One Shots

Tony's POV

We walked to the park, Jaime carrying his acoustic guitar and Vic song writing sheets. Earlier this morning, he had declared that he needed a change of scenery, so Jaime had grabbed a guitar to join him. Mike and I had followed to get some fresh air. We walked over to the playground, before aborting our mission when we saw there were little kids there. We didn't want to scare them. Instead, we lounged on the grass, Mike tapping out beats on the soft earth. Vic and Jaime's conversation carried through the air, snippets of sentences reaching our ears.

I leaned up on my elbows, looking at the park. Mike stood up, helping me to my feet. We had been here for about an hour, and the ground was getting very uncomfortable very quickly. I continued looking at the surrounding area, a familiar figure catching my eye, and my jaw dropped.

Her forest green eyes were sparkling, framed by long dark lashes, mascara sticking to them. There was a thin line of eyeliner covering her upper eyelid. Her ebony hair was curled, tumbling down and around her shoulders. She wore a plain shirt, in a rich brown colour which accentuated her brilliant eyes. Jeans clung to her legs, and her feet were enclosed in ankle boots. What surprised me most was that she was looking at me.

'Kael,' I breathed. She was standing on the other side of the playground, taking in my appearance. I chuckled to myself lightly. I had changed a lot since high school. Tattoos spiraled up and down my arms, and my ears had been stretched even more. My snake bites had healed over, only leaving a slight mark. She slowly walked over, her steps slow and hesitant.

'Man, who are you staring at?' Mike asked, nudging me, then sweeping his gaze across the park. His eyes landed on Kael, and he gave me a light punch. 'Go man!' He said, giving me a small shove in Kael's direction. Kael's slow walk stopped and she looked scared, her eyes widening as she took in the giant behind me. Mike realised this and scooted away, becoming very interested in Vic and Jaime's discussion. I had another chord ring out, followed by Vic's voice. Kael continued her slow progression, stopping when she was about ten metres away.

'Tony?' I watched her search me, knowing that there was something familiar about me, but not pin-pointing what. I nodded and looked into her brilliant green eyes. I hadn't seen her for so long. I remembered my past mistakes and shuddered at the thought.

'Tony Perry?' Her sweet voice broke the reel that was speeding through my mind. I nodded again. She came closer, and I closed the distance, my long strides covering more ground than her tentative steps. I felt butterflies in my belly, but tried not to show it.

Kael's POV

'Hi,' He said; I didn't reply, it would have seemed odd since I had already acknowledged him twice. A silence fell briefly between us before he spoke again.

'I'm so sorry about what happened after high school.' A memory surfaced. It was of Tony, younger and mostly tattoo-less. He was standing in a doorway, shaking his head. His eyes were fearful. I was standing outside his house and he was blocking me from entering. I heard my voice, it was faint, I had been crying. "Please." He shook his head more forcefully, and the door slammed in my face. My hands immediately went to my stomach, before grasping at the jacket I had put on, shielding myself against the stinging wind, my hair whipping my face, the rain keeping me painfully awake. That was the last I had heard of Tony Perry. He had disappeared and seemingly told no one; at least, no one knew when I asked them.

I winced at the memory, and Tony's face fell. 'I swear Kael, I'm so sorry. It was just so sudden.' He reached his arms out as if to embrace me, to hold me tight against him and make my worries vanish. He pulled back suddenly though; as if re-composing himself.

'I'm so sorry.'

'I heard it the first three times, Tony. I've long forgiven you by now.' I heard feet behind me, crushing the leaf litter and making a huge ruckus. He paused, and I smiled. He had almost apologised again.

'Thank you.' He said gratefully. I turned around, a small girl of five or six was coming towards me. 'Do you think you could give me a second chance?' I paused, I knew what my answer was, but I needed to see if he really was committed.

'Mummy!' The girl exclaimed, coming closer. I turned back to Tony. He seemed taken aback.

'Is that...?' I nodded.

'I'll go, then.' He started to leave, but I caught his arm.

'No, I want you to meet her.' The young girl put her arms around my leg, pressing her face against it.

'Mummy, who's this?' She asked, looking up at Tony. 'He's really tall.'

'Lily! Don't say that.' I chided her, hearing Tony's quiet laugh behind me. I turned back, ready to introduce them, but Tony was crouching down on the ground.

'Hi Lily. I'm Tony.' The small girl looked at him. She had my ebony hair and it was currently pulled back in a ponytail. In fact, she was almost like a mini me - the only exceptions her eyes and smile. Her eyes were a rich brown, framed by long lashes - also inherited from me.

'Hi Tony!' She said, giving him one of her award-winning smiles. His jaw dropped. He had never known the truth; I had only told him I was pregnant. He thought I had cheated on him. I would never do such a thing to anyone. Tony looked up at me, seeking confirmation.

'Lily, this is your dad.'

'Really?' She asked skeptically. She had never questioned why she didn't have a dad; she just took it for granted that not everyone had one, despite all the happy families she had seen on TV.

'Really truly.' I said, smirking at Tony. She squealed happily, bowling Tony over as she wrapped her thin arms around his waist, launching herself forward as she did so.

'Daddy!' She exclaimed. She started talking excitedly. I shushed her, telling her to go back with her grandmother.

'Kael-' Tony started, standing up. I placed my finger on his lips, effectively stopping the apology that was surely coming.

'Tony, about that second chance...' I stepped closer to him and removed my finger. I reached up on my tip toes, planting a kiss on his cheek. 'You can have it.' I slipped a piece of paper with my number on it into his jacket pocket. I started to walk back to where Lily was surely hassling my mum; telling her about how she had met her dad. Tony stopped me in my tracks and spun me around, landing a kiss on my lips. It lasted for a few sweet seconds before Tony pulled back.

'I've missed that.' He admitted. I smiled.

'I've missed it too.'

Notes

Absolutely huge thank you to CallMeKael for being the first to request!! :)