For the record, this takes place within my Earth and Rebirth fic universe, but as of right now it is NOT considered canon. It was just a thought that grabbed hold of me and I had to make something of it. I don't think you need to read of have read Earth and Rebirth to understand the context. The short of it is Holly was married young and was widowed before coming to Westown. But if you are interested, you know where to find it!
(Also, I'm laying part of the blame for this on Durotos, because she made me think about Holly/Hector for more than thirty seconds and made me give myself feel things about it!)
Enjoy!
-Becks
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He hadn't really realized he was in love until Brad pointed it out.
His was such an innocuous comment, "I'm happy for you, buddy, she's really good for you. And you her." But it hit Hector like a freight train.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, gruff and defensive.
Brad gave him a tight, sympathetic smile. One Hector hadn't seen in almost five years. He lowered his voice, even though it was unnecessary in the empty bar. "It's okay, Hector. Myra wouldn't want you to be miserable forever. You're allowed to love again."
Hector very nearly burst into tears at his old friends words. How did that bastard know exactly what to say to break him down?
"It don't matter how I feel," he told the bar top, "Holly ain't interested in a guy like me."
He didn't have to stretch his imagination to find any number of reasons why Holly didn't feel the same way about him. First and foremost being her own deceased husband who had left her before their first anniversary and with a baby on the way. Then there was said baby, Holly's daughter and the light of her world, now a rambunctious three year old. Plus Holly was busy on her farm. Her first few years had been prosperous, but she was by no means anywhere close to being able to rest on her laurels. And Hector was over a decade older than Holly, surely if she was even interested in dating, she'd look for someone closer to her age. Someone who was charming, and a better conversationalist, and could make her laugh and bring excitement to her life. Hell, even Lotus had a better chance of catching Holly's affection than he did.
Hector... Hector was too damaged to be loved again. Myra had been the only woman for him. She had given him everything that was good in his life. He has promised her so long ago that he would never find another, he would never remarry, he would never replace her.
And yet somehow, Hector had felt the stirrings in his heart. Feelings he had almost forgotten the names of. A part of him that had only ached with loss for the last seven years felt warm again. He had tried to ignore the traitorous feelings, but they'd only grown stronger over the last couple years.
He looked forward to the days when Holly came by to spend time spinning yarn with Megan. He could always hear her voice carrying clearly into the room he kept his radio in, and though he ever joined them he was glad to hear what was going on in her life. She always had a smile for Hector when they passed on the road or in town. And she was so kind to Colin, always praising his new artwork and never losing her patience when he was too quiet or shy.
And Holly always had such interesting things to talk about. Not just her farm and work there, but stories of her daughter's newest escapades, or news from the other villages, or books she had recently read, or what was growing wild on the mountainside. She was one of the few people Hector actually didn't mind holding a conversation with. He could spend hours just listening to her, and she never seemed to mind that he would rather listen than talk.
She was so different from Myra, who had been another quiet soul. After they had been married a couple years, it wasn't unusual for them to go an entire day not saying more than a handful of words to each other, simply because they could communicate perfectly without words.
Whenever he found himself comparing the two, Hector always shook himself. There was no way to compare them. Myra had been his soulmate, the love of his life. Holly was... Holly was a friend and a neighbor, at the very most a fleeting crush. Nothing more.
Except it wasn't just a crush.
Crushes weren't supposed to last so long. And Hector was far too old to let himself fall prey to a crush. He refused to admit it until Brad said something, but it was true. He loved Holly.
And as soon as he realized it, the guilt set in.
How could he fall in love again? How could he do that to Myra? To Colin? How dare he even think of replacing his wife with another woman who was twelve years his junior? And how could he even presume that Holly felt the same way about him?
True in the four years she had been around the area, Holly hadn't once dated anyone else, even though the eligible bachelors of the three towns had tried. But she was still mourning the loss of her husband. And she had a baby to take care of. And she had a farm to revive and turn into a success. She barely had time to sleep much less dream about a romantic relationship.
Hector would have just shoved his feelings back and lived the rest of his life mostly happy, if it wasn't for Brad.
The chef refused to let the matter rest. He brought it up any time they had the bar to themselves in the evenings. Hector put him off again and again until he finally said, "I don't matter how I feel. She doesn't feel the same. So what's the point?"
Unexpectedly, a sly grin crossed Brad's face. He leaned towards his friend and said conspiratorially, "I have it on good authority that Holly, in fact, does feel the same."
"On who's authority?" Hector asked, his brows lowering suspiciously. He didn't dare acknowledge the spark of hope that fluttered in his stomach. Town gossip was outlandishly wrong more often than not.
"Carrie's," Brad said triumphantly. "She and Holly talk about a lot when the kids are together for playdates, and you, my friend, come up quite often."
Hector scoffed. He knew Holly and Carrie were best friends, and their kids played a lot together, considering they were close in age. But Carrie was one of the biggest gossips in the three towns and she was a romantic who loved nothing more than playing matchmaker. Surely she was exaggerating to her husband to tell a more exciting story.
Brad's smile fell a bit, but her set his face to something determined and challenging. "Tell you what, Hector. You ask Holly to dance at the Goddess Festival next week. If she refuses, then I'll drop the subject forever. Okay?"
Hector considered his offer for a moment. Was it worth having his hopes crushed just to finally get Brad off his back? "Alright, deal."
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XXXXXXXXXX
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The Festival was another smashing hit. Just like it had been the last four years. Megan had called upon Holly to collect donations, and she had worked her charm yet again to get people to pony up. Hector had been watching Holly all afternoon to try and catch her alone, but she was, as usual, the center of attention.
She was part of the organization committee, and people were congratulating her for the great turnout. She was socializing with her friends. She was chasing after her daughter and expertly avoiding any toddler meltdowns. She had been too busy during the pizza lunch that she hadn't even sat down to eat.
And once the dancing started she hardly seemed to go without a partner. During the group dances she had already been paired up with both Wayne and Ford, and smiled and laughed the entire time. God, she'd even convinced the doctor to participate in some dancing.
Hector had no chance of ever catching her affection. Holly was friends with everyone and Hector... Hector could count his friends on one hand. They would never work out.
His last chance to ask her was coming up fast. The traditional Goddess Dance wasn't specifically for couples, but considering it was mainly a paired dance, it was as close as he was going to get. Hector looked around. The band was taking a short break, but people were already pairing off.
Noel had hardly let Colin leave her side all afternoon. Miranda was cajoling Frank into stepping out on the dancefloor. Wayne was being propositioned for a dance by two different women and Ford was beside him, trying his best to not get involved. And under the shade of a tree, Holly and Rose were standing with Lisette, chatting.
It was probably the closest he would get to Holly being alone. At least he knew Lisette wouldn't judge or gossip.
He strode over, feeling Brad's eyes on him the entire time. At least when Holly said 'no' it would put this whole matter to rest forever.
He cleared his throat as he came to a stop beside the women. "Ah, Holly, would you like to dance?"
Her smile faltered, and a blush crept across her cheeks. Lisette gasped softy, but said nothing. Hector braced for rejection.
Then Holly's smile broadened and she took his offered hand. "I would love to dance with you." She turned to Lisette. "Would you?"
"I'll keep an eye on Rosie."
Hector took Holly's hand as they walked to the dance floor. He hoped she couldn't notice how sweaty his palms felt, or if she did, she wrote it off as a result of the heat of the day. There was no reason for him to assume that her accepting his invitation was anything remotely close to an indication of her feelings.
The traditional Goddess Dance was not, strictly-speaking, a couple's dance. The pairs could be anyone; friends, family, neighbors. Just glancing around Hector could see Colin and Noel paired off, Carrie was with Marco, Miranda and Frank had paired off, Wayne was with one of his fans, and Megan was dragging a semi-reluctant Ford onto the floor, telling him dancing was good for the body and soul.
Hector checked nervously to see who was watching them, he felt like every eye was on him and silently judging. But the only eye he caught was Brad's – who had joined Lisette and Rose in the shade of the tree with his son passed out on his shoulder. The chef smiled and gave him a wink.
The music began to cue up and Hector looked down. He was used to looking down on nearly everyone, given his height, but for the Goddess Dance in particular he usually ended up with Colin or Noel. He met Holly's eyes much higher than he was accustomed to.
She beamed at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm really glad you asked me to dance," she admitted quietly before the full tune began.
Then any other words were lost in the music, and the sound of many feet stepping and stomping on the wooden dancefloor. Hector knew all the steps by heart – they hadn't changed at all since he was a boy – and Holly had picked them up quickly. Even though this was only her fourth festival, she danced with the ease and grace of someone who had known it her whole life.
Her smile stayed as she twirled and danced lightly from foot to foot, and added a bit of her own flair with some arm movements.
Without realizing it, Hector got completely lost just watching her dance. The way her golden hair fanned out as she turned. The sparkle in her eyes, the smile on her lips. Her strong body was so graceful. The sundress she had worn today was simple and yet beautiful.
Hector stumbled, missing a step in one of his turns. It was just a small mistake, but Holly noticed. Her smile faltered and as they danced together again she whispered, "You alright?"
"Fine." Hector muttered, feeling his face grow hot.
Holly laughed gently. "Careful now. We're spinning again."
It was the last turn of the dance. Hector paid very careful attention to his feet so as not to trip or trod on Holly's toes.
The music ended. Pairs were breaking up, but Holly didn't pull away.
She was still smiling, looking up into his eyes. She bit her lower lip for a moment before saying in a quiet rush, "Thanks for the dance." Then she popped up on her tip toes and kissed Hector's cheek.
Then with another squeeze of her hands on his, she left and hurried back to her daughter.
Hector froze for a second. His face burned on the spot where her lips had been. He shook himself and tried to explain it away. The kiss didn't mean what he thought it did. It was a chaste and platonic peck. Holly was a sweet and affectionate woman and he wasn't the only man in town she had given a quick kiss to in thanks. Right? Surely Wayne had received several over the years, and her other young friends from the towns. And her Uncle... now Hector was certain she had seen Holly give Frank a friendly kiss on the cheek when he helped her suss out some farm problem she hadn't seen before.
It didn't mean anything.
Hector distracted himself with the festival wrap up and helping dole out the leftover pizza. And of course, after that he would help his mother clean up after the festival.
He handed over the last, neatly wrapped, package of leftovers to a familiar pair of hands. They were calloused and the nails were cut short and unpolished. He avoided looking into Holly's eyes.
"Hector? Would you like to walk us home? I'd like to talk to you."
Hector finally looked up. Holly's eyes were hopeful. He couldn't say no.
.
They worked together to help clean up after the festival, and when all was said and done, Colin went home with Megan – who said nothing, but gave her son a meaningful look and a small smile – and Hector turned towards the crossroads with Holly and Rose. The little girl had taken Hector's hand as they walked down the road, lost in her own world as she hummed a collection of the music she'd heard that afternoon.
He adults didn't do much meaningful talking until they reached the farm. Hector hadn't been in a while, but Holly had recently completed her final set of renovations to the farmhouse. It now sported a second floor and a wide porch across the front of the house – porch swing included.
"Why don't you go inside and play for a little bit, okay baby?" Holly suggested, ushering Rose towards the front door.
"Okay, Mommy!" the child let herself inside and left the adults in a heavy silence.
"Ludus does good work," Hector said, running an appreciative hand over the porch railing.
"Yeah, he's a godsend." Holly smiled weakly. The previous hope and joy was gone from her eyes. She absently picked at a hangnail for a moment. "Hector was it… was it alright that I kissed you earlier?" She looked up at him nervously. "I- it was impulsive and I didn't think about how you might feel until after I'd done it. B-but the thing is, I really like you, Hector. I know we're good friends, but I like you more than that, and –"
Hector stopped her by taking her hands. He stared at them for a moment to compose his thoughts. Holly really did just admit that she had feelings for him, didn't she? He wasn't having some kind of fit or hallucination. This was exactly what he had wished for, but somehow instead of feeling overjoyed he felt…
"Listen, Holly, I like you too. I really like you. But things are…" Where was he trying to go with this? Ugh, he was so bad at talking to others.
"Weird." Holly completed his thought. A complicated half-smile was on her lips. "Yeah. Things are weird, considering we're both…" she trailed off, and Hector didn't need her to finish that statement. Holly shook her head and looked up again. "But weird or not. I know what I feel for you is real, and I want to know if you feel the same, and if you think that maybe it's worth trying to get through this weirdness and see what is there."
"I would really like that."
"Yeah?" A real smile broke on Holly's face. "We can take things slow. We don't have to rush or anything."
Hector couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah. Alright." He couldn't even begin to imagine that this was going to be easy in any sense of the word, but the best things in life were worth working for.
"Can I kiss you again?"
Hector nodded silently. Holly popped up onto her tiptoes again, and Hector expected another peck on his cheek, but instead her lips met his. He was too surprised to react, but Holly kept the kiss short and she pulled back. She was smiling, and Hector smiled back, despite the complicated emotions that had suddenly formed in his heart.
"I've got evening chores to do, but can we see each other tomorrow?" Holly asked, squeezing his hands.
"I'd like that. I'll come by tomorrow afternoon?"
"Sounds perfect."
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XXXXXXXXXX
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Megan stood in the doorway of Hector's radio room. The instruments hummed softly with static and Hector made no effort to turn them off. He was slumped in his chair, staring intently at the framed photo he kept on the desk. He'd been doing the same thing all evening, and had been doing so with increased frequency over the last several weeks.
She had hoped when he and Holly had begun seeing each other that her son would be happy. Instead, he seemed to be reverting back to the way he had been after Myra had died when he thought nobody was around to see. Megan could see that when he was with Holly, he was happy, but he kept trying to move forward with one foot still stuck in the past and it was beginning to tear him apart.
Colin had begun to take notice of his father's change in behavior, and the boy had expressed that evening as Megan put him to bed, that he was afraid his father was going to be sad again. Megan had pressed a kiss to her grandson's forehead and reassured him that everything would be alright. He was too young to really understand the full nuance of his father's turmoil, but that didn't stop him from picking up on the depression. The first several years of Colin's life had been colored by his father's mourning, he was more sensitive to it than most children his age would be.
"Hector, why don't you come out and sit with me. I wanna talk to you."
"Yes, Ma." Hector stirred to life and turned off his radio. Megan led him to the living room and they each took a seat on the couch.
"You know Colin's beginning to worry about you. Truth be told, I am as well, though for different reasons."
"Don't know what you mean."
"You think a mother doesn't know when her boy is lovesick?" Hector didn't respond, so Megan continued. "Holly is a very sweet girl, dear, and I know you two make each other happy."
Hector's eyes found a picture on the mantle. "You don't understand, Ma."
"No. Perhaps I don't. But she does." Megan reached over and turned her son's face towards her. "Sweetheart, Holly is the only person in the three towns who knows exactly what you're going through." Megan smiled sadly. "You're so good for each other. She's the one who had made you smile again. And I hate seeing you deprive yourself of this happiness."
"But Myra..."
"I know you love Myra. And Holly loves Bruce. And you two love each other. She'll never replace Myra. You'll never replace Bruce. But there is room in your heart to love Holly and Myra. A heart never runs out of room for love." Megan looked to the portrait on the mantle. "You know as well as I do that Myra would approve. She wouldn't want you to make yourself miserable for the sake of her memory."
Megan reached into her pocket and pulled out a littl golden heart-shaped pendant. It was slightly tarnished with age, and it glinted dully in the low light. "I pulled this from my jewelry box. You don't have to rush to use it, but take it so it's there when you are ready."
She dropped the necklace into Hector's open palm and curled his fingers around it.
He broke his stunned silence with, "Ma, I can't use your pendant. Pa gave it to you."
"And now I'm giving it to you to give to Holly. And when he's old enough, you can pass it onto Colin." She pressed a kiss to her son's cheek. "Just think about it sweetheart. I'm off to bed."
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XXXXXXXXXX
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Hector and Holly sat together on her porch swing. The summer evening was setting in around them. Colin and Rose were chasing the last of the summer's fireflies around the yard.
Holly sighed contentedly. This was... this was perfection. Holly felt like she was living in one of her daydreams. A beautiful home, a purposeful life, her kids playing together, a man she loved beside her.
She looked at Hector from the corner of her eye. He was relaxed, and unconsciously rocking the swing with his foot. But he was staring off into space and keeping a respectful distance between them. Holly hid a frown by taking a sip from her glass of iced tea.
She knew that her feelings for Hector were reciprocated. But there were other feelings involved as well. Their affectionate touches and gentle kisses were always overshadowed by something dark. It made moving forward in their relationship impossible.
Holly didn't want their relationship to be put on hold anymore. Taking things slow was one thing. Putting it on hold was completely different. She loved Hector. And she still loved Bruce.
Her hands went up to the chain around her neck, and Holly pulled out the rings. She hadn't worn her own wedding band in over a year, and Bruce's ring had sat hear her heart ever since she first came to Westown.
Holly slid her thumb through Bruce's ring and said, "It feels like cheating, doesn't it?"
Hector stiffened and turned to look at her. "Yeah," he admitted quietly.
Holly kept her eyes fixed on the rings in her hands. "I don't know about your vows, but Bruce and I used the standard ones. Ya'know: To love and to cherish. To have and to hold. In sickness and in health, until death do us part." She sighed and looked at Hector. She could feel tears swimming in her eyes. "Except the love doesn't stop when they die. Does it?"
"No. It doesn't."
Holly wiped at her eyes. "Sometimes I dream about Bruce. I see him, and talk to him. I tell him all about our daughter, and the life I've made for us here on the farm. He always seems so happy, so proud." She swallowed. "Maybe it's wish fulfillment, but recently he's been very open about my happiness. He's been telling me that it's okay to move on and to love again." A small sob bubbled up in her chest. Hector wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Holly leaned into him. "I love you, Hector, but somehow I feel like I'm betraying Bruce. He's been dead for four years, but I still love him so much. I love you both just as intensely, but also differently."
Hector's voice was low and rumbled against Holly's cheek. "I know. I know exactly how it feels."
"I don't know what to do. You make me so happy, and yet so guilty. Is it... is it possible to love both you and Bruce?"
"Ma always says that hearts never run out of room for love."
Holly pulled away, looking up at Hector. "Does that include your heart?"
Hector cracked a small, melancholy smile. "I reckon it does."
Holly bit her lower lip. "Would you ever hold it against me for continuing to love Bruce?"
"Never." Hector bowed his head and their foreheads touched. "Would you hate me for still loving Myra?"
"Never ever."
They came together for a kiss that was suddenly different; free from guilt, not overshadowed by the ghosts of their spouses. Holly could tell that this was a different kind of love than she'd known with Bruce.
But different wasn't wrong. It was new and exciting and it was love. And love, regardless of how familiar or different it was, was always incredible.
Hector reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. "I dunno if it's ever been explained t'you," he said, tipping a golden pendant out into the palm of his hand. "But 'round here when a couple gets together they show it with a necklace." He held out the pendant, blushing slightly. "I'm afraid it's not new, but it was my mother's."
Holly's heart pounded and she gasped softly. "It's an heirloom?" She took the necklace to held it close to examine it. The pendant was of simple design, heart-shaped with a rose blooming in the center. "I love it!" She looked up to meet Hector's eyes. "And you're certain you're ready? We can take this as slow as we need."
Hector smiled tenderly. "As long as you're certain. I am too. I'm ready to move on and I want to do it with you."
Holly moved in for a kiss and when she moved back, she was smiling. "There's nobody else I'd like to travel this road with than you."