Moving On


A.N.: JulietLovesStories, this is for you.


New York, Helena and Simon's bedroom

The clock showed 4.30 in the morning, it was still dark outside. Helena knew she couldn't go back to sleep so she walked out to the balcony and stared at the Central Park beneath her.

The cool breeze from the doorway has probably woken Simon. He sat up and tapped the glass of the balcony door with his fingers.

"Come back to bed."

Helena turned to him with a smile, then she walked back to the room:

"I can't sleep. I guess I'm still getting used to New York."

Her ex-husband shook his head disapprovingly.

"We both know why you can't sleep. You should talk to someone."

The former queen let out a soft chuckle.

"And tell what?" – she asked with a sarcastic smile and sat on the edge of the bed – "Ted Pryce can rot in hell. He got what he deserved."

Simon gave her a concerned look.

"It's not him I'm worried about. You have been through a lot lately. And not just Ted. Your mother's death, Liam's surgery, the divorce…" – he mumbled.

"You don't have to make a list, I can remember just perfectly." – his ex-wife snapped at him.

They remained quiet for a while, then Helena broke the silence:

"We should go out tonight. I got tickets for some dance performance."

The former king gave her a knowing smile before he replied:

"I'd rather stay in."

Helena looked at him in mock reproach.

"We are always here."

"Don't you enjoy what we are doing here?" – Simon whispered in her ears and kissed into her hair.

His ex-wife chuckled.

"I do." – she remarked with a smile and she turned to face him. – "You have certainly made up for the lack of passion in our marriage."

She wanted to caress him, but her ex-husband pulled away from her.

"Fortunately, you got that from others." – he hissed between his teeth.

Helena gulped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." – she mumbled.

Simon nodded and gave her a hasty kiss.

"You know what?" – he said suddenly. – "You are right. Let's go to that dance show."


London, house party in some stranger's home

"Another one." – Eleanor demanded after she snorted a line of coke from the silver platter in front of her.

Some others around her welcomed the idea and loudly cheered.

Eleanor got up and stumbled across the room until she found who she was looking for. Doug rolled his eyes when he saw her coming.

"Piss off, Princess. I don't have more."

The former princess ignored his words and pulled closer to him. She grabbed his hair and violently kissed him. Doug smiled and kissed back.

Eleanor reached into his pants and she pulled out of his pocket a bag of coke. She was about to walk away when someone in the crowd shouted:

"The police are here."

Eleanor only had enough time to turn toward the door before her gaze met a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Bloody Jasper Frost.


New York

Helena and Simon walked arm in arm the corridors of the theatre after the dance show was over.

"Well, it was very… interesting. I really enjoyed it." – Simon remarked politely.

His ex-wife looked at him and burst out laughing.

"You are a terrible liar." – she replied with an ill-concealed smile. – "It was so chaotic. The nudity, the body painting… I mean, why purple? Though, one of the girls reminded me of…"

She couldn't finish because as they walked out of the theatre someone accosted them from behind:

"What a surprise! I thought I had seen you from the stage."

Helena shuddered as soon as she recognized the familiar voice. She wanted to pretend as if she didn't hear it and walk away, but Simon immediately turned around and greeted the owner of the voice with a genuine smile:

"Ophelia Pryce. It's good to see you..."

"…dressed up for a change." – his ex-wife finished his sentence in a different way than he intended it.

Ophelia's smile turned into a scornful grimace.

"And you, being mean as usual."

Helena was about to reply, but Simon cleared his throat as a warning to prevent them from making a scene on the streets.

Ophelia seemed to calm down and graciously changed the subject.

"How are the twins? It must be a difficult time for them. After the attack against Liam…" – she remarked innocently, but she couldn't resist mentioning the paternity scandal:

"…and finding out the truth about their father."

The former queen stared at her and her eyes sparkled with anger. Her ex-husband thought it wise to intervene again:

"Liam is fine now. Thanks to his biological father who gave him his liver."

His voice was tender and the words came from his mouth so naturally that Ophelia didn't know what to say. Helena gasped and looked at her ex-husband in amazement mixed with shock.

"I have never thought that the killer would come after my father, though." – Ophelia mumbled after a long pause.

Simon gave her a worried look, then he glanced at his ex-wife whose grasp on his hand suddenly became stronger. The former king was about to speak to save the situation, but apparently the years of routine helped Helena who took over the conversation.

"We are sorry for your loss, Ophelia." – she said softly and with her free hand she caressed the young woman's arm.

Ophelia looked at her and her eyes were filled with anger.

"I wish I could see his killer. I would look him in the eye and…"

"What would you say?" – Helena asked, forgetting herself for a moment.

Her ex-husband gave her a nervous look and slightly nudged her elbow.

It was enough for Ophelia to realize what she had just said. She looked from one to the other and lowered her head in shame.

"Nothing." – she mumbled.

"Oh." – the former queen replied, almost disappointed.

Ophelia couldn't make herself look at the former royal couple again. She found some excuse to leave and quickly said goodbye to them.

Helena stared after her as she disappeared behind the corner.

"Are you all right?" – Simon asked as he put his arms around her from behind.

The former queen turned around, but she couldn't stand her ex-husband's gaze. She lowered her head and her hands started to fiddle with his tie.

"I can live with what I did to Ted Pryce. But how can I live with what I did to her?" – she cried out bitterly.

Simon let out a long sigh, then he hugged her closer:

"We will find a way, love."


London

Eleanor shook her head disapprovingly. She walked straight across the room, pushing some stumbling drunk people out of the way to face Jasper.

"I can't believe you followed me here." – she remarked sarcastically and folded her arms.

Detective Jasper Frost couldn't have felt more unpleasant in this situation. He nervously looked towards his colleagues, then back to the former princess.

"I didn't follow you." – he hissed between his teeth. – "We got a tip that some major drug dealer would be here tonight."

His intention to avoid attention failed when Eleanor burst out laughing.

"Tell me, Jasper. Did this tip come by any chance from our favourite queen?" – she asked loudly while she put her arms around Jasper's neck.

"No. It was an anonymous tip. Like I said, it has nothing to do with you." – the former bodyguard replied angrily while he shook her hands off of him.

"You'd better get to work then." – Eleanor remarked with a sneer and spread her arms. – "Would you like to frisk me?"

She couldn't deny how much she enjoyed his growing despair as everyone was staring at them.

"Do you have anything on you?" – Jasper asked uneasily.

A wild smile spread across Eleanor's face as she pulled out the bag of coke from her bra and waved it in front of him. The former bodyguard turned detective quickly grabbed her wrist and made her drop the little packet.

He was still holding on to her arm as he pulled closer to her and whispered into her ears:

"Let me talk to you, please. I know I don't deserve it, but I just want a chance to explain everything."

The former princess freed her hand from his grasp and took a step back. She thoughtfully eyed him up and down for a moment, then she shrugged:

"Fine. But get rid of the cops first. Order them to leave my friends alone."

She gave him a defiant look, she clearly tested him. Jasper didn't take his eyes off her while he shouted to his men:

"All clear. Let's go."

"But Sir…" – a young officer stammered, but his boss didn't let him finish.

"I said there is nothing here. Leave. I'll take the lady home. Her uncle, the Foreign Minister wouldn't appreciate if any of this would go public."

Eleanor didn't live far away so they decided to walk to clear their heads. By the time they arrived at her apartment, the former princess looked more composed and sober.

She led Jasper to the kitchen and sat him to the table. She opened the tap and thirstily drank from it. She hastily wiped her mouth and turned to her former bodyguard:

"So… I'm listening."

Jasper took a deep breath, but he didn't know how to begin. Eleanor patiently waited with an expectant look in her eyes until he finally spoke:

"I know I fucked up. Big time. I lied to you, I betrayed you and I have no excuse." – he blurted out in one breath.

However the words failed him again and they both believed for a moment that that was it. The former princess glanced at the door, but then Jasper finally continued.

"The thing is that I love you and I can't see you suffer. Please, give me one last chance. Let me prove to you my love, let me do anything and everything for you."

Eleanor expected to hear something like this, but she didn't imagine it would hit her so hard. Tears started running down her face as she looked into Jasper's hoping eyes:

"I can't, Jasper." – she sniffed. – "I would if I could, but I can't. It's too late."

"Please." – the former bodyguard mumbled while he tried to wipe her tears.

Eleanor pulled away from him. She walked to the door and opened it:

"I'm sorry."

After acknowledging that Jasper wouldn't leave, the former princess let out a sigh and shut the door.

"I screwed up too, Jasper. And this time no one can save me." – she confessed in a choked voice. –"I am pregnant."