Between You & Me

"I can't." Jalyn said, visabally disappointed. She liked Lark, Lark looked just like Mommy. "Only Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Jerry, or Kelly..."

"You can only leave with them..." Lark sighed as Jalyn nodded. "Of course." she noticed the teacher staring at her. "Give this to your Mom. Away from Daddy, can you do that?"

"Hello..." the teacher came over to Lark. She stared at her, stunned by the similarities between Keesha and Lark. "...I'm sorry, you look like..."

"Mommy," Jalyn laughed.

"I should." Lark stated quietly. "We're...related."

"Oh." The teacher nodded. She had seen Jax talking with her before. And she was related to Keesha. This woman must be okay. "What do you have there?" she bent and looked at Jalyn.

"Something for Mommy."

"Then run in and leave it in my desk...so you don't lose it."

"Kay." Her smile widened. "What is it?" Jalyn looked at Lark again, her blue eyes flashing.

"A birthday gift." Lark stood from the bench, walking away.

The classroom door opened and Jordan bounced happily in Keesha's arms. Jalyn laughed when she saw her entire family, and ran into Jax's waiting arms. "Hi!"

"Hi." Jax picked her up, placing a kiss on her head. "Who wants pizza for dinner?"

"Me!"

"You?" Jax laughed. "See?"

Jalyn looked at her father, confused.

"People sometimes yell, but if they love each other, they stop. And everything is okay again." Keesha answered for Jax. They both knew that their argument scared Jalyn, and thought that her seeing them together would make things eaiser for her once more.

"You love Daddy," Jalyn sang, taking the hand Jordan reached out to her. Jordan's grin grew.

"Yep. I love Daddy very much." Keesha winked at Jax. "And I love you very much...and you..." she kissed Jordan's cheek. "I am just so full of love..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt...but Jalyn forgot this." Her teacher handed Jalyn the package.

"What's that?" Jax asked, placing his daughter on the ground.

"Something for Mommy."

"For me?" she looked at Jax. "Do you have something to do with this?"

"No..." Jax and Jalyn said at the same time. "Lark." Jalyn added.

"Lark. How did you get this?" Keesha kept her voice sunny, though next to her she could see Jax beginnning to fume.

"She was here," the teacher explained.

"Today? When?" Jax asked the teacher coldly

"Around noon or so."

"I need to speak with you..." Jax walked into the classroom and the teacher followed. Keesha watched as he shut the door.

"What did we tell you about taking things from strangers?" Keesha chastised.

"I know Lark." Jalyn tilted her head and started playing with her hair-a nervous habit she inherited from Keesha. Then she remembered. "Happy Birthday Mommy!"

"What? Honey, today isn't my birthday."

"Oh."

"But thank you anyway." She kissed her hand, using it to pat Jalyn on the cheek. "Let's go to the car, and wait for Daddy."

Jax carried Jordan, and Keesha held Jalyn, as their children slept in their arms. Jax opened the door to their home and they walked inside. "I'll meet you in the bedroom in five?" Keesha asked with a whisper.

Jax nodded and they both walked upstairs, each heading into their respective children's bedrooms.

Jax played with the ribbon on Keesha's still unopened gift as he sat on the edge of their bed, waiting for Keesha. The phone rang and he reached over. "Hello...Mum..." he smiled.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is bothering me?"

"I know when my baby is upset."

Jax laughed. "I am by far not a baby."

"You'll always be my baby...we're in Sydney."

"Sydney?" Jax's smile grew. It had been so long since he had been there.

"We'll be here for a couple of weeks. We miss everyone...can you come?"

"Come?...Jerry is away with some woman...but us, maybe....probably. Let me run it by Keesha, where can I reach you...okay...I love you too...I'll call tomorrow...bye."

"Run what by me?" Keesha stood in the doorway.

"My folks are in Sydney and want us to come by."

"Oh...that would be nice. The kids miss their grandparents..." her voice trailed off. "So...speaking of..." she began in a teasing tone.

"I told Jay's teacher to call the police next time Lark was on the property."

Keesha sighed deeply. "Don't you think you're overeacting?"

"Don't you think you're not reacting harshly enough?"

Keesha closed the door, locking it to make sure no one walked in.

"Do you know I actually called her, because I wanted to try and work this out because you were miserable. But you know what...I don't trust her. And I don't want her anywhere near Jalyn, Jordan...or you."

"Jax...she wouldn't hurt the kids..."

"How do you know? You barely know this woman...what is this?" he looked down at the gift again.

Keesha came over. She took the package and opened it as Jax waited. "Well..." she whispered. "Wish me a happy birthday."

"Today isn't..." Jax took the paper Keesha handed to him. "Your birth certificate?"

"I wanted to show you how far your father would go to cut me out of your life..." Keesha read out loud the note from Lark. "...he even gave you a new birthday, by taking the date Tiffany legally adopted you and having that listed as your birthday...telling the county reporter that you were found..." Keesha stopped reading, tossing the paper on the ground.

Jax picked it up from the floor. "...and that your real birthdate was unknown. That is how far your father went Keesha, don't...don't let Jax do it too. Don't let him keep us apart now." Jax finished. "I don't beleive this..."

Keesha sighed again. "I hate her...I hate her..."

"Then she stays the hell away from..."

"No." Keesha shook her head.

"No?!"

"I hate her because she's right..."

"Excuse me? She's right?"

 "Jax, my father took my right to know my own mother away from me...everytime I learn something new about him...I didn't know him at all."

"And me?"

"What?" Keesha finally looked at him.

"You think I'm trying to keep her away from you now?"

"Aren't you?"

"Anything I've said, isn't half of what I wanted to say...if it was up to me that woman would have a restraining order against her keeping her away from you and our children..."

"That woman as you call her, is my mother!"

"She gave birth to you...a mother that does not make. You tell her to give you space, and she does what she wants anyway. She hangs out at Jalyn's school, Keesha! What if one day she just decides to snatch her..."

"Why would she do that?"

"Why has she done anything she's done...I don't know. I don't care. But I don't trust her..."

"You've said that already," Keesha mumbled, looking out the window. "I said that I would stop seeing her, and yet that's not good enough for you? I do what you want...am I supposed to be cruel to her now, and try and get her arrested just because she wants to look at her grandchildren?! You're such a control freak..."

Jax stared at Keesha, stunned.

"...she has you so...pegged..." Keesha stopped, realizing she had just crossed a line. "Jax..."

"I'm a control freak?"

"That's not what I meant."

Jax backed up as Keesha walked over. "Am I supposed to not have opinions and feelings about this-I'm just supposed to sit around and let Lark do whatever she wants whenever she wants...I'm not allowed to want to take precautions...you don't understand why I am so angry?! I have reasons here...in fact, maybe your father did too....all you have to go on is Lark's word...but you're just willing to accept what she says as gospel...has it even occured to you to talk to Tiffany, or maybe look around about Lark's past to see if maybe there was a reason your dad was so insistent Lark not be a part of your life?!"

"Jax..."

"Has it ever occured to you to give me the benefit of the doubt and think about why I may have been wary of this woman?! I thought we had gotten past this stupid control issue you have..."

"Stupid?!"

"When it comes to me, yes...because I am not..how many years do I have to walk around on eggshells?! Do you even think about why I don't want her near Jordan and Jay...I asked that first you get to know her better...and you act like that is the most irrational thing you've ever heard of! I think the police should be notified when she's at Jay's school and..."

"You...you...you...you think you decide...I am tired of your thoughts and decisions about my mother!"

Jax froze. His eyes darkened in anger and her and Keesha stared at each other. "Fine." he finally answered.

"I am sick of arguing with you..." Keesha ran her fingers through her hair.

"That makes both of us. I'm going to Sydney."

"What?!"

"You heard me...I am going to Sydney. I would like to take our children with me, because they haven't seen their grandparents...the ones they *know*..."

"You are being such a jerk..."

"You give a woman you've known a couple of weeks more leeway than you give me...and I'm the jerk?"

"Take them."

"Thanks so much for the permission." Jax said sarcastically.

"So...am I not invited?"

"Do what you want. I can honestly say that for the first time I don't care..." Jax walked over to the closet and started grabbing clothes, tossing them on the bed.

"Can't you come Mommy?"

"I have things to do sweetheart." Keesha kissed Jalyn again as they stood in the airport waiting area. "I'll call you everyday though, okay?"

"Kay?...don't cry..."

Keesha blinked, realizing her eyes were tearing. "Allergies." she wiped her face. She stood, taking Jordan from Jax. "Bye...." she kissed him. Jordan rested his head on Keesha's shoulder and Keesha looked at Jax.

They hadn't said one word since last night.

There was nothing left to say.

"I'm going," she decided.

Jax silently took Jordan again, bouncing him as he started to cry, his arms reaching for Keesha once more. Soon, Jordan's cries stopped.

"We go?" Jalyn looked at Jax.

"No...we have an hour. Want something to eat?"

"Can Mommy come?"

"No...Mommy can't." Keesha answered for Jax. She bent, kissing Jalyn once more. She stood and kissed Jordan. "Bye."

"Bye Mommy."

Jordan's little hand opened and closed as he waved to Keesha.

Keesha looked into Jax's eyes. How did this happen...how did they get to this point, where neither of them had anything to say anymore.

"Come on." Jax broke eye contact. "Let's see if they have any ice cream." he said to Jalyn.

Keesha turned, watching as they started off.

"Jax!"

Jax froze at Keesha's call of his name. He turned around, looking at her.

"I..." he began

"Here..." Keesha walked up, holding Jordan's teething ring. "He dropped this."

Love you. He finished his thought to himself.

Jax took it, chastising himself silently. What was he expecting.

An I love you. maybe.

An I'll miss you.

"Okay...let's go." Jax took Jalyn's hand again and they started off.

Keesha watched them go, letting the tears flow freely now. She sighed, blowing a kiss to Jax's back. "I love you." she breathed.

Jalyn turned. Keesha smiled and waved, and then she waked away.

"Daddy?"

"Hm..." Jax cleared his throat, staring straight ahead, not wanting to look at Jalyn and show her by his face what it looked like to have your heart shatter.

As his was right now.