Topic: Arguments, Tears, and Ice Cream

Kaylee Bennett

Date: 2011-04-08 20:07 EST
Correy was searching through the cupboards of the Maple Grove kitchen, scavenging for food to take to the cottage. He'd left Jon there, promising to be back soon. They were running short of food stuffs and toilet paper. Instead of the grocery, Correy was going shopping in the kitchen of the family home. He already had a canvas bag half full of cans when he spotted the chili. "Oh yeah, come to pappa."

It was a habit of Kaylee's to let herself in and out through the kitchen door at the big house, especially on days like today, when the whole world and its friend were crowded at the gates, wanting to get a look at the new CEO of the company. She didn't realise Correy was in the kitchen as she came back in, though, a big bag of the last of her belongings slung over her shoulder. "Jumpin' - Correy! What're you doing, getting ready for the apocalypse?"

"Aahahaa!" Correy screamed and jumped back when suddenly there was a Kaylee in the very quiet, up til now, kitchen. He put his hand to his chest, which contained the can of chili. "I'm getting some stuff to cook. We're....uh...camping. Yeah." He put the can into the bag and rushed over to give his sister a one armed hug. "So why's everybody buzzing around the house" What's going on?"

She snickered at his response, wrapping him up with both arms regardless of her own burden and squeezing. "Oh, didn't you hear" Humph made Caroline the new CEO today," she grinned, and if there was a certain malicious light in that grin, it was only to be expected. Junior had been treading on toes for years. "Camping, huh' I'm so glad things are getting better for you two."

"What' That's crazy!" Correy shared his sister's mischievious grin, sharing her thoughts behind it, too. "Man Jr's going to be hell on wheels!" He laughed and hugged his sister again. "Yeah, things are ok." he flushed slightly and took a tiny step back. "He doesn't remember me at all. But, we're working on rebuilding." He shrugged a bit and then looked back up at her. "So what?s going on with you?"

"Rebuilding's good." She flashed him a teasing wink and an equally cheeky grin, having decided a while back that she wasn't going to buy into the puppy-dog eyes and poor me routine. Upbeat, that was Kaylee. Asked about herself, she couldn't hide the silly grin that produced itself, or the definitely wicked glint in her eyes. "Me" Oh, I'm good, it's all good. Well ..." she frowned a little. "Mostly good. I have to talk to you about one bit of it, and I need you not to dismiss it or forget it afterward."

"Oh, that sounds ominous." he sat the bag down on the counter and pulled up a stool to sit on. "Shoot, what do ya got?" He folded his hands in his lap and looked at her curiously.

She smiled, dropping her own bag to sit down - but not before raiding the freezer for ice cream. Setting it between them on the counter, she dragged a couple of spoons out of a drawer and handed one to him. "Okay, you have to promise you're not going to freak out or anything."

Correy watched her as she moved about, then grabbed a spoon. Just before he dipped it into the tub of ice cream, she asked that question. Head swivel and he pinned her with an astonished look. "You're pregnant."

She snorted, choking on a mouthful of ice cream. "What' Give me a break, I can hardly look after myself, let alone a kid," she laughed, tapping the end of his nose with the back of her spoon. "Geez, nothing that crazy."

He looked relieved and finally did dip his spoon into the ice cream. He put the spoon in his mouth and looked back at her just in time to get bopped. "Okay, so what?s up then?" So long as she was happy and healthy, he could deal with anything.

"You remember Naraku, right?" she asked quietly, hoping like hell he hadn't already picked up on the fact that she had her collar turned up. Naraku's hickeys from his feeding certainly caught the eye.

"Yeah." Of course Correy had noticed and he'd already said his piece about Naraku's feeding habits, so he didn't comment on them. "What's the blood sucker done this time?"

This was the part Kaylee was worrying about. If Correy accepted this part, then the rest would be fairly easy to drum into him. "We're ....sort of ....well, it's official now," she nodded firmly. "We're together. And I need you to be okay with that, okay with me being happy with him."

Kaylee Bennett

Date: 2011-04-08 20:11 EST
Correy put down the spoon and picked up the bag of groceries. "Sure. I'm happy you're going to be anemic the rest of your life." He shrugged and stood up. "Why him, Kaylee" He's a f***ing leech."

"First off, he's not a 'leech', and I swear to gods, you say that one more time, you will be wearing this ice cream," she said rather heatedly. Too heatedly for this to be anything but incredibly important to her - Kaylee had never leapt to the defense of any boyfriend in the past when others had slagged him off.

"Hmm, what do you call a parasite that sucks blood from it's victims" If not a leech than a vampire. Either way, what are you getting out of this besides that magical thrill that they use to entice their victims?" Correy shook his head. "It's fake and he's using you as a feeding source. How many others does he made official grocery stores out of, hmm?"

She stared at him, physically hurt by his assumptions and the implications of those assumptions. The spoon fell onto the counter. "Why can't you just, for once in your life, be happy for me?" she asked in a quiet, vulnerable voice. "I really like him, Correy. I trust him more than I've ever trusted anyone before. Which is why I know that unless you can keep your tongue in your mouth and not insult me or him in his hearing, he'll kill you." It was said with complete confidence, utterly serious. Kaylee knew Naraku had meant it, and she knew Correy needed to know that.

"Let me get this straight," Correy sat back down and put the bag back onto the counter. "You want me to be happy for you to be with a guy that not only feeds from you, but wants to kill your younger brother." He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "Are you out of your f***ing mind?"

"No, he doesn't want to kill you," she told him firmly, frowning. "Correy, he's protective. He wants to protect me, and that includes from being called a whore by my little brother. Remember that?" Her voice was cold for a moment as she recalled that evening. "He held off then because it wasn't his place. It is his place now, and he won't hold off again. He asked me to tell you, to warn you. It's not like he's going to come after you in the night and do you in for no reason - if you push it too far, he'll do it then and there."

"Let him try." Correy was just as cold. "Can't believe you, Kaylee." Correy shook his head slowly, sadly. "Choosing a guy that would willingly and happily do your family physical harm. Sure, I spout out; but I've never laid a finger on you to harm you in any way. So go be with your fuck toy. I hope he's worth it. Because I don't have a sister anymore." Correy picked up the bag, stood up and went towards the door.

"Correy, please." Kaylee could feel herself panicking as tears welled up; she knew full well that if Correy didn't take this in, didn't abide by it, he was as good as dead, and she knew she wouldn't be able to take that. Her voice dropped to a sobbing whisper. "Please."

Correy turned around and looked at her, sadly. "I'm already good as dead, and you're already fine with that. So why the sobbing now, Kaylee" Your boyfriend will find any excuse and try to kill me." He shrugged and glanced at the door. "I've got to get back to Jon. You know, the one that loves me and wouldn't choose somebody who would want to kill you because you've got a smart mouth."

"So that's it, is it?" she asked miserably. "Rather than accept that I'm with someone who makes me happy, rather than learn how to control your f***ing tongue!" Her voice had risen to a scream, angry and frightened and hurt, and it was entirely his fault. "You just walk away from me and everything we've been through together, you just cut me off like that! Well, gee, thanks, Correy, it's so nice to know that my baby brother loves me so much!" She stood up suddenly, knocking her stool over and snatching up her bag.

"I have been here for you, I have never said more than my due about what happened with Jon, and before that, I never said anything about your choices of girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever you wanted! And you know why' Because I accepted that this was what you wanted, I never went out of my way to be a nasty, unpleasant little shag who doesn't want anyone to be happy unless he has everything he could possibly want and more!" Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now as she stormed past him through the door. "Screw you, Correy. I really thought you were better than this."

Kaylee Bennett

Date: 2011-04-08 20:12 EST
Correy stood there and listened to her scream it out. His mouth had become a firm line on his face and his brows furrowed. "May I ask a question?" He spoke quietly, and blinked rapidly as his own tears began to well up in his eyes. "If he does kill me, will you be in his bed that same night?"

Dashing at her own tears she came to a full stop as he spoke, whirling on him in clear distress. "How can you say that?" she asked, horrified. "No. No, I won't. I'd ask him to kill me as well, and he'd do it, I know he would." She took in a deep, shuddering breath. "But why should you care, right' You don't have a sister anymore."

"Then he won't even try to kill me, if he loves you." Correy shrugged and took a deep breath. "Because if he kills me, he loses you." Correy walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "And no, I'm not going to flaunt it or rub it in his face. I'll curb my tongue, for as long as I can. But Kaylee, I don't like you with this guy. I really don't."

As soon as he was close enough, she flung her arms around her brother's neck and held on tight, crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whimpered quietly. "I can't stand the thought of losing you because you can't stop yourself insulting me." Leaning back, she wiped her eyes hard. "It was stupid of me to ask you to be happy for me. I know that. All I'm asking is for you to accept that I'm happy with him. That's all. You don't even have to like him."

Correy dropped his bag and held onto her just as tightly. "I'm sorry I said I didn't have a sister. I love you, Kaylee. I love you so much. And I shouldn't insult you so much. But I can't be happy if you're with a guy that looks at you like a garden salad. I know you love him, but Kaylee..." He couldn't continue, he found no point in it.

She didn't argue when he mentioned loving Naraku - it wouldn't do any good to tell Correy that she wasn't sure it was love just yet. But she nodded, accepting his apology as he had accepted hers. "I know," she sniffed, kissing his cheek affectionately. "And I know that you don't see it, but I'm safe with him. I'm safer with Naraku than I ever was with Tony, or even with Jason. He won't beat me, and he won't play with my feelings. I trust him, Correy. All I'm asking you to do is trust me."

Correy let her go and took a step back. "I do trust you Kaylee. I just don't trust him. He's not human. He has instincts that are going to eventually take over. What am I going to do without my big little sister to talk to and have duvet parties with' It scares me, what he can do to you."

"No, he's not human," she agreed, finding it pointless to lie to him about that. "He's got more control than you're giving him credit for. But that's all I'm going to say - I don't want to turn this into another argument. I hate fighting with Correy ....the last one ended with me living at Ollie's, and I'm pretty sure he's going to be sick of me before the end of the year if I don't move out."

"I don't like fighting with you, either. Why didn't you tell him that if he hurts me that you two are through?" Correy really wanted to know this. "I know that if Brian or Rori had tried to hurt you, I'd have killed them. Somehow."

"Because it doesn't need to be said," she told him quietly, keeping contact with his eyes so he could see how very serious she was. "He knows it. But it's part of his instinct to protect me now, and that includes protecting me from words that hurt. So even though he would be following his instincts, he knows he'll lose for it. And he won't be able to stop himself." She sighed softly. "Correy, he asked me to tell you this. To make sure you knew. He doesn't want to hurt you anymore than I want to see you hurt. Would he really have asked me to warn you if he didn't care about losing me because of this?"

Kaylee Bennett

Date: 2011-04-08 20:13 EST
Correy sighed and sagged onto a barstool. "He's got you doing his dirty work, Kaylee. And you already see the logic in it and agree with it or you wouldn't have said anything to me. I think you should cut ties with him and count your losses. There are guys out there that can learn to butt out of family squabbles. He's not family and I hope to God he never does become family."

She watched him, despair colouring her expression. "You can't do it, can you?" she asked very quietly. "You can't accept it. And the way you're talking, it sounds like you'd rather cut all ties with me than even try." Her eyes lowered, sadness spreading through her like a sickening disease. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I can't be who you want me to be." Unhappily she turned, slipping out through the door and into the garden beyond.

Correy sighed heavily and watched her walk out of the door. He sat for a few long moments, just staring at his hands and wondering what the hell had happened. Just a few weeks ago, he was on top of the world. Now his sister was doing the unthinkable and his lover didn't remember him. Correy got up and walked to the door, then slipped out into the garden. "Kaylee, wait." He approached her and held up his hands. "I don't have anything else, Kaylee."

She paused again on the path toward the back fence, turning on her heel to watch him approach. There were more tears on her face, silent and unheeded as they cut tracks over her cheeks. "I didn't ask you to turn your back on me," she said softly, putting her hands into his. "Don't do it again."

Correy's hands clasped hers and he stared into her tear streaked face. "If anybody is turning their back on anybody, it's you turning your back on me. You'd let him hurt me, because all I have are words. I don't slap, I don't punch, I don't kill. I can't do those things. It's not in me. My mouth is the only defense I have. If I curb my tongue too often, the world is going to walk all over me. And I'm not going to just lay down and let some freak of nature walk all over me because my sister is in love with him. Tell him to back off, Kaylee. You said it didn't need to be said, but it does. Let him know that there are repercussions for his actions, too. Because if you don't, all it's going to take is for you to frown in my presence and he'll come after me."

"I will." That was all it took, just two words to make a promise that she'd already made to herself before this conversation ever began. Yes, Naraku intimidated her just the way he had said he would, but she wasn't afraid of him. And she certainly wasn't afraid to speak up. "Don't lie down, don't let the world walk all over you. Just don't hurt me again, Correy. I'm not saying it because it'll put you in danger, I'm saying it because I can't take it any more. I can't take knowing that you agree with what other people have said about me in the past, that your opinion is never going to change no matter what I do. I'm not that person anymore. I haven't been for months." She sighed softly, meeting his eyes with weary dismay. "But you still look at me as though I'm a black mark on your perfect record."

Correy nodded solemnly and let go of her hands so he could fold his arms around her shoulders and pull her to his chest. "That's where you're wrong, Kaylee. I never thought you were the things that the other guys said you were. I may have said them, but I never once believed it. I only said things to hurt you when you were hurting me. I know it's stupid and childish, but it's the truth. I know you did have at least affection for the guys you were with, or you wouldn't have been with them."

She leaned into her brother's embrace, feeling a weight lift as he spoke. "I'm sorry I ever hurt you, Correy," she murmured into his shoulder, holding on tightly. "I promise, I'll try so hard not to hurt you ever again."

"Me, too," he bowed his head and kissed the top of hers. "But not because of your boyfriend. Because we're getting too old to be pulling each other's hair and acting like babies. You're my best friend, Kaylee."

She smiled, leaning back to show him the expression. "Love you, poohead."

"Love you, too, poobrains." He chuckled and then squeezed her tight enough to pick her up, off of the floor.

Giggling, her feet flailed for a moment before he put her back down. "So ....you driving, or are we both gonna be walking it out of here?"

"I've got the Bentley." he smiled and finally let her go. "You need a lift?"

"What, you think I'm gonna pass up the chance to ride in the man machine?" she laughed, looping her arm through his. "C'mon, before the press realise we're out here." Giving him a tug, Kaylee broke into a run, heading for the back fence and the quietest way out of the Maple Grove Compound.

Correy followed behind her, his long legs making it easy to catch up and even over take her. The Bentley wasn't that far and the key bob in his pocket was pressed to unlock the doors. "We forgot our bags!"

Kaylee looked over at him and burst out laughing, dissolving into giggles at their absent-mindedness. Oh, well, nothing for it ...."Race you back!" Lurching back to the path, her laughter floated back to him. It seemed as though no matter what hit the siblings, some things would never change.

((Thanks to Correy!)