Chapter 2

"She's coming to," a thick British accent said.

Alison blinked, darkness turning to foggy light. "Professor Higgins?" she asked. There was light laughter. Alison rubbed the blur from her eyes to see Felix sitting by her bedside.

"We have to get you a better variety of musicals sweetie," Felix said, staring at her from the side.

"Are you ok, Alison?" Donnie asked.

Alison looked around the room and saw Sarah sitting quietly on a chair against the wall. Thankfully the room wasn't packed with on-lookers. She was embarrassed enough with these three. Alison sat up in the bed and suddenly realized she was in an alien environment.

"Is this the room?" she asked.

"Yes," Donnie said, "you hit your head pretty hard when you fell. Felix was coming to help us with our bags and helped me move you in here."

Alison raised her hand to her bandaged head. She reflexively yanked her hand down and placed it in her lap. She took a breath. "I'm fine, Donnie,"-Alison reasserted control-"It was simply the long drive, and I stood up too fast, nothing more. If you guys don't mind, I'd rather move on from this and on to the festivities."

Felix laid his hand on Alison's and smiled, "Well, then let the festivities begin." He shot her a wink and stood up.

Sarah rose from her chair and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Cosima and Delphine won't be here for a few hours," Sarah said, "I think they wanted us all to meet for dinner at seven."

"Perfect," Alison said, "Donnie will finish grabbing the bags, and I'll get some fresh air. We can all meet up later at the restaurant?"

The three of them shared glances before all agreeing. Each gave Alison a reassuring hug and left the room leaving Alison to breath, alone. She took a deep, steady breath, which soon broke into a shaky sob. After all these years, why was this all coming back? Alison had moved on. Alison had pushed Beth to the back of her mind. She could never forget her, she knew that, but she didn't have to be tied up in thoughts of her. She gasped for a shallow breath.

"You said I could keep you from the edge, and then you went and jumped from it."-She slammed her fist on the bed- "What does that say about me, Beth?"

Refusing to let it get to her, Alison got dressed, did her make-up and removed the embarrassing bandage from her forehead. The gash was bigger than she expected but it was easily hidden with a headband. Finally, Alison stood in front of the mirror and brushed out her sweater, pulling on the bottom to get out any errant wrinkles.

Alison raised her chin and walked to the door, determined to turn the day around. She took a breath and walked out. The lobby was beautifully open with the doors all faced inside, surrounding the large room. Each room had fake flowers by the doors and numbers against the wall like they were tiny little houses. There were two large staircases on either end of the lobby that lead up to higher floors with groupings of couches and chairs in the center. Alison turned and locked the room door before continuing out into the lobby.

They really had done a good job renovating the place. Alison remembered that the walls and doors were a drab brown before and now had a clean white paint over them. The little doors to each room were red and the whole area felt very bright and comforting. It was going to make a beautiful wedding venue. Alison suddenly remembered a flower garden out back with a beautiful path. She changed directions towards the garden.

She took a walk down the pathway into the trees beyond. As she tucked behind the tree line, away from the resort, she came upon the clearing she had searched for. Beautiful stretching gardens were sprawled out in front of her. It was just as wonderful as she remembered.

"Oh these are fantastic" Alison said as she dragged Beth alongside her.

"They look like a bunch of flowers to me," Beth said.

"Oh don't be a sore thumb, these are gorgeous." Alison ran to each patch, taking in the scents and smells. White Trilliums stood brightly in large displays in front of them, accented with Dragon's Mouth on either side. Finally, beautiful Hydrangeas finished off nature's painting. Beth stood in the same place, as Alison walked around, only moving when dragged by the hand.

"You're gorgeous." Beth slipped in making Alison stop and turn towards her.

"Of course I am, I look like you" she winked back. Beth smiled.

The afternoon went on like this until they found a bench on the southern side of the garden. Beth sat with Alison next to her. Disobeying the warnings, Beth picked a lily, and gave it to Alison. She laid down on her back, head in Alison's lap, staring at the sky.

"I'm glad we did this." She said.

Alison smiled down, "I'm glad we did too. I wasn't sure how it was going to work, but I think it's been fun."

"It isn't over yet," Beth said, "I heard they have couple's massages."

"No!" Alison protested. "I will not get naked and oiled up by a stranger."

"I figured you'd say that," Beth laughed, "So I got them to just rent out the room to us."

Alison furrowed her eyebrows, confused, "What will that do?"

Beth smiled, "Well you didn't say you were opposed to a massage, just that you were opposed to a stranger giving you one."

Alison thought for a second before blushing at the realization of what Beth insinuated. "What? Detective Childs is going to give me a rub-down?"

Beth laughed in her lap, "Good-cop, bad-cop isn't just for the interrogation room you know."

Alison rolled her eyes, "I don't even know how to interpret that."

"The worst way possible of course."

Alison began absently running her fingers through Beth's hair. She noticed a few people looking their way. They would just have to believe Beth and her were really close twins. Normally it was something that would drive Alison crazy, but today, she couldn't care less what other people thought.

"Are you being serious?" Alison asked.

Beth sat up and stared her in the eyes, "Of course I am." Beth said, "Alison Hendrix, can I rub your body down with warm oils?"

Alison blushed and threw her lily at Beth.

"Hey!" Beth protested, "Is that what my gifts mean to you?"

Alison laughed and without thinking leaned in and kissed Beth. Their lips touched and Alison felt a rush of energy start from the top of her shoulders and run down her back while simultaneously running through her arms to the tips of her fingers.

They pulled back. "Woah," Beth said. "This just got a lot harder to explain."

They turned their heads to see an older woman staring at them in disbelief. She was frozen in shock. Alison blushed and Beth grabbed her hand pulling her up from the bench. "We're Mormon," is all Beth said, as if that was any explanation at all. She pulled Alison down the path away from the garden. Alison laughed as she watched Beth running in front of her, straight hair bouncing in the wind they created. It was the first time in years that Alison didn't care what people thought, it was the first time she felt alive.

Alison sat on the same bench, staring at the changes that had occurred since the new management. Most of the garden was the same, but slight arrangements had moved. The sun was unusually warm on her skin while the breeze sent a slight chill through her body. September weather at it's best.

"I want that weekend back." Alison whispered to herself, not allowing the tears to rise.

"Do you really?" A voice behind her said.

Alison turned around to see Beth standing back from the garden, behind the bench and close to the treeline. She looked, older, somber but the small smile was the same, like she knew something you didn't know. This time, however, Beth did know something Alison didn't know. Alison felt weak at the sight of Beth and didn't know what to say, didn't know how to begin. She looked around for help; anyone to tell her what she was seeing wasn't there. She couldn't be.

"You're dead." was all Alison could get to leave her lips. "or... oh God, I'm losing it aren't I? I'm barely thirty-three and I'm already losing my marbles."

Beth stood there silently, not offering any help to Alison on how the grasp the situation. She just stood there, calm, stoic and aloof.

"Tell me I'm not crazy, tell me you're not dead, tell me something Beth!" Alison couldn't fight the tears from escaping her eyes, "What the, what the f-fraglerock is going on?"

Beth smiled at the word-replacement, which set Alison off, "Don't shoot me that darned smile Beth. Don't sit there and act like this is some Christmas surprise. Gosh, darn… Dammit Beth."

"I can never begin to explain-" Beth began, but was cut off.

"Begin to explain? No, this isn't something you explain Beth," Alison bit back in a hushed yell. "Bumping into another car in the super market is something you explain, wearing white after labor day is something you explain, accidentally using salt instead of sugar in your bake-sale cookies is something you explain, Beth. Telling the person who gave you everything that only she can take you back from the edge before jumping in front of a train is not something you explain. Faking your death in some unknown way and then disappearing for five years is not something you explain. You don't get to explain that Beth." Tears raced down her cheeks, her mascara smearing as anger rose in her.

"I'm sorry." Beth said. It was all she needed to say as Alison ran and buried her face in Beth's chest.

"Why Beth?" Alison pleaded into Beth's blouse, "Why did you do this to me?"

"Does it matter?" Beth said simply, "Will anything I say be able to explain any of it?"-Beth wrapped her arms around Alison and held her close.-"I'm here, now, Alison."

She was right. No matter what Beth said, nothing could explain what happened, nothing could explain why she was here. Beth Childs died five years ago after committing suicide by jumping in front of a train. Felix saw her body, Vic saw her body, it happened. In that morgue laid the body of Detective Beth Childs and with it the heart of Alison Hendrix. There was no explanation that would make sense to Alison. There was nothing that could be said to make any of this make sense.

Alison didn't care.

It was impossible. Yet, here she was, and Alison gave up caring. She buried her face deeper into Beth's shirt and felt something she hadn't felt in five years. She felt alive.