Chapter 9 - These Days Are Fast, Nothing Lasts

Information overload was an understatement for what Beth was feeling right now.  She hadn't thought about that email in a very long time.  

Remembering it takes her back to the day she seen it and the day that she asked Jon about it.  The day she learned about Melissa.  The day that she never looked at Jon the same.  The day that her trust in him was questioned.  The day she questioned him about a night that would change their life forever.  With her heart racing, she's mindful that Stephanie is in the room and treats the subject with gentleness.  Looking at Jon, she has to know, "Was Melissa ever more than you said she was?"

"No."

She scoots to the end of her chair, leans over to him and softly asks, "Do you remember the day that I found out about Melissa?"

Shaking his head yes, he says, "I did nothing wrong then Beth."

"I'm not saying that you did, but do you realize that that one night destroyed our lives?"  she says, with attitude.  She didn't want any of it to come off as being nice.  

"Do you really want to do this now?"  was all that Jon could get out before Peter interrupted them.

"I think we have done all that we can here for the night.  Both of you, get some rest, and I mean that.  Tomorrow is going to be a long day and I want you both fresh, and I want you both to walk in together.  The judge needs to see you sitting together."  Peter stands to excuse himself.  He steps over and hugs Beth, "You, young lady - stop being so hard on him."  and he winks at Beth.  He then focuses his attention to Stephanie, hugging her, he tells her "It was nice to see you again, Steph.  Will I see you tomorrow?"

Stephanie hugs him back and tells him, "No, I have plans with my mom plus dad doesn't want us there."

"I understand."  Peter takes his leave.  

With is just being the three of them, Stephanie felt a little weird.  It was early enough, "Dad, I'm going to catch a cab and go home, okay?  You sit here and visit with Beth."  She doesn't wait for an answer or permission.  Placing her linen napkin on the table, she stands and tells Beth goodbye.  "Please call me tomorrow when you're done with the crazy bitch..."

"Stephanie Rose." barks Jon.

"What dad?  You call her that all  the time." Stephanie defends herself, feeling a little disappointed in her dad right now, and she's not real sure why.  She bends over and kisses her dad, "Are you staying in the city or going back home?"

With his arms around the only daughter that he has left, "I'll be going back to New Jersey, do you want me to pick you up on the way?"

"No, I'm going shopping with mom in the morning.  I just wondered what you have planned." she tells her dad as she breaks the hold.  Kissing her dad she says, "Call me."  And off she goes too.  Beth sees the look on her face, they all know what the kid is up to.  She's team Beth and she will facilitate a reconciliation anyway that she can.

Beth and Jon are alone, looking at one another.  It's an unspoken game of who's gonna talk first.  Beth can't stand the silence, so she breaks the silence.  "I can't believe that I'm here, for what I am here for."

"Me either." was all he had.  

Another long silence, "What are we going to do if we can't keep her locked up?" Beth asks him, with her 5th dirty martini in her hand.  "Who's going to save us?  Superman?"  she laughs.  Her buzz is fueling her mouth, plugging her profanity filter and giver her balls that she didn't need.  Jon can see what's going on with her. It wasn't often that he's seen her drunk, or even buzzed for that matter so he's mentally preparing himself for what's about to come.

"She's not getting out, you know that." he tells her.

"You don't know that, Jon."

"Do you really think that she will?  After what she's done, who in their right mind would let her out?"

Beth was irked by that, as she was questioning her own judgement, "Who in their right mind would allow her into their home and around their children?  You see Jon, not everyone's judgement is dead on.  This judge could look at her tomorrow and think that she is rehabilitated or that you gave her the impression that there was hope for  relationship.  For fuck all I know, you could have been sleeping with her right under my nose.  Maybe, just fucking maybe you were in a relationship and I fell for the line of shit in the cemetery; all put into plan by you?"  

"You're drunk."

"So."

"Do you really believe any of what you just said?" he asks, kicking his feet up on Peter's chair.  He's settling in for a long night.  He can see that she needs to vent, she needs to get mad - he can take it.  Or so he thought.

"I don't know what to believe, Jon.  But I can tell you one thing, I know that you're one night with her ruined my life.  You brought that chaos into our lives."

"Beth, we were not together.  I owed you nothing.  You bailed on me like you have countless times before and I needed someone.  I needed someone because you ran away."

"Is that what the rest of our life would have been like?  You act like I shouldn't have been pissed or upset that your wife tried to have me killed.  I wasn't going to make it easy on her."

"You ran."

"You would have too." 

"I would never have left you like that.  Never."  he retaliates, but he doesn't mean too.  He was just going to let her vent, let her get what she needed off her chest; off her chest.

"I know you wouldn't, you do it over the phone." she gets smart with him.  "You always take the easy way out."  In a cocky voice she continues, "Its too tough with Beth, I better get back to Dorothea where it's all so easy, all so boring."

"Stop."

"Fuck you.  YOU are the reason that we are here.  Did you ever stop to think what could happen with your one night stand?"  she pauses, "Was it really just one night?  Wait, wait - don't answer that.  I don't want to know." 

"Beth...." he tries to stop her, but he can see that she's on a roll.

"Your actions changed the course of our life together, how do you feel about that now?"  she guzzles the rest of her drink and looks for the waiter, "Was she worth it?"

That hurt Jon more than he ever thought that it would.  He remembers seeing McKenna for the first time and hearing Beth say that all of the heartache they had been through was worth it, the moment she kissed her daughter.  With that memory safe in his memory bank, he puts the gloves on and comes out swinging.  "Was your relationship with Dalton really any different?  Look what happened there.  A relationship that you had away from me turned very ugly."

She slaps him across the face and stands to leave.  Her feet didn't know her plan though.  She loses her footing and falls onto Jon.  With the word Dalton running through her mind, she gets her balance and tells him, "My life has been fucked up since the day I met you."  She didn't maintain her balance long, she falls back into her chair.  That was Jon's cue.

He takes care of the tab and then takes care of Beth.  Like a man in love, her escorts her up to her room and tries to get her into bed so she can sleep the booze off.  She fought him a little bit, not wanting Jon Bon Jovi to do a damn thing for her, he had already done enough to her.  

After the small struggle, he has her down to just her underwear, pulling a t shirt over her head and tucks her into bed.  His heart is broken, he has no idea when she started to hate him so much.