*Only Time* Chapter 8
 by rockstar
 
 
 

Nelly pulled up the Crane driveway, parked her car, and sighed. What was she doing here? She would much rather be anyplace else. Though the Cranes and her family were close and have had numerous incounters, Nelly had only met 1 of the Cranes. A meeting she very much regrets taking place. As for the others, she had only seen photos of them in magazines and heard about a huge scandal that heir to the Crane fortune, Ethan Crane, wasn't really a Crane at all, but the son of Harmony's chief of Police.

Nelly looked at the clock in her car. 6:45. "How could I get here early?" she asked herself, "I don't even want to be here." Suddenly a soft jazz song came on the radio the took Nelly back to last night at the Jazz Club when she met Chad. "I wonder where he is now?" Nelly had tried to find Chad's club, but no success. "I guess there's more clubs in this town than I thought." A pair of bright headlights brought Nelly back to the present, realizing her parents had arrived. She got out of to greet them and wasn't too surprised to see the limo.

Nelly's parents had always lived in style. Only going to the best places and mingling with the right people.

Nelly straightened the her blue knee length skirt and felt a soft breeze hit her stomach. She quickly pulled down her matching top to cover it up just before the limo driver opened up the door and her mother stepped out.

"Oh, darling, it's so wonderful to see you." Michelle said giver her daughter a hug.

"Likewise."

"Now Michelle, give the girl some breathing room," her father, Marcus said.

"Hey, dad." Nelly said as her father gave her a quick hug.

"So, why are we just standing out here?" Michelle said, urging her daughter and husband toward the door and ringing the doorbell.

Once inside, a dark haired maid took Marcus and Michelle coats as Nelly looked around the entryway of the house and scoffed, "Showoffs." It was no secret that the Cranes were mean, rich people. Those were the only reasons her parents were friends with them. And those were two of three reasons Nelly wanted nothing to do with them. She looked up the staircase to see reason number 3 walking down in a short purple dress.

"I'm so glad you could make it." Felicity said walking past Nelly over to Marcus and Michelle. "I can't tell you how surprised I was to get your call."

"Not half as surprised as I was." Nelly spoke up, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Felicity turned around and walked toward Nelly.

"Why, Milly, you haven't changed a bit since college."

"Nelly," she corrected her, "and neither have you Alistair. Opps! I mean, Felicity." Nelly chuckled.

"Where's the rest of your family? I haven't seen any of them in so long." Michelle said, nervously walking between the girls. Michelle and Marcus had both worked too hard to get on the Cranes' good side and they weren't going to get moved to their hate list just because of their smart alic daughter. The last thing they needed was another incident from a few years ago, when Nelly just had to step against Felicity when they were in college.

"Everyone's been quite busy today. I paged them all, so they should be home by time dinner begins."

The front door opened and Livvie walked in and looked at the people in front of her.

"Sorry, wrong house."

"Livvie, dear." Felicity smiled, "she's quite silly."

"Well, if I'm silly then you're obnoxious. Hey, so you're right."

Nelly chuckled only to receive that classic look from her parents. BEHAVE.

"Why don't we go into the living room and take a seat until the others arrive?" Felicity said showing Marcus and Michelle the way.

Nelly quickly walked in front of Livvie to the round table and picked up her purse as Livvie and the maid watched her.

"Nelly, darling, you must see this new painting."

Michelle's voice stopped Nelly as she was half way to the door. Hanging her head in defeat, she turned back around handing her purse to the maid, who was standing there with her arm out waiting for it.

"Good effort." Livvie said, as she took a deep breath and smiled, "Show time."
 

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"And these are the baseball fields." Kay said as she stepped up on the bleachers and sat down.

"I love baseball." Nikolas said, sitting down next to her.

"So do I. I've played ever since I was a kid. We always had so much fun." Kay smiled.

"We?" Nikolas asked, his curiosity kicking in again.

"Yeah, a friend and me. We've always played together." Kay looked down at her hands.

Nikolas looked at her. 'A guy' he thought. And he hurt her. "Are you not friends with him anymore?"

"Kind of, I guess -- how'd you know it was a 'him'?"

"Just a guess. I have a good ability to be able to read people well."

"That's a good specialty to have."

"Yeah. Don't know where I got it."

Throughout their evening walking around Harmony, Kay and Nikolas had avoided talking about what had happened at the Book Cafe, but now was probably the best time to get it over with, Nikolas decided.

"I guess we ought to talk about it," he said looking at Kay.

"Talk about what?"

"The truth. About who I am. Who you are."

"Neither of us can really help that."

"No, we can't. My family is one of the most hated families in the country. We lie to others just to make a buck. SO why did you come out with me tonight?"

"I don't really know your family members except from the tabloids and my dad. I was always told about Alistair and Julian and what monsters they are and recently about Felicity. Who I haven't been warned about is you. And until I am-"

"then you'll bolt."

"Maybe. If my bank account plummets. But from what I can tell, you don't scare me."

"You mean I don't intimidate you?" Nikolas smiled slyly and leaned closer to Kay as she moved just centimeters from his face.

"Not one bit." They stared into each others eyes a few moments longer and Nikolas moved his lips closer to Kay's as her heart started beating faster in anticipation. The beeping of Nikolas's pager separated the two from their short distance.

"That is like you 4th page tonight." Kay said angrily.

Nikolas pulled out his pager expecting another message from Felicity about some stupid dinner party, which he would ignore again. Nikolas read the note.
 

Nik-dinner is set for 10 min if you don't get here I might have to fulfill the urge to make our dear sister wear the overspiced, overpaid appetizer. -Livvie
 

Nikolas sighed and put his pager away. "Listen, I start up school this week. Why don't I call  you when I get settled?"

"You're leaving?" Kay asked disappointed.

"Yeah, I have to help my sister out. You know, the good one."

"Livvie," Kay said, reaching into her purse for a piece of paper and a pen.

Nikolas took Kay's number and stuck it in his pocket. "You know, Livvie has a strange way of being very difficult with people she really likes."

"So she hates you, but loves her family?"

"No, this is just people outside the family. When our family's involved, everyone is flipped around." Nikolas said, "I think she really likes your brother."

"Noah?"

"Yeah, all she ever does is bitch about how she can't believe what a jerk he is." Nikolas said, jumping off the bleachers leaving Kay at the top.

"Well, Noah's usually very upfront about how he feels. You saw at the Book Cafe."

"Yeah, well, when emotions are involved, sometimes people act different than they normally do."

"Well, I sure have never seen him put so much anger at one person before."

"So you think he might feel a little something for my sister?"

"I don't know," Kay said, "but I'm sure his wife would defiantly have something to say about that."

"He's married?" Nikolas asked, shocked.

"With a baby on the way." Kay jumped down and stood next to Nikolas, "maybe Livvie and Noah really do JUST hate each other and that's how they really feel."

"Yeah." Nikolas said, knowing he knew his sister more than Kay did and if she wasn't more informed of Noah's personal life, she was in for some real heartache.
 

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Darkness fell as the warm fall day had turned to a cool fall night. Julian paced back and forth along the docks. He stopped and looked at his watched in frustration.

"Oh, what am I doing? I knew I needed to go see a doctor about my hearing."

"Maybe not for your hearing, but you do have other problems." Chad said coming up behind Julian.

"S-, Chad. So I wasn't hearing things? You really wanted to see me?" Julian asked, seeming surprised, but happy.

"I NEEDED to see you, for someone else." Chad corrected him.

"Who?" Julian asked, trying to hid his disappointment.

"Simone Russell. Something's going on at the Russell house. Kay Bennett told me Eve hasn't tried to see or talk Simone, but she's contacted me and-"

"Yeah, I know," Julian stopped Chad from saying the name of the woman who hurt him so much even to think about. He wondered for a moment if maybe he could help Chad in some way with that. "I found out yesterday at the hospital when TC showed up in Eve's office while I was there."

"Well, he obviously didn't do much to you. Lucky for you though, you were in a hospital."

Julian let a small smile break out on his face, remembering he had thought the exact same thing yesterday.

"What exactly did you find out?" Chad asked Julian directly.

"There's a restraining order against Eve in Simone's name."

"What? That has to be wrong. Why would Simone want to see Eve if she put a restraining order against her?"

"It's true. TC kept shoving it in Eve's face how Simone didn't want to be around Eve and that she was happy with TC. He was being very cocky."

"Yeah, you'd know a thing or two about that wouldn't you?" Chad said.

"Well, if Simone is wanting to see Eve then, maybe TC made her sign the papers or-"

"-he signed them himself." Chad and Julian said in unison. Chad looked at Julian. For a moment, Chad could had sworn he had seen himself in Julian, but it quickly faded and Chad ignored it.

"So, you think TC might have done that? Signed those papers in Simone's name." Julian asked.

"The way he acted when he found out about this whole mess, he- he probably did."

"Do you want me to help you?" Julian asked, walking closer to Chad, "I will. Just ask me. Anything you want."

"I can handle this on my own. I'll take care of TC."

"You're a lot braver than I am."

"Yeah, well, I'm not intimidated easily." Suddenly Julian's cell phone started to ring.

"Why don't you answer that. It's probably business." Chad said.

"It can wait until were through."

"We are." Chad said, turning around and leaving.

"We're never going to be through, son."
 

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"So how are your classes coming?" Eve asked Simone handing her a cup of coffee and sitting next to her on the couch.

"They're good." Simone said as she took a drink. She looked around the living room. Eve did have a nice place. Simone looked over at the table against the wall and saw a picture of her family or at least the shell of what used to be her family. She didn't feel like a family anymore because of her mother's past. Simone knew she needed to know everything.

"Mom. I want to know. Everything."

Eve looked at her daughter surprised and shocked. She knew what Simone was referring to.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Everything. How you really grew up. How you met Julain. Are your parents really dead like you said?"

"I haven't spoke to them since the day they found out I was pregnant. They told me that the only way they would except me back into their lives and forgive me the mistakes I've made, was if I gave my baby up for adoption."

"You didn't though. You risked you family for your baby. Chad."

"I had to. I wanted him too much."

"Then he was taken from you."

"By Alistair." Eve felt all of her anger returning. "I could kill him for doing this to me. To Chad."

Simone looked at her mother. She had never seen or heard her say anything like that, but she understood. For the first time in months, Simone finally understood her mother just by looking at her. There were a mass of emotions being displayed on Eve's face: sadness, anger, loneliness. There were all the things Simone had been feeling for the past 3 months or maybe even before that.

"I want to know more, Mom. About you. The real you. Not the upstanding citizen." Simone reached out and put her hands on Eve's. "I want to know about my Mom. Why haven't you tried to see me? Or call me?"

Eve smiled, so happy that her daughter wanted her. To be near her, but why the restraining order? She's acting as though she doesn't even know it exsist. Does she? No, TC wouldn't do that to me. He's angry at me, but he would never do something so hurtful and cruel to me. Would he?
 

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Julian walked into the dinning room and find all of the guest were accounted for. He greeted the Watsons and walked over to his seat at the head of the table. Sitting closest to him on his left were the Marcus Watson, then his wife Michelle and finally their daughter Nelly. On his right was, Felicity, then Nikolas, and Livvie.

"So how is everyone this evening? It's so nice to have some old friends join us for dinner." Julian said as the food was being placed on the table by the server.

"It great to see you again Julian. It's been far too long." Marcus said.

"So how is the teaching at the university going?" Julian asked him.

"Swell. Swell. Almost 1,500 freshman came in for the fall term. How's the industry going? Wonderfully, I've heard."

"It's going more than wonderfully, it's spectacular." Julian bragged.

"I've heard you've been doing a lot of work at Crane Industries, Felicity." Marcus said.

"Yes, I'm just trying to follow through in the family business."

"And Nikolas you're going to the University in New York, aren't you?" Michelle said.

"Actually, I'm transferring to a local college."  Nikolas corrected her.

"Oh, really?" Michelle said, shocked, "Oh you want to be closer to your family, of course."

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Nikolas mumbled as he ate.

"And Livvie, the artist. Made any masterpieces yet?" Michelle asked.

"Oh, no one told you, I'm only here to be ignored." Livvie said.

"How about you, Nelly?" Julian said, shifting the tension, "What have you been doing lately?"

"Well, been working at Boston newspaper for the past 3 years and actually started full-time after college. Umm, I've done a few reports out in California, Canada, and a few months ago I was in Africa for my first investigative piece."

"Well, you've been quite busy." Julian said.

"Nelly loves to excel." Michelle smiled, "Now, she stop all that running around and working so much once she gets married."

Nelly dropped her fork on her plate and mumbled, "Here we go again."

"Oh I didn't know you were engaged." Julian said.

"She's not, but she should be. She's 24 years old and in fact she should be married right now." Michelle said.

"And she's also right in the room, so don't talk like she's not." Nelly said.

"You need a man to keep you grounded. In one place." Michelle went on.

Julian sat and listened to the conversation before him as the wheels in his head started to turn. "So, you'd like Nelly to meet some young man?"

"I love it." Michelle said.

"I have a son." The sound of Felicity, Livvie, and Nikolas's silverware hitting their plates brought everyone to attention.

"We know you have a son, Julian. Nikolas." Marcus said.

"And I think he's a little too young for me. No offense." Nelly said.

"Yes, but I have another son. Just a few people know about him." Julian said, receiving shocked looks from the Watson family.

"How could no one know about him?" Michelle asked.

"See," Livvie started, feeling she needed to be the one to drop the bomb, "my father had an affair with an African-American jazz singer turned doctor 25 years ago. Which ultimately ended with her getting pregnant and the kid someone got whisked away to LA and everyone thought he was dead. Which he's not."

"Thank you, OLIVIA." Julian said, irritated at his daughter.

"Well, that's quite a story." Michelle said, "Now what does this have to do with our discussion?"

"You want your daughter to meet someone, well, my son is a someone."

"More like something." Felicity mumbled.

"You want our daughter to meet you son?" Michelle asked. 'Is he crazy?'

"Yes, they might actually get along."

Michelle sat there pondering what Julian was saying. Her daughter dating the Crane heir. Now that would be very acceptable, but the Crane bastard? Never. But could she really turned down Julian? No one turns down a Crane and Michelle wasn't going to be the first. "They might indeed. They could meet in town while Nelly's here in Harmony. Maybe even Marcus and I can meet this young man." Michelle turned her attention to Nelly who had just been staring at Julian. "You'd love to meet him, wouldn't you sweetheart?" Michelle faked a smile.

All eyes in the room were on Nelly as she got out of her daze and looked at everyone. "I, umm, I need to, ummm.....go....powder my nose." Nelly got up quickly and got her purse from the maid as everyone watched her leave in silence.

"Nelly's always keen on being a proper lady. She always wants to look perfect." Marcus said.

In the bathroom down the hall, Nelly closed the door. She turned around, "Think, think, think!" She said pacing around the overly decorated bathroom. It was bad enough to get the You Should Be Dating lecture from her mother eveytime they're together, but it's ten times worse to be set up on a blind date. "Come on brain, I need you more than ever! Get me out of this." Nelly stopped and looked in front of her. "Of course!" She walked over to the window and opened it. "If Lorelai Gilmore can do it," She stepped up on the table under the window and stepped out of the window one leg first. "So can I."

Within seconds she was out the window and waved good-bye to the Crane House of Dating Horrors.