I've been getting mixed reviews on the Bethany-Holden situation, and to be honest with you, I myself don't know how it's going to pan out, so just sit tight and suffer with them, I guess. Thanks for the love, and to quote the guy at the end of the Clerks episodes: Thanks for watching! ;)
*Karasuma*Firestorm*

R for language.

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.

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It was late. With shades of the past, Jay had fallen asleep on Silent Bob's shoulder. Bob was listening as Bethany finished her bizarre tale, Holden eating it up enthusiastically. Bob noted with interest that Holden was very, *very* wrapped up in Bethany's story--and Bethany. The oddest part was, Bethany seemed to be returning the admiration equally.

But that was crazy. Bethany was a single mom working in an abortion clinic; Holden was an on-again-off-again cartoonist. They were one of the most unlikely couples anyone could think of, even more unlikely than Holden and Alyssa Jones, known lesbian. At least, as far as Silent Bob was concerned. But it was only his imagination, he was sure.

"God, I'm wiped," Bethany moaned, slumping forward slightly on the table.

"Can I drive you home?" Holden asked politely.

"I don't have a 'home', per se...I just got here today," Bethany admitted, absently spinning her empty bottle on the table. It rattled and wobbled a little, but settled into a smooth rotation.

"Well, how about you come and stay at my place?" Holden offered. "You can ask Jay and Bob --I'm not a stalker or a rapist."

"Good to know," Bethany said with a laugh. Three pairs of eyes were transfixed on the spinning bottle. It clattered to a stop, and Bethany's eyes traveled up the neck of the bottle, past an invisible line, to Holden.

"That's really sweet of you," Bethany said. She glanced at the bottle, then back at Holden, and kissed him decisively on the cheek. "Thank you. I'd love to stay at your place."

Holden, surprisingly, turned sort of red. "Guess we'd better go, then," he said, coughed nervously, and got to his feet. "I'll see you guys when I see you," he said to Bob and the just-waking-up Jay. He paused, his gaze lingering on Silent Bob. "You're not gonna have a weird-ass story for this situation, are you?" he asked, nodding his head slightly towards Bethany, who didn't notice.

Silent Bob looked from Holden to Bethany and back again, and resolutely shook his head.

Holden grinned. "Much appreciated." He helped Bethany up and into her coat.

~~~~~

Holden was silent for the drive home. Bethany had fallen asleep in the front seat. Whenever he had the chance, he couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She was really pretty--okay, gorgeous. Holden was surprised at the surge of emotion he felt for Bethany, especially after the whole Alyssa issue had blown up in his face.

But there was just something about her...

Even with her unbelievable story and her wacky past and her child --fuck, a *child*!-- he was attracted to her.

No. Of *course* he wasn't. He'd sworn off relationships, after losing Alyssa. Sure, he'd dated. But it didn't mean anything. It never had before Alyssa, it didn't after. Now that he'd known love --real, true love, almost fictional in its seriousness and intensity-- dates and sex meant almost nothing.

A red light. He paused the car, looked at Bethany, who was peaceful and calm in slumber. Beautiful.

~You're willing to try again.~

He shook off the thought, and hit the gas again, pulling out into the night. Bethany Sloane was just a new acquaintance, someone he'd met through friends, someone he liked, someone he was being sweet and charitable to...

God. What would Alyssa say?

Did he *care* anymore?

He pulled into his space, and leaned over, gently shaking Bethany's shoulder. "Yo, Bethany."

"Wha..?"

"We're here."

"Mmkay," she murmured, and rolled over as best she could in the front seat.

Holden rolled his eyes, and shook her shoulder again. "Bethany. We're here."

"Where's here," she said sleepily.

"My place. Where you're staying. You wanna get out at some point?"

Bethany responded by muttering something completely unintelligible. Holden sighed and undid his seatbelt. This evening was turning out to be quite a handful.

There was a boom of thunder as Holden reached into the car and unbuckled Bethany's seatbelt. She didn't stir. "Bethany, c'mon," he muttered, but she fell limply into his arms as he picked her up.

Holden kicked the car door shut, shifted Bethany in his arms, and was just barely to the front porch when the sky exploded with rain. He groaned, and raced onto the stoop, pressing the practically comatose Bethany against the wall for balance while he fished desperately for his keys, to no avail. By the time he had made it inside and safely deposited Bethany on the couch, they were both drenched.

Holden shook his head, so fiercely that water droplets sprinkled onto Bethany's already soaked clothes, and went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

Of course, Bethany chose that precise moment to wake up. "Where am I?" she asked, dazed.

"My place. Potzer's Inc.," Holden called from the kitchen.

"Who..?"

Holden popped his head into the living room. "Holden."

Bethany smiled, obviously relieved. "Holden. Of course. I'm sorry, I'm just so out of it."

Holden grinned back, he couldn't help it. She had a great smile. "I'm making coffee...do you want some?"

"Sure." She stood up, studying her wet clothing. "Ah..."

"It's raining," he said quickly. "My room's through there, feel free to rifle for some dry clothing."

"You're being really nice," Bethany said, looking rather embarrassed. "I don't know how to say thank you."

"You just did," Holden said.

Bethany blushed. "Um...can I use your shower, maybe?"

"Sure, it's right in there," Holden said, pointing.

"Thanks," she answered shyly, and made her way into the bathroom. It took a second before Holden realized he was staring after her, and the water was boiling.

He quickly poured some coffee, left it to cool down, and wandered into his room to find some clean clothes. He could hear the sounds of the shower going, and Bethany humming tunelessly. It brought a smile to his face, and he kept grinning as he left his wet clothes in a heap on his floor.

"Holden?"

He was in his underwear, ass bent to the door, lost in a daze. "Yeah, Alyssa?" he said, rising, and turning with a smile.

Bethany was standing there, wrapped tightly in a towel, looking confused. Holden felt his cheeks reddening. "Oh! Um. Bethany. I--"

"I just forgot to take my --er, that is, *your*-- clothes into the bathroom with me," Bethany said, averting her eyes. "They're, ah, over on the bed there..."

"Um, yeah," Holden said, grabbing the neat stack of his clothing and handing it to her. He never once looked up.

Bethany hurried out of the room, and Holden cursed himself for being an idiot. And for thinking about Alyssa at the most inopportune time.

But what did he have to prove to Bethany, whom he hardly knew? He held no loyalties to her. She was a friend of friends (if you could call Jay and Bob friends). And Alyssa...he'd been so in love with Alyssa. He was an idiot to have thrown that away, and there wasn't a day that went by when he didn't dwell on this, as much as it pained him to do so. She'd moved on. Why couldn't he?

Ten minutes later, he was settled on the couch watching TV, sipping his coffee idly. It was late, he had no real reason to be drinking it, but something about the bitterness soothed him.

Bethany wandered in, looking incredible in a pair of his old jeans and a loose-fitting shirt, her hair blown dry and falling loosely around her shoulders. She sat down next to him, and involuntarily, unbelievably, his heart stopped.

"So, who's Alyssa?" she asked, accepting the coffee he quietly offered her.

"Oh...um...ex-girlfriend," he said, not wanting to divulge so personal a story, at least, not so soon.

"Must've been more than that," she observed idly, eyes on the hockey game on the screen. "I saw the way you reacted, I reacted that way around my ex-husband." She took a gulp of coffee. "While we were still together, that is. So, how serious was she?"

Holden stared at her profile, a study in deliberate nonchalance, then settled back on the couch with a deep sigh. "Only the love of my life, cheesy and cliched as that may sound."

"Please," Bethany scoffed. "Everything in life is cheesy and cliched, with time. I gave you *my* tale of woe; you owe me yours." She turned to face him now, earnest and open. She offered him a smile as bait.

Holden bit. "Well..."