Chapter 25

AJ sat on the couch watching Chelsea as she sat on the floor playing with the dogs.  He was glad to see what happened with Jerald didn’t really affect her this morning. When the door bell rang the two dogs started going crazy and took off for the door.  AJ got up with a laugh as Chelsea was almost bulled over.  He walked up to the door and looked out the peep hole. There on the other side of the door was Kevin, his eyes shielded with sunglasses, Kristin and Anne stood by him.

“Is it Kevin?” Chelsea asked noticing AJ’s long pause at the door. 

“And Anne.” AJ told her.  Chelsea sighed as she sat down on the couch and AJ opened the door.

“Hi” Kevin mumbled. “Whoa, what happened to you?”

“Did my son do that too you?” Anne asked interrupting anything AJ was about to say to Kevin.

“Yeah but I’m ok.” AJ replied as he let them in.

“What about you hun?” Anne asked as she sat down next to Chelsea.

“I’m fine.” She replied as Kevin walked over to her.

“Chels I’m really, really, sorry.” He told her as he sat in the chair across from her.  Chelsea didn’t say anything as she got up from the couch and went into the kitchen.  Kevin looked at AJ who didn’t know what to say, what could Kevin expect, even he was a little pissed at his band mate.  AJ looked back up at the door way when he saw Chelsea walk in with two frying pan lids and slammed them together next to Kevin’s ear. 

“Owe!” Kevin groaned as he grabbed his head in pain.

“I feel better, we’re even now.” She told him as she turned around returned the pan lids to their proper place and came back to her seat on the couch.

“Aspirin?” He asked looking at AJ.

“Kitchen.” AJ lightly laughed as him and Kevin got up from their seats.

“So how is she doing?” Kevin asked as AJ handed him a glass of water a couple of Aspirin.

“Better than I thought she would be after last night.” AJ said as he sat across from Kevin at the island.  “Dude seriously…what happened?”

“I had way too much to drink last night.” Kevin sighed.

“Ya think?” AJ replied.

“I thought Kris and I were alone but I guess he walked by the room and heard me talking to her.” Kevin said with a sigh.  “He then proceeded to grill Mom on whether or not she knew, that’s when the two of us got into it.”

“So now who all knows?” AJ asked.

“Mom, Jerald, I’m sure he’ll tell Tim, Brian, Leigh-Anne.” Kevin told him as AJ sighed.

“Damn it Kevin” AJ moaned. 

“Like I said I’m sorry.” He replied with a mumble.  The two sat there for a moment and AJ spoke up.

“Well I can’t be that too mad at ya, not like I’ve never done anything stupid while drunk.” AJ told him and Kevin lightly smiled.  “Fuck that means I gotta tell Ma before she finds out through the grape fine.”

“How you think she’s going to react?”

“No idea” AJ replied lightly shaking his head.  “What about your Mom?”

“She’s worried, very worried, that’s why she came with us, she probably understands more about what Chels went through and is going through better than us.” Kevin told him as he brought his glass of water to his lips.  “I tell ya that was some hand print she left on his face.”  He said as he nodded towards the living room.

“He deserved it.” AJ muttered.

“Did she slap him because he hit you?” Kevin asked.

“No, he said something that pissed her off.” AJ replied.

“What was it?” Kevin wondered.

“He told her that I use woman that I was like my Father.” AJ told him.

“Yeah cause he knows exactly who you are.” Kevin mumbled rolling his eyes behind his glasses.

The two band mates sat and talked about AJ’s up coming birthday and some new news on the new album they would be working on.  About an hour after they arrived everyone left and the couple was left alone again.  AJ closed the door after saying goodbye and headed into the living room where Chelsea still sat on the couch.

“Anne thinks we should try and find her.” Chelsea said as AJ sat down.

“You don’t need to decide right now, you can talk to a Doctor and take all the time you need until you’re ready.” AJ told her.

“They’re just going to tell me the same thing Anne did.” She said as she sat back wiping her eyes with her hand.

“Which was?” He asked.

“I need to do it so I’ll have closure, we’ll have closure one way or another.” She said as she picked at her fingers.

“But if you’re not ready Chelsea.”

“Will I ever be ready?” She scoffed running her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face she sighed.  “This is why I feel so confused, one minute I think about her and I want to know and then the next I just break down at the thought of her…” She stopped herself and closed her eyes for a second.  “Plus what about her Alex? She’s fourteen, if she has a family and it’s the only family she knows, is it fair to her, to tell her how she came into this world in some shack somewhere.”

“Chels” AJ sighed taking her hand.

“It’s the truth, how would any fourteen year old react to that.” She said as she looked up at him.

“I know you’re scared sweetheart and there’s lots of scenario’s that we could sit here and drive ourselves crazy wondering but the truth beneath it all is, she’s ours Chelsea and we deserve to know if she’s ok.”

“Where would we start?” She asked him.

“We start with the Doctors and see if they can get you to remember anything else, maybe you do know where you were, maybe you over heard your Dad, or a TV, or radio or something and you just don’t know yet.” He told her as he cupped his hand to the side of her neck.  “We’ll get through this and if the outcome isn’t what we want, we’ll get through that too because we have each other.”  She closed her eyes as his thumb gently brushed along her jaw line; his eyes darted to hers when he saw a tear drip from the corner of her eye. He pulled her into his arms and gently laid them down on the couch.  Her head rested against his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist and she pulled herself close to him as she quietly sobbed.

AJ hated seeing her this way, this all so much harder on her than him.  He wasn’t there, he didn’t know, it’s almost not real to him yet, and he knew that.  Knowing his time would come when or if they ever found her, the realization that it was real.  But for Chelsea it was real, very real, and having her daughter taken away like her Mother had hers was taking its toll on her.  

His hand lovingly and lightly rubbed her back and every once in a while he would kiss the top of her head.  He lied there with his eyes closed, thoughts running through his head about Chelsea and thoughts about Nadia when he felt something gently touch his neck.  It began to pull him from his thoughts and then he felt it again.  AJ realized it was Chelsea’s lips as she softly kissed his neck.  Her hand slipped under his shirt and her fingers gently brushed along his abdomen.

He lowered his head and looked at her but before he could say anything her lips pressed against his.  Slowly their lips opened and slowly they closed as the couple lied together holding each other, loving each other.  AJ pulled away his lungs needing air; he opened his eyes and looked into hers.  As her hands explored his bare stomach and back he saw in her eyes what she wanted and what she needed.  Her lips trapped his as she began to kiss him again, her nails slid down his back and around his waist.  She began to tug and pull at his belt as she unbuckled his pants.  When his pants were loose she slipped her hand down into them and wrapped her hand around his semi erection.

The sensation of her hand stroking his shaft made his hands and body tingle as he began to pull her pants off.  Her kisses tumbled down to his neck as she pulled his jeans down and wrapped her leg over him.  They both lied on their side, their bodies tangled around each others as he slid himself into her.  He rolled her onto her back, making sure they weren’t close to the edge, as he felt his shirt go over his head and her lips returned to his neck.  Resting his left hand on the couch cushion AJ hovered above her, his lips explored her neck as he slipped in and out of her.  His right hand wrapped under her and pulled her hips against him when she reached behind her grabbing the arm of the couch.  She tilted her head and his lips climbed up her neck stopping at her ear.  A deep soft moan escaped his from his lips as he felt her lower body tighten around him.  He could tell this aroused her more when she bucked her hips against his. 

Their lips brushed over each others and she breathlessly moaned his name before he grabbed her lips in a kiss.  When his body began to tremble he lowered himself down and held her leg around his lower back.  She pulled her lips away and moaned in pleasure as she ran her nails down his sweaty back.  As her body tightened around him AJ hit his climax, grunting with each thrust into her and collapsed onto her when it was over.

When his strength and breath started to come back to him he slowly lifted his upper body.  She swallowed hard still some what out of breath and he couldn’t help but let a small smile escape from his lips before he brought them down onto hers.  Like a feather his lips drifted down the side of her face, to her neck and then her shoulder, lightly pecking the skin as they went by.  He sighed to himself when he felt her fingers glide through his hair and down the back of his neck. 

After a few more minutes of lying together on the couch the couple got up and got dressed.  They then returned to the position they were in when they first laid down.  Both on their sides, Chelsea lying against him, her head resting on his chest and their legs tangled around each others.  Calmly AJ laid there lightly rubbing her back like he was before and almost hypnotized at the sensation of her hand slowly sliding around his chest.

“Alex?” She whispered breaking the silence.

“Yeah sweetheart?” AJ replied.

“I want to find our daughter.” She spoke quietly not moving.

AJ wrapped his arms around her tighter, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could.  “Then we’ll find her.” He told her quietly before kissing her forehead.