Amber and Sean had arrieved at the lair. They sat down by the bar to order a drink when Emma and C.J. also arrived. Amber looked over att them. She didnīt like seing C.J. with another since she was in love with him. C.J. spotted Sean and Amber and took Emma over there. They also sat down by the bar counter.
C.J: We saw you go in. You didnīt hear me calling?
Sean: I thought someone did. So you came here.
C.J: Told you we were.
Amber: Hi. Iīm Amber Moore, she greeted Emma.
Emma: Iīm Emma. Emma Cade. The two women looked at each other. Amber didnīt see what was so special about her. And yet both C.J. and Sean liked her so much. She looked at Emmaīs clothes. A tight black low cut in the back dress. She sighed. Thatīs was why..., she thought. Amber got the impression of Emma being some slut who used guys to get what she wanted from them by acting on her looks. Little did Amber know that most of Emmaīs clothes was back in Atlanta and she hadnīt too much to choose from. Emma felt a little uncomfortabe in her dress. She felt like it was too much. But she couldnīt wear the same outfit she wore last night and was stuck with the black dress. Emma on the other hand saw Amberīs faceexpression of her first impression. She felt like Amber was a selfish little girl who got what she wanted. And if she didnīt, she schemed to get it. She felt totally ignored by Amber. And Amber looked for faults in Emma, like someone jealous tends to do when she sees the man she loves with another. Emma and Amber hardly looked at each other or talked to each other all night. The guys in the middle talked and they talked to them. The four of them moved to a table. Emma and Amber looked at each other as they sat down by the table across each other. They had both decided not to like each other. After a few minutes, the owner came in to the club. Amber saw him. It was Deacon Sharpe... The man who had used her cousin Becky, slept with her and taken the highway when she got pregnant. He knew that Becky was pregnant when he left Furnace Creek. He just didnīt care. He didnīt want anything to do with it. He had gone to Los Angeles. He had bought the lair. Amber knew all about him from her cousin. He was a slimball, according to both Amber and Becky. He had just left Becky pregnant, alone and poor. Amber wasnīt sure if Deacon knew who she was. Becky had told Deacon about her. Amber had left Furnace Creek before Becky hooked up with Deacon. She had no idea that Deacon had seen a photo of her at Beckyīs. Deacon saw Amber. The look he gave her made Amber sure that he knew exactly who she was. She excused herself and went over to Deacon.
Amber: Deacon Sharpe, right?
Deacon: Miss Moore. Allie was it?
Amber: No. Itīs Amber.
Deacon: What are you doing here?
Amber: Iīm here with some friends. I had no idea that you were going to be here. Or do you work here?
Deacon: Iīm the owner.
Amber: The owner. You could by this place and still you left Becky broke and pregnant...
Deacon: I told her I didnīt want anything to do with that basterd child.
Amber: Itīs YOUR bastard child!
Deacon: That hasnīt been proven.
Amber: Youīre even worst than I pictured myself.
Deacon: Thanks for the compliment.
Amber: Go to hell.
Deacon: I probably will some day.
Amber: I guess you donīt want to know what happened to that little boy?
Deacon: Itīs a boy..., he seemed to open up to her but when he saw her surprised look after his comment he went back to his not caring ways. I mean, no. I donīt care. But Iīm sure youīre gonna tell me anyway. So spill it.
Amber: He is living with me now. Becky died a few months ago.
Deacon: Becky died?, he asked surprised. Then again he went back to his attitude. Of what? AIDS?
Amber: No!, she died of cancer.
Deacon: Iīm sorry for you. But now I have to go out.
Amber: You donīt even care... You are such a pig. I think you acctually did her a favor by leaving.
Deacon: Ahh see... Iīm a good guy.
Amber: You donīt have a good bone in your body. Iīm leaving. She started walking away from him.
Deacon: Just hurt me. Break my hart and leave..., he said to her back and lauged. Amber saw red. She picked up a glass of beer which stood on the barcounter and through it at him. Deacon looked amused by her lack of selfcontrol. Amber stormed out of there without paying for herself. Emma, C.J. and Sean looked chocked. Emma didnīt exactly get a good impression of Amber. C.J. felt as though he had to check on her. He told Sean to pay for him and take Emma home, and left to get to Amber.
C.J. stopped Amber at the street. She looked pissed off.
C.J: What is it? What was all that about?
Amber: That was Deacon Sharpe.
C.J: Deacon Sharpe? The guy who left Becky?
Amber: Yes. Rickyīs biological father.
C.J: Oy... And I take it that things didnīt go very well.
Amber: Not very...
C.J: Iīll take you home and you can tell me on the way.
Amber: What about your date?
C.J: Sean will take her home. They almost live together so itīs no problem. I was surprised that you were Seanīs date. Iīm sorry. I didnīt know.
Amber: Itīs OK. Just take me home.
Amber and C.J. went to his car. Sean and C.J. didnīt plan to get drunk that night so they had gone by car. Amber told C.J. all about Deacon and their little run in as C.J. took her home.
Eric arrived home after being by the hospital. He found Kristen in the livingroom.
Eric: Good, Kristen... I need to talk to you.
Kristen: How is mother?
Eric: No change since you were there today.
Kristen: Whatīs wrong with her?
Eric: To tell you the truth, I donīt know. She had a discussion with a psychiatrist today after you left. I donīt know what they talked about. Stephanie was very silent about it.
Kristen: Like she is with everything...
Eric: Like you. You donīt exactly talk about it eighter.
Kristen: I wasnīt captured as long as mother.
Eric: But you were there. Please, tell me. How was it?
Kristen: Dad, I donīt want to talk about it. Iīm trying to put it behind me.
Eric: Sometimes it helps to talk about it.
Kristen: I donīt know about that.
Eric: Try. What is it youīre afraid about?
Kristen: My mental health... No. I donīt know. Fine. Iīll talk about it.
Eric: Good. He sat down next to his daughter on the sofa and took her hand to show comfort.
Kristen: It was a living hell. Iīm just thanking God that I wasnīt alone. The room we were in was so dark. We couldnīt even see each other. And it was very cold. Like a cellar. There were no furniture. We sat on the hard and cold floor. I think there were some cockroaches there. Something like that anyway. And one or two rats. The room wasnīt very big. But it felt like it was. We were starving. Mike came with some left overs of their dinner once a day. It wasnīt much. And there was a bucket of water in there so we could drink. But we stopped when one of the cockroches climbed in it. Mum almost drank it up. And we had a bucket there so we could pee and... you know. And Sheila came there sometimes. She was so mean. She yelled at mother all the time. She said that everything was her fault. She blamed her for everything. All the time. Mum tried not to bother about it to spite Sheila. But I know she bothered. Anyone would have. Kristen shivered by the thought of the days in the room. Mum was tied in chains so she couldnīt escape, but I was tied with ropes. Mum tried to untie me and she did it. I tried to escape but Mike stopped me and dragged me to another room and I was tied there. I never heard from mother again. The room I was in later had a window. And it was heated. And there were no rats or cockroaches there. I wasnīt in there for very long. I only remembering that I lost sonscious and when I woke up, it was outside. The house was burning and I realized that Felicia and Casey had saved me. Kristen started to cry, hysterically, at the feeling she had then. The loss of her mother who she had really bonded with. Eric hugged her. They were both crying.
Eric: Iīm so sorry that you had to go through that.
Kristen: I never want to talk about it again!
Eric: You donīt have to. Iīm glad you told me.
Sheila, Mike and Martin had checked in once again to hide from the police. Using fake names and disguises, of course.
Martin: Why couldnīt we stay at my place?
Sheila: Are you serious? The police will be there soon, if they havenīt been there all ready.
Martin: They canīt find anything on us, can they?
Sheila: No. We took care of all possible evidence. They wonīt find anything.
Mike: Trust us. Weīll take care of everything.
Martin: Ok, just make sure I donīt go to prison.
Sheila: No, cause that would be hell for you. No booze.., she said quietly to herself.
Mike: Did you take care of what you should?
Sheila: You mean, did I fool Stephanie and that nurse that I was the psychiatrist? I sure did.
Mike: You are brilliant.
Sheila: I know, she said proud of herself.
A.J. had been out for a while. He had fixed so Oliviaīs car would be taken care of. He had taken Trey with him. Olivia was asleep when he left and Trey had woken up. A.J. had left Olivia a note so she wouldnīt worry where Trey was if she woke up before A.J. got back. And she had. She had read the note. But still worried for Trey. She didnīt quite trust A.J. yet. Then she had thought about seeing Elaine with Gregory. She had cried and felt all alone. She had seen the bottle of vodka in the minibar in the kitchen part. She tried to resist but couldnīt in the end. She had taken bottle after bottle of minivodkas. And she had gotten drunk. A.J. found her surrounded with the bottles on the sofa. Trey watched his mother crawl down from the sofa, loosing her balanse. He started crying. A.J. carried him into the bedroom and told him that he would take care of it. He returned to the drunk Olivia.
Olivia: You shouldnīt take Trey again. He is my son, she said clining to him to be able to stand up without her head spinning too fast.
A.J: Why did you get drunk, Olivia?
Olivia: Iīm not drunk. I just tasted the vodka. She denyed it, but it was painfully obvious that she was drunk.
A.J: Ok, if you say so. Do you want to lay down?
Olivia: No. Iīm not tired.
A.J: Then what?
Olivia: I donīt feel like doing anything. She made her way back to the sofa and fell down on it. A.J. sighed. This wasnīt what he planned. She always drank when she was sad over Gregory not caring for her, or being cruel to her. And as far as she knew, he had done it to her again. A.J. felt a little ashamed. But the thought of Olivia being his for the rest of their lives got him to think about the fact that he had her. Now he had to get her to forget Gregory.
Grace wanted to talk about what Nathan had told her with Ava. That she had an affair with B.B. Grace still couldnīt believe it. And if that was indeed the case, why did Ava play the innocent victim? The divorce would have been all her fault. Ava opened the door. She was alone. Clarke had wanted to come over but Ava hadnīt thought it would be such a good idea. Grace walked inside the house. She had always loved that house. The livingroom was huge. It was pained in white but had some pink in it. The sofa stood by the window which showed a view of the San Fernando Valley. Almost everything in the livingroom went in different tones of white, pink, blue and some purple.
Ava: What was it that you wanted to talk about?
Grace: I recently talked to Nathan and he told me something very intresting.
Ava: What?
Grace: He told me about your affair with B.B. Bennett.
Ava: My what? I never had an affair with him! Where did he get that from?
Grace: Ava, he saw picture evidence.
Ava: Heīs lying! I never - ever - slept with B.B.! Ava was chocked. Was Nathan really making this up, and why? Was he trying to blame the divorce on her? Or did he really think that she slept with his father?
Grace: He told me about walking in on the two of you kissing. And later saw pictures of you in bed with B.B.
Ava: Oh no!
Grace: So itīs true...
Ava: No! I told you. I never slept with B.B. I kissed him. That was what Nathan saw! Thatīs why he slept with Anna! He thought I was having an affair!
Grace: Slow down. Let me get this straight. You kissed B.B.
Ava: No, well, he kissed me. And I didnīt pull away. Not at first. But I did pull away.
Grace: And Nathan saw you kissing.
Ava: He must have. I remember hearing something. B.B. told me it was nothing. Damn it! He must have known that Nathan was watching...
Grace: And then Nathan slept with Anna?
Ava: I walked in on them in bed, our bed!
Grace: This is starting to look like an episode of General hospital.
Ava: Tell me about it! Damn it! This is all B.B.īs fault!
It was beginning to get late. A.J. had put Trey to sleep in his bedroom. Olivia was still very drunk. She went over to A.J. and started touching him. She ran her fingers through his hair.
A.J: What are you doing?
Olivia: Make love to me, she answered and stumbled into his arms.
A.J: Are you sure?
Olivia: I need you. She kissed him.
A.J. didnīt waste any time. She wanted him. Even thought he was vounerable and drunk. He kissed her back. He started to undress her. She was still wearing the hotelrobe after her shower hours earlier. She unbuttoned his shirt and they got down on the floor. Olivia wasnīt clear in her head. She wanted to get even with Gregory. If he could cheat on her with her best friend, she could do the same with his enemy. But sometimes she saw Gregoryīs face instead on A.J.īs. She pretended that he was Gregory. That the whole episode with Elaine was just a bad dream. She said Gregoryīs name out loud a few times. A.J. hesitated a while but decided not to stop. He would make Olivia call out his name, he thought. Olivia and A.J. had sex.
next chapter --->
<--- Prev chapter
home