"Clean this mess up right now!" Lexi shouted, glaring at the two idiots and pointing towards the kitchen. They hung their heads and skulked into the room, picking up empty tin cans and grabbing rags to wipe down the counters. The microwave hung halfway open, the inside covered in exploded ravioli sauce. Several boxes lay scattered on the ground in front of the pantry.
Eyebrow twitching, Lexi was startled out of her anger by a timid voice coming through her phone. "Hello? Lexi, is everything alright?" Dr. Pierce asked in concern.
"Oh! Yes, sorry Dr. Pierce, we just…have guests over." She laughed nervously, shifting the phone on her shoulder.
"That's quite alright. I assume this call is about Donna?" Lexi walked to the broom closet on the other side of the kitchen, grabbing the broom and mop while balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder. Thrusting the cleaning supplies into the engineers' hands, she wandered back into the living room.
"Yes, she's having another severe episode. She doesn't know who I am this time, so I was wondering what you suggest I do."
Law raised an eyebrow in interest, but she ignored the pirate. She lounged across the opposite side of the couch Law occupied, kicking her shoes onto the floor with a sigh. Feeling selfish, she moved to lay on her back, pushing against the man to make more room for her. He frowned and resisted against her.
"Are you a child?" He asked incredulously, and she only smiled.
"Is she physically violent?" The doctor asked, and Lexi looked to Bepo while covering the receiver.
"Has she been violent?" She asked quietly. From the kitchen, she heard Shachi shout in fear.
"She almost chopped my arm off with a knife!" Pursing her lips, she paused.
"Yup, perhaps more so than usual." She answered. Over the phone, Lexi could hear a pen scratching across paper, the doctor taking her usual notes.
"And how long has this episode been going on for?" Law tried once again to push at Lexi's feet, but she only pressed harder. She dug them behind his back and tried shoving him outwards.
"When did she start getting like this?" The bear paused.
"Maybe four hours?" He estimated.
"Several hours, 3 or four." Dr. Pierce sighed deeply.
"That's pretty long to be having an episode. I would strongly recommend you bring her to my office if at all possible. I've got the necessary tools here to help her back into a lucid state."
Lexi glanced at the clock. It was only 3:24. There was plenty of time to drive Nana over. The only problem was the four 'guests.' She really didn't want to have to deal with one PTSD-stricken grandmother and four potential criminals all at one time. In a confined space like her truck. That would be something close to hell.
"I'll see what I can do." Lexi sighed, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. She let her arm go limp, falling to the side and dangling over the side of the couch. Law glared back at her.
"What?" She asked, fully aware of what his problem was, but she just wanted to push his buttons for no reason. She hadn't seen him angry at all, and that made her curious.
"I don't appreciate your attempts to push me off of your furniture." She smirked, feeling triumph when it made him glare angrier.
"Well, see, that's the key word. My furniture. Who says you're allowed on it anyway?" He scowled, and she stuck her tongue out childishly. She may be an adult, but she was allowed her small moments of fun, right?
"Get off of my couch." She said, closing her eyes and smiling happily, specifically to get under his skin. Eyes still closed, she felt as he stilled, then rose from the cushion quickly. Her satisfaction was short lived, however, when she felt two hands wrap around her torso and lift her up into the air.
"Hey!" She cried. Eyes and mouth flying open, she was able to see as Law threw her across his shoulder and carried her to the back door.
"I don't take orders from anyone." He growled, opening the door. Lexi balled her hands into fists, banging against his back in a futile attempt to dislodge her body from his grip.
Hey hair hung down around her. The temperature on her face was rising, she could feel it, and she was willing to bet it was turning a nice deep shade of red too. Just great. The thought of her ass sticking out in the air wasn't helping at all either.
Her line of sight was narrowed to only the back of his hoodie and the ground. But, his natural scent was something she picked up on too. That only added to the embarrassment she already felt. No way would she admit she kind of enjoyed it. Instead, she opted to shout abuse until he put her down.
"Let me go, dammit!" Her fists kept pounding but he was unaffected.
"I believe that was an order too." He chuckled darkly, opening the door and stepping down the patio steps. There was a light rain, and she could feel the cold drops pelting her back.
"I swear I'll-"
"You'll what? Shoot me?" He challenged. His interruption wasn't welcome, and she huffed in irritation.
They'd reached the grass and, none too gently, he tossed her forwards and onto the wet ground. She landed on her ass, a gasp escaping her mouth. She was stunned, noticing a bit too late that Law was already walking back to the house.
"Wait a minute!" She called, getting up and running towards him. The grass was slippery, and she almost face planted back into the dirt. Luckily she recovered but before she could catch up, he had slipped inside and locked the door. Baring her teeth, she glared at Law who smirked. Her fists banged against the glass, over and over.
"Hey! Let me in!" She shouted, but Law only walked back to the living room.
Bepo watched as Law resumed his position on the couch, glancing at the back door in concern. Loud bangs resounded against the glass for several minutes, going silent after too long. He was a pirate, that was true, he was used to doing what he pleased and whatever the Captain pleased.
But Lexi was nice to them, at least, enough to not call the authorities and have them captured. It wasn't often Bepo questioned his Captain's decisions, but he truly didn't think Lexi deserved to be thrown outside in the rain.
"Captain?" He finally spoke up, gaining the attention of the man in question. "Won't Lexi get sick if she stays out in the rain too long?"
"I suppose so." He said, seemingly unfazed by the observation. "It'll teach her that I won't be taking orders from her any longer."
Bepo nodded, though still unsure about the outcome of the discussion.
*One Hour Later*
Lexi sat huddled beside the back door, trying to squeeze herself into as tight a ball as possible. There wasn't much overhang from the roof, and so the rain still poured down. It had increased in intensity, and she was now completely soaked through to the bones. Her shivering provided some warmth, at least on a molecular level. It sure didn't feel like it made a difference.
She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. It was disgusting, but there weren't that many options at that point. Her head rested against the glass, the rain streaming against her face. She closed her eyes out of reflex.
What she wouldn't give to stick it to Law, though how that would be possible escaped her. The guy was basically untouchable; he had three other comrades to fight for him, he was armed with a big-ass sword, and he was already a pirate. Obviously he'd have no problem breaking the law. Huh, he certainly didn't uphold his own name…kind of ironic.
A small click caused her to jump, and the door opened just a tad. Facing the door, she saw Penguin peek through the crack. He looked terrified of something.
"Umm…Captain says you can come inside again." He gulped, flinching when she stood. Pushing the door open wider, she stomped inside. Each step dripped water onto the ground. Her face was thundery, and she passed by the living room without even a glance in the pirate's direction.
Going upstairs, she grabbed a fresh towel from the linens closet and entered the bathroom. They said you weren't supposed to shower during a thunderstorm, but damn her if she would allow herself to catch a cold because of that bastard. She wasn't feeling the brightest at that moment and a hot shower would wash away the chilled feeling in her bones and, hopefully, the burning anger towards a certain guest in her home.
After finishing up with her shower, Lexi threw her hair up in a ponytail. The thought of taking the time and effort to style and deal with her hair was too bothersome. It was then that she realized she had forgotten to bring fresh clothes into the bathroom with her. This left her with no other choice than to walk out of the bathroom in the towel.
Sighing deeply, she pressed her forehead against the wall. "You've got to be kidding me…" She muttered under her breath.
Taking a deep breath, and silently praying that no one would be in the hall, she turned the knob and pushed the door open.
No one was in the hall. Breathing a barely audible thanks, she went straight to her room to get dressed.
Lexi reemerged from her room some time later, and all the pirates eyed her warily Law only smirked when their eyes locked. She quickly looked away, too frustrated to deal with his teasing attitude.
"I have to take Nana to her psychiatrist. I'm only taking one of you with me, if at all." She stated. Immediately, Law stood.
"I will accompany you." He said, and she gave him a deadpan look.
"Just what I had hoped for." She said with bland distaste. Grabbing her purse, she snatched the keys off the peg by the front door and waited for Law to join her.
"Bepo? Could you bring Nana to the truck please?" The bear stood and carried the protesting older woman outside in the rain. They somehow managed to strap her into the back seat without breaking any bones, considering Nana's arms and legs lashed out wherever she could reach, and Lexi shut the truck door.
"Alright, let's get this over with." She sighed, taking her seat on the driver's side. Law got in the front passenger seat, and she glared at him to remind the pirate of her intense dislike of him at that very moment Just so he wouldn't forget.
Strapping into their seatbelts, Lexi started the truck and left the driveway, starting the 45 minutes journey to town.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
