Chapter 22: Another Understanding?
"Wow, it's a beautiful." Kate said.
"Yep, Alexis's House is the best." Jaden said.
"No, it's normal."
"Sure, if you say so Alexis."
"Ready?" She asked. I nodded as we walked in the house.
"Hey, it's not like this is going to be hard at all." He answered.
"Getting them to except her is thought." I said.
"She's adorable and we had no choice; they'll love her." Jaden reassured her.
"I guess, come on." I said picking up my daughter and carrying her inside.
I opened the door and there was a party here. "Happy Birthday Alexis!" My mom said walking up to me.
"Thanks, but my birthday isn't for another week." I said to her.
"I know but I just wanted to celebrate it why you're here, it was your brother's and Jaden's ideas."
"You guys are the best." I said hugging Atticus with my free arm, and then it turned to Jaden and kissed him.
"Well Lexy, you ready to go in or are we going to stand around?" Jaden asked.
"More parties," Kate said.
"Yeah, let's go." We walked into the house and I talked around and I got gifts from friends, and family. It was a happy time.
"So Alexis, who's the little sweetheart there?" My mom asked.
"She's my daughter, mom."
"Hi grandma," Kate said happily.
"Hello, what's your name?"
"I'm Kate, hi."
"Hi to you two." My mom picked up Kate and carried her to the couch to talk to her. I was worried that mom would upset her but I trusted mom, at least for now.
"Happy Birthday Lex, so where's our daughter." That brought a smile to my face, our daughter. I was smiling so wide that I really couldn't believe it though she wasn't my flesh or blood; she was still as he said, our daughter, and I was so happy.
The party calmed down and I finally got back my daughter from my mother and I picked up the happy girl and she seemed just as happy as before. "Mommy, is a princess."
"Nah, I just live in castle, I don't live any more special than anyone else, I'm normal as in behavior and attitude, and I just have thing most don't."
"No mommy, I saw a crown and you were wearing it. You look beautiful." She said.
"I don't remember that picture, will you bring it here?" She laughed.
"No I can't mommy, it's huge." I nodded as she pulled me to the picture.
We arrived at a huge library like room; I don't know how she found this room and back to me without getting lost.
"Mommy is pretty in this picture."
"I guess I am, there I was 14, that'll be you in 8 years."
"Will I get the pretty dress and crown?" She asked.
"If you want you can wear it tonight, it's in my room in my dresser." I said trying to make her happier than she could possibly be.
"Really, that would be amazing?" She said eyes wide and happy. I picked her up and carried her up to my room.
"I'll get Jaden, so he can see you." She nodded twirling around in the crystal gold tiara; she looked beautiful she was like a princess.
"Hey Lex, where's Kate? I haven't seen her."
"I have she found a picture of me dressed up for my 14th birthday party, she wanted to wear a tiara too, so I lent her mine. She looked so beautiful." Jaden smiled and followed me.
"Look at me Daddy, do I look like mommy." She certainly has adopted as her parents, if you didn't know any better you'd think we were her parents, but that's what we're trying to be, so it's okay.
"You defiantly look as pretty as Alexis, doesn't she?" I nodded.
"Yeah Kate, you look like a princess. It's getting late, why don't you get ready to go to bed. Jaden, say good-night and head to your room."
"Okay Alexis, someone is over concerned, she can sleep in tomorrow, staying up late isn't a concern." I nodded. Then he hugged and kissed me and waved by to Kate and walked off.
After everyone has settled in, I went to see my mom and dad before they went to bed. "Hi Alexis, how are you?" Dad asked. "Happy Birthday," He said hugging me and looking at me.
"I'm fine dad, how are you?" I said without any signs that I was happy to see him. I was but I wasn't anxious to see him because he's never home so I wasn't used to seeing him, if that were the case, then I would miss him.
"I'm great, I hope you had a great birthday."
"I did. You see Kate?" He nodded and smiled. This wasn't like before.
"It's okay, you seem intimidated. I know I gave you a hard time when you said you wanted a child. I just didn't want to see you get hurt is all." I know this is a cliché but sometimes you can't avoid them.
"I know but you don't know the whole story about the child I was missing from my life."
"Oh, would you like to share it with me?" He asked, honestly interested in this story.
"I will but you promise to believe me, because it is true."
"Trust me, after Atticus' disappearance, I don't doubt anything anymore." I smiled.
"Okay, I'll start from the beginning of summer."
"When I came back from my date with Jaden, I hit a time wormwhole and it took me to a time where everything was destroyed only leaving a baby girl alone in the world. Her name is Hailey Yuki. We believed her to be Jaden's cousin, Molly's sister. It turns out that we weren't in the pass but the future. Are you following so far?"
"Yes, somehow I seem to be." He answered.
"Good, well I brought her back home to take care of her and Jaden helped me. I got A's through school and did everything even with her. She was a perfect angel, never cried as long as she was with me or Jaden. Then…" I stopped this is where it we be hard.
"Then what?" He asked.
"On July 8th, we were taken to the future, 6 years in the future to return her to her true parents."
"That's why you were so sad. Because you came back and realized she wasn't there anymore." My dad pulled me close to him, and I could feel my tears.
"It's okay. Well it turns out that 5 years into the future; Jaden and I get married. And a year after that, I give birth to Hailey." Dad smiled, he knew what was going on and he just smiled. "I saw what our life would soon become after everything was sorted out the future and all. It was exactly what I wanted it to be, and more. I had Hailey, she was my daughter." I said smiling.
"So why adopt Kate then?" He asked trying to pull my story together.
"She needed Jaden and me."
"How so," He asked.
"She lived in Seto Kaiba's kitchen, she was a kitchen hand. Her grandparents were dying and she was going to be left alone. She'd do anything to pay for them to be free, and leave. She's six, she didn't have to, and she couldn't do it." I said holding my dad's collar.
"Sh, I understand. There are many who don't live like us." He answered hugging me.
"She worked so hard in that kitchen to make sure that her grandparents' jobs were done and they got paid. She ate a meal a day, if she was lucky. She bathed in a lake, and had one maybe two pairs of clothes. It isn't and wasn't fair!" I yelled crying now.
"It's okay Alexis, come on, be strong, for her." I nodded wiping my tears.
"How it happened was so strange, you so perfect. I needed someone to care for to share my love with. Jaden was there but Jaden can pretty well take care of himself. I guess that's the part of a child to fill a little gap in a parent's life. It was strange, how it happened."
"Tell me."
"When I thought about it, it was a thought. I'd ask her parents to take her with me so that I would have someone to feed Jaden when I'm asleep. She always took care of that. Then it happened.
Flashback:
"What are you thinking about Lex?" Jaden asked.
"I was thinking about buying her off of Kaiba." Jaden was confused with my thoughts.
"You think he'd let you?" Jaden asked.
"I think so, on most normal days only one chef cooks for them, and he has 14 chefs not counting her so taking two wouldn't bother him. Of course I'm going to try."
"Why?" She asked.
"I was just thinking about the future and stuff. Jaden has been living with me for a while now and none of our chef's work as well as you do Kate. They all are annoyed with Jaden's eating habits but for now on our travels I'm asking if you can come along with us." She smiled brightly.
"Are you serious?" She asked happily.
"Yeah, I'm going to ask. Seto Kaiba surely wouldn't care if I took a little prodigy chef from him. He probably doesn't know you exist."
"Yeah he does, he yells at me for being in the kitchen."
"See taking you off his hands would be a thank you and plus with your appetite Jaden, he's thank me. Then when we return I can hire your parents at the estate to cook; now we only have 2 chefs which don't cook much of the time. We have one cook that is my brother's personal chef, her name is Kayla and she has a daughter who's four."
"Wow it would be nice if I could go see other places around the world, it would be great. So can I, really?" She is a sweet hearted girl, I'd say she's 7 or 8 very shy; she reminds me of what Hailey would be like in the future, and what I was like.
"Jaden, you make the call." I told him.
"I don't care, she's nice and she's a good cook. And she so happy and exciting. I wouldn't mind having her along with us. I know I couldn't pay her though." I walked over to Jaden and smacked him on the top of the head; then I sighed.
Flashback Over
"So you found her just in time huh?" Her dad asked.
"Yeah, she saved me from my suffering from lonliness."
"As you cured me from mine." He said hugging me.
"I did?"
"That's the purpose of having children Alexis, it's to solve the emptiness in your life left by having too much love and a need to take care of something. Some people are happy with just loving their spouse while others need one or more people to take care. That's why parents value their children so much."
"That wasn't the case for Kate's parents, they didn't want her."
"There are people like that in the world Alexis."
"I just hoped I'd never see that. Especially to someone I had became close with. It's horrible." Alexis said crying.
"I know, so what was the little girl's story?" He asked.
"I talked about it with Jaden to her grandparents. It was horribly depressing and sad."
"I know, just tell me." She said.
Flashback:
I sat down next to Jaden. "Can you tell me how old she is?" Jaden asked.
"She just turned 6 a few days ago, we didn't do anything for her birthday, too poor. I wish we could do more for her. Child abuse is going to take her away, they called today, and somebody in the mansion saw her and called." Her grandpa informed us.
"They said we're too old and incapable of taking care of a young girl like her. Which we agree with them, but she has no one else, and she's trying all she can to not worry but she can't. She's too young to leave everyone she knows." Her grandma said.
"We're taking you to our home, we bought you and your husband off of Seto Kaiba. He said you finish working this week and you're my problem then. Do you think they'd let you keep her then."
"We're too old to take care of her, she lives in a small apartment, sleeps on a floor, and lives in a kitchen with 14 other people, cramped and is an orphan." Her grandpa to us.
"So what happened to her parents?"
"We don't know really, her mother and father left her with us to baby-sit her one day, and then they never returned, we believe that they were killed in the war, they were both soldiers for it and we think they returned and were killed, missing in action but who knows. We searched there was no sign of them. They're gone and left her."
"That's horrible." I said about to cry.
"I know it is but see they had her at the age of 18 right after they were married and that was only 6 and a half years ago. And after 2 years when she could live without her mother, then they left."
"Seems they didn't want her," They nodded. "They cared for her and didn't want her dead but went off to war, and left her safely in our care knowing they'd probably die, but after that nothing. Now we can't take care of her because we're 60 some years now, and unable to take care of her, and barely ourselves, and she's doing all the cooking she can to help us but my husband is sick and probably going to die, and if we both can't care for her, me alone can't. They'll take her away, and who knows if she'll ever find happiness again." I was now crying.
"She wants me to give you enough money to live off of for a while, and her to work for us so you can be happy and she'll stop being a burden to you." I said.
"That sweetheart Kate, always of others, never of herself. She has nothing else but us and now that we could be taken away she's trying to do her best of make it the best for us, not herself." Her grandpa said choking while smiling and laughing.
"I just want her happy, as does my husband, but we can't do that for her any more; it's too hard on her and us." Her grandma said crying.
"Can I have a second with Jaden please." I said crying, and excusing myself from the room. Jaden pulled me closer to him and hugged me.
"Lex, it's okay; there's nothing we can do, I wish we could help but with the people taking her away from them, we can't use her and take care of her." He said trying to comfort me.
"Jaden… could we?" I said asking, Jaden knew what I was thinking, he smiled.
"Alexis, if you're up for it. It would be just like if we had Hailey except she's a bit older and would be easier to keep her with us since she'd be quiet when we told her. I wouldn't mind taking care of her, she's so nice, reminds me of Hailey, and you." I nodded, she reminds me of Hailey too.
"So we can adopt her, and take care of her?" I asked him making sure he was up for the challenge.
"Sure Lex but you do know she'll be our responsibility, she'll be like our daughter we'll have to take full responsibility and all."
I smiled and nodded. "Thank you Jaden, you should have seen her, she needs someone to take care of her, and we're just the people too."
"If you can do so well with a newborn baby I'm sure you can do the same with a 6 year old whose life has been horrible and return her to how her life should be."
"She's going to have to start school, she can't come with us."
"Hey, you're licensed to teach her, you graduated from fancy prep schools didn't you Lex, you're qualified to teach her, she'll need to be home schooled, plus it's only kindergarten, even I know my ABC's." I smiled, and nodded.
I walked inside and smiled. "We're going to adopt Kate." I told them.
"What?" Her grandpa said. "You two are still in school, you couldn't handle taking care of a child."
"Never underestimate us, especially Lexy and children. Lexy took care of a three day old baby because it showed up at her doorstep for about 2 months, the child was perfectly fine, and the child never left her side. Alexis lives at a mansion plenty of room and space for Kate to grow in. She also has the smartest student ever to graduate heiress prep schools at her disposal to learn from, and she has tons of friends and family to help her take care of Kate. If Lexy can't do it, then no one can."
"I don't know, she needs two parent figures, but you two are the closest thing I could ever find, you take care of her like your own child. And from what Jaden says about you Alexis, you are the perfect person to take care of her. I saw how much Kate loves you and how you take care of her. I'm sure she'll be happy with you. I'll call child abuse line and tell them." Their grandpa looked at us, still not sure; then her grandmas lines seemed to help but not ensure it.
"I think they'd make perfect parents, those two. Their own parents would allow her to have a child and wouldn't worry a bit, Jaden would be in trouble but they would know the child would grow up perfectly find and so would Alexis, with no problems. Alexis and Jaden love each other, and one thing that never ceases to amaze even me is that they help anyone in danger not worrying about them. You have nothing to worry about leaving your granddaughter with them." Zane said standing there, I not realizing he had been standing there.
Flashback Over
"So, they just disappeared. So you're no sure that they left her."
"Yes," I said ashamed for assuming that they left her.
"Alexis, isn't that inferring, something that could be necessarily dangerous."
"I'm sorry but how they did it, it seems so wrong. I would have asked for time off. The mom would have still been recovering, they wouldn't send her off to war. It's insane. They must have."
"But they could have just as easily died in action, just say they left her alone in the world. You can't say they did it on purpose, they didn't love her or anything like that." I brought out in tears and cried.
"What?"
"It's just that I'm going to have to leave Hailey for a month, so to save her from fate; it still seems so wrong. Even if it is to save her." I said hugging him and crying.
"Sometimes the things we need to do for love, hurt us the most, understand?" he said looking in my eyes.
"Yes, I do. I just don't want to but I know I have to."
"At least you know you get her back, some people don't your one of the lucky ones, be happy Alexis." I nodded.
"I'm glad that you are going to be marrying Jaden, it's only right seeing how much you love each other and can share that love with others." I nodded.
"Me too," I said walking off crying to my room to stay with Kate, and make the most of the time I had with her before she grew up.