Elsewhere in the hospital, Cole was anxiously fidgeting in a waiting room chair, having escaped from his mother's room when the emotions he was feeling and the impact of what had happened tonight overwhelmed him and he couldn't take it anymore.
It felt like that sensation of his skin crawling had returned, and he dug his nails into his arms, taking a deep breath as he stomach churned violently the more he thought of exactly what his mom had 'gained' tonight. How the hell could Starr have told him this was something good? Did she not understand exactly what his mom could remember now?
Cole could not bear to think about it for a single moment more, and abruptly jumped to his feet, anxiously pacing around as the urge to run, to just get the hell out of there and not have to deal with this, overwhelmed him.
"Sit down, Cole."
He startled in response to the unexpected voice and whipped around to discover Schuyler, watching him carefully with an unreadable, heavy expression.
"I wasn't going anywhere," he muttered defensively, plopping down in the chair and nervously drumming his fingers against his legs.
Schuyler hesitated, appearing torn, then sighed and walked over to Cole, cautiously taking a seat beside him.
"What's wrong, Cole?" he asked quietly, averting his eyes to try and make him more comfortable.
Cole snorted, about to comment that Schuyler was the last person one earth he wanted to talk to, but suddenly stopped himself, thinking better of it. Starr would probably hear about that comment and it would make him look even worse to her, and honestly…if there was one person who might understand this, it was him, much as Cole loathed to admit that.
"My mom got her memories back," Cole answered tensely. Schuyler seemed surprised.
"Yeah, I know- I thought you'd be happy about that." Cole slowly shook his head, clenching his fists.
"So did I, for a while. There was a time when the only thing I wanted was for her to be able to remember her past, but the longer she went without her memories, the more I started to think…why? Why do I want her to remember so badly? What has happened to her that's actually worth remembering? Not a whole hell of a lot," he scoffed. "I know not having her memory frustrated her, but she actually seemed pretty happy, and she didn't have to remember anything bad that happened to her, her past couldn't hurt her anymore. But now, all at once, she has to remember losing my dad, everything I've put her through, all the ways she's suffered, and worst of all, she has to remember every single thing that sick bastard has done to her," Cole hissed, his voice dripping with disgust. "It's like he gets to violate her all over again, and yet again, he gets off scot-free."
"Well, he did get stabbed in the chest, that's not exactly scot-free."
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I also heard you're the reason he's not dead," Cole added, looking at Schuyler in confusion. "Why the hell would you save his life after everything he's done to you?"
"Starr wanted me to," Schuyler answered simply.
"Guess that's why she chose you over me," Cole chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't have given a crap if Starr had begged me, no way could I have saved that son of a bitch. I would have watched him bleed to death, and…I think I would have loved it," he admittedly quietly, his eyes dark with shame over his acknowledgment of something so horrible inside of him.
"You spent months thinking your baby was dead because of him, he's tried to literally kill you- I don't think anyone can blame you for feeling that way," Schuyler offered consolingly.
"He tried to kill you too," Cole pointed out. "He did kill your mom, might as well have been holding the gun himself. I know you love Starr, but man, I still can't believe you would help him." Schuyler shrugged.
"It would be pretty hypocritical of me not to."
"Hypocritical? How?"
"There are a lot of people who have every reason to hate me for some of the crap I've done- they would have every right to spit on me and just walk away if they ever saw me in need of help. But I'd like to think if I really needed them, they'd manage to give me another chance." Cole nodded and looked at his feet, appearing contemplative.
"I paralyzed a kid and got another chance," he admitted roughly. "Considering that, I guess it wouldn't kill me to let go of this Manning crap either. But I don't know how- all I can think about is my mom remembering everything he did to her, having to experience the pain from her worst moments all at once, all over again, and it makes me feel sick, and I can't stand just sitting here, knowing what she's going through, and it just makes me want to take off and pretend this isn't happening."
"Hey, Cole, I think you're forgetting something- yeah, she has to deal with reliving the worst moments of her life and go through that pain, but she remembers you, she remembers your dad, and she gets to relive the best moments of her life with you two. I think that makes it all worth it- that's why your mom is happy about this, it's why you should try to be too."
"Would that make it worth it to you?" Cole asked curiously.
"What?"
"What if you were in a situation like that? What if you could forget your drug issues, your mom's suicide, every bad thing that's ever happened to you, and never have to feel that pain anymore, but the trade off was forgetting the good times with your mom, and forgetting… Starr," he muttered uncomfortably, hating to acknowledge that Starr was to Schuyler what his dad was to his mom. "If you had the option to forget all that pain, the absolute worst moments of your life, would it really be worth it to give it up just so you could get those good memories back, and for Starr?"
"Yes," Schuyler replied with no hesitation, his tone confident and sure. There was nothing you could possibly offer him that would make him want to forget Leah or Starr, nothing would be worth that. "It would. But you don't think so," he realized. Cole uncomfortably shook his head.
"Back when Hope died- I thought she died- if I'd had the option to just forget everything, even though it would have included all the great memories with Starr that led up to Hope being made, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and never looked back. When I was on pills, I was jealous of my mom, because not even the drugs could make me forget my life the way she forgot hers, and I wanted that. I still feel that way sometimes," he sighed heavily.
"Maybe it's just because you haven't created enough memories worth keeping yet," Schuyler suggested gently. "You and your mom can start to rectify that tonight, but only as long as you don't leave this hospital and go to Asher like I know you're thinking about doing now. She's happy, Cole, there's no reason for you to lose it. Try to think about the good aspects of your mom regaining her memory, and if you can't do that, think about something else altogether."
Cole nodded, trying to do exactly that, and glanced at Schuyler hesitantly, awkwardly clearing his throat.
"Hey, so, um…you and Miss. Jameson ever discuss your homework assignments together?" he asked, referring to the teacher of the normal bio class.
"Sometimes- why?" Cole chuckled slightly.
"Any chance you wanna tell me what the hell the answer to number 8 is? I was doing her homework when Langston called me, and I'm starting to think that one is just a trick question, there is no answer."
"I'm sure there's an answer," Schuyler laughed. "Walk me through the problem, I'll help you find it."
"Dad?" Starr whispered nervously as she walked into his room once Jack was done. He glanced up tiredly, and weakly broke into a smile.
"Starr…" he breathed simply.
Starr felt tears of relief pierce her eyes at the sound of his voice, and the feeling of being frozen in place instantly vanished as she dashed across the room, leaning down and gently hugging him, being careful to avoid the injured side of his chest.
"Oh my God, dad, I was so scared," she choked out. "If you hadn't been okay, I don't even what I would have-"
"Starr, it's okay, shh," he murmured soothingly, weakly managing to lift his arm and rub her back. "I'm fine- you really think I would let Powell get one over on me?" Starr giggled tearfully and pulled back, rubbing her eyes as she sat in the chair beside his bed. "Starr, what happened with your mom and Tea? Did anything happen to you or Marty, is everyone alright?"
"Everyone is completely okay- everyone but you," she corrected with a heavy tone, still watching him with a nervous gaze. "God, dad, if…if something had happened to you, after what I said the last time we talked, I just…"
"Starr, I knew you never meant it," he consoled her. "You didn't have to worry about that, there was no reason for you to come tonight, you shouldn't have."
"Well…I did mean it at the time," she reluctantly corrected him, frowning slightly. "But I shouldn't have been so stubborn, I should have forgiven you and tried to get past it instead of just staying mad and silent. You know…" she began hesitantly, carefully gauging his reaction. "Schuyler even tried to convince me to talk to you, but I refused to even consider it, and that could have ended up being the biggest regret of my life."
Sure enough, her dad seemed to tune out the moment she said Schuyler's name, his jaw clenching as he shook his head, eyes growing angry. Starr sighed in frustration, already bracing herself for a fight.
"Problem, dad?" she asked wearily.
"Why was Schuyler with you tonight, Starr?" he asked tightly, clearly struggling to keep calm. "I thought he came to his senses and broke up with you."
"Came to his senses? Wow, dad, thanks, that's really flattering."
"You know what I mean," he snapped. "Don't tell me this mess is starting all over again, I thought he'd learned his lesson."
"Dad! Schuyler saved your life tonight, why can't you-"
"Nevermind," her dad cut her off. "This is hardly the time to discuss this, we can deal with it later."
"No!" she snapped right back, to her own surprise. "I don't want to wait, give you time to just grow angrier and start scheming and coming up with ways to hurt him- I want us to deal with this now. Because you know what? Powell was right about something- you do manipulate me, and I do just let you, and that's not going to happen anymore now that I see it. Yes, I was terrified when I thought I could lose you, and yes, it made me acknowledge how much I love you, but it doesn't give you a get of jail free card. You don't get to sweep this under the rug and just keep hating my boyfriend without a word from me, we're going to talk about this. I want you to acknowledge the fact that Schuyler-"
"Starr, stop it," Todd sighed. "I don't want us to fight tonight."
"Then just be reasonable for once and don't make me have to fight with you!"
"Look, Starr, I know what you want from me, but I am never going to accept a teacher taking advantage of my daughter, sorry if that upsets you."
"That's not what happened!" she shouted. "God, dad, why do you always think people are taking advantage of me? What, it's just impossible for you to believe someone might genuinely love me? Because wow, that's great for my self-esteem, my own father doesn't think anyone can really love me."
"It has nothing to do with me thinking you're worthy of love, Starr, don't try to play that card. .," Todd hissed darkly. "Are you aware of that, do you get that?"
"Oh, so he's that guy at the front of the biology classroom, I had no idea, thanks for telling me!" she chirped sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm aware of this, yes, I get it, but it doesn't matter."
"Is that what he tells you?" Todd sneered.
"No, that's what I've always told him," she replied, her voice cold as ice. "It's not like he pursued me, okay? He said the same thing,that it would be wrong for us to ever be together. The first time I kissed him he freaked out for that exact reason and told me he made a mistake by even trying to be friends with me, that he could never be anything but a teacher to me and that if I couldn't accept that, then he was never going to be alone with me ever again. I kept pushing the issue, and he even lied and said he wanted nothing to do with me and that he was dating someone else- he was practically on the verge of playing matchmaker for me and Cole, for God's sake. When he broke up with me, it was because you got to him, and he thought I was better off without him up until Cole and Langston managed to get through to him. He loves me, but he let me go because he thought it was best for me- why does that not mean anything to you?"
"Because it's completely fake- if he loved you, he would stay away from you, period, but he's just using you, so he won't. He goes on and on about how you're too good for him, how this is so wrong, because he knows it makes him sound all noble and self-sacrificing, but then tells you even knowing that he can't stay away, so he gets what he wants from you all the same but leaves you thinking he's some great guy instead of the perv he is."
"You don't know anything about him, you have no right to make accusations like that!" she shouted.
"I know more than enough, believe me! I know that you can only suffer because of him, and I know that if he cared at all, he'd cut himself out of your life before he could cause that to happen to you! He's not the good guy you paint him out to be, he's a sick bastard, and he's taking advantage of you, and you're going to get hurt!"
Starr sighed, realizing she was going to have to go exactly where she hadn't wanted to, and shrugged out of Schuyler's jacket.
"Really, dad?" she asked softly, holding up her gauze wrapped arm. "I'm going to get hurt because of Schuyler? Zach held a gun to my head and assaulted me because of you, Powell sliced my arm open with a knife and tried to cut my throat because of you-"
"Powell what?!" he roared. "I will-"
"I'm not done!" she cut him off, startling him. "The point is, that's a lot worse than anything that's happened to me because of Schuy. Oh, and let's not forget that that I also had to listen to a recollection of the moment you raped someone, which is it's own kind of pain. And scary fact is, Powell wasn't entirely wrong; I have to tell you, sometimes, every once in a great while, I wonder if pushing me down the stairs was really an accident, I get scared when I remember how close you came to hitting me not even once but twice-"
"Starr, I-"
"Shut up, I'm talking," she snapped. Todd, who was more used to Starr simply crying and begging for him to listen when they fought, but always giving up when he didn't, looked alarm and did indeed shut up.
"Dad, did I ever tell you that the whole reason Schuyler was there and able to save me from Zach that night was because he was honestly afraid you were going to hurt me if we got in a fight, and he came over to make sure you couldn't? The worst part is, I can't blame him for worrying."
"Starr, I would never hurt you, you have to know that," Todd said weakly, looking crushed by her words. She sighed.
"Physically, no, but the way you treat me makes it understandable that someone else might think so, so don't you dare talk about how being with Schuyler could end up hurting me. You know, like I said, Zach and Powell both did what they did to me because of you, Margaret tried to kill me because of you, you always knew there was a chance people from your past would use me to get to you and I think we both know it's probably never going to stop, but I've never once heard you suggest that you should stay out of my life for my own good. Just a bit hypocritical of you, don't you think? That's why Schuyler dumped me, dad, even though it broke his heart, because he thought he was putting me in too much danger- that's more than you've ever been able to do for me. Hell, you can't even let me go when I ask you to- no, instead you keep inserting yourself into my life and trying to tear me away from the people I love."
"He doesn't really love you, Starr, that's the problem."
"Yes, he does! Oh my God, will you look at everything he's done? Tonight, he put himself in the middle of a gas leak to save mom and Tea, two women that you love. He warned us about the gas leak, and he's the one who came up with the idea of using the chair to keep you from moving too much while we rushed out of the house. The rest of us probably would have just carried you, and it would have sped up the process and made you bleed out really fast. And none of the rest of us would have known to use a credit card to stem the bleeding, and that's what saved you- it kept you from losing too much blood before the medics got there and kept you from having a collapsed lung from too much air getting in the wound. He saved your life," she repeated firmly. "Even after you more or less ended his mom's and threatened to kill him too. He kept me from falling apart and becoming a huge mess like Cole when I thought Hope was dead by being the only person I could turn to, he finally made me happy again, he kept Zach from using me to get revenge against you, he saved mom and Tea, he saved your life…what else does he have to do?" she asked desperately.
"Not be six years older than you, not be your teacher," Todd snapped.
"Oh my God, who cares?! Six years, big frickin deal; I'm sure that'll seem like a huge deal when I'm thirty and he's thirty-six," she scoffed. "And dad, think about everything I just told you- does any of that sound like a pervy teacher just trying to take advantage of a student to you? Besides, it's only for another year, and it doesn't affect us, I swear. When school's in session, I am just another student. Can you even try to understand?" Todd gazed at her heavily and sighed.
"You know, Starr, this is the same song and dance as with Cole, and look at how that turned out- was that worth it?"
"Dad, it's not the same thing at all," Starr disagreed softly but firmly, shaking her head. "I didn't love Cole. Well, I did, just like I still do, but I wasn't in love with him. I thought I was, hence me telling you so over and over again, but that was just a high school romance that Cole and I tried to turn into a much bigger deal than it was. But I know I wasn't in love then because of how in love I am with Schuyler, and I know that wasn't real because of how sure I am that this is. This is real- I love him, and maybe you think I can't say this because I'm seventeen, but I know better- I am always going to. Schuyler and I are solid and real and going to last, no matter what. It's up to you if you want to be there for it."
"Starr, please just hear me out," he begged. "If you love him so much, if this is so solid and real…wait a year," Todd pleaded. "You'll be eighteen, and he won't be your teacher then. If you can stay away from each other for a year, then-"
"God, dad, no!" she cried, shaking her head. "I'm not making a deal with you, this is not going to be like it was with Cole- this is not a negotiation you're running. I'm the one in charge here, because you know what? You have no leverage," she informed him softly. "If you truly threaten Schuyler's life, or tell the school board about us and make him lose his job and get run out of town, then you know what? I'm gone too," she declared. "I'll go wherever he does, and until you're ready to accept us, you won't hear from me again. We'll leave and start over new somewhere, and you're not going to find us. I know you're probably thinking, oh, because that worked out so well for you and Cole, but this is so different. My heart was never in that because I knew it wasn't right, but I'm not that little girl anymore, I am more than ready to start my life, the way I want, and that's with him. And Schuyler's not some naïve teenage boy like Cole, he's a full grown man who has already been on his own for seven years and has no trouble starting over. I'm not going to have second thoughts because I miss mom like last time, because I'll keep in touch with her- it's just going to be it for you and me. I'm sure you're thinking you could put a stop to that by coming up with some kidnapping charge, but guess what? Mom's got custody, and since she'd be in on it, she would never let that happen. And y'know what? Even if you don't do something quite so drastic and force him out of town, you just act like your usual self and try to manipulate everyone from behind the curtain…I haven't ruled out the possibility of getting emancipated- and you know any judge in this town would grant me emancipation in a heartbeat. And even if none of that comes to pass, it's not that long before I'm going to be eighteen- how are you going to try to run my life then? You're out of options dad. You fight this, you lose me. But I don't see why it should have to be that way," Starr whispered desperately. "You have a choice here dad, and I'm just begging you to make the right one."
Todd was quiet for a long time, appearing contemplative, and Starr watched him carefully, her nerves growing every second.
"You love this guy? Really?" her dad finally asked, cocking an eyebrow. She sighed, laughing in exasperation.
"I don't know how else to say it dad- yes, I love him. And I need you to understand something; I meant every word I said tonight, I love you so much and I don't want to be apart from you, but I will if you force me to make it that way. If you force me to choose between you and Schuyler, he will win every single time. I want you both in my life, but if you can't handle that, if you keep threatening him and hurting him and trying to destroy his life, you're the one I'm getting rid of it. I don't care what you try to do to me and I know Schuyler doesn't care what you do to him- you will not keep us apart, no matter what, and if you try to anyway, you might as well say goodbye to me now," she warned.
Todd gazed at her heavily for a moment, appearing incredibly conflicted; he was quiet for once, and Starr was satisfied that he actually seemed to be taking her threats to heart.
"I'm never going to like this guy," he informed her tightly.
"And I'm not asking you too- although that would be a nice bonus," she added in a grumble. "I'm asking you to accept that he makes me happy and keeps me safe, that he's a genuinely good guy, and to not try to kill him or get him fired, that's it. I'm not asking you to become all buddy buddy- in fact, I would prefer that you just stay away from him altogether. Do you think you can manage that? Or are you going to prove Powell right and put your hatred and violent tendencies at a higher priority than keeping your daughter in your life?" she challenged.
"Oh, well, like there's a good answer to that one," he muttered with a small, playful hint to his tone.
"Dad."
"…okay," he finally choked out, sounding like it hurt worse than being stabbed had.
"Okay what?" she pressed, a smile starting to tug at her lips.
"I'm not giving my approval, don't misunderstand," he told her firmly. "Frankly, I still think this is disgusting, and I still have my doubts about him, I'll be keeping a close watch. But if it means the difference between losing you or having you in my life, I'll back off, I won't go near him. I won't hurt him again, and nobody will hear a word about you two from me. Happy?"
"Something close to it," Starr said softly, eyes lighting up. She leaned over her father and gently kissed his cheek, hovering near him. "Thanks for proving that you actually deserve my faith in you sometimes," she whispered warmly. Todd grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly.
"Anything for you. I love you this much, Starr, okay? And despite what you've accused me of, the only thing I've ever wanted is for you to be safe and happy- I'm sure you won't believe this yet, but frankly, I hope Joplin does prove you right, and me wrong. I just don't trust that he will."
"You'll see that he will in time," Starr promised with a grin, having complete confidence in that. "Thank you so much, dad; it would have broken my heart to have to let you go, especially after we went through tonight. But," she added after a beat, her tone darkening slightly. "You better mean it this time, dad. If these are more empty promises and you're just screwing with me to get your way, I swear to God-"
"I'm not," he reassured her instantly, appearing sincere. "I'm going to start doing right by you, Starr, I promise you that." Starr still seemed hesitant, and he flinched. "I can't blame you for not being ready to believe it. I just want to become someone you can trust again, Starr, and I swear I'm going to."
"I hope you do," she told him quietly, before flashing a quick smile and giving him one more gentle hug. "Okay, I should probably go- you shouldn't be exerting yourself, you need rest. Thanks again, dad; I love you."
"Love you too."
Starr fussed over him for another minute then left once a nurse came along to check on him, slowly exhaling in relief; that had gone so much better than expected. She couldn't believe her three best friends, parents, and cousin were all on board with her and Schuyler; she felt like she'd had a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, and could just enjoy her contentment without quite so much fear.
"Well, you look a lot happier than I expected."
Starr glanced up with a grin, pleasantly surprised by the sound of Schuyler's voice, and saw him waiting for her near her dad's room.
"Hey," she said happily, her stomach getting that pleasant, twisty feeling as he looked her over, in that way of his that she knew meant he'd be greeting her in a much different way if they were alone together. "I am, actually- I think I just got my dad to agree not to kill you, that's the kind of thing that puts me in a good mood." Schuyler seemed startled, and a dubious look passed through his eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you're happy, but I'll wait and see," he chuckled.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not letting my guard down, I'm just saying there's hope now. So, where have you been?"
"Uh, helping Cole with his biology homework, believe it or not."
"What?" she asked in shock. "You were…you and Cole...really?" He just nodded in confirmation. "Huh. Weird day," she summarized with a tired laugh, making him grin. "Well, you're not going to believe what happened with me. Turns out Jessica knows about us too now- are we the worst kept secret in town or what? Anyway, she and I talked about it for a long time, and, not only is she okay with us, she actually approves, and thinks it sounds like you're good for me. Can you believe that?"
"No, actually," he said in a stunned daze, looking at her in disbelief as he slowly smiled. "I'm sorry, Starr, don't take this the wrong way, but… I'm starting to think it's a good thing your family is crazy." Starr burst out laughing as he continued. "Because it's the only possible explanation for none of them having killed me yet."
"Hey, I consider it the opposite- for once, they're being reasonable instead of crazy."
"Excuse me, are you Schuyler?"
They both startled as the nurse who'd been with her father stepped out of the room and approached them, asking the question; they exchanged a cautious look before Schuyler nodded.
"Yes, that's me."
"Mr. Manning instructed me to tell you he'd like to speak with you."
"What?" Starr and Schuyler chorused. The nurse looked confused and shrugged helplessly.
"I'm sorry, that's all he said."
"Um, how is he?" Starr asked hesitantly.
"Oh, he's just fine," she reassured the girl. "Your father is very strong, he should recover nicely."
"No, um, I mean…is he already able to like, get out of bed, or pick up and throw a heavy object?"
"Oh, um, no, definitely not," she answered, obviously startled and confused by the question. Starr smiled tightly.
"Okay, great, thanks."
The nurse just glanced between the two of them for a moment, clearly lost, then simply turned and left.
"Well, I guess I should-"
"Wait a second," Starr ordered, walking to the room and peering through the door at her father. "Dad, the nurse said you want to see Schuyler- why? Are you going to-"
"Starr, calm down; I'm not going to break my word to you five minutes after I gave it. I just want to speak with him; I'm your dad, it's my right to have a talk with your…boyfriend," he finally managed after struggling to spit the word out. Starr remained hesitant, and Todd sighed. "Starr, what do you think I'm going to do from a hospital bed? This won't take long- go visit with your mom, I'll send him along in a few minutes."
"Promise?"
He solemnly crossed his heart, and Starr couldn't help but give a small smile as she backed out of the room again, turning her attention back to Schuyler.
"All right, I'm trusting him enough to leave you alone with him, but don't be afraid to scream if you need help," she ordered him with mock seriousness. He laughed, glancing around the empty hall carefully, then knelt down and very quickly pressed a kiss to her lips.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," he reassured her, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. "Near death experiences tend to bring out the kinder, gentler sides of people, if only for a few hours."
"But this is my dad- his kindler, gentler side is-"
"Most people's angry, violent side, I know, I know," he chuckled. "But he's still recovering from a knife wound, it evens things out. It's fine- he's right, you should go see your mom, and I'll be there soon."
"Alright," she sighed, squeezing his hand reassuringly and flashing a quick smile before leaving.
Once she was gone, Schuyler hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and forced himself to walk through the door. He gazed at Todd evenly, hovering awkwardly by the door as he waited for him to make the first move. Todd just stared him down, in that disturbingly calm state of his, and remained silent until Schuyler couldn't take it anymore.
"So, uh…good to see you're okay," he said with a small nod.
"Please," Todd replied with a dismissive eyeroll. "I don't buy that you're any happier about me being okay than I'd be about you in the same situation." Schuyler laughed darkly, shaking his head.
"Once again, Todd, you and I are very different people; if I didn't want you to be okay, why the hell would I have bothered saving your life?" he asked.
"That's exactly what I want to know, actually."
"What?"
"That's why I asked you in here. You saved my life, and I want to know why."
"You're welcome, by the way," Schuyler snarked, knowing Todd would choke on his own tongue before ever thanking him of all people.
"Come on, I'm sure you'd be thrilled if I died. You hate me, and I'm sure you
probably see it as an eye for an eye or something, revenge for your mother- so tell me why you didn't let it happen."
"Ooh, thrilled? Thrilled's a little harsh, it's closer to nonplussed." Todd shot him a hard, unamused look, and Schuyler sighed. "Look, to be frank, I think what got what you deserved tonight- not just because of my mom, but because of every single person you've hurt or destroyed throughout your life. And honestly, yeah, I do kind of hate you…but Starr doesn't. She was a wreck thinking you were going to die, and she would have done anything to save you, so…so would I." Todd looked at him questioningly, and Schuyler released a breath of frustration. "You still don't get it? I would do anything for your daughter, Todd- even save the life of the man who killed my mother. As long as Starr, for some reason, still loves you and cares about what happens to you, you're not going to die if I can help it- you didn't deserve it even once, but I'd save you a thousand times over for her."
"Why?" Todd asked instantly, narrowing his eyes.
"Because I love her," Schuyler replied calmly and surely. "Sorry if that pisses you off," he added in a tone that made it clear he wasn't sorry at all. To his surprise, Todd gave a small laugh.
"That was both the right and wrong answer," he remarked. "I'd be furious if you said you didn't love her, and yet I'm not exactly thrilled that you claim you do."
"I don't claim I love her, I do," Schuyler corrected him sharply.
"Why? You just have a thing for impressionable teenage girls or something?"
"Impressionable?" Schuyler laughed shortly. "Todd, have you met Starr? I love her, but I have to say, she is probably the most bullheaded person I've ever met- if there's anything that girl's not, it's impressionable. And let me assure, I never intended to fall for her- she was the last thing I saw coming. I was probably even more disgusted and furious with myself when I realized how I felt than you are now. I spent a long time lying to myself, trying to convince myself they were just misplaced feelings for an old girlfriend of mine, that I was letting our shared grief cloud my mind, and I did everything I could to stay away from her, but…"
"Let me guess, you can't fight fate?" Todd sneered. Schuyler simply shrugged,
as that was exactly the point he'd been trying to make. Todd glared at him, but calmed down after a moment, seeming to remember his promise to Starr. "Look, I'm never going to like you, and I'm never going to be even remotely okay with this, so don't kid yourself into thinking any differently…but Starr made it pretty clear that what I think doesn't matter, and I'll be damned if I lose my daughter over you, so I won't stand in your way. But I will be keeping an eye on you," Todd warned. "And the second you screw up, the second you hurt her and prove you had no business being with her in the first place, I will-"
"Todd, I know very well that I'm not good enough for Starr and that I don't deserve her," Schuyler interrupted him quietly. "But she disagrees, and I'm going to fight like hell to prove her right; if I ever do anything to screw that up and I hurt her, I can guarantee you I'll be a hell of a lot worse on myself than you could ever be." Todd gazed at him in surprise for a moment, then gave a satisfied nod.
"Good. That was all I really needed to hear from you. You can go now," he commanded abruptly. Schuyler frowned, startled that was it, then quickly decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, wordlessly turning and walking through the door. "Hey, Joplin," Todd called after him suddenly. Schuyler paused, glancing at him over his shoulder. "Like I said last time we ran into each other- despite what you may think, I'm not unreasonable, and that's why I'm saying…thank you," he choked out. "For what you did with Blair and Tea. I may think you're scum most of the time, but you have saved the lives of the three most important women in the world to me, and I can give you credit for that."
Schuyler stared at Todd in silence for a long time, struggling to figure out the best response so as not to ruin the bit of goodwill Todd had unexpectedly showed him.
"You're welcome," he finally replied simply, with a quick, tight smile, before he turned and left the room.
Trying not to dwell on the conversation and overanalyze every moment, as he was tempted to, Schuyler sped off towards Blair's room, hating to be away from Starr for even a minute right now.
"Oh, Schuy- Mr. J!"
He stopped in his tracks and saw Langston calling out to him from an adjacent hallway, waving him over with one hand as she balanced several packages of cookies in the other.
"Hey, Blair got moved," she told him once he came over. "I'll show you to her new room."
"Wait, why was she moved?" Schuyler asked quickly. "Was there a change in her condition, is she okay?"
"Oh, yeah, Blair's still fine, still sleeping like a baby. It's just that Dorian called and asked me what room Blair was in a little while ago, and ordered me to give the phone to a nurse when I told her; I just heard a lot of screeching over the line, and next thing I know, Blair is getting moved to a room big enough to fit every victim of a car crash," she laughed as she led him to the right location. "Oh, hey, so I heard you and Todd were having a talk; I see no blood on you, no obvious bruises, so it clearly went better than expected, huh?"
"Much better, actually," Schuyler admitted, the surprise still clear in his voice. "The people in Starr's life have really been shocking me on that front," he remarked, his tone amazed. Langston shot him a smile.
"Well, you're a really good guy, Schuyler, that much is obvious to anyone who actually gives you a chance; you're exactly the kind of guy people hope to see someone they care about end up with, and it becomes really obvious once they get to know you how perfect you are for Starr- it's really no wonder everyone ends up approving you."
"Thank you, Langston," he said softly, sounding touched.
"Just stating the truth," she replied warmly. "Oh, and, here we are! Starr's inside, you can go on in. Jack, I got the goods!" she called to the boy, currently sitting in one of the chairs right outside the room and playing with a book of mad-libs a nurse had given him. "But the golden oreos are mine, so don't even think about it."
"Everyone knows the chocolate ones are better anyway- hey, I need a noun."
"Oh, I'm so freaking good at mad libs, this is gonna be fun."
Schuyler said a quick hello to Jack (offering up an adjective when prompted) then quietly opened the door to Blair's room; Starr was sitting silently beside Blair's bed, keeping an eye on her, and Schuyler just watched her for a minute before knocking lightly on the doorframe.
"Hey; do you want to be alone, or-"
"No," Starr said quickly, turning and smiling at him. "Come in, please."
Schuyler did as she said, and Langston peered in through the doorway as he took the seat next to her.
"We'll watch the door for you guys, don't worry," she promised, shutting it behind her as she left.
"Thanks, Langston!" Starr called loudly, before fixing Schuyler with a warm gaze. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she contentedly cuddled into his side. "So, how'd it go?"
"I actually just heard the words 'thank you' come out of your dad's mouth, and got a promise he won't 'stand in our way.'"
"Shut up!" Starr gasped in shock, reeling back to look at him. "Oh my God, you're serious? Wow. Wow," she repeated, stunned.
"You think he means it?"
"Well…he seems sincere," she said, shrugging and hesitantly looking down as she fidgeted with her hands. "But I've always thought that, and he's always proved me wrong in the past, so I don't know. I hope he's changing, but this day has kind of made me think I shouldn't be so quick to trust that. I just…I don't want him to make me feel stupid for having faith in my own father, yet again," she said quietly, sighing.
"Starr, even if he screws up for the thousandth time, it doesn't make you stupid, it just makes you a good person- a better one than he deserves to have in his life."
Starr nodded and just mulled it over in silence for a few minutes; Schuyler didn't say anything, knowing she needed the time to brood, and just sat with her quietly. He was subconsciously brushing his fingers against the gauze on her arm in a soothing manner, gazing at her heavily, and it drew Starr out of her own head. She took one look at his hand on her arm, then his expression, and narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"You're thinking guilty thoughts again, I can tell," she accused. He chuckled darkly.
"No, that was a minute ago. Now I'm onto enraged, murderous thoughts."
"Alright, that's much better, that's allowed. Thoughts about your desire to murder okay, thoughts about your guilt over something that was not your fault bad, we clear?"
"Clear," he agreed softly. "But, uh…there's something else I was thinking of," he admitted hesitantly, knowing it would drive him crazy if he didn't ask her about it.
"What?"
"I, uh, overheard part of Marty giving her statement," he began, recalling how he'd been pacing around in the hall feeling sick after what he heard, until Cole come along to give him a distraction. "And she said…she said that after Powell stabbed your dad, he was about to do it again and you goaded him into getting upset to get him away from your father. Is that what happened?"
"Oh," Starr said slowly, furrowing her brow, before flashing a smile and trying to make a joke out of it. "Well, that's not the way I recall it, but I think I'd been knocked around pretty good at that point and a concussion had set in, so who-"
"It's not funny!" Schuyler interrupted sharply, his voice heavy and intense. Starr instantly fell silent and looked up at him with startled eyes as he continued roughly. "I can't listen to you kid around about this, I can't handle that. God, Starr, do you even know what I would do if you…"
His voice caught and Schuyler pressed his fist to his lips, looking away. Starr gazed at him quietly, and she gently squeezed his arm; truth was, no, she didn't know what he'd do if he lost her, which was something that scared her. In that split second between Powell placing the knife to her throat and her hearing everyone's reactions, and Brody shooting him, that had been the only thought to come to mind around her fear; that she didn't know what Schuyler would do after losing her, so soon after his mother's suicide as well, when he had no support system like the rest of her loved ones, when even just the two of them breaking up had caused him to relapse, and the thought had terrified her even more than the knife at her throat.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I know it's not funny- I think I would strangle you if you tried to joke about something like that. But for the record, no, that's honestly not what happened. I wasn't trying to do anything, it's not like I had a plan or was intentionally trying to get his attention on me; seeing what he did to my dad just made me kind of lose it, triggered my idiot reflex where I can't seem to control anything I say. I promise you that I didn't mean to put myself in so much danger- I know how I'd feel if you did something like that, which is why I would never do it to you."
"Okay," he said quietly, finally turning back to her. "I just needed to know. I'm sorry I kind of freaked out on you there," he added, taking her hand from his arm and lightly kissing her knuckles. "It's just the thought of anything happening to you…"
"I know," she assured him. Truth was, she really did. "Don't worry about it."
"I love you, Starr," he murmured, lightly resting his head against hers for a moment.
"I love you too."
Starr fell silent again; Schuyler saying he loved her, as he gazed at her in that way that let her know he thought the world of her, just involuntarily made her think of Powell, how had he felt so differently, that she was such a bad person.
"Starr," Schuyler said after studying her carefully for a minute, picking up on the lingering darkness in her eyes like nobody else would. "Is there something you need to get off your mind?"
Starr glanced away hesitantly and took a deep breath, knowing if there was anyone she was going to feel comfortable talking to about something so personal, it was him.
"Can I ask you something, Schuy? I need you to pretend you don't love me, set that aside and be objective when you answer- can you do that?" she questioned nervously.
"I'll try."
"Okay, um…do you think I'm messed up, Schuyler?" Starr asked meekly. He looked startled, and looked at her sharply in disbelief.
"What?"
"I don't know, it's just some things Powell said getting to me."
"Oh, what? Starr, come on, Powell is psychotic, you know better than to listen to a single word he says!" he said firmly.
"He's psychotic, yeah, but it doesn't mean he can't stumble across a valid point. It's just…look, I've always thought the fact that I can forgive anyone anything is one of my best qualities, but maybe Powell has a point- maybe what he said is right and it's something that's wrong with me. I mean, people in my life do these terrible things, and they hurt me, and they hurt other people, and it's disgusting and wrong and I should hate them for it, but I don't" she sighed, thinking of every single thing her father had done- it would probably take days to get through that list in full- thinking of Cole's assault in the bedroom at that party, thinking of Jessica's alter kidnapping her baby; she could go on and on. "I defend them and still love them, and maybe that's not this virtuous, good thing that I always thought it was- maybe it's just because there's something sick and twisted about me too and I don't even realize it. Maybe that's why I just seem to draw people like that to me, because there is something so wrong with me too. I mean…doesn't loving a monster make you a monster too?" she asked weakly.
"No, Starr, it's exactly the opposite," Schuyler told her, his voice powerful and impassioned. "Being able to forgive and love people like that makes you the best kind of person. It's really easy for most of us to say we believe in forgiveness and second chances, but it's a lot harder to follow through when push comes to shove. You are the rare kind of person who actually walks the walk- you don't forgive when it's easy and convenient for you, you forgive and hand out more chances when other people need it, regardless of how hard it is or how much it hurts you, and don't let Powell twist you into thinking that's not something good, because it is."
"You really think so?" she asked hopefully. He instantly nodded.
"I mean yeah, I admit, sometimes I do wish you were a little more guarded, that you didn't forgive and give out second chances left and right because I do think it leads to you being taken advantage of or getting hurt sometimes, people use the fact that you'll forgive them to walk over you, but I also know you're tough enough and smart enough to handle yourself. Your ability to let people have another chance time and time again, long after most people give up, is probably your greatest quality, Starr- I wouldn't be in your life if you didn't have that capacity to forgive and let go of people's past so they can have a better future. And sick and twisted are the absolute last words I would ever use to describe you- you are the first good and pure thing I have ever had in my life. People who are all dark and twisted aren't drawn to you because you're that way too- it's because you're the exact opposite, and they know it."
"Thank you, Schuyler," Starr said tenderly, cupping his cheek and gazing warmly into his eyes as the tension eased from her body; if there was one person whose opinion mattered to her, it was Schuyler, and knowing how strongly he disagreed, hearing him say these kinds of things about her, was all she really needed. "But for the record, it is so not true that you're one of those dark, twisted people, that you wouldn't be in my life if I weren't so forgiving of people like that- you are one of the good guys, and you're eventually going to have to accept that."
He started to say something, and Starr knew he was going to argue and try to disagree with her, so she cut him off by leaning up and crushing her lips to his in a heated kiss, rendering him speechless.
However, their kiss was abruptly cut short a second later by the sound of someone clearing their throat, and, to their shock, Blair's voice.
"So sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to chime in and say I agree with your opinions of each other."
"Oh my God, mom!" Starr cried in relief, abruptly flinging herself off the chair, dashing to her bedside, and throwing her arms around her. "I'm not hurting you, right?"
"Not at all, sweetie, I'm fine," Blair laughed softly.
"Alright," Starr said, taking a deep breath as she gazed at her mother affectionately. "New rule, okay? Nobody gives you sleeping drugs until your daughter gets to talk to you and see you're okay for herself- I knew you wouldn't let some gas leaky basement keep you down, but it would have been nice to hear you tell me you were okay yourself."
"I'll keep that in mind for the next time this happens," Blair agreed sarcastically, smiling. Starr giggled, and Blair's attention drifted from her daughter to Schuyler, currently hovering nervously behind her. She smiled at him, and he returned it.
"Hi, Ms. Cramer; I'm glad you're okay."
"Schuyler, after what we went through tonight, I think you and I are on a first name basis."
"Sorry, Ms. Cra…Blair," he corrected himself sheepishly.
A moment later, Jack, who had heard his mom wake up, came rushing into the room, and things quickly got a little chaotic again, as Jessica, Brody and Hope all showed up to join in, Blair's kids fussed over her, and she tried to piece together from everyone what had happened, only to grow completely hysterical when she found out Starr and Todd had both nearly been killed. Finally, everyone seemed to chill back out after Langston was forced to once again nearly sit on someone to restrain them, not even once but twice, after Blair first tried to get out of bed to go find and kill Powell before she heard he was already dead, then tried to go find Todd as well- apparently nothing brought a woman back to her senses as quickly as a teenage girl practically pinning her to a bed.
"Well, Schuyler- you're certainly turning out to be a very good person to have around," Blair remarked once things had calmed down. Schuyler looked bashful, and Blair and Jessica exchanged a grin.
"Oh, he's modest too, Blair- your daughter did pretty well with this one."
"I found a boyfriend, I didn't buy a showdog- quit evaluating him," Starr ordered everyone with a laugh.
"In all honestly, Schuyler, I'm glad you've been around, but I have to say- you probably had no idea what you were in for with her family when you got involved with Starr, huh?" Blair asked, grinning. Schuyler nodded, chuckling.
"Not really, but it's okay, it's been exciting- keeps my life interesting."
"I like that answer. You know…tonight was supposed to be the whole 'getting to know the boyfriend' family dinner thing, but we didn't get to do that. But…this seems as good a venue as any to have that discussion and check you out," Blair mused. "So I say, let's talk- if you're still up for it."
"Absolutely," Schuyler agreed, though not without a hint of nerves. Langston took pity on him and jumped in to ease the slight tension, leveling him with a melodramatic gaze.
"So, Schuyler- how many goats are you willing to offer us for Starr here?" she demanded, causing everyone else in the room to burst out laughing.
"Oh, God, he can have her free," Jack groused. "We should pay him off, actually."
"This family sucks," Starr muttered. Schuyler laughed again as he squeezed her shoulders, turning to Langston to answer her question.
"An entire herd."
"Another good answer!" Jessica remarked with a giggle.
"Agreed," Blair remarked, grinning. "I think I'm gonna like him, Starr. What about you, Jack? You think he passes muster?"
"Oh, yeah, totally! That Kyle guy was being a huge jerk and Schuyler punched him in the face for it," Jack snickered. "It was awesome, he was bleeding everywhere- he's totally good enough."
"He saved my family's lives- that's all I needed to know I like him," Jessica chimed in.
"Violence- I can't believe I didn't think of that," Starr said to Schuyler with a cluck of her tongue, shaking her head.
"What?"
"I can't believe I didn't realize it would be violence that would win my crazy family over, we're just weird like that. I mean yeah, there's the happiness thing, sure, but you really had my mom and Jessica because of how you stopped Zach, my dad has a grudging amount of respect for you because you beat the crap out of him, and now Jack thinks you're cool because you broke Kyle's nose. I just should have known," she laughed, glancing around the calm, happy faces of her friends and family with a satisfied smile. "Well, whatever the reason, it looks like you're in."
"Alright, I'm in for two oreos."
An hour later, after Schuyler had been properly interrogated, Jack had started to seem a little antsy again, and Starr knew he (and everyone else in the room, for that matter) had to be dying to just have a little fun and finally relax after this night from hell, so she'd managed to get a deck of cards from the nurse's station and had gotten a poker game going- Langston had donated the numerous packages of cookies she'd bought to be used for betting, and Brody had run down to buy in and pitch in several more, so they had quite the pot building.
Langston, Brody and Blair were all out at this point, leaving only the other four, and things had gotten quite competitive, particularly between Starr and Schuyler, the self declared poker aficionados, and the usually loving duo were trash talking each other left and right, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room. The room was now filled with laughter, cheers and heckling, everyone in a much better place.
"Okay, Starr, I see your two oreos, and I raise you three chips ahoy, and two wafers," Schuyler stated confidently. There was a simultaneous gasp from the rest of the room, as chips ahoy had the hightest 'chip value', and Starr gaped at them.
"Oh, please! He's bluffing- and not even particularly well, I might add," she added, rolling her eyes dismissively.
"Well, he has me convinced," Jessica laughed, tossing her cards down. "I fold,
luck doesn't seem to be on my side this time."
She stood from her chair and walked back to Hope and Brody, the latter of whom was now betting with Langston and Blair over the outcome of the game. She grabbed a few m&m cookies, adding them to the current pot on Blair's bedside table.
"I'm betting on Schuyler to win the whole thing."
"Thank you, Jessica!"
"Hey!" Starr squealed indignantly. Jess shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry hun, he seems like he knows what he's doing."
"Too rich for my blood," Jack sighed, also folding.
Schuyler turned to the last person left, Starr, and cocked an eyebrow, the challenge clear. Starr smirked, calmly tossing in the cookies, then a few extra.
"Somebody's feeling cocky," he sing-songed.
"Somebody can tell when you're faking it," she sang back as Jack wandered behind Schuyler, looking over his hand.
"What d'ya think, buddy?" Schuyler asked him.
"I say you raise her one more," he stated confidently. Schuyler did so, and Starr snorted, tossing in a cookie without hesitating.
"Please, as if I'm falling for that. And I call, which means I show first- get ready to weep, and know that there's no shame in a man crying."
Starr rather smugly showed her full house, and Schuyler flinched dramatically.
"Ouch, you're right; I actually think I might cry now…"
"Which is okay."
"Out of sympathy pains for how embarrassing this is for you," he continued, finishing with a smirk and flipping his cards over to reveal a four of a kind. "It's really impressive how you can tell when I'm faking it- should I go weep like you said now?"
Jack instantly burst out laughing as Starr's jaw dropped, and the room exploded as Schuyler whooped it up, Starr cried in outrage, and everyone else cracked up, placing more bets on the final round to come.
"Okay, you can quit celebrating now jerk, game's not over yet!" Starr shouted after giving him a minute to enjoy the victory, as she was determined to make sure it never happened again. "We're just tied now, and you have to beat me one on one, which is so not happening."
In a loud stage whisper, Schuyler tried to offer Starr a way to escape this upcoming humiliation, but she just punched him in the arm, clearly holding back a bright laugh, and ordered him to take his seat. He did so, and Starr made a show out of shuffling the cards this time, fanning them out dramatically.
"Fancy shuffling does not make you a good poker player."
"No, the fact that I'm gonna kick your ass makes me a good poker player," she grumbled.
"Have I ever warned you that Starr gets really competitive?" Langston asked him, snickering. "I once seriously thought she was going to punch Markko over a game of charades."
"Starship Troopers, how hard is that to get?! Who guesses songs and people when it's been stated a thousand times that the category is movies?!"
"Starr, I love you, but it was two years ago, let it go."
Langston couldn't control her laughter when Starr ignored her, and took a brief pause from the game to reenact her clues from that night for Schuyler, demanding to know if he would have guessed it based on that.
"Is my sister losing it?" Jack asked flatly. Langston giggled.
"She just needs to have fun right now," she told him, knowing Starr was throwing herself into the game in such an over the top way like this to compensate for how freaked out she still was by this night- she knew her too well, she could see how the gleam in her eyes had dimmed tonight, she'd picked up on how Starr kept grabbing her neck the way she had earlier when she'd told Langston she didn't want to talk about, which had her friend really concerned about the specifics of what she'd gone through with Powell. Langston could also tell Schuyler recognized this as well and was playing along for Starr's sake, which made her appreciate him even worse.
Langston was just giggling as she watched Starr act out a new movie for Schuyler (Langston realized within seconds that it was I Still Know What You Did Last Summer- did she know her best friend or what?), when she got that strange feeling of being watched. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to find the drama of this night had just made her paranoid, but to her surprise, Cole was hovering near the doorway, curiously watching the going-ons in the room with a heavy, wistful expression. Langston felt a pang in her chest and quickly walked over to the door as Starr kept gesturing wildly.
"Oh, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer!"
"Yes!"
"How on earth did he guess that?" Blair asked in amazement.
"I thought she was doing The Green Mile," Brody muttered to Jessica.
"See, this I why I love you, Schuy- though that love isn't going to keep me from totally destroying. Timeout over!" she announced, grabbing the cards again.
Langston blocked them all out and flashed Cole a bright smile as she walked over to him, as Cole looked at her nervously, already starting to step back.
"Hey, uh, sorry, I was just leaving since my mom told me there was no point in waiting for her, she's staying with John overnight, and I heard all the commotion, and I just-"
"You're just in time!" she interrupted him perkily, as though she hadn't even heard him. Without giving him a chance to protest, she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside with her, guiding him back to where they were all betting and handing him several cookies.
"Here you go."
"Uh, what's going on?" he asked slowly, glancing at the cookies piled on the table in confusion.
"Oh, it's the last round of poker, Starr versus Schuyler, and Brody, Blair, Jess, Jack and I are betting cookies over the game. Who's gonna win, by how much-"
"Whether or not Starr throws a hissy fit and knocks over the table when she loses," Jack interjected with a grin.
"Hey!" Starr crowed at him, then her mother, who had burst out laughing. "Family obviously means nothing to you people," she huffed.
"I'll put three chocolate chip down on Starr," Cole said, relaxing as he smiled slightly at Langston, his gratitude for including him clear; she simply returned the smile and gave his hand a quick squeeze.
"Thank you, Cole! Brody and Cole are obviously the only cool people in this room," Starr declared, throwing a quick appreciative glance to the duo for betting on her, before throwing a glare her best friend's way. "Yeah, don't think I didn't hear you bet against me earlier, Langston- traitor."
"He spent four years playing this game every week!" she squeaked. "I have to protect my dessert."
"Yeah yeah- how many do you want?"
"Three," Schuyler said, discarding. Starr passed them over, then took two herself. They studied each other carefully, but Starr and Schuyler were both longtime masters at hiding their emotions, and thus, both had a perfect poker face.
"I'll let you bet first this time," she offered. Schuyler glanced at his cards one more time, then pushed half of his pile in. Starr seemed unfazed and did the same, raising him two. Schuyler raised an eyebrow, looking at her dubiously.
"You sure you wanna do this? Langston's right, I did go to college in Vegas, practically lived in the casinos" he reminded her. She grinned playfully.
"Ooh, scary. You must be feeling worried if you're trying to talk me out of this round, Vegas boy."
"Hey, I'm just trying to be nice and save you from embarrassing yourself again, but all bets are off now," he told her with a smirk, adding everything he had left to the pot. "I'm all in." Starr didn't even hesitate to follow suit, which seemed to surprise him slightly.
"Hey, you might have gone to college in the card capital, but in the Manning household, you learn to play poker before you can even read. You ready to reveal?"
"Ready if you are."
Starr gestured for him to go ahead, and Schuyler made a dramatic show of revealing another four of a kind, which caused him to grin at her smugly. Starr made gasped in disbelief, looking crushed, and Langston pressed her hands to her mouth to smother a laugh, realizing Starr was totally faking it.
"Who says lightning doesn't strike twice?"
"Wow," Starr murmured, her voice exaggeratedly downcast. "I can't even believe this- you are so lucky, Schuy…or you would be, if I didn't have a straight flush!" she shouted gleefully, throwing her cards over and promptly leaping to her feet to do a victory dance.
Brody and Cole both cheered with joy over winning their own bet, instantly grabbing their cookies, while Jack and Jessica cried out in disappointment, and Langston just shook her head, laughing softly to herself; Starr had hit the nail on the head earlier, there was no doubt that her family was crazy…and Langston absolutely loved it.
"Haha, I just completely owned you, Mr. I-Went-To-College-In-Vegas! Starr rules, Schuyler sucks!"
"Nice to see you having such a healthy relationship, Starr," Langston joked.
"Hush, traitor. And give me my cookies!"
"Okay, nobody likes a sore winner, Starr," Blair cut in, though Starr could see her mother's eyes dancing with amusement as well.
"That's not true at all- he does," she laughed, nodding to Schuyler.
"Don't put words in my mouth."
"Oh, no you did not."
"Two points Schuyler," Jack snickered, high fiving him.
"Well, fine, be that way, now I just have to say it again- Schuyler sucks."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he chuckled, opening his arms to her. Starr sat down on his lap, smiling warmly and leaning back against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "The loser still loves the winner. But you owe me a rematch."
"Nope, no rematches- I retired as champion."
"You cannot retire as champion."
"Oh, really? Weird, 'cause I just did."
"That is not-"
"Wow; you know, I used to think you two were perfect for each other because you were both such old souls, but now I see it's because you're both twelve at heart," Langston told them, shaking her head.
"Perfect for each other is still perfect for each other either way," Starr replied.
"Fair enough."
Jessica also tried to convince Starr to a rematch, swearing to bet on her this time, but Starr held steady and the topic was changed when it became obvious she wasn't going to budge. They all just sat around and talked together for a while, getting to experience a nice bit of peace after so much chaos, but to Starr's disappointment, Brody soon excused himself and Hope to his overnight room so they could get to sleep, Cole left shortly after him, and she could tell Jessica was going to join Brody and her mom would be turning in for the night soon as well; that meant she was going to have to finally go home soon, which Starr was dreading. She was reaching that point where she felt so physically exhausted that her entire body just got that heavy, aching feeling, but the last thing she wanted was to go to sleep- she could just imagine the kind of nightmares this night would cause. And going home meant separating from Schuyler, which was the absolute last thing she wanted to do.
"Well, kids, I hate to say this," Blair began a few minutes later, yawning as her eyelids started to droop. "I'm not exactly eager to let you out of my sight, but you should probably head home. I don't think I can stay awake much longer, and it's really late, you need some sleep."
"She's right, you guys should go," Starr said to Jack and Langston. "But I'm gonna stay here tonight, okay?"
"Oh no you're not," Blair interjected firmly.
"What? But, mom, I can't just leave you and dad here, I-"
"Starr, your father and I are both fine, and we are in a hospital; even if something were to happen, which it won't, we're already in the best place we can be. And I understand why this isn't always so easy to remember, but your dad and I are the parents here, and you're the child- that means it's not your job to look after us. We're the ones that take care of you, and I'm telling you to go home and get some rest; I'm sure the hospital will release me first thing in the morning anyway, you won't even have time to miss me."
"And I'm staying here with Brody and Hope, Starr- I can check in on your parents as often as you want," Jessica said.
"I appreciate that, Jess, but Mom, I don't want-"
"This is not a debate, Starr- you are going home." Starr sighed in frustration, and Blair glanced to her daughter's boyfriend. "Schuyler…" Blair began hesitantly.
She took in her daughter's injured arm, her tense, nervous eyes, the way she was tightly holding Schuyler's hand. Blair had noticed throughout the night that even during all the teasing and heckling during the poker game, Starr never strayed more than a few feet away from Schuyler, and she never let him out of her sight, remaining fiercely aware of him at all times. She obviously needed him now, after the hellish night she'd had, and Blair wanted to do whatever she could to help her daughter.
"Schuyler, will you take her home?" Blair asked softly. "You're welcome to stay at La Boule tonight. In fact, I think I would appreciate it if you would."
There was a moment of surprised silence as everyone processed what Blair was truly saying with that request- that Starr and Schuyler, beyond a shadow of doubt, had Blair's full hearted approval.
"Thank you, Blair," Schuyler said quietly, appearing slightly stunned. "And of course I will."
"Any complaints now?" Blair asked her daughter, who just smiled and shook her head, suddenly no longer dreading her own home anymore. "Alright, then you guys get going; I'll see all of you tomorrow."
Langston and Schuyler stepped back so Starr and Jack could exchange their I
love yous with Blair and say goodnight privately, and then they all said goodnight to Jessica as well and reluctantly left the room. Jack and Langston both had to make a bathroom stop, so Starr and Schuyler waited near Blair's room for them; their voices could still be heard, and Blair couldn't help listening in.
"So, what are we calling this night?" Starr asked, holding up their interlocked hands and absent-mindedly playing with his fingers as she spoke; Blair was once again struck by how very natural and comfortable they seemed. "On the one hand, we almost died, but on the other hand, my family definitely approves of you now, you even got a thank you out of my father and a request to spend the night from my mother. Sooo…?"
"You know what? This might surprise you, but I think I'm gonna call it a win. Good seems to outweigh the bad."
"Oh, yay. But, um, Schuyler," she said hesitantly. "I know what you always say, but I…I was thinking about all the craziness you constantly have to deal with by being part of my life, and I just want to make sure you know that if there ever comes a day when the good doesn't outweigh everything else anymore, when the bad is too much, you're not trapped with me or anything, you can always get out, okay?"
"Starr, I just want to make sure you understand that's never going to happen, okay?" he told her firmly with a warm smile. Starr grinned.
"Okay," she replied softly.
"You know, maybe I'm just crazy, but…I have a surprisingly good feeling about this," Blair noted to Jessica, unable to help smiling in response to how happy Starr looked. Jessica did the same.
"Maybe I'm crazy too, but, so do I." They watched the duo for another moment, then Jessica glanced back to Blair with an amused expression. "Of course, knowing us, there's a decent possibility that we really are just crazy." Blair laughed, her eyes lingering on the couple as Jack and Langston rejoined them and they all disappeared down the hall.
"Well, I guess we'll have to just wait and see."
End Chapter
Hope you all enjoyed this little section of Scarr's journey :) I'm really looking forward to writing the next few chapters- to give you a hint of the next main storyline focus, Schuyler is going to be the one feeling insecure for once (and not over Cole), which I think is a fun reversal, and Starr gets to have another confrontation with crazy stripper bitch :P