My Fair Ladies

Time After Time: Part One

TW: pregnancy loss

Three Months After the Kiss

Autumn was still completely entangled and sound asleep when the alarm went off. Marjorie hit the snooze and pulled her in closer feeling the now familiar flutter rush through her. They had time, and she was in no hurry to move from this spot. As the weeks passed Autumn felt more and more like home. As she drifted back to sleep her mind wandered back to the kiss, the confusion, the hurt, the stillness, the love, the beauty.

Four Weeks After the Kiss

As Marjorie sat at her desk, she tried to busy herself with paperwork that had behind from last week. The memory of last night playing in her mind made it difficult to stay focused. Her gaze kept drifting back to Autumn. Focus Marjorie!

She was startle from her thoughts when Mia entered the office. "Mia?" She could see it written all over Mia's face pain and anger. She had a feeling they would be seeing her on her next trip into town but hadn't expected it to be this soon.

"Marjorie for fucks sake is it really that hard to hold onto a man?" She was taken aback. She hadn't even dreamed that this was somehow going to be her fault, but it made sense. She had blamed her for taking Reece from her, so now it was her fault that he had taken Char. "Marjorie, I held on to him for twenty years and he didn't even like me. You couldn't handle twenty minutes?"

"Mia you were blackmailing him." Her face went red, but she couldn't tell if what she was feeling was anger or embarrassment. To be bested by Mia twice in a lifetime was not something she wanted to experience.

"Not the whole time, Marjorie." The redhead was shaking. Marjorie moved around the desk and pulled out a chair. Autumn kept a close eye but didn't move to intervene. She didn't put it past the redhead to try to swing on Marjorie.

"Mia sit. I am sorry this is how things turned out for you. For all of us. We have never seen eye to eye, but I would never wish pain on you." The redhead narrowed her eyes and glared at her.

"Why aren't you angrier? You actually don't seem angry at all. What the fuck happened while I was gone?" Marjorie moved her body away from Mia in anticipation. She allowed her gaze to drift to Autumn for the briefest moment. "What was that? Why did you look at her like that? Oh my god! You two are together. That is why that blubbering idiot Winter isn't his usual chipper self today."

Marjorie's gaze snapped back to Autumn who was still at the ready to pounce. "We are in love, Mia."

"So, you broke Reecy's heart, and he ran to Char. My Charlotte." The redhead slumped in defeat.

"That is not how it happened, Mia." Her hands were sweaty, but she wasn't about to let the redhead twist it into something that it wasn't. "Our breakup was mutual. We were both falling in love with other people, so we ended it. End of."

Mia was clenching her jaw and and suddenly her fist came flying. Marjorie stood in awe. Autumn barrelled around the desk and caught her fist mid swing. "Mia, get out! I am not going to make you pay. Not this time. You are in enough pain as it is, but if you ever try to harm my girlfriend again, I won't be so nice" With that she used all of her weight and strength to move Mia out of the office and locked the door.

She turned to Marjorie and pulled her into her arms. "Are you okay, sunshine?" Her body was trembling, but she watched as a smile spread across her face.

"Girlfriend? You called me your girlfriend."

Six Weeks After the Kiss

Marjorie's hands were steady as she dressed and did her hair and makeup to go out. Her hands were steady, but her insides were churning. She knew they had to do it at some point but wasn't sure she was ready. She turned to a visibly trembling Autumn.

She wrapped her arms around her and felt the brunette relax into her embrace. "Beautiful, I will be right there. We are in this together." She watched a crooked smile cross her face in the mirror as a warmth spread from her core. "Don't smile at me like that or we'll never make it out of the house."

They walked in hand in hand. The warmth of the day laying heavy as they were seated. "Do you think he will bring Sara? I mean won't that be more awkward?" Autumn shook her head. "It doesn't matter now, my love. If he hadn't walked out, I wouldn't be here with you. I wouldn't have known how perfect being with you was going to be."

The smile that spread across Marjorie's face quickly faded when Winter and Sara arrived. The tiniest of bumps already apparent. She grabbed Autumn's hand and gave it a squeeze. They exchanged pleasantries, but then everyone fell silent until the waiter arrived.

Winter broke the silence. "Autumn, I know I owe you more than an apology. What I did ..." He grabbed Sara's hand and Marjorie felt Autumn flinch. "What we did was reprehensible. I am deeply sorry it turned out like this, and I should have been honest from the beginning. I was never okay with our arrangement. I wanted ... needed to be the only one, but you wanted more. I just wanted you." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat realising that Marjorie had been right. This was awkward. "You had me Winter. I wasn't going anywhere. I had told Marjorie that very night that I was staying. That isn't important anymore. I am ..." She looked to Marjorie and smiled. It was a smile he had never seen before. "Happy, and I hope you are too."

He looked at Sara and down at her smallest of bumps. "I am." He pulled her hand into his. "We are." He turned his attention to Marjorie who gave him a crooked smile. "We were friends, and I destroyed that. The way I spoke to you was unforgivable. I shouldn't have said any of that. It wasn't right. I was surprised you didn't take the bat to me." She chuckled. "I thought about it. Maybe not unforgivable though. I said a few things myself; I shouldn't have. Maybe we can be friends again, Wint." She reached across the table and took his hand. "I am happy for you and her."

Winter looked up at Autumn. She nodded but didn't say anymore. She was happy for them, but the lump in her throat prevented her from speaking without crying. She wasn't quite ready to give him that. She had an ache inside that might never dull or fade, but she knew that wasn't his fault.

When they arrived back at Autumn's house, Marjorie pulled her into a deep embrace. She knew she was hurting, but she knew her long enough and now had loved her hard enough to know that physical comfort rather than words was what she wanted. Needed.

She was startled when she spoke. "Marjorie, move in here with me. It only feels like home when you are in it. Move in. Please."