Now, I must offer a cautionary heads-up here. Parts of this chapter are kind of feels-punchy due to what's talked about amongst the characters. ...And, I also gotta admit that I've included an idea in this that is...it's kinda weird and I still feel fairly shaky about it, but...in a way, after rereading this chapter a few times, I feel it fits. But...I'll leave that up to you guys, my readers, to decide. Want to know just what the feels-punchy stuff is and what my odd idea is? Read on to find out, and I hope you enjoy, my loves. =)
(Slight warning: There's a bit of swearing later in the chapter, but it's coming from Dean, so...that should be explanation enough. =P )
After the front door had closed, Roman found himself left in the house with just Sasha. Looking down at the magenta-haired Gem, Roman said "I'm sure you have something to say."
"No, not something. I have many things to say," Sasha said. Turning to look up at Roman, Sasha began to ask. "What did you mean when you said that Dean was personally saved by Natalya? And...what did you even mean when you said that girl is the bearer of Natalya's Gem? And Dean saying he knows of a way to possibly fix my Gem...is such a thing even possible?"
"Well, to some of what you just asked: Natalya saved Dean from a group that was trying to destroy him. The reason why Bayley has Natalya's Gem is that...well, to give you a bit of a short answer, Natalya was in a relationship with a human male and got pregnant with Bayley. Her pregnancy went fairly well until it came time for her to deliver Bayley." At this point, Roman had to stop himself because he started to feel a bit choked up.
Sensing the change in Roman's mood, Sasha asked "Wha...what happened during Natalya's delivery?"
Squeezing his eyes together at the burn of tears he started to feel in the backs of his eyes, Roman continued. "After Natalya had finished delivering Bayley, we all noticed that something wasn't right. Bayley wasn't breathing and she wasn't crying. And, this all threw us into a panic as we didn't know what to do. Until, Natalya made a suggestion that was completely unheard of."
"And that was her giving up her life and her Gem to give Bayley life?" Sasha filled in the blanks. Seeing the brunette nod in confirmation, Sasha seemed to feel a bit breathless. She couldn't believe that she had just shown such hostility to two fellow Gems. She was only acting on a base instinct to protect herself; she didn't know that the two she tried to harm had such important ties to the Gem that had saved her and so many others in the past. Finally managing to find her words, Sasha said "I...I'm sorry, Roman."
"Don't apologize to me. Save it for the two that you drove off," Roman said. Seeing the genuinely sorry look on Sasha's face, Roman rested a hand on the shorter Gem's head. Ruffling her hair a bit, Roman grinned a bit at the light laugh he got from the magenta-haired Gem. "Just relax. As long as you talk to them and hear them out, they'll forgive you. Just you wait."
"I hope you're right about that, Roman. I sure hope you're right," Sasha began to hope with every fiber of her being.
...
Walking around town in her search of Dean, Bayley was beginning to feel a bit frustrated that she couldn't find the sandy blonde anywhere.
'Come on, Dean. Where are you?' The brunette had almost given up her search when she heard curious murmuring coming from the direction of one of the restaurants. "I wonder..." Bayley mused before taking off to find the source of the noise. Following along, Bayley was rewarded with the object of her search, said object currently eating his way through what looked like his third plate of chicken wings, much to the surprise of some of the people sitting around him. Walking over to join Dean, Bayley said "Um, I think you oughta slow down a bit there, Dean. You wouldn't want to accidentally bite one of your fingers, would you?"
Looking over to see Bayley standing next to his table, a concerned look on her face, Dean let out a short laugh before gesturing to one of the empty chairs next to him. "You don't have to worry about me there, runt. I've managed to keep all of my fingers through my eating binges, so it's all good." Once Bayley sat down in one of the empty chairs, Dean said "I'm guessing things have calmed down at the house."
"I think they have. Sasha seemed to be pretty calm when I left and Ro was still there with her," Bayley said. Sasha still on her mind, Bayley ventured to ask "Hey, Dean?"
"Mmm? What is it?" Dean asked as he picked up a new piece of chicken.
"Wh...why was Sasha being so mean to you back home? I mean, I heard the story and sorta have an idea of why, but...why would she even behave the way she was? You apologized and everything for breaking her Gem, so shouldn't everything be okay between you both?" Bayley asked.
This round of questioning from the younger brunette seemed to stop Dean in his tracks as he dropped his food back onto the plate, a heavy sigh escaping him. "Bayley. I'm not sure you fully understand it, but...breaking another Gem's Gem... That's something that's considered a huge form of disrespect. Sort of in a way, it's like saying "You'll never be better than me. And this should be a reminder of why"." Picking up a napkin, Dean wiped his mouth and hands before continuing his Bayley-safe version of his story. "It's like I said back at the house, I got carried away in the fight I had with Sasha where I cracked her Gem. But... It was only because...I wanted to impress them."
"Impress who? Seth, Ro, and Sasha?" Bayley asked.
"Yeah," Dean nodded. "I was the last to join their group and I just wanted to show them that I belonged. I guess what I did wasn't the best way to do so."
"But...I don't get it. From what I've seen of you, you're a pretty good fighter, so...why try so hard to impress them?" Bayley wondered.
"I don't know. Like I said, I was new to the group, and I just wanted to show them that it wasn't a mistake that they let me join them. I didn't count on butting heads with Sasha as much as I did, but...it all happened. And, damn, do I regret what I did." Dean scrubbed a hand down his face.
"I can see that, Dean." Rising from her seat, Bayley walked over to the sandy blonde Gem and gave him a hug. Tightening her hold just a bit, Bayley said "Dean, I know you didn't mean to hurt Sasha like you did. You got carried away, and...that's something that can happen to the best of us. I just hope Sasha'll hear you out and let you help her try to fix her Gem. Just don't worry about all of this."
In between Bayley's tight hug and her reassuring words, Dean was actually starting to feel a bit better. While he was still somewhat reeling from having to encounter a face from a darker part of his past, having actually confronted Sasha and letting her know that he could help her made Dean feel a bit better; throw in his favorite ponytailed runt giving him a hug and reassuring him in all of the craziness that had happened in the day, and Dean felt it in him enough to go back home and try to fully bury the hatchet with Sasha. Grinning as he patted Bayley's arm, Dean said "You're such a big help, you know that? Thanks, Bayley."
"I know. And, you're welcome. It's the least I could do to help a friend out when they need it," Bayley smiled. Pulling away from the sandy blonde, Bayley asked "So, you ready to head back home? That is...if you're done eating."
"Yeah, I reckon we should be heading back. Best I go ahead and try to make things up with Sasha before it gets too late. Just let me pay for my food and get a to-go box for this. Besides, I still gotta help you find something you can take to school for your big assignment." Dean stood from the table to go to the paying counter to pay for his orders of wings and get a to-go container. Coming and dumping his wings into the plate, Dean said "OK. Now, we can head back home."
"OK!" Bayley chirped as she bounced up out of her seat. Walking along with Dean, Bayley talked with the sandy blonde Gem and was feeling happy to see Dean was feeling better. She could only hope that his good mood would last after they got back home and the two Gems could have their talk.
Heading up the hill and up the steps to the house, the duo headed inside to find Roman, Sasha, and Seth sitting on the chairs with Seth talking to Sasha.
"And, you say this thing is called a T.V.?" Sasha asked, staring ahead at the television that was currently playing an episode of a cartoon where a rabbit and a duck were trying to outsmart a hunter.
"Yep. What you can do is watch what are called T.V. shows and movies on it. It's one of Bayley's favorite things to do when she isn't busy with school and other stuff," Seth explained. "Maybe, if you want, she can help get you into some of the stuff she likes to watch."
"I wouldn't mind doing that. I'm sure Sasha would like some of the stuff I like to watch," Bayley blurted, drawing the attention of everyone that was sitting. Feeling her cheeks heat a bit, Bayley ducked her head a bit and said "Sorry."
"It's okay, Bayley," Seth reassured the ponytailed brunette. "It's just good to hear that you want to help Sasha learn about the TV."
"It's no big deal. Just...something I can do to help out," Bayley smiled and shrugged her shoulders a bit. Looking over to Dean, Bayley gave the sandy blonde a nudge in the side.
Feeling Bayley's nudge, Dean let out a short laugh before saying "Hey, Sasha. Can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Um, sure, Dean. What is it?" Sasha asked as she rose from her seat and walked over to the duo.
"I, uh... I want to, y'know, apologize for all of what happened earlier. I honestly wasn't expecting you to form yourself back after Bayley and her friend Sami accidentally popped you out of the brooch Nattie put you in. And, then there was our little fight and having to revisit our pasts-" However, Dean found himself stopped by Sasha raising a hand.
"Dean. No. If anything, I feel like it should be me that's apologizing here. I attacked you, and then I poked at how stuff was between us in the past. It was pretty bad of me to do, and...I'm sorry. If you can find it in yourself to forgive me, I'd like to maybe make up and start anew between us," Sasha held her hand out.
"I'd like that, Sasha. I'd like that a lot," Dean smiled as he took and shook the magenta-haired Gem's hand.
Taking her hand out of Dean's, Sasha extended it towards Bayley next. "Same goes for you, Bayley. I'm sorry that I might've scared you and your friend. I hope we can patch things up and start over."
While her natural instincts were saying to give Sasha a hug, Bayley instead took hold of Sasha's hand and gave it a shake. "Thanks, Sasha. I hope we can make up, too. I'm sure you're a very nice person, so I hope we can become friends."
Smiling at the sight before him, with Seth and Roman sharing smiles of their own, Dean then cleared his throat as he remembered something he told Bayley earlier. "Um, Bayley. I was gonna help you with your homework, remember?"
"Oh, yeah!" Bayley suddenly remembered herself. Taking her hand out of Sasha's, Bayley said "Maybe later I can show you one of my favorite shows on TV. I'm sure you might like it."
"I'd like that," Sasha smiled a bit. Watching as Bayley left with Dean, the magenta-haired Gem thought 'That actually went better than I thought it would. I guess now the big test going forward will be doing what I can to be as much of a help as I can here.'
...
Standing outside of the room Dean was currently looking around in, Bayley twiddled her thumbs as she waited for what the sandy blonde would bring out for her. While she had a feeling that what Dean would bring out this time would be good for her to take to school, she was still feeling a bit nervous. After what all just happened with Sasha forming herself after being popped out of the brooch that was holding her, Bayley didn't want to run the risk of getting another piece of jewerly that had a Gem like her and the others in it.
A few minutes more had gone by before Dean finally came out with what he found for Bayley. Closing the door behind him, Dean held out what he found for the brunette. "Here you go. It took some hunting around, but I think I found just the thing for you."
Taking what Dean found for her and looking at it, Bayley let out a gasp of surprise. "Wow, Dean. This looks great. I can't wait to take this to school. Hopefully, Mr. Regal will be okay with me presenting this. Thanks so much." At this point, Bayley had wrapped her arms around Dean in a hug.
Returning Bayley's hug in his own way, Dean smiled. "You're welcome. Now, come on. I think it's about time we go and get you some dinner made."
"OK!" Bayley chirped as she fell into step beside the sandy blonde. Looking back down at what it was that Dean found, Bayley silently hoped that this would be okay to present to her class. 'This has to be okay. After all, I'm sure once Mr. Regal sees it, he'll have to okay it.'
So, it looks like on both sides, explanations were given and apologies were given out. And, it's a good thing too. Wouldn't want our Gems all fighting each other, would we? Sasha seems to have a better understanding of just how important Dean and Bayley are, Bayley has a better grasp of just what all happened between Dean and Sasha, and Dean's made up with Sasha. Now, it'll be interesting to see just how it is that they all grow together...especially with Sasha getting some lessons in human technology from Bayley, like with the TV (something I might include a bit in a future chapter in a future arc). And, another great thing to come out of all of this = Bayley seems to finally have something that she can take to school for her assignment for Mr. Regal's class. Want to know what it is? Stay tuned until next time to find out, and don't forget to R&R please. =)
(Now, this is just a quick question from me to all of you guys: Given that I actually went a bit into just who Natalya is (or, rather, was), would you guys maybe want to see a bit more of her in the story (maybe in a flashback, perhaps)? I only ask because of details I laid out about her, one being that (in a weird way) she's Bayley's mom (again, if the idea is weird, I apologize...it just came to me, and I felt like it worked in the story (u_u")). If you guys do or don't, just let me know and I'll plan ahead as far as where I take the next arc of the story.)
(One last thing *le shiki94 promotion of a friend's work goes here*: One of my good friends here, StarshineGoomba, is working her way back into writing after some personal stuff sidelined her from writing for a spell. She just recently updated one of her stories, Bad Things, and I recommend you go give it a try if you want something good featuring our adorable cinnamon rolls Bayley and Sami Zayn together in it. =) )
