Life Without Them (On Hold)

Chapter 8: Introducing the New Sang

North

What did she just call us? Bloody idiots? What the fuck is that supposed to mean!?

"I'm sorry, but what!?" I exclaim.

"I'm sorry," Corey apologizes. "You'll have to forgive her. We've been binge watching everything on BBC America."

"Oo, have you gotten to Orphan Black?" Sean perks up for the first time during this conversation.

"Are you kidding?" Corey asks shocked. Finally, someone with some sense. "It's what we started with!" Or not. "We've just moved onto Doctor Who."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," I grumble.

"Fine," Baby pouts. "No fish fingers and custard for you."

"Baby-"

"Nope, Pond. Amy Pond," Baby giggles.

"Baby, can we please get serious." I grit out.

"Fuck off, North!" Marc explodes.

"Enough! Excuse the hell out of me for trying not to go completely fucking mental when I've just been told that the equivalent of the boogeyman is after me and my kids! Give me a fucking break!" Baby yells out.

"Baby-" I start.

"No! You don't get to call me that. You want serious? You got it. My name is Sang, and the only people who have any right to call me anything different, are the ones who were there for me and my kids for the past five years. I get it," Baby stops my interruption. "You didn't want to leave, fine. But guess what? You did. And not only did you leave without a word, whatever you told your families, made them leave me too. How do you think that made me feel, huh? You promised you'd never leave, no matter what! And I wake up one day to find you all gone and your parents telling me that they can't help me. People that you made me trust! People that you said I could turn to! Turns out the only person who lived up to that was Phil! He's the one who found me when I was too depressed to even get out of bed, even after learning about the twins. I tried to be strong but every time I stepped foot in that kitchen, I broke!"

By now, Sang's standing in front of me, with tears running down her face. If I thought the worst day of my life was leaving this beautiful fiery woman standing in front of me, I was wrong. That may have been the worst day, but right here, this moment right now will haunt me for the rest of my days. Seeing this beautiful woman, who I love with every fiber of my being, pouring her heart out in the most violent way I have ever seen, and knowing it's all my fault. This takes the cake as the worst moment in my life.

Axel comes behind her to try and calm her down, but she shakes him off. It looks like she isn't through chewing us out yet, and I don't blame her. She's got five years worth of pent up aggression for us leaving. The best thing we can do right now, if we wish to resolve this, is to just stand here and let her do it.

"No," Sang says to Axel, "They need to know what I went through. What we went through. Erica and Uncle wanted nothing to do with me," she says as she turns her attention back to us. "They said that they couldn't help me. They said to go away and not to come back. Phil was the only one there for me. I went to see him a few days after you left, I was sick all the time and I had no idea why. Phil ran his tests and it turned out that I was 3 months pregnant. I did the best I could. I kept up with my workouts, I ate regularly, and I convinced myself that you all were coming back. It was the second week of you being gone that I finally broke. Phil found me numb in my bed, staring at a picture of the ten of us. He told me that pining away for you wasn't healthy for me, or my baby. So he packed me up, and he took care of me. Then Axel and his team came, and they took care of me. And they helped me after the twins were born, they took care of us, and they're still taking care of us. Did it ever occur to you to at least let someone know what was going on? This letter never said not to tell anyone right? Just to leave me? You could have told someone! Instead of being the stubborn asses you always are, you could've gotten help! We could've avoided all this! If you would've just stopped and thought about it for one goddamned minute, my children wouldn't have had to know what it was like to grow up without their fathers!"

With her last exclamation, Sang's tears are all dried up, and now she's just scolding mad. I've never seen Sang Baby this enraged before, and the twisted part of me finds it kinda hot.

"Sang, I think they get it," Corey says to her.

"No Cor, they don't get it. If they did, then they would be thanking you all till they're blue in the face. You five are the reason that me and the twins are ok. You five and Phil. You are my family, and I'll be damned if they just walk in here like nothing has happened, all because it wasn't their fault. They left, and they need to own up to their part in this."

"Miss Sorenson," Owen starts, "Sang. You're right. We couldn't possibly understand what you had to go through these past five years. We've had each other, and we left thinking you would have our families to rely on, when we should've thought about the other variables at play. About the dedication parents have towards their children, but not necessarily the person they are involved with. While I'm sure we all feel the same, I can only speak for myself when I say that I am deeply ashamed for my actions, and I am so so sorry. And I am eternally grateful for Axel and his team for taking care of you when I couldn't."

My brothers start to murmur their agreement, going over to the other guys to shake their hands and thank them for helping us out without our knowledge. I don't move from my spot in front of Sang, and neither does she. Not even when Gabriel comes up beside us.

"No," he tells her, and for a second, I'm confused about what he's talking about. "I won't apologize for what we did because we were only acting on the information we had. You know we lose our heads where your safety is concerned, Trouble. So I won't apologize, and I won't ask for your forgiveness because I don't deserve it. We left you alone for five years, without a word, or even thinking about using Vic's massive computer skills to see how you were doing. We left our family thinking you were the blame for our disappearance. Even if it was unintentional, it still happened. So I won't apologize and I won't ask for forgiveness, but what I will do is prove to you that it will never happen again. And from this point on, I will be a permanent fixture in your life as well as our kids' lives whether you like it or not. No one is taking my Trouble away from me again."

And then he does the most unbelievable thing imaginable. Something only Gabriel Joseph fucking Coleman would be able to get away with. He takes a step closer to her, and fucking licks her face! And then he has the nerve to say, "I licked it so it's mine." What type of shit is this! She just finished tearing us all a new one about how we weren't there for her, and he goes and pulls the same shit that Sang's accusing us of; acting as if nothing has changed.

I think what blows my mind even further is what happens next. The amazing sound that comes from her sweet lips no matter how hard she tries to fight it. Those sweet giggles that come pouring from her mouth that I never thought I'd hear ever again. Those giggles that turn into full belly laughter that breaks all the tension in the room. That's what shocks the hell out of me, and makes me think that it just might be possible to get through this whole Volto shit, and still get the girl.