Begin Again

Episode 7: Forgetting Lily van der Woodsen

Lily lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling as the heard the sounds of William's shower running, and William's cheerful song. He seemed to be in a good mood this morning. She was glad one of them was.

She sighed as she replayed last night over in her head. She couldn't believe Rufus had just cut her out of his life, just like that. She knew he had warned her he would if she accused Lisa of anything again, or said anything bad about her, but she hadn't thought he'd actually meant it!

It wasn't her fault! Her necklace went missing when Lisa was the only one who could have taken it. Then, that night, Lisa showed up wearing her necklace, or rather, what she had thought was her necklace. Rufus and Lisa couldn't afford a necklace like that. There was so way! So, what else was she supposed to think? She could not believe Rufus had held that one against her. Then again, Rufus was always taking someone else's side. Never once in their marriage had he ever taken her side. Well, he'd always taken her side against Jack, but Jack had tried to rape her, so he had no choice but to take her side on that one.

She sighed again. Even so, imagining her life without Rufus was killing her inside.

~BA~

I don't know why I'm feeling so sad about it. Rufus never let me be myself. He's always accusing me, and never hearing me out. He's always willing to take anyone's side but mine unless he has no choice but to take my side. It isn't right, and it certainly isn't fair. I even apologized to Lisa, and she forgave me. Still, that wasn't good enough for him. I'm never good enough for him.

I don't deserve to be treated the way he treats me. Take last night, for instance. He didn't want to hear my side of the story at all. He didn't want to take into consideration that it was perfectly natural for me to think that Lisa had stolen my necklace. I mean, hello! All signs pointed to her. And what did he expect me to do? Just let her steal my necklace and get away with it simply because she is a nice person and his fiancé? I don't think so! No one messes with Lily van der Woodsen, and he knows it! It's not my fault I was wrong. Anyone would have jumped to the same conclusion I did if they were in the same position that I was. In fact, I'm willing to bet all I have that Rufus would have accused me in a heartbeat if Lisa was missing a necklace, and all signs pointed to me being the one to take it. He can be so hypocritical sometimes.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking that maybe it's a good thing that Rufus cut me out of his life. I'm tired of feeling guilty over things I shouldn't feel guilty over. I'm tired of always being judged and ridiculed. I'm judged and ridiculed when my heart is in the right place, and I'm judged and ridiculed when I make a mistake. As if I'm the only one who ever makes mistakes!

I turned over to my side, and heard the shower water turn off. Still, William kept singing. He was singing Frank Sinatra's "Call Me Irresponsible." He was good!

I smiled to myself. There was no use in fretting over losing Rufus when I was married to a wonderful man who loves me just the way I am, and who never judges me, or makes me feel guilty.

I had convinced my mind that. The next step was convincing my aching heart.

~BA~

William came out of the shower five minutes later, fully dressed in his doctor's uniform, and looking very clean and dapper.

Lily smiled at him. "You look so incredibly sexy! I wish you could just skip work and stay home in bed with me all day."

William grinned at her. "Trust me, there is nothing I'd love more than to be able to do that, but unfortunately, I just can't. A couple of our surgeons are out with the flu, so we're short on staff as it is. I have a heart surgery to perform today, and, as you know, that certainly can't wait."

Lily crawled toward him on the bed, and smoothed out his jacket. "Well, maybe when you get home from work, you can work on my heart." She brought her lips to his left ear. "And I can work on yours," she then purred.

William licked his lips, and grinned at her. "You know me. I'm never one to turn down a good cardio workout!"

They grinned at each other, and kissed.

William then sighed. He slipped on his shoes. "I guess I better be going. I might be home late, but if I am, we can just do a late dinner. Is that all right?"

Lily nodded. "As long as you're not too late."

"No worries. I shouldn't be any later than seven. I'm just not sure if I'll get stuck with the Davison foot surgery or not. If not, then I should be back around six." He kissed her. "Have a good day."
Lily watched as William left the bedroom.

She sighed. She had already had breakfast with William before his shower. So, now all she had to do was take her own shower, get ready for the day, then find something to do to keep herself busy and Rufus off her mind. She knew she could accomplish the first two easily. However, the third one was going to be a little tougher. She'd manage though. She hoped.

~Begin Again~

"Rufus!"

At the sound of Lisa's harsh and loud tone, Rufus looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "What?"

"Do you want something else to eat?" Lisa asked. "Or some more orange juice?"

Rufus shook his head. "No, I'm good, but thanks. Everything was great." He pat his stomach for emphasis. Lisa had made him breakfast—his favorite! She had made waffles, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. It was good, but he hadn't had much of an appetite.

"You only ate one of the three waffles I made you. Are they no good? I haven't made waffles that many times in my life, but they're pretty simple to make. I didn't think I could mess those up! Are they gross?" Lisa asked with concern.

Rufus shook his head. "No, Honey, they're wonderful. Thank you for making them. I'm sorry. I just don't have much of an appetite today for some reason."

Lisa sighed, and rested her elbows on the island, and her chin in her hands. "It's because of Lily, isn't it? You miss her already, and regret cutting her out of your life."

Rufus shook his head, and looked her in the eyes. "That's not it! I'm just not hungry. It happens sometimes."

Lisa raised en eyebrow at him. We've been together for over two years, Rufus. And we were together all those years ago before that. Not once have I ever seen you not hungry for waffles. Also, you were reading the same page of the newspaper for five minutes. Something is going on, and you don't want to tell me what it is for some reason."

"Lisa, nothing is going on. I'm just not hungry is all. Come down to the gallery for lunch. I'll close up for an hour, and we can go get lunch somewhere. As for dinner, I'll have a huge dinner if it makes you feel better." He grinned at her, and quickly kissed her on the lips before standing up. "I better be gong now."

"You know, if you want to make up with Lily, and let her back into your life, I won't be angry. You don't have to cut off the friendship because she falsely accused me of a couple things. It's nothing I can't handle." Lisa said from a few feet away from him.

Rufus paused at the door, and looked back at her. "It's not just that. Lily and I have had issues since as long as I can remember. We're just not right for each other—not even as friends. And frankly, I don't want to be friends with someone who treats you the way she did."

Lisa sighed. "All right then. If that's how you truly feel."

Rufus nodded. "It is. So, will I see you at lunchtime?"

Lisa nodded. "I'll be there around noon."

"All right. See you then." Rufus then took off out of the loft before Lisa could question him any more about being down and out.

He sighed as he got onto the elevator, and it took him down to the lobby. The truth was, he was upset over Lily. He was mourning the loss of a friend. But it was for a good reason. He had meant the other things he had said to Lisa. He and Lily really have had issues as long as he could remember. Lily accusing Lisa not once but twice for something Lisa hadn't done was the last straw. For over twenty-five years, Rufus had put up with Lily and her schemes and accusations. Lily was always willing to blame somebody else for her problems, and never willing to blame herself even though herself was 99% of the time the person to blame. He just couldn't deal with it anymore. He and Lily were through. It was for the best. No matter how much it hurt to not have her in his life anymore, he just couldn't keep carrying on like this. He was tired of all the drama, and, at his age, he knew he shouldn't have to have any drama.

He left the apartment, and headed toward the gallery. Even so, whether or not them not being friends anymore was for the best, which is was, he knew it was going to be a while before he got over losing Lily as a friend. After all, a part of him would always love her. But sometimes things had to be done whether you liked it or not, and this was one of those times. Like it or not.

~Begin Again~

William smiled as he headed for Cassidy's place. After performing a bypass operation, he was on his lunch break. Of course, the main thing he was looking forward to devouring was Cassidy, as usual. He was really starting to like Cassidy. She was tough, and a take charge kind of woman. She was even more tough and take charge than Lily was! Not to mention she was sexy as hell. In fact, William had never met another woman like her in his life! He was crazy about her. Though, William wasn't quite sure what that meant. All her knew was that he wasn't in a rush to get rid of Cassidy any time soon, Lily or no Lily. Lily was number one in his heart always, but Cassidy was definitely right behind her!

He rang the button at Cassidy's apartment. A moment later, the door opened, and there stood Cassidy wearing nothing but a bra and underwear set made of green silk. "Hello, Sexy!" she said with a big grin, displaying her perfectly white teeth.

William grinned as well. "How did you know it was me?"

Cassidy put a hand on her hip, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean? I always open the door like this."

William didn't know what to say to that, and it wasn't often he was rendered speechless by anyone, let alone a woman.

Cassidy burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. I saw you through the window, Moron. Besides, I knew you were coming."

William grinned. "Not yet, but I will be." He pushed past her into the house. He loved it when she called him offensive names. In an odd way, he found it incredibly hot!

Cassidy smirked, and shook her head as she closed the door. She then turned to face him. "You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" she asked.

William shrugged. "I'm a good looking man, you're a hot woman. It's pretty self explanatory, isn't it?"

Cassidy nodded, a little smirk on her face. "Also the fact that we've been screwing each other senseless for almost a month now kind of leads us in that direction."

"If by direction you mean bedroom, then yes!" William said, wriggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively and grinning.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "It's always about sex with you, isn't it?"

William shrugged. "Pretty much."

Cassidy's smirk broke into a full on grin. "You're my kind of man!"

William laughed, and roughly pulled her close. "You know, I really do love that on you. Is it new?"

"I got it last St. Patrick's Day to wear for my then boyfriend. But, you know what?" Cassidy asked.

"What?" William asked, an eyebrow raised.

Cassidy brushed her lips against his right ear. "You're way better in bed than he ever was, and much, much more deserving of seeing me in this than he ever was," she purred sexily. She then licked up his ear.

William moaned, and placed his hands over her ribs. "So, do I get any kind of reward for that?" he asked, his tone full of the lust and desire he was feeling for her at the moment.

She smiled at him. "Isn't there always?"

He grinned his Cheshire Cat grin. "I was just making sure."

She grinned too, and took his hand, leading him to the bedroom.

Needless to say, all thoughts of Lily left William's mind. Actually, all thoughts of Lily had been gone the second he saw Cassidy in that little green silk bra and underwear set.

~Begin Again~

"Wow. I didn't think Rufus would ever cut you out of his life forever," Serena said in surprise. She sipped her coffee.

Lily nodded. "I couldn't believe it either. I mean, it was an honest mistake!" Lily had invited Serena to lunch, and Serena had agreed. Now, they were enjoying lunch together, and discussing Rufus. Lily had just filled Serena in on the whole falsely accusing Lisa situation. "You don't hate me for it, do you?" Lily then asked. She was becoming a little paranoid. If Rufus didn't understand, then what if others didn't either?

Serena smiled. "I'll be the first to admit, you go a little over the top sometimes. I mean, I'm not going to lie. You've interfered in my life on more than one occasion, and sometimes, it was downright wrong. Like putting Ben in jail when you knew darn well he was innocent."

"I know now that it was wrong. I was just trying to protect you. I didn't meant to... I don't know. I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly," Lily admitted.

Serena sighed, and took her mother's hand in her own from across the table. "I know, Mom. Your heart was in the right place even if your head wasn't. I know you did what you thought you had to do to protect me."

Lily nodded. "I did!"

"And I know that you really thought Lisa was cheating on Rufus, and you wanted to tell Rufus only because he deserved to know. You told him as a friend, and I totally get that. I would have done the same thing if I thought Chuck was cheating on Blair," Serena continued.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "And what about the necklace situation? Do you understand that?"

Serena grinned, looking like she might laugh, but she didn't laugh. Instead, she squeezed her mother's hand. "I find that more funny than anything. I think with your money, you could have just let it go, and let Dad buy you another one, like he said he would." Serena sighed. "But I know that wouldn't be you. It was an honest mistake, and I think a lot of people would have jumped to the same conclusion you did. Heck, probably myself included if I didn't know what kind of a person Lisa was."

Lily flinched at the last part, and tightly gripped her coffee cup.

Serena gave her a stern look. "Come on, Lisa's a nice person. She wouldn't steal anymore than I'd join the Army. Anyway, what I'm saying is, Rufus should have understood. I think it was just really bad timing after the whole falsely accusing Lisa of cheating incident."

Lily sighed. "Tell me about it!"

Serena shook her head. "I'm sure he'll come around. I wouldn't worry about it. He's not going to throw away years of history with you over something small like this. He just needs time to cool down, and get over it."

Lily shook her head, and took a sip of her coffee. "I don't know. You didn't see him. He was pretty angry."

Serena shrugged. "He'll get over it." She then grinned. "I wish I had been there to see the look on your face when Dad showed up with your necklace!"

Lily actually managed to crack a smile. "Shut up! That was so embarrassing! I felt like a complete and utter jackass."

"I bet!" Serena said.

Lily shot her a look. "Nice."

Serena laughed as she sipped her coffee. Then, her eyes fixated upon something. "Uh oh." She put her coffee mug down.

"What?" Lily asked.

Serena nodded to something behind Lily.

Lily turned around to see what Serena was nodding toward, and her face paled as soon as she saw what Serena was looking at. Rufus and Lisa had just entered the restaurant, holding hands, and looking very much in love.

Lily turned back to the table. "Great! Of all the places and times, they had to chose to come here at this time."

"Maybe they won't notice us," Serena said.

Lily knew Serena was just trying to make her feel better. Though, even if Rufus and Lisa did notice them, Lily was pretty sure that Rufus would ignore them anyway. At least her.

"They're coming out way. The hostess is leading them over here," Serena said after a moment.

Lily sighed. "Great! Just great,"

"He's had a night to cool off. He's probably not as angry with you anymore. Besides, Lisa forgave you, so why shouldn't Rufus?" Serena asked.

"You don't know Rufus the way I do. When he's angry, he's angry," Lily stated.

"I guess we'll see now, won't we?" Serena asked as the hostess led Rufus and Lisa over to the table next to theirs.

"Of course!" Lily said under her breath. "Just my luck."

Lisa's face lit up when she saw Serena. She smiled brightly, and waved.

Serena smiled and waved as well. "Lisa! Rufus! Hi! Are you guys getting a quick lunch too?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah. He's taking a brief break so we don't have to eat at the gallery this time." She winked.

"Well, that's good." Serena laughed. "What are the chances that we pick the same place to eat at the same time, and are seated next to each other?"
"I know, right? And New York City is such a big place. I guess it's a small world no matter where you are," Lisa said.

"I guess so!" Serena agreed.

"Maybe we should get another table. This feels a bit crowded over here," Rufus said quietly to Lisa.

"It's not crowded! There's only you guys and us next to each other. Everyone else is across the way." Serena nodded toward the other side of the room where everyone else was seated.

"I'd just feel more comfortable sitting somewhere else is all," Rufus said calmly.

"Do you have a problem or something, Rufus? And I don't mean being over crowded. I mean, you didn't even say hello to us," Serena said a little coldly.

"I should have said hello to you, Serena. I'm sorry. Hello. How are you doing?" Rufus asked.

"I'd be doing a lot better if you'd stop being mean to my mother," Serena said simply.

"Serena, it's all right," Lily said quietly to her. She gently pat her daughter's hand.

"I'm sure she played the victim when she told you what happened," Rufus stated, not looking at Lily.

"No, she told me she was wrong, but she apologized to Lisa for it. Yet, I see you still are treating her like dirt!" Serena said.

"That's just it! She always apologizes, but she's never truly sorry. If she was, then she wouldn't be screwing up time and time again!" Rufus snapped.

"It was an honest mistake, Rufus! Lisa forgave her, so why can't you?" Serena asked.

"I've been putting up with her crap far longer than Lisa has," Rufus said calmly.

"Exactly! You've known and loved her for over twenty-five years, and you're just going to through it all away because of a misunderstanding about a necklace. You forgave her all those other times, but you can't now?" Serena snapped.

"You know, maybe we should sit somewhere else. People are starting to stare," Lisa said quietly to Rufus.

"Fine by me!" Rufus said.

"You know, I'm glad that Mom ended up with my dad. At least he is a lot more forgiving and understanding with her than you are. He also doesn't judge her, or make her feel guilty like you do," Serena said, shooting Rufus a dirty look.

Rufus shrugged. "That's because William is a scumbag! He's a full time jackass, so he supports Lily being one."

Lily couldn't take it any more. She was trying to hold back the tears, but hearing Rufus, a man who once claimed to love her, a man who she once thought was the love of her life, talking about her like that... She just couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

She stood up. "Excuse me," she managed to get out to Serena. She then pushed past Rufus and Lisa, accidentally bumping Rufus along the way, and ran to the bathroom.

Once she was in the bathroom, she headed into a stall, locked the door, then sat down on the toilet seat, and cried.

~Begin Again~

"Now look what you did? You made her cry! Mom rarely cries. I hope you're proud of yourself!" Serena snapped.

Rufus looked away. He felt a little bad making Lily cry. Then again, with Lily, for all she knew, she could be faking it. He decided to voice his thought. "She's probably faking it to make me feel bad."

"Are you kidding me right now? Did you see the look on her face and the tears in her eyes? I know my mother. She was not faking it! You should know that too." Serena crossed her arms over her chest, and shot him a nasty look again.

"Well, she made Lisa cry last night, so we're even!" Rufus said, crossing his own arms over his chest.

"If your even then you can stop treating my mother like a piece of garbage," Serena said.

"I don't mean to be rude, but your mother's and my problems are between her and I. I don't want this to cause a friction between you and me. I will be civil to her, but I just can't be close to her anymore. I hope you can understand that," Rufus said to her. He didn't want to start a full on war. He didn't have any problems with Serena. He didn't want Serena having problems with him either. If she did, then Dan would have problems with him, and it would turn into a bigger mess than it had to be.

"Can we please just get along?" Lisa chimed in.

Serena looked from Rufus to Lisa, then back to Rufus. She sighed. "Fine, whatever. I just wish you'd be a little more understanding toward my mother. That's all. And, if I ever hear you talking badly about her again, there will be friction between us. A lot of friction. Got it?" Serena asked Rufus.

Rufus nodded. "I don't care to talk to her at all, but when I have to, I promise to be civil."

Serena nodded. "Good. Now maybe it is best that you get another table."
"We're on it," Lisa said, taking Rufus' arm, and dragging him back to the hostess station.

"I appreciate you standing up for me, but you don't have to be rude to Lily," Lisa said to Rufus. Her tone wasn't accusing. It was more like she was giving him permission to be nice to Lily.

"I won't be rude to her anymore. She just makes me so angry sometimes!" Rufus said.

"May we please be seated on the other end of the restaurant?" Lisa politely asked the hostess.

The hostess smiled at her. "Of course!" She then lead them to a table that was thankfully, not anywhere near Serena and Lily's table.

They thanked the hostess, then Rufus helped Lisa into her chair.

Once he sat down across from her, he looked up and saw Lily in the distance, walking back to Serena's and her table.

He sighed.

~BA~

All right. So maybe I was a little harsh on Lily. But, she deserved it! Even so, I'll admit, when I saw her eyes fill with tears, there was a brief moment—a very brief moment, but a moment nonetheless—that I felt bad. In fact, the old me, the me that was once in love with her, wanted to apologize, take her into my arms, and kiss her. But the moment quickly passed. After all, I had changed. I wasn't the same man that was once head over heels in love with her. I know it sounds harsh, but she is always messing up. At almost fifty, she should know better than that. Heck, even Blair grew up, and Lily's still acting the way Blair acted when Blair was in her twenties. It was pathetic, and I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. I shouldn't have to! Being with Lily even as just a friend felt more like I was raising a daughter instead of being in a relationship with her, or being her friend.

I don't know. She's not a bad person. It's just that drama follows that woman like a shadow. At my age, I don't need that much drama in my life. Actually, come to think of it, nobody does, no matter what age they are! [Sigh.] Lily is always getting under my skin, and it's time that I stop letting her. It's long overdo.

~BA~

"Are you okay?" Lisa asked, placing her hands over Rufus' from across the table.

He looked up at her, and put on his best smile. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Lisa raised en eyebrow at him. "Well, let's see. You just saw Lily, whom you were trying to avoid, Serena told you off, and now you're staring off into space, looking crushed, and not answering me even though I asked you five times what you were going to order."

"I was not looking sad. It's just the expression I get when I'm zoning," Rufus insisted.

"And why were you zoning?" Lisa smirked, and raised her eyebrow again.

"It's not because of Lily, if that's what you're thinking," Rufus lied. "I'm just worried about the customers I'm missing out on taking care of while I take this long lunch break. Where is our waiter?" He looked around, hoping that Lisa bought it.

"That's why you really need to hire help. This way, you won't have to worry about it. Anyway, I'm sure if they really want a painting that badly, they'll come back," Lisa assured him.

Rufus barely heard her. He was too busy watching Lily. She was picking at her food, and looking miserable. It was unlike her. She usually didn't let things get to her like that.

"Rufus, are you ready to order? You were in such a hurry, now you're zoning again."

Rufus looked over at the sound of Lisa's voice. The waiter was there, and judging by the way the waiter and Lisa were both staring at him, it was his turn to order. He had no idea what he wanted. He didn't even remember looking over his menu. "Um, I'll have what she's having," he said, nodding toward Lisa.

"But Rufus, you hate veggie burgers," Lisa said, sounding confused.

"I'll have a cheeseburger, please," he corrected himself.

The waiter wrote it down. He then smiled at them. "All right! I'll go put your order in, and it should be out shortly!" He grabbed their menus, and left.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where my head is today," Rufus said to Lisa with a blush.

Lisa smiled weakly. "I do." She glanced over toward Lily's direction.

Rufus looked down at his lap in shame.

~Begin Again~

"I honestly don't know why he gets to me. If he wants to be an ass, then so be it! He's clearly no longer the man I once married." Lily took a sip of her coffee.

"I told him off when you were in the bathroom. He still doesn't want to talk to you, but he agreed to be civil to you when he has to. Gosh, I don't know why he's acting so immature. I honestly thought he'd be over it by now," Serena said.

"This is what I had to live with those years that he and I were together. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. Anyway, thank you for sticking up for me." Lily sighed. "But, you know what? In the end, I think Rufus and I no longer speaking is for the best. Maybe this is the way we can finally make each other happy," Lily stated.

"I know for a fact that you two were once very happy together," Serena said.

"Yeah, well, that was a very long time ago," Lily said simply. She downed the rest of her coffee. "Okay, that was my second cup. I think I'm good."

"Do you want to get dessert?" Serena asked, dabbing her face with a napkin.

Lily shook her head. "Can we get it somewhere else? I just feel uncomfortable with Rufus here."

Serena sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Sure."

"Thank you," Lily said. She glanced over and saw Rufus looking at her.

They both quickly looked away.

"I swear you two both still act like you're in high school," Serena said, having caught the exchange.

Lily blushed, and looked down to her lap. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, toying with her white cloth napkin.

~Begin Again~

"William, I was thinking. I know we've only been dating for a month, but how does going away together for Valentine's Day sound to you?" Cassidy asked. She was cuddled up next to him in bed. She kissed his chest, then ran her hand slowly down it.

He took her hand, and kissed it. "Well, I'm not sure how much time off I can get from my job on this late of notice. I could probably manage getting the weekend off though."

She grinned. "We wouldn't have to go far. I mean, maybe we could take a quick flight to Cabo Wednesday after you get out of work. We could have all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday to enjoy Cabo, and you can return to work on Sunday."

"I have Saturdays and Sundays off anyway, so if we go after work on Wednesday, I'd only have to take Thursday and Friday off. I could even try to get out of work early on Wednesday. As for Sunday, since I'd already have off, we wouldn't have to rush back." The more William thought about spending Valentine's Day in Mexico with Cassidy, who was not only hot, but a borderline nymphomaniac, the less spending a boring old Valentine's Day with Lily, who wasn't half as good in bed as Cassidy was, appealed to him.

"It would be great if you can get off early on Wednesday," Cassidy said, nipping at his neck now.

William closed his eyes, and moaned. "I'll talk to my boss when I get back to work. I'm sure I can work it out."

"You won't regret this trip," Cassidy purred into his ear as her hand slowly slid down his chest to below his waist. "I can promise you that," she then purred, her hand meeting its goal.

William moaned, and licked his lips. He slightly whimpered. "Oh, I have no doubt about it!"

They grinned, looking into each other's eyes. They then kissed.

Then, Cassidy giggled, and moved so that she was now on top of William, straddling him. She kissed down his neck.

William moaned again, knowing she was just getting started. She gently dug his fingers into her back. "I love being me," he moaned.

Cassidy grinned in response.

~Begin Again~

"You pamper me too much," Lily said as she and William sat at the best table in her favorite restaurant. William had called from work and told her that he had made reservations for that night at six. When he came home at five, he had not one, but two dozen red thornless roses to give to her. Now, they were seated at the best table of her favorite restaurant, him just having ordered the most expensive (and best) bottle of red wine on the menu.

William raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I?"

Lily shook her head. "Of course not! I was just trying to be polite." She grinned.

He grinned too. "Good because I thought you might think me giving you this present was too much."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "What present?"

William took something out of his inside coat pocket, and placed it down in front of Lily. It was a little golden box.

Lily snatched the box off the table, and opened the box. She gasped when she saw the two, teardrop-shaped diamond earrings resting on a bed of black velvet.

"They are set in twenty-four karat gold and the diamonds are twenty-four carats. I figured they'd go excellent with your necklace," William explained.

Lily looked up at him. "William! What did I do to deserve such an extravagant gift?"

William smiled at her. "As I've told you many times before, you make me happier than I've ever been in my life. You're the love of my life, and you took me back when you had no reason to. That's more than enough to deserve a gift like that I'd say."

Lily had tears in her eyes. "Well, thank you so much! I absolutely love them!"

"Just don't let Lisa see them. I wouldn't want you to be tempted to accuse her of anything," William then teased.

The look of shock on Lily's face was priceless. William couldn't help but laugh. "The look on your face!" he said, tears of laughter in his eyes.

Lily pouted. "Not funny!" However, she couldn't hold her serious expression for long, for her pout soon turned into a smirk. She shook her head, and smiled bigger. "You're such a jerk!" she teased.

He laughed once more. "I'm sorry, my Love. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the things that happen to us, you know?"

Lily nodded, and put on a smile, though it didn't look as full-hearted this time. William knew she was probably missing Rufus, and thinking of how she was no longer allowed in his life. William also knew that she'd eventually get over it.

Their wine arrived then, and the waiter poured them each a glass. They then ordered what they wanted to eat.

"All right! I'll put your order in, and your food will be out shortly," the waiter said, flashing his perfect white teeth.

William figured now that they had their wine, it would be a good idea to bring up the Valentine's Day situation. "I have to admit, I wasn't being a hundred percent honest about the reason I gave you the earrings, or this night of pampering."

Lily paused from sipping her wine. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

William nodded. "Don't get me wrong. I meant every word about why you deserve it. You do deserve it. It's just that I'm also trying to soften the blow a bit." As it turned out, he was able to get off work early the Wednesday before Valentine'a Day, and he was able to score Thursday and Friday off as well. He just happened to have a colleague who owed him. He had worked for said colleague when said colleague had wanted to do a weekend camping trip with his buddies last fall. Now it was time for his colleague to pay him back.

Lily set her glass of wine down, her expression turning to one of worry. "What is it?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

William sighed. He hoped that his own trip with Lily to celebrate Valentine's Day early would be enough to stifle her anger. "Well, my boss just informed me that we have a medical conference coming up from Wednesday to Sunday."

"I'll miss you, but that's not so bad," Lily said before sipping her wine.

William sighed. "It's the week of Valentine's Day."

"No!" Lily exclaimed, setting down her glass. "Not Valentine's Day! It was bad enough I didn't have you on New Year's Eve!" She slapped her palms down onto the red cloth-covered table.

William sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry! I tried to get out of it, Lily. I really did! But it's mandatory. They knew no one would go if it wasn't. I'd invite you to come along, but I'd be in meetings all day long, and you'd be bored. Besides, the board doesn't encourage spouses coming along. They think it'd be too distracting."

"Why does it have to be over Valentine's Day anyway? Aren't these things usually over a weekend instead of the middle of the week?" Lily asked.

William nodded. "Usually, they start later int he week, but I guess there's a lot to discuss, for they added on those two extra days. I'm really sorry about this, Lily. I know it sucks. I know I'm not the only one who isn't happy about the dates. Practically everyone on my floor was complaining, and I'm sure everyone else was too. Except for the single ones."

"So it's yet another holiday we can't spend together. This is the most important one too," Lily said with a pout. She looked like she was about to cry. "This year is just not going well at all so far." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I was thinking... Who says we have to celebrate Valentine's Day on the 14th? Why don't you and I fly out to Bermuda? We can leave This Friday after I get out of work. We can have a later dinner in Bermuda that night, and enjoy our evening, We'll have all night Friday and all day and night Saturday to enjoy Bermuda. Heck, we can even get a later flight out on Sunday, and have most of the day Sunday to enjoy Bermuda was well. We can celebrate our own early Valentine's Day on Saturday. How does that sound?" William placed his hands overtop of Lily's on the table, and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

Lily searched his eyes for a moment, as if she were debating on whether or not she should settle for his replacement Valentine's Day offer. Finally, after a moment, she sighed. "Oh, all right. I suppose it's better than nothing even though it won't be quite the same."

"Great! I'll book everything as soon as we get home." William raised en eyebrow at her. "Are you mad?"

Lily sighed. "No, it's not your fault." She smiled at him. "And you're going out of your way to have a makeup Valentine's Day. So, how could I be mad?"

William took her right hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Thank you for understanding. And I prefer to call it a 'Make out' Valentine's Day instead of 'Make up' Valentine's Day." We winked at her and grinned.

Lily laughed. "We better be doing more than making out, my Darling!"

"Mm, you bet your ass we will be!" William said.

Lily laughed even harder.

William laughed with her.

Lily then picked up her wine glass, and tipped it toward him. "To the best non-Valentine's Day ever."

William picked up his glass, and tipped it to hers, therefore clinking the two glasses together. "To the best non-Valentine's Day ever!" he agreed.

They drank up, their eyes locked as they drank, and smirks on their faces.

And to an even better, sex-filled actual Valentine's Day with Cassidy, William thought to himself. He had called Cassidy as soon as he had confirmed his getting out early on Wednesday and getting Thursday and Friday off, and he knew that by now, Cassidy would have everything booked and ready to go.

Hello, Bermuda, he thought, and hello, Cabo!

He set his wine glass down, and licked his lips at the thought, the grin on his face making him look like the Cheshire Cat had just devoured a canary. In fact, it kind of felt like he was that Cheshire Cat who had just swallowed the canary, for he was very much feeling satisfied. Satisfied indeed.

~Begin Again~

"Mm, you smell good. What perfume is that?" Rufus asked Lisa as they lie kissing in bed.

Lisa kissed down his collarbone before responding. "It's Stella McCartney's L.I.L.Y." She then blushed when the ironicalness of the name hit her. "I just picked it out because it smelled pretty. I got it last year."

"Good choice! It smells really nice on you." Rufus kissed from her neck to down over her right shoulder blade as flashes of Lily suddenly filled his mind. For some reason, he was taken back to a windy fall day he had spent with Lily years ago.

They had gone shopping, not realizing how cold it was going to end up getting. By the time they finished their shopping and came out of the last store, it was practically a wind storm out there. Lily was laughing because her hair kept blowing in her face, and she could barely see where she was going. Her hands were laden down with bags, so she asked Rufus to push her hair out of her face for her. Rufus had paused to take a picture of her on his iphone first. She had looked so beautiful. There was just something about the way she looked with her hair blowing all around her like a halo. It was one of those moments that he had to just stop and appreciate her beauty.

"Um, I think my right shoulder is good and kissed now. I think it's safe to move onto my other one now."

Lisa's voice had broken him from his flashback. He looked at her, wondering why she was smirking. "Huh?"

"You've been kissing the same shoulder in the same spot for the last thirty seconds. What gives?" Lisa asked, sounding just slightly annoyed.

Rufus blushed. "I'm sorry. I just had my mind on something else."

"Something or someone?" Lisa asked.

Again, Rufus blushed. "It's nothing. I don't want to talk about it." He quickly moved so that Lisa was pinned beneath him instead of on top of him where she had been previously. "You look so incredibly sexy in that pink nightgown of yours, and the perfume makes you smell so good, I want to devour you."

Lisa giggled. "My perfume smells like lilies. Would you really want to eat lilies?"

This question made Rufus think of something that he knew Lisa would most definitely not approve of. In fact, he didn't approve of it himself. He wanted, no he needed to get Lily out of his mind before he went insane. His eyes lowered with desire for Lisa. "The only thing I want to eat is you." He grinned, and wriggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Lisa giggled again. "Well, then, by all means, what are you waiting for?"

Rufus lowered his eyes even more, completely overcome with lust for Lisa now. "Absolutely nothing!" he said. He clicked off the lights, then went to work satisfying his appetite, and forcing himself to concentrate on Lisa, and only Lisa.

~Begin Again~

Lily wasn't exactly thrilled with the knowledge that she wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day with her husband, or rather, he wouldn't be spending it with her, but she was looking forward to this weekend getaway to Bermuda nonetheless.

"Do you have everything you need?" William asked, hugging her from behind. It was the night before they were to leave, and she was just now packing her things.

She smiled over her shoulder at him. "I think so. All I have left to pack is my swimsuit."

"Please tell me it's a bikini," William said.

Lily grinned. "I just bought a new coral-colored one for the trip!"

"Yes! There is a God!" William said, looking up Heavenward.

Lily laughed. She then turned around, and pulled him in for a kiss.

William moaned, and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. He then took her suitcase off the bed, and set it on the floor before going back to kissing her passionately.

"Wait!" Lily said, breaking the kiss.

William groaned. "What?" he wined.

With a sly smile, Lily headed over to her chest of drawers, and pulled open one of the middle ones. She then took out her coral bikini. "I have to pack this before I forget it."

"We wouldn't want that now! Then again, if you don't have a swimsuit, you'll have to swim naked. So maybe you should leave it home," William joked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're such a pervert!" she said, but the smile on her face showed she really didn't mind.

William shrugged, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, I know what I like!" He grinned.

Lily smiled as she placed her bikini in her suitcase, then zipped the suitcase up. "There!" she said, standing back up. "I'm all packed!" She turned to face William. "Are you?"

William pulled her down into his lap, and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Of course I am! I finished packing yesterday. It doesn't take men as long to pack as it does for women. Men don't feel the need to try so hard to look good."

"Obviously," Lily said, looking up and down his body.

William play gasped. "Thanks a lot!"

Lily laughed. "You know I'm just teasing you." She took his face between her hands, and kissed him passionately. Her eyes were lowered with love for him as she spoke. "You're the sexiest man alive, and you know it!"

"And you're the sexiest woman alive," he told her, his own eyes lowered with love for her.

They kissed, slowly at first, then more passionately.

Soon, William had her pinned down onto the bed below him.

Lily reached over to turn the lights out, but William stopped her. "No. Let's keep them on this time."

Lily grinned. "It's a little kinky for our age, don't you think?"

William shook his head. "Darling, you're never to old to be kinky!"

"Good point!" Lily said with a grin.

William grinned too.

Then, they had at it.

Lily loved making love with William. It helped her forget all of her problems, and lately, she knew she had many. She had been so down and out lately, thinking about being gone from Rufus' life. Though, she had a feeling though, she would soon get over it. Between William and the wonderful trip she was about to go on with him, she had no doubt it would be a piece of cake to forget about Rufus. Well, she'd forget about him until the trip was over with at least. As for after the trip, well, she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.

~Begin Again~

"Hey, Dan, it's your father," Rufus said. He had just called Dan up to see if he wanted to do dinner. It was a Friday night, so he knew Dan and Serena probably already had plans, but it had been a while since he'd seen him, and he really wanted to have a father son night out.

"Really? I thought it was the president. Darn!" Dan said sarcastically.

"Well, you don't have to be smart about it," Rufus said, a little hurt.

Dan laughed. "Dad, for one, I have caller ID. For two, I know your voice by now. If I didn't, there'd be something seriously wrong with me."

Rufus nodded, even though he knew Dan couldn't see him nod. "Good point. Anyway, I haven't seen you in a while, and was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight. It's been a while since we've seen each other, and I miss you. I know you probably already have plans, but—"

Dan cut Rufus off. "Serena and I don't really have any plans. I can do dinner with you. Is Serena invited?"

"I actually just wanted it to be a father son thing. Lisa mentioned wanting to do dinner and a movie with Serena though. Apparently, there's some new chick flick they had been wanting to see together."

"Well, then sure. Whatever gets me out of going to a chick flick!" Dan said.

"I hear ya!" Rufus said.

They both laughed.

"So, what time do you want to get together?" Dan asked.

"Say we meet here around six?" Rufus asked.

"Sounds good! See you then," Dan said.

"Great! I'll be looking forward to it. See you then," Rufus said.

They hung up.

"Well, I just got off the phone with Serena. She just has to stop by Lily's first to water her plants for her and check up on the apartment, then she'll meet me at The Hard Rock at six for dinner," Lisa said, coming into the room a moment later.

"Water her plants and check up on the apartment? Are Lily and William off somewhere?" Rufus didn't care, he told himself. He was just curious.

"Yeah! Serena told me that William has a medical conference over Valentine's Day, so they left for Bermuda last evening after he got out of work. They're staying until Sunday. It's an early Valentine's Day celebration for them," Lisa explained.

Rufus clenched his fists, and sat down at the island. "That scumbag can't even spend Valentine's Day with her?"

"Wow, I thought you were mad at Lily," Lisa said.

Rufus nodded. "I am. But I still think it's a crappy thing for him to do to his wife."

Lisa sighed. "Well, I think those medical conferences are mandatory. Yeah, it sucks that it's over Valentine's Day, but there's nothing he can do about it, really."

Rufus ignored her. "Of course he'd take her to Bermuda. There he goes, throwing his money around again."

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest. "Sheesh! You really don't like that guy, do you? First you bitch him out for leaving Lily on Valentine's Day, then you bitch him out for making it up to her!"

"He's just an all around ass, okay?" Rufus snapped. He noticed the hurt look on Lisa's face, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry." He gently stroked her left cheek with the back of his hand. "I didn't mean to snap."
"It's all right," Lisa said

Rufus kissed her cheek. "We still have a couple hours before we get together with Dan and Serena. Wanna go for a walk in the park? It's surprisingly warm out today."

Lisa nodded. "It is, isn't it? It feels like spring!"

Rufus nodded, and stood up. "It sure does." She took her hand, and kissed it. "So, a walk, Beautiful?"

Lisa kissed his hand in return. "A walk, Handsome," she said with a smile

He smiled too, and they kissed on the lips. "Hey, he then said as they headed for the door. "Maybe, if we're lucky, William will get lost in the Bermuda Triangle!"

Lisa giggled, and playfully swatted his arm. "You're so bad!"

Rufus grinned. And maybe, if Lily gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle, I can finally get her out of my mind, he silently added. One could only hope.