Chapter Three-Hundred-Ninety-Eight
“Well hi there, sleepy head,” Kori greeted Ashley when she stumbled downstairs to the Diner in Nick’s red Buccaneers pull over hoodie and her own black sweat pants. Ashley gazed at her sister with bleary eyes as the sun shone brightly through the windows and she wasn’t quite past the waking up process. Kori smiled back at her as she sat in a booth with a cup of coffee in front of her and another cup across the way. “I made you some coffee – come, sit” She offered and Ashley eyed her warily for a moment, her sister’s chipperness being just a little too much for her first thing in the late morning. “It’s not poisoned I promise,” Kori reassured and finally Ashley slid into the booth in front of her, picked up her coffee, and took a sip.
“Thanks, its really good” Ashley insisted and Kori beamed with utmost pride.
“Blue Moon’s special that is. The former owner taught me how to make coffee during my first week here. He was a very kind old man, you would’ve loved him.” Ashley smiled at her in return as she took another sip. She can tell Kori really loved him just by the affection dripping off of the edge of her voice when she talks about him.
“Where are Nicky and the kids? My kid?” she asked after a moment. Kori is not surprised in the least bit that she asked. What she is really surprised about is how long it took for her to ask in the first place. She knows her sister is used to having Nick first thing when she wakes up.
“Out with everybody else. Wi took the entire clan minus Scott sight seeing though there isn’t really much to see. But it’s a really cute town nonetheless.”
“He left without waiting to say good morning to me?” Ashley asked, feeling a little put off.
“I sent him away honey, I’m sorry. I just wanted today to be about you and me and I knew it would be difficult prying you away from him if he was here. He agreed with me and thought it would be best for you. Don’t be upset with him.”
“No…it’s fine,” Ashley insisted. “I’m just so used to my routine is all. What are we doing today?”
“Zib will be here in 30 minutes and then the two of us are taking you shopping. Is that okay with you?” Ashley smiled at her some in reassurance and nodded quietly.
“So…how are you this morning?” Ashley asked casually. “Nicky and I heard you and Wi going at it pretty badly last night…are you okay?” She added while giving her sister a real sincere look. Kori looked down at her coffee cup then in attempt to hide her emotions.
“Things could be better…I’m upset with him, he’s upset with me, and I feel like a huge bitch and really don’t feel like talking about it right now.” Ashley gazed at Kori in silence for a few seconds, and then quietly reached across the table where she placed her hand on top of hers in attempt to let her know in her own way that she’s there for her and she cares. The two of them sat there drinking their coffee and eventually they found a safe topic to talk about. When both of them were finished, Kori spoke up.
“You should probably go on upstairs and get ready.” Ashley looked down at herself and then nodded.
“You are welcome to come upstairs with me…if you don’t want to sit down here in this empty diner by yourself.”
“Nah, I think I’m going to stay down here…and clean up a little bit.” Ashley rolled her eyes playfully.
“Yes, because you have such a huge crowd to clean up after” She told her sarcastically and she indicated toward the empty diner they were sitting in.
“We all have our ways of dealing with things,” Kori shrugged. “You sing and dance to guns n’ roses for Bella’s entertainment and I clean. Let me be woman sheesh.” Ashley arched her eyebrow.
“Oh yes, I heard all about your performance this morning” Kori told her amusedly.
“Nice Carter, real nice” Ashley replied while shaking her head and she got up and went on upstairs as Kori laughed.
“It wasn’t Nick who told me, Marcus called you up to tease you about it when he saw it on the cameras.” She watched as Ashley paused on the top step. “And I told him I would be sure to do it for him when you woke up.” Ashley scoffed and continued walking and Kori snickered and continued. “Aw come on, don’t be a baby. You tease AJ and me every chance you get, its only fair that we get to retaliate once in awhile.” Ashley looked back at her, stuck her tongue out at her playfully, and then walked into the guestroom she was currently sharing with Nick and shut the door behind her. Kori laughed some more, only being even more amused, and suddenly she heard Guns n’ Roses come blaring out of her room.
As soon as Ashley was in her room that she was currently borrowing and showed no sign of coming down anytime soon, and as soon as she recovered from her amusement, Kori allowed her mask to come off. She looked down at the cup of coffee in front of her as she let her inner demons loose. She’d been smiling and pretending everything is okay for her sister but its not, it’s far from it. She just can’t get the fight she had with Wiley last night off of her mind. It had been a really bad one. So bad that he slept on the floor last night and they barely spoke a word to one another all morning. She is surprised that he was even nice enough to volunteer to take all of Ashley’s distractions out for the day. Maybe he did it just for an excuse to be away from her…who knows. She wouldn’t blame him that’s for sure. Kori closed her eyes to fight back unwanted tears as the venomous words that were said last night haunted her mind.
~*~Flashback~*~
“Well hi there…I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come home…” she greeted him when he finally walked into the diner at 2:00 in the morning. Isabel had gone home already, AJ, Scott, Detective Stabler, and Laila all had gone to their motel rooms and Nick, Ashley, and the kids were all upstairs for the night. After spending some much needed time alone with Spencer and then putting him to bed, Kori fixed herself some hot chocolate and she sat herself in a booth and stared at the door for three hours waiting for him. “AJ said you were just going over there real quick…” Wiley looked at her in silence for a long moment, and then draped his coat over the back of the nearest booth.
“Yeah well…Chris and I got into the video games…we couldn’t seem to pull ourselves away from it. Did everybody leave already?”
“It’s two in the morning Wi, of course they have. Nick and Ashley are upstairs, all four of the kids are sleeping and I’ve been waiting on you for three hours.”
“Well I’m sorry…I really missed Chris and needed to get caught up,” Wiley insisted as he walked into the kitchen and began rummaging around. “Besides, I’m sure if you asked him to, Scott would’ve waited up with you. I’m sure he would’ve jumped at the offer.” Kori winced slightly at the acid behind his words.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kori snapped as she appeared in the kitchen to find him preparing to make a pie of all things – from scratch.
“I can’t believe you’re even asking me that, Kori. Don’t act like I didn’t see his latest scheme to wedge himself even further between us then he already was. Yes it was real sweet of him to bring you ice cream wasn’t it?” Wiley asked, mocking the way she had told him he was sweet earlier when she thanked him.
“I was just being nice,” Kori insisted. “It’s only the polite thing to do, to thank someone when they do something nice.” Wiley laughed but it wasn’t at all an amused one.
“Oh please, I saw the way you were looking at him,” he insisted and Kori flinched slightly as he slammed the pan in his hand down on the counter. “You loved his gesture more then you’re willing to admit.”
“So what if I did?” Kori snapped after a long moment. “It seems to me like he is the only one fighting for me these days!”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Wiley demanded.
“All I ever see you do anymore is whine and complain to me about how he is coming between us! All you ever do anymore is lie around in our room and read! Why don’t you get up and do something about it? If you want me so bad, then why don’t you fight for me?”
“I shouldn’t have to fight for something that was mine in the first place! You’re MY girlfriend Kori, NOT his! He lost his chance years ago when he hurt you! There shouldn’t be any doubt on anybody’s mind of who you belong with but obviously there is, isn’t there? Don’t think for one moment that I haven’t noticed how distant and confused you’ve become! I know your heart is swayed, how dumb do you think I am?” Wiley insisted as he looked up from the apple he was peeling and at her and tears were flooding his eyes and threatening to spill out over them.
“You’re right you shouldn’t have to fight for me but you could make it a little more clear to people that I belong to you!” Kori told him, raising her voice just a little as tears clouded her own eyes and she looked away from him. “When was the last time you’ve done anything nice for me just because? How come you never take me out anywhere? Why aren’t you ever as lovey dovey with me as Nick is with Ashley? If my heart has been a little more swayed toward Scott lately, it’s probably because he seems to be the only one who wants me bad enough! He’s exciting, he’s sweet, and he would do anything to get me back in his life. The question is, would you do anything to keep me in yours?”
“I can’t believe that you even have to ask that question!”
“Yeah well, me neither to be honest.” Wiley looked down at the apple in his hand then and he began to continue angrily peeling it.
“Do you know what Scott’s favorite memory of me is, Wi?” She asked after a long moment of watching him. “He still remembers the day we got caught at the park in the rain and had to run all the way home where we shared this special kiss on my front lawn that made the whole world around us invisible. Nothing else mattered except him and me. Do we have anything special like that?” Kori continued to stand there watching him and when he neither looked up at her or answered, Kori’s eyes flooded with even more tears. She needed to hear him say yes. She needed to hear him tell her something special about them. But if he can’t come up with anything, then what does that mean? She turned around then and headed for her room and Wiley watched her go, noticing the tears and the pain in her eyes. He watched her go up the stairs to their room, go inside it, and shut the door hard behind her.
~*~End of Flashback~*~
Kori rubbed at her eyes uselessly and then crawled out of the booth and she began to clean trying her very hardest to forget about the pain and heartache she was experiencing.
Meanwhile out and about in Jersey, Nick, AJ, Detective Stabler, and Wiley were at the lake with the children. Nick, AJ, and Detective Stabler played around in the water with the kids for awhile, and then AJ turned his gaze over at Wiley who was sitting up in a tree not wanting anything to do with anybody. He stared at him for a long moment, and then handed Laila over to Nick who stopped laughing abruptly, looked down at her, and then at AJ curiously.
“Watch her please, I’m going to take a little break” AJ explained, and then walked off and Nick went right back to laughing and messing around as if there were no interruption, except now including the little one in his arms. As soon as AJ reached the side of the lake he crawled out, grabbed a towel, and dried himself off before going on over and climbing up the tree. Wiley sat there quietly hugging one leg to his chest as he had his arm wrapped firmly around the branch beside him and he looked at AJ unconcerned as he sat himself next to him.
“What are you doing up here by yourself?”
“Trying to be alone,” Wiley insisted, not bothering to be nice as he was still in a foul mood from last night.
“What happened between you and Kori?” AJ asked ignoring his response.
“None of your business.”
“Actually,” AJ replied while looking him directly in the eyes seriously. “When you make one of my sisters get to the point when they’re on the verge of tears – which doesn’t happen often to said sister unless they are really upset because they hate crying, then it becomes my business.” Wiley rolled his eyes.
“Since when do you care about Kori’s love life?”
“I’ve always cared…from afar. Now that she’s letting me in…you get to deal with me when you hurt her.”
“You have no idea what happened last night.”
“So then why don’t you tell me?” Wiley looked away from him stubbornly.
“If you don’t then I’m just going to pull it out of Kori later, so you might as well just get it over with. I’m going to find out either way.”
“We had a fight over Scott all right? What else is new?”
“Your fights aren’t normally bad enough that Kori ends up crying about it the next day” AJ persisted.
“I really don’t want to go into detail about it all right?” AJ opened his mouth to respond and Wiley continued. “And I realize that she is hurting. I feel like a jerk enough as it is so let me be.”
~*~*~*~*~
“Daddy lets go, lets go!” Ellie pleaded eagerly as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet while standing on the sidewalk waiting patiently. Kristin laughed amusedly as she stood next to Kevin who was getting essential needs out of the car.
“Has she been ice skating before?”
“Yeah, Jer and I took her a little before Christmas. She had a blast.” Kristin nodded in response as she stood there quietly waiting. She is surprised Jerald didn’t jump at Kevin’s offer for him to come. She senses a little skeptical edge to him everytime he is around her. She has a feeling that he is going to be highly protective of Kevin and not so quick to accept her if she and Kevin decide to spend time with each other anymore after this. Not that she can really blame him or anything, after what Summer did to this poor family who is obviously very close. After what she did to Ellie who is evidently covered in bruises. The last time she saw her at her diner, she’d been wearing long sleeves. But now that she is wearing a sleeveless dress, her black and blue arms are very much visible. She’s been very careful since the moment she met up with them at Wal-Mart not to look at them for too long in fear her eyes might water up. The thought of any child being abused upsets her to no end. When Kevin had everything that he would need he shut the door and turned around before placing his backpack on his shoulders and going over to Ellie. He knelt down in front of her with her white coat. Ellie took one look at it and shook her head.
“Daddy please no…” She pleaded and Kevin saw the fear in her eyes and knows its because she doesn’t want him touching her arms. He’s been very careful not too all day which was part of the reason why he let her wear the dress, so he wouldn’t have to deal with trying to put her arms in any sleeves.
“Honey I know but I need you to wear this. If you want to go on that ice in there you need to wear a coat. You have a cold remember? Do you want to get to the point where you won’t be able to leave your bed all day?” When she didn’t argue any further, he took her hand into his in the most gentle way possible and began to help her put her coat on. Ellie whimpered and her eyes filled up with tears each time he touched her arms and she had to move them through the sleeves and Kevin fought with all of his might not to tear up himself. When he had it on her he zipped it up and then gently pulled her into a hug. Ellie slid her arms around his neck and hugged him back.
“Daddy loves you so much princess,” he told her in a whisper and he kissed her softly on the cheek.
“Loves you too,” She sniffled into his neck and tears spilled out onto his skin. After a long moment he stood up with her as she kept her arms wrapped firmly around his neck and her face buried in it and he glanced back at Kristin who stood there watching as her heart broke for the both of them. He then headed inside the building and Kristin walked at his side easily keeping his pace.
“Just so you know…” he began after a long moment. “I love my little girl very much…these bruises aren’t from me.”
“I know,” Kristin reassured gently and she gazed back at him with caring eyes. Kevin darted his own away from hers, not trusting them.
“My ex-girlfriend was a horrible bitch. I only just found out yesterday that she’s been tormenting Ellie through out our entire relationship. Needless to say I threw her out and told her I never wanted to see her again. I knew I had to press charges on her so she wouldn’t hurt any other child, but I didn’t want to deal with it so I called a friend of mine who is a detective, and he’s dealing with it.”
“Good for you,” Kristin replied sincerely. “I would’ve done the same thing. I’m really sorry you had to go through with that…” Kevin hugged Ellie closer to him protectively as she still clung to him with the death grip and had her face hidden in his neck. He kissed the top of her head softly.
“I made a promise to Ellie that from now on she comes first in every decision that I make. I lost my way for a little bit but I can honestly say that she is the most important thing in my life and I’m never taking her for granted again. Everything I do from now on is for her,” he added while looking Kristin directly in the eyes seriously. He really needed her to hear that.
“That’s the only way it should be. She’s a very sweet little girl.”
“I just really needed to be open and honest with you.”
“I understand,” Kristin told him and she reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. “I like when friends can be open and honest.” Friends. Good we’re on the same page Kevin thought inwardly to himself. The last thing he wants right now is another relationship. When they were all the way inside, they discovered that there is hardly anyone there – perfect. They waited in the small line to get their rental skates and Ellie finally spoke up.
“Daddy, will you buy me my own pair of ice skates, please?” she asked softly as she watched another little girl sitting on the side of the ice skating ring in the other room putting on some pink Barbie skates.
“We’ll see princess,” Kevin told her gently, as he snuggled her close to him. “Maybe if you’re really good I will look into that.” Ellie looked to Kristin then suddenly and smiled at her some.
“Have you ever been ice skating befores Kristin?” she asked conversationally.
“Not since I was just a little older then you are. I may be a little rusty, so don’t make fun of me if I fall okay?”
“Daddy falls down lots too,” Ellie informed her amusedly and Kevin chuckled.
“Yeah, don’t worry Kris, you will be in perfect company.”
“Perfect indeed,” Ellie agreed and she smirked to herself as neither adults even have a clue as to what she has in store for them.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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