Ever After -Completed-

And Fight For Something

><Meg><

"Are you sure?"

"That's why I called you here. I don't want to know what Collin would do to me if I didn't go through with this."

"Are you scared? It's okay to be scared?"

"Fucking terrified. Let's go."

Pete had hugged me like an old friend, explaining that Patrick had wanted to come but needed to stay with Elisa to take care of Declan, who was sick. I hadn't known anyone else to call for moral support who knew about my dad, and Pete had offered, after all. I knew there was a chance he'd actually come.

I'd been right. He'd texted me once and showed up only a few hours into the next day. We were going to call the police, something I felt stupid for not having just done herself, when I realized I didn't know his address. I knew the directions to get to his house-left, right, straight two streets, right again-but not the actual house address. 

"Alright..." Pete frowned, thinking. "Maybe...we can go there, get the address off the door, call, then run. Would that work?"

I nodded, rubbing my wrist anxiously. "Good idea. Let's go."

///

"No," I hissed, pulling Pete back by the wrist. "Don't go beyond the bushes-he usually stays in the living room, so he has a clear view of those."

He shook his head, trying to figure out the puzzle. "Then how do we see the number? It's too bad of an angle here, and anywhere else will get us caught. You said so yourself."

I bit my lip, wondering how I could explain my plan to him. It was stupid, not to mention selfish, but I knew it would work. There was no reason for it to not. And, when it did, I would've had a chance to say goodbye. 

"Just let me go. I can distract him and you can call the police. No arguing-do you want to be sitting here forever? I didn't think so."

"But he could hurt you."

"It's nothing I haven't felt before."

Without waiting for him to say anything that might change my mind, I ran up the porch steps and into the house. 

My dad was waiting for me in the kitchen. Well, maybe not for me, but that's how it seemed. Hands behind back, facing the opposite direction. Every stereotypical movie villain ever. He might as well just put a white cat around his shoulders and purr, "I've been waiting for you..."

Except he wasn't a villain. 

That's something I could never convince Collin, no matter how hard I tried. Or anyone, for that matter. I could never find the words to describe how it felt to see him; like I was six years old again, running into my house and into my dad's arms. How I could all but feel his arms around my waist, twirling me into the air. His voice singing out, "Megster, my dear! How was school today?"

He always had little nicknames for me. My light. Little Einstein. Meg-ster Chef. I never got to be around him enough to grow out of it. To be able to roll my eyes and groan at him to stop with the nicknames already, for god's sake. To see his eyes sparkle when I did so.

There were so many things I never got to see.

So many things I had to learn not to miss.

So many nights I had to cry silent tears so as not to wake my friend, calmly sleeping next to me.

Where could it all have gone wrong?

"Daddy," my voice warbled as I moved to hug him. Keep it calm, Meg. "I forgot to make you cookies, but you still have some left over, don't you? The chocolate chip?"

He pushed me off him, not enough for me to fall but enough that I stumbled into the table. He was never so cold before drinking. He was kind, even. Fun. I should've had more time. 

Story of my life.

He shoved a piece of paper in my face. A note, with messy writing scrawled on it. He was waving it too quickly in front of me for me to read it. "Who is this? Who is 'Matt'? Why are you seeing someone? Me, me! You can only have me! I'm the most important, you hear? No one else, no one!"

"Matt? He-he's a co-worker, Dad. He must've left the note in there for me to buy more chocolate chips...or something like that, at least."

"Did you even read it?!"

I shook my head and he slapped it onto the table. Tears blurred my vision, but I could still just barely make out the words. 

Meg-Another one of these, ha ha. 

I knew where this was going. Usually I found them and picked them out, but Matt's notes all said pretty much the same thing.

It was fun hanging out with you. We should do it again sometime, maybe as a date? No, okay. Whatever :) Love ya-Matt

Small. Simple. Nothing. 

He was seething. 

Sirens sounded in the distance, but my dad didn't seem to notice, yelling his head off about the note. About how I was such a slut. About why his daughter, of all people, had ended up like this. About why I couldn't just love him.

Two officers came in, voices rising over his own. They dragged him away, pulling cuffs over the waving hands, doing their best to restrain the writhing, insane body of a once proud man. 

He didn't even see them.

"Why can't you love me? You, your mother...Cindy...why..."

Pete put an arm around me as I cried, but no matter how close he was I still felt utterly alone. I was the sun, and even the closest planet was thousands upon thousands of miles away. And I just kept spinning further and further out of reach.

"I do love you...I really do."