At long last we have reached the final chapter! I would like to apologize immensely for the long wait. Work was really crazy this past week and I've been working on this final chapter all week part by part. But as of right now for this coming week, I'm not working as much as I have this week so that means more time for updating! The next chapter of Beauty and the Beast is almost finished being written completely so that might actually end up being the next story I update, and then I will continue writing chapters at work while finishing up with A Week at Lava Springs as well as Deleted HSM Scenes. One (possible two 0=)) chapters left in the HSM Scenes and the Week at Lava Springs is already half way done, so that means we're getting , back to this story. I know that some of these chapters could have been better but I'm happy that you guys have enjoyed them and that in some cases, the chapters have covered real-life issues. Now I know you're all pretty anxious (at least those of you who still read this lol) so I would just like to take one more moment to say thank you to all of the reviewers for these oneshots...and to give the usual disclaimer about me only being able to own anything HSM related in my dreams. So here's big thanks to all readers and reviewers! Digigirl02, Lilmissmonique, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, RamandusDaugther23, Ash, ChaylorxTraylorlover101, RissaIzDeBomb, Kisha84, Mzwendy85, HSM, and Iheartchad andtaylor. Thank you everyone! ^_^
Chapter Eighteen: The Finale, Part 3
Previously: when we last left everyone (you thought I was going to say 'when we last left our heroes, didn't you? XD), things were able to turn around for the better. Kelsi has been able to come clean to Ryan - after he accidentally overheard her and Sharpay talking. They are thrilled with their family the way it is and have decided to be there for Sharpay and Zeke once they adopt their child. A happy ending for the Evans. As for the Danforths, the argument between Chad and Taylor had all been a misunderstanding. After some teen angst from Dylan and the conflict that arose between him and his parents over the situation, he and his sisters were able to learn Chad only left to check on his younger sister. The family made it to his graduation just in time. But there was a plot twist and an unexpected visitor: Dylan's biological father. so here lies the final questions on everyone's minds - What will Sharpay's and Zeke's new son look like? Will he take to his new parents well or will it all be rebellion? What is Brian doing back and what is his purpose? And how will Cheryl react to finally finding out the truth about Dylan? Stay tuned, we'll be right back after this commercial break.
Advertisement Advertisement Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial Buy this Buy That TV Offer Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
We now return to The Finale....
Cheryl blinked in surprise as she stared at her brother. Something just didn't add up. This...this...dude that just came out of nowhere was his father? Nu-uh, no way, no how, no chance. Cheryl was not going to believe it.
"What are you talking bout?" she asked him. Cheryl pointed up at Chad. "your dad's right over here."
His eyes still on his birth father, Dylan only shook his head. He just couldn't bring himself to say it. Yes indeed, Chad was not his real father. Dylan knew it. Maybe not when he was a little kid, but he still felt as though he always knew it. He vaguley remembered meeting his real father once. Dylan had run off from Chad, and he ran into this man...and he didn't recall how, but one way or another Dylan had ended up living with said man for a few days. Everything else in between was all a blank. Dylan didn't remember why he ran away from Chad or why he did go to live with this man. All he knew for sure is the man was his real father. The teen could call Chad 'dad' as many times as he desired but it wouldn't change anything. Everyone knew that there was a difference between an adoptive father and a birth father. Perhaps one could feel more like a parent than the other, but aside from that it was all the same. A birth father was a birth father, and now for the first time in probably ten years Dylan has met up with him again. And it scared him.
"No Cherry. It's not true." Dylan managed to shake his head. He looked at his confused younger sister. "Dad's not my real dad."
"But you call him that all the time. He has to be." Cheryl argued. She ran over to Brian; jumping up and down she pointed at him. It could have been eagerly or frustrated, but whatever the case she was pointing at the guy to prove her point. Cheryl may not have been the brightest, and maybe only barely being in elementary school was assisting her naivety, but she refused to believe that some other guy was Dylan's father when Dylan's been her brother since she was born. "Look at him Dill, there is no resemblance!" she insisted.
"I dyed my hair." the man explained. "And his skin tone, he got that from his mother."
"Yeah. My mom, who, wouldn't you know it, is his mom too!" Cheryl argued sarcastically.
"Cherry calm down." Chad said moving her back a few steps. "Don't talk back. Brian's a family friend."
"Well if he is a family friend then you wouldn't just stand there listening to him say how he's Dill's dad cause he's not!" Cheryl fought.
"Cherry no." he shook his head. "It's no lie. Brian really is Dylan's dad. I adopted Dylan when he was a little kid. And when your mom and I got back together she practically became his mom. Dylan's real mother died when he was born."
Cheryl kept shaking her head. This all wasn't true. It couldn't be true. They were lying...there was no other explanation. None of it made any sense.
"You have to understand something Cheryl. Dylan may not be ours but that's not going to stop him from being your brother." Taylor told her.
She kept shaking her head. "first you're trying to tell me he's not my brother and now you're saying he is? Make up your minds!" Cheryl exclaimed.
"Well...this is mildly awkward..." Brian said slowly.
But Cheryl was no longer listening to any of them. Everything was all crazy to her. It was completely ridiculous. Was Dylan her brother or wasn't he? How could he have completely different parents? This just wasn't adding up. Cheryl slowly took a few steps back just shaking her head and staring at all of them. So she did the only thing that she could possibly think of to do. She just took off in the other direction. Made a run for it.
"Cheryl where are you going?" Chad called after her.
"I'll go after her." Taylor offered. She ran after Cheryl in an attempt to catch up to her.
Dylan watched in disappointment as the girls disappeared from sight. He had no idea something like this would have happened. It was completely unpredictable. Think about it, Dill's been with his sisters since they were born and now the elder one was being told that they technically weren't related. That should surely be enough to freak any child out. It's the family they grew up with. And now it was as though everything had been a lie. So then after all this time, why the return of Brian? He couldn't be back just to see his son graduate. There had to be something more to it. College? Be closer to him? Give him some news? what was the deal?
Chad snapped Dylan out of his thoughts. He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Dill? Do you want me to stick around?"
Dylan's attention was drawn to his father...well, the man he always called his father. It would be so much more complicated now. There was his father and then there was his real father; only Dylan knew which one was which. But whatever was going on, could he really have Chad around while he was talking to Brian? Maybe that would make things a little more awkward. But the truth was, Dylan wanted Chad there. He was his role model, the guy that Dylan always looked up to in the end. He'd always been close to both his parents, but Chad was the one who could turn things around and make them seem better than they really were. Lighten up the mood by making a joke out of everything. Always being there. Chad never pushed Dylan to do sports like he always loved but rather let Dylan learn everything on his own and what he wanted to do. And every time Dylan needed some guy advice Chad was there...and then to evidently make a joke out of that too, but was still there.
And there lay the problem. Dylan couldn't reply on his father - neither of his parents, for that matter - forever. There were some things he had to learn to deal with on his own. He wondered if this was one of those things, one of those weird life things. Whatever the reason, the guy just couldn't get out what he wanted to. Dylan wanted to say, 'can you Dad' or 'yes please'. But somehow the other part of him was saying, 'no I'm fine'. He was torn; Dylan didn't know what he he just needed this time with Brian, some real father son time. Maybe he needed to try and stand on his own for once.
Whatever the reason, Dylan turned to Chad with his answer. "It's ok. I'll be alright."
"Ok." Chad nodded, deciding to leave it at that. "We'll have our phones if you need to reach us."
"Ok Dad." Dylan replied.
Chad wanted to stick around longer. He wanted to know that his son was going to be alright. But that was it - Dylan wasn't his son. Not really. He was Brian's. And they needed this time together. Maybe just to be alone. They were family and Chad knew not to stand in the way of that. He rubbed Dylan on the head, a final attempt to lighten the mood; unfortunately that wouldn't work. Not this time. That's what made it depressing. Holding in a sigh, Chad removed his hand from Dylan's head and went to catch up with the rest of his family.
so that just left Brian and Dylan. Back together again. Alone. In complete silence.
-not a time for a couple-not a time for a couple-not a time for a couple-
Sharpay paced frantically around the waiting room. Her hands were behind her back and she nearly looked like she was going to explode. Zeke was sitting in a nearby chair. His fingers tapped on his knee rapidly, though once in a while he did pick up his gaze to Sharpay. She looked far more nervous than he, but then again he couldn't blame her. This was quite nerve-wracking, just sitting around waiting. It was only a matter of time before they met their son for the first time. The boy who they would raise. The first of...well maybe not many, but at least a few...that they would adopt and bring into their lives. Plenty of other soon-to-be-parents were waiting in silence just as they were. And there was so much to be afraid of. What if they didn't get along? What if they got a bad seed? would they like each other? What would the rest of their family think? Would he get along with their friends' children?
"Sharpay stop pacing around!" Zeke begged, unable to take it anymore. "You're making me a nervous wreck."
"Don't tell me what to do ,Zeke Baylor!" Sharapy snapped, pointing a finger at him as she stopped pacing. "I have just as much right to be nervous as you do. But we came this far and we're sure as heck not going back now. So don't you dare think about backing out or even chickening out because we are going to get through this, we are getting a son, and we are going to love him no matter what!"
"Yes dear." Zeke said right away, slouching in his seat.
The nerves were truly getting to Sharpay. That's why she was able to get angry so easily. Forget any anger management issues or possible problems with controlling her temper; this was a different reason to lose it so easily. And Zeke sure as heck wasn't going to argue with knew much better than to get Sharpay steamed when she was like this. He for one wanted to live to see tomorrow. It was most likely the one down side to being married to Sharpay Evans Baylor. One wrong move and her guy could wake up in the middle of the ocean surrounded by Parana with no life boat, rubber ducky, or even a bag of peanuts.
"Baylors?"
Zeke automatically jumped from his seat and Sharpay froze in her tracks. They turned to a middle aged woman who had entered the room, looking over her clipboard. This had to be it. No more waiting. No more suspense. No more childless lives. This was their chance. And neither of them had better do anything stupid to mess up the moment. Sharpay planned it in her mind so well: her reaction, her surprise, her excitement.... It all came down to this. She swore she wouldn't screw it up. Who was she kidding? She was Sharpay Evans...rather Sharpay Baylor. Perfection was her middle name. Well, actually her middle was Madeline. But if it had been up to Sharpay, her middle name would be Perfection.
"We're right here." she said getting the woman's attention. "Ready Zeke?" Sharpay turned to her husband, only to see him standing like an ice sculpture. His mouth was dropped wide open and he wasn't blinking. His arms were stiff against his sides and his legs stood completely straight next to each other, almost like he was a toothpick. sharpay raised an eyebrow when he just stood there, not giving her a response. "Zeke? Zeke honey? Earth to Zeke." She waved her hand up and down in front of his face, but he still didn't reply. A moment later, he did respond...sort of. Zeke fell backwards right onto the floor. He completely passed out. Lost it. Fainted. Thanks a lot Zeke, was all Sharpay could think at the moment. He completely demolished her moment. So much for not screwing it up.
"Right..." the woman nodded as she observed the couple. "If you both will just follow me into the other room."
Sharpay rolled her eyes as the woman exited the waiting room. Sharpay took Zeke by one of his legs and dragged him out of the room, following the lady. Honestly, she had learned to love Zeke over the years and she truly loved him to death but sometimes he could just be so embarrassing. This was one of those times. Oh who was she kidding? As long as they weren't being witnessed on national television it didn't matter how embarrassing he was to her. As much as Sharpay hated to admit it now, when she was in high school she was madly in love with Troy. But since then something between her and Zeke just clicked. Maybe they never showed it in public but there was something there. And let's face it, Troy never did cute embarrassing stuff. And he couldn't bake an amazing dinner either; thanks to Zeke Sharpay never had to cook a day in her life. Now that Sharpay thought about it, there was no one else she'd rather be adopting a child with right now. Oh she was so going to spoil that boy. Eh, maybe she'll spoil Zeke once in a while too.
"So where is the little darling?" Sharpay asked as they entered the other room.
"We'll get him as soon as your husband wakes up. I don't think you'd want to meet him without your man awake." the woman replied.
"Of course." Sharpay nodded. "so what can you tell me about him?"
The lady turned to a different sheet on her clipboard, most likely a page with some information on the lad. "His name is Jaden Mateo. He's ten years old and has been here since he was five. From what we know of his heritage, there is a mixture of Italian, Japanese, and African American. He can be a bit rebellious but he grew up with a younger brother so he is a very caring young man."
"Well...he doesn't have any tatoos or steals anything does he?" Sharpay asked. No way she was going to get into raising a child that had some kind of record.
"No of course not." she chuckled. "But you should know that he doesn't often listen to authority figures easily. I'm sure he'll just need some time to adjust to everything."
"of course..." Sharpaysaidslowly. She turned down to Zeke and shook him in attempt to wake him up. "Hurry up Zeke. We're about to meet our son."
Zeke gasped and sat up right away. "You're giving birth?" he exclaimed.
Sharpayrolled her eyes. There were times when she almost thought Jason's ghost was residing in Zeke causing him to be more embarrassing than he already was. This had to be one of those times. But she couldn't let that distract her now. "I'm talking about the little boy we're about to adopt you knucklehead."
"Oh...right..." Zeke said slowly. Boy did he sound like a total idiot. "So what's his name?"
"Jaden Mateo. He will take on your last name as Baylor." A little bit of a rebellious ten-year-old." the woman told him.
"Jaden Mateo Baylor..." Zeke toyed with the name. "Kind of has a nice ring to it."
Sharpayopenedher mouth to protest slightly, but there was no way she could change his name. She then shook her head, deciding against saying anything.
The woman opened another door to the room, probably where the boy was waiting. "Jaden come here sweetie."
A few minutes passed, most likely because he didn't want to come out. But he eventually did end up coming. His skin was similar to Zeke's in a dark tone, though a shade or so lighter. His black hair seemed to have a slight wave to it, ending at the bottom of his neck and having a few bangs hang on the side of his face. His body overall appeared a bit lanky, or maybe a tad thin, and his arms were crossed. The boy's most distinctive feature were his dark, piercing blue eyes. A frown hung on his face; he clearly did not look thrilled. Sharpay expected most children to be a bit scared or nervous in this situation. Never angry. That was the look on Jaden's face. Pure anger. Surely he couldn't hate them before even saying two words to them.
"I'll leave you three alone to become better acquainted. Take as much time as you need in here. You may leave when ready." the woman offered before leaving the room.
Sharpay and Zeke exchanged glances before looking back at Jaden. Were they supposed to feel this nervous? Sharpay decided to try and make the first move. After all, she did wear the pants in their relationship.
"Hi honey." she cooed. "I'm Sharpay and this is Zeke. We're going to be your mom and dad."
"Don't pull that garbage with me lady. You're not my parents and you'll never be my parents." Jaden hissed.
Zeke attempted to step up to the plate. "hey come on...I'm sure we can work this out. You know, we got a cake for you and everything. I made it myself. Hope you like vanilla with blue frosting and chocolate sprinkles."
"You bake? That's a girl's job." Jaden said.
"Excuse me?" Sharpay replied icily.
"Hey I do not do girl's job. Plenty of dudes bake." Zeke said as calmly as he could. "You know my dad used to do all the cooking for me an my mom cause she couldn't cook for beans..."
"Oh so girlie men run in your family. So glad you're not my real parents." Jaden said.
"Ok I really didn't want to do this after five minutes, but as soon as we get home you're going to your room young man." Sharpay scolded.
"You're not my mom. you can't tell me what to do." Jaden replied. Not even letting her or Zeke say another word, Jaden stormed out of the room.
This was going to be harder than they thought.
-family problems-family problems-family problems-
Dylan sat across from his father...well that would be the proper thing to call him. Dylan had called him father out of respect. But what he really wanted to do was call him Brian. The thing of it was, it wouldn't be the same. Dill was a kid who knew how to respect authority and the obey the rules. There was his dad and then there was his father. The difference between the two remained strong to yet he couldn't help but feel a gap between them. Like he was trapped on a pillar and on land to his right was Chad, and to the land on his left was Brian. The lands were equal in size amount but something was different about the two sides, at least the way Dylan pictured it all in his mind. He could see the sunshine and happiness on Chad's side because that's how Dylan always felt around his dad. There was a sense of security and there was a powerful father son bond. But on Brian's side, it was almost mysterious. Dylan barely nkewthe guy so he knew nothing about his life. It wasn't warm and inviting but it wasn't cold or scary either. It was completely neutral. That's what made it difficult to choose. In Dylan's mind, the pillar he was trapped on was slowly beginning to crack. It was trying to tell him something. And if it was which father to choose there was no way he could decide.
At least with his mother Dylan didn't have to be concerned. No other woman was going to come out of the blue and say he was her son. The bond between mother and son were just as strong, but it was also more secure. It wouldn't be easy to destroy that bond. But compare that to the bond with his dad and his father. There was something standing in the way between Dylan and Chad. And his name was Brian. And honestly, if the scenario in Dylan's head was real then he couldn't choose to go to Chad's side just because of the girls. The whole thing baffled him. None of this was supposed to be happening. And now he could see why Cehryl had been so upset. There was a rift in their family. And the best person to blame it on was Brian.
"Dill? Are you listening?"
Dylan blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He returned to reality. He remembered now; he was sitting at Starbuck's across from Brian. Brian had a hot cup of coffee in his hands and Dylan had an m&m's cookie sitting in front of him. From the looks of it, only small nibbles were gone from the cookie. The poor kid had been so stressed out he barely even touched the circle of chocolaty goodness.
"Sorry. I guess I zoned out." Dylan apologized.
"That's alright son." Brian replied.
Son. Dylan didn't like that word. Son. Coming out of Brian's mouth just didn't sound the same way it did when it came out of Chad's. Obviously Dylan was thinking too much of this situation. But was he going to admit to it? Nope; he'd just keep thinking too much about it and eventually start to make a big deal out of it.
"Um...what time is it?" he willed himself to ask.
Brian pulled up his jacket sleeve and glanced at his watch. "Two thirty."
Dylan didn't like that either. He was supposed to have the celebratory lunch with his family. Or at least a celebratory dinner. Just something. But now those plans were down the drain. "I...I guess I should call my parents and let them know where I am."
"You can call them later." Brian said. "We're not finished talking." His voice was perfectly calm, but there was an ulterior motive to it. It was difficult to put one's finger on it.
"I really should give them a call." Dylan replied. He got out of his seat, ready to walk outside and pull out his cell phone. But before he could take one step away, Brian seemed to know exactly how to stop him.
"And what would you say to them?"
Dylan couldn't move a muscle after that. Yes, what would he say to them? He wouldn't know what time he's be back right now. He didn't know if he should tell them he's still with Brian. "I...um..."
"Exactly." Brian nodded, placing his chin in his hands and lacing his fingers together. "Have a seat, son."
Dylan held in a sigh as he took his place in his chair once again. He traced his finger around his cookie. He couldn't even bring up his eyes to look at Brian. Brian noticed this and took it as an opportunity to continue.
'Dill you know we have a lot of catching up to do. How come you're not talking to me?"
"nothing to talk about." Dylan replied simply.
"What about school?" Brian asked.
"Top ten percent of my class. A student." he answered.
"I'd love to say you got your brains from me, but I think you got most of them from your mother." Brian said.
Now that comment irritated Dylan. He knew very well that Brian wasn't talking about Taylor. He was talking about the mother Dylan had never meant. quite frankly, Dylan didn't care. He didn't want to sound cold hearted or even seem that way, but he didn't want to know anything about that mother. She was the one who left him. Brian didn't know for what, ten years, that he existed. What right did he even have to bring up that mother? It was the family Dylan never had, the one he didn't need to know about now.
"Yes. My mom. The one who raised me most of my life. I got my brains from her." Dylan informed him.
"I'm sure Taylor did plenty of things to enhance your brilliance. But between your mother and myself, she was the smarter one. I was the slacker in high school and decided to kick it into high gear in college so I could do something with my life. I needed something after losing her." Brian replied.
Dylan shook his head. "What right do you have to call her that? She's my mom. Don't refer to the other woman as my mother because as far as I'm concerned, she's not."
"I dated both of your mothers." Brian replied.
"No, you had an accident with the woman you call my mother. You were barely with my mom. Don't try to confuse me." Dylan said.
"Someone's being a tad rebellious don't you think?" Brian quirked an eyebrow. "got that from me."
"Stop it. Just stop it." he argued. "Don't compare me to you. I'm nothing like you." He pushed the cookie away and rose from his seat again. But as Dylan turned his back, Brian had to speak up again.
"I've been told you're quite the young artist. Who do you think you get that from?"
Dylan froze in his tracks. Art...it was just something he enjoyed doing. He liked being a part of something so free and being able to create something out of nothing. The whole concept of the subject...there was so much to learn. It wasn't like science which had only one answer or was all about facts. There was no way he could have gotten something like that from Brian. This was the guy that he was starting to detest, the one that he wanted nothing to do with in any sense. But now...it was different.
Slowly he turned his head back to Brian. "You?"
Brian merely nodded. "Yes, me. I was quite the young artist as well. I used to write notes on the back of the principal that said things like 'kick me' and then doodled a cartoon of a person kicking him in his butt."
"I don't understand." Dylan shookhis head. "There's two different sides to the brain. One side leads the mind of a logical person who succeeds in factual subjects like math and science. And then the creative side enhances a person's ability in things like art and music, things that are all about expressing one's self. How is it even possible for a person to have a perfect balance between the two sides of the mind? They completely conflict with each other. How could I have a balance like that? I get straight A's in art all the time but I also ace science easily."
"Perhaps the logical side of the mind was more forced on you." Brian offered. "Maybe you were pushed towards a life of science."
"Not a chance." Dylan shook his head. "My parents would never do that."
Brian signaled for Dylan to come closer, or to sit back down. "Take your seat again, Dill. I think it's time for a little compare and contrast."
Dylan hesitated for a minute. Part of him wanted to get up and leave so badly. And yet he was inclined to learn more. He wanted to see where this was going. There was silence for a moment before there was the faint sound of him pulling the chair out again and sitting back down.
"Tell me about those little girls you live with." Brian suggested.
"You mean my sisters? What's to say about them?" Dylan replied.
"Tell me about them." he repeated. "What do you know about them?"
"Well there's not much to say about Trina. She's barely six months old so she's a regular baby. She's easily distracted, adores stuffed animals, can open her mouth to cry really loud or be as quiet as an angel, and I know she's gonna grow up to be a sweet girl." Dylan explained. "Cheryl's six going on seven and is a real trouble maker. She's a total tomboy and loves playing basketball, but I guess she also has a fast metabolism too cause she eats a ton of food and you wouldn't realize she ate so much by looking at her."
"And what do you think of when you see them?" Brian asked.
"My parents." was Dylan's first answer. "How much they look like them, and how much Cherry takes after Dad. And that they're my baby sisters and I'd do anything for them."
"So who do they take after?" Brian inquired.
"My parents." Dylan responded.
"And who do you take after?" Brian finished.
"My parents." he felt obligated to say.
"Dill that's the problem. You keep referring to them as your parents but they're not. I'm your father." Brian said.
"I know. But they raised me. I grew up with them. I take after them. The humor, the brains, the stubbornness..." he started.
"But everything else you got from me and your mother." Brian stated. "I'd like for you to spend the night with me, Dill. Just one night. There's some things I want to talk about with you. I want to get to know you again."
-blahblahblah-blahblahblah-blahblahblah-
"How long as he been up there?" Sharpay asked Zeke. Since they got home it felt like forever since Jaden went up to his room and didn't come out. They had thought that he needed some time to get used to his new surroundings, time to cool off. But there was no such luck. Zeke had come downstairs with no son beside him. Obviously the talk he attempted to have with Jaden did not go over too well.
"Feels like hours." Zeke sighed as he leaned up against the wall. "All I did was knock on the door to check up on him and he completely snapped at me. I thought maybe he just wanted to talk but he locked the door. Barely even let me get three sentences in."
"That son of a..." sharpay cursed. "He has to be punished for talking back like that!"
"Sharpay I really don't think we should jump to conclusions. He's in an unfamiliar area, maybe he just needs more time to himself. He could be taking this the wrong way." Zeke replied. "Think about it, he's been in an adoption agency for five years. It would make sense for Jaden not to be open to new people easily."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sharpay rolled her eyes. "But if he doesn't come down here for dinner I swear I'm going to break the door down. We go through all this work and preparation for him and what do we get? Any thanks? Any hugs? no, nothing! Some reward for being a parent! What's next, he's going to tell us he hates his room?"
"Actually...he said he hated a lot of stuff from behind the door." Zeke admitted.
"What?" she gasped. "like what?"
"Do you want his exact words or just some rephrasing?" he inquired.
Sharpay shrugged, not in the mood. "Surprise me."
Zeke sighed. "His exact words, when I asked him what I could do for him are, 'I hate this room, I hate the color blue, I hate this house, I hate my bed, I hate your girlie baking skills, I hate my life, and I hate you two'."
Sharpay scowled. The nerve of that little...how could he say such things? After all the work they put in for him! They got absolutely no thanks at all! Oh the things she was going to do to that boy. "That tears it!" She made her way to storm up the stairs.
Zeke gasped and ran in front of her, blocking the path to the staircase. "Whoa Sharpay...you're not gonna do anything drastic are you?"
"Out of my way Zeke!" she demanded. "That boy needs a stern talking to and I'm going to give it to him!" Forcing Zeke out of the way, Sharpay angrily made her way up to the second floor. She didn't even hesitate to stop at Jaden's room. She pounded on the door right away. "Open up this door and come out right now, young man! You are in so much trouble!"
Jaden's fant voice was heard from the locked door. "Go away."
"you listen to me right now! Your father and I worked extremely hard to set everything up for you! How could you be so ungrateful?" Sharpay yelled.
"None of your business! And the girlie man's not my father." Jaden argued.
"Don't you dare call him girlie! Your father is a very lovable and strong man. And just because he cooks does not make him any less manly!" she fought back.
"I said he's not my dad!" he yelled. "Go away and leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you or him!"
Sharpay growled. She couldn't take this anymore. He was just so much trouble. Time for even more drastic measures. "You wanna be that way, fine. Stay locked in there for all I care. But don't expect any food from either of us because you won't get it. You wanna lock yourself in there, then you get all the perks that come with being locked in there! When you're ready to come out then come out and we'll take you back to the stupid agency and find ourselves a real son. Cause obviously you don't want anything to do with us, so we don't want anything to do with you. Have a nice life, punk!" Getting all of her anger out, there was just one more thing to deal with. She stormed to hers and Zeke's room and slammed the door loudly behind her, with absolutely no retort from Jaden and no argument from Zeke.
-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-
The phone rang at the Danforth household. Taylor ran to pick it up first, anxious to hear from Dylan. She had no idea how it was going with him and Brian, but obviously there was some family tension or something along those lines that had to be cleared up. She knew Brian and she trusted Brian, but just wondering of the thoughts he could possibly be putting in Dylan's head frightened her. This was a man who completely lost contact with his son for years. And even though Dylan said he was lucky to have two fathers, Taylor was wondering how accurate the statement was the last time be brought it up. What if Dylan was finally choosing only one of his fathers and meant leaving the rest of them behind? A petty thought, she knew. But as a mother it was her job to be concerned. Not that she'd ever admit her fears out loud, of course.
"Hello?" she answered almost right away.
"It's me." Dylan's voice echoed through the other line.
Taylor held in a sigh of relief. Good, he had finally called. The remainder of their family had been home for a good couple of hours and already ate lunch, knowing that Dylan had probably eaten with Brian. And considering how responsible Dylan was, it wasn't like him to leave them hanging without an update on how well things were going or how soon he'd be home. "It's good to hear your voice Dylan. How are you doing?" she asked, not sure what else to say for the moment. Yup, maternal concerns again.
"I had lunch with my father. And then we went for a snack. We've been doing a lot of talking." Dylan replied.
"That's nice." Taylor said. "And how is everything going? Are you two bonding?"
"I guess, kinda." Dylan admitted. "He was trying to tell me a lot about him and..." His voice faded after that.
Taylor nodded, knowing what he was trying to say. There was that rift of the family again. It was just...weird, to say the least. Nearly hearing someone else being called his mother after all these years. It didn't feel right. "I see." was all she could say. What else was there? Taylor couldn't refer to herself as his mother after all that. And what was she supposed to call Chad. Not his father, and she certainly wasn't going to call him by his first name to Dylan. That would sound even less right.
"And how's Cheryl doing?" Dylan asked.
Another bad sign. It wasn't just the tone of Dylan's voice, how distant it sounded. The way he said Cheryl's name. He called her that plenty of times, but he also called her Cherry. It was an affectionate family nickname they had given her. Just thinking of the way how when she was a baby, she'd cry so much she was almost as red as a cherry in the face. It simply stuck. But the way Dylan said Cheryl's name, not to mention the fact he sued her name as opposed to her nickname, it was easy to tell that something was wrong. Maybe that he was even being told some things.
"She didn't really join us for lunch. She'd been sitting on the couch most of the time since we got home." Taylor answered, fighting the urge to say 'your sister'.
"Still mad, huh?" Dylan guessed.
"Just a little." Taylor admitted. "But you know Cheryl. She'll get over it."
"I guess." Dylan sighed.
Taylor sighed. This conversation wasn't going too well at all. "So where are you now?"
"In my father's car. We're on our way to his hotel right now." Dylan admitted. "He...kinda wants me to spend the night with him so we can get to know each other again."
She should have seen this coming. It hurt, actually. Yes, it did hurt from selfishness. Taylor knew that it was important for Dylan and Brain to spend some quality time together but still, that didn't give Brian any proper reason to take Dylan away from her or Chad. She didn't care if Brian was Dylan's father, uncle, cousin, or whatever. It never really felt like he was. He was only invited to see Dylan graduate, and now he was trying to...oh who knows, maybe brainwash Dylan or something.
"Oh. Alright. Well, I hope you have fun." Taylor said.
"Thanks." Dylan replied. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Ok. We'll see you then." Taylor nodded. "Love you honey."
There was a long pause. Dylan's normal response would be 'love you too mom' or something like that. But there was nothing of the sort. Just complete silence. There was absolutely nothing else. And once the long silence was completely over there was just a click on the other line. He had hung up. That was nothing like him. sighing heavily, she slowly hung up the phone. As soon as it was back on the hook, she headed to go up to her room. As she did so, Chad was coming down the stairs, most likely after having put Trina to sleep for her nap.
"Was that Dylan?" he asked her.
"Uh-huh." Taylor nodded, not really wanting to say anything else. She just wanted to get up to the room and be alone for a while. chad could keep a perfectly good eye on Cheryl.
"What'd he say?" Chad wondered, quirking an eyebrow.
She only turned to him briefly before giving as short an answer as possible. "Everything except 'love you too'." Taylor replied before turning on her heel and hurrying to get upstairs.
Chad just raised an eyebrow as he watched her go. He briefly glanced over at Cheryl, who was still curled up on the couch with her arms folded. Chad looked towards the phone, then back in the direction Taylor went in. Obviously something had been going on and he was completely out of the loop. Man how he hated it when that happened.
-CT-CT-CT-CT-CT-
The next morning Zeke woke up fairly early. Sharpay may have been sound asleep beside him, but he just couldn't get much sleep. He felt... more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. They had a ten year old boy locking himself in what was supposed to be his room and refusing to give either Zeke or Sharpay a chance. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. And even though it bothered Sharpay, Zeke knew it was hurting her too. And it hurt him as well. All he wanted was a child to call his own and the one they got wasn't letting him. This was like a family, you didn't get to pick them. And yet, Zeke wondered if it was family that was bothering Jaden. Was it just them he didn't like, or did it have something to do with the family he lost?
Removing himself from bed, Zeke scooted down the hall towards the room that was supposed to be Jaden's. Unsure if the boy was awake or not, Zeke knocked quietly on the door. "Jaden ?You awake?"
"go away." a mufled voice came from behind the door. It must have been Jaden. The kid didn't get any sleep at all last night? He sounded exhausted.
"I just wanna talk. You don't have to open the door or anything, all I'm asking is that you listen. Even if it's just for two minutes." Zeke said. He sounded oddly calm about all of this.
"I don't wanna." Jaden replied.
"Just two minutes..." Zeke asked nicely.
"No!" he snapped. "Now go away!"
Zeke stayed right where he was, facing the door. He refused to budge. "I'm not going anywhere. Sorry to disappoint you. But I'm not Sharpay. I'm not going to yell at you and say things you have to do."
"Girlie man letting your life be controlled by a woman." Jaden hissed.
"No I don't." Zeke shook his head. "We have different styles. Sharpay's the assertive one. She's a head-strong figter. I'm not. I'm more calm and reserved. I'm not gonna force you to do something."
There was no response from Jaden. There was no way he could have fallen asleep now. Maybe he was tuning Zeke out. Or maybe he took the headphones in the room and plugged them into a CD player or radio or whatever they had put in there for him, and could no longer hear Zeke. Whatever the case, Jaden was silent. How was it that everyone Zeke knew had to be stubborn somehow?
"Jay please..." he started.
"Don't you dare call me that!" Jaden yelled.
That almost caused Zeke to jump back. He took a few steps away from the door. He knew what he said, and he was surprised slightly by Jaden's reaction. He definitely hit a sore spot with that. Zeke sighed. Maybe there was something that they could see eye to eye on. "That was the nickname of my best friend. His name was Jason. We've been best friends forever. But when we were eighteen..." It had always been hard for Zeke to share the story to anyone. He barely even talked about it. But Jason was still close to Zeke. He visited Jason on their birthdays, every holiday, and on the day Jason died. He even went to visit Jason a few days ago to tell him the good news. About him and Sharpay adopting a son and that Jason would be the godfather. Zeke sighed and urged himself to continue. "There was a school shooting. Jason was one of the ones hit. We lost him. Jaden, I know what it's like to lose someone you really care about. You're not alone."
"Did you lose your parents too?" Jaden asked.
"No." Zeke shook his head. "But I know I will someday. They're not gonna be around forever. So I want you to know that you can talk to me."
"Do you have any brothers?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah. A younger brother." Zeke nodded. "His name's Harrison. We used to annoy the heck out of each other. But I taught him a lot about baking. We used to make cookies and cake for our parents all the time."
"My little brother likes cookies. When the old ladies made cookies for all us kids he always got to lick the bowl cause he was one of the youngest and one of the best behaving kids." Jaden said.
"You have a brother?" Zeke wondered. That was right; Zeke had fainted when the lady Sharpay talked to said that Jaden had a younger brother. Was this what was bothering Jaden all day?
"Uh-huh. His name's Carter." Jaden answered. "He loves cartoons and music."
"Really?" Zeke raised an eyebrow. Music, huh? That sounded like something Sharpay would really enjoy. "Tell me more about him?"
-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-
Brian looked up as he saw Dylan come out of his room. "Morning Dill. How was your night?"
"Good, I guess." Dylan replied as he walked over to the kitchen.
"I made you some breakfast. Pancakes with strawberry syrup. You just have to heat them up." Brian said.
"I'm allergic to strawberries." Dylan informed Brian. This was the guy that was supposed to be his father. How could he not know what Dylan couldn't eat?
"Oh, right. I guess I should have remembered that after seeing you when you were nine. I gave you a bowl of strawberries for a snack and you broke out in rashes an hour later." Brain replied.
Dylan rolled his eyes. right, that was the last time he and Brian actually saw each other. So far that was strike two on Brian's part. The first strike was when he made dinner last night and they were watching television; Brian was making shellfish while watching the History Channel. But anything history was Dylan's leat favorite, not to mention hardest, subject, and Dylan hated shellfish. Sushi and tuna he could deal with, but most other fish, especially shellfish, he couldn't stand. Why did he decide to room with a parent for a night who seemed to know squat about him, again?
"So how long should I stay today? I mean I do have to call..." Dylan cut himself off. what did he call them now? He couldn't call them his parents, could he? Not with Brian around. Things were awkward enough; and it was only going to get worse. "...them and let them know what's going on."
"Actually Dill, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Brian said. "Come here?"
Dylan held in a groan. He didn't really want to, but he knew that he had to give Brian a chance. The way Dylan saw it, a person got three strikes. But sometimes he'd extend it to five. He knew that people made mistakes and that it wasn't easy to chance. Not everything had to be done in three's, like three strikes or three days and three nights. Sometimes there had to be an extension. And as much as part of Dylan wanted to give Brian that extension, he just wasn't sure if he could or if Brian even deserved it. Still, Dylan obeyed. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to his father.
"So what's up?"
"Well son, I'm not exactly sure how to break this to you. So I'll just come right out and say it." Brain replied. "Dill I know we haven't really hit it off today. Or yesterday. And I'd like to change all of that. I feel like I don't know my own son anymore. and that's the problem. We've spent too much time away from each other. And I know you're starting college in August. So I'd like it if you came home with me. I work at Oxford so I can get you in easily."
Dylan blinked. Brian was asking him to change plans? But Dylan had everything all worked out. He'd known exactly what to do. U of A. Possibly transfer. Stay close to home. How was anywhere near Oxford his home? How would he even know if it was the right school for him? "I...I can't." he stammered. "I'm going to school here. I start at the University of Albuquerque. I'm barely leaving New Mexico for any schools. Father, I wanna stay here."
"Dill I think I know what's best for you. I am your father. I want to make things right. And if I'm going to start my own family back home I don't want to do it without you." Brian replied.
"You do everything else without me. You've lived tons of years without me. You don't need me in some place like England now." Dylan argued.
"I'm trying to fix things with us that seem to have been completely destroyed. Why can't you do the same?" Brian questioned.
"Cause you're not my dad." Dylan snapped.
That completely shocked Brian. There was no way Dylan could ever say that. Not to him. Dill had never even said it to Chad...except for that one time he was nine but that was totally different. Dylan knew Brian was his father. But for some reason he was no longer going to accept it. And he just couldn't understand why.
"You...you do not talk to me in that tone, young man."
Dylan shook his head. He didn't care how difficult this made everything for Brian and he didn't care what Brian wanted. Dylan knew what he wanted. And right now, he wanted nothing to do with Brian. He should have never given him any chances. whatever went on at Oxford between last time and this time, it changed him. And Dylan did not like it. He wasn't sure if he would ever like Brian. But the important thing was that he knew what he wanted to do now.
"You don't tell me what to do. You're not my dad. My dad is someone who's there for me. My dad supports me. My dad doesn't force me to do anything. My dad raised me. and if memory serves you did none of those things. That makes you the furthest thing from my dad. I don't care if you helped bring me into this world or not. I already have a dad. And he's at home with my family." Dylan explained. He was finally done. He was done with saying he had two dads. He was done being curious about his birth parents. He was done being confused.
Then, not even letting Brian say another word, Dylan turned around and walked out of the room.
---
"Shar we're home." Zeke said later that afternoon as he walked into the house.
Sharpay stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room. If it wasn't her firey glare that told Zeke she was furious with him, it was her stance and the fact that her hands were on her hips - both clear signs she was in a bad mood. "Zeke Cameron Baylor where have you been?" she demanded. "You cannot just disappear and take Jaden back to the adoption agency without telling me first and then disappear for hours. I've had breakfast and lunch ready for you for hours and you refused to come home or give a single call? Don't you tell me anything?"
"I was afraid that if I told you anything you wouldn't be cool with it." Zeke said honestly.
"What good is our relationship...no, scratch that...what good is our marriage if we don't talk to each other? If you wanna keep some things about your job secret, fine. That's your business. But when it comes to our family there are no secrets unless it's for some kind of surprise!" she insisted.
"Well this is kind of for a surprise..." he admitted.
"What kind of surprise?" Sharpay questioned.
Zeke sighed. He was going to have to explain it to her at some point. might as well do it now. Besides, Sharpay had every right to know. He just hoped that she would go for it. "I talked to Jaden this morning. He wouldn't open his door or come out, but he did let me talk to him. And he did talk, too. A little. And I found out why he's so rebellious and why he's in such a bad mood."
"And why is that?" she asked.
"Sharpay...the little guy lost his parents when he was four. Right after his little brother was born. They lived with their grandparents until they died. Then they went to the adoption agency." Zeke explained. "And Jaden...he's been one of the first kids on the list to be adopted for a couple of years already. But he always ends up going back there. He gets so cranky around the new parents and they can't handle him. They never figured out what was wrong. That's why he was always brought back. And today I found out the reason why. His little brother never got to go with him because Jaden always went to a family that wanted one kid or one son. And he didn't wanna leave without his brother. That's why he was so angry with us. Cause we were gonna give up on him like everyone else and he'd be leaving his little bro behind."
Sharpay blinked. That was quite a bit to take in. to say the least, it shocked her. "What?"
Zeke sighed. This was gonna be harder than he thought. "Sharpay we went back to the adoption agency. But I didn't go to leave Jaden there. We went to get his younger bro."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Zeke how could you do something so irresponsible? We can't just decide to take two boys. what if we're not ready for two?"
"Sharpay think about it. What if you were in Jaden's situation and had to leave Ryan behind? how would you feel about losing your twin?" Zeke yelled. "What if you never got to see him again? Do you know what you'd do without your brother?"
She was silent. There was no response to that. Sharpay knew exactly how she would feel about losing her brother. And that was the exact response that Zeke wanted her to give. He knew her. He knew everything about didn't matter if he was just crazy over her at first and the feelings became mutual, or if some things were just plain old obvious. The only person who knew Sharpay as well as Ryan was Zeke.
"Ok, I get it." Sharpay confessed. "But you could have told me before."
"I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to make Jaden happy. He and I...we kinda bonded." Zeke replied.
"What exactly did you tell him this morning?" she wondered.
"I told him about Jason. That Jaden wasn't the only one who lost someone important in his life. I told him about my younger brother. And obviously Jaden and Cater are way closer than Harrison and I ever were...except when it came to anniversary presents for our parents." Zeke answered.
"Cater?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," he nodded. "That's Jaden's little brother."
"And what can you tell me about him?" sharpay inquired. She was willing to give this a chance. And she wanted to know that it would be ok with both of them. If Jaden and Zeke bonded then maybe she and Carter could bond. Sharpay didn't want to be out of the loop with three boys in the house.
"His name is Carter Dominic. He's six, and he's really close to Jaden. Carter loves cartoons and music, so he's also a fan of musicals. And from what I know, he likes playing with cards." Zeke explained. "He's waiting outside with Jaden right now."
"Why out there, not in here?" Sharpay replied.
"I wasn't sure if you'd be cool with it. I wanted to talk to you about adopting both of them in private." Zeke said. "I mean, I already signed the forms but if it doesn't work...I don't know, we can bring them both back or something."
"And what if I don't want to bring them back?" Sharpay asked.
A smile slowly grew across Zeke's face. He couldn't believe Sharpay just admitted that she would agree with him out loud. 'Really?"
"Really." sharpay nodded eagerly. "Bring on the little doll."
"There's two of them." Zeke said.
"I know," she nodded. "I was talking about Carter. He sounds so much nicer than Jaden."
Zeke couldn't help but laugh. He should have seen that coming. "You got it!" he exclaimed, clearly overjoyed by her reaction. He walked over to the door and opened it slightly. "Boys you can come in now." He stepped back and let Jaden and Carter stepped in. Zeke watched Sharpay's reaction carefully. She was studying Carter. She could see the resemblance between the two boys. They had the same skin ton, nearly identical hair color though Carter's was slightly lighter than Jaden's, and instead of plain old blue eyes like Jaden's Carter's were more like a blue-green shade. Carter's body was a tad more athletic and wasn't as thin as Jaden. And the little guy had the cutest smile to match.
"So you must be Carter." Were the first words that were able to escape her mouth.
"Uh-huh." he nodded in a shy, quiet voice. "Are you gonna be my new mommy?"
Sharpay smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I am. If you want me to.'
"Yeah." he replied. He walked right into Sharpay arms and hugged her. Sharpay couldn't help but smile as she hugged him back. Now this, she could handle.
Zeke smiled as he watched them. That's what he'd been wanting. It looked like everything was working out. And when he turned to look at Jaden, even he was was a done deal, no more rebellion, no more drama...it was all good. "How about we bring that bed in the room back later and trade it for a bunk bed? And then we can buy the boys some new clothes." Zeke suggested.
"Leave the outfits to me, Zeke. You can come along to carry the bags." Sharpay said sweetly.
And he should have seen that coming, too. "Great, we can go tonight. I wanna make a cake for my boys. What flavor do you both want?"
"Chocolate!" Carter exclaimed.
"No nuts. Carter can't eat them." Jaden said.
"So chocolate then?" Zeke asked.
"As long as you let me decorate with the frosting." Sharpay said.
Alright, so Sharpay was horrible with all things food and frosting but they were...abstract. At least in a creative manner. And she wanted to help somehow. That was good enough for Zeke. "Chocolate cake with colored frosting it is. Hold the nuts."
"Does chocolate taste good with bananas?" Jaden wondered.
"How about you come see for yourself." Zeke suggested. "We can try a few different food combinations and see which ones would be perfect for the cake. As long as you don't think its for girlie men."
Jaden shook his head. "Not completely."
"Let's go then. I'll show you to the kitchen." Zeke said with a smile, walking out of the living room with Jaden right behind him.
Carter looked up at Sharpay. "If we go shopping I wanna shirt with Pokémons on it."
Sharpay giggled. "I think we can do that. Come on, let's watch your dad and brother bake us a cake."
"Chocolate!" Carter exclaimed with a wide smile as he ran right into the kitchen.
Sharpay laughed watching the boys. She could not wait to show them off to Ryan and Kelsi!
-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-SZ-
The house was completely silent. The TV wasn't on, there was no music in the background, and no one said a word. Cheryl hadn't once moved from the couch; she was still curled up and she didn't look the least bit happy. Trina was on the couch next to her sister sucking her thumb; her back was up against the couch cushions and like all other babies she had no clue as to what was going on. Taylor was leaning up against the wall not sure of anything else to do; since coming back downstairs she had barely moved from that spot. Chad was just coming down from upstairs; he didn't even know what he was doing, he just kept finding himself walking into Dylan's room and remembering things from when he was only eight.
"Still not home yet?" Chad asked, finally breaking the silence.
Taylor just shook her head. She had barely said a word since Dylan called. It was just so weird feeling so distant from him. She knew that something was going on, and her worst fear was that it was pulling Dylan away from them.
Chad sighed. He hated seeing his family like this, so torn apart. It was bad enough always feeling that way with his sister, he didn't want it to seem that way now. He glanced over at his younger girls. "What about you, Cherry? Missing your brother?"
"He's not my brother." she shook her head.
"Don't talk like that. You know he is." Chad said.
"No he's not." Cheryl repeated. "He lied."
"Dylan cares about you. He watches you. He protects you. He's always been there for you. He loves you. Last I checked those are all things a brother does." Chad replied.
"Not my brother." she insisted.
Chad hadn't forgiven Dylan yet and it wasn't even his fault. Yes, Dylan had promised to tell Cheryl they weren't related but the way it turned out...it just wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He would have said more, but his head was turned to the door. The doorknob turned slightly, and slowly enough it opened. Dylan stepped into the house. His head was down and he didn't sat a word. Chad's eyes widened and he exchanged glances with Taylor. Neither of them knew what was going on. Cheryl didn't turn her head but Trina's curiosity was peaked. She crawled over to the arm of the chair and leaned up against it to see who had walked in. And as soon as Dylan faced his family there was nothing but an awkward silence. No one said nothing. No one made any sudden moves. But they were pretty sure of one thing - that Dylan wouldn't be there too much longer.
Dylan took a small survey on the room upon the silence. He first looked at baby Trina. She was sucking on her thumb and looking at him all wide-eyed. She was too young to understand the family issues that were going on right now. But Dylan could tell that she knew something was up. Not only was there the look of curiosity but there was also a faint glance of intelligence. He could tell Trina knew there was a problem right now but there was nothing she could do about it. She was the newest member of the family and Dylan was overjoyed to have her as a sister. Trina wasn't nearly as much trouble as Cheryl had been. In fact if Dylan didn't know better, he'd say she'd grow up to be her exact opposite. He could just imagine all the things he'd be leaving behind with her if he ever left. But he knew she couldn't hate him like Cheryl did right now.
That's who his eyes fell on next. From the angle he was standing at, Dylan could see her on the couch. He was amazed she wasn't in her room. But if Dylan knew her as well as he thought he did, then Cheryl probably had to come down for food and then in between meals just stayed on the couch not doing or saying anything. She had to be so stubborn. And here Dylan was, supposed to be her big brother no matter what. So much for that; Cheryl wanted nothing to do with him anymore and Dill just wanted to fix things. But he didn't even know how to. He was afraid he'd lost someone already.
Then Dylan saw Chad. This was the man who took him in, the one who he seemed to bond with so easily. Yeah, they were close. They were about as close as any father and son. It didn't matter how different they were. Sure Chad loved sports and Dylan didn't. They would still sit down and watch games together. He liked that. Dylan also liked it when Chad praised him for his artwork. He couldn't imagine not calling anyone else his dad and yet just a few hours ago he had called Brian his father. Brian was no father. That was Chad. Who could ever take Chad's place? No one gave Dylan girl advice like Chad did or tried to make a funny situation out of a bad one. And let's be honest, Chad was the one who gave Dylan his "I Majored in Vacation" t-shirt after Dylan 'borrowed' it from his closet and wore it to school one day. No other dad Dylan knew wore funny shirts like that anymore. Chad was someone who adored his little girls and couldn't be more proud of his little man. and even standing at about the same height as Chad Dylan could still look up to him. but turning his back on Chad...how could he have done something so stupid? Maybe he didn't really, but it sure felt like it. Chad always wanted what was best for Dylan; and no one more than Dylan knew that Chad was best for him. Dylan didn't have two fathers, not anymore. He had one.
And then there was Taylor. Oh man how could he have not told her he loved her when he talked to her yesterday? That could have been the last time he talked to her and then he'd regret it forever. This was the woman Dylan grew attached to right on the spot. He couldn't even explain it. She just always seemed like such an open person and accepted him so easily. He liked that she and Chad got along since she met her and he liked that she took him in as his own when he was so confused. Not to be disrespectful to his birth mother, but Dylan saw Taylor as his real mother. She never played favorites between her kids and she always proved that even though she loved the three of them in different ways it was all equally in the end. They could confide in each other and Dylan didn't feel the need to try and seem so manly around Taylor like Chad always did. Dylan was much more sensitive than that. Forget the ideas Brian was trying to put in Dylan's head about science and all that being forced on him. Dill knew better. He remembered; Taylor was the one who showed him that science could be interesting and from that he saw the fun in was a contrast to the art that he loved so much. whether Dylan always had those brains or not, he still thought that they came from Taylor. He could never turn her back on her.
Not even wasting another minute Dylan walked across the room, everyone still in utter silence. He walked right over to Taylor and hugged her. He didn't want to say anything at first and he certainly didn't want to pull away. He just hugged her. When he finally willed himself to say anything, Dylan knew what the first words he waned to come out of his mouth were. "I love you."
Taylor hugged Dylan back. Now with him being taller than her, she could rest her head on his sounded...distraught. Confused, even. But she certainly wasn't going to hold that against him. "I love you too."
Dylan sniffed and lowered his voice, unable to describe how bad he felt right now. "I'm sorry I just hung up on you. I just..."
"No, it's fine." she whispered shaking her head. "You were with your father. You didn't want to make things weird."
"But things were weird. He kept comparing me to him and telling me things I didn't know and didn't wanna know..." Dylan replied.
"He can tell you more than we can. Dylan you always knew." she replied.
"I know." he nodded. "But I wish I didn't. I don't wanna be like this."
"It's alright." Taylor promised quietly hugging him tighter. "We're here for you. We always will be."
Dylan took deep breaths. It was almost overwhelming to him. "He was trying to tell me things about my birth mom. That's all he kept talking about. He kept saying how they were my parents and all you guys did was raise me..."
Taylor wasn't sure how to respond to that for a moment. Things felt like they were so delicate and breakable already. There was no way they could make it worse. "I guess we did." was all she could bring herself to say.
Dylan sniffed again and pulled away just enough to look at her. "He...he wanted me to go home with him. He said he could get me in Oxford. That he doesn't wanna start a new family without me."
Chad's eyes widened on hearing thing. So that's what Dylan came back for? That meant he was going to leave them. There was no way he could turn down an opportunity like that. He had to go with Brian. it should have happened sooner. Just none of them saw it coming.
Taylor's reaction was the same as Chad's. She figured it meant Dylan was going with him and just came back to collect his things and say good-bye. She wasn't sure what to say at first. "Well...we'll go help you pack your things then."
Dylan shook his head. No that wasn't supposed to be happening. That's not what he was there for. didn't they see? He wasn't there to leave. He was there to stay. "I said no, Mom. I didn't wanna go.I have plans. I know where I'm going. I don't want anything to do with Oxford. I don't wanna go who knows how far. I wanna stay here. I said no." He hugged Taylor tighter and she wrapped her arms around him once more.
"It's alright Dill. We're right here." she promised. "We've got you hon."
"Yuo said no to Oxford? That's turning down a real something, Dill." Chad said, ever the jokester.
Dylan let a faint chuckle escape him. That was Chad for him. He had to try and turn even the sappiest situation into a funny one. "It's too far. There's no one there for me. I've got everything I need here."
Chad hugged the two of them close. "Yeah. We're all you need kiddo. We've been waiting here for you and we're not gonna leave now.I mean, c'mon. You weren't gonna leave us." He even tried to laugh himself. "I could've told you he wouldn't ditch us Tay."
Somehow in the midst of all that Taylor was able to roll her eyes. "Sure, you say that now tough guy. I saw the look on your face."
"What about your face?" Chad replied.
"What about my face?" Taylor raised an eyebrow.
"It was...I mean..." Ok now he opened his big mouth. "It's as beautiful as the rest of you."
Dylan couldn't help but laugh. His mood was really lifted fast. He really owed Chad for that one. "He may be making a big joke but it's true." he said. "That's my dad."
Chad smiled crookedly. "Your dad huh?"
Dylan nodded. He pulled away from Taylor and turned to Chad. "I used to think I was so lucky. That I had two dads so that made my life way better than most kids. But today was the first time in years I saw my other dad. We know nothing about each other. You know everything about me. You've been there for me ever since I can remember. What did my other dad ever do for me? Not even half as much as you did.I don't want two dads. I don't even need two dads. I'm already talking to my real dad."
"Where did you get this sappy side to you?" Chad teased.
"Oh, from all those love poems you wrote and stuffed in your-" Dylan joked, but he never even got to finish. Chad quickly put his hand over Dylan's mouth.
"i never wrote any love poems. What ever gave you that idea?" he chuckled faintly. He quickly looked at his girls. "I never wrote any poetry." he said quickly.
"Really? Maybe I should go to our room and see for myself." Taylor giggled.
"no, no. No need to." Chad blurt out.
Dylan laughed. "This is why I love you guys. We can always joke around each other. I couldn't ask for a better family."
"Ok Dill I can't take it anymore. Get over here." Chad smiled and pulled his son into a hug. "So you're really not flying off to England?"
"Not in a million years. I got everything I need right here." Dylan replied hugging Chad back. "I'm sorry I worried you guys."
"Hey, it's all good." Chad shook his head. "We're here together and that's all that matters. and we still need to go out for that celebratory family thing. How does dinner sound?"
"Speaking of family..." Taylor said as she sat on the couch. She placed Trina in her lap and looked at Cheryl. "Cherry is there anything you have to say to Dylan?"
Cheryl just stayed quiet and crossed her arms.
Chad had his arm hung around Dylan still as he looked at his elder daughter. "Cheryl c'mon. You can't keep giving your bro the cold shoulder."
"He's not my brother." she hissed.
"Cheryl Dominique..." Taylor scolded.
"Mom, it's fine." Dylan said. "Cheryl's got every right to be mad at me."
"no it's not ok." Chad said. "I can't even begin to tell you how long I've gone not getting along with my sister. I don't wanna see the same thing happen to you guys. You both have always been so close."
"And really, you should be grateful you have each other. For all you know an accident in the future could tear you apart." Taylor added. "I lost my brother and sister over it and I don't want to see you two go drifting apart and then never being able to fix things."
"And think about all the things Dylan ever did for you. They're things a brother should do. Dill's never given one good reason not to trust him or anything. And yet right now you're taking one little mistake on him. You bro deserves to be cut some slack." Chad continued.
"When you were born we distinctivly told Dylan that no matter what he would always be your brother. What kind of message are you sending him now?" Taylor asked.
Cheryl looked back and forth between both of her parents, then over at hated to admit it sometimes, but Cheryl did like having a big brother. Especially one that she felt was less tough than she was. Come on, she could totally kick his butt in on the other hand it did feel like all of this had been a lie. They should have told her sooner she and Dylan weren't related, even if she wouldn't have understood. "I dunno..."
Taylor sighed and stood up from the couch. She walked over to Chad and Dylan and placed Trina in Dylan's arms. Trina responded happily by giggling and tugging on Dylan's shirt. Hey it was better than sucking her thumb. "Do you see that, Cheryl?" Taylor asked her. "If Trina can be so willing to accept Dylan as her brother than why can't you?"
"Cause she's just a baby." Cheryl replied.
"Who probably understands this way better than you do." Dylan said. "I mean she looks so much smarter than you..."
"What?" Cheryl gasped jumping off the couch. "She is not!"
"I don't know..." Dylan said innocently. "I mean if you've got Dad's athletic skills then it would make sense Trina gets mom's brains." He hid a smirk, so clearly he was making a joke out of it. Either that or just using reverse phychology. whatever he was doing, it seemed to be working.
"So not true. My brain could beat her brain any day!" Cheryl insisted.
"How about we go discuss this over that family dinner." Chad offered. "And you guys can argue on the car ride there all you want."
Dylan grinned and nodded. "I think that's a good idea. He went to the key rack and picked up the car keys. "I'll drive."
"i'll beat you to the car!" Cheryl exclaimed running out.
"Hey that's no fair!" You got a head start." Dylan laughed as he chased after her outside with Trina.
chad chuckled and slipped an arm around Taylor. "That's our kids huh? They grow up so fast."
"I know. What would we do without them?" Taylor replied resting her head on his shoulder.
"We'd be living with a good twenty-seven cats." Chad laughed.
Taylor smiled and rolled her eyes before playfully hitting him on the chest. Then she blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Chad?"
"Yeah Tay?" he replied.
"Did Dylan just say he was driving?" she inquired.
"Yeah. He even grabbed the car keys." Chad nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"He's never really driven on a highway before." Taylor answered, remembering that was the easiest way to get to the restaurant they all knew they'd be going to.
"Oh is that all? I thought you were gonna say something bad," Chad said not realizing that Taylor had told him something to worry about.
Taylor made a face and counted backwards from three in her give Chad that much time, he'll catch on. Three...two...one....
Chad's eyes widened and his jaw dropped right on cue. "Oh Sea Banana!" he exclaimed.
"I think you mean 'Sea Biscuit'." she corrected him.
"Oh Sea Biscuit!" he exclaimed again.
From emotional to laughing to arguing to loving to just plain crazy. But hey that was family for you. What wre you gonna do? That was the way it was all meant to be. And none of them could be happier.
THE END
and there we have it. The final chapter is done, done, and done! Once again, huge apologies for it taking so long. I kept doing everything in parts each day and there were some points where I just felt too dang lazy to write. But I hope you have all enjoyed it. As to whether or not I'll continue this at all with special episodes, such as two or three parters with special events, it's all up to you guys. Just if enough people ask for them. But I will let you know right now, if they are desired then they will not be started right away. Yes I might have an idea or two for them, but if those specials were to be posted then I would like to come up with ideas before promising anything to get started. Once again I hope you all enjoyed reading these oneshots and the story that started it all. Thank you all for opinions, ideas, and everything in between that I can't think of at the moment. xD So until next time, bye-bye everyone! I look forward to hearing more nice reviews from everyone for anything at all, and also in case there's any good stories out there (which we all know there are plenty of) I look forward to reading those as well. Peace out all. C=