DISCLAIMER: The characters, Cassandra "Cassie" Hughes, Thelma Bates, et al, belong to Julian Jones, Lucy Watkins, Shine Limited, and Sony Pictures Television International. No copyright infringement is intended or inferred. The story along with any/all original characters are the sole property of the author and cannot be used without expressed permission first.
NOTE: This story is A.U. in nature as it departs somewhat from the show and if you've read the other two: "Not Now" and "Missing," you'll know why. Again, thanks to Mangababe64 for her help and Ralst for hosting these stories. Oh, I did paraphrase a line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, kudos if you spot it.
SEQUEL: To Not Now and Missing.
SPOILER: Pilot episode – kind of.
Beautiful
By A.M. Glass
Cassie groaned wearily as she entered the dorm room. She'd come from a rather long and tedious lecture about the worse film ever made: Ishtar.
Why they had to sit through the monumental waste of celluloid was beyond her, but Miss Watkins said its had it merits.
What they might be was beyond comprehension.
She looked over and frowned – no sign of Thelma.
She sighed.
She went to her bed and dropped her bag and jacket on it.
They hadn't had much time together in the past two weeks. It seemed to her as if something was keeping them apart for some reason.
Still, she smiled fondly as she recalled the morning when Thelma brought her breakfast in bed. She'd cried – all the while Thelma was beside herself, believing; as she explained later, that she had gotten something she was allergic too.
Cassie let her know it was all right.
It was perfect in fact.
"Then why the tears?" Thelma asked as she gently wiped them away.
"No one's done this for me since I was a little girl," she said. "Not since Mum got sick..."
Not since she had to grow-up before her time.
"Oh, you're back!" Thelma exclaimed as she entered the room, toweling her hair dry.
"Back? I just got here."
"Really? Huh, that's funny," she said closing the door behind her. "I thought," she shook her head. "Never mind. So, how was class?"
"Boring," Cassie replied as she met Thelma in the middle of the room.
"What? Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty don't drive you mad with desire?" she joked.
Cassie smiled. "No – well..." she hesitated as Thelma stepped closer.
"Yeah?" Thelma's curiosity was peaked. She tossed the towel on the bed.
"Warren Beatty – he's okay – for an older guy..." Cassie blushed.
"You're kidding?"
She shook her head.
"So," Thelma began as she slowly walked around Cassie, her fingers gliding across her body. "You fancy him? You'd like him to," she stood on her toes and whispered, "Touch you?" she asked, as she traced Cassie's ear with her tongue.
"Touch me?" she replied as she leaned in Thelma's direction.
"Yes," Thelma's voice had deepened as what had started out as something playful had changed – drastically. "Could he touch you here?" She placed her fingertips on Cassie's sternum.
"There?" Cassie's thought processes had ceased to function properly and was reduced to monosyllabic answers.
"No? Perhaps..." Thelma moved her fingers down toward Cassie's navel. "Here then?"
Cassie shook her head, unable to speak, licking and biting her lower lip.
"My, he is getting bold isn't he?" Thelma asked as her fingers trailed down lower. "Naughty, naughty Warren. I wonder if Annette knows..."
"Annette?"
"Yes, Bening – his wife." Thelma answered.
"He's married?"
Thelma sighed. The mood had been broken and it was her own bloody fault. She grasped Cassie's hand and brought it to her lips. "Yes, he's married and has two or three children."
"At his age?" Cassie eyebrows rose at Thelma's comments.
Thelma laughed. "Would you like to have dinner with me."
Cassie blinked at the sudden change in topic. "What? Now?"
"Yes, now."
"How did we go from Warren Beatty – you touching me, then asking me out?"
"All a part of my master plan you see," she dipped her head smiling. "Granted, Warren did throw me off a bit," Thelma replied as she walked to her bed and took her robe off.
Cassie inhaled sharply as Thelma's body was exposed to her. Well, not completely exposed, she had her bra and knickers on.
"Are you alright?" Thelma asked when she turned around and saw Cassie standing still – simply looking at her.
"You're beautiful," she whispered. How much longer do we have to wait? She wondered.
Thelma blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked.
"Nothing, never mind," Thelma replied as she grabbed her frock and slid it over her head.
Cassie walked across the room and stood behind Thelma. She carefully wrapped her arms around her, feeling the tenseness in her body. "Please tell me? Did I do something wrong?" she asked.
After a moment or two, Thelma leaned back into Cassie's embrace. "It's nothing," she replied, resting her arms on Cassie's.
"It is – please, don't shut me out," she could hear and feel Thelma's sigh.
"You – you said I was beautiful..."
"I did?" Cassie thought about what she'd said and she started to laugh.
"Hey!" Thelma tried to get out of Cassie's arms.
"Don't go... let me explain," she said quickly as she held on.
"Fine, but it had better be good!" Thelma pouted.
"It is – I promise," Cassie kissed the side of Thelma's neck. "When I said, "You're beautiful," I wasn't lying or messing with you."
"Then?"
"I didn't know I spoke out—loud."
"What?" Thelma turned around so she was now facing Cassie, wrapping her arms around her.
"I thought I'd said it in my head," she explained as her hands drifted up and down Thelma's back. "I couldn't get over how beautiful you looked and I spoke out—loud without knowing it."
Thelma looked deeply into Cassie's eyes, searching for the truth, hoping to find it. "Alright then, you're forgiven," she said as she kissed Cassie quickly.
Cassie reached up and caressed Thelma's cheek. "If I haven't said it before, it wasn't because I never thought it. You," Cassie watched as her fingers traced along Thelma's jaw line, memorizing her features. "Are beautiful and I'll never let you forget it – ever." Cassie closed her eyes and proceeds to do something she was growing quite fond of.
Thelma automatically expected Cassie to start signaling with her tongue that she wanted in – that she wanted to escalate the kiss, but it didn't happen. Cassie kept the kisses light – playful, never staying in one spot for very long. She would briefly capture either her upper or lower lip, tugging on it before letting go.
Thelma wasn't sure how long they kept it up as time ceased to have any meaning for her.
Gradually, the time between kisses grew longer apart until they stopped.
They clung to each other tightly.
"Thelma," Cassie whispered.
"Yeah..."
Cassie pulled away slightly. "Should we go then? On the date?"
"Date? Oh – yeah date…"
Cassie chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"Us."
"How so?"
"Here we are, wrapped in each others arms, we haven't been on a date yet and all I'd like to say is, "Can we just skip it and you know." You know?"
Thelma smiled brightly. "I like your thinking."
"I thought you might – but Thelma..."
"Hmm?"
"I'd really like to go out with you."
"You would? Truly?"
Cassie held her tighter. "Why wouldn't I want to show you off – as I said before, you're beautiful."
Thelma knew – could feel deep down that Cassie meant what she said. Which was going to take a little while to get used to. She knew she wasn't a Morning Glory, she accepted a long time ago that her looks were different, but she appreciated them – they made her stand out in a crowd. They got her noticed – and once people got to know her, well, she left quite a few friends and admirers behind.
For Cassie to tell her she was – is beautiful touched her profoundly. She had spoken her private thoughts aloud, without being aware of it. Which made the comment in her book: priceless.
"So, shall we go then?"
"Of course," Thelma replied. "You're going to need to let go first," she said when Cassie held on.
"Right," she nodded. "Letting go," she said as she released her embrace.
"There's a really nice restaurant I'd like to take you to..." Thelma started saying as she turned around.
"Thelma, it doesn't matter to me if we eat here..."
"It does to me," she stressed as she faced Cassie once more. "Let me do this," she took hold of both Cassie's hands and squeezed them. "Please? It may be my only chance..."
"We'll have plenty of chances, but alright," Cassie acquiesced. "Let me go get cleaned up, it won't take a minute."
"Okay, I'll be waiting."
Cassie kissed her quickly. "I'll be right back."
"Go on." Thelma watched as Cassie grabbed a few items and left the room, not before having smiled at her. She turned around and walked to her bed. "Did you forget something?" she asked as the door opened.
"No."
Thelma turned around slowly as the hairs on the back of her neck rose. "Can I help you?"
"Yes you can actually."
"Thelma, are you ready?" Cassie asked as she stepped into their room.
"I'm sorry..."
Cassie jumped, startled. "Who are you? What are you doing here and where's Thelma!"
"She's safe – for now," he replied calmly as he uncrossed his legs and stood up from the chair.
"What do you want!" she demanded as she took a step toward him, looking around quickly to see if she could use anything against him.
"Cassie!"
She looked at him.
"Don't try your tricks with me – otherwise you'll never find Thelma," he told her.
"If you hurt her..."
"She's perfectly fine," he said as he circled her. "We have business, you and I and the sooner we get to it..." he trailed off.
"Where are you going?" Cassie demanded as he started to leave.
"Oh, I'll be around, but first, you need to sleep," he said as he paused at the door.
"You expect me to sleep? You're crazy!"
"Not half as crazy as your mother I suspect."
Cassie gasped. "How?"
"Sleep Cassie," he told her as he opened the door. "If you're lucky, dream – good night," he bowed his head and shut the door behind him.
Cassie ran to the door and threw it open – he was gone, and with him, Thelma. She sank to the floor and cried. Not only for Thelma, her beautiful Thelma, but herself as well.
The End