Hi all, sorry I'm a couple of days late. Life got in the way and threw me for a bit of a loop, but here is the final 'big' chapter. I hope you'll come back next week for the last little mini chapter.
Wolfgirl2013, I'm glad you liked the drama. I'll have more news on the future next week after I post the final chapter.
xXBalorBabeXx, Hunter still has some father instincts in there, even if he likes to pretend that he doesn't most of the time!
Mandy, I hope you've had a better week this last week and that things with your brother haven't gotten any worse. It's so stressful when our normal routine and world is turned on its head, so I can sympathise with how you feel. How was seeing CM Punk? I hope you had a good time! If not, then here's hoping that this chapter will make you smile instead. Hugs as always!
Guest, (Rebel, is that you?!) Haha, well Kaylee is definitely not smarter than she looks, but nice try to redeem her actions! The good news is that we do have some Seth in this chapter, not in person, but he's there nonetheless. Can't have a (nearly) final chapter without Seth!
Minnie1015, I could hardly let those wrestling moves go to waste now, could I? She had to use them at least once (and then possibly never again!)
Idcam, More on Lauren and Hunter's relationship is going to crop up in the next two chapters, so I'm going to let you see how things change (or not, I don't want to give anything away, lol!)
Crazyredhead2005, Haha, well I think they would all be in serious trouble if Stephanie found out, so I might just go easy on them for once. Especially since Hunter deserves plaudits for being a good dad for once. Setting Stephanie on him might be too mean!
XwwecoyoteX, I couldn't resist the bickering in the car. Too much opportunity for sassy Dean, and who doesn't love sassy Dean?! (Well, okay, Hunter doesn't, but his choices and likes are somewhat questionable anyway, lol!)
For the second to last time then…
We Are Sailing
By the time the police had managed to establish some sort of semblance of what had gone on, and that the bad guys were not in fact, the three great big, hulking wrestlers, another thirty minutes had passed, which meant that it was almost half past three in the morning before I finally had a chance to sit down and suck in a breath for the first time in hours.
Even if my seat was a box full of life buoys overlooking the marina. It still felt nice. As did the big, extra thick woollen blanket that someone had brought from a nearby house on hearing the sirens and all the commotion, along with mugs of hot cocoa and tea, one of which I had clutched in my fingers that read World's Most Awesomest Grandma on the side.
In front of me, Henry and Mick—wearing handcuffs—were being placed into the back of separate patrol cars, each of them sporting mementos from the fighting in the form of a black eye and a very broken nose.
Lorenzo meanwhile, had been hauled from the boardwalk and deposited into a waiting ambulance to have his water inhalation and concussion evaluated, although given the fact that I could hear him protesting bitterly, I doubted that his prognosis was too bleak. Unlike his prison sentence, which was shaping up to be loooong. Especially thanks to Kaylee's statement and Hunter's confirmation of the kidnap and ransom plot, which meant that we could keep Dean's mom out of it, and that even in the unlikely event that Lorenzo grassed about her, no one would really care about it anyhow. Or buy it. Because who was going to believe a rotten criminal?
All of which meant that just for a second—a brief, fleeting second—everything seemed okay.
Until Hunter suddenly pitched up in front of me and cleared his throat like he wanted to say something.
Uh oh.
"So," he started, lifting an eyebrow. At some point, he had taken his suit jacket off and rolled his shirt sleeves up to the elbows, which made him look way more casual than I was used to him being. Even though his tone was all business, "Dean's mother stole two hundred thousand grand, huh?"
In response, I did the most obvious double take in history and then attempted to deny it,
"What? No. That's—I mean, that's—where did you hear that?"
"Let's just say I put two and two together. And also, that I wasn't born yesterday," he pointed out. Not that I'd been under the assumption he had been.
Unfortunately.
"I—um, I can explain—,"
"Don't," Hunter shrugged like it wasn't important, "The truth is, I would have helped even if I'd known that part. Although if you tell Stephanie that I'll deny it."
"Why?" I frowned, "I mean, not the Stephanie bit. Why would you have helped in the first place?"
Hunter looked up at me,
"Because you're my kid, and even though we've been through some issues and I've sometimes chosen to put wrestling first—,"
"You mean like when you tried to make me join the Authority by setting up a wedding with douchebag Randy on live TV?"
Hunter's jaw tightened up just a little,
"Yes, but—,"
"And when you kidnapped me? And brought Kaylee into the company? And—,"
"The point is," Hunter interrupted, "I'm your dad, and while that means that on occasion I may feel compelled to help you make the right choice—even if you don't necessarily agree with me—I won't let you get hurt by anyone else. No matter what the cause. Not ever. Call it an unexplainable quirk of fatherhood."
I blinked,
"Sooo does that mean you won't mention Dean's mom?"
"That means I won't mention Ambrose's mother," Hunter repeated, not calling him Dean, since I guessed using his first name implied some sort of fondness.
"And that you'll get Stephanie to leave us alone?"
"Now that I can't promise," Hunter shrugged back at me, as if his wife was outside his control. Which she probably was knowing her and her scheming. Hence the reason we had Seth working as our secret undercover double agent.
Oh crap, Seth.
"Um, do you mind if I make a quick phone call?" I asked, trying to make it sound innocent and thanking my lucky stars once again that while I had dived into the lake with my cell phone, Dean at least had taken his jacket off first, which meant that we still had a means to call people. Like Seth, who was probably losing his mind. Although Hunter clearly thought I was trying to call Kelly based on the way he swiftly stepped back to avoid having to hear any unwanted girl stuff.
"Of course."
"But thank you for—well, you know—what you just said to me. And just so you know, the same goes for you. We might not always agree, but you're my father and the only one I've got, so we'll always have that. No matter what we bump heads on in the future."
I said what instead of who we bumped heads on to be kind, rather than coming straight out and saying Stephanie, but either way it made Hunter smile. Nothing big or wide or too obvious, but a definite hint of a smile nonetheless, and one that reached right up to eyes too, based on the way they crinkled softly around the edge.
Which faded as Dean's cell phone started ringing and a name flashed up on the newly cracked screen.
Chicken Weasel Cell — Call Incoming.
Huh. Apparently Seth was calling us. And probably not for the first time that hour if the number of missed voicemails were anything to go by.
"Um, I'd better get this."
Hunter nodded, then turned and slid his suit jacket on, which seemed like Clark Kent putting on his glasses, since just like that, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was back, and in full business mode as he strode up to the sheriff and demanded to know what was happening next and how much longer we all had to stay there.
Which made me snort as I pressed the green answer button,
"Seth?"
"Lauren? Oh thank god," he sighed, like he'd been sitting in his room having kittens. Which apparently he had, "I almost called the FBI. Where the hell have you been? What happened?"
"Well," I started, "Everyone's fine. Except I almost drowned at one point, and Hunter got hit in the stomach with an oar. But on the plus side, we got Kaylee and kept the money, so when you look at it that way we did pretty well."
Seth however still needed some convincing,
"Excuse me? Did you just say that you almost drowned?
"But didn't," I repeated, "Which is kind of the crucial part. So to briefly sum up the events here, I would have to say that we rocked."
"Apart from you nearly dying," Seth countered, "Damn it. I knew I should have been there with you to stop you idiots from doing something crazy and—,"
"We need to talk," somebody announced, clearly not caring that I was in the middle of a phone call. Although since it was Kaylee I wasn't surprised. Well, other than by the fact that she wanted to speak to me. Not that want seemed to be the right word, since she looked like she'd rather pluck out her own eyeballs and feed them to a chorus of frogs. But either way, she clearly needed something and since I could hardly carry on with her listening in, I turned and handed the cell phone to Roman, who happened to be passing.
"Hey uce, can you take this? It's, um, you know who," I whispered, like the international woman of mystery that I was.
Roman blinked, but put it together pretty quickly—Kaylee. My expression. The held out phone—and instantly took my place in the conversation.
As in, my exact place.
"Whoa, brother, calm down. No one drowned. Everybody's all healthy."
Turning, he gave me a quick thumbs up, then sauntered away to give us some privacy. Which on the plus side meant that Kaylee and I could talk, but on the downside meant—well, that Kaylee and I could talk. Which had never historically worked out very well for us.
I braced myself,
"Sooo—,"
"Thanks for saving me I guess," she huffed back, cutting me off mid-sentence, while still somehow managing to sound deeply annoyed. Although whether that was down to the saving, or her attitude in general was difficult to tell.
"Oh," I blinked in surprise, "You're welcome."
"I know I've talked some shit about you in the past," some shit? I almost spluttered in response to her, "But the truth is you were actually kind of cool back there."
"Me?" I asked, starting to puff up like a peacock.
"Well, either that or totally stupid," she shrugged, instantly killing any good feeling, "Given the fact that you apparently can't swim. And have like, no sense of self preservation. Not to mention the fact that you're way too nice—,"
"Um," I interrupted, "Are we done listing my failings? Because I really don't need any help doing that."
Kaylee rolled her eyes,
"I'm not saying they're failings. God, you need to learn how to take a compliment."
"But you just called me totally stupid," I frowned.
"And then said you were nice."
"You said too nice," I countered, because it certainly hadn't sounded like a good thing at the time. Unless she was just completely incapable of saying things with any sort of human feeling at all. Which wasn't beyond the realms of possibility.
She rolled her eyes again,
"Okay fine. You are too nice. Because technically you should have just left me to rot here."
"Um, yeah, about that—," I started to say, wondering how to mention Dean's mother and the whole mistaken identity thing. Or if I even needed to in the first place.
Kaylee cut me off,
"But you didn't. So you're nice. And too nice because if you and I had swapped places, then I sure as hell wouldn't have come to save you."
"You can think about that a little more if you want to," I deadpanned, remembering that Dean had said the same thing, and apparently been right on the money. Although what she said next would have startled him too.
"So I guess I get what Dean must see in you."
And okay, so it was mumbled reluctantly towards the ground. But still, it was easily the nicest thing she'd ever said to me. Or possibly anyone.
Hence why I gaped back in astonishment,
"You do?"
"Yeah," she shrugged, "But if you tell anyone I said that—,"
"You'll deny it," I finished, quoting my father, who had said that exact same sentence to me twice.
Kaylee frowned at me.
"No. I'll kill you."
"Oh," I blinked, deciding I liked Hunter's plan better.
"But it's also why I'm letting you win," Kaylee carried on like the threat hadn't happened, folding her long arms over her chest and starting to tap her nails in impatience. Which sped up as I snorted.
"Letting me win? You were kidnapped. You were a no show—,"
"Not the match moron," she sighed, "I mean with Dean."
"Oh," I said again, sounding like a stuck record. And like a moron, which proved her point, "I mean, can I ask what changed your mind?"
Especially since not one hour earlier she'd been hoping that Dean was going to her white knight instead of being grateful to see me and Hunter.
Kaylee dropped her gaze to the ground, like she was sheepish, or hated having to admit it.
Yeah, probably that second one.
"It was seeing him back there. Back when you fell into the water. His face. He looked—for a second he looked scared. Scared about what might happen to you, and it's just—he's never looked at me like that. Not even when the two of us used to be an item. But with you—he really, really cares."
"It works both ways," I offered gently, "Because I really, really care about him too."
Her mascara lined eyes—smudged from the trauma, but still imposing—flickered up to meet mine, and for a moment it seemed like we made a connection as two women who knew what it was like to love Dean. Including the good, the bad and the ugly.
Then it was gone again.
"And besides," she drawled, slipping so easily back into bitch mode that I wondered if she'd taken lessons from Steph, "Why would I pine over some guy who didn't want me? I mean, come on, look at me. Who wouldn't want this?"
I froze.
Oh god, was that an actual question?
"Um," I fumbled, "I—,"
"Nobody," she ploughed on, clearly not having expected an answer. Or needed one, "So it's like, what the hell was I thinking? Trying to win back some grizzled wrestler dude when I could be out trying to track down a billionaire?"
"You mean like Vince?" I asked, screwing up my face. Before remembering she had just described my husband as grizzled, "Hey—,"
"Eww no, not Vinnie," she shot back, since apparently even she had standards, "I mean like, some young billionaire. Or, okay, at least under sixty."
That was it. I took back the whole standards thing.
"With a mansion, and his own house in Italy, and a boat, and a—,"
"Excuse me?" a new voice said, making us turn towards the fluttering police tape that haphazardly cordoned the area off. It belonged to a man somewhere in his late fifties, with a worried expression and a healthy head of grey hair, which looked even better for him having embraced it rather than attempting to dye it dark brown. He was wearing pale slacks, a Ralph Lauren polo and what were obviously expensive boat shoes, all of which screamed I have money. Although his face seemed friendly, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but can someone tell me what's going on here? Only, I own that boat in the corner, so I just want to check everything is okay."
Ah, a boat owner. It all made sense now.
"Um, I'm not sure I can technically say. But maybe if you ask the local sheriff—," I started, attempting for once in my life to be discreet. Before being promptly cut off by Kaylee, who had keenly followed the point of his finger and realized that his boat was actually pretty big.
"I—," she spluttered, getting emotional out of nowhere, "I was kidnapped. And—I'm sorry. I'm afraid it's still fresh."
"Oh my goodness, you poor thing. Of course it is," the newcomer gasped, looking totally appalled as I leaned in and searched for a teardrop, or even a bead of moisture anywhere on Kaylee's face. In response, she stamped on my foot and I leapt back again.
"Ouch."
"And look at you, why you're barely half dressed," Boat Man carried on sympathetically, as if he thought that whoever had kidnapped her had also been responsible for picking her clothes, "Let me see what I have on my boat for you. Not that I'll have a whole lot of choice, since I'm just a lonely bachelor, but I'm sure I can at least rustle a bathrobe up."
"Oh, my hero," Kaylee cooed, thrusting her breasts out as the new object of her affection ducked under the rope and offered her the crook of his elbow, which she latched around like a needy rattlesnake, "And did I just hear you say you were single?"
"Why yes," he smiled, turning her towards the boat, little knowing what he was letting himself in for.
Or knowing exactly.
It was hard to be sure.
"Oh shit, now who's the bitch got her claws into?" another voice asked from somewhere to my left, although unlike Boat Man, it wasn't a new voice, and it sounded huskier and sexier too. Seconds later, arms wound around me which I sank back into with a happy little sigh.
"I'm not sure she even knows. But he owns a boat and is apparently single, so—," I shrugged and let the rest taper off.
"Huh, so does that mean I'm officially off the menu?" Dean smirked into the sensitive little space behind my ear.
I giggled,
"Yep. She said she's letting me win. Something about seeing how madly in love we are. Oh, and you being grizzled."
"I'm what?" Dean barked, sounding scandalized by the comment. Or maybe the ingratitude. Or probably both. Turning around in his arms so I could face him, I wrapped the blanket around us both and then crept right up onto my tiptoes with a squelch of protest from my still sodden boots.
"Although personally I think she meant to say distinguished. And handsome. And heroic."
"Keep goin'," he grinned, as I paused to breathe in between adulations.
"Huh, that's weird. I can't think of anything else."
"How about an excellent lover?" he suggested too loudly as a policeman walked by. Which earned us a raised brow look of suspicion as if we were about to start humping right there.
I ducked my head down into the blanket.
"Ugh. I've changed my mind. Come back Kaylee, he's all yours."
In response, my husband let out a chuckle that was equal parts dirty and naughty little kid, then leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. My still damp forehead. Although then again, so was his.
"Guess that means you're still the only female announcer in the company."
"Guess so," I shrugged, as Roman walked past, evidently still trying to calm Seth down.
"Dean jumped in and saved her. No, of course he didn't drown."
"Plus your mom's in the clear," I continued, snuggling in a little closer for warmth and stifling a yawn at the same time. Because boy, had it ever been a long night?
"Yeah, but how about we don't tell her for a little while?"
"You mean a couple of months?"
"Or ever," Dean huffed, "Unless you want them to come back an' visit, an' help themselves to more of your clothes?"
"How about we wait until after next Christmas?"
"Deal," Dean nodded, reaching down to shake my hand, before shaking his head back and forth to clear the water, which flicked droplets over the blanket.
And me.
"Hey—,"
Not that I would have had it any other way though. Or had to, now that Kaylee was done with our feud.
Which meant that I only had one more enemy to try and make amends with.
But this one was going to be extra tough.
See you next week for the final, mini chapter!