Disclaimer: I only own Cadence McKnight, Maureen and Amos Lawrence, Nadine Banks and Chuck Williams. Everyone else is property of Disney.
Note: Sequel to 'Go be with the girl you love' but it can be read on its own.
Kira awoke the next morning on her couch and looked at her watch. She had two hours to get ready before Ethan came to get her. She slowly got up and began packing some clothes in a duffle bag. She didn't have anything appropriate funeral attire-her only black dress being a thin strap couture dress that she wore to the MTV music video awards the year before-so she had gotten a black skirt and blazer outfit the day before on her way home from the office. She put a gray shirt in the garment bag along with the outfit and a pair of black low heel shoes in a bag. She set them beside the duffle bag on her bed then went to pack some toiletries and other necessities. Since Kira had done traveling and touring before, out of force of habit or perhaps the need to be prepared, she kept a set of travel sized containers of shampoo, conditioner, small bars of soap and a small toothbrush/toothpaste set. She put one set of shampoo and condition, one bar of soap and the toothbrush set in her yellow messenger bag. She then put the bag on her bed as well. After she was done packing, she went down to her kitchen and made herself some breakfast-which consisted of black coffee with two spoons of sugar in it, toast with jelly and two scrambled eggs. After she ate and washed the used dish and mug, she waited for Ethan to arrive. About an hour or so later, her doorbell went off. She opened the door and there stood Ethan.
"Hey." She said, stepping aside to let him in. Ethan walked in.
"I made some reservations at the Reefside Inn for us." Ethan said. "I remembered to use the other name for you." He said. Since Kira had reached such high fame in the past six years, it was impossible to reserve a hotel room under her real name, so she would use her middle name and her mother's maiden name-Tess Shantz.
"Okay." Kira said. "My stuff's upstairs let me go up and get it." She said. Ethan nodded. Kira went up to her room and returned with her bags. Ethan took the duffle bag from her and the two went out to his car. Kira locked her door as Ethan put her duffle bag in the trunk. She walked over and set the garment bag in the trunk and got in the passenger seat. "Maryann's not coming with us?" She asked.
"She said that this was a time for us to sort of be there for Conner, and as she said 'some pregnant woman would just be in the way'." Ethan said.
"Oh." Was all Kira said as Ethan pulled out of her driveway and they set off to Reefside. The three hour trip was consumed in silence as Ethan drove down the highway. Ethan pulled up to Conner's house just as Trent, Cassidy and Devin were climbing out of a cab. Cassidy looked over and saw them.
"Hey." She said gently. The five friends gathered together and gave each other small hugs in greeting. They then walked up the front porch. Devin was closest to the door so he reached out and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal their former science teacher.
"Hey, guys." He said as he stepped aside to let them in, giving each a pat on the back in greating.
"Hey, Dr. O." Trent said. Tommy gave the young artist a smile.
"You guys aren't my students anymore, you can call me Tommy." He said. He had been trying to get them all to get out of the habit of referring to him in such an impersonal matters for years, but it seemed like old habits were hard to break.
"Where's Conner?" Ethan asked.
"In his room, with Cadie." He said, reffering to Conner's five year old daughter, Cadence. Ethan nodded and left the living room, heading to his friend and former teammate's room. The door was slightly ajar. Ethan gently pushed it and saw Conner sitting in his bed holding Cadence to him tightly. Cadence looked up at saw Ethan standing there. A bright smile came across her face as she squirmed out of her father's arms.
"Uncle Ethan!" She exclaimed as she ran to him. Ethan smiled and kneeled down to her as he hugged her.
"Hey there Cadie." He said. After the hug ended he pulled back. "Trent, Cassidy and Devin are downstairs." He said.
"Yay!" She exclaimed. Cadence adored her 'aunt' Cassidy because everytime the blonde came by, she always brought some sort of present for the young McKnight child. She scurried out of the room. Ethan got up to his feet and walked over to Conner, sitting on the edge of his bed. Conner's face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, obvious from hours of crying.
"It hasn't…….Sank in to Cadence yet……..About Krista." Conner said. Ethan looked at his friend. "She didn't……She didn't understand why Krista lost her hair, because of the chemo, or why she was in and out of the hospital or-" Conner trailed off, his chin quivering. Ethan reached over and pulled him into a hug. Conner buried his head in Ethan's shoulder as he sobbed. "She's gone." He bellowed. "Krista's gone and-"
"Shhh, it's okay, buddy, it's okay." Ethan said, trying to sooth him. Downstairs in the living room, Cassidy was holding Cadence on her lap as Devin sat beside her, every so often touching the little girl's hand. Cadence looked at Cassidy.
"Auntie Cassidy, where'd mommy go?" She asked. Cassidy looked at her. She was the spiting image of her bother, soft dark brown hair, full face and dark brown eyes. Cassidy sighed and stroaked the girl's hair. "Daddy was crying earlier on the phone with Uncle Eric, he said mommy was gone."
"I……" Cassidy began, unsure how to explain it to her. Kira, who had been standing by the wall, came over and kneeled in front of her. She took the little girl's hands in her own and looked at her.
"Your mommy had to go up to Heaven." She said in a soft voice.
"Why?" Cadence asked.
"Well, because she was such a nice lady, the angels wanted her to come up and be their friend." Kira said. Cadence tilted her head to the side, looking at Kira.
"Daddy has a picture of you. It's old. You and uncle Ethan and him are in it. What's your name?"
"My name's Kira. I'm a friend of your daddy."
"How come you never came and visited us like everyone else?" She asked. Kira pursed her lips gently. What a loaded question.
"Well, I wanted to." She said. "I wanted to come see you, because your aunt and Uncles told me how cute you were." She said with a smile, pinching the little girl's cheek gently. "But I couldn't find time to come see you."
"Oh." Cadence said. "Are you going to come to visit more now?"
"I'll try." Kira said. Cadence smiled as she hoped off Cassidy's lap. She grabbed Kira's hand.
"Come on, I wanna show you my toys." She said. Kira gave her a smile.
"Okay." She said as she let herself be dragged off by the precocious little thing. An hour later, back in Conner's room, Conner's tears subsided and he lay back on his bed.
"Everyone's downstairs." Ethan informed him.
"I wonder how Cassidy and Devin were able to get off from the show." Conner said.
"Probably got a sub, or the channel's running reruns for the time being." Ethan replied. "…….Kira's here too." Ethan said. Conner sighed.
"She misses my wedding, but shows up for the funeral planning? A little morbid, huh?" Conner said as he stared up at the ceiling.
"What can I say, I've always been a little left of center." Came a voice from the doorway. The two men turned to see Kira standing in the doorway. "I didn't mean to evesdrop." She said. "I was playing with Cadence but she's taking a nap now." She said. She gave Conner a soft smile. "She tuckered herself out. I guess she took after you in the excess energy department." She said.
"Hello, Kira." Conner said dryly. "How's the music biz?" Kira walked into the room.
"It's all right. My record company gave me my own label to sign some artists under."
"I know." Conner said. "Krista read me the article in Entertaimnet Weekly." He said. He sat up. "You might've hated us, but Krista loved your music, Bought all your CDs, watched all your TV appearances."
"Conner, I didn't hate you." Kira said softly. Conner got up.
"Well, sure could of fooled me. I mean, we haven't spoken in ten years. What would you call that?"
"Conner, calm down." Ethan said. Conner ignored him.
"I haven't heard from you in ten years, and now my wife's dead and suddenly you're here?" Conner said. "Why? You want to celebrate?"
"Excuse me?"
"Krista told me what you said to her in the woods that night." Conner said. "She came back from talking to you crying and wouldn't tell any of us why. I took her home, and that's when she told me what you said."
"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked. Kira felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Ethan, I think I'm going to just go to the inn, I'll call a cab or something." She said. She turned around and left the room. Conner followed. Ethan groaned and went after the two. Kira stormed through the living room, making her way to the door as Conner was on her heels and Ethan on his. Tommy, Cassidy, Devin and Trent all looked up to see what was going on.
"You said to Krista you wished she was dead." Conner spat out. Everyone was taken aback by that. Ethan looked at Kira.
"Is that true?" He asked. Kira sniffled and wiped at the tears that had already begun to fall.
"Yeah, it is true." She said softly. "But that was ten years ago." Kira said, looking at Conner.
"And you never even tried to apologize." Conner said. "Didn't even have the decency to come to our wedding. Didn't bother to see us, offer some sort of congratulations when Cadence was born, avoided us as everyone elses wedding."
"Conner, I really think you should just calm down, man." Devin said. He got up and put a hand on his shoulder. "The past is the past. All that matters is we're all here for you now."
"Yeah, well not me. I never should've come here." Kira said, choking back a sob.
"Kira-" Cassidy said. Kira waved her off dismissively before walking out the front door and slamming it behind her. Tommy sighed and went after her. Kira purposely was walking down the street.
"Kira." Tommy called after her. He jogged after her. "Kira, wait." He said. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.
"For what?" Kira asked. "For Conner and the others to make me feel even worse then I already feel? No thanks." She shook her arm free and kept walking. Tommy sighed.
"Kira, this, all of this, me calling everyone home-it isn't about you. It's about Conner needing everyone's support right now." He said.
"Well, he doesn't want mine." Kira yelled over her shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Tommy asked.
"It doesn't matter!" Kira yelled back. She waved down a cab that was going past and got in. Tommy sighed as he watched the cab drive away with Kira in it.