The Two Mrs. Greys
by Rachel
Chapter One
Edmund sat in his car with his head leaning into his driver's side window. His body weighed heavily into his seat. "How did it all go so wrong, so fast???". He had just tucked in Sam and Maddie. "When is mommy Brooke going to tuck us in," they had wondered, "and mommy angel, is she ever going to come live with us???" Edmund blinked hard as the memory of the conversation made his head start to beat. How could Maria not have wanted to come back to the life that David was willing to tell her about? How could she have been happily married to another man for two years and have no memory of their love? How could she have been a fugitive of the law and not have wanted to turn herself in? The questions kept coming faster than his brain could process. Edmund leaned back further and closed his eyes. All he could think of was Brooke telling him how she had lied to protect him. At first those words angered him and didn't make sense but now, they explained everything. Edmund sat up quickly, turned the key in the ignition and took off. "I can't make the same mistake twice!" he mumbled to himself.
Brooke stood at the doorway of her now empty house. The memories it held, and the stories it told. She walked towards the stairs and stroked the banister, the carpet - it only reminded her of him! The times he held her and kissed her on those stairs. The times he would race her up the stairs to the bedroom and all the times she was "the rotten egg" for not making it fast enough. The mornings he would stand at the base of the steps to let her know that her breakfast was served. He was so good in the kitchen, among other places. She grinned slightly. Her one chance at true happiness - gone! Why did happiness always elude her? Why could everyone else make mistakes and it was acceptable, but not for her? She walked back towards the door with tears in her eyes. She was going to walk away and start a new life, just her and Jamie in New York City. She had left TEMPO to Edmund (without his knowledge), and had landed a few free-lance jobs that would keep her mind off the mess that she called her "life". She had caused enough damage in Pine Valley (or so she thought) and the sight of Edmund was no longer bearable. She grabbed the keys from the table in her foyer and starred at them.
"I was wondering where those keys where." Edmund stood on the porch of the house that was once like his second home.
"Edmund!!", she turned around so quickly, she nearly lost her balance.
"I guess I too would lose my head if it weren't attached". Edmund stepped into the doorway.
"Edmund, what are you doing here?" Brooke tried to hide the mixed emotions he aroused in her. He walked right passed her and into the living room. "Boy, you really left this place squeaky clean. Was that a requirement by the real estate broker? The cleaner you leave it, the faster we sell it." Edmund always knew how to make light of a situation. He stood in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed in front of him letting the moonbeam coming in from the window sit on his face. "Mr. Grey, I really have to get going and I want to turn in those keys," Brooke flickered off the light in the living room, "so c'mon".
"Brooke, do you remember when I first found Hugo's Will all those years ago and no one ever got to see it besides Helcat?? I asked you if you believed me, do you remember that??". Edmund lingered on each word.
"Of course", Brooke said wondering where this was coming from.
"You said to me, 'I believe you, Edmund' and from that moment…….from that moment I trusted you with every part of my being. I never doubted you or us again, EVER! A month ago, we stood before our friends, families and OUR children and vowed to love, honor….."
"Edmund, please!! If you came over here to remind me of….", she walked towards the door.
"Brooke, I promised that I would never leave you. I promised that you would never be alone again, that the bad times were over. I - I wanted to be worthy of your love…." Edmund turned to face Brooke with tears swelling in his eyes. "I have never felt worthy of your love, Brooke, never. But, I………" Edmund bowed his head slowly and then raised it,. "I accepted your love, and it was the first time that I had ever felt unconditional love. The kind of love you get from a mother and the kind of love that people can only dream of getting from another human. But you gave it to me unselfishly."
"Don't you mean you got that from MARIA, Edmund. You know, your "WIFE", the woman that you married, the woman that you have been attending to for the last few weeks", she paused. It was pointless. "Edmund, I… I don't know why you're here, but I really have to go. Jamie is waiting for me at Tad's, ok, seriously." She walked back into the foyer expecting him to follow.
"Brooke I am talking about you. YOU! Yes, I married Maria. Yes, I loved her but you know what?? She's gone, Brooke. You hear me, she's GONE!!!"
Brooke turned away. Edmund walked closer to her and stood directly behind her. He could smell her. It was the scent that always made him want to cuddle closer to her at night. Even just starring at the back of her head, she was so beautiful to him. "Brooke, look at me, please". Brooke stepped away from Edmund with her back to him.
"Brooke, when I first found out that Maria was alive and that you of all people knew, my world came apart. The one person that I entrusted my deepest most darkest secrets without reserve, held out on me. Brooke, you know everything about me. My god, you are probably the only person who knows that I drink milk straight out of the carton!!! You made me the man that I am. If it weren't for you, I would have never been the man that found love in Maria,"
"Well, I am so grateful for that!! Congratulations to me!" she turned to finally face him. Pain, anger, hurt and distrust all sat in her eyes.
"the man who established himself here in Pine Valley, the man who was capable of being a father to two children, a man who owns part of a successful magazine, a man who knows about true love. When I first came to Pine Valley, I was a mess. You changed that. Brooke, you taught me. These weeks I have been so angry and so busy trying to put back together a life that I thought was supposed to be and……."
"And, what Edmund?? And she rejected you. She said "I don't know you, sorry' a hundred times and so you said, 'well, I wonder what Brooke is doing tonight?' Is that it??? Did you get tired of watching her trust and confide in Aiden, the man that you said was "no one important"? Were you bored tonight and figured you'd come here and see if I had nothing to do??? Well, Edmund, you came to the wrong house. You have many friends in this town, which is more than I can say for myself at this moment, so call on one of them," she walked towards the door and pulled it wide open. The tears were starting to come, but she fought to hold them back. She stood against the door hoping that he would leave before they began to flow.
"I wasn't bored, Brooke. I just needed to reconnect with my life-line - you!." Edmund stood there like a little boy in search of his mother - lost.
She was no longer able to hold back the tears. They began to stream down her face slowly. "You….you need me..me!!!!. Oh my god Edmund, don't patronize me!!! You don't need me!! You need your wife, your "real" wife, Maria. The woman you have been longing for. That is who you need. And, I am so sorry that she can't be there for you. Truly I am. I am SO SORRY!!!! When you found out Maria was alive you wanted to re-connect with her!! HER!! She is your, MRS.GREY!!!! So, go remind her Edmund. You can do it. I have faith in you!!! Hold her, touch her, KISS her, Edmund. She will remember your love. Or have you tried that too????'" she paused and was almost repulsed by the possible reality of her words, "you have, haven't you??", she could feel her body becoming numb, "well, I am sorry. I'm fresh out of suggestions," her voice ended in a whisper. She wiped her tears and leaned back into the door hoping it would continue to hold her up. She felt as if her knees were about to buckle. The numbness was gone; her body began to ache again. The same way it ached when she saw Jaime come home with a black eye due to her actions and when Isabella had wished her dead.
Edmund looked at the pain in her eyes. He wanted to walk over and hold her. He had not held her in so long. His body missed her. But he knew it just wasn't that easy. He walked over to where she was. She wore the pain she felt on her face. He held out his finger slowly and traced the curve of her left cheek bone. She flinched.
"Brooke, I'm sorry," Edmund said almost immediately.
Brooke walked away from him. She walked a few feet towards the stairs that led to her second tier. She leaned against the wall that bordered the stairs and slowly eased herself on to the third step. She had tried so hard for the last few weeks to keep it all together. She had to. She had to think of Jaime, Sam, Maddie, aunt Pheobe. She had to endure the looks, the cutting words. She was exhausted.
"Edmund, I'm sure that you came here for a reason. Till now, you haven't been very vocal as to what exactly that was. You've rambled." Brooke looked through her purse as she spoke. She knew her cell phone was in there somewhere. She couldn't wallow in the moment. 'Focus Brooke', she kept saying to herself.
"And you hate it when I ramble, I know". Edmund starred at her wondering how he could have been so foolish. Everything he ever wanted sat right in front of him. He let her go once, and almost twice but he knew better now.
"YES, I do. Like I said, Jamie is waiting for me," she took the cell phone into her hand. "So, if you have anything you would like to say to my empty house, any parting words, be my guest! Just make sure to close the door behind you." Brooke stood up and walked towards Edmund. "My keys, please," she laid the palm of her hand before him.
"Brooke, don't do this. You don't want to leave, and there is no reason for you to leave. Your life is here in Pine Valley."
"I think that is for ME to decide but your concern is flattering", she snatched the keys from his hand, "thank you". She walked right passed him and through the doorway. She wanted to run right back in and jump into his arms. She wanted to smell him, touch him, hold him, rub her hand through his hair, brush her lips against his.
He stood there looking at her with hurt in his eyes, regret. "Brooke", she stopped and turned to face him, "don't forget the key under the flowerpot". She couldn't really walk out of his life, or could she?
Brooke looked over to the flowerpot and slid it over to expose the key that lay beneath it. She starred at the key and then up at the moonlit sky. She caught a glimpse of a shooting star and wished she'd caught it sooner and made her wish. She shuddered as she felt his hand on her shoulder. He slid his arms around her and held her. His head leaned right up against hers. Brooke closed her eyes unable and unwilling to release herself from his grip. Edmund had always made her feel so safe. His pattern of breathing was so familiar. His lips against her cheek aroused her.
"OH, I'm sorry!" both of them jumped and turned around to see Maria standing there. "I just heard that Brooke was leaving and I…….." Maria was visibly bothered by what she saw. "I wanted to see you before you left. I had no idea that Edmund would be...," she put one hand through her hair and held it in place at the base of her neck. "Brooke..."
Brooke moved away from Edmund. This wasn't really happening, was it? Of course, it was! It was just another day in the life of Brooke English. She threw the spare keys and cell phone into her purse and looked at Edmund and then at Maria. She struggled to remember a time when she was confident in Edmund's love for her. She looked back at him. She could see the confusion and frustration on his face. Just as he began to walk in her direction, "Bye, Edmund. Maria", she walked down the steps pas Maria. "Oh, and Edmund," she'd turned to face him, "remember never to tempt fate again". She forcibly pulled her eyes away from him and glanced over her house and the two people that stood before it. "If only...", she stopped herself from pondering any happy endings. She turned and briskly walked in the direction of her car.
Edmund reluctantly looked over at Maria. He wasn't sure if he was angry at her, or disappointed by her. He was sure that this was not the way he'd hoped his evening would end. He looked back in Brooke's direction, "Brooke, wait!!" Her silhouette was no longer in sight. She was gone!
