dari davison (cheergirl) wrote in themouserace,
@ 2012-03-09 15:04:00

Entry tags:

♣ character: bryant sawyer, ♣ character: dari davison, ♣ character: jeremy pitt, ♥ player: crystal, ♥ player: lena

epic log of epicness
Who: Dari Davison, Jeremy Pitt, Bryant Sawyer and a buuuunch of NPCs
What: Jeremy finally meets his birth mom
Where: The Royal Hawaiian Resort; Waikiki, Hawaii
When: Friday August 9th; starting around 2pm
Rating: R for language and allusions to sexytimes
Status: Complete Log. Really fucking long.

Mmmm, vacation. Dari was having an amazing time. As nice as their lake in Chicago was, there was something really nice about lying here on a beach with Jeremy, miles away from everything and everyone else. Sure, his brothers and dad were here, but they were off somewhere else at the moment.

She hummed her approval as he rubbed suntan oil into her skin, his fingers lingering occasionally as they brushed over her skin. It was ridiculous how much she loved his touch, even when it was mostly innocent like this. Dari could easily spend the next forever like this.

She rolled when he was done and before she knew it, their lips were pressed together. Who started it was anyone's guess, but Dari really didn't care at the moment. Her fingers brushed over his bare chest as her mouth pulled at hers and she was soon caught up in the embrace. Sure, it was a public beach, but who cared? They were only kissing and Dari loved this with him. She wasn't remotely concerned with the fact that they probably had an audience.

Bryant wasn't enjoying his vacation nearly as much. His girlfriend was at home and he missed her like crazy. His siblings were driving him a little insane, his mom was working and his dad hadn't even bothered to come with him. When he closed his eyes, he could still hear the shouting match that had occurred when his parents had talked about that particular subject. Mom had called him a selfish asshole, he'd shouted something nasty back. As much as Bryant enjoyed bickering with Savannah, he didn't particularly enjoy hearing his parents fight.

That's probably why his temper flared when he nearly tripped over the couple making out on the beach. "Get a fucking room," he grumbled, kicking at them with his foot. He groaned audibly when he realized who the couple was. Great. Dari and Jeremy. As if this trip couldn't get much worse.

“What the fuck is it, Pitt? She’s not even that attractive. Does she have beer flavored tits? Or is she just a really good fuck? I hear she left marks on Walker....” Bryant wasn’t usually so crass, but he was having a bad week and this was icing on the cake. It felt good to take his annoyance out on someone and Savannah wasn’t here to pick a fight with.

Jeremy was already annoyed when he felt the kick, even if it wasn’t a hard kick. He was busy, definitely enjoying what he was doing with Dari. His hands had started to wander and her skin felt so good under his touch. It was warm and soft and.. perfect, just like every other part of her. Who cared if they were in public? An interruption was definitely not welcome.

The glare in his eyes deepened when he pulled away to see just who had interrupted him. Bryant Sawyer was definitely not his favorite person. That he had just interrupted a perfectly good makeout session only made Jeremy dislike him more. “What the fuck is your problem, Sawyer?” he asked as he detangled himself from his girl and got to his feet.

When Bryant started to speak, Jeremy’s anger was sparked further. The moment he said that about Walker, Jeremy tackled the taller boy. No one was allowed to talk about his Dari like that, least of all this asshole. Once he’d tackled the boy to the ground, he pulled back his arm and punched him. Bryant tried to duck back out of the way, but Jeremy’s fist landed squarely on his jaw. He punched back, of course. Maybe this was what he had wanted all along.

There was no telling how long the boys traded blows, despite Dari’s protests for them to stop, before someone finally came along to pull them apart. Even then, they struggled, anxious to get back to their brawl, shouting obscenities at one another as hotel security held them apart. Both of them had a number of scrapes and bruises. Bryant’s nose was bleeding. Jeremy’s cheek was a brilliant shade of purple.

---

It was about twenty minutes later, as the three teenagers sat together in the security office, when their parents showed up. Dari was fussing over Jeremy, worrying her lip over his bruises. Bryant and Jeremy were still glaring murderously at one another. None of them were paying much attention to the conversation taking place just outside the door at first. At least, not until it got interesting.

Richard Pitt was beyond shocked to see his old fling standing in the hallway. It couldn't be. His stomach flipped. There was no way... “Mari? What are you doing here?” he asked her. As ridiculous as it sounded, she wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near him and Jeremy. That was the deal they had made. His first thought was to be irritated, without stopping to think this could be mere coincidence.

“Picking up my son,” she replied, exasperated. She was already annoyed at being pulled off of her shoot to collect her son who had apparently been fighting and Richard Pitt was the last person on this earth she wanted to see. She hated the man. She had been coerced into giving up their son all those years ago and had done her best to avoid him ever since, no matter how much she might regret giving Jeremy up.

Richard didn’t stop to think logically in this moment. If he had, he might have considered that she was here for the other boy, the one Jeremy had been fighting with. "Your son?" he questioned in annoyance. "Since when is he your son?

The adults had the complete and undivided attention of the teenagers on the other side of the half-open door now. The fight was forgotten for the moment as the three of them wondered what in the hell was going on. Dari and Jeremy had pretty much never heard Richard raise his voice like that and Bryant couldn’t help being curious about what was going on, too.

"Since I gave birth to him and raised him for the past seventeen years," Mari retorted. She wasn’t thinking. If she had been, she might have realized that Jeremy was involved in this, too. There wasn’t much else reason for Richard to be here, after all. Unfortunately, Mari rarely thought logically when she was angry.

"Since you did what?" he questioned, his voice hitting an unusually high note at the end. "We agreed," he continued, "that he would be better off in my care." Richard wasn't the type of person to lose his temper, but he just couldn't have her barging in here, destroying everything he had worked for.

"Dad?" Jeremy called, finally standing and moving toward the door. "What’s going on?" He had never seen the woman that his father was arguing with and he couldn't imagine who it would be... unless... but that would never happen... He fell silent, as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

"I don't know what you're..” Mari started, trailing off as she realized the confusion. “Oh." She broke off as she saw Jeremy and the pieces clicked into place. That was him, wasn't it? The son she'd been forced to give up 18 years ago. For once in her life, Mari was stunned speechless. It didn’t last long, though. Mari was stunned, but a very large part of her was also angry.

"Oh, where do you get off?" she demanded. "We decided? You decided and I had little choice in the matter. And now you strut about like you own this place"

She had half a mind to slap him. It was bad enough she'd been forced to give up her first child, to... her hand clapped to her mouth as she realized she was acting like this in front of Bryant. Bry, who knew nothing of his older half-brother.

Oh, God.

"Mom?" Bry asked, his brow furrowed in confusion as he moved towards her. "Mom, what's going on?" It was a near perfect echo of Jeremy’s words, but like him, Bry was confused. He was completely focused on wanting an explanation. As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t even anyone else in the room.

Richard whirled around to face Mari, ignoring his son for the moment. "You're the one barging into my world. Jeremy and I, we... we were fine. This intrusion wasn't needed."

Jeremy watched in silent awe. This woman really was his... he'd had always asked about her... and now she was right here. How could this be real?

Bryant, meanwhile was still lost. What the fuck was going on here? “Mom?” he called again.

Without stopping to think, Mari reached forward and slapped the man. Of all the...

"You bastard," she retorted. "You arrogant, self-absorbed bastard. I've no desire for anything to do with you or your precious world."

Without another word she turned her attention back to Bryant, mentally kicking herself as she realized she'd have to explain.

"I'm sorry, Bry," she said quietly, "I.. you shouldn't have to find out like this." He shouldn't have to find out at all. She gave him a look that begged for forgiveness.

"Jeremy is your brother."

Bryant, for once in his life, was speechless. All he could do was stare in disbelief and rub at his head, wondering if he wasn't really still asleep and having a really bad dream.

Richard's mouth fell open as she slapped him, unsure what to say or do. He turned to his son to explain, but the look on Jeremy’s face made it obvious that he already knew. Not knowing what else to do, he simply placed one hand on his back as a show of comfort.

Jeremy watched in awe as the events unfolded. He couldn't help but wonder if the woman standing before him was including him in the 'you and your world' comment. He wouldn't admit it to just anyone but he had always wanted a relationship with his mother.

"I'm sorry," Mari apologized again to Bryant. "I probably should have told you a long time ago, I just.. I never expected to see either of them again."

She sighed and sat on Bryant's bed, looking up for a moment and over at Jeremy. So this was him. The son she'd never known beyond his first minutes of life. She swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat at being face to face with him after all these years.

"You must both have so many questions..."

Richard couldn't help but feel like an ass as he looked at his son. He knew that Jeremy had many questions through his childhood, he just hadn't been up to answering them. Did that make him a failure as a father? He applied a slight pressure to his son's back, as if to say, ‘now's your chance'.

Jeremy couldn't believe they were so calm about the entire situation. This was huge news. How could he be expected to process this all so quickly. He had always known Tamora wasn’t his biological mother and all his life he had worked to hide it as if it was a disgrace. Now faced with a woman who had just made it painfully obvious that she wasn't interested in anything that involved his father's world, he didn't know what to say. As he stood there, he looked over at his half-brother and wondered if the same things were passing through his mind.

Bryant didn't want to ask questions. He wanted too pretend none of it was true. That fucking douche asshole just could not be his brother!

Mari didn't miss the look on Bry's face and she sighed inwardly. She, of course, didn't realize how much the boys despised one another and assumed Bryant was angry with her. At that realization, she couldn't help glaring a bit at Richard. This was all his fault.

"Jeremy, I..." she started, but broke off. What exactly did you say to a son who probably hated you for abandoning him. In front of your other son who until a moment ago didn't even know he HAD an older brother, no less.

This just wasn't good at all.

Richard roll his eyes. Why did she keep glaring at him, it wasn't like he had created this situation all on his own. It took two to tango and if his cheek wasn't still stinging and the boys weren't sitting right there, he would have reminded her of that. After all, he had been honest with his son.

Jeremy looked between the woman and the other boy as she spoke his name. It was all very surreal. That was his mother... and a brother... and they were there. He might not like Bryant very much, but he was willing to overlook that at the moment. This was bigger than the animosity between them. If Bryant would just quit giving him dirty looks, that would be great. It wasn’t like any of this was his fault. He was just an innocent bystander.

“What happened here?” Mari asked suddenly, taking in the boys’ appearances for the first time. It seemed easier to focus on the fight for a moment than on her own feeling of awkwardness. The three teenagers all spoke at once. “He tackled me!” “He started it!” It was hard to tell who was saying what and finally Mari let out a shrill whistle. “One. At. A. Time,” she instructed.

Dari spoke up in the brief silence that followed. “Jeremy was only defending me,” she said, looking at Richard. She didn’t want him to get into trouble. She doubted he would, but she wanted his dad to know he hadn’t done anything wrong. “Bryant was being a jerk and he said some.. stuff.. and Jeremy was only defending me.” As stupid as it sounded, she felt responsible.

Mari frowned as the boys rushed to add their own perspectives, but Richard merely chuckled. They were boys. Mari’s son was obviously a rude little shit if he’d insulted Dari for no reason, but he didn’t think a fight was a big deal. He certainly didn’t intend to punish Jeremy for doing something he would have done in the same position.

“Are you both all right?” Mari asked them. She wasn’t thrilled about her son - no, her sons - fighting, but it certainly wasn’t the first time Bryant had been in a fight. “I’m fine, Mom,” Bryant told her with a roll of his eyes. Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Doesn’t even hurt.” She smiled at them each in turn, a little relieved by that. “Good, I’m glad,” she said. The words were for both of them. She couldn’t find the words to articulate it right there, but a part of her hoped she might have a chance to make things up to Jeremy.

Richard cleared his throat after the reassurances died out. "Mari, I think that we may need to talk... without the boys." There were things that needed to be discussed and the teenagers didn't need to be involved... at the moment. He and Mari had moved on with their lives over the past 18 years but he couldn't very well expect her to keep up their agreement... not if she didn't want to... not after this.

Mari nodded. They couldn’t sit here in the security office, anyway. They spoke a moment more, long enough to exchange room information and make plans to meet once they’d gotten the kids settled. After a little discussion, Mari suggested he just come by her hotel room and they could go from there. Richard agreed and they went their separate ways for the moment, Dari’s hand slipping into Jeremy’s as the followed Richard back toward their own rooms.

---

It was insane that either of the adults felt the need to freshen up for their meeting. That’s exactly what they both did, though. Showers, a smattering of cologne, a change of clothes. It was all unnecessary, but they made excuses to themselves. It was warm out. They were sweaty. The shower gave them time to think about what had just happened. Maybe some of it was even true, but there was a part of Richard, anyway, that couldn’t help thinking that Mari was just as beautiful as she’d been nearly two decades ago when they’d first met.

Mari had just re-applied her makeup when there was a knock on her door. She answered it, her mouth forming a thin line as she let Richard in. She knew they needed to talk, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. A part of her just really wanted to hit him again.

Richard entered the hotel room as she invited him in, being sure to keep well over an arms length between them. He didn't plan to say anything that would get him smacked but then again, he wasn't trying to get smacked the last time either.

"It appears that our..." that couldn't come out right. He redirected his train of thought. "How would you like to handle things from here on out?" He was sure that their original plan could no longer work. Both boys knew and they were going to be classmates until the end of the year. Surely she would want a relationship with Jeremy. He knew that their son would want one with her, especially now.

Mari just stared at him a moment. How did she want to handle things? There was so much to consider. Bryant, for one. Would he be okay with it all? And Jeremy.. would he even want to get to know her?

"I don't know," she admitted finally, chewing softly on her lower lip. She wanted to stay angry at him for it all, but she couldn't really keep that up. She hated him for what had happened. She saw him as a spoiled, arrogant jackass. If things had gone differently all those years ago, though, she wouldn't have Bryant now. Or any of her other children.

Richard looked at her as though he was trying to read her thoughts, but he continued. "I'm not sure about how things are... how your family is going to feel," he shrugged, "but Jeremy is going to want to get to know you." He had never thought he'd be faced with this conversation, especially not after 18 years. "I'm sure, however, that he'll understand if you can't..." he allowed his voice to trail off, trying not to anger the woman. They had obviously passed the point of making this easy several years ago but he didn't want her to feel pressured.

"Do you really think so?" Mari asked, her face much more hopeful than she would have liked. What was it about this man that made her feel like she was 20 again and forget how to mask her emotions?

"We agreed.." she started, a little more calmly. "I don't want to... intrude.." The truth was that she could care less about Richard being inconvenienced, but she was scared. What if Jeremy didn’t like her? What if he hated her for giving him up? A part of her wondered if it wouldn’t be easier to leave the past in the past.

“Of course, Mari." Richard didn't think her reaction was odd in the slightest. "I know he would; he's been asking me about you since he learned to talk." He hung his head, "I've never known how to answer him."

He looked up at her again, "Sometimes I wonder if we made the right choice..."

We didn’t make that choice. You did, Mari thought, but she didn’t say the words out loud. Instead, she let out a sigh and allowed herself to move closer to Richard, leaning slightly against the desk near where he was standing.

"I don't know," she said. "I really don't. I mean if we hadn't.. well I wouldn't have Bry now, or any of the others. But.. I've missed out on so much with Jeremy. I don't know how.. how am I supposed to make that up to him?"

She'd carried around her hatred for Richard, for the whole situation for so long. It was weird now to be talking with him like this, but she knew that yelling at him for things that couldn’t be changed wouldn’t accomplish anything. Figuring out what to do now was more important than dwelling on the past.

Richard understood her concerns, however, he didn't honestly believe that Jeremy would hold a grudge. "I really don't think he'll... he's always been so curious about you, I imagine that he'll just be glad to be around you."

He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry if I've wronged you and I'm sorry if I've managed to destroy the obviously happy future you have created for yourself..." he let his words trail off again. Not know what to say and how to say it annoyed Richard; he had always been a well spoken man but a few minutes in a room with her apparently turned him into a boy. "I would hope that we can arrange this in a fashion that won't effect your life negatively."

Mari nodded, not sure whether to trust those words, but hopeful that he was right. "I would like to.. I mean if he's okay with it.."

She shook her head and held up a hand as the man apologized. "No, Richard, it's alright." She reached over and lightly touched the spot where she'd slapped him.

"I'm sorry for hitting you," she said quietly, biting her lip again. "It been an weird day, hasn't it?" It seemed to be getting weirder. She hated the man, but here she was touching him and apologizing for a slap she’d thought he richly deserved less than an hour ago.

Richard stared at her as she touched his face. It had been an odd day indeed. He was on vacation with his sons, getting ready to attend yet another of his father’s weddings and he had managed to run into a woman he hadn't seen in almost 20 years. "I believe I deserved it," he said, smiling a bit.

They continued to talk, discussing the logistics, making plans for him and Jeremy to meet her and the other kids later that evening so introductions could be made. It still felt surreal to be having this conversation, but Mari couldn’t help being happy about the chance for a relationship with her firstborn. Mari recognized that Richard didn’t have to be so cooperative, so supportive and she was grateful. "Thank you," she said, looking up and meeting his eyes, flashing him a brief smile." Her hand brushed against his to emphasize her words. She wanted him to know that she appreciated his willingness to work this out.

Richard didn't know what it was, maybe it was the way she looked at him... the feel of her hand on his but he had a sudden desire to kiss her. "You don’t need to thank me, Mari. This is the right thing to do for our son. I wouldn’t have it any other way." The urge to kiss her lingered along with his gaze and without thinking, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Maybe it was the stress of the situation or the reminder of their past or something else entirely that caused Mari to go crazy and forget for a moment that she had a husband and a family and that she definitely was NOT 20 anymore.

Whatever it was, she found herself responding to that kiss, her arms moving around his neck, her hands gripping the back of his head, as she deepened it, almost desperately. The sparks they felt when around one another had always been obvious - look at Jeremy - but one would assume that their chemistry would have waned over time, that 20 years later they wouldn't still be so attracted to one another. One would have also been painfully wrong. As soon as he felt her respond, Richard wrapped his arms around Mari, pulling her into him as if no time had passed since their last kiss.

Somewhere deep down Mari knew this was just wrong, but that part of her brain wasn't really functioning at the moment. It had been years since anyone had kissed her quite like this and even in the beginning, she'd never had quite the fire with Tony that she apparently still had with Richard. Not that she was thinking of that at the moment. Or of anything other than how good it felt to be with him like this again. It was almost as if no time at all had passed since the last time they’d done this. Her hands shifted clutching desperately at his shoulders, tugging lightly at the material of his shirt, while her lips moved hungrily against his.

Richard hadn’t made out with a woman like this in years. He’d never been exactly faithful to Tamora, but this was different even that his trysts with maids and other random women. He felt like a teenager again as he tugged her closer and deepened the embrace. Richard ran his hands under the back of her shirt, across the small of her back, only to find that her skin was just as silky as he had remembered; he moaned slightly and tugged on her bottom lip. This was every bit as amazing as it had always been.

Mari couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like this. Like Richard, she felt like a teenager again. She felt truly desired for the first time in nearly two decades. This was crazy and some small part of her knew that, but she was so far out of touch with that part of her, just living in the moment. She gasped as his hands touched her skin and she felt the tugging on her lip. Without thinking about just what she was doing, she tugged again at his shirt, working at the buttons and pushing it from his shoulders, while her lips moved to his jawline.

Richard, lost in what appeared to be his second childhood, allowed his shirt to fall from his shoulders to the floor and wrapped both arms around her, crushing her frame to his as he bent to trail kisses down her neck. The only thing on his mind was that he wanted her right then as much as he'd ever wanted her. Finding her lips again, he turned her and backed her into the desk he'd just been sitting on, starting to tug at the tank top she wore.

Mari was lost in.. whatever it was they were doing, moaning softly as his lips brushed across her neck. Desperate hands pulled at his tie, loosening it and beginning to work at the buttons of his shirt. It was as though something had transported her back 18 years in time, to that night that had created Jeremy to begin with.

As she made contact with the desk, however, she seemed to come back to herself and she abruptly pulled away, clapping her hand over her mouth and staring at him, half in guilt, half in shock.

"What are we doing?" she managed, though her heart was racing and she was struggling a bit to catch her breath and a big part of her just wanted to get back to whatever it was, no matter how wrong it might be.

He groaned against her skin as he felt her tugging at his tie and buttons. If it was wrong, he didn't care... there was no turning back at this point; Richard was happily lost in whatever time he had been transported to...

"What are we doing?"

He wanted to grab her, things were so much simpler when he was touching her.

"God, Mari. I dunno..." he took a step back, panting.

He was panting. When was the last time a woman... any woman had gotten him so excited? As he stood there and looked at her, watching her chest heave just as heavily as his and he knew... he hadn't felt this way since the last time he had been with her. With no explanation, no more words, he stepped forward and began kissing her again, giving her no chance to protest.

Though her mind was now screaming at her that this was completely wrong and insane, she couldn't seem to stop herself from returning his kiss, her hands desperately pulling at him again. She hadn't felt anything like this in such a long time and she wasn't quite willing to let go of that feeling just yet.

No, this is wrong.

She pulled away again and just stared breathlessly at him for a moment, watching the way his chest heaved, the way he was looking her. She couldn't remember the last time Tony had looked at her like that. If he ever had.

"Oh, fuck it," she muttered, deciding that she might be going to hell, but it would be well worth it. She reached for him again, pulling him in and crushing her lips against his in another searing kiss.

Richard looked at her when she pulled away, expecting that to be the end of it. He figured she'd had finally come to the senses that he wasn't allowing any where near him. She mumbled something he didn't quite catch and then, to his relief, she was kissing him again.

He picked her up by the waist and sat her on the desk, never removing his lips from hers, as if he was frightened she'd really end it if he stopped. He pulled at her shirt, nipping and pulling at her lips, determined not to let her think about anything but him. Richard only pulled away long enough to pull the top over her head and toss it to the floor.

Mari picked up where she'd left off, her hands moving to his shorts as her lips moved hungrily against his as her hands traveled over the exposed flesh of his chest and back. How could he still be so incredibly sexy? Her mind was a jumble of everything and nothing as they kept tugging at clothing, discarding it piece by piece. There was a certain franticness to their actions, as though they couldn’t get rid of the material between them quickly enough Everything in the world was forgotten as they came together, their groans and curses filling the otherwise silent hotel room.

Spent, Richard collapsed onto the desk beside Mari, trying to catch his breath, allowing his hand to rest on her stomach. He grinned to himself as he felt the struggled rise and fall of her breathing. Unfortunately, as he rested there, quite happy with himself, his conscience decided to kick in and send him all of the warnings and cautions it should have sent from the very beginning. What had they just done?

It took Mari a few moments to catch her breath and come back to herself. That had been...

Fucking hell. What was she doing? She was married. She had four children with Tony. And here she was, fucking her old flame in an empty classroom like they were a couple of horny teenagers.

"Oh, god," she moaned, bringing hand up to her face and shaking her head. She sat up, looking around the room for her clothing, which was strewn all over the place, and finally over at Richard.

"That was... what was that? Other than fucking amazing... But.. so not the point.. What on earth were we thinking?" She didn't exactly expect him to provide her with an answer, but she couldn't seem to stop herself babbling.

They had... they had... he tried to stay calm... he had known what he was getting into but... bloody hell. Richard sat up with her and surveyed the mayhem they had left behind them. He closed his eyes briefly before trying to focus on the things she was saying. What had they been thinking?

"Mari," he said, trying to calm her... but what was he going to follow it up with? What could he say? "Mari," he reached for her, "it's okay." It's NOT okay, his brain screamed, You are both married how the HELL is it okay? He rested his hand on her shoulder, "Calm down." He couldn't help but wonder if he was about to be slapped again. His brain... his everything was screaming the same things she was saying but he tried to hold onto his calm.

"How?" she questioned, blinking with surprise at how he could be so calm. She shrugged off his hand - him touching her? probably not the best idea, though the damage had probably already been done - rolled off the desk and moved about the room, retrieving her clothes.

"How on earth is it okay?" she asked as she hurriedly started dressing herself. "We're bloody.. idiots.. acting like a couple of bloody teenagers." She turned again to stare at him. "How can you be so calm about it?"

"I dunno, Mari," he raised his voice and buried his face in his hands. "I don't have a clue how this is going to be alright. I was only saying what I thought you might need to hear."

He stood up and followed her example of dressing. What the hell had he been thinking? Richard pulled his pants on as he watched her stalk around the room. "What do you want me to say... or do?" he questioned, in genuine curiosity. "I can't take it back." He didn’t really want to.

Mari shook her head, trying to clear it, and took a step towards Richard before remembering what a bad idea that was and stopping herself. "It's.. I'm not blaming you, Richard," she said, a bit more calmly. "It takes two, right?" She grinned a bit ruefully and dragged a frustrated hand through her hair.

She knew he was only trying to help, but she didn't want to be comforted just then and she certainly didn't want to think about how she didn't really want to take it back. So she decided to push all that away in favor of focusing on the original issue.

“We should.. we both need to talk to our kids...” she suggested. She wasn’t trying to kick him out, not really, but considering what had just happened, maybe they shouldn’t be alone in this room anymore.

Richard watched her, silently wishing that things were as simple as they had been 10 minutes ago. Of course the 10 minutes ago was what had them in this situation as it was. He sighed and nodded. It did indeed take two to tango... what the hell had they been thinking?

Having finally dressed himself, he brushed his hands over his shirt. "Yes, we should. I imagine they are anxious to find out what is going on in their futures." Adding a silent, ...and we clearly can't be trusted.

He didn’t especially want to go, but Richard knew it was for the best and once they were both dressed, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, careful to keep it innocent before letting himself out. Even as he left, though, he couldn’t help looking forward to seeing her later.

---

It was a few hours later when the Pitts and Sawyers were beginning to gather around a large table on the beach. Richard had used his money and influence to arrange a private dinner for them, where they could all talk and get to know one another freely without interruption. Jeremy was grinning at his mother as they made small talk. Mari’s children were playing on the beach, even though she’d called out to them once already to come and sit.

“What do you...” Whatever Mari had been about to ask the son she’d just met was interrupted by a sudden blur of curls as the tiny figure launched herself at Jeremy. “Are you REALLY my brother?” the girl asked excitedly. When Jeremy nodded, she kept going. "I'm Isabella, but everyone calls me Izzy." Mari shook her head as Izzy forced her way into Jeremy’s lap. “She’s... eleven,” she explained, but it was probably obvious from her smile that she wasn’t complaining. Jeremy merely grinned. This little girl was amazing. He quickly started to question her on her classes, her teachers, everything. He’d never had a sister before and Izzy was obviously the coolest little sister anyone could ask for.

Izzy answered all of Jeremy's questions - yes she liked her classes and she thought the one of her teaches was the epitome of cool - “He has a mohawk! - and she couldn't wait for middle school and she worked harder than Bry, which certainly wasn't saying much and her absolute favorite class was PE but father really didn’t approve. The little girl grinned and cuddled her new big brother as she sat their in his lap.

Mari’s gaze had locked with Richard’s while Jeremy and Izzy bonded and she was trying very much to ignore how the look he was giving her made her feel when her daughter suddenly looked back over at her and blurted out, "Do you think you're likely to do it again? Because brothers are great, but I think it'd be brilliant to have a sister."

The look on Mari's face at that question was a perfect mixture of shock, amusement, and complete embarrassment as she stammered out a reprimand.

"Izzy!"

Jeremy nodded and laughed at all the right times, promising to teach her all the things she wanted to know that they DIDN’T teach in school. If it wasn’t obvious, he was completely smitten. In a matter of minutes this eleven year old had managed to wrap him securely around her little finger.

"Do you think you're likely to do it again? Because brothers are great, but I think it'd be brilliant to have a sister."

Richard and Jeremy, both, openly snorted at her question, even as Mari reprimanded the girl.

Richard kept silent through his smirk, but Jeremy couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Yeah Dad," he said laughing so hard his sides hurt, "Are you likely to do it again?" He wasn't sure if his new found little sister understood the implications of everything she had said... but surely she couldn't right? She was only 11. He was equally shocked to find himself thinking she'd better not. A few minutes in and he already found himself feeling insanely protective of the girl.

Izzy blinked innocent, unsure what exactly she had said. Partly because she was far too excited about the promises Jeremy was making to think of much else and partly because it really had been an innocent question on her part.

Mari, meanwhile, glared at Richard muttering a "Good Lord, don't encourage her," his way while Bryant, who had finally arrived at the table in the middle of this conversation, merely intensified his glare. As much as he sometimes hated his own father, the idea of his mother procreating with that.. that father of Jeremy fucking Pitt was one he absolutely hated. Despite the fact that Richard actually seemed kind of nice. He'd yelled at his mother earlier and that sort of thing wasn't easily forgiven and Bryant figured he must be some sort of jerk if he'd helped spawn Jeremy.

Mari looked over at Jeremy and tried very hard not to smile, though the corners of her mouth twitched with the effort. "And don't you encourage her either," she said.

Richard held up his hands in innocence but continued to laugh.

Jeremy couldn't help smiling but when he glanced over at Bryant, he suddenly remembered why this wasn't going to be easy. There were more... and there was a chance they would be just like him. He smile faltered a bit but not completely. "It appears that she doesn't need encouragement," he replied to his mother.

Mari reached out and swatted playfully at Richard. "Oh, stop," she said. "You're just as bad as they are!" The gesture was far too familiar and made her feel oh-so-awkward and retracted her hand quickly. Richard noticed the way Mari had pulled away from him and he couldn’t help his slight frown. For several minutes, he had forgotten about their... previous actions but she obviously had not. As much as he knew they shouldn’t have done it, he couldn’t regret their actions.

The rest of the dinner passed similarly. Mari’s other children weren’t nearly as welcoming as Izzy, but the little girl was almost awesome enough to make up for it. They played on the beach after dinner, until Mari announced that it was time for the two younger children to head towards bed. She asked Jeremy to have lunch with her the next day, though, and he grinned brightly as he agreed.

---

Jeremy wasn’t remotely surprised to find Dari waiting for him once the dinner had broken up. She slipped her hand into his without a word and tugged him gently toward the beach. “Interesting day, huh?” she ventured, looking over at him and trying to read his expression. Jeremy wasn’t really a talkative guy, but she knew today had been a shock. She wasn’t pushing, but if he wanted to talk about it, she was going to be here to listen.

Jeremy made a face that was somewhere between confused and.. she didn’t know. “To say the least,” he admitted, rubbing at the back of his head with his free hand. It went without saying, but he was grateful for Dari. For almost 18 years, he’d dreamed of meeting his mother, but that hadn’t kept today from being a little overwhelming.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going through.

Jeremy shrugged. "Not really. I dunno what to say about it, really." He gave her hand a squeeze, though, grateful that she was here. Meeting his mother wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a lot to take in. It helped to have Dari at his side.

“Soooo, wanna make out, then?” she asked him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Some people might find that insensitive, but she knew Jeremy better than she knew herself. Sometimes, the best thing in the world was a good distraction when you head was too full of thoughts you couldn’t articulate.

Jeremy flashed her a genuine grin at that. “I thought you’d never ask.”

They paused in their walk, then, Dari lifting up on her toes so she could press her lips to his. Jeremy returned the kiss, his arms slipping around her automatically as he deepened the embrace. It felt good to let go of the weirdness of the day, to let go of everything that wasn’t Dari and how she made him feel as they found a quiet little section of beach where they could lose themselves in one another for awhile.

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