Tuesday-Alex/Lorna

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Lorna tries to cope with everything that's happened and Alex drops everything to help her. These two are always stronger together than apart.




She had been pronounced well enough to leave but Lorna was still sitting on the examination table, gripping the edge, her head bowed. Her neck felt strangely light and fragile; she was afraid to touch the skin there for fear that the collar had tainted it and she'd find that it was peeling away. It was odd to not be a prisoner anymore. To know that she could go anywhere and talk to anyone without fear that someone would be hurt as a result. She could go up to her kitchen and cook. Or go shopping.

She stayed where she was, fighting a panic attack and losing inch by inch.

He'd been standing outside of the doorway for about 20 minutes. Alex had been hovering in or near the medlab ever since he'd heard she was going to be released. Finally, they told him that Lorna was ready to leave and he could see her, Alex ran to the room Lorna was in but stopped at the door, almost afraid that if he opened the door, she wouldn't really be there. That it would still be Malice or something worse.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked before opening the door an inch. "Lorna?" He called softly into the room before he even looked inside.

Alex... Lorna swallowed hard and sat up, biting her lower lip, "Come in." How long had it been now? Two and a half months at least since she'd last seen him though it felt like an eternity. What would he say? After all the things she'd done, how would he see her?

Taking another deep breath, Alex pushed the door open as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. Schooling himself, he looked over at her and nearly melted at the sight of her. If anything, months of separation had only made her more beautiful. But it had been months of worry and separation and Alex had no idea what to do or say so he smiled lightly as he took a few tentative steps forward. "Hey..."

She smiled back, worry in her eyes. "Hi." She pushed off the table and stood awkwardly, her hands still gripping the table behind her. She swayed slightly and leaned back. "Um. You look good." He did. Hawaii was obviously very good to him, bleaching his hair and tanning his skin. He reminded her of when they'd met. She hadn't known what to say then either.

The moment she began to sway, Alex was by her side, hand on her waist and shoulder. Swallowing slowly as his brain caught up with his movements, Alex delayed a few moments by pulling a a strand of green hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful as always..." he said softly, not even sure if it was welcome or not.

Unexpectedly, or perhaps not, Lorna's eyes filled with tears and she rocked forward into his arms, clinging to him like her life depended on it. "Alex," she choked on a sob, "Oh god, I thought I'd never see you again."

Alex swallowed hard as he tightened his hold on her, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "I thought I'd lost you..." He sighed happily as he finally allowed himself to relax and hold her, something he'd really missed.

She jumped as he brushed the sensitive skin on her neck and whimpered but didn't loosen her hold on him. "I couldn't...I missed you so much. And I had to lie to you. I...I was afraid everyday for you."

Slowly, he turned with her so he could sit on the table and bring her into his lap, both arms settling to hold her around the waist. His eyes were closed and he was trying to memorize every detail of what it felt like to have her back. "Shhhh...it doesn't matter now..."

She curled into his lap, still sobbing. It still felt unreal to her. Like this was all going to be taken away, like this couldn't be real. She didn't deserve to have him here but couldn't bring herself to let him go. "I did terrible things. How can you even want to be near me?"

That made Alex open his eyes and use one hand to lift her chin so he could look at her. "Because it wasn't you. No matter what you say...I won't believe it." He kissed her lightly on the nose. "And because I love you, oh so very much. We both have things we aren't proud of...And none of it could make me love you any less." Then he gave her a proper kiss.

She kissed him back desperately, needing the reassurance and the contact then buried her head in his shoulder. "I just don't know. I thought she was different but...she didn't exist. Malice was just a program."

Sensing the need for comfort he held her tighter. "It was Malice...not you. I will repeat it was many times as I have to...I refuse to believe you could have done any of those things...not without the outside influence she, even as a program, provided."

Lorna whimpered again and clung to him. She wasn't at all sure that he was right and it scared her how much she remembered Malice's feelings. "I don't want to talk about it. Can we...can we please just go home now?"

Alex closed his eyes and swallowed before nodding. "Yeah...though I will warn you, it's kind of a mess. I dumped my stuff from Hawaii all over the place." He gave her another quick kiss before lifting her up so they could stand.

"I don't care. I just...can we please just lock the door and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist. I can't face them. Not now." Even standing, she stayed close to him, arms around his neck. The idea that she'd have to eventually explain what had happened to the rest of the mansion was more than she could take right now.

Biting his lip at the way she was acting, he could only nod. Lorna seemed so lost, so fragile right now, that his wants mirrored her own. "Anything you want love. As long as you're with me, I don't care." Putting one of his arms around her waist, he led her toward the door.

"I just want to be alone with you. No one else." Thankfully, they didn't see anyone as they went upstairs, whether by luck or because the mansion was avoiding her. Being back in their suite made her shudder with relief and she tugged him to the bedroom, shutting that door too, locking it by hand.

He sat down on the bed as she locked the door, one leg bent other him as the other still touched the floor. Alex was still biting his lower, unsure of what to say and already missing her being in his arms.

She gave him a shaky smile. "Do I... my clothes...are they here?" She hated everything that she was wearing. Was considering burning them. She pulled the sweater over her head and dropped it carelessly on the floor, unwilling to wear it even a moment longer.

Alex nodded slowly. "Everything you left here is still here and I brought back some of your favorites from the apartment." Those he had carefully hung up in the closet, while his jeans and sweatshirts lay scattered all over the floor. He bent and picked up a dirty green University of Hawaii sweatshirt to give his hands something to play with.

Lorna shed her pants on her way to the closet then paused there and headed to the dresser instead. She pulled out her oldest pajamas, shorts that had once been black faded to a dirty grey and a shirt nearly transparent from too many washings. Changing into them was as much a matter of comfort as walking to the bed and sitting down next to Alex.

Dropping the shirt back onto the floor, he chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched her, still thanking every deity known to man that she was here beside him. "Better?" He asked softly.

She nodded, "Lie down with me? I just...I think I should sleep. Jean said I'd be tired but I'm afraid if I do this will end and you'll be gone and I'll be back in the collar and..." Lorna forced herself to stop talking, feeling hysteria rising in her throat.

Swallowing Alex only nodded, understanding much better the he wished he did. He smiled as he said softly, "I would love to lay down with you. You know I hate sleeping alone." He got up for a moment to turn off the lights then shed his shoes and shirt as he returned to the bed, settling in beside her.

She huddled against him, resting her head on his chest, listening to the familiar beating of his heart. "I don't know what to do, Alex. I really don't know what I'm going to do."

"Shhh...Jean said sleep, not worry. And for once, I'm going to side with her." He pulled her close to him, cupping her head under his chin. "We'll worry about that later...right now...I want to make up for 3 months of not having you in my arms..." Closing his eyes, Alex dipped his head so he could whisper in her ear, "I love you, Lorna..."

"I love you too. That's one thing she never changed." Hugging him tightly, she closed her eyes to try to relax. She wasn't going to sleep, not going to risk this being all a dream, but she'd take every second with him that she could get.

Alex couldn't help but smile as he sensed her urgency, even with his eyes closed. "I'm not going anywhere...I promise with all my heart."