Unexpected - Eminem x Beyoncé Fan Fic

Work

Beyonce POV

I thought about going to Houston. Maybe, I still would. For now, though, I was operating on anger and hurt and I needed to be somewhere where people were more willing to keep to themselves. Say what you will about New Yorkers, but their willingness to just move about their daily lives without getting into someone else's was exactly what I needed right now.

The details had, of course, hit the media. When the papers were filed, the frenzy was much as I'd expected it might be: unadulterated insanity. Social media had done a lot for celebrities since its invention, but with it had come the price of near instantaneous reporting to the far reaches of the world. By the end of the week, it seemed that any person owning a computer or smartphone knew that, once again, my husband had fucked another woman.

The first few days after it exploded onto every entertainment news blast in the country, I'd turned my phone off and hidden away with the kids. I didn't go out for the mail, for food, for anything. Instead, we watched cartoons and played with dolls and toys. I cried in the privacy of my own room each night as I took stock and wondered why.

I started with baby steps after the first seven days. I didn't take to social media or go outside, but I did turn on my phone. The outpouring of support and love from friends and family in the messages was staggering. I listened to them all, silently trying to heed the words that so many people offered in attempts to make me feel anything other than the bone-shattering betrayal.

Shawn had called, too. Many of his first messages were apologies and pleas for me to reconsider. He swore that he'd work harder, be better, and do anything to get me back. I'd smiled when I'd heard it, but it wasn't a pretty one. I'd heard those lines before. Then, I'd sucked in the pain and had moved forward, trying to distance myself from the reality of his lies so that I could believe that what we had was enough to overcome his straying. Now that he'd done it again, I knew better.

When I hadn't responded to his initial calls, his messages had turned sadder, but more accepting. Instead of seeking my time and attention, he asked me to let the kids call him. I swallowed hard past the pain of those messages. Whether I liked it or not, he and I were going to have to work together for their sake. So, although I'd thought about doing otherwise, the first call I made after my self-imposed ostracism was to Shawn.

"Hello?" He answered, his voice shooting a spike of pain right through me. Taking a deep breath, I turned the video on.

"Did you want to talk to the kids now?" I asked, taking in his face. He looked worse for wear, like he'd been going without sleep. Considering I was doing the same, I'd imagine he saw the same in my eyes.

"Can we talk first?" He asked and I shook my head.

"No," I responded firmly. The sting hit my eyes, but I blinked past it. "You can talk to the kids, or I can end the call." He nodded, his dark eyes saddened but accepting.

"Baby?" I called Blue, who was laying on the couch, munching on a sandwich. "Daddy wants to talk to you," I said and she cried with joy, the sound nearly enough for me to lose it. I handed her my phone and she started wandering around, talking to Shawn as she told him about the staycation we'd been having.

I left the room, giving her some time to talk with him while I considered whether I could eat. I hadn't done a lot of that since things blew up and I knew I needed to correct it, but it was like my body was flatly refusing the idea. It was too focused on the energy necessary to appear like I wasn't broken.

Wandering into the kitchen, I took out a pad and started writing down a list of things to keep myself occupied. I needed to email or call all the people who had left me messages. The list was lengthy, and it warmed me to know so many people cared. I was truly blessed with the people in my life, even if things had fallen apart with Shawn.

Although this hit was devastating, I knew I'd come out the other side of it. Even as I wrote out what I needed to do, my anger was starting to burn hotter from the coal embers inside of me. He'd had everything of me; but now, he was going to get nothing but the fury. I'd keep the kids out of it, but that was the only concession I'd give him and even that wasn't for his benefit, but for theirs.

He put us here and he'd get no mercy.

--

"Marshall," I said, smiling into the phone when he picked up and put it on video. He looked to be sitting in his home, the walls behind him familiar to me from the times I'd been there.

"Bey," he said with a smile. "It's good to see you," he continued and I nodded.

"Sorry it took me so long to call you back. I've been a little busy with handling things," I said and he shook his head, his expression understanding.

"You got nothing to apologize for," he responded.

His voice carried layers and the message he'd left me rang in my mind as I nodded. His had been one of the ones that surprised me, though perhaps it shouldn't have. We were friends, had been for some time. I just hadn't realized how protective he'd felt toward me. Although I'd deleted many of the voice mails I'd been left since the mess had been reported, I'd kept his and replayed it on occasion to lift my spirits when a particularly bad moment or memory hit me.

"It's been six weeks, Em. I should have called sooner," I replied and he shook his head.

"Nah," Marshall responded. "You got shit to deal with. You call me whenever you need or want to, but don't feel like you have to. That's not how we work." He said and I smiled just a little bit more. When we'd worked together, Marshall had been just as focused and driven as I, but he'd also been like this – understanding of the pulls I had toward family. It was one of his best qualities.

"Well, now that the first blows have settled a bit, I don't plan to be such a stranger," I said. A smile tilted at the corners of his mouth, though he looked at me seriously.

"You doing alright?" He asked softly. I looked away for a moment before meeting his eyes again.

"The divorce diet is probably the best kept secret in Hollywood," I joked. Marshall shook his head.

"Only a crazy motherfucker would think you needed to diet," Marshall replied, causing me to blush. His eyes widened as he cracked up.

"Now that I've seen it, Bey, I'm gonna poke at you all the time. That blush is too good not to." He teased and I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling playful for the first time in over a month.

"You caught me off guard, Em." I countered. "It'll be harder, next time." I challenged, my heart lightening a little.

"Then, I guess I have my work cut out for me."