Solo performance

Eliza and Dave talk, Dom damn near passes out on the red carpet, Molly teases Henry and not to forget: Beanie’s birhtday is nearing...


Disclaimer: Wish it was true!

Notes: Jesus, but it feels strange to write everybody 10 years older... Set in 2010, Please remember that! I’m nice to Dave at the mo, but somebody has to hurt, so...sorry Dommeh! *cries*


15. Any questions?


“HI, Molly,” Henry smiled and wrapped his arms around the smaller woman. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Molly smiled back, freeing herself from her best friend’s embrace. “And Lorna’a fine, too, if that’s what you wanted to ask,” she teased Henry playfully, knowing well that he was too much of a gentleman to ask her directly.

Henry blushed violently, cursing himself for having told Molly that he had a crush on her older sister. “You got a present for your dad’s 50th birthday next week?” he tried to change the subject.

“Nice try...” Molly grinned and followed Henry into his living room. “Actually I wanted to buy his present here in LA before we fly to London to dad’s party...”

Henry frowned and pulled thoughtfully on his ponytail. “You don’t honestly want to go shopping with ME?” Unbelievingly he pointed at himself. “You know that I hate shopping!”

Molly smiled softly. “Yes. And I know exactly, too, that you won’t buy yourself a new suit either if I don’t force you to do it...”


~*~


“Good morning!” Dave smiled when Eliza entered the kitchen, blinking sleepily. “How was your first night down under, sunshine?”

“Quite good,” Eliza yawned and sat down on a chair, still a little shy around her newly found father.

“I didn’t know what you wanted for breakfast,” Dave pointed at the table. “And so I made a little bit of everything...”

Eliza stared at the various sorts of bread, fruit, eggs, croissants, bacon, orange-juice and coffee set in front of her on the table. “Did you invite somebody over for breakfast?” she asked. “Cause I don’t think I can eat all that food on my own. You could feed a fucking football-team with that!”

Dave laughed. “No, you don’t have to!”

“Wow...I never get that kind of breakfast at home...” Eliza said and took a slice of bread.

Dave nodded. “Kate never ate breakfast back when we were still together. It was quite annoying to sit down and all alone...”

“She still does that,” Eliza mumbled, swallowing a mouthfull of OJ. “Not eat, I mean,” she added when Dave looked at her quizzically. “It’s even worse when she starts wrinkling her nose as if I was doing soemthing really gross just by eating.”

“Yeah,” Dave replied thoughtfully. “That’s one of the reasons why we broke up back then... We were too different.”

“I was a baby then, right?” Eliza asked carefully, not knowing if her father was willing to answer her questions. “Because my memories don’t include living together in one house with the both of you...”

“No, you can’t remember it. You were only one year old,” Dave said quietly, his face softening when he remembered the small baby child in his arms that had grown to a 15-year-old teenager without him witnessing the biggest part of it. “We had agreed to try and be there for you both and it worked for maybe four years until Kate decided to move to America with you.” Dave sighed and combed his hands through his hair. “You must believe me,” he tried to assure Eliza. “I tried everything to see you, but you know that she has custody for you and so I couldn’t do much...”

Eliza had quietly listened to her father while she was eating and now nodded softly. “She never talked about you,” Eliza began to explain in a quiet voice. “She didn’t even tell me why I wasn’t allowed to see you. When I finally asked her about that she only said that it wasn’t on her to explain why.”

Dave laughed bitterly. “That much about you having a trauma for the reat of your life...”

Eliza stared at her dad dumbfoundedly. “Me having a what?”

“That’s a long story and it’s even longer ago,” Dave sighed. “I don’t want to tear open old wounds, but...” Dave looked down at Eliza nervously, not knowing how she would react at the revelation he was about to make.

“Yes?” Eliza asked curiously.

“Well, let’s just say that Kate couldn’t deal with the fact that I...um...prefer men...” Dave blushed violently at having to out himself in front of his daughter who barely knew him. “And then I kinds created a situation in which Kate accused me of being a bad father and having caused you a trauma for the rest of your life.”

“Oh.” Eliza frowned. “So you’re gay...”

Dave squirmed in his seat. “Yes, you could say that.”

Eliza nodded. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with me getting a trauma...”

Dave blushed even more furiously. “You see...I don’t think you want to know,” he finally decided and a knowing grin settled on Eliza’s lips. “I think I understand...”

“Yes,” Dave replied darkly. “Anything else you want to know, love?”


~*~


“Billy...” Dom whispered quietly and buried his fingers in his lover’s shoulder, fighting to keep the fake grin on his face for the cameras surrounding them.

“Aye?” Worried, Billy looked up at Dom who was looking a little pale.

“Feeling dizzy...” Dom replied weakly and leaned down on Billy for support. “Get me out...”

“Alright...” Billy started to steer Dom away from the cameras and led him from the red carpet into the building and into a secluded area. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked worriedly when Dom had sat down and brushed his fingers over Dom’s sweaty front.

“Don’t know...” Dom whispered and brought his hand to his forehead to grasp Billy’s fingers. “Perhaps I just need some water. Could you....”

Billy nodded and stood up to get Dom a glass of water. “Here...” Billy watched Dom closely when the other man emptied his glass in long gulps. “Better?”

Dom shook his head, closing his eyes briefly.

Billy sat down next to Dom and wrapped his arms protectively around his lover’s shoulders. “When did you eat last?” he asked softly and started to stroke Dom’s spiky hair.

“Dunno...” Dom mumbled into the black material of Billy’s jacket. “Might be some hours...” He looked up at Billy from glassy eyes. “Never felt like that just because I didn’t eat.”

Billy freed one of his hands and searched in his sporran for the emergency-cereal-bar he always caried with him. Carefully he unwrapped it and held it to Dom’s lips. “Here, baby. Eat this... I’m sure you’ll feel better afterwards.”

Dom cocked his eyebrows slightly, but obeyed, a tired grin settling on his lips as he was chewing. “Baby? And you feed me? Jesus, you must be really worried about me, love.”

Billy nodded ernestly. “Well, you look like death warmed up.” Patiently he waited until Dom had finished eating. “How are you feeling? Do you want to leave?”

“No.” Dom shook his head distinctively. “I wouldn’t want to miss you on the screen...”

“Are you sure?” Billy didn’t sound convinced. “I mean, I’m not angry if you want to go.”

Dom bit his lip when he forced himself to get up. He smiled at Billy. “I’m feeling better already. Eating helped...” He offered Billy his arm. “Come? Sitting on a nice comfy chair will surely not exhaust me...”


~*~


“Of course, Sean! I wouldn’t want to miss my big brother’s birthday for anything,” Dave grinned and winked at Eliza who was sitting next to him on the couch. “Listen, Sean, you won’t believe me who’s just sitting next to me...” Dave rolled his eyes comically. “No, I assure you, it’s not a giant bunny-rabbit.”

Eliza giggled quietly.

“Jesus, Sean! Be serious!” Dave exclaimed, happy that he didn’t put Beanie on the speaker. //No, it’s not a young sex-god...//

“Alright, I’ll tell you...” he sighed deeply. “It’s Eliza.”

Eliza could hear Sean’s outcry of utter disbelief even without the speaker being on.

“Yes.” Dave’s smile softened as he listened to Sean’s words. “Of course I will bring her with me! We already talked about that and she’s coming...” Dave nodded. “Yes, I’ll tell her that... Bye, brother. Give my love to Vig...”

Dave put down the phone and turned his head to face Eliza. “Greetings from Beanie. He says that you are very welcome to his little birthday party, he can’t wait to see you again after all these years.”

Eliza nodded shyly.

Dave laughed and reached out a hand to stroke her soft hair. “Don’t worry, some other cast members will bring their kids, too, to our little gathering. You won’t be alone with a bunch of old people.”

Eliza cocked her eyebrows, trying to hide her grin. “Fossils, dad. It’s not merely old, it’s fossils!”


Tbc...


Please take the time to leave me a short comment on this! I’d love you forever for it!