The Final Year, The Final Show

Disclaimer - See ch 1.

A/N - Well, this chapter should be fun. Or...for me..Might be boring for
you guys, but I think it should be fun. *grin* Anyway, not going to BORE you before you get to
read the fic, so... I'll see you guys at the end of the chapter, kay? *nods* Ooookay! *waves*
Later days! lol.

~*~*~*~
Ch 12 - Affairs With A Thing Called Romance
8/14/07 - 4:33pm - Tuesday

Cheyanne Strong had been a little confused when she had pulled into her driveway. She wasn't sure who had come in a Ferrari. However, as soon as she entered her house, her confusion quickly turned to anger. Cheyanne didn't let the anger show just yet, she was going to at least give Sophia a chance to explain herself. Well, Cheyanne thought that's what she was going to do; however, she was very wrong. "Sophia, what are you doing here?" She asked with a smile, setting her purse down on the kitchen table.

"Ever heard of visiting family, dear sister?" Sophia asked offhandedly.

"Yes, but you don't usually visit unless you want something. Is it money, Sophia? Do you need some money? Because I told you that the last time you were here was the last time I was going to support you and you're...crazy adventures to exotic places, or whatever you wish to call them."

"She immediately assumes I want something...money! You think I need money? I live in New York! I'm practically made of money, Anne!" Sophia knew that Cheyanne hated it when she called her "Anne" and she was doing it just to spite her. "Plus, do I not have the right to visit my family? My sister, my brother-in-law...my nephew who I haven't seen since he was five?" She yelled.

"Eight." Travis interjected.

"Look, kid, no one cares about specifics at the moment." Sophia said, glancing at Travis over her shoulder. She faced her older sister again, "Anne, it's been ten years since I've seen Travis! Can I not just come to see him? If I can't see you and Mike, I'll come to see him! Or is that not good enough for you? Huh? Is that it, Anne?"

"No, Sophia, that's not it. What 'it' is, is the fact that every other time in the last fifteen years that you arrived on our doorstep, you've been looking for money for some exotic trip to some foreign place. So, naturally, that's what I assumed you were here for this time. Don't you think that Mike and I have enough to deal with? Moving all the time and everything? That takes mon--ey. Moving has always costed money, Sophie!"

"Ok! I'm sorry for any inconvenience that I've served as in the past fifteen years, but there's nothin' I can do about that, is there? It's in the past, Anne! I can't change what happened! If you know a way to go back in time, I'd like to know how. I'd like the be able to prevent a lot of things that I did!"

"Well if it's not money, what are you here for, Sophia?"

"I came to see my eighteen year old nephew that I haven't seen in ten years before he went off to college, Anne! And..." Sophia lowered her voice to a whisper. "And...I was gonna pay you guys back."

"Pay us back?" Cheyanne questioned this notion.

"Yeah, uh...I've got...all the money you and Mike have ever loaned me." She muttered.

"Well...ok...um...are you staying somewhere?"

"Actually...I was kind of hoping that I could stay here with you guys." She said quickly, just before lighting a cigarette.

"If you are to stay here, I will most certainly say that you will not be smoking in my house." Cheyanne took the cigarette from her sisters mouth and ran it under water in the sink before throwing it in the trash.

"Alright," Sophia shrugged, lighting another cigarette.

Cheyanne sighed annoyed, "Sophia! I said not in the house."

"Then I'll go outside." The red-headed woman said harshly, turning on her heel and walking slowly down the entrance hall and outside to finish her smoke.

In the living room, Riley raised an eyebrow at Travis, who had sat down beside her. "You call that bloodshed?"

"No..." Travis said, frowning, "I had actually expected more than that."

"Oh, Riley, dear, I'm so sorry you had to hear that." Cheyanne said as she entered the living room.

"Hear what? You had an argument."

"Yes, but...those were harsh words exchanged between my sister and I." Cheyanne said.

"Harsh? That was harsh? You have got to be kidding me." Riley shook her head when she realized that Cheyanne was serious, "You wanna know harsh, go live at my house for a week. You've got a drunk woman who has affairs in the house she and her husband live in all the time. You've got a man that sells drugs and has his own affairs. They're probably so damn glad that I left when I did. That meant that they could use my room for their...enjoyment and not have to each have their special time on different days. Then you've got all the men your mother's bringin' home....man...livin' in California was hell." She muttered the last bit to herself.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry, I didn't know that your parents were so--"

Riley waved it off, "Ahh, who cares, I'm outta there, I don't even care any more."

Cheyanne blinked, "Well...alright." She turned to her son, "Travis, I've got to go to the store, I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back, I've have quite the load of groceries to get and...you know how your father is." Cheyanne said as she made her way towards the kitchen to get her purse, keys, and walk down the entry hall to leave.

"Bye, mom!"

"Bye, hun!"

Riley leaned into Travis and he put his arm around her. "Travis...I need to get a life."

"What?"

"I have no clue, it just seemed like a good thing to say."

Travis laughed. "You are definitely one of a kind, Riley."

"You like reminding me of that, don't you?" "Yeah...I don't want you to forget or something."

"Well...ok..."

~*~*~*~

8/14/07 - 7:23pm - Tuesday - That Night

Lily was really starting to wonder about accepting anything in the form of a surprise from Ray. Earlier today he had told her that he had a surprise for her and that she needed to be at the station at seven thirty. She was currently on her way over there. She had decided that, since it was so nice out tonight, that she would walk. Lily had also figured that, walking, she might give Ray a little more time to do whatever it was he might be doing at the station. She sighed as she came to the familiar lot where the station was. She shook her head as she made her way towards the door. Deciding that she wouldn't just burst in all the sudden, Lily rapped on the big metal door, giving Ray warning of her presence.

Ray's eyes widened when he heard the knocking on the door. "Maybe I should have told her to be here at eight..." He muttered, "Just a sec!"

Lily could only wonder what all the shuffling around behind the door was for. She shrugged, thinking that she would found out in due time. She stood there against the wall as she waited for him to come around and open the door.

Ray looked around the station once more, still worried that things weren't going to go right. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, deciding that it was fine. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was forgetting something. He shrugged and walked over to the door slowly. He couldn't believe that he had actually done this. He opened the heavy metal door and smiled. "Hey, Lils."

"Hey, Ray," Lily said, getting away from the wall and starting towards him. "So, what's the surprise?" She asked, looking at him before they entered the station. "You've been killing me with suspense all...." She stopped. She couldn't believe that this was usually the headquarters for Radio Free Roscoe. "Day..." She barely whispered as she looked around. He had thrown a long dark red cloth over a small circular table, which had two lit candles as a centerpiece. That was the best part of it all, but the rest was kind of funny: There were similar cloths around the tech booth and over the table that she, Ray, and Robbie usually sat at. As she started towards the table, Ray did as well, pulling the chair back for her and everything.

Ray sat down himself across from her, "So...should I...take your silence as hate?" he asked anxiously.

"No, Ray...this is..." she grinned, "Wow..."

Ray sighed. "Ok, good."

Lily couldn't help but keep looking around, even though she had seen everything already.

"As...you can tell, the menu was a little...lacking, considering that I'm only seventeen and actually haven't had a job since last summer."

Lily hadn't actually even seen what they would be eating. She looked down at the plate that was in front of her. She grinned. "Mickey's pizza, huh?"

"Yeah...kinda kills my sad attempt at romance, huh?"

"First of all, your try at romance isn't sad...it's...true to the Ray Brennon I know. Had I come here and seen the station decked out in a way that Travis might have set it up...I would have been scared greatly and probably would have run away screaming." She joked.

Ray nodded slightly and almost immediately said, "You're joking, right?"

Lily shook her head. That was Ray, ever worrying about little jokes and things like that. "Yeah, Ray...I was joking."

Ray sighed, "Ok, good." He nodded. "I mean...it's not like I can't be romantic, I just--"

"Ray, stop. If you were some extremely sappy romantic, do you really think I would be dating you?" She smiled slightly. She wasn't sure why exactly, but Ray was obviously nervous. He always rambled or stumbled over his words when he was nervous.

"Right...good...or..." He frowned, "I...uh...yeah." He paused and shook his head, "You know what we're missing?"

"Be--sides...wine?" Lily giggled.

"Yeah..." Ray muttered. Lily didn't take much note of how Ray started the music, but...that was ok because she didn't care.

"Music! Of course." She grinned and watched as Ray got up and walked around to her side of the table.

"Care to dance with me, beautiful lady?"

"As long as you keep calling me beautiful lady." Lily said, grinning and taking the hand he offered her. "You know, the only thing that's wrong here...is that's it's not prom or something." She muttered as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Uh...what does...prom have to do with anything?"

Lily's head shot up and she looked at Ray as is he were insane. "I'm glad that this isn't prom. I don't do dresses...or...not long ones, anyway. And I rarely do short ones."

"Right..."

Lily smiled and initiated a kiss and she had to say, Ray was definitely not complaining; not that he ever did or anything...but that was beside the point.

~*~*~*~

8/14/07 - 8:43pm - Tuesday - Later That Night

Ray was walking Lily home now that the date was on its way to being over. He had actually been surprised when she insisted that he did. What surprised him even more was the answer he got from her when he asked why she insisted so much.

"Ray...it's nearly nine at night. I'm not about to be picked up by some creep." She had said, a hand on her hip and a strand of blond in her face.

"And what exactly does my presence with you have to do with anything?" He asked playfully, moving the strand of hair out of her face.

Now, they were walking home, hand in hand. Lily sighed and leaned into Ray when he put an arm around her waist to pull her closer. Lily frowned for a moment and looked up at Ray, "Ray...what is today?"

"Tuesday."

She shook her head, "No, the date."

"It's...the fourteenth, why?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God! I am sooo sorry, Ray. I've been really busy with....homework..." Her voice had faltered slightly when she said that, "that...I...I completely forgot! I am soooo sorry!"

"Aa--bout...what?"

"I swear, I'll get you something tomorrow." She continued, not explaining what she was talking about.

"Lily...what are you talking about?"

"Thursday is your birthday, Ray!"

"It is?" He seemed to think about this for a moment before grinning and laughing. "It is." He laughed. "It's ok, Lils," He said, patting her on the head, "I forgot too."

"Noo! It's not okay! I actually forgot about your birthday!"

"Lily...I almost forgot your birthday this year too."

"Oh yeah..." After a moment, realization of some kind seemed to hit her. "Damn. I have to top your fender strat."

"Lily...you don't have to get me anything. It doesn't matter."

"But, Ray..." Lily whined.

"Lily...do you know what I want for my birthday?"

"No...well...I might. I could think of something...but that would all depend on if my parents, or yours since they are gone a lot, are...well...gone within the next two days." Lily giggled at the expression on his face.

"Well...that...would definitely be one thing, I'm not going to deny that, but...what I was actually going to say was...something along the lines of: Your presence would be enough of a birthday gift to me, Lils."

"Don't go all sappy on me, now Ray!"

The couple looked at each other and laughed. Ray being sappy was quite laughable.

~*~*~*~

Well, how was that? I know...creepy, huh? Ray trying to be...*gasp*
romantic?
*laughs* It was fun as hell to write though!