checking into hell [ kenn & lance ]

[stephanie michelle davis]

Kennedy's aunt had wanted Ryan for the weekend, she had a hard time giving the boy up for overnight visits, but she knew that her son was in capable hands. Still she had to stay close by so she could drive over to her aunts whenever she wanted to see the little man, so she managed to find her way to the Hyatt. Pulling into the parking lot she got the worst feeling in the pit of her stomach, she knew what had happened here. This had been the place that her and Lance had made their mistake, the mistake that brought her pride and joy into this world, but had crushed everything else both held so dear. She would have rather stayed anywhere else, but it seemed to be the only place around that had a vacancy.

She stepped out of her car and listened as her feet hit the pavement heavy with each step, she didn't want to be here and it seemed with each step she made the feeling in her stomach had just gotten worst, and everything that had happened during her senior year had came flooding back into her memory. She sighed as she stepped up to the clerk and gave him the money taking the room key and carrying her bag to the elevator. When she stepped off the elevator she realized she'd been on the same floor, at least she hadn't gotten the same room, but still she could remember everything that had happened on this floor.

She put her stuff in the room and checked her phone, no calls from the aunt so she knew everything was okay, but she couldn't stay on this floor so she decided she'd go for a swim. She grabbed her suit, a black bikini with tie-back strings for around her neck and grabbed a towel as she made her way out the room. She walked barefoot through the hall and back onto the elevator to go down to the pool, and once she'd gotten there she was relieved that she was the only one. She looked around and decided it'd be better to relax in the hottub for a little while before going for a swim, so she walked over and threw her towel by the side of the tub before climbing in and relaxing.

[lance warren wright]

Lance still hadn't checked out of his hotel even though he kinda creeped himself out for choosing this hotel but every other one in town had been booked. He was checking out the next day or after that so he could be with Rachel the entire time, but he felt like giving her space with Ava. He had been lifting weights to keep in shape. He still played a few sports here and there back in NYC just for fun though he had wished he could have made a career out of it. Lance figured he could go for a quick swim after working out to feel a bit better and relax his muscles in the hot tub. He had been going at it for two hours now and decided that was enough for today. He grabbed his towel and wiped his face as he took off his undershirt so he could get in the pool.

As he walked over to the pool area he was scanning it to see who all was there. As they scanned over the hot tub his heart seemed to run cold. Kennedy just so happened to be lounging there thankfully not looking his way. He placed his sunglasses over his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe she wouldn't notice him with his facial hair and since he had dyed it all black which had been a good look for him surprisingly. He slipped off his flip flops and placed his towel on one of the chairs across the room. He couldn't believe this was happening to him.

He took his iPod out of his ears and set them down with his watch and wallet. The hotel was pretty nice so he wasn't worried about things getting stolen especially with cameras every where. He turned around stretching his arms over his head to loosen his muscles a bit. He knew he couldn't walk over to the hot tub in case of being noticed so he got in the pool and decided to do a few laps trying to stay away from Kennedy. He was sure he was gonna be caught when he took a break and it just so happened to be on her end of the pool. Damn it he thought as he swore he would have ended on that side but had gotten lost in thought. He caught his breath trying to hide his face but knew he wasn't doing a good job.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Kennedy had been lost in thoughts of what her son was doing right now, it had seemed late so he was probably sleeping right now, oh did she hope that she packed his special blanket that he couldn't fall asleep without. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone had walked in, but she couldn't get a good look at who it was just yet. She just figured it'd been someone else that was checked into the hotel, so she went back to relaxing by herself.

She heard the splash of the pool and couldn't help but turn somewhat to watch the person swimming laps, all she could see was his back but he did seem to have a good amount of muscle, so that made it easier for her to watch. When he poked his head up for a break kenn quickly turned around not wanting the man to think she was staring at him, but curiousity definitely killed the cat so she had to turn around again to get a good look at the man.

The face looked so familiar, she knew who he was even with the facial hair and dye job, and quickly turned around back in the water not wanting him to spot her. She had no idea that he had seen her when he'd walked in, but right about now she was freaking out. That feeling in her stomach was worst then before now, so she had to grab ahold of it under the water trying to calm herself down. it'll be okay kenn, he'll start doing laps and you can run out before he sees you. Just stay calm girl, you can do this. she tried to reassure herself but she couldn't, it wasn't working in the slightest.

[lance warren wright]

Lance wiped his hair back after it had gotten in his eyes. He stole a glance over at the hot tub to see what Kennedy was doing. He noticed she had ducked under the water. He knew now that she was freaking out about being in the same place too. He sighed not knowing what to do. Should he say hello or just go about his business? She obviously didn't want to talk to him as he much as he didn't want to talk to her. He had up and followed Rachel to NYC. He had left his son behind and her to do all the work. He regretted it but he didn't want to lose Rachel again. He knew that was selfish and that seemed to be how the Wright brother's were selfish in their own ways even if knowing it. He felt a tinge of guilt wave over him as he thought more about it. Had she gotten all the checks he had sent her having to help in some way.

He hadn't notice that he had lifted himself easily out of the pool and set himself on the side staring down at the water in deep thought. He couldn't believe all this was happening. He had to be mature about the situation but he wasn't going to talk to an unwilling person so he would sit here and see if she wanted to engage in conversation. He wasn't going to force her he just didn't see the point of doing that. He scratched the back of his head as he thought. He again stole a glance at the hot tub noticing no change but seeing the bubbles rise in the water. He knew she would be up soon and notice him still sitting there. What would be her reaction? What the hell was he going to say?

Hi sorry i've been a dick and not contacted you or wanted to see my son? It didn't seem like a good conversation starter so he was at a loss for words as he tried to think of something. He leaned back letting his six pack show off but not on purpose. Lance had always known he had a good body so he had always kept it that way for Rachel....and back then for Kennedy.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Kennedy lifted herself back out of the water, she couldn't hold her breathe any longer, so as she tried catching her breathe she had to look to see if it was free to go. Of course not, there he was laying at the edge of the pool, so again Kennedy froze not knowing what to do. Should she go over there and talk to him or just stay here until he left? She had to think of something fast, she couldn't waste her entire night in the hottub or she'd come out all wrinkly. Seeing him really made her want to hear from her aunt to know how her son was doing, but she had left her cell up in the bedroom.

She let out a deep breathe knowing it was now or never, she had to get out of that situation without him seeing her, so thinking for a moment she grabbed the towel and rose out of the water wrapping the towel tight around her body so he didn't see any skin below her neck and above her knee, and without looking over at him ran towards the door. Bad idea, the floor had been wet and before she knew it she'd flung herself up in the air and had came crashing down on the floor with a thud.

Great, this couldn't get any better could it? She rubbed her elbow, the spot on her body where she had hit first as she pulled herself to stand back up. Okay so she wouldn't run out of there, but still she had to get out before he realized it had been her that had fallen. She slowly tried making her way to the door careful not to slip and draw anymore attention to herself.

[lance warren wright]

As he noticed Kenn was gonna get out of there quick he wasn't going to stop her. Though he saw her fall. He scrunched up his face as if he felt the pain for her. Though as he saw her get up to try and get away again he knew he had to step in. He quickly got up and said loud enough for her to hear, "Woah woah woah." He jogged over to her knowing to be more careful that she had been trying to escape. "I know you obviously don't want to deal with me right now but after a spill like that I can't just let you walk away from it." He said having her sit back down until he knew she would be ok. He was glad he had taken those training classes when he was a lifeguard here in high school. He checked her head and everything to make sure she was ok. He kept from touching her knowing that was the last thing she wanted.

He then saw her elbow, "Ouch." He said pointing down to it, "that one is going to hurt in the morning." He said feeling bad about it. He knew he was the cause of this spill and he knew the way he was acting as if there wasn't something big between the two was strange. He tried to keep conversation of their past out of the equation at the moment. "You might want to take it easy and sit in one of these chairs for a bit just to make sure you don't have a concussion or anything." He said in a concerned voice as anyone would be after seeing someone fall the way she had.

He held out his hand to help her up, "Here i'll help you over to one of them." He knew her pride would probably keep her from taking his hand but he knew she was in pain and hopefully she wouldn't let that stop her from taking his aide.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"I'm fine, don't touch me." She said pulling from him as she stood up firmly trying to swat away his hand as he went to check her from head to toe to make sure she'd been alright. "It's called a fall, I can deal." She hated herself right now for slipping and falling, if she hadn't she would have been out of the situation and could have hid the rest of the night in her room, and now here the boy was standing right infront of her. What the hell was she going to do? She caught a quick glimpse of him, he hadn't changed much from the last time she'd seen him, but she did try to keep the eye contact to a minimum as she kept her gaze focused on the floor hoping he'd just walk away.

And there it was, him telling her she should sit on a chair for a little while to make sure she'd been okay. She rolled her eyes as she looked to see where the chairs had been, the towel had come unraveled and was laying on the floor so she quickly grabbed hold of it again to cover her exposed body. "Hurts now, so I guess i'm one of the lucky ones who don't have to wait 'til morning." She said smartly, hoping that she'd be rude enough for him to leave.

"I can manage," She said softly now making her way slowly towards the chairs he'd told her to sit in. She did feel pretty bad right now so maybe it would be good to relax for just a few minutes before going back up to her room. Maybe he'd leave her be and go back to doing his own thing, that'd been what he had done for the past eighteen months so she was used to it by now.

[lance warren wright]

Lance knew he had to roll with the punches and take every deserved one. He looked down at her and saw she was avoiding looking at him so he just looked out over the pool. He couldn't help but notice her body and how amazing it still was just like back in high school. He figured the fact that he was shirtless didn't help the situation in the fact that it seemed inappropriate when talking to her. He sighed as she slowly lifted herself knowing that was how she was going to react. He walked close enough but far enough away to catch her if she fell but not to be too near to make Kennedy aggravated. He was a persistent man and every one knew that about him even if it had been a year and a half since he had seen this woman and she was still stubborn as ever. He took a seat on a chair next to her he didn't want to be an asshole and just leave her sitting there by herself. "Look I know i'm the last person you want to see right now and i'm sorry it was me you have to deal with, but i'm not gonna leave you here while you're in obvious pain." He said pointing out her bruises and he was pretty sure she had a concussion.

He wasn't going to give up right now even if he had in the past. Lance may not have change appearance wise but he had grown in maturity. He did want Kennedy to see that. He knew his checks for his son weren't enough and she probably hated him for that. He agreed he should have been in his son's life he just hadn't had the change to talk to Kennedy about that because she was ignoring him as much as possibly. Lance was going to show his maturity and not be rude back or anything he was going to keep his composure as much as possible. He made sure to grab his undershirt and slip it on even if it didn't cover his arms letting those muscles show. He looked back over at Kennedy watching her for any signs of the concussion. There was a possibility of sickness, slurred speech, and saying things that didn't make sense. He knew he could easily spot any small sign thank god for his job as a life guard. He looked at her eyes for the small point they had made eye contact and saw they were just as immobilizing as the had always been to him. He felt his stomach flop but cursed himself for feeling that. He wasn't going down that road again. Not after he had made so much progress.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"Why not? You left me in the hospital bed as I gave birth to ou-" she stopped dead in her tracks, there was no way she was going to call Ryan their son. "My son, I think the pain was a little bit worse then," she spoke harshly still, this was definitely not the man she wanted to see right now. "And you're right, you're the last person I want to see, let me make that clear right now!" she said looking up straight into his eyes letting him know she was upset beyond compare with him right now. The shirtless body wasn't even on her mind right now as she sat beside him, she just hoped she could prove to him she was better soon enough to get out of there before really getting into it with him. "Or how about the emotional-" She stopped herself again not giving him the satisfaction of getting worked up over the choices he had made, so instead she sat there quietly not wanting to say anything else that'd just upset her enough to cry infront of him.

The silence was killing her as she sat there, she had so many things she wanted to say to him but didn't know how to put them out there, but she had to think of something. "Why the hell are you here anyway?" She snapped, knowing that she shouldn't be so rude but then again she had every single right to be. He had left her, his son, and she had been completely screwed with the deal. Rodney had left, the one chance at true happiness, and here Lance was still all happy as hell with Rachel from what she's heard at the Cafe when she could hear Ava talking to Rachel on the phone. She was beating herself up for checking into this hotel, there could have been another place, or she could have stayed at her aunts, but she didn't want to feel too needy and knew her aunt didn't have the space for both Ryan and her.

[lance warren wright]

"I deserve that...." Lance said quietly looking away from the blonde beauty. He was willing to admit his mistakes were huge and he had done a lot of selfish things in his life but he was willing to make up for them somehow. He listened to her without showing too much emotion for he didn't want that to get in the way. He saw her get upset about him leaving and all the pain he had caused her. He had hurt her and left his son all for his own happiness. What kind of a guy does that? A loser and he knew that's what he was. He was a selfish loser and he knew it. Lance pressed his eyes with his fingers to add force and sigh as he took in her words. "I'm sorry...and I know that doesn't cover it and probably sounds like a sick joke but I am truly sorry I just wanted to keep that from going unsaid." He said quietly.

He looked over at her as she said why the hell are you here? He felt bad for telling the truth and didn't know if Kennedy knew if he was engaged. He was kinda glad he had left his ring up in his room cause he hated sweating with it on in case it slipped off. He shrugged his shoulders, "Guess I needed a vacation from work." He said simply not telling the whole truth, but not lying at the same time. He looked back at her to see those piercing eyes looking at him for just a moment, "Have you been getting those checks i've been sending?" He asked curiously, "....I know it's not all I could be doing, but I didn't know what else to do." He didn't want to tell Rachel he wanted to come back and help raise his son. He knew that was probably impossible now seeing as how Kennedy hated him and had the right to. He didn't want to hurt Rachel and at the same time he knew he was hurting his son by not being there. He felt like a monster.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"Your words are nothing Lance because you're nothing." She said sadly knowing that she didn't mean it, she couldn't just throw him out of her life entirely no matter how hard she'd try. Her son looked just like her father, more so everyday when he was growing into his features, so everyday she was forced to look at what she'd done. She loved Ryan with all her heart, she just wished he'd come under different circumstances. She would have prefered to have a child out of love, not out of passion one night, but she couldn't change that no matter how hard she tried. "I've done it all, i'll continue to do it all, and you can go on as though we don't even exist." She said, a hint of cracking in her voice since she'd been about to cry. It wasn't for the pain she'd enduced by falling on the floor though, more the pain she'd had watching Lance sit next to her as though it was alright to have been gone from her life.

There was a half-smile on her face when she heard he'd asked about the checks. "Yeah, i've been getting them, putting them in a box, and storing them in the back of the closet. I don't need your charity, you don't have to pay me off." She said knowing the money was going for his son, and she could have used it, but she just didn't feel right cashing them. He had to have known though looking at his bank account right? She didn't know, didn't care at that moment, and just let out a soft sigh slouching back in the chair. "Things are tight but i'm getting by without guilt money." She felt that his money had been nothing more than that, guilt, because he was guilty of what he'd done to her so long ago. She wanted him to be there for his son, to watch him grow older and start doing each and everything he could, but she knew it was best that he had moved away and left her and Ryan to fend for themselves.

[lance warren wright]

Okay so now her words were starting to hurt and it was starting to show. He was going to clam them all up and be fake about it like obviously Kennedy was doing. He put a face of sadness on. He didn't want her to feel sorry for him, but he wasn't going to act like a robot as if this didn't actually hurt him. And if she took satisfaction in hurting him then she was definitely getting what she wanted, "I guess you can do whatever you want with them it's your decision." He said shrugging that off. Though he did stand up and get an angry face as she said something about them not existing, "Hey fuck you." He said angrily as he looked down at her, "I've tried and I tried before but you had Rodney coming back and how'd that turn out for you? huh? I'm sorry I wasn't in our sons life but part of it was because you didn't want me around and don't pretend that you did." He said pointing out her faults. He knew he had messed up, but she wasn't Mother Teresa.

"I've thought about my son everday and the only reason I think of you is because you're the one taking care of him. Don't worry I don't see you as much to me either." He said though immensely regretting his last choice of words. That was a lie he did still care about her and he was pretty sure she still cared for him even after him being an asshole. "I'm sorry Kennedy but i'm not gonna let you walk all over me and have a pity party when it wasn't just me. Sure I have things that I take blame for and i've said i'm sorry but if you're not willing to accept it then there isn't too much more I can do..." He said regaining his breath as his anger slowly slipped away. He had finally gotten all that off his chest. He still felt bad for saying she didn't mean much to him cause that was a huge lie. She had been on his mind a lot while he had been gone. He missed the way she used to wrap her arms around him and many other things. He quickly shook those thoughts from his mind. "You just didn't want me back and I wasn't going to fight you for Ryan because I couldn't do that to you either." He said knowing he had thought of taking some parental rights but he couldn't after having seen Kennedy with Ryan a few months before he left with Rachel.

[stephanie michelle davis]

The 'Fuck You' took her off-guard as well as the rest of his angered yelling, her eyes widened to watch him as he tried to defend what he'd done, give himself justification for why he hadn't been in their, or more important their sons, lives. When he spoke Rodney's name she couldn't help but cringe, the more she thought about it the more she knew she had been stupid to do anything with Lance, so she quickly rose to her feet as though challenging him. "Don't ever say that name again," She said in a stern low voice looking deep into his eyes. "He's everything you can't be, he would have been there for me from day one, not ran off with some two-bit tramp and leave me hanging at the time I needed you the most." She couldn't believe she had just said that about him and Rachel, or Rodney for that matter though Rodney was everything Kenn though she wanted right now. "You're right, I don't want you around, but only because everytime you are around me, even for just a split damn minute, my head starts going all crazy and I can't even think straight!" She couldn't believe she'd been putting this much effort into this arguement, but soon she started to feel the lightheading rush so quickly found her seat putting her fingers to her temples as she slowly started to rub trying to calm that sensation down.

She slowed her words down, she didn't want to get worked up again, so after taking a deep breathe she started to talk back to him. Her voice seemed mellow but still low showing a sense of strain from her usual pitch. "And what should I take blame for?" She asked slowly wanting to cry right now, actually feeling her eyes swell up, but trying to hold back for as long as she could. "Trying to give my son the family he'll never have? Being the only parent surrounding myself in his life? Having to hire a damn nanny just to get out of the house for some peace and quiet, even if it's just for a half an hour. I tried after he was first born to let you into his life, Rachel was more important to you, that much was obvious. It's a shame really, guess you'll just have to knock her up too so you can at least be known as a good father to one family." She spoke that last sentence sharp as she stood up, the dizziness starting to slow down, at least she could see straight infront of her. "I don't need this, I really don't." She muttered as she slowly took a few steps towards the door.

[lance warren wright]

"You're so damn infuriating woman!" He exclaimed placing his hands behind his head as he too needed to relax. He had just said a lot of things that maybe he shouldn't have said, but he couldn't take them back now. "You act like the victim all the time! Yes I am sorry for leaving my son behind I truly am, but Kennedy weren't you the one to tell me that you never wanted to be with me? I distinctly remember that conversation that we would never work out and I should just try and get back with Rachel." He said pulling back bits and pieces from their last conversation before Lance had left town. He had heeded Kennedy's wishes only cause he hadn't wanted to upset her though he knew she didn't think he would leave town and neither did he. "I'm sorry that Rachel became successful and asked me to go with her to New York. I'm sorry I did what you asked because I cared for you and you didn't want to be with me!"

He saw her sat down and he caught his breath again his heart pounding rapidly as he tried to defend himself somewhat he had apologized for not being there for his son. He truly wanted to be now and had been trying to get the nerve up to call Kennedy, but he was pretty sure the stubborn woman wouldn't allow him to come around. "I can be a good father...." He said quietly as that comment had hit home. He hadn't had a good childhood his father had been abusive to him and Aiden. His mother had just turned a blind cheek and ignored him. He had never forgiven his mother for that and he hated his father. Lance felt tears well up at the mere thought of this. He shoved them away telling himself to get a grip and grow up. He clenched his hands a few times getting the tears to go away.

He blew out a strand of air and then looked back down at Kennedy. He saw her get up and he couldn't let her walk away, "There you go Kennedy just leave you're too good to do that. Don't be like me...." He said knowing his leaving had been wrong in all the sense. He grabbed his stuff and started to follow her out of the pool area. He lowered his voice as not to make a scene, "Kennedy we need to talk..you know we do." He said as he pulled his towel over his shoulder and followed her to the elevator he went to push a level button and almost had his thumb pressed by Kennedy's. Great...they were on the same floor. This would be 'fun'.

[stephanie michelle davis]

So he was using her own words as comebacks to her, she couldn't believe he'd even remembered what the two had talked about, but still even though she'd said it so long ago she didn't expect him to just give up on his son because of it. "Just because I didn't to be with you, Lance, it didn't mean I didn't want you to be with my son. Get a clue," She said shaking her head looking at him for just a second before adverting her eyes, she couldn't look at him for too long without all her past emotions flooding back into her system. That was something she didn't want to happen right now, she just wanted to get away from him and then everything would be fine. The two could go back to their seperate lives with nothing to worry about, they wouldn't have to be around each other and they could continue to live their own happy lives. If only Kennedy's was filled with happiness, but that day passed when Rodney had left her after finding out the truth.

"Well maybe Rachel will bless you with a child," She said, still being completely stubborn to the boy that was trying to make ammends with her right now. She just couldn't have any of it, she couldn't let him back into her life knowing that something would happen, and then that would just complicate things like they were back in the day. "And you guys can be one happy family, just the three of you." That is all that Kennedy had wanted, a family, and since her mom was gone she didn't have that. She didn't have that person that was there for her whenever she needed them to be, she didn't have that person she could express true feelings to and cry on their shoulder when she just had a rough day, and more importantly she didn't have that person she could cuddle up with in bed after a long days work and an even longer nights trying to soothe a fussing baby. She counted the stars hoping one day she'd have that, she could find someone sometime, but knew that it wouldn't be anytime soon.

She didn't say anything in response to his 'don't be like me' comment, instead she just kept slowly walking towards the elevator. She could hear him walking besides her, she couldn't understand why he'd been following her since she was sure the conversation was done. When the two had almost touched fingers on the same floor button she let out a sigh. She leaned against the wall waiting for the elevator, she couldn't stand up straight without still feeling dizzy, but when the doors chimed open she made her way in slightly pushing past him. She watched as the doors closed leaving the two in the elevator together, alone, and again she couldn't help but let out an ackward groan. "We have nothing left to talk about," She said quietly leaning against the wall as she felt the elevator pick up and start moving. "You pretty much said all I need to hear."