A/N - "Thoughts"

Chapter 13 - Consequences

Once inside, Ethan had told Amanda to go upstairs and dry off while they, Kate and Ethan, talk. For a moment, Ethan watched Kate furiously pacing around the kitchen.

Suddenly, Kate's head whipped up and she looked at Ethan. "What the hell is she thinking?" Than slamming her palms onto the counter top, not waiting for an answer, "She isn't thinking, that's the problem!" she snapped.

"Kate," he said softly, trying to get her to calm down. He was upset with his daughter but felt Kate was taking it a little to the extreme.

"Who knows what the hell could've happened if we hadn't interrupted them," she snarled as she glared daggers at him. "Has the girl learned nothing from my mistakes!"

Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Kate, you know Amanda isn't that," but he was cut off by another tirade.

"How the hell can you be so calm about this?" Kate yelled at him, her arms flailing widly, "She's throwing her future away for some boy!"

Ethan was about to try and calm her down again, but was interrupted.

"Jason is not just some boy!" Amanda roared as she stormed into the kitchen, clad in an old t-shirt, shorts, and a robe. "Unlike you, I don't date every loser I met," she snapped at her mother.

"Amanda!" Ethan yelled, knowing where this was heading and trying to cut if off before it started.

"I will not," Kate started to say but again was interrupted by Amanda.

"Jason is the sweetest, most caring guy I have ever met. He'd never intentionally hurt me and even if he did, he'd never run away like a coward. I will not let anyone bash him, not even you," Amanda snarled and with her last sentence, pointed at her mother. "I don't give a damn if you, Dad, or anyone else has a problem with this. Nothing you do, will ever keep me away from Jason. He's my best friend. He makes me feel special, special like no one else can. We may look alike but we are nothing alike. You love your looks but I hate them. I hate every guy gawking at me like a piece of meat. But Jason treats me like a princess; he respects me! Not just cause of my looks but cause of what I am inside."

She then started to address both of them again. "You may be able to keep us apart for the next year but after we graduate, you've got no control, and if there is one thing I've learned from you Mom, is that to be patient and let a plan fold out. We will be together and there is NOTHING, anyone can do to stop us."

With that, she stormed back out of the room. Ethan sighed as he looked at Kate. "She looks like she's gonna go off but at the same time, like she's been kicked in the stomach."

"Kate," Ethan said softly.

Kate sniffled and looked up at Ethan for a moment. "Will you call Mir," she said softly, "I...I need to talk to Amanda."

Ethan watched as Kate slowly walked out of the kitchen, her shoulders slumped over and head hanging a little. Ethan felt for his wife; he knew how much her relationship with her daughters meant to her and that was why she reacted so strongly to what happened. "I hope for those two, they sort things out."

Rachel tentatively knocked on Amanda's bedroom door. She had heard the yelling and then Amanda running up the stairs and slamming her door shut as she barraged into her bedroom.

"Go away!"

Rachel frowned as she heard Amanda's raspy voice and could tell she was crying. Slowly opening the door, "Its me," she said walking into the room.

"I'm not in the mood for your crap," Amanda grumbled.

Ignoring her, Amanda walked into the room, "I like Jason. He's a cool guy and you're crazy about each other," she told her big sister as she sat down next to where she was sprawled out on the bed. "Just remember me when you two elope next year."

Amanda couldn't help but snicker and grin a little, even with the tears still falling. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

Rachel just grinned and nodded. As Amanda slowly sat up, Rachel hugged her. "If you need help sneaking out, just ask," Rachel told her half joking, half not.

A cough from the doorway interrupted their sister-to-sister moment. Kate looked at them for a moment, "Rach, will you give me a moment with Amanda."

"Sure," Rachel said getting up and walking out.

Kate spoke first, "Honey, before you say anything," she than paused for a moment and took a deep breath. When it looked like Amanda was about to yell at her again, Kate held her hands up in a defensive gesture, "I'm sorry for degrading Jason like that. He is a great kid, a lot like his father. Its just seeing you like that brought back a lot of painful memories, and even with Jason, I don't want you going through what I did. Even with my friends, it was hard and I don't want you to struggle with school and trying to raise a child." Pausing to wipe away a tear and take another deep breath, "But I've got to let you grow up and...let you fall in love. I've seen it coming for years with you two; I guess just seeing it happen and how I saw it, threw me for a loop."

"Mom," Amanda said softly and watched her walk over and sit next to her. "I'm…I'm sorry too. I didn't mean what I said. You're one of the strongest woman I know and I love you so much but Jason is..." she trailed off, not sure how to finish.

Kate smiled at her, "I know honey," she said hugging her daughter tightly. "You're still gonna get it for what you two did but afterwards, I think, if you two want to, you can be together. I won't stop you, at least intentionally."

"Thank you," Amanda whimpered softly as she hugged her back.

Kate nodded slowly, "Sometime next week, I think we should...We're gonna go...to the doctor's office."

"Why?" Amanda asked.

"Well, if there is a rerun of tonight and no one's around," she said as she shifted uncomfortably.

Amanda opened her mouth to ask why again, then it hit. Blushing a little, "Oh."

"Just be careful honey. I know you two have some intense feelings for each other and at your age, it's hard to control them." After Kate gently kissed the side of Amanda's head, she got up. "Now before I lose my dinner," she said sarcastically, trying to make them both comfortable again, "I'm gonna go downstairs and relax."

Pausing at the doorway, she looked back at Amanda, "If...If you have any questions, or just...wanna talk...about anything, I'm here for you. I love you."

Amanda smiled a little at her, "Thanks and I love you too."

The next morning, Kate was the first one up and she was sitting in the kitchen by herself, in deep thought. Amanda paused in the kitchen doorway and watched her mother for a moment. "Mom."

Kate blinked out of her thoughts and looked up. "Yes honey?"

"I was thinking...if I'm not in too much trouble...maybe we could go shopping after school," Amanda said slowly as she wringed her hands together.

"Are you serious?"

Amanda nodded slowly, "Than maybe afterwards, we could get something to eat...and maybe, talk."

Kate smiled, "I'd like that."

"Me too," Amanda fidgeted for a moment, before grabbing an apple off the table, "I gotta get going, Jason is gonna drive me to school. If that's alright?"

Kate snickered softly, "Its alright. Just come straight home."

Hearing the front door open and shut, Kate let out a deep breath, "Amanda is a great girl and she is right, Jason would never hurt her, intentionally. I'm just worried about unintentionally. I gotta let her fly and learn from her own mistakes. I just hope I'm doing the right thing."

At school, Amanda was standing at her locker, changing books when she heard laughter behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Maria and Rebecca looking back at them with wide smiles.

"So, I hear you went for a late night swim," Rebecca said as her smile widened.

As Amanda frowned at them, "I think they did more than just swim. From the yelling my mom was doing last night, Jase got into some deep shit. You never want to hear my mom start yelling in Spanish," Maria said as she tried to fight back the laughter.

"I just can't believe you of all people went skinny dipping," Rebecca said sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, "We didn't go skinny dipping." Realizing she had just backed herself into a corner, she groaned. "We stripped to our underwear and went swimming."

Both girls started giggling. "Is that all?" Rebecca prodded.

"Well, we...uhh," Amanda stumbled over her words which cause the other two to laugh even harder. "We kinda made out."

"Kinda?" Rebecca asked as Maria pretended to hurl.

"Okay, okay. We were making out on the diving board, things were going fast and that's when my parents found us."

"Oww," Rebecca said as both girls winced.

"So I'm grounded for two weeks. But at least me and my mom had some kind of weird breakthrough."

"Man," Maria said, "I knew when you two got together there'd be fireworks but nothin like this," she teased.

"Don't you two having something better to do than torture her?"

Instantly recognizing the voice, Maria was the first to answer. "Not really. Besides I torture you every day, I need a change of pace," she joked with a sarcastic grin.

Jason walked up next to Amanda. "Beat it skunk head or I tell Dad about last weekend."

"For now," Maria said as she made a tactical retreat, "This isn't over," she told her brother and walked off to class.

"And you?" Jason asked to Rebecca.

Rebecca just grinned at him for a second and then looked at Amanda before leaving. "Call me, I want details."

"Thanks."

"No prob," Jason told her with an uneasy smile. "Can I ask you something? Do you umm regret last night?"

"Do you?" she asked, suddenly very self conscious and nervous.

Jason reached out and gently played with a stray strand of her hair. "No way." Jason couldn't help but smile as a huge smile lit up Amanda's face. "So I was thinking that after we get off grounding we could go miniature golfing." He said the last part with a sarcastic tinge to it and laughed when Amanda glared and swatted him.

"I'd like that," she said seriously.

"So," Jason said a little nervously, "can I, umm, walk my girlfriend to class?"

"Girlfriend, I really like the sound of that." Smirking at him, Amanda brushed her hair over her shoulder and linked her arm with his. "Why not," she said sarcastically and the two walked down the hall laughing.