CHAPTER 12-LENA AND THE BABYSITTERS
~~Thank you again for the follows and favorites. I wanted to share that I have two 8tracks playlists for this story. One is Jessica's personal playlist titled "I'm way too sober for this" and a playlist for she and Baz titled "No one fucks with my girl". Both are in a collection tab for easier finding of just going through my profile (RatedRReanna). That is if you want to check them out and what not but that is all~~Reanna.
Smurf had gone Javi yesterday in order to figure out exactly what he wanted. She didn't want to but it seemed as if he was starting to dig up old wounds. After hearing about Manny's passing, Smurf figured that it was going to come down to something. Whether it ended with her or involved the family, there was something to figure out.
If a war was brewing she would come out of the winning end no matter what it cost. She promised to pay him whatever he wanted because she honestly didn't believe the tapes that he was talking about. Manny would have been filled with drugs which would make the recording a possible lie but he wasn't taking the risk. She reached out to Craig's Father but began to keep mostly everything under wrap. J had knew a little bit about it as Smurf had taken him on a little adventure but he was still in the dark.
Smurf had been sitting on one of the patio chairs thinking a lot of things over. She wanted her children to go on a little job to prove their loyalty to her and she was trying to think of the bet way to go. She would do whatever it took to get them in on it but it was only a matter of time to put that in motion. Smurf thinking had been rudely interrupted when she heard strides coming towards her.
"You can't keep showing up here Javi..." Smurf said turning her attention to the young man who stood far away from her.
Javi cracked his neck faintly and kept his hands tucked in his pockets. He still had a lot to discuss with her but she seemed to be avoiding it. "You gonna call the cops on me?" He asked pulling one of the chairs out to sit down. "We need to talk"
"We had a pretty good discussion last time we spoke so I don't see a reason to"
He knew that she was going to shrug everything off but he was prepared for it. "You know Manny said some pretty interesting things while on his death bed. You know all about that right?"
Leaning back, she was playing it coolly. "He's dead Javi; there is no reason to keep bringing up old wounds"
Smurf had her reasons for wanting to avoid all of his questions. She had been responsible for his Father's death and she did kick him out when he had no one else. Javi only wanted money and to make her realize the mistakes that she had made. At least that was what her mind was trying to trick her into but Javi wanted to make her pay any way he could.
It was silent for a little while until Javi spoke. "So you know about the tapes then?"
"What tapes?" Smurf asked blinking behind her sunglasses.
Knowing it would catch her off guard, Javi had wanted to say it randomly out of the blue on purpose. It would be nice to hold something against her that would eat her alive. "The tapes that Manny left behind. He said everything that happened when you all worked together...Including the death of my Dad. Funny isn't it? I was left in the dark about it all until now"
Standing up slowly, Smurf felt completely baffled by the revelation but could keep a poker face. It wasn't going to matter much to her anyway. "I don't see what's funny about it Javi, there's no truth to any of that"
"Oh no?" He stood up as well and got face to face with her. Javi reached her sunglasses and pulled them away to look her right in the eye. "You didn't kill my Dad?"
"You're going to believe a guy who was on his deathbed talking to some stupid recorder while high out of his mind? I've been there with Jessica before and all it is is nonsense"
He narrowed his eyes at her remark and didn't say anything. Javi walked past her and behind her slowly. Leaning forward, he took a breath by her neck and she turned faintly to see him.
"You smell exactly the same way you did back then..." Smurf launched herself forward to get away from him and to face him again.
"What the hell do you want? Money, is that it? Whatever you want I can give you. Name your price"
"Grandma Smurf!" Lena called out as she and Jessica were coming into the patio from the back gate. She had ran over to her Grandmother but hid behind her like before.
"I want three hundred thousand...If you don't give it to me you'll be seeing me real soon" Tossing the sunglasses onto the chair, Javi glanced at Lena before giving a stern look to Smurf.
Stepping away from her, he walked over towards Jessica and gave her a look over. She paused at the thought but moved inside. Smurf had brought Lena in as well. "She wanted to wear her favorite shirt which she said is here"
Jessica had faintly sat on one the kitchen stools where she looked towards her granddaughter. Lena had agreed and asked if it was okay to go through her clothes in order to find it. Smurf said she would help her find it leaving her daughter to sit in silence. She reappeared with Lena still in her room.
"Decide to change your wardrobe?" She asked glancing at Jessica who had forgot she still had Baz's clothes on.
"Look, I had to spend the night taking care of Lena and I didn't have a change of clothes so I had no choice but to wear this. Don't worry; I've got her for the entire day so whatever you have planned…"
"Why didn't you wear Cath's? I have nothing planned so you can leave her here; Baz put you on babysitting duty now?"
That first part of the sentence made Jessica not want to answer her. There would be no way in hell that she would wear Catherine's clothes especially with her missing. That would make no sense in any way shape or form. She thought to herself "Yeah, I'm going to wear her clothes alright. I'm wearing your missing girlfriend's clothes in your house, taking care of your kid while I'm trying to hook up with you". Jessica shook her head faintly but moved on.
"What's with Javi coming around? I don't remember him coming around here even when we dated"
With that piece of information being brought back into her mind, Smurf had a whole idea already forming. "How close are you to Javi?" She questioned placing her elbows on the counter and leaning towards her.
Making a confused face, Jessica shook her head one more. "Not close, we dated when we were like twenty or something, that's the first time I saw him in like ten years…What's going on?"
Jessica knew it had to be some kind of trouble if she was asking how long has it been since she saw him. Smurf wanted something but she didn't know exactly what she needed. She leaned back momentarily and spoke, "If I needed to get something from Javi, would you be willing to get it for me?"
After telling her Mother no to her strange request, it was time to head back to her own apartment. She needed a fresh change of clothes and then it would be time to take Lena to the park and then grocery shopping. Jessica felt it was going to be one of those long days but at least things were running smoothly.
The park on the beach was Lena's favorite place to play because most of her friends from school would go there. It was close to everything within Oceanside and had a beautiful view of the ocean so Jessica had no complaints going. Sitting down on one of the benches, she brought her legs up and put her sunglasses on as the sun was beaming down on her. It was now her own quiet time so she pulled a paperback from her beach bag and began to read it.
"Mind if I join you? You look like you could use some company" Javi had returned which had made her jump slightly. He laughed faintly as she looked around. "Sorry if I scared you, I thought you heard me coming up"
Shaking her head lightly, she began to move over but Javi was already taking no for an answer. It wasn't much of a problem to her but she remembered the conversation she had with Smurf hours ago.
"You're looking good lately..." He said eyeing her up like before.
Pausing, she closed her book and shoved it back into her bag. "I always look good, you just don't remember" Jessica joked around then focused her attention on the children who were playing in the park. "What's with you having no hair? You look cuter with it"
"I got older so I decided to change my look up. You have all these tattoos so what are you talking about?"
She could feel his eyes on her again and it was making her a little curious. After going back to her apartment and occupying Lena with something, Jessica decided to wear something that always made her feel good. It was a white onesie with light blue pants on top of it. It was a very beachy look, especially with her hair down and her tan glowing. Most of her tattoos were on display and it took her a moment to remember that she only had two when they dated.
"Is that your kid with Baz?" He asked now moving his eyes away from her. Javi knew it wasn't as Smurf had told him yesterday but he was asking anyway.
Raising an eyebrow she answered, "No that's his kid with his girlfriend...I'm not about to have a baby with my brother. I know you know how dysfunctional this family is and that isn't on my list any time soon"
That had Javi smirk a little but he knew better. It was the partial truth for Jessica however though it came down to Lena. He wasn't going to know the extent of their relationship but it was right on the child part. She wasn't willing to even have a baby nor with it be the Father of the year. Jessica was smarter than that and Baz was a prime example of not being a fit parent. She wasn't near it either as often as she fell off the wagon but it was what it was.
"So what did you do, follow me here? I mean you have no kid to watch so I know for a fact you want to talk to me about something"
"I didn't know it was a crime to catch up with someone...I wanted to know how you were doing. You were going to rehab for the second time last I knew and I wanted to see for myself"
Once again Jessica wasn't stupid and knew that wasn't what he wanted. Smurf had asked her to get close to Javi in order to rip those recordings out from underneath him. She told her Mother that she wasn't getting pulled into something that wasn't her mess and refused to do so. He had a whole planned in his head that he was executing and it wasn't going to be easy...At least for anyone but him.
"I'm fine, I just got out again but I'm still standing, that is all that matters" Jessica reached for her phone to check the time because she had to still go to the store.
"Going somewhere?" Javi asked focusing all of his attention back on her for a moment. He looked up and down the beach but she had been collecting her things.
Nodding, she answered him, "Yeah I gotta get shopping and give Lena back over t Baz in a few hours...It's been nice seeing you again"
Jessica had waved in Lena's direction to tell her it was time to go but she stopped in the middle of it. Something had felt off for a weird reason and she couldn't place her finger on what. Looking through the crowd made up of mothers and children, there was at least once man sitting on a bench to her far left. One of the kids could have been his but none of them had resembled him. Lena looked more like Catherine than Baz so it was a bad assumption but there was something that still was unnerving to her.
"Come on Lena, we have to go get some groceries and then some ice cream as usual" She called out and slung her bag over her shoulder. Javi had placed his hand on her upper arm with a pretty good grip which made her turn to see him.
"I want something from Smurf and I don't know if she's willing to hand it over" There was a darker tone in his voice and a different look on his face.
"Whatever issue you have is with her and not with me Javi. Let go of my arm"
"Or what? What are you going to do about it? I want my money"
Pulling her arm back, her bag went flying onto the ground spilling everything that was inside of it out. Huffing, Jessica ignored him and bent down to pick up her belongings. Javi looked towards everyone again to see if anyone caught it then he bent down as well to help her.
"You tell your lying bitch of a Mother that I want my money and I'm going to take things away little by little until I get it"
She had caught his gaze but didn't say anything. Jessica rushed to throw everything in her bag and get Lena out of there. Her gut feeling was right and it needed to be fulfilled.
After her strange encounter with Javi, Jessica wanted to get Lena home quickly. She felt that she had to take her grocery shopping because she still didn't want to leave her at Smurf's. Baz had texted her asking her not to take her there because he was having problems with her as usual. She also didn't want to send her there just in case Javi went back there. She ended up having to go between the store and her apartment but now night began falling.
After an having the entire day for the two girls, it was time for Jessica to retire for the night and take her back to Baz's but there was one problem...
She had no choice but to park her car down the street from his house and pick Lena up. Jessica maneuvered through some sidewalks trying to lose the suspicious man from before. It occurred to her that Javi must have put someone on watch not only on her but the rest of the family as well. He probably already knew where Baz lived but she had her niece to watch over for now.
Sneaking into the house from the back door, Jessica called out to tell him they were back and that she needed to talk to him. Instead she was faced with Pope sitting on the couch with perfect posture.
"Where is Baz at?" She asked which prompted him to turn around.
"I don't know, you tell me" He answered before standing up to greet Lena.
Jessica asked her if she wouldn't mind watching some TV while she spoke to her brother. She was beyond furious and it was easily read on her face because Baz promised he'd be back.
Lena was excited to watch one of her favorite shows so she hopped over to the couch while Pope walked over and sat on one of the stools. Jessica took her place behind the counter and rubbed her head slowly.
"She's not giving you a hard time is she? Lena does fine with me and I can talk to her if you want"
She shook her head slowly. "No, our idiot brother said he'd be here tonight and instead he's off sleeping with another girl while we sit here and take care of his daughter"
There was a lot trying to process through her mind and Pope couldn't deny what she said. He figured that she found out about last night but he didn't know exactly who the woman was she was referring to. It was getting old of him having to cover for Baz but enjoyed the company that his niece brought him especially since no one knows about Catherine's strange disappearance.
"Anyway, Javi is up to something and I swear to you that someone was following me all day since I took her to the park" She said lowly then checked to make sure Lena was watching TV.
That made Pope look as well before facing her with a confused and lost expression. "Javi? That kid Smurf watched over for a couple of months? Why is he hanging around?"
Jessica now had no choice but to have to explain everything from the moment she first saw him to Smurf's request and now the park incident. It trouble Pope as he would do anything for his family especially his niece. He wasn't worried much about Smurf but for the other females in the Cody bunch as well. As they were quietly discussing everything, Baz walked in the front door, paused for a second after seeing them but went to his room without a hello.
"Oh look who finally decided to show up…" Pope called out waiting for him to step back out.
The way Baz was carrying himself spoke volumes and they both knew that something had gone on. He was clearly furious about something and neither one of them cared enough to ask. The Cody siblings had to fill him in on the situation going on but he wasn't going to be in the mood to hear it.
"What's your problem? Didn't get laid like you wanted to?" Jessica questioned with an amused facial expression. Baz had given her a glare which made her lean back and cross her arms. "You said you were going to be here once I dropped her off"
"I'm here now so what is the problem?" He said with a clear attitude in his voice.
Pope kept quiet and instead checked on Lena once again. She had been turning the volume up on the TV and he was just hoping she was going to ignore whatever was going on. It looked like the two were going to get into some sort of heated argument.
"My problem is I have an issue on my hands and involves you, I, your daughter and everyone in this family and you aren't even here. What did she do? Tell you how boring you were in bed?" She wondered knowing it stemmed from Lucy but couldn't help but joke either.
With Lucy arriving from Mexico that had taken Baz completely off guard as she didn't say a word she was coming. She questioned him on Catherine and where she was. Obviously Lucy didn't take it kindly that he was still tied down to her and then there was the matter of meeting Jessica this morning was annoying to her. She believed something was up but Baz wouldn't say if anything was. He was frustrated that she giving him up easily until he figured out what it was that he exactly wanted.
Baz was used to getting his way and it wasn't going in his favor. It had been a long day between the two of them and he didn't want Pope or Jessica jumping on his back for being at least twenty minutes late. Tightening his jaw, he asked what she wanted to tell him and she started with the Javi thing.
It only took at least two minutes before the room exploded into complete chaos. Baz stopped her before marching towards Lena who once again had been turning up the sound. Ripping the remote from her hand, he threw it against the wall in which it broke it two. Lena had jumped from the reaction and it made the other two jump and turn as well. "Your Aunt is trying to talk and I can't hear her because this is so loud!" He had already begun walking back over to them and Pope was the first to say anything.
"Lena go get your jacket, we can go on a walk or something…It's okay, go get your jacket" He reassured her and she ran as quick as she could into her bedroom.
He waited until she was gone before whipping back around at Baz. "What the hell is your problem? You had no reason to do that"
Taking his place next to Jessica he placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward towards him. Pope narrowed his eyes at his brother and spoke again, "You didn't have to scream at her like that"
"Oh yeah? You have some more parenting tips for me?" Jessica could tell that the hostility was growing fast and she acted on it. She tugged at Baz's arm to pull him back but he moved his arm back.
"Yeah, kids don't like it when you scream at them or scared the shit out of them either"
"You know what Pope? Why don't you get your shit together before trying to tell me how to take care of my daughter…You know nothing about this because no one will ever have a kid with you, ever!"
Jessica's had gasped out of shock by his words and it made her jaw partially drop. She couldn't believe what he told Pope and the look on his face killed her. She knew it bothered him considering that he had been taking care of Lena according to everyone lately.
"Come on Lena…Let's go" He said rising from the stool and moving towards the front door. Lena had trailed behind him once he called her and Jessica waited until they walked out to say anything.
"What the hell is your problem? You had no reason to act like that at all to Lena or Pope!" She could tell her voice was rising.
Baz continued to stare forward and didn't put any attention on her. That made her even angrier and she yanked his arm off of the counter making his other hand slip. He now faced her with a furious look but all she did was stare at him with her storm cloud eyes.
They stared each other down and Baz didn't have anything to say. "You know, I really have been giving you the benefit of the doubt because Cath's gone but now I'm starting to piece everything together. Be a Father to her already, she needs you. I'm not going to keep coming over here every single time you call for someone to watch her Baz. Get it together"
Jessica took a pause from what she was saying and looked away. There were a thousand things she could say but she was trying her best not to say too much. "Pope isn't a parent, I'm not a parent. Stop relying on us and take care of Lena because she deserves the world right now"
"Now you are trying to give me parenting advice?" Baz finally asked and that made her pause. She knew it was going to go the same way it just did for Pope but she didn't think he would stoop so low. "You're Mother doesn't even care about you and you've never had a Dad in your life"
Biting her tongue, Jessica couldn't help it and decided the next best thing to do. Raising her hand, she slapped him as hard as she could before shoving at him to move out of the way. When he didn't budge, she went around the island but Baz rubbed his cheek and moved in that direction.
"I swear to God if you don't get out of my way…" There was a minor tremble in her voice but she kept her composure. It wasn't unknown that Jessica had parental issues and it had affected her greatly throughout her entire life. She just couldn't believe he would go so low and say it when she had never said anything about his life before the Cody's.
Ramming her shoulder into his to make him move, she shoved him back before wiping her eye quickly for him not to see it. It had taken Baz a minute to realize what transpired and he honestly couldn't believe he said it. "Jess…"
Shaking her head, she ripped the door open then turned around. "No…Don't call me, don't text me, don't even come near me. I'm done, I didn't come over here to get disrespected by someone who I…" She cut herself off and looked at him. "Go to hell Baz"
Slamming the door shut with ferocity, there was now another piece of the problem to solve. Jessica jogged down the stairs and walked slowly down the sidewalk before picking up her pace into little hops. She wanted to get out of there before he tried to apologize. In all honestly she thought he was going to but he never did.