"Mommmmmm," Alex whined, hating how childish and petulant she sounded just then, but also just bored enough that she didn't care. "We've been here three hours – I'm tired and I'm hungry and I want to go home."

"Alex, you've done nothing but complain the entire time," Moira pointed out. "I'm trying to do something nice for you..."

Alex groaned quite dramatically. "If you really wanted to do something nice for me, you'd let me pick out my own dress," she muttered under her breath, but still loud enough for her mother to hear.

"Alexandra," Moira scolded, "I don't need the attitude. Maybe if you hadn't been quite so busy lately, we would have had more time to select a dress, but seeing as Homecoming is a week away, we're kind of out of options."

Alex would have liked to point out that the only reason she was so busy was because her mother insisted on her padding her resume for college applications, but she wisely didn't say as much. Begrudgingly, she accepted the next dress her mother handed her and went back into the fitting room.

It took her several minutes to untangle herself from the dress she was currently wearing and then wriggle into the new one and, by the time she once again emerged from the fitting room, she was surprised to find that her mother wasn't alone...

"Oh, don't you look stunning," James' mother effused.

Attempting to stifle the dramatic sigh that wanted to escape at this development, Alex plastered on a smile and said, "Thanks, Mrs. Blake."

She was still beaming at Alex. "James is going to have trouble keeping his hands to himself, if you know what I mean," she said with a wink, causing Moira to laugh and Alex to shudder.

James still hadn't apologized to her for acting like a child at Panic, so she wasn't even sure they were still going to Homecoming together... Granted, neither of them had said they weren't, but Alex wasn't exactly in the mood to show up on his arm and play the role of loving girlfriend. Part of her would have liked to show up with some random guy – or better yet, Emily – on her arm, purely to spite him. She knew better, though...

"Is James here?" she asked, hoping her smile looked less pained than it actually was.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart, he's busy in that silly video game store – he's going to be so surprised when he sees you in your dress," Mrs. Blake assured her.

Emily sat on the front steps leading up to Alex's front door, chain smoking. It was nearing one AM, which she happened to know was Alex's curfew for special occasions, such as Homecoming. She wasn't entirely sure why she was waiting up, only knew that there was some kind of churning feeling in her gut that told her she needed to.

Alex's father had already been out to invite her to wait inside, but she insisted that she'd prefer to stay outside.

When she saw the limo James had hired pull into the little cul-de-sac, she was quick to jump to her feet, dropping her cigarette to the ground and grinding it out with the toe of her boot. She watched as Alex climbed out of the backseat on legs not unlike those of a newborn foal and, when James didn't follow her to assist her to the front door, Emily jogged the distance separating them and slung Alex's arm around her neck to support her weight as she stumbled her way towards the house.

"How much did you have to drink tonight?" Emily asked her, keeping her tone light and playful.

Alex whined, complained, "I only had punch!"

Emily frowned. "Let me guess, James insisted on getting you punch all night?" She steadied Alex as they climbed the stairs towards her bedroom – the house was dark and she wasn't familiar with the layout, so it wasn't the easiest of tasks, but they managed to find her room with a minimum of noise, stubbed toes, and shin bruises.

Once the bedroom door closed behind them, Alex immediately began struggling to undo the zipper of her dress until it became clear she wasn't going to be successful on her own. She pouted, huffed, then turned to Emily with a pout. "Help me?"

Doing her best not to laugh, Emily, gestured for her to turn around so she could undo the zipper for her. It was strangely intimate and Emily felt her hands trembling slightly as she worked the zipper down Alex's spine. Swallowing thickly, she watched as the dress pooled on the floor around her feet.

Alex wasn't wearing a bra and, though they'd hooked up on several occasions, it felt too familiar for her to look at her in this state, so she cleared her throat and turned to the dresser, busying herself finding something for Alex to sleep in.

By the time she turned back around, Alex had collapsed back on the bed...which is when Emily couldn't help but notice the bruises on Alex's inner thighs. Tossing the shirt she'd found at Alex, Emily cleared her throat and said, "You, umm...you have a good time at Homecoming?"

Alex shrugged as she tugged the shirt on over her head.

"You stayed out pretty late..." she added.

"Sorry, Mom," Alex said sarcastically, then broke down in giggles.

Shaking her head slowly, Emily said, "You are going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow morning..." She moved to the en-suite bathroom and poured a glass of water from the tap, setting it on the nightstand. Then, just to be safe, she moved the garbage can next to the bed as well. "Okay, I'm going to go now. If you need anything, you can..."

"Wait!" Alex said urgently, sitting up so quickly that it made her head swim. "Don't go?"

Emily hesitated a moment, chewing her lip in internal debate. Ultimately, though, the way Alex stared up at her with big pleading eyes broke down her resolve and she sighed. "Sure," she whispered, settling in bed next to her. And if she stiffened a little as Alex snuggled into her side, well...neither of them called attention to it.