Disclaimer: I own no one. Not that it wouldn't be fun...
A/N: This is sort of a companion piece to More Than He Should I think I just might actually start a series of these if everyone likes them. I've got an idea for a third in case anyone's interested.
They had already been in trouble.
At least that was what she kept telling herself.
When she'd shown up, unannounced, in the rain, they had already been in trouble. After all, the table off to the side had 'I'm Sorry' written all over it. She'd slept with enough married men to recognize the setup.
She'd also recognized the man behind the door. After all, it wasn't everyday that a person deflowered their sister's husband. At the time it had been amusing to play her own little game of 'I've Got a Secret.' Just keep dropping the hints, and watching him drop the beer. All the while Baby Sister didn't have a clue.
No… she couldn't say that. Her sister was definitely smarter than anyone gave her credit for.
It was a shame that brilliance and naivety went hand in hand in their family.
She wasn't trusted in that house. It wasn't a secret. She was who she was, and her little sister couldn't seem to handle that. Vaguely she remembered muttered words around the dinner table. "Prude" followed by her sister's "harlot" seemed to stick out the most. Dinner in that tiny apartment was always friendly.
But that wasn't the point.
Three days later she'd discovered that she wasn't the only James with a skeleton in her closet. Then again, a history professor when you're young and reckless wasn't the same as an aspiring musician when you're mature and responsible…and married. She still couldn't believe that last detail.
Married.
Oh how the mighty fall.
And like a fine soap opera she watched them crumble. Brick by brick they each built up their defenses and tore down each others. They'd gotten better at pretending everything was fine. They'd perfected the art of interacting and saying what they weren't thinking. She would have been impressed if it wasn't so depressing.
Then one night it all just shattered.
She'd heard the argument. Even with the shower running she had been able to hear the hushed whispers and heated tones. The conversation had been doomed from the start. The second the wrong name had flowed from her sister's lips, she knew that this was the end. The make or break it moment of their marriage.
From her place hiding in the bathroom she had wished that they would be able to make it through.
"If you leave me…"
His voice had been so quiet, so heartbreakingly steady. Never in her life had she heard something so sweet. It was a shame it hadn't been directed at her.
"This is not the end for us."
How sure her sister had been. How stupid. Even she had to be able to see what was coming. No one could ignore the cracks in their marriage. The silence that screamed and the hollow words. Standing there she wished that she could freeze it. Hold on to that moment and then rewind it. With all her heart she prayed for her sister to see what was right in front of her.
She admitted to kissing him. That had been her next mistake.
His resolve had cracked then.
"…If you wanna go, you should go…"
She couldn't stand it anymore. The water had been cut off, and she just stood there, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Somehow she could have sworn that she was to blame. That her sister would have found a way to make it all better had she not been there. After all, that was what she did. Baby Sister corrected her mistakes. Wiped them clean.
So who cleaned up when Baby Sister made the mess?
"If you do…We're done."
The front door slammed, rattling the pictures on the walls. She had to force herself to stay in the bathroom, even as he sister raced down the hall. Anything she said or did would just sound hollow. Pitiful. After all, she wasn't equipped with their mother's touch, their father's words. She didn't offer comfort.
Sobs were heard from the backroom, and without thinking she had moved down the hall at last, stopping at the door.
The door opened carefully, with a push of the shoulder. Hands in her pockets and tears in her eyes, she watched as her sister tried not to sob into his pillow. There was no pretending anymore. Whether she stayed or went, this would always be with them.
She'd rubbed her sister's back, trying not to push, but not pulling away. "I know what it's like to search for something more." She'd said softly, running her hand up soft cotton to tangle in the silk of hair. As comforting as she could, she scratched her sister's scalp. "That's why I'm always running."
Her sister hadn't heard her. Even when she slid from the bed and watched as the shorter woman packed her bags.
No explanation had been needed.
It hadn't mattered anymore.
The ultimatum was the end.
And twenty minutes later, when he had burst back into the house, it had been her job to tell him that the woman he was looking for was no longer there. The pain in his eyes struck her dumb, and as he ran down the hall, she had to bite her lip.
"I'm sorry…She's gone…"
The call had come in that he'd left her in Austin.
She could barely make out her sister's words through the crying.
And after a brief promise they'd hung up. Who knew when they'd talk again?
She tapped her cell phone against the smooth wood of the bar and sighed. Baby Sister has only asked her for three favors in their entire life. It was oddly ironic that all three were for someone else's benefit instead of her own. She had been right two months ago when she said that her little sister always did the right thing.
Not that leaving your husband for a rock tour is the precedent for right things.
She had had two options. And she had taken the one that was right….
For her.
There was a little hope for her baby sister after all.
With a definitive chuckle, she scrolled through her cell's phone book. It was about time hope was handed around.
One ring, then another, and then -
"Think fast, what's in a gin and tonic?"
"Taylor?
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