frozen

[Lacey Moore]

It's been... awhile... since I've been here. And not just here specifically, but here in this situation. Knocking on a door.
I couldn't really tell any psychiatrists who wandered by and asked exactly why this has occurred to me, but now that it has I'm frozen by it, stuck with my hand poised in a fist, ready to knock.

Now that I actually think about it, this really is the only door I've ever knocked on, isn't it? I've never had any friends, and don't have them now except for coworkers that I can't get too close to because it's so hard to get close when you can't tell the truth.

So now I have to wonder... does that make Fitzy my closest friend only by omission of any competition, or are we also close by some normal definition? Granted, we now have a child together, but that does not automatically meet the definition I'm thinking of either. Nor does the fact that we have a shared history, which is why there aren't lies because we already know each other's truths. There are a lot of ways to define closeness now that I'm thinking about it, but none of them are quite the one I want, and that's the oone that's hardest to decide - do we meet the requirements or not, Fitzy and I?

And, if we do, or did... do we still, after two years?

It's this thought that finally breaks me out of my reverie, knocking impatiently but absently on the door, and then waiting.
I think I should be anxious. And would be, if I hadn't gotten so distracted like that. I'm about to meet my little girl again... and her ambiguous father.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Alright let's see. According to this your father says to feed you at noon and your nap is right after..." she reads aloud to Melody before glancing over the page slightly to see her not even paying attention. Why would she, it's not like she could really understand or at least she didn't think so.

Beginning this day, she was making breakfast for the three at home still, Liese, Jake and James. Then somehow Shell was babysitting Melody, seeing as Fitzy had some filing work to do at the bank. He really wasn't specific, he just said filing stuff and that he'd be back after work. Hearing her three run about in the living room, she sighs picking up Melody and walking into the room.

All of them glance up at Shell, their mouths about to pour out many questions at once. "I don't care if you think it's boring, I said to sit down on the ground and color today. No you can't go outside, no snacks right now and no you can't color each other." she says quickly and quite sternly to each of them, turning her head as she knew who was going to ask what question. That was at least one of the perks for the burden of that power. She still hated it though.

After hearing the 'but mommy's,' and sighs there was a visitor at the door. Shell instantly wraps her arms around Melody, in a protective way as if the person on the other side of the door could see right through it and was about to walk in. It seemed that only her and maybe Arden ever came over here to visit with random visitations from his few friends. Also the fact on the list, Fitzy didn't mention he was expecting anyone today.

Walking to the door, Shell opens it slowly glancing to see a younger woman standing there. She didn't even recognize her face no matter how hard her mind tried to give her answer to who was standing in front of her. Melody glances over at the woman as well. Maybe she knew who she was, who knew really. "May I help you with something?" she asks tilting her head to the side before putting her hand around Melody's shoulder again like before.

[Lacey Moore]

I don't answer the woman right away, as I'm too busy staring at the little girl - my little girl - in her arms. She's bigger than she was, obviously, and she doesn't look anything like me... but she does look like him, except that she's adorable. Maybe she got that part from me, anyway.

Ah, frozen again though. My eyes shift quickly to the woman, before drifting slowly back to Melody and repeating the process. "... Yes. You can hand me my daughter now, or you can just let me hurt you so I get her back that way."

I smile faintly, softening the statement and letting her know it isn't serious. Unless of course she tries to protest, because then I really will have to hurt her. Either way I'm getting my daughter back.

I'm a little bit thrown by not having Fitzy answer the door... but he isn't the one I'm here to see anyway, and it really doesn't matter what sort of babysitting service or - god forbid; the thought is laughable - girlfriend he's gotten in my absence. He won't need the first one anymore, and on the off chance that the second one is even possible, well... they can make their own damn kid if they want to, because I'm taking mine.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell raises an eyebrow at the woman before glancing down at Melody, holding her even closer if that was even possible right now. "Your daughter? You must be Lacey then. Hear about you slightly..." Not really though. Fitzy only mentioned her a couple times, usually about the discussions of the little one in her arms.

The second part of her sentence just now went through her mind, causing her to move a little from the door before glancing back into the room at Liese and James coloring away but Jake was glancing back at her, curious to what was going on almost. He frowns slightly as Shell turns to look back at Lacey or possibly the woman who is Lacey.

"How do I know you're her mother and I think you should come back when her father is home. He's at work right now." she says in a matter of fact tone before raising an eyebrow at her. Shell was asked just to babysit today, not deal with the possible mother of Melody coming to visit and planning on taking her away without the consent of Fitzy, but if she had to she would. Shell wasn't going to let her just take her.

[Lacey Moore]

"And you must be someone who's just given away the fact Fitzy broke our agreement," I say pleasantly, still looking more at Melody than whoever this strange woman is who's keeping her from me. "So I'll have to stay and berate him about that anway, but... please, for now, just let me hold my daughter."

I notice belatedly, and still does not really click, that there are other children in the house. That's odd, but not really important right now.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell raises her eyebrow faintly at her at what she said. True, Fitzy did say that he couldn't talk about Melody's mother, but for some reason he told her. Now she was mentally slapping herself in the forehead for being so stubborn about asking and bugging him about it now. "I'm not sure if I should let you in. Besides, you still haven't proved to me that Melody's your daughter." she repeats herself before brushing back some of Melody's hair off her forehead.

[Lacey Moore]

"And how in the hell am I supposed to do that?" I ask, snapping now as I get more desperate, like that Greek myth about the water inching away the closer you got to it to try and take a sip. "You... stop touching her, she's mine and you haven't proven that you have any right to hold her either. Who the hell are you?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell gives the girl an amused look. Well this is just wonderful, a crazy woman claiming to be Melody's mother has shown up on the doorstep to a house that's not even hers. Just wonderful.

"Well let's see. Mothers usually have a slip of paper called a birth certificate for their children like I do. Or if you have some form of way to prove that your name is Lacey..." she trails off, never even knowing Lacey's last name. That would have been a good question to ask before this, especially now. "Then I'll let you in, but you can't leave with Melody until Fitzy comes home." Shell says sternly.

She somewhat knew what Lacey was feeling, that mother intuition having to be near your child, more so if a stranger is holding her. Although Shell couldn't say she went to visit an ex boyfriend or whatever and see another woman holding her child. She actually took responsibility for her children, not leave them with their father.

"I do have the right to hold her. I'm babysitting her for Fitzy seeing as I said earlier he's at work. And I'm his well." What was she to him? She couldn't say people who would mutually be effected by each other deaths, or friends that randomly kiss each other and babysit their children. "That doesn't matter. I'm Shelby Crescent if you must know."

[Lacey Moore]

I glance down at the floor then briefly, frustrated but now a bit ashamed. "I don't... never did get a birth certificate. I left it to him to decide her last name. And even if I had one, I wouldn't have it on me. I don't even have my i.d. I just need to see my little girl. Why would I be here otherwise? If your Fitzy's 'doesn't matter' then you know he doesn't get a lot of visitors."

Unless he does now, of course. After all, if he has a 'doesn't matter,' what else might be different?

[Shelby Crescent]

She sighs lightly before frowning a bit. "Well... that is true. Fitzy's visitors are usually just Arden and myself most of the time." Shell says still unsure about letting Lacey in. Glancing back at her children again she felt a pain in her heart. Shell would be heartbroken if she wasn't allowed to see her own children.

Looking up at Lacey, she had to laugh a bit. "I'm not his 'doesn't matter,' I really just don't know what we are..." she says as she glances back to Melody. "You promise not to leave until Fitzy gets home?" Shell asks her with a sigh, finally giving into the woman's pleading.

[Lacey Moore]

I nod a bit impatiently. That sounds like Fitzy though, reliable hermit that he is. I do have to laugh though at her next statement, smirking faintly even as I step inside and reach for Melody. "Welcome to the club. But yes, I promise I won't leave."
I'd promise anything right now.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell tilts her head slightly to that. "Well, I would like to be more, but I don't know about him. It's like he never had human contact which I know has happened... hence Melody." she says before kissing Melody's forehead lightly as she handed her off to Lacey.

Immediately, Shell wants her back in her arms, odd. Maybe it was her motherly ways or the fact that she did care about Melody as her own. Watching her carefully, she shuts the door behind them just as the other three glance up with curious expressions. "Those three are mine, Liese, Jake and James. There's more than those ones as well..." Shell says causing Liese to laugh a little.

[Lacey Moore]

"Hm...." I murmur noncommittally, not really listening because she's giving me Melody and I just have to bury my face in hers for a moment, blinking back tears. I'm sorry baby, I am. I want you back now and I won't give you up again.

I wish I could say this out loud, or at least something like it, but I'm just not going to in front of... whatever her name was.
Melody squirms a little bit, but when I pull back she seems to be smiling so I smile back.
"Hey, little one. You're very pretty for being a Patricks."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances at Lacey before leaning against the couch. Crossing her arms over her chest she watches her interact with her daughter before hearing Lacey say something or at least she thought she did. "I said you have to speak to Fitzy. You can't just take her and leave. You promised." she says before realizing she sounds like a child who made a pinky promise.

[Lacey Moore]

I look up abruptly, almost surprised to find the woman still here. But I can shrug easily, unconcerned. "Sure, I'll wait until Fitzy gets here. I never said I wouldn't."

I'm feeling much more confident now that I have Melody, and manage to smirk at her again. "So, you and Fitzy are... 'doesn't matter's because you'd like to be more but he's still his reptilian self?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances over at her before nodding faintly. Odd, she didn't even realize that she read her thoughts. That was definitely a first.

She laughs slightly before nodding again. "That would be correct. He has kissed me a few times, sent the night but I ended up on the couch cause he got a little uncomfortable. How did you two even get past that?" she asks curiously with a sigh.

[Lacey Moore]

Hm... interesting. Somehow I never thought Fitzy would ever kiss anyone but me. Not that I care.
So why does the thought that I'm wrong inspire a flash of something like jealousy.

"Maybe we just know each other.better," I shrug, tilting my head at her and smirking faintly again.

[Shelby Crescent]

"I hardly doubt that's it.. We've known each other for over ten years." she says with a nod before getting a little frustrated with her smirk. Maybe she shouldn't have let her in after all.

[Lacey Moore]

I smile softly at that, shaking my head. "We've known each other... let's see... I think seventeen years?" I laugh slightly, then pause to kiss Melody's forehead. "I've probably heard of you, actually. What was your name again?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell sighs lightly. For some reason she really didn't like Lacey already. " Shelby Crescent, but I go by Shell." she says before feeling some surge of jealous when she kisses Melody's forehead as if she's her rightful mother.

[Lacey Moore]

"Yeah, I think I have then," I nod, tilting my head to look at her again. "I believe he called you a whore with a load of small children. You weren't the one he liked though, that was Kyra. Not that he said, but I could tell."

This was all a good nine or ten years ago, of course - since then I think I'm one of the few people he's known. But it is strangely satisfying to say nonetheless.

[Shelby Crescent]

Story of my life isn't? Second best, always have, always will.
Shell glances over her shoulder before hearing Liese and Jake nearly gasp, or something like it. Thankfully James has never learned what the word whore meant... yet at least. "Don't you dare talk to me like that in front of my children." she says clenching her fists before glaring at Lacey. "I let you come in here, see your daughter and you decide to pay me back by insulting me?" she says trying hard not to yell, but her voice was strained and high pitched still.

[Lacey Moore]

Oh... whoops.
I can't say I'm completely ashamed, or chagrined, or anything like that... but I did forget that there were children in the room.
"Oh, they'll hear worse," I shrug. "And I only said what I've heard about you, not what I think of you myself."
Easily offended; that was something else he said, wasn't it?

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glares a little more at her before smirking herself. "You know, Fitzy has said the same thing about you." she says nodding at her lightly before laughing a bit. And that's the truth. When she asked about Lacey, he replied that she was a whore that was a little crazy and thought she'd be better off with him. That was now certain in Shell's mind.

[Lacey Moore]

"Always has," I shrug, laughing properly now. If she thought that would offend me she's sadly mistaken. He's been calling me a whore since I was about twelve, even before I deserved the title. "But at least I don't try to deny it."

[Shelby Crescent]

"Oh, I didn't deny it. I said to not speak to me like that in front of my children." she corrects her. "You obviously weren't in Slytherin were you?" Shell asks with a faint smirk still on her face as she eyes Melody warily. Now praying that Fitzy would hurry up with whatever he was doing at work so he could come home and kick this crazy mental woman out of our... his house.

[Lacey Moore]

"No, I was a Slytherin," I correct her. "Why? Am I not being nasty enough?"

[Shelby Crescent]

"Well to be frank not really. You really aren't suited for any other house either seeing as you left your child with Fitzy. There goes Gryffindor. You surely couldn't be a Ravenclaw that's for sure." she says laughing a bit. "I figured you might have been a Hufflepuff seeing as you seem somewhat dumb." she says with a shrug. "I guess I was wrong."

[Lacey Moore]

"Well, I'll give you the Gryffindor one... I've never exactly been noble. Hufflepuffs aren't automatically dumb and I don't see how you came to the Ravenclaw conclusion, so that would almost seem to rule out either of those for you, wouldn't it?" I shake my head, smiling faintly. "I don't remember him saying you were petty and childish though."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell rolls her eyes faintly before back at her. "I was in Ravenclaw thank you. Top of my class and I teach there." At least I can hold a job unlike you. Shell was about to say what she thought before hearing what she said next. "Wait. What did he tell you about me besides that I'm a whore and the not mentioning of me being petty and childish?"