Fandom: The Practice

Title: Wonderland: Pas de Deux

Author: Carla

Email: cmfloresfd@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

Pairing: Helen / Eleanor

Disclaimers: (1) I don't own the characters that honor belongs to David E. Kelley, AKA Michelle Pfeiffer's husband, and whatever corporate suits he may have sold his soul to. NO profit is made from this work of fiction, which is a product of my sole imagination, the characters herein are used without permission but much gratitude. 

(2) The immensely talented John Mayer is the genius who wrote Your Body is a Wonderland, the song that really started this whole ball rolling for me.  Some of the lyrics can be found below.

Archiving: Okay to the Realm.  All others please ask as it is highly unlikely I shall say no. All my stuff is archived at http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/carla.htm.

Feedback: It really does make the fic world go 'round folks.  Feedback, the good the bad and the ugly is all fodder for the mill and can be sent to me either on list or directly to me at cmfloresfd@yahoo.com.

Author's Note: (1)This story is a sequel to, my first The Practice ficlet, Wonderland. It is not necessary to have read that one in order to get this one. Consider this AU future fic and all will be well.

(2) This hasn't been beta-ed any and all mistakes are mine all mine.  I take full credit and or blame for them.  I hope you enjoy or at the very least are not repulsed.

So if you want love
We'll make it
Swim in a deep sea
Of blankets
Take all your big plans
And break 'em
This is bound to be a while.

John Mayer - Your Body is a Wonderland

Wonderland: Pas de Deux

"Mima.Mima...Wake up Mima!" Helen groaned and scooted backwards closer to the warm body behind her as she tried to distance herself from the small finger repeatedly poking her in the shoulder. "Miiiiiiimaaaaaaaaa" She opened one eye and was greeted by her daughter's gap-toothed grin.

"Good morning sweet child-o-mine" She reached out and wrapping one arm around the squirming five year old dragged her onto the bed.  "Shhhh," she cautioned as the child began to giggle, "You don't want to wake Mommy up."

"Too late," Eleanor's muffled sleepy voice came from behind Helen.

"Hi Mommy"

"Good morning Zoë." Eleanor leaned over for her morning kiss and cuddle with her daughter.  She kissed Helen good morning, "Morning love."

"Morning Ellie"

"Can we go to the zoo today?" Over the child's head Helen cocked an eyebrow in Eleanor's direction.

"I'm free you?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm on call but that doesn't mean that we can't go out."

"Weren't you on call last weekend?"

"Yeah but I switched with Kevin.  He'll cover for me next month on our anniversary weekend."

"I see.  So the zoo and lunch it is.  Zoë do you want to call Bobby and see if he wants to come with us?"

"Yes!" Zoë jumped up and down on their bed finally collapsing in a laughing heap on top of her mothers. "Can we have Mickey pancakes?"

"With bananas in the ears."

"And chocolate chips for the eyes Mima.  Please?"

"Okay.  Do you want to help me?" the child nodded and jumped off the bed.

"I'm going to wash my hands first."

"Okay.  Race you to the bathroom." 

Eleanor smiled as she watched the two people she loved most in the world run out of the room in a mad race to the bathroom and clean hands.  She called out after their retreating forms, "I'll be there in a minute. Don't start without me, okay?"

A few minutes later Eleanor shuffled into the kitchen to find Helen pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Coffee?"

"Is it decaf?"

"No, the last of the Kona we brought back from Maui."

"No I won't force you to share the last of your stash."  Eleanor grinned, "That would be cruel and unusual punishment don't you think."

"I most certainly do but I figured you would be less than sympathetic given that you made me give up caffeine when you were pregnant with Zoë and we were just roommates then.   Explain that one to me would you?"

"You're a good friend a very good friend."

"A masochist is more like it."

"OH shush you know it's 'cause you were madly desperately in like with me and you were trying to be loving and supportive in my time of need."

"Like I said masochism," Eleanor stuck out her tongue in response.  "Is that a promise or a threat?"

"You decide," the heavy set attorney whispered as she pulled Helen to her.  They kissed deeply unhurriedly stopping only when they heard Zoë come into the kitchen. Helen, her hand still entwined in Eleanor's hair murmured directly into her lover's ear "Promise fulfilled counselor."  Her voice tight with desire sent shivers throughout Eleanor.

"Sandy says she never sees her Mommy and Daddy kissing.  She says all they do is fight and then her daddy leaves all mad." 

"Well sweetheart sometimes when people are hurting.when Mommies and Daddies are fighting or are angry they don't want to kiss."  Eleanor ran her hand through her hair before scooping the child up in her arms and depositing her on the kitchen island countertop.  "Kissing is something people do to show how much they care about each other.  Some grownups think it's something that you shouldn't do in front of children." Helen, still standing by the coffee pot, cut in.

"But just because Sandy's Mommy and Daddy don't kiss in front of her doesn't mean that they don't kiss each other ever. And just because they are fighting a lot now doesn't meant that they don't love each."

"Sandy said she heard them screaming at each other the other day and that her Daddy said he wanted a divorce.  Sandy says her daddy has a 'girlfriend' and that's why her Mommy and Daddy are fighting."

"Sounds like things at Sandy's house are kind of rough right now hmmm?" Zoë nodded solemnly.  "Do you think maybe Sandy and her Mommy would like to go to the zoo with us?  You know do something fun to take their minds off of what's going on at home."

"Can I call and ask?"

"Sure thing sweetie why don't you bring me the phone from the living room and then we can call."  Zoë hopped off the counter and ran into the living room in search of the cordless phone.

"I'm almost done with the pancakes Ellie could you get the syrup and heat it up some."

"Sure love.  Maple, strawberry or blueberry."

"We're out of blueberry."

"Since when?"

"Since the night before last," Helen slid the last pancake onto a serving plate, "or don't you remember?"

"I remember" Eleanor could feel herself blushing, her face warming even in the coolness of the refrigerator, as she recalled their activities the previous night. "Strawberry or maple?"

"Both.  And orange juice too please."

"We need to do some grocery shopping there's nothing in here except some," Eleanor opened a container of orange juice and sniffed, "orange juice of dubious quality and leftovers." 

"Throw it out then.  We have some apple juice in the pantry we can have that and then go grocery shopping when we get back from the zoo."

"Here mommy" Zoë handed Eleanor the cordless phone.

"Thank you sweetie.  Tell you what let's call after breakfast okay.  Mima made Mickey pancakes just how you like them and we don't want them to get cold."

Helen poured herself more coffee while Zoë set the table and Eleanor poured them all glasses of juice. They sat at the table and began to eat.

"How come we don't say grace?  At Sandy's house we always say grace before we eat."

"Because we are a mixed faith family Zoë."

"Helen" Eleanor hissed.

"What it's true."

"What's 'mixed faith'?"

"It means that Mommy is Jewish and I'm Catholic.  That's why we light the menorah during Chanukah and go to mass on Christmas Eve."

"How come?"

"How come what?"

"How come we don't say grace?  When we go to Nona's for the cider."

"Seder Zoë.  We go to Nona's for Seder not cider." Eleanor gently corrected.

"Seder.  When we go to Nona's for Seder we pray and when we go to Grandma and Grandpa's house we say grace."

"That's true."

"So how come we don't when we're home."

"We just don't but that doesn't mean we can't or that you can't if you want to."

"You know Zoë you don't have to say grace aloud for everyone at the table to hear.  If you say it silently in your head God still hears you."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure he hears you Zo.  God hears everybody's prayers."

"Doesn't mean he answers all of them but he hears all of them," Helen said.

"How do you know?"

"It's one of the basic tenets of faith."

"Helen she's five need I remind you: K.I.S.S." Helen nodded in acknowledgement it was true that she had a tendency to talk to Zoë as if the child were really a small adult. Keep It Simple Simon, KISS.  It was a phrase Helen had once associated with bridge having heard it often enough as child when she was forced to be the fourth hand at her grandmother's weekly bridge game.  Now though it was the phrase she and Eleanor most often used to remind the other that small ears were listening and as such language needed to be tailored appropriately.

"Well Zo what that means is that one of the first things you learn about God is that he hears everyone's prayers."

"But how do you know that he hears you."

"We have faith.  Faith is something you believe or have in something, an idea, even if you can't actually prove it."

"Sweetie you know your friend Jack's brother, Roger?" Zoë nodded and Eleanor continued. "You know that Roger's blind right?"

"That's why he uses that white stick when he's walking right?"

"That's right. Now you know that Roger's been blind since birth right?" Again the child nodded.  "Okay now what color is the sky?"

"Blue."

"Okay now if you asked Roger what color the sky is what do you think he would say."

"Blue"

"Why?"

"Because everyone knows the sky is blue."

"Roger doesn't know that for sure he's never seen the sky.  Roger has 'faith'. Roger believes the sky is blue because that's what people tell him not because he can prove it to himself by seeing it with his own eyes.

"Oh I get it"

"I see said the blind man" Helen muttered into her coffee mug earning her a kick to the shin from Eleanor. Just then the phone rang Helen picked it up. 

"Hello.Doris hi.no not at all. We just finished breakfast.  How are you doing...Good, good. that sounds like fun.Think you'll go again...uh-huh.uh-huh.  No, no she didn't but I don't think Ellie's spoken to her in a while." Helen covered the phone's mouthpiece with her hand and mouthed "Your cousin" to Eleanor.

"What about her?" she whispered back.  Turning to Zoë she said, "Honey why don't you go wash your hands and face then you can talk to Nona on the phone okay."

"Are we going to Nona's house today?"

"No sweetie I don't think so. Now go wash up while I clear the table."

"Not much.no I'm still with the DA that hasn't changed since last week.  Sorry to disappoint you." Helen pantomimed hanging herself and Eleanor snatched the phone out of her hand.

"Mother, how are you? What's this about Myra?...When's she due?...That's great she's been trying for so long you know.No we're still looking.  We saw something the other day in Cambridge but it was kind of small for the money.Yes 'WE', Mother, who else would I be buying a house with, Santa Claus?  What did you think that we were in this relationship simply because we live together?  It's been almost five years now get used to it."

In the next room Helen's cell phone rang and she went to answer it.

"Don't be ridiculous.Yes I make more money than Helen but so what, you made more than daddy.it is too the same thing.  I am not going to discuss it with you any further. If you can't deal with things the way they are keep it to yourself.She is not trying to leech off of me for God's sake Mother she makes a good living on her own she doesn't need me to support her.You're so full of it I don't hear you giving Steven shit about Danette and she doesn't even work.  It'd be one thing if they had kids that she was taking care of at home but they have two cats Mother.  So now tell me who's the leech...Mom please I don't want to argue.I'm sorry I yelled.she's washing up.uh-huh.next weekend? Sure she'd love that.here she is now? I love you Mom." Eleanor handed the phone to her daughter, "Talk to your Nona.  Mima and I'll be getting ready for the zoo okay."

"Okay Mommy.   Hi Nona."

Eleanor found Helen in their bedroom talking on her cell phone.

"1430 Brighton Ave between Beach and Brooklyn got it.  See you in about an hour."

"Work?" Helen jumped startled at Eleanor's voice behind her.

"No that was Debbie she says she found "The House" of our dreams."

"Where?"

"It just went on the market today four bedrooms, living room, dining room, family room off of the kitchen, three fireplaces with a finished basement and a separate two car garage."

"Where?"

"Ooh, ooh there's an office with a street side entrance above the garage."

"Where?"

"It's on one acre, a corner lot."

"How much and where?"

"$450,000.00 but Debbie says it might be negotiable."

"Where?"

"Newton."

"Newton!"

"What's wrong with Newton?  It's commutable it's got a good school system."

"It's really conservative it's overwhelmingly white."

"Uh hello what are we?  I see very little variation on skin color in this room."

"Oh come on Helen you know what I mean. I want Zoë to grow up in a diverse neighborhood I want her to be exposed to other cultures and experiences on a daily basis not as part of a school trip or family sojourn into the city."

"Ellie she gets that message everyday just by coming home to us her Lesbian Mothers.  And it's not like she or we for that matter live in some hermetically sealed 'White Vacuum'.  Living in Newton isn't going to change that.  Eugene and Rebecca will still be our friends; will still come to our house for dinner will still be at your office when Zoë goes to see you there.  Kendall will still be her unofficial 'older' brother who baby sits her and gives her piggy back rides and teases her. None of that will change."

"Except Kendall going to college."

"And that would happen if we lived in the South End, Cambridge or Newton.  Come on Ellie let's just go look at it what can it hurt?"

"Okay.  What about the zoo?"

"Some other time." Helen crossed the room to where Eleanor stood and kissed her. "Let's go look at the house and afterwards this money grubbing leech of a district attorney will take her two favorite people to the movies and pizza."

"You heard that huh?"

"You were kind of loud."

"Sorry"

"Don't be it's good to know that I'm a more desirable housemate than Santa," Helen teased as she pushed a lock of Eleanor's hair behind her ear.

"You know it, big time, Love." Eleanor slipped a hand inside Helen's robe and under the sleeping shirt she wore. Her hand slid up to cup one of Helen's breasts, thumb lightly teasing the district attorney's already erect nipple.

"God Ellie." the rest of her words were silenced by Eleanor's mouth on hers.

"Much more desirable."

"Mommy!" Zoë called from the living room, "Nona wants to talk to you."

"Okay honey I'll pick up the phone in here."

"You've got to admire Doris' timing I tell you," Helen smiled ruefully as she tightened the sash on her robe. "I'm going to shower."

"Wait a minute.  My mom wanted to know if she could take Zoë next weekend."

"I don't see why not.  We don't have plans do we?"

"Just Friday night with Bobby and Lindsay.  Kendall's supposed to watch the kids at their place."

"If she wants Doris could pick Zo up at school."

"Mommy!"

"I've got it Zoë, hang up the phone now." Covering the mouthpiece she whispered "I'll join you in a few" Helen gave her a thumbs up and went to shower.

"Hi Mom.  Next weekend's fine.  Actually if you want to you can pick Zoë up from school on Friday and have her Friday night Saturday night.Good she'll be excited.  I'll talk to you later in the week... Actually there's been a change of plans we're going to go look at a place in Newton..I'll let you know. Okay I love you.  Bye Mom."

 / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"So Eleanor I hear congratulations are in order."

"Thank you Lindsay."

"What's going on Eleanor?"

"Congratulations on what?"

"Congratulations Eleanor" Bobby Donnell hugged her on his way out the door.

"Eleanor is joining the ranks of the true bourgeois and buying a house," Lindsay Dole crowed with glee.

"How wonderful.  The place in Newton you told me about that time?" Rebecca Washington asked.

"That must be why Helen's called four times in the last hour, hour and a half."

"How many times did you say she called, Lucy?"

"Four"

"Five actually" Jimmy Berlutti cut in, "I took a call from her too.  She said everything was fine Eleanor she just sounded really excited is all."

"Huh" She hung up her jacket and sat down at her desk, "I'll call her in a bit."

Just then the door opened and in walked Eugene Young, Helen trailing in his wake. "Look what I found in the elevator.  Oh and congratulations Eleanor on your new house."

"Thanks Eugene. Hi Honey what's up?" She smiled up at her lover.

"Can we talk somewhere."

"Sure," she pushed her chair away from her desk and stood up. "The conference room?" with a hand on her lover's elbow she guided Helen towards the conference room.  Under her breath she asked Helen if anything was wrong.

"No nothing like that." Eleanor shut the door behind them and drew the blinds closed.

"Helen."

"I got a call today from Dr. Coburn's office."

"And?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes!"

"Oh God. OH MY GOD!"

"I know!"

"Oh wow.  Wow. Wow."

"You've said that already," Helen teased.

"Come here you," Eleanor pulled Helen into her arms. "I love you Helen Gamble."

"I love you Eleanor Frutt."

"Wow. This is exciting."

"Sure is.  What do you think Doris will say?"

"Nothing if she knows what's good for her.  You tell your folks yet?"

"Of course not I had to tell you first silly."

"They'll be happy."

"Over joyed is more like it.  They love Zoë."

"But it's different; this will be their first biological grandchild."

"Yeah.  So should we tell them," she jerked her head in the direction of the door.  They could faintly hear a small commotion as everyone rushed back to their desks.

"Definitely." Eleanor gave a small chuckle.

"What?"

"Lindsay was just now saying that I was joining the ranks of the bourgeois."

"Your mother would be proud to hear that."

"What do you think she'll say really."

"Oh in the end she'll be happy but I'm sure that at first I'll get some sort of lecture about how you're trying to trap me and saddle me with a kid and a mortgage."

"You realize of course that she never tortures your brother this way."

"And never will.  He's her darling boy. Saint Stephen can do no wrong."

"Yeah well I look at it this way.  She'd die if she knew the truth about Danette.  Sometimes I imagine using it as some sort of secret stealth weapon and giving her a heart attack."

"Helen!"

"Oh come on prove that one in a court of law.  What would the charge be, murder.  The weapon blunt truthfulness.  Can't you hear the allocution now. "Yes your honor I callously and recklessly caused the death of Doris Frutt by telling her the truth about her perfect daughter-in-law, she used to be a he."  I don't think so."

"Stop"

"What you think it's funny and you know it.  You're practically hyperventilating you're trying so hard not to laugh."

"I know love." Eleanor opened the door, "After you."

They stepped into the office common area. The room fell silent and all eyes focused on them.

"Lindsay was right I am joining the ranks of the bourgeois. And in a big way.  We wanted you guys, our family, to be the first to know.  Helen's pregnant."