A Quiet Dinner Get Together

Alaina was slightly embarassed when Mamouru mentioned her Summer Splash match. She was happy to win, but the fact that her top got ripped off towards the end was still enough to make her blush whenever she thought about it. She felt Mamouru's grip tighten as the conversation continued. She brought her other hand over and gently held his hand with both of hers in an effort to coax him. "I couldn't have done it without you babe, and don't worry about Fathia I don't think we'll see her around messing with us again." She said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Taylor tried to change the subject but pandora's box was now open.

"Umm, Talia told me that she was Dark Angel, did some bad things and hurt a lot of people for no good reason." Charlie said calmly. He knew this was super touchy, and he didn't want to piss off anyone who he had no problems with but he also didn't want to let anyone walk all over Talia."I never went and looked any of it up though. Talia has always been open about stuff with me, and she's not that Dark Angel or whatever anymore. She's a sweetheart. I can understand why there are people out there pissed off at her, but none of that had anything to do with me. I mean, what is in the past is done and no one can change it. Why let something you can't change or control dictate your future?" Charlie finished, and for better or for worse that was what he did and how he felt about things. If he managed to agitate everyone in the room it wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

Dark Angel? Alaina had never heard anything about Talia wrestling under the name Dark Angel. She managed to engineer quite the disaster and sighed when she realized just how much of a trainwreck the night was turning into. Her friends seemed to be making her boyfriend feel like shit, and her best friend was dating someone with a checkered past to say the least. "Hold on a minute... I never heard anything about Talia being Dark Angel."Alaina said flatly. "I know people have skeletons in the closet, but she sounds like she's got a graveyard back there. Charlie, I know you love her and all but....." Alaina said before stopping. She wanted to say that he deserved better, but decided not to at the last minute. "..what exactly did she do?"

Now Alaina too? Jesus.... this was too much for Charlie. She was never judgemental about anything before but he could tell she was worrying about him. Sure she meant well but he didn't need a babysitter. Was he the only person on the planet that could tell Talia wasn't anything like Dark Angel before? "How about those shots?"

Mamouru had had enough. He could only tolerate being kicked in front of a live audience for so along. He pulled away his hand and gently wiped his mouth.

"What did she do? She ruined the lives of everyone in this room who doesn't actually live here. She didn't just do it, she did it purposefully and at times gleefully."

Mamouru turned and looked at Charlie. "She took the only thing I ever cared about away from me. Everyone else may forgive her and pretend like everything's OK but I never ever will." Mamouru growled the last part and stood up.

"Thank you for the meal." He said and bowed. "It's best if I just leave though."

Charlie glared at Mamouru and stood up. "So... if the only thing you cared about is gone then what the fuck is Al to you? She talks about you like you are prince charming, yet you make it sound like you really only see her as some sort of second string pet project that you can sleep with when the mood strikes."

At this point Alaina had heard more than enough. She'd never heard Charlie say anything like that about anyone before. Sure he thought he was watching out for her but he had to have figured out by now that she could take care of herself. She didn't need big brother watching over her shoulder all the time. Charlie... thats enough, not another fucking word." She said loudly and sternly to Charlie, who looked somewhat shocked. Alaina stood up and put her hand on Mamouru's shoulder. "Mamouru don't be like this, you know I hate seeing you like this. Don't you remember when we first met?" She asked, fighting back the tears starting to build up in her eyes. She felt as though what her and Mamouru had was real, but for the first time there was doubt in her mind. She didn't want to believe that what Charlie said was true... but it was right there in Mamouru's own words. She just looked back at him, hoping and praying that he'd say something... anything really to reassure her or erase that doubt.

"Wow, dude," Taylor said, raising an eyebrow at Charlie. She remained surprisingly calm, given her reputation for being a hot head. She was getting much better about that.

Cassie, on the other hand, hung her head and turned bright red. The one thing I ever cared about... The meaning was obvious to Cassie, and it felt like a ton of bricks on her chest. She wondered briefly if Charlie and Alaina knew that he was talking about her. Given Charlie's outburst, she sincerely hoped he didn't.

"Okay, for real, everybody just chill out, a'right?" She said, holding up her hands palms out. "Charlie, look, if you want to be super crazy about Mamouru not being good enough for your girl, don't be surprised when Alaina finds out what your girlfriend did to all of us. Seriously? She could be a serial killer, and you're just gonna go with it?" She shook her head. "Well, Mamouru, maybe it would be a good idea to get some air. Why don't we go cool off outside?"

"Mamouru means me." Cassie said. Her little voice was the quietest in the room, but still managed to carry over the commotion. "He was my manager, and... we were friends. Talia hated me, and she tried to hurt me by hurting Mamouru. She..." She paused when she realized she couldn't possibly find the words to fully explain what had happened. One look at Mamouru was all it took, at his angry and bitter and wounded face, and she began to cry. "Sorry. I like Talia, really, but I guess... It still hurts."

Taylor had to check herself to keep from crying at the site of Cassie crying. She made eye contact with Mamouru and tilted her head toward the door.

"It's a good idea."

Mamouru said. He took one look back at Alaina and flashed her an apologetic look, saw Cassie and did the same. He wasn't mad at her. Not this time at least. He just didn't like the situation and didn't like to have a double standard constantly put on him. and then quickly followed Taylor out the door, closing it behind him.

Taylor had been pretty cool all things considered, Johnny was surprisingly livid. Not vocally so but he fumed. He loved his wife to death and would do anything for her but he swore if there was one thing in this world he hated to see more than anything else it was Cassie crying.

Johnny Johnny got up and knelt down next to Cassie. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it and ruffled her hair with the other hand. "C'mon sport." He said. "It's cool." He spoke in a low tone and hugged her against him. "No one really knew what happened until it happened it ain't like things happened on purpose, ya know?" He said, speaking about what had just happened and trying to get her to calm down.

Johnny turned his head and looked between Alaina and Charlie. "There's just a lotta shit that went down. Just bee cool about it, dude." He said. "We're all cool and no one is trying to say or do anything that ain't cool, alright?"

Mamouru leaned against the door and rubbed his temples once they were outside. "I'm tired, nee-san. I'm really... tired."

"Way to go dude... normally I'm the mellow one and I just exploded." Charlie thought to himself. He didn't have many red buttons, but in his mind two of them were being pressed over and over again. If anyone just ruined everything it was him, but what was he supposed to do? Let everyone trash his girlfriend and sit idly by smiling quietly? "Ah shit... I'm sorry. I blew up..." "Because I had to stick up for the only woman who'd ever seen anything worthwhile in me, and reciprocated any romantic feelings I had." Charlie thought to himself before continuing with something less incendiary. "..and I had no reason to. I really don't think Mamouru meant to say that you didn't mean anything to him." Man... it was time for some shots.

L.C who had been moved off Alaina's lap by her getting up needed a new seat. Cassie, who was the only one still sitting where she had been was the obvious choice. L.C jumped up and tried to be cute in a bid for more attention.

Alaina was still mad at Charlie. That little outburst of his was uncalled for and completely unexpected from him. She sat down and shot him a look before turning to Cassie. "Cassie its ok, please don't cry." Alaina said in her old nurse at work voice. "I know it is hard not to dwell on things, but nothing good ever came from that."

Taylor shepherded Mamouru out the door, and Cassie watched her go like she kind of wish she had stayed, but she had Johnny there to help comfort her. She leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, and then gave him a smile. Taylor was so lucky.

"I'm not dwelling on anything," she said defensively, her eyes dry once more. "I'd be dwelling on it if I thought about it all the time at home in my room, but it's happening right now, right in front of me. I've hated Mamouru so much for... some things that he did, but he's not even the right one to hate. Talia found a way to drive us apart, because Mamouru didn't want me to get hurt, and I didn't want him to get hurt, and we knew that she'd hurt the other person. She ruined both of our lives." She shook her head. She knew the story inside and out, and when she spoke of it too much of it tried to come out at once. She tried to collect her thoughts.

"And I forgave her, I said I did and I meant it, and I love Talia, but... The Talia I forgave isn't the same one that did all that stuff, and it's like all the bad stuff is still alive somewhere. Mamouru loved me. He was going to be better, but Talia found a way to ruin everything." She shook her head, and lifted a hand to let it drop helplessly back into her lap. "And now he's just back to sleeping with random girls."

Mamouru looked at Taylor and lowered his head. "I didn't ask for this, Nee-san." He said after a moment. "And... I did my best while I could but I can't just sit there and endure that. Everyone forgave her and thinks she's just great but everyone only thinks I'm the worst person ever no matter what I do!"

He knew that Taylor was one of those people, maybe even the worst offender in his eyes but right now he didn't care.

"I didn't make bad decisions because I was trying to be an asshole. I made bad decisions because I was losing everything and was I was on a fucking island!"

Mamouru stepped forward and pushed himself against Taylor and hugged her tightly. "Now I've probably just lost Alaina-chan too. I haven't even looked at another girl since we've started dating either... what the hell am I supposed to do, nee-san?"

"Listen, I wasn't trying to put you down or anything, no need to be so defensive." Alaina said said to Cassie. "And I'm not just some 'random girl' he is sleeping with. We work together and legitimately care for each other." Was she wrong about Cassie? She thought Cassie reminded her of herself, but this wasn't really anything she'd expect from someone so well liked. Apparently, she was the only one allowed to have feelings for Mamouru while anyone else he spent time with was a whore?

Charlie glanced over at Cassie, then back at Alaina. He knew no matter what he'd said everyone had their mind made up about everyone else in the room. Charlie bit his cheek to keep himself from saying something stupid. Again. After much deliberation he turned to Johnny. "So.... how's the food?"

Cassie forced a smile and nodded at Alaina. There was no use in pushing the issue, she didn't know anything and couldn't understand anything. She took on a faraway look and stared off into space until Charlie brought her back.

"Really good." She took another bite.


Taylor kept her arms folded tightly across her chest, and put on a tough expression. She wasn't going to give Mamouru an inch. He had to shape up or get out, because she had had it with everybody making Cassie cry.

"Mamouru, the one think I can't stand-" Was all she managed to say before Mamouru hugged her.

The pain in his words, the collapse in his voice, buckled Taylor's resolve immediately. Just like that, she was disarmed. She thought of herself as being pretty good at spotting bullshit, even from Mamouru, but for once he was telling the truth.

"Okay," she said, her voice soft. She put one hand on his back and the other reached up for the back of his neck. She swayed gently from side to side and closed her eyes. "Shhh..."

"I know what it's like to have no one on your side."