A/N: i had a few extra chapters already written for this story so i decided to post again earlier than i had planned to. Also, i want to thank everyone for the great feedback so far. hope you enjoy.
Chapter 11
“Come in”
“Hey babe, you busy?” Billy asked, peeking in.
“No, come on in” she offered, watching as he closed the door behind him but he stayed leaning against it rather than coming forward to sit. “Something on your mind?” she asked, pulling her glasses off and setting them down on the desk.
“Well I’ve been around all day, and I noticed that your boy wasn’t, something happen?” he asked. Daphne should have known that Billy would be the first to notice. He was usually very observant, though she knew it had to do with where he grew up, the kind of place where you had to keep your eye out around you if you wanted to keep you and yours safe.
“He said our relationship wasn’t working for him anymore and left last night” Daphne answered, watching how he came further into the office then but rather than go to a chair, he came to lean up against her desk.
“He was a prick anyway, he just hid it better than most people” Billy stated.
“Yeah, then why didn’t you say something before?” she playfully questioned but he didn’t smile. “Hey” she said, taking his hand to get his attention. While Billy was a great guy and easy to be around, he wasn’t much for feelings and emotions which was why his words surprised her when he started to talk again.
“I’ve known you for about three and a half years now and I knew then that you were broken. The money and the nice apartment, they don’t mean any thing to you. The only thing I ever really saw you care about from your past was Isabel. It isn’t easy for you to let someone in, I know that, so when you let the ass in, I didn’t say anything because it meant you were finally opening yourself up to someone that wasn’t just a friend” Billy explained to her, running his hand from the top of her head, down the long strands before returning it to it’s position on the desk. “I know I don’t ask, but that don’t mean I won’t listen if you want me to.”
“Ditto” Daphne replied, smiling up at him.
“Come here, cornball” he said, tugging on her arm, bringing her into his arms as he hugged her like a protective older brother would. Pulling back, he couldn’t help but say, “Now that we’ve established that I see things, you wanna tell me about the guy and his kid?”
“Someday… when I’m over it” she admitted.
“I’ll mark it in my planner” he said, mockingly, smirking at her affronted look.
“I’ll have you know that I don’t use a planner” she defended. “I have a great secretary” she said, raising her chin defiantly.
“Yeah, way to put me in my place” Billy replied. “Come on babe, you’re gonna go upstairs and you’re gonna change out of the power girl suit and put on some casual duds, then me and Rena are gonna take you out to a movie or something…it’s only six so the town shouldn’t shut down for another… three maybe four hours”
“Smart ass” Daphne muttered but followed his instructions and went upstairs to change. Replacing her skirt for a pair of low rise jeans, she paired it off with a bluish green cable knit sweater and a pair of black doc martens. She pulled the twist off and let her hair hang loose, combing her fingers through it a few times to tame the waves.
Remembering that Zan still had her keys, she went in search of him, eventually finding him and Max talking with a tall, beautiful woman who had mid-length auburn hair and big brown eyes.
“Daphne” Max said, happily when he caught sight of her.
“Hey, I just needed my keys” she said, watching the subtle glance Zan made towards the woman before standing, to dig the keys out of his pocket. Swapping with the ones she had, she was prepared to just walk out when his voice halted her.
“Daph, this is Eileen Burrows” he introduced as she came forward, wrapping one arm around his torso while she held the other out.
“Daphne Forrest, nice to meet you” she politely returned.
“You have a lovely house” Eileen complimented, looking around the spacious living room that was both festive and thanks to her mother’s decorating talent, impeccably tasteful. “And it was very gracious of you to allow me to stay here” she added, smiling brightly at Daphne.
“It’s no problem, really” she replied, trying not to show her discomfort to either Zan or his girlfriend. “Well, I have plans, so I have to get going.”
“Where you going?” Max questioned.
“Max” Zan scolded while an apologetic look graced his face.
“Billy and Serena are taking me to go see a movie” Daphne answered him as though Zan had never spoken.
“Cool” he replied.
“Hey babe, you about ready” Billy asked, coming forward to throw a protective arm around her shoulders. “Mike and Maria are tagging along, you think the five of us will make it or do we need to drive separately?” he asked. Because they were her personal guests, Daphne had given the couple use of one of the cars she had parked in the garage.
Her father, who liked to drive, had an off-road truck which was his favorite, there was her mother’s Mercedes, a Bentley, an old restored mustang and her Camaro. Billy was uncomfortable driving something really expensive so he chose the old car which despite its age, still looked great. “We should be fine” she replied, smiling at his attempt to help out.
“Cool, later” he said to the others, swinging Daphne around to lead her out.
“Bye” she called out over her shoulder, hearing Max’s answering “See ya”
“So what are we gonna see and nothing with explosions or more than five dead people” Maria warned as they were all walked out to the garage.
“Sweet ride” Michael said, catching sight of the Camaro.
“Here” she said, tossing him the keys. “My car’s a whore, everyone’s driven her, might as well take your turn” she shrugged, receiving an amused smirk from him as Maria continued to rant about not wanting to see something that would scare her into vivid nightmares.
“Is it so wrong that I don’t want to see bodies splattering against the screen for two plus hours? Because truthfully, I don’t even understand what kind of a person would make a movie like that, what’s so great about loud explosions, blood and gore? You would think that these directors are demented and if they’re not then there’s no way they sleep at night, who would be able to sleep after seeing something like that, certainly not me because I’ll be thinking about it or wondering about it and then comes the mental pictures and the whole thing is really just…”
And that was what it was like the whole way to the theater.
~&~&~&~&~&~Three Days to Go~&~&~&~&~&~
“So we were thinking of places we could take Isabel after the party and everything but we have no idea what’s around here, so maybe you can give us an idea or two.” While Maria, Serena, Eileen and Isabel sat inside the Crashdown, on the phone with the caterer and the reception hall, Tess and Daphne were checking on the details for the bachelorette party.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“A club, it doesn’t have be a strip club, just somewhere we can all drink and be loud in” Tess replied. They were driving to the baker, who had prepared some samples for the groom’s cake. Isabel, who was completely paranoid about fitting into her dress, refused to go, sending Daphne instead since it wasn’t as though she’d gain weight any way. Wanting to get away from the madness that was a frantic Isabel, Tess volunteered to tag along.
“How many of us again?” Daphne asked, trying to remember all the women who would be up for it.
“Four bride’s maids, the bride, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Whitman, Mrs. Parker, Lonnie, cousins Patricia, Jackie and Rachel, then there’s Katie and Eileen. So that’s fourteen women” Tess replied, counting them off on her fingers.
Thinking back, there was only one club she could remember Isabel going to and that was Devil’s Angel where they managed to use Tommy to make Alex jealous. It might be fun to go back there to dance and drink now that they were legal. As far as she knew, she and Isabel were the youngest so there shouldn’t be a problem with the others getting in.
“I have just the place” Daphne decided with a grin on her face as she told Tess all about it and why it would be perfect for Isabel.
“We’ll need to organize designated drivers or at least hire them because you know some of those women, especially the moms, are gonna get so plastered” Tess laughed as they both pictured it. “Do you know of a place?”
“Not around here, but…”she trailed off, reaching for her cell phone. “Hi, this is Miss Forrest, may I please speak with Christopher?” she asked while Tess shot her a curious glance. “Chris, hey, it’s Daphne, I know that it’s very short notice, but I was wondering if we could get the four cars here to Roswell tomorrow night for a private party we’re having.”
“Anything for you love” he replied and she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Thanks, say about 8:30?”
“We’ll be there”
“Thank you, I’ll see you then, bye.”
“Okay, what was that all about?” Tess questioned the second she closed her phone.
“The company keeps four limos around for parties and functions or when we have special clients with us. Christopher is the son of my father’s old regular driver and he’s the one I always use whenever I’m around” she explained. “I figure we could fit seven in each and give the other two to the guys so that they won’t have to worry about drinking either” she suggested but this time it was Tess who reached for a phone to call Kyle and let him know.
While they stood in front of a large glass counter and waited for the baker to bring out the samples, Tess looked over a Daphne, a nervous expression on her face. “I wanted to apologize to you for Kyle. He told me what he said to you the other night and…well he has a bad habit of not thinking before he speaks but I hope he didn’t really offend you or make things weird.”
“It was…a surprise, but that was mostly because I didn’t think Zan would have thought to talk about what happened with us” Daphne shrugged.
“He didn’t do it on purpose” Tess stated, biting her lip as though unsure of whether or not to say more before finally just shaking her head and continuing. “It was just after he’d moved to Chicago, probably no more than a few months and we were sitting with Max because he had some work thing to go to but I guess he went out afterwards and came back completely drunk. He started talking and we weren’t really sure what he was saying but between the two of us, Kyle and I pieced it together. We never asked Zan about it after that” she explained.
Unsure of what to say, Daphne didn’t say anything. “If it’s worth anything, though I’m not sure because of your boyfriend but…”
“He’s not” Daphne absent mindedly corrected. “We broke up, that’s why he hasn’t been around” she explained, knowing that with everyone going in and out of the house all day, it would be impossible to know unless you were looking for him, something she realized later the morning after, which meant that besides Billy, Tess was one of the firsts that she had to tell it to.
“Oh, I’m sorry” Tess replied, seemingly unsure all over again.
“Here we go ladies” Villandra, the baker, said, holding out a tray of various chocolate flavor cakes, there were at least thirty of them.
“Hot damn” Daphne muttered while she and a reluctant Tess, got to work on the samples.
It was close to an hour and a very full stomach later, that they finally made a choice, choosing the double fudge chocolate chocolate with a mixture of half chocolate, half caramel frosting. “You are going to love this cake” Villandra assured, handing them each a napkin and a glass of water to wash it all down with. “It’ll be delivered with the wedding cake, 7:00 at the Wilshire Reception Center.”
“Great, thanks Villandra” the two girls said, waving as they hurried out of the store, both unable to stand the smell of chocolate much less eat it or any thing else for that matter.
“I’m never eating again” Tess groaned.
“Not even at the rehearsal dinner tonight?” Daphne asked, reminding that tonight was the first of wedding functions. Tomorrow would be the bachelorette party and the day after would be the sleep over, followed by brunch on the day of the wedding. They’d carefully planned out four days worth of activities to make the whole experience a fun one for Isabel.
“Damn” she muttered. “I can just feel my hips expanding” she whined, shuttering at the thought. “You know, it really isn’t fair that you look like that.”
“And all of you are crazy, Maria is as thin as a rail, Isabel looks perfect, Serena doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her and you have a great figure, I don’t see why you all fuss over green salads, there is definitely not a shortage of babes in the wedding party” Daphne replied, shaking her head at their self consciousness.
“Fine, so we aren’t porkers, but it’s because we eat like rabbits, you, on the other hand, have consumed a burger and fries everyday you’ve been here, sometimes twice in one day, you drink soda, lots of it and I swear I saw a beer in your hand last night and you look like…perfect” she complimented.
“I’m hardly ever in one place for very long” Daphne replied to explain why her metabolism was so fast.
“I noticed that” Tess commented though it was obvious she didn’t mean it in a bad way. “I can’t believe you’re only twenty one years old, that number seems like a lifetime ago for me.”
“If you don’t mind me asking…”
“Twenty seven” Tess answered before she had to ask. “Kyle and I both, then Maria’s twenty six, Mike is twenty eight and then Zan…well you know how old Zan is but that Eileen…she’s the senior citizen in our group. Thirty one years old, a full decade older than you” she continued on and Daphne seriously wondered whether or not Kyle was the only one who spoke before thinking things through first.
Praying for some sort of diversion, Daphne looked down at her phone as though it was possessed when it started ringing. “Hello?” she cautiously answered.
“Daffy, are you almost through at the bakery?”
“We’re on our way back now Izzy” Daphne replied. “Did you get everything straightened out on your end?”
“All square” Isabel replied. “We’re all going back home to rest for a while, so you and Tess can just go back to your house instead of meeting us at the Crash.”
The two friends talked for a couple minutes more though mostly it was because Daphne was trying to hold off from talking to Tess again, not sure she wanted to know what else she would say, despite understanding that the blonde girl meant well.
When they finally got back to the house, Daphne locked herself away while everyone congregated in the living room to talk and watch some…something or other on the TV. Quickly checking her messages and e-mail, she was just about to get up to grab a book to read, really reluctant to go back out there with the others, but halted in place when a short pair of eyes peaked in. “Come on” Daphne said, gesturing him forward.
“Are you busy?” he asked though did as he was told and came further in.
“Not at all. What are you up to?”
“Nothing, bored” Max replied, shuffling his feet nervously as he held his hands behind his back.
“Was there something you wanted to ask me?” Daphne asked as she knelt down in front of him.
“I’m sorry” he whispered and when she put a finger gently underneath his chin to raise his gaze, she noticed his eyes were red, as though he had been crying. “I wanted to show daddy the picture so I went to get it, but I dropped something and…” he trailed off. It was then that she noticed something drip on the floor behind him. Pulling his hands forward, she saw a cut across three of his fingers and realized what had happened.
Quickly, she scooped him up, not caring that he was getting blood on her shirt and calmly walked to the stairs, not wanting to scare him. “Zan, could you come up here for a minute” she called down into the living room just as she reached the top landing. Going straight to her room, she took Max into the bathroom and set him down on the counter.
She turned the water taps on and placed his hand beneath the cool spray to wash the blood away, before gently holding it in hers. “This is going to sting, just a little” she warned before putting some antiseptic on with a cue-tip to clean the area.
“Daph?” she heard Zan call out.
“Bathroom, come on in!” she yelled back.
“What happened to your…Max” he said, looking between the two as she cleaned up him, while small fingerprints of dried blood lingered on her light blue shirt. “Hey buddy” he said, his voice instantly lowering to a soothing timber. “What happened?” he asked.
“I didn’t mean to” Max stated before turning back to Daphne. “I’m sorry I broke it” he whispered, tears threatening to spill from his eyes again as he stared into hers.
Once he was all bandaged up, complete with butterfly stitches and everything to be on the safe side, Daphne pulled him into a warm hug. “It’s okay Max, it was an accident, just ask someone for help the next time, okay?”
“I will” he solemnly nodded.
“Promise?”
“Promise” he agreed.
“Good, so why don’t we show your dad the picture now, okay?” Zan lifted Max up off the counter and followed Daphne into her room and it was strange to both being in there together again, especially after all the time he spent asleep and doing other things on her bed. Reaching into the same drawer as before, careful not to step on broken glass, Daphne pulled out the picture of a fifteen year old Zan and handed it to him before kneeling back down to pick up the remnants of the picture frame, cringing when she saw blood along some of the edges.
“Please tell me that Isabel gave this to you and that there isn’t two copies of it floating around” Zan groaned when he saw the familiar picture, unable to keep from laughing in spite of it.
“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t” Daphne replied, smirking mischievously
“I’m keeping this” he said, sticking it in his pocket.
“You can’t, we made a deal” Max told before Daphne had to. “I could show you but you couldn’t keep it.”
“You made a deal with my son against me?” Zan stated with a dramatic flair while she simply grinned in return. “Hey Max, do me a favor, go put this away in my bag and I’ll give it back to Daphne right before we leave. That isn’t against the rules, right?” he asked
“Nope” Max replied, happy to be given a task. Zan got up to close the door while Daphne stared at him as though he were evil. “Using my child against me” he said, clucking disapprovingly. “You do realize that, you’re gonna get it now” he said, and that was all the warning she got before he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her down on the bed, his fingers instantly finding the ticklish spots on her skin.
It was as though time stood still and they weren’t looking at each other four years later, they were looking into their past. Stilling above her, he stared down into her eyes, knowing that it was wrong, but still unable to stop himself from lowering his lips to meet hers.
Nobody's Home (AA, Zan, Adult, UC/CC) [COMPLETE]
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm
Nobody's Home - Ch.12 5/20/05
Chapter 12
“Okay, so I know that Isabel and I are supposed to make some sort of speech, but honestly, I’m not good with words and truthfully, I don’t have the ones to properly thank all of you for being here and I can’t tell you how much it means to us that we have so many friends and family to share this… incredible experience with. So thank you, to all of you” Alex said, raising his glass in the air, though remained standing as Isabel took her turn.
“Well, to start with, I also want to add my thanks to everyone and I’m so glad that so many of you could make it. I want to also say a special thank you to my bride’s maids who have been amazing throughout all of my crazy moments” the four women had to laugh at that. “I want to say thank you to my parents, Diane and Philip Evans and my older brother Zan, but last and certainly not least, I want to thank my best friend, Daphne, who’s been an absolute dream, taking so much on her shoulders for me and not once complaining about having to carry it. You really are the best, and I love you for it, so again, thank you to everybody.”
Everyone raised their glasses in salute while Alex helped Isabel into her chair.
For the occasion, they rented out Chez Pierre, the fanciest restaurant in town, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Whitman. Everyone was grouped in fours and sixes among the scattering of round tables. Because of their titles as maid of honor and best man, Zan and Daphne had to sit with Alex and Isabel and their table also included the ring bearer and flower girl, Max and Olivia.
The couple’s parents sat together and the bride’s maids were seated with the groom’s men. Everyone one else had just placed themselves where they wanted for the night and so far, the evening had been a great success.
Once the meal was through, the entire wedding party was asked, by the parents, to get up a dance a song together. Obligingly, they all agreed while Tess went up to the little stereo and popped in a CD she’d burned at Alex’s a couple days before. Holding his hand out, Zan waited for Daphne to take it before leading her out onto the floor.
Reluctantly, she wrapped one arm around his neck while her other hand lay gently within his own. She expected him to be as uneasy as she was but realized he obviously wasn’t when the arm holding her around the waist, pulled, drawing her closer towards him just as the beginning of the song filled the room and the couples began to dance.
She looks into my eyes, I’m alive again
And when she says goodbye, I just die again
That’s when my restlessness begins, please don’t let it win
I’m so tired again
And underneath the haze, one thing still remains the same
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
“I know I shouldn’t have done that earlier” Zan said quietly as he lowered his head to rest lightly against hers. His mouth hovered beside her ear, sending a child up her spine at the sound of his voice though she forced herself to remain impassive. “Just please don’t be mad at me.”
“If you know you shouldn’t have done it, why did you?” Daphne asked back, just as softly as he had.
“Because sometimes the wrong thing, is the thing you want” Zan replied.
She walked into my life, and my world is still
She reached into my soul and all my doubts were killed
That’s when my loneliness subsided, she gave me the will
I could fight it
But nothing can erase the one thing that remains the same
“Why did he leave?”
“Doesn’t really matter, in the end they’ll always go” Daphne replied, wanting to hurt him, knowing in her heart that it wasn’t his fault he had to leave her all that time ago, but her head was stubborn and it wanted him to hurt for being so happy when the thought of him was always holding her back.
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
So just tell me what I should do
I left everything for you
And I can hardly breathe
Cause I know I lost you from my world
From my…
“Not if you don’t want them to” Zan whispered against her ear, “If you want them to stay, really want them to stay, sometimes all you have to do is say so and they might surprise you” he told, tightening his hold as discretely as he could, while still wanting her closer to him.
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
You’re all I need
My only love
And now you’re gone away from here
All I need my only love
You’re everything and now you’re gone
You’re all I need
My only love I’ve known
She’s the light brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
“And sometimes, a girl doesn’t want to have to ask” Daphne replied, stepping back from him and returning to the table along with some of the others while a few more got up to join the remaining couples. From where she sat, Daphne saw Eileen go up to Zan and ask him to dance. Turning away, she focused on where Max stood, dancing with a taller, five year old Olivia and couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face.
“You know, that song was to tell you something, I hope you listen” Tess whispered in her ear as she passed by, holding onto to Kyle as he led her onto the floor.
Before her mind could register the words, she was saved, “Would you dance with me?” Billy asked, holding his hand out.
“With pleasure, sir” Daphne smiled, allowing her to lead her back out there among the other dancing couples.
“Do you ever wonder who invented dancing? I mean, thought to turn on some music and have people stand up and basically have a moving hug?” he asked in a question so inane that she had to laugh, though she suspected it was what he’d been aiming for. “So I hear we’re going to a bachelor party in a limo, thanks to the fairy godmother.”
“Is that what you think?” Daphne asked, never once removing her head from where it rested against his shoulder. He was comforting, he made her feel safe in a way that she hadn’t in a very long time and she was glad and proud to have him as her friend.
“Isn’t that what they call girls like you?”
“Girls like what?” she asked, finally meeting his gaze with a curious one of her own.
“Angels here on earth” Billy replied. “Sometimes I don’t know how you can give so much without ever asking for anything back, even with little things and then sometimes I think you’re crazy for all the help you give everyone.”
“I’m not perfect, please don’t paint my picture with white wings and a golden halo” Daphne replied, looking him straight in the eye then, wanting him to see that she truly didn’t see herself that way. “I make mistakes and I’m just as selfish as the next person, I just hide it well” she said, repeating the words he’d spoken about Grant.
Nodding, Billy agreed, not saying anything else for the remainder of the song. When it was over, just before Serena came to claim him, he asked in a voice so serious sounding she wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. “Since we’re partying separate tomorrow, what do you say we go out and get plastered tonight?”
“You can take the boy out of the city…” Daphne trailed off, shaking her head in amusement as she walked away. “You having fun?” Daphne asked Max when she returned to the table, finding that he was the only one there since Olivia seemed to be dancing with her father.
“Uh huh, food’s great” Max said with a big smile on his face. “Could you dance with me?” he asked, cocking his head to side in question.
“I think I could do that” Daphne agreed. Holding both his hands in hers between them, she tried to follow whatever steps he was taking but spent most of the song laughing as they fumbled around. “Thank you for that” she said, kneeling to kiss his cheek when the song was over, smiling at how he looked down, bashful.
“You think you can share?” Zan asked Max.
“Uh huh” Max said, shaking his head yes. Zan ruffled his hair as he ran off back to the table.
Wrapping both arms around her waist, Zan held her to him, allowing only a small amount of space between their bodies. “Don’t you think you’re girlfriend might get the wrong idea if she sees us?” Daphne asked as the song began.
What day is it - and in what month
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
“What’s the wrong idea?” Zan asked back.
“Not really sure but seeing the two of us dancing like this might be it” Daphne replied.
All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
“She went outside to make a call, some work stuff came up” Zan replied, pulling her even closer then.
“Zan, what are you doing? You and I can’t get close again, we can’t…we just, can’t” Daphne sighed, hating that she was content right where she was, that she hadn’t felt even half of what she felt for Zan when she was with Grant. She hated that he could still push her buttons and pull her around by the strings and most of all, she hated that she wanted him to.
There's something about you now
I can't quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
What day is it
And in what month
This clock never seemed so alive
“Why did you let him walk away from you, why didn’t you ask him to stay?”
“Because” she said, giving in and just answering him. “Because I didn’t want to have a relationship with someone who couldn’t accept what I am and what I do. Because I didn’t want someone that didn’t want me.”
“So now tell me why you and I can’t get close again?” he asked, one song leading into another as he never ceased his hold on her, not willing to let go until he got some answers and gave some back.
“We live in two different worlds now Zan. You have a life and child and…a girlfriend, in Chicago. I have an existence in New York, I’m not who I once was, I don’t blame anyone but myself for that but…I’m not the girl you remember and I haven’t been in a long time.”
“I know you’re not that girl anymore, but in the last few days…I see someone else, I see a woman who is stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for and I see someone that…” he trailed off, chuckling lightly. “I see someone that my son adores. I see the girl that grew up into this incredible woman but the important part, is that I see you.”
“You can’t do this to me, you can’t make me start to think about things I can never have, it isn’t fair” Daphne protested, wanting to walk away then and yet knowing that he wouldn’t let her.
“Who says you can’t have them?”
“You have girlfriend, Eileen, remember, the tall red head staying in your bedroom” Daphne retorted, looking away from him, trying to focus on some thing other than the feel of his hands on her hips, the body leaning into her own and the broad shoulders she held on to. He was sucking her back in to this…abyss of lust and love and she couldn’t go there again because if she had to climb out again, she knew she wouldn’t survive it.
He didn’t say anything else and when the song ended, he let her go and she didn’t stop until she was outside and away from the laughter and smiling faces of friends and family. His silence had been answer enough; he also wanted something he couldn’t have, her on the side. Enforced rules and no strings had been enough before but now that she knew what it was like to love him, it would never be enough again, no matter how much she may have wanted it to be.
She didn’t turn when she heard someone walk out, she didn’t turn when she felt a jacket being placed around her shoulders, the scent enveloping her in a warm blanket of comfort, but she did lean against him when he sat down beside her on the curb. “So now do you want to go get plastered?”
Looking up at him, she nodded. “Now I wanna go get plastered” she agreed.
“I’ll get Rena”
“I’ll be here”
~&~&~&~&~&
Around 4AM the three friends snuck back into the house, quiet so as to not wake anyone else. Billy and Serena went straight to the pool house but as tired and sleepy as she felt, Daphne knew she wouldn’t sleep, not tonight. Walking through the darkened rooms, Daphne went to the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich and to get a tall glass of water.
Somewhere along the line, she’d stopped being drunk and now she was just in this state of complete awareness and it was driving her crazy as memories and past conversations filled her head. She thought about the place in her life she was currently living in and after that she thought about how she’d gotten there. She knew it all went back to one place and until she finally spoke her peace, it was going to keep making her crazy.
Tossing the sandwich remains in the garbage bin, she swiped her keys off the counter she’d placed them on and walked out, never stopping to think about what she was doing, knowing she just had to go while her resolve held.
The streets were quiet and still, silence filling all the empty spaces as she drove.
The gates were closed when she got there but she didn’t let that stop her. Pulling off her heels, she climbed the fence, very gracefully considering she was in a dress and landed on the other side just as lithely as a cat would have, thanks to all the years of sneaking off campus after curfew during her time at private school.
Heels back in place, she walked with confidence despite what she was really feeling inside. She didn’t care that it was freezing and that she wasn’t wearing a jacket over the sleeveless halter style dress. She didn’t care that the sky looked as though it wanted to rain and she didn’t care that it was the middle of the night in a place that was locked.
When she got there, she stopped, staring at the marble, big and protruding beneath a weeping willow, just as they’d wanted, just as they had planned years before. Dropping to her knees on the soft earth, she traced the letters with her finger, running her hands lightly over the cool stone before finally letting them just fall away.
“I know that it’s been a while and that you could probably count the number of times I’ve been here on one hand. I’m sorry that I don’t come to see you more, I’m sorry that…that I haven’t been better, I know you had a lot of expectations for me and I’m trying, so hard, not to let you down. I miss you both, so much that sometimes it physically hurts my heart to know that I can’t pick up the phone and call you.”
As sobs began to rack her body, the rain began to fall, water mixing until you couldn’t tell which was which. She was getting soaked, but she didn’t care, it didn’t matter, not now that she was finally back, finally saying all the things she held inside.
“I hated you both when you left me, you were always leaving me but this time I knew you weren’t coming back and I hated you for doing that. I hate the person I became, I hate that the best way to find me is to call the office or send me a fax. I hate that I became this machine that holds everyone away and at a distance. I just wish…so much, that I could go back, that I could be the girl who believed in everything. I wish you were here. I’d give it all up, the money the company… everything, I’d give up in a second if I could have you both back.”
“Sometimes when I wake up, I think it was all a dream and then reality comes crashing back. I used to be able to lose myself but I can’t seem to do it anymore. I can’t get lost, and I can’t exist the way I am. Please help me, please help me find myself again…please”
“…Tell I was dreaming
That you didn’t leave me here to cry
You didn’t say you don’t love me anymore
It was just my imagination telling lies
Tell me that you didn’t say goodbye…”
A/N: The first song is called "She's" by Ryan Cabrera and the second one is "You and Me" by Lifehouse. The last little quote is from a country song called "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" but I don't remember the name of the singer. If by some chance someone knows, let me know and i'll make sure to put the singer's name down here.
“Okay, so I know that Isabel and I are supposed to make some sort of speech, but honestly, I’m not good with words and truthfully, I don’t have the ones to properly thank all of you for being here and I can’t tell you how much it means to us that we have so many friends and family to share this… incredible experience with. So thank you, to all of you” Alex said, raising his glass in the air, though remained standing as Isabel took her turn.
“Well, to start with, I also want to add my thanks to everyone and I’m so glad that so many of you could make it. I want to also say a special thank you to my bride’s maids who have been amazing throughout all of my crazy moments” the four women had to laugh at that. “I want to say thank you to my parents, Diane and Philip Evans and my older brother Zan, but last and certainly not least, I want to thank my best friend, Daphne, who’s been an absolute dream, taking so much on her shoulders for me and not once complaining about having to carry it. You really are the best, and I love you for it, so again, thank you to everybody.”
Everyone raised their glasses in salute while Alex helped Isabel into her chair.
For the occasion, they rented out Chez Pierre, the fanciest restaurant in town, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Whitman. Everyone was grouped in fours and sixes among the scattering of round tables. Because of their titles as maid of honor and best man, Zan and Daphne had to sit with Alex and Isabel and their table also included the ring bearer and flower girl, Max and Olivia.
The couple’s parents sat together and the bride’s maids were seated with the groom’s men. Everyone one else had just placed themselves where they wanted for the night and so far, the evening had been a great success.
Once the meal was through, the entire wedding party was asked, by the parents, to get up a dance a song together. Obligingly, they all agreed while Tess went up to the little stereo and popped in a CD she’d burned at Alex’s a couple days before. Holding his hand out, Zan waited for Daphne to take it before leading her out onto the floor.
Reluctantly, she wrapped one arm around his neck while her other hand lay gently within his own. She expected him to be as uneasy as she was but realized he obviously wasn’t when the arm holding her around the waist, pulled, drawing her closer towards him just as the beginning of the song filled the room and the couples began to dance.
She looks into my eyes, I’m alive again
And when she says goodbye, I just die again
That’s when my restlessness begins, please don’t let it win
I’m so tired again
And underneath the haze, one thing still remains the same
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
“I know I shouldn’t have done that earlier” Zan said quietly as he lowered his head to rest lightly against hers. His mouth hovered beside her ear, sending a child up her spine at the sound of his voice though she forced herself to remain impassive. “Just please don’t be mad at me.”
“If you know you shouldn’t have done it, why did you?” Daphne asked back, just as softly as he had.
“Because sometimes the wrong thing, is the thing you want” Zan replied.
She walked into my life, and my world is still
She reached into my soul and all my doubts were killed
That’s when my loneliness subsided, she gave me the will
I could fight it
But nothing can erase the one thing that remains the same
“Why did he leave?”
“Doesn’t really matter, in the end they’ll always go” Daphne replied, wanting to hurt him, knowing in her heart that it wasn’t his fault he had to leave her all that time ago, but her head was stubborn and it wanted him to hurt for being so happy when the thought of him was always holding her back.
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
So just tell me what I should do
I left everything for you
And I can hardly breathe
Cause I know I lost you from my world
From my…
“Not if you don’t want them to” Zan whispered against her ear, “If you want them to stay, really want them to stay, sometimes all you have to do is say so and they might surprise you” he told, tightening his hold as discretely as he could, while still wanting her closer to him.
She’s the only love I’ve known
And now she’s gone away
She’s the light that brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
You’re all I need
My only love
And now you’re gone away from here
All I need my only love
You’re everything and now you’re gone
You’re all I need
My only love I’ve known
She’s the light brought me to the edge
Will I ever love again
“And sometimes, a girl doesn’t want to have to ask” Daphne replied, stepping back from him and returning to the table along with some of the others while a few more got up to join the remaining couples. From where she sat, Daphne saw Eileen go up to Zan and ask him to dance. Turning away, she focused on where Max stood, dancing with a taller, five year old Olivia and couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face.
“You know, that song was to tell you something, I hope you listen” Tess whispered in her ear as she passed by, holding onto to Kyle as he led her onto the floor.
Before her mind could register the words, she was saved, “Would you dance with me?” Billy asked, holding his hand out.
“With pleasure, sir” Daphne smiled, allowing her to lead her back out there among the other dancing couples.
“Do you ever wonder who invented dancing? I mean, thought to turn on some music and have people stand up and basically have a moving hug?” he asked in a question so inane that she had to laugh, though she suspected it was what he’d been aiming for. “So I hear we’re going to a bachelor party in a limo, thanks to the fairy godmother.”
“Is that what you think?” Daphne asked, never once removing her head from where it rested against his shoulder. He was comforting, he made her feel safe in a way that she hadn’t in a very long time and she was glad and proud to have him as her friend.
“Isn’t that what they call girls like you?”
“Girls like what?” she asked, finally meeting his gaze with a curious one of her own.
“Angels here on earth” Billy replied. “Sometimes I don’t know how you can give so much without ever asking for anything back, even with little things and then sometimes I think you’re crazy for all the help you give everyone.”
“I’m not perfect, please don’t paint my picture with white wings and a golden halo” Daphne replied, looking him straight in the eye then, wanting him to see that she truly didn’t see herself that way. “I make mistakes and I’m just as selfish as the next person, I just hide it well” she said, repeating the words he’d spoken about Grant.
Nodding, Billy agreed, not saying anything else for the remainder of the song. When it was over, just before Serena came to claim him, he asked in a voice so serious sounding she wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. “Since we’re partying separate tomorrow, what do you say we go out and get plastered tonight?”
“You can take the boy out of the city…” Daphne trailed off, shaking her head in amusement as she walked away. “You having fun?” Daphne asked Max when she returned to the table, finding that he was the only one there since Olivia seemed to be dancing with her father.
“Uh huh, food’s great” Max said with a big smile on his face. “Could you dance with me?” he asked, cocking his head to side in question.
“I think I could do that” Daphne agreed. Holding both his hands in hers between them, she tried to follow whatever steps he was taking but spent most of the song laughing as they fumbled around. “Thank you for that” she said, kneeling to kiss his cheek when the song was over, smiling at how he looked down, bashful.
“You think you can share?” Zan asked Max.
“Uh huh” Max said, shaking his head yes. Zan ruffled his hair as he ran off back to the table.
Wrapping both arms around her waist, Zan held her to him, allowing only a small amount of space between their bodies. “Don’t you think you’re girlfriend might get the wrong idea if she sees us?” Daphne asked as the song began.
What day is it - and in what month
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
“What’s the wrong idea?” Zan asked back.
“Not really sure but seeing the two of us dancing like this might be it” Daphne replied.
All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
“She went outside to make a call, some work stuff came up” Zan replied, pulling her even closer then.
“Zan, what are you doing? You and I can’t get close again, we can’t…we just, can’t” Daphne sighed, hating that she was content right where she was, that she hadn’t felt even half of what she felt for Zan when she was with Grant. She hated that he could still push her buttons and pull her around by the strings and most of all, she hated that she wanted him to.
There's something about you now
I can't quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you
What day is it
And in what month
This clock never seemed so alive
“Why did you let him walk away from you, why didn’t you ask him to stay?”
“Because” she said, giving in and just answering him. “Because I didn’t want to have a relationship with someone who couldn’t accept what I am and what I do. Because I didn’t want someone that didn’t want me.”
“So now tell me why you and I can’t get close again?” he asked, one song leading into another as he never ceased his hold on her, not willing to let go until he got some answers and gave some back.
“We live in two different worlds now Zan. You have a life and child and…a girlfriend, in Chicago. I have an existence in New York, I’m not who I once was, I don’t blame anyone but myself for that but…I’m not the girl you remember and I haven’t been in a long time.”
“I know you’re not that girl anymore, but in the last few days…I see someone else, I see a woman who is stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for and I see someone that…” he trailed off, chuckling lightly. “I see someone that my son adores. I see the girl that grew up into this incredible woman but the important part, is that I see you.”
“You can’t do this to me, you can’t make me start to think about things I can never have, it isn’t fair” Daphne protested, wanting to walk away then and yet knowing that he wouldn’t let her.
“Who says you can’t have them?”
“You have girlfriend, Eileen, remember, the tall red head staying in your bedroom” Daphne retorted, looking away from him, trying to focus on some thing other than the feel of his hands on her hips, the body leaning into her own and the broad shoulders she held on to. He was sucking her back in to this…abyss of lust and love and she couldn’t go there again because if she had to climb out again, she knew she wouldn’t survive it.
He didn’t say anything else and when the song ended, he let her go and she didn’t stop until she was outside and away from the laughter and smiling faces of friends and family. His silence had been answer enough; he also wanted something he couldn’t have, her on the side. Enforced rules and no strings had been enough before but now that she knew what it was like to love him, it would never be enough again, no matter how much she may have wanted it to be.
She didn’t turn when she heard someone walk out, she didn’t turn when she felt a jacket being placed around her shoulders, the scent enveloping her in a warm blanket of comfort, but she did lean against him when he sat down beside her on the curb. “So now do you want to go get plastered?”
Looking up at him, she nodded. “Now I wanna go get plastered” she agreed.
“I’ll get Rena”
“I’ll be here”
~&~&~&~&~&
Around 4AM the three friends snuck back into the house, quiet so as to not wake anyone else. Billy and Serena went straight to the pool house but as tired and sleepy as she felt, Daphne knew she wouldn’t sleep, not tonight. Walking through the darkened rooms, Daphne went to the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich and to get a tall glass of water.
Somewhere along the line, she’d stopped being drunk and now she was just in this state of complete awareness and it was driving her crazy as memories and past conversations filled her head. She thought about the place in her life she was currently living in and after that she thought about how she’d gotten there. She knew it all went back to one place and until she finally spoke her peace, it was going to keep making her crazy.
Tossing the sandwich remains in the garbage bin, she swiped her keys off the counter she’d placed them on and walked out, never stopping to think about what she was doing, knowing she just had to go while her resolve held.
The streets were quiet and still, silence filling all the empty spaces as she drove.
The gates were closed when she got there but she didn’t let that stop her. Pulling off her heels, she climbed the fence, very gracefully considering she was in a dress and landed on the other side just as lithely as a cat would have, thanks to all the years of sneaking off campus after curfew during her time at private school.
Heels back in place, she walked with confidence despite what she was really feeling inside. She didn’t care that it was freezing and that she wasn’t wearing a jacket over the sleeveless halter style dress. She didn’t care that the sky looked as though it wanted to rain and she didn’t care that it was the middle of the night in a place that was locked.
When she got there, she stopped, staring at the marble, big and protruding beneath a weeping willow, just as they’d wanted, just as they had planned years before. Dropping to her knees on the soft earth, she traced the letters with her finger, running her hands lightly over the cool stone before finally letting them just fall away.
“I know that it’s been a while and that you could probably count the number of times I’ve been here on one hand. I’m sorry that I don’t come to see you more, I’m sorry that…that I haven’t been better, I know you had a lot of expectations for me and I’m trying, so hard, not to let you down. I miss you both, so much that sometimes it physically hurts my heart to know that I can’t pick up the phone and call you.”
As sobs began to rack her body, the rain began to fall, water mixing until you couldn’t tell which was which. She was getting soaked, but she didn’t care, it didn’t matter, not now that she was finally back, finally saying all the things she held inside.
“I hated you both when you left me, you were always leaving me but this time I knew you weren’t coming back and I hated you for doing that. I hate the person I became, I hate that the best way to find me is to call the office or send me a fax. I hate that I became this machine that holds everyone away and at a distance. I just wish…so much, that I could go back, that I could be the girl who believed in everything. I wish you were here. I’d give it all up, the money the company… everything, I’d give up in a second if I could have you both back.”
“Sometimes when I wake up, I think it was all a dream and then reality comes crashing back. I used to be able to lose myself but I can’t seem to do it anymore. I can’t get lost, and I can’t exist the way I am. Please help me, please help me find myself again…please”
“…Tell I was dreaming
That you didn’t leave me here to cry
You didn’t say you don’t love me anymore
It was just my imagination telling lies
Tell me that you didn’t say goodbye…”
A/N: The first song is called "She's" by Ryan Cabrera and the second one is "You and Me" by Lifehouse. The last little quote is from a country song called "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" but I don't remember the name of the singer. If by some chance someone knows, let me know and i'll make sure to put the singer's name down here.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
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Nobody's Home (Zan fic/ Adult) UC/CC pt.13 5/22/05
Chapter 13
“…Her feelings she hides
Her dreams she can’t find
She’s losing her mind
She’s fallen behind
She can’t find her place
She’s losing her faith
She’s fallen from grace
She’s all over the place…”
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there in there in the rain, it could have been minutes or hours but as soon as she felt arms come around her, she knew exactly who it was and despite knowing she should, she couldn’t bring herself to fight him, so she just slumped against him, drawing strength from him as she had that first day. She didn’t ask what he was doing there or how he’d known where to find her or even if he’d heard her speak; right now none of it mattered and he knew that.
It was a while later before he finally nudged her, wanting to make sure she was still awake and when she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, she finally just gave in, not caring that it wasn’t forever.
The second their lips met, the kiss instantly heated, tongues dueling powerfully for dominance over the other as hands grappled for something to hold onto to bring the other person closer but it was never close enough. Panting, trying to fill their lungs with air again, the two broke apart though neither released the hold they had.
Bringing a hand up to lightly run over the smooth and wet skin of her cheek, he sat, mesmerized as her eyes closed of their own volition, feeling her lean close to his touch. “A lot of things may have changed, but you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on” he said as the wind carried his voice to her ears, causing her eyes to open and lock her gaze with his. “Please let me help you find yourself again” he said in a voice so low that she wondered whether or not the moisture on his face was just rain or a mixture of tears like her own.
“Don’t ask me to give you a part of myself when you can’t do it back” Daphne replied, her eyes lowering to the ground, unable to see the rejection that she was sure would be swimming in the amber depths of his eyes.
Gently raising her gaze, he forced her eyes to look into his, willing her to see. “I can’t give you something that you already have” Zan said, the words laced with an emotion she rarely saw and only ever from him.
“You already have your somebody Zan and she isn’t me.” It hurt to say but it had to be said and he obviously wasn’t going to do it.
“You are the only love I’ve known” Zan replied, his words echoing those of the song they first danced to, the one Tess wanted her to listen to; she vaguely wondered if she’d told him the same thing or if he’d known what she was going to do then dismissed that, remembering that Tess told her he’d been drunk when they found out and most likely didn’t remember saying anything to them. “How can you not see that it’s you, that you are my somebody… how can you not see that you are my forever?” he her asked then.
“Zan, I can’t…”
“I love you” he said, stopping her words before she could say anything else. “In my entire life, you’re the only woman I’ve ever said those words to and you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to say them to. I love you Daphne, and nothing and no one has ever changed that.”
“But you can’t just forget the fact that you have a girlfriend and she probably isn’t the first one since Max was born” Daphne argued, pushing up off the ground to put some distance between them. “You moved on Zan, and I don’t blame you for that, I truly don’t, but you did it. You can’t go back now, you can’t… try and make it different.”
“Would you believe that I’ve never had sex with any of the women I’ve dated since you? Would you believe that I never even considered the possibility that one of them would be the one I ended up with? It’s always been you Daph, always.”
“If its always been me, then why is this wedding the first time I‘ve seen or heard from you in four years? What if it was another four before Isabel decided to get married, would you have waited eight years to see someone who is supposedly the one?” she questioned but when nothing but silence fell from his mouth she sighed into the night.
“You moved on Zan, whether you slept with them or not, you still dated, you were still able to do that. The thought of me didn’t hold you back. I didn’t date anyone since Grant and even then I kept him at a distance all the time because I felt like I was betraying you. I only started dating him because Serena and Billy kept pushing me to open up to someone and even then I couldn’t open up to him. The day he left was the day he finally found out what I do for a living. We dated for seven months and he has no idea what happened to my parents or how old I was or even what their names are, he knew nothing about the life I lived. I can’t seem to let you go and as much as you want to believe that you didn’t, you did let me go Zan, a long time ago.”
“I didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice” Zan argued, getting up as well, putting his hands down on her shoulders to stop her pacing. “I’ll never be sorry for my son but I am sorry that the situation took me away from you. Please…I’ll do anything you ask me to, I’ll be anything you want me to be but just please tell me that you’ll let me back in, please tell me that you still have room in your life and in…in your heart, for me” he pleaded as his eyes bore into hers, imploring her to answer him, to give him the answer he wanted.
“Why do you carry a picture of me in your wallet?” she surprised him by asking that then.
“What?” he asked, momentarily thrown off.
“Max said he once saw my picture in your wallet but he didn’t ask who I was because he didn’t want to be rude” Daphne explained. “So why do you carry my picture around?” she repeated.
“Because it was the only way I could see your face everyday” Zan quietly replied, eyes lowered as she stared out into the dark distance, unseeing.
“I slept with someone” she said then, out of the blue, turning to face him, seeing his eyes darken in anger at the admission. “I was so hurt after you told me about Ava and I slept with one of the guys at school. I hated it and I was mad at myself for letting my emotions towards you influence my judgment but it still happened. It wasn’t the only time either” she said, unsure of why she was telling him this, but knowing she had to.
While he claimed to never have slept with another woman since her, he still dated them and just because he didn’t have sex didn’t mean he didn’t do everything but that. He had four years to deal with whatever he felt towards her and while she hadn’t really expected for him to come to her, at least not consciously, she didn’t figure he would claim to still have all these feelings for her after such a long silence.
He was quiet, angry but quiet. “Doesn’t matter” he said hoarsely. “It’s in the past.”
“You and I are in the past Zan” Daphne corrected. “I loved you…I loved you so much but it just wasn’t meant to be. It had to be your move, you were the one with a child, but I ceased to exist for you and you can’t bring me back into your life now, you just can’t.”
“I had my reasons” he argued though he didn’t elaborate. “You know me Daph, you know me inside and out, please just trust me, please let me in and I promise you that I’ll explain later why I made certain choices.”
“You broke me” she said then, looking at him despite the tears clouding her eyes, making it harder to see his expressions. “It seems so silly because I was just seventeen and most teenagers don’t really know what love is but I loved you and you broke me. I know that it’d be too much if you did it again.”
“I won’t break you” he assured, desperate to make her understand. “They say that a man doesn’t beg but I’m pleading with you now, please give me the chance to make things right between us. Please say that you’ll love me again.”
He could ask her to say it, she would even mean it if she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to get the words out. Internally, she was battered and beaten by the life she lived but it was a life she learned to accept, now before her stood the one thing, the one person that could heal her, begging for a chance but she wasn’t sure if she could still give herself up to him as she had once before, she wasn’t sure if she could risk the heartache and the indescribable pain she would feel if it didn’t work, but then again, what good was life if you didn’t live it?
“What about Eileen?” she asked after some time and he nearly let out a relieved breath, hoping that it meant she was willing to give him a chance.
“I’ll talk to her in the morning” Zan promised.
“No, don’t” Daphne disagreed, shaking her head. “You don’t know if this thing between us is even going to work out. Keep your relationship with her and you and I will just talk, just get to know each other again, nothing more so it won’t be like you’re cheating on her. Later, if things do… if they work out, you can decide what you want to do then.”
“Daphne, I can’t date two women” Zan argued, shaking his head at her suggestion.
“I’m not asking you to” Daphne replied. “Just talking isn’t dating, it’s becoming friends again. I need this Zan, I can’t be with someone who I can’t even be friends with first.”
He was quiet, seemingly considering her suggestion. She saw the exact moment he gave in to her, and she then she knew he would do this for her and as much as she wanted to stay firm in her resolve, she did know that he cared about her, she wasn’t sure about the love yet, but he definitely cared and she would allow herself to at least acknowledge that.
“I’m already yours, but the second you change your mind and want more, I’ll jump through fire to get back to you” he vowed, his eyes once again begging her to see the depth of his feelings for her.
“Did you really never sleep with any of them or is that just something you said to prove a point?”
“It was the truth, I haven’t been with anyone that way, since I was last with you” Zan admitted, lifting his hands to brush the soaked strands away from her face, refraining from asking her anything about the past she revealed. “Come on, we’re both gonna catch a cold if we stay out here like this and somehow, I don’t think Izzy will appreciate a sneezing maid of honor and best man.”
Agreeing, Daphne allowed him to pull her away, accepting his help when she climbed over the fence again to get to the other side of the cemetery wall. In the parking lot, she noticed that he’d taken one of the cars from her garage, a smart move considering the rain, but what got her was that he didn’t just choose any of them, he chose her dad’s favorite.
Only after making sure that she was securely buckled in, Zan hopped into the truck and followed behind her the whole way back to the house.
At the top landing, they separated with no more than a hug, each going to their own rooms though for the first time since she’d come back, Daphne felt like just maybe, there was a chance she might find the happiness she’d once had and just maybe, after everything they’d both been through, Zan really was the one to help her get it.
~&~&~&~&~&~Two Days to Go~&~&~&~&~&~
“Daphne, please come in” Diane Evans welcomed, ushering Daphne inside and out of the cold. Pulling her into a motherly embrace, she smoothed the younger woman’s hair away from her face in what seemed to be an instinctive gesture. “Philip is in his office, go right on it.”
“Thank you” Daphne replied, smiling before going down the hall to a room she’d visited so many times over the years. Knocking, she waited to hear his admittance before walking in. “So what’d you need to talk to me about?” she asked after receiving another hug despite the fact that both Mr. and Mrs. Evans had seen her the night before at the rehearsal dinner.
“Well to start off with, I called Kathleen yesterday to check messages and she casually mentioned your little speech to the staff a couple days ago” he said though there was a big smile on his face as he said it. “So who got you fired up, David or Jesse?” he asked.
“Jesse” Daphne muttered in remembrance. “But it wasn’t even really him, it was Milton in Indiana, calling Jesse even though I’d already given him an answer about some things he wanted” she explained.
“You did what you had to, be proud of that” Philip commended, his teasing grin turning serious. “Now the second order of business I wanted to discuss is about the tower in New Orleans. I know that you wanted to go ahead with some renovations starting on the 20th of this next coming month but I got a call from Murray in Atlanta and there was a bout of some really bad weather. I think we might want to get to some repairs there before we work on any of the others since they’re really just cosmetic” he suggested, already reaching for some facts and figures to show her.
“Now I know you never travel to the tower in Atlanta, but I’m going to be booked between my work at DCF and I have a flight out to Tucson around the middle of the month to go over everything with Brody since you’re going to be tied up with Milton in Indiana around the beginning of the month.”
“I guess I couldn’t stay away forever” Daphne replied. “Okay, I’ll take the job with Atlanta before I go to Indiana so that we can get some estimates to chew over before sending the crew that way instead of New Orleans” she agreed, already mentally shifting her schedule around to accommodate the unexpected trip.
“While we’re on the subject of the hotels and trips, I was wondering if ever considered setting someone else do some of the traveling instead of always taking it on yourself?” Philip commented and she could tell that despite his casualness, it was something he’d given a lot of consideration to.
“The company is still new to me, it’s been less than a year since I started being able to handle things on my own and I just want to experience it all and get a feel for it all before I think about taking a step back” Daphne explained, having also given that subject some thought.
“Understandable” Philip agreed. “Just don’t let life pass you by while you’re still young” he couldn’t help but advise, seeing Daphne like a second daughter after all the time she’d spent there, first with Isabel and then with work. She knew he wanted her to be happy and she appreciated his concern but she was going to work her way up to the things she wanted; even she knew that nothing was for free.
“On a lighter note, how are the plans for tonight’s party?” he asked, eyes twinkling in amusement.
“That, Mr. Evans, is classified but thank you for reminding me, I almost forgot to tell Mrs. Evans about what we cooked up, so if we’re done here…”
“Go ahead” Philip said, laughing as he shooed her away. It didn’t take long to find Mrs. Evans as she diligently worked in the kitchen, seemingly baking something but what was a surprise was walking in and seeing Eileen sitting at the table, chatting pleasantly with the older woman.
“That was quick” Diane commented, seeing Daphne walk in. “Business okay?”
“Getting there” Daphne acknowledged. “I didn’t mean to intrude, I just wanted to let you know the plan for tonight.”
“Sweetheart, you’re never an intrusion, now sit and tell me about the party plan” Diane said, pushing Daphne down into a chair before going back to her task of stirring some sticky looking substance in a bowl, looking at her encouragingly as she waited for an elaboration.
“Everyone’s supposed to meet at my house around 8:00, then we’re going to take Izzy out to dinner at the crash and make her think it’s just going to be quiet night with the girls. Afterwards, we arranged for a couple limos to take us to a club in Las Cruces that I took her to once when we were younger.”
“What kind of club?” she asked, interestedly, while Eileen remained quiet the whole time, seemingly uncomfortable now that Daphne was there and Daphne vaguely wondered if she heard Zan leave the night before or even if she’d seen them dance that second song.
“Loud dance music, really dark and smoky with cute guys, cuter bartenders and a huge dance floor. It’s the kind of place you can get lost in if you want or get really loud in if you you’re drunk” she said teasingly while Diane scoffed at the implication. “Anyway, it’s kind of a…significant place for Izzy so it should be a lot of fun.”
“You wouldn’t have by chance, taken my daughter to this club before you were old enough to be inside, did you?” she asked with one of those appraising, mother gazes that you couldn’t lie to.
“Maybe, but we were totally safe” Daphne defended, then without thinking. “Zan even called to check up on us, more than once I might add.”
“Zan knew?” Diane asked at the same time Eileen spoke. “So you and Zander were close?”
“Izzy told him we were going and trust me, he was not an easy person to persuade” Daphne assured, getting him out of trouble with his mother while she contemplated how to field Eileen’s question, luckily Diane did it for her.
“Izzy and Daphne practically grew up in each other’s pockets; they both knew each other’s families well.”
“I was just wondering because the two of you seem…comfortable around one another but Zander had never mentioned you before” Eileen stated, adding a smile when Diane gazed at her inquiringly. “Max also seems to really enjoy being around you” she added next.
“He didn’t know me before so I’m a novelty to him now” Daphne said, shrugging though she knew it wasn’t exactly the reason but she also didn’t like the way she was being interrogated by the velvet steam roller, especially in front of Mrs. Evans. “Excuse me” she said, walking out of the room with her cell phone when it began to ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, what are you up to?”
“Hanging with your mom and your girlfriend” Daphne stated, unable to resist teasing him about it now that she was starting to come around as far as believing in him and his words of love to her. “What about you?”
“Bachelor party detail” Zan sighed, seemingly not at all bothered or surprised by her declaration.
“What’s with the sigh, aren’t you looking forward to seeing naked women while consuming mass quantities of alcoholic beverages?”
“And who said we were seeing a stripper?” Zan defended, sounding affronted by her assumption though she knew he was just trying to tease her back for her earlier comment. “I’ll have you know that we are going to a club not a strip joint.”
“What club?” she suspiciously questioned, hearing something in his tone akin to mischief.
“Oh… you know, just some club” he innocently replied.
“Who told you?” she questioned, getting straight to the point.
“In the midst of his drunken hangover, your friend Billy may have mentioned it and the other guys may have decided it would be fun to double up and party together” Zan replied, giving in, knowing there was no point in trying to hide it now that she already knew something was up. “But it’s supposed to be a surprise so don’t tell Izzy because we’re not telling Alex.”
“You do realize that we’re taking adults with us right, like moms and stuff?”
“So, we have a couple dads” Zan reminded, his whole tone so nonchalant, as though it was no big deal they’d taken the girl’s idea.
“Alright, but you don’t tell anyone that I told Billy and I won’t tell Billy that you took that information and used it against us” she negotiated.
“Must be a hellion in the boardroom” was his dry retort. “Fine and…you owe me a dance, a really dirty one too to compete with the time we danced to ‘Closer’ and nothing you say can change my mind” he said, again with the nonchalance, apparently forgetting that his girlfriend would also be out there with them. “It’s a big floor, easy to get lost, remember” he added as though reading her mind, she used to wonder if he could.
Then, as something suddenly occurred to her, “How did you get this number?” she asked in an accusatory voice.
“You did leave it posted on the fridge” Zan reminded in tone very reminiscent to the one Max used when telling someone ‘duh’. “So I put it into my phone and then above the paper you left, I wrote, ‘For a good time call’ so I wouldn’t surprised if a couple guys with names you don’t recognize, ring to ask what you consider a good time” he teased and she couldn’t help but laugh and it felt good to do it too.
“How does anyone confuse you with an adult?” Daphne questioned, shaking her head even though he couldn’t see her.
“You got me” he replied, unaffected by the insult. “So…” he said, drawing the word out. “If I asked really nicely, would you wear leather pants?”
“Maybe, but if I do, you have to wear a tight shirt” she returned, knowing that despite his incredible body, he hated wearing fitted shirts because he felt like they put him on display.
“Urg!” he groaned dramatically. “Fine, but if I wear the shirt, you have to wear something with no back to go along with the leather pants” he bargained.
“Deal” she agreed. “Now I gotta go, but I’ll see you later.”
“Can’t wait, bye”
“Bye.” Diane and Eileen were talking again when Daphne walked back into the kitchen. “Sorry, last minute party discussion” she said, not mentioning which party she was discussing. “So…any questions, comments?” she asked.
“What should we wear?” Diane wondered, looking entirely too much like a shy Isabel.
“We could always find you a leather mini and a matching halter if you wanted” Daphne teased, seeing where Isabel got her blush from.
“Not all of us have cute little bodies like you, I think I’ll just stick to something casual” Diane replied, quickly recovering from her embarrassment. “Is there anything else we should know about the party?” she asked and it was on the tip of her tongue to ruin the guys’ surprise but as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t do that to Zan when he seemed so excited about it.
“Nothing you won’t find out about tonight” Daphne replied, smiling encouraging while Eileen eyed her suspiciously.
A/N: Again, thanks for wonder feedback. The song on top is a few lines taken from "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne
“…Her feelings she hides
Her dreams she can’t find
She’s losing her mind
She’s fallen behind
She can’t find her place
She’s losing her faith
She’s fallen from grace
She’s all over the place…”
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there in there in the rain, it could have been minutes or hours but as soon as she felt arms come around her, she knew exactly who it was and despite knowing she should, she couldn’t bring herself to fight him, so she just slumped against him, drawing strength from him as she had that first day. She didn’t ask what he was doing there or how he’d known where to find her or even if he’d heard her speak; right now none of it mattered and he knew that.
It was a while later before he finally nudged her, wanting to make sure she was still awake and when she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, she finally just gave in, not caring that it wasn’t forever.
The second their lips met, the kiss instantly heated, tongues dueling powerfully for dominance over the other as hands grappled for something to hold onto to bring the other person closer but it was never close enough. Panting, trying to fill their lungs with air again, the two broke apart though neither released the hold they had.
Bringing a hand up to lightly run over the smooth and wet skin of her cheek, he sat, mesmerized as her eyes closed of their own volition, feeling her lean close to his touch. “A lot of things may have changed, but you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on” he said as the wind carried his voice to her ears, causing her eyes to open and lock her gaze with his. “Please let me help you find yourself again” he said in a voice so low that she wondered whether or not the moisture on his face was just rain or a mixture of tears like her own.
“Don’t ask me to give you a part of myself when you can’t do it back” Daphne replied, her eyes lowering to the ground, unable to see the rejection that she was sure would be swimming in the amber depths of his eyes.
Gently raising her gaze, he forced her eyes to look into his, willing her to see. “I can’t give you something that you already have” Zan said, the words laced with an emotion she rarely saw and only ever from him.
“You already have your somebody Zan and she isn’t me.” It hurt to say but it had to be said and he obviously wasn’t going to do it.
“You are the only love I’ve known” Zan replied, his words echoing those of the song they first danced to, the one Tess wanted her to listen to; she vaguely wondered if she’d told him the same thing or if he’d known what she was going to do then dismissed that, remembering that Tess told her he’d been drunk when they found out and most likely didn’t remember saying anything to them. “How can you not see that it’s you, that you are my somebody… how can you not see that you are my forever?” he her asked then.
“Zan, I can’t…”
“I love you” he said, stopping her words before she could say anything else. “In my entire life, you’re the only woman I’ve ever said those words to and you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to say them to. I love you Daphne, and nothing and no one has ever changed that.”
“But you can’t just forget the fact that you have a girlfriend and she probably isn’t the first one since Max was born” Daphne argued, pushing up off the ground to put some distance between them. “You moved on Zan, and I don’t blame you for that, I truly don’t, but you did it. You can’t go back now, you can’t… try and make it different.”
“Would you believe that I’ve never had sex with any of the women I’ve dated since you? Would you believe that I never even considered the possibility that one of them would be the one I ended up with? It’s always been you Daph, always.”
“If its always been me, then why is this wedding the first time I‘ve seen or heard from you in four years? What if it was another four before Isabel decided to get married, would you have waited eight years to see someone who is supposedly the one?” she questioned but when nothing but silence fell from his mouth she sighed into the night.
“You moved on Zan, whether you slept with them or not, you still dated, you were still able to do that. The thought of me didn’t hold you back. I didn’t date anyone since Grant and even then I kept him at a distance all the time because I felt like I was betraying you. I only started dating him because Serena and Billy kept pushing me to open up to someone and even then I couldn’t open up to him. The day he left was the day he finally found out what I do for a living. We dated for seven months and he has no idea what happened to my parents or how old I was or even what their names are, he knew nothing about the life I lived. I can’t seem to let you go and as much as you want to believe that you didn’t, you did let me go Zan, a long time ago.”
“I didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice” Zan argued, getting up as well, putting his hands down on her shoulders to stop her pacing. “I’ll never be sorry for my son but I am sorry that the situation took me away from you. Please…I’ll do anything you ask me to, I’ll be anything you want me to be but just please tell me that you’ll let me back in, please tell me that you still have room in your life and in…in your heart, for me” he pleaded as his eyes bore into hers, imploring her to answer him, to give him the answer he wanted.
“Why do you carry a picture of me in your wallet?” she surprised him by asking that then.
“What?” he asked, momentarily thrown off.
“Max said he once saw my picture in your wallet but he didn’t ask who I was because he didn’t want to be rude” Daphne explained. “So why do you carry my picture around?” she repeated.
“Because it was the only way I could see your face everyday” Zan quietly replied, eyes lowered as she stared out into the dark distance, unseeing.
“I slept with someone” she said then, out of the blue, turning to face him, seeing his eyes darken in anger at the admission. “I was so hurt after you told me about Ava and I slept with one of the guys at school. I hated it and I was mad at myself for letting my emotions towards you influence my judgment but it still happened. It wasn’t the only time either” she said, unsure of why she was telling him this, but knowing she had to.
While he claimed to never have slept with another woman since her, he still dated them and just because he didn’t have sex didn’t mean he didn’t do everything but that. He had four years to deal with whatever he felt towards her and while she hadn’t really expected for him to come to her, at least not consciously, she didn’t figure he would claim to still have all these feelings for her after such a long silence.
He was quiet, angry but quiet. “Doesn’t matter” he said hoarsely. “It’s in the past.”
“You and I are in the past Zan” Daphne corrected. “I loved you…I loved you so much but it just wasn’t meant to be. It had to be your move, you were the one with a child, but I ceased to exist for you and you can’t bring me back into your life now, you just can’t.”
“I had my reasons” he argued though he didn’t elaborate. “You know me Daph, you know me inside and out, please just trust me, please let me in and I promise you that I’ll explain later why I made certain choices.”
“You broke me” she said then, looking at him despite the tears clouding her eyes, making it harder to see his expressions. “It seems so silly because I was just seventeen and most teenagers don’t really know what love is but I loved you and you broke me. I know that it’d be too much if you did it again.”
“I won’t break you” he assured, desperate to make her understand. “They say that a man doesn’t beg but I’m pleading with you now, please give me the chance to make things right between us. Please say that you’ll love me again.”
He could ask her to say it, she would even mean it if she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to get the words out. Internally, she was battered and beaten by the life she lived but it was a life she learned to accept, now before her stood the one thing, the one person that could heal her, begging for a chance but she wasn’t sure if she could still give herself up to him as she had once before, she wasn’t sure if she could risk the heartache and the indescribable pain she would feel if it didn’t work, but then again, what good was life if you didn’t live it?
“What about Eileen?” she asked after some time and he nearly let out a relieved breath, hoping that it meant she was willing to give him a chance.
“I’ll talk to her in the morning” Zan promised.
“No, don’t” Daphne disagreed, shaking her head. “You don’t know if this thing between us is even going to work out. Keep your relationship with her and you and I will just talk, just get to know each other again, nothing more so it won’t be like you’re cheating on her. Later, if things do… if they work out, you can decide what you want to do then.”
“Daphne, I can’t date two women” Zan argued, shaking his head at her suggestion.
“I’m not asking you to” Daphne replied. “Just talking isn’t dating, it’s becoming friends again. I need this Zan, I can’t be with someone who I can’t even be friends with first.”
He was quiet, seemingly considering her suggestion. She saw the exact moment he gave in to her, and she then she knew he would do this for her and as much as she wanted to stay firm in her resolve, she did know that he cared about her, she wasn’t sure about the love yet, but he definitely cared and she would allow herself to at least acknowledge that.
“I’m already yours, but the second you change your mind and want more, I’ll jump through fire to get back to you” he vowed, his eyes once again begging her to see the depth of his feelings for her.
“Did you really never sleep with any of them or is that just something you said to prove a point?”
“It was the truth, I haven’t been with anyone that way, since I was last with you” Zan admitted, lifting his hands to brush the soaked strands away from her face, refraining from asking her anything about the past she revealed. “Come on, we’re both gonna catch a cold if we stay out here like this and somehow, I don’t think Izzy will appreciate a sneezing maid of honor and best man.”
Agreeing, Daphne allowed him to pull her away, accepting his help when she climbed over the fence again to get to the other side of the cemetery wall. In the parking lot, she noticed that he’d taken one of the cars from her garage, a smart move considering the rain, but what got her was that he didn’t just choose any of them, he chose her dad’s favorite.
Only after making sure that she was securely buckled in, Zan hopped into the truck and followed behind her the whole way back to the house.
At the top landing, they separated with no more than a hug, each going to their own rooms though for the first time since she’d come back, Daphne felt like just maybe, there was a chance she might find the happiness she’d once had and just maybe, after everything they’d both been through, Zan really was the one to help her get it.
~&~&~&~&~&~Two Days to Go~&~&~&~&~&~
“Daphne, please come in” Diane Evans welcomed, ushering Daphne inside and out of the cold. Pulling her into a motherly embrace, she smoothed the younger woman’s hair away from her face in what seemed to be an instinctive gesture. “Philip is in his office, go right on it.”
“Thank you” Daphne replied, smiling before going down the hall to a room she’d visited so many times over the years. Knocking, she waited to hear his admittance before walking in. “So what’d you need to talk to me about?” she asked after receiving another hug despite the fact that both Mr. and Mrs. Evans had seen her the night before at the rehearsal dinner.
“Well to start off with, I called Kathleen yesterday to check messages and she casually mentioned your little speech to the staff a couple days ago” he said though there was a big smile on his face as he said it. “So who got you fired up, David or Jesse?” he asked.
“Jesse” Daphne muttered in remembrance. “But it wasn’t even really him, it was Milton in Indiana, calling Jesse even though I’d already given him an answer about some things he wanted” she explained.
“You did what you had to, be proud of that” Philip commended, his teasing grin turning serious. “Now the second order of business I wanted to discuss is about the tower in New Orleans. I know that you wanted to go ahead with some renovations starting on the 20th of this next coming month but I got a call from Murray in Atlanta and there was a bout of some really bad weather. I think we might want to get to some repairs there before we work on any of the others since they’re really just cosmetic” he suggested, already reaching for some facts and figures to show her.
“Now I know you never travel to the tower in Atlanta, but I’m going to be booked between my work at DCF and I have a flight out to Tucson around the middle of the month to go over everything with Brody since you’re going to be tied up with Milton in Indiana around the beginning of the month.”
“I guess I couldn’t stay away forever” Daphne replied. “Okay, I’ll take the job with Atlanta before I go to Indiana so that we can get some estimates to chew over before sending the crew that way instead of New Orleans” she agreed, already mentally shifting her schedule around to accommodate the unexpected trip.
“While we’re on the subject of the hotels and trips, I was wondering if ever considered setting someone else do some of the traveling instead of always taking it on yourself?” Philip commented and she could tell that despite his casualness, it was something he’d given a lot of consideration to.
“The company is still new to me, it’s been less than a year since I started being able to handle things on my own and I just want to experience it all and get a feel for it all before I think about taking a step back” Daphne explained, having also given that subject some thought.
“Understandable” Philip agreed. “Just don’t let life pass you by while you’re still young” he couldn’t help but advise, seeing Daphne like a second daughter after all the time she’d spent there, first with Isabel and then with work. She knew he wanted her to be happy and she appreciated his concern but she was going to work her way up to the things she wanted; even she knew that nothing was for free.
“On a lighter note, how are the plans for tonight’s party?” he asked, eyes twinkling in amusement.
“That, Mr. Evans, is classified but thank you for reminding me, I almost forgot to tell Mrs. Evans about what we cooked up, so if we’re done here…”
“Go ahead” Philip said, laughing as he shooed her away. It didn’t take long to find Mrs. Evans as she diligently worked in the kitchen, seemingly baking something but what was a surprise was walking in and seeing Eileen sitting at the table, chatting pleasantly with the older woman.
“That was quick” Diane commented, seeing Daphne walk in. “Business okay?”
“Getting there” Daphne acknowledged. “I didn’t mean to intrude, I just wanted to let you know the plan for tonight.”
“Sweetheart, you’re never an intrusion, now sit and tell me about the party plan” Diane said, pushing Daphne down into a chair before going back to her task of stirring some sticky looking substance in a bowl, looking at her encouragingly as she waited for an elaboration.
“Everyone’s supposed to meet at my house around 8:00, then we’re going to take Izzy out to dinner at the crash and make her think it’s just going to be quiet night with the girls. Afterwards, we arranged for a couple limos to take us to a club in Las Cruces that I took her to once when we were younger.”
“What kind of club?” she asked, interestedly, while Eileen remained quiet the whole time, seemingly uncomfortable now that Daphne was there and Daphne vaguely wondered if she heard Zan leave the night before or even if she’d seen them dance that second song.
“Loud dance music, really dark and smoky with cute guys, cuter bartenders and a huge dance floor. It’s the kind of place you can get lost in if you want or get really loud in if you you’re drunk” she said teasingly while Diane scoffed at the implication. “Anyway, it’s kind of a…significant place for Izzy so it should be a lot of fun.”
“You wouldn’t have by chance, taken my daughter to this club before you were old enough to be inside, did you?” she asked with one of those appraising, mother gazes that you couldn’t lie to.
“Maybe, but we were totally safe” Daphne defended, then without thinking. “Zan even called to check up on us, more than once I might add.”
“Zan knew?” Diane asked at the same time Eileen spoke. “So you and Zander were close?”
“Izzy told him we were going and trust me, he was not an easy person to persuade” Daphne assured, getting him out of trouble with his mother while she contemplated how to field Eileen’s question, luckily Diane did it for her.
“Izzy and Daphne practically grew up in each other’s pockets; they both knew each other’s families well.”
“I was just wondering because the two of you seem…comfortable around one another but Zander had never mentioned you before” Eileen stated, adding a smile when Diane gazed at her inquiringly. “Max also seems to really enjoy being around you” she added next.
“He didn’t know me before so I’m a novelty to him now” Daphne said, shrugging though she knew it wasn’t exactly the reason but she also didn’t like the way she was being interrogated by the velvet steam roller, especially in front of Mrs. Evans. “Excuse me” she said, walking out of the room with her cell phone when it began to ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, what are you up to?”
“Hanging with your mom and your girlfriend” Daphne stated, unable to resist teasing him about it now that she was starting to come around as far as believing in him and his words of love to her. “What about you?”
“Bachelor party detail” Zan sighed, seemingly not at all bothered or surprised by her declaration.
“What’s with the sigh, aren’t you looking forward to seeing naked women while consuming mass quantities of alcoholic beverages?”
“And who said we were seeing a stripper?” Zan defended, sounding affronted by her assumption though she knew he was just trying to tease her back for her earlier comment. “I’ll have you know that we are going to a club not a strip joint.”
“What club?” she suspiciously questioned, hearing something in his tone akin to mischief.
“Oh… you know, just some club” he innocently replied.
“Who told you?” she questioned, getting straight to the point.
“In the midst of his drunken hangover, your friend Billy may have mentioned it and the other guys may have decided it would be fun to double up and party together” Zan replied, giving in, knowing there was no point in trying to hide it now that she already knew something was up. “But it’s supposed to be a surprise so don’t tell Izzy because we’re not telling Alex.”
“You do realize that we’re taking adults with us right, like moms and stuff?”
“So, we have a couple dads” Zan reminded, his whole tone so nonchalant, as though it was no big deal they’d taken the girl’s idea.
“Alright, but you don’t tell anyone that I told Billy and I won’t tell Billy that you took that information and used it against us” she negotiated.
“Must be a hellion in the boardroom” was his dry retort. “Fine and…you owe me a dance, a really dirty one too to compete with the time we danced to ‘Closer’ and nothing you say can change my mind” he said, again with the nonchalance, apparently forgetting that his girlfriend would also be out there with them. “It’s a big floor, easy to get lost, remember” he added as though reading her mind, she used to wonder if he could.
Then, as something suddenly occurred to her, “How did you get this number?” she asked in an accusatory voice.
“You did leave it posted on the fridge” Zan reminded in tone very reminiscent to the one Max used when telling someone ‘duh’. “So I put it into my phone and then above the paper you left, I wrote, ‘For a good time call’ so I wouldn’t surprised if a couple guys with names you don’t recognize, ring to ask what you consider a good time” he teased and she couldn’t help but laugh and it felt good to do it too.
“How does anyone confuse you with an adult?” Daphne questioned, shaking her head even though he couldn’t see her.
“You got me” he replied, unaffected by the insult. “So…” he said, drawing the word out. “If I asked really nicely, would you wear leather pants?”
“Maybe, but if I do, you have to wear a tight shirt” she returned, knowing that despite his incredible body, he hated wearing fitted shirts because he felt like they put him on display.
“Urg!” he groaned dramatically. “Fine, but if I wear the shirt, you have to wear something with no back to go along with the leather pants” he bargained.
“Deal” she agreed. “Now I gotta go, but I’ll see you later.”
“Can’t wait, bye”
“Bye.” Diane and Eileen were talking again when Daphne walked back into the kitchen. “Sorry, last minute party discussion” she said, not mentioning which party she was discussing. “So…any questions, comments?” she asked.
“What should we wear?” Diane wondered, looking entirely too much like a shy Isabel.
“We could always find you a leather mini and a matching halter if you wanted” Daphne teased, seeing where Isabel got her blush from.
“Not all of us have cute little bodies like you, I think I’ll just stick to something casual” Diane replied, quickly recovering from her embarrassment. “Is there anything else we should know about the party?” she asked and it was on the tip of her tongue to ruin the guys’ surprise but as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t do that to Zan when he seemed so excited about it.
“Nothing you won’t find out about tonight” Daphne replied, smiling encouraging while Eileen eyed her suspiciously.
A/N: Again, thanks for wonder feedback. The song on top is a few lines taken from "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
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Nobody's Home (Zan fic/ Adult) UC/CC Ch.14 5/25/05
Chapter 14
As the men began to leave, the women started to arrive. Two limos sat parked in the driveway while at Alex’s house, the male rendezvous point, two more waited. Not wanting to ruin the surprise, the women dressed casually, either putting sweaters on over their tops or bringing a bag with them to change later at the Crashdown while one had been prepared in advance, by Daphne, for Isabel.
“I really don’t see why we have to get out of here” Zan complained for like the zillionth time that night. “It’s not like it’s the wedding day and all of you are brides and all of us are grooms” he argued, his points weakening each round.
Ignoring Eileen who sat in the corner, watching them argue, Daphne grabbed his arm first, then Billy’s, both who were the last ones left, and pulled them out of the house. “Daphne, hey”
“Christopher, how are you?” Daphne greeted as she released the two men and walked forward to hug her friend who’d been casually leaning up against the car. “I guess you’re one of our drivers tonight huh?”
Christopher was an extremely good looking guy in that suffer kind of way with dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a light tan he got from going to school out at Pepperdine in Malibu. He always hung out with his family during the holidays though and spent that time and his summers helping out his dad with the driving since he’d grown up in Albuquerque. They’d been friends for a long time and she had even had a crush on him when they were younger but never said anything to him and eventually it just passed.
“At your service” he replied, smiling at her affectionately.
“That’s great, oh and these two are part of the second party, Zan Evans and Billy Darden, this is Christopher Wilson” she introduced, watching the three shake hands and noticing the speculative look Zan wore as he glanced between the two of them. “Well, it’ll still be a few minutes before we’re ready but you and…” she trailed off, tip toeing to see over the top of the limo and into the next. “Tim, can come inside and get in out of the cold while you wait” she offered.
“Thanks, we’ll do that” Christopher agreed before going over to the next car to tell the driver.
“Alright boys, drive safely to Alex’s and have fun” she said, bidding them farewell before going back inside. She was already feeling slightly ill from the night before and she didn’t want to make it any worse or face the wrath that was a pissed off Izzy.
She waited until everyone had arrived and was congregated around the living room before standing up to get everyone’s attention. “Good evening ladies, on behalf of the other bride’s maids, we’d like to welcome you to Isabel Evans, soon to be Whitman’s bachelorette party” she announced as loud round of applause and cat calls went out. “For tonight” she added, beckoning the two men, the two young college aged men, forward. “Christopher and Tim, will be our drivers, so divide up seven and seven and let the fun begin.”
Wanting to catch up with Christopher about school and his family, Daphne went to his limo, followed by Isabel, Maria, Tess, Serena, Lonnie and as luck would have it, Eileen. There was plenty of room in back for everyone but she opted to sit up front, giving him directions to the crash since he was the lead car.
“So how’s life in the fast lane treating you?” he asked once the others were all settled in and the partition was up.
“Fast, but I’m learning” Daphne replied. “What about you, how’s life on the beach?” she teased playfully.
“It’s good” he said, laughing. “And I met this really great girl, blonde, green eyes and a bad ass volleyball player. She plays setter for the team and I may be biased but I think she’s the best they got” he raved and Daphne had to smile, it was good to see him so happy. “Now that we’re on the subject of significant others, what about that guy back there, he seemed to be eyeballing me after we hugged?”
“His girlfriend is the redhead in back” Daphne replied, not answering his question.
“For now” Christopher replied, shrugging in indifference.
“Gah, you are still the same cocky bastard” Daphne replied, laughing in amusement while he just smirked in response. “It’s good to see you again though and I’m really happy that you seem to be so happy” she added, smiling at him when he lightly squeezed the hand that rested on the seat.
“It’s good to see you too” he returned.
When they got to the Crash, Daphne insisted that Christopher and Tim come inside and have something to eat, on her, while the other ladies filed in one by one. They’d gotten Larry and Jen to agree to close the café for the party which they were really reluctant to do, that was until they saw dollar signs and easily gave up the place for the night.
Not moving any of the furniture, they sat either in booths, tables or the counter since noise wasn’t an issue, they’d be able to talk as freely to one another no matter where they were in the room. Again, luck apparently was not with Daphne that night as Eileen sat in the booth with her, Isabel and Serena though she had a feeling it was more about staying around Zan’s sister than trying to watch over Daphne.
“So what else are we doing tonight?” Isabel casually asked as they waited for their food to come out. Daphne figured it wouldn’t take too long since they called ahead to order.
“That’s a good try Isabel” Daphne replied, patting her shoulder in mock condescension, “But no cigar” she added a teasing pout.
“You are such an evil cow” Isabel retorted, sticking her tongue out childishly while Daphne laughed at how funny it looked coming from the girl who was always too shy to do anything that would draw attention to herself.
“But you love me anyway” Daphne replied, batting her eyelashes playfully, knowing Isabel wouldn’t be able to hold in a laugh at the expression, not disappointed when she finally gave in and erupted in giggles. For some strange reason, despite it not being funny, Isabel could never help but laugh whenever she saw that though Daphne chalked up to all the cheesy chick flicks they used to mock when they were kids.
“Here we go, one galaxy sub with pepper jack, hold the onions” she said, setting it down in front of Serena when she raised her hand. “One Sigourney Weaver and an order of space fries” which belonged to Isabel. “A Will Smith and space fries” she said next, handing it to Daphne. “Which means that the orbit salad is for you” she finished, leaving the last plate with Eileen who was the only one they hadn’t been able to persuade to eat something fat and greasy given that it was a party.
“You know, I never thought to ask where you and Alex were going on your honeymoon” Serena comments a few bites into her sandwich.
Daphne noticed that Eileen kept staring at her and didn’t know why until she took her first bite of the burger and realized it was the Tabasco habit that seems to have everyone who knows Zan, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “He won’t tell me the exact location but I do know he’s taking me some place that doesn’t snow” Isabel replied which still left a wide range of places to go.
“Have you already done all the little technical details like get the forms to change your name and stuff like that?”
“No, I wanted to wait until I was officially a Whitman” Isabel replied, a smile a mile long stretched across her face. It was so easy to see that she was truly happy and anxious to get married.
With the limos showing up early, there wasn’t such a rush to get finished and out a certain time but about twenty minutes after everyone is through with their meal, the women began to pull out their bags and one by one slipped into the bathrooms and the break room to change. “Go put this on” Daphne said, handing Isabel the small duffle bag when it was her turn to go.
Looking at her curiously, Isabel opened her mouth to say something the seemed to change her mind, taking the bag, she walked into the bathroom. “What did you pack for her?” Maria asked once she was gone.
“A short, black leather mini skirt and a red lace tank” Daphne replied, knowing that a pair of leather pants and a silky green halter lied in hers, completely recreating the night four years before. It hadn’t been easy to find a replica of that top but a little persuasion and a lot of money went a long way.
When she finally emerged, Isabel was near tears but she was dressed in the outfit. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around Daphne, holding on for several moments before letting go while around them, the others looked at the two curiously. “My turn” Daphne replied as she went to go get dressed.
As per request, she wore the low rise black leather pants which she filled out nicely plus the halter, held together by a single string across the back, leaving the rest completely open for view, as requested. After pulling on a pair of black high heeled boots, and letting her long, currently straightened, hair down out of the butterfly clip she wore, she was ready to go.
Once everyone was done, they piled back into the cars, only this time they all sat in back and just left the partition down to give instructions once they reached Las Cruces.
“I can’t believe you did this” Isabel commented along the way. “Too bad Alex won’t be there to watch me dance” she added with a giggle while again, Daphne had to bite her tongue before she blew the secret.
The seven women made small talk for the rest of the drive though it was obvious they had differing tastes and ended up having three separate discussions since they could never agree on any one topic. Once they neared the club, Daphne leaned over the seat to tell Christopher where to go, not seeing the other limo around when they arrived.
“You’re welcome to come inside with us” Isabel offered before they got out. Looking to Daphne for confirmation, Christopher agreed when he saw her nod her head, yes. “This is gonna be so much fun” Izzy stated, grabbing Daphne’s hand as the two led the way to the back of the line.
Devil’s Angel, while still a hot spot, had changed a bit over the years but that meant it was now darker, smokier, louder and bodies dancing out on the floor had hotter moves. Serena, Maria and Lonnie were the first ones out there, dancing away while the older women sat to have a drink as they watched the happenings around them. “Come on, we’re drinking something first” Daphne said, leading Isabel to the bar. “Hi, I’d like four shots of tequila, two bottles of Corona and some lime please” she ordered.
“Is this all for us?” Isabel questioned, an apprehensive look on her face as the bartender set the drinks down.
“Just do what I do” Daphne instructed. First, she sprinkled some salt on her hand while the other rested on top of the shot glass, she licked the salt first then banged the glass down against the bar before downing it, chasing it with a swig of Corona, repeating it with the second shot before sucking on a piece of lime. “Lick, shot popper, chase, shot popper then lime, got it? Live a little” she added when it looked like Isabel was going to protest. She gestured to the bartender for another couple of shots for herself and gave Isabel a pointed look as she put her hand over the recently filled glass.
“Fine” she said in a haughty voice and proceeded to down her drinks just as Daphne had, only cringing a little at the stinging taste of tequila against her throat. “When the hell did you learn to do that?”
“You can learn a lot of things hanging around Billy” Daphne replied as she continued to suck on a lime. “Come on, now that you have some liquor in you, let’s go dance.”
‘All the Things She Said’ by Tatu began playing and Isabel draped her arms over Daphne’s shoulders as the two danced together, swaying their hips together as the music filled the air around them. Their movements and bodies began to start drawing a crowd around the chorus though none of the guys attempted to try and get in between them, opting to just let them dance while they enjoyed the view.
Several songs later, Maria, Tess, Lonnie and Serena had joined the two and together, the six made quite a show. The club had a DJ that played anything from dance to heavy but most of the girls didn’t really go for that so when a heavier song by Disturbed came on around them, they went to go get more drinks while Daphne stayed, dancing alone, enjoying the feeling of losing herself in the music just as she always had. Around her guys tried to dance along which was fine by her, she had never minded the dancing before because she didn’t care who he was as long as he was gone by the end of the song. She didn’t want to see faces, she just wanted to dance.
Penance can’t absolve your sin
All your belief
Cannot absolve your sin
Believe when you lie
You will never need to recognize the source
Of deceit
To renew your faith in god
You must believe, in your lie
The redemption is complete when you conceive
And decline
To release your lives
Sacrificed to me
Penance can’t absolve your sin
Into me
Penance can’t absolve your sin
All your believe
Cannot absolve your sin
The last pair of hands to touch her body brought her closer against his chest. About to turn around to push him away, she stopped when his voice whispered in her ear. “I definitely approve but I’m going to have to dance you away because of all the guys waiting for their turn.”
She should have been offended by that last comment but wasn’t, opting to face him, draping her arms loosely over his shoulders as she let him guide her further into the floor and away from the tables. Looking him up and down, she saw he held up his end of he bargain, wearing a tight black shirt that emphasized his broad chest and muscled arms. “I also approve” she replied, watching as his eyes started to darken in what she could only assume was lust or male pride.
“I paid a visit to the DJ a little while ago, and the next dance is still mine” Zan stated, continuing their easy dance until the song ended, silence only lasting a couple seconds before the heavy beats of a familiar song pulsed throughout the darkened room. He tightened his hold then, pulling her close to his body, pressing them so close that there wasn’t a single part of their bodies that weren’t touching.
You let me violate you
You let me desecrate you
You let me penetrate you
You let me complicate you
Help me
I broke apart my insides
Help me
I’ve got no soul to sell
Help me
The only thing that works for me
Help me get away from myself
“This song probably wasn’t a good idea” she commented. “The last time we danced to it we hardly made it out of the club before attempting to tear each other’s clothes off.” She said it casually, emphasizing her point by pushing her hips firmly against his, meant to tease since he was the one who wanted a dirty dance.
With the loud music around them, she wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she heard him growl then.
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to god
“Just say the word and this dance won’t be the only thing we repeat from that night” Zan whispered, nuzzling her neck as he leaned into her, trailing kisses up the column of her throat to the underside of her jaw, stopping just short of her lips as he tried to tease her right back.
You can have my isolation
You can have the hate that it brings
You can have my absence of faith
You can have my everything
Help me
Tear down my reason
Help me
It’s your sex I can smell
Help me
You make me perfect
Help me become someone else
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to god
Wanting to even the score after that move, Daphne lowered her arms, slipping them through his until she was grasping him around his waist. Ever so slowly, she began to trail them lower until they were resting in his pockets, using them to push his lower body against hers, feeling just how hot the dance was making him as he shamelessly rubbed up against her.
“You’re playing with fire” he whispered, nipping at the skin just below her ear. “You might want to just talk and get to know each other but I think we can get acquainted again another way” he told, the husky timber of his voice not going unnoticed as the two grinded against one another, their movements fluid and natural as their bodies danced instinctively together, mimicking another action they’d done so many other times minus all the clothes that were currently standing in the way of what Zan, and Daphne, though she wouldn’t admit it, really wanted.
Through every forest
Above the trees
Within my stomach
Scraped off my knees
I drink the honey inside your hive
You are the reason I stay alive
“What is it about this song?” Daphne asked once it was over and another began to play.
“The words describe what we both want to happen, that’s what” Zan replied, not bothering to release her, in fact, he began dancing her closer to the wall and near the exit. “It would be so easy to just…”
“And wrong” Daphne moaned arching her neck for better access, despite her mind’s protests that she shouldn’t be doing this, not when they’d just agreed to be friends again and he still had a girlfriend.
Pulling back, Zan looked her straight in the eye. “It may be a lot of things, but it’s never wrong, it never has been, not with us.” His words and the sound of his voice were like an instant aphrodisiac that made her want to give in, damning all consequences. Unable to resist for any longer, Zan finally lowered his lips to hers, whispering against her mouth, “I want you so much.”
He was weakening her defenses as his kisses reminded her of all the times before, of three months worth of kisses and intimate touches. He knew just where to put his hands, how to move his lips, and how to completely drive her crazy, remembering it all after all this time. He drove her to the point where she was helpless to do anything but to give in, truthfully not wanting to hold back anymore.
“Outside, back wall, I don’t care if it’s cold” she muttered, meeting his mouth with her own, letting his tongue spar with hers before he pulled back, looking at her speculatively.
“I have to ask, you’re not drunk, are you?”
“No, you?” she asked, tasting a faint hint of beer on his tongue.
“No” he quickly answered, shaking his head, leaning in for one more kiss before grabbing her hand to pull her out through the back exit, not wasting any time before pushing her against the building wall, saying a quick mental thanks that it wasn’t brick. Fusing their lips back together, they began pushing and pulling on clothes, knowing it would have to be quick.
It was awkward, but they lowered Daphne’s pants enough to make room for him, pushing the g-string aside as his erection poked up from his open fly. Bending his knees while she supported herself on his shoulders, he slid inside her with one quick thrust, both groaning at the incredible feeling of being joined again.
Quickly, Zan began thrusting upwards, her short height causing him to thrust deeply, not caring about the ache in his legs from the bending. Lips attached, they muffled each other’s sounds, swallowing up moans of pleasure as he pushed them to completion. Panting, they began to moan louder, feeling their release near, so close that Zan actually lifted her up, pinning her against the wall with his body as he thrust upwards several more times before he felt her come around him, relieved when he could finally let go, burying his face in her neck as he groaned loudly, shooting hot spurts deep inside her.
Pulling out, he let her slide down his body until her shoes touched the ground again. Leaning into one another, they struggled to catch their breath as a deep sated feeling began to envelope them, having been so long since they felt the passion and complete intimacy they brought one another, even if it was in the freezing cold, up against a club wall.
After readjusting clothes, they went back to the club, having to go through the front again, they separated at the entrance, Zan going to join the guys while Daphne headed to the ladies room to freshen up though neither could wipe the smile of their face for the rest of the night.
A/N: The first song was "Believe" by Disturbed and the second is "Closer" by NIN. Again, thank you all for the wonderful feedback and for continuining on with this story. Thank you also to the lurkers. Hope you enjoyed it!
As the men began to leave, the women started to arrive. Two limos sat parked in the driveway while at Alex’s house, the male rendezvous point, two more waited. Not wanting to ruin the surprise, the women dressed casually, either putting sweaters on over their tops or bringing a bag with them to change later at the Crashdown while one had been prepared in advance, by Daphne, for Isabel.
“I really don’t see why we have to get out of here” Zan complained for like the zillionth time that night. “It’s not like it’s the wedding day and all of you are brides and all of us are grooms” he argued, his points weakening each round.
Ignoring Eileen who sat in the corner, watching them argue, Daphne grabbed his arm first, then Billy’s, both who were the last ones left, and pulled them out of the house. “Daphne, hey”
“Christopher, how are you?” Daphne greeted as she released the two men and walked forward to hug her friend who’d been casually leaning up against the car. “I guess you’re one of our drivers tonight huh?”
Christopher was an extremely good looking guy in that suffer kind of way with dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a light tan he got from going to school out at Pepperdine in Malibu. He always hung out with his family during the holidays though and spent that time and his summers helping out his dad with the driving since he’d grown up in Albuquerque. They’d been friends for a long time and she had even had a crush on him when they were younger but never said anything to him and eventually it just passed.
“At your service” he replied, smiling at her affectionately.
“That’s great, oh and these two are part of the second party, Zan Evans and Billy Darden, this is Christopher Wilson” she introduced, watching the three shake hands and noticing the speculative look Zan wore as he glanced between the two of them. “Well, it’ll still be a few minutes before we’re ready but you and…” she trailed off, tip toeing to see over the top of the limo and into the next. “Tim, can come inside and get in out of the cold while you wait” she offered.
“Thanks, we’ll do that” Christopher agreed before going over to the next car to tell the driver.
“Alright boys, drive safely to Alex’s and have fun” she said, bidding them farewell before going back inside. She was already feeling slightly ill from the night before and she didn’t want to make it any worse or face the wrath that was a pissed off Izzy.
She waited until everyone had arrived and was congregated around the living room before standing up to get everyone’s attention. “Good evening ladies, on behalf of the other bride’s maids, we’d like to welcome you to Isabel Evans, soon to be Whitman’s bachelorette party” she announced as loud round of applause and cat calls went out. “For tonight” she added, beckoning the two men, the two young college aged men, forward. “Christopher and Tim, will be our drivers, so divide up seven and seven and let the fun begin.”
Wanting to catch up with Christopher about school and his family, Daphne went to his limo, followed by Isabel, Maria, Tess, Serena, Lonnie and as luck would have it, Eileen. There was plenty of room in back for everyone but she opted to sit up front, giving him directions to the crash since he was the lead car.
“So how’s life in the fast lane treating you?” he asked once the others were all settled in and the partition was up.
“Fast, but I’m learning” Daphne replied. “What about you, how’s life on the beach?” she teased playfully.
“It’s good” he said, laughing. “And I met this really great girl, blonde, green eyes and a bad ass volleyball player. She plays setter for the team and I may be biased but I think she’s the best they got” he raved and Daphne had to smile, it was good to see him so happy. “Now that we’re on the subject of significant others, what about that guy back there, he seemed to be eyeballing me after we hugged?”
“His girlfriend is the redhead in back” Daphne replied, not answering his question.
“For now” Christopher replied, shrugging in indifference.
“Gah, you are still the same cocky bastard” Daphne replied, laughing in amusement while he just smirked in response. “It’s good to see you again though and I’m really happy that you seem to be so happy” she added, smiling at him when he lightly squeezed the hand that rested on the seat.
“It’s good to see you too” he returned.
When they got to the Crash, Daphne insisted that Christopher and Tim come inside and have something to eat, on her, while the other ladies filed in one by one. They’d gotten Larry and Jen to agree to close the café for the party which they were really reluctant to do, that was until they saw dollar signs and easily gave up the place for the night.
Not moving any of the furniture, they sat either in booths, tables or the counter since noise wasn’t an issue, they’d be able to talk as freely to one another no matter where they were in the room. Again, luck apparently was not with Daphne that night as Eileen sat in the booth with her, Isabel and Serena though she had a feeling it was more about staying around Zan’s sister than trying to watch over Daphne.
“So what else are we doing tonight?” Isabel casually asked as they waited for their food to come out. Daphne figured it wouldn’t take too long since they called ahead to order.
“That’s a good try Isabel” Daphne replied, patting her shoulder in mock condescension, “But no cigar” she added a teasing pout.
“You are such an evil cow” Isabel retorted, sticking her tongue out childishly while Daphne laughed at how funny it looked coming from the girl who was always too shy to do anything that would draw attention to herself.
“But you love me anyway” Daphne replied, batting her eyelashes playfully, knowing Isabel wouldn’t be able to hold in a laugh at the expression, not disappointed when she finally gave in and erupted in giggles. For some strange reason, despite it not being funny, Isabel could never help but laugh whenever she saw that though Daphne chalked up to all the cheesy chick flicks they used to mock when they were kids.
“Here we go, one galaxy sub with pepper jack, hold the onions” she said, setting it down in front of Serena when she raised her hand. “One Sigourney Weaver and an order of space fries” which belonged to Isabel. “A Will Smith and space fries” she said next, handing it to Daphne. “Which means that the orbit salad is for you” she finished, leaving the last plate with Eileen who was the only one they hadn’t been able to persuade to eat something fat and greasy given that it was a party.
“You know, I never thought to ask where you and Alex were going on your honeymoon” Serena comments a few bites into her sandwich.
Daphne noticed that Eileen kept staring at her and didn’t know why until she took her first bite of the burger and realized it was the Tabasco habit that seems to have everyone who knows Zan, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “He won’t tell me the exact location but I do know he’s taking me some place that doesn’t snow” Isabel replied which still left a wide range of places to go.
“Have you already done all the little technical details like get the forms to change your name and stuff like that?”
“No, I wanted to wait until I was officially a Whitman” Isabel replied, a smile a mile long stretched across her face. It was so easy to see that she was truly happy and anxious to get married.
With the limos showing up early, there wasn’t such a rush to get finished and out a certain time but about twenty minutes after everyone is through with their meal, the women began to pull out their bags and one by one slipped into the bathrooms and the break room to change. “Go put this on” Daphne said, handing Isabel the small duffle bag when it was her turn to go.
Looking at her curiously, Isabel opened her mouth to say something the seemed to change her mind, taking the bag, she walked into the bathroom. “What did you pack for her?” Maria asked once she was gone.
“A short, black leather mini skirt and a red lace tank” Daphne replied, knowing that a pair of leather pants and a silky green halter lied in hers, completely recreating the night four years before. It hadn’t been easy to find a replica of that top but a little persuasion and a lot of money went a long way.
When she finally emerged, Isabel was near tears but she was dressed in the outfit. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around Daphne, holding on for several moments before letting go while around them, the others looked at the two curiously. “My turn” Daphne replied as she went to go get dressed.
As per request, she wore the low rise black leather pants which she filled out nicely plus the halter, held together by a single string across the back, leaving the rest completely open for view, as requested. After pulling on a pair of black high heeled boots, and letting her long, currently straightened, hair down out of the butterfly clip she wore, she was ready to go.
Once everyone was done, they piled back into the cars, only this time they all sat in back and just left the partition down to give instructions once they reached Las Cruces.
“I can’t believe you did this” Isabel commented along the way. “Too bad Alex won’t be there to watch me dance” she added with a giggle while again, Daphne had to bite her tongue before she blew the secret.
The seven women made small talk for the rest of the drive though it was obvious they had differing tastes and ended up having three separate discussions since they could never agree on any one topic. Once they neared the club, Daphne leaned over the seat to tell Christopher where to go, not seeing the other limo around when they arrived.
“You’re welcome to come inside with us” Isabel offered before they got out. Looking to Daphne for confirmation, Christopher agreed when he saw her nod her head, yes. “This is gonna be so much fun” Izzy stated, grabbing Daphne’s hand as the two led the way to the back of the line.
Devil’s Angel, while still a hot spot, had changed a bit over the years but that meant it was now darker, smokier, louder and bodies dancing out on the floor had hotter moves. Serena, Maria and Lonnie were the first ones out there, dancing away while the older women sat to have a drink as they watched the happenings around them. “Come on, we’re drinking something first” Daphne said, leading Isabel to the bar. “Hi, I’d like four shots of tequila, two bottles of Corona and some lime please” she ordered.
“Is this all for us?” Isabel questioned, an apprehensive look on her face as the bartender set the drinks down.
“Just do what I do” Daphne instructed. First, she sprinkled some salt on her hand while the other rested on top of the shot glass, she licked the salt first then banged the glass down against the bar before downing it, chasing it with a swig of Corona, repeating it with the second shot before sucking on a piece of lime. “Lick, shot popper, chase, shot popper then lime, got it? Live a little” she added when it looked like Isabel was going to protest. She gestured to the bartender for another couple of shots for herself and gave Isabel a pointed look as she put her hand over the recently filled glass.
“Fine” she said in a haughty voice and proceeded to down her drinks just as Daphne had, only cringing a little at the stinging taste of tequila against her throat. “When the hell did you learn to do that?”
“You can learn a lot of things hanging around Billy” Daphne replied as she continued to suck on a lime. “Come on, now that you have some liquor in you, let’s go dance.”
‘All the Things She Said’ by Tatu began playing and Isabel draped her arms over Daphne’s shoulders as the two danced together, swaying their hips together as the music filled the air around them. Their movements and bodies began to start drawing a crowd around the chorus though none of the guys attempted to try and get in between them, opting to just let them dance while they enjoyed the view.
Several songs later, Maria, Tess, Lonnie and Serena had joined the two and together, the six made quite a show. The club had a DJ that played anything from dance to heavy but most of the girls didn’t really go for that so when a heavier song by Disturbed came on around them, they went to go get more drinks while Daphne stayed, dancing alone, enjoying the feeling of losing herself in the music just as she always had. Around her guys tried to dance along which was fine by her, she had never minded the dancing before because she didn’t care who he was as long as he was gone by the end of the song. She didn’t want to see faces, she just wanted to dance.
Penance can’t absolve your sin
All your belief
Cannot absolve your sin
Believe when you lie
You will never need to recognize the source
Of deceit
To renew your faith in god
You must believe, in your lie
The redemption is complete when you conceive
And decline
To release your lives
Sacrificed to me
Penance can’t absolve your sin
Into me
Penance can’t absolve your sin
All your believe
Cannot absolve your sin
The last pair of hands to touch her body brought her closer against his chest. About to turn around to push him away, she stopped when his voice whispered in her ear. “I definitely approve but I’m going to have to dance you away because of all the guys waiting for their turn.”
She should have been offended by that last comment but wasn’t, opting to face him, draping her arms loosely over his shoulders as she let him guide her further into the floor and away from the tables. Looking him up and down, she saw he held up his end of he bargain, wearing a tight black shirt that emphasized his broad chest and muscled arms. “I also approve” she replied, watching as his eyes started to darken in what she could only assume was lust or male pride.
“I paid a visit to the DJ a little while ago, and the next dance is still mine” Zan stated, continuing their easy dance until the song ended, silence only lasting a couple seconds before the heavy beats of a familiar song pulsed throughout the darkened room. He tightened his hold then, pulling her close to his body, pressing them so close that there wasn’t a single part of their bodies that weren’t touching.
You let me violate you
You let me desecrate you
You let me penetrate you
You let me complicate you
Help me
I broke apart my insides
Help me
I’ve got no soul to sell
Help me
The only thing that works for me
Help me get away from myself
“This song probably wasn’t a good idea” she commented. “The last time we danced to it we hardly made it out of the club before attempting to tear each other’s clothes off.” She said it casually, emphasizing her point by pushing her hips firmly against his, meant to tease since he was the one who wanted a dirty dance.
With the loud music around them, she wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she heard him growl then.
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to god
“Just say the word and this dance won’t be the only thing we repeat from that night” Zan whispered, nuzzling her neck as he leaned into her, trailing kisses up the column of her throat to the underside of her jaw, stopping just short of her lips as he tried to tease her right back.
You can have my isolation
You can have the hate that it brings
You can have my absence of faith
You can have my everything
Help me
Tear down my reason
Help me
It’s your sex I can smell
Help me
You make me perfect
Help me become someone else
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to god
Wanting to even the score after that move, Daphne lowered her arms, slipping them through his until she was grasping him around his waist. Ever so slowly, she began to trail them lower until they were resting in his pockets, using them to push his lower body against hers, feeling just how hot the dance was making him as he shamelessly rubbed up against her.
“You’re playing with fire” he whispered, nipping at the skin just below her ear. “You might want to just talk and get to know each other but I think we can get acquainted again another way” he told, the husky timber of his voice not going unnoticed as the two grinded against one another, their movements fluid and natural as their bodies danced instinctively together, mimicking another action they’d done so many other times minus all the clothes that were currently standing in the way of what Zan, and Daphne, though she wouldn’t admit it, really wanted.
Through every forest
Above the trees
Within my stomach
Scraped off my knees
I drink the honey inside your hive
You are the reason I stay alive
“What is it about this song?” Daphne asked once it was over and another began to play.
“The words describe what we both want to happen, that’s what” Zan replied, not bothering to release her, in fact, he began dancing her closer to the wall and near the exit. “It would be so easy to just…”
“And wrong” Daphne moaned arching her neck for better access, despite her mind’s protests that she shouldn’t be doing this, not when they’d just agreed to be friends again and he still had a girlfriend.
Pulling back, Zan looked her straight in the eye. “It may be a lot of things, but it’s never wrong, it never has been, not with us.” His words and the sound of his voice were like an instant aphrodisiac that made her want to give in, damning all consequences. Unable to resist for any longer, Zan finally lowered his lips to hers, whispering against her mouth, “I want you so much.”
He was weakening her defenses as his kisses reminded her of all the times before, of three months worth of kisses and intimate touches. He knew just where to put his hands, how to move his lips, and how to completely drive her crazy, remembering it all after all this time. He drove her to the point where she was helpless to do anything but to give in, truthfully not wanting to hold back anymore.
“Outside, back wall, I don’t care if it’s cold” she muttered, meeting his mouth with her own, letting his tongue spar with hers before he pulled back, looking at her speculatively.
“I have to ask, you’re not drunk, are you?”
“No, you?” she asked, tasting a faint hint of beer on his tongue.
“No” he quickly answered, shaking his head, leaning in for one more kiss before grabbing her hand to pull her out through the back exit, not wasting any time before pushing her against the building wall, saying a quick mental thanks that it wasn’t brick. Fusing their lips back together, they began pushing and pulling on clothes, knowing it would have to be quick.
It was awkward, but they lowered Daphne’s pants enough to make room for him, pushing the g-string aside as his erection poked up from his open fly. Bending his knees while she supported herself on his shoulders, he slid inside her with one quick thrust, both groaning at the incredible feeling of being joined again.
Quickly, Zan began thrusting upwards, her short height causing him to thrust deeply, not caring about the ache in his legs from the bending. Lips attached, they muffled each other’s sounds, swallowing up moans of pleasure as he pushed them to completion. Panting, they began to moan louder, feeling their release near, so close that Zan actually lifted her up, pinning her against the wall with his body as he thrust upwards several more times before he felt her come around him, relieved when he could finally let go, burying his face in her neck as he groaned loudly, shooting hot spurts deep inside her.
Pulling out, he let her slide down his body until her shoes touched the ground again. Leaning into one another, they struggled to catch their breath as a deep sated feeling began to envelope them, having been so long since they felt the passion and complete intimacy they brought one another, even if it was in the freezing cold, up against a club wall.
After readjusting clothes, they went back to the club, having to go through the front again, they separated at the entrance, Zan going to join the guys while Daphne headed to the ladies room to freshen up though neither could wipe the smile of their face for the rest of the night.
A/N: The first song was "Believe" by Disturbed and the second is "Closer" by NIN. Again, thank you all for the wonderful feedback and for continuining on with this story. Thank you also to the lurkers. Hope you enjoyed it!
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm
Nobody's Home Ch.15
A/N: Thank you again to everyone for the great feedback and to all those who are still reading this one. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 15
More than half of the twenty eight men and women were drunk by the time they arrived back in Roswell. The four limos dropped some off at the Whitman residence, a few at the Evans home and the rest at Daphne’s house, including some who weren’t staying there originally. It had been a long night and most couldn’t wait to get some sleep. “Thank you for everything tonight Christopher” Daphne said, leaning up to hug her old friend. “Good luck with your next semester, okay and I expect to meet the girlfriend if it’s get any more serious” she teased.
“You got a deal Daph and take care of yourself” Christopher replied, squeezing her tightly before letting go. “And if I don’t see you again, I want to wish you an early Merry Christmas.”
“And to you” she returned. “Good night.”
Going inside, she nudged various people in the direction of their rooms and grabbed blankets for the extras to crash on the couches and chairs in the living room. It was a full twenty minutes later before she finally made it up to her room. Not bothering with the light, she began stripping her clothes away, letting out a surprised gasp when she heard a voice speak from somewhere in the darkened room.
“Don’t let me stop you” he said, amused.
“Isn’t your room the one across the hall?” Daphne asked, though she still resumed her task of taking off her clothes.
Knowing what she was asking, “She was so drunk that she passed out on the way up here” Zan replied, his eyes never leaving her body as more skin was exposed until she was wearing nothing but the little red g-string she had worn beneath the leather pants. “I thought maybe I could keep you company” he suggested, rising to his knees on the bed as she came forward, his arms going around her to pull her closer towards him.
Without replying, Daphne trailed her hands beneath his shirt, pulling the material up as she went until he just lifted his arms and pulled it completely off for her. Running her hands over the rigid skin of his abdomen, he sucked in a breath but remained still, letting her continue her perusal. “Do you really want to fuck me with your girlfriend right across the hall?” she whispered into his ear, nipping the skin below it lightly before pulling back to look in his eyes.
“It wouldn’t be fucking sweetheart” he answered, burying his hand in her hair to bring her lips only a breath away from his own. “It’s going to be slow and deep and you’re going to feel it throughout your whole body” he said, punctuating the last couple of words with a soft kiss, making his point before pulling her body completely against his and meeting his lips with hers.
Between their bodies, she reached down to unfasten his belt, pulling the button free before slowly lowering his zipper but made no move to touch what was inside.
Tongues met and caressed as his hands gently framed her face. He was seducing her now, making up for the quick joining of before, this time taking it slow, wanting her to feel how much he still cared for and wanted her.
Seconds, maybe even minutes went by, just standing there, lips meeting and nipping before Daphne got tired of the torturous pace and began to push his jeans down his hips, allowing him to pull her down with him as he laid back against the bed, kicking the material away.
Softly, he began to run his hands down the spine of her back, slowly starting high and working his way down before following the curve of her hip, lightly fingering the string holding up the last shred of clothing hiding her from him. She moaned into his mouth as his hands traced over every inch of her skin, causing her to shudder with pleasure.
She rolled onto her back when he nudged her over and continued to kiss him even after he removed the remaining small scrap of cloth left on her body.
Slowly, he dragged his lips down, trailing them over the smooth column of her throat and across her collar bone, not stopping until he reached her right breast, sucking the rosy tip into his mouth, biting down gently and lapping it up with his tongue when he heard her moan of approval. All the while, his hand remained busy, teasing the other side before switching and giving the second the same erotic treatment that the first one had received.
“Zan” she moaned under her breath as he started to move lower, placing little open mouthed kisses against her hip, kissing a trail across to the other side before finally going a bit lower, reaching her center which was wet with arousal.
Groaning at seeing her so wet, he leaned forward, placing his tongue against her opening and licking all the way up, repeating the action several times, enjoying the sound of his name on her lips as she got closer and closer to her end. Teasing her with the tip of his index finger, his tongue never stopped its ministrations, adding a second finger when he felt the beginning shudders of her release. Eager to bring her to the height of satisfaction, he began to suck on the little erect nub of pleasure, looking up to watch her writhe against the blanket as she bit her lip to hold in the loud moan of ecstasy as she peaked, releasing juices for him to drink at before finally coming down.
Placing one last kiss on the area, he crawled back up her body, taking her lips in a scorching kiss that had both ready and eager for more.
“I know I didn’t ask earlier, but are you still…”
“Yes” she answered, knowing he was referring to her still being on the pill.
“Good” he replied, not giving her a chance to say anything else before he placed his erection over her opening and quickly pushed in all the way. “You still feel so good” he whispered in his ear as he began to move, slowly at first, setting an unbelievably, deliberately unhurried pace which only served to make her want him even more, if that were possible.
“More” she moaned as she raised her hips up to meet the downward motion of his strokes. “Please” she added when he still wouldn’t move any faster.
“I told you it would be slow” he replied. “I told you that you would feel it throughout your whole body” he whispered, his voice thick with lust and affection. He didn’t increase his pace but he began to thrust more insistently against her, causing little prickles of pleasure to course all throughout her body, just as he’d promised.
She wanted more, she wanted him to lose control with her as he always had before, even as he had earlier at the club but still… he did it his way and before long they were both moaning, the slowness turning erotic as their passion continued to build. Zan pushed more then and before long their hips were so close they were almost one. “So good” he couldn’t help but say, panting the words out as his aroused erection pierced her silken walls, feeling them draw him in, holding him to her every time he tried to pull back a little.
“Zan…more” she whispered, pulling his head down to plant a fiery kiss to his lips, her tongue moving in and out, mimicking the pace she wanted their bodies to follow.
Unable to hold out any longer, Zan flipped them over, grasping hold of her hips as she rose up against him, tossing her hair back as she began to ride, up and down, his hands assisting her movements. Her breasts bounced in front of him and he couldn’t resist reaching up to cup them in the palms of his hands, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over the aroused peaks of her nipples.
Before long, Daphne was bouncing up and down against him, both trying to reach their end, both feeling it so near. “Uh” she moaned as her inner muscles began to clench around him, grasping him so tightly that he was barely able to hold on as she came around him, just waiting until she’d received her pleasure before pulling her down against him one final time, exploding inside of her as little spasms of pleasure coursed up and down his cock.
With his hands behind her, he pulled her down to rest against his chest, not letting her move off of him as he held her to him, savoring the feel of being with her like this again after so much time apart.
Just before she fell asleep, he whispered against her ear, “I love you Daphne”
“Love you” she tiredly returned as he tightened his arms around her. Pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, he continued to hold her until sleep finally claimed her and after maneuvering the comforter over their cooling bodies, he followed her into a deep, dreamless rest.
~&~&~&~&~&~One Day to Go~&~&~&~&~&~
The spot beside her was empty when Daphne woke up later that morning though on closer inspection, she found a folded note lying against the pillow where Zan had lain only hours before. Unable to see the writing, she reached over for her glasses before reading his words.
Daphne:
Went to go pick up Max from my grandparents, hope you slept well, I know that I did and I’ll see you later.
Love,
Zan
Smiling, she opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand and put the note inside, sighing at the thought of having to get up but knowing there were still things to be done and Isabel was definitely due for a freak out soon.
After taking a quick shower, Daphne got dressed in something warm, figuring she’d be out and about at some point during the day and then headed downstairs where several people either sat with their eyes closed in the living room or leaning their heads in their hands at the breakfast table, all hungover.
“Morning” she greeted to Mike who seemed to be the only other healthy one in the house besides herself. “Need any help?” she offered, hopping up on the counter as she watched him boil a couple eggs.
“I’m good, but thanks” he replied, then after a beat asked, “Why aren’t you hanging your head over a toilet, praying to the porcelain god, like the rest?”
“Because I didn’t drink enough to get drunk” she shrugged. “I went out with Billy the night before and didn’t feel like being sick again this morning” she explained, curious why he wasn’t either. “What about you?”
“I don’t drink much when I know Maria is” Michael stated and Daphne thought his answer was incredibly sweet. “Someone has to make the hangover drink and hold the other’s hair back, right” he asked, rhetorically and she laughed at his joke about him having long hair which actually went to his shoulders, about as long as Tess’ who had the shortest hair in the group of girls.
“Hey guys” Zan said, coming into the kitchen with Max in tow.
“You’re not sick” Max observed, looking between the two. “Daddy, I thought everyone was sick” he commented, looking up at his father.
“Almost, but not everyone” he replied with amusement. “Why don’t you go watch a movie in the den and I’ll call you when breakfast is ready?” he suggested.
“People in the den, but you can go up to my room Max, the remote is on the nightstand” Daphne told him, seeing his nod before he ran out while Zan called out to him to be careful and not drop anything. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d go into town with me later, I have to be a good maid of honor and pick up some stuff for Izzy and I know for a fact that Alex has yet to pick up the wedding bands and since you are the best man…” she trails off.
“Sure no problem” Zan replied. “I need to pick up mine and Max’s tux anyway” he said, shrugging while Mike seemed to perk up at that bit of information. “I’ll get it” he agreed before Michael even had to ask and Daphne couldn’t help but laugh at that. She opened her mouth to comment and promptly closed it when she saw Eileen walk in, shoot Zan a sleepy smile and lean up to kiss him good morning.
“Well I have calls to make and messages to return, thanks” she added with a smile to Michael who held out an apple for her. “About noon or so?” she added to Zan who nodded in agreement. “I’m driving” she added before walking out, hearing Eileen ask what that was all about as she left.
Retreating to her office, she wasn’t there for more than a couple minutes, going through the new e-mails and text messages she’d received the day before when alas, a knock at the door. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered to close it at all. “Come in”
Looking up, she couldn’t help but frown lightly when she saw Eileen standing there. “I’m not disturbing you, am I?” she asked though the look she wore plainly stated that she didn’t really care either way.
“Course not, what’d you need?” Daphne asked, leaning back in her chair, waiting while Eileen opted to remain standing.
“I wanted to talk to you about Zander” Eileen stated but if she was waiting for a reaction, she’d wait a long time as Daphne continued to sit back impassively. “I know that you knew him when you were younger and if he was anything then like he is now, he was a really great guy and I’m sure that spending all that time around his family, you might have felt something for him then, but this isn’t high school anymore, it’s the real world and in this world, I’m his girlfriend so I would appreciate it if you stayed away from him aside from what you have to do with the wedding tomorrow” she told and the expression on here face showed she thought she’d win.
“First of all you know nothing about my past with Zan, including what our relationship was or is now so don’t presume to” Daphne returned, raising her hand when Eileen tried to protest. “And if in this ‘real world’ Zan is really so happy with you in your relationship, you wouldn’t feel threatened enough to come and confront me and then if you were really as strong as you’re pretending to be now, you’d go to him with this, not me because all you’re doing right now is exposing a very big weakness.”
“How dare you” she vehemently hissed. “You have no right to talk to me like that”
“And you had no right coming in here, issuing orders, especially when you are a guest in my home” Daphne countered, spared from saying anything else when the second knock on the door came. “Come in”
“Max, you’re back, hi sweetie” Eileen greeted. Max looked at her strangely but still smiled and said hi.
“Daph, would you come upstairs and watch Harry Potter with me again, it’s getting to the good part where Hagrid comes and tells Harry he’s a wizard” Max requested, smiling excitedly.
“You got it but you need eat something first, why don’t you go tell Mike what you want to eat and when you’re done, we’ll finish watching the movie” Daphne negotiated and Max cocked his head to the side, seemingly thinking it over.
“Okay, bye Daph” he said, bouncing out of the room.
“Trying to use Max is low” Eileen spat as soon as the door was closed.
“In case you’ve just forgotten, he was the one who came to me and I’m not the one that turned all sugary the moment he walked through the door” Daphne informed, shaking her head, realizing that she was wrong to keep Zan from breaking up with Eileen when he wanted to, this situation was getting weird and awkward and she’d have to talk to him about later when they went out to run their errands.
“Just stay away from him”
“Do you know why he puts Tabasco sauce on his hamburgers? Do you know where he got that scar on his left shoulder blade? Have you ever seen the small mark he has on his lower right hip, a reminder of the chickenpox he had at age 10? Do you know why he enjoys jazz music more than any other genre? Do you know why he named his son Max?” she asked, her voice stopping Eileen before she could walk out the door.
The other woman didn’t say anything at first but she did turn around. “Do you really want to know about my past with him?” she asked though both knew it was a challenge. Eileen didn’t have a good enough hand so she was bluffing and Daphne was about to call that bluff.
“You could know any of these things through Isabel or stories he’s told, but it doesn’t mean you have first hand knowledge of any of it” Eileen stated.
“He likes Tabasco because Mr. Trilling cooks the burgers on a grill that pretty much makes the burgers healthy and Zan started using Tabasco to make up for the blandness when he was about eleven. The scar on his shoulder…a result of a drunken night when he was seventeen, I bandaged it for him because Isabel freaks at the sight of blood” Daphne went on to explain. She realized that this probably wasn’t the way to do things but she also wasn’t going to be pushed in her own house by a guest she didn’t invite to stay.
“He likes Jazz because his mom tried to teach him the piano when he was younger and he hated it so she played jazz music for him so he’d see how great it sounded and the two started listening to it together all the time. Maxwell was the name of his grandfather that died of cancer when Zan was 18 and his son looks just like him since his grandfather was the oddball in the family and had blue eyes, just like Max does. And the scar, the one on his hip, I’ve seen, lots of times in fact and he’s seen every… single…one… of…mine.”
“I don’t believe you” Eileen declared.
“You don’t have to because if you really want to know the truth, ask Zan yourself, don’t come to me unless you’re willing to listen to whatever it is I want to say and don’t come to me, hoping I’ll stop talking to him, because you’re too much of a coward who’s afraid to hear the truth” Daphne returned coolly.
“And you want me to believe that your version is the truth?” Eileen questioned, gazing at her appraisingly as she struggled to retain the last bits of composure she had left.
“Frankly I don’t care what you believe” Daphne answered. “I know the truth about the past and so does Zan and to be honest, that past doesn’t include or concern you so it really doesn’t matter what you believe to be true.”
“Maybe you did have a relationship with Zander in the past, maybe you didn’t, but if you did, you also let him go, you lost your claim to him and he and I are together now so if you have plans to try and seduce him or to somehow jar his memory and make him remember a time you are obviously still holding on to, forget it. I would suggest not going up against me, you’re just an amateur and in the end, experience will always beat the rookie.”
Rising from her chair, Daphne was still at a height disadvantage but she also wasn’t going to let Eileen tower over her like some teacher scolding the student.
“I’m not gonna battle with you. We’re not in junior high and I don’t play games” Daphne stated, looking the other woman straight in the eye as she said it. “If Zan wants to be with you, he will and if he really cares about you, then nothing I could try to do or say would change that but if he doesn’t want you, that isn’t my fault and if you want someplace to lay your blame, there’s a mirror out in the hallway, use it but take your threats and your warnings and get out of my office before I give you a real reason to complain.”
“Go to hell” Eileen retorted before turning and doing as she was told.
Once the door slammed closed, Daphne fell back into her chair, leaning back against the cool leather as she ran a shaky hand down her face.
It was easy to put on a mask and play hardball but when the whistle blows and the game is over, all the fear you bottled inside comes seeping out and you’re left with vestiges of insecurities and fears of inadequacy.
She no longer doubted Zan’s feelings for her, especially after the night before but she was wrong and in turn she made him do something wrong back. Eileen was still his girlfriend, which was her fault because she wouldn’t let Zan break up with her but then she went ahead and slept with him, more than once and that was wrong. She had never been the kind of girl to cheat on her boyfriend but she just made someone cheat on his girlfriend and she couldn’t help the feeling of shame that enveloped her for it, no matter how bitchy that girlfriend actually was.
She thought she was doing the right thing, that being with Zan was going to make it all better but what if she just made it worse, what if it was too late for them?
Chapter 15
More than half of the twenty eight men and women were drunk by the time they arrived back in Roswell. The four limos dropped some off at the Whitman residence, a few at the Evans home and the rest at Daphne’s house, including some who weren’t staying there originally. It had been a long night and most couldn’t wait to get some sleep. “Thank you for everything tonight Christopher” Daphne said, leaning up to hug her old friend. “Good luck with your next semester, okay and I expect to meet the girlfriend if it’s get any more serious” she teased.
“You got a deal Daph and take care of yourself” Christopher replied, squeezing her tightly before letting go. “And if I don’t see you again, I want to wish you an early Merry Christmas.”
“And to you” she returned. “Good night.”
Going inside, she nudged various people in the direction of their rooms and grabbed blankets for the extras to crash on the couches and chairs in the living room. It was a full twenty minutes later before she finally made it up to her room. Not bothering with the light, she began stripping her clothes away, letting out a surprised gasp when she heard a voice speak from somewhere in the darkened room.
“Don’t let me stop you” he said, amused.
“Isn’t your room the one across the hall?” Daphne asked, though she still resumed her task of taking off her clothes.
Knowing what she was asking, “She was so drunk that she passed out on the way up here” Zan replied, his eyes never leaving her body as more skin was exposed until she was wearing nothing but the little red g-string she had worn beneath the leather pants. “I thought maybe I could keep you company” he suggested, rising to his knees on the bed as she came forward, his arms going around her to pull her closer towards him.
Without replying, Daphne trailed her hands beneath his shirt, pulling the material up as she went until he just lifted his arms and pulled it completely off for her. Running her hands over the rigid skin of his abdomen, he sucked in a breath but remained still, letting her continue her perusal. “Do you really want to fuck me with your girlfriend right across the hall?” she whispered into his ear, nipping the skin below it lightly before pulling back to look in his eyes.
“It wouldn’t be fucking sweetheart” he answered, burying his hand in her hair to bring her lips only a breath away from his own. “It’s going to be slow and deep and you’re going to feel it throughout your whole body” he said, punctuating the last couple of words with a soft kiss, making his point before pulling her body completely against his and meeting his lips with hers.
Between their bodies, she reached down to unfasten his belt, pulling the button free before slowly lowering his zipper but made no move to touch what was inside.
Tongues met and caressed as his hands gently framed her face. He was seducing her now, making up for the quick joining of before, this time taking it slow, wanting her to feel how much he still cared for and wanted her.
Seconds, maybe even minutes went by, just standing there, lips meeting and nipping before Daphne got tired of the torturous pace and began to push his jeans down his hips, allowing him to pull her down with him as he laid back against the bed, kicking the material away.
Softly, he began to run his hands down the spine of her back, slowly starting high and working his way down before following the curve of her hip, lightly fingering the string holding up the last shred of clothing hiding her from him. She moaned into his mouth as his hands traced over every inch of her skin, causing her to shudder with pleasure.
She rolled onto her back when he nudged her over and continued to kiss him even after he removed the remaining small scrap of cloth left on her body.
Slowly, he dragged his lips down, trailing them over the smooth column of her throat and across her collar bone, not stopping until he reached her right breast, sucking the rosy tip into his mouth, biting down gently and lapping it up with his tongue when he heard her moan of approval. All the while, his hand remained busy, teasing the other side before switching and giving the second the same erotic treatment that the first one had received.
“Zan” she moaned under her breath as he started to move lower, placing little open mouthed kisses against her hip, kissing a trail across to the other side before finally going a bit lower, reaching her center which was wet with arousal.
Groaning at seeing her so wet, he leaned forward, placing his tongue against her opening and licking all the way up, repeating the action several times, enjoying the sound of his name on her lips as she got closer and closer to her end. Teasing her with the tip of his index finger, his tongue never stopped its ministrations, adding a second finger when he felt the beginning shudders of her release. Eager to bring her to the height of satisfaction, he began to suck on the little erect nub of pleasure, looking up to watch her writhe against the blanket as she bit her lip to hold in the loud moan of ecstasy as she peaked, releasing juices for him to drink at before finally coming down.
Placing one last kiss on the area, he crawled back up her body, taking her lips in a scorching kiss that had both ready and eager for more.
“I know I didn’t ask earlier, but are you still…”
“Yes” she answered, knowing he was referring to her still being on the pill.
“Good” he replied, not giving her a chance to say anything else before he placed his erection over her opening and quickly pushed in all the way. “You still feel so good” he whispered in his ear as he began to move, slowly at first, setting an unbelievably, deliberately unhurried pace which only served to make her want him even more, if that were possible.
“More” she moaned as she raised her hips up to meet the downward motion of his strokes. “Please” she added when he still wouldn’t move any faster.
“I told you it would be slow” he replied. “I told you that you would feel it throughout your whole body” he whispered, his voice thick with lust and affection. He didn’t increase his pace but he began to thrust more insistently against her, causing little prickles of pleasure to course all throughout her body, just as he’d promised.
She wanted more, she wanted him to lose control with her as he always had before, even as he had earlier at the club but still… he did it his way and before long they were both moaning, the slowness turning erotic as their passion continued to build. Zan pushed more then and before long their hips were so close they were almost one. “So good” he couldn’t help but say, panting the words out as his aroused erection pierced her silken walls, feeling them draw him in, holding him to her every time he tried to pull back a little.
“Zan…more” she whispered, pulling his head down to plant a fiery kiss to his lips, her tongue moving in and out, mimicking the pace she wanted their bodies to follow.
Unable to hold out any longer, Zan flipped them over, grasping hold of her hips as she rose up against him, tossing her hair back as she began to ride, up and down, his hands assisting her movements. Her breasts bounced in front of him and he couldn’t resist reaching up to cup them in the palms of his hands, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over the aroused peaks of her nipples.
Before long, Daphne was bouncing up and down against him, both trying to reach their end, both feeling it so near. “Uh” she moaned as her inner muscles began to clench around him, grasping him so tightly that he was barely able to hold on as she came around him, just waiting until she’d received her pleasure before pulling her down against him one final time, exploding inside of her as little spasms of pleasure coursed up and down his cock.
With his hands behind her, he pulled her down to rest against his chest, not letting her move off of him as he held her to him, savoring the feel of being with her like this again after so much time apart.
Just before she fell asleep, he whispered against her ear, “I love you Daphne”
“Love you” she tiredly returned as he tightened his arms around her. Pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, he continued to hold her until sleep finally claimed her and after maneuvering the comforter over their cooling bodies, he followed her into a deep, dreamless rest.
~&~&~&~&~&~One Day to Go~&~&~&~&~&~
The spot beside her was empty when Daphne woke up later that morning though on closer inspection, she found a folded note lying against the pillow where Zan had lain only hours before. Unable to see the writing, she reached over for her glasses before reading his words.
Daphne:
Went to go pick up Max from my grandparents, hope you slept well, I know that I did and I’ll see you later.
Love,
Zan
Smiling, she opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand and put the note inside, sighing at the thought of having to get up but knowing there were still things to be done and Isabel was definitely due for a freak out soon.
After taking a quick shower, Daphne got dressed in something warm, figuring she’d be out and about at some point during the day and then headed downstairs where several people either sat with their eyes closed in the living room or leaning their heads in their hands at the breakfast table, all hungover.
“Morning” she greeted to Mike who seemed to be the only other healthy one in the house besides herself. “Need any help?” she offered, hopping up on the counter as she watched him boil a couple eggs.
“I’m good, but thanks” he replied, then after a beat asked, “Why aren’t you hanging your head over a toilet, praying to the porcelain god, like the rest?”
“Because I didn’t drink enough to get drunk” she shrugged. “I went out with Billy the night before and didn’t feel like being sick again this morning” she explained, curious why he wasn’t either. “What about you?”
“I don’t drink much when I know Maria is” Michael stated and Daphne thought his answer was incredibly sweet. “Someone has to make the hangover drink and hold the other’s hair back, right” he asked, rhetorically and she laughed at his joke about him having long hair which actually went to his shoulders, about as long as Tess’ who had the shortest hair in the group of girls.
“Hey guys” Zan said, coming into the kitchen with Max in tow.
“You’re not sick” Max observed, looking between the two. “Daddy, I thought everyone was sick” he commented, looking up at his father.
“Almost, but not everyone” he replied with amusement. “Why don’t you go watch a movie in the den and I’ll call you when breakfast is ready?” he suggested.
“People in the den, but you can go up to my room Max, the remote is on the nightstand” Daphne told him, seeing his nod before he ran out while Zan called out to him to be careful and not drop anything. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d go into town with me later, I have to be a good maid of honor and pick up some stuff for Izzy and I know for a fact that Alex has yet to pick up the wedding bands and since you are the best man…” she trails off.
“Sure no problem” Zan replied. “I need to pick up mine and Max’s tux anyway” he said, shrugging while Mike seemed to perk up at that bit of information. “I’ll get it” he agreed before Michael even had to ask and Daphne couldn’t help but laugh at that. She opened her mouth to comment and promptly closed it when she saw Eileen walk in, shoot Zan a sleepy smile and lean up to kiss him good morning.
“Well I have calls to make and messages to return, thanks” she added with a smile to Michael who held out an apple for her. “About noon or so?” she added to Zan who nodded in agreement. “I’m driving” she added before walking out, hearing Eileen ask what that was all about as she left.
Retreating to her office, she wasn’t there for more than a couple minutes, going through the new e-mails and text messages she’d received the day before when alas, a knock at the door. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered to close it at all. “Come in”
Looking up, she couldn’t help but frown lightly when she saw Eileen standing there. “I’m not disturbing you, am I?” she asked though the look she wore plainly stated that she didn’t really care either way.
“Course not, what’d you need?” Daphne asked, leaning back in her chair, waiting while Eileen opted to remain standing.
“I wanted to talk to you about Zander” Eileen stated but if she was waiting for a reaction, she’d wait a long time as Daphne continued to sit back impassively. “I know that you knew him when you were younger and if he was anything then like he is now, he was a really great guy and I’m sure that spending all that time around his family, you might have felt something for him then, but this isn’t high school anymore, it’s the real world and in this world, I’m his girlfriend so I would appreciate it if you stayed away from him aside from what you have to do with the wedding tomorrow” she told and the expression on here face showed she thought she’d win.
“First of all you know nothing about my past with Zan, including what our relationship was or is now so don’t presume to” Daphne returned, raising her hand when Eileen tried to protest. “And if in this ‘real world’ Zan is really so happy with you in your relationship, you wouldn’t feel threatened enough to come and confront me and then if you were really as strong as you’re pretending to be now, you’d go to him with this, not me because all you’re doing right now is exposing a very big weakness.”
“How dare you” she vehemently hissed. “You have no right to talk to me like that”
“And you had no right coming in here, issuing orders, especially when you are a guest in my home” Daphne countered, spared from saying anything else when the second knock on the door came. “Come in”
“Max, you’re back, hi sweetie” Eileen greeted. Max looked at her strangely but still smiled and said hi.
“Daph, would you come upstairs and watch Harry Potter with me again, it’s getting to the good part where Hagrid comes and tells Harry he’s a wizard” Max requested, smiling excitedly.
“You got it but you need eat something first, why don’t you go tell Mike what you want to eat and when you’re done, we’ll finish watching the movie” Daphne negotiated and Max cocked his head to the side, seemingly thinking it over.
“Okay, bye Daph” he said, bouncing out of the room.
“Trying to use Max is low” Eileen spat as soon as the door was closed.
“In case you’ve just forgotten, he was the one who came to me and I’m not the one that turned all sugary the moment he walked through the door” Daphne informed, shaking her head, realizing that she was wrong to keep Zan from breaking up with Eileen when he wanted to, this situation was getting weird and awkward and she’d have to talk to him about later when they went out to run their errands.
“Just stay away from him”
“Do you know why he puts Tabasco sauce on his hamburgers? Do you know where he got that scar on his left shoulder blade? Have you ever seen the small mark he has on his lower right hip, a reminder of the chickenpox he had at age 10? Do you know why he enjoys jazz music more than any other genre? Do you know why he named his son Max?” she asked, her voice stopping Eileen before she could walk out the door.
The other woman didn’t say anything at first but she did turn around. “Do you really want to know about my past with him?” she asked though both knew it was a challenge. Eileen didn’t have a good enough hand so she was bluffing and Daphne was about to call that bluff.
“You could know any of these things through Isabel or stories he’s told, but it doesn’t mean you have first hand knowledge of any of it” Eileen stated.
“He likes Tabasco because Mr. Trilling cooks the burgers on a grill that pretty much makes the burgers healthy and Zan started using Tabasco to make up for the blandness when he was about eleven. The scar on his shoulder…a result of a drunken night when he was seventeen, I bandaged it for him because Isabel freaks at the sight of blood” Daphne went on to explain. She realized that this probably wasn’t the way to do things but she also wasn’t going to be pushed in her own house by a guest she didn’t invite to stay.
“He likes Jazz because his mom tried to teach him the piano when he was younger and he hated it so she played jazz music for him so he’d see how great it sounded and the two started listening to it together all the time. Maxwell was the name of his grandfather that died of cancer when Zan was 18 and his son looks just like him since his grandfather was the oddball in the family and had blue eyes, just like Max does. And the scar, the one on his hip, I’ve seen, lots of times in fact and he’s seen every… single…one… of…mine.”
“I don’t believe you” Eileen declared.
“You don’t have to because if you really want to know the truth, ask Zan yourself, don’t come to me unless you’re willing to listen to whatever it is I want to say and don’t come to me, hoping I’ll stop talking to him, because you’re too much of a coward who’s afraid to hear the truth” Daphne returned coolly.
“And you want me to believe that your version is the truth?” Eileen questioned, gazing at her appraisingly as she struggled to retain the last bits of composure she had left.
“Frankly I don’t care what you believe” Daphne answered. “I know the truth about the past and so does Zan and to be honest, that past doesn’t include or concern you so it really doesn’t matter what you believe to be true.”
“Maybe you did have a relationship with Zander in the past, maybe you didn’t, but if you did, you also let him go, you lost your claim to him and he and I are together now so if you have plans to try and seduce him or to somehow jar his memory and make him remember a time you are obviously still holding on to, forget it. I would suggest not going up against me, you’re just an amateur and in the end, experience will always beat the rookie.”
Rising from her chair, Daphne was still at a height disadvantage but she also wasn’t going to let Eileen tower over her like some teacher scolding the student.
“I’m not gonna battle with you. We’re not in junior high and I don’t play games” Daphne stated, looking the other woman straight in the eye as she said it. “If Zan wants to be with you, he will and if he really cares about you, then nothing I could try to do or say would change that but if he doesn’t want you, that isn’t my fault and if you want someplace to lay your blame, there’s a mirror out in the hallway, use it but take your threats and your warnings and get out of my office before I give you a real reason to complain.”
“Go to hell” Eileen retorted before turning and doing as she was told.
Once the door slammed closed, Daphne fell back into her chair, leaning back against the cool leather as she ran a shaky hand down her face.
It was easy to put on a mask and play hardball but when the whistle blows and the game is over, all the fear you bottled inside comes seeping out and you’re left with vestiges of insecurities and fears of inadequacy.
She no longer doubted Zan’s feelings for her, especially after the night before but she was wrong and in turn she made him do something wrong back. Eileen was still his girlfriend, which was her fault because she wouldn’t let Zan break up with her but then she went ahead and slept with him, more than once and that was wrong. She had never been the kind of girl to cheat on her boyfriend but she just made someone cheat on his girlfriend and she couldn’t help the feeling of shame that enveloped her for it, no matter how bitchy that girlfriend actually was.
She thought she was doing the right thing, that being with Zan was going to make it all better but what if she just made it worse, what if it was too late for them?
Last edited by To_Kiss_A_Frog on Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
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Chapter 16 5/30
Chapter 16
“Hey, you ready to go?” Zan asked as he walked into Daphne’s office later that morning. He wore a smile on his face that slowly slipped away when he saw red rimmed eyes and dried tear marks down her face. “Hey” he said, instantly going to her, kneeling down in front of her chair as he gently cupped her face, turning her gaze to meet his. “What wrong?” he asked in a soothing voice.
“I was wrong” she whispered.
“Did something happen at the office?” he asked, already deciding that he’d just drive her to his parents house and together with his father the two would be able to fix it.
“No, not at the office” she replied in a slightly stronger voice. “You wanted to break up with her and I told you no. You said that you couldn’t date two women and I said that we would just talk but that you wouldn’t be cheating. It’s my fault that you cheated on her last night and I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
“Daph… you didn’t make me do anything and last night I didn’t do anything that I didn’t want to” Zan rushed to assure, and she could tell by the fear in his eyes that he was starting to understand where this was going. “Please don’t be sorry, I’ll fix it today, I’ll talk to her, I’ll explain that…”
“No Zan, you can’t do that. You and I can’t be together. I really thought that maybe we could but… but we’ve already started out wrong and that isn’t your fault, it’s mine but I can’t do this to you, I can’t make you a liar and a cheat and I can’t tear your world apart when you deserve so much more than I am. You deserve a woman that’s strong and good for you, not some broken basket case that that isn’t even sure what she could give you, what she could bring to the relationship.” She rushed to get it out, afraid that if she let him speak, he would change her mind and the thought that he would was too tempting.
“I didn’t wait for you. I wasn’t sure about you. You said to me that you never even considered the idea that you’d end up with someone else but I can’t say the same. I didn’t know I would end up with you, I didn’t hold myself back for you. I slept with someone else, I shared that incredible thing that you and I had… with someone else. You have to let this go… you have to let me go.”
“Are you through making assumptions or do I need to wait through another round before I have my say?” Zan asked dryly. Surprised, Daphne just nodded in reply.
“You had every right to be unsure about me, I left you and I never tried to talk to you after and while I had my reasons for that, I realize that I was wrong because it made you insecure about my feelings towards you and it’s made you question your feelings towards me. I’m sorry for that” Zan stated and raised a finger to her lips to quiet her when she opened her mouth to speak. “Mine turn, remember” he gently reminded before lowering his hand to her lap to grasp onto hers.
“Right after I left, I kept busy all the time, partly because I had a lot of responsibilities to work through and partly because I needed to somehow put you in the back of my mind which I had a lot of trouble doing” he continued and though his eyes had a far away look to them, as though he was reliving it all over again, he still kept them locked with hers.
“I told Ava from the very beginning that I would be there for our child, that I would live with her and go to doctor appointments, make late night runs for strange food cravings but that I could only be a father, I couldn’t be a boyfriend again and I had no intention of being a husband. I would have been cheating her if I had because I wasn’t in love her. It took me six months of dating her but I realized that I had never been in love with her and it took three months of being with you, to realize I would never be in love with her or any other woman for that matter” he vowed strongly. “It was as if you somehow crawled inside of me until you consumed me and after, there was never any room for anyone else.”
“After Ava died, I was completely torn apart. Here I was, a twenty two year old father with a newborn son to raise while my family lived states away. I felt alone and I was angry at the world for everything I’d been through” he admitted, turning to look out the window then, unable to finish unless he did.
“I hated god, because first he put me in a position where I had to lose you and then he took Ava away and put Max in a position where he had to grow up without a mother. My son was never going to have a mother and that tore me apart and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be enough for him, that I was going feed him at the wrong time or that one day he would cry and I wouldn’t be able to fix it. I was absolutely terrified that I would raise him wrong so I came to back here, to Roswell, and I talked to my mom. I totally lost it then” he said, a small chuckle escaping at the memory while his eyes began to water, mirroring the glassy look back in Daphne’s eyes.
“I yelled, I cried, I think I even threw a plate or a glass against the wall but basically I fell apart. I was so lost inside and I remember just sliding down to the floor and having my mom wrap her arms around me and hug me, telling me that it was going to be okay. She told me that I was a father now and while it wasn’t fair that I had to do it alone, it wouldn’t be fair to Max to have to lose two parents.”
Daphne wanted to do something, she wanted, so much, to provide him comfort like he had the day she got the call about her parents, or the other night in the cemetery but she knew she couldn’t. Zan needed to get this out on his own, he needed for her to be the one to listen now and she would do that for him. She may not be able to be the person he wanted and needed her to be, but she would listen and when he was through, she would hug him and she would let him know what a great job he’d done with Max and with his life.
“I told her about you” he said, almost a whisper as he finally turned tear filled eyes back to her. “I told her that I was in love with you and the crazy thing was what she said back to me… she said that she knew” he confessed, smiling slightly at her. “She said that she’d always known you were special and that the moment you walked into our lives, you would change things and you would make it all better for everyone.”
“I was only five” Daphne whispered back in disbelief as she shook her head, deciding she must have heard him wrong or he must have misunderstood Diane.
“It was true though” Zan countered. “You brought Izzy out of that shell she was in, you helped her find her confidence and you were always there for her no matter where you were or what you were doing. You gave my dad that job, you gave him a job that he loved which made my mom happy. You gave them both your trust, you gave Izzy money for college and you gave me money even though I broke your heart” he added.
“How did you… you weren’t supposed to know about…”
She wasn’t sure what to say anymore, she wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
Continuing as though she had never asked, “She also told me that nothing was perfect and that while you were so incredibly special, you were also fragile, despite the brave façade you always wore. She told me that I needed to give you time and space. She told me that if I had gone to you, broken and battered over what happened with Ava and with my fears over Max, you would let me in and you would comfort me but you would never know that I went to you because of that love and not out of grief. She said that you didn’t deserve to question love after everything you had already been through and that when I finally came to you, I needed to be certain that I could give my love to you, unconditionally and completely selflessly.”
“I had to be patient, I had to wait until you were ready for me, so she told me things about you, about how you did in school, about how you were coming along with the company about the friends you made and the people you met and seven months ago she was the one to tell me about Grant but she also told me that he wasn’t the one, that she knew it and so did you. I nearly came to you then but I had Max to consider, I couldn’t just yank him out of his world and push him on you and you on him. I needed for the two of you to meet and come together on your own terms and I decided that this would be the time after Izzy told me that she and Alex were getting married. I knew that come hell or high water, you would be here for her like you always have been.”
“Isabel told me that… that your mom was the one to suggest you and Max stay here” Daphne stated, looking to him for confirmation, seeing his small nod of agreement. “Why… why did you always look at me like I was doing something wrong, every time I talked to Max? Why did I always feel like you were somehow measuring me up against what you thought Ava would have been like with him?” she asked then, remembering every encounter since they’d gotten there.
“It wasn’t like that and I’m sorry I made you feel that way” Zan apologized, releasing her hands in favor of wiping the rapidly falling tears. “You were so good with him and he seemed to get attached to you so quickly, faster than he had with Mike and Maria or with Kyle and Tess or even with Izzy and my parents. It was like instant trust on his end and instant affection on yours. I wanted for the two of you to accept each other but when you did, it was like my heart was finally healing. The two most important people to me, were acting like family and I wanted that, I wanted so much for you to be a part of our family.”
She didn’t say anything at first so neither did he. A thousand and one thoughts ran through her mind at all his admissions and she wondered how her heart could break and heal at the same time. How could she be the happiest and the saddest all at once?
“The person you want… the person you need… I’m not her” Daphne finally replied as a sob escaped and she pulled both her hands away from his to shield her face as she crumbled before him. “I don’t know who I am anymore, I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Then let me help you find yourself again” he requested in a quiet voice, repeating words he’d uttered only days before. “It wasn’t your fault, you had just lost your parents and then you lost me after admitting just the week before that you were in love with me. You had never had a chance to just heal before you were broken again and I don’t think you’ve ever completely healed from what happened to you that summer” Zan guessed as he rose to a standing position and pulled her hands away so that he could tug her up.
Leading her around the desk, to a corner by the window, he sat down on the soft carpet and pulled her down with him, wrapping his arms around her once she was settled against him.
“Something happened” Zan stated. “You were okay last night and even this morning, what happened to change that?” he asked, raising her chin so that she would have no choice but to look at him while she answered.
“Your girlfriend paid me a visit. She decided that I needed to leave you alone and she thinks that I’m using Max as a way to get to you”
He swore, angrily then. “Listen” he said, as he maneuvered them so that she was now sitting in his lap, facing him. “She’s just angry and jealous and had absolutely no right saying anything to you, least of all about Max and I need you to know that I don’t see that way. I know that you’re good to him because that’s just the way you are, you don’t have it in you to use people. Tell me that you believe me.”
“I believe you” she dutifully repeated.
“Tell me you believe me when I say that I’m in love with you” he demanded.
“I believe you, but I don’t understand it, I don’t understand why you would love me… so much after so much time and after all that you’ve been through. I’m just this girl that you dated back when she was seventeen, I’m just this girl that grew up around your family, a girl that buckled when the world became too much for her. How? How can you love me after all of that?”
Cupping her face was the only warning she got before he brought her lips down to his, a light caress meant to soothe and explain rather than one to entice.
“Do you feel anything with we kiss?” he asked, receiving a silent nod before she opened her eyes up to him, showing him the truth in their brilliant depths. “Does your skin tingle when we touched?”
Again, another nod.
Taking her hand, he placed it against his chest. “Does your heart beat faster when we’re near each other?”
“Yes” she whispered.
“I’m love with you because my mind is intrigued and stimulated by yours. I’m in love with you because my body responds to yours. I’m in love with you because my heart recognizes yours. I’m in love with you because I can’t imagine living my entire life without your mind, and your body and your heart. I’m in love with you because you took on a responsibility you never asked for and shouldered the weight of everyone who depended on you. I’m in love with you because you are so beautiful, inside and out and I’m in love with you because you are this incredibly wonderful and special person and what makes you so much more special than that is that you don’t even realize it. I love you Daphne, for every reason I named and every one I didn’t, I love you, I’m in love with you and I need you in my life, I want you in my life and I don’t care if we have to sit here all day long, I will not let you give up on us, I won’t let you give up yourself, I love you, I will always love you.”
She didn’t think it was possible to cry anymore, to have any tears left but his declaration proved her wrong. As profound as the words were and as articulate as he said them, what made them extraordinary was that the feeling behind them. He loved her, he wanted her to know that, needed her to understand it and for some strange and crazy reason, he seemed to think she was worth of it.
“But what about our lives… they’re in two different directions right now”
“That just geography” Zan replied.
“What about Max, what if he doesn’t want me to be more than just your mutual friend what if he…”
“Max adores you, he likes spending time with you and do you want to know what he told me that day you let us take the Camaro for a drive?” he asked, continuing before she could even answer. “He said, ‘I like Daph, she’s cool, I hope we can still see her after we go home.’ Then I asked him how he would feel if I stopped seeing Eileen and started dating you and he said he’d much rather have you around because he thought I’d be happier with you and he said he’d be happier with you.”
“You’re weakening me” she confessed with a half sob, half chuckle.
“Good, that was the point” Zan retorted with a smile, pulling her closer towards him until there wasn’t an entire space between their bodies.
“Do you really know what you’re getting yourself into?” she asked.
“Yes and for now, I have a favor to ask you” Zan said, watching her small nod in acquiescence. “Would you take Max with you to run those errands we talked about?”
“Sure but what about you, what are you going to…”
“I’m going to settle things with Eileen” Zan replied, eyes hard as his jaw twitched in irritation towards the red head. “It’s time to end things with her and afterwards, I want for you and me to have a fresh start, I want you to know that there is no one in between us.”
“About Eileen… well she kind of pissed me off earlier and I might have hinted at the idea that you and I had been together before” she stated, biting her lip nervously as several emotions played across Zan’s face, the last one being amusement.
“Then it won’t be such a surprise when I break things off with her” he decided.
He pulled her face down to his again, sealing their lips in a kiss that took both their breaths away. They wanted to be closer, they wanted to get as close as possible but that wasn’t an option at the moment so it was with a great deal of reluctance that they finally pulled away from one another, dragging in deep breaths.
When they finally got up and were about to separate to go complete their individual tasks, Zan pulled her to him once more, enveloping her in his warm embrace. “I love you” he whispered in her ear.
“And I love you” she returned while the words served a healing balm to both their souls. “I’ll see you later” she added before walking out first, leaving Zan to go upstairs and find Eileen.
“Zander, there you are, I was looking for you” she said with a bright smile as soon as he walked through the door. “I thought that maybe you, me and Max could….”
“Max is with Daphne” he said before she could finish, watching the small frown make it’s way to her face before she had the chance to cover it up.
“Well then me and you could go…”
“No” he said, interrupting her again. “You and I aren’t going anywhere, we have some things to talk about and we need to talk about them now” he declared as she shut her mouth and raised her chin in defiance.
“Hey, you ready to go?” Zan asked as he walked into Daphne’s office later that morning. He wore a smile on his face that slowly slipped away when he saw red rimmed eyes and dried tear marks down her face. “Hey” he said, instantly going to her, kneeling down in front of her chair as he gently cupped her face, turning her gaze to meet his. “What wrong?” he asked in a soothing voice.
“I was wrong” she whispered.
“Did something happen at the office?” he asked, already deciding that he’d just drive her to his parents house and together with his father the two would be able to fix it.
“No, not at the office” she replied in a slightly stronger voice. “You wanted to break up with her and I told you no. You said that you couldn’t date two women and I said that we would just talk but that you wouldn’t be cheating. It’s my fault that you cheated on her last night and I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
“Daph… you didn’t make me do anything and last night I didn’t do anything that I didn’t want to” Zan rushed to assure, and she could tell by the fear in his eyes that he was starting to understand where this was going. “Please don’t be sorry, I’ll fix it today, I’ll talk to her, I’ll explain that…”
“No Zan, you can’t do that. You and I can’t be together. I really thought that maybe we could but… but we’ve already started out wrong and that isn’t your fault, it’s mine but I can’t do this to you, I can’t make you a liar and a cheat and I can’t tear your world apart when you deserve so much more than I am. You deserve a woman that’s strong and good for you, not some broken basket case that that isn’t even sure what she could give you, what she could bring to the relationship.” She rushed to get it out, afraid that if she let him speak, he would change her mind and the thought that he would was too tempting.
“I didn’t wait for you. I wasn’t sure about you. You said to me that you never even considered the idea that you’d end up with someone else but I can’t say the same. I didn’t know I would end up with you, I didn’t hold myself back for you. I slept with someone else, I shared that incredible thing that you and I had… with someone else. You have to let this go… you have to let me go.”
“Are you through making assumptions or do I need to wait through another round before I have my say?” Zan asked dryly. Surprised, Daphne just nodded in reply.
“You had every right to be unsure about me, I left you and I never tried to talk to you after and while I had my reasons for that, I realize that I was wrong because it made you insecure about my feelings towards you and it’s made you question your feelings towards me. I’m sorry for that” Zan stated and raised a finger to her lips to quiet her when she opened her mouth to speak. “Mine turn, remember” he gently reminded before lowering his hand to her lap to grasp onto hers.
“Right after I left, I kept busy all the time, partly because I had a lot of responsibilities to work through and partly because I needed to somehow put you in the back of my mind which I had a lot of trouble doing” he continued and though his eyes had a far away look to them, as though he was reliving it all over again, he still kept them locked with hers.
“I told Ava from the very beginning that I would be there for our child, that I would live with her and go to doctor appointments, make late night runs for strange food cravings but that I could only be a father, I couldn’t be a boyfriend again and I had no intention of being a husband. I would have been cheating her if I had because I wasn’t in love her. It took me six months of dating her but I realized that I had never been in love with her and it took three months of being with you, to realize I would never be in love with her or any other woman for that matter” he vowed strongly. “It was as if you somehow crawled inside of me until you consumed me and after, there was never any room for anyone else.”
“After Ava died, I was completely torn apart. Here I was, a twenty two year old father with a newborn son to raise while my family lived states away. I felt alone and I was angry at the world for everything I’d been through” he admitted, turning to look out the window then, unable to finish unless he did.
“I hated god, because first he put me in a position where I had to lose you and then he took Ava away and put Max in a position where he had to grow up without a mother. My son was never going to have a mother and that tore me apart and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be enough for him, that I was going feed him at the wrong time or that one day he would cry and I wouldn’t be able to fix it. I was absolutely terrified that I would raise him wrong so I came to back here, to Roswell, and I talked to my mom. I totally lost it then” he said, a small chuckle escaping at the memory while his eyes began to water, mirroring the glassy look back in Daphne’s eyes.
“I yelled, I cried, I think I even threw a plate or a glass against the wall but basically I fell apart. I was so lost inside and I remember just sliding down to the floor and having my mom wrap her arms around me and hug me, telling me that it was going to be okay. She told me that I was a father now and while it wasn’t fair that I had to do it alone, it wouldn’t be fair to Max to have to lose two parents.”
Daphne wanted to do something, she wanted, so much, to provide him comfort like he had the day she got the call about her parents, or the other night in the cemetery but she knew she couldn’t. Zan needed to get this out on his own, he needed for her to be the one to listen now and she would do that for him. She may not be able to be the person he wanted and needed her to be, but she would listen and when he was through, she would hug him and she would let him know what a great job he’d done with Max and with his life.
“I told her about you” he said, almost a whisper as he finally turned tear filled eyes back to her. “I told her that I was in love with you and the crazy thing was what she said back to me… she said that she knew” he confessed, smiling slightly at her. “She said that she’d always known you were special and that the moment you walked into our lives, you would change things and you would make it all better for everyone.”
“I was only five” Daphne whispered back in disbelief as she shook her head, deciding she must have heard him wrong or he must have misunderstood Diane.
“It was true though” Zan countered. “You brought Izzy out of that shell she was in, you helped her find her confidence and you were always there for her no matter where you were or what you were doing. You gave my dad that job, you gave him a job that he loved which made my mom happy. You gave them both your trust, you gave Izzy money for college and you gave me money even though I broke your heart” he added.
“How did you… you weren’t supposed to know about…”
She wasn’t sure what to say anymore, she wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
Continuing as though she had never asked, “She also told me that nothing was perfect and that while you were so incredibly special, you were also fragile, despite the brave façade you always wore. She told me that I needed to give you time and space. She told me that if I had gone to you, broken and battered over what happened with Ava and with my fears over Max, you would let me in and you would comfort me but you would never know that I went to you because of that love and not out of grief. She said that you didn’t deserve to question love after everything you had already been through and that when I finally came to you, I needed to be certain that I could give my love to you, unconditionally and completely selflessly.”
“I had to be patient, I had to wait until you were ready for me, so she told me things about you, about how you did in school, about how you were coming along with the company about the friends you made and the people you met and seven months ago she was the one to tell me about Grant but she also told me that he wasn’t the one, that she knew it and so did you. I nearly came to you then but I had Max to consider, I couldn’t just yank him out of his world and push him on you and you on him. I needed for the two of you to meet and come together on your own terms and I decided that this would be the time after Izzy told me that she and Alex were getting married. I knew that come hell or high water, you would be here for her like you always have been.”
“Isabel told me that… that your mom was the one to suggest you and Max stay here” Daphne stated, looking to him for confirmation, seeing his small nod of agreement. “Why… why did you always look at me like I was doing something wrong, every time I talked to Max? Why did I always feel like you were somehow measuring me up against what you thought Ava would have been like with him?” she asked then, remembering every encounter since they’d gotten there.
“It wasn’t like that and I’m sorry I made you feel that way” Zan apologized, releasing her hands in favor of wiping the rapidly falling tears. “You were so good with him and he seemed to get attached to you so quickly, faster than he had with Mike and Maria or with Kyle and Tess or even with Izzy and my parents. It was like instant trust on his end and instant affection on yours. I wanted for the two of you to accept each other but when you did, it was like my heart was finally healing. The two most important people to me, were acting like family and I wanted that, I wanted so much for you to be a part of our family.”
She didn’t say anything at first so neither did he. A thousand and one thoughts ran through her mind at all his admissions and she wondered how her heart could break and heal at the same time. How could she be the happiest and the saddest all at once?
“The person you want… the person you need… I’m not her” Daphne finally replied as a sob escaped and she pulled both her hands away from his to shield her face as she crumbled before him. “I don’t know who I am anymore, I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Then let me help you find yourself again” he requested in a quiet voice, repeating words he’d uttered only days before. “It wasn’t your fault, you had just lost your parents and then you lost me after admitting just the week before that you were in love with me. You had never had a chance to just heal before you were broken again and I don’t think you’ve ever completely healed from what happened to you that summer” Zan guessed as he rose to a standing position and pulled her hands away so that he could tug her up.
Leading her around the desk, to a corner by the window, he sat down on the soft carpet and pulled her down with him, wrapping his arms around her once she was settled against him.
“Something happened” Zan stated. “You were okay last night and even this morning, what happened to change that?” he asked, raising her chin so that she would have no choice but to look at him while she answered.
“Your girlfriend paid me a visit. She decided that I needed to leave you alone and she thinks that I’m using Max as a way to get to you”
He swore, angrily then. “Listen” he said, as he maneuvered them so that she was now sitting in his lap, facing him. “She’s just angry and jealous and had absolutely no right saying anything to you, least of all about Max and I need you to know that I don’t see that way. I know that you’re good to him because that’s just the way you are, you don’t have it in you to use people. Tell me that you believe me.”
“I believe you” she dutifully repeated.
“Tell me you believe me when I say that I’m in love with you” he demanded.
“I believe you, but I don’t understand it, I don’t understand why you would love me… so much after so much time and after all that you’ve been through. I’m just this girl that you dated back when she was seventeen, I’m just this girl that grew up around your family, a girl that buckled when the world became too much for her. How? How can you love me after all of that?”
Cupping her face was the only warning she got before he brought her lips down to his, a light caress meant to soothe and explain rather than one to entice.
“Do you feel anything with we kiss?” he asked, receiving a silent nod before she opened her eyes up to him, showing him the truth in their brilliant depths. “Does your skin tingle when we touched?”
Again, another nod.
Taking her hand, he placed it against his chest. “Does your heart beat faster when we’re near each other?”
“Yes” she whispered.
“I’m love with you because my mind is intrigued and stimulated by yours. I’m in love with you because my body responds to yours. I’m in love with you because my heart recognizes yours. I’m in love with you because I can’t imagine living my entire life without your mind, and your body and your heart. I’m in love with you because you took on a responsibility you never asked for and shouldered the weight of everyone who depended on you. I’m in love with you because you are so beautiful, inside and out and I’m in love with you because you are this incredibly wonderful and special person and what makes you so much more special than that is that you don’t even realize it. I love you Daphne, for every reason I named and every one I didn’t, I love you, I’m in love with you and I need you in my life, I want you in my life and I don’t care if we have to sit here all day long, I will not let you give up on us, I won’t let you give up yourself, I love you, I will always love you.”
She didn’t think it was possible to cry anymore, to have any tears left but his declaration proved her wrong. As profound as the words were and as articulate as he said them, what made them extraordinary was that the feeling behind them. He loved her, he wanted her to know that, needed her to understand it and for some strange and crazy reason, he seemed to think she was worth of it.
“But what about our lives… they’re in two different directions right now”
“That just geography” Zan replied.
“What about Max, what if he doesn’t want me to be more than just your mutual friend what if he…”
“Max adores you, he likes spending time with you and do you want to know what he told me that day you let us take the Camaro for a drive?” he asked, continuing before she could even answer. “He said, ‘I like Daph, she’s cool, I hope we can still see her after we go home.’ Then I asked him how he would feel if I stopped seeing Eileen and started dating you and he said he’d much rather have you around because he thought I’d be happier with you and he said he’d be happier with you.”
“You’re weakening me” she confessed with a half sob, half chuckle.
“Good, that was the point” Zan retorted with a smile, pulling her closer towards him until there wasn’t an entire space between their bodies.
“Do you really know what you’re getting yourself into?” she asked.
“Yes and for now, I have a favor to ask you” Zan said, watching her small nod in acquiescence. “Would you take Max with you to run those errands we talked about?”
“Sure but what about you, what are you going to…”
“I’m going to settle things with Eileen” Zan replied, eyes hard as his jaw twitched in irritation towards the red head. “It’s time to end things with her and afterwards, I want for you and me to have a fresh start, I want you to know that there is no one in between us.”
“About Eileen… well she kind of pissed me off earlier and I might have hinted at the idea that you and I had been together before” she stated, biting her lip nervously as several emotions played across Zan’s face, the last one being amusement.
“Then it won’t be such a surprise when I break things off with her” he decided.
He pulled her face down to his again, sealing their lips in a kiss that took both their breaths away. They wanted to be closer, they wanted to get as close as possible but that wasn’t an option at the moment so it was with a great deal of reluctance that they finally pulled away from one another, dragging in deep breaths.
When they finally got up and were about to separate to go complete their individual tasks, Zan pulled her to him once more, enveloping her in his warm embrace. “I love you” he whispered in her ear.
“And I love you” she returned while the words served a healing balm to both their souls. “I’ll see you later” she added before walking out first, leaving Zan to go upstairs and find Eileen.
“Zander, there you are, I was looking for you” she said with a bright smile as soon as he walked through the door. “I thought that maybe you, me and Max could….”
“Max is with Daphne” he said before she could finish, watching the small frown make it’s way to her face before she had the chance to cover it up.
“Well then me and you could go…”
“No” he said, interrupting her again. “You and I aren’t going anywhere, we have some things to talk about and we need to talk about them now” he declared as she shut her mouth and raised her chin in defiance.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
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ch. 17 6/1
A/N: i was a little unsure about this chapter but hope you like it anyway
Chapter 17
“So what did you do at your grandparent’s house last night?” Daphne asked as she and Max walked down the block from her car to the tuxedo shop. It was the first time the two had ever gone off anywhere together but the surprising thing wasn’t how easy and comfortable the whole thing was but that Max had instantly slipped his much smaller hand into hers as soon as they stepped onto the sidewalk.
“They let me watch The Jetsons and Yogi Bear on the cartoon network” Max replied though his attention was all around him, taking in every little shop, parked car and storefront window. Daphne knew this wasn’t his first time in Roswell, she remembered Isabel mentioning how Max and Zan visited on odd holidays but she supposed he had been too young to really appreciate the strange alien décor that was a reoccurring theme throughout the town.
“Hello Agnes” Daphne greeted when they walked into the small store that smelled of moth balls and cedar. Thankfully, the tuxedos were all hung in thick plastic bags so the scent was absent in the fabric but she had to restrain a small cough from bubbling forth as she took in the very strong aroma.
“Miss Forrest, I haven’t seen you a long time” the older woman greeted in return.
From what Daphne remembered, Agnes was Philip Evans’ godmother, a testament to how old this woman actually was. “I live in New York now but I’m down for Isabel Evan’s wedding” she replied, offering her a smile while Agnes cocked her head to the side, as though trying to place the name with a face. Seemingly giving up, she shrugged her shoulders and went behind the counter to pull out a small, leather bound business journal. “I’m here to pick up three Tuxedos. Zan Evans, Max Evans and Michael Guerin” she told her.
“Right, the Evans wedding, why didn’t you say so before, I have them hanging by the door in the storage room” Agnes stated, shooting her a quick reprimanding look before going off to retrieve them.
“You did say so” Max stated once she was gone.
“I know, but we won’t mention that here” Daphne said, winking conspiratorially to Max who took great amusement in the gesture.
“Here we are, will that be cash or charge?” The bags were thick black leather and it looked as though they weighed more than Agnes did what with the way she dropped them down on the counter in triumph.
“Charge” Daphne replied, holding out one of her credit cards while Max seemed to take interest in her purse and began flipping through the rest of the cards and pictures she had inside the little wallet.
“Is he yours?” Agnes asked as she leaned over the counter to get a better look at Max who in turn, looked up with a puzzled expression on his face. “Her what?” he asked back.
“Son… are you her son?” If the question hadn’t been such an uncomfortable one, Daphne would have laughed with the way Max was staring up at Agnes with wide owl eyes while the woman practically yelled as though everyone else were the ones hard of hearing.
“No!” Max yelled and his lip quivered before running out of the store entrance.
“Max!” Daphne called out to him as she abandoned the bags and her purse in favor of chasing after the little boy. It wasn’t hard to catch up to him but when she wrapped her arms around him from behind and knelt on the sidewalk, he struggled in her grasp for several moments before finally admitting defeat. He let Daphne pull him close and hug him but he wouldn’t look her in the eye.
“Please, don’t ever run out like that again” she scolded though it lacked authority and her tone was more worried and relieved than parental. “Tell me what’s wrong” she requested, tilting his chin up and the sight of his rapidly filling eyes broke her heart that she couldn’t help but pull him back to her for another hug.
“Max, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong” she whispered as she soothingly rubbed his back, trying to calm whatever fears or angers that led him to run off like he did. “Will you please tell me?”
“She thought you were my mommy” he stated and Daphne wondered if he’d been upset because he didn’t want anyone to think someone besides Ava was his mother.
“I’m sorry” Daphne replied, unsure of what else she could say.
“I want you to be my mommy” he whispered in his ear as he threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her hair. “I don’t want her to be my mommy. She yells at me when daddy isn’t around. She called me a brat” he said, hiccupping between words as he struggled not to cry.
“Who said that sweetheart… was it Eileen?” Daphne asked anger began to mar her expression.
“Yes… but she told me not to tell daddy. She said it would make him feel bad. She said I would hurt daddy if I told him” Max continued to valiantly hold back his tears but Daphne didn’t try as hard and water began to fill her own eyes at the thought of Max being in so much pain and feeling he had to hold this in so as to not hurt the one person he trusted and loved most, his father.
“She was wrong Max, you aren’t a brat, you’re a wonderful boy and your daddy loves you so much and so does your grandparents and Aunt Isabel and me. I love you Max” Daphne told him, holding him a little tighter when the dam finally broke and he began to cry against her, soaking her sweater with tears though she didn’t care about that, all she wanted was to make Max feel better. She also wanted to smack Eileen hard across the face and hopefully knock some sense into her for what she said but that would have to wait.
“Come on Max, what do you say we go back to the shop and pick up the Tuxedos. Then after we get the rings, for Aunt Isabel and Alex, I’ll take you to the Crashdown for a Will Smith Burger and some Space Fries” she negotiated, hoping he’d agree, prepared in case he wouldn’t.
“Okay” he answered in a small voice but it was still another minute before he released his hold. As soon as she stood up, Max slipped his hand back in hers and let her lead him back to see Agnes and though the woman was old, senile and hard of hearing, she’d actually done a good thing by asking too many questions, otherwise Daphne never would have found out about Eileen and Max would have gone on thinking she’d told him the truth.
~&~&~&~&~&~Back at the House~&~&~&~&~&~
“Why in the world are you so angry?” Eileen asked though it was more of a rhetorical question than one she expected an answer to. “It’s Christmas time, your sister is getting married, you should be smiling and we should be out doing… I don’t know, Christmas stuff” she said but Zan knew she was trying to divert his attention elsewhere. She had to have known that he and Daphne would talk, she had to know that Daphne would tell him the truth about what was said.
“What right did you think you had going to Daphne and telling her to stay away from me?” he questioned, getting straight to the point while her jaw dropped in surprise, obviously not thinking he would bring it up or at the very least that he wouldn’t sound so angry about it.
“She’s been hanging all over you and you didn’t seem to be bothered by it so I went to speak with her” Eileen said with an indifferent shrug. “It’s disrespectful to me and it’s disrespectful to you and I had hoped to make her see that.”
“You have absolutely no right talking to her the way you did” Zan stated before she could utter another word, knowing that lies were the only things coming from her mouth right now and he wasn’t going to waste his time listening to them when all he really wanted to do was to break things off with her and then spend time with Daphne and Max. “You were out of line by telling her to stay away from me and you were just downright wrong and petty by claiming that she uses Max to get to me.”
“I may have said a few things but I think that the two of you are blowing this way out or proportion” Eileen said, trying to pacify him though Zan was not to be swayed, at least not in this instance.
“You know what, the truth is that it doesn’t really matter what you said or what you thought you were saying to her” Zan said in a tired voice and the look on Eileen’s face clearly shone that she thought he was letting her off the hook. “It doesn’t matter because things between us aren’t going to work anymore. I don’t want to be mean but the truth is that they were never really working, at least not for me.”
“What!” Eileen screeched. “What exactly did she tell you that convinced you to break up with me?” There was anger in voice and hurt in her eyes. Zan never wanted to her hurt her or anyone else for that matter, he had just made some bad decisions and he shouldn’t have gotten involved with Eileen when he knew it could never go anywhere.
“It wasn’t anything she said” Zan replied, wanting her to see the honesty in his own eyes. “The truth is that I’m in love with her, I always have been and it isn’t fair for you and I to be together when she’s the one I truly want. I’d just be cheating the both of us.”
“You… bastard!” she spat. “Did you cheat on me? Did you?!” she yelled and the silence around them was answer enough. “Son of a bitch, I’ve never cheated on you, all I’ve ever done is care for you and this is how you repay that, by sleeping with that… that whore who struts around here like some kind of saint because she throws money around.”
Call me whatever you want but leave Daphne out of this” Zan said in no uncertain terms. “I made the choice, she didn’t force me to do anything and don’t you ever call her a name like that again” he warned, anger beginning to spark in response to her digs.
“That’s just perfect. You cheat on me, she insults me and I’m the one getting yelled at” Eileen muttered. She was right to feel hurt and even angry but Zan couldn’t help the way he felt and he couldn’t keep pretending, especially after seeing the effects this was all having on Daphne.
In his heart he knew that it was right to wait before going to her. She was still broken after everything that had happened to her and he was lonely and scared about becoming a single parent. They might have helped each other but they also might have done more damage than good. Maybe now still wasn’t the right time, maybe they weren’t healed enough but Zan needed her in his life and he was willing to do anything he could to make it work between them this time around.
“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you but I know that I did and you have every right to be mad at me” Zan acknowledged. “I wish that I had handled things differently, that I hadn’t involved you like this and… I know that I’m sorry doesn’t make up for it but I still hope that you know I mean it.”
“Just tell me why?” she asked in a tired voice. She could have meant anything with that question but he knew what she was asking.
“Things happened a long time ago and because of them, I had to give her up but the truth is that I never entirely let her go. I’ve always known that I wanted to be with her, we just weren’t ready for it before.”
Eileen didn’t say anything after that and despite his lack of romantic feelings towards her, Zan couldn’t help but feel bad for the hurt he knew she felt. He wanted to hug her, tell her he was sorry again, but it wouldn’t have been right. It was time for her to move on and to do that, she would have to get through this alone.
With neither having any words for the other, Zan quietly left the room, giving her time and space but inside he knew that she wouldn’t stay here for long, she had no reason to now. Maybe one day they’d be friends, but if they weren’t, as mean as it might have sounded to some one, it wouldn’t really matter. As long as Daphne stuck by him and his son was happy, life would be just fine.
~&~&~&~&~&
Deciding it was best if he wasn’t around, Daphne left Max with Diane, promising to pick him up in an hour after she took care of one last thing. He seemed reluctant, almost as if he sensed something was wrong, but he still agreed, gave her a hug and waved as she left. Now that she was back home, she had a bone to pick and a score to settle.
“Hey doll, you look about ready to spit nails” Billy commented as he caught sight of her. Apparently the living dead were slowly coming out of their hangovers and he was quick to notice the pissed off expression on her face.
“Where’s Eileen?” she asked, ignoring his comment.
“Haven’t seen her today, why?” He looked suspicious, he was right to be.
“I’ll tell you later” Daphne replied and took the stairs two at time until she got to the second floor. Without bothering to knock she pushed open the door and found the tall redhead in front of the bed, packing a suitcase while clothes were strewn all around the floor. “You self righteous evil bitch! It’s one thing to yell at me and call me names but you crossed the line when you called Max a brat and told him he’d hurt Zan’s feelings if he told him what you said.”
Fire flashed in her eyes and her palm itched to connect with Eileen’s cheek. Something akin to fear crossed Eileen’s face but she was quick to cover it up and in a voice she would have used to discuss the weather, she replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell the truth or you’ll find yourself face down on the ground and that nose job of yours will have all been for nothing” Daphne threatened.
She wasn’t violent by nature, hated yelling at people and while she was confident and assertive, she had always been able to talk her way through things but right now Daphne was more than willing to forgo all decorum and deck this woman.
“Look, Max must have misunderstood something I said. He’s a child after all and I would have had no reason to say those things you’re accusing me of” Eileen replied, flippant and unconcerned though beneath the surface, she was scared and Daphne knew it.
“He’s four, not stupid though I can’t say the same for you” Daphne retorted. “How dare you say something like that to him, and how dare you scare him into keeping your ugly words a secret!”
“What?!”
Both turned to the door where Zan stood, his own eyes angered and dangerous, centered directly on Eileen who looked ready to flee.
When she refused to answer, Daphne stepped in to explain to Zan all about Max’s confession. She knew that he’d never hit a woman, but he looked as though he’d like to and she didn’t blame him one bit. “Come on” Daphne said, pushing Zan out the door. He needed to cool off and get himself together. He could talk to her later but until he calmed down a bit, she was more than willing to take his place and continue yelling at Eileen.
“I want you out of this house in five minutes, after that your stuff is getting thrown at the window and you can ride to the bus stop in a squad car. Got it?” She didn’t wait for answer before leading Zan into her room, closing the door soundly behind her. “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling him into her arms the second he looked up at her.
“How could she… how could I let her be around him? How could I not know?”
He was blaming himself and none of this was his fault. It only made Daphne hate Eileen even more.
“I would have never guessed she’d do something like that and apparently Kyle, Tess, Maria and Michael didn’t see it either. She had you fooled but that wasn’t your fault” Daphne rushed to assure just as he had done with her earlier in the office. “Max loves you and he doesn’t blame you for any of this, he’s just worried that you might be upset with him.”
“Oh god, how could I let this to happen to my son? How is he ever going to forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, you didn’t do anything wrong and Max knows this. He loves you Zan” she felt the need to repeat and if she wasn’t mistake, he needed to hear it again. “You’re his father, he looks up to you and right now the most important thing to do is just let him know that you love him too. Everything will be okay, you’ll talk and Eileen will be out of your lives.”
His eyes flashed again at the mention of her name but there was no point. He could yell at her, but she still wouldn’t think she did anything wrong and the truth was that none of it mattered as long as Max was okay and understood that no one agreed with what Eileen said to him.
“Where is he?” Zan asked, knowing Daphne hadn’t brought him here if she was going to yell at Eileen.
“He’s with Diane, I promised I’d pick him up in an hour”
“Would you go with me… to pick him up? I want to tell him about you… about us” Zan requested and her heart fluttered. She hadn’t realized how much it would mean to her that he truly wanted her in all aspects of his life. Telling Max about them was a big step, one that shouted loud and clear that they were a couple again. They’d never had the chance to be open about their relationship before and it was exciting to know she could announce it to everyone if she wanted.
“I love you” Daphne told him.
“I love you” Zan replied, taking her face in his hands before sealing their mouths in a kiss full of promise and pent up passion. “So is that a yes?” he asked with a laugh, pleased by the dazed look in her eyes.
“Huh… oh yea, it’s a yes” she said before pulling him back down towards her. “We still have… twenty minutes. Think you can satisfy me in that amount of time?” she asked in between kisses while Zan seemed to take that as a personal challenge.
“Baby, I’ll make you cum for twenty minutes straight” he stated. She didn’t even have a chance to blink before he picked her up and deposited her on the bed, his hands already reaching to remove her clothes.
Chapter 17
“So what did you do at your grandparent’s house last night?” Daphne asked as she and Max walked down the block from her car to the tuxedo shop. It was the first time the two had ever gone off anywhere together but the surprising thing wasn’t how easy and comfortable the whole thing was but that Max had instantly slipped his much smaller hand into hers as soon as they stepped onto the sidewalk.
“They let me watch The Jetsons and Yogi Bear on the cartoon network” Max replied though his attention was all around him, taking in every little shop, parked car and storefront window. Daphne knew this wasn’t his first time in Roswell, she remembered Isabel mentioning how Max and Zan visited on odd holidays but she supposed he had been too young to really appreciate the strange alien décor that was a reoccurring theme throughout the town.
“Hello Agnes” Daphne greeted when they walked into the small store that smelled of moth balls and cedar. Thankfully, the tuxedos were all hung in thick plastic bags so the scent was absent in the fabric but she had to restrain a small cough from bubbling forth as she took in the very strong aroma.
“Miss Forrest, I haven’t seen you a long time” the older woman greeted in return.
From what Daphne remembered, Agnes was Philip Evans’ godmother, a testament to how old this woman actually was. “I live in New York now but I’m down for Isabel Evan’s wedding” she replied, offering her a smile while Agnes cocked her head to the side, as though trying to place the name with a face. Seemingly giving up, she shrugged her shoulders and went behind the counter to pull out a small, leather bound business journal. “I’m here to pick up three Tuxedos. Zan Evans, Max Evans and Michael Guerin” she told her.
“Right, the Evans wedding, why didn’t you say so before, I have them hanging by the door in the storage room” Agnes stated, shooting her a quick reprimanding look before going off to retrieve them.
“You did say so” Max stated once she was gone.
“I know, but we won’t mention that here” Daphne said, winking conspiratorially to Max who took great amusement in the gesture.
“Here we are, will that be cash or charge?” The bags were thick black leather and it looked as though they weighed more than Agnes did what with the way she dropped them down on the counter in triumph.
“Charge” Daphne replied, holding out one of her credit cards while Max seemed to take interest in her purse and began flipping through the rest of the cards and pictures she had inside the little wallet.
“Is he yours?” Agnes asked as she leaned over the counter to get a better look at Max who in turn, looked up with a puzzled expression on his face. “Her what?” he asked back.
“Son… are you her son?” If the question hadn’t been such an uncomfortable one, Daphne would have laughed with the way Max was staring up at Agnes with wide owl eyes while the woman practically yelled as though everyone else were the ones hard of hearing.
“No!” Max yelled and his lip quivered before running out of the store entrance.
“Max!” Daphne called out to him as she abandoned the bags and her purse in favor of chasing after the little boy. It wasn’t hard to catch up to him but when she wrapped her arms around him from behind and knelt on the sidewalk, he struggled in her grasp for several moments before finally admitting defeat. He let Daphne pull him close and hug him but he wouldn’t look her in the eye.
“Please, don’t ever run out like that again” she scolded though it lacked authority and her tone was more worried and relieved than parental. “Tell me what’s wrong” she requested, tilting his chin up and the sight of his rapidly filling eyes broke her heart that she couldn’t help but pull him back to her for another hug.
“Max, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong” she whispered as she soothingly rubbed his back, trying to calm whatever fears or angers that led him to run off like he did. “Will you please tell me?”
“She thought you were my mommy” he stated and Daphne wondered if he’d been upset because he didn’t want anyone to think someone besides Ava was his mother.
“I’m sorry” Daphne replied, unsure of what else she could say.
“I want you to be my mommy” he whispered in his ear as he threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her hair. “I don’t want her to be my mommy. She yells at me when daddy isn’t around. She called me a brat” he said, hiccupping between words as he struggled not to cry.
“Who said that sweetheart… was it Eileen?” Daphne asked anger began to mar her expression.
“Yes… but she told me not to tell daddy. She said it would make him feel bad. She said I would hurt daddy if I told him” Max continued to valiantly hold back his tears but Daphne didn’t try as hard and water began to fill her own eyes at the thought of Max being in so much pain and feeling he had to hold this in so as to not hurt the one person he trusted and loved most, his father.
“She was wrong Max, you aren’t a brat, you’re a wonderful boy and your daddy loves you so much and so does your grandparents and Aunt Isabel and me. I love you Max” Daphne told him, holding him a little tighter when the dam finally broke and he began to cry against her, soaking her sweater with tears though she didn’t care about that, all she wanted was to make Max feel better. She also wanted to smack Eileen hard across the face and hopefully knock some sense into her for what she said but that would have to wait.
“Come on Max, what do you say we go back to the shop and pick up the Tuxedos. Then after we get the rings, for Aunt Isabel and Alex, I’ll take you to the Crashdown for a Will Smith Burger and some Space Fries” she negotiated, hoping he’d agree, prepared in case he wouldn’t.
“Okay” he answered in a small voice but it was still another minute before he released his hold. As soon as she stood up, Max slipped his hand back in hers and let her lead him back to see Agnes and though the woman was old, senile and hard of hearing, she’d actually done a good thing by asking too many questions, otherwise Daphne never would have found out about Eileen and Max would have gone on thinking she’d told him the truth.
~&~&~&~&~&~Back at the House~&~&~&~&~&~
“Why in the world are you so angry?” Eileen asked though it was more of a rhetorical question than one she expected an answer to. “It’s Christmas time, your sister is getting married, you should be smiling and we should be out doing… I don’t know, Christmas stuff” she said but Zan knew she was trying to divert his attention elsewhere. She had to have known that he and Daphne would talk, she had to know that Daphne would tell him the truth about what was said.
“What right did you think you had going to Daphne and telling her to stay away from me?” he questioned, getting straight to the point while her jaw dropped in surprise, obviously not thinking he would bring it up or at the very least that he wouldn’t sound so angry about it.
“She’s been hanging all over you and you didn’t seem to be bothered by it so I went to speak with her” Eileen said with an indifferent shrug. “It’s disrespectful to me and it’s disrespectful to you and I had hoped to make her see that.”
“You have absolutely no right talking to her the way you did” Zan stated before she could utter another word, knowing that lies were the only things coming from her mouth right now and he wasn’t going to waste his time listening to them when all he really wanted to do was to break things off with her and then spend time with Daphne and Max. “You were out of line by telling her to stay away from me and you were just downright wrong and petty by claiming that she uses Max to get to me.”
“I may have said a few things but I think that the two of you are blowing this way out or proportion” Eileen said, trying to pacify him though Zan was not to be swayed, at least not in this instance.
“You know what, the truth is that it doesn’t really matter what you said or what you thought you were saying to her” Zan said in a tired voice and the look on Eileen’s face clearly shone that she thought he was letting her off the hook. “It doesn’t matter because things between us aren’t going to work anymore. I don’t want to be mean but the truth is that they were never really working, at least not for me.”
“What!” Eileen screeched. “What exactly did she tell you that convinced you to break up with me?” There was anger in voice and hurt in her eyes. Zan never wanted to her hurt her or anyone else for that matter, he had just made some bad decisions and he shouldn’t have gotten involved with Eileen when he knew it could never go anywhere.
“It wasn’t anything she said” Zan replied, wanting her to see the honesty in his own eyes. “The truth is that I’m in love with her, I always have been and it isn’t fair for you and I to be together when she’s the one I truly want. I’d just be cheating the both of us.”
“You… bastard!” she spat. “Did you cheat on me? Did you?!” she yelled and the silence around them was answer enough. “Son of a bitch, I’ve never cheated on you, all I’ve ever done is care for you and this is how you repay that, by sleeping with that… that whore who struts around here like some kind of saint because she throws money around.”
Call me whatever you want but leave Daphne out of this” Zan said in no uncertain terms. “I made the choice, she didn’t force me to do anything and don’t you ever call her a name like that again” he warned, anger beginning to spark in response to her digs.
“That’s just perfect. You cheat on me, she insults me and I’m the one getting yelled at” Eileen muttered. She was right to feel hurt and even angry but Zan couldn’t help the way he felt and he couldn’t keep pretending, especially after seeing the effects this was all having on Daphne.
In his heart he knew that it was right to wait before going to her. She was still broken after everything that had happened to her and he was lonely and scared about becoming a single parent. They might have helped each other but they also might have done more damage than good. Maybe now still wasn’t the right time, maybe they weren’t healed enough but Zan needed her in his life and he was willing to do anything he could to make it work between them this time around.
“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you but I know that I did and you have every right to be mad at me” Zan acknowledged. “I wish that I had handled things differently, that I hadn’t involved you like this and… I know that I’m sorry doesn’t make up for it but I still hope that you know I mean it.”
“Just tell me why?” she asked in a tired voice. She could have meant anything with that question but he knew what she was asking.
“Things happened a long time ago and because of them, I had to give her up but the truth is that I never entirely let her go. I’ve always known that I wanted to be with her, we just weren’t ready for it before.”
Eileen didn’t say anything after that and despite his lack of romantic feelings towards her, Zan couldn’t help but feel bad for the hurt he knew she felt. He wanted to hug her, tell her he was sorry again, but it wouldn’t have been right. It was time for her to move on and to do that, she would have to get through this alone.
With neither having any words for the other, Zan quietly left the room, giving her time and space but inside he knew that she wouldn’t stay here for long, she had no reason to now. Maybe one day they’d be friends, but if they weren’t, as mean as it might have sounded to some one, it wouldn’t really matter. As long as Daphne stuck by him and his son was happy, life would be just fine.
~&~&~&~&~&
Deciding it was best if he wasn’t around, Daphne left Max with Diane, promising to pick him up in an hour after she took care of one last thing. He seemed reluctant, almost as if he sensed something was wrong, but he still agreed, gave her a hug and waved as she left. Now that she was back home, she had a bone to pick and a score to settle.
“Hey doll, you look about ready to spit nails” Billy commented as he caught sight of her. Apparently the living dead were slowly coming out of their hangovers and he was quick to notice the pissed off expression on her face.
“Where’s Eileen?” she asked, ignoring his comment.
“Haven’t seen her today, why?” He looked suspicious, he was right to be.
“I’ll tell you later” Daphne replied and took the stairs two at time until she got to the second floor. Without bothering to knock she pushed open the door and found the tall redhead in front of the bed, packing a suitcase while clothes were strewn all around the floor. “You self righteous evil bitch! It’s one thing to yell at me and call me names but you crossed the line when you called Max a brat and told him he’d hurt Zan’s feelings if he told him what you said.”
Fire flashed in her eyes and her palm itched to connect with Eileen’s cheek. Something akin to fear crossed Eileen’s face but she was quick to cover it up and in a voice she would have used to discuss the weather, she replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell the truth or you’ll find yourself face down on the ground and that nose job of yours will have all been for nothing” Daphne threatened.
She wasn’t violent by nature, hated yelling at people and while she was confident and assertive, she had always been able to talk her way through things but right now Daphne was more than willing to forgo all decorum and deck this woman.
“Look, Max must have misunderstood something I said. He’s a child after all and I would have had no reason to say those things you’re accusing me of” Eileen replied, flippant and unconcerned though beneath the surface, she was scared and Daphne knew it.
“He’s four, not stupid though I can’t say the same for you” Daphne retorted. “How dare you say something like that to him, and how dare you scare him into keeping your ugly words a secret!”
“What?!”
Both turned to the door where Zan stood, his own eyes angered and dangerous, centered directly on Eileen who looked ready to flee.
When she refused to answer, Daphne stepped in to explain to Zan all about Max’s confession. She knew that he’d never hit a woman, but he looked as though he’d like to and she didn’t blame him one bit. “Come on” Daphne said, pushing Zan out the door. He needed to cool off and get himself together. He could talk to her later but until he calmed down a bit, she was more than willing to take his place and continue yelling at Eileen.
“I want you out of this house in five minutes, after that your stuff is getting thrown at the window and you can ride to the bus stop in a squad car. Got it?” She didn’t wait for answer before leading Zan into her room, closing the door soundly behind her. “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling him into her arms the second he looked up at her.
“How could she… how could I let her be around him? How could I not know?”
He was blaming himself and none of this was his fault. It only made Daphne hate Eileen even more.
“I would have never guessed she’d do something like that and apparently Kyle, Tess, Maria and Michael didn’t see it either. She had you fooled but that wasn’t your fault” Daphne rushed to assure just as he had done with her earlier in the office. “Max loves you and he doesn’t blame you for any of this, he’s just worried that you might be upset with him.”
“Oh god, how could I let this to happen to my son? How is he ever going to forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, you didn’t do anything wrong and Max knows this. He loves you Zan” she felt the need to repeat and if she wasn’t mistake, he needed to hear it again. “You’re his father, he looks up to you and right now the most important thing to do is just let him know that you love him too. Everything will be okay, you’ll talk and Eileen will be out of your lives.”
His eyes flashed again at the mention of her name but there was no point. He could yell at her, but she still wouldn’t think she did anything wrong and the truth was that none of it mattered as long as Max was okay and understood that no one agreed with what Eileen said to him.
“Where is he?” Zan asked, knowing Daphne hadn’t brought him here if she was going to yell at Eileen.
“He’s with Diane, I promised I’d pick him up in an hour”
“Would you go with me… to pick him up? I want to tell him about you… about us” Zan requested and her heart fluttered. She hadn’t realized how much it would mean to her that he truly wanted her in all aspects of his life. Telling Max about them was a big step, one that shouted loud and clear that they were a couple again. They’d never had the chance to be open about their relationship before and it was exciting to know she could announce it to everyone if she wanted.
“I love you” Daphne told him.
“I love you” Zan replied, taking her face in his hands before sealing their mouths in a kiss full of promise and pent up passion. “So is that a yes?” he asked with a laugh, pleased by the dazed look in her eyes.
“Huh… oh yea, it’s a yes” she said before pulling him back down towards her. “We still have… twenty minutes. Think you can satisfy me in that amount of time?” she asked in between kisses while Zan seemed to take that as a personal challenge.
“Baby, I’ll make you cum for twenty minutes straight” he stated. She didn’t even have a chance to blink before he picked her up and deposited her on the bed, his hands already reaching to remove her clothes.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm
A/N: Sorry to everyone for taking so long. i kind of got caught up on some of my others and neglected this one but i'll try and stay up to date with it. Thanks to everyone still reading it, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 18
Quickly pulling on their clothes, touching and kissing the entire time, unable not to, they eventually finished and hurried out the door, not bothering to stop and talk to anyone as they rushed outside. Tossing him her keys, Zan and Daphne climbed in her Camaro and headed off to the Evans home where they found Max looking through a picture book as Philip sat beside him.
Looking up, he smiled at both. “Hi” he greeted.
“Hey pal” Zan returned, taking Philip’s place on the couch when he got up to come stand beside Daphne.
“Could I speak with you for a moment” he requested and with one final glance at Max and Zan, smiling at how cute they looked together, Daphne turned away and followed Philip into his office, closing the door behind her. Rather than sit behind his desk, he took the chair beside her and Daphne’s first thought was that there was a problem somewhere.
“Is something wrong at DCF” she asked, remembering that she hadn’t checked her messages in a while. At first she was too preoccupied with last minute wedding errands and then she became more concerned with tossing Eileen out on her two faced ass.
“The company is fine” Philip was quick to pacify. “But you seemed really upset when you left Max here earlier and since you seem calmer now, I was hoping that maybe you could tell me what’s bothering you” he requested.
Over the years, Philip had tried his best to fill in for Damien Forrest. Daphne knew that he wasn’t trying to replace her father, he was only trying to be there for her and she had always appreciated that. The entire Evans family had always taken her in and watched over her and she was grateful to all of them and Philip’s question now was only another example of that.
“I admit that I was upset” she acknowledged. “But Max told me some really disturbing things about some stuff that Eileen said to him and it got me really angry” Daphne admitted. “I left in a hurry because I wanted to confront her about it and talk to Zan” she explained and realization dawned in Philip’s eyes before his own anger took over.
“What sort of things?” he asked in a hard tone Daphne knew he only reserved for tough clients.
“She called him a brat and told him not to say anything to Zan about the name calling because it would hurt him if Max did” Daphne replied, seeing no point in hiding the truth.
“I hope that by now she’s out of your house and on a plane back to hell” Philip stated, drawing an amused grin out of Daphne.
“Trust me… she’s gone” Daphne answered. “But now you can see why it was important for me to leave Max here. I knew that if I had the chance, I’d give her an earful and I didn’t want Max to be around and accidentally overhear something.”
“No, I understand and I’m glad you thought to bring him here” Philip acknowledged though Daphne could sense that there was something else he wasn’t saying.
“There’s something you’re not telling me” she stated when he still didn’t speak.
“You’re right, I am holding something back” Philip agreed and Daphne leaned back in her chair, prepared to hear something interesting because she knew it couldn’t be that simple if Philip was unsure. “I noticed that you and Zan seemed kind of close when you walked in here a few minutes ago.”
“I care a lot about Zan and we were both concerned about Max” she stated, not a lie but not the entire truth. Daphne knew that Zan talked to Diane about them but she never asked whether or not Philip knew anything. She assumed he might have since she doubted Diane kept secrets from him about Zan and Isabel but she couldn’t be sure and he wasn’t giving anything up so neither did she.
“So then the two of you haven’t… gotten back… together?” he asked with a curious stare that instantly turned to a smirk at the surprised expression Daphne was unable to hold back. “You had to know that I knew” he stated.
“Zan told me just this morning that Diane knew but before that neither of you ever gave an indication that you knew anything” Daphne commented because in truth, before today, she never would have guessed that either Evans parent knew a thing about her former or current situation with Zan.
“Diane and I figured it out before the whole situation with Max and he later confirmed it to Diane” Philip explained, smiling to show he was glad the two of them found each other again. “I’ve been hoping that when Zan finally decided it was time to win you back, you would take a step back from the company and enjoy your life a bit more” he said and his words from the previous day echoed in her mind. He asked when she was going to stop traveling so much so she could… enjoy her life while she was still young.
“All this time I thought Isabel was the only Evans that knew and it turns out that…”
“Wait a minute” Philip interrupted. “You and Isabel discussed this before?” he asked.
“Isabel found out a few months after Zan told everyone that Ava was pregnant” Daphne quietly replied.
Inside, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad about that. She didn’t know Ava, never had but the woman had brought a truly wonderful child into the world and she was genuinely sorry that Ava never got to see him grow up. She knew that Max missed her, or at least the idea of her and she also wished that he had had a chance to know his mother.
“This is the part where I would ask how you feel about Max but after seeing you with him and seeing how angry you got on his behalf, I know that the two of you are going to get a long well once you and Zan are married” Philip commented.
He said it so nonchalantly that Daphne almost nodded when the words finally sunk in and her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait a second” she told him, holding her hand up. “I’m sorry, did you just married?” she asked.
“Well isn’t that what the two of you want?” Philip carefully asked.
“We just decided two days ago that we wanted to give this a try. There’s still so much to learn about each other and so… we just… wow that’s really soon. We can’t get married now” she said, ticking off a list of reasons though the only expression that Philip wore was one of amusement. He decided that she might say no right now but once the idea sunk in a bit, she would be more open to the idea and he knew that it wouldn’t be long before she became an official member of the Evans family.
A knock on the door, brought both their attention to the present. “Come in” he called out, watching as his wife poked her head in.
“Hello dear” Diane greeted receiving a quick hug from Daphne. For whatever reason, it really made her feel good being embraced that way by the older woman despite the fact that they’d just seen each other the night before. Diane had always brought Daphne a sense of comfort and she needed that now that confusion was setting in over Philip’s comments. “So how many hung over people are at your house right now?” she teased, easing the tension in the room considerably.
“Quite a few” Daphne acknowledged, now unsure if she was about to be double teamed. She opened her mouth to say something else when she was saved by her ringing phone. “Excuse me” she said as she lifted the phone to her ear.
“Forrest” she answered, having noticed it was a work number and quietly listened to the person on the other end for a few moments. “What?! Okay, I’ll get there as soon as I can” she agreed before hanging up, noticing that she had both Philip and Diane’s interest now. “That was the tower in Atlanta, seems the weather hasn’t gotten any better and there’s been extensive damage to the hotel. They need someone there ASAP to sort out the mess since a lot of the guests are shaken up and some had to be sent somewhere else because of the damages.”
“You can’t leave” Diane stated. “You’re the maid of honor. Can’t you send someone else from DCF to take care of things?” she asked and truthfully the last thing Daphne wanted right now was to skip out on Isabel but she would have to make some calls first to try and work it all out. On top of that, she was still feeling a bit weird about going to Atlanta but she was the boss so she’d deal with it because she had to.
“I’ll talk to Jesse and see what I can work out. Hopefully I can get him down there now and I can relieve him after the reception tomorrow” she shrugged and while it wasn’t ideal, it would have to do and despite hating it, Philip understood it. “If you’ll both excuse me, I have a lot of calls to make but I’ll see tonight at the sleepover Diane” she said, embracing the older woman before returning the gesture with Philip. “And I’ll see you tomorrow. Please take care of Alex” she added, kissing his cheek before hurrying out to find Zan.
He and Max were still sitting where she left them only they seemed to be in the middle of a serious discussion and when they finally noticed her presence, Max looked at her with a curious expression. “Can I talk to you for a second Zan?” she asked and watched as he gave his son an encouraging smile before getting up to follow her into the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, his arms instantly going around her.
“Not really” she tiredly replied. “The weather is pretty bad in Atlanta right now and it did a lot of damage to the tower there. I’m gonna try to arrange for Jesse to go down there today but I’m going to have to fly over myself after the reception tomorrow” she told him, seeing a myriad of emotions play across his face before disappointment settled in.
“How long will you be gone for?” he asked, pulling her closer to him as he did.
“I won’t know until I find out how bad it is but I’m hoping to be back before Christmas” Daphne replied as another thought occurred to her. “Were you and Max planning on staying here during Christmas or do you have to go back to Chicago?” she asked.
“Here” he replied, simply and Daphne felt bad because she knew he wanted her with him after so much time being apart. She wanted it too but her job was really important and a lot of people counted on her, she only hoped he could accept what a large role it played in her life and she… well she considered Philip’s words and decided to give them serious thought during her trip.
In a split second decision she decided to make him a promise and she knew that after she did, she would do any and everything in her power to fulfill it and he would know that too. “I promise that I’ll be home for Christmas” she told him. It sounded cheesy, both knew, but the sentiment behind it meant something to both and in response, Zan placed a chaste kiss against her lips, knowing that anything more than that would lead to something entirely too inappropriate for his parents’ house with his son in the next room.
“Come on” he said, taking her hand in his to lead her back to the living room. “We’ll grab Max and then go back to the house so you can make your calls and if you can get everything settled, maybe the three of us can do something together before all the women start arriving for tonight’s festivities” he suggested, rolling his eyes at the last part.
Once again, all the men were being kicked out and shipped to either the Evans’ home of the Whitman estate while the women were gathering at Daphne’s house for an old fashioned slumber party, complete with movies, makeovers, junk food and freezing the bra belonging to whoever fell asleep first. It was their way of helping Isabel say goodbye to the single life and hello to the married one.
“If you’re lucky, I’ll call your phone and then hang up five times because I have a crush on you and want to see if you’re home” Daphne offered with a smile, receiving a laugh from Zan at that one.
“Deal sweetheart” he replied, leaning in for one more kiss before walking back into the living room. “You ready to go?” he asked Max who was holding his jacket across his lap, wearing a bored expression though his eyes lit up at the sight of the two together.
“Yep” he said, hopping up from his seat and took his place in between the two adults, forcing their hands apart so that he could grab onto them himself. “Bye grandpa, bye grandma” he added Philip and Diane who stood in the doorway, wearing identical looks of amusement.
Max was very happy to ride in the old car again and sat in the backseat, staring out around him as they drove. When they finally got back to the house, the two boys went inside to look over the tuxedos, much to Max’s protest while Daphne closed herself up in her office to make a few calls, the first one to DCF.
“DCF, Mr. Ramirez’s office” Sydney answered.
“This is Miss Forrest, I need to speak with Mr. Ramirez please” she requested, receiving no warning before the line went silent as the older woman put her on hold. ‘I really needed to have a word with that woman’ she muttered just before Jesse came on the line. “Jesse, it’s Daphne. I just got a call from Kevin in Atlanta and…”
“I know, I just got off the phone with him” he interrupted, sounding distracted and she could hear papers rustling in he background.
“Good, because I need for either you or David to get down there today” Daphne stated as everything instantly went quiet on the other end. “I have Isabel’s wedding tomorrow otherwise I’d be there right now but I assure you that as soon as it’s over, I’ll take the jet down to Atlanta and relieve either of you.”
“You know I never travel” Jesse stated.
“I know, but there’s really no other way if you can’t get David to do it” Daphne replied. She didn’t want to push people around and would rather take care of this matter personally but there was just no way for her to do that and be in Roswell for Isabel.
“I’ll talk to David but I won’t fly there myself” Jesse said and there was something, possibly fear, in his voice. She had no idea why but she decided to talk to him about that later, right now they had business to settle.
“Forget it, I’ll talk to David myself” Daphne stated as she booted up her computer. “Thanks anyway” she said and hung up. Quickly, she logged into the DCF mainframe and pulled up Jesse’s file and while she waited for that to come up, she called David, hoping he wouldn’t have a problem doing this.
“What can I do for you Miss Forrest?” he asked.
“Have you heard about the tower in Atlanta?” she asked and briefly relayed the story when he said he hadn’t. “I need someone there today because I won’t be able to make it until tomorrow. Now I need you to tell me that you’re the someone that can make it there.”
“I’m the someone that can do it” David dutifully replied.
“Thank you and I promise it’ll be no more than a day” Daphne quickly reassured. The two spent the next few minutes going over the game plan, deciding what would need to be done. “Okay, I really feel confident about this” she said as she switched off her computer, belatedly remember what she had meant to look up. “By the way, do you know why Jesse won’t travel?” she just came out and asked. She didn’t want to seem nosy but she was curious why he was so adamant about the whole thing and wondered if it was common knowledge that she had never heard.
David seemed surprised by the question, leading Daphne to realize she probably was the only one that didn’t know the reason. “His first wife was a ground reporter for channel 12 news. She was covering a story in some other country and she was killed on assignment when something happened to the chopper she was.”
Daphne didn’t say anything at first. Of all the things she could have imagined, she never would have guessed this. “I see” she quietly replied. “Well thank you and I’ll see you tomorrow” she said, quickly hanging up. Taking the time to boot the computer back up, Daphne checked her files again before going to a familiar website where she always ordered flowers from and placed a quick order for a dozen yellow daisies to be delivered to the cemetery for Jesse’s wife.
As she waited for her confirmation, Max came out and easily talked her into leaving the computer work for later. Laughing, she didn’t bother to switch off the monitor as she let him drag her out of the room to join him and Zan in hers for a little movie fest.
Chapter 18
Quickly pulling on their clothes, touching and kissing the entire time, unable not to, they eventually finished and hurried out the door, not bothering to stop and talk to anyone as they rushed outside. Tossing him her keys, Zan and Daphne climbed in her Camaro and headed off to the Evans home where they found Max looking through a picture book as Philip sat beside him.
Looking up, he smiled at both. “Hi” he greeted.
“Hey pal” Zan returned, taking Philip’s place on the couch when he got up to come stand beside Daphne.
“Could I speak with you for a moment” he requested and with one final glance at Max and Zan, smiling at how cute they looked together, Daphne turned away and followed Philip into his office, closing the door behind her. Rather than sit behind his desk, he took the chair beside her and Daphne’s first thought was that there was a problem somewhere.
“Is something wrong at DCF” she asked, remembering that she hadn’t checked her messages in a while. At first she was too preoccupied with last minute wedding errands and then she became more concerned with tossing Eileen out on her two faced ass.
“The company is fine” Philip was quick to pacify. “But you seemed really upset when you left Max here earlier and since you seem calmer now, I was hoping that maybe you could tell me what’s bothering you” he requested.
Over the years, Philip had tried his best to fill in for Damien Forrest. Daphne knew that he wasn’t trying to replace her father, he was only trying to be there for her and she had always appreciated that. The entire Evans family had always taken her in and watched over her and she was grateful to all of them and Philip’s question now was only another example of that.
“I admit that I was upset” she acknowledged. “But Max told me some really disturbing things about some stuff that Eileen said to him and it got me really angry” Daphne admitted. “I left in a hurry because I wanted to confront her about it and talk to Zan” she explained and realization dawned in Philip’s eyes before his own anger took over.
“What sort of things?” he asked in a hard tone Daphne knew he only reserved for tough clients.
“She called him a brat and told him not to say anything to Zan about the name calling because it would hurt him if Max did” Daphne replied, seeing no point in hiding the truth.
“I hope that by now she’s out of your house and on a plane back to hell” Philip stated, drawing an amused grin out of Daphne.
“Trust me… she’s gone” Daphne answered. “But now you can see why it was important for me to leave Max here. I knew that if I had the chance, I’d give her an earful and I didn’t want Max to be around and accidentally overhear something.”
“No, I understand and I’m glad you thought to bring him here” Philip acknowledged though Daphne could sense that there was something else he wasn’t saying.
“There’s something you’re not telling me” she stated when he still didn’t speak.
“You’re right, I am holding something back” Philip agreed and Daphne leaned back in her chair, prepared to hear something interesting because she knew it couldn’t be that simple if Philip was unsure. “I noticed that you and Zan seemed kind of close when you walked in here a few minutes ago.”
“I care a lot about Zan and we were both concerned about Max” she stated, not a lie but not the entire truth. Daphne knew that Zan talked to Diane about them but she never asked whether or not Philip knew anything. She assumed he might have since she doubted Diane kept secrets from him about Zan and Isabel but she couldn’t be sure and he wasn’t giving anything up so neither did she.
“So then the two of you haven’t… gotten back… together?” he asked with a curious stare that instantly turned to a smirk at the surprised expression Daphne was unable to hold back. “You had to know that I knew” he stated.
“Zan told me just this morning that Diane knew but before that neither of you ever gave an indication that you knew anything” Daphne commented because in truth, before today, she never would have guessed that either Evans parent knew a thing about her former or current situation with Zan.
“Diane and I figured it out before the whole situation with Max and he later confirmed it to Diane” Philip explained, smiling to show he was glad the two of them found each other again. “I’ve been hoping that when Zan finally decided it was time to win you back, you would take a step back from the company and enjoy your life a bit more” he said and his words from the previous day echoed in her mind. He asked when she was going to stop traveling so much so she could… enjoy her life while she was still young.
“All this time I thought Isabel was the only Evans that knew and it turns out that…”
“Wait a minute” Philip interrupted. “You and Isabel discussed this before?” he asked.
“Isabel found out a few months after Zan told everyone that Ava was pregnant” Daphne quietly replied.
Inside, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad about that. She didn’t know Ava, never had but the woman had brought a truly wonderful child into the world and she was genuinely sorry that Ava never got to see him grow up. She knew that Max missed her, or at least the idea of her and she also wished that he had had a chance to know his mother.
“This is the part where I would ask how you feel about Max but after seeing you with him and seeing how angry you got on his behalf, I know that the two of you are going to get a long well once you and Zan are married” Philip commented.
He said it so nonchalantly that Daphne almost nodded when the words finally sunk in and her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait a second” she told him, holding her hand up. “I’m sorry, did you just married?” she asked.
“Well isn’t that what the two of you want?” Philip carefully asked.
“We just decided two days ago that we wanted to give this a try. There’s still so much to learn about each other and so… we just… wow that’s really soon. We can’t get married now” she said, ticking off a list of reasons though the only expression that Philip wore was one of amusement. He decided that she might say no right now but once the idea sunk in a bit, she would be more open to the idea and he knew that it wouldn’t be long before she became an official member of the Evans family.
A knock on the door, brought both their attention to the present. “Come in” he called out, watching as his wife poked her head in.
“Hello dear” Diane greeted receiving a quick hug from Daphne. For whatever reason, it really made her feel good being embraced that way by the older woman despite the fact that they’d just seen each other the night before. Diane had always brought Daphne a sense of comfort and she needed that now that confusion was setting in over Philip’s comments. “So how many hung over people are at your house right now?” she teased, easing the tension in the room considerably.
“Quite a few” Daphne acknowledged, now unsure if she was about to be double teamed. She opened her mouth to say something else when she was saved by her ringing phone. “Excuse me” she said as she lifted the phone to her ear.
“Forrest” she answered, having noticed it was a work number and quietly listened to the person on the other end for a few moments. “What?! Okay, I’ll get there as soon as I can” she agreed before hanging up, noticing that she had both Philip and Diane’s interest now. “That was the tower in Atlanta, seems the weather hasn’t gotten any better and there’s been extensive damage to the hotel. They need someone there ASAP to sort out the mess since a lot of the guests are shaken up and some had to be sent somewhere else because of the damages.”
“You can’t leave” Diane stated. “You’re the maid of honor. Can’t you send someone else from DCF to take care of things?” she asked and truthfully the last thing Daphne wanted right now was to skip out on Isabel but she would have to make some calls first to try and work it all out. On top of that, she was still feeling a bit weird about going to Atlanta but she was the boss so she’d deal with it because she had to.
“I’ll talk to Jesse and see what I can work out. Hopefully I can get him down there now and I can relieve him after the reception tomorrow” she shrugged and while it wasn’t ideal, it would have to do and despite hating it, Philip understood it. “If you’ll both excuse me, I have a lot of calls to make but I’ll see tonight at the sleepover Diane” she said, embracing the older woman before returning the gesture with Philip. “And I’ll see you tomorrow. Please take care of Alex” she added, kissing his cheek before hurrying out to find Zan.
He and Max were still sitting where she left them only they seemed to be in the middle of a serious discussion and when they finally noticed her presence, Max looked at her with a curious expression. “Can I talk to you for a second Zan?” she asked and watched as he gave his son an encouraging smile before getting up to follow her into the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, his arms instantly going around her.
“Not really” she tiredly replied. “The weather is pretty bad in Atlanta right now and it did a lot of damage to the tower there. I’m gonna try to arrange for Jesse to go down there today but I’m going to have to fly over myself after the reception tomorrow” she told him, seeing a myriad of emotions play across his face before disappointment settled in.
“How long will you be gone for?” he asked, pulling her closer to him as he did.
“I won’t know until I find out how bad it is but I’m hoping to be back before Christmas” Daphne replied as another thought occurred to her. “Were you and Max planning on staying here during Christmas or do you have to go back to Chicago?” she asked.
“Here” he replied, simply and Daphne felt bad because she knew he wanted her with him after so much time being apart. She wanted it too but her job was really important and a lot of people counted on her, she only hoped he could accept what a large role it played in her life and she… well she considered Philip’s words and decided to give them serious thought during her trip.
In a split second decision she decided to make him a promise and she knew that after she did, she would do any and everything in her power to fulfill it and he would know that too. “I promise that I’ll be home for Christmas” she told him. It sounded cheesy, both knew, but the sentiment behind it meant something to both and in response, Zan placed a chaste kiss against her lips, knowing that anything more than that would lead to something entirely too inappropriate for his parents’ house with his son in the next room.
“Come on” he said, taking her hand in his to lead her back to the living room. “We’ll grab Max and then go back to the house so you can make your calls and if you can get everything settled, maybe the three of us can do something together before all the women start arriving for tonight’s festivities” he suggested, rolling his eyes at the last part.
Once again, all the men were being kicked out and shipped to either the Evans’ home of the Whitman estate while the women were gathering at Daphne’s house for an old fashioned slumber party, complete with movies, makeovers, junk food and freezing the bra belonging to whoever fell asleep first. It was their way of helping Isabel say goodbye to the single life and hello to the married one.
“If you’re lucky, I’ll call your phone and then hang up five times because I have a crush on you and want to see if you’re home” Daphne offered with a smile, receiving a laugh from Zan at that one.
“Deal sweetheart” he replied, leaning in for one more kiss before walking back into the living room. “You ready to go?” he asked Max who was holding his jacket across his lap, wearing a bored expression though his eyes lit up at the sight of the two together.
“Yep” he said, hopping up from his seat and took his place in between the two adults, forcing their hands apart so that he could grab onto them himself. “Bye grandpa, bye grandma” he added Philip and Diane who stood in the doorway, wearing identical looks of amusement.
Max was very happy to ride in the old car again and sat in the backseat, staring out around him as they drove. When they finally got back to the house, the two boys went inside to look over the tuxedos, much to Max’s protest while Daphne closed herself up in her office to make a few calls, the first one to DCF.
“DCF, Mr. Ramirez’s office” Sydney answered.
“This is Miss Forrest, I need to speak with Mr. Ramirez please” she requested, receiving no warning before the line went silent as the older woman put her on hold. ‘I really needed to have a word with that woman’ she muttered just before Jesse came on the line. “Jesse, it’s Daphne. I just got a call from Kevin in Atlanta and…”
“I know, I just got off the phone with him” he interrupted, sounding distracted and she could hear papers rustling in he background.
“Good, because I need for either you or David to get down there today” Daphne stated as everything instantly went quiet on the other end. “I have Isabel’s wedding tomorrow otherwise I’d be there right now but I assure you that as soon as it’s over, I’ll take the jet down to Atlanta and relieve either of you.”
“You know I never travel” Jesse stated.
“I know, but there’s really no other way if you can’t get David to do it” Daphne replied. She didn’t want to push people around and would rather take care of this matter personally but there was just no way for her to do that and be in Roswell for Isabel.
“I’ll talk to David but I won’t fly there myself” Jesse said and there was something, possibly fear, in his voice. She had no idea why but she decided to talk to him about that later, right now they had business to settle.
“Forget it, I’ll talk to David myself” Daphne stated as she booted up her computer. “Thanks anyway” she said and hung up. Quickly, she logged into the DCF mainframe and pulled up Jesse’s file and while she waited for that to come up, she called David, hoping he wouldn’t have a problem doing this.
“What can I do for you Miss Forrest?” he asked.
“Have you heard about the tower in Atlanta?” she asked and briefly relayed the story when he said he hadn’t. “I need someone there today because I won’t be able to make it until tomorrow. Now I need you to tell me that you’re the someone that can make it there.”
“I’m the someone that can do it” David dutifully replied.
“Thank you and I promise it’ll be no more than a day” Daphne quickly reassured. The two spent the next few minutes going over the game plan, deciding what would need to be done. “Okay, I really feel confident about this” she said as she switched off her computer, belatedly remember what she had meant to look up. “By the way, do you know why Jesse won’t travel?” she just came out and asked. She didn’t want to seem nosy but she was curious why he was so adamant about the whole thing and wondered if it was common knowledge that she had never heard.
David seemed surprised by the question, leading Daphne to realize she probably was the only one that didn’t know the reason. “His first wife was a ground reporter for channel 12 news. She was covering a story in some other country and she was killed on assignment when something happened to the chopper she was.”
Daphne didn’t say anything at first. Of all the things she could have imagined, she never would have guessed this. “I see” she quietly replied. “Well thank you and I’ll see you tomorrow” she said, quickly hanging up. Taking the time to boot the computer back up, Daphne checked her files again before going to a familiar website where she always ordered flowers from and placed a quick order for a dozen yellow daisies to be delivered to the cemetery for Jesse’s wife.
As she waited for her confirmation, Max came out and easily talked her into leaving the computer work for later. Laughing, she didn’t bother to switch off the monitor as she let him drag her out of the room to join him and Zan in hers for a little movie fest.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm
A/N: Sorry for taking so long with this one!! Thanks again for the feedback though and for sticking around even though i've been a neglectful updater. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 19
“Why do we have to leave?” Zan complained as he packed Max’s overnight bag, stuffing his things in there too. “It’s not like we’ll get in the way. In fact we’ll stay up here the whole time” he tried to negotiate but Daphne stayed firm on here decision and told him for what felt like the tenth time, NO!! “Despot” he muttered causing her to smirk in response.
“You’ll be just fine at your parents’ house” Daphne stated, tossing a shirt towards him.
“Isn’t there anything I can do to convince you?” Zan asked in low voice that instantly had her on alert.
“Oh no you don’t, the girls will all be here in less than ten minutes” Daphne replied, backing up with her hands outstretched in front of her to ward him off. She watched as a smirk appeared on his face and she knew she was in trouble.
“Then I’ll work fast” Zan stated, walking forward until she was up against the door and he was pressed tightly in front of her. Not giving her a chance to respond, his mouth swooped down and took her lips in a searing kiss that Daphne felt down to her core. Returning it with equal fervor, she started pulling at his pants, trying to undo his button and fly while he continued his sensual assault on her mouth.
Once he was free, Daphne reached inside his boxers and began stroking his erection, swallowing up his moans of pleasure. Zan lowered his hands, trying to get her pants open, fumbling around when she started pumping him faster, using his pre-cum to coat his dick along the way.
Hastily, he pushed her pants and thong down to her ankles and lifted her up against him. Not wasting any time he brought his erection against her center and thrust up inside her silky wet depths. “Ah!” both moaned.
Daphne wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and held on as he lifted her up and down on his hard prick.
Zan’s hands cupped her ass, pulling her harder against him. “Zan…” she moaned as his cock grazed her clit pleasurably. She rode him with wild abandon and the sounds of their enjoyment echoed in the room, neither bothering to hold their pleasure in.
“Baby, you feel so good…” Zan murmured as he pulled her down one last time before both exploded, crying out each other’s name.
Holding her tightly, Zan didn’t release her at first as their heartbeats slowed to a calmer pace. “I love you” he whispered in her ear. “So much” he added with so much emotion.
Pushing herself back a fraction, Daphne met his gaze, seeing love swimming in the beautifully amber depths. “I love you too Zan” she replied and leaned in to place a soft kiss to his lips.
“Um… is everything alright in there?” they heard on the other side of the door followed by a chorus of giggles. “Great” Daphne groaned as Zan released her. “And I’m the one that’s gonna get interrogated tonight” she stated in mock annoyance that Zan could only grin at while she swiftly picked her pants back up. “I told you that be here soon.”
Zan knew she was just teasing him and quickly leaned down for another kiss that she didn’t bother trying to avoid. Their hands began wandering some more but before they could get lost in each other again, Daphne pushed him back, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “You keep your dick to yourself” she warned at the mischievous glint in his eye. “At least for now” she added with her own smirk.
She tossed a nearby t-shirt at him and moved to open he door when he caught her arm and swung her back towards him. Cupping her face in his hands, he sealed his lips to hers, caressing them with such passion that she nearly tore his clothes off again but all too soon, another knock sounded at he door followed by a young voice. “Daddy?”
Pulling away from each other, they straightened up their appearance before Daphne opened the door, revealing Max who wore a bright smile. “Ria said you were talking” he stated.
“Well that was… nice of her to do” Daphne replied and placed a playful smacking kiss on Max’s cheek. “Have fun with your daddy” she added before prancing out of the room with Zan shaking his head in amusement as he watched her leave.
~&~&~&~&~&
Hours later, a group of thirteen women sat around the living room in their pajamas with several bowls of junk food between them, laughing and telling stories about the men in their lives. More than half wore face cream, a few had curlers and some wore both. Daphne was sitting, letting Isabel experiment with different shades of eye shadow when Tess decided it would be really interesting to bring up Zan.
“So… there was a lot of noise coming from his room earlier, anything you wanna share with the class?” she teased, only slightly tipsy.
Daphne was mortified that Tess asked in front of Diane but one glance at the woman showed she was biting her lip, trying to hold in laugher while the others, Isabel especially, weren’t so successful. “Wait… I thought he was with what’s her face?” Lonnie asked. “The redhead with the attitude.”
“He was” Daphne acknowledged. “But that didn’t quite work out” she added simply, not wanting to get into what Eileen said and ruin the easy going mood of the party. “As for the rest, no comment” Daphne added with a pointed look at Tess and Maria who were still giggling uncontrollably.
“Okay, I have an idea” Serena stated. “Since this is an old fashioned slumber party, I say we play a little truth or dare” she suggested which the other girls instantly agreed to. “I’ll even start. Tess, truth or dare?”
“Hmm… I’d say truth” Tess replied.
“Okay, how old were you when you lost your virginity?”
“Seventeen” she proudly replied, playfully turning her nose up at the others who swatted her with pillows. “Okay… okay… stop” she said, raising her hands out defensively. “Daphne, truth or dare?”
Daphne had a bad feeling about the look in Tess’ eye and figured either way she was screwed but still opted for truth. “Tell us how you and Zan got together the first time” she requested which caused half the women in the room to ask what Tess meant by the first time.
“I was seventeen, he was twenty one and home for the summer” Daphne stated, unable to look Diane in the eye no matter what she already knew. “We bumped into each other a few times around town and one afternoon we hung out and we realized that we kind of liked each other so we… kept hanging out for the rest of the summer.”
“You mean you kept having sex for the rest of the summer” Maria corrected to which everyone cheered.
Daphne was so embarrassed which was saying something since it took a lot to effect her. Deciding it was time to even things up a bit, she started to get personal. “Maria, truth or dare?”
“I’ll do anything babe, dare” Maria replied.
“Okay, hold on a second” Daphne replied and got up to go search the kitchen for something. When she came back she was holding a banana in her hand. “Take this and show us how you give Michael a blow job” she dared.
Even Maria’s eyes widened at that one but raising her chin in defiance, she took the banana in her hand while the women began cheering her on, catcalling and clapping. With her own mischievous glint, she poked her tongue and began licking the length of the banana up and down before engulfing the whole thing in her mouth. With absolutely no shame, she began making pleasured noises and all the women began cheering louder. Finally she took a big bite out of the banana, indicating she was done, causing Isabel to start laughing so loud she actually snorted which caused all the other girls to start laughing again.
“Yes, I am the blow job queen” Maria stated, triumphantly lifting her arms in the air. “Okay, Isabel, truth or dare?”
“Um… truth, I guess” she said, apprehension lacing her voice at the thought of what they might get her to do.
“Okay” Maria said, rubbing her hands together conspiratorially. “Where is the strangest place you’ve ever had sex in?” she asked.
Isabel blushed three shades of red and quietly mumbled an answer. “What was that?” Serena asked.
“On a washer” she yelled out. Eyes widening, her hands flew up to her mouth in surprise that she’d actually yelled and again, the girls all started laughing. It seemed they couldn’t do or say anything without bursting into fits of giggles though the wine they were drinking probably also had something to do with it.
The next couple hours were spent with more embarrassing confessions and a whole lot more wine. Before long they were all passing out on couches and chairs while Daphne and Isabel who were the only ones that didn’t drink, went around taking care of everyone, passing out pillows and blankets as Daphne had done the night before.
“Thanks so much for this Daffy, I had an incredible time” Isabel stated afterwards. The two girls sat cross legged on Daphne’s bed, chatting and giggling like they had when they were teenagers.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow” Daphne replied. “I still remember when Alex first asked you out”
“Oh god” Isabel groaned. “Thinking back on that now, I don’t know how he ever went through with the date after I nearly hyperventilated” she remembered.
“Hi, welcome to the Crashdown, what can I get you?” Isabel asked without looking up from her little order pad.
“You’re Isabel, right” the voice asked. “Daphne’s friend?”
Meeting his gaze, Isabel blushed at the way he was looking at her before turning away, finding her best friend shooting her encouraging glances. “Yeah, I’m Isabel” she stammered.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Alex Whitman” he introduced, offering his hand. Isabel moved to take it and ended up knocking his glass of water over in the process.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry” she apologized and grabbed a bunch of napkins to dab at his clothes, accidentally brushing against his crotch. She pulled back like she had been stung and proceeded to bump into the waitress walking behind her, nearly knocking her down too.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it” Alex assured with a friendly grin. “No harm done” he added.
“I’m so sorry, I’ll go get you another drink” Isabel offered and started to walk away when Alex called out.
“Will you go out with me?”
“What?!” she asked, whirling around and slipping in the small puddle that had formed from the spilled water. Alex and one of the bus boys moved to catch her and she ended up falling right into Alex. “You wanna go out with me?” she asked in a breathless voice.
“Well you’re a bit clumsy but you’re also really cute” Alex replied, smiling when she blushed again.
“About how many different things have you spilled on him since the two of you started dating?” Daphne questioned good naturedly.
“Ha, ha Daffy Duck” Isabel retorted, childishly sticking her tongue out. She was completely unprepared when Daphne raised a pillow and swatted her across the face. “Oh it’s on now” she stated and grabbed another pillow.
Just like they used to, a full on pillow fight ensued which ended with both girls on the floor breathing heavily. “I’m gonna get married tomorrow” Isabel stated with an awe filled voice.
“I know you are babe” Daphne replied. “Come on, let’s get some sleep” she suggested and then they did one more thing from their teenage years, they climbed onto her enormous bed and fell asleep.
Chapter 19
“Why do we have to leave?” Zan complained as he packed Max’s overnight bag, stuffing his things in there too. “It’s not like we’ll get in the way. In fact we’ll stay up here the whole time” he tried to negotiate but Daphne stayed firm on here decision and told him for what felt like the tenth time, NO!! “Despot” he muttered causing her to smirk in response.
“You’ll be just fine at your parents’ house” Daphne stated, tossing a shirt towards him.
“Isn’t there anything I can do to convince you?” Zan asked in low voice that instantly had her on alert.
“Oh no you don’t, the girls will all be here in less than ten minutes” Daphne replied, backing up with her hands outstretched in front of her to ward him off. She watched as a smirk appeared on his face and she knew she was in trouble.
“Then I’ll work fast” Zan stated, walking forward until she was up against the door and he was pressed tightly in front of her. Not giving her a chance to respond, his mouth swooped down and took her lips in a searing kiss that Daphne felt down to her core. Returning it with equal fervor, she started pulling at his pants, trying to undo his button and fly while he continued his sensual assault on her mouth.
Once he was free, Daphne reached inside his boxers and began stroking his erection, swallowing up his moans of pleasure. Zan lowered his hands, trying to get her pants open, fumbling around when she started pumping him faster, using his pre-cum to coat his dick along the way.
Hastily, he pushed her pants and thong down to her ankles and lifted her up against him. Not wasting any time he brought his erection against her center and thrust up inside her silky wet depths. “Ah!” both moaned.
Daphne wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and held on as he lifted her up and down on his hard prick.
Zan’s hands cupped her ass, pulling her harder against him. “Zan…” she moaned as his cock grazed her clit pleasurably. She rode him with wild abandon and the sounds of their enjoyment echoed in the room, neither bothering to hold their pleasure in.
“Baby, you feel so good…” Zan murmured as he pulled her down one last time before both exploded, crying out each other’s name.
Holding her tightly, Zan didn’t release her at first as their heartbeats slowed to a calmer pace. “I love you” he whispered in her ear. “So much” he added with so much emotion.
Pushing herself back a fraction, Daphne met his gaze, seeing love swimming in the beautifully amber depths. “I love you too Zan” she replied and leaned in to place a soft kiss to his lips.
“Um… is everything alright in there?” they heard on the other side of the door followed by a chorus of giggles. “Great” Daphne groaned as Zan released her. “And I’m the one that’s gonna get interrogated tonight” she stated in mock annoyance that Zan could only grin at while she swiftly picked her pants back up. “I told you that be here soon.”
Zan knew she was just teasing him and quickly leaned down for another kiss that she didn’t bother trying to avoid. Their hands began wandering some more but before they could get lost in each other again, Daphne pushed him back, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “You keep your dick to yourself” she warned at the mischievous glint in his eye. “At least for now” she added with her own smirk.
She tossed a nearby t-shirt at him and moved to open he door when he caught her arm and swung her back towards him. Cupping her face in his hands, he sealed his lips to hers, caressing them with such passion that she nearly tore his clothes off again but all too soon, another knock sounded at he door followed by a young voice. “Daddy?”
Pulling away from each other, they straightened up their appearance before Daphne opened the door, revealing Max who wore a bright smile. “Ria said you were talking” he stated.
“Well that was… nice of her to do” Daphne replied and placed a playful smacking kiss on Max’s cheek. “Have fun with your daddy” she added before prancing out of the room with Zan shaking his head in amusement as he watched her leave.
~&~&~&~&~&
Hours later, a group of thirteen women sat around the living room in their pajamas with several bowls of junk food between them, laughing and telling stories about the men in their lives. More than half wore face cream, a few had curlers and some wore both. Daphne was sitting, letting Isabel experiment with different shades of eye shadow when Tess decided it would be really interesting to bring up Zan.
“So… there was a lot of noise coming from his room earlier, anything you wanna share with the class?” she teased, only slightly tipsy.
Daphne was mortified that Tess asked in front of Diane but one glance at the woman showed she was biting her lip, trying to hold in laugher while the others, Isabel especially, weren’t so successful. “Wait… I thought he was with what’s her face?” Lonnie asked. “The redhead with the attitude.”
“He was” Daphne acknowledged. “But that didn’t quite work out” she added simply, not wanting to get into what Eileen said and ruin the easy going mood of the party. “As for the rest, no comment” Daphne added with a pointed look at Tess and Maria who were still giggling uncontrollably.
“Okay, I have an idea” Serena stated. “Since this is an old fashioned slumber party, I say we play a little truth or dare” she suggested which the other girls instantly agreed to. “I’ll even start. Tess, truth or dare?”
“Hmm… I’d say truth” Tess replied.
“Okay, how old were you when you lost your virginity?”
“Seventeen” she proudly replied, playfully turning her nose up at the others who swatted her with pillows. “Okay… okay… stop” she said, raising her hands out defensively. “Daphne, truth or dare?”
Daphne had a bad feeling about the look in Tess’ eye and figured either way she was screwed but still opted for truth. “Tell us how you and Zan got together the first time” she requested which caused half the women in the room to ask what Tess meant by the first time.
“I was seventeen, he was twenty one and home for the summer” Daphne stated, unable to look Diane in the eye no matter what she already knew. “We bumped into each other a few times around town and one afternoon we hung out and we realized that we kind of liked each other so we… kept hanging out for the rest of the summer.”
“You mean you kept having sex for the rest of the summer” Maria corrected to which everyone cheered.
Daphne was so embarrassed which was saying something since it took a lot to effect her. Deciding it was time to even things up a bit, she started to get personal. “Maria, truth or dare?”
“I’ll do anything babe, dare” Maria replied.
“Okay, hold on a second” Daphne replied and got up to go search the kitchen for something. When she came back she was holding a banana in her hand. “Take this and show us how you give Michael a blow job” she dared.
Even Maria’s eyes widened at that one but raising her chin in defiance, she took the banana in her hand while the women began cheering her on, catcalling and clapping. With her own mischievous glint, she poked her tongue and began licking the length of the banana up and down before engulfing the whole thing in her mouth. With absolutely no shame, she began making pleasured noises and all the women began cheering louder. Finally she took a big bite out of the banana, indicating she was done, causing Isabel to start laughing so loud she actually snorted which caused all the other girls to start laughing again.
“Yes, I am the blow job queen” Maria stated, triumphantly lifting her arms in the air. “Okay, Isabel, truth or dare?”
“Um… truth, I guess” she said, apprehension lacing her voice at the thought of what they might get her to do.
“Okay” Maria said, rubbing her hands together conspiratorially. “Where is the strangest place you’ve ever had sex in?” she asked.
Isabel blushed three shades of red and quietly mumbled an answer. “What was that?” Serena asked.
“On a washer” she yelled out. Eyes widening, her hands flew up to her mouth in surprise that she’d actually yelled and again, the girls all started laughing. It seemed they couldn’t do or say anything without bursting into fits of giggles though the wine they were drinking probably also had something to do with it.
The next couple hours were spent with more embarrassing confessions and a whole lot more wine. Before long they were all passing out on couches and chairs while Daphne and Isabel who were the only ones that didn’t drink, went around taking care of everyone, passing out pillows and blankets as Daphne had done the night before.
“Thanks so much for this Daffy, I had an incredible time” Isabel stated afterwards. The two girls sat cross legged on Daphne’s bed, chatting and giggling like they had when they were teenagers.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow” Daphne replied. “I still remember when Alex first asked you out”
“Oh god” Isabel groaned. “Thinking back on that now, I don’t know how he ever went through with the date after I nearly hyperventilated” she remembered.
“Hi, welcome to the Crashdown, what can I get you?” Isabel asked without looking up from her little order pad.
“You’re Isabel, right” the voice asked. “Daphne’s friend?”
Meeting his gaze, Isabel blushed at the way he was looking at her before turning away, finding her best friend shooting her encouraging glances. “Yeah, I’m Isabel” she stammered.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Alex Whitman” he introduced, offering his hand. Isabel moved to take it and ended up knocking his glass of water over in the process.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry” she apologized and grabbed a bunch of napkins to dab at his clothes, accidentally brushing against his crotch. She pulled back like she had been stung and proceeded to bump into the waitress walking behind her, nearly knocking her down too.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it” Alex assured with a friendly grin. “No harm done” he added.
“I’m so sorry, I’ll go get you another drink” Isabel offered and started to walk away when Alex called out.
“Will you go out with me?”
“What?!” she asked, whirling around and slipping in the small puddle that had formed from the spilled water. Alex and one of the bus boys moved to catch her and she ended up falling right into Alex. “You wanna go out with me?” she asked in a breathless voice.
“Well you’re a bit clumsy but you’re also really cute” Alex replied, smiling when she blushed again.
“About how many different things have you spilled on him since the two of you started dating?” Daphne questioned good naturedly.
“Ha, ha Daffy Duck” Isabel retorted, childishly sticking her tongue out. She was completely unprepared when Daphne raised a pillow and swatted her across the face. “Oh it’s on now” she stated and grabbed another pillow.
Just like they used to, a full on pillow fight ensued which ended with both girls on the floor breathing heavily. “I’m gonna get married tomorrow” Isabel stated with an awe filled voice.
“I know you are babe” Daphne replied. “Come on, let’s get some sleep” she suggested and then they did one more thing from their teenage years, they climbed onto her enormous bed and fell asleep.
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To_Kiss_A_Frog
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm
A/N: Thanks to all!! This one’s a bit short but it’s a filler and the next part will be longer. Hope you enjoy anyway!
Chapter 20
~&~&~&~&~&~Wedding Day~&~&~&~&~&~
Isabel was nowhere around when Daphne woke up the next morning. Not bothering with a robe or anything, she went downstairs, still clad in her pajamas, finding that almost all the women were still asleep. Padding to the kitchen as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Daphne walked in on Diane and Isabel having a chat.
She didn’t want to intrude and quickly back peddled out before either saw her. “Come on ladies” she called out, walking around and nudging women passed out on her furniture. “We have a luncheon, come on” Daphne said into their ears with a pleased grin, upping the amount of chipper she used in her voice to annoy all those who were hung over and gave her a hard time about Zan the night before.
“Make it stop” Maria muttered, attempting to toss a pillow at Daphne, failing miserably.
Daphne laughed but took pity on them and trekked back upstairs, much more awake now. Entering her room, she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. Standing around in her underwear, pursuing her closet, was how Zan found her when he walked in. “Great, you’re ready for me” he commented, causing her to whirl around in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, walking forward to place a quick kiss on his lips.
The moment she was in his arms, Zan held her to him, not ready to let go. “I snuck in” he grinned. “I figured that since you were leaving later tonight, I should take advantage of what time I have.”
“Hmm… I would love for you to take advantage of me but I have the luncheon to go to” Daphne replied.
“You still have another hour and a half” Zan corrected. “Besides, most of the women are still asleep downstairs.”
“Okay” Daphne easily agreed and lowered her hands to grab the hem of Zan’s shirt. In one quick move she pushed up over his head and took his mouth in a hungry kiss. Zan groaned low in his throat when he felt her bare skin touch his chest but he wanted no barriers. With nimble fingers he unclasped her bra and tossed it aside then hooked his fingers and her panties and pushed them down to the floor.
Completely naked in his embrace, Daphne rubbed herself against him, creating delicious friction and making her wet with want.
Zan reached behind him and locked the door before lifting Daphne up in his arms to carry her to the bed.
She quickly rolled over, hovering above him while she worked on freeing him from his pants. Hastily, the two pushed and pulled until he was completely naked in front of her.
Their mouths fused again, kissing so forcefully that before long, neither could hold back. “Would you get on all fours for me?” he whispered in her ear, nipping at her neck as he did. Daphne shivered in response but with one last kiss, she turned around and held herself up on hands and knees.
Zan caressed her ass with one hand and teased her clit with the other. Daphne moaned in frustration as he teasingly dipped his fingers in and out of her wet core. With the tip of his erection, he teased her a little more before finally plunging deep into her silken depths. Both sighed in satisfaction when he slowly began to move, giving her a chance to get used to the position.
“I feel so full” Daphne moaned. He reached around her body to play with her nipples, gently tugging and rolling them between his fingers as he continued to thrust deep inside her.
“So wet baby” Zan replied, upping the pace.
Daphne started pushing back against him, “More” she whimpered, needing him harder and faster. Zan trailed his hands back to her hips and guided her movements back and forth against his thick cock while he pushed in and out of her at a rapid pace.
“Zan!” she called out when it became too much for her and she came around him. He continued to pound into her, so close to his end and with one final thrust, he came, shooting his wad deep inside her.
The two collapsed on the bed, breathing deeply. “Hmm… I’m gonna miss you while you’re away” Zan murmured. He held her close, lightly stroking her hair. Daphne wished she didn’t have to leave him but she really had no choice, it was her company and her responsibility to check on her employees and the guests.
Rather than apologize for what she couldn’t help, Daphne remained quiet and reveled in the amazing feeling of having Zan back in her life again. There were still a few hurdles in the road but now, she had no doubt they would get through them.
~&~&~&~&~&
Zan snuck back out a half hour later and Daphne went downstairs to make some quick calls. She needed to check in at Atlanta and then call in to confirm her flight patter with the pilot of the company jet. After being assured that she was all set, she straightened her skirt and closed the office door behind her.
For the late luncheon, Daphne had the cater prepare a delicious meal that would be served in her formal dining room.
Everyone wanted to take Isabel out but she insisted that the wedding was the big event and for lunch, she just wanted an intimate gathering with her friends. No one could say no to the bride and arranged the get together she requested.
The women dressed up to eat and laugh until the time came for the bride and bridesmaids to get their hair done. Because of her crown like veil, Isabel was having her hair completely curled and then twisted up to show off the neatly coiled blonde locks. Tess, Maria, Serena and Daphne would all wear straightened hair, parted on the side, with big curls at the ends.
Daphne had her cell attached to her ear for half the time, making sure the flowers were delivered, the cake was ready, the groomsmen weren’t dawdling and the band was setting up.
Positive that everything was going as planned, the women then took the limo to the church where they would put on their dresses and do hair and make up touch ups. Diane was waiting in the large dressing room when they arrived, along with Mrs. Whitman and the girls had a glass of champagne as they talked and leisurely got ready.
“Are you ready sweetheart?” Diane asked when the time came for Isabel to slip into her princess style dress.
Holding back tears, Isabel nodded and stood still while her mother and future mother in law helped her into it. She truly did look like a princess in the pure white dress and her blonde hair gave her an ethereal angelic look. “Okay” Maria said, stepping forward. “Here is your something blue.”
Isabel accepted the blue garter while Tess took her turn. “Here is your something borrowed” she said, handing her a set of pearl earrings. “They were a gift from my mom on my wedding day.”
“My turn” Serena excitedly said, stepping forward. “Here is your something new” she stated, giving Isabel a small box. They all watched as she lifted the lid and pulled out a beautiful silver anklet. “We all chipped in” she added, smiling at the other girls.
They both had tears in their eyes when Daphne stepped forward, carrying a thing velvet box. “Now just remember, you have to keep everything we give you otherwise it’s bad luck” she warned. “Here is your something old” she stated. Isabel opened the blue velvet lid, revealing a string of pearls that matched the earrings. “It belonged to my mom” Daphne explained. “And I really want you to have it.”
Isabel nodded and the two girls tightly embraced. Wanting to join the party, Maria, Tess and Serena all wrapped their arms around both girls while Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Whitman stood back, laughing at the group of girls.
“Alright girls, let’s not ruin our makeup” Tess called out.
The group finished getting ready and when the knock came on the door from Philip, Diane kissed Isabel’s cheek and lowered the veil over her face. “I love you sweetheart”
“I love you too mom” Isabel replied.
Diane opened the door and found Michael beside Philip, ready to lead her seat. “Love you” she murmured to her husband, also kissing his cheek before taking Michael’s arm.
“You all look beautiful” he smiled. “Especially you” he added to Isabel. “You ready to become a Whitman?” he asked.
“Absolutely”
“Here.” Maria went around handing out the bouquets, and when they were all set, one by one they filed out.
With Isabel lined up in back, the doors opened and the sounds of music filled the church.
Chapter 20
~&~&~&~&~&~Wedding Day~&~&~&~&~&~
Isabel was nowhere around when Daphne woke up the next morning. Not bothering with a robe or anything, she went downstairs, still clad in her pajamas, finding that almost all the women were still asleep. Padding to the kitchen as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Daphne walked in on Diane and Isabel having a chat.
She didn’t want to intrude and quickly back peddled out before either saw her. “Come on ladies” she called out, walking around and nudging women passed out on her furniture. “We have a luncheon, come on” Daphne said into their ears with a pleased grin, upping the amount of chipper she used in her voice to annoy all those who were hung over and gave her a hard time about Zan the night before.
“Make it stop” Maria muttered, attempting to toss a pillow at Daphne, failing miserably.
Daphne laughed but took pity on them and trekked back upstairs, much more awake now. Entering her room, she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. Standing around in her underwear, pursuing her closet, was how Zan found her when he walked in. “Great, you’re ready for me” he commented, causing her to whirl around in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, walking forward to place a quick kiss on his lips.
The moment she was in his arms, Zan held her to him, not ready to let go. “I snuck in” he grinned. “I figured that since you were leaving later tonight, I should take advantage of what time I have.”
“Hmm… I would love for you to take advantage of me but I have the luncheon to go to” Daphne replied.
“You still have another hour and a half” Zan corrected. “Besides, most of the women are still asleep downstairs.”
“Okay” Daphne easily agreed and lowered her hands to grab the hem of Zan’s shirt. In one quick move she pushed up over his head and took his mouth in a hungry kiss. Zan groaned low in his throat when he felt her bare skin touch his chest but he wanted no barriers. With nimble fingers he unclasped her bra and tossed it aside then hooked his fingers and her panties and pushed them down to the floor.
Completely naked in his embrace, Daphne rubbed herself against him, creating delicious friction and making her wet with want.
Zan reached behind him and locked the door before lifting Daphne up in his arms to carry her to the bed.
She quickly rolled over, hovering above him while she worked on freeing him from his pants. Hastily, the two pushed and pulled until he was completely naked in front of her.
Their mouths fused again, kissing so forcefully that before long, neither could hold back. “Would you get on all fours for me?” he whispered in her ear, nipping at her neck as he did. Daphne shivered in response but with one last kiss, she turned around and held herself up on hands and knees.
Zan caressed her ass with one hand and teased her clit with the other. Daphne moaned in frustration as he teasingly dipped his fingers in and out of her wet core. With the tip of his erection, he teased her a little more before finally plunging deep into her silken depths. Both sighed in satisfaction when he slowly began to move, giving her a chance to get used to the position.
“I feel so full” Daphne moaned. He reached around her body to play with her nipples, gently tugging and rolling them between his fingers as he continued to thrust deep inside her.
“So wet baby” Zan replied, upping the pace.
Daphne started pushing back against him, “More” she whimpered, needing him harder and faster. Zan trailed his hands back to her hips and guided her movements back and forth against his thick cock while he pushed in and out of her at a rapid pace.
“Zan!” she called out when it became too much for her and she came around him. He continued to pound into her, so close to his end and with one final thrust, he came, shooting his wad deep inside her.
The two collapsed on the bed, breathing deeply. “Hmm… I’m gonna miss you while you’re away” Zan murmured. He held her close, lightly stroking her hair. Daphne wished she didn’t have to leave him but she really had no choice, it was her company and her responsibility to check on her employees and the guests.
Rather than apologize for what she couldn’t help, Daphne remained quiet and reveled in the amazing feeling of having Zan back in her life again. There were still a few hurdles in the road but now, she had no doubt they would get through them.
~&~&~&~&~&
Zan snuck back out a half hour later and Daphne went downstairs to make some quick calls. She needed to check in at Atlanta and then call in to confirm her flight patter with the pilot of the company jet. After being assured that she was all set, she straightened her skirt and closed the office door behind her.
For the late luncheon, Daphne had the cater prepare a delicious meal that would be served in her formal dining room.
Everyone wanted to take Isabel out but she insisted that the wedding was the big event and for lunch, she just wanted an intimate gathering with her friends. No one could say no to the bride and arranged the get together she requested.
The women dressed up to eat and laugh until the time came for the bride and bridesmaids to get their hair done. Because of her crown like veil, Isabel was having her hair completely curled and then twisted up to show off the neatly coiled blonde locks. Tess, Maria, Serena and Daphne would all wear straightened hair, parted on the side, with big curls at the ends.
Daphne had her cell attached to her ear for half the time, making sure the flowers were delivered, the cake was ready, the groomsmen weren’t dawdling and the band was setting up.
Positive that everything was going as planned, the women then took the limo to the church where they would put on their dresses and do hair and make up touch ups. Diane was waiting in the large dressing room when they arrived, along with Mrs. Whitman and the girls had a glass of champagne as they talked and leisurely got ready.
“Are you ready sweetheart?” Diane asked when the time came for Isabel to slip into her princess style dress.
Holding back tears, Isabel nodded and stood still while her mother and future mother in law helped her into it. She truly did look like a princess in the pure white dress and her blonde hair gave her an ethereal angelic look. “Okay” Maria said, stepping forward. “Here is your something blue.”
Isabel accepted the blue garter while Tess took her turn. “Here is your something borrowed” she said, handing her a set of pearl earrings. “They were a gift from my mom on my wedding day.”
“My turn” Serena excitedly said, stepping forward. “Here is your something new” she stated, giving Isabel a small box. They all watched as she lifted the lid and pulled out a beautiful silver anklet. “We all chipped in” she added, smiling at the other girls.
They both had tears in their eyes when Daphne stepped forward, carrying a thing velvet box. “Now just remember, you have to keep everything we give you otherwise it’s bad luck” she warned. “Here is your something old” she stated. Isabel opened the blue velvet lid, revealing a string of pearls that matched the earrings. “It belonged to my mom” Daphne explained. “And I really want you to have it.”
Isabel nodded and the two girls tightly embraced. Wanting to join the party, Maria, Tess and Serena all wrapped their arms around both girls while Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Whitman stood back, laughing at the group of girls.
“Alright girls, let’s not ruin our makeup” Tess called out.
The group finished getting ready and when the knock came on the door from Philip, Diane kissed Isabel’s cheek and lowered the veil over her face. “I love you sweetheart”
“I love you too mom” Isabel replied.
Diane opened the door and found Michael beside Philip, ready to lead her seat. “Love you” she murmured to her husband, also kissing his cheek before taking Michael’s arm.
“You all look beautiful” he smiled. “Especially you” he added to Isabel. “You ready to become a Whitman?” he asked.
“Absolutely”
“Here.” Maria went around handing out the bouquets, and when they were all set, one by one they filed out.
With Isabel lined up in back, the doors opened and the sounds of music filled the church.
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