Sorry for the long wait! I am studying on exchange in France next year, so I've been busy with my Visa application and figuring out what supporting documents I need, how to book an appointment at my local Consulate to submit the Visa, as well as scheduling check-ups and my driving test! I was also on an archaeological dig in Jordan for 6 weeks, and there wasn't enough privacy or reliable wifi for me to be able to write, but I got back home on Monday evening and have (mostly) recovered from jetlag, so hopefully I'll be able to write more often! If you want to learn more about this research project, check out

Thanks again to Disney for creating Descendants, to Kellygirl46 for allowing me to continue with her work, and to everyone who has been helping me come up with ideas for future fanfics! You guys rock!

Without further ado,

Chapter 6

Lonnie covered her mouth as her breath hitched. Jay looked up at Lonnie and sighed. Was this really the right time to tell her? They hadn't talked about it. They hadn't talked much about anything yet. He wasn't going to waste any more time, though. Jay scooped up Jaylian in one arm and grabbed Lonnie's hand with the other. This was between them and them only right now. He quickly walked them out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into Lonnie's bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

"Sit down, pumpkin," Jay said softly as he set the child down and looked at Lonnie, who nodded slowly. They needed to tell Jaylian the truth sooner rather than later.

Jay guided Lonnie over and had her sit on the bed next to Jaylian. Jay knelt in front of his girls and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Reaching out, he took hold of Jaylian's hand. It was so tiny compared to his own. He struggled with the right way to say this.

"Yeah, kiddo. I'm your dad." Jay whispered softly. He had no idea how to handle this.

"I always wondered if you'd come back someday," Jaylian smiled up at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Jay searched Lonnie's face for something to tell him that he wasn't too late; anything that said she still wants him. Lonnie stared at him for a long moment, tears glistening in her eyes. She wanted him here for their daughter, but she was so sure he had moved on. The kiss they had shared last night was just for comfort. She was sure of that. Riley made it clear to her, Jay was with Riley now. Riley had made that message very clear over the past few years.

"Jaylian, Daddy and I have a lot we have to talk about. Daddy's here to help…" Lonnie didn't think about how she was going to explain their whole situation to Jaylian. The girl was too young to understand the concept of death.

"I'm here for your birthday, pumpkin. Then we'll see what happens." That would give him a week to mend things with Lonnie. Jay's anger was still just below the surface. He still had a lot of questions that needed to be answered before he could make any decisions.

"Yeah!" Jaylian squealed and lept off the bed and onto Jay. Her small arms wrapped tight around his neck. "Best birthday ever, Mama!"

"Damn!" Tyler growled as he sunk down into one of the chairs. He had never seen Jay this mad and he had been pretty mad for a long time over Lonnie. "Do you think he's calming down?"

"He doesn't want Jaylian to see him angry," Carlos explained. "Jay saw how scared she was and stopped yelling. He's beyond angry, but he's not gonna let her see that."

"Well, he can't contain his anger forever. Remember what he used to be like?" Jordan asked, thinking about how he had almost punched a hole in Lonnie's kitchen wall.

Seven Years Ago

It was the first college part of the semester. Jay made Lonnie promise not to drink any alcohol while they were there. As adorable as Lonnie is when drunk, Jay didn't trust any of the guys at the party. He didn't know many of them very well yet, but he had overheard enough "locker room talk" to know how some of them treated women. He was not taking any chances.

The music blared loud enough to shake the large house. The beer kegs and shots were set up in strategic places inside and out. Bodies were grinding against each other on the makeshift dance floor, couples were heavily making out off to the sides, and some couples were even sneaking upstairs. Lonnie walked through with Jay's hand on hers, her wide eyes taking everything in. The parties at the castle in Auradon didn't come close to this wild event.

Jay eyed the crowd as they walked through and noticed how every guy in the room was looking at Lonnie. Their eyes burned and undressed her as she walked past. He tightened his hold on Lonnie's hand. They had only just arrived and Jay could already feel his temper rising. Lonnie is his and he does not like the way this evening was starting.

Lonnie waved to a girl across the room and tugged Jay over to the corner where this girl was. The small, perky blonde with a short pixie haircut waved and grinned at her. She had a seemingly innocent smile on her face, but the gleam in her big blue eyes was mischievous. Her short green dress shimmered in the light. Jay gave her a smile. She seemed friendly enough.

"Lonnie! You made it!" The blonde hugged her friend. "And you must be Jay! Hi! I'm Tessa, Tinkerbell's daughter. Lonnie talks about you all the time."

Jay nodded and smiled softly at her. She seemed really excited about something. He watched her chew on a piece of licorice and chuckled. There's nothing quite like a fairy on a sugar high. "Hey."

They talked about their classes and programs and learned that Tessa was also friends with Jane. Jay laughed softly as Tessa went on about fairies. He really hadn't developed a fondness or curiosity for the magical creatures until meeting Tessa. She was full of life and laughter and excitement. Tessa had a bit of a mischievous nature as she talked about some of the trouble she had caused and the pranks she had pulled. Her sense of humour reminded Jay of the banter between the guys back home in Auradon. He missed that.

Jay looked around the room and noticed a pale blond guy stare at Lonnie from across the room. His bright blue eyes followed her every move while they talked over the next hour. Jay clenched his hands and realized he was squeezing Lonnie's hand really tight. Lonnie looked up at him and frowned. Jay wasn't looking at her, so she followed his gaze to the guy who was attentively watching her from across the room.

"You did not tell me he was such a hottie! Lonnie, you're holding out on me girl." Tessa giggled. "Jay, are there any more guys like you in Auradon? I think I might need to move there."

Jay looked at Tess and smiled. From what Jay had heard at home and observed tonight, she had become a good friend to Lonnie. Jay was glad that Lonnie was feeling more comfortable here. He had made friends with the guys on the team, but he wasn't particularly close with any of them and hadn't been to one of their parties before. This party seemed a bit more Isle than Auradon Prep.

Lonnie laughed and nudged Tessa's ribs. "Well, I've got to keep some things a secret," she chuckled. Tessa was constantly on the lookout for Mr. Right. Or at least, Mr. Right Now. Lonnie's skin prickled as she suddenly sensed Ethan's presence in the room and judging by the look on Jay's face, Jay was getting himself ready to defend his lady.

Ethan, son of Elsa of Arandell, was the epitome of Spoiled Princes. His favourite pastime was flaunting his wealth and flirting with other people's girlfriends. He was a handsome flirt who could not take no for an answer. Lonnie cringed at the sound of his voice and would go out of her way to avoid him. He hit on Lonnie every time he saw her, whether she was alone, with a friend, or with Jay. She rejected him every single time and was getting increasingly frustrated. Jay and Lonnie hated Ethan, and Ethan hated Jay.

Lonnie didn't need to turn around to know that Ethan was standing behind her. The look on Jay's face said it all. Ethan smirked at Jay and reached for Lonnie's available hand. Jay glared and felt his body brace. Tonight was going to end in a fight. Lonnie scowled and pulled her hand from Ethan's and immediately felt Jay pull her closer to him, his arm possessively wrapped around her shoulders.

"Ethan," Jay growled his name as a first warning.

"Jay," Ethan countered with a smirk and accepted Jay's implied challenge. "Lonnie, you look stunning tonight. May I interest you in a dance?"

"No, you may not, Ethan. We've talked about this. I'm not interested in you. Jay is my boyfriend and I'm here with him and my friend," Lonnie said sternly.

Ethan grinned at Jay. "I'm only after a dance, Lonnie."

"She said no. Do we really need to take this outside?" Jay growled and nudged Lonnie behind him.

Tessa's eyes grew wide at the exchange. "Would he really fight Ethan for you? Wow, this is so sexy," Tessa muttered to Lonnie.

"This is not sexy, Tessa!" Lonnie growled under her breath. Okay, maybe it's a little sexy when Jay's mad, Lonnie thought. His voice deepens, growls, even, like it does when he's turned on. Something about him getting jealous and fighting for me is kind of hot, but no, Jay fighting is not sexy, Lonnie argued with herself. Jay has always been very protective over those closest to him, and it's terrifying to be on the receiving end of his temper.

Jay felt like his temper had been constantly raging ever since they met Ethan. They couldn't go anywhere without this creep showing up. Jay was getting annoyed with Ethan, who was constantly showing off everything he could do for Lonnie, knowing that Jay could never compete. Jealousy was an ugly green monster.

"Outside it is, then!" Ethan announced to the whole room, smiling and clapping his hands together. Ethan smirked at Lonnie. He had one last thing to say to her. "Damn, Lonnie! You really do look good enough to eat!"

Jay didn't make it outside. In one swift movement, he pushed Lonnie into Tessa and barreled into Ethan. Their fists flew at one another until a few Tourney players managed to pull Jay off of Ethan and into another room with Lonnie at their heels. Lonnie closed the door behind the other men as they left and turned to face Jay, who was standing at the opposite side of the room. His fist smashed a hole in the wall, scaring Lonnie half to death. Jay cringed when he saw the frightened look on Lonnie's face. He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands out of guilt. He looked almost as if he were praying for patience. His emotions were running hot right now. All Jay could see was red.

"Let's just go, Jay," Lonnie suggested. Jay sighed and shook his head. He couldn't be around her like this. He needed to calm himself down. He had already scared Lonnie once that night, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her more.

"I'm going for a walk. Go home, Lonnie. Please. I'll meet you at home." Lonnie slowly nodded as Jay guided her out of the house and into her car. He got her in and waited for her to drive off before he moved. Jay looked back and saw Ethan watching from the window. He just never learned that Jay's temper would always win.

Present

Jane quietly walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Her hands shook in her lap. She twirled her diamond ring around her finger. She knew she had screwed things up with Carlos, and she had never seen Jay so angry. Carlos walked in and sat next to her. This was a huge secret that Jane had kept from him. He said nothing for a long moment as he struggled to figure out why Jane would keep so many secrets from him.

"You knew Lonnie had come for him," Carlos said quietly. "You knew he had a daughter and you said nothing. For five whole years?"

"I promised Lonnie," Jay whispered. "She saw Jay with Riley, and after the phone calls…"

Carlos whipped his head up. "What phone calls?"

Jane sighed. Everything would have to come out now, at least to her fiancé. She couldn't keep any more secrets from him. "Riley called Lonnie several times over the past few years, making sure Lonnie knew that Jay had moved on. She even… she sent Lonnie texts and emails with pictures of them together. Lonnie was convinced that Jay didn't want her. Tessa and I tried to convince her to at least tell Jay about his daughter, but we couldn't get her to listen."

"You never told, Jane. How are we supposed to get married next month with this between us? Is there anything else you've been keeping from me? Carlos was heartbroken. Why did Jane keep secrets from him?

Jay watched Jaylian happily run to her room and pull her toys out of the toybox. He sat down on the bed next to Lonnie and took her hand. Lonnie kept her eyes focused on her lap. So much was happening so fast. She was struggling to process everything, the good and the bad.

"I saw the news broadcast about your parents. I'm so sorry, Lonnie. Carlos has located Sian. Our friends will fetch him. And then we'll look for your mom." Jay tried to comfort her. "I know you're dealing with a lot right now. I'm not pushing, but you and I are going to have to talk about all of this real soon."

Lonnie could only nod. She heard the restrained anger and frustration in his voice and knew Jay was barely holding it all in. She owed him an explanation. Jay was Jaylian's father, he had every right to hate Lonnie right now. Lonnie was so emotional, she could barely get her words out. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought I was doing the right thing after… everything. I… I didn't want to screw up the life you were making there."

Jay didn't understand this. Yes, he did mess up. He understood his mistakes. The drinking and fighting for the past five years were all his fault, but he felt like there was a giant hole in this situation where missing information was supposed to be. Nothing was making any sense without that missing information. Why would Lonnie think that Jaylian would screw up his life? Yes, raising a child is a huge challenge, but Lonnie was single-parenting for the last five years. Wouldn't parenting be easier if they do it together?

Jay felt his frustration growing. Jane and Sian knew about the child. All of his friends knew that Lonnie had tried to visit him once. Who else did Jay trust who could have helped everyone? Lonnie didn't need him to be angry. If he had learned anything in his adult life, it was that his temper always got the best of him. He needed space to calm himself down. Jaylian had already looked at him with fear in her eyes. Jay did not want that to happen again.

"I'm going for a walk. I need to think. I'll be back, Lonnie. I promise." Jay gently lifted her face to look at him. "I will always come back for you."

Lonnie nodded and felt a tear slip down her cheek as Jay leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. Jay was certain of only one thing in that moment; that he had been given a second chance to have Lonnie and their daughter in his life. He wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers.

The rest of the day quietly dragged along for everyone. No one wanted to talk about what happened or what might be coming. The boys worked on searching for Mulan while making a plan to head out the next morning in search of Sian. They hoped that Jay's temper would cool down enough by then so they wouldn't have to break up a fight.

Ally and Jordan went grocery shopping for Lonnie. Whatever food Lonnie had in her kitchen would not be enough to feed the 8, possibly 9, people expected for dinner. Both women felt a bit left out of what was going on. Jordan, although she was friends with everyone and was dating Tyler, knew very little of the problems between Lonnie and Jay. She really preferred to keep it that way.

Ally, on the other hand, had been in the know of some things up until she and Sian broke things off six years ago. She knew that Lonnie and Jay had been arguing. Jay was not happy, and his misery was affecting everyone. Ally left Sian on what she felt were amicable terms. They maintained some contact with each other. They were polite and cordial, but underneath it all, the decision Sian had made still ate at her. If he had told the truth, Ally truly felt the misery between Jay and Lonnie never would have existed.

Carlos returned to his work. He was struggling with the knowledge that Jane, the girl he had been in love with since high school and was about to marry in one month, had kept something this big from him. He needed time to think. Jane tried to focus on Jaylian. She hadn't seen the girl in a while, so Jane decided to keep the little one busy so that Lonnie could think.

Lonnie stared out the front window and watched for Jay as the afternoon drew in. The sun floated across the sky and Lonnie began to fear that Jay wouldn't come back. She wondered if it had all just been too much for him. Jay had started over with Riley, so he probably needed to talk to her about it all. Lonnie just didn't know and no longer believed in what they once had. However, he did say he would be back. Lonnie knew she could trust him for that.

Ally and Jordan returned with the groceries and joined Jane and Jaylian, while the boys mulled around the kitchen, all of them waiting for Jay to return. Lonnie needed a distraction, so she began cooking by the late afternoon. She had a house full of people here to help her, the very least she could do was feed them.

Lonnie was chopping vegetables just as Jay returned with a large cup of take-out coffee in his hand. Lonnie didn't speak, but turned when he walked in and watched as Jay silently walked over to her. He set his drink down and softly kissed Lonnie's lips, then pausing before giving her a slower, deeper kiss and then returning to his coffee. All eyes were on them.

He said nothing, but leaned against the counter and stared listlessly at his coffee cup. Lonnie sighed and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She knew he was exhausted and frustrated, but his temper was fading for the moment, so it was best to leave him be. One by one, everyone resumed what they had been doing.

Lonnie's phone buzzed on the counter as she returned her attention to the food on the stove. A new text message had come in. Lonnie looked down and read it before she looked up at Jay.

'Keep away from Jay!' it read. 'I'm warning you, send him home!'

Sorry again for the long wait, hopefully, I will be able to update more regularly.

I hop you all are having a great summer so far!