It was over in a snow covered cemetery in front of the people that loved him most Adam Chandler III was laid to rest. His casket placed directly over that of his mothers. They would be together both on this earth and now in heaven.
JR had ridden back to the hotel in complete silence. None of it seemed real to him. Hearing the Minister's words, watching Miranda, standing shoulder to shoulder with people who hated him as his son was lowered into the ground.
"None of it made sense how did things get so messed up….had they really ever been fixed?" He wondered to himself. His life always seemed to be filled with endless heartache with brief moments of happiness squished in if only to tease him with how life was supposed to feel.
The car stopped abruptly as Adam Sr. stopped the car in front of the Valley Inn, JR's home at least until the trial was over. JR pushed the passenger door open thanking his father for being with him today. After a quick farewell to Brooke JR gently closed the car door and walked away.
The ride back to the Chandler Mansion had been as quiet as the ride to take JR home. Adam could think of no words to say to express the grief he felt inside. Brooke didn't know how to comfort the man she knew what it was like to bury a child but not a grandchild. She imagined though the pain was just a raw. She only placed her hand on his offering him some small comfort.
Zach and Kendall Slater's home was filled with their family. They were all connected whether by blood, marriage, or love. After the funeral no one had felt like going home so they had gathered here for a late meal.
Miranda, Gabby, Spike, Ian, and Emma were all gathered in the play room watching movies and playing with all the toys the Slater home had acquired.
Upon entering the home Marissa had apologized to everyone and ran off to the room she had been sharing with Bianca. The two women now lay in bed together sleep finally having graced Marissa with its presence.
In the main room all the adults, save for Zach, had stuffed themselves on the leather couch. Greenlee sat with Ryan his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. Erica and Jackson sat on the other side holding hands. Kendall sat in the middle she knew she was there in case her mother and friend got into an argument.
They talked about everything and nothing all at the same time. It was just mindless chatter to get their minds off the sadness they all felt inside. Kendall kept checking her phone wondering why it was taking Zach so long to pick up food from ConFusion it never took this long before.
Leo maneuvered David's car carefully around the sharp turns of the mountain David had chosen to live on. The road was unusually dark for this hour as it seemed even the heavens were mourning the loss they felt here on earth. Leo kept turning to look at his brother as the older man looked out the window of the car watching as the trees flew by them.
"David?" Leo gently addressed his brother who either didn't hear him or didn't want to acknowledge him. "David?" he repeated?
David turned his eyes meeting Leo's briefly before the younger man had to turn his eye back on the road. "What Leo?"
"Are you ok?" It was a stupid question, Leo knew that has soon as the words escaped his mouth. Of course David wasn't ok how could he be.
David hadn't meant to laugh but it still came out. "Ok? Yeah sure brother I'm ok." He turned back to the window.
"I'm sorry David. That didn't come out right. How are you ok after a day like today."
"You would think I would be used to these by now wouldn't you?" the anger in his voice was palpable. "My father, you, Leora, Babe, Greenlee, and now AJ. All people I loved all people who's memorial services I had to stand through listening as people remember all the good times." David laughed again, "As if remembering the good times means a Damn. Who care's that someone was proud to be a mother or that they died to save their wife. None of that matter when they're dead does it?" David pounded his hand on the window he felt the tears in the back of his eyes and did everything in his power to keep them away. Tears served no purpose in his life they didn't do anything for the person weak enough to let them out. They didn't change the fact that the person you loved was dead.
The rest of the journey home was made in silence neither knowing what to say to the other. Leo wanted to ask David about his comment about being at Greenlee's memorial but refrained from asking. One day he would finally be able to talk to her and find out what her life had been like after he had left her.
Neither man had paid any attention to the familiar car that passed them on the side road to David's cabin both had been so lost in their own thoughts to notice someone had been to the cabin. Leo stopped the car in front of David's cabin and turned the key silencing the engine for the night. Both men looked at the other as they came to a silent agreement not to talk about this again at least for the night.
Before David could put the key into the door his eyes rested on a manila envelope tapped to his front door. "What the hell?" He asked as he tore the envelope off the door.
"What is it?" Leo asked.
"I don't know. It's addressed to you."
Adam pushed the door open to the mansion. He turned the light on in the parlor giving his home some much needed light. The mansion was deadly silent. Not a single sound came from the halls. He suddenly became very aware of the lack of laughter and glee that had once filled his home.
Brooke followed the old man as he entered the living room. She remembered all the time she had spent in this place when it was filled with happiness but even now she could feel the despair that filled it's expansive walls.
She wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him close to her. There were no words to express the grief either of them felt only time could heal the wounds that cut him so deeply.
"Daddy?" a girls voice cut through the silence echoing off the wall's.
Adam turned to find his daughter standing with her mother in the doorway. He quickly went over to her pulling her close to him savoring the moment. Thankful to have at least once child with him.
"Daddy I need to tell you something." Colby bravely said.
"What did you do?" His voice accused Liza. His first thought was that Liza had convinced his daughter to move out of her home.
"Adam. Listen to her." Was all Liza would say.
"Daddy I can't be here. I'm afraid of JR afraid he might hurt someone again."
"You've already written your brother off?" Adam tried to keep is anger at bay. "You've already tried him and found him guilty?"
"No Daddy. I love JR he's my brother. But Daddy we all know what he did. How he hurt everyone. That's not it. I miss AJ…his laugh….his cry….how he would bring me flowers from the garden. It hurts too much to be here Daddy a constant reminder he's gone." The teenager stood bravely in front of her father trying to tell him she was leaving.
"This is your home Colby." This time there wasn't anger in his voice only sadness as he knew what was coming next.
"Daddy It's a house now that AJ's gone we don't have a home anymore…maybe one day. But right now I need to leave go somewhere else."
"No I won't allow it."
"Adam hear her out." Brooke's voice whispered in his ear.
"Daddy I'm moving to New York City. I've been accepted to a Fashion School there. I need to go. I need to find my place in this world." She begged him to understand.
"No." He said simply has he turned away from her.
Colby looked from her father to her mother's comforting face. She had had this conversation with her mother the night before. Explaining to her why she needed to leave that she needed the support of her parents if she was going to succeed. Liza gave her a comforting nod and motioned for her to go after him.
Colby walked after her father placing her arm through his clinging tightly to him. "I love you Daddy. I will always love you."
"When you love someone you have to let them go." Adam repeated the old proverb he had heard many times in film and song. "I can't let you go. You're all I have left." He clung tightly to her.
"You're not letting me go Daddy no really. I'll always be your little girl."
Zach threw the door open to his home preparing himself for Kendall's questions. He had been gone longer than he expected but his mission required a lot out of him. He carried the food inside and greeted everyone.
"Zach!" Kendall rushed over to help him with the bags. "What took so long?"
"Peanut oil." He stated simply.
"Peanut oil?" She looked confused.
"Yeah they cooked the veggies in peanut oil and I know how much you hate that." He smiled as he lied to his wife.
"I do?" she still looked confused.
"Yeah you do. Don't you?" He laughed, "Well maybe I could have been back sooner. I though you hated the taste." Zach shrugged his shoulders and carried the food into the dining room.
They gathered around the table passing boxes back and forth as they all filled their plates with the food they liked.
The dinner conversation moved from jokes and playful teasing to more the more serious matter of the JR's trial that would be starting in a matter of days. They discussed who would be called to testify. What the DA would do to combat the Defense Attorney's strategy to blame JR's problems on the alcohol.
The visited lasted hours before Ryan and Greenlee finally excused themselves to head home. They said their goodbyes as Ryan carried Emma in his arms. Shortly after the Lavery clan left Erica and Jack also said their goodbyes.
With their home finally quite Kendall cuddled up next to Zach as he turned on Red Wings game he had recorded.
"Zach?" Kendall asked innocently.
Zach grunted as he paid more attention to the power play going on.
"What really took so long with dinner?" She knew he had been lying about his delay earlier and had let him get away with until they were alone.
"I told you. I thought you didn't like Peanut Oil."
"Yeah nice try. Now how about the truth this time." She pushed him again.
"Let's just say I was on a mission of mercy." He kissed her on the top of her head and put his attention back on the game In front of him, ending the conversation.
Inside David's cabin Leo carefully opened the envelope they had found on David's front door. Leo couldn't help but wonder who had left it there.
Inside the envelope all he found was a DVD. Nothing was written on the envelope and no note was left explaining it's contents.
He held up the DVD wondering what it could hold. What he would see when he played the DVD. He showed the DVD to David before placing it in the DVD player.
Both men sat on the couch in front of the TV as the younger man pushed play on the remote. As soon as the video played David knew instantly what they were going to see. Not wanting his brother to see what was going to happen he quickly reached for the remote trying to stop it before the video got too far.
Leo was quicker than David and quickly grabbed the remote from him hiding it from him. The soft glow of the TV screen played across their faces as Leo watched the scene in front of him in horror.