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More Helacious fic for the masses. Or like the twelve people who read this thing. I'm comfortable with my own puny existence within the internet literary world. It means I grasp my insignificance. Super groovy! lol. Anyway. Comment if you want.
TITLE: Time Will Tell
SERIES: The L Word
AUTHOR: Dreiser
EMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.net/
CONTENT: S3 spoilers. F/F romance. Alice/Helena. Helacious.
SUMMARY: Even years of separation can't take away the connection between Alice and Helena and the attraction they feel for one another.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my undying Helacious love.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The idea for this fic and the title comes from a spiffy song from Anberlin.
I've been listening to Nina Gordon nonstop since I got her new album and I felt like linking one of her most beautiful and melancholy songs for everyone to hear. I think it suits Helena in this fic.
Watercolors by Nina Gordon:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=0359F8A607A8D8F9&rcpt=dreiser7@yahoo.com
Time Will Tell
By: Dreiser
Scenes Five & Six
"You want to stay longer," Ruth said in that excruciatingly slow way she often had. Where she drew out each syllable as if they were a sip of fine wine rolling around in her mouth. Somehow Alice had thought Ruth's less attractive conversational habits wouldn't be present over the long distance phone line. It appeared she was wrong. "Why?"
"I need a break," said Alice, her inflection making it sound more like a question than a statement.
"Right," Ruth replied even more slowly. "But the actual reason is?"
Groaning loudly, Alice flopped back onto her obnoxiously large hotel bed and said in a half hearted whine, "I don't want to tell you. Just be a good producer and tell Carl for me."
"Alice," said Ruth, managing to be stern and intimidating despite being a disembodied presence over a phone line.
"Ruth," said Alice, reiterating and increasing her whine from earlier.
The long distance phone line crackled ever so slightly then Alice heaved a huge sigh and declared, "You suck."
"At times," said Ruth dryly. "Now explain."
"Helena is here and I need to spend time with her," Alice said quietly, turning on her side and wondering why so many hotels attached their beside lamps to the wall. Did they think the guests would steal them like they were bathrobes?
"Helena," repeated Ruth rather blankly.
"Helena Peabody," supplied Alice, rolling her eyes.
"Ohh," Ruth's voice reflected a sudden epiphany. "Pages 94-98. British heiress who disappeared mysteriously from your life. I wondered about her. You wouldn't ever say what happened so we could include it in the book jacket blurb."
"What happened is I screwed up," said Alice, feeling very maudlin full of self indulgent teen angst. "I screwed her over. Both of us really. All because I was scared."
"Being scared can lead to screwing," said Ruth thoughtfully. She paused then said knowingly, "You want to use this time with her to fix things."
"If I can," Alice muttered, turning to lie on her back and staring up at the painted ceiling. What interior design genius decided brown would be a triumph to look at? Alice had no desire to know the answer.
"The lady doth not cooperate?" teased Ruth.
"The lady doth hate my guts," said Alice, becoming more depressed as she thought about how Helena had sent her off last night.
"Alice," said Ruth with a noise of disgust and the blonde could practically see the other woman shaking her head in dismay. "No one can hate you. Not if they really know you. Trust the woman who you drive insane on a weekly basis with meeting your deadlines by mere seconds."
"I hurt her so much, Ruth, " whispered Alice, squeezing her eyes shut.
"And now you'll take that pain away," said Ruth simply. "Along with an extra week off of work. Or did you need two weeks? I think I can manage that but you're going to need to help me detach my lips from Carl's ass when you get back."
"A week is fine," said Alice with a laugh, relief washing over her and suddenly feeling as if things might just turn out all right. "I don't want your lips to go through any unnecessary trauma on my behalf."
"They're pleased to hear that," Ruth deadpanned. "So what's the plan?"
"The plan," began Alice wryly, sounding more than a little overwhelmed. "There isn't one. I know I can't come close to fixing everything that went wrong between us in a week but it is enough time to know if Helena will let me try."
Silence and then Ruth said with detached logic, "If London calls you permanently you have to give me more than a day's notice. Make me that meager of a promise, at least."
"Why Ruth!" exclaimed Alice with mock outrage. A sly grin spread on her features and she drawled, "You know I'd give you an entire weekend."
"Wonderful," Ruth pronounced in supremely droll and humorous tones.
---
"You're making yourself pretty," observed Winnie from the doorway of Helena's spacious private washroom. Leaning to one side as a slow smirk formed, she said, "But who are you getting pretty for? Your adoring masses or the ghost of romantic past?"
"There was no romance, Winnie," Helena said, the words coming fast and clipped from her mouth. She didn't bother to pause in applying her eye shadow as she spoke. "You bloody well know that."
"I bloody well do, do I?" Winnie chuckled.
"Yes, you bloody well do," muttered Helena, carefully placing her eye shadow brush back into the small black case where it belonged and snapping it shut. Running her eyes over the assortment of lipsticks, she wore a blasé look on her features and said, "I can't quite recall, who was it that told me mooning over another woman who wouldn't love me was pathetic?"
"You being pathetic doesn't mean there wasn't a romance," said Winnie. She studied Helena for a moment, taking in the sleek lines of her black dress and admiring the perfect fit as she murmured, "Foolish Virgin is a good shade for you." The British woman looked to her former partner in surprise and Winnie waved a hand at her in agitation. "Trust me, that color looks good on you. Despite the fact that it, along with almost all lipsticks, has a positively moronic name." She was silent as Helena reached for the lipstick and slowly applied it then she said, "I never told you Alice wouldn't love you. I told you she couldn't love you. And falling for people who can't love you is pathetic, Helena. You have to admit that."
"I don't have to admit anything," snapped Helena, banging her lipstick down onto the counter and turning to face Winnie. Her blue eyes flashing with anger, she demanded, "Would you please tell me what this is? What game you're playing at? Because if you think that I don't realize Alice cannot love me then you obviously are lacking the intelligence I've mistakenly credited you with having."
"I'm not playing games. I never was any good at them. Wasn't it you who so recently reminded me that my all time high score in Scrabble is fifteen?" said Winnie, lifting an eyebrow in expectation. She paused a second then frowned as she went into a moment of deep consideration, "Or was it Wilson this last time? I know it wasn't Jun Ying because she feels empathy for my horrible Scrabble skills because of her similar luck in Monopoly. While you and Wilson, as the perpetual winners, are heartless in your mockery."
"Our son informed you of your high score in Scrabble," said Helena, unable to help smiling as she recalled the mischievous expression Wilson had worn on his handsome features when he told that to Winnie at the end of their game last week. "My only crime was to laugh in amusement once said high score was revealed."
"Too true," murmured Winnie thoughtfully, moving to one side as Helena brushed past her and headed towards her shoe closet. Watching the brunette for a moment, she soon followed after, sitting on her large and comfortable bed. Feeling perfectly content to observe Helena as she offered, "She doesn't want to just apologize. She wants a second chance." When Helena turned to look at her with a guarded expression, Winnie continued, "You can't tell me you didn't see it, Helena. It was there all last night. The woman is desperate to grab what was hers for the taking five years ago. But the question is, are you going to let her?"
"Alice can't love me," said Helena in very precise and controlled tones that tried desperately to hide the trembling in her voice but failed horribly. "Therefore there is nothing to let happen, is there?"
"Five years ago she couldn't love you," Winnie pointed out, kicking her legs absently before jumping off the bed. Crouching beside Helena in front of the shoe closet she reached for a pair of black slingback pumps. "Things can change a lot in five years, Helena. Back then we could barely have a civil conversation and look at us now, we're Brady Bunch'esque living in the same house with our kids despite a complete lack of romantic involvement." Handing the shoes over to a frozen Helena whose eyes darted to her at this contact, Winnie smiled. "These make you look fantastically tall."
Forming a wan smile, Helena rose to her feet and stared at the shoes as she murmured, "I don't want to be hurt by her again, Winnie. I gave her more than anyone else, I let her see the most vulnerable parts of me, and the only thing I received in the end was rejection. I'm not sure that I could survive that a second time."
"You're going to play it safe," stated Winnie.
"I'm not going to let her hurt me by thinking simply because things can change that they have," Helena replied, sitting on her bed and sliding on the black slingback pumps.
"And that means…?" drawled Winnie, tilting her head to one side.
"That means if Alice can love me then it's entirely up to her to reveal that," said Helena briskly, standing up and snapping up her purse from where it rested in the large oak dresser. "I will not be helping her this time."
Staring at the door Helena had just exited through, Winnie couldn't help but smirk and give a low chuckle, "You're going to make her prove she loves you this time. But what happens once she's proven it, Helena?"
To be continued…
TITLE: Time Will Tell
SERIES: The L Word
AUTHOR: Dreiser
EMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.net/
CONTENT: S3 spoilers. F/F romance. Alice/Helena. Helacious.
SUMMARY: Even years of separation can't take away the connection between Alice and Helena and the attraction they feel for one another.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my undying Helacious love.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The idea for this fic and the title comes from a spiffy song from Anberlin.
I've been listening to Nina Gordon nonstop since I got her new album and I felt like linking one of her most beautiful and melancholy songs for everyone to hear. I think it suits Helena in this fic.
Watercolors by Nina Gordon:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=0359F8A607A8D8F9&rcpt=dreiser7@yahoo.com
Time Will Tell
By: Dreiser
Scenes Five & Six
"You want to stay longer," Ruth said in that excruciatingly slow way she often had. Where she drew out each syllable as if they were a sip of fine wine rolling around in her mouth. Somehow Alice had thought Ruth's less attractive conversational habits wouldn't be present over the long distance phone line. It appeared she was wrong. "Why?"
"I need a break," said Alice, her inflection making it sound more like a question than a statement.
"Right," Ruth replied even more slowly. "But the actual reason is?"
Groaning loudly, Alice flopped back onto her obnoxiously large hotel bed and said in a half hearted whine, "I don't want to tell you. Just be a good producer and tell Carl for me."
"Alice," said Ruth, managing to be stern and intimidating despite being a disembodied presence over a phone line.
"Ruth," said Alice, reiterating and increasing her whine from earlier.
The long distance phone line crackled ever so slightly then Alice heaved a huge sigh and declared, "You suck."
"At times," said Ruth dryly. "Now explain."
"Helena is here and I need to spend time with her," Alice said quietly, turning on her side and wondering why so many hotels attached their beside lamps to the wall. Did they think the guests would steal them like they were bathrobes?
"Helena," repeated Ruth rather blankly.
"Helena Peabody," supplied Alice, rolling her eyes.
"Ohh," Ruth's voice reflected a sudden epiphany. "Pages 94-98. British heiress who disappeared mysteriously from your life. I wondered about her. You wouldn't ever say what happened so we could include it in the book jacket blurb."
"What happened is I screwed up," said Alice, feeling very maudlin full of self indulgent teen angst. "I screwed her over. Both of us really. All because I was scared."
"Being scared can lead to screwing," said Ruth thoughtfully. She paused then said knowingly, "You want to use this time with her to fix things."
"If I can," Alice muttered, turning to lie on her back and staring up at the painted ceiling. What interior design genius decided brown would be a triumph to look at? Alice had no desire to know the answer.
"The lady doth not cooperate?" teased Ruth.
"The lady doth hate my guts," said Alice, becoming more depressed as she thought about how Helena had sent her off last night.
"Alice," said Ruth with a noise of disgust and the blonde could practically see the other woman shaking her head in dismay. "No one can hate you. Not if they really know you. Trust the woman who you drive insane on a weekly basis with meeting your deadlines by mere seconds."
"I hurt her so much, Ruth, " whispered Alice, squeezing her eyes shut.
"And now you'll take that pain away," said Ruth simply. "Along with an extra week off of work. Or did you need two weeks? I think I can manage that but you're going to need to help me detach my lips from Carl's ass when you get back."
"A week is fine," said Alice with a laugh, relief washing over her and suddenly feeling as if things might just turn out all right. "I don't want your lips to go through any unnecessary trauma on my behalf."
"They're pleased to hear that," Ruth deadpanned. "So what's the plan?"
"The plan," began Alice wryly, sounding more than a little overwhelmed. "There isn't one. I know I can't come close to fixing everything that went wrong between us in a week but it is enough time to know if Helena will let me try."
Silence and then Ruth said with detached logic, "If London calls you permanently you have to give me more than a day's notice. Make me that meager of a promise, at least."
"Why Ruth!" exclaimed Alice with mock outrage. A sly grin spread on her features and she drawled, "You know I'd give you an entire weekend."
"Wonderful," Ruth pronounced in supremely droll and humorous tones.
---
"You're making yourself pretty," observed Winnie from the doorway of Helena's spacious private washroom. Leaning to one side as a slow smirk formed, she said, "But who are you getting pretty for? Your adoring masses or the ghost of romantic past?"
"There was no romance, Winnie," Helena said, the words coming fast and clipped from her mouth. She didn't bother to pause in applying her eye shadow as she spoke. "You bloody well know that."
"I bloody well do, do I?" Winnie chuckled.
"Yes, you bloody well do," muttered Helena, carefully placing her eye shadow brush back into the small black case where it belonged and snapping it shut. Running her eyes over the assortment of lipsticks, she wore a blasé look on her features and said, "I can't quite recall, who was it that told me mooning over another woman who wouldn't love me was pathetic?"
"You being pathetic doesn't mean there wasn't a romance," said Winnie. She studied Helena for a moment, taking in the sleek lines of her black dress and admiring the perfect fit as she murmured, "Foolish Virgin is a good shade for you." The British woman looked to her former partner in surprise and Winnie waved a hand at her in agitation. "Trust me, that color looks good on you. Despite the fact that it, along with almost all lipsticks, has a positively moronic name." She was silent as Helena reached for the lipstick and slowly applied it then she said, "I never told you Alice wouldn't love you. I told you she couldn't love you. And falling for people who can't love you is pathetic, Helena. You have to admit that."
"I don't have to admit anything," snapped Helena, banging her lipstick down onto the counter and turning to face Winnie. Her blue eyes flashing with anger, she demanded, "Would you please tell me what this is? What game you're playing at? Because if you think that I don't realize Alice cannot love me then you obviously are lacking the intelligence I've mistakenly credited you with having."
"I'm not playing games. I never was any good at them. Wasn't it you who so recently reminded me that my all time high score in Scrabble is fifteen?" said Winnie, lifting an eyebrow in expectation. She paused a second then frowned as she went into a moment of deep consideration, "Or was it Wilson this last time? I know it wasn't Jun Ying because she feels empathy for my horrible Scrabble skills because of her similar luck in Monopoly. While you and Wilson, as the perpetual winners, are heartless in your mockery."
"Our son informed you of your high score in Scrabble," said Helena, unable to help smiling as she recalled the mischievous expression Wilson had worn on his handsome features when he told that to Winnie at the end of their game last week. "My only crime was to laugh in amusement once said high score was revealed."
"Too true," murmured Winnie thoughtfully, moving to one side as Helena brushed past her and headed towards her shoe closet. Watching the brunette for a moment, she soon followed after, sitting on her large and comfortable bed. Feeling perfectly content to observe Helena as she offered, "She doesn't want to just apologize. She wants a second chance." When Helena turned to look at her with a guarded expression, Winnie continued, "You can't tell me you didn't see it, Helena. It was there all last night. The woman is desperate to grab what was hers for the taking five years ago. But the question is, are you going to let her?"
"Alice can't love me," said Helena in very precise and controlled tones that tried desperately to hide the trembling in her voice but failed horribly. "Therefore there is nothing to let happen, is there?"
"Five years ago she couldn't love you," Winnie pointed out, kicking her legs absently before jumping off the bed. Crouching beside Helena in front of the shoe closet she reached for a pair of black slingback pumps. "Things can change a lot in five years, Helena. Back then we could barely have a civil conversation and look at us now, we're Brady Bunch'esque living in the same house with our kids despite a complete lack of romantic involvement." Handing the shoes over to a frozen Helena whose eyes darted to her at this contact, Winnie smiled. "These make you look fantastically tall."
Forming a wan smile, Helena rose to her feet and stared at the shoes as she murmured, "I don't want to be hurt by her again, Winnie. I gave her more than anyone else, I let her see the most vulnerable parts of me, and the only thing I received in the end was rejection. I'm not sure that I could survive that a second time."
"You're going to play it safe," stated Winnie.
"I'm not going to let her hurt me by thinking simply because things can change that they have," Helena replied, sitting on her bed and sliding on the black slingback pumps.
"And that means…?" drawled Winnie, tilting her head to one side.
"That means if Alice can love me then it's entirely up to her to reveal that," said Helena briskly, standing up and snapping up her purse from where it rested in the large oak dresser. "I will not be helping her this time."
Staring at the door Helena had just exited through, Winnie couldn't help but smirk and give a low chuckle, "You're going to make her prove she loves you this time. But what happens once she's proven it, Helena?"
To be continued…
twelve people
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