Disclaimer: I still don't own Beyblades, surprise surprise!

Last time-

Kai looked at Tala. The two made eye contact before Kai shock his head.

'This was not good. Why would someone come after Jess?'

Thoughts of what had happened the day before played through Kais mind. He hadn't been there but Mai had filled him in the details. Could this be AA's doing? But then again who would she know. The only people who knew were the four of them and Tala and Jess's aunt and uncle.

An idea struck Kai and before anyone could question him he was in his car and driving away…..

Chapter 19

Kai sat in his car watching the house across the street from him. Not much had happened in the last hour apart from the mailman coming by to deliver the mail. He was beginning to get impatient when the garage door rolled up and a car pulled out of the garage. Kai squinted to see the driver, he had only seen the man once before but he knew who it was. Tala and Jess's uncle.

Kai waited until he was past the end of the street before he got out and crossed the road. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. A short tile later the door was answered by a very short woman with a kind smile and a black eye and busted up lip. Kai was taken aback at the appearance of the woman but let it pass.

"Are you Mrs. Volkov?" Kai asked the woman in a flat tone.

"Ah, no that was my sisters married name but she died a few years back. I'm Mrs. Browning, how may I help you?" the lady smiled up at him. Kai found it hard to stay blunt with the woman.

"Do you know who I am?" Kai asked.

"Why, no sorry sweetie. Should I know you?"

"Probably not, I'm Kai Hiwatari, I'm Jessica's boyfriend. Do you mind if I have a word with you?" Mrs. Browning looked up at Kai in shock.

"You better come in then." Mrs. Browning stepped aside to let Kai into the house. She led him into the kitchen and when they were both settled at the table with a glass of orange juice Mrs. Browning started the conversation again.

"What can I do for you Kai."

"I'm assuming you are aware of what your husband did to Jessica while she was in your care?"

Mrs. Browning nodded.

"Then I imagine you would understand the effort both Tala and Jessica put into starting a new life without your husband. They went to a lot of trouble to make sure they both had a new start." Kai told her.

"Yes I do understand that, but why are you here?"

"Five days ago Jessica got suspended for fighting with another girl in her class. Now none of us have told anyone about what happened to Jessica but somehow this girl knew about it and I was wondering how that would be possible?"

"Do you think that I would advertise the fact that my husband is a pedophile and a rapist? Everyone already knows that he hits me why would I want anyone to think worse of him than that?" she asked.

"Forgive me for asking but if he beats you why are you still with him?"

"Kai I am in the same boat as those children, I have no family. And to make things worse I have nowhere to go, he has alienated me from my friends."

"Your wrong," Kai told her "you do have family, you still have Jess and Tala."

The lady smiled across at him. "That was the first time you called Jessica Jess, you finally let your guard down…. How are they?" she asked her eyes begging to well with tears.

"Incredible! They are amazing people. But if we could get back on track, did you tell anyone?"

"Only one person, a couple of years ago a family moved in next door with a small girl. About the same age as…. Well anyway I told them about him because I couldn't let it happen again. Of course they moved out straight away. Now a lovely old couple live there, they have three dogs." Mrs. Browning stared into her empty class.

"Do remember what the family's name was?" this was very important.

"No but it might come to me?"

Thoughts had been running through Kai's mind while he sat there. Now that he had seen how she was treated and what had happened to her he couldn't very well leave her here to get hit again. Kai blew out a sigh. "Mrs. Browning I have a proposition for you. How would you like to see Jess and Tala again? I can get you out of here. You don't have to be here if you don't want to."

Mrs Browning looked at Kai for a moment, disbelief written across her face before she burst into tears. Kai wasn't good with crying so he didn't really know what to do so he sat at on the other side of the table and studied the kitchen. It was a nice of not slightly small room with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. The pine kitchen table infront of him had been scrubbed clean and the floor was freshly washed.

Mrs. Browning whipped away her tears and smiled across at Kai. "Can I go and get some things?" Kai smiled at her gratefully, glad she had stopped crying, he nodded his head and she got up from the table and left the room to gather her things. Kai stood up from his seat and grabbled both glassed before going to the sink and washing them out, putting them on the draining board.

Five minutes later Mrs. Browning was back in the kitchen with a duffel full of cloths.

"Are you ready to leave?" Kai asked taking the duffel bag from her. She nodded making her way to the door.

They got into Kai's car and drove away.

"Don't look back, it's bad luck." Kai told her but he couldn't help a quick glance in the rear-view mirror.

I drove for just over an hour until I came to Tala's house. I pulled to a stop in the driveway and got out. Mrs Browning didn't move, she just sat there staring at the house.

As polite encouragement I opened the car door for her. She looked out at me before smiling and getting out. I retrieved her bag from the boot before thinking better of it and putting it back, best to see if she is welcome or not first.

I walked to the door and let myself in. luckily for me Mai had taken Jess out to see a movie and the girls wouldn't be back until later. I called out to Tala.

"Yo man, you home?" Talas voice came from the kitchen but was muffled by the sound of banging pots.

"In here."

"Could you come here for a minute?" I called back smiling at the older woman. She had gotten nervous at the sound of Talas' voice,

"Yeah, yeah do you have any idea how to cook…" Tala trailed off as he saw who was standing beside me. "Roast Beef?" he finished.

Tala just looked at me blankly waiting for a reason why his aunty was standing in his foyer.

"Hello Tala." Mrs Browning smiled nervously.

"Aunty Ann?" Tala asked already knowing the answer. What he really meant was what the flying fuck do you think you are doing in my house?

"Tala I went to see her to see if she told anyone about Jess and I think she has something to tell you about it and I kind of convinced her to leave her husband." I offered the last part as kind of a good will gesture. Maybe if he knew she had left him he wouldn't be so hard on her.

"You two better come in then." Tala turned and headed back to the kitchen giving us the walk this way gesture with his hand.

I watched Tala from my seat at the kitchen table he put the jug on to boil for coffee then he went back to fiddling with the leg of beef he intended on roasting. I felt something tug at the leg of my jeans and when I looked down Shadow was trying to chew her way through to my sock. (A/N I did call the dog Shadow didn't I?) I bent down and picked her up. Shadow settled happily in my lap and went to sleep.

Mrs Browning stood in the doorway watching the scene of domestic tranquillity with a sad smile on her tired face.

Tala let out a sigh as he put the leg onto a baking tray, he turned to his aunty. "Don't suppose you could help me with this could you?" Mrs Browning's eyes twinkled as she raced across the kitchen to help Tala with the beef, her shot legs a blur in black corduroy.

Within no time the kitchen was filled with the scent of cooking beef and we were all seated around the kitchen table.

"Mrs Browning tell Tala what you told me earlier this afternoon about telling people about your husband.

Tala listened patiently and then asked the same question I had. "What was the family's name?" Mrs Browning still couldn't remember and it was beginning to upset her so I thought now would be a good time to change the subject.

"So can she stay with you or will she be staying with me."

I watched as Talas' mind went into a spin, in a way he wanted her there to stay but in another he didn't. this was the woman who had let Jess get hurt but then on the other hand she was family.

"If it is okay with Jess you can stay." He told her. "But if not you will have to stay with Kai until I can work something out with Jess."

As if on que there was the sound of the front door opening and closing then Jess's voice filled the air.

"Tala, Kai we're back." A moment later Jess appeared in the doorway with Mai right on her heals. The look on Jess's face when she saw her aunty was something I had never seen before. A mixture of hurt, disbelief, love, anger and betrayal.

"Aunty Annie, what are you doing here?"

hmmm, what will Jess do? How will she cope with it? Tune in next time for more from the exciting lives of Tala, Jess, Mai and Kai!

Ahahahahaha! I had to write that, it is so cheezy like those awful day time soaps.

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The Perfect Oasis.