Fic: Happy Accidents (Annie/Helen, Bridesmaids)

[fembuck]

Title: Happy Accidents
Author:   Janine
Fandom:  Bridesmaids
Pairing:  Annie/Helen
Rating:  PG-13
Disclaimer:  I don’t own them.
Summary: Annie and Helen end up spending some time together after Lil’s wedding and something quite unexpected but lovely blossoms between them. 

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Annie had been dreading lunch at Go-Go Sushi with Lil and Helen since she half-heartedly suggested after Lil’s wedding that the three of them should get together sometime.  In the days that led up to the outing she’d had nightmares about dropping food into her lap, getting drunk on sake, and having to witness Helen order in flawless Japanese.  Mercifully, when the day arrived, Annie managed to keep all of her food between her chopsticks, she drank green tea just to be safe, Helen ordered in English and the three of them managed to hold a civil conversation that at times veered into actually being pleasant.  When Annie spoke, Helen listened instead of trying to upstage her, when she made a suggestion for their next get together Helen enthusiastically agreed, and when she shared an embarrassing story Helen reached out and took her hand, squeezing it sympathetically instead of arching a dark, imperious eyebrow of judgement at her.  The meal had gone off without a hitch, and when at the end Helen moved in to hug Annie, Annie found her arms wrapping around the brunette easily in a genuine embrace, and when she said that she was looking forward to seeing Helen again, she was shocked to discover that she actually meant it. 

The next time they were all suppose to meet for a nature walk, Lil got held up in Chicago and Annie and Helen found themselves on their own.  Helen showed up dressed in Lulu Lemon everything with a sun visor around her head and a water bottle attached to her hip that was so shiny Annie was worried it would burn out her retinas if the sun hit it at the right angle.  Upon seeing Helen, panic seized Annie and she gave serious thought to feigning menstrual cramps or claiming to have a headache in order to get out of the hike.  However, when Helen asked if she was ready to go, and Annie looked over to see the bright smile and sad eyes being directed at her she didn’t have the heart to weasel out and offered a smile of her own to Helen before she bravely started down the path.   

As they walked, Helen confessed that she really enjoyed being out in the woods but that she had never had the opportunity to really run wild outdoors as a child.  She said that while over children dreamed of going to Mexico or Disneyland, she would have loved to have gone camping; to have laid on a rock and stared up at the stars, to have sat around a fire making smores, to have slept in a tent at night snuggled up in a sleeping bag.  After Helen’s story, Annie said that considering the amount of trouble she managed to get them into in the city that planning a camping trip in the middle of nowhere was probably not the safest idea, but that she and Lil had had many fun and non-disastrous adventures at Lil’s family cabin and suggested that the three of them should go there sometime.  Helen was thrilled by the idea, and inspired by the bright smile being directed her way, Annie went on to say that they could even try to set up a tent on the lawn in order to make the experience more camp-like.  Helen bounced up and down with excitement at the idea, and when she turned to quickly hug Annie in her excitement, Annie found herself smiling as she hugged her back. 

The trip to the cabin was a complete success.   

On the drive there they listened to Wilson Phillips, Pat Benatar, the Bangles, Blondie, Devo, and classic Whitney and Madonna, singing at the top of their lungs with the windows rolled down, and on a dare from Annie, Helen actually pulled her top up and flashed a jeep full of college boys who had slowed down to sing along with them.  They stopped at a roadside diner for lunch, and with huge smiles Lil and Annie watched Helen consume a plate of chilli cheese fries, cheering her on and clapping when she got to the last bite.  When they got back into the car, Annie helpfully passed a bottle of Pepto to Helen, and when Helen laid her head in Annie’s lap to wait out the time between taking the Pepto and the Pepto actually working, Annie allowed her to without protest and actually stroked her hair soothingly.  Lil watched them in the rear-view mirror making an assortment of cute faces at Annie who rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased with how happy Lil was to see them getting along.  When Helen’s gastrointestinal upset had passed and she felt ready to face the world again, they started up a game of ‘The Story Of’, and spent the rest of the trip making up increasingly hilarious and ridiculous life-stories for the people in the cars they passed on the road. 

Once at the cabin, Annie led a baking evening and the three of them cracked eggs, measured brown sugar, whipped, beat, cut, layered, crinkled, spread and coloured until they had a delicious assortment of goodies cooling on the counter before them.  They dined of grilled cheese cooked in truffle oil (provided by Helen), and spent the rest of the evening on the porch drinking wine, talking and listening to gentle lapping of water and the crickets chirping in the distance. 

The next morning, Lil prepared breakfast while Helen and Annie attempted and actually succeeded at setting up a tent on large grassy area behind the cabin.  When they were finished dirt caked their clothing, they had streaks off dirt on their faces, their hair was in disarray, and they each had a least two fingers that were throbbing from being accidently hit as they tried to hammer stakes into the ground.  Annie had never seen Helen so dishevelled and found it absolutely charming.  As they stood admiring their handiwork, Annie turned to Helen and said, “My dear, you’ve never looked so beautiful.”  Helen stared at her for a moment and then rolled her eyes and laughed self-consciously before shoving Annie on the shoulder lightly.  Annie shoved her back playfully, and before they knew it they were laughing and pushing each other back and forth, until Lil called to them from the porch to come in for breakfast.  As they made their made back to the cabin Annie looked over at Helen and said, “You really do make ‘Dirty Mountain Woman’ look good,” and seeing the compliment for what it was that time, Helen blushed and quietly asked, “Do you think I could make it vogue at the country club?” and Annie laughed and murmured that if Helen tried she had to bring her along as a guest that day. 

They spent the late-morning and early afternoon in the water, shrieking when water plants brushed their legs, splashing each other, canon-balling off of the deck and lounging on blow-up water floatation devices.  The late afternoon was spent sunning on beach towels on the lawn while Lil read out loud hilarious sections from an old paperback novel she had found in the cabin that she and Annie had thought was absolutely the most romantic thing ever written when they were ten. 

That night Annie discovered that Helen, despite the kitchen staff she had at home, was a wonderful cook, and as the sun set she found herself sitting on the countertop with a glass of wine in her hand, watching with appreciation instead of resentment as Helen moved around the kitchen with the graceful perfection of June Cleaver, expertly preparing the meal while also explaining to Annie exactly what she was doing so that if Annie suddenly had a craving for flank steak she’d be good to go.   

That night they moved out to the lawn and Helen and Annie stretched out on a spread out sleeping bag looking at the stars, while Lil lounged in a state of the art lawn chair shaking her head at them occasionally.  They tried to pick out constellations but soon learned that none of them, not even Helen, knew any so occupied themselves by making up some of their own. 

When midnight rolled past, Lil declared that she was going to bed, but Helen wasn’t quite ready to tear herself away from the stars and Annie decided that she’d stay outside for a little longer as well.  When they were alone, Helen turned to Annie, and with the incredibly vulnerable and open look she sometimes got in her eyes, she said “Thank you for this.  It’s the most fun I’ve had in ... a really long time.”   

At one time, Annie would have thought that Helen with her stable full of horses, her estate the size of a small island, her fifty club memberships and her chateau in Switzerland was patronizing her with the comment, but she’d gotten to know Helen well enough to see the sincerity in her eyes.   

“Me too, actually,” Annie had whispered back with a smile, truly meaning it.   

She reached over to take Helen’s hand to extend the moment of bonding, and Helen squeezed her hand back and then firmly held onto it.  When they had first met, Annie never would have been able to fathom that one day in the not so distant future she would have been lying on sleeping bag, holding Helen’s hand as they gazed up at the stars together, but strange as it was, Annie thought that it was sort of a perfect end to a pretty much perfect day. 

On the Sunday, it rained for most of the afternoon and the women found themselves trapped indoors.  Luckily they had a working blender, ice, and daiquiri mix on hand, so the afternoon was not a total wash.   

They watched cheesy movies on TV, drank and laughed, and when Lil drifted off for an afternoon siesta Annie and Helen found themselves essentially on their own again, and this time fell into an easy conversation.   

Admitting failure wasn’t something Annie ever expected to willingly do in Helen’s presence, but Helen complimenting the sweets they had made their first day at the cabin snowballed into Annie talking about her failed shop and how for a while afterwards she hadn’t been able to even look at a mixing bowl without breaking down in tears.  Helen thought that it was a shame for such a talent to go to waste and suggested that a shop like Annie’s could do very well in a different part of town, especially if Annie was serious about expanding to her menu to include gluten free, vegan items like she had been contemplating before her shop had gone under.  Annie was touched by Helen’s earnest enthusiasm, and after the jewellery store and temping for months she was tempted by the idea of work that she was actually passionate about again, but the fact remained she’d burned through her savings with the first store and wouldn’t have enough money to try again for a very long time.   

Upon hearing that, Helen placed her hand on Annie’s thigh and said, “Annie, you don’t need money.  That’s what investors are for.”   

Annie pointed out that she didn’t have any of those, and Helen stared at her until Annie released what the other woman was suggesting.   

“I really think it would work this time,” Helen said when understanding dawned in Annie’s eyes.  “I could even help with the book-keeping and things like that.  I’m good with numbers and organizing and it would be nice to ... I don’t know, contribute to society,” Helen continued with a nervous laugh.   

“Are you sure?” Annie asked, feeling hope begin to swell in chest despite herself.  “I mean, you could lose everything you put into it.”   

Helen smiled at Annie and took her hand.  “It’s a chance I’m willing to take if you will.”   

Annie smiled happily and nodded her head, and when Lil woke up an hour later she found the other two huddled together brainstorming clever cake-shop names. 

Helen and Annie found themselves together much of the time in the weeks and months that followed as they prepared to open the shop together.  Annie was given a buzz code to Helen’s estate and when Annie’s mom came home to find Helen napping on the couch with papers strewn all over her or found the two of them laughing and cooking in the kitchen she didn’t even bat an eye.  Lil cracked jokes about how she was going to have start getting her ‘crazy on’ to win Annie back, and Annie rolled her eyes but made certain to schedule in regular Lil quality bonding time because she knew what it felt like to feel like she was losing her best friend to someone else and didn’t want Lil to go through to tumult of emotions that followed that.  Helen was her friend, an increasing good and close friend whose company and council Annie had come to depend on, but Lil was Lil and would always own a part of Annie’s heart that couldn’t be touched by another. 

The night before the shop was to open Annie and Helen sat at a round table in the cafe section of the shop with two flutes and a bottle of chilled champagne before them.  They drank and reminisced, laughing at the now distant memory of their rivalry during the months leading up to Lil’s wedding, and smiling at memories of all the time they had spent together in the last few months, planning and working together to make the dream of the shop a reality that was soon about to come true.   

When the champagne was gone and everything was set up for the morning launch, they stood before each other and Helen drew Annie into a hug that Annie returned with gusto.  When they pulled away from each other, Helen did not step back and they found themselves staring at each other for a number of seconds before Helen suddenly surged forward and pressed her lips to Annie’s. 

The kiss shocked Annie into immobility and when it registered with Helen that Annie was not kissing her back she pulled away from Annie’s lips and took a step back. 

“I ... I’m sorry,” Helen muttered, her voice apologetic, frazzled and slightly panicked as she stared down at her feet. “I don’t know why I did that.  I thought ... I don’t know ... you’ve come to mean so much to me and I felt ... I don’t know, I just wanted to express ... I’m sorry,” she rambled uncomfortably, only forcing her eyes up to meet Annie’s when she had run out of incomplete sentences stutter. 

Helen’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment and her eyes were watery and sad.  On the day of Lil’s wedding when they were racing down the highway in Annie’s car trying to find her, Annie had told Helen that she was an ugly crier.  Annie supposed she meant it at the time but, sort of horrible as it was, as Helen stood before her then with barely contained tears in her eyes, Annie thought that she had never looked more beautiful.  Dressed in jeans and an oversized sweater, her rich brown hair tied back in a pony-tail as she gazed at Annie with a mixture of fear and poorly veiled desire, Helen had never looked more ravishing. 

The thought hit Annie deep in her gut, and momentarily made her short of breath.   

Helen was ravishing.   

She was beautiful, alluring, sensual, kind, smart, and desirable.   

Annie found Helen desirable.   

She enjoyed it when Helen was pressed against her body.  It warmed her inside when Helen’s fingers slipped into her own and they were joined hand to hand.  She liked seeing Helen blink her way into wakefulness after she had fallen asleep on the couch.  When she got up in the morning, the thought of seeing Helen brought a smile to her lips and quickened the beat of her heart.   

Annie’s eyes dipped down to take in Helen’s lips and she realized that she had been too surprised by Helen’s kiss to remember what her lips felt like pressed against her own.  She couldn’t remember what they tasted like, or how soft they had been, and she suddenly found that completely unacceptable.   

The more she stared at those lips the more she wanted to taste them, she more she needed to feel them, the more she needed to feel Helen’s body against hers again. 

Instinctively, Annie took a step towards Helen reaching out her hand as she did so that she could take Helen’s hand into her own.  Helen breathed in sharply, but held her ground.  Annie lips parted to speak, but she didn’t know what to say, so instead she decided to act.  Using their joined hands to tug Helen towards her, Annie leaned in and pressed her lips against Helen’s, squeezing Helen’s hand tightly with her own when Helen immediately responded to the kiss, returning it with a passion that soon had Annie’s other hand clutching at Helen’s hip to draw their bodies closer together. 

When the need for air forced them away from each other’s lips, Helen released a soft, delighted ‘oh’ and then her lips curved up into the brightest, happiest smile Annie had ever seen, and even though Annie’s head was still spinning and she felt like she might pass out any second from a lack of oxygen, she leaned in again and captured Helen’s lips, completely unable to resist kissing her when she looked so incredibly beautiful. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Helen murmured when they reluctantly drew apart once more.  “I was too scared to do anything, to say anything.  I don’t even know what came over me just now ... I’m just happy that it did,” she continued, smiling shyly but happily. 

“Me too,” Annie whispered, drawing her thumb along the back of Helen’s hand.  “I mean, I have no idea what’s happening right now, but I’ve never been so happy to be completely and utterly confused, and I want to kiss you a whole lot more and in places that I can’t see right now.” 

Helen laughed softly and leaned forward to place a brief kiss on Annie’s lips. 

“That sounds really nice, but there are a lot of windows in this store,” Helen murmured, blushing a little as it seemed to register with her that they had been making out in the middle of the store with lights on where anyone walking by could see them. 

“I suppose this is the part where I say, ‘do you want to get out of here?’” Annie responded wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 

“Will you think less of me if I put out before even going on a date?” Helen asked blushing again, unmistakable desire in her eyes as they roamed over Annie’s face before sliding down to take in her upper body. 

“Yes,” Annie deadpanned making Helen smile.  “It’s very likely I’ll only want you for your body now.” 

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Helen whispered placing her hands on Annie’s hips before swooping in to place a searing kiss on her lips. 

“You’re willing to take a lot of risks for me,” Annie responded a bit breathlessly moments later, only half-joking as she brought her hand up to stroke Helen’s cheek. 

“I think you’re worth it,” Helen breathed out.   

And then it was Annie who was smiling like the sun. 

They giggled like teenagers between kisses, ineffectively trying to shush each other as they stumbled towards Annie’s bedroom.  Once they were safely hidden away behind closed doors, Helen took the lead, pulling Annie into the middle of the room and kissing her with purpose as her hands began to move, untucking and unbuttoning, pulling and tossing at Annie’s clothes until Annie stood before her in nothing but her underwear.   

Helen stepped back then, and under Annie’s watchful eyes she divested herself of her clothes until she was in nothing but her panties as well.   

Annie reached out for her then, tentatively running her hands up Helen’s naked torso before cautiously cupping her breasts.  Helen breathed in sharply as Annie cupped her, and a shock of arousal tore through Annie at the sound.   

“Do you still want to do this?” Helen asked.   

She the first woman Annie had touched like this and from personal experience she knew that it could be a bit overwhelming to be confronted with the reality of girl-parts after having been with nothing but men previously.   

“We could just sleep,” she offered kindly even though her body was thrumming with desire.   

“If you want to,” Annie breathed out, “but I’d, um ... I’d like to keep touching you.”   

Helen released a breath she had realized she’d been holding, and smiled at Annie before moving in to kiss her again.   

“I’d like that too,” she whispered against Annie lips, and then Helen’s hands moved around Annie’s hips and she began to tug the blonde towards the bed. 

The next morning when Annie didn’t emerge from her room to get ready for the big opening, her mother went to her room and flung open the door.  A second later her hand flew up to her mouth to muffle the exclamation of surprise that threatened to fall from her lips at the sight of Annie and Helen snuggled together under the covers.   

She watched them sleeping peacefully for a moment, and then shook her head as a smile touched her lips.  Annie and Helen ... she certainly hadn’t seen that one coming, but of all of the curveballs her daughter had thrown her way, this was the most pleasant.  Helen was a good girl, she quite a looker, and since they’d become friends Annie had been more focused, more driven, and happier than her mother had seen her in many years.   

Annie’s mom closed the door quietly, and still smiling to herself she made her way down the hall to start breakfast for three, making a mental note as she walked to drop by one of the PFLAG meetings the next time she was down at the community center.

 

The End

Comments

[mrswoman.livejournal.com]

Never heard of any of these but absolutely enjoyed reading the story - thank you :)

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

And I highly recommend seeing the movie, it is HILARIOUS :D