Fifteen minutes later, Kane and Kirsty pulled up outside Scott's house. This was it, thought Kirsty. If she didn't do it now, her and Kane could be no more, either they'd have to stop seeing each other or leave Summer Bay...Kirsty didn't want to have to make that decision. She put her head down and even though she wasn't normally a religious person, she prayed. Kirsty knew that the strain on Dani was hard for her to take, but she also knew that if Dani just saw the Kane that she saw everyday then it would make it all that little bit easier.
Kane was just as worried as Kirsty. He loved this girl, she was the only girl he had ever loved...except his mother when he was wee but then she'd rejected him, neglected him and he'd been left to fend for himself. That's when his love for her died out and it'd never returned, depsite her being his mum. It was time.
Kirsty nervously chapped the letterbox, part of her wishing that Dani and Scott had gone out somewhere and they wouldn't be home. No such luck. Scott opened the door and was surprised to see Kirsty with an older man.
"Hi, Kirsty, what you doing here?"
"I said I'd be over, remember?"
"No, Jade said she'd be over."
Kirsty remembered what she'd said on the phone.
"Damnit, look, I'm sorry, but I knew that if I said I was me, then Dani wouldn't let me come over, it's really important for me to talk to her."
"It's not up to me, Kirsty."
"Yes it is, it's your house!"
"Not me you want to talk to."
Scott looked up at Kane...
"Who's this?"
"He's..., please, Scott, let us in!"
"Look, Dan's in the toilet, you can come in and sit down whilst you wait but I'm not promising that she'll talk to you, or that I can persuade her to. She's in a pretty bad mood with you."
"Thought she might be."
Kirsty and Kane walked in and sat at the table along with Kit.
"This is my sister, Kit."
"Hi."
"Hey."
"Are you Kirsty?" she asked, coldly.
"Yeah...how did you know th-"
"How could you?"
"How could I what?"
"Hurt your sister like that?!"
"You don't understand, no one does."
"No one understands what?" asked Dani as she came out the toilet. She then caught a look at Kirsty, and as she walked closer, Kane.
"Wh, wh, what are they doing here?"
"They came to see you."
"And, and you let HIM in?"
"I don't know who he is, Dan...oh my god, he's...I'm so sorry."
Scott had just clicked on, this was Kane. How could he have been so stupid as to let him in? It was obvious who he was!! He was with Kirsty, who else could he be?
"Is this Kane?" shouted Kit.
"Yeah, I'm Kane."
"Get out of my house, NOW!"
"Please, Kit, we just have to ask my sister something and it's really really important!"
"NO!"
"Kit, let them speak...Dani, is that ok?"
"I..."
Dani sat down, shaking, never taking her eyes off Kane and Kirsty. Their hands were locked together and it was too much to bear.
"Dani, I know how hard this is for you..."
"NO, you don't!"
"Ok, sorry...but I want you to do a mediation with us, with both of us, so that we can sort this mess out."
"How can you expect her to-"
"KIT! Back off, maybe we should go into my room and give them some space."
"No, please, don't leave."
"Ok, sorry Dani, we'll stay here."
"Dani, I really want you to do this, I think it will help you."
"Help you's, you mean?"
"No, Dani...I'm not the same person anymore, and I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for what I done to you."
"Sorry? Sorry? Do you think sorry is enough?"
"I don't know what else to say, Dani, come to a mediation, we'll get this sorted out once and for all then there'll be no more of this."
"Do you know another way of achieving that? Staying away from my sister!"
"Dani, I'm old enough to make decisions for myself now!"
"You're 15, you're still a child, you don't know what he's capable of."
"What he WAS capable of, Dan, WAS, he's not doing that kind of thing anymore."
"What is it now then? Murder? He's already done kidnap and rape..."
"That's not fair, Dani! You know the kidnapping wasn't my fault, I helped get Shauna out, you can't pin that one on me."
"I don't care! You're not getting your mediation...as far as I'm concerned now, I have only one sister...you're not part of my family anymore, not with him your not."
"Dani...please!"
"No, I can't do it! I can't go back to feeling like that all over again, I can't, I just can't!"
"Do it for you aswell as for me!"
"I can't, I just can't so go, just go, ok and don't talk to me unless you ditch him, you've betrayed me, Kirsty, and you know you have, that's why you came over here with a guilty conscience trying to sort things out, not because you want to make things work."
"I'm sorry, Dani, I know I hurt you really badly but I can't do anything to repair the damage unless you co-operate."
"NEVER will I co-operate with you...I can't even stand being in the same room as you, Kane."
"How many times does he need to say sorry for it to be enough, Dani? How many times?"
"It will NEVER be enough, now just leave...NOW!"
Kane and Kirsty left, defeated, Kirsty crying in Kane's arms. She'd expected Dani to be upset but never had she expected her to react like that. What was she going to do now?
Dani, like Kirsty, collapsed in Scott's arms. Had she done the right thing? She didn't know but all she knew was that she was beyond working things out with Kane, his latest step with Kirsty was taking it too far.
"It will be ok, Kirst."
"How will it ever be ok ever again, Kane? Didn't you hear her?"
Kane was silent, he had no answer, would it be ok ever again?
"Calm down, Dani, it's ok, he's gone, he can't hurt you anymore."
"I've lost her, Scott, I've lost my sister."
"She'll come round."
"Will she? Think about it, Scott, she's with Kane now, I told her never to talk to me again...I've lost her."
Scott, like Kane, was silent. Kit, for once, was silent too. The argument had shocked her, she didn't know what to think.
"Look, do you want to stay here tonight, just to let things settle down?"
"Yeah, please Scott...thanks."
Scott leaned forward and kissed Dani. He wasn't really sure what he was doing but it felt right, Dani thought to too and she kissed him back...both forgetting that Kit was still in the room.
"Will I make myself scarce?"
"Sorry, Kit, don't know what you must think of me. Barging into your house and bringing all my problems with you then kissing your brother, sorry."
"Nah, it's alrite, it'll be nice to have some female company around here for a change."
*****
Kirsty and Kane were back in his car again.
"Kirst, do you want to stay over at mine tonight, just until this all dies down."
"That's going to take more than one night, Kane."
"As long as you need me, I'll be there for you."
"I love you, Kane, I love you so much."
"Same here, I love you too, I couldn't have asked for anyone better."
Kane was just as worried as Kirsty. He loved this girl, she was the only girl he had ever loved...except his mother when he was wee but then she'd rejected him, neglected him and he'd been left to fend for himself. That's when his love for her died out and it'd never returned, depsite her being his mum. It was time.
Kirsty nervously chapped the letterbox, part of her wishing that Dani and Scott had gone out somewhere and they wouldn't be home. No such luck. Scott opened the door and was surprised to see Kirsty with an older man.
"Hi, Kirsty, what you doing here?"
"I said I'd be over, remember?"
"No, Jade said she'd be over."
Kirsty remembered what she'd said on the phone.
"Damnit, look, I'm sorry, but I knew that if I said I was me, then Dani wouldn't let me come over, it's really important for me to talk to her."
"It's not up to me, Kirsty."
"Yes it is, it's your house!"
"Not me you want to talk to."
Scott looked up at Kane...
"Who's this?"
"He's..., please, Scott, let us in!"
"Look, Dan's in the toilet, you can come in and sit down whilst you wait but I'm not promising that she'll talk to you, or that I can persuade her to. She's in a pretty bad mood with you."
"Thought she might be."
Kirsty and Kane walked in and sat at the table along with Kit.
"This is my sister, Kit."
"Hi."
"Hey."
"Are you Kirsty?" she asked, coldly.
"Yeah...how did you know th-"
"How could you?"
"How could I what?"
"Hurt your sister like that?!"
"You don't understand, no one does."
"No one understands what?" asked Dani as she came out the toilet. She then caught a look at Kirsty, and as she walked closer, Kane.
"Wh, wh, what are they doing here?"
"They came to see you."
"And, and you let HIM in?"
"I don't know who he is, Dan...oh my god, he's...I'm so sorry."
Scott had just clicked on, this was Kane. How could he have been so stupid as to let him in? It was obvious who he was!! He was with Kirsty, who else could he be?
"Is this Kane?" shouted Kit.
"Yeah, I'm Kane."
"Get out of my house, NOW!"
"Please, Kit, we just have to ask my sister something and it's really really important!"
"NO!"
"Kit, let them speak...Dani, is that ok?"
"I..."
Dani sat down, shaking, never taking her eyes off Kane and Kirsty. Their hands were locked together and it was too much to bear.
"Dani, I know how hard this is for you..."
"NO, you don't!"
"Ok, sorry...but I want you to do a mediation with us, with both of us, so that we can sort this mess out."
"How can you expect her to-"
"KIT! Back off, maybe we should go into my room and give them some space."
"No, please, don't leave."
"Ok, sorry Dani, we'll stay here."
"Dani, I really want you to do this, I think it will help you."
"Help you's, you mean?"
"No, Dani...I'm not the same person anymore, and I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for what I done to you."
"Sorry? Sorry? Do you think sorry is enough?"
"I don't know what else to say, Dani, come to a mediation, we'll get this sorted out once and for all then there'll be no more of this."
"Do you know another way of achieving that? Staying away from my sister!"
"Dani, I'm old enough to make decisions for myself now!"
"You're 15, you're still a child, you don't know what he's capable of."
"What he WAS capable of, Dan, WAS, he's not doing that kind of thing anymore."
"What is it now then? Murder? He's already done kidnap and rape..."
"That's not fair, Dani! You know the kidnapping wasn't my fault, I helped get Shauna out, you can't pin that one on me."
"I don't care! You're not getting your mediation...as far as I'm concerned now, I have only one sister...you're not part of my family anymore, not with him your not."
"Dani...please!"
"No, I can't do it! I can't go back to feeling like that all over again, I can't, I just can't!"
"Do it for you aswell as for me!"
"I can't, I just can't so go, just go, ok and don't talk to me unless you ditch him, you've betrayed me, Kirsty, and you know you have, that's why you came over here with a guilty conscience trying to sort things out, not because you want to make things work."
"I'm sorry, Dani, I know I hurt you really badly but I can't do anything to repair the damage unless you co-operate."
"NEVER will I co-operate with you...I can't even stand being in the same room as you, Kane."
"How many times does he need to say sorry for it to be enough, Dani? How many times?"
"It will NEVER be enough, now just leave...NOW!"
Kane and Kirsty left, defeated, Kirsty crying in Kane's arms. She'd expected Dani to be upset but never had she expected her to react like that. What was she going to do now?
Dani, like Kirsty, collapsed in Scott's arms. Had she done the right thing? She didn't know but all she knew was that she was beyond working things out with Kane, his latest step with Kirsty was taking it too far.
"It will be ok, Kirst."
"How will it ever be ok ever again, Kane? Didn't you hear her?"
Kane was silent, he had no answer, would it be ok ever again?
"Calm down, Dani, it's ok, he's gone, he can't hurt you anymore."
"I've lost her, Scott, I've lost my sister."
"She'll come round."
"Will she? Think about it, Scott, she's with Kane now, I told her never to talk to me again...I've lost her."
Scott, like Kane, was silent. Kit, for once, was silent too. The argument had shocked her, she didn't know what to think.
"Look, do you want to stay here tonight, just to let things settle down?"
"Yeah, please Scott...thanks."
Scott leaned forward and kissed Dani. He wasn't really sure what he was doing but it felt right, Dani thought to too and she kissed him back...both forgetting that Kit was still in the room.
"Will I make myself scarce?"
"Sorry, Kit, don't know what you must think of me. Barging into your house and bringing all my problems with you then kissing your brother, sorry."
"Nah, it's alrite, it'll be nice to have some female company around here for a change."
*****
Kirsty and Kane were back in his car again.
"Kirst, do you want to stay over at mine tonight, just until this all dies down."
"That's going to take more than one night, Kane."
"As long as you need me, I'll be there for you."
"I love you, Kane, I love you so much."
"Same here, I love you too, I couldn't have asked for anyone better."