Crash and Burn: Part 6

The two of us sat there for most of the night and she told me about every thing that had happened as a result of her sister taking off in the first place. Time and again it seemed to me that the harder Angel tried to pick up the pieces the harder those around her tried to keep her from getting her life back.

Still her love and her loyalty kept her coming back to them time and time again not matter how much she had been hurt. What I wanted to do right then was head back to the ark and make sure that none of those people back on the farm ever bothered her again. Still that wasn't what she wanted and it was Angel's family, so when she finally calmed down and asked that the two of us head back, I transformed and carried her home.

When we finally got back there two sets of people were waiting for her to come home. Her human family and the Autobots that had followed her to the farm, after the two of us had left to solve this. The humans were all standing there with looks on their faces like the world was about to come to some kind of end over having to admit that they had been wrong. The guys looked like they were ready to flatten them humans if they DIDN'T admit that they had been wrong.

Angel slid down out of my cab and just stood there looking at all of them as I transformed and then changed size. I knew that she wasn't going to be the one to open her mouth and get the discussion going, so I pegged her parents with a glare that would have melted steel, and that cued them into action.

"Angel," Her Father stepped up to her and put his arms around her, "God baby I am so sorry that we did this to you. We had no right."

"It's…" She started and then changed her mind, "No It isn't okay, your right, you didn't have a right to do this to me. But you did, so now what are we going to do about it?"

"Well first off," Her Mother chimed in, "Every single person in this family wants to apologize for mistreating your husband. Some one who cares about you that much can't be a bad person."

She nodded and they took that as a sign to continue with the explanations.
"As for what we wanted you to do," Her mom shook her head, "Don't even think about it. Your sister and her family are just going to have to find some other solution."

Most of the rest of the group agreed with all of this and made a point of saying so right then. There were nods of agreement, looks of encouragement and lots of other demonstrations that all of them regretted what they had pulled the day before. Angel did her best to hear them all out then looked at her family.

"I really do appreciate what all of you are saying," She paused for a second, "Thank you for realizing that I'm not responsible for what she's done in her life. But I do have some thing to tell all of you."

That froze all of them in their tracks and I could tell that for the first time in a long time, possibly ever, they were all hanging on every single word that this girl had to say.

"I realized last night that no matter what I do, I am never going to fit into this family. So, I've decided to stop trying, you are going to have to accept me the way I am. Husband, life, career, emotions and all, I'm not going to wear a mask any longer so you people will be happy. You won't do it for me, so I'm not going to do it for you any longer."

All of them started to talk at once and each of them having some thing to say that they no doubt thought was vital to what she was telling them right then. She held up her hands and when that didn't get their attention she proceeded to snarl, "QUIET!"

That did get their attention.

"This doesn't mean that you were bad parents, or that you did any thing wrong when you were raising me. You did the best job you knew how to do I'm sure. All it means is that I am an adult and whether you people like it or not it's high time you accepted it."

"Your right," This was her Dad again, "I guess we wanted you to stay a kid forever, but you're not going to and we have to deal with that."

"Yes you do, So no screaming, no fits, no loosing your temper or yelling at me, or telling me that I NEVER listen to you, or that I think I know everything, or that I think your stupid," She kept going, "Or that I don't love you, or that I will regret it if you have a heart attack, or that I wish you'd never survived your by pass surgery, or any thing else like that."
"I've …" he paused and thought about what she had just told him.

"You what Daddy? You never said any of that stuff to me?" She blinked, "Then I was having hallucinations…"

"Well yah I guess I was a bit harsh," He looked sheepish suddenly and rubbed the back of his head, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," She looked at her mom now, "I don't want you people to be sorry, I want you to say that you will trust me and treat me like an adult okay?"

"That's not too much to ask," I chimed in, "After all, unlike the other girl, this one has always been there for you. Since she was TEN!"

That one made both her parents blink, and stop and look at me.

"She told you?" Her Mom managed.

"No she didn't its common knowledge mam." I motioned off into the distance, "All you have to do is get on the internet and look. Your big family secret isn't."

"Oh," Now she looked sheepish.

"Yah," Angel nodded, "Any how, I do want to thank all of you for agreeing to back off. I would take the kid but I can't, and I shouldn't have to it's her responsibility."
I noticed that as she spoke tears were welling up in her eyes and this time she had no intention of hiding how she felt from the rest of the world around her, specifically her family. For the first time in a long time she wasn't about to hide what she felt.

"Now don't cry, there's no need to..." Her Father started.

"Don't you dare tell me to not cry," She snapped, "You told me that all my life because you're ashamed to cry. Well guess what? Girls cry daddy, and I am a girl. I'm your daughter not your cadet!"

His face fell as if he was actually realizing that he had been telling some one who should do something to not do something. That he had been rather than making it stronger making it more fragile because the shell, the mask had to hide, holds so much.

I don't really know what they were thinking at that point but the humans; My Angel included moved off to the house and probably spent the rest of the night working out all of the problems that the family had. Everything from learning how to show emotions to the fact that she didn't like to have her grand father pawing her. There were a whole lot of years of stress that each and every one of them were holding back and by the time she had gotten it all out, Her parents had gone and told her grand parents about their problems too. It wasn't healing, it wasn't taking it away, but it was the first step and that in and of its self was something that none of them had been willing to do.

Morning eventually came and that saw all of the relatives that had shown up for this family meeting, packing and heading off back to the places they belonged. Every one agreed that the farm was Angel's hide out and that it was wrong to be here and intrude on her.
The last ones to leave there were her parents. Both of them stayed on a little while longer, wishing their daughter well and telling her that they had never meant to be harsh, or to let the weight of her sister's actions come crashing down solely on her shoulders. In the end they actually did apologize and left her alone to come to terms with what had been done and said over the course of this week end.

I found her sitting on the front porch, once it was all over and done. She sat there and was looking out into the world wondering if she had done the right thing or not. If she should have kept what she knew to her self, or was it better to have finally let the rest of the world know that even she had to show her family she had emotions once in a while.

"Hey you okay?" I walked up and sat down next to her.

"I will be," She shoved her hair back, "But its going to take some time Orion. I don't really think I did the right thing, deep down. I should have just kept my opinions to my self."

"First off," I put my arm around her, "They aren't opinions they are the way you really felt, second even I don't hold them in all the time, my emotions. Even I crash once in a while."

"I guess that makes us all normal then," She sighed.

"Yes it dose," I felt her put her head down on my shoulder, "That makes you more normal than your whole family combined."

"I just don't know what to do any more," She shut her eyes and leaned against me harder. "I just can't be like this, fall flat on my face emotionally in front of everyone I love."

"You know," I held her tighter, "In the end it doesn't matter. All that matters is you do what's really best for you."
"Ya think?"
"I know," I put my chin on the top of her head and put my other arm around her, "I know something else too. Fall flat on your face as often as you want to baby, because I promise I will be here to pick you up."
I felt something wet touch my shoulder and I knew she was crying again. She hugged me tighter once more, "Thank you"

Authors notes:
Well im sticking it at the end this time just cus I dont wnat to do a seperate chapter. Any how hope you liked the latest installment. sorry it took so long to get loaded. I cant put up the song lyrics but if any one out there wants the lyrics mail me and I will get them too you. The name of the song was "Crash and Burn" and it was by Savage garden. Any how I hope you liked it all and let me know what you think.

take care!
RP1