Watch What Burns (5 page)

“Don’t apologize, I love watching him get knocked down a notch or two.” Tyler smirked impressed. Tyler watched his wife as her face once full of thunder melted into its happy complexion. It might have taken time, but the woman before him was definitely the tenacious girl he had fallen in love with.

“WHY do you look so pissed off?” Dean asked as he sat opposite his baby sister.

She looked to him and huffed before she quickly caved and told him what was wrong. “I’m just fed up with practically all of the Truman family,” Austin mumbled and reached out for her glass of wine. She had originally gotten it to relax, but right
now, she was gulping it down with such haste she would make it to the bottom of the bottle before she knew it. “Grace and I took cakes down to the station earlier. Robert tried to touch Grace and I wouldn’t have any of it. He then turned around and told me how I have to live with the scars left from Natasha. As if I don’t know,” she scoffed and looked to her brother. “I mean, really, over more than three years and they’re still going on about all this?”

Dean smirked and shook his head. “They might still go on about it, but clearly they haven’t learned the all important thing here.”

“What’s that?” Austin asked as she looked at her brother and cocked an eyebrow, and pressed him to answer her.

“You’re not exactly the girl who came back to town are you?” he asked her rhetorically. “I mean, the Austin that came home was defeated. You were a ghost of yourself until Tyler was by your side and then it was like you were next to a livewire. The moment he was gone, you were too. Now,” he chuckled, casting a chaste gaze to his niece before looking back at his sister to continue, “Now, you’re strong and feisty, and you hold your own. You’re no one’s pushover and, Austin, you scare me the best of times.”

Austin could only smile impishly as he said that. She knew she had changed; the fire had done that to her. She might have been scarred, but she was more resilient, more prepared at fighting her own battles instead of admitting defeat. Of course, she was prone to those weak moments like no other, but it was easy to fight back to her happy state. Austin was more than the girl that Natasha had tried to destroy and that was why she was able to be so carefree and confident that Tyler would never stray. She knew, without a doubt, that Tyler loved her wholeheartedly and no one else.

“I was never a pushover for you,” Austin retorted and winked at him.

“Lies,” Dean muttered back at her sarcastically. “Big brother rule.”

Rolling her eyes, Austin realized that after telling her brother what was sitting so heavily on her shoulders, she no longer felt the need to drown the bottle of wine she had deliberately opened. “You know what I don’t get?” she suddenly asked in a quick burst. She looked over at her brother and just thought for a moment before speaking up. “Why Robert can’t see what a little bitch he brought up.”

“Daddy’s little girl.” Dean chuckled over the matter. “That man, unlike his ex-wife, is blindsided by his daughter’s ridiculous claims. At least, Diane woke up.”

“Yeah,” Austin sighed heavily, “But look at what she lost. She didn’t just lose her daughter; she lost a family, marriage, everything.”

“That isn’t on you,” Dean stepped in, trying to steal her minor panicked tone away from her. “You got her practically reintegrated back into the community. You did your bit, but you couldn’t control Natasha’s actions. That family meltdown isn’t down to you.”

“I know,” Austin replied and nodded her head as if to thicken the conviction in her tone. She did know that seeing the Truman family fall apart wasn’t on her, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less to see. “It’s just sad to see happen.” 

“I could sit here and tell you until I’m blue in the face that it was bound to happen, but that’s not going to help anything,” Dean told his sister, trying to gauge her emotions. “You showed you were the bigger person by going to Diane that day, but you did your bit. It’s time you let it rest and just let them rebuild their lives.”

“I know,” Austin replied, only to get her brother to deviate from the conversation. She could keep on at this conversation until it was dead, but she knew she would only end up in a vicious circle that she would just regret.

“Hey man,” Tyler said as he stepped out onto the decking in the backyard. He found his wife and his brother-in-law hashing something out, and he knew full well it had everything to do with earlier at the station. “Hey baby,” Tyler spoke to Austin as he sunk down next to her, reaching for a welcome home kiss.

“Hey you,” Austin murmured as she kissed him and pulled back. “Did you get everything sorted?”

“Yeah,” he said and looked out to Grace playing in the pool with Sienna, “I brought something home because I need to discuss it with you.” He looked to his wife, the frown fixed on her like it was on him and he took a deep breath. “The guys and I received some letters this morning, and I can’t just let the matter go.”

“Who were they from?” Austin asked dumbly as she sat up straighter in her seat. Tyler’s silence answered the question for her and she felt her blood boil, “You are kidding me right?!” she exclaimed loudly, and could immediately feel all eyes on her. “Inside now,” she murmured to her husband to usher him inside. She looked to Dean apologetically. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

“No, it’s fine,” he said, showing his support. “If need be Sienna and I can take trouble with us.”

“Thanks, Dean, but I hope it won’t lead to that,” Tyler jumped in, grateful for having such an understanding family. “I promise you that I had nothing to do with this. She’s the reason my mood was so off when you got to the station earlier.”

“I’m not blaming you, I’m just wanting nothing more than to wring my hands around her neck,” Austin hissed her ideal intentions, and followed Tyler into the house, pulling the door shut. “Start from the beginning.”

“Baby, that was my intention anyway,” Tyler retorted to her and walked over to the pile of envelopes he rushed home with. Since the letters had been brought to his attention, he felt a pressing need to get home to tell his wife. It wasn’t because he was unable to cope with this alone, but more because this involved her as much as it did him. “I hold no bars on
honesty with you, you know that. I wanted you to know, but not when Gracie’s around.”

“Okay, well maybe she won’t bother you if you don’t react,” Austin tried to opt for the easiest way out of this. She knew it was a futile idea, but she had to hope a little that Natasha would get bored pandering after a man’s heart that was completely taken.

“I don’t want this bothering me now, Aus!” Tyler began to lose his mind. The potentiality of Natasha continuing to do this forever was crucifying him and he knew he couldn’t cope with that. “Okay? I don’t want her bothering my life now.”

“Okay,” Austin tried to calm him, stepping towards him to close the gap between him. She quickly pulled him into her arms and held onto him. “I think we should take Dean up on his offer,” Austin quickly decided, knowing that reading what was in those envelopes would not work out well. She didn’t want their daughter subjected to whatever outpour of emotions there would be, and Austin knew full well that whenever Natasha was involved, there was going to some emotional backlash.

Tyler kissed into his wife’s hair, inhaling her scent as a way to gather some sense of normalcy. “Sounds good.”

“Well then,” she pushed away from him, “We’ll get them to take her to my parents or to get ice cream while we sort out this mess.” She went over to the door, headed out, and made her way to the pool edge.

“Mama!” Grace yelped as she paddled away in Sienna’s arms. “Are you coming to pway?”

“No, baby, sorry,” Austin let her daughter down gently. “How do feel about an adventure with
Sena and Dean?” She watched as Grace’s face lit up and she smiled, “Daddy and I need to discuss something, so we thought that instead of you being bored, you’d have fun going on a little adventure.”

Dean could see that Sienna was confused; he knew he had to react and back up the moment. He could explain later when Grace was occupied with something else. “I say we go and pester Grandma and Grandpa to come out with us. How’s that sound, Gracie-moo?”

“Yeah!” Grace splashed excitedly.

Giving her brother an appreciative glance, Austin watched him stand and come to her and Tyler’s sides. “Is it bad?” he asked, his face told them he knew enough without being told.

“It’s Natasha,” Tyler responded in a low voice.

“She’s been sending Ty letters, and now she’s extended the surprise to the guys at the precinct,” Austin sighed and rubbed a hand over her forehead. “We just want to hash it out and decide a plan, but we don’t want Gracie privy to it.”

“That’s fine,” Dean smiled reassuringly at the pair. “She’s usually got that sleepover bag packed, so I’ll grab that on our way out and get her changed at mom and dads’ ready for bed.”

“We owe you,” Tyler thanked Dean and placed an arm around his wife.

“Don’t sweat it,” Dean replied, pushing away their thanks and turned to the pool. “C’mon Gracie, I’ll race you to grandma’s and grandpa’s!”

“C’mon, Sweetie, let’s beat Dean!” Sienna said, racing out of the pool with Grace in her arms. “You’ve got until I’ve dried her off, to grab her bag.” Sienna had heard the chat between her brother and sister and her interest was piqued, but she knew she could wait. “I’ll call you later,” she told Austin, narrowing her gaze onto her.

“Okay,” Austin said and took over drying Grace a little to say goodbye, allowing Tyler his turn. She knew they were supposed to spend tonight as a family, but it seemed that life never ran smoothly for them when the moment arrived.

Once they had left, Austin went straight for the kitchen. She grabbed the envelopes, and began to pull the letters from the confines. She stood reading them, the confusion swirling around her, her hatred for Natasha only ever growing. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Austin began to say, not tearing her eyes away from the various letters.

“What’s that?” Tyler asked, leaning against the counter as he watched her.

“Why?” Austin asked as she just read over the letters. She shook her head, unable to comprehend what the hell had caused such a reaction. “Why now? I mean, for Christ sake, it’s been years. She should be rotting in that damn jail cell!”

“Oh, she will be rotting in there for longer than we think,” Tyler sneered over the matter, and allowed the silence to beckon around them.

Tyler stood with bated breath. He watched Austin from his side of the room. Slowly, second by second, her face was beginning to darken. The anger literally marking her face the more she read. He felt the need to break the tension. He needed to get rid of the elephant in the room.

“You’re too quiet,” Tyler suddenly broke into the silence. “What are you thinking, Sunny?”

Steeling
herself, Austin gradually looked up at him. “I feel like this threatens everything,” Austin fretted out loud.

“Hey,” Tyler reached for his wife, grabbed her arms and forced her to look at him. “This, this threatens nothing!” His throat tightened with the restriction of
fear at the predicament they were in, and the way Austin weakened before him. “She is nothing to us. Every single moment of my life I had with her makes me regret it because she nearly cost me this.” He waited a moment before he continued, “She very nearly cost me the good life. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore, Austin. I lived it, imagining it happening again kills me too much, and Grace? I can’t imagine a life without my baby girl’s smiling face every morning or my wife’s kisses. It’s a life I refuse to even get remotely close to.”

“It threatens nothing,” Austin whispered, more to force herself to believe the words than anything else.

“That’s right, baby,” Tyler told her quietly, his tone sincere. “This threatens nothing.”

And just like that, Austin started crying. She had no idea what to do, but she was so angry, instead of screaming it out, she cried it out. All of her fears dissolved and left her weak and limp in her husband’s arms. As much as she believed him, in her head there was one seed of doubt that just didn’t want to leave her. It cast out doubt, it stunned her with shame and most of the time it was the one part of her that reminded her of how imperfect she was.

“I’m okay,” she cried against her husband’s chest, still trying to force herself to believe it.

Tyler ran a hand up Austin’s back, unable to do anything else. “No you’re not,” he countered her miserable lie. “You’re angry and hurt, and fed up of the continual reminder that she seems to think she’s all high and mighty, and has some hold on me.” He pushed her away, again forcing her to look at him and listen. “However, what she doesn’t realize is that my commitment to you, my marriage, my love for you and our daughter, overrides anything and everything she could do. It’s all so futile to me.” He reached out to wipe her tears away before continuing, “I love you, Austin. That is something that has never changed. Even when you left, it never died. I was lying to myself. You are
my everything, and to live without you again would be hell on earth.”

“This is life long.” Austin
sniffled her response. She gave her husband a watery smile and took a deep, calming breath. “I don’t doubt you, Tyler. I never could. I just worry the lengths that Natasha is capable of going. I don’t care about prison cells or not, she always gets what she wants.”

“Well she’s getting her information from a well informed source,” Tyler started and could see Austin calculating who it was. “It’s not Robert before you
point a finger,” Tyler spoke and squished her only culprit that she could deem guilty.