To Wish Impossible Things ((Rae))

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie sat at her desk in the headquarters of Glassic Designs, her hands shaking visibly as they were clasped together, her eyes staring – riveted – at the wall in front of her. It held sketches that she had framed, waiting to be used at a later date when her own company jumpstarts, something that would have to be put on pause for who knew how long. She moved then, from her statuesque state, to run her slender fingers through her brown hair, her eyelids closing over her tired eyes and the feeling of sleep washing over her. She hadn't been sleeping well lately and her appearance was showing it. Adam didn't notice at night, because she slept on her side – facing the wall and away from him. Her attitude remained the same around him, but when she was alone she was constantly fighting back the tears and the churning in her stomach that she wished so badly would go away. "Well, well, Dixie Greene." Dixie's eyes opened quickly, a swift flutter of lashes, as the voice reached her ear. Rae was sliding into an open chair across from her desk, looking like she walked out of a magazine. Dixie smiled weakly as she took in her friend's appearance; the dark pencil leg jeans that made her look even thinner than she really was, the crimson red top that hung loosely on her frame, and the heels that Dixie had borrowed once for a black tie event that she hadn't the right shoes for. Rae looked like the perfect image of someone who was sophisticated and knew where she was going in her life.

And she was.

"Hey," Dixie said, her voice tired and raspier than usual. She reached for her cup of tea, which was now cold, and took a sip – not caring for the taste it left in her mouth. Rae tilted her head full of blonde locks at the fashion designer, her green eyes showing concern that a blind man could see a mile away, "Dix… you haven't told him?" Dixie shook her head as she stood from her chair and walked around to lean against her desk in front of Rae, her eyes downcast, "I don't know how…" Rae's gaze pierced Dixie and Dixie squirmed underneath her gaze, reaching behind her for her tote bag and then pulling Rae up from the chair, dragging her away from the small area that Dixie called her office. The truth was, Dixie was still the assistant….she was still low on the food chain of designers and that was pretty damn low. Rae followed Dixie without a word, knowing that Dixie would talk to her when they were alone – just the two of them. They had done it since they were younger. If Dixie had something pressing to talk about, she would drag Rae off and vice versa. Of course, back then it had to deal with drinking and their parents and getting money and whatnot – this was a bit bigger. Pregnancy and all.

They were walking down the street, the sun was shining, and Dixie was quiet, her arms folded over her chest as her heels clicked on the sidewalk. It seemed like a great day, a nice one that fooled everyone into thinking there weren't any problems in the world, but Dixie and Rae were proof right there and then that there was indeed at least one problem in the world. Dixie looked at her best friend as they strolled, her brown eyes tired still and now showing worry and stress, "I don't know what to do, Rae. Get him a card that says 'hey, love, I know it's not planned or anything like that, but guess what? We're gonna be parents!'? I don’t think I can do that." Dixie looked down, her shoulders slumping downward from their usual stance of confidence. She wasn't confident anymore. She was frightened. She didn't know what to do. She just wanted to find someone who did, but that was impossible- because the person she usually went to for all problem solving was Adam and the problem involved him.

[Raelee Gray]

"That might work," Rae told Dixie as they walked along the sidewalk, her green eyes staring straight ahead of her so as she wouldn’t run into people, "Or, you know, you could sit him down and say, 'honey, life is unexpected, things happen that we don't really plan to happen and life has chosen now as a time for that with us.' Or something far more eloquent. You're totally better with words than I am." Dixie snorted in disbelief and crossed her arms even more over her frame as they turned a corner and started down another street. Rae looked over at her best friend, worry fatiguing her now that she was in the gravitational pull of Dixie Greene. The saying that misery loves company rang true here, very true. Rae wouldn’t have felt so down if she wasn't around Dixie. Immediately, Rae banished the thought from her head. Her best friend needed her and she would be there, no matter what. "Dix, I really do think you're making this bigger than it really is…"

Rae said those words with trepidation, not quite sure whether or not they would be taken right by Dixie. Rae had never been in Dixie's situation, in fact, Rae was right where she wanted to be in life. The fact that Dixie, who has having difficulties as it was with her career, would have to put that on hold was something that Rae could not completely comprehend. Of course, Rae had been referencing the fact that Dixie thought Adam would leave her if he found out she was pregnant, but she had thought that was understood – not something she needed to elaborate on. Dixie sat down on one of the benches underneath a store awning before locking her brown eyes on Rae, "Maybe… but it's scary, you know? We've only been married a few months…" Rae smiled at her and sat down next to her, patting her knee.

"Yeah, but you two have been together longer than that, and there's such a strong connection between the two of you – something even I couldn’t break." Dixie looked at Rae a moment longer and then looked down at her hands, as if she were trying to find the answer to her dilemma in them like a fortune teller might. Rae covered the other girl's hands with her own and smiled warmly, "Just tell him, Dix. Two words. That's all that is needed. I'm sure that once you say those two words, Adam and you will be able to sit down and talk everything out easily." Dixie nodded weakly, so Rae knew she had heard her, but that didn't mean Dixie believed her. There was a silence settling over them and Rae was going to just let it lay there, as a way to comfort her best friend, but Dixie was never fond of silence.

"Can we change the subject? Tell me something happy…" Her voice didn't sound like it wanted to be elated, but Rae obliged – running through her mind things she could tell Dixie, things that Dixie would find exciting and would momentarily take her mind off the pressing matter at hand. There wasn't really anything there for her to say, but then it suddenly dawned on Rae that she hadn't told Dixie about the record label, yet. A secretive smile pulled across her face and Dixie caught it easily, "What? I know that look. Is it a guy? Oh, my god, it's a guy isn't it? How come you didn't tell me sooner?" Rae merely laughed and shook her head. It was completely like Dixie to immediately assume the biggest thing in Rae's life had to deal with men.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie just wanted to forget that she had to tell Adam, even for a little while longer. That was how everything was usually dealt with by the Holdens. She was no longer a Holden, though, she was a Greene and she liked who she was. Rae was so grounded, so settled with her life, and Dixie, at that moment, envied everything about her. Dixie didn't envy the fact that she was unmarried or alone, but she envied the carefree way Rae could go along with her life. She had her career to focus on (which Dixie wasn't sure what that was), and she had her friends. Dixie wished she was as carefree as Rae was. Finally, Rae seemed to oblige Dixie in telling her good news (after Dixie had pressed her for info about 'the guy'). "It's not a guy, Dix," Rae told her evenly as she pushed her hair over her shoulder and looked at the brunette, "It's my job." Dixie cocked her head to the side, clearly interested now. If Rae's job could make her smile that way, it must have been a very good thing.

"I quit my sketching job at Comic Gods," Rae shrugged, and Dixie would have attacked her if she hadn't caught that same smile on her face that she had had earlier. She simply sat there, waiting, and knowing that Rae was expecting Dixie to be all over the news. The old Dixie would have been, but Dixie had really changed since then and this Dixie waited for explanations, "Fine, don't be so pushy," Rae teased and nudged her best friend, "I've decided to start my own record label." Dixie's eyes grew wide now, and the excitement she felt for her friend raced through her veins. A wide, happy, smile split her face as Rae turned in the bench they were sitting in to completely face the fashion designer, "It's going to be called Arc Records because of… well, I can show you easier than I can tell you…come on." With that, Rae took one swift glance around them – grabbed Dixie's wrist, and apparated away into a building that Dixie had never stepped foot in. The room was large, with a bunch of art along the walls, but most of all, the place looked friendly – a place that Dixie would immediately feel at home in.

The art work was undoubtedly and undeniably Rae's, Dixie would recognize it anywhere. Over the door was probably the most amazing piece of art. An amazingly paint arc with the saying, "Don't let the world bring you down. It's already at its lowest." was over the front double doors. Dixie smiled as she surveyed the room, her eyes taking it all in before she looked at Rae and threw her arms around her neck, jumping up and down and squealing, "Raelee, this is absolutely amazing! How come you didn't tell me sooner? I would have helped!" Rae laughed and looked around, too, crossing her arms over her chest once Dixie had pulled away to walk around the office. "Oh, my GOD, these albums are amazing…" She was thumbing through the vinyl records that were in the cubbies along the wall, her fingers grazing over the edges as she read the covers. Dixie wasn't as big a music fanatic as Rae was, but she knew good music when she heard it; she just didn't analyze it.

"I know," Rae replied rather conceitedly before laughing and moving to sit behind her large desk, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to make it final yet, you know? Telling someone about it before finishing it would make it so…real and I didn't want to make it real until it was real." She rested her chin on her hands as she watched Dixie pick up one of the pool balls from the pool table. She tossed it up and down in her hand before leaning against the pool table, the ball stationary in her hand, "Besides, I wanted to do this one on my own." Rae smiled a bright smile and Dixie laughed, looking around with a look of complete amazement on her face. Rae watched her and leaned back in her chair, "What do you think?"