Work Text:
The name Sawyer was never received with scorn, but rarely was recognized outside of the town’s walls. Consequently, when Veronica opened the doors to the function, with only her new boyfriend to guide her, she felt entirely out of her depth.
Three or so months into her college degree, Veronica had met this wannabe senator guy called Connor. He was a sweet, smart democrat who really believed he could make a difference all within the legal bounds. After dating a psycho idealist and the relationship ending terribly in high school, Veronica hadn’t been really able to trust him fully, so they remained just friends for the entirety of Veronica’s stay at Ohio State University.
About six months ago, when Veronica had freshly turned fourty-six, she met Connor again through mutual friends and they started dating almost immediately. Connor was as sweet as he was boring, which is to say: a lot. Veronica liked that about him, she felt incredibly at ease and within her comfort zone. Now a college English teacher, Veronica didn’t feel like she needed that much excitement in her life.
She didn’t count on the fact that as a politician and business man’s girlfriend she would have to attend events such as these. She had a little bit of experience with faking smiles and pleasantries from her high school career, but this was on a completely different scale and she was feeling the stakes. Connor would nudge her slightly when she made faux pas, which was more often than she would like and she would zone out for entire minutes about anything but what was being discussed.
Needless to say, the fundraising gala was not turning out great.
That’s why thirty minutes in, when she knew dinner was going to be served soon, she asked to go grab some fresh air and no, Connor didn’t need to accompany her. She walked to the farthest balcony she could find, crossing many people and shaking more hands than she could count, and opened the door.
Here’s what I haven’t been telling you. Before Veronica decided to come with Connor to the gala in the first place, she asked a couple clarifying questions. What should she wear, how formal should she be, what is the schedule of these types of events. Just the basics. However, Veronica couldn’t ask the questions she hadn’t a way to know would be necessary at all.
As she opened the door, Veronica almost took a step back. She was facing the back of a very familiar blonde head. The blonde head was connected to an older, but extremely recognizable, body wearing a dark muted red pantsuit. Veronica heard a gasp and took a second to realize it was hers. She was probably mistaken, she thought. What could Heather Chandler possibly be doing here?
The woman in front of her tensed up and took a cigarette from the case in her pocket. In one swift movement, she lit up the cigarette and put the case and lighter back. Frozen in place, Veronica saw smoke spread around the woman. Then she heard a low, humorless chuckle.
“Found what you were looking for, Veronica?” Another slow hit of the cigarette and then she used the momentum of releasing the smoke to fully turn and lean against the railing of the balcony. The sight of Heather Chandler after so many years was a shock in and of itself, but, more than that, Veronica was flabbergasted by how much Heather had grown into herself. Her movements were smooth and charming, her expression studied and her air intelligent and mature. One could hardly tell that this woman was the same one Veronica had seen last 28 years ago. Veronica felt that she herself had only grown less secure of her own moral righteousness.
“I didn’t know you’d be here.” Veronica replied dumbly. She would have liked to have been looking for Heather right now, at least she wouldn’t feel as under a spell. Heather frowned and smiled as if she didn’t truly believe her, as if it was a ridiculous hill to die on. Then Veronica frowned herself. “How did you know I was coming?” Then Heather grinned almost predatorily.
“I didn’t.”
“You knew it was me—” Veronica started.
“You asked me if I knew you were coming. I didn’t.” She tilted her head. “I recognized those soulless clothes from across the room. You can take the girl out of loserdom, but never loserdom out of the girl.” Veronica knew she should be highly insulted, but she had a feeling Heather didn’t mean it as demeaningly as she sounded. That feeling was confirmed when Heather looked her up and down and smirked. “Saved by the striking bone structure once again.”
“What are you doing here?” Veronica felt off-balance, like Heather had thought in advance of what to say and Veronica didn’t have a single clue, which was probably true.
“I think I should be asking you that, shouldn’t I, Veronica? I thought you were above the system and all that. Shouldn’t you be jerking off to terrorism or something?” Heather took another puff out of her cigarette.
“That wasn’t me. That was JD. I’m not with him anymore.” Veronica leaned against the door. She had a feeling they would be there for a little while.
“Then who are you?” Heather looked amused. Meanwhile, Veronica just felt like she was being put under a microscope. She sighed.
“You know who I am, Heather. I haven’t changed my entire personality.” If it felt confrontational to Heather, it's because it probably was.
“Oh, I do, now?” She chuckled. “Let’s see. If you haven’t changed all that much, I would venture you still put yourself under the worst situations possible for people you may or may not even like. Especially if you got the hots for them. Actually, given that, let me guess, you’re here for a boyfriend.” When Veronica didn’t reply, Heather picked up another cigarette and handed it to Veronica, who just accepted it numbly. She lit it and Veronica took a hit. “I think about that day all the time.”
Then Veronica looked at her, truly. Heather was older, yes, but she wasn’t completely different. Mainly, she looked like she gracefully carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. She seemed capable and reliable, but not as if she wanted to be. Veronica also thought about that day constantly. The last day of their friendship and when Veronica accidentally tried to kill her. Heather and Veronica had fought and Veronica and JD went to her house in the morning to apologize.
JD gave her drain cleaner to drink and she swallowed a whole mouthful before Veronica called emergency services and Heather was taken to the hospital. She stayed there for several weeks and JD was tried as an adult for attempted murder. The trial was brutal since the Chandlers had a lot of political and legal sway. After that, Heather couldn’t speak for a really long time and even if she could, she wouldn’t speak to Veronica. Their friendship was as good as dead.
“Yeah.” Then a beat. “I hated myself for a while for it.”
“You became an ex-somebody. It figures.” Heather looked up into the night sky. There were no stars since the lights were so strong, but it was still beautiful. For a lack of a better place to look, so did Veronica.
“I did feel some remorse, Heather.”
“Well, you were always a pillowcase.” Veronica looked at her again. Even as she technically insulted her, Veronica could feel some warmth in her voice and it felt like her heart was breaking all over again. Veronica gazed into Heather’s eyes and they shone so beautifully reflecting the night sky and the evening lights that familiar melancholic feelings lodged themselves back into her soul.
“Heather—” Veronica started.
“I’m the Ohio Attorney General. Thinking about going for Governor.” Heather said. Veronica frowned. “You asked why I was here.”
“That’s incredibly impressive. I’m unqualified to know how much, honestly, I’m just a college professor.” Veronica willed Heather to look back at her. She did.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Sawyer. It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘impressive’ to anyone else if you’re determined to think whatever you can achieve is dogshit. If you’re confident, respect follows.” Veronica laughed, Heather was probably right. After about a half minute:
“You know, since we got this camaraderie going, can I be honest with you?” Veronica said and Heather waved her hand. “When we were friends in high school, I was totally under the impression that your dream was just to get married and continue the Chandler line. Better yet, I thought your whole dream was to just be popular and feared forever.” Veronica didn’t mean any barb and Heather didn’t take it like that either, she just smiled and looked down.
“Definitely not my dream.” Heather chuckled, apparently to some internal joke. “I mean, you weren’t completely wrong. I didn’t want to be a pariah. I am just really into power however I can channel it. In high school, what would get me most places was being hot and mean. And look, at first I was going to try to be a traditional wife, but I found out that there are worse things in this world than having to break other people’s expectations.”
“I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed with you.” From the look in Heather’s eyes, Veronica could almost feel a nudge coming her way — that was definitely a faux pas. “I just mean you are at the top of your career.”
“Well,” Heather laughed mirthlessly. “To the Chandlers, a woman’s husband is more important than a woman’s career.”
“You’re not married.” Veronica meant it as a question, but it came off as a statement. Heather nodded and Veronica felt a surge of unexpected hope run through her. As soon as she realized why, she went cold. She could not, would not, have a crush on Heather Chandler. Not again.
You see, back in 1989, you were either gay™ or straight. Veronica had had many crushes on boys before even meeting Heather for the first time. Therefore, she recognized herself solidly in the straight category. Then her feelings for Heather started to get complicated meanwhile Heather would play hot and cold with her like she was a showerhead. Later on, it became obvious to her that that was the reason she was attracted to JD in the first place. He was the polar opposite of Heather and was not afraid to claim her, which was incredibly refreshing to her very altered and angry state of mind. It was only after she had almost killed Heather and lost both at once that she realized that she felt the same feelings for both of them. And only after that, in college, that she found a label for herself. Veronica Sawyer was firmly bisexual. And worse, Veronica Sawyer had been in love with none other than Heather Chandler. A woman who she was never going to see again. Until now. She started to sweat.
“No,” Heather rolled her eyes. “I am not.” She ran a hand through her hair. Maybe she was also nervous for one reason or another. “You would think that it was a crime.” She took a large breath. “Well, at least my family still partially speaks to me. And they do help my campaign. A famous cut-off Chandler is worse for optics than a Chandler who is a little eccentric.”
“My parents didn’t speak with me for a long time after I came out to them.” Veronica didn’t keep her sexuality secret as a rule, but she definitely didn’t mean to just launch out of the closet to Heather right now. Wasn’t it already time to go back to the function?
“Oh?” Heather raised an eyebrow. The smile was also back. Dear god. “So not a boyfriend then?” Veronica sighed, this could go one of two ways.
“I do, actually. Have a boyfriend. And he is here. One of the candidates for senator.” She took a couple puffs of her cigarette. Thank god for it, she had forgotten she was holding it. “I’m bi. My parents just thought it was code for ‘whore’.”
“Well, you do have an interesting taste in men, Veronica.” Heather laughed, but it felt a little forced.
“I am sad to say, my taste in women is not much better.” Just as she said it, Veronica could hear the tone in her voice, the one that Heather would pick apart. She just hoped Heather would find it in her heart to ignore it.
“Ah.” She leaned in, took a puff of cigarette and released just as she said: “I shouldn’t take this as to mean you ever felt something for yours truly.” A statement. Damn Heather.
“No.” Veronica smiled. God, they were flirting and her boyfriend was somewhere in this gala.
“Never.” They locked eyes up close for quite a few seconds, culminating with Heather looking over her shoulder and leaning even closer to whisper in her ear. “Then there’s no reason for me to believe that you lost me forever.” Her lips brushed with Veronica’s inner ear and Veronica felt a chill. “No reason whatsoever.”
In one quick movement Heather bypassed Veronica and opened the door, her front brushing with Veronica’s side. They bot went through the door, Veronica feeling utterly bewildered. Heather turned back to offer her hand and Veronica took it. With a big smile:
“It was a pleasure meeting you this evening, Ms. Sawyer. I believe Connor Miller is an excellent candidate, and I wish him every success in his campaign for the Senate. Enjoy the rest of the gala—good evening.” She shook her hand and left just as dinner was starting.
Veronica was startled by a realization: how did Heather know Connor's name?
For the rest of the evening, Veronica kept replaying their interactions, wondering what could it all possibly mean. Connor was growing increasingly frustrated with her, but she kept looking for Heather in the crowd while they were supposed to be networking.
When the speeches came, Heather Chandler in all her glory appeared on stage to brilliantly woo the attendees and Veronica felt herself growing paranoid as so many things could be subliminal messages. It didn't help that Heather would look in her direction extremely frequently while never meeting her eyes. It felt a little torturous. Veronica was growing convinced that Heather had never forgiven her a single bit and it was all a play for revenge.
It was only at the end of the night, after she had come back from a trip to the restroom that her questions were answered.
“Vera, my beautiful, something just happened.” Connor whispered to her. “Don’t react too much, but the Ohio Attorney General just came to talk to me and offer her support.” Veronica blinked. She opened and closed her mouth many times before settling on:
“Did she give you something?” He looked at her weirdly and waved his phone.
“Only her contact info in case I needed help with something.” He frowned, but Veronica didn’t elaborate.
There was only one thing passing through her mind: after he slept, that phone number would be hers.