A/N: This is the first new chapter to the former Trope#6. Thanks to befitandchase for hashing some of this out with me.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Digg leveled them with a look. "You two care to explain why I walked into the lair to find it turned into a daycare?"
Oliver seemed to have recovered from their fright first and went to reclaim Alice, transferring her to his arms with ease now.
There was a gleam of mischief in his eyes that worried Felicity, and as she joined his side she wondered what he was up to.
Alice had woken up and was staring at Oliver with wide blue eyes. "Alice, I see you've met your Uncle Digg." he said gently to her, and Felicity saw Digg's eyes go wide in surprise. But if the uptick in Oliver's mouth was any indication, he was about to go in for the kill.
Deliberately, Oliver stepped closer to Felicity. "Digg, we'd like you to meet our daughter."
To his credit Digg kept his composure while Felicity swatted at Oliver's arm, annoyed he would drop information this important in such a manner. She also tried to tamp down the way her stomach was flipping at hearing him refer to Alice as their daughter.
"No, Digg, it's not like that." she said quickly.
"Not like what?" he asked, coming closer. He held out the burp cloth to Oliver just as Alice decided to spit up a good portion of her bottle.
Now it was Digg's turn to grin, "Always take the spit rag, man. Always."
Oliver narrowed his eyes at Digg and then turned to Felicity who just shook her head. "No way. You both need a change." she said emphatically.
Oliver looked down at himself and let out a long sigh before exiting the room, Alice held slightly away from him.
As soon as he was out of earshot Digg leveled her with a look that made her swallow nervously.
"Explain." was all he said.
In her typically rambling fashion she did just that. She covered Oliver finding the baby out back, the note left for Tommy, and what they had done to make sure she wouldn't grow up in the system.
When she got to the part where she'd put herself down as the baby's mother Digg got angry and began to stalk after Oliver.
"No!" she yelled, running towards him and stopping him with a hand on his arm. "I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?" the tone of his voice implied she actually had no idea, and as she stood in front of him, exhausted, hair unbrushed, in soiled clothes she thought that maybe he was right.
"How was I supposed to say no?" she hated how shaky her voice sounded.
Digg just stared at her for a long minute, "You say no. You tell him it's too much. You tell him to find another way." he said like it was the simplest thing in the world. "You don't agree to something this huge. This isn't a puppy, or babysitting for the weekend. This is around the clock, every week, every month, for years Felicity! This is the rest of your life!"
"I know that! I couldn't tell him no, and I couldn't walk away. Could you walk away?" she challenged.
"If it meant keeping Carly and AJ safe, then yes, I could walk away. And if it meant sacrificing something like this...yeah, I could." he said immediately.
"Well I don't have that, ok. You and Oliver...that's it for me. So when I joined this team I joined it. Completely. And if you really want to get down to it, I'm the reason why that baby doesn't have a father right now." She swiped an errant tear off her cheek, angry it had fallen.
Digg looked away and let out a long breath before he spoke again, "Felicity...you know there's more to this for you." she froze at his words. "Doing this with Oliver...you're setting yourself up, whether you realize it or not." her cheeks flushed red.
"Digg..." she began but he cut her off
"He may never be ready, and throwing a baby into the mix is just adding fuel to the fire. And you're the one who's going to get burned. Dammit, Felicity, you're too smart to do something this dumb!" Digg's normally calm demeanor was gone.
She stepped back gasping that he'd seen right through her. She'd never thought she was so transparent. Hot bitter anger flowed over her. Eyes flashing she turned on him. "It's my life!" she spat out, "I chose this. All of this. Him, and Alice. I know it's not going to be easy, and I know it's probably not going to be fair, but it's my decision."
Digg scrubbed a hand over his face, "Alright," he said slowly, "And, I'm sorry. I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Thank you," she said stiffly. She didn't want him to see her as the victim in this scenario, or that Oliver was taking advantage of her because of how she felt about him. It's true some of that may be accurate, but she wasn't doing this blind.
Oliver walked back in alone and looked between them, picking up on the tension immediately. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," she said, falsely bright and winced internally because it was obvious things weren't alright. "I was just filling Digg in on...everything."
Oliver's eyes cut over her and then landed on Digg where they seemed to be having some sort of silent battle. Digg eventually crossed his arms and gave Oliver a look that let her know their discussion wasn't over.
"You two figured out how you're going to explain her to...everyone?" Digg finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, I've been thinking about that some." she said with a nervous half smile, "You've only been back two months." she directed at Oliver, "If we keep her hidden a couple of more weeks until she's bigger we could say she was born right before you returned to Starling City. The date on her birth certificate works out, and I was pretty much spending all my time here redoing the place so I didn't see many people...I think it could work." She gave them a shrug and waited.
"So that's the next few weeks. What about the next eighteen years?" Digg's voice was hard, "Have you two thought about anything? I'm sorry Felicity, but I can't stay quiet. Do you plan on keeping her here? What about your commitment to this city? Does that change because two thirds of this team is now playing house?"
Oliver bristled. "Doesn't seem to stop you from having a family life," he countered.
"I'm not the one putting the hood on every night. I'm not the one with the double identity. And I'm not the one asking Felicity to put her life on hold for me!" Apparently Digg wasn't going to wait until later to tell Oliver what he thought.
Felicity looked between them. They reminded her of angry bears and she was actually grateful when she heard Alice begin to fuss. She turned to Oliver and laid a hand on his forearm, waiting until he broke his stare down with Digg to look at her. "I'm going to go check on the baby. Why don't you two talk it out with the sticks," she suggested, tilting her head towards the equipment cabinet in the far corner. He and Digg always seemed to do better when there was the threat of violence, and she knew he hadn't had a good workout in days.
The cries grew louder as she approached the crib. Alice's little hands and feet had kicked their way out of her blanket. Felicity scooped her up and gave a little smile as she heard the sounds of the judo sticks striking each other. "Good, maybe they'll get that out of their systems then."
As she settled down in her chair with Alice lying contently on her chest Felicity eyed the screens and decided now was as good a time as any to figure out how to juggle the two halves of her new life. But she found out quickly that having to hold the baby seriously impacted her computer skills.
An hour later she'd dug through the numerous boxes of baby items Oliver had ordered and found a long length of fabric that let her strap the baby to her chest and leave her hands free. It took a few tries and watching a couple of YouTube videos but she figured it out. Alice seemed to like her new position and Felicity smiled evilly as she imagined the first time she made Oliver wear it.
With the baby asleep and the use of both hands she was able to make a dent in the work that had been piling up, including finding a lead on their next target.
By the time Oliver and Digg emerged from the back they were both bruised and battered, but any tension that had been there was now gone.
"Better?" she asked sardonically, not turning to look at them.
"You think you're so smart, Smoak?" Digg threw back at her and she gave him a cocky smile.
"Oh, I know I am," she said with a smirk and was glad to see him smile in return.
"So, look here," she directed, turning her attention back to what she'd found. Oliver and Digg came to flank her as she pointed to the screen. "That data mining program I've been running finally paid off. This guy has gone deep underground, but I was able to track him through this account here." They'd been trying to find any way possible to attack the new mob that was beginning to make significant inroads into the city. "Now, he's probably not going to surface anytime soon, but if we keep an eye on these accounts I should be able to figure out who he's working with."
Oliver's hand clasped her shoulder for a moment, "Good work," he told her, and leaned over her slightly to brush a finger across Alice's cheek. Felicity felt her own cheeks flush at his closeness, and fought to push her reactions to the side.
"She seems to like that contraption you've made there," he commented.
She rotated in the chair until she was facing him, "Glad you think so because next time it's your turn to wear it."
Digg gave a little chuckle at Oliver's slack-faced expression.
"I'm not..." he started but she cut him off with a glare.
"If it keeps her quiet you'll wear it," she told him in no uncertain terms and waited for him to give in.
Oliver made a noise in his throat that was half growl, half sound of annoyance, but he didn't protest again.
"So, are we getting out of here then?" he asked suddenly
"What do you mean?" She suddenly felt confused.
Oliver spread his hands wide and looked around the lair with lifted eyebrows, "She can't live here."
Her eyes flitted around the space, taking in how in such a short period of time Alice had taken over the lair. "Yeah, of course, you're right."
"We'll swing by your place so you can grab some things and then head to the mansion," he said perfunctorily
"Sure, sounds good...wait. What?" she said suddenly, eyes widening in shock at what he was implying.
Digg just shook his head and walked away as Oliver locked his gaze on her. "This was your idea. To hide her out at the mansion for a few weeks, remember?"
"Yeah, but...you want me to...oh god." She really hadn't thought this through. She'd committed to helping him with the baby, but hadn't taken into consideration any of the logistics of it, or what it would actually mean.
Pushing aside the panic that tried to overwhelm her she gave him a tremulous smile and stood up. "Ok, that's...fine. I'll just get enough for a few days and...we'll figure the rest out later."
Oliver had actually paled slightly and she wondered if he was just realizing what all of this meant outside the lair as well. They were leaving their insular little world that they shared, and everything on the other side of the door was different.
She couldn't look at him right then.
It took some time and Oliver's help to get the baby out of the wrap and into the car seat correctly. Felicity eventually asked Digg to make sure they'd done it safely. With a grumble he double checked the straps and assured her Alice would be fine.
The ride to her apartment seemed to take forever, and she insisted Oliver get in the back seat and sit with Alice while she ran inside. With Digg idling on the curb Felicity opted for the stairs. It wasn't until she had the door shut firmly behind her that she realized she was shaking.
Her own apartment looked foreign to her. She felt like she didn't belong, or that she was an impostor of some sort. Was she really doing this? Had she spent the past two days taking care of a baby with Oliver? Was she going to move into the Queen mansion indefinitely to help him care for Alice? Had she really falsified records saying they were that child's parents?
With each question she asked herself she became more and more overwhelmed. She managed to stumble forward a few steps until she slid down the wall, her legs rubber. A high pitched whining sound filled her ears, her breath so ragged she was starting to see spots.
She knew she was in the midst of a full blown panic attack but there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She didn't know how long she sat there. She knew she should get up but she couldn't get her body to obey. When Oliver's face floated in front of hers she thought maybe she'd started hallucinating.
His mouth was moving but she couldn't hear him.
When his hands settled on her shoulders she jerked, but he didn't let go. Ever so gradually the roar in her ears lessened, and her breathing slowed until she could hear him.
"Felicity, hey, what's going on?" His eyes bore into her, concern evident on his face.
"Sorry," she said, embarrassed he'd seen her like that. She tried to bring her hands up to wipe her face but he hadn't let go of her. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You're sitting in your hallway having a panic attack."
"What are we doing?" she asked almost pleadingly, "I don't know how to do this, and neither do you. And Digg's right, this isn't like babysitting. This is becoming parents to this child. Do you really understand that? Because I don't think I do. I think we're just going through the motions right now, and I'm afraid of what happens when we stop and it all catches up with us," she said all this in a rush, her eyes glazed with tears.
Oliver finally let go of her to scrub a rough hand over his face and was quiet. "I don't know. I don't have all the answers. I may not actually have any answers. But, it's too much for you. I...I understand that. I should have never asked-"
She cut him off by laying a finger over his lips, her breath hitching at the contact and her own boldness. "I told you I would do this. And I will. But I don't think we have any idea what we've done."
His mouth curved into a half smile under her finger and she jerked it away quickly. "I think you're absolutely correct."
She let out a choked laugh and buried her face in her hands, hearing him stand up and take a few steps back, giving her space.
When she looked up he was still there, waiting patiently. He extended a hand and she slid hers in, trying not to pay attention to how easily he pulled her up.
"Get your things. I'll be here when you're ready." There was something in his expression she had never seen before and it threw her off. All she could do was numbly nod her head and try her hardest to make her feet move in the correct direction without tripping.
She packed her bag on autopilot, barely paying attention as she pulled clothes from drawers and gathered toiletries and her laptop. Her thoughts tried to stray back to why this was quite possibly the most ill advised decision she'd ever made in her life but she just shook her head forcefully and pushed it aside. Later. She'd deal with it later.
She walked into her living room with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, nervously wringing her hands. Oliver stood with his back to her, hands shoved in his pockets as he studied the space around him. He'd never been in her apartment before, and she was struck by how small it seemed now with him there.
He didn't move as she approached, and when she reached out a hand to barely brush his arm he twitched slightly before turning to look at her. Her fingers were frozen in mid air, and she knew her face showed shock at having surprised him.
"Ready to go?" he asked evenly, pretending nothing had happened.
She swallowed heavily and nodded, "Yeah, I'm good."
Digg gave them a grateful look when they emerged. Alice had been asleep when they'd pulled up, but she was starting to fuss. Oliver slid the bag from Felicity's shoulder and threw it in the trunk while she climbed into the backseat.
Alice's face was getting redder by the second and Felicity felt helpless. She tried shushing her and holding her little hand but nothing seemed to work. "There's not a bottle made, is there?" she asked Oliver as Digg pulled away from the curb and began to head for the mansion.
Oliver gave her a blank look; neither of them had thought of that.
By the time they arrived at Oliver's, Alice was loudly announcing her disapproval. Felicity winced as Digg opened the door for her and the baby's wails were broadcasted to the world.
"Better get her inside and fed," Digg suggested and Felicity just huffed as she fought with the car seat and safety belt.
Oliver stood on the steps waiting for her. "I'd hoped to come in unnoticed. There's an old nursery that Thea and I used in the east wing upstairs and no one else is over there now." He glanced down at Alice in her car seat and took the handle from Felicity.
"Well, I don't think this one is going to cooperate. Maybe no one is home," she said helpfully as he pushed the door open.
If Alice's cries were loud in the confines of the car they were amplified in the multi-floor foyer and marble covered floors of Oliver's home.
Felicity couldn't help but look around in awe at the opulence. Digg set bags inside the door and she took hers from him without even noticing.
There were suddenly voices calling from upstairs and further into the house. Felicity saw Oliver's eyes shut for a moment before he turned to her suddenly. "Just play along," he whispered lowly.
Thea Queen came thundering down the stairs gaping at the sight that met her, just as a door opened and an older woman in a uniform hurried forward.
"Master Oliver?" she said just as Thea yelled, "Ollie!"
Oliver looked briefly at his sister, and turned to the woman. "Raisa, this is Felicity Smoak, and this is Alice. They're going to be staying here. Would it be possible to have the nursery opened?"
Raisa blinked at him in surprise but recovered quickly, "Of course, Master Oliver, I will see to it right away."
He smiled his thanks and waited until she was out of sight before he turned to Thea who now waited at the bottom of the stairs and stood expectantly, arms crossed.
Felicity hadn't moved a muscle. She was planted in the same spot, next to him, her hand gripping the strap of her bag so hard her knuckles were white.
Oliver gave his sister a tight smile, "Speedy," he said easily, like he hadn't just walked into their house with an infant and a woman she didn't remember meeting.
"Don't 'Speedy' me, who's the kid and who is she?" Thea demanded.
Oliver's eyes darkened slightly at her tone and Felicity felt like everything was getting away from her as Oliver wrapped his free hand around her arm and tugged her closer. They hadn't talked about this. They hadn't even thought about what to tell Thea. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to speak. Would he tell his sister the truth, or the lie?
"This is Felicity, and this...is Alice. She's...ours." He tried to sound calm, but he couldn't stop the sight hitch in his voice.
Thea's eyes went wide in shock and she stood in stunned silence.
Alice continued to cry. Finally Felicity felt like she'd settled back into her body. Propelled into motion she tugged the car seat from Oliver's grasp and sat in on the floor, hurriedly undoing the straps and pulled the baby to her chest, bouncing her slightly and murmuring pleas in her ear in hopes of getting her to settle down.
Oliver and Thea were still staring at each other.
Thea blinked rapidly, "She's...yours?" she asked in disbelief. Oliver just nodded.
"How..." she began and then cut herself off, "I know how, but...when, and...I didn't even know you were seeing her."
Felicity's cheeks had flushed pink and she walked a few steps away under the guise of trying to quiet Alice.
"It's a long story," Oliver said, but Thea wasn't giving up that easily.
"A long story? Ollie you disappeared for months, now you've been back for only a little while and you walk in with a baby..." She looked at him like he was a stranger, and Felicity saw the way the muscles in his back drew taut.
"It's my fault," Felicity blurted out, coming to stand in front of him, unconsciously putting herself in the line of fire. "He didn't know about her until...recently."
Thea's sharp eyes cut over Felicity, holding her gaze while she directed her next question to Oliver. "And how do you know it's yours?"
Felicity felt like she'd been slapped. She didn't know why. The baby wasn't hers, Oliver wasn't hers, but the insinuation that she was nothing more than a gold digger stung. It also made her realize that the press was going to have the exact same thought.
Oliver was at her side in a second, one hand coming around her waist to cup her elbow. "That's enough, Thea," Oliver ground out and Thea had the decency to look somewhat chagrined. "Alice is mine."
"And what about Felicity, is she yours too?" Thea asked, clearly not completely giving up yet.
"It's complicated."
"We're figuring things out."
They'd spoken at the same time, which earned them a smirk from Thea.
"I have to say, she doesn't seem like your normal type, Ollie."
Felicity looked at the floor again, not knowing why Thea's comments were cutting so hard.
Oliver's fingers dug into her skin. Thea must have noticed her words had been taken poorly. She stepped down the last step and approached them. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she said sincerely and Felicity looked up quickly and gave her a tight smile.
"So...do I get to meet my niece?" Thea asked, falsely bright. "Even though she seems pretty upset right now."
"She's um...she's hungry, I think." Felicity stuttered out and immediately wished she'd stayed quiet. She didn't sound like someone who'd been a mother for the past couple of months.
"How about we get her settled and then you can come see her," Oliver answered diplomatically.
"Sounds good. I wouldn't mind if it was a bit less deafening when we were properly introduced," Thea said, giving the baby a cursory glance as she passed. Oliver picked up the car seat and Felicity's bag and went to motion her towards the stairs when Thea spoke up from the doorway.
"See you later, Daddy," she gave a little wave and disappeared, leaving a shell shocked Oliver with one foot on the staircase.
The word 'Daddy' seemed to echo in the space, and Felicity couldn't tear her eyes from Oliver's face. A gamut of emotions flashed, but guilt and pain were the winners. She couldn't imagine what he was thinking just then.
When she could breathe again, Oliver was almost to the top of the stairs. Felicity secured her hold on Alice and took her time. When she made it to the top he was waiting half way down the hall. He didn't even look when she began to follow him.
There were two more turns and then he pushed open a door into a large room, softly lit. Raisa was pulling the last of the drop cloths off a chest of drawers and a rocking chair.
"Would you like the deliveries brought up here, Master Oliver?" she asked, unable to keep her eyes off of Felicity and the baby.
Oliver only nodded, his jaw clenched so tight he didn't seem capable of speech.
Felicity spied a wooden bassinet in the corner, "Actually, could you have it brought up later. That will be fine for now." She nodded towards the small crib on rockers and Raisa gave her a smile of approval.
"That has been in the Queen family for four generations, she should sleep there first," Raisa said with pride and then she was gone, leaving Felicity stunned.
If she'd thought Oliver had been tense before, he was about to boil over now.
She tried speaking, tried to apologize, but she couldn't get her voice to work.
Alice continued to cry and finally Oliver broke from his stupor. He set down the seat and the bag and dug around until he found what he needed to make a bottle and stalked from the room.
Felicity let out a long breath and walked on shaky legs to the rocking chair. Alice seemed to like the motion and quieted a bit. Relaxing a little Felicity looked out the large bay window at the grounds.
"Here," Oliver said suddenly, right over her shoulder as a bottle entered her field of vision.
She startled which caused Alice to as well. Felicity took the bottle without a word and quickly gave it to the hungry baby. As she began to eat, Felicity let her head fall back in relief, silence finally falling around them.
Oliver hadn't moved.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I didn't know. Have them bring the crib up, I'll put it together as soon as she's done. I don't mind. Really. She shouldn't sleep there if you don't want her to."
He hadn't so much as blinked, just stared at a spot outside she couldn't see.
"She called me 'Daddy'," he said suddenly, and Felicity couldn't help the gasp she let out. "What right do I have? I didn't...I didn't think about any of this...what have I done?" he scraped both hands over his face and into his hair.
"Oliver...we're doing the right thing. We are. We have to believe that. No more second guessing," she said with fervor she hadn't felt herself only an hour earlier. Somehow his breakdown was clarifying things for her. "If we didn't do this she'd be in a cold cot somewhere. She'd have the stigma of the Merlyn name over her head her entire life. We can...we can change that for her. We can do it for Tommy." Her eyes blurred with tears as she spoke.
She didn't address how Thea had called him 'Daddy' though, that was something he wasn't ready to deal with yet. It wasn't something she was ready to deal with either and she knew it.
The longer he stood there, unmoving, the more worried she became. They'd gone too far. There was no walking this back. A small thread of panic began to make itself known, and she could hear Digg's voice in her head telling her she was too smart to do something so dumb.
"Okay," Oliver said suddenly, his voice strong. "Okay." And when she risked looking at him, he had the same look in his eyes as he did before he walked out of the lair to go on a mission.
His hand came to rest along the back of the chair as he looked down at Alice, who had her eyes shut, contently continuing to eat.
"Well, don't the three of you just make the perfect family picture," a voice said across the room. Felicity whipped her head to the side to see Thea.
"Sorry I was such a bitch earlier. Hasn't been a really great year for me," she said, as she pushed off the doorframe and crossed the room.
Oliver stepped back to let his sister come closer. She seemed younger now as she approached. Her steps slowed the closer she got, eyes locked on Alice.
Thea looked at Felicity from a few feet away, "Is it okay, I'm not going to wake her up or..."
It hit Felicity suddenly that Thea was deferring to her because she thought she was Alice's mother. Overwhelming pressure welled up within her and all she could do was nod mutely. It was Oliver that answered for her.
"It's fine, she's eating so she's happy," he assured Thea who came up next to the chair and peered down.
A broad smile crossed her face, "She's gorgeous. She looks like you," she said, and Felicity did everything she could to keep herself from reacting. Oliver's hand dropped to her shoulder and she let out a shaky breath, hoping Thea wouldn't notice.
"I think it's still too early to tell," she managed to get out sounding somewhat normal.
Hesitantly, Thea reached out a hand and stroked it over Alice's fine hair. The baby flinched at the contact and Thea froze. "Sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, she does that," Oliver said
Thea straightened out and gave him a smile, "Listen to you. You sound like a professional Daddy already."
Oliver's fingers tightened on Felicity's shoulder, "I'm learning." he said, his voice not betraying the emotions she knew were battling inside him.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to get settled, but I expect some quality Auntie Thea time later. I can't wait to go shopping for her!" she said excitedly and then they were left in the quiet of the nursery.
The bottle was empty and Alice was sleeping soundly. Instead of speaking to Oliver, Felicity chose to remain silent. She stood slowly, feeling his hand slip off her shoulder as she did.
The wooden bassinet seemed imposing now, carrying the weight of the Queen legacy with it.
"Here, you should put her in it," she said suddenly and started to hand Alice to Oliver.
He protested, putting his hands up and stepping back but she followed him. "You should do it," she said gently and tried again, giving him a supportive smile.
He took Alice reluctantly, sliding his hands under Felicity's as she transferred the baby to him. She straightened the blanket some, making sure it was away from her face, until she realized he was waiting for her. Felicity pulled her hands back quickly, shoving them down by her side to keep them from fidgeting.
Shadows cut across the angles of his face leaving him looking hard. She stepped back, feeling like she was imposing. His knees bent as he leaned down and placed Alice in the bed. He paused for a long moment, and then slowly took his hands out from underneath her, not breathing until he was once again standing upright.
When his hand stretched out behind him towards her Felicity almost didn't take it. It was only when she saw him begin to retract it that she was compelled to move. With her heart thundering in her chest she stumbled forward, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it tight.
They stood there for a long while until he stepped away, towing her along with him. When he reached a door she hadn't noticed he turned the handle and led her inside.
"You can stay here for now. I'll be in my room if you need me." His voice was dead, no emotion, no inflection.
When she finally found her words he was gone, her hand cold and limp by her side. She looked around the dark space, and gave a slightly hysterical laugh. She didn't even know where his room was.
She pushed wayward strands of hair out of her face and let out a long breath before she stole back into the nursery to grab her bag.
As she went through the motions of getting ready for bed, she tried to block out the look on Oliver's face as he'd placed Alice in the bassinet. Unsuccessful she climbed into bed, her eyes locked on the open door that led to the nursery.
She knew she should catch the few hours of sleep Alice was going to allow her. Tomorrow was supposed to be a work day, but they hadn't even discussed that yet. With a sigh she rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling.
That night she dreamt about stepping off cliffs.