I was cleaning out some files on my computer and came across this story that I started a while back. I'm fairly sure no one reads this fan fiction anymore, but in the case that a soul or two does, I went ahead and posted it. Please feel free to comment/review.
Holiday: Part 1: Roadtrip
Takes place right after the episode Infected during Season 3. Helen is starting to doubt whether or not she can continue her work as a D.A. and Lindsay offers to take her on vacation.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this", Helen complained as she dragged her oversized suitcase down the apartment stairs.
"We haven't taken a vacation in over a year Helen. We deserve this!" Lindsay responded as she reached to help Helen carry the beast of a bag.
"Jeez it's only five days. You packed for three times that!"
"I told you I don't pack light Lindsay just help me down the stairs will ya?"
The two women clumsily made their way down to the street where Lindsay's car was parked out front.
"I made us a mixed cd and we have plenty of snacks for the trip." Lindsay beamed at Helen.
"I admit I'm actually getting excited Linds. This is a good idea right? Normal people take vacations don't they?" Helen lifted her suitcase into the trunk, walked around the car and then sat down heavily in the passenger seat.
"Well, I don't know if we qualify as normal but, yes, people take vacations Helen." Lindsay laughed as she settled herself into the driver's seat.
"Okay now I'm leaving you in charge of directions". Lindsay threw a map and printed instructions on Helen's lap.
"So what is this place called again and how long will it take?" Helen asked as she flipped the map aside.
"It's called Montauk. It's the end of Long Island. My parents used to take my brother and me there every summer when I was little. I haven't been back since I was about twelve years old. From what I remember it should only be a little less than five hours." Lindsay sheepishly tapered the end of the sentence.
"Five hours?! Lindsay, come on, you failed to mention that part! Tell me we're at least hitting the liquor store right now!"
"Helen I need you SOBER so we don't get lost." Helen sighed as she put on her sunglasses and curled up for a nap.
-Two hours later-
"Pssst, Helen. Wake up! Helen..."
Helen groggily slapped the hand that was poking her out of a lovely dream and resumed her position against the window.
"Helen, come on you've been sleeping for the past two hours. I've been so bored."
Helen opened one eye and managed to glare at Lindsay with it.
"Where the hell are we?" Helen croaked.
Helen could see the outline of a gas pump from where she was sitting.
"Near some town called...umm actually I don't remember...I think it was Mystical? Maybe Mysterious..anyway, I managed to make it through three entire states no thanks to you!"
Lindsay stepped out of the car to stretch throwing a can of coke at Helen on her way out.
"Caffeine babe. Time to perk up."
Helen sat up in the seat and winced in pain. "I think I've lost the feeling in half my body. Damn this car. See Linds this is why I never take vacations."
"Because you wear yourself out sleeping?" Lindsay teased her.
Helen opened the door and stood up. The air had a slight salty smell that always signals a beach is near and the slow breeze felt cool against her skin. "All right I'm alive. Let me go in to use the bathroom before we go."
"Helen, no wait! Your..." Lindsay tried to bring her back to the car but Helen was already off.
As she walked through the parking lot a tall, gorgeous man caught her eye. Never one to let an opportunity to flirt pass, she gave him her best smile and strutted past. She could hear him chuckling behind her and turned to see him shaking his head. 'Not the reaction I was hoping for, but oh well' she thought to herself as she walked into the store. As she made her way to the bathroom she could feel the eyes of just about everyone in there burning into her.
'What is up with this town?' she thought to herself. She gave the crowd of patrons eating at the back of the store a dirty look as she walked past.
She walked into the bathroom and immediately realized the source of her sudden popularity. The spaghetti strap tank she was wearing must have slid down a bit too far during her slumber leaving little to the imagination.
"Oh please" she said to herself.
She finished up in the bathroom and walked out to the snickering of the women behind the counter.
"Jealous?" she remarked as she slid past them.
"Linds we gotta go before the town tries to lynch me." Helen hurriedly walked to the car.
Lindsay started laughing, "Before you tell me what you did I want you to know I tried to warn you about the shirt."
"Oh please Linds, as if they haven't seen a nipple before? In fact most of them looked like they needed to see a lot...ah never mind let's just go. I might have pissed off the one working the counter. "
"Well hey, we really aren't off to a bad start. Awake for only five minutes and you managed to flash half the population of Mystic."
"Sad part is those five people in there WERE half the population."
Shrieks of laughter could be heard as the car spun out of the dusty station and back onto the highway.
Really terrible karaoke filled the next two hours of the trip before Lindsay decided the time was right to have a serious chat with her best friend.
"So Helen as much as I've enjoyed your rendition of 'Grease Lightening' for the tenth time there is something I've been wanting to talk to you about.."
Helen immediately turned down the radio and turned to Lindsay. "Sure babe. What's up?"
"Well...lately...I mean... our work completely consumes us Helen. We don't have that barrier between work and play. We don't have time to play. I worry about where we'll be in ten years..."
Lindsay looked to Helen for a response but she stared blankly back at her.
"You know I once caught Bobby pacing in his office late at night talking to himself and had this frightening thought that it could be me sooner or later. I also think back to how much fun we had in law school. I miss it so much."
Helen bit her lip and sunk back in her seat. " Should have known this was coming..."
"Helen I'm serious. I'm worried about you. I'm worried about what your career is doing to you."
Helen sighed then perked up and turned back to face Lindsay.
"Well what exactly do you want me to confess? We have good days and we have bad days. Last week just happened to be a series of very bad days."
"I know this Helen. What I mean is that our mechanisms for dealing with the bad days...well...they're really not all that effective...or healthy..."
"Linds if it were up to me the two of us would be practicing law in Tahiti but since that's really not a possibility we're taking this vacation as a remedy, no?"
"What I wanted to get at was maybe we need more of these? I'm not saying take a vacation every other week but I think we need to force some more fun into our lives. Focus on things outside of work a little more. We're surely not getting any younger and we're both still free in a sense."
"I cannot believe you are the one trying to talk me into having more fun. You can quite possibly be the most boring person on the planet when you want to be, no offense." Lindsay looked a bit offended to which Helen chuckled and continued "I've been trying to tell you this for years and just now it is sinking in? Do I love being a D.A. every day of my life? Absolutely not. Are the rewards worth the struggles? Absolutely. And for that very reason is why I'm not backing down. At least not until you agree to leave your firm and we can start a practice of our own." Helen joked.
Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief. "Someday Helen, for now I'm really happy at the practice. I actually feel like it's headed in the right direction for once and that I'm actually helping to steer us away from the gangsters and drug lords."
"Yeah good luck with that.." Helen rolled her eyes.
"I just wanted to make sure...well that you were still you. That your job isn't blinding you to what's really important in life."
Helen knew Lindsay was looking out for her. Their friendship was one of the best things that has ever happened to her. She knew if it came down to Lindsay telling her that she needed to lighten up that it had gotten pretty bad. Part of the reason why she had consumed herself with work was because of everything that unraveled with Bobby. Far be it to ever let a man come in between their friendship, but Helen felt like maybe she needed to give Lindsay space. It was obvious that the storm had blown over and their friendship was back on track.
"I love you Linds. This trip is such a great idea and we're going to have so much fun."
Lindsay smiled at Helen and squealed with excitement. "I see signs for the Hamptons! We're SO close!"
Helen peered out the window and her jaw dropped at the luxurious homes and expensive sports cars. "We're definitely swinging back this way to husband shop, right?" Handsome men in colorful polos and khaki shorts lined the sidewalks. It was a beautiful man buffet in Helen's mind.
"Uh, actually Montauk isn't really walkable from here and besides where we're headed is full of athletic surfer guys not stuffy tennis players."
"Oooh even better."