Kaylee is reunited with Brian; Katie continues to get to know Justin better. The girls find out that impersonating each other may not be as easy as they think.:)
The trio trudged silently toward the rental SUV, Katie stealing glances frequently over at her biological father beside her; it was still kind of surreal after all this time to see him in the flesh. She had dreamed of this moment for so long that now that it was actually here she almost couldn't believe it was really happening. Of course, she hadn't even realized she had a twin sister until recently, either; so much had happened in the past several days that would change her and her family's life forever it almost made her head spin. Finally she and her sister had an opportunity right a terrible wrong. That is, if she and Kaylee could successfully put their plans into action – and if the other man walking right in front of them could be dispatched in short order. Her brows narrowed as she secretly took a good look at Alex – the interloper. Her heart had stopped in her throat earlier when her father had advised her that he and Alex had been in Canada at the time that Mr. Winters had called them. A terrible thought occurred to her just then – didn't they have gay marriages in Canada? If that man had convinced her father to actually marry him while they were gone… Just the thought made her heart ache. Please… Not that.
She bit her lip, wanting so badly to find out as they arrived at the SUV and her father turned to look at her. He smiled slightly in reassurance, no doubt noticing the worry in her face as he unlatched the back door of the vehicle and grabbed the handle of her suitcase to swing it up into the SUV.
"Why don't you get in the front with me, Kaylee?" Justin told her quietly. "I think we have a lot to talk about."
Boy, if THAT isn't an understatement, Katie couldn't help thinking as she nodded and walked around to open the front passenger door, although her father's statement made her more worried than ever. She looked over her shoulder to see Alex scowling at her before, realizing she was watching him, he pasted a more neutral expression on his face and opened the back door to enter the SUV.
As Justin opened his side of the vehicle and got in, he studied his daughter as the two of them latched their seatbelts. She seemed different somehow, but he couldn't figure out just why he felt that way. While he was concerned that Kaylee had tried to take matters into her own hands regarding the bully she had encountered – which still perplexed him, since that wasn't like his daughter – he was also worried that she had suffered some sort of mental trauma as a result of what she had gone through. Winters had briefly filled him in on what had happened, but he wanted to hear the entire, unabridged version from her.
As Justin started up the car and pulled out of the parking space, Alex fumed silently from the backseat. Not only did he presently feel like some toddler having to be relegated to the rear of the SUV, he felt a distinctive hostile vibe coming from Kaylee, even more so than usual. Cheeky little shit, he couldn't help thinking in disdain as they proceeded to leave the camp. Why did he have to go and fall in love with someone who had this sort of baggage with him? Damn it. He fleetingly thought of forgetting everything and simply chucking his relationship with Justin once they got back to Chicago – after all, he was a successful, attractive guy and could have his pick of any number of men – but he knew he was simply kidding himself. As much as he would have preferred to have been involved with someone whose personal life was less complicated, he also knew he was hopelessly in love with the damn man and there wasn't a thing he could to do about Kaylee. If he really wanted Justin to marry him – and he did, with all his heart – then he would have to find some way to at least tolerate the brat that came with him.
He sighed deeply in resignation as they began to travel back down the gravel drive toward the main road. As much as he had hated to cut their vacation short, at least things might go back to a semblance of normalcy once they returned to Chicago. Once they were back to more familiar territory, also, he could work more diligently on persuading Justin to accept his proposal. The worst part was having to deal with Kaylee's attitude toward him; something told him she was going to be much harder to convince than her father was. He bit his lip pensively as he watched pine tree after pine tree pass by the passenger window, his thoughts swirling inside his head as, just like with one of his architectural jobs, he began to mentally formulate a tentative plan for Operation Marriage to commence as soon as they were home again. He felt it was necessary to begin soon, while the subject was uppermost in Justin's mind. He could be quite persistent when the need arose, and he couldn't think of any other campaign more important than this one.
As Justin steered the vehicle out onto the main road, he glanced over at Kaylee to find her staring over at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. It was the same sort of look she had given him earlier when she had fallen tearfully into his arms, again making him wonder just what sort of ordeal she had been through. He was beginning to profoundly regret letting his mother talk him into sending her to the camp. If she had suffered some sort of permanent emotional effects from what that other girl had done to her, he would never forgive himself. He had had reservations enough initially about letting her go anyway, and this experience had merely cemented his previous misgivings.
He looked at her tenderly before saying quietly, "Kaylee?"
"Yes, Daddy?" she replied softly, the name Daddy making Katie's heart flip. She had never thought she would be here sitting next to her biological father, much less calling him the name that Kaylee had instructed her that she commonly used to address him with.
"You want to tell me in your own words now what exactly happened at the camp, Honey?"
Katie shook her head to Justin's surprise as she said, "First I want to know why you and him were in Canada." Please don't let it mean what I'm afraid it means… I know you can't love HIM.
"Kaylee…"
From the backseat, Alex's head popped around in disgust at the girl's accusatory tone; what was this girl's problem?
"Daddy, I want to know," Katie insisted. Perhaps she didn't want to know, but she definitely NEEDED to know. She and Kaylee would no doubt have a lot to talk about it as it is; she desperately hoped that marriage – at least to this man – wasn't going to be one of their topics they would need to cover this evening.
Justin sighed, realizing he would have to satisfy his daughter's curiosity before they could proceed with what he wanted to know himself. He glanced back a little uneasily at Alex, wondering how much to divulge, before he decided that now wasn't the time to bring all of it out in the open. Besides, nothing had been decided yet, and his daughter's well-being was more important. "We were just on a vacation in Windsor, that's all," he assured her with a slight smile. "Alex thought it might be a good time to get away while you were at camp to do a little exploring."
Katie looked into her father's blue eyes. Yeah… Right. "That's all?" she prodded, fervently hoping that that was all there was to it. She had seen the strange look her father had given Alex, though, and it had made her instantly suspicious as well as curious about what it meant.
To her enormous relief, Justin nodded. "Yeah, Kaylee, that's all," he assured her. "We just thought while you were at camp that it would be a good time for us to get away, too."
Bull, she couldn't help thinking. That 'vacation' had the asshole's name all over it. She wasn't buying it for a second; if anyone had suggested getting away, she instinctively knew it would have been the guy in the backseat. Kaylee had warned her about how clingy he was with their father, how he never even liked for him to go out of town, and how he always wanted to know their father's plans when he did. The man was up to something, she just knew it, and she decided that it was going to be her obligation to find out exactly what it was. The only question would be how quickly she could find a way to get rid of the guy so the man that her father really loved could replace him. In her mind and in her sister's, there was no question of if; it was when.
"That's all?" she repeated as she stared over at her father stubbornly. "Just a vacation?"
Justin sighed. How did they get onto this subject when he wanted to find out more details about what had happened at the camp? "Yes, Kaylee, that's all; just a vacation. Now don't change the subject, young lady; I want to hear all about what happened with this Sandra girl and how it escalated to where you wound up getting expelled. Spill."
Alex was steaming inside that Justin hadn't had the balls to bring up the real reason why they had gone away, at least the reason why he had wanted to go. He had just had the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject with Kaylee and had chosen to ignore it, at least for now. "Justin…"
"Not now, Alex," Justin said quietly, his tone of voice making it clear that he knew exactly what Alex was trying to do and having no part of it. He glanced in the rearview mirror and met Alex's eyes, noting the firm set of his jaw as they locked brief gazes on each other. He knew his boyfriend wasn't happy having to take a backseat to his daughter – both literally and figuratively – but his daughter had to take priority at the moment. Satisfied that the other man would remain silent for now, he peered over at Kaylee who was looking at him curiously. "I'm waiting, Kaylee," he said as he returned his eyes to the road.
He heard a soft sigh as she began, "Well, Mr. Winters already told you about Sandra."
Justin nodded. "Yes, he told me she was bullying you. What exactly did she do?"
Katie was glad that her sister had filled her fully on what had happened. She pretty much knew most of the story from a lot of what she had seen herself, but she had been sure to get all the other details from her sister before they separated. "Well, she was assigned to be my roommate. I wanted to be friends with her, I really did, but from the moment she saw me, she had it in for me. First she shoved me off my bed because she preferred mine to hers, even though they were exactly alike. Then she made fun of the way I dressed and the way I try to always look nice, even in the worst of conditions. I mean, did you see the vests they made us wear? I think she was jealous of me," Katie declared a little smugly. Despite the seriousness nature of their discussion, Justin couldn't help grinning just a little at her comments – that was typical Kaylee, always meticulously dressed and confident that she looked her best at all times. "She was always saying mean things to me and making fun of me, even though I hadn't done anything to her."
Justin felt his blood boil over the way the other girl had treated his tender-hearted daughter as he commented, "At least not yet, anyway. " He turned to look over at her as he stopped for a red light. "What about the canoe, Kaylee? And the can of honey?" He could actually see the funny side of the pranks that his daughter had pulled, but he was trying to stress to her how taking matters into her own hands wasn't the way to resolve them. He had learned that himself the hard way through Cody and his stupid Pink Posse idea, and it could have ended up disastrously as a result. "Did you do what Mr. Winters said you did? He told me you admitted to it."
Katie was silent for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to answer that question. Truthfully, she HAD. But as "Kaylee," she hadn't. Mr. Winters had already told her father that as "Kaylee," she had, though. "I had to do it, Daddy!" she cried out softly, trying to put herself in her sister's shoes. If she was answering as herself, she would have been proud to admit it; as Kaylee, though, she had to assume a much more vulnerable-sounding role. "She wouldn't leave me alone and I just snapped!"
Justin stared over into her blue eyes, so reminiscent of his own as he gently told her, "I can understand that. But you went about it the wrong way, Kaylee. It might have seemed amusing at the time, but the other girl could have gotten hurt." He eyed her curiously. "By the way, what exactly did you do to her canoe? Mr. Winters merely told me that you vandalized it somehow. What happened?"
From his position in the backseat, Alex silently listened to the father-daughter conversation and had to bite his tongue. Justin was being way too lenient with her and as usual, Kaylee was milking it for all it was worth. Give me a break, he thought, seething. I'd ground the brat for at least a week; maybe then I'd have a chance to be alone with her father for a change. Somehow, though, he had a feeling he wasn't going to get his wish as he continued to listen to their exchange. He sighed again in disgust.
While Justin was too caught up in trying to determine what had happened to notice Alex's sound of disapproval from the backseat, Katie instantly picked up on it. She wanted to throw a scathing look his way, but knew it was more important that she and her father hash out what had happened at the camp first. Then she could deal with getting rid of the troublemaker that stood in the way of her two fathers getting back together. "One of the other girls knew how to use a drill and I asked her if she could drill some holes in Sandra's canoe before we went down to the lake for our class. The number of the canoe we were assigned to was written down on a piece of paper on the announcement board," she explained, remembering how she had managed to figure out which one was Sandra's. "I…," she started to say before she corrected herself, "I mean, SHE took the drill and put a couple of holes in it before we got down there, and when Sandra got in hers and took it out into the lake, it sank. She just got wet, that's all," she said by way of defense. "She didn't get hurt."
"And the can of honey?" Justin pressed. "You're afraid of heights, Kaylee! How did you get the can of honey above the door, then? Mr. Winters told me one of his employees saw you coming out of the back of the kitchen area with a can that resembled one of their honey containers. What about that?" The whole thing sounded so implausible to Justin; even if Kaylee had enlisted someone else to help her with drilling holes in the canoe, unless she had help with the can of honey there was no way she would have gotten onto a ladder. She wouldn't even use a stepstool in the kitchen for items high up on the shelves. She always made sure that he placed grocery items and kitchen dishware and utensils she would need within easy reach, or else she waited for him to get home so he could get them for her. She wouldn't dare set foot on any type of ladder. "How did you manage it, Kaylee? You're scared to death of heights, even a few feet off the ground." Before she left for camp, Justin had mentioned that the facility had a zip line installed, and when he had suggested to Kaylee that she might want to consider trying it, she had looked at him aghast and her face had literally gone white at the thought. He had actually expected that reaction, but one of the reasons why he had agreed with his mother's suggestion in the first place was so his daughter would experience new activities and perhaps gain some more confidence in herself and her athletic abilities. He had never expected her new 'experiences' to include vandalism and pranks, however, no matter how justified. "Kaylee?" he asked again as his daughter remained stonily silent and he pressed the gas pedal as the light turned green. "I want an explanation as to how you did that, because I find that very hard to believe."
Shit, Katie thought. How was she supposed to answer that? "Uh… I had help," she explained after a break pause as her mind raced for the details. "I did go get the can of honey, but another girl put the can up over the door while I stayed around as the lookout to make sure Sandra didn't wake up while she was doing it."
Justin pondered that explanation; it certainly made more sense than Kaylee stepping up on a ladder that had to have been at least a six-foot model in order to place the can up there herself. "Okay. So what about this other girl who helped you? Did she get punished as well?"
Katie hated to dig herself into an even deeper lie, but she was trying to look at the bigger picture. She would do anything to get by this and move on to the more important issue at hand: getting to know her biological father better and finding a way to get both of her fathers back together. "Yeah," she found herself saying. "She was expelled, too. I kind of felt bad for her, because she was only trying to help me, but Mr. Winters said we were both at fault, so we had to be treated the same." It was sort of the truth, anyway, if she was talking about Kaylee.
Justin nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. "I think that's only fair," he said, still feeling a little bad that someone who was merely trying to help his daughter defend herself had wound up having to leave camp, too. "But you do understand that you should have gone to Mr. Winters with this, or at least talked to a counselor instead of taking matters into your own hands?"
Oh, please, Alex thought as he continued to silently listen in shock. The little shit needs to be punished, and she's going to fucking get away with it! He couldn't believe it. Justin normally was a very secure, assertive person, at least when it came to everything else; it was one of the things that he had initially found so attractive about him when they had first met – that and the fact that the man was simply beautiful inside and out. When it involved Justin's daughter, however, it was like he was like a totally different man.
"Yeah, Daddy," he heard Kaylee say. "I know I handled it wrong. I'm sorry," she whispered, trying hard to imagine how Kaylee would react. "But she made me so mad!"
"I know, Honey," Justin said softly as they neared the regional airport. "But next time, you go to the proper authorities with your concerns. Don't try and resolve things like this on your own, for your sake as well as the other person, okay? Promise?"
Katie smiled. "Okay," she said, nodding with relief. "I promise."
Justin nodded back at her, considering the matter closed. He realized he hadn't even ascertained what punishment the bully herself has received; he made a mental note to check on that once they were back home. For the time being, he was just relived that his daughter hadn't apparently suffered any lasting effects from her ordeal. "You sure you're okay?"
Katie nodded firmly. "I'm fine, Daddy. Really. But I'm really glad to be going home." As Justin nodded at her with a tender smile and returned his eyes toward the road, she suddenly found herself overcome with emotion as it sank in. Home. She was actually going home with her other father. She was going to be living in the same place with him, getting to know his daily routine: what he did when he got up, what his typical day was like, what he enjoyed doing for fun. She would see him every day and would be able to forge some new memories with him. Most of all, though, she would get to watch him paint and see where her love of art came from. It was both exciting as well as a little frightening to be going to a place she didn't really know. But she couldn't wait. Her and her sister's plan was finally set in motion now, she thought, as she turned to gaze out the side window, the heavily forested area quickly giving way to fast food restaurants, small shops and gas stations, signifying they were approaching the small airport that would take them back to her other father's home.
The next part was now up to Kaylee; would she be able to remember everything she needed to know when their other father arrived to pick her up? Would she be able to convince him that it was her instead? It was one thing for her to impersonate her more timid sister; would Kaylee be able to be successful as well? She could only hope for the best, or all they had worked so hard for might be all for naught. She sighed softly, wishing she could retrieve Kaylee's cell phone (they had switched before she left) from her pocket and text her a "good luck" message. But she was too afraid that her father would question what she was doing and she couldn't risk it. She couldn't wait to call her sister tonight at the appointed time, though, to find out what had happened after she left. Please let this work, she silently prayed as they neared the airport.
Two Hours Later
"No, Cynthia, I am NOT going to redo those mockups AGAIN! I've changed the theme twice now; if Leo Brown wants to change it for the third time, tell him to take one of his damn shoehorns and stick it up his ass! You got it?" Brian didn't even wait for Cynthia to respond before he promptly snapped his cellphone shut. Brian huffed out an angry breath; the man never seemed satisfied lately, no matter how accommodating he tried to be. He was in the enviable point now, anyway, where he could pick and choose who some of his clients were, and the man, whose account had been with him for several years now, was beginning to grate on his nerves. Let Brown stew for a while; he had other things on his mind at the moment that didn't involve work.
He noticed up ahead the sign indicating he had finally arrived at the camp; ever since he had gotten that call from the camp's operations manager, he had found it hard to concentrate on anything except his daughter. He knew Katie could take care of herself, but he still found the entire circumstances disturbing. The fact that some other child would take advantage of her larger size to bully his daughter was incomprehensible to him. He shook his head in disgust. He had had mixed feelings from the outset about Katie attending the camp; while he had been a little nervous about her traveling so far away from him, he had still thought it would be a good chance for her to make new friends and hone her athletic skills. And he knew that with other people Katie could be somewhat caustic at times, even downright blunt; tact wasn't normally in her vocabulary. He thought that by exposing her to a new environment and new cultures, and placing her somewhere unfamiliar to her she might develop a little more empathy toward others, even though he knew that deep down his daughter was actually a little insecure herself.
Apparently his good intentions had backfired, though; what he thought would be a learning experience for her had turned out to be a different type of experience – one involving the sad reality of bullying. Well, at least he was secure in the knowledge that if anyone could take care of herself, it was Katie; he supposed she must have come by her feistiness naturally, because it reminded him of someone else with the same sort of qualities – Justin.
He sighed as he turned down the gravel drive toward the camp; why did everything tend to remind him of Justin? God, it was times like these when he wished he could have the wisdom of his ex-partner's judgment and point of view. He swallowed the unexpected, painful lump in his throat that felt like a knife was stuck through it; the word ex-partner made his heart ache, even after all this time. Justin was always the more insightful one in their relationship, at least when it came to sorting through emotions. He never did take any bullshit from anyone and he could always cut right through to what someone was really trying to say. Funny, though, how the one time that quality would have been the most helpful – during that awful Ethan Gold fiasco – Justin's ability to do just that had failed him, because if he had been able to use his gift wisely, he would have known just how much he had loved him the whole time and why he had felt compelled to do what he had done to him.
He let out a mournful sigh again; yeah, he had showed him just how much he loved him, all right. He had gone out and fucked some insignificant guy whose name he didn't even remember now. How could he have thrown everything away by letting his damn hormones take over for one brief moment of physical release? He closed his eyes briefly as the pain washed over him anew. How he wished he could talk to Justin right now and hear his voice again. He knew his daughter longed for her biological father, too; it was revealed in her drawings and in her tone of voice every time she asked about him and he promptly but politely dismissed her questions. He knew eventually the entire truth would have to come out; he wanted her to know everything – she had a right to know. That didn't mean it wouldn't be painful as hell when he did sit down and explain everything to her. How was he going to explain, though, how he had fucked up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in one senseless, irretrievable moment? Perhaps that was why he hadn't told her a lot about his relationship with Justin – it was still too painful for him to discuss, even with his own daughter. One day, perhaps soon, though, he would have to face it. For now, though, as the gravel parking lot crunched under the tires of his rental Land Rover, his thoughts strayed back to the present. He would have to take things one day at a time, just like he always had.
Getting out of the SUV, he paused for a moment to place his hands at the small of his back and bend his torso backward to loosen some of the stiffness as he gazed over at the large reception building where Winters' office was located before he began to walk over to the entrance doors. He took a moment to get his bearings once he got inside before he located the door marked with the manager's name and turned to open it.
Winters looked up from his desk as the door opened and somehow he instantly knew that this was Brian Kinney. Even though he was dressed casually in a black leather jacket, dark blue denim jeans, and a black tee-shirt, the tall, handsome man was impeccably attired and just screamed out 'confidence' from his style of dress down to the way he assertively stared over at him with an unflinching gaze. "Mr. Kinney, I presume?" he said as Brian nodded curtly.
"Yes. Where's my daughter?" he asked without any further preamble.
Winter stood up, somehow knowing Kinney wasn't interested in any further niceties such as a handshake. "She's upstairs in the counselors' area; I'll go get her." Brian nodded again somberly as he walked by him. "There's coffee over there if you want to have a seat; it'll only take a few minutes."
"No, thanks – I just want my daughter," Brian said brusquely; his only focus at the moment was on making sure Katie was okay. He watched as Winters nodded and turned to leave, giving him an opportunity to examine his surroundings a little further. The inside of the room was made of honed pine logs, just like the exterior; there were two bulletin boards on opposite sides of the walls stuffed with photos and memos of all kinds. He walked over to one of them to idly stare at some of the pictures of attendees performing various activities such as hiking, painting, archery, horseback riding and canoeing. All of the participants seemed to be having a grand time; how, then, did such a seemingly innocuous experience wind up being such a disaster? He knew why – the man had allowed an uncouth, overbearing bully to torment his daughter. He vowed to make this the last time he allowed Katie to be so far away from him and out of his control.
He turned as he heard a soft commotion directly outside the door and the telltale sound of wheels clacking on the hardwood floor as he looked up to see Winters standing behind his daughter, his hands lightly resting on her shoulders as if he were reassuring her about something. As Brian stared into his daughter's face, it seemed both familiar but also different somehow. He realized that it was the expression she was wearing; it was almost as if she were seeing him for the first time, which he knew was ludicrous. But she just stood there, almost in shock, as he noticed with some concern that her eyes were filling with tears. "Katie? Are you okay, Princess?" he asked softly, his former demeanor with Winters totally transformed now that he was getting a good look at his daughter. "Come here," he softly instructed her as he held his hands out toward her.
Kaylee bit her lip as she blinked to try and keep the tears from falling, but it was no use. She had longed for this day and it was finally here. The man standing in front of her with his arms outstretched toward her was her other father; the man she hadn't seen in years. She didn't quite know how, because she had been fairly young when she had last seen him, but as he stood there, he seemed instinctively familiar to her. The voice, the handsome face; they resonated deep inside her and brought forth a rush of warm, happy emotions as her heart skipped a beat. Quickly, she broke from the other man's light hold on her to rush over and practically fall into her father's arms as she molded her body against his and held onto his waist tightly, her head cradled against his muscled, flat stomach. She inhaled the scent of his masculine, expensive cologne, instantly recognizing it as the same brand of cologne that her other father wore. Was it just a coincidence? Somehow she didn't think so.
Brian frowned at his daughter's emotional reaction to him as he wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her back tightly. Katie normally tried to appear stoic, especially in front of others, although in private she was much more affectionate toward him than people realized, so for her to display this sort of response in public was a little worrisome to him. He looked over at Winters almost accusingly as he softly asked her, "Katie? Are you all right?" An endearment he occasionally used in private to call her with – Chiquitita – was left unspoken as he placed his chin on top of her blond head and waited for her to answer him. For just a moment, he could almost imagine another blond head was nestled under his chin as he closed his eyes briefly to allow the pain to ease before he heard her finally respond.
"I'm so glad you're here, Dad," Kaylee softly told him in a choked-up voice, using the title that Katie had advised she normally used with him.
Brian pulled back just enough to gaze down into the tearful blue eyes and frowned; yes, this was definitely not his daughter's normal reaction to adversity, at least not out in the open. She was almost acting as if she were seeing him after a long separation, not after just a few days. He placed his left hand on Katie's elbow while he cupped a cheek with his right to say to her urgently, "Katie? What's going on? Did that other girl hurt you? Tell me, Katie."
From his place nearby, Winters watched in awe as the formerly assertive, caustic man he had first met a few minutes ago completely dissolved into someone totally different in front of his daughter. If you only knew, he couldn't help thinking, as he found himself blinking back sentimental tears over Kaylee's reaction to seeing her father again for the first time after several years. He knew he would remember being a part of this for a long time to come as he continued to watch the tender scene playing out in front of him.
Kaylee impulsively threw her arms around her father's neck to pull his head down, and hugged him tight again as he leaned down to hear her whisper in his ear, "I'm fine, Dad; I just want to go home now."
Brian nodded as they pulled back to stare into each other's eyes and he smiled at her tenderly. "You got it. I'm ready when you are. Let's get out of here." He knew they would still need to discuss what had happened, but for now it could wait until they were alone. He placed his arm around Kaylee's shoulders as the two of them walked toward the door; Brian let go of his daughter to grasp the handle of her rolling piece of luggage as he took a moment to ask Winters, his voice hardening slightly, "What about the other girl, Winters? The bully?"
Winters replied, "She's been taken care of, Mr. Kinney. The counselors determined that she was the instigator in this case and she has been permanently expelled from ever attending here again." He hesitated a few seconds before he offered, "Your daughter is welcome to return any time she…"
"Spare me," Brian told him curtly, his voice like steel. "She will not be coming back here again. I've seen enough." He gazed down at his daughter, who wrapped her arm around his back and pulled him close to her side. "I'm just glad she knows how to take care of herself, or this whole thing could have been a lot worse than it was. That bully should be grateful that Katie didn't damage her permanently; she certainly deserved it. If I'd been here when it happened, the girl would be on crutches right now."
Winters shuddered at little at that thought; he had no doubt that Kinney meant every word. "I'm sorry to hear that she won't be returning, Mr. Kinney, but I suppose I understand. Again, I'd like to offer my sincere…"
"Don't waste your breath, Winters," Brian snapped as he placed his one hand on his daughter's shoulder and turned to go. "Just be glad I'm not suing the fucking pants off this place." He looked down into his daughter's tear-stained face and said more gently, "Let's get out of here, Katie." She nodded as they moved toward the door, but just before they left, she turned her head around unbeknownst to Brian and smiled before she mouthed a "thank you" to Winters. The man's mouth twisted up into a smile of his own before he nodded and they promptly disappeared from sight. Good Luck, Kaylee. Good Luck to ALL of you… With a soft sigh that at least he had produced some good out of an awful situation, he turned and walked back over to his desk to resume his duties.
Brian kept his arm lightly around Katie's shoulders as they walked toward the rental vehicle; his daughter had her own arm around his back as she leaned into him for comfort, which wasn't like his daughter. Oh, she was affectionate enough in private. Despite her being one of those emotional pre-teens who typically felt that showing affection in public was to be avoided at all costs, when they were alone she was quite generous with hugs and kisses and even a fairly frequent "I love you, Dad," all of which he adored dearly. She was the one link he still had to her father, and he was determined to hold onto it. And he loved his daughter deeply; both of them, in fact. But when they were in public together, especially where other peers could see her? Never. Which made him wonder just what had happened the past few days.
As they reached the vehicle and Brian pushed the key fob to remotely unlock it, he turned Katie in his arms to look down into her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right, Katie?" he asked her as his eyes bored into her blue ones. God, they were so much like Justin's…
Under the bright sunlight, Kaylee stared almost wondrously into the hazel eyes of her father – he was so tall and handsome, just like she had remembered him in the picture. He was older, of course, but if anything he was even more handsome than in the photo. She smiled up at him, so elated to actually be talking to him, to be feeling his arms around her, to be able to touch his face as she took one hand and placed it on his tanned, slightly-whiskered face, feeling the warmth and aliveness under her touch. "Yeah," she whispered as she smiled up at him, almost afraid she was going to wake up and discover this was all just a wonderful fantasy. "I'm great, in fact."
Brian frowned slightly; she was acting dreamy, almost goofy about seeing him. One elegant eyebrow arched slightly in scrutiny as he finally decided that perhaps it was just one of those stages someone Katie's age went through and he nodded. He took her hand and gave it a small kiss in the middle of her palm before letting it go and saying, "Okay, then. Let's get out of this place." He picked up her suitcase and opened the back door to place it on the seat as Kaylee walked around the vehicle and got into the front passenger seat beside him. A few moments later, both were latched in as he started up the Land Rover and backed it out of its parking space in preparation to leave.
As he turned out of the parking lot and onto the gravel drive, he glanced over at his daughter to find her staring over at him again as if she were seeing him for the first time. What the fuck? He sighed in exasperation. "All right, Katherine Marie… Out with it; what in the world is going on? You're looking at me almost as if I'm some stranger to you. What IS it?"
Uh, Oh. Katie had warned her about that "Katherine Marie" stuff; she said if their father ever called her that, he was definitely perturbed about something. They hadn't even gotten out of the road from the camp yet and he was already using it. She had better get her act together fast or this would all end way too early for them to do any good.
"I'm fine, Dad," she said firmly, forcing herself to sound confident. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just relieved to get away from that place, and away from that asshole." Kaylee cringed inside; she normally didn't use that sort of language herself, but she knew Katie did.
Brian nodded. "Language, Katie," he chided her, but there was no sting in his voice. Instead, she watched as he smiled over at her in what looked almost like pride as he said, "Actually, I'm glad you stood up to her," he told her. "She deserved it; she deserved even more than that. If I'd gotten a hold of her, she wouldn't have been able to sit down on her fat ass for a week."
Kaylee giggled as Brian grinned at her. "She wasn't fat, Dad; just big. REAL big."
Brian laughed softly. "Okay, her big ass, then." He sobered a little as they came to the end of the road and he prepared to pull out onto the main highway. "All the same, Katie, you could have gotten hurt by what you did if she had had time to retaliate. You have to be careful about taking matters into your own hands…even if you ARE Brian Kinney's daughter."
Kaylee couldn't help the warmth that spread throughout her body at the sound of that title. Brian Kinney's daughter. God, she loved it! She forced herself not to grin like some fool as she nodded, instead, and reached to take her father's hand.
Brian smiled lovingly back at her as he squeezed her hand briefly; he gently unclasped it before he turned right onto the highway heading toward the airport, glad to once more have his daughter by his side, safe and sound.
Same time - Chicago
From his place opposite them in the limo, Alex glanced over at his boyfriend who had his arm wrapped around his daughter's shoulders; their two identically-blond heads were touching each other as they sat side by side on one of the leather seating areas of his company's vehicle. Instead of sitting next to Justin, which he would have preferred, he had found himself relegated to the opposite couch as he watched them surreptitiously from a few feet away. Both father and daughter currently had their eyes closed. He wasn't sure if either one of them was actually asleep, but it still gave him the chance to observe them closely and ponder his strategy.
If anything, since being reunited with Justin's daughter, the girl appeared to be more hostile toward him than ever. There had never really been any love lost between them – their only mutual interest mainly being Justin – but since they had picked her up at camp, the girl seemed to have found an even bigger backbone, glaring back at him secretly whenever she had the opportunity. As soon as they deplaned a little while ago, she had seemed to find great enjoyment in trading scathing looks with him. Of course, Justin was unaware of their actions the entire time, since they exchanged them when they knew he wasn't looking. He supposed he was being childish about the whole thing – giving her the same treatment she was giving him – but he couldn't help it. He had never wanted a child in the first place, and this particular child seemed to take great pleasure in making his life as difficult as possible, at least where Justin was concerned.
He sighed softly at the thought of his boyfriend, whose beautiful face currently seemed so peaceful in rest. His heart still lurched whenever he saw him, and his feelings ran so deep for him. God, why did he have to fall in love with this man? Love wasn't always logical, though; it didn't follow any rules or particular directions. He would never really understand it, but he did know one thing for sure: damn it, he loved this man and he wasn't going to let a little thing like this inconsequential brat stop him from getting what he wanted, even if he had to stoop to her level and play dirty. You don't know who you're messing with, little girl, he silently decided. Bring it on.
The vehicle began to slow down as it approached Justin's brownstone; as it did, he watched as Justin's eyes fluttered open and he sat up a little straighter. He looked over at Alex and smiled a little sheepishly at him as he realized he had been caught napping; he gently nudged his daughter's shoulder as he softly said, "Wake up, Sweetheart; we're home."
Katie slowly opened her eyes as the limo came to a complete stop, finding herself momentarily disoriented as she tried to figure out where she was. "Wha…?" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. She hadn't realized how tired she had been until they had climbed aboard the limo earlier, but as her father wrapped his arm around her, she had felt so safe and secure that she had dozed off in no time. She scooted up in the seat, scowling a little as she realized HE was still with them. Didn't the man have his own place to go? "Home?" she repeated, her heart beginning to race a little at the thought of finally seeing her new home – her sister's home – for the first time.
"Yeah. We're here," Justin told her gently as he dislodged himself from his daughter and stood up. "Come on, Sweetheart; let's get our luggage."
Katie scooted up in her seat and rose to stand next to Justin as her father handed her suitcase and reached over to retrieve his own. Alex stood up and walked over to the door as the limo driver opened it from the outside.
As he climbed out of the limo, he stood aside as father and daughter followed after him. They all stood on the sidewalk near the brownstone's entrance as Justin turned to peer into his boyfriend's eyes. Katie couldn't help rolling her eyes at the look of adoration that Alex pasted on his face as he turned to look at her father. What a hypocrite, she couldn't help thinking. "Daddy… I'm really tired; can't we go in?" she prodded him urgently, hoping her father would take the hint. She really was tired, but not that much. And she was eager to see the inside of her father's brownstone, but that wasn't the main reason why she was trying to move things along. She just didn't want to spend any more time around this jerk than she had to.
"Just a minute, Kaylee," Justin told her, a slight note of disapproval in his voice. After all, Alex had gone to great lengths to ensure they could pick her up as soon as possible. He didn't have to agree to use his company's plane to pick her up; he had done that to make Justin happy, and that meant a lot to him. He heard his daughter huff softly in frustration as she pouted nearby while he turned to look at his boyfriend. "Alex… I really appreciate you letting me use your company's jet to pick Kaylee up. I didn't want her to have to stay there any longer than she had to; I really appreciate you agreeing to do that. And… I'm sorry again that I had to cut our vacation short."
Alex reached over to take Justin's hands. "You know I would do anything for you," he said, staring deeply into the soft blue eyes. He saw Justin's face flush in response as he added, "I mean that, Justin. I am disappointed that we couldn't stay for the entire two weeks, but I know your daughter comes first. I know how much you love her, so I was glad I could help. Just promise me one thing in return."
Justin had a good inkling what Alex was going to say, but he waited to hear a confirmation anyway. "What?" he asked softly, afraid that Alex was going to divulge the real reason for their trip; he wanted to talk to Kaylee privately about that, so he shook his head slightly, hoping Alex would understand what he was trying to convey.
Alex bit his lower lip pensively before he added, "Just promise me that you will give serious thought to what we talked about. I'm not rushing you," he hastened to add, knowing how Justin became agitated when he felt like he was being pressured. "But you know how I feel. Just promise me that you will consider everything when you make your decision. Okay?" He softly kneaded the long fingers clasped in his as he stared into Justin's face.
Justin breathed a slight sigh of relief, glad that Alex hadn't been too specific; he had a suspicion, though, that a certain daughter would be questioning him shortly about exactly what was going on, but at least it would give him a little time to think about what he was going to say to her in the meantime. "Okay," he told the other man. "I promise I will think about it. Just… don't expect an answer right away."
Alex nodded; he had figured as much. As long as Justin wasn't dismissing it outright, though, it gave him time to work on him. And he would – subtly but persistently – until he got the answer he wanted. "Good enough," he said as the uniformed limo driver waited nearby for him to re-enter the vehicle and take him back to his own apartment a few blocks away. "I'll call you later?"
Justin nodded; he supposed that was the least he could agree to after what Alex had done for him. "Okay," he agreed as Alex leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips; he could tell the other man wanted to deepen it as he felt his tongue brushing against his mouth, but now was not the time. He still needed to make sure that Kaylee was okay, and he found their actions just a little disconcerting in light of his daughter standing right next to them. Before the kiss could proceed any further, then, he purposefully pulled back as Alex frowned a little in response. "I… I need to get Kaylee inside," he tried to explain. "I'll talk to you later," he promised him.
Alex nodded reluctantly, disappointed that they had to say goodbye and knowing that their day – and their trip – was effectively ended now. "Okay," he told Justin as he grudgingly let go of his lover. "If you need anything, let me know," he said as Justin nodded and turned to go.
"Ready, Sweetheart?" Justin asked his daughter, who nodded and began to follow along behind him, her suitcase trailing alongside her. As she began to walk up the sidewalk, however, she turned one last time to look at Alex who was glaring at her and promptly stuck her tongue out at him before she smiled nicely and turned around to follow her father toward the front steps.
"Fucking brat," he muttered under his breath as he re-entered the limo. How he wished at that moment that he could find a nice foster home for that child! As the limo driver closed the door and it soon began to emerge back into traffic, his thoughts began to concentrate on just how he could take care of that particular problem. The solution, however, was not quickly forthcoming. I'll find a way, he thought with determination. Enjoy his company while you can, little girl, because you're about to get your comeuppance.
As she entered the brownstone's foyer, Katie quickly looked around to get her bearings; Kaylee had tried as best she could to provide her with the layout of her home, so at least she had a good idea where each room was located. She knew her and her father's bedrooms were upstairs, separated by a laundry room, and each of them had their own bathroom. And she knew her room was on the far end to the left, so at least she would be able to find her way there successfully. And Kaylee had told her where the living room and kitchen were on the main floor, so as long as she could fake her way around the rest, this part shouldn't be too hard.
"Why don't you take your suitcase upstairs, Sweetheart?" her father said. "I'm sure you're hungry, since you haven't had any lunch yet. I'll go see what I can scrounge up in the kitchen, okay?"
Katie nodded as she turned toward the curved, wooden staircase on the way upstairs. Before she could take her first step, however, her father exclaimed, "Well, I was wondering where you two were! Look who's home!"
Katie's eyes widened as she saw two cats loping toward them; one was black and brown with thick, fluffy fur and green eyes, while the other cat was a Siamese with smooth hair, a black face, white body, and bright blue eyes. She recalled that the fluffy cat was named Picasso and the Siamese was Dali. Proud to remember which was which, she smiled confidently as she said, "Hi, Picasso! Hi, Dali!" She reached down in an attempt to pet Picasso who abruptly arched his back and began to hiss at her; the other cat merely took off running as soon as she bent down to reach for them.
Justin's eyes bulged in shock; normally both cats were total pests when it came to Kaylee – they were totally devoted to her. From the moment she arrived home from school or any other place, the first thing they would do was come running up to her, meowing loudly and brushing up against her legs in an attempt to get her attention. She would have to inevitably scoop up both cats at once so they didn't get jealous of the other one and go sit down on the couch to pet them for several minutes until they were satisfied enough to leave her alone for a while, although they always faithfully followed her up the steps to her bedroom afterward. They prowled around at night, but as soon as she awoke in the morning they would be right outside her closed door, waiting for her to come down with them so she could feed them. He stood there aghast, total incredulous now as they shrunk away from her and hissed at her.
"What in the world? Picasso, Dali… What is wrong with you two? This is Kaylee." He leaned down to scoop up the heavy cat and began to soothingly pet it; the damn thing seemed to weight at least 20 pounds now. He looked around for Dali, but he seemed to have promptly disappeared somewhere. "What's the matter?" he softly cooed to the feline as he murmured to him. "Why are you acting this way?" The cat mewed plaintively as it began to purr under Justin's touch while he walked over toward his daughter. "Now you apologize to her, you bad cat," he coached Picasso. The closer he got, however, the more restless the cat became, until he suddenly leaped out of Justin's arms and took off down the hallway in search of the other cat.
Justin frowned; he had never seen either cat act this way before. What in the hell was going on? He turned to his daughter with a look of confusion on his face. "I don't get it," he said to her. "What in the world wrong with them? After a week, they should have been ecstatic to see you."
Katie bit her lip; how was she going to explain their behavior? She just naturally assumed they would act the same way toward her that they acted toward her sister. Thinking fast, she replied, "Maybe it's the hairdo; maybe they don't realize it's me."
Justin twisted his mouth thoughtfully. "I suppose that's possible," he conceded to Katie's relief. "But it's still really odd." He stared down the hallway where the cats had run off to, not seeing either one now, as he shrugged in response. "Very strange," he murmured before he turned back to his daughter. "Well, go ahead and take your suitcase upstairs and I'll find us something to eat, okay?"
She nodded, relieved that he had accepted her explanation as she picked her suitcase up and began to trudge up the steps. That was a close one, she couldn't help thinking as she reached the landing and headed down the hallway toward her room. I wonder what ELSE we didn't plan on? she thought as she let out another sigh.