History repeating – Part II

Chapter 13

Kate frowned as she handed more bags to Don "Where's your stuff?"

He didn't answer, just squared his shoulders.

"You haven't packed yet have you?!" she accused.

"It's fine" he said "I'll throw some stuff in a bag when I get back"

"You are supposed to be picking Matthew up in 30 minutes!" she raged at him "And we have to check in by 4!"

"Stop stressing woman!" he snapped "I only got in from work at midnight for God's sake!"

"You ain't seen stressed yet!" she retorted "I've washed, dried and packed me, and all three kids. Washed and dried all your stuff, tidied the house. Taken both dogs to the kennels. Cancelled everything, made sure we have everything we need, and what you done huh? Played all damned day with the kids! We have a plane to catch!"

"We agreed that's what we'd do!" he retorted "Some of us had to work yesterday, you know keep the justice on the streets! So don't start, you didn't trust me to get everything ready, so suck it up!"

She slammed the door of the people carrier angrily. Facing him with folded arms.

"You're useless!" she spat "One thing you had to do and can you? No!"

"Don't forget who arranged the fuckin' vacation in the first place!"

"Just go and get Matthew" she snarled "I'll pack your stuff. I've done every damned thing else!"

"Fine" he stormed back into the house, grabbed the keys to his own car and pushed his way past her as she stood in the doorway.

"Hurry up" she ordered as he got in, receiving a filthy look in return.

…...

Don had calmed down by the time he reached the Moran's. Stepping through the pretty garden he reached out a hand to tap on the door. Despite the row with Kate, he was excited and looking forward to two weeks with his family, with no disruptions from work or anything else. Away from the humdrum of normal life, where they could all just relax. He knew she'd have calmed down when he got home, they often had what sounded like a huge argument and a half hour later were fine again.

Tapping on the door he noticed it was open, and stepped forward. He stopped, slightly unsure, hearing raised and angry voices. Protective instinct, a life time of being a police officer, and curiosity made him inch carefully forward.

Making his way into the lounge, his heart almost stopped at what confronted him.

"Sue, put the gun down" Gavin said quietly.

"No!" her hand shook as tears poured down her face "He's all I have left! Do you honestly think that I took you back for any other reason than Mattie?" she shrieked "After what you did?"

"I know it was for him" Moran soothed "I know that"

"And now you've taken him from me too!" she howled, grief and pain pouring out.

"No one is taking me away mom" Matthew said quietly.

"Yes they are!" she replied "You found your dad, your real dad. Your family, they're going to take you away! And he made it happen! He did it!"

"No Sue we're not" Don said quietly "You are his family too. We just want to get to know him"

All eyes turned to the doorway, through the tension no one had heard him come in.

"And you can't do that without taking him away?" she demanded.

"It's just a holiday" Don answered her, his voice steady "It doesn't mean he's abandoning you"

"Of course it does!" she yelled back "He'll be all cosied up in a normal family, one without secrets and lies and all the baggage that goes with it! Of course he'll want to stay!"

"No mom!" Matthew cried "I just want to spend a little time with them, that's all, you said you were fine with it "

"Well I'm not!" Sue swung the gun away from Don and pointed it at Gavin with renewed intent "This is your fault! You should never have come back!"

"I'll go" Gavin held his hands up "If that's what you need, I'll go"

"No!" Matthew cried "You guys love each other. This is all my fault, it's all down to me!"

"No it isn't" Don said, looking him straight in the eye "It certainly is not your fault. This is because we love you and because of actions taken a long time ago, no one is at fault, we just have to deal with it now"

Sue swung the gun back to Don "Shut up!" she screamed "You talk about loving him?! Where were you when he cut his first tooth huh? Took his first steps? When his mother died? My Lexi?!"

"I wasn't there" Don admitted "But you were, which is the reason you can never be replaced"

He didn't go into why he wasn't there, that would serve no purpose here, it would antagonise her further.

Sue's body shook with a massive sob and she lowered the gun, Don took a step forward, instincts telling him to get it away from her, but Matthew beat him to it, standing between him and Sue. Don twitched, this wasn't what he wanted at all, he needed to be in front of the boy. Sue was unstable.

"Mom" Matthew said quietly "Give me the gun"

"No" she said, raising it to aim at Gavin "He's going to pay"

"Mom no!" Matthew cried.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Please" he begged "No, not like this"

She drew back the firing pin and cocked the gun, the room held it's breath as she started to squeeze the trigger slowly.

Matthew threw himself forward, colliding with Don and Sue simultaneously. Gavin launched himself into the mele. A shot rang out.

There was a heavy thud and an anguished cry as a bullet collided with a body and more muffled thud as the body hit the floor. And then pure silence.

…...

Kate dialled again, furiously.

"It's me" she snapped to the answer phone "You aren't back here in 10 minutes, I'm going to Florida without you!"

"What's wrong mommy?" Mollie asked her with wide eyes.

"Your dad is late" Kate snapped "We're going to miss our plane at this rate!"

"But I want to go to Florida!" Mollie wailed "I want to see Mickey!"

"Oh we're still goin' baby" Kate assured "Daddy or no daddy!"

"But I want daddy and Matthew to come!" Mollie sniffed sadly.

"If he can't be bothered" Kate answered under her breath "Neither can I"

This was the part of his character she found hardest to live with, the side that seemed to fail to take anyone else but himself and his own needs into consideration. It didn't happen often, but she found her temper close to breaking when it did. And he always seemed to do it when it mattered most.

She fully expected him to roll up, ten minutes after they had to leave having crept off to get something he'd 'meant to' earlier. Well, she thought, he might just find she'd already left. Then he'd have to bring his own car to the airport and pay two lots of parking fees. Serve him right she decided.

Just as she snapped her seatbelt into place and started the car, she heard her cell ringing. Ignoring the bored and excited witterings from the children behind her, she fished it out of her pocket, answering it with an aggressive punch on the key.

"You better be on your way" she snapped. The cell display having told her Don was calling.

And then stopped, her face changing as she listened.

...

A/N Firstly let me say a huge thank you to Smuffly for the reviews. And also to everyone who is reading, is following and who has favourited this story. I know, another cliffie, get used to it, there's more! Hope you enjoyed, please drop me a review and let me know :D I have updated early because I may not be around for a couple of days...