Hogan walked into the living room to where CJ was sitting. Simon stayed
back so he wouldn't interfere with their conversation.
"Aunt CJ?" Hogan said quietly.
CJ looked up at Hogan. "Hey there."
Shifting her feet uneasily, Hogan was unsure of what to say. She looked up at Simon, who nodded for her to go on. She sat down across from CJ. "I just wanted to say that I'm ... I'm really sorry, Aunt CJ," she said, her voice beginning to break.
CJ moved over to where Hogan was sitting and put her arms around her. "It's all right, you don't have anything to be sorry for."
"Yes I do. I treated you like dirt earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said to you." She replied, still crying.
CJ sighed. "Honey, if anyone has to be sorry here, it's me. I shouldn't have treated you like a six year old. I just worry about you, a lot."
"I know, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm almost seventeen and I know what I'm doing, most of the time." Hogan looked at her aunt.
"I know, but when I saw that bruise on your neck and shoulder, I didn't know what to think. I got angry that you didn't call me, but then I realized that you at least called Simon. You did the right thing." CJ put an arm around Hogan and hugged her.
"Um, one other thing."
"What's that?"
"Will you forgive Simon? I mean he was only trying to help. I was the one who called him to come and pick me up from the school. He was only doing what I asked him to do." Hogan looked towards Simon.
CJ looked over at Simon as well and back at Hogan. "I guess I did act a little weird when he said he was just trying to help..."
"A little weird? Aunt CJ, you almost jumped at his throat."
"Since when did you become the adult here?" CJ asked with a small smile.
She shrugged. "I don't know. When the two of you started yelling at each other, I guess."
"Okay. You know, it's 2:30 in the morning. I think you should try to get some sleep."
"Okay. Just promise me one thing," Hogan said as she stood up.
"What's that?"
"Forgive him." She smiled at CJ and hugged and kissed her goodnight. "Night, Simon," she said as she passed by him. "And thank you," she whispered. She walked into her room and closed the door.
CJ got up and gestured for Simon to come over to where she was. "Look, I...I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I'm sorry about that."
He smiled. "I know you are. But CJ, you have to realize that she's not a little kid anymore."
"Yeah, I got that speech already."
He nodded, "I know."
"So what did the two of you talk about in there?" CJ inquired.
"You."
"Me?"
"Do you see anyone else in the room," he joked.
"Ha ha, very funny."
"Yeah, well we talked about how you need to start treating her like an adult, not a little kid. She was pretty upset, not to mention hurt."
She shook her head. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings--"
"You didn't hurt her feelings," he interrupted. "You hurt her pride."
She looked up at him. "Oh."
"Yeah. You just need to know that she loves you more than you'll ever know, CJ. And when you talked to her like that, it just really hurt her. She said you were acting a lot like her father."
CJ gave him a strange look. "Her father? My brother?"
"Her father is your brother, right?"
"Quit joking."
"Okay."
"I didn't know Michael treated her like that."
He saw the look of confusion in CJ's face. "CJ, there's a reason she always loves coming here."
"Of course. I'm her favorite aunt." She smiled softly.
"Well, that's part of it, I guess." He looked down at the floor.
"What's the other part?" When he didn't answer, she took her hand and put it under his chin and lifted his head up. "Simon? What's the other part?"
He hesitated for a few moments. "She told me that her step-mother isn't the easiest person to talk to. Apparently she always shoos her away."
"She does?"
"That's what Hogan told me."
She sighed. She never knew that about Kelly. She always thought that everything was always fine there. "Wow. She never told me that."
"Well, I'm telling you now."
She shook her head. "How did you learn this?"
"While I was driving her back here. She didn't want me to say anything, but after I talked to her just now, I basically convinced her that one of us should tell you."
"Oh." CJ stood up and began to pace around the room.
"CJ, don't think that Hogan was trying to conceal anything from you. If anything, she's concealing it from her father."
She nodded. "Yeah. The only question is what do I do now?"
"That's up to you." He said as he stopped her from pacing and helped her back to the sofa.
TBC...
"Aunt CJ?" Hogan said quietly.
CJ looked up at Hogan. "Hey there."
Shifting her feet uneasily, Hogan was unsure of what to say. She looked up at Simon, who nodded for her to go on. She sat down across from CJ. "I just wanted to say that I'm ... I'm really sorry, Aunt CJ," she said, her voice beginning to break.
CJ moved over to where Hogan was sitting and put her arms around her. "It's all right, you don't have anything to be sorry for."
"Yes I do. I treated you like dirt earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said to you." She replied, still crying.
CJ sighed. "Honey, if anyone has to be sorry here, it's me. I shouldn't have treated you like a six year old. I just worry about you, a lot."
"I know, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm almost seventeen and I know what I'm doing, most of the time." Hogan looked at her aunt.
"I know, but when I saw that bruise on your neck and shoulder, I didn't know what to think. I got angry that you didn't call me, but then I realized that you at least called Simon. You did the right thing." CJ put an arm around Hogan and hugged her.
"Um, one other thing."
"What's that?"
"Will you forgive Simon? I mean he was only trying to help. I was the one who called him to come and pick me up from the school. He was only doing what I asked him to do." Hogan looked towards Simon.
CJ looked over at Simon as well and back at Hogan. "I guess I did act a little weird when he said he was just trying to help..."
"A little weird? Aunt CJ, you almost jumped at his throat."
"Since when did you become the adult here?" CJ asked with a small smile.
She shrugged. "I don't know. When the two of you started yelling at each other, I guess."
"Okay. You know, it's 2:30 in the morning. I think you should try to get some sleep."
"Okay. Just promise me one thing," Hogan said as she stood up.
"What's that?"
"Forgive him." She smiled at CJ and hugged and kissed her goodnight. "Night, Simon," she said as she passed by him. "And thank you," she whispered. She walked into her room and closed the door.
CJ got up and gestured for Simon to come over to where she was. "Look, I...I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I'm sorry about that."
He smiled. "I know you are. But CJ, you have to realize that she's not a little kid anymore."
"Yeah, I got that speech already."
He nodded, "I know."
"So what did the two of you talk about in there?" CJ inquired.
"You."
"Me?"
"Do you see anyone else in the room," he joked.
"Ha ha, very funny."
"Yeah, well we talked about how you need to start treating her like an adult, not a little kid. She was pretty upset, not to mention hurt."
She shook her head. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings--"
"You didn't hurt her feelings," he interrupted. "You hurt her pride."
She looked up at him. "Oh."
"Yeah. You just need to know that she loves you more than you'll ever know, CJ. And when you talked to her like that, it just really hurt her. She said you were acting a lot like her father."
CJ gave him a strange look. "Her father? My brother?"
"Her father is your brother, right?"
"Quit joking."
"Okay."
"I didn't know Michael treated her like that."
He saw the look of confusion in CJ's face. "CJ, there's a reason she always loves coming here."
"Of course. I'm her favorite aunt." She smiled softly.
"Well, that's part of it, I guess." He looked down at the floor.
"What's the other part?" When he didn't answer, she took her hand and put it under his chin and lifted his head up. "Simon? What's the other part?"
He hesitated for a few moments. "She told me that her step-mother isn't the easiest person to talk to. Apparently she always shoos her away."
"She does?"
"That's what Hogan told me."
She sighed. She never knew that about Kelly. She always thought that everything was always fine there. "Wow. She never told me that."
"Well, I'm telling you now."
She shook her head. "How did you learn this?"
"While I was driving her back here. She didn't want me to say anything, but after I talked to her just now, I basically convinced her that one of us should tell you."
"Oh." CJ stood up and began to pace around the room.
"CJ, don't think that Hogan was trying to conceal anything from you. If anything, she's concealing it from her father."
She nodded. "Yeah. The only question is what do I do now?"
"That's up to you." He said as he stopped her from pacing and helped her back to the sofa.
TBC...