Tracy

017:

"Listen." Raine began, curious as to why the talented actor had been comforting his would be girlfriend.

"I'm really sorry to have left you. I'm done now. Let's go outside." Tracy tried on a happy face as Danny sipped his water, wary eyes on Raine.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I feel like you're really busy and distracted, and maybe have a lot going on in your personal life. Maybe now's not the time for us to be starting something." His eyes rose to meet hers and his smile was apologetic.

"I really like you, Raine. I wouldn't have asked you here, believe me. I didn't know all these people were coming." She tried to move past him, lead him away from the scene of the crying and the slap and the emotional outbursts.

"I get that, Tracy, I feel it too. We've got something going, and I'd really like to explore it. The other night was really amazing, but----." He stood near the front door now, and when she turned she saw he had grabbed his jacket.

Her eyes widened. "Did somebody say something?"

"In not so many words, yeah. I feel like I stumbled into a wasp nest."

Her shoulders slumped. It was her personal wasp nest, she thought, knowing she was about to watch a perfectly available and interesting human being step right out of her life for good, because of the wasps.

"Will you call me? I'm flying home in about an hour. I think...." She glanced at Danny, recalling that she would have to change those plans or leave him in bad care again.

"I will call you." He seemed relieved she wasn't trying to cajole or make excuses. He stepped to the door, then thought better of it, and walked purposefully back to her, taking her straight into his arms and kissing her softly on the lips. "There's more here for us, Trace. Don't let it slip away."

Utter shock tore through her, and music crashed into her head like a marching band with cymbals. The kiss had been revealing and devastating.

"Raine...." He held her hand just a second.

"It's okay. I will call you."

She watched him shut the door behind him and took a deep breath. Danny nodded as if this was acceptable behavior from the strange man who had planted a kiss on mommy's lips. Time for this guy to leave, his expression seemed to say.

They both turned now as footsteps sounded on the floor. Her arm was pinched forcefully and they were dragged into the back hallway without ceremony.

"Why was that guy here?" Casey's voice was menacing to say the least. Danny immediately wanted down so he could run away.

The hall to the lower bedrooms and bathrooms was dark, with faint reflections shining on the picture frames on the walls. Casey's eyes sparkled with the same threatening reflections. She let Danny down and gave him a little tap to make sure he ran out to the safety of Gramma's arms. Casey let her go, at the same moment she jerked.

"I saw him kiss you."

"Yeah, he kissed me good bye."

"We're engaged!"

"We are not. Do you see a ring? No! I told you the other day, I can't handle the drugs and the weird way you want to control me all the time. This whole meeting with these actors and producers or whatever the heck they're doing-- why in the world would you, of all people, tell them I'd do a film with them? You don't have the right to tell people what I will and won't do. I won't gig with you at a club, and I won't do a movie just because you say so."

"It would be a good career move, and since we are going to be married I feel I have the right to help you make those career decisions." He blocked her way out of the hall through the kitchen, but she knew she could get out through the garage if she had to. She looked behind her. Nothing was blocking the garage door.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Case, I'm not marrying you. I never said yes, for sure, and now I'm saying no."

"You did agree! If you go back on your agreement, I'll make sure you never see Danny again."

She barked an ugly laugh and pointed an angry finger under his nose. "That's where you're wrong, love. If you even try and break our contract-- and contrary to your understanding, I have visiting rights on the weekends, every weekend from Friday evening till Sunday night-- if you even try for one minute to stop me, I'll sic child protection services on your sorry ass, and he will be taken away from you and your drug abusing pregnant nanny."

Casey staggered back as if she'd slapped him, and she wondered how many proverbial slaps she was capable of today.

"In fact, you should know. I saw her track marks. I've seen yours. I saw you both high today, and I'll be damned if Danny is going anywhere with you. I'm taking him home with me to Idaho in an hour, and if you try and stop me this time, I will alert your probation officer-- oh, hello! You didn't know I knew about that did you? You've broken the terms of our agreement by not attending rehab. Yeah---." She folded her arms over her chest, and sank her chin so she could peer up at him through narrowed eyes. "You clean up, or your dreams of the band getting back together will be history, not to mention your relationship with your son."

"Jolie isn't----."

"She is. She's pregnant, and she's in love with you. That's enough to make me break any supposed engagement you and I might have been considering, buddy."

"Tracy, the band---."

"Man, Casey, I know what it means to you. We all do. It wouldn't be such a bad thing either, the timing is right and we all feel a lot stronger and more capable of coping with all that entails, but you agreed to be clean and sober. I have to believe that is possible. I won't go back into it with you on drugs. That was really devastating to all of us."

The headache that touching Richard Mann had lessened was now rolling back into her consciousness. One hand rose to ward it off, as her vision sparked a green halo, and nausea threatened.

"What is that man to you? He's the guy who took you to the hospital? You asked him here just to thank him, right?"

"I am considering dating him. We hit it off after he bandaged me up the other day. You remember? The day you tried to force me to gig with you at Tapas?"

"You are not allowed to date him. He's too old for you and not good for the image. You need to be seen with these guys out there." He flung out his hand toward the patio outside where Austin McQueen and Richard Mann were still visiting with his parents, hoping to entice Tracy to join their project.

Another short barked angry laugh. "Are you kidding? You treat me like I'm this little kid you can boss around and I'll just do whatever you say. Maybe eight years ago, Case, I was in awe of you, the great Casey Crandall. All your enthusiasm and experience, you wow'ed me, and woo'ed me, and turned me on with your music and your verve for life. But not any—more--. You're used up. You're wasting away. You're throwing your life away." She knew she would have to shove him out of her way if she wanted to get by. And she knew there was only one way to achieve that. "I'll go talk to your buddies out there, and listen to their pitch. If I like what I hear I may decide to humor them. But it will be on my terms and nothing to do with you. Get it?"

His arm rose and he let her by with a smirk. Then he turned as he followed her. "You're mine. Always have been. Always will be."

"Its comments like those that really turn me off." She announced loudly as she opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck in the hazy sunshine. Everybody heard, and whatever flow in conversation had been happening ceased abruptly-- anticipation and dismay on several faces. Jolie wouldn't even look up.

Kirk Crandall indicated a vinyl padded and strapped lounge chair that had been sitting there since the early seventies. It had a permanent butt place, but Tracy sat in it gingerly, and crossed her legs at the ankles.

"Let's make it quick, gentlemen." She said with resolve, her professional voice in place, her eyes looking anywhere but at Richard Mann or Jolie, the pregnant nanny girlfriend. Danny was in the sand box, fortunately, so she could relax and hear what Austin McQueen had to say.

And then she didn't listen.

*******