A/N: Okay, here's a short fic about Miss Patty. It was greatly inspired by Pat Green's song 'Baby Doll' and partially inspired by 'Beautiful, Once' by the awesome fic writer all things holy.
There she was, on stage in Los Angeles. Singing and dancing, looking more beautiful than ever. The crowd was cheering loud, and there was more applause than she had ever heard. She took a deep bow and sauntered into the off-stage darkness, head held high…
And then she woke up. She looks around her darkened bedroom. Through the black she can make out the bold colors on the walls. But as much as she tried, she could never cover up what she was trying to hide with paint.
The loneliness was still visible.
She looks down at herself. Yes, it truly had been a dream. She was still the outgoing, but overweight, gossip queen that had to have her clothes altered because they were too small. She was no longer the bright, sexy young woman she'd been so many years ago that had to have her clothes altered because they were too big.
She had these dreams often, but every time she thought that they might, just maybe, be real.
They never were.
She often stops to check her reflection anywhere she can. A car parked on the street, a store window, her bathroom mirror. And every time she convinces herself she looks fine. Incredible, in fact. She convinces herself that she's still beautiful, that others still find her attractive.
She does this today, this time in the full-length mirror in the back of her dance studio. And, as always, she smiles at herself and tells herself she looks amazing.
Just after her second morning yoga class leaves, she has a strikingly different class full of bright, happy children, all willing and eager to dance. And she flicks on the music, equally willing and eager to teach them to dance.
As they dance, she stands in the large doorway, observing. She closes her eyes and hears her own music. She can see herself, on the stage back in California, performing almost better than the best. And as she remembers the same scene for what must be the millionth time, she finally comes to a realization.
What she had then, that was material perfection. A perfect body, fame, fortune, boyfriends.
What she has now is so much more. She may not be rich or amazingly beautiful. But she's perfect in other ways. She has a job she loves. She has town full of good friends.
She doesn't need to convince herself she's beautiful anymore. Now she knows for sure. She had never been more than just a pretty face. Her beauty had always only been skin-deep.
But now she's found herself.
She's more than just a baby doll.
The End!
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