The Turn Life Takes (Eve/Julian) - Chapter 14
by yhh
"Daddy! Daddy!" Endora yelled, seeing her father through the open curtains
in the living room.
Out of habit, Eve took a quick look around to see if anyone had overheard
her excited daughter, before remembering it was only the two of them in the
house. Opening the door, she greeted Julian with a smile.
"What a pleasant surprise," he said upon seeing Eve, while catching his
daughter. "Hello, Endora."
"Hi, Daddy," she screeched.
"Angelpie, use your inside voice, okay?"
The toddler nodded and tugged on her father, until he let her go and she
ran back to her toys.
"What's wrong?" Julian asked, noticing the sadness in his love's eyes.
"Nothing," she answered. "Excuse me, I need to shower and change." Without
waiting for his response, Eve left the room.
"Well, that's peculiar. Why is your mother, little one, taking a shower
here?" he questioned his daughter, who was always a wealth of innocent yet
fruitful information.
"We live here."
Trouble, in what Eve thought was paradise? Serious troubles if she moved
in with Kathleen. This required further investigation. "Endora, why are you
living with Kathleen?" he asked, feeling no shame in pumping his youngest
daughter for information about her mother. He sensed she wanted her new parents
together as much as he did.
"TC hit me," she said, looking directly into her father's eyes.
Instantly, Julian saw red. He ran up the stairs, barged into the bathroom,
and tore back the shower curtain.
"Julian, what in- -"
"No. No, you do not get to speak. Did that ignorant, bully of a husband
of yours hit my daughter?" Julian demanded.
Damn. She had hoped to tell him gently, some time in the distant, distant
future.
"Yes or no, Eve," he demanded.
Grabbing the towel hanging from the shower rod, Eve wrapped it around
herself and stepped out of the tub, quickly turning off the water.
"I'm waiting. Never mind, I will ask him- -"
"No, wait. He didn't hit Angelpie."
"Did his hand touch any part of Endora's body?"
"Yes- -"
Julian roared and exited the bathroom.
Eve gave chase. "Julian, wait."
"I am not waiting. He can not do that to my child, to any child. I can't
believe you of all people are justifying his behavior," he spat in disbelief.
"I'm not, trust me, I'm not. Why do you think we're here? But please listen
to me before you charge over there? I don't want you to get hurt."
With his eyes blazing, he stared at the love of his life. "Today, he couldn't
even touch me."
She saw the undying, unfailing love glowing in his eyes. He loved Endora.
He truly loved her. Her heart rejoiced at this knowledge.
"I'm waiting," he informed her, standing on the stairwell.
"He didn't hit her. He spanked her for disobeying him."
Something wasn't ringing true with Eve's story. He, like she, believed
in spankings when necessary; so why would she move out if TC simply spanked
a disobedient child? "What horrid crime did she commit?"
"She went into his shed."
"She did what?" he asked with menace.
"She went into his shed," she answered slowly afraid of what Julian might
do. She didn't want him to get hurt nor give TC the chance to put Julian
in jail.
"Is he hiding a dead body in that damned shed? I told you there was something
suspicious in that shed. No normal human would react this way. A toddler
went into his open shed and he hits her. He's going to pay," Julian said,
running the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door.
"Julian," she screamed from the doorway. She was about to run after him
when Endora spoke.
"Mama?" Endora called.
Turning quickly, Eve looked over at the standing toddler. "Yes, Angelpie?"
"You no clothes on."
Eve looked down at her towel attire. Crap. She ran upstairs and threw
on a t-shirt and sweat pants. Having no other options, she picked up her
daughter and ran.. She caught up with Julian in the living room of her former
home, as he stomped down the stairs.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"I don't know. Julian, think about this. EM and Angelpie need you here
with them, not locked up in some jail cell. You know Sam and Luis would like
nothing better than to have you locked up and 'lose' your paperwork." She
had to make him see reason. She couldn't afford to lose him.
"Mama, I no like it here," Endora cried.
"Oh, baby. We won't be here long," she reassured her youngest, giving
her a hug and a kiss. "Look in her eyes. Look, Julian, damn you!" she commanded.
Julian reluctantly gazed into his daughter's eyes. The crystal clear blue
eyes looked back at him with innocence, complete trust, and love. "Do you
want to be away from this for even a second?" She prayed this worked that
he would finally see reason. But she had to get him out of here before TC
returned from wherever he went, which couldn't be far since his truck was
in the garage.
"No, but I can't let him- - Eve, the rage I felt- -I feel. I love her.
I'm in love with her," he stated, taking his daughter from Eve and kissing
her cheek. "I can't let him or anyone else get away with harming her."
"He hasn't. He won't. He lost his family over this. Whitney and Simone
know and they aren't talking to him. They've demanded he go get help for
his anger and clean out the shed."
"That's not enough."
"Would anything be enough?"
The rage in his heart yelled no. No, nothing would ever be enough. Damn
she was right. But losing his family didn't seem like enough justice, enough
punishment. TC needed to suffer.
As if reading his mind, Eve answered, "He is suffering. TC prides himself
on being a model husband and father, yet now he lives in his big house by
himself. And he has no one but himself to blame for that."
TC's house, he heard that subtle reference. Eve and TC must have really
exchanged harsh words. Good, the monster deserved it.
"Now, let's get out of here."
"I’m not afraid of him."
Male pride. "I know you're not, but for Endora and my sake, could we please
leave?" she asked, gently.
He nodded and brushed against her. "I can see your nipples through your
top and they look as lovely as ever," he whispered.
"Julian!" she reprimanded, trying hard not to blush. He could throw her
off-kilter like no one else.
"It's the truth," he smirked. Opening the door, he allowed Eve to walk
out ahead of him.
"Wait," Eve paused. "Do you hear that?"
"No oy," Endora answered, practicing her Spanish courtesy of Pilar.
"No, I hear something," Eve confirmed, backing up and heading towards
the kitchen. Finding the kitchen empty, she went out into the backyard and
noticed the shed moving.
"Mama, go. Daddy, go," Endora encouraged. "I wanna go home."
Eve ran to the shed. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"
"Eve?" she heard TC say.
What was TC doing in there? She noticed the chain and lock through the
handles. There was no way he could have accidentally done this. Someone had
to do this to him, she reasoned, as she ran back into the house to find his
keys. Finding the keys, she ran back to Julian. "Please go."
"Eve- -"
"I'll meet you at Kay's," Eve assured him.
"Mama come?" Endora asked.
Eve stared into the seemingly innocent eyes of her daughter. She knew
in her heart that the toddler had something to do with this. When they lived
with TC, his keys, wallet, little things of his were always disappearing
even if Eve, herself, had just seen them or handled them moments before. Her
Angelpie had to be involved. She wasn't quite sure how; but Endora Margaret
Lennox Johnson had a lot to answer for, but now was not the time. "Take her
home. I'll be right there," she said, walking over to the shed. She didn't
unlock the lock until Julian and Endora had disappeared from sight. "Hold
on, TC. You'll be out in a minute." Using the key, she unwrapped the chain
and freed her husband.
Running into the sunlight, TC took deep breaths. "Thank you, Eve."
"Are you okay?" she asked concern. "How long where you in there?"
TC glanced at his watch. "Over an hour. Who would have done this to me?"
"Maybe some kids were playing a prank, assuming the girls and I would
come home and find you," she suggested, as an answer.
He nodded. "Probably so. What are you doing over here? It's nice to see
you."
"I forgot a pair of my favorite earrings and I thought I would come get
them when I heard you."
"Earrings, huh?" he questioned, with a knowing glance. "Whatever the reason.
I’m glad you came over and grateful that you rescued me. Do you want to come
in for an early dinner?"
"No, I can't. I have to get back to Endora. And I'm expecting EM to come
over."
"They could join us. It's good for Ethan-Martin to spend time around some
non-Cranes, especially Julian."
Any pleasant feelings that Eve had been having died with TC's last statement.
"Have you started counseling?"
"Eve," TC whined. "I'm cleaning out the shed, getting rid of things."
He moved back over to the shed and threw up the doors so Eve could look
in. "You were right, this place shouldn't be so off limits."
Not falling for his distraction technique, Eve repeated her question.
"I was just having a bad afternoon and her being in here- -"
"She's not a her. Her name is Endora. And you're supposed to be going
to therapy not just for your anger issues, but also about your hostility
towards a little girl, Simone, Whitney, and I love with all our hearts."
TC frowned.
"I've got to go," she said, heading towards the house.
"Eve, I'm trying here. Can't you meet me half way?"
Barely slowing her step, she turned her head. "When it comes to children
there is no half way, it's all or nothing."