A/N: what is it with my LotS stories and scars? honestly I didn't even realize until now… ah well, it's either that or dogs. guess that's just how I roll. also, I truly am grateful for the support, you guys are awesome. that's exactly why the Seeker fandom has a special place in my heart. on to the next chapter!

The law of gravity

.-.-.-.-.

We all fall

Chapter 2 - Why am I making this hard on myself?

Denna cleared her throat and stepped into the room. Kahlan turned around and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again soon," she said and put down the clothes she was about to stuff into a gym bag.

Denna had skipped the last three yoga sessions on purpose but had decided that she at least owed Kahlan an apology for the way she had basically fled from her the last time. "Yes, I actually came by to apologize. It wasn't your fault, really, I just… I'm not -"

"It's okay, honestly, you don't have to apologize at all. It's me who is sorry. I noticed that you have problems with being touched and I was pushing your boundaries."

Denna opened her mouth but was at loss for words. It was accurate enough, she felt trapped as soon as anyone attempted to get near her.

"What do you mean 'noticed'?" she eventually decided to ask.

The corner of Kahlan's mouth turned upward for a brief moment. She indicated a plush mat in the middle of the floor with her hand. "Do you have a little time?"

Denna looked from Kahlan to the mat and back before dropping her purse onto one of the tables beside the mirror and walking over to the mat. Kahlan sat down cross-legged opposite her and leaned back onto her hands. Denna tucked her legs under her body and folded her hands in her lap, watching Kahlan with mild trepidation.

"Okay, I'm just going to speculate on a few things and you can interrupt me anytime you want. I must admit that I've been thinking about you and well, I've been meaning to catch you alone to talk," Kahlan began.

Denna raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kahlan replied with a small smile and tilted her head back in thought. "The first time I saw you, you looked like you wanted to be anywhere but in this room. Your breathing was so irregular that I almost thought you were going to pass out. Aside from that you seemed to be fine as soon as no one was paying much attention to you. I know I'm not really an expert, but judging by the clothes you wear, you have something to hide." Kahlan glanced at the scarf around Denna's neck. She was weaing it despite the relative warmth in the room. "Which is completely fine, we all do, but I feel like whatever you are trying to conceal is making life difficult for you."

Denna took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "You're quite observant."

Kahlan flashed her a brief smile and leaned forward so that her hands were now resting on her thighs. "I've been told as much. Some of my friends are convinced that they can't lie when I ask them a direct question."

"That seems like a useful skill to have," Denna commented quietly.

"Sometimes." Kahlan shrugged and looked up when the door to the room opened and a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair entered.

Denna vaguely remembered bumping into her when she'd fled through the exact same door a few weeks ago. She slowly got to her feet and straightened her blouse as well as the scarf around her neck.

"Am I too early?" the blonde asked, standing in the door ready to leave again.

"No, we're done," Denna answered, briefly turning to Kahlan. "See you next week."

"I'm looking forward to it," Kahlan replied.

Denna walked across the room and waited for the blonde to step aside. Sea-green eyes peered at her from a perfectly beautiful face and Denna felt her lips curl up in a small smile. What was it with the women in this city that they looked like they'd just jumped straight out of some impossible fantasy?

After a few steps down the hallway she remembered that she'd forgotten her purse and, turning back around, entered the room only to find Kahlan pulling the blonde closer by her hips and kissing her gently. Denna grabbed her purse and closed the door as quietly as she could on her way out. They probably hadn't noticed her and she breathed a quiet sigh, not entirely sure if the feeling in her chest was disappointment or appreciation. Kahlan and her blonde partner sure looked gorgeous together.

She raked her hand through her hair and shook her head. Time to go home for a nice hot bath, some ice cream and a movie. At least some things just didn't change.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey," Jennsen said with a bright smile as she plopped down across from Denna in the break room. This was slowly starting to become a ritual, but Denna didn't mind. They'd been getting shifts together more frequently and she couldn't help but wonder if Zedd had anything to do with it.

"Hey, what's up?"

Jennsen unwrapped a giant sandwich and bit into it with gusto. "I was going to ask you if you had time this Friday. There's a party, well, it's Kahlan and Cara's housewarming party and you're invited. I mean because you know Kahlan now, and because we're kind of friends."

Denna was staring at her silently, causing Jennsen to glance up at her with a slightly saddened expression. "We are, right? Friends I mean. I would like that."

"I yes, I'd like that too, and I do consider you a friend," Denna answered with a smile. She thought about Darken and Dahlia and how they would immediately fall for Jennsen and her generally bright and happy attitude.

"Great. So you'll come to the party then?"

"I don't know, I wouldn't want to impose."

"You're invited, like officially."

Denna chuckled at that and leaned back. "I'll let you know tomorrow okay?"

"Sure."

"I've been wondering," Denna said, resting her chin on her hand after propping her elbow up onto the table, "you never actually told me the story behind 'former sister-in-law'."

Jennsen blinked at her. "It's kind of funny actually, or I guess now it is looking back. So my brother and Kahlan were dating, that is until she met Cara…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Denna looked at herself in the mirror and cocked her to the side.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, I'd fuck you, if I was into women that is," Darken commented from where his face was peering up at her from her computer screen.

"Gee thanks," Denna answered with an eye-roll. She tugged on the collar of her crisp white shirt and buttoned up the last button on her black blazer. Matching black slacks and heels completed the outfit. She'd pulled her hair into a thick ponytail slightly off to the side so that the strands were now cascading down over her shoulder and one side of her chest.

"But seriously, you look amazing in that outfit. Whoever you're trying to impress will be impressed."

"I'm not trying to impress anyone, I just want to look presentable."

"Yeah right," Darken snorted, "sure you don't want to get into the pants of that co-worker friend of yours?"

"Absolutely not," Denna answered with a raised eyebrow, "she's like a sister I never had."

"Oh. Well, someone else then. Whose party is this again?"

"A friend of my co-worker friend who also happens to teach a yoga class I'm attending."

"So that is who you're getting all dressed up for then."

Denna narrowed her eyes at the screen and stalked toward it. "I have to go."

"No, please, I'm just kidding, don't shut me, please don't shut me, I'll die -"

Darken was still wailing as she closed her laptop with a quiet 'click'. She wasn't trying to impress anyone, she just wanted to prove to herself that she could attend a housewarming party just like any other normal person. There was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. She could do it, piece of cake.

She reached over to her little make-up bag and froze when her eyes fell on the red lipstick that was sitting inside. She had to take several deep breaths until she could reach inside and grab a different color. She sparsely applied the light copper lipstick and dropped it into the bag before turning away from the mirror and briefly closing her eyes.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The face she was staring into was not one she was expecting when she rang the doorbell. A man with handsome features and short brown hair smiled brightly at her.

"Hey come right in, the party is down the hall," he greeted her and opened the door wider.

Denna slowly walked inside, clutching the wine bottle she'd bought earlier to her chest.

"I'm Richard by the way," he introduced himself.

Denna raised her eyebrows. That Richard, Jennsen's brother, Kahlan's former fiancé?

"Nice to meet you," she said and took the offered hand. Richard's handshake was firm and warm and she immediately liked him a bit better.

"You too, follow me to where the fun is."

He actually winked at her and Denna could clearly see other women falling for his boyish charm. She was trying to find the resemblance between him and Jennsen but it was actually quite hard to tell that they were siblings.

She followed him through the small foyer into another room, probably the living room judging by the couch and flatscreen TV in the center of it. A dozen or so people were sitting or standing in either the living area or the adjoining kitchen. It was a nice tastefully decorated home in bright colors and a window front that led out into the backyard.

As soon as Jennsen spotted her from across the room, she made her way over to them. The redhead was wearing a dark green dress that made her eyes stand out against the curls of hair framing her face. Denna smirked.

"And who are you trying to impress?" she asked quietly.

Jennsen blushed and looked around quickly. "I could ask you the same thing."

Denna smiled briefly before Richard cleared his throat.

"Oh, I almost forgot, this is Denna, we work together. Denna this is my brother Richard," Jennsen said.

"You're a doctor?" Richard asked.

"Receptionist," Denna replied smoothly, her grip around the wine bottle tightening.

Jennsen gently tugged on her arm. "Excuse us dearest brother but I'm sure Denna wants to hand over her present to the house owners."

"Sure." Richard smiled and let them go with a small nod.

"I actually am trying to catch someone's eye," Jennsen said quietly as Denna followed her past the living area toward the back of the house.

"Really? Who is it?"

"His name's Chase, he's just so… I don't know, he doesn't look like it but he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met and I just feel so…special around him."

Their conversation was distracting Denna enough to ignore the people around her. She felt calmer with Jennsen around and the Xanax she'd taken prior to coming was doing its job just fine. She stepped outside through the glass silding doors and glanced around the pool area. It was warm enough to stand outside and enjoy the sunset, so a couple of people had seemingly decided to gather here to chat, Kahlan and her partner among them. Jennsen led Denna over to them and smiled brightly when they turned to her.

"Hey guys, great party so far."

"Thanks," Kahlan replied and looked at Denna, "glad you could make it."

"Thank you for inviting me," Denna answered and held the wine bottle out to her, "for the party after the party."

Kahlan took the bottle and studied the label. The blonde, Cara, was looking over her shoulder to glance at it as well but eventually raised her eyes and trailed her gaze from Denna's torso up to her face and back down to her feet. The look she was giving her wasn't friendly, but it wasn't aggressive either. She was merely being sized up and Denna was glad she'd chosen this outfit, otherwise she would be feeling not quite up to the challenge. Denna followed suit and allowed her eyes to travel briefly over Cara's form. She was wearing a dark crimson blouse and tight black pants, her blonde strands messy in a way that looked more deliberate than actual bed hair.

A smirk was playing on full lips which Denna returned with a raise of her eyebrow. Jennsen and Kahlan seemed oblivious to what was going on and gushed about how the wine must've cost a small fortune judging by the vintage.

"Actually no, I happen to know someone who sells me the best vintages for a fair price," Denna said and shoved her hands into the pockets of her slacks in order not to awkwardly fidget now that she had nothing to hold on to.

"Well thank you, the least I can do is insist that you share it with us later," Kahlan answered.

Denna chose not to comment and turned her head when Jennsen looped her arm through hers and pointed at the glass doors behind her. "There he is," she said quietly. Denna tried to inconspicuously look over her shoulder. The man that was stepping outside now was at least two heads taller than her, which meant three heads taller than Jennsen. He had broad shoulders and a dark complexion. His handsome features were somewhat dark with his shaved head and three-day stubble, but the way his eyes lit up when he saw Jennsen was a dead giveaway. Denna took her hand out of her pocket and placed it on the smaller woman's lower back. "Go get him."

Jennsen blushed lightly and squared her shoulders before stalking toward Chase. Denna smiled and heard Kahlan chuckle beside her. "She's just too cute sometimes."

"Mhm," Denna agreed wordlessly.

Kahlan and Cara eventually excused themselves to chat with their other guests, promising to return and talk some more later. Denna watched them go before wandering back inside and toward the small bar in the living room where Richard had taken to serving drinks.

She requested an alcohol-free cocktail from Richard - anything else wouldn't be mixing well with the Xanax - and watched him prepare it with a grin on his face. He presented the drink to her with an expectant look in his brown eyes and Denna took a small sip before nodding approvingly. After that he was busy with fulfilling other drink requests while flirting with several women who basically threw themselves at him without any shame. After one reproachful look too many Denna decided not to linger near the bar and strolled toward the kitchen where she found plates with finger food and snacks. Everything seemed well-prepared and she felt at ease with few looks being directed her way. It did her ego a world of good that she could still pull it off, even if she wasn't entirely in the moment and had other thoughts to occupy her.

She was about to move back outside when a voice froze her right in place. "Doctor Lewis? Denna Lewis?"

She contemplated ignoring whoever had just called out to her but eventually turned around with a face of controlled indifference. A man with graying hair, probably in his fifties, wearing thick glasses, strode across the room toward her, raising his glass to catch her attention. "Doctor Lewis, I knew it was you, I saw you speak at a conference a few years back."

"I'm sorry, but I think you must be confusing -"

"I think it was about recreating tissue artificially in order to help scar tissue regenerate in terms of invasive surgery," the man continued on, completely oblivious to the rising panic she knew was visible in her eyes. She clutched her drink tightly in her hand and took a small step back. She could easily escape, the front door wasn't that far away. The voices in the room became quieter with the blood rushing in her ears and the distance only seemed to increase. Her heart beat uncomfortably fast and she took a few shallow breaths.

"I've been meaning to contact you actually, it's so funny that I run into you here, the world is small after all. I heard you left the west coast after…"

Denna saw the man's lips moving but she couldn't hear a single thing he was saying. Her fingers that were still tightly curled around her glass started to feel numb and her head spun with the overwhelming urge to just make a run for it. Her muscles tensed, ready to just shoulder her way past anyone who was in between her and the door, when a hand came to rest at the small of her back. She saw blonde hair from the corner of her eyes and she slowly turned her head, staring at Cara's profile without quite understanding what was going on. Cara spoke to the man in front of her but she still couldn't make out any words. Instead the pressure on her lower back increased and she was forced to move, unfortunately not in the direction of the front door.

Cara wordlessly guided her over to a set of stairs that led to the upper level of the house and Denna stared at them numbly. The glass in her hand was plucked out of her grasp and instead fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her up the stairs.

When she left the noises downstairs behind, she realized that it had never really been quiet. Cara moved into one of the rooms upstairs that turned out to be some kind of study and shut the door behind them.

Denna released a shuddering breath and walked a couple of steps before she bent forward and rested her hands on her thighs, trying to calm the erratic beating of her heart. What wouldn't she give for a Xanax right now, or a fluffy pillow.

A glass filled with dark amber liquid appeared in her line of sight and she followed the hand that was holding it with her eyes until she was looking up into Cara's face.

"Drink."

"I don't think -"

"Just one drink," Cara interrupted, patiently holding the glass in front of her until Denna straightened and took it.

The amber liquid burned down her throat and actually helped calm her a bit as it settled warm and heavy in her stomach.

"Better?" Cara asked, taking a gulp from her own glass.

"I… yes, thanks."

Cara plopped down on a desk chair and swiveled around so she could face Denna who also took a seat on the small couch on the other side of the room. There wasn't much else to see but a bookcase and a desk with folders and other kinds of stuff scattered about.

Denna drank more of what she suspected was some kind of scotch and allowed the alcohol to muddle her senses until her anxiety was reduced to a bearable level.

She hated it, every single second of not feeling like she was in control. Simply because someone had recognized her she'd completely freaked out and there seemed to be nothing she could do to stop it. It was pathetic, but at least she was able to snap out of the worst again fairly quickly.

"So you're taking yoga classes?" Cara asked. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, one arm dangling over the armrest. Denna watched her for several silent moments until she leaned back as well, balancing her glass on her thigh.

"Yes, Jennsen actually convinced me to start."

"She's been quite busy recruiting new people," Cara said and tilted her head back to finish off her drink before reaching over to the desk and pouring herself another one from a glass bottle.

"But that's not Kahlan's actual job is it?"

"No, she is getting her PhD in psychology," Cara answered.

Denna's eye twitched lightly and she gulped down more of the alcohol. "Interesting."

"She told me about you."

"Did she now? I doubt there is much to say."

With a gentle sway of her wrist Cara swirled the liquid around in her glass and smiled lightly. "Depends."

"On what?"

"Were you having a panic attack out there?"

Denna clenched her jaw and downed the rest of the scotch in her glass before getting up. "Thanks for the drink." She turned and swayed slightly, the door in front of her tilting precariously. She sucked in a breath and blinked her eyes a couple of times. A hand came to grasp her elbow and steadied her against the onslaught of dizziness.

"Easy there," Cara said quietly.

Denna freed her arm with a quick movement, almost propelling herself into the bookcase beside the door. She sighed and rested a hand against the wall, closing her eyes.

"We have a guest bedroom," Cara offered.

"I can't just -" she began but had a hard time getting the words out of her mouth.

That glass of scotch was really getting to her head and it was becoming difficult to stay upright without everything spinning around her.

"Come on," Cara insisted with a small smirk, "can't let you leave like that or Jennsen and Kahlan will have my head. Hospitality and all that."

Denna sighed and tried to walk steadily toward the door Cara opened for her. "Fine. Just a couple of hours," she mumbled and walked in the direction Cara indicated.

The guest bedroom was down the hall and contained a bed and a dresser, a mirror on the wall and a couple of plants on the window sill. The bed looked fairly inviting and Denna sat down heavily.

"Need any help with that?" Cara asked, nodding toward her clothes.

"If I didn't know better… I would think… you were trying to get into my pants," Denna said with a dry chuckle, already forgetting the words after they left her mouth.

Cara answered with an amused snort and shook her head. "Okay then. There's a bathroom right across the hall, some clothes in the dresser, help yourself, and we're next door if you need anything."

Denna just tilted her head to the side and regarded Cara for a couple of seconds before she raised her chin haughtily. "It's you who got me drunk in the first place, so this is the least you can do."

"I got you drunk?"

"Well what do you call giving someone alcohol then?"

"You're kind of sassy when you're drunk."

"And you're kind of…blurry."

Cara chuckled and turned to leave the room. "Get some rest, I'll bring you some aspirin tomorrow."

"I don't feel pain," Denna mumbled, struggling out of her blazer.

Cara turned to look over her shoulder with a smirk. "Right. Sleep well."

It took Denna several more minutes until she'd shed her blazer and slacks and after that she was too tired to do anything more but crawl further up the bed and collapse. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she would be horribly embarrassed come morning but for the moment the bed felt heavenly soft and the room stopped spinning as soon as her head hit the pillow. She puffed her cheeks and sighed before closing her eyes and promptly falling asleep.