"And Then There Were Two"
By Ennon
(Disclaimer: The characters from the 'Golden Girls' are the sole properties of the original producers, writers and distributers and I seek no monies nor make any claims on said characters for my story)
A/N- This fanfic depicts the characters as though Dorothy's wedding to Blanche's Uncle Lucas and the entire 'Golden Palace' series (+ 'Empty Nest' mentions ) NEVER happened.
"Picture this! Miami, 2009!" 65-year-old Kate Zbornak Mitchell proclaimed inside a familiar living room.
"Sorry, Sis, but you just don't have what it takes like Grandma did," 48-year-old Michael Zbornak groaned while the others in the room grimly nodded their heads.
"I know but I kind of felt I needed to take up the family torch now that. .."Kate sighed.
"You tried, Dear - and I think your Mama and Grandma would have liked the effort," 70-something Blanche Devereaux replied while patting Kate's hand.
"I agree! We could use something to lighten the mood a little. It's just like the time my Cousin Gustaf's pet otter Siegfried tried to. ."80-something Rose Nyland started to say.
"Oh, shut up, Rose!" Blanche fumed.
"You stopped her story almost as fast as Mom would have!" Michael half-laughed.
"But what about Mom's story?"Kate fumed.
"What do you mean?" Blanche- asked a bit uncomfortably.
"She had cancer all those months but she didn't let us know. Why?" Kate asked.
"You know Dorothy was a very private person. She knew you were going through your own divorce and having your daughter Sophie move back into your home with your grandbaby Sally," Rose started to explain.
"And, you have enough to worry about trying to make a living as a musician in times like these without having to have burdened by her struggle," Blanche added while patting Michael on the shoulder.
"But that's what family's for! When I think of how Mom had to struggle caring for Grandma those last five years all on her own. ..," Kate sighed.
" Hey! Sophia was our mother, too! We helped Dorothy as much as we could. She didn't tell Sophia about her cancer either,"Rose sighed.
"What difference would it have made to Grandma by that point. She no longer even knew who she was anymore," Kate scoffed.
"But we knew! And Dorothy knew! She didn't want to chance Sophia somehow be able to know and be worried. She wouldn't let us tell her about your Aunt Gloria's passing two years past!" Blanche recalled.
"You can hate us if you want and maybe never understand your mother's reasons but know that she kept it quiet out of love. She'd worn herself to a nub caring for Sophia and Blanche and I respected her wishes of wanting her own last months with not worrying about worrying you,"Rose explained.
"Sis, they did help Mom take good care of Grandma and they took care of Mom in her last few months," Michael consoled.
"And you two have been the best friends our family could have had this last quarter century,"Kate sighed while walking over to Rose and Blanche and hugging them.
"Mom, Grandma. You two never liked being apart for very long!" Michael sighed as he picked up a silver framed photograph from the piano of Sophia hugging Dorothy while the two were dressed as Sonny and Cher.
"Well, how about we head into the kitchen for some cheesecake?" Kate suggested after a sigh.
"Sorry, no can do! We've switched to low-carb yogurt bars ever since Blanche's diabetes diagnosis,"Rose sighed.
"You ninny! Why'd you tell them that?" Blanche gasped.
. .. ….
. . … …
. ….. Very much later that night. …
Blanche woke up from the living room couch having dozed off hours earlier then put down her latest 'Men's Health' magazine on the coffee table and looked at her watch-somewhat alarmed that at how late the hour was and was ready to head for her bedroom but saw the kitchen light on.
"Rose, it's four in the morning! What are you doing sitting there staring at that cup of coffee?" Blanche asked as she came into the kitchen.
"Blanche, I've been thinking. ."Rose started to say.
"Are the Four Horsemen comin' round the corner?"Blanche gasped.
"Stop it, Blanche. I'm serious. We have some drastic decisions to make," Rose exclaimed.
"We can put another ad in the trader's post or maybe even do something online,"Blanche pondered.
"You mean like where you found that alleged 'cougar hunter' who turned out to be a Nigerian prince's finance minister?"Rose scoffed.
"I thought his portfolio was worth lookin' into," Blanche sighed with a leer in her eye.
"Blanche, we can't find a new roomie. No one can ever take Dorothy or Sophia's places!" Rose gasped.
"I know they'd be strangers at first like we all were," Blanche pondered.
"We were family for a quarter century! Even if we got the nicest roomie ever, we'd never have what we did," Rose sighed.
"You have to admit those two weren't always nice!" Blanche scoffed.
"I know but sisters don't have to be always because the love's still there," Rose exclaimed.
"None of us had the best of luck with our own sisters. That's for damn sure!" Blanche scoffed.
"But new roomies won't solve things," Rose sighed.
"This table! Hell, this whole house has the worst, empty echo with those two gone! Having Kate, Michael and the rest of Dorothy's family yesterday made me realize how empty! Oh, to hear Sophia call me a 'walking mattress' one more time!" Blanche started to sniff.
"To hear Dorothy call me a 'tit mouse' again!" Rose sniffed.
"It had been so long since Sophia last spoke before she. .. Hell, I never thought I'd miss that sharp tongue even a tenth as much as I do!" Blanche bawled.
"She barely even could tell she'd had a 100th birthday and she had no clue Dorothy's granddaughter had made her a double-great grandmother! As much as she valued family, it's just so unfair she didn't know she was part of one at the end," Rose sobbed.
"Oh, by the Grace of Sweet Baby Jesus, I think she knew somewhere so deep down inside," Blanche insisted as she hugged Rose.
"Blanche, I'm scared!"Rose gasped.
"What for?" Blanche asked.
"The future! We need to think very carefully about what we're going to do from now on," Rose insisted.
"Rose, I know you're a year older than Dorothy got to be, but I won't hear of you going to a nursing home!" Blanche scoffed.
"We're healthy now but God alone knows for how much longer," Rose sighed.
"Go if you want to one of those places," Blanche scoffed.
"I won't without you! You've now got diabetes and you're seventy-. .." Rose replied.
"COUGH COUGH,"Blanche said while putting her hands to her years.
"Blanche, I saw how tiring out it was for you helping care for Sophia then Dorothy. I don't want that for you with me or vice versa!" Rose proclaimed- as she took Blanche's hands from her ears.
"Going to one of those places would be like surrendering! And I can't surrenda! It's in my blood!" Blanche boiled.
"No, there are some good places. Jean helped me check some out online on her laptop right before the service," Rose started to explain.
"So that's what you were doin' with her before Dorothy's funeral," Blanche half-laughed.
"What did you think? Even though none of us shared her interest in women didn't mean she wasn't looking out for us. She'd known Dorothy longer than we did,"Rose explained.
"But what about my house? Our home?" Blanche asked.
"We could sell it to a nursing home and that could be used for our upkeep," Rose offered.
"Makes it sound like we're old cars," Blanche scoffed.
"We're classics!" Rose insisted.
"I suppose it beats that crazy nightmare I'd had that time of us sellin' the place to run a hotel- and then having Sophia be put back in Shady Pines after we disapeared,"Blanche sighed.
"That will teach you not to eat Japanese food while watching a'Petticoat Junction' marathon!" Rose scoffed.
"If they can put a man on the moon,"Blanche pondered.
"If we can elect an African-American to be President," Rose added.
"I told ya! His skin color had nothing to do with my not votin' for him. I just couldn't vote for someone whose mother was born in . ..Kansas!" Blanche scoffed.
"Wouldn't it have been something if Sophia had been around to comment on that?"Rose laughed.
"True! Now, can we forget all this fuss and think of something else. Tomorrow's another day!" Blanche asked.
"No, we can't forget. We need to start thinking of what we're going to do," Rose pleaded.
"Between the two of us, we've got eight children. Surely, they could help us out and. ."Blanche scoffed.
"Blanche, how often did Kate, Michael or the rest of Sophia and Dorothy's family visit them?" Rose asked.
"They all had very busy lives. They couldn't be depended on visiting every single day!" Blanche snorted.
"They didn't visit even once between Sophia and Dorothy's funerals and, despite their promises at the kitchen table last night, I wouldn't be surprised if we never see any of them again," Rose sighed.
"I know. And they didn't do more than just say they were sorry about how tough it was with Sophia's Alzheimer's. Poor Dorothy couldn't rely on 'em. They took after that no-good Stan. At least Sophia got to know she'd buried him!" Blanche recalled.
"But can you honestly say that either of us can rely on our own families to care for us?"Rose asked.
"No, I can't say I do, "Blanche deeply groaned.
"As much as I love my family, neither can I,"Rose sighed.
"Do you ever wish you'd married Miles instead of staying here with us?" Blanche asked.
"As much as I miss him and loved the times we were together, I don't regret not accepting his proposal and leaving. The four of us belonged together,"Rose insisted.
"We really have been more of a family than our own ones proved!" Blanche sighed.
"So, you think we start thinking of our future?" Rose asked.
Blanche picked up one of the brochures.
"Maybe we should look into it," Blanche pondered.
"We have friends living in just about every nursing home in the Dade County area who could help us," Rose offered.
"These seem to have better rates than I thought," Blanche considered.
"Hmm, this one has a library, tennis court, swimming pool and we'd get our own suite with a kitchen,sitting room, private bedroom doors- and its attached to a chronic care unit so if either of us would ever need that, we could still stay there,"Rose pleaded- as she opened another brochure
"And it has a two to one ratio of men to women! You know, maybe surrendering might not be all bad after all," Blanche proclaimed.