#choicesfic

"Kiss me."

Bea nearly choked on hearing those words from Poppy, who had not once turned or spoken in her direction since the beginning of the film. Now illuminated by the glow of the giant projector and with a dreamy expression on her face, she could easily command her to jump into the abyss and she would do so with pleasure.

"Yes, Princess," she replied, taking her face in her hands and greedily began to kiss her lips.

Princess? How long has it been since he called you that?

Ignoring the voice in the back of her head, Poppy gave herself fully to the magic of the kiss. Her face quickly began to burn as the other girl's curious hands began a slow roaming of her body, never crossing boundaries she didn't want to. Bea had always respected her, even if calling each other names was on their daily agenda.

The windows of Bea's car began to slowly steam up as the heat between them began to turn into a pure flame of desire, and Poppy's quiet whimpers echoed through the small space of the vehicle, turning Bea on even more. The blonde made herself as comfortable as she could in her seat and slid her hands into the girl's thick hair, which was begging for it.

Bea purred approvingly as she felt Poppy gently massage her scalp as she gave herself over to the skin of her neck. With her mouth, she felt the blonde's pulse quicken, just like her own, and if it weren't for her ribcage, her heart could have easily jumped for a walk.

Harder...

Poppy's body began to grow impatient as Bea made no further move, but continued to caress every easily accessible parts of her body with care. Otherwise she would have let her do it, but the thoughts swirling in the back of her head were starting to overwhelm her.

Make her punish you. Let her do what you deserve.

The blonde tightened the hands she held in Bea's hair, only for the girl to hiss and look at her questioningly. The blood-red blushing Poppy didn't even look at her, just to the side panting heavily, though the brunette didn't really do anything to that effect.

She could feel her adoring gaze on her.

Look at her Poppy. She's so vulnerable, so susceptible to your charm and grace, she doesn't even expect what a broken person you are inside.

T-that's not true.

No? And how many times did you hurt her before you agreed to go on that date with her? How many people have you hurt to realize that somewhere in your rotten depths you can feel something warm?

"Stop it," Poppy whispered unknowingly, but Bea, absorbed in trying to show how much she adored her, didn't even hear it.

You will hurt her. You WILL destroy her.

No, no, stop...

Just like you destroyed your family.

"Stop it! Just stop!" Poppy's body shuddered, tears hiding behind her eyelids that shouldn't have been there. Bea jumped away from her like she was on fire, pure terror mixed with shock on her face. She had no idea what had happened, but Poppy herself looked like someone who didn't know what was going on either.

"Jesus Christ Pops, I'm sorry!" Bea nervously began to adjust Poppy's clothing handling her like an egg so that the blonde wouldn't take it as any attempt to continue their little game. The brunette fingers trembled as she tried to fasten the buttons of her blouse.

Can't you see it? She hasn't even done anything wrong, yet she's the one apologizing to you because YOU are emotionally unstable. She is perfect, too perfect for someone as damaged as you. It's not her who doesn't deserve you Queen Bee, it's you who doesn't deserve her.

"Would you just shut up!"

Poppy was already almost panting from the strange fury bubbling up inside her that she could no longer contain within herself. Her scream was so loud that several people in the cars next to her turned toward them and began watching with interest. The blonde didn't even pay attention, her gaze still fixed on the brunette, whose face was full of so many mixed feelings that it was hard to determine what was really in her head.

The blonde sighed, letting half of the unnecessary rage float away and began to see more soberly with her eyes. What she began to notice was not at all to her liking, the pain she saw on the other's face was far more unbearable than the voice sitting in her head.

"Bea I..."

"It doesn't matter," escaped the brunette briefly. Turning around in her seat, she turned the key in the ignition as if nothing ever happened. "I'll take you home."

Poppy dug her long nails into her hand.

She always did this when she was mad at herself. However, now she was quickly losing control. Her brow furrowed as she stared blankly at the road in front of them, and her grip tightened, her nails slowly beginning to cut through her skin. Her breathing became labored, she knew another panic attack was coming. She clenched her jaw, feeling her body begin to tremble.

When she opened her eyes again, she no longer saw the road, but that cursed corridor from which it all began. Whenever she walked along it, it somehow magically got longer, only painfully delaying what was at the end. Instinctively, she looked to the side, towards the wall on which the pictures were hanging, and again she felt as if she were that little helpless girl from many years ago.

"Mommy?" her frightened voice echoed down the hallway as she again heard the thunder coming from outside, where a powerful storm was raging. Clutching her beloved teddy bear more tightly in her hands, she hurried toward the ajar door, from which raised voices began to ring out.

Before she could get there, her dad came out of the room looking shaken. He walked slowly to his daughter and squatted down, ruffling her hair. Poppy, however, did not return the smile when she saw tears in her dad's eyes.

"Remember I will always love you my little princess," were the last words she heard from him that day, the next and many more to come, because as he rose from his knees and grabbed the handle of the front door, his silhouette dissolved into a heavy wall of rain disappearing from her life once and for all.

Shortly after he disappeared, her drunken mother darted out of the room and ran towards the front door on wobbly legs. Instead of opening it, she simply banged on it violently and began sobbing, even louder than the raging thunder. "Art you coward!" her mother screamed towards the door, hitting it with an open fist every now and then. Poppy didn't even have to get close to her to smell the stench of strong alcohol. "You fucking coward..."

"M-mommy?" she said horrified at the state her mother was in. She immediately regretted it when her mother's glowing fury gaze fell on her and she started walking towards her. Poppy hugged her teddy bear tightly, trying to draw any comfort from it, and closed her eyes.

It didn't take Ana long to reach her daughter. She grabbed her firmly by the arm and began shrugging, out of control of her emotions. "This is all your fault," her screams were more terrible than the storm outside, her breath nearly parching Poppy's nostrils, who instinctively turned away from her mother. "You destroyed this family."

You were still so young, you couldn't understand that it was never your fault.

She drew in air heavily as she felt Bea's hand slip into her own, loosening it. It felt like ages had passed, but in fact her mind had locked her into the past for only a few minutes. With a scowl, she looked towards the brunette, who thankfully had her eyes on the road the whole time, her thumb gently caressing the skin of her palm.

The rest of the journey passed in pleasant silence, if that' s the way to put it. Poppy leaned against the window, mindlessly watching the trees fly by, and Bea kept a hand on her palm whenever she could, non-invasively trying to reassure her. In no time, Poppy was sitting on the couch at Bea's house, who had left her alone with herself for a while.

The blonde looked around the room, a little uneasy as she'd been here a few times before but had never paid attention to the scenery. She usually didn't have time for that when all she was thinking about was how much she wanted the brunette's touch on her.

"-- Sinclair is out, there is no option for her to stay here tonight."

A familiar voice reached her ears. She wasn't surprised that Zoey wasn't happy about her presence. The very fact that she had let her on her property was quite a surprise to her. She rose from the couch and wandered into the room where the two girls were discussing.

"Excuse me Bea, but Chlo called, there's some sort of accident at the sorority house and I need to get back. Thanks for today."

Lying is your second nature, but doing it in good faith? Impressive...

"I never expected to live the day when I'd hear a thank you from Sinclair," Zoey muttered, and despite her hostility, a spark of respect flashed in her eyes. "However, that doesn't change the fact that you're not welcome here, and I won't hide that," the girl crossed her arms over her chest looking down on Poppy.

"Sure, fine, I understand," she didn't have the strength to argue, besides deep down she knew the girl was right about that. "I'll go now."

"I can give you a ride!" Bea jumped in front of her briskly like a Golden Retriever pup, earning only a snort from Zoey, but Poppy just shook her head with a weak smile.

Before she left she rose on her tiptoes and placed one of the softest kisses of her life on Bea's cheek. Her lips stayed there for a moment longer than they should have, but Zoey's exaggerated grunt brought her back to gray reality. She left the building without looking back.

The night was chilly, so with every gust of wind Poppy covered herself tighter with the jacket Bea had wrapped her in when she wasn't even paying attention. Walking alone along the trees, she had the feeling that something was watching her and was about to jump out of the bushes at her in any moment. She quickened her step when she heard a rustle coming from around the corner.

She almost screamed when, to her terror, an actually tall figure emerged from the darkness. she cursed herself and Chlo in her mind for every horror she had made her watch. To her surprise, however, horror turned to confusion.

"Hello my little princess."

That voice...

As if summoned by the thought, Mona walked through the door, hands dirty from fiddling in the garage. “We’ll get a few more miles out of her,” she said, wiping her hands on a rag before tucking it in her back pocket.

Ellie smiled, catching her eye. “We’ve already gotten far more than we should’ve, thanks to you.”

Mona’s neck turned the slightest shade of red before she covered it with her hand, rubbing awkwardly. “Just doing my part,” she mumbled. She leaned over, looking at the swaddled baby in Ellie’s arms.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” she said lightly, in awe of the miracle they’d created. She opened her mouth to speak again when a loud blaring interrupted the moment.

Ellie opened her eyes, flailing to turn off the alarm. The room seemed darker than normal, coming out of the dream. Just a dream.

Alarm snoozed, she curled her arms around herself, taking a deep breath.

Happy, she thought, squeezing her eyes tight. I’m happy. I’m with the woman I love, doing what I love. That is enough. This is enough.

She hated herself for where her mind wandered in the night. She hated herself for the minutes that passed while she reminded herself how lucky she was, how happy she was. She hated every second that she didn’t believe the words.

“El?” Mona called from the other room. “You up?”

She blinked back the tears, steadying herself. “Working on it,” she answered lightly, adding a grumble at the end. She never understood how Mona was such a morning person.

Mona poked her head in, her brown eyes roaming over Ellie’s body. “Get a move on,” she said, lingering a little too long in the door.

“Sure that’s what you want?” asked Ellie with a wink.

Mona chuckled. “We’ve got to get to the shop.”

And that was that. Ellie pulled herself from bed, dressing quickly and darting out the door.

---

Mona took a deep breath. Nothing made her feel more at home these days than car grease tinged with gasoline. She looked around the shop, a lion surveying its domain. Ellie had made a beeline for the office, mumbling something about paperwork. She handled the business of it all, leaving Mona to the cars. With Ellie’s business sense and her...obsession...they were well on their way to being a premier import dealership in the area.

On their way, being the key phrase. It hadn’t been easy-going. El did her time in college and Mona served hers. They had a late start, and they’d put every dollar they had into growing this business.

They were happy, though. She wasn’t one for words or feelings, but Ellie...Ellie turned it all around for her. She made her something...someone. 

“Hey boss!” Mona shook her head, returning to the hustle and bustle of the shop.

---

Ellie focused on the work. It always gave her some feeling of purpose. She was happy. That was the most frustrating part of all of it. She loved Mona, she loved their life. It was her decision not to...not to conceive. 

She paused, taking a deep breath. This is stupid. Get yourself together, Ellie. But it wasn’t that simple. These things never were, were they? Her body yearned for a baby, her own baby. It was in her DNA. It was something she’d dreamed about since she was small.

And now she was old. Old, and in love, and all she wanted was to put more love into the world. She remembered that little girl from her dream. She had Mona’s eyes, her dark hair. A real heartbreaker. 

But that wasn’t reality, of course. They couldn’t just...make a baby. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much. Even if she could carry, the baby wouldn’t be theirs. Not biologically. And she knew, of course she knew that that didn’t really matter.

And then there was the cost. They couldn’t afford it, even if they were in agreement, even if they both wanted it. 

She wasn’t sure when the tears began, but she wiped them from her face quickly when she heard a rap at the door.

“Hey, El, I--” Mona cut off as she caught sight of Ellie’s tear-stained face. “El?”

“Hey, baby,” Ellie said, dropping her gaze to the stack of papers on the desk. “I was just about to start the invoices. What did you need?”

Mona crossed the room in two steps, towering beside Ellie. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m--”

“El,” she said quietly, kneeling before her. “You’re crying.” Mona wiped a tear from her cheek, her calloused thumb so gentle as it grazed her skin.

“I--I can’t…” Ellie murmured. She knew if she told Mona she’d blame herself. She couldn’t put that on her. But it hurt, holding it in. No one would understand. It’s not like she was physically unable to conceive. It was...it was her choice, right? She chose Mona, she chose the business. She chose this life.

“Ellie.” Mona’s voice was firm as she squeezed Ellie’s hand. “This is not how we do things. Talk to me.”

---

Love has a way of warping us. If we’re lucky, it’s for the best. But sometimes it’s not. Sometimes, it derails everything. Mona knew that pain too well. Like a cement block tied to your feet, dragging you down when all you want to do is tread water.

She tried to hide the tremor in her hand as she kneeled on the dirty floor, eyes locked on Ellie. Before she even spoke, she could feel it in her bones. These tears, they were about her...about them. Her head swam, heart thundering. We’re happy, she thought, overanalyzing every interaction, everything she’d done, everything she hadn’t. I thought we were happy.

“Ellie.” The word came like a lifeline, the only thing tethering her to the scene before her.

“I’m sorry,” Ellie whimpered. “This is so stupid.”

Mona had been shot. She’d been betrayed. She’d experienced every kind of pain imaginable. But nothing like the way her heart tore right now, watching Ellie, hearing Ellie’s pain.

“No,” she said, forcing the air into her lungs. “Your feelings are not stupid. Please, El, tell me.”

---

Ellie couldn’t stop the tears, now. She was angry with herself, angry for letting it get to her, angry for letting Mona see. She took a breath, meeting Mona’s eyes. She could sense her fear, and she knew she didn’t have a choice. Not anymore.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she began, trying to find some explanation for the intensity of her emotions. “I guess I’m just tired and emotional, I guess that’s why I’m such a mess.”

“What’s got you so upset?” Mona asked, not letting her off the hook.

“I’ve been dreaming,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been dreaming about having a baby. Yours, and mine. Ours. It...it’s part of each of us, and...she’s so beautiful, and...I know…”

She cut off, taking a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. “I know that we agreed. I know that I agreed, that I changed my mind. But I...I can’t help feeling like I’m missing out on something.”

Mona was quiet, eyes on Ellie. It was true, they’d agreed. They’d agreed to put the business first...the business Mona wanted. They’d agreed not to have a child of their own. A child that Ellie had always wanted to carry and Mona wasn’t even sure she wanted.

“We can adopt,” Mona started carefully. “Like we talked about. Older kids, the ones that need love and safety.”

“Yea,” Ellie said softly. “I know.”

---

This is out of left field, Mona thought. But the more she thought about it, she realized that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t, not for Ellie. Ellie, who’d dreamed of carrying a child, who’d dreamed of giving birth and being a mom.

Mona never really wanted kids. Not after everything she’d been through, everything she’d done. She didn’t need to ruin another human. She just needed to stay as far away from influencing anyone’s life as possible. She was too broken, too utterly damaged to be a parent.

But with Ellie...she’d opened her mind to the possibility. But then Ellie said she wasn’t sure if she wanted it, anymore. And then they started the business, and years had passed, and now...now it was barely an option.

“I’m sorry,” she said, unable to meet Ellie’s eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

It was all she could say. She always had a solution, a way to fix things, a way to make them better. But she couldn’t fix this. She couldn’t turn back time. She couldn’t change biology. She couldn’t magically acquire thousands of dollars for one shot...a long shot, with Ellie’s age.

“Me either,” Ellie whispered.

The air was heavy between them. Mona stood, wrapping her arm around Ellie’s shoulders. 

“Why don’t we take off?” Mona asked, gently. “Go home early, maybe go for a ride?”

It was a band-aid, at best. She knew that. It wasn’t an easy thing, mourning something you’d never had...someone you’d never know. As she held Ellie’s hand and led her out of the garage, she felt the sadness she carried with her. She even felt some sadness herself. She hadn’t wanted a child, but to see how badly Ellie did...it felt like something had been ripped away from them before they’d even had the chance to decide they wanted it.

It had been one of the love songs on their wedding soundtrack but it had resonated so much with them through their years together that it had pretty much become their own theme song. And on quiet nights like this, with just the stars as their companion and the song playing from Sloane’s phone, it proved to him that perfection sometimes did exist.

The lyrics to the song seemed tailored to his relationship with Sloane, having met her when they were just eighteen. He was reminded of how he had let her go in his confusion about his role in life. The mess with Becca, football and his studies seemed to have blinded him from his feelings for Sloane. When they got back together, Chris vowed to never let her go. She became his constant, proving to him time and again that her strength and conviction was the reason why he strived to be his best self. With her, he found the confidence to stay true to his term as president for as long as possible, he realised his true potential as a captain of his football team and still found the time to graduate from college in spite of his football scholarship.

They had their fights and it sometimes got so ugly that they wouldn’t talk for days but somehow, they always found their way back because they both knew their relationship was worth a lot more than their pride.

When they got married, Chris honestly thought she couldn’t look any more beautiful than when she was in her wedding dress. Until she was about to give birth to their daughter. She kept complaining she looked like a circus tent or a desolate wasteland with her hair stuck to her sweaty face and bags under her eyes, but Chris just thought she looked nothing short of a miracle.

As the song progressed, Chris felt Sloane’s arm tighten around his waist and something wet fell on his neck. He pulled away and looked down at Sloane, finding tears running down her cheeks. Cupping them in both his hands, Chris tried to soothe her enough for her to tell him what was wrong. She just smiled and shook her head, letting her tears run as she looked up into his eyes.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, tasting the salty tears but deepening the kiss anyway. He buried all his emotions for her in the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her emotions find home in the kiss too.

When they parted, Chris found himself tearing up as well and he laughed lightly. “What did I do to deserve you?” He asked, looking into her warm brown eyes. His thumbs brushed away her tears and he gave her a brief and gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling her back into his arms.

As the song ended, Chris closed his eyes and sang along to the last line.

Ch.1 Stranger Danger

Poppy Min Sinclair had to arch her slender neck to see her reflection from over the shoulder of Chloe, who had been testing her new artistic vision on her for a good few minutes. For some time now, Poppy had become a canvas for Chloe's magical hands as she tried her luck at running a beauty salon, along with Veronica, who was doing her best advertising.

"What do you think V?"

Veronica tore her gaze away from her phone and looked towards Poppy wrinkling her nose slightly. She usually did that when she was seriously considering something. "As far as I'm concerned she could use some plastic surgery."

"Asshole," Poppy laughed hurling a pillow at her friend, which missed and knocked over a decorative vase standing nearby. Three girls looked in that direction and soon the three of them burst out laughing loudly, curling up on the floor.

"Enough, enough!", Chloe began to shout when she noticed that Poppy wanted to wipe her eyes from crying, and she caught her hands, looking at her with a chastising gaze. She wouldn't let her hard work be destroyed so easily. Poppy rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face remained constant as she silently teased the shorter girl along with Veronica. "Why am I hanging out with you guys..."

"You love us," whined Veronica hugging a reddened Chloe with one arm, who lowered her gaze quickly to her hands nervously playing with the hem of her skirt.

Poppy made the sound of displeasure she made whenever the two girls started acting too cute. She was glad for their happiness, but deep down she felt an incredible jealousy, because she herself would like to share her life with someone too.

The couple sort of understood the blonde, pulled away from each other and looked at her docilely.

"Don't worry Poppy, I'm sure you'll meet someone at the party tonight. From what I heard Zoey invited some cutie from the old days...", Chloe smiled as she tried to convey positive energy with her words. "Besides, you're wearing my makeup, no one will be able to resist you!"

"Cutie you say..."

Ch.2 Party Fever

She was the most beautiful girl in the whole room.

No.

She was the most beautiful girl in the entire world.

Bea watched from a dark corner of the room as Poppy twirled effortlessly to the beat of the music, attracting the stares of drooling people with her movements. Her tiny skirt didn't leave much to the imagination either, but that was Poppy Min Sinclair's style; if she wasn't the main attraction, what was the point of her presence?

"You're acting like a creep," she was snapped out of her observation by Zoey who magically appeared next to her, making her almost gasp.

"You should have some kind of bell around your neck, Wade," Bea rolled her eyes at her friend's laughter.

"Wow, she has nice ass... Ets, yeah, nice assets," Zoey smiled innocently seeing her friend's murderous gaze. "You'd better come over to her eventually,"

Her gaze went back to the dancing blonde. "It's been five years, what should I say to her?"

"Maybe something like; Heya Pops I already have money, maybe you want to come with me for a little Macarena?", the black-haired squirmed as Bea's fist landed right in her stomach, almost knocking the air out of her lungs. The slight pain she felt didn't stop her from laughing at the tomato-like look that appeared on her friend's face. "Come on babe, she's at the bar now, this is your opportunity."

Bea nodded and straightened up, ready to attack. "You finally said something with sense."

Ch.3 Deja-vu

"One Old Fashioned and Sex On The Beach."

Poppy turned behind her with a ready biting remark, but her voice froze in her throat when she saw the person standing behind her. And it was none other than Bea Hughes herself, her first drink, crush, kiss, sex, love, but also her first heartbreak. She stood before her as casually as if those five years of separation between them had never existed. Her short brown hair, now shoulder-length, was whiter than snow itself. Her childlike facial features had sharpened and she could see tiny wrinkles appearing from the overworked late nights. Her style had also changed, from boyishly sporty and bad girl to formal and important. She looked like a millionaire ripped straight from the cover of Forbes. She no longer resembled the person she once was.

"You remembered what I drink," the blonde choked out as the first wave of shock left her and the lump in her throat loosened. Talking to her seemed so unreal that she felt like she had lost consciousness and was now dreaming.

Bea smiled in response, though it was more of a tired smile than the beaming howl with which she had greeted Poppy daily in their school years. "There are some things that are hard to forget Pops," the white-haired girl shrugged her shoulders sheepishly as she slid the hundred across the counter towards the bartender, who with renewed vigor reached over and ran to prepare the drinks, nearly tipping over his own feet.

"Feeling generous tonight?", Poppy chuckled as she watched Bea tuck a rather thick bundle of bills into her pocket. In their teenage years, the white-haired girl had barely been able to make ends meet, but Poppy had always admired her ability to live from day to day and enjoy herself, even when an eviction order from her home hung over her head.

Bea laughed a throaty laugh that sounded almost like a cough. She nodded and tilted her head to one side, the way she did every time she got into a thoughtful mood. "There's nothing wrong with supporting the littles." Poppy's insides tightened to ask where she'd gotten all that money, but by some miracle her strong will managed to curb the urge and nip it in the bud. That would be tactless, and lack of tact is a trait that should not be associated with Min Sinclair.

"You can ask me anything you want," Bea looked her straight in the eye, making Poppy stop seeing anyone else but her. It was as if she had cast a spell on her and moved them far away, enclosing them in a safe bubble illusion. Even the music became just a distant rumble as the white-haired woman looked at her that way. The same way she had looked at her five years ago.

"I don't understand," the blonde cursed herself when she heard her own words, which sounded more idiotic than some of Chloe's wisdom. Bea seemed unmoved, by her clumsy attempt at pretending, in fact, a cocky grin appeared on her lips that she, oh so much, felt like tearing off now.

" Don't play games Poppy, we're not kids anymore," Bea reached for the drinks that had finally been brought in and handed one to Poppy, completely casually, fingertips brushing against the skin of her palm. "Drink up, it'll help you relax, and I know you have a lot of questions."

The blonde lowered her gaze to the drink and took a moment to look at the colors that danced on the surface of her liquor. How was Bea able to read her like an open book after all these years. Everyone said she had changed, but could it be that the change wasn't so great after all? And why was she always questioning herself in her company?

She was pulled out of her reverie by Bea, who unnoticeably slipped her finger under her chin and lifted her face so that they were looking at each other again. This time, however, she was closer, much, much closer. Poppy could without much difficulty smell the expensive perfume that didn't match the Bea of her memories, but did match the woman who sat before her. Just as in years past, Bea's thumb involuntarily stroked her cheek.

For a brief moment, the blonde let her selfish thoughts consume her and savor the touch, but it didn't last as long as she wanted it to. "N-no," she whispered and using all of her strong willpower she moved a safe distance away from the white-haired woman, who didn't object to her reaction. "I can't do it like this," she said as she walked away, escaping as quickly as possible from this cursed place, from this cursed past.

Ch.4 When It Rains, It Pours

When she left the building, it was already dark and chilly outside, and a light rain was drizzling from the heavy clouds hanging in the sky. At this point, however, she didn't care about ruining her expensive and designer clothes and makeup that Chloe had sat on for dozens of minutes. She needed to get some fresh air, cool down, and let her thoughts flow.

Why had she come back just now? Now that Poppy had put her life back together, without her and without thoughts of her.

"Sinclair!"

"You've got to be kidding me," she snorted under her breath hearing Bea's loud voice behind her, who as usual wasn't giving up. At least that hadn't changed. "What do you want Farmsville?"

Bea squirmed at that old nickname, but quickly imposed a stoic expression on her face and shoved her hands into her pockets. Even in this gentle rain and illuminated only by the slightly penetrating moonlight, she continued to look like a goddess, which annoyed Poppy immensely.

"You ran out so suddenly, I thought something happened and I thought..."

"Oooh now you thought?" snapped the blonde, who nervously shifted from foot to foot, almost ready to throw herself at the white-haired woman's throat. Years of pent up rage bubbled through her veins, making her skin almost burn with living fire. "Forgive my surprise, but I would never judge Bea Hughes for her ability to think!"

The white-haired woman watched her in silent contemplation, answering nothing. Her silence irritated the blonde a hundred times more than anything she could say. The atmosphere between them was becoming strained to the limit and all it took was one wrong move, one misspoken word, and the catastrophe was certain. The rain intensifying around them wasn't helping either.

"I don't understand what happened. We were talking calmly like we used to, and suddenly you run out and do one of your tantrums..."

"Ha! Like we used to...," she interrupted her again in mid-sentence, mimicking her and almost bursting into maniacal laughter, but her mood had nothing to do with amusement. "I guess you've already forgotten that you left me for five whole years and now you're back and you expect us to talk like old friends?", her voice wavered between anger and tears. "Someone paid you to come back here? That's where you got the money from, right? You were hired to get revenge on me..."

"What," the astonishment in Bea's voice was almost palpable as she stared at the blonde shaking with anger with her eyes wide open. It was Poppy's nature to explode and make arguments for any reason, but what she was saying now sounded irrational, even for her. "I'm the CEO of my uncle's company, that's where I get my money from," she corrected.

"What," this time it was Poppy's turn to be surprised and her face even softened. "What do you mean, what about your dreams of becoming a music star?"

Bea scratched the back of her neck nervously and lifted her face up, letting the raindrops wash her face of any negativity that had accumulated. When she felt ready enough not to explode, she looked back at the blonde and sighed, her face looking more tired than before. "Those were childhood daydreams. A music career would never make me the kind of money an accounting firm would."

"Childish daydreams? You spent your first earned money on a guitar and an amplifier, how can you call that childish daydreams...", the concern in Poppy's voice was sincere, probably one of the more sincere feelings she had felt in recent times.

"I needed real options and real money," Bea replied dryly, ignoring any emotion from the blonde, who was looking at her with a worried expression on her face.

"What for? Why did you need the money?" she asked, not yet knowing that she would light the fuse from the bomb with that question.

"What for? Is that really what you're asking?", Bea's so far calm expression bent into unnatural anger, her eyes misting over from the emotions gripping her. "And isn't that what you wanted? A girl who can fulfill your every whim, with a stable life, a job and a mountain of money?", a realization and simultaneous remorse appeared on Poppy's face, but it did not satisfy Bea. "Yes Poppy, I heard your conversation with Veronica the other night when you thought I was sleeping."

Poppy blinked several times, unable to formulate a response. She replayed that conversation in her mind, all the words she'd said then that she hadn't really meant, but under the onslaught of people around her, her perception was distorted. "It's not like that..."

Bea raised a hand to silence any explanation from the blonde. She didn't want to hear it. "No Pops" she shook her head, her hair wet from the downpour sticking to her face, masking any tears falling. "It at least gave me the motivation to change my life, for that I will be grateful."

Ch.5 Irreplaceable

"You understand that she still had the nerve to be mad at me? Like it's my fault for changing for her," Bea had been lamenting to Zoey for about an hour, who, like any patient friend, silently let her rant.

"And she's telling me that she changed for me... After all, I didn't ask her to!", Poppy nervously walked around the living room almost already trampling a path in the tiles. A worried Veronica and Chloe watched her in silence, letting her get all the negative emotions out.

"I know she didn't ask me to do this, but I wanted to finally be worthy of her, you know? I wanted to give her the future she deserved, and she wouldn't have it with me if I continued to follow my dreams," the white-haired girl slumped helplessly on the couch next to her friend, dipping her face into her hands. "After all, to a gorgeous girl like Poppy, it wouldn't be enough that I...”

"After all, she knew full well that she suited me the way she was, why did she take away the one person I..."

"Love."

"I wish I could be mad at her...", Bea muttered lifting her face and looking straight at Zoey who seemed to be in deep thought.

"But I can't," groaned Poppy leaning against Veronica's shoulder, who reflexively began to stroke the blonde's back, which slowly began to twitch from her silent crying. Chloe moved to the other side and snuggled into Poppy to give her her full support, knowing that no words could heal these wounds.

Zoey nodded and patted the white-haired girl's shoulder giving her silent support. Bea relaxed from her friend's touch. "Haven't you thought maybe it's about time..."

"To move on and find someone new? It's been five years," Veronica felt Poppy's whole body tense up and prepared for a burst of anger, from the blonde, but the blonde only raised her head and furrowed her eyebrows."

"No. She's irreplaceable."

Ch.6 Where Something Ends, Something Begins

It had been a week since the memorable meeting.

Since then, Poppy hadn't seen or heard from Bea who had sunk like a stone into water. Such disappearing without a word wasn't her style, but the blonde wasn't sure what her style was anymore. The days she lived as she always did, and the nights she sat curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and reminisced about old times while talking to herself.

"Thank you for coming Poppy."

Poppy slipped her sunglasses off her nose and looked over at Zoey who was warming her hands with a mug of hot coffee. "Believe it, I was surprised myself that I agreed," she lied. She agreed without hesitation because she knew it was about Bea, and inside she was dying to know what was happening to her.

Zoey giggled at the blonde's nudge and shook her head. Although her words were biting, there wasn't an ounce of incivility in them. Such a habit between them. "You can probably guess why I met with you."

"Is it about Bea?", Poppy tried to sound as formal as possible and not show that she was thinking about it day in and day out, almost unable to focus on anything else. How pathetic it would be if someone found out she couldn't control her feelings.

The black-haired woman sighed grimly and nodded her head. For a moment she began to search through her backpack and pulled out a strange little bundle. Poppy tilted her head and looked at the colorful paper that only her Bea could choose. She smiled at the surge of positive memories.

"The day she left, she told me to give this to her. I honestly thought about it for a long time, against all odds I wouldn't want you to suffer any more than you already have," Zoey's gaze drifted somewhere behind Poppy's back as she couldn't stand the pain in the blonde's eyes that grew with every word she said. "But I think this will help both you and her close a chapter in your life" Zoey pulled money out of her pocket and placed it next to the empty cup. Without a word, she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, who stared at the package as if mesmerized. She squeezed it tightly and walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

With trembling hands, she reached for the bundle and prepared to open it. Somewhere deep inside she knew exactly what she would find, but she hoped that it was only an illusion and that it would not really contain what she had in mind. Unfortunately, hope is the mother of fools and when she opened the package, a velvet box appeared before her eyes.

She opened it with tears in her eyes.