All That Love's About

Clark and Evelyn sat in their dining room, eating dinner.

"Clark, there's something we need to discuss."

"Okay."

"I applied to law school."

"That's amazing." He smiled. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I didn't think I could actually do it, but I did." She handed Clark a letter and he opened it. "I got this today. I got in."

"It--it's in... Boston."

"I know things have been hard between us, but maybe a fresh start is what we need. Maybe we've been fighting too hard to recapture old memories when we should've been making new ones instead."

———–

Laura Reed closed the door on her car and turned to Clark, who stood beside her. "What did you tell her?"

They began walking. "That I needed to take a walk, clear my head, think about it."

"I'm guessing you didn't tell her that the walk was with me."

"No. No, of course not."

"Why is that our default?" She asked bitterly. They exchanged glances. "Lying."

"Because I don't--"

"We're not being honest. I know it's hard, but... we have to tell her the truth about everything, about us." Clark stopped walking; Laura Reed turned around to look at him.

"I don't know if I can."

"You have to. If we can't be honest with other people, how can we be honest with each other?"

"Is it really the best plan?"

"What's your plan?" Clark shrugged. They continued walking. "Moving to Boston?"

"No."

"The only way no one gets hurt here if we don't want to be together. Is that what you want?"

"No."

"Well, then we have to stop hiding and do something. It's better she hears it from you than from someone else." Clark nodded. "You have to make a choice."

He sighed. "I choose... you."

She nodded, smiling. "Then it's time to tell Evelyn."

———–

The next day, Jack arrived at the Diner at the same time that Kelly was leaving.

"I've been meaning to bump into you. Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."

"Is that you asking me out?"

"Well, if putting a label on it makes you feel more comfortable, sure. Let's call it a date."

"I thought you came here to write, find inspiration."

"Well, I'm optimistic about our date."

"See, I have a policy. I won't go out with women who won't tell me their names. I find it weeds out the ones who keep secrets like they're already married or they... store body parts in their freezer. It was nice talkin' to you." Jack walked past her to enter the diner.

"It's Kelly." He stopped. They faced each other. "Kelly Monal. So there goes your reason for not meeting me here, after work." She turned and walked away.

Laura Reed sipped from a cup as Jack entered the diner. "Who was that?"

Jack slowly sat down across from her. "I don't know yet."

"'Yet'? So you're going to find out?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "It's nothing."

"'Nothing' with you means something, because if it were nothing, we wouldn't be talking about it."

"I was sorry. I thought you called me here to talk about you."

"Yeah, but talking about you is easier right now."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Laura Reed leaned forward and whispered. "Remember when you told me to stay away from Clark and I agreed?

"Yes." He whispered back.

"I didn't."

"I know."

She looked at him with an incredulous face. "You do? How?"

"Because I'm sheriff, and you're a lovesick schoolteacher. Covering your tracks isn't exactly your strong suit."

"Well, I've been discreet--" She said aloud, but then lowered her voice. "--discreet."

"Two teacups in the sink, new perfume, late nights, plunging necklines-- It wasn't hard to connect the dots."

She looked down at her neckline. "Plunging?"

"When I met you, you were a top-button kind of girl."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm not your mother."

"No. According to Hilary, I'm yours." She took another sip from her cup.

"I just figured that you would let me know when it was time. I'm assuming it's time."

"He's telling Evelyn."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

———–

Evelyn was at home searching on the computer when she heard the door open.

"Clark? Clark, come take a look, I found a whole bunch of great apartment options." He entered the room. "I have no idea which neighborhood to look at, but-- have you ever been to Boston?"

"No. No, I've never been."

"Maybe we should ask the Sheriff, Jack. He's from there. He could probably help--"

"Evelyn. I can't go to Boston with you."

"Can't... or won't?"

Clark kneeled beside her. "I am sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

"Try the truth. Clark, is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"No. No, something happened. I don't know what it is, but there's something that's preventing me... from connecting, and it's not fair to you to let that screw up your life. You're right. You need a fresh start. It's just not with me."

Evelyn sighed and her head in her hands, feeling tears in her eyes.

———–

In Kelly's workshop, she dipped storybook pages in a clear fluid and hung them up to dry. With a needle, she stitched the new pages into Hilary's Pixar book.

———–

In the Mayor's Office, Derek sat beside Hilary, who held a small box with a bow on top.

"Oh, go on. Open it." He urged her, eagerly.

"What's the occasion?"

"The occasion is I love you. Go on." Hilary opened it to find a handheld game. "Now I know you miss your book, but with this, you can do the heroics. You can save the city... you can be the hero." She poked at the game, not really interested in it. Derek sighed. "Hilary, you have to believe me. When I tore down the playground, I did it for your safety. Please don't be upset with me. I really didn't mean to destroy your book."

She put the game back in the box. "It's... not just the book."

"Okay, then what is it?"

"It's Jack. I want to see him." There was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal Evelyn.

"Derek, you got a min-- I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Hilary, why don't you get home and start your homework? I'll be there in a bit, and we can have dinner." Hilary nodded and left the office. Evelyn broke down crying. "Evelyn, what is it?"

"It's Clark. He's leaving me."

"That little homewrecker."

"Excuse me?"

"She just couldn't stay away, could she?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Laura Reed, of course."

"What's she got to do with this? What's she got to do with any of this—Derek, do you know something?"

"They've been having an affair."

Evelyn broke down crying again. "How do you know this? How? Did you see something?"

"I... saw pictures. Olga was always looking for scandal, it sells papers, she showed me. I buried them of course."

"Show me." She sniffled.

"Evelyn--"

"Show me." She demanded. Derek walked over to his desk and pulled out a manila envelope. Evelyn opened it to see pictures of Clark and Laura Reed. She started to cry again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought you two were working it out. I wanted you to work it out. Believe me, I want you two together."

"Why? Why do you care about any of this?"

"Because I'm your friend."

"No, you're not. A friend wouldn't do this. A friend wouldn't lie. Everyone is lying to me." She stormed out of the office in tears.

———–

Clark was looking at a box of old photos of himself and Evelyn. He put them down and dialed his cell phone.

Laura Reed walked through the school when her cell phone rang and she answered it.

"Hey. Did, uh, did you do it?"

"Yeah. It's bad."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it was, um... it was really bad."

"But you told the truth, so now we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place."

"Hey. I wanna see you. Can I come by when you get done at school?"

"Of course. I'll see you then. And, Clark, you did the right thing." They both hung up.

———–

Further down the hallway, Walter the janitor, a man with big glasses, messy hair, wearing brown and yellow baggy overalls with printed plants on the legs, and red sneakers, was collecting trash from the classrooms, humming 'Put on your Sunday clothes'.

In one of the classrooms, Walter saw a small plant sitting on the windowsill. He walked over to it, entranced.

Later, he checked a fire extinguisher in the hallway, but accidentally blasted foam in his face.

Evelyn angrily entered the hallway, pushing past Walter.

"Oh! Hey. Watch where you're going." He turned back to face in her direction.

Laura Reed looked up and saw Evelyn approaching her, shaking her head. "Evelyn. I'm... I'm sorry."

Evelyn smacked Laura Reed across the face. All the commotion in the hallway stopped as everyone gasped and stared at them. "Screw you, you're sorry."

Laura Reed looked around at their audience. "I understand you're upset. You have every right to be."

"Thank you for that insight."

"Can we-- can we please talk somewhere private?"

"Private? Why do you get any consideration at all? You have shown none for me-- either of you. All you did was lie!"

"We should have talked to you sooner, but we've been completely honest. We didn't lie."

"You didn't lie? You snuck around, you have him break up my marriage with a pack of lies, with something about not being able to connect? He didn't have any trouble connecting with you."

"Clark didn't tell you about us?"

"No. Of course not. That would have been the honorable thing to do."

"But he said he would tell you."

"Well, then he lied to you, too. Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other." She turned and walked away.

———–

Kelly rode up to Ellen's Diner on her motorcycle. Jack walked out to meet her.

"You gonna come in? I thought you wanted that drink."

"I do, but I didn't say here. Hop on."

"You want me to get on the back of that bike?

"That's what "hop on" means."

"How about if we go somewhere, I drive?"

"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith? You owe me a drink. Hop on. I know a good watering hole."

Jack looked at her begrudgingly, put on a helmet, and got on the bike. Ellen smiled as they rode off together.

———–

They soon pulled up to a well by the edge of the woods.

Jack dismounted and took the helmet off. "A watering hole, literally?"

Kelly did the same. "Well, say what you want about me. I always tell the truth."

"I always thought a drink was, like, wine or whiskey."

"What, do you want me to get you drunk?

"No."

"Next time."

"You are optimistic."

She grabbed two cups from the motorcycle. "They say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend. They say that the water from the well" Kelly pulled the rope, drawing a bucket. "is fed by an underground lake, and that lake had magical properties."

"Magic? You sound like Hilary."

"Smart kid. So this legend-- it says that if you drink water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."

"You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger."

"And you know very little for being the sheriff."

"How do you know all of this? You've been here before?"

"I know all of this for one very simple reason. I read the plaque."

Jack chuckled and walked over to an engraved plaque on the side of the well. "You actually believe that?"

"I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind."

"Yeah, but magic?"

"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshiped it. It flows through all lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties, if anything had magic, well, I'd say it'd be water." She filled a cup with water.

"That's asking a lot to believe in faith."

"If you need evidence for everything, Jack, you're going to find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."

"Maybe. Or maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else.

"Well, Mr. Skeptic," She handed him a cup of the water. "there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me." She took a sip.

"What's that?"

"It's good water." They clinked their cups together and drank.

———–

Laura Reed was walking down the sidewalk. She saw two women who, when they noticed her, started whispering and darted into a shop. Looking worried, Laura Reed continued on her way, only to bump into Ellen.

"Oh, gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't--"

"Excuse me! I must not have been looking."

"Oh. You."

"Excuse me?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself." Ellen continued walking, leaving Laura Reed on the verge of tears.

Clark was washing the word "tramp", written in large red spray paint, off of Laura Reed's car.

"Who did this?" She asked as she approached him.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know how any of this happened."

"You don't know? Really?"

"Laura Reed, I can't control what other people do."

"No, but you can control what you do, and you lied. And now everyone is calling me a tramp."

"Who told her?"

"That is exactly the wrong question. The real question is why didn't you do what we discussed? Why didn't you tell her?"

"I thought we could spare her feelings."

"Right. You thought. Not we. You. And we discussed this."

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Now everyone is hurt. We had an understanding. We had an agreement. But you not only lied to her-- you lied to me."

"Laura Reed, please. Listen to me. If we want to see if-- if this-- if what we have is love... we have to do what you said. We have to pick up the pieces, and we gotta move on."

"Clark, this isn't love. What we have is something else entirely. What we have is destructive, and it has to stop."

"Come on--" He tried to reach out to her, but she turned away. "What are you saying?"

"That we shouldn't be together."

———–

Jack brushed the leaves off of his car when he noticed a red metal box in the gutter. Realizing it's the same box that Hilary's book was hidden in, he opened it to find the book inside, fully intact. Kelly watched Jack from around the corner.

———–

Derek was watering the plants in his office when Evelyn entered.

"It's beautiful. I had no idea you were so good with plants."

"Well... better than with people, it would seem. What are you doing here? I thought after what happened yesterday, I'd be the last person you'd want to see."

"So did I. And then I thought about it, and I realized I owed you an apology."

"Evelyn, you don't--"

"I know you'd never do anything to hurt me. I was just so angry and confused, and I snapped. I'm sorry. I've just been fighting so hard to hold on to Clark, I've never stopped to ask myself why."

"He's your husband. You love each other. You always have."

"No. We haven't."

She showed him a picture of Laura Reed and Clark. "See the way he looks at her? He's never looked at me like that, not even before his accident."

"Evelyn, relationships take work. You can't give up so easily."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes. Once."

"Then you're lucky. Because what I'm coming to understand is… is that I haven't. What they have is real. It's true. My marriage to Clark-- It just was like an illusion. I don't know how it happened, but it was never real. I know that now. The way Clark looks at Laura Reed... that's what I want for me... And I'm going to go out there and I'm going to find it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sticking to my plan. I'm moving to Boston... alone. If I stay here, I'll never be happy."

"And what about Clark?"

"I wrote him a letter – him and Laura Reed. I told them they should be together."

"Uh, I'm sorry. You did what?"

"I can't see him, not now. It's just too painful."

Evelyn hugged Derek, causing him to awkwardly hug her back. "I'm going to miss you, Derek. You've been a good friend to me."

"You're really going?"

"You know, it's funny. I've always had this irrational fear of leaving Pixfare, like something's just holding me back. Is that crazy?"

"No. Change is always frightening. But you know what, Evelyn? This just may be what you need. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for."

Derek opened the front door to the Grimm house using his skull keys. Inside, he found Evelyn's letter to Clark on the counter. He picked it up and left.

———–

Hilary was playing her video game on a bench outside the school. Jack walked up to her with a bag and sat down next to her.

"Wow! I love that game. Space Paranoids, right?"

"Yeah, my dad got it for me."

"I used to play that all the time when I was a kid. Relax. It's all in the wrists."

"My dad's picking me up in, like, five minutes."

"Alright, I'll be quick then. I just have something I'd like to give you."

He took the book out of his bag and gave it to her.

"You found it! Where'd you get it?"

"I found it in a gutter. It must have fallen off the dump truck on the way to the junkyard and got tossed around in the rain and somehow made its way back to me."

"Wow. That's crazy."

"What other explanation could there be?

"I don't know."

"Well, whatever happened, it came back to me."

"Maybe it means our luck is changing. Operation Cobra is back on. It's a sign. Things are going to be better."

"I hope you're right, kid. I got to go." Jack stood up and left.

———–

Laura Reed was sadly laying on her bed when Jack entered.

"You feel like talking about it yet?

"Nope."

"You want to be alone?"

"Nope."

Feeling sorry for her, Jack laid down next to Laura Reed on the bed.

———–

Derek took Evelyn's letter out of a drawer in his office desk, next to a can of red spray paint. He grabbed a lighter from the table and headed to the fireplace.

———–

Sitting in her car, Evelyn took a deep breath before driving off.

———–

Using the lighter, Derek set the letter on fire.

———–

Evelyn drove along the road that led out of Pixfare. She saw the sign in the distance.

———–

Derek watched the letter burn in his hand and then threw it into the fireplace.

———–

Walter was also driving along the road that led out of town when he saw Evelyn's crashed car at the base of the Pixfare sign. When he got out to investigate, he found the car empty and the airbag deployed.