Lightning and Sally were greeted back into town with such a surprise of excitement from all their friends! Shaking hands and hugs. Cruz stood a distance away watching. She sighed and turned away. He loved Sally. He wanted Sally. She needed to let go because he was toxic. He would only toy with her heart and hurt her. She needed to show him that she would be absolutely fine without him. He wanted Sally, fine, he could have the second best...
"It is nice being back." Sally replied to Luige. The Italian smiled and nodded then Mater asked "You two really back together!?" he was excited about the idea! Lightning and Sally glanced at each other before smiling and Lightning answered "Yes. It's the best thing that has happened to me in so long." Sally rolled her eyes but with a smile. "Daddy, I wanna go play!" Colton whined as he tugged on his father. Pointing to the playground over near the racing school. That was new. "Wait? When did we get a park?" Lightning asked. Megan stepped in answering happily "That's the old race track. I talked Cal into renovating it into a public area and park for kids." Sally smiled impressed. "That is awesome Meg!" "Thanks. Anything for the kids right?" she asked. Sally definitely agreed to that.
"Dad!" Colton whined. At this point, Ece and Landon wanted to go play over there to. Minty walked up saying "I will glady take you three to go play." "Grandy!" Ece yelled. That's what she called her grandma lately. Ece ran to her grandma's arms and Minty picked up her beautiful granddaughter. "I missed you!" Minty exclaimed. Ece didn't reply but you could see how happy she was seeing Minty. "You sure you can handle the three of them?" Lightning asked. Minty glared reminding "I did raise you Monty." Lightning glared a bit. Minty took the kids coaxing "Come on babies. Let's go play." Sally then added "I'll be over in a moment Min. I wanted to talk to you about watching the kids tomorrow actually" Minty nodded with a smile and walked away. Filmore thought a moment then pointed out "I thought his name was Lightning?" Sarge glared correcting "He told us the story a long time ago. His name is Monty. Remember?" Filmore thought a moment. "Oh right man.. I totally forgot." he laughed. Sarge shook his head and rolled his eyes. Lightning snickered. Things seemed so good suddenly...
Lightning took Sally and the kids to her place up at the old wheel well. The kids pretty quickly went to playing in their room. Sally smiled seeing them back home. Lightning stepped next to her and took her hand. Sally looked at Lightning. "I'm gonna love you like I should have been all along. And I'm never gonna come close to losing you again." Lightning assured. Sally didn't say anything back to that. Just smiled at him. "Well.. Let me get yours and the kids bags then I'll head out." he exclaimed. Sally raised a brow asking "Where are you going?" "My place. You said you wanna live separately again, right?" Sally hesitated answering that. Lightning sighed and asked "Look, it's up to you. You want me to stay or go?" Sally stared at him. Both?
"Um.. I want you to stay, but.. I know it's safer if we stay in our own places." Lightning frowned hearing that but nodded. "Will you be okay on your own?" Sally asked. Lightning snickered with a smile answering "Ofcorse. I'm a grown adult Sal." Sally stepped close and kissed his cheek. Gazing into his eyes then she kissed his lips. "I love you." she said as she pulled away. Her hands rested on his chest. Lightning was happy. "We could... Celebrate being back.." She suggested seductively. Her hand went low. Lightning's face turned a bit red as he took her hands off him and stepped away. "It was a long drive.." he made the excuse. Sally sighed and nodded agreeing "Yeah.. It was..." Not really. She knew he just didn't want to get to physical still yet. It was so odd for Lightning. But she knew this had to be about what Cleo did and she might even bring it up in therapy tomorrow.
"I should help you get the kids bathed and ready for bed." he added. Sally shook her head assuring "No, no worries. I got it. You go home and rest up for tomorrow. Just don't forget to pick me up in the morning." Lightning chuckled answering "I won't. I couldn't forget you beautiful." Sally snickered at that. Lightning leaned close and kissed her once before saying "Hey.. I love you.. I will be your husband. I will be the one you need and I will be there for you always. I'm here and I'm gonna stay right by your side. If we have each other and thats all? That's fine with me. You... You and the kids are all I need. You should know how much you mean to me Sal.." She nodded, she was just.. Skeptical. Lightning said goodbye to the kids and Sally before heading to his place. Now, it felt weird in the quiet and alone. He sighed as he stood in his room. It even smelled different, unfamiliar. It was so quiet.. staying with Sally and the kids for the last few months felt right. This didn't. And he was gonna have a hard time sleeping alone...
Sally and Lightning sat on the fairly familiar couch next to eachother. Close to eachother. With Dr. May across from them with his notebook. May smiled a bit at them then asked "How are you each doing?" Sally snickered answering "I'm doing okay. Things are.. Going pretty well I think." "What about you?" May asked Lightning. Lightning nodded answering "I'm fine." with a smile. May nodded. "What brought you two back together?" he asked. Lightning and Sally glanced at each other before Sally answered "Um.. I... Am not sure honestly.. I think... Lightning here kept perusing and.. I just caved." May jotted down in his notes. "Have you two slept together?" he asked. Lightning quickly answered "Oh yes, lots of times." May chuckled hearing Lightning's enthusiasm.
"So the sex is good. Better than the last time we all spoke hmm?" "Definitely." Lightning said. Sally agreed with that for sure. May was glad to her that and the couple seemed better and closer than before as well. May wrote in his notes a bit more before asking his next question. "Do each of you feel the other has changed for the better sense you were last together?" Sally nodded and that made Lightning feel pretty good. "I know Lightning is trying. He's.. Better." Sally admitted. May smiled and looked to Lightning for his own answer. Lightning shrugged. "Sally has always been pretty perfect. I fucked up a lot before.. Any bad?.. Attitude or problems before were all on me." May thought that was interesting. Lightning acting as if the past never happened. Odd. "Mmhmm." May replied suspiciously.
"So you believe Sally is relationship material?" he asked. Lightning looked at Sally before answering "Yeah, definitely." May then looked to Sally asking "And you consider Lightning relationship material?" Sally smiled a little and nodded. May sighed. "Good.." He said then glanced into his folder for a second. He looked at the couple, observing as he asked "Do you two think the seperation helped any?" Lightning shrugged answering "Maybe.. It gave Sally some space I think." he looked to her. Sally bobbed her head a bit answering "I think it helped.." she was quiet. May nodded and stared a moment. He was cautious to even bring up his following questions. "Interesting head lines lately." May exclaimed. "About you Lightning.." Lightning nodded with a frown. "So you?.. Were?"-"Raped. Yeah.. I don't care that you bring it up. It happened. Nothing I can do." Lightning accepted it. May found that interesting but a good thing really. "Do you?.. Find it's had any consequences? On you sexually at all? Are you having any trouble." Lightning sighed before answering "Uh.. Not.. Really.." he sounded like he was lying. Sally brows lowered as she admitted and corrected "It's been a while sense we connected.. Physically.. Actually we haven't slept together sense he.. The assault." Lightning turned away. That was embarrassing for him and it showed.
"Which is fine!.. I understand that Lightning needs time and I'm patient." Sally added. May watched for ques and then reminded "This is a safe place Lightning.. And I'm here to help you. Just like before. So please, don't shut down or shy away. It's okay and it's normal. Everything you are feeling is normal." Lightning stared at Dr. May. He frowned, thinking a moment. As he remained silent, May turned to Sally complimenting "And good for you. Being patient and understanding of Lightning. You seem a lot less selfish from our last sessions a while back. That sort of change is good, it's powerful." May waited once again then for Lightning who did finally admit "I.. Guess it had affected me some.. But.. I've also been busy on top of that! And.. Stressed lately and its just.. Not at the top of my list.. Even though it should be.." he was ashamed. Sally placed her hand on his back in means of support. May was glad to see that. The couple had changed for the better.
Then Lightning surprisingly and openly asked "Do you?.. know any ways or have ideas to?..Help us get comfortable.. Sexually?.. Again..." May was very surprised by Lightning asking that but it showed such progress and how much he wanted to try and honestly Sally was a little shocked. Lightning having trouble getting going? That made no sense and at the same time it explained the lack of contact between tge two of them. She kind of figured it deep down she just didn't completely believable it. May smiled answering "Take it slow.. Kind of like before. Remember? And foreplay. LOTS of foreplay. It'll get there in it's own time, your own time." he assured. "How are the kids?" he then asked. Sally sighed answering "Um.. Good. Colton um.." she glanced at Lightning before continuing "He was influenced the most through the divorce and fights I think.." "He called you a bitch.. And My mom." Lightning admitted. May's eyed widened.
"That's actually common in children his age.. Um.. Have you two considered putting Colton into therapy? How are the twins?" May asked. Sally and Lightning stared at each other. "Well.. We never really considered putting him into?.. This kind of therapy?" Sally stated questionably. Lightning agreed adding "Yeah, Colt just.. Needs to know what isn't okay." "But he's copying the parent he sees as the uh.. Leader of the pack in a way. That's you, Lightning." May pointed out. Lightning frowned. He didn't want Colton to turn out anything like him. "Maybe but.. I'm moving back out now so.. He'll mostly have Sally to look up to again." Lightning explained. May raised a brow and shuffled around in his seat before asking "You two moved in together?" Sally and Lightning both nodded. "And now?.. You are moving out?" He asked Lightning. Lightning seemed disappointed with it, but nodded. "How long were you two living together?" "About three months." Lightning answered.
May sighed asking "What's persuading you you to move back out?" Lightning hesitated. "Well uh.. Sally wanted me to.. Us to.. In case we break up I guess." He answered. May stared at Sally asking "Why? Do you think you'll break up?" Sally's eyes widened "I hope not.." She answered. May wrote in his notes. "So why do you really want him to leave? Honestly it would be best on Colton if Lightning stayed at this point." "Really?" Sally asked. May nodded giving opinions "If it truly is because you're afraid to break up and the consequences of that? That won't change for the kids. And honestly, if the two of you did break up again I would suggest NOT trying to get back together again. Off and on can be stressful for children. Sometimes more so than adults!" Sally raised a brow asking "So I should let Lightning stay? Permanently?"
May shook his head answering "You two discuss that and do what you two feel is best. I only suggest you not continue to move around going back and fourth for the sake of your children. Especially Colton right now. Ece and Landon probably won't remember this but.. Colton's mind is picking and choosing memories... Traumatic ones tend to stick...And.. A father who is.. Back and fourth and seen as the role model tends to be.. Traumatic." He didn't want to scare the parents but he needed to make his point. Sally and Lightning stared at each other. That didn't sound good exactly. "So I'm gonna screw up my kid because I don't want to deal with the fighting and breaking up in front of them?" Sally asked. May was glad she spoke up even if she slunded a little skappy about it because now they were getting down into the reason why.
"So you don't want to fight?" May asked. Sally snickered joking as she answered "Well who does!?" May nodded agreeing but "Fights are gonna happen. It's inevitable." May replied. Sally frowned a bit. Lightning took her hand tightly and assured "We'll be fine. We'll fight and get over it." "Good attitude Lightning. Sally, do you want to marry Lightning again?" Sally stared at May a minute. She was hesitating. Lightning stared at her waiting to hear her answer. Sally sighed and answered with that frown "I don't want another wedding. I don't want back and fourth and I don't want fights.. I would love to marry Lightning again one day but..." She paused. May cokced his head a bit, just listening. Lightning pulled his hand away and asked "But what?.." Almost nervously.
"I.. Just.. Don't have.. Faith.." she admitted slowly. May sighed. There it was. Trust. She didn't trust him. "Faith?" Lightning asked. "What do you mean by faith?" Sally sighed and opened her mouth to answer but May stopped her saying "Hold on there. Lightning, she's talking about your affair with miss Ramirez." Lightning got quiet. Sally snickered and explained "Lightning tried dating her multiple times after the divorce." "Once. I tried once." Lightning corrected rudely. Sally sighed continuing "And she works with him now." "Uhh.. No, she works with Cal and dinico. Not even the same building." Lightning snapped, again correcting. Sally turned to Lightning explaining "You and Cal are partners. Cruz can walk in anytime." Lightning glared at her. "Cal and I are hardly partners." He growled. Sally glared and snarled "Maybe you shouldn't have slept with his wife!" the two death stared each other in a way. Sally was doing that thing where she needed to be right.
But then Sally pulled back saying "Nope.. No.. I'm not doing this.. I'm not fighting.." she leaned back. May stared at them. Sort of waiting to see if either of them would snap back. "So... Ramirez is still a problem?" May asked. Immediately, Lightning answered with a firm "No." and Sally with a harsh "Yes!" Then stared at each other. "Come on Sally! Why do you have to be so hateful towards Cruz!? It is WAY in the past!" Lightning shouted over her. Sally only snapped back "That woman took you away and could do it again in a heart beat!" Lightning shook his head. "I'm sorry you think that, but she can't. I am yours. Not HERS" Lightning assured. May sighed and asked Sally "Are you jealous of Ramirez, Sally?" "What!? Oh please.. ME!? Nope. Not jealous of someone who goes around taking people's husbands." May nodded.
"Could you talk with Ramirez?" "Excuse me?.." Sally whispered. May snickered asking again "Why don't you speak with Ramirez and make your peace." Sally snickered explaining "There will be no peace with that person. Cruz will take Lightning and not as a relationship, no, she just wants to fuck him and rub it in my face that she's better than me." "That's not true.." Lightning growled. May wrote in his notes and looked at the time. Almost up. He sighed replying "I'm going to make a rule to.. Save you both from a fight that's not even worth your time or needed okay? No speaking about Cruz Ramirez unless it's in my office here with me. If Ramirez comes to talk to either if you? Simply explain to her that you have a phone call and ignore her. It's just for the week and won't hurt her. If you must talk to her, don't tell each other.. Wait and bring it up here next week. And it'll prevent a little fight. Hmm?" May asked of them. The couple agreed to that pretty easily before heading back home and until next week...