Jamal made it to Empire and walked inside, looking at his phone. He stood in front of the conference room, texting Philip about what he wanted to do to him. He grinned as he read the responses, not hearing Becky calling his name. "JA-MAL! So you're just going to ignore me today?" She yelled right into his ear. He groaned and put his phone in his pocket. "What Becky? Where is Skye because I don't know if you realized, she's not here. So why am I?" He sassed at her.
"Uh first of all, lose the attitude. Just because you a big diva, doesn't mean that you have to act like this. I've been around longer than Cookie has been back, and I have held you down through all situations. The least you can do is wait and have a meeting with my artist. I'm not asking you to produce every number 1 hit that will ever come from her. Chill out dude," she gathered him. He smacked his lips and huffed. "You know things are going on with Haven. Why would you schedule any meetings during this time?" He complained.
Becky opened the doors to the conference room and sat her paperwork down. She spun around, placing a hand on her hip. "Last time I checked, Cookie and Lucious conceived Haven. You are her brother, meaning you can come handle a few things at YOUR family company. They don't need you sitting in chairs, breathing up Haven's good air. And what is the big deal? I thought you adored Skye and that you were her number 1 fan. What happened to that?" She tried to put two and two together.
Jamal stared at her in disbelief. "I guess you just so happened to forget about the time during ASA nominations about 4 years ago," he spoke out, walking to grab some grapes off the snack platter. Becky turned her head, not knowing what he was talking about. "We fucked..." he whispered. "Boy, ain't nobody worried about you sticking your little dick in Skye. I'm pretty sure she is over that," she yelled out loud. Jamal looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had come into the room.
"First of all, it's not little. I'm a Lyon. Second, I don't know if she is. She thought we were dating after that. It hurt me so much to tell her that I was still gay," he explained. Becky snickered at his thought process. "Well, one, I wouldn't know how big your dick is because you won't let me change your world boo. Two, anybody in their right mind should know you love breaking down these little boys. Now that is the Lyon in you. All of you Lyon men walking around blowing somebody's back out. I swear I saw Cookie walking like Bambi out of their office two weeks ago," she said, somewhat jealous.
An almond was thrown at her as Jamal made a disgusted face. "Thanks for letting me know that I need to stay out of that office," he mumbled. "Oh shut up, you been knowing they be knocking boots all...over...this...building," she laughed. He shivered and shook his head. One of the doors opened and in walked Skye. "Hey Jamal," she coyly said, giving a shy wave. He looked up at her and smiled. He didn't want her to still be stuck up on him, but he was happy to see her.
Skye and Becky sat down across from Jamal. "How are you Skye?" He asked his old fling. She blushed. She didn't admit it, but she had hoped that Jamal would choose to try to make a relationship work after their 48 hour fling. But she didn't want him to be forced to change. "I am better. I had to take some time to find myself. But I'm ready to be back and make music that I want. And that's the reason why I wanted this meeting. I wanted to thank you for helping me feel comfortable enough to want to pursue the avenues that I never been a part of. I wouldn't have spent all this time thinking about if I really wanted to go this route without seeing your bravery firsthand. So thank you," she said.
"You're welcome, but you didn't need me to push you onto this route. You know who you are, and you want to do. I just wanted to be able to say I did a song with Skye mothafuckin Summers," Jamal said being silly. Skye giggled at him and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Well with me taking a three year hiatus, my label didn't want to wait anymore so they cancelled my contract. They kept my masters, but I don't want them. As long as they can't get ahold of my new music, I'm fine. And your dad said that he would make sure they could never touch the music I make here with you guys. So here I am," she went on to explain her journey back.
Jamal looked at her, realizing that she had moved on and obviously had something else in her life that was keeping her focused on doing new music. He looked to his right and saw Philip standing at the receptionist desk. He smiled at him and put up a finger, telling Philip to hold on. Skye followed his eyes and saw the man catching Jamal's eye. She knew she needed to tell him about Aden, but to her, it wasn't the right time. "I'm glad you are back Skye. And if you ever want to do another song together, just let me know," he gathered his phone, putting a couple more almonds into his mouth.
"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Skye spat out before he walked out. He turned and chuckled, "You do that Ms. Summers. I'll see you guys later." He walked to Philip, wrapping an arm over his shoulder and giving him a kiss. Skye's chest burned at the sight. Jamal was the perfect guy. So understanding and true. But of course, that perfect, fine ass man, was gay. She let her thoughts wander as she turned to focus on Becky's plans to get back in the studio. Sooner or later, she was going to get Jamal's attention. She is his baby mama, even if he didn't know it.
A Week Later
Cookie and Lucious sat in Haven's room at the hospital. He sat in the lounge chair while Cookie sat on the bed. Neither were in the mood to talk since Cookie stopped sleeping at the house. Every day she had someone move some of her and Haven's things to the penthouse. Lucious held a scowl, thinking of how Cookie told him that she wouldn't move out or make the decision to move until Haven got discharged. Instead she moved the very day that Haven woke up.
"I want to go home, mommy," Haven whined. She hated being there with doctors, nurses, and other children who had medical issues. Some she saw regularly because they had life threatening conditions and rarely got discharged. Others either left after a couple of days of treatment and recently, a little girl she played with passed on. "Soon, baby girl. You want to play on my phone?" Cookie distracted the girl while they waited on Dr. Alton. Haven nodded and reached for the phone.
"And home would be where exactly Cook?" Lu shaded. She glared at him for asking that question when he already knew the answer. "Shut up, Lucious," she hissed at him. He looked at her and shook his head. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she really left. Dr. Alton finally came into the room with Haven's paperwork. "I've reviewed her labs and I believe that she is good to go. Everything looks good. Just remember to be on the lookout. If she has a hard time catching her breath or anything of that nature, call me immediately. Here's a list of everything to look out for, and let's keep her eating healthier. I also made a follow up appointment for her in the next 2 months. Other than that, you're all set to go home Haven!" He let her know.
At the words, home, she looked up and her face was as lit as a lighthouse. "Thank you Dr. Alton!" She hugged him and crawled off the bed. "Where are you going sweet pea?" Cookie asked her fast moving child. "I need my clothes!" The excited girl said, looking like a mini Cookie. Lu chuckled at the little diva, digging through her clothes. "She's all you with that attitude" he said before turning back to look at his wife. "It's a shame, she looks just like you," she hit back. "All of the kids looked like me, and you loved them all just as much as you love me. She just so happened to get my eyes," he said, looking back at Haven, knee high in rejected clothes.
She finally found her favorite purple dress and walked to Cookie for help putting it on. "Turn around Daddy!" She yelled. "Why do I need to turn around?" He asked with a fake shock face. "Because I'm a girl. You can't see my girl parts!" She told him, meaning every word. He smiled at his smart girl and spun the chair around. Cookie had been telling her that no man should be looking at her with no clothes on and Haven has taken it literal. She doesn't let Lucious or the boys help her change or take a bath. If it's not Cookie, Leah, Tiana, or Juanita, she doesn't let anyone get her undressed.
"That's right baby!" Cookie praised her as she put the dress on her. She picked her up and put Haven in her lap. She combed her hair out of the messy bun she had been rocking, and starting combing her curls. "You can turn around daddy," Haven told her father who was still patiently waiting to turn back around. He spun around, seeing the mother daughter duo. Cookie looked at peace while doing Haven's hair. Being a mother was something that she adored doing, more than she loved making music with Lucious. Two curly puffs sat on Haven's head once Cookie got done.
"Pick up your clothes and bring them here baby. We gotta pack your stuff up so we can go home," Cookie said, pulling Lucious out of his head. He watched Haven bring her things to Cookie, who placed them neatly in her suitcase. Everything got packed up and Haven slid on her Fenty slides that match Cookie's and hit Lucious' leg. "Let's go home daddy," she said swaying back and forth. He stood up and grabbed her suitcase from Cookie and Cookie picked her up, carrying her out of the hospital.
They got downstairs to Cookie's car, putting Haven in the back seat. Lucious stood holding Haven's suitcase. "So that's it? You're not going to let her come home not even for a few hours?" Lucius asked his stubborn wife. "No I'm not. It's easier this way. I'm not about to bring her to the mansion then have to fight her claws out the wall to get her out the door," she grabbed the bag from him, putting it in the truck of her Bentley. He kneeled down to Haven's eye level, saddened by the thought of not driving her home, both Cookie and Haven.
"Princess, I'm going to see you tomorrow at Empire. I love you so much and I'm proud of you for being a strong big girl," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Where are you going daddy?" She asked him, already getting sad. "Daddy has to be away from you and mommy for a little bit. But I'll see you every day. Be a good girl for mommy please," he explained to her. Cookie stood outside the car, listening to every word he said. She knew a fit was about to be thrown. "Noooo daddy! I don't want you to go away!" Haven screamed, reaching for Lucious but not able to touch him because she was strapped in her seat. "Lucious, you're making this worse. Just move away from the car. She'll fall asleep," Cookie said, quietly feeling the emotions already.
Lucious sighed and kissed Haven's hand then stood up, shutting the door. Her screams echoed in the car. She hated being pulled away from Lucious. Everyone figured that out, the day after she was born. "Why are you doing this Cook? You know how she is!" He said to her. "I know how she is and I know how we are. We have to fix everything before we can come together as a family. And me staying there, letting you treat me like I don't matter or as if you do everything by yourself, is not helping us," she said as she opened her door to get inside, hearing an earful of piercing screams from Haven.
Lucious hit the top of the car then walked to his. Cookie sat in the car for minute, letting her tears fall silently, then she wiped them away. She turned to face Haven. "Hey, hey! We are not doing that today. Stop all that screaming!" She demanded her child. Haven stopped screaming but kept crying. "I want daddy!" She cried out, tossing her head back. Her face was beat red just like Lucious' would get and her eyes glossed over, turning a darker green like his does when he gets emotional. "I know you want daddy. But for a little while, daddy won't be at home with us. You can see him tomorrow at Empire. Stop that screaming, and wipe your face," Cookie handed her a napkin.
Haven's chest heaved up and down as she took shaky breathes. She took the napkin and put it over her eyes, still crying hard. She whispered 'Daddy' repeatedly as Cookie drove to the penthouse. 20 minutes later, she fell asleep, still sniffling between breaths. Cookie pulled up to the penthouse building, seeing valet waiting to park her car. "Good evening, Mrs. Lyon," the young boy said. "Hi. Can you have someone bring up the bags in the trunk?" She asked as she picked up the sleeping Haven. He nodded in acknowledgment and signaled for someone to come get the luggage while he got in the car.
After readjusting Haven on her shoulder a number of times, she made it inside the penthouse. She went to Haven's new room and laid her down, sitting her stuffed animal next to her. She turned on her heel and swiftly walked out. She went to her room and thought about all the lonely nights she spent here. She used to dream of being back with Lucious in this room, and now she had him back and was still dreaming of lying next to him. She looked to her left, seeing her nightstand that once held her vibrator. She opened the drawer, seeing the device laying in the same spot she left it in.
She thought to herself, shaking off the desire. She couldn't do that when Haven is in a new environment. She was sure that the little girl would wake up screaming in fear at any moment. And like clockwork, she did just that. "Aaahh! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!!" Haven screamed for Lucious more and louder than she did for Cookie. He used to run in and scoop her up, shielding her from whatever dangers that she thought was around. She always called for him when she was scared, because he made her feel safe. Just like Cookie felt when he was there.
Cook ran into the room, turning on the light. "What's wrong baby?" She questioned. Haven sniffled, "Where's daddy. I wanna go home!" She whined as she looked around, knowing that this wasn't her original room. Cookie knew this was going to be a long night. She put Haven on her lap and rocked her back and forth. For the next 12 hours, neither would sleep much, and that was something Cookie had to deal with, without question.
The Mansion
The boys sat around the family room, waiting for their parents to come back with their sister. They started to get bored while waiting so Jamal and Dre started throwing pieces of paper at Keem's ears while he laid down on his side. Whoever got a piece inside his ear, got a point. So far, Dre was in the lead by 4. "Stop cheating! That one counts, and you know it," Jamal whisper shouted at Dre. "Fine. It counts this time, but next time, it doesn't." Dre agreed. They continued their game until they heard the door open. They jumped up, ready to be greeted by Haven, but only seeing their father's sour face.
"Where's Haven and Ma?" Dre asked. Hakeem hopped up off the couch, thinking Haven was there. The paper that laid on his body and in his ear, started to fall off him. "Boy, what the fuck are you doing? Got paper all over my damn floor. Get this shit up!" Lucious scolded an innocent Hakeem. Keem smacked his lips then went to get the broom. "She's discharged, but since your mama stopped coming home, she decided not to let Haven come over, even for a little bit," Lu explained, dropping his head.
"Why is she doing this? What is it going to prove?" Jamal asked, frustrated at his mom for once. "And she took Haven? This is going to be hilarious," Keem commented. Everyone knew how Haven was when she wasn't around Lucious first thing in the morning or at night when she had nightmares. "Yeah, but your mama is stubborn as hell. So she won't let us see her struggling with her own kid. With ya'll it was easy. Every last one of you were mama's boys. I could mention her name and ya'll would get away from me to find her. But she doesn't know how to deal with not being the favorite parent," Lucious said as he poured himself a glass of cognac.
The boys looked at their father trying to out 2 and 2 together. "Umm not to be rude or anything but...what the hell did you do?" Jamal asked. Lu rubbed the back of his neck and groaned. The boys quickly put the pieces together. He did the "Lucious". The glares formed on their faces as they watched Lucious move to the piano seat. "I said some shit that I didn't mean, and she won't drop the shit. I've apologized and told her why some shit is the way it is, and she just acts like I spit in her face," he tried to make himself the victim in the situation.
"So you decided to make her feel like it was her fault that she wasn't here for 17 years, and that she didn't help you build Empire and become this artist that everyone around the world knows. Is that right?" Hakeem asked, standing over his father. Lucious looked up at his knucklehead son, giving him the "back up before something else gets fucked up" glare. "You did spit in her face! You always do and want to act innocent afterwards," Dre backed up Keem. The three brothers has had enough of this back and forth between their parents. But they had enough of the disrespect towards their mother from their father.
The gay light skin Tupac sat across from his father, holding the same glare that Lu was giving Dre and Keem. "Are you forgetting that she went to prison for 17 years for you? She wasn't here to see Empire built completely because she went away to save you! She was the one moving keys, while you were in Aunt Carol's garage making music. She is the one who got the money for YOU to even begin to build Empire. You wouldn't have had that damn company without her. You wouldn't have had platinum records if it wasn't for her helping you with your music. You wouldn't have become a household name if it wasn't for Ma. The money you are able to make off us, your kids. That's only possible because she gave us to you. Her body went through hell to carry and birth us. Not yours! You wouldn't have created a publicly traded company without Dre, and without Cookie, there wouldn't have been a Dre. You need to get your shit together Lucious. We been dealing with this for years and it needs to stop. YOU didn't do a damn thing by yourself. You wrote your songs and made those beats, but who made those songs perfect for you when you couldn't hear what's missing?" Jamal informed his seemingly forgetful father.
Lucious couldn't hold a glare after listening to Jamal break down everything that Cookie did for him, and that wasn't all of it. He sat back against the piano and fiddled with his glass before taking it to the head. "Show yourselves out," he growled, getting up to go to his bedroom. "Gladly," Hakeem said as he stormed out the house. The older brothers followed suit, disappointed, yet again, by their father. Nothing made sense to them, but they had grown to not understand a lot of things that he did.
Lucious sat on the edge of the bed after he took his pants off. He replayed everything that Jamal said. He looked down at his leg and thought about how Cookie stood up to do everything to keep Empire afloat after the bomb in Vegas. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have a company to remember. He took his prosthetic off and looked behind him. He was used to Cookie crawling up behind him and rubbing his shoulders when he was in deep thought, but she wasn't there. "You know those boys are right. I don't know what Cookie sees in you, but she loves you. And you are too much of a devil to even treat her right," Leah said as she walked past his bedroom. He groaned at everybody coming up against him. He needed to get his wife back in the house. There was no doubt about that.
Next Morning
Cookie walked into Empire, carrying Haven, who finally went to sleep when they got in the car. Exhaustion displayed on Cookie. Her face, her body language, her hair, even her clothes all screamed exhausted. Dre saw her walk in and rushed over to grab Haven from her. "Hey, Ma. You look like shit. Haven wouldn't sleep?" He asked a rhetorical question that got him a death stare from his mother. He put his hand up and surrendered. "I'll take her upstairs and lay her down. You just go find somewhere to relax for a bit. Take a personal day or something," he suggested.
She shook her head and rubbed her temple. "I can't Dre. I got artists to manage, songs to record, and Satan to dodge. I'll be fine but thank you for taking her. I swear if she wasn't mine, I'd strangle her for not letting me get any sleep," Cookie voiced. Dre smirked and hugged his mom, letting her go to the studio to meet Tiana. She got into studio 6, hearing the playback of Tiana's newest song So Good. Tiana turned and saw Cookie rocking her natural hair in a messy bun and instantly knew that this was not the day to play around. "Hey, Cookie. We were just putting the finishing touches on the song. What do you think?" She asked her now claimed mother.
Cookie moved her head to the song and sat down on the couch behind the sound board. "That's hot, T. I think this should be the next single you drop," she said with a yawn. She got comfortable on the couch, drifting in and out. "Save that edit and let her sleep. She is way too tired right now," Tiana whispered to Calvin. He nodded and saved the song. Tiana turned the lights down and left out, putting up the Do Not Disturb sign. A sign that means nothing to one person in the entire company.
Lucious snuck in and saw his wife sleeping. He looked under the bar and grabbed a blanket, throwing it over her. He saw Dre carrying Haven, so he figured Cookie was probably somewhere sleeping off the turn of events from last night. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her temple. He turned and walked to the soundboard. He turned the laptop back on and plugged in a USB that held a song that he created last night for her. No words were sung, just the music lightly bouncing off the walls on repeat. He labeled it a Gift for Cookie, then left out of the studio without being seen.
4 Hours Later
Cookie woke up, hearing the soft music playing over the speakers. "What the hell?" She murmured to herself. She stretched out and threw the blanket off of her. She walked to the laptop and looked at the name on the piece that was playing. "Lucious, think he slick," she said as she actually listened to the melody. She started humming the words to a song that she had written a few days ago. It fit perfectly with the music that Lu made. She turned the music up and turned on the mic in the studio, hitting record, once the song came to an end and repeated.
She put the headphones on, closed her eyes and zoned out everything. Just her and the music, waiting to graced with the presence of her lyrics and vocals.
Life is so simple
A little boy a little girl
Laughing and loving
Tryin' to figure out the world
It felt like summer when I kissed you in the rain
And I know your story but tell me again
Every word told a story and how she felt. Especially about being with Lucious. Lu walked past studio 6 and heard Cookie's voice. He opened the door and quietly closed it, staying in the dark corner as he watched his love sing this song about them.
I hope you're still with me
When I'm not quite myself
And I pray that you'll lift me
When you know I need help
It's a warm celebration of all of our years
He watched her emotions pour out, tears falling from her face. She was hurt, because all she ever wanted to do was be a happy family and make music with her husband. But even the Lioness couldn't have everything she wanted. He felt a lump form in his throat and he walked out of the studio before she stopped singing. He hated hurting her like this. He had been used to it being just him doing everything, that he doesn't realize he excludes her in so much. He knows that she is the only reason why he is at a better place in life. And at that moment, he knew just how to fix things.
She walked out of the studio and saved the song. She'd edit it later, but right now she was hungry and wanted to find Jamal to ask for a favor. It was something she wanted to do with Lucious, but they weren't on the best of terms at the moment. She walked into the lobby, spotting Skye and a little boy standing next to her. "Hey Skye! What are you doing here so early and who is this cutie?" Cookie being her normal nosey self. Skye stumbled over her words, realizing she can't tell Cookie before she told Jamal. "Umm this is Aden. Becky called me this morning so I kind of rushed over here," she said.
Cookie knelt down to eye level with the boy. "Hi, Aden. I'm Cookie. You want me to show you where all the kids play in here? We have snacks too," she winked at Skye. Aden nodded then looked up at his mom. "You can go baby. Go have fun," Skye gave him permission. Cookie stood back up, holding Aden's hand and taking him upstairs. Jamal came around the corner, talking to Hakeem. Keem saw his mom walking with a child and did a double take. "Who kid is that?" He asked to no specific person.
Jamal turned and saw the curly red haired child then saw Skye, looking at her phone. "Skye! Do you know whose child that is that my mom just kidnapped?" Jamal asked. She took a deep breath before answering. "Uh, Jamal I have something to tell you. I'm a mom of a 3 year old boy," she confessed. Keem cocked his head to the side, doing some math. "Really!? Congrats girl. Why didn't you tell me earlier? What's his name?" Jamal being oblivious to the time frame. "His name is Aden Noel Summers...Lyon," Skye dropped the bomb.
"Bro, you good for producing kids during one night stands. Bet money this one really is yours," Hakeem clowned Jamal. He died in laughter while Jamal stood frozen in the middle of the lobby. "Lyon...why is his last name Lyon?" He asked. "Because you're his dad. I found out I was pregnant a month after the ASAs. I'm sorry for not telling you," her words were muted after 'you're his dad.' Jamal couldn't believe it was true. He wanted to pass out, but then he had to talk to someone. "I gotta go find dad. I'll...yeah bye," he rushed out, leaving Hakeem and Skye behind. Could this kid be his? If anyone knew or could find out it was Lucious and Thirsty and that's who he needed to see.
TBC
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