A Complicated Life [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twelve

Cleo's Point Of View

"Deuce! Oh my Ra! Are you ok?" Cleo asked through the phone. Her worry had almost pushed her to the breaking point. She had honestly never been so worried for Deuce in her entire life. But she felt... different.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I got into an accident," Deuce said softly.

"An accident? How? With who?" Cleo asked. She reached out with her hand and placed it on the arm of the couch as she tried to balance out her dizziness.

"I ran a red light. I was texting you to make sure you were ok and I ran the light. I hit Clawdeen," Deuce said. If it were possible, Cleo's heart would've stopped.

"Clawdeen? Is she ok? How could you hit her!?" Cleo exclaimed, lowering herself to the couch. She put her head in her hands and sighed. Why was she feeling so weird?

"I was in the semi. I... I almost killed her, Cleo," Deuce said quietly.

"Deuce! You almost killed her!" Cleo felt like she was going to hyperventilate. She couldn't breathe. Her boyfriend had almost killed Clawdeen Wolf.

"Why do you even care? I thought you hated her!" Deuce exclaimed.

"She was one of my beat friends in high school, Deuce! And you almost killed her!" Cleo shouted. She paused and drew in a deep breath. "I cannot lose another former classmate. Not like that," she said softly. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

"I'm at Dairy Scream. I walked from the wreckage," Deuce said.

"All right. I'll be there soon," Cleo said as she hung up. "Chloe!" She shouted as she calmed herself down. "We need to go get your father," she said.

"Dad? I finally get to meet Dad?" Chloe asked as she came into the room, her Persian cat held tightly in her arms.

"No. Chloe, you've known your dad for a long time. Deuce is your father."

"No, he's not. You told us that. And I refuse to call him my father. He's a loser," Chloe said. Cleo reached out to hit her, but then drew her hand back to her chest and sighed.

"Deuce is not a loser, Chloe. He makes all the money that we live off of. Sure, he's stupid, but I love him. And you will learn to love him, too. You will call him your father. Do you understand me?" Cleo asked. Chloe looked like she was about to scream. Her face turned grave and she nodded.

"Yes, Mother. As you wish," Chloe said. She set her cat on the floor and kneeled down next to him. "You be good Mr. Fluffers," she said softly. Cleo reached down and grabbed Chloe's hand in hers and walked towards the door. She grabbed her purse out of the closet and went outside, locking the door behind her.

She still didn't quite understand what was going on with her. Of course, she did love Deuce, there was no doubt about that. But, she had never wanted the kids to call him a father. Deuce didn't need that. He didn't need to feel like they loved him like that. He wasn't their father, so why should they treat him like one? What was going on with her to suddenly make her act like this?

Deuce's Point Of View

Deuce leaned up against the counter and rubbed his thumb against the screen of his phone. He was waiting for Cleo to tell him that she was outside. Why had she cared so much about Clawdeen? She had hated Clawdeen ever since he had started dating her. It didn't add up to him. It almost seemed like a curse.

"I think your ride's here," the man behind the counter said impatiently. Deuce looked out the window and nodded. The man crossed his arms and nodded towards the door. "Thanks for stopping in," he said sarcastically. Deuce shrugged and walked outside. He hadn't bought anything in there, but why should that matter? They should just be happy that they had someone else in the store.

"Where the scene of the accident?" Cleo asked once Deuce had gotten into the car. He buckled his seat belt, sighed, and pointed out the windshield. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad. At least, on Clawdeen's end. The cab of the semi was on top of her car. Completely smashed it. She barely made it out before it crushed all the way," Deuce said. He was starting to feel bad all over again. He had almost killed someone that he had once loved.

"Jesus, Deuce. You almost killed her and completely wrecked her car," Cleo said as she drove past the wreckage. "We're buying her a knew car because of this. I cannot believe you did this. How can you just run a red light? Pay attention to the road, Deuce," Cleo said, reaching over to hit him on the shoulder. It was a light hit, but it hurt because Clawdeen had punched him in the exact same spot earlier.

"We can't buy her a new car. That's not our responsibility," Deuce said, holding his hand up to the side of his head.

"Yes, Mother. Deuce... Father... is right. We shouldn't have to buy her a new car," Chloe said. Both Deuce and Cleo looked back at her for a second before facing the front, again.

"Well, if your father hadn't ran over her car, and almost killed her, we wouldn't need to buy her a new car," Cleo said. "But, both of those things happened. So, we're paying her back for fighting to live. And all she's done for me in my life," Cleo said.

"Right. Almost killed her...," Deuce muttered.

"Are you suggesting something, Deuce Gorgan?" Cleo shot back. Deuce shook his head and rubbed at his temples.

"No. I'm just... I'm just thinking. Ok?" Deuce said angrily. He shook his head and leaned against the window. He hadn't gotten hurt in the accident, but he was kind of light headed.

Or maybe the light headed-ness was just because of how horrible he felt. He had loved Clawdeen with all his heart. Honestly, he still did. But, Cleo needed him. Or did she? If he got out and left, went to the monster that he still loved, loved just as much as he loved Cleo, would she care? Would she really miss him; or would she just move to the next guy willing to take care of her kids?

Deuce was thinking, all right. Thinking about whether he should leave or not. He didn't want to, but at the same time, he wanted to. But, he couldn't ruin a family like that. He was the only father Cleo's children had ever known. He couldn't just waltz out of their life like he had never cared for them. He loved them like they were his own, especially Calvin. But, if Deuce were to leave, he could start his own family. Yeah, he could start a family with a girl he loved and have kids that were his. He smiled slightly but then frowned again.

He couldn't do that. He loved Cleo. And no matter what, he would stay by her side. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and took out the ring he wanted to use to propose to Cleo. He kept it between the seat and the door with his hand and ran his fingers over the stone, continuously spinning it in his hand.

All he wanted was for Cleo to be his wife. He wanted Cleo to be Mrs. Deuce Gorgan. He knew that wasn't realistic. Even if she said yes, she would insist that Deuce took her last name.

Deuce De Nile. He thought to himself. It didn't sound right. At all. In his mind, Cleo Gorgan sounded perfect.

Cleo's Point Of View

Cleo sighed and shook her head. The dizziness had gone away. Finally. And she was starting to feel a little better. But, she felt incredibly nice and generous, today. Maybe it was just because she had almost lost a friend. Or maybe there was some sort of magic in the air. Either way, she felt great now.

Hey, guys! So, we're making a great story line here and I'm loving all the feedback you guys are leaving me. So, now I'm asking for your help and more feedback. Who do you want to see in chapter thirteen? A.K.A. Who's point of view do you want to see written from? The choice is up to you! Leave however many suggestions you want! You can definitely leave more that one monster/person that you want to see. It can be someone I've written about before, or it can be a completely random character that hasn't even been mentioned. If there are like fourteen suggestions, all fourteen of those monsters/people will be written about in chapter thirteen. Unless you specify that you want them in chapter fourteen or fifteen, etc.... Anyways, leave who you want to see below and I'll see you in chapter thirteen!

- Courtney