At The End Of The Day

Chapter 11

I will be finishing the story in the same style the previous chapter had been written. -A/N

Cassandra, Tobias, Vander, and Silco are seated at a table at The Last Drop. Vi and Caitlyn requested for them to be civil until they appeared. Vander and Tobias making small talk as Cassandra and Silco discuss politics.

Matilda comes into the bar in front of her mother and Vi, two envelopes clutched in her hands. "I got to carry them!" She sing songs, placing them on the table.

Vi and Caitlyn sit in the remaining chairs, Matilda climbing onto Caitlyns lap. "So uh, how is this gunna go?" Vi nods to the envelopes.

"Open the letters." Cassanda dead pans.

"Yeah ok." Vi grabs the one with her name, sliding the other one to Caitlyn.

Both sets of parents watch as one by one, statements leave the envelopes. "Ill begin. This here is the medical report containing all the information containing Matildas gestation period, and the official birth certificate." The large yellow envelope had held many sonograms, baby testing, and copies of the legal documents. The birth certificate is placed on top of the stack.

"This is my letter, as reads." Vi opens the small white envelope. "'The alleged father cannot be excluded as the biological father of the tested child. Based on the analysis of STR loci above, the probability of paternity is 99.9999999 percent'." She takes a deep breath. "Thats a lot of nines." Shaky hands place the document face up for the table to see.

"Does that mean youre my parent?" Matilda asks, eyes wide.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it does. Hi, im Violet Lane, or Vi, or uh- Yeah. Hi." Her eyes dodge between Matilda and Cassandra.

"You owe me a fight." Matilda puts her hands up. "And if you hold back-"

"I cant hit you." Vi puts her hand over Matildas fists. "Ill fight, how Vander and i used to fight when i was a kid, but i wont hit you."

"How do you fight without hitting someone?" Matilda puts her fists down.

"Youre still hitting, it just has rules." Vander intervenes. "See, when i would fight with Vi, it was fists only. No face, nothing below the belt, and aware of the chest. A good blow to the sternum to knock someone to their feet is one thing. Its another to cheapshot."

"So theres no going all out?" Matilda frowns.

"Fraid not, Miss." Vander shrugs.

"Fine. Were going outside. Now." Matilda hops off of Caitlyns lap, latching onto Vis arm. "Lets go."

"Matilda dont-" Caitlyn tries to pry Matilda off of Vi.

"Matilda wait, we shouldnt-" Vi looks at Cassandra again.

"Sweetheart, why dont you get that painting instead?" Tobias catches the young girls attention. She lets go of Vi, running out to Tobias' car.

"Why do you keep looking at me like a lost dog?" Cassandra spits.

"Because youre the most respected person in this room. She wasnt listening to Cait." Her voice is quiet, eyes instead plastered to the documents on the table.

"Im so sorry Vi. I dont mean for her to act that way." Caitlyn puts a hand on Vis shoulder. "Matildas only ever had me, and an idea of someone who looks like you. If she was going to be out of hand, i could have told her in private, or-"

"Enough, child. You dont have foresight. We cant control the actions and reactions of those around us. We can only hope to support stearing them in a healthy direction." Silco picks up one of the sonograms. "She was a small one by the looks of this."