to medal into my personal life."

Alex manages to look surprised as she tilts her head in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Alexandra, I know what you did."

"I'll go put on some coffee." Casey pipes in hurriedly before quickly sprinting into the kitchen, not wanting to be any part of what is about to happen.

Alex crosses the room and perches herself on the edge of the sofa before eloquently crossing her legs. "Kim, I'm afraid that I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit." Kim snaps back quickly. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I ran into Amanda at the coffee shop today after my run…"

Alex's face falls before she sighs heavily. "I didn't know the two of you spoke often…" she says quietly, averting her gaze to anything other than the angry pair of eyes staring at her.

Kim straightens up before she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "We have said a few words in passing. But I noticed she kept looking at me like she was afraid of me and from there I wore her down. Quite the accomplice you have there."

"That little squeal." Alex mumbles before she sighs and folds her hands in her lap. "Kim, I was only thinking about what was in your best interest."

"My best interest?!" Kim screeches, throwing up her hands as she begins to pace. "Enlighten me Alex, what do you think is in my best interest."

Clenching her hands into fists, Alex stands up quickly. "I don't know what it is that you have planned with Abbie, but I refuse to sit on the sidelines and let it take place. I let this happen before and I will be damned if I let it happen to you again."

"Forgive me Alex, but when did you start making my decisions?"

"I'm sorry?"

Sighing heavily, Kim rakes her fingers through her ponytail before shaking her head. "I'm a grown woman, Alex. I'm allowed to make my own decisions. Isn't it my choice on whether or not I want to have anything to do with Abbie or not?"

"Kim she broke your heart."

"And I'm over it! Yes Alex, she did it. She broke my heart, she cheated on me, she did all that she did, but she apologized and I really think that she is being sincere about her apology. What reason would she have to lie about that? What would she gain from lying about being sorry."

"Well she lied before." Alex supplies mirthlessly as she crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "You would think you would be able to notice these things."

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" Kim exclaims, pointing a finger. "You're making it seem like I have no idea of what I'm doing and that I'm some innocent little girl who doesn't know how to make her own life's decisions. Newsflash Alex, I'm not that little girl you need to defend on the playground anymore. Yes I appreciated it when I was eight, but now it's like you're still treating me like some baby whose hand you need to hold! I am more than capable of making the right decisions, and I think that I'm making the right one."

"Why?" Alex begins, her patience with Kim having flown out the window. "Why in the living hell would you even want to have anything to do with her after what she did to you? What would that solve for you other than having your heart broken a second time? Kim, you're being so narrow minded about this and I know that you didn't think any of this through. Say you let Abbie in and she breaks your heart a second time; do you know how that is going to destroy you?"

"I'm not giving her my heart, Alex!" the brunette exclaims throwing up her hands in frustration. "I'm offering her a chance at friendship; why can't you see that? Why are you so focused on seeing the bad that is in her? Wasn't it YOU that pushed me to go out with her? As soon as you found out I was attracted to her you made it your number one goal to make sure I got a date with her and then when you got what you wanted, you were satisfied and you backed off. See, that's the thing I like least about you Alex. You're so selfish and self-centered sometimes that you completely forget that other people having feelings to. You are so focused on getting what you want that you never stop to think about how it could affect other people."

"You know that is not true."

"Isn't it? Damnit Alex, you had Amanda intercept my phone calls; which is a complete invasion of my privacy! You deliberately made it so that I couldn't get into contact with Abbie all because it's what you wanted. You went to extreme lengths to get exactly what you wanted and you didn't even stop to think about me."

Alex snorts bitterly as she shakes her head. "Why can't you realize that I did all of that for you? I was only trying to help you Kimberly because frankly you're being stupid. Open your eyes for once Kim. Open your eyes and realizes that fairytales don't exist and that there are literally no such things as second chances."

"Casey has given her a second chance." Kim states, pointing to the redhead who freezes in her tracks as she was attempting to sneak her way out of the kitchen.

Alex snaps her mouth shut before whipping her gaze over to her fiancée. "What?"

"Um…" Casey utters awkwardly before Kim cuts her off and continues on.

"They have lunch almost every other day of the week, you know why Alex? Because they are best friends Alex. Best friends who are there for each other even when one of them fucks up royally, best friends who recognize their mistakes, best friends who don't make everything about them and when they do, they stand up for themselves and recognize when they're wrong or being selfish, best friends who don't manipulate each other's life, best friends who trust each other!"

"Kim you know I trust you."

"Do you? Because I know I trust you but I really don't think you trust me. If you did then we wouldn't even be having this kind of conversation right now! If you trusted me then you wouldn't have felt the need to meddle into my personal life! I have romantic feelings for Emily, Alex and I really would like to pursue a relationship with her. Do you have something against that as well?"

Alex frowns at this before she vigorously shakes her head. "No of course not! That's the whole reason I did this! I did this because I wanted you to go out with Emily and have a good time because I knew that you would and because I know that she can make you happy. That's all I wanted Kim."

Kim shakes her head as she listens to Alex's explanation. "Do you realize how many times you just said 'I'? That's what you don't get Alex. You don't get that everything isn't about you. Yes I appreciate that you want me to be happy, but aren't I allowed to proceed my own happiness? I want to be friends with Abbie because for a long time she was a very important person in my life and I guess that there is a small part of me that will always be connected to her for that. I have strong feelings for Emily and I see a bright future in my relationship with her, but there will always be a part of me that will love Abbie because she was my first, Alex and you can't just make that go away. I have no intentions of falling in love with her again and I think deep down she knows that too, but I at least want to have a friendly relationship with her."

"Well I suppose that I can't stop you if you're going to be an idiot." Alex says with a bitter calmness.

"Alex…" Casey warns, falling silent when Alex glares at her.

"That's another thing. You are so fucking controlling." Kim exclaims before turning to Casey though she points a finger at Alex. "Do be a fucking favor Novak; before you marry her why don't you go out and find yourself a fucking backbone and stop letting her boss you around like she has you on puppet strings."

"Kim, she has absolutely nothing to do with this." Alex butts in quickly. "Will you stop for one second and open your mind to this? You're going to get hurt again, why can't you see that?"

"Maybe because it's not true?" Kim retorts. "She's changed Alex. She doesn't want to hurt me again. I don't want to hold a grudge that's going to make me angry at everything and everyone. I don't want to be that person. Why can't you be happy that I've put all of this behind me and I would like to move forward in my life?"

Alex crosses her arms and shakes her head. "If you pursue this friendship with her, then you will only regret it later and I will not stand for it or let it take place. I promise that I will do anything within my power to stop you because I don't think you know what you're doing."

"Stop treating me like I'm some stupid teenage girl!"

"Well I will when you stop acting like one."

Kim closes her mouth and says nothing as she shakes her head and storms out of the living room towards the front door. Before anything else can be said, there is a loud slam that leaves a dull echo throughout the apartment.

Casey fiddles with her fingers for a moment before she frowns and clenches her fists. "Alex, Kim is right." She says in a firm voice.

"What?" Alex responds quickly, with widened eyes as she is completely taken aback that Casey isn't agreeing with her.

"She's right. What you did was wrong, and selfish, and I feel like that I'm partly at fault too for not stopping you." the redhead explains before taking a deep breath. "Abbie has changed since the shit with Serena, Alex. You're just the only one who hasn't seen it and I don't know if you just refuse to see it because you're so angry, but it's there. She knows she messed up and she's recognized that she messed up. Yes she's an idiot and I know she might've fucked up her own relationship, but she would never fuck up anyone else's…if that makes any kind of sense."

"Well it doesn't and neither do you." Alex snaps back quickly. "If you think at all that there is any kind of change in that woman then you're just as stupid as Kim is and you can go sleep at her apartment for the night."

"What?"

Alex says nothing before she storms up the stairs only to return several moments later with a duffle bag in her hands at which she throws at the redhead. "You heard me. If you and Kim are living in the same fantasy world then you might as well be living in the same apartment. Get out."

"Alex, now you're the one being ridic-"

"GET OUT!"

Casey holds up her hands as she slings the bag over her shoulder, picking up a pair of tennis shoes on the way out. "I'll call you later after you've cooled off." She says quietly, sighing and shaking her head as the apartment door is slammed behind her. "Maybe I'll call tomorrow…"

Leave your thoughts…or not…I'm not sure I care at this point.