A/N : So, I didn't get it finished this weekend, but we only have one chapter left now! So, hopefully tomorrow, then I will start A Thousand Years and finish When We Were Happy. :) You all were so sweet, I figured you all could have one more chapter of it! Anyway, please enjoy!
Alex walked in the back door, heading right to the laundry room to strip out of her soaking wet clothes. She couldn't prove it, but she had a funny feeling Jane was involved in Spencer's little mishap. However, that was the least of her concerns, her real worry was how to get Elle to talk to her before tomorrow.
Wrapping a dry towel around herself, she took another one to wipe up her mess, before heading upstairs to the shower. Despite the heat behind on in the house, she was still chilled to the bone by the pool and couldn't wait to climb into a warm shower. Reaching their bathroom, Alex dropped her towel and turned on the shower, letting it warm up while she picked out a pair of dressy jeans and nice sweater and heels to wear over to Casey's parents house for the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. As the steam from the shower piled into the bathroom, Alex removed her glasses and climbed inside quickly letting the warm water fall over her cold body.
Once she was warmed appropriately, she began to wash her hair first with shampoo and then conditioner. Leaving the conditioner in her hair to moisturize her locks, she shaved her legs, until she noticed black water droplets falling to the floor. Looking up at the tiled shower ceiling, she was confused about where the dirty water was coming from, until she noticed the black colored water streaming down her body. Shaking the shock and confusion from her head, she squeezed her hair to discover the color was coming from her hair. As she began to panic, she rinsed her hair frantically, only to discover her blonde locks were now black.
With anger and panic washing over her, she quickly washed her hair clean with Casey's shampoo and conditioner, but it was to no avail. Her hair was now black. In defeat, she washed the dark colored stains from the shower and before turning off the tap. Exiting the shower, she wrapped her hair and body in towels, before sitting on the side of the bathtub.
She didn't know what to do. She knew her best course of action would be to dry her hair and dress for Casey's parents house. To go over with a smile in her face and spring in her step and act like she'd wanted to try something new, effectively not giving Jane and Abbie the reaction they so desperately wanted, but she just couldn't. Hearing Casey walk down the hallway to the bedroom, Alex lost her tough guy resolve and began to cry.
Walking into the bedroom, Casey heard what sounding like her fiancé crying. Rounding the corner into the bathroom, she spotted the blonde sitting on the side of the bathtub. "Baby, what's wrong?" She asked rushing to her love's side.
"My hair, I'm sorry...I don't mean to be ridiculous...give me a minute...baby." She forced out between sobs.
"Okay," Casey laughed unaware of the situation, "What's wrong with your hair sweetheart?"
Alex tried to force a smile to her face, as she loosened the towel and revealed her now black hair. The shock that fell over Casey's face was that of horror. "Alex, what did you do to your hair?"
"I didn't do it," she again sobbed, "My conditioner was laced with dye of some sort. I tried to wash it out with your...yours, but it wouldn't go away." At this, Alex started to cry harder, "Just give me a few minutes to pull myself together...I already have my clothes...its just...its my dad..."
"I'm going to kill them..." The redhead muttered as she stormed out of the room. She knew exactly what Alex meant. She knew it was the fact that Alex never dyed her hair, because her hair was a link to her father, the same shade of blonde and all.
Heading downstairs, Casey retrieved her coat from the back of the couch before grabbing her car keys. She was so infuriated by her sisters actions that she practically drove to her parents house on autopilot. With tires squealing as she ripped her car into the driveway, she threw it in park and stormed from the car.
Her father opened the door to the house, concern on his face as he asked, "Is everything okay?"
Casey didn't stop for pleasantries, she just stormed straight into the house and yelled, "Where are they?"
"Who?" Her father questioned.
"What's going on?" Laura questioned as she walked into the hall.
Casey squinted her eyes a little, she was ready to kill her sisters, "Where are Abbie and Jane?"
"They are in the kitchen cooking?" Laura stated as her youngest daughter ran past. Looking to her husband with confusion.
As Casey stormed into the kitchen, her twin sisters jumped by the counter, as Elle sat up a little in her seat at the table next to Spencer. "What the fuck is wrong with you all! Why can't you just try to be happy for me? If you have such a problem with my fiancé then take it out on me god damnit!"
"Is this because of the pool?" Elle questioned Spencer.
"No!" Casey yelled again as her parents walked into the kitchen behind her, "This is because those two fucking put dye in my fiancés hair conditioner and dyed her hair black!"
"Is that true?" Laura asked her sheepish twins.
Casey didn't give them time to answer, "I know Alex did some horrible things in high school to Elle, but she was in a different place then, she had her own emotional issues, and she has felt nothing but guilty since then. She isn't that person anymore, why can't you all just take the time to get to know her! Especially," Casey looked to Elle, "you! She's tried to apologize to you a thousand times over for Christ's sake! She even wrote you a letter to apologize!"
"She didn't write me a letter, what are you talking about?" Elle questioned.
The statement alone caused Casey to turn on Abbie in an instant, "You didn't give her the letter? Are you fucking kidding me! Then you are to blame for our sister almost dying!" As Casey continued her verbal assault, and Bill and Laura caught up on what was really going on, no one saw Elle sneak out of the house.
X
Alex sat on the front porch steps, letting the cool November air soothe her soul. She'd finally pulled herself together and come downstairs to find her fiancé was gone. This wasn't how she wanted to spend the day. She'd ruined the whole holiday.
Seeing Casey's car pull down the drive, she stood, maybe she could still fix things after all. However, as the car came to a park in front of her, her breath caught in her throat. It was Elle.
Watching the brunette climb from the car with a bag of stuff, Alex's jaw dropped. Her warm smile took Alex by surprise, as she said, "I thought maybe we could have that talk while I fixed your hair..."
"You aren't going to make it fall out are you?" Alex questioned her once best friend.
"I don't think so, but if it happens I will buy you the best wig money can buy." Elle teased. "I've done this before, your hair won't fall out."
"Come on inside," Alex said with a genuine smile as she opened the front door and led the brunette inside.
Elle walked into the house she once use to spend so much time in. In the back of her mind, she felt as if Alex and her were mere teenagers again. "I think the kitchen would be best. You can lay on the counter with your head in the sink."
Alex could only nod in agreement. She wanted to blurt out apologies and pull Elle into her arms for a tight hug. Elle had always been like a sister to her and she wanted nothing more than to be close like that again.
Walking her into the kitchen, Elle nodded, "You did a beautiful job updating this house. It's gorgeous."
"Thank you," she replied. "So, what can I do."
Elle smiled, it was a genuine smile that let Alex know that maybe they could mend things after all. "Just a towel, measuring cup and fork, and you on the counter."
She didn't waste a moment, quickly retrieving the items the brunette had asked for, while Elle set out a box of baking soda, clarifying shampoo, and deep conditioner. Finally climbing on the counter with her head perched over the sink, Alex began to speak, "I understand why you couldn't forgive me, but I want you to know that I have never stopped wanting your friendship back. You were my best friend and losing you was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me."
Elle listened as she mixed the items, before turning to turn on the water. Letting it warm, she spoke, "Casey mentioned a letter. What did it say?"
"You never got it?"
"No, never. I guess Abbie thought she was protecting me."
Alex sighed and shook her head as Elle started spraying the warm water over it, "I explained why I behaved the way I did. That I was confused and had been for awhile, that I didn't understand why I didn't have feelings for men and in that confusion I hurt you. That I hated myself for hurting you, that I never wanted to and that I understood now and I wanted to do whatever I could to make it right. I finally had all the words and I wanted to explain."
As the brunette began to massage the baking soda and clarifying shampoo into Alex's hair, she spoke, "I should have let you explain in the beginning. I was just so hurt by you and Marcus. I didn't know what else to do. Then you and our friends started picking on me and you started to date Marcus. It just killed me inside."
"I was really screwed up, and I am sorry. I was just so hurt by everything. I had feelings I couldn't explain and I just kept thinking something was wrong with me. I never meant to hurt you." Alex whispered.
Elle shook her head in understanding, "Answer me one thing, Alex."
"Anything."
"Did you love Casey then?" Elle asked with a small smile.
A confused look fell across her face as she processed the question, "How did you know?"
"I'm a profiler, it's what I do for a living." The brunette smiled as she rinsed Alex's hair, "Plus, Spencer and I pieced it together last night. I told him the whole story and we figured it all out."
"I did. It's why I couldn't really explain that day. I didn't know myself. My dad helped me understand that summer though. He probably saved my life." Alex admitted.
"I'm glad." Elle smiled as she rubbed the conditioner into Alex's hair, "You make her happier than I've ever seen her. Sorry for letting Abbie and Jane harass you."
"They've really been doing it!"
"Yes, I might have helped instigate it."
"I knew it!" Alex smiled, before getting serious again, "Is going to work?"
"It should." Elle laughed as she began rinsing Alex's hair for the second time, "So two of my friends, Penelope and Jennifer, decided to dye their hair while we were working a case once. Well, Penelope talked JJ into doing something crazy with her hair, but ended up dying it this crazy color. JJ freaked out, and I ended up at a 24 hour pharmacy getting these same ingredients to strip the color out to bring back JJ's blonde hair. So, basically, if it could work then, it should work now."
Turning off the water, Elle hummed to herself. "Okay, I think I got it out! Go dry it so we can see for sure!"
"Really?" Alex asked tying her hair up in the towel.
"Yes, go." Elle smiled helping the blonde down from the counter.
"Thank you," she replied, "Want to come upstairs and hang out while I dry it?"
"Sure, I'm just going to use the restroom first." Elle stated, watching the blonde leave the kitchen.
Roughly ten minutes later, Alex was joined in her bathroom by Elle. "You got it all out it looks!" She exclaimed before seeing the look in Elle's eyes. Turning the hairdryer off, she locked her blue eyes with Elle's brown ones, "What is it?"
"I'm pregnant."
"Really?" Alex whispered.
"Yeah, really. I was sick this morning and while everyone was at your place I started doing the math. We were crazy busy the last few months and I missed a few pills, but figured we were fine. I guess we weren't." She said with a sheepish smile.
"I guess not!" Alex laughed, "Oh my god, I am going to be an aunt and you are going to be a mom!"
"I know," Elle gasped. "Oh my god, what am I going to do."
"That's easy," Alex replied taking Elle's hands in her own, "You are going to do what you always do, your best."
"Thank you." She smiled, "Okay, since you have your hair back, why don't you go show me where you and my little sister are going to get married."
"Deal." Alex chuckled.
Leading them back downstairs and outside to the yard, Elle smiled, "So, tell me, all those years we talked about getting out of this town for good, and you succeed might I add, but you decided to move back, why?"
Alex beamed at the question, and with a sparkle in her eye, she looked over to her sailboat. Elle's eyes followed her friend's, smiling as her eyes fell on her sister's name on the boat. Alex could only grin as she spoke, "Because I left my heart here..."