Disclaimer: Not mine, but if you wanna give 'em to me, I won't say "no" to that! And yes, I do realize that I'm being extraordinarily sappy with them, sorry for that.
Author's Note: Okay, after the silliness of that fluffy chapter, we're going to have a good, deep chapter, well, as deep as it gets with me! Oh, and I do believe Keke will be pleased! By the way, thanks to Emma for pushing me to finish this as quickly as I did! TF has to go up now!!! Oh, and I know the ending's unrealistic, but come on! I needed a good twist... go figure!
"Well, as much fun as we had at X Night, I knew that Peter couldn't resist having group the next morning, I mean, he is but a simple slave-driver trying to make his way in the world," Shelby said, while walking to breakfast with Scott the next morning. He chuckled. "What?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, you! You're your sarcastic self again," he replied, looking at her.
"Your point, monsieur?" she asked, putting on her best French accent, which wasn't extraordinary, to say the least.
"Shelby is back!" he yelled out, rather loudly. Not many people were around outside as Scott and Shelby were rather slow to get ready that morning due to the late night they'd had. They were one of the few people who'd returned to their own sleeping quarters. Daisy and David had as well. They'd met up in the guys' dorm before heading off to breakfast.
"Yeah, really? I didn't think she'd gone," Daisy cut in with a roll of the eyes.
"Oh my gosh, not you too!" Scott said incredulously.
"Yeah, what was in that food you guys got?" David said, joining in.
"What happened?" Scott asked, laughing. "What happened to all the improvements?"
"Well cowboy, I wouldn't call them improvements,"
"Yeah, they were more like, changes that young love produced," Daisy agreed with her friend.
"She's right, but after the blowing off of the steam, we're all good, and back to our normal-" David said.
"Dysfunctional selves," Daisy finished.
"Ah, well, then, milady, onto breakfast," Scott said, playing along.
"Scott!" Shelby said. "You're not co-operating!"
"What? I used to be the perfect gentleman!" he said. The bunch entered the cafeteria, howling with laughter.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Juliette asked, or rather squealed.
"Okay, that X Night must've blown off some major steam for y'all," Auggie assessed.
"Have you been spying?" Shelby asked.
"Nah, just a good guesser... besides, I could hear David from a mile away!" The table rang with more laughter.
"I wasn't that bad," David mumbled.
"Yeah, you were, I need to get you all to group when you're done," Peter said, walking in on their conversation.
"Yes, oh master," Emma and Shelby said at the same time. Emma bowed down and Shelby saluted.
"okay, now that was just a little weird," Marc said.
"I say!" Ley said. "Emma and Shelby: twins... some ring to it, at least... Emma and Shelby..." Everyone laughed at her little comment.
"Multiple personalities re-surfacing again," Kristen said. Ley punched her playfully in the arm. She, however, assumed a very innocent look about two seconds later. "Hey Sophie," she greeted.
"We know! Group when we're done!" David said, exasperated.
"I'll let that tone slide this time, David. Shelby, may I talk to you? Actually, Jess, you come too," she said.
"Uh, okay," Jess said, getting up, and following Sophie.
"See ya later," Scott said reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." All she could do was give a weak, nervous smile. She didn't like being singled out. Whenever she was being picked out of a crowd, it was for bad news, or one-on-ones, which were just as bad.
She followed Jess with a mix of ideas flowing through her mind. Why just Jess and me, she thought. Why now? What could it mean? All these questions were answered the second she stepped through the door to Peter's office.
"Oh my god! What are you doing here? I thought you'd call!" Shelby exploded.
"Shelby!" Sophie said firmly, trying to remind her that she was, in fact, talking aloud. Shelby just sat down on the sofa.
"You didn't call," she pointed out.
"I... I know, I wanted to make this sort of entrance," the man said.
"Is this who I think it is?" Jess asked, getting rather excited. Shelby just nodded, knowing perfectly well what her sister was thinking. Jess immediately started crying. "I can't believe it!" she yelled, and ran into the man's arms.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said. Shelby got up, finally getting control over herself. The man looked up at her.
"Hi, dad."
"Shelby!" he said, almost in tears, as she came to give him a hug too. "I've missed you both terribly."
"Daddy!" Jess said, in between tears. Sophie left the room while father and daughters were experiencing a rather emotional reunion, except for Shelby who tried her best to keep her calm. She might have changed, but she still didn't trust easily, especially men.
"Scott?" Sophie asked, after she'd closed the door.
"Is she okay?" he asked, concern all over his face. Sophie smiled to herself at this.
"She's fine. Just give her a little time. In about five to ten minutes, I'll ask her if you can go in," she said.
"Okay, thanks," Scott said, sitting down, and acting really restless. About a minute later, Sophie got so annoyed at his foot taping, pacing, humming, and such, that she went in Peter's office.
"Shelby?"
"Yeah?" she answered, from the sofa where they were all sitting, catching up.
"There's a rather anxious guy waiting to see you." Shelby chuckled.
"Who?" Jason, her father, asked. She smiled to herself.
"Wait just one moment," she said, getting up and exiting the room. He must really make her happy, Jason thought. I mean, Sophie didn't even say his name, and already she's smiling.
"Hey, Cowboy, what're you doing?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She stood there, in the all, looking at Scott make out complicated dance moves. She laughed as he looked up at her with a rather ashamed expression.
"Uh, well, you see... I was worried," he said, coming up to her.
"About?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"You! You looked so scared when you left, and when you didn't come back, I got scared that maybe you were going home, or Jess was, or something," he stammered. He now had his arms around her waist and was holding her pretty close.
"Okay... I was gone about five minutes, and nothing bd has happened. At least nothing bad for me," she added with a smirk.
"Jess?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Nope, for you."
"Me? How?" Now he was both curious, and confused.
"Well, sitting in that room is my father," she explained.
"No way! You're real father! He's... here?" Scott's eyes grew as he uttered these words. Shelby nodded.
"Yeah, come on, you're going to come in and meet him," she said, taking his hand.
"Uh, Shel, I just remembered important appointment..." he stammered.
She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Peter's in there, all the more reason to come." Then, seeing the fear in his eyes, she came closer to him, and whispered in his ear. "Just be yourself. He'll love you." She gave him a quick, but sweet kiss and led him in.
"Dad, this is Scott Barringer, my fiancé," Shelby introduced. "Scott, this is my dad." Peter and Sophie both looked very impressed at how calm Scott looked.
"Nice to meet you, Scott," Jason said. He seemed a bit cold, which sent a shiver down Scott's back, and earned Jason a glare from Shelby.
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Merrick," Scott said, shaking Jason's hand. Shelby smiled at how gracious Scott was despite her father's lack thereof. She took Scott's hand and squeezed it tight. He squeezed back.
"Okay, Jess, I need you to go get the others together. Soph, come on, we've got group. Mr. Barringer, Jess, will come back after group, I'll let you three talk," Peter said.
"Thank you, Mr. Scarbrow," Jason said.
"Peter, please," Peter insisted.
"Of course, and Mrs. Scarbrow."
"Sophie, we're very informal here," Sophie said.
"Yes, I understand. Well, thank you," Jason said. They both nodded their welcomes and left with Jess to attend to group. "So, Shelby, what is there to see around here?"
"Well, let's give the tour," Shelby said, mock enthusiasm. "Brace yourself, it's very exciting." She smirked.
"Shelby blew off quite a bit of steam yesterday," Scott explained. Shelby laughed at his comment. Jason, on the other hand, was not amused.
"With you?" he asked a little digusted. Scott looked at Shelby as if to ask, "What did I do?"
"With everyone. We had some movies and we had fun. Scott was there, along with Jess and the rest of our group," Shelby said. She wasn't too pleased with her dad. They finished the tour with no other conversation. "Here's the lodge. You can go in and see Jess, I'm sure she'll introduce the rest of the Cliffhangers and Rivergliders," Shelby explained.
"Where are you two going?" Jason asked.
"Our room. I have something important to talk to Scott about."
"I'd rather you showed me to the group," he replied. The last thing he wanted his daughter to do was to go off with this guy.
"You'll find it. And I don't think I care what you rather I do. You haven't been there most of my life. You hardly know me. You probably don't even know why I'm here. I'm going to go, now. I'll talk to you later, when you've remembered why you're here," Shelby said, rage filling her. She did her best to keep it under control. Jason looked dumbstruck as she and Scott went off to their room.
"Wow, Shelby," Scott said, not really knowing what to say.
"I can't believe him!" she yelled out. "He was being so awful!"
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, trying to be nice, despite being really hurt at her dad's reaction to him.
"What do I mean?" she yelled. "I mean that you were so perfect, and he was so rude, and... urgh! I'm so mad! Why did I even bother? Why couldn't I just leave well enough alone?" she burst out. They were now in their room. Shelby was really upset. She was yelling and throwing things across the room. She'd punched the walls several times. Finally Scott came up to her and held her close. She stopped thrashing and just calmed down. She started crying. Scott just hugged her.
"Shel, it's okay," he whispered.
"No! No it's not okay! It's not okay! He can't just walk out on me and come back and expect it all to be okay!" she exploded again. Scott just rubbed her back comfortingly and she yelled into his chest.
"Shelb, it'll be fine! I promise," he said.
"Scott! It won't be fine. That's the thing!" She yanked herself away from his embrace and fell onto the bed, crying.
"Why does he bother you so much?" he asked softly. Shelby understood that he was just trying to get the full picture.
"Scott, don't you see? If he hadn't left..." She couldn't finish her sentence.
"I understand. Shelby, do you want to go walk around? Get some fresh air?" Scott asked. She raised her head from her hands. She looked at him oddly, but took his hand and got up. He led her outside.
"Where are we going?" she asked, not exactly wanting to move about.
"Oh, somewhere I know will make you feel better," he replied. She just gave him a really loving look, slipped her arm around his waist, and walked with him.
"Talk about therapy," she said, when they reached their destination.
"I know. I am a genius."
"Well, don't go and get a big head, there," she said with a roll of the eyes.
"Ah, Shel, come on, you know you're happy I brought you here!" She just turned to him.
"Thank you for bringing me here, and saving me from a breakdown, my savior!" She bowed down.
"Well, that's more like it!" They both burst out laughing. Scott finally spoke when they were calm. "Look, I know you blame him for what happened with Walt, but Shel, don't. Just let the past be the past. Look, I tried blaming my mom so many times for leaving dad and me and leaving Elaine to marry dad. I tried, but it wasn't her fault. Something would've happened to get Elaine and dad together. It's not your dad's fault," he said comfortingly.
"I know, but it's so hard. I don't have a fight. I don't have someone to fight against. I don't have someone to hate for what Walt did," she exclaimed.
"Do you really need someone?" Scott asked. Shelby was about to protest. "Why do you have to hate someone? Why do you need a fight?"
"Because I know how to fight now! Because I know how to push him away! Don't you ever feel like that?" Shelby yelled out. She was now standing away from him, facing him.
"Yes, but why do you have to always hate the world so much? Why can't you just forget and move on with your life?" he asked, trying to break down these newly formed shields again.
"Scott, can you move on? Can you forget what she did? Can you forget what happened? Can you? Because, if you can, tell me how! I want to forget. I want to forget every single moment of it!" Shelby yelled. She was starting to shake uncontrollably, but at this point, Scott didn't dare approach her.
"Look, I can't forget it. But why do you hate the world so much?"
"Because," she began yelling. Suddenly, as if something had sucked all the energy from her body, she collapsed on the docks. Scott ran up to her.
"Shelby! Are you alright?" he asked. Tears streaming down his face. "Oh, please Shelby!"
"Because the world hates me," she whispered. Scott just looked down at her.
"The world doesn't hate you, Shel. They don't hate you," he whispered, hugging her shaking body. He was sitting on the docks, with her body draped across his. She had her arms around his neck and he was holding onto her for dear life.
"Yes they do," she choked out. Her tears were quickly wetting his shirt, but he didn't care.
"I love you, Shel! I love you with all my heart. And if the world doesn't like you, the world is wrong. You hear? The world is wrong!" he whispered into her ear. It was becoming hard for him to speak. His throat was becoming raw and irritated. Shelby lifted her head and looked up at him.
"I love you too, Scott," she whispered before passing out.
"Oh, god! Shelby! Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled. When he realized there was no more movement in her beautiful body, he picked her up and ran back to the infirmary with her. Everyone was at lunch, so there were no curious onlookers, which made his trip a heck of a lot easier.
He arrived at the infirmary, out of breath, and carrying Shelby.
"What happened to her?" a nurse asked. Scott could hardly speak. He laid her down on a bed, and collapsed beside it. The only thing he remembered was holding onto her hand and feeling a squeeze, before he passed out and all went black.
**************************************************************************************
"Is she alright?" Shelby heard her father ask. She was just waking up and was hearing very distinct but distant voices. She turned her head slightly away from door to block out her father and Peter's conversation. When she re-opened her eyes, she was horrified at what she saw. There was Scott lying in a hospital bed, next to her. She gasped when she realized she was in a hospital bed as well. She tried to get up, but her head hurt so much.
"Where am I?" she got out, before slumping back down onto her fluffy pillow.
"You're in the infirmary, Shelby," Sophie whispered. She ran up to her side. "How are you feeling, hunny?" she asked quietly.
"Well, my head hurts like a bitch. Why's Scott in here?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly from the emotion of seeing him there, unconscious, in a hospital bed.
"Exhaustion, nothing more. That goes for you too. What happened?" Sophie questioned.
"Aren't you the all knowing being around here?" Shelby replied sarcastically.
"Well, actually, that would be Peter. And I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your sarcasm."
"My second most prized possession? Never!" she said, her voice dripping with her sarcastic mark.
"What's your first?" Sophie asked curiously. Shelby looked at her inquiringly. "Your most prized possession."
"Well, that is my little secret," Shelby said. She laid her head back, and looked over at Scott. Sophie just nodded all-knowingly. A solitary tear ran down Shelby's face before she fell asleep.
Literally about a minute later Scott's eyes fluttered open. Where Shelby was quiet, Scott was loud.
"Shelby! Is she okay?" Scott asked, getting up and running to her side. They'd given Shelby a sedative to help her sleep so she didn't wake up. Sophie came to Scott.
"Scott, she's fine. I'll answer all your questions if you just lie down again," Sophie said. Scott had some major questions, so he did. He was, after all, right beside her. He never left her with his eyes. "Scott, she just has exhaustion. You do too, so you have to stay calm." When he didn't reply, or even hint at one, she continued. "Scott, what happened before you got here?" Sophie asked, concerned. For the first time since he woke up, Scott looked at Sophie.
"We took her dad on a tour. We were very nice, you would've been proud. He was being really awful. He said some... some things he shouldn't have," Scott said. He was finding it hard to tell Sophie, but he knew that she had to know.
"Like what?"
"It wasn't so much what he said, as how he said it. he was so cold and distant."
"With you? Or both of you?" Sophie tried to clear up.
"Just me. That made Shelby angry. She burst when we got back to the room. She started throwing stuff. It reminded me of when we went to dog's peak. It scared me, because it was too close to what had happened. I just held her real tight. She seemed to calm down. After a little bit, she burst out again. She fell onto the bed and just cried. When she calmed down, we went for a walk outside. I took her to the docks," Scott was rushing through his sentences, as if to try and forget. "We... we had a fight. Then I asked a question and she went to answer, and collapsed." He couldn't keep going.
"What question?" Sophie asked quietly.
"Why do you hate the world so much?" he whispered.
"Then what happened? I know this is hard, but you have to tell me Scott. It may have re-opened some deep wounds that she may have forgotten about. It may be more dangerous than we think."
"She collapsed. And I thought she was dead. She woke up, and said, 'Because the world hates me.' That's when she blacked out. And I brought her here." He had tears streaming down his face at the memory of her helpless body resting in his arms-of her telling him that everyone hated her. He quickly wiped them away. Sophie nodded. She got up and went to meet Peter outside. Scott just fell back down onto his bed. He looked over at Shelby. "I really do love you," he said quietly.
"I know you do," she whispered back.
**************************************************************************************
Later that day, the couple was released from the infirmary with strict orders to remain in their room, and to get some rest. They did remain in their room, but rest... that was a matter of opinion.
"Thanks," Shelby said as they entered the room and lay down on the bed, side by side.
"For what?" Scott asked quietly. Each one was propped up on an elbow, lying down on their sides and looking at the other. Scott extended his free hand, and Shelby held it with hers.
"I heard what you said to Sophie." But apparently that wasn't enough of an explanation. "Thanks for bringing me in. thanks for caring so much. This may seem like an exaggeration, but apart from Jess, you are the only one on this Earth whose ever put up with my shit long enough to love me," she said, her voice splitting with emotion. Scott squeezed her hand.
"Hey, the same goes for you. Sure, my dad loved me, but he probably resents me now," he replied.
"I don't think that's true," she said, stroking his face softly and lovingly. "And I do, really, truly, love you." He smiled his best smile. "Oh, you know what's something we've never done before?" Scott looked at her a little skeptically.
"What?" he asked cautiously. Shelby now had a rather wicked smile on.
"Truth or dare!" she said. Scott laughed.
"Sure! Okay, Shel, truth or dare?" Scott asked.
"Truth," she said, sure of herself.
"Do you feel better?" Shelby obviously didn't expect that question.
"Yeah, I actually do. I was just exhausted, and it was a big blow to see my dad again. So, there we are, but I am feeling much better," she said truthfully. "Truth or dare, Scott?" she asked, smiling once more.
"Uh, I'll start off with a truth," he said.
"What's your happiest memory?" she asked. He smiled.
"The first time I kissed you, when I came running down that hall. That moment led to such great things!" he said almost instantly. Shelby smiled.
"Yeah, that was a rather... fun moment, shall we say."
"Truth or dare?" he asked.
"Uh, dare... but something quiet cause we're supposed to be getting rest," she warned with a roll of the eyes. "Operative word being 'supposed.'"
"Okay..." Scott jokingly stroked his chin for a few minutes. "I got it. I dare you to do some of your old ballet moves."
"You do like to push to see how far I'll go, don't you?" she asked. She got up from the bed. In order not to exert herself too hard, she only did a few simple moves, but these brought her around the room very gracefully and elegantly. Scott lay there, his mouth agape, just staring at her. When she finished, she lay down beside him. "What?" she asked.
"You! You're so amazing! Why don't you dance anymore?"
"Well, I stopped a long time ago. And when I ran from home, there was no time to dance. I had also left my shoes at home. I don't have any anymore. I miss dancing a lot," she explained. This was getting too emotionally strenuous, so like everyone at Horizon, who'd learned to fight and hide emotions, she changed the subject. "Your turn, truth or dare?" Scott rolled his eyes at her avoidance, but answered all the same.
"Dare. I'm feeling brave," he said.
"You'll need it, cowboy. Sing."
"What?"
"Sing! Any song, but sing," she laughed. Scott laughed.
"You're insane!" he said with a nudge.
"Makes life interesting." He sat up and cleared his throat.
"Actually, I've got a better idea," he said, getting out of bed. "Come on." He took her hand and brought her along.
"Scott! We're not supposed to go! Where are you taking me?" Shelby asked, taking his hand and giggling.
"Just follow," he said. A minute later, they were both sitting at the piano. Scott put his hands on the keys and... the song began. "Look into my eyes. You will see. What you mean to me. Search your heart. Search your soul. And when you find me there, you will search no more. Don't tell me it's not worth trying for. You can't tell me, it's not worth dying for. You know it's true. Everything I do, I do it for you," he sang. As he played, Shelby's eyes watered up. She knew this song meant something. She loved it so much. She knew Scott knew it too. All the Cliffies and Gliders were in the lodge, along with some people from other groups. Everyone had stopped what he or she was doing. They couldn't believe Scott was singing. He never sang! "You know it's true, everything I do, I do it for you," he finished. Everyone erupted into cheers. There was much clapping and whooping. Shelby just looked at Scott.
"Thank you!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. He was a little surprised at this reaction, but accepted it with open arms-literally! He just hugged it.
"I meant every word," he said, hugging her. She offered no reply except for a tightening of the arms around his neck.
**************************************************************************************
"Shelby, look, I know you're mad at me for the other day."
"Look, dad, it's okay. I over-reacted," Shelby said. Jason was returning home, until the wedding. Shelby had basically avoided him all weekend. Jess, on the other hand, had spent all weekend with him, getting to know him. It was now Sunday afternoon.
"No, it's my fault. Listen, I know that you and Scott are close," he said. Shelby noted that he said "Scott" nicely. There was no icy hardness to it. "I've talked to a lot of people here this weekend. Mainly Jess, Peter, and Sophie, but I also spoke with you fellow Cliffhangers."
"Uh, okay, but what does that have to do with anything?" Shelby asked, confused.
"Well, they've told me a lot about you two. I know that you love Scott very much... and I know that he loves you a lot too. I was there when he played that song for you, yesterday. Look, Shelby, I screwed up with you and Jess once, I'm not going to do it again. I promised myself when I was coming down here that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice."
"Dad..." Shelby began, but Jason cut her off.
"No, let me finish. Look, I really wanted to make everything right with you. I know now that it's going to take much longer than a weekend, but I know where to start. I approve of Scott. I know you don't need my blessing, but you have it all the same."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me. You can't possibly understand how much, so thank you," Shelby said, really, truly grateful.
"Yeah, and here's, shall we say, an early wedding present. Don't open it before I'm gone, but enjoy it! I'll be back for the wedding," he said, handing her a small box. He gave her a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, same as Jess. He then jumped into the back seat of his Aston Martin, just as Scott was coming out of the admin building.
"Whoa? Who's car is that?" he asked as if it were the most impressive thing ever.
"My dad's," she said as if it were of no consequence to her. She turned to the box in her hands. She opened it, noticed there was a lot of tissue paper and started looking through it.
"Why'd he get in the back seat?" Scott asked, still watching the beautiful car wander off, slow so as not to hurt the pain on the gravel.
"Driver," Shelby answered nonchalantly. That's when she squealed. Scott jumped.
"What?" he asked, ripping his eyes off the car. Shelby was jumping around.
"You'll never believe what we got as my dad's wedding present!" she screamed.
"What?" he shouted back. She just shoved a slip of paper in his hand. Scott nearly fell over. He quickly sat down on the ground to avoid what nearly occurred. "You're joking! This can't be real! This-this is impossible!" he said, more to himself, trying to make himself believe. Shelby sat down beside him.
"Nope, I told you he was rich," she whispered.
"Never this rich!"
"I had no idea," she explained. "I hadn't seen or talked to him for 13 years."
"Shel, do you realize how much this really is?" Scott asked, his eyes going round.
"No, I just saw the zeroes and freaked."
"Shelby, this is a check for... a million dollars!"
Author's Note: Okay, after the silliness of that fluffy chapter, we're going to have a good, deep chapter, well, as deep as it gets with me! Oh, and I do believe Keke will be pleased! By the way, thanks to Emma for pushing me to finish this as quickly as I did! TF has to go up now!!! Oh, and I know the ending's unrealistic, but come on! I needed a good twist... go figure!
"Well, as much fun as we had at X Night, I knew that Peter couldn't resist having group the next morning, I mean, he is but a simple slave-driver trying to make his way in the world," Shelby said, while walking to breakfast with Scott the next morning. He chuckled. "What?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, you! You're your sarcastic self again," he replied, looking at her.
"Your point, monsieur?" she asked, putting on her best French accent, which wasn't extraordinary, to say the least.
"Shelby is back!" he yelled out, rather loudly. Not many people were around outside as Scott and Shelby were rather slow to get ready that morning due to the late night they'd had. They were one of the few people who'd returned to their own sleeping quarters. Daisy and David had as well. They'd met up in the guys' dorm before heading off to breakfast.
"Yeah, really? I didn't think she'd gone," Daisy cut in with a roll of the eyes.
"Oh my gosh, not you too!" Scott said incredulously.
"Yeah, what was in that food you guys got?" David said, joining in.
"What happened?" Scott asked, laughing. "What happened to all the improvements?"
"Well cowboy, I wouldn't call them improvements,"
"Yeah, they were more like, changes that young love produced," Daisy agreed with her friend.
"She's right, but after the blowing off of the steam, we're all good, and back to our normal-" David said.
"Dysfunctional selves," Daisy finished.
"Ah, well, then, milady, onto breakfast," Scott said, playing along.
"Scott!" Shelby said. "You're not co-operating!"
"What? I used to be the perfect gentleman!" he said. The bunch entered the cafeteria, howling with laughter.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Juliette asked, or rather squealed.
"Okay, that X Night must've blown off some major steam for y'all," Auggie assessed.
"Have you been spying?" Shelby asked.
"Nah, just a good guesser... besides, I could hear David from a mile away!" The table rang with more laughter.
"I wasn't that bad," David mumbled.
"Yeah, you were, I need to get you all to group when you're done," Peter said, walking in on their conversation.
"Yes, oh master," Emma and Shelby said at the same time. Emma bowed down and Shelby saluted.
"okay, now that was just a little weird," Marc said.
"I say!" Ley said. "Emma and Shelby: twins... some ring to it, at least... Emma and Shelby..." Everyone laughed at her little comment.
"Multiple personalities re-surfacing again," Kristen said. Ley punched her playfully in the arm. She, however, assumed a very innocent look about two seconds later. "Hey Sophie," she greeted.
"We know! Group when we're done!" David said, exasperated.
"I'll let that tone slide this time, David. Shelby, may I talk to you? Actually, Jess, you come too," she said.
"Uh, okay," Jess said, getting up, and following Sophie.
"See ya later," Scott said reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." All she could do was give a weak, nervous smile. She didn't like being singled out. Whenever she was being picked out of a crowd, it was for bad news, or one-on-ones, which were just as bad.
She followed Jess with a mix of ideas flowing through her mind. Why just Jess and me, she thought. Why now? What could it mean? All these questions were answered the second she stepped through the door to Peter's office.
"Oh my god! What are you doing here? I thought you'd call!" Shelby exploded.
"Shelby!" Sophie said firmly, trying to remind her that she was, in fact, talking aloud. Shelby just sat down on the sofa.
"You didn't call," she pointed out.
"I... I know, I wanted to make this sort of entrance," the man said.
"Is this who I think it is?" Jess asked, getting rather excited. Shelby just nodded, knowing perfectly well what her sister was thinking. Jess immediately started crying. "I can't believe it!" she yelled, and ran into the man's arms.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said. Shelby got up, finally getting control over herself. The man looked up at her.
"Hi, dad."
"Shelby!" he said, almost in tears, as she came to give him a hug too. "I've missed you both terribly."
"Daddy!" Jess said, in between tears. Sophie left the room while father and daughters were experiencing a rather emotional reunion, except for Shelby who tried her best to keep her calm. She might have changed, but she still didn't trust easily, especially men.
"Scott?" Sophie asked, after she'd closed the door.
"Is she okay?" he asked, concern all over his face. Sophie smiled to herself at this.
"She's fine. Just give her a little time. In about five to ten minutes, I'll ask her if you can go in," she said.
"Okay, thanks," Scott said, sitting down, and acting really restless. About a minute later, Sophie got so annoyed at his foot taping, pacing, humming, and such, that she went in Peter's office.
"Shelby?"
"Yeah?" she answered, from the sofa where they were all sitting, catching up.
"There's a rather anxious guy waiting to see you." Shelby chuckled.
"Who?" Jason, her father, asked. She smiled to herself.
"Wait just one moment," she said, getting up and exiting the room. He must really make her happy, Jason thought. I mean, Sophie didn't even say his name, and already she's smiling.
"Hey, Cowboy, what're you doing?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She stood there, in the all, looking at Scott make out complicated dance moves. She laughed as he looked up at her with a rather ashamed expression.
"Uh, well, you see... I was worried," he said, coming up to her.
"About?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"You! You looked so scared when you left, and when you didn't come back, I got scared that maybe you were going home, or Jess was, or something," he stammered. He now had his arms around her waist and was holding her pretty close.
"Okay... I was gone about five minutes, and nothing bd has happened. At least nothing bad for me," she added with a smirk.
"Jess?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Nope, for you."
"Me? How?" Now he was both curious, and confused.
"Well, sitting in that room is my father," she explained.
"No way! You're real father! He's... here?" Scott's eyes grew as he uttered these words. Shelby nodded.
"Yeah, come on, you're going to come in and meet him," she said, taking his hand.
"Uh, Shel, I just remembered important appointment..." he stammered.
She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Peter's in there, all the more reason to come." Then, seeing the fear in his eyes, she came closer to him, and whispered in his ear. "Just be yourself. He'll love you." She gave him a quick, but sweet kiss and led him in.
"Dad, this is Scott Barringer, my fiancé," Shelby introduced. "Scott, this is my dad." Peter and Sophie both looked very impressed at how calm Scott looked.
"Nice to meet you, Scott," Jason said. He seemed a bit cold, which sent a shiver down Scott's back, and earned Jason a glare from Shelby.
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Merrick," Scott said, shaking Jason's hand. Shelby smiled at how gracious Scott was despite her father's lack thereof. She took Scott's hand and squeezed it tight. He squeezed back.
"Okay, Jess, I need you to go get the others together. Soph, come on, we've got group. Mr. Barringer, Jess, will come back after group, I'll let you three talk," Peter said.
"Thank you, Mr. Scarbrow," Jason said.
"Peter, please," Peter insisted.
"Of course, and Mrs. Scarbrow."
"Sophie, we're very informal here," Sophie said.
"Yes, I understand. Well, thank you," Jason said. They both nodded their welcomes and left with Jess to attend to group. "So, Shelby, what is there to see around here?"
"Well, let's give the tour," Shelby said, mock enthusiasm. "Brace yourself, it's very exciting." She smirked.
"Shelby blew off quite a bit of steam yesterday," Scott explained. Shelby laughed at his comment. Jason, on the other hand, was not amused.
"With you?" he asked a little digusted. Scott looked at Shelby as if to ask, "What did I do?"
"With everyone. We had some movies and we had fun. Scott was there, along with Jess and the rest of our group," Shelby said. She wasn't too pleased with her dad. They finished the tour with no other conversation. "Here's the lodge. You can go in and see Jess, I'm sure she'll introduce the rest of the Cliffhangers and Rivergliders," Shelby explained.
"Where are you two going?" Jason asked.
"Our room. I have something important to talk to Scott about."
"I'd rather you showed me to the group," he replied. The last thing he wanted his daughter to do was to go off with this guy.
"You'll find it. And I don't think I care what you rather I do. You haven't been there most of my life. You hardly know me. You probably don't even know why I'm here. I'm going to go, now. I'll talk to you later, when you've remembered why you're here," Shelby said, rage filling her. She did her best to keep it under control. Jason looked dumbstruck as she and Scott went off to their room.
"Wow, Shelby," Scott said, not really knowing what to say.
"I can't believe him!" she yelled out. "He was being so awful!"
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, trying to be nice, despite being really hurt at her dad's reaction to him.
"What do I mean?" she yelled. "I mean that you were so perfect, and he was so rude, and... urgh! I'm so mad! Why did I even bother? Why couldn't I just leave well enough alone?" she burst out. They were now in their room. Shelby was really upset. She was yelling and throwing things across the room. She'd punched the walls several times. Finally Scott came up to her and held her close. She stopped thrashing and just calmed down. She started crying. Scott just hugged her.
"Shel, it's okay," he whispered.
"No! No it's not okay! It's not okay! He can't just walk out on me and come back and expect it all to be okay!" she exploded again. Scott just rubbed her back comfortingly and she yelled into his chest.
"Shelb, it'll be fine! I promise," he said.
"Scott! It won't be fine. That's the thing!" She yanked herself away from his embrace and fell onto the bed, crying.
"Why does he bother you so much?" he asked softly. Shelby understood that he was just trying to get the full picture.
"Scott, don't you see? If he hadn't left..." She couldn't finish her sentence.
"I understand. Shelby, do you want to go walk around? Get some fresh air?" Scott asked. She raised her head from her hands. She looked at him oddly, but took his hand and got up. He led her outside.
"Where are we going?" she asked, not exactly wanting to move about.
"Oh, somewhere I know will make you feel better," he replied. She just gave him a really loving look, slipped her arm around his waist, and walked with him.
"Talk about therapy," she said, when they reached their destination.
"I know. I am a genius."
"Well, don't go and get a big head, there," she said with a roll of the eyes.
"Ah, Shel, come on, you know you're happy I brought you here!" She just turned to him.
"Thank you for bringing me here, and saving me from a breakdown, my savior!" She bowed down.
"Well, that's more like it!" They both burst out laughing. Scott finally spoke when they were calm. "Look, I know you blame him for what happened with Walt, but Shel, don't. Just let the past be the past. Look, I tried blaming my mom so many times for leaving dad and me and leaving Elaine to marry dad. I tried, but it wasn't her fault. Something would've happened to get Elaine and dad together. It's not your dad's fault," he said comfortingly.
"I know, but it's so hard. I don't have a fight. I don't have someone to fight against. I don't have someone to hate for what Walt did," she exclaimed.
"Do you really need someone?" Scott asked. Shelby was about to protest. "Why do you have to hate someone? Why do you need a fight?"
"Because I know how to fight now! Because I know how to push him away! Don't you ever feel like that?" Shelby yelled out. She was now standing away from him, facing him.
"Yes, but why do you have to always hate the world so much? Why can't you just forget and move on with your life?" he asked, trying to break down these newly formed shields again.
"Scott, can you move on? Can you forget what she did? Can you forget what happened? Can you? Because, if you can, tell me how! I want to forget. I want to forget every single moment of it!" Shelby yelled. She was starting to shake uncontrollably, but at this point, Scott didn't dare approach her.
"Look, I can't forget it. But why do you hate the world so much?"
"Because," she began yelling. Suddenly, as if something had sucked all the energy from her body, she collapsed on the docks. Scott ran up to her.
"Shelby! Are you alright?" he asked. Tears streaming down his face. "Oh, please Shelby!"
"Because the world hates me," she whispered. Scott just looked down at her.
"The world doesn't hate you, Shel. They don't hate you," he whispered, hugging her shaking body. He was sitting on the docks, with her body draped across his. She had her arms around his neck and he was holding onto her for dear life.
"Yes they do," she choked out. Her tears were quickly wetting his shirt, but he didn't care.
"I love you, Shel! I love you with all my heart. And if the world doesn't like you, the world is wrong. You hear? The world is wrong!" he whispered into her ear. It was becoming hard for him to speak. His throat was becoming raw and irritated. Shelby lifted her head and looked up at him.
"I love you too, Scott," she whispered before passing out.
"Oh, god! Shelby! Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled. When he realized there was no more movement in her beautiful body, he picked her up and ran back to the infirmary with her. Everyone was at lunch, so there were no curious onlookers, which made his trip a heck of a lot easier.
He arrived at the infirmary, out of breath, and carrying Shelby.
"What happened to her?" a nurse asked. Scott could hardly speak. He laid her down on a bed, and collapsed beside it. The only thing he remembered was holding onto her hand and feeling a squeeze, before he passed out and all went black.
**************************************************************************************
"Is she alright?" Shelby heard her father ask. She was just waking up and was hearing very distinct but distant voices. She turned her head slightly away from door to block out her father and Peter's conversation. When she re-opened her eyes, she was horrified at what she saw. There was Scott lying in a hospital bed, next to her. She gasped when she realized she was in a hospital bed as well. She tried to get up, but her head hurt so much.
"Where am I?" she got out, before slumping back down onto her fluffy pillow.
"You're in the infirmary, Shelby," Sophie whispered. She ran up to her side. "How are you feeling, hunny?" she asked quietly.
"Well, my head hurts like a bitch. Why's Scott in here?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly from the emotion of seeing him there, unconscious, in a hospital bed.
"Exhaustion, nothing more. That goes for you too. What happened?" Sophie questioned.
"Aren't you the all knowing being around here?" Shelby replied sarcastically.
"Well, actually, that would be Peter. And I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your sarcasm."
"My second most prized possession? Never!" she said, her voice dripping with her sarcastic mark.
"What's your first?" Sophie asked curiously. Shelby looked at her inquiringly. "Your most prized possession."
"Well, that is my little secret," Shelby said. She laid her head back, and looked over at Scott. Sophie just nodded all-knowingly. A solitary tear ran down Shelby's face before she fell asleep.
Literally about a minute later Scott's eyes fluttered open. Where Shelby was quiet, Scott was loud.
"Shelby! Is she okay?" Scott asked, getting up and running to her side. They'd given Shelby a sedative to help her sleep so she didn't wake up. Sophie came to Scott.
"Scott, she's fine. I'll answer all your questions if you just lie down again," Sophie said. Scott had some major questions, so he did. He was, after all, right beside her. He never left her with his eyes. "Scott, she just has exhaustion. You do too, so you have to stay calm." When he didn't reply, or even hint at one, she continued. "Scott, what happened before you got here?" Sophie asked, concerned. For the first time since he woke up, Scott looked at Sophie.
"We took her dad on a tour. We were very nice, you would've been proud. He was being really awful. He said some... some things he shouldn't have," Scott said. He was finding it hard to tell Sophie, but he knew that she had to know.
"Like what?"
"It wasn't so much what he said, as how he said it. he was so cold and distant."
"With you? Or both of you?" Sophie tried to clear up.
"Just me. That made Shelby angry. She burst when we got back to the room. She started throwing stuff. It reminded me of when we went to dog's peak. It scared me, because it was too close to what had happened. I just held her real tight. She seemed to calm down. After a little bit, she burst out again. She fell onto the bed and just cried. When she calmed down, we went for a walk outside. I took her to the docks," Scott was rushing through his sentences, as if to try and forget. "We... we had a fight. Then I asked a question and she went to answer, and collapsed." He couldn't keep going.
"What question?" Sophie asked quietly.
"Why do you hate the world so much?" he whispered.
"Then what happened? I know this is hard, but you have to tell me Scott. It may have re-opened some deep wounds that she may have forgotten about. It may be more dangerous than we think."
"She collapsed. And I thought she was dead. She woke up, and said, 'Because the world hates me.' That's when she blacked out. And I brought her here." He had tears streaming down his face at the memory of her helpless body resting in his arms-of her telling him that everyone hated her. He quickly wiped them away. Sophie nodded. She got up and went to meet Peter outside. Scott just fell back down onto his bed. He looked over at Shelby. "I really do love you," he said quietly.
"I know you do," she whispered back.
**************************************************************************************
Later that day, the couple was released from the infirmary with strict orders to remain in their room, and to get some rest. They did remain in their room, but rest... that was a matter of opinion.
"Thanks," Shelby said as they entered the room and lay down on the bed, side by side.
"For what?" Scott asked quietly. Each one was propped up on an elbow, lying down on their sides and looking at the other. Scott extended his free hand, and Shelby held it with hers.
"I heard what you said to Sophie." But apparently that wasn't enough of an explanation. "Thanks for bringing me in. thanks for caring so much. This may seem like an exaggeration, but apart from Jess, you are the only one on this Earth whose ever put up with my shit long enough to love me," she said, her voice splitting with emotion. Scott squeezed her hand.
"Hey, the same goes for you. Sure, my dad loved me, but he probably resents me now," he replied.
"I don't think that's true," she said, stroking his face softly and lovingly. "And I do, really, truly, love you." He smiled his best smile. "Oh, you know what's something we've never done before?" Scott looked at her a little skeptically.
"What?" he asked cautiously. Shelby now had a rather wicked smile on.
"Truth or dare!" she said. Scott laughed.
"Sure! Okay, Shel, truth or dare?" Scott asked.
"Truth," she said, sure of herself.
"Do you feel better?" Shelby obviously didn't expect that question.
"Yeah, I actually do. I was just exhausted, and it was a big blow to see my dad again. So, there we are, but I am feeling much better," she said truthfully. "Truth or dare, Scott?" she asked, smiling once more.
"Uh, I'll start off with a truth," he said.
"What's your happiest memory?" she asked. He smiled.
"The first time I kissed you, when I came running down that hall. That moment led to such great things!" he said almost instantly. Shelby smiled.
"Yeah, that was a rather... fun moment, shall we say."
"Truth or dare?" he asked.
"Uh, dare... but something quiet cause we're supposed to be getting rest," she warned with a roll of the eyes. "Operative word being 'supposed.'"
"Okay..." Scott jokingly stroked his chin for a few minutes. "I got it. I dare you to do some of your old ballet moves."
"You do like to push to see how far I'll go, don't you?" she asked. She got up from the bed. In order not to exert herself too hard, she only did a few simple moves, but these brought her around the room very gracefully and elegantly. Scott lay there, his mouth agape, just staring at her. When she finished, she lay down beside him. "What?" she asked.
"You! You're so amazing! Why don't you dance anymore?"
"Well, I stopped a long time ago. And when I ran from home, there was no time to dance. I had also left my shoes at home. I don't have any anymore. I miss dancing a lot," she explained. This was getting too emotionally strenuous, so like everyone at Horizon, who'd learned to fight and hide emotions, she changed the subject. "Your turn, truth or dare?" Scott rolled his eyes at her avoidance, but answered all the same.
"Dare. I'm feeling brave," he said.
"You'll need it, cowboy. Sing."
"What?"
"Sing! Any song, but sing," she laughed. Scott laughed.
"You're insane!" he said with a nudge.
"Makes life interesting." He sat up and cleared his throat.
"Actually, I've got a better idea," he said, getting out of bed. "Come on." He took her hand and brought her along.
"Scott! We're not supposed to go! Where are you taking me?" Shelby asked, taking his hand and giggling.
"Just follow," he said. A minute later, they were both sitting at the piano. Scott put his hands on the keys and... the song began. "Look into my eyes. You will see. What you mean to me. Search your heart. Search your soul. And when you find me there, you will search no more. Don't tell me it's not worth trying for. You can't tell me, it's not worth dying for. You know it's true. Everything I do, I do it for you," he sang. As he played, Shelby's eyes watered up. She knew this song meant something. She loved it so much. She knew Scott knew it too. All the Cliffies and Gliders were in the lodge, along with some people from other groups. Everyone had stopped what he or she was doing. They couldn't believe Scott was singing. He never sang! "You know it's true, everything I do, I do it for you," he finished. Everyone erupted into cheers. There was much clapping and whooping. Shelby just looked at Scott.
"Thank you!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. He was a little surprised at this reaction, but accepted it with open arms-literally! He just hugged it.
"I meant every word," he said, hugging her. She offered no reply except for a tightening of the arms around his neck.
**************************************************************************************
"Shelby, look, I know you're mad at me for the other day."
"Look, dad, it's okay. I over-reacted," Shelby said. Jason was returning home, until the wedding. Shelby had basically avoided him all weekend. Jess, on the other hand, had spent all weekend with him, getting to know him. It was now Sunday afternoon.
"No, it's my fault. Listen, I know that you and Scott are close," he said. Shelby noted that he said "Scott" nicely. There was no icy hardness to it. "I've talked to a lot of people here this weekend. Mainly Jess, Peter, and Sophie, but I also spoke with you fellow Cliffhangers."
"Uh, okay, but what does that have to do with anything?" Shelby asked, confused.
"Well, they've told me a lot about you two. I know that you love Scott very much... and I know that he loves you a lot too. I was there when he played that song for you, yesterday. Look, Shelby, I screwed up with you and Jess once, I'm not going to do it again. I promised myself when I was coming down here that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice."
"Dad..." Shelby began, but Jason cut her off.
"No, let me finish. Look, I really wanted to make everything right with you. I know now that it's going to take much longer than a weekend, but I know where to start. I approve of Scott. I know you don't need my blessing, but you have it all the same."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me. You can't possibly understand how much, so thank you," Shelby said, really, truly grateful.
"Yeah, and here's, shall we say, an early wedding present. Don't open it before I'm gone, but enjoy it! I'll be back for the wedding," he said, handing her a small box. He gave her a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, same as Jess. He then jumped into the back seat of his Aston Martin, just as Scott was coming out of the admin building.
"Whoa? Who's car is that?" he asked as if it were the most impressive thing ever.
"My dad's," she said as if it were of no consequence to her. She turned to the box in her hands. She opened it, noticed there was a lot of tissue paper and started looking through it.
"Why'd he get in the back seat?" Scott asked, still watching the beautiful car wander off, slow so as not to hurt the pain on the gravel.
"Driver," Shelby answered nonchalantly. That's when she squealed. Scott jumped.
"What?" he asked, ripping his eyes off the car. Shelby was jumping around.
"You'll never believe what we got as my dad's wedding present!" she screamed.
"What?" he shouted back. She just shoved a slip of paper in his hand. Scott nearly fell over. He quickly sat down on the ground to avoid what nearly occurred. "You're joking! This can't be real! This-this is impossible!" he said, more to himself, trying to make himself believe. Shelby sat down beside him.
"Nope, I told you he was rich," she whispered.
"Never this rich!"
"I had no idea," she explained. "I hadn't seen or talked to him for 13 years."
"Shel, do you realize how much this really is?" Scott asked, his eyes going round.
"No, I just saw the zeroes and freaked."
"Shelby, this is a check for... a million dollars!"