Days of our Haiden (Read 6,343 times)

[ihearthaiden]

Sorry it's late! I forgot. The other will be up later today.

Days of our Haiden
Season 2 Episode 16: Girls Chase Boys

Hope felt horrible for arguing with Aiden. She was upset about Rafe and angry with whomever killed him and his family, so she had taken it out on Aiden. She had tried calling him, but he wasn’t picking up his phone.
With a sigh, she picked up the litter and box and headed up the stairs to see how Chase was doing, and to see what this cat he got was like. She liked animals. It was just that she liked to keep her house very pristine. The thought of clawed up furniture, cat hair everywhere, and litter all over the floor was not very appealing to her. She also knew that some cats could be temperamental. However, even though she didn’t want Chase using blackmail against them in order to forgive them, she did know he was going through something right now. Despite what she had said to Aiden in anger, she really did consider Chase her son, and if this what he needed to start feeling better, then she supposed she could put up with the little fur ball.
“Chase, I got the litter box and litter in my arms. Can you please open your door?” she called out once she was outside his bedroom door.
Chase opened the door. “I heard you and Dad fighting. I know you don’t want the cat. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take her back to the shelter, or see if Ciara will keep her. I don’t need you and Dad breaking up because of me. As if I need yet another thing on my conscience.”
Hope sighed. She felt badly that Chase had not only overheard them fighting, but that he also blamed himself for the argument. After what she had said to Aiden, she could see how Chase would blame himself. “I may have overreacted. You can keep the cat, if that is what helps you. Please just make sure the litter is swept up if she gets any on the floor. Also, I’ll pay for it, but I want you getting Soft Paws for it. I don’t want it clawing up the furniture. Finally, if you see any hair on anything, please use a lint roller or whatever you have to use to get it off.”
Chase shrugged. “Deal. But I don’t want you and dad to fight over it. I know you don’t think of me as a son anymore after what I did. It’s cool. I get it. But please don’t think badly of my dad for having created me.”
Hope’s heart broke. She felt even more like a monster now. She held out her arms to Chase. “Baby, come here. I didn’t mean it when I said I wasn’t your mother. I know I may not biologically be your mother, but in my heart you are my son; as if I gave birth to you myself. I honestly don’t blame you for what you did when you were four. You loved your mom, and I know you never would have killed her on purpose.”
“Do you really mean it?” Chase asked.
Hope nodded. “Of course I do!”
Chase then walked into her open arms and hugged her back. “I didn’t mean what I said when I said you weren’t my mom. I will always love my real mom, but you’re the mom I remember the most. I love that you make my dad so happy, and I love that you’re willing to take care of me even though I’m not your blood like Ciara.”
Hope held him at arm’s length, and looked him in the eyes. “To me, you are blood like Ciara.”
Chase smiled weakly. “My dad will never leave you. He loves you far too much. I think you both need to apologize to each other.”
Hope shook her head. “I’m the only one who needs to apologize. Your father was right in getting you a cat. I’m just taking out on him what happened to Rafe. He, his brother, and his father were all murdered. They were trapped in a house that was purposely burned down. Rafe was locked in an electric chair like contraption, and matches were found at the scene of the crime, so we know it was murder. We have no leads yet.”
Chase gasped. “Oh my gosh! Hope, I’m so sorry! I was never Rafe’s biggest fan, but I’d never wish this on him! Come here.” He pulled Hope close again.
Hope sniffled against his chest and hugged him tightly.
“A good cop like you will find the killer in no time. I’m sure of it!” Chase said.
Hope smiled weakly at him. “I hope you’re right.” She then looked over his shoulder. “So, let me see this cat of yours. Have you picked out a name yet?”
Chase walked over to where the cat was cuddled up sleeping on his bed. “Would it be too weird to call her Meredith after my mom?”
Hope smiled, and shook her head. “I think Meredith is a perfect name for her.” She began to pet the cat, who woke up and started purring. Meredith stood up and began to walk back and forth underneath her hand. “Aw! She’s adorable.”
Chase grinned. “I hope Dad eventually warms up to her.”
Hope laughed. “That may take some time, but he’ll come around.”
Chase smiled too.
Hope felt better. Now, if Aiden would get home and they could make up, things would be even better yet. And once she caught Rafe’s killer, things would be perfect.

~*This love came back to me.*~

After an hour and a half of stewing in an out of town coffee shop, Aiden started to feel badly about the fight. He knew he was just being silly getting jealous over Rafe. Regardless of Hope not having been with him anymore, he had still been her friend for years. He was once married to her niece, and he was her partner at work for quite a few years. Also, whether he liked it or not, she had dated him for a year. Just because she was no longer dating him didn’t mean she wouldn’t still feel sad when he died—especially since it was a murder. His brother and father being murdered with him must have made it even harder for her, Aiden knew. So, he sucked it up and went to the store to get her two of her favorite things—a bouquet of flowers and a box of Godiva chocolates.
He arrived home and headed for the door. He was half worried that Hope had locked him out of the house. Thankfully, she hadn’t, and the door was open.
He entered the house, and locked the door behind him.
Suddenly, he heard someone running down the stairs. He looked up to see Hope rushing towards him. “I was worried you weren’t going to come back,” she said. “I’m so sorry for the things I said. I didn’t mean them, I promise! I’m just upset over Rafe’s death, and so angry that someone would do this to him and his family. I should have never taken it out on you or Chase. I’ve apologized to Chase, and he’s forgiven me. He had overheard our argument. I hope you can forgive me too.”
Aiden handed her the bouquet of pink tulips and red roses, as well as the box of chocolates. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have asked you before bringing a cat into your house.”
Hope took the flowers and candy from him, and sniffed the flowers. “Thank you. My two favorite flowers. I love them.” She held up the candy and gently shook the box. “And you know how I feel about chocolate!” she said with a smile.
“I know the pink and red combo looks a little Valentine’s Day-ish, but they were the only mix of tulips and roses I saw,” Aiden replied.
“They’re perfect!” Hope set the vase full of flowers down on the coffee table, and set the chocolates down next to them. She then walked over to him, and gently took his face between her hands. “I want you to know that you can consider this your house too. You were right. We’re going to be getting married, so that makes this your place too.”
Aiden shook his head. “Well, we’re not married yet, and it only has your name on the deed, so technically, it’s your house. I really should have waited to ask for your permission. I was just so eager to get Chase to forgive me that I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Hope placed her hands over his shoulders. “Don’t even worry about it. Chase promised to make sure its hair and litter doesn’t get all over the place. He also is going to allow me to get Soft Paws put on her, so clawing up the furniture won’t be a problem either.”
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “She’s not a very friendly cat though, is she?”
“I don’t know. I think Meredith is quite sweet! She rubbed up against me and purred,” Hope said with a smile.
“Well she was an ass to me!” Aiden grumbled. “Wait. Did you call her Meredith?”
Hope nodded. “Chase decided he wanted to name her after his mother. Sweet isn’t it?”
“I think it’s a little creepy myself,” Aiden said.
Hope playfully swatted him. “Oh, stop! If it makes him feel closer to his mother, then so be it.”
“How are you holding up?” Aiden asked, changing the subject. He pulled her against his chest and gently rubbed her back. He kissed the top of her head. “Are you doing okay?”
“Now that you’re here I am.” She looked him in the eyes, her eyes welling up with tears. “I thought you were really going to call off our engagement.”
Aiden shook his head. He gently stroked the side of her face with his hand. “Baby, no. Never! I was just angry. I know this sounds horrible, but I still get jealous of Rafe. You have every right to grieve over him. It’s normal for goodness sake! You were just so upset that I…I got a little insecure.”
“After what I said, I don’t blame you. But know this, Aiden…” Hope gently stroked his cheek. “If anything were to happen to you like it happened to Rafe, I wouldn’t even be able to function right now.”
Aiden’s eyes lowered with love for her as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. “I feel the same way about you. I love you so much, Hope.”
“I love you too. So much more than you know.” Hope turned off the lights, then pulled him close. “Let’s go to bed. Chase is sleeping. I want to show you how much I love you.” She began kissing down the left side of his neck. “Let me love you. Please?”
“As long as I get to love you too,” Aiden said.
Hope buried her face in the crook of his neck and softly moaned in response.
He then picked her up and carried her up the stairs as they kissed the whole way to the bedroom.

~*This love came back to me.*~

Hope laid her head on Aiden’s chest after their lovemaking, her left arm gently draped over his chest. She felt so content.
Aiden kissed the top of her head. “Fighting like old times, then making up isn’t such a bad thing.” He grinned at her.
She grinned too. “Especially the making up part. She kissed his chest, her hand resting on his chest as she kissed him. “You know, I’ve been thinking… Now that we’re getting married, why don’t we get our own place? I want to live in a home that is not just mine, but both of ours.”
“We don’t have to move. Honestly, as long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I live.” Aiden took her hand in his own and kissed it.
“No. I want to have a place that belongs to both of us,” Hope insisted.
“You could put my name on the deed so that you can still have your house,” Aiden suggested.
“See? There you go again. It would still be ‘my house’ to you,” Hope said. “Even with your name on the deed.”
“Sorry. Force of habit.” Aiden grinned sheepishly.
Hope laid her head back down on his chest, and he began to gently stroke her hair.
“Remember when we were dancing in the park before…before things went bad for us? We talked about getting a house together with an atrium type room where we could dance under the stars,” Hope reminded him.
Aiden nodded. “And it would be just for us.”
Hope looked up at him. “Why don’t we have a house built like that? We can find a nice piece of property and build our dream house! We can afford it with our combined salaries.”
Aiden looked her in the eyes, his heart filling with love for her. “That sounds wonderful, but what about this house? I know how much it means to you. I mean, it was Bo’s and your house.”
Hope propped herself up on her elbow, and faced him. “It just so happens that Shawn is looking for a new place to live. He wants to get a house because he hates apartment living. I’m sure he would be thrilled to have his father’s home.”
“Are you really sure about this?” Aiden asked.
Hope nodded. “I’ll talk to Shawn about it. If he’s willing to hold off on moving for a little while, we can start looking for property and contractors as soon as possible.”
“Well, if you’re down for it then so am I!” Aiden said.
Hope kissed him forcefully on the lips. “I am definitely down for it. You know what else I’m also definitely down for?” Her voice turned a little seductive at this point. She ran her free hand over his chest.
“Hm?” Aiden asked, stroking her hair again. He had an idea what she was down for. He hoped she was right.
Hope whispered in his ear with a mischievous grin on her face.
He moaned, and pulled her down on top of him.
She giggled, then moaned as his mouth covered hers.

~*This love came back for me.*~

Three days later, Ciara had to work and Joey was out on a date with his newest conquest, Jenna. That left Claire and Theo to visit Jonah. Jonah had gone back home earlier in the day. Claire and Theo had decided to give him a couple hours to settle in. Now, they came bearing gifts.
“Hello, Mr. Caldwell. We’re here to see Jonah. I hope that’s all right,” Claire said politely.
Jonah’s father smiled. “Of course it’s all right! In fact, I’m glad you’re here. Beverly is out getting Jonah all his favorite foods, and I just got a call that there is a work emergency. If you guys don’t mind waiting until Beverly returns, which shouldn’t be much longer than a half hour, he won’t have to be alone.”
“Of course we don’t mind!” Theo said.
“Great! Thank you. Perfect timing! He’s right upstairs in his bedroom. And please, you can call me Frank,” Mr. Caldwell said politely.
Claire and Theo smiled politely back.
Frank then left, and Claire and Theo headed up to Jonah’s room.
Jonah was sitting in bed with a Lighter Side catalogue when they entered.
“Knock, knock!” Claire said, gently knocking on the door.
Jonah looked up from his magazine and smiled at them. “Hey, Guys. What’s up?”
“We just came to see how you were doing,” Theo replied.
Jonah shrugged. “As good as I can be I guess.” He set the magazine aside.
“Doing some shopping?” Claire asked as she sat down at the foot of his bed.
“I just like seeing all the cool stuff they have in these things,” he said, gently patting the magazine that lay beside him.
“These are for you.” Claire handed him a teddy bear that was holding a get well soon heart.
Theo then handed him a box of chocolates. “I hope these gifts aren’t too cheesy. We just didn’t know what else to get you.”
Jonah shook his head. “They aren’t cheesy at all! They are beary chocolaty,” he teased.
Claire and Theo both laughed.
“You’re such a dweeb!” Theo said. He then realized what he had just said and shook his head. “I didn’t mean that in a mean way. Heck, look at me. I’m still obsessed with video games, and I think vampires exist. I’m the king of dweebs!”
Jonah smiled weakly. “It’s okay. I know with you guys you’re never being mean.”
“So, are you really being home schooled now?” Claire asked.
Jonah shrugged. “I don’t know. My mom and dad both think it would be a good idea, but I don’t want to not be able to graduate with you guys. I feel like not dying has given me a second chance. I don’t want to miss out on anything more in life because of AJ and his gang of thugs.”
“Are you sure they can handle it if they start bullying you again?” Theo asked.
“We don’t want another incident,” Claire added.
“I’ll be fine. God must have a plan for me since He stopped me from dying. I’m not going to try to kill myself again. I promise,” Jonah said.
“Well, good! We’ve got your back this time. I promise you,” Theo said.
Claire shot him a warning look. Ciara had made them all promise not to let Jonah in on their plan for revenge. They knew Jonah wouldn’t approve. He was too nice. They didn’t want him getting involved or trying to stop them.
They then chatted with Jonah for a good fifteen minutes more.
Suddenly, the front door opened and closed downstairs. “Jonah, Honey, I’m home! I’ve got chicken pot pies for dinner—your favorite!” It was Beverly. She was back from grocery shopping.
“Well, we better get going. I promised my mom I’d spend a mother-daughter evening with her,” Claire said, getting off the bed.
Theo nodded. “And I’m having a family dinner with my dad and sister.”
“All right. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow then,” Jonah said.
Claire and Theo said their goodbyes then left, giving a brief greeting to Beverly on their way out.
“You wanna know a secret?” Claire asked Theo as they headed down the street. It was only a ten-minute walk back to their places.
Theo grinned at her. “What?”
“I believe vampires exist too,” Claire confessed. “Ciara thinks vampires are mythical so I know she’d just think I’m crazy, and I’m sure Joey would mock me mercilessly, so I don’t really make it known to them. It’s a relief to have someone else believe in them too.”
Theo grinned. “You’re not playing me?”
Claire shook her head. “Not at all! I truly believe in them. I mean, not the kind that can’t handle sunlight, but I do think there are people out there who survive by only drinking blood.”
Theo nodded excitedly. “I a hundred percent agree! Joey thinks it’s dumb to believe in vampires because people need food to survive, but babies survive with just milk or formula so why can’t adults survive just on blood?”
“Exactly!” Claire said.
They both laughed, and high-fived each other.
“You know, you’re even cooler than I thought,” Theo said to her.
Ciara smiled. “Thank you! Back at ya.” She winked at him.
He grinned, then they continued walking.
“So what do you think about leprechauns?” Theo asked.
“I believe in them, but I also believe they only come out on St. Patrick’s Day,” Claire said.
Theo nodded. “And they are incognito the other three hundred sixty four days of the year!”
“Three hundred sixty five on a leap year,” Claire said.
They both laughed, walking a little bit closer to each other the rest of the way home.

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
S2E17: Get Ready

Aiden was thrilled to have passed his physical at the doctors. He had gotten a clean bill of health and was to enter into the police academy the very next day. The process had taken a little longer than he had thought. He had also had to be mentally evaluated by Marlena. The police force wanted to ensure that all of their officers were not only physically, but mentally able to handle it was well. Another thing he had had to do was take a polygraph to make sure all the information he had given was true. Finally, he had had to take a drug test for the obvious reasons.
He was excited to finally be going into training to become a police officer. However, for now, all he wanted to concentrate on was all the delicious food he was going to eat at the Labor Day picnic that Hope was hosting in the back yard. They had invited close family and friends.
“I hate apartment living, I really do. I’ve got to get my own place soon before I go insane,” Shawn said to Hope as he sat on a blanket in front of her, eating a hot dog slathered in relish, ketchup and mustard.
Hope handed him a napkin, for his mouth was dripping with condiments. “You’re in luck! I have a solution to your problem.” She smiled at him.
Shawn raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“Well…” Hope took Aiden’s hand in her own. “Aiden and I want to buy some land and build our own place. We’ve already found a couple nice potential pieces of land. However, I’d hate to see our family house go to some stranger. So, if you’re willing to wait until Aiden’s and my house is built, then I am willing to sign the deed to this house over to you.”
Shawn’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve always wanted to own this house, but obviously, I didn’t want you to be out of a home.”
Hope smiled and nodded. “Really! We’ll be deciding upon which piece of property we want to buy soon, and we’ll be buying it as soon as we pick.”
Aiden nodded. “And after that we’ll get right to having our house built. If you can hold out for another six or seven months, it’s all yours.”
“Are you sure?” Shawn asked, looking at Hope, his eyes wide with excitement.
Hope nodded. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I weren’t!” She grinned.
“Then yes! I absolutely want the house! Thank you!” Shawn said, excitement in his voice.
“Yay!” Hope clapped her hands together. “Now the house can stay in the family.”
“I’d hug you, but I don’t think you want relish, ketchup, and mustard all over your nice new blouse,” Shawn said.
Hope smirked. “Yeah, I’ll take a raincheck on that hug.” She winked at him.
“There’s just one problem,” Shawn stated.
Hope raised an eyebrow. “What’s what?”
“Who’s going to break the news to Ciara that I got the house and not her?”
“Not it!” Aiden said.
“Definitely not it!” Shawn said right after.
Hope rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell her. You’re older. She can inherit it from you one day. She’s not a monster, you know. She’ll understand.”
Aiden and Shawn looked at each other. “Whatever you say,” they both said in unison.
Aiden smirked. “Jinx!”
Hope rolled her eyes, though deep down she knew Ciara might be a little angry. She guessed she’d find out soon enough!

~*This love came back to me.*~

“Hey, Theo! Where’s Ciara?” Claire asked, sitting down next to him on his blanket. She held a paper plate with a cheese burger on it.
Theo swallowed the bit of burger that was in his mouth. “She’ll be here shortly. She’s just giving Thomas a bath then she’ll be right over. I don’t get why she has to give Thomas a bath when he has two perfectly good parents that can do that for him.”
“Well, she told me that Chad is out of town for a week on a business trip, and Abigail is probably at work.” Claire took a bite of her burger. “Mm… JJ is great on the grill! Where are Joey and Chase?”
“They went to Jonah’s to see if they could convince his parents to let him come over and join us. They are still a bit over-protective of him. It’s understandable of course.”
Claire nodded. “And where are your dad and Lani?”
“Lani was too sad that Rafe was murdered. She wasn’t in the mood come. Dad says he might be able to make it out for an hour, but right now he is at work,” Theo explained.
“I’m sorry your sister is so sad,” Claire replied.
“She was a mess at the funeral. Dad and I were there for her,” Theo stated.
Claire nodded. “Yeah, I saw.” She nodded over toward Hope and Aiden’s blanket where Aiden was feeding Hope a hot dog. Hope smiled and him and murmured something into his ear that caused him to blush, then smile, revealing his dimples.
Claire sighed. “And Aiden was there for Hope too. She never left his arms except when she got up to speak in memory of Rafe. Even then, he came up on stage and helped her back to her seat. I hope I find love like that one day.”
“Oh, you will. I’m sure you will,” Theo said to her.
Claire looked at him and pushed some hair behind her ears. “How do you know?”
“Because you’re way too beautiful to not find love,” Theo said.
Claire blushed. “Thank you. You’re pretty handsome yourself!”
Theo grinned. “I know.”
Claire laughed. “We need to work on your modesty.”
Theo grinned at her, burger showing up in his teeth, for his mouth was full.
“And your manners,” Claire added.
“Theo laughed, causing burger to fly out of his mouth and hit the back of JJ’s neck.
JJ rubbed the back of his neck and looked around.
Theo and Claire quickly looked the other way, snickering.
“Oops!” Theo said.
“The look on his face was priceless!” Claire said, laughing harder now.
“Hey. What’s so funny?” Ciara asked with a smile as she strolled a sleeping Thomas over to them.
“I accidentally spit burger on the back of JJ’s neck!” Theo said, though not loud enough for JJ to hear.
Ciara made a face. “Gross!”
“Can I get you a hot dog or anything?” Theo asked.
Ciara nodded. “Sure. Thant would be great, thank you. You know how I like it.”
Theo grinned. “Ketchup and mustard with no relish?”
Ciara nodded. “You got it!” She smiled sweetly at him.
Theo blew her a kiss then left, and Ciara plopped herself down next to Claire on the blanket. “So, are you looking forward to starting school tomorrow? Senior year!”
Claire shrugged. “I suppose so. I’m just so ready to be done with school. You know?”
Ciara nodded. “Me too.” Her eyes grew dark, and she lowered her voice. She glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. “But we have some unfinished business to attend to. A little revenge for a friend.”
Claire nodded. “I haven’t forgotten. We’ll make them pay for what they did to Jonah. Don’t worry.”
Theo came back over with Ciara’s burger.
Ciara thanked him and kissed his cheek. She pat the seat beside her, and then she and Theo proceeded to get flirty with each other.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Claire got up and walked away. She didn’t know why, but suddenly the sight of Ciara and Theo being all cutesy together was making her feel uncomfortable.

~*This love came back to me.*~

“Are you excited for the police academy tomorrow?” Hope asked Aiden as they rested against each other on their own private blanket now that Shawn had gone off to mingle. They had their arms around each other.
Aiden nodded. “I am. I can hardly wait to become a police officer! I want to help make this world a better place for you to live in.”
Hope kissed his cheek. “Romance and saying sweet things is something you never lack in.” She grinned.
Aiden looked her in the eyes. “What can I say? When I am lucky enough to land a beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, amazing woman like you, I can’t help but feel and be romantic and sweet. You’re all my wishes and dreams rolled into one.”
Hope took his face between her hands. “Once all our guests are gone, I’m going to help you prepare for the physical endurance test tomorrow,” she purred into his ear. She gently licked his ear, then made a trail of kisses down the side of his neck.
He moaned and tangled his fingers in her hair. “I think that is a fantastic idea.”
She grinned at him. “I bet you do.”
He grinned too.
“Will you two stop being so cute?” Kayla asked, coming over to sit down in front of them.
Hope and Aiden both grinned, and greeted her.
“Where’s Steve?” Hope asked.
“He’s having a contest with JJ on who can grill the best burger.” Kayla rolled her eyes. “Men and their macho contests!” She then smiled brightly and nodded behind them. “I see Joey and Chase managed to convince Jonah to come out.”
Hope and Aiden looked over their shoulders and smiled too when they saw Jonah looking happy, and following his friends over to get a burger.
“God really saved him. He doesn’t seem to have any lingering internal damage done after shooting himself. It really is a miracle,” Kayla said.
“You had something to do with it too. You’re a fantastic doctor!” Aiden said to her.
Kayla smiled weakly. “Thanks.”
Aiden felt his heart sink a little. He could tell that Kayla still didn’t completely trust or like him. He guessed becoming a cop could be useful in not only showing Hope that he could be counted on, but all of Salem too. He’d show them he could be just as much of a hero as Bo and Rafe were. He’d show them all.

~*This love came back to me.*~

The next day, Aiden had his first day of training. He was about to perform the physical endurance tests that all recruits were required to pass before moving onto the next part of the training. He was glad no one he knew was running the program. He knew Roman still had it out for him and wanted him to fail. Abe was an okay guy, but he wasn’t any more cordial than he had to be when it came to him.
“All right!” Detective Mark Davis said as he began to conduct the test. “As you all know, we’re here today to test your physical endurance. You have to be fit in order to survive being a cop. Throughout the course of your career you will be doing a lot of physical exertion whether it be chasing after the perpetrator, or lifting unconscious victims and carrying them to safety. Our first test today is to see how many trips you can make up and down these stairs.” He motioned to the stairs in front of them.
Aiden looked at the stairs. They were currently at Salem Stadium where all the minor league baseball games were played when the Salem Sluggers had a home game. The stairs were steep. There had to be a good one hundred stairs per section. He hoped they didn’t have to run up every section’s stairs. He’d surely die.
“I want you to get into a single file line. You are going to take turns. When it’s your turn, you will run up and down the stairs until you can no longer run. I will count how many trips up and down you make, and that will be your score for this round of the tests,” Detective Davis stated. “Are the instructions clear to everyone?”
Everyone nodded. It was a fairly small class. There were only four other rookies besides Aiden in the class. Aiden was third in line.
Detective Davis blew his whistle, and Monica, the first rookie, ran up and down the stairs like it was nothing. She made it three times up and three times down before she got tired and they moved on to the next rookie, Matt.
Seeing Monica run the stairs three times so effortlessly gave him hope. Maybe the stairs weren’t as tiring as they looked, he thought.
Matt had been able to go up the stairs four times, but the fourth time down, he had to walk down instead of run down.
Aiden was next. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. You can do this, he thought to himself.
The whistle blew and he was off. I can do this, I can do this… He kept chanting the mantra in his head over and over. Okay, this is getting a little tiring. I must be almost to the top at least.
He looked up and his heart sank as he realized he wasn’t even halfway up the stairs yet! He pushed himself though. There was no way in heck he was going to stop before getting all the way up and back down at least once! However, by the time he got to the top, his calves felt as if they were on fire, and he feared his lungs were about to explode. He bent over, breathing heavily. He wondered if this is what a heart attack felt like.
The whistle blew again. “Come on, Jennings! Don’t wimp out on us already!” Detective Mark yelled up to him.
Aiden saw the other rookies laughing down below.
With new determination, he began his decent back down the stairs. He pictured Hope’s smiling face waiting for him at the bottom, her arms wide open to him. It was the only thing pushing him through the pain.
He ran and ran, feeling as if he was going to die at any moment. Then, just as he was almost finished, he ended up tripping over the last stair and falling flat on his face.
The rookies, and even Detective Davis all burst into laughter.
Aiden knew he should get up, but he was too exhausted to even move just a big toe—not to mention he was paralyzed with both embarrassment and shame.

~*This love came back to me.*~

“I’m going to kill them,” Ciara said, narrowing her eyes at the posters on the school walls.
There were giant blown up posters of Jonah with a horrified look on his face as Lauren held the snake right up to his face. The posters read: Snake vs. Whale.
Ciara began tearing down the posters.
“It’s a good thing Jonah hasn’t convinced his mother to let him go back to school yet,” Claire said with a sigh as she helped Ciara take down the posters.
“Oh, ladies! Thank you for helping me take these down,” Principal McIntosh, their new principal said as she met up with them. She had a handful of wrinkled and torn posters in her arms.
“Can’t you expel them for this? You know it’s AJ and his crew that put these up,” Ciara said to her.
Principal McIntosh shook her head. “I’m sorry, but there is no proof it was them. These were here when I arrived this morning, and no one saw who put them up.”
“Well, Lauren is in the picture. Can’t you at least punish her?” Claire asked.
Principal McIntosh shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. It’s still not proof that she is the one who put it up.” She tore one more poster down. “I think this is the last of them. Thanks again for your help.” She ditched the posters I the trash, then headed into her office.
“We heard what happened, when do we take down those scumbags?” Chase asked, coming up to them with Theo and Joey.
“We start as soon as Joey gets the goods. Let’s take down Lauren down first. That smug little witch deserves it the most,” Ciara said.
“At first I thought your ideas were going too far, but now I say, let’s go for it!” Claire said.
Ciara raised an eyebrow and looked at her friends. “Are you all in? We could really get in deep trouble for this is anyone were to get proof it was us. Legally even.”
Joey shook his head. “No one is going to know it was us. Believe me, I’m good at covering my tracks. I’ll have it for you by tomorrow.”
“I’m going to the mall tonight. I can get the other things we need there,” Claire piped in.
“Good! I’d go with you, but I have to work tonight,” Ciara said.
Claire shrugged. “No problem. I’m good on my own.”
“Chase and I will take care of the final step. Do you have your share of the money?” Theo asked.
Ciara nodded. “We’ll do the exchange when we’re off the school’s premises after school. We can’t risk being seen.”
They all nodded their agreement.
“If anyone wants to bail out, I’ll understand since this could get us in trouble. But speak now or forever hold your peace. There’s no turning back after this,” Ciara said.
No one said a word.
“Very well then. We’ll meet after school and head to the park to make the exchange. Then, we commence tomorrow,” Ciara said.
They all nodded, then the warning bell rang, and they headed off to class.

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
S2E18: What Goes Around…Comes Around.

“We definitely need to work on the stairs with you. That was pathetic,” Detective Davis said to Aiden as they moved onto the next task of the day.
“I’ll do better this time around,” Aiden promised. He was angry with himself. He had been so caught up in studying for the law part of the test that he hadn’t even bothered trying to work out and get in shape for the physical endurance part of the test. Hope had been busy so working on the Hernandez murder case, so he hadn’t wanted to bother her. Now he wished he had asked for her help, or at the very lease gotten a physical trainer. He hadn’t had much time, but he didn’t want to have to wait for the next class. If he didn’t try to join the police academy now, he’d have to wait another six months before they had another class. That wasn’t an option to him. He needed to show Hope sooner than later that he could be someone she would consider a hero.
Detective Davis turned his attention back to the class. “For this test, you will be racing across the field to see who can drag their fifty-pound weight across the field the fastest. I will be taking note on who can pull their own weight and who can’t.” He smirked. “See what I did there?”
A few of the recruits laughed, but Aiden wasn’t in the mood for corny jokes.
Detective Davis handed each recruit a three-foot chain that had a fifty pound wait attached to it. Everyone had their own chain and weight. “I want you to all lined up side-by-side. When I blow my whistle, I want you to race to the end of the field and back. Those who get back sooner will have higher scores. Those who get back last, well, your scores won’t be so good.”
All the recruits got in line. Aiden was worried. He was still exhausted from the stairs. His heart had just dropped when he found out they had to not only run across the field one way, but both ways! He had thought they’d only have to run to one side of the field and that would be it! He wasn’t going to do well on this, and he knew it.
Detective Davis blew his whistle, and they were off!
Aiden started off all right. He was passing two recruits already. However, by the time he got halfway across the field, they quickly began to catch up with him. It wasn’t long after that that he began to drag behind.
He had to stop for just a moment to catch his breath once he had made it across. Then, he took off to make his trip back. His heart was pounding again and his calves felt as if they were on fire! He could hardly breathe. He wasn’t even halfway back before he simply could not go on any further. He dropped to the ground and lay down on his back, gasping for air. Every muscle in his body ached. There was no way he could do his. He would simply have to train for the next six months, then try again.
After a couple of minutes, he finally managed to get back up and drag his weight back to Detective Davis and the rest of the recruits. “I’ll see you in six months,” he said.
Detective Davis nodded. “I’ll tell you what. You did so well on the non-physical aspects of your test that I’m going to pull some strings for you. Why don’t you take the next month and a half to train? I have extra time on my hands since I’m technically retired and just doing this class to help out. If you’re willing to train hard, I’ll get the force to let you retake the test in October instead of having to wait until March. Sound good?”
Aiden smiled, feeling hopeful for the first time since these dumb tests began. “That sounds fantastic! I promise I will work hard and not let you down.”
Detective Davis nodded. “I’ll keep in touch. We can work out a schedule that fits the both of us. I have your cell phone on record. I will give you a call tomorrow.”
Aiden shook his hand. “Thank you, Detective Davis. I can’t express how much this means to me.”
“You can thank me with your hard work and by not wasting my time,” Detective Davis said, nodding as he shook his hand.
“You can count on me to both work hard and not to waste your time!” Aiden promised.
“Good. I’m going to hold you to that. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Detective Davis then led the class over to their next test.
Grinning, Aiden headed home. He needed a warm soak in the tub (even though he usually wasn’t a bath person) to soothe his aching muscles, followed by a long nap.

~*This love came back to me.*~

Hope came into the bedroom after work and smiled when she saw Aiden sleeping peacefully. She climbed into bed next to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She kissed his neck. She had showed up at training to surprise him and had been confused to not see Aiden training with the rest of the class. Detective Davis had quickly filled her in on what had happened.
Aiden slowly stirred. “You’re home,” he said drowsily.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Hope said gently.
He opened his eyes and turned to her. “Never apologize for allowing me to wake up to such a beautiful vision.” He kissed her softly on the lips.
She gently stroked some hair out of his eyes. It was getting on the longer side again and she loved it. “I heard what happened today. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I’m the idiot who didn’t even think to get in good shape before trying out.” Aiden looked away. “I feel like such a loser.”
“Hey!” She gently moved his face toward hers so that he was forced to look her in the eyes. “You are not a loser, Mr. Jennings, and you never will be.” She kissed him again and held him close. “I feel like it is my fault. I’m not only a cop who has been through the training before, but I’m also your fiancé. I should have been there for you, and helped you train.”
“You have a lot on your plate. I couldn’t expect you to help me,” Aiden said to her.
Hope shook her head. “You and the kids always need to come first.”
Aiden gently stroked her cheek. “Baby, you ex-partner and good friend died, as did his brother and father. They were murdered! It’s totally understandable for your mind to be elsewhere right now. Anyway, Detective Davis is going to help me train. I’m not giving up.”
“Good for you! I’m so proud of you.” Hope kissed him on the lips. “Do you want to go out for dinner? Chase is out with his friends.” Her voice had a seductive tone to it.
Aiden licked his lips, his hands on her hips. “Why don’t we have a little dessert first?” he purred into her ear.
She smirked, and raising an eyebrow, pushed some hair behind her other ear. “I had a feeling you were going to suggest that.”
He raised an eyebrow as well. “Do you have a problem with that?” he teased.
She licked her lips and shook her head, her eyes filled with desire for him. “Not one.”
She kissed him passionately on the lips, and then moaned as he eagerly pinned her down beneath him.

~*This love came back to me.*~

The next day at school, the teens were ready to put their plan into action. It was lunchtime, and Joey was the first one up to put the plan into motion.
They were in the cafeteria. Lauren was carrying her lunch tray.
Joey walked by her and purposely bumped into her hard from behind; having pretended to trip.
Her tray fell out of her hands and went crashing to the floor.
She cried out in anger and whipped around to face Joey, her hands balled into fists at her side. “You stupid klutz!”
Joey held up his hands. “I’m sorry! I’ll buy you a new lunch.”
“You’re darn right you’ll by me a new lunch! What the hell is wrong with you? Why don’t you watch where you are going?” she snapped.
“Just chill out! I’ll go buy you a new one. It’s no big deal!” Joey said, holding his hands up to her.
He then went to get her a new lunch while the janitor cleaned up the cafeteria mess.
After purchasing her new meal, Joey brought her food to the table. “I’ll be right back with your diet Coke.” All sodas were sold in soda machines instead of the cafeteria.
“Make it quick!” Lauren snapped.
Joey turned and left for the hallway. He rolled his eyes. “Stupid bitch deserves everything about to come to her,” he grumbled.
Thankfully, the hallway was clear, as it usually was. Everyone was either at lunch, or in class if their lunch period was at a different time.
Joey got the coke out of the machine, then headed to the bathroom, and went into a stall. He locked the door, then took out the syringe from is pocket that was filled with Ipecac. He poked it in the bottle right below the cap so that Lauren wouldn’t notice any soda spilling out of it when she drank. He shook the bottle to mix the Ipecac, then put the syringe back in his pocket. He would dispose of it later.
Next, he left the bathroom and headed over to give Lauren her soda.
Lauren grabbed it roughly from him. “It’s about time! What took you so long?” she snapped.
“There was a line,” Joey lied.
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She opened the bottle and drank down a long swig of soda.
Joey headed back to his lunch table and snickered with his friends. “Part one, complete,” he said.
The five teens grinned, and kept their eyes on Lauren, waiting for it to be time for part two.

~*This love came back to me.*~

It took no longer than ten minutes for Lauren to get up to rush to the bathroom. However, she didn’t make it and ended up puking all over the floor.
“Gross!” AJ said moving his chair back.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked. “You were fine this morning!”
“I don’t know. I just suddenly feel so—” Lauren didn’t get the sentence out before she threw up again.
“Let’s get you to the nurse,” Becca said, grabbing onto Lauren, but making sure she stood behind her as they walked, so as not to get caught in the line of fire.
“That is so gnarly!” Jason said.
“Dude, she’s your girlfriend. Aren’t you going to go see if she’s all right?” Jake asked.
Jason rolled his eyes. “Like I’m going to risk catching what she has and getting sick when I need to be practicing for basketball season.”
“Dude, that’s cold,” Jake said.
“Whatever, Man. It’s being smart!” Jason said.
AJ nodded. “I agree with Jason. We need him on the team.”
Ciara rolled her eyes. “Lauren is a total bitch, but those guys are still jerks.”
The bell rang, signaling they had five minutes to get to their next class. The janitor came back in, looking disgruntled as he began to clean up Lauren’s mess.
“It’s your turn now.” Joey raised an eyebrow at the girls. “Are you up for it?”
“So up for it,” Claire said. “The witch is going down.”
Claire and Ciara had an hour-long study hall next. No one would miss them. So as the boys went to their shop class, the girls headed out of school, careful not to be seen, and went straight to Lauren’s house. Claire had her own car now therefore making it easy for them to get there.
They parked at the playground that was only a few minutes away from Lauren’s house, then walked to Lauren’s house and hid behind the bushes on the side of her house.
The evening before, they had looked up Lauren’s address on the student directory. Then they had then driven by her house to get a layout of the land. They had planned everything out together from the start of the revenge plan to the end.
Ciara and Claire had to wait a good twenty minutes, but finally Becca pulled into Lauren’s driveway. Ciara had played detective. One of the advantages of having parents for cops was that she knew her way around a computer when it came to finding out needed information. She had done some research and found out that Lauren’s father was a podiatrist and worked during the day. Her mother worked in advertising and also worked during the day. This would leave the house empty except for Lauren, who was now coming home sick. It would also give them the opportunity of an unlocked door.
They watched from the bushes as Becca went to the other side of the car and helped Lauren out. Then, Becca walked Lauren to her house.
Lauren weakly used her key to get into the house, then quickly ran into the house. Ciara and Claire guessed it was to puke some more.
Becca followed close behind her to help her.
After a minute of waiting, Ciara and Claire sneaked to the front door.
Claire peered into the window. “I don’t see them,” she said quietly.
Ciara quietly and slowly opened the front door. She peered around. It had opened into a foyer. There was a living room to the right, and a kitchen behind the stairs at the end of the foyer. There was another hallway leading from the left of the kitchen that was invisible from Ciara’s point of view.
They heard puking upstairs.
Ciara motioned Claire in, and once they were both fully in the house, Ciara quietly shut the door behind them.
They then sneaked into the kitchen. This was the part where they were taking a risk. They were counting on Becca getting Lauren a drink. They had specifically bought some ginger ale, hoping that Becca would pick that, knowing that ginger ale was good for an ailing stomach.
They had already mixed a strong sleeping medication into the bottle. They slipped the bottle into the fridge, then shut the door. Now all they had to do was hide, and wait for Becca to take the bait.

~*This love came back to me*~

They hid in the storage closet in the foyer and listened for Becca or Lauren to come down.
“I’m going to go get you something to drink. You just stay lying down and puke into the trash bin I gave you!” Becca said to Lauren as she headed down the stairs.
Ciara and Claire looked at each other, though, in the darkness they couldn’t see the other’s grin.
They had left the closet open just a crack. They heard Becca opening the fridge in the kitchen.
“Ginger ale. Perfect!” they heard her say.
Both girls smirked. Bingo.
They listened as Becca poured the soda into a glass.
Becca then headed up the stairs.
They stayed in the closet for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Becca came back down the stairs and left. They waited a few moments to make sure she was really gone. Then they left the closet.
Claire peered out the window. “Her car is gone,” she confirmed.
“Let’s go. Proceed with caution,” Ciara ordered.
Claire nodded, and they both sneaked quietly up the stairs.
They saw a bedroom at the end of the hall and knew it was Lauren’s because the door was open and they could see her lying on her bed. Her eyes were closed.
They stayed against the wall, and peered in from the side, careful not to be seen.
“I think she’s asleep,” Claire whispered.
Ciara nervily stepped forward. “Lauren?” she asked softly. “Are you awake? I just came to check on you.”
There was no answer. Ciara looked over to the nightstand beside Lauren’s bed. There was an empty glass there.
She smiled at Claire. “She drank it. Let’s get to this; and fast.”
Claire nodded. She then took out the Veet hair remover from the paper bag she had brought with them.
Ciara took out the scissors.
Ciara spent the next couple of minutes cutting Lauren’s long hair as short as she could.
“I kept worrying she is going to wake up and bust us,” Claire said.
Ciara shook her head. “Joey assured us that is the strongest sleeping pill on the market. And before you ask, yes, it’s safe. One pill isn’t going to kill her.”
Claire nodded. “All right.” She then got to work at slathering the hair remover all over Lauren’s scalp. She was generous with it. She used the whole bottle, and covered the scalp as if she were using shampoo.
When they were done, they waited the maximum ten minutes, then they washed it off with a huge towel, a bowl of water, and shampoo, all of which they had found in Lauren’s personal bathroom.
They grinned once they finished the job. It had taken them ten minutes to wash it off, but now, Lauren was as bald as the day she was born.
Claire took the camera out of the bag. It was a great quality camera that she still had from when she was fourteen and had wanted to be a photographer. The camera had been a Christmas present to her from her parents along with six months’ worth of photography lessons. The gifts were finally paying off.
“Wait!” Ciara said before Claire could take the picture.
“What?” Claire asked, looking confused.
Ciara walked over to Lauren and pried her eyes open. She then squeezed her cheeks causing Lauren’s mouth to pop open as well. Ciara smirked at Claire. “Now she’s photo ready.”
“You are so lucky she didn’t wake up when you did that!” Claire said, snapping a few pics.
Ciara rolled her eyes. “I told you, it’s the strongest pill on the market. She’ll be out for a while. Now let’s clean up our mess and get out of here.”
They quickly went to work. They were both wearing gloves, so they didn’t have to worry about any fingerprints being found. Even so, they didn’t want to leave a mess. They put the camera, empty Veet bottle, scissors, and empty soda bottle back in the bag. They put the towel in the hamper, and the shampoo back in the shower shelf. They emptied the excess water in the sink, then put the bowl back where they had found it.
They left Lauren’s hair on the floor. They wished they could stay to see the look on her face when she woke up and found it, but they couldn’t.
After one last check of the house to make sure they didn’t leave any incriminating evidence behind, they left. They’d have just enough time to get to their English class that was after the study hall they skipped. After school, they’d give the film to Joey and Theo, and they would take care of the final part of the plan. Then finally, justice would be served for Lauren. After that, it would be time to get revenge on the other four. But for now, they were taking it one thug at a time.

[ihearthaiden]

Episode 19 is linked since I kind of got carried away with a sex scene. www.fanfiction.net/s/11613144/43/Days-of-our-Haiden

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
Season 2 Episode 20: Bitch

Two weeks had passed. Chase was rattled. He thought back to the day following their attack on Jason.

The next day in school, police had come to question students. Jason, who had a broken arm and leg and most definitely wouldn’t be able to play basketball this season, had told the cops about someone having scared him. He mentioned how that someone had been wearing all black, including a black ski mask. More importantly, he had mentioned how that someone had had a knife, which now made this a criminal investigation.
They had all been questioned. Chase had been sure Claire was going to crack. To his surprise, however, she had remained calm, and stated how she hadn’t seen anything. According to Claire, she was back home taking a nap.
Theo had been next. He said he had gone to the park since it was a nice day out, and he wasn’t at school to have seen anything take place either.
Ciara’s excuse was that she had gone to the mall for a dress she wanted, but they didn’t have her size, so she bought nothing and headed home.
Joey had said he hadn’t been feeling well and had also gone home to take a nap.
Chase said he had gone home to feed his cat and do some homework.
None of them had alibies of course, but neither did a lot of the students in the school.
Chase’s heart had nearly stopped when he heard the police asking the principal about their security cameras. This was it, they were all going to get caught and thrown in jail, he thought. He’d never survive jail. He’d end up raped by horny perverted men who hadn’t had sex in who knew how long. He might even be beat up or killed.
“I’m sorry, we’re in the process of switching over to a better security company. The company we were using ended up closing down. Unfortunately, the new company is a little bit behind, so they won’t have the new cameras installed for another two and a half weeks,” the principal replied. “Thankfully we haven’t had much of a problem with our students. Until now of course.”
“Of course,” the police officer said, writing something down on his notepad.

That had been the end of it. They hadn’t heard anything since. For the past two weeks, Chase had been on edge, sure he was going to get caught at any moment.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m out.” Chase held his hands up in the air. They were lounging around at Claire’s after school. Her father was working, and her mother now lived in Chicago for business purposes. No one would be interrupting them any time soon, so they were free to discuss what had happened.
“Oh, come on!” Ciara crossed her arms over her chest. “Not you too.”
“We are getting sloppy. We didn’t even think about security cameras! Do you have any idea how lucky we are to have caught that break? Any idea at all?” Chase asked.
Ciara shrugged. “They weren’t working, so no big deal.”
“But what if they were, Ciara? We could have been caught and thrown in jail! Right now that is the very last thing I need! Though, maybe after killing my mother, it’s where I belong.” Chase hung his head. Marlena was helping him move past things a little, but he still had moments where he felt extreme guilt.
“Quit being such a baby!” Ciara scolded. “You killed your mother by accident when you were too little to know any better. So what? She’s gone now and there’s nothing you can do about it, so get over it and suck it up!”
Claire gasped. “Ciara, stop it!”
Theo nodded. “Ciara, that was cold.”
Ciara glared at him. “Nobody asked your opinion, Theo.”
“Nice way to talk to your boyfriend!” Claire snapped.
Ciara sighed. “You’re right.” She turned her attention to Theo. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
“It’s all right,” Theo said, though the look on his face showed that he had been hurt by her harsh scolding.
“I’m done. Whether they deserve it or not, I’m not going to continue to hurt people. I’m going home,” Chase said, getting up off the couch.
Ciara stood up from her chair and walked over to him. She hugged him. “I’m sorry, Chase, all right? I was way out of line. If you don’t want to do this, then you don’t have to. Just please don’t rat us out.”
Chase looked at her. “I would never do that. Anyway, I’d be ratting myself out as well. See you around.” He then took off shutting the door in her face.
Ciara rolled her eyes and sat back down. “He’ll get over it. You’re still in, aren’t you, Joe?” Ciara asked.
Joey nodded. “Darn right I am! What’s the next plan?”
Ciara looked at Theo and Claire. “I’m sorry but if you’re not going to take part in the payback, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. This needs to be discussed in private.”
Claire wrinkled her nose. “Leave? Are you forgetting it’s my apartment?”
Ciara rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She stood up. “Let’s go, Joe!”
Joey got up and followed her, and they left after mumbled goodbyes.
“So, what do you have in mind?” Joey asked as they entered an empty elevator together.
Ciara grinned wickedly at him. “Before the school gets the cameras installed again, I want to get back at Becca and AJ who think they are both God’s gift to everyone. They are obsessed with their looks, so I’m going to take away their looks. I have chemistry lab with them. They are conveniently enough, lab partners. If you sneak and pull the fire alarm while I’m in class, everyone will clear out of the class room. I’ll sneak back in and switch out the chemicals they are working with so that when they mix them, the chemicals will explode in their faces, burn said faces, and there goes their good looks! I Chemistry is one thing I’m actually good at. I know my chemicals. The chem lab has lots of chemicals in it, and most of them have a chemical that they cannot be mixed with.”
Joey grinned just as wickedly. “I love it! That will teach them! What are they going to do without their good looks?”
Ciara smirked. “Exactly!”
“When do we do this?” Joey asked.
“As soon as school resumes on Monday. Chemistry is at eleven,” Ciara replied.
Joey nodded. “All right. And what about Jake? We still have to get him.”
Again, Ciara smirked, and eyebrow raised this time. “You leave Jake to me. I have something special in mind for him that I plan on working on tonight.”

~*This love came back to me.*~

Aiden had been training hard with Detective Davis for two weeks ow and was beyond tired. He was positively exhausted and achy all over but he was getting in better shape. He could tell.
He came home, exhausted, and headed up the stairs to take a nap. He was too tired to even shower or change.
He laid down on the bed, and felt something mushy and wet on his back. “What the heck?” He looked and saw that he had just laid on a pile of cat yack. “Meredith!” he cried out. “Gosh that sounds so weird,” he grumbled. He still couldn’t get over Chase calling his cat the same name as his mother.
Aiden pulled off his shirt and tossed it in the hamper. “Great! Just great. This is the last thing I need right now.” He went into the bathroom and took out some toilet paper. He then picked up the mess with it before going back to the bathroom and flushing it all down the toilet. He then came back out and changed the sheets. He put the dirty sheets in the hamper. It had hurt to even just reach up to grab the new linens from the linen closet.
Once the bed was made, he decided he had done that much work, he might as well shower and get the sweat off instead of lying in a clean bed all dirty.
After his shower, he got dressed for bed. He didn’t feel like going out for the rest of the night. All he wanted to do was take a three-hour nap, wake up, have a late dinner, then make love to Hope. Though, the way he felt now, he wasn’t quite sure he’d be able to do that last part.
“Finally!” he said as he climbed into bed. He closed his eyes. Five minutes later, he felt soft hair brushing against his cheek. Then he heard an incessant meowing in his ear. He opened one eye to see Meredith staring down at him. “Go away!” he muttered. He turned away from the cat. “Chase is always out lately. He was should be home taking care of his own stupid cat!” he said angrily.
Meredith meowed again.
“I don’t care if you’re hungry. I am tired. You’re just going to have to wait until your dad gets home.” Aiden groaned as he realized what he had just said. “What am I doing? I’m talking to a cat as if she’s my grandchild.” He closed his eyes again, then felt Meredith’s tail hitting him against the face repeatedly.
His eyes popped open. “That’s it!” He picked Meredith up and plopped her onto the floor. “Go away!” He would have gotten up and kicked her out of the room, but he was in too much pain, and way too tired.
He laid on his back and closed his eyes. He was just starting to fall asleep. Meredith had shut up, and he was finally able to fall asleep, feeling peaceful.
He awoke soon after upon hearing a noise. It sounded like a water jug being emptied. What the heck? he thought. “Hope? Are you home?” he asked, his eyes still closed. He figured maybe she was drinking something, or dumping something down the drain in the bathroom’s sink. “Hope?” he asked again when he got no answer.
He opened his eyes just in time to see Meredith release another pile of yack from her mouth that fell right onto his face.
It took him a moment to process what had just happened. Then, he sat up so fast the cat got scared and took off with a screech. “Meredith!”

~*This love came back to me.*~

Jonah’s mother Beverly knocked on Jonah’s bedroom door. “Jonah, there’s a friend here to see you.”
“Send them in!” Jonah said cheerily from his desk. He put down his history notes he had been studying. For the first semester, he had agreed to be homeschooled. He hoped by next semester, he could rejoin his classmates.
He looked toward the door when it opened, a big smile on his face, for he was expecting to see one of the teens. However, his face dropped when he saw that it was Jake.
“Don’t freak out!” Jake said right away. “I come in peace.” He shut the door behind him, and then sat down on Jonah’s unoccupied bed.
“What do you want?” Jonah asked, pushing the desk chair he was sitting in a little further away from the bed.
Jake then did something that shocked Jonah to the core. He began crying.
“I’m so sorry!” Jake cried. “I never thought you would try to kill yourself over what we did to you! I just wanted to fit in and be part of the cool crowd! I never thought it would go that far!”
“Why are you even friends with those jerks? That says a lot about who you are as a person. Do you know how hurtful you all have been to me? I have enough self-esteem issues and you guys just made them a million times worse!” Jonah snapped. He usually wasn’t one to get angry, but now that he was faced with the bullies in the comfort of his own bedroom, with his parents just downstairs, he felt bolder. He felt brave enough to tell him off.
The tears continued to pour down Jake’s face. “I’m sorry, all right? I’m not popular without them. Without them, I’m just a friendless loser.”
Jonah shook his head. “With them, is when you’re the loser—not to mention a bully. If you didn’t hang out with that crowd you wouldn’t be either of those things,” Jonah stated, his arms crossed over his chest.
Jake nodded. “I realize that now. I don’t hang with Lauren anymore, and I try to steer clear of Becca. It’s harder to not be friends with Jason and AJ because they are nice to me; just jerks to everyone else.”
“That’s still no excuse,” Jonah stated.
“I just feel bad for AJ. He’d kill me if I ever told anyone this—especially you,” Jake began.
“But?” Jonah asked.
Jake sighed. “AJ’s father is an abusive alcoholic. He is all about being tough and showing people who is in charge. I think that is where AJ got it from. This summer, AJ caught his father beating on his mother in a drunken state. AJ tried to stop him, and his father punched him in the face, then pushed him so hard he flew across the room and hit wall behind him. AJ ended up calling the cops on his own father. His father spent a month in jail. Needless to say AJ’s mom is now divorcing his dad. She even got a restraining order on him. Seeing her husband do that to their son was the last straw. Now AJ is bitter, and mad at the world. That is part of why he acts the way he does.”
Jonah shook his head. “Well, I’m sorry he went through all that, but it still gives him no right to act like he does! He stole two-hundred dollars from me! He also pulled my hair, called me fat, and let’s not forget he helped Lauren with her little prank.”
“Well, I’m going to be there for AJ if he needs to talk about his home life, but I’m not going to be hanging with his crowd anymore. Jason tripped down some stairs and broke an arm and a leg, so he’s out of commission for a bit. I’m hoping that tones him down. Heck, even Lauren seems to keep to herself nowadays. It’s weird. She’s not her same old snarky self,” Jake explained.
“I’ll believe that when I see it. I start school again next semester,” Jonah replied.
“Well, when you return, I’ll make sure no one hassles you,” Jake replied.
“How can I trust that you’re going to be nice to me now? How do I know this isn’t another prank set up by AJ?” Jonah asked.
Jake got up from the bed and headed for the door. He stopped at the doorway and shrugged. “You don’t. I’ll prove it to you though.” He then left without another word.
Jonah stared after the door that Jake closed on his way out. He wasn’t sure if he trusted Jake. And how was Jake going to prove that he had changed?
Jonah shook his head and sighed, then went back to his history notes. He guessed only time would tell.

~*This love came back to me.*~

It happened over the weekend. The billboard that the teens had paid for went up. It was over a main highway on the way to school, so the whole school saw it. It was a picture of Lauren lying in bed, as bald as Mr. Clean, he eyes bugging and her mouth wide open. The caption read: Bold-Faced Liars Never Prosper.
When they arrived at school, they found Lauren sobbing. “I didn’t even want to come to school but my parents made me!” She was crying to Becca at her locker.
“Hey, Baldie! Are you Mr. Clean’s girlfriend now?” asked one of the jocks. He walked by Lauren and pulled at her wig, causing it to fall off. “Oops! Sorry! I didn’t mean to put you in a hairy situation!” the jock said. His friends all laughed, as did anyone within ear range.
Lauren quickly grabbed her wig and put it back on.
“It’s crooked. Here.” Becca fixed it for her.
More people snickered.
“I can’t stay here!” Lauren said. “I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life!”
“Well, now maybe you know how Jonah felt!” Ciara snapped at her.
Lauren looked at her with anger, but then her face crumpled and she burst into tears. She ran to the girls’ bathroom.
“Lauren, wait!” Becca said, running after her.
“This doesn’t feel as good as I thought it would,” Claire said, shutting her locker door.
Ciara shut her own locker door, and turned to her. “You’re right; it feels better.” She grinned.
Claire rolled her eyes. “What’s that?” she asked nodding toward the fliers Ciara had in her hands.
Ciara grinned. She showed Claire a flier that had Jake kissing another man on them. On top of the flier it read, Jake and Evan True love forever…
“Jake is gay?” Claire asked in surprise.
Ciara shook her head. “Nope! Chad has a really good program that is installed in my computer at the guest house. It puts Photoshop to shame. You’d be amazed and all the cool stuff you can do with it!”
“What are you going to do with those?” Claire asked nodding toward the fliers.
“Spread them all over school when no one’s looking. Jake will die from the embarrassment of people thinking he’s gay. He’s such a pig hitting on all the girls in this school. This will serve him right!”
“It’s kind of just as mean as he was, isn’t it?” Claire asked.
Ciara rolled her eyes. “Not even close! Now get to class, Claire, and learn to mind your own business.”
Ciara then took off, leaving a shocked Claire in the dust.

~*This love came back to me.*~

“What do you look so grumpy about?” Hope asked. She had come home from work, looking for Aiden. She found him in the bedroom, lying on the bed in shorts and a tee shirt. He looked angry.
“I am in so much pain from running and working out all day. My muscles ache all over, and I am exhausted,” he stated.
“Why not take a nap then?” she asked, taking off her blazer and draping it over the back of her vanity chair.
“I tried,” Aiden said coolly. “But a certain cat puked on the bed. I had to change the linens, which were on such a high shelf it hurt reaching for them. I took a shower and was going to nap after that, but then Meredith kept meowing wanting me to get up and get her food. I was too tired too. I plopped her back down onto the floor because she jumps up onto our bed now, yes she does. I finally fell asleep only to wake up to the sound of her hacking. I open my eyes, and am greeted by the sight of Meredith hacking another huge, wet, hairball onto my face.”
Hope snickered. She covered her mouth. “She didn’t!”
Aiden nodded. “She did. I think I even got some in my mouth.”
“Oh no!” Hope started to laugh.
“It’s not funny! I was so disgusted! By the time I got her kicked out of the room, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and rinsed with Listerine a good ten times, I was no longer able to sleep, yet I’m still so exhausted. Now I’m in a sour mood, and I really don’t want to take it out on you because none of this is your fault. Still, your laughter doesn’t help matters.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m sorry. I—” Hope was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. She was finally able to get it under control after a minute. She sat down on the bed next to him, and kissed him softly on the lips, his face between her hands. “I’m sorry, my Love. Let me put you in a better mood…” she purred, kissing down the side of his neck. “I know just the thing to make you feel much better. It will even help you sleep after!”
“Hope, as much as I love making love with you, I’m too achy and tired to even think about that right now,” Aiden said.
Hope smirked. “Not that! Get your mind out of the gutter!” She got up off the bed and headed into the bathroom. “You’ll like this almost as much!”
Aide sighed. He had no idea what she had in mind, but he was willing to try it if it would help him—just so long as it didn’t involve a four-legged, white-haired little monster.

[gapeach]

Ciara is TOTALLY out of control.

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
Season 2 Episode 21: I Fought the Law

“Where did you get those?” Aiden asked Hope as she came back upstairs with the massage oils she had just warmed up. “I just bought them recently and was waiting for the right time to use them. I remembered from personal experience how achy training for the police academy can make a person. Heck, there are still days where I get achy. I figured there would come a day really soon that you would need a massage,” Hope replied.
Aiden smiled at her. “You’re always looking out for me.”
She grinned, then leaned down to purr into his ear, “That’s because I love you.” She kissed him softly on the lips. She then set the bottles down on the night stand. “This is going to need to come off.” She grabbed the hem of Aiden’s t-shirt.
Aiden held his arms up allowing her to pull it off him. She dropped it to the floor. “Lie down on your stomach,” she gently ordered.
Aiden did as told, then she took out her iPod, hooked it up to the speakers dock, and set it to play the playlist she had selected. Soon, sounds of a rainstorm could be heard.
Aiden moaned. “This is nice.”
“I haven’t even begun the massage yet,” Hope said with a smirk.
“I’m still already more relaxed,” he said, closing his eyes.
She got down on the bed beside him and leaned down to kiss his back. “Good!”
She grabbed the bottles. “I chose Hawaiian breeze and Chamomile Lavender. The Hawaiian Breeze should soothe you, and the lavender chamomile will help you sleep,” she said.
“Mm… Sounds good,” he murmured.
She took the Hawaiian Breeze first, rubbed it between her hands, and then slowly began to massage his back. She used her thumbs to make sure to get deep into his shoulder blades, working out all the knots the best she could.
“Mm… Your hands are like magic,” he murmured.
She laughed. “I wouldn’t call it magic.” She leaned down and kissed the back of his neck. “Just love,” she murmured.
“I love you too,” he murmured back.
As Hope continued to thoroughly massage his back, she felt Aiden begin to relax more.
“You know, if you ever need a career to fall back on, a massage therapist could be your calling,” Aiden said. “But I’d only want you working with women. I don’t want your hands all over other men.”
Hope smirked. “I think I’d rather stick to massaging just you.”
Aiden moaned as she worked out another tension knot. “I can definitely get on board with that!” He was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. “You know, Hawaii might be a nice place for us to go on our honeymoon.”
“That would be nice,” Hope agreed. “Or Paris.”
“Wherever makes you, Happy, Baby. “Heck, even if you wanted to honeymoon on Mars, I’d find a way for us to get a space shuttle ride up there,” he teased.
Hope laughed. “There wouldn’t be much to do up in Mars. All that’s up there is darkness and stars. Maybe we’d get a glimpse of the moon or some comets.”
“It will be our honeymoon. I can think of something to do, and it just so happens to be something we’d rather do in the dark. As for the moon, stars, and comets, they will bring a romantic vibe,” he teased some more.
Hope laughed. “True. Very true, but I think I’d rather stick with Hawaii, or Paris, or the Cayman Islands maybe?”
“Maybe all three. We can do a travelling honeymoon,” Aiden said.
“That might be interesting,” Hope said with a smile. She set the Hawaiian Breeze down and picked up the lavender chamomile. She rewarmed it between her hands, then began gently massaging his neck.
He sighed contently. “I still say you’ve got the magic touch. Magic and filled with love.”
She kissed his right shoulder in response and continued massaging his neck.
“I think the sleep factor is already starting to take effect,” he murmured.
She got up and opened the window. It was still pretty warm for September. The cool breeze entered through the window screen.
“Mm… That feels nice,” he murmured.
“I’m glad,” Hope said. “Roll over onto your back.”
She took more lavender chamomile oil into her hands then got back on the bed and massaged his chest. She took even more care with his chest, moving her hands slowly over it.
Aiden moaned. “I wanna kiss you.”
Hope smiled, then leaned down. They hungrily kissed for a moment before she went back to the task at hand. She began to massage his legs—working her magic on the right one first, then moving onto the legs. After that, she took more Hawaiian Breeze and massaged his feet and toes.
Aside from some sporadic relaxed moans, Aiden hadn’t spoken much in a while. She knew he was asleep.
When she finished the massage, she pulled the covers over him then bent down and kissed his cheek. “Sleep well, my Love,” she murmured, her hair lightly brushing against his neck.
He woke up, moaned, wrapped his arms around her, and then kissed her softly on the lips. “Lie down with me for a while. I want to hold you.”
“Of course,” she said, gently stroking his cheek. “I’m tired from working. I could use the nap anyway.” She had already taken off her blazer, but she now unbuttoned her blouse and took it off. Her blouse met with the hamper, and then her slacks and stockings did. She did on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top then slipped into bed next to him.
He pulled her into his arms again. “Thank you for the massage. I feel much better now. When I’m awake enough, I’m giving you one in return.”
She kissed him. “I love making you feel good.”
His eyes lowered both with love for her and from his exhaustion. “And I love making you feel good.” He gently took her face between his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. “Maybe after our nap we can order a pizza in, then I’ll give you that massage after dinner while we talk more about our honeymoon,” he purred into her ear.
“Mm… Sounds like a plan,” she murmured. She was suddenly so tired now too.
They held each other close, and he gently played with her hair until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms to the sounds of the ocean, which was another one of the playlist’s tracks.

~*This love came back to me.*~

The day and time had finally arrived for Ciara and Joey to get their final revenge on Jonah’s bullies. Ciara and Joey were very eager to get started.
“You know what to do, right?” Ciara asked Joey.
Joey nodded. “I know what to do.”
“What do you have to do?” Claire asked, coming in and taking her seat that was next to Joey’s in class.
Ciara and Joey both clammed up. “Nothing!” they said in unison.
“It’s obviously not nothing, but all right,” Claire said.
“Wow. You changed. Would it be weird to say you look hot even though you’re my cousin?” Joey who was sitting in front of Ciara, asked her.
“No, since you don’t mean it in a gross way. But wasn’t I hot before?” Claire fluffed her new bob.
Joey shrugged. “I guess.”
Claire rolled her eyes.
Ciara nodded at her. “Nice clothes. I didn’t think that was your style. You’re showing off more skin than you usually like to.” She nodded toward Claire’s short red and black plaid skirt that went to the middle of her thighs. She wore a slightly cropped black t-shirt that showed off just a slim line of stomach and made her look bustier than she really was. Ciara wondered if Claire had stuffed her bra, or if her bra was just padded really well. Her lips were blood red, and her eyes were heavily lined with black and dusted with black and silver in a smoky eye.
“Why are you wearing a smoky eye during the day?” Ciara asked her.
Claire laughed, and pushed some hair behind her ear. “Who says you can only look hot during the nighttime?” she asked.
Theo came in then, and Ciara watched as Claire crossed her legs, pushing her left foot forward, showing off her laced-up knee-high boots.
Theo stopped short. “Wow, Claire! You look fantastic!”
Claire smiled and winked at him. “Thank you.”
“You never tell me I look fantastic and I’m your girlfriend,” Ciara grumbled as Theo sat down in the desk behind Claire’s and next to Ciara’s.
Theo glanced at her. “Sorry. You look great too.”
“Just great?” Ciara asked; annoyed. She crossed her arms over her chest.
But Theo was already smiling at Claire again and talking to her. “I love your hair. It makes you look even more mature.”
“Thanks!” Claire smiled big. She fluffed her hair again. “I just needed a change.”
Ciara rolled her eyes. When she noticed all the guys in class were looking at Claire too, she scowled. “Whatever,” she muttered to herself.

~*This love came back to me.*~

Later that day, at five to eleven, the bell rang, indicating it was time for chemistry class.
“Here goes nothing. Wait until quarter after to pull the alarm,” Ciara said.
Joey nodded. “I will.”
Ciara then left for class.
“What was that all about?” Claire asked Joey after Ciara had left.
Joey grinned at her, then looked around to make sure no one was listening in. He then confessed his and Ciara’s plan to Claire.
“Seriously? That’s going too far! For one, you could get into serious trouble for pulling the fire alarm. For two, burning someone’s face goes beyond a payback crime! We’re talking a felony here!” Claire said a little too loudly for Joey’s taste.
Again, Joey looked around. “Sh! I shouldn’t have told you. Forget I did. They deserve this. It’s a small price to pay for causing Jonah to almost kill himself. Ciara and I won’t get caught. We know what we’re doing. No go off to your next class. I know you, Miss Goody-Goody —you were never late for class a day in your life, and I’m sure you don’t want to be today either!”
Claire looked at him in shock, then clenched her fists and stormed off. She couldn’t let them do this. Something had to be done.

~*This love came back to me.*~

Ciara was confident in herself. They were working with ammonium nitrate. It was going to be easier than she thought. She waited for the fire alarm to sound. When it did, she ran out the room with everyone else, and once the teacher had run out as well, she sneaked back in. She shut the door, then quickly got to work. She went into the closet where they kept the chemicals. The teacher had been in such a hurry to get out, he hadn’t even thought to lock it back up. Not that it would have mattered if he hadn’t. She knew he kept the key in a hidden compartment in the top drawer of his desk.
She grabbed the zinc powder and the salt. Then, she poured the two into the motor filled with the ammonium oxide, and quickly mixed it together with the pestle. Lucky for her, they were also working with water, so she was all set. As soon as AJ and Becca mixed the powdery mixture and the water into their beaker, they could say bye, bye to their good looks.
The fire alarm suddenly stopped, and Ciara quickly turned to leave. She practically jumped out of her skin when she saw not only her chemistry teacher, but the principal and two of the school security guards as well. Even more surprising and startling, one of the security guards was holding Joey by the back of his shirt. However, that wasn’t even the most surprising thing. The thing that was the most shocking to Ciara was seeing Claire standing beside them with a guilty-looking expression. Ciara knew then without having to be told. Claire had ratted them out.

~*This love came back to me.*~

“I’m glad we finally get to eat lunch together. We never get to do this anymore,” Aiden said as he and Hope had lunch at the pizza parlor.
“It’s only pizza, but it’s better than nothing right?” Hope asked.
Aiden nodded. “Of course! So, no new leads on who killed Rafe and his father and brother?”
Hope shook her head. “No. Whomever did it knew what they were doing. I don’t want this case to go unsolved. I feel I owe it to Rafe to solve this for him. But it’s been weeks and we haven’t found anything to go by. I know it’s early yet, but I really think this case is going to go cold and whomever did this is going to get away with it. Lani is so upset she is transferring to Chicago. She said it’s just too painful to work in the same precinct she used to work with Rafe in. They were partners. I know from also having been partners with Rafe the bond it gives you. She really must be going through hell right now, the poor girl.”
Aiden tried not to wince.
“I didn’t mean to bring up our bond again. I’m sorry,” Hope said softly.
Aiden looked up at her. He smiled weakly, and gently took her hands in his from across the table. “You know me too well. I thought I was good at hiding my expressions.” He then sighed. “I’m the one who’s sorry. You were partners with him in more ways than one. I know that this must still hurt you so much even though your romantic partnership was over.”
Hoped nodded. “It does. Very deeply.” She then gently squeezed Aiden’s hands. “But with you, I know I can get through anything.”
This brought a smile to Aiden’s face, revealing his dimples.
Hope smiled big the way she only did with Aiden. “I love your dimples. They’re so adorable!”
“What if I want to be sexy and not adorable?” Aiden asked with an eyebrow raised.
Hope licked her lips, and her eyes got the lust-filled look in them. “Trust me, you’re plenty sexy too.” She stepped out of her flat, and gently ran her stockinged-foot up his leg. “If you’re up to it, I can show you exactly how sexy I find you.”
Aiden licked his lips. “In that case, let’s head back home right now!”
Hope laughed. “Nice try! I meant after work.” She removed her foot from under his pant leg, and put her flat back on.
Aiden shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying!” he said, taking another bite of his pizza.
Hope smirked. “You know what I think we should do?” She noticed the look on Aiden’s face. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“If it’s not that, then I’m not interested,” he joked.
She rolled her eyes, and continued anyway. “I was thinking we should start planning our wedding—starting with a date!”
“Now that is a topic I’m happy to talk about that doesn’t involve sex.” He grinned.
Hope smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t mind.”
“Do you want a big wedding, or a small wedding?” Aiden asked.
“If you don’t mind, I was thinking something a little smaller this time around. We already did a bigger wedding. I just want our closest friends and family there,” Hope replied.
“Where would you like to get married?” Aiden asked.
“Where would you like to get married? You should be able to make some decisions too.” Hope took his hands from across the table again, and kissed them.
Aiden kissed her hands in return. “Baby, as long as I’m marrying you, I don’t care if it’s at a garbage dump! I’ll just be happy to marry you.”
Hope raised an eyebrow. “At a garbage dump?”
Aiden grinned. “Okay, maybe I’d have to draw the line at the garbage dump, but anywhere else is fine.”
They both laughed.
“I have an idea, but I’m not sure you’ll like it. It would just be at a house,” Hope said before sipping her soda, her eyes on Aiden.
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Whose house?”
“Jennifer’s. As you know, it was formerly my grandmother’s house. My Gran meant so much to me. To get married in her house would…Nothing would please me more,” Hope answered.
Aiden squeezed her hands in his own. “Then, if it’s okay with Jennifer, your Gran’s old house it is! Maybe we can even get Father Louis to marry us there.”
“That would be perfect! After all, it’s because of him forcing us to work together that we fell in love.” Hope rubbed her thumb over Aiden’s fingers.
“Exactly,” he said, smiling and revealing the dimples that Hope loved so much.
“I know it’s soon, but since it’s a small house wedding, we won’t need much planning. I was thinking maybe a Christmas Eve Wedding?” Hope continued. “Everything would already be set up for Christmas, and so beautiful. And at the end of our wedding we can hang your ball up on the tree.”
Aiden winced. “Sounds painful!”
Hope’s eyes lit up as she caught his joke. She playfully swatted his hands. “Stop that!”
They both laughed again.
“In all seriousness, that sounds perfect.” Aiden kissed her hands one more time. “It will be a dream come true to marry you again. It will make my Christmas all the more magical,” he said.
Hope smiled, but before she could respond, Aiden’s phone rang.
“Excuse me a moment. It could be work,” he said, taking out his phone.
“Of course,” Hope replied. She sipped her soda.
Aiden’s eyes widened in surprise. “It’s Ciara,” he said. “I wonder what she’s calling me for. Maybe she wants to get ahold of you.”
Hope checked her phone. “She didn’t try calling me. She must want to talk to you.”
Aiden, both surprised and curious, swiped to answer. “Hello? … What? Ciara… All right. Sit tight, and don’t talk to anyone! Your mother and I will be right there.” He hung up the phone.
Hope was already getting out of her chair, looking worried. “What’s wrong?”
“Ciara’s just been arrested at school for trying to chemically burn two students’ faces, and Joey has been arrested for pulling a fire alarm, and for aiding and abetting her,” Aiden replied. “She needs me to represent her.”
Hope’s mouth dropped open. She was literally at a loss of words. She grabbed her jacket, then practically dragged Aiden out of the pizza place so that she could get to her daughter and find out what the heck was going on.

[gapeach]

I am glad Clare told someone what was going on before anyone else got hurt. Ciara is really out of control.

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
Season 2 Episode 22: Help

“Tell me everything that happened,” Aiden ordered Ciara once they were in the privacy of the interrogation room.
Ciara sighed. “I got so angry with the bullies who almost caused Jonah to kill himself, I wanted revenge. They were still mocking him even though they knew he had almost killed himself. So, I decided to take manners into my own hands.”
“How?” Hope asked, her arms crossed over her chest. She was not thrilled with her daughter at the moment.
Again, Ciara sighed. She then told Aiden and Hope everything. She told them about the hair shaving and billboard incident. She told them about the tripwire incident. She told them about the gay fliers, and finally, she told them about the current situation.
“I can’t believe you did all those things. Who are you?” Hope asked angrily.
“I’m sorry, all right? I figured they had it coming to them. What I did to them was nothing compared to the life they almost took.” Ciara looked and sounded more angry than sad.
Hope raised an eyebrow at her, even angrier than she was before. “Except the difference is theirs was unintentional. Yes, the bullying was intentional, but we both know they didn’t mean for him to try to kill himself.”
Ciara crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her. “Well, they weren’t even sorry, and that’s just as bad.”
“Did Jonah know about any of this?” Aiden asked.
Ciara shook her head. “We didn’t tell him because we knew he was too nice to approve of this.”
“Well, then maybe you shouldn’t have done it!” Hope snapped.
Ciara shrugged, her arms crossed over her chest. “They needed to pay for what they did to Jonah even if Jonah is too nice to admit it.”
“So, Chase took part in this too?” Aiden asked, the color draining from his face a little.
“Yes and no,” Ciara replied. “He helped with the billboard, and he helped with the tripwire. None of us expected Joey to jump out in a ski mask and a knife to scare the hell out of Jason. We didn’t expect Jason to break anything. We just thought he’d sprain his wrist or something and not be able to play basketball this season. Claire and Theo saw what happened and they were out. They didn’t want to do it anymore. Chase decided he had already killed his mother and didn’t want to hurt anyone else, so he bailed as well. The gay fliers were all me. I told Claire about them, but she was against me putting them up. I didn’t tell anyone else. I flew solo on that one. Joey and I were the only ones who knew about the chem lab plan—that is until Joey was dumb enough to tell Claire about it and the little traitor ratted us out!”
“Well, you can be glad she did because, if you had actually gone through with your plan and burned those two student’s faces, you could be in a jail cell right now, and there is nothing much I could do for you,” Aiden told her. “Does Joey need representation too?”
Ciara shook her head. “Justin’s on it.”
Aiden nodded. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Even if you’re not sorry, you’re going to act sorry. You’re even going to summon up some tears. I don’t care I you have to think of almost losing Jonah, or even if you have to think of your father’s death. You need to do whatever it is you have to do to bring on the tears and make the judge take sympathy on you. It will also help to get sympathy from the parents of the students you almost maimed, as well as from the principal. More importantly, you keep your mouth shut about the billboard, tripwire, and fliers incident. You hear me?”
Ciara nodded.
“You need to apologize to all the people I mentioned above, including to the students whose faces you were going to burn. If we’re lucky, I can get you a lenient sentence like community service and or a fine,” Aden continued.
Ciara nodded.
“I hope you understand, Ciara, how wrong this was of you to do. I know what the bullies did was a horrible thing, but you’re better than them! You are a smart, kind, and caring young woman. This is not you. Don’t let some horrible teenagers ruin the good person that you are. Your father would want you to be better than that,” Hope gently scolded.
For the first time since arriving at the police station, Ciara got tears in her eyes. She nodded, but didn’t look up.
“Good! Keep those tears and that regret. You’re going to need them!” Aiden said. “I have to go talk to the judge. I’ll be back in a few.” Aiden then left the room, shutting the door behind him to give Hope and Ciara some privacy.
“You’re lucky Aiden is here to represent you, you know,” Hope said to Ciara. “He’s the best lawyer there is.”
Ciara finally looked up at her. “I know.” She was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. “Do you think Dad would be disappointed in me?”
Hope sighed. She walked over to Ciara and wrapped her arms around her. “Baby, I think your father would be sad you chose to go the rout you went, but I also think he would understand.” Hope smirked. “It’s not like he’s never went off to get revenge on anyone!”
Ciara smiled too.
“If anything, I think he would be proud of you for facing up to what you did,” Hope continued.
“Except for the other things I did, but didn’t get caught doing them,” Ciara reminded her.
Hope nodded. “Your father also didn’t raise a fool. He’d want you to keep your mouth shut about those things. Lauren’s hair will grow back, and the billboard can be taken down. She’ll eventually get over the embarrassment. Jason’s bones will heal, and Jake will find a girlfriend then all the gay rumors will be put to rest. He will also get over the embarrassment. As for Becca and AJ, their pretty and handsome faces are still intact, so no harm done. Besides, like you said…” Hope leaned down and whispered in her daughter’s ear. “They had it coming.” She winked at her.
Ciara and Hope grinned at each other.
“But don’t get me wrong—doing something that could have killed them and or maimed them was still very wrong!” Hope then added turning more serious again.
“I get it! I learned my lesson. Trust me,” Ciara said.
“Good!” Hope replied, her arms crossed over her chest.
Aiden came back a short while later. “All right. Your bail is set at $5,000. I was able to expedite your hearing to two days from now. You need to be on your best behavior until then. Also, you’re not allowed to go to school again until the court and principal decides what to do with you—judges orders.”
Ciara shrugged. “At least I get a couple days off.”
“More if they expel you. You better pray that doesn’t happen,” Hope said, shooting her a warning look.
“I’ll do my best to get leniency on that as well,” Aiden said. “But, since it’s outside of the courts, so you may have to help vouch for Ciara, being her mother and all. You can tell the principal how she hasn’t been the same since Jonah almost died, and she is still reeling over the loss of her father.”
Hope nodded. “It wouldn’t be lying.” She sighed. “Let’s go get Ciara’s bail paid off.”
“Then can we go eat? I’m starved! I didn’t get a chance to have lunch yet,” Ciara said as she got out of her chair and stood up.
“I have to get back to work,” Hope said.
“As do I,” Aiden replied.
“Sorry, but you’re on your own,” Hope said to her.
Ciara shrugged. “No worries. I’ll see if Chad wants to get lunch.”
“Good! He’s rich. Maybe you can see if he can give you an advance for looking after Thomas. Don’t think you don’t have to pay me back for his bail money,” Hope said, giving Ciara a stern look.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get on it,” Ciara said, fighting to not roll her eyes.

~*This love came back to me.*~

“So, is having a cat helping you to feel better?” Marlena asked. Chase was having another session with her.
Chase nodded. “I named her after my mother. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like, by taking care of my cat Meredith, it’s almost like making up for being such a bad son to my mom Meredith.”
Marlena smiled kindly at him. “It doesn’t sound crazy at all! But Chase, you have to accept the fact that you were just a child when you accidently killed your mother. You can’t possibly call yourself a bad son. Your mother loved you very much! I didn’t know her, but from what you’ve told me about her that you remember, it seems like she was a very nice lady who loved her son very much! Sure she had a bit of a drinking problem, but that didn’t make her a bad person. That didn’t stop her from loving you.”
“And look how I repaid her for loving me,” Chase grumbled.
Marlena sighed. “Did you think in your head, ‘This is a gun! I want to shoot and kill my mother with it! I hate her so much!’?”
Chase sat up straighter on the couch. “What? Are you kidding me? Of course not! I would never want any harm to have come to my mother! I loved her and still do! Anyway, I was only four. I couldn’t possibly have possibly had that much hate in my heart for her.”
Marlena smiled at Chase, and Chase realized what he had just said.
He blew some hair out of his eyes. “It looks like I may have just had what you shrinks call a breakthrough?”
Marlena smiled big. “That you did.” Her timer went off, and she clicked the off button. “That’s the end of our session for today. Looks like you had your breakthrough right on time.” She winked at him. “I’m very pleased with how things have progressed today. Maybe that cat is helping you heal even more than you think!”
Chase rolled his eyes and got up off the couch. “Tell that to my dad. He’s convinced my cat is out to get him.”
Marlena laughed. “Maybe he should come to my office with the cat, and I can give them some therapy together.”
Chase laughed. “You’re joking, but that actually wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He flung is jacket over his shoulder. “See you Friday for my next session.”
Marlena smiled and nodded. “See you Friday,” she said with a nod of confirmation.
Chase then left her office, feeling just a little bit better.

~*This love came back to me.*~

The day of Joey and Ciara’s hearing had quickly arrived. They had already talked with Joey. Now it was Ciara’s turn. As instructed, Ciara had left out the part about being involved in the other pranks. Joey had too. Aiden had talked to Justin to make sure they and their clients were on the same page.
Becca’s parents and AJ’s mother were there in the courtroom, as well as the principal.
“Is there anything you would like to say for yourself?” the judge asked Ciara.
Ciara nodded. “I just want to apologize to both Becca and AJ for going too far. Your bullying almost made Jonah commit suicide. He tried, but didn’t succeed. Jonah is a very good friend of mine. I wanted to get back at you for hurting him and almost causing him his life. I was so caught up on getting revenge that I didn’t realize I was becoming a monster. At least you guys didn’t mean for him to try to kill himself. I however, meant to physically harm you, and I am so sorry for that. Between my father suddenly dying after having just received him back into my life days earlier, then to almost lose my good friend to suicide… I wasn’t in the right mindset. I see how wrong I was now. I promise to never do something so stupid again.”
Aiden gave Ciara a reassuring nod and smile when Ciara sat back down. She had done well. He stood up and faced the judge. “Your honor, I want to request that you show some lenience on her. She knows what she did was wrong, and she is sincerely sorry. I truly believe she has learned her lesson. Also, please keep in mind that this is a first time offense. She’s never been brought to the court for doing wrong before.”
The judge nodded. “I will take that into consideration. The judge then wanted to speak with Becca and AJ.
“I personally don’t think I’m the one to blame. When you’re fat and stupid like Jonah is, you have to learn to take criticism. It would have been a good thing if he killed himself. Then he wouldn’t have to be subjected to the criticism. He clearly couldn’t take it anyway,” Becca stated.
Ciara clenched her fists.
Aiden used one hand to press over her shoulder to stop her from getting up, and the other hand to cover her mouth. “Don’t. She will self-destruct all on her own,” he said just audible enough for Ciara to hear. He removed his hands.
Ciara shot him a look, but obeyed and stayed put.
“I’m sorry that Jonah almost killed himself. I didn’t mean for that to happen. He just made it so easy to pick on!” AJ said with a laugh.
“I think I’ve heard enough. I need some time in my chambers to decide. I’ll be back in five minutes with my decision.” The judge banged his gavel, and they all rose.
“How do you think it went?” Ciara asked Aiden once the judge was in his chambers.
Aiden smirked. “I think Becca and AJ were their own downfall.”
Ciara grinned. “They were, weren’t they?”
“Let’s not get too cocky yet though,” Aiden warned. “You never know with this judge. He’s usually fair, but sometimes he throws a curveball. I just hope Becca and AJ’s parents don’t go throwing their weight or money around.”
“Well, they aren’t that prominent of people. Though, they do have money, so they could have a say in whether or not Ciara gets expelled,” Hope said with worry.
“I guess all we can do is hope for the best,” Aiden replied.
The judge came back out, and they all rose as instructed.
“I have come to my decision. Joey Johnson, you are sentenced to two hundred hours of community service. I’ll let your principal decide if and when you can return to school. Ciara Brady, I sentence you to four-hundred hours community service since you were the one who was actually going to cause the explosion to happen. I am taking pity on you just this once due to the circumstances, but let me remind you of how much damage you could have done. You could have not only scarred two people for life, but you also could have killed them or anyone else around them! What you did was incredibly reckless! I suggest you maybe see a physiatrist to help you through any issues you may still be going through. And be fair warned, if you ever do something like this again, I assure you, I will not be so lenient.”
Ciara shook her head. “Thank you for your lenience, Your Honor. I assure you, I have learned my lesson. I know what I did was beyond stupid, and it will never happen again.”
The judge nodded. He then looked over at Becca and AJ. “As for you two, I find it sickening and appalling that you two can have such little care over a human life just because he doesn’t fit your standards on what you find attractive. Let me remind you that even the nicest looking apples can be rotten on the inside, which makes them inedible no matter how appealing they look on the outside. The same concept goes for the most unattractive oyster shell. It can still hold a beautiful pearl making it more valuable than any shiny red inwardly rotten apple.” He banged his gavel. “Court is dismissed.”
AJ and Becca rolled their eyes, but Ciara and Joey ran over to each other and hugged the other.
“Don’t worry; I’m done being stupid,” Joey said to her.
Ciara squeezed him tightly. “Me too.”
“It still makes me mad that Becca and AJ never had to pay though,” Joey said.
“Yeah, well, get over it unless you want to end up in jail!” Kayla said, grabbing Joey by the shoulders. “We need to talk to the principal about the future of your senior year.”
“We do too,” Hope said, grabbing Ciara by the shoulders in the same manner.
Ciara and Joey looked at each other. If they could just get through this, they would be okay. If not, it looked like they’d have to find another school…

~*This love came back to me.*~

“Joey, since you only pulled the fire alarm, I’m just going to suspend you for a week. Ciara, I’m sorry, but for putting the lives of your fellow students in danger, I’m afraid I have to expel you,” the principal stated.
“What? No! Please don’t! It’s my senior year! I want to graduate with my friends!” Ciara whined. She had tears in her eyes. She hated looking like a baby, but she couldn’t help it.
Hope shook her head and put a hand to her forehead. She supposed there was always private school…
“With all due respect, if the judge had pity on her, don’t you think you could too? She is sorry for what she did, and I assure you she won’t do it again,” Aiden said gently.
Ciara shook her head. “Never again! I was a stupid idiot. I won’t do it again. I want to make my father proud of me, and I know that not only was it wrong what I did, but also it would make my dad disappointed in me.”
“Imagine not seeing your father for two years, then he comes back to you after being held captive, only to die days later. To top that off, just over a year later, your very good friend is bullied so badly that he tries to commit suicide and almost dies. Surely you can see how that would take a toll on a person’s mind—especially a young girl’s mind. Ciara has been through a lot in her life. Please, cut her a break,” Aiden said, his eyes pleading with the principal.
The principal looked at Aiden, then at Ciara, who was looking pitiful. She sighed. “All right! I will simply suspend you. Once your community service is complete, then you may come back to school. Until then, you can take your lessons at home. I can give whomever will be teaching you the material to do so.”
“I can do it. I have nothing better to do, and I was pretty good in school back in the day,” Joey’s father Steve offered.
Hope smiled at him. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”
Steve shrugged. “No problem. It will only be for a couple months.”
“There better not be a next time though. If there is, you’ll be expelled with no exceptions,” the principal warned Ciara. She looked at Joey and pointed her finger at him. “That goes for you too!”
Ciara shook her head. “There won’t be a next time.”
“No next time,” Joey agreed, shaking his head as well.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” the principal said before leaving.
“Come on. Let’s get you home,” Kayla said to Joey.
“We start school as soon as I get those materials. We’ll hold it at my house. I’m not teaching any school on Dimera grounds,” Steve said gruffly.
Ciara nodded. “Got it!”
Joey and Ciara said goodbye to each other, and Kayla and Steve said goodbye to Hope and Aiden, then they left.
Ciara then turned to Aiden and hugged him. “Thank you for helping me.” She grinned up at him. “I guess you really have changed. Consider yourself redeemed. But if you ever hurt my mom again—even if you just make her cry—all bets are off.”
Aiden hugged her back. “You’re welcome, and duly noted.”
“I have to go take care of Thomas. See ya, Mom,” Ciara said hugging her mother.
“See you later, Baby” Hope said, hugging her daughter tightly.
Ciara then left.
Hope walked over to Aiden and pulled him close. “Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
Aiden wrapped his arms around her as well. “I’m sure you would have figured out something. You’re a cop, and a smart one at that!”
Hope nuzzled her nose against his. “I wouldn’t have known what to do without you doing your things and being the smooth-talking lawyer that you are.”
Aiden grinned. “It comes with years of practice!”
Hope smiled. She then softly kissed him on the lips.
Aiden quietly moaned, and hungrily kissed her back.
After a moment of kissing, Hope took his hand. “Come on. I want to take you home and thank you for your services before I have to go back to work.” She then purred into his ear, “I have some services of my own I wanna show you.” She licked up his ear.
Aiden moaned and squeezed her hand. “Lead the way, Baby.”
Hope kissed him passionately, then led him out of the courthouse to go home.

[ihearthaiden]

Days of our Haiden
Season 2 Episode 23: Love Me Tender

Over the next few weeks, Aiden trained hard. He was getting faster at running and his stamina had increased immensely. He could now run the bleacher stairs maybe not quite with ease yet, but a lot faster than he could before. He could make it up and down the bleacher stairs at a pretty good speed without having to stop for air. Of course he had to take a break once he was back down the stairs, but still he had made it a lot further than he had when he had first run them!
He went running daily with Detective Davis. They ran for five miles each day, having built up from one. He had even worked out at the gym with Hope every night before dinner. Also, he had gone on a diet to help him get trim and fit for his retake of the physical endurance exam. He was sure he was going to make the force. Being a lawyer, he already knew most of the things he had to know to be a police officer, and he had quickly picked up on the things he didn’t know.
It was currently the middle of October. The following week Aiden would take his final test to see if he had what it took to be a part of the Salem PD. If he passed his physical endurance test, then he would be inducted into the police force. He had no doubt he would make it. He had to make it. He had to prove to Hope he had what it took to be a man that could protect her. He could be like Bo, and he could be like Rafe. He wasn’t weak anymore.
He got home from work that day, exhausted from all the cases he had aside from training when he wasn’t working on those cases. It was now Friday, and he had the weekend off—at least from work. All he wanted to do tonight was relax at home with Hope. He wouldn’t mind going out to dinner with her, but he would also be perfectly content to eat dinner at home.
“Hope? Baby, are you home yet?” Aiden asked, setting his keys on the lamp stand.
Meredith came prancing down the stairs. Upon seeing that it was Aiden who had come home and not Chase, she took one look at him and hissed, all the while giving him the stink eye.
Aiden rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah, well the feeling is mutual!” he said to her.
Meredith let out a little growl sound, then made her way to the bathroom, which now held a little box for when she was too lazy to use the upstairs box.
“Stupid cat!” Aiden grumbled. He loved cats, but this cat was an exception. This cat was a rotten little thug! He headed up the stairs and loosened his tie.
As he entered the bedroom, he saw a note on his pillow.
He headed over to the note, picked it up, and read it.
Good evening, my Love. You’ve been working so hard lately, I figured you deserve a night of pampering. Come to our special place for a surprise I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Room 208. Don’t worry—I already packed you a bag. Xoxo-Hope
Smiling, Aiden set the note down, then headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Tonight’s surprise was definitely going to be just what he needed. Then again, Hope always had been just what he needed…

~*This love came back to me.*~

“I feel like this is all we ever do—eat pizza and watch movies. Seriously, we all need a life,” Ciara grumbled as she took a bite of her Hawaiian pizza.
“I thought you loved horror movies, Ciara!” Theo said.
Ciara rolled her eyes. “I do, but after watching them all ten times, it gets old. There hasn’t been a decent horror movie out in forever. I swear, nothing is even scary anymore.”
“Who could ever get tired of Interview with a Vampire?” Claire asked.
Ciara took the remote and clicked the television off. “Me.”
“Hey!” Claire, Chase, Theo, Joey, and Jonah all complained.
“That movie is lame. I want to do something fun,” Ciara said with another eye roll.
“Like what?” Theo asked. “And don’t say anything illegal. I think you’ve already done enough of that!”
“Give me a break! You were all for humiliating Lauren and hurting Jason,” Ciara snapped.
Theo held up his hands. “I was wrong. Anyway, I didn’t expect for Jason to get hurt that severely.”
“Whatever,” Ciara grumbled.
“I didn’t!” Theo insisted.
Claire broke in before things got heated. “Ciara, what would you like to do then, if not watch horror movies?”
Ciara grinned wickedly. “Why not truth or dare? It’s all ways been a favorite. I don’t mean normal child’s play truth or dare like ‘I never kissed a boy before’ or ‘I dare you to crank call Mr. Simpson.’” Ciara shook her head. “No. I mean hardcore truth or dare.”
Claire twirled some hair around her finger. “I don’t know…”
“It can’t be anything illegal. I’m almost done with my community service,” Joey said. “I’m not risking more time, or worse, jail,” Joey warned her.
Ciara rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. “Relax! I’m not stupid. It will be nothing illegal; just something four our entertainment.”
Joey shrugged. “I’m in then.”
“If it’s nothing illegal, then I suppose there’s no harm to it. I’m in as well,” Theo said.
Jonah shrugged. “Why not? If anyone can use a little fun, it’s me. I’m in too.”
Chase nodded. “You know I’m in!”
They all looked at Claire.
Claire looked at them as if debating. Finally, she sighed. “Fine! I’m in.”
Ciara grinned big, and clapped her hands together. “Excellent! Now who wants to go first?”

~*This love came back to me.*~

When Aiden arrived at the hotel, he headed straight up to room 208. He was very eager to spend some alone time with his soon-to-be wife.
He knocked on the door, and the door opened. His mouth dropped open when he saw Hope wearing a sexy little red dress that was super short, super tight, and super low-cut. Her lips were a crimson red to match the dress.
She gently pulled him into the room by the front of his shirt, and brushed her lips against his ear. “I’m so glad you could make it, Mr. Jennings,” she purred.
Aiden moaned, then kissed her passionately for a moment.
Hope took his face between her hands and hungrily kissed him back.
Once they had broken for air, Hope closed the door, then turned back to face him.
Aiden took her outfit in. It clung to her body like Saran wrap. Her legs looked shapely and lengthy, and her red pumps made her legs look even more fantastic than they already were.
He placed his hands over her waist. “Oo, Baby, the things your body in that dress is doing to me right now…” He licked his lips and moaned as his eyes continued to drink her in.
Hope raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Just my body?”
Aiden shook his head. “Uh, uh! Your face too.” He gently took her face between his hands. “Your beautiful, stunning, sexy face.” He began kissing first her lips, then her cheeks, then down past her jawline to her neck. “Your neck… Everything about you is so perfect to me.”
Hope closed her eyes and tilted her head back as Aiden continued to kiss her neck, gently nipping at the skin here and there. She tangled her fingers in his hair.
He then picked her up and started carrying her to the bed.
“Wait!” she said. “We can’t do this. Not right now.”
“Why not?” Aiden kissed her lips passionately. “Baby, I don’t think you understand my need that is going on right now.”
His eyes filled with desire for him. “Don’t worry. I’m going to make sure every one of your needs get satisfied tonight,” she purred.
He moaned, and continued carrying her to bed.
“But!” she quickly added, “Room service will be here any minute with our food. I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to be making love when it gets here.”
Aiden smirked. “Why not? I’m sure it’s nothing he or she hasn’t heard before, working at a hotel. We can leave a note outside the door for them to just leave the food outside the door for us to get later.”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “Room service!”
Aiden groaned.
Hope smiled apologetically. “Oops!” she said. “Too late.”
“You answer it. I’m in no condition to right now,” Aiden grumbled as he set her down, then went to lie down on the bed.
Hope shook her head and smirked as she headed to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him. “You’re so bad!”
His eyes got the hungry for her look in them that Hope knew all too well. “Hop into bed with me, and I’ll show you how bad I can be. Baby, I’ll give you more pleasure than you could even fathom!”
Hope paused for a moment. She bit her bottom lip, and pushed some hair behind her ear as she took in what Aiden had just said to her.
There was another knock on the door. “Room service!”
She shook her lustful thoughts from her mind, then opened the door to get hers and Aiden’s food. Their dessert was going to have to wait until after dinner…

~*This love came back to me.*~

“Since you all are a bunch of chickens, I’ll go first. I pick dare,” Ciara said. “Joey, you won’t wimp out of me. Pick a good one.”
Joey thought about it for a moment. He then grinned. “I dare you to drink a cup of toilet water.”
“Gross, but not that impressive,” Ciara said, standing up. “I’m not drinking a huge glass. I’ll drink a Dixie Cup’s worth.”
Joey smirked. “Fine, but I wasn’t done with the dare yet.”
Ciara looked at him. “Okay, what’s the rest?”
Joey grinned wickedly. “You have to drink in it after I pee in it!”
“That’s disgusting!” Claire said.
“No way! Don’t do it, Ciara!” Theo said. “That’s going way too far.”
Joey laughed. “What? The rules are it can be nothing illegal. We didn’t say it couldn’t be gross.”
“That goes without saying that it can’t be that gross!” Claire said.
“I did hear that pee is sterile and can be good for you. Madonna once drank her own pee for the nutrients,” Jonah said. “Not that I personally would ever want to, but still…”
Ciara looked at Joey. “That is truly sick and twisted.”
Chase laughed. “You’re the one who didn’t want to play a wimpy version of the game!”
Ciara glared at him, then looked at Joey. “Fine, but expect a good payback when I’m done.”
Joey stood up and smiled smugly at her. “Bring it on! I’ll be right back after I make my deposit. I have some assets that need liquefying.”
Ciara rolled her eyes as he headed to the bathroom.
“Ciara, honestly we will not think any differently of you if you bail out. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what you had in mind when it came to a less wimpy truth or dare. This is going a little bit too far!” Claire said to her.
Ciara shook her head. “No. I’m not bailing. I wanted hardcore, and now I’m getting it.”
Joey came out. “Your drink awaits, my cousin!” He bowed to her.
Ciara headed to the bathroom, her friends following right behind her. She took a Dixie-Cup out.
“Ciara don’t…” Theo said as he watched her dip it into the toilet.
Ciara held the cup out to them and shrugged. “Bottoms up!” she said. She then quickly chugged it all down in one go. When she was done, she tossed the cup away and flushed the toilet. “Yuck!” She shook all over and made a noise of disgust. She then ran to the sink, grabbed the Listerine, and swished away for a full minute before spitting it out. She then glared at her friends. “Poop is off limits before anyone even tries to use it in a dare. Nothing that can make us sick is allowed.”
“Man! I should have thought of that before it became exiled,” Joey said.
Theo shook his head. “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I can’t believe you did that!” Ciara said.
Chase laughed. “Wait until I tell Hope about this. She’ll freak!”
Ciara shot him a look. “Don’t you dare tell her about it!”
“If someone dares me to tell her, I have no choice!” Chase said smugly.
Ciara shot everyone a warning look. “I don’t need a lecture from my mother about not doing stupid things that could affect my health. Anyway, it’s my turn, and I pick Joey. Joey, I dare you to get naked then go knock on Claire’s neighbor’s door and ask to borrow some underwear.”
Joey blushed. “I can’t do it naked! I’ll get arrested for public nudity!”
“We’re in an apartment complex! You won’t be out in public,” Ciara said.
Joey crossed his arms and shook his head. “No way! I won’t do it.”
Ciara crossed her arms over her chest as well. “Dude, I drank your pee for gosh sakes! The least you can do is do my dare.”
Joey sighed. “I’m not risking getting arrested. I will go, but I will go in my underwear.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Ciara grumbled.
Joey began to strip down.
“Why would you want to see your cousin naked anyway?” Theo asked.
“It’s not about seeing him naked; it’s about seeing him humiliated for making me drink his pee,” Ciara said.
“You could have said no,” Claire said to her.
“And back down after I was the one that wanted to play hardcore? No way!” Ciara said.
Joey was now in his briefs. “I’ll ask to borrow some pants. Of all the days for all my boxers to be dirty. I rarely ever choose briefs…” he grumbled.
Ciara smirked.
Joey then opened the door and went to the neighbor across the way.
“That’s old lady Genevieve,” Claire said, giggling behind her hand. “She’ll probably enjoy seeing some action.”
Genevieve opened the door after three knocks. “Give me a chance! I’m an old lady and can’t make it to the door as quickly anymore you know…” She grumbled. Her eyes then got big as she saw who was standing before her.
“Hi, I’m Joey—Claire’s friend.” Joey motioned over his shoulder with his thumb toward Claire. “Can I please borrow some pants?”
“Dearie, I’m an old woman. Why on earth would I have pants that would fit a teenage boy? And where are your pants?”
Joey laughed. “I’m sorry. I had to do this for a prank. We’re playing truth or dare.”
Genevieve smirked. “Well, I can’t say I mind the view!” She winked at Joey, and then looked over his shoulder at his friends. “Thank you for the dare! Next time you should have him go naked!” She grinned and winked at Joey and made a clicking sound with her tongue. Then she went back into her apartment and shut the door.
Claire and friends burst out laughing.
Joey was fifty shades of crimson. “That was so embarrassing!”
“She likes you!” Claire said in a sing-song voice.
“Shut up!” Joey said with a laugh.
They went back into Claire’s apartment and he redressed. “I didn’t even get to pick if I wanted a truth or a dare,” he grumbled.
“You would have picked dare anyway to show you’re not a wuss!” Ciara said.
He nodded. “True.”
Joey then turned to Claire. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth! I’m not doing anything embarrassing,” she said.
“I know you changed your look to impress a guy. Who is it?” Joey asked her.
Claire bushed, and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Who says I didn’t change for myself?”
Joey shook his head. “Bull! Girls always say they change for themselves but you know it’s not entirely true. There is always someone they want to impress. Otherwise, why would they care what they looked like?”
“Come on, Claire. You have to tell the truth!” Ciara urged.
Claire sighed. “All right. I like Ted Davies.”
Ciara laughed. “Ted Davies? He’s the captain of the chess team and the biggest dweeb in school. He doesn’t strike me as your type.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like the underdog type. Besides, who doesn’t want a smart man?” Claire asked with a dreamy smile.
Ciara rolled her eyes. “Lame!”
Claire ignored her, and turned to Theo. “Truth or dare?”
“I’ll be brave. Dare!” Theo said.
Claire tapped her lips with her finger. “I dare you to kiss Chase on the mouth!”
“What? Hey! This should count as a dare for me too then,” Chase grumbled.
“Fine. I dare you to kiss Theo in return—with tongue!” Jonah piped in.
“Ew!” Theo and Chase both said together.
Joey and Ciara both laughed, and high-fived Jonah.
“You have to do it! Come on. If I can drink pee, you two certainly can kiss with tongue!” Ciara said.
Theo and Chase both looked at each other with disgusted looks on their faces.
“Let’s just get this over with!” Chase said.
“All right,” Theo agreed with a wince.
They moved closer together, took each other’s faces in their hands, then quickly French kissed for no more than one quick kiss.
“Yuck!” Theo said when he broke the kiss.
“Where’s that Listerine?” Chase asked, wiping his tongue with his hands.
Jonah laughed. “There’s no way I’m picking dare after seeing that! Truth!”
“All right. Jonah, what was it like to almost die?” Theo asked.
“Theo! Don’t be a moron! That is so rude and morbid to ask him! What is wrong with you?” Ciara snapped.
Jonah shook his head. “No, it’s all right. It was scary before I shot myself, but at the same time, I just wanted the pain to end, and I knew it would be quick. I honestly don’t remember anything after pulling the trigger. Waking up at the hospital was like waking up from a deep sleep and not knowing where you were. I didn’t go to Heaven or Hell or anything like that. It was just nothing…”
Theo nodded. “Thank you for telling me.”
“No problem,” Jonah said with a shrug.
They all hung out for a half hour more, then Joey left because he had a curfew until his community service was over. Ciara also had community service early in the morning, so she left as well. Jonah’s now overprotective parents had arrived to pick him up and take him home. They didn’t want him riding his bike home this late by himself.
Theo stayed back for a little while with Claire.
“Tonight was fun. Well, it was fun until Ciara yelled at me,” Theo grumbled.
Claire nodded. “I hate the way she talks to you. She’s not being a good girlfriend.”
Theo sighed. “That’s just Ciara for you lately—very abrasive.” He turned to Claire. “So, you really like Ted Davies?” he asked.
Claire shook her head. “No. I just didn’t want them to know who I really liked.”
“Who do you really like?” Theo asked.
Claire hesitated for a moment. “It’s wrong. I know I shouldn’t like this person. He already has a girlfriend.”
“You can’t help how you feel,” Theo said. “Come on. You can tell me. Who is it? I promise not to judge you no matter who you say.”
Claire pushed some hair behind her ear and blushed. “Well, it’s…you.”
Theo’s eyes got big in surprise. “Me?”
Claire nodded. “I’m sorry. It’s just that we like all the same things and—“
Theo cut her off by taking her face between his hands. “Don’t apologize.”
“Why not?” Claire asked quietly, her hands placed over his now.
“Because I feel the same way about you,” he murmured.
Claire’s eyes lowered, as did his, and before she knew it, their lips met in a passionate, yet sweet kiss.

~*This love came back to me*~

“Dinner was delicious, my Love. Thank you,” Aiden said once they had finished their dinner. He dabbed his mouth with his napkin.
“That’s only because I wasn’t the one to make it!” Hope teased with a wink and a smirk. “Shall we order dessert?”
“I think you know that the only dessert I want right now is you,” he murmured.
Hope smiled. “I want to dance first—like old times.”
Aiden sighed. “You’re killing me, Hope. You know that, don’t you?”
“Aw, come on!” Hope stood up, then walked over to him and took his hands in her own. “You know the longer we wait, the more amazing will be when we finally get it.”
Aiden let her pull him up. “Oh all right.”
Hope walked over to the IPod dock and selected the playlist she wanted from her IPod. Immediately, their waltz began to play. She turned to face Aiden. “We couldn’t have dancing without our song now, could we?”
“Of course not,” Aiden said, pulling her closer.
They kissed before waltzing to their song. They didn’t have too much space to dance, but they made do. They locked eyes as they dance, each other really the only thing on their minds anyway.
When the song ended, Aiden murmured into Hope’s ear, “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Then don’t,” Hope murmured.
Aiden moaned, then picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, more than ready to make love to his fiancé, the woman he loved more than anyone else in the world.

[gapeach]

Great chapter

[ihearthaiden]

This will be my last chapter. With Aiden's second departure on the actual show, I want to start fresh and do a new series starting from how he returns a second time.

I got bored with certain story lines in this story and that is why they were dropped (Jonah in general, Chase remembering killing his mother, Lani killing Rafe.) I lost my inspiration. I hope to be more inspired for my next story. Thank you for reading this series and all your comments. I appreciate them so much!

I'm linking this because I'm never sure if I go against the rules in my bed scenes.

www.fanfiction.net/s/11613144/48/Days-of-our-Haiden

[gapeach]

Great ending to a great story!

[ihearthaiden]

Thanks so much. I truly appreciate it.

[ihearthaiden]

I decided to write just a few holiday specials for Days of our Haiden, but then that will be it. This Love... is my new story that I have posted here: www.fanfiction.net/s/12224311/1/This-Love It is basically Haiden finding their way back together after Aiden's second departure. It will be the same concept as Days of our Haiden was, only This Love... will be on going and focus more on Haiden and less on other characters. I plan on This Love... being around for a very long time with no plans to end it any time soon. However, I will only be posting it in FFN just because I like to keep it on one place where there are no rules. That way I can make sure I'm not breaking any rules.

That being said, here is the first of three holiday specials before I end Days of our Haiden.


~*Thankful*~

Aiden was not in a good mood. He didn’t like when plans changed—especially not when they changed at the last minute. He and Hope had been planning on spending Thanksgiving with Kayla and Steve, but then Steve had surprised Kayla and Joey with a last minute trip to Hawaii for Thanksgiving.
“I really hate to bail on you at the last minute, Hope, but is there any way at all you can make other plans for Thanksgiving? Normally I would never do this to you, but it’s Hawaii! I can’t pass up a family vacation in Hawaii. You can understand that, right?” Kayla had asked.
Hope, being the understanding and wonderful person she was, nodded. “Of course!” She smiled, and hugged Kayla tightly. “Don’t worry about it! You just go and have a good time. Take lots of pictures and tell me all about it when you get back!”
“Oh, I will, believe me.” Kayla then got a mischievous look on her face. “Do you think I should get a grass skirt and a coconut bra?”
“I’m sure Steve would love that and Joey would hate it,” Hope said to her.
“All the more reason to get them then!” Kayla teased back.
They both laughed.
Anyway, long story short, Hope then decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at the house with Chase, Ciara, Shawn, and Claire. Shawn and Belle were split, and Belle was having Thanksgiving with John, Marlena, Brady, and Paul.
Aiden would have thought that Hope would go do the shopping for Thanksgiving. However, she had had a better idea.
“Aiden, Baby…” She purred, standing close to him and giving him the seductive look in her eye that he knew meant one of two things. Either she wanted him to make love to her, or she wanted a favor. He had a feeling she wanted a favor. He was right.
“I need you to go to the grocery store. It’s the last day stores are open since Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I can give you a list,” she said.
“I know you don’t cook. Is Shawn going to cook?” Aiden asked.
“Actually, about that…” Hope bit her bottom lip, which Aiden knew was not a good sign. She did that whenever she had to tell him something he wasn’t going to like. “Since Shawn and I are so busy at the station, I was thinking that maybe you and Ciara could cook. Ciara knows a little bit about cooking, and I’m sure she can help you along.”
Aiden groaned. “And you think I’m not busy? Lawyers get just as busy as cops, you know. Sometimes even busier!”
Hope crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot while shooting him the “you’re in trouble” look. She arched an eyebrow. “You told me last week that you never work the week of Thanksgiving; that things don’t get that busy until after the holidays.”
Aiden felt his face flush. It may have been true, but he had forgotten he had told her that. “Ciara doesn’t like me very much,” he tried next.
“We both know she has really warmed up to you since you stopped her from having to go to jail. Any other excuses?” She asked, giving him the “I dare you to come up with something” look.
He shook his head. “Why don’t you make that list up and I’ll get right on it?”
She smiled, then kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry! You’ll do fine. Plus, it will be a nice chance for you and Ciara to bond before our wedding.” She then went to make out the list. “Ciara can go with you.”
Well, Ciara already had plans, so he ended up having to go grocery shopping himself.
So, here he was, looking for a parking spot.
The parking lot was packed. Apparently, no one likes to shop for Thanksgiving early. Everyone was a last minute Thanksgiving shopper.
He finally found a spot after searching for ten minutes. He was just about to pull in, when some jerk came in from the other side of the parking lot, and pulled into the spot so fast that the jerk’s car made a loud screeching sound.
“Are you freaking kidding me right now?” Aiden yelled to his empty car.
He rolled down the window as a plump lady who looked like she had had one too many Thanksgiving dinners got out of the offending car.
“What are you, blind? Didn’t you see my turn signal? I had the right away! That was my spot!” he yelled.
The woman looked at him and gave him a nasty look. “So sue me!”
“Yeah? I’m a lawyer. I just might!” He yelled to her back, which was now facing him as she headed in the store.
She flipped him off without looking back.
Aiden had to pause a moment to contain himself. He was too angry to drive. Right then, if he were to move his car before she got into the store, he would step on it and ram the witch right out of the way!
Beep!
Now some impatient idiot was beeping for him to get out of the way.
“Go around, you jerk! There’s plenty of room!” he snapped.
With a sigh, he rolled up a window, then left the parking lot and parked along the street instead.
“This is ridiculous having to walk so far just to get some groceries!” he grumbled as he had to walk back up the street then over the full-length of the grocery store parking lot. He knew that the lines were going to be atrocious!
He finally got into the store. There was one cart left. He saw someone eyeing it up, so he snatched it like a puma snatching its prey. “Sorry, buddy, but not this time…” he grumbled to himself as he wheeled the cart into the main part of the store.
He took out Hope’s ten-mile long list from his pocket. He sighed as he looked over the list. It would certainly take him at least a half hour to get everything.
Roman had gone with Caroline to have Thanksgiving with Kim and Shane. Aiden supposed he should just be grateful he didn’t have to get enough food to feed them as well.
First thing was first. He had to get the turkey. He walked to the frozen section and looked at the turkeys they had left. Hope wanted a twelve-pound turkey. He didn’t know why. There was only going to be six of them. He highly doubted they were all going to eat two pounds of turkey apiece. Hope and Claire especially wouldn’t. Those two preferred to eat little potions of each thing served. It was the only way they had room in their stomachs to try everything, according to both Hope and Claire. Ciara on the other hand could pack food away. Aiden had no idea where she put it all. Shawn was a decent eater, as was he himself. Chase could eat a lot, but Aiden still didn’t think they’d need twelve pounds of turkey between the six of them.
Some turkeys were cheap, but others were really pricey! He was glad that the twelve-pounders were cheaper. He grabbed the cheapest twelve-pound turkey he could find, then went onto the next item.
He made quick work of getting the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce (two cans since Ciara liked the berries and Shawn liked the jelly), rolls, butter, green beans, cream of chicken soup (no one but Hope liked mushrooms), and the French-fried onions.
He also got the sodas and bottled waters. He was going to get wine at the wine store next door. He was glad it was next door because he was so not in the mood to have to try to find another parking spot.
He waited in the longest line in history, and just when he was next to be checked out, his phone rang. It was Hope.
“Hello?”
“Aiden, Baby, I didn’t realize we’re out of milk. I need you to get some milk. “Plus, did I put the pies on the list?”
Aiden took a deep breath before letting it out. “No, you must have forgotten to.”
“Well, we can’t have Thanksgiving without pies! Get one apple and one pumpkin please.”
“Anything for you, Baby,” Aiden said simply. He knew there was no use in arguing with her.
“Thank you.” Hope made a kissing sound over the phone. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said.
They then hung up.
With a grumble, he headed out of the line to go get the stupid milk and pies.

~Thankful~

He got the milk and the apple pie, but of course, there was no pumpkin pie to be found.
This only put him in an even fouler mood.
He waited in line for twenty minutes. The line had gotten longer since his first time waiting in line…of course!
When he was finally out of the store, he then headed to the wine store. It was a pain carrying the bag holding a twelve-pound turkey in it. The other bag wasn’t much lighter. However, there was no way he was making the long trek to his car any more times than he had to!
Hope had a specific kind of wine that he wanted. It was her absolute favorite. He knew right where it was and planned on going in and getting right out.
However, there was only one bottle left. Just as he went to grab it, a hand snatched it right before his eyes!
He looked up, and low and behold it was the fat witch that had taken his parking spot.
“Come on! You already took my parking spot. You’re really going to take my wine too?” he complained.
She grinned. “I sure am! It will make it taste all the sweeter.”
Aiden sighed. He didn’t want to disappoint Hope. “I’ll pay you double the money for that bottle if you give it to me.”
The lady grinned the Cheshire cat grin. “Triple.”
“Triple! That’s robbery!” he snapped.
She shrugged, and held out an empty palm. “Supply and demand.”
He set his bags down and dug into his wallet. He dug out the money. “This is all the cash I have left. I hope you’re happy.”
She handed him the bottle with one hand and snatched the money out of his hand with her other hand. “Very!” She then grabbed a different wine and took off with a “Happy Thanksgiving, Jerk.”
“Yeah, choke on your turkey!” he snapped back. He then grabbed his bags and headed to the registers. He set his bags down again and whipped out his credit card to pay for the wine. He couldn’t believe he was in total paying four times the regular price!
He put his card back into his wallet and his wallet back into his pocket.
Then he gathered his bags and began the long trek back to his car.
He put the bags in his car and shut the door. Then, as he headed around back to get to the driver’s side, he saw it—a big old dent in the back of his car. He had been the victim of a hit and run. And, as if that wasn’t enough, when he got to the front of the car, he saw a parking ticket. Apparently, he hadn’t seen the meter that he was supposed to put money in.
He snatched the ticket out of the wipers, and yanked the car door open.
He threw himself into the car, tossed the ticket onto the passenger side, and then spent the whole drive home red-faced and grumbling up a storm.
Later that evening, when Hope got home from work, she kissed him, then went to the kitchen to inspect his findings.
“This isn’t a very good brand of turkey,” she said.
“I just grabbed the cheapest one I could find. “I didn’t think there was a difference. Turkey is turkey, right?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I guess. It just would have been nice to have a Butterball turkey instead.”
“Well, I’m sorry. It was busy, and most of the turkeys were picked through already. I just wanted to get out of there,” he said.
She sighed. “I guess it will do.” She looked in the freezer. “Where’s the pumpkin pie?”
“I didn’t get one. They only had apple,” he told her.
She closed the freezer and looked at him. “Why didn’t you check another store?”
“I forgot! I had other things on my mind,” he said.
She shook her head. “Well, just apple pie won’t do! Pumpkin pie is a tradition. We must have it! You’re going to have to go back out.”
Aiden took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Excuse me a minute.”
He headed out of the kitchen, into the living room, and over to the couch. He then picked up a couch cushion, pressed it against his lips, and screamed as loud as he could into it.

~Thankful~

After Aiden had explained to Hope everything that had gone on, Hope had gone out and gotten the pumpkin pie herself from a different store.
Now, it was early Thanksgiving morning, and Aiden was cooking with Ciara.
He put the turkey in the oven.
“Did you take the stuffing out?” Ciara asked.
“Yeah, it’s over there on the counter,” he replied.
Ciara looked, then rolled her eyes. “Not the boxed stuffing. I’m talking about the bag of giblets inside the turkey. You also have to remove the neck.”
Aiden looked at her funny. “Really?”
She nodded. “Really.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Ew!”
Ciara rolled her eyes again. “Don’t be a baby. Just take it out of the oven before it gets too hot to touch, and remove those before putting it back in the oven. I have to work on the green bean casserole.”
So, Aiden put the pot holders on just in case, then took the turkey out of the oven and set it down on the counter. Then, he took off the pot holder and reached inside of the turkey until he found the hard bone of the neck.
He pulled it as hard as he could, and it came right out.
“Disgusting!” he said as he ditched it in the trash. He then reached in and took out the packet of giblets. “Ew!” He dropped it on the floor. “That is the most revolting thing I’ve ever seen!”
Ciara let out a frustrated cry. “If I, a girl, am not grossed out by it, then neither should you, a grown man, be.” She picked the bag up and ditched it in the trash. She then washed her hands and went back to work on her casserole.
Aiden washed his hands, then put the turkey back in the oven.
“Don’t forget to baste it,” Ciara reminded him after a good ten minutes had passed.
He picked up the turkey baster. Then looked around. “With what?”
“The juices in the pan,” Ciara said. “Gosh, Aiden, didn’t your mother ever teach you how to cook?”
Aiden shook his head. “Never. I never cooked.”
She shrugged. “I still think we have a better chance of not getting sick with your help than we would with Mom’s help.”
Aiden smirked. “True.”
“You can melt some butter and use that to baste too if the juices run low,” Ciara informed him.
“Done!” he said after basting it. “Now what?”
“Make the mashed potatoes,” Ciara ordered.
“How do I do that?” he asked.
Ciara rolled her eyes. “Just read the instructions on the box. It’s not rocket science!”
Aiden shot her a look behind her back. “You don’t have to be so mean,” he muttered under his breath.
Ciara either didn’t hear him, or chose to ignore him.
The rest of the dinner preparation was stressful. Ciara was a real Hitler in the kitchen. But, eventually, they were able to make a nice Thanksgiving meal.
Chase and Shawn set the table, and Claire ended up coming into the kitchen to help Aiden and Ciara with the cooking and Hope had already offered to do cleanup after dinner.
Finally, everything was on the table.
Shawn said grace, Aiden carved the turkey after grace, and then they all dug in.
“You know what? This turkey is actually really good,” Shawn said.
“You can thank Aiden for that one. He did all the work,” Ciara said, grinning at Aiden.
Aiden smiled. “Only with your instruction.”
“Well, it’s great, Aiden. You listen to instruction well, apparently,” Shawn said.
Aiden smiled back at him. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
“All these years you could have been cooking for me instead of ordering in takeout,” Chase joked.
Aiden raised an eyebrow at him. “You’d still prefer takeout.”
Chase nodded. “True.”
They all laughed.
“All of this really is good,” Claire agreed.
Ciara nodded. “Thanks, Aiden, for getting it all for us. Next year if you do it again, I’ll go with you. That way if you run into any nasty cows again, I can tell them exactly where to go!”
Aiden laughed. “I’d love to see that!”
Hope smiled at Aiden and pulled him close in a side hug. She then kissed his cheek from her spot beside him. “See?” She said quietly in his ear. “I knew she’d come around.” She winked.
Aiden smiled at her. “Thank you for picking up the pumpkin pie for me. I’m sorry I forgot to get it and was so grumpy earlier.”
“You had every right to be! I’d have been just as annoyed as you were if the roles were reversed,” she said. “And you’re welcome.”
They kissed.
“We need to go around saying what we’re all thankful for!” Claire said. “I’ll start. I’m thankful for my voice…and my mom and dad of course.” She looked around the table. “And obviously for the rest of you.” She grinned.
Shawn hugged her. “I’m thankful for my Claire Bear, and for having a new stepbrother. Of course I’m also always thankful for my sister and mother.” He looked at Aiden. “And I’m thankful that you were able to become the man my mother needed you to be. With the exception of my father of course, I’ve never seen her as happy as she is with you.”
Aiden smiled. “I’m thankful for all of you, and that you all were able to forgive me for all my sins of the past. I’m also thankful to have the best son a father could ask for, and two new gorgeous step kids and a step grand kid. Grand kid. Wow, I feel old!”
They all chuckled.
He turned to Hope, and I’m thankful to be marrying the love of my life. You’re the most beautiful, kindest woman in the world, and I will never know what I did to be so lucky to land you.”
Hope had tears of happiness in her eyes. “And I’m thankful I met you. We went through a rough patch as all couples do, but we were able to find our way back to each other. I will forever be thankful to God for that.”
“Oh, Baby…” Aiden murmured.
They kissed.
“Okay, not at the table!” Ciara said. “I’ll be thankful if you guys stop kissing.”
Aiden and Hope broke the kiss; grins on their faces.
“I’m also thankful for my beautiful children—Chase included— and grandchild,” Hope said. “Even when they get sassy.” She winked at Ciara.
Claire, Shawn, and Aiden chuckled.
Ciara grinned. “And I’m thankful for the best brothers a girl could ask for.” She looked at Shawn and Chase. “The best mother a girl could ask for.” She blew a kiss to Hope, who pretended to catch it. “My cousin who is not only the best niece a girl could ask for, but also the best friend a girl could ask for.” She and Claire smiled at each other. Lastly, she looked at Aiden, “I’m thankful for the best soon-to-be-step Dad. Shawn’s right. You make mom happier than I’ve ever seen her since Dad. So, yes, the best soon-to-be step-dad a girl could ask for.”
Aiden had tears in his eyes. “Thank you.”
Ciara smiled at him and gave him a polite nod. “Yeah, well, let’s not get all mushy over it.”
Again, they all laughed.
“I’m thankful for the best dad ever, new step-siblings, and a wonderful friend like Claire, who is so sweet and keeps me grounded,” Chase said.
“Aw, Chase! I’m thankful for you too.” She got up and hugged him from behind. She kissed his cheek.
She then sat back down.
They enjoyed their rest of their meal with jokes, laughter, and just flat out enjoyable conversation.
After dessert, they sat in the living room while Claire led them in singing “We Gather Together.” It was incredibly corny, but none of them minded.
When that was over, Aiden helped Hope bring the dishes to the kitchen.
“You cooked! You don’t need to help,” Hope said to him.
Once they had both set their handfuls of dishes down in the sink, he pulled her close. “I know, but I want to. I love you so much, Hope! I don’t want to wait until our wedding to start helping you out and making your life easier.”
Hope gently stroked his cheek. “I love you too. You’re one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“And you’re one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Aiden told her.
They then kissed, loving and gentle, yet passionate.
All of Aiden’s anger and frustration from earlier melted away. After all, he figured, how could he be angry when he had everything in the world to be thankful for?
They broke the kiss, and Hope took his hand and smiled. “Come on! Let’s go finish with the dishes so that we can get to bed. Too much tryptophan!”
Aiden laughed. “I hear ya!”
They kissed once more, then headed back into the dining room with their heads resting against each other’s, both thankful to have found the love of their lives.

~*The End*~