Raulson and Character One-shots

Hotgomery

AU Where Billie Dean is one of the maids in the house. 

Prompt: Nora gets tips on how to stop her crying baby from one of the maids, Billie Dean. 

POV: 3rd person

   "All he does is cry." Nora mumbled to herself as she rocked the little bed which held her 11 month old son, Thaddeus. She had tried to nurse him, change his diaper, changed his clothes, gave him a pacifier, everything she could think of. Nothing was working. She was afraid she was going to hurt him if he didn't stop crying. In all her years of womanhood, the hardest task has been being a mother. 

   Nora never thought she would be a mother, honestly. She found Charles, and, if she was quite honest with herself, most men, repulsive. She had cried when she learned she was being married off to this doctor, and was physically sick up until the day after the wedding. For their honeymoon, she drank as much as she could to block it all out. She wasn't happy, that much was evident. But she had hoped that a baby would fill in her heart. 

   But she quickly learned that you couldn't have a baby and expect it to fix a broken marriage. 

   Charles never took care of the baby. Nora doubted the baby even knew who Charles was. Nora could only tolerate him for short periods at a time before he became fussy, then she had one of the maids come and take him. Typically, a younger one by the name of Billie Dean Howard would come to take Thaddeus. Upon the sight of the nanny, Thaddeus would stop crying and would smile. 

   A few times, Nora would sit in the nursery with the two and just watch. Billie Dean was so gentle with him, talking to him and holding him tight. She didn't spoil him, she did discipline him when he got into trouble. But Billie Dean was a far better mother, even being childless herself, than Nora could have ever hoped to be. 

   Nora did, however, hold Billie Dean to high standards. Billie Dean was a few years younger than Nora, but was the most beautiful woman that she had ever laid eyes on. Her long blonde hair was usually done up into a bun, her caramel eyes would capture Nora's baby blues, her tan skin hidden under the dress she had to wear. Nora's eyes practically turned into hearts when she saw Billie Dean, especially with Thaddeus. There were instances of hand touches, sometimes in handing off the baby or in trading other things. If Billie Dean caught Nora crying, she would lend a comforting hand on her shoulder and gentle words to console her. And at night, if Charles decided to have sex with Nora, she thought of Billie Dean the whole time. 

   But Nora knew her feelings were forbidden. She didn't think they were wrong, despite what she had heard from others. What was the difference between being in love with a man versus a woman? Nora pondered the question almost every night. She stopped listening to society a while ago, so she figured this was just another senseless rule to ignore. Now, there were three problems. The first was to find out of Billie Dean liked women. The second was, if she did like women, to see if she had genuine feelings for Nora. The third was, if she did like women and if she did have genuine feelings for Nora, how to keep it from Charles. 

   Nora spent every opportunity she could talking with Billie Dean. She did genuinely want to know her. She wanted to learn about the woman, to be a confidant for her. Billie Dean noticed the increases in attention and knew something was different. Not wrong, just different. Nora would typically talk to the maids to order them to clean or to take the baby. But for Billie Dean, it seemed the lady of the house went out of her way to talk to her. 

   And it made Billie Dean happy. 

   "I think it means you're doing something wrong." Allie, one of the other maids said. 

   "I think it means she'll get a raise." Daisy replied. 

   "Maybe she just wants to get to know me?" Billie Dean said, blushing.