Melanie was working later than usual - although now, it was more unusual for Melanie to get out of work on time. Nevertheless, she was still in work by the time Sadie got out of school, so Chris went to get her, preparing for an awkward evening. It was John's weekend with Sadie, and since Melanie was working later, John would be getting Sadie from Chris. John couldn't get Sadie from school because he had a late appointment - Chris didn't even want to know what that appointment was for - so he would be getting Sadie from Chris in a couple of hours. Chris hadn't seen or even spoken to John since September, but despite how awkward and tense Chris knew it was going to be, he was curious about seeing John. He was curious to see the mental state that John was in.
Melanie was always talking about how she thought that Sadie deserved to have as normal a relationship with her father as possible, and that's why she always let Sadie go with John despite whatever mental state he appeared to be in. Chris agreed that Sadie should have a good relationship with her own father, but he was definitely more willing to keep Sadie himself tonight if he felt necessary. Sadie was a girl today though, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad tonight. He wasn't quite sure.
Sadie was playing Guitar Hero Live, and was actually playing along to 'Break the Cycle'. Chris stood near her and put his hands over her ears over swear words - even though she knew what they all were - because he knew that that's what Melanie would have done.
"Can someone tell me who the -- I am?"
"Why do you do that?" Sadie asks.
"Because there was a swear word there and I know that that's what your mom would have wanted me to do."
"You're actually taking parenting advice from my mom?"
Chris scoffs, "First of all, I am no parent. Second of all, does your mom think I should take parenting advice from her?"
"Yes."
Chris rolls his eyes, "Of course she does."
"She says you don't like kids though."
"Hey, I never said that. If I didn't like kids, how would you and I have as much fun as we do when we're together? I just don't want any kids of my own."
"Why?"
"It's hard to explain, kiddo. I'm away a lot, which wouldn't be fair to the kid or whoever it is that's taking care of the baby. Plus there's things like helping out with homework and cooking for another person and responsibility and eeehhhh..."
"You do all those things for me though."
"That's different."
"How is it different?"
"You're Sadie. You're pretty independent. Besides, we've already established that I'm like an uncle or a big brother to you." Chris says before ruffling Sadie's hair, then standing and walking off to the kitchen.
"Yeah...but sometimes you're kind of like another dad to me..." Sadie says, sheepishly.
Chris opens the fridge, not quite able to hear Sadie over the sound of the music coming from the video game.
"What was that?" Chris asks.
Chris then hears the sound of a car door shutting from outside, then he grabs a Coke, shuts the fridge and walks back out into the living room.
"Your dad is here, kiddo."
"Oh. Okay." Sadie says, grabbing the remote and pausing the game. She then takes the remote control guitar off as there's a knock on the door.
Chris opens the door to reveal John, "Hey." Chris says, casually.
"Hey." John repeats.
"Sadie, you got everything ready?" Chris asks.
"Yeah, my backpack is upstairs, I'll go get it." Sadie says before running upstairs.
Chris and John just stare at each other awkwardly a moment.
"Is it cold out?" Chris asks, as John was still standing outside.
"Yup."
There's another pause.
"Still against letting me set foot in your house, huh?" John asks.
"Yup." Chris states.
Another pause, more hostile than awkward.
"So, I haven't been able to help but notice that you and Melanie have been getting awful close lately." John states.
"What are you talking about? She and I have always been close."
"I know, but you just seem...really close lately."
Chris raises an eyebrow and goes to speak, but Sadie then appears.
"Hi, Daddy."
"Hey, pumpkin. You ready to go?"
"Mhm. Bye, Chris." Sadie says, quickly hugging Chris.
"Bye, kiddo. Have fun."
Sadie and John walk off and Chris watches. Everything seemed okay...but Chris really couldn't tell if it actually was.
"I have some things in the back seat that we may need to move over to make room for you." John says to Sadie.
Sadie opens the back passenger door and moves some of the bags over before getting in, shutting the door and getting into her booster seat. She buckles herself in as John gets in the driver's side and buckles in as well. Sadie observes some of the things in the back seat.
"Why do you have a rope?" Sadie asks.
"I bought it." John says, getting his keys.
"What for?"
"A project."
"Are you gonna make a rope swing?" Sadie asks.
John starts the car, "Something like that." He says before driving off.
x
Melanie walks into Chris' house without knocking some time later.
"Wassup, dick?"
"Hey, bitch."
"Has my child been transferred to her father?"
"She has, indeed."
"And how was the exchange?"
"Painful."
"I thought it might be. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, we lived."
Melanie sits next to Chris on the couch, "How was he today?"
"Well...he actually seemed okay."
"Really?"
Chris nods. Melanie sighs.
"You okay?" Chris asks.
"Chris, what if he really is okay with Sadie changing? What if this whole time, John had the ability to change how he saw these things and I never saw it? What if...What if I made a mistake by divorcing him?"
"Melanie, come on, don't say that. The reason why John was late today was because he had an appointment - very likely an appointment to make some poor gay or trans kid 'normal again'. He lied to you about this for years and wasn't willing to change his views before, so what makes you think he's willing to now? Maybe for his own kid, he'll be willing to open his mind a little bit, but I wouldn't be so sure about him seeing other people in a different way. Not to mention that even though he was okay today, from what you've told me, he seems to be a bit mental lately and it doesn't sound like he's been taking his medication like he's supposed to. I would not trust him, Mel."
Chris then takes Melanie's hand, "I know it hurts, and I know it's hard...but your marriage is over, Melanie. It's been over."
Melanie sighs and squeezes his hand, "I know." She whispers.
Chris releases Melanie's hand and wraps an arm around her as she lays her head on his shoulder. Chris knew how much Melanie was hurting through all of this, even though she wouldn't admit it. The day the divorce was final was a hard day for Melanie...
She'd taken the day off work, and Chris came over to her house to be with her until it was time to get Sadie from school. Chris had walked into the house without knocking, slowly and hesitantly.
"Hey." He'd said.
Melanie had been sitting on the floor in an AC/DC T-shirt, faded jeans and purple socks. Melanie didn't cry very often, but she looked like she could at any moment. Maybe she had been, and Chris just hadn't seen it. An open and half-empty wine bottle sat next to her and an Elvis Presley record had been playing. "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" was playing, it had been the song that Melanie and John had danced to at their wedding.
Chris sighed, "Mel, what are you doing to yourself?" He asked. He shut the door and sat down on the floor next to Melanie.
"I dunno. Trying to bring back some happy memories."
Chris walked over to the record player and stopped the record.
Melanie then snorted, "Listening to our favorite song, then sitting on the floor in sadness and drinking a bottle of wine when it doesn't work out; I really did turn out to be just like my mother."
Chris sat down on the floor next to her.
Melanie shook her head to herself, "I haven't been this much of a mess since the miscarriage. Actually, scratch that, I haven't stopped being this much of a mess since the miscarriage." She'd said, "Well, at least now, I've only got to be a single mother to one kid. If I hadn't miscarried, I would have to take care of a seven year old and an eighteen month old. Then again, all of the fights seemed to start right after the miscarriage, so maybe if I hadn't miscarried, none of this would have even happened."
"Yeah, but you'd be living in a marriage full of lies. That's not what a marriage should be." Chris added.
"Maybe, but it would still be a marriage."
"But you deserve so much better than that, Mel. You'll find it one day."
Melanie snorted, "I'm not gonna be ready to date for quite some time now."
"Well, you'll still find someone that you deserve eventually."
"I don't want eventually, I want now. I want to be in love and I want to be married and I want to have a family."
"And you'll get it someday, Mel. Sometimes, these things just take time."
Melanie looked up into Chris' eyes, "But who am I supposed to have it with?"
Chris' eyes were the only ones that Melanie trusted to see her in a time of such suffering and pain. If only she knew...
Chris sighed, "I don't know, Mel. No one does. You just kind of...have to believe that somehow, things will end up the way they're supposed to." He said, "Look, everyone and their brother is going to understand how hard of a time you're going through. Divorce is heartbreaking and everyone understands how hurt you are. You absolutely deserve this day to drink your wine and to vent and to cry and whatever else. You absolutely deserve that after what you've been through...but you've still got a house and a job and a dog and a little girl to take care of, Mel. I'll be there to help you in any way I can, but you are going to have to find a way to get back on your feet."
Melanie looked down at her lap, "I know."
Fred then walked over and laid down next to Melanie, setting his head in her lap.
Melanie actually managed a smile, "Thanks, Fred." She said as she and Chris both began to pet the large, black dog.
"You're gonna figure this out, Mel."
"You think so?"
Chris kissed Melanie's temple, "I know so."
x
Sadie was happy with John that night, and he seemed happy too.
He sets out plates, bowls, and silverware where Sadie could reach them. He sets out cereal, bread, butter, peanut butter, fruit, and other snacks that he knew Sadie would be capable of making for herself. He even set out a king sized box of sour patch kids. They'd had a good night. They got dinner and they watched a movie. John wanted a good night with Sadie, but he couldn't take much more.
Sadie was sitting awkwardly and alone on the living room couch. She was happy, but that feeling was slowly begin to diminish as she took her eyes off of the television and watched John as he sat at a table in the kitchen, fumbling around with things in there and the rope that had been in his car earlier.
"Daddy?" Sadie asked, quietly.
"Yes, sweetie?" John asked, not looking up from the objects he had set out on the table.
"What are you doing?"
"Working."
"I thought you were going to spend time with me."
John stops what he's doing and looks to Sadie. He softens. John walks into the living room to Sadie, then kisses her forehead.
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. I love you too, Daddy."
John swallows, "I wanted to have a good night with you...We had a good night, right?"
"Mhm. I had fun."
"Good, good...I was going to wait to do this but I can't, I just can't."
"What do you mean?"
"Just something I have to do. Don't worry about it." John says, "I'm gonna go into my room for a little while, okay? I've just gotta do something. Just wait here until someone comes to get you, okay?"
Sadie furrows her eyebrows in confusion, "What?"
"It's okay, really...I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy."
John smiles, then kisses Sadie's forehead again before turning and going back into the kitchen.
John then sighs, "God, I'm insane..." He whispers to himself; at least now, he was finally admitting it.
x
Melanie lays flopped on Chris' couch, her feet in his lap as he rubbed them and a pillow over her face. She says something, but it's muffled by the sound of the pillow.
"What?" Chris asks, unable to understand her.
Melanie removes the pillow from her face, "What if I never get married again?" She repeats.
"Mel, that's crazy."
"No, it's not. I'm a single mother with a crazy work schedule. I probably won't ever have time to date. I won't have a whole lot of time to spend with whatever guy would be crazy enough to go out with me. After Sadie graduates and moves out, I'm just gonna be one of those old ladies that has a bunch of cats."
"That's not true, Melanie."
Chris takes Melanie's hand and yanks on her so she's sitting up and can look at him.
"You're funny, you're intelligent, you're interesting, you're kind-hearted, you're nurturing, you're beautiful; you have a really interesting life and a really interesting story. Any real man will look at those things and those things only, and he'll look past all that other stuff. Sure you have a nice face and you definitely have a nice body - "
"Excuse me?"
"But that's not what matters." Chris continues, ignoring Melanie's comment, "What matters is...you've got a really beautiful spirit, Melanie. I mean...who wouldn't want that? Who wouldn't want you?"
Melanie softens, "Really?"
Chris goes to speak, when his phone starts to ring on the coffee table. Chris looks at the caller ID and his eyes widen.
"Uh oh."
"What?"
"It's Sadie." Chris says, grabbing his phone and answering it, "Hello?"
"Hey, Chris. I tried calling Mom but she wouldn't answer."
"That's okay, your mom is with me. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just have a question. What's that phone number that I'm supposed to call when there's an emergency? I forgot it."
Chris blinks, "You mean nine one one?"
Sadie gasps, as if to be remembering, "Nine one one! That's it? How did I forget that? That's so easy. Okay, well I gotta go so I can call them. Thanks, Chris."
"Wait wait wait wait wait!"
"What?" Sadie asks, obliviously.
"Why do you wanna call nine one one?"
Melanie's eyes widen, "What?! Put her on speaker."
Chris does as told.
"Hi, sweetie, it's me." Melanie says.
"Hi, Mommy!"
"Why do you wanna call nine one one, baby?"
"Oh. Well, Daddy went into his room a pretty long time ago and he hasn't come out. The door is locked and I thought I heard something fall over, so I'm afraid he might be hurt."
Chris and Melanie look to each other, then Chris nods and they stand. They begin to quickly put their shoes on and gather their things.
"Hey, Chris, I have another question."
"What is it, kiddo?" Chris asks, nonchalantly as he searches for his keys.
"Well, Daddy left a note in the kitchen for Mommy. I found it in there when I went to get Sour Patch Kids. What does C-A-D-A-V-E-R-O-U-S spell?"
Chris furrows his eyebrows in confusion, "Cadaverous. Sadie, what does the note say?"
"I can't say, it has a bad word in it."
Melanie frantically searches for her things, growing increasingly worried by the second.
"Just bleep it out, what does it say?" Chris asks.
" 'It's actually MISTER Ca..Cadaverous' - is that how you say it? - 'and I'll show you who I really 'effing' am. Melanie, if you're reading this, he'll never be good enough for you. See you down below'. Down below? Like down under? 'Cause that's what people call Australia sometimes."
"Just stay right there, sweetie, Chris and I will be there soon." Melanie says.
Sadie gasps in realization, "That's a great idea, Mom! You're a doctor, so if Daddy's hurt, you can help him!"
"That's right, sweetie. So don't call 911 just yet, okay? If we get there and it turns out we do need to call them, I'll do it myself. You just stay there and don't do anything for now, okay?"
"Okay. See you guys soon." Sadie says before hanging up.
Chris finds the keys, then he and Melanie run out of the house and to the car, wanting to get to John's house as soon as humanly possible.
A/N: Oh man. Sadie's innocence though, it's so bad but I was laughing so hard as I was writing her dialogue during this part. Also, Melanie and Chris' little moment there, and John commenting on how "close" the two of them are getting...Tell me what all you think is going on!
IMPORTANT. I don't usually do this kind of thing buuuuuut a friend of mine is really good at writing - like way better than me - and has started writing on Wattpad! But she's new and has no one reading her material because she doesn't know anyone in the community so IF YOU LIKE GAY FANFICTION AND YOU LIKE DAN AND PHIL, prepare to meet your new favorite author! Please go follow phansauce97 and give her material a read! She has a fluffy one shot and the prologue of an awesome new story so go check her out!
And *pathetic sigh* since I'm doing this for her, I SUPPOSE I'd be open to doing like a shout-out-for-shout-out thing in the future, but I'm not gonna do it THAT often 'cause I don't wanna turn into one of THOSE authors, ya know? But when I was new to Wattpad, I had a friend who helped me get followers, so for that reason I'm open to helping other people too.
Moral of the story, go check out phansauce97!
xoxo, Scissorhands