A few months had passed by, Stacey-Ann was bigger, Ellie was smaller and Carson was back at work full time and still worried, the cloud still hanging over his head. They were still fighting about Ellie going back to work, which Carson wasn’t going to sway on. He wanted her with their daughter twenty-four-seven and day care wasn’t going to cut it. They’d reached a temporary arrangement where Ellie had classes two hours a day and Kris would take Stacey-Ann for those two hours. Ellie wasn’t happy about it, but she understood his mentality.
Being home with her and the baby had become his out, his safe haven since hell seemed to have broken lose. He was gone a lot, catching killers and profiling those already behind bars. Then he would go home, place the baby in bed with them- securely on Ellie’s side- and curl up behind Ellie, fitting her body against his. He would watch them sleep awhile before he slept, knowing they were close and safe.
His job had become an illness and they had become his cure. And now, after days of missing them like crazy, he was finally home.
“Ellie where are you?” Carson dropped his bag on the floor by the door and walked into his quiet home. It had been close to three weeks since he last held them in his arms and all he wanted to do was fall asleep with both of them in his arms. The quietness could mean one of two things, both Ellie and Stacey-Ann were asleep or they weren’t home. “Is anyone home?”
“I’m here,” a voice sang out of their room.
He stopped by the door when he saw the trail of roses laid out leading to the bed. He smiled in expectation. They’d postponed date night twice because of their hectic schedules. “Finally, we can have our night.”
She stepped out in a skimpy lingerie and high heels. She looked like a long drink of sex, a temptress of desire and a she-devil of lust. He liked it. He approached her, pulling off his shirt, “You’ve never gone all out like this before. You must have really missed me.”
She sauntered seductively towards him. “Never? Well then, you are in for a treat.” She reached up and pulled his head down, trapping his lips hungrily with hers.
Dale broke the kiss, very surprised. He liked it. “That’s different too.” He wrapped his arms around her, “is this some sort of reward for loving you so much?”
She unfastened his belt, “You could say that.”
He kissed her, “Where is the angel?”
“What angel?”
He pulled away, “Ellie, our daughter, Stacey-Ann?”
She pulled him back, “Oh. She’s with… her godmother.” She tried to kiss him again, but he pulled away.
“I left Audrey at the office. What’s wrong with…?” He pushed her back, taking several steps away from her. “Ellsa?” he uttered the name with disgust. “Where is Ellie? I swear if you’ve hurt her…” he let the threat linger.
She moved towards him and grabbed his hand, but he yanked it away, “No I’m Ellie.”
“Really?” he yelled, his anger mounting, “Lift your straight hair!” That should have been his first clue. Ellie loved curls and she would never wear bangs. She hated them!
He thought this was all over. Since the hospital, he’d had no contact with her except for the greetings passed on by Ellie. How stupid of him to think she’d left him in peace!
“What?” She stuttered, taking a step back.
“Ellie has the baby’s birthday and name tattooed on the back of her neck.” He pointed to his chest, right over his heart, “like the one I have here, right next to her name.” He grabbed at her. She tried to pull away but he caught hold of her, turned her around and pulled her hair up away from her neck, “You don’t!” He bellowed, pushing her away roughly. She fell to the floor almost hitting her head on the bed frame.
“It was a temporary tattoo, I washed it off!”
“You bitch!” He hissed, “I told you to stay away from me! I don’t love you, I don’t want you! Can’t you get that through you thick skull?”
“Dale…” she cried.
He grabbed her chin and lifted her up, “I wouldn’t cheat on your sister, the love of my life, with you, even if you were the last living being on earth!”
She held his hand and tried to kiss his palm, but he pulled it away. She grabbed it again and held it against her chest. “Dale I love you!” She implored. Tears ran down her face, the running mascara ruining her makeup further. “She could never love you like I do!”
“You sound so sure of that.”
Carson pulled away at Ellie’s voice. He turned around and stared at her, lost for words. Audrey and Kris were with her, horrified by the sight. “Honey, it’s not what you think!”
She nodded, a tear escaping her eye. “I know. I’ve been standing here long enough to figure that out. Would you please get dressed?” She handed Stacey-Ann to Audrey. “Ellsa, what exactly were you trying to do?”
Ellsa stomped forward and stood in front of Carson. He moved back as he shrugged on his shirt. “Dale and I love each other and right before you rudely interrupted us, we were about to make love!” She announced, proudly.
“You have no shame!” Kris sniggered.
Ellie took a step forward, “Make love, in my bed?”
“This is Dale’s apartment and his bed too,” she turned to him, rushing towards him, “Right honey?”
Kris rushed to block her way, “Hey! I told you before, he belongs to Ellie not you!”
Ellie stopped, shifting her livid gazed to Kris, “What do you mean by before?”
“I told you Ellie. I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen to me!”
Carson moved to stand next to Ellie, “this isn’t the first time she’s tried this.”
She turned to Carson, “Why didn’t you tell me?” her voice quivered, fresh tears running down her cheeks.
“She’s your sister. She was all you had before Stacey-Ann and me,” he moved to touch her, but she shifted away. “Ellie…”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, “Get out of my home Ellsa.” she whispered.
“No, this is Dale’s apartment!” She yelled, “Dale honey, tell her you want me and not her!”
“Unbelievable.” Audrey whispered.
“Leave before I drag you out Ellsa!” Kris threatened.
Ellie opened her eyes, they were full of hate and anger. “I’m not going to say it again Ellsa.”
“Dale, honey,” Ellsa began, a smile on her face, “I’m pregnant!”
That statement set Ellie off. She rushed at her sister and slapped her hard, sending her sprawling on the floor. Then she grabbed her by her hair and dragged her across the floor out the door and out of the apartment, “I swear if I see you anywhere near my family again, I’ll forget you are my sister!”
Ellie banged the door shut and leaned against it, as she struggled to control her breathing.
Ellsa banged on the door, “Ellie you are going to pay for this!”
“Go away!” Ellie yelled back.
“She’s crazy!” Audrey exclaimed.
“I’ve been saying that for years.” Kris exclaimed, moving to stand next to Ellie.
“What she said is not true!” Carson declared, rushing to Ellie, “I swear I have never touched her!”
But Ellie didn’t respond. She just stared blankly at her daughter, fresh tears escaping her eyes.
“She knows. She just needs a minute to process,” Kris offered. “Honey…” Ellie pulled away before she could touch her. She went straight to Audrey, took her sleeping daughter and marched to the guest room, locking the door behind her.
Carson knocked on the door, “Honey please talk to me!” He begged, a feeling of dread settling in his belly, “Ellie, please!”
“You are wasting your time Dale. She’s not coming out of there, at least not tonight. I’m so sorry.” Kris spoke opening the front door.
Audrey went to him and gave him a hug, “Carson, if you need anything at all, call me.”
He nodded. Once they left, he sank to the floor his back against the guest room door. “I’ll wait here all night if I have to Ellie.”
Ellie moved to the door and leaned against it. She cried, out of anger, sadness and loss. She couldn’t believe what she saw. What her sister tried to do to her. What could have happened if she hadn’t gotten home in time? No, if Dale hadn’t realized it wasn’t her. But what if he didn’t? What hurt her the most was the fact that her sister had betrayed her in the worst way imaginable.
She leaned closer against the door when Dale called out her name again. It wasn’t his fault, Ellsa was to blame. She knew that, but then again, she was still angry at him from hiding the fact that her twin sister had been trying to sleep with him for months. She could forgive him, but she couldn’t forgive Ellsa. If she did, that would be giving Ellsa permission to try again, and she was going to keep trying until she got what she wanted.
And if she didn’t, she would hate Ellie for the rest of their lives.
She cried harder, her heart ripping in two, as she mourned the loss of her sister.