CHASE HOME
"Alex!
Hi!" Helen says happily as
Don leads the young man into the kitchen.
"Hey." Alex holds up a basket wrapped
in plastic, with a bow attached to the top. "I just wanted to bring by
a Christmas present I got for you guys."
Helen glides over to him and begins
examining the basket. "Oh, wow! What's in here?"
"A bunch of stuff. Cheeses and crackers
and cookies, stuff like that." He watches as Helen looks over the gift,
clearly delighted.
"Thank you, hon," she says, taking
the basket from him. She places it on the counter and then gives him a
hug.
"Thanks, Alex," Don adds. He extends
his hand and Alex takes it for a shake.
"Hey, uh,
is Courtney upstairs?"
Alex asks after a moment of inward battle.
Don nods. "She's in her room, I think.
I can take you up there."
"That'd be great. Thanks."
"Come back in here when you're done
so we can catch up a little," Helen calls after the men as they head out
of the kitchen.
Alex agrees, and he and Don make
their way toward the stairs.
"Listen, I'm glad you came by," Don
says quietly as he leads Alex up the stairs. "I was worried that we wouldn't
be seeing too much of you anymore."
Alex pauses in the middle of the
staircase, looking surprised. "Courtney told us what happened," Don offers.
A cloud of shame moves in over Alex.
"I--I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know you were trying to help, I just
couldn't--"
"Alex, don't feel bad about that.
You had to get to it in your own time."
The young man doesn't make a move
other than to continue diverting his eyes.
"I know things are rough with all
of you right now," Don says, "but don't blame yourself. Everyone was caught
up in this."
"Yeah, but I just kept
leading Lauren
on even though I knew how it was going to end. There was only one way it
could
have ended, the way I kept pushing it. I set her up to get hurt, basically.
And I put Jason in a really bad position."
"Whatever happens between Courtney
and Jason is happening because of them, not because of you. Your situation
was just the catalyst for it."
"They were perfectly happy until
I stirred the pot, though."
"Ignorance is not bliss, remember
that." Don catches Alex's confusion and adds, "The issues that are coming
up in their relationship now have been there all along. They just didn't
have a reason to come out until now. But they would have eventually."
Alex understands the point immediately,
realizing how much extra pressure he has been putting on himself. Still,
the realization doesn't lift the pressure entirely. "Everything is just
such a mess now ..."
"Things will get easier." The confidence
in Don's voice makes Alex take notice. "Have you told your mother yet?"
"No. I--I don't even know where to
start with her. There's so much we have to get through before we'd even
be at the point where we could discuss this in any kind of productive way."
"So take your time. And remember
that if you need something--anything--I'm here for you. I love you as much
as I would if you were really my son, Alex. Don't forget that."
"Thanks," Alex chokes. "I just wish
I even knew where to start putting things back together."
"Focus on working things out. The
friendships you have with Court, Jason, and Lauren are too important to
walk away from."
A little bit grudgingly, Alex nods.
He knows that Don is right, but he's not sure that he even has the strength
to take on the task.
One .
Two .
Three .
Four .
Five .
Six .
Seven
.
Main Page .
Current Episode .
Episode Archives .
Story Recap .
Characters .
Making Prints .
Interact .
Around King's Bay .
Links
