Ocean's Eight Fanfiction

The Beginning of the End

Lou cupped a hand over Debbie's cheek, more longingly than in a loving way. Her eyes brimmed with wistful, yet joyful tears. Debbie thought once again of how ruggedly beautiful Lou was, like some sort of awe-inspiring untamed creature. 

    "I'm so sorry." Debbie cried, her voice thick with tears.

    "Shh. I am too." Lou whispered, pulling Debbie close and stroking the back of her head with a tenderness only she could make.

    Debbie quieted, so that she could listen to every beat of Lou's heart as she leaned helplessly into Lou's chest. 

    There were so many words the two women wanted to say to each other, but in that moment of silent apology, in that moment of peace, the air heavy with unshed tears, all the sentiments they had been storing up for each other fell away from them, like holding a handful of sand, only to have it trickle out through your fingers.

    There were moments like that. Sometimes you don't need words to express things. Lou's embrace and Debbie's vulnerable tears were enough for both of them to understand.

    After a couple more heartbeats, Debbie pulled free to look Lou in the face. She studied the scars like they were constellations to put together, to tell their stories. Her fingers traced over them as her mind followed. Lou lowered her eyes and a single, final tear slid in a hesitant stream down her thin cheek.

    "Are you okay?" Debbie asked in a low voice.

    "Yeah." Lou said.

    "Tell me what happened. Everything." Debbie implored, and Lou raised her shamed blue eyes again with a new light.

    Debbie smiled. "Tell me how you're still alive. I want to know everything."

    Lou smiled back. "'Kay, so...after you guys ditched, I was like, 'well, time for me to go now.' And then I heard this huge KABOOM, and then I don't really remember. But like, it must have been weird as shit for them to find me like, sprawled on the floor like that next to a guy wrapped up in duct tape. Anyway, I wake up at the hospital with these wires and tubes and breathing shit, and I'm like, 'wait...' and then there was this nurse next to me, right? And she goes, 'oh, what the fuck? Bitch still alive!' And I'm like, 'hell yeah. Sorry to disappoint you.'"

    Debbie laughed. "But how were you alive?"

    Lou smirked. "I don't even know. But like, I didn't remember a single thing when I woke up. Nothing. It's all coming back to me now, bit by bit. I'm so glad you came back to me first before you wound up in jail a second time, and I would have gone back to selling watered-down vodka. Okay, anyway, so then all the nurses and doctors are like, squawking around me like a bunch of ducks, and then this one nurse is like, 'but seriously, her body's still wrecked as shit.'"

    "Oh, yeah." Debbie said. "What happened to your leg? Did you lose it or something?"

    Lou rolled her eyes. "Or something. How lame do you think I am?" With that, she plopped her bad leg on Debbie's lap, and Debbie rolled up the pant leg to reveal the same, familiar slender leg, the only difference was that it was wrapped with bandages.

    "Doctor says he'll take 'em off next week." Lou explained, bending over and kicking off her shoe. "God, that feels better."

    "What happened to it?" Debbie asked, running her hands up and down the bandaged leg.

    "I don't know. Don't want to know. I plan to shut my eyes next week so I won't see whatever massacre my leg went through. Or what's left of it."

    The bandages only went up to the knee, and Debbie let her fingers creep up farther so she felt the smooth skin of Lou's thigh. Skinny, yet muscular, as always. 

    A shiver went through Lou's body as she felt Debbie's fingers make contact with her skin, and she let out an involuntary growl that was low and insanely sexy.

    Debbie's fingers stopped, but didn't move away from Lou's leg.

    "Lou." She said.

    "Yeah?"

    "Who was that guy you were with last night?"

    "Oh. I met him after I got out of the hospital. He actually got me an apartment to live in while I sorted things out. His name is Greg, and he's really nice. I think he has a crush on me, I dunno. I only like him as a friend, though. Even while I was amnesic."

    Relief flooded though Debbie. "He seems like a great guy."

    "Yeah, but he can be a bit prying sometimes...it doesn't matter though." Lou said.

    Debbie itched to tear off Lou's clothing. She itched for the lust she hated most in men. But for some reason, she couldn't do it. She knew both of them wanted to, but something odd held both of them back. She removed her hand from Lou's leg and covered up the leg again. 

    Lou remained silent, her eyes following Debbie's every move. The sun caught in her blonde hair, especially in her bangs, and it made it look like she had a halo of golden light on her head. Debbie knew then, that untamed creatures were not meant to be tamed. She knew then that though they loved each other, if they settled down Lou would be forever restless.

    Besides, so much had happened...so much decisions had been made that she knew couldn't be undone. She knew that life rarely allowed things to be fucked up and then just go back to how it was before.

    Their eyes met, and both realized this at the same time.

    "Deb."

    "Hm?"

    "I..."

    I love you. 

    "I'm going back to where I was like a year ago. California. I think after I go to the doctor one last time...when I'm all good again...I think that's where I want to be. I think I want to go on that cross-country road trip again."

    Debbie nodded. "Yeah."

    Lou stood, balancing gracefully on her crutch. "Well, then..."

    Debbie stood, too. "When are you leaving?"

    "So the doctor said next week, but I want to see if I can have the appointment as soon as possible so I can leave quicker. So probably the day after tomorrow."

    Debbie nodded. No tears spilled out of her eyes, no plea to stay formed in her lips. She knew that this was what she wanted for Lou. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for a person like Lou to be trapped in amnesia and injuries and the suffocating city for so long.

    Lou lingered a moment longer, then pulled in Debbie for a hug one last time. 

    Debbie closed her eyes and breathed in Lou's scent as she returned the embrace. 

    When they pulled apart, both had smiles on their faces, not tears in their eyes. 

    "Well, then," Lou said again. "See ya."

    "Yeah. See you."

    "You can have this place. It's always open, you know. If you miss me or something...."

    "Aw, I'll know where to find you." Debbie laughed.

    "'Kay, then. Bye."

    As Debbie watched out the window, Lou walked swiftly to her car without a glance behind, and Debbie smiled softly to herself as she watched the car drive away. 

    She smiled because, she knew in her heart that with Lou, there was never really a good bye.