A Hangover and a Phone Call

Sara answers a phone call that she never expected to get

Sara woke up late the next morning, the sun burning through the small window in her room causing her head to real from last night's whiskey. She groaned and turned over to see the empty side of the bed next to her. Panic didn't even have time to set in before she heard Tegan retching in the bathroom next door. She groaned as she sat up, taking her time as she got out of bed. She grabbed an old hoodie, pulling it over her head as she walked out of her bedroom and toward the kitchen.

A hand held to her head, she walked into the small kitchen and was met with full coffee filter and the water already in the machine. She then realized that Tegan had tried to make coffee and apparently was hit with a wave of nausea from last night's drinks. She let out a half smile as she placed the filter in the machine and hit the start button. Just the smell of the freshly brewing coffee relieved some of the pounding from her head. Almost perfectly in sync with the coffee maker, Tegan made her way out of the bathroom to arrive in the kitchen as the last drops landed in the carafe.

"Good morning bella." Sara greeted her in a much more subdued manner than normal, the headache keeping her speaking at barely above a whisper. She immediately grabbed her head as she turned a little too quickly to say her greeting.

"Hi angel." Tegan gave her half a smile, but her voice sounded broken and miserable; and her face looked ghostly.

"The coffee should remove any bad taste from your mouth." Sara offered as she poured two cups of the steaming black liquid magic. She wasted no time and began sipping immediately, not caring if she burnt her tongue.

Tegan smiled and followed suit, "It's pretty strong." She spoke after shuddering form the bitter taste. Even though the bitterness didn't sit well with her, Tegan took another sip, causing another shudder.

"You made it." Sara shrugged before taking another sip, sending a small half grin Tegan's way.

"I don't normally make coffee," Tegan blushed just barely, adding a faint colour to her otherwise pale face, "I just put in the grounds until it seemed like enough."

"It's good," Sara continued to sip slowly, "I like it strong."

They drank their coffee in silence. Sara refilling her cup for seconds as Tegan struggled to finish just one mug's worth. With every sip Tegan either shuddered or gagged slightly from the strong taste of the coffee.

Sara smiled to herself as she watched shudder from the bitterness after every few sips. She had started to drink her own coffee in bigger gulps, and it made her chuckle as she watched Tegan approach the black stuff like a teenager tasting their first hard liquor.

"Don't laugh at me." Tegan tried to hide her own smile in her mug.

"Sorry," Sara continued to chuckle, "You just look so timid drinking your coffee."

"It's way too strong," Tegan shook her head and set the cup down on the counter, "I'll just look up some other hangover remedy online."

"It won't taste better." Sara warned as Tegan walked back to their bedroom where she had stashed her laptop the day they got back from Montreal.

Sara got a rush of excitement when her thoughts referred to it as their bedroom. She knew what she wanted, and she hoped Tegan's lease was up soon.

Tegan walked back to the kitchen and Sara studied her as she made a vile looking concoction. Tegan drank whatever it was and immediately shook from, what Sara assumed was, the worst tasting drink that Tegan had ever had. Tegan looked like she was about to gag it back up, but after a few seconds she looked completely normal. She then smiled unconvincingly at Sara.

"You want one?" Tegan grinned as Sara shook her head slowly, still nursing a headache.

"I want to ask you something." Sara changed the subject after several seconds' silence.

"What is it?" Tegan smiled at her, apparently the concoction had worked. Sara could already see the color returning to Tegan's cheeks.

"I was just wondering," Sara all of sudden became nervous and looked down at her toes, taking notice of just how interesting her kitchen floor was; she stared at a small stain next to her foot for several seconds, "Um…"

"Yes?" Tegan tried to bend low enough to make eye contact, but failed because Sara closed her eyes before speaking.

"Doyouwanttomoveinwithme?" Sara rushed the question out with one exhale. Tegan hesitated before answering and Sara assumed the worst, "Never mind." She looked back at her coffee mug and hastily took a drink.

"Sara," Tegan continued trying for eye contact, "Sara look at me."

Sara slowly turned her head and looked at Tegan, fearing the stern look that she had expected. But Tegan just grinned widely and planted a soft kiss on Sara's forehead.

"I practically already have moved in with you," She chuckled slightly, "I have a week until my lease is up, so if you're okay with it, I'd like to start moving my stuff into you place."

Sara nodded her response, too bashful and happy to use her words. Her head was swimming. A mixture of hangover and giddy love made her headache strike again.

"Anything that will take up too much room, like my bed," Tegan had obviously already thought about this, "Will be at Ted's until we get a bigger place."

"Is Ted okay with that?" Sara questioned, knowing that Tegan never had time to ask him about it.

"We let him record with us," Tegan said, thinking about the way he had acted last night; how grateful he was to be in a recording studio, "I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

"Yeah?" Sara couldn't wait until Tegan had officially moved in with her. It would somehow bring more comfort to her just knowing that Tegan called her apartment home. She would always be able to come home to Tegan. No matter what.

"What are you so happy about?" Tegan's question brought Sara the awareness that she had a huge smile on her face.

"I'm just happy about you moving in is all." Sara grinned and pecked Tegan lightly on the lips.

"I already am moved in." Tegan rolled her eyes and laughed.

"It's not the same." Sara shook her head gingerly, the headache coming to prominence with every movement. She winced at the sharp pain of the hangover.

"You should go lie down on the couch." Tegan had turned her protective mode on, "I'll get you a washcloth and some advil. I hate seeing you in pain." Sara could see her physical pain mirrored in Tegan's eyes; except that Tegan's eyes screamed out with an emotional pain that only Sara understood. A second later it was gone, replaced solely by concern. Tegan fussed over Sara's headache as she got the pillows and blankets on the couch arranged for the "maximum amount of comfort" before heading to the kitchen to grab the advil and a glass of water.

"Tegan I'm a grown woman," Sara whined as she made herself comfortable on the couch, "I can take care of myself."

"But you don't have to take care of yourself," Tegan smiled warmly and handed her the water, "You never will as long as I'm here."

Sara smiled and took the two advil with a few sips of the water, "Thank you."

They spent the rest of the morning just sitting, curled up together watching TV. Sara wasn't paying much attention to whatever was on. She was fart to busy thinking about Tegan; about how she would soon be officially moved in. The comfort she felt from that put Sara on the verge of dozing off. But then her phone rang.

Tegan grabbed it and answered, "Hello?" She waited a few seconds before shrugging and handing the phone to Sara, "It's for you…some sort of relative I think."

Sara took the phone and tried working through her confusion, what relative would be calling her?

"Hello?" Sara answered the phone slowly.

"Hi," A sweet somewhat familiar voice poured out of the receiver, "Sara, it's your Aunt Sonia."

Confusion was evident on Sara's face, mixed with a small dose of fear, "I don't have an Aunt Sonia." She looked at Tegan for help. But that was futile; if she didn't know and Aunt Sonia, why would Tegan?