A/N: another update already! Thanks for the reviews 8) changed a bit of Tom's background info in this so it fits my story better! Will try and update soon xx
~Mini Peacelet~
Born To Fly - Part 25
"Shit. Shit." Christine swore repeatedly as she raked her slender fingers through her tousled hair, exhaling a miserable sigh, "Eve. Her name's Eve. I knew about her. Nikki hasn't seen her since a number of days after her birth. She just randomly appeared today. I, I need to go after her-"
"The car approached from a clever angle." The PE teacher muttered exasperatedly while studying the monitor, "They evidently had studied the positioning of our security, with vast detail. No number plate. Just a black saloon car of some description."
"I'm calling the police." Lorraine announced as she grasped her phone from her handbag, already typing in the three important digits with a perfectly manicured finger tip.
"No!" The older blonde exclaimed zealously, snatching the device from her elegant hands. "You can't phone the police. You just can't. The bloke who answered Nik's phone said that if we stopped calling and didn't contact the police then she would remain safe." The naked fear sizzled visibly in the woman's eyes, flashing fleetingly before the opaque mask returned.
"Hey!" Bitter anger laced the benefactress' manner as she reached for her phone, tiptoes stretched in her expense stilettos, "That's my property. Give it back. We have to phone the police. Whoever kidnapped her are just saying that to keep the police off their backs. How else are we gonna find Nik, hmm?"
"Nikki," Christine emphasised her wife's name protectively, "Only I get to call her Nik." Teeth clenched, jaw pulsating a tedious ache, she glared intently at the younger lady. She was more than conscious of their history, and was prepared to attain Lorraine to a professional distance.
"Christine's right," Hector agreed as he flopped onto a chair, "We should comply with whatever they demand in order to keep Nikki and the baby safe. There must be more information coming soon, they must want something. People aren't kidnapped for no reason."
"Right, I need to go find Eve, now. And I need some time to think on what the most rational approach to this situation is." The blonde stated matter-of-factly as she returned the phone to the other woman and paced out of her office and into the vacant corridors.
Lorraine pirouetted sharply in her heels, "I'm still calling the police. Nikki could be in real danger! We have to do something!"
"Lorraine! Didn't you listen to a word we just said?" The man exhaled a dejected sigh, but it was too late. The benefactress had made the call and was reeling details to the police promptly.
"Oh there you are," A sigh of relief hovered from the headmistress's dry lips as she rammed the mechanised door of the pastoral care office open in a fervent fluster. Finally she had spotted the adolescent she had been searching for. Eve was perched on the plush sofa, nursing a hot beverage, with Tom sat on a chair nearby.
"Is it true that Nikki's been..." The compassion was stitched across Tom's expression, voice trailing off towards the end.
"Kidnapped?" The blonde loathed uttering that one word that nobody wanted to perceive. An agonising ache in her heart of fear. She nodded and confirmed, "Yeah."
"Eve told me." He stated gently, "She's been telling me all about herself; she adores English Lit, must definitely get that from her mother, hey?" He smiled sadly at the memory of how the former army captain could contently recite hours and hours of classic novels. It was such a delight.
Subsequently to ingesting another petite sip of her tea, Eve tilted her head upwards and gazed at the older female, "Christine..." She paused momentarily. Apprehensive, "I know you know the real reason behind why I haven't seen my mother for all these years...please tell me. I just want to know the truth...somehow piece together this messed up jigsaw of a life I have."
"Are you sure you want to know?" She lowered herself onto the chair, allowing the material to immerse around her comfortably, "I don't think it'll be what you're expecting."
Eve nodded positively.
The blonde glanced at her fellow teacher and adopted a composed manner as the entire, truthful tale tumbled from her lips as she reluctantly disclosed what her wife had narrated that day at the hospital. Deep down, she comprehended that this wasn't really her place to tell the girl, but she had little option at this moment in time.
Glassy tears prickled in the teenager's dazzling, azure orbs, threatening to spill in violent gushes, "So neither of my parents want me?" She mumbled, "Great." Sarcasm.
"I know it hurts, I understand, Eve. At nineteen years old, rarely any young woman is prepared and ready to take on the responsibilities that come with having a baby. Especially a teenage pregnancy." Christine tried to add some hope into the situation, fix it as best she could, "Your grandparents are Catholic? They were unlikely to agree with it. With little help, raising a baby is difficult. You have to appreciate what it was like back then."
She sniffed, wiping her eyes furiously, "So what am I supposed to do now?"
"That's down to you, really." Tom sensed that his colleague required some input, "You can either stay or return to your father. But you are more than welcome to stay at Waterloo Road and finish your studies. You may be able to reconcile with Nikki, when she's back."
"How could she do this to me." The brunette's fingers curled into tight fists, "What did I do wrong?!"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." Tentatively, Christine rested her hand on the girl's knee.
"It's not an excuse, but it's the only excuse most of us have." He sighed, "She was young and stupid. But I can assure you, your mother has come a long long way since then, even though I never knew her back then. I've seen her progress in this job. She's wiser. She's one of the most sensible, trustworthy people I know, and a damn good teacher as well. She's learnt a lot."
"Is that baby to replace me? To make her feel less guilty."
"No!" The female stated sincerely, "Definitely not...I wanted the baby, I was the driving force to that. She's worried in case she doesn't connect with this child as well."
"Come on, Eve. Don't you think she deserves a second chance? Everyone deserves a second chance." She twitched her shoulders in the approximation of a shrug and Tom continued to speak, "I have a son - Josh - he was a mistake and I ran away from my responsibilities as a father. I didn't want a kid. But he came and found me some fifteen years later, gave me a second chance to prove I could be a good father. We have a great relationship now, he's studying at uni."
Eve didn't responded instantly, she allowed a couple of minutes to process everything, "Okay...I don't think I would forgive myself if I didn't give her the chance to redeem herself." She concluded, "But where will I stay?"
"The school house?"
Christine shook her head, "No. She can stay with me at our home. Eve is my step daughter after all."