“She was an FBI agent too,” said Alice between bites of her lo mein.  Sucking in a noodle, chewing and talking, “One of the best too, she had a partner, Emma Young, you know, the same Emma whose kid was with Spencer?  Yeah, that one.  Same one, imagine, they caught a record number of unsubs, that means unidentified suspects, in the three years they were agents with the BAU, that’s behavior analysis unit, for all of you un-CSI schooled.  Then Jo left, cold turkey, off the face of the earth, and resurfaced approximately two years ago, she only just got her death certificate rescinded,” stated Alice.

            Tina, Bette, Lara and Carmen stared at her, wondering silent to themselves, where Alice had found all of this out, “What?” asked Alice in an exaggerated voice.

            “How do you know all of that?” asked Bette crossing her arms over her chest and giving Alice a very long hard look.

            “I asked Julie,” stated Alice with an off handed shrug.  “What?  Hey, she’s dating you, and, no offence, but I sort of didn’t want you falling prey to some vampire woman.”

            “Vampire?” stammered Bette almost choking on her water.

            “Yeah, you know?  Sucks the life out of you?  Hides you from your friends, cuts you off from society?” grunted Alice.

            “Right, that sort of vampire…,” chuckled Bette nervously, focusing her attention on putting her plate in the garbage.

            “Are there any other?  Well, except for Uta, but that was another story all together,” said Alice with a wave of her hands.  Making Lara laugh, the red head getting up, packing up the food and being silent, her conversation with Carmen still clung to her mind.  That Alice was still in love with Rosita Navarro, the heroic woman who had gone back off to war.  Lara wasn’t sure how she should, or could, compete with such a person.  Lara thought that hanging in the background, making Alice see reason, making Alice come to her and not the other way around was the best course of action.

            “Nafaratu,” whispered Lara with a smile.  Alice moved over to her, Tina and Bette falling into a soft conversation about Angelica and what they were going to do with her for the next few days. 

            “Yeah, well, I’ve had a few adventures you know?” smiled Alice, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lara, looking over at the intense look on the sexy chef’s face.  Vivid blue eyes met Alice’s dark one’s and Alice instantly remember the attraction to her, the want rose in her belly.  But she battened it down, she’d made a promise to Rosita and she meant to keep it, no matter what. 

            “I know, I was on a few,” smiled Lara.  “I know you told Rosita you’d be here when she got back, but does that mean we can’t be friends?” asked Lara innocently.

            Alice thought about it for a moment, thinking that there was no harm in being friends with Lara, she was, after all, friends with Bette.  “Yeah, I think that’s acceptable.”

            “Good,” smiled Lara.  “I did miss you, Alice.  And not just in the capacity of you and I as a couple, but you and I as friends.”

            “I’d like that, me and you, friends,” grinned Alice turning and seeing that Angelica was awake, scooping her up and hugging her, kissing her forehead and the young girl cooed at her.  Lara watched her, smiling inside, knowing she at least had a foot in the door.

            Carmen moved from the bed, watching hard, jaw clenched, not liking what she was seeing.