Dana had agreed to go workout for two hours, then she would head home, shower and they would have time to make it to the couples therapist, which of course Dana still thought was silly. She didn’t mind a therapist, she just didn’t see the point of a couples therapist.

Alice for her part promised she would not go anywhere and she would keep her cell phone right beside her, so if Dana felt the need to call, Alice could answer immediately. Plus Alice personally made sure Dana’s ringers on both her home phone and her cell phone were turned back on.

Alice was feeling pretty good about the day ahead. She noticed when she got up this morning most of the swelling around her eyes and nose was gone. Her eyes were mainly black, and greenish now, which really was an improvement to the red, purple, and yellow color they had been on the previous days. She could almost see the healing starting. Plus her ribs were only mildly sore, granted she was taking pain medication four times a day. But she wasn’t hurting and that was all that mattered.

So all in all Alice was feeling pretty good about the day.

As she sat there reading the paper and drinking her coffee, everything came crashing down. In the local section of the paper there was an article about a murder the night before. Now granted there were murders almost everyday in LA, but this murder happened outside the new Lipstick lounge. Though the article didn’t say much, Alice knew. The Lipstick lounge was becoming one of the most popular ***** bars is West Hollywood. And the victim was a 26 year old, female banker who was leaving the bar with her companion. It said they were assaulted, before the perpetrators killed one of the women. The article said nothing about a robbery or domestic violence, only they were assaulted before they killed her. Though the article didn’t say it was anything about it being a hate crime, Alice knew, and though the article didn’t say anything about it being the same men, Alice just knew.

When Dana walked into her kitchen and saw the coffee dripping from the wall, with one of her coffee cups broken on the floor below it. Then noticed Alice by the table, huddled in a ball crying. She knew.

Alice’s world had just come crashing down.

TBC

Guys don’t have a lot to say after this chapter, other then it will start to get better for them.

Alice still has a lot to confront. I know, I know I always make Alice a little fragile. But I don’t know, I think there is a lot about Alice, that the L Word writers haven’t shown us yet. I think under all her compassion, sweetness, funniness and “I’ve got it all together act” is a very fragile person, who is waiting for that one person to love her. But then maybe we all are. Deb