Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Brielle. I also don't own the Disney stories.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Het, Mpreg, Stripping, Exotic Dancing, Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, etc.
"Mommy?" Brielle blinked her pretty eyes at him. Adam offered her a small smile and brushed the curls away from her face. "Would you tell me a story, Mommy?" She asked sweetly.
Adam leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. She giggled once more, her little feet flying through the air in short, choppy kicks. "What do you want the story to be about, doll?"
"Would you tell me about Beauty and the Beast? I like that story." Brielle smiled. "Oh, and Cinderella too? And Pocahontas? And Sleeping Beauty, and Tarzan, and Mulan, and -,"
"We have all of the time in the world, doll. I can tell you all of those stories and more. How about we start with Beauty and the Beast, huh? I know that you like that one the best." Adam returned the smile.
Brielle nodded. "Okay." But then, a shadow came over her face. "Can I ask you a question, Mommy? It's… It's about Daddy." There was a look of worry on her cute little face, and Adam tried to console her with a smile and a pat on the head.
"Sure, doll. Whatever you want to know. I promise that I'll do my best to answer it, okay?" Adam asked. When Brielle nodded, he started to twirl her blonde curls around his finger. "Okay. Ask away."
"Did you love Daddy?" Adam blinked dumbly. Reluctantly, he shook his head. He had promised himself that he would never lie to her and he didn't intend to start now. "Did he love me?" Adam nodded. "Then why did he take me away from you?"
Adam looked haunted. "Well, sweetheart… Your Daddy isn't really your Daddy. Your Daddy, the one who made you, is in heaven. But Chris thinks that he's your Daddy. I never thought that he would hurt you and I will never forgive myself for that. Do you understand?"
Brielle stared at him blankly. "So the Daddy that took me isn't really my Daddy?"
"That's right, baby. And I'm so sorry that he scared you like that." Adam assured her.
"So, then, who is my Daddy?" Brielle asked.
"His name was Wade Barrett. He was a bare-knuckle brawler, and shortly after I found out that I was going to have you, he received a fatal blow to the head and died. I still… I still have a picture of him in my wallet. Would you like to see him?" Brielle nodded.
Adam reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He thumbed through the pictures, trying to remember where the one that he wanted was. He knew that it had been a long time since he had last seen it, mostly because he hadn't wanted to relive the painful memories, but at the same time, he knew that he would never throw it out. After a moment, he was able to locate it. It was hidden away behind the photo of Brielle that had been taken on her fourth birthday. She looked absolutely adorable with her blonde curls and innocent blue eyes.
He took the photo out and stared at it for a minute. He and Wade stood on a bridge overlooking tranquil water, which flowed from a nearby waterfall. Wade had his arm around his shoulders and both men had smiles on their faces. It was a beautiful picture. Adam estimated that it had been taken six months before Wade had died. It was before Brielle was even a glimmer of hope in either of their minds. Adam had been happy. It had been his first serious relationship and when he was with Wade, he never felt anything other than safe.
Almost reluctantly, he handed the photo over to Brielle. He knew that she wouldn't hurt it, at least not on purpose. But there was so much that she didn't know, so much that she was too young to understand. Brielle's eyes carefully scanned the photo. Her critical eye was almost comical, but he remained straight-faced. This was no laughing matter. Brielle wanted to know the truth. And he couldn't hide it from her any longer. As her chubby fingers scaled over the surface of the picture, she smiled softy.
"Daddy was real pretty. So was Mommy." Brielle smiled. "Daddy was really hairy, though." Both broke down into fits of laughter from that. Leave it to Brielle to break the tension with a crack like that.
"I used to joke with him that he didn't know what a razor was." Adam confessed. "He didn't like to shave. It took away from his brawler look." His look melted into one of fond sadness.
Brielle turned the picture from side to side. Her look of confusion had returned. "Why did he leave us, Mommy? Did he not want to be with us anymore?" She asked. There was a hint of sadness in her tone.
"No, baby. That's not it at all. Wade loved us both very much, even if he never met you. That was the reason that he continued to be a brawler. He had trained for it his entire life. It was good, fast money. He only died because of a mistake."
"Will you ever find someone else to love, Mommy? You seem so sad, all alone." Brielle said. Her eyes were innocent, but her words weren't. It was as if she could read his soul.
"I think that I already have." Adam confessed with a smile.
"Oh? Tell me about him." Brielle looked excited once more. The picture lay at the foot of the bed, forgotten.
"I thought that you wanted to hear a story? Beauty and the Beast, wasn't it?" Adam asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Tell me a story about this instead!" Brielle said, before she pouted. She knew that Adam couldn't resist the pout.
Finally, Adam relented. He started into the story about Randy, telling her about the 'wonderful man' who had been nothing but wonderful for the both of them. He was the reason that Adam had been able to keep the faith while he didn't know where Brielle was. He was the reason that he was able to smile, even when everything seemed dim with Brielle. And, he had an inkling that he had something to do with John finding out that he couldn't afford Brielle's operation and they had come together to give the money to him.
To her credit, even if he could tell that he was wearing her out, she listened intently. She seemed to really like Randy, too. And for the first time, he realized that Randy wasn't at the hotel room when he left. He wondered if something had happened to him and, in the back of his mind, he desperately hoped that he was okay. And he decided that, the next time that he saw him, he would tell him how much he meant to him. If Randy returned it, that would be wonderful. And if he didn't… well, that was an entirely different story.
Finally, Adam brought the story to an end. "And now, it's time for you to take a little bit of a nap. I have to go back to the hotel room now, but I promise that I'll be back tomorrow. Same time. Okay?"
Brielle nodded, her eyes sliding closed. "Okay. I love you Mommy. I'll see you tomorrow."
Adam swallowed hard. It felt wonderful to hear those words come out of her mouth. "I love you too, baby. Sleep tight."
Brielle smiled. "Don't let the bed-bugs bite."
Randy looked down at the floor, disturbed to find that his note had been crumpled into a ball and had fallen down onto the floor. What could have caused Adam to act like this? Was he upset that he had ordered a hotel room with only one bed? This seemed a little overdramatic, if that were the case. Randy bit down on the inside of his mouth, instantly worried. What if something bad had happened to the older man? His phone sat on the bedside table, so there was no way that he could contact him. What to do, what to do…
He started to walk around, searching for any indication of where Adam could have gone. Honestly, he hadn't meant to make Adam feel as if he was pressuring him into making a decision. In fact, the last thing that he wanted to do was make Adam uncomfortable. Deep down, he knew that what he felt in his heart was love. Love that he hadn't felt for anyone but Sam. She was the mother of his child, but he could see himself in the future, having children with Adam. But he had never wanted to push him into that corner.
Reaching down, he took hold of the note. The same words were written there, with no addition from Adam. Gone to talk with Jay. There is some stuff that needs to be discussed about the court case. Will inform you of my findings when I come back. Love you. He didn't know what there was about that letter that could cause Adam to run off like this, but what he did know was that he wasn't ready to confront it. He needed to soul search… find out what he really wanted out of his relationship with Adam… and then confront it head on.
He turned the note over and wrote two words on the back. I'm sorry. Setting it on the dresser, he grabbed his keys and made his way back down to the parking lot.