Date: June 9, 2008
Title: Running from the Past
Author: Soccer-Bitch
Chapter: 6 of ?
Rating: T (for language)
Pairings: Don Flack/Madison Messer
Warnings: Some Strong Language
Feedback: All opinions are welcome!
Disclaimer: I own Madison Messer and any other characters that I make up as this story progresses. Everything else does not belong to me!
Summary: Close to twenty years after leaving the Big Apple, Maddy Messer returns home, running from a past that won't leave her alone. Will her cousin be able to save her or will the past catch up with her?
Chapter 6
Maddy's green eyes stared into Danny's confused blue ones. She knew things wouldn't end well. She knew that Danny's stubborn streak was as wide as her own.
"It's not a good time for me right now, Danny," Maddy told him before he came into her apartment.
"I think that you should have told me," Danny said as he put his stuff on her couch.
"Danny, I am really not in the mood to talk tonight," Maddy said as she pulled the zipper of her jacket up.
"Well, I want to know why you were at the station today," Danny told her as he turned to face her.Hhhh
"Danny, I don't want to talk to you right now. I am expecting company that does not involve you," Maddy told him.
"Who's comin' over? Boyfriend?" Danny asked.
"No, Aiden. We are having a girl's night. Please leave," Maddy said trying to keep her cool about this but she wasn't sure how long it could last.
"You don't talk to me and I had to learn from Flack that you were brought into the station today. What the hell is going on with you?" Danny asked as stared at her.
"I don't want to talk about this with you. Can't you understand that? Why is this so hard for you? I am a woman, Danny, and I have a life outside of you. I had a life in California, and if I remember correctly, you didn't call me all that much. Only on Christmas, my birthday, and some other holidays. Why are you doing this now?" Maddy asked him.
"Just tell me that you haven't done something stupid," Danny asked of her.
"My friend and co-worker, Victoria, was killed. I was the last one with her, so Flack and Stella brought me in for questioning. Are you happy? There was a reason I didn't tell you!" Maddy yelled at him as she went to her bedroom and slammed the door and locked herself in there.
Danny sat on the couch, confused, not understanding where the close relationship that he used to have with Maddy went. They shared everything as children and while they were in college, but she was right. His life got busy and he forgot to call, to write, to email. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and decided that in order to them to mend their relationship, he needed to start being there for her again. But how do I do that, he mused.
After a few minutes of just sitting on Maddy's couch with his head in his hands, Danny got up and knocked on the door to her bedroom.
"Maddy? I am gonna head out, but don't make plans for Thursday night," Danny said through the door.
Even though he didn't hear a response from her, he knew that she heard him.
"Look, I'm gonna head out, meet me at the lab when you're done on Thursday," Danny said before grabbing his stuff and heading out of her apartment.
Once Maddy heard the door to her apartment open and then close, she waited a bit before unlocking her door and coming out of her room.
She was only wearing a pair of blue short running shorts and a sweatshirt that had her college logo on it.
Maddy heard the knock on her door while she was just sitting and waiting for Aiden to come over. She had just sat down from making the guest room usable in case Aiden wanted to stay that night instead of heading home.
"Hey," Maddy said as she opened the door to see Aiden and she let her in.
"I wasn't sure if I should come over or not. Flack said that Danny was heading over here to talk to you," Aiden told her as she took off her jacket.
"He came and left. I don't think he's too happy with me," Maddy said as she ran a hand through her hair.
"It happens," Aiden said as she tossed Maddy a movie that she brought with her.
"Do you think we can talk before we get into the movies?" Maddy asked as she set the movie down on the top of the couch.
"Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?" Aiden asked as she took off her shoes and went and sat down on the couch.
"Do you remember when Flack and Danny took us to that basketball game?" Maddy asked as she sat down and then pulled her legs up to her chest before putting her arms around them.
"Yeah, then we went out for some drinks. I think you and Flack were still there when everyone else left," Aiden said.
"That night, we went back to his place," Maddy said with a sigh.
"You and Flack slept together," Aiden said trying to hide the smile on her face.
"Yeah, and everything is messed up now. I don't go over to Danny's anymore in case I run into him. Things are just so weird. I still haven't gotten my shirt or my underwear back from that night," Maddy said.
"Why don't ya go for it with him? I can tell he likes you and you seem to like him back," Aiden said
"I can't. I already feel like I betrayed him by sleeping with Flack," Maddy said as she brushed away a stray tear that fell down her face.
"Betrayed who? Danny? Maddy, talk to me," Aiden told has as she scooted closer to her friend.
"About a year ago, I was engaged. I had been dating him for three years. I loved him so much. Right after finals we went out to celebrate. And he proposed to me. I told him yes. I was so happy," Maddy said.
"What happened?" Aiden asked as she paid close attention to what Maddy was telling her.
"We were heading back to my apartment after leaving the restaurant and we got hit by another car. The driver was high on drugs and died on impact. Andrew, that was his name, didn't survive. It turns out that the man who sold the drugs to the other driver was my mother's second husband. But it didn't matter to her because she doesn't believe it. In her eyes her husband can do no wrong. I got engaged and I lost everything in one night. It wasn't fair, Aiden," Maddy said as she cried.
"Life can be as cruel and horrible, but you have to remember something though," Aiden told her
"What's that?" Maddy asked sniffling.
"As horrible and unfair life seems at a certain times, it can only get better," Aiden told her as Maddy put her feet down and Aiden just hugged her.
"It doesn't feel like it," Maddy said.
"You think that when you slept with Flack, that you betrayed Andrew's trust and everything, right?" Aiden asked letting Maddy sit on her own.
"Well yeah," Maddy confessed.
"You didn't betray anyone. Don't you think Andrew would want you to be happy?" Aiden asked
"I don't know. I miss him a lot; I don't know how to do so much of this anymore. He was my life for three years. I can't just forget about it," Maddy said.
"Any you don't have to. No one would want you to. I am sure that he was real special, but it has been a year, maybe its time to move on and start being happy again," Aiden told her.
"How can I be happy when he's getting out of jail?" Maddy asked
"Your step-dad is getting out of jail?" Aiden asked
"Yeah. And my mother is gonna welcome him home with open arms because she still believes that he has done nothing wrong," Maddy said with a long sigh.
"Have you talked to her about it? Maybe if you talk with her she will leave him or something," Aiden suggested
"She won't listen. In her eyes, her husband can do no wrong," Maddy told her friend in a hurt voice.
"You've tried to talk to her before?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah, and she didn't listen. Maybe if I tell her about the guy and Andrew she'll listen and smarten up. I know most people want their parents together, but not me. My parents are better off without each other. They were so miserable trying to make their marriage to work, I was so scared that Andrew and I would be like that. But it wasn't. I really loved him," Maddy said.
"I can tell," Aiden said. "Have you talked to your dad about it?"
"No, I haven't even seen him since I moved out here. I doubt he knows that I am here. He didn't even know about Andrew," Maddy said
"Well, you don't have to tell him about the situation. Tell him it was a friend or somethin'," Aiden told her.
"You really think that I should go and see him?" Maddy asked looking at her friend.
"Yeah, I do. It might do you some good to talk to your dad about it," Aiden said honestly.
"I'll think about it," Maddy told her.
"Did something happen between you and your dad?" Aiden questioned her curiously.
"After my mom got remarried, things just got really awkward. I didn't even know my mom was dating anyone and I was out here and she called to let me know she was married. I think my dad was really hurt by it, but so was I. He tried to get me to move out here after he heard that mom remarried. Danny says that I hurt him by not even considering it, but he wanted me to make a choice. California where all my friends were, where Andrew was, or New York City, where he was and where Danny was. He wanted me to leave everything behind and just move on a whim. I couldn't. I had already started SDSU, so I told him no. After that, things were really strained between us and I eventually stopped coming out here," Maddy told her
Aiden didn't know what to say to Maddy's confession about her father. But she could tell that Maddy was ready to drop the subject and move onto something else.
"How about we watch that movie now?" Maddy suggested looking at Aiden.
"Sounds good," Aiden told her.
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Maddy walked up the stairs of the apartment her father lived in; well she hoped he still lived in. She hadn't seen him in over two years and this was the only address she had for him so she hoped that it was still a valid one. She hoped this didn't take too long. She was supposed to meet Danny at his place, originally it was the lab, but she told him his place and that she might be late coming over. Hopefully she made it over there in time.
After a few deep breaths, Maddy finally knocked on the door. After a few minutes of standing there she knocked again, but no one came to the door. So she just left.
As she walked out of the building, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Aiden's number.
"Aiden, hi," Maddy said as she walked down the street.
"Hey, how did it go with your dad?" Aiden asked.
"It didn't, no one answered the door. I guess it was a bust. Is Danny still at work?" Maddy asked as she continued to walk.
"Yeah, you wanna talk to him?" Aiden asked.
"No, just let him know that I won't be able to make it tonight. Something has come up. I will talk to you later," Maddy said before hanging up her phone and turning it off.
Maddy knew that she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up because it seemed that every time she did, it only led to disappointment. She knew Danny would be mad that she cancelled their plans and he would show up at her apartment to find out why, but she didn't want to talk to Danny, so she decided not to go home. At least not yet.
As much as she was unsure when it came down to her dad, Maddy had wished that he had opened the door and welcomed her into his home. She supposed after not talking for a few years that she messed up the relationship between her father and herself. But she wouldn't take back what she knew was to be the right choice.