Would you Swallow all your Pride?

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lavender.

TW: Mentions of tiptoeing sexual abuse.

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Wilhemina's house. Billie Dean focused on it, doing her best to remember the route and the streets. Thankfully, she managed to find the house, and by the time she did so, her heart felt as if it was about to fly off of her chest. Venable wouldn't have agreed let alone asked for such a thing hadn't she really needed it. What did Emma do? Even though absolutely hurt from what she had seen earlier, Billie couldn't help but care about Venable. Especially because she had no fault in any of that; she was doing nothing wrong, and Billie Dean knew it. I simply got here too late. And I'm me... perhaps Emma is right... she deserves better. With a deep breath and shoving all of that away, Billie knocked on the door. Wilhemina is the priority right now.

In no more than a minute, the door opened. Honey eyes looked at an absolutely distraught Wilhemina in front of them, with a purple robe wrapped around herself and eyes red and blotchy. Still, she looked as composed as always, hand on the cane as she stepped aside. "Please come in, it's cold outside."

Billie Dean did so. "Thank you."

Venable nodded and closed the door. She couldn't believe she had actually told Billie Dean she could come over; Billie was supposed to be resting, and not taking care of a grown woman who couldn't stand having a bad dream. With her free hand, she held the robe closer to herself. "Thank you for coming."

Wilhemina was so distant... so cold. Billie Dean couldn't help but worry. "You don't have to thank me, it was my idea." She licked her lips, standing there in the middle of the living room without being sure of what to do. She looks so small... so vulnerable... And the purple marks were still there on her pale skin, guiding the eye to them."I... you... are you okay?" There it was. Wilhemina bit her lip as her sight fell down. Slowly, she shook her head. Billie Dean smiled sadly. "Why don't we sit down? Do you want me to get you something?" Not pulling Venable into a hug was being a hard task.

"I'm fine," Wilhemina murmured as she walked to the couch. Billie Dean followed her, taking a seat right beside her. Purpura watched from afar.

"Wilhemina... I'm here for you..." Billie eyed Venable's hands, and God did she want to take them in her own. Still, Wilhemina kept herself distant, and so Billie Dean respected it. She watched as Venable nibbled on her lower lip, eyes staring blankly at her hands while one of her fingers picked at the skin on the corner of her thumb. She'll hurt herself. It was not the time to tell Wilhemina that. Billie would allow her to be the one to break the silence.

"Are you hungry? I think I have some bagels left," Venable said after a moment, eyes moving up to Billie Dean's. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk about herself; to talk about her anxieties and about what had clouded her sleep. It was still fresh in her mind, how her own mother had laughed at her and told her all those things Wilhemina knew but didn't want to admit. And then Emma had stepped in, and with her came Billie Dean, and the three of them pointed at a naked Venable and laughed and laughed until their stomach hurt, and Wilhemina couldn't do anything; she couldn't get up, she couldn't hide.

The look in Wilhemina's eyes begged Billie Dean to let the subject go. And Billie understood, so she nodded after a second of hesitation. "I am, actually. But I don't want to bother."

"You could never bother." Venable felt herself still slightly shaking. She got up with the help of her cane. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a second." Looking at Billie Dean was still being hard; she avoided her eyes. Shame made it too hard. Billie was about to protest when she realized Wilhemina needed a moment to herself. It was clear she was shaken up. So she nodded, and with that Venable followed to the kitchen. There, she took a deep breath and leaned back against the counter. Put yourself together. Wilhemina knew things would be hard when she woke up, but she wasn't expecting it all to happen so soon—let alone it happening with Billie Dean around. She should be resting. Venable couldn't help but feel selfish. I'm a failure in every single aspect of life. With a sigh, she moved to warm up a bagel. While it did so, she grabbed a plate and a glass, which she filled with orange juice. Brown eyes scanned the kitchen; what else would Billie Dean enjoy? The cheesecake. Venable grabbed it from the fridge and set it on another plate. The bagel got warm enough, so Wilhemina cut it in half and spread a good amount of cream cheese on each part. She put both of the plates on a tray and walked back to the living room, carefully balancing them. When she stepped into the room, Floratta Blue invaded her nostrils. Venable's nerves had begun to calm down due to her head being focused on the food, and the sight she saw in front of her only eased her even more: still on the couch, Billie Dean had taken her coat off and now caressed Purpura's skin. The cat had climbed beside her, and loud purrs filled the air. Billie smiled brightly as she looked at the cat and, upon seeing the both of them together, Wilhemina's mind seemed to relax. Venable felt a sense of security she hadn't felt in a while. "Billie?" she called softly, just to get her attention.