It was well past midnight, but Emily hadn't slept even a moment that night as she tossed and turned, unable to stop picturing Alex with Clara, imaging Alex falling for her...kissing her, going home with her. The idea alone made her want to scream, but she was afraid that if she opened her mouth to let the sound escape, it wouldn't be sound that emerged from her throat.

(She hated that she felt like this, so completely and utterly out of control, but she couldn't exactly stop herself from feeling things...and if she could, wouldn't life be so much simpler?)

By the time two AM rolled around, she knew she had to do something before she completely lost her mind. And, without stopping to consider whether it was a good idea or not (spoiler alert: it wasn't), she was out of bed and knocking on Alex's door.

When the door flung open, Alex was clearly not happy about the interruption to her sleep.

But before she could demand to know what exactly Emily was thinking, Emily had already launched into an impassioned plea of, "Don't go!"

Blinking in surprise for a moment, she eventually asked, "Don't go where?"

Emily pushed past her into the room so they wouldn't disturb the others as she urged, "Don't go out with Clara."

Shutting the door behind her, Alex hesitated a moment before responding with a warning, "Emily..."

"No, I know," she interrupted, "I know we said no feelings and all that bullshit, but I'm telling you now, I don't want you to date Clara."

"Who said anything about dating?" Alex asked and Emily genuinely couldn't tell if she had no idea what she meant or if she was just toying with her. "We're just getting coffee."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I saw you, Alex. I watched you with her. And it's very clear that it's more than just coffee."

"So what if it is?" Alex asked on a tired sigh.

"So," Emily said pointedly, "I don't want you to date her!"

Alex huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?" she demanded. "Why can't I date her? If you and I are just friends with benefits, like we agreed, then there's no reason I can't see someone else as well, is there not?"

Unsure if she didn't know the answer or if she just wanted to hear her say the words, Emily allowed herself to finally speak the truth aloud, "I want you to date me, okay!?"

Alex laughed a little as if Emily had just told a joke.

A beat.

Then, when Emily didn't join in the laughter, Alex's face became a stony mask of seriousness. "Emily, you don't get to do this!" she snapped at length. "You don't get to change the rules in the middle of the game just because you don't like the outcome."

"I can't do this, Alex," Emily said wearily. "I can't watch you fall for someone else and act like nothing is wrong. I can't..."

"Emily, you've made it exceedingly clear that you don't plan on staying here," Alex reminded her. "You're going home to London and when you go, that's the end of things for you and I – those were your rules. So, it's incredibly selfish of you to demand all of my attention and affection in the meantime."

Emily didn't have a good argument for that, try as she might to come up with one. She spent a few moments floundering, then did the only thing that seemed left for her to do... She surged forwards to capture Alex's lips in a searing kiss.

For a few moments, Alex seemed stricken with surprise at the sudden kiss, but only briefly before she gave in to the kiss, grabbing a fistful of Emily's tank top so tightly her knuckles turned white. When Emily pulled back for air, Alex looked like she would have liked to say something, but seemed to think better of it before diving back in for another kiss, taking control in a way she'd never done before.

She backed Emily onto the bed, pushing her to sit down before straddling her thighs, her hand creeping along Emily's thigh.

"Alex..." Emily said breathily, not quite sure what she was pleading for, but pleading all the same.

Wordlessly, Alex found the apex of her thighs and, slipping beneath her shorts and pushing her panties aside, slipped two fingers inside her. The action drew a gasp from Emily's lips and for a moment she seemed to forget how to breathe...until Alex's fingers began moving and suddenly she was panting raggedly, hardly able to get enough air to her lungs.

In time with the movement of her fingers, Alex began grinding down on Emily's thigh in search of her own release.

"Alex..." Emily said again, "Alex, please..."

"Please what, Emily?" Alex taunted, brow raised and smirk on her lips as she watched Emily toss her head back, face contorted in a look of pleasure.

With a little whimper, she begged, "More... I need..."

Giving her what she asked for, Alex brushed her thumb across her clit, making her hips buck sharply beneath her. Chasing her own climax against Emily's thigh, she knew she was close to bringing her off as well by the way her breath hitched and her whimpers turned raspy and desperate.

When she came, Alex clapped a hand over Emily's mouth to stifle her cries lest she wake up Ethan. She followed shortly after, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip to muffle her own sounds of ecstasy.

When she stood from her place astride Emily's lap, it quickly became clear that Emily didn't seem to know what to do with herself in the aftermath of their not-quite-hate sex...

And, as she moved to climb back into bed, Alex seemed to take pity on her... "Are you just going to sit there or are you coming to bed?" she asked. Partly because she genuinely enjoyed having someone to sleep next to, partly because it seemed rude to kick someone out of her bed after she'd just cum against her thigh...