Turn a different corner 77/?
Turn a different corner 77/?
By: Marea67
About: Kevin/Scotty/Kitty/Robert/Jason, Tommy/Julia, Holly/Rebecca, Conny & Ryan Lafferty.
Rate: G.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, no really, checked it twice.
Extra: This an AU (Alternative Universe) story, so remember : The more things change, the more they stay the same. Here are part 01, part 02, part 03, part 04, part 05, part 06, part 07, part 08, part 09, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25, part 26, part 27, part 28, part 29, part 30, part 31, part 32, part 33, part 34, part 35, part 36, part 37, part 38, part 39, part 40, part 41, part 42, part 43, part 44, part 45, part 46, part 47, part 48, part 49, part 50, part 51, part 52, part 53, part 54, part 55, part 56, part 57, part 58, part 59, part 60, part 61, part 62, part 63, part 64, part 65, part 66, part 67, part 68. part 69, part 70, part 71, part 72, part 73, part 74, part 75 and part 76
*****
HALFWAY APRIL 2008 - SATURDAY LATE AFTERNOON
*****
“Kevin, we need to talk.” Kitty marches into Kevin's loft, followed by Robert.
“Oh, hi, Kitty… Senator McCallister?” Kevin’s defenses go up. “If you’re threatening my sister to take back her words….”
“No, he’s not…” Kitty immediately says. “This is my brother Kevin, Robert.”
“Ooooh, so it’s ‘Robert’ now?” Kevin wonders, but Kitty ignores his words.
“Kevin, please, you have to help us. Robert is looking for Jason.”
“He’s with Chad.”
“We know. Can you contact Chad and see if he can talk Jason into meeting Robert?”
“I can, but I won’t.”
“Because?”
“Jason is very hurt. Don’t want to add to that.”
“Robert doesn’t want to hurt Jason. He needs to talk with him.”
“Then Robert should call him.”
“Jason won’t answer his calls.”
“Well, that in itself is an answer.”
“Shutting Robert out, won’t solve anything.”
“Neither will shoving Jason back into the closet.”
“Nobody shoving anything.”
“Then stop pushing this. When Jason is ready, he’ll talk to Robert.” And with these words the subject is closed, as far as Kevin is concerned.
“Oh, hi, Scotty, I didn’t know you were here.” Kitty apologizes as she sees Scotty come in from the kitchen. “Robert, this is Scotty Wandell, my brother-in-law, he is Kevin’s husband.” Kitty is surprised herself by how easy those words leave her mouth.
“I do hope that you told Robert that we’re gay and he might be confronted with that atrocity.”
“Kevin!” Scotty gives him a frown. “What is going on?” After the immediate verbal fight between Kevin and Kitty, Scotty’s calm voice is like a safe-place for Robert, who carefully says:
“I don’t want to be inconvenient to anybody. I just want to talk to Jason.”
“He’s with Chad… Kevin, why don’t you call Chad?”
Kevin glares at Scotty, but Scotty smiles his most sweetest smile.
“It is the least you can do. If Jason doesn’t wish to speak to his brother, then it’s out of our hands as well, but maybe, if he sees to which lengths the Senator is willing to go to talk to him, then maybe he’ll be inclined to open up the lines of communication again.”
“I don’t want Chad or Jason to get hurt.”
“Kevin, if the senator really wanted Jason out of his life, he has accomplished just that. But I think he wants Jason back in his life and apologize to Jason. Am I right?” Scotty turns to Robert, who nods quietly.
“Alright, I’ll call Chad.” Kevin says, but immediately turns to Robert to say: “But if Jason doesn’t wish to speak to you, then the matter is closed and I want you to leave.” Robert nods again. They all sit down as a Kevin’s speed-dial calls Chad’s number. Kevin can see the tension in Robert and realizes that Robert is really worried about Jason.
“Chad! Hi, it’s Kevin…. How are you and Jason coping?” he listens for a few seconds. “I’m glad to hear that Jason slept well enough, but is still upset..” Kevin gives a little nod at Robert. “Can I talk to Jason?... Yeah, sure…” It seems to Robert that is takes an eternity and then Kevin smiles: “Hey, Jase, how are you?”
As Kevin listens to Jason’s words, there’s nothing Robert would rather do than yank that phone from Kevin’s hands and talk to Jason himself. “Listen, Jason, your brother Robert is here and he’s been looking everywhere for you… He left you several messages.. and he’s worried about you… He wants to talk to you.”
Kevin bites his lip as he listens to Jason. “At arm-length, Jason. I can give the phone to him?” Then he hands over his phone to Robert and he notices that Robert’s hand trembles a bit when he takes it over.
“Jase?” Robert’s voice is soft and hesitant.
“Bobbie.” Comes the soft recognition on the other side. “I’m alright. I hadn’t checked my phone. I want to talk to you too. Can we meet here at Chad’s place? Kevin can drive you. I don’t want to meet somewhere else. I feel safe here. Safe and protected.” Jason sounds gentle and tired and Robert wonders about Jason’s choice of words.
But there’s no time to nit-pick, because he has to hand the phone back to Kevin, who listens to Jason and then says his goodbyes. Robert feels as if he’s in some other dimension. He finds himself all of a sudden, trusting people he doesn’t know, who know his brother in ways he cannot imagine and it feels surreal.
*****
“Julia, are you sure you want to do this?” Tommy asks.
“Yes. If you agree that you can live with my carrying the child of either Justin or Kevin, then I’m willing to go and ask them for their help in this.” Julia replies resolutely.
“This is something I can’t do, so if my brothers will help, I will accept.” Tommy smiles.
Julia beams at the possibility that she might soon be pregnant again.
“It still would be weird though.” Tommy says.
“I think it would be smart if we talk about this with Justin, and above all with Kevin.”
“Kevin?” Tommy asks.
“Yes, I think it would also be smart to look at the legal aspects, before we throw ourselves into something. Maybe we can quickly write down some questions we have and put them before Kevin.” Julia suggests.
“Provided he agrees…” Tommy picks up his phone and calls Kevin. “Oh, answering machine. Guess he and Scotty are either busy or… busy.” Julia laughs as she listens to her husband leaving a message. She feels like she could fly and can only hope that either Justin or Kevin or, even better, both will agree.
*****
“Wow.” Rebecca says as she lets herself fall back in her chair. She looks at her mother and she sees the concern on her mother’s face. “That is quite a story.” Her words fill the silence between them. Holly has informed her on what has happened these last few months with her.
In a short period of time, Rebecca went from having fun because she’s out with her mom, to anger that her mother started a relationship so soon after her father’s death, to resentment for the way William lied to Holly, to feeling sorry for this Walker-family she doesn’t even know and a little bit of guilt for being happy that William is no longer there.
Well, at least he can’t hurt her mother anymore. She sees Holly wring her hands, scared as she is of how angry Rebecca will be. Rebecca reaches out to Holly and her hands cover her mom’s hands.
“I’m sorry, mom. It must all have been very painful.”
“Starting something with William was stupid… I loved your dad so much. And I miss him still. Every day. I sometimes feel so incredibly lonely… No, not because there’s no one around, but because I miss my soul-mate. I have plenty of friends and Emily is really great. Even Nora is incredibly nice and concerned about me. Can you imagine?
When William told me he had lost his wife, I thought I had found someone like me. Someone who had also lost a significant other half. I thought we were lonely together and that slowly… maybe..” Holly shakes her head. Rebecca holds her mother’s hands even tighter and she gives her comfort.
“I don’t like my work here, mom.” Rebecca then softly says. “I want to become involved with the company as dad had wanted me too. I know, I said that I wanted to be independent from you and dad, but Harper’s Landing is in my blood. I’ve always been there and not working there somehow seems… wrong…. I want to come home, mom.”
*****
Connie Lafferty picks up the local news-paper and stares at the face on the front-page. The death of William Walker, who owns a ranch and a lot of orchards just outside Ojai is news. Sad news. There is concern as to what will happen to this family-business. Connie however doesn’t care much about William Walker’s company.
She feels her old anger and hate flare up as she stares at the man who 20 years ago seduced her into his bed and made her his mistress, until his wife found out. He then simply chucked her away like yesterday’s leftovers. She rumples the sheet in her hand, her face filled with anger.
From the other side of the table, Ryan looks at her with concern. He recognizes his mother’s face. He is not sure what triggered his mom’s anger this time, but he knows who’s going to catch the full brunt of it. He starts to tremble and carefully says:
“Mom, your coffee will turn cold.”
Her eyes focus on him and then she smiles and that frightens Ryan even more. He knows his mother. Her anger means ‘keep your little sister Elizabeth out of her way and bear it’, but this sudden shift from deep anger to a smile is scary. He has not seen it before in his mother, who is either cold and distant or infuriated and … dangerous.
END OF PART 77