Marlene was preparing to leave for the weekend when she involuntarily looked up the stairs behind her. Even though they have been apart for weeks, she still couldn't help but wonder how Rebecca was doing. They had managed to remain friendly but she was beginning to miss her, more so because she had changed her schedule seemingly arriving early and leaving later than she did.
"Are you ready?" Jessica asked drawing her attention back to reality.
"For what?" Marlene asked snapping out of her daze.
"For a night out partying," Jessica said without skipping a beat. "Dana and I thought it would be fun to just hang out and do girly things. It is the weekend after all."
Marlene had forgotten that Dana had mentioned they were going out. She initially refused but her sister convinced her that she shouldn't become a hermit while she recovered from her heartbreak. She reluctantly agreed and almost forgot about it until now.
"Come on, I know how Dana hates waiting," Jessica prompted again.
So with one last look upstairs, Marlene got her coat and bag to follow Jessica out of the building.
"I know you're dying to know so I will let you know that she's up there alone," Jessica informed her. "Tanja has her working on everything on Caro and Thore's plates. She must really feel bad for them because she hadn't once complained about the workload."
Marlene knew better than that but decided not to comment lest Jessica blabbed to Dana about what she suspected was driving Rebecca to work so hard. She knew that it was partially because of what Jessica thought but also because Rebecca was trying to bury her own heartbreak with work. She wondered if Rebecca would be doing the same if they were still together; with one last look back at the empty lobby she knew the answer and left intent on not thinking about it anymore.
.
Rebecca stood in the shadows while watching Marlene as she prepared to head out for the weekend. She regretted not paying more attention to weekends while they were together and accepted that she was to blame for all the pain she was feeling. She let the tears flow freely down her cheek as she wished that Marlene would eventually forgive her and give them another chance. She knew how resolute Marlene can be but couldn't help but hope that somehow they're relationship was still worth another opportunity for which she promised to do better. Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a phone call from Tanja who she knew was checking up on her.
"Hello," she answered the call trying not to give any indication she was crying.
"Are you done yet?" Tanja asked on the other end. "I don't have to remind you that the show is fast approaching and we still have nothing concrete for it."
"I'm working on it," she assured her. "I'll work through the weekend and have something for you by Monday morning."
"You better or I will not only fire Schulz and Hellstrom but you as well," Tanja threatened her.
"Look, you can threaten me all you want but it won't get done if you keep interrupting me," Rebecca said icily before hanging up on her. Fueled by her anger, she wiped away her tears and headed back to work with renewed focus. She was going to prove to Tanja that she was still the best for LCL.
.
"That girl is totally checking you out," Jessica noted as she sipped her drink while they sat by the bar.
"What makes you say that?" Marlene asked startled by what Jessica just said.
"She has been looking our way since we sat here," Dana agreed.
"Maybe she just recognizes me as Lily Rose," Marlene tried to dismiss their notion.
"I doubt it; you haven't played that role in over a year," Jessica countered. "I may not be one myself but I know that look." She stood up and left the sisters to contemplate what she just said.
"What does she mean by that?" Marlene asked Dana.
"I think she means it's the same way Rebecca looks at you especially when she thinks no one is looking," Dana said.
"You're supposed to be on my side," Marlene said gulping down her drink.
"I am," Dana assured her. "But are you sure it's really over between you two?"
Before Marlene could respond the bartender set down a drink in front of her.
"I didn't order this," she told him.
"Compliments of the redhead," the bartender said and tilted his head in her direction.
Marlene took a deep breath before picking up the drink and heading over to the redhead.
"'What are you doing?" Dana asked holding her arm.
"I'm going to thank her and prove to you that it really is over," she replied.
"What did I miss?" Jessica asked when she returned to find Marlene heading off to talk with the redhead.
"I think you were right about her," Dana said taking a sip of her drink.
"Well good for Marlene," Jessica cheered. "It's about time she got over Rebecca."
"It's too soon," Dana said cautiously. "Besides, what have you got against Rebecca?"
Jessica gave Dana an incredulous look that said it all. "Don't tell me that you would let your sister go back to her."
Dana looked over Jessica towards Marlene and seeing that she seemed to be enjoying herself decided to let the subject drop. Besides, it was up to her sister what happened next.
.
Marlene woke up late the following morning and jumped out of her bed. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She rushed into the kitchen to get coffee.
"I thought I'd let you sleep in since it is Saturday," Dana said with a smile knowing that her sister had forgotten.
"Saturday," Marlene repeated slowly realizing what happened the night before. "Did I make a complete fool of myself last night?"
"No but I think you truly impressed the redhead you met," Dana teased. "She called a while ago wondering if you'd like to go out for coffee."
"Damn, I did give her my number," Marlene said slightly glad it wasn't her mobile number.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Do you think I should go out with her?"
"Do you want to?"
"I don't know. She is pretty nice and I do like her. What?" She noted her sister's reaction.
"Ask yourself this – are you dating her because you really want to or because you want to forget Rebecca."
Marlene thought about it a moment before picking up her keys to head out.
"Where are you going?"
"Getting some air to clear my head."
.
Marlene wandered around aimlessly for a little while until she ended up outside the LCL building. "Oh great!" she cursed under her breath.
"Good morning, Marlene," Caro greeted her. "What brings you here today?"
"Uhm, I was just passing by," Marlene managed to say. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help Rebecca with the final details of the show," Caro said. "She's been working non-stop to finish it but I'm sure she could use my help."
"Are you sure you want to jump into that?" Marlene caught herself sounding bitter so she amended herself. "I mean you know her when she's on a roll, she shuts everyone out."
"I know what you mean," Caro agreed. "But she is close to burning herself out that I think I should at least help her out a little."
"You really care about her?" Marlene asked, surprised at Caro's concern. She felt a bit jealous and ashamed for not showing the same concern for her ex-girlfriend.
"I know you still care about her, too," Caro said stating the obvious. She gave Marlene's shoulder a quick squeeze to let her know she was there for her.
"It's that obvious huh?" She tried hard to hide it but knew it showed whenever she let her guard down.
"I believe that if you love someone, you can't just stop no matter how hard you try," Caro stated frankly.
"Even if that someone hurt you terribly?"
"Love makes us vulnerable and that's why it hurts," Caro said in sympathy.
"You have love figured out don't you?" Marlene teased.
"I wished I did then I'd understand what Thore is going through," Caro replied sadly. "I know he loves me but he's been pushing me away lately. Oh, sorry, I know he's the last person you want to hear about." She realized that belatedly.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. Anyway, I shouldn't keep you from work."
"Do you want to come in and just say 'hi' to her?"
"That's probably not a good idea. Besides, I was actually going to meet a friend to have some coffee." She knew Caro didn't buy that excuse but was glad when she just nodded and wished her a good day.
.
Rebecca stood back and took one final look at what she had worked through the night for. She wished Tanja was there that moment because she felt that this was her best creation ever and dared Tanja to find any fault in it.
"Wow, you did it," Caro said from behind her. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that this is really wonderful."
"No," Rebecca quickly dismissed the notion. "I'm glad you agree with me. I think I've outdone myself on this one."
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Caro offered nonetheless.
Rebecca turned to her and had an idea how she could. It was going to be a coup if they pulled it off. Her smile widened as she watched Caro nervously looking at her.
After all the preparation was completed, Rebecca had one last thing to do that she wanted to do alone. She told Caro to leave and stayed behind to finish.
"Are you sure?" Caro asked before heading downstairs.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Rebecca said with a forced smile. "Just don't let me down on Monday or Tanja will be the least of your worries." She was confident Caro could do it but couldn't help but give the warning to be sure she was motivated.
"I won't," Caro promised.
Rebecca took one last look around the design floor and wondered if she had forgotten anything. When she had convinced herself that she had done everything, she headed downstairs stopping at the reception desk. She walked around and sat on the solitary chair that Marlene had occupied since taking on the job. She thought back to the number of times she leaned across to give Marlene a kiss before forcing herself to focus on the letter she wanted to write. She pulled out pen and paper from the drawer and poured her heart out onto the sheet.
.
"How was your walk?" Thomas asked Marlene when she returned home.
"It was ok," Marlene replied trying to appear happy to him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked knowing her well. He had given Marlene her space but knew it was time to express his fatherly concern.
"How much do you know?" She wondered how much Dana had already told him.
"Why don't you bring me up to speed?"
She was grateful for his understanding and was finally ready to talk with him about it. She told him everything that had happened and was glad he listened quietly and withheld judgment. "And that is why my relationship with Rebecca ended."
"Did she want to end it, too?" he asked.
"Papa, of course she didn't want to and asked me to give her a second chance," she revealed. "But how can I possibly remain in a relationship that was no longer working?"
"Did she want a second chance even after you told her what happened between you and Tristan?"
"Does that even matter? Maybe she wanted to stay together so she could prove she's better than Tristan."
"Do you really believe that? Based on what I've seen and heard from you about her, she isn't like that."
"Papa, why are you even defending her? Shouldn't you be on my side?"
"I'm always on your side, sweetie," he assured her. "But it's my job to make you see past your pain so you can make the right decision."
"Are you telling me that I made the wrong one?" She emphasized that she had already decided.
"I can't tell you if it is right or wrong, only you can decide what is good for you," he explained. "But I've watched you the past few weeks and on the surface you look happy but are you really?"
"You can't expect me to be completely happy just yet," she replied. "My heart is still broken but I have moved on; Dana can attest to that. I spent the entire night dancing with a girl I met and I'm considering going out with her again."
Thomas studied her for a moment before continuing. "Then why are you still working at LCL where you could see Rebecca every working day?"
"I need the job and I think we can be civilized towards each other just like I was with Tristan," she said. "Besides, I hadn't seen her in weeks."
"Is she avoiding you?"
"I don't think so," she guessed. "She's pretty busy with another show and as usual she's working non-stop."
"And how do you feel about that?"
"It doesn't bother me anymore," she admitted. "She's free to do what she wants, when she wants." Before she could say anything else the home phone rang and Thomas got up to answer it.
"It's for you," he said handing her the handset.
"Oh hi," she said when she realized who was on the other end. "Sure, I'd love to have some drinks with you."
"Who was that?" He guessed correctly that it was the girl she mentioned earlier.
"The girl I met last night," she confirmed. "I'm meeting up with her again." She didn't want to discuss it further so she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out.
.
"How many have you had?" Rebecca asked as she approached Ricardo at the bar.
"Not enough," Ricardo replied and ordered another.
"You can't go on like this, you know," she cautioned him and taking his drink from him.
"Let me deal with my heartbreak the way I want to," he said angrily. "I don't tell you how to deal with yours."
"Touché," she accepted the barb and gulped down his drink.
"Sorry, that was a low blow," he apologized. "I guess we're in the same club now."
Rebecca nodded in agreement. "I'm glad Hagen is alive but I know it is difficult for you. I'm sorry I can't tell you to fight for her because he is my brother."
"How are you doing?" he asked hoping to be a friend to her in return and change the subject.
"I have no one else to blame but myself," she began. "So unlike you, I can't even fight to keep my relationship."
"So you're just giving up then?" he asked. "I suppose I can't keep fighting either. How pathetic are we?"
"We're just unlucky I guess," she concluded. "But I think I have a solution to my problem."
"Care to share? I sure could use some good ideas."
"I'm leaving Dusseldorf," she announced. "I'm going to try to start over in New York."
Ricardo chuckled and saw Rebecca's eyebrow rise as a question to his reaction. "If I had taken that position in Boston, we would have been close to each other. We could meet up for drinks or something."
"Maybe you can still find a job there," she encouraged him. "I wouldn't mind having a friend nearby." Even in the din of the bar, she recognized a familiar voice and turned to find Marlene ordering drinks not too far from them. She hesitated to call out to her and waited to see if Marlene would notice her.
"Hi," Marlene greeted holding two glasses of drinks. "I didn't know you were here."
"Just getting a drink with Ricardo," Rebecca replied. "What about you, why are you here?"
"I'm on a date," Marlene said trying to not feel guilty.
Rebecca was frozen as the words sank in and could only watch as the blonde head over to a table where a redhead was seated.
"Here, I think you need this more than I do," Ricardo said offering a fresh drink to her.
"Thanks," she accepted and gulped it down quickly. "Maybe I should talk to them."
"That's a terrible idea," he advised. "The best thing is for me to take you home."
Rebecca meekly followed him but stopped and turned to approach Marlene and the redhead before Ricardo could stop her.
"Hi, I'm Rebecca von Lahnstein," she introduced herself to Marlene's date. "I'm a good friend of Marlene's and I just wanted to say that she's a great woman and deserves to be happy."
"Ok," the redhead said in obvious confusion.
"Sorry, she's a little drunk," Ricardo excused and tried to steer Rebecca away.
"I'm not drunk," Rebecca insisted squirming out of Ricardo's hold. "Just wanted to give her a piece of advice – don't ever hurt my friend."
Ricardo finally managed to pull Rebecca away and saw Marlene thank him for it with her eyes.
"What was that about?"
"I have no idea," Marlene lied. She could clearly see the pain in Rebecca's eyes but also knew that it took courage for her to do what she just did.
.
Rebecca steeled her resolve to leave Dusseldorf as she packed her clothes. She had attempted it so many times but this time it was really time to go. She wondered what she would miss most this time around and laughed at herself. The answer was quite plain and obvious.
"Here you are," Elisabeth said when she entered Rebecca's room. "Justus mentioned that you asked for the car to be brought around. Are you going away for a few days?" She suspected it was a longer trip judging from the packed bags.
"Actually I'm thinking of starting over again in New York," Rebecca confirmed.
"Is this because of Marlene? Give it some time and I'm sure she'll learn to forgive you."
"It's not that and even if she did, there's no chance for us to get back together again."
"What about your work at LCL?" Elisabeth asked trying to find reasons for her to stay.
"I've done my duty in rescuing the company," Rebecca reminded her. "And I think I've found my replacement who will continue it for me. I appreciate you trying to make me stay but my mind is made up." She could tell what Elisabeth was doing for her.
"I suppose I can't change your mind?" Elisabeth asked as a last resort and knew the answer even before Rebecca shook her head in response.
"I thought I could make it work but it's just not," Rebecca admitted. "It's not like I haven't gone away before and somehow found myself back here." She tried to lighten the mood a bit and offer the possibility of a return.
"At least you'll say goodbye to your brothers?" Elisabeth suggested hoping that one of them might be able to offer her a reason to stay.
"I will but it still won't change my mind," Rebecca replied seeing through her ploy.
Elisabeth smiled and gave Rebecca a quick hug. She had been fondest of Rebecca and wished she could help her more. After eliciting a promise to take care of herself, she had to let the youngest of Ludwig's children go.
"Papa said you went out on a date," Dana said when Marlene returned. "Does that mean you've eaten dinner?"
"I just went out for a few drinks so it's not yet a date," Marlene corrected her.
"Ok," Dana said rolling her eyes at her sister. She handed the plates to her while she finished preparing dinner.
"By the way, I saw Ricardo at the bar. He looks terrible."
"How drunk was he?" Dana asked showing concern for him. "I wished it could be different."
"But you still love Hagen," Marlene finished for her. "He wasn't too drunk considering he was the one to take Rebecca home."
"So they're drinking buddies now? Wait, Rebecca was there? Did she see your redhead?"
"She's not my redhead but yeah, Rebecca did see her."
"How did she react?"
Marlene paused and tried to recall that awkward moment. "To be honest, it was pretty weird. I thought she was going to make a scene but then she just said I deserved to be happy."
"Wow, that's a surprise," Dana noted. "So she has really accepted that you've moved on. It's what you wanted right?" She saw that Marlene paused when she said that.
"Yeah, of course," Marlene confirmed half-heartedly. Once it was pointed out to her, she felt sad.
.
"Shouldn't you be busy working on your presentation?" Tanja noted when she saw Rebecca walking in the hallway to the library.
"Tanja, don't push too hard," Sebastian cautioned his wife.
"Don't worry, you're in for a surprise on Monday," Rebecca said with a mischievous grin. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with my brother alone."
Sebastian nodded and watched his wife disappear through the hallway. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going back to New York," Rebecca began. "I've done as you asked, saved the company so now it's your turn to help me."
"The store you wanted to open in New York," he guessed correctly. "When are you leaving?"
"Later tonight," she told him and was glad that she wouldn't have to start from scratch in New York with his help.
"But don't you have a presentation with Tanja on Monday?"
"Don't worry, I've got it covered," she said with the same mischievous grin. "Just don't spoil the surprise by telling her about my departure."
Sebastian felt sad that his sister was leaving again but knew it was for the best for her. He gave her a big bear hug to let her know she will be missed.
.
"Didn't your drink with the girl go well?" Thomas asked Marlene when they were washing the dishes after dinner.
"What?" Marlene said jolting out of her trance.
"You've been in a quiet mood since dinner," he observed. "What happened?"
"I saw Rebecca today," she revealed to him.
"Did you go to LCL?" he inquired sensing that the encounter had bothered her.
"No," she fibbed. "I bumped into her at the bar while I was out for drinks."
"Did she make a scene?"
"Papa, why would you think that?" she complained about his assumption. "She was actually very considerate." She finally found the word she was looking for to describe what Rebecca had done earlier.
"Hmm, if she was more so before huh?" he noted. "Then perhaps you would still be together."
Marlene recalled everything that Rebecca had tried to tell and do for her leading up to their breakup. She wondered if she was harsh in her judgment.
"Earth to Marlene," he called out to her while she was deep in thought.
"Did you say something?"
"I said, if only she was more considerate before then maybe you'd still be together," he repeated.
"She was," she admitted. "Even when she knew we'd be on opposite sides she was considerate in her own way." The realization hit her hard that she had to sit down.
"What does that mean?"
"I may have misjudged her because I was so hurt by her betrayal. I just wanted to end it instead of understanding why she did it."
"Sometimes it takes a breakup to make you understand what went wrong," he said. "I think you two stopped talking and just assumed you knew the other well enough to just cruise through it all. Remember what I told you before you went to Paris? That the two of you needed to sit down and talk things through."
"Instead we just went about like nothing was wrong," she said sadly. "Is that how you did it when you found out about Ansgar?"
"Every situation is different," he said. "But the question for you now is whether you are able to trust Rebecca again to rekindle your relationship with her."
"What makes you think I want to do that?" She was still resisting the notion of getting back together with Rebecca.
.
"Hi, Hagen, got a minute?" Rebecca asked when she stuck her head through the door.
"Rebecca," Hagen greeted his sister. "What brings you here? Do you want me to put a muzzle on Tanja?"
Rebecca chuckled at the image that formed in her head from that. "No, I think I can manage without your help. I just wanted to let you know I'm heading back to New York."
Hagen's face saddened as he stood up to walk over to her. "Is that really what you want? I can assign you to another office if you need a change in scenery."
"I don't just need a change in scenery but a brand new start," she explained. "I was about to do just that when Sebastian and Tristan convinced me to stay to save LCL. I think I've done that and am ready to move on."
"Is there nothing I can do to make you stay?" He knew a little bit about what had happened from Dana but still wished his youngest sister would stay.
Rebecca shook her head and tried not to cry. She knew how important it was for Hagen now that he has taken the reins as the head of the family.
"Well then, I guess I can only wish you the best of luck and if you ever need to come home, we will welcome you back."
Rebecca gave Hagen a hug and allowed a few tears to fall before kissing him goodbye.
.
"Because anytime Rebecca's name is mentioned around you, your eyes still sparkles," Thomas revealed to her.
"It's probably anger you see," Marlene tried to counter him.
"No, if it was anger, it would be a different kind of fire in your blue eyes," he insisted. "I think you know that yourself but are being stubborn to admit it."
"I thought you'd be glad that I'm done with the von Lahnstein's," she declared.
"I just want you to be happy whether or not it's with one of them and actually of the lot of them, Rebecca had been the most faithful to you," he reminded her. "It took that long for her to stray from you."
"She still cheated though."
"Is that your justification for doing the same in turn?"
"I know it was wrong," she agreed. "And you're right, it didn't make me feel any better."
"Don't you think it's time to make it right so you can start feeling better?"
"You think I should go sit down and talk with Rebecca don't you?"
"It'll be better than all this avoiding each other don't you think? But first you have to know what you really want. Do you know that yet?"
Marlene considered what he said and shook her head still unable to reconcile what her heart and mind was telling her.
"Think about it more and now that you're calm, I'm sure you'll see clearer what you want. Then tell her what it is you want and make sure she understands things will have to change between the two of you if you do decide to get back with her."
.
"Those will kill you, you know," Rebecca said when she found Tristan smoking in the driveway.
"I find that it calms me," Tristan said and took another puff.
"What are you nervous about?"
"Hagen is going to choose his deputy," he revealed.
"Ah, and you want the job," she guessed correctly. "Well, don't worry, you only have Sebastian as competition."
"You don't want the job? You'll be my boss if he chooses you."
"Well, I have other plans," she told him. "I'm leaving Dusseldorf and finally getting my boutique shop started in New York."
"You're running away again," he noted. "Where Marlene won't go after you."
"She won't come after me," she said sadly. "I think she's found a new girlfriend."
"Really? And what makes you think that?" He was curious but didn't get any information from Rebecca who merely shrugged it off.
"Well, I should get going if I'm going to catch my flight," she said.
"I'm going to miss you," he said and gave her a hug. "I won't have anyone to pick on anymore."
"Hey," she broke away and punched his shoulder. "You're still not going to get me to stay." She realized what he, too, was trying to do.
"Good luck in New York then."