Fanfic: B&S episode 606: part 3/4
Season 6 - Episode 6 - JUST LIKE A PILL
By Marea67
About: Brothers & Sisters (general)
Rate: Can’t go higher than PG-13, as this is American Television, but I may add a few ‘deleted scenes’ here and there. ;)
Disclaimer: Just escaping from reality here, not created for financial gain
Summary: It is my very own season 6, you guys! Go with it! ;) Don’t complain! If YOU can do better, post your own story! (I dare you!)
***** PART 3/4 *****
Kevin opens the door of the restaurant and Olivia and Elizabeth run in.
“Uncle Kevin, can I stay here and draw a bit?”
“Sure, honey, but Paige is coming over to help Olivia with some schoolwork and when they are working, you have to be as quiet as a mouse.”
“I will be.” Elizabeth smiles. “When will mom be here?”
“I don’t know, she texted that she was on her way to pick you up, but she didn’t say how late she’d be here.” Kevin answers, taking both coats, hanging them up properly, before turning back to the girls.
“Now, girls, Daniel is upstairs with the babysitter, because I have to get some work done. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make too much trouble, alright?”
“No, uncle Kevin.” Elizabeth promises and Olivia just grins.’
“Don’t worry, uncle Kevin, the cavalry has arrived.”
“Paige! Just in time! I have to…”
“I know, I heard it, I will keep the both of them busy.”
“Thanks, love, you’re an angel. First get something to eat and to drink from the kitchen, you kids could use it. Olivia, you explain your problem to Paige. And you, young lady,…” Kevin tugs at one of Elizabeth’s curls. “… You listen to Paige until your mom gets here.”
“I will.” Elizabeth smiles, unaware that, at that moment, Tommy exits Scotty’s office, only to see Kevin, playing with Elizabeth’s hair, the two of them smiling at each other.
“Kevin!” Tommy walks straight up to Kevin. “What are you doing?”
“I picked the kids up from school.” Kevin says and he motions Olivia to go to the kitchen to get some cookies and milk. “Why?”
“I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want you near my daughter.”
“Julia asked me to pick her up.” Kevin answers. “If you issues with that, talk to her.”
“No, I’m not going to talk to her, I’m telling you! Back off!” Tommy says, trying to push Kevin backwards.
“Sorry, but you are the one standing in my space.” Kevin points out, not backing away.
“I’m sick and tired of seeing you constantly with my daughter.”
“Then tell Julia to take her someplace else, but as long as Julia needs my help, I’ll give it to her and my niece.”
“You’re trying to take Elizabeth away from me.”
“You’re crazy. All I’m trying to is keep Elizabeth IN the Walker-family, while you’re doing your damnedest to alienate Julia from us and yourself.”
“Keeping Elizabeth in the family is my job, not yours.”
“Maybe not. But you screw everything up, Tommy.”
“And you’re not helping. I don’t want to see your near my daughter again, or….” Tommy stops, not entirely sure what he would do.
“Or what?” Kevin ask sarcastically.
“I’ll get some restraining order for you or something.”
“Good luck with that one.” Kevin smirks. “while you’re at it, explain how I can stay from someone who gets brought into my office, in a house that I own half off, while you work in a restaurant, which is one third mine. If you work for Scotty, you work for me.” Kevin points out.
“Then I quit.” Tommy says.
“You wouldn’t.” Kevin replies, his eyes narrowing. “You can’t just leave Scotty like that.”
“If you want me to continue to work for Scotty, you’ll stay away from Elizabeth.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me?” Kevin can hardly believe his ears.
“And if you don’t leave Kevin alone, you will be the one who will never see Elizabeth again.” Julia’s voice is calm and very restrained, which maybe betrays even more how livid she is. “I am the one who asked Kevin to pick up Elizabeth and I am the one who told him that if you had issues with it, he should send you to me.
I should have known better. Of course you wouldn’t dare to come to me, instead you prefer to blame Kevin, who has nothing to do with our problems at all…. You are so pathetic! You haven’t learned anything, have you?”
“Julia, please, don’t fight here, the kids are in there.” Kevin nods towards the kitchen.
Julia catches Kevin’s gentle reminder and she nods.
“Let’s go in there. I want to talk to you, Tommy.” Julia walks straight to Scotty’s office and Tommy follows her. Kevin gets the uncomfortable feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong.
*****
Kitty runs over to the door, when she realizes that it’s Seth standing there.
“Seth!” She’s out of breath and has a look on her face that is a mix of fear and hope.
“Kitty….” Seth takes her in his arms and holds her tightly. “Kitty, I love you. I love you so much….”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry…”
“I shouldn’t have lied.” Kitty cries. “I know, and I swear, it will never happen again…”
“It’s okay… maybe it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been so stubborn too.”
He kisses Kitty hungrily, glad to have her back in his arms after such a long time. They kiss until Kitty breaks the kiss.
“Where do we stand now? I’m still pregnant.”
“It’s okay… It will take a bit of adjusting to the thought, but…” Seth kisses her again.
“Really?” Kitty backs off again.
“I realized today that so many things can happen, beside your cancer, that can tear us apart. I want every second I can have with you… and Evan… and our baby… Are you okay? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The worst is over. I’m no longer morning-sick and everything, I’m no longer sleeping and napping at the strangest moments of the day…” She smiles. Seth caresses her belly.
“I can’t wait to meet this little one.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m sorry… I should have told you how much I would have loved it to have a child with you, if it hadn’t been a threat to your health, because that is the truth. I want to be with you, I love you, I want a family with you and….” Kitty silences Seth with a kiss.
*****
Julia slams the door behind her once she and Tommy are in Scotty’s office.
“How dare you?! How dare you interfere with how I deal with Elizabeth?”
“She’s my daughter too.”
“Only when it’s convenient to you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You ignored her and me for months while you were in Mexico. You left us. We had a good life, Tommy, and you ruined everything. Not just for yourself and Ojai, but also for me and for Elizabeth.”
“I had to…” Tommy starts to defend himself.
“No, you didn’t have to.” Julia shakes her head. “All you wanted was Ojai, at no matter how high a price. First you got rid of Kevin, …”
“You’re crazy.” Tommy waves her words away.
“.. Then Saul…”
“He left out of his own free will.”
“No, he didn’t. You and Holly made it nearly impossible for him to do his work. But the real cherry on the cake was when you also managed to get rid of Sarah….”
“She wanted to leave.”
“She agreed with Saul that she could no longer work with you. And way back then, I defended you, I thought that they didn’t understand all your good intentions. I believed you! Stupid me!
And stupid Holly,for trusting you as well. You tried to take away her shares by embezzlement? Have you ever seriously considered the consequences? What if you would have gone to jail? Did you think of me? Of Elizabeth? Were you ever really worried about her?”
“Of course I was!”
“When? You certainly didn’t worry when you ran off to Mexico, where you went crawling under a rock and hide to ‘find yourself’, whatever that means…”
“Julia…”
“Do you have any idea what you put Elizabeth and me through? The lies, the deception, the humiliation, the debts, the tears, the sleepless nights. The shock to find out that the house had a second mortgage! That there was absolutely nothing left! I’ve never been more terrified in my life!
And you? You left it up to Sarah, Saul and Nora to save Ojai and beg with Holly to be lenient. You left it up to Justin to help with things that needed fixing in the house. You left it up to Kevin and Scotty to help me financially and you left it up to Robert and Kitty to find you….”
“Okay, I get it! I’m the bad guy and Kevin is a saint.”
“What is this fixation you have on Kevin? I’ve mentioned almost everyone in your family, but his is the only name you hear? This isn’t about Kevin only. This is about everyone around you! You hurt everybody! Elizabeth was no exception! And I’m not going to let it happen again.”
“You’re going to tell Elizabeth the truth about Kevin, aren’t you? Mom told me. She heard it from Kevin.” Julia blinks a few times, unable to see what this has to do with anything.
“I will tell her the truth. In time. When she’s old enough to understand.” She answers.
“And then what? Kevin and you will play mommy and daddy?”
For a moment Julia is too astounded by Tommy’s assumption, then she starts to laugh sarcastically.
“Oh, yes, one big happy family. Kevin, Elizabeth and me… and Scotty, Olivia and Daniel… Hey, we should build a commune.”
Tommy frowns annoyed, unable to see where Julia’s sarcasm comes from.
“I don’t know, Tommy, I seriously don’t know what your problem is and why you’re so jealous of Kevin, but I’m done. I thought that if I came back here, there could be a way where we could all live in peace and perhaps respect each other again..
I somehow thought you had changed and that I should let bygones be bygones. That perhaps we wouldn’t be lovers again, but we could at least try and be friends again, parents to Elizabeth, as she deserves to have, …. But I was wrong. The few days that you have been back in my life, you’ve given me nothing but grief and headaches.
However, that is over. You’ll get your wish. You can sleep peaceful from now on. I will not bring Elizabeth here anymore. I’m tired of seeing Kevin put in the middle of your issues, so you’ve accomplished at least that he will not see Elizabeth anymore, but neither will you…
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you out of her life. You’re so full of hate and contempt that you’ve become a poison, Tommy, and you destroy anything and everything around you and I cannot allow you to hurt Elizabeth.” She turns around and walks out the door with Tommy immediately behind her.
Elizabeth, Paige and Olivia sit at one of the tables in the restaurant, when Tommy and Julia enter the room.
“See this is what I wanted for Elizabeth, to be with her family, nothing more. You don’t see Luc or Joe throw a hissy-fit over the fact that Paige is here, do you?”
Her voice is soft enough that Elizabeth can’t hear her, but it doesn’t make her anger any less.
“Come on, Elizabeth, we’re leaving.” Julia orders.
“I don’t want to go….” Elizabeth immediately says but Julia is unrelenting.
“We leave.”
“Mo-hom?!”
“Elizabeth! Now!” Elizabeth grabs Elizabeth’s schoolbag and Julia allows her to say goodbye to Tommy, while Mateo just enters, unaware of what is going on.
“Julia, we need to talk about this….” Tommy tries once again.
“I’m done talking. This is the last time in a long time that you’ll see Elizabeth. I’m completely done with you.”
“Julia!!!”
At the sound of Tommy's yelling Kevin steps out of his office and Julia looks at him.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I never meant to put you in the middle of all this. I thought that I could at least continue to let Elizabeth see the rest of her family, but it’s impossible. Elizabeth will not be coming here anymore.” She explains,
Though she’s calm, Kevin can see the pain in her eyes and so he tries to make her change her mind anyway.
“Why don’t you bring Elizabeth to mom and you and Tommy find a place to sit down and talk to each other?”
“Talking won’t be the problem, it’s the listening that just doesn’t work. I might as well be talking to that brick wall over there. No, I’m done… I’m sorry.” She comfortingly puts her hand on Kevin’s arm a few seconds to let him know he is not the problem and then leaves with Elizabeth.
“I’m not going to fight in front of the kids. If you want to argue, we do it my office.” Kevin warns and Tommy and Kevin glare at each other.
“I’m out of here.” Tommy then says. “I can’t stand to see you anymore.”
“Fine. Leave.” Kevin sighs resignedly and he slams the door of his office behind him.
Mateo shakes his head in confusion.
“What’s going on?”
“Uncle Tommy had another fight with Kevin first, then Julia and then back to Kevin.” Olivia answers, “By the way, Paige, this is Mateo. Mateo, Paige.”
“I had heard that my uncles had added another member to the family?” Paige smiles at Mateo.
“Only temporarily, until my grandmother is back on her feet.” Mateo smiles shyly.
“Nice to meet you.” Paige is indeed very charmed to meet him.
Tommy brushes by them, his bag over his shoulder and his coat on his arm. He doesn’t even say goodbye to Olivia, Paige or Mateo and they watch him leave.
“I hate to say this, but I think your uncle is a jerk.” Mateo says and Olivia starts to laugh, but Paige is more reflective.
“You should have known him 5-6 years ago. He was sweet and funny. I really loved it to be with Tommy and Julia, they were always so sweet with each other and with me and Cooper…”
“What happened?” Mateo asks and Paige hesitates.
“I’m not really sure…” She starts. “He started working with Holly, who was my grandfather’s mistress. He changed. Became harder. More uncaring. I don’t know. When mom made a big mistake, we nearly lost Ojai - the company our family had - and Tommy and Holly came to the rescue, but mom couldn’t work with Holly and she and my uncle often argued, until mom quit.
For some reason Tommy then decided to try and get rid of Holly. I think it was to make Ojai his and his alone, but he tried to do it by embezzling and when Holly found out, he could have gone to prison if he hadn’t ran off to Mexico, leaving Julia and Elizabeth behind with a lot of problems and debts.”
“Let me guess. Kevin went to help Julia..”
“Yes. How did you guess?” Paige smiles surprised.
“From the few glimpses I’ve seen of your family, it seems to me that everybody always relies on Kevin to solve issues.”
Paige thinks about Mateo’s words and then nods.
“You’re right.”
“But I don’t believe it is about Julia. They argue about Elizabeth?” Olivia then says quietly. “And I heard Scotty and Kevin talk about her too, though I couldn’t hear it very well.”
Paige wonders for a second if she should talk to Olivia and Mateo about this, but, like any Walker, she can’t pass up on a good piece of gossip.
“That is not surprising. Elizabeth is really Kevin’s daughter and not Tommy’s.” Her words have the expected reaction. Two jaws drop, their owners astounded by the news.
Mateo and Olivia sit a bit closer to Paige.
“How is that possible? Did he sleep with her? … I know Julia and Kevin like each other, but not that much…” Mateo says. He has never seen Kevin with anyone but Scotty and cannot imagine there could be someone else. Not from the way Kevin looks at Scotty anyway.
“Silly! Kevin is gay, remember?” Paige scolds Mateo teasingly and then she shrugs: “Of course that doesn’t mean anything. He could have… you know…. but, no, it was uncle Tommy’s idea. He couldn’t make a child with Julia, so Kevin helped out… with help from the hospital.... Like what happened with Daniel.” Her last words are mostly for Olivia.
“Actually, both uncle Justin and uncle Kevin helped uncle Tommy, and they said that no one would ever know who Elizabeth’s real father was. All that mattered was that she was a Walker, and she would grow up only knowing Tommy as her father. And that would be the end of the story...
But Elizabeth got sick and needed urgent surgery and she needed a piece of liver from her father, … So Justin and Kevin both got tested and it turned out that Kevin is Elizabeth’s biological daddy. And ever since, things have been a bit ‘stressed’ between Kevin and Tommy whenever it comes to the subject of Elizabeth….”
Mateo and Olivia are dumbfounded by Paige’s explanation. Both with their own thoughts, Mateo and Olivia sit back and try to process the information they’ve just received. Olivia feels a tweak of jealousy. First Daniel, now Elizabeth… Mateo is merely amused by the story and by Paige.
*****
“Nora, can I ask you something about William?” Holly starts after a somewhat long silence. They had realized that Holly’s former house couldn’t bring Holly closer to what she was looking for and they were on their way to bring the key back.
“Sure.” Nora answer, wondering what the question will be.
“What do you know about William’s past? His father? His mother? Did he have family? Brothers? Sisters?”
“Actually, I don’t know. He never wanted to talk about his past. I sometimes joked that he one day he just popped up somewhere.
I cannot really recall him telling something about his parents. He would answer questions from the children with vague words. When the kids were born, I couldn’t wait for my mother to see them. And I didn’t even like my mother that much.… He never talked about wishing to show his kids to anybody.
I remember that I asked him a few times, but… I can’t remember if he actually told me that his parents were dead, or that I nearly assumed that, because he never spoke about his family… In fact…” Nora frowns at the admittance. “…I know very little about him from the time before we met….”
Holly remains quiet, wondering why Nora, usually rather curious, had not pursued this and then Nora herself answers the question.
“I guess my romantic side believed that he was still too hurt over what had happened. That somewhere he had loved them and that he was devastated over losing them.”
“That would make sense.”
“And after a while, it didn’t matter anymore. I guess, the fact that he didn’t talk about anything was just silently accepted, like so many other of his secrets….” Nora answers, with a sad smile.
*****
Tommy is glad to find his mother’s house empty. The last thing he needs is a lecture from her as well. He opens his suitcase and flings in some clothes. Socks, underwear, get mixed with the shirts his mother had ironed with care and which now get wrinkled by pants thrown on them and the pants disappear under two books that Tommy still wants to read.
He has had it. He has no doubt that Julia will make good on her promise that she’ll stop him from seeing Elizabeth. She had done so successfully several times before and Tommy isn’t sure that he can handle the heart-ache again. He feels tired, unwanted, unloved. He locks the suitcase, carries it downstairs and throws it in his car.
He returns upstairs and looks around his old room. Toiletries get thrown in another bag, together with his wallet, his papers. There are some pictures on the small desk. He takes the ones of Elizabeth with him and he leaves the others except for the one of Kevin and Scotty together.
Above the paper-bin, he smashes the glass, takes the picture and tears it up into a million bits and he grins with satisfaction as he watches all the little bits fall down amongst the broken glass. The message couldn’t be more clear, as far as he is concerned.
He takes a piece of paper and quickly writes down a message for Nora. He puts it in an envelope and leaves it on the kitchen-table, where Nora is sure to find it. He looks around the house one more time and then. coat and bag in hand, he leaves the house, gets in his car and drives away.
*****
When Chad enters the room he finds Jason behind the computer, reading intensely, a frown on his face.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, just been doing some background checking on the June-flower.”
“Let me guess. A few people got killed there by a guy wearing a hockey-mask?”
“That was another movie. No, there’s nothing important about that hotel, but it got only turned into a hotel in the early 1980s. Before that, it was just an abandoned building .”
“And before that?”
“That is what I’ve been trying to find out.”
“If it turns out to have been an ancient Indian burial place, let me know.”
“I will.” Jason promises, without looking up from his computer and Chad grins at how deeply interested Jason is working on solving the mystery of the hotel.
*****
End of part 3/4
**** COMMERCIAL BREAK*****
By Marea67
About: Brothers & Sisters (general)
Rate: Can’t go higher than PG-13, as this is American Television, but I may add a few ‘deleted scenes’ here and there. ;)
Disclaimer: Just escaping from reality here, not created for financial gain
Summary: It is my very own season 6, you guys! Go with it! ;) Don’t complain! If YOU can do better, post your own story! (I dare you!)
***** PART 3/4 *****
Kevin opens the door of the restaurant and Olivia and Elizabeth run in.
“Uncle Kevin, can I stay here and draw a bit?”
“Sure, honey, but Paige is coming over to help Olivia with some schoolwork and when they are working, you have to be as quiet as a mouse.”
“I will be.” Elizabeth smiles. “When will mom be here?”
“I don’t know, she texted that she was on her way to pick you up, but she didn’t say how late she’d be here.” Kevin answers, taking both coats, hanging them up properly, before turning back to the girls.
“Now, girls, Daniel is upstairs with the babysitter, because I have to get some work done. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make too much trouble, alright?”
“No, uncle Kevin.” Elizabeth promises and Olivia just grins.’
“Don’t worry, uncle Kevin, the cavalry has arrived.”
“Paige! Just in time! I have to…”
“I know, I heard it, I will keep the both of them busy.”
“Thanks, love, you’re an angel. First get something to eat and to drink from the kitchen, you kids could use it. Olivia, you explain your problem to Paige. And you, young lady,…” Kevin tugs at one of Elizabeth’s curls. “… You listen to Paige until your mom gets here.”
“I will.” Elizabeth smiles, unaware that, at that moment, Tommy exits Scotty’s office, only to see Kevin, playing with Elizabeth’s hair, the two of them smiling at each other.
“Kevin!” Tommy walks straight up to Kevin. “What are you doing?”
“I picked the kids up from school.” Kevin says and he motions Olivia to go to the kitchen to get some cookies and milk. “Why?”
“I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want you near my daughter.”
“Julia asked me to pick her up.” Kevin answers. “If you issues with that, talk to her.”
“No, I’m not going to talk to her, I’m telling you! Back off!” Tommy says, trying to push Kevin backwards.
“Sorry, but you are the one standing in my space.” Kevin points out, not backing away.
“I’m sick and tired of seeing you constantly with my daughter.”
“Then tell Julia to take her someplace else, but as long as Julia needs my help, I’ll give it to her and my niece.”
“You’re trying to take Elizabeth away from me.”
“You’re crazy. All I’m trying to is keep Elizabeth IN the Walker-family, while you’re doing your damnedest to alienate Julia from us and yourself.”
“Keeping Elizabeth in the family is my job, not yours.”
“Maybe not. But you screw everything up, Tommy.”
“And you’re not helping. I don’t want to see your near my daughter again, or….” Tommy stops, not entirely sure what he would do.
“Or what?” Kevin ask sarcastically.
“I’ll get some restraining order for you or something.”
“Good luck with that one.” Kevin smirks. “while you’re at it, explain how I can stay from someone who gets brought into my office, in a house that I own half off, while you work in a restaurant, which is one third mine. If you work for Scotty, you work for me.” Kevin points out.
“Then I quit.” Tommy says.
“You wouldn’t.” Kevin replies, his eyes narrowing. “You can’t just leave Scotty like that.”
“If you want me to continue to work for Scotty, you’ll stay away from Elizabeth.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me?” Kevin can hardly believe his ears.
“And if you don’t leave Kevin alone, you will be the one who will never see Elizabeth again.” Julia’s voice is calm and very restrained, which maybe betrays even more how livid she is. “I am the one who asked Kevin to pick up Elizabeth and I am the one who told him that if you had issues with it, he should send you to me.
I should have known better. Of course you wouldn’t dare to come to me, instead you prefer to blame Kevin, who has nothing to do with our problems at all…. You are so pathetic! You haven’t learned anything, have you?”
“Julia, please, don’t fight here, the kids are in there.” Kevin nods towards the kitchen.
Julia catches Kevin’s gentle reminder and she nods.
“Let’s go in there. I want to talk to you, Tommy.” Julia walks straight to Scotty’s office and Tommy follows her. Kevin gets the uncomfortable feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong.
*****
Kitty runs over to the door, when she realizes that it’s Seth standing there.
“Seth!” She’s out of breath and has a look on her face that is a mix of fear and hope.
“Kitty….” Seth takes her in his arms and holds her tightly. “Kitty, I love you. I love you so much….”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry…”
“I shouldn’t have lied.” Kitty cries. “I know, and I swear, it will never happen again…”
“It’s okay… maybe it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been so stubborn too.”
He kisses Kitty hungrily, glad to have her back in his arms after such a long time. They kiss until Kitty breaks the kiss.
“Where do we stand now? I’m still pregnant.”
“It’s okay… It will take a bit of adjusting to the thought, but…” Seth kisses her again.
“Really?” Kitty backs off again.
“I realized today that so many things can happen, beside your cancer, that can tear us apart. I want every second I can have with you… and Evan… and our baby… Are you okay? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The worst is over. I’m no longer morning-sick and everything, I’m no longer sleeping and napping at the strangest moments of the day…” She smiles. Seth caresses her belly.
“I can’t wait to meet this little one.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m sorry… I should have told you how much I would have loved it to have a child with you, if it hadn’t been a threat to your health, because that is the truth. I want to be with you, I love you, I want a family with you and….” Kitty silences Seth with a kiss.
*****
Julia slams the door behind her once she and Tommy are in Scotty’s office.
“How dare you?! How dare you interfere with how I deal with Elizabeth?”
“She’s my daughter too.”
“Only when it’s convenient to you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You ignored her and me for months while you were in Mexico. You left us. We had a good life, Tommy, and you ruined everything. Not just for yourself and Ojai, but also for me and for Elizabeth.”
“I had to…” Tommy starts to defend himself.
“No, you didn’t have to.” Julia shakes her head. “All you wanted was Ojai, at no matter how high a price. First you got rid of Kevin, …”
“You’re crazy.” Tommy waves her words away.
“.. Then Saul…”
“He left out of his own free will.”
“No, he didn’t. You and Holly made it nearly impossible for him to do his work. But the real cherry on the cake was when you also managed to get rid of Sarah….”
“She wanted to leave.”
“She agreed with Saul that she could no longer work with you. And way back then, I defended you, I thought that they didn’t understand all your good intentions. I believed you! Stupid me!
And stupid Holly,for trusting you as well. You tried to take away her shares by embezzlement? Have you ever seriously considered the consequences? What if you would have gone to jail? Did you think of me? Of Elizabeth? Were you ever really worried about her?”
“Of course I was!”
“When? You certainly didn’t worry when you ran off to Mexico, where you went crawling under a rock and hide to ‘find yourself’, whatever that means…”
“Julia…”
“Do you have any idea what you put Elizabeth and me through? The lies, the deception, the humiliation, the debts, the tears, the sleepless nights. The shock to find out that the house had a second mortgage! That there was absolutely nothing left! I’ve never been more terrified in my life!
And you? You left it up to Sarah, Saul and Nora to save Ojai and beg with Holly to be lenient. You left it up to Justin to help with things that needed fixing in the house. You left it up to Kevin and Scotty to help me financially and you left it up to Robert and Kitty to find you….”
“Okay, I get it! I’m the bad guy and Kevin is a saint.”
“What is this fixation you have on Kevin? I’ve mentioned almost everyone in your family, but his is the only name you hear? This isn’t about Kevin only. This is about everyone around you! You hurt everybody! Elizabeth was no exception! And I’m not going to let it happen again.”
“You’re going to tell Elizabeth the truth about Kevin, aren’t you? Mom told me. She heard it from Kevin.” Julia blinks a few times, unable to see what this has to do with anything.
“I will tell her the truth. In time. When she’s old enough to understand.” She answers.
“And then what? Kevin and you will play mommy and daddy?”
For a moment Julia is too astounded by Tommy’s assumption, then she starts to laugh sarcastically.
“Oh, yes, one big happy family. Kevin, Elizabeth and me… and Scotty, Olivia and Daniel… Hey, we should build a commune.”
Tommy frowns annoyed, unable to see where Julia’s sarcasm comes from.
“I don’t know, Tommy, I seriously don’t know what your problem is and why you’re so jealous of Kevin, but I’m done. I thought that if I came back here, there could be a way where we could all live in peace and perhaps respect each other again..
I somehow thought you had changed and that I should let bygones be bygones. That perhaps we wouldn’t be lovers again, but we could at least try and be friends again, parents to Elizabeth, as she deserves to have, …. But I was wrong. The few days that you have been back in my life, you’ve given me nothing but grief and headaches.
However, that is over. You’ll get your wish. You can sleep peaceful from now on. I will not bring Elizabeth here anymore. I’m tired of seeing Kevin put in the middle of your issues, so you’ve accomplished at least that he will not see Elizabeth anymore, but neither will you…
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you out of her life. You’re so full of hate and contempt that you’ve become a poison, Tommy, and you destroy anything and everything around you and I cannot allow you to hurt Elizabeth.” She turns around and walks out the door with Tommy immediately behind her.
Elizabeth, Paige and Olivia sit at one of the tables in the restaurant, when Tommy and Julia enter the room.
“See this is what I wanted for Elizabeth, to be with her family, nothing more. You don’t see Luc or Joe throw a hissy-fit over the fact that Paige is here, do you?”
Her voice is soft enough that Elizabeth can’t hear her, but it doesn’t make her anger any less.
“Come on, Elizabeth, we’re leaving.” Julia orders.
“I don’t want to go….” Elizabeth immediately says but Julia is unrelenting.
“We leave.”
“Mo-hom?!”
“Elizabeth! Now!” Elizabeth grabs Elizabeth’s schoolbag and Julia allows her to say goodbye to Tommy, while Mateo just enters, unaware of what is going on.
“Julia, we need to talk about this….” Tommy tries once again.
“I’m done talking. This is the last time in a long time that you’ll see Elizabeth. I’m completely done with you.”
“Julia!!!”
At the sound of Tommy's yelling Kevin steps out of his office and Julia looks at him.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I never meant to put you in the middle of all this. I thought that I could at least continue to let Elizabeth see the rest of her family, but it’s impossible. Elizabeth will not be coming here anymore.” She explains,
Though she’s calm, Kevin can see the pain in her eyes and so he tries to make her change her mind anyway.
“Why don’t you bring Elizabeth to mom and you and Tommy find a place to sit down and talk to each other?”
“Talking won’t be the problem, it’s the listening that just doesn’t work. I might as well be talking to that brick wall over there. No, I’m done… I’m sorry.” She comfortingly puts her hand on Kevin’s arm a few seconds to let him know he is not the problem and then leaves with Elizabeth.
“I’m not going to fight in front of the kids. If you want to argue, we do it my office.” Kevin warns and Tommy and Kevin glare at each other.
“I’m out of here.” Tommy then says. “I can’t stand to see you anymore.”
“Fine. Leave.” Kevin sighs resignedly and he slams the door of his office behind him.
Mateo shakes his head in confusion.
“What’s going on?”
“Uncle Tommy had another fight with Kevin first, then Julia and then back to Kevin.” Olivia answers, “By the way, Paige, this is Mateo. Mateo, Paige.”
“I had heard that my uncles had added another member to the family?” Paige smiles at Mateo.
“Only temporarily, until my grandmother is back on her feet.” Mateo smiles shyly.
“Nice to meet you.” Paige is indeed very charmed to meet him.
Tommy brushes by them, his bag over his shoulder and his coat on his arm. He doesn’t even say goodbye to Olivia, Paige or Mateo and they watch him leave.
“I hate to say this, but I think your uncle is a jerk.” Mateo says and Olivia starts to laugh, but Paige is more reflective.
“You should have known him 5-6 years ago. He was sweet and funny. I really loved it to be with Tommy and Julia, they were always so sweet with each other and with me and Cooper…”
“What happened?” Mateo asks and Paige hesitates.
“I’m not really sure…” She starts. “He started working with Holly, who was my grandfather’s mistress. He changed. Became harder. More uncaring. I don’t know. When mom made a big mistake, we nearly lost Ojai - the company our family had - and Tommy and Holly came to the rescue, but mom couldn’t work with Holly and she and my uncle often argued, until mom quit.
For some reason Tommy then decided to try and get rid of Holly. I think it was to make Ojai his and his alone, but he tried to do it by embezzling and when Holly found out, he could have gone to prison if he hadn’t ran off to Mexico, leaving Julia and Elizabeth behind with a lot of problems and debts.”
“Let me guess. Kevin went to help Julia..”
“Yes. How did you guess?” Paige smiles surprised.
“From the few glimpses I’ve seen of your family, it seems to me that everybody always relies on Kevin to solve issues.”
Paige thinks about Mateo’s words and then nods.
“You’re right.”
“But I don’t believe it is about Julia. They argue about Elizabeth?” Olivia then says quietly. “And I heard Scotty and Kevin talk about her too, though I couldn’t hear it very well.”
Paige wonders for a second if she should talk to Olivia and Mateo about this, but, like any Walker, she can’t pass up on a good piece of gossip.
“That is not surprising. Elizabeth is really Kevin’s daughter and not Tommy’s.” Her words have the expected reaction. Two jaws drop, their owners astounded by the news.
Mateo and Olivia sit a bit closer to Paige.
“How is that possible? Did he sleep with her? … I know Julia and Kevin like each other, but not that much…” Mateo says. He has never seen Kevin with anyone but Scotty and cannot imagine there could be someone else. Not from the way Kevin looks at Scotty anyway.
“Silly! Kevin is gay, remember?” Paige scolds Mateo teasingly and then she shrugs: “Of course that doesn’t mean anything. He could have… you know…. but, no, it was uncle Tommy’s idea. He couldn’t make a child with Julia, so Kevin helped out… with help from the hospital.... Like what happened with Daniel.” Her last words are mostly for Olivia.
“Actually, both uncle Justin and uncle Kevin helped uncle Tommy, and they said that no one would ever know who Elizabeth’s real father was. All that mattered was that she was a Walker, and she would grow up only knowing Tommy as her father. And that would be the end of the story...
But Elizabeth got sick and needed urgent surgery and she needed a piece of liver from her father, … So Justin and Kevin both got tested and it turned out that Kevin is Elizabeth’s biological daddy. And ever since, things have been a bit ‘stressed’ between Kevin and Tommy whenever it comes to the subject of Elizabeth….”
Mateo and Olivia are dumbfounded by Paige’s explanation. Both with their own thoughts, Mateo and Olivia sit back and try to process the information they’ve just received. Olivia feels a tweak of jealousy. First Daniel, now Elizabeth… Mateo is merely amused by the story and by Paige.
*****
“Nora, can I ask you something about William?” Holly starts after a somewhat long silence. They had realized that Holly’s former house couldn’t bring Holly closer to what she was looking for and they were on their way to bring the key back.
“Sure.” Nora answer, wondering what the question will be.
“What do you know about William’s past? His father? His mother? Did he have family? Brothers? Sisters?”
“Actually, I don’t know. He never wanted to talk about his past. I sometimes joked that he one day he just popped up somewhere.
I cannot really recall him telling something about his parents. He would answer questions from the children with vague words. When the kids were born, I couldn’t wait for my mother to see them. And I didn’t even like my mother that much.… He never talked about wishing to show his kids to anybody.
I remember that I asked him a few times, but… I can’t remember if he actually told me that his parents were dead, or that I nearly assumed that, because he never spoke about his family… In fact…” Nora frowns at the admittance. “…I know very little about him from the time before we met….”
Holly remains quiet, wondering why Nora, usually rather curious, had not pursued this and then Nora herself answers the question.
“I guess my romantic side believed that he was still too hurt over what had happened. That somewhere he had loved them and that he was devastated over losing them.”
“That would make sense.”
“And after a while, it didn’t matter anymore. I guess, the fact that he didn’t talk about anything was just silently accepted, like so many other of his secrets….” Nora answers, with a sad smile.
*****
Tommy is glad to find his mother’s house empty. The last thing he needs is a lecture from her as well. He opens his suitcase and flings in some clothes. Socks, underwear, get mixed with the shirts his mother had ironed with care and which now get wrinkled by pants thrown on them and the pants disappear under two books that Tommy still wants to read.
He has had it. He has no doubt that Julia will make good on her promise that she’ll stop him from seeing Elizabeth. She had done so successfully several times before and Tommy isn’t sure that he can handle the heart-ache again. He feels tired, unwanted, unloved. He locks the suitcase, carries it downstairs and throws it in his car.
He returns upstairs and looks around his old room. Toiletries get thrown in another bag, together with his wallet, his papers. There are some pictures on the small desk. He takes the ones of Elizabeth with him and he leaves the others except for the one of Kevin and Scotty together.
Above the paper-bin, he smashes the glass, takes the picture and tears it up into a million bits and he grins with satisfaction as he watches all the little bits fall down amongst the broken glass. The message couldn’t be more clear, as far as he is concerned.
He takes a piece of paper and quickly writes down a message for Nora. He puts it in an envelope and leaves it on the kitchen-table, where Nora is sure to find it. He looks around the house one more time and then. coat and bag in hand, he leaves the house, gets in his car and drives away.
*****
When Chad enters the room he finds Jason behind the computer, reading intensely, a frown on his face.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, just been doing some background checking on the June-flower.”
“Let me guess. A few people got killed there by a guy wearing a hockey-mask?”
“That was another movie. No, there’s nothing important about that hotel, but it got only turned into a hotel in the early 1980s. Before that, it was just an abandoned building .”
“And before that?”
“That is what I’ve been trying to find out.”
“If it turns out to have been an ancient Indian burial place, let me know.”
“I will.” Jason promises, without looking up from his computer and Chad grins at how deeply interested Jason is working on solving the mystery of the hotel.
*****
End of part 3/4
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