Alice frowned. Dammit, Dana, how could you not tell me? Then she remembered the person with whom Dana not only exchanged emails with regularly, but also she sent cookbooks to. "Hey, La–"

Lara wasn’t there.

Alice glanced around, and decided there was only one place Lara would go to get away from her. She ignored the Employees Only sign on the kitchen doors, hoping Kit wouldn’t see her and haul her ass out of the place.

Lara stood in the corner, by the freezer, and upon seeing Alice, scanned her immediate surroundings for an escape route.

"Whoa, hey, Soup Chef, easy." Alice said quickly.

"Alice, I don’t want to talk about it."

"Yeah, well, what you want and what you need are two different things." Alice argued. "Dana’s fucking us over, you especially."

"She’s not."

"Oh, no?"

"Look, when she left she made it clear she wasn’t promising me anything."

"So?"

"So she doesn’t owe me an explanation."

"Fuck that, Lara, and we both know how wrong you are on that point."

Lara frowned at her. "No, I’m pretty sure I’m right."

Alice paused, then conceded that point. "Okay, sure, but, you know, she turned to you when she left the hospital. You were the one she counted on, and not me."

"Yeah, but you were there for her every single minute she was at the hospital."

"I was a stand-in for you."

"She needed you, Alice, not me."

Alice groaned in frustration. "Stop being so argumentative!"

"Stop being wrong!" Lara countered.

"I’m not wrong!" Alice insisted.

"I’m pretty sure you are." Lara said.

"Hey, Red, shut up and let me comfort you!" Alice snapped.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Lara looked at Alice expectantly. "Well?"

Alice hugged the redhead.

It was…

The single most awkward hug either woman had ever been part of.

Finally, mercifully, they stepped away from each other.

They paused briefly, and both shuddered.

"Heart in the right place but never again?" Lara guessed.

Alice nodded. "We’re gonna stick to the sparring."

"Deal."

"Great."

"Get out of my kitchen."

"Gladly." Alice turned to leave, then stopped and turned back to Lara. "I hate her for not even telling you."

Lara smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Alice smiled, and left the kitchen.

Lara took a deep breath.

Alice suddenly returned into the kitchen. "I was wondering, how long ago did Helena leave?"

"Um, couple of minutes ago?"

"So Bette and Tina have been alone for some time?"

Lara shrugged. "Yes. Probably."

Alice turned grim. "That can’t be good."

Lara frowned at her. "I don’t get it: one day you’re against them being back together, but you’re also all about getting them back together. What’s your real opinion?"

"Duh."

"That’s not a real answer, Alice."

"I just want to give TK a hard time, you know, she really screwed Bette over. Well, both of them. I want to give them both a hard time to make sure they’re really serious about this."

"Why?"

Alice looked at the chef. "What, reasons?"

"Yes."

"Lara." Alice shook her head patronizingly. "With me, there are no reasons."

"You’re insane." Lara concluded.

"You figured that faster than Dana did." Alice told her.

Lara smiled weakly.

"So are you gonna tell our friends, or do I?"

"I’d like Dana to tell us first."

"Pooper."

"Alice."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I’m giving Dana two weeks. Then I’m telling."

"Two weeks," Lara agreed.

"You’re killing me, Red." Alice told her. "Keeping this is gonna kill me. The only thing worse will be finding out people have been holding out on me."

Lara pointed to the kitchen doors. "Leave now."

"Yeah, I’m going." Alice left.

A few feet from the kitchen, she turned back around, and poked her head into the kitchen again. "Hey, got anymore of that cheesecake?"