Dempeo: The right kind of wrong

Guilty as Sin? [Jillian and Chris]

The evening was going surpisingly well. Chris almost forgot about all his envy and hate towards Patrick after a while. It made him think maybe it was all in his head. But sitting here with his wife, Patrick and Jillian. He decided that it didn't matter either way. They had so much fun together and so did his kids. Maybe he was to hard on his wife for having this friendship.
And seeing Ellen so happy made him think that maybe this is what she needed. Peace between him and her best friend. Maybe they could actually revive their marriage if he just supported her. He smiled as he looked around. Patrick wasn't that bad he decided while he was caught in a conversation with him about sports.

*
Jillian felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. She felt her jealousy slowly fade more and more throughout this whole day and now she had apologised to the woman she repeatedly accused without her doing anything wrong. Not only that but Ellen had made her feel so good about it. Like the past was all gone in a second.

Answering her phone she was excided to see her daughters name on the called id.
"Hi sweetie." She answered but her smile was gone in an instant hearing her daughter cry. After talking to her and seemingly calming her down she told her to get straight here so she could hold her.
When she told her to come to Ellens she heard her daughter let out a sound of shock and hesitance. It surprised her since Tal loved Ellen for all her life. But after they hung up she thought that maybe it was her fault. She had argued about Ellen over and over again over the past few month with her father. Of course she was surpised that they were hanging out now. So she pushed any concern about her daughters reaction and made her way out to the others.

*
The doorbell rang and Jill was sure it was Tal. But it wasn't her house and if it was someone else it would be weird to get the door. So when Ellen said she'd get it, she let her. After all Talula trusted Ellen too so if it was her she knew Ellen could calm her until they made their way here.

Chris looked at Patrick as Ellen made her way to get the door. It was the first time today he saw a look he didn't really like. He was watching Ellen leave and it was like he was in a trance. It made him suddenly feel a little uneasy.
"I hope it's Tal so we can hug her" Jill spoke up and directed it to Patrick. But instead of getting an answer from her husband, he just looked straight ahead.
She gave Chris a look of confusion and he gave her one right back.
Her stomach twisted, in an instant a weight fell over her again. Like something was seriously wrong.

They all looked towards the door as they heard a voice scream. Not in pain but in anger. It wasn't audible what was said but Jill was sure it was Talulas voice.
As she heard footsteps inside she turned to Patrick, wanting him to come with her to maybe talk to their daughter. But as she saw him he was frozen. Like in a trance and she didn't understand why.

"Well HELLO!!" Jill heard her daughter slur as she came out to the terrace. She saw immediately that she was drunk.
"Talula!? How drunk are you?" She asked and saw Ellen come out too. Looking as pale as her husband.
"Just the right amount." Talula answered and almost fell over walking towards them.

"Oh Tal, why would you do this to yourself?" Jill asked concered. Hoping that her daugther would just let her comfort her.
"Why don't you ask dad? Or better yet, ask the woman he's fucking!" She yelled and looked back towards Ellen who just stood there.

"What are you talking about Tal?" Jill asked, hoping it was a drunken ramble and not daring to even look at her husband yet.
Chris was watching this all unfold and as soon as the words left Talulas mouth he turned and looked at Patrick. He knew at that moment something about her words were true.

Suddenly Patrick came out of his trance and spoke up before Tee could. "Talula please. I know that is what you think you saw but that is not what's happening." He told his daughter.

"What did you see?" Jill asked her daughter still ignoring Patrick. At this point she was sure she would get more truth out of her drunk daughter.

"Well when they hung out at our house... before you came home." She was slurring "I saw Ellen in a broken shirt and they both looked VERY guilty." Jillians heart sank. She looked over at Chris and he had the same look she was sure was on her own face. Before she could ask anything else. Ellen spoke up.
"Please Tal, you were upset and didn't let us explain. I was just hanging out with your dad having wine. I spilled on my dress and the only thing that would fit me was an old shirt of your dads so i tied it around me and pair of old sweats. It was nothing more than that."
The room went quiet again but just for a moment.

Talulas voice raised as she seemed frustrated now and honestly Jill didn't know what to think. Was it a misunderstanding? Or just straight lie from Ellen?

"As Well maybe i can't prove that's what i saw! But dad did say he was in love with her!" Was the last thing Jill heard before her world stopped. She saw her other kids walk in as the words leaving her daughters mouth sank in.

Chris was a statue when he saw his oldest daugther walk in. What had he just heard? Had Patrick told Talula this for real?

***************
The room stopped for what seemed like minutes and Ellen made her way to stand next to Patty. A little behind him leaving space between them but close enough to let him know he wasn't alone.
The worst thing that could happen tonight, just happened. And even if it made everyone in the room more angry, she needed to stand by him right now. Because shit was about to go down.

The first to speak was Jillian. Well speak would be putting it lightly. "What the hell Patrick! did you tell our daugther that?! And don't you dare lie right now." But Patty was frozen and in shock.
"He did! Well i asked him because I had a feeling and his look gave me all I needed to know. After that he said it. And when I asked for how long he said Too long." Talula slurred out. If the room hadn't been so quiet half of what she said might have been lost, but everyone heard every single word.

Jillian, calmer than Ellen thought she would be, walked towards Patrick and stood right in front of him. Giving Ellen a glance before she spoke.
"Patrick look at me!" And he did.
"Answer this right here right now, in front of me and Ellen. Are you in love with her?"

The anger came when he didn't answer and she raised her voice. Then Patrick finally answered "Yes, i'm in love with her."

In that moment Ellen didn't know what to do. Say nothing and he would take all the blame. She couldn't do that to him. Confess that she loved him too? That would be even worse for everyone here. And she didn't know if she could even deny it after that.
She had fully expected Patrick to minimize it, but he laid it out there. She knew it was because he didn't want to keep up the lies. And he was willing to put it all on him in that moment. She knew that. Question was if she should let him?

All of the sudden her thoughts broke as she heard a sound. She looked in shock as she realised what it was. It was Jillian slapping Patrick.