Disclaimer: I do not own the characters created by All My Children only my creations. Nor do I own any of the music that may be used.
Year Two:
Déjà vu
First Month:
"Why are you yelling at me?" Tad asks raising his own voice.
"I don't think we should continually dig into Adam. He is going through enough because of that woman. Sooner or later, he is going to fight back." She paces.
"So, just because he apologized for the past doesn't mean he's changed. What does it matter?" He sits down on the couch. Krystal faces off with him.
"It matters because, whether you like it or not, he's family. And I care about what happens to him." He leans back getting angry.
"Tell me something I
don't know. If you cared as much about or family as you do
his."
"Look who's talking. How often in the day do you talk
to Dixie?"
"Dixie and I share a child. We have to talk. When
you sneak out of here, leaving Jenny with Colby or Babe, where do you
go? To console Adam?"
"You mean the way I did you? No, I
don't. I know that I haven't been able to completely free myself
from Adam, but if you don't trust me…" Tad stands up.
"I trust you as much as you do me. And from what we've said that's not much."
"Fine." They stand in silence for a while accepting what is happening.
"You can have the house; I'll call Livia in the morning." Tad says with calm then walks upstairs to pack a bag for him and Kate.
JR drops his book on the table and leans back with his eyes closed. He tries to still his mind from everything that has been happening with his family. He knows, as Babe does, that Tad and Krystal's strained relationship is going to break with the weight of Dixie's reappearance. Then there is Colby who has been distant from him for a while. Then Adam. Little A jumps up and lands on him. "Aargh." JR grabs him before he can get away.
"Dad." He laughs. JR lets him go.
"How was your day at
school?" JR asks him. Little A pulls a letter out of his backpack
and hands it to him. JR reads the disciplinary note. "Little
A…"
"Can I be called something else? I'm ten, almost
eleven."
"You talked back to
the principal."
"Yes, he was wrong."
"But you're not
supposed to do it. They are in charge."
"So, you…"
"I
am not the best example. Your Uncle Stuart should be your role
model. I'm trying to change."
"You put down Grandpa Adam
all the time. You tell him all the stuff he's done wrong. Can I
not be that honest?" JR doesn't know how to answer that. He
didn't realize that Little A heard all of that. He has forgotten
his own upbringing. I have been kind of hard on Dad lately, since he
lost my brothers. He turns back to his son, who is growing up so
fast.
"You are right; you're getting to be a young man. What would you rather go by?" He is caught off guard and stutters a little.
"Um, AC. A couple of my friends call me that now." Babe comes home.
"Our son wants to be called AC." He says as she puts her stuff down.
"Like Saved by the Bell?" AC looks confused.
"I'm thinking Adam Chandler." Babe nods.
"Ok. But forgive me for forgetting at times." AC nods and runs off before JR hands her the note from school.
Haley pulls the cover off the couch in Wildwinds parlor. So many memories on this estate. Mateo walks up behind her interrupting the journey. "She said we could change what we want to." He looks around. Haley smiles.
"It is just strange
to be here after all that has happened in our life together."
"I
know. Are you sure you want to be this close to your father again?"
She laughs.
"Yes, especially
right now. I can't believe I misjudged Liza so badly. I really
thought…she seemed so happy with him."
"Maybe it will all
work out. I hate to say it but what if something happened, like with
Maria." Haley turns to look him in the eye.
"Great, I can tell my dad, 'hey look on the Brightside maybe they are hurt or dead instead of just leaving you'."
"I meant maybe you didn't misread her." He walks upstairs.
"Maybe Colby knows something." She grabs her purse and leaves.
Colby opens the door to the nursery, where she has been finding Adam since he came back. Adam is sitting against the wall staring into space. "Dad." Her voice cracks. Last time, he yelled at her. "Dad." She says more clearly. He doesn't move so she comes in and sits next to him.
"This was your room.
Liza paced a trail to your crib. She hated you being in another
room. I would get her to sleep then spend time with you myself. She
caught me a few times. The love in her eyes when she looked at you
was so beautiful. So beautiful." Colby takes his hand. He takes a
drink from the bottle she couldn't see before. He knocks the empty
bottle over and stands up. She braces herself. "I loved her. I
fell in love with her. We have children. How could she just leave?
Why? I gave her everything. Everything she wanted. I gave her
custody. I gave her space. I trusted her. I thought I was bringing
her closer to us. Was she just playing me like JR keeps saying? Am
I really that weak? That blind? I'm Adam Chandler, when did
people stop fearing me?"
"Dad, what about their pediatrician?
Surely, she had the twins records transferred." Colby says as she
stands up.
"She has custody." He laughs. "I have no rights. None." They hear the doorbell and Colby hopes it is not JR. He has only made this worse. Adam starts to mumble to himself. Healey comes in and waves Colby over. They close the door behind them.
"He's not good."
"I know. Colby, do you know how to get a hold of Liza?" Colby is caught off guard.
"No, no. She
moved."
"But she has friends there right. She keeps in touch
with them?"
"Probably."
"I need a number, any number."
She can see Colby getting suspicious. "Mia needs her, its
important."
"Is she ok?"
"Yes, but…I need a number."
Colby struggles for a moment.
"555-9562. It's a bar, ask for George." Haley nods and begins dialing as she walks downstairs. She gets in her car when someone picks up.
"George's
Bar."
"Yes, I need to speak with George."
"he's in
the back, can I help you?"
"No, I really need to speak with
him."
"What is it about?"
"Liza…" Before she can finish, the lady interrupts.
"Hold on." The background noise drops considerably.
"This is
George."
"Hi, you don't know me. My name is Haley
Santos."
"Liza's step-daughter, former."
"Yes. Where
is she? No. Is she alright? If she left my father, that's one
thing but…"
"She didn't leave him. Mistakes have been
made regarding your father but he can't contact her right now.
Don't call again." He hangs up. Haley is even more confused.
Liza watches as the heavy rain fall begins washing the blood off her hands. She is drenched kneeling in the mud. The knife that fell from her grip lies next to her. "Is it over?" She whispers. Her words unheard over the thunder. A hand lifts up her chin. Sarah kneels in the mud with her, just as drenched, with blood staining her own hands.
"Come on." Sarah yells and pulls her up with Lilly's help.
"Adam!" She yells waking up. Bobby takes her hand.
"It's over. It's done." He hugs her.
"Adam."
"I can
drive you."
"No." Sarah says coming in. "She needs to
stay a little longer." Liza looks to Bobby.
"Can you go? He's
met you and I don't want to talk over the phone. He deserves a
face to face. Please, just tell him I didn't run away again. I
told him he could be there."
"Yes, don't worry." Liza
relaxes a little. Adam will understand. Everything will be fine,
she tells herself over and over until she falls back asleep. Sarah
brings the boys to her for their feeding then stays with them
overnight.
Adam wakes to the
bright sunlight coming in the nursery windows. His phone begins
vibrating. He has been carrying it everywhere, hoping. Only when it
begins ringing does he realize it's the baby phone. He doesn't
even look at the number. "Liza? Liza, is it you?"
"No,
it's Bobby. Liza's brother-in-law. Listen, I need you to meet
me at the penthouse."
"I'll leave now." Adam quickly
changes and runs to his car. His mind goes over tons of scenarios
and fears. Mainly, why is Bobby contacting him? Where's Liza?
The boys? Has something happened? Or is he just delivering a
message? The penthouse is blasting music 'When a Man Loves a
Woman'. He knocks but there is no answer. So, he looks for his
key and opens the door. There is no on in there, then he hears
someone in the bedroom. Bobby is packing up some of Liza's
clothes. "Where is Liza?" Adam yells. Bobby reaches over and
turns down the music.
"Sorry, I didn't
expect you so soon."
"Where is Liza? Where are our
sons?"
"Ok, there are with us. I don't know how much she
wanted me to tell you so. Some things happened and frankly none of us
thought to inform you. Don't blame Liza for that. They are fine
and she plans to call you but she is a little out of it at the
moment."
"Where is she?" Bobby walks to the living room and they sit down.
"Well, you left and
we came to see the new babies but while we were here she got some bad
news. So, we helped her back home. Liza thought she would be back
within a couple of days."
"She wasn't." He says angrily.
"No, everything kind of went bad. She had to hide herself and the boys. That is why you weren't contacted. We didn't want anyone else in danger." Now Adam is scared. "She was hurt but not badly and told me to come tell you so you wouldn't think she ran out on you. Liza will be here or call you to meet her in a couple of days. I need some of her clothes to take back for her."
"Fine. She and our
sons are in danger but she can't trust me to help her. She won't
let me in enough to know where she is."
"About 30 miles
outside the city." Bobby answers. "I don't trust you not to
show up and make her feel worse." Bobby stands up and tosses a
photo of his sons on the table. "They smile." He grabs Liza's
bag and leaves Adam in the room alone.
Liza slowly opens the door to the penthouse. "Adam." She calls out but no one answers. She drops her bag and puts the sleeping boys in their crib. And empties their bags plus puts the bottles in the mini fridge. She comes out to Adam standing in the living room. She closes the door and walks over to him. "I am so sorry."