Paris / Ted Lasso

35. Déjà vu

Sickly Sweet / Aemond Targaryen Out now
"I have something I need to tell you."

"I'm all ears." Ted agreed. Rebecca shifted anxiously in her seat.

"Right, I'm not gonna beat around the bush." Rebecca agreed. "I'm just gonna... get straight to the point. No faffing around, 'cause that's just annoying,  and definitely no procrastinating. Procrast... Procrast... That's a good word, isn't it? Procrastinating. Pro... Procrastinating. Huh. I wonder what the etymology of that word is. Obviously, "pro," very good, but "crast"? Crast..."

"I have no idea." Ted countered.

"Hey! Why don't we look it up? Have you got a dictionary?" Rebecca said nervously.

"Not on me." Ted countered.

"Birdie would know. Shes a smart one she is. Where is birdie? Where is Poppy? Have you seen them?" Rebecca questioned.

"Are you doing okay?" Ted questioned instead. 

"Me?" Rebecca choked out. "Yeah. I'm brilliant! Yeah, I am top of the pops." She tapped her nervously with long perfect nails. "Ted, do you think you could do this later?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem. I'll just hit the rewind button." Ted agreed. He imitated a tape rewinding backing out of the room.

"Oh, God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Rebecca muttered. "Just do it. Just do it. I'm a big girl. I can fucking just... Just tidy up your mess. Tidy up your mess. Right. Oh, God."

"Surprise." Rupert said in a singsong tone. Rebecca stood up.

" Rupert."

"You seem anxious." Rupert added. Rebecca offered a tight smile. "Where's, uh, where's Higgins?"

"Uh, I fired him."

"Why? Higgins is first class." Rupert countered. "Except the only negative about the man was that whenever he borrowed a pen from me, he would nibble the top like some anxious little puppy. Good boy."

"Yeah, well, he's gone."

"Shame. Oh, well. Maybe he'll accept my offer now. Look, Rupert, are you here to try and buy back the club or..."

"No, I wanted to tell you something before you heard it somewhere else. Bex and I are having a baby." Rupert declared. "Surprise, again."

"He said he just didnt want to have a child with me!" Rebecca sobbed.

"Did you talk to Ted?"

"POPPY!" Rebecca demanded.

"Sorry. Go on."

"He's nearly 70 and he's-"

"He was always too old for you." Poppy cut in.

"He told me to be mature about it.  He said it was about being with the right person! I can't believe I wasted my youth on him. On a man that would never love me!"

"You are still young and hot." Poppy assured. "He is money to Bex. He is wealth. He doesnt love her he is doing this to piss you off."

"I know and its working!" Rebecca demanded.

"Hes a monster."

Rupert had been good to poppy after she was kicked out of her league. He paid for her hospital bills for Birdie. He had been good to her because back them whether it be he wanted to fuck her or he did actually love Rebecca and wanted to take care of her family, he was good to Poppy. But that all changed.

Poppy looked at her broken sister and held her as she sobbed out.

"Am I a loveless monster?"

"No. You are a boss bitch in charge. You take shit from no one!" Poppy declared. "Hey google whats my schedule today?"

"What are you-"

"Hello Boss bitch, your schedule today is-"

"Poppy!" Rebecca laughed out.

"Hey Google, whats my name?"

"Your name is Boss bitch." The voice answered

"Any time you need a reminder. You just ask Google." Poppy instructed. Rebecca cried hard now as she laughed.

"You are the best sister in the world."

⚽️

"I have something I need to tell you." Rebecca remarked

"Mm. Déjà vu." Ted joked.

"I'm a fucking bitch." Rebecca decided.

"Nope, that's new."

"Ted, I lied to you. I hired you because I wanted this team to lose." Rebecca admitted. "I wanted you to fail, and I sabotaged you every chance I've had. It was me who hired that photographer to take the photo of you and Keeley I set up the interview with Trent Crimm, hoping that he would humiliate you." Rebecca admitted. "And I instigated the transfer of Jamie Tartt, even though you'd asked me not to. This club is all that Rupert has ever cared about, and I wanted to destroy it. To cause him as much pain and suffering as he has caused me." Rebecca added, she let out a deep breath as she met Teds gaze. "And I didn't care who I used or who I hurt. All you good people just trying to make a difference." she sobbed out. "Ted, I'm so sorry."

"Mm..." Ted answered processing.

"If you want to quit or call the press, I'll completely understand." Rebecca assured.

"I forgive you."

"You... What? Why?"

"Divorce is hard." Ted assured. "It doesn't matter if you're the one leaving or if... you're the one who got left. It makes folks do crazy things. Hell, I'm coaching soccer for heaven's sake. In London." Ted chuckled. "I mean, that's nuts."

"But this job you gave me has changed my life." Ted assured. He met Poppy. He got to travel. He found pieces of himself that he had lost state side. "It gave me the distance I needed to see what was really going on. Yeah, but you and me.. We're okay." He stuck out his hand. L

"Ted."

"Come on, just shake this hand. My arm's starting to get..." Ted chuckled. "You know, I think that if you care about someone and you got a little love in your heart, there ain't nothing you can't get through together." Ted added. "You know what I'm saying?"

"You're not just talking about us now, are you?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

+

"Hey i just had a talk with your sister and I assume you knew a bit of it and I also assume thats why you were trying to help me so much." Ted remarked.

"You hate me too?" Poppy questioned, her eyes wide her lips parted.

"No." Ted assured. "I could never hate you." Ted informed her. "You are the best thing in my life after Henry." Poppy heart melted.

"I'm sorry I didnt tell you sooner."

"It's okay, it was better coming from the boss." Ted assured. "I gotta get to practice- training, whatever its called."

"Ted," Poppy grabbed his hand pulling him back to her, she kissed him holding him hostage to her. "You are going to knock em dead against Man city. I believe in you." Ted had a smile on his face all the way down the pitch.

"All right, fellas, you gotta remember, your body is like day-old rice. If it ain't warmed up properly, something real bad could happen." Ted declared.

"Oh, food poisoning is no joke. One time, I was being sick, and at the same time, I was having diarrhea."

"Mm. Yep." Ted offered awkwardly. " That'll happen. Anybody else wanna share?"