A/N: Wow. Intense first part right? Well, have no fear, this one isn't nearly as dramatic, and following the idea of a surprise lover in the first chapter, let's see if you can guess who I decide to pair Hilary up with! Dun, dun, dun!
Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing!
Big brown eyes stared out over the water as the thoughts behind them made them swirl with emotion.
"I'm sorry..." Hilary whispered to no one in particular.
Her words carried with the wind as it gently blew her hair around her. A cold chill ran down her spine but the arms across her chest didn't tighten and she didn't pull her jacket any tighter around her. She felt she didn't deserve to complain, deserved to be cold, deserved so much more then she'd gotten. But what she'd gotten, was off easy. Five years house arrest and a hefty fine was hardly enough for the terrible crime she'd committed. Admittedly, it had been a long five years; and the mental torture of being left so utterly alone in a prison that used to be home, haunted by the ghostly memories of a time long gone, felt like a far worse punishment than the alternative.
But it was all over now; at least on paper. The brunette knew however that she would be paying for her crime for the rest of her life.
Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle suddenly, Hilary knew she was no longer alone. But she didn't need to turn around to know who the person was.
"You should have asked for capital punishment." She said tonelessly, her face straight and serious. "No one would have blamed you."
On the exterior she looked calm and collected, but inside was a raging storm the likes of which she'd never felt before.
"What?! Seriously?! Come on, Hil! You know me better than that! I could never...!"
As she'd expected, Hilary's - now ex - husband quietly approached her and stood at her side. The brunette didn't so much as turn her head as she continued to stare out over the water before her, a scene that had once been the most beautiful thing in the world to her, but now looked almost foreboding and angry, even though the sun was bright and shinning with all it's glory.
"Besides, how could I ask them to give you such a harsh punishment when I'm the one who deserved it...?" Tyson said softly. "What I did to you... I know it's so not enough, but I duno what else to say... I'm so sorry, Hil.."
Hilary rolled her eyes.
"Oh don't be so dramatic." She said, more than a little annoyed. "Yea, you hurt me Tyson, but I know I got off easy, and you're a fool for not locking me up when you had the chance!"
After a long silence between the two, she eventually spoke again.
"I never asked all those years ago, because I didn't want to know back then... I knew it had something to do with her. But I've had a lot of time to think and now I have to know; how did you do it? How did you get me off with a slap on the wrist when I should have..."
She trailed off and Tyson looked at the ground, his hands in his pockets as he absently scuffed his shoe in the sand.
"It was because of Ming-Ming's lawyer..." He said quietly. "He's apparently the best in the business. It's actually scary how persuasive he is, and how well he knows how to use his words - as you saw for yourself. That's why we were able to get you a silent trial too instead of letting it go public."
The blunette chewed his cheek for a minute before continuing, still not looking at his ex.
"I didn't want the whole thing blasted all over the media, just for total strangers who thought they had a right to judge to run their mouths about something they had no business commenting on... I guess that was as much for myself as it was for you..."
Hilary looked at the ground for a moment too and there was another silence between them, this one much shorter than the last. She looked back up at the ocean again before speaking.
"How did you find me?" She asked quietly, almost a whisper.
Tyson finally looked at her now with a lopsided smile.
"I know you pretty well after all this time." He replied softly. "It wasn't very hard to guess where to find you."
Hilary said nothing as she continued to stare ahead of her, but she did feel an old familiar twinge of affection for the blunette tug at her heartstrings.
Tyson looked down and again and once more scuffed his shoe in the sand, his hands clenching and un-clenching in his pockets as he fought against his own internal storm
"I'm sorry Hillary." He almost whispered. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this."
"Stop apologising." She said coldly.
She knew they both had much to apologise for but she didn't want to hear it. She also knew Tyson should be furious with her but she wasn't about to apologise. In turn, she didn't expect, or feel she should receive, one from him.
Hilary took a deep, calming breath, still not looking at the blunette. He frowned and sighed as he looked up and out over the ocean now too. He said nothing more but as it always had, the silence unnerved him.
The blunette was unable to understand how Hilary could stay so still and motionless, not having moved a muscle since his arrival. He also wondered if the silence was bothering her as much as it was him. Not really answering his question but giving him a little relief, his ex eventually inhaled slightly and spoke again.
"You must hate me." She said tonelessly. "How can you not?"
Tyson took a deep breath and stared out ahead of him for a moment before finally speaking.
"Of course not." He said simply. "Like I said; you know me better than that. I know I probably should, but I just can't make myself feel it... I feel guilty as hell though. Ashamed. Like a total jerk... And that night, I was absolutely terrified. I almost lost both of the people who meant the most to me in the world. Cause you do mean so much to me, Hil; even now... though I know you find that hard, maybe even impossible, to believe. And I guess I don't blame you."
He looked up now, closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He remained that way even as he spoke again.
"I ended up losing one of you anyway..."
The first sign of emotion appeared on her face when Hilary's lips turned down into a frown. But despite this, she remained silent. It was a very long time before anyone spoke again, and Tyson felt his skin crawling from the silence. Eventually though, Hilary broke it.
"Why?" She asked tonelessly. "Why hide it? Why use me to hide it? Why not come out and tell me the truth?... Why did you make me believe that I was the one you really loved?"
Tyson picked up a slight underlay of pain in her voice, though she obviously tried very hard to hide it, and his heart lurched. He couldn't remember ever feeling so horrible in his entire life. He opened his mouth to speak but someone else spoke instead.
"Because we had to."
Tyson's head turned to the new voice but Hilary's head remained forward. However her teeth clenched tightly and the hands still folded across her chests followed suit. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling her blood pressure rapidly rising as her stomach twisted nauseatingly. The owner of the voice approached the two slowly and took refuge on Hilary's free side when she reached them.
"Well, more accurately, because Tyson was afraid for my career - sorry to throw you under the bus Ty."
A tic formed on Hilary's face as she fought the urge to throttle the woman beside her.
"How chivalrous." She said through still clenched teeth.
Realising how her comment had sounded, Ming-Ming hurried to continue.
"It's just that he didn't think the world would accept a relationship like ours! He thought everyone would pester me for dating someone like him, and that our relationship would make my life harder... right Tyson?"
"...Yea." The blunette mumbled, his voice laden with guilt. The superstar continued.
"I told him so many times how stupid it was, I mean he's famous too in his own right. But as we both know, he's so stubborn!... He didn't want to make things harder on me, so in a way... I guess it's all my fault."
Seeing the look on the brunette's face now, the petite blunette clamped her mouth shut, pursing her lips together.
Hillary opened her eyes and glared out over the ocean, a new fire burning in her gaze. But her outwardly appearance didn't quite display what she felt on the inside. She had immediately tensed upon the arrival of the woman beside her, and she felt her emotions flare up in an almost overwhelming wave at the woman's words. Somehow however, she managed to keep her composure enough to deal with the situation.
"I hope you don't expect me to feel sorry for you." She said as calmly as she could muster. "People wouldn't have cared about you two. In fact, I'm sure you would have been the talk of the world. Besides, who cares what they would think, you couldn't have loved each other that much if you'd let a bunch of total strangers get between you. Afraid of what they would think...? That's just stupid, and honestly? It's probably just about the dumbest excuse I can imagine.
The smaller blunette bit her lip and looked down at her feet.
"Yea, you're probably right." She said softly. "But back then... Well, I guess we were just young and stupid..."
Hilary bristled and turned a cold look on the smaller woman now.
"Back then?" She almost growled. "How long exactly has this been going on?"
Both people alongside her swallowed and looked to the side away from her, unable to look at the brunette.
"All along." Ming-Ming said softly. "We met officially at a BBA event back in high-school; I was the headliner for the kick-off. After the show, there was a meet and greet and autograph signing with me, and all the reigning beyblade world champions over the years... We didn't expect to hit it off so well; in fact, I actually thought Tyson was a total dork at first..."
The petite blunette smiled fondly at the sand now as she envisioned the precious memory from so long ago.
"But, he was persistent and it didn't take long for me to fall for him... It was inevitable." She sighed now and bit her lip before continuing. "But being seen together caused all kinds of problems and eventually Tyson called it quits, worried about me. At first... at first we stayed away from each other for a long time; and he decided that he'd try to forget about me by moving on with you, but..."
Unable to say anything more, Ming-Ming trailed off and Tyson spoke up to continue.
"I asked you to marry me Hilary because I really did love you, I still do... But... it wasn't fair to you, because it wasn't the kind of love that a wife deserves to have from her husband."
Tyson's frown deepened as he stared into the face that refused to look at him.
"We knew people would have a problem with us and our relationship, so we decided to try and move on, to forget it. We thought that if one of us was no longer in the picture, the feelings would go away-"
"But they didn't." Ming-Ming interrupted, finding the courage to speak again. "Soon after you two married..."
She paused for a moment, gathering together all her strength before finally continuing.
"Soon after you married, we realised what kind of mistake we'd made... You weren't supposed to be caught up in this Hilary, I swear. And believe it or not, neither of us ever wanted to hurt you. But knowing how far we'd gone, we thought it was too late to turn back, and so we just kept up the facade."
Ming-Ming frowned deeply as she too starred into the brunette's face.
"I'm sorry Hilary... I really am. You never deserved this, any of this."
Hilary's jaw clenched and unclenched a few times before she finally replied.
"I won't apologise." She said through clenched teeth. Ming-Ming blinked once, her face serious.
"I don't expect you to." She said softly. "I didn't think I was going to make it, and I would have went knowing that I deserved it; because honestly, I can't say I would have reacted any differently if the tables were turned."
Hilary's heartbeat had quickened in a mix of emotions. She was hurt, upset and she was angry, and her chest heaved rapidly from the onslaught of emotion.
"I didn't mean to..." She trailed off in her speech, debating whether or not to say what she wanted, but quickly decided to just spit it out. "The bullet wasn't meant for you."
Tyson's breath hitched and his heart stung deeply. He knew the implications behind that statement, and he was unable to decide if Hilary had forgotten he was there or if she simply didn't care. Judging by the look on her face and knowing she wasn't stupid, he guessed she knew exactly what she'd said, and knew very well that she'd meant him to hear it.
Ming-Ming swallowed hard but managed to keep a steady gaze with her.
"I know." She said seriously. She then forced a small smile. "Good thing you're a terrible shot then huh? I mean, it's too bad you didn't hit a tree or something instead, but hey, you missed all the important stuff and I'm still here right?"
For the first time since arriving at the spot, Hilary moved. Her head snapped over to look at the smaller woman as a murderous look took hold of her face.
"Is this all a joke to you?!" She screamed savagely, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. "You think this is funny?! Do I look like I'm laughing?!"
Ming-Ming's smile disappeared and a serious look took hold of her face, a fierce passion burning in her own eyes as well as she stared the brunette down.
"No Hilary, you don't." She said seriously. "But unlike you, I'm willing to move on and get past what already happened. You want me to be serious? OK, how's this for you; you attempted to kill Tyson, literally murder him, and almost succeeded in killing me! Knowing you were hurting and knowing we'd done something unspeakable to you ourselves, we figured we deserved what we got! So we didn't press any charges against you, none at all! Instead, I made sure to hire the best lawyer money could buy, and we begged him to do everything in his power to get you a minimal punishment; not because we felt guilty, not because we felt we owed you, but because you're our friend and because you deserved better then the way we treated you!"
Her tiny fists were clenched angrily now as Ming-Ming rounded on the brunette with fire in her eyes.
"If you want the truth, real, serious stuff, then take a look at what you've done huh? From some people's point of view, we deserved what we got, from other's, you deserved much more; it all depends on who's point of view you're looking at. But, as you've already pointed out, the rest of the world doesn't matter, so that leaves it down to us three. I've apologised and I really mean it. The same, you and I both know, goes for Tyson. I don't know if it goes for you too but I really don't care anymore! Right now, we can all go our separate ways and never talk again, always talking bitterly about each other and glaring at each other every time we see each other walking down the street or in the supermarket buying groceries; make a real big, ugly scene out of all this. Or, we could talk it out right here and now like we should have done from the start; get it all off our chests, scream, rant, fume, whatever it takes, and leave here with a light heart and a promise to at least try to be civil to one another if we can't remain friends. Personally, I'd rather the latter, but that choice is up to you. Now, how's that for serious?"
Hilary's mouth hung agape and her arms were now loose across her chest as she stared at the other woman in shock. She was loathe to admit it - and surprised the blunette had the brains to make so much sense - but the woman was right. They had to move on, things couldn't stay the way they were, and it had taken the bubbly, whimsical, and sometimes snotty celebrity beside her to point that out. She had been feeling sorry for herself and for what had happened, and she was being childish when the two people beside her were willing to forgive her and move on - even after the terrible crime she'd committed, never mind what they'd done to her. They'd forgiven her, now all she had to do was forgive herself.
Eventually Hilary regained her composure and straightened up, her jaw closing proudly as she looked at one blunette, then the other. Taking a deep, calm, yet shaky breath, Hilary finally opened her mouth again to speak.
"You're right." She said finally. "We all have things to apologise for and one's just as terrible as the other, no matter what the rest of the world thinks. Having said that, I think I'll take you up on your offer."
Ming-Ming tilted her head to one side questioningly and Hilary turned back to her, a suggestive glint in her eye. Immediately the blunette understood and gave the taller woman a small smile and nod.
"Bring it on." She said confidently. Hilary smirked and opened her mouth again.
The sound of the three voices could be heard for miles, the volume continuously rising to great heights and lowering before rising again, but neither person cared. They all ranted and raved, and unloaded absolutely every thought in their heads and hearts, until finally all their anger and energy had diminished and there was absolutely nothing left to say.
Hilary sighed heavily in content, closing her eyes as she felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. This time the wind caressed her face affectionately as if congratulating her for her efforts. Finally she opened her eyes and looked at the two people now standing before her.
"Thank you." She said softly. Both smiled at her and nodded.
"Are you sure you're finished?" Tyson teased softly, a playful yet warm smile on his face. "I mean, you're not gonna go home later and say; 'damn, I should have said that', are you?'
Hilary offered a small smile, her face aching slightly as if she hadn't done so in years.
"I'm sure." She said simply.
Tyson smiled and reached out to pull her into a hug. She hesitated for a moment but eventually reached up a single hand to place on his back, not really returning the embrace but accepting his nonetheless.
When Tyson pulled away, Ming-Ming stared at the brunette, knowing a hug from her would not likely be accepted so openly. The brunette was silently grateful for this. After a few moments of watching her, not quite sure what she should do, Hilary finally gave the petite woman a whisper of a smile and held out her hand. Ming-Ming returned the smile and shook the extended limb, giving her digits a gentle squeeze. When they released each other's hands, Hilary gave Ming-Ming a simple nod.
"guess we'll see ya around then?" Tyson asked a little hopefully. Hillary turned to stare at him for a moment but finally gave another slight smile and a single nod.
"Sure." She said softly. Ming-Ming smiled too and walked past her, leaving her alone with Tyson.
"Need a ride?" The blunette asked gently, his hands in his pockets.
Hilary thought for a moment but eventually shook her head.
"No. I think I'll walk. It's a nice day and I've still got a lot to think about."
Tyson nodded in comprehension.
"I understand." He replied, placing his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and finally walked past her towards the other blunette, whom was waiting for him a ways off.
Hillary heard Tyson's car start, then listened as it drove away until she could no longer hear it. She stared out over the ocean one more time, once more seeing it's beauty as she used to, before finally heaving a heavy sigh and turning around. She'd done enough thinking for a while and for now she just wanted a break from her mangle of thoughts. She still had to sort out some things, and there were many deep wounds left to heal, but that would take time and there was little she could do about it at the moment. Slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she headed off the beach and towards the road.
-;-
The brunette was rather tired when she finally stopped walking. She'd stopped somewhere at the beginning of town, leaning against the railing of the boardwalk she was on that over-looked the last stretch of the beach. She sighed as her arms rested against the railing and she looked out over the ocean once more. Life as she knew it was over, things were different now and she had to prepare for many new changes. She wasn't so sure how she was going to handle herself now, how she was going to accept everything that had happened and deal with it, but she vowed to herself to be brave and civil and force herself to be grown-up about it all - no matter how hard it might be.
Being lost and deep in though, the brunette jumped slightly when a voice beside her snapped her out of her trance.
"Hey."
Hilary looked beside her to see a familiar redhead leaning backwards against the railing with crossed arms, gazing at her with a somewhat awkward smile
"Hey." She replied slowly. She knew him and she was surprised to see him standing there beside her, let along actually talking to her. "Johnny McGreggor. What are you doing around here?"
The redhead's smile widened a little.
"Glad to see you remember me. I'm just visiting some family in the area." He chuckled and reached up to rub the back of his head before continuing. "My family's a little crazy so I was actually out for a walk and a break when I saw you here and... just thought I'd stop and say hi."
"I see." The brunette replied. "Well in that case, hi. Nice to see you again."
Johnny laughed now and his smile widened to a goofy grin.
"Thanks, it's nice to see you again too!"
The Scot then looked up and reached up to awkwardly scratch his cheek, unable to look at the brunette when he spoke again.
"Listen, um... I heard about what happened between you and Tyson.."
Hilary frowned deeply now as she stared at him.
"Did you now?" She replied a little bitterly. "And let me guess, you've come to tell me how you think I'm a complete psycho who they should have locked up and thrown away the key! Or better yet, stick me in the chair and get rid of this loose cannon to save the world from this psychotic nutcase!"
Hilary's frown deepened and she straightened from the railing to turn a confident and challenging look on the redhead.
"Well, save your breath." She said indignantly. "I don't care what you think and besides, it's none of your damn business."
The brunette turned her back on the redhead and began to walk away, but his voice and a gentle hand on her arm stopped her.
"Wait!" He said quickly, moving around her front to face her again. "That's not what I was going to say."
Hilary looked up at him with a defiant expression, but eyes that couldn't hide the array of emotions she still felt inside.
"Then what were you going to say?" She asked a little wearily. Johnny shifted uncomfortably but keep her gaze.
"I was going to say that... I mean... I know where you were coming from. The whole gun thing was a little extreme but.."
Noting the dark look on the woman's face the redhead hurried to continue.
"But I get it!" He added quickly. "Look, I know it must have really sucked to... ya know, find out something like that. I just... I guess I just wanted to say that if you feel like crap or anything, or like you're scum of the earth or whatever, that I don't think you are - for whatever my opinion is worth."
Hilary blinked up at the young man, noting his nervous and uncomfortable composure. Although the words had been a little... rough around the edges, to say the least, the brunette could see that the redhead meant well, and really only meant to make her feel better - even if he had a weird, if not a little blunt, way of saying it. Finally she smiled and Johnny visibly relaxed to see she wasn't angry at him.
"Thank you." She said simply. Johnny smiled and nodded.
"Sure, no problem." He replied softly.
Hilary chewed her cheek for a moment but eventually spoke again.
"How did you know?" She asked, a slight frown on her face. Seeing the look of concern in her expression, Johnny gave her a lopsided smile.
"Don't worry, no one knows what happened, Tyson made sure of that. And I promise I won't saying anything... Ming-Ming's lawyer is my cousin. He's actually some of the family I'm here visiting." The Scot reached up to awkwardly rub the back of his head again. "I ah... kinda stumbled onto his files from the case while I was at his place."
"You mean you were being nosy." The brunette said bluntly, lifting an eyebrow at him.
Johnny blushed hotly.
"What? No! It wasn't like that! I-"
He stopped when the brunette actually laughed lightly.
"I'm kidding... thank you Johnny, I really appreciate your gesture."
The redhead relaxed and sightly and sighed before another smile came to his face.
"Welcome..." He replied softly.
There was a short silence between the two, and after a few moments, Johnny stuffed his hands into his pockets as he attempted to look casual.
"So uh... I was wondering if you wanted to... I dunno, get a coffee or something? Ya know... to help you relax maybe? Or for a change of scenery or something. Just a thought."
Hilary looked to her right and saw the coffee shop across the street. She turned back to Johnny who was eyeing her a little nervously and couldn't help but smile. She'd always thought he was the brave, kind of over-confident - even cocky - tough guy. But that wasn't exactly the person she was seeing before her just then. Then again, she supposed that everyone got at least a little nervous when asking someone out - especially someone who'd just finished a sentence for shooting a person.
The brunette tilted her head ever so slightly to one side as she observed the redhead with a warm smile.
"I don't really think coffee will make me feel any better right now." She said with a lopsided smile.
Though he tried very hard to hide it, she didn't miss the disappointment on the redheads face as his expression shifted again from what he assumed was her rejection.
"Oh." He said a little awkwardly. "Yea. No, I totally understand. Uh.. maybe some other time."
Hilary's smile widened a little as the Scot turned to walk away.
"I think maybe something a little stronger might do it though."
Johnny turned back to the brunette and stared at her for a moment. Finally a wide grin lit his face again and he gave a small laugh.
"There's a good bar just down the street from here." He replied in amusement. Hilary laughed lightly and beckoned him towards her with a tilt of her head.
His grin broadening wide enough to threaten splitting his face, Johnny walked up to the woman and held out his arm. Hilary linked her arm with his and they both turned to head down the street, quickly absorbing themselves in a comfortable conversation as they chatted and walked like they'd been friends all their lives.
Hilary couldn't help but smile as she listened to the Scot talk. A drink or two was just what she needed to unwind, and why should she have to do it alone? As long as she didn't jump into things too quickly, it was OK for her to have some company. Besides, Tyson had someone and she knew she'd punished herself enough. If she was supposed to move on, then having someone by her side was just the right way to do that. After all, just because Tyson had someone else, didn't mean she had to spend the rest of her life alone.
And she didn't intend to.