A/N: There has been a long hiatus on a lot of my stories, and I'm starting to find my muses again. So here we are, half of this chapter was already written, but I got a bad case of writer & muse block, but that's seemed to clear itself up. Here is the next installment of Crack in the Mirror

Crack in the Mirror
Chapter 02

"You're not honestly going back to Hastings are you?" Reid asked looking at Tyler and then back to Penelope. They had just told him about their plan to go to Hastings for the next couple of weeks.

"No, I have to do this Reid…"

"She put you through all this shit and you're just going to go run back there and save the day… I don't get it." Reid was annoyed.

"It's really complicated ok; I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Geneva and Lucy." Penelope explained.

Reid turned his blue gaze from Penelope to Tyler, "If you need me for any reason, you call me and I'll be there in two seconds flat, you got me?"

"What the hell am I going to need you for?" Tyler laughed playing with the baby in his lap.

"In case we have to kill this fucker," Reid pointed out. Penelope shot him a stern glare. "My bad, I mean that guy…"

She rolled her eyes and sat back on the suede sofa, "I don't even know the extent to this, and we'll see what happens. If it's too much for me to handle we'll leave."

They would be leaving the next day and decided to tell everyone over the phone and Reid in person, since it would affect him mostly since he did live with them. He wasn't keen on the idea, but neither was Tyler.

"So do I need to buy anything for Chris, or…" Reid was cut off when Tyler told him that they were taking Christopher with them. "What?" The blonde's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Why would you bring Christopher?"

"I was going to keep him here with Tyler, but he insists on going." Penelope lifted her chin to her boyfriend. "And I don't want to put your out more than we are by leaving you."

Reid stared at her for a minute, "You're not putting me out, Pen..."

"I still think it'd be too much for you." Her eyes locking on her son. "I mean, you'll be starting school; you'd have to worry about someone watching him during the day, feeding him, getting him to sleep… it's just too much."

"If you change your mind, I don't mind at all," Reid stated with a small grin. "Besides, he could help me pick up chicks…" He winked at her.

Penelope couldn't help but laugh, she knew she could always count on Reid to make her laugh in a situation like this. Tyler looked at his best friend and was grateful to have him; grateful that he was there for him, Penelope and Christopher.

--

Her stomach twisted in knots the entire trip to Hastings. She remembered the night she left like it was yesterday. The first time she had ever run in to Chase Collins. The same night that changed her life forever.

Tyler followed her instructions with care as she kept a watchful eye on the baby in the backseat. She was thankful that Christopher had slept most of the trip. She didn't want to think what it would have been like if he'd been cranky.

"Are you ok?" Tyler questioned, reaching over and taking her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze.

Penelope looked over at him, slightly alarmed; they'd barely spoken the entire trip. She forced a smile and nodded her head.

"Nel?" He raised an eyebrow, not believing her.

Penelope sighed and shook her head, "I'm scared," She whispered looking behind her at the sleeping baby. "I'm anxious, I'm nervous…" She chewed the inside of her cheek.

"And you have every right to be, but I will be right there next to you the entire time. You have nothing to worry about."

Penelope nodded her head and was thankful that Tyler did decide to come with her. She was glad that he didn't give her an option. She gave him the last part of the directions and felt her heartbeat pick up when he turned on to her road.

No, she told herself. It wasn't her road anymore. It was Grace and Neil's road.

Tyler pulled in to a driveway and turned the car off. She chewed her bottom lip and wondered exactly what her dear-old mother had in store for her. Tyler didn't let go of her hand he looked at the house and all he could see were the terrible things that he knew happened here only a few years ago.

"Are you ready for this?"

"No," She shook her head. "But I don't really have a choice…" She lifted her chin to the door that was opening. Tyler released her hand and she glanced back at Christopher, "Will you get him out. I want you to hold on to him… please…"

"Of course," Tyler nodded as he opened his door and headed to the back door taking Christopher's car-seat out of its strapped in holder.

Penelope took a few slow breaths and prayed that this went well. She didn't know what would happen if it were true, if Geneva really was being abused by Neil. She had no idea how she would react.

She thought about it, that was a lie, she did. She would probably find him and kill him. She may have despised her mother and her stepfather but she loved her sisters, no matter what.

"Nel?" Penelope looked up and saw Tyler standing next to her door; she hadn't even noticed that he'd opened it.

"Sorry," She whispered getting out and straightening out her outfit. She peaked over the side of the car-seat and smiled at her son. She took Tyler's hand and they walked up to the front door together.

She saw her mother standing there, she looked like hell. Penelope knew that it was harsh to say, but it was the truth. She looked as bad as she had before she married Neil, which meant that Grace was back on drugs.

Fabulous.

"Penelope! You came!" She was ecstatic, or at least that's what she was telling herself. Grace's arms flew around her and she stiffened at the contact. She didn't bother to hug back. "You brought company, I wasn't expecting that. I just made up your room."

"We're not staying here," Penelope stated pointedly.

"Then where are you going to stay?"

"At a hotel, a few miles up the road…" Tyler answered politely.

"Penelope you should really stay with us," Grace insisted.

"When hell freezes over I'll stay here…" Penelope replied coldly. "I just came to hear what you had to say and to talk to Geneva and Lucy…" She pulled her lips together tightly. "If I feel like they need me, we'll stay, but we're staying in the hotel…"

Grace stepped back in to the house and bowed her head not saying a word. Penelope followed her in to the house and Tyler right behind her with the baby. Penelope walked in to the living room, Tyler behind her and Grace behind him.

"Who's baby?" She asked looking to her eldest daughter.

"Ours," Penelope responded automatically.

"Yours?" Grace blinked.

"Yes, ours…" She wagged her finger between herself and Tyler. "My boyfriend, Tyler, and this is our son Christopher…"

"I'm a grandmother?" She retorted in disbelief.

"If you feel like you can actually call yourself that, Grace…" Penelope replied taking a seat on the couch. Tyler chose the recliner right next to her, setting Christopher down on the ground facing him. "Enough about this, tell me why you think Neil is hurting Genny,"

Grace sat down slowly on the couch, her eyes still on Christopher's car-seat. She folded her hands in her lap, though they were shaking rapidly. Penelope was getting frustrated, she knew that she shouldn't have brought Tyler and Christopher; it would only distract her mother.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a baby?" Grace asked, looking to her daughter for an answer.

"Why did you kick me out of the house?" Penelope tilted her head to the side, tired of her mother already.

"Penelope, I didn't have a choice…"

"You did, and you made your choice." Penelope snapped. "Luckily for you I didn't wind up dead in a gutter somewhere…" She pursed her lips and looked to Tyler who gave her a comforting look. She took a deep breath. "Enough, Grace, tell me about Geneva."

Grace looked away and took a slow, steady breath, "She's uh—been acting weird lately."

"Weird, how?"

"Like you did when you first accused Neil of you know…" Grace's hand flew out for emphasis, not wanting to say the derogative terms.

"When Neil raped me?" Penelope asked, the tears were now brimming her eyes. "When my own mother didn't believe me and accused me of being jealous of her?" She scoffed disgusted.

"Penelope, I'm sorry…" Grace started.

"It's too late for me… but if you really think that Geneva's in trouble, then I'll stick around to feel it out… but I'm not really sure what you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to see if she'll tell you, Penelope. She won't talk to me."

"Is it that, or are you just not listening to her?"

"Of course I'm listening to her, she's my daughter."

"So was I…" Penelope stated standing up. "Where is she?"

"She and Lucy are at school…" She swallowed hard.

"Where's the bastard?"

"At work,"

"I'll pick the girls up from school, and I'll bring them home before dinner. That's if they want to come home."

Penelope looked back at Tyler and he stood up, taking Christopher and following her out of the front door, not saying another word to Grace. She could hear her mother break down as she closed the door, but she wasn't going to show sympathy for that woman, she couldn't afford to be hurt any further by her or anyone else.

She got in to the car as Tyler fastened Christopher in to his seat. He slid in next to her and she let out a few heavy breaths, the tears were now flowing down her cheeks freely.

"It's ok, baby…" Tyler reached across the console and wrapped his arms around her. "Everything is going to be ok…"

She sighed heavily and desperately wanted to believe his words, but she wasn't sure if she could. Would she be able to do this? Could she stay here and be strong for Geneva and Lucy in order to get to the bottom of this?

Finally getting back in to the swing of things, and updating, I guess that's a pretty damn good thing, isn't it? At least for my faithful readers! :)