Forgiveness Is the First Step

A/N: I'm glad that people like that Matthew's behavior was caused by Destiny leaving. It's a fun, "What if?"

Chapter Three

Destiny sighed as she ran a towel through her wet hair in Dani's bathroom. She was trying to freshen up before they dropped Max and Matt off at Tea's and then went to dinner at Capricorn. Dani had offered to let Destiny and the kids stay at her house so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of finding a hotel and Destiny was grateful for that. She still couldn't believe that she was back in Llanview. From what she'd seen as they'd passed through the town, while going to Dani's house, not much had changed. Buenos Dias looked to be exactly as she remembered it and she'd been overcome with memories of the times that she and Matthew had spent there. She knew that Matthew would eventually find out that she was here as would his parents, and all hell was most likely going to break lose. That would be horrible, but she was strong, and she knew that she would be able to make it through.

Just then, she heard a knock on the front door and she became so still, listening carefully. She heard Dani open the door and greet her guest before she heard her kids' scampering footsteps and their voices shouting in unison, "Uncle Shane!". Laughing in relief, she opened the bathroom door and headed down the small hallway to the living room.

Shane Morasco looked up from there he stood just inside the doorway, hugging Max and Matt. He gave Destiny a boyish grin and pulled away from the kids to give his friend a hug. "It's good to have you back here, Des." He said to her softly.

Destiny smiled and hugged him back before pulling away. "I'm pretty sure that you and Dani will be the only ones who will think that, when everyone eventually finds out that I'm here." She told him, frowning slightly.

Shane ran a hand through his hair as he, Destiny, Dani, and the kids all took their seats. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out the new comic book that he'd illustrated and written, handing it to the twins. "Here. Why don't you and your brother go and look at this in your room? You two can be my first critics before I send this in to get published." He asked of Maxine.

Matt and Max both nodded and ran out of the room with their uncles comic book.

He chuckled at the sight and shook his head lightly. He turned his attention back to Destiny and said fondly, "Those two are great."

She grinned weakly at him. "Thanks for getting them out of the room. I never told them the reason why I left." She replied quietly.

Dani spoke up this time, voice quiet but firm. "You're going to have to tell them soon, though. I mean, I've told you already that you'll run into Matthew or his parents at some point."

Destiny groaned. "I know that." She answered. "I do. But it's still hard. I've tried to avoid every mention of Matthew as possible, which is hard considering I'm the mother of his children, but..." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulder lamely. For ten years, she'd been trying to forget Matthew, but to no avail. She had tried dating, some relationships had gotten pretty serious. But eventually, she broke up with them. Her kids, her family, Shane, Dani, and her job were basically her life. She was okay with that. Now though, she was back in Llanview and she couldn't hide anymore.

Shane chewed on his bottom lip, unsure if he should tell Destiny about how much Matthew had changed. He didn't want her to feel guilty about it, though he knew that she would.

The woman in question narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "I don't like that look." She murmured. "What exactly are you hiding, Shane Morasco?"

He swallowed hard at her demanding tone and shared a look with Dani. "It's about Matthew."

Destiny raised an eyebrow and cocked her head as she looked at him. "What about him?" She questioned curiously.

Dani shifted uneasily in her seat and replied, "He's not exactly how you remember him."

The other woman let out a hollow laugh. "Well, the last time I saw him, he was in a hospital bed and he couldn't remember me. It's why I left, remember?"

"What Dani means is that Matthew is a jerk now. He runs Buchanan Enterprises-Grandpa Clint left him in charge of it. After you left, he became a user. A total asshole. He's never had a serious relationship and as soon as he gets tired of a girl, he dumps her. A few months ago, before I started dating Abigail, she was with Matthew. He dumped her after a week. It caused her to leave her job at BE, because he treated her so badly. And it's not just Abigail, there have been others." Shane blurted out.

Destiny looked down at her hands, feeling shocked. This was hard for her to imagine. Matthew could sometimes lash out or retreat into himself when he was upset-atleast when they were teenagers, but he'd never intenionally hurt someone, before. "Well, he can't be that bad." She replied, totally in denial. She didn't want to believe that the boy-the man, that she was still in love with, the father of her children- was a user.

Dani and Shane didn't try to argue. They knew that it was no use. Their friend would have to find out on her own.

00000

Matthew laughed charmingly as he rested a hand on the small of his latest conquest's back. They stood at the the bar in Capricorn, ordering a drink from the bartender

"You know, my friend was right." The woman-Naomi, said, giving him a soft look. "You really are charming."

He gave her a seductive look and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "There's a lot more to me than just that." He bit the shell of her and blew on it, his hand traveling down her back to gently smack her butt.

She let out a shocked squeal and jumped at the contact, looking up at him with wide, startled blue eyes.

Matthew just laughed at her look and smirked devillishly as he took a swig of his vodka. It was so easy to get a woman where he wanted them. A disarming smile, a smirk, a touch. Whatever, really. It all worked. And it was something that Matthew knew all too well. He'd become a master manipulator over the years. Part of him-the part he'd been trying to rid himself of for years, felt bad about his actions. The person he was now though, would quickly stifle that voice. He couldn't show emotion. He couldn't care about a person's feelings. Not after Destiny. Not after she'd broken his heart.

0000

"Des, come on! Matt and Maxine are going to be fine! We've gotta get going. I hear there's going to be a live band at Capricorn, tonight." Dani complained, tapping her foot and crossing her arms impatiently. Destiny kept on stalling, even though the twins had already hurried off with JoJo to her room.

Destiny ignored her and instead asked Tea once more, "So you're sure that you're okay with watching them? Matt and Maxine can be a handful."

Tea nodded from her spot on the sofa, looking up from the laptop on her lap. "Of course. They can't be any worse than Johanna." She answered. "You two go out and have fun. Discuss the wedding. Relax."

Destiny finally gave up, nodding and calling out another goodbye to her kids, before she walked out the door with Dani.

00000

Matthew and Naomi were both already on their third drinks when they finally decided to leave. He placed his hand on the small of her back and began to lead her out rather clumsily when he knocked into someone. He heard whoever he'd ran into and Naomi both gasp in unison and he looked up, alcohol glazed eyes locking on someone who looked very familiar to him. He suddenly forgot to breathe as he looked at her.

'It can't be Destiny.' He thought. 'It has to be the alcohol talking. She hasn't been in Llanview for ten years, why would she be back now?'

That's when his gaze landed on the woman next to the person in question and he realised it was Dani. She looked guilty. He slowly looked back at the woman he'd knocked into to see her staring at him in horror. Disbelief and anger took over him as he asked harshly, "Destiny?"

To be continued...

Next Chapter: Matt, Max, and Jojo talk about fathers. Matthew and Destiny have a confrontation, breakdowns.