Title: Before It Breaks
Pairing: Liam/Annie
Rating: M
Summary: Takes place during Winter Wonderland. Liam runs into Annie before she confronts Jasper about his hidden life...Liam finds himself caring for the fragile girl and Annie can't stop her own feelings when it comes to the blue-eyed surfer.
Disclaimer: I do not own 90210 it belongs to the CW and its respective owners. Nor do I own the song Houses by Great Northern. The title comes from the song Before it Breaks by Brandi Carlile.
Author's Note: Something that's been floating around in my head. I'm planning on rewriting the rest of season two but you will see similarities between the fic and the show.
Chapter One
The end begins just as it starts
And leaves me wondering what we left behind.
Told me not to talk but please explain
My thoughts that float around my mind
"Seriously, dude. Why did you ask me to come here if you clearly wanted to come with Naomi?" Ivy collapsed onto a chair next to Liam. She watched him send her a look of pure denial. "Come on its obvious, I may not act like a girl all the time but I am one and I can tell you still have feelings for her."
Liam exhaled noisily, "That's the thing I'm not sure I have feelings for her though. I'm sorry I asked you here, it was clearly a mistake." Liam headed to the restroom and when he collided with a small figure. He quickly held out his arms and balanced the brunette, "Sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
Annie didn't bother wiping away the tears falling down her face and murmured, "Its okay."
Liam frowned, "Hey what's wrong?"
"So now you care about my feelings?" Annie retorted and began to walk away before Liam grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "I don't want to talk, just go ask Navid or Dixon." She pointed to the room behind her.
He groaned, watching her disappear into the night. The group of five he was looking for stood close to each other carrying on a conversation in low whispers. He rubbed his eyebrow, "What just happened with Annie? She ran out of here crying and told me to ask you guys."
Dixon groaned, "We tried to talk some sense into her about her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend? So she's dating that Jasper guy?" Liam asked, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. They didn't seem like they had much in common but he's seen them hang out together a lot.
"Yeah," Navid answered. He paced back and forth before stopping in front of Liam, "He's bad news…He pushed me down the stairs and he's a drug dealer."
Naomi crossed her arms, "He dealt drugs to Adrianna. We tried to tell Annie but she didn't want to hear what we had to say. I don't blame her though, I was awful to her."
Silver nodded, "We all alienated her."
"You told her this and she left?" Liam clarified. Dixon muttered a yes and Liam continued, "This guy sounds completely crazy and you let Annie leave, what if she confronts him and he tries to hurt her?"
"Oh shit," Dixon exclaimed, he pulled out his phone and dialed Annie's number. "I didn't think about that."
"I didn't think so," Liam said. Everyone else shared worried looks while Dixon tried Annie's number again. "I'll go find her since she's not happy with you guys."
"Thanks man. I'll keep trying her cell just in case," Dixon clapped him on the back. "And text me when she's safe, ok? I'll take her home."
Liam nodded and scanned the area around the beach club including the dance floor and the tables. Ten minutes later, he found Annie and Jasper on the dock overlooking the water. He texted Dixon and headed towards them, Annie was crying even harder than before, a look of pure terror crossed her face.
Annie recoiled in horror, how could she have not known about this side of Jasper. He blocked her, "I accidentally pushed Navid down the stairs and you accidentally ran over my uncle."
"What?" she gasped backing away slowly. The world around her stopped and all she could hear was the sound of a body hitting her car.
Jasper shrugged, "You heard me Annie…I know you were the one responsible for my uncle's death."
"How did you know?" she asked him. The tears flowed more freely from her eyes, her cell phone vibrated for the third time in her clutch. She jumped when a large hand grasped her shoulder
"Annie, hey, is everything all right?" his sapphire eyes were filled with concern. Despite how angry she was with Liam even though he apologized and tried to make things right, she was relieved to see him here.
"Everything is fine, Court," Jasper told him.
Liam stepped closer to Jasper, placing Annie behind him just in case things got heated. "I was asking Annie not you."
"Maybe Annie doesn't want to talk to you," Jasper sneered. He narrowed his eyes and prepared to fight Liam.
Annie placed her hands on Liam's chest, "Liam, I'm fine I mean I'll be fine and I'm standing right here Jasper. I can speak for myself."
Dixon jogged towards them, "Annie, are you about ready to go? Mom and Dad are going to be home early and they suggested but more like demanded that we are home before they get there."
"Oh…We should get going then," she grimaced.
Jasper kissed Annie on the lips and hugged her tightly; he glared at Liam over her shoulder. He almost resembled a dog marking his territory. He smiled at Annie, "I'll call you later. We have a lot to talk about."
Annie swallowed the bile in her throat and watched him walk away. She looked at Dixon and whispered, "Can we please go home?"
"Uh yeah, of course…I'll go grab the car. Liam, do you think you can stay with her while I pull the car up?" Dixon asked. Liam nodded and Dixon took off to his car.
She rubbed her arms in attempt to ward off the goose bumps that had permanently taken residence there since Jasper informed her that he knew about her involvement in his uncle's death. "I'm going to sit down." She pointed to the bench a few feet away from them.
Silver, Naomi, Adrianna, and Navid watched the pair from across the way. Silver spoke up, "Do you think we should go over there."
Navid shook his head, "Nah, I think Liam has it covered and she probably doesn't want anyone to see her like that. Plus crying girls are scary."
Adrianna shoved him playfully before realizing what she did. She muttered, "I'm going to head out too."
"Yeah me too. I'll let you guys know the next step for Operation Destroy Jasper," Navid grinned and waved good-bye to the two remaining girls.
Liam shrugged off his grey jacket and draped it over her shoulders. He smiled sheepishly, "You keep shivering like crazy. Are you sure you're okay? Jasper didn't do anything to you, did he? I tried to find you as quick as I could."
"You were looking for me?" her voice cracked. She slipped her arms into Liam's jacket; it hung on her tiny frame. He nodded and stared at her with his questioning eyes, they were begging for her to continue…to make sure that nothing happened to her. "He didn't do anything…I promise. At least nothing physical, he admitted to selling Ade drugs and "accidentally" pushing Navid down the stairs. He said some other things too."
Liam muttered something undetectable and leaned towards her, placing his hand on top of hers, "What else did he say?"
"So are you going to talk to Liam and see what's going on between you two?" Silver asked Naomi. She desperately wanted to go home and cuddle up in her bed but she needed to know that Annie would be okay.
Naomi tore her gaze away from Annie and Liam. She crossed her arms, "I don't know Silver. He's kind of busy with Annie right now and well you saw him earlier he didn't even bat an eye when he saw me but he immediately ran after Annie when he found out what happened."
"I think we all feel a little responsible about what happened with Annie and this thing with Jasper. Liam didn't exactly back Annie up and I think he feels bad about it," Silver offered, she wrapped an arm around Naomi's shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe you both need some closure to move on."
Naomi pouted, "I'm not sure if I want to move on without him, Silv."
Silver wrapped her arm around her best friend while Naomi laid her head on Silver's shoulder. "We'll figure it out…Lets get out of here. She's in good hands."
"He knows," Annie mumbled, staring at the boats on the water. Her brain was foggy, she didn't even know what to say or do. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm so scared."
Liam gently cupped her face and looked into her eyes, Liam asked again, "What did he say Annie? What does he know?"
She whispered, "Something bad. I did something bad and he knows."
Dixon appeared next to them, slightly out of breath, "Let's get out of here, sis. Thanks Liam, I really appreciate it."
Annie snapped out of her daze and smiled weakly at Liam, "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around his neck, thinking she could stay in his arms forever. Where did that come from, she wondered to herself. She pulled away quickly before Liam could register her body being pressed against his. His eyes clouded with confusion as he watched her drive away.
So take a step back will you
Be alright, feel alright?
And now...
All this time when we walk we won't feel
But sometime in a box it won't steal you...
"Isn't that Liam's jacket?" Dixon asked, looking over her to check for any visible damage done by Jasper. The only damage he inflicted on Annie would haunt her in her dreams tonight. The emotional turmoil from tonight alone made her want to crawl up in a ball and stop thinking about everything. She wasn't suicidal, just afraid of what tomorrow held.
She tugged the jacket closer to her body, "Oh yeah, I guess I'll have to get this back to him. What time will Mom and Dad be home?" She pressed her cheek against the cool window and watched the world speed past her.
Dixon chuckled, "Funny thing is that Mom and Dad still won't be home until tomorrow night. I figured I needed to get you out that situation and quick, you know? It was the first idea that popped into my mind."
"Smart idea," Annie said. Her cell phone vibrated in her clutch again and she sighed pulling it out. She viewed all the missing calls and frantic texts from Dixon.
One New Text: Jasper
Let's hang out tomorrow? I'll pick you up around 11. Love you
How did she get herself into this mess, she repeatedly asked herself. She contemplated rolling down her window and tossing her cell phone into traffic but she was positive her carrier's insurance plan didn't include moments of insanity for the death of cell phones.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Dixon stared at her with a look of concern he must have mastered from their mother.
She managed a small smile, "I'll be fine. I just want to go take a shower, drink a cup of tea, and go to bed."
"If you say so, sis. I'm here for ya if you need me," he threw his arm around her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze before opening the door to their house.
Annie tossed her purse onto her bed and wiggled out of her clothes. Her cell phone signaled a new text, she groaned in disappointment when she realized it was another text from Jasper. She tried to ignore the fact that she hoped the text was from another dark haired boy with piercing blue eyes.
Glad you got home safe. See you tomorrow. I love you.
In the distance, she heard a car start and cruise down the street. "He followed me home," she muttered panicky. She raced across the room and slammed the window shut then closed the rest of her blinds.
She turned on the warm water and stepped into the shower. She allowed herself to get lost in the water pouring down her body. Her moment of calm was interrupted by her thoughts of Jasper pushing their way to front of her mind. She trembled violently and slid to the bottom of the bathtub, pulling her knees to her chest. Her chest heaved back and forth as small sobs overtook her body. When did her life become so complicated? When did she go from sweet girl from Kansas to murderer? She made one mistake and killed an innocent man. She stayed in the shower until her fingers became wrinkly. Until her breathing became even and all her tears drifted down her cheeks and into the drain. She clutched onto the handle and finished cleaning herself off. She scrubbed areas of her body she knew Jasper had touched.
She faced herself in the mirror and told herself she had to be strong, the more time she spent bawling her eyes and feeling sorry for herself the longer she would dwell on the past. Even though she knew she could never forget what happened no matter how many tears she cried or happy memories she tried to replace that horrible mistake with. That weight she felt on her chest would be with her the rest of her life, knowing that in an instant she ended a man's life.
Up ahead I see it, I can find it but I feel alive.
Followed me inside of a place
I felt like things would still be alright
And now...
Naomi never hesitated with anything. If she was going to do something she would jump right in. There would be no planning ahead or calculating the risks because she jumped. Always. When she found herself outside of Liam's garage getting ready to face him and the truth, she hesitated. For a minute she stood there and debated with herself, she calculated the risks. She thought about the outcome of this conversation with Liam. If she was even ready to talk to him about their future together or if they even had a future together. All she could think about was the hesitation before she lightly knocked on the garage door. In the moment after she knocked she considered making a break for it. She quickly dismissed that thought knowing she could not run away fast enough in these heels. And for the first time in a long time Naomi felt afraid. She shook away the feeling and stood tall. She was after all Naomi Clark and nothing scared her.
Liam's face went from shock to confusion and little bit of disappointed before he put his indifferent mask back on. He wasn't expecting her actually he was hoping for a small brunette behind the door. "Naomi."
She frowned, it's not like she was expecting a welcoming party but she expected a little more out of him. Or maybe she always expected too much out of him. She rubbed her bare arms, "Do you think I could come in?"
"Yeah of course," he said. He opened the garage door widely, glad that he decided to not to start working on his boat yet. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there awkwardly.
Naomi wrung her hands, "How is Annie doing?" She went with a somewhat common ground.
"I don't know, she was pretty wrecked but she's strong so I think she'll be okay," Liam scratched his brow and leaned against the banister. "Did you come all the way over here to check on Annie?"
Naomi laughed, "Of course not. I'm leaving for St. Barts tonight and I need some clarity before I leave. I need to know what's going on between us."
Liam shrugged, "I don't know Naomi…A lot of shit happened between us and I don't know if we can get over it."
Naomi wouldn't give up this easily at least not without a fight. She frowned, "Don't we owe it to ourselves to give us one more chance?"
Annie placed her steaming cup of tea on her bedside table. She relaxed against her pillows and breathed deeply, repeatedly telling herself that everything would work out. Her door swung open and Dixon entered, his hand covering his eyes, "I'm coming in…I really hope you're clothed."
She chuckled, "You're in luck, and I'm wearing our favorite flannel pajamas."
Dixon opened his eyes and laughed too, "Oh god. You must have nothing else to wear if you are breaking those bad boys out. I still can't believe Mom and Dad bought us matching pajamas for Christmas…last year."
"Oh come on Dixon, they lovely shade of red and green plaid brings out the color of your eyes," she smiled playfully. She took a long sip of her tea.
"You seem to be doing better," Dixon remarked. He sat next to her after she nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Well you are going to be doing better. I just got off the phone from Mom, you know, checking to make sure we weren't throwing in wild parties. She said that she and Dad discussed it, and they decided that you are allowed to spend your vacation in Vegas."
Annie squealed and hugged Dixon, "Seriously? You aren't joking, right because that would be really mean."
"Nope…Completely for real, I swear," he held his hands up in defense and smiled when she hugged him again. "You leave the day after Christmas and I'm sure the 'rents will be checking in on you at least three times a day. You never know what can happen with Grandma."
She grinned mentally thinking of all the clothes she needed to pack and temporarily forgot about everything in her life that was going wrong. "What about you? What are you going to do all break?"
Dixon smirked, "I've got it covered, sis. Liam and I are going to try and catch some waves. We are thinking about heading down to Pacific Beach and maybe checking out a few parties too. Plus could you imagine me in Vegas with you and Grandma."
All her thoughts immediately turned to Liam once Dixon mentioned him. Her eyes wandered to his jacket she had folded carefully and placed on the corner of her bed. She swallowed the hot liquid and bobbed her head up and down, "Sounds like fun."
Dixon wiggled his eyebrows, "I'm sure it will. Hey, I'm going to go watch some TV and go to bed. Goodnight, sis." He shut the door behind him and left Annie in silence. She picked her cell phone up off the ground from where she tossed it after she received his chilling text message. Her finger lingered over his name in her contact list. She typed a variety of lame sentences before settling on:
Thanks for tonight. By the way I accidentally stole your jacket. I'll bring it by before I leave for Vegas. –Annie
She watched for several minutes as the blinking cursor mocked her and pushed the send button before she could change her mind then she tossed it back onto the floor. Thank god she had carpet. She rested her head against the soft fabric of his jacket. She inhaled the jacket and smiled, it smelled exactly like Liam with a hint of her perfume lingering. They would smell good together. "That's not creepy at all," she said aloud. "Yup, I'm officially going crazy."
"How about we give it a try when you get back from vacation," Liam said. His phone beeped from behind him notifying him of a new text message. Liam resisted the urge to check his phone; he wanted to know for himself that Annie was alright. He mentally cringed and continued, "We can go out and give it another try."
Naomi grinned seemingly ignoring the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, "Great…The have this new dish at the Beach Club that sounds amazing. Hey what's that?" She moved towards the boat and before Liam could stop her, she peeled away the sheet.
His protests died on his lips and frowned. He wasn't ready to share this with anyone…yet. "I'm building a boat."
She gave him a look, "Well obviously it's a boat. I didn't know you built boats."
"It gives me something to do with my hands," he shrugged. "This is me redirecting my anger so when I'm pissed off I come here and build. I guess its kind of the best thing that's come out of my anger."
"Why a boat?" she asked running her hand across the smooth material.
"I used to sail with my dad before, before he went away…" he told her. He waited for her to say something about this little piece of him that she entrusted in him. His cell phone beeped again. "Maybe you should get that, it could be important."
He almost sighed in relief and flipped open his phone. He smirked and reread the message before responding with Vegas? You continue to surprise me, Wilson.
Naomi cleared her throat and his head whipped around, slamming his cell phone shut in the process. He coughed, "Uh sorry. Were you saying something?"
She slipped her shrug back on and head towards the door. "I have to go; Silver and I are leaving in a few hours. I'll see you when I get back."
He held open the door, "Have a safe trip."
Annie gnawed on her lip and took another gulp of her lukewarm tea. Her cell phone buzzed from its spot on the ground. Her hands shook as she tried to balance her mug and snatch her phone with her other hand. The mug tipped over and remnants of her tea soaked through Liam's jacket. "Shit. Shit. Shit." Annie muttered and placed the empty mug back onto her bedside table. She read the washing instructions on the inside of the jacket and raced to laundry room. She ran back to her room after starting the washing machine and read her new text from Liam. Her fingers flew over the keyboard.
You know me…I want to fulfill my life long dream of becoming a showgirl in Vegas.
Liam pulled out a few tools and turned on the radio, keeping it down low so he didn't piss off his stepfather. He laughed when he saw Annie's new text and replied.
I'll have to dig out my pink feather boa for you to borrow.
Annie shut off her lights and pulled the covers over her body. She snorted visualizing Liam in a feather boa dancing around in heels.
Thank you Liam…for the nightmares of you in a boa that will haunt me tonight.
Liam shook his head; he had to admit that he enjoyed bantering with Annie. Oh crap did I just ruin my bad boy image? But hey at least you will be dreaming about me ;)
Annie blushed and mulled over what to say next. Was Liam flirting with her? I did say nightmare right?
He stopped sanding the hull and sat down after he sent the next message. Whatever you say Wilson. His face dropped when he realized he was flirting with Annie. A girl with a drug dealer as a boyfriend and problems of her own, they took part in ruining each others life. He was the reason she was a social pariah. Not to mention he agreed to a pending date with his ex-girlfriend. What the hell was he doing?
Will you be surfing tomorrow? I have to go do some Christmas shopping so I'll be out by the beach in the morning. I can drop off your jacket. Annie threw off her comforters after she sent the text and doubled checked to make sure Liam's jacket was stain free before putting it in the dryer.
Oh what the hell. Liam grinned, thinking about seeing Annie tomorrow. Ok. I'll be at the usual spot.
Great. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Liam.
Sweet dreams Wilson. Liam watched his phone send the message and put everything away before his body started protesting louder for sleep.
With those three words Annie found herself asleep within minutes, none of her usual nightmares plagued her mind while she slept.
All this time when we walk we won't feel
But sometime in a box it can steal
All this time when I talk its not real
its not real, not real, not real, it's not real
Annie woke up the next morning with the same smile on her face that she fell asleep with. She went through her daily routine and carefully started to pick out a cute outfit. "What am I doing? Trying to impress Liam?"
Eventually she decided on a pair of her favorite skinny jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Despite it being California in the winter, Annie had gotten so used to the warm weather and even the drop of temperature had thrown her body off. Just like it did when she first moved here from Kansas where she was fully prepared to brave the freezing cold. Now weather in the fifties and sixties were equivalent to the blizzards she experienced in Kansas. Her face fell as she remembered Jasper's text from last night, immediately she texted him telling him that she had errands she needed to run today and probably would be busy with family stuff until she left for vacation. She peeked her head in Dixon's room and found him sprawled on his bed snoring away. She grabbed the car keys off the counter and pulled Liam's jacket out of the dryer.
All this time when we walk we won't feel
But sometime in a box it won't steal
All this time when I walk I wont feel, I wont feel
All this time when I talk its not real, it's not real
Annie first stopped at her coffee shop and bought a muffin along with two steaming drinks. It was a little after nine when Annie put the car in park by the beach. She took a deep breath and balanced all the things she needed in her arms. The beach was fairly empty whether it was the holiday or the weather, she wasn't sure. She laid out a beach towel that Dixon left in the car and ate her muffin while sipping on her hot chocolate. She spotted Liam out in the water and admired his ability to take on the waves. Almost fifteen minutes later, Liam sauntered out of the water. Annie's mouth went dry when he unzipped his wetsuit half way and headed towards her. She downed the rest of her hot chocolate and waved at him.
Liam grinned, setting his surfboard by Annie's towel, "Morning, Wilson. Isn't it amazing out?" He shook his head like a wet dog would do after getting out of bath.
Annie shrieked, "Liam! You're getting me wet!" He moved closer to her and laughed as she continued to get wet. She tossed her empty cup at him.
"Annie! Littering is a serious crime," he scolded her playfully and took a seat next to her.
She rolled her eyes and handed him the cup and his jacket, "I brought you some hot chocolate but it's probably cold by now."
"It's the thought that counts, right?" his eyes twinkled. He gulped down some of the hot chocolate. "You know its still a little hot out for hot chocolate anyways."
She frowned, "One…it is never too hot out for hot chocolate and two its like fifty-five degrees, and I'm freezing."
Liam scoffed, "It feels great out here. This isn't even cold, I lived in New York before here and I would freeze my ass off this time of the year. Aren't you from Kansas, Wilson?"
"Oh no…I've become a California snob!" she moaned into her hands.
Liam awkwardly patted her back and deadpanned, "Its okay Annie…I'm sure you can change. Screw rehab for alcoholics and drug addicts, I bet you there's a place you can go for people like you."
She scowled at him, "Don't make fun of my disease, jerk."
"Your crazy," he muttered and finished off the rest of his hot chocolate that was more of chocolate milk than anything. He looked at his jacket strangely and turned to Annie. "Did you wash my jacket?"
"Maybe." Annie replied meekly. She toyed with the drawstrings on her sweatshirt avoiding Liam's curious stare.
"You can tell me anything Annie. I bet you feel asleep cradling my jacket in your arms and when you woke up you realized that you drooled all over it while you were dreaming about me," Liam smirked whereas Annie's face turned a brilliant shade of red.
She groaned, "That is not what happened at all…The size of your ego is astounding. There was an accident with a cup of tea and your jacket happened to be a casualty so I had to wash it."
He raised his eyebrow, "Thanks, I guess? When are you leaving for Vegas? And I think I lost my boa, sadly."
She snickered, "I'm leaving the day after Christmas so you have time to keep looking for it. My grandma is doing some singing and acting out there…It will be nice to get away for a while, you know, clear my head."
He nodded, "Yeah…how are you?"
"Embarrassed," she told him honestly. "I had a complete breakdown in front of you and I didn't know my boyfriend was dealing. I feel like such an idiot."
"You couldn't have known…I'm glad I got there in time," Liam replied, staring at Annie's round, doe eyes.
Annie abruptly stood up. "I should probably head out…I've got a lot of shopping to do."
"Yeah, I'll walk you to your car…I need to get home, my mom wants help decorating the Christmas tree or something like that," he grunted. He picked up his surfboard and headed for her car. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and leaned up against her car, "I want to apologize again about the whole Jen thing. If I hadn't lied in the first place none of this stuff would have probably happened."
She shook her head, "You can't take blame for all it…I didn't help much especially when we were on the yacht, I was so mad and I shouldn't have said those things. I'm sorry Liam."
He shrugged, "Don't worry about it. Have a good time in Vegas and be careful." He started to cross the parking lot to his car.
"Liam," she called out. He turned around and moved back towards her. "I forgive you."
He grinned and enveloped her into a hug. She pounded her fists against his bare skin, shrieking, "You're getting my nice, warm sweatshirt wet again!"
He let her go and winked, "See you later, Wilson."
Not real, not real, not real, not real
All this time when I talk its not real, it's not real
Let me know what you think! The next part will be an interlude.