Hi everyone, I see I got the response I expected with the last part of the previous episode. Don’t worry; he’ll get what’s coming to him. Sorry I haven’t updated, but I’m busy moving stuff to my new place and it’s taking a lot of time making the place habitable. On the plus side, it’s about two minutes away from my work, so it’ll free up a lot of time in the future.
Anyway, enjoy and don’t forget to leave feedback.
Part 31
“Good morning,” Alisson said brightly as she sat behind her desk, her hands folded in front of her. Tess had just stepped inside and Allison hoped to really get through to her today.
“Someone is awfully chipper today,” Tess asked, raising her eyebrows. “What’s the occasion?”
“Well, I don’t want to bore you with my personal life.”
“No please, go ahead. Better your personal life than mine.”
“Well, have you ever met a guy you makes your entire body tingle just by being close to you?”
“Sure,” Tess answered. Allison hadn’t expected Tess to answer, but to her surprise, she had been wrong.
“Then you know how it can make you giddy for no apparent reason.”
Tess nodded knowingly for a second before she smiled. “I never met a psychologist who used the word giddy.”
“Then I guess that makes me special,” Allison said knowingly.
“I guess.”
“So, how was your day?” Allison asked.
“Okay, now don’t get any funny ideas… but I kinda felt just a little bit sorry for the way I acted yesterday,” Tess said, eyeing Allison carefully. She felt sorry for being rude, but she still didn’t want to talk about everything that happened.
“Don’t worry about it. You can tell me when you’re ready... are you ready?”
“Now this is what I meant when I said don’t get any funny ideas,” Tess said with a fake smile. “I don’t even understand why I you want me to talk about something that is clearly in the past.”
“If it was really in the past, you wouldn’t be so evasive,” Allison said, straight to the point. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”
“There is nothing wrong with me!” Tess cried out, a lot louder than she intended. “Sorry,” she immediately apologized.
“Tess, a lot of people would have suffered some sort of trauma from what you endured. It’s not something to brush aside like it’s nothing.”
“I’m not brushing anything aside. I told you I was fine.”
“Then why can’t you tell me about it?”
Tess looked at Allison for a second with a pleading expression, silently praying that she would drop the subject, but knowing very well that she wouldn’t.
“Tell me how you ended up in the hospital. Remember, y0ou don’t have to worry about anything in here. You can cry, you can scream; preferably not too loud… and you don’t have to be ashamed of anything.”
“Fine.” Tess stared at Allison for over thirty seconds, her expression both saddening and softening.; “He… he wanted to… but I didn’t want to, so he…” Tess mumbled before she had to stop for a few seconds and a tear started rolling down her face. Allison waited patiently for Tess to continue. “He hit me, and then he tried to…” Tess said, stopping again, tears now flowing freely. “But Kyle stepped inside and brought me to the hospital.”
“Tess, let me understand this correctly. Did he try to rape you?” Allison asked cautiously. Tess didn’t answer, but her expression spoke volumes. “I’m so sorry.”
“God, look at me. I must be the saddest person in the world,” Tess said, wiping away the tears from her face and trying to recompose herself.
“No you’re not; he was the one who was sad. He had an amazing girlfriend and he abused her.”
“Well, she was pretty amazing,” Tess said, a small smile breaking through.
“Careful. You’re dangerously close to sounding cocky here,” Allison said with a smile.
Tess’ expression turned serious again. “It’s sad that he’d been hurting me for months and I didn’t do anything about it. I just let him do whatever he wanted. My friends told me I had to do something, but I never did.”
“You hoped that he would realize that what he did was wrong and that he’d start treating you better. That’s not sad; that’s amazing.”
“Yeah, really amazing,” Tess said disbelievingly.
“Tess, you’re selling yourself short here. What happened was not your fault; you just tried to make it work. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make it work. If everyone tried as hard as you, divorce rate would drop by ninety percent.”
“Yeah, because half of them would be dead. If Kyle hadn’t stopped by when he did… I’m such an idiot,” Tess sighed and she leaned backwards. “He came to the hospital to kill me, just because he though I could report him. My life really didn’t matter to him.”
“He was an ass!”
“But he was my ass,” Tess said before smiling awkwardly. “That didn’t come out right.”
“You still cared about him, even after he almost beat you to death?”
“I can’t help it. It’s not like I forgot what he did, and I would have never taken him back… but he didn’t deserve to die,” Tess whispered and she felt another tear rolling down her cheek.
“Nobody deserves to die, and you’re allowed to feel bad about it.”
~~
“You know, this is just what I needed after a day like this,” Maria said as she relaxed in the comfortable dining chair of one of the fancier restaurants in town, where Michael had taken her. She had actually been there before on one of her terror-dates and she still remembered exactly how that went.
“So Will, what exactly do you do for a living?” Maria asked, just to get some kind of conversation going. The guy seemed nice and he was not bad looking either, but most of his sentences would consist of a single word and while Maria didn’t mind talking, it did get a bit annoying after awhile.
“I own a restaurant downtown called DiMarino’s Diner,” Will said proudly. It was the most words he had said in a row all night, Maria thought before her mind registered what he had said.
“So how’s business?” Maria asked, very curious now. DiMarino’s Diner was pretty close to DeLuca’s and he could be considered one of Maria’s main competitors.
“Could be better; competition is killing.”
“You mean DeLuca’s?” Maria asked, doing her best to hide the smirk that was about to form on her face.
“That dump? You’ll get food-poisoning just by walking past that place.”
“Gotta be tough; a dump like that taking away your clients?” Maria said, not being able to hide a small grin this time. Will didn’t seem to notice it.
“Maybe a little. I heard the owners are complete bitches,” Will said with a small smile.
“Excuse me?” Maria asked, trying to hide her anger.
“One of my friends, Raymond, said he dated one of them once. Poor guy ended up with a black eye.”
“Well maybe Raymond shouldn’t have suggested a threesome on the first date,” Maria said, realizing too late that she just gave herself away.
“You’re not telling me that…” Will asked, trying to remove the foot from his mouth.
“Me, bitch,” Maria said, pointing at herself.
“That’s just great!” Will said sarcastically.
“Hey, you could have done worse than date a bitch. You could date a sad whiner who can’t take it that restaurant ran by women is putting him out of business.” Maria bit back.
Needless to say, the date didn’t last long.
“Are you okay? You haven’t said a word in almost a minute,” Michael asked worriedly.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Maria said with a wide grin on her face.
“That dreamworld of yours must have been funny,” Michael commented.
“Oh, it is.”
~~
“Two pairs,” Brad said with a grin as he laid his card down on the table. The other three men at the poker table threw their cards on the table in defeat and each of them let out a grunt. With a smirk on his face, Brad swiped all the fiches in the center of the table towards him.
“It’s been too long, man. You gotta love the benefits of being single,” one of the men; a blonde, thirty year old, very muscular guy called Amos, said as he took all the cards and began shuffling them.
“Amen,” Brad said, leaning back comfortably. “No more whining, no more complaining…”
“You can screw whoever you like,” one of the other guys said suggestively.
“I pretty much did that anyway,” Brad laughed as he picked up the cards that were being dealt to him. Then his expression turned a little more serious. “Though I have to admit I actually miss having her around sometimes.”
“Laundry?” Amos asked with a grin.
Brad smiled for a second. “Well, obviously there’s that, but I guess I just got accustomed to her company.”
“Hey, she’s right up there on my wank-list with Reese Witherspoon and Katie Holmes, so I can understand,” Amos said bluntly.
“I didn’t need to know that. I really didn’t,” Brad said with a look of disgust.
“Yeah, with freaky Scientology guy in the picture, who likes Katie Holmes anymore?” one of the other guys asked with an equally disgusted look on his face.
“Am I interrupting something disturbing?” a voice sounded from the doorway. Brad, Amos and the other two guys all turned their heads towards the doorway and saw Don standing there with a small briefcase in his hands.
“Well Ron...” Brad started.
“Don.”
“Shut up. Either you’re incredibly stupid for showing up at my doorstep when you owe me fifty grand, or you’re incredibly smart and found a way to pay me. Which one is it?” Brad asked, looking sternly at Don, who actually gulped.
“I uh… I got forty thousand. You gotta give me a little more time to come up with the rest.”
“I have to?” Brad asked warningly.
“I mean, please?” Don pleaded.
Brad relented and leaned back in his chair. “Fine, I’m feeling generous today. I’ll give you another week to get the other ten grand.”
“How am I gonna get ten thousand dollar in one week?” Don asked wide-eyed. He was aiming for more like a couple of months.
“Well, you managed to get forty grand in a week, so ten shouldn’t be a problem,” Brad countered. “If you robbed a bank, you rob another one.”
“I didn’t rob a b…”
“It was a figure of speech, moron!” Brad said calmly. “Now, I don’t give a rat’s ass whether you got the money for raping or killing someone or if you got it for your gardening skills… just get me the money.”
“I can’t. Please, I need more time.”
“What’s the fucking problem? You just go to whatever moron who paid you in the first place and tell him you need another job.”
“Are you kidding? He would kill me and set me on fire if someone ever traced me to him.”
“I would do it the other way around,” Brad said warningly before another idea suddenly popped into his head and an evil smirk formed on his face. “And I’m getting the feeling that what you did wasn’t exactly legal. Who did you work for?”
Don made a quick assessment; sell out Jesse and be a dead man if Jesse found out, or don’t sell him out and be a dead man in a week. Only one of those choices had the word if in them. “Jesse Ramirez,” he sighed.
Brad turned towards his friends at the table. “Would you excuse us for a minute?” he asked politely and one by one, his friends walked into the kitchen to get a beer. Brad’s smirk got wider and wider when he looked back at Don. “Well Ron, today’s your lucky day. Tell me what you did for Ramirez and I just might call us even.”
“He wanted me to sleep with someone,” Don said.
“Interesting. Did you?”
“I got paid, didn’t I?” Don asked with a smirk.
Brad returned the smile. Like himself, Jesse Ramirez was rich and powerful and information like this would definitely come in handy. This information was worth way more than the ten grand. “Tell me everything, Ron. I think we can make a deal here.”
~~
Taking deep breaths, Liz stood outside her mother’s hospital room, trying to find the courage to step in. She didn’t want to freak out when her parents told her the truth and she didn’t want to yell at her father for lying to her. She wanted to try and get past it, but that would all depend on how the next minutes would go. After taking a few more deep breaths, she stepped into the ward to see her mother sitting up straight in her bed. Her dad was nowhere to be seen.
“So you finally decided to come in?” Nancy asked with a small smile.
“Yeah… so where’s dad?” Liz asked. She assumed he would be here during visiting hours.
“He had something very important to do. Liz, I need to tell you something.”
“He can’t even find the courage to say it to my face, can he?” Liz said sarcastically. This was exactly what she didn’t want to happen.
“Please sit down,” Nancy said, pointing at a chair beside the bed. “What I have to say will probably come as a shock.”
“You’re not going to die. I know you’re not,” Liz said, defiantly refusing to sit down.
“You’re right; I’m not, but for awhile me and your father thought I would. And it’s amazing how such a thing can make you re-evaluate everything you’ve done in your life; the choices you made… the mistakes.”
For some reason, Liz felt like this would be a good moment to take Nancy’s offer and sit down, not breaking eye contact with her mother.
“Liz, when we had you, we were eighteen years old and we couldn’t have been happier with you. We had just been married, your father had a job and we had a place to live. Everything was as it should have been… not like a year before that.”
Liz gulped. Her mind couldn’t comprehend everything, but something in the back of her mind was screaming. “What happened a year before?” she asked with a shaking voice.
“I got pregnant and I gave birth to a little girl,” Nancy said with a shaking voice.
“What happened?” Liz asked, barely able to get any words out.
“We were seventeen and we weren’t married, we didn’t have a place to live and your father didn’t have a job. There was no way we could ever provide for her, so we decided to give her away.”
“Are you saying… are you saying that I have a sister?” Liz asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“Yes… and when I thought that I was about to die, I started thinking about how we never got to know her, so your dad hired a private investigator to find her. He did, and your dad is checking out the address the he gave him right now.”
Liz leaned back; suddenly afraid she was going to pass out. “How come I didn’t know?”
“During my pregnancy, I spent almost all my time with your father. He was the only one that knew I was pregnant, and we never told anyone else.”
“Not even me?”
“I’m sorry. I realize now that we should have kept found a way to make it work, but we were seventeen and we didn’t think we could take care of her.”
“So you decided to take this girl away from her parents out of the goodness of your hearts?” Liz asked sarcastically.
“Please, just try to understand.”
“Understand? I have a sister and everyone kept it from me: you, dad, grams, pop…”
“Liz, my parents and your father’s parents didn’t know. Please don’t be angry with them,” Nancy pleaded. It was bad enough that Liz was mad at her and Jeff but Liz’ grandparents hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Bull,” Liz said pointedly. “If you were a minor and you put a little girl up for adoption, they knew.” Liz looked at her mother who turned her head away from Liz in shame, something she had never done before.
“Mom… what did you do?”
TBC
We Hate Men (AU CC MATURE) part 43 10-29-2009 [WIP]
Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators
part 32
Hi everyone. I'm sorry it's been awhile, but I've been busy with so many things. Anyway, thanks for the support and enjoy reading.
part 32
It was about eleven o’clock in the morning when Isabel and Liz sat at on the couch at Isabel’s place, watching Oprah, eating those seashell-shaped chocolates and drinking a special non-alcoholic cocktail that Liz had learned to mix.
“Have I ever said I love Saturdays?” Isabel asked.
“You might have mentioned it once or twice. Having trouble at work?” Liz inquired.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just that… I’m really not in the mood for work right now.”
“Which is why we’re spending our Saturday morning watching Oprah Winfrey?” Liz asked, raising an eyebrow. She clearly wasn’t a big fan.
“Don’t tell me you don’t love this woman Liz; she is amazing.”
“Let me guess, you think listening to Oprah is going to give you the insight you need to get Alex to forgive you?”
Isabel frowned. “Thank you Liz, for letting us all crash back into reality. For the remainder of this little gathering, I would appreciate it if we could avoid that subject… well, unless you’ve got any tips for me.”
“Was that a covert way of asking me to help you with Alex?”
“Come on Liz, look at me; it’s Saturday morning and I’m watching Oprah. You have to help me!”
“You need to stop worrying so much. Either he’ll come back to you on his own, or you’ll just have to find yourself another fuckbuddy.”
“Okay Liz, you don’t have to be so hostile. Don’t you ever make mistakes?”
“Every day. But I wouldn’t sleep with a guy if I was involved with someone else. Honestly Isabel, why did you do it?”
“Liz, please believe me. I really didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
“But it did happen Isabel. And the thing I’m worrying about is that it’s going to happen again, and he deserves better than that. Look, I’m not mad at you. I just want you to think about whether or not you really care about him.”
Isabel thought a few seconds. “I care about him. I really do.”So you and Alex must be really good friends for you to take his side.” Isabel said with a small smile.
“We have a lot of history,” Liz said with a shrug. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think he’ll forgive you. ”
Isabel smiled. “That means a lot. So, did you and Alex ever…?” Isabel asked, leaving the question open.
“Do you really wanna know?” Liz asked as she looked at Isabel questioningly.
“On second thought, no. Can we go back to the whole lost sister deal for a second? When are you gonna meet her?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a master of changing the subject?”
“No, you’re the first. Now shoot!”
“Well, when my dad went by her house, she wasn’t there,” Liz explained.
“So who is it? Maybe I know her.”
“Mom and dad wouldn’t tell me. They wanted to approach the poor unsuspecting girl first. To tell you the truth, I really don’t know what I feel here. I mean, I’m pissed; I’m thoroughly and mightily pissed, and yet I’m excited… it’s weird.”
“Not really. Look, maybe you should just give your parents a break here; it was a long time ago and you have to admit that it’s not the easiest subject to discuss. You need to live in the moment. It will bring you a sense of reverence for all of life’s blessings.”
“Okay, that’s it; I am cutting you off. No more Oprah for you!” Liz said as she picked up the remote and changed the channel on the TV. “Oh, Gilmore Girls!”
“Oh crap! Why the hell do you and Tess like that stupid show anyway?”
“I’m not going to explain that to someone who thinks Firefly is the best series ever. It was cancelled halfway the first season, hello!”
“Okay, I am so not getting into that argument again… and you just managed to steer this entire conversation away from your sister. And you say I’m a master at changing the subject?”
“Well what do you want me to say? My parents literally abandoned their own child! How can I possibly not feel angry and repulsed?” Liz said before she took a piece of chocolate from the table.
“Look Liz, I’m not going to defend your parents here; they screwed up. But maybe you need to look at this as an opportunity. After all, you’re getting a sister.”
Liz frowned as she looked back at Isabel. “Exactly how much Oprah did you watch last night?”
“There was a marathon last night, but don’t tell me that what I said wasn’t good advice.”
Liz smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I’m getting a sister.”
At that point, a loud ringing noise filled the house, startling both Liz and Isabel.
“I hate salesmen,” Isabel said with a sigh as she got up.
“Maybe you should get a dog. Works for Maria.”
Isabel reluctantly walked towards the door and opened it, completely ready to brush of yet another door to door salesman. That was not who was at the door however.
“Alex!” Isabel yelped in surprise.
“Can we talk?” Alex asked softly.
“Sure, come in.” Isabel said nervously.
When he stepped inside, he saw Liz sitting on the couch. “Hi Liz.”
“Hi Alex,” Liz said before standing up. “Okay, I’m gonna go to the restaurant and pretend I actually do something.”
And within seconds, Liz was gone. Alex thought of commenting on it, but one look at Isabel made him go back to why he was here. “So… how are you doing?” he asked.
“Could be better, but I guess it kind of depends on why you’re here,” Isabel said, holding her breath in anticipation.
“I haven’t slept at all last night; I kept replaying our last conversation in my head over and over. And do you know what the thing is? The more I thought about it, the more I realized something.”
“And what is that?” Isabel asked cautiously.
“That I really miss you.” Alex said softly.
“Really? I miss you too. Very much.”
“You know, what I want more than anything is to just pick up where we left off and pretend that none of this happened… but that’s just not possible; I can’t just forget it.”
“What are you saying, Alex?” Isabel asked with a trembling voice.
“I’m saying that I spent hours thinking of whether or not I could trust you. If you are down a couple of months from now, will you do it again… questions like that.”
“And what did you decide?”
“I acknowledged the one fact I couldn’t ignore.”
“That I cheated on you?” Isabel asked, tears just waiting to fall down if he said yes.
“No,” Alex said with a small smile. “That you told me the truth, and that you hurt yourself just as much as you hurt me.”
“That’s two facts, you know,” Isabel said, her expression suddenly getting more hopeful.
“If you want to, I’d like to give us another chance,” Alex said.
Isabel let out a sigh of relief and a wide smile formed on her face. “You still want to be with me? Even after what I did?” Isabel asked hopeful,
“More than anything,” Alex said and Isabel threw her arms around him and he knew in that moment that he made the right choice. He just knew it.”
~~
At the same time in the hospital, Tess was humming the Gilmore Girls theme song and tapping vigorously on her laptop when Kyle was brought back into the ward from the radiology department. The nurses made sure that he was comfortable and then left.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Kyle commented.
“I suppose I am,” Tess said with a smile without missing a beat in her typing.
“Finally got over your writer’s block?”
“Hey!” Tess said, pulling her hands away from the keyboard. She then gave Kyle a fake stern look. “I did not have writer’s block. That’s something for fanfic writers and people over fifty.”
“Okay sherrif, hold your fire. I come in peace,” Kyle said, smiling widely.
“So how’s the damage?” Tess asked.
“They don’t know yet.”
“You can they not know?”
“Well, freshly made photos are scary to doctors; they need to be hidden away in some dusty folder for at least a day before they dare to look at any of them.”
“Maybe he just needs to discuss it with a few other doctors; you know, make an informed decision.”
Kyle smiled and looked at Tess. “Those sessions must really be helping. It almost sounded like you were defending the big bad hospital.”
“Well, I guess I like my sessions with Allison.”
“On a firstname base already. So what are you two vixens talking about that makes you hum that awful tune and make you get over your not-a-writers-block?”
“Well… a lot of things,” Tess said evasively.
“Like?” Kyle said, throwing one of his trademark smiles.
“You’re quite the charmer, has anybody told me that?” Tess asked with a smirk.
“All the girlfriends I had in the past years.”
“And how many were that exactly?” Tess asked, finally seeing a way to steer the conversation away from her private sessions.
At that point however, Max stepped in and both Kyle and Tess let out an inaudible sigh. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
“Good.” Tess just replied.
“Well, my charts agree with you. Blood pressure, pulse, temperature… it’s all back to normal.”
“Does that mean I can leave the confines of this white prison?”
“Yes, though you should take it easy for awhile. Also, I conferred with dr Jones and we recommend that you continue your sessions with her.”
“She told you what we’ve been talking about?” Tess asked with a shaken voice.
“Of course not. She just said that you were doing well and that a few more sessions would be a good idea.” Max said, which seemed to be enough to reasure Tess.
“As for you mr Valenti, I’d like to wait for the results of the scans we did today. If they don’t show anything out of the ordinary, I’ll release you from this white prison too.”
“Any chance you know when you’ll find out?” Kyle asked.
“Probably tomorrow.”
“Can’t you put a rush on it?” Tess chimed in.
“Tomorrow is putting a rush on it,” Max countered.
“Okay, I’ll wait until tomorrow,” Kyle reluctantly gave in. With Tess leaving today, it would have been a welcome thought to be released today as well.
Oh well, he could wait a day.
~~
A few hours later, Max and Michael were having lunch in the hospital restaurant.
“So how’d it go? Did they gave you more shit about you dating Liz?” Michael asked before taking a bite from one of his sandwiches.
“No, they didn’t say a word about Liz the whole evening…”
“Well, wonders never seize. I kind of expected a throwdown.”
“Oh, they invited Laurie DuPree in a sad effort to keep me away from Liz.”
“Ah, that exlains.”
“It does… but anyway, other than the utter lack of respect for my decisions, the evening went relatively well. Laurie’s a nice girl and she wasn’t any happier about the situation than me.”
“Lucky you.“
“Yeah, lucky me. See, the thing is, I don’t get why my mom hates Liz so much. I can understand that her getting a divorce and making millions of dollars and then dating someone else the next day doesn’t look good, but she’s not even listening to reason.”
“Maxwell, your mother is the most stubborn woman I ever met… and with Maria around, that really means something. She’s an expert in only hearing what she wants to hear and the fact that she’s a judge makes it even more difficult because she’s used to, well, judging.”
“Brilliant analysis, dr Phil. I’m not worried about my mother though. She either accepts Liz or she doesn’t. I’ll continue dating Liz regardless.”
“Good for you.”
“So how did your date with Liz friend go?”
“Pretty good. Her name’s Maria by the way, and you might wanna remember that when we go on a double date tomorrow night.”
“I’m sorry Michael, what?!”
“Double-date: noun. A date involving two couples.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think it would have been a good idea to discuss something like that with me first?”
“Look, you’re my best friend and Liz is Maria’s best friend. A double date can’t possibly be bad.”
Max looked at Michael for a second and suddenly realized what happened. “So Maria put you up to this, huh?”
Michael sighed deeply. “There is no saying no to that woman, Maxwell. You have to help me out.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, you have no idea how much you just saved my ass.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s not like a date with Liz is a punishment.”
“Considering our track record on double dates, let’s hope you’re right.”
Max frowned at the thought. Michael had a point; their double dates usually ended in disaster. On the last double-date, as he recalled, both of them broke up with their girlfriends. “One can only hope.”
~~
“Alright, you can do this,” Jeff Parker said to himself as he stepped out of his car and looked at the house in front of him. He had been here yesterday as well, but nobody was home then and he really hoped that wouldn’t be the case today. He slowly walked towards the front door and he could feel his hands shaking, just like it did yesterday. What was he supposed to say? Hi daughter, sorry for abandoning you as a baby. Want a hug? It definitely wasn’t going to be that easy, but now that he and Nancy had finally made the decision to get to know her, he couldn’t put it off any longer. No, if this girl was anything like their other daughter, this wouldn’t be easy at all.
And then there was Liz. She took it better than he expected, but he knew that this whole thing was difficult for her and Jeff knew that it would help a lot if this meeting went wel.
When he finally reached the door, he slowly extended his hand towards the doorbell and took a deep breath before pushing, causing a loud buzzing sound to fill his ears. He waited for over a minute and even rang a second time, but no luck; the girl just wasn’t home. Jeff hung his head in disappointment and slowly walked back towards the car. He would try again in a few hours.
Just as he was about to drive away he noticed a green Jetta pulling up the driveway. Jeff felt his nervousness return as two women stepped out.
“Okay, this is it,” Jeff said to himself.
TBC
part 32
It was about eleven o’clock in the morning when Isabel and Liz sat at on the couch at Isabel’s place, watching Oprah, eating those seashell-shaped chocolates and drinking a special non-alcoholic cocktail that Liz had learned to mix.
“Have I ever said I love Saturdays?” Isabel asked.
“You might have mentioned it once or twice. Having trouble at work?” Liz inquired.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just that… I’m really not in the mood for work right now.”
“Which is why we’re spending our Saturday morning watching Oprah Winfrey?” Liz asked, raising an eyebrow. She clearly wasn’t a big fan.
“Don’t tell me you don’t love this woman Liz; she is amazing.”
“Let me guess, you think listening to Oprah is going to give you the insight you need to get Alex to forgive you?”
Isabel frowned. “Thank you Liz, for letting us all crash back into reality. For the remainder of this little gathering, I would appreciate it if we could avoid that subject… well, unless you’ve got any tips for me.”
“Was that a covert way of asking me to help you with Alex?”
“Come on Liz, look at me; it’s Saturday morning and I’m watching Oprah. You have to help me!”
“You need to stop worrying so much. Either he’ll come back to you on his own, or you’ll just have to find yourself another fuckbuddy.”
“Okay Liz, you don’t have to be so hostile. Don’t you ever make mistakes?”
“Every day. But I wouldn’t sleep with a guy if I was involved with someone else. Honestly Isabel, why did you do it?”
“Liz, please believe me. I really didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
“But it did happen Isabel. And the thing I’m worrying about is that it’s going to happen again, and he deserves better than that. Look, I’m not mad at you. I just want you to think about whether or not you really care about him.”
Isabel thought a few seconds. “I care about him. I really do.”So you and Alex must be really good friends for you to take his side.” Isabel said with a small smile.
“We have a lot of history,” Liz said with a shrug. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think he’ll forgive you. ”
Isabel smiled. “That means a lot. So, did you and Alex ever…?” Isabel asked, leaving the question open.
“Do you really wanna know?” Liz asked as she looked at Isabel questioningly.
“On second thought, no. Can we go back to the whole lost sister deal for a second? When are you gonna meet her?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a master of changing the subject?”
“No, you’re the first. Now shoot!”
“Well, when my dad went by her house, she wasn’t there,” Liz explained.
“So who is it? Maybe I know her.”
“Mom and dad wouldn’t tell me. They wanted to approach the poor unsuspecting girl first. To tell you the truth, I really don’t know what I feel here. I mean, I’m pissed; I’m thoroughly and mightily pissed, and yet I’m excited… it’s weird.”
“Not really. Look, maybe you should just give your parents a break here; it was a long time ago and you have to admit that it’s not the easiest subject to discuss. You need to live in the moment. It will bring you a sense of reverence for all of life’s blessings.”
“Okay, that’s it; I am cutting you off. No more Oprah for you!” Liz said as she picked up the remote and changed the channel on the TV. “Oh, Gilmore Girls!”
“Oh crap! Why the hell do you and Tess like that stupid show anyway?”
“I’m not going to explain that to someone who thinks Firefly is the best series ever. It was cancelled halfway the first season, hello!”
“Okay, I am so not getting into that argument again… and you just managed to steer this entire conversation away from your sister. And you say I’m a master at changing the subject?”
“Well what do you want me to say? My parents literally abandoned their own child! How can I possibly not feel angry and repulsed?” Liz said before she took a piece of chocolate from the table.
“Look Liz, I’m not going to defend your parents here; they screwed up. But maybe you need to look at this as an opportunity. After all, you’re getting a sister.”
Liz frowned as she looked back at Isabel. “Exactly how much Oprah did you watch last night?”
“There was a marathon last night, but don’t tell me that what I said wasn’t good advice.”
Liz smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I’m getting a sister.”
At that point, a loud ringing noise filled the house, startling both Liz and Isabel.
“I hate salesmen,” Isabel said with a sigh as she got up.
“Maybe you should get a dog. Works for Maria.”
Isabel reluctantly walked towards the door and opened it, completely ready to brush of yet another door to door salesman. That was not who was at the door however.
“Alex!” Isabel yelped in surprise.
“Can we talk?” Alex asked softly.
“Sure, come in.” Isabel said nervously.
When he stepped inside, he saw Liz sitting on the couch. “Hi Liz.”
“Hi Alex,” Liz said before standing up. “Okay, I’m gonna go to the restaurant and pretend I actually do something.”
And within seconds, Liz was gone. Alex thought of commenting on it, but one look at Isabel made him go back to why he was here. “So… how are you doing?” he asked.
“Could be better, but I guess it kind of depends on why you’re here,” Isabel said, holding her breath in anticipation.
“I haven’t slept at all last night; I kept replaying our last conversation in my head over and over. And do you know what the thing is? The more I thought about it, the more I realized something.”
“And what is that?” Isabel asked cautiously.
“That I really miss you.” Alex said softly.
“Really? I miss you too. Very much.”
“You know, what I want more than anything is to just pick up where we left off and pretend that none of this happened… but that’s just not possible; I can’t just forget it.”
“What are you saying, Alex?” Isabel asked with a trembling voice.
“I’m saying that I spent hours thinking of whether or not I could trust you. If you are down a couple of months from now, will you do it again… questions like that.”
“And what did you decide?”
“I acknowledged the one fact I couldn’t ignore.”
“That I cheated on you?” Isabel asked, tears just waiting to fall down if he said yes.
“No,” Alex said with a small smile. “That you told me the truth, and that you hurt yourself just as much as you hurt me.”
“That’s two facts, you know,” Isabel said, her expression suddenly getting more hopeful.
“If you want to, I’d like to give us another chance,” Alex said.
Isabel let out a sigh of relief and a wide smile formed on her face. “You still want to be with me? Even after what I did?” Isabel asked hopeful,
“More than anything,” Alex said and Isabel threw her arms around him and he knew in that moment that he made the right choice. He just knew it.”
~~
At the same time in the hospital, Tess was humming the Gilmore Girls theme song and tapping vigorously on her laptop when Kyle was brought back into the ward from the radiology department. The nurses made sure that he was comfortable and then left.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Kyle commented.
“I suppose I am,” Tess said with a smile without missing a beat in her typing.
“Finally got over your writer’s block?”
“Hey!” Tess said, pulling her hands away from the keyboard. She then gave Kyle a fake stern look. “I did not have writer’s block. That’s something for fanfic writers and people over fifty.”
“Okay sherrif, hold your fire. I come in peace,” Kyle said, smiling widely.
“So how’s the damage?” Tess asked.
“They don’t know yet.”
“You can they not know?”
“Well, freshly made photos are scary to doctors; they need to be hidden away in some dusty folder for at least a day before they dare to look at any of them.”
“Maybe he just needs to discuss it with a few other doctors; you know, make an informed decision.”
Kyle smiled and looked at Tess. “Those sessions must really be helping. It almost sounded like you were defending the big bad hospital.”
“Well, I guess I like my sessions with Allison.”
“On a firstname base already. So what are you two vixens talking about that makes you hum that awful tune and make you get over your not-a-writers-block?”
“Well… a lot of things,” Tess said evasively.
“Like?” Kyle said, throwing one of his trademark smiles.
“You’re quite the charmer, has anybody told me that?” Tess asked with a smirk.
“All the girlfriends I had in the past years.”
“And how many were that exactly?” Tess asked, finally seeing a way to steer the conversation away from her private sessions.
At that point however, Max stepped in and both Kyle and Tess let out an inaudible sigh. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
“Good.” Tess just replied.
“Well, my charts agree with you. Blood pressure, pulse, temperature… it’s all back to normal.”
“Does that mean I can leave the confines of this white prison?”
“Yes, though you should take it easy for awhile. Also, I conferred with dr Jones and we recommend that you continue your sessions with her.”
“She told you what we’ve been talking about?” Tess asked with a shaken voice.
“Of course not. She just said that you were doing well and that a few more sessions would be a good idea.” Max said, which seemed to be enough to reasure Tess.
“As for you mr Valenti, I’d like to wait for the results of the scans we did today. If they don’t show anything out of the ordinary, I’ll release you from this white prison too.”
“Any chance you know when you’ll find out?” Kyle asked.
“Probably tomorrow.”
“Can’t you put a rush on it?” Tess chimed in.
“Tomorrow is putting a rush on it,” Max countered.
“Okay, I’ll wait until tomorrow,” Kyle reluctantly gave in. With Tess leaving today, it would have been a welcome thought to be released today as well.
Oh well, he could wait a day.
~~
A few hours later, Max and Michael were having lunch in the hospital restaurant.
“So how’d it go? Did they gave you more shit about you dating Liz?” Michael asked before taking a bite from one of his sandwiches.
“No, they didn’t say a word about Liz the whole evening…”
“Well, wonders never seize. I kind of expected a throwdown.”
“Oh, they invited Laurie DuPree in a sad effort to keep me away from Liz.”
“Ah, that exlains.”
“It does… but anyway, other than the utter lack of respect for my decisions, the evening went relatively well. Laurie’s a nice girl and she wasn’t any happier about the situation than me.”
“Lucky you.“
“Yeah, lucky me. See, the thing is, I don’t get why my mom hates Liz so much. I can understand that her getting a divorce and making millions of dollars and then dating someone else the next day doesn’t look good, but she’s not even listening to reason.”
“Maxwell, your mother is the most stubborn woman I ever met… and with Maria around, that really means something. She’s an expert in only hearing what she wants to hear and the fact that she’s a judge makes it even more difficult because she’s used to, well, judging.”
“Brilliant analysis, dr Phil. I’m not worried about my mother though. She either accepts Liz or she doesn’t. I’ll continue dating Liz regardless.”
“Good for you.”
“So how did your date with Liz friend go?”
“Pretty good. Her name’s Maria by the way, and you might wanna remember that when we go on a double date tomorrow night.”
“I’m sorry Michael, what?!”
“Double-date: noun. A date involving two couples.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think it would have been a good idea to discuss something like that with me first?”
“Look, you’re my best friend and Liz is Maria’s best friend. A double date can’t possibly be bad.”
Max looked at Michael for a second and suddenly realized what happened. “So Maria put you up to this, huh?”
Michael sighed deeply. “There is no saying no to that woman, Maxwell. You have to help me out.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, you have no idea how much you just saved my ass.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s not like a date with Liz is a punishment.”
“Considering our track record on double dates, let’s hope you’re right.”
Max frowned at the thought. Michael had a point; their double dates usually ended in disaster. On the last double-date, as he recalled, both of them broke up with their girlfriends. “One can only hope.”
~~
“Alright, you can do this,” Jeff Parker said to himself as he stepped out of his car and looked at the house in front of him. He had been here yesterday as well, but nobody was home then and he really hoped that wouldn’t be the case today. He slowly walked towards the front door and he could feel his hands shaking, just like it did yesterday. What was he supposed to say? Hi daughter, sorry for abandoning you as a baby. Want a hug? It definitely wasn’t going to be that easy, but now that he and Nancy had finally made the decision to get to know her, he couldn’t put it off any longer. No, if this girl was anything like their other daughter, this wouldn’t be easy at all.
And then there was Liz. She took it better than he expected, but he knew that this whole thing was difficult for her and Jeff knew that it would help a lot if this meeting went wel.
When he finally reached the door, he slowly extended his hand towards the doorbell and took a deep breath before pushing, causing a loud buzzing sound to fill his ears. He waited for over a minute and even rang a second time, but no luck; the girl just wasn’t home. Jeff hung his head in disappointment and slowly walked back towards the car. He would try again in a few hours.
Just as he was about to drive away he noticed a green Jetta pulling up the driveway. Jeff felt his nervousness return as two women stepped out.
“Okay, this is it,” Jeff said to himself.
TBC
Part 33
Hi everyone.
I'm finally ready with the chapter. Took me long enough (I know that's what you're thinking), but here it is. Now, everyone can resume their positions at the edge of their seats. Here's the next part.
Thanks to:
FSU/MSW-94
RhondaAnn
sprayadhesive
Stargazer's Delight
Sternbetrachter
roswell3053
KarenEvans
killjoy
BehrObsession
tequathisy
LairaBehr4
paper
XxPolarxChicxX
Queen Fee
Kitten
cameramandc
For your bumps and kind words.
Part 33
Since Tess wasn’t permitted to drive for a couple of days, Maria had picked her up at the hospital and insisted that Tess would spend a few days at her place. Tess knew that Maria just to make sure that she was alright, so she accepted, knowing Maria wouldn’t take no for an answer anyway.
“Come on Maria, do you have any idea how much the term driving me insane applies right now? That pedal over there is the gas; for God’s sake, use it.”
“You’d rather have me drive like Isabel?” Maria asked with raised eyebrows. She didn’t even wait for an answer; the expression on Tess face spoke volumes. “No, I didn’t think so. I don’t see the problem; I drive safely.”
“I drive safely! You drive like my grandma in slow-motion.”
“Are you in a hurry or something?” Maria asked, getting a little annoyed.
Tess knew better than to continue the argument. It was one they had before several times, and the chance of convincing Maria that driving forty on the freeway was not a good thing were about as big as the chances of getting struck by lightning. They were pulling up the driveway of her house anyway, so Tess decided to drop the subject altogether.
“Okay, let’s get me some fresh clothes,” Tess said anxiously as the two of them stepped out of the car. They had agreed to pick up some clothes and other basic necessities, like make-up and such, from Tess’ place and then proceed to Maria’s place. Tess and Maria walked to the door and Tess put her key in the lock and smiled; it was good to be home again, even if it was only for a few minutes. She turned the key and pushed the door wide open, allowing both of them inside.
“Home sweet… hell,” Tess said as her face paled. The place looked like a total and complete disaster area, and not in a good way.
“Oh God,” Maria said softly. This scene was all too familiar. “I’m so sorry. Brad the maidfucker had all our houses ransacked to find that video we made of him.”
“That miserable worm got off too easily,” Tess said through gritted teeth.
“Amen. Let’s just get what we came for okay? We can worry about this later, when there’s less chance of you fainting,” Maria offered.
Tess looked angry but walked upstairs anyway. Maria stayed downstairs and surveyed the damage. The furniture was all made out of hardened oak, so they were relatively unscathed, but most of Tess’ books and paintings had not been so lucky. Tess was relatively rich, but some of those books were special first editions that Tess cherished. “God, I hope she doesn’t freak out,” Maria prayed.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts.
“Could you get that?!” Tess yelled from upstairs. Maria walked towards the front door and opened it, unaware of what was about to happen. The man in the doorway looked about fifty years old. He seemed very nervous and suddenly Maria recognized him.
“Mr Parker?” Maria asked confused. She knew it was Liz’ dad but why on Earth would he come here?
“Maria?” Jeff asked, recognizing Maria only now.
“Are you looking for Liz; because, she’s not here?” Maria commented. He was probably looking for Liz, she figured.
“I’m… I’m actually looking for Tess Harding,” Jeff said softly.
Maria smiled for a second before everything suddenly made sense and her eyes grew wide for a second. “Mr Parker… Tess just got out of the hospital; please be careful.” She had wanted to say a lot more, but this was all that came out.
Jeff realized that Maria was well-aware of the situation and sighed deeply. “So, do she and Liz know each other?”
“Tess is one of her best friends… and mine.”
“So what do you think I should say?” Jeff asked nervously.
“Well, you could start with a hello, followed by a very, very cautious explanation as to why you’ve abandoned your own flesh and blood in the gutter!” Maria said, calm at first, but hissing out the last words.
“I guess I deserve that,” Jeff said softly.
“You’re damn right you do!” Maria said loudly before calming down again. “She deserved better than that, you know?”
“I know. So, can I talk to her?”
“Okay,” Maria said softly and stepped aside to let Jeff in. “But please understand that I am not on your side. I don‘t know what could have possibly motivated you to do what you did, and frankly, I don’t wanna know. You hurt Tess, you die.”
Jeff gave Maria an awkward smile and stepped inside. “But no pressure,” Jeff said softly.
“Tess honey, can you come down for a sec?” Maria said loudly and only seconds later, Tess slowly descended down the stairs. She knew better than to rush down the stairs and the last thing she wanted was to end up in the hospital again, so she took her time. She then saw Maria shooting annoyed glances to a middle-aged man whom she apparently let in.
“Hi,” Tess greeted warmly when she arrived downstairs. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m Jeff Parker, and I was hoping I could speak with you for a minute,” Jeff said cautiously.
“We are speaking, but okay. What are you selling?”
“I’m not selling anything. Could we maybe sit down for a second?” Jeff said, motioning Tess towards the living room.
“Oh God, you’re not a Jehova’s witness, are you? Because that sign on the door is there for a reason.”
“No, I’m not,” Jeff said with a smile and gently motioned Tess to move to the living room. Tess did what he asked and escorted him to the living room, doing her very best not to freak out when she saw the disaster-area that greeted her. “What happened here?” Jeff asked, only now noticing the mess in the house.
“Bradhole the First, and he will pay for this. Now what is it you want?” Tess asked in a friendly tone, ignoring the strange fluttery feeling inside her stomach. She sat down on one of the chairs and motioned Jeff to do the same.
“I guess there’s no easy way to say this...”
“Why do people always say that? Just spit it out,” Tess said, suddenly getting nervous when she noticed the serious expression on Jeff’s face. Something big was up and she was guessing he wasn’t here to tell her she’d won the lottery.
“Well, I…”
“Is something wrong with Kyle?” Tess asked worriedly.
“No. This is about you; about you, me… and your mother,” Jeff said, desperately struggling to find the right words.
“Mom, what happened to mom?” Tess asked worriedly. “Is she alright? I told her to take it easy with that heart condition of hers, but that stubborn woman just never listens.”
She was interrupted by a loud snorting noise coming from Maria. “Nothing,” Maria said when Tess shot her a questioning gaze.
“I’m talking about your birth mother and father,” Jeff tried again.
“Oh,” Tess said, the worried look on her face instantly making place for a look of discontent.
“What do they want?”
“We. What we want,” Jeff corrected her.
A handfull of emotions flashed over her face as she realized exactly what Jeff was saying, but just as quick, they all disappeared. “Get out,” Tess said with an icy expression.
“We just want a chance to explain,” Jeff asked softly.
“Oh please! Let me guess, your wife is terribly sick and you wanted the girl you set out by the trash to come up to her bed, hold her hand and tell her that she forgives her and that everything will be alright. How am I doing so far?” Tess asked forcefully.
“A little too well. I understand you’re upset…” Jeff started before Tess interrupted her.
“Upset?! Upset is when a guy moans his own name when having sex, this is…” Tess ranted before something suddenly occurred to her. “Hold on, what did you say your name was?”
“Uh oh,” Maria whispered softly.
“Jeff Parker,” Jeff said, knowing what the next question would be.
“So does that mean that… are you related to Liz Parker?” Tess asked, her breathing getting heavier.
“Yes. Liz is my daughter, and your sister,” Jeff said softly.
“That’s great; that’s just great!” Tess said sarcastically. “So was it the brown eyes that made you dump me and keep her, or was it the hair?”
“It’s not like that,” Jeff pleaded.
“Mr Parker, I think you’d better go. It’s been a long day,” Maria chimed in.
Jeff looked at Tess for a second who looked even more tired than angry and nodded. “I may not deserve it, but I’m asking you anyway: it would really mean a lot to me if you came to visit your mother and me at the hospital. Just think about it,” he said before standing up and walking away. Maria and Tess said nothing until they heard the front door close.
Maria and Tess stood in silence for a few seconds before Maria spoke. “Hmm, I didn’t see that one coming.”
~~
Meanwhile, Liz was busy overseeing the lunch crowd at DeLuca’s. Aside from a few minor incidents and three more plates broken by the new waitress, everything was going smoothly.
“How about a cup of coffee, sugar?” Victor asked Liz as he took a seat at the bar. Liz usually didn’t man the bar, but poured a cup of coffee for him anyway. “So how’s business with the two gorgeous hunks?”
“Maria talked me into going on a double-date tonight.”
“A double-date, huh? Well, you and Maria are friends and the two hunks are friends… what’s the worst that could happen?”
“That we arrive as two couples and leave as four singles. Seriously, double-dates are a recipe for disaster.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Victor said. “I met Samuel on a double date.”
“Yes, but you met him after your original date left,” Liz said knowingly. “Oh well, I suppose I shouldn’t stress about it too much. So how’s life at the competition?”
Victor smiled. “Paul’s Diner has started appointing employees of the month.”
“That is so sad. Talk about being a winner and a loser at the same time,” Liz laughed
“I think the employees there agree with you. Oh, and there was a food critic at DiMarino’s last night. He didn’t seem very impressed, and the people there weren’t exactly welcoming him.”
“Gee, I wonder why not,” Liz said sarcastically.
“What? You don’t like food critics?”
“I love them… you know, like a lamppost loves dogs.”
“Good to know. So I heard your having problems with your boyfriend’s parents,” Victor said with a smirk.
“How on earth do you know that… oh, never mind,” Liz said with a frown. When it came to gossip, Victor was all-knowing. “It’s really more his mother. For some reason, she seems to think that I am evil incarnate.”
“Parents are weird. It’s like the changing of the tides; something we just have to accept.”
“You can say that again,” Liz said with a sigh, thinking of her own parents.
“I think saying it once is enough. So what are you gonna do?”
“Ignore her. Max is a big boy; he doesn’t need his parents’ permission to date me.”
“No, but that means they will regularly try to set him up with someone else, like last night. Believe me, Samuel’s parents tried very hard.”
“They tried to set Max up with someone else?” Liz asked, surprised that she didn’t know about that.
“Yeah, but I don’t think you have to worry; Max seems like a nice enough guy. Now, do you want a little friendly advice?”
“Can I stop you?” Liz asked with a smile.
“Very unlikely. Let me tell you this, Liz, you don’t want to be the cause of a fight between him and his parents. Maybe you should just try harder.”
“Absolutely out of the question! I’m not the one being both unreasonable here,” Liz said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Liz, you are being unreasonable. I’m not saying that it’s your fault, but if you just talk to the woman, I’m sure Max will appreciate it.”
“Well… I’ll think about it,” Liz said reluctantly.
~~
“Okay, let’s go in and I’ll make you some lunch,” Maria offered as they got out of the car in front of Maria’s house. Tess hadn’t said more than the occasional ‘hmm’ and ‘uh-huh’ and that worried Maria.
“Fine,” Tess said softly and then noticed the broken window. “What happened there?”
Maria fished the note that had been attached to the brick out of her pocket and held it up for Tess to read. “No need insult me,” Tess joked. “So did the door-to-door salesmen finally strike back?”
“I wouldn’t know. I called the police but they were about as helpful as a chocolate fireguard.”
“Figures. So you have no idea who did it?” Tess asked.
“I have my suspicions, but for now, I guess all I can do is fix the window and watch out for flying objects in the future,” Maria said and the two of them walked to the front door and went inside the house.
“Hey, no fair! Why isn’t your place trashed?” Tess asked
“Oh believe me, it looked worse here than it did at your place.”
“Snake,” Tess said calmly.
“Huh?” Maria asked, confused.
“Snake,” Tess repeated, pointing at the floor in the living room where a three-foot long snake slithered through the room.
Maria screamed loudly and ran outside, not stopping before she was at least thirty feet away from the house. She then faced her house again and was a little surprised when she noticed that Tess was holding the snake in her hands.
“For heaven’s sake Maria, stop being such a girl,” Tess shouted towards Maria. “This is not Anaconda, you know.”
“Jesus Christ, Tess! Do you have a deathwish or something?” Maria shouted, but quickly grabbed her phone and dialed a familiar number.
“Good afternoon, agent Collins Roswell PD,” a friendly voice said on the other end of the line.
“Someone threw a snake in my house!” Maria screamed hysterically in the phone.
“Ma’am, I’m gonna have to ask you to calm down. If you give me your address, I’ll send someone from animal control to get him.”
“I want you to find out who the fuck did this! I hate snakes!” Maria said loudly.
“We’ll look into it ma’am. Now if you’ll tell me your name and address…”
“Maria DeLuca. 72 Laurel Drive. Please hurry,” Maria said.
“Alright, they are on their way. Now tell me, where is the snake now?”
Maria thought about that for a second. Telling him that Tess held it in her hands wouldn’t exactly be an invite to get here fast. “He’s still inside the house,” Maria said, which was technically the truth.
“Alright, what does the snake look like?” agent Collins asked calmly.
“Uh, long and thin like most snakes,” Maria said sarcastically, “I didn’t stand there to examine it!”
“Alright. Well, I guess we can let animal control have a look when they arrive. Don’t worry; you did the right thing in running and calling us. People get hurt trying to solve this themselves. They’ll be there in a few minutes.”
After Maria hung up the phone, she saw Tess sitting on the porch with the snake in her hands. “That girl really does have a death wish.”
~~
After the lunch crowd, Liz left DeLuca’s and went home, where she took a quick shower and then sat in front of the TV, planning to kill an hour of time before meeting Maria at her place. As soon as she turned on the TV however, the doorbell rang. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a terrible sight. The man in the doorway was roughed up pretty bad; his head was filled with cuts and bruises and small trails of blood were trickling from his nose and lip. By the look of his posture, the rest of his body wasn’t in much better hape.
“I need your help,” the man said.
“Who are you, and what the hell happened to you?” Liz asked the complete stranger.
“Please. I need your help.”
TBC
I'm finally ready with the chapter. Took me long enough (I know that's what you're thinking), but here it is. Now, everyone can resume their positions at the edge of their seats. Here's the next part.
Thanks to:
FSU/MSW-94
RhondaAnn
sprayadhesive
Stargazer's Delight
Sternbetrachter
roswell3053
KarenEvans
killjoy
BehrObsession
tequathisy
LairaBehr4
paper
XxPolarxChicxX
Queen Fee
Kitten
cameramandc
For your bumps and kind words.
Part 33
Since Tess wasn’t permitted to drive for a couple of days, Maria had picked her up at the hospital and insisted that Tess would spend a few days at her place. Tess knew that Maria just to make sure that she was alright, so she accepted, knowing Maria wouldn’t take no for an answer anyway.
“Come on Maria, do you have any idea how much the term driving me insane applies right now? That pedal over there is the gas; for God’s sake, use it.”
“You’d rather have me drive like Isabel?” Maria asked with raised eyebrows. She didn’t even wait for an answer; the expression on Tess face spoke volumes. “No, I didn’t think so. I don’t see the problem; I drive safely.”
“I drive safely! You drive like my grandma in slow-motion.”
“Are you in a hurry or something?” Maria asked, getting a little annoyed.
Tess knew better than to continue the argument. It was one they had before several times, and the chance of convincing Maria that driving forty on the freeway was not a good thing were about as big as the chances of getting struck by lightning. They were pulling up the driveway of her house anyway, so Tess decided to drop the subject altogether.
“Okay, let’s get me some fresh clothes,” Tess said anxiously as the two of them stepped out of the car. They had agreed to pick up some clothes and other basic necessities, like make-up and such, from Tess’ place and then proceed to Maria’s place. Tess and Maria walked to the door and Tess put her key in the lock and smiled; it was good to be home again, even if it was only for a few minutes. She turned the key and pushed the door wide open, allowing both of them inside.
“Home sweet… hell,” Tess said as her face paled. The place looked like a total and complete disaster area, and not in a good way.
“Oh God,” Maria said softly. This scene was all too familiar. “I’m so sorry. Brad the maidfucker had all our houses ransacked to find that video we made of him.”
“That miserable worm got off too easily,” Tess said through gritted teeth.
“Amen. Let’s just get what we came for okay? We can worry about this later, when there’s less chance of you fainting,” Maria offered.
Tess looked angry but walked upstairs anyway. Maria stayed downstairs and surveyed the damage. The furniture was all made out of hardened oak, so they were relatively unscathed, but most of Tess’ books and paintings had not been so lucky. Tess was relatively rich, but some of those books were special first editions that Tess cherished. “God, I hope she doesn’t freak out,” Maria prayed.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts.
“Could you get that?!” Tess yelled from upstairs. Maria walked towards the front door and opened it, unaware of what was about to happen. The man in the doorway looked about fifty years old. He seemed very nervous and suddenly Maria recognized him.
“Mr Parker?” Maria asked confused. She knew it was Liz’ dad but why on Earth would he come here?
“Maria?” Jeff asked, recognizing Maria only now.
“Are you looking for Liz; because, she’s not here?” Maria commented. He was probably looking for Liz, she figured.
“I’m… I’m actually looking for Tess Harding,” Jeff said softly.
Maria smiled for a second before everything suddenly made sense and her eyes grew wide for a second. “Mr Parker… Tess just got out of the hospital; please be careful.” She had wanted to say a lot more, but this was all that came out.
Jeff realized that Maria was well-aware of the situation and sighed deeply. “So, do she and Liz know each other?”
“Tess is one of her best friends… and mine.”
“So what do you think I should say?” Jeff asked nervously.
“Well, you could start with a hello, followed by a very, very cautious explanation as to why you’ve abandoned your own flesh and blood in the gutter!” Maria said, calm at first, but hissing out the last words.
“I guess I deserve that,” Jeff said softly.
“You’re damn right you do!” Maria said loudly before calming down again. “She deserved better than that, you know?”
“I know. So, can I talk to her?”
“Okay,” Maria said softly and stepped aside to let Jeff in. “But please understand that I am not on your side. I don‘t know what could have possibly motivated you to do what you did, and frankly, I don’t wanna know. You hurt Tess, you die.”
Jeff gave Maria an awkward smile and stepped inside. “But no pressure,” Jeff said softly.
“Tess honey, can you come down for a sec?” Maria said loudly and only seconds later, Tess slowly descended down the stairs. She knew better than to rush down the stairs and the last thing she wanted was to end up in the hospital again, so she took her time. She then saw Maria shooting annoyed glances to a middle-aged man whom she apparently let in.
“Hi,” Tess greeted warmly when she arrived downstairs. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m Jeff Parker, and I was hoping I could speak with you for a minute,” Jeff said cautiously.
“We are speaking, but okay. What are you selling?”
“I’m not selling anything. Could we maybe sit down for a second?” Jeff said, motioning Tess towards the living room.
“Oh God, you’re not a Jehova’s witness, are you? Because that sign on the door is there for a reason.”
“No, I’m not,” Jeff said with a smile and gently motioned Tess to move to the living room. Tess did what he asked and escorted him to the living room, doing her very best not to freak out when she saw the disaster-area that greeted her. “What happened here?” Jeff asked, only now noticing the mess in the house.
“Bradhole the First, and he will pay for this. Now what is it you want?” Tess asked in a friendly tone, ignoring the strange fluttery feeling inside her stomach. She sat down on one of the chairs and motioned Jeff to do the same.
“I guess there’s no easy way to say this...”
“Why do people always say that? Just spit it out,” Tess said, suddenly getting nervous when she noticed the serious expression on Jeff’s face. Something big was up and she was guessing he wasn’t here to tell her she’d won the lottery.
“Well, I…”
“Is something wrong with Kyle?” Tess asked worriedly.
“No. This is about you; about you, me… and your mother,” Jeff said, desperately struggling to find the right words.
“Mom, what happened to mom?” Tess asked worriedly. “Is she alright? I told her to take it easy with that heart condition of hers, but that stubborn woman just never listens.”
She was interrupted by a loud snorting noise coming from Maria. “Nothing,” Maria said when Tess shot her a questioning gaze.
“I’m talking about your birth mother and father,” Jeff tried again.
“Oh,” Tess said, the worried look on her face instantly making place for a look of discontent.
“What do they want?”
“We. What we want,” Jeff corrected her.
A handfull of emotions flashed over her face as she realized exactly what Jeff was saying, but just as quick, they all disappeared. “Get out,” Tess said with an icy expression.
“We just want a chance to explain,” Jeff asked softly.
“Oh please! Let me guess, your wife is terribly sick and you wanted the girl you set out by the trash to come up to her bed, hold her hand and tell her that she forgives her and that everything will be alright. How am I doing so far?” Tess asked forcefully.
“A little too well. I understand you’re upset…” Jeff started before Tess interrupted her.
“Upset?! Upset is when a guy moans his own name when having sex, this is…” Tess ranted before something suddenly occurred to her. “Hold on, what did you say your name was?”
“Uh oh,” Maria whispered softly.
“Jeff Parker,” Jeff said, knowing what the next question would be.
“So does that mean that… are you related to Liz Parker?” Tess asked, her breathing getting heavier.
“Yes. Liz is my daughter, and your sister,” Jeff said softly.
“That’s great; that’s just great!” Tess said sarcastically. “So was it the brown eyes that made you dump me and keep her, or was it the hair?”
“It’s not like that,” Jeff pleaded.
“Mr Parker, I think you’d better go. It’s been a long day,” Maria chimed in.
Jeff looked at Tess for a second who looked even more tired than angry and nodded. “I may not deserve it, but I’m asking you anyway: it would really mean a lot to me if you came to visit your mother and me at the hospital. Just think about it,” he said before standing up and walking away. Maria and Tess said nothing until they heard the front door close.
Maria and Tess stood in silence for a few seconds before Maria spoke. “Hmm, I didn’t see that one coming.”
~~
Meanwhile, Liz was busy overseeing the lunch crowd at DeLuca’s. Aside from a few minor incidents and three more plates broken by the new waitress, everything was going smoothly.
“How about a cup of coffee, sugar?” Victor asked Liz as he took a seat at the bar. Liz usually didn’t man the bar, but poured a cup of coffee for him anyway. “So how’s business with the two gorgeous hunks?”
“Maria talked me into going on a double-date tonight.”
“A double-date, huh? Well, you and Maria are friends and the two hunks are friends… what’s the worst that could happen?”
“That we arrive as two couples and leave as four singles. Seriously, double-dates are a recipe for disaster.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Victor said. “I met Samuel on a double date.”
“Yes, but you met him after your original date left,” Liz said knowingly. “Oh well, I suppose I shouldn’t stress about it too much. So how’s life at the competition?”
Victor smiled. “Paul’s Diner has started appointing employees of the month.”
“That is so sad. Talk about being a winner and a loser at the same time,” Liz laughed
“I think the employees there agree with you. Oh, and there was a food critic at DiMarino’s last night. He didn’t seem very impressed, and the people there weren’t exactly welcoming him.”
“Gee, I wonder why not,” Liz said sarcastically.
“What? You don’t like food critics?”
“I love them… you know, like a lamppost loves dogs.”
“Good to know. So I heard your having problems with your boyfriend’s parents,” Victor said with a smirk.
“How on earth do you know that… oh, never mind,” Liz said with a frown. When it came to gossip, Victor was all-knowing. “It’s really more his mother. For some reason, she seems to think that I am evil incarnate.”
“Parents are weird. It’s like the changing of the tides; something we just have to accept.”
“You can say that again,” Liz said with a sigh, thinking of her own parents.
“I think saying it once is enough. So what are you gonna do?”
“Ignore her. Max is a big boy; he doesn’t need his parents’ permission to date me.”
“No, but that means they will regularly try to set him up with someone else, like last night. Believe me, Samuel’s parents tried very hard.”
“They tried to set Max up with someone else?” Liz asked, surprised that she didn’t know about that.
“Yeah, but I don’t think you have to worry; Max seems like a nice enough guy. Now, do you want a little friendly advice?”
“Can I stop you?” Liz asked with a smile.
“Very unlikely. Let me tell you this, Liz, you don’t want to be the cause of a fight between him and his parents. Maybe you should just try harder.”
“Absolutely out of the question! I’m not the one being both unreasonable here,” Liz said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Liz, you are being unreasonable. I’m not saying that it’s your fault, but if you just talk to the woman, I’m sure Max will appreciate it.”
“Well… I’ll think about it,” Liz said reluctantly.
~~
“Okay, let’s go in and I’ll make you some lunch,” Maria offered as they got out of the car in front of Maria’s house. Tess hadn’t said more than the occasional ‘hmm’ and ‘uh-huh’ and that worried Maria.
“Fine,” Tess said softly and then noticed the broken window. “What happened there?”
Maria fished the note that had been attached to the brick out of her pocket and held it up for Tess to read. “No need insult me,” Tess joked. “So did the door-to-door salesmen finally strike back?”
“I wouldn’t know. I called the police but they were about as helpful as a chocolate fireguard.”
“Figures. So you have no idea who did it?” Tess asked.
“I have my suspicions, but for now, I guess all I can do is fix the window and watch out for flying objects in the future,” Maria said and the two of them walked to the front door and went inside the house.
“Hey, no fair! Why isn’t your place trashed?” Tess asked
“Oh believe me, it looked worse here than it did at your place.”
“Snake,” Tess said calmly.
“Huh?” Maria asked, confused.
“Snake,” Tess repeated, pointing at the floor in the living room where a three-foot long snake slithered through the room.
Maria screamed loudly and ran outside, not stopping before she was at least thirty feet away from the house. She then faced her house again and was a little surprised when she noticed that Tess was holding the snake in her hands.
“For heaven’s sake Maria, stop being such a girl,” Tess shouted towards Maria. “This is not Anaconda, you know.”
“Jesus Christ, Tess! Do you have a deathwish or something?” Maria shouted, but quickly grabbed her phone and dialed a familiar number.
“Good afternoon, agent Collins Roswell PD,” a friendly voice said on the other end of the line.
“Someone threw a snake in my house!” Maria screamed hysterically in the phone.
“Ma’am, I’m gonna have to ask you to calm down. If you give me your address, I’ll send someone from animal control to get him.”
“I want you to find out who the fuck did this! I hate snakes!” Maria said loudly.
“We’ll look into it ma’am. Now if you’ll tell me your name and address…”
“Maria DeLuca. 72 Laurel Drive. Please hurry,” Maria said.
“Alright, they are on their way. Now tell me, where is the snake now?”
Maria thought about that for a second. Telling him that Tess held it in her hands wouldn’t exactly be an invite to get here fast. “He’s still inside the house,” Maria said, which was technically the truth.
“Alright, what does the snake look like?” agent Collins asked calmly.
“Uh, long and thin like most snakes,” Maria said sarcastically, “I didn’t stand there to examine it!”
“Alright. Well, I guess we can let animal control have a look when they arrive. Don’t worry; you did the right thing in running and calling us. People get hurt trying to solve this themselves. They’ll be there in a few minutes.”
After Maria hung up the phone, she saw Tess sitting on the porch with the snake in her hands. “That girl really does have a death wish.”
~~
After the lunch crowd, Liz left DeLuca’s and went home, where she took a quick shower and then sat in front of the TV, planning to kill an hour of time before meeting Maria at her place. As soon as she turned on the TV however, the doorbell rang. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a terrible sight. The man in the doorway was roughed up pretty bad; his head was filled with cuts and bruises and small trails of blood were trickling from his nose and lip. By the look of his posture, the rest of his body wasn’t in much better hape.
“I need your help,” the man said.
“Who are you, and what the hell happened to you?” Liz asked the complete stranger.
“Please. I need your help.”
TBC
Hi everyone.
Finally, I manage to do an update in a somewhat reasonable time. Might have been even earlier, but I've been practising my banner-making skills and that took some time as well. I'm wothout a spell-checker at the moment so I hope it's not too filled with mistakes.
Enjoy.
part 34
“Okay, who are you?” Liz asked suspiciously. Sure, she felt sorry for the guy in front of her, but she couldn’t help but be a little suspicious as well.
“I’m Donald Wilson, but everyone calls me Don. Please, I don’t know who to turn to anymore.”
Liz frowned and shot the bleeding guy an icy glare. “You wouldn’t happen to know Isabel James, would you?” Liz asked with a cold voice. His lack of response was enough confirmation for Liz to go on. “Isabel told me what happened.”
“Then probably don't like me very much,” Don said cautiously.
“Understatement,” Liz admitted. Even though it was Isabel's own fault, how could she not despise the guy who caused all this.
“Well, you’re about to hate me a lot more,” Don said softly.
“Why? What did you do, Casanova?” Liz demanded, but corrected herself when she saw Don smiling slightly. “I’m sorry, did I say Casanova? I meant Quasimodo.”
“I didn’t sleep with Isabel. She was passed out and I just slept next to her,” Don started.
“That makes no sense at all, bruise-boy. Explain.”
“It all started when I lent money from your ex-husband and…”
“Can I just chime in to say that you’re an idiot,” Liz interrupted. What on earth was he thinking?
“I suppose I am. After awhile, I owed him a lot of money, but then this guy came to me and said that he could help me out. His name was Jesse Ramirez…”
“Okay, if you made any deal with that guy, I think idiot was an definite understatement!” Liz said loudly.
“Would you let me finish?!” Don said loudly.
“Get in,” Liz said, opening the door widely and stepping aside. She closed the door behind him and walked towards the living room where they both sat down. “Go on,” Liz said.
“I don’t know why , but Jesse Ramirez wanted me to sleep with her. I found her in a bar having a drink…”
“Okay Don, listen carefully. That cut on your cheek is starting to heal. Whether it stays that way depends on your next answer. Did you or did you not drug her?” Liz said, giving him another icy stare.
“I’m sorry,” Don said softly.
Liz took this as a confirmation and without any further warning, leaned forward and slapped him as hard as she could, content when she saw a small trail of blood trickling down his cheek. “You son of a bitch,” she hissed.
“I deserved that,” Don said, his gaze to the floor.
“You deserve whatever you get. Now get out!” Liz said loudly.
“I didn’t sleep with her; I couldn’t do that!” Don said, trying to defend himself.
“That didn’t stop you from making her miserable, now did it, you sanctimonious prick!” Liz shouted.
“I didn’t have a choice! Your ex-husband discovered what Jesse paid me for, and then Jesse found out about that. No matter what I do, I’m dead here!” Don shouted desperately.
“You have my deepest sympathies,” Liz said sarcastically. “Now, you have delighted me with your presence long enough…”
“Please. I don’t wanna die,” Don said softly.
“Look, I don’t wanna sound cruel, but I guess you bring it out in me. You devastated one of my best friends without a second thought and now when you’re in trouble, you expect me to help you. Give me one reason why I should.”
“I can give you two: Thomas Bradley Jones and Jesse Ramirez. I don’t deserve your help, but they are worse evils than mine. I can help you bring them down.”
Liz pondered the situation for a moment. She hated to admit it, but he did have a point. Jesse must have had a reason to hurt Isabel after all these years and she wasn’t opposed to the idea of Brad spending a while in prison as well. “You’re going to Isabel’s place, you’re going to tell her the truth, you’re going to accept the beating that you will undoubtedly get, and then maybe we can talk. Maybe.”
~~
“Come on Tess, you’re gonna have to face Liz sooner or later,” Maria argued. The two of them were standing in front of Liz’ place and Tess was visibly reluctant to go in.
“But why does it have to be sooner? Why can’t it be later?”
Maria sighed. “Would you rather go back to my place and wait for the poisonous spiders to be thrown through my window?”
“Okay, you’re being dramatic!” Tess said loudly.
“I’m being dramatic? Someone threw a friggin snake through my window!”
“That snake was about as dangerous as a sheep. You’re not afraid of sheep, are you?”
“Yes, because there are dozens of kinds of poisonous sheep around!” Maria said sarcastically.
“Okay, bad analogy.”
“I just don’t want to be there for the delivery of the next animal, which for all we know, could be a friggin lion!”
“Alright Maria, step away from the dark place. I’m sure they’ll find who’s behind it.”
Maria smiled slightly. “I’m sure they will, but until then, we stay at Liz’ place and that’s final.”
Tess sighed heavily. “Fine,” she said reluctantly.
“So what are you gonna tell Liz? You are going to tell her, right?”
“I don’t know,” Tess said with a frown before she walked away from Maria and towards the house.
“Hey!” Maria said loudly, causing Tess to stop in her tracks. “What happened is not her fault and you know it! Keeping this from her is not the solution.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it, now does it?” Tess threw back.
“Why wouldn’t you be?” Maria asked. “You already knew your parents abandoned you. It’s really nothing new.”
“I don’t want any of this!” Tess said loudly. “I had no desire to ever meet the people who dumped me, but they just show up out of nowhere because they’re feeling guilty and they expect me to just smile and nod and hold hands like nothing happened. If they were really sorry, they could have tracked me down a long time ago, but they obviously didn’t.”
“I know that if I…” Maria started, but Tess cut her off.
“If the next words out of your mouth are some kind of analogy with your own father… he didn’t put you in a basket and dump you somewhere, now did he?”
“Look, I know how you feel, but it’s not…” Maria tried again.
“Why does everybody keep saying that? You don’t understand how I feel; you couldn’t possibly!”
“Okay, maybe I don’t. And I’m not telling you to forgive your parents, I’m not even telling you to listen to them…”
“Well, good! Then we're done talking about it,” Tess stated and started walking towards the front door again.
"Yes, good," Maria muttered under her breath.
~~
With a fluent movement and without hesitation, Michael rung the doorbell. This had to end now. After a few seconds, Courtney opened the door and smiled at seeing Michael in her doorway.
"Michael, what a pleasant surprise. How've you been?" she asked with a smile.
"Peachy. So, now that we're past the pleasantries, I just got off the phone with an hysterical Maria."
"More hysterical than usual?" Courtney asked casually but turned more serious when she saw Michael's grim expression. "Okay, I'll bite. What happened?"
"Someone threw a snake through her window. Now, I said that I had no idea who could be responsible, but I can't help but remember you own a pet snake."
Courtney smiled widely. "And you wondered whether or not I was pathetic enough to throw the pet I've had for years through a window? Please Michael, you know me better than that." Courtney said.
"I do, but it's an awfully big coincidence. Can I see him?" Michael asked.
"Is this your attemp at being funny?"
"No, funny is that the two most powerful men in the US are called Bush and Dick. This, I'm actually serious about."
Courtney shot him an icy glare for just a second before she shot him a smile. "Alright," she said before turning her head towards the living room. "William, could you bring Kelly here for a second?"
Michael gave Courtney a confused look. "Who's William?"
His answer came about three seconds later when a guy about his age stepped in the doorway next to Courtney and handed her a six foot long snake which Courtney immediately passed on to Michael. "You've met Kelly. She's really a fascinating animal, don't you agree?" Courtney asked as she gave Michael a cold stare. Michael couldn't utter a single word as he was trying his very best not to panic. "Any more questions?"
"No," Michael whispered and let a sigh of relief when William took the snake from his hands.
"You broke up with me and yes, I have to admit I was a little... pissed and confused at that time, but I'm moving on, okay? To tell you the truth, I thought you knew better."
"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help Maria here and I just wanted to be sure," Michael said
"Well, good luck with that," Courtney said and then closed the door in his face.
~~
"Are you sure everything's alright?" Liz asked Maria. She, along with Tess, were a lot quieter than usual and Liz figured that the snake incident might have something to do with it.
"Maybe you should ask Tess," Maria said with a stern look towards Tess. "I need to get some air," she continued and proceded to walk out of the room.
Liz turned her stare towards Tess. "I'm sorry about your place, but he'll pay for it. Trust me," Liz said with a smirk.
"Yeah," Tess said with a smile that was so obviously fake that Liz started to worry.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked.
Tess sighed deeply. "Nothing."
"Oh really? So the stern looks from Maria meant..." Liz asked, keeping the end of the sentence open.
"She's just freaked about the snake..." Maria said before an equally stern look from Liz made her stop. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay," Liz said, knowing that Tess would talk soon enough. "Tell me when you're ready."
"So how did you feel when you heard that you had a sister?" Tess asked.
"Honestly? I was disgusted with my parents... but I really wanted to get to know my sister. Is that crazy; wanting to meet someone just because you have the same parents?"
"I guess it's not," Tess said softly. "And how do you think she will feel?"
"I think confused and angry would sum it up, and she'll probably hate me."
"Tess looked at Liz for a moment. "I don't hate you, Liz."
A small smile appeared on Liz' lips until the words sank in completely. Her eyes opened wide and her breathing became heavier as she looked straight at Tess.
TBC (cruel, I know)
Finally, I manage to do an update in a somewhat reasonable time. Might have been even earlier, but I've been practising my banner-making skills and that took some time as well. I'm wothout a spell-checker at the moment so I hope it's not too filled with mistakes.
Enjoy.
part 34
“Okay, who are you?” Liz asked suspiciously. Sure, she felt sorry for the guy in front of her, but she couldn’t help but be a little suspicious as well.
“I’m Donald Wilson, but everyone calls me Don. Please, I don’t know who to turn to anymore.”
Liz frowned and shot the bleeding guy an icy glare. “You wouldn’t happen to know Isabel James, would you?” Liz asked with a cold voice. His lack of response was enough confirmation for Liz to go on. “Isabel told me what happened.”
“Then probably don't like me very much,” Don said cautiously.
“Understatement,” Liz admitted. Even though it was Isabel's own fault, how could she not despise the guy who caused all this.
“Well, you’re about to hate me a lot more,” Don said softly.
“Why? What did you do, Casanova?” Liz demanded, but corrected herself when she saw Don smiling slightly. “I’m sorry, did I say Casanova? I meant Quasimodo.”
“I didn’t sleep with Isabel. She was passed out and I just slept next to her,” Don started.
“That makes no sense at all, bruise-boy. Explain.”
“It all started when I lent money from your ex-husband and…”
“Can I just chime in to say that you’re an idiot,” Liz interrupted. What on earth was he thinking?
“I suppose I am. After awhile, I owed him a lot of money, but then this guy came to me and said that he could help me out. His name was Jesse Ramirez…”
“Okay, if you made any deal with that guy, I think idiot was an definite understatement!” Liz said loudly.
“Would you let me finish?!” Don said loudly.
“Get in,” Liz said, opening the door widely and stepping aside. She closed the door behind him and walked towards the living room where they both sat down. “Go on,” Liz said.
“I don’t know why , but Jesse Ramirez wanted me to sleep with her. I found her in a bar having a drink…”
“Okay Don, listen carefully. That cut on your cheek is starting to heal. Whether it stays that way depends on your next answer. Did you or did you not drug her?” Liz said, giving him another icy stare.
“I’m sorry,” Don said softly.
Liz took this as a confirmation and without any further warning, leaned forward and slapped him as hard as she could, content when she saw a small trail of blood trickling down his cheek. “You son of a bitch,” she hissed.
“I deserved that,” Don said, his gaze to the floor.
“You deserve whatever you get. Now get out!” Liz said loudly.
“I didn’t sleep with her; I couldn’t do that!” Don said, trying to defend himself.
“That didn’t stop you from making her miserable, now did it, you sanctimonious prick!” Liz shouted.
“I didn’t have a choice! Your ex-husband discovered what Jesse paid me for, and then Jesse found out about that. No matter what I do, I’m dead here!” Don shouted desperately.
“You have my deepest sympathies,” Liz said sarcastically. “Now, you have delighted me with your presence long enough…”
“Please. I don’t wanna die,” Don said softly.
“Look, I don’t wanna sound cruel, but I guess you bring it out in me. You devastated one of my best friends without a second thought and now when you’re in trouble, you expect me to help you. Give me one reason why I should.”
“I can give you two: Thomas Bradley Jones and Jesse Ramirez. I don’t deserve your help, but they are worse evils than mine. I can help you bring them down.”
Liz pondered the situation for a moment. She hated to admit it, but he did have a point. Jesse must have had a reason to hurt Isabel after all these years and she wasn’t opposed to the idea of Brad spending a while in prison as well. “You’re going to Isabel’s place, you’re going to tell her the truth, you’re going to accept the beating that you will undoubtedly get, and then maybe we can talk. Maybe.”
~~
“Come on Tess, you’re gonna have to face Liz sooner or later,” Maria argued. The two of them were standing in front of Liz’ place and Tess was visibly reluctant to go in.
“But why does it have to be sooner? Why can’t it be later?”
Maria sighed. “Would you rather go back to my place and wait for the poisonous spiders to be thrown through my window?”
“Okay, you’re being dramatic!” Tess said loudly.
“I’m being dramatic? Someone threw a friggin snake through my window!”
“That snake was about as dangerous as a sheep. You’re not afraid of sheep, are you?”
“Yes, because there are dozens of kinds of poisonous sheep around!” Maria said sarcastically.
“Okay, bad analogy.”
“I just don’t want to be there for the delivery of the next animal, which for all we know, could be a friggin lion!”
“Alright Maria, step away from the dark place. I’m sure they’ll find who’s behind it.”
Maria smiled slightly. “I’m sure they will, but until then, we stay at Liz’ place and that’s final.”
Tess sighed heavily. “Fine,” she said reluctantly.
“So what are you gonna tell Liz? You are going to tell her, right?”
“I don’t know,” Tess said with a frown before she walked away from Maria and towards the house.
“Hey!” Maria said loudly, causing Tess to stop in her tracks. “What happened is not her fault and you know it! Keeping this from her is not the solution.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it, now does it?” Tess threw back.
“Why wouldn’t you be?” Maria asked. “You already knew your parents abandoned you. It’s really nothing new.”
“I don’t want any of this!” Tess said loudly. “I had no desire to ever meet the people who dumped me, but they just show up out of nowhere because they’re feeling guilty and they expect me to just smile and nod and hold hands like nothing happened. If they were really sorry, they could have tracked me down a long time ago, but they obviously didn’t.”
“I know that if I…” Maria started, but Tess cut her off.
“If the next words out of your mouth are some kind of analogy with your own father… he didn’t put you in a basket and dump you somewhere, now did he?”
“Look, I know how you feel, but it’s not…” Maria tried again.
“Why does everybody keep saying that? You don’t understand how I feel; you couldn’t possibly!”
“Okay, maybe I don’t. And I’m not telling you to forgive your parents, I’m not even telling you to listen to them…”
“Well, good! Then we're done talking about it,” Tess stated and started walking towards the front door again.
"Yes, good," Maria muttered under her breath.
~~
With a fluent movement and without hesitation, Michael rung the doorbell. This had to end now. After a few seconds, Courtney opened the door and smiled at seeing Michael in her doorway.
"Michael, what a pleasant surprise. How've you been?" she asked with a smile.
"Peachy. So, now that we're past the pleasantries, I just got off the phone with an hysterical Maria."
"More hysterical than usual?" Courtney asked casually but turned more serious when she saw Michael's grim expression. "Okay, I'll bite. What happened?"
"Someone threw a snake through her window. Now, I said that I had no idea who could be responsible, but I can't help but remember you own a pet snake."
Courtney smiled widely. "And you wondered whether or not I was pathetic enough to throw the pet I've had for years through a window? Please Michael, you know me better than that." Courtney said.
"I do, but it's an awfully big coincidence. Can I see him?" Michael asked.
"Is this your attemp at being funny?"
"No, funny is that the two most powerful men in the US are called Bush and Dick. This, I'm actually serious about."
Courtney shot him an icy glare for just a second before she shot him a smile. "Alright," she said before turning her head towards the living room. "William, could you bring Kelly here for a second?"
Michael gave Courtney a confused look. "Who's William?"
His answer came about three seconds later when a guy about his age stepped in the doorway next to Courtney and handed her a six foot long snake which Courtney immediately passed on to Michael. "You've met Kelly. She's really a fascinating animal, don't you agree?" Courtney asked as she gave Michael a cold stare. Michael couldn't utter a single word as he was trying his very best not to panic. "Any more questions?"
"No," Michael whispered and let a sigh of relief when William took the snake from his hands.
"You broke up with me and yes, I have to admit I was a little... pissed and confused at that time, but I'm moving on, okay? To tell you the truth, I thought you knew better."
"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help Maria here and I just wanted to be sure," Michael said
"Well, good luck with that," Courtney said and then closed the door in his face.
~~
"Are you sure everything's alright?" Liz asked Maria. She, along with Tess, were a lot quieter than usual and Liz figured that the snake incident might have something to do with it.
"Maybe you should ask Tess," Maria said with a stern look towards Tess. "I need to get some air," she continued and proceded to walk out of the room.
Liz turned her stare towards Tess. "I'm sorry about your place, but he'll pay for it. Trust me," Liz said with a smirk.
"Yeah," Tess said with a smile that was so obviously fake that Liz started to worry.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked.
Tess sighed deeply. "Nothing."
"Oh really? So the stern looks from Maria meant..." Liz asked, keeping the end of the sentence open.
"She's just freaked about the snake..." Maria said before an equally stern look from Liz made her stop. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay," Liz said, knowing that Tess would talk soon enough. "Tell me when you're ready."
"So how did you feel when you heard that you had a sister?" Tess asked.
"Honestly? I was disgusted with my parents... but I really wanted to get to know my sister. Is that crazy; wanting to meet someone just because you have the same parents?"
"I guess it's not," Tess said softly. "And how do you think she will feel?"
"I think confused and angry would sum it up, and she'll probably hate me."
"Tess looked at Liz for a moment. "I don't hate you, Liz."
A small smile appeared on Liz' lips until the words sank in completely. Her eyes opened wide and her breathing became heavier as she looked straight at Tess.
TBC (cruel, I know)
Hi everyone, thanks for the kind replies.
Here's the next part. I haven't had a chance to spell-check it (no Word), so I apologize for any mistakes.
part 35
“I’m sorry, I think I’m delirious here. Did you just say…” Liz asked, stopping mid-sentence. The expression on her face was tense, but not quite readable, like she could burst into laughter just as easily as she could burst into tears.
“Yes,” Tess whispered.
“But, that would mean you’re…” Liz said, before taking a long pause. “And you really don’t hate me?”
“No,” Tess said with a small smile.
“I don’t know what to say,” Liz said with a small smile.
“I’m gonna swallow the sarcastic comment that’s on my lips now,” Tess said with a grin.
“So what did you and dad talk about?” Liz asked cautiously.
“You mean besides the obvious? All sorts of things actually: politics, the weather, global warming. You know, the usual.”
“I was being serious,” Liz said.
“I got his name, I got that I have the dubious honor of being his daughter and I got that he wanted me to talk to your mother. That’s about it.”
“She’s your mother too, you know.”
“Let’s not go there Liz,” Tess pleaded.
“What they did was wrong, but they’re still your parents,” Liz insisted.
“Only biologically.”
“Can’t you just hear them out; it would really mean a lot to them.”
“I’m sure it would, but I don’t want to. Now what’s with the sudden Kofi Anan attitude; weren’t you disgusted with your parents?”
“Yes, but despite everything, they’re still my parents.”
“I don’t believe this; you don’t talk to your parents for over a year, then you find out what they did and now you’re jumping on the friggin Jeff Parker bandwagon! He’s lucky I don’t report his ass; he could still go to jail for this, you know?!” Tess said loudly before standing up and walking out. Liz tried to come up with some response but Tess was gone before she could say something.
Tess sped outside, right past Maria, who was sitting on the porch, and walked down the street at a quick pace. Maria shouted after her, but Tess didn’t stop or look back. Maria took a deep breath and walked inside to see Liz sitting on the couch staring in front of her. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Maria finally spoke. “So how’d it go?”
Liz shot Maria an annoyed look. “I’ll give you a clue: she ran out.”
“Easy sherriff; I come in peace,” Maria said, holding her hands up in front of her.
“I just wanted her to hear mom and dad out and she flipped,” Liz said softly.
“Come on Liz; don’t you know Tess at all? She’s not the girl who stays away from her parents just to hurt them. Just give her a few hours and I’m sure she’ll agree to come with you.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. If nothing else, she’ll be too damn curious to stay away,” Maria said with a smile. “But I’m curious about why you want Tess to meet your parents in the first place; I kinda figured you’d want to make them sweat for a few days.”
“Is that really what you think of me… that I enjoy making my parents feel miserable?” Liz asked in a hurtful tone.
“Liz, they didn’t talk to you for over a year and then they told you they abandoned your sister at birth. You’ve evicerated people for less.”
“I have a sister and I would like her to meet my parents. Does that sound so weird?… Okay, I guess that does sound weird, but I just…”
“…want to be a family together? I’m sorry to say this Liz, but don’t get your hopes up. Whether Tess forgives your parents and whether she wants them in her life are two completely different things. You can’t force those things.”
“You weren’t watching Oprah with Isabel last night, were you?” Liz asked with raised eyebrows.
“Until my eyes bled.”
Liz was silent for a few seconds. “When do you think she’ll be back?”
“Two minutes; it’s cold and she’s not wearing a coat,” Maria said with a grin.
“Thanks,” Liz said with a small smile, “Everything is so screwed-up lately.”
“Oh come on; it’s not that bad.”
“It’s not?” Liz asked incredulously, “Someone is throwing snakes through your window, and still I honestly believe that of the four of us, your life is the most normal.”
“Okay, let’s recap; you’re finally talking with your parents again, you’ve got rid of that scum husband of yours, you just found out you have a sister whom you’re already best friends with and you found a guy who you’re crazy about. Yes, it doesn't get more screwed up than that!”
Liz let those words sink in for a few seconds; Maria actually did have a point here. “I guess you have a point there.”
“I'm definitely watching Oprah again tonight. Isabel was so right about that woman.”
"Oh, with a little luck, Isabel's Oprah-watching days are over. Alex came by."
"They're back together again?"
"Who's back together again?" Tess asked as she walked in the room, wrapping her arms around her body from the cold.
Maria looked at her watch and frowned. "You're a minute early. Honestly, have you no pride?"
"It's cold outside. So, who's back together again?" Tess simply stated before sitting down on the sofa.
Liz quickly turned towards Tess. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to force anything or make you feel uncomfortable."
“It's alright, but can we drop that subject now?” Tess pleaded.
Maria looked at Liz and Tess with a happy look. “I can't believe you two are sisters!”
“I can't believe I still don't know who's back together again!”
“Alex and Isabel... maybe, ” Liz said, adding the maybe when she realized that she didn't really know anything for sure.
“Wow,” Tess said with amazement.
“Yeah wow. Okay, there is something I need to tell you,” Liz said, shifting nervously in her seat.
“Max is really your brother?” Maria asked with a laugh, which died when she saw Tess and Liz’ unamused looks. “Not joking material yet. I get it.”
Liz decided to ignore the outburst and continued. “I got a visit today from a guy today. He said he was caught in a war between Brad and Jesse Ramirez.”
“Jesse Ramirez? Isn’t that the guy who…” Tess asked, Liz and Maria’s looks confirming what she thought.
“He said that Jesse Ramirez paid him to have sex with Isabel,” Liz continued.
Maria smiled. “So guys need money to sleep with Isabel now? That’s kind of… insulting.”
“He said he drugged Isabel to make it happen,” Liz blurted out.
“He what?!” Maria and Tess said in unison.
“He said he drugged her, took her to her place and made it look like he slept with her,” Liz expanded.
“Okay Liz, are you developing some sort of weird sense of humor or something?” Maria asked, but Liz’ serious expression said enough. “You’re not kidding! So did Isabel freak out badly?”
“She didn’t freak out, but that could be because I didn’t tell her. I sent Don to tell her.”
“Don? Drug-boy has a name?” Maria said loudly. “Don’t tell me you’re helping him.”
“He didn’t touch her, Maria,” Liz said, trying to remain calm.
“That is so not the point,” Maria countered. “It devastated her and made her look like a cheating whore. You can’t seriously be thinking of helping him.”
“I’m not saying that I understand it or anything, but he’s the only one who can find out why that son of a bitch is after Isabel again.”
“You can’t be serious! Isabel was drugged and she doesn’t even know about it!” Maria screeched.
“Maria has a point, Liz. Isabel deserves to know,” Tess chimed in.
“He could be lying for all we know!” Liz exclaimed before softly adding: “And on a sidenote, as my sister, you’re supposed to take my side in these things.”
“Why would he be lying?” Tess asked
“Look, I don’t understand why you two are attacking me; he should be the one to tell her; not us.”
~~
At the same time, Max drove up the driveway of his parents’ place. Normally, he would avoid this place on a saturday afternoon but this was a special occasion. He quickly parked the car and walked to the front door where he rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, Phillip opened the door. “Max, this is certainly a surprise. Come in.”
Max stepped inside and hung his coat on the coatrack before saying anything. “We need to talk.”
“I take it this is about your mother trying to set you up with Laurie DuPree,” Phillip said with a smile.
“Among others,” Max said sharply.
“Oh Max, what a surprise!” his mother’s voice echoed through the room.
“Hello mother,” Max said, a little colder than he meant to.
“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Diane asked with a smile.
“Come on, you can’t be that dense,” Max said, deciding to get right to the point.
“Excuse me?” Diane asked in a shocked voice.
“You don’t like Liz; I got that message loud and clear, but that doesn’t give you the right to try and set me up with someone else.”
“I’m sorry Max, but I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more specific. When exactly did I try to set you up with someone else?” Diane asked smugly.
“Oh please! Like you invited the DuPrees and their daughter on the same night you invited me by accident! Ray Charles could see the setup… if he wasn’t, you know, dead.”
“I thought you liked Laurie,” Diane said calmly.
“Laurie is a great friend, but that is completely besides the point. I have a girlfriend and you’re being completely disrespectful about that.”
“So now I’m the one being disrespectful? You’re the one barging in here with a handfull of unbased accusations.”
“Bullshit!” Max said loudly. “You know, you don’t have to like Liz…”
“Good, because that’s not going to happen.”
“How on Earth did you get to be a judge?” Max snapped. “You had something against Liz from the second you met her and you don’t listen to any reason.”
“Don’t you think you got that backwards?” Diane countered. “You took one look at that pretty face and decided that she was an angel who couldn’t possibly do anything wrong!”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Phillip intervened, “Max, if you really like this girl, them I’m happy for you. You’re welcome to bring her along next time you come for dinner.”
“Thanks dad,” Max said, “But I’m not bringing Liz here for a night of interrogation, sarcastic comments and cold stares.”
Phillip smiled. “I’m sure your mother is perfectly able to act politely.”
“So far, that ability hasn’t shown itself.”
“I’m standing right here!” Diane said, a little upset. “And I’m not going to sit around and act politely while my son is making the biggest mistake of his life.”
“You know, you should have a talk with Liz’ parents. They tried to do the same thing to Liz when she married that ex-husband of hers.”
“Well, they turned out to be right,” Diane said. Even though she disliked Liz, she didn’t like Brad any better.
“Maybe, but they didn’t speak to each other for over a year because of it. Is that what you want?” Max asked.
“Of course it isn’t; I just want you to be happy,” Diane defended, realizing that this conversation was quickly going towards the point where he would walk out and not come back.
“All I’m asking is that you respect my decisions. She’s really not the person you think she is, but that’s not even the point here. If it’s really a mistake, I’ll find out myself; I don’t need you for that.”
As much as she wanted to argue it, she knew that he was right. Even if it was a mistake, it was his mistake to make. “Alright, if that’s really what you want.”
“It is.”
“Then I suppose it would be a good idea if we got to know her. Maybe you should bring her over for dinner, like your father suggested.”
“I’ll ask her, but mom…” Max said, looking straight at her. “Please don’t embarrass me. Be nice to her.”
“Of course we will, Max,” Phillip said, “I think it’s time we get to know her.”
~~
It was getting dark and with Maria not home, her house and the area around it were only dimly lighted by a streetlight from across the street. Michael waited patiently in his car which was parked about a hundred feet away. His waiting was rewarded quickly when only thirty minutes later, a figure walked up to Maria’s house, carefully watching her surroundings. He watched as she walked to the window, tore away the plastic material that covered the broken window and stepped inside through it.
Michael stepped out of the car and walked towards the house, stopping on Maria’s front lawn and waiting for the intruder to come out. When the front door opened from the inside, Michael stared right at a pair of bright blue eyes.
“Good evening,” Michael said calmly.
“Hello to you too gorgeous,” the girl in the doorway said with a smirk.
Michael guessed that she was maybe sixteen or seventeen. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed instead of breaking into other people’s houses?”
“Stay out of it gramps,” the girl said in a cold voice.
“Gramps?” Michael repeated astoundedly. “What happened to gorgeous?”
“Later,” the girl simply said and took a few steps towards the road, but Michael blocked her path.
“You're not leaving until you give me some answers," Michael said pointedly.
"I don't have to explain myself to you. Who the fuck are you anyway?"
Michael smirked. "Funny, I was about to ask the same question."
"I'm a funny gal... now get out of my way," the girl said warningly.
"I don't find throwing snakes in someone's house funny. What the hell is the matter with you? What do you have against Maria?"
The girl's expression slowly changed from a dead-serious expression to the point where she had to try hard not to burst into laughter. Suddenly, she pointed towards the street behind. "Look, over there!"
Michael smirked and stared right back at the girl. "Yeah yeah, I know; it's a two-headed monkey," he said sarcastically.
"It was worth a shot," the girl said, shrugging her shoulders before suddenly bolting back inside and slamming the door in his face. She quickly ran through the house and escaped through the back door, leaving Michael baffled.
"Wow."
TBC
Here's the next part. I haven't had a chance to spell-check it (no Word), so I apologize for any mistakes.
part 35
“I’m sorry, I think I’m delirious here. Did you just say…” Liz asked, stopping mid-sentence. The expression on her face was tense, but not quite readable, like she could burst into laughter just as easily as she could burst into tears.
“Yes,” Tess whispered.
“But, that would mean you’re…” Liz said, before taking a long pause. “And you really don’t hate me?”
“No,” Tess said with a small smile.
“I don’t know what to say,” Liz said with a small smile.
“I’m gonna swallow the sarcastic comment that’s on my lips now,” Tess said with a grin.
“So what did you and dad talk about?” Liz asked cautiously.
“You mean besides the obvious? All sorts of things actually: politics, the weather, global warming. You know, the usual.”
“I was being serious,” Liz said.
“I got his name, I got that I have the dubious honor of being his daughter and I got that he wanted me to talk to your mother. That’s about it.”
“She’s your mother too, you know.”
“Let’s not go there Liz,” Tess pleaded.
“What they did was wrong, but they’re still your parents,” Liz insisted.
“Only biologically.”
“Can’t you just hear them out; it would really mean a lot to them.”
“I’m sure it would, but I don’t want to. Now what’s with the sudden Kofi Anan attitude; weren’t you disgusted with your parents?”
“Yes, but despite everything, they’re still my parents.”
“I don’t believe this; you don’t talk to your parents for over a year, then you find out what they did and now you’re jumping on the friggin Jeff Parker bandwagon! He’s lucky I don’t report his ass; he could still go to jail for this, you know?!” Tess said loudly before standing up and walking out. Liz tried to come up with some response but Tess was gone before she could say something.
Tess sped outside, right past Maria, who was sitting on the porch, and walked down the street at a quick pace. Maria shouted after her, but Tess didn’t stop or look back. Maria took a deep breath and walked inside to see Liz sitting on the couch staring in front of her. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Maria finally spoke. “So how’d it go?”
Liz shot Maria an annoyed look. “I’ll give you a clue: she ran out.”
“Easy sherriff; I come in peace,” Maria said, holding her hands up in front of her.
“I just wanted her to hear mom and dad out and she flipped,” Liz said softly.
“Come on Liz; don’t you know Tess at all? She’s not the girl who stays away from her parents just to hurt them. Just give her a few hours and I’m sure she’ll agree to come with you.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. If nothing else, she’ll be too damn curious to stay away,” Maria said with a smile. “But I’m curious about why you want Tess to meet your parents in the first place; I kinda figured you’d want to make them sweat for a few days.”
“Is that really what you think of me… that I enjoy making my parents feel miserable?” Liz asked in a hurtful tone.
“Liz, they didn’t talk to you for over a year and then they told you they abandoned your sister at birth. You’ve evicerated people for less.”
“I have a sister and I would like her to meet my parents. Does that sound so weird?… Okay, I guess that does sound weird, but I just…”
“…want to be a family together? I’m sorry to say this Liz, but don’t get your hopes up. Whether Tess forgives your parents and whether she wants them in her life are two completely different things. You can’t force those things.”
“You weren’t watching Oprah with Isabel last night, were you?” Liz asked with raised eyebrows.
“Until my eyes bled.”
Liz was silent for a few seconds. “When do you think she’ll be back?”
“Two minutes; it’s cold and she’s not wearing a coat,” Maria said with a grin.
“Thanks,” Liz said with a small smile, “Everything is so screwed-up lately.”
“Oh come on; it’s not that bad.”
“It’s not?” Liz asked incredulously, “Someone is throwing snakes through your window, and still I honestly believe that of the four of us, your life is the most normal.”
“Okay, let’s recap; you’re finally talking with your parents again, you’ve got rid of that scum husband of yours, you just found out you have a sister whom you’re already best friends with and you found a guy who you’re crazy about. Yes, it doesn't get more screwed up than that!”
Liz let those words sink in for a few seconds; Maria actually did have a point here. “I guess you have a point there.”
“I'm definitely watching Oprah again tonight. Isabel was so right about that woman.”
"Oh, with a little luck, Isabel's Oprah-watching days are over. Alex came by."
"They're back together again?"
"Who's back together again?" Tess asked as she walked in the room, wrapping her arms around her body from the cold.
Maria looked at her watch and frowned. "You're a minute early. Honestly, have you no pride?"
"It's cold outside. So, who's back together again?" Tess simply stated before sitting down on the sofa.
Liz quickly turned towards Tess. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to force anything or make you feel uncomfortable."
“It's alright, but can we drop that subject now?” Tess pleaded.
Maria looked at Liz and Tess with a happy look. “I can't believe you two are sisters!”
“I can't believe I still don't know who's back together again!”
“Alex and Isabel... maybe, ” Liz said, adding the maybe when she realized that she didn't really know anything for sure.
“Wow,” Tess said with amazement.
“Yeah wow. Okay, there is something I need to tell you,” Liz said, shifting nervously in her seat.
“Max is really your brother?” Maria asked with a laugh, which died when she saw Tess and Liz’ unamused looks. “Not joking material yet. I get it.”
Liz decided to ignore the outburst and continued. “I got a visit today from a guy today. He said he was caught in a war between Brad and Jesse Ramirez.”
“Jesse Ramirez? Isn’t that the guy who…” Tess asked, Liz and Maria’s looks confirming what she thought.
“He said that Jesse Ramirez paid him to have sex with Isabel,” Liz continued.
Maria smiled. “So guys need money to sleep with Isabel now? That’s kind of… insulting.”
“He said he drugged Isabel to make it happen,” Liz blurted out.
“He what?!” Maria and Tess said in unison.
“He said he drugged her, took her to her place and made it look like he slept with her,” Liz expanded.
“Okay Liz, are you developing some sort of weird sense of humor or something?” Maria asked, but Liz’ serious expression said enough. “You’re not kidding! So did Isabel freak out badly?”
“She didn’t freak out, but that could be because I didn’t tell her. I sent Don to tell her.”
“Don? Drug-boy has a name?” Maria said loudly. “Don’t tell me you’re helping him.”
“He didn’t touch her, Maria,” Liz said, trying to remain calm.
“That is so not the point,” Maria countered. “It devastated her and made her look like a cheating whore. You can’t seriously be thinking of helping him.”
“I’m not saying that I understand it or anything, but he’s the only one who can find out why that son of a bitch is after Isabel again.”
“You can’t be serious! Isabel was drugged and she doesn’t even know about it!” Maria screeched.
“Maria has a point, Liz. Isabel deserves to know,” Tess chimed in.
“He could be lying for all we know!” Liz exclaimed before softly adding: “And on a sidenote, as my sister, you’re supposed to take my side in these things.”
“Why would he be lying?” Tess asked
“Look, I don’t understand why you two are attacking me; he should be the one to tell her; not us.”
~~
At the same time, Max drove up the driveway of his parents’ place. Normally, he would avoid this place on a saturday afternoon but this was a special occasion. He quickly parked the car and walked to the front door where he rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, Phillip opened the door. “Max, this is certainly a surprise. Come in.”
Max stepped inside and hung his coat on the coatrack before saying anything. “We need to talk.”
“I take it this is about your mother trying to set you up with Laurie DuPree,” Phillip said with a smile.
“Among others,” Max said sharply.
“Oh Max, what a surprise!” his mother’s voice echoed through the room.
“Hello mother,” Max said, a little colder than he meant to.
“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Diane asked with a smile.
“Come on, you can’t be that dense,” Max said, deciding to get right to the point.
“Excuse me?” Diane asked in a shocked voice.
“You don’t like Liz; I got that message loud and clear, but that doesn’t give you the right to try and set me up with someone else.”
“I’m sorry Max, but I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more specific. When exactly did I try to set you up with someone else?” Diane asked smugly.
“Oh please! Like you invited the DuPrees and their daughter on the same night you invited me by accident! Ray Charles could see the setup… if he wasn’t, you know, dead.”
“I thought you liked Laurie,” Diane said calmly.
“Laurie is a great friend, but that is completely besides the point. I have a girlfriend and you’re being completely disrespectful about that.”
“So now I’m the one being disrespectful? You’re the one barging in here with a handfull of unbased accusations.”
“Bullshit!” Max said loudly. “You know, you don’t have to like Liz…”
“Good, because that’s not going to happen.”
“How on Earth did you get to be a judge?” Max snapped. “You had something against Liz from the second you met her and you don’t listen to any reason.”
“Don’t you think you got that backwards?” Diane countered. “You took one look at that pretty face and decided that she was an angel who couldn’t possibly do anything wrong!”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Phillip intervened, “Max, if you really like this girl, them I’m happy for you. You’re welcome to bring her along next time you come for dinner.”
“Thanks dad,” Max said, “But I’m not bringing Liz here for a night of interrogation, sarcastic comments and cold stares.”
Phillip smiled. “I’m sure your mother is perfectly able to act politely.”
“So far, that ability hasn’t shown itself.”
“I’m standing right here!” Diane said, a little upset. “And I’m not going to sit around and act politely while my son is making the biggest mistake of his life.”
“You know, you should have a talk with Liz’ parents. They tried to do the same thing to Liz when she married that ex-husband of hers.”
“Well, they turned out to be right,” Diane said. Even though she disliked Liz, she didn’t like Brad any better.
“Maybe, but they didn’t speak to each other for over a year because of it. Is that what you want?” Max asked.
“Of course it isn’t; I just want you to be happy,” Diane defended, realizing that this conversation was quickly going towards the point where he would walk out and not come back.
“All I’m asking is that you respect my decisions. She’s really not the person you think she is, but that’s not even the point here. If it’s really a mistake, I’ll find out myself; I don’t need you for that.”
As much as she wanted to argue it, she knew that he was right. Even if it was a mistake, it was his mistake to make. “Alright, if that’s really what you want.”
“It is.”
“Then I suppose it would be a good idea if we got to know her. Maybe you should bring her over for dinner, like your father suggested.”
“I’ll ask her, but mom…” Max said, looking straight at her. “Please don’t embarrass me. Be nice to her.”
“Of course we will, Max,” Phillip said, “I think it’s time we get to know her.”
~~
It was getting dark and with Maria not home, her house and the area around it were only dimly lighted by a streetlight from across the street. Michael waited patiently in his car which was parked about a hundred feet away. His waiting was rewarded quickly when only thirty minutes later, a figure walked up to Maria’s house, carefully watching her surroundings. He watched as she walked to the window, tore away the plastic material that covered the broken window and stepped inside through it.
Michael stepped out of the car and walked towards the house, stopping on Maria’s front lawn and waiting for the intruder to come out. When the front door opened from the inside, Michael stared right at a pair of bright blue eyes.
“Good evening,” Michael said calmly.
“Hello to you too gorgeous,” the girl in the doorway said with a smirk.
Michael guessed that she was maybe sixteen or seventeen. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed instead of breaking into other people’s houses?”
“Stay out of it gramps,” the girl said in a cold voice.
“Gramps?” Michael repeated astoundedly. “What happened to gorgeous?”
“Later,” the girl simply said and took a few steps towards the road, but Michael blocked her path.
“You're not leaving until you give me some answers," Michael said pointedly.
"I don't have to explain myself to you. Who the fuck are you anyway?"
Michael smirked. "Funny, I was about to ask the same question."
"I'm a funny gal... now get out of my way," the girl said warningly.
"I don't find throwing snakes in someone's house funny. What the hell is the matter with you? What do you have against Maria?"
The girl's expression slowly changed from a dead-serious expression to the point where she had to try hard not to burst into laughter. Suddenly, she pointed towards the street behind. "Look, over there!"
Michael smirked and stared right back at the girl. "Yeah yeah, I know; it's a two-headed monkey," he said sarcastically.
"It was worth a shot," the girl said, shrugging her shoulders before suddenly bolting back inside and slamming the door in his face. She quickly ran through the house and escaped through the back door, leaving Michael baffled.
"Wow."
TBC
Part 36
Hello everyone. I've been spending a lot of time making banners so I just haven't been writing as much, hence the everlasting delays. I finally decided to just post what I wrote, even though I'm not all that happy with it. Oh well, you can decide for yourself.
Anyway, have fun with the next part.
Part 36
To say that it was hectic at the hospital would have been an understatement. A schoolbus had had an unfortunate close encounter with a large pickup truck and all the wounded children had been rushed to the nearest available hospital, which was here. Amidst all the commontion, Tess walked through the hallway, towards room 137 where Kyle was still fully hospitalized. Still cautious of her recent condition, she walked slow but steady. Liz had driven her here, wanting to visit her mother, and she and Liz agreed to meet at the hospital restaurant after visiting hours. After their argument last night, Liz had dropped the subject of Tess visiting her mother, something that Tess appreciated a lot.
When she reached Kyle’s room, she stopped for a second and subconciously fiddled with her her hair. Why was she suddenly so nervous? “Well, I’m glad to see you’re alright Kyle,” she heard a male voice say inside Kyle’s room. Hesitantly, she opened the door a bit, surprised to see Kyle’s dad there with another, older, man. His dad had visited Kyle regularly over the past days, but neither Kyle nor Tess had ever brought up their relationship. But she could tell that he was a perceptive man and knew very well what was going on.
As she opened the door all the way, all three men turned their heads towards the door at exactly the same time. It was definitely a funny sight. “And all eyes turn at me. You three do wonders for my ego,” Tess said with a smile.
“Tess, hi. I wasn’t sure if you would make it today,” Kyle said with a smile on his face. Jim and the other man looked at each other and gave each other a knowing look. Neither Tess nor Kyle seemed to notice though.
“It’s amazing how fast you make friends in the hospital, huh?” Jim said with a smile. “This is my father James.”
“Pleased to meet you mr Valenti. I’m Tess Harding,” Tess said with a slightly nervous voice. Tess figured that even though they didn’t know of her relationship with Kyle, a first impression was still important.
“Tess Harding?” James asked, cringing his nose. “Not the author of those sappy, godforsaken books, are you?”
“I… I don’t know how to respond to that,” Tess said, a look of confusion on her face, which quickly turned to surprise when she saw the smile on James’ face. “Calling my books sappy is not funny!” Tess yelled indignantly.
“I beg to differ,” James said, “It was hilarious. I get what you see in her, Kyle.”
“What a relief,” Kyle said sarcastically.
“Now now Kyle, don’t be rude when the man gives me a compliment,” Tess said with a smile. “That was a compliment, right?”
James smiled widely. “Yes, I suppose it was.”
“So, any word on when the inmate is getting released?” she asked Jim.
“No word yet, but most of the doctors are a little busy at this time,” Jim said, “Why don’t James and me see if we can find a doctor and leave you and Kyle to… catch up.”
Before either Kyle or Tess could object, the two men had left the room. “You have it so easy; no parentals to embarrass you,” Kyle said, a little surprised when he saw Tess noticably frown for a second at what was clearly a joke. “Are you all right?” he asked, suddenly concerned.
Tess sighed and sat down on the bed, her eyes never leaving Kyle’s. “I’m sorry. I guess you could say I had an… interesting day.”
Kyle smiled slightly. “Well, that’s what you get for leavin’ me here all alone.” His expression then turned noticeably more serious. “What happened?”
“Kyle… I really don’t want to talk about that. Is that alright?” she asked in a soft, almost pleading, voice. “I’m not keeping anything from you, I just…”
“You don’t want to talk about it,” Kyle finished. “Don’t worry about it. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you have to tell that person everything.”
Tess smiled. “Stop quoting my own work. It’s a little creepy.”
“Well, you get the point. So… what can I do to make you feel better?” Kyle asked with a smile.
“You’re already doing that,” Tess said with a smile. “Besides, you’re the one still in the hospital bed. I should be asking you how to make you feel better.”
“Well,” Kyle said with a smirk on his face, “I can think of something, but that’s probably not such a good idea a few days after being stabbed.” He paused a second to take in Tess’ surprised expression and then continued. “But seriously, just you being here is enough to make me feel better than I have in a long time.”
“Oh Kyle,” Tess said as she leaned in and gave Kyle a soft, tender kiss. “You know I feel the same way.”
“I do now, but I’m still a little worried. You look tenser than when you left yesterday and I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it and I repect that, but maybe it would help if you talked about it. Whatever it is, you can tell me and I won’t judge you. I never have… well, except for your whole Gilmore Girls obsession of course.”
Tess sighed deeply and parked herself in a chair next to Kyle’s head. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she said softly. “Someone threw a snake in my friends house…”
“Okay whoa!” Kyle said, his eyes growing wide.
“I’m just easing you in,” she said before continuing. “My apartment is a warzone, my birth father suddenly appeared, begging me to go see my mother… and don’t even get me started on Liz’ behaviour towards Isabel.”
“Your birth father? He came to see you?” Kyle asked, shocked and surprised.
“You haven’t even heard the funniest part,” Tess said, suddenly bursting into tears. “I can’t handle all of this. Why does it feel like the whole universe is out to get me? What did I do to deserve all this?”
“Tess, if I’m sure of anything, it’s that you can handle anything that life throws at you. You are so much stronger than you think you are. And if you want, you have me to help you.”
Tess managed a smile through her tears. “That’s really nice of you Kyle, but I don’t see how. God, look at me; I’m crying my eyes out to someone in a hospital bed.”
“Not for long I hope. Me being in the hospital, I mean,” Kyle corrected himself.
“I just don’t… everything is so messed up and I don’t even know where to begin cleaning it up.”
“You start with the thing that’s really bothering you,” Kyle said knowningly.
“But I don’t know what to do,” Tess said, hanging her head.
“Well,” Kyle said. “You can either meet with your parents, talk to them and maybe leave with some answered questions, or you can stay away from them and continue hating them. Not a difficult choice when I put it like that, huh?”
“But I’m afraid, Kyle,” Tess whispered.
“Listen to me Tess,” Kyle said gently, turning her head so she looked towards him. “You are the girl who forgives two people who made a big mistake many years ago. How can they not respect and love you?”
“So you really think I should go see them?” Tess asked hesitantly.
Kyle smiled. “Me? Yes. But in the end, it's really up to you."
~~
“Good morning children,” Isabel said as she strolled through the front door of casa Parker. The enormous smile on her face left little to the imagination to Maria who was watching tv..
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Brad Pitt just took your virginity,” Maria joked.
“Brad Pitt, eew!” Isabel recoiled, sitting down next to Maria.
Maria let out a short laugh. “My bad. So I guess this means he came by last night?” Maria asked with a smile.
“Oh yeah,” Isabel said with a wide smile. “So how’s life at the Parker mansion?”
“Strained,” Maria said with a loud sigh. “Seriously, there’s enough drama here for a whole season of Dawson’s Creek.”
“You don’t look all that strained,” Isabel noted.
“Well, how strained can you get while watching Friends,” Maria offered with a smile. “I’ll be okay; it’s actually more Liz and Tess that I’m worried about.”
“What? Did the evil Evans-inlaws try something again?”
“No, Tess father stopped by,” Maria said.
Isabel was speechless for a few seconds. Her mouth opened to say something, but closed again without making a sound. She repeated that another two times until she finally managed to say something. “Her father?”
“Yeah. He gave her the whole sorry-speech and asked her to come visit,” Maria said.
“So what’d she say?”
“Well, she was a little shocked… or actually a lot shocked.”
“She can’t seem to catch a break lately, can she?” Isabel said with a sigh.
“I recognized Tess father. It was mr Parker," Maria said, not caring much about how blunt it sounded.
"Please tell me you don't mean Liz' father," Isabel said in a shocked voice.
"Well... I could lie to you if you want?" Maria offered.
"That's just fucking great!" Isabel said loudly, her good mood diminished severely before a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Does that mean that Liz and Tess are..."
"Sisters? Yeah."
"I'm starting to see the Dawson's Creek-factor in all this," Isabel said with a sigh. "So do they know?"
"Yeah. They took it surprisingly well, but to say that it's been strained here is definitely an understatement. Tess is in the denial-stage, thinking that as long as she doesn't talk about it, that it'll go away and Liz is too afraid to say the wrong thing so everything here is just..."
"Strained?" Isabel said. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll get over it."
"Yeah, probably," Maria said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I want to hear about you. Tell me all about the lame excuses that creep used."
Isabel looked confused. "Huh?"
"Don something... he came by last night, right?" Maria asked.
Isabel frowned. "That's really not funny."
"What? He came by here earlier and he told Liz he would stop by your place."
"Why on Earth would that prick want to see Liz? Actually, don't answer that."
"Uh… Isabel, you might want to sit down for a second," Maria said, a fake smile on her face. Isabel eyes her suspiciously, but did as she was asked. "Don told Liz that... he drugged you."
“Come on Maria. I slept with him and I’m dealing with the consequences and… you’re not kidding, are you?” Isabel said, her eyes going wide.
“Would I make a joke about this? Okay, maybe I would, but I’m dead-serious about this.”
“But… but why would he come to Liz and admit it? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Short version? Jesse Ramirez paid him to do it, and now he’s somehow caught in the middle between Jesse and Liz’ psycho ex-husband.”
“And what did Liz say?” Isabel asked suspiciously.
“That he should talk to you, accept the inevitable broken jaw he was gonna get and see where to go from there. If it makes any difference, he said he didn’t actually have sex with you. He just made you believe he did.”
“So Liz is actually considering helping him?” Isabel asked, confused and angry.
“He’s a dead man if she doesn’t,” Maria said softly.
“Well, my heart is aching for him,” Isabel said sarcastically. “That fuck deserves whatever is coming to him.”
“I don’t disagree with you. But do you really want him dead… because that’s what will happen if Liz doesn’t help him. You know Jesse and you know Brad well enough to know that’s true.”
Isabel shot Maria a cold look. “Yes I do. He got himself into this mess, he can get himself out of it.”
“Don’t you want Jesse to be punished for this?” Maria asked cautiously.
“Maria, I have been trying to find a way to press charges against Jesse Ramirez for months! He’s the devil incarnate, but he’s not an idiot. He knows how to protect himself. Even in the unlikely case that Don would make it to the court alive and willing to say what happened, it’s still just his word against Jesse’s!”
“You’ve been researching Jesse?”
“Yeah, I figured that since I have more money now and I can afford decent legal council, I would look into pressing charges against Jesse for what happened years ago,” Isabel said. “If all of this is true, then I guess he found out.”
“So what are you gonna do now?” Maria asked.
“I have no idea.”
Maria looked at Isabel for a second, whose expression was a lot less happy than two minutes ago. “Should I have kept quiet about this?” Maria asked softly.
Isabel thought about it for a few seconds. “I guess I was happier when it was behind me… but no, I’m glad you told me." Isabel finally said.
Maria didn't say anything for a few seconds before she suddenly smiled. “Just another day in Capeside.”
"Oh shut up!"
~~
Nancy Parker's face beamed brightly when she saw Liz enter the hospital ward. Jeff, who sat on a chair next to the bed with his back towards the entrance, looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Liz approach.
"Good morning Liz," Jeff said, his tone cautious, like he had no idea what to expect.
"Hi," Liz just said as she took a seat on the chair that was on the other side of the bed.
"I assume you've heard by now?" Jeff stated, elicting a small nod from Liz. "How do you feel about it?"
Liz sighed. "I don't have an enormous circle of friends. There's Maria, Isabel and Tess. The closest friend after that would be the guy at the pizza place. And I'm afraid that this thing is ultimately going to cost me my friendship with Tess."
"Maybe you'll grow even closer," Nancy offered.
"One can only hope," Liz said with a small smile.
"Liz?" Nancy asked hesitantly. "What is she like?"
"Tess?" Liz asked, a smile appearing on her face. "Tess is genuinely nice person. Everybody always likes her and she can make friends in the strangest places. She's a real positive and forgiving person... maybe even a bit too much sometimes," she added with a smile.
"She sounds like a great person," Nancy said softly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't get her to visit. I know you really wanted to meet her," Liz said apologetically.
"Let her come in her own time, honey," Jeff said.
"She just had a lot to deal with lately. I'm sure she'll come eventually," Liz offered. "But enough about this, how are you doing today?"
"Pretty good actually. Dr Guerin said the medication is working very well and that if everything keeps going this good, I'll be out of here in a week."
Liz smiled. "That's really good to hear."
"And how are things with your prince charming?" Nancy asked.
"Well, he invited me over to a dinner at his parents place, so I'm out for another evening of Liz-bashing tonight."
"And when do we get to meet the brave boy?" Jeff added.
"Well, I..." Liz said, breaking off her words mid-sentence, staring at the exit. In the doorway, stood a young blonde woman, cautiously looking over at Liz and looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
"Liz, who's that?" Nancy asked, pointing at the doorway but the moment she asked, she already knew the answer.
It was her daughter.
TBC
Anyway, have fun with the next part.
Part 36
To say that it was hectic at the hospital would have been an understatement. A schoolbus had had an unfortunate close encounter with a large pickup truck and all the wounded children had been rushed to the nearest available hospital, which was here. Amidst all the commontion, Tess walked through the hallway, towards room 137 where Kyle was still fully hospitalized. Still cautious of her recent condition, she walked slow but steady. Liz had driven her here, wanting to visit her mother, and she and Liz agreed to meet at the hospital restaurant after visiting hours. After their argument last night, Liz had dropped the subject of Tess visiting her mother, something that Tess appreciated a lot.
When she reached Kyle’s room, she stopped for a second and subconciously fiddled with her her hair. Why was she suddenly so nervous? “Well, I’m glad to see you’re alright Kyle,” she heard a male voice say inside Kyle’s room. Hesitantly, she opened the door a bit, surprised to see Kyle’s dad there with another, older, man. His dad had visited Kyle regularly over the past days, but neither Kyle nor Tess had ever brought up their relationship. But she could tell that he was a perceptive man and knew very well what was going on.
As she opened the door all the way, all three men turned their heads towards the door at exactly the same time. It was definitely a funny sight. “And all eyes turn at me. You three do wonders for my ego,” Tess said with a smile.
“Tess, hi. I wasn’t sure if you would make it today,” Kyle said with a smile on his face. Jim and the other man looked at each other and gave each other a knowing look. Neither Tess nor Kyle seemed to notice though.
“It’s amazing how fast you make friends in the hospital, huh?” Jim said with a smile. “This is my father James.”
“Pleased to meet you mr Valenti. I’m Tess Harding,” Tess said with a slightly nervous voice. Tess figured that even though they didn’t know of her relationship with Kyle, a first impression was still important.
“Tess Harding?” James asked, cringing his nose. “Not the author of those sappy, godforsaken books, are you?”
“I… I don’t know how to respond to that,” Tess said, a look of confusion on her face, which quickly turned to surprise when she saw the smile on James’ face. “Calling my books sappy is not funny!” Tess yelled indignantly.
“I beg to differ,” James said, “It was hilarious. I get what you see in her, Kyle.”
“What a relief,” Kyle said sarcastically.
“Now now Kyle, don’t be rude when the man gives me a compliment,” Tess said with a smile. “That was a compliment, right?”
James smiled widely. “Yes, I suppose it was.”
“So, any word on when the inmate is getting released?” she asked Jim.
“No word yet, but most of the doctors are a little busy at this time,” Jim said, “Why don’t James and me see if we can find a doctor and leave you and Kyle to… catch up.”
Before either Kyle or Tess could object, the two men had left the room. “You have it so easy; no parentals to embarrass you,” Kyle said, a little surprised when he saw Tess noticably frown for a second at what was clearly a joke. “Are you all right?” he asked, suddenly concerned.
Tess sighed and sat down on the bed, her eyes never leaving Kyle’s. “I’m sorry. I guess you could say I had an… interesting day.”
Kyle smiled slightly. “Well, that’s what you get for leavin’ me here all alone.” His expression then turned noticeably more serious. “What happened?”
“Kyle… I really don’t want to talk about that. Is that alright?” she asked in a soft, almost pleading, voice. “I’m not keeping anything from you, I just…”
“You don’t want to talk about it,” Kyle finished. “Don’t worry about it. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you have to tell that person everything.”
Tess smiled. “Stop quoting my own work. It’s a little creepy.”
“Well, you get the point. So… what can I do to make you feel better?” Kyle asked with a smile.
“You’re already doing that,” Tess said with a smile. “Besides, you’re the one still in the hospital bed. I should be asking you how to make you feel better.”
“Well,” Kyle said with a smirk on his face, “I can think of something, but that’s probably not such a good idea a few days after being stabbed.” He paused a second to take in Tess’ surprised expression and then continued. “But seriously, just you being here is enough to make me feel better than I have in a long time.”
“Oh Kyle,” Tess said as she leaned in and gave Kyle a soft, tender kiss. “You know I feel the same way.”
“I do now, but I’m still a little worried. You look tenser than when you left yesterday and I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it and I repect that, but maybe it would help if you talked about it. Whatever it is, you can tell me and I won’t judge you. I never have… well, except for your whole Gilmore Girls obsession of course.”
Tess sighed deeply and parked herself in a chair next to Kyle’s head. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she said softly. “Someone threw a snake in my friends house…”
“Okay whoa!” Kyle said, his eyes growing wide.
“I’m just easing you in,” she said before continuing. “My apartment is a warzone, my birth father suddenly appeared, begging me to go see my mother… and don’t even get me started on Liz’ behaviour towards Isabel.”
“Your birth father? He came to see you?” Kyle asked, shocked and surprised.
“You haven’t even heard the funniest part,” Tess said, suddenly bursting into tears. “I can’t handle all of this. Why does it feel like the whole universe is out to get me? What did I do to deserve all this?”
“Tess, if I’m sure of anything, it’s that you can handle anything that life throws at you. You are so much stronger than you think you are. And if you want, you have me to help you.”
Tess managed a smile through her tears. “That’s really nice of you Kyle, but I don’t see how. God, look at me; I’m crying my eyes out to someone in a hospital bed.”
“Not for long I hope. Me being in the hospital, I mean,” Kyle corrected himself.
“I just don’t… everything is so messed up and I don’t even know where to begin cleaning it up.”
“You start with the thing that’s really bothering you,” Kyle said knowningly.
“But I don’t know what to do,” Tess said, hanging her head.
“Well,” Kyle said. “You can either meet with your parents, talk to them and maybe leave with some answered questions, or you can stay away from them and continue hating them. Not a difficult choice when I put it like that, huh?”
“But I’m afraid, Kyle,” Tess whispered.
“Listen to me Tess,” Kyle said gently, turning her head so she looked towards him. “You are the girl who forgives two people who made a big mistake many years ago. How can they not respect and love you?”
“So you really think I should go see them?” Tess asked hesitantly.
Kyle smiled. “Me? Yes. But in the end, it's really up to you."
~~
“Good morning children,” Isabel said as she strolled through the front door of casa Parker. The enormous smile on her face left little to the imagination to Maria who was watching tv..
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Brad Pitt just took your virginity,” Maria joked.
“Brad Pitt, eew!” Isabel recoiled, sitting down next to Maria.
Maria let out a short laugh. “My bad. So I guess this means he came by last night?” Maria asked with a smile.
“Oh yeah,” Isabel said with a wide smile. “So how’s life at the Parker mansion?”
“Strained,” Maria said with a loud sigh. “Seriously, there’s enough drama here for a whole season of Dawson’s Creek.”
“You don’t look all that strained,” Isabel noted.
“Well, how strained can you get while watching Friends,” Maria offered with a smile. “I’ll be okay; it’s actually more Liz and Tess that I’m worried about.”
“What? Did the evil Evans-inlaws try something again?”
“No, Tess father stopped by,” Maria said.
Isabel was speechless for a few seconds. Her mouth opened to say something, but closed again without making a sound. She repeated that another two times until she finally managed to say something. “Her father?”
“Yeah. He gave her the whole sorry-speech and asked her to come visit,” Maria said.
“So what’d she say?”
“Well, she was a little shocked… or actually a lot shocked.”
“She can’t seem to catch a break lately, can she?” Isabel said with a sigh.
“I recognized Tess father. It was mr Parker," Maria said, not caring much about how blunt it sounded.
"Please tell me you don't mean Liz' father," Isabel said in a shocked voice.
"Well... I could lie to you if you want?" Maria offered.
"That's just fucking great!" Isabel said loudly, her good mood diminished severely before a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Does that mean that Liz and Tess are..."
"Sisters? Yeah."
"I'm starting to see the Dawson's Creek-factor in all this," Isabel said with a sigh. "So do they know?"
"Yeah. They took it surprisingly well, but to say that it's been strained here is definitely an understatement. Tess is in the denial-stage, thinking that as long as she doesn't talk about it, that it'll go away and Liz is too afraid to say the wrong thing so everything here is just..."
"Strained?" Isabel said. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll get over it."
"Yeah, probably," Maria said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I want to hear about you. Tell me all about the lame excuses that creep used."
Isabel looked confused. "Huh?"
"Don something... he came by last night, right?" Maria asked.
Isabel frowned. "That's really not funny."
"What? He came by here earlier and he told Liz he would stop by your place."
"Why on Earth would that prick want to see Liz? Actually, don't answer that."
"Uh… Isabel, you might want to sit down for a second," Maria said, a fake smile on her face. Isabel eyes her suspiciously, but did as she was asked. "Don told Liz that... he drugged you."
“Come on Maria. I slept with him and I’m dealing with the consequences and… you’re not kidding, are you?” Isabel said, her eyes going wide.
“Would I make a joke about this? Okay, maybe I would, but I’m dead-serious about this.”
“But… but why would he come to Liz and admit it? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Short version? Jesse Ramirez paid him to do it, and now he’s somehow caught in the middle between Jesse and Liz’ psycho ex-husband.”
“And what did Liz say?” Isabel asked suspiciously.
“That he should talk to you, accept the inevitable broken jaw he was gonna get and see where to go from there. If it makes any difference, he said he didn’t actually have sex with you. He just made you believe he did.”
“So Liz is actually considering helping him?” Isabel asked, confused and angry.
“He’s a dead man if she doesn’t,” Maria said softly.
“Well, my heart is aching for him,” Isabel said sarcastically. “That fuck deserves whatever is coming to him.”
“I don’t disagree with you. But do you really want him dead… because that’s what will happen if Liz doesn’t help him. You know Jesse and you know Brad well enough to know that’s true.”
Isabel shot Maria a cold look. “Yes I do. He got himself into this mess, he can get himself out of it.”
“Don’t you want Jesse to be punished for this?” Maria asked cautiously.
“Maria, I have been trying to find a way to press charges against Jesse Ramirez for months! He’s the devil incarnate, but he’s not an idiot. He knows how to protect himself. Even in the unlikely case that Don would make it to the court alive and willing to say what happened, it’s still just his word against Jesse’s!”
“You’ve been researching Jesse?”
“Yeah, I figured that since I have more money now and I can afford decent legal council, I would look into pressing charges against Jesse for what happened years ago,” Isabel said. “If all of this is true, then I guess he found out.”
“So what are you gonna do now?” Maria asked.
“I have no idea.”
Maria looked at Isabel for a second, whose expression was a lot less happy than two minutes ago. “Should I have kept quiet about this?” Maria asked softly.
Isabel thought about it for a few seconds. “I guess I was happier when it was behind me… but no, I’m glad you told me." Isabel finally said.
Maria didn't say anything for a few seconds before she suddenly smiled. “Just another day in Capeside.”
"Oh shut up!"
~~
Nancy Parker's face beamed brightly when she saw Liz enter the hospital ward. Jeff, who sat on a chair next to the bed with his back towards the entrance, looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Liz approach.
"Good morning Liz," Jeff said, his tone cautious, like he had no idea what to expect.
"Hi," Liz just said as she took a seat on the chair that was on the other side of the bed.
"I assume you've heard by now?" Jeff stated, elicting a small nod from Liz. "How do you feel about it?"
Liz sighed. "I don't have an enormous circle of friends. There's Maria, Isabel and Tess. The closest friend after that would be the guy at the pizza place. And I'm afraid that this thing is ultimately going to cost me my friendship with Tess."
"Maybe you'll grow even closer," Nancy offered.
"One can only hope," Liz said with a small smile.
"Liz?" Nancy asked hesitantly. "What is she like?"
"Tess?" Liz asked, a smile appearing on her face. "Tess is genuinely nice person. Everybody always likes her and she can make friends in the strangest places. She's a real positive and forgiving person... maybe even a bit too much sometimes," she added with a smile.
"She sounds like a great person," Nancy said softly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't get her to visit. I know you really wanted to meet her," Liz said apologetically.
"Let her come in her own time, honey," Jeff said.
"She just had a lot to deal with lately. I'm sure she'll come eventually," Liz offered. "But enough about this, how are you doing today?"
"Pretty good actually. Dr Guerin said the medication is working very well and that if everything keeps going this good, I'll be out of here in a week."
Liz smiled. "That's really good to hear."
"And how are things with your prince charming?" Nancy asked.
"Well, he invited me over to a dinner at his parents place, so I'm out for another evening of Liz-bashing tonight."
"And when do we get to meet the brave boy?" Jeff added.
"Well, I..." Liz said, breaking off her words mid-sentence, staring at the exit. In the doorway, stood a young blonde woman, cautiously looking over at Liz and looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
"Liz, who's that?" Nancy asked, pointing at the doorway but the moment she asked, she already knew the answer.
It was her daughter.
TBC
Well hello everyone. It took me a long time, but I finally got around to writing a new part. I’m a little out of practice when it comes to writing, but I hope you’ll like it anyway. Also, I don't believe I mentioned that this fic has gotten the runner-up for Best Supporting Portayal of Tess Harding. Thanks everyone!
FSU/MSW-94
RhondaAnn
killjoy
imnotic
Sternbetracher
tequatishy
roswell3053
BehrObsession
nibbles2
Shadowlynxbehr
paper
magamnm
Thanks for the kind words, the many bumps and the endless patience you’re having with me.
Alright, onto the next part. Have fun reading.
Part 37
"Tess?" Liz asked, dumbfounded for a moment. Sure, she expected Tess to come visit her parents sooner or later, Liz was sure that after their last conversation, it would be later rather than sooner. But apparently she had been wrong.
Jeff stood up from his chair and slowly approached Tess. "Thank you," he said softly before offering Tess his chair aside the bed. Tess sat down and looked at the woman inside the bed. She wasn't sure what to say, and neither did Nancy, so for a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Finally, Tess managed to speak. "Hi," he said in a croaked voice.
"Hello Tess," Nancy replied, a wide smile appearing on her face. "Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamt about seeing you.”
Tess held back the sarcastic comment that was suddenly on the tip of her lips and took a deep breath. “So… how are you doing?” she asked semi-casually to Nancy.
“I will be fine. And you?”
“Fine.”
It was silent again for a few seconds before Liz finally spoke. “How’s Kyle?”
The question had the desired effect as a small smile crept on Tess’ lips. “He’s doing good. Max wants to take a last look at him before he sends him home, but barring anything extreme, he’s out of here today.”
“That’s good to hear,” Liz said. She tried to smile, but the fact that the situation was beyond awkward was all too apparent.
“This is a little awkward, isn’t it?” Liz said nervously.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Tess said sarcastically, causing Liz to flinch at her tone of voice.
“Are you mad at me?” Liz asked, seemingly out of the blue. Tess looked at Liz but didn’t answer. Instead, she just kept looking at Liz, the situation becoming more awkward every second.
Fortunately, Michael chose that exact moment to walk in. “Good morning. How is my favorite patient?” he asked cheerfully. “And I do mean you,” he added with a smile.
“Very good, thank you,” Nancy said equally cheerfully.
“Well, I hate to interrupt this little pow-pow, but a spot has opened at MRI and we’re going there now,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, okay,” Nancy said, visibly disappointed.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Tess offered, making both Nancy and Jess smile in relief. Having said that, Tess quickly exited the room, avoiding Liz’ stare completely.
Liz shot her parents a shocked and confused look before quickly running after Tess. “Hey!” she shouted after Tess who stopped in the middle of the hallway. When Liz caught up to Tess, she gave Tess a hurt look. “You’re mad at me?” she stated softly.
Tess took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“But… but it’s not my fault that… why?” Liz stammered.
Tess looked at Liz’ confused expression and her own expression hardened. “Why?” Tess asked sharply.
“Yes, why?” Liz asked again.
“Well, let’s name a few things!” Tess said loudly. “How about the fact that you didn’t see your own parents for a year because you were too stubborn to give them a call, and when I have an actual reason to avoid them, you take their side and press me to go.”
Liz was about to say something, but Tess broke her off. “I wasn’t finished. How about the fact that someone came to tell you something that could mean the world to Isabel and you decide to just keep it to yourself. And do you really want me to start bringing up Brad?”
“What about Brad?” Liz asked, her lip trembling slightly.
“Oh, he’s a pig…” Tess admitted, “but are you seriously going to stand here and tell me that all his money didn’t have anything to do with you marrying him? Did you ever really love him?”
“Well, I…” Liz started, but she didn’t know how to continue.
“I don’t even wanna know,” Tess said softly before walking away, moving a lot faster than Liz considered possible for someone in his condition.
Liz quickly sat down on one of the chairs in the nearby waiting room and stared at the floor. Maybe Tess had a point. Maybe she had been so blinded by the extravagant gifts and luxurious lifestyle that she never thought about how much she really loved him. And maybe she was right about Isabel as well.
Liz let out a deep sigh. “God, I’m such a bitch,” Liz said softly to herself.
“Come on honey, don’t be so hard on yourself,” a warm voice sounded close. Liz looked up to see an entire waiting room full of people, most of them staring at her. The elderly woman right in front of her looked at her with a friendly expression.
Liz smiled awkwardly and quickly hurried off towards the elevator and past a few more waiting rooms. She didn’t see Tess sitting in one of the waiting rooms, catching her breath and mentally slapping herself in the face for the things she just said.
~~
“Honey, I’m home,” Alex said cheerfully as he walked into Liz’ living room. Instead of seeing Liz and Isabel, whom he expected to see, he just saw Maria looking up from her book with an amused expression.
“Well, good morning to you too, darling,” Maria said with a small smirk before returning to her book.
“Oh sorry. I thought you were Isabel,” Alex said.
“I get that a lot,” Maria said sarcastically. “So how’ve you been?”
“You already talked to Isabel, didn’t you?” he asked, a smirk appearing on his face when he saw the smile on Maria’s face. “So it’s safe to assume that you, Liz and Tess already know everything?”
“Oh Liz and Tess don’t know. I didn’t call them and to tell you the truth, I think Isabel isn’t feeling very communicative towards Liz at this moment.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?” Alex asked with interest.
“Oh, that’s really something you should hear from Isabel,” Maria said reluctantly.
Alex squinted his eyes and looked at Maria who did her best to not look back. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not gonna like this?”
“Maybe you’re smarter than you look,” Maria said. “…wait, that came out wrong.”
“Well, does it have anything to do with the fact that I can’t find Isabel anywhere?” he asked.
Maria frowned and sighed. “I really really don’t want to be the one to discuss this, so please just drop it.”
Alex held up his hands defensively. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice… well, not three times anyway. So what are you doing here, reading a book alone in someone else’s house?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly feel safe at my place anymore, so Tess and me moved into the guest bedrooms.” Maria then finally put her book on the table.
“You didn’t feel safe? What, did someone throw a grenade through your window this time instead of a brick?” he asked with a smirk.
“Snake,” Maria said stoically.
Like a frightened kitten, Alex leapt back and wildly looked around him. “Where?!” he yelped frantically before leaping on the couch next to Maria.
“At my house, Alex,” Maria said with an amused expression. “Now, is there anything you would like to share with the group?”
“I hate snakes.” He slowly stepped off the couch and shot Maria an embarrassed smile. “I suppose asking you to keep quiet about this is out of the question.”
Maria let out a laugh. “You supposed right, mister. God, you should have seen your face; you’re worse than me.”
Alex sighed. “So someone threw a snake in your house?”
“Yeah, and Tess just picked up the thing!” Maria said as she visibly shuddered. “Seriously, I don’t know what freaks me out more?”
“She doesn’t scare easily, does she?” Alex said with a smile.
“That’s an understatement,” Maria said before looking at Alex with a serious expression. “I’m worried about her. She’s definitely strong, but things have really piled up on her plate the last weeks.”
“Well, I suppose it’s not easy for anybody if your boyfriend tries to kill you… twice… but he’s gone now, so she’ll deal. I mean, I don’t know her as well as you, but she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who lets something like that ruin her life.”
“Yeah,” Maria said with a sad expression. “But it’s not just that. We went by her house yesterday to pick up some of her stuff. First, she comes to her house to find it ransacked even worse than mine was… and then she got a visit from her birth father.”
“Wow,” Alex simply said. “You weren’t kidding when you said things were piling up for her.”
“Oh, you haven’t even heard the juiciest part yet.”
Alex let out a short laugh. “I’m starting to realize why Liz called you the ruling gossip champion.”
Maria let out an audible sigh. “God I miss Victor!”
“I apologize,” Alex said with a smirk. “So what’s the juicy part?”
Maria smirked back at him. “So now you suddenly want the details, mister too-good-for-gossip?”
“Oh come on,” Alex said as he looked at her seductively. “You know you want to.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Maria admitted. “Apparently, Liz is not exactly an only child.”
“Liz mentioned that, but what does that have to do with… oh.” Alex abruptly stopped his sentence when realization kicked in. “Wow.”
“That’s one way of looking at it, but I don’t think it was exactly what Tess needed at this point.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll deal. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“You know, I believe you,” Maria said as she looked at Alex. A small smile appeared on her face. “You know, I’m not trying to pee in Isabel’s pool here, but I’m starting to like you.”
Alex smirked widely. “Well, I am very likeable.”
“Liz and Tess seem to think so. I mean, Tess introduced you to Nasedo. That’s like a marriage approval right there,” Maria admitted. “But don’t get any funny ideas. You hurt Isabel and we’ll go right back to hating you.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” Alex said with a smile. “So how are things going with your doctor-friend.”
“Actually pretty good,” Maria said as she leaned back comfortably. “He called me this morning. Apparently, he was staking out my house last night.”
“Score!” Alex said sarcastically.
“Oh shut up! Anyway, he saw someone and he’s going to talk to the police about it; he said he has a friend there. I really wonder what happened.”
~~
Michael approached a small house on the other side of town. The front lawn was freshly mowed and the house looked well maintained. He approached the front door and pressed the button for the doorbell, causing a loud high-pitched sound to echo through the house. After a few seconds, a middle-aged woman opened the door.
“Good morning. Miss Lehane?” Michael asked, causing the woman to nod. “I am Michael Guerin and I was hoping to speak to Eve Lehane.”
“What’s this about?” the woman asked.
“I’d like to keep that between me and Eve for the moment. Is she home?” Michael asked politely.
“Why yes. Eve!” the woman shouted back into the house.
A few seconds later, a young girl came running towards the door. When she looked at Michael, her face suddenly paled. “Good morning Eve,” Michael said with a smirk on his face. “Can we talk?”
“O…okay,” Eve said nervously. “Mom, can you give us a moment?” she quickly added, causing the older woman to walk back inside the house.
Eve quickly walked outside and shut the door behind her. “How did you find me?” she asked, a baffled expression on her face.
“Fingerprints,” Michael said. “Did you know they store your fingerprints in a database when you’re arrested for, say, shoplifting?”
“No… actually I didn’t know that,” Eve said softly. Unlike the night before, fear was now evident on her face. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’m not sure yet. Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he asked as kindly as he could.
“You’re not gonna tell my mom?” Eve begged.
“Eve…” Michael said sternly.
“She fired me,” Eve said softly.
“You worked at DeLuca’s?” Michael asked, eliciting a nod from Eve.
“Yeah. Miss DeLuca found out that some money was missing, some bitch over there said I did it and because I have a record, she just fired me,” Eve said, her expression getting angry.
“So you’re throwing snakes into her house because you think it was unjustified that she fired you?” Michael asked to verify.
“Snake. Just one,” Eve corrected. "Oh come on! A hamster was more dangerous than that snake."
"That is completely not the point. You could have just talked to her like a normal person," Michael said, still managing to remain very calm.
"Do you even know Maria?" Eve asked with an expression that screamed 'are you stupid'. "She can talk seventy minutes in an hour, and that leaves very little time for the listening part."
Michael couldn't help but grin for a second before forcing a more serious expression back on his face. "I'm going to give you a choice: either you go talk to Maria now, tell her everything and hope she won't report you, or I will do it for you."
"That's like Sophie's Choice!" Eve squealed. "I can't do that!"
"Sure you can,” Michael said comfortingly. “Contrary to what you may think, Maria actually can listen to reason. Just tell her you were feeling guilty and this little conversation will remain between us.”
A scared expression slowly appeared on Eve’s face. “What if she doesn’t listen? What if she just calls the cops?!”
“Well, you should have thought about that before throwing a snake through her window. So just tell your mom you have to go and I’ll drive you.”
Eve lowered her gaze in defeated but at the same time looked a bit surprised. “Why are you being so nice to me? Why didn’t you just call the cops yourself?”
Michael shrugged. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think being arrested is exactly what a sixteen-year-old girl needs. Besides, all I care about is that Maria can go back to her own place without the constant fear of what will be thrown through her window next.”
“Look, it was just a joke!” Eve defended. “I just wanted to scare her a little.”
“Well, it was a bad joke,” Michael countered. “And it stops now.”
~~
After visiting hours, Liz waited in the hospital restaurant for Tess. She had figured that Tess probably went back to Kyle’s room, and she had wanted to give them some time alone. She wasn’t surprised when Tess approached the table and sat down.
“I’m sorry,” Tess apologized. “I shouldn’t have said all those things.”
Liz was silent for a few seconds. “You weren’t completely wrong about everything,” she said softly. “I should have told Isabel what happened, and maybe I never really loved Brad.”
“Then… I’m sorry for pressing… but why did you marry him?” Tess asked.
“He was nice, he was charming and he made me feel… beautiful,” Liz said. “I guess I mistook that for love.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to imply…” Tess started before she was cut off.
“I know,” Liz interrupted. After a short moment of silence, she continued. “So you’re coming back to visit mom tomorrow?”
Tess smiled. “I told them I would, didn’t I?”
“You did. Thank you,” Liz said with a smile. “Now how about getting something to eat? I’m starving.”
“Would you mind if Kyle joined us?” Tess asked.
“He’s been released?”
Tess pointed behind Liz, who instantly turned around and saw Kyle sitting a few tables away. Liz let out a laugh. “You told your boyfriend to wait for you there?”
“Well, we needed to talk. He can wait a minute,” Tess said before noticing Liz’ amused expression. “What? What?!”
TBC
FSU/MSW-94
RhondaAnn
killjoy
imnotic
Sternbetracher
tequatishy
roswell3053
BehrObsession
nibbles2
Shadowlynxbehr
paper
magamnm
Thanks for the kind words, the many bumps and the endless patience you’re having with me.
Alright, onto the next part. Have fun reading.
Part 37
"Tess?" Liz asked, dumbfounded for a moment. Sure, she expected Tess to come visit her parents sooner or later, Liz was sure that after their last conversation, it would be later rather than sooner. But apparently she had been wrong.
Jeff stood up from his chair and slowly approached Tess. "Thank you," he said softly before offering Tess his chair aside the bed. Tess sat down and looked at the woman inside the bed. She wasn't sure what to say, and neither did Nancy, so for a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Finally, Tess managed to speak. "Hi," he said in a croaked voice.
"Hello Tess," Nancy replied, a wide smile appearing on her face. "Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamt about seeing you.”
Tess held back the sarcastic comment that was suddenly on the tip of her lips and took a deep breath. “So… how are you doing?” she asked semi-casually to Nancy.
“I will be fine. And you?”
“Fine.”
It was silent again for a few seconds before Liz finally spoke. “How’s Kyle?”
The question had the desired effect as a small smile crept on Tess’ lips. “He’s doing good. Max wants to take a last look at him before he sends him home, but barring anything extreme, he’s out of here today.”
“That’s good to hear,” Liz said. She tried to smile, but the fact that the situation was beyond awkward was all too apparent.
“This is a little awkward, isn’t it?” Liz said nervously.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Tess said sarcastically, causing Liz to flinch at her tone of voice.
“Are you mad at me?” Liz asked, seemingly out of the blue. Tess looked at Liz but didn’t answer. Instead, she just kept looking at Liz, the situation becoming more awkward every second.
Fortunately, Michael chose that exact moment to walk in. “Good morning. How is my favorite patient?” he asked cheerfully. “And I do mean you,” he added with a smile.
“Very good, thank you,” Nancy said equally cheerfully.
“Well, I hate to interrupt this little pow-pow, but a spot has opened at MRI and we’re going there now,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, okay,” Nancy said, visibly disappointed.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Tess offered, making both Nancy and Jess smile in relief. Having said that, Tess quickly exited the room, avoiding Liz’ stare completely.
Liz shot her parents a shocked and confused look before quickly running after Tess. “Hey!” she shouted after Tess who stopped in the middle of the hallway. When Liz caught up to Tess, she gave Tess a hurt look. “You’re mad at me?” she stated softly.
Tess took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“But… but it’s not my fault that… why?” Liz stammered.
Tess looked at Liz’ confused expression and her own expression hardened. “Why?” Tess asked sharply.
“Yes, why?” Liz asked again.
“Well, let’s name a few things!” Tess said loudly. “How about the fact that you didn’t see your own parents for a year because you were too stubborn to give them a call, and when I have an actual reason to avoid them, you take their side and press me to go.”
Liz was about to say something, but Tess broke her off. “I wasn’t finished. How about the fact that someone came to tell you something that could mean the world to Isabel and you decide to just keep it to yourself. And do you really want me to start bringing up Brad?”
“What about Brad?” Liz asked, her lip trembling slightly.
“Oh, he’s a pig…” Tess admitted, “but are you seriously going to stand here and tell me that all his money didn’t have anything to do with you marrying him? Did you ever really love him?”
“Well, I…” Liz started, but she didn’t know how to continue.
“I don’t even wanna know,” Tess said softly before walking away, moving a lot faster than Liz considered possible for someone in his condition.
Liz quickly sat down on one of the chairs in the nearby waiting room and stared at the floor. Maybe Tess had a point. Maybe she had been so blinded by the extravagant gifts and luxurious lifestyle that she never thought about how much she really loved him. And maybe she was right about Isabel as well.
Liz let out a deep sigh. “God, I’m such a bitch,” Liz said softly to herself.
“Come on honey, don’t be so hard on yourself,” a warm voice sounded close. Liz looked up to see an entire waiting room full of people, most of them staring at her. The elderly woman right in front of her looked at her with a friendly expression.
Liz smiled awkwardly and quickly hurried off towards the elevator and past a few more waiting rooms. She didn’t see Tess sitting in one of the waiting rooms, catching her breath and mentally slapping herself in the face for the things she just said.
~~
“Honey, I’m home,” Alex said cheerfully as he walked into Liz’ living room. Instead of seeing Liz and Isabel, whom he expected to see, he just saw Maria looking up from her book with an amused expression.
“Well, good morning to you too, darling,” Maria said with a small smirk before returning to her book.
“Oh sorry. I thought you were Isabel,” Alex said.
“I get that a lot,” Maria said sarcastically. “So how’ve you been?”
“You already talked to Isabel, didn’t you?” he asked, a smirk appearing on his face when he saw the smile on Maria’s face. “So it’s safe to assume that you, Liz and Tess already know everything?”
“Oh Liz and Tess don’t know. I didn’t call them and to tell you the truth, I think Isabel isn’t feeling very communicative towards Liz at this moment.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?” Alex asked with interest.
“Oh, that’s really something you should hear from Isabel,” Maria said reluctantly.
Alex squinted his eyes and looked at Maria who did her best to not look back. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not gonna like this?”
“Maybe you’re smarter than you look,” Maria said. “…wait, that came out wrong.”
“Well, does it have anything to do with the fact that I can’t find Isabel anywhere?” he asked.
Maria frowned and sighed. “I really really don’t want to be the one to discuss this, so please just drop it.”
Alex held up his hands defensively. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice… well, not three times anyway. So what are you doing here, reading a book alone in someone else’s house?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly feel safe at my place anymore, so Tess and me moved into the guest bedrooms.” Maria then finally put her book on the table.
“You didn’t feel safe? What, did someone throw a grenade through your window this time instead of a brick?” he asked with a smirk.
“Snake,” Maria said stoically.
Like a frightened kitten, Alex leapt back and wildly looked around him. “Where?!” he yelped frantically before leaping on the couch next to Maria.
“At my house, Alex,” Maria said with an amused expression. “Now, is there anything you would like to share with the group?”
“I hate snakes.” He slowly stepped off the couch and shot Maria an embarrassed smile. “I suppose asking you to keep quiet about this is out of the question.”
Maria let out a laugh. “You supposed right, mister. God, you should have seen your face; you’re worse than me.”
Alex sighed. “So someone threw a snake in your house?”
“Yeah, and Tess just picked up the thing!” Maria said as she visibly shuddered. “Seriously, I don’t know what freaks me out more?”
“She doesn’t scare easily, does she?” Alex said with a smile.
“That’s an understatement,” Maria said before looking at Alex with a serious expression. “I’m worried about her. She’s definitely strong, but things have really piled up on her plate the last weeks.”
“Well, I suppose it’s not easy for anybody if your boyfriend tries to kill you… twice… but he’s gone now, so she’ll deal. I mean, I don’t know her as well as you, but she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who lets something like that ruin her life.”
“Yeah,” Maria said with a sad expression. “But it’s not just that. We went by her house yesterday to pick up some of her stuff. First, she comes to her house to find it ransacked even worse than mine was… and then she got a visit from her birth father.”
“Wow,” Alex simply said. “You weren’t kidding when you said things were piling up for her.”
“Oh, you haven’t even heard the juiciest part yet.”
Alex let out a short laugh. “I’m starting to realize why Liz called you the ruling gossip champion.”
Maria let out an audible sigh. “God I miss Victor!”
“I apologize,” Alex said with a smirk. “So what’s the juicy part?”
Maria smirked back at him. “So now you suddenly want the details, mister too-good-for-gossip?”
“Oh come on,” Alex said as he looked at her seductively. “You know you want to.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Maria admitted. “Apparently, Liz is not exactly an only child.”
“Liz mentioned that, but what does that have to do with… oh.” Alex abruptly stopped his sentence when realization kicked in. “Wow.”
“That’s one way of looking at it, but I don’t think it was exactly what Tess needed at this point.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll deal. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“You know, I believe you,” Maria said as she looked at Alex. A small smile appeared on her face. “You know, I’m not trying to pee in Isabel’s pool here, but I’m starting to like you.”
Alex smirked widely. “Well, I am very likeable.”
“Liz and Tess seem to think so. I mean, Tess introduced you to Nasedo. That’s like a marriage approval right there,” Maria admitted. “But don’t get any funny ideas. You hurt Isabel and we’ll go right back to hating you.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” Alex said with a smile. “So how are things going with your doctor-friend.”
“Actually pretty good,” Maria said as she leaned back comfortably. “He called me this morning. Apparently, he was staking out my house last night.”
“Score!” Alex said sarcastically.
“Oh shut up! Anyway, he saw someone and he’s going to talk to the police about it; he said he has a friend there. I really wonder what happened.”
~~
Michael approached a small house on the other side of town. The front lawn was freshly mowed and the house looked well maintained. He approached the front door and pressed the button for the doorbell, causing a loud high-pitched sound to echo through the house. After a few seconds, a middle-aged woman opened the door.
“Good morning. Miss Lehane?” Michael asked, causing the woman to nod. “I am Michael Guerin and I was hoping to speak to Eve Lehane.”
“What’s this about?” the woman asked.
“I’d like to keep that between me and Eve for the moment. Is she home?” Michael asked politely.
“Why yes. Eve!” the woman shouted back into the house.
A few seconds later, a young girl came running towards the door. When she looked at Michael, her face suddenly paled. “Good morning Eve,” Michael said with a smirk on his face. “Can we talk?”
“O…okay,” Eve said nervously. “Mom, can you give us a moment?” she quickly added, causing the older woman to walk back inside the house.
Eve quickly walked outside and shut the door behind her. “How did you find me?” she asked, a baffled expression on her face.
“Fingerprints,” Michael said. “Did you know they store your fingerprints in a database when you’re arrested for, say, shoplifting?”
“No… actually I didn’t know that,” Eve said softly. Unlike the night before, fear was now evident on her face. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’m not sure yet. Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he asked as kindly as he could.
“You’re not gonna tell my mom?” Eve begged.
“Eve…” Michael said sternly.
“She fired me,” Eve said softly.
“You worked at DeLuca’s?” Michael asked, eliciting a nod from Eve.
“Yeah. Miss DeLuca found out that some money was missing, some bitch over there said I did it and because I have a record, she just fired me,” Eve said, her expression getting angry.
“So you’re throwing snakes into her house because you think it was unjustified that she fired you?” Michael asked to verify.
“Snake. Just one,” Eve corrected. "Oh come on! A hamster was more dangerous than that snake."
"That is completely not the point. You could have just talked to her like a normal person," Michael said, still managing to remain very calm.
"Do you even know Maria?" Eve asked with an expression that screamed 'are you stupid'. "She can talk seventy minutes in an hour, and that leaves very little time for the listening part."
Michael couldn't help but grin for a second before forcing a more serious expression back on his face. "I'm going to give you a choice: either you go talk to Maria now, tell her everything and hope she won't report you, or I will do it for you."
"That's like Sophie's Choice!" Eve squealed. "I can't do that!"
"Sure you can,” Michael said comfortingly. “Contrary to what you may think, Maria actually can listen to reason. Just tell her you were feeling guilty and this little conversation will remain between us.”
A scared expression slowly appeared on Eve’s face. “What if she doesn’t listen? What if she just calls the cops?!”
“Well, you should have thought about that before throwing a snake through her window. So just tell your mom you have to go and I’ll drive you.”
Eve lowered her gaze in defeated but at the same time looked a bit surprised. “Why are you being so nice to me? Why didn’t you just call the cops yourself?”
Michael shrugged. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think being arrested is exactly what a sixteen-year-old girl needs. Besides, all I care about is that Maria can go back to her own place without the constant fear of what will be thrown through her window next.”
“Look, it was just a joke!” Eve defended. “I just wanted to scare her a little.”
“Well, it was a bad joke,” Michael countered. “And it stops now.”
~~
After visiting hours, Liz waited in the hospital restaurant for Tess. She had figured that Tess probably went back to Kyle’s room, and she had wanted to give them some time alone. She wasn’t surprised when Tess approached the table and sat down.
“I’m sorry,” Tess apologized. “I shouldn’t have said all those things.”
Liz was silent for a few seconds. “You weren’t completely wrong about everything,” she said softly. “I should have told Isabel what happened, and maybe I never really loved Brad.”
“Then… I’m sorry for pressing… but why did you marry him?” Tess asked.
“He was nice, he was charming and he made me feel… beautiful,” Liz said. “I guess I mistook that for love.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to imply…” Tess started before she was cut off.
“I know,” Liz interrupted. After a short moment of silence, she continued. “So you’re coming back to visit mom tomorrow?”
Tess smiled. “I told them I would, didn’t I?”
“You did. Thank you,” Liz said with a smile. “Now how about getting something to eat? I’m starving.”
“Would you mind if Kyle joined us?” Tess asked.
“He’s been released?”
Tess pointed behind Liz, who instantly turned around and saw Kyle sitting a few tables away. Liz let out a laugh. “You told your boyfriend to wait for you there?”
“Well, we needed to talk. He can wait a minute,” Tess said before noticing Liz’ amused expression. “What? What?!”
TBC
part 38
Hello everyone. I'm still working on my other fic, but I suddenly got inspired for this fic again, so I wrote a part.
It's been many months since the last part, and it's so great to know that people still bother to bump it. It's really a big compliment.
Alright, enjoy the new part and don't forget to leave feedback.
WHM 38
Liz slowly walked down the stairs. She was tired, which was strange considering that it was barely four o’clock. As she turned towards the living room, she saw Maria sitting on the couch, watching tv. Liz next to her before looking at the tv. Upon seeing which program was running, she turned her head towards Maria. “Uh Maria… Oprah?”
“It’s Isabel’s fault,” Maria casually defended. “She made me an Oprah junkie.”
“Interesting,” Liz said, smiling as she leaned back on the couch.
With a click on the remote, Maria turned off the television. “You know, that was a nice thing you did for Tess,” she said, quickly changing the subject.
Liz smiled only slightly. “It’s the least I could do, right?”
Maria smiled. “Don’t think lightly of this. You invited her boyfriend to stay here with her. I think it means a lot to Tess that you seem to like Kyle.”
“I do like Kyle. He’s exactly the kind of guy I always hoped she’d find,” Liz confirmed. “I mean, I’ll rip his head off if he ever hurts her, but he seems like a really nice guy.”
“Spoken like a… slightly scare… true friend,” Maria said with a laugh.
Liz smiled. “Maybe… but that’s not the only reason I invited him. I didn’t just do it for her, I did it for him too.”
Maria raised her eyebrows. “Not taking a piss in Tess’ pool, are you?”
Liz let out a short laugh. “No, of course not. I have my own pool to piss in… uh, maybe we should drop this analogy.”
Maria let out a laugh too. “Yes, please.”
“It’s just…” Liz said seriously, “…I think it was Kyle who convinced Tess to come see mom and dad. I mean, she was pretty adamant on not wanting to come and then she saw Kyle…”
Maria smiled. “I see… but regardless, I know you made Tess a happy girl. I’m happy that you two seem to be dealing with the situation.”
“Well, one situation down, another two bazillion to do,” Liz said with a sigh. “Tonight, I’m going to have dinner with Max and his parents and subject myself to a night of accusations, insults and hateful stares… probably not in that order.”
Maria shot Liz a guilty look. “Uh, you might want to prepare yourself for the fact that your next meeting with Isabel might contain a lot of those elements too. I uh… I kind of told her about the whole daterape thing. Quasimodo never showed up at her place and I kinda figured she deserved to know.”
Liz looked annoyed for a second, but softened immediately as she realized that Maria had a point. “I guess you’re right. I should have told her myself, but I guess I thought… hell, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, you thought you were doing the right thing. It really wasn’t, but you thought it was.”
Liz raised her eyebrows. “Is that supposed to make me feel better or are you just trying to kick me when I’m down?”
Maria appeared to be pondering that question for a second or two. “I’m not sure,” she said before letting out a laugh. “Don’t worry, you’re not who Isabel is really furious at.”
“Thank God for that,” Liz agreed. “So what is she going to do?”
“Well…” Maria said, “Walking into Jesse Ramirez’ office and strangling him to death with his own tie didn’t seem out of the question when she left here. But she probably won’t do that… I hope.”
“It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it,” Liz argued.
“Call me crazy, but I don’t think being in jail until she’s fifty is what she needs. By the way, why didn’t the dateraper show up last night?”
Liz looked at Maria questioningly. “What makes you think I would know? My guess is as good as yours.”
“Maybe he didn’t feel like letting Isabel bash his face in,” Maria suggested.
“Maybe,” Liz softly mumbled. It was clear to Maria that Liz had another, far less amusing thought about what could have happened, but that was something that didn’t need be said out loud. “But enough about that… how’s your drama?” Liz said, changing the subject.
“Well, you ditched me on the double date we had planned.”
“Believe me, I’d rather have the double date than what’s currently on my agenda for tonight,” Liz said with a sigh. “But we rescheduled for tomorrow.”
Maria smiled. “Yeah, I suppose that counts for something. And well, the snake thing is still creeping me out but I suppose I’ll be safe here for awhile.”
“The police still have no idea who did it? You know, Gil Grissom would have cracked the case within a few hours.”
“Yes, but we’re talking about the Roswell PD here. No offense to Kyle and his buddies, but they’re hardly CSI operatives,” Maria said.
“They’re experts at handing out parking tickets though,” Liz noted.
“Guess we all have our strengths,” Maria joked. “But seriously, I hope they do find the guy quickly. Snakes creep me out and having them thrown through my window freaks me out even more.”
“And you really have no idea who could have done it?” Liz asked. “I mean, it’s obviously someone who doesn’t like you very much.”
“That thought had occurred to me Columbo,” Maria said sarcastically but softened immediately. “First, I thought it might be Michael’s ex-girlfriend, but Michael is convinced she didn’t do it.”
“Just because Michael doesn’t want to believe it doesn’t mean she didn’t do it,” Liz noted.
“True,” Maria said. “But then again, it could also be something completely different. It could be your ex-husband. Hell, it could even be a customer who didn’t like the chicken soup!”
“You don’t throw snakes through a window for chicken soup, Maria,” Liz noted dryly. “And it sounds far too petty to be Brad’s work.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t petty like, his middle-name?”
Liz smiled. “I get what you mean, but it’s not him. He would go after me, not you.”
“So… chicken soup customer then?” Maria asked jokingly.
"I don't know," Liz admitted, letting out a sigh as she sat down on the couch and leaned back tiredly. "I have no idea about anything anymore."
Just as Maria was about to ask what Liz meant, the doorbell rang and Liz stood up and walked towards the door to answer it. When she opened the door, she saw a young girl standing in the doorway.
The girl looked familiar but Liz couldn’t place it. “Hi, I’m uh… I’m Eve. I’m looking for miss DeLuca.”
Liz smiled at Eve’s nervous behaviour. She remembered Eve now; she worked at the restaurant. “Well come in,” Liz said kindly and stepped aside to allow Eve to step inside. “Is everything alright?”
“Not really,” Eve answered nervously. “Is she here?”
“She is,” Liz said comfortingly as she led Eve to the living room where Maria sat on the couch.
When Maria saw who walked in the room, she frowned. “What is she doing here?” Maria asked, in a slightly hostile tone of voice.
“She, is standing right here!” Eve replied angrily, her nervousness disappearing completely for a second.
“I can see that,” Maria snapped back. “Are you trying to get your job back through Liz, because while I respect the persistence, I have to say you’re wasting your time.”
“She’s here to talk to you,” Liz said hesitantly, looking back and forth between Maria and Eve, not sure whether she should protect Eve from the wrath of Maria or gang up on her together.
Maria let out a deep sigh. “Fine. What do you want?” she asked.
“I uh… I wanted to apologize,” Eve said softly.
Maria let out a laugh. “Look, I know you stole from me and I fired you for it. You don’t think an apology is going to make it alright, do you? Look, I gave you a huge break by not calling the cops. Why are you pushing your luck?”
“You didn’t give me break. You knew you had no proof that it was me, and the reason you have no proof is because I didn’t do it. But then again, why should you believe me, right?”
“Uh, if that’s your apology, it needs some work,” Liz noted.
“I was upset. You fired me for no reason, so I… well, I remembered that you said how much you hated snakes.” Eve braced herself for the volley of insults.
“Wait a fucking second!” Maria said loudly. “Are you telling me that you’re the one who threw a snake in my house?”
“Yes,” Eve confessed.
Liz beat Maria in speaking. “Are you insane?! That’s not funny!”
“I was upset!” Eve tried to defend herself. “I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but in my defense, the snake really wasn’t dangerous at all.”
Maria dramatically threw her hands in the air. “That is so monumentally not the point! Give me one reason not to call the cops and have your skinny ass thrown in a six by six cell with a gay twohundred pound cellmate named Butch,” Maria said threateningly.
“That’s actually a guy’s name,” Eve interrupted, not thinking for a second that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to talk at the moment.
Liz saw Maria’s jaw tighten and quickly stepped between them. “Calm down Maria,” Liz helped. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
Maria let her anger go for a second and looked at Eve suspiciously. “Exactly why are you here?” she asked.
“Well…” Eve said softly. “I was supposed to say that I was feeling guilty and wanted to do the right thing. The truth is that this guy caught me and he didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
“You know, I’m not even going to pretend I’m surprised,” Maria snapped. “You threw a snake in my house, you bitch!”
“I’m sorry,” Eve said guiltily.
“She’s sorry. The world makes sense again,” Maria said. She let out a deep sigh and tried to calm herself down. “Get out,” she said softly.
Maria didn’t have to say that twice and with great speed, Eve made her retreat. “Hmmm,” Liz mumbled. “Guess it wasn’t Michael’s ex after all.”
~~
Across town, Isabel was sitting in a posh office, much larger than her own one, facing a greyhaired man in his fifties who was immaculately dressed in a dark suit. The clothes and the office suited the man well as he eminated a feeling of authority.
"So what do we do?" Isabel asked sharply as she looked directly in the man's eyes.
"Nothing," the man said softly. "You have no proof that mr Ramirez had anything to do with what happened. You heard it from a friend, who in turn heard it from a friend. And even if the man would confess in court himself, it's still his word against that of mr Ramirez."
"So you're saying there's nothing I can do," Isabel deducted. "I'm supposed to do nothing while he does everything in his power to destroy me. Please tell me you're kidding."
"I'm sorry miss James," the man said apologetically. "I've met Jesse Ramirez and it's not very hard for me to believe what you're saying, but there's just no evidence of any involvement on his part. I'm really sorry."
"But there has to be some way to get to him," Isabel said, defeated.
"Not with the information you've given me."
Isabel sighed deeply and took a deep breath. "So what do you recommend I do?"
The man stood up and walked around his desk, leaning on his desk as he looked at Isabel. "Let it go," he said softly. "I know it's not easy, and I know that as your lawyer, I’m supposed to encourage you to fight... but there’s nothing here, so I recommend letting it rest."
Isabel defeatedly hung her head for a few seconds before looking up again. “No,” she said determined. “I’ll just have to find another way to bring him down.” She then stood up and quickly shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for your time.”
And with that, she exited the office.
~~
“Hmmm,” Tess purred. She was sitting on the large guestroom bed in between Kyle’s legs with her back turned to him, thoroughly enjoying the gentle neckrub he was giving her. “A girl could definitely get used to this.”
Kyle smiled awkwardly. He loved Tess, but the mere fact that her body was so close to him combined with the enjoying sounds she was making had made him more than a little excited. Something that wasn’t very welcome in his current position.
Of course, Tess wasn’t an idiot either; she was more than aware that the thing poking against her back wasn’t a flashlight. But considering the fact that they not only were in Liz’ house with Liz and Maria sitting downstairs, but also the fact that they had both just gotten out of the hospital, she knew she couldn’t do what she really wanted to do right about now. She didn’t want to embarrass him either, so she pretended not to notice.
“You know, it was really nice of Liz to let me stay here,” Kyle said, trying to keep his mind off the smooth flesh he was gently kneading.
Tess smiled. “It definitely was… though I probably could have survived without her fifteen minute long no-sex-allowed speech.”
Kyle smiled too. “Yes, that was a bit…”
“Embarrassing? Humiliating?” Tess helped.
“Overprotective,” Kyle finished with a smile. “But I have to admit that the look on your face definitely made it worth it.”
“I wouldn’t jump in the sack with someone who just got out of the hospital…” she said, grinning when she heard Kyle’s stifled laugh. “Okay, maybe I would, but I would feel bad about it.”
“Maybe we should view this as an opportunity,” Kyle suggested. “You know, we can get to know each other better first.”
Tess let out a playful laugh. “You mean like dating?” she asked excitedly. Real dating hadn't exactly been a regular occurrence in her previous relationship.
“Yes," he agreed. "A nice fancy restaurant, some sappy romantic movie that I'll only watch because you want to see it, and then maybe a romantic walk along the beach."
"Sounds good, except we don't have a beach here." She then suddenly turned her head towards Kyle and looked at him questioningly. "What gives you the idea that I'm a sappy romantic movie kind of girl? I could be all about the action... you don't know."
"You write romantic books for a living, not to mention the fact that you love Gilmore Girls, which is one of the sappiest shows currently airing and besides, you don't seriously expect me to take you to Rocky Balboa or something on our first date, do you?"
Tess smiled. "Well, you are an Alias fan."
"And that makes me incapable of romance?" he asked innocently.
"No," Tess firmly denied. "Not incapable, just... less susceptible."
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to show you how romantic I can be… that is, if you’re willing to risk being seen in public with a guy like me?" he asked.
Again, a grin appeared on Tess face. "I’m willing to take the risk.”
“Good. Great,” Kyle said with a smile plastered on his face. “It’s a date.”
TBC
It's been many months since the last part, and it's so great to know that people still bother to bump it. It's really a big compliment.
Alright, enjoy the new part and don't forget to leave feedback.
WHM 38
Liz slowly walked down the stairs. She was tired, which was strange considering that it was barely four o’clock. As she turned towards the living room, she saw Maria sitting on the couch, watching tv. Liz next to her before looking at the tv. Upon seeing which program was running, she turned her head towards Maria. “Uh Maria… Oprah?”
“It’s Isabel’s fault,” Maria casually defended. “She made me an Oprah junkie.”
“Interesting,” Liz said, smiling as she leaned back on the couch.
With a click on the remote, Maria turned off the television. “You know, that was a nice thing you did for Tess,” she said, quickly changing the subject.
Liz smiled only slightly. “It’s the least I could do, right?”
Maria smiled. “Don’t think lightly of this. You invited her boyfriend to stay here with her. I think it means a lot to Tess that you seem to like Kyle.”
“I do like Kyle. He’s exactly the kind of guy I always hoped she’d find,” Liz confirmed. “I mean, I’ll rip his head off if he ever hurts her, but he seems like a really nice guy.”
“Spoken like a… slightly scare… true friend,” Maria said with a laugh.
Liz smiled. “Maybe… but that’s not the only reason I invited him. I didn’t just do it for her, I did it for him too.”
Maria raised her eyebrows. “Not taking a piss in Tess’ pool, are you?”
Liz let out a short laugh. “No, of course not. I have my own pool to piss in… uh, maybe we should drop this analogy.”
Maria let out a laugh too. “Yes, please.”
“It’s just…” Liz said seriously, “…I think it was Kyle who convinced Tess to come see mom and dad. I mean, she was pretty adamant on not wanting to come and then she saw Kyle…”
Maria smiled. “I see… but regardless, I know you made Tess a happy girl. I’m happy that you two seem to be dealing with the situation.”
“Well, one situation down, another two bazillion to do,” Liz said with a sigh. “Tonight, I’m going to have dinner with Max and his parents and subject myself to a night of accusations, insults and hateful stares… probably not in that order.”
Maria shot Liz a guilty look. “Uh, you might want to prepare yourself for the fact that your next meeting with Isabel might contain a lot of those elements too. I uh… I kind of told her about the whole daterape thing. Quasimodo never showed up at her place and I kinda figured she deserved to know.”
Liz looked annoyed for a second, but softened immediately as she realized that Maria had a point. “I guess you’re right. I should have told her myself, but I guess I thought… hell, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, you thought you were doing the right thing. It really wasn’t, but you thought it was.”
Liz raised her eyebrows. “Is that supposed to make me feel better or are you just trying to kick me when I’m down?”
Maria appeared to be pondering that question for a second or two. “I’m not sure,” she said before letting out a laugh. “Don’t worry, you’re not who Isabel is really furious at.”
“Thank God for that,” Liz agreed. “So what is she going to do?”
“Well…” Maria said, “Walking into Jesse Ramirez’ office and strangling him to death with his own tie didn’t seem out of the question when she left here. But she probably won’t do that… I hope.”
“It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it,” Liz argued.
“Call me crazy, but I don’t think being in jail until she’s fifty is what she needs. By the way, why didn’t the dateraper show up last night?”
Liz looked at Maria questioningly. “What makes you think I would know? My guess is as good as yours.”
“Maybe he didn’t feel like letting Isabel bash his face in,” Maria suggested.
“Maybe,” Liz softly mumbled. It was clear to Maria that Liz had another, far less amusing thought about what could have happened, but that was something that didn’t need be said out loud. “But enough about that… how’s your drama?” Liz said, changing the subject.
“Well, you ditched me on the double date we had planned.”
“Believe me, I’d rather have the double date than what’s currently on my agenda for tonight,” Liz said with a sigh. “But we rescheduled for tomorrow.”
Maria smiled. “Yeah, I suppose that counts for something. And well, the snake thing is still creeping me out but I suppose I’ll be safe here for awhile.”
“The police still have no idea who did it? You know, Gil Grissom would have cracked the case within a few hours.”
“Yes, but we’re talking about the Roswell PD here. No offense to Kyle and his buddies, but they’re hardly CSI operatives,” Maria said.
“They’re experts at handing out parking tickets though,” Liz noted.
“Guess we all have our strengths,” Maria joked. “But seriously, I hope they do find the guy quickly. Snakes creep me out and having them thrown through my window freaks me out even more.”
“And you really have no idea who could have done it?” Liz asked. “I mean, it’s obviously someone who doesn’t like you very much.”
“That thought had occurred to me Columbo,” Maria said sarcastically but softened immediately. “First, I thought it might be Michael’s ex-girlfriend, but Michael is convinced she didn’t do it.”
“Just because Michael doesn’t want to believe it doesn’t mean she didn’t do it,” Liz noted.
“True,” Maria said. “But then again, it could also be something completely different. It could be your ex-husband. Hell, it could even be a customer who didn’t like the chicken soup!”
“You don’t throw snakes through a window for chicken soup, Maria,” Liz noted dryly. “And it sounds far too petty to be Brad’s work.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t petty like, his middle-name?”
Liz smiled. “I get what you mean, but it’s not him. He would go after me, not you.”
“So… chicken soup customer then?” Maria asked jokingly.
"I don't know," Liz admitted, letting out a sigh as she sat down on the couch and leaned back tiredly. "I have no idea about anything anymore."
Just as Maria was about to ask what Liz meant, the doorbell rang and Liz stood up and walked towards the door to answer it. When she opened the door, she saw a young girl standing in the doorway.
The girl looked familiar but Liz couldn’t place it. “Hi, I’m uh… I’m Eve. I’m looking for miss DeLuca.”
Liz smiled at Eve’s nervous behaviour. She remembered Eve now; she worked at the restaurant. “Well come in,” Liz said kindly and stepped aside to allow Eve to step inside. “Is everything alright?”
“Not really,” Eve answered nervously. “Is she here?”
“She is,” Liz said comfortingly as she led Eve to the living room where Maria sat on the couch.
When Maria saw who walked in the room, she frowned. “What is she doing here?” Maria asked, in a slightly hostile tone of voice.
“She, is standing right here!” Eve replied angrily, her nervousness disappearing completely for a second.
“I can see that,” Maria snapped back. “Are you trying to get your job back through Liz, because while I respect the persistence, I have to say you’re wasting your time.”
“She’s here to talk to you,” Liz said hesitantly, looking back and forth between Maria and Eve, not sure whether she should protect Eve from the wrath of Maria or gang up on her together.
Maria let out a deep sigh. “Fine. What do you want?” she asked.
“I uh… I wanted to apologize,” Eve said softly.
Maria let out a laugh. “Look, I know you stole from me and I fired you for it. You don’t think an apology is going to make it alright, do you? Look, I gave you a huge break by not calling the cops. Why are you pushing your luck?”
“You didn’t give me break. You knew you had no proof that it was me, and the reason you have no proof is because I didn’t do it. But then again, why should you believe me, right?”
“Uh, if that’s your apology, it needs some work,” Liz noted.
“I was upset. You fired me for no reason, so I… well, I remembered that you said how much you hated snakes.” Eve braced herself for the volley of insults.
“Wait a fucking second!” Maria said loudly. “Are you telling me that you’re the one who threw a snake in my house?”
“Yes,” Eve confessed.
Liz beat Maria in speaking. “Are you insane?! That’s not funny!”
“I was upset!” Eve tried to defend herself. “I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but in my defense, the snake really wasn’t dangerous at all.”
Maria dramatically threw her hands in the air. “That is so monumentally not the point! Give me one reason not to call the cops and have your skinny ass thrown in a six by six cell with a gay twohundred pound cellmate named Butch,” Maria said threateningly.
“That’s actually a guy’s name,” Eve interrupted, not thinking for a second that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to talk at the moment.
Liz saw Maria’s jaw tighten and quickly stepped between them. “Calm down Maria,” Liz helped. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
Maria let her anger go for a second and looked at Eve suspiciously. “Exactly why are you here?” she asked.
“Well…” Eve said softly. “I was supposed to say that I was feeling guilty and wanted to do the right thing. The truth is that this guy caught me and he didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
“You know, I’m not even going to pretend I’m surprised,” Maria snapped. “You threw a snake in my house, you bitch!”
“I’m sorry,” Eve said guiltily.
“She’s sorry. The world makes sense again,” Maria said. She let out a deep sigh and tried to calm herself down. “Get out,” she said softly.
Maria didn’t have to say that twice and with great speed, Eve made her retreat. “Hmmm,” Liz mumbled. “Guess it wasn’t Michael’s ex after all.”
~~
Across town, Isabel was sitting in a posh office, much larger than her own one, facing a greyhaired man in his fifties who was immaculately dressed in a dark suit. The clothes and the office suited the man well as he eminated a feeling of authority.
"So what do we do?" Isabel asked sharply as she looked directly in the man's eyes.
"Nothing," the man said softly. "You have no proof that mr Ramirez had anything to do with what happened. You heard it from a friend, who in turn heard it from a friend. And even if the man would confess in court himself, it's still his word against that of mr Ramirez."
"So you're saying there's nothing I can do," Isabel deducted. "I'm supposed to do nothing while he does everything in his power to destroy me. Please tell me you're kidding."
"I'm sorry miss James," the man said apologetically. "I've met Jesse Ramirez and it's not very hard for me to believe what you're saying, but there's just no evidence of any involvement on his part. I'm really sorry."
"But there has to be some way to get to him," Isabel said, defeated.
"Not with the information you've given me."
Isabel sighed deeply and took a deep breath. "So what do you recommend I do?"
The man stood up and walked around his desk, leaning on his desk as he looked at Isabel. "Let it go," he said softly. "I know it's not easy, and I know that as your lawyer, I’m supposed to encourage you to fight... but there’s nothing here, so I recommend letting it rest."
Isabel defeatedly hung her head for a few seconds before looking up again. “No,” she said determined. “I’ll just have to find another way to bring him down.” She then stood up and quickly shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for your time.”
And with that, she exited the office.
~~
“Hmmm,” Tess purred. She was sitting on the large guestroom bed in between Kyle’s legs with her back turned to him, thoroughly enjoying the gentle neckrub he was giving her. “A girl could definitely get used to this.”
Kyle smiled awkwardly. He loved Tess, but the mere fact that her body was so close to him combined with the enjoying sounds she was making had made him more than a little excited. Something that wasn’t very welcome in his current position.
Of course, Tess wasn’t an idiot either; she was more than aware that the thing poking against her back wasn’t a flashlight. But considering the fact that they not only were in Liz’ house with Liz and Maria sitting downstairs, but also the fact that they had both just gotten out of the hospital, she knew she couldn’t do what she really wanted to do right about now. She didn’t want to embarrass him either, so she pretended not to notice.
“You know, it was really nice of Liz to let me stay here,” Kyle said, trying to keep his mind off the smooth flesh he was gently kneading.
Tess smiled. “It definitely was… though I probably could have survived without her fifteen minute long no-sex-allowed speech.”
Kyle smiled too. “Yes, that was a bit…”
“Embarrassing? Humiliating?” Tess helped.
“Overprotective,” Kyle finished with a smile. “But I have to admit that the look on your face definitely made it worth it.”
“I wouldn’t jump in the sack with someone who just got out of the hospital…” she said, grinning when she heard Kyle’s stifled laugh. “Okay, maybe I would, but I would feel bad about it.”
“Maybe we should view this as an opportunity,” Kyle suggested. “You know, we can get to know each other better first.”
Tess let out a playful laugh. “You mean like dating?” she asked excitedly. Real dating hadn't exactly been a regular occurrence in her previous relationship.
“Yes," he agreed. "A nice fancy restaurant, some sappy romantic movie that I'll only watch because you want to see it, and then maybe a romantic walk along the beach."
"Sounds good, except we don't have a beach here." She then suddenly turned her head towards Kyle and looked at him questioningly. "What gives you the idea that I'm a sappy romantic movie kind of girl? I could be all about the action... you don't know."
"You write romantic books for a living, not to mention the fact that you love Gilmore Girls, which is one of the sappiest shows currently airing and besides, you don't seriously expect me to take you to Rocky Balboa or something on our first date, do you?"
Tess smiled. "Well, you are an Alias fan."
"And that makes me incapable of romance?" he asked innocently.
"No," Tess firmly denied. "Not incapable, just... less susceptible."
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to show you how romantic I can be… that is, if you’re willing to risk being seen in public with a guy like me?" he asked.
Again, a grin appeared on Tess face. "I’m willing to take the risk.”
“Good. Great,” Kyle said with a smile plastered on his face. “It’s a date.”
TBC
part 39
Thanks for the kind words and all the bumps:
Sternbetrachter
RhondaAnn
nibbles2
tequathisy
BehrObsession
roswell3053
killjoy
Maiqu
I'm glad you all still seem to like this.
Part 39
About two hours later, Tess Harding tiredly stumbled down the stairs before crashing down on the couch opposite to where Liz was sitting, fumbling nervously through a magazine. Tess looked at Liz with interest. Liz was dressed in a beautiful dark green dress and she smelled like the expensive perfume that Tess gave her for Christmas last year. All signs pointed to a romantic night with Max Evans.
“Awake again, I see,” Liz noted as she put the magazine away.
“Yeah,” she said. “Kyle’s still asleep though. I didn’t wanna wake him.”
“He needs his rest, and so do you,” Liz said suggestively.
“I just woke up a few minutes ago… I’m good for now,” Tess said dismissively. “So, I see you’re having plans tonight.”
Liz sighed. “Max convinced me to have dinner with his parents.”
Tess raised her eyebrows. “I thought that you hated them. Why are you having dinner with them?” she asked in a confused tone.
“Did I mention that Max convinced me?” Liz repeated. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m doing a sensible thing here. Maybe me and them should just steer clear of each other.”
“Or course you’re doing the right thing,” Tess said softly. “They’re only looking out for their son and as soon as they realize that you really do care about Max and that you’re not going anywhere, I’m sure they will back off.”
“Maybe,” Liz mumbled. “I’m just afraid that things will escalate, because I don’t think I can handle a lot from them right now.”
“Sure you can,” Tess said comfortingly. “You’ll be nice and understanding and you’ll treat them with respect. And then when you’re home, you can bash your fist through the kitchen door and scream in a pillow,” she added with a smile.
“You know me Tess,” Liz said softly. “You know that’s not what’s gonna happen. It’s not my nature to just sit back and allow myself to be ridiculed and insulted. I’m not like you. I wish I was, but I’m not.”
“Well don’t be,” Tess replied, not even the least bit insulted. “You think it’s fun being a pushover?”
Liz smiled. “You’re not a pushover,” she meekly denied.
“Oh who are you kidding?” Tess said softly with a small smile. “Just look at everything that happened with Peter. If a guy hit you, you’d hit him back or at least dump his ass… and I just let him get away with it.”
Liz sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “But there’s a reason why everyone you meet instantly likes you.”
Tess smiled widely. “Now you’re exaggerating. Not everyone I meet likes me.”
“I beg to differ,” Liz challenged. “Name one person you met the past week from whom you got even the slightest impression that he or she did not like you. Just one.” She let Tess think about that a few seconds before continuing. “Alex likes you, Max likes you, Kyle likes you. Hell, you and the nurses were this close from building a party in the hospital ward. And what kind of impression do you think you left on mom and dad?”
“You really think they liked me?” Tess asked hopefully.
Liz let out a short laugh. “You haven’t listened to a word I just said, did you? I’m sure they’ve already made plans to scrap me from their will in favor of you,” she said, smiling widely. “That last part was a joke,” Liz added when she saw Tess’ uncomfortable look.
“I was there for two minutes. I think that’s a little soon to like somebody,” Tess argued. “They don’t know the first thing about me.”
Liz smiled. “They don’t know you’re a writer, or that you’re a painter. They don’t know what happened with Peter, or what’s going on with Kyle, and they don’t know you’re the only one I know who loves Gilmore Girls as much as I do.” Liz paused for a second. “But you came to see them regardless of what they did to you and you were as nice to them as you are to everyone. Trust me; they know you a lot better than you think.”
Slowly, a small smile appeared on Tess’ lips. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Liz smiled widely. “Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still their favorite daughter.”
“Of course you are,” Tess said with smile, trying to push back the emotional tears that were welling up.
“And don’t you forget it,” Liz said softly before quickly trying to change the subject. “But anyway, I have good news too. We found out who was terrorizing Maria.”
“And… was it Michael’s ex-girlfriend?” Tess asked, grateful for the change of subject.
“No, it was someone from the restaurant that Maria fired for stealing. The girl was angry because she didn’t do it… or so she says… and she decided to take it out on Maria.”
“So who was it?” Tess asked. Being a regular at DeLuca’s, she knew most of the staff there.
“Eve,” Liz said softly.
“No…” Tess said disbelievingly. “I like Eve. Are you absolutely sure she did it?”
“Well, she came here and confessed it, and it would be a really stupid thing to say if it wasn’t true, so I’m thinking yes,” Liz said apologetically. ”I actually feel kind of sorry for the girl… you know, on a very deep layer.”
Tess managed to smile. “Somehow, I gather Maria doesn’t share your feelings.”
“No she doesn’t,” Liz agreed. “But she didn’t kill the girl right here in my living room, so that’s a plus.”
“Yes, that would have been messy,” Tess agreed. “So what is she gonna do?”
“I don’t know, but it’s really Maria’s choice, so I’m trying to stay out of it.” Liz smiled widely. “I must be growing as a person.”
“Yes Liz. I can almost see the halo hovering above your head,” Tess scoffed.
“Tssk… now you’re just making fun of me.”
Tess just smiled for a few seconds before she spoke again. “So how are things with Isabel?”
“I don’t know… but I’m getting worried about her,” Liz confessed. “With everything I’ve heard, Jesse Ramirez sounds like a dangerous person. I really hope that she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“You mean like sneak into his house with a videocamera and tape him doing something illegal?” Tess asked smugly. “Gee, I wonder where she got that from.”
“Hey, that was a completely different situation!” Liz automatically defended. “And if I remember correctly, it was you three who convinced me to do that.”
“Oh… right,” Tess said, realizing that Liz had a point. “But anyway, she wouldn’t do something that stupid, right?”
“If she’s pissed enough… yes she would,” Liz argued. “That’s why I’m concerned.”
~~
With a confident stride, Maria walked towards the large front door and, without hesitation, rang the doorbell. After a few seconds a middleaged woman opened the door, greeting her with a smile. “Ah, good afternoon miss DeLuca.”
Maria smiled back at the woman. “Good afternoon miss Lehane.”
“Joyce… please. I suppose you’re here for Eve,” the woman said in a kind voice. She either had no idea what Eve did or she was really good at pretending.
“I am. Is she home?”
“She is. Please, come in.” She stepped aside, allowing Maria to step inside and guided her to the living room.
Maria smiled again. Joyce was the one who convinced her to hire Eve in the first place. She had given Maria an entire monologue about how Eve deserved a chance and that despite her record, she would be an asset. Maria had finally caved and agreed to give Eve a chance. She had figured that the daughter of someone like this couldn’t be all that bad.
“I’ll go get her. Please, have a seat.” With that, Joyce exited the room and headed upstairs. A short while later, she and Eve stepped into the living room. Eve looked nervous, which Maria could understand. She had definitely not told her mother anything.
“Miss Lehane… Joyce,” Maria corrected herself. “Would you mind if I spoke to Eve in private?”
“Of course not,” Joyce said kindly. “Can I offer you anything to drink?”
“No thank you,” Maria kindly declined. Eve shook her head no and Joyce left the room, and walked upstairs, giving Eve and Maria their privacy.
Eve swallowed. She was happy that Maria didn’t immediately rat her out to her mother, but on the other hand, being this close to Maria without any witnesses was making her very uncomfortable.
It was silent for a few seconds before Maria spoke. “I see you didn’t tell your mother what happened.”
An awkward smile formed on Eve’s face. “How do you tell your mother that you’ve been fired for stealing?”
Maria paused a few more seconds. “I know you didn’t do it,” she finally said, continuing when she saw Eve’s confused look. “I went to the restaurant and paid very close attention to Susan… and I caught her red-handed.”
“So… you believe me now?” Eve asked softly.
“I do, and I guess I owe you an apology,” Maria said seriously.
“An… an apology?” the girl asked softly.
“Well, don’t act so surprised. Just because you never heard me apologize doesn’t mean I’m incapable of doing it,” Maria said. “I shouldn’t have blindly believed Susan when she told me you did it.”
Eve shrugged. “Well, in your defense, she’s the one in charge when you aren’t there. I understand you taking her word over mine… I just don’t understand how you could fire me based on it.”
“I was wrong,” Maria said before continuing in a more stern voice. “However, that doesn’t justify you throwing a brick through my window and letting loose a snake in my house.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Eve said softly. “So… are you giving me my job back?” she added cautiously.
Maria considered it for a few seconds. “I suppose we both made mistakes… so yes. If you want it, you can have your job back. We’ll pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“Oh thank you!” Eve squealed. “So is this a good time to ask for a raise?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
~~
“Alright, we can still bail,” Liz said as she nervously walked towards her impending doom. Having Max right next to her did surprisingly little to calm her nerves.
Max smiled. While he could understand Liz’ nervous behaviour, he couldn’t help but find her nervous behaviour a little endearing. “Relax Liz. It’s just my mother; not the queen of England.”
“Oh, the queen of England doesn’t scare me the way your mother does.“
“Well, you’re not dating the queen’s son,” Max offered. “But don’t worry. She promised to behave and it really doesn’t matter whether she likes you or not.”
“Easy for you to say. She already likes you,” Liz grumbled.
“Well, I’m a lovable guy. ”
“Not helping, Max,” Liz sniped nervously.
“Sorry,” Max offered, unable to wipe the grin from his face, which got him a hard punch against his shoulder. “Come on Liz. I would really like it if you and my parents can be in the same room without killing each other. You don’t have to like each other”
Liz sighed. “Yes yes, I know. I’ll try not to assault her… but I can’t promise anything. I didn’t do very well in the practice rounds at home.”
Max let out a laugh. “Come again?”
“Oh, I practiced with Tess,” Liz explained. “My record of not shouting at her was about three and a half minutes. Tess can be a real bitch when she wants to be.”
“Three and a half minutes, huh?” Max said, shooting Liz a small smile. “Better eat dinner very fast then.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll behave,” Liz said comfortingly as she put her finger on the doorbell. “Last chance to run?”
“Push it” Max said in a fake stern voice.
Grudgingly, Liz pushed the doorbell and a few seconds later, they were greeted by Phillip Evans. “Max, Liz, great that you two could make it. Come in,” he said kindly as he gestured for them enter.
“Hi dad,” Max said.
“Hello mr Evans. It’s nice to meet you again,” Liz greeted.
“Nice to meet you too. Let me take your coat,” Phillip offered, hanging Liz’ coat on some sort of fancy clotheshanger and hanging it on the coatrack. “If you’ll follow me.”
Liz and Max followed Phillip into the living room where Diane was having a drink with Zan and Kara. “Hey Maxie!” Zan greeted with a smile on his face. “Hello Liz,” he added with a grin on his face.
Diane forced a smile on her face. “Max, Liz… good evening. Please, have a seat,” she offered.
Liz moved towards the couch and sat down, but Max was held back by his father for a second as he whispered something in his ear. “I figured Zan and Kara would lighten the mood a little,” he whispered with a smile. Max shot him a smile back and then sat down next to Liz.
“Liz, you look beautiful. I really like that dress,” Kara exclaimed cheerfully.
“Thank you,” Liz replied with a smile. “You look great too. I love those shoes.”
Kara grinned. “Thanks. Zan bought them for me.”
Max smiled. “Well Zan, I didn’t know that you had such a good eye for women’s shoes.”
“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents,” Zan said with a grin. It took a lot more to embarrass him. “Enlighten us all… when was the last time you bought new shoes?”
Max thought for a few seconds. “August,” he finally said.
“Of which year?” Zan pressed, a grin forming on his face when he noticed Max’ uncomfortable look.
Before Max could answer Zan turned to Liz. “I think there’s something you need to know about my little brother.” He paused for a second, trying to find the best way to formulate what he wanted to say. “Well, let’s just say that it’s a good thing that he has a girlfriend again.”
Liz turned to Max and gave him a questioning look. “You don’t like shopping?”
“Oh, it’s not a liking issue,” Zan interrupted, carefully avoiding the deathglares he was getting from Max. “It’s just that Maxie has no sense of fashion at all.”
“Well, he looks fine to me,” Liz defended.
“And how many of those clothes do you think he bought himself?” Zan said with a grin. “I’m sure mom has a few pictures of Max in clothes he picked himself.”
Max sighed. “You know I’m going to kill you, right?” he said with the most fake smile he could muster.
“Just wear those shoes you bought four years ago. That should do the trick,” Zan joked.
“Alright. That’s enough, Zan,” Diane interrupted on her son’s behalf, a small smile forming on her lips as she looked at Max’ severely embarrassed expression.
“Liz, why don’t you tell us something about yourself,” Phillip suggested. “I heard you own a restaurant.”
“I do, it’s called DeLuca’s. Have you ever eaten there?”
Phillip smiled. “Actually, yes I have… it’s a nice place. So where did the name come from?”
“It’s my best friend’s last name. And while I’m technically the owner, we run the restaurant together.”
“And Parker’s was already taken?” Zan asked incredulously. “I’m sorry, but I’m just wondering.”
Liz shrugged. “I like my work, but the restaurant is Maria’s life. It’s really more her baby than mine.”
“That was really nice of you,” Kara said appreciatively. “So how is the business going?”
“Well, we’re making a profit and we have a lot of regulars, so I’d say we’re doing quite well. So what about you? What do you do for a living?” she asked Kara.
“I’m a social worker. And whatever joke is popping in your head, I’m sure I’ve heard it before,” Kara said with a smile.
Liz grinned. “I doubt that.”
“Alright, hit me. I dare you,” Kara challenged.
“Alright… what’s the difference between God and a social worker?”
Kara looked at her questioningly. “Hmmm…can’t say I’ve heard that one before. I wouldn’t know.”
“God doesn’t pretend to be a social worker.”
Almost simultaneously, all the Evans men and women brought their hands to their mouths to keep from laughing out loud. Even Diane seemed to like the joke. “They do the private laughing thing a lot,” Kara explained. “Because if anyone would actually see their lips when they laugh, the world as we know it will cease to exist.”
“Aw honey, don’t listen to that mean woman. I know you don’t think you’re God,” Zan said teasingly.
Kara grinned back. “Come on Zannie. You know as well as I do that I’m the God in our relationship. No need to lie to the family.”
“I’m not surprised about that,” Max commented.
“Hey, I don’t even have to ask who’s wearing the pants in your relationship,” Zan rebutted.
Kara leaned closer to Liz. “Don’t worry. They’re always like this.”
“We are not,” Max and Zan said simultaneously, making both Kara and Liz grin.
“Yes you are,” Diane disagreed. “And on that note… dinner is ready, so I suggest we move this party to the dining room.”
~~
Isabel absentmindedly stared at the window. After her earlier talk with her attorney, she had walked through town for several hours, trying desperately to work out the conflicting feelings she had. She didn’t want to be involved with Jesse Ramirez anymore, but she felt like she had already passed the point of no return. Finally, after several long hours and two very tired legs, she had decided to postpone her decision a few days. There was nothing she could do at this moment anyway and she needed time to get her bearings. Maybe her friends would know what to do.
And then when she had come home and browsed through the paper, her heart sank. There, on page seventeen in the local section was an article that she should have expected, but which surprised her anyway.
Police found the body of twentyfive year old Donald Wilson in a ditch near milemarker 116 of the I-238. Wilson, a twentyfive year old accountant, was shot twice from close range. Police have started an investigation, but so far no arrests have been made.
Isabel put the paper down. So far for giving it some time. This had to stop now.
TBC
Sternbetrachter
RhondaAnn
nibbles2
tequathisy
BehrObsession
roswell3053
killjoy
Maiqu
I'm glad you all still seem to like this.
Part 39
About two hours later, Tess Harding tiredly stumbled down the stairs before crashing down on the couch opposite to where Liz was sitting, fumbling nervously through a magazine. Tess looked at Liz with interest. Liz was dressed in a beautiful dark green dress and she smelled like the expensive perfume that Tess gave her for Christmas last year. All signs pointed to a romantic night with Max Evans.
“Awake again, I see,” Liz noted as she put the magazine away.
“Yeah,” she said. “Kyle’s still asleep though. I didn’t wanna wake him.”
“He needs his rest, and so do you,” Liz said suggestively.
“I just woke up a few minutes ago… I’m good for now,” Tess said dismissively. “So, I see you’re having plans tonight.”
Liz sighed. “Max convinced me to have dinner with his parents.”
Tess raised her eyebrows. “I thought that you hated them. Why are you having dinner with them?” she asked in a confused tone.
“Did I mention that Max convinced me?” Liz repeated. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m doing a sensible thing here. Maybe me and them should just steer clear of each other.”
“Or course you’re doing the right thing,” Tess said softly. “They’re only looking out for their son and as soon as they realize that you really do care about Max and that you’re not going anywhere, I’m sure they will back off.”
“Maybe,” Liz mumbled. “I’m just afraid that things will escalate, because I don’t think I can handle a lot from them right now.”
“Sure you can,” Tess said comfortingly. “You’ll be nice and understanding and you’ll treat them with respect. And then when you’re home, you can bash your fist through the kitchen door and scream in a pillow,” she added with a smile.
“You know me Tess,” Liz said softly. “You know that’s not what’s gonna happen. It’s not my nature to just sit back and allow myself to be ridiculed and insulted. I’m not like you. I wish I was, but I’m not.”
“Well don’t be,” Tess replied, not even the least bit insulted. “You think it’s fun being a pushover?”
Liz smiled. “You’re not a pushover,” she meekly denied.
“Oh who are you kidding?” Tess said softly with a small smile. “Just look at everything that happened with Peter. If a guy hit you, you’d hit him back or at least dump his ass… and I just let him get away with it.”
Liz sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “But there’s a reason why everyone you meet instantly likes you.”
Tess smiled widely. “Now you’re exaggerating. Not everyone I meet likes me.”
“I beg to differ,” Liz challenged. “Name one person you met the past week from whom you got even the slightest impression that he or she did not like you. Just one.” She let Tess think about that a few seconds before continuing. “Alex likes you, Max likes you, Kyle likes you. Hell, you and the nurses were this close from building a party in the hospital ward. And what kind of impression do you think you left on mom and dad?”
“You really think they liked me?” Tess asked hopefully.
Liz let out a short laugh. “You haven’t listened to a word I just said, did you? I’m sure they’ve already made plans to scrap me from their will in favor of you,” she said, smiling widely. “That last part was a joke,” Liz added when she saw Tess’ uncomfortable look.
“I was there for two minutes. I think that’s a little soon to like somebody,” Tess argued. “They don’t know the first thing about me.”
Liz smiled. “They don’t know you’re a writer, or that you’re a painter. They don’t know what happened with Peter, or what’s going on with Kyle, and they don’t know you’re the only one I know who loves Gilmore Girls as much as I do.” Liz paused for a second. “But you came to see them regardless of what they did to you and you were as nice to them as you are to everyone. Trust me; they know you a lot better than you think.”
Slowly, a small smile appeared on Tess’ lips. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Liz smiled widely. “Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still their favorite daughter.”
“Of course you are,” Tess said with smile, trying to push back the emotional tears that were welling up.
“And don’t you forget it,” Liz said softly before quickly trying to change the subject. “But anyway, I have good news too. We found out who was terrorizing Maria.”
“And… was it Michael’s ex-girlfriend?” Tess asked, grateful for the change of subject.
“No, it was someone from the restaurant that Maria fired for stealing. The girl was angry because she didn’t do it… or so she says… and she decided to take it out on Maria.”
“So who was it?” Tess asked. Being a regular at DeLuca’s, she knew most of the staff there.
“Eve,” Liz said softly.
“No…” Tess said disbelievingly. “I like Eve. Are you absolutely sure she did it?”
“Well, she came here and confessed it, and it would be a really stupid thing to say if it wasn’t true, so I’m thinking yes,” Liz said apologetically. ”I actually feel kind of sorry for the girl… you know, on a very deep layer.”
Tess managed to smile. “Somehow, I gather Maria doesn’t share your feelings.”
“No she doesn’t,” Liz agreed. “But she didn’t kill the girl right here in my living room, so that’s a plus.”
“Yes, that would have been messy,” Tess agreed. “So what is she gonna do?”
“I don’t know, but it’s really Maria’s choice, so I’m trying to stay out of it.” Liz smiled widely. “I must be growing as a person.”
“Yes Liz. I can almost see the halo hovering above your head,” Tess scoffed.
“Tssk… now you’re just making fun of me.”
Tess just smiled for a few seconds before she spoke again. “So how are things with Isabel?”
“I don’t know… but I’m getting worried about her,” Liz confessed. “With everything I’ve heard, Jesse Ramirez sounds like a dangerous person. I really hope that she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“You mean like sneak into his house with a videocamera and tape him doing something illegal?” Tess asked smugly. “Gee, I wonder where she got that from.”
“Hey, that was a completely different situation!” Liz automatically defended. “And if I remember correctly, it was you three who convinced me to do that.”
“Oh… right,” Tess said, realizing that Liz had a point. “But anyway, she wouldn’t do something that stupid, right?”
“If she’s pissed enough… yes she would,” Liz argued. “That’s why I’m concerned.”
~~
With a confident stride, Maria walked towards the large front door and, without hesitation, rang the doorbell. After a few seconds a middleaged woman opened the door, greeting her with a smile. “Ah, good afternoon miss DeLuca.”
Maria smiled back at the woman. “Good afternoon miss Lehane.”
“Joyce… please. I suppose you’re here for Eve,” the woman said in a kind voice. She either had no idea what Eve did or she was really good at pretending.
“I am. Is she home?”
“She is. Please, come in.” She stepped aside, allowing Maria to step inside and guided her to the living room.
Maria smiled again. Joyce was the one who convinced her to hire Eve in the first place. She had given Maria an entire monologue about how Eve deserved a chance and that despite her record, she would be an asset. Maria had finally caved and agreed to give Eve a chance. She had figured that the daughter of someone like this couldn’t be all that bad.
“I’ll go get her. Please, have a seat.” With that, Joyce exited the room and headed upstairs. A short while later, she and Eve stepped into the living room. Eve looked nervous, which Maria could understand. She had definitely not told her mother anything.
“Miss Lehane… Joyce,” Maria corrected herself. “Would you mind if I spoke to Eve in private?”
“Of course not,” Joyce said kindly. “Can I offer you anything to drink?”
“No thank you,” Maria kindly declined. Eve shook her head no and Joyce left the room, and walked upstairs, giving Eve and Maria their privacy.
Eve swallowed. She was happy that Maria didn’t immediately rat her out to her mother, but on the other hand, being this close to Maria without any witnesses was making her very uncomfortable.
It was silent for a few seconds before Maria spoke. “I see you didn’t tell your mother what happened.”
An awkward smile formed on Eve’s face. “How do you tell your mother that you’ve been fired for stealing?”
Maria paused a few more seconds. “I know you didn’t do it,” she finally said, continuing when she saw Eve’s confused look. “I went to the restaurant and paid very close attention to Susan… and I caught her red-handed.”
“So… you believe me now?” Eve asked softly.
“I do, and I guess I owe you an apology,” Maria said seriously.
“An… an apology?” the girl asked softly.
“Well, don’t act so surprised. Just because you never heard me apologize doesn’t mean I’m incapable of doing it,” Maria said. “I shouldn’t have blindly believed Susan when she told me you did it.”
Eve shrugged. “Well, in your defense, she’s the one in charge when you aren’t there. I understand you taking her word over mine… I just don’t understand how you could fire me based on it.”
“I was wrong,” Maria said before continuing in a more stern voice. “However, that doesn’t justify you throwing a brick through my window and letting loose a snake in my house.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Eve said softly. “So… are you giving me my job back?” she added cautiously.
Maria considered it for a few seconds. “I suppose we both made mistakes… so yes. If you want it, you can have your job back. We’ll pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“Oh thank you!” Eve squealed. “So is this a good time to ask for a raise?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
~~
“Alright, we can still bail,” Liz said as she nervously walked towards her impending doom. Having Max right next to her did surprisingly little to calm her nerves.
Max smiled. While he could understand Liz’ nervous behaviour, he couldn’t help but find her nervous behaviour a little endearing. “Relax Liz. It’s just my mother; not the queen of England.”
“Oh, the queen of England doesn’t scare me the way your mother does.“
“Well, you’re not dating the queen’s son,” Max offered. “But don’t worry. She promised to behave and it really doesn’t matter whether she likes you or not.”
“Easy for you to say. She already likes you,” Liz grumbled.
“Well, I’m a lovable guy. ”
“Not helping, Max,” Liz sniped nervously.
“Sorry,” Max offered, unable to wipe the grin from his face, which got him a hard punch against his shoulder. “Come on Liz. I would really like it if you and my parents can be in the same room without killing each other. You don’t have to like each other”
Liz sighed. “Yes yes, I know. I’ll try not to assault her… but I can’t promise anything. I didn’t do very well in the practice rounds at home.”
Max let out a laugh. “Come again?”
“Oh, I practiced with Tess,” Liz explained. “My record of not shouting at her was about three and a half minutes. Tess can be a real bitch when she wants to be.”
“Three and a half minutes, huh?” Max said, shooting Liz a small smile. “Better eat dinner very fast then.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll behave,” Liz said comfortingly as she put her finger on the doorbell. “Last chance to run?”
“Push it” Max said in a fake stern voice.
Grudgingly, Liz pushed the doorbell and a few seconds later, they were greeted by Phillip Evans. “Max, Liz, great that you two could make it. Come in,” he said kindly as he gestured for them enter.
“Hi dad,” Max said.
“Hello mr Evans. It’s nice to meet you again,” Liz greeted.
“Nice to meet you too. Let me take your coat,” Phillip offered, hanging Liz’ coat on some sort of fancy clotheshanger and hanging it on the coatrack. “If you’ll follow me.”
Liz and Max followed Phillip into the living room where Diane was having a drink with Zan and Kara. “Hey Maxie!” Zan greeted with a smile on his face. “Hello Liz,” he added with a grin on his face.
Diane forced a smile on her face. “Max, Liz… good evening. Please, have a seat,” she offered.
Liz moved towards the couch and sat down, but Max was held back by his father for a second as he whispered something in his ear. “I figured Zan and Kara would lighten the mood a little,” he whispered with a smile. Max shot him a smile back and then sat down next to Liz.
“Liz, you look beautiful. I really like that dress,” Kara exclaimed cheerfully.
“Thank you,” Liz replied with a smile. “You look great too. I love those shoes.”
Kara grinned. “Thanks. Zan bought them for me.”
Max smiled. “Well Zan, I didn’t know that you had such a good eye for women’s shoes.”
“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents,” Zan said with a grin. It took a lot more to embarrass him. “Enlighten us all… when was the last time you bought new shoes?”
Max thought for a few seconds. “August,” he finally said.
“Of which year?” Zan pressed, a grin forming on his face when he noticed Max’ uncomfortable look.
Before Max could answer Zan turned to Liz. “I think there’s something you need to know about my little brother.” He paused for a second, trying to find the best way to formulate what he wanted to say. “Well, let’s just say that it’s a good thing that he has a girlfriend again.”
Liz turned to Max and gave him a questioning look. “You don’t like shopping?”
“Oh, it’s not a liking issue,” Zan interrupted, carefully avoiding the deathglares he was getting from Max. “It’s just that Maxie has no sense of fashion at all.”
“Well, he looks fine to me,” Liz defended.
“And how many of those clothes do you think he bought himself?” Zan said with a grin. “I’m sure mom has a few pictures of Max in clothes he picked himself.”
Max sighed. “You know I’m going to kill you, right?” he said with the most fake smile he could muster.
“Just wear those shoes you bought four years ago. That should do the trick,” Zan joked.
“Alright. That’s enough, Zan,” Diane interrupted on her son’s behalf, a small smile forming on her lips as she looked at Max’ severely embarrassed expression.
“Liz, why don’t you tell us something about yourself,” Phillip suggested. “I heard you own a restaurant.”
“I do, it’s called DeLuca’s. Have you ever eaten there?”
Phillip smiled. “Actually, yes I have… it’s a nice place. So where did the name come from?”
“It’s my best friend’s last name. And while I’m technically the owner, we run the restaurant together.”
“And Parker’s was already taken?” Zan asked incredulously. “I’m sorry, but I’m just wondering.”
Liz shrugged. “I like my work, but the restaurant is Maria’s life. It’s really more her baby than mine.”
“That was really nice of you,” Kara said appreciatively. “So how is the business going?”
“Well, we’re making a profit and we have a lot of regulars, so I’d say we’re doing quite well. So what about you? What do you do for a living?” she asked Kara.
“I’m a social worker. And whatever joke is popping in your head, I’m sure I’ve heard it before,” Kara said with a smile.
Liz grinned. “I doubt that.”
“Alright, hit me. I dare you,” Kara challenged.
“Alright… what’s the difference between God and a social worker?”
Kara looked at her questioningly. “Hmmm…can’t say I’ve heard that one before. I wouldn’t know.”
“God doesn’t pretend to be a social worker.”
Almost simultaneously, all the Evans men and women brought their hands to their mouths to keep from laughing out loud. Even Diane seemed to like the joke. “They do the private laughing thing a lot,” Kara explained. “Because if anyone would actually see their lips when they laugh, the world as we know it will cease to exist.”
“Aw honey, don’t listen to that mean woman. I know you don’t think you’re God,” Zan said teasingly.
Kara grinned back. “Come on Zannie. You know as well as I do that I’m the God in our relationship. No need to lie to the family.”
“I’m not surprised about that,” Max commented.
“Hey, I don’t even have to ask who’s wearing the pants in your relationship,” Zan rebutted.
Kara leaned closer to Liz. “Don’t worry. They’re always like this.”
“We are not,” Max and Zan said simultaneously, making both Kara and Liz grin.
“Yes you are,” Diane disagreed. “And on that note… dinner is ready, so I suggest we move this party to the dining room.”
~~
Isabel absentmindedly stared at the window. After her earlier talk with her attorney, she had walked through town for several hours, trying desperately to work out the conflicting feelings she had. She didn’t want to be involved with Jesse Ramirez anymore, but she felt like she had already passed the point of no return. Finally, after several long hours and two very tired legs, she had decided to postpone her decision a few days. There was nothing she could do at this moment anyway and she needed time to get her bearings. Maybe her friends would know what to do.
And then when she had come home and browsed through the paper, her heart sank. There, on page seventeen in the local section was an article that she should have expected, but which surprised her anyway.
Police found the body of twentyfive year old Donald Wilson in a ditch near milemarker 116 of the I-238. Wilson, a twentyfive year old accountant, was shot twice from close range. Police have started an investigation, but so far no arrests have been made.
Isabel put the paper down. So far for giving it some time. This had to stop now.
TBC
part 40
Hi everyone. I finally finished a new part.
Everybody, thanks for the bumps. I'm a little strapped for time, so I'm just gonna leave the part.
Have fun.
Part 40
Maria felt better than she had in quite some time now. The whole Brad-bomb was defused so she didn’t have to worry about losing the restaurant, she felt good about the deal she made with Eve, and everything else just seemed to magically slide into place. She was still a little worried about Isabel, but things would work out for the best; she was sure of it. No, the pending apocalypse would just have to wait until tomorrow, because today, everything was good.
Without overthinking it, Maria walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, Michael opened the door. He was dressed in shorts and dirt was smeared all over his outfit. It made Maria smile even wider than she did before. “Well hello mr Burke. Doing a little gardening?”
“Very funny,” Michael grumbled. “I like my backyard not to look like a jungle. I’m not Tarzan, you know.”
“Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t look bad in a loincloth,” Maria said with a grin, painting a mental picture. “No, not bad at all.”
Michael’s eyes opened wide. “Maria, stop picturing me in a loincloth!” he said, trying to sound as serious as possible.
Maria kept grinning. “Sorry, I can’t help it.”
Michael sighed, but couldn’t surpress a smile. “Was there anything in particular you came for?”
“Eve Lehane?”
“What about her?” Michael asked, feigning ignorance. “He had no idea what had happened and he figured playing dumb was a smart thing to do right now.”
“She told me you convinced her to talk to me,” Maria said. “And I just wanted to say thank you. That was a really great thing you did.”
Michael tilted his head and looked at her suspiciously. “So you’re not going to flay me alive for keeping it from you?”
“No,” Maria assured him. “I always kill before I flay.”
“That’s good to know,” Michael said, the smile on his face getting bigger. “So do you want to come in?”
“Sure.”
Maria stepped in and Michael closed the door behind her. “Please have a seat,” he said, pointing at the couch in the living room. “I’ll put on some clean clothes. I’ll be back in a sec.”
As Michael quickly ran upstairs, Maria walked through the room. The place was even more spotless than she remembered from the last time. She gazed through the window and noticed and equally impeccable backyard. She was definitely impressed.
“Impressed?” Michael asked as he walked into the room in a clean set of clothes.
“You read my mind,” Maria confessed. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt really nervous. She gazed towards the backyard again and suddenly smiled again. “So are you this anal about everything?”
“Anal?” Michael asked, tilting his head questioningly. “What happened to being impressed?”
“There’s a vacuum cleaner there,” she said, pointing at the vacuum cleaner right under the window. “Michael, you vacuumed the grass!”
Michael smiled. “Okay, maybe I went a little overboard with that.”
“Just a little.”
“So can I get you a drink?” Michael asked.
Maria turned away from the window. “Just water. Thanks.”
Michael walked to the kitchen and quickly fetched two glasses of water. When he came back into the living room, Maria had taken a seat on the sofa. “So what happened with our little brickthrower-slash-snakecharmer?” he asked as he set the glasses on the table and sat down next to Maria.
“Well, I kind of gave her her job back,” Maria muttered cautiously. “I know, I know, I’m an idiot for doing this, but even though she did all those things, I still felt guilty for wrongfully firing her.”
“You felt guilty?” Michael asked. “You remember the snake, right?”
“Oh I do; believe me, I do,” Maria clarified. “It’s just that I felt kind of bad about firing her when she really didn’t do anything wrong. And… I guess you had a teensy tiny little thing to do with it. I mean, you went through all this trouble to get her out of the hole she was digging for herself and while I suppose I could have just thrown her a shovel, I figured you wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble if you didn’t think there was some reason for doing it, so I suppose…”
“Maria?” Michael softly interrupted.
“I ramble when I’m nervous.”
Michael smiled. “Don’t be nervous. That was a really nice thing you did for her.”
Maria leaned back into the couch. “I’m just glad this whole thing is over. The last weeks have been a little… hectic and dangerous.”
“I hope you’re not talking about our date?” Michael joked.
“No,” Maria said, looking right into Michael’s eyes. “That part was okay.”
“Okay?” Michael queried. “Not awesome?”
“Well, the ending was a little abrupt, but I gotta admit you looked hot cooking… I really just said that, didn’t I?”
Michael’s smile got bigger. “Yes you did. And you looked hot watching me cook.”
“I did?” Maria asked slyly, a grin appearing on her face.
“I swear. A little hotter and I would have had to use the fire extinguisher. It’s kind of good that you didn’t, because that would have put a damper on the evening.”
“Michael?” Maria softly asked as she fumbling her hands nervously, her voice suddenly dead serious. “Why are you wasting your time with someone like me?”
“You’re kidding?” Michael asked. She wasn’t. “Maria, you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re smart, funny, kind, beautiful and basically just a halo away from being an angel. To tell you the truth, I’m still trying to figure out why you’re even remotely interested in me. You are not a waste of time. Why on Earth would you think that?”
“Experience I guess,” Maria muttered. “I’ve been on dates, but I’ve only made it to a second date once. That’s gotta mean something.”
“It means that you dated a bunch of idiots. Besides that, it means nothing.”
“You’re not at all what I expected when I first met you,” Maria said softly.
“You mean when you slammed a wheelchair against my leg and then shouted at me like it was my fault?” Michael queried.
“If I remember correctly, you asked for my number ten seconds later,” Maria remembered.
“What can I say; you definitely made an impression.”
Maria took a deep breath. She couldn’t stop herself anymore and quickly reached forward and kissed him passionately. The seemed to last forever and it took Michael several seconds to mutter a response. “You definitely know how to make an impression.”
Maria smiled and leaned forward again.
~~
Tess and Kyle were slumped on the couch watching television. There were drinks on the table along with some various sorts of food that Maria had made before she left. The both of them had bored looks on their faces though.
“I have never seen such crap in my entire life, and that includes the infamous 2002 Idols finals,” Tess complained. “I mean, I’m really trying hard to think of anything positive to say about this junk, but I can’t think of anything.”
Kyle smiled. “Well… the lighting is good.”
Tess looked at Kyle and smiled too. “Yes, the lighting is good. I’ll give it that.”
“And here I thought all women liked soaps, like it’s a genetical fault or something.”
“Well, I don’t… and you’re not seriously saying that you’re actually enjoying this junk, even when you consider the great lighting?”
“No,” Kyle replied. “I really don’t.”
“Then why have we been watching it for the past fifteen minutes?” Tess asked.
“There isn’t anything else on TV.”
“Well… I’d let you watch Alias if we had it here, but Liz’ DVD collection is very limited.“
“Anything is better than this. Pop a DVD in,” Kyle offered.
Tess smiled. “I don’t think you realize exactly how limited this collection is.”
“Pick anything,” Kyle offered.
Tess smirked. “Okay,” she agreed before carefully making her way to the cabinet. When she opened it, she and Kyle were greeted by a myriad of large dvd boxsets.
“I thought you said her collection was limited?” Kyle asked.
Tess tried hard not to laugh. “Look again.”
Kyle looked at the boxsets again. Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Dawson’s Creek again, Dawson’s Creek a third time, Gilmore Girls again. Kyle looked back at Tess. “You can’t be serious. I thought Liz was cooler than that.”
Tess crossed her arms and pretended to look at Kyle sternly. “Excuse me?”
“Well uh… I meant… ” Kyle stammered.
“Yes?”
“Dawson’s Creek?” Kyle asked, cringing his nose. “Gilmore Girls I can understand. On some level, one can consider it funny… but Dawson’s Creek?!”
“It’s the dark side of Liz,” Tess said. “Remember how I said her collection was limited?”
“I do.” Kyle looked at the television, which was still playing some obscure soap series and sighed. “Well, if you want to, you can watch Gilmore Girls. Anything is better than this crap.”
Tess just smiled.
“And you just manipulated me into offering this from the second you mentioned Liz’ DVD collection, didn’t you?” Kyle asked in sudden realization.
Tess’ smile grew wider.
“Fine, you win. There aren’t any alternatives anyway,” he relented.
“Ah, the sweet smell of victory,” Tess said as she popped a DVD out of one of the cases and inserted it into the DVD player before sitting down next to Kyle. “I think I’m going to like having you around.”
“Good to know,” Kyle said before he leaned in and softly kissed her. Right at that moment, they heard the front door slam shut and out of pure reflex, they jerked away from each other and looked at Isabel who was barging into the front room.
“Hey,” Isabel greeted. “Are Liz and Maria in too?”
“Hi to you too Isabel… and no, they’re not,” Tess answered. “Liz is having dinner with Max and his parents, and Maria said she was going by Michael’s place for a second to thank him. She said she’d be back in half an hour… and that was three hours ago.”
“She thanked him alright,” Kyle snickered, quickly shutting up when he noticed Isabel’s annoyed expression.
This expression also didn’t go unnoticed to Tess. “What’s going on Iz?” she asked, concern apparent in her voice.
Isabel didn’t answer, but instead handed Tess the paper she was holding. Tess glanced over the paper and looked up at Isabel with a shocked expression. “What?! Don’t tell me… right?” she stammered.
“Yes, he… I can’t believe this,” Isabel answered.
Kyle shot the two girls an annoyed expression. “Is this some sort of code language, because I can just limp to the kitchen and give you some privacy?”
“Would you?” Isabel asked, her expression not betraying whether she was kidding or serious.
“No, he wouldn’t!” Tess said sternly before he could answer and handed him the paper, so he could see for himself.
“What the hell am I gonna do?” Isabel shrieked loudly.
“Well, first of all, you’re not gonna panic,” Tess said, trying to sound as calm as possible.
“Not gonna panic? Seriously, that’s your plan?! Didn’t you read what that son of a bitch did?” Isabel shouted.
“We don’t even know it was him. It could just as easily be Liz’ ex-husband,” Tess offered. “Now please sit down and we’ll discuss our options.”
“Uh, I understand that interrupting this conversation is a very dangerous thing to do, but you’re not saying that you know who did this, are you?” Kyle asked, holding the paper up and pointing at the article in question.
“We have our suspicions,” Tess admitted.
“Based on what?” Kyle pressed.
“Based on the fact that he visited Liz a few days ago because he needed her help to get out of the massive amount of trouble he was in.”
“Which, by the way, was his own damn fault,” Isabel added.
“Well, you’re going to have to go to the police with this.” It wasn’t a suggestion, Kyle’s expression and tone of voice made that abundantly clear.
“Uh honey…” Tess started, putting up an apologetic smile, “Don’t get this the wrong way, but please stay out of this.”
“Tess!” Kyle said indignantly. “If you have information on a crime, especially something as serious as murder, you are legally obligated to tell the police about it.”
“Good thinking Valenti,” Isabel scoffed. “And when one of Jesse’s guys at the precinct tells him about our statement and he sends a hitman to take us out, I’ll be sure to mention that we were legally obligated. I’m sure all will be forgiven then.”
“Look, I’m starting to know how the four of you think, and you cannot go after him yourself. If nothing else, that article should tell you that whoever is behind this is very very dangerous.”
“Kyle,” Isabel started. “No offence to you, but the Roswell police is deeply incompetent. Just look at what happened to Maria… hell, look at what happened to the two of you!”
“I’m not saying that we’re perfect…” Kyle started.
“I believe ‘incompetent’ covered that. Now stay out of it!” Isabel sniped before turning around and walking out of the room.
“I’m sorry,” Tess softly apologized before following Isabel into the dining room where she found Isabel sitting down on one of the dining room chairs.
“You know, he’s just trying to help,” Tess offered as she sat down at the table too.
“I’m sure he means well, but he’s a cop. He’s programmed into thinking a certain way.”
Tess smiled. “You do know how ridiculous you sound right now, right?”
Isabel sighed. “I do, but I’m not going to the police and if he keeps insisting, I’ll beat him to death with the tv guide.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill my boyfriend,” Tess said calmly. “And I know you don’t wanna hear it, but maybe he does have a point. What else can we do but go to the police?”
“Well, I was sort of thinking,” Isabel started. “We need some sort of dirt on Jesse and we know someone who might have it.”
“If the name of that person rhymes with ‘mad’ and ‘sad’, then it’s safe to say you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Tess insisted.
“Barking up what tree?” a voice sounded from the doorway. Tess and Isabel looked over there, seeing Liz standing there.
“Thank God you’re here,” Isabel said.
“Well, if someone hadn’t cut me off in Park Street, making my car swerve off the road and straight into mrs Abicott’s rose garden, I would have been home minutes ago,” Liz said, giving Isabel a look that left little to the imagination.
Isabel, in turn, smiled sheepishly. “That was you? Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. My car is fine and mrs Abicott is sending you a bill,” Liz said with a small smirk. “Now what’s the big emergency? I saw Kyle in the living room and he didn’t look happy.”
“Well… do you remember Don?” Isabel asked hesitantly.
“Daterape boy? Yes, it rings a bell.”
“He’s dead,” Tess said softly. “And I think it’s pretty obvious who did it.”
“I don’t wanna make things complicated here… but he could have committed suicide,” Liz offered. “Last time he was here, that particular option didn’t seem that much of a stretch.”
“Suicide?” Isabel said, raising her eyebrows. “So he shot himself, got rid of the gun and then lied down in a ditch?”
“No, he got rid of the gun, then lied down in the ditch, then… alright, you have a point,” Liz admitted. If she didn’t know better, Tess would swear she could actually see Liz blush in shame.
“We were just wondering what to do,” Isabel said. “Kyle seems to have a very strong opinion on the subject. Apparently, being almost killed twice wasn’t enough to diminish his faith in Roswell’s finest.”
“Well… Kyle has a point,” Liz said cautiously, quickly continuing as she saw Isabel’s shocked expression. “Isabel, it’s murder! What else can we do?”
“Well, I was thinking you could visit Brad. He must have something on Jesse,” Isabel suggested.
Liz took a second to sit down at the table as well. “Isabel, what makes you think that Brad is going to help us? He hates me. He’s not going to help me.”
“He would if you offered him money,” Isabel insisted.
“Excuse me?”
“Money,” Isabel repeated. “You got tens of millions from him. He must be dying to get some of it back.”
“Isabel, stop,” Liz said sternly. “Brad is not going to help us. If we go to him, he will try to screw us over just to get even. Besides, you don’t even know that he has anything on Jesse in the first place.”
“Liz, we can’t go to the police,” Isabel said desperately. “Jesse knows people everywhere. If we set foot in that place, he’s gonna know. And that would be bad. You know, bad, like Ben Affleck in Armageddon.”
“You could have stopped at Ben Affleck,” Tess muttered inaudibly.
“I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” Liz said before getting more serious. “I’m sorry Isabel, but I’m going to the police whether you like it or not.”
TBC
Everybody, thanks for the bumps. I'm a little strapped for time, so I'm just gonna leave the part.
Have fun.
Part 40
Maria felt better than she had in quite some time now. The whole Brad-bomb was defused so she didn’t have to worry about losing the restaurant, she felt good about the deal she made with Eve, and everything else just seemed to magically slide into place. She was still a little worried about Isabel, but things would work out for the best; she was sure of it. No, the pending apocalypse would just have to wait until tomorrow, because today, everything was good.
Without overthinking it, Maria walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, Michael opened the door. He was dressed in shorts and dirt was smeared all over his outfit. It made Maria smile even wider than she did before. “Well hello mr Burke. Doing a little gardening?”
“Very funny,” Michael grumbled. “I like my backyard not to look like a jungle. I’m not Tarzan, you know.”
“Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t look bad in a loincloth,” Maria said with a grin, painting a mental picture. “No, not bad at all.”
Michael’s eyes opened wide. “Maria, stop picturing me in a loincloth!” he said, trying to sound as serious as possible.
Maria kept grinning. “Sorry, I can’t help it.”
Michael sighed, but couldn’t surpress a smile. “Was there anything in particular you came for?”
“Eve Lehane?”
“What about her?” Michael asked, feigning ignorance. “He had no idea what had happened and he figured playing dumb was a smart thing to do right now.”
“She told me you convinced her to talk to me,” Maria said. “And I just wanted to say thank you. That was a really great thing you did.”
Michael tilted his head and looked at her suspiciously. “So you’re not going to flay me alive for keeping it from you?”
“No,” Maria assured him. “I always kill before I flay.”
“That’s good to know,” Michael said, the smile on his face getting bigger. “So do you want to come in?”
“Sure.”
Maria stepped in and Michael closed the door behind her. “Please have a seat,” he said, pointing at the couch in the living room. “I’ll put on some clean clothes. I’ll be back in a sec.”
As Michael quickly ran upstairs, Maria walked through the room. The place was even more spotless than she remembered from the last time. She gazed through the window and noticed and equally impeccable backyard. She was definitely impressed.
“Impressed?” Michael asked as he walked into the room in a clean set of clothes.
“You read my mind,” Maria confessed. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt really nervous. She gazed towards the backyard again and suddenly smiled again. “So are you this anal about everything?”
“Anal?” Michael asked, tilting his head questioningly. “What happened to being impressed?”
“There’s a vacuum cleaner there,” she said, pointing at the vacuum cleaner right under the window. “Michael, you vacuumed the grass!”
Michael smiled. “Okay, maybe I went a little overboard with that.”
“Just a little.”
“So can I get you a drink?” Michael asked.
Maria turned away from the window. “Just water. Thanks.”
Michael walked to the kitchen and quickly fetched two glasses of water. When he came back into the living room, Maria had taken a seat on the sofa. “So what happened with our little brickthrower-slash-snakecharmer?” he asked as he set the glasses on the table and sat down next to Maria.
“Well, I kind of gave her her job back,” Maria muttered cautiously. “I know, I know, I’m an idiot for doing this, but even though she did all those things, I still felt guilty for wrongfully firing her.”
“You felt guilty?” Michael asked. “You remember the snake, right?”
“Oh I do; believe me, I do,” Maria clarified. “It’s just that I felt kind of bad about firing her when she really didn’t do anything wrong. And… I guess you had a teensy tiny little thing to do with it. I mean, you went through all this trouble to get her out of the hole she was digging for herself and while I suppose I could have just thrown her a shovel, I figured you wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble if you didn’t think there was some reason for doing it, so I suppose…”
“Maria?” Michael softly interrupted.
“I ramble when I’m nervous.”
Michael smiled. “Don’t be nervous. That was a really nice thing you did for her.”
Maria leaned back into the couch. “I’m just glad this whole thing is over. The last weeks have been a little… hectic and dangerous.”
“I hope you’re not talking about our date?” Michael joked.
“No,” Maria said, looking right into Michael’s eyes. “That part was okay.”
“Okay?” Michael queried. “Not awesome?”
“Well, the ending was a little abrupt, but I gotta admit you looked hot cooking… I really just said that, didn’t I?”
Michael’s smile got bigger. “Yes you did. And you looked hot watching me cook.”
“I did?” Maria asked slyly, a grin appearing on her face.
“I swear. A little hotter and I would have had to use the fire extinguisher. It’s kind of good that you didn’t, because that would have put a damper on the evening.”
“Michael?” Maria softly asked as she fumbling her hands nervously, her voice suddenly dead serious. “Why are you wasting your time with someone like me?”
“You’re kidding?” Michael asked. She wasn’t. “Maria, you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re smart, funny, kind, beautiful and basically just a halo away from being an angel. To tell you the truth, I’m still trying to figure out why you’re even remotely interested in me. You are not a waste of time. Why on Earth would you think that?”
“Experience I guess,” Maria muttered. “I’ve been on dates, but I’ve only made it to a second date once. That’s gotta mean something.”
“It means that you dated a bunch of idiots. Besides that, it means nothing.”
“You’re not at all what I expected when I first met you,” Maria said softly.
“You mean when you slammed a wheelchair against my leg and then shouted at me like it was my fault?” Michael queried.
“If I remember correctly, you asked for my number ten seconds later,” Maria remembered.
“What can I say; you definitely made an impression.”
Maria took a deep breath. She couldn’t stop herself anymore and quickly reached forward and kissed him passionately. The seemed to last forever and it took Michael several seconds to mutter a response. “You definitely know how to make an impression.”
Maria smiled and leaned forward again.
~~
Tess and Kyle were slumped on the couch watching television. There were drinks on the table along with some various sorts of food that Maria had made before she left. The both of them had bored looks on their faces though.
“I have never seen such crap in my entire life, and that includes the infamous 2002 Idols finals,” Tess complained. “I mean, I’m really trying hard to think of anything positive to say about this junk, but I can’t think of anything.”
Kyle smiled. “Well… the lighting is good.”
Tess looked at Kyle and smiled too. “Yes, the lighting is good. I’ll give it that.”
“And here I thought all women liked soaps, like it’s a genetical fault or something.”
“Well, I don’t… and you’re not seriously saying that you’re actually enjoying this junk, even when you consider the great lighting?”
“No,” Kyle replied. “I really don’t.”
“Then why have we been watching it for the past fifteen minutes?” Tess asked.
“There isn’t anything else on TV.”
“Well… I’d let you watch Alias if we had it here, but Liz’ DVD collection is very limited.“
“Anything is better than this. Pop a DVD in,” Kyle offered.
Tess smiled. “I don’t think you realize exactly how limited this collection is.”
“Pick anything,” Kyle offered.
Tess smirked. “Okay,” she agreed before carefully making her way to the cabinet. When she opened it, she and Kyle were greeted by a myriad of large dvd boxsets.
“I thought you said her collection was limited?” Kyle asked.
Tess tried hard not to laugh. “Look again.”
Kyle looked at the boxsets again. Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Dawson’s Creek again, Dawson’s Creek a third time, Gilmore Girls again. Kyle looked back at Tess. “You can’t be serious. I thought Liz was cooler than that.”
Tess crossed her arms and pretended to look at Kyle sternly. “Excuse me?”
“Well uh… I meant… ” Kyle stammered.
“Yes?”
“Dawson’s Creek?” Kyle asked, cringing his nose. “Gilmore Girls I can understand. On some level, one can consider it funny… but Dawson’s Creek?!”
“It’s the dark side of Liz,” Tess said. “Remember how I said her collection was limited?”
“I do.” Kyle looked at the television, which was still playing some obscure soap series and sighed. “Well, if you want to, you can watch Gilmore Girls. Anything is better than this crap.”
Tess just smiled.
“And you just manipulated me into offering this from the second you mentioned Liz’ DVD collection, didn’t you?” Kyle asked in sudden realization.
Tess’ smile grew wider.
“Fine, you win. There aren’t any alternatives anyway,” he relented.
“Ah, the sweet smell of victory,” Tess said as she popped a DVD out of one of the cases and inserted it into the DVD player before sitting down next to Kyle. “I think I’m going to like having you around.”
“Good to know,” Kyle said before he leaned in and softly kissed her. Right at that moment, they heard the front door slam shut and out of pure reflex, they jerked away from each other and looked at Isabel who was barging into the front room.
“Hey,” Isabel greeted. “Are Liz and Maria in too?”
“Hi to you too Isabel… and no, they’re not,” Tess answered. “Liz is having dinner with Max and his parents, and Maria said she was going by Michael’s place for a second to thank him. She said she’d be back in half an hour… and that was three hours ago.”
“She thanked him alright,” Kyle snickered, quickly shutting up when he noticed Isabel’s annoyed expression.
This expression also didn’t go unnoticed to Tess. “What’s going on Iz?” she asked, concern apparent in her voice.
Isabel didn’t answer, but instead handed Tess the paper she was holding. Tess glanced over the paper and looked up at Isabel with a shocked expression. “What?! Don’t tell me… right?” she stammered.
“Yes, he… I can’t believe this,” Isabel answered.
Kyle shot the two girls an annoyed expression. “Is this some sort of code language, because I can just limp to the kitchen and give you some privacy?”
“Would you?” Isabel asked, her expression not betraying whether she was kidding or serious.
“No, he wouldn’t!” Tess said sternly before he could answer and handed him the paper, so he could see for himself.
“What the hell am I gonna do?” Isabel shrieked loudly.
“Well, first of all, you’re not gonna panic,” Tess said, trying to sound as calm as possible.
“Not gonna panic? Seriously, that’s your plan?! Didn’t you read what that son of a bitch did?” Isabel shouted.
“We don’t even know it was him. It could just as easily be Liz’ ex-husband,” Tess offered. “Now please sit down and we’ll discuss our options.”
“Uh, I understand that interrupting this conversation is a very dangerous thing to do, but you’re not saying that you know who did this, are you?” Kyle asked, holding the paper up and pointing at the article in question.
“We have our suspicions,” Tess admitted.
“Based on what?” Kyle pressed.
“Based on the fact that he visited Liz a few days ago because he needed her help to get out of the massive amount of trouble he was in.”
“Which, by the way, was his own damn fault,” Isabel added.
“Well, you’re going to have to go to the police with this.” It wasn’t a suggestion, Kyle’s expression and tone of voice made that abundantly clear.
“Uh honey…” Tess started, putting up an apologetic smile, “Don’t get this the wrong way, but please stay out of this.”
“Tess!” Kyle said indignantly. “If you have information on a crime, especially something as serious as murder, you are legally obligated to tell the police about it.”
“Good thinking Valenti,” Isabel scoffed. “And when one of Jesse’s guys at the precinct tells him about our statement and he sends a hitman to take us out, I’ll be sure to mention that we were legally obligated. I’m sure all will be forgiven then.”
“Look, I’m starting to know how the four of you think, and you cannot go after him yourself. If nothing else, that article should tell you that whoever is behind this is very very dangerous.”
“Kyle,” Isabel started. “No offence to you, but the Roswell police is deeply incompetent. Just look at what happened to Maria… hell, look at what happened to the two of you!”
“I’m not saying that we’re perfect…” Kyle started.
“I believe ‘incompetent’ covered that. Now stay out of it!” Isabel sniped before turning around and walking out of the room.
“I’m sorry,” Tess softly apologized before following Isabel into the dining room where she found Isabel sitting down on one of the dining room chairs.
“You know, he’s just trying to help,” Tess offered as she sat down at the table too.
“I’m sure he means well, but he’s a cop. He’s programmed into thinking a certain way.”
Tess smiled. “You do know how ridiculous you sound right now, right?”
Isabel sighed. “I do, but I’m not going to the police and if he keeps insisting, I’ll beat him to death with the tv guide.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill my boyfriend,” Tess said calmly. “And I know you don’t wanna hear it, but maybe he does have a point. What else can we do but go to the police?”
“Well, I was sort of thinking,” Isabel started. “We need some sort of dirt on Jesse and we know someone who might have it.”
“If the name of that person rhymes with ‘mad’ and ‘sad’, then it’s safe to say you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Tess insisted.
“Barking up what tree?” a voice sounded from the doorway. Tess and Isabel looked over there, seeing Liz standing there.
“Thank God you’re here,” Isabel said.
“Well, if someone hadn’t cut me off in Park Street, making my car swerve off the road and straight into mrs Abicott’s rose garden, I would have been home minutes ago,” Liz said, giving Isabel a look that left little to the imagination.
Isabel, in turn, smiled sheepishly. “That was you? Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. My car is fine and mrs Abicott is sending you a bill,” Liz said with a small smirk. “Now what’s the big emergency? I saw Kyle in the living room and he didn’t look happy.”
“Well… do you remember Don?” Isabel asked hesitantly.
“Daterape boy? Yes, it rings a bell.”
“He’s dead,” Tess said softly. “And I think it’s pretty obvious who did it.”
“I don’t wanna make things complicated here… but he could have committed suicide,” Liz offered. “Last time he was here, that particular option didn’t seem that much of a stretch.”
“Suicide?” Isabel said, raising her eyebrows. “So he shot himself, got rid of the gun and then lied down in a ditch?”
“No, he got rid of the gun, then lied down in the ditch, then… alright, you have a point,” Liz admitted. If she didn’t know better, Tess would swear she could actually see Liz blush in shame.
“We were just wondering what to do,” Isabel said. “Kyle seems to have a very strong opinion on the subject. Apparently, being almost killed twice wasn’t enough to diminish his faith in Roswell’s finest.”
“Well… Kyle has a point,” Liz said cautiously, quickly continuing as she saw Isabel’s shocked expression. “Isabel, it’s murder! What else can we do?”
“Well, I was thinking you could visit Brad. He must have something on Jesse,” Isabel suggested.
Liz took a second to sit down at the table as well. “Isabel, what makes you think that Brad is going to help us? He hates me. He’s not going to help me.”
“He would if you offered him money,” Isabel insisted.
“Excuse me?”
“Money,” Isabel repeated. “You got tens of millions from him. He must be dying to get some of it back.”
“Isabel, stop,” Liz said sternly. “Brad is not going to help us. If we go to him, he will try to screw us over just to get even. Besides, you don’t even know that he has anything on Jesse in the first place.”
“Liz, we can’t go to the police,” Isabel said desperately. “Jesse knows people everywhere. If we set foot in that place, he’s gonna know. And that would be bad. You know, bad, like Ben Affleck in Armageddon.”
“You could have stopped at Ben Affleck,” Tess muttered inaudibly.
“I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” Liz said before getting more serious. “I’m sorry Isabel, but I’m going to the police whether you like it or not.”
TBC
Last edited by Drogyn on Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.