Work Text:
Ava was out of the breath, she had just run all through the hotel and casino, devastated at the possibility that the woman she had argued with last night could be dead in her hotel suite or worse already been taken away by some paramedics to a location where she wouldn’t be able to see her.
She caught her breath as she reached the hotel room and started hammering on the door to try and get Deborah’s attention. Ava stepped back bringing the back of her hand to her face, she was crying and panicking. She felt violently ill, hitting the door again out of frustration and concern, she was starting to beg in her own mind, bargaining with herself that she can’t lose her like this. She knocked on the door again, crying out. Thumping and whacking the door.
‘Deb! Deb, please answer the door!’
‘WHAT!?’ Deborah huffed as the door swung open finally, Ava without a second though, flung herself into Deborah’s arms, crying.
‘Oh my God, God!’ Ava sobbed into her shoulder. Deborah confused, held her tight.
‘God what is this?’ she held her firm, as she could feel the girl sobbing and her breathing raggedy.
‘I…I thought you were dead!’ she pulled away and looked up into Deborah’s face, relieved but now angry at the TMZ article still open on her phone.
‘What? What are you talking about, honey?’ Deborah was clearly hungover and half asleep but the word of her own demise, made her panic? ‘What do you mean, Ava?’ she snapped.
‘TMZ, they posted your obituary.’ She holds out the phone, with the clear Headline. Deborah Vance Dead at, 72.
Deborah looks at it for a second, ‘Have you had a chance to read it?’ she grabs the phone, and starts to read, she looks up at Ava whose got tear stained cheeks, ‘It’s ok, I am clearly not dead.’ She rolls her eyes annoyed at the young girl.
‘How does this even happen?’ Ava asks,
‘They have these things good to go for most famous people my age, it’s just been posted by mistake, it happens’ she shrugs. ‘You have a lot of missed calls from Jimmy?’ she looks up from the phone and stares at Ava.
‘He thought you were DEAD!’ she shouts, angry that Deborah isn’t taking this more seriously.
‘Are you angry I am not dead, or that you thought I was?’ she smirks.
‘In this moment, probably both!’ Ava wipes as her eyes, to try and stop any more tears. ‘You know what? I can’t do this anymore!’
Ava goes to snatch the phone out of Deborah’s hands, their fingers touch and she gasps. Swallowing hard.
‘Honey, I am sorry you had a shock. But this obituary is shit! It says I killed Late Night and that I am retired in Singapore. Now that’s shocking! You need to pack your crap! We are going home.’ She goes to turn, dropping the phone into Ava’s outstretched hand.
‘My shit is packed, I was already going home remember?’
It stops Deborah in her tracks as she stepped back into the bedroom part of the hotel suit, Ava slowly walking up behind her.
‘Deb?’
Ava reached out, placing a hand on Deborah’s shoulder, she spun her around to look at her. ‘Deb, you sent me away?’
‘For your own good, but now we have something to re-write.’ Was it selfish now to ask her to stay, Deborah looked at her uncomfortably.
‘This push and pull, I can’t any more…I woke up to the most devastating call I have ever taken today, I thought you were dead. I can’t lose you D, please?’
‘What do you want from me? I told you, get some friends, get a boyfriend or a girlfriend or whatever you want, you can still work for me.’
‘We have been here for months, you said what was I doing here? I was here for you. Not the work. for you, I thought you understood that now. you said you loved me on national television, but all you have done since then has pushed me away? Why is that, Deb? I need some honesty, you brought me here, why?’
Deborah’s eyes flicked down to Ava’s lips, and she swallowed hard, ‘Ava, don’t!’
Ava blinked and smiled softly. She raised her hand gently and ran her thumb down Deborah’s cheek bone, she smiled again at her warmly. The moment felt charged with energy and for a moment neither spoke as they stared longingly into each other’s eyes.
‘This can’t ever work, honey.’
‘Knowing how I just felt, thinking it was the end, that I had lost you forever, I know it can. I know you feel it, you ran into the ocean to try and save me, even when I wasn’t drowning’ Deborah sighed calmly, as Ava leant in, grazing Deborah’s lips gently. She kissed back with so much love and devotion, that Ava thought the world had stopped spinning. Ava pulled Deborah closer to her body, she could feel the older women melt into her embrace and allow her to caress her. Her hands carefully pushed up the silky purple Pyjama top.
‘Honey’ she breathlessly sighed, as she felt the warm hands on her back.
‘I want this D, please.’ She was pleading and needy. Kissing and whispering into her mouth as she begged.
Deborah just agreed quietly, ‘Yes…I want this too.’ However, she pulled slowly away from the kiss, but held Ava close to her. ‘Not like this…let’s go home…to Vegas, let’s work. Let’s work on us?’
‘Ok, but if I trust you on this, please don’t dump me at the airport when we land?’ she was staring at her, her eyes brimming with tears again.
‘I promise sweetheart, we can give this ago. If that’s what you really want? I mean, a young girl like you? Wanting me?’ she’s smiling at her.
‘Well Miss Vance, you have won my heart, but you are also incredibly sexy, when you are not off your tits.’
Deborah shudders and breaks away, trying not to cry in front of Ava, ‘I’ll stop drinking as much, I will work on that too.’ She had turned away, heading to the wardrobe she started to pull clothes out to pack, to go home.
‘Good, you pack, and we can fly back today. I’ll text Jimmy let him know you are very much alive and kicking’ she finger guns at her awkwardly. ‘Then head to my room and grab my bags, meet you back here?’
‘Yes honey, meet me back here.’
Ava runs off out the bedroom. Leaving Deborah alone with her thoughts. Ava wasn’t sure how much she could trust this, if when they got to Vegas that she would be dumped once more and told to leave, but she had to try and give her the benefit of the doubt.
Deborah grabs her cell and calls the one person other than Ava she really trusts. Waiting for the answer she touched her lips, remembering the kiss which landed on them only moments earlier and signed contently.
‘Marcus. No…no, I am not dead. I am ok, calm down. I am very much alive, and I am coming home, but I need your help. I need you to be at the airport when we arrive back? I can only trust you with this…this situation.’
She let Marcus speak for a moment before she cut him off, ‘I am coming home to re-write that fucking obituary – but also, I need something at the airport that will help stop me from messing up my life anymore. A friend who can bring me something I need to give to someone special. I need you to go to the house and get my grandmother’s engagement ring out of my jewellery box, you know the one? Josefina will help you, if you get stuck!’ she sighs as Marcus asks the obvious question.
‘I am making a promise to someone, and I need something that proves I mean it, despite everything, that I really mean it.’
‘Marcus just do this for me please. I can’t lose Ava not this time, I just can’t.’ she put the phone on speaker, chucking it down on the bed, she carried on grabbing clothes out the wardrobe the sound of Marcus’ voice fills the bedroom.
‘Deb, are you asking her to marry you?’ he sounded shocked and confused,
‘Not exactly – maybe- It’s a promise ring…when I want to do it properly, I’ll get her one of those ethical diamonds she told me about…’
‘Deb! Is this a joke?’ Marcus sounded like he was having a mild panic attack.
‘No…very much isn’t a joke and I should know.’ She smirked.
‘You always jump in headfirst. You gave up Late Night for her…. oh,’ he suddenly gets it.
‘We’ve been out her 8 months; it’s not exactly been quick. And we only kissed today.’ she huffed annoyed.
Marcus laughs and continues what he was saying from earlier, ‘Ok Deb, no worries, text me when you know when you land, and I’ll be there with the ring. I won’t let you down.’
‘No lecture, about her age, or she’s a woman?’ Deborah stares at the phone lying on the bed, curious as to what he was about to say.
‘Oh no Diva, you finally got it. I’m happy for you D. I’ll be there. Bye.’ He clicks off the call and Deborah smiled at her now lifeless phone.
This was the right thing to do, she just knew it. The next year was going to be perfect, she would make sure it was.