Alex and Lorna- Shakespeare Syndrome and Goodbye

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Holy Wayback Machine Batman!

Back during Shakespeare Syndrome, Lorna went out of her way to avoid Alex so she wouldn't be compelled to tell him something important. But that all goes to hell when Alex finds her in the gym on a quest to find his brother. Things are hinted at and it ends awkwardly.


This was absolutely unfair, Lorna grumbled to herself as she sweated through another set of crunches. She'd been counting on her best friend to protect her until the effects of the energy drink had worn off but no sooner had Betsy posted on the journals than Jim had given her a hasty and distracted goodbye on his way out the door. Bros before hos rhymed but didn't have much effect on a frantic boyfriend. Jerk. Lorna had stared down his laptop for a full five minutes before realizing that she had to get out of there or risk babbling insanely the way that everyone else was doing.

The gym was mercifully empty and she'd been able to lose herself in the mindless repetition of core training and the bouncy beats of Kylie's new album. It hadn't really curbed her resentment and she kept thinking of things that she wanted to tell people--danger, Will Robinson!--but otherwise, her retreat to the gym had been successful. Well, until now anyway.

Until now was right. After a night of Lorna avoiding him, Alex had stopped hassling Haller to let him see her, swallowing back his worry and hurt. She obviously had something really didn't want him to know and he'd have to deal with that. It wasn't like they were anything but friends anyway.

No, Alex was heading down to the gym to look for his brother actually. With his father still around, he also hadn't seen much of Scott and was also getting worried about him. So when he came down the stairs to find not Scott, but Lorna, he took this as a good think despite not finding what he was looking for. "Hey Lorna," He called in a friendly tone as he walked over.

Lorna swallowed the automatic response and smiled, giving him a wave then indicating the headphones in her ears. Go away, go away, go away, she chanted mentally. Christ, her stomach hadn't done this much flip-flopping around him since the first time they'd met. She hated this drink.

Not deterred by this, Alex kept walking over and leaned on the wall nearby, indicating he'd gladly wait until she was done.

Goddamnit. Lorna rolled to her feet and pulled her towel over her face, wiping away sweat but mostly just hiding her expression of dismay. Resignedly, she tugged her headphones from her ears and wandered over to where he was standing. "You're looking nice today. What brings you out this way?"

Alex blinked. That was...an unusual way to start a conversation after avoiding someone but he could work with. "Umm, thanks. You too, you know minus the whole sweaty thing. And well, I was looking for Scott but I can't say I'm not glad to find you. Everything okay? You had me worried last night?" Some of the worry crept into his voice at the end.

"Why wouldn't I be all right? Sorry you were bothered last night." She drank some of her water. Why wasn't this over yet? She'd only had a tiny sip. Shouldn't it have cleared out of her system by now? "I haven't seen Scott recently. How's he been doing, I hope decently?" Why couldn't she have been talking like Kyle? Haikus were at least less noticeable in speech.

"Are you...rhyming? Oh, it's that thing that's going around. From the drinks right?" Of course, Alex had heard about it on the journal, it was kind of hard to miss after all. "I nope that's not why you stayed away, it's kind of amusing if anything." Then he shook his head in response. "I have no idea honestly. I haven't seen him much since Dad's been here."

"Yes I'm rhyming thanks to Green Speed. Babbling truth is not something I need. Scott's not taking your father's return well. Not the first time someone's wished family to hell. I hate your new aftershave, so you know. It reminds me of when you were dating Shiro." Her eyes widened, palm slapping against her head, "Oh Christ, I can't believe I said that. I'm going to go suffocate myself in the exercise mat."

"Yeah I know, but our Dad seems to genuinely want to get to know us and Scott just isn't going for it..." He trailed off as the last part of what she'd said hit him. Okay...Alex gave her an odd sideways look. "I can change that you know...I'm not totally sold on the stuff if it bothers you so much..."

"You should go back to the one you wore before. I like being reminded of you and me much more." Lorna sighed, finished her water and held up a hand, pointed at the locker rooms and indicated that he needed to wait one minute. This was ridiculous. If this went on, she was going to start saying that she'd really regret instead of just things that were embarrassing.

That made his jaw drop for a second. Alex had been under the impression that that was the last thing she'd want. Despite seeing her gesture, the question just dropped from his mouth. "Really?"

Her look was exasperated, "Like I'm going to say anything other than yes. Christ, I need to get out of this mess. This is why I was keeping out of your way. I have to go shower, you don't have to stay." Her shoulders were tense and the look in her eyes supremely unhappy. Confessing her feelings, particularly in couplets was not on her agenda now or ever. She'd been hoping to escape to California without this ever coming up.

Alex wanted to keep asking questions, to find out more about how she felt...but the look in her eyes discouraged him, leaving a pang in his stomach. "I better get home, Lili and Crush are going to be hungry soon. I'll see you later?" He realize he was running away and he didn't really want to go in on how he felt about that, or how she'd take it, but he wasn't sure he could be around her at the moment and not push.

Lorna nodded, not quite looking at him, playing nervously with the empty water bottle in her hands. "I'll be home later if I've stopped with the rhyme. Otherwise I think we'd be in for a terrible time."

He didn't agree but Alex nodded anyway."Yeah, I guess." Seeing her nervous about this was tugging at his heart strings and he couldn't help reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder, a comforting grin on his features.


She started to turn away but the touch stopped her and she looked back at him. After a moment, she returned the smile and patted his hand, managing to keep it friendly. The fact that she wanted to step in closer, demand an embrace that she had no right to was what made her back away and rush off to the locker room.

It was embrace he would have given, whether he realized it or not. Still, Alex just stood there an watched her go, puzzling over what she's said before going on his word and leaving so as to feed some hungry pooches.


Then, on the night before Lorna leaves for the West Coast, Alex asks her what she tried not to say during Shakespeare Syndrome and they end up sharing a special good-bye.


"I think you had too much fun tonight." Alex couldn't help chuckling as he moved from a tipsy Lorna's side so he could get his keys out of his slacks' pocket so he could open the front door. It was the night before Lorna was leaving and they had just come back from a 'good bye' dinner with Betsy and Haller. It had been bitter sweet as they'd all had a good time...but there was the sad reality of the next day hanging over the whole evening. Finally opening the door, he led her inside to be greeted by the usual fur-filled whirl wind. "You feel okay enough to let them out while I get their dinner ready?" He asked casually falling back into usual routine.

"No such thing as too much fun. I'm storing it all up for a rainy Nor. Cal day." Lorna smiled, finding her balance through the nice warm wine-haze and four inch heels. "Yeah, sure. No problem. Come on, furballs. Ready for outside?" Excited wriggling gave way to barks and the clicking of paws over the hardwood as Crush and Lili bolted for the back door at the magic word.

Shaking his head and laughing again, Alex moved into the kitchen to look for the dry food bin in the corner and the wet food in the fridge. "Can I get you anything while I'm in here?" He asked, coming to the door of the kitchen for a moment so she could hear him.

Most of her attention was on the two dogs darting about the backyard like this was their first glimpse of the outside world in their lives. Everything required their closest attention, had to be thoroughly sniffed, tasted and occasionally dug up. She giggled before responding to Alex's question, "Just a water, thanks." She let the screen close and wandered back toward the kitchen, "That was a really nice dinner, I think. You had fun, right?"

A glass of water was waiting on the counter by the door for her and he grinned at her over his shoulder as he finished up the two bowls of dog food and placed them on the floor to wait for their respective critters. "It was nice. I had a good time." The 'as good as I could with you leaving tomorrow' just kind of hung in the air. "So, ready to go?"

"Unless something else vanishes before tomorrow, I am." She picked up the water glass and stared into it for a moment like she had no idea what it was for then shook her head, "I'm not sure it seems real yet, to be honest. I know that tomorrow I have a plane to catch but...I don't know. It kind of feels like it's just going to be another day. Get up, make breakfast...oh my god. I get to sleep in!" She gave a little shimmy of glee and cackled. "I don't have to get up at 3," she sing-songed, turning her shimmy into a rather triumphant if somewhat unstable dance.

Alex couldn't help laughing at her dance as he moved to put the left over food away. "No you don't. And if you play your cards right, I'll...well I would offer to make you breakfast but we all know that's a bad idea so I'll carry all your stuff out to the car?"

Once he was done, he moved over stand by her, leaning on the counter. "So...before you go, I have a question to ask you." He'd been thinking about it for weeks, since the incident with the sports drinks and her statement hit him as this was probably his last chance to ask about it.

"My hero," Lorna laughed and hopped up onto the counter, crossing her legs. She tilted her head and smiled at him. "Ask away. If it's you can have my house, well, that's answered. Obviously you can. Though in August it's your house. But I do insist that you not put up any wallpaper. It required a miracle to get off in the first place."

"No wallpaper, promise." Alex bit his lip for a minute before he asked, "Remember, when you were effected by the sports drink and were rhyming everything?...What were you trying not to say?"

Lorna choked on her water and set it down hastily, coughing and shaking her head. "Nothing. It was nothing. Just that I'm glad we're friends now, that's all." What had she said that day? Did she have any wiggle room at all? She'd thought that by not bringing it up they had come to a tacit agreement to just forget it. Chalk it up to mansion ill fortune and move on. They were good at just moving on.

When she started choking, Alex moved quickly over to her to rub her back until she stopped. "Are you sure?" He sighed before he continued, gathering his courage. "Lorna...I really don't want you leaving with something like that just hanging over our relationship." He of course meant relationship in the loosest way possible.

Her face was hot and red but that could have been the coughing as much as anything else. "What else could I have meant, Alex? That's what we are, right? Friends?" But she wouldn't quite look him in the eye.

Sighing again, Alex reached over and carefully turned her chin so she had to look at him. "Are we?"

In that moment, he wanted to kiss her more then he ever had in his life, what with that look in her eyes and her leaving tomorrow...

Green eyes met blue, reluctantly, knowing what he'd see. She wished her head was clearer, that she could face this without the soft edges brought on by alcohol. Getting into this on the night before she left was a bad idea. "I thought we were," she said quietly, her hands gripping the edge of the counter, knuckles going white. "I have to be on a plane in 14 hours, Alex."

"Perfect time for a last request before you go." Alex said softly, knowing what he wanted but didn't want to push.

"From me or from you?" she said, trying to make it teasing. It came out more like an invitation and she looked down, biting her lower lip.

"At this point..." He teased right back, smiling, "I think it's the same thing." Then Alex gave in and kissed her.

It was like coming home and like winning the lottery at the same time. Familiar but thrilling, the kind of sensation that you couldn't believe was real and that you never wanted to end. Lorna's hands clutched at his shoulders even as she pulled back, gasping. "I..." she began then shook her head and leaned back in for another kiss.

All of that...and so much more. Alex's hands had moved to her neck and waist, as hers had moved to his shoulders. He would have kept kissing her as long as he could until he heard a barking sound.

From where they were, they could see two smug looking dogs looking in through the back door.

Lorna looked a little dazed when the kiss broke, her mouth red under her lipstick. She looked at the dogs bemusedly. "We should let them back in. Are they laughing at us?"

"I think they are." Alex moved over to the door to let them in before returning to Lorna, looking into her eyes with a serious expression. "If your going to leave me...I want more then a kiss." He didn't know where this was coming from but he wasn't about to stop it either.

She'd slid off the counter, leaning against it now for strength. "That's...I..." What was she supposed to say? That this was a bad idea? That they would be ruining everything they'd managed to salvage out of her selfish destruction of their relationship? She considered lying but he knew her too well for that. "Are you sure?" she said finally.

Seeing her leaning against the counter, Alex moved to support her in his arms. He'd thought about that too...and he just couldn't say no to this. "Yes."

Lorna looked up at him a moment longer, eyes searching his face. "When you asked me before, about what I wasn't saying...you already knew the answer, right?"

Alex couldn't help a small chuckle. "I hoped..."

"This is going to make things complicated." But she smiled and lifted her arms to wrap around his neck. "I can't make myself say no though. I've missed you too much."

"I've missed you too. More then you know. And I think...with the life we live, we can deal with complicated." With a bright grin, Alex swept her up in his arms to carry her to the bedroom

To smug dogs watched them before going back to their dinner.