A/N: The x's are spacers.
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The newly consummated lovebirds awoke the following morning cold. No matter what time of year it was, it was never warm enough in Buffalo. Wilson reached for Cecilia to the side of him. His arm went around her stomach, but it still wasn't warm enough. His next move was to produce warmth in a more physical manner. Wilson's lips gently caressed Cecilia's shoulder, then her neck. She moaned at his touch and he smiled.
"Good morning."
She moved her body so that it was closer against his. "Well it is a good morning when I am waking up next to you."
"That's good to hear." His fingers traced her midriff. "Can I ask you something?"
"I guess so." She knew what was coming.
"What happened yesterday?"
"Well, it's not just yesterday. It was kind of combination of a bunch of days things." She rolled over toward his front and placed her cheek on top of his. "Juliet's father has been bothering me lately; he wants to see her. Then yesterday I got papers from a lawyer in the mail…papers regarding custody of Juliet. He wants to take her from me since I won't take her to see him."
"Is this guy a good guy?" Wilson figured he probably wasn't since he basically abandoned Cecilia and his child, but people do make mistakes. He himself had made tons of them.
"He was, but then he forgot how to be. I…I don't know."
Wilson felt Cecilia tensing up, so he didn't press her anymore on that. "So what are you going to do about him?"
"Throw him off of a cliff?" She giggled and so did he. "I'm going to have to talk to him or something. I'm not going to let him tale away one of the two good things in my life."
Finally, they were both warm and comfortable. "What's the second thing?"
She nibbled on his ear gently and then nuzzled her head into his neck. "You."
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Cecilia went back into her apartment, and after about an hour or so of trying, she actually got Juliet to nap. She wasn't that bad of a sleeper when Cecilia needed to get things done. In fact, most of the time she often cooperated quite nicely.
The next thing she had to do was get in touch with Simon. As she began to mental prepare herself for a call to the Camden household, it occurred to her that Simon probably was not there. Last time they spoke about it, Simon had every intention of going back to the dormitory of his college in the fall and continuing to live the cushy life while Cecilia roughed it out in Buffalo. She certainly didn't know the number for him there.
It also came to mind that Simon still could have been home. Maybe he was more shaken by having an illegitimate child than she realized, or more than he lead on over the phone. It was quite possible that he could have dropped out.
When she thought about home, though, he parents weren't far behind. She remembered how her mother had said in a message, the one she had heard before she opened the letters, that Simon had gotten in contact with her father. Certainly they would know if Simon was at school or at home. They might even have a number at which she could reach him.
Talking to her parents, though, was something entirely out of the question. No way would she allow herself to go groveling back to them. What Cecilia needed was someone from Simon's side that would talk to her, and that she felt comfortable speaking with. Calling his parents would be as worse, if not more, than calling her own. She didn't know Matt very well, or Mary either, not that she had their numbers anyway. Lucy had practically spit on Cecilia after she found out that Cecilia had ripped Simon of his innocence and had so eagerly given up her own. Ruthie, much like her older sister, refused to even look at Cecilia.
What about the stragglers that came with the standard issue Camden family? She knew first hand how "in the loop" they were, as she used to be one of them herself not too long ago. Peter would be entirely useless and so would his parents. Martin practically hit Cecilia after he found out what she and Simon had done; he had thought he still had a chance with Cecilia. Chandler was a man of God.
Just as she was about to give up hope, she remembered the man who would be forever tied to the big white house and its inhabitants. Heck, he lived in the garage apartment and married the most blessed daughter of the Camden family. Kevin Kinkirk would most certainly do the trick. She didn't even have to go anywhere near the phone lines of the house, as she still had the number of the GlenOak Police Department burned into her brain, for reasons she did not recall at the time.
She took a deep breath, dialed the number, and waited for the dispatcher to answer. She asked for Kevin and they offered to connect her. At least he was at the station.
"Officer Kinkirk," he said with a hollow but authoritative voice.
"Kevin? Its…Its Cecilia."
He dropped the pen he had been twirling so skillfully between his thumb and middle finger. "Hi Cecilia. How are you doing?"
"I'm OK, I guess." She paused. "I was just wondering if you would put aside whatever preconceived notions you have of me and help me out for a second."
"I don't have any 'preconceived notions' of you; of course I will help." His tone was sweet and gentile.
"I was wondering about Simon. Is he back in school, or at the house, or did he get an apartment or something? I need to get in touch with him before her does something rash." Cecilia bit her tongue after the last few words came out of her mouth.
Luckily, Kevin could sense how frazzled she was and refrained from commenting or questioning Cecilia's last sentence. "He's home actually. He tried going back to school for a little while, but that didn't work out for him, so now he's trying to get into Crawford, or anything for that matter. Eric and Annie are refusing to let him just stay at home and do nothing with his life. But, quite frankly, I think they should let him be for a while. He's been through a lot and he really appears to be losing it. All of it."
"What do you mean by that?" Cecilia was happy to learnt hat she wasn't the only one thinking this way.
"He just seems really out of it. Angry one moment, happy the next. He's barely ever home, he has no job; no one is really sure what is going on inside of his head," Kevin explained.
You and me both, Cecilia thought, but it was time to get back down to business. "So, if I called the house I would be able to reach him?"
"Yeah, most likely. I wouldn't call past five, though. He usually goes out then and doesn't come home until three in the morning."
Cecilia huffed. "Does he happen to have a cell phone by any chance? I'd hate to call the house and have…well, anyone answer."
"Yeah, he does actually." Kevin pulled a note card out of his pocket that had all of the family numbers on it. "912-555-4357."
Cecilia copied down the number and thanked Kevin in a seemingly boundless manner. He had really been a great help to her, and very sweet to boot.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm happy to help, especially since I know the rest of the family wouldn't. I really am sorry about that. I don't know why they treated you the way they did, and I want to apologize for their actions."
"Thanks Kevin, but you didn't force them to be like that. I appreciate you help. Now I am off to go call Simon."
Before she hung up, Kevin had to get the last word in. "Cecilia, don't be a stranger. You can call me here whenever you need me, or even in the garage if you want to. I'd be willing to take the cold shoulder from Lucy and the rest of the family to lend you a hand."
Cecilia thanked him once again and then hung up the phone. It was clear to her that Kevin was not a Camden in the very least; he had just married them. Also, he wasn't as weird or crazy as she had previously thought, too. But, evidently, Simon was. This next conversation with him should prove to be quite interesting.
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A/N: Sorry about the long time between updates. It was my fault and I take full responsibility. Next chapter we will have the Simon/Cecilia convo and then move on over to the West homestead once more with Cecilia woes.
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Simon has gone crazy. Review and tell me how mental you get.
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