Cherry: New Beginnings.

New Plan.

    "Everything always works itself out for the better... I.. Theo, your dad and I love you both... We want what's best for you, and.."

    "I know mom.. And I love you for that, and dad too.. I just hope Vi is okay, even though she's mad at me right now." He gives a soft laugh, and I like that he jokes about it, me on the other hand can't seem to completely wrap my head around her being mad at me the way that she is, and has been for months. "I think I'm going to go to bed, and I'm spending some time with Dani, and Vi tomorrow while you and dad are with uncle Mitch, and Aunt Sarah, and Sandy.." He tells me, and I nod, watching my son walk away and back up the stairs.

    My son who asks for help without knowing he did. My son has many soft spots, many fragile parts of him that he never wants to show but doesn't realize he shows them on his sleeve, just like his father did with me so many years ago. He's an open book without meaning to be one, and right now.. Especially after hearing him talk tonight... I know it would be incredibly unfair to completely leave him. It would be unfair for me and Harry to just ditch him to take care of Violet... All I can do is hope Harry understands too.

    Harry walks out of Mitch's house with two drinks in hand, and passes the second to Easton as he holds the other, and sits down next to me, holding his empty hand out for mine. My mind wanders, jumping in and out of the conversation as I look to the house, knowing Violet, and Theo are inside with Dani, knowing they're all talking, and Violet is probably going on and on about how she's going to be leaving with me and Harry soon, about how she-

    "Hello, earth to Cherry?" Sandy waves her hands in my face, and my attention snaps back.

    "Sorry, I zoned out." I shake my head, and Sarah shakes hers too.

    "You've been zoned out almost the entire time you've been here, what's going on?" She asks, and now Harry is looking at me with questioning eyes, and I see a bit of concern too.

    "Theo came home last night, and without saying too much about his personal life he just talked to me about how he felt.. How he wasn't sure what he was going to do with both of us gone as well as Violet.. He's working on some big things, and this girl is... He basically asked me for help without asking, and now..." I trail off, and Easton nods his head.

    "You feel guilty for leaving?" He finishes my sentence, and I nod.

    "So don't go... You stay with Theo, and H, you go with Violet... I assume you won't be gone for longer than two months right?" Sandy asks, and I look to Harry for his response to that. I had been thinking about it myself, but I hadn't spoken it out loud. Thank god for Sandy.

    "The goal was to take her away to wherever she wanted in hopes she'd have some realizations, work through some stuff.. Maybe write music if she wants to. I don't want her to feel trapped, I want her to see that there's a world outside of LA again, now that she's older.. I want to remind her of that so I don't know how long but one thing I do know is that I can't do this by myself.. I can't take her across the globe by myself." He shakes his head towards me, and I laugh, looking down to my knees as I move my hands down my legs.

    "It's not like I would have been much help with Violet in the first place... It's not like anything I say would matter to her, and it's not like me being there wouldn't bring anything but fights.. I think.. I think it would be good for her to be without me for a while, and with you." I nod my head to Harry. "But we have to be on the same page about all of this... It's a big deal, it's not just something we can push to the side, and deal with later."

    "You still haven't told her about Dean I assume?" Sandy asks, and I cringe at the name.

    "No. I've given her every one of my journals, she has my songs.. I'll talk about it with either of the kids.. I'm open about all of it, I just want them to ask me.. I'm not going to bombard Violet with information about my past life even if it relates to hers... I know that she won't take it well unless she's specifically asking for it, and I know you have to tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear, but Violet... No matter what I say to Violet she learns by doing, not by listening.. Theo on the other hand is a listener. People think they know how to parent a kid that they don't. People think they know the answer, but they don't... Violet isn't just some easy thing, this isn't an easy solution... Theo was always easy.. Always." I know that some people might disagree with my words, but I know my kids and I know what works and doesn't.. I know that the time will come that she'll want to know everything, it just hasn't happened yet. And things aren't going well right now, but I know that something has to give... Something always has to give.