Work Text:
“Do you wanna' maybe walk to your house?”
“I don't know.” Sam laughs breathily, barely pulling away enough to speak.
“Or run?”
He kisses her again, not able to help himself. He can do this now; he can kiss her and hold her and pull her tight up against him and love her.
He remembers something then, in between the laughter and the languid kisses.
“Wait, don’t you, uh, you said something about Sheila? Tonight? You have to leave, right?”
She laughs again, his words not soaking in until he mentions leaving. Her smile lingers but she chews on her lip nervously, shaking her head in that barely noticeable way.
“Uh, what’s? What’s the time?”
“I don’t know, I don’t have a watch anymore.”
He chuckles again but doesn’t let Ruth forget her word.
“No, no, seriously, I was late, it must be past six and then by the time we get to my house it will be, what? Six-thirty, so, really-.”
“Come with me.”
“What?” Sam shakes his head and stares at her incredulously, his eyes landing on her lips where they’re flushed and shining.
“Come with me, come back. I’m sure all the girls will want to see you. Yeah, come back.”
“I… I can’t leave. I’ve got to be here. For Justine.”
Ruth sighs, looking over her shoulder to where Sam’s hands are resting.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No, of course, I don’t. I want you all to my fucking self, Ruth.”
“Then come with me!” Ruth beams, leaning up to kiss him again.
“I-.”
“Just for tonight, you can go straight back tomorrow morning.”
“Honestly? I just can’t be fucking bothered to see Bash, okay? I mean I love you but… Jesus fucking Christ.”
Ruth laughs, practically bouncing up and down on her toes as she slips her hands into his.
“You won’t. Bash… he’s… busy with everything he’s doing, don’t worry. Also… say that again.”
“Say what again?”
Ruth chews her lip once more, her grin reaching her eyes as she lets her right hand loosen to run her fingers down his cheek and under his chin.
A car drives up beside them then and whilst she’s momentarily distracted by watching it roll to a stop, he squeezes her hand.
“Oh, the car’s here.”
“I love you, Ruth. God, I love you.”
She falls forward so she’s resting her cheek on his chest, curled up as close as she can get.
“So, are we getting in this car and racing back to your place? Or… are you gonna’ come with me? To find my car?”
“I…” He sighs with resignation, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on the top of her head, “Okay, fuck it. I’ll go back to Vegas, just for tonight.”
They manage to unwrap themselves from each other before the driver gives up on waiting. Sam opens the back door for Ruth before they sit glued side-by-side, Sam’s arm draped around her.
“Just, don’t let me forget to call Justine when we get there, okay? She’ll fucking fire me if I don’t.”
“Wait, wait, before we go in… should we? We should probably not… I just, with Russell and the girls, I don’t want it to seem like…”
“Okay, I think I know what you’re getting at but really, Ruth? Really? I mean, where even is he? And you really think anyone’s going to judge you when, you know… people know your history, Ruth.”
Ruth gapes, letting his hand fall from her grasp, where she’s standing up ahead from him. It’s dark outside apart from the neon lights and flashes coming from within the venue; they’re combined with raucous applause and laughter.
“Oh? So, that’s how you really see me, huh?”
“Look, okay, fine.” He walks forward so they’re in the same spot, “You don’t want me to kiss you in front of people? I won’t kiss you in front of people but that won’t stop me when nobody’s watching.”
Ruth closes her eyes when she notices him leaning forward, succumbing to the inevitable as he presses his mouth against hers. She’s lost track of how many kisses they’ve shared tonight; it’s like they’ve been making up for all the times they didn’t.
“Are you gonna’ come backstage?”
“I’ll go wherever you want me, Ruth.”
She nods and smiles and leads the way.
“Sam? Sam? What are you doing here?”
“Yeah, yeah, alright. I’m here, okay. It’s just for tonight.”
Debbie casts her eyes from Sam to the side of the stage where Ruth and Sheila are gearing up to walk on.
“Huh. Okay… you really came all this way just for tonight? For… for Ruth… huh, okay.” Debbie bobs her head left-to-right, the true weight of Ruth’s confession finally hitting her. Sam watches her with confusion, shaking it off by waving a hand in her face and looking back to the stage door. Ruth turns her head then, straining her neck to get a good look at him before realising Debbie is there too.
She smiles slightly before straightening up again and patting Sheila on the back. It’s finally their call, so, they’re soon out in the spotlight and running through every line just as they’ve been doing for weeks.
Sam edges as close to the stage as he’s able to, angling his neck awkwardly so he can watch both the performance and the audience’s reactions. He can see a few familiar faces in the crowd and the top of Debbie’s hat floating around towards the back.
He’s exhausted but there’s something invigorating about watching Ruth (and Sheila, too) walk around the stage with such confidence and authentic enthusiasm that he finds himself still able to focus with clarity and a smile on his face.
Maybe part of it's the fact that he’s in love, too; that Ruth loves him and that when she comes off stage and drops her character, she'll still love him. He isn’t sure how it happened or what it will mean for them but that’s where the exhaustion is somewhat helpful – he's too tired to work it out. Too old. Too fucked over by life to even care.
Ruth and Sheila take their final bow and the audience cheers mightily. Sam can spot some of the girls reaching up above all the other heads and faces, their eyes gleaming with pride. He shakes his head and starts clapping himself, sending a piercing whistle out towards them.
They’re soon rushed off and Ruth runs towards him, giddy and proud. Sheila's following but that doesn’t seem to register in Ruth, who suddenly throws her arms around Sam and kisses him with all that she has.
Her tongue slides against his, her body radiating heat from standing under show lights.
Sheila halts behind them and her eyes bulge wildly as she attempts to scoot past, accepting a brief congratulations from Bobby before he hits the stage himself, shrugging at Ruth on the way out.
When she finally pulls away from Sam, breathless, she laughs and beams at him.
“We should... we should get out of here.”
“Yeah... yeah... fuck yeah.”
Sheila tilts her head as Ruth finally registers her presence, albeit whilst still clinging onto Sam, who's smiling widely, his glasses pushed up his nose.
“We were great, Sheila. Thank you.”
“Yeah, we were. Thank you.” Sheila bobs her head, almost about to turn away, “You’ll be done by the time the show’s over, right? I mean, in our room?”
Sam and Ruth look at each other, communicating with their eyes.
“Um, yeah. Yeah, we will. Sorry. I... yeah. See you later.”
Sheila smiles tightly before leaving and finding the girls in the crowd.
Sam kisses Ruth again before they sneak out without anybody noticing.
They kiss in the parking lot; they kiss under the hotel's entranceway; they kiss in the lobby. They kiss in the elevator and the hallway and pressed up against the door which used to be Sam's.
They kiss every inch of each other's skin on Ruth's bed and on the floor when they fall into a tangled mess.
“I thought about these... every fucking day.” Sam breathes out against her chest, kissing along her collarbone.
Ruth laughs, her body vibrating underneath him.
“A dirty old man.”
“Oh Christ, not this again.”
Ruth chuckles, trailing a hand up his back and sliding her foot up his leg.
“I need to pee.”
“Go fucking pee, then.”
She bites her lip as he rolls off of her, into the pile of pillows beside them.
He peaks his head around the bottom of the bed so he can watch her walk away, shamelessly.
Once the bathroom door has locked closed, he rolls back the other way and his eyes fall on the phone cable that’s plugged into the wall.
“Ah, fuck.”
He sits up then, squinting with blurry eyes, his glasses discarded somewhere across the room. He’s able to just about make out where the phone is on Ruth's nightstand, so he can pull it down into his sheet-covered lap and start making out the numbers as best as he can.
He hasn’t heard a flush from the bathroom yet, so he has enough time to get the call over and done with by the time it starts ringing.
“Fucking finally. Where are you?!” Justine calls out, making Sam pull the receiver away from his ear momentarily.
“Don’t panic, alright. I’m in Vegas. It’s just for tonight, I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
“Vegas? What are you doing back in Vegas? Are you with... oh. Really? You went back with Ruth?”
“Look, I know it sounds crazy but, yeah, I’m here in Vegas and I’m here with Ruth. Don’t be a petty fucking kid about it, okay?”
“Have you... have you told her?”
“Told her? Told her wha... No. I haven’t told her yet. I'm planning on it but it needs to be at the right time.”
“Is she gonna' hate me?”
“Maybe. Probably. Fuck, yeah, she's probably gonna’ hate you a little but she'll hate me more, alright? Wish me luck.”
“I'm... I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”
“Get some sleep, okay? I'll be back tomorrow. Goodnight.”
Sam hits the phone down at the same time as Ruth opens the door.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just called Justine; got it out of the way.”
Ruth nods as she makes her way back over to him, her eyes trailing over the room.
“We should probably make things decent before Sheila comes back.”
“Right, yeah. Then can we hit the hot tub?”
“You mean your hot tub?”
“Fuck yeah, my hot tub. I used that thing more than anyone.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s Tammé's hot tub, now.”
“Yeah? It won’t be after what happens in it, tonight.”
“Gross.” Ruth rolls her eyes, standing over him. Sam moves then, placing the phone back where it belongs before kneeling in front of her, pressing a kiss on her stomach.
He looks up at her, worn out and ragged.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
“Is that Sam?”
“What? Sam? Oh my god, what’s Sam doing here?”
“Sam? Who's Sam?” Melrose snorts, “What? I’m kidding.”
Sam catches a glimpse of the table that’s staring back at him as he pours a coffee from the breakfast buffet. He wonders over, Ruth on his heels.
“Yeah, okay, it’s me. I’m here. I kept quiet but I was there at the show last night. Ruth and Sheila did a great job, okay?”
“Oh god, the show.” Arthie cries, wrinkling up her nose in anger.
“What about it?” Ruth asks, innocently.
“Some homophobic assholes started a fire. Vandalised the whole place.” Carmen answers.
“Oh my god, really? Oh god, I feel awful. We- I mean, I came straight back to the hotel after our performance.”
“Oh, jeez.” Sam sighs, gulping back coffee.
“So, what Sam? You’re just here and then leaving again.” Carmen asks.
“Yeah, pretty much. Justine sold her screenplay so we're making a movie.”
Ruth smiles slyly beside him, before covering her tracks and sipping at her hot chocolate.
“So, uh, stay safe, alright? You’re right; screw those fucking assholes.”
Ruth puts her drink down next to Carmen, excusing herself briefly, so she can follow Sam to the lobby.
They walk out front together, standing out of view from any windows.
“When's your car arriving?”
“I don’t know, any minute.”
Ruth scuffs her shoes against the floor, unsure of what to do next. She loves him, that’s all she knows.
“Look, Ruth. I have to tell you something.”
She looks up, her face full of concern from the tone of his voice.
“I shouldn’t have left it this long to tell you and I don’t even know if I should be saying this right now but...”
“But... what?”
“Justine... she wants to cast somebody else for your part in the movie.”
Ruth’s face falls completely, then.
“What? What do you mean?”
“She chose someone else and there’s nothing I can do about it, Ruth.”
Ruth laughs, painfully.
“But... you’re the director.”
“And she’s my daughter, Ruth.”
Ruth laughs again but this time it fades out into a shaky breath.
“Wow... wow. Okay, okay. You thought telling me after we fucked each other was the right time to tell me? Before you fucking leave again? Wow, Sam, wow. I... I can’t believe you.”
“Ruth... come on, let’s talk about this.”
“You knew how important this was for me! You called me in! You want me to talk about what a big fucking failure I am? That I can’t even get a part in your daughter's movie? Fuck!”
“Ruth, come on, you’re not a fucking failure!”
“Really? Really?! Don’t lie to me more than you already have, Sam.” Ruth cries out, wiping a tear from under her eye, her hands shaking.
“Lie to you? When have I ever fucking lied to you, Ruth?”
“How about last night? All of last night, you knew that my hopes were going to be shattered but you said nothing.”
“If I’d said something, Ruth, last night wouldn’t have happened. And you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy whatever we did last night.”
She doesn’t respond, she just stays silent, her mouth and chin quivering as she holds back a sob. She breathes through it, letting out a slow exhale as she wipes her nose on the back of her hand.
Sam is silently relieved when she doesn’t move at his touch, as he makes her fall into his embrace.
“You’re not a fucking failure, Ruth. Alright? You were fucking great last night, up there with Sheila, and... you know what you want to do and you’re good at it. Give yourself a fucking break.”
She shakes in his arms, closing her eyes.
“You know Justine asked me if you're gonna' hate her and I said, yeah, Ruth will probably hate you but she's gonna' hate me more. But I don’t want you to hate me because... when you love someone, Ruth? That hate is so much fucking worse.”
The car drives up then, honking its horn.
“Alright, alright.”
Sam lets Ruth go, leaving her to run her hands through her hair, her face flushed and smeared with tears.
Sam climbs in the car and shuts the door before rolling down the window.
“You're not even gonna’ kiss me goodbye?”
Ruth crosses her arms over before indignantly walking up to the car window and lowering herself to him.
When they pull apart, she straightens her back.
“I do hate you.”
Sam shakes his head.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll call you, okay? I'm not just gonna' let you sulk and give up on yourself, okay? I’m here to support you because I love you, Ruth.”
She doesn’t say anything again, so, he pats a hand on the outside of the car and it starts moving.
She watches him drive away and for a brief moment, she considers chasing after him. Telling her she loves him again.
“Sam Sylvia making Ruth Wilder cry, what’s new?”
She turns to find Debbie walking her way, eyebrows raised.
“I didn’t get the part in Justine's movie.”
Debbie nods her head, long and slow and understanding.
“You finally got to tell him you love him, though, right?”
Ruth sighs out, letting go and smiling slightly, remembering that night in the mountains.
“Yeah... no riding off into the sunset just yet.”
“Come on, the rest of the girls also need consoling after last night... especially Sheila, apparently she found a condom wrapper beneath her pillow and she doesn’t know how it got there.”
Ruth laughs, blushing.
“Sam can’t really see anything without his glasses on.”
“For your sake, I hope that only applies to where he disposes of his trash.”