Former Choices
Chapter Two
Author's notes: Wheeee, I'm having so much fun with this fan fic! Meanwhile, we get a taste of Bitchy!Catherine at the end of this chapter. Thanks: Uh, to all the awesome reviews! Thanks guys, and keep it up!! Hope you like this chapter!
After the reading of the will, which had been tediously long, Warrick was lead back into the front foyer in a state of shock. His brother had given him a lot of money, and as of now he had no idea what he was going to do with it. Not expecting more than a small mention, he was completely bewildered when the lawyer told him what he had inherited.
Vanessa came up from behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder in a congratulatory gesture. She smelled like gardenia oil and something else, something he couldn't place. He turned to face her and looked into the deep brown pools of her eyes. "Why would he give me the money?" he asked, clearly baffled.
She smiled. "Your brother loved you, Warrick, despite everything that went on before his death. He just wanted to... show you how much he appreciated you, I guess. He never was good with words."
He felt like crying again, but held off, knowing it would only make him seem weak. Instead he settled for a ragged sigh and a semi-smile in Vanessa's direction. Her eyes were boring holes into him, but before she could speak someone came stomping down the stairs and a teenager's voice rang through the room.
"Vanessa! Has Uncle Warrick come yet?!" Arianna, Warrick realized, was the owner of the voice. His thirteen year-old niece. Vanessa rolled her eyes and turned toward the noise.
"Yes, he's here!" she yelled back, clearly agitated. "Now stop shouting in the house and get down here!" Warrick couldn't help but notice the irony in Vanessa's command but opted not to smirk like he wanted to.
Arianna, a bundle of colourful clothing and dark brown curls, suddenly flung herself into his arms from out of nowhere. She giggled with glee and kissed him with a loud smack on the cheek. "Heey, Uncle Warrick, what's up?"
He grinned. "Not much, baby girl." Just as he was beginning to wonder how she could be so happy at a time like this, he noticed the tear stains on her dark brown cheeks and the messy way in which she had dressed herself. She was still mourning. "How have you been?"
"Oh. You know," she started, but stopped suddenly. "What'd you get? From the will, I mean. Vanessa wouldn't tell me." She said the name "Vanessa" with disdain, throwing a glare over her shoulder at the woman standing behind her.
"I got some stuff," he said. "But that's not important." He looked at the face of the girl he knew so well, the girl who reminded him of his brother, and took her hand. "What do you say we go out for ice cream, just the two of us?" he asked, watching as her beautiful eyes lit up.
"OK!" She ran and grabbed her coat from inside the closet and took his hand, bounding with him to the front door. Before they were completely out of the house, Warrick turned and gave a small wave to Vanessa, who was regarding the two of them with a look that could kill.
Once seated at a booth in the ice cream shop, Warrick regarded his niece from across the table with affectionate curiosity. She was wearing the typical teenage clothing: A tight white tank top, a baby blue sweatshirt over top, and some faded jeans. On the outside, she looked normal. But on the inside, Warrick knew she was hurting.
"What's it been like living with just Vanessa?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She shrugged, staring down at her sundae with exaggerated interest.
"It kind of sucks," she said, sighing. "She and I never got along in the five years that she was married to Daddy, but he always stuck up for me. Now he's gone and it's pretty much unbearable. She doesn't know what to do with me, it seems like." She pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear and looked up at him. "How did you ever stand to be married to her?"
Warrick chose not to answer the question directly. "The same way your dad did."
"My dad was different than you are. He was one of those men who made all the rules, you know?" Her eyes got misty and she bent her head down. "But you're not like that. You just kind of... go with the flow. Especially when it comes to Vanessa."
He stared at her for a few seconds before realizing she was probably right. Nodding, he grabbed her hand and exhaled loudly. "I'm not always like that." He thought of Catherine, how it seemed like he was controlling everything that went on in the house nowadays. The guilt that that brought up was unbearable.
"The other day I was thinking..." She took a bite of her ice cream and let it melt slowly in her mouth. "Both of my parents are dead, and I'm only thirteen. I kind of wondered what my life would be like if my mom hadn't died when she was giving birth to me." The sadness in her face made Warrick want to be able to do something for her, but he knew he couldn't.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Arianna," he said softly, watching as the tears slid down her cheeks. His cell phone rang in his pocket, and he frowned before answering it. "Hello?"
"Warrick." The sound of her voice gave away her mood.
"Catherine," he said slowly, trying to think of why she would be angry with him.
"Where the hell are you?!" she demanded, and he heard rustling in the background.
"I'm having ice cream with Arianna," he said, still trying to figure out where he was supposed to be.
"Well, you're an idiot," she said bluntly, and he heard Lindsey's voice in the background. "You forgot to pick up Lindsey from school. She was waiting for half an hour by the front steps!"
Damn. "Shit, I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me, tell Lindsey," Catherine said angrily, and he finally realized she was at home making Lindsey her after-school snack when he heard her ask if she wanted peanut butter or cheese. "You know, it's pretty simple, Warrick. You bring her to school at nine, you take her home at two- thirty. It's not rocket science."
"I'm sorry, it's just that the will-reading took a lot longer than I expected and-" he was about to tell her the good news when she interrupted him.
"Just get your ass over here and apologize to Lindsey. I don't want to hear it. This is the third time you've done this in a month."
Click. She hung up on him. He sighed, looked up at Arianna's puzzled facial expression, and half-smiled. "Trouble at home," he said sheepishly. "It's my job to drive my step-daughter to school and bring her home, and I...forgot." He watched her smirk. "I'm going to have to bring you home now."
She sulked. "Can't I come home with you?"
He shook his head reluctantly. "Trust me, with the fireworks that are going to go on once I get home, you do not want to be there."
Author's notes: Wheeee, I'm having so much fun with this fan fic! Meanwhile, we get a taste of Bitchy!Catherine at the end of this chapter. Thanks: Uh, to all the awesome reviews! Thanks guys, and keep it up!! Hope you like this chapter!
After the reading of the will, which had been tediously long, Warrick was lead back into the front foyer in a state of shock. His brother had given him a lot of money, and as of now he had no idea what he was going to do with it. Not expecting more than a small mention, he was completely bewildered when the lawyer told him what he had inherited.
Vanessa came up from behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder in a congratulatory gesture. She smelled like gardenia oil and something else, something he couldn't place. He turned to face her and looked into the deep brown pools of her eyes. "Why would he give me the money?" he asked, clearly baffled.
She smiled. "Your brother loved you, Warrick, despite everything that went on before his death. He just wanted to... show you how much he appreciated you, I guess. He never was good with words."
He felt like crying again, but held off, knowing it would only make him seem weak. Instead he settled for a ragged sigh and a semi-smile in Vanessa's direction. Her eyes were boring holes into him, but before she could speak someone came stomping down the stairs and a teenager's voice rang through the room.
"Vanessa! Has Uncle Warrick come yet?!" Arianna, Warrick realized, was the owner of the voice. His thirteen year-old niece. Vanessa rolled her eyes and turned toward the noise.
"Yes, he's here!" she yelled back, clearly agitated. "Now stop shouting in the house and get down here!" Warrick couldn't help but notice the irony in Vanessa's command but opted not to smirk like he wanted to.
Arianna, a bundle of colourful clothing and dark brown curls, suddenly flung herself into his arms from out of nowhere. She giggled with glee and kissed him with a loud smack on the cheek. "Heey, Uncle Warrick, what's up?"
He grinned. "Not much, baby girl." Just as he was beginning to wonder how she could be so happy at a time like this, he noticed the tear stains on her dark brown cheeks and the messy way in which she had dressed herself. She was still mourning. "How have you been?"
"Oh. You know," she started, but stopped suddenly. "What'd you get? From the will, I mean. Vanessa wouldn't tell me." She said the name "Vanessa" with disdain, throwing a glare over her shoulder at the woman standing behind her.
"I got some stuff," he said. "But that's not important." He looked at the face of the girl he knew so well, the girl who reminded him of his brother, and took her hand. "What do you say we go out for ice cream, just the two of us?" he asked, watching as her beautiful eyes lit up.
"OK!" She ran and grabbed her coat from inside the closet and took his hand, bounding with him to the front door. Before they were completely out of the house, Warrick turned and gave a small wave to Vanessa, who was regarding the two of them with a look that could kill.
Once seated at a booth in the ice cream shop, Warrick regarded his niece from across the table with affectionate curiosity. She was wearing the typical teenage clothing: A tight white tank top, a baby blue sweatshirt over top, and some faded jeans. On the outside, she looked normal. But on the inside, Warrick knew she was hurting.
"What's it been like living with just Vanessa?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She shrugged, staring down at her sundae with exaggerated interest.
"It kind of sucks," she said, sighing. "She and I never got along in the five years that she was married to Daddy, but he always stuck up for me. Now he's gone and it's pretty much unbearable. She doesn't know what to do with me, it seems like." She pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear and looked up at him. "How did you ever stand to be married to her?"
Warrick chose not to answer the question directly. "The same way your dad did."
"My dad was different than you are. He was one of those men who made all the rules, you know?" Her eyes got misty and she bent her head down. "But you're not like that. You just kind of... go with the flow. Especially when it comes to Vanessa."
He stared at her for a few seconds before realizing she was probably right. Nodding, he grabbed her hand and exhaled loudly. "I'm not always like that." He thought of Catherine, how it seemed like he was controlling everything that went on in the house nowadays. The guilt that that brought up was unbearable.
"The other day I was thinking..." She took a bite of her ice cream and let it melt slowly in her mouth. "Both of my parents are dead, and I'm only thirteen. I kind of wondered what my life would be like if my mom hadn't died when she was giving birth to me." The sadness in her face made Warrick want to be able to do something for her, but he knew he couldn't.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Arianna," he said softly, watching as the tears slid down her cheeks. His cell phone rang in his pocket, and he frowned before answering it. "Hello?"
"Warrick." The sound of her voice gave away her mood.
"Catherine," he said slowly, trying to think of why she would be angry with him.
"Where the hell are you?!" she demanded, and he heard rustling in the background.
"I'm having ice cream with Arianna," he said, still trying to figure out where he was supposed to be.
"Well, you're an idiot," she said bluntly, and he heard Lindsey's voice in the background. "You forgot to pick up Lindsey from school. She was waiting for half an hour by the front steps!"
Damn. "Shit, I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me, tell Lindsey," Catherine said angrily, and he finally realized she was at home making Lindsey her after-school snack when he heard her ask if she wanted peanut butter or cheese. "You know, it's pretty simple, Warrick. You bring her to school at nine, you take her home at two- thirty. It's not rocket science."
"I'm sorry, it's just that the will-reading took a lot longer than I expected and-" he was about to tell her the good news when she interrupted him.
"Just get your ass over here and apologize to Lindsey. I don't want to hear it. This is the third time you've done this in a month."
Click. She hung up on him. He sighed, looked up at Arianna's puzzled facial expression, and half-smiled. "Trouble at home," he said sheepishly. "It's my job to drive my step-daughter to school and bring her home, and I...forgot." He watched her smirk. "I'm going to have to bring you home now."
She sulked. "Can't I come home with you?"
He shook his head reluctantly. "Trust me, with the fireworks that are going to go on once I get home, you do not want to be there."