Chapter 22: Crashing

In the beginning there was Adam Slade. Arriving in Sunset Valley to start a new life, not just for himself but for the many generations that would come after him, to create a dynastic legacy.  Adam passed that legacy vision to his only son, Brandon. Now the Slade dynasty is in the hands of Brandon's children, Cleo and Carl.  As yet unaware of her destiny is Cleo's daughter, Danielle.  But, for now, the Slade story is still with the troubled third generation.

In this chapter everyone learns something of the truth and decisions are made ...


It was the most uncomfortable night Cleo and Pascal had ever endured, neither slept, however much they tried they could only think about Cleo's terrible confession. That she had slept with Garett.

They both rose early from their unsatisfying slumbers and sat together in the main lounge in the hope of finding a way to deal with the crisis in their relationship.

Cleo could hardly look at Pascal, if he knew the full extent of her betrayal she feared that she would lose him forever.

Pascal tried to make sense of what he had learnt last night. "Cleo, I just don't understand it. I thought we were happy, that you had all that you needed. What could he give you that I couldn't? What would be worth losing what we have?"

Cleo wasn't sure she understood it herself. "I wish I could tell you Pascal, I really wish I could. There was something about him that, somehow ... I don't know ... it was as if he could fulfil a need I didn't know I had, a need that I couldn't resist."

"Oh, that doesn't make sense! Did he hypnotise you? Was it a drug?"

"No, nothing like that. I can't even make that excuse, I wasn't drunk or drugged. I knew what I was doing but somehow, at the time, it didn't seem wrong ... oh Pascal, I can't excuse it, I was weak, and stupid. Stupid because I always knew, before and after, that it was you I loved. You."

"Weak!" This was not a word Pascal associated with Cleo, "But you are one of the bravest and most confident women I have ever known, it is something I always loved about you, that you were in charge of your life, that I felt honoured to be part of it."

Cleo struggled to hold back the tears. "I know, but that is only one part of me, I still needed you to give me the confidence to be strong, I knew that if I failed you would be there for me, unconditionally."

"And I was, Cleo, I was, and thought I always would be, for as long as we lived. But that wasn't enough was it? You needed more, you needed Garett?"

"No, that's it, I don't, but when I was with him, sometimes I thought I did ..."

"A friend from school, someone you hadn't seen in years ... how could that happen? You don't meet someone after so many years and just fall into bed ... or I thought you didn't!"

Cleo was horrified, what was he saying, that she'd had a string of lovers? "How could you even think that! I have not slept around, there was only him, please believe me."

"And yet, how soon was it after he moved in here? How long did it take Cleo? There is more to this than you are telling me."

She knew he was right, it didn't add up that she would fall into Garett's arms so easily, not if she truly loved Pascal. How had she got herself into this mess? There was only one way out of this, only one way that she could possibly forgive herself, although it might mean Pascal never could; she had to tell him the whole truth.

"Alright, I know I have let you down, I have let myself down," Cleo leant forward and, glancing quickly at Pascal, she could see the anger, and the hurt, in his eyes. This was going to hurt him even more, she couldn't look at him as she hesitatingly told him of her history with Garett.

"I first met Garett when, he was our babysitter for Carl, and I suppose I developed something of a crush on him, a lot of the girls did. He was seeing a girl at my school and she was always showing him off to impress us – he was very cute and we were very impressionable."

"If you remember, after our first week-end here, the local paper had a photo of me from one of the house fires I attended. Well, he said he saw that and arranged a sort of date in town and, and, he told me he loved me.  I was that little girl again, the boy I had a crush on had said he loved me ..."

Cleo paused as the memory of how she felt on that date with Garett replayed itself. She had 'chased' Pascal and it had been quite exciting to have a man 'chasing' her.

She looked to Pascal again, briefly, he held his hands out as if trying to weigh up an invisible object – the object in question being the point of Cleo's, so far, inconsequential story.

She continued, "And then he kissed me. I loved you then Pascal, just as I do now, but there was something different about him. I don't know, maybe it was like the sense of danger, the adrenaline rush, I had become used to at work. I think I knew he was 'dangerous' and somehow ..."

"Well, a couple of months later, he turned up here, at the house. Everyone else was out ... and ... well he's a very charming man ... one thing led to another and ...", Cleo stopped, brushing away the tears welling up in her eyes.

"All this time?" Pascal broke his silence, barely able to contain his anger. "All these years; you have been sleeping with that man! How could you deceive me for so long?"

He suddenly stood up, turning away from Cleo for a moment before turning back to ask, with the brutality, the coldness, of a man whose whole life was being torn apart. "So, tell me Cleo, is Danielle even mine?"

"Of course she is. Please believe me, I am not having an affair with Garett, I have known him for years and, yes, I have slept with him, but it has only been a very few times. He is not my lover, he never could be. You are the man I love and Danielle is ours."

"You tell me that now, but how can I believe you when you have lied to me for all these years." Pascal pulled free of Cleo’s grip, "I don’t know if I can trust you again."

"Look, I spoke to my father last night, and my mother is not well, so I think it is best if I go back to Champs Les Sims to help care for her."

"Of course, I understand Pascal, but what does that mean for us? We can't just leave this, we need to sort this out together. If not for us, then for Danielle."

"I don't know Cleo, I could perhaps forgive you one mistake but now you tell me that this has been going on for as long as we have been together ... I am not sure that I will be able to. I need some time to work out what to do. Now, I have to get ready to get to the airport."

He did not need to pack much for this trip back to his parent's home; it was not long before Pascal was ready to leave.

"Pascal, I know I have hurt you, but please know that I did not mean to, that I love you with all my heart and will do anything to make it up to you."

"I want to believe that ma chérie, but once trust is broken ... I am not sure it is possible to get it back."

Holding Danielle ever more tightly, as if to ensure that she would lose no one else today, "Please give my love to Gerard and Edith, I hope she gets well soon and please, please, call me when you get there."

As Pascal turned and walked to the waiting taxi, Cleo whispered softly to herself, "I am so sorry my love, please don't let this be the end."

-- * --

When Carl awoke that morning, neither Cleo nor Pascal were anywhere in the house. Nothing too unusual in that of course; Cleo could be out on a job and Pascal was often visiting garden centres and the like these days. Though there was no note as to when they would be back or to say who had Danielle, but they knew he had plans today so he assumed that they had everything organised.

-- * --

It was quite late in the afternoon when Carl returned home from his day out with Malia. Danielle was playing in her room and he could hear Cleo shuffling around in the main bedroom. She had obviously heard him too as she called out to him as he got the main landing, "Carl? Is that you? Hold on a moment, I need a word."

Carl was quite surprised to see his sister dressed in one of her night shirts, she was always smartly dressed, even when just lounging around at home.

"Carl, I need to tell you something ... about me and Pascal."

"You mean, like how you got rid of Garett?"

"No, Carl, well, not exactly. We had an argument last night, it was about Garett, and, well, Pascal has left."

Carl was confused, why would Pascal leave after they had thrown Garett out? "What do you mean 'left'? What's that got to do with Garett?"

"I have done something terrible, and I'm afraid Pascal might never forgive me, but I want you to know the truth so when people start talking you won't listen to the lies and gossip."

"OK sis, you're proper worrying me now, what has happened?"

"Garett told Pascal that I had been sleeping with him and ..."

"What! Why would he?"

"Because I had."

"What the ...! Oh, right, it all makes sense now, why you were so pissy with me yesterday; you'd already got your claws into him!"

"No Carl, it wasn't like that."

"You knew I had feelings for him, ever since mum died, and then you turn on your charms and get him into bed, what the hell sis, you already had Pascal?"

"No, I've known Garett since you were a baby, I'd been seeing him long before mum died ..."

"Oh crap, this just gets better and better! You were with him even before Pascal moved in here."

"Oh, no, oh ... this is so messed up, it wasn't ... we weren't, we weren't lovers."

"Right, so he was your bit on the side for when you got bored with Pascal?"

"Carl, please, let me explain, it was just the once, twice, with Garett, I was young and confused, and you know what he's like, he's too easy to fall for."

"Yeah, like that's an excuse, someone's nice to you so you have sex with them! I really thought you were better than that."

"I am Carl, I am, it was one mistake, that I have to live with for the rest of my life, and now I think I may have lost Pascal, I don't know if I could cope if you hate me as well."

"You don't have any right to judge how I feel, you have brought this on yourself. I'm not going to hate you for sleeping with Garett; but for what you have done to this family … I don't know if I can forgive you. I gotta get outta here."

With that Carl zipped up his jacket, pulled the hood over his head, and ran out of the house.

-- * --

The following morning Carl rang Malia, inviting her over for a chat.

When he greeted her at the door Malia could see that something was wrong. He kissed her as warmly as ever but as broadly as his mouth smiled at her, his eyes were not smiling, they looked red and puffy.

"Are you OK babe? Looks as if you didn’t sleep last night?"

"Umm, no, I'm OK Mal, but I had a fight with Cleo last night that kinda freaked me out."

"Cleo? You had an argument with Cleo, but you two are so close?"

"I know, that's what kills me. I thought I could trust her with anything and now I find out that she's been lying to us."

"What would she have to lie about? She's as straight as they come surely?"

"Garett, she'd been sleeping with Garett. Pascal found out and now he's gone."

"Oh my ...!"

She could see that fighting with his sister had really upset Carl, and there was probably not a lot she could say that would help him feel any better.

But actions can be as significant as words, she moved in closer to him, so that he knew she understood he was hurting and was there to support him.

"I am so sorry to hear that babe, I really wouldn't think she could do anything like that."

Carl put his arm around Malia, drawing her close, "Thanks Mal, I know anyone can make a mistake, but I think this has been going on for years, for years she's been lying to us ..."

"Carl, you know what we were talking about yesterday? Perhaps now would be a good time, just get out of this situation for a while?"

"You think so? I don't know, you may be right, but could I do it to Cleo, I mean, Pascal has left and I don't know when, if, he will be back. And there's Danielle."

"I know, but maybe you both could do with some space. Otherwise you'd be rubbing up against each other all the time and just constantly repeating the arguments."

"Yeah, maybe, but it feels like I'd be running away, and what would that solve?"

"I'm not suggesting that you abandon Cleo, but having distance between you might give you that time and space to deal with this without fighting about it."

Carl, thought for a while, feeling the warmth of having Malia close to him, how comfortable he felt with her at his side and how much he hated fighting with his sister.

"Do you know something Malia Norwood? I do believe I love you."

-- * --

Cleo had gone out to buy supplies, so Carl and Malia had to entertain themselves for a few hours until she returned, when they told her about their plan.

"Hey sis," Carl began, "Mal and I have been talking and we've decided that it's best if you and I give ourselves some 'space'; so we’re not always arguing over this business with Garett."

Cleo’s heart sank; she knew what people meant when they said they needed 'space'.

"Look, you know I've had some success with my books, well, the publisher has said that it would help if I had some more 'real world' experience - it would make them even better."

Cleo was confused, "'Real world experience', what does that mean? You're only young, where are you going to get 'real world experience'?"

"Travel. I want to travel, we want to travel. See more of the world, see more of life than we could here in the valley."

"Ahh, OK," Cleo was feeling a little happier, "you want to go on holiday somewhere, some place exotic?"

"No, more than a holiday, we want to travel the world, while we're both young and free of responsibilities, see as much of it as we can."

"Travel the world?" Cleo was taken aback by the idea that her brother could be leaving her, "how long for?"

"We don't know, I reckon several months at least, maybe a year ..."

"A year! How are you going to afford that?"

"Mal and I have worked it out, we've both got family savings we can use to start with, and we reckon we'll get by on working locally in some places where we want to stay longer. Besides which I can always call on my share of this house if we ever get really stuck."

Cleo knew that finances weren't really going to be a problem. They were both young and fit, and could quite easily find some sort of work almost anywhere. But the thought of losing her brother as well as Pascal was too much to take in.

"And when do you plan to do this?"

Carl looked at Malia, who nodded encouragement, "Now, as soon as we can get tickets. We'll see Malia's parents tonight and then I want to be off."

There was little point in arguing with him, they had clearly made up their minds and, to be honest, Cleo couldn't face another argument like the one they'd had last night.

"But, sis," Carl wanted to reassure her, "I don't want you to think that we are running away. Sure, I'm still angry but you're my sister and I love you. So, wherever we go, I want you to know that I will always keep in touch with you, I don't want to lose you forever, but I think having some time apart will help us get over this business without arguing all the time."

And so, Carl and Malia kissed Cleo and Danielle goodbye and set off to see Malia's folks and, from there, start on their grand adventure.

Cleo held Danielle close as they waved the young couple off, as the taxi disappeared from view, she turned back into the house, locking the front door behind her, "Just me and you now, doll, we've still got each other."

But once alone in her room, Cleo collapsed onto the floor, she couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks as the events of the last couple of days sank in.

"What have I done? What have I done, how can I cope, here, on my own with Danielle and this huge house ..."

She didn't hear her door swing open, and the small, hesitant footsteps as Danielle came in to see why her mother was crying.

"Mummy? Mummy hug?"

Chapter 23: Photographs