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Episode
44 Scene 1: It was a day, like every other had been that week. Michaela woke up at five a.m. with Lily, feeding and changing her, then by the time she was taken care of, it was time to wake up the "boys": Jesse, Chris, and of course, Jamie, to get ready for work and school. It was nice, the fact that now that Jesse was in kindergarten, he could ride the bus with Chris to and from school. The school in Virginia had the option for all-day kindergarten, and Jesse loved school, so it was a perfect match. The boys were out the door at eight; Jamie was gone soon after. In the wake of a flurry of kisses, handed off lunches, and bags, Michaela found herself alone. Again. The first few days, it was nice. Michaela had relished the alone time, napping around Lily's schedule, or catching up on the soaps and talk shows on TV. But that had soon grown tiresome. She now lay on the couch, flipping idly through the channels, nothing really catching her interest. The house was clean, there was no need for groceries, and the lawn had just been mowed yesterday. There was no longer even the movement of a baby inside her to keep Michaela's mind occupied. For the first time in a very long time, Michaela Mason was bored. She finally rose listlessly to do the breakfast dishes. There were so few that she normally saved all the dishes to do after dinner, but it was something to occupy a few minutes of her time, at least. Micki knew she couldn't go on like this. She was going to have to find something to keep herself occupied, besides being mommy. The question was, what? Before she'd met Jamie, the only things Micki had kept herself occupied with were decidedly illegal. Stealing to support a drug habit and running with gangs were hardly in her agenda nowadays. Then, afterward, she'd been so occupied with just working and taking care of Jesse to get them off the streets that she hadn't really had time for any recreation. Now, with Jamie and his extended family to share the burden of the children, that was no longer a concern. Yes, Jamie's family. To Michaela, they were a double-edged sword, to say the least. She knew that being around them made Jamie happier and stronger -- she could see that just from the short time they had been in Conlan's Glen. Yet at the same time, Michaela felt like she was an outsider in their world. They had never been anything but cordial to her, but that didn't do anything to ease the feeling. Perhaps the cordiality was what bothered her the most. Michaela wasn't sure how to handle having a family. Her family was anything but cordial to her; the constant fighting between her and her parents, and the rift that her brother's fame as a figure skater caused between them had given her a skewed view on how families relate. It was almost as though your parents and extended relatives were to be avoided at all costs and engaged only when necessary -- rules of war, indeed. Jamie's family weren't like that. Yes, there were conflicts among members, but there was also a closeness that Michaela had seen at times in families of acquaintances when they lived in Florida, but she had still tried to distance herself from. Now, she couldn't distance herself from the Masons. She *was* a Mason. She had a feeling that her aloofness was more than apparent to Gwen, the fact that she always watched her interact with the boys at a distance, and even now still found ways to get out of family gatherings. She knew she couldn't go on like that, either. A knock at the back door roused her from her thoughts, and she pulled her rubber gloves off, shutting off the water. Slightly edgy, since nobody really came over, save for Gwen and Jude, neither of whom seemed to know how to knock, Michaela peeked through the curtain to the back door. A man in his late teens, perhaps early twenties stood on the back porch, with a sheepish smile and blue eyes to match, a light goatee, and most shockingly of all, a shoulder-length ponytail of purple hair. He was dressed in a baggy t-shirt and jeans, and wiggled his fingers at her in unassuming greeting. Completely taken aback, Michaela opened the door to him. "Can I help you?" she asked, the vision of his hair striking a chord in her -- it wasn't so long ago that she dressed in that relaxed way, her hair dyed any color of the rainbow that caught her whim that day. She couldn't get away with that now, as the wife of Jamie Mason... but the site of this man made her long for a moment for those days. "Yeah," the man said, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "My grandmother sent me over here." He chuckled for a moment, looking down, then looking back up, his blue eyes meeting Michaela's. "She wanted to know if you had any baking powder... no wait, soda... aw, jeez..." He became flustered, obviously frustrated that it had slipped his mind so quickly. "Well, we happen to have both. Come on in," Michaela said, unable to suppress a grin, standing back to let the man inside. He entered without hesitation, a rather old-looking china teacup in his hand. "Cool," he said, looking around the kitchen, as though appraising it and committing it to memory. "Nana's baking bread, and Papaw's got the truck, so we can't run to the store," he said offhandedly, as though he were more interested by the decor of the kitchen than his task. "Well, you can't take them both home in that," Michaela pointed out, and the man looked back at her, blue eyes blinking in surprise, not necessarily at her statement, but that she spoke to begin with. "Oh," he said, trailing off, examining the teacup critically. "Well, here," Michaela said, slightly put off by his distraction, digging out two small Tupperware bowls and filling one with baking soda, one with baking powder, closing the lids tightly on them. "Thanks," he said, taking both and eyeing them. "But which is which?" Michaela smirked a little. "I figured you were going to ask that. The pink one is baking powder. Pink for powder. Or something," she said with a shrug. "That's cute," he replied, shaking both closed containers experimentally, then stacking them both in one hand and offering his other in a handshake. "I'm Cade Davison, by the way. I didn't even know who I was going to run into when I knocked." He smiled winningly, a strand of purple dangling in his face. "Well, you ran into Michaela Mason," Micki said good-naturedly, returning his handshake firmly. "Or Micki, whatever." "Oh, Mason, huh?" Cade mused, flipping the small bowls between his fingers. "Yeah," Michaela replied, almost apologetically. "No need to be sorry," Cade shrugged. "I've only lived here a couple of years, and it's just one of those things that you hear everywhere. So it was kind of weird to suddenly have a living, breathing Mason right in front of me." He grinned lopsidedly, blowing the strand of hair from his face again. "What, you want my autograph or something?" Michaela asked with a laugh, interrupted by a shrill, tinny cry from the baby monitor in the living room. "I'm being summoned," she said with a smile and a roll of the eyes, holding out her hands helplessly. "Can't ignore that," Cade nodded knowingly. "I have two little brothers. I remember when Connor was a baby, anyhow. But hey, thanks for the baking... whatever they are. I bet Nana's going bonkers thinking I got lost or something." "Sure, not a problem. What are neighbors for, right?" Michaela walked quickly with Cade to the door, as Lily's cries grew more insistent. "Yeah. Hey, see you around?" Cade looked up at Michaela, the glint of hope in his eyes. Michaela nodded. "Sure will," she said, waving quickly as Cade bounced down the stairs, hopping over the large privacy fence between the houses effortlessly. She shook her head, closing the door and jogging through the house to the nursery to see to her daughter, unable to wipe the smile from her face. Settling down in the rocking chair to feed Lily, Michaela found it impossible to deny that she saw a lot of herself in Cade. She was looking forward to finding out how much more there was. Scene 2: "She violated the restraining order!" Jamie snapped at the man in front of him. Any other man might have cowered at Jamie's shouting but this man had heard it all and then some. "I understand that, Mr. Mason," Ryan Corday replied, his voice low and soothing. "But it was an unintentional violation. I could get a fine for her but that is all." "That's it?" Jamie asked astonished. "You were highly recommended to me by my father's lawyer. I cannot believe he would offer me someone as reticent to prosecute as you!" He was angry there was no way around it. Kerri's sudden appearance in Conlan's Glen had shaken him...badly. He had begun to relax and she had taken that away from him by her words. "I want to see Christopher." She had been eager at first but when she hadn't gotten her way, she had reverted back to the Kerri he had known; the Kerri who had tried to hurt their son just to gain a little attention. When he refused to bend, she threw useless threats at him. The threats bothered him more than he had let on to anyone, including this man who called himself a lawyer. "Mr. Mason, I understand about these situations. I myself have been involved with a restraining order in my lifetime. A judge will look at her history in the last year and agree with her lawyer. That she wanted to work out an amicable resolution to the custody issue. I'll file a complaint if that's what you like but I promise you, it won't go anywhere." "Then maybe I should find myself a new lawyer," Jamie barked, scowling darkly at the man. Corday returned his gaze, nonplussed. Jamie had asked for someone who was capable and qualified in child custody suits and Ryan Corday was what he had gotten in return. From the looks of him, he was capable. His gaze was solid and never wavered, even under Jamie's brief scrutiny of him or his ranting. He talked a good game as well, even telling Jamie what he didn't want to hear. "Mr. Mason, I can't tell you what to do. If you want a new lawyer, I suggest you get one. But I am the best there is. You get a new lawyer, you might lose when push comes to shove." Corday checked his watch and picked up his briefcase. "If you'll excuse me, I have an old friend to meet up with. Shall I file your complaint on my way there?" Jamie watched him stand and weighed his options. He could ignore Ryan Corday's comments and find a new lawyer, one who would do as Jamie asked and not debate with him why it was a bad idea. Or he could stick with Corday and wait it out until Kerri made a bigger mistake. He fought an inner war with himself momentarily, before standing as well and offering his hand to the lawyer. "You know, I have enough yes-men surrounding me. I need someone who will tell me what's what every now and then. My cousin usually fulfills that role but he's preoccupied at the moment. Care to take on the job?" "I'm not good at sugar coating things, I hope you realize that," Corday replied accepting Jamie's hand. "No, I don't think you are. But that's okay. It's all about balances," Jamie said. "File that complaint though. I want it on record at the very least." Ryan nodded and left the office. Jamie settled back into his chair, turning to gaze out the window at the landscape below. Ryan Corday had better be as good as he claimed to be. Because if anything should happen to Chris... Scene 3: If anything, Dinah felt incredibly guilty over the loss of Piper. She could see that Piper's sudden disappearance from her life and from Noah's bothered them both. She should have told Piper about it from the start, she had told herself over and over again. Hindsight is 20/20, her mother always said. Now she knew what it meant. They were supposed to be going to orientation at Hope College next week too. Only, Dinah wasn't sure if Piper was still going anymore. The last time they had talked about it was right after that party at the Masons. Now...well, what did it matter? She had lost her best friend. She had Noah and that was wonderful, but she wanted to share this with someone, preferably, her best friend. Sighing, she shoved the brochure she had been staring at back into her book bag as the doorbell rang. She waited a moment but no one answered it. Tramping down the stairs, she muttered to herself, "Why is it I am the only one who is ever here?" She opened the door to a smiling Dusty. "Hi Dusty." "Hi. Can I come in? I need to talk to you?" There was a bright sheen to Dusty's eyes. Excitement, Dinah realized stepping aside and letting her into the Stafford home. "What's up?" "Remember when I told you I would help you with Noah?" Dusty asked. Dinah nodded slowly. Dusty had told her she would ask for a favor later on. Perhaps this was it. "Well, I want you to help me get a job at Mason Enterprises." "What?" Dinah tried not to laugh. The request bordered on the absurd. "I can't do that, Dusty!" "Sure you can! You know them right? Noah said you were at that big party for Hallie Lennox." "Dusty, I was there because I know Luke in a roundabout way. That's it. I don't pretend to know the Masons at all," Dinah replied, feeling a little annoyed at Dusty's fervor. "You baby-sit for Jamie Mason don't you?" Dusty continued. "You know Luke Conlan. I'd say that's good enough. You owe me Dinah." "Look, I said I would help you with something...like updating your wardrobe or something! I can't get you a job at ME! Let's be realistic about this Dusty..." "I want a job at ME. And you are going to help me get it." Dusty narrowed her eyes, shooting Dinah a hateful gaze. "Unless you'd like Noah to find out how you tricked Piper into thinking that you had no feelings for him and how much Piper loves him." "What?! I didn't trick anyone into anything!" "He doesn't know that. Besides, don't you think he should know about Piper's feelings toward him?" Dinah's mouth fell open. Was Dusty really...blackmailing her? "The way I see it, Piper never even had a chance to tell Noah. Do you think his decision would have been different if he'd had all the facts?" How could she answer this one? Would Noah have chosen Piper? Very likely, a quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered. Would he still choose her if he knew? Yes, the voice answered. You know he will. He's always liked Piper. Didn't he really force them back to the Glen that day in Richmond because of Piper? Of course he did. He cares for Piper. Don't take the chance with it, the voice warned. "What do I have to do?" Dinah asked defeated. Scene 4: Chase frowned. He had even lowered himself to making goofy faces just to get a hint of a smile from Piper. Nothing was working. She didn't even twitch and it was driving him crazy. "Piper, what is wrong?" he demanded for the fiftieth time. "Nothing," was her answer for the fiftieth time. Chase ran a hand through his dark hair, "something is wrong." "Nothing is wrong." "You're a terrible liar, how do you act so well?" he asked, pushing her script away from her face so he could see her. Piper sighed, "it's not a big deal." Settling on the seat next to her, he gently took the script away. "It is if you won't even crack a smile. C'mon I did my monkey impression," Chase said with a small smile. Piper rolled her eyes and Chase finally saw some light twinkle in them. "What happened?" he asked gently. Piper sighed. Could she tell Chase? He was the only friend she had left after all. "Just...my so-called best friend's been dating this guy behind my back," Piper said softly, realizing she wasn't elaborating enough, she continued on, "a guy I've had this huge crush on for like a year." "Oh," Chase said simply. He pushed past the jealousy at Piper's other guy to search for some reassuring words, other than his own guilty delight." I'm sorry," he finally said, feeling like an idiot. Piper shook her head, blinking away tears. Jeez, she didn't want Chase to see her cry. She ALWAYS cried. Drawing in a shaky breath, she finally smiled for Chase. "Sorry for dumping that on you. Must sound pretty stupid and teenager, huh?" she said with an attempted chuckle. He smiled when she smiled, "nah, you have every right to be upset. The guy's a moron for not going for you." "Yeah right, Dinah's like this total flirt, always has guy friends and dates. It's no wonder Noah would like her instead of me," Piper protested. "Some guys like that, I personally can't stand girls like that. Nothing, but a bunch of fluff in their head," Chase said, pushing a strand of hair away from Piper's face. "Dinah just appears like she has fluff in her head, there's really something there," Piper explained before quickly closing her mouth. Why was she defending Dinah? Dinah, her best friend, who had completely betrayed her. It wasn't like Noah was just some brief, he's-so-cute little crush. Chase smiled at Piper's attempt to defend her once friend. Even when Piper was mad at someone she was nice. There didn't seem to be a mean bone in her body and her sweetness drew him in more than he would like to admit. "They won't last, they never do," Chase said with a shrug. "Well, that's a pretty horrible thing to say. I don't mean about Noah and Dinah, but relationships in general. I never thought you to be such a pessimist, Chase," Piper said with a gentle poke in Chase's said. "I'd like to call myself a realist," he said lightly, catching her hand and pulling it away. Piper tugged at his grip, "yeah, that's what all pessimists call themselves." "We're in denial," Chase retorted, not allowing her to escape from his grasp. With his free hand he gently tickled her side. "Chase!" Piper squealed, trying to fend him off with her other hand as she squirmed. Chase snatched Piper's other free hand and pinned both hands behind her back. "What are you going to do now?" he challenged, completely aware of how close they were to each other. Piper giggled and squirmed, finally giving up. The giggling slowly died on her lips as she looked up at Chase. As much as she tried to deny that Chase had feelings for her with the excuse, he just wanted her as a friend, Piper knew somewhere in the back of her mind that he did. So why couldn't she? She could think of several reasons for why Chase was much better than Noah, but it always came down to a very simple reason. He just wasn't Noah. Chase looked down at the unmoving Piper, wondering what she was thinking. She had that intent look in her eye. He let his eyes indulge in memorizing her sweet face, her soft blue eyes, the light sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks, her full, pink lips. Leaning down, Chase gently brushed his lips against those full, pink ones. When she didn't jerk away in shock, he repeated the maneuver. Again, Piper made no protests, but she didn't give him much of a reason to continue. He listened to his own desire to kiss her this time. Piper didn't protest at Chase's kisses. A part of her felt wrongful for allowing it to continue, but the other part wanted it to continue, wanted to feel like someone could actually like her in *that* way, and be attracted to Piper Conlan. Not Maura, or Jillie, or Dinah, but Piper. Someone actually liked HER. |
On the next Episode of Secret Horizons... |
Everything was different now. She was free of Derek and Jude was still close to her, still had feelings for her no matter who he was dating in that impossibly backwards little burg. Cynthia paced around the room like a caged animal. There wasn't anything for her in Washington now that Derek was gone. She had to decide what she wanted to do now. No, there was no decision to make. She knew what she wanted. She wanted Jude back. She wanted the one man who had made her happy in her lifetime. |