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Chapter Four-Hundred-Seven



“What happened, what did I miss?” Isabel asked while looking at Ashley.


“You saw that there was something wrong? Then that must mean Wi…”


“He didn’t hear anything, but he could tell there was something up. What happened?”


“Scott won a teddy bear while playing a game and tried to give it to Kori…but when he saw how weak and upset he thought he was making her he felt guilty and changed his mind. She tried to tell him she wants it but he went and gave it to Laila instead insisting it would only stir up more trouble with Wi.”


“As if he really cares or anything…” Isabel replied while looking down at her hands.


“Maybe not but he loves Kori and he saw how hurt she was during their last fight,” Ashley insisted.


“So why is he doing this then? If he hates seeing her suffer why is he causing all of this drama? Why doesn’t he just let them be?”


“Because he loves her,” Ashley insisted firmly and she felt Nick take her hand silently telling her to relax. “Wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to fight for the man you love if you felt like there were a chance to get him back?”


“Whatever happened to the good old fashioned saying…if you love something let it go?”


“He did that once, remember? And that’s what got them into this mess. That saying doesn’t apply to these two. Kori wanted him and now she’s getting him and whether everyone likes it or not he’s not going anywhere. He won’t make that mistake again.”


“Well if that’s the case, then maybe the next time he wins a teddy bear for my best friend he should probably give it to her instead of playing games and teasing her with it.” Isabel insisted and she got up and walked away before she totally ruins the vow to herself to stay out of it and not be biased. After a few moments, Kori and Wiley returned and she sat leaning back against him as she picked up her Sloppy Joe and took a bite. Nick, Ashley, Kori, and Wiley all watched in silence as Chris and Oliver returned with the cotton candy that they went to get. They sat their bags down, and then Oliver too Chris’s hand and led him out onto the dance floor. Ashley looked at her sister curiously.


“Are they…” she trailed off, voicing a question she’d had on her mind all day but didn’t know how to ask without sounding rude.


“Together?” Kori asked, finishing her sentence. “Yeah they’re. Chris is bi.”


“Ohhh…” Ashley replied. “That would make sense.”


“Spenceeeer” Dakota spoke up when he returned to the table after spending a few moments with his father.


“Kotaaaa”


“Will you dance withs me, please? My dance partner is in Florida under house arrest an’ I really wanna dance. So I figger my future cousin would do.” Spencer eyed her warily for a moment.


“Well, I guess since you are practically my cousin it would be all right…” he reasoned and she nodded eagerly. He held his hand out to her, she beamed and took it, and allowed him to lead her out onto the dance floor. Ashley smirked and looked at everybody else amusedly before turning to watch the two kids dance to Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. Nick and Kori instantly pulled out their cameras and began taking pictures. Scott who had returned but had been lingering at a distance grinned and went on over and gathered Sarah into his arms and he brought her out onto the dance floor to dance with her and include her in on the fun as well.


“This is the most fun I’ve seen that kid have in this town,” Kori announced to no one in particular, she was really only making note to herself.


“Yeah?” Ashley asked curiously while looking at her and Kori nodded.


“He’s having a blast showing Sarah and Kota around his town – he was having a hard time making friends before them because this town is so small and people talk…”


“He does seem to really have fun in Florida,” Ashley pointed out, feeling that was innocent enough. “I mean as his aunt and all…I tend to pay attention to him sometimes. That’s all.”


“I know,” Kori replied while smiling some and she slid her arm around Ashley’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. Ashley smiled at her with such obvious innocence that Kori laughed, brought her leg up behind her, and kicked her in the butt before pulling away. Ashley scowled at her only making her laugh even harder before going on over to Spencer and Dakota and cutting in so she could dance with her son now.


“Aww…but momma” Spencer whined indignantly and giving his mother an ‘I’m way too old to be doing that kind of stuff with my mom’ kind of look.


“Aww…but Spencer,” Kori mocked while playfully snatching him up into her arms so he is cradling her and she leaned down and blew raspberries on his neck making him shriek and howl with laughter.


“You will dance with your momma, because your momma wants to dance with you, and you are not too old to make your momma happy, got it munchkin?” she told him playfully.



~*~*~*~*~



“You don’ts have to feel sorry for me you know,” Ellie informed as she followed Ryan into the living room long after dinner. They’d finished eating their pizza and then had spent sometime playing board games as a family before Kevin made the announcement that he was making popcorn and as soon as the kitchen was cleaned up they would be watching movies. While Kevin started making the popcorn and Jerald and Ann started putting the pizza away, Ellie and Ryan cleaned up the games. When Ryan walked out of the kitchen with Monopoly Junior in his hands, Ellie followed him with the Go Fish Cards in hers.


“You are right, I don’t.” Ryan told her while not even looking back at her.


“But you are being nice to me.”


“No I’m not.”


“Yes you are,” Ellie insisted, while leaning against him and smiling up into his eyes innocently as he rolled his with annoyance.


“So what of it?” Ryan asked moodily and he gently moved her away from him before opening up the entertainment center and sticking the game back in with the rest of them.


“I just fully expected you to come over here and be a jerk is all,” she pointed out.


“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ryan replied while turning around and lightly pushing past her and he went over and sat down on the couch. Ellie smiled some and she went on over to him, crawled up onto the couch and sat so she was practically in his lap. If she moved any further she would be. Ryan cowered into the corner of the couch trying to get away from her, but there wasn’t really anywhere he could escape to. She has him right where she wants him. He arched his eyebrow at her irritably and she leaned her head back against his stomach as she looked up at him and batted her eyelashes playfully.


“Admit it Ryan. You ca-aare abouts me.”


“I do not.”


“Do to, do to, do t-ooo…I know it. You are just an even bigger, meaner, and badder Joshy but deep down inside you care abouts me.”


“Ya know what kid? I am THIS close to shoving you off of me. THIS close,” He told her while demonstrating what he means with his fingers.


“Nuh uh,” Ellie insisted and she giggled.


“Are you really going to test me on that kid?”


“The bigger, meaner, an’ badder Ryan would’ve done its already.”


“The bigger, meaner, and badder Ryan is trying his very hardest to behave seeing as how this is your house and I am here against your wishes.”


“The bigger, meaner, an’ badder Ryan wouldn’t have cared about that’s,” Ellie reminded him with an amused smirk. “Unless there was a little, nicer, an’ gooder Joshy-like boy deep down insides of him” She added while lightly poking him in the chest with each word. Ryan rolled his eyes.


“That’s well behaved Joshy-like boy, not gooder, Ellie.”


“Same diff,” Ellie insisted while beaming even bigger.


“But my way is the correct way if you want to have good grammar.”


“Five year olds don’t normally worry about having good grammar kiddo,” Jerald pointed out as he walked into the room with two cans of soda. He’d been standing there watching the whole thing ever since Ellie crawled into his lap and they could hear them from in the kitchen as well.


“Guess what Uncle Jerry”


“What beautiful?” Jerald asked while smiling at her lovingly.


“The bigger, meaner, an’ badder Ryan that’s we all know really has a littler, nicer, an’ well-behaved Joshy-likes boy inside of him.”


“You think so huh?” Jerald smirked. He is highly amused that she used her sentence with Ryan’s correction in it this time just to impress him.


“Uh-huhs.”


“How about some soda baby?”


May I please haves the Root Beer?” She asked sweetly. Jerald laughed and handed her the root beer after opening it.


“Please sit up to drink it though.” Ellie sat up some, took a sip, and then leaned over and sat it on the coffee table before leaning back against Ryan again before he decided to think he was off the hook and Ryan rolled his eyes but otherwise didn’t complain. Jerald smirked. He is highly amused with watching her drive him crazy.


“Honey, why don’t you move over and give Ryan some space? You have a huge couch there big enough for the both of you.”


“No thanks Uncle Jerry, I’m comfy here” She insisted.


“Do you want me to get her for you buddy?” Jerald asked while stifling a laugh. Ryan looked down at her for a moment and then back up at Jerald and he shook his head.


“No thanks. I mean, she’ll just end up finding her way back here during the movie anyway…” he insisted. “I mean, you know Ellie and all” he added and rolled his eyes irritably.


“Yes that is true, I do” Jerald added while smiling hugely at the whole thing, and he turned around, went into the kitchen and shut the door before bursting into laughter as he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Ellie smiled triumphantly and nestled into Ryan some more making herself comfortable and she waited patiently for them all to join them and start the movie. Eventually they did and they walked in with the popcorn, movies, Ellie’s candy, and more drinks and they started a movie after asking the kids what they want to watch.



~*~*~*~*~



Later on that evening, after spending hours at the barbeque eating, dancing, socializing with some of Kori’s friends that she met while serving them in the diner, going on the rides, and just plain having a great time they headed back to the diner and motel for the night. Nick and Ashley took their kids upstairs to get them in bed and Kori and Wiley were the only ones left awake. Scott had put Spencer in bed and left and Wiley was tired and ready to turn in himself. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her near and gazed into her eyes.


“Why don’t we…go on up and get in bed? I’m exhausted…and I slept on the hard floor all night…I could really go for holding you in my arms all night long” He insisted while burying his face in her neck as he hugged her close to him.


“You go on up…I’ll be up there in a little while all right? I want to sit down here with some coffee…maybe do a crossword puzzle in the newspaper or something…I’m just not ready for bed right now.” She’s not ready for bed all right. And most importantly, she’s not ready to crawl into bed and make love to one man while thinking about the other either. She is not going to do that to him again. No. Until she figures this whole thing out…Wiley has to go up before her every night and fall asleep without her. Or she’ll have to start coming up with some good excuses because she is not having sex with him unless its for him and him alone. And she really needs to be by herself. She hasn’t had a chance to be by herself all night and is really getting tired of smiling and pretending that everything is okay.


“Are you okay?” Wiley asked while cupping her face in his hand and looking at her with so much concern that it warmed her heart. She hates this. She hates doing this to him. He is such a sweet man he doesn’t deserve this at all.


“Yeah…fine…” she lied. “I just really feel like being alone right now, okay? I love you…I’ll be up in a bit.”


“Okay,” Wiley replied and he stood there looking at her for a few moments, before turning around and going on upstairs. She watched him go into their room and shut the door and after a few moments when she heard their shower running, she turned and grabbed up her hoodie, put it on and pulled her hood over her head, and she headed out the door for some fresh air. She took off down the sidewalk headed in the direction of the playground and she crossed her arms over her chest as she finally let the tears she’d been holding back all night long roll down her face. I love you she had told him. Why did she tell him that? Because they’re together and it was the right thing to say? No. That’s not true. She does love him. There is no doubt in her mind about that at all.


So why the hell is she having these problems? If she loves him, why isn’t she upstairs showing it to him in more ways then one like she used to be able to? Why had she been so willing to take the teddy bear from Scott? Why was it so easy for her to forget about Wiley in those few short moments all because of one stupid teddy bear? Surely a teddy bear couldn’t have that much power over her. No…but Scott does. Oh does Scott ever have such a power over her. He shouldn’t. He broke her heart…years ago and she spent five years learning how to cope. But she would be lying to herself if she said she moved on. If she said she didn’t think about Scott all of those years and remember how wonderful their relationship was… or how beautiful it was, because it’s not true.


She thought about him every single second of every day. So why did she even bother creating something with Wiley when she knew she still had feelings for Scott? Well, that answer is simple. She thought she could be tough around him. She thought she could be brave. She thought Wiley could help her to forget and they could create a whole new life together and she would be happy. And maybe they could have…if she wasn’t stuck in Florida with both of them until Sean is caught. But she is and having Scott in her presence every single day has taken such a huge toll on her and she doesn’t know how much more she can take. Sighing heavily, she rounded the corner and headed into the park and she went on over to the jungle gym. She crawled onto it and sat down. She leaned her back up against the tic-tac-toe board and hugged her legs close to her chest while resting her head against her knees.


So what does she do? Where does she go from here? She wishes she knew…that answer should be so easy. Everybody makes it seem so easy. Pick already Kori they tell her. You can’t have them both or…her personal favorite…follow your heart. God does she ever hate that last one. It’s just so so…Disney! And whether anybody likes it or not, as much as people try to make it into that, life is not like a Disney Movie. Girls do not get locked in tall towers just so that their prince can climb their long golden hair and rescue them. Girls do not eat a poison apple only to be kissed by prince charming and suddenly be okay again and prince charming is NOT going to pick up your glass slipper and take their time to look for you just because you ran off on them at midnight! No…they’re going to be pissed and feel put off instead. That’s the way it is in the real world.


Scott certainly didn’t come looking for her, now did he? She certainly wanted him to that’s for sure. Of course she did. She was young and naive once after all. She believed in all of that fairytale prince charming bologna just like every other girl in the world. She believed with her whole heart that’s for damned sure. So where is her happily ever after? Do people really get happy endings like the movies promote? Or is stuff like that just for her sister and Nick? Well…she can’t really say that they’ve had a happy ending. Not yet…when Sean seems so keen on preventing that. But they’re pretty damn close to it. Maybe she just doesn’t deserve one. Maybe this is mom and dad’s way of punishing her for running away and practically having them killed. They hate her for it so she just simply doesn’t deserve one. She wouldn’t blame them in the least bit. Tears spilled from her eyes at the thought and she buried her face in her knees trying so hard not to cry. She really hates crying. With a passion…it makes her feel so weak.


She sat there in silence for a long while, until suddenly she felt someone sit down beside her. Her entire body tensed with fear and she jerked her head up and looked only to relax and sigh with relief. She placed her hand to her chest and felt her heart beating rapidly.


“Jesus Christ, Scott…you fucking scared me!”


“Sorry…” Scott replied softly. “I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t my intention.”


“What are you doing here?” she demanded while hugging her legs closer to her chest.


“I was standing across the street eating ice cream with Detective Stabler and we saw you leave. Neither of us liked the idea of you walking around at night alone, so I followed you.” He gently placed his hand to her back and rubbed it in a slow circular motion. “Why are you crying? Whats on your mind?”


“None of your business,” Kori snapped somewhat. “I really want to be alone, so could you please go away?”


“Not a chance. I told you I don’t like the idea of you being out here alone. Even if Sean doesn’t know where you are we shouldn’t let our guard completely down.”


“I can take care of myself just as well as you can of you and you know that perfectly well. Better then anyone actually.”


“Oh yeah?” Scott asked softly. “Is that why he nearly killed you and you ended up in Ramsey Hospital fighting for your life?”


“Minor set back.” Scott laughed, but it was not at all an amused one.


“Minor Kori? Try huge set back! You could’ve died!”


“Well I didn’t, did I?” Kori snapped irritably and she got to her feet and leaned against the bridge of the jungle gym.


“You were lucky,” Scott insisted while standing as well and he leaned back against the tic-tac-toe board as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her back.


“I was caught off guard, that is all. I’m prepared now.”


“Be that as it may, if you plan on taking anymore midnight walks I’m coming with you. If not walking by your side, then at least trailing behind you but I refuse to let you be alone for a single minute out here.”


“Thanks for the warning,” she told him bitterly. The two of them were silent for a couple of moments, and then he spoke up again.


“Will you please tell me what’s on your mind? I don’t like it when you bottle things up.”


“I don’t bottle things up. That’s Ashley’s thing.”


“Oh yes you do. All the time since we were kids. I always have to pull things out of you just to know what you are thinking. You never let anybody in.”


“Maybe because I’m afraid that if I do I’m going to get hurt again did you ever think of that?”


“I’m not going to hurt you again Kori…I promise,” Scott insisted. “I told you that everytime you turn around I’m going to be here. I love you and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get you back.”


“Is that right?” Kori asked softly as she still stood there with her back turned to him and she rubbed at her eyes.


“Yes, it is.”


“Really?”


“I mean it with all of my heart baby…” Scott whispered softly and Kori turned and looked at him as tears fell from her eyes.


“Then why didn’t you just give me the goddamned teddy bear, Scott?” she asked raising her voice slightly and taking him by complete surprise. She did such a really good job at pretending that everything was all right earlier that he really believed she let it go.


“You didn’t really want it anyway…”


“Yes I did! I told you that I did!” Kori insisted as she broke down into sobs now. “I wanted that stupid teddy bear so bad that it hurt! And you just…you teased me with it and then took it away and it WASN’T fair! I hate you so much for doing that!”


“But you…you…took so long to answer me, I thought I really screwed up that time and hurt you…I thought I stepped too far over the line this time all I could think to do was fix it.” Kori crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him tearfully.


“It would have just screwed things over with you and Wi again and I—“


“—Like you give a rats ass how Wiley feels, right?”


“I care about how you feel,” Scott insisted sincerely and he stepped closer to her and cradled her face in his hands as she stared up at him with watery eyes and tear stained cheeks. “More then you know Kori. I saw how hurt you were when you and Wi were fighting…I didn’t want that to happen again. I didn’t want to see an ounce of pain in your eyes ever again because it breaks my heart.”


“What about whenever I look at you?” Kori sniffled and Scott gazed back at her curiously as he wonders where she is getting at with this question. “What happens everytime I look at you Scott? Do you see pain then?”


“Yes, Yes I do.”


“Do you see how badly I ache for you all the time? For your touch and for your kisses? Do you see the constant struggle that I go through each and every day since the moment I stepped foot back in Florida and feel your heart break because of it? Do you see the way you take my breath away with every simple thing you do?” Scott nodded quietly as tears fell from his own eyes and he gently wiped hers away as his hand danced delicately across her cheek. Kori closed her eyes at the simple touch, as it just feels so good to have his skin touching hers and suddenly just as she found herself craving for more, it was gone. Her eyes fluttered open to see him standing a couple of inches away gazing at her with conflict in his eyes…conflict and a whole lot of need. She reached out and cradled the back of his head with her hand, pulled him to her, and she gently brought his face closer before claiming his lips for her own with such fierce desire and her free hand flew up to his cheek where she lightly cradled it.


It was Scott’s turn to have his breath taken away. He stiffened slightly at her kiss at first not having expected it and then melted into it as he kissed her back with the same amount of need. He slid his arms loosely around her waist as he pulled her body up against his and she roughly pushed him back against the tic-tac-toe board before leaping up into his arms so she straddles his hips all the while never breaking their kiss. He slid his hands down into the back pockets of her jeans resting them there comfortably as she cradled his face with her one hand and tangled her fingers in his hair with the other as he had his head tilted back slightly and was looking up at her.


After a long moment when kissing him just wasn’t enough she brought her hands down to the hem of his shirt, pushed one up underneath it and rubbed it over his skin eagerly before grabbing the hem with her other hand and bringing it up his body. They stopped kissing just long enough for her to pull it over her head before she took claim on his lips once more and she dropped his shirt over the wall of the jungle gym making it drop in the sand below. She brought her hands back to his skin wanting nothing more then just to touch it. He brought his hands up to her hoodie and gently slid it off of her shoulders so it drops to the floor. He brought her over to the tunnel before gently lying her inside it and crawling in with her and lying between her legs as she kept them wrapped around him. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it up over her head before cupping her cheek with his hand and bringing his lips down on hers and kissing her eagerly. He lay there caressing her bare skin idly as they made out just making a memory of how it feels. It’s been so long since he’s touched her, yet it still feels so right, so natural. She belongs in his arms and he doesn’t intend on letting her go any time soon. He’ll probably never get her back if he does. He slid his hands back behind her and unclipped her bra before sliding the straps off her shoulders and he kissed his way down her jaw, down her neck, over her chest until he reached her breasts. He cupped a nipple in his gentle hands and leaned down and placed feathery light kisses over it before taking it into his mouth eagerly and Kori whimpered softly, titled her head back and raked her fingers over his back with pleasure.


“Scott, please…” She pleaded softly as she felt his mouth close around her other one and give it the same amount of attention. “Please baby…stop teasing me. Please make love to me. I need you. I need you so bad…” She felt him slide his hands that were rested lightly on the small of her back inside the back of her pants and then her panties and felt the contact of his hands on her skin and she whimpered in approval. His hands found their way to the front between her legs and he pressed his thumb against her entrance and lightly teased it. Kori whimpered softly and arched her back slightly as she clutched eagerly at his back.


“Please Scott…I love you,” She pleaded and that was all he needed to hear. He pulled his hand out of her pants, unzipped the zipper and pulled them down her legs along with her panties till they were both around her ankles. She kicked them off with her feet and he pulled his own pants and boxers off till they both lie there completely naked together. He reclaimed her mouth for his own once more and wasted no time in pushing himself into her and making very much needed love to her. She slid her arms around him as he held onto him tight and he brought his mouth down to her neck where he placed light kisses on the front of it. She tangled her fingers through his hair as he did this and whispered softly in his ear.


“I never stopped loving you…not for a single second baby.” He trailed his kisses up her jaw to her lips where he grazed his own over hers lovingly before resting his forehead against hers and gazing into her eyes as he moved up and down inside of her. Kori matched each thrust with his as she stared back and she noticed tears cloud up in his eyes at her words.


“I never stopped loving you either,” he whispered softly leaning down and kissing her eyebrows with feathery light kisses and she closed her eyes as his lips danced over hers delicately. “You are my whole world Kori Mortenson…and I’m never letting you get away.”