Chapter Eighteen

"A party? You're kidding, right?" Diane stared at Will doubtfully.

She was hoping it was only his ploy to get her away from her other dance partners. She would even forgive him for it easily and applaud his boldness.

"I wish I was," he responded with the same serious expression, so Diane didn't doubt him anymore.

"Have you tried calling the kids?" She still hoped for some kind of a misunderstanding.

Emma wouldn't do that…or would she? Diane had to realize she couldn't be sure of it anymore. But even if Emma would, Nat definitely wouldn't let her do anything stupid. There had to be another explanation.

"Yeah, no reply," Will shook his head.

"Let me try as well."

Diane found her phone and called one child after the other, but even after several rings, there was no answers from either of them.

"I should go home," Will offered when she hung up.

"I'm going with you," she replied without hesitation. She had been the perfect candidate all evening, but now it was time to get back into the role of a parent.

"You can't, you need to stay," Will reminded her of the responsibilities, not that they mattered to her at all at this moment.

"But I don't want to stay, I want to know what's going on at home," she insisted, not liking the way he instructed her, even if it was in her own interest.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm there," he promised, but she still wasn't convinced.

"Will, please," she tried to beg him, even if she found it ridiculous. He simply couldn't tell her what to do. If she wanted to go home she would whether he agreed or not.

"Eli needs you here. I can handle this."

His last argument was the one Diane hadn't considered until now. There was no reason why she shouldn't have trusted Will to handle the situation without her. If she won the election she would be away quite often and Will would have to be the one in charge alone. She had to give him a chance to prove himself.

"I know you can," she smiled at him supportively, already sure of her reply. "All right, go. Should I tell Eli?"

"That his daughter brainwashed our kids?" he tried to joke, but neither of them were really capable of taking it lightly. "Wish we could, but let's hear them out first."

"Okay. Call me," she made him promise before she let him go and walked back to the crowd.

"Where's your husband?" It didn't take long for Eli to appear on her side.

"He had to leave," she stated and saw the disagreement on her campaign manager's face right away.

"What? Why? We need him here," he protested vehemently, even if it was clearly pointless.

"Something came up, he had no choice," she explained, keeping the rest to herself.

"What could be more important than your campaign?" Eli's snarky comment earned him an eye roll from Diane.

"Let's not get into this now, please," she tried to reason with him.

She was afraid if he pushed her any further she would throw it in his face that it was most likely all his daughter's fault.

"Fine," Eli finally let it go and Diane sighed in relief.

"Just tell me what else is on the agenda for tonight and let's get it over with."

o-o-o

After waiting for Will's call in vain for a half an hour she was close to losing her patience so she disappeared with a made-up excuse to call her husband. When he didn't answer she considered leaving this whole charade behind and just go home. Screw the campaign, her family was clearly more important, she just felt it in her bones. She was unable to concentrate on anyone anymore.

When her phone began to buzz she answered the call immediately.

"Hey, sorry it took a little longer." Will apologized, fully aware of her state of mind, but she was just glad to finally have him on the other end of the line.

"I don't hear any music, are you at home?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I broke up the party," he revealed.

"So there was a party," she stated resigned.

"Pretty much, with about twenty people," he informed her of the cruel reality.

"You're kidding. Who were they?"

Even after hearing him confirm it all, she was still reluctant to believe their children would do something like that behind their back.

"Friends, I guess, haven't really met most of them before," Will admitted, which gave Diane hope that they were Marissa's friends. She desperately wanted to place the blame on Eli's daughter, even if it still wouldn't mean her children were completely innocent.

"What did the kids say?"

"I haven't heard them out yet. I sent everyone home, except Marissa and now they are cleaning up. I thought you want to be here when they explain it all."

Diane wasn't sure it was the best decision on his side, but she was kind of glad she would be there for the talk with the kids after all.

"That gives them plenty of time to get their stories straight, they better come up with a damn good explanation," she said angrily.

Whoever was responsible for this, they went too far this time. And their punishment would match their actions.

"What did you say to Eli?" Will inquired.

"About the party? Nothing."

She was aware that it still wasn't late to tell Eli everything, he had a right to know after all. It seemed like she was protecting his daughter, when that was the last thing she wanted to do under the circumstances.

"When can you leave?"

It was Diane's impression that despite what Will had said before now he actually wished for her to be there with him, even if he didn't express it.

"Hopefully in a half an hour," she promised after checking the time.

"We'll be waiting."

o-o-o

Silence awaited Diane when she got out of the cab in front of their house. She wasn't surprised their neighbors had complained; after all, they lived on a quiet, suburban street that made for peaceful nights. She made a mental note to visit their neighbors the next day and apologize in person for the inconvenience. Just because they didn't have kids of their own, they would hopefully understand the situation.

Entering their home Diane tried to assess the damage that was left behind after the party. She was pleased to see that the house looked tidier than she'd expected. It seemed like the cleaning crew had been effective.

"Hey," Will noticed her presence first and approached to greet her.

"How are things?" she inquired.

She hadn't seen any of the kids, but heard noises from various parts of the house.

"They are almost done, I think," he reported.

"Any permanent damage?" she asked what she had forgotten before.

"Your crystal vase, and the frame of one of the paintings," he listed the painful facts.

"Not the vase," she cried out, mourning the loss off her most valuable belongings.

"I'm sorry," he apologized even if it wasn't his fault.

"Were they drinking too?" she asked, noticing the pile of bottles in the corner.

"I don't think our kids were," Will reassured her, which calmed Diane a little.

"Let's hear what they have to say then," she said resolutely.

She was aware that even though it was almost midnight this day was far from being over yet.