Fanfic: Change partners and dance.... 1/2
Change partners and dance…. 1/2
By Marea67
About: Kevin, Sarah, Luc, Gabriella, Seth, Paige, Tommy, Kitty, Brody, Nora, Saul, Jonathan, Olivia, Justin, Tyler, Scotty to end up with Kevin once again.
Rate: G
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: Dancing and more dancing.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: KEVIN/SARAH
*****
“So, I finally get to dance with the bride.” Kevin holds Sarah tightly.
“Kevin, I haven’t had a chance to say thank you. You did an amazing job. It was all so wonderful.”
“Despite the fact that there were a few hurdles?”
“It wouldn’t be a Walker-wedding, if there hadn’t been.” Sarah smiles.
“Probably…. It was beautiful. I thought it was amazing to see you walk up with Brody. Did the two of you talk?”
“Yes, we did.” Sarah says gratefully. “I think that there are more sides to this story. Dad will always my father, but I can’t think why I shouldn’t try to get to know Brody.”
“Yeah, if he turns out to be a bad apple, you can always throw him out later.”
“I think that he will do just fine… And he’s so in love with mom.”
“I agree… I do hope that, once you and Brody get along better, mom will finally be able to be happy with him.”
“Maybe we’ll have another marriage next year.” Sarah grins hopeful.
“I won’t be the wedding-planner.” Kevin immediately says and Sarah laughs.
“Yes, brother, you will be, because you’re going to say no and then mom does that thing, that mom does so well and you’ll cave in and you’ll end up doing it anyway….”
“I think you’re probably right.” Kevin sighs and Sarah tickles him quickly in his side and they both giggle like a couple of school-children, until Kevin sees someone walk up to them.
“I do believe you’re husband is just about to reclaim you….” He grins.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: SARAH/LUC
*****
“Paige’s boyfriend called me Mrs Laurent… That is so strange…” Sarah says with a big smile.
“I know. I can’t over the idea that I can finally call you my wife. It is such a good feeling.” Luc replies, looking equally happy.
“I thought it would never happen either.” Sarah sighs, thinking back at the events of the day. “And I never thought that I would walk down the aisle at the arm of my father. My real father… I still struggle with this. Dad, I mean William, was there for me when I married Joe.
He was always there for me. And with all his secrets, and despite the pain he brought, I know he loved me… So, a part of me feels like I’m letting him down and, that part conflicts with my need to get to know Brody better.” Sarah tries to explain.
“I think, you made a smart decision.” Luc replies.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You’re angry now. But, only now, that you accept the truth, can you really get to know Brody, and, maybe, a few years from now, you would have regretted not letting him be your father today.” Luc explains and Sarah thinks about his words.
“Yes, I agree with what you say.” She eventually says and she lets her cheek rest against his shoulder, closes her eyes to let the music in and let the music chase all other thoughts away. From tomorrow on she’ll deal with Brody, she’ll deal with Lori-Lynn and the possibility of more half-siblings, but not tonight. No worries tonight.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: LUC/GABRIELLA
*****
“I didn’t think I’d ever live to see the day, that I’d be dancing with my son on his wedding-day.” Gabriella dances a little closer to Luc and he holds her close. Luc is not surprised by her words. He never believed that he would be dancing with his mother either. He had spend quite some years hating her.
“I’m sorry…” He says softly. “I always seem to want to think the worst of you.”
“I think that I deserved that.” Gabriella says reflectively. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.” She shrugs. There’s nothing she can change about the past anyway. Luc bows his head and he feels the need to express his feelings in a language that suits him better.
“Oui, peut-être, … mais ce qui c’est passé avec papa, ce n’était pas ta faute…”
“Je le sais bien. Il n’a même pas voulu accepter mon aide….”
“C’est vrai. Il a son honneur. Il ne te demanderai jamais de l’aider.”
“Et je sais combien tu a voulu qu’il soit ici, et… j’aurai fait n’importe quoi pour qu’il vienne, mais… Il est tellement têtu. ”
“Tu dois être très heureuse, que je ne prends pas après lui.” Luc jokes sweetly and Gabrielle gives him the loving look of a mother who loves her son, so much more than he could ever know and she feels that maybe they have taken the first step in the right direction.
*****
CHANGE PARTNERS: GABRIELLA/SETH
*****
Seth finds himself eye-to-eye with yet another woman. It’s hard to keep track of who’s who. He has met quite some people tonight, who he will most likely not remember by tomorrow. He sees the same question on her face.
“I’m Seth, boyfriend to the sister of the bride.” He says with a grin.
Gabriella gracefully nods.
“Mother of the groom.” She replies, surprised herself, by how good the sound of those words feels.
“Ah, yes. Now, I remember. I’m sorry, … I should have..” Seth stammers awkwardly.
“It’s alright.” Gabriella laughs. “On days like these, we see so many people, we wouldn’t recognize again if we run into them tomorrow.”
“True.” Seth admits. “But I should have remembered such a beautiful woman.” He compliments, having found his wit back.
“Perhaps you were distracted by Kitty?” Gabriella offers and Seth nods slowly.
“Luc must have his charms from you.”
“No, from his father.” Gabriella smiles. “Though they’d never know it. Neither of them has a clue how cute they are.”
“I don’t mean to offend, but as I cannot verify your information, I think I will stick to my own assessment, that it’s you.” Seth however insists and a playfully flirtatious smile curls around Gabriella ‘s mouth, amused by his words.
*****
CHANGE PARTNERS: SETH/ PAIGE
*****
“Finally! Someone under the age of thirty.” Paige says from the bottom of her heart when she comes face to face with Seth. Seth laughs.
“Why? Doesn’t your boyfriend want to dance…?”
“Too much lemonade.” She makes a face and points to the bathroom.
Seth, amused, takes her hand to dance with her. She’s actually not a bad dancer and she has feeling for the rhythm of the music, which is something that not every woman on this party has. He has the painful toes to prove it. Over Paige’s shoulder he can see Kitty dance with someone.
“Aunt Kitty looks great.” Paige says, following Seth’s stare. “Are you going to marry her? Now that’s pregnant?” Seth gives her startled look and she shrugs. “ Gossip travels fast. Wait until mom hears about it. She’ll freak out that aunt Kitty didn’t tell her first.”
“She told Kevin first.” Seth says distractedly.
“Figures. He can be the biggest gossip, so he's the best way if you want your ‘secret’ to slowly trickle down from family-member to family-member.” Seth is doesn’t know whether to be surprised or amused by this bit of information.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He then says.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: PAIGE/TOMMY
*****
“Wow! I can’t believe how you’ve grown.” Tommy says, genuinely in awe. Paige, able to tell the difference, starts to blush.
“That’s what you get when you leave for so long…” She quips, but then she continues in a gentler tone of voice:
“I miss you. I miss swimming with you in grandma’s pool. We used to be there so often. Now there’s usually just Coop and me. And maybe, soon, also Olivia.” This thought seems to make her more cheerful.
“You’d like that?” Tommy asks.
He searches for his brother’s adopted daughter in the crowd and sees that she’s dancing with Kevin and they seem to have a lot of fun.
“She seems like a nice girl.” Tommy says.
“She is. And Daniel is so sweet! I’m glad that Kevin and Scotty have their baby after all.”
“Yes. Me too.” Tommy replies, taking his eyes off of his brother and Olivia and focusing on Paige again. “You know what? Why don’t we see each other at grandma’s pool tomorrow-afternoon and I’ll show you that I’m still the best swimmer?”
“In your dreams!” Paige replies, but the happy smile on her face tells Tommy that she's happy with idea.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: TOMMY/KITTY
*****
Somehow Kitty isn’t surprised when she somehow ends up in Tommy’s arms. It’s been so long ago since they danced together. At least he doesn’t step on her toes as often as Seth does…
“Kevin said that … congratulations… are in order?” Tommy asks. Kitty immediately start to smile happily.
“It’s still early…. But I really want this. So much.”
“I know. I hope everything will be just fine.”
“Yes. Me too. Every day that I carry the baby longer is a day that I celebrate. But it is scary. I try to think positive, but it’s not always easy.
It feels weird. The last time I was pregnant seems like a life-time ago. You and Julia were still together. Kevin and Scotty weren’t a couple, mom just met Isaac, Sarah was dealing with divorcing Joe… Robert was still alive…” She blinks and Tommy, almost casually, brushes a starting tear away. Kitty gives him a grateful smile.
“Yes, he was. The two of you got married not long after. A beautiful wedding.” Tommy compliments.
“He was handsome, wasn’t he?” A little cloud seems to come over her face as she remembers her late husband.
“Yeah, Robert looked good.” Tommy immediately replies. “… and you were very pretty…. But I think, at the same time, that you’re very fortunate to have found someone else, who loves you so much?” Tommy nods at Seth, who’d dancing with Sarah and Kitty sighs.
“You’re right. I’m lucky...” And she smiles contently. “.. to have found another amazing man. I didn’t think that anyone could take Robert’s place, but Seth has found his own space in my heart….” She sniffs. “… Oh… I’m sorry. I’m terrible at weddings…” she apologizes, although she knows that she doesn’t have to lie to Tommy.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: KITTY/BRODY
*****
“Well, look at that. Nora’s other pretty daughter.” Brody says. Kitty smiles, because she likes Brody.
“You’re just saying that so that I’ll let you date my mother.” Kitty immediately replies.
“You got that right.”
The dancing is easy and soon enough Brody continues:
“I really love your mother, you know. I really want a second chance with her.”
“Brody, I’ll be the last one to judge mom or you when it comes to second chances. That would be rather hypocritical considering how happy Seth makes me.
I believe now that it’s possible to find another ‘love of your life’…. You two deserve another chance…. Maybe I would have felt differently if dad had still been alive, but he’s dead and mom isn’t. Why should she not pursue another relationship? So, no, I won’t be against it, But, …
I loved my father and I loved what he and mom had. I know my father loved her. And that is a part you have to accept as well. William Walker was a man who may not always have succeeded, but he certainly tried to be a good father to me and my siblings.”
“I don’t doubt that. I also know that William loved Nora. Very much.”
Kitty looks up at him, surprised by his words and he nods.
“I would not have left Nora, if I had not believed that William would give her everything, and that he would try to be a good husband and a good father.”
“Well, you were wrong. He cheated on mom.”
“Still, he loved her.” Brody says stubbornly. “More than anything. It’s why he kept coming back. She was the one.” Kitty is surprised by the certainty in Brody’s voice.
“You really think so?” Kitty asks.
“How could she not have been?” Brody asks in return and Kitty sighs as she lets her head rest against his shoulder.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: BRODY/NORA
*****
“You know what? Both your daughters are amazing.” Brody compliments Nora when she ends up his arms again. Nora smiles with love.
“Yes. They are.” She acknowledges. “They both come with a manual of how to handle them, but …. So do their brothers, so it’s not just a girl thing…”
“Well, I can’t judge that, I haven’t danced with one of your sons…” Brody points out with a grin… “Or any other man, come to think about it.”
“If you’d want to, you could always pick Kevin, Scotty, Saul or Jonathan, if you’d like to broaden your horizon.” Nora immediately replies without even blinking.
That is the thing that Brody likes so much about Nora. Her resilience. After all they had been through these last few weeks, he had expected her to be more catty, but she’s still her gentle self.
“I might just do that.” Brody grins, wondering how she’ll react to his words now.
“I’d pick Scotty if I were you.” She says dryly. “Taller than you and he knows how to lead.” Nora looks up at him almost taunting him to do it, knowing very well, that Brody won’t . To be honest, Brody still quietly has to adjust to the ease in which this family deals with homosexuality.
He was raised to look down on gay men and his career in sport had not made him more mellow on the subject, even though he knew that that some very good base-ball-players were secretly gay. He had always felt that men should just keep quiet about it, do it in silence and not get noticed too much.
But he had met Kevin, who seemed like any normal guy. He found out that Saul was gay and Brody had never even suspected it. He got introduced to Kevin’s ‘husband’ and Saul’s ‘boyfriend’ like it was the most normal thing to speak in these terms about the relationship between two men.
The Walkers’ supportive love towards all four of the men, in all honesty, made Brody change his mind and he had discovered how easily he himself had adjusted to the way Nora’s family thinks in terms of Kevin and Scotty as a married couple and Saul and Jonathan as an unmarried couple.
“I think, I stick to dancing with you… If you don’t mind.” He replies.
“Saul will be heart-broken.”
“Mmmmaybe I’ll reconsider Saul.”
“You won’t regret it. Saul is a good dancer.” Nora laughs.
*****
CHANGE PARNTERS: NORA/SAUL
*****
“Brody will dance with you. He promised me.” Nora starts without further explanation.
“I won’t hold my breath… besides I’d rather dance with Jonathan, my… fiancé….” Saul savors the word and Nora nearly stops dancing, while a huge smile spreads across her face.
“Oh, my God, he proposed?!”
“Yes.”
“And you said yes?”
“Of course I did. I’ve been in love with him all my life.” Saul defends himself.
“With you, you never know…. You could have been too proud to say yes. Oooh, I’m so happy! Have you told the others?”
“No, this is Sarah’s day.”
“I can’t wait. Everybody will be so happy for you.”
“You think so?”
“Of course! Remember how they were with Kevin and Scotty. They’ll be just as happy for you and Jonathan.”
“I…. I guess, sometimes it’s still a bit scary to be so open about my feelings.”
“Well, you’re going to have to learn then, because Jonathan can see right through you.” Nora warns. “And he won’t allow you to crawl back in the closet.... Time for you to be happy, big brother.”
“I hope so.” Saul says worriedly and Nora gives him a soft kick in the shins, followed by an angry glace that tells Saul to stop whining.
END OF PART 1