Hogan looked at Simon and CJ. "No, if you're thinking of doing what I am
thinking you are going to do, don't. Please, I'm begging you, Aunt CJ."
"Hogan, I can't let her do this to you. Not only is she hurting you verbally, but she hit you!"
Simon turned to CJ. "I don't think it's a good idea to yell right now."
"Well what the hell am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch as my niece keeps getting hurt by her step-mother?!" She sat down. "I'm sorry, but I can't let this keep happening to you, Hogan. Something has got to be done."
"Please, Aunt CJ I'll work it out with her," Hogan pleaded.
"Does your father know about this, Hogan?" Simon asked.
She didn't say anything for a moment. "No..."
"That's it," CJ said, standing up. "I am going to talk to him about this right now."
Simon nodded. "For once I'm agreeing with you." He turned to Hogan. "I'm sorry, but we are going to take you back to your house and have a little chat with your father."
"We? Who's 'we,'" CJ asked.
"Me. I would like to meet this Kate. I think she and I have a few things to discuss."
"No! Simon, please," Hogan said. "You can't do that. Please don't do that. She'll just get even more mad and...and..."
"And what? Hit you again? Yell at you? Hogan, I'm not going to let her do that to you," he said.
Feeling defeated, Hogan silently got her things from the guest bedroom and the three of them went over to Hogan's house.
"Are you sure you want to do this," CJ asked as they got out of the car.
"Yes, very sure," he said.
They walked up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"I could have done that myself, Aunt CJ. I have a key."
"Doesn't matter," she said.
The door then opened. "CJ! How nice to see you, finally." Michael Cregg said as he hugged his little sister.
"Hello, Michael, nice to see you too," CJ said, managing to smile a little.
"Well come on in." He opened the door wider for them. "Hey sweetheart," he said when Hogan walked in the house. "How was the prom?"
"Junior prom," Hogan said, correcting her father.
"Right. How was it?"
"Good." She looked at Simon who didn't look very happy at the fact that she didn't tell her father what had really happened.
"Terrific," he said. He then saw Simon. "Oh, you must be CJ's new love." He shook Simon's hand while at the same time received a small punch in the stomach from CJ. "What was that for?"
"My new love?! Grow up, Michael. Besides, I came here because I have to talk to you."
He could see that his sister was rather serious. "Okay. Um, Hogan why don't you go put your stuff away and work on your term paper for your English class?"
"Okay." She looked at CJ and Simon once more before going upstairs.
Once she was up there, CJ turned to Michael. "Is Kate home?"
"Yeah, she's in the living room, why?"
"I'd like to talk to her for a minute," Simon said.
Michael gave Simon a strange look "Okay..." He went into the living room and got Kate.
"Simon, are you sure about this," CJ said quietly to Simon.
"Very. I'm not going to let her hurt an innocent child--teenager."
A couple minutes later a woman, about 5'5" walked into the foyer of the house. She was rather thin, brown hair, down to her shoulders.
"Hello," she said in a polite manner. "My husband said you wanted to talk to me?" She said to Simon. She then saw CJ. "CJ, it's nice to see you again," she said crisply.
"Ouch," Simon whispered.
"Same here," CJ said, punching Simon in the stomach again. "Michael, can we go somewhere else if possible?"
"Yeah, we'll go into the study." He led CJ into the study, leaving Simon and Kate in the foyer.
"Why don't we go into the living room and talk," Simon said.
"About what," Kate asked.
"Let's just go into the living room, shall we?"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
"CJ, what is going on," Michael asked.
CJ sat down in one of the chairs. "I'll get right to the point, Michael. Did you know that your wife has been, let's just say, not the nicest of people to your daughter?"
He had a strange look on his face. "What are you talking about? Kate and Hogan get along great."
"When was the last time you were in town for more than two weeks," she asked.
"I don't remember, why?"
"You haven't seen what she has done to your daughter, Michael! Kate has been...verbally abusing her! She has been favoring her daughter and treating Hogan like a piece of yesterday's garbage!"
"CJ you have no right to tell me that. My wife would never do that to anyone. Ever!"
"Oh really? When's the last time you had an actual conversation with Hogan? When's the last time you actually looked deep into her eyes and saw the pain she's in?"
"Stop telling me how to take care of my daughter, Claudia," he said in a cold tone.
"Then start acting like a real father, damnit!" She yelled. "You have never given her the love and affection she needs, especially after what happened with Anna," she said in a softer voice. "It's as if you're avoiding her. And because of that, she's letting Kate abuse her!"
Michael sat down in the other chair. "CJ, I love my daughter very much. I would never let anything happen to her."
Meanwhile, in the living room, Simon tried to find a starting point. "I have a question for you."
"And that is," she said.
"Do you love Hogan?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course I love her. She's my step daughter."
"Then why do you yell her and hit her," he asked, getting to the point.
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. Why do you hit her?"
"I do not hit her, nor do I yell at her!" Kate stood from where she was sitting. "I will not take this...this interrogation! I don't know what the brat has been telling you, but--"
"Brat?" Simon said, pointedly.
Kate sat back down.
"Wake up and smell the coffee, Michael! She feels as if you don't love her anymore!"
"CJ, I'd appreciate it if you left now," Michael said, toneless. He opened the door and led her out of the den. "Kate, our guests are going to be leaving now," he said, more towards Simon.
"Michael, please listen to me..."
"Claudia, I can handle things just fine here, thank you very much. I'll see you later." He led the two outside and closed the door.
"Well that went well," CJ said sarcastically.
"I almost got her," Simon said.
"What do you mean?"
"She called her a brat while asking me what she has been telling us."
CJ put a hand through her hair. "What are we going to do?"
"I think I may have an idea. Come on." He led her to the car.
Hogan, in the meantime had closed her door so she wouldn't hear the yelling. She tried to focus on her paper when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and to her room.
"May I come in," Kate asked.
"I guess," Hogan said quietly.
Kate entered the room and closed the door. "What are you trying to do here? Make me look like an idiot?"
"What? I didn't--"
She was stopped by the impact of Kate's hand slapping her. "If I ever hear you say anything to anyone, you will regret it," she said, bitterly. She then walked out of the room, leaving Hogan there, now in tears. She packed up her backpack with what she needed for school and a separate bag for clothing and other personal items. She opened the window to her room and threw her things down on the ground, which was not too far down and then climbed down the tree that was near her window. She picked up her things and walked away from her house.
TBC....
"Hogan, I can't let her do this to you. Not only is she hurting you verbally, but she hit you!"
Simon turned to CJ. "I don't think it's a good idea to yell right now."
"Well what the hell am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch as my niece keeps getting hurt by her step-mother?!" She sat down. "I'm sorry, but I can't let this keep happening to you, Hogan. Something has got to be done."
"Please, Aunt CJ I'll work it out with her," Hogan pleaded.
"Does your father know about this, Hogan?" Simon asked.
She didn't say anything for a moment. "No..."
"That's it," CJ said, standing up. "I am going to talk to him about this right now."
Simon nodded. "For once I'm agreeing with you." He turned to Hogan. "I'm sorry, but we are going to take you back to your house and have a little chat with your father."
"We? Who's 'we,'" CJ asked.
"Me. I would like to meet this Kate. I think she and I have a few things to discuss."
"No! Simon, please," Hogan said. "You can't do that. Please don't do that. She'll just get even more mad and...and..."
"And what? Hit you again? Yell at you? Hogan, I'm not going to let her do that to you," he said.
Feeling defeated, Hogan silently got her things from the guest bedroom and the three of them went over to Hogan's house.
"Are you sure you want to do this," CJ asked as they got out of the car.
"Yes, very sure," he said.
They walked up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"I could have done that myself, Aunt CJ. I have a key."
"Doesn't matter," she said.
The door then opened. "CJ! How nice to see you, finally." Michael Cregg said as he hugged his little sister.
"Hello, Michael, nice to see you too," CJ said, managing to smile a little.
"Well come on in." He opened the door wider for them. "Hey sweetheart," he said when Hogan walked in the house. "How was the prom?"
"Junior prom," Hogan said, correcting her father.
"Right. How was it?"
"Good." She looked at Simon who didn't look very happy at the fact that she didn't tell her father what had really happened.
"Terrific," he said. He then saw Simon. "Oh, you must be CJ's new love." He shook Simon's hand while at the same time received a small punch in the stomach from CJ. "What was that for?"
"My new love?! Grow up, Michael. Besides, I came here because I have to talk to you."
He could see that his sister was rather serious. "Okay. Um, Hogan why don't you go put your stuff away and work on your term paper for your English class?"
"Okay." She looked at CJ and Simon once more before going upstairs.
Once she was up there, CJ turned to Michael. "Is Kate home?"
"Yeah, she's in the living room, why?"
"I'd like to talk to her for a minute," Simon said.
Michael gave Simon a strange look "Okay..." He went into the living room and got Kate.
"Simon, are you sure about this," CJ said quietly to Simon.
"Very. I'm not going to let her hurt an innocent child--teenager."
A couple minutes later a woman, about 5'5" walked into the foyer of the house. She was rather thin, brown hair, down to her shoulders.
"Hello," she said in a polite manner. "My husband said you wanted to talk to me?" She said to Simon. She then saw CJ. "CJ, it's nice to see you again," she said crisply.
"Ouch," Simon whispered.
"Same here," CJ said, punching Simon in the stomach again. "Michael, can we go somewhere else if possible?"
"Yeah, we'll go into the study." He led CJ into the study, leaving Simon and Kate in the foyer.
"Why don't we go into the living room and talk," Simon said.
"About what," Kate asked.
"Let's just go into the living room, shall we?"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
"CJ, what is going on," Michael asked.
CJ sat down in one of the chairs. "I'll get right to the point, Michael. Did you know that your wife has been, let's just say, not the nicest of people to your daughter?"
He had a strange look on his face. "What are you talking about? Kate and Hogan get along great."
"When was the last time you were in town for more than two weeks," she asked.
"I don't remember, why?"
"You haven't seen what she has done to your daughter, Michael! Kate has been...verbally abusing her! She has been favoring her daughter and treating Hogan like a piece of yesterday's garbage!"
"CJ you have no right to tell me that. My wife would never do that to anyone. Ever!"
"Oh really? When's the last time you had an actual conversation with Hogan? When's the last time you actually looked deep into her eyes and saw the pain she's in?"
"Stop telling me how to take care of my daughter, Claudia," he said in a cold tone.
"Then start acting like a real father, damnit!" She yelled. "You have never given her the love and affection she needs, especially after what happened with Anna," she said in a softer voice. "It's as if you're avoiding her. And because of that, she's letting Kate abuse her!"
Michael sat down in the other chair. "CJ, I love my daughter very much. I would never let anything happen to her."
Meanwhile, in the living room, Simon tried to find a starting point. "I have a question for you."
"And that is," she said.
"Do you love Hogan?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course I love her. She's my step daughter."
"Then why do you yell her and hit her," he asked, getting to the point.
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. Why do you hit her?"
"I do not hit her, nor do I yell at her!" Kate stood from where she was sitting. "I will not take this...this interrogation! I don't know what the brat has been telling you, but--"
"Brat?" Simon said, pointedly.
Kate sat back down.
"Wake up and smell the coffee, Michael! She feels as if you don't love her anymore!"
"CJ, I'd appreciate it if you left now," Michael said, toneless. He opened the door and led her out of the den. "Kate, our guests are going to be leaving now," he said, more towards Simon.
"Michael, please listen to me..."
"Claudia, I can handle things just fine here, thank you very much. I'll see you later." He led the two outside and closed the door.
"Well that went well," CJ said sarcastically.
"I almost got her," Simon said.
"What do you mean?"
"She called her a brat while asking me what she has been telling us."
CJ put a hand through her hair. "What are we going to do?"
"I think I may have an idea. Come on." He led her to the car.
Hogan, in the meantime had closed her door so she wouldn't hear the yelling. She tried to focus on her paper when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and to her room.
"May I come in," Kate asked.
"I guess," Hogan said quietly.
Kate entered the room and closed the door. "What are you trying to do here? Make me look like an idiot?"
"What? I didn't--"
She was stopped by the impact of Kate's hand slapping her. "If I ever hear you say anything to anyone, you will regret it," she said, bitterly. She then walked out of the room, leaving Hogan there, now in tears. She packed up her backpack with what she needed for school and a separate bag for clothing and other personal items. She opened the window to her room and threw her things down on the ground, which was not too far down and then climbed down the tree that was near her window. She picked up her things and walked away from her house.
TBC....