It was Lily's final fitting for the show's finale, and Monica had picked out a red silk dress that was so tight it was hard to breathe. They had informed her that the underwear would be very minimal because if she wore it, it would ruin the lines of the dress, which was why she was very uncomfortable wearing none at the moment. Monica turned her once more, nodding that she was satisfied with the changes that need to be made.
Bianca was sitting in the chair observing in an attempt to find inspiration for Lily's hair, and she had just told a story about the time she had told Jo about a grey hair that wasn't really there in retaliation for a nasty comment she had made about June. Lily was laughing so hard she was crying.
"She did not!" Lily insisted above the laughter as the door to the dressing room opened, and Mason entered.
Lily smiled at him and called a greeting.
"Perfect!" he said as he took in the dress. "Monica, you are a treasure. Bianca what do we have planned for her hair?" he turned to look at Bianca over his shoulder as she held out his hand to help Lily off of the stool on which she was standing.
"I'm not sure yet, I have a few ideas, but I'm not committed to any of them yet," she frowned.
"I trust that it will be perfect." He moved Lily over one of the makeup chairs and sat across from her in the empty one. "Ladies, can you give us five minutes?"
Lily felt her heart drop at the seriousness in his tone, and the other women picked up on it as well because they frowned as they were leaving.
When they were alone, Mason studied Lily and Lily patiently waited for him to start the conversation.
"When I had the idea for this show, I thought it would be good on its own, but I thought that if there were a way that I could use it to make a statement, or send a meaningful message, it would be great. It has been hard to figure out what that meaningful message might be, but now thanks to you, we have it."
Lily frowned, at a loss for how she had helped, her mind racing to try and figure it out.
"Thank you," he finally said, leaning forward and patting her hand. "Thanks to you, this show is going to make a difference."
It suddenly clicked for Lily. "Finn, told you, didn't he? He's going to let you use his leg as a storyline." She grinned as she said the words. Lily knew it wasn't going to be easy for Finn, but the fact that he had heard what she had said about helping others was a huge deal. To her, it meant he no longer saw her as a kid but as an equal.
"I can't believe that I didn't know, I don't think anyone here knows, which is shocking." Mason smiled back looking almost giddy.
"June probably does, but she wouldn't tell anyone," Lilly said offhandedly as her mind raced. "How are you going to handle it?"
Mason's grin grew. "It's going to be the last scene. We'll go from the hotel scene memory with you and him and a kiss, to his waking up alone in his bed or on a couch, his injury apparent to the viewer, end scene, end season."
Lily leaned back in her chair, nodding; it would make a statement and bring the viewers back the following season to hear the story of how he lost his leg. She wondered what Finn thought of it all. "I'm glad he's doing it, it will be a chance for him to help others," Lily said to herself, hoping she was right.
"We'll make sure it does. I'm curious about how you found out about it?" Mason asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lily's eyes met his, and her grin returned. "I'm sure you would!"
Mason waited, and when she didn't continue, he picked up a towel that was on the counter and threw it at her as he stood. "You little minx! Now get out of that dress before you ruin all of Monica's hard work."
Lily caught the towel and watched as he left, closing the door behind him.
She did as he said and took off the dress cautiously, careful not to tear it. Monica would probably be livid as it was by the wrinkles she had made when she sat down in it.
Wrapping a robe around herself, she picked up the dress and carried it to the rack where it was kept and hung it up. She took a moment and let the vibrant red material run through her fingers, thinking about Finn and how he was feeling about his decision, then she started to imagine what he was going to think when he saw her in it. There was no doubt that she looked like a woman, but would it make a difference, would he let it make a difference?
The door behind her opened and turned with a smile, thinking that it was Monica or Bianca returning. She was about to say that she had been extra careful, but the words died as she noted that it was Mudd and not one of the women.
"Oh, hi, I thought you were Monica, are you looking for her?" Lily asked as she tightened the belt on her robe, feeling very uneasy and unprotected.
"No, I wanted to see you," he closed the door behind him, and Lily could hear the click of the lock.
"Is there a change to the script?" she asked, doing her best to stay calm. Perhaps Mudd only wanted to talk, and he wanted to keep the conversation private, that was why he had locked the door.
"No, but I saw Mason leave, and I've seen how you've been hanging around with Finn, and I think that I should be getting my fair share," he drawled as she took a step towards her.
Lily held firm and didn't step back. "I'm not sure what you mean, your fair share, your fair share of what?" she asked doing her best to pretend she didn't know what he was referring to when he said it.
"Don't play dumb, Lily, we all know how you got this part!" He took another step towards her.
"I auditioned like everyone else; you were there!" Lily insisted, taking a step back.
"Either way, you want to keep the part, don't you?" he asked, reaching for one of her curls and tugging at it.
"I do," she agreed with a shaky voice.
"Then there are certain expectations..." he hinted as he let his finger trail down the open neck of her robe, she couldn't suppress a shudder.
"Are you saying that if I don't have sex with you, then I can't keep my part," she asked, stepping back once more, but this time she hit the counter behind her, and there was nowhere else to go.
"I would never say that," he denied as his finger fell to the belt of her robe.
"Perhaps not, but you are implying it." She reached up to push him away, but it proved to be a trigger, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her back with one of his hands while his other hand tugged at the belt of her robe.
Lily was frightened, but she also had a strong survival instinct, and it kicked in as she brought her knee up and caught him in just the right spot to make him double over in pain. His immediate reaction was to grab himself protectively, and she took the chance to dart for the door. Lily managed to get it unlocked and open before he was on her again, grabbing her hair and pulling her back into the room. Lily screamed as loud as she could before he slammed the door then spun her around.
"Enough playing Lily!" he spat as he struck her across the face so hard it spun her. She raced towards the makeup table to find something to hit or stab him with, and she felt his hand pull at her hair again as she reached wildly for anything. She ended up with a set of hot rollers, and she threw them at him, hitting him in the temple. It caused him to slow down but not to stop. When she grabbed a hairdryer and thew I wildly he ducked, and it sailed past his shoulder hitting the wall next to the door.
Lily was crying and screaming for him to leave her alone, and she once again managed to pull herself free, but she realized too late that he had let her because he wanted her away from the counter.
He grabbed her once more, pinning her arms to her side, leering at her. Her robe was a lost cause as it hung open, revealing all of her to him.
"Please," she begged, trying to wiggle free, but he wasn't giving her an inch to maneuver. He put her wrists together behind her back once more, and his other hand had grabbed one of her breasts. At his touch she did what she always did when her father was in one of his particularly nasty moods, she shut down, she went somewhere else where nothing could hurt her.
She didn't hear the door open or notice Mudd's sudden absence; she didn't hear the fight between Finn and Mudd. It wasn't really a fight so much as Finn annihilated him in less than a minute. She didn't feel Finn closing her robe or picking her up. She didn't notice any of it because she was in her safe place.
It was eventually pain that brought her back to the present.
Finn had taken her back to his dressing room and was sitting with her on her couch and holding something cold against her lip.
"Ouch!" she said, moving away from him and reaching for the compress he was using. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing one of his t-shirts. She must have been out of it, not to notice that he had changed her.
He automatically stepped back, giving her space.
"Where's Mudd?" she asked softly, wincing as she felt her lip. She stood and walked to the mirror to see what damage had been done. There was light bruising on her cheek that would probably get worse, and her lip was split. "This should make June's job a little more challenging," she joked.
"I have no idea, but I'm guessing as far away from here as he can get," Finn growled.
Lily nodded and let her eyes dart around the room. It looked exactly like hers. Her robe was laying over the chair in the corner, and she quickly looked away from it and focusing on Finn. He was standing in the middle of the room, his arms crossed, and his stance wide.
"Mason told me that you're going to let him use your leg as a storyline in the show," she said.
He blinked in surprise by her comment but didn't say anything.
"That's good. I'm glad."
"Lily, we need to talk about what happened with Mudd," Finn insisted.
"No, we don't. It's over and done; there is nothing to say. Thank you for saving me, by the way," she smiled at him, but it was a weak smile.
"You were attacked!" Finn insisted.
"I know, I was there, remember?" She pointed to her cheek as she threw down the compress.
"You need-"
"No, Finn. Despite what you think this is not the first bad thing that had ever happened to me and I doubt it will be the last. I have my own way of dealing with things, so let me." She turned to face him, crossing her arms in an attempt to be taken seriously. She had no clue that there was no way she would achieve what she wanted in a shirt that was four times too big for her.
"Fine, but you'll stay with Mike and me tonight. That way if you need anything you won't be by yourself."
"I'll be fine, how many people know about this?" she asked.
"So far, only you, me, and Mudd, but I will have to let Mason know so that he can make sure that Mudd is terminated. Would you like to call the police and file a report?" he asked.
"No!"
"I think you should."
"No, I don't want to." Lily shook her head.
"At the very least you need to file a formal complaint with the studio so that there is a record of what happened, in case he tries it again.
"Fine," she agreed so that he would stop talking about it. "I'll go get dressed so that we can leave. You can drop me at my place." Lily insisted.
"Very well, then Mike and I will stay there with you, or I can take you to Mason's, and you can stay there if you don't want to stay with me." He wasn't going to budge.
The idea of Mason and Cassie taking care of her was less appealing than Finn. They would tell Penny and Sam, and then Penny and Sam would tell Kate and Lee. It would snowball and become something bigger than it needed to be. She knew Mike wouldn't like staying at her place, so the only option was to stay with Finn.
"Alright, I'll stay with you tonight, but you have to tell Mason that I don't want anyone else knowing about what happened, meaning Cassie and Penny. If Mudd really is gone, then there is no reason to worry about any of it."
He nodded his agreement before he walked with her to her dressing room, then waited outside for her to change. He didn't let her out of his sight until he showed her the guest bedroom at his house, where she told him goodnight, thanked him again, and closed the door on him, needing to be alone.