Here comes the angst. Remember you asked for it :)
Jennifer had always loved Christmas. It was the only time of the year she knew for sure her father would be here. His work sent him away for months in a row and she spent that time living with Liz and Sam, but never on Christmas. She knew that on Christmas Eve, the Milhoans would come to help prepare the evening diner and always stay the night.
This particular Christmas wasn't different. On the 24th, she woke up earlier than usual, excitement running through her blood. Jumping out of bed, she grabbed a robe, put on her slippers and opened silently her bedroom door. She knew her father was tired lately so she didn't want to wake him up that early. After a short stop in the bathroom, she headed to the kitchen for her most needed morning coffee. She was in the middle of the hall when she heard the first moan. Frowning, she made a few steps forward and stopped to listen. The sound came from her father's room.
She knew sometimes he had some nasty nightmares. He hadn't won his stripes staying behind a desk but on the field. Even if he never talked to her about his missions, she knew it wasn't the easy kind, she had seen the scars on his torso when he swam in the pool in summer. Stepping closer from the door, she could hear the bed creak under her father's jerks. She knocked lightly on the door and waited. Sometimes it was all it took to settle Raymond's sleep. Not this time though, she could hear whispers and grunting through the wood.
"Dad?" she whispered cracking the door open.
When the sounds kept coming from the dark room, she took a step inside and froze. On the bed two silhouettes were moving in rhythm. Her father had his back against the headboard and the woman was straddling his thighs, the fingers of one hand closed around the headboard next to his shoulder and the other cradling his head, which was buried in her bosom. She felt heat rise on her face but couldn't move an inch. She jerked from her trance when she heard her father moan her best friend's name in a husky voice.
"What the fuck!?" she yelled anger replacing awkwardness.
The couple on the bed froze immediately. She saw her father's arm close around Liz back, pulling her against his chest, making her moan involuntary when her hips moved against his. He looked over her shoulder, his eyes hard on her.
"Jennifer, please, go to the kitchen, we'll talk shortly," he said in a flat, serious voice.
"Fine," she said angrily before leaving the room, slamming the door on her way out.
As soon as the door was closed, Liz jumped from the bed and began to pace the room.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" she mumbled looking everywhere except in Raymond's direction.
"Calm down, sweetheart," he said, putting his pants back on and handing a robe to cover Liz's nakedness.
Once dressed, he took her in his arms, crushing her against his chest in an attempt to calm her. She pushed him away and kept walking back and forth, her arms around her body.
"Lizzie, please, come here and calm down," he pleaded sitting back on the bed and patting the space next to him.
"Calm down?! Are you fucking kidding me? She saw us Red! She fucking saw us! How can I be calm?!" she barked finally stopping to face him.
"We're going to figure it out, love. Please come here," he replied calmly extending his hand for her to take.
She looked at him horror in her eyes. He didn't understand the implications, but she knew Jen better than him, she knew perfectly how the girl would react.
"She walked on us when we were fucking, Red. There's nothing to figure out, we're screwed and I know it, even if you don't," she spat, her voice breaking on the last words.
He felt his heart broke at the sight of her tears running down her cheeks. Standing up, he walked to Liz and closed his arms around her once again. She didn't evade him this time and leaned against his chest, sobs wrecking her body. He gave her the time to calm down a little before putting his forehead against hers, their eyes locked.
"I love you," he breathed.
She closed her eyes at that. She knew it was the beginning of the end between them, Jen would never accept a relationship between her best friend and her father, and knowing Red's feelings didn't help to shoulder the blow she knew was coming.
"Let's get dressed, we can't avoid her any longer," she said, walking from the protection of his arms.
He sighed and went to his dresser to take out clothes for both of them. Over the years Liz had left quite a bunch of clothe in his room and he was glad to have them now. They dressed in silence, Liz in jeans and blouse and Raymond in a three pieces suit.
"Forgo the jacket, she won't be duped by your armor and you don't need to give her any more ammunitions against us," she said.
She knew why he had chosen this outfit. It was the closest thing from his Admiral uniform and he was using it to sit his authority over the situation. She smiled when he put the jacket back on the bed and rolled his sleeves to the elbow. She loved him so much in suits.
"Ready?" he asked linking their fingers.
"No, but we don't have any choice," she said sadly, kissing him tenderly on the lips before opening the door.
He squeezed her hand and, together, they walked to the death of their relationship. Even if they hadn't talked about it, they knew it was over. Jennifer would never accept them as an item and Raymond would always put her daughter wishes higher than anything else. Even his own wishes.
"I love you," he whispered before walking through the kitchen door. Jennifer was there, sitting at the bar, coffee in hand. She turned her burning stare on them as soon as they walked in, her eyes falling on their joined hands. Liz's first move would have been to untangle her fingers from Raymond's but he tightened his grip on her.
"What were you thinking?" he said when Jennifer kept staring at them without a word, and Liz cringed at his choice of words. It wasn't the best way to begin such a confrontation.
"What was I thinking?! What I was thinking? Are you fucking kidding me, dad? What were YOU thinking?" she yelled getting up from her stool.
"Language, Jennifer," he warned sternly.
"Screw you!" she spat. "Oh wait, it's already done," she added, venom in her voice.
"How dare you! I didn't raise you…"
"No, that's the whole point, dad. You DIDN'T raise me at all! Sam did, and now you're fucking my best friend! How dare YOU?!" she cut him off. "And you? What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled at Liz.
"Jen… please…" Liz pleaded, untangling her fingers from Raymond's and making a step forward.
"Stop right here," she warned, coldly. "I don't want to know what excuses you think you have to justify this mess. I'm done. With both of you," she said storming form the kitchen without another word.
Liz and Raymond heard the front door slam then a deafening silence fell on the house. Liz felt tears burn behind her eyes and she clenched her jaw, she wasn't going to cry, not in front of Red. From the corner of her eye, she saw him walk to the coffee maker and pour two cups. He gave her one without a word and went to sit on a stool at the bar. They both knew what was coming next and they needed to brace against it. It was inevitable. She went to sit next to him and he closed his arm around her shoulder, tucking her in his side. She curled her own arm around his waist and silently they waited.
They didn't have to wait long, five minutes after Jennifer had left the house, the front door burst open, banging against the wall.
"Here we go," Raymond whispered kissing tenderly the top of her head.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Dad please," Liz said leaving Red's arms and getting up to face a furious Sam.
"I don't want to hear any 'but dad' here, Elizabeth. You gonna explain what's going on, or I swear to God…"
"Sam…"
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you, boy!" Sam cut him off, his eyes focused on Liz only.
"I'm pretty sure, Jen told you, so why asking?" Liz said, anger starting to show in her voice.
"Because I want you to tell me she was wrong. I want you to tell me you're not fucking a man old enough to be your father!" Liz recoiled at the hurt she could hear in her father's voice. He seemed broken.
"I'm sorry Dad," she sobbed suddenly tears running down her cheeks. "I lov…"
"No!" Sam cut her off. "You're too young to know what love is, and you're certainly not in love with that scum!" he yelled, grabbing her upper arms forcefully and pulling her from Raymond's side.
"You're hurting her!" Raymond exclaimed taking a step to stop them.
"Get off, you son of a bitch! Do not approach my daughter ever again or I'll kill you, understood?" Sam spat, murder in his eyes. "You come with me, young girl, and don't even think about arguing," he added, dragging a crying Liz out of the house.
Raymond sat back on the stool, tears gleaming at the corner of his eyes. He had lost her. He had knew it wouldn't be a good idea to talk about their affair to Jenny, but having her walk on them in bed was worst than anything he could have imagined. Since that day he had asked Lizzie to stay the night with him, he knew they were walking a thin line. They'd been playing with fire and finally got burnt. It was his own fault; he shouldn't have begged Liz to stay but he was weak and loved her so much.
He raised his head from his hands when he heard the door open and close a few minutes later. He got up and spotted Jenny crossing the hall and heard her climb the stairs. He went after her, knowing that he had been a jerk with her earlier and if he didn't try to mend things with her now, he would never be able to. He knew his girl well and she was capable of keeping a grudge going on for years. And that was far more important than the car he refused to buy for her sixteenth birthday.
He went to her door and knocked lightly.
"Jenny please, we need to talk," he said when she didn't answer.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore," she retorted.
"Open that door or I swear to God…" he began anger rising in his chest.
"Or what?" she asked suddenly opening the door. "You already slept with my best friend, what's next? You gonna beat me? Shut me out? What's next?" she almost yelled, tears in her eyes.
"Please Jenny, listen me out," he begged, a fist crushing his heart in his chest when he saw the sadness in his daughter's eyes. She seemed broken.
She looked at him, seeing him for the first time since the beginning of that nightmare. He seemed… old. Older than ever. His shoulders hanging sadly and tears in his eyes. She had never seen her father like that. She felt a pang of guilt before remembering why she was so angry with him.
"I'm listening," she finally said, walking back in her room and leaving the door open for him to come in.
She heard him let out a sigh of relief and walk behind her.
"What are you doing?" he asked startled when he saw the half full suitcase open on the bed.
"I'm going back to Quantico."
"But… It's Christmas, you can't…"
"If you have something to say, say it now or leave," she replied, her hands full of the clothes she was throwing in her bag.
"I'm sorry for this morning, I really am," he began.
"You better be, Dad! What were you thinking when you decided to sleep with Liz?" she asked finally turning to face him.
"It wasn't planed, I swear to god, the first time it happened it…"
"Wait! What? It wasn't the first time? Do you mean you actually had an affair with my best friend for…" she stopped here, leaving him the care to fill the blank.
"Five years," he mumbled, lowering his eyes.
"You more stupid than I thought, then," she said shaking her head. "If only you had told me from the beginning…"
"I tell you now, Jenny. Please understand," he pleaded, reaching for his daughter's hand.
"It's too late Dad. And you didn't tell me; I fucking walked on you! That's far from being the same," she barked, ignoring his hand.
"Please…"
"No Dad. You lied to me. Even by omission it's still a lie. When I was a child and you had to leave for your job you promised me something. Do you remember what it was?" she asked suddenly.
"I promised you that since I couldn't talk about my work, I would never hide anything from you in any other side of my life," he whispered. "I'm sorry Jenny, I didn't keep my promise and I'm really sorry. Please, don't go. Stay for Christmas at least," he begged fighting the tears he could feel burning behind his eyes.
"I can't Dad. I love you and that will never change. But right now, I hate you. You and Liz. I need some time alone to think about it," she said, closing the zip of her suitcase and rolling it to the door.
Raymond didn't say anything. Sitting on the edge of Jennifer's bed, he watched his daughter walk out the room and a few minutes later, he heard the front door close behind her. She had left. He felt the first tear slide down his cheek when he heard her car start. A sob shook his body when he heard her drive away.
He let his tears run freely for a few minutes before drying them angrily. He stood up and went to the lounge. Once there, he poured a glass of Scotch and sat on the couch. It was far too early to start to drink, but he didn't care, he had lost his daughter and Lizzie simultaneously and couldn't begin to give a damn about the time of the day he started drinking. He planned to get smashed before noon and forget about this day.
"Merry Christmas," he spat, his voice reverberating in the empty house before downing his glass in one long gulp.
Please don't kill the writer :)