One Hundred And One Sleepless Nights

Alex was finally let out of hospital two days later. This isn't because her face hadn't stopped swelling or the remedy took a while to work. She was telling anyone who would listen how great it is at the hospital and how it's so much better than being at home. Not that I blame her, who wouldn't want meals brought to your bed, your own personal tv and someone telling you you're cute as a button every half hour.
When she had the all clear I took Alex back to mine. Mine! She immediately strolled in looking for Theo, who was hiding on top of the fridge again. While Alex was on the couch, Theo under one arm and her pillow under the other she seemed totally oblivious to all of the people who came to visit.
Vivian and Victor came and Alex only noticed their existence when Victor gave her some money. Mike and Laura came too. Then it was Tony and his new girlfriend - what happened to the old one again? After Alan graced us with his presence. Leah and Charlie visited, Leah telling me how her guy is now getting very good with his tongue. Before Austin came - without Jemma I should add - Jack came baring chocolate. No one ever visits me when I'm sick.
Alex was just drifting to sleep on the couch. A smile tugged up the corners of my lips as I picked her up and carried her through to her bedroom. This was her room, not that hole at Vic's. I set her down on her bed and tucked the covers up to her chin. She smiled in her sleep and I kissed her cheek softly before I left her.
I heard a knock at the door and went to answer. I saw Vic standing there with Alex's stuff and I sighed. "About time," I rolled my eyes. "I've been waiting forever."
"Well I'm sorry!" Vic exclaimed. He stumbled in and set the bags down. I frowned at him and he went over to my kitchen. I followed him and watched as he got out a slice of bread and started to eat it with no hands. I feel like I'm trapped in the twilight zone.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Like you care." he sneered and got another slice.
"Stop eating all my bread." I sighed.
"That's all you care about!" Vic yelled. "Your precious bread."
"Vic, Alex is asleep so kindly shut up." I snapped.
"Fucking bread!" Vic spat and threw the slice across the room. Well I am having no luck with him tonight.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. Vic shrugged and stumbled over to my sitting room to lie on the couch. I followed him and sat down next to him. I wrinkled my nose and shuffled away. "How much have you had to drink? You stink."
"Just a little drink." he started laughing to himself.
"Right, you didn't drive did you?" I suddenly asked.
"What if I fucking did?" he asked.
"Why don't I call you a cab and you can go home." I tried.
"No! Zee I wanna' talk."
"Um... Okay." I agreed cautiously.
"Right... You know the woman... What's her face?" Vic knitted his eyebrows together as he thought. "Brown hair. Nice chest. Valks Vike Vis."
"Polly?" I asked.
"That's it!" he exclaimed.
"She does not talk like that," I rolled my eyes. "I think that's racist."
"Who fucking cares?" he laughed.
"Okay, so Polly?" I urged.
"She starts like what the fuck? Then we're screaming and stuff and I just wanna' kiss her to shut her up. But she don't wanna' kiss. Why not? I mean look at me!" Vic exclaimed.
"Hmm..." I muttered.
"You'd kiss me." Vic rushed.
"Right now I wouldn't go near you with a ten foot barge pole." I told him.
Then Vic turned around sat up and went to lean up. I back away and lay back on the couch. I watched Vic coming towards me and put my hand on his chest. No. I'm not doing it.
"Stop." I warned.
"Come on, Zee," Vic moaned. I rolled my eyes and tried to push him back. Vic stood up and went to pounce on top of me. I feel like the poor gazelle being chased by the big scary lion. "You wanna' sex me. I wanna' sex me."
"Then go home and spend and five minutes in the bathroom." I snapped.
"Five! I can go for five hours."
"Just you keep telling yourself that, Mr Hotshot," I mocked. Vic went to kiss me again but this time I held his face roughly in my hands. "Stop." I told him.
"Why doesn't anyone wan' me? All you chicks are yuck!"
"Right." I muttered. Vic backed away from me and started huffing around like a teenager.
"Go home," I told him. Vic sighed and pouted at me. "Now, go home."
"I wan' you Zee. I love you." he tried.
"Lovely. Go home." I said firmly.
"Fine!" Vic said and started gesturing around wildly.
"Give me your keys. I'm not letting you drive." I said. Vic searched his pockets and threw the keys at me.
"Have a nice night, you key hogging bitch!" Vic yelled before he stormed out of my apartment. I know I should probably be angry, but honestly I can't stop giggling.

I haven't seen Vic since he drunkenly came to my apartment. Which is actually pretty awful considering it's been weeks now. Alex's birthday has came around and he hasn't even called me. It's a good thing his mother runs a tight ship, as much as I hate to admit it. I only dropped Alex off last week and I was informed the birthday party was going to be hosted at their house and I agreed to it months ago - which I can assure you I did not.
But on the day of the party the house does look pretty damn good. There are banners outside as I arrived and balloons lining the path. Alex's eyes brightened and she took my hand excitedly. The door opened and she completely forgot about me and ran to Vivian. It still amazes me how she can show normal, happy human emotion to Alex.
I walked inside behind them and saw there were streamers and banners and balloons and glitter everywhere. Mike who was apparently helping out is absolutely covered in glitter. "Looking good, princess." I teased.
"Don't," he warned. "Just don't." he told me playfully.
I saw Alex by a pile of presents before I stopped her. "No. Not until everyone is here." I warned.
"But Mom-"
"No, hands off." I told her.
"Fine!" Alex huffed.
Slowly people started to arrive. Loads of Alex's school friends had been invited. As I was standing in the kitchen getting a drink I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and my eyes widened. I saw Polly and I looked around, no Vic.
"Hi," I muttered. "No Vic?"
"He's with all of the guys somewhere." she shrugged.
"Oh, okay?" I don't know how I even get hired for shoots, I can't even deal with a simple conversation.
"I just wanted to say sorry again for what happened with Alex." Polly said sincerely.
"That's okay," I shrugged. "It wasn't your fault."
"I just-" she started but stopped. Polly covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Damn it! What do I do?! I awkwardly patted her back and thought what would Jemma do.
"It'll be okay." I tried gently.
"No, it's just... Vic and I really aren't doing good." she cried. I handed her a tissue but that made her cry harder. Where's Austin where you need him? He'd know what to do.
"You're not doing good?" I eventually asked.
"No, we're always arguing," she told me softly. "And we haven't had sex in weeks!"
"Okay, shhh.... There's children in the vicinity."
"Why doesn't he want me? Am I ugly?"
"No... You're very neat."
"Neat?" she echoed.
"Hmm yeah." I nodded.
"I think he's cheating on me, Zandra." Polly admitted.
"No!" I gasped. "Really?"
"He's always with the band. But when I asked Laura she said Mike is always with her. Same goes for Jess and Jaime," she sniffed. "What should I do?"
"You could always- no maybe not."
"What?"
"It's a stupid idea." I sighed.
"Please, I'll do anything."
"You could follow him."
"Follow him." she echoed. "Will it work? Have you ever done it?"
"I've done it in my youth." It was last week.
"What happened?"
"We followed him. He actually was cheating." I make it sound so casual. It actually involved Charlie and I buying beige coats and deerstalker hats and following her boyfriend in a cab all day. It did work out and I actually think the cab driver quite enjoyed himself too.
"Maybe I should." Polly nodded. Oh god, what have I done? Vic will murder me.
"Mommy!" I heard. I saw Alex running over and I bent down to talk to her.
"Having a good birthday, baby?" I asked.
"Where's Uncle Alan?" she asked. I had a looked around and couldn't see him. Actually I never saw him come in either. If he's blown off the party I'll kill him.
"I'm just going to pick him up." I lied.
"Really?"
"Sure, go and play," I urged and she ran off. "I need to sort something." I told Polly and left her to cry some more.
"Hey." I said to Austin.
"Sorry, manager." he said and gestured to his phone.
"Mike-" I tried, walking over.
"Got to help with the cake." Mike shrugged and hurried away from me. Do I smell?
I spotted Vic on his own looking down at his phone in the corner. I went over and grabbed his ear. I pulled him out into the corridor with him complaining all the way. "Oh shhh." I told him.
"Ouch, Zee." Vic whined. I let him go and took his arm instead.
"After what you did a few weeks ago you have no say." I told him lightly.
"Where are we going?" Vic asked as I took him outside.
"To Alan's."
"Why?"
"Because he isn't here."
"Have you tried phoning him?" Vic asked. I actually haven't but I can't tell him that.
"Of course." I rolled my eyes and went to my car.
We got inside and I started driving. I was heading for Alan's apartment. As I drove Vic was annoyingly taping on the dashboard. "Why are you getting Alan though?"
"He's going through a bad time. He was supposed to come but never. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Plus, Alex asked for Uncle Alan." I explained.
"She asked me for Aunt Leah but we're not chasing her." Vic shot back.
"Hey, leave Leah alone." I snapped.
"I don't get why you like her." he shook his head.
"Because she lets me talk shit about you and doesn't tell anyone." I said absent-mindly. Vic rolled his eyes at me and I parked up outside Alan's.
We got out and went up to Alan's apartment. I stopped outside it and knocked. When I knocked I saw it wasn't actually closed, but the chain was on. "Alan!" I called. "It's Zee!" I yelled. But I couldn't hear anything.
"It doesn't look like he's in." Vic shrugged.
"Then why is the door open?" I asked like he was stupid. "All we have to do is snap the chain," I thought to myself. "Do you have any pliers?"
"Let me just have a look in the toolbox I carry around everywhere with me." he mocked.
I huffed and went to walk along the corridor. I went down to the ground floor and saw a door marked maintenance. I knocked but got no answer. I opened the door and peeked inside. It was empty. I started searching the room until I found a toolbox. I found a pair of pliers and hurried back to Vic.
"Where did you get those?" Vic demanded.
"I found them?" I tried.
"You can't go stealing peoples pliers." Vic told me.
"I can do what I want." I said easily.
"And you can't just break the chain. You'll have to pay for it!"
"My best friend could be in there in a coma!"
"A coma? How did he get into a coma?" Vic asked disbelievingly.
"Stop asking stupid questions." I told him.
I set the pliers on the chain and snapped it. I handed Vic the pliers and pushed the door open. I wrinkled my nose as I walked inside. Everywhere you walked, in every room there was a carpet of dirty clothes, beer bottles and a stench of weed. I went into his bedroom and saw women's clothes in a neat pile.
"He's not here!" I called to Vic. "And there's been a woman unless he's started cross dressing!"
"Zee, come see this!" Vic yelled. I followed his voice and saw him kneeling by a small packet of white powder. I gasped and Vic handed it to me. I anxiously dabbed my finger inside before I touched it to my tongue. I started to cough and shudder. "What is it?" Vic rushed.
"Sherbet. Grow up, Alan." I sighed.
"What are you doing?" I heard someone ask. I turned around and saw Leah.
"We're trying to help Alan. What are you doing here?" I asked. Leah looked around and shifted uncomfortably.
"Oh my god!" Vic exclaimed. "You're the woman. You're the one who's been seeing Alan!" he laughed.
"I-" Leah tried but stopped. "Why don't we sit down and I'll explain." he told us heavily.

Notes

Hey! Ohh big chapter! What did you think? What about a drunken Vic? What about Polly - keep to the good thing for every bad please! And what's going on with Alan and Leah? I know I'll get someone saying - but Alex was born in January blah blah blah. I know she was and this obviously isn't January. But it works and fits well and it's my story ;) Let's just pretend!
Also if you do message me (which I love, please do! I'm always here for you) and I don't reply in one day comment and tell me you've wrote me a message or tell me on tumblr! The main site I use is PTV so sometimes I won't check the SWS, BMTH and OM&M - this story is across four sites! I get lazy! Just remind me to check :)