Real Person // Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock // What I Thought I Left Behind
Title: What I Thought I Left Behind
Fandom: Real People
Characters: Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock
Prompt: 06. Murder
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,167
Summary: Surprise ending I loovvee it. :D
Author's Note: Ah, I don't know them. This is just how I think it should be.
Sandra set down the basket of laundry she was about to fold at the sound of the phone ringing. The second line was blinking which meant Mike, the security guard who sat in the booth down by the gates. It was the fifth time today he rang for them. Picking up the extension, she secretly longed for the days when she wasn’t famous.
“Hello Mike.”
“Ms. Bullock, you have a visitor. I’ve already checked his ID and he’s good. Should I let him in?”
“Who is it?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t a producer or director that would be ruffled by the up in security.
Frankly, Sandra wasn’t pleased with the upgrade either, but desperate times called for desperate measures. What had happened was terrifying, despite her collected attitude towards it. She had even attended a party for George Lopez that evening, not bringing the attack up but laughing when it was. Sandra was not one to be public with her emotions and she wasn’t about to break down in the midst of ‘Happy Birthday’. Chandler, Jesse’s son, who had unfortunately been present for it as well, was speaking weekly with the school counselor to deal with the attempted murder of his father. Both Jesse and Sandra’s family had insisted that she talk with someone about it, but she had firmly put her foot down. Jesse was alive and that was enough; there was no need to relive the painful experience again and again with a complete stranger.
“Mr. Reeves, ma’am.”
Her heart plunged down into her stomach. That was the last name she expected to hear. Yet a part of her prickled with glee. It had been far too long a separation between Keanu and herself.
Jesse came in from the pool just then, dripping on the tiled floor while scrubbing his hair with a towel which was quickly damp. Sandra winced as her eyes landed on the bruise taking residence on his outer right thigh. He received it when he was rolling on the drive, narrowly escaping Valentine’s car. She remembered how she felt like she was watching an action drama, waiting for the director to yell, “Cut!” at any moment, a bell ringing to signal the wrap. Jesse caught her distraught look and frowned.
“What is it?” he asked, kissing her on the cheek and leaving it wet. Mike’s voice cut through.
“Should I let him in?”
“Yes, of course.” Sandra hung up. “Keanu’s here.”
Jesse’s frown deepened. “Is he sure it’s him?”
“I think Mike’s seen The Matrix enough times to recognize him. And the ID checked out,” she added when his expression of doubt didn’t lift.
“I’m coming out with you,” Jesse said grabbing his shirt off the back of a chair and sliding it over his arms.
Sandra lagged behind him, plucking a string off her navy blue shorts. She glanced at her reflection in the window. Staring back was a frumpy woman, her hair hanging limply around her face, an oversized forest green hoodie dragging down her figure with pale legs sticking out. Sandra stared in horror; she couldn’t let Keanu see her as a housewife who’d let herself go. She quickly removed the hoodie, straightening the gray shirt underneath, and yanked back her hair into a more suitable ponytail. Happy with the refreshment it brought to her look, Sandra dropped the hoodie on the sofa and hurried to join Jesse outside.
Jesse was planted firmly on the front steps of the house, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he suspiciously watched a black Porsche slowly make its way up the driveway. When Sandra stood next to him Jesse shifted, taking a step in front of her and partially blocking her view. She rolled her eyes at his back; irritated at his paranoia. Sandra had prided herself on the fact that she was a celebrity whose personal life was private but normal. Jesse was currently making that fact about her hard to maintain. He had even delayed a visit from his kids because he wanted to make sure security was practiced.
Keanu stepped out of his car, casually clad in a shirt and jeans. He had trimmed back the beard a little but a baseball cap couldn’t hide how long his hair had grown. Sandra was shocked by his appearance; she knew that he had in a sense “let himself go” since they stopped press for The Lake House but she didn’t realize it had gotten this unruly.
“Keanu.” Jesse stepped forward, holding out a hand. Keanu caught it for a brief shake. The two men, the two most important men in Sandra’s life, stood there staring at each other like two wolves competing for alpha male. Neither one was willing to drop the gaze first.
Though Jesse had built a motorcycle or two for Keanu, and they were on a relatively good basis, Jesse marrying Sandra had shifted their relationship. What had once been mutual admiration dissolved as they fought for Sandra’s attention. Keanu was her best guy friend, her confidant, but Jesse was her husband, and he was looking to overtake Keanu’s role with ease.
“I heard about the fan,” he said. “That had to be terrifying.”
“I handled it well, I thought,” Jesse retorted.
“Yeah I saw the new security.” Keanu smirked. Sandra hurried in as Jesse’s hand curled into a fist.
“Hey you!” she threw her arms around Keanu’s neck, silencing him with a sharp squeeze of a hug. “Be nice,” she scolded him quietly in his ear.
“When am I not nice?” he whispered back, smiling. Sandra pulled back slightly but was trapped by Keanu’s hands on her waist. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Can’t complain. I saw Premonition.”
“And?” Keanu raised his eyebrows. “Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he said slyly.
“You don‘t have to.”
“Should we go in the house?” Jesse suggested, trying not to let jealousy color his voice. “Keanu, are you hungry?”
“I’m good. Did you want to show me around?” he asked Sandra.
“Yeah! You’ve never been here before; I forgot that.” she turned to Jesse. “I’ll just take him around outside and then we’ll come in.”
“Sure you don’t want me to come with?”
“Nah; we’ll be fine.” a hint of irritation coated her words. Jesse knew that she would be perfectly fine with just Keanu; why did he have to push? She started walking away, Keanu just behind her, when she looked back. “Why don’t you take a shower while you wait? Or I left that basket of clothes on the table that needs to be folded.”
Jesse silently fumed at being dismissed like the housewife while Sandra walked off in the grass with that pretentious actor.
“How are you holding up?” as soon as he heard the news, Keanu debated its validity. He didn’t always believe the media’s wild tales, but when it had been confirmed by her rep he had no choice. Now he glanced over as his friend, wondering if there was lingering fear beneath her cool smile. Keanu walked fairly close to Sandra, wanting to put a comforting arm around her waist or at least hold her hand to show that he was there. Yet he didn’t know if Jesse was still watching them, and he didn’t dare look back to find out.
It had always been a mystery to him why the motorcycle maven had a bad spot for Keanu. The two had started out friendly, but ever since Sandra came into the picture things were tense. Keanu tried not to provoke the man, since he knew it upset Sandra, but it was fun to see him rankle at Keanu and Sandra’s close friendship. He shook away a private laugh as Sandra spoke.
“Since the … incident?”
“Yeah.”
Sandra let out a heavy sigh. “It’s been tense. The new security has eased some of it, at least. But it brought down such a heavy reality. I know I’m a celebrity, but you think you’re immune to these sort of things. I thought I was lucky, it hadn’t happened yet, so I figured maybe it would never happen.” smiling, she gestured to the flowers planted alongside the house, near a pebble path. “Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Everything looks beautiful here.” Keanu noted the shade from the tall trees, the shimmer off the large pool, and the extraordinary amount of flowers, grouped together by color coordination across the backyard. There was even a shed a ways off in the back, its door open, and he could see by the number of bikes that it was Jesse’s workplace. “How long did it take to complete the landscaping?”
Sandra squinted, trying to recall. “Most of it was done when we came here. They must have planted the flowers while we were in Texas.” she shook her head. “Isn’t that sad? I don’t really know.”
“Are you going to press charges?” he watched her face, waiting for an unpleasant reaction, but the actress remained serene.
“Of course.” They paused near the retention pond. It was small, barely noticeable if one was a good distance from it. A small frog hopped back into the water as Keanu and Sandra stood over it. Three fish peacefully swam beneath the moss filmed water. “We go to court in a few days. I don‘t know if she‘ll be in the courtroom with us, but ...” Sandra shivered, but it wasn’t from the weather. “I don’t know if I could face her.”
Keanu didn’t respond. He’d had his share of frantic fans, ones who had destroyed public property and mobbed airports. But never had he come face to face with one that actually put his life in danger.
“Are you talking to someone about it?”
“Chandler is, but I don’t need to.”
“Sure about that?”
“Keanu.” she looked up at him with a determination in her eyes he was all too familiar with. It was a look which said that she was perfectly capable of handling it on her own, just like everything else in her life. “Everything’s under control. We’ll go to court, get the restraining order, and it’ll all be taken care of. Done deal. Nothing to lose sleep over.”
“But you have … lost sleep over it.”
She crossed her arms. “In the beginning, of course. Jesse was almost killed. That’d be enough to scare any wife. But I know we’re safe here.”
Keanu knew it was time to stop pushing. Sandra was already breathing harder; her body turned away from him. Maybe he had gone one step too far.
“I’m sorry,” he offered. He paused, then chuckled. “We’re always fighting, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, and it’s pretty damn frustrating.” Sandra’s arms were still crossed, but a smile peeked out. “You hungry?”
“Depends on who’s cooking -- not you, hopefully?” she shoved him playfully, and he stumbled back, laughing. The fish in the pond swam away at his loud laughter.
It had all happened so fast, it wasn’t easy to lay the blame. Keanu grabbed Sandra’s hand, pulled her in for a hug. Contact this close between the two was so limited -- they’d stand close and hold hands for the cameras, but hugging, pressing his cheek against hers the way he did now was uncalled for. Maybe Keanu was just emotional from all the bad press circulating about his current looks, lifestyle; maybe Sandra just missed her friend and the easy, selfless security he brought with him. Either way they were giggling softly, wrapped in each other arms, and the next moment brought their lips pressed against one another’s.
Keanu fingered a stray lock of her hair between his fingers, the babble of the pond’s small waterfall, the croak of a small frog, the caw of birds high in the trees all white noise far, far away. Sandra’s lips were soft and smooth against his, the pressure insistent but still fragile. Her fingers scratched against his arm as she fell against his chest. For a moment, for this brief, utopia instant of time, she was his.
The moment their lips broke, her eyes darted to the house. But the kitchen windows were void of Jesse. He must have still been upstairs in the shower. Sandra glanced around the yard for any other witnesses, but there was none. Her cheeks burned with shame; she thought she had left these feelings behind on the set of The Lake House.
“It was just a moment of weakness,” she said aloud, more for her own benefit than Keanu’s. She stepped away from him and he allowed her to slip from his grasp, his arms falling back at his sides. “That never happened.” she spoke the words with a conviction that seemed to suggest that she had the power to undo the moment. Although it had brought back a … no.
“We better go inside,” Keanu murmured not daring to meet her eyes. They retreated back to the house, walking at least two feet apart. The distance between them restored.
Fandom: Real People
Characters: Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock
Prompt: 06. Murder
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,167
Summary: Surprise ending I loovvee it. :D
Author's Note: Ah, I don't know them. This is just how I think it should be.
Sandra set down the basket of laundry she was about to fold at the sound of the phone ringing. The second line was blinking which meant Mike, the security guard who sat in the booth down by the gates. It was the fifth time today he rang for them. Picking up the extension, she secretly longed for the days when she wasn’t famous.
“Hello Mike.”
“Ms. Bullock, you have a visitor. I’ve already checked his ID and he’s good. Should I let him in?”
“Who is it?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t a producer or director that would be ruffled by the up in security.
Frankly, Sandra wasn’t pleased with the upgrade either, but desperate times called for desperate measures. What had happened was terrifying, despite her collected attitude towards it. She had even attended a party for George Lopez that evening, not bringing the attack up but laughing when it was. Sandra was not one to be public with her emotions and she wasn’t about to break down in the midst of ‘Happy Birthday’. Chandler, Jesse’s son, who had unfortunately been present for it as well, was speaking weekly with the school counselor to deal with the attempted murder of his father. Both Jesse and Sandra’s family had insisted that she talk with someone about it, but she had firmly put her foot down. Jesse was alive and that was enough; there was no need to relive the painful experience again and again with a complete stranger.
“Mr. Reeves, ma’am.”
Her heart plunged down into her stomach. That was the last name she expected to hear. Yet a part of her prickled with glee. It had been far too long a separation between Keanu and herself.
Jesse came in from the pool just then, dripping on the tiled floor while scrubbing his hair with a towel which was quickly damp. Sandra winced as her eyes landed on the bruise taking residence on his outer right thigh. He received it when he was rolling on the drive, narrowly escaping Valentine’s car. She remembered how she felt like she was watching an action drama, waiting for the director to yell, “Cut!” at any moment, a bell ringing to signal the wrap. Jesse caught her distraught look and frowned.
“What is it?” he asked, kissing her on the cheek and leaving it wet. Mike’s voice cut through.
“Should I let him in?”
“Yes, of course.” Sandra hung up. “Keanu’s here.”
Jesse’s frown deepened. “Is he sure it’s him?”
“I think Mike’s seen The Matrix enough times to recognize him. And the ID checked out,” she added when his expression of doubt didn’t lift.
“I’m coming out with you,” Jesse said grabbing his shirt off the back of a chair and sliding it over his arms.
Sandra lagged behind him, plucking a string off her navy blue shorts. She glanced at her reflection in the window. Staring back was a frumpy woman, her hair hanging limply around her face, an oversized forest green hoodie dragging down her figure with pale legs sticking out. Sandra stared in horror; she couldn’t let Keanu see her as a housewife who’d let herself go. She quickly removed the hoodie, straightening the gray shirt underneath, and yanked back her hair into a more suitable ponytail. Happy with the refreshment it brought to her look, Sandra dropped the hoodie on the sofa and hurried to join Jesse outside.
Jesse was planted firmly on the front steps of the house, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he suspiciously watched a black Porsche slowly make its way up the driveway. When Sandra stood next to him Jesse shifted, taking a step in front of her and partially blocking her view. She rolled her eyes at his back; irritated at his paranoia. Sandra had prided herself on the fact that she was a celebrity whose personal life was private but normal. Jesse was currently making that fact about her hard to maintain. He had even delayed a visit from his kids because he wanted to make sure security was practiced.
Keanu stepped out of his car, casually clad in a shirt and jeans. He had trimmed back the beard a little but a baseball cap couldn’t hide how long his hair had grown. Sandra was shocked by his appearance; she knew that he had in a sense “let himself go” since they stopped press for The Lake House but she didn’t realize it had gotten this unruly.
“Keanu.” Jesse stepped forward, holding out a hand. Keanu caught it for a brief shake. The two men, the two most important men in Sandra’s life, stood there staring at each other like two wolves competing for alpha male. Neither one was willing to drop the gaze first.
Though Jesse had built a motorcycle or two for Keanu, and they were on a relatively good basis, Jesse marrying Sandra had shifted their relationship. What had once been mutual admiration dissolved as they fought for Sandra’s attention. Keanu was her best guy friend, her confidant, but Jesse was her husband, and he was looking to overtake Keanu’s role with ease.
“I heard about the fan,” he said. “That had to be terrifying.”
“I handled it well, I thought,” Jesse retorted.
“Yeah I saw the new security.” Keanu smirked. Sandra hurried in as Jesse’s hand curled into a fist.
“Hey you!” she threw her arms around Keanu’s neck, silencing him with a sharp squeeze of a hug. “Be nice,” she scolded him quietly in his ear.
“When am I not nice?” he whispered back, smiling. Sandra pulled back slightly but was trapped by Keanu’s hands on her waist. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Can’t complain. I saw Premonition.”
“And?” Keanu raised his eyebrows. “Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he said slyly.
“You don‘t have to.”
“Should we go in the house?” Jesse suggested, trying not to let jealousy color his voice. “Keanu, are you hungry?”
“I’m good. Did you want to show me around?” he asked Sandra.
“Yeah! You’ve never been here before; I forgot that.” she turned to Jesse. “I’ll just take him around outside and then we’ll come in.”
“Sure you don’t want me to come with?”
“Nah; we’ll be fine.” a hint of irritation coated her words. Jesse knew that she would be perfectly fine with just Keanu; why did he have to push? She started walking away, Keanu just behind her, when she looked back. “Why don’t you take a shower while you wait? Or I left that basket of clothes on the table that needs to be folded.”
Jesse silently fumed at being dismissed like the housewife while Sandra walked off in the grass with that pretentious actor.
“How are you holding up?” as soon as he heard the news, Keanu debated its validity. He didn’t always believe the media’s wild tales, but when it had been confirmed by her rep he had no choice. Now he glanced over as his friend, wondering if there was lingering fear beneath her cool smile. Keanu walked fairly close to Sandra, wanting to put a comforting arm around her waist or at least hold her hand to show that he was there. Yet he didn’t know if Jesse was still watching them, and he didn’t dare look back to find out.
It had always been a mystery to him why the motorcycle maven had a bad spot for Keanu. The two had started out friendly, but ever since Sandra came into the picture things were tense. Keanu tried not to provoke the man, since he knew it upset Sandra, but it was fun to see him rankle at Keanu and Sandra’s close friendship. He shook away a private laugh as Sandra spoke.
“Since the … incident?”
“Yeah.”
Sandra let out a heavy sigh. “It’s been tense. The new security has eased some of it, at least. But it brought down such a heavy reality. I know I’m a celebrity, but you think you’re immune to these sort of things. I thought I was lucky, it hadn’t happened yet, so I figured maybe it would never happen.” smiling, she gestured to the flowers planted alongside the house, near a pebble path. “Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Everything looks beautiful here.” Keanu noted the shade from the tall trees, the shimmer off the large pool, and the extraordinary amount of flowers, grouped together by color coordination across the backyard. There was even a shed a ways off in the back, its door open, and he could see by the number of bikes that it was Jesse’s workplace. “How long did it take to complete the landscaping?”
Sandra squinted, trying to recall. “Most of it was done when we came here. They must have planted the flowers while we were in Texas.” she shook her head. “Isn’t that sad? I don’t really know.”
“Are you going to press charges?” he watched her face, waiting for an unpleasant reaction, but the actress remained serene.
“Of course.” They paused near the retention pond. It was small, barely noticeable if one was a good distance from it. A small frog hopped back into the water as Keanu and Sandra stood over it. Three fish peacefully swam beneath the moss filmed water. “We go to court in a few days. I don‘t know if she‘ll be in the courtroom with us, but ...” Sandra shivered, but it wasn’t from the weather. “I don’t know if I could face her.”
Keanu didn’t respond. He’d had his share of frantic fans, ones who had destroyed public property and mobbed airports. But never had he come face to face with one that actually put his life in danger.
“Are you talking to someone about it?”
“Chandler is, but I don’t need to.”
“Sure about that?”
“Keanu.” she looked up at him with a determination in her eyes he was all too familiar with. It was a look which said that she was perfectly capable of handling it on her own, just like everything else in her life. “Everything’s under control. We’ll go to court, get the restraining order, and it’ll all be taken care of. Done deal. Nothing to lose sleep over.”
“But you have … lost sleep over it.”
She crossed her arms. “In the beginning, of course. Jesse was almost killed. That’d be enough to scare any wife. But I know we’re safe here.”
Keanu knew it was time to stop pushing. Sandra was already breathing harder; her body turned away from him. Maybe he had gone one step too far.
“I’m sorry,” he offered. He paused, then chuckled. “We’re always fighting, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, and it’s pretty damn frustrating.” Sandra’s arms were still crossed, but a smile peeked out. “You hungry?”
“Depends on who’s cooking -- not you, hopefully?” she shoved him playfully, and he stumbled back, laughing. The fish in the pond swam away at his loud laughter.
It had all happened so fast, it wasn’t easy to lay the blame. Keanu grabbed Sandra’s hand, pulled her in for a hug. Contact this close between the two was so limited -- they’d stand close and hold hands for the cameras, but hugging, pressing his cheek against hers the way he did now was uncalled for. Maybe Keanu was just emotional from all the bad press circulating about his current looks, lifestyle; maybe Sandra just missed her friend and the easy, selfless security he brought with him. Either way they were giggling softly, wrapped in each other arms, and the next moment brought their lips pressed against one another’s.
Keanu fingered a stray lock of her hair between his fingers, the babble of the pond’s small waterfall, the croak of a small frog, the caw of birds high in the trees all white noise far, far away. Sandra’s lips were soft and smooth against his, the pressure insistent but still fragile. Her fingers scratched against his arm as she fell against his chest. For a moment, for this brief, utopia instant of time, she was his.
The moment their lips broke, her eyes darted to the house. But the kitchen windows were void of Jesse. He must have still been upstairs in the shower. Sandra glanced around the yard for any other witnesses, but there was none. Her cheeks burned with shame; she thought she had left these feelings behind on the set of The Lake House.
“It was just a moment of weakness,” she said aloud, more for her own benefit than Keanu’s. She stepped away from him and he allowed her to slip from his grasp, his arms falling back at his sides. “That never happened.” she spoke the words with a conviction that seemed to suggest that she had the power to undo the moment. Although it had brought back a … no.
“We better go inside,” Keanu murmured not daring to meet her eyes. They retreated back to the house, walking at least two feet apart. The distance between them restored.