Author's note:
A series of drabbles and one-shots about Therese and Carol's relationship. PLEASE SUBMIT REQUESTS AND PROMPTS! I love writing for others, and I'm using this as a sort of practice as I go into the writing industry. That said, please give feedback!
These drabbles and one-shots will mostly be fluff, angst, and hurt/comfort, though some family will work its way in, and if you guys are reallly good, I'll toss in some M-rated gems for good measure, but there'll always be a warning in the author's note before hand.
So without further ado, the first chapter!
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1. In which Therese takes Carol ice skating.
Christmas was in the air. Before Carol Aird had met Therese Belevit, the best thing that had ever happened to her, Christmas had been the gloomiest time of year. With no family or friends to talk to besides Rindy (for thirty minutes on the telephone, to be exact), Carol was completely alone in the world and had no one to share as much as a "season's greetings!" with. But with a quick glance at the corner of the apartment living room, taking in the beautiful glowing Christmas tree that the two women had decorated together between sips of champagne and messy kisses, Carol was sure that things were starting to change for the better, and for good.
Just at that moment, the best thing that ever happened to Carol decided to come waltzing in through the door. She looked up, not surprised at all. The little clock face on her wrist read 4 o'clock, just exactly the time Therese usually came home after work, brandishing some treat or new book or old record in her hand as a surprise for her beloved.
As Carol greeted her at the door with a kiss on the cheek, she WAS, however, surprised at what she found in Therese's hands today:
Ice skates.
Two pairs, to be exact. Carol looked down at the shorter woman, seeing her face for the first time. Therese had a wide grin stretched from ear to ear, and there was a soft twinkle behind her eyes that Carol had never seen before. It was mischief.
"Well, well," Carol murmured as she stepped aside to allow Therese in, deciding to keep her calm. The more collected she was in front of others, the stronger she felt. "What's this?"
"Well," Therese said, setting the skates onto the kitchen counter and shutting the door with her foot. "You always tell me that you've never gone skating every time we pass the lake in the Park. I just assumed maybe you'd like to-"
"Dearest, there's a reason I've never gone skating," Carol interrupted, shaking blond, bouncey curls out of her eyes. "It's dangerous, impractical, and for children."
"Oh, Carol, don't be so silly. I love skating."
"And I would be happy to go to the park and watch you skate," Carol said with a kiss to Therese's forehead. "But I will not skate. And please, wear padding, would you?"
Thirty minutes later, with a bag packed full of padding and a first-aid kit (which Carol had demanded), the couple was stepping off the elevator of their apartment complex and wandering into the very busy, very snowy streets of New York. Carol discreetly took Therese's hand in her own and gently put their hands into her right coat pocket. The brunette suddenly felt much warmer with Carol's thumb gentlly running across her own, something they could never do in public if their hands weren't hidden.
"Shall I hail a cab?" Carol asked, looking at Therese's teeth chatter. She herself was warm in her beloved fur coat, and they were only a few blocks from the park, but Therese looked rather miserable.
"No," the smaller girl insisted. "I can manage. Let's just walk quicker, okay?"
They walked as fast as Therese's feet could go, although Carol could've walked faster, her long legs in consideration. Regardless, they eventually arrived to the lake in the Park.
Carol shook her head. If Therese was cold now, how would she fair in a clearing with no trees to block the wind and the cold air whisteling even faster about her?
"Carol," Therese stuttered, teeth still chattering. "I need you to skate with me. I'm too cold to be alone."
Carol's eyes widened and panic set in. She swore she never would again, after that terrifying experiencce with Rindy...
But she swallowed and simply shook her head.
"Darling, if you're this cold, then let's just go back home, alright? You'll only become colder skating around, and I'm not... I've never... listen, we haven't even the other pair of skates for me."
Therese smiled a cock-eyed grin as she dipped her hand into the bag Carol had insisted upon and pulled out the other pair of skates. Carol glared.
"Cheater."
Therese resisted the urge to reach up and give Carol a peck on the cheek that said "I'm sorry, but I'm not really that sorry at all."
"Please, Carol, please!"
Carol swallowed once more, looking at the skates dangling from the laces in Therese's hand. They looked so ominous, as if you were whisking yourself through time and space on knives. What part of that wasn't terrifying?
But then her eyes flickered from Therese's hand to her eyes, pleading and sad. Her teeth chattered. She was cold, she was lonely, and goddammit, she wanted to skate. So Carol took the skates. Therese looked overjoyed.
"Oh, Carol, you're going to love it!"
Carol huffed, pulling on the skates and tightening the laces until she could hardly feel her feet. She tied them with sailor knots, something she'd learned from her first husband (the one who had been in the navy during WW II), and triple-knotted them for good measure.
Therese, meanwhile, looked very amused as Carol attempted to stand and proceeded to stagger about the ground, trying to reach the lake. Carol shot her another glare.
"Oh, DO shut up."
"I'm sorry, Carol, it's just... well, you look so..."
"Choose, carefully, darling, or you're sleeping on the couch."
"...beautiful."
Carol knew this was a lie, so she didn't act flattered, even though she was. Instead, she rolled her eyes and glanced down at Therese's feet. The skates were gently laced and tied with little elegant bows. Carol was appalled. Her own skates' ties were clumpy and ugly.
"It doesn't matter what they look like, silly," Therese said, reading her mind. "Come on, let's go."
Carol fell onto her back two seconds after stepping onto the rink, and Therese had to dodge out of the way of Carol's flailing arms to keep from going down with her. As she hovered over the older woman, Carol noticed something - Therese's teeth weren't chattering at all! Nor was she shivering or running her hands up and down her arms.
"Why, darling, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you set me up," Carol remarked as the younger girl helped her up.
"It's hard to get you to do what I want," Therese responded with a shrug.
Carol advanced towards her, breath warm and soothing against Therese's cold skin, and whispered, "not that hard."
Therese shuddered, and Carol was about to take off again, until she fell for a second time. Therese let her head back and laughed a real, hearty laugh as she helped up her love, and mumured "oh, Carol. That was almost sexy."
Twenty falls, two bruises, and a handful of dirty whispers later, the two women were making their way back home, Carol relieved to actually feel her feet on the ground once more. As they finally stepped into their apartment, Therese turned to the woman by her side.
"Carol, why were you so scared of skating?"
Carol sighed. She'd been waiting for this question for a while now. But Therese was going to hear it sooner or later, so she sighed and prepared her answer.
"Well, when Rindy was three, all she wanted for Christmas was a new pair of ice skates. She was a very advanced girl for her age, she still is."
Therese nodded, agreeing, and wanting Carol to know she was listening. Carol continued.
"Harge was terrified of the idea, but I was thrilled. When I was younger, I used to dance, and I figured Rindy learning to figure skate could be another way for us to bond. I immediately went out to Frankenberg's and bought her the most expensive, beautiful pair I could find. I was too excited to wait until Christmas and I gave it to her as soon as I got home. She was thrilled, of course, and Harge was furious. Just another rift in our marriage that would lead to...
"Anyway, she practiced on them non-stop for the two weeks leading up to Christmas. Then Christmas day came and she opened all of her presents. I think she was hoping for another pair to match her other outfits, perhaps. Regardless, she liked her presents well enough, but they weren't enough to compete with her beloved skates."
Therese took Carol's hand, noticing her voice was sticking and her eyes glossing over as if she was about to cry. Carol never cried.
"While Harge and I were... well, Therese, it was Christmas and we'd both had too much to drink, and we were married, after all. Anyway, we were occupied, and neither of us noticed Rindy leave. We'd left her on her own, what fools we were. She ran outside with her new skates to practice some more on the lake very near to our house. I mean near, we could practically see it from our house. So dinner came, and we went to the dining table as Eyvette was serving our plates, and we noticed Rindy was gone. It took us two hours to even realize that our baby was gone. After a brief search of the house, we both ran out the door, realizing there was only one place she could be. Harge tripped on a tree branch and sprained his ankle, but I hardly even looked down. I was getting close. And then, there I was, and in the middle of the lake, there was Rindy. The ice had broken under her. She couldn't swim, the skates were weighing her down, and it was freezing. It looked like she'd been in the water screaming like that for something like ten minutes. I eventually got to her, fell in myself in the process, and had to be pulled out by our butler, who had come to our rescue when none of us came home. I caught a cold, but Rindy caught the flu and nearly died. I suppose... I mean, I guess that's why I don't like skating. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's associated with some not-so-good things in my memories."
Therese swallowed, not really sure what to say. She was really at a loss for words. So she kissed Carol's hand.
"I'm sorry, Carol, I didn't mean to make you do something you really didn't want to."
"It's alright, Therese, you didn't know," said the blonde. "And now the prospect only terrifies me a little, as opposed to, say, a whole lot."
Therese giggled, but only because Carol was smiling and because she wanted to lighten the mood.
"And Rindy's fine," Carol added. "She obviously got better, although I never let her skate again. Perhaps I should, though, come to think of it. What do you say we get her a knew pair of skates for Christmas?"
"Sure, if you'd like to face the wrath of Harge," Therese responded, a smile creeping at the corners of her lips. And that was enough to break the tension in Carol. She tossed her head back and released a genuine laugh, her blonde curls dangling down her back. Therese smiled, liking to see her this way. Once Carol was done, she took Therese's hand, kissed it, and pulled the younger girl close to her chest.
"My angel. Ever the clever thinker. What shall we do for Christmas?"
Therese smirked, pulling away and cocking her head to one side.
"I can think of a few things."
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