Ready To Try (Callie And Soraya)

Callie lied on her bed staring at the cigarette pack on her stand. She wanted one so badly it was driving her crazy. She needed it. She knew she couldn't. Her father wanted her to quit, and she wanted his love. She would do whatever it took to obtain that love.

She stood up and walked down the stairs, cigarettes in hand, hoping Soraya would still be there.

Soraya was in the kitchen, dicing up vegatables for sir fry while Lucas ate his dinner by her feet. She was humming along with the radio, knowing that once the night was over, Matt would be coming home from the hospital.

"Soraya?" Callie said softly, trying not to come off with an attitude.

Soraya glanced over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows at Callie. "Yes?"

Callie took a slow breath before she spoke.

"I don't want to do this anymore," she said. "I don't want to fight with you, with dad, with Katie, I don't want to yell anymore." "I don't want you guys to hate me anymore, and I don't want these," she said, placing her pack of cigarettes on the counter.

"I'm ready to do this right," she said.

Soraya turned around, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm a firm believer in second chances, Callie, but you have to be willing to stick by the rules. That means no more sneaking Alex into your room, if he comes over, it's through the front door and if you go up to your room, the door remains open. If Matt and I tell you to do something, you do it. No attitude, no back talk. We're willing to let you live with us, Callie, let you finish growing up here, but you do it our way."

"I'm ready to try to do that," Callie said.

"I know what I did and how I acted was wrong, but there's more behind it than you know," Calie said.

"I know about it, Callie. Do you think Matt keeps secrets from me? Our relationship is built on honesty. I know about the molestation from your mother's Ex. I know that you've had a shitty upbringing so far, but remember this, it gives you no right to lash out at those around you." Soraya shook her head. "I was molested once too, a long time ago. My mother was an actress and most of the B-rated movies she did required a lot of nudity with sleazy co-stars."

She shuddered slightly. "One of them well, he had a thing for young girls and well, my mother didn't exactly keep an eye on me, you know. I was traumatized by it of course, and my father did one right thing by me. He blew through the roof. My mother ran off about a year later."

"I ran away from home when I was eighteen, enrolled myself in a wrestling school and never looked back. You've got to steel yourself Callie, you didn't see me throwing screaming fits at Ken Shamrock, Steve Blackman and the Undertaker when they tried to help me." Soraya shook her head. "You have learn to accept it and put it behind you so you can live. And part of that it talking about it and letting people in so they can help you."

Callie nodded as her cell phone rang.

She smiled when she saw Alex's name on the screen and answered.

"Hey baby...wait Alex are you crying?" Callie listened to Alex tell her what was wrong then turned to Soraya, her hand over the phone so Alex couldn't hear.

"Raya, Alex's dad just beat the shit out of him and his baby sister, they need to get out of there until he sobers up, is it okay for them to come here?" she asked.

Soraya nodded. "Sure, they can share the guest room."

Callie smiled.

"Okay Alex, come on over you can stay here until he gets his head out of his ass," she said.

---------------

Ten minutes later Alex limped through the door carrying his three year old sister Bailey on his arm. His entire body covered in bisies, and gashes, Baily's matching his own. Alex's lip was busted and blood was running down his cheek from his left eye nearly swollen shut. This was the worse Calie had evr seen him.

She rushed over to him and grabbed Bailey rocking the crying child, then turn to Soraya with tears in her own eys from their current state.

"Jesus!" Soraya swore, coming forward to inspect Alex's face. "Callie, run upstairs and get the first aid kit please."

Callie carried the crying Bailey up the stair rushing back as quickly as she could to be at Alex's side.

"What happened baby?" Callie asked.

Alex said nothing at first, too angry to speak.

"He threated to hurt you, so I fought back and he sort of won," Alex said.

Soraya shook her head and remained visibly calm on the outside. "This is going to sting...a lot." She warned, pouring peroxide on a gauzy rag to clean his cuts with.

"I'm used to it by now," Alex told Soraya

"Why...why'd you fight him Alex?" Callie asked, now in tears.

"Callie I'm not gonna let him lay a finger on you, he'll be lucky if I even let him breathe on you," Alex said. "I love you and if I have to get the hell beat out of me for you than I wil."

"If anyone wants to lay a finger on Callie, they have to go through Matt and myself first and trust me, only an idiot would try." Soraya said firmly, beginning to clean up the blood. "So instead of getting yourself caught up in this mess, take comfort in that."

Alex nodded.

Bailey looked at Alex crying more from fear then pain. "Bubby okay?" Bailey asked.

Alex nodded. "I'm okay Bales, it's okay we're safe now," he told her.

"You are, they don't call me the World's Most Dangerous Weapon for nothing." Soraya nodded. "Callie, why don't you take them upstairs and settle them in. I'll clean this up and finish dinner."

Callie nodded and lead Alex up to the guest room.

A few mintues later Bailey wobbed down the stairs back into the kitchen and just stood there watching Soraya.

Soraya began to mix vegatables, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and white rice in a large wok on the stove, enjoying the simple chore of cooking and the plesant aroma that filled the kitchen, completely unaware she was being watched.

Bailey still stood there silently watching, Soraya bringing back memories of Bailey's mother.

Soraya turned away from the stove to grab herself a drink from the fridge when she noticed the young girl watching her. "Oh!"

Bailey smiled and waved at Soraya

"Hi," the little girl said.

"Hi." Soraya said. "You scared me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Bailey said.

"You just look a lot like my mommy," she told Soraya.