The Complexities of Dating a 'Friend'

Author: Sunnycouger (foolofatook_@hotmail.com)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: You all don't honestly think that I own any of this do you? Roswell and all its characters are property of Melinda Metz and Jason Katims..I just take them out to play sometimes...

Category: Dark fic

Summary: Alex/Laurie fic set in the RBB continum! Tess drags Alex to a themed restaurant and while there they see Laurie with a date? How does Alex react? He's as cool and suave as usual of course...

Authors Notes: If you haven't read RBB all you really need to know is that Alex and Laurie know each other very well...Laurie is Tess' best friend who are now living together, Tess loves driving Alex slowly mad...the rest you should be able to pick up along the way...if not, go read Roswells Big Brother at roswellsbigbrother.tripod.com!!!

I should say that I dedicate this fic to Fez, who has been busting my head so much in the past year that she can't find any Alex and Laurie fic (that may be because they didn't share a scene together, but hey...each their own ) [plus, I'm trying to convert her to the possibility of Draco and Ginny in the HP universe so this is what I had to do *shakes head*

Um, one other thing: certain things are said in the course of this fic about a well known sporting event and certain games in this event and I should say that views expressed are not my own opinions (well, mostly ) So hopefully no one will take offence...

Are you all sitting comfortably? Well, lets get on with the fic...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alex stood outside the door and waited on the answer. "For cryin' out loud, you going to open the door already?"

He continued to knock the door irritably. This was not the night for them to piss him off.

"Sheesh, keep your hair on why don't you?" Alex looked irritably at the sight of Sean DeLuca looking at him with an annoyed looking expression as he opened the door. "Hey, you didn't bring anything! We will be here to 7 am and you didn't even bring anything to eat? Dammit Whitman, it was your turn."

Alex pushed past him and stormed in. "You will not believe the night I've had and you want me to remember to bring junk food?"

"Yes. And do I sound like a guy who wants excuses?"

"And there was me thinking a billionaire would be able to keep his fridge full." Alex muttered as Sean closed the door behind him and followed Alex down the stairs to the basement of the UFO centre. "Why the hell doesn't Brody have this at his house? My idea of fun is not one of traipsing into a UFO centre at 1.30 in the morning."

Sean walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "Because, Whitman. He has the flippin' flat 50" screen here, with surround sound and about $10 grand worth of equipment so he gets all the games. Would you really rather watch it on a normal TV?"

Alex groaned as he walked into the room and headed straight towards Kyle Valenti. He was going to die...slowly. "You!! Do you have any idea what I've been through tonight because of you?"

Kyle smirked at him and nodded his head. "Of course, Tess filled me in after you dropped her off. Really smooth work handling that by the way."

Alex looked at him murderously. "Why you..."

Sean walked past and shook his head. "Shh, we're missing the best part. You can kill Kyle later."

Alex looked over to where Sean was indicating and noticed Brody Davis standing arguing animatedly with Michael Guerin. "What is going on there? Brody? You okay?"

Brody looked up and noticed Alex. "I'm great, but *he* is not staying here with that on! I humoured him with the Sweden shirt, I tolerated the argument that Argentina was closer to here when he came wearing an Argentina shirt, I even let him get away with the argument that green was his favourite colour when he came wearing a Nigeria shirt. But the argument that he considers himself to have the same temperament as the Scandinavians during the Denmark game where he came wearing a Danish shirt was shit and now, he isn't even bothering to make an excuse! I will have no Brazil shirts in here when they are accompanied with the statement 'I'm supporting them because I want to see the look on your face when they take 5 off you and you are crying like a baby!' From him!" Brody exhaled sharply and Alex looked at him impressed. Not many guys could come out with that statement without breathing.

"Michael, maybe you should go change?" Max Evans offered tactfully. "You know, you can support Brazil without the shirt, and the hat, and the little samba dancer thing you have there."

Michael looked at Max and shook his head before turning back to Brody insolently. "No. I'm keeping this on. If you are allowed to wear your England shirt, and Kyle is allowed to wear the USA shirt when they are playing I should be allowed to wear this."

Brody looked at him exasperatedly. "Kyle is from the USA, I *am* English! You are not Brazillian!"

"I feel Brazillian today." Michael said simply. "Are you discriminating against me because I am not supporting your team? Because if that's the case, you better get over here and take the shirt. Besides, you didn't mind in the first half when you guys scored first..."

"You are jinxing my team!"

"And you have scientific proof of that?" Michael asked insolently.

Alex stifled a laugh as Brody looked around desperately for some support clearly unable to form a coherent sentence. Poor Brody, Michael always knew how to get a rise out of him and the invite to watch the soccer had just given him an excuse to do it everyday.

"Maybe you should just let him wear the shirt, Brody. That way if you win you can rub it into him?" Max said helpfully trying to sound convinced that it would happen. Alex grinned, good old Max didn't like to rock the boat too much even though Alex knew for a fact that Max was loving this.

Sean looked at Kyle and nudged him as he whispered loudly. "Like that'll happen."

Brody glared at Sean before turning to Michael and taking a deep breath. "Okay, fine. If it means that much to you wear the shirt. But, if you come in the next round wearing a Turkey shirt you will be banned. Okay?"

Michael looked at him with a smirk. "Sure, whatever. Like I'll need to wear one after today..."

Brody traipsed off muttering as he sat down in front of the TV in time for the second half and Alex sat down next to Kyle and glared at him some more. "Your girlfriend kept the fact that Laurie was dating someone from me."

Kyle groaned as he looked at Alex. "She didn't tell me either and to be fair to her you didn't ask."

"Well, you know I wouldn't ask either if there was a guy following me around with a gun aimed at my head but I would expect someone to mention it!" Alex said loudly. Was he the only one who didn't see a problem with this?

"Nice on the exaggeration there, Alex." Max said without turning away from the TV screen.

"Like you wouldn't want to know that Liz was dating someone when you had broke up...can we all remember how you reacted when you saw her and Sean together? You got all pouty and tossed your head every two seconds trying to pretend you didn't care..."

Sean began to laugh as he looked at Max. "Man I remember that, you were worse than a girl..."

Max turned to Sean and smiled. "Yet she still chose me over you, DeLuca...doesn't say a whole lot does it?"

Sean raised his hands in self defence. "Hey, some girls like that kinda feminine guy that you are. Now I, on the other hand, now have a girl who can handle a real man like me."

Kyle and Alex groaned simultaneously. Now Max had started Sean off about his girl. "Before you even follow that up, Sean. We know how great she is, we know that she is spunky, we know that you are taking her some place nice in a few weeks, we know that she can bend her legs around her head and we know that she is trying to talk to you into getting your lip pierced..."

Sean looked at them irritably. "What's up, Alex? Upset that you are the only one single...you should get used to it, 'cause it's going to be the story of your life."

"Hey, having a girl isn't the be all and end all!" Brody called over from his spot on the recliner. "It's good to pace yourself..."

Alex looked at Sean and smiled through clenched teeth. "No, I'm just upset thinking about what Kyle would do to you if I told him what you were saying about imaging what you would get up to if Ava could persuade Tess to join the pair of you for your weekend away...and if she is as flexible as Ava is..."

Kyle dropped the ball he was tossing in the air and turned and looked furiously at Sean whose eyes had widened in surprise. "You...said...what?!?!?" Alex smirked, two birds with the one stone...he inwardly snickered. That would teach them for messing with him. Don't take on the master guys, you will lose everytime...losers.

Sean looked at Alex desperately. "I never did!! I said that Ava was talking about having fun with Tess before we went away, as in sisterly fun...not, you know, fun with me...I mean come on. Would I really say that? Okay, admittedly that is the kind of thing I would say about, you know, other girls." He took a deep breath as he looked at a rapidly reddening Kyle and continued quickly. "But Tess? Your girlfriend? Would I really say that, or anything close to that? Really? I never even thought about it. I mean, come on...I wouldn't say that!"

"He's a guy, of course he would say that. Two identical girls with different demeanours and no doubt different areas of 'expertise' in certain departments. If you wouldn't be curious you would be gay..." Michael called over helpfully as Alex collapsed in a fit of giggles. Life was good.

"Dammit, Whitman! Tell him I didn't say that!" Sean said angrily as Kyle looked like he was about to pounce.

Alex sighed as he sat up. "Fine...he didn't 'say' that...happy?" He smiled sarcastically at Sean before turning to Kyle. "Had you thinking he did though didn't I? Feeling insecure?"

"What the hell did I do? It's not my fault that Laurie didn't decide to live as a nun until you decided to go for it!" Kyle said as he picked the ball up and fired it at Alex's head.

"You should be explaining to your girlfriend that there are certain things that guys need to know!" Alex yelled irritably as he tossed the ball back at Kyle who was stopped from replying with a yell from the TV screen.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. No!!!!"

"Whoo-hoo! And you call him the best keeper in the world? How did you become a billionaire with that kind of judgement?" Michael said with a smile as he looked at the screen.

Brody turned around and glared at him. "You. Shut. Up. One more word and I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Michael nodded his head and sighed. "You're right...of course you're right, just one question: do you think the keeper got a good view of that goal as the ball sailed over his head?"

"Why you..."

"Brody, you're missing the game. You know with the luck you have had so far they will probably pull something out the bag. So relax...'k?" Max said with a shake of the head at Michael who was snickering on the sofa.

Sean sighed and looked at the TV screen as Kyle turned to Alex who was now looking at the ceiling. "Okay, I can tell you're depressed. What exactly happened?"

Alex looked at Kyle who was sitting watching him with an amused smile playing on the corners of is mouth. He sighed, he was glad this amused them all. "Well, I was out with your girlfriend to the hell restaurant..."

Kyle shuddered as he looked at Alex. "Thank god I didn't have to go there."

"Yeah, well I did and who should come in but Laurie, accompanied by this...guy." Alex made a face as he continued, remembering the whole situation. "Honestly, he kept...touching her. Anyway he joined us, on your girlfriends invite. And started talking, and I honestly don't know why but I kept insulting him...he asked what sports I liked..."

"And you said?" Sean asked without turning away from the screen.

"I said I liked soccer and...baseball?"

Alex was silenced by a round of laughter from Sean, Kyle and Max. "Since when have you liked baseball?"

Alex turned to look at Max. "Well, I wasn't going to tell the new boyfriend that the only sport I was interested in was a girls sport was I?"

"I resent that!" Brody called from the other side of the room.

"Good point, but what if he had asked you about it?" Sean asked.

"Well, I would have been screwed then. Didn't matter, as soon as I said soccer he kinda clicked and started to talk about that. That's when I insulted him...i told him that Brody said the Irish had cheated..."

"I said what? I never did!" Brody spun around and looked at Alex incredulously. Was he going to get all prissy about the details? Didn't he realise that wasn't important?

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "He isn't going to know that...and I didn't say you by name. I just needed something to wind him up...and calling his country a bunch of cheats and saying he should support England kinda did that..."

Brody, Kyle, Max and Sean all looked at Alex disbelievingly and disapprovingly. He shifted uncomfortably as he looked at them. "Don't judge me! He provoked me..."

He looked down and sighed. "Some people would feel bad..."

Max shook his head and turned back to the TV screen. "Some people wouldn't over react to seeing their 'friend' on a date..."

Kyle shook his head. "Okay, you blew it there...what else happened?"

Alex looked at him and groaned. "I promised I would behave...and then asked if he dyed his hair...and if going there was his idea of a hot date..."

Kyle let out a laugh as he looked at Alex. "Way to go, you smooth operator you..."

"Does it sound like it was fun?" Alex said as he dropped back further in a beanbag. "Because I can tell you no one was laughing...well, apart from Tess after she had finished throwing daggers in my direction. I swear I didn't know women had as many looks like they could kill you until I saw Laurie and Tess tonight. They have been a bad influence on each other." He rubbed his shin consciously. "Tess kicked me, and pulled my hair. I would be careful of Ava spending a lot of time with them Sean, Tess will suck all the niceness out of her..."

Kyle looked at Alex threateningly. "Poor Alex can't handle a girl..."

"Guys, come on...a little quiet. We are trying to watch the game here..." Brody called over nervously from the TV.

"No, I can handle girls, I just can't handle the spawn of Satan..." Alex said simply as Sean began to snicker. He had to admit, as far as sympathy went guys sucked. He would have been better having this conversation with Liz and Maria, they at least would have felt his pain. Even Max, the worlds most sensitive straight guy was watching the game instead of helping him out? What was wrong with that?

"Okay, tell us about Kieran? How serious are they?" Sean asked wearily as Brody swore loudly at Michael who was throwing smart mouth comments at the TV screen.

Alex shook his head and groaned. "Well, I would put them as much more serious than I got with Isabel after 3 months if you catch what I'm saying..."

Sean and Kyle winced sympathetically at him as Kyle looked at him questionably. "But not as serious as you and Isabel were when you split?"

Alex shook his head and let out a sigh of relief. "Thankfully no, not that serious...i don't think anyway..."

Max looked over at them with a strangely green tinge. "Um, guys can we please change the subject, there's some things a guy should just not know about his sister..."

Alex began to laugh as he held his hands up. "Sorry Max."

"So, we get that he's obviously rather...shall we say, persuasive at times...what else?"

"Some would say persuasive I would call him a fast moving jerk." Alex said simply as he sat up. "Plus, you know...he has a kinda 'peppy' look about him...he's just wrong for her."

"As opposed to someone who wasn't available? And who dresses like a reject from a bad teen movie?" Sean asked as he turned away towards the TV.

Alex rolled his eyes in frustration. "God, are we going to bring that up at *every* available opportunity? Yes, I wasn't available...are we going to lynch me for that?" He looked at Sean and added stroppily. "And I do not dress like a reject like that."

"Well, when I met him he seemed decent enough...Max liked him as well. Didn't you Maxwell?" Michael said simply without turning away from the screen. Max zipped around and looked at Alex apologetically.

"In my defence she introduced him as a friend from night school when I was at Michael's...and you were dating Isabel at the time so..."

Alex groaned loudly. "You all suck. Was I the only one who didn't know?"

"No, just Tess and Michael knew..."

Sean smirked slightly. "And you, Evans...you knew for how long?"

Max shifted slightly as he turned back to the TV and clearly tried to change the subject. "So, Brody...how are you guys doing now?"

"They're in a deeper whole than you are Evans." Kyle said with a laugh as Sean looked over at Michael.

"So, Guerin...did Maria meet Laurie's new guy?" Sean grinned.

Michael shook his head. "Nah, I figured she wouldn't approve."

Alex looked at Michael. He was a reasonable guy, he must see things from Alex's point of view. Michael would understand where he was coming from. "Michael, so...you are going to tell him that he's out of order, right?"

Michael looked at him like he was the stupidest man on the planet. "Why?"

"Well, did you not hear what I have been talking about for the last 40 minutes?"

Michael turned away from him. "I have better things to do with myself than to listen to you losers. I have a team to support..."

Alex looked at Sean and Kyle indignantly before turning to Michael and giving him a double thumbs up sign. "You got your priorities spot on there."

Michael looked at Alex briefly before smirking at an anxious looking Brody's face. "What's the big deal...I mean he's a good guy, he has a job, he didn't keep her hanging around for a year. Personally I think that she is better of with someone like him than someone..."

Alex looked at him aggressively. He could tell what was coming a mile away. "Like?"

Michael smirked and turned to the game. "Well, a loser...like you. no offence Whitman, but she can do better than you...I told her that when she told me she was going out on a date."

Alex paused as Michael took a bite from his Tabasco covered bagel. "Wait...wait...she asked you about me when she was first dating Kieran?"

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Well, asked is probably a bit much. Basically she said : 'I'm not sure if this is right, I mean there's still the whole Alex thing...' so I said to her, 'Laurie, the guy went with Isabel...he's with Isabel...they're together. He dumped you, he left you for Isabel...he's a scumbag and you can do better.'"

"Guys! Come on, we're trying to watch the bloody game here!" an irritable Brody called over as Alex looked at Michael in disbelief.

"You...you told her to date him?"

Michael smirked as he began to laugh. "Yeah, and she seems pretty happy with it. Nice guy..."

Alex looked at Michael as he took a bite of his bagel again and began to laugh himself: Guerin had to pay, and he knew just the way. "Yeah, yeah...I guess you're right...he is a nice guy, and she does seem happy. Of course...that might be to do with the fact that she's having sex with him every night!"

Michael coughed abruptly as his eyes widened and he looked at a now grinning Alex.

"Now who's the 'nice guy'? Yup, we all know what him and Laurie are probably up to right now...and the fact that she has her own place...and Tess saw him at 6am...."

Michael spat out his bagel and looked at Alex, looking visibly green. Alex looked at him innocently. "What's wrong?"

Michael glared at Alex and walked over to the phone and picked it up and began dialling a number. Alex looked over to Kyle and Sean and shrugged his shoulders as they looked at him disbelievingly, "hey, if I have to deal with it Mr Happy should have to deal with it as well."

Sean sighed and tossed a can of soda to Alex. "Cruel, cruel, cruel..."

Alex sighed and turned to look at Michael who was still semi hyperventilating holding the handset.

"Laurie! Put Kieran on the phone! Do not give me the shit that he's not there, I know he is! Alex told me everything."

He strutted up and down as he glared at Alex. "Kielty! What the hell have you been doing to my sister?"

Alex groaned and looked at Kyle, Sean and Max. "I just made this a whole lot worse for myself didn't I? God, I'm an idiot..."

Sean got up and grabbed a can from the table and patted his head condescendingly. "That you are. Have a beer, drown your sorrows in a last drink before Laurie kills you in the morning."

Alex sunk down in the beanbag. Could his life get any worse at this point? "You think I could get out of state after the USA game before Laurie gets over here?"

"I could explain to my dad that you are in fear of your life...he would probably ease up on the speed limit, just to get rid of you."

"Oh thanks a lot, Valenti."

"Your welcome." Kyle said with a smirk as he looked over at Brody who was sitting on the edge of his seat pleading with the TV.

"You okay, Brody? You look a little..." Alex began as he heard a shrill whistle come from the TV. Oh oh...that couldn't be good. "Upset?"

Brody stared at the TV and swore loudly. Alex, Kyle, Max and Sean looked at each other awkwardly. What would be a good thing to say?

"Well, that's him told." Michael said aggressively as he walked back towards them and sat the phone down. He looked towards them as Max tried to convey to him to be quiet before nodding towards Brody. Michael turned his head and looked at Brody, who now had his head in his hands. He grinned and began to laugh loudly. "Ha! What did I tell you? Did I not say you would cry like a baby? Was I right?" He looked towards the others happily before turning back to Brody. "So tell me? How much did you think you were going to win it?"

Brody turned around slowly and took a deep breath as he looked at Michael. "You....you..."

"Come on Brody, calm down. He's not worth it..." Max began diplomatically as Michael continued to laugh. "Sean, give Brody a beer...I think he needs it."

Sean looked at Max and shrugged his shoulders as he threw a can over. Alex grimaced. Max Evans recommending alcohol? Couldn't be good...

"So, getting back to Laurie..." Alex began as all the others turned towards him and groaned.

Brody stood up and grabbed Michael's samba doll and threw it against the wall before smiling strangely at Michael. "If the shirt is still on when I get back I promise you I will buy your little apartment block, toss you out on the street to turn it into an oversized chicken coop."

Alex flinched as Brody walked towards him and smiled. "Alex, could you stand up a second?"

Alex looked at the others quizzically. "Um, sure..."

Brody smiled at him pleasantly as he ushered him over towards the door. "Alex? You know I like you, right? I mean, we're pretty close. So I hope you take this in the way it's intended. Get out!"

Alex took a step back and laughed. "Excuse me?"

Brody patted his shoulder sadly. "Get out. Go sort out whatever you did with Laurie, sleep, buy lots and lots of junk food and we'll see you tomorrow! We can't watch the game with you yapping about your damn non love life in the background! And I will probably either kill you or Michael if you stay and I actually like you so you should go."

"You...you're throwing *me* out? Really? Me? Come on!"

Brody looked at him and sighed. "I hate to do it, but yeah. Between you and Michael you are both driving me crazy and I'm really not in the right kind of mood to be drove crazy..."

Alex looked at him indignantly. "You can't. It's me!"

Brody groaned. "Okay, let me see what the others think. Do any of you want Alex to stay?"
Alex looked at the others aggressively. "Max?"

"Um, Brody's choice. His TV." Max said awkwardly as he turned towards the TV. Alex shook his head. What did Liz see in him? No good foppy...how was he supposed to rule a planet?

"Michael?" Alex asked. Michael dated his best fiend. Maria would kill him if he said anything...

"Toss him. He lowers the tone...in fact you should toss DeLuca and Valenti as well...and you could maybe go with them..."
Alex narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sean. "Well?"

Sean looked at Alex and smirked. "I think he could do with some time to think about what he should do with Laurie, so yeah. Throw him out."

Alex gasped and looked at Kyle. He could rely on Kyle...Kyle was his buddy. Kyle had got him into this. Kyle owed him. "Kyle? Tell him."

Kyle looked at him in silence for a second as Alex shook his head disbelievingly. "You owe me Valenti!"

"You're right." Kyle looked and smiled as he turned to Alex. "I have to agree with Alex, I do owe him: for the Spawn of Satan comment."

Alex winced. He knew he would have paid for that sooner or later. Kyle smirked at him. "Street him Brody. Oh, and Alex? See when you are shopping for the stuff for tomorrow night? Remember, we prefer our chips crinkle cut...and it's chicken, pineapple and mushroom on the pizza, okay?"

Alex glowered at them all. This was not fair and they would pay. "You are not serious? Guys? Oh come on, what did I do?"

Kyle looked at him and sighed. "You insulted my girlfriend."

Sean nodded his head. "You nearly had Kyle killing me."

"You gave me way too much info on your relationship with Izzy." Max said as he looked at Alex. Oh now he gets a backbone?

"You wasted precious oxygen." Michael said without looking towards him.

"You can't throw me out for breathing!"

Alex turned to Brody who was holding his jacket. "You talked all the way through the most important game of the world cup..."

Alex sighed as he took the jacket. "And you're throwing me out for that?"

Brody gave him a gentle push up the stairs. "See you tomorrow. And if you mention Laurie once I will throw you out again! Or just strangle you...whatever is easiest."

Alex groaned as he walked to the door. "Thanks Brody. Remind me again to tell Maria what you did..."

Alex closed the door behind him and looked at him watch and sighed. 3.23am. What the hell was he going to do at this time and now he had no where to hide from Laurie. He looked up at the sky as he walked to his car: in the next 24 hours he had to avoid Kieran, not be killed by Laurie, apologise to her for being a jerk and kill the five people he had just left. It was going to be a busy day...

TBC

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