Lost and Found
Chapter 13 - Grand Unification
As dawn broke on a new day, Candy and Daniel were sleeping after enduring one of the most stressful and emotional days of their entire lives. Separated by just a couple of walls made of brick and mortar they each dozed soundly, dreaming of a future together despite the damage that had been done to their relationship. The morning light started to creep in around the edges of their curtains as Daniels' knuckles slowly started the healing process after the beating he had delivered to Steve. He replayed the scene in his slumbering mind as a small, satisfied smile flickered across his lips as he slept.
Candy was the first to awaken, still groggy and tired, but for a few moments, she was oblivious to what had happened the day before. She enjoyed these few moments of blissful ignorance before the memories came flooding back. Her declaring her love to her son, them playing with each other in a way that most would consider disgusting, and then the shock of finding out Daniel had shared their secret. As she climbed from her bed and walked to the bathroom for some water, she glanced towards the door behind which he was resting, resisting the urge in her gut to go to him, climb into the bed with him and wrap her arms around him, instead listening to her head.
She grabbed a glass tumbler from its place on the side of the sink, turning on the tap and half filling it with cool, refreshing water. Taking a few deep gulps, she rubbed her eyes and considered her reflection in the mirror. He had betrayed her trust and that had crushed her, in a way that even Steve's cruel treatment never had. But, she had her own regrets too. Telling him she was glad she left him at that hospital as a baby. Even the thought of her screaming those words at him made her wince with regret and self-hatred.
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, setting the glass down on the side and starting her morning routine. She washed her face and brushed her teeth as she continued to think. Daniel had only been gone for a little over an hour when suddenly the pounding on her door had started. Her tears hadn't even dried and suddenly she was confronted with the man that had spent months taking advantage of her trying to break her door down. She had curled up into a ball, terrified and alone, not knowing what to do, when like a bolt of lightning in the dark, she knew there was only one person she could call upon, Daniel. After making the call she had waited tearfully on the sofa, clutching a knife from the kitchen to defend herself in case the worst happened and the door broke from the constant barrage it was being put under. When the pounding stopped, she had gone to the curtain, looking outside to see Daniel and Steve grappling on the ground, with her son eventually gaining the advantage and starting to pummel the larger man.
She saw the look in his eyes, the anger, the hatred, the violence, but also something softer. A protective instinct. A desire to keep her safe above all else. She couldn't deny that in that moment, she had felt the spark of love for him bloom in her heart once again. He had put himself in danger, both physically and with the risk of being sent to prison, all for her. Glancing up at the mirror as she spat out the toothpaste, she realized that she was smiling thinking about him. Maybe this could be fixed after all.
Making her way downstairs in her pajamas and gown, she made herself a cup of tea and took her place on the sofa. It was strange how many of the key moments between her and Daniel had happened right here and her mind continued to run through the events of the day before. She tried to read her book, but she just couldn't concentrate. She was too nervous, knowing what was to come and that once he joined her, they would talk and it would determine both of their fates, once and for all.
As she waited, she heard the noise of Daniel getting out of bed upstairs. The time had come. Pulling up her phone camera, she checked how she looked on the screen. After what she went through, she wasn't exactly looking her best, but she looked acceptable at the very least. Acceptable enough for him to see her. Her heart fluttered again as she realized that she still wanted to look good for him, for him to find her attractive.
Knowing that her time was limited, she discarded her gown to look less frumpy, returning to the kitchen to make Daniel his own hot drink and grabbing some painkillers from the cupboard. His hands must be extremely bruised and sore by now and he would be in need of some relief. That look in his eye crossed her mind again and this time it wasn't just her heart that was affected, feeling a flush of arousal spread out from her groin. Before she could think about it too much, she heard his footsteps at the top of the stairs and went back into the living room to greet him.
"Morning Daniel," she said warmly, placing his mug on a coaster on the table, "how did you sleep?"
"Not too badly thanks Candy, but my hands are killing me," he replied as he reached the bottom of the stairs, repeatedly flexing her fingers and grimacing in pain.
"Come and sit down, take some medicine, that'll help," Candy offered, extending her hand to him as he crossed the room to meet her. As she passed him the pill box, their hands met, the skin to skin contact sending a spark through each of their bodies and they exchanged a shy smile. Even after everything they had put each other through, there was no denying that there was still something there. Daniel thanked her, popping a couple of pills out of the blister pack, putting them in his mouth and swallowing them as he tried to get comfortable on the sofa. Neither of them could relax properly, they knew what had to be done, both afraid of the potential outcome.
As they sat in silence, sipping their tea, Daniel decided he should be the first person to speak. He was the one that had caused the pain between them and he needed to fix it, regardless of whether they would continue to be lovers, or even just mother and son moving forwards.
"I owe you an apology Candy. I promised you that I would keep the intimate part of our relationship a secret and I broke that promise. I knew how badly you had been hurt in the past and I was selfish. I was unsure of how I felt and I wanted to talk to someone about it. Louise is very close to me and I knew that I could trust her, but that isn't an excuse for what I did. You don't know her and it was wrong of me to break my word to you." Daniel inhaled deeply as Candy listened to him quietly, watching him intently.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I don't expect you to forgive me." He reached out, taking her hand in his as he talked, "I wish we could go back to how things were. What I said yesterday, that I loved you? I really meant that. But if you just want to go back to being mother and son, or if you don't want me in your life at all, I will understand completely and I promise to respect your decision."
He looked up at her to see that she was smiling softly at him. He felt relieved having gotten all of that off his chest. He had truly meant every word, he would accept the consequences of his actions, whatever they might be, he just wanted to try and fix what he had done.
