Post by RMT-Mod-Kara on Sept 17, 2016 18:37:26 GMT -5
Beth had taken her vacation as promised. That left Kate and Kristen running the shop. Today had been Kristen's day on and Kate's day off. Eli and Jake were at Charlie's, fully enrolled in daycare despite Kristen's earlier resistance to doing just that. Tyler was, as always, supportive, encouraging Kristen to go back to work, to focus on something that wasn't Eli and Jake all the time, especially given her underlying fear that they would be found out.
The only problem was that, even though she was at work, Kristen's mind was never really *on* work. It was everywhere else: on the boys, on Beth and Kate, on Wes.... God, she couldn't believe he was actually leaving. He was taking off, going to England, and leaving the country. Who knew when they'd see him again? Hell, who knew if they'd ever talk to him again after he left? People lost touch all the time.
Who would she confide in? Kate and Beth? Kate could barely run her own life and Beth, well, even after Wes' little "intervention" it was still going to take some time to get anywhere near close to the relationship they once had. Of course, she had Tyler. But who was she supposed to go to when she and Tyler had a fight? Who was she supposed to vent to? Who was she supposed to....
The list went on and on and, in the end, she always came back to the same conclusion: Wes couldn't leave. She needed him. Beth needed him--even if she wouldn't ever admit it. Kate needed him. Kayley needed him. It wasn't like her biological father was ever going to step up and do what was right.
He couldn't leave.
Which was why Kristen was standing outside Sean Alexander's apartment door on her lunch hour. If there was anyone who could convince Wes to stay, to not jump across the Atlantic, it was him.
Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, Kristen rang the doorbell.
Sean opened the door not really expecting anyone other than the postal delivery guy. He wore a pair of running shorts and a tank top and he carried his book with him to the door. He was getting in one more chapter before his run. He stood at the door, his jaw dropping slightly when he realized who it was. "Kristen?" He immediately moved to look around to ensure she hadn't brought an entire posse to kick his ass.
Their last meeting had ended on horrible terms. He stepped back slightly, completely caught off guard by her appearance on his doorstep. "Whatever it was...I didn't do it...and I had nothing to do with it."
"I'm not here to fight," she said following an audible sigh. "Can I come in? We need to talk."
When he was certain she was sincere, Sean moved opening the door wider to allow her entrance, "Sure. Can I get you something to drink? Well actually, can I get you a water? I don't have anything else...haven't been to the grocery store in a while..." He closed the door behind her and closed his book, using the pencil he was carrying as a book mark.
"No, thanks," she said. She gave the apartment a once over, surprised at how guys all seemed to live the same when they lived alone. It was very...college bachelor-pad. It reminded her of Tyler's place before they'd moved in together and gotten married. It wasn't messy or dirty by any means--neither was Tyler's--just, very simplistic and very functional.
"Have you talked to Wes?" she asked, delving right into why she was there.
Sean froze and turned to face her, "Not since he queened out on me at the club that night when I asked him how Kate was doing." He shrugged, "Suffice it to say it's been weeks." He didn't want to get into with Kristen. He was pretty damn sure that entire pack was drinking the same Kool Aid and she'd probably feel the same as Wes and Kate did about him asking Wes how Kate was. They were all fucking nuts.
Kristen just nodded. She agreed with Wes, to an extent. It was better that Kate and Sean stayed away from each other. Not because Kate and Sean's feelings for each other were bad or didn't matter, but because they'd both complicated things. Kate by getting pregnant with another man's baby and deciding to raise said baby with Wes rather than with, say, Sean. And Sean by getting involved with non-other than Wes' sister.
"He's leaving," she said, dropping the bomb on Sean that Wes had just dropped on her, Beth, and Kate. "Dean's getting deported back to England...and Wes is going with him."
After taking a moment or two to digest what Kristen had just said, Sean nodded, "Good for him. If he's gonna be with Dean then he needs to commit and be with him. Dean is good for Wes." He completely missed the fact that this was somehow a bad thing.
"He can't leave, Sean," Kristen said, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, he...he.... He just can't leave, okay? And you're the only one who can keep him from going. So, I came her to ask you to do that. Stop Wes from going to England."
Seriously? That's what she thought, "Kristen, look, I understand that you girls and Wes have this unique..." he managed to use a safer word than 'fucked up', "relationship. But come on how fair is that to him? If Tyler was from another country and he was being forced to return...wouldn't you want to go with him?"
"Yeah, I would," she admitted with a nod. "And I would go with him. But I'm not Wes. I'm wouldn't be using Tyler getting deported as a reason to run away. Wes is. I know it, and you know it."
"Run away? From what, Kristen? From his little family he's created with Kate? Come on you and I both know that's what Wes wanted from the beginning - a happy little family cause he sure as hell didn't have one growing up. He had no problem sliding right into the role that we all know if Kate had given me the chance I deserved...I would have taken for her. Wes wanted it...just like everything else he's ever wanted and that's what he got. He runs away now there isn't anything I can do about it."
"Tell him you love him," Kristen blurted out when she realized that Sean wasn't cluing in to what she was trying to get at. "He's not running away from Kate or Kayley, Sean. He's running away from you! I mean, Jesus, Kate told me he ended your friendship and 'queened' out because he can't handle being around you. He needed distance from you. And now, suddenly, he's skipping the country to go live with a boyfriend that doesn't even know that Wes is in love with someone else? Tell me how that's good for him or Dean or anyone."
"And that's EXACTLY what he should be doing, Kristen. Dean is his boyfriend, his partner. I don't have a damn thing to do with what Wes is doing." Sean couldn't believe they were pinning this one on him, "Look, let him go. It will be good for them and if what you're saying is true, then the very last thing I need to be doing is trying to get him to stay. If he and Dean are going to make a go of it, then he needs to go."
"No, what he needs to do is face his feelings and deal with them like an adult. I mean, Jesus, how many times has Kate screwed things up for herself, for you, because she was too chicken-shit to face facts and deal with them? She always ran away. And now she's got two kids by two men who are never around. And the only father one of them has known is taking off because he can't deal with the fact that he's in love with someone who *isn't* his boyfriend." She shook her head, trying to clear out the jumbled mess of thought as she tried to convince Sean to see things as she saw them.
"How is that fair to Dean? Huh? How is it fair to him to have a boyfriend who relocates not because he loves him and wants to be with him but because he wants to get away from the guy he *is* in love with? How would you feel if it was you?"
"How exactly is this my problem, Kristen?" His blue eyes bore into her irritated now that his quiet relaxing evening at home had just been shot to hell with drama that wasn't even his drama.
"Because he's still your friend," she answered. "I don't care if he 'ended' your friendship. It doesn't change the fact that *you* are still his friend and *you* still care about him and what's best for him. You don't strike me as the type that lets go of people easily. How else did you manage to hold onto your feelings for Kate for so long after not seeing her for years?"
Staring at her, Sean shook his head, "People change, Kristen. It is irrelevent how I feel..." he quickly corrected himself, "felt about Kate has nothing to do with this conversation. Wes is a grown man...he is in a relationship with another adult male. They are big boys...they can make their own decisions. If I go and talk him out of it then he'll regret not going...always questioning the what ifs..."
She nodded, half-conceding his point. "Maybe you're right. But, then again, maybe you're wrong and maybe I am. Maybe this has nothing to do with you and convincing Wes to stay will be a huge disaster. Or maybe this has everything to do with you and letting him go without addressing it will be the disaster.
"But the only way to find out the truth, to find out what's really going on, is for you to go to him and tell him what he's been wanting to hear for months: that you're in love with him. If he decides to go anyway, we'll know you were right, it has nothing to do with you. But, if he stays...."
And that last suggestion completely crossed the line. "Alright, that's it...get out." He shook his head, "I'm not playing games with anyone, Kristen. Not Wes...no." He walked to the door and opened it, "There's no reason for this conversation to go any further."
"No reason except for Kayley, right?" Kristen interrupted before he could push her toward the door. "That little girl has a father right now: Wes. Now, I admit, I wasn't any more of a fan of Wes raising a baby with Kate than you were. But, it is was it is. And now he's going to skip the country and leave her behind. And you're dating Wes' sister now, so it's not like you're going to be stepping into his shoes any time soon.
"Do you really want to be the *reason* that little girl loses the only father she may ever know? Do you? Wouldn't you rather know for certain that it has nothing to do with you?"
The look at Sean's face probably spoke volumes, something which was rare given he was not only former military but also studying to be an attorney. "Do you seriously think a two to three month old infant has any awareness of a 'father'? Tell me, Kristen, what exactly do you remember about your parents from that particular time frame in your life?" Shaking his head again, "Do NOT make me the bad guy here. That little girl doesn't even know she has a pseudo-father. All she knows right now is pissing, pooping and eating."
"I'm not saying you're the bad guy, Sean," she countered. "I'm *asking* you to not let your friend run off to another country with another man for the wrong reasons and leave a little girl without a father. Wes will regret that for the rest of his life. I am asking you to be his friend and stop him from making a bad decision."
"Who are you to say whether or not Wes is leaving for the right reason? Last time I checked, leaving somewhere to be with your significant other was a right reason. Just because Wes moves doesn't mean he's not part of that baby girl's life, Kristen."
He clenched his jaw, "Wes has made it abundantly clear that our friendship is over and for all the drama it entailed, I can't say that I'm that broken up over it. From my vantage point, the sooner Wes gets out of that little girl's life the better."
Kristen narrowed her eyes into an angry glare and bit down hard on her lip as she willed herself not to smack Sean across the face. "You selfish prick," she said, shaking her head at her own stupidity. "I can't believe I actually thought you might help. You're right, Sean, you should do nothing. Because that's what you're good at, doing nothing."
Shaking her head, she turned and started for the door, pausing before opening it. "If you ever cared about Kate, if you *really* ever cared about her, you wouldn't let him walk out on her and Kayley. Especially when you know you're the only one who *can* stop him. But, you're right, there's nothing in it for you. So go ahead, don't lift a finger. You never do any other time, why should now be different?"
She was hitting all kinds of nerves, "Let me make something clear to you, Kristen. This isn't my fight - this is NONE of my business. Kate made her decisions a long time ago and she made it crystal clear I wasn't worthwhile enough to stand by her side. She doesn't WANT my involvement - and YOU have no right to come marching in here like some god damned super hero demanding I do what you think is the right thing."
He took a deep breath, "You care so much about me or Wes...why is it that the ONLY time you are ever somewhat pleasant is when YOU want something? Don't answer that I really don't care...just get out."
"Fine, I'll leave," she said, storming out of the apartment and slamming the door behind her.
The only problem was that, even though she was at work, Kristen's mind was never really *on* work. It was everywhere else: on the boys, on Beth and Kate, on Wes.... God, she couldn't believe he was actually leaving. He was taking off, going to England, and leaving the country. Who knew when they'd see him again? Hell, who knew if they'd ever talk to him again after he left? People lost touch all the time.
Who would she confide in? Kate and Beth? Kate could barely run her own life and Beth, well, even after Wes' little "intervention" it was still going to take some time to get anywhere near close to the relationship they once had. Of course, she had Tyler. But who was she supposed to go to when she and Tyler had a fight? Who was she supposed to vent to? Who was she supposed to....
The list went on and on and, in the end, she always came back to the same conclusion: Wes couldn't leave. She needed him. Beth needed him--even if she wouldn't ever admit it. Kate needed him. Kayley needed him. It wasn't like her biological father was ever going to step up and do what was right.
He couldn't leave.
Which was why Kristen was standing outside Sean Alexander's apartment door on her lunch hour. If there was anyone who could convince Wes to stay, to not jump across the Atlantic, it was him.
Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, Kristen rang the doorbell.
Sean opened the door not really expecting anyone other than the postal delivery guy. He wore a pair of running shorts and a tank top and he carried his book with him to the door. He was getting in one more chapter before his run. He stood at the door, his jaw dropping slightly when he realized who it was. "Kristen?" He immediately moved to look around to ensure she hadn't brought an entire posse to kick his ass.
Their last meeting had ended on horrible terms. He stepped back slightly, completely caught off guard by her appearance on his doorstep. "Whatever it was...I didn't do it...and I had nothing to do with it."
"I'm not here to fight," she said following an audible sigh. "Can I come in? We need to talk."
When he was certain she was sincere, Sean moved opening the door wider to allow her entrance, "Sure. Can I get you something to drink? Well actually, can I get you a water? I don't have anything else...haven't been to the grocery store in a while..." He closed the door behind her and closed his book, using the pencil he was carrying as a book mark.
"No, thanks," she said. She gave the apartment a once over, surprised at how guys all seemed to live the same when they lived alone. It was very...college bachelor-pad. It reminded her of Tyler's place before they'd moved in together and gotten married. It wasn't messy or dirty by any means--neither was Tyler's--just, very simplistic and very functional.
"Have you talked to Wes?" she asked, delving right into why she was there.
Sean froze and turned to face her, "Not since he queened out on me at the club that night when I asked him how Kate was doing." He shrugged, "Suffice it to say it's been weeks." He didn't want to get into with Kristen. He was pretty damn sure that entire pack was drinking the same Kool Aid and she'd probably feel the same as Wes and Kate did about him asking Wes how Kate was. They were all fucking nuts.
Kristen just nodded. She agreed with Wes, to an extent. It was better that Kate and Sean stayed away from each other. Not because Kate and Sean's feelings for each other were bad or didn't matter, but because they'd both complicated things. Kate by getting pregnant with another man's baby and deciding to raise said baby with Wes rather than with, say, Sean. And Sean by getting involved with non-other than Wes' sister.
"He's leaving," she said, dropping the bomb on Sean that Wes had just dropped on her, Beth, and Kate. "Dean's getting deported back to England...and Wes is going with him."
After taking a moment or two to digest what Kristen had just said, Sean nodded, "Good for him. If he's gonna be with Dean then he needs to commit and be with him. Dean is good for Wes." He completely missed the fact that this was somehow a bad thing.
"He can't leave, Sean," Kristen said, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, he...he.... He just can't leave, okay? And you're the only one who can keep him from going. So, I came her to ask you to do that. Stop Wes from going to England."
Seriously? That's what she thought, "Kristen, look, I understand that you girls and Wes have this unique..." he managed to use a safer word than 'fucked up', "relationship. But come on how fair is that to him? If Tyler was from another country and he was being forced to return...wouldn't you want to go with him?"
"Yeah, I would," she admitted with a nod. "And I would go with him. But I'm not Wes. I'm wouldn't be using Tyler getting deported as a reason to run away. Wes is. I know it, and you know it."
"Run away? From what, Kristen? From his little family he's created with Kate? Come on you and I both know that's what Wes wanted from the beginning - a happy little family cause he sure as hell didn't have one growing up. He had no problem sliding right into the role that we all know if Kate had given me the chance I deserved...I would have taken for her. Wes wanted it...just like everything else he's ever wanted and that's what he got. He runs away now there isn't anything I can do about it."
"Tell him you love him," Kristen blurted out when she realized that Sean wasn't cluing in to what she was trying to get at. "He's not running away from Kate or Kayley, Sean. He's running away from you! I mean, Jesus, Kate told me he ended your friendship and 'queened' out because he can't handle being around you. He needed distance from you. And now, suddenly, he's skipping the country to go live with a boyfriend that doesn't even know that Wes is in love with someone else? Tell me how that's good for him or Dean or anyone."
"And that's EXACTLY what he should be doing, Kristen. Dean is his boyfriend, his partner. I don't have a damn thing to do with what Wes is doing." Sean couldn't believe they were pinning this one on him, "Look, let him go. It will be good for them and if what you're saying is true, then the very last thing I need to be doing is trying to get him to stay. If he and Dean are going to make a go of it, then he needs to go."
"No, what he needs to do is face his feelings and deal with them like an adult. I mean, Jesus, how many times has Kate screwed things up for herself, for you, because she was too chicken-shit to face facts and deal with them? She always ran away. And now she's got two kids by two men who are never around. And the only father one of them has known is taking off because he can't deal with the fact that he's in love with someone who *isn't* his boyfriend." She shook her head, trying to clear out the jumbled mess of thought as she tried to convince Sean to see things as she saw them.
"How is that fair to Dean? Huh? How is it fair to him to have a boyfriend who relocates not because he loves him and wants to be with him but because he wants to get away from the guy he *is* in love with? How would you feel if it was you?"
"How exactly is this my problem, Kristen?" His blue eyes bore into her irritated now that his quiet relaxing evening at home had just been shot to hell with drama that wasn't even his drama.
"Because he's still your friend," she answered. "I don't care if he 'ended' your friendship. It doesn't change the fact that *you* are still his friend and *you* still care about him and what's best for him. You don't strike me as the type that lets go of people easily. How else did you manage to hold onto your feelings for Kate for so long after not seeing her for years?"
Staring at her, Sean shook his head, "People change, Kristen. It is irrelevent how I feel..." he quickly corrected himself, "felt about Kate has nothing to do with this conversation. Wes is a grown man...he is in a relationship with another adult male. They are big boys...they can make their own decisions. If I go and talk him out of it then he'll regret not going...always questioning the what ifs..."
She nodded, half-conceding his point. "Maybe you're right. But, then again, maybe you're wrong and maybe I am. Maybe this has nothing to do with you and convincing Wes to stay will be a huge disaster. Or maybe this has everything to do with you and letting him go without addressing it will be the disaster.
"But the only way to find out the truth, to find out what's really going on, is for you to go to him and tell him what he's been wanting to hear for months: that you're in love with him. If he decides to go anyway, we'll know you were right, it has nothing to do with you. But, if he stays...."
And that last suggestion completely crossed the line. "Alright, that's it...get out." He shook his head, "I'm not playing games with anyone, Kristen. Not Wes...no." He walked to the door and opened it, "There's no reason for this conversation to go any further."
"No reason except for Kayley, right?" Kristen interrupted before he could push her toward the door. "That little girl has a father right now: Wes. Now, I admit, I wasn't any more of a fan of Wes raising a baby with Kate than you were. But, it is was it is. And now he's going to skip the country and leave her behind. And you're dating Wes' sister now, so it's not like you're going to be stepping into his shoes any time soon.
"Do you really want to be the *reason* that little girl loses the only father she may ever know? Do you? Wouldn't you rather know for certain that it has nothing to do with you?"
The look at Sean's face probably spoke volumes, something which was rare given he was not only former military but also studying to be an attorney. "Do you seriously think a two to three month old infant has any awareness of a 'father'? Tell me, Kristen, what exactly do you remember about your parents from that particular time frame in your life?" Shaking his head again, "Do NOT make me the bad guy here. That little girl doesn't even know she has a pseudo-father. All she knows right now is pissing, pooping and eating."
"I'm not saying you're the bad guy, Sean," she countered. "I'm *asking* you to not let your friend run off to another country with another man for the wrong reasons and leave a little girl without a father. Wes will regret that for the rest of his life. I am asking you to be his friend and stop him from making a bad decision."
"Who are you to say whether or not Wes is leaving for the right reason? Last time I checked, leaving somewhere to be with your significant other was a right reason. Just because Wes moves doesn't mean he's not part of that baby girl's life, Kristen."
He clenched his jaw, "Wes has made it abundantly clear that our friendship is over and for all the drama it entailed, I can't say that I'm that broken up over it. From my vantage point, the sooner Wes gets out of that little girl's life the better."
Kristen narrowed her eyes into an angry glare and bit down hard on her lip as she willed herself not to smack Sean across the face. "You selfish prick," she said, shaking her head at her own stupidity. "I can't believe I actually thought you might help. You're right, Sean, you should do nothing. Because that's what you're good at, doing nothing."
Shaking her head, she turned and started for the door, pausing before opening it. "If you ever cared about Kate, if you *really* ever cared about her, you wouldn't let him walk out on her and Kayley. Especially when you know you're the only one who *can* stop him. But, you're right, there's nothing in it for you. So go ahead, don't lift a finger. You never do any other time, why should now be different?"
She was hitting all kinds of nerves, "Let me make something clear to you, Kristen. This isn't my fight - this is NONE of my business. Kate made her decisions a long time ago and she made it crystal clear I wasn't worthwhile enough to stand by her side. She doesn't WANT my involvement - and YOU have no right to come marching in here like some god damned super hero demanding I do what you think is the right thing."
He took a deep breath, "You care so much about me or Wes...why is it that the ONLY time you are ever somewhat pleasant is when YOU want something? Don't answer that I really don't care...just get out."
"Fine, I'll leave," she said, storming out of the apartment and slamming the door behind her.