Where Words Fail, Music Speaks (3/14)
Title: Where Words Fail, Music Speaks (3/14)
Author: Elocineel
Fandom: The L Word
Pairing/Characters: Tibette
Rating: NC-13
Summary: Tina's with Henry, can Bette get her back?
Disclaimer: Want. Do not have, sadly.
Word Count: 1601
Spoilers: None
A/N: I loved this chapter, it took me a while to write Bette's letter to Tina, but I just powered through it... But really, I love this chapter because I loved the song, I guess it was possible that their reunion seems really...abrupt, but argh I can't stand drama, I just love to see my favourite couple back together again, so let's ignore the unlikeliness yeah? :)
It had been one week since the night they heard Angels Cry and both Bette and Tina had done different things to deal with aftermath.
Bette had sat down and after countless drafts (most likely massacring an entire forest in the process); she had finally finished the letter and planned the whole delivery down to a tee. (No pun intended!)
Tina had picked up the phone to call Bette a couple of times but chickened out halfway, luckily Bette didn’t seem to have noticed. Tina thought to herself: “Well if she didn’t even notice my calls, then she either doesn’t care for me anymore or she has something or most likely someone else occupying her time. Stop your fanciful thinking Tina and focus on the wedding!”
The truth was, with each passing day, Tina dreaded her wedding more and more, she began to question her sanity in accepting Henry’s proposal. She knew he was a good lawyer and that he seemed to be deeply in love with her but was he the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with? Could she face this man day and night, 365 days a year? She wasn’t sure anymore.
“No use thinking too much, I think Henry will blow a gasket if he finds out I’m having second thoughts, for all his merits, he has a pretty volatile temper. Better focus on something else, ah, let’s see what’s in the mail today.” Tina said aloud to an empty house for Henry was out at work.
She picked up the stack of letters and one thick, medium-sized envelope fell into her lap. It was made of creamy embossed paper and was screaming at her: “Open me!!” It was addressed to her in long looping cursive; Tina’s heart rate sped up for she recognised that writing. It was Bette’s. Almost like a moth drawn to a flame, Tina could not stop her hands from opening the envelope. She took out the letter inside and started to read.
My dearest Tina,
I know you must be in shock that I wrote to you, and I don’t blame you if you want to throw this letter into the bin immediately, but please, just hear me out. I’m so sorry for what I did to us and I want to be able to explain myself to you properly. More importantly, I want a second chance. We never grieved properly for our son Tina, we retreated into our own worlds and dealt with it the best way we could. But we never grieved together, as parents, as a couple. Candace was an escape for me, a tool for removing myself from all the pain, hurt and imperfection that I was feeling. I know my actions must have seemed callous, both to you and to her, but you must know that I was weak, so weak at that point in time. I was struggling to remain strong for you and for our family. You were so upset, how could I upset you more? I’m not making excuses for myself as I know that fundamentally, what I did was wrong. If there is something I have learnt from this, it’s that you are my life, and I will do anything to get you back with me, where you belong. I will never do anything to hurt you ever again.
When you announced your engagement to Henry, I was devastated; I didn’t know my actions had caused you to renounce your lesbian lifestyle forever more. For causing that kind of pain to you, I apologise once again. But T, I feel deep inside that you still love me, that you still care for me, if I’m wrong, please look at me and tell me. If you can do that, I will leave and never contact you again, I’ll even give you my blessings. All I want for you is to be happy, and if Henry makes you happy, then I will find it in myself to let you go.
Dig deep T, look into the depths of your heart and decide whether Henry is the one to bring you happiness. I do not want you to leap hastily into a life of unhappiness just because of something I did. Let me right the grave injustice that I did to our relationship. Give me that second chance. But before you decide, I have something I want you to hear. I have enclosed a CD, please; just finish listening to it before making your choice.
Despite everything and in light of everything, I still love you deeply, wholeheartedly.
Yours truly,
B
“Oh my god, oh my god. Bette! Oh gosh, God, thank you for having heard my prayers. But I’m afraid of getting hurt by Bette again, and what should I say to Henry? Oh what do I do now?” Tina’s mind was in a whirl, stunned by the turn of events.
“Maybe I should give that CD a try, for all I know it might help. And Bette did say to listen to it first before making a decision.” Tina calmed down and found her bearings, reaching for the CD inside the envelope.
Tina sank down onto the sofa while pressing the play button the remote.
Yeah baby
He told you he could be the man that I could never be
He has a way at making promises that he can't keep
You get so angry when I try to point this out
And still it's you who's always calling me this late at night
I know you miss the way I used to hold your body tight
You needed me girl but you never said it out
“Oh! Bette’s deepest fear was that I would go back to men; I guess my announcement really must have shaken her to the core. And I was pretty defensive whenever the gang tried to persuade me otherwise. And gosh! Bette did notice that I was calling her; she was occupied though, occupied with writing this letter. Oh Bette, after all this time, you still can read my mind!”
If you love him more just tell me so (tell me so)
But do one thing for me before you go
“I don’t love Henry more. Bette, you’ve always been the greatest love of my life. My first, last and forever!”
Open your eyes
Girl if it's love
Why can't you sleep at night
Open your eyes
Why don't you tremble when he holds you tight
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
So open your eyes
Tears were pooling in Tina’s hazel eyes, the music was speaking to her; she could almost hear Bette singing it to her. Every word struck a chord deep inside of her!
I know our history is something that we can't ignore
Just give me half the chance I'll make it better than before
Worse thing I did was give you wings to fly away
And if it's yesterday that keeps your heart from coming home
Girl I apologize for all the things that I've done wrong
To lose your love would be the price too high to pay
“Bette I accept your apology and I’m willing to work with you to fix us. Just tell me where and I’ll be there.”
He can't love you more than I do
Girl don't let his sweet lies blind you
Open your eyes
Girl if it's love
Why can't you sleep at night
Open your eyes
Why don't you tremble when he holds you tight
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
Just open your eyes
Oh no
Every night
I say a lonely prayer that you'll
Wake up and find
My love is waiting here
“Oh that night when I heard that song, it was then that I started to realise. Oh Bette, I’m sorry I haven’t been by your side. You’re not the only one that finds it hard to sleep when we’re not together. Even with Henry, it hasn’t been the same.”
Open your eyes
Yeah baby
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
Open your eyes
Oh, open your eyes
Just open your eyes
Tina was by now, sobbing silently. The song really had opened her eyes, she was certain that she wanted to give her and Bette another shot. She knew innately that Bette had repented and would be willing to do whatever it took to gain Tina’s forgiveness. She still loved Bette and it was obvious Bette still loved her. After all, wasn’t there in the Nicholas Sparks’s movie Dear John the line “Love means that you care for another person’s happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.” The question was, what would she do about Henry? Bette also hadn’t left any details on how to contact her, where exactly was Bette? It was so unlike her to do something like this and not turn up!
Author: Elocineel
Fandom: The L Word
Pairing/Characters: Tibette
Rating: NC-13
Summary: Tina's with Henry, can Bette get her back?
Disclaimer: Want. Do not have, sadly.
Word Count: 1601
Spoilers: None
A/N: I loved this chapter, it took me a while to write Bette's letter to Tina, but I just powered through it... But really, I love this chapter because I loved the song, I guess it was possible that their reunion seems really...abrupt, but argh I can't stand drama, I just love to see my favourite couple back together again, so let's ignore the unlikeliness yeah? :)
It had been one week since the night they heard Angels Cry and both Bette and Tina had done different things to deal with aftermath.
Bette had sat down and after countless drafts (most likely massacring an entire forest in the process); she had finally finished the letter and planned the whole delivery down to a tee. (No pun intended!)
Tina had picked up the phone to call Bette a couple of times but chickened out halfway, luckily Bette didn’t seem to have noticed. Tina thought to herself: “Well if she didn’t even notice my calls, then she either doesn’t care for me anymore or she has something or most likely someone else occupying her time. Stop your fanciful thinking Tina and focus on the wedding!”
The truth was, with each passing day, Tina dreaded her wedding more and more, she began to question her sanity in accepting Henry’s proposal. She knew he was a good lawyer and that he seemed to be deeply in love with her but was he the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with? Could she face this man day and night, 365 days a year? She wasn’t sure anymore.
“No use thinking too much, I think Henry will blow a gasket if he finds out I’m having second thoughts, for all his merits, he has a pretty volatile temper. Better focus on something else, ah, let’s see what’s in the mail today.” Tina said aloud to an empty house for Henry was out at work.
She picked up the stack of letters and one thick, medium-sized envelope fell into her lap. It was made of creamy embossed paper and was screaming at her: “Open me!!” It was addressed to her in long looping cursive; Tina’s heart rate sped up for she recognised that writing. It was Bette’s. Almost like a moth drawn to a flame, Tina could not stop her hands from opening the envelope. She took out the letter inside and started to read.
My dearest Tina,
I know you must be in shock that I wrote to you, and I don’t blame you if you want to throw this letter into the bin immediately, but please, just hear me out. I’m so sorry for what I did to us and I want to be able to explain myself to you properly. More importantly, I want a second chance. We never grieved properly for our son Tina, we retreated into our own worlds and dealt with it the best way we could. But we never grieved together, as parents, as a couple. Candace was an escape for me, a tool for removing myself from all the pain, hurt and imperfection that I was feeling. I know my actions must have seemed callous, both to you and to her, but you must know that I was weak, so weak at that point in time. I was struggling to remain strong for you and for our family. You were so upset, how could I upset you more? I’m not making excuses for myself as I know that fundamentally, what I did was wrong. If there is something I have learnt from this, it’s that you are my life, and I will do anything to get you back with me, where you belong. I will never do anything to hurt you ever again.
When you announced your engagement to Henry, I was devastated; I didn’t know my actions had caused you to renounce your lesbian lifestyle forever more. For causing that kind of pain to you, I apologise once again. But T, I feel deep inside that you still love me, that you still care for me, if I’m wrong, please look at me and tell me. If you can do that, I will leave and never contact you again, I’ll even give you my blessings. All I want for you is to be happy, and if Henry makes you happy, then I will find it in myself to let you go.
Dig deep T, look into the depths of your heart and decide whether Henry is the one to bring you happiness. I do not want you to leap hastily into a life of unhappiness just because of something I did. Let me right the grave injustice that I did to our relationship. Give me that second chance. But before you decide, I have something I want you to hear. I have enclosed a CD, please; just finish listening to it before making your choice.
Despite everything and in light of everything, I still love you deeply, wholeheartedly.
Yours truly,
B
“Oh my god, oh my god. Bette! Oh gosh, God, thank you for having heard my prayers. But I’m afraid of getting hurt by Bette again, and what should I say to Henry? Oh what do I do now?” Tina’s mind was in a whirl, stunned by the turn of events.
“Maybe I should give that CD a try, for all I know it might help. And Bette did say to listen to it first before making a decision.” Tina calmed down and found her bearings, reaching for the CD inside the envelope.
Tina sank down onto the sofa while pressing the play button the remote.
Yeah baby
He told you he could be the man that I could never be
He has a way at making promises that he can't keep
You get so angry when I try to point this out
And still it's you who's always calling me this late at night
I know you miss the way I used to hold your body tight
You needed me girl but you never said it out
“Oh! Bette’s deepest fear was that I would go back to men; I guess my announcement really must have shaken her to the core. And I was pretty defensive whenever the gang tried to persuade me otherwise. And gosh! Bette did notice that I was calling her; she was occupied though, occupied with writing this letter. Oh Bette, after all this time, you still can read my mind!”
If you love him more just tell me so (tell me so)
But do one thing for me before you go
“I don’t love Henry more. Bette, you’ve always been the greatest love of my life. My first, last and forever!”
Open your eyes
Girl if it's love
Why can't you sleep at night
Open your eyes
Why don't you tremble when he holds you tight
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
So open your eyes
Tears were pooling in Tina’s hazel eyes, the music was speaking to her; she could almost hear Bette singing it to her. Every word struck a chord deep inside of her!
I know our history is something that we can't ignore
Just give me half the chance I'll make it better than before
Worse thing I did was give you wings to fly away
And if it's yesterday that keeps your heart from coming home
Girl I apologize for all the things that I've done wrong
To lose your love would be the price too high to pay
“Bette I accept your apology and I’m willing to work with you to fix us. Just tell me where and I’ll be there.”
He can't love you more than I do
Girl don't let his sweet lies blind you
Open your eyes
Girl if it's love
Why can't you sleep at night
Open your eyes
Why don't you tremble when he holds you tight
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
Just open your eyes
Oh no
Every night
I say a lonely prayer that you'll
Wake up and find
My love is waiting here
“Oh that night when I heard that song, it was then that I started to realise. Oh Bette, I’m sorry I haven’t been by your side. You’re not the only one that finds it hard to sleep when we’re not together. Even with Henry, it hasn’t been the same.”
Open your eyes
Yeah baby
If it's the last thing that I ever do
Let me make this clear to you
Open up your eyes
Don't be blinded by his promises
Open your eyes
The one he says isn't who he is
There's more to us than you realize
Open your eyes
Oh, open your eyes
Just open your eyes
Tina was by now, sobbing silently. The song really had opened her eyes, she was certain that she wanted to give her and Bette another shot. She knew innately that Bette had repented and would be willing to do whatever it took to gain Tina’s forgiveness. She still loved Bette and it was obvious Bette still loved her. After all, wasn’t there in the Nicholas Sparks’s movie Dear John the line “Love means that you care for another person’s happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.” The question was, what would she do about Henry? Bette also hadn’t left any details on how to contact her, where exactly was Bette? It was so unlike her to do something like this and not turn up!