Ditch The Halo: Chapter 8 (All My Children/The L Word Crossover)
Title: Ditch The Halo
Author: cgirl
cgirlspalace
Rating: R for mature themes. Please read responsibly.
Archiving: Only for Passion & Perfection
Fandom: All My Children, The L Word
Pairing: Bianca Montgomery/Bette Porter, Bianca Montgomery/Maggie Stone
Note: I shall be posting new chapters daily. And don't worry if you don't follow the ABC soap opera, All My Children. I only know it through the YouTube videos. Trust me; it won't take much to catch on to the action. Muchas gracias for the feedback!
Extra Note: The timeline for Bette is midway through Season 4 - After her and Tina have agreed to joint custody of Angelica, but before Bette meets Jodi Lerner.
Chapter 1: I'm A Bomb
Chapter 2: We Be Like This
Chapter 3: "Oh, F*ck!" And Other Such Important Realizations
Chapter 4: Wherein More Sh*t Hits The Fan
Chapter 5: Don't You Dare Stop Doing What You're Doing
Chapter 6A: Can I Watch?
Chapter 6B: Worlds Collide And Stuff Happens
Chapter 7: Charades, Illusions, And Other Such Accessories
Disclaimer: Bianca, Maggie, Kendall, Greenlee etc belong to AMC/ABC. Bette Porter belongs to Illene Chaiken and The L Word.
___________________________
DITCH THE HALO
CHAPTER 8: IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL FOREPLAY?
Kendall had her arms crossed, and her foot was tapping incessantly on the floor of the large, well-lit, cavernous room that was the Fusion basement. She had her eyes trained on this particular specimen for the last ten minutes, observing from every peripheral angle.
She turned to her business partner. “Greenlee, you hired them, right?"
“For the hundredth time, yes, Kendall, you micro-manager! I, Greenelee Smythe-Et-Cetera, hired them! IMG is the best!”
“Not the firm! You picked the girls yourself, right?”
“If you ask me that one more time…”
“Then can you please come here?”
Greenlee narrowed her eyes at Kendall. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being nice?”
”Greenlee! Get over here!”
“Okay, what!”
“Take a look at that one.”
“Which one?!”
”The tall, gangly one!”
“Way to narrow it down, Kenny.”
“Don’t call me Kenny! The one standing sitting in the third make-up chair.”
“Okay, looking. What is she thinking wearing those? If you’re going to wear dressy sneakers, you go with Puma, not Converse. Unless you’re looking for the hipster look. Man, young kids these days! Isn’t Vogue required reading in schools yet?”
“Greenlee,” she growled, her already short patience strained.
“What! Shut it, Kendall, or I’m putting you on decaf!”
Kendall took a deep breath. Murder was a felony. “Look at her face.”
Greenlee raised her eyebrow. “Big eyes, great bone structure, shiny hair, nice skin.”
“Look closer…”
Greenlee huffed at her, but Kendall just nodded. Greenlee peered, trying to see what Kendall didn’t want say out loud.
And suddenly Greenlee’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah, Greenlee. Oh. You told me you picked who you personally thought were the hottest girls from their roster.”
“I did! I selected each one!”
“Then do you care to share how this happened??”
“Um. No. I swear I didn’t see it back then!”
“Oh, my Gawd!! You better not have a thing for my baby sister!”
_________________________
Maggie woke up with a killer headache. Her mouth felt like she’d swallowed a gallon of glue, with sand as a chaser.
She woke up alone, with the curtains drawn, and a note on the pillow next to hers. She could barely hold her eyelids up long enough to read it:
Maggie, Had to go the shoot. Had fun last night, maybe I can see you before I leave for NYC - Charlie.
Maggie groaned, and then regretted it as she the sound reverberate through her skull, pain exploding behind her eyes. She fell back into her bed, and tried to recall what happened last night. So much of it was a blur...
"Oh, f*ck," she whispered, softly so as to not make her head explode. She slowly rolled on to her back, and concentrated on the simple act of breathing. She could do this. She could live through this.
F*ck. Her life was such a mess right now. She took another breath. She needed a shower, and then she needed to see Bianca.
__________________________
As long as she walked slowly, and kept her sunglasses on, Maggie thought she should be fine. She had gotten to her apartment, the silence inside it deafening. She tried to ignore it as best as she could, and finally showered, and even managed to eat some left-over pizza. Funny how much simple things could make one feel infinitely more human.
She got the Fusion building, and hit the down button at the elevator banks. She drank more coffee, wanting to be as awake as possible for this. She was so nervous, she thought she’d drop her cup. The caffeine also made her edgy, but she couldn’t help it.
It was a good thing she was wearing eye protection; the moment she stepped into the basement, she was overwhelmed with the seeming incandescence of the light in the room. There were wires everywhere, and photographers shooting various scantily-dressed models. There was a lot of noise, with some fast-paced ambient music playing loudly in the background. It was a lot to get assaulted by when one was hung-over and guilt-ridden. She looked around, peering as best as she could.
She noticed Greenlee talking to one photographer, who had his camera in his right hand, his arm folded at the elbow with the camera resting against his shoulder. Kendall was in another corner looking over contact sheets with a photographer’s magnifying glass. And in the middle of all the chaos sat Bianca.
Perfect, perfect Bianca. Maggie smiled with a depth of fondness and affection that threatened to sweep all reason away. She walked slowly towards her dark-haired friend, looking with indulgence at the attentive frown of concentration on Bianca’s face. She was so gorgeous and yet so cute, in her black power suit and heels, sitting on a footstool, which was far too small and short for her, with her knees together and heels apart, as she hunched over laptop screen. Only Bianca could work in such a condition, with a room full of light, clamor, chaos, and beautiful models. It must be love, Maggie thought. She stopped less than a foot away, and was content to just watch. In less than two minutes, Bianca tensed as if she sensed a change in the energy, and then looked up, and smiled.
Maggie smiled back from behind her over-sized sunglasses. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey, yourself,” Bianca said softly, even amidst the noise, as if afraid to jostle their fragile détente. She set her laptop on the ground, and stood up, coming forward with hesitancy that broke Maggie’s heart a little.
She met Bianca halfway and their arms wound themselves around each other as if they had been made specifically for that purpose. Maggie buried her face in Bianca’s shoulder, and felt herself tear up at the feeling of feeling so safe, as if nothing bad could touch her, as if the world and its conundrums and chimeras didn’t exist.
Bianca had her lips against Maggie’s clothed shoulder, her eyes closed and she finally felt whole again; she could bury the hurt for now.
Maggie turned her head a little towards Bianca’s neck. “I missed you.”
It was said so simply, so unequivocally that Bianca couldn’t help but feel it resonate through her. Surrounded by screeching superficiality, they created an oasis of understated authenticity. “I missed you, too.”
Maggie smiled at how their language was reduced to such delicate simplicity. “I don’t want to fight anymore, Bianca. I really don’t want to fight any more,” she said, whispering fiercely as she held on tighter to Bianca, in an effort to convey just how ferociously she felt about brokering a permanent breakthrough for both of them.
Bianca felt some of the tension ease out of her body, and although Maggie could not see it, she could hear the new lightness and resolve in Bianca’s voice. “I really don't want to either. You want to get out of here, and talk? I can take about an hour; this shoot is going to take all evening anyhow.”
Maggie pulled away a little, to look up into Bianca’s face, but kept her arms around her. “That sounds perfect,” she agreed softly. She smiled wider at Bianca’s answering smile. Both of them were grinning at each other like idiots, with their arms around each other, and they really didn’t care how they appeared. It was the perfect moment for a kiss.
“MAGGIE!!!”
She heard what could only be described as a howling exultation from somewhere behind her. She didn’t want to let Bianca go, but her friend was already disengaging from her, looking to the source of the commotion.
As Maggie turned around, she was engulfed by a reedy body. Pulling back in confusion, she found herself looking into the smiling face of Charlie. Oh, F**k.
“Maggie!! I had no idea you’d be here!”
Bianca’s eyebrows rose into her hairline at not only this model knowing Maggie, but apparently knowing her as more than a passing acquaintance. Was Maggie blushing?
Oh, f*ck. Oh, f*ckety f*ck f*ck.
Maggie’s smiled had never looked so forced. “Charlie. Hey, how are you?”
Charlie beamed at Maggie, humming with excitement. “I’m great, and I had so much fun last night!”
Maggie laughed, the sound high-pitched and very uncomfortable. She needed to get Charlie to somewhere private, somewhere that Bianca couldn’t hear every damn screamed word. “Me, too. Hey, why don’t we step outside for a sec-“
Charlie suddenly noticed Bianca, “Oh, my God, is that your girlfriend? ‘Cause I have a feeling if looks could kill -“
Maggie immediately turned to see Bianca right behind, her, her face a studied in furious yet flinty detachment. Maggie smiled, trying to get Bianca to reciprocate, but she got nothing. She needed to defuse this situation immediately.
Maggie whipped back around to Charlie and ground out, “No, that’s not my girlfriend.” As if she’d cheat on Bianca! Good Lord, if after all this nerve-wracking miscommunications and incessant heartache, she probably wouldn’t let Bianca ever leave their bed once they got there.
Charlie immediately took that as an invitation and stepped closer. “Well, I’m kinda glad because last night was so much fun,” she smiled seductively as she ran her hands up Maggie’s arms.
Bianca didn’t know what the hell was going on, but it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Maggie and this Stick Figure With No Soul (hereby decreed SFWNS) had had some sort of…involvement…as early as last night.
Bianca could feel the fury, the disappointment, the disillusionment, the hurt burn through her veins. Apparently Maggie had been getting it on with everyone but her.
And, suddenly, she was tired of it all. How many times did they have to get the timing wrong? Maybe they should just take the giant cosmic hint.
Charlie continued, in a fake whisper. “My God, Maggie, you were like the Energizer Bunny last night.”
At that, Maggie flushed as hard as she ever had in her young life. She could actually hear Bianca choke at the utterance, and closed her eyes as she hugged herself. Her. Day. Could. Not. Get. Worse.
That was the last straw. Maggie’s eyes snapped open. “Okay, Charlie, let’s take this outside.” Nodding towards the giant glass doors that led to the parking lot, she motioned Charlie to join her.
Charlie grinned. “Cool, I need to smoke anyhow.”
Maggie took a moment and turned back to Bianca as Charlie loped off ahead of her. She turned her pleading eyes to Bianca. “Bianca, please, just give me a minute, okay? I’ll be right back. I still really want to have that talk.”
Bianca looked at her best friend, her best friend in the world, the one who kept running away from her even as Maggie remained in the same place. Really, it was a feat that defied physics, and something only Maggie could have pulled off. For a moment, the urge to be petty burned on Bianca’s tongue; to turn away from Maggie, and renege on their agreement to sort things out. She didn’t know what sort of clarity they could ever reach; they seemed to be getting more mired by the day. She turned away, not trusting her voice for a moment. She suddenly recalled Bette’s words about her seemingly limitless capacity for compassion. She closed her eyes. “Okay.”
That was it. Just one word, and Maggie felt herself sag with relief. She touched Bianca’s shoulder softly. “I’ll be right back.”
_______________________
Maggie jogged out to the glass doors that obediently retracted automatically to let her pass. They closed behind her as she took a step into the garage and came face-to-face with Charlie. She turned around to see Bianca, clearly visible through the glass doors, fiddling with her laptop. She sighed and turned back to her companion.
“Hey, Charlie”
Charlie grinned at her. “Hey, there. Do you come here often?”
Maggie only rolled her eyes, and smiled tightly. “I need to know what happened last night, actually.”
“What?”
”Um, I was kinda hung-over this morning, and don’t fully recall…everything…from last night.”
“Oh, man!”
“Um, so, yeah. It would be great if you could fill me in. Did we…?”
Charlie smiled. “You really don’t remember?”
Maggie shook her head furiously, barely able to get the words out. “I really don’t.”
“Do you remember dancing on the tables?”
“What??”
Charlie laughed. “Oh, yeah. We went to the gay bar, it was karaoke night. You got trashed some more, and dedicated about ten sappy love songs to someone called “Binks” and then later, after a couple more drinks, you took off your top and danced on a table for about a minute.”
Maggie held her hand against her mouth, an incredulous look on her face. “I didn’t!”
“Oh, yeah, baby, you did!”
“Oh, my God! What else?”
”Well we all decided to call it a night around 3 AM…”
Maggie could feel her heart in her throat, not sure she wanted to hear what came next. “Uh-huh…”
“And we went back to my room.”
“Okay…”
“And then we kissed some. Rolled around. Our tops came off.”
“Oh, my God,” Maggie whispered, hoping that it didn’t go where it certainly seemed like it was going.
“And then you fell asleep.”
“WHAT??” she practically shouted.
Her companion laughed at her outburst. “Yeah, sorry, your hot bod gave out at like 3:30 in the morning.”
Maggie couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t sure she deserved to be this lucky after her stupidity last night. There was probably little that sounded worse to her than having her first time with a woman being an experience that was borne out of frustration and heartache and, worse, one that she couldn’t fully recall. Actually the only thing that sounded worse would be the knowing that her first time with a woman hadn’t been with Bianca.
“So, we didn’t…?”
Charlie smirked. “Go all the way? No, Maggie, we didn’t.”
Maggie sagged, almost dizzy with relief. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, unbelieving of the craziness of her life. It was okay, she was okay. It was an aberration, but a useful one because, really, it had revealed so much to her. Things she was still processing, but she knew she’d made it out of this tunnel.
The other woman stepped closer, “You know, I don’t know about you, but I’m sorry we didn’t get any further. But I am staying here one more night before taking the early morning flight back to New York.”
Maggie stiffened, knowing she had to cut off this…dalliance…before it continued a moment further. Bianca was waiting for her.
“You know what the best part of last night was for me, Maggie?”
“What?”
“This,” and with that, Charlie stepped right into her personal space, and caught Maggie by her elbows as she lowered her head and kissed her.
________________________
“Oh, my God!” Kendall cried, right near Bianca.
“Ow, Kendall! I’m not deaf! Lower your voice,” Bianca grumbled as she turned back to her laptop. Work was always good for a distraction.
But Kendall only tugged at her sleeve. “Bianca. Why is Maggie kissing your doppelgänger??”
“My what??” Bianca turned to where Kendall was looking, and she saw clearly through the glass doors, the SFWNS holding Maggie intimately. And kissing her senseless.
Years later, when Bianca thought back to this period, she would realize that this was the moment that represented the straw that broke the camel’s back.
For right now, however, Bianca wished she could stop staring, and ignore the feeling of her heart being lacerated.
Again.
- TBC -
Author: cgirl
cgirlspalace
Rating: R for mature themes. Please read responsibly.
Archiving: Only for Passion & Perfection
Fandom: All My Children, The L Word
Pairing: Bianca Montgomery/Bette Porter, Bianca Montgomery/Maggie Stone
Note: I shall be posting new chapters daily. And don't worry if you don't follow the ABC soap opera, All My Children. I only know it through the YouTube videos. Trust me; it won't take much to catch on to the action. Muchas gracias for the feedback!
Extra Note: The timeline for Bette is midway through Season 4 - After her and Tina have agreed to joint custody of Angelica, but before Bette meets Jodi Lerner.
Chapter 1: I'm A Bomb
Chapter 2: We Be Like This
Chapter 3: "Oh, F*ck!" And Other Such Important Realizations
Chapter 4: Wherein More Sh*t Hits The Fan
Chapter 5: Don't You Dare Stop Doing What You're Doing
Chapter 6A: Can I Watch?
Chapter 6B: Worlds Collide And Stuff Happens
Chapter 7: Charades, Illusions, And Other Such Accessories
Disclaimer: Bianca, Maggie, Kendall, Greenlee etc belong to AMC/ABC. Bette Porter belongs to Illene Chaiken and The L Word.
___________________________
DITCH THE HALO
CHAPTER 8: IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL FOREPLAY?
Kendall had her arms crossed, and her foot was tapping incessantly on the floor of the large, well-lit, cavernous room that was the Fusion basement. She had her eyes trained on this particular specimen for the last ten minutes, observing from every peripheral angle.
She turned to her business partner. “Greenlee, you hired them, right?"
“For the hundredth time, yes, Kendall, you micro-manager! I, Greenelee Smythe-Et-Cetera, hired them! IMG is the best!”
“Not the firm! You picked the girls yourself, right?”
“If you ask me that one more time…”
“Then can you please come here?”
Greenlee narrowed her eyes at Kendall. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being nice?”
”Greenlee! Get over here!”
“Okay, what!”
“Take a look at that one.”
“Which one?!”
”The tall, gangly one!”
“Way to narrow it down, Kenny.”
“Don’t call me Kenny! The one standing sitting in the third make-up chair.”
“Okay, looking. What is she thinking wearing those? If you’re going to wear dressy sneakers, you go with Puma, not Converse. Unless you’re looking for the hipster look. Man, young kids these days! Isn’t Vogue required reading in schools yet?”
“Greenlee,” she growled, her already short patience strained.
“What! Shut it, Kendall, or I’m putting you on decaf!”
Kendall took a deep breath. Murder was a felony. “Look at her face.”
Greenlee raised her eyebrow. “Big eyes, great bone structure, shiny hair, nice skin.”
“Look closer…”
Greenlee huffed at her, but Kendall just nodded. Greenlee peered, trying to see what Kendall didn’t want say out loud.
And suddenly Greenlee’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah, Greenlee. Oh. You told me you picked who you personally thought were the hottest girls from their roster.”
“I did! I selected each one!”
“Then do you care to share how this happened??”
“Um. No. I swear I didn’t see it back then!”
“Oh, my Gawd!! You better not have a thing for my baby sister!”
_________________________
Maggie woke up with a killer headache. Her mouth felt like she’d swallowed a gallon of glue, with sand as a chaser.
She woke up alone, with the curtains drawn, and a note on the pillow next to hers. She could barely hold her eyelids up long enough to read it:
Maggie, Had to go the shoot. Had fun last night, maybe I can see you before I leave for NYC - Charlie.
Maggie groaned, and then regretted it as she the sound reverberate through her skull, pain exploding behind her eyes. She fell back into her bed, and tried to recall what happened last night. So much of it was a blur...
"Oh, f*ck," she whispered, softly so as to not make her head explode. She slowly rolled on to her back, and concentrated on the simple act of breathing. She could do this. She could live through this.
F*ck. Her life was such a mess right now. She took another breath. She needed a shower, and then she needed to see Bianca.
__________________________
As long as she walked slowly, and kept her sunglasses on, Maggie thought she should be fine. She had gotten to her apartment, the silence inside it deafening. She tried to ignore it as best as she could, and finally showered, and even managed to eat some left-over pizza. Funny how much simple things could make one feel infinitely more human.
She got the Fusion building, and hit the down button at the elevator banks. She drank more coffee, wanting to be as awake as possible for this. She was so nervous, she thought she’d drop her cup. The caffeine also made her edgy, but she couldn’t help it.
It was a good thing she was wearing eye protection; the moment she stepped into the basement, she was overwhelmed with the seeming incandescence of the light in the room. There were wires everywhere, and photographers shooting various scantily-dressed models. There was a lot of noise, with some fast-paced ambient music playing loudly in the background. It was a lot to get assaulted by when one was hung-over and guilt-ridden. She looked around, peering as best as she could.
She noticed Greenlee talking to one photographer, who had his camera in his right hand, his arm folded at the elbow with the camera resting against his shoulder. Kendall was in another corner looking over contact sheets with a photographer’s magnifying glass. And in the middle of all the chaos sat Bianca.
Perfect, perfect Bianca. Maggie smiled with a depth of fondness and affection that threatened to sweep all reason away. She walked slowly towards her dark-haired friend, looking with indulgence at the attentive frown of concentration on Bianca’s face. She was so gorgeous and yet so cute, in her black power suit and heels, sitting on a footstool, which was far too small and short for her, with her knees together and heels apart, as she hunched over laptop screen. Only Bianca could work in such a condition, with a room full of light, clamor, chaos, and beautiful models. It must be love, Maggie thought. She stopped less than a foot away, and was content to just watch. In less than two minutes, Bianca tensed as if she sensed a change in the energy, and then looked up, and smiled.
Maggie smiled back from behind her over-sized sunglasses. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey, yourself,” Bianca said softly, even amidst the noise, as if afraid to jostle their fragile détente. She set her laptop on the ground, and stood up, coming forward with hesitancy that broke Maggie’s heart a little.
She met Bianca halfway and their arms wound themselves around each other as if they had been made specifically for that purpose. Maggie buried her face in Bianca’s shoulder, and felt herself tear up at the feeling of feeling so safe, as if nothing bad could touch her, as if the world and its conundrums and chimeras didn’t exist.
Bianca had her lips against Maggie’s clothed shoulder, her eyes closed and she finally felt whole again; she could bury the hurt for now.
Maggie turned her head a little towards Bianca’s neck. “I missed you.”
It was said so simply, so unequivocally that Bianca couldn’t help but feel it resonate through her. Surrounded by screeching superficiality, they created an oasis of understated authenticity. “I missed you, too.”
Maggie smiled at how their language was reduced to such delicate simplicity. “I don’t want to fight anymore, Bianca. I really don’t want to fight any more,” she said, whispering fiercely as she held on tighter to Bianca, in an effort to convey just how ferociously she felt about brokering a permanent breakthrough for both of them.
Bianca felt some of the tension ease out of her body, and although Maggie could not see it, she could hear the new lightness and resolve in Bianca’s voice. “I really don't want to either. You want to get out of here, and talk? I can take about an hour; this shoot is going to take all evening anyhow.”
Maggie pulled away a little, to look up into Bianca’s face, but kept her arms around her. “That sounds perfect,” she agreed softly. She smiled wider at Bianca’s answering smile. Both of them were grinning at each other like idiots, with their arms around each other, and they really didn’t care how they appeared. It was the perfect moment for a kiss.
“MAGGIE!!!”
She heard what could only be described as a howling exultation from somewhere behind her. She didn’t want to let Bianca go, but her friend was already disengaging from her, looking to the source of the commotion.
As Maggie turned around, she was engulfed by a reedy body. Pulling back in confusion, she found herself looking into the smiling face of Charlie. Oh, F**k.
“Maggie!! I had no idea you’d be here!”
Bianca’s eyebrows rose into her hairline at not only this model knowing Maggie, but apparently knowing her as more than a passing acquaintance. Was Maggie blushing?
Oh, f*ck. Oh, f*ckety f*ck f*ck.
Maggie’s smiled had never looked so forced. “Charlie. Hey, how are you?”
Charlie beamed at Maggie, humming with excitement. “I’m great, and I had so much fun last night!”
Maggie laughed, the sound high-pitched and very uncomfortable. She needed to get Charlie to somewhere private, somewhere that Bianca couldn’t hear every damn screamed word. “Me, too. Hey, why don’t we step outside for a sec-“
Charlie suddenly noticed Bianca, “Oh, my God, is that your girlfriend? ‘Cause I have a feeling if looks could kill -“
Maggie immediately turned to see Bianca right behind, her, her face a studied in furious yet flinty detachment. Maggie smiled, trying to get Bianca to reciprocate, but she got nothing. She needed to defuse this situation immediately.
Maggie whipped back around to Charlie and ground out, “No, that’s not my girlfriend.” As if she’d cheat on Bianca! Good Lord, if after all this nerve-wracking miscommunications and incessant heartache, she probably wouldn’t let Bianca ever leave their bed once they got there.
Charlie immediately took that as an invitation and stepped closer. “Well, I’m kinda glad because last night was so much fun,” she smiled seductively as she ran her hands up Maggie’s arms.
Bianca didn’t know what the hell was going on, but it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Maggie and this Stick Figure With No Soul (hereby decreed SFWNS) had had some sort of…involvement…as early as last night.
Bianca could feel the fury, the disappointment, the disillusionment, the hurt burn through her veins. Apparently Maggie had been getting it on with everyone but her.
And, suddenly, she was tired of it all. How many times did they have to get the timing wrong? Maybe they should just take the giant cosmic hint.
Charlie continued, in a fake whisper. “My God, Maggie, you were like the Energizer Bunny last night.”
At that, Maggie flushed as hard as she ever had in her young life. She could actually hear Bianca choke at the utterance, and closed her eyes as she hugged herself. Her. Day. Could. Not. Get. Worse.
That was the last straw. Maggie’s eyes snapped open. “Okay, Charlie, let’s take this outside.” Nodding towards the giant glass doors that led to the parking lot, she motioned Charlie to join her.
Charlie grinned. “Cool, I need to smoke anyhow.”
Maggie took a moment and turned back to Bianca as Charlie loped off ahead of her. She turned her pleading eyes to Bianca. “Bianca, please, just give me a minute, okay? I’ll be right back. I still really want to have that talk.”
Bianca looked at her best friend, her best friend in the world, the one who kept running away from her even as Maggie remained in the same place. Really, it was a feat that defied physics, and something only Maggie could have pulled off. For a moment, the urge to be petty burned on Bianca’s tongue; to turn away from Maggie, and renege on their agreement to sort things out. She didn’t know what sort of clarity they could ever reach; they seemed to be getting more mired by the day. She turned away, not trusting her voice for a moment. She suddenly recalled Bette’s words about her seemingly limitless capacity for compassion. She closed her eyes. “Okay.”
That was it. Just one word, and Maggie felt herself sag with relief. She touched Bianca’s shoulder softly. “I’ll be right back.”
_______________________
Maggie jogged out to the glass doors that obediently retracted automatically to let her pass. They closed behind her as she took a step into the garage and came face-to-face with Charlie. She turned around to see Bianca, clearly visible through the glass doors, fiddling with her laptop. She sighed and turned back to her companion.
“Hey, Charlie”
Charlie grinned at her. “Hey, there. Do you come here often?”
Maggie only rolled her eyes, and smiled tightly. “I need to know what happened last night, actually.”
“What?”
”Um, I was kinda hung-over this morning, and don’t fully recall…everything…from last night.”
“Oh, man!”
“Um, so, yeah. It would be great if you could fill me in. Did we…?”
Charlie smiled. “You really don’t remember?”
Maggie shook her head furiously, barely able to get the words out. “I really don’t.”
“Do you remember dancing on the tables?”
“What??”
Charlie laughed. “Oh, yeah. We went to the gay bar, it was karaoke night. You got trashed some more, and dedicated about ten sappy love songs to someone called “Binks” and then later, after a couple more drinks, you took off your top and danced on a table for about a minute.”
Maggie held her hand against her mouth, an incredulous look on her face. “I didn’t!”
“Oh, yeah, baby, you did!”
“Oh, my God! What else?”
”Well we all decided to call it a night around 3 AM…”
Maggie could feel her heart in her throat, not sure she wanted to hear what came next. “Uh-huh…”
“And we went back to my room.”
“Okay…”
“And then we kissed some. Rolled around. Our tops came off.”
“Oh, my God,” Maggie whispered, hoping that it didn’t go where it certainly seemed like it was going.
“And then you fell asleep.”
“WHAT??” she practically shouted.
Her companion laughed at her outburst. “Yeah, sorry, your hot bod gave out at like 3:30 in the morning.”
Maggie couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t sure she deserved to be this lucky after her stupidity last night. There was probably little that sounded worse to her than having her first time with a woman being an experience that was borne out of frustration and heartache and, worse, one that she couldn’t fully recall. Actually the only thing that sounded worse would be the knowing that her first time with a woman hadn’t been with Bianca.
“So, we didn’t…?”
Charlie smirked. “Go all the way? No, Maggie, we didn’t.”
Maggie sagged, almost dizzy with relief. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, unbelieving of the craziness of her life. It was okay, she was okay. It was an aberration, but a useful one because, really, it had revealed so much to her. Things she was still processing, but she knew she’d made it out of this tunnel.
The other woman stepped closer, “You know, I don’t know about you, but I’m sorry we didn’t get any further. But I am staying here one more night before taking the early morning flight back to New York.”
Maggie stiffened, knowing she had to cut off this…dalliance…before it continued a moment further. Bianca was waiting for her.
“You know what the best part of last night was for me, Maggie?”
“What?”
“This,” and with that, Charlie stepped right into her personal space, and caught Maggie by her elbows as she lowered her head and kissed her.
________________________
“Oh, my God!” Kendall cried, right near Bianca.
“Ow, Kendall! I’m not deaf! Lower your voice,” Bianca grumbled as she turned back to her laptop. Work was always good for a distraction.
But Kendall only tugged at her sleeve. “Bianca. Why is Maggie kissing your doppelgänger??”
“My what??” Bianca turned to where Kendall was looking, and she saw clearly through the glass doors, the SFWNS holding Maggie intimately. And kissing her senseless.
Years later, when Bianca thought back to this period, she would realize that this was the moment that represented the straw that broke the camel’s back.
For right now, however, Bianca wished she could stop staring, and ignore the feeling of her heart being lacerated.
Again.
- TBC -