Hello dear readers. It's been a while since I've updated this, been working on finishing up 'iHunt the Animal' (give that a read when you get a chance), but I hope you enjoy this update. I hope to get back to this story on a more regular basis.
Okay, I was late getting this out to remind you to watch Elizabeth's new show, 'Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll', but watch it on playback your cable provider. (You know at some point I have something in mind to write about Gigi.)
Twilight Warrior 627: Things are starting to come together. Tori and Beck are starting to openly show the strain in their relationship—which Beck appears to be in the dark as to the reason why. Anna has her own agenda and if one is to take her word at face value, it is Dusty. He's her boy and she will protect him above all others. Beck's motivations are two fold: 1. Dusty doesn't let him get by with anything and 2. He just disagrees with Dusty's actions while he's been hopping all over the world. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Fanfic-Reader-88: Jade has shut completely down and shows how much Ian has become part of her life in embracing being his big sister.
What Dusty's reaction will be when he finds out that Tori shared that secret could be one of many things, but personally, I wouldn't go blabbing secrets of someone that has looked directly into my soul and knows everything about me and shown not to take crap from anyone.
Freddie's going to have to step up with the rest of the world around him seeming to fall apart.
TenorSax93: Thank you.
Challenge King: Freddie is clearly not going to take Mister West's mess. The mystery will simply be whether he'll act in the short or long term to get what he wants. Anna is going to look out for her boy and they might not like her decisions on what she'll do to protect him. Thanks for reading.
Rating: T Language
Chapter 27
Roy West Residence
Los Angeles, CA
Freddie banged on the door with the bottom of his fist on the off white door several times then took a step back, waiting for someone to answer the door. He knew consciously that the occupants were probably asleep at this hour, but that didn't squash any impatience he felt when no one immediately answered. He called out probably loud enough for the neighbors to hear as he knocked against, "Come on Mister West. It's Freddie. I know you're home. I need to talk to you, so open up!"
The seconds ticked by, doing nothing to help calm Freddie's anxious feeling. He thought perhaps Mister West could simply call the cops on him.
About a minute later or so after his initial knocking, the front porch light came on over Freddie's head, pulling the teenager's eyes from the door to momentarily glance at it. He looked back to the door as it opened and appeared Mister West wearing a dark colored robe with a V-neck T-shirt peaking under the collar. He sighed out, quite annoyed at the interruption of his sleep, "It's very late Mister Benson and has been a long and trying day."
Freddie snorted, "Tell me about it."
The older gentleman blew out a soft and quite annoyed breath out of his nose, "I wouldn't be hard press to guess why you are here, but this is not a good time Mister Benson. If you wish to talk tomorrow then I'm sure we can arrange a time." He attempted to shut the door in the teenager's face, but Freddie threw out his hand and stopped the door from slamming in his face.
"I didn't ask if it was a good time for you or not. I have to speak with you and it can't wait until the morning."
Mister West locked eyes with his future son-in-law and weighed calling the police on the young man verses the headache he would get in return. He sighed and at least humor Freddie for a few minutes. "What do you want?"
"I want you to talk some sense into your wife. You just can't snatch Ian out of Jade's life and ban her from not seeing him. Jade's heart has been ripped out and she's just shutdown. She's been locked in her bathroom since we got home from Cat and Sam's place. Your daughter's heart has been ripped out."
Mister West paused for a moment from the intense look in Freddie's eyes and words rolling off his tongue. He was not prepared for hearing his daughter having such a reaction to his wife's edict. However, he did have other pressing concerns and cleared his throat before answering, "He's my son and I have to do what's best for him. Being around her and you is obviously dangerous. He was kidnapped today for God sakes because of one your ghosts from the past. Are there anymore out there? And what about future potential stalkers due to her being a celebrity? I've seen the photos of her and Ian out in public—something my wife does not approve of. He could easily be targeted again by someone else. She's one of the most famous musicians in the world."
Freddie harshly glared at him. "Bullchizz! That's just your trophy wife talking and you're too cowardly to stand up to her throwing a tantrum as if she was an undisciplined child or…" He took a breath to try to rein in his anger then continued, "…you're going along with it because you want to hold it over Jade's head to control since you haven't had a say in her life since you walked out on her mother."
Mister West sneered at him, something that he usually wouldn't stoop to doing, and nearly barked, "How dare you?"
Freddie snapped back, "Dare I? Because it's the truth. You won't stand up to her or you agree with her to use Ian as a pawn. I know why you do what you do with Jade. You're not happy with how she turned out differently than you imagined and you have this nagging doubt that maybe, just maybe she's not yours, but the Colonel's, but I don't care. I don't care whether you think Jade's yours or she's the Colonel's from some wild threesome he had with Mrs. Shay and your ex-wife. You're going to man up, stand up to you wife or you're going to set your pride aside and put an end to this."
The taller and older man glared down and challenged, "I am?"
Freddie held his glared and answered, "Yes you are. How long do you think you're going to get by with the Colonel in making Jade suffer? How long do think I'm going to let you make her suffer?
The man in his early fifty stood up straight and looked down on Freddie. "You don't frighten me boy."
Freddie snapped with all the vitriol he had for the man, "I shouldn't have to frighten you. The Colonel or I shouldn't have to do one damn thing. I shouldn't have to be here talking to you. I shouldn't have to make promises of payback or how much I will make you suffer a hundred times more than what Jade is going through." He took a breath then continued with the growing anger in his heart coming to the surface. "You should be man enough—father enough—to do right by her. You're doing this—whether it is out of fear of the Colonel, me or finding it in that black place you call a heart to do the right thing—you are going to let Jade see Ian and be a part of his life. That's what a father would want for his children to do: to love one another."
Mister West licked his lips and attempted to check his annoyance with the young man's blatant disrespect and the fact that Freddie was throwing back up in his face his original hopes that Jade would get along with her stepbrother. After getting his inner composure to match what he was projecting towards Freddie, he answered, "We'll talk tomorrow Mister Benson."
Freddie maintained a cold stare that conveyed a determination that Mister West should think twice about challenging. He took several steps back and promised, "This isn't over Mister West. I promise you that this isn't over." He turned away and headed back to his car.
Mister West turned and closed and locked the door behind him. He glanced up to see that his wife was looking down at him from the second floor with an annoyed expression. She was about to speak, but he was a second quicker, "Go back to bed."
"If I see him again, I'm calling the police on him."
The businessman resisted rolling his eyes as he knew such a thing was a shortsighted decision and would make things worst. He remained quiet on the point and turned the light off before heading back up to bed.
Ian laid in his bed and stared up at his starry night decorated ceiling. A six year old not being able to get to sleep wasn't something unusual as he was just as active as any other child his age, but tonight was different. One moment he had been playing a video game under the 'watchful' eye of Sam then the next he was snatched up by a very scary girl—scarier than the first time he had met Jade—and stuck in a well. When Sam and Dusty had saved him, he thought he could see Jade. She sound very scared on the phone for the brief moments they talked on the phone.
She needed him and he could privately admit he missed his big sister.
He vaguely remembered that when he first met her she was a little scary, but now he couldn't understand why he ever found her scary in the first place.
The child was so lost in his thoughts that he was surprised when the border collie jumped up on his hind legs and put his front legs over the edge and onto the bed. The dog had disappeared when his parents returned to take him home and now he somehow got into his room. Ian didn't question it and petted the animal's head and taking it as a signal, Ira crawled up on the bed to lie next to him. Ian turned onto his side to hold the dog close, relaxing and eventually drifting off to sleep.
Cat and Sam Residence
Apartment 22
Venice, CA
Sam slumped in the couch seat as she had her feet propped up at the coffee table stolen from the set of her and Cat's favorite show 'That's a Drag'… one in which the studio missed when they were trying to track down all the furniture and props when a few months ago they decided to bring back the show after fan outrage of its unexpected cancellation—and stared at the television.
The blonde wasn't really paying attention to the CFC repeat of Shelby Marx beating the mess out of her opponent, lost in her own thoughts.
Cat walked up to Sam's left and held a bottle of root beer in an attempt to offer some comfort to her blonde headed friend. Sam ignored the gesture and looked deadeye at the television. The former redhead walked in front of the lost in thoughts girl and the television then had a seat to Sam's right. She sat the bottle on the table the leaned over and wrapped her arms behind and in front of Sam.
Sam snapped out of her thoughts and grumbled, "The hugging, the hugg—"
Cat snapped, truly surprising the blonde, "Oh knock it off Sam."
The former webstar shut her mouth, not willing to argue with an annoyed Cat and relax into her embrace, resting the side of her head against Cat's temple. Cat didn't know what else to do but to hold her friend and roommate. She was heartbroken too about what the second Mrs. West had done to Jade and said that she didn't want them around him either. She really liked Ian and like practically being an aunt towards him, but she suspected for Sam, the hurt ran far deeper with self-condemnation in letting Nora get Ian in the first place.
After what seemed like forever, Sam finally spoke, "I really screwed up Cat. I mean I've screwed up in the past—really screwed up that landed me in the back seat of a police car, but this…"
"But Ian's fine and at home and safe and Nora's…" Cat trailed off as she really didn't know how to finish her statement.
Sam answered while she finally started paying attention to the television screen, "Rotting in Hell as we speak."
Cat didn't like thinking of such a thing, but she wasn't going to question it. "You're probably right."
"Yeah and Dusty is sitting in a jail cell because of my big mouth."
The former redhead sat up to meet Sam's eyes and emphatically pointed out, "Hey, he told you to tell the truth."
"And I just had to listen didn't I? I've lied plenty of times during my life, why not this time too?"
"Because it's not a night in juvie, but you'd go to jail if you didn't. He didn't want you to go to jail."
Sam palmed her forehead and swore, "Damn it… why did I listen to that self-righteous stubborn son-of-a-bitch?"
Cat rarely heard Sam swore, so she knew the dirty blonde was upset. She attempted to reassure her roommate, "Dusty can take care of himself."
"I know, but… it's just not him. Did you see the look on Jade's face when they took Ian?"
The singer quietly answered, "Yes I did."
The pair sat quietly and Cat let Sam sink back into her thoughts. She didn't want her friend to mope, but she wasn't sure what she could do other than sit with her.
Sam practically hopped up from her seat to Cat's surprise and headed to the glass doors that led to the back patio and to her motorcycle.
Cat stood up and asked, "Where are you going?
"I may have janked up big time, but I can at least try to do something about it," she answered as she opened the patio door.
West Residence
Los Angeles, CA
The time was approaching one in the morning when Sam pulled her bike up into the driveway. She pulled off her helmet and hung it on the end of one of the bike handles. She spotted several well dressed gentlemen in tailored suits standing guard outside the house and a large black SUV sitting on the far side of the driveway.
Two large gentlemen cautiously approached Sam and one motioned with a finger for her to back the bike up and stated, "You got the wrong house young lady. You can back on out and be on your way."
Sam was surprisingly patient and understanding that they had a job to do in protecting Jade, so she calmly answered, "I'm Sam Puckett and I know Jade and I aren't exactly friends in any sense of the word, but I was Ian's babysitter and I'm betting Colonel Shay is still inside, so it might be a good idea to let me inside. You know that guy that's going to marry Jade's mother and could probably kill you five different ways before you hit the ground?"
The two security guards glanced to one another, deciding if they should heed her advice. After several seconds, they stepped aside to let her pass, apparently aware of the conflicted relationship she had with the Wests, but the daughterly one with Colonel Shay.
The blonde stepped off the bike then instructed as she walked past them, "Watch my bike while you're standing there."
The balding one rolled his eyes, but particularly didn't mind as it was a nice bike.
Sam reached the door and tapped the doorbell. She shifted her weight back and forth between her feet as she waited for the door to open.
The door opened and revealed Colonel Shay, still casually dressed and not appearing as if he was going to bed anytime soon. He knotted his brow and questioned in a clearly surprised tone, "Samantha?"
The dirty blonde nervously chuckled, "Hey Colonel. Can I see Jade?"
He paused for a moment and she thought for a moment that he was going to politely tell her no, but… "That's up to her, but come on inside." He stepped aside and let Sam enter the home. He closed and locked the door behind him then led her further inside.
Sam stopped at the edge of the living room and spotted someone she didn't expect apparently falling asleep on the couch. She walked over and tapped the artist on the bottom of his sock covered foot. "Spencer?"
Spencer sat up like a shot and rapidly muttered while looking around to get his bearings, "I'm up, I'm up."
Sam snorted out a laugh at Spencer's comical reaction.
The artist turned to the source of the familiar laughter and beamed a smile at seeing the blonde. He got up from his seat and walked over to the girl that had wormed her way into the Shay family so long ago. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up in a hug.
The blonde was startled for a moment from the exuberant hug, but Spencer put her down before she could react. He held onto her shoulders and gave her a goofy grin.
Sam couldn't help but smile back at him and asked, "It's good to see you too. What are you doing here?"
Spencer dropped his hands off her shoulders and straightened up. "Probably the same reason you are: to be here for Jade. I heard what happened, so I got on a flight and got down here. What are you doing here?"
"I…" She looked to the Colonel with a troubled expression then back to Spencer. "I'm here to try to help."
Spencer laughed, "You save Ian. You saved the day."
Sam tightly smiled and looked back to Shay. "Where's Jade?"
The trio stopped just a few paces away from the closed bathroom door with Mrs. West sitting beside the bathroom door and resting her back against the wall. The dark haired beauty looked on in surprise and stood up when she spotted the blonde walking with the father and son.
She asked with a confusion laced tone than an accusing one, which was always better for Sam as the woman never put up with her nonsense, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to check on Jade. Where is she?"
Mrs. West looked dubious to the blonde, but decided to be honest and nodded her head to the door. "She locked herself in the bathroom."
"To do what?"
The matriarch softly answered as she spared a glance away from the closed bathroom door, "To just emotionally deal with what happened in private."
Sam felt a knot in her stomach. Jade was one of the strongest people she knew, after all, she could stand up to her without a sliver of fear. Hours had passed since she had seen the famous musician, so if she was still upset to lock herself in a bathroom, she couldn't really fathom level of devastation Jade must have felt. She was briefly reminded of Carly taking long showers to when she was really upset.
While she wrapped her head around direness of the circumstance, she finally realized the absence of one person. She asked the mistress of the house, "Where's Freddie?"
The matriarch of the home was hesitant in answering, "He left a while ago."
"To do what?"
Shay answered, "Talk to Roy."
The blonde demanded, "Why aren't you talking to him? He seemed kind of afraid of you."
"If I went to see him I'd probably knock his teeth out. There is more than one way to skin a cat—poor choice of words for you, what I mean is that there are other options. I may not need to use the stick. We'll have to see."
Sam eyed him for several seconds before asking, "Can I talk to her?"
Mrs. West clenched her jaw, instinctively knowing that was not the best idea. However, she didn't want to talk down to the girl and escalate things for Jade's emotional wellbeing and the fact that Carly still cared very much for the girl. She took a more delicate approach, "Do you think that's the wisest decision?"
"I know how janked up I made things, so I got to do something to try to fix things."
Shay pointed out, "You went to go pee and as much as Jade wants to blame you for that, it's not a rational placement of blame and you already did something: you got Ian back."
Sam slightly shook her head and retorted, "But it wasn't enough."
The Colonel cracked a smile from hard earned experience and answered, "One battle at a time. One battle at a time."
The former web-hostess looked dubious as patience of course was not one of her virtues.
Mrs. West spoke in a curious instead of confrontational manner, grabbing the teenager's attention, "What could you possibly say that could make a difference to her right now?"
Sam took a breath and slightly shook his head. "I'd thought I'd wing it."
The matriarch studied the blonde, remembering she wasn't necessarily a 'deep thinker' and it was Carly that was the brains behind the pair—which she got from her mother. She passed a glance to her future husband and commented with a hint of a smile, "Reminds me of someone I know… winging it."
Shay didn't miss a beat and answered with a partial grin, "I was an instinctual fighter pilot. I lived on wings."
Ruby rolled her eyes and muttered, "Right…"
At the end of the hallway, the four heard footsteps reach the landing. They turned to see Freddie approaching, but he immediately stopped when saw his long time tormentor. "Sam?"
The former Seattleite troublemaker bashfully smiled to him and answered, "Hey."
Freddie passed a confused glance to Mrs. West and the Colonel before asking Sam, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to… do something."
"Something?"
"I want to help." She nodded her head to the bedroom door. "She's in the bathroom."
Freddie waited for her to continued, but saw that she was at a loss for words, then again, Jade just locking herself in a bathroom was enough of an explanation of the seriousness of the situation.
"I know she's in the bathroom, but I know you've already helped. You brought Ian back."
Sam embarrassingly looked to the floor and uttered, "I think Dusty should get most of the credit. I would have just been sitting on a bench and laughing at people tripping on a broken sidewalk if he didn't show up."
Freddie did something he didn't expect to ever do again in his life; he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you Sam."
The blonde flinched from the contact. She hesitantly raised her arms and patted his back, her eyes darting back and forth as she didn't know how to respond to such an action.
Freddie let her go and asked, "You really think you're going to be able to help?"
"I got to try."
Freddie studied her for a few seconds, trying to gauge her true intentions. They had made peace about a year ago, there had been some true contrition on the blonde's part and she had saved Ian's life, but there was always that caution.
Sam turned towards the door and knocked, quietly calling through the door, "Jade, it's Sam. Would you open the door for me? I need to talk to you."
A harsh voice called out, "What do you want to talk to me about? You want to look me in the eyes when you put the knife in me? You finally fucked me over."
"No, I'm sorry."
There was a slight pause then a short humorless laugh from the other side of the door, "When have you ever been sorry in your damn life?" Jade's voice dropped to a tired tone, "You don't fool me for a second. The only reason why you're half-way an adult without Carly here is because Freddie would put you down for good if you weren't. You have no remorse for anything, only your fear… like a dog beaten into submission."
The adult couple glanced to each other, questioning whether they should ask the blonde to leave as she was clearly not helping the situation.
Sam quietly answered, "I'm sorry I didn't put Nora down when I had the chance and you and Ian are hurting 'cause of it. We just might hate each other's guts, but… Ian's a good kid and… you don't deserve chizz like this. He shouldn't be separated from someone that loves him like you do."
She and the others were answered with silence. She was about to give up and just go downstairs with the others, but after about a minute, Jade answered in a tired voice without much if any venom, "How do I know you're just saying that so I don't rip your head off? Do you think I just forgot that? You think I just let that go?"
The blonde took a breath then calmly but with a hint of challenge in her voice answered, "No, I didn't, but you can't do that held up in a bathroom, can you?"
Mrs. West turned a glare on the blonde, seeing that it was a bad idea to let her be up here, but Shay gently rested his hands on her shoulders. He whispered something in her ear and it appeared to calm her for the moment.
Jade answered with a fierce voice and ire that put the fear in many students when she was at Hollywood Arts, "So you want me to go out there and kick your ass?"
Sam tried not to let a bit of a smirk form on her face as she answered, "You can try, but what I really want is for you to pull yourself together. If you've been like this since you left my place then you've done enough of it. While you're in there, Dusty's probably sitting in a jail cell and Ian… what good are you to him if you're like this?"
Freddie patiently waited as did the Colonel even if Mrs. West wanted to throw the former juvenile delinquent out.
Sam glanced to Freddie, seeing if she was pushing too far, but returned with a narrow stare that she took to mean that he was giving her just a little more rope to see what she was going to do with it: either throw it out as a life line for Jade or make it a noose for herself. She looked back to the door and continued, "I know you're not going to open the door for me, but you have to pull yourself together for Dusty, who looks like just killed a person for you; for Ian, who loves you like a son and for Freddie, the guy that would walk through Hell and back for you. You owe it to them if you don't owe it to yourself."
There was an eerie, almost deathly silence as they waited for Jade to answer. Mrs. West was even silent even if she perhaps thought Sam had gone too far.
The bathroom door opened and the troublemaking blonde flinched at the sight of the dark haired girl. The naturally pale skinned girl looked almost like a ghost and her eyes were bloodshot with dark bags under her eyes. The others in the hallway joined Sam's startled reaction other than the Colonel who wore a stoic expression.
Jade stood up straight, taking advantage of her nearly half a foot height difference between herself and the blonde, and looked her straight in the eyes with a thin lined mouth expression.
Sam held her stare in return, calculating the odds that Jade would try to carry out her promise of trying to kill her. She was giving herself fifty-fifty chance whether she was going to be slugged.
Jade looked at her for a few more seconds then walked around her to Freddie and immediately allowed him to embrace her. He brushed his hand over the back of her head and whispered, "Hey, I'm right here. It's going to be okay. I swear to you that it's going to be okay."
The dark brunette closed her eyes and buried her face into the side of his neck and just tried to find peace in his arms.
Roy West Residence
Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Ian stirred from his sleep as the first rays of the sun filtered through the blinds of his room reached him. He rolled onto his back and yawned. He smacked his lips then opened his eyes to the surprise of Dusty sitting on the edge of the bed at about the middle of it, affectionately rubbing the top of Ira's head. The dog was still lying by the child's side as if to protect him from anything that could come from under his bed or out of his closet.
Dusty half grinned to the child and casually asked, "Morning kiddo. How are you doing?"
The child yawned in that adorable way only a small child could answer, "I'm fine."
Dusty would have liked to just take Ian's word for it, but Ian was a child and he didn't want to let the child internalize what happened to him and leave him scarred from the kidnapping. He studied the child, seeing past the physical aspects and looking into his mind then his soul.
The son of an archangel smiled at seeing that the boy had been a little scared, but for the most part brave and sure that his sister would find him and he'd be alright. He didn't see any lasting damage. He was pretty resilient. If anything that was going to bother him, it was if he wouldn't be able to see his sister. "I'm glad. It was a rough evening, but you don't look any worse for wear."
Ian sat up and shrugged his shoulders and remarked, "You told me not to be afraid of monsters, but… is she a monster?"
"In a manner of speaking? Yes." He softly laughed, "They don't all have fangs and claws."
"What happened to her?"
Dusty took a sharp breath and paused on how to answer such a question. He wasn't too up for outright lying to the child. He settled with a question, "Would you accept me saying that she will never bother you again?"
"So it's a secret?"
The teenager chuckled, "Kind of…"
The child nodded and clarified, "Like your wings?"
"Yep, like these wings. One day you're going to have to tell me how you see them when no one else does… well other than Grace."
Ian shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I just see them and Gracie is nice. I like her."
"I thought girls were supposed to be icky at your age? They have cooties or something."
"I don't understand how they're icky. Jade and Cat and Tori are girls but they're not icky. They're… nice and smell good."
Dusty let out a stress relieving laugh and replied, "And that little one is why you'll be one step ahead of other guys when you're ready to start really liking girls."
Ian knotted his brow, not understanding what Dusty meant, but trusted him to know what he was talking about. "Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to check on you. See how you were dealing with what happened. As I said, it was a rough evening."
Ian defiantly stated, "I wasn't scared."
"Good, because your sister was pretty scared enough about what happened to you and I'm sure she's going to need you."
Ian expression saddened and stated, "Mommy doesn't want me to see Jadey anymore."
Dusty glanced away and took a deep breath, looking as if he was in deep contemplation. He looked back to Ian and answered, "Well… sometimes mommies are wrong and change their minds."
"I didn't think mommies could be wrong, but I think she's wrong. Has your mommy ever been wrong?"
Dusty let out a good chuckle and glanced to the ceiling. He nodded and commented in a lighthearted tone, "I think she's been wrong a few times."
"But she's an angel. How can angels be wrong?"
"Because angels are not perfect beings. They can make mistakes just like the rest of us… they can even sin. It's how there are Fallen Angels like the serpent in your Bible storybook," he answered while making a hand motion towards one of the bookshelves.
"Like the Devil?"
"Yes, like the Devil… good old Uncle Lucy," Dusty finished with a lightly sarcastic tone.
Ian gave him a confused expression.
Dusty patiently smiled and answered, "All angels are brothers and sisters—don't ask me how there are boy angels and girl angels, I don't understand it—anyway, so they are all either my uncle or aunt and that would include the Devil." He laughed, "You can't pick some of your family, but you can pick others… like you did with Jade."
Ian understood that part, which reminded him of why he was sad in the first place. "I want my mommy to change her mind… I wish Jadey was my…" Ian stopped and looked at his lap, almost ashamed at what he was about to say. He wasn't old enough to understand if he was ashamed for nearly saying it or because he could potentially mean it.
The nephil knew what he was about to say and sympathized with the child as he thought a child should never have those conflicting emotions about his or her mother. He certainly had enough with his own. He smiled to Ian and continued, "I'm sure that once your mother has a clear head about the situation, she's going to change her mind. Jade's always going to be a part of your life. She loves you very much and one day you'll understand how much you've done for her in her life."
"What if you're wrong?"
Dusty's smile grew and answered, "Jade won't let me be wrong. She's just not going to let your mommy cut her out of your life. She's far too stubborn for that to happen. The only way I see her not being your sister anymore is if you choose for her not to be your sister anymore."
"I don't want her to stop being my sister."
"Then I guess you have nothing to worry about then?"
Ian looked apprehensive that it would be that simple.
"I know this is a grown up concept that you're just learning, but this is one of those times where you have to have faith that it's going to work out."
The child's expression showed that he was struggling with the concept.
Seeing that the conversation had run its course in trying to reassure the child with just words, Dusty scratched the top of the Ira's head and asked, "So how do you like Ira?"
Ian leaned forward and hugged around the dog's neck. "I like him a lot."
The border collie barked in seeming understanding of the child's words and agreed that he liked the boy in return.
"Well, like I said, he's yours."
"Mommy and daddy aren't going to let me keep a dog like him. Mommy will be afraid he'll hurt her dog."
Dusty chuckled, "They're not going to know about him for a while and after things are settled where you can still see Jade, I'm sure they're going to accept him just fine. He won't hurt that yappy little thing I can drop kick over a fence."
Ian giggled at the description of his mother's annoying dog.
Dusty tilted his head to the side, apparently hearing something that Ian couldn't pick up and commented, "I'll be right back. I hear your parents downstairs and think I need to hear this conversation."
Ian rubbed Ira's head and questioned, "Isn't that rude?"
"When it comes to you being able to see Jade, I think I'll be a little rude."
The child thought about the teenager's words and couldn't help but to agree.
Dusty rubbed Ira's head then got up from the edge of the bed and headed to the bedroom door. He slowly opened the door and quietly exited the room. He silently made his way down the hall to look over the railing of the stairs down to the first floor. He saw Mister West and his trophy wife in a heated discussion.
The blonde was irate as she stood in her evening rob and tried to keep her voice down while looking at her husband, "You saw what happened—"
"Yes, a crazy individual that escaped from prison, but they can't be held responsible for the incompetence of Seattle's incompetent prison system."
"But you said it yourself. If she wasn't around the Benson boy it wouldn't have happened,"
"I know, but…" He sighed and admitted, "…he's right. I can't use Ian as some bargaining chip to have a relationship with Jade. I would destroy any kind of relationship I have with her if I did such a thing. I would be her enemy and she would treat me as such and so would the rest of them."
"He's my son, not yours and I have the final say," the practical trophy wife sharply retorted. "I will not have her have anymore influence over my son. She is trying to replace me and haven't you got it through your head that she doesn't want a relationship with you? Hell, she probably really is that Army guy's daughter."
Roy tightened his jaw and returned with a cold expression. He calmly replied, "Air Force, he was in the Air Force and I'm not having that discussion with you right now. When you married me and I signed the adoption papers for me to become his legal father gives me a say about raising him and I am saying this course of action you want to take will affect Ian and it will upset him."
"We'll explain it to Ian that he can't see Jade anymore. It's not safe—"
The businessman recalled his failures as a father with Jade and pointed out, "He'll resent you for it."
"He'll forget about her," she sternly retorted.
"She won't let him forget him," Mister West replied in a stern voice.
The blonde shook her head and defiantly answered, "She can't do anything. She's his stepsister and that's it. She has no power to do anything."
Mister West shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Jade will not let it go. She's taken that determination and became one of the most famous musicians in the world and I'm not talking about one of those floozy half-naked singers that can't actually sing that has to prance around in corsets and animal ears to get attention. She has fame, which comes money which comes power and with that power, the ability to make things happen we wouldn't necessarily believe would happen."
The second Mrs. West took a breath and straightened her posture, stunned by what husband was saying. She uttered in shock, "You're afraid of her?"
The businessman narrowed his gaze towards his wife and answered, "I acknowledge power when I see it and I know my daughter's will. I'd be a fool to underestimate either."
The blonde looked unconvinced and threw up her hands. She walked past her husband, stating in a frustrating tone, "I'm tired of talking about this. I'm going to fix us breakfast."
Mister West shook his head as his wife passed him and towards the kitchen. He turned to head for the front door to pick up his morning paper, but paused for a moment as thought he saw something in the corner of his eye on the balcony of the stairs. He looked up, but saw nothing. He kept his eyes on the railing and visible hallway for a few more seconds before he determined it was simply a trick of his eyes and headed for the front door.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as I said at the beginning, I hope to get back to this on a regular basis. Take care, OneHorseShay.