Remember When ↠ l.p.

A single similarity

"No." The word hangs in the air between us, growing heavier with every second. I blink in surprise that I've said it. I watch in slight fear as Liam turns around with a glowering look on his face.

"I said we've both lost time here Mrs.Sandoval, so why don't you leave and stop causing us trouble?" he raises an eyebrow and glares at me before glancing pointedly at the door. 

"No," I repeat, taking a deep breath. If I don't hold my ground here and now, I'm going to be severely disappointed with myself later. In the waiting room I was convinced that I wouldn't turn away and back down like before. I was determined to stay strong and not leave until I'd made progress. That's what I need to do. For Liam and for Tessie, I remind myself again. Stop putting yourself into the equation. They're the ones that really matter. "no," I say again "I'm not going to leave until you've listened to the rest of the things I want to say."

"Haven't you said enough already?" Liam growls. "You've said things I've heard many times before and whined about how I hurt your feelings, tell me, what else is there to say?" he slams his hands down on the desk between us. He's breathing heavily and I would almost be scared of him. But...Louis never told me about Liam getting worked up when Louis spoke to him. As far as I know then, this is the first time he's actually gotten angry and shown more emotion than snobbery and sarcasm. So, in a way, this is good.

So I stand my ground and reply back with just as much fire in my voice. "There's one very big reason why you should comply. I don't really understand your separate personalities and I have no idea what would happen to them, but there is a reason even you should listen to." I pause to gauge his reaction to this. He frowns at me but says nothing. "There's someone you never stopped caring for, it's the weak spot, the difference between our Liam and you. Tessie." This time he does gasp a little, he sinks back into his seat and blinks. 

"You mean, Liam's daughter." He tries to play it off as though he's disinterested, but I can see through it. Either it's something he didn't think of or he's really and truly thinking over what I've said. He might actually be considering things for Tessie's sake. I know he's shaken up by this, which is very good luck for me. This was my trump card. After this I don't have many more options. I mean, there's always bodily force...but that can problematic. 

"Yes, Tessie, your daughter." I stress this point and lean forward. "She's still your family and daughter, even as you are now. You've recognized this I think. You took off work, you fired me. You wanted her to yourself didn't you?" His gaze hardens and he says nothing, staying stoic. I continue on, hoping I'm reading him right and that this gamble will pay off. "At court I could see how angry you were we had managed to take her from you. You don't want to be without her, all alone in that big mansion, do you?"

"What do you know about it?" he breaks his silence before he really thinks about, I can tell because he quickly shuts his mouth and crosses his arms. An attempt to still appear in control. That's the hint I was looking for though, and now I know that I'm pressing in the right direction. So I keep going. 

"I know how healing a child, your own child, can be for you." I take a deep breath and close my eyes in preparation for what I'm about to say. "You know about my past, you can imagine that it was hard. I almost didn't come back from it. I did, eventually. I was never completely healed yet there remains one constant that kept me from falling back into the depression I had at the beginning. That was my daughter. I wouldn't be surprised if you find Tessie healing and peaceful. It's like for once, you know that you can work things out because as long as she's counting on you, you could move mountains. Even though you're scared, so so scared of what the future holds for this little person, you know you're going to fight for them and you would do anything to make sure that they're happy and safe. That's how you still feel, isn't it?"

"What if I do?" This time when he speaks I know he's not hiding anything. He honestly is confused about what to do with these feelings I've bluntly pointed out to him. "Say I do feel that way, what good is it now. You have custody despite your own mental instability."

"That's true, but what do you think you could change, what do you think you could do to get her back?"

"I knew that you would lead back around to this point," Liam almost smirks, shaking his head at me. "You sneaky people always have an end goal and merciless ways of achieving it. What would you suggest I do then, Mrs. Sandoval. Tell me." He seems to be getting his confidence back, but that doesn't bother me. I know he has serious love for Tessie still and that it unsettles him. 

"Seek help. If you're afraid," he shoots me a dark look for that comment and I hastily rephrase it "or naturally against being eradicated ,as you called it, perhaps there is a doctor or medicine that could make a balance of things. Let you and our Liam share, I guess. I don't really understand all of that brain stuff." I shrug. "But I do know that the surest way of getting your daughter back is to get healed, partially healed, or at least show that you're taking steps to be more..." I pause to try and find a non-threatening nor offensive word "stable." 

"This idea is not completely bad," he muses, folding his hands on the desk and looking at me intently. 

"Does that mean you'll either consider or agree to it?" I venture, shocked at how easily he's begun to come around. If only Louis or I had thought of using Tessie earlier...