Begin Again
Episode 10: Snitch
Rufus hadn't slept well all night. He knew he had to tell Lily as soon as possible about William cheating on her. The question was how. He knew Lily long enough and well enough to know that she wasn't going to believe him at first. After all, she knew how much he disliked William. It would be easy for her to say that he was just doing this to try to get William out of her life. He'd have to make her see that he was telling the truth though. Her being with William was bad enough when William was just an ass. But, now that Rufus was sure that William was a cheater as well... She had to know. He simply wouldn't allow her to remain with a cheater. Lily was better than that.
Lisa stirred beside him as the sunlight poured through their bedroom window. He looked over at her, and felt kind of guilty. He hadn't told her about William cheating on Lily. He had wanted to, but Lisa had seemed really on edge the night before, despite her having just come from being at the spa all day. He thought back to when he had arrived home.
"Where were you?" Lisa asked.
"Out with Lily. You knew that," Rufus said, a little surprised at her greeting.
"I bumped into Lily near the spa, and that was a good half hour ago at least! You had already gone, so I figured you'd have been back by now," Lisa said, having quickly made her way across the room. She was now standing directly in front of him.
"I wanted to walk part of the way home. It's a nice day out to walk," Rufus explained.
"Are you kidding? With that wind out there, it's cold!" Lisa said.
"Well, it wasn't too bad when I was out," Rufus said. He didn't want to tell Lisa that he had had such a good time with Lily that he had wanted to spend some time to think about his and Lily's day. He handed her the rose, hoping it would get him off the hook for taking so long. "I bought this for you in the park," he said with a smile.
She took the rose from him. "Thank you. It's pretty." She sniffed it. "And it smells good too. Just like the one you gave Lily."
Rufus blushed. "You saw hers when you saw her I take it."
Lisa shrugged. "How could I not? She was holding it. She told me you bought me one too."
"I bought her one because we were spending the day together, and you one because you're my beautiful fiancé, and I thought you should have a beautiful flower to go with your beautiful face." Rufus smiled at her, and gently stroked her right cheek.
Lisa smiled at him, and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. "Good answer."
Rufus kissed her cheek. "It's the truth!"
"Well, thank you. I love it!" Lisa took one more sniff, then went over to the island, took out a vase, and filled it with water. "So, how was your day with Lily?" she asked as she set the water-filled vase on the island, and plopped the rose into it.
Rufus sat down across from Lisa on the other side of the island."It was fun! We had lunch, and then bowled a game of bowling. I won. We then had dessert and coffee, did a little window shopping, and finished the day off with a walk in Central Park. How was your spa day with Serena?"
Lisa leaned over the island counter, resting her elbows on it. "Relaxing!" She grinned. "I love having bonding time with Serena. She's a wonderful girl. Dan knew what he was doing when he asked her to marry him."
Rufus nodded. "Yeah, she sure is, and he does."
Lisa smiled. "So, what should we do for dinner?"
They had decided where to eat dinner, and that had been the end of the Lily conversation. Rufus figured he had better not bring up William cheating on Lily to her. She didn't seem to want to talk much about Lily anymore. Besides, it somehow didn't seem right to him to discuss it with Lisa before even telling Lily about it. After all, it was Lily's business—not Lisa's. It was only his business because he had discovered the fact that William was cheating.
Rufus sighed. He had to tell Lily as soon as possible. He had to tell her that William was cheating on her. She was just going to have to listen, and she was going to have to believe him. It was settled then. He'd call her today when Lisa wasn't around, and ask her to come down tot he gallery. He'd tell her there on his lunch break. He just hoped she didn't want to shoot the messenger when he told her.
~Begin Again~
"Mm what a beautiful way to start off the morning!" Lily said with a bright smile as she and William lie in bed post lovemaking.
William grinned at her. "It's pretty great when I go into work an hour later, isn't it?"
Lily smiled, and snuggled up close to him, resting her head on his chest. "Mm... It sure is!"
William sighed. "Unfortunately though, I have to take a shower and get dressed. I have a surgery I have to perform in an hour and a half!"
Lily pouted, and kissed his chest. "You always have to go too soon."
"The downside of being a doctor," William said with a sigh. He kissed her right shoulder blade. "Don't worry. When I get home tonight, we'll go out and do something fun."
Lily grinned slyly at him. She gently stroked his cheek. "Or stay in and do something fun." She winked at him.
William laughed. "Yes, that could definitely work too! In fact, I like your idea even better." He quickly kissed her lips. "I gotta go get ready!" he then said, quickly sliding off the bed.
Lily watched him leave with a sigh. "I'll go make you a quick breakfast," she said, then getting out of bed, and slipping her robe on.
"Thanks, Darling! You're the best!" William said, walking toward her to kiss her cheek. He then headed to the bathroom to take his shower.
Lily sighed, then headed down to the kitchen. She understood William's job was demanding, and she loved that he cared enough about people to choose a profession that helps people out. Still, she sometimes wished he had a job like Rufus'. After all, Rufus didn't have to be to work until nine, and he could get right out whenever he wanted to. After all, Rufus was the owner and his own boss. Actually, he only had to go in if and when he wanted to.
It must be nice to be Lisa, she thought. Only because she had a fiancé with a flexible work schedule that is, Lily assured herself. It certainly wasn't because she was still in love with Rufus. That ship had sailed a long time before. Even so, the fact remained, it'd be nice to be Lisa, Lily thought with a slight smile on her lips as she began making William's breakfast.
Ten minutes later, Lily finished with William's breakfast. All she had left to do was pour his coffee into the mug. She was about to, but her phone rang before she got the chance to.
She quickly dashed over to her purse that was setting on the island, and pulled out her iphone from it.
She looked to see who was calling, and couldn't help but smile when she saw who it was. She clicked on accept, and, the smile still on her face, answered the phone. "Hello, Rufus! To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"
"Hey, Lil, I was wondering if you could come down to the gallery today around noonish? There's something I have to talk to you about."
"Sure." Lily smiled. "We just saw each other yesterday. Do you miss me already?"
"Yes, but that's not why I need to see you."
Lily crinkled her eyebrows together in confusion. "This sounds serious."
"Please just meet me at the gallery at noon. I promise to explain everything then."
"All right. Sure. I'll be there right at noon," Lily said. Rufus sounded a little off. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked.
"No, it's definitely nothing you did wrong. Look, I have to go. I'll see you at noon, all right?"
"All right. I'll see you then, Rufus." Lily hung up the phone. She was curious now. Had he gotten into a fight with Lisa? Even though Lisa had said she wasn't going to stop him from seeing her for now, maybe Lisa had changed her mind. Maybe she had told Rufus she wanted him to stop seeing her, and Rufus wouldn't. Lily smiled. Maybe he had enjoyed yesterday so much that he wanted to get back together with her. Of course, this could never happen. She was very happily married to William. Even so, the thought of Rufus wanting her back made her feel good. After all, what woman didn't want to be desired? It was a wonderful feeling on its own to be desired by one man, but by two? Well, that would make her feel even more beautiful and desirable than she already knew she was.
"Who was that on the phone?" William asked as he buttoned one of his heart-shaped cufflinks that Lily had given him for Valentine's Day onto his left sleeve. He had just come down the stairs.
"Oh, it was just Serena asking me if I wanted to do lunch today. I told her yes of course. I miss my mother-daughter time with her. You know, when they're kids, they never want to leave your side. Then, once they get older, they hardly ever want to be by your side." Lily felt bad for lying, but she knew William would just get worked up if she told him the truth. After all, it was no big secret that he didn't like Rufus very much. And he liked her hanging out with Rufus even less than he liked Rufus.
"True, but we know our children still love us and need us. They may not need us as much as they used to, but they still need us." William came up from behind her, and hugged her tightly. "No need to worry though, because you'll always have me." He kissed the side of her neck. "That counts for something, right?" he asked, smiling at her.
She grinned, and lovingly kissed his lips. "Of course it does!"
He grinned too, and kissed her once more before going over to the kitchen to pour his coffee. "Mm, everything looks delicious! Thank you for making it for me, my Darling."
"You're very welcome, my Darling," Lily said, sitting down at the island, propping her right elbow on the island countertop, restring her chin on her right hand, and smiling at him. Yes, she loved her husband more than life its self. Even so, she could hardly wait until noon. She wondered what Rufus wanted. The suspense was absolutely killing her!
~Begin Again~
Rufus looked at his watch. It was noon. His last customer had just left. Of course, seeing as he wasn't officially closed, he could get another customer at any time. But for now, it would be just him and Lily. That is, if Lily would hurry up and get there. He hoped she wasn't late. Not only did he want to talk to her before anyone else came in, but he also wanted to talk to her before he lost his nerve.
Thankfully, he didn't have to worry. For, a minute later, Lily came into the gallery. She looked stunning as usual. Actually, there wasn't a single time he saw her that his breath didn't get taken away. This made him all the more angry at William. How could anyone cheat on Lily? Of course, William was a scumbag. Rufus had known that from the day he met him. He had never liked William. He actually wasn't surprised that all that William had cheated on her.
Lily smiled brightly when she saw him. She pulled him close, and kissed his left cheek. "Good afternoon, Rufus! How are you today?"
He kissed her right cheek in return. "I'm doing all right. But I really need to talk to you. Good afternoon to you too, by the way."
"What do you need to talk to me about?" Lily asked.
"Let's sit down," Rufus said, leading her over to the bench.
"I'm getting a weird sense of déjà vu!" Lily said with a smile as she sat down on the bench.
Rufus smiled weakly as he sat down next to her. "I have something really important to tell you, and I don't want to be interrupted, so I'm just going to come right out and say it," he said. Lily looked like she was expecting something. For a brief moment, he wondered if she knew what he was going to say. Then again, she looked too happy to know.
He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Then, he placed his right hand over her left shoulder. She was going to need his support, he knew. "This is so hard for me to say."
Lily smiled at him. "Just say it, Rufus. You know you can tell me anything."
Rufus nodded. He sighed again before coming out with it. "Lily, William is cheating on you with some redhead. On my way home yesterday, I saw him across the street with some redhead. They had their arms around each other, and they were kissing pretty passionately."
Lily's face was expressionless for a moment, then her lips broke into a smile. "I get it. You're trying to get back at me for telling you Lisa was cheating on you when she really wasn't."
Rufus was confused "What? No! I already forgave you for that. Anyway, I wouldn't joke like that. I really did see him kissing some redhead. I'm sorry, Lil."
Lily shook her head. "No. You must have seen wrong."
Rufus shook his head as well. "I didn't see wrong. During the brief moment that he stopped kissing her, I was able to clearly see his face. It was him."
"Why were you walking home anyway? It's a long walk from the park to Brooklyn." Lily sounded a little annoyed.
"I wanted to just enjoy a walk for part of the way. I had enjoyed our day together a lot, and wanted time to myself to think about it. I know I could have done that in a cab, but I felt like walking for a bit. When I got cold, I was going to head across the street to catch a cab, and that's when I saw him across the street, kissing that redhead," Rufus explained.
Lily's expression softened. "You probably just saw wrong then. I mean, how could you possibly see clearly when he was all the way across the street?"
"Lily, I saw his face clearly. Trust me. There wasn't that much of a space between us. Besides, my eyesight is perfect now that I have my glasses," he insisted. He pushed his glasses back on his nose as if for emphasis.
Lily shook her head again. "You saw someone that looked like him, but it wasn't him. William would never cheat on me." She stood up.
Rufus stood up as well, and faced her. "Lily, I'm telling you, I am a hundred percent sure it was William! I wouldn't have told you if I had even a shred of uncertainty about it."
Lily sighed. "Rufus, you don't like William, so you wanted it to be him. Your mind convinced you that it was him. I assure you, it wasn't. I know my husband. He loves me very much, and he would never cheat on me!"
"Most wives don't want to believe their husbands are cheating on them when in fact, they really are. Some men are just really good at hiding it," Rufus said, his eyes locked on Lily's.
Lily stared deep into his eyes, her lips in a straight line. Rufus knew that look. She was angry, but trying to keep her cool.
"Rufus," Lily said calmly, "I think right now we should just agree to disagree. We just started to become close again, and I really don't care to throw that all away. You don't like William. I get it. I know you think he's cheating on me, but I really don't think he is. Let's just leave it at that. All right?"
"But, Lil!" Rufus tried once more. He didn't want her going back to that scum as if nothing had ever happened!
Lily held her right hand up to him. "Rufus, I'm really trying to keep my cool right now, so please don't push me into losing it. I don't want to argue with you again. Please, just let this go. You're not going to change my mind about this."
Rufus sighed. "Fine. I'll let it go." For now, he silently added.
Lily nodded. "Good. Thank you." She hugged him, and kissed his left cheek. "I know you think you're looking out for me, so I'm not angry with you." She let go of him, and smiled. "Are we still on for Monday?"
Rufus nodded, and managed to put on a smile. "I'll call you later when I decide where we should eat. I know it's my choice since I won the bet, but do you have any preferences?"
Lily shook her head. "You know me—I'm not picky." She smiled, and gave him a slight wave. "Talk to you soon!"
Rufus waved back, giving a slightly less enthusiastic smile. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Lily smiled. "Me too." She left the gallery then, the bell of the door jingling behind her.
Rufus sighed. This wasn't over. He wasn't going to let William cheat on her and get away with it. He had to make Lily see the truth. He didn't know how yet, but Lord help him, he'd think of something.
~Begin Again~
Lily walked home, feeling so many emotions at once. She felt disappointed that Rufus hadn't split with Lisa. She felt stupid for thinking he wanted her back. As for Rufus' real reason for wanting to see her, well, she didn't know whether to be angry with him for accusing William of cheating, or touched that he was looking out for her. She supposed, she really couldn't be angry. After all, she knew firsthand what it had been like to accuse someone of cheating and being wrong about it. She especially couldn't be mad when it was his fiancé she had accused. Even so, the whole situation left a nasty taste in her mouth. She knew William would never cheat on her. In fact, the whole idea was absolutely absurd! Heck she didn't even think the old William would have cheated on her.
She arrived at her apartment, absentmindedly giving Vanya a smile, and a nod of hello as she got into the elevator, and made her way up to her apartment.
When she got there, she set her purse down on the island, then kicked off her shoes. Next, she took off her coat, tossed it onto the couch, then headed up to take a warm bubble bath. After all, she did her best thinking in bubble baths.
Five minutes later, she was soaking in the tub, deciding if she should tell William of Rufus' accusations or not. One on hand, he would probably get angry with Rufus. What if he didn't want her seeing Rufus again? Or, what if he went over to Rufus' and had it out with him? On the other hand, William knew better than to forbid her from anything. And, as for William going over to Rufus' and having it out with him, well, William wasn't a fighter. He never had been. Besides, she was pretty sure that Rufus could take him.
She sighed. She supposed the right thing to do would be to confront William. After all, hadn't Rufus gotten on her case for not going to Lisa when she had thought Lisa was cheating on him? Now here Rufus wasn't going to William when he thought William was the one cheating. Lily loved Rufus, but he could be so hypocritical sometimes, she knew.
Lily sighed again. She knew what she had to do. She had to tell William about the accusations. She wasn't worried. She knew it wasn't him. In fact, they would have a good laugh about it together.
Feeling much better, Lily grabbed her loofa, and squeezed some body wash onto it. As long as she was in the bathtub, she might as well wash up, she figured.
~Begin Again~
William arrived home, whistling happily. He had gotten out of work early, and gone to Cassidy's for a quickie. One of this things he loved the most about Cassidy was the fact that she could make it so good no matter how little time they had. She was amazing. In fact, when it came to the bedroom, she put Lily to shame. Maybe that's why he was keeping her around for so long.
The elevator doors opened, and William stepped into the apartment. He was surprised to see Lily sitting on the couch, looking toward him as if she had been waiting for him.
"Good evening, my Love," he said as he took his coat off, and set it on top of hers on the arm of the couch. He sat down next to her. "You look troubled. What's wrong?"
Lily sighed. "Nothing's wrong, really. But there's something I have to ask you about."
William shrugged. "Okay, go for it."
"Were you near Central Park at all on Monday, say around sixish?" Lily asked him, her eyes locked on his.
William knew exactly how to answer this one. "No, I was stuck in surgery. Remember, I was a little late in getting home?"
Lily nodded, looking relieved. "That's right. I do remember you mentioning something about a gallbladder surgery, now that you mention it."
"I would have much preferred to be in the park though! It's a lot more fun than that surgery was. I mean, it turned out just fine, but it took longer than usual. I didn't have my usual staff members in with me that day. I hate having to work with substitutes." William shook his head, then looked Lily in the eyes again. "So, why are you asking?"
"Well, it's silly, really. You know his eyesight hasn't been the same since he got his glasses, no matter how much he insists it's better..." Lily began, looking down at the couch's seat, and running her right hand over the smooth white leather.
"What?" William asked. He had a sneaking suspicion...
Lily looked at him in the eyes yet again. "Well, Rufus claims he saw you kissing some redhead passionately across the street from the park."
William felt his heart beat faster and his stomach drop. He was going to kill Rufus. He laughed. "That's just silly! Like I told you, I was still in that gallbladder surgery. Besides, never in a million years would I ever cheat on you, Lily."
Lily looked down at the couch. "I know. I just thought I had to tell you."
William lifted her chin up with his right index finger, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Look at me, Lil." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you more than life itself, and you are the most beautiful woman in the world. You're the one great love of my life, and there is no reason on earth I'd ever want to cheat on you. Nor would I need to."
Lily smiled at him. "I know. I didn't believe him for a second when she said you were cheating on me. I just wanted to mention this to you anyway. I figured you had the right to know."
William nodded. "I appreciate you telling me. I just wish Rufus would have come to me first before he went worrying you."
Lily shook her head. "I was't worried. I know you'd never cheat on me. And, seeing as you two aren't each other's biggest fans, and I'm his close friend and the one he thought was being cheated on, I can see why he came to me. Please don't be angry with him. Having been through this firsthand, me having accused Lisa of cheating and all, I can see where he was coming from. He just wanted to protect me."
William nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not going to cause any trouble. I just think he was more willing to see what he wanted to see because he hates me so much."
Lily took his hand in hers, and gently squeezed it. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you. Just don't expect him to be your BFF anytime soon."
They grinned at each other.
William kissed her cheek. "I guess he is sort of like you in that way. You don't like his choice of partners anymore than he likes yours."
Lily nodded. "You got that right! On my way home from the park today, I ran into Lisa. It was like she was stalking me because even though she was supposed to be at the spa, she was at the park. She claims she just got back."
"Really? I'm appalled! Stalking is something you'd never do," William said with am amused grin.
Lily smirked. "Shut up!" She playfully pushed him, then continued. "Anyway, she isn't this sweet, innocent little thing that she makes herself out to be. She flat out told me that if she even thinks or a second that I'm into Rufus as more than just a friend, she will see to it that he kicks me out of his life again—this time for good. She said he was miserable without me, so she would leave it be for now. When I brought up the fact that she'd be making him miserable again if she asked him not to see me, she said he'd get over it. Can you believe the nerve of that bitch?" Lily rolled her eyes. As if I'd ever let her cut me out of Rufus' life. Who does she think she is, anyway? His warden?"
William smiled weakly. "So, you two aren't going to be BFFs anytime soon either?"
"Well, she said she wants to be friends, and that we can be really good friends as long as it stays platonic between Rufus and I." Lily crossed her arms over her chest, and rolled her eyes again.
William raised an eyebrow. "So, what did you tell her?"
Lily sighed. "What could I tell her? I can't be cut out of Rufus' life again. I'll go along with being her friend for now. But I swear, if she tries anything, anything at all to turn Rufus away from me, she's going to pay big time."
William was only half listening at this point. He was too busy being furious about Rufus snitching on him. Well, he wasn't about to let Rufus get away with it! If he knew Rufus, Rufus wasn't just going to let this one go.
William rubbed the knuckles of his left hand with the fingers from his right hand. He hadn't thought the time would come this quickly, but apparently it had. It was time to take Rufus down, and get him out of Lily's life—forever.
He smiled to himself. And, thanks to the information Lily had just given him, he knew just how to do it!
~Begin Again~
"Lisa! What are you doing here?" Rufus asked with a smile when Lisa showed up at the gallery. He pulled her close, and kissed her.
She hungrily kissed him back before answering. "I figured since we didn't get to do lunch together yesterday that we could today. Let's go out somewhere. I know you just took yesterday off, so I won't ask you to take the rest of the day off. Maybe just a half hour or so? I figured we can get some pizza from the pizza place down the street."
Rufus knew that he really couldn't say no to her after having taken the day off for Lily on Monday. "Sure. As you can see, no one is here right now anyway, so let's go." He quickly made up a sign that said he left at twelve thirty, and would be back by one thirty, then taped it to the door, facing the outside.
The pizza place was only five places down from the gallery, and it was fast food style, so it wasn't long at all before Rufus was sitting across from Lisa at a table in the pizza place, enjoying his slice of sausage pizza.
"So, how was your day so far?" Lisa asked him.
"It's been all right. I had to tell Lily some unfortunate news, but she didn't believe me anyway." Rufus took a sip of his Coke.
Lisa paused from eating her slice of pepperoni, and looked at Rufus in surprise. "Lily? What news? When did you talk to her?"
Rufus set down his pizza slice, and looked her in the eyes. "I was going to tell you, but I figured Lily needed to know first." Rufus then went onto explain how he had seen William across the street yesterday, making out with a mysterious redhead. He then told Lisa how he had called Lily and asked her to come to the gallery to discuss it at noon. Finally, he told her of how he had told Lily, but Lily didn't want to believe him."
Lisa took a sip of her cherry Coke before responding. "Well, I can certainly see her thinking you were lying to her to get back at her for accusing me of cheating. I can also see how she wouldn't want to believe her husband is cheating on her. I mean, what woman would want to believe that?"
Rufus shrugged. "I know it's not pleasant, but she had to know."
"Are you a hundred percent sure that William is cheating on Lily? I mean, he seems like such a nice guy, and so in love with her! I never would have thought he'd be a cheater." Lisa took a bite of her garlic knot.
"What is it with women fawning all over William, thinking he's king of the world or something? He's not this innocent, charming guy you all seem to think he is. And of course I'm sure. I never would have told Lily if I wasn't a hundred percent sure about it. I wouldn't hurt her without knowing for sure that I had to." Rufus took a huge bite out of his garlic knot, chewing it roughly. He was so sick of the women in his life seeing William as some perfect saint.
"She had no problem trying to hurt you before she was sure," Lisa reminded him, sounding a bit bitter.
Rufus shrugged, and swallowed the chunk or roll that was still in his mouth. "She thought she was sure."
Lisa sighed. "So, if I know you, which of course I do, you're not going to just let this go. So, what are you going to do about it?"
Rufus took a sip of his Coke before responding. "It's simple," he said. "I'm going to call Serena."
~Begin Again~
That night, Serena and Dan arrived at the loft. When Rufus had called Dan and Serena up, they had informed them they already had dinner and movie plans. However, Rufus had told them that he had something very important that he needed to talk to them about that couldn't wait, and that he would very much appreciate it if they would come over to the loft after the movie.
So, here they were, sitting on his couch, and wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow.
Rufus and Lisa sat down in the love seat beside the couch.
"So, what's this all about?" Dan asked.
Rufus sighed. He knew Serena wasn't going to like to hear this but, like Lily had to hear it, so did she. She deserved to know what kind of man her father was. "It's about William. He's cheating on Lily."
"Wait. What?" Serena asked, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Rufus sighed again, then recounted Monday evening when he had seen William kissing the redhead.
When he finished, Serena was the first to speak. "You just saw wrong. My father would never cheat on my mother. He loves her too much!"
"That's exactly what your mother said when I told her earlier today," Rufus stated.
"So, you told her?" Serena asked in surprise.
Rufus nodded. "She was the first person I told. She didn't believe me, but I assure you, Serena, I am a hundred and ten percent sure of what I saw. It was William, and without a doubt in my mind, he was making out with a redhead like there was no tomorrow."
"I can't believe he'd do such a thing," Serena said with a shake of her head. She looked positively crushed, wish showed she believed it despite what she had previously said. "I really thought he had changed."
Rufus looked down to his lap. "I'm sorry, Serena. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just thought you really needed to know."
"It's okay, Rufus," Serena said. "Thank you for telling me. You're right. I deserve to know."
"So, what are we going to do if Lily doesn't believe it?" Dan asked.
"Don't worry. I'll make her believe it," Serena said.
Rufus looked at her, and nodded. "Thank you! I was hoping you'd say that."
"How are you going to make he believe you?" Lisa asked skeptically.
Serena stood up. "I'm her daughter. She has to listen to me."
Rufus nodded again. "So far so good. Now, if Serena could pull this off, William would be out of Lily's life. In fact, he'd be out of all their lives just as he should be. He stood up as well. "Just don't tell her in front of your father. I'm sure he'll just find some way to mess with her head."
Serena shook her head. "Don't worry. I am going to tell her tomorrow while he's at work. I'm honestly too exhausted to even think about telling her tonight anyway."
"Good!" Rufus said.
Dan stood up as well, and then Lisa followed suit.
Serena hugged Rufus. "Thanks again for telling me."
"Thanks for believing me," Rufus said to her as he hugged her back.
Serena broke the hug, and looked him in the eyes. "You're a good man, Rufus. I know you wouldn't accuse my father if you weren't a hundred percent sure. No matter how much you don't like him, you're not the kind of person to make up a lie about him just to get him out of the way. You especially wouldn't hurt my mother that way. And, I hate to say it, but, even though I thought my father changed, I know my father is that kind of guy clearly, because he's hurt my mother and lied to her in the past."
Rufus nodded, but didn't say a word.
Dan hugged his father. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said you didn't trust him."
"It's all right," Rufus said, hugging his son back. "I know that, to someone who doesn't know William that well, it did look like he had changed."
"I guess you never really know with people," Dan said. He broke the hug, then placed an arm around Serena, who had just put her coat back on. "Are you all right?" he asked her.
Serena nodded. "I'll be fine."
Dan put his coat on as well, then, after everyone exchanged goodbyes, Dan and Serena left, leaving Rufus and Lisa alone.
"Do you think she'll be able to convince Lily of the truth?" Lisa asked.
Rufus placed an arm around her and sighed. "I sure hope so. If not, it's on to Plan B. Or C, if you count me telling her as Plan A."
"And saying you were plan A, what's plan C?" Lisa asked, looking up at him.
Rufus shrugged. "I don't know. But I promise you, I'll think of something." After all, there was no way in hell he was going to let William have Lily now. No way in hell.
~Begin Again~
Serena sat in the lobby of her parent's apartment, trying to think of how she was going to tell her mother that Rufus had been telling the truth about William. That William really had been cheating on her. She supposed there was no easy way to say it. Lily wasn't going to want to hear it. Serena knew how much Lily wanted to believe that William had changed. Heck, Serena had wanted to believe it too. She guessed she should have known better. After all, their father walked out on them when they were younger. That should have showed her what kind of a man he was right there.
Serena headed into the elevator, dreading the conversation she was about to have with her mother. She hated that her father hadn't changed. She thought when he came back to get to know her and Eric again that he really did care about them after all. That he really had changed for the better, and that they could all be a family again.
The elevator doors opened, and Serena stepped into her parents' apartment. She guessed you couldn't always get what you wanted, no matter how badly you wanted it. Because frankly, some people and some things would never change.
~BA~
I didn't want to believe Rufus when he told me that Dad was cheating. Actually, a big part of me wanted to smack him, and tell him to go to hell. I wanted to believe that he was just making it up to get rid of my father. After all, it's no secret that Rufus and my father hate each other. But, deep down, I knew he was telling the truth. I know Rufus, and I know that he isn't capable of lying like this. Not even for revenge on Lily for falsely accusing Lisa of cheating. Trust me, that thought had crossed my mind. The sad thing is, Rufus is a better man than my father ever was even after I thought my father had changed. I could certainly see my father scheming like that, but Rufus? No. It just wasn't him to do something like that. It's never been who he is.
"Serena, what a lovely surprise! What are you doing here?" my mother asked, smiling as she came into the foyer to greet me. "Do you want to do lunch?"
I felt bad, for I knew that smile would wipe right off her face once I told her the reason I was there.
I nodded. "We can do lunch if you'd like, but first there's something I have to discuss with you."
Suddenly, my mother's eyes narrowed. "Rufus got to you, didn't he?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Mom, you know Rufus better than anyone, so if I know that Rufus isn't the kind of guy to lie about Dad cheating, then you should know it too!" I insisted.
My mother sighed. "I'm not saying he's lying, Serena. I'm saying that he only thought it was William. Rufus is getting older. His eyesight isn't what it used to be. In fact, he had to get glasses because of it. We can't trust what he thought he saw—especially when the guy he thought was your father was all the way across the street. Anyway, your father was performing surgery at the time that Rufus supposedly saw him kissing another woman. It couldn't have been him."
"Mom, Dan and I were out to dinner with Rufus the other night, and he saw a quarter on the floor from halfway across the room. The lighting was even dim. Trust me, his eyes work fine with his glasses. And, as for Dad being in surgery, do you have any proof of that?" I hated working against my father, but he left me no choice. He had the chance to better himself and he chose not to, so now he couldn't be in my life. And he certainly couldn't be in my mother's life.
"I don't need proof, Serena. I trust your father." My mother sounded and looked annoyed. I bet she was even more annoyed than she looked.
"Like Dad would really admit it if he was cheating on you," I said. My mother was smart, but sometimes, she could be totally naïve.
My mother recrossed her arms. "Why are you doing this, Serena? You're really going to believe Rufus over your own father?"
"Trust me, Mom, I don't want to! I have to though because once again, Dad messed up, and this time, he's gone too far. I've given him chance after chance, and right now, he's just run out of chances. Rufus isn't the type to make such accusations unless he is a hundred and ten percent sure. Deep down, you know that's true!" I was almost in tears. For one, it was hurtful that my mother wouldn't even believe me, her own daughter, and for two, I hated my mother being so naïve that she was getting hurt without even knowing about it!
My mother sighed. "Serena, I love you. I will always love you no matter what. You're my daughter, and that's never going to change."
"Well, then if you love me, believe me. I'm telling the truth, Mom. If you really care about me as much as you say, you will believe me." I stomped my foot. I knew it was childish, but I couldn't help it. I was just so frustrated! Do you know how frustrating it is to not get someone to believe you even though you're right? It's even more frustrating when it's so important that they believe you, and they don't!
Lily shook her head. "I'm sorry, Serena, but I just can't believe you on this one, because I think Rufus has you brainwashed into believing what he thought he saw. Now, I'd love to do lunch with you, but if you're just going to try to convince me to turn on your father and believe that he cheated on me, then I can't have lunch with you."
"Then I guess you'll be eating alone!" I snapped.
I headed to the elevator and got onto it. My mother didn't even try to stop me before the doors closed, shutting us out of each other's line of view.
~BA~
When Serena arrived back in the lobby, she knew what she had to do. She took out her cell phone, and searched through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for. Then, she pressed the call button, and waited for her contact to answer.
"Hey, what's up?"
"There's a situation I'm gonna need your help with," Serena stated.
"How big?"
"Pretty big. My father is cheating on my mother, and my mother doesn't want to hear it," Serena explained.
"Where should we meet you?"
"We?" Serena asked in surprise.
"I'm bringing in reinforcements."
"Meet me at Rufus' as soon as you can," Serena ordered.
"I'll be there in an hour."
Serena's contact had hung up, so Serena did as well. She stuffed her phone into her purse, then headed to Rufus', feeling a little better, for she knew that her contact always had a plan, and said contact's plans rarely ever failed.
~Begin Again~
"So, what did she say?" Rufus asked when he opened the door to find Serena and Dan on the other side of the door.
"She didn't believe me. I guess we all should have known she wouldn't." Serena pushed passed Rufus into the room.
Dan was right behind her. "But don't worry. We have another plan. Or rather, we will."
Rufus slid the door shut, then turned around to face them. "Come again?"
Serena smiled proudly. "I called in reinforcements. They should be here any time now."
Lisa walked into the room then. "Any luck?" she asked.
Serena shook her head as she draped her coat over the couch. "No, but I called for help." She winked at Lisa.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door.
"Well, that was timed!" Lisa joked.
Serena grinned at her, and Rufus opened the door.
In walked Blair and Chuck.
"No need to worry! Mother Schemer is here," Blair said as she waltzed into the loft. She grinned. "Gosh, it feels so good to be scheming again! It's been far too long since my last scheme."
"You've awaken the monster," Chuck said as he walked in a little less enthusiastically.
Rufus closed the door behind them.
"Lily sure knows how to pick them, doesn't she?" Chuck asked. He glanced at Rufus. "No offense."
"None taken," Rufus said with a non-caring shrug.
"All right, everybody take a seat and listen close because I'm going to get right to it. Make sure to listen carefully because I'm not going to repeat myself." Blair turned to face Dan. "And that means you, Humphrey!"
Dan and Chuck looked at each other.
Chuck shrugged. "I told you. You woke the monster."
They all sat down except for Blair, who apparently preferred to stand. "All right, listen up, Everybody! We have a scumbag to catch in the act, and this is how we're going to do it." Blair turned to face Serena. "Serena, your job is to call your mother tomorrow. Tell you that you slept on it, and that you now see how wrong you were. Tell her that she had been right, and that you had been wrong. You never should have trusted Rufus' poor eyesight over your own father. Tell her you know that William is a changed man, and you just had a temporary moment of insanity thinking he could ever cheat on her."
"And the point in that is?" Serena asked, an eyebrow raised.
Blair rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So she'll go to lunch with you, and either on the way to lunch, or the way back from lunch, whichever ends up working better, you can lead her to a spot where she will see for herself that her husband in cheating on her." She turned to Chuck. "This is where you come in. You're going to follow William. You'll wait at the hospital, and when he leaves for his lunch break, you will see where he is going. If all goes according to plan, he'll be with his redheaded tramp. Then, you will text Serena, telling her where to bring Lily."
"What do I do?" Dan asked.
Blair turned to face him. "You can help Chuck. You were once Gossip Girl. I'm sure you can manage to track down William. You can actually use your powers for good for once."
"Hey, when I was Gossip Girl, there were plenty of times I helped you guys out!" Dan defended himself.
Blair held a hand up to silence him, having already turned away from him. "Not caring."
Dan shot her a look.
"I saw that," Blair said.
"How?" Dan shook his head in confusion, for Blair had her back turned on him.
"Sadly, I know you too well," Blair said, as if reading his mind. "Moving on... Rufus, you can work at the gallery like any other day. Lisa, you stay here in case we need you for anything." She looked at Rufus and Lisa as she said their names.
Rufus and Lisa both nodded their agreement.
"What will you do?" Serena asked.
Blair turned her attention back to Serena. "I'll be on foot, ready to swoop in and stall William if needed."
"So, that's it? That's the full plan?" Dan asked.
Blair whipped around to face him. "Do you have a better idea, Humphrey?"
Dan looked away.
Blair smiled smugly. "I didn't think so." She turned to Chuck. "Come on, let's go. I promised Henry I'd be home to tuck him in."
They all stood up then.
"So, when do we put this little plan into action?" Rufus asked.
Blair looked at him. "I figured tomorrow, Serena can go over around eleven and talk to Lily, then they can leave straight for lunch." She looked at Dan. "Chuck will pick you up at your place at eleven-thirty. Be ready when he gets there." Shen the scanned the room so that she could meet everyone's eyes at one point. "And all of you make sure your cell phone batteries are charged and ready to go in case anyone needs to get ahold of you. I will see you all tomorrow. Let's catch that cheating scumbag!"
Everyone voiced their agreement, then Blair and Chuck left.
"I feel kind of guilty doing this to my father, but it has to be done. He has to learn he can't get away with doing things like this anymore," Serena said.
Rufus placed a hand over her back and nodded. "Especially to your mother. I mean, how many times is he going to hurt her? I'm sick of it! He doesn't deserve her. He never did!"
"Well, at least by Lily being with him, they made Serena and Eric," Dan quipped.
Rufus made a face. "Don't remind me!" He blushed when Serena, Dan, and Lisa all looked at him with shocked looks on their faces. "That's not what I meant. I meant the process in which they were ma—" He cut himself off, and slid the loft door open. "Have a good night. Keep me posted tomorrow." He was still blushing. He hoped they'd take his hint and let it go.
Thankfully, they did.
"We will," Serena said with a sigh as she left the apartment. "I'm so not looking forward to this. I can't wait for it to all be over."
"You and me both," Rufus said.
"See you tomorrow," Dan said as he left, right behind Serena.
"See you tomorrow. Have a goodnight," Rufus said.
"Have a goodnight," Serena and Dan both called back.
"Bye," Rufus said. He waited for them to say goodbye back, then slid the door closed, and locked it. He then walked over to Lisa, and took her into his arms from behind. "So, do you think we'll be able to pull this off?" He kissed her right cheek.
She smiled, and held onto his hands that were resting over her stomach. "Hopefully! It sounds like a pretty good plan to me."
"Does it? You don't really know Blair as well as I do, but her plans are usually more elaborate. But, I suppose this is as good of a plan as any. Let's just hope it works!" He kissed her cheek again. "Are you coming to bed?"
Lisa nodded. "In a minute. I just want to get a drink first."
Rufus smiled, and kissed her once more. "All right. Don't take long." He winked at her and smiled. "I'll be waiting."
She smiled in return. "I won't. She winked back.
Rufus grinned, then headed off to wait for Lisa in bed. He sure hoped this plan of Blair's worked. After all, he was running out of ideas to get Lily to believe him.
~Begin Again~
William lie on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, and thinking about how Rufus had seen him with Cassidy. It still made him angry that of course of all people, Rufus had to see him. Though, he supposed he should be grateful it wasn't Lily or Serena. It made him so angry that Rufus would run straight to Lily. It really burned him up!
It didn't surprise him one bit that Rufus was a little snitch, who was ready to go straight to Lily and tell her. Well, Rufus ruined it for himself, because now he was going to have to make sure that Rufus was out of the way. He couldn't have Rufus around now that Rufus knew he was cheating. The question was, how was he going to get Rufus out of the way? His last plan hadn't worked, so that meant that this plan was going to have to be ten times better. This plan had to stick.
"Maybe I can set him up for a crime," William said out loud to no one in particular. Lily was in the shower. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear him.
The question was, what to set him up for, and how. It was tough, because a good plan could take a while. Yet, now that Rufus knew he was cheating, William needed something quick and fast.
He sighed. One thing was for sure, he and Cassidy were going to have to be more discreet, and not kiss in public anymore. At least not on a sidewalk next to a busy street where anyone they know could see them. He supposed it was his own fault that Rufus had caught him. He should have known better.
Well, from now on, the only time they'd be making out in public would be when they were far enough out of town that no one they knew could possibly run into them or see them.
He sighed. Damn that Rufus Humphrey for making things so difficult for him!
~BA~
I knew that right now would be the time to break up with Cassidy if ever there was a time. After all, we had been caught by Rufus Humphrey of all people. If I broke it off with Cassidy now, there would be no further evidence to tie me to her. However, I didn't want to break up with her. She was tough, sarcastic, witty, and funny. Not to mention great in bed. She's the best I've ever had in bed, so I really wasn't too keen on letting her go. Besides, why should I have to give her up because of Rufus Humphrey? No. It wasn't happening. Cassidy and I were just going to have to be discreet, that's all.
I sighed. Still, this was going to be an inconvenience. I wish Rufus and Lisa would just hurry up and get married. Maybe once Rufus married Lisa, he'd leave Lily and me alone. I knew it was a fat chance, but it was a hope.
I honestly don't know what Lily ever saw in that loser. Even back in the day, he was a boring, self-righteous dorky asshole. He was never anything like Lily and I. He always thought he was so cool—especially when he first became part of Lincoln Hawk. So what if he can sing? He's still no John Bon Jovi. Anyway, nowadays, anyone with potential can get voice lessons and become great.
Whatever. All I know is that I'm sick of Rufus going after my wife, and one way or another, it's gonna stop. Sooner rather than later.
~BA~
William's cell phone rang, breaking him from his thoughts. He climbed out of bed, and walked over to his dresser, where his phone awaited him.
He picked up his phone, and looked to see who the caller was. He was surprised to see it was Lisa.
He pressed the accept button. "Hello?"
"William, it's Lisa. There's something you should know."
William raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"
"Rufus, Serena, Dan, Chuck, and Blair are waiting by to set you up tomorrow. Chuck, Dan, and Blair are going to be following you. Serena's going to be taking Lily out to lunch. They're all hoping that Chuck, Dan, and Blair will catch you with Cassidy. They'll then tell Serena where you are, and she'll lead Lily right to you guys so that Lily will see for herself you're cheating."
William felt his anger start to build up inside him again. "Well, thank you for warning me about this, Lisa. Though, I must say, I'm surprised you're warning me. Aren't you on Rufus's side?"
"I think you and I both know the threat Lily is to my relationship and Rufus is to yours. The last thing either of us need is for Lily to break it off with you. I don't approve on a guy cheating on a woman, but, at this point, what Lily doesn't know won't hurt her I guess. My relationship with Rufus is more important to me than her not being cheated on."
William grinned. Thank God for gems like Lisa! He wondered why he had never hooked up with her. After all, she was cut in a dorky sort of way. "Well, I appreciate it, and you are absolutely right. Don't worry, I have no intentions of letting Lily slip away from me."
"And I have no intentions of letting Rufus slip away from me."
"This could be the start of a beautiful partnership for you and I, Lisa," William said with a smile.
"Maybe so!" Lisa agreed.
"You have a good night now," William said
"Thanks. You too. And good luck tomorrow."
William laughed. "I don't need luck, Darling! I can handle a bunch of punk kids in their twenties, but thank you."
William hung up his phone, then tuned it off, and set it back on the dresser.
He grinned to himself as he headed back to the bed, then plopped himself down onto it on his back. He laced his hands together behind his head, and rested his head on them. Boy did he have a plan for tomorrow! A plan that was sure to blow Rufus and his little cronies' plan out of the water. They'd learn not to mess with William van der Woodsen. Just you wait and see.