doppelgänger --> there's never just one {sequel}

bex

^bex

Hands shaking and heart racing at she reached up to ring the doorbell at he Biersacks' home, she pushed it, instantly hearing the dogs barking from just inside.

I can't tell him..., she thought, but it's only right if I do. I've been hiding this secret for too long.

He'll be mad at me. Really mad.

It doesn't matter, the other part of her said, because you deserve it for all this wrong that you've done.

Scout answered, with baby Oliver in her arms, smiling. "Come in, Bex. Dennis was just saying how excited he was to hang out with you today."

"Yeah," was all she could say as she forced a smile, stepping over the threshold inside, Scout shutting the door behind her.

This is real. This is it. Now I have to tell him.

I can't go back now.

She took a deep, shaky breath in as she saw Dennis come down the stairs, a smile on his face. "Hey," he said, walking over to her and meeting her lips with his, kissing her softly and slowly as he always did. His kisses were sweet, and she loved it.

But I can't be focusing on that right now.

She held on for a moment, but then forced herself to pull away, not letting herself enjoy the moment for long. He looked at her, but she looked away. Bex knew he was bound to suspect something of her any moment now.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, a concerned look on his face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, well...."

"Would it make you feel better to talk about it?" he asked sympathetically, trying to meet her eyes.

Finally, she looked at him. "Dennis.... there's something serious we need to talk about. Something pretty horrible I did. And I think you're going to lose your trust with me. Maybe for forever, even. Until the end of time."

He crossed his arms, leaning to the side a little, standing there with a doubtful smirk across his lips. "Bex, please. What could you have done that's that bad?"

"Dennis, I need you to be serious. Please."

"Fine. I am, I swear."

"Okay." Bex took a deep breath, trying to relax and steady herself. "Throughout the time span of these past months, Dennis -- like, a little after you came back from Warped -- Dennis, I've been seeing another guy." She started to sniff, tearing up. "I cheated on you, and I'm sorry."

"What?! Bex --" Instantly his expression, and she knew his gentle heart, too, became upset, and shocked, and even a little angry. His eyebrows drew together, and his jaw clenched. "I...."

Bex held her hands up in defense, stepping forward. "Dennis, I swear -- please. It's not what you think. I can explain," she cried desperately. She tried to wrap her arms around him, to comfort him, to apologize, but the second her skin touched the leather of his jacket, he jerked away. Her breath hitched, a sharp sob following. "Dennis --"

He turned his back to her and looked down, his own arms wrapped around the front of him tightly. All she could see of his profile was the side of his face, expression saddened.

"Please, could you at least listen so that you'd understand --" she begged.

"What is there to explain?" he asked, cutting her off, his voice low and gravelly sounding. He turned to face her, looking her dead in the eyes, his face now harsher-looking, his eyebrows raised and cinched-together, a slightly disapproving look on his face. "What else is there to understand?" he asked, the volume of his voice quickly escalating and growing louder. "Huh? Because in my opinion, everything's pretty clear."

Bex looked down, knowing there was no excuse. She knew she was wrong, and there was nothing left to say to defend herself, because it would be wrong. It was all her fault, and she knew it. In this instance, he was completely right about everything.

"Yeah," she whispered back, almost inaudibly in response. "It is. You're right."

"I know," he hissed, his voice gruff. "What am I and Wolf to you? Does our son even matter to you anymore, or is it all about this damn guy now?" He leaned in, close so that she could smell the faint scent of nicotine coming from his clothes and his breath. "If your mission was to break my heart and shatter it into a thousand pieces," he fumed, jabbing an accusatory finger toward her, "then you won. You did it to me."

He stood back from her, daggers in his eyes as he stared her down.

"You said your love was unconditional for me," Bex mumbled, a tear rolling her cheek.

"It is. But why go on if you don't feel the same about me?" he snapped, his voice breaking on the last couple of words. He turned away, looking down. Bex knew he could put on a fierce show, a fierce cover, but he couldn't hide from her what he felt inside. It was clear to her that tears were about to pour, she had seen before. And he didn't have the ability to hold the sobs back for long, "Go," he insisted callously. "I don't want to see you anymore for a while."

Another sharp, guttural sob came from her throat, and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle another one. The tears were pouring from her own eyes. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, her voice broken and brittle. "I didn't want to cause you this pain. I never wanted it to end up this way, or to be this way."

He didn't respond. As soon as she turned away, towards the front door, his shoulders began to tremble, and then shake violently. She felt like she was talking to no one. Like she was talking to a wall. Or that he just didn't care.

But what she didn't know was that he did care, more than anything, and that just behind her, the strongest, most bulletproof guy she knew was sobbing just like she was, a million tears in the middle of one giant emotional storm.