False Face Must Hide What False Heart Doth Know
A/N: Does anyone else miss this show terribly? I sure do, I can't even catch reruns. Pretty sad…anyway, this is a bit different from many HG works I've read so far. I've decided to take a different approach to how Scott and Elaine's "relationship" progressed. This is set before Scott heading to Horizon, and before Martin and Elaine are married.
Disclaimer: I do not have any affiliation or claims to Higher Ground. The title is a Shakespeare quote (from Macbeth) featured in the episode "Best Behavior."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What are you talking about? She said she just needed a few days off, like she always does."
"Listen, Scott. You're mom…she didn't mean to. It's just that she's overwhelmed, and I guess this is the only option she felt she had," Martin Barringer explained, struggling to find the right words to explain to his fourteen year son why his mother had decided to move out to Buffalo on her own.
"That doesn't make any sense," the young boy stated, "She has plenty of options, the worst is to leave." It was clear that he was becoming more frustrated as he processed the news.
Martin sighed, "I know. I mean, I know it seems like it. But I don't think she was thinking clearly. You know what a drama queen she can be." He tried lightening the mood, but even he knew it failed miserably.
"That's bullshit! And why New York, what the hell does she have there?" he yelled.
"Hey, watch your mouth Scott," Martin scolded half-heartedly. Who was he to blame the poor kid? "Her roommate from college moved out there, so she's staying with her."
"She's just being selfish. Why would she even leave?" He paused a moment and the realization hit him.
"What did you do!" Scott knew his father had a terrible track record of abusing their marriage. He had cheated before, and although both his mother and father had tried to keep it secret with the façade of a happy couple, Scott had overheard numerous feuds.
Martin was stunned for a moment, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Oh, c'mon dad! Don't fake like that. We have paper thin walls, I always knew about your stupid 'escapades,' as mom put it. But I thought you had gotten it out of your system, you know. Shouldn't you be over your bachelor days by now?" He argued angrily. While he couldn't imagine forgiving his mother for this stint any time soon, he knew she couldn't be completely to blame.
"Scott, it's complicated and we-"
"No, don't even. Don't cover this up with crap about marriage being hard work. It seems easy to me. I'm pretty sure, 'don't' cheat' is one of the ten commandments of marriage or something." He stood up and paced the kitchen floor, knocking a chair over in the process.
"Scott, this is not my fault." When he saw his son opening his mouth to argue back he quickly corrected himself, "What I mean is that it's no one's fault. Things weren't working, we tried to make it work. For you. But it just didn't, never did."
"So what, it's my fault? I made you guys unhappy, made you guys stick together even though you didn't want to?" Martin's words appeared to have angered Scott even more so.
The older man rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Scott, I know this is hard. Just realize it's not your fault. I know tonight has been draining. But it's been a long night for me too. I'm going to bed." He slowly began to make his way to the stairs.
Scott watched, seething. He just broke my family apart and he's worried about his long night, typical.
"What's her name?" he whispered as his father began his way up the stairs. The man stopped mid-step, and not looking back he answered, just as quietly as his son had asked, "Elaine."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few weeks had passed since Scott's mother had run off. She called the next morning, apologetic but firmly believing she did the right thing. She explained that she was no good for her son in this state, that her presence would be unhealthy for him. Scott had a few select words for her, but eventually accepted the fact that she was gone for the time being.
He was less angry at her for a reason he wasn't quite sure of. It was his dad who betrayed him, at least in his eyes. He didn't mention that he knew about Elaine to his mother, she didn't realize he knew so much and he didn't want to add on to the stress he knew she was feeling.
But as time passed, life went on as normal as it could. He went to school, football practices, and the occasional date. Being a prominent football player and handsome teen gave him his pick of girls. Yet, he rarely went "steady" with any of them, simply choosing to hang out a few times and move on; which his father was slowly picking up on.
"Hey, Scott. Can I ask you a question?"
Scott looked up from his carton of beef and broccoli, "You just did."
The two were seated at their usual dinner spots on the living couch watching the latest action rental.
"Hey, I'm being serious here," his dad said, looking intently at the floor. Uh-oh.Scott racked his brain quickly, thinking of possible poor grades or recent messes that could earn him a stern lecture and grounding.
Martin kept his eyes on the food in front of him. "It's just that I notice, you've never mentioned girlfriends or anything like that. I mean, usually boys your age are all about the girls and stuff."
Scott smiled a little, relieved and amused at how uncomfortable his dad seemed. He shrugged, "I know. I just haven't found anyone that I want to be with, I guess." He looked towards the television lighting up with an over-the-top car explosion, hoping the conversation was over and not heading towards the dreaded sex talk.
"Oh well, I see." His father continued, "Well, when you do find the person you want to be with, I just want to know that you'll know what to do and that you'll have the right protection and-"
"Oh God, dad!" Scott groaned in embarrassment at his dad's nervous rambling. "I know all that. We really don't have to talk about it."
Martin was blushing furiously at this point, but went on, "Okay, okay. I just need to know that no matter who you're with you still have to take the right precautions." God, do I wish his mother was still around to have this talk with him.
Scott looked back at his red-faced father, "What do you mean?"
"It's just that, I mean if you decide to move things along with a girl, or boy, you still need to do the right things," he rushed the last part of the statement as if saying them faster would make it easier. He was, after all, a very conservative man and could not easily concede to the idea of his son with another boy.
"What!" Scott spit out his food as he jumped up, completely surprised. "I'm not gay!"
Martin breathed out in relief, "Ok, calm down. I just wanted to make sure. You never talk about girls or have them over or anything."
"Well I'm busy with other stuff. Besides I do things with girls…just when I'm out," he justified himself, as his heart began to beat normally again.
"It's just that someone at work was talking about their kid and how his son blamed his example with women for why he chose…that lifestyle, that's all," Martin quickly explained, "And I wanted you to know sex is serious no matter what I've done to show otherwise."
Scott sat quietly, thinking over what his dad said. "Oh."
The pair looked off in different directions, neither wanting to look the other in the face.
"Just so you know, I've already had this…talk with mom, last year."
"Oh."
Each face shone a bright shade of red.
"Well…have you done anything yet?"
"Yeah."
All that could be heard was the background noise of police chases and gun shots that seemed to echo in the silent room.
"How much?"
Scott thought about it for a moment as he remembered his experiences. Michelle was the first to let him go to second base, at last year's Homecoming dance; and the first girl to get him to third was an older sophomore, Bridget. After these two experiences it just came naturally to expect girls to go far with him, and they seemed to want to despite their relatively young age. But he didn't consider any of those girls seriously; they were just fun at parties, he still hadn't lost his virginity, yet.
"A lot."
"Have you had sex?"
"No."
Scott got up to place his leftovers in the refrigerator; he seemed to have lost his appetite.
"You know that you still have to be careful, right? Even if you're not going all the way?"
He rolled his eyes as he walked back to the couch, "Yeah, dad. Now can we move on to something else?" Anything else.
The two awkwardly stared at the t.v. screen.
Martin let out a small laugh, "Well on the topic of ladies, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind meeting Elaine. Things are going really great with us and I was hoping you two could get to know each other."
This was not the topic Scott was hoping his father would take. His face showed his disdain for the thought, but figured it was better than discussing his sexual orientation.
"Isn't it kind of soon to be bringing a girl home, dad? I mean, it's been less than a year since mom left."
"Scott, your mother is moving on with her life. We've been up and down for years, she knew about Elaine the entire time I was seeing her. It's nothing unexpected for her, as ashamed as I am to admit that. But she seems to be forgiving me, and I really think we can use a woman in this place. She's pretty amazing."
"Whatever, it's your house. You can bring whoever you want over," he stated, although not thrilled about the situation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Scott! You're mother's on the phone!"
Scott heard his father's yells from the level below and trudged over to the cordless phone in his room. "Hey."
"Hi baby. How have you been?"
"Fine, I guess."
"That's good. How's school and football?"
"We made it to State," he exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh wow, something non-monotone coming out of you your mouth," she laughed. He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.
"I'm happy to hear that hon. Listen, I called to tell you something important." Scott could hear the sharp intake of breath on the other line.
"You know, I really miss you. I want you to visit," she paused a moment, "I want you to come meet my fiancé."
Scott stood quiet for a few minutes, what is wrong with these people? How do they just find someone new so damn fast?
"Mom, I can't. I just told you we're going to State. I can't miss that," he stated simply.
"Oh, that's right. Well alright then. I just thought it'd be so great if you two could meet." He could hear the disappointment in her voice. He felt bad for just a moment, but quickly recovered.
"Yeah. Is there anything else you wanted to say," he knew he was being a baby, but he didn't care. If they can always do whatever they want, then so can I.
"Um…no I guess not. I just wanted to tell you that…and make sure you're okay. You are, right? I mean, you're not too lonely or anything?" she asked sincerely.
"No. Dad brings Elaine around often enough. The company's good around here." Even he knew it was a low blow.
"Right. Okay," she replied curtly, and then added, "In case you were wondering, his name is Simon. He's a terrific guy. Anyway, love you Scott. Bye."
Before Scott could respond back he heard the dial tone of the phone. He slammed it down and went back to his dreaded geometry homework. He clearly hit a nerve mentioning Elaine. He remembered back to when his dad first brought her over.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was immediately taken aback, not expecting someone so young, or beautiful, to walk through the door holding his father's hand. She had thick, dark brown hair and wore simple but elegant jewelry, as if trying to appear older.
He couldn't imagine her being much older than him. As his dad locked the front door behind her, he said, "Aren't you going to say hi, Scott?"
He was interrupted out of his reverie, looking to his father's face. Martin smiled, "I told you she was something else.
"Elaine, this is my son, Scott." After introducing the two he excused himself to the kitchen to pour some wine. "Hey, show her to the living room."
Scott nodded his head in compliance, still unable to mutter the word, "Hello."
He opted to keep his mouth shut and just walked towards the living room, hoping she would just follow; as she did, her heels tapping against the wooden floors. She sat across from him and crossed her legs, observing the entertainment set and furniture.
As she adjusted on the seat Scott couldn't help but notice her dress sliding up her thigh. Elaine noticed his stare and smiled awkwardly while pulling the dress down.
"So, Scott. I hear you're an all-star. Your dad can't stop bragging about you."
He inwardly groaned, even her voice is sexy.
He finally managed to gain some of his composure. "Uh, yeah. Something like that." The room fell silent again.
Martin walked in with two glasses of red wine and took a seat next to Elaine. "Isn't this nice? I really want you two to get along," he smiled as he took a sip.
"Martin, you told me you and your son looked alike. But you never told me how handsome he is," she looked at him appraisingly, "I think I might have picked the wrong Barringer." They two laughed. The comment seemed innocent enough, but Scott felt strangely uncomfortable.
His father tried creating a flowing conversation, but Scott seemed unable to string together more than one sentence responses.
Finally he blurted out the question that was burning in his mind, "How old are you exactly?"
"Scott, don't be rude. You don't just ask a woman how old she is," Martin scolded.
Elaine gently placed her hand on his, "No, it's okay babe. Kids are curious."
"I'm not a kid," Scott exclaimed, insulted.
"I'm sorry, that didn't quite come out right. Anyway, I'm twenty-six."
He did the math in his head; she was thirteen years younger than his father. "That's a pretty big age gap there," he remarked crudely.
"Scott, that's enough," his father warned.
"I know, but age doesn't really matter to me," she smiled sweetly as she looked at Martin. Scott felt a small knot at his stomach, and he wasn't sure why. He felt a twinge of jealously. His father really seemed to have it going with Elaine. He immediately tried to dispel any such thoughts out of his mind.
Before anymore awkward conversations could pop up, she dug into her purse and pulled out a movie.
"I thought we could all have a little movie date."
Scott grinned, "A chick-flick, huh?" He looked at his dad, remembering how much his father hated sitting through those movies with his mother.
"Kinda. It's a romantic comedy, figured I'd try to find something we could all enjoy."
He and Martin nodded approvingly. Scott volunteered to microwave the popcorn and grab sodas. "I'll help you with that."
Elaine followed him into the kitchen. "So, where are your cups?" She began opening various cupboards. "Here let me help you," Scott reached up over Elaine and grabbed three glasses. He brushed against her back and felt a blush creep up to his cheeks.
"Thanks," she pretended not to notice. Probably to save me the humiliation, he thought to himself.
As they watched the movie, Scott found all his concentration on Elaine. Her laugh was intoxicating and the way she brushed her hair away from her face seemed girlishly sweet. She made a few cracks about the poor plot and even worse acting, which had both men laughing. She almost seemed perfect to the teen.
When the movie was over Martin walked her to her car. "It was nice meeting you Scott. Hope we can get to really know each other." She waved good-bye and drove off.
His father stood at the entrance of the living room. "So?"
Scott smiled crookedly, "You were right dad. She seems pretty cool."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He hadn't lied to his mother; Elaine was great to have around. She cooked and drove him to practices and the mall when Martin was off at some work meeting. She even helped with homework. Dad couldn't have picked any better.
And with that thought he felt the familiar knot in his stomach that happened whenever he thought too much about Elaine with his father. God, I'm twisted. But he didn't let the thought bother him too much. After all, he had trapezoids and proofs to deal with.
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A/N: I am in no way, shape, or form anti-gay. But I feel that Martin's character was a very stereotypical, macho male (while still caring about his son, as can be seen in the first episode of Higher Ground). Thus I wanted to portray him as accurately as possible.
The story will pick up, but I wanted to set up a background so everyone can keep up with how the time line is progressing.
I would greatly appreciate any comments and/or criticisms. I have a rough outline for the next four chapters or so, but I'd love to hear any suggestions for possible events. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!