Episode 24

*Theme Music*

“Mom… Mom, wake up…”
“Mmmm…”
“You work too hard…”
“mmm hmm…”
“Go to bed, Mom…”

“You were hogging the bed, V…”
“Ya, well I’m not anymore… besides isn’t past time for me to have my own room? I mean seriously, Mom… you keep promising me…”
“Oh ya, bought a house yesterday…” *yawn*
“Right… sure… go to bed…”

“I get my own room and everything? Its huge!”
“I made a promise to you, V… sorry it took so long to make good on that promise…”
“Can I have a car?”
“Yes, you can have your own car…”
“Sweet…”

~*~*~

“Okay so this is the house, the first bedroom upstairs is yours, all of your clothes are up there, make sure to put them away before they wrinkle.”
“Thank you Daddy, um…”
“What is it, Kitten?”
“Did she like, um, did she send my bed and stuff?”

*laughing* “Your princess bed? Yes… but I had them take it to Goodwill… you have furniture in your room, Kitten. It’s been waiting for you since I moved in here and remember… the old rules still apply… got it?”
“Yes, Daddy… do my homework, keep my grades up or all my privileges are taken away.”
“Neil will be by after awhile, he’s helping me paint the bathroom upstairs. I have some work to do at the studio and will be back around 6:30.”
“I love you Daddy.”
“I love you too, Kitten, welcome home.”

“I’m glad you stopped by, Daddy is letting me live with him… and he isn’t home until later…”
“Gosh Tori, you’re so pretty, why are you dating me instead of the other more popular boys?”
“Because you’re my boyfriend, Jihoon… you’re the sweetest boy at the school.”
“Tori…”
“Ya?”
“I’m… I’m graduating early to go to college…”

“I’m going to miss you, Jihoon… I hear Daddy’s car…”
“I better go… I’m going to miss you, Tori.”

~*~*~

“Hey David… um, what’s wrong?”
“Mmmm, nothing…”
“Come on David, something is wrong…”

“What are you talking about? Why is something wrong?”
“Every time something is bothering you, you spend the whole day in your pajamas and play this pinball game and mutter stuff to yourself.”
“I do not… you’re totally making that up.”

“Hey David, so what’s wrong?”
“Toldja so…”
“That is not funny…”
“What did I say?”

~*~*~

*sigh* More interruptions… “Be with you in a second…”
“Take your time, we’ll wait.”
*Jeffery closes his eyes and takes a deep breath*

“Davis, what a nice surprise.”
“I find it hard to believe you find my visit either nice, or a surprise.”
“Hmmm, I was merely being polite… you are right… your visit is neither.”

“I’m here about Tori.”
“Naturally… I don’t see how my daughter is any of your business… I don’t see how anything in my life is any of your business… but you do… and you seem to find a way to intrude in to my life a lot lately… why is that, hmmm?”

*Theme music*

*Commercial break*

Episode 23-A

*Theme Music*

“Be with you in a sec, Neil.”
“Daddy, it’s me.”
“Tori, I’m glad you finally got here. I was beginning to worry.”

“How did you know I was coming…”
“Your mother called.”

“I’m not going back there.”
“Who asked you to?”
“You’re not going to make me go back?”
“Of course not, you’re coming to live with me.”

~*~*~

“What are you doing in my house?”
“I work here.”

“Not anymore you don’t, you home-wrecker! You’re fired!”

Gods that felt good…

~*~*~

“When your stuff showed up this morning, I thought you’d be showing up, too. Where have you been?”
“You’re going to get mad…”
“Just tell me.”
“With my boyfriend at his house… his mom made him sleep on the couch and I got to sleep in his bed… and Daddy it was so funny, his dad slept in the living room to make sure he didn’t sneak in to his room.” *giggle*
“Remind me to thank the man.”

“So who is this Neil you were expecting?”
“He’s Celeste Talbert’s nephew, great kid I think he goes to your school, a year older than you and don’t start getting any ideas, Tori…”
“Oh Daddy… is he cute?”
“Is who cute?”

“Great…” *sigh*
“Hi, I’m Neil Talbert… you’re that Tori girl… right?”
“Tori Craven… I’ve seen you around school. Aren’t you a senior?”
“Junior actually, and you?”
“Freshman…”
“I am not ready to have a teenage daughter.”
“Very funny, Daddy.”

~*~*~

“Kacper? Oh my Gods! It’s you!”
“Heh, Hi Virginia.”
“I like the new look, very handsome.”
“Meh, its a look.”

“Oh stop being so modest, you look fabulous.”
“Thanks, um.. have you talked with him lately?”
“Yes, he called yesterday… you should call him.”
“Hell, he can call me too.”

“What is it with guys? Listen, do you think its easy for me to play the middle man between you two?”
“Um, I-”
“Oh stop, you know I had the biggest crush on you our freshman year, so just give me a break and talk to the guy.”
“Sorry Virginia, I forgot…”
“Well I haven’t…”

Previously

Theme Music

End Episode

Episode 23

*Theme Music*

Gods look at her… no, don’t look at her idiot, go back in the house… *sigh*
“David…”
Crap…

“What is it Elena?”
“Do you think you should walk around dressed like that with such impressionable teens in the house?”
*raising eyebrow* “And what you are wearing is acceptable… how exactly?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a female, David.”

“You point being?”
“Our three charges lean towards the male persuasion…”
“Wrong as usual, Elena.”
“No, I’m not… Kacper is openly gay.”
“Yes he is… ”
“So how am I wrong?”

“Nancy is not so open about her sexuality… she is working on it along with her self-esteem.”
“Nancy is…”
“Yes, you heard me, if you took the time to speak with the kids instead of passing judgment on me, you may get to know them… I tire of these games Elena…”

~*~*~

“So I jeopardized the mission…”
“In a manner of speaking, yes…”
“I just thought… because you are so…”

“I am so… what, Jonathan…”
“You two have history, Davis…”
“I’m well aware of that, Jonathan. I was there…”

“There has to be something I can do to fix this…”
“No… no there is nothing you can do but stay away from her.”
“Is that you making this decision or your libido?”

~*~*~

“Stop judging me! You act like you’re so perfect, like you don’t make mistakes. Well you make plenty, Mother and I’m sick of you… Ugh, I hate you!”

*crying*
“Mommy?”
“Shut up, twerp. I’m going to live with Daddy… don’t you dare try and stop me!”

“Jeffery? What no nothing is wrong… ya okay so something is wrong… it’s your daughter… she ran away from home… well I am guessing to you… because that is what she said…”

~*~*~

“That is it Jonathan, I’ve put up with your self-righteous attitude long enough, you think you have all the answers when you aren’t even asking the right questions.”
“I think I struck a nerve…”
“Oh you struck something alright, and when word gets around to the others what you’ve done… heavens help you, because I will not…”

“I’m not worried, Davis… what could they do? I’m a high profile military man… I’m the General in the Veronaville Guard… what can they possibly do to me? No, I have a family now… I’m too high profile, they wont dare touch me.”

“Tsk tsk Jonathan… they don’t have to ‘touch’ you… they just have to hand you to her.”

*Theme music*

*Commercial break*

Episode 22-A

*Theme Music*

“You’re right, I’m sorry… a toast then… to you, to your daughter, to your new home and to me giving you space to think outside of me.”

“Oh Jeffery… to life, to happiness, to our children.”

“To old friends, to new friends, to family… to love… whatever the hell that is.”
“… yes …”

“I’m always here for you Rose…”
“Thanks Jeffery, I know… but right now is not the time… trust me, you will know when the time has come.”

~*~*~

“Go play, Pumpkin… say your piece, Davis… what do you want?”
“Surely you must know since you’ve been avoiding me for months…”

“Nothing was being done, Davis. She needs to be stopped. Those children are important, they are so vulnerable and-”
“And nothing… Jonathan, you are not a one man team. We work together, we have been monitoring what she is looking in to, and you grew impatient tipping our hand to her.”

“I don’t understand.”
“She didn’t know we were on to her Jonathan, she was easily side stepped every time she thought she was getting close…”
“Wait, no… she had gotten too far in… she was pry-”
“She was prying in to David’s personal life… nothing more.”

~*~*~

“Frank…”
“Jeffery… long time, I’m surprised it took you this long to come for a visit.”
“Life, my man… life… it gets in the way of things you want to do by forcing you to do things you must.”

“You’re not having any cake?”
“Oh Gods no, couldn’t eat another bite; Rose made her fabulous spaghetti tonight. Have you eaten? I’m sure we can warm some for you, you know how she always makes too much.”
“You know, small talk with you about Rose is probably the last thing I want to discuss.”

“I suppose, hadn’t thought about that too much. How is life going with you two?”
“As well as can be expected, she won’t let me in and I won’t let her go.”

“May I be excused?”
“Sure Princess…”
“Uncle Jeffy?”
“Yes, Jasmine?”
“Thank you for my swing…”
“You’re quite welcome.”

“Jeffery, something is wrong… she’s closed me out even more than before…”
“Me too, Frank… me too…”
“Should I call Davis?”
*sigh* “I haven’t given up on my sister yet, Frank.”

Previously

Theme Music

End Episode