Title: regicide
Fandom: good girls (tv)
Rating: teen
Length: 780
Notes: cntw, beth-centric, beth/rhea

They never talked about what happened after. ‘Kill the king’ he said, over and over, kept putting guns in her hands. He wanted her to pull the trigger, wanted to see what she was made of. Kept saying he’d teach her, but he just kept handing her things, never taught her a damn thing. Didn’t tell her how to crown herself, how to be without him. Just kept waiting to see if she’d figure it out.

Well.

She did.

Six bullets later, and she’s still squeezing the trigger, might’ve gone into shock. Her hands are shaking, gun nearly jumps out of her grip, and Rio’s on the ground, pouring out. Gasping out one last laugh, and then the loft is near silent.

She killed him. Oh god, she killed him.

Turner’s afraid. He thinks he’s next, no way it’s a good idea to let him walk out of this.

But Beth does, unties his hands, pulls out the gag, and Turner looks exhausted.

“What now?” she asks, falls back on her heels. Makes herself small, hands Turner the gun.

Turner wipes his forehead, really looks at her. “Go home. I'll deal with this.”

She makes it half a mile before she has to bend over, spewing vomit all over the sidewalk.

.

Turner comes by the next day, has one of the sweet cherry hand pies she’s made. Couldn't sleep, spent the night baking, a feast of pastries and cookies and pies stretching from the kitchen counters to the living room and dining room. Turner tells her the official story of how it went down, that she was in shock and didn’t understand what was happening in front of her. It’ll be an easy sell, can’t stop shaking when she thinks of him, of the body laying in blood.

He looked so damn young laying there, and she –

Turner has the surveillance footage destroyed, and just like that, her hands are clean.

Just like that, and Mick’s in her backyard, telling her they got the fed that did it. The fed she'd given them, knew what would happen. No witnesses, and she'd told Ruby and Annie the official story, couldn't voice what she'd done.

“Good,” she chokes out, and Mick, bless his simple heart, probably thinks it’s for Rio. Gives her the date and address for the funeral.

For the first time since they put on those masks and walked into the Fine and Frugal, Elizabeth feels free.

.

A good woman wouldn’t go to the funeral of the lover she murdered. Certainly wouldn’t let his child recognize her, get introduced to the widow.

A good woman definitely wouldn’t go back to her place to reminisce and trade stories. Wouldn’t get invited back the next week, or take her up on it.

Rhea thinks it’s a miracle they get along well, says so one afternoon, sipping spiked lemonade while Marcus and Jane play soccer. “Y’know? I never liked any of Chris’ side pieces, we separated for a reason.”

Beth hums, considering. “Well, we were business first. I never would've imagined... any of it."

“Like us?”

Beth flushes and Rhea grins, victorious. “No, you know that."

"Like seeing how pink you get," Rhea teases, and Beth only flushes darker remembering a certain night with a bottle and a half of chardonnay, spilled fantasies and kisses.

Cheers erupt as their team scores a goal, and they're the last two parents to jump up, yelling and clapping. Can see Madison's mom eyeing them again, and Beth knows she'll be on her doorstep sometime this week with overcooked scones and 'worries about how she spends her time'. Like the gossipy bitch wasn't screwing her pool boy.

God, if it weren't for Rhea, the return to normal life would be intolerable.

Instead, it's like she has a partner against suburbia. Trading knowing looks when other parents say shit, or breezily declining rejoining the PTA or helping out with whatever fundraiser is next 'cause 'oh no, we already booked that weekend at the winery and they don't do cancellations'. And then of course, they have to go do all their excuses to have instagram back them up, and it's become Beth's favorite way of asking Rhea out, the two of them making up plans on the fly.

It's the most selfish love she's ever been in, but when Rhea beams at her says she's happy - Beth isn't going to ruin it, not with something as unchangeable as the past.

.

"They’ll never see you comin," Rio’d said once, putting the pearl handled gun back in her hands. "Learn how to use it or empty the clip. That many bullets, you’ll hit somethin’ important."

(She did.)