The last time Alison saw Beth was the first time they kissed.
She sped all the way to Beth's house after getting Beth's distraught phone call. Beth had been in tears, begging for Ali to come quickly. Alison could only register panic and confusion as she drove; she hadn't ever imagined she would hear Beth cry. It seemed unthinkable from the tough-as-nails cop.
When she arrived, she found Beth leaning over the counter, her head in her hands, a spilled bottle of pills strewn across the white counterpane. Alison went to her, lifting her tear-stained face, searching for any signs of injury as she asked again and again, "Are you alright? Elizabeth Childs, what happened?"
Beth couldn't manage a response, but she took deep breaths to compose herself, her hands gripping Alison's shoulders hard. She looked at her with bloodshot eyes, the distress fading from her expression, and then she leaned in and kissed her.
Alison was shocked and her first reaction was to pull away, though their lips only parted a few inches. The moments passed like hours as she looked into Beth's eyes, the heat of her emotions filling Alison's senses, the memory of the past months with Beth flooding into her mind. Then she kissed her back.
Her hands held Beth's face, cheeks still wet with tears, as though trying to pull her even closer. Their mouths were hungry, small sounds of need escaping their throats as their bodies pressed against each other. Beth tasted better than Alison had imagined she would.
Alison hardly noticed as they began moving towards the bedroom. When Beth's hands moved beneath her shirt, palms sliding against the skin of her waist, Alison was the one to pull her own shirt off over her head, desperate for Beth to touch more of her. Beth paused for a moment, looking slightly shocked as her eyes swept across Alison's exposed skin. She looked back up at Alison and the expression in her eyes was a blend of utter love and adoration, mixed painfully with a great deal of sadness.
Alison felt that sadness settle somewhere deep in her chest and she pulled Beth to her again, locking their mouths together. They fell back onto the bed. Alison unbuttoned Beth's shirt as quickly as her trembling fingers would allow, her hands slipping beneath the fabric to trace roughly down the skin of Beth's back. Beth slid backwards off the bed, shedding her shirt and pants before yanking Ali's jeans off her legs.
She climbed back onto the mattress, straddling Alison's half-naked body. She paused for a moment, looking down into her eyes, and very carefully, with painstaking fingers, brushed a lock of loose hair from her neck.
"I always want to do that," she said quietly, and then leaned in and kissed her again. Her lips trailed across Ali's cheek to her jawline and then down her neck. Alison moaned softly, twining her fingers through Beth's hair. Beth's lips were soft, caressing the skin of Alison's throat.
"You are the most beautiful thing I know, Alison Hendrix," she murmured.
Alison lifted Beth's face and pulled her into a deep, slow kiss. Beth's body arched, pressing down against Alison's. Her hand cupped Alison's covered breast, kneading it gently, slipping a finger beneath the cloth. Fire erupted in the pit of Alison's stomach, making her pull Beth yet closer to her as she moaned unexpectedly into her mouth.
No one had ever touched her this way. Donnie had never handled her body as though it were a priceless gift. His hands had never communicated so delicately the depth of the love he felt for her. His caresses had never been simultaneously so arousing and so tender. Alison suddenly realized that he had never made love to her. But this - what Beth was doing to her body and to her mind - this was making love.
Their bodies twined together seamlessly, lips on lips and cheeks and collarbones, hands exploring skin, sighs and whispers and moans adding heat to the charged air. The snake-like motion of their movements raised the intensity to a fever pitch and Alison's mouth was furious against Beth's lips. Then Beth found the heat between Alison's legs and Alison wrapped her arms tightly around Beth's shoulder blades, her mouth dropping open, her eyes closing tightly.
Beth placed kisses on Ali's forehead, temple, cheeks, neck, her shoulder moving in time to the pulsing rhythm of her fingers. Alison moaned, almost in shock at the ecstasy that rippled through her body.
"Ali," Beth whispered, her voice desperate. "Ali, look at me."
Alison opened her eyes, focusing after a moment of effort on Beth's face. The look in Beth's eyes was yearning, pained. Alison clasped her face in her hands, "Beth, if this is hurting you -"
Beth cut off her words with another kiss. She pulled away, finding Alison's eyes immediately, shaking her head ever so slightly. "I just need you to look at me."
Alison nodded, an involuntary gasp escaping her throat as Beth's fingers found a particularly sensitive spot. She kissed Beth hard, another moan escaping her lips. She pulled back, looking into Beth's eyes, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she felt herself nearing the edge.
"Don't stop," came her whispered plea, "Beth, don't stop." Her voice sounded like it was about to shatter.
A few more moments, a few more thrusts of her fingers. "I love you, Ali," Beth said, and then Alison came undone. She kept her eyes open as long as she could, but then she arched, her eyes pinching shut, a long cry escaping her throat. Her body spasmed and Beth held her close, her fingers moving more gently to help her ride out the waves. Finally she collapsed in on herself with a low gasp. Beth pulled her in to her chest, kissing the top of her head. "Are you alright?" she murmured into her hair.
Alison tilted her head back, looking up at Beth. She kissed her gently, fingers grazing her jaw. There was a moment of quiet even after their lips parted. Their foreheads were pressed together, noses brushing. Beth didn't dare open her eyes; she was afraid that the tears would come again and everything would be ruined. But in the quiet of the bedroom, in the stillness of their hearts beating together, Alison breathed a quiet whisper, not needing Beth's open eyes for permission.
"I love you, too, Beth."
Alison left later that night, dressing quietly as Beth watched her from the bed. She kissed Beth goodbye. The incident in the kitchen seemed to be forgotten. After she was gone, Beth cried herself to sleep. She somehow knew that Alison wouldn't return her calls until well after it was too late.
The last time Alison saw Beth was the first time they made love.