Not So Sweet Sixteen

[shahhnun]

Oh wow! I've had to read those 2 chapters a few times coz they're just so good. I hope you don't keep us waiting too long to find out what happens next...

[Ashirr-Leigh]

I couldn't post much but will do more soon. Thanks for the reviews, I was really happy!

Just in time, he stopped the car before it rammed into the teenage girl who had unexpectedly ran out infront of him. The brakes screeched and Scott immediately got out of the car, making sure that he hadn't hurt the girl.

"Are you ok?"

As the girl turned to face him, he saw that it was his niece, Imogin. Black mascara was streaked down her face and her eyes were puffy and red, it was evident that she had been crying.

"Imogin! What are you doing out here? Why are you not at the party?"

She didn't know what to say to him. He was her uncle, an uncle that she hardly knew but she'd found out something about his wife tonight. Something that he was bound to know, something that he was bound to hate her father for.

"Where's Paige?"

"She left."

"Without me? I told her to wait."

"I think she went home."

"You think?"

Imogin turned to walk away, the situation proving to be too awkward for her, but was stopped by Scott.

"Get in the car, we're going home."

"Scott, no."

"Imogin, I want to know what's going on but first I have to find Paige, and you're coming with me."

Before she again protested, she realised that she would have to go with him, afterall, she had no where else to go. Going back to her house was the thing she least wanted to do at that moment.

***

As Kirsty walked into her home, she immediately knew that something was wrong. Although she'd told Imogin that the party had to end at 12 midnight, she didn't actually expect it to. She could hear no voices and see no people.

"Imogin? Kane? You guys here?"

Sitting in the kitchen, alone, he couldn't even bring himself to speak to her. How could he begin to tell her what had happened?

"Hello?"

She walked into the kitchen and was alarmed to see Kane, standing at the sink, his head down, his body slouched.

"Kane? What's wrong?"

For a moment, he just looked into her eyes, not wanting to tell her, not wanting to upset her.

"Imogin knows."

He didn't need to say anymore, Kirsty knew what he meant. They were the words that she'd dreaded hearing every day since coming back to Summer Bay.

***

"Does dad know?"

Dani nodded her head, still trying to take in what had happened.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's in the past."

"But it's not. It's what's been bothering you, isn't it?"

"Paige, I.."

Saving her from trying to explain herself, Scott appeared at the door with Imogin.

"Paige.. what do you think you're doing? I told you to wait for me."

"What is she doing here?"

Paige stared intently at Imogin, to Scott's confusement.

"What? Dani, what's going on?"

"They know, Scott, they all know."

Like Kirsty, he knew what Dani was talking about. He could see it in her eyes, in Paige's and now in Imogin's. His first reaction was to give Dani a hug.

"Get her out of here, dad."

Imogin couldn't look any of them in the eye. Even though she, personally, hadn't done anything and hadn't even known, she felt in some way responsible because Kane was her father.

"Paige, leave her, it's not her fault."

"But she's his kid, mum."

***

"She hates me, Kirst, she hates me, she told me so."

He broke down in tears, something that he hadn't done infront of his wife in a long time. She cried with him, wondering what would become of her family.

[Jackieleanne]

Awww another good chapter, poor Kirsty, Kane, Imogin.

[shahhnun]

Good chapter. I hope Paige stops being horrible to Imogin, it's not her fault!

[Ashirr-Leigh]

What I posted yesterday was like a half a chapter or something.. I just didn't have time to do the rest so.. here it is!

Reluctantly, Imogin lifted her head up and looked at her aunt Dani, finding that she, too, was looking at her. She couldn't gauge what the look meant, was it hatred? Fear?

"I'm sorry.. I didn't know.."

Dani sat down at the dining table and let her head fall into her hands. Why did it have to come out?

"Dad, tell her to leave, we don't want her here."

As Paige spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Imogin. To her, she was now part of the enemy.

"Paige, behave yourself."

Scott searched his brain for a way to diffuse the situation but there was nothing. He couldn't take back the fact that they knew, all he could do was try and help them to understand.

"But dad, she's Kane's kid."

"And? If I did something wrong, would that be your fault?"

Her face softened slightly and she sat down next to her mum.

"Mum?"

"Paige, leave Imogin alone, it's not her fault."

On hearing this, Imogin walked in and also sat down at the dining table. She wanted to know exactly what had happened between her dad and her aunt all those years ago.

***

"Paige just ran out."

Flynn and Sally exchanged worried glances after hearing their daughter's account at what had happened at Imogin's party.

"I'm sure she just went home, Pippa, she'll want to talk to her mum."

Pippa nodded her head, frightened for her best friend.

"Did you know?"

Both Flynn and Sally contemplated lying to their daughter but they knew there was no point. Everything was out in the open now anyway.

"Yeah, we knew. But you have to remember, Pippa, it was a long, long time ago."

"How long?"

"About 18 years or something along those lines."

"How could you know and still let me go around to Imogin's house? I wouldn't have went if I knew."

Sally sat her daughter down and put her arm around her.

"We were worried when they came back to town, Pip.. but the Hunters didn't want people to know. It's not something that Dani wanted to be broadcasted. Or Kane, for that matter. We knew you'd be in safe hands with Kirsty there."

Pippa nodded, sort of understanding. She couldn't fully realise the consequences of the night's happenings but she knew that it would cause a huge rift between her best friends. That was inevitable.

***

After what seemed like hours of silence, Imogin spoke up.

"I swear I didn't know, Dani."

When Dani failed to acknowledge her words, Scott stepped in.

"We know you didn't know, Imogin. We didn't want you to know, none of us did."

"He should have told me. Or mum should have."

Only then did Dani look up, wildly shaking her head as she did.

"No. You shouldn't know. You and Paige and.. and everyone else who was at that party, they shouldn't know."

"Well we do know now, mum, and we know it's not your fault. It's his."

As Paige said this, she again looked over at Imogin, not willing to accept that it wasn't anything to do with her. She needed someone to blame and since Kane wasn't there, Imogin was the next best thing.

"Dani.. can I.. no, it doesn't matter."

"No, what is it?"

"I just wanted to know what happened.. I mean.. were you going out with him?"

By him, she meant her dad. She couldn't call him dad now, not after she knew what he had done. It just didn't feel right.

"No.. well.. not really."

"What do you mean?"

"I.. I had a boyfriend but we'd had an argument and I was.. I don't know what you'd call it.. messing around with Kane.. but I.. I made it clear that I didn't want to.. he just.. didn't listen, I guess."

Seeing her mum become so worked up made Paige feel quite frightened. Normally, Dani was so much in control. Even if she was going through a bad patch, she didn't like to show it. Now, however, whether she liked it or not, she couldn't stop herself.

***

"She'll never forgive me."

"I have to talk to her, where did she go?"

"I don't know, she just ran out."

"I'm going to look for her."

Kirsty grabbed her coat and made for the door.

"Wait, I'm coming with you."

"No.. no, you stay here."

Kane felt overwhelmingly dejected when Kirsty said that. It was happening already. Their family was broken.

[Di]

Great work as ever hun.

[Jackieleanne]

Awww, i feel so sorry for them all. Good chapter.

[I love music]

That last chapter was sooo sad! Wonderfully written.

[shahhnun]

That was so sad. I hope Kirsty can help Imogin forgive Kane. (And I hope that Danya had better get her comeuppance soon )

Well done on another fab chapter!

[Ashirr-Leigh]

Hey! I tried to put a wee bit more emotion into this chapter so please let me know if you can tell! Thanks!

Kane tried to push everything to the back of his mind but, eventually, he gave in because he knew that their was no point. His family meant everything to him for the simple reason that he never thought he would have it. For the year and a half or so between the attack on Dani and falling in love with Kirsty, Kane had often made mental wish lists that he would, bit by bit, try to achieve. On top was always a family. He never in his wildest dreams expected it to happen though. When it did, they became his life and he was fiercely protective of them, not wanting to lose them. In some respects, he had managed to relate to Rhys Sutherland in that he didn't want anyone to hurt or break his family.

Now, he had been the one to do that. He could blame it on Dayna Smart, or even Colleen, but deep down, he knew it was him. How naive had he been to think that he'd actually be able to keep his past a secret from his children forever?

***

"So.. you kissed him?"

As defiantly as she fought back the tears, they pushed forward even more. Dani screwed her eyes shut tight, not wanting her child and niece to see her cry, but it was no use. Once she started, she couldn't stop.

"Yes.. I kissed him and it, it was one of the stupidest things that, that I've ever done in my life."

Scott sat down beside his wife and attempted to put his hand in hers but she violently pulled away. Her mind was too far in to the past to have him touch her.

Imogin watched her auntie as she began to talk about the past and wondered how her dad had done this. From what she knew of Dani, which, granted, wasn't very much, she could tell that she was a calm and collected person. Some could even have said that she was a little cold. Now, Dani couldn't be more different.

"But, but I was angry and upset, you've got to understand.. I, I didn't mean that I wanted to.. to be with your dad, Imogin, I didn't."

Paige instinctively pulled her seat closer to her mother and further away from Imogin. She didn't want to be associated with anything that donned the last name Phillips right now.

"We know you didn't, mum. It was him, it was all him."

***

As Kirsty walked along the beach, she called out her daughter's name, praying that she hadn't done anything stupid. News like that could throw you over the egde, she knew that.

"IMOGIN.."

Her voice was becoming hoarse now because she'd shouted the same word over and over again. Her daughter's name. The name that her husband had chosen to call their first child. At the time, Kirsty hadn't been too keen on the name, saying it was a bit out there, a bit strange. Kane had won her round, however. Explaining that yes, it was a bit out there and a bit strange but that was why they should choose it because it was them all over. They weren't your conventional couple.

How right he had been.

"IMOGIN..!!!"

With that shout, came a tear. Her daughter was strong, that much she knew, but she was also stubborn. Extremely stubborn. There was no way Imogin would come home until she was ready.

Then the fear set in. When Imogin did eventually come home, what would then happen? How could she and Kane even begin to explain what had happened all those years ago? What if Imogin didn't forgive him, forgive them..?

***

"Dayna, do you think we did the right thing?"

Bethie was beginning to feel guilty. She hadn't always been this nasty, this evil, this calculating. That was Dayna's influence. Not so many years ago, she'd been the little victim of the year, the one that everyone trod on and made fun of but then Dayna had come along. They'd been paired up by a teacher to do a project together and, despite the initial bullying, had become friends. In a bid to impress Dayna, Bethie had tried to become like her. Unfortunately, she, unlike Dayna, had a conscience.

"What? Of course we did! Didn't you see the look on her prissy little face?"

Yes, she had seen it. It wasn't something that she would forget because then, and only then, had it struck home that what she was doing wasn't good, wasn't nice. Bethie had swallowed Dayna's lies that what they were doing was for the good of the community. Well, that's what she had kept on telling herself anyway. It made it easier to do if you fell under the illusions.

"Yeah but.."

"No buts, Bethie. What's done is done. And I'm glad. So should you be!"

Dayna had never been one to feel guilty about anything. At nursery, she'd hurt the smaller kids and simply laughed when they'd cried. It meant she could steal their toys. At primary school, she made the younger kids give her their dinner money.. it meant more sweeties for her. She'd hardly ever done any homework throughout high school, she had people to do that for her. Now, however, guilt was slowly creeping up on her.

Not that it lasted for long. Imogin had crossed the line, the line that she had set between herself and everyone else. No one had the right to cross that and, when they did, they would soon see why.

***

"Didn't you go to the police?"

Dani abruptly stood up and started pacing up and down the room. She didn't like to talk about the police because she was so ashamed that she still feared it. The questions, the examination, the way they hadn't believed her.

"Yes but.."

"But what, mum?"

Paige was now just as interested as Imogin.

"It went to court but.."

Scott stood up and cautiously walked towards his wife. He made special care not to touch her, not wanting to provoke a reaction like last time.

"Dani, you don't have to do this, you don't have to relive it all. Not now. It's late, you're tired, you'd be better off going to bed."

She walked straight by him as if she couldn't even see him, he wasn't there, her husband was invisible. Infact, they all were now. Now, there was only her and Kane and the courtroom.

"They didn't believe me. They believed him when he said that I.. that I wanted it. I shouted at them 'You've got it wrong, you've got it wrong' but they just shook their heads at me like I.. like I deserved it. But they did, they did get it wrong. He should have went to jail, why didn't they understand?"

On hearing this, Imogin's eyes widened. A glimmer of hope. Perhaps her dad wasn't guilty afterall. If a court had found him innocent, perhaps he was. Then she took one more look at Dani and knew immediately that she was kidding herself. It was more wishful thinking than fact. Her father was a rapist, plain and simple.

***

Kane had often been told in his childhood that he bore a great resemblance to his mother. Scott took after their father. In every sense. But Kane, he was his mother's son. Their hair colour matched and even their bright blue eyes. Now, however, Kane had never felt more like his mum in his life.

He felt abandoned by his partner, just as his dad had totally blanked his mum for years. He felt like he couldn't face his kids, just as his mum and ignored his and Scott's existence when things got so bad. He was even beginning to rock back and forward like her.

Then something snapped. Kane didn't want to be like his mum. As much as he loved her, she'd become a waste of a life at the end. That's not what he wanted to be. He would make Imogin understand, however long it took and they would be a family once more.

He picked up the phone and dialled the Hunter's number.

"Scott, is that you?"

"Kane?"

Imogin, Dani and Paige immediately turned their attentions to Scott as they heard Kane's name.

"Yeah.. look.."

"Don't call here. Not now."

"No, wait, Scott, please! Just listen to me. Imogin, I need to know if she's ok. Is she with you?"

"She's here."

Imogin knew that they were talking about her. Her dad was probably pretending to be worried about her but it would all be an act, all pretend, just like her whole life had been.

"Let me talk to her.. please."

It made his stomach turn that he had to beg to speak to his own daughter. This had to be sorted out, now.

"She won't want to."

"Get her."

Scott put the phone down on the table and turned to Imogin, already knowing what the answer to his question would be.

"Imogin, he wants to talk to you."

"And?"

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"No."

"That's what I said to him.."

Suddenly, Dani grabbed the family photo and threw it to the ground, watching it smash into tiny little pieces. This, she could not handle. They were all avoiding it, avoiding saying his name.. basically doing everything she had been doing since the Phillips had come back to town.

She ran up the stairs and allowed herself to collapse onto her bed. This was something that she didn't know if she would ever get over.

***

After walking and shouting for so long, Kirsty had sat down on the beach and relished the feeling of the gentle waves on her feet. It was peaceful and quiet out at night in Summer Bay. In the homes however, she knew that there would be drama.