A Deceiving Passion

Nightmares before Christmas

After the first week of being in San Jose, the Nicks getting to know the Hayward children---everything was going very well and by the time the next week rolled around, Eli and Lance would have caught up with their family for the holidays.

The only thing that had yet to happen quite yet was Brian's and Maya's appearance. 

Stevie had no doubt that her husband would behave civil with him for the sake of the kids, no doubt that her parents would love him, although she was anxious about her two biological sons not getting along with him and picking a fight with him due to the fact that they were fully aware of what was going on---they had been against her not reporting him from the very beginning.

Since the siblings would be in the states over the holiday, Brian and Maya had decided that they would stay in Virginia to visit their parents, gather the gifts they had for the kids and then head to California and stay no longer than five days just because the doctor did have to return to work before the year was over.

"Okay, guys, I'm telling you right now," Lindsey shut the bedroom door as he spoke to his children. 

The four of them; Amarice, Eli, Lance, and Rhea all sat on the edge of the bed in a row, looking up at their father.

"Your mom and grandparents are very happy, the boys and Sofia feel very comfortable and it needs to stay that way. So, when their father comes, treat him like a guest, be civil and be nice..."

"Of course we will, dad," Rhea assured, wondering why he would have to relay such things to them. 

"We wouldn't do anything to make him feel uncomfortable, you don't think we would?" Amarice wondered. 

"I'm telling you all as a unit, but I am mostly speaking to you two," Lindsey responded. 

Lance rolled his eyes.

"It's fucked up what he did to her, pops," Eli shrugged. 

"You're right, but everybody is content," Lindsey knelt down, looking up at the four of them. "Despite your mom having lost her memory, it seems she was very unconsciously self aware about who she was..." he trailed. 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's taken me some time to understand why she wouldn't report him either, why she was so adamant on keeping everything a secret... But here's the thing she's right about, despite lying to her, he didn't actually harm her and even though they shared a relationship based off of lies and her confusion, but when she was telling the kids what to say and do in front your grandparents, she made it very clear. She made it clear that she doesn't ever want to be known as Stevie Nicks, the woman who got kidnapped, the woman who had amnesia to the generation after yours... She wants to remain as the gypsy and gold dust woman---she wants to always be remembered as Rhiannon, the woman who sang Edge of Seventeen..."

Rhea nodded, understanding that perfectly well.

"She has a certain legacy she wants to leave behind and she doesn't want it to have anything to do with Brian or any trauma..." he paused and sighed. "Besides, your mom is having this talk with Brandon and Roman as well... Brandon hates his dad for what he did to your mom. He's just as protective over her as we are... She has to tell him to be nice and respectful to his own father..."

Lance lifted his brow. "At least they're not blind..."

"Right," the guitarist agreed. 

"The only reason mom is doing any of this is to protect her legacy and Sofia and we should respect that," Amarice assured. "What hasn't she given us? The least we can do is behave civil..." she pumped her brow at her brothers.