Author's Note: I just wanted to let you guys know that from now on I'll be alternating posting new chapters of this story along with new chapters of Sweet Revenge. So next week look for chapter two of Sweet Revenge! Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Nine – Decisions
Jarod sat on his bed reading the latest WWE Magazine entrenched in the cover article on the return of Goldberg, a wrestler of the WCW era, when a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in, " he answered assuming that it had to be his mother. She hadn't come to have a "heart to heart" talk with him about the past week at school yet. It seemed the last couple of weeks that she had taken a great interest in any and everything concerning school. So much so that she basically interviewed him every week about what happened during the week. He suspected that the cause of her apparent interest had been because of his meeting with the guidance counselor a few weeks before and his attitude of late. As the door opened though he found that it wasn't his mother it was his brother.
"Hey, Jarod you wanna come downstairs and watch this movie with Dad and me? It's called, 'The Ring' and it's supposed to be really scary." Dominic asked sticking his head through the doorway.
"Nah, you guys can watch it without me." Jarod replied from his position on his bed not lifting his head from the magazine, which he held in front of him.
"Okay," Dominic said, about to walk away, but then thinking better of it and fully walked into the room. Pulling the magazine out of his brother's hand, he stood above his brother arms crossed holding the magazine.
"Hey!" Jarod said, though he made no moves to grab for the mag.
"What's up with you? You've been acting like a complete jerk with Dad and Mom and I wanna know why?"
"You really wanna know?"
"Yes," He nodded waiting as Jarod rose from his bed and went to his desk where he pulled out a photo. Turning back to face his younger brother he handed the photo to him.
"Have you ever seen any pictures of Mom when she was younger?"
"Yeah, of course I have. What's your point?" He took the photo and barely spared it a glance.
"Well look at it, doesn't Mom look different to you?"
"So Mom was into wearing black when she was younger, its really not a big deal." Dominic tossed the photo of Chloe from when she first arrived in Salem on the bed with the magazine as he sat down, leaning against the headboard.
"Are you kidding? Look, the only reason you're not upset is because you don't know the whole story."
"Oh, there's a story that goes with the picture?" Dominic questioned picking at his nails. "Well tell me about it already so I can go watch my movie with Dad."
Jarod picked up the photo again as he sat down on his bed and looked at before telling Dominic what the real significance of the photo was. "Obviously, you aren't bothered by this photo. But the story behind it is that Mom was like this big outcast when she was in high school, when she first came here. All the kids at school made fun of her, they called her "Vampira" and "Ghoul Girl"."
"Ghoul Girl," Dominic snorted. "Man even I could come up with a better name than that." At Jarod's look of disapproval he fell silent. "I'm sorry, continue."
"As I was saying, there was this one guy that was the leader of all this name calling … our father."
"Umm … so what? Everyone gets teased, I've got teased and so has 'Ana. So Dad teased Mom, obviously outgrew the teasing and saw Mom for who she really is. So I repeat, so what?"
"So eventually Dad went a little further than teasing. He and Uncle Shawn made a bet that whoever lost a video game tournament would have to ask her to some big dance at their school." Dominic held up his hand which gave Jarod a moment's pause.
"Okay obviously Dad won the bet, that's where you're going with this right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Jarod asked surprised that his brother already seemed to know the story.
"Well, duh I already knew about the bet – that's old news."
"If you knew about the bet why didn't you tell me?"
Dominic rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Because it's old news and not important. Look, I don't know why you're so bothered by this it happened before you born. Like I said before it's not a big deal. So are you coming to watch the movie or what?"
"You're seriously not bothered that Dad asked Mom out on a date because he lost a bet?" Jarod asked incredulously. "It doesn't strike you as a bit underhanded?"
"Honestly," Jarod nodded. "I don't care one way or the other why Dad asked Mom out. So what if he called her names. Mom has gotten over it by now and apparently so has Dad so why should I care. Besides, I doubt Mom has changed so much from when she was in high school. Our Mother's not exactly the kind of person who would marry someone she didn't like or was mad at. I mean if Mom really had a problem with what Dad did to her in high school I doubt she'd be married to him now."
"I guess that makes sense." Jarod sighed as Dominic rose from the bed.
"Of course it does."
"Besides, there's really no point in getting angry about something that happened ages ago.
"Exactly, now are you going to get out of your funk and come watch this movie with Dad and me? Because if we don't get down there soon Ana and the girls will take over the den and we'll be stuck watching Attack of the Clones again."
At that Jarod frowned as he got up from his bed to follow his brother out the room. "Why didn't you just say so? There's no way I'm going to sit through that movie again with them. I mean seriously I love Star Wars and everything but how many times can a guy be expected to watch that stupid part with Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader."
"That's my point exactly. Especially, when the only reason they want to watch it is to moon over Hayden whathisname. They end up missing the whole point of the movie." Dominic vented as they walked out the room. "Although, that Natalie Portman chick that plays his wife, she's pretty hot."
"Oh I completely agree."
~*~*~*~*~*~@~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the Black household Brady had dragged Mimi into their library under the pretense of discussing Conrad's permission slip for his involvement in school sports.
"Brady, I really don't see what there is to discuss. We've always allowed Conrad to play sports and I see no reason to stop him now. If he wants to play this year, I say let him."
"That's not the point Meems."
"Oh no, then what, pray tell, is the point Brady? Our son has been playing sports since he was Spencer's age and he's actually good at it. I admit he has done some things in the past that warrant grounding and we've handled all of those aspects. But as far as I'm concerned one thing has nothing to do with the other. So let's let him play sports as that's what he enjoys doing."
Tilting back in his chair, Brady watched as his wife sat down on the black leather couch plucking a magazine off the in table as she flipped through it. "So have you talked to Conrad yet?"
"About what?"
"About the kiss of course, what else?"
Placing the magazine in her lap she glanced up at her husband, pushing her hair behind her ears. "No I haven't spoke to him about the kiss, as I recall you're the one who asked me to wait before saying anything."
"Yeah but that was a month ago." Brady scoffed.
"Yes, well I've decided I'm not yet ready to speak with my son about it yet. Besides, what's the rush – you kept me in the dark about it for months—,"
He interrupted her holding a hand to beg off the blame. "I've already apologized about that." He'd already been over this several times with Mimi. But, she couldn't seem to reconcile the fact that he hadn't told her about Conrad witnessing the kiss between herself and Jason months ago. Knowing that instead he allowed to Conrad to believe she was having an affair.
"Hey, I'm not blaming you for it Brady. I'm simply stating the facts as they were. You did keep me in the dark about this for several months. What I am saying here is that I do not feel comfortable talking to Conrad about what he assumed was an illicit affair between Jason and myself. More to the point, he knows I didn't have an affair now so what would be the point of discussing this with him when he already knows he was wrong."
"Okay I see what you're saying." Brady conceded as the door to the library opened and JT stuck his head through.
"Hey Brady, Meems would it be alright for me to take Conman to go get some ice cream from Baskin Robbins?"
"When did you get here I didn't hear the front door open?"
"I came in with Conrad through the kitchen, he was just walking Edge. So can we go," he paused as he turned back out the door to answer another small voice that both Brady and Mimi recognized as Spencer's. "Can Spence come with Conrad and I to get some ice cream?"
"Sure, you can take them both. Could you do me a favor and get me a cup of Jamoica Almond Fudge ice cream?" Mimi asked as she rose from the couch heading to the doorway.
"Sure Meems."
"Thanks sweetie, let me get my purse to give you some money," she started only to have JT shake his head, saying no.
"No, this is my treat. Did you want anything Brady?"
"No but you could take my car. The keys are—,"
"I know, in your dresser. Alright see ya peeps." JT replied before moving out of the door and leaving the room. As he walked away Mimi and Brady could hear their sons laughter as they left the room.
"That reminds me, when do you think Shawn will finally agree with Belle to approach their parents about to taking in JT. He practically lives over there as it is."
Brady shrugged as Mimi walked back to the couch to sit down. "Honestly, with Shawn who knows. Obviously, it's only a matter of time before he sees what we do. Right now, he and Belle are the best thing in JT's life. It's a shame that Shawn doesn't see it that way."
"Ultimately, Brady I believe that Shawn will come around. It may take some drastic to happen but I do believe when push comes to shove Shawn will step up and take JT."
Brady rose from his desk to walk over to stand before his wife. "I agree so we should stop worrying about JT and Shawn it will eventually work itself out. You do realize of course that this is becoming a rare opportunity for us."
"What is?" She asked as he leaned down to pick her up into his arms.
"Well, we're completely alone with no one here to bother us. Now, I think it would be a shame for us not to take this opportunity and enjoy it." He said as he carried her through the doorway and headed for the staircase to take him to the master bedroom.
"I've never considered you to be just a forty-five minute man before … but I willing to be adventurous if you are." Mimi added laughing as she put her hands in his rich blonde hair to pull his head down to hers for a breath-taking kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~@~*~*~*~*~*~
Philip was just coming upstairs to his bedroom to relax for a few moments before going back downstairs to watch The Ring. He was surprised to see his wife coming out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel.
"Hey, what were you up to, I must have missed when you got home earlier."
"I know I was at the community center indoor pool."
"Why would you go there when we have an Olympic size pool in the backyard?"
Chloe dropped the towel on her dresser and combed through her long brown hair. "I was at water aerobics – exercise for the baby and mom – I told you I had a class today. Why else did you think I left you in charge?" She added putting the comb down to grab a scrunchy and pile her hair into a ponytail, to complete her outfit of a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
"Hey, this isn't the first time I've been left alone with our children when they've had guests. " Philip said moving to settle down on the bed. "But, I'm so tired, I feel like I could sleep for a month."
"Aww, my poor baby. I almost feel sorry for you. Almost. But, don't get too comfortable on my bed." Chloe said sitting down on the bed to pull on some socks. She turned to Philip's side of his bed to pull him into a sitting position. "You're supposed to be watching the kiddies today, remember Daddy duty so I can have a couple of hours to myself to relax."
"Would watching you and Philip Jr. count as watching the kids?" Chloe laughed heartily at the charming puppy dog expression that lit his face.
"Okay two things, watching Baby K and I doesn't count because this is time for you to bond with our children not in utero. And second, Philip Junior is completely out."
"Aww come on Chloe, you vetoed Philip Jr. with the twins so why not now?"
"For the same reason I gave you then none of our children are going to live in the shadows of their parents. They need to have their own identities and that means having their own names as well. Besides, what if this baby was a girl would you want to traumatize her life by naming her Philip."
"Hey Philip is a good name."
Sitting down on the Philip's lap she smiled, "you're right Philip is a perfectly nice name. But not for this baby." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before rising from his lap. "Come on let's get something to eat." She waddled out of the room expecting her dutiful husband to follow her, which he did.
Philip followed Chloe down into the kitchen where after washing her hands Chloe grabbed two bowls, one with fruit and the other with raw vegetables out of the refrigerator. She pulled out a plate and began picking out the fruits and veggies she wanted. "You know something odd happened today."
"Really what?"
"My mother came to see me."
Frowning slightly Chloe replied, "Now that is odd. I thought your mother said she would never darken Titan's door again while Nicole still worked for Victor." She plucked a ripe green grape and popped it into her mouth.
Grabbing a carrot stick, Philip acquiesced, rolling his eyes. "Yes well you know my mother. Anyway, she said the weirdest thing to me today." Pausing he grabbed the stool beside him and brought it over to his wife for her to sit on. "We were talking about Jarod and she said that she thinks that he's just like me temperament wise. He reminds her of me at the age. Isn't that strange?" Chloe said nothing. "Oh come on Chloe I was definitely nothing like Jarod at that age. Heck you didn't even know me when I was his age."
"True, I didn't know you then. But I knew you at 16 and were a little arrogant, manipulative, self-obsessed … annoying, and sometimes bratty …" before Chloe could continue listing all of Philip lovely virtues at age 16 he placed a celery stick in her mouth.
"I admit I wasn't exactly the most well-behaved teenager but then who is, even you were a tad moody," Chloe arched her brow in question as she chewed on the celery stick. "But, I don't think either of us was as bad as Jarod was—,"
"Was?" She asked.
"Yes, was. I don't know what happened today but Jarod's been fine tonight. No overt grouchiness or moodiness. Maybe whatever has been bothering him went away."
"Hmm, could be. Anyway, dear Philip I'll leave you to your movies with the boys, try not to tire yourself out tonight refereeing between the kids." Chloe said as she rose from the stool to place both bowls back into the refrigerator.
"What do you mean refereeing between the children? The girls are in Ana's room doing whatever it is girls do at slumber parties and the guys are in the den. They're completely fine." Philip said as he watched Chloe get a glass from the cabinet.
Turning to pierce a glance back at her husband sardonically she asked, "How many times have the kids had sleepovers?"
"I don't know, ten maybe fifteen times why?"
"Hmm Mm and how many of those times have the sleepovers not erupted into a disagreement between the boys and the girls over one thing or another?" She asked getting a pour some cold water into her glass from a bottle she had taken out the refrigerator.
Philip frowned watching his wife move around the kitchen to gather her tray. "Are those my sweatpants you're wearing?"
"Yes, they are, they look better on me – don't change the subject. The point is that there is bound to be a disagreement and for once I'm going to let you handle it all on your lone because the baby and I are going to enjoy listening to some soothing music and reading a book." She leaned up kissing his cheek. She turned to get her tray only to have him pull her back to him.
Philip shook his head and conceded with a show of his hands. "Well since I'm going to be refereeing between the children I think I deserve a better kiss than that." He grabs at the waistband of his sweatpants as he steered her seven-month pregnant body into the V of his legs into his embrace, an openly lecherous smile on his face.
She chuckled lightly. "Yes you can but remember that's why I'm seven months pregnant now."
"Oh, I know. And did I forget to mention how good that looks on you. Positively scrumptious." Philip leaned down barely able to even start to kiss his wife when a shout came out from the vicinity of the den.
"Dad," the voice belonged to Jarod.
Philip let out a sigh of exasperation sparing look toward the sound but turned back intent on continuing what he started. "Ah, ah, ah!" Chloe sang pushing him gently back with a teasing smirk.
Grabbing her tray she gave him a side look, smirk still in play on her lips. "You're being Dad. Have fun, Philip." She said as she waddled her way out of the kitchen and down the hallway leaving her husband to deal with the children's first disagreement of the night.
Philip watched her parting figure and wished he could follow, but too soon he heard himself being called to duty. Not for the first time he wondered what he'd got himself into, he'd never took on the kids' sleepover without Chloe. Oh, tonight was going to be a long night.
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