I think I'm going to alternate POV in each chapter, so we're back to Heather in this one. Thanks to everyone leaving feedback. I 3 Reviews :)
I do not own Glee... though I wish I did sometimes! All rights to Fox & Ryan Murphy.
Heather didn't stop crying the entire way home from Paramount that day. Walking out on what had been her life for the last three years may be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. But she knew it was right.
Legally, she was bound to contract on the Glee set. Luckily, Brittany's lines were getting smaller and smaller, and after a conversation with Ryan about how unhappy she was, he agreed to write her out of the show. They did it with Sam, surely they could do it with Brittany. Ryan had always treated Heather like a daughter. He told her he wasn't going to make her stay if she didn't want to stay, but she always had a home on set if she wanted to come back.
Heather scoffed at the notion. Two years ago, she'd agree. Paramount was her home away from home. During the summers, even though breaks were small because they were touring, they'd count the days until they could return to work. Now Heather dreaded every day. Not because she didn't want to be there, but because she was so conflicted it hurt. Thoughts of Paramount were now burdening. She couldn't stand the thought of leaving her friends, and more importantly, Naya. But the thought of seeing Naya and knowing that things would never be the same was too much to bear.
When she got home, she was greeted with open paws. Her dog, Jenny, had always been a face Heather was happy to come home to. After a brief belly rub, Heather plopped down on the couch. She and Taylor had packed up a lot of their boxes over the weekend, but she still felt like there was so much more to do before the two headed out for Arizona the next morning.
Heather ordered pizza and curled up on the couch with Zach for a little bit. She was glad that she could come home after a long day at work, and an emotionally draining one at that, and have her pets to comfort her. They were so innocent. They didn't understand what was going on, but it seemed like they always knew when Heather was sad. She was grateful for that and for them. They never betrayed her, and they never would. Pets really are part of the family.
She finally got up to start packing when Taylor walked through the door. She was happy to see him. Packing their life away just made her feel lonelier and it was nice to have a companion. The two of them ate their pizza and packed up their boxes in virtual silence. He knew Heather had been upset lately, and he wanted to be supportive of whatever she wanted to do. So when she approached him about moving back to Arizona, he happily complied. Taylor knew he didn't want to lose her again, and he'd do everything he could to make sure he didn't.
Sealing each one with tape and marking each box with the appropriate label – "Master Bedroom", "Guest Bedroom", "Office", "Kitchen", "Living Room", "Dining Room", "Basement" – Heather was flabbergasted at how much crap she's accumulated over the years. As the boxes were taped up and labeled, their apartment became emptier. She got lost in her thoughts once again, reminiscing about all of the memories she had in this apartment. Dance parties with her dancer friends, creating short films and funny webisodes with Ashley, Cinco de Mayo bar-be-ques with Naya...
...Naya. The one person she didn't want to think about right now.
Taylor shook her out of her thoughts. "Babe, what do you want to do with this box?" It was more of a rhetorical question. He slid the box over to her and let her look through it.
She started pulling out all of the Glee memorabilia that she's collected over the years. Her "I bet the duck's in the hat" shirt... The first Cheerios uniform she ever put on... Pictures of her with Britney Spears... The red latex suit she wore in the Britney episode... The cone bra she wore in the Madonna episode... More pictures of her with Julia Roberts when she unexpectedly visited the set... Her "I'm With Stoopid T-Shirt" from the Born This Way episode... More pictures of her with the cast – wrap parties, house parties, watch parties...
She started to tear up when she pulled out the picture of her and Naya cuddling on the red couch. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. Then another picture of them at their Halloween party. And then some candids that Kevin took of them on set filming Season 2. She felt like the wind got knocked out of her. She threw the pictures back in the box and stood up to get some fresh air.
"Where are you going?" Taylor asked her.
"I need air. Packing is really taking it out of me. Will you put those back in the box? We'll just store it in the basement. It's just a bunch of Glee set stuff."
"Sure. Are you sure you don't want company?" He really was trying.
"I'm sure. Thanks though. Love you, see you in a little bit," she said as she tried her best to hold back the sobs that were inevitably coming.
As soon as she walked out the door, Heather let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. She leaned back against the door and the tears started flowing. They were definitely unwelcome, but she couldn't control them. She didn't want to cry anymore. It felt like that's all she had been doing for the past 24 hours. She sat in front of the door for what felt like hours, but was really just a few minutes, and when the tears finally dried, she decided to go out and get that air she so desperately needed.
"Thanks Simon," she told the doorman as she walked out of the door to her building. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she needed to get out of the smothering apartment, away from anything that made her think of Naya, and away from the sadness that she felt when she thought about the fact that it was her last night in LA.
...Crap. It was her last night in LA. She should be doing something with her friends. She should be some place lost in the city. In a city filled with over 3 million people, Heather never felt more alone than she did in that moment.
She got into her car and started driving. She didn't know where she was going, but she headed toward the direction of some of her most favorite places in the city... like her favorite Mexican restaurant that she and the girls would go to for Margarita Monday. She always looked forward to Mondays, because she could forget about all of the crap and all of the drama. It was a night of no BS, just fun. She drove past the karaoke bar she and her castmates had gone to on countless occasions. Her go to karaoke song was "Under Pressure" by Queen. She smiled to herself for the first time in what felt like years. It's really the best song to dance to.
On her trip to nowhere, Heather caught a glimpse of the Hollywood Sign. Hiking to the Hollywood Sign was one of the first things she did when she moved to LA. She knew she couldn't hike it because it was getting too dark, but she started driving toward the trails anyway. There were some places she knew she could sit alone in her thoughts and enjoy the peaceful chaos of the city one last time.
When she parked at the trailhead she started walking. One of her favorite spots was a little bench that she passed when she did hike. Sometimes, when she was wanting to kill time, or needed someone to talk to, Heather would bring her friends up there to hang out. She took Taylor there when he first moved to LA. She, Brittany and Hannah used to get coffee and hang out there after Saturday morning workouts. She and Naya would go there when they wanted to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was exactly what she needed tonight.
After a while, of thinking, reminiscing and calming her thoughts, she decided it was time to head back to her house to help Taylor finish packing. She felt a little bit better. It seemed, at least for the moment, that she was at peace leaving LA. It's only a 6 hour drive. It's not like she's never going to be back to LA. She just needed some time to heal her broken heart.
When she finally got back to the apartment, Taylor was waiting for her. He was able to get everything packed and labeled in the hour that she was gone. Heather was so grateful. It took some pressure off her. All they had left to do was clean after the movers took everything out in the morning.
Heather suggested they go out with some friends for a last minute round of drinks. It was only 9pm, and it was their last night. So, Taylor called up a couple of his friends from work, but since he was fairly new to the city, most of his friends were really Heather's friends. Heather called up Hannah and Brittany, Jeremy and Mark, and obviously Ashley. Then she called Chord, Mark, Jenna and Vanessa and told them to come up. She didn't want to invite everyone from Glee, because not everyone was up to date on the reasons they were leaving, and the drama that came with it all. Plus, Heather was already so drained she didn't want to have to deal with it.
They all met up at a local dive bar near the apartment. She just wanted to go out with her friends tonight. She loved the doors that Glee had opened for her, but she didn't want to have to fend off fans asking questions about Brittany and Santana or questioning Taylor about things that he had no control of. This bar was a hole-in-the-wall. It was the perfect little safe haven for their group of friends.
After a couple of rounds and a few shots, Taylor stood up to give a speech.
I'm so happy that you all could join us tonight on our last night in LA. I'm so glad Heather has had such a strong support system to help her follow and accomplish her dreams for the last three years. I'm even happier to have...
Heather got lost in her thoughts for the millionth time tonight, as she watched her boyfriend thank all of their friends for coming out and celebrating their last night in town. She was excited that Taylor was starting this new chapter with her. She loved him, she really did. He was her best friend and he really cared about her. But there was just always something missing... He wasn't Naya.
Heather was once again shaken out of her thoughts...
There's no one I'd rather spend my life with, and I am so happy that to be sharing this moment with everyone we love. Heather Elizabeth Morris, will you marry me?