Disclaimer : I own nothing of the show or the characters, am making no profit, and no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just having fun with them.
Background : This story takes place towards the end of Reese and Bianca's rehearsal dinner where Kendall attacked Reese with her toast. This fic poses the question, "What if Reese had not gotten drunk to deal with Kendall's attack?"
Doing The Right Thing
As the last of Kendall's vicious words hang in the air, causing a horrible, tense stillness to permeate the air, and causing all present to go rigid with shock, Reese slowly rises from her seat. Every eye is on her as she hangs her head with unwarranted shame, tears fill her eyes, and she leaves the gathering with great deliberation. Her gaze never leaves the floor as she goes along. Only when Reese has finally disappeared behind the building does Bianca finally come out of her daze. Like water filling a drinking glass, rage begins to surge upwards from the very tips of the brunette's toes, quickly reaching her face. She becomes flushed with the intensity of what she's feeling. Her heart pounds angrily in her chest like a wild prisoner trying to break out of its cell, and her chest heaves as her breathing comes in short, belabored pants. Quickly she stands, slamming her hand violently into the table as she releases the cloth napkin she's been holding. Without a word, she stomps over to her sister, grabs the taller woman's arm in a brutally, painfully tight grip, and leads her roughly out of the sight of the masses. Once the two siblings are alone, Bianca whirls Kendall around to face her. The look of fury in the usually gentle woman's eyes is enough to scare the life out of the otherwise unflappable redhead.
BIANCA (barely maintaining control) : "Pay close attention because I'm only going to say this once. You will apologize to my guests. When I find Reese, you will apologize profuselyto her, in fact you will beg her forgiveness onyourknees if need be, and from this very moment on your behavior will be positively stellaror so help me God, Kendall, you will never see me or either of my daughters ever again. Is that perfectly clear to you?"
Kendall, mouth hanging open, eyes wide with fear, can only nod dumbly in response. Bianca releases the thin appendage still in her grasp with a huff, and marches away, a woman on a mission. Fifteen minutes later, Bianca arrives at her suite at the casino. Bursting through the door, her eyes searching frantically, she calls out into the emptiness.
BIANCA : "Reese? Baby, are you here?"
The brown-eyed woman races from one room to the next as she fails to locate her fiancée in each one in succession. In the bedroom, she looks to the left of the bed and notes that Reese's suitcase, which had been sitting in that very spot before they left for the rehearsal dinner, is now absent. She is overcome with anxiety as she is forced to concede that her beloved is not present. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth to stifle a heart wrenching sob. Tears flow fast from her mahogany eyes. Suddenly, she remembers the invention of cell phones and pulls her own Blackberry from her purse, punching # 2 on her speed dial. After three rings, Reese's voice emanates with an electronic quality from the rectangular contraption. Hi.You'vereachedReese'sphone.I'munabletotakeyourcallrightnowbecauseI'mundoubtedlydoingsomethingromanticfortheloveofmylife,Bianca.Yourcallisstillimportanttome,althoughnotasimportantasBianca.hahahahaPleaseleaveyournameandnumberandI'llgetbacktoyouassoonasI'mabletotearmyselfawayfromthemostwonderfulwomanintheworld. Bianca's face contorts in pain as the loud beeeeeeeeeeepfills the air.
BIANCA (through her tears) : "Reese, I can't tell you how sorry I am about what my sister said. I know that you're humiliated and hurt and probably don't want to talk to anyone right now, but please, baby, call me back. Just for a second, just to let me know you're ok. Please? I just want to hear your voice, just for a second. Please. I love you."
The young woman sinks onto the bed, hand covering her face, sobbing inconsolably.
Chapter 2
An hour later, Bianca is lying face up in bed on top of the covers, still completely dressed. Tears still silently streaming down her face, the young brunette's mind is still reeling with thoughts of her now absent fiancée. She bemoans the fact that she can't figure out where her love might go. She sighs deeply with regret and shifts to her side. Her eyes defocus. Her mind wanders. Her chest tightens painfully at the thought of not knowing where her love is, not being able to talk to her, not being able to touch her. She shuts her eyes as if her thoughts were inflicting physical blows upon her. With a shake of her head, she attempts to clear her mind, but only succeeds in growing more frustrated. An exasperated growl emanates from deep within the pit of her stomach. She flings her body up to a sitting position in aggravation and swipes both hands roughly up and down on either side of her own face. Exhaling deeply, she removes her hands from her face, and her eyes fall on a particular picture lying on the dresser. A smiling Reese looks back at her from under a golden sunset beside a dark blue ocean within a metal frame. Realization finally dawns upon her and she gasps.
BIANCA (excitedly) : "Oh, my God!"
Bianca shoots to her feet, hastily grabbing her purse and keys as she dashes out the door. Forty minutes later, Bianca is standing in front of the beach house which Reese had inherited from her grandmother prior to coming out to her parents. The brunette feels all the air rush out of her lungs as she peers in through the window to find a tired and weary Reese lying on the couch, face turned toward the wall, looking like the weight of the world was upon her shoulders. Bianca's heart clinches guiltily knowing that it was her own sister who had inflicted this level of pain upon the woman she intends to marry. The gentle brunette takes a moment to gather herself and summon her courage, Finally, she cautiously lifts her hand and knocks softly on the window. She stops breathing momentarily as she watches the blonde's head turn slowly towards the sound. The couple locks eyes. Reese's eyes slide closed and Bianca sees the tears slip down her love's cheeks. Her own eyes become moist in response. Reese opens her eyes again and Bianca gazes at her pleadingly. Reese's expression is indecision. Both women know they are at a crossroads. Neither can say where their relationship will go next.
Chapter 3
Slowly, painfully, Reese drags herself off the couch and makes her way to the front door. Bianca's breath catches as she hears the snick of the lock sliding open. Ever so slowly, the door swings open. Reese's eyes venture a furtive glance at her fiancée before dropping back down to the ground. Looking anguished, the blonde woman steps aside and allows the brunette to enter the dwelling. Once inside, both woman feel an awkwardness envelope them as they take a seat beside one another on the couch. Bianca struggles to find her voice as well as the right words to say to her stricken love.
BIANCA (slowly) : "Reese… Baby… I… I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry for what Kendall said."
Reese's eyes close painfully as tears slip down her porcelain cheeks.
REESE (quietly) : "Not your fault."
Bianca brightens slightly at the fact that Reese does not blame her for Kendall's attack.
BIANCA : "Thank you for saying that. I just feel so bad because it was my sister who said all those awful things, and… I know how much those things hurt you."
Reese stiffens slightly for a moment, but then shrugs it off.
KENDALL : "Only Kendall is responsible for what she said. No one else."
BIANCA (angrily) : "And she will apologize to you. Believe me."
Slowly, sadly Reese shakes her head.
REESE (resolutely) : "I don't want her apology."
BIANCA (confused) : "But she needs to apologize to you for what she did."
REESE (determinedly) : "I don't want it."
BIANCA : "We-ell, ok. You don't have to see her if you don't want to. We can ban her from the wedding."
Bianca is shocked to see the saddest, most pained expression on Reese's face that she has ever seen. With a resigned shake of her head, the architect deals her fiancée another blow.
REESE : "That's not what you want. You don't want to have a wedding without your sister."
BIANCA : "Well… no, but if you don't want to be around her, there's no other choice, honey. You don't have to see her until you feel ready…"
REESE (sighing, tearing up, whispering) : "It's not going to work, Bianca."
Bianca freezes momentarily as the panic builds within her upon reading the expression on Reese's face. Frantically, she scrambles to avoid the disaster she knows is coming.
BIANCA : "Sure it'll work, baby. I promise you I'll keep Kendall away from you for as long as you need. We don't have to let her ruin our wedding…"
From nothing more than just the look on Reese's face, Bianca can feel her lover pulling further away from her. Her panic reaches a fever pitch.
BIANCA : "Reese, baby, you don't ever have to see Kendall again if you don't want to…"
Reese chuckles sadly even as tears well up in her brown eyes.
REESE (sighing sadly with a shake of her head) : "Bianca…"
BIANCA (sobbing) : "Reese, please. Please don't give up on us."
REESE : "This is hopeless, Bianca."
BIANCA : "Don't say that, Reese. It can't be hopeless. I love you."
REESE (sobbing) : "I love you, too… but it's not enough."
BIANCA (sobbing) : "Reese, what are you talking about? What do you mean it's not enough? Love is everything. We have everything."
REESE (dejectedly) : "No. No we don't. I don't. I don't have the respect of the family of the woman I love. Neither your mother nor your sister has any respect for me. They don't like me at all. They don't consider me worthy of you. They've made that plain enough to me. And frankly, Bianca, I'm tired of it. I'm worn out."
Bianca starts to protest until Reese closes her eyes and shoots her hand up impatiently to silence her.
REESE : "I thought when we got engaged, that they would see that our relationship is serious and that I want to give you and our daughters everything… that I'd give my life for you and the girls, but… obviously that means nothing to them."
BIANCA : "Reese, that's not true…"
Even as she is making declarations to the contrary, her words ring hollow and she stops short.
REESE (sadly) : "You know it is."
Bianca's mouth hangs open dumbly as she knows not what to say. Words fail her and her heart sinks. Reese stands as she wipes the tears from her eyes.
REESE (sighing) : "Bianca, your family is just never going to accept me and I don't have any fight left in me. I'm weary. I can't do this anymore. We need to move on now."
BIANCA : "But…"
REESE (resolutely) : "I'll be in touch about seeing the girls, ok?"
BIANCA : "But what about us?"
REESE (quietly, shaking her head sadly) : "Please go."
Bianca stares blankly and blinks repeatedly as her minds reels from what has just occurred. She knows it's over now and is so shocked that she's numb. She responds on automatic pilot by standing and taking a step forward. Reese follows the gentle brunette as she walks out the door. Bianca flinches as she hears the door shut behind her. Upon hearing the door lock again, She slumps against the wall and collapses into tears. Inside, Reese drops back onto the couch and is racked with sobs.
Chapter 4
The next day, after a sleepless night, Reese is lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Tears streaming silently down her face, she lets her head drop to the side as her eyes slip closed. From out of nowhere, her phone rings. For the first three rings, Reese is hardly aware of it, but by the fourth ring, she is finally pulled from her thoughts enough to glance over to her blackberry. The caller ID reads Jennifer. Reese sighs wearily. As emotionally exhausted as she is, and as much as she is loathe to speak to anyone in her current emotional state, she cannot ignore this call. Jennifer is the Chairwoman of the Board for the Women's Cancer Association, a charity geared towards the treatment and prevention of breast cancer in women. This charity is a great passion of Reese's, and has been, since her grandmother succumbed to the disease two years prior. Reese's grandmother became the main female role model in Reese's life from the time the architect was very young. Reese's mother had been cold and distant from the moment she sensed that Reese was… different. Upon suspecting that her daughter might not be the perfect little hetero girl that Claire wanted, the older woman ostracized the young brown-haired girl. It drove a wedge between mother and daughter, to the extent that a healthy relationship became virtually impossible. Reese then turned to her grandmother for support and eventually confided in her grandmother about her sexual orientation. To Reese's delight, her grandmother was completely understanding and accepting. The two became very close and Reese got what she needed in terms of support and guidance. Upon her grandmother's passing, Reese was inconsolable and felt more alone than she ever had in her life. Therefore it became Reese's mission in life to stamp out the killer that had taken her beloved grandmother. Through a mutual dedication to a common goal, the young architect found a kindred spirit in Jennifer Romero. Moreover, Reese knows what the phone call is about. This night the charity is having a benefit that the brown-eyed woman is expected to attend. Reese groans in despair. She hates the idea of disappointing her friend and chairwoman, as well as all the beneficiaries of the charities, but at the same time, she hardly feels like a night out on the town. With great reluctance, she wipes her tears away, sits up, stretches to reach her phone on the nightstand beside her bed, and hits talk.
REESE (quietly) : "Hello?"
JENNIFER (cheerily) : "Hey, Reese! How are you?"
REESE (quietly) : "I'm…ok."
JENNIFER (oblivious) : "Glad to hear that. Are you ready for tonight?"
REESE (faltering) : "We-ell, about that… I don't think…"
JENNIFER : "You are going to be there, aren't you?"
REESE (wearily) : "Jen, I'm really sorry… but I'm just not up for it."
JENNIFER (softly) : "Wow. It sounds like you're going through something and I'm so sorry. I don't mean to be insensitive or minimize whatever you're going through, and I promise to be there for you with whatever you need… tomorrow, but tonight we really need you at the benefit."
REESE (puzzled) : "Why?"
JENNIFER : "It's Sara. She's not doing well."
Reese's heart sinks at the words. The young blue-eyed blonde is one of the beneficiaries of the charity. She'd stolen the hearts of everyone involved in the charity from the start with her winning smile and determined spirit, but she'd had to fight for her life against the disease. And now it would seem that the disease was getting the better of her. Reese finally understands Jennifer's insistence that she be present at the benefit. Reese closes her eyes and drops her head as a fresh batch of tears falls from her eyes. She sighs dejectedly.
REESE (barely above a whisper) : "How bad?"
JEN (somberly) : "Bad."
Reese stifles a sob, covering her face with her free hand.
JEN (gently) : "Reese, she really needs all of us there. Please try to come."
The young architect cannot dismiss this request. Summoning all her strength, she resolves to fulfill her promise despite her own weariness and heartache.
REESE (quietly) : "Ok."
JEN (sighing with relief, excitedly) : "Thank you! I knew you wouldn't let us down."
REESE (quietly) : "I'll see you there."
Reese hits end and sinks back into the bed, out of her mind with grief. She allows the tears and sobs to flow unchecked as she can no longer hold them back. She makes no attempt to get out of bed initially, but simply indulges her despair, hoping to get some of it out of her system and regain some modicum of control. After a half hour, the brown-eyed woman decides she's cried enough. She takes a deep breath and steels her nerves as she prepares to leave the sanctuary of her bed and face the cold, hard light of day as well as the reality of her circumstances. Slowly, wearily, the young woman drags herself out of bed and starts to head towards the bathroom, intent on a long, hot shower, when suddenly there's a knock at the door. Shaking her head in frustration and disbelief, she makes her way to the front door. Looking out the front window at the sight that greets her, she can hardly believe her eyes. The redheaded woman at her door shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Her hazel eyes dart back and forth, mimicking the motion of her feet. She nervously rubs her chin, anticipating the confrontation to come. With great hesitation, the young brown-eyed woman slowly swings the door open and faces her unexpected visitor.
REESE (curtly) : "Kendall."
Chapter 5
KENDALL (quietly) : "Reese…"
The young brown-eyed architect is incredulous that the woman who said such horrible things about her not 24 hours earlier would have the temerity to darken her doorway. When Reese does not respond right away, Kendall drops her gaze. After fumbling for several seconds, she shuts her eyes and shakes her head with a frustrated sigh before finally finding the right words.
KENDALL : "Look…" (staring off into the distance momentarily before returning her gaze to Reese) "I screwed up, ok? I crossed the line because I was pissed that my husband had a daughter with you and my sister before he had one with me and I took it out on you with that toast and I was a bitch for doing that, ok? I know that. Usually, I don't care that I'm a bitch, but…"
Reese quirks an eyebrow at Kendall as she listens silently to the feisty redhead.
KENDALL : "I hate having Bianca mad at me. Nothing is worth that. She told me that you walked out on her because my mother and I haven't shown you much respect…" (acquiescing at Reese's skeptical look) "Ok, any respect… but I promise that'll change as of right now, ok? You just got to take Bianca back because otherwise she'll never speak to me again."
REESE : "I see. So this is all about you and what you need and what you want."
KENDALL (stammering) : "N-no. I didn't mean it like that, I just..."
Kendall growls in frustration. Reese continues.
REESE (bitterly) : "Don't worry, Kendall. Bianca won't stay mad at you forever. She'll forgive you soon enough and then you and your mother won't ever have to see me again."
KENDALL : "No, Reese. That's not what I'm aiming for here."
REESE (shouting angrily) : "I don't care what you're aiming for, Kendall. I'm not going to do what you want just because it would make your life easier. And as for you and your mother starting to show me some respect… I don't buy a word of that nonsense."
KENDALL (pleading) : "Please, Reese. You and Bianca love each other. Please don't let my screw up come between you."
REESE (dismissively) : "Goodbye, Kendall."
KENDALL : "Come on, Reese…"
The blonde architect unceremoniously closes the door in her soon-to-be ex-sister-in-law's face. Outside, Kendall drops her head in defeat, reluctantly turns on her Jimmy Choos, and leaves. Inside, alone again, Reese slumps against the door, drops her head in despair, and buries her face in her hands, as a fresh batch of tears falls from her eyes.
Chapter 6
Several hours later, a still despondent, though beautifully dressed, made up, and coiffed Reese has arrived at the benefit. Trying desperately to stop herself from crying again, the young architect stops before entering the room, places her hand on her stomach, and takes several deep breathes. Pasting on a fake smile, the blonde steels herself and wills her feet to move forward. She finally manages to push the door open and enters the ballroom to see all her close friends from the organization milling about. Initially, she feels a warm glow of joy upon seeing a group of people that mean so much to her, but somehow in the next moment, seeing her friends only serves to make her feel sadder. Slowly, agonizingly, she moves about the room greeting her friends. Finally, she comes upon Jennifer. The two friends embrace.
JENNIFER (smiling sadly) : "Hey, Reese."
REESE (smiling sadly) : "Hi, Jen."
JENNIFER (noting Reese's grief-stricken expression, gently) : "How are you holding up?"
REESE (quietly, with a resigned shrug of her shoulders) : "I'm trying."
JENNIFER (pulling Reese into another hug) : "Listen, when this is over, if you want to talk, we can go somewhere and I'll listen, ok? This benefit is important, but it'll be over soon and then I can be there for you after."
REESE (sniffling) : "Thanks, Jen. I appreciate that."
JENNIFER: "No problem."
Jennifer pats Reese's arm affectionately before the young architect's eye is drawn to a thin, frail looking figure just a few feet to her left.
JENNIFER (nodding towards Sara) : "Go say hi. She'll be thrilled to see you."
Reese nods and takes the few final steps to close the distance between herself and her friend.
REESE (smiling sadly) : "Hey, you."
SARA (smiling) : "Reese!"
The two women embrace.
SARA : "I'm so happy to see you!"
REESE (gently) : "I'm happy to see you, too, hon."
SARA : "I've been looking forward to this for weeks!"
REESE (sincerely) : "Well, I wish you were feeling better, but I'm thrilled to be spending some time with you."
SARA (sincerely) : "Well, I'm thrilled that you're here. And I can't wait to hear you sing!"
Suddenly Reese's face falls. In her despair, she forgot that she'd promised Sara that she'd sing at this benefit. The last thing the brown-eyed woman wants to do at this moment is sing, but she feels horrible about wanting to back out of the song when her good friend is going through such a painful ordeal and asks only for a song from her friend to cheer her up.
REESE (clearing her throat, fighting tears) : "Um, well…"
SARA : "Have you decided what song you're going to do?"
REESE (sighing in resignation) : "What song do you want me to sing?"
SARA : "How about WhenIFallInLove?"
Singmineandmyestrangedwife'ssong?Inpublic?Thedayafterwebrokeup?Oh,sure.Noproblem.WouldyoulikemetopokemyeyesoutwitharustyforkwhileI'matit?, Reese thinks ruefully, but the young architect steels herself and pastes a fake smile on her face.
REESE : "Of course."
A short time later, the MC for the evening's festivities emerges onstage and urges everyone to be seated. After a number of speeches, a magician, a dancer, and a comedian, the MC then returns to the stage.
MC : "And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have a real treat for you. Coming to the stage is an extremely talented architect who also happens to be a fabulous songbird. Please welcome our very own Reese Williams!"
The crowd erupts into thunderous applause. Standing in the wings as the first strings of the world famous love song drifts through the room, the brown-eyed woman takes a deep breath and steps out onto the stage.
Chapter 7
The stage lights are bright in the young woman's eyes and the music is rising around her. She ventures a furtive glance at her audience, but quickly drops her gaze, breaking any eye contact as she feels her throat tighten momentarily. She swallows hard and is much relieved when her throat opens up again. She takes yet another deep breathe as she hears her cue coming up. She closes her eyes in an attempt to focus. She tries to clear her mind of everything except the lyrics, fills her lungs with air… and begins…
When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
Reese quickly surveys the audience and sees countless smiling, friendly faces. For an all-too-brief moment, her heart is warm, but then she notes the couples sitting together, wrapped up in each other, and she's hit with an enormous pang of loneliness and heartbreak. She closes her eyes against the pain.
When I give my heart
It will be completely
Or I'll never give my heart
The young architect's soulful brown eyes fill with tears yet again as thoughts of her beautiful Bianca fill her mind, but she dutifully forges ahead, her voice never wavering for a single second, even as the tears fall and her heart sinks. The beauty and grace of her voice belie the turmoil in her aching heart.
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way, too
Is when I fall in love
Once again, the blonde scans the audience, and suddenly what she sees nearly steals the very breath from her lungs. As she glances towards the back of the room, she sees one of the doors open, and watches as a lone figure enters. Though her mind cannot fathom it, she believes she is seeing Bianca.
With you
Reese's mind is reeling as she struggles to make sense of what she thinks she sees. Surely it must be a figment of her imagination, wishful thinking. She thinks it a very cruel joke that her mind is conjuring up such an image when it's already taking everything she has to keep it together just long enough to finish the song.
When I fall in love
It will be completely
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And to many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
But the longer she continues to stare out towards the back of the room, the more real the vision before her seems. And then all at once, it's clear to the brown eyed blonde. It is neither a figment of her imagination nor wishful thinking. Bianca really is in the room… and making her way towards the stage.
When I give my heart
It will be completely
Or I'll never give my heart
Reese feels herself trembling uncontrollably on the inside, and has no clue how she's keeping her hand with the microphone from shaking as she continues to sing. Her vision blurred by tears, her mind in a million different places at once, she almost misses her next cue.
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way, too
Is when I fall in love
With you
It takes a monumental effort on Reese's part to keep her voice from cracking for the duration. She's just barely able to get out the last note before her throat constricts again. The audience collectively leaps to its feet and erupts into thunderous applause. With tears streaming down her face, the chanteuse can only nod slightly to acknowledge her very appreciative public. Her gaze drops the tiniest bit and she sees Bianca, front and center, mahogany eyes, pouty lips and all. Reese averts her eyes, replaces the microphone on its stand, and bolts backstage as a sob escapes her lips.
Upon reaching the privacy of backstage, Reese promptly doubles over and sobs uncontrollably.
TBC
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