Follow Your Heart And Nothing Else

Title is from Simple Man by Lynryrd Skynyrd, such a song! Haha. Thank you for being patient with these late updates and everything. Thanks reviewers and Jane, again can't thank you personally but thanks for the support. Enjoy.

In the earlier years days wouldn't pass when the two wouldn't see each other, but now it seemed weeks passed without either saying a word to each other. But that was the hardships of not only life, but love. Their arguing and mistakes were far from good, but Chris's love for her still seemed as strong as ever. Whether he slept with Sophia or not, he made a mistake. But that never meant he loved Jill any less. Not a day went by, where he didn't regret his actions and his mistakes which led them to this place. Walking through his empty house, their house, he missed her. He always just wondered if Jill ever felt the same about him.

All Chris did these days was think. He had nothing else to do. He just thought...about his family, about the still missing Alex, but mostly about Jill. He had to make the decision of whether to contact her or wait and pray that she comes to him. He put off the phone call to her so many times, but he knew he'd have to fight for her eventually. But on the other hand, he knew Jill. He knew sometimes she just needed the time to herself. She was an independent woman after all.

"Oh, it is bad..." Chris flipped his head up and smiled at his daughter who walked into his living room.

"What?"

"The face..." Anna said signalling to her eye. Carlos really didn't hold back on his punch, and the black eye on Chris's face was a sure sign of this.

"Oh, well it isn't as painful as it looks..." He let out a slight laugh. He moved his hand over the sofa and patted lightly enticing her to take a seat next to him. "How have you been?"

Chris felt unbelievably guilty whenever he thought about Anna. He was so caught up with Jill, he thought that he sometimes over looked his daughter. The opposite of what had happened before. He was scared to drive another person away from him.

"I'm okay, thank you. You shouldn't worry about me." Anna knew the guilt he felt, but she didn't think it was necessary. He obviously had to worry about Jill, and that didn't annoy her in the slightest. She had her school work to worry about, and still saw Chris daily on most occasions.

"But I do worry..." He gave out a little laugh, as a warm smile formed on his lips.

Every day she looked more and more like a woman. It scared the hell out of him, but it made him proud. She was a beautiful and smart girl, and he could see this. He never comprehended the love that a person gets when they look upon their child...But it was a wonderful feeling, an unconditional love and bond with a person, he had never felt before. It made him regret that he and Jill were never able to have a child, not just for him to raise a child, but for Jill to feel that love too.

"Just so you know, I'm sorry that I haven't been around as much lately. It's just with everything, you know..."

"I know. And just so you know, I don't believe you slept with Sophia either. I know how much you love Jill." Most daughters may be embarrassed to talk to their dads about such things, but she didn't mind. She was old enough to understand, and Chris wasn't naive enough to not realise this.

"Thank you, I hope you're right." Chris replied, smiling. It meant a lot to him, that someone else had faith in him too. "Come here."

Chris pulled his daughter into a bear hug. He was so scared to lose someone else he loved. Anna patted him lightly on the back, smiling as she did so.

"I'm so proud of you." Chris said, he almost felt tears welling in his eyes again. It was hard to think he was growing weak in his age...

It was a long ride to Jill's destination. But she knew it would be worth it. Anytime she needed a little conformation or a little faith, she went to the same place. And now more than ever was the time she needed help. She was scared, and she doubted her love for Chris. And that hurt her, she was just scared that what she felt for him wasn't true love. And it wasn't to do with her kissing Carlos, or even to do with Chris's possible mishap. It was to do with her feelings within. She just doubted herself more than anything. Yes, she was hurt with the news of Chris, but after she had time to think and calm down, she didn't believe Chris slept with Sophia either. She trusted him, she trusted the words of love he had spoken to her before, and maybe it was naive of her. But hopefully she would get her answers here.

Jill stopped the car, and went through all the procedures unfortunately she had become accustomed too. After giving in all her belongings including her phone, she stepped into the dull room, and quickly found her seat. She glanced around and saw a couple of other families sitting at other tables, some crying, and some laughing. That was the strangeness of the room, it was so dull and uninspiring, yet it was bursting full of emotion.

Jill beamed a toothy smile as the man she wished to see was led out and sat opposite her. There was only one man in the world that could make Jill so happy, even Chris couldn't make her smile like that, and the man of course was her father, Dick Valentine.

Dick was arrested shortly after her 21st birthday for 1st degree larceny; due to this Jill received much criticism when she joined STARS. But she was never embarrassed of her father. He made a mistake. But what most never realised was he did it all for Jill. He wanted to be the best possible father he could, and he just couldn't cope with trying to be there for a moody teenage girl who needed a mother, while trying to bring in income to give her the life she deserved.

"How have you been, Jilly?" He asked, returning her bright smile. Jill noticed as he smiled, his age was beginning to catch up with him. She could see a couple of defined lines, and his rich chocolate hair that she too was blessed with, now had streaks of grey throughout it.

"I'm okay, dad. But I have something to tell you..." Jill smile faded slightly, but she wasn't scared to tell him. She knew he would support her, and help her as he always did. "I'm pregnant."

Dick looked shocked to begin with, but straight after a bright smile played on his face. He was genuinely ecstatic for her.

"Congratulations, you and Chris must be over the moon." He announced his smile unable to disappear. Jill's however did. Her face contorted into a frown, she was confused. The last time she had visited was pretty soon after Africa, and at that time, she and Chris weren't together. So she hadn't a clue how he would know it was Chris's. Dick saw the look of confusion in his daughter, and gave a low chuckle.

"'Come on, I know he's the only one my daughter would ever get that close too..." Dick played with her, and smiled as Jill's face began to redden. He knew Jill's feelings for Chris long before they ever had a relationship. People tend to think dad's are oblivious to these things, but he saw the smile that formed when talk of her new partner was brought up and the little blush that always appeared when she found ways to compliment him. "Tell me I'm wrong?"

Jill's face suddenly turned from one of embarrassment to one of sadness. It was upsetting to think even her dad thought her and Chris were meant to be. Yet everything that had happened between them seemed to scream otherwise. Her pregnancy hormones just made her emotions even worse. Dick's smile quickly dissolved, as he thought he had offended her.

"What's wrong, Jill? I was only kidding...These should be the happiest days of your life." He set a hand upon her arm, and that's when the tears began to form in her eyes. She hadn't been able to open up about her problems and feelings to anyone, so now it was flooding out to her father.

"It's so messed up, dad. I don't know what to do...We aren't really together anymore, but it hurts, it hurts so bad." Jill's voice cracked and quickly used her hands to wipe away all the new forming tears. To Dick she wasn't really making much sense, but clearly she was talking about Chris."We shouldn't have had a relationship. You know, we should have just stayed friends, and then none of this would have happened. And it wouldn't be so painful..."

Jill always tried to appear strong and independent, but every day her heart ached for Chris. And not a minute went by when she didn't regret leaving in the first place. But on the other hand she knew deep down it was the right choice at the time. She really just didn't think love would ever be this hard, and that more than anything is what worried her.

Dick sighed at seeing his daughter so broken up. In times like this he always blamed himself for not being there for her. But he be damned if he didn't try to help her now.

"That's just love for you, Jilly bean. It sure as hell isn't easy. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't have fallen in love in the first place. I assure you life with love is much better than life without..." Dick was older, yes Jill was a woman now, but she was still innocent in the ways of love. He, on the other hand, had lived through life, and he had loved. Jill knew this and she took on board everything he said, nodding as he spoke. The tears had slowed, but her eyes still glistened with moisture. It did feel alien to her; she'd never had talks like this with her dad.

"Not a day goes by when I don't miss her..." Dick continued, his voice becoming more solemn.

It was obvious who he spoke off; it was Jill's mother Karen. She had died in childbirth, unexpected and positively devastating for him. And although it was over 30 years ago, he still missed her. He often wondered what she would think of him now. Seeing him stoop so low to be in a jail, he certainly wasn't the man she married.

"I don't know what's happened between you two, Jill. But there's always arguments in relationships, it's normal. You're stubborn, just like her. But arguments don't mean you love the person any less..." His voice began to crack, something which Jill didn't want to see.

"Dad..." She whispered to try to interrupt him. She knew if he cried that would start her off again. But it was nice of him to talk about Karen. He spoke wonders of the woman to Jill, but never did he speak about their relationship together.

"No, Jill. I don't want you to have the same regrets I do...Jill I don't have to tell you that life's short. But you can lose someone in the blink of an eye. And I know it's easy to hear about disasters and think, well it'll never happen to me... But it can." He locked solid eye contact with her. "Jill you know it can, you've had to live through much more than I would wish on anyone. But you still don't know what's going to happen."

Jill's eyes welled up again, Dick was obviously implying that she could lose Chris. It made her think... Her sacrifice for Chris at the Spencer Mansion spoke wonders. She didn't even have to think about it, she would rather die than lose him. And after everything, she still felt that way.

"If I could only take back all the time me and your mom fought and all the times I took our love for granted...Don't do the same Jill, because I think about it every day. If I could just go back and take back the poisonous words and actions I'd done towards her...And instead just tell how I really felt." Dick chocked on his words slightly. It still broke him up after such a long time. And the only reason he was reinforcing this, was because he knew his daughter loved Chris. And he couldn't bear to ever see her feel the same as he did now.

"But that's why if we hadn't fallen in love, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if I lost him..." Jill said. To her it was logical.

"Trust me, Jill, the love is worth it. If I could have your mom back for just one day, I would. Yeah, it would hurt even more when she would leave, but undoubtedly it would be worth it... You don't really understand how much love means until you've lost it."

"Trust me, I understand..." Jill trailed off, because to her the love was ruined.

"You haven't lost the love Jill. He still there... And I know you love him and I know it hurts. But I'm pretty certain he feels the same. He did travel all the way to Africa for you after all." Dick gave her a comforting smile. Which Jill returned and then let out a little chuckle.

"Why are you defending him, huh?" From what Jill could see, Dick never liked Chris. He took any opportunity he got to criticise the 'cocky bastard' as he called him. So it was surprising to see him actually try to convince Jill to give Chris a chance.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like any boy going after my daughter, but he's a good man I assure you. He's been there for you through everything when I wasn't able to be." Dick was right. Chris was the one who held Jill when all hope was lost, he was the one person always there for her. And that made tears form again. They'd been through too much to just leave it all behind.

"All I want for you is to be happy. And I know he loves you... When he came to tell me he was going to get my daughter back, I didn't believe him. I thought he was being stupid. But in his eyes, he had no fear; he was willing to die just to try to find you...And I remember feeling like that towards your mother." Dick said to her.

Jill paused for a moment. She knew she would get her answers from her father. And he was right Jill had already wasted too much time, her love for Chris was real. And she was going to fight for it. The only thing that now got to her was the pregnancy...

"...I haven't told him yet." Dick's face dropped at her revelation. "I know it's stupid, I'm just scared. And..."

Dick put a hand comfortingly upon Jill's.

"It was the happiest day of my life when Karen told me she was pregnant... Don't deprive him of that joy. But don't be scared, the kid's going to have a great support system no matter what." Jill smiled at his words and wiped away a stray tear.

...

"You know I may be an old coot to you, but I used to listen to music in my day too..." Jill let out a slight giggle, "But the best guidance I was ever given was to 'Follow your heart and nothing else'..."

"Lynyrd Skynyrd, Simple Man... Good choice." Jill smiled.

"Well obviously you really are my daughter..."

"I know my music." She laughed.

...

"Come here, Jilly." Dick leaned in and pulled his daughter into a warm embrace. Jill rested her head on his shoulder.

"I miss you, dad." She whispered.

"I know...I miss you too." He soothingly patted her back. She broke away from him and smiled.

"Thanks for the help...Granddad." She smiled coyly.

"Never call me that in public." Dick returned the smile, and watched as his daughter left to live her life... She had become a wonderful woman in his eyes.

Dick had given Jill the reassurance she always needed. She was ready to face her fears, and talk to Chris.

Claire sat on her laptop frantically trying to work things out. It was coming up to her 30th birthday, and she was trying her hardest to organise something. Usually Chris would help, but she hadn't fully forgiven him. Yes, she heard and took on board his side, but it still annoyed her. And she knew Luke was willing to help her, but she began to feel awkward around him. She was really unsure of how he felt for her, she was stressed enough and that just made things worse.

When she finally admitted to herself that indeed she liked him more than a friend, her self-doubt crept back in. She told herself he didn't feel the same, she would never be good enough for him, not nice enough, not calm enough, not pretty enough... Of course he had never any of these things, but this always happened to Claire. Anytime she liked a guy, she quickly found away to push him away so she couldn't get hurt.

The door to the house opened, and Claire figured it would be Leon returning from either mystery work or a mystery date.

"You haven't been answering my calls..." Luke's voice echoed through the quiet room. Claire didn't turn to face him, and continued on her computer.

"Haven't you heard of knocking? Plus it's like twelve o'clock." She replied, continuing to furiously type.

"Maybe I'm just coming for a booty call..." Luke replied a jokey smile forming on his lips. See this is what confused Claire, to her this was obvious flirting, yet anytime she hinted towards a relationship he seemed to shy away. Maybe he just liked the thrill of flirting and wasn't one to settle.

"Funny." Claire replied angrily, continuing with her work. Luke looked shocked as his smile faded. He silently moved closer to her through the moonlit room. Claire jumped as he placed his hands on his shoulders. He could feel how tense she was.

"..What's wrong, Claire?" He whispered, lowering his face to her ear, as he lightly made circles with his thumbs on her tense muscles. He sent shivers along her spine, and she stopped her typing.

"...Okay. This. This is what's wrong!" Claire threw her hands up and tensed even more. Luke quickly retracted his hands, surprised by her outburst. She swivelled round to face him. "I mean what is this? You can't just come around in the middle of the night and give me a bloody massage!"

...

"I just wanted to make you feel better." He said honestly, completely confused by her actions. He thought they were always pretty comfortable together, and frankly couldn't see what her problem was. Claire let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh come on, Luke. Why do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Flirting! I don't understand do you like me or not, or what the hell is this? 'Cause I'm fed up with the mixed signals..." She replied angrily. She was happy there were no lights; therefore he couldn't see the tears that grew in her blue azures.

"I thought we were just friends..." He replied cautiously. Claire felt cut. She thought that was the truth anyway, but hearing it from him hurt even more. Why did everyone she like not feel the same.

...

"So you're just leading me on..." She replied more calmly, nibbling at the inside of her jaw. "You know I thought you were different, Luke. I thought you were a nice guy, but you're just like everyone else..."

Luke stood confused, he didn't know what to say to make things better.

...

"Claire, I-"

"Just leave, please Luke." She interrupted. She was just stressed, and now she had embarrassed herself. Immediately she regretted saying anything.

Luke gave one last saddened glance towards her. Maybe if he was just man enough to admit his real feelings, he could have prevented this... Against his hearts wishes, he left Claire to sob alone.

One of the few scenes planned from the very beginning of the story was Jill and her father, so hence why it's pretty long. Also, it might be a bit boring I suppose, but I just really wanted to write it. I knew after putting in so much drama it would be near impossible for Chris and Jill to make up, but in my opinion I always thought the only person who would be able to convince Jill would be her dad. So I hope the scene came across the way I wanted it too.

I'm putting it out there, I've never had a run in with the police, so I haven't a clue about sentences and what not, especially not in America. So just humour me, and pretend what I've written is right, haha.

Thanks guys, take care.

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