A/N: Well, Lizzie's busy writing at the moment so I, once again, get to post the chapter. This chapter contains a couple of twists and a lot more emotion. Hopefully, you'll all enjoy reading it just as much as I did before I posted it. (I'm hooked on my own story... isn't that weird?) Feel free to leave us a review to let us know what you think. Thanks. Phoenix
The next morning, Kady woke slowly and rolled over to see if Danny was still sleeping. His bed was empty. He was a fitness freak and would actually force himself to get up early and go for a run around the neighborhood before anyone else was awake. Having one of the neighbors see him would be strange as he didn't generally look much like a goth in the mornings. They'd almost be able to mistake him for a completely different person. Kady had always found this amusing but Danny could never work out why.
Kady dragged herself out of bed and dug through her gym bag, looking for a certain outfit to wear today. Once she'd found it, she wandered into the bathroom and locked herself in for a quiet shower. She let the hot water flow over her and remembered the happenings from the previous night – the anger, the betrayal. Her cheek still stung from where her mother had hit her and she idly played her fingertips over it. She wasn't sure what this new day was going to bring but she hoped it would be sufficiently empty of Chris and her mother. She wasn't sure how much of them ganging up on her she could take. She certainly wasn't used to it, after so long without her father there.
Once she was showered and dressed, she made her way out to the kitchen, wondering if Jenna was up yet. If she wasn't, Kady figured she'd make breakfast for the three of them as a way to say thank you. Stopping in front of the fridge, Kady spotted a note stuck to the door. She tugged it out from under the magnet and read it.
'Kady,
I got called into the diner early, someone didn't turn up. Danny says he'll meet you there. Breakfast's on me.
Jenna.'
"Excellent. Free food." Kady decided, dropping the note on the bench and grabbing her bag. She headed out through the back door, making sure it locked behind her.
When she got to the diner, she looked through the windows to see what the crowd was like. A small smirk formed on her lips as she spotted Sterling sitting alone at the same table he'd sat at the previous night. The bell above the door jingled as she walked into the diner. A few people looked up but once they realized it was just the freaky looking young woman, they all turned away – all except Sterling. Kady couldn't read the look on his face but, as she got closer, she noted that a wry, amused smile had formed on his lips. She walked over to the table and stopped just in front of him and remained standing.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," she joked with mock concern. Sterling remained placid.
"How is it that no one cares what you look like but they're all still staying clear of me?" he wondered. Kady sighed and slipped into the seat across from him, realizing that obviously whatever he was contemplating in that twisted, mangled mind of his – it wasn't going to be too easy to pry out of him.
"I think it's the tattoos, dude," she replied. "Nothing screams 'Spawn of Satan' like those ink patterns."
"And you're what? Little Orphan Annie?"
"If anything, I'd be her evil twin. But yeah it sure as hell feels like it right now…" Kady commented, dejectedly. He couldn't miss the pains of hurt and betrayal this kid was experiencing, and by her parents too… being that he came from a pretty good, stable environment, he wasn't going to say that he understood what she was going through.
"So I'm thinking your still harboring your freakishly evil desires to get hellish revenge on your parents?" Sterling guessed with remarkable accuracy, taking Kady by surprise.
"How did you—"
"Trust me, kid, if my parents pulled the shit on me that your folks did last night… let's just say I'd be making them hurt as much as they did me."
"I thought you had a good relationship with your parents," she remembered back to one of their conversations while they were still on their way to Kentucky. He shrugged.
"I do. Just throwing that out there as a hypothetical is all. And I'm guessing that I'm right?"
Kady nodded and looked around the diner – there was still no sign of Danny, though Jenna was behind the counter now, serving some customers. She was feeling better since Danny had suggested the idea of how to get back at those two pitiful excuses for human beings that had the nerve to call themselves her parents, but still – she didn't want to have to face them again, not today. No kid should have to deal with these issues, and it was not like Kady couldn't handle them but it didn't seem worth it to her anymore. Seeing the depression creep back to her face, Sterling mentally toyed with an idea that could make her feel a little better. Kady sat up straight when she noticed that same sly smile come back to him.
"Okay, are you gonna tell me what's going on inside that demented thing of a brain of yours? Or shall we revert to 'twenty questions'?"
"As much as I'd find it highly amusing to have you trying to get into the fucked up world inside my head, I was just thinking… something that might make you feel better. Something that happened to me last night…"
"Is this suitable for young, delicate ears such as mine?"
"You know, that's almost funny enough to make me laugh."
"Screw you," she spat back. Sterling smirked.
"Nah, sweetheart, I don't like 'em that young… too underdone if you know what I mean." His smart ass attitude was not what she needed now and the hardened stare she directed at him was a testament to that. "Well I can safely say that while you're around me, your mom won't come within fifty feet of you."
"Really?" Kady's enthusiasm was genuine to hear of the possibility of just hanging around with this guy, which she could live with; she wouldn't have to see her mother. "No kidding?"
"No shit."
"Wait… you didn't…"
Sterling raised an eyebrow. "No, I didn't hurt your mom, Kady. Relax."
Kady scowled and mentally kicked herself for allowing her apprehension to show through, though it definitely surprised her with her natural reaction to the possibility that Lily might have been in trouble. Knowing this guy, especially, that idea wasn't as far fetched as some may think. "Then what is it?"
"I'm not sure what humiliated her more. Me walking in on her while she was practically naked, or her thinking I'd told Chris what had happened… which, in fact, I had."
Kady felt like she had been punched in the chest and had the wind knocked right out of her, the reality of what he'd said didn't quite sink in and she started to wonder if he was intentionally dragging this out for the hell of it. "Explain, please."
"I'm staying at the same motel as them, purely by coincidence. I'd just about gotten to sleep when some moron starts blaring music, clearly as loud as the volume control would allow. So, I get out of bed and throw my clothes back on before going and knocking down the door of the room next to me. I got the wrong room but had a pleasant time of it. Your mother sports a towel very well." Sterling smirked. Kady grimaced.
"My mother's room... her practically naked. Dude, that's just gross! But where does Chris fit into this?" She mused, trying to get the idea of her mother and Sterling interacting out of her head.
"Well, once I'd left your mother's room, I found the moron's room and banged on their door. It was Chris. Your mom came out of her room, dressed, took one look at us and disappeared back inside and locked the door. I told Chris what had happened and I think he was about ready to beat the hell out of me after that. Good thing I made my exit when I did." Sterling laughed slightly.
"I really feel sorry for you, seeing my mother like that." Kady offered halfheartedly.
"Oh, no need, I assure you." Sterling teased, seeing how uncomfortable the idea made Kady.
"I thought you were trying to cheer me up?" She pointed out. Sterling took one look at her and shook his head.
"I was merely trying to amuse you. Cheering people up isn't exactly my thing."
"Oh gee, I hadn't noticed! If anything you've just depressed me more, asshole. Damn... can't get that image of you and mom out of my head..." she lightly tapped the side of her head with her first, trying to physically knock the 'horrifying' images out.
"Trust me, neither can I..." he taunted further and Kady jerked her leg forward until her foot connected with his shin, under the table.
"OWW! Fuck! What was that for?"
"For being a sick bastard!"
Sterling was trapped; he couldn't return the 'favor' being that she was only a child, and worse being that she's a very disturbed child. But nonetheless, she did attempt physical harm on him and so she must get what's coming to her. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention outside and he tore his eyes away from the sullen girl and saw Lily and Chris making their way to the diner. A perfect opportunity presented itself to him and an idea was formulating. Kady hadn't known him long, but long enough to know when something was occupying his thoughts which meant it had to be sick, dark, gross... a combination of all three. Or just plain stupid.
"What now?"
"We got company..." he made a quick gesture, indicating something over her shoulder and Kady turned back enough to see out the window, and groaned. Her mother and... father... were quickly approaching the diner.
"I really gotta find a new place to hangout," she told him. "I should know better!"
"Now I do have something that actually might cheer you up for real. Watch what happens when your mom sees me."
Deciding to play along, the curiosity setting in, Kady shifted in her seat to look behind her at the entrance of the diner. A second later, the door opened and Chris stepped in first – right away he spotted Kady and Sterling at the table they were at the day before. The two people whom were both stepping on his last nerve looked as if they were conspiring or something. He stood aside to let Lily through.
"Thanks," she told him quietly as he held the door open for her. "I don't wanna take too long, Chris, we really gotta find Kady..."
"We don't have to look far..."
Lily frowned and turned to see what he was staring at, and paled at the sight of Sterling who winked in her direction. Kady seemed amused by all this, too. With no more words said, Lily turned on her heels and shoved past Chris and ran out of the diner with the intention of locking herself in her motel room for the rest of the day. Or at least until Chris could get Kady away from that damn tattooed freak. Chris stared after her, shaking his head in disbelief at what happened, and looked back at his daughter and Sterling. They were laughing, Kady quite hysterically, at the scene - obviously happy and basking in the glory of Lily's humiliation.
"Am I missing the joke?" he asked of them upon reaching their table. "What's so funny about Lily running out of here, practically in tears?"
"Nothing more than the powerful effect I seem to have on her," Sterling told him, clouded in an air of arrogance that neither Chris or Kady could tell was real or not. Probably was.
"I'm so proud you take such happiness in glorifying another person's embarrassment, especially your own mother's." Chris told Kady, who was still calming down after laughing so hard.
"Oh, what? You gonna make me apologize to her?" Kady replied, defiantly. Sterling was right; seeing her mother turn as white as a ghost and bolt from the diner faster than lightning had made her feel a lot better. And her smug appearance was telling Chris of that fact.
"Why beat a dead horse?" he said with an equal force of sarcasm.
"Wow you're finally seeing the light!"
"So you think, little girl."
"What's with calling me 'little girl'?"
"Because that's what you are."
By his nature, Sterling was finding some sort of sick amusement in this crazy, dysfunctional family situation and for those amusement purposes, of course, he was willing to exploit it - and get his revenge on Kady for kicking him earlier.
"Care to join us?" he offered. Kady's head snapped round so that she was facing Sterling, the dark glare in her eyes telling him that she was not impressed by this idea.
"Uh... sure. Why not." Chris decided, being somewhat wary. They were up to something, he could tell. The question was, what was it? Sterling pushed out a chair for Chris with his foot, watching the older man's hesitance. Kady was still glaring at him and he smirked at her in reply.
"So, Punky Brewster, think you can get us some service?" He asked her nonchalantly.
Kady sighed and turned her attention to the counter, wondering if Jenna was free. Seeing that she was, Kady waved a hand in her direction. Jenna was somewhat surprised to see Kady sitting with Chris. She'd noticed that Kady had gone straight to the table that Sterling was sitting at earlier and had figured she'd be safe enough there. Now, though, she wasn't so sure. Chris Harris had always had a somewhat volatile temper, even in high school. Jenna hoped that Kady would behave herself, so as not to draw the wrath of Chris.
"Morning all. What are we having?" Jenna asked politely.
After they'd all ordered, the silence that descended on the table got to the point of being painful. Sterling was amusing himself by staring out the window, with sneaking glances at Kady who was sitting as far away from her father as she could get without falling off her seat. He briefly wondered if asking Chris to sit with them had been a good idea but then remembered about the kick she'd given him earlier. Her discomfort was easing his pain... in a way.
"So... Jarrett gave you some time off, huh?" Sterling asked Chris, trying to break the tension and his own boredom.
"In a way, yeah." Chris nodded, knowing Jarrett was going to chew him out about being gone so long as soon as he got back.
"You did a runner like Kady." Sterling surmised, receiving a nod of agreement from Chris.
"Didn't really have time to discuss options for time off. Lily was convinced that Kady was in trouble." He shrugged.
"And I would've been if Sterling hadn't been around. Amazing what having a guy around does to change your life." Kady put in, aiming the dig at her father's lack of presence in her life.
"No kidding. If I'd been around, I would've taken you over my knee and spanked the hell out of you if you'd tried something like this." Chris replied, not letting her push his buttons.
"Whoa, no stories of possible child abuse, man. I'm about to eat." Sterling butted back into the conversation, playing peacemaker for some weird reason.
Silence once again forced itself upon them but soon they had an excuse for it – their breakfast arrived and they each began to eat. Sterling ate quickly, knowing he had somewhere to be later that day and a lengthy drive to get there. Once he was finished, he got to his feet and surveyed the two people in front of him.
"I don't mean to dine and dash but I've got a show to get to. Nice meeting you, Kady. Chris... uh... it's been real, man. Bye." He waved as he began to walk away.
"Hey, wait a second! You can't leave!" Kady called out. Sterling stopped and turned back to look at her.
"You're right." He nodded as he stepped back towards the table. Once he was there, he pulled his wallet from his pocket and slipped a couple of bills out of it. "I forgot to pay. All good now?"
"No. This is so very not good." Kady told him seriously.
"Sorry, kid, nothing I can do. I already missed one show for you, can't justify missing another." He told her before walking away. He didn't look back as he left the diner and made his way to his car.
"I can't believe this. Asshole." Kady muttered as she watched him drive out of the diner's parking lot.
"Chill out. He has a job to do." Chris stated.
"Oh, yeah, just like you did when you walked out on me and mom, huh? Hope his one doesn't last thirteen years." Kady retorted. Chris put down his cutlery and looked squarely at his daughter.
"Go ahead, get it all out because I'm not going anywhere now. Whether you want to accept it or not, I'm your father and I have a right to be part of your life, no matter how much you hate me." He told her seriously. Kady put down her own cutlery and pushed her chair back.
"You may be here. Doesn't mean I have to be." She told him as she stood up.
"Kady, sit down, damn it." Chris ordered.
Kady stood staring at him for a moment before spotting Danny sitting at the counter. He saw her and did a quick thumbs up sign, reminding her of the plan they'd come up with the night before. Groaning, Kady sat back down and picked up her cutlery, deciding to distract herself by finishing up her breakfast. Chris leaned back and watched her, the two not communicating in anyway for several minutes of painfully awkward, dull silence. He always had wondered how she had turned out, and now that he knew, it wasn't so easy to imagine being back in her life. He thought it would be harder dealing with Lily than it would be dealing with Kady, though he never thought she turned out like this. But the opposite had occured – he was getting along as well as he could with Lily, and with Kady things had gone beyond hell.
"You're not gonna make this easy, are you?" he stated the obvious.
"Why should I?" was her surprisingly tame response. "You never made my life easy. I've never had a father before, forgive me if I seem a little rusty on my affection skills."
"Right, and—" Chris paused before he rushed into engaging her in another battle. Kady was a smart girl, he knew that much already, as he always suspected she would be. He looked out the window, and at the motel not too far in the distance, where presumably Lily was still hiding from the torments of Sterling. Something had to be done about this before it got even more out of control, if that was at all possible. "Kady, this isn't all my fault you know... I did try to find you."
"Yeah, for what, a month? Mom said..." she scoffed, accepting the bullshit for what it was worth.
"And you believe her? After all those lies you were complaining that she fed you over the years, you believe her on the idea that I never cared about you or thought about you?"
"The only difference, jackass, is that I have thirteen years of not knowing you as proof that she wasn't lying about that." Kady tensed up. The plan was to play nice with him, but Chris was too infuriating! Maybe she was getting in over her head – maybe she and Danny needed to sit down and work out the plans in a bit more detail, because already she felt like she was losing control.
"Right. Whatever she said... Kady, it's not true. I never stopped loving you."
"Whatever. You never proved you loved me either. Maybe that's why I'm so fucked up now, right?"
"Nah, you're fucked up because Lily was too weak to set the rules. She's pathetic. I tried to find you, Kadence. It's true, I've got all the documents to prove it – she kept me from you. She's the liar, Kady, not me."
She stared at him with total contempt and disbelief for this blatant attempt to get her to accept this crap and absolve him completely of responsibility. What, did he think she'd jump into his arms and start calling him 'daddy' and crying how much she loves him and never wants him to leave? Did he really think she was that stupid?
"That's complete bullshit!" she snapped. "You left me and mom, not the other way around. It's not like you gave her a choice, anyway! What, like none of this is your fault? You have the nerve to blame mom for everything, calling her the liar when you have so not even proven to me that you're not? Fuck you, I've known her all my life so I know when she's lying to me. You, I've known less than a God damn week and I don't know anything about you. I don't wanna know anything about you. At least mom never left me, you sick fuck." This was not going to plan for Kady at all, but again he was pushing her to her limits. Little did she know that it was his intention to do so for a soon-to-be obvious purpose. "Don't you dare start that 'it's-none-of-my-fault' crap, because I know for a damn fact that it is ALL YOUR FAULT! I don't give a damn about you, or mom... I don't care anymore!"
Chris calmly listened to her strong words, and at the moment Kady finished she instantly regretted that little rant. Too emotional. She let him suck her in to this again, and that was exactly what Danny had told her to avoid at all costs, at least in the beginning. He told her to always be in control of her emotions, because that's the only way she could win.
"You know, for as smart as you are Kady, you really can be totally blind sometimes..."
"What?"
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't care about your mom."
Kady's jaw dropped. No he didn't... Chris had played out a completely, wonderfully executed mind game with her. "What?" she repeated.
"You heard me," he replied, his voice still monotone; calm. "You see, from what I just heard you've completely contradicted yourself, Kady. You care about Lily a lot, I know. And you can hate me as much as you want but, if you do something that would hurt her then I know you would regret it. You'd hate yourself for it. And I stick by what I said; I'm not leaving. Now – look me in the eyes and tell me you really hate your mother, and mean it. If you can, I'll stand up and walk out of this diner right now and you'll never see me again."
At first registering those last words, Kady's heart gave a leap of joy in her chest, but the feeling was extremely short lived. For once in a very long time, she was almost speechless from what he'd just done. Determined not to let him beat her, Kady inhaled deeply and looked at him as coldly as she could.
"I really hate my mother," she told him, her voice wavering a little. "Both of you can rot in hell for all I care. You can leave now. Your mind game didn't work, Chris."
He smiled and shook his head, stubbornly. "You know what? I don't believe you. And I know you don't either."
Kady usually had a quick comeback for practically every insult, or some smart ass comments that were thrown away, but this one left her completely stunned. Chris had taken a huge risk with her then, but it proved to pay off because she was visibly thinking of his words. He stood up and dropped a few dollar notes on the table, having finished what he came here to do, and stepped away from the table.
"Think about it," he told her and walked off, leaving his daughter sitting alone at the table, dumbfounded. After a few moments, Kady let out a small, frustrated scream. Not long after that, Danny slid into the seat across the table from her and placed his plate down in front of him.
"So... what was that all about?" Danny asked, raising some scrambled eggs to his mouth.
"He played me! The asshole actually fucking played me." Kady admitted, trying to work out how it had happened.
"Say what?" Danny wondered. He'd never before seen anyone capable of getting around Kady's brains, or quick witted mouth.
"He worked me around and practically made me admit that I don't hate my mother." Kady replied, slowly realizing that her task of playing her parents might not be so easy.
"I'm doomed. There's no way he'll fall for me playing nice with him." She figured.
"So don't play nice with him." Danny shrugged.
"What am I supposed to do, then? Just let him get away with this?" Kady asked, sure that that wouldn't happen, no matter what Danny said.
"Of course not. He's got you to the point of saying you don't hate Lily. Fine. Go with that. Next time you talk to him, tell him he's right, you don't hate your mother. Before that, though, you need to work on Lily." Danny figured.
"What is it with guys being fucking cryptic today? I've already had to deal with that bullshit from Sterling, please just come right out and say what you mean." Kady pleaded slightly.
"Well, the way I see it, you have the perfect situation in which to play Chris and Lily off against each other. Play nice with Lily, tell her you don't hate her or whatever, right. Then, tell her what Chris said about her. I think I heard the word 'pathetic' mentioned somewhere in his rantings, am I right?" Danny explained.
"Yeah. He said she was weak and pathetic. Basically said she was the one that kept me away from him and that he has tried to find me, over the years." Kady mused, wondering if it was true, if he had tried to find her.
"So, tell Lily that. Tell her how horrible Chris thinks she is. She'll go have it out with him which will solve your problem of them ganging up on you. They'll be at each other's throats so much they'll leave you alone. Simple." Danny smirked. Kady thought it over.
"That might be crazy enough to work. I guess any thing's worth a try."
"What are you two conspiring about?" Jenna asked, coming to clear up the empty plates from the table, as well as take the money that Sterling and Chris had left.
"Nothing, mom. We were just talking about how great it is to see Kady's folks getting along so well." Danny told his mother, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Sure, son. And you're on the honor roll." Jenna retorted, knowing he was lying.
"Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." Kady smiled sweetly at Jenna, hoping that she'd be believed more than Danny.
"Kady, when you two put your heads together, things usually end up worse than what they were to start with. Whatever it is that you're planning, you'd better be ready to face the consequences of your actions." Jenna warned before walking away.
"Consequences... whatever. Deal with them when they happen." Kady figured. Danny nodded and continued eating.
"I can't believe Sterling bailed and left me with Chris." Kady sighed.
"Classic. What'd you do to him?" Danny wondered. Kady shrugged, thinking over everything that had happened so far this morning.
"I guess it was to get me back because I kicked him. But he deserved it! The sick fuck was talking about seeing my mother in nothing but a towel. He enjoyed it a little too much, if you ask me." Kady reasoned. Danny almost choked on his food.
"I'm sure there's an interesting story there." He laughed.
"What was more interesting was watching mom freak and run out of here when she saw Sterling earlier. It was priceless." Kady replied, actually giggling slightly at the memory.
"Aw, man. Sorry I missed it." Danny groaned.
"Did you have a good run?" Kady asked, remembering why he hadn't been with her when it happened.
"Yeah, not bad. Got chased by Mr Jenkins' dog for about a block. He should muzzle that thing."
"Or you should give up running. What's the point, anyway?" Kady pointed out.
"To stay fit. As soon as I hit 18, I'm signing up to the nearest wrestling school and training my ass off." Danny reminded.
"Weak, dude. Why the hell would you want to be a wrestler? They're a mental breed."
"What, even Sterling?" Danny asked, an eyebrow raised. She didn't want to admit that he made a good point.
"Yes, even Sterling. He and Chris are both very good examples of how badly mental wrestlers are." She stated. Danny shook his head.
"Sterling seemed more real than Chris." He pointed out.
"Still mental." Kady retorted with a smirk. Danny laughed and gave up on arguing about it. The notion he had given her was that while Chris and Lily were somewhat peacefully coexisting to work together for the benefit of their daughter, Kady and the set plan of revenge was screwed. And what her best friend suggested made sense now that she thought about it – her parents had spent all her life hating each other, so it shouldn't be too difficult to shatter.
"So is there any chance that you'd ever forgive your dad?" Danny asked, casually. Because he had never seen Kady with such hate and aggressiveness to anyone, including her mother, he didn't know what she was capable of doing at this point. Having her father, whom she had never met, suddenly walk into her life trying to make it as if he had ever right to parent her now really must have screed her up even further if that was possible. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what she was thinking as he sat there and watched her stare out the window.
"No," she stated. "The screwed up thing is, I've always wanted to know who he was... now I wish he'd get the hell out of my life."
"Good. Just making sure you weren't turning soft on me."
"Now, why would you think that?"
"Because for once you actually seem to be thinking pretty damn hard. Anything you wanna talk about?"
Kady sipped her drink sighed, wishing none of this had happened. Why couldn't they simply let her be the dark, moody freak that she wanted to be and leave her alone? Whatever issues her mother and Chris had to sort out with each other; why did they have to make this about her? It was all about her, as we all know, but in her screwed up head, it didn't need to be. Chris had already practically got her to admit that she does have some level of care for Lily... that only proved to her that he wasn't as stupid as she thought him to be, and that he probably would be able to see right through anything she tried to pull. A superior force was what she was dealing with... at least in her head.
"No, I got it." She stood up.
"Where are you going now?"
"I better find mom before Chris gets to her again..."
At the motel, Chris had been there to see if Lily was okay and to let her know what had just happened with Kady. Needless to say, she was shocked at the notion that her daughter spared some sort of spot in her almost blackened heart for care for her mother. After years of not receiving a lot of love from Kady, Lily had almost given up on ever expecting reciprocated love that any mother would want from their child.
"It just seems so... unreal, ya know?" she commented, closing the door behind her and stepped out into the sunlight where he had been waiting for her while she grabbed her purse. "In close to three years I haven't seen anything that could resemble love, especially towards me."
"She's been that bad, huh?"
"You don't know the half of it."
"Well, I'd sure as hell like to," Chris told her, seriously, with some hope that she'd finally relent. They were okay, so far, but they still hadn't discussed her being comfortable with him being back in Kady's life; it wasn't a taboo subject, but they hadn't got around to speaking about it. "I got a lot to make up to her, Lil. And I don't wanna drag you into court to be able to do so."
"It's not that simple, Chris. You know it isn't. I can't make Kady want to spend time with you, and I certainly can't make her love you – no one can," she explained, with a touch of sadness. "She's been so angry at you for years, it'd be hard for her to get over it in just a few days."
"I know that part. I just can't miss probably the last opportunity I'll ever have to get to know her, you understand that, right?" he approached her, deadly serious about his intentions for Kady.
Lily gazed out across the road and around at the surrounding environment, contemplating what that could mean for her. On a professional level she could probably coexist with him quite well... but on a personal level? The only reason they weren't killing each other now was because both were focused on maintaining peace for the sake of bringing Kady back and sorting out the issues with her. Chris had done in a few days, more than Lily had achieved in years of being with Kady, and that was to reach her.
"Just think about it," he added. "That's all I'm asking."
Lily nodded, making a non-verbal agreement to do so, which satisfied Chris to the point where he dropped the subject completely, and it was a good thing too because it was then that Kady came around the corner and stopped at the sight of her parents hanging outside together, not yelling or screaming... just standing outside and talking. It was kind of weird. Lily, seeing Chris staring over her shoulder, looked back and saw Kady staring back. She approached her parents with caution and stopped on one of the front steps that lead to the manager's office of the crappy motel.
"Hey," Lily greeted her softly, not daring to reach out to her. "You okay, baby?"
"I'm fine," Kady replied, calmly. "What's going—" she stopped when she looked at Chris, who was smirking at her and then she realized. The bastard had already told Lily what had happened in the diner, and God knows what else he said about her since they parted ways. She could feel the blood rushing from her face as the full impact of the fact that once again Chris had wrecked her attempt to get revenge on them. So she did the only thing a girl in her position could do – she let out a piercing scream; Lily and Chris both had to cover their ears until she was done.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Kady yelled, storming down the steps and over to Chris, shoving him quite violently. "What the hell did you do?"
"Just having an interesting talk with your mom," he replied, knowing full well that she'd think it would have something to do with what he had done to her in the diner.
"You know what he said about you in the diner?" Kady asked Lily, incredulously. Her mother nodded.
"I know what he was trying to do. Things didn't turn out like you hoped, did they?" she responded.
Chris rolled his eyes and acted with total non-commitment, looking back at Lily who was actually smiling (a little smile), at this. She couldn't believe he was right; he had fully caught Kady out in her act. What act that was, she wasn't quite sure...
"Kady, we both know the stunts you're trying to pull," he said. "And after you practically admitted that you're still human and do care about Lily—"
"I never said that!"
"You didn't have to," Chris snapped and again blocked her attempt to hit him, catching her arm and twisting it behind her back very lightly, just enough to keep her still.
"OWW!"
"Shut up; quit being such a drama queen, I'm not hurting you and you know it."
Kady then tried to stomp on his foot, but instead Chris lifted her off the ground with ease and carried her, while she yelled and kicked at him, over to the steps again and set her down on the top one.
"If I let you go, will you calm down?"
"Let me go, asshole!" Kady defied, and this time tried to scratch at him but Chris was too strong for her.
"Uh, uh! Play nice."
"Drop dead!"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"I'd love it!"
He dropped her back to her feet but she tripped and went crashing to the ground, glaring at him in disbelief. Her cold, icy eyes locked with his in what turned out to be a bit of a stare down between them; Chris had had enough of her bullshit and was now prepared to meet her on her level, since that was apparently the only way that anyone could reach her. Lily had always refused to get down onto the level which Kady was at, but Chris had no problem with it if it got them results. He was going to beat her at her own game.
"You wanna play mind games with us, Kady, you go right on ahead. You're dealing with the master of manipulation; nothing surprises me anymore."
Lily joined them at this point and stood next to Chris; both of them looking down at Kady, and neither making a move to help her up since she kept insisting that she didn't need either of them. Kady smirked, realizing the power she held that neither of them seemed to know about. She slowly lifted herself on her hands and slung out one leg, catching the back of Chris' ankles. She turned quickly, her momentum making Chris stumble. As he fell, he reached out for something stable to hold onto, only to end up pulling Lily down with him. Now, Kady stood staring down at her parents who were busily trying to untangle themselves from each other. The look on her face told Chris that she was somewhat proud of her actions.
"Clever. Real clever." He stated as he made sure he wasn't actually hurt.
"I'm so sick of this. Aren't you two? I mean, we're getting nowhere here. Why don't we all head back to Florida and work on things there?" Lily mused as she pushed Chris away from her slightly.
"Let's not and say we did." Kady replied with a nonchalant shrug. Chris scoffed.
"Scared?" He teased. Kady glared at him.
"No. I just hate Florida. I belong here in Kentucky." She reasoned.
"Home is where the heart is." Chris smiled, knowing he was still annoying her.
"That would require a person to actually have a heart. Neither of you seem to, so why would I?" Kady shot back seriously.
"Oh, please. Kady, you need to shut the hell up and get over yourself." Chris stated flatly. He was sick of her trying to remind them that everything was their fault. Kady glared at him for a moment before sighing and turning away. She didn't look back as she walked away from her parents, both of them still sitting on the ground.
"Smooth move." Lily shook her head before getting to her feet to go after Kady.
She was determined to get things sorted to the point where they could return to Florida and Lily could go back to work. She was almost positive that she was going to be fired but, she held out hope that it wouldn't happen. Chris watched both of them go, shaking his head at the fact that, once again, Kady was running from her problems. That trait reminded him slightly of Lily when she was younger.
"Kady, honey, wait." Lily called out to her daughter. Kady spared a slight glance over her shoulder, almost groaning aloud.
"Leave me alone. Go back to Florida without me, whatever. I don't give a damn." Kady called back, not slowing down at all.
She walked straight out across a road, not bothering to check for traffic. Unfortunately, Lily didn't make it across as safely. As she stepped out, a blue sedan came speeding up the road and straight into Lily, tires screaming with the pressure of the brakes being applied. Kady spun around and screamed just as the car came to a stop and Lily slid off the bonnet and onto the road.
People around her were gasping and shouting for 911 to be called, but Kady stood there, staring in horror and shock at seeing the smashed windshield, and a sickening amount of blood that was now flowing like rivers from gapping wounds that now scarred Lily's face and other parts of her body. Her clothes were torn, and quickly was her blond hair becoming dyed a deep red, the blood soaking in. The scene became chaotic in a matter of seconds and someone helped the hysterical young driver out while others surrounded the seemingly lifeless body of Lily Myers. Kady could not bring herself to register what happened, let alone cry or do anything as a reaction. She just stood there, staring and trembling.
At that time, Chris came tearing around the corner, having heard the screeching and screaming; the chaos resonating for a long way in every direction. He stopped at the side of the road, seeing a whole group of people gathering around a car which now had a huge dent in it, and the windshield was completely shattered. Blood was everywhere. It was truly the most horrifically sickening sight he had ever seen, and he had been in some pretty brutal matches. But this was on a whole new level, for the one reason that this was reality.
Not being able to see who exactly was the victim, Chris looked over to the other side of the road, and saw his daughter standing there completely frozen, looking at the scene. Her expression was stoned in disbelief. He realized that Kady had seen the whole thing.
"Holy shit..." he whispered and snapped himself back to reality and ran across the road, maneuvering around people as they all went to get a better look at what happened. Sick bastards. When Chris got to Kady, she didn't notice him and still stared straight ahead, with no acknowledgment what so ever. He stood in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently.
"Kadence? Kady, baby?" he pleaded with her to come back to him, fearing that she was going into shock or something. Kady wasn't responding to him, so he lightly tapped her on her cheek. "KADY?"
That brought her out of it and she looked at him, and a solitary tear slid down her cheek, and she didn't even need to say anything. Despite very weak resistance from Kady at first, Chris pulled her to him and for the first time since she was ten months old, embraced his child. So shaken was Kady that she couldn't put up much of a fight and fell against him, slipping her arms around him and sobbing openly. The screams and yelling was still going on and he looked further around, remembering that Lily had gone after Kady only seconds ago. Chris' heart almost stopped completely. Where the hell was Lily?
"Kady?" he pulled back a little to look at her. "Kady, where's Lily? Where's your mother?"
"I... I didn't... I couldn't stop it..." Kady stammered and started hyperventilating. "I couldn't stop it... Chris, I—"
"Wait, wait... what?"
"I... she... so fast... it happened so fast!"
Kady's hysterics returned and Chris needed her to say nothing more, and this time without his encouragement, the girl hugged him and cried. He knew what had happened and looked back to the accident, and then down at his daughter, and then up again. Ambulances were fast approaching now as well as police cars; all around them people were crying or turning to others for support. Chris felt his knees almost giving out underneath him, but remained standing because he was holding onto his child. Nothing could stop the tears from him either, as it took Lily getting in an accident to get Kady back in his arms again? He placed a kiss on top of her head and whispered a few words of comfort to her as she cried.
"Fuck..." he breathed, not knowing how to react or what to do. "God damn it, Lily..."
A/N2: A shocking end to this chapter. Does Lily survive the accident? And how does Kady cope with it all? You'll have to read on to find out! (Cue Lizzie's evil laughter...) Leave a review to let us know what you think. As always, constructive criticism is accepted and flames will be used to toast marshmellows. Thanks. Phoenix
