The Next Day

Kellie knocked on the door to the safe house.

She waited anxiously trying not to show it but failing when Charles opened the door.

"Hi," Kellie said, tentatively.

"Come on in," Charles said, "Although I must admit feels a little strange saying that to anyone considering I don't own or rent the place."

"I guess I could see that," Kellie said as she walked inside. Charles studied her as she walked in and he took her jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.

"This way," Charles said, leading to the kitchen, "I thought today might call for some hot chocolate."

Kellie saw the mugs sitting on the kitchen table as Charles pulled a chair out for her. Kellie took a sip from her mug as Charles sat down.

"Did you make this yourself?" Kellie asked, "This tastes a lot like the hot chocolate the housekeeper in Miami made."

"I believe it's close to Gabriela's," Charles said, "I found a recipe online I thought might be close to it. Although it took me a few tries this morning to get it right."

"I'm still impressed," Kellie said, "Considering I've never really known you to cook much. Any chance you'd be willing to share the recipe with me? I mean, only if you want to."

"Kellie, I'd be happy to share the recipe with you," Charles said. He paused for a moment and then continued, "Now how are you doing?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Kellie replied, "After all you were the one shot and held captive by Victor Cassadine. I should be the one figuring out how to make what happened okay for you. I mean as okay as it can be."

"Kellie," Charles said, shaking his head, "It is not in any way your responsibility to figure out how to make this okay. Truthfully, I don't know that anyone could make what Victor did okay. But what we can do is move forward and make the best of the time we have now."

"It can't really be that simple," Kellie said, "and I do have to make sure you're okay when it was me Victor was after."

"You're right. It's not that simple," Charles said, "It's complicated and messy like life usually is. However, my well-being from this ordeal is my responsibility and no one else's. It's certainly not yours."

"Charles," Kellie protested.

"If there is something I need from you, I will let you know," Charles said, "The only thing I need right now is to know how you've been doing. I may have been the one shot and thought dead. But it happened to all of us, just in different ways. I'd really hoped that if something like what happened, you or the kids wouldn't be witnesses to it. But you were. There's no getting around that. You experienced a traumatic loss even if you're going to try to pretend on some level you didn't."

"But that's not," Kellie started to protest, semi-defiantly.

"Young lady," Charles interrupted her, "We are going to have this conversation as difficult it might be."

Kellie rolled her eyes slightly while looking away.

"It won't work you know?" Charles said, "It certainly didn't the first time."

"What supposedly won't work," Kellie replied.

"The attitude, the defiance, trying to push me away," Charles said, "I don't think I've seen this much doubt and uncertainty from you towards me since you were a teenager trying to figure out if I was serious about helping you get out of the foster system."

After a moment, Kellie seemed visibly resigned to answering Charles's question.

"I don't know how I'm doing or even how to answer that," Kellie said, "I had to figure out to move on while living with watching you die, taking a bullet meant for me. Get used to you not showing up to do your lawyer thing for me at the police station or do whatever I needed even when I didn't tell you. Even though I always told you that you didn't have to do any of that, I missed it more than I realized I ever would. Now you're back, alive, and I don't know what that means. Even though everyone else, including you, tells me not to blame myself for what Victor and Cyrus did, I still do. I wouldn't blame you if the risks of being around me factored into any decisions you make about your future going forward."

"First of all," Charles said, "I'm not going anywhere unless it's a vacation. Ever since you and Tyler started your family in California, home has always been wherever you and my grandchildren are. That is not about to change now no matter what risks that might entail. It's not like I don't have my own risks to consider given my biological half-brother runs one of the biggest alleged mob organizations in the world."

"But you're not any part of it," Kellie said.

"And yet I still had to make decisions from the time I found who my biological father was," Charles responded, "with considerations for the risk that still posed. True I haven't encountered the same level of threats you have in your life. It's a risk I have lived with every day since my mother told me the truth even if the rest of the world was unaware of it."

"Even that truth came out because," Kellie started to say.

"In order to better protect you and kids," Charles said, "If the truth was going to come out, I can't think of a better reason for it to."

"Why did you leave me the house in Miami?" Kellie blurted out.

The unexpectedness of the question shocked both Kellie and Charles. Before Charles could compose himself and answer, he heard Kellie mutter, "Um..I should uh I should go…I..I'm sorry," before she bolted from the kitchen.

Charles dashed after Kellie to the front door.

Kellie's hand was inches away from the door knob when Charles caught up to her. Though he stopped several feet away from her.

"You're the only child I have left," Charles blurted out, causing Kellie to freeze. He paused before continuing, "I meant every word I wrote in the letter that I believe Diane would have given you when I died. You did get the letter, didn't you?"

"I got it," Kellie said, her voice cracking, "I don't know how many times I've read it."

"That house has been passed down from generation to generation in my family since my great grandfather had it built," Charles said, taking a step closer to Kellie, "If Tyler were still alive, it would have gone to him and you. I know you were adamant I not leave you anything in my will. But I just couldn't do that. The house was the only thing I could leave you that might possibly convey how much you are part of my family. Sure, I could have left it to the grandkids. But you really are the only person I wanted to leave it to. Even if you'd sold it, it was about leaving you something I thought might mean something to both of us."

Kellie's hand dropped away from the door knob and her shoulders relaxed some, but not completely.

"I know this is hard," Charles said, "I thought the letter and house would be something to help you once I was gone. I'd wanted to make sure you knew how I felt about you, especially if you had any reason to feel guilty about my death. I'd hoped it would make things easier for you. Of course, I hadn't anticipated my death wasn't actually my death and you and I would be sorting through this now. I wonder if it makes me a coward for just not telling you before all that. I'd hoped that you'd know without having to be told. Maybe I should have told you more often before. Not just when you and Tyler got engaged and got married. But given the issues you'd had with your biological parents and the foster system, I didn't want to push you. I could work with the walls you've always had. But this here is what I was afraid of, that you might well bolt or shut me completely out. If that's what you need to do it's okay. I'll hate it. But's it's okay."

"I can't bolt, not without eventually coming back," Kellie said, her voice completely betraying the sobs she was trying to hold back.

"When you were gone, it just felt wrong," Kellie continued, "Not being able to call you and run things by you, to not have you showing up even I said you didn't have to. When Michael tried to have me arrested, that first time without you showing up at the police station was awful. I keep thinking I should walk away because then I know you'd probably be safer. That I wouldn't risk you taking another bullet for me and possibly having to watch that all over again. But I'm too selfish. I can't walk away even if I don't think I ever deserved your generosity and support.

Charles took a step towards Kellie, just close enough to reach out and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Dear girl, you are anything but selfish. You have always been worthy of that love and support," Charles said, "You've never had to earn it and the risks, the difficulties of your circumstances at any given time will never change that. As long as I'm breathing and of sound mind you will always have it. I know I'm not your father, but I couldn't be prouder of you or love you more than if you were my own daughter."

A sob finally escaped from Kellie as she started to turn around to face Charles who embraced her.

"You really mean every word?" Kellie sobbed.

"Of course, I do," Charles said, "I hope one day you can fully believe that."

"I'm sorry," Kellie said, "That I've been too stubborn and scared to accept that. That I didn't understand…."

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," Charles interrupted Kellie, "I'm here. You're here. I promise it will all be alright."

Kellie nodded and stepped back.

"I need you to promise me something," Kellie said, "Don't ever put yourself in the line of fire like that again."

"Kellie, you know I won't promise that," Charles said, firmly but gently, "You can't ask me to potentially bury another child or a grandchild if I have the power to prevent that under any circumstances.

Charles watched as some sort of understanding and acceptance clicked in Kellie's eyes and facial expression. He let out the breath he'd been holding since Kellie'd bolted from the kitchen.

"So now that we've sorted that out," Charles said, "Why I don't make up another batch of hot chocolate and you can tell me everything you've been up to, including why your brother tried to have you arrested?"

Kellie nodded as they were interrupted by a knock at the door.