AN:
Are you all ready for the grand finale? I wanted it to kind of feel like the end of movie so if it's a little cheesy ya'll are just gonna have to deal with it.
Thanks for sticking through with me and El. Neither of us are perfect but I hope we can live up to your expectations here.
Alright, deep breath, here we go!
El stared blankly ahead as the women on the stool in front of her rubbed her feet and painted polish on her toenails. Papa had sent her to the spa at the hotel she was staying in so she could get "pampered". Really he just wanted her looking her best for the gala tonight. He'd seemed unconcerned by the marks that covered her body, telling her he'd had a dress specially made for the event that would hide them.
He didn't apologize for allowing them to be slashed into her skin in the first place.
She hadn't even been back for twenty-four hours and he was putting her back to "work", showing her the faces of the multiple men he needed her to coerce tonight. Bitterness welled up inside of her but she tried to ignore, tried to go back to playing the part he wanted her to.
She had to keep Mike safe.
Just thinking of his name sent a wave of pain through her and she bit her lip to fight off the tears that tried to well up in her eyes. She couldn't let herself cry about it again, not after the esthetician had spent twenty minutes depuffing her eyes and masssaging her face. And because it wouldn't help. She'd made her choice, broken her own heart to try and let him be happy.
It was still raw and her heart felt sore, like an open wound, but she tried to ignore it, closing her eyes as the nail technician massaged her calves.
"You alright, hon?"
El opened her eyes looked down at the women who had a concerned expression on her face.
"I'm fine," El smiled her fake smile and blinked brightly. "Just… a little under the weather today."
"Do you want some water? Or… a box of tissues?"
"No I'm…" she faltered. "Am I that obvious?"
"I've had plenty of women cry in my chair before. Sometimes it's just a good, safe place to get it out. I don't mind, if you need to." The woman's name tag read "Beth" and El blinked, unsure if she should trust her.
But then the tears welled up again and there were tissues in her lap and she was blowing her nose as she cried. Beth patted her leg.
"There you go, hon, let it out. You have to let out the bad to let in the good," she soothed. "You're a pretty girl, I'm sure whatever is happening will get better. Is it about a man?"
El nodded as she wiped her eyes.
"Did he breakup with you?"
"No… I left him. I didn't want to but," she stared at her hands sadly, "I had to let him go. So he could find someone better."
"Was he a nice boy?"
El smiled. "The nicest. He was… perfect. And he loved me."
"Did you love him?" Beth's blue eyes searched El's brown ones.
"I…" El felt like something was trying rip out of her chest. "I still do."
Beth finished up El's nails as she blew her nose again, getting up and letting the younger woman out of the chair. She wrapped her up in a hug.
"If you still love him, maybe it's not over yet," she told her.
El tensed but then relaxed into the hug, finding solace once again in the arms of a stranger. She didn't know how to reply so he stayed silent, closing her eyes and wishing that for once in her life, she would be able to do something with her life that didn't leave anyone hurting behind.
"Thank you for letting me love you."
Mike had never stolen a thing in his entire life, but he'd seen enough heist movies to feel like he was in one.
They'd headed back to his place first so Dustin could hop on Mike's computer and do some research. Brenner had mentioned a gala and they discovered it was the annual Indy Gala, filled with the most prominent people in the city, gathered together to make connections, catch up on each other's lives, and donate large amounts of cash to charity while eating expensive food. It was invitation only, and Max was on her phone, chatting with one of her clients as Dustin researched the events and who would be there and what would be worn.
Mike was making them coffee and trying to focus on his determination to get her back instead of the fact that she'd left in the first place. Max said something on the phone and then hung up.
"Yes!" She shouted, getting up and doing a victory dance. "Guess who just scored us an invitation to the Indy Gala tonight!"
"Did you really?" Dustin asked, looking up from the computer with a grin.
"You better fucking believe it," she was triumphant, "one of my clients' wife can't make it because her mother is sick or something and he said I could have the invitation if I threw in a few extra sessions towards the end of the month. He's going to leave it at the gym we meet at so if we head back to Indy soon, I can pick it up."
"Mike," Dustin piped up, staring at the screen, "It's like red carpet themed. What have you got that's fancy?"
"Uhh… I have a tux but—"
"I've seen that thing. It's not up to par. Anything else?"
Mike frowned.
"I'm a teacher, Dustin. Not a… model."
"You're tall enough to be one and you've got the jawline," Max had sat next to him and reached over, tugging at his hair playfully. "Why not drop teaching and just model full-time, pretty-boy?" She teased.
Mike noticed Dustin looked rather stricken and quickly pulled Max's hand out of his hair, rolling his eyes.
"Switching careers isn't really my top priority right now. I don't suppose any of your clients have my exact measurements and can lend me a tux?"
"What about Adam? You guys are the same height," Dustin butted in.
It was their best bet, so they headed to over to Will's place. The gala started at seven and it was already four, so they needed to head into Indy soon, but if they could get Mike an outfit without having to pay for it, that would help.
Will answered the door, looking surprised.
"Oh, hey guys, I didn't know Dustin was in town—"
"No time for pleasantries, Will. We're on a mission. Is your husband home?" Dustin interrupted him.
"Adam? Yeah, he's in the kitchen starting dinner. Why? What's going on?" He gave Max a curious look, being polite as usual. "Um, hi, I'm Will by the way."
"Hi! I'm Max. I'm Dustin's new roommate and Mike's not-girlfriend's old roommate and we really need a red carpet tuxedo," she blurted, looking anxiously behind them. Will looked understandably confused.
Mike sighed. "We'll explain if you let us in, okay?"
He did and the newlyweds (Will and Adam) listened to the story, a bit dazed by the information and story they told. Adam was the same height as Mike, but considerably more buff, an entrepreneur Will had met at NYU. They were a good couple and soon nodded in agreement, leading him back to their bedroom and opening the closet.
"I've only got the one that's really… snazzy, like you need," Adam told him as he pulled out a retro, ivory-colored suit jacket with a black collar and matching bowtie. "It's kind of '50s doo wop but you'll blend in. I went to that gala once as an intern and it's less of a fashion show then you think."
"Hey, thanks, man. I really appreciate it," Mike said as he tried it on.
It was a little loose through the chest and arms, but the sleeves were long enough and they decided it would have to do. The two men wished them the best and then they were back on the road to Indianapolis, the atmosphere was tense and Max and Dustin tried to joke around to lighten things up. It started as Dustin berating for her having not seen a single X-Men movie but quickly turned into her destroying him for his unhealthy habits. Mike stayed quiet for the most part, dwelling on what the hell he was going to say when he saw El again.
He had to find out if she really didn't want him or if she was lying to try and keep him safe from Brenner. There was no certainty that she would come back, that he wouldn't get arrested by dirty cops for even showing up. But nothing mattered anymore, not as much as she did.
The nerves set in as he realized what he was going to try and do. He had no idea what to expect, he was nerdy teacher from the Midwest who had no clue what he was getting himself into at a gala.
Biting his lip, he tried not to worry.
El stared at herself in the mirror in the room of her hotel and had to admit that she did in fact look stunning.
The dress Papa had picked was blood red, with a sweeping skirt that billowed around her, a mix of smooth satin and sheer fabric that covered her bruises and cuts but showed every curve and contour of her body. The corset and lingerie she wore underneath matched, and he'd given her long black gloves that went almost went up to her armpits to cover the marks there, thigh-high black boots to match.
She looked provocative, like walking sex, and she hated it. She hated what she was in this dress, who she was forcing herself to be. Before it had been low-burn of hate that she'd swallowed down and ignored, but now it was a fire that consumed her.
The door opened and Papa came in, holding a red rose in his hand and crossing the room to where she was.
"Jane," he crooned, "you look absolutely breathtaking."
He tried to hand her the rose but she flinched away and he sighed, breaking off the stem and then tucking it into her honey brown waves, behind her ear. His hand lingered, tracing her chin with his fingers and she jerked her face away, frowning. He didn't get to touch her.
"Now, now. None of that tonight, right? You have several my friends who are eager to see you, I can't have you giving them attitude… unless that's what they ordered," he said smugly.
The hatred flared up again but was quickly replaced with sorrow. This is what she had to be now, there wasn't any other option. Trying to keep the tears from filling her eyes she nodded, forcing a smile and reaching for the arm he was offering her.
"Of course, Papa."
It took them a solid half hour to find parking. Max kept circling until they got a spot that was only a little ways down the block, so they could make a quick escape. She had insisted on being the getaway driver, citing that she knew the city better than Dustin anyways.
The gala was in full swing, people arriving in fancy cars and walking into the grand hotel lobby, dressed up in evening gowns and tuxedos. Mike had almost strained his eyes trying to spot El but he figured she was probably already inside. He'd been nervous before, but now he was pretty sure he was about to have heart attack.
"—nab her, get her in the car, and then we blast the fuck off back to Hawkins. Mike, are you listening?"
Dustin's voice startled him back out and he gulped, tugging at the bowtie around his neck. He looked at his friend and nodded.
"Yeah, I heard you. I'm… I mean that's the plan," he agreed, trying not to let on just how shaky he was.
"You're going to be fine, Mike," Max's voice was unusually sympathetic. "If she really said, uh, what you said she said… you have good shot."
"Just pretend like you're James Bond," Dustin added. "Suave and sophisticated."
"Um, sure."
There wasn't any point in waiting around and they gave him some final encouragement as he got out of the car and tried to casually walk down the sidewalk. The attendant gave him a sidelong look but nodded at the invitation and allowed him to pass through. Mike sped up, heading through the doors and down to the massive ballroom filled with glittering chandeliers and beautiful, well-dressed people. Someone offered him a glass of champagne and he took it, trying to blend in as he looked around the room.
He had no idea what she was wearing. Would he even recognize her? Behind him he heard someone mention a familiar name.
"—Brenner's assistant. She looks like a prostitute. I don't why he allowed her to dress like that, honestly. As if a red dress isn't slutty enough," some older woman was saying.
"I wore a red dress last year, Lorraine—"
He zoned out again, eyes scanning for red fabric as he dodged through the throngs of people. There were a few other people in red but he still hadn't seen—
His eyes saw the skirt first, trailing upwards to the familiar face he loved. Only she didn't look like herself, all sharp lines and lips the color of blood, curled into a frown. The woman had been right, she looked absolutely provocative, and he felt his blood boil at the sight of the stares the hungry men around her were giving her body. One of them was talking to her, looking disappointed as she shook her head, making the rose in her hair bob. She started to walk away from the group of men and Mike finally managed to make himself move.
He sped through the crowd, stepping on someone's foot, knocking someone else's drink from their hands, not even noticing. His heart was pounding, his palms were sweaty and he almost swore as he ran into a block of people.
She was walking, shoulders down, head bowed, and he watched as a tall man with snowy white hair grabbed her arm, stopping her short. His face curled into a snarl and he saw fear fill his face. Mike's instinct kicked in and he shoved against the people in his way, nearly toppling someone over as he pushed through and ran towards her.
"EL!"
She was trying, she really was. But she kept zoning out, only coming back when the men she was talking to would say her name or touch her arm. The drink in her hand was untouched and she knew the smile she wore was noticeably fake.
Usually she could swallow the revulsion, pretend like everything was amazing, play the part. But tonight she couldn't. Before, she'd been tired of pretending that she was El—that she was what Mike wanted her to be. But now… now she was tired of pretending to be Jane.
The realization washed over her. She'd thought she'd be same when she came back, fall back into the same routine, the same habits, the same lifestyle. But she couldn't. Her weekend with Mike had changed her and she hadn't even noticed.
She was El now. His El.
"Jane," one of the men leaned in, his rancid breath hot in her ear. "I do believe Dr. Brenner mentioned you would be assisting us this evening. Would it be possible to get a head start?"
His eyes roamed down her body, and he licked his lips. Nausea bubbled up from her stomach and she clutched her chest, feeling like she was actually going to vomit.
She couldn't do it. She didn't want to and now she couldn't even pretend like she wanted to.
"I-I'm sorry, but I c-can't…" she swallowed and backed away, shaking her head, eyes wide. "I can't help you. I'm s-sorry."
Turning from them, she walked away, her dress billowing behind her. She exhaled, feeling a sudden sense of relief wash over her. She'd said no… she had never said no. But she couldn't do it. Every time she closed her eyes… she saw Mike. She saw his face, mouth curved into a smile as he leaned down to kiss her, his freckles like constellations, his eyes soft and warm.
Her heart ached and she realized she missed him.
A hand snagged her arm, digging into the bruises there with rough fingers and she yelped in pain, whipping around to face the offender. It was Papa, his face twisted with anger, and she felt her heart leap into her throat. The relief she felt evaporated, replaced by terror and she opened her mouth to try and explain but he didn't let her.
"Do not tell me you turned them down, Jane," he said through clenched teeth, squeezing her arm so tightly her eyes started to water. "You do not get to make that decision."
"I—"
She didn't know what to say, how to explain, but she didn't get the chance as she heard a shout behind her. A familiar voice, a voice she would recognize, saying her name.
"EL!"
She turned, thinking she must be crazy, that she was imagining things. But there he was, charging across the floor in a baggy, white suit, face worried, hand outstretched. Their eyes locked and she felt every muscle in her body freeze as her mouth moved.
"Mike?"
He was running across the ballroom and then he was skidding to a stop in front of her. She looked back at Papa, then back to Mike and felt stark terror. What was he doing here?! He had been safe in Hawkins, where Papa couldn't reach, but here he was one stray bullet away from mysteriously disappearing and she put her hands out to stop him. He stopped but look at her, face twisted with hurt and frustration.
"Mike, what are you doing here?" she gasped.
"I… what are you doing here?" he shot back. "Why did you run away? I thought—"
Papa's voice startled them both.
"She left you because you're meaningless, Michael. You were just another man she let into her bed. Did you really think you were special?" He sneered, reaching for El and pulling her away again.
"God, would you shut up?" Mike seethed. "I didn't fucking ask you, you pompous piece of shit!"
"Mike," El started but he didn't let her finish.
"El, please, if it was nothing, if I'm nothing… I'll accept that. I'll leave right now. But you have to look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you were lying." He was shaking and sweating but he didn't even notice, eyes on her. "Tell me you don't love me. Tell me I'm nothing. Tell me you don't want me."
His voice cracked and she felt her heart shatter all over again. The way he was looking at her, like she was all of the oxygen in the room, his only chance for survival… it took her breath away.
"Go on, Jane," Papa had that smugness in his voice again. "Tell him the truth."
The people around them were watching curiously, wondering what was going on but too immersed in their own lives to really pay attention.
El tried to swallow, her mouth suddenly dry. She knew what she needed to say, what would make him leave and keep him safe… but her heart was reaching for him, trying to rip it's way out of the gaudy red dress and run back to his arms.. The words wouldn't leave her mouth as hard as she tried and the longer she looked at his distraught, freckled face, the more she realized she couldn't say it. She couldn't break his heart again—break her own heart again.
For once in her life she was listening to her heart and what it was saying, and it was telling her to run to him… so she did, wrenching her arm from Papa's grip, her heels clicking on the floor as she took three steps and threw herself into Mike's arms.
He caught her, pulling her to him and cupping her face and kissing her and she was wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close as tears filled her eyes. He'd found her. She'd utterly shattered him, told him to forget her, and he'd still come. Her heart swelled, something filling her so completely before bubbling over and the tears were pouring from her eyes as she clung to him.
They pulled apart and she realized he was crying too, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eye with her thumbs, not wanting to see him cry. She was done making him cry for her.
"I'm sorry, Mike, I'm so sorry I—"
"El, you don't have to explain, I know, you didn't mean—"
"Mike," she was holding her face in his hands, staring up at him, "I love you, Mike. I'm sorry I left but I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you—"
He silenced her with another kiss and she smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and just letting him hold her, feeling his heart beating against hers. Nothing could be more perfect than this moment.
"Jane."
She didn't want to turn and look but she did, knowing that he wasn't a problem that would just go away. Brenner's face was red and angry and she blinked, realizing how dangerous the situation was now that she had basically just told him to fuck off.
"What… this is not something—If you don't step away from him I will ruin you," he snarled and the people around them started looking, the curiosity too much to bear.
She let Mike go, turning and looking at him full for the first time, trying to understand how she'd put up with the man in front of her who had masqueraded as her father. For so long she'd craved his approval and love, but as she looked at him now she suddenly felt… pity. What kind of man denies love to a small child and forces her into prostitution as an adult? What has to happen to a person to make them that cold and uncaring?
Whatever it was… she was done letting it control her.
Brenner suddenly charged them, hands reaching for her and she shrunk back but didn't have a chance to say anything as Mike stepped out in front of her hands balled up, body tense with anger. His fist coiled back and then struck the older man square in the nose with a sickening crunch. Brenner staggered back, and there was a small gasp from the crowd around them. El stepped forward, staring her father in the eyes.
"No more, Papa. I'm done. And if you try to hurt him… to hurt us I'll—I'll tell them, everyone, what you made me do," she threatened, holding her head high. Her reputation meant nothing and she was more than willing to let the world know what she had been if it meant he would go down too.
She looked around the crowd that was gathering and staring athem, meeting the eyes of the men she knew from her bedroom. Some were holding their wives or girlfriends and she stared into their souls as she looked around, letting them know she saw them and knew who they were.
"Aren't you all tired of this?" she asked, watching as they looked down ashamedly, unable to meet her eyes. "Aren't you tired of pretending that you're something you're not?"
Some of the men started to turn away, walking away from the scene and Brenner was still frozen, disbelief etched on his blood-covered face. She turned away from him, not even bothering to say goodbye, and looked back at Mike, was still holding his fist and wincing.
"Fuck I didn't think that would hurt so bad…" he muttered and she laughed.
"Here," she took his hand in hers and pressed gentle kisses along his knuckles.
He pulled her lips back to his face and she let herself get lost in him, his hands on her waist, her fingers in his hair. When he pulled back she felt dizzy, breathless from the passion that burned between them.
"What do we do now?" she whispered, looking up into his eyes.
He took her hand, pulling her towards the exit, watching her with dancing eyes, full of love. She followed without hesitation, unsure of where he was going but knowing she would follow him anywhere. He smiled that smile she loved so much and started to speed up as they moved through the crowds, ignoring the stares, only having eyes for each other.
"Now we run away from here," he was grinning as reached for her, pulling her into his arms easily and picking her up so he was carrying her bridal style, her long red dress billowing over his shoulder like a cape.
"Is that okay?" he asked, looking down at her.
She snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around her neck, feeling safe and so full of love she was sure her chest would burst open and tiny heart-shaped pieces of paper would flutter out around them. Biting her lip she nodded, reaching up to run her hand over the stars on his face, knowing that while everything might not be perfect yet, it didn't matter now that he was here.
Pressing a kiss to his cheek she nuzzled the side of his face with her nose, breathing her answer into his ear as he ran them out the front doors of the hotel and down the sidewalk.
"It's okay as long as I'm with you."
AN:
This isn't the end because I'm going to write a lil epilogue that takes place two years later. I haven't written it yet cause like... fuck I'm tired haha. But keep your eye out for it tomorrow because I'm excited to write it and give you guys a peek of the future. ;)
Review! Please! Let me know if this was satisfactory or if you absolutely hate it. I accept the love and the hate, but I promised a happy ending and you'll get it.
Thanks for the compliments too, I'm so glad you like what I write.
~Wyn
