The Inevitable Fanfiction

Divertimento
It had been written in the stars even before existence of mankind. Destiny cannot be changed after all. It was all just a matter of time...
Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
It had been building up; year after year of tension. In the beginning, it seemed impossible to predict that they would ever get as far as a genuine smile directed to one another. By year two, things had changed considerably and they had agreed to disagree. The tension had been transformed for the better it seemed. And that kiss scene towards the end helped considerable amounts. A new element had been throw into the mix, or maybe it had always been there. Maybe it had only then gotten too obvious. When they were told to be interesting in season three, they were more than happy to oblige. They kissed and flirted openly on camera. But when she needed a shoulder to cry on she had found it in the least expected place. He had held her with comforting arms and whispered sweet nothings in her ear as if he really cared. As if it were more than a show. That’s when it got too much. There was no denying it any longer. They had both wanted it to happen. They had wanted it bad. And sure enough, the walls broke slowly and they could no longer resist each other. Just to get the tension out of course. That was it.
What they didn’t expect was that beneath layers of on-screen kissing and canoodling, was something more raw and untapped than simple lust. One time was not enough. It soon became like an addiction – always needing a fix. Was it something incomprehensible disguised as lust? But he had been seeing someone. Someone who knew very well of their antics but refused to let it get to her. She knew that they were not in a serious relationship; she had to accept his fooling around. But he strung her along for far too long – not seeming to get the message that she felt one day she would be the only woman. So she gave him an ultimatum.
He hated ultimatums and he told her so but she stood firm and he couldn’t help but admire her for it. It was the hardest choice he ever had to make. And though he told himself constantly that he had made the right one, it burned when he saw his ex-lover with that tall, young and handsome underwear model. He was with Terri. He had made the decision.
It was hard for them in the next year, because she refused to move past the awkwardness while he felt the only way for them to work together was to be friends again. He was friends with all his exes, so why not her as well? It took time but eventually they had reached friendly terms. They no longer played it up for the camera, but that didn’t mean all the teasing and flirtatious gestures had come to an end. He would always be on her back – mocking her in a light-hearted friendly way. She, without letting down her guard and exposing her truly broken heart, would play along. The next few years, they started to meet up outside of work some more and became quite trusting of each other. He was there for her in the midst of an awful scandal. He was the only one to have supported her so strongly. He was the only one who she wanted to support her. In turn, when he had a bad day, she would massage his shoulders and neck until he relaxed, much like a wife would do for her husband.
By season seven, everything had changed. For the better or worse, neither were sure. Simon and Terri had broken it off on a mutual agreement that they could no longer live like this without any results of their relationship. Simon knew she loved him dearly and in his own way he loved her too but it was not that fairy-tale love where the man changes his whole perspective on life for his maiden’s sake. Life wasn’t like that, he was sure. Paula had been dating some dumb looking restaurant owner JT. And at first Simon was sure it was just a business scheme and they were just good friends. But he stuck around for almost a year! He would never admit it, being a millionaire a million times over, handsome and dashingly charming, but he was downright jealous of this mediocre looking businessman who was half his age.
When he had heard about the engagement rumours the first thing he did was to call Ryan Seacrest and demand to know the truth. For this he was mocked mercilessly – labelled jealous and desperate by his young friend. But it had been a relief to know she was not engaged and he had a sneaking suspicion that Paula knew this.
Destiny is destiny however, and not even mediocre looking businessmen could come in the way of what is meant to be. As Simon’s luck would have it, Paula and JT split up around the same time as himself and Terri. She never told him why but he suspected she had been the one to break it off as she seemed less upset than she did with Dante Spencer. He could only hope he had something to do with it.
“Are you okay, darling?” He had asked when Randy told him. He opened his arms to her.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” She looked up at him from underneath his arms, smiling a little. Simon wanted to know what she had been thinking because it was very rare that she responded any differently.
“This means you’re available now doesn’t it?” He had asked, to himself mostly. It dawned upon him that this had been the first time they had both been single at the same time in almost seven years. He had grinned widely when he looked into her eyes. It was written all over her face that she too had thought about this.
This had been about three months ago, though. Since then, they had become even closer than before. They had become best friends dancing around their feelings. What feelings though? Paula knew how she felt. As a woman, she was more in touch with her emotions and she had gotten past the denial phase years ago and would admit, to herself at least if no one else, that she was totally and utterly in love with Simon. And she fell for his antics every time wondering if he felt the same way. Simon however, was a totally different story. He had overcome the stage of refusing to believe he had any romantic feelings towards Paula but he had not arrived to the fact that she was exactly what he wanted in his life to call his own. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman in a long time, if ever and was absolutely dumbfounded. She was not his usual type at all. She was quite the opposite in fact. Perhaps it was all that they had been through together. All that history building up was bound to have some affect on their lives. Now as he pictured the future, he could not imagine it without her there.
***
Paula sat in her rather lived-in office, a large room to the end of the hallway in her house. She was browsing through her music, trying to find a song for David Archuleta to sing for the Top 3 round of American Idol.
Her mind drifted away, as it had at least three times in the last twenty minutes. She replayed the scene in her mind once more, trying to find hidden meanings in his words and dissect it into small pieces as she did often.
“Have you picked a song for next week, darling?” Simon had asked casually, walking into Paula’s dressing room and plopping down on her couch. He liked her room – it had something uniquely Paula in it; homey and yet classy. Something Terri had never balanced out in his house.
“Nope. Still thinking about it,” She’d replied, sitting beside him, laptop in hand. She stayed quiet, engrossed and focused in whatever it was she was typing. Simon waited a few moments and sighed like an impatient child who was not getting his way. She hadn’t responded so he placed his chin on her shoulder and looked over to see what she was doing. Paula rested her head against his for a quick moment, still typing. She had been replying to an e-mail from her assistant.
Simon hated being ignored. She knew this but still, she had things to do. Not admitting defeat, he began to nuzzle her neck, placing his hands on her waist.
“Pawwwleerr,” He whined in that thick accent of his. He pulled her onto his lap, Paula almost losing balance and dropping her computer.
“Simon!” She had yelled, her voice rising a few octaves. He had simply pouted as a response. Rolling her eyes, she had given in and set the laptop on the table in front of them. “Happy?” She’d asked.
“Of course!” He’d said in a much too syrupy voice and smiled too widely. He held her close, leaving his face in her neck. “Your favourite song is ‘First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, right?” He had asked suddenly, pulling away.
“Yeaahh. You know that. Why?” It was true, Randy, Ryan and himself knew that was her favourite song just like she knew theirs.
“I just think it would be appropriate,” He shrugged, and tried to look indifferent.
“Appropriate for David Cook?” She asked, more than a little confused.
“Maybe,” He smiled.
“Appropriate for what, Simon?” He slid her off his lap and stood up.
“That’s for me to know and for you figure out, love,” She stood up as well and pulled at his hands to stop him from leaving.
Instead of letting her speak, Simon swooped down and caught her lips with his. Paula forgot what she had been about to say. She forgot how to breathe. Her hands moved up to give his arms and he held onto her hips. Their lips moved surely against each others’, soft and meaningful. Paula had been waiting for him to do it. It had just been a matter of time. Simon pulled away much too quickly for her liking and licked his lips.
“Very appropriate,” He had winked and left the room, leaving Paula breathless and aching for more.
Back in her office, Paula once again caught herself aching for him. Not just for his kiss, but for him. She had become emotionally attached to him in the past couple of years. She thought about his meaning of ‘appropriate’ and it suddenly hit her. He meant the song was relevant to their relationship. She almost hit her forehead at her stupidity. Instead she laughed out loud, causing her dogs at her feet to look up at her strangely. She laughed some more.
Looking back at her screen, she saw it. Staring right up at her. The perfect song. She knew what David Archuleta would be singing for the next show.
***
It was Tuesday evening and half an hour before the show, Simon arrived at the studio. He had left his things in his dressing room quickly before knocking on Paula’s door. Simon being Simon didn’t wait for a reply, of course and waltzed through before Paula said a word.
She was sitting at her dressing table, the make-up artist just finishing up her eyes. He met her eyes through her mirror and she smiled widely. She put the sheet music she was holding behind her back.
“Simon!” She exclaimed and walked over to him. The make-up person slid out of the room discretely.
“Hello there,” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Got your divertimento?” He reached behind, almost as if he were about to embrace her and snatched the papers from her hand.
“Hey!” She snatched them back quickly but Simon had already seen it. “And a divertimento is only musical instruments, honey,” She told him like he was a small child. She knew Simon picked up a new word every once in a while and liked to show it off. It was just one of his quirks that left Paula amused.
“Ooh, nice. Is that for me?” He grinned, avoiding her correction. Simon hated being wrong.
“NO!” She protested and then blushed. “Maybe,” He chuckled at her and pinched her cheek affectionately.
***
So David Cook sang ‘First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ by Roberta Flack. Ryan knew about it and made a discrete joke. Simon laughed almost hysterically and Paula giggled a little nervously.

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love,
The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
Your face.

“If this isn’t a divertimento, then what is it?” He whispered in her ear as David belted his last note.
“Serenading,” Paula replied. Simon smiled.
The song was sweet and it described how he felt about Paula. Sure they hadn’t started off on the right foot when they sat down at the judging table for the first time. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t find her beautiful from the very first time he laid eyes on her. He sure as hell did. And if David had included the other verses, then Paula would have known even more.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth
And felt your heart beat close to mine
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command.

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
It would last till the end of time my love.

David Archuleta sang ‘And So It Goes’ by Billy Joel.

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose
So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to breakAnd so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows.

Paula faced away from Simon and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. The tears were about to fall and she needed to regain her composure. Simon rested one gentle hand on her back as he took in the words.
She was insecure about it all. About them. And he didn’t blame her because though she had forgiven him for leaving her those years ago, he knew it had hurt her deeply. That was when he had stopped teasing her about wanting him. But there she was giving her heart to him for a second time, now knowing more than ever what she was getting into. Simon had changed however, and he hoped she knew that.
So it had taken seven years for them to get to where they were. Every year for them had added another set of steps to their complicated dance. This time however, they had gotten the hang of it all and the newest, most difficult steps of all couldn’t throw them out of balance.