DISCLAIMER: The L Word and its characters belong to Ilene Chaiken and Showtime. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Fourth season episode 'Livin’ La Vida'.
The Unthinkable
By Ann
Helena stopped on the landing of the steps outside the apartment building to stretch in preparation for her jog. As she placed her foot on the banister and leaned over her extended leg, the brunette noticed Alice being helped from the backseat of a limo, and if she turned her ear toward the street, she could just hear the conversation between the two women.
"Wow, that was fun," Alice offered to the mystery woman who graciously thanked the blonde for the compliment.
Smiling, Alice added, "I had a really good time."
"So did I," the woman responded in a low tone, and Helena suddenly wished for bionic hearing.
Nervously, Alice offered, "You know, it was ... I'm glad I found you," and smiling, she turned to cross the street.
"All right, Alice. See you around," was called out to the blonde as she stepped up on the curb, heading toward the stairs just as Helena was bounding down.
"Okay," Alice called back, and facing Helena, she sighed, "Whew."
Smiling, Helena greeted, "Ah, well, well, well. Someone had a busy night"
"Yeah, I was working," the blonde explained with a grin.
"Working?" Helena teased with a smirk.
"Yeah, I was working pretty hard," Alice replied, still grinning from ear to ear.
Helena merely laughed as she turned toward the street to begin her run. "Ah..ha, ha."
"All right, see ya...Okay," Alice offered as she picked up the newspaper and started up the stairs.
Helena adjusted her headphones and began a slow jog down the street where Alice's apparent date was leaning against her car.
Alice began to read the paper and immediately noticed Helena had stopped and turned back towards the woman. She watched in shock as the two women shook hands.
"Oh... my God. Really. Really, Papi," the blonde said in disgust, and folding her paper she turned to head up the steps, muttering, "Wow, that girl just loves..."
Back from her jog, Helena stepped into the apartment, ready for a long hot shower, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Alice sitting on the couch facing the door. It was as if she'd been waiting for the brunette to return.
"Have a nice jog?" Alice asked sarcastically with a fake smile plastered on her face.
Shrugging, Helena replied, "Yes. It was pleasant enough."
"Oh, really. Did you by any chance cover an extra mile or so inside ... oh I don't know, let's say a limousine?"
"What?" Helena questioned, wondering what in the world her roommate was referring to.
Clapping her hands together, Alice replied, "I know. Why don't we just log onto my internet site and check out the chart? I wonder who Papi has slept with now."
"Well, you go right ahead. I'm going to take a shower," Helena stated, turning to head for the bathroom.
"Oh, no you don't. I want you sitting right next to me when we pull up Papi's chart," Alice demanded as she stood and blocked the brunette's path.
Putting her hands on her hips, Helena countered, "You think I slept with her, don't you? Well, for your information, I didn't; however, I think maybe it's a good idea to pull her chart up to see what activity took place overnight. So, let's boot up the computer, shall we?"
"You really didn't sleep with her?" Alice whispered, afraid that if she'd said it aloud then her fears would become a reality.
"No, Alice. I didn't. What did you want to happen? You sleep with her and then I sleep with her? Do you want us to be linked by a single person? We're already linked by two people. You slept with Bette, Bette slept with Tina, and I slept with Tina. Isn't that close enough?" Helena asked, unsure where the conversation was headed.
"Yes, I mean no, oh...I don't know what I mean," Alice offered as she turned and walked back to the couch.
Sighing, Helena moved to sit next to her friend, and placing her hand on the blonde's back, she began to draw light circles, waiting for Alice to regain her composure.
After a few minutes, Helena asked, "Alice? We're friends, right?"
The blonde nodded her head up and down in reply, letting the brunette know she was listening on some level.
"Okay, then, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me as if you think I cheated on you. Sort of like if we're a couple."
Alice's head snapped up, and she opened her mouth to deny Helena's allegations, but she found herself unable to speak as she realized that she was indeed feeling jealous; however, she had no idea why she felt this way.
"You know, Alice, I'm not sure how I would feel if you'd slept with Papi either. I think we've become close friends so quickly that we're a little protective of each other. So, it's not a bad thing that we're looking out for one another," Helena explained, moving her hand to the back of the blonde's neck as she stood.
"Hey, why don't I take a quick shower and then we can head over to the Planet for a bite to eat?" The brunette suggested, deciding that the conversation was turning too serious, too fast.
Relieved beyond belief, Alice replied, "That's a great idea."
Turning, Helena headed down the hallway toward the bathroom, leaving the confused blonde alone to explore her feelings.
Thirty minutes later, Alice leaned her head back against the couch and muttered, "Great. Now, I've done the unthinkable. I've gone and fallen for another friend."
The End