Chapter 48- Family, Love, and Forgiveness

Everybody told him this was Ebony's game. This is how she dealt with love if she even knew the meaning of the word. But Slade knew more than them. Slade knew Ebony deep down and this was different than her advising Amber to fake her death so she could make her moves on Bray.

For once she was pushing away love, not chasing after it. But he wouldn't let her.

"She's scared," Josh informed him.

He hadn't even heard the younger man approach his booth.

"You talked to her?" Slade was taken aback.

"I coerced a conversation. It ended with her in tears."

"Josh, what did you do?" Slade started to get up.

"It's not what I did, but what I said."

"And you think I can smooth this over?"

"You know her better than I do," Josh shrugged, "You just have to ask yourself one question."

"That being?"

"What's more important to you?"

"I want to support you."

"You can't keep living in yesterday, or so I'm told," his eyes followed Danni as she peeped into the lounge before slipping out once again. "I forgave you Slade. Move on with your life. Besides she's not asking you to choose between your families. She's asking you to be there for the family you've started."

"You're a part of this family too."

For some reason that made Josh shutter. The visual it gave him was as dysfunctional as they come. While he could probably handle Thunder, Ebony was a whole different story.

"I've got support for this trip. You need to be here. End of discussion."

"You're right," Slade suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"The wedding is tomorrow. There's still one more thing left to do."

"What's that?"

"Make sure the bride says yes. I wouldn't want you to be publicly humiliated."

"Or castrated." Josh smirked as his brother picked up his pace.

~0~

Danni on the advice of her friend Kyra decided she needed to bury any resentment she had towards Bray. But that was easier said than done.

As she searched the hotel for him her emotions became a whirlwind within her. She was pissed. She felt like she had been discarded. In her mind Bray had willingly left her to die so that he could be with Amber and their child.

"Hey," he gave her a glum smile as she approached him in the lobby.

"Hey? Really Bray?"

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Oh I dunno an apology would've sufficed. You left me to die!"

"The Guardian told me you were dead, Danni, you have to understand..."

"Oh I understand all right. You didn't need to search for me once your precious Amber was back in the picture."

"Not immediately."

"No, but soon enough to forget me and knock her up."

"The Guardian told me about you and her. He was going to kill me had I not escaped and ran into the Technos, Patsy too! Do you know he doused her and the other tribe leaders in petrol and ordered someone to strike a match? She was merely a kid Bray!"

He looked stunned and upset, like he didn't know whether to cry or punch someone.

"Yes Bray...while you were busy fighting Ebony on her big joke of an election and swooning over your zulu knotted girlfriend Jaffa was busy killing people. You probably suspect Ebony kidnapped Trudy and Amber, but Jaffa was behind that. He told me so himself, and I prayed Bray, I PRAYED that he would kill Amber in the way he was planning to kill me so that you would suffer."

Bray was stunned. "We held out hope for you and Patsy and the other kidnapped, but the Guardian gave me reason to believe you were dead. What was I supposed to do? I was overwhelmed."

She snorted, "Had you cared to look we were right under your nose the whole time. But you wouldn't look Bray, now would you? Of course not, because you like to throw pity parties and then move on like bad things never occurred."

"I look back all the time! It's all I ever did do, I loved you. I WOULD NEVER have willingly left you, Patsy, or anyone to die!"

"But you did. What I endured was far worse than you in a stupid brainwashing room!"

"If I could go back..."

"You would still pick Amber."

"I'm sorry Danni, truly I am. I hope that someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Forgiveness? Isn't that why Kyra had advised her to find Bray? So that she could bury the hurt she'd kept locked inside her heart for so long?

Why then could she only speak to him with malice?

"I'm sorry too," she said after some time had passed.

"You're apologizing?"

Fighting the tears burning to be set free of her ducts, she answered him, "Yeah. I'm sorry that I ever loved you!" She then turned on her heel rushing off.

Bray stood there stunned. He hadn't even realized Kyra had been watching the whole excahnge until she stepped from behind a column.

"Is it true?" she asked, her face a mix of fury and hurt.

"I didn't willingly leave her..."

"Not that!" she snapped, "Is it true the red head is pregnant with your child?"

Bray sat mum, jaw ajar. He wasn't sure how to answer her.

~0~

Ebony at the urgent, harsh wrapping on his knuckles on the wood, flung the door to the suite open with force and fury, "I just got Thunder asle..." she began, but Slade's voice overtook hers.

"I'm not going to let this break up stand Ebony, I mean it when I say I love you and I know you love me!"

"I never said I didn't love you," she rolled her eyes crossing the room to sit down at the small table.

Slade took this as a good sign. She was allowing him in without a fight. So he shut the door and followed her, yet he remained standing just to be safe.

"People that love one another don't break up."

"I did it for…" she stopped herself.

He looked at her puzzled, "Did it for what? Love?"

"Yes."

"We have two completely different understandings of the meaning and that's what's gotten us here."

"I'm scared Slade…" she admitted, her eyes fixated on the table.

He sat down finally, reaching for her hands, "I know. I am too. But we've got each other and Thunder. That's what we have to consider."

She took his hands then and stared him in the eyes, "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"I'm sorry too. I should have thought of you and Thunder when making rash decisions."

"What now?" she asked.

Slade didn't look away from her eyes as he bravely said, "Marriage."

~0~

"Tomorrow this time we'll be husband and wife, isn't that wonderful Ved?" Cloe gripped his hand as they walked along the beach. But he wasn't paying attention, he seemed distant.

His mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help thinking about the past and his life as a spunky Techno.

Computers and juvenile fun were all he ever knew and now he was going to be somebody's husband.

Could he handle that? What if Cloe wanted children right away? What if she expected him to stay on this island for the rest of their lives?

What if he wanted to re-join the Technos?

"Ved!" her voice was sharp and angry, "you haven't been listening to a word I've said have you?"

"I'm sorry Clo, I must have zoned out."

"What's going on in there?" she tapped his head lightly with her finger.

"I guess I'm just in awe, I mean it's been a weird few months."

"But everything is all sorted now."

"It's just all so different now...I mean we're getting married," he smiled, stroking her cheek as they had stopped now.

"Yeah, who would've thought you the settling down type?"

"You changed me."

"Not all of you. I know you miss it Ved, the Techno life. You spout tech code in your sleep."

"I do not!"

"Do too! And before your old friends arrived you weren't as happy."

"I was happy with you."

"But not with the island. And to be truthful, me either. I miss concrete, the mall, and maybe a bit of the disorder of the city."

"Honestly?" he asked intrigued.

"Honestly. That's why I'll understand if you want to re-join the Technos, how bad could Techno Island be?"

"But Cloe, you're a Mallrat!"

"So? I am marrying you Ved."

"They are your family...like you told Ebony. I can't just take you away."

"I'm sure many of the Mallrats would love to see a tar jungle once again, Ebony and May especially. Besides you're my family now too and you're miserable. So what do you say?"

He surprised her and himself by saying, "I don't know. Let's think on it awhile."