Thanks so much for the reviews! This chapter is pretty dark and if you are a Frank/Julie shipper, you aren't going to like this chapter! Let me know what you think!
Julie Cooper remembered the day that Ryan had warned her about his father but she had obviously not listened, otherwise she would not be standing on the front porch of the Cohen's house with a black eye and a busted lip. Kaitlin stood beside her holding Blake who slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of what had taken place between his mother and father just a few hours earlier.
"Kaitlin, I don't think we should have came here!" Julie said between tears, hesitating before ringing the doorbell.
"Mom, we can't stay at home, at least not tonight. You don't know what he'll do! " The fear showed in Kaitlin's eyes as she spoke. Julie looked at Kaitlin, not sure how in just a couple of years timing her troubled teen had turned into a smart, responsible young woman, then rang the doorbell.
"They must not be home!" Julie said only after a second and turned to go but the door opened before she could move.
"Julie?!" Sandy said shocked as he opened the door. Julie froze as she heard Sandy's voice. She did not feel like facing her best friend at the moment but her best friend's self righteous husband was the last person she wanted to talk to.
"Oh thank God!" Kaitlin said and hugged Sandy, being careful not to wake her little brother. Sandy stood there a moment confused but hugged Kaitlin back.
"Julie, what's goin' on? I mean I'm happy to see you guys but what's wrong?" Sandy had never been a big fan of Julie Cooper's but after she had been nice enough to offer her home to them after their house had been demolished in the earthquake he had a newfound respect for her, so he knew there was definitely something wrong.
"Sandy, I…." Julie began as she slowly turned around, fresh tears springing to her eyes when she saw the look of shock come over Sandy's face.
"Oh My God Julie, are you ok? Did Frank do this to you?" Sandy asked, moving aside to let them in.
"Yeah!" Julie cried. Sandy rapped his arms around her and she crumbled.
"Summer, take Sophie to her room!" Sandy called into the living room, not wanting his daughter to see what was going on.
"All right Mr. C!" Summer yelled back. Once Sandy heard the door to Sophie's room close he led Julie into the living room where he sat her on the sofa then went to the kitchen to retrieve Kirsten.
"Hey, what's goin' on? Who was at the door?" Kirsten asked as she peeled vegetables.
"Julie, Kaitlin, and Blake. Frank hit her!" Sandy's voice was grave.
"Oh God!" Kirsten said and quickly headed into the living room. "Julie, are you all right?" Kirsten asked as she sat down on the sofa beside of her and rapped her arms around her.
"Oh Kiki!" Julie cried into Kirsten's shoulder.
"Everything will be all right! You guys can stay here as long as you need. It's a little cramped but we'll make it work!"
"Thank you Kirsten!" Julie sobbed. Kirsten gently rubbed Julie's back and glanced over at Kaitlin who sat on the far end of the sofa, holding her little brother closely as he slept. She had a blank stare on her face but her eyes were filled with fear.
"Kaitlin, are you all right? Did he hit you or Blake?" Kirsten asked, already angered at Frank for what he had done to Ryan all those years earlier and now what he had done to one of her closest friends. Ryan! Oh God, what was he going do? Kirsten thought and looked to Sandy who had obviously been thinking the same thing.
"No, Mom wouldn't let him touch us. It was all my fault! I'd taken Blake Christmas shopping and bought him the same thing that Frank had bought him for Christmas. He got really mad and started yelling and grabbed me, but Mom got between us and they started fighting. He hit her and left!" Kaitlin explained as tears streamed down her face.
"Kaitlin, honey, it wasn't your fault!" Julie said, sitting up and placing her hand on Kaitlin's arm. Kaitlin shook her head, not believing her mother. "Honey, I'm so sorry about this!" Julie pulled Kaitlin into a hug and held her closely as he daughter cried into her shoulder.
"Kaitlin, Julie's right, this isn't anyone's fault but Frank's!" Sandy said, the contempt in his voice obvious. Kaitlin did not answered and continued to cry into her mother's shoulder. Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say next.
"Oh My God, Julie, Kaitlin, what's going on?" Taylor asked as she entered the living room, looking paler than usual. Julie glanced up at Taylor answering all of her questions with just one look. "Oh God Julie, I'm so sorry!" Taylor said as she went over and hugged both Kaitlin and Julie.
"Taylor, why don't you take Kaitlin and Blake to your's and Ryan's room and let her put him down? He's probably getting pretty heavy!" Kirsten said, wanting to talk to Julie alone.
"Sure! C'mon Kaitlin, you could probably use some rest too!" Taylor said holding her hand out for Kaitlin. Kaitlin took Taylor's hand and began following her.
"Oh, Kaitlin, here's his diaper bag, he probably needs changing!" Julie said, handing Kaitlin a small black bag that looked more like a purse than a diaper bag.
"I'll change him!" Taylor said, knowing how much Kaitlin hated changing him.
"Thanks!" Kaitlin said, forcing a smile. Taylor nodded as she took the bag from Kaitlin and led her into the bedroom. Sandy and Kirsten then turned their attention to Julie when they knew for sure the kids were out of earshot.
"Julie, have you called the cops? Are you gonna press charges?" Sandy asked, the lawyer in him coming out.
"No, I'm not gonna press charges. I just want him out of my life; out of my kids lives!" Julie stated, subject closed. Sandy nodded, knowing from many years of seeing battered women that most did not want to face their abuser again.
"Julie, was he drunk?" Kirsten asked, already knowing the answer to the question. Julie nodded as she continued to stare straight ahead. Kirsten looked at Sandy, wanting him to tell her what to do next.
"Julie, you and Kaitlin, and Blake are welcome to stay with us. I'd prefer if you did, at least for the night!" Sandy was afraid of what Frank would do if he was to come back to the house that night and find Julie and the kids there.
"I can't stay here, Chrismukkah starts tonight and I don't want to ruin that. I know Seth looks forward to this all year. Besides, you don't have enough room, not with Seth and Summer, and Taylor and Ry….. Oh My God, what am I going to tell Ryan? He can't find out about this!" Julie said quickly getting to her feet and grabbing her purse.
"Julie, you're staying here for a few days, and Ryan is going to find out about this one way or the other. He needs to know, Blake is his little brother too and he doesn't want to see him or Kaitlin, or you hurt! And Chrismukkah will be much better with you, Kaitlin, and Blake here. You know how much Sophie and Blake enjoy each other's company!" Kirsten smiled slightly and pulled Julie into another hug.
"Thank you Kirsten, but there isn't enough room!" Julie said as she wiped at her eyes.
"Don't be silly! Sophie can sleep with us and you and Blake can have her bed, and Kaitlin can sleep on one of the air mattresses!" Sandy said. Julie looked at them both and shook her head.
"I can't!"
"Sure you can! Sophie's bed, it's a full sized bed, and it's really comfortable. As long as you don't mind sleeping on Disney Princess sheets!" Sandy smiled.
"Trust him, he's fallen asleep in there several nights reading her bedtime stories!" Kirsten smiled also.
"All right, thank you all so much! And I'm so sorry that I've ruined your holiday!"
"Julie, we're friends, and family, you're not ruining anything. Chrismukkah will be better with you all here!" Kirsten said as she took Julie's hand and began leading her down the hall.
"I'll go get the air mattress and sheets!" Sandy said as he headed to the hall closet.
"We're gonna get Julie cleaned up!" Kirsten said and led Julie to the bathroom.
"So Frank hit her? Is she ok?" Summer asked Taylor as they sat on Sophie's bed, watching her as she colored a picture of a pony. Taylor had left Kaitlin and Blake sleeping in the room Ryan and she were staying in and went to Sophie's room to tell Summer about what was going on.
"She has a cut lip and her eye is bruised but I think that's all he did to her. Kaitlin is blaming herself with all this and Blake hasn't woken up since they got here!" Taylor explained.
"How do you think Ryan is going to handle this?" Summer asked.
"Not well, he hasn't ever trusted his Dad completely and this is gonna make him hate him even more!"
"Yeah, well I don't blame him. Frank's an ass!"
"Summer, shhh!" Taylor said, motioning toward Sophie.
"Ooops!" Summer covered her mouth and glanced at Sophie who was still coloring as diligently as she had been before. "Anyway, what is she gonna do? Is she gonna stop seeing him?"
"I don't know, I would think so!" Taylor shook her head at the whole situation. Both girls sat there looking off into space thinking when there was a knock on the door and Sandy entered with his arms full. Summer and Taylor quickly jumped to their feet and helped him with the sheets and an air pump.
"What doin' Daddy?" Sophie asked, forgetting about the picture she had been coloring so carefully.
"Your Aunt Julie and Kaitlin and Blake are staying with us for a while and they are gonna sleep in here. I hope that's all right!" Sandy said as he got the mattress ready.
"That fine, but whewe am I gonna sleep?"
"You are gonna sleep with Mommy and me!"
"Goody!" Sophie squealed as she jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. "Capon Oaps has to sleep with us too!" Sophie said looking at her father with a serious look on her face.
"Of course he does. You can't leave him in here. His snoring might keep Aunt Julie awake!" Sandy smiled as he began pumping up the bed.
"Capon Oaps does not snowe!" Sophie said adamantly. Sandy laughed at how much she sounded like her mother.
"Is Julie ok?" Summer asked Sandy.
"As good as can be expected!" Sandy answered.
"How are you going to tell Ryan?" Taylor asked, worried about her husband.
"I honestly don't know Taylor. You know Ryan doesn't really trust him!" Sandy said as he continued to pump up the bed.
"I know!" Taylor said sadly. Taylor hated that the man she loved more than anything or anyone and who loved her more than anyone or anything had such a horrible relationship with his father. She hated that he hurt every time he saw the man, brining back memories of his own horrible childhood and she knew that when he saw Julie's black eye and busted lip that he would hate Frank even more and he would be hurt just that much more.