Yours to Hold

9 - Lillith

No, I thought. No, no, no! Why did she have to show up now? Why now? I found myself backing away from the woman who claimed to be my mother, wanting to get away. I felt Andrew's hands touch my shoulders, and I turned to him to find him glaring daggers at the woman before us.

"Look, Miss. I don't know what you're trying to pull. But my friend here had a mother who abandoned her and told her that she didn't want her." he hissed, his voice dripping with venom. How did he become so protective of me?

The woman sighed deeply, her gaze still soft and wet with tears. "That was 10 years ago... Lillith, I've changed. I want us to start over. I want us to be a family again. Please..." she reached her hand out to touch my face, but I side slapped it away from me.

"Star over...? Start over?! Why did you abandon me in the first place?! You even said that you didn't want me! Why the change of mind now?!" I shouted, demanding an answer that actually made sense.

The woman staggered as if slapped across the face just now. She looked hurt, but frankly, I could care less. She left me, and now she wants me back? I don't think so.

"Lillith... Please, let me explain." she began, but I cut her off with the palm of my hand facing directly towards her.

"I don't want to hear any excuse you have. I don't need nor want to deal with this. I'm going home." I hissed, grabbing Andrew's hand and stormed out of there as fast as I could, leaving the woman dumbstruck and just stood there.

Andrew seemed surprised by the way I stood up to the woman. I gave him a half-hearted smile, trying to shake off the feeling of what had just happened.

"Now's not the time to be impressed," I told him. "I have to go home and talk to Cain. He deserves to know what happened."

Andrew climbed into the passenger seat of my car as I followed suit into the driver's side, starting the car in an instant. He watched me, eyes filled with concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked, placing a hand on mine. I turned to him, gripping his hand gently, trying to stop the shaking that was about to occur.

"Honestly, no. I'm not okay. But I will be once we get this mess figured out." I told him, letting go of his hand to grip the steering wheel and started to drive back to Worthing. I had to warn Cain that she had come back, and fast.

------

"What?!" Cain shouted, causing me to flinch at the sound of his tone. He was mad, I observed. Beyond pissed off.

"How in the hell can she think that she can waltz back here to take you back? Not on my watch!" I heard him say as he ran down the stairs. The door bell had rung then, and he immediately answered to find my mother standing there. Andrew was standing by my side then, gripping my hand gently as if trying to reassure me of what was about to happen.

"What are you doing here?" Cain hissed, letting her in without thinking. Despite being angry with her, he still let her come in. She was a guest in his house, and he was just being a gentleman like always. But unlike all the other people he knew, she was not wanted nor welcome here. It was evident in his eyes.

"I came to pick up Lillith and pack her things." she stated, as if she was given permission to take me away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" I shouted, catching both their attention as I snarled at the woman, gripping Andrew's hand and not wanting to let go.

She sighed and walked up the stairs, which caused Andrew to go into protective mode and stood in front of me to block her away. She glared at him, silently asking him to move aside. He refused, I noticed, as he remained stiff and unmoving.

"She's not going anywhere. She's staying here." He spoke, his voice sharp and filled with hatred.

"I'm afraid that she has no choice but to come with me. She's not old enough to make her own decisions as of yet." she spoke. That really hit a nerve, as I stormed to her and slapped her across the face, catching her by surprise.

"Not old enough?! In case you forgot, I'm 18, dammit! I am very capable of making my own decisions. And I choose to stay with Officer Cain. He's loved me like I was his own daughter! You, on the other hand, are a poor excuse for a mother! Cain will be twice the parent you will ever be!" I shouted.

This seemed to set her off, as she suddenly grabbed me by the hair and I cried in pain. Andrew rushed over to get her off me, but Cain beat him to it, grabbing the woman by the arms and held her hands behind her back.

"Listen here. You gave custody of her to me, remember? She is part of my family now. If you got a problem with it, you better get a good lawyer and take this to court." he hissed, making her frozen stiff and I watched with teary eyes as Andrew blocked me away from the woman.

She snarled and yanked away from Officer Cain, fixing her now messed up hair and glared at the three of us. Without a word, she stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her. It was quiet for a while, until I burst into sobs and clung to the man's chest, grateful that he had stood up for me the way he did.

"Thank you...." I whimpered into his chest, feeling his strong arms wrap around me protectively and stroked my hair gently.

I turned around to face Andrew, who was smiling at me in a tender manner that I had never seen before.

------

I was in my room for a while after that, needing to think and pull myself together. If it weren't for both Andrew and Cain, I would've been taken away for good. A knock on my door was heard, and I lifted my head to see Andrew walk in.

"Hey..." I greeted weakly, giving him a smile as he returned it with one of his own.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" he asked, sitting beside me on the edge of my bed.

"I'm feeling a little better... Still in shock, but I'm okay." I replied, looking down at the floor as I blushed at the sight of him still staring at me.

"I have a question." I spoke after a few moments of silence. He looked at me with a questioning look in his eyes, tilting his head to one side.

"Shoot."

"Why did you stand up for me like that...? When she tried to take me away, you stopped her. You even tried to get her off me... Why?" I asked, feeling ridiculous asking such a thing.

It was quiet, and I felt anxious on why he wasn't saying anything. Then I felt his fingers grip my chin gently and turned my head to face him, his face very close to mine. My heart began to race then, my face heating up like an inferno.

"Andrew...?" I whispered, only for my eyes to widen at his lips pressing themselves against my own.