"Do not spill any on my head..." Daniel warned as Izak sat on his shoulder, Wilhelmina following close behind them with arguably the world's largest Teddy bear. She glanced over to the side of their house, faintly seeing the ash on its face. Despite the mason being gray and basically concealing any memory of the fire, it still chilled her core to see such things.
Izak was oblivious, indulging in ice cream that his parents had guiltily bought him as he sat on his father's shoulders, knee numbed from treatment. She left the two of them to put the ginormous teddy bear in his room; its presence courtesy of his grandmother who she swore spoiled him rotten. For a second she stood there, in his black and white room with dashes of navy blue on the walls.
She looked around at the innocence it beheld, at its indulgent nature sprawled with her input. It was, surreal really...because she almost lost him...That day...She almost lost both of them...And she didn't know how to process that. She knew how to deal with losing herself...But not...not those two...IT was if the magnitude of their importance to her had single-handedly hit her in one blow. People were usually disposable to her...But not them...Not them, she couldn't lose them...It would kill her, it would really kill her to lose them...And it made her uncomfortable.
It made her uncomfortable to know that the strings of her stability were so inevitably wrapped in their existence. Before, as long as she kept moving, she was fine but now...That all dependent on two other people...Her feelings were out there, her thoughts were out there. She had...She was no longer the woman she had once known. She was...softer...She was...nicer...In some instances...Tears were no longer a lost memory...But she didn't know if she liked that...If she was comfortable being so open.
She was slowly but surely losing that husk that made her who she used to be, that made others shudder in her presence. She was...regaining Wanda...And it seemed like at work she could be herself at all times but when she got home...She lost that cold or harsh persona, the facade that had never failed her.
"Wils..." She turned around to see him smirking.
"Why the hell are you smiling?" Who could smile at a time like this?
"This is serious...And I don't know what the hell is going on..." HE walked in the room further. "And...by the way things are going at this point...We never know how much time we have left together..."
Standing chest to chest, she shook her head, distracting herself by fumbling with the lapel of his jacket. "Don't...don't say something like that..."
"Willie I'm just being honest...And considering such, I don't want to fight with you."
"Where's Izak?"
"He finished his ice cream and fell asleep on our bed..."
"What do you want to do now?"
Immediately his kiss met her lips, his hand that reached her waist pulling her just inches closer for only a second. "Now that that is out of the way, go put on something that you don't want anymore."
"If I don't want something anymore, I just give it to Marc."
"You mean to tell me, you have no dingy clothes?"
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"C'mon Willie, hurry up..." Daniel knocked on their bedroom door that she had locked him out of. Slowly the door creaked open but would open no more if pushed. "Wils..."
She opened the door, wearing his grey fitted t-shirt and a red pair of basketball shorts. "I look like a man."
"You look cute..."
"Puppies...Izak...Those things are cute...Not a fat pregnant woman in her husband's old workout gear...that's not cute..."
"Stop being such a kill-joy."
"What are we doing anyway?"
"I figured we needed a break so...We're going to paint..."
"Paint what?" She asked before he opened the door down the hall that had blue strips of paint, plastic on the flower and 3 paint buckets beside 3 rolling brushes. "I am not painting this room with you..."
"Yes you are..." He pulled her inside, deciding that she was going to participate to get her mind off of life whether she liked it or not.
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A distraction. That's what they needed. That's what she needed. A distraction. Something that didn't make her recount how she almost cost her son his life. Something that didn't make him think how he hired a woman that could be in on a plan to take his life. Something that didn't make them realize what kind of hell that they were going through.
"Alexis..."
"Hell no." Wilhelmina responded immediately, shaking her head at the suggestion. "I refuse to put such a name on my child. What? So she can grow up 6 feet tall and born in the wrong body-Not!"
"Geesh...Ummm...Penelope..."
"Penelope? As in Penelope Graybridge? As in the woman second to Ana Wintour with whom I would love to have castrated?"
"Willie, Every name in the world is going to have some type of negative connotation."
"Not true..."
"Oh really?"
"Really..."
"Okay...like what?"
"Hmmmm...Scarlett..."
"Uh uh...I dated a girl name Scarlett once, she was so hot but she-" Daniel stopped, seeing the cold stare in which he was met when he turned to look at her. HE cleared his throat, recanting. "What about Nicole?"
"As in Nicolette Sheridan? The slut on Desperate Housewives? Or Nicole Richie? The witch with the small nose, you know I think she stole a pair of earrings from me once-"
"I-" Wilhelmina stopped, feeling paint hit her arm. "What the hell-Daniel watch it!"
HE smirked, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" Before he could finish, the entire side of his body from head to toe was covered in a deep magenta, silencing him immediately. He looked at her and she combusted into a loud laugh that he hadn't heard in the longest. Before he could even get mad that his hair was pink, her laugh, her smile...The sheer sign that she was happy brought a smile to his face.
Without a warning, he pulled her into a kiss, her not even noticing the black roller sliding up her legs and him not noticing the pink. She pulled away, running her hands through his hair. He opened his eyes to see hers, glistening softly as he held her close. "Willie wh-"
She shook her head, smiling pass her impending emotion. "I just don't...I just don't ever want to lose you..." Her thumb plumbed the apple of his cheek and he pulled her closer.
"You won't."
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The minute Charles Slater was informed of the danger that pursued his daughter; he boarded a plane, yet not alone. He boarded this plan with a different intent than expected. Not to love specifically, but to protect. His demeanor was different. His posture was different. And his attitude had taken a complete 360, back to what he used to be. Because of the person...That boarded the plane.
A coffee house. That was more secretive. No cameras or bugged spots...The house could be bugged...So a coffee house it was, sitting impatiently in an Alexander McQueen sculpted statuesque figure, curve-contouring jacket. A classic moved for her in a vintage silhouette as well as a 1940s inspired peplum with a hounds tooth pattern that sat grey above her knee-length Lafayette 148 New York pencil skirt that was grey and black as well with a high waist, finishing off with Classic Yves Saint Laurent round-toe patent leather pump. To say the least, her outfit cost more than the establishment that she sat in.
Yet instead of seething at each person that walked by, she just sat waiting impatiently with a yearn to throw herself into work and ignore what occurred around her yet with Daniel sitting right next to her it seemed damn near impossible. Well that is until she saw her father.
She stood courteously, as did Daniel only to have him stare at them. She looked at him for a second, relishing in the hard stare he possessed in his eyes only to realize moments later that a change had occurred. HE stiffened his hand in her direction to offer a handshake and her eyes fell to it, nearly sick with disgust before returning her gaze to his stoned facade.
"Where is she?" She whispered harshly, knowing her father all too well to let a little charade fool her. As of late he would have smiled, tried to hug her even, said something...HE had truly changed yet when she saw him, all she could picture was a stony wall to large and too thick to run through.
Keeping contact, the Senator stood firm, monotonously answering her. "She's in the car..."
"I'm done." She attempted to walk passed him only to be caught by his arm. She snatched herself away from him, storming away from them both and into the streets of the city. In the combustion of people and cars, aromas filling her olfactory system mechanic, she started off down the sidewalk in a daze. Contemplation. Anger. Rage...And she didn't know why.
She didn't know why she expected any better of him. She didn't know why she actually believed that he had changed and was ready to be a decent father to a middle-aged woman. She didn't know and she felt stupid for believing such things. For allowing herself to be open to hurt and open to pain. Immediately, she composed herself, throwing on her dark cat-like Chanel sunglasses before storming back to the place where she once stood.
Knocking on the window of a gas-guzzling SUV, she laughed when she saw her face. "I don't know what little sick game you're playing here...But trust me, don't try and play it with me because whatever it is I will beat you at it and if you're lucky enough you may live to the end of it..." he moved to turn away but game back for a split second. "Just remember...luck tends not to shine on bitches like you."
The person stared coldly only to be met back her swinging hips down the busy sidewalk. A swinging sashay that tried to get its mind to wrap around the fact that Lisa was back in her life.
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Damn she's fast in heels! Like fast-fast! Like beat a freaking Olympian in a track race fast. It's unnatural! I can barely keep up with her by car, trying to convince her to get in after leaving the Senator to his thoughts and chasing after her only to find her halfway to the Meade building a trekking. I got out of the car to a media frenzy and of course half of the crowd were reporters asking me if there was any marital discourse and about Sofia's resignation. The other half were Wilheads...That's right...Her fans...they made a name for themselves...OF course I won't tell her that nor will I tell her that Marc is their Presidents...But back to the freaks that worship Wils, yeah...They're yelling at me for letting my pregnant wife walk 15 blocks to work on the dangerous streets of New York. Bad husband! Bad husband! It's like being scorned by deformed Gladiators...You know it's funny but you're afraid to laugh!
So I'm walking, no scratch that, I'm freaking running trying to catch up with her. We catch two elevators at the same time and the bell tolls and I step off at Mode right when she does, rounding the doughnut as our receptionist files her nails...This is not going to be pretty.
All she does is slap the filer with the receptionist inevitably hitting herself in the nose only to hear a cold 'You're fired' from Wilhelmina...Just like that, she just totally...assaulted someone and obviously doesn't give a rat's ass that I've been following her for the last decade and a half.
Right when she gets to the door, she slams it in my face...without a word. Don't you just love women? Hmmm? The life-freaking-givers of the world...
Sooooo the day carries on...It seems dull compared to what I expected. I mean, with Izak almost being killed and everything but he's spending the day with my mom...Then there's the Sofia situation...We still haven't talked about that and who the hell knows what the Senator had to say because we never and probably will never get to hear what he has to say because Willie is beyond pissed at him, But will she admit it? Hell no, because she's stubborn as hell like a damn mule...Don't...Don't tell her I said...Don't...She'll have me black-listed from every men's department in the city if she ever found out I used her and the word mule in the same sentence...You know what? I didn't even say it; hell what are you talking about? You were deaf for 5 seconds? Okay?...God, I need a therapist.
So as I was saying, the day...So Ambrossi's family is trying to kill us, for reasons...I don't know, I have no idea...All I know is that I have the guy from Photography test eating and drinking everything for me...Marc's probably doing the same thing..He probably has been doing it for forever...As many Wilheads that are out there, Wilhelmina does have a lot of enemies...Wait...Is that why he's always in the Emergency room?
Okay, well back to Ambrossi and his family's weird Italian vendetta thing they have going on...IT needs to stop...No one...No one knows what went on in the court room but my mother...Judge Donalley, the Senator, Alexis...Lincoln...Abrossi's people and...The weird bailiff...But nothing needs to happen...because if this all blows off..Jobs will be lost and careers are at stake...This can't blow up...The slightest match can set this thing ablaze.
And you know what's worse? I have to go to Paris on Saturday! Willie is going to have a cow...Well no..She probably won't...I'll have a cow...Because someone is trying to kill us and I'm leaving her alone..But who the hell am I kidding, she's Wilhelmina freaking Slater..You know..I heard she killed a lion...with her bare hands...Just saying, that woman's fierce.
But if anyone is going to die, it's Alexis because it's her fault Mode France is doing so bad...She stopped caring about it and yeah I did too, but she's the oldest so it's her fault, shut up-Don't judge me.
Speaking of Judging...Grant..Gran Shepard...That guys jaw is like a damn cinder block..I would've died if he didn't go down when I hit him because he was...bigger and...Probably stronger than me but hey-I had Tyler!...And half of the staff that Wilhelmina abuses verbally and, apparently as I witnessed today, physically.
I'm just saying, if he shows up again, I'm...I'm going to kill him..Tyler and I..We're going to kill him. Speaking of Tyler...Amanda has been acting really weird lately, like anytime I mention Wilhelmina she gets all antsy and...because of her I've been missing all of the doctor's appointments because she 'forgets' to put it in my book or accidently schedules a meeting on that day at the exact time...Suspicious Tannen-Sommers...Atkins...Geesh, that's a long name.
Oh! And let's not forget Betty. I think she's lying about the whole Matt, bad-breakup deal...I think he moved to Africa and she didn't want to leave...She was fine doing tours but living there-Uh no! And so she let him go and not the way she's making it out to be, like he broke her heart and it's just all to painful to talk about because that just does not seem like the Matt I know...Or knew...
So I come home, long day, she left early...I come home late. The lights are off. I check on Izak, he's back form my mom's and he's asleep. I go to our room and she's up watching the September Issue for the umpteenth time and as soon as I'm convinced she hasn't seen me, her eyes meet mine and for a second...I have to admit I am scared SHITLESS...But I just stand there and her gaze drops to her hands that fiddle in her lap and her...her guard drops.
So that's it. Her guard..Her wall..That's for outsiders but with me...She drops it...Finally.
So I just set my shoes down and take off my jacket and she shrugs, smirking weakly before looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.
"You know...It's...It's not even that he's back with her...Because at this point..I could, I could care less...I just...I've felt like an orphan for what...30-odd years now...I lost my mother and my father was just a statue...But in the last couple of months I had a father...I mean...I don't need one but..."
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I'm struggling between this little girl and this woman...I...I am a strong woman...But I'm still female...I'm still..I'm still a girl...I still...I still have the small part of me that's like a child and...That small part loved having a father.
"I was beginning to get used to having a father and the fact that it's just done...Like that, it's hard to accept but I don't know why I'm so surprised...I mean...He's the Senator...I shouldn't...I shouldn't have gotten attached."
"Wils, he's your father..."
"No Daniel, being a father is not putting on the role when you feel like it...You either commit or you don't...And he hasn't." He's such a softie, climbing into bed next to me as I let my hormones reign supreme in this moment. But I don't care...Who cares! Emotions are not for the spineless and weak...Public emotions are for the spineless and weak but private emotions are for those with enough intelligence to compose themselves and save it for later. That doesn't make me cold. That makes me calculated.
"You know...Sometimes I just...I just wish he'd die already." I don't know if he is able to handle that well..This side of me well but he does stiffen a bit...yet he never moves. "It's like...I'd be relieved...I'm so sick and tired of being played with that sometimes I just feel like it'd be easier if he were dead...Death is finite, I wouldn't have to deal...with this-CRAP because that's what it is...It's crap and I shouldn't have to be sitting here at near midnight contemplating the death of my father because it would be convenient for me...Ugh...I just...Maybe I just need a vacation I don't know."
"Well speaking of vacation...You just gave me an idea."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well I spoke to my freakishly large sister today and she told me that we need a trip to Paris to straighten out Mode France but now I'm thinking...It's hot there right now...The beaches are white...And who does not like hot white beaches?" Does he know what he just said or even how it sound when he says it? "Okay, well you know what I mean...What do you say?"
"I say that I don't want to be a third wheel on a boring business trip, but thank you...It was a sweet thought."
"Oh c'mon Wils!..."
"I'm sorry...Plus I'm in the middle of an issue at Mode...Maybe another time...Besides...Izak's birthday is on Saturday..."
"Oh ye-Holy shit!"
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