Those Shadows • •

[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo could hardly believe that there were no secrets left now. He still felt that pang in his chest whenever he thought or talked about Jenny, but the fact that Meg knew the truth made him feel like a gigantic weight had been lifted off his shoulders now. He didn’t feel so much that he was running from his past anymore and he didn’t feel as tied down to the tragedy as he had been a few short weeks ago. Even his college work was improving, his performances strengthening and he had been out for drinks with his classmates – something he’d never done before. Living the life he had denied himself was amazing, but sharing it with Meg was even better.

That was what he was supposed to be doing now. Their afternoon’s off had aligned nicely this week with neither of them working and he was supposed to meet her for lunch in the city whilst Lilia took care of Issy for the afternoon. However, after waiting outside their usual spot for an hour without sight or sound from his girlfriend, Theo had left, sitting for a long time in his car, thinking. Usually, if one of them was late there was a phone call or a text message but this time his phone had remained silent. When he called her it went straight to voicemail too. It did not take a genius to figure out that something was the matter. The question was what.

He drove home first, still wracking his brain for what might be the reason for Meg standing him up. The self-doubt in the back of his mind kept repeating that she had decided he had too much baggage and this was her way of ending things with him, but Theo refused to believe it. They didn’t come this far with their relationship for either of them to run away from it like that now. No, he knew something had to be wrong. He barely mumbled through a conversation with Lilia as he grabbed Issy’s buggy and Issy and put them both in the car, strapping his daughter in safely before driving towards Meg’s house, not knowing what he might get on his arrival there. Maybe it was something trivial; she’d fallen asleep reading or had lost track of the time during the morning. Not everything was a tragedy when things didn’t go as planned and Theo needed to start believing that before jumping to a panic each and every time.

Pulling the car up, he hoisted Issy into his arms and climbed to Meg’s front door, knocking loudly as he stepped back to wait for an answer, any answer. If there was no answer, then he’d have to try her cell phone again, but he doubted it would be anything but the cheery voicemail that greeted him again. He raised his fist and knocked again, louder this time, accompanying it with a deep call of “Hello? Anyone home?”

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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 535
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! Dx He wanted to work, but didn’t know what to do! <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

The last thing on Meg's mind today was her lunch date with Theo. Honestly, she hadn't thought about it since this morning, which, to her, felt like decades ago. So much had happened in so little time, and her head was very near exploding; she was lucky she was standing upright.

She'd come home from her morning class in a rush, having had to talk with her professor about a few topics and then having run into the blonde boy she called her best friend. They hardly got to spend time together these days, so she'd lingered for an hour before tearing herself away to go prepare for her date. When she'd walked through the front door, she'd found her father spread-eagle in the living room with his hair soaked a sickly shade of maroon. He'd been hanging a "Con-graduation!" sign up early as a surprise for her, but, evidently, it'd gone wrong. She didn't even know what had happened; she only saw the blood. Everything after that was a blur, but Meg wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want to remember the paramedics barging into the house, or riding to the hospital while her father turned whiter and whiter with each bump the ambulance hit. She didn't want the doctor's explanations ringing through her head, or the nurses' words of comforts; she didn't want any of it. All that mattered was that her father was alright. Well, that was, until he'd dropped the biggest bomb possible on her.

She couldn't donate blood to help him because they didn't have the same blood-type; she had her biological father's. Meg didn't know if it was the drug's that allowed him to tell her, but she didn't care. He wasn't her father. Not by blood, at least. He had been the one who was there for her through everything, and the man that had raised her; but he wasn't her father. She didn't have his smile, or his laugh, or his anything because she wasn't technically his. She'd never been his. The last words she spoke to him asked for her "real" father's name. Mr Warren gave it, reluctantly, and watched as his heart-shattered daughter sprinted out of the hospital room.

Meg went the only place she could: home. She knew that he'd be fine, having been told by the doctor's multiple times, so she felt no guilt at leaving. If he could keep such big secrets from her, he didn't deserve her tears, anyhow.

The first thing she did was Google her biological father's name, Zachary Fredrick James. She scrolled through links, her eyes widening as she watched pages and pages of newspaper articles appear. "Novelist from Small Town Makes it Big"; "YA Author Dedicates Book to Lost Daughter"; "Bestseller List again!" -- the links went on. She clicked one, scrolling through it quickly as she tried to figure out who this man was and if she was, by some chance, really his daughter. Upon seeing a picture, any doubt left her mind; she saw her hair and her smile grinning out at her. The article said he was living in Forks, a name that now made her breath stop. Had he lived when she had? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Meg printed the photo and brought up a bus-ticket site, purchasing a ticket that would bring her to her hometown. She didn't care about the consequences; she could make up the school work or have Nix email it to her. Her dad would be fine by himself for awhile, and she could take any calls that she might get. That only left... Theo. Her fingers froze on the keyboard. Shit. She hadn't called him today; he was probably freaking out. But, if she saw him, she knew she wouldn't go through with this idiotic idea thanks to one look into his dark eyes.

She shoved the thoughts out her head and clicked "purchase" on the ticket, printing it, as well, and running off to throw together a bag. Just as she was dropping it onto her bed, the sound of someone knocking had her jumping. She contemplated letting it go, but, when she heard her boyfriend's voice, that resolution cracked. She couldn't... she couldn't... Meg swore under her breath as she caved, rushing to open up the door.

Tears still stained her cheeks, and there was still blood caked on parts of her shirt from where she'd tried to stop her father's bleeding; she'd never thought to clean up before now. Looking up into Theo's face, hers finally broke as she choked out, "I'm sorry." Meg held in the tears that wanted to escape, pushing her matted hair out of her face. She took a shaky breath and rambled, "My dad... he... I'm sorry about lunch. I should've called you." He couldn't know about the bus ticket; she didn't want to explain now.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 884!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

If there was one thing Theo understood more than anything else, it was the importance of family. The Sterling brood were close-knit and always had been. He was fairly certain that if Lilia hadn’t made the colossal move to New York to help him out, then he would’ve been back in Alloa within a few short months of Jenny’s death. He had returned there only for her burial and then had been encouraged to go back to America to continue his life and chase his dreams like Jenny had requested before she passed on. Even back in the Big Apple, Theo made regular calls home, as did his sister, and they were constantly checking in to make sure everything was alright. If one little thing seemed out of place there was no doubt in his mind that the pair would dig into their savings and be on the next flight back to Scotland.

There had to be something bothering Meg or else why would she have stood him up? Something had to be wrong and he could feel it in his gut the second he had arrived home and it was still there, worry growing, all the way over to her house. He knew Meg and he knew she wouldn’t have just ignored him without there being a text message explanation or a legitimate reason. Her friend had been shot not too long ago, so he hoped that nothing like that had happened again or worse. New York was full of dangers most people tried to ignore, but right now they were all that kept flooding his head. He had been ready to look for another way into the house when he finally heard the approaching footsteps, his grip on Issy tightening as the innocent infant bobbed up and down, oblivious to her father’s worries or even where they were right now.

One look at Meg told him that nothing was alright and without a moment hesitation he pulled her into his arms, carefully keeping a grip on Issy too. The little girl, not knowing or caring what was happening put a short arm around Meg’s shoulder and her dad’s thinking it was a game like with Aunt Lilia. Still, Theo knew that Issy would behave whilst he dealt with making sure his girlfriend was alright. “Forget about lunch, hen. What’s happened?”

[/color] He asked, not ignorant of the blood stains on her shirt or the tears that still rolled down her cheeks.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 465
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! Dx I hate this, Theo is not cooperating! <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Meg knew that, after college, she'd be dealing with so much worse than a busted head or even gun-shot wounds. She'd have murders, poisons, and who knows what else to deal with; yet none of it stopped her from freaking out in her current situation. It had been one thing when her mother had died; she'd had her dad then, or at least who she'd believed to be her dad. Now, she didn't have anyone. No parents and nobody else to tell; she was completely on her own. She could tell Theo... she could open up to him like he'd done with her. He didn't need the drama, though; he had his own problems, his own worries to deal with. No, she had to do this by herself. She had to do this alone.

It took everything she had not to break down in his arms and tell him. Theo would stop her though, and Meg had her mind set on this now. There was only one way she could find out what had happened to her biological father, and why he'd left her mother in the first place. Maybe if they'd stayed together that car accident wouldn't have happened; maybe Meg wouldn't even be studying forensics right now.

Meg went easily into Theo's arm, burying her face in his shoulder as she felt the tinier arm go around the other side of her. She let out a half-hearted laugh and pulled back to smile weakly at Issy, tickling the little girl's side as she talked. "It's fine now. U-Uhm, just come inside. I-I'll go change and then... I should go change," she mumbled distractedly, stepping out of the embrace all-together and retreating inside her house. The spot where her father had been was spotless thanks to a neighbor who'd stepped in and cleaned the blood, having seen Meg rush out with Mr Warren. The banner and thumb-tacks lay on the couch yet, along with Meg's open laptop and the printed bus ticket. She didn't think about any of it though as she grabbed Theo's hand and gently tugged him inside, closing the door and running a hand through her hair again; a nervous habit she didn't use often.

She held tight to his hand, looking up at him with the heartbreak clear in her eyes, but her face otherwise composed. "It's a bit of a mess. The paramedics did some damage when they came earlier," she said quietly, her gaze going over the living room that was usually somewhat tidy. Now, cushions were everywhere, the rug was folded over, papers lay scattered over the floor, and the beginnings of Meg's packing were appearing now. Glancing down at herself, the blood-stains had her stomach clenching. "I should really go change," she sighed, not letting go of his hand. Meg bit her lip, the tears rolling down her cheeks again as her eyes stayed locked on the place where, just hours ago, her father had been lying unconscious.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 541!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
OUFIT: LOOK HERE!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo was the kind of guy who could deal with everyone else’s problems better than his own. He made a surprisingly good shoulder to cry on, but it wasn’t exactly a wide known fact since he often kept to himself in the past. Still, he found it almost therapeutic to worry about someone else and mull over their problems than tend to his. Ever since Meg had listened to him and helped him whenever he had a moment when the past memories caught up with him, he had been trying to find ways to repay her. So far, all he had managed were small surprises and gifts here and there, but it still didn’t seem to be enough. He wanted to give her the same kind of life changing help that she had given him.

He looked at her with a knowing expression. He has seen the look of heartbreak on too many faces to ever be able to ignore it, especially now when it was his girlfriend with that look in her eyes. She could say what she liked, but it wasn’t going to change the different story that was being told by her eyes. “It dinnae look fine.”

[/color] He stated, brushing the hair back from her face whilst his daughter chortled happily in his arms. Inside, he placed Issy on the safety of the couch, whispering for her to sit still and play with her doll. He took in the state of the living room and knew that Meg had to be in some state of shock after whatever had happened; this was not the kind of behaviour that anyone expected after the paramedics rushed out to a scene. “You should probably sit down, hen.”[/color] He said softly, guiding her to a chair before she fell down or something.

Theo pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears rolling down her face. “What happened, Meg?”[/color] He asked again, holding her close to his chest as he tried to comfort her. He wouldn’t be able to say or do the right thing though until he knew what had actually happened. His dark eyes finally came to rest on the bus ticket next to the laptop screen and they narrowed as they made out as many of the details printed on the ticket. “Where are you going, hen?”[/color] He asked warily, not liking the look of everything he was seeing and the lack of information he had about it all.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 424
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! Dx Theo has been forced! <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Meg hadn't yet processed everything that had happened. She hadn't told anyone, she hadn't talked to the nurses when they'd tried to comfort her, she hadn't done anything. The bus ticket had been her first step towards letting the events sink in, but even that was only a small part of what she'd have to do to realize that this was all happening. Hours ago, her life had been normal; happy, even. She'd spent time with her best friend, and was coming home to prepare for an afternoon with her boyfriend; it'd all been so great. And, now, it was all turned upside down and she didn't know where to reach for help. Meg felt like she was drowning; silently, helplessly drowning.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she was upset. She was always calm, happy, and smiling; not fidgety, stuttering, and nervous. Anyone who'd ever met her could tell she was freaking out, but Meg was slowly working to build up some wall to get herself back to normal. If she acted normal, people would leave her alone; that's what they'd done when her mother died. She'd acted like the world was a happy, flower-filled place, and then everyone had backed off and assumed she'd moved on. It had to be the same thing now; she was looked fine, people would think she was, and then they'd leave her alone. She didn't know how long her sanity would last if she pretended, though. "It is. I am. I'm fine," she said back weakly. "I'm fine." Meg's eyes turned to Issy, a tiny smile pulling on her lips as the little girl laughed from her tickling. She'd grown so fond of her over the past weeks; it stung to think of never seeing her again.

She sat down meekly when he brought her to the chair, her eyes going between Issy with her doll, then the spotless area of the floor that had been soaked red when she'd first come home. The feeling of Theo's lips on her forehead snapped her attention back to him, and she cuddled closer to him, her head on his shoulder as she tried to get the image of hospitals and blood from her mind. "He's not my dad," she whispered shakily, more tears going down her cheeks as she spoke. Saying it out loud made it real; it made all of this real. "H-He fell trying to put up a stupid sign and I couldn't help b-because..." she trailed off, pulling away and covering her face with her hands. Meg shook her head, forcing herself into breathing normally. She didn't need to cry in front of Theo; he didn't need to deal with her problems, too.

The mention of the bus ticket had her flying away from him. She quickly rushed over to her laptop, shoving the tell-tale ticket and still-running laptop into a nearby case. "It's nothing. Nowhere. I-I'm not going anywhere," she said hurriedly. Her hands shook as she put everything away, her eyes staring at the bag, then to the blood on her clothes; her father's, or at least who she'd believed to be her father, blood.

She didn't need to cry in front of Theo.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 604!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
OUFIT: LOOK HERE!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo had probably spent more time wallowing in misery and mourning the loss of Jenny than he should’ve done, but he was starting to see the light again since he had taken the leap of faith and started dating Meg, putting his heart out there again. He knew the signs when someone was feeling down after seeing most of them reflected in the bathroom mirror every morning for over a year, so Meg trying to put on this brave face did nothing to convince him that she was in fact fine. “An’ it’s a good job that it’s not you graduating with a drama degree.”

[/color] He said by way of showing that he didn’t buy her act for a single second. If there was anything he knew well, it was bad acting after seeing a few flunk out of school because they didn’t have the talent or the work ethic to improve. Right now, Meg was not showing that she was built for the stage and he wasn’t about to let it go either.

The Scotsman listened, but couldn’t piece together what Meg seemed to be saying in its entirety. His eyebrows furrowed as she spoke until he found a voice of his own. “What do you mean, he isn’t your dad?”[/color] He queried, thinking Meg must’ve meant something other than what it sounded like. She was in shock still, her mind in several places at once and Theo needed to calm her down before she did something reckless or collapsed herself. His eyes drifted to where the banner should’ve been proudly hanging and then looked back down at the blonde folded into his arms. “Hey, hey, come here. You can’t always help in these situations. The main thing is that he’s okay, right?”[/color] Feeling helpless when someone you loved was in trouble was a sensation Theo knew only too well. The situations were different, but he had been there before; he knew what it was like to be unable to do anything but stand on the side line.

His eyes were fixed on her as she moved with great speed to hide whatever it was his eyes had fallen on. He knew it was a bus ticket, but the destination was still a mystery to the tall Scotsman. Once again, Meg’s acting skills were sub-par, but he didn’t focus on that right now. She needed to calm down and relax before she put herself in the hospital too. “Come on; let’s get you into some cleaner clothes and then I’ll make you something to eat and a hot tea.”[/color] He said, picking Issy up before wrapping his free arm around Meg’s slim waist and guiding her towards the stairs. She would feel better after a hot shower, change of clothes and something to help get some sugar into her system. It had helped Theo out in the first few hours of his shock.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 532
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! This sucks Dx <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Meg wasn't crying over the fact that she couldn't help her father; er, who she'd believed to be her father. She was crying over the fact that, for 22 years, the man had been lying to her; even her mother had been lying to her. The image of perfection she'd come up with for her mom had been shattered by the news of such a huge lie, and even Mr Warren's god-like standing in her heart had been revoked the moment the truth came tumbling out of his drug-filled system. Meg was crying because of this; all of it. She was crying because her world was based on a secret kept from her by the people she'd loved the most; she was crying because she couldn't do anything to forget about it.

She needed to start getting ready to run off for the bus station. There were bags to pack, a note to leave, and, now, she had to find a way to escape from Theo without breaking his heart, too. But, Meg didn't want to go. She wanted to stay curled up on the couch in the safety of her boyfriend's arms and she wanted to pretend like nothing was wrong in the world; she wanted to be a little girl again, like the one currently playing obliviously on the couch. "I don't have his hair, or his smile, or his anything because I'm not his kid. He lied to me for 22 years -- 22 years, can you believe that? All because she asked him to. He's a liar, and so is my mother," she said, voice hard as ice throughout. Telling him made it all real, and Meg was too fried to even attempt filtering her thoughts from him. Like he'd already noticed, she couldn't act to save her life; she couldn't hide her pain as well as he could. But, the more she told him, the more anger sparked dangerously within her. Soon, it wouldn't be tears on her cheeks; it'd be her storming about, screaming at the top of her lungs about how much she was beginning to hate Mr Cody Warren.

She was crumbling; piece by piece by piece. She could feel chunks of her sanity hitting the floor with the more questions he asked, the more he prodded her to explain. Meg couldn't find the words to tell the whole story though; she barely had enough brain left to remember to breathe. She was going to be nothing soon; nothing but an empty shell with a bus ticket in hand.

Meg felt the numbness crawling through her body, and she barely felt Theo pulling her up from the couch and towards the stairs. She doubted she'd be able to make it through an entire shower, but a change of clothes was needed and maybe food wouldn't be a bad idea, even if she wasn't hungry. She really hadn't eaten much since breakfast. One step at a time, she made her way towards her bedroom on the second floor, automatically pulling a shirt and shorts from her drawers. Her eyes caught on a photo sitting on her dresser as she shut the top drawer, the clothes dropping from her hands as she stared at the picture.

It was her and Mr Warren on the day they'd moved into their house in New York. They'd been moving boxes all day, also accepting heaps of food from welcoming neighbors up and down the block. Eventually, it'd become a game of what pan of goop was the grossest, and they'd had their first food fight in the new kitchen. They were both dripping in noodles, multi-colored sauce, and disgustingness; but it was one of her favorite pictures of them because it was one of her favorite memories.

Meg slammed the frame down with a loud bang, causing several more on the top to rock from the force of it. "I'm going to go change," she whispered, not looking at Theo as she grabbed her things and walked out of the bedroom, going into the bathroom to rid herself of her blood-soaked clothes.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 729!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo had never really thought about the implications of Jenny’s death in any other way than it left Issy motherless and himself as a widower. He never thought about what might happen if he met someone else. It was still very early days for him and Meg; other couples might disagree but after everything he had been through he had wanted to take things slow with the pretty blonde and make sure that everything was just right between them before anything went too far. However, if things did turn out for the best, which Theo didn’t dare think about, Issy would end up with her as a mother figure. If not, then someone else might take on that role in the little girl’s life. He wasn’t planning anything so soon, but it was a thought that Lilia had planted in his mind a few weeks earlier and it had continued to grow slowly, making him realise the wider impact of everything he did.

He studied her carefully as she spoke, taking in what she said and thinking it all over. He could understand why she was angry, but he also partially understood why Mr Warren had done it. He had already vowed to never let Issy grow up without knowing all about her biological mother and how amazing she had been, but he also didn’t want Issy becoming that tantrum throwing teenager who would use the line “you’re not my mother” on someone who did the job of one. Maybe it was hopeful thinking on his part, but he still had an ounce of optimism left in him and it only kept growing the more time he spent with Meg. “He’s still your da, Meg. So what if it’s not biological? He still raised you and he was still the one there for you when no one else was.”

[/color] He tucked his finger under Meg’s chin so that he could turn her to look at him. “Maybe he shouldn’t have kept it from you, but have you asked him why he did it, hen? I’m sure there’s a good reason.”[/color] Theo knew that Mr Warren wasn’t a bad man and he did honestly believe that he must have a good reason for keeping the truth from Meg for so long. Even if Meg was hurting, he saw this from the perspective of a father and whilst he wasn’t taking sides at all, he did think that Mr Warren deserved a chance to explain.

Upstairs, Theo ran his fingers through her soft hair, trying to calm her down and soothe her. He knew she was taking this badly and who could really blame her? Still, he wanted her to calm down enough to see that it really didn’t change who she was or the life she had. It didn’t matter where the DNA came from; it was all about the love that a family showed someone and no one could dare say that Mr Warren and Meg didn’t have that father/daughter love that usually faded during the teenage years of life.
He sighed as she slammed the frames down and gently placed his daughter on the floor, kissing the crown of her head before moving to fix them back into place. Meg was angry, but this really shouldn’t outweigh the years of great memories she had with the man who Theo would always say was her dad. He waited in the room whilst she changed, sitting on the floor to play with Issy while Meg was gone. His dark eyes flicked to the door, listening for noise on the other side too, wanting to make sure that Meg was okay in there.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 655
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! Dx <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Before today, Meg had wondered if maybe, one day, she'd be considered Issy's mother. She knew Theo would still include Jenny in his daughter's upbringing but, what if she was the other woman who took the deceased one's place? What if she and Issy had what her mother and she had had before the accident? What if she wanted to fill that slot? She had considered it a few times whenever she lied awake late at night. She wouldn't mind playing mom, especially not to so sweet a little girl. She could find a job in New York, stick around and see how it played out with Theo; maybe there was more in store for them. But, she knew he meant to launch himself into a career after graduation; she knew that that'd involve traveling, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up if she did secure a job here. That hadn't mattered as she'd dreamt though, and she doubted it really would until she was faced with the reality of it all.

Meg didn't want to leave Theo, but she also didn't want to stay here. Every time her eyes glanced at the laptop case, she could practically hear that ticket calling, promising her an escape and answers she'd never knew she needed until today. Every time she looked at Theo, she saw love and safety and comfort, and she clung to it with what was left of her heart. Still, the bus ticket was winning; Theo would be here for a long time, but the truth would only be available for so long before it, too, vanished into thin air. "I don't want to talk to him right now," she said defensively, like a child refusing to eat vegetables for dinner. Currently, her head was pulled in too many directions for an "adult" answer and, really, Meg never could act like a grown up; she never wanted to. "How do I know he's not hiding more from me? What if the answer he gives is a lie? I can't trust him to tell me the truth," she answered, turning the conversation so she was the one asking instead of answering. She didn't want to answer his questions any more; she could barely answer any of her own. Meg pulled her face from his fingers, pushing her hair out of her face and shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. She stayed close to him, but she was tense, and it showed in every tightened muscle; she doubted she'd be able to relax any time in the near future.

In the bathroom, Meg stiffly stripped down to her bra and panties, pulling the fresh shirt and shorts on and leaving her stained clothes in the tub. She could deal with them later; probably throw them out, but it would be done later. Right now, she was debating climbing out the window, going back in through the kitchen, and grabbing her ticket. She could make an easy escape, then; call Theo on the way to Forks and apologize for everything. She could hear him playing with Issy though, and she couldn't just leave him there. She couldn't be that cruel to him.

Meg slowly emerged from the bathroom, not looking much better, save the clean shirt and pants. She went back into her bedroom, sitting on the floor next to Theo and curling into his side. Eventually, after a long moment of silence, the sniffling began, followed by the hot tears and quiet sobs she wished she could stop.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 623!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo didn’t enjoy planning for the future anymore. With Jenny he had made endless plans ranging from tiny changes in the house to grand adventures they vowed to go on one day when the time was right. All of those dreams had been snatched from him when she died and now he found it best to only plan the month out, if that. He didn’t want to feel that burning pain and anguish again in his life and disappointing thoughts of the future only made reality harder to cope with, Theo had found. He had wondered how Meg would feel if she became a mom to Issy, but he had quenched those thoughts quickly, reminding himself that he had dreams to chase and so did she. He didn’t like to think about it, but he had a gut feeling that this relationship was approaching its final scene and a painful goodbye.

That was not his worry right now though. Now that he knew what was going on, his worry was that Meg might do something reckless out of anger. He could understand that she was hurting from discovering that most of her life she had been lied to, but at the same time, he wanted to help her see the bigger picture. He didn’t know who or why her biological dad had been left out of the picture, but he knew what it was like to be a dad and it boiled down to a whole lot more than blood and DNA. “So what did you do? Run out and leave him feeling terrible? Meg, no matter what happens, he is your dad and you know it, hen.”

[/color] He kept his voice soft as he held her close, hoping that he’d help her to see what was true in all of this. If he had lied then, as a father, Theo believed he must’ve had a good reason to. He didn’t like seeing Meg hurting, but there had to be more to this than she knew. “You won’t know until you speak to him. Maybe your ma had her reasons and he was just sticking to them, for her.”[/color] Theo could understand that better than anyone; he had promised things to Jenny and had stuck to them even after she was gone. It was the way it worked when you loved someone so much.

Once Meg was out of the room and getting changed, Theo turned his attention to his own little girl. Issy was completely oblivious to what was going on and far too wrapped up in her own world right now where there was nothing to be scared of, no doubts of trust or lies of any kind. It was such a shame that innocence became tarnished and quickly lost as one grew up, but Theo knew that Issy had been exposed to that a long time before she could comprehend it. Losing her mother mere days after being born was going to prove hard for the tiny girl as she grew up and Theo knew that he was only a few years from those difficult questions that he had told himself he’d answer honestly. There might be bullies who would pick at that wound to hurt her, but Theo wanted Issy to know the truth, just like any parent did. If Mr Warren had kept the truth from Meg then there had to be a good reason for it and Theo’s gut told him that the truth was probably more painful than the lie itself. He just had to make Meg see that now.

He wrapped his arm around Meg whilst Issy slapped his other hand in some game of infanthood. When he heard the sniffles, he knew the sobs would be close after and pulled the blonde girl into his lap, holding her close and running his fingers soothingly through her hair. Even Issy seemed to sense that something wasn’t right and crawled closer to Meg, clutching her clean shirt as she tried to find a way to cuddle close to the crying blonde. “It’s goin’ to be alright, hen. Just let it all oot.”[/color] He whispered, kissing Meg’s temple and holding her closer still
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 743
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Meg had never had her "reckless" youth. She'd always had her dad there to face after a drunken night of partying, and she'd always had this sense that she had to keep her wits about her, if only so she'd be able to come home with her dignity in tact. But, without her father there to please, Meg was starting to lean towards doing something stupid and brash. She could go home for a week and make up the work; she could track down her biological father this summer and send out for job offers on her way until she got a reply and had to return home. It wasn't like she had much to stay for in the city; really, it was only Theo, who she'd heard talk about leaving, too. Nix could be kept in contact with through email or texting, as could her other friends. Many of them were graduating, too, however, so even they wouldn't be in the city. She could run off and do this; she could.

She was not in the mood to hear reason, not when her heart and head hurt so much from the events of the day. Meg wanted someone who'd side with her and offer to buy a matching bus ticket and run off with her; she didn't want someone taking her father's side and making it look like this was somehow all her fault. She hadn't been the one lying for so long, and she hadn't been the one keeping secrets; she'd been the one who had her entire history changed in mere seconds, and whose life had been turned upside down by a truth she'd never imagined hearing. She wanted someone who could see that. "What the hell was I supposed to do, Theo? Sit there and pretend none of it mattered, that he hadn't been keeping things from me my entire life? No; my dad is someone I haven't even met because of him. The guy in the hospital can go to hell right now for all I care," she snapped harshly. "I got a name, and that's all I need. His reasons aren't important, not when he promised he'd never keep secrets from me. I'm not talking to him again." Mr Warren could call, text, email, or send letters; whatever he wanted. Meg would not be answering them; she was too mad that she'd been denied the chance to meet the real father who'd actually helped give her life.

The fact that her mother had been a part of this was not helping Meg cope with it all. In her eyes, her mother was the angel who looked after her yet; the one who couldn't do anything wrong, and never had. It was a child's image, but, it was the one she'd held onto all these years; she'd never had anything or anyone to break the picture. At least, until now. The two people who she held closest to her heart had been lying to her; one for 13 years, the other for 22. And, the idea of her mother asking for this all to be kept a secret was one more blow to the daughter's head. Meg couldn't believe she'd wanted all of this hidden.

She curled into his chest, burying her face in the familiar scent of his shirt. She didn't want to run when she could stay and enjoy her last few weeks of this, but she didn't want to listen to him take her father's side in this; she needed him with her, not against her. At the feeling of a small hand grabbing her shirt, Meg forced a tiny smile, turning to pull the little girl into her lap, both of them cuddled against Theo. "Don't ever do this to her," she whispered, looking up at him with devastated eyes as she held Issy close.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 695!
OUTFIT: LOOK AT ME!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo knew how foolish people could be when their emotions were too intense; he had been there himself. Luckily, he had a new-born daughter to stop him from doing anything too crazy, but the temptation had been there. It hadn’t been easy for him and without Lilia coming to stay in the city with him, things could’ve ended up being very different and he might not be the guy he was today or the father that Issy saw him to be. Emotions were powerful things and not always the best thing to listen to when something big happened in life. Theo could understand that Meg was hurting, that she felt as though everything she knew was a lie, but he didn’t want to see her do something crazy that she would regret one day. He cared too much about her to sit back and let her try to work through everything on her own.

With a soft sigh, Theo turned back to her and held her closer, hoping it would help to calm her down some more. “He shouldn’t have kept up the lie, I ken that, but Meg just think about all o’ this for a wee minute, hen. What if your biological father didn’t want kids? ‘The guy in the hospital’ didn’t have ta call you his own, or take care o’ you and tuck you in at night, but he did. That counts for more than DNA and I know you love him, even if you’re angry with him right now.”

[/color] Her anger alone was enough to tell Theo that she was contemplating something reckless and he wanted to calm her down and stop her before she got that chance. “Listen ta me, hen; we all make promises ta the ones we love and with death, we only become more determined ta stick with them.”[/color] He had been there himself, and while he didn’t know the reasons behind Mr Warren’s secret, he knew it was probably a good one; it was the only option when a parent lied to their child. “I made promises o’ my own ta Jenny; some were aboot me and others were for Issy.”[/color] He admitted quietly for the first time to anyone. The little girl peaked up at her dad when he mentioned her name, but she quickly found interest in her doll again once she realised he wasn’t actually talking to her. “You need ta take some time ta calm down and process it all. If you like I can go and visit him and you can mind Issy?”[/color] Mr Warren had to be feeling frenzied too, not knowing what his daughter might be doing or thinking. For the sake of them both, Theo felt as though someone ought to intervene and at least try to help them both through this. He was one of the few people who could emphasise with both of them.

He smiled across at his girlfriend and then looked down at Issy, pushing the soft curls away from the infant’s face. “We do anything ta protect our children, Meg. We do whatever it takes ta save them from the pain, and sometimes they might not understand it because they weren’t there or they were too young, but we hope that if it comes down ta secrets and lies, that one day they can understand. It might not be while we’re alive, but we’re always looking oot for them because we love them, and it’s what parents do.”[/color] He sighed softly and kissed Meg’s forehead lightly before meeting her eyes again. “He should’ve told you sooner and not when something like this was happening, I do ken that, hen.”[/color] He whispered, not wanting to sound like he was taking sides; he wasn’t, he just wanted to try and give her the perspective Mr Warren must’ve been coming from to do such a thing. He only wanted Meg to see this whole situation as a bigger picture, which was hard when she was feeling so emotional.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 715
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Margaret Rose Warren]

Meg wanted to be talking to someone who would be on her side. She wanted someone who wouldn't try and stop her from doing something wreckless, and who would agree that her father had been wrong to keep all of this from her. She wanted a person to run away with her, and to make the journey of finding her real father fun; she wanted someone who wouldn't take her dad's side. Meg didn't want to put Theo in the position of picking sides, but, at the same time, she did, just to see who he'd choose. Would he pick her, the girl who'd fought so hard to open his heart back up and give him happiness again? Or would he go with her father, the guy who'd been lying to his a girl who wasn't even his daughter for her entire life? From what he'd been saying since he arrived, Meg got the feeling he'd side with Mr Warren.

She couldn't listen to him play wise father anymore; she was done with it, and with trying to fight with him to make him realize he should've been with her instead of against. Gently setting Issy back in his lap, Meg stood up and went to her closet, pulling out a dusty suitcase. She flipped it open on the floor, tossing clothes into it. "I have to pack, Theo," she said, her back to him as she dug through her drawer for a few pairs of socks. "There's a bus ticket downstairs that's going to give me more answers than you or he can, and I'm not going to let it go to waste. Go visit him for all I care; bring him flowers and a balloon and a card. I don't care. I'm leaving."

Meg worked quickly, yanking clothing out and packing it away neatly into her little case. Theo could say what he liked; scold her, yell at her, call her an idiot. At the end of the day, she would be the one with answers to questions that would otherwise forever bug her and he'd still be the one sitting there talking himself blue.

TAG: Theo-Bear! <3
LOCATION: Her Place!
WORDS: 405!
OUTFIT: LOOK AT ME!
MUSIC: "Breaking Your Own Heart" by Kelly Clarkson
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

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[Theo Anthony Sterling]

Theo wasn’t about to pick sides. They had both reacting in peculiar ways about everything and it seemed a little harsh for both of them, but the only way they could get through this was to sit down and talk about it with each other; something Meg refused to even contemplate right now, which didn’t make this whole situation any easier on Theo who hated the idea of hospitals and blood to begin with, but he was trying to look past the gory details of the situation and focus on Meg’s family, because at the end of the day that was what the man in the hospital bed was; her family.

Theo held Issy in his lap and watched as Meg moved to start packing her things. He took a moment to understand everything again and pushed himself to his feet, setting Issy down out of the way before turning his attention to his girlfriend who seemed more than ready to run. “So that’s it, is it? You’re going to just give up everything you have here in New York for a man you never even knew about until today? Tell me, Meg, if I didn’t show up here today, would you have even told me about any of this or would you have just run away?”

[/color] He asked, blocking the path between her and the wardrobe. “I get it, running away means you don’t have to think about your father in that hospital bed or anything to do with your mom. It’s only ever a temporary solution though and you have got to face up to everything here eventually. Running is cowardice and only gets you so far; I would know.”[/color] He told her coldly, refusing to just let her waltz out and get on that bus without having something to think about, if he let her get on that bus at all. “You want answers from the man who wasn’t there, I understand. It’s just not a good idea to go blindly running at him when you’re this emotional. It can backfire and you can’t just walk back from it like nothing actually happened. New York changes all the time; so what’s to say that they’ll be anything left here if you go now?”[/color] He asked, his eyes never moving from hers.

New York was school, Theo and all of her friends like the infamous Phoenix and they wouldn’t wait around for her return. They couldn’t. Life had to go on and they were all supposed to graduate soon, starting a new chapter in their lives. Theo couldn’t hang around New York on the off chance of Meg’s return; he had a daughter to support and raise by himself. He loved Meg and he had finally let someone else in his life, but he couldn’t pin everything on romance anymore and if she got on that bus she was walking away from a hell of a lot more than a man in a hospital bed.
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• • •

TAGGED! Meg <3
WORDS! 542
OUTFIT! Scottish Summer Chum!
LYRICS! Safe And Sound - - - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
NOTES! Dx <3