Saving Savannah

Author's note:

This is a story based on Hellcats. Both the actresses and characters are over 18.

*

"Get that girl a hurricane and keep them coming."

Marti Perkins grumbled as she heard Lewis's voice in her head yet again. Why couldn't he just have said 'get that girl a hurricane' or just 'get that girl a beer'. That would have loosened the brunette up.

"I love you Marti." Savannah Monroe slurred as she stumbled into her room with a lot of help from her roommate.

"Yeah, you mentioned that." Marti said dismissively as she kicked the door closed behind them, her arms busy making sure the brunette who was resting against her shoulder didn't fall, "You also mentioned, several times, that you apparently love Dan, Lewis, Lancer, colours, koalas, bunnies, nail polish, my boobs, bright lights, and everyone in Cheer Town. And hurricanes of course."

"They are the yummiest." Savannah murmured dreamily, before adding, "But I love you the best."

"Well I'm honoured." Marti said dryly as she guided Savannah towards her bed.

"Don't you believe me?" Savannah asked, sounding disappointed.

"Well, I-" Marti began before suddenly she tripped over Savannah's feet. Or Savannah tripped over hers. Marti wasn't sure, but one second they were walking, the next they were crashing downwards.

Luckily they were close enough to Savannah's bed so that they landed directly on top of it. As a result there was a brief moment of silence and then Savannah burst out laughing and Marti couldn't help join in with a few giggles of her own. Then Marti Perkins' life turned upside down.

Staring into Savannah's eyes the laughter died on Marti's lips and the room suddenly became deafeningly silent as the two girls stared at each other. It only lasted a few seconds, but it seem to go on forever, and during it Marti had this sudden... urge.

When she realised what that urge was Marti panicked, suddenly feeling very aware she was lying on top of the other girl and quickly pushing herself up and off of Savannah. She then just stared down at her, almost immediately regretting her hasty actions and ridiculous thoughts as she looked down at the innocent brunette who in that moment seem to resemble a tiny frightened animal.

"Savannah..." Marti said softly, desperately searching for the right words and finally coming up with "I'm sorry."

There was a pause and then Savannah asked, "For what?"

Marti thought about this for a second. What had actually happened? Nothing, that's what and she was being stupid.

"Nothing. For being stupid, I guess." Marti mumbled before trying to change the subject, "How, how do you feel?"

"I feel great." Savannah slurred happily, a goofy smile crossing her face.

"Good... that's gonna change, but we can worry about that tomorrow." Marti smiled, things briefly feeling like they were going back to normal when suddenly the next words fell out of her mouth, "Do you think you're going to be able to get changed ok or... do, do you want some, you know... help?"

"Are you saying you wanna get me naked?" Savannah giggled.

"N, no, I, I-" Marti quickly stammered.

"Marti, that was a joke!" Savannah laughed almost hysterically, "I'm the one who's not supposed to get jokes, not you."

"Right." Marti said softly.

"Besides, I'm fine... look..." Savannah insisted as she lifted up her dress, the drunk girl getting caught in a way which momentarily dissolved the tension.

"Come on, hold still. I'll help." Marti said, trying to fight back the urge to laugh as she grabbed hold of the dress and gently disentangled Savannah from it. That was a mistake as Marti found herself face to face with her roommate again, this time her eyes wandering down to a pair of very full breasts, which again caused her mouth to act on its own accord, "That's, that's a great bra."

"You like it?" Savannah beamed.

"It's great." Marti repeated, her eyes locked to Savannah's tits.

"I got it because I wanted to feel sexy, like you." Savannah smiled happily. Innocently. Dammit, what was Marti doing?

"It, it's great." Marti repeated, quickly grabbing on to Savannah's shoes, pulling them off and looking up to ask, "Is it ok if you sleep in your underwear?"

There was another long pause, then Savannah smiled widely and lent down so slowly it was like she was in slow motion.

For an agonisingly long second Marti was frozen to the spot. Then she turned her head ever so slightly, Savannah's lips pressing against her cheek as a result instead of her original target.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, then Savannah slowly pulled back a little. Seemingly of it's own accord Marti's head turned back, allowing her to look at the other girl who seemed horrified by what she'd just done.

Sensing an impending meltdown Marti reached up, gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of Savannah's eyes and whispered, "It's ok."

Then Marti's gaze lowered to Savannah's lips and for the briefest of moments she wasn't sure why she'd turned her head.

As if she could sense this thought Savannah suddenly dived underneath her covers, pulling them tightly around her before murmuring "Good night Marti."

Marti stayed exactly where she was for a few long seconds, then she murmured, "Good night Savannah."

*

Marti had awoken to the sadly familiar sound of someone throwing up. However unlike her mother Savannah at least seemed grateful when Marti held her hair back as she regurgitated into their soon to be thrown out trash can. After that unpleasantness Marti brought the brunette a glass of water and a little bread, although few words passed between them. Five minutes later Marti could barely remember them, but she remembered every detail of last night, the last few minutes of it replaying in her head over and over again throughout the day.

She wished she could just forget about it, but she couldn't. She couldn't talk to Savannah about it either, at least not during the day as whenever she saw the brunette they were in very public places, mostly with people they knew. When they were back in Cheer Town Marti couldn't convince herself to ask Savannah for a private word, and they both seemed to be avoiding going back to their room. Eventually Marti went to bed, lying awake for what felt like hours as she tried to think what she could possibly say to her roommate.

When she heard Savannah try and sneak in Marti waited until the door was closed and then turned on the light and sat up in bed, "Hey."

"Hey." Savannah said, sounding embarrassed, "Did I wake you?"

"No. I was up." Marti said, still struggling to find the right words, "Look Savannah, about last night-"

"Can we please not talk about it. I'm embarrassed enough as it is." Savannah quickly snapped, before adding in a apologetic tone, "Gosh Marti, I... I'm so sorry you had to see me like that. And I'm so sorry to be such a burden."

"Hey, you're not a burden." Marti said, taking offence to the word.

"I'll never drink again." Savannah mumbled, either because she didn't hear Marti or because she was simply having her own conversation.

"Well, you say that now." Marti smirked, "But when taken in moderation-"

"Never! I will not embarrass myself like that again." Savannah said firmly, before adding, "So, I'm sorry. Can we just drop it?"

"Sure." Marti said, pretty much automatically.

That could have been it, and maybe it should have been. Savannah was obviously uncomfortable about what had happened, and was giving them both an easy out. Why shouldn't Marti take it? Especially when the last thing she wanted to do was push an issue which had turned her into a nervous wreck the entire day. But there was this nagging voice inside Marti. A need to know the truth, no matter what the consequences. She almost fought it off, for once in her life managing to keep her mouth shut as Savannah excused herself to change into her pyjamas in the bathroom, brush her teeth and then get underneath her covers.

Then just as Savannah was about to turn off the light words seem to just fall out of Marti's mouth, "It's ok you know."

"What's ok?" Savannah asked, finally sounding like she was back to her normal cheery self after a day of being hungover.

"If you're... you know." Marti mumbled.

"No. What?" Savannah pushed, not sounding so cheery.

"Forget it." Marti said, turning off her own light and turning over to try and get to sleep.

Savannah wanted to leave it there, and maybe somewhere in another time and another place she did, but in this time and this place she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What?"

There was a long pause and then Marti hesitantly sat back up and looked at her roommate, "It's ok if... you like girls."

There was another pause as Savannah stared at Marti blankly for a moment and then in a worried tone asked, "Did somebody say something?"

"No." Marti said softly.

"Because if it was Alice she's just trying to screw with you. She does that." Savannah blurted, becoming even more panicked as she added, "She's a liar. Whoever told you that is a liar, I'm not, I would never, I'm-"

"Shhhhhh, calm down." Marti said, trying to comfort her friend, "I just meant, after what happened last-"

"Nothing happened last night." Savannah snapped, before adding, "I got drunk and you took me home. I don't remember anything else."

"Really?" Marti said in a sarcastic tone, "Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been..." Savannah tried to protest but, after Marti gave her a look, switched too, "Ok, maybe a little, but that's only because I was embarrassed about what happened at the bar. If, if I did something after that I'm sorry, but it was only because I was drunk."

There was a pause as Marti tried to work out whether Savannah was lying or not. Unfortunately while she liked to think of herself as a good judge of these things there was just something about Savannah which through Marti off. She just couldn't get a good read on her. But then again, why exactly was she pushing this so much when it was obvious her friend didn't want to talk about it?

"Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Marti said, quickly backtracking.

"No, no, no, you didn't offend me." Savannah said, her usual cheeriness somewhat returning, "It's just... funny. I mean, we'll probably laugh about it later. It'll be a funny story. Hey, remember that time I almost kissed you? It'll-"

"I thought you said you didn't remember." Marti interrupted.

For a moment Savannah's cheeriness disappeared entirely to be replace by a look of horror and fear which was heart-breaking, Marti desperately wishing she could take back what just came out of her big mouth.

Then Savannah started talking a mile a minute, "I didn't. I don't. If you're accusing me of being something I'm not I must have done something, and that was just a lucky guess. I don't like girls. I've never liked girls. Not in that way. I'm not like that. I don't condemn those who are, but I'm not. I'm not... I'm not like that. Ok?"

Marti gulped softly, "Ok."

There was a pause and then both girls said "I'm sorry."

A coy smile was exchanged, then Savannah asked, "So, can we just drop all this silliness and forget about last night?"

Marti smiled, "Sure."

But Marti couldn't.

*

A few weeks later Marti was at The Rat again, this time watching the humiliated volleyball team cheer for the Hellcats in their underwear. Or at least she was pretending too. Really she was watching Savannah like some creepy stalker, Marti hating herself for it but she just couldn't stop.

Savannah seemed happy. God she was beautiful when she was happy.

Marti kicked herself mentally for what felt like the millionth time. She had to stop this. She was being weird. She just needed to focus on her defeated enemies. The celebration of the Hellcats. Her drink.

"Hey Marti."

Oh dear God, Marti thought, she was so desperate for a distraction even Alice Verdura was a welcome sight.

"Peace offering?" Alice held out a full drink to replace Marti's nearly empty one, adding with a wicked smile, "It's not poisoned. I promise."

Not in the mood for this, but at the same time not wanting to be left alone with her thoughts Marti simply nodded and took the drink. Alice sat down beside her and the two shared an uncomfortable silence.

"I don't like you." Alice said finally.

"Thanks." Marti murmured sarcastically.

"I wasn't finished." Alice said shortly, "I don't like you... but... I'm beginning to see how you could be an asset."

"Like helping you win at flag football." Marti said dryly.

"Exactly." Alice smiled, "And maybe other things. But for now, the way I see it I kind of, maybe, owe you a favour-"

"Because I saved you from being up there." Marti said, her eyes darting to the dancing volleyball players.

"Yeah." Alice scowled, then brightened up, "So, as a thank you I'm going to give you a little reality check."

"Oh really?" Marti scoffed.

"Really." Alice said, moving closer and loudly whispering, "And here it is... Savannah... is... gay."

Marti blinked and her mouth opened slightly, a little taken aback by Alice's little 'reality check' but quickly got a hold of herself, "You mean dating my best friend, who's a boy, Savannah? The strictly religious Savannah? Is that the girl you're talking about?"

"Wow... you seriously don't know, do you?" Alice laughed.

"You're out of your mind." Marti scoffed, "Or you're messing with me... that's it isn't it?"

"It is something I would do." Alice agreed, "But not this time. Thanks to you I'm not prancing around in my underwear in the middle of some stinky bar for a bunch of butch closet cases and any horn dog lucky enough to stagger in here. So, listen very carefully and try and get this through your thick head. Savannah Monroe is the biggest closet case in the history of closet cases. She's the Queen of Queer Town. She's-"

"Straight." Marti cut the other girl off.

Slowly getting frustrated Alice glared and moved closer, "Are you seriously telling me you haven't noticed the way she looks at you? Touches you?"

"She's affectionate." Marti countered.

"She's in denial." Alice shot back, "And sure, she might as well walk around with a sign saying free hugs, but she hugs girls a lot more, and it's different with you. She lingers. Like she doesn't want to let you go."

Marti only really paused for a couple of seconds, but it made Alice grin widely. Unfortunately Marti couldn't exactly tell the raven haired girl she was wrong so instead she deflected, "You know what, if you're so convinced, go ahead. Ask her out. See how it goes."

"If I wanted her, I could have her." Alice smiled, adding before Marti could do anything other than scoff, "But she doesn't want me. Not for anything other than a quick fuck, and that would just screw the poor girl up even more. Hell, she'd probably repress the whole thing. Forget it ever happened. Or at least she'd try, tell herself it was just a meaningless college fling, even though it'll be all she thinks about when her husband is flopping around on top of her."

This time Marti said nothing, perhaps for the first time in her life rendered speechless.

Leaning in even closer Alice softly murmured, "Here's a little newsflash about Savannah's future. It's miserable. She's going to marry the first loser who asks her and then pop out a handful screaming brats who'll probably never really care about her, just like their Daddy. If she's lucky, and smart, she'll marry rich so she'll be able to open that little cheer camp of her dreams. And if she's really lucky there'll be girls like me there who'll recognise her for the total closet case she is and fuck her, but even if she gets caught she'll stay with her hubby for the sake of the kids. Of course she's more likely to end up a housewife and never know what an orgasm is like. And the whole time she'll convince herself that's her fault, so totally wrapped up in her own denial that she'll never even admit what she really is, not even to herself. It's sad, isn't it Marti? When someone can't admit what they really are?"

There was a deafening moment of silence between the two cheerleaders, then Marti felt a red hot rage boiling inside her the likes of which she'd never known before.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Marti said, struggling to keep her voice down, "Savannah is straight. I'm straight! If you're not that's cool but don't you dare spread any of this to anyone. It could hurt Savannah, especially if her family heard about it."

"Well, look at you acting all protective." Alice smiled, "Been having the urge to do that a lot lately, have you? Put a girl you just met a couple weeks ago before yourself? Before your precious career? Hey, isn't that what you did today? Choose Savannah over lawyering?"

"I was saving her from having to humiliate herself." Marti pointed out, before adding, "And my friends. And me. I'd be up there too you know, prancing around in my underwear just because I didn't show up to help out my friends, so I was pretty much saving myself."

"So saving Savannah wasn't your main motivation?" Alice questioned, and then when Marti answered the question by pausing the dark haired girl added, "And you didn't like being your girl's knight in shining armour? Being there for her when she needed you most?"

"Shut up." Marti snapped back, unable to think of anything else to say.

"And like I said, that girl needs saving." Alice continued, "From herself, her family, her deeply depressing future, and here's the thing, you're the only one who can really do it. Because if Savannah is ever going to be truly happy she needs someone to drag her kicking and screaming out of the closet. She's sure as hell not going to come out herself and you're the only one around here with the balls to actually do it and then more importantly the only one who'll hold her tight and stop her from running back to hiding in the safety of the closet instead of accepting who she really is. But we both know how blissfully happy that would make you, and her, and God forbid that should happen so go ahead... call me a lying bitch and storm off, because as far as I'm concerned we're now even. I've done my bit, the rest is up to you."

That red hot rage which had been simmering inside Marti momentarily reached another boiling point, the blonde getting right up in Alice's face, wanting nothing more than to slap the other girl silly while her fellow cheerleader seem to be begging her to do it. Then Marti realised her actions were drawing attention so she did what really she should have done ages ago, and wasn't sure why she hadn't, that being too down the last of her drink, turn her back to the bitch and leave.

It took a lot but as she didn't want to turn this into a scene and have to explain it later Marti even chose to ignore Alice loudly calling out behind her, "You can save her Marti. You just have to be honest about what it is you really want."

*

"Well do you?"

Marti blinked, staring dumbfoundedly at the response of her sort of maybe boyfriend Lewis Flynn after she just finished telling him about her encounter with Alice. Then, becoming angry again, she murmured, "Do I what?"

"Like Savannah?" Lewis asked, wishing he was anywhere else, doing anything else, right now.

"How can you possibly say that to me?" Marti asked in disbelief.

Lewis sighed, "Look, you're cool, and trust me I'm kicking myself for this, and I'll probably be kicking myself for the rest of my life for it, but... the thing about Alice's she can be, well... difficult but she's very smart. And... observant. She notices a lot of little things and has this kind of annoying tendency to realise something before you do. And Savannah is a great girl, but I've wondered about her for a while, and you and her seem to have this... connection. So if she really is wrong I'm sorry, but I don't wanna be with anyone who doesn't want to be with me, so unless you're absolutely 100% sure she's wrong... maybe we need to take a little break. Cool off for a little while. A few weeks, or months from now if you wanna get back together that's great. If not, at least we can still be friends."