Former Choices
Chapter Nine
I would once again like to say sorry this took so long, and thank you to all the reviewers who said such nice things about this story! I hope you like this chapter, feel free to tell me if you don't, and I'm up for any ideas on what should happen in the next few chapters. Oh, and this chapter continues really closely to the last one, so I hope no one's confused.
"Oh Mom, don't freak out," Lindsey said teasingly. "It's not like I would actually go out and have it with him. I mean, that's just gross. I'm waiting until I'm at least seventeen."
She knew she couldn't hope for much more, but Catherine decided to butt in, anyways. "Seventeen? I don't know, the average age is still twenty. Why don't you wait until you're twenty?"
Lindsey giggled, seemingly glad to have gotten a rise out of her mother. "How old were you when you...you know...."
Catherine smiled at her daughter's question. "I haven't yet. Warrick and I just started kissing last week."
"Moooom." Loud teenage giggles erupted from Lindsey's side of the car. "Seriously, mom."
"I was a lot younger than I should have been, that's for sure. Seventeen. I ran away from home and moved in with my boyfriend. It was a bad choice, one that, if I ever got the chance, I wouldn't make again." She felt a little dizzy telling all of this to Lindsey, her thirteen year-old daughter, but it was a good dizzy.
"What about marrying dad? Is that a choice you regret?" Lindsey asked. Then, wiping the grin of her face she said murkily, "Eddie, I mean."
Catherine frowned. "Of course not, honey. That would mean I wouldn't have you, and you're the best choice I ever made." She rested a palm on her daughter's cheek and felt her smile, a little sigh deflating her skinny, child-like shoulders.
"Tell me about when you and Warrick first met." Lindsey asked, suddenly.
"Well, when we first met it was nothing special. It was for work, I was all business, he was all business, but I can tell you what he was wearing." Lindsey giggled, waiting patiently for Catherine to continue. "A black button-up shirt and jeans..."
Lindsey reached forward and turned the radio off. "When did you guys get together?"
"Six long years later, baby. His shirt was only buttoned up halfway and his hair was longer and I just couldn't resist him anymore. We-"
"OK, mom, enough information." Lindsey held up a hand and laughed as Catherine shrugged and pulled into the driveway. "So, are you going to take my advice about you and Warrick, or not?" She looked so hopeful, it was adorable.
"Sure, sweetie, it couldn't hurt." The smile Lindsey gave her in return told Catherine that she definitely had something up her sleeve.
Catherine and Warrick were driving home from couples counseling the next night. The moon was full and the air had a special smell to it that made the whole evening seem very romantic. However, romance was the last thing on their minds.
"You think I don't care about your needs?" Catherine asked, her eyes fiery red under the glow of the small light in the car.
Warrick nodded. "Not intentionally, Cath, just...I don't know....you're a little too harsh." As usual, he was trying to stay calm. He could see that Catherine was trying to forget what he had said and make it out like it was nothing.
"Okay..." She took a deep breath in and rolled her shoulders. "The therapist told us not to fight about what we discovered about each other during counseling. So, Warrick, in the future I will try not to be so harsh."
"Thank you for being so understanding, babe," he said, and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
They pulled into the driveway. As soon as Catherine got out, she walked up to Warrick and said, "Now, about your-" but stopped when she saw the inside of the house. "None of the lights are on. Could Lindsey have gone to bed already?"
Warrick shrugged. "Maybe she was tired," he said, opening the unlocked door and walking inside, Catherine in tow. He hung up his coat on the hook and reached for hers, watching as she smiled in silent surprise.
"Thanks," she said, her eyes betraying the thoughts that were swarming around in her mind. She reached for his hand and tugged him into the living room.
When they walked in the door, Catherine gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Warrick remained silent, surveying his surroundings with shocked interest. He let go of her hand and walked farther into the room, looking down at the lit candles on the coffee table. "Did you do this?" he asked her, but she only shook her head. "Did you do this?" she asked him, but his response was the same: wide- eyed denial. She looked around, watching as the dozens of candles scattered around the room flickered and cast a low light on the walls. Two steaming meals of spaghetti were sitting on the coffee table, along with two matching glasses of wine. The mistletoe that Catherine had hung in the front doorway was now in the living room doorway, and in the background there was soft, romantic music playing. Catherine grinned and shook her head. "Lindsey," she said simply, and walked over to where Warrick was now sitting on the couch, sniffing his spaghetti with interest.
"Yeah, I figured," he replied, putting his arm around Catherine's waist. "She's probably in bed now, pretending to be asleep."
"I doubt that," Catherine said with suspicion, and moved to the kitchen where, sure enough, she found a note from Lindsey saying she was staying over at a friend's house for the night. She walked back to Warrick, waving the note in front of his face. "Leann's..." she said simply, and Warrick grinned.
"Did you know spaghetti is my favourite meal?" Warrick asked, eyeing his plate with interest.
"Of course I knew that," Catherine replied. "Now let's just hope Lindsey is as good of a cook as I am." Warrick grunted, Catherine laughed.
They sat down by the coffee table and began digging into their dinners. Warrick groaned when the spaghetti did, in fact, prove to be as good as Catherine's. "Doesn't she know we have romantic dinners like this all the time?" he teased.
Catherine laughed. "Oh yeah," she said sarcastically, "We're always eating in the candlelight with music and mistletoe." She reached a hand across the table and rested it on top of his, staring him in the eyes. "I want to thank you for being so understanding tonight at counseling. I was a real bitch, wasn't I?"
Warrick frowned. "What are you talking about? You were right, about everything."
"Well, I know that," Catherine said casually, and watched as a grin spread out across his face. "Seriously, I didn't have to be so...harsh."
He stroked her hand. "Hey, it's alright," he said softly, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her temple. "We're really getting better at this, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Catherine said, smiling. "We are."
I would once again like to say sorry this took so long, and thank you to all the reviewers who said such nice things about this story! I hope you like this chapter, feel free to tell me if you don't, and I'm up for any ideas on what should happen in the next few chapters. Oh, and this chapter continues really closely to the last one, so I hope no one's confused.
"Oh Mom, don't freak out," Lindsey said teasingly. "It's not like I would actually go out and have it with him. I mean, that's just gross. I'm waiting until I'm at least seventeen."
She knew she couldn't hope for much more, but Catherine decided to butt in, anyways. "Seventeen? I don't know, the average age is still twenty. Why don't you wait until you're twenty?"
Lindsey giggled, seemingly glad to have gotten a rise out of her mother. "How old were you when you...you know...."
Catherine smiled at her daughter's question. "I haven't yet. Warrick and I just started kissing last week."
"Moooom." Loud teenage giggles erupted from Lindsey's side of the car. "Seriously, mom."
"I was a lot younger than I should have been, that's for sure. Seventeen. I ran away from home and moved in with my boyfriend. It was a bad choice, one that, if I ever got the chance, I wouldn't make again." She felt a little dizzy telling all of this to Lindsey, her thirteen year-old daughter, but it was a good dizzy.
"What about marrying dad? Is that a choice you regret?" Lindsey asked. Then, wiping the grin of her face she said murkily, "Eddie, I mean."
Catherine frowned. "Of course not, honey. That would mean I wouldn't have you, and you're the best choice I ever made." She rested a palm on her daughter's cheek and felt her smile, a little sigh deflating her skinny, child-like shoulders.
"Tell me about when you and Warrick first met." Lindsey asked, suddenly.
"Well, when we first met it was nothing special. It was for work, I was all business, he was all business, but I can tell you what he was wearing." Lindsey giggled, waiting patiently for Catherine to continue. "A black button-up shirt and jeans..."
Lindsey reached forward and turned the radio off. "When did you guys get together?"
"Six long years later, baby. His shirt was only buttoned up halfway and his hair was longer and I just couldn't resist him anymore. We-"
"OK, mom, enough information." Lindsey held up a hand and laughed as Catherine shrugged and pulled into the driveway. "So, are you going to take my advice about you and Warrick, or not?" She looked so hopeful, it was adorable.
"Sure, sweetie, it couldn't hurt." The smile Lindsey gave her in return told Catherine that she definitely had something up her sleeve.
Catherine and Warrick were driving home from couples counseling the next night. The moon was full and the air had a special smell to it that made the whole evening seem very romantic. However, romance was the last thing on their minds.
"You think I don't care about your needs?" Catherine asked, her eyes fiery red under the glow of the small light in the car.
Warrick nodded. "Not intentionally, Cath, just...I don't know....you're a little too harsh." As usual, he was trying to stay calm. He could see that Catherine was trying to forget what he had said and make it out like it was nothing.
"Okay..." She took a deep breath in and rolled her shoulders. "The therapist told us not to fight about what we discovered about each other during counseling. So, Warrick, in the future I will try not to be so harsh."
"Thank you for being so understanding, babe," he said, and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
They pulled into the driveway. As soon as Catherine got out, she walked up to Warrick and said, "Now, about your-" but stopped when she saw the inside of the house. "None of the lights are on. Could Lindsey have gone to bed already?"
Warrick shrugged. "Maybe she was tired," he said, opening the unlocked door and walking inside, Catherine in tow. He hung up his coat on the hook and reached for hers, watching as she smiled in silent surprise.
"Thanks," she said, her eyes betraying the thoughts that were swarming around in her mind. She reached for his hand and tugged him into the living room.
When they walked in the door, Catherine gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Warrick remained silent, surveying his surroundings with shocked interest. He let go of her hand and walked farther into the room, looking down at the lit candles on the coffee table. "Did you do this?" he asked her, but she only shook her head. "Did you do this?" she asked him, but his response was the same: wide- eyed denial. She looked around, watching as the dozens of candles scattered around the room flickered and cast a low light on the walls. Two steaming meals of spaghetti were sitting on the coffee table, along with two matching glasses of wine. The mistletoe that Catherine had hung in the front doorway was now in the living room doorway, and in the background there was soft, romantic music playing. Catherine grinned and shook her head. "Lindsey," she said simply, and walked over to where Warrick was now sitting on the couch, sniffing his spaghetti with interest.
"Yeah, I figured," he replied, putting his arm around Catherine's waist. "She's probably in bed now, pretending to be asleep."
"I doubt that," Catherine said with suspicion, and moved to the kitchen where, sure enough, she found a note from Lindsey saying she was staying over at a friend's house for the night. She walked back to Warrick, waving the note in front of his face. "Leann's..." she said simply, and Warrick grinned.
"Did you know spaghetti is my favourite meal?" Warrick asked, eyeing his plate with interest.
"Of course I knew that," Catherine replied. "Now let's just hope Lindsey is as good of a cook as I am." Warrick grunted, Catherine laughed.
They sat down by the coffee table and began digging into their dinners. Warrick groaned when the spaghetti did, in fact, prove to be as good as Catherine's. "Doesn't she know we have romantic dinners like this all the time?" he teased.
Catherine laughed. "Oh yeah," she said sarcastically, "We're always eating in the candlelight with music and mistletoe." She reached a hand across the table and rested it on top of his, staring him in the eyes. "I want to thank you for being so understanding tonight at counseling. I was a real bitch, wasn't I?"
Warrick frowned. "What are you talking about? You were right, about everything."
"Well, I know that," Catherine said casually, and watched as a grin spread out across his face. "Seriously, I didn't have to be so...harsh."
He stroked her hand. "Hey, it's alright," he said softly, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her temple. "We're really getting better at this, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Catherine said, smiling. "We are."