Steven

I follow the sound of soft but angry tones as I enter The Quarters. Mikkarl had come from The Quarters to the main house to let me know that the tension between Micah and Rosy was escalating into an argument and with the twins asleep and Kali taking a midday nap he had thought it best to bring the three oldest over to the main house away from the ongoing tension.

It had been six days since Rosy had been the one to drawn blood from each of her children as well as having done an inner cheek swab to collect cells for DNA testing on the youngest four. Thelma Dorrington had protested and demanded Frank Inness be called in to take the blood and cheek swab from Kali. Both Rosy and Micah had been outraged but Thelma Dorrington got her way. The only bright spot of the entire day had been when Lana had requested that she, Kyle and I also have cheek swabs done for a DNA test. She had said it was so that if in the future things got complicated I would always have the test results to remind me Kyle was my son and nothing could change that.

 As I walk into the lounge room I hear Micah hiss something in a low tight voice but I don't catch the actual words. I hurry towards the archway into the kitchen as I hear Micah pacing, heavy steps, too heavy to be Rosy who seemed to make no noise moving about while the twins or Kali were asleep.

  I halt in the arched doorway and take in the two of them in the kitchen. Micah has his back to me as he paces but pauses to glance over his shoulder at me, his gaze slides from me dismissing me as he resumes his pacing. Rosy is facing me but doesn't take her eyes from Micah as he raises both of his hands threading his fingers through his hair as he grips his head in his hands the picture of despair and uncertainty.t.

"Micah please, don't turn this into a I love Kali more than you love Kali conversation," Rose said as her gaze flicks to me before she looks away but not before I see the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I get it okay," Rosy took an audible deep breath before continuing. "I get you loved her enough to let her live, I get you loved her enough to keep her here, I get you loved her enough to raise her as your own, I get that you love as is she were your own."

Rosy raised her hands and buried her face in her cupped hands for a few moments before lifting her head and turning to face Micah who had stopped pacing but still held his head in his hands.

"I loved her from the moment I knew I carried her, when I couldn't remember what I had done each day I could remember I carried her and that I loved her, I loved her so much I was willing to put my own life in danger to give her another day, another hour, another minute, every last second I could before she came into this world," Rosy's voice trailed off then she inhaled loudly as if gasping for breath. "And when I couldn't help her, I loved our daughter enough to let her go. So don't think you have a monopoly on pain. It doesn't matter what they do, what they say," Rosy gives him a shaky smile. " The Dorringtons will never be able to stop you loving Kali or her loving you. In her heart you will always be her Daddy. And that is all that matters isn't it?"

"They'll put HIS name on her birth certificate, give her his surname, they want to remove me from her life and Have equal time with her, take her away from us and by agreeing to this paternity test you have played into their hands!" Micah hissed, hurt thickening his voice. Letting out a low growl he turned away from Rosy and stormed out the small door of the kitchen, a wave of hurt and anger preceding him like a boat's bow wave.

The sound of a sniffle pulls my attention back to Rosy and I catch the glimmer of a tear as it trails down her cheek. I walk over to her and enfold her in my arms, she melts against my chest as she slips her arms around my ribs and rubs her face against my chest.

"He's scared and Micah has never done scared well," I tell her gently.

"They won't get her," Rosy says against my chest.

"Rosy ..." My voice dies as she shakes her head and pulls away. I can only watch as she moves to where her mothers' diary sits on the table. She lifts it, the palms of her hands on front and back covers of the book, she raises it until one end of the spine touches her chin. Her eyes are closed and her lips move slightly giving me the impression she is praying.

"Rosy?" I watch as she opens her eyes and turns her head to look at me. I feel as if I am missing something and I run a hand down my chest feeling the dampness there from her tears.

"How about a glass of strawberry milk?" I ask with a shaky smile. Her answering smile is more of a grimace but she gives a slight nod and watches as I pour us both a large glass of my flavoured milk. I place both glasses on the table before putting the bottle of milk back in the fridge, by the time I turn back to the table Rosy has sat in a chair on the far side of the table and pulled a glass it sit in front of her. I sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the table understanding she wanted to keep some distance between us, she always kept distance between herself and everyone except for Micah and their children when she was really upset.

I watch as she traces patterns in the moisture forming on the outside of the glass in front of her and raise my own glass to take a small sip of the sweet liquid.

"Do you know what set him off today?" I ask gently. I watch as she shakes her head slightly before shrugging.

"Cantrell Yates rang," Rosy says before taking a sip of her drink. She looks at the drink in her hands as if realising what she is holding and lifts it once again to drink thirstily. When she lowers the empty glass she lifts her gaze to meet mine, exhaustion and worry in the depths of her gaze

"They are translating the results of the tests," Rosy continues but pauses for a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut tightly for a few moments. "He expects to be here with the results to all tests fairly early tomorrow. He warned no trouble making would be tolerated,"

"Do you want me to get all the toms together?" I ask reluctantly.

Rosy shakes her head and lifts a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose as she leans her head forward and closes her eyes.

"Can you answer a question for me?" Rosy asks before resting both of her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands like before.

"Ask away," I invite her quietly. There is silence for a few minutes and I am almost convinced Rosy has changed her mind about whatever it is she was going to ask when she lifts her head slowly to look at me.

"When Micah went to America, did you and me," Rosy looks away and takes a deep breath before looking back at me, her eyes on the hallow of my throat.

"Did we have sex?"

I look away as the memory of our flirting as cats runs through my mind, the way she had flirted and hinted at pleasures we might share. The heady aroma of her approaching heat and the knowledge Micah was far away. Her body naked and slick in the shower, her lips soft and hungry beneath mine while her body was lush and warm under my touch. I sigh and turn to her. I don't have any difficulty as I pull a hurt expression.

"Am I that forgettable?" I chide softly. I see the way her gaze darts between my eyes, from one to the other and back again, it only takes me the smallest of moments to realise she was trying to remember what, if anything, had happened between us.

"It didn't get past the necking in the shower stage," I tell her regretfully. I don't miss the grimace as she looks away, I decide not to mention what had taken place after the shower, how I had tried to seduce my way into her bed.

"There are still some small gaps and spaces in my memory," Rosy admits with a trace of sadness in her voice.

"So," I say wriggling my eyebrows at her suggestively. "Do you want us to go for it in the shower like a pair of horny teenagers or do you want me to go see if the big guy is okay?" I ask as I put my elbows on the table and lean towards her with what I hoped was an irresistible grin. Rosy laughed softly and shook her head as she made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Be gone you incorrigible flirt," Rosy says. I have to smile at the laughter in her voice as spoke. I clutched a hand over my heart as I pretended to stumble to my feet.

"You've broken my heart, I'll never be the same again," I said dramatically as I pretended to stagger towards the side door.

"Until you go out to the pub with the guys again," Rosy says dryly.

I roll my eyes as I blow her a kiss as I pretend not to notice the tight thread in her voice. It's a tense line we tread as we deal with our feelings as the other keeps that part of their life separate from our almost relationship.

*****

I find Micah standing by the water at the swimming hole, he doesn't look my way as I take a position beside him and gaze out over the water as well. We stand in silence for quite a while, I am aware of time passing but I am loath to disturb whatever peace Micah seems to have found.

"It is said loosing a child can destroy a marriage," Micah says, his voice thick and raspy with unshed tears. "I don't know what I am going to do tomorrow when that old bitch takes Kali. I don't know how Rosy will cope. She loves our girl. I'm not saying she doesn't love all of our brood or that Kali is her favourite or she loves her more ... Rosy just ..." Micah shakes his head and raises his hands to hold his head. A harsh sob shakes itself loose and I glance at him in concern. More sobs shake his body and Micah half eases himself down to sit on the ground, half falls.

"I don't care that Andrew Dorrington provided the genetic material that started Kali growing! It doesn't matter! Kalika Rose is MY daughter! MINE!" Micah ends on a harsh pain filled roar. "Fucking Cantrell Yates has always been against Rosy and I being together the bastard! The lot of them are home wreckers!"

"Micah calm down ..." I try to calm him down but he comes up off the ground with a savage look on his face as he shoves me hard in the chest with both his hands pushing me backwards several stumbling steps.

"They're going to rip my family apart and you're telling me calm down! Don't you get it! They intend to tear my family ap ... " Micah breaks off abruptly as he turns away, a few seconds later an animalistic roar comes from him and he stumbles to the waters edge.

"Tomorrow they are going to hurt my Rosy, hurt our boys, hurt us all in a way I will never be able to fix," Micah says brokenly. "And there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

His mobile phone starts ringing playing Charlie Pride's, Kiss an Angel Good Morning, the ring tone he had picked for Rosy's calls. He reaches for his phone, hesitates and shakes his head but pulls the phone from his pocket only to hold it without answering it until it stops ringing. There is silence for a few moments before my phone starts vibrating in my pocket, I take a deep breath as I pull my phone from my pocket and flipped it open without glancing at the screen.

"Yeah Rosy what can I do ya for?" I ask lightly as I lift the phone to my ear.

"Malcolm is here and Mitchell is on the warpath, tell Micah to get his butt back here." Rosy said tightly then the call disconnected.

"Maybe if I bash a few heads together I will feel better," Micah says pushing his phone back into his pocket as he turns to head back to the buildings.

We break into a steady ground eating jog that covered ground at a pace we could keep up for hours as we follow the well worn track between the trees that leads back to the Quarters and the main house. The run warms me up as well as helps ease the stress from my body, we reach the tree line and Micah slows to a normal paced walk. The run has done him good as well, the lines caused by the stress of the last week have eased and aren't etched as deeply into his face.

Ahead of us I can see several figures over near the gym where I can easily make out my brother in the group gathered there as well as Malcolm and Mitchell. I glance at the door of The Quarters as we walk past on our way to where the guys are gathered. Mikkarl lifts his chin as he says something and Malcolm throws himself across the space separating them and the two of them go down hard as both start throwing punches. We rush to help pull them apart but Mitchell and his warriors have the fight under control as we reach them.

"You go over to the house and get cooking whatever Jazzy wants for tea!" Mitchell snaps at Mikkarl. Mikkarl pulls himself up as if he is going to say something but lets out a deep breath before turning away and heading towards the main house wiping the back of his right hand against the corner of his mouth as he passes me.

"And you!" Mitchell growls and gets in the face of Malcolm who shrugged off the hold of the three warriors it had taken to pull him away from Mikkarl.

"Get in your vehicle and get the hell off my wife's' territory! You are not welcome here! If I catch you on this territory again you will be charged with trespassing!" Mitchell snarled as he stood toe to toe with Malcolm. Malcolm didn't look away as Mitchell rolled his shoulders and bared his teeth in a snarl.

"You keep off my wife's territory," Mitchell snarled in threat. Malcolm held eye contact with Mitchell without flinching.

"GET!" Mitchell yelled as he lifted both hands and shoved Malcolm hard in the chest. The action seemed to energize Malcolm as he brought both of his arms up and between Mitchell's forearms to push his arms apart and away in one smooth motion.

"Get the hell out of my face!" Malcolm yelled. Tension between the two of them sizzled in the air for a moment before they both exploded into motion. Fists flew to the tune of meaty thuds punctuated by grunts of effort.

I glance at Micah worriedly and he seems to feel my eyes as he looks my way and shakes his head as he steps back. Those around the two combatants hesitate a moment before following Micah's lead and stepping back to make room for the fight. We watch as the two of them trade hard blows, both seem more intent on hurting the other than keeping their own guard up and protecting themselves. I barely spare a glance as those in the main house come out to watch, I don't want to look away from the fight that seems evenly matched for the moment.

"Keep her back Timny," Micah says.

I glance towards the house, Jazzy has come out and is in tears as she watches the fight with both hands over her mouth so she doesn't make a sound. Timny is behind her, an arm around her protectively as they watch the fight. I glance past them and see my brother watching from the gateway with Lana in the door of the house watching from a distance.

I turn my attention back to the fight, the two are still throwing hard punches but are starting to lift their guard to block punches thrown by the other. This is no tame boxing match bound by rules but a hard all out fight for dominance. A change of tactics and Mitchell takes Malcolm down hard in a full body tackle. Blows turn to wrestling holds but the grunts of pain and effort remain. There is the sensation of uneasy shuffling from those gathered around and I glance up and around quickly before turning my attention back to the fight on the ground.

I almost miss the move that has Malcolm getting a proper grip on Mitchell, I watch in surprise as Malcolm keeps his hold and Mitchell is unable to break free.

"Yield!" Malcolm demands on a roar, "Yield or I will break your damned back!"

Both of them are panting hard as Mitchell strains refusing to give in, Jazzy is crying loudly and struggling against Timny's hold. I glance at Micah uneasily, he is watching the two on the ground closely as he balances on the balls of his feet.

"Yield!" Malcolm demands on a roar as he tightens his hold drawing an involuntary gasp of pain from Mitchell. There is a tense moment then Mitchell stops struggling and grunts something unintelligible. Malcolm releases his hold slowly before letting Mitchell fall flat on the ground. I see how the hold could have been pulled up harder to break his back or even snap his neck.

Jazzy collapses on the ground at Timny's feet as he releases his hold on her, she is crying in huge gasping sobs as she begins to crawl towards the two who had been fighting.

"I ... don't ... want your ... wife," Malcolm says between pants. "I don't ... want the land ... I just don't ... want you in my face every time I turn around."

*****

It never rains, it pours. Lots is happening within these clans, lots is about to change.

Please remember to comment and vote.

MG