Theresa angrily walked out of the elevator and towards Fox's office.
"Excuse me Miss, Mr. Crane is busy." his secretary said.
Theresa ignored the woman and kept walking.
"Miss!" the secretary yelled after her.
It was too late because Theresa had already let herself into Fox's office and had slammed the door behind her.
Fox nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of the slamming door. He looked desperately from Theresa to his phone.
"How dare you walk out like you did last night!" Theresa said angrily.
Fox held up his finger as he continued to talk on the phone.
"This matter is more important than anyone who's on that phone." she snapped.
Fox turned his back and cradled the phone with his left hand. With his free hand he wrote a note that said wait.
"Wait?" Theresa spat. "I've waited for three years and I can't wait anymore!" Before Fox could react Theresa snatched the phone out of his hand and slammed it down, disconnecting whoever Fox was talking too.
"What the hell did you do that for?" he said standing up.
"I could ask you the same thing." she shot back.
"Oh don't even go there Miss 'I had your child but I didn't want to tell you for three years'." he yelled.
"Yeah, and you're Mr. 'Now that I know I have a child I can't be a man so I'll just run away from it!'' she screamed as she crossed her arms.
"I'm not the one that ran, you are." he said pointing his finger at her.
"So maybe I ran but you did too. You didn't even give me a real chance to explain." she argued.
"Explain what Theresa? It's clear you want me to have nothing to do with...with...what's her name?"
"It's Hadley." she snapped. "Weren't you even listening?"
"I listened to every part and I don't want to hear any of it."
"Fine." she said walking to the door. "I tried. Its so sad how you're running from all of this Fox. But go ahead. Have it your way, let your daughter grow up to be a bastard like you. The only difference is you didn't have Ivy or Julian, but my daughter has me and that's all she's going to need." before Fox could respond Theresa was gone as fast as she came.
______________________________________________________
"Mommy?" Hadley asked as she climbed into her bed.
"Yes sweetie?" Theresa answered.
"How come Daddy didn't come back? You promised." she pouted.
Theresa sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Daddy's scared."
"Why?"
"Because... because Daddy doesn't know what it's like to be a Daddy and he's afraid he might hurt you." she replied.
Before Hadley could ask anymore questions, there was a knock on the hotel door. Theresa got up and walked down the hall.
"Fox." she said tightly as she opened the door.
"Hi." he responded. "Look, I'm sorry for-"
Theresa cut him off by holding up her hand "You don't have to apologize, I should be apologizing. Those things I said...I shouldn't have said them. It seems like Hadley has the most sense out of the both of us." she chuckled.
"Yeah." Fox laughed.
"Look," Theresa said running her hands through her hair, "I was uh, I was just about to tuck her in but do you want to do it? It would be a good way for you to get to know her.''
"I...I don't know..." Fox drifted off.
"Come on Fox, I've seen you with kids before. Hadley's a great kid."
"Well...yeah, ok." Fox said nervously.
Theresa grinned and took him by the hand. "Hadley." she said stopping in front of her room. "I want you to meet someone."
She stepped away from the door and nudged a nervous Fox into the room. "I'll be down the hall if you need anything." she whispered.
Fox looked from Hadley to Theresa as Theresa disappeared. "Hi." he said akwardly waving.
"Hi." she repeated. "How come you left the other day?"
"Well I...I was kind of suprised." he answered as he slowly walked towards her.
"Mommy's showed me pictures of you."
"So I've heard." he replied. "Um, I'm Fox." he said extending his hand.
Hadley looked curiously at Fox's hand. "Fox?" she asked.
"Yes." he pulled back his hand when he realized she wasn't going to shake it.
"Daddy, why do you want me to call you Fox?" she questioned innocently.
"You can call me whatever you want." Fox choked at the sound of Hadley calling him Daddy.
"I like Daddy better." she extended her hand and Fox shook it.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked.
"Mommy used to always talk about you." she began to talk.
"Really? What did she say?"
"She said that it hurt when she moved because she loved you." she recited.
Fox felt his heart in his throat. "Really?"
"Yeah. She said she left because she was afraid she was going to hurt you." she paused. "Why is everyone afraid of hurting someone? Mommy said you're afraid that you might hurt me, but you could never hurt me. Mommy's and Daddy's are here to make things better." she then began to yawn.
"It's good to know that I can't hurt you." he said. When Hadley didn't answer he looked at her and realized that she had fallen asleep. He quietly pulled the sheets over her and tucked her in. He sat and watched her as she slept. Her golden brown hair shined and her long lashes adorned her closed eyelids. He could see his face and Theresa's face as he looked at her. Suddenly, the reality that she was his daughter washed throughout him. She was his responsibility, his seed, his daughter. He reached down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Goodnight Hadley." he whispered. He quietly got up and walked out of the room.
He walked down the hall to find Theresa washing dishes. He nervously ran his hands on the counter. "Hadley said you left because you were afraid you were going to hurt me." he said softly.
Theresa turned off the water and slowly turned around.
"She said you loved me." he continued. "Is it true?"
Theresa nodded as tears began to slide down her face. "Yeah, its true." she managed to get out.
"Theresa, you could never hurt me." he said embracing her.
"I screwed up..." she sniffed.
"No, no you didn't." he said stroking her hair. "Hadley...she's beautiful. And you know, she called me Daddy."
Theresa pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I made sure she knew what a wonderful person you are, Fox."
"I want to make this right." he said taking her hands in his. "I want to start over....nothing too fast, just slowly."
"I'd like that." Theresa said smiling.
"Good." he whispered. He could no longer resist the urge to kiss her and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow?" he asked softly without moving an inch.
"Yeah." she breathed.
"Goodnight." he barely said.
"Goodnight." she answered.
He gave her a kiss on the forehead and left.
"Excuse me Miss, Mr. Crane is busy." his secretary said.
Theresa ignored the woman and kept walking.
"Miss!" the secretary yelled after her.
It was too late because Theresa had already let herself into Fox's office and had slammed the door behind her.
Fox nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of the slamming door. He looked desperately from Theresa to his phone.
"How dare you walk out like you did last night!" Theresa said angrily.
Fox held up his finger as he continued to talk on the phone.
"This matter is more important than anyone who's on that phone." she snapped.
Fox turned his back and cradled the phone with his left hand. With his free hand he wrote a note that said wait.
"Wait?" Theresa spat. "I've waited for three years and I can't wait anymore!" Before Fox could react Theresa snatched the phone out of his hand and slammed it down, disconnecting whoever Fox was talking too.
"What the hell did you do that for?" he said standing up.
"I could ask you the same thing." she shot back.
"Oh don't even go there Miss 'I had your child but I didn't want to tell you for three years'." he yelled.
"Yeah, and you're Mr. 'Now that I know I have a child I can't be a man so I'll just run away from it!'' she screamed as she crossed her arms.
"I'm not the one that ran, you are." he said pointing his finger at her.
"So maybe I ran but you did too. You didn't even give me a real chance to explain." she argued.
"Explain what Theresa? It's clear you want me to have nothing to do with...with...what's her name?"
"It's Hadley." she snapped. "Weren't you even listening?"
"I listened to every part and I don't want to hear any of it."
"Fine." she said walking to the door. "I tried. Its so sad how you're running from all of this Fox. But go ahead. Have it your way, let your daughter grow up to be a bastard like you. The only difference is you didn't have Ivy or Julian, but my daughter has me and that's all she's going to need." before Fox could respond Theresa was gone as fast as she came.
______________________________________________________
"Mommy?" Hadley asked as she climbed into her bed.
"Yes sweetie?" Theresa answered.
"How come Daddy didn't come back? You promised." she pouted.
Theresa sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Daddy's scared."
"Why?"
"Because... because Daddy doesn't know what it's like to be a Daddy and he's afraid he might hurt you." she replied.
Before Hadley could ask anymore questions, there was a knock on the hotel door. Theresa got up and walked down the hall.
"Fox." she said tightly as she opened the door.
"Hi." he responded. "Look, I'm sorry for-"
Theresa cut him off by holding up her hand "You don't have to apologize, I should be apologizing. Those things I said...I shouldn't have said them. It seems like Hadley has the most sense out of the both of us." she chuckled.
"Yeah." Fox laughed.
"Look," Theresa said running her hands through her hair, "I was uh, I was just about to tuck her in but do you want to do it? It would be a good way for you to get to know her.''
"I...I don't know..." Fox drifted off.
"Come on Fox, I've seen you with kids before. Hadley's a great kid."
"Well...yeah, ok." Fox said nervously.
Theresa grinned and took him by the hand. "Hadley." she said stopping in front of her room. "I want you to meet someone."
She stepped away from the door and nudged a nervous Fox into the room. "I'll be down the hall if you need anything." she whispered.
Fox looked from Hadley to Theresa as Theresa disappeared. "Hi." he said akwardly waving.
"Hi." she repeated. "How come you left the other day?"
"Well I...I was kind of suprised." he answered as he slowly walked towards her.
"Mommy's showed me pictures of you."
"So I've heard." he replied. "Um, I'm Fox." he said extending his hand.
Hadley looked curiously at Fox's hand. "Fox?" she asked.
"Yes." he pulled back his hand when he realized she wasn't going to shake it.
"Daddy, why do you want me to call you Fox?" she questioned innocently.
"You can call me whatever you want." Fox choked at the sound of Hadley calling him Daddy.
"I like Daddy better." she extended her hand and Fox shook it.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked.
"Mommy used to always talk about you." she began to talk.
"Really? What did she say?"
"She said that it hurt when she moved because she loved you." she recited.
Fox felt his heart in his throat. "Really?"
"Yeah. She said she left because she was afraid she was going to hurt you." she paused. "Why is everyone afraid of hurting someone? Mommy said you're afraid that you might hurt me, but you could never hurt me. Mommy's and Daddy's are here to make things better." she then began to yawn.
"It's good to know that I can't hurt you." he said. When Hadley didn't answer he looked at her and realized that she had fallen asleep. He quietly pulled the sheets over her and tucked her in. He sat and watched her as she slept. Her golden brown hair shined and her long lashes adorned her closed eyelids. He could see his face and Theresa's face as he looked at her. Suddenly, the reality that she was his daughter washed throughout him. She was his responsibility, his seed, his daughter. He reached down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Goodnight Hadley." he whispered. He quietly got up and walked out of the room.
He walked down the hall to find Theresa washing dishes. He nervously ran his hands on the counter. "Hadley said you left because you were afraid you were going to hurt me." he said softly.
Theresa turned off the water and slowly turned around.
"She said you loved me." he continued. "Is it true?"
Theresa nodded as tears began to slide down her face. "Yeah, its true." she managed to get out.
"Theresa, you could never hurt me." he said embracing her.
"I screwed up..." she sniffed.
"No, no you didn't." he said stroking her hair. "Hadley...she's beautiful. And you know, she called me Daddy."
Theresa pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I made sure she knew what a wonderful person you are, Fox."
"I want to make this right." he said taking her hands in his. "I want to start over....nothing too fast, just slowly."
"I'd like that." Theresa said smiling.
"Good." he whispered. He could no longer resist the urge to kiss her and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow?" he asked softly without moving an inch.
"Yeah." she breathed.
"Goodnight." he barely said.
"Goodnight." she answered.
He gave her a kiss on the forehead and left.