I Do Not Own Gypsy or Anything Associated With It. It's Such A Shame That The Show Was Cancelled. Anyway, This Is My Interpretation On What Could Have Happened After Jean's Speech in the Auditorium.
The two women held eye contact for what felt like an eternity for both of them. Jean could just make out the small smirk on her lover's (ex-lover?) perfectly rounded lips. If the blonde didn't know any better, she'd say that Sidney was looking at her with admiration and possibly love but Jean did know better and she knew that, in that moment, Sidney would most definitely not feel anything other than hatred and betrayal. In fact, Sidney was more than likely disgusted with the way in which Jean had been lying to her, perhaps she was even humiliated by the fact that she had been played at her own game.
After a moment of intense eye contact with one another, Jean was broken from her thoughts and stare as the entire room broke out into roars of applause. Jean looked back out over the audience and gave a tight-lipped smile, murmuring an almost inaudible thank you into the microphone. She tried to make out her husband and daughter's faces in the crowd but her eyes were instead drawn back to the exit where her British lover had been watching her, though she had expected Sidney to have left, she was surprised to see her still there, clapping along with everyone else. The blonde's attention was again taken away from Sidney as the principle congratulated her, patting her gently on the shoulder before guiding her off of the stage. As Jean made her way back to where Michael and Dolly were sitting, she spared yet another glance towards Sidney, finding her watching her intently from the shadows before disappearing through the doors. Though Jean was desperate to catch up to her and stop her from leaving, her daughter prevented her from doing so as she clung to her mother, almost climbing in her lap as Jean sat beside her. The therapist looked over to her husband only to find him glaring in the direction that Sidney had previously occupied before he turned to face the stage again, ignoring his wife's presence with a clenched jaw.
Rather than rising to her husband's obvious anger, Jean tried her best to take her mind off of the British brunette who constantly invaded her thoughts recently. It both scared her and excited her that Sidney had figured out who she really was and that she even had the courage to show face at Dolly's school. It reminded Jean just how dangerous the nature of their relationship truly is. No matter how hard Jean tried, she could not erase the lingering sensation of Sidney's touch on her skin, the sweet smell of her perfume and most importantly, how free Sidney made her feel. Maybe in another life Jean could see herself with the younger woman but right now, she was fucking mess. Once again, Jean was broken from her thoughts when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She furrowed her brow as she fished it out from under her, holding her breath and biting her lip gently when she saw that it was a text from Sidney. She looked over at Michael and Dolly to ensure that their attention was on the principal before hesitantly swiping her thumb across the screen, opening the message.
S
'That was quite the performance.'
Jean let out a shaky breath at the double meaning behind the text. Before she could even begin to formulate a response, Sidney sent a follow-up message.
S
'The mom car makes a whole load of sense now.'
The blonde re-read the text a few more times, her breathing slightly uneven, unaware that Michael was now watching her from the corner of his eye. She knew Sidney was daring her, in fact, Jean could almost hear the implication in the brunette's tone. Rather than replying, Jean gently removed Dolly's arms from her and kissed her on the top of her head.
"I'm just going to go to the bathroom, sweetie," she whispered, pocketing her phone.
Her eyes met Michael's – full of anger and questions – as she stood up, turning her back on her family as she left the auditorium. Jean set a quick pace through the school corridors as she allowed her thoughts to run wild, images of Sidney yelling at her and threatening to expose her flooded her mind. As she approached the main entrance, she came to a slow halt, breathing deeply as to prepare herself for what was to come before straightening her shoulders and pushing the door open. The cold, fresh air immediately hit her as she shivered, unsure on whether it was the cold air or Sidney's unseen presence. Jean then marched with purpose towards where her car was parked, anxiously yet subtly checking her surroundings. As her car came into view, she was surprised to see that Sidney was nowhere to be seen. Jean came to a stop just at the side of the vehicle as she looked around, wondering if she had misread the text message. Perhaps Sidney's reference to her 'mom car' wasn't an invitation to meet her there.
With a sigh, Jean pressed her hands to the roof of the car, her eyes closing tightly as to hide her disappointment.
'What the hell is wrong with you?' She thought.
As Jean gathered her thoughts – still facing the car – she failed to notice the younger brunette step out from behind the wall she was leaning on opposite the car. Sidney inhaled her cigarette one last time before blowing out the smoke and dropping it on the ground, taking cautious steps towards her lover. The blonde let out a shaky breath as she heard someone approach her from behind, without looking at the person she turned around, her hand rubbing her eyes as they remained closed.
"Michael, can we just do this another time?" She sighed in one breath.
"So, Michael is your husband." Sidney returned. She wasn't questioning Jean nor was she trying to make her feel guilty for her actions, she was merely stating a fact.
Jean's eyes snapped open at the sound of her lover's voice. Her jaw dropped in slight disbelief as she let out a shaky breath and took Sidney's appearance in, getting a better look at her than she did in the auditorium. She was wearing the same coat she wore the last time they saw each other, the memories of that night hitting Jean all at once. One moment they were on the couch in a near compromising position and the next they were spying on Sam as Jean practically forced Sidney to make a move on Sam. She didn't, however, Jean was not aware of that.
Sidney took in Jean's appearance before her, in awe of the woman despite knowing what she had done. She had always admired the blonde and it was no secret that she found her attractive but right now, Sidney was seeing Jean for who she really was. A loving mother. A guilty yet scorned wife. A therapist who was just as screwed up as her patients. The brunette knew she was in deep with the older woman, she just didn't realise how much she had fallen until now. The woman in front of her was truly fucked up but so was Sidney, that's why they worked.
Before Jean could say anything, Sidney just smiled softly at her. It was a genuine smile that told Jean just much the younger woman standing before her cared.
"You know, you're quite the motivational speaker." Sidney teased, breaking the obvious tension around them.
Jean returned the soft smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She tried not to think about any ulterior motives Sidney might have right now, why else would she be so calm about the whole situation? Instead, Jean just wanted to have one 'normal' moment with the woman who was one step away from capturing her heart. However, she also knew that it was not possible for the two of them to be normal together, their entire relationship had been formed around a lie and Jean knew that that had to be confronted. The smile slowly dropped from her face as she prepared herself for the worst.
"What are you still doing here, Sidney?" She had to know why the brunette didn't leave after discovering the truth. Why she didn't appear to be remotely angry with her and most importantly, why she had cared enough to track her down.
Sidney shrugged as if her answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wanted to see you... And after what we've been through, I think I deserve an explanation, don't you?"
"Sidney," Jean sighed but was cut off before she could go any further.
The brunette took a step closer to her. "Look, I don't know why you lied to me but honestly, Diane, Jean, whoever the fuck you really are, everything that happened between us, everything I felt for you... Was real."
Jean's breath hitched at hearing those words, her eyes immediately betraying how she truly felt for the younger woman. She couldn't carry on with this charade, she has a duty to Michael, to Dolly and – though she had already compromised herself – she had to fix things.
"Sidney," the blonde sighed as the younger woman took a step closer, their noses practically touching.
"I don't care who you are," Sidney began in an alluring whisper, "Because I know that you feel something for me... You might have fooled everyone else but you can't lie to me." Jean recognised those words from the night at the bar, the same night where Sidney had answered Dolly's facetime call and had very clearly referred to Jean as her 'mommy'. That was the first time warning signs were raised for Sidney but she was far too infatuated with the blonde to care.
The tips of their noses gently rubbed together as Sidney slowly pressed closer, her hands coming to rest on Jean's waist. Their lips barely grazed each other's as Sidney teased her lover. After what felt like an eternity, Jean closed the almost non-existent gap between them and connected their lips in a light kiss that turned in to numerous gentle pecks. Jean's hands came up to cup Sidney's face as the younger woman pressed herself further into Jean, pinning her against the car as their lips caressed each other's. Neither of the two knew who moaned first but the sound was music to both of their ears, it told them that they still had unfinished business with each other and that, despite Jean's initial intentions, the two weren't meant for a short-lived passionate love affair.
Unfortunately for the entangled duo, the furthest they got that night was Sidney gently probing her tongue against Jean's lips. They jumped out of their embrace at the sound of doors opening in the distance, the chatter coming from crowd exiting the school drawing closer and closer by the second. They both knew that someone could come and catch them at any moment but this did not deter Sidney from raising one final proposition. Though they had left a respectable distance between each other – to anyone who passed by, they would look like an odd pair yet were not close enough to each to raise suspicions – Sidney gently stroked Jean's cheek as the older woman leaned into her soft hand.
"I'm working late tomorrow at The Rabbit Hole." The British woman began. "I'll probably be heading home around midnight." Jean did not miss the suggestiveness in her tone but she appreciated that Sidney was giving her a choice. One that will make or break them – so to speak.
Sidney smiled softly at her lover – potentially her future ex-lover – and slowly retracted her hand. "Good night, Jean." She whispered as she took slow steps away from the blonde, still facing her as she took in Jean's appearance for what could be the final time before turning around completely and walking into the shadows.
As she watched the younger woman walk away, Jean leaned against her car, letting out a shaky sigh before composing herself. She allowed Sidney's words to linger in her mind as she began contemplating what to do; she knew that Sidney was giving her an out if she wanted but Jean didn't know if she truly wanted to be rid of Sidney Pierce. Though she had told Michael that her affair had not compared to their marriage, she knew that was only saying it to appease him, perhaps even to convince herself that Sidney had meant nothing to her despite knowing that, deep down, she couldn't have been farther from the truth. In the few weeks of knowing her, Sidney had made Jean feel more alive than she had ever felt throughout her relationship with Michael. Sidney paid attention to her, knew how to satisfy her and despite Sam's constant presence in her life, Sidney had never cheated on her. She knew that she would never, that Sidney would never hurt her the same way Michael had.
She was soon broken from her conflicted thoughts when a small body collided with hers, small arms wrapping themselves around her waist. Jean placed her hands on top of her daughter's head, stroking her hair as she looked up to see her dark-haired husband walking towards to her, carrying her jacket that had been abandoned in her haste to meet Sidney. Michael came to a halt in front of her and Dolly, he remained silent but his eyes were full of accusation and what one may perceive as disappointment. Jean knew she had been caught in a lie yet again but was glad that Michael hadn't drawn attention to it, not in front of Dolly. As if reading her thoughts, Michael looked down at his daughter who was still hugging her mother and his expression softened, a small smile gracing his face. He then made his way to the driver's side and unlocked the doors, climbing in before his family. Jean gently removed her daughter from her waist and pecked the top of her head.
"Let's go home, sweetie," she said as she mustered her best fake smile. It was no longer home for Jean. In fact, it hadn't been for a long time.
Dolly, unaware of her mother's true feelings, just smiled in return. A genuine smile. "Okay, mommy," she happily replied, climbing into the backseat.
Jean took a second to compose herself, taking a deep breath as she opened the passenger door for herself. She took one final look over to the direction Sidney had headed off in and wasn't surprised when she was met with the dark road, lit only by the streetlights. The blonde finally got into the car and as Michael drove them back to the house, she couldn't help the small smile that graced her features as her thoughts drifted back to the moment with a particular British rebel that had occurred mere minutes ago.
'I can't lie to her,' Jean agreed in her thoughts.