Post by rsafan on Mar 23, 2007 2:01:06 GMT -5
“Do you think this means they’re back together?” Chelsea asked Tory. They were sitting in Tory’s office, Chelsea had popped over as soon as she’d had a break, they hadn’t had much time to talk lately because Tory was always busy with work and Chelsea was now working full time at Titan since school was officially out for the summer. She’d turned down the offer from Billie to get out of town for a while in favour of supporting her sister, who seemed to all the world to not need it. But Chelsea knew what it was like to have your world collapse, it had happened to her more than once and while she’d survived, it hadn’t been without scares and it hadn’t been because she’d been betrayed by the person she’d chosen to spend the rest of her life with, that was more Shawn’s department than her own.
Victoria shrugged, taking a bite out of the sandwich Chelsea had brought with, she might’ve forgotten all about lunch otherwise, it wasn’t that uncommon these days. “They certainly looked to be back together, but Shawn said they hadn’t really talked much. I could’ve figured that one out myself,” she said, remembering what she’d walked in on, “I’m thinking they’re well on their way there though they do really need to talk, get through everything before they start again.”
“You’re right of course, they did have a really messed up relationship, when they weren’t all lovey-dovey. Sounds kinda familiar to me.”
“I do not need to be reminded of the monumental mistake I made in marrying THAT man, thank you very much.”
“I was referring to my own relationship with Nick.”
“Oh, have you spoken to him recently?”
Chelsea shook her head, “I’m trying to get over the fact that he slept with my grandmother. With my mom’s help, I’m getting there but I’m nowhere near ready to pick up where we left off.”
“Which was?” Victoria prompted.
“Too close to where Kate left off.”
“That serious?” Victoria asked, Chelsea only nodded. “Well, at least one of us is happy.”
Chelsea frowned at her sister, as far as she could tell, both their lives were in the dumps.
“Shawn.” Victoria reminded her, “Shawn’s life seems to be getting back on track.”
“Oh right, do you think they’re sleeping together already?” Chelsea asked curios as to how far Shawn and Mimi had gotten that day on the sofa.
“Who’s sleeping together?” Mimi asked from the doorway, she walked over to Victoria’s desk and picked up one of the cookies Chelsea had brought with her. “Those files you requested yesterday.” She explained, handing them to Victoria.
Victoria was marvelled at the excuses people manufactured to ensure she was doing okay. Yesterday her mother had popped in on the ruse that she’d thought they had a lunch date, her father came by the apartment to watch ‘the game’ regularly, even though the better television set was at his own home. The person who surprised her most though, was Carrie, she came over or called regularly and Victoria couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she would do that, till she figured that her dear cousin still kept in touch with her brother. She didn’t mind if Lucien was keeping an eye on her through his sister, as long as she didn’t have to see him herself. Shawn and her parents were the only ones who knew the real reason she’d moved out, everyone else just figured she’d finally come to her senses.
“So,” Mimi said biting into another biscuit, “who’s sleeping together?”
“Do you not have a job to get back to?” Chelsea asked.
“I could say the same about you.” Mimi shot back.
“Abby and Max.” Victoria said suddenly, “Chelsea was wondering if they were sleeping together, given their recent behaviour in public.” She was referring to them having been caught making out while they were supposed to have been babysitting Claire.
Mimi shook her head, “I don’t think so, otherwise they wouldn’t be making out in public so much. Sexual frustration, you don’t start something like that if you’re sleeping together unless you intend to finish it. Should I be worried about the two of you taking up your lunch time discussing your ex-boyfriend?”
“We were just curious.” Chelsea explained, “He certainly has a more active social life than either of us.”
Mimi shrugged, “I better get back.”
“Do you think she knew?” Chelsea asked as soon as Mimi closed the door behind her.
Victoria shrugged, “Not sure, she didn’t seem suspicious.”
“Max and Abby?” Chelsea asked laughing, “That was the best you could come up with?”
“Hey, I didn’t here you offering up any suggestions.”
Chelsea shook her head as she got up, she should be getting on too, “Still, I worry about you sometimes.”
“So what’s for dinner?” he asked, surprising Tory, who hadn’t heard him come in. She dropped the bowl she’d been using and it shattered as it hit the floor.
“Oh no!” she cried, “Look what you’ve made me do.”
“It’s only a bowl Tory.” Shawn said, bending down to pick up the bigger pieces of broken glass, “We can go out tomorrow and buy a new one.”
She shook her head, staring at the pieces, “No, you can’t just go out and find a replacement.”
“Of course we can, I’ll go first thing tomorrow. Buy an even better one, one that won’t break.” He reassured her as he started sweeping up the broken glass.
“I don’t want anything better, I want that one. I don’t want it to be broken.” she complained.
He spun around, annoyed, “God, what are you five? It’s a stupid bowl Victoria; there are a thousand just like it all around Salem. I’m pretty sure, there’s another one in the cupboard if you’d only bother to look.”
But she was backing away from him, hugging herself. She only stopped because the newly refurbished cabinets were in her way, “Is this what it feels like? To be used, to be broken? You didn’t tell me it would hurt so bad Shawn, you didn’t tell me about the pain.”
“Victoria?” Concerned, he walked to her as she dropped to the floor, tears coursing down her face.
It had finally happened, the d**n holding all the pent up feeling had burst and everything just came pouring out, “It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to have a ‘happily-ever-after’, after everything I deserve one. How could I have been so stupid as to think he loved me? After everything I’ve been through with Max I should have known that there were no happy endings. Why did I still believe Shawn? Why didn’t the message get through the first time around?”
“It’s human nature to hope. No matter how much life kicks you down, we always tend to get up again. Even the most jaded person still believes in love, deep down inside.”
“He had me fooled Shawn, I was totally taken in by him. He could’ve asked me to jump off a building and I would’ve done it. I threatened my family because they thought he as no good and they were right. They were so right Shawn and…Oh God, what have I done? How did my life become such a huge mess, such a massive lie? I can’t believe I trusted him, I can’t believe he was lying all the time. And the scariest thing is, despite knowing what he’s done, I still love him.”
Shawn took his sister’s face in his hands and smiled down at her, “That’s okay. You can draw strength from it; you can draw strength from knowing that even with the betrayal, even with everything he’s done to you, you’re still capable of loving someone.”
“I just wish it wasn’t him.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
“Make it stop Shawn,” she begged him, “make the pain and the emptiness stop. Tell me how to do that, tell me how to make it better, tell me that it will get better, tell me something, anything.”
“I wish I knew, for the both of us. I don’t know how to stop the pain, I don’t even know if it ever goes away. I do know that you simply learn to live with it.”
“You can’t live with a hole in your heart.”
“Sure you can,” he said, speaking from experience, “I’ve been doing it for a long time. All you have to do is pretend its whole and hopefully one day you’ll wake up and find you’re no longer pretending.”
“That’s no comfort. How am I supposed to go on knowing that it’s never going to stop? That in trusting the wrong person, I can no longer trust myself? Because that’s what he’s done to me Shawn, he took away my ability to trust.”
“No!” Shawn stated adamantly, “His mission was to get you to trust him, that doesn’t make you a fool; it simply makes him good at what he does. But you’ve seen him for what he is and you won’t be fooled again.”
Victoria nodded, her crying jag might’ve been over but it hadn’t helped any. All those people who told you to cry, that it’d make you feel better, they didn’t know what they were talking about. All she felt was empty, empty and hopelessly tired, “I think I’ll go and lie down for a while.” She said as Shawn helped her up.
“You do that, I’ll just clean up here.” He watched his sister walk to Mimi’s old room, and slammed his fist down on the counter. He heard the glass shattering but didn’t register the pain till he looked down, he’d slammed his fist right into the pieces he’d picked up, his hand might need stitches, but his face broke into a smile. Looking at the glass, imagining it was Lucien Dimera’s face, gave him great satisfaction.
Victoria shrugged, taking a bite out of the sandwich Chelsea had brought with, she might’ve forgotten all about lunch otherwise, it wasn’t that uncommon these days. “They certainly looked to be back together, but Shawn said they hadn’t really talked much. I could’ve figured that one out myself,” she said, remembering what she’d walked in on, “I’m thinking they’re well on their way there though they do really need to talk, get through everything before they start again.”
“You’re right of course, they did have a really messed up relationship, when they weren’t all lovey-dovey. Sounds kinda familiar to me.”
“I do not need to be reminded of the monumental mistake I made in marrying THAT man, thank you very much.”
“I was referring to my own relationship with Nick.”
“Oh, have you spoken to him recently?”
Chelsea shook her head, “I’m trying to get over the fact that he slept with my grandmother. With my mom’s help, I’m getting there but I’m nowhere near ready to pick up where we left off.”
“Which was?” Victoria prompted.
“Too close to where Kate left off.”
“That serious?” Victoria asked, Chelsea only nodded. “Well, at least one of us is happy.”
Chelsea frowned at her sister, as far as she could tell, both their lives were in the dumps.
“Shawn.” Victoria reminded her, “Shawn’s life seems to be getting back on track.”
“Oh right, do you think they’re sleeping together already?” Chelsea asked curios as to how far Shawn and Mimi had gotten that day on the sofa.
“Who’s sleeping together?” Mimi asked from the doorway, she walked over to Victoria’s desk and picked up one of the cookies Chelsea had brought with her. “Those files you requested yesterday.” She explained, handing them to Victoria.
Victoria was marvelled at the excuses people manufactured to ensure she was doing okay. Yesterday her mother had popped in on the ruse that she’d thought they had a lunch date, her father came by the apartment to watch ‘the game’ regularly, even though the better television set was at his own home. The person who surprised her most though, was Carrie, she came over or called regularly and Victoria couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she would do that, till she figured that her dear cousin still kept in touch with her brother. She didn’t mind if Lucien was keeping an eye on her through his sister, as long as she didn’t have to see him herself. Shawn and her parents were the only ones who knew the real reason she’d moved out, everyone else just figured she’d finally come to her senses.
“So,” Mimi said biting into another biscuit, “who’s sleeping together?”
“Do you not have a job to get back to?” Chelsea asked.
“I could say the same about you.” Mimi shot back.
“Abby and Max.” Victoria said suddenly, “Chelsea was wondering if they were sleeping together, given their recent behaviour in public.” She was referring to them having been caught making out while they were supposed to have been babysitting Claire.
Mimi shook her head, “I don’t think so, otherwise they wouldn’t be making out in public so much. Sexual frustration, you don’t start something like that if you’re sleeping together unless you intend to finish it. Should I be worried about the two of you taking up your lunch time discussing your ex-boyfriend?”
“We were just curious.” Chelsea explained, “He certainly has a more active social life than either of us.”
Mimi shrugged, “I better get back.”
“Do you think she knew?” Chelsea asked as soon as Mimi closed the door behind her.
Victoria shrugged, “Not sure, she didn’t seem suspicious.”
“Max and Abby?” Chelsea asked laughing, “That was the best you could come up with?”
“Hey, I didn’t here you offering up any suggestions.”
Chelsea shook her head as she got up, she should be getting on too, “Still, I worry about you sometimes.”
*****
When Shawn got home from his meeting with Victor at Titan, he was greeted by the heavenly smell of home cooked food. In the few weeks Victoria had been staying there, he’d gotten real used to home cooked meals and fresh linen, clean towels and an all around spotless apartment, he loved having a woman around, even if it was only his sister. “So what’s for dinner?” he asked, surprising Tory, who hadn’t heard him come in. She dropped the bowl she’d been using and it shattered as it hit the floor.
“Oh no!” she cried, “Look what you’ve made me do.”
“It’s only a bowl Tory.” Shawn said, bending down to pick up the bigger pieces of broken glass, “We can go out tomorrow and buy a new one.”
She shook her head, staring at the pieces, “No, you can’t just go out and find a replacement.”
“Of course we can, I’ll go first thing tomorrow. Buy an even better one, one that won’t break.” He reassured her as he started sweeping up the broken glass.
“I don’t want anything better, I want that one. I don’t want it to be broken.” she complained.
He spun around, annoyed, “God, what are you five? It’s a stupid bowl Victoria; there are a thousand just like it all around Salem. I’m pretty sure, there’s another one in the cupboard if you’d only bother to look.”
But she was backing away from him, hugging herself. She only stopped because the newly refurbished cabinets were in her way, “Is this what it feels like? To be used, to be broken? You didn’t tell me it would hurt so bad Shawn, you didn’t tell me about the pain.”
“Victoria?” Concerned, he walked to her as she dropped to the floor, tears coursing down her face.
It had finally happened, the d**n holding all the pent up feeling had burst and everything just came pouring out, “It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to have a ‘happily-ever-after’, after everything I deserve one. How could I have been so stupid as to think he loved me? After everything I’ve been through with Max I should have known that there were no happy endings. Why did I still believe Shawn? Why didn’t the message get through the first time around?”
“It’s human nature to hope. No matter how much life kicks you down, we always tend to get up again. Even the most jaded person still believes in love, deep down inside.”
“He had me fooled Shawn, I was totally taken in by him. He could’ve asked me to jump off a building and I would’ve done it. I threatened my family because they thought he as no good and they were right. They were so right Shawn and…Oh God, what have I done? How did my life become such a huge mess, such a massive lie? I can’t believe I trusted him, I can’t believe he was lying all the time. And the scariest thing is, despite knowing what he’s done, I still love him.”
Shawn took his sister’s face in his hands and smiled down at her, “That’s okay. You can draw strength from it; you can draw strength from knowing that even with the betrayal, even with everything he’s done to you, you’re still capable of loving someone.”
“I just wish it wasn’t him.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
“Make it stop Shawn,” she begged him, “make the pain and the emptiness stop. Tell me how to do that, tell me how to make it better, tell me that it will get better, tell me something, anything.”
“I wish I knew, for the both of us. I don’t know how to stop the pain, I don’t even know if it ever goes away. I do know that you simply learn to live with it.”
“You can’t live with a hole in your heart.”
“Sure you can,” he said, speaking from experience, “I’ve been doing it for a long time. All you have to do is pretend its whole and hopefully one day you’ll wake up and find you’re no longer pretending.”
“That’s no comfort. How am I supposed to go on knowing that it’s never going to stop? That in trusting the wrong person, I can no longer trust myself? Because that’s what he’s done to me Shawn, he took away my ability to trust.”
“No!” Shawn stated adamantly, “His mission was to get you to trust him, that doesn’t make you a fool; it simply makes him good at what he does. But you’ve seen him for what he is and you won’t be fooled again.”
Victoria nodded, her crying jag might’ve been over but it hadn’t helped any. All those people who told you to cry, that it’d make you feel better, they didn’t know what they were talking about. All she felt was empty, empty and hopelessly tired, “I think I’ll go and lie down for a while.” She said as Shawn helped her up.
“You do that, I’ll just clean up here.” He watched his sister walk to Mimi’s old room, and slammed his fist down on the counter. He heard the glass shattering but didn’t register the pain till he looked down, he’d slammed his fist right into the pieces he’d picked up, his hand might need stitches, but his face broke into a smile. Looking at the glass, imagining it was Lucien Dimera’s face, gave him great satisfaction.
