Ever the Same
Type of Fic: Multi-Chapter
Pairing: Maxie and Lulu
Summery: With Maxie breaking down and Lulu in danger, hidden feelings come to a head. Will they be able to forge a romantic relationship or will their friendship be lost for good?
Authors Note: This is my first time ever writing a slash fic. So far it hasn't been all that different from any other pairing. This is going to be slow moving but trust me, it will get there. Also, I'm not as comfortable writing Lulu as I am writing Maxie, so I apologize if there is trouble with her characterization. Please comment and let me know what you think!
Chapter 1: Feeling a Moment
She felt it in her bones. Before she heard or saw anything, she felt it.
Standing in the doorway of her apartment, Lulu let a chill run up her spine. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. As goose bumps prickled at her skin, the young girl listened to the rush of water vibrating in the distance. Stepping further into the room, Lulu heard the echo of choking sobs, hidden subtly beneath the veil of water. Setting down her purse, the blonde carefully walked towards the bathroom before pausing at the kitchen. A blanket of glass littered the ground, drops of blood splattered amidst the chaos.
"Maxie…" Lulu called out hesitantly. Her voice drown in the hum of her thudding heart. As her breath quickened, Lulu finally rushed to the bathroom. Gently opening the door, she swallowed a breath.
"I didn't mean to." Maxie looked up sharply with tears in her eyes. Her voice was small and it shook with unknown emotion. Lulu steadied herself with a hand on the sink, afraid her knees would give out.
"It's okay." She whispered, not believing a word she uttered. Lulu's eyes searched the room, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her. Maxie Jones sat in a pool of water, completely and undeniably broken.
"It's okay." She repeated, kneeling next to Maxie and gently taking the blondes hand in her own. Maxie was sitting in the bathtub with her knees drawn to her chest and her designer clothes still clinging to her dripping body. Her hair was matted and her makeup was tragically smeared left and right. The tub was two or three inches full and water held a pinkish tint. The bitter taste of blood hung in the stale air.
"I dropped a glass." Maxie choked out, shivering in her soaking wet clothes. Lulu nodded numbly and leaned over to shut the water off. "I was doing dishes and it just slipped out of my hands, and I cut myself." She explained futilely.
"Let me see." Lulu whispered, reaching for Maxie's injured hand. The blood pooled into Maxie palm and trickled to Lulu's own hand as she held it. As the ruby colored drops splattered across her own light skin, Lulu felt something in the air shift. Maxie's blood was on Lulu's hands. The intimacy of it struck a cord in Lulu that she hadn't even known existed.
"I'm sorry." Maxie whimpered looking down. "I didn't mean to." She said yet again, making Lulu wonder how true those words were. Reaching for a cloth, Lulu wrapped the fabric around Maxie's hand and held it in place.
"Don't be sorry. It's okay." She responded, knowing her own words were just as pretend as Maxie's. But maybe if they both repeated it enough, it would become the truth. Maybe.
"Lulu…" Maxie looked up and caught Lulu's hazel eyes with her own blue orbs. There was a helplessness in her voice, a cry of defeat.
"What happened Maxie?" She question. Both girls knew that Lulu wasn't talking about the broken glass or even the water logged bathroom. She wanted to know what had happened to Maxie, what had cracked her so deeply.
"I ruined everything." Maxie cried, shoulders shaking.
"No, no Maxie." Lulu assured her, using her free hand to lightly touch the blonde's damp hair.
"Spinelli believed in me. He trusted me." She sobbed. Lulu closed her eyes and swallowed. It had been days since Maxie had confessed her sins to Lulu. And with each passing minute the reformed bad girl was beating herself up more and more.
"You made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes." She comforted.
"My whole life is one giant mistake! Spinelli was the only thing I ever did right. And now look what I did. Why do I do these things Lulu?" Her voice held a begging quality, a sharp wonder that broke Lulu's heart.
"Look at me Maxie. Look at me!" She demanded. "You are one of the most self destructive people I have ever met. You have a knack for royally screwing yourself and everyone around you."
"Well that's helpful!" Maxie exclaimed.
"Hey! I'm not finished. You can be a world class idiot, but you don't deserve this. You don't deserve this crap that you're put yourself through. You suck at relationships, okay? But you know what, so do I. Maxie you fucked up with Spinelli but that doesn't change who you are. You love him and you never meant to hurt him." Lulu finished sternly.
"You're just saying that because I look really pathetic right now." Maxie argued.
"Well yeah, but… I'm also saying it because you're my friend. I know who you are Maxie. You aren't the devil that you paint yourself to be and you're not the angel that Spinelli dreamed up. You're a real person. You're my best friend." Lulu admitted. Maxie stared at her for a long moment. Had anyone ever pegged her so simply and effortlessly? It was in that moment that Maxie saw who she was in Lulu's eyes. And that image wasn't something to live up to or to be ashamed of.
"I guess." She sniffled.
"Come on, you have to get cleaned up and out of those wet clothes. Your gonna get sick and then Kate will have both of our heads." Lulu let a hint of a smile grace her lips. Maxie nodded in determination before swiping her good hand across her face in an effort to rid it of tears.
"God, you're a mess." Lulu muttered as she helped Maxie stand and step out of the tub. Her words were lost in the thunder of water splashing around the tub. "Hold on to this." She instructed, letting go of the towel wrapped around Maxie's cut. She turned to grab a larger towel and set it on the sink near by. Next she reached out to undo one of the buttons on Maxie's shirt.
"I can undress myself thanks." Maxie snapped lamely, swatting Lulu's hand away. The young Spencer nearly amended. But the look in Maxie's eye let her know that she needed to stay. Maxie needed her.
"You can't even take a bath by yourself." She fired back with little force. Lulu reached forward again, this time with no pause. She carefully unbuttoned Maxie's top and helped her to glide it off her body. The fabric clung to the petite blond as Lulu's finger tips grazed her friend's bare skin, sending a rush of air to her lungs. The sound of water dripping to the floor gave both girls something to focus on, a reason to ignore everything their bodies were telling them to pay attention to.
After her top had been discarded, Lulu let Maxie wriggle from her skirt. Lulu's unwavering hand kept her steady the entire time. Left only in a bra and underwear, Maxie let Lulu wrap her in a soft towel, her hands lingering a second longer than needed.
"You're cleaning this up later." Lulu commented, motioning to the disheveled bathroom. The shivering blond in front of her nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm never gonna hear the end of this one am I?" She smirked, regaining her usual demeanor. Lulu felt almost dizzy with happiness at the attitude in Maxie's voice. She was still there. Maxie was still there.
"Probably not." She smirked back.
"Right. Well, I'm gonna go… change." Maxie replied looking away. A moment of silence passed between the two before Maxie finally stepped towards the door.
"Listen Lulu, I just -" She paused in consideration. "Thank you." She finally let out quietly. The two locked eyes before Lulu responded.
"It's okay." She said, this time truly meaning it.
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She felt her presence before she heard the knock. Maxie could practically hear Lulu pacing back and forth in the hallway in front of her bedroom door. After what seemed like forever, a soft tapping finally sounded on Maxie's door.
"Come in." She called from her place in front of her mirror. After changing into fresh clothes, Maxie had dried her hair and was now applying new make-up.
"Hey, I ah, I cleaned up the kitchen. The bathroom is still yours though." Lulu mentioned as she sat down on the end of Maxie's bed.
"That can wait." Maxie flippantly replied. Raising a brow, Lulu looked around in confusion.
"Are you like, going somewhere?" She questioned. It had been just over an hour since Maxie's slight break down and now the blonde was acting as if nothing had even happened.
"Oh no. WE are going somewhere." She responded with a glint in her ocean eyes. Lulu felt herself fight back a sigh. Maxie was up to no good yet again.
"Maxie…" She warned.
"Lulu, I swear, a little fun will not kill you." Swiping some bronzer across her cheeks Maxie threw Lulu a smirk in the mirror.
"Well with you, I'm not so sure." She snapped.
"Come on, I really need to get out of the house. I need to have some fun." She pouted, turning her head to look at Lulu.
"The last time you had fun, you ended up in bed with a psycho." Lulu reminded her.
"Ouch, low blow." Maxie muttered, turning back to the mirror.
"Sorry, It's just… I don't think going out is the best idea Maxie." Lulu responded.
"But it'll be fun! We can go to Jake's or- Oh! We can go to the Haunted Star and gamble! You love to gamble, you're a Spencer!" She clapped her hands in excitement. As much as Lulu wanted to roll her eyes at Maxie's antics, she also felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. Maxie's happiness was contagious.
"Not all Spencer's like to gamble." She argued, knowing that she had already lost this battle.
"Right, and Sonny is just a coffee importer." Her sarcasm was light and good natured.
"Fine. But we're only going out for a little while. Then you are coming back here and cleaning that bathroom." Lulu instructed, trying to ignore the sparkling smile that Maxie gave her.
"Of course!" She agreed.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a long night?" Lulu groaned before falling back on Maxie's bed in frustration. She could just never say no to those big blue eyes.
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The atmosphere was light and airy as the two blondes walked into the Haunted Star. Their arms were linked and their smiles were identical. After much persuasion, Maxie had convinced Lulu to dress up and come out with her. The two girls looked like a pictures straight out of a magazine. With shining hair and silk adorned figures, they were knockouts.
"Papa Spencer sure has spruced this place up." Maxie mused as they walked further into the room. The place wasn't too crowded, but there were a dozen or so guests perusing the area. The smell of filthy money was thick, and not to be ignored.
"I think Ethan did most of the work actually. My dad's been, well… my dad." She replied shrugging her shoulders. Lulu did her best to ignore the way that Maxie tightened their arms together, and the way that it comforted her.
"Speaking of your hot, illegitimate brother." Maxie nodded to the bar where Ethan had just taken post. "Let's go say hello." She continued before dragging Lulu along with her.
"Well hello ladies, don't you two just look sinfully troublesome." He greeted them while pulling a bottle of tequila from a shelf. Maxie let go of Lulu's arm and rested her hands on the bar top.
"Hey Ethan." Lulu smiled warmly. Though they didn't know each other very well, Ethan and Lulu got along and were well on their way to forming a familial relationship.
"Is that tequila? Yes please!" Maxie exclaimed reaching out for it. Ethan pulled it back with a chuckle and reached for a couple of shot glasses.
"You up for one too sis?" He questioned. Maxie quickly threw Lulu a look that said she had better accept. Rolling her eyes, Lulu relented.
"What the hell, sure." She replied, taking a seat on the stool nearby. The Aussie native quickly filled three shot glasses with the bronze liquid and slid two towards the girls.
"Cheers then?" He smiled, holding up his own shot. Both girls clinked their glass with his and echoed his previous statement. Then they turned to each other and locked eyes before clinking their own glasses.
"Cheers." Maxie whispered before downing her shot. Lulu followed in suit, hoping to numb the percolating feelings that swirled in her gut.
"No salt and no lime? I like you girls' brass." Ethan bellowed grandly.
"What can we say, we're just way more awesome than the other girls in town. Or anywhere actually." Maxie added as an after thought. Lulu took a moment to feel good about her friendship with Maxie. It wasn't too long ago that things were entirely different. They were at each other's throats with no indication of letting up. And she wasn't quite sure exactly when things had changed, but she was glad that they did. Seeing Maxie's smiled directed at her gave Lulu a warm, almost mushy feeling inside. It might make her sick if she wasn't so damn happy about it.
"Hey, I'm gonna go say hi to Sam, I'll be right back." Maxie said, shaking Lulu from her thoughts. Looking over, Lulu saw that Sam and Kristina had just arrived. And while they looked to be on a mission of sorts, Lulu saw that Sam smiled warmly at Maxie as the two friends waved at each other. Kristina waved eagerly at Ethan who chuckled and returned the gesture.
"Okay, I'll be here." She replied casually. Leaving her purse behind, Maxie hopped off her stool and scurried away. Lulu let her eyes follow the blonde every step of the way.
"If I didn't know better-" Ethan began.
"Huh?" Lulu snapped, turning to face Ethan. His playful look morphed into one of confusion, and then hesitancy.
"Nothing. Never mind." He replied. Lulu thought about pressing him for an answer, but the look in his eye told her not to go there. For her own sake.
"Okay. So… you've really gotten this place back into shape. It looks great Ethan, really." She commended. The pride in his eyes didn't give justice to his feelings of accomplishment.
"Yeah, well I still need to get a few of the tables running again but it's a start." He looked around the room critically.
"I'm sure dad really appreciates the help." She added, still unsure of how to refer to Luke while talking to Ethan.
"I guess. So ah- what brings you here this fine evening? No hot date with the mob associate tonight?" He changed the subject quickly, not wanting to dwell on his uncertain status in the Spencer family.
"Dante is working tonight. Besides we aren't like- I'm not his girlfriend or anything. We're taking things slow." She informed him.
"Having a girls night then?" He questioned.
"Maxie insisted on going out. And she really doesn't let up when she sets her mind on something." Lulu smiled fondly. Ethan looked back at her, the same glint from earlier was set in his eyes.
"She's like your best mate, yeah?" He questioned, sounding as if he were walking on broken glass. Lulu looked instinctively back at Maxie, who was still talking to Sam.
"Yeah. It's so weird to say that though. I mean, not too long ago we hated each other. I mean, really hated each other." She laughed lightly.
"You know what they say, there's a fine line…" He trailed off giving Lulu a pointed look. His words felt like a punch to the gut.
Was he getting at what she thought he was getting at? Seeing that she had read his double meaning, he looked away and began wiping the bar top. Lulu was left to simmer in the echo of Ethan's words and newly replenished feel of Maxie's skin on her fingertips. She looked down at her hands and remembered the way red droplets of blood had scatter across them. The marks were gone now but, she didn't think it would ever really wash away.
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