Repressing Love: Baby's Story
When life, literally, gets turned upside down for Baby. Will her world be turned upside down because of a potential love interest? Or will she return to the boring existence which represses her further and further…
Author's Note: If you're a bit confused over the sudden re-upload and whatnot; I DID write a previous version of this, although I was the characters as alter-egos for people in reality. However, upon reflection, I can make this work much better using the characters properly in the film's context but after Kellerman's. Sorry for the confusion and hope you enjoy!
I do not own Dirty Dancing, the rights to their scripts, or anything remotely related to the actual films or actors/actresses within them. I do not accept responsibility for any remote likeness to anyone's personal lives either.
It was 1973. Ten years since Kellerman's. Baby had moved onto college, come out the other side, and only now her life remotely made sense. Friends, family, understanding and growth. Her happiness was real. She had it all going well… so well… All the things she could have dreamt of felt within her reach. But love? That's a different scenario altogether isn't it? Love hits you when you least expect it. Love pretends to be love, when perhaps it isn't. Love is a million different things, and yet it's still not the thing you were searching for. Love, right now, just wasn't there…
"Coming up to see me tonight?"
"I'm sorry… I have work to do…"
"Okay Baby… I'll come down tomorrow."
"But I -"
"No buts! I'm coming down, ok?!"
"Oh, but -"
"See you then! Bye!" – (the line goes dead)...
He always did this to her. She'd not fought back for some time. His arrogance was beginning to pick up but the emptiness within her stopped her bothering to argue back. She had a career, she'd moved on through the peace core, moved on to working in a big, shiny building which told people what to do...
She suddenly felt sick with herself. What happened to making everybody equal, Baby?! He'd sorted out this well-paid job before she'd known where to turn. Before she realised everything that had happened. Before she had a say in anything. He didn't mean to, she thought. He was only being nice. Caring for her… Loving her… But was his loving too much? Did she even want it? She didn't know anymore. She didn't know ANYTHING anymore.
As she trudged through the streets of New York she realised that she just couldn't keep on living this lie. She flicked the wet strands of mousy brown hair from her dampened face, cold with the bitter sting of the late winter's wind. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't really wanted this for some time. Not since it all began...
Her father adored her being with him, though. That was all that matteres right now, security, stability, and above all – peace. It was something she felt she owed him after that summer of growth and rebellion against who he wanted her to be. Once it was destroyed before her, she... She...
The memories tore through her as she blinked away the tears which had formed in her eyes. Partially from the brutal wind which hit her as she walked down the high street. Why on earth she went up here every Christmas was beyond her. The weather just got worse every year it seemed.
A car screeched around a distant corner, the dark light making her confused until she saw a headlamp flash towards her until it turned a corner... The light... It reminded her of the last dance. His last dance. Her last dance. Their last dance. She'd truly had the 'time of her life'...
Johnny Castle.
His name stung through her mind like a bullet. Tearing through the vessels of blood and love and confusion she'd lived with her entire life. She knew that liking him would cause her problems, cause her pain and cause her confusion. She knew that it would mess up her current 'love' life, family life; the security and the stability she had built over the past few years would break down. She'd had a messed up boyfriend once before - not again. Neil made her happy, or so she thought. He was kind, cheeky, stubborn and hard-working. He could make her forget the past...
"And most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life... the way I feel when I'm with you!"
She shrugged those cobwebs back. Although that love might have vanished once, she thought she'd found it again. Thought that Neil couldgive her that same happiness... That he could make her smile like she used to, and laugh like before, and forget the pain she'd felt. She'd thought that he was someone...
Someone special...
She knew she had to try to deny her feelings, and try her best to make things work. Denying it till she couldn't bear it anymore. But denying it was harder than she could have ever imagined…