[PTL Game] Alex, Julia (joint post) Control Room

[julia walker]

Julia looked up a minute after hearing the 'swoosh' indicating someone's entry.  She had do one more search for another UFO and put it in the possible file when nothing came up to explain it from usual references.   "Hey." she greeted Alex, pointing at the Elvis story "They should find him and give him some kind of award.  As many women that end up having his love child...."   Alex chuckled and came in the rest of the way, her movements a little hesitant as she sat in the chair next to Julia's console "Hey."   Julia looked at her, chin in hand, a little curiously "What's up?"   And then it struck her.  Alex was here to talk to her and most likely it was about her friend's relationship with Nick.   "Strike that." she amended her question.   Alex put one of her hands on the desk part of the console, voice quiet "Julia, I..."   Julia smiled gently and reached over with her other hand, putting it on top of Alex's "Don't you dare say you're sorry.  Especially since you love him."   Alex blinked and looked at her friend's hand, turning hers over and looking back at Julia with a spark of hope "You don't hate me?"   "What would I do for a shopping partner?" Julia mock gasped before moving her hand to mock whap her on the arm "Of course I don't hate you."   "To be honest," Julia admitted, thinking back to her reaction and having thought about it for hours after she had reacted to the knowledge of Alex and Nick being together "I heard... well I heard you and Nick in your room.  I ran off."   Alex blinked.  She hadn't known that.   "I was ready to leave and not come back...." Julia continued "I even told Kat goodbye."   She remembered going back to the other realm and being asked if she were ready to cross over and her answer.   It had been no.   She looked at Alex "And it wasn't the thought of you two being together that really shocked me."   Julia couldn't cross over even then, she thought to herself as she looked at her friend.  Something had held her back, more than the quick flash of the image that had crossed her thoughts even then.   "It was that it was you and him being so secretive and.. it was just weird.  But everything," she pointed out with a soft smile, remembering the past couple of days involving a certain Precept before focusing on Alex again "is as it should be.  I wouldn't change a thing."   Alex studied her features for a moment before smiling, even a hint of curiosity in her expression.   "You're not mad?" she asked, wanting to make sure.   "I will be if you keep something like that from me again." Julia winked, making sure Alex knew she meant it but without heat.   Alex's smile spread with equal happiness and relief, right before she thought of Rachel and sighed.   Julia sensed a change in subject with the sigh and raised an eyebrow "What?"   Alex brought her up to date on what all had happened with Rachel, from the first stalking incident to the death and finally last night.   Since Derek had told her about most of it already Julia already had a good idea about the situation.   "And she's not going through the cold turkey stage yet and hasn't had the drug you found on her since yesterday afternoon....." Julia chewed this over before asking "Do you know the name of the pills?"   "No but I have this." Alex said, taking the bottle from her jacket pocket and giving it to Julia.   Julia accepted it looked over the unlabelled bottle before nodding at the scan "Let's find out what it is."   She gave it back to Alex who smiled and then, after a quick pause, hugged her, whispering "Thanks, Jules."   "Yeah yeah yeah.. just stick the things in and let's see what the ready make baker comes up for ingredients." Julia winked and turned to the keyboard to start the program.   Alex went over to the oblong white table and opened up the bottle, tilting it so that the pills fell onto the table's surface in a neat little pile.  Then she set the bottle down next to it, figuring they might as well get a chemical trace on that as well.   "Ready." she called back.   Julia started the scan and waited for it to finish.   "So when are you going to go shopping for clothes and stuff?" Alex asked as she came back and sat back down in the chair to wait for the report to come up on the main screen.   Julia smiled and again regarded her with chin in hand "I went catalog shopping for a good portion of it."   Alex blinked and mock gasped, putting hand to heart as if injured "Tell me you didn't!  You - catalog shopped?"   Julia chuckled and nodded, admitting "It's not half bad actually.  All I'm missing are odds and ends and a good bathrobe."   Of course, Julia thought with a crooked grin and careful not to let her inward reaction show in her expression, she could always sneak Derek's.   Alex made a face before asking "Have you seen those evil looking neon green ones?"   "Ugh, yeah.. you'll never get me in one."   They each chuckled.   "I'm glad you're on this again." Alex tapped the folder that was sitting "Derek never kept up with the paperwork.  Never."   Julia grinned.