Hey guys, it's been awhile. I haven't given up and have no plans of giving up on this fic. I have two weeks left of classes and might not be able to even start writing on Chapter 13 until after I'm done for the semester because I have so much going on and a lot of deadlines to meet. Just know I'm not giving up and I hope you don't either! I also hope you like this chapter.
Chapter 12—Hello…Goodbye
"You're going to stay, aren't you Mommy?" Bridger asked as Dante approached them and knelt down to eyelevel with his son.
"Bridger, we talked about this, Mommy isn't going to live with us anymore," Dante said, then glanced up as Camilla, noticing the façade she was putting on, even though he knew she was high on something. He looked back to Bridger. "Can you go sit in the car for a minute and let me and Mommy talk for a minute?"
"Yeah," he replied sadly, walking back to the SUV.
That's when Camilla noticed Lulu standing by where Mia's car seat was buckled in. "Who the hell is that?" she demanded. "It's one thing for you to move on, I know I hurt you, but for you to let some slut go around my kids—our children, Dante—you're accusing me of not having respect for them and you're the one who let's any whore around them!"
Lulu had enough and before she realized it, she went straight for Camilla and would have slapped her, but Dante stopped her. "She's not worth it," he told her.
"You bitch," Camilla roared. "You think you can just come in and take over in my family…I'll die before I let that happen.
"Okay Camilla, I've had enough, you need to leave…now," he told her. "Why did you even come here?"
Camilla broke down into tears, "I don't have anywhere to go," she sobbed. "I lost my job and my friend and I got kicked out of our apartment because we couldn't pay rent."
Lulu rolled her eyes, knowing that the drugs were the root of both problems, Dante pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Do you mind taking the kids into the house?" He asked. "I'm sorry they've had to witness this, but I don't want them to see anymore.
"Yeah," she replied, taking his keys out of his hand and going back toward the SUV.
Dante turned back to Camilla, who was still crying, "You're going to have to find somewhere else to stay, I told you I wasn't dealing with you and your problems anymore," he said. "You're obviously strung out and that's not something my kids or Lulu's need to see."
Camilla let out a scoff, "Lulu…what kind of name is that?" She laughed. "Tell me Dante, how long did it take to get that slut into your bed?"
"You do nottalk about Lulu like that, to me, her or anyone else," Dante yelled. "How in the hell did you even know where I lived?"
"Oh, I heard you had moved here and when I got into town, I went to the police station and asked for directions to your house," she explained. "I didn't know where else to go."
Dante was mentally kicking himself and knew he would probably regret what he was about to say, but no matter how much he wanted to hate the woman standing in front of him, he would almost worship the ground she walked on for giving him Bridger and Mia.
He let out a sigh, "I'll call the local women's shelter to see if you can stay there for tonight, but you have to leave tomorrow morning and go on pretending that you don't know us," Dante said. "Bridger and Mia aren't your children, they're mine and I'm going to do every damn thing possible to make sure they're not hurt by you anymore."
"What about Lulu, where does she fit into the picture?" Camilla asked with a disdainful tone in her voice.
"Lulu and I are dating," he told her. "We have been for about 2 months, she cares a great deal about Bridger and Mia and they're crazy about her, so you might want to think about that before you cal her anymore children.
"You think I could see Mia for a moment?" she wondered.
"If you want to go in there and apologize to Lulu for what you said about her," Dante replied
Camilla rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
After Lulu had taken the kids into the house, she sent Bridger, Tanner and Lexi into the play room, and then took Mia from her car seat, changed her into some pajamas and placed her in her crib.
She watched as Mia slowly drifted back to sleep and thought about how much this could change her relationship, not only with Dante, but with Bridger and Mia as well. That thought scared her, she had become so close with all three of them and was afraid something like this would happen.
Dante had been outside talking to his ex-girlfriend for nearly fifteen minutes by the time Lulu had walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch, and then she heard the front door open.
"Camilla has something she'd like to say to you Lulu," Dante said.
"I apologize for saying what I said about you, Dante told me you care a lot about my children and since I obviously make horrible decisions, I'm glad they have someone like you in their lives," she told Lulu.
"I do care a lot about them and I appreciate your apology," Lulu said, then gave Dante a look that said she wasn't comfortable with the situation.
"Where are the kids?" he asked her.
"They're playing in Bridger's room and I put Mia in her crib," Lulu replied, putting her hands into her pockets. "I'm going to get Tanner and Lexi and head home."
"What? No," Dante stopped her by lightly grasping her hand, then he looked at Camilla. "Mia's room is the last one on the left, if you'd like to go see her while I make this phone call."
"Okay," Camilla replied as she started down the hall.
"Phone call?" Lulu asked
"Yeah, I'm going to see if Camilla can stay at the local women's shelter," Dante said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"So she's not staying here?" Lulu wondered
"Hell no," Dante answered simply as he started toward the desk in the corner to look for a phone book. "I think I'm being generous enough by letting her even see the kids, I'm not offering her a place to stay, now or ever."
"Good," Lulu exhaled.
Dante stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Lulu, "Why?" he asked as a smirk appeared on his face. "You're not jealous, are you?"
"No," Lulu said quickly, but he caught her gaze and she grinned. "Okay, maybe a little…but can you blame me?"
"I know…I'm pretty irresistible," he said, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. "Let me make this phone call real quick."
After he made the call, he turned to find the living room empty, but heard the water running in the kitchen, so he followed the sound.
"What did they say?" Lulu asked before placing the empty glass she had rinsed into the dishwasher.
"That they have a spot for her tonight, but they have a woman with two kids coming in tomorrow, so she won't be able to stay past tonight," Dante replied.
"So what's going to happen then?" Lulu asked, trying not to be overbearing, but she couldn't help but to feel protective over Dante and his children.
"Well, I planned on calling her parents to see what they can do," Dante said as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "But I'm not dealing with it anymore. It was a big step for me to even let her see the kids, even though I really had no choice with Bridger."
"I should probably get Tanner and Lexi so Camilla can say goodbye to Bridger and Mia without any distractions," Lulu said as she started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Actually," Dante began, his voice caused her to stop and turn to face him again. "I need to show Camilla how to get there and make sure she actually goes. I know it's late, but if you could stay here so I don't have to get Bridger and Mia back out, I would greatly appreciate it."
"Yeah, no problem," she nodded.
"Thank you," Dante said as they heard Mia crying, they both took off down the hall. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, she woke up when I picked her up and I tried to rock her, but it didn't work," Camilla said as Dante took Mia from her.
He put Mia's head on his shoulder and started shushing her as he rubbed her back. Lulu smiled from the doorway as she heard Mia's cries cease.
"We should probably get going," Dante told Camilla.
"Okay," Camilla replied sadly, walking over and kissing Mia on the cheek. "Bye baby girl, Mommy loves you."
"Will you try to get her back to sleep?" Dante asked.
"Sure," Lulu replied, taking Mia from Dante, then sitting down in the rocking chair with her.
When she came into the living room a few minutes later, Dante and Camilla were talking to Bridger, and Lexi and Tanner were sitting in the large armchair. Lulu sat down on the couch.
"I don't want Mommy to leave, I want her to stay with us," Bridger whined.
Dante led Bridger over to the couch and sat him down on it before kneeling in front of him, "Listen Bridge, I know you love your mommy, but she can't stay here with us," he told his son. "You know how sometimes when you, Lexi and Tanner are playing and you get mad because somebody isn't playing nice?"
"Yeah," Bridger nodded
"Well, some of the things your mom and I have done haven't been very nice," Dante explained, trying to remain neutral, instead of putting all the blame on Camilla.
"But why can't you just say you're sorry?" he asked with tears in his eyes
"It's not that easy buddy," Dante replied sadly. "But know that your mom and I love you and Mia so much, but remember me telling you about the judge saying your mom isn't supposed to see you and your sister because of some the things she's done?"
"Yeah," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "But can't you just tell the judge that she can?"
"May I?" Camilla asked Dante.
He nodded cautiously in return, he and Lulu both went to stand by the armchair Tanner and Lexi were sitting in as Camilla sat down next to Bridger.
"Sweetie, I know you want me here with you, but I am not able to take care of you and Mia, and your daddy and I decided last year that it would be best if you lived with him," Camilla said. "And I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, but now that I know you are, I have to leave."
"Can I go with you?" Bridger asked
"No sweetie, you can't," Camilla said sadly. "You have to stay here and help your daddy with Mia."
"No, I want to go with you!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm as she stood up.
"Bridger, you're going to stay here with Lulu, Lexi and Tanner while I take your mommy somewhere to get help," Dante told his son.
"I don't want to stay here," Bridger yelled. "I want Mommy!"
"Sshh, you're going to wake your sister up," Camilla said as she knelt down to eyelevel with him. "I want you to show me you can be a big boy and help your daddy take care of Mia, she needs her big brother."
"Okay," he cried. "I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, baby," Camilla said.
Once they arrived at the shelter, Dante got out to speak to Camilla, "I want you to know that I'm not happy with what happened tonight," he told her. "I don't want you coming back; it's taken Bridger a long time to stop asking about you every day and this is going to set him back a lot."
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see how they were doing," Camilla began to cry again.
"I was nice enough to let you see the kids tonight Camilla, but if you so much as think about coming back again, I will not hesitate to get a restraining order," Dante told her. "They're not your children and one day Bridger will be old enough to understand what you did and that you loved being drunk or high more than you loved him and Mia."
"I screwed up, I know that Dante," she retorted. "You don't have to keep reminding me."
"Poor you, right?" He asked. "I tried to help you Camilla, time after time and all I got was a slap in the face, I'm done now though, the only reason I helped you out tonight is so I don't have to look at my kids and tell them I made their mom sleep in a car on the side of the road."
"Good, I don't need your help," Camilla said before turning to walk into the building.
When Dante got back to the house, Lulu was asleep on the couch and the house was quiet. It had been a long day for all of them and he felt terrible asking Lulu to stay with the kids, but knew it was best if they got the goodbye over with at the house.
He walked over, placed his keys and cell phone on the coffee table, and then picked her feet off of the couch before sitting down on it and placing her feet in his lap.
"Hmm…" she stirred, then smiled as she realized Dante was sitting in front of her. "You're back."
"Yeah," he spoke quietly. "Where are the kids?"
"They're all asleep, I put Lexi and Tanner in your bed, I hope you don't mind," she answered, stretching a little before she pulled her feet out of Dante's lap and scooted closer to him.
"No, it's fine," he replied, wrapping his arm around her. "Was Bridger okay after I left?"
"Yeah, I think he was just exhausted, but having Camilla here did escalate the situation," Lulu said. "I had him put pajamas on and I read to him and he fell asleep before I even finished the book."
"I'm sorry you, Tanner and Lexi had to witness that," Dante told her, kicking her shoes off.
"I was amazed at how well she can turn her emotions on and off," Lulu replied. "One minute she was screaming and yelling and the next she was comforting Bridger like it was the most natural thing in the world."
"Yeah, that's how it is with her on drugs," Dante told her. "But I told her not to come back or I would file a restraining order on her. I felt that was little harsh, but I have to protect my kids."
"I think any real parent would see keeping her away from them is the best thing you could do," Lulu assured him.
"Thank you for being so understanding," he told her, kissing her briefly. "And for being jealous."
Lulu let out a laugh, "Well…that was the easy part," she replied as Dante leaned in to kiss her again.
She felt his mouth press against hers and draw her into a long, deep kiss. Dante's tongue darted between her lips, the soft touch exploring her mouth. Lulu started to respond by moving her tongue against his, savoring the taste and feel of his mouth on hers. His hand went to the back of her neck, lightly threading his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss.
Then, Dante's phone began to ring, he cursed as he rested his forehead on hers, then reached for the phone and noticed the call was from his mother.
"She's calling to tell me I forgot to call when we got home," he told Lulu before answering the phone. "Hi Ma, we made it home."
"Oh really?" she spoke with sarcasm and disdain in her voice. "You've had me worried sick, I was afraid you were stranded on the side of the road somewhere with Lulu and those kids!"
"I'm sorry Ma," Dante answered. "I have a good excuse…"
"It better be a good excuse," she told him, he could almost see her putting her hand on her hip.
"Camilla showed up tonight," he said.
"You've got to be kidding me," she replied. "You sent her packing, right?"
"Yeah, but she was here when we got home and before I could do anything, Bridger was in her arms," Dante explained. "She's staying at a local women's shelter tonight, but I told her not to come back."
"Good, someone needs to set that girl straight," Olivia said. "But other than that, things are okay back in Port Charles?"
"Yeah, things are great," Dante replied, glancing at Lulu, who smiled in return.
"I miss you guys already," she confessed sadly.
"Then you should come see us," Dante suggested.
"Oh, tell her she should come to the city's 4th of July celebration, Crimson is sponsoring it," Lulu whispered to him.
"Ma, Lulu reminded me the 4th of July is coming up, Crimson is sponsoring some celebration here in Port Charles, we'd love to have you," Dante said, hoping it would work, since she had been passing up opportunities to visit since they had moved to town.
"I'd like that," she admitted.
"Really?" he was shocked, Lulu's eyes lit up when he spoke because she knew Dante had been trying to get Olivia to visit for a long time.
"Yeah, I think I might just pay a visit to your quaint little town," she replied.
"Wow, I would have had Lulu ask a long time ago if I knew that's what it took to get you here," he said with a laugh.
"Well, I've been thinking about it for awhile and seeing how fast the kids are growing, I don't want to go that long without seeing them again," she replied.
"Well good, it's set, 4th of July, here in Port Charles," Dante said with a smile.
"Yes, I will be there," Olivia replied. "But right now, I am going to bed, so I will talk to you soon."
"Goodnight Ma," he said before they hung up, then looked back at Lulu and leaned toward her. "Now, where were we?"
She kissed him, but the put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back. "As much as I would love to continue this, it's late and I am exhausted," she confessed. "And I really need to get Lexi and Tanner home in their own beds."
"Thank you for everything you did for me today," he said, pressing his lips to the side of her head.
"You're welcome, but I think you've thanked me enough today," Lulu smiled.
"Well, I just want you to know how appreciated you are," he told her.
"In that case, thank you, because you make me feel very appreciated," she replied as they shared one last kiss before they got up and Dante helped Lulu carry Lexi and Tanner to the SUV.