Reese woke early the next morning, sprawled out on the king sized bed in the guest room, to a loud, obnoxious knocking, and the next door neighbor's yappy little dog going off. Grumbling, she threw aside the covers, stumbling a little when her foot caught in the sheets and trudged out of the room and down the hall.

Whoever was at the door had moved from knocking to frantically ringing the doorbell.

"I'm coming!" she yelled, irritated. Who in their right mind would think it's okay to attack someone's door so early in the morning?

Without a second thought, Reese yanked the door open, ready to bite the head off of the person who'd ungraciously woken her up at six am, then froze completely.

"Reese... hi."

A tall, dark-haired man stood in front of her, a tiny suitcase at his side, a ratty backpack slung over his shoulder. His hair was a little longer than she'd remembered, curling around his ears and neck, but he looked almost exactly as she remembered him, and she actually had to take a step back before she could speak.

"I, er.. What... what are you doing here?" she stuttered, feeling as if someone had just punched her in the gut. "I thought you'd... you'd moved back home."

He shook his head and smiled a little. "Well... I'm back."

That was possibly the lamest thing he could have said in that moment, and white hot anger bubbled up in Reese's chest. She clenched the doorknob tighter and took a shaky step toward him.

"You're back? Why the hell would you come here? How did you even know how to find me?"

He looked up at her, all sad eyes and shaking hands, completely and utterly pathetic. She wanted to smack him. To spit in his face and slam the door and let him scurry back to his mother.

Instead, and without a word, Reese moved back and let him stumble in, dragging his bag at his feet. She motioned for him to sit down at the table, and he did so, stiffly, obviously uncomfortable. Good, she couldn't help thinking, satisfied.

"Alex..." she started, her voice catching. It'd been months since she'd spoken his name, the last time in the form of an outraged scream as she threw him out of their apartment. "What are you doing?"

"My mother... she, ah, passed away," he whispered. "I had to sell her house, and I've pretty much hit rock bottom."

Reese took a shaky breath but didn't say anything. Alex must have taken this as a signal to continue.

"I called your mother -- and I am sorry about that -- but I really couldn't think of anything else. That's how desperate I am."

"Your mother..." Despite her anger, Reese was taken aback. "Wow, I'm sorry."

"She told me where you were, your mom," he went on as if he hadn't heard her. "And... well.. I honestly don't know what else to say."

Reese folded her hands in front of her. Kept them steady. "Why are you here?" she repeated.

He looked her directly in the eye. "I need a place to stay."

No. She must've heard him wrong.

"You're... kidding, right?"

Alex shook his head slowly, rubbing his chin with one hand. "I wish I was," he sighed. This is about as low as it gets. But I don't have much of a choice at this point."

"Why would you think..." Reese was at a loss for words. "Why would I help you? After what you did...?"

And he seemed to have no explanation. He just sat there, infuriatingly still. She should have felt bad for him. Instead, she wanted to punch him.

"I know you're a sweet girl, Reese," he murmured after a while. "And I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you. You didn't deserve it."

"Damn right," she snapped. "I didn't deserve it."

"I also know that you help people... even if you don't want to."

She felt anger flare again, deep in her chest. Who the hell did he think he was, telling her who she was?

"You don't know anything about me, you cheating bastard!" she snapped. "I am sorry about your mother, but you're going to have to find somewhere else to stay. Please leave, now."

Alex looked shocked. Taken aback. Some twisted part of Reese felt satisfied, and she shoved back the wave of guilt the came soon after. He's a bad guy. He's a terrible guy!

His mother died...

Alex didn't move, just stared up at her with an infuriatingly dumbfounded expression.

"...What?"

"I want you to-"

She was cut off by a knock on the door. Alex, looking increasingly confused, watched her stumble back to the door in an angry panic. Who was here to bother her now?

Tom's bright face greeted her as she yanked the door open, then quickly shrunk into concern as he caught sight of her.

"Reese, hey, are you okay?" he asked, stepping in. Reese, surprised, nodded hastily, praying he wouldn't see Alex in the next room.

"Me? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! I'm great!"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "I was just gonna... see if you wanted to hang out for a bit before I leave, I..." he paused. "You're sure you're okay?"

Reese nodded again, leaning over him to close the door in a lame attempt to turn his back to the kitchen. "That'd be great, it's just... I have a thing... at the moment, and it's really important-"

"Reese?" Alex called, and she froze. The idiot!

"Who's that?" Tom asked, pushing past her. Reese sighed and followed him into the kitchen, where Alex was on his feet and looking incredulously at Tom.

"Who's this?" he asked Reese.

Reese glared at him, moving to stand next to Tom. "He's my friend, not that it's any of your business," she hissed.

"Boyfriend?"

"What?"

"You're living together?"

Reese was about ready to snap. "No, and it's none of your business. Now, I think you should get going. There's a hotel near here, I can give you directions." Reese surprised herself with the briskness in her voice.

"Reese?" Tom glanced over at her questioningly. "Er, can I talk to you a minute?"

Reese sighed, relenting, and marched back into the living room, Tom close behind. When she stopped, quite suddenly, he almost smashed into her.

"Who is that guy?" he asked once they were out of earshot. "What is he doing here?"

"He's Alex," Reese told him, slumping against the wall and crossing her arms. "The guy I told you about... he says his mother died, or something."

"The guy who cheated on you?"

"Well, yeah, he needs somewhere to stay, or something. I believe his words were 'I've hit rock bottom.'"

Tom clenched his fists and seemed to grow. She'd never seen him this angry before, and it kind of scared her.

"Are you going to let him stay?" he asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Um... no, I-"

"His mother died, huh?"

Reese nodded, dropping her hands to her sides. Tom relaxed a little, his face softening.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this... but maybe you should let him stay, just until he can find a job or something."

What?

"A-are you serious?"

"Look," Tom put his hands in front of him like he was afraid she was about to pounce. "I hate him as much as you do -- maybe even more -- but will you really be able to sleep, knowing he's out on the curb because you kicked him out?"

Reese opened and closed her mouth like a landed fish, speechless.

"You want him to stay?" she stuttered. Tom shrugged.

"It's the decent thing to do."

Reese pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Tom, he crushed me. It's hard to get over something like that."

Tom seemed to fall into silent resignation, his shoulders sagging, looking down at her with tired eyes.

"Reese, ultimately it is your decision, I'm just saying you might regret it later."

Reese stood there awhile, frozen in thought, staring mindlessly over Tom's shoulder. She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"I.... I trust you, Tom," she managed. And it was true. "I don't want to do the same thing he did to me."

Tom smiled and slapped her shoulder playfully. "That's the spirit!"

She took a deep breath and pushed back into the kitchen. "Fine," she spat, stopping behind Alex so she was staring at his back. He looked up and around hopefully.

"W-what?"

"I'll let you stay for a bit." Reese glared daggers at the ground, unable to make eye-contact with him. "Just until you can get your lazy ass up to find a job -- even if it's at a gas station."

The relieved look on Alex's face almost made her anger flare up again, and she busied herself by moving to the staircase, far enough away she wouldn't be tempted to punch him. "C'mon," she muttered. "I'll show you to your room."

Alex trailed after her, his movements drowned out by Reese's deafening stomping. She knew she was acting like a four-year-old denied desert, but she let herself have it after what she'd woken up to. If only she'd stayed in bed...

"Here." She threw open the door to a room on the third floor and stepped aside for him. It was small, probably the smallest or second smallest room in the house, but Alex seemed thankful all the same, giving her one last smile before she left, calling over her shoulder he was on his own for meals.

Tom was waiting downstairs, leaning against the kitchen table, not even bothering to hide his curiosity. "How long will you let him stay?" he asked, pushing away to walk towards her. It was a question Reese did not have an answer to, so she settled for a weak shrug.

"I have no idea."

"Well, how about some breakfast?" he burst, clapping his hands together. Reese raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be getting back home?" she asked uneasily.

"I don't have filming for a while," he told her, grabbing his coat. "I've got nothing better to do. Besides, you look like you need a pick-me-up."

Without another word, he tossed Reese her jacket and swept out the door, leaving her to scramble after him.

"Tom!" she called, catching up at the sidewalk. "I shouldn't leave Alex alone here, or my dad. They're-"

"Both adult men," he finished. "You need to get out."

"What if he... I don't know... robs me, or something?" Reese mumbled, feeling instantly silly for suggesting it.

Tom sighed and bent down to look her directly in the eye. "Does that seem like something he would do?" he asked seriously. Reese turned her gaze to the cement. A loose leaf stuck under her shoe.

"No," she said.

"Good, let's go. I'll call a cab." Tom straightened up and walked briskly to the corner, not even pausing to wait for her.