Triton's Bay

Who is She?

Another chapter! Remember to download, comment, and/or follow if you're enjoying this!

Usual disclaimer, Descendants belongs to Disney, this story came from KellyGirl46

Chapter 3

He felt her eyes on him almost immediately. He saw the small form peek around the wall. Jay looked up and felt his heart rip apart. Had Lonnie moved on? He nudged her and nodded in the direction of the little one who was tentatively walking into the room towards them.

Lonnie sat up fast and pulled away from Jay as soon as she saw the little girl. Quickly, Lonnie wiped the tears off her cheeks. She felt a wave of panic hit her. She hadn't had a chance to break the news to him yet. She tried to sound calm, but her voice trembled. "Hey, baby. It's too early for you to be up."

Jay looked back and forth between Lonnie and the little girl. The girl was wearing his shirt. His shirt? Jay could feel his heart begin to pound in his chest. That was one of his old shirts. He knew that cobra anywhere. Lonnie used to sleep in it. Jay frowned as he closely watched Lonnie and the little girl. He could easily see the resemblance between Lonnie and the child, but there was something else there, too. Something more familiar about her.

The girl walked over and poked Jay in the chest with her tiny finger. "What's your name?" Her innocent eyes searched his face as if she should know him.

He knew those eyes. Her face looked so much like Lonnie's, but her eyes. Jay had seen those eyes before, but he couldn't place where. Jay tried to determine her age. She was small but talked fairly well. He had to guess three. That would have meant... Jay counted the months backwards. Had Lonnie really moved on to someone else that fast? She said she loved him and wanted to be with him. How could she have just had a kid with someone else so quickly?

Jay swallowed hard and studied the little one as he answered. "Jay." He said softly and gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. This was not what he expected to find.

"That's like mine! My name is Jaylian. Mama said she named me after my addy and my Uncle Sian." The girl said happily as she went to the coffee table and grabbed the photo Lonnie had been looking at earlier.

"Jaylian, no! Wait!" Lonnie started, but it was too late. Jay was staring down at an old picture of the two of them. It was from before everything happened. Before the fights and before he left, hoping that one day she would call.

"See that's my daddy. You kinda look like him, but older." Jaylian said softly as she touched Jay's face and hair. Jay turned slowly to look at Lonnie and froze. She could see him putting it together very quickly.

Five Years Ago

She watched Jay finish packing up his things. It wasn't supposed to end this way. The whole thing was supposed to be a happy ending. Lonnie sat on the bed and hugged the old t-shirt of Jay's that she sleeps in, tears silently slipping down her face. She didn't want to let it go.

"I guess you should have this one, too." Lonnie slowly held out the shirt.

Jay looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "Lonnie, you're acting like this is forever. As soon as you're packed, I'll come to get you."

He didn't understand. She loved Triton's Bay. This was where she wanted to be. She had finally convinced the headmaster to let her teach swordplay as a physical education component to the grade seven and eight students. She was finally going to do what she loves.

Lonnie had taken up a part-time job as an assistant librarian at the same school. It had taken her months to realize that even with both of them working, things were not going so well for Jay. He had put on a good act, but Lonnie knew Jay wanted more for her. Jay just didn't understand that she doesn't need material things to make her happy. All she needed was him.

That was a regular subject of arguments for them. Lonnie thought that if she flipped her schedule around and worked full time while studying part-time, she could take some of the pressure off of Jay. So, she pushed for another position at the school. She finally had it, but when she came home to tell Jay her exciting news, he was already packing up. She never got the chance to tell Jay about her news. All he could think about was going back to Auradon and starting his new job. She never got a word out.

Lonnie felt that going back to Auradon was like taking a step back in time. Lonnie had thought that this move to Triton's Bay was the beginning of the next chapter of their lives together. The three years they were there together had been tough, but so worthwhile. She never dreamed that Jay would be so miserable there.

"Jay, we have this place. We're committed until fall. You and I both have jobs. We have a life here." Lonnie felt her stomach roll again.

Her face paled and Jay frowned. It was not normal for Lonnie to be sick, and this would be the third time today that Lonnie was throwing up. Lonnie jumped off the bed and ran to their en suite bathroom. Jay dropped his things and followed right behind her.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked. His concern grew each time she raced to the bathroom. You can't stress over this the way you are, Lon. We're together. I love you. Distance will only be temporary. Once everything is wrapped up here, you'll move back to me."

Lonnie leaned back against the counter next to the toilet and looked up at Jay. "I'm so proud of you for getting this, I really am, but this is my home. Our home. I can't just leave." She felt the next wave of nausea hit and threw up again.

Jay ran a washcloth under cold water after Lonnie rinsed out her mouth for the third time that day, and he helped her back to the bed. Lonnie laid down and curled into a ball as Jay placed the cloth across her forehead. She felt horrible. All week, she had been throwing up constantly. By mid-afternoon, she was famished, and by the time five pm rolled around, she was ready for bed. It was so unlike her. Maybe it was time to see the doctor...

Present

First, the realization hit. Then shock. Then anger. And then, something she did not expect. Sadness. Lonnie took the picture out of Jaylian's hands and nudged her back down the hall. Lonnie could see the questions coming fast and wanted to move her daughter out of the room and out of Jay's line of fire. "Back to sleep, sweety. Just a little bit longer, please. Mama has to talk to Jay a little, okay?"

Jaylian frowned at her mother but did as she was told and went back to her room.

Lonnie slowly walked back to the living room, afraid of what was going to happen next. She sat in the leather chair across from Jay, her eyes never leaving his face as she waited for him to process it. Jay leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together in front of his mouth, staring at the photo on the table.

"How old is she?" Jay already figured out the answer but asked anyway.

"Jay..." Lonnie whispered. She couldn't say anything else.

Jay's hands tensed. "How old, Lonnie?" His voice got louder, harder.

"Four," Lonnie whispered. "Almost five."

Jay's eyes darted up to hers. He left just over five and a half years ago. Jaylian was four, almost five. He never doubted Lonnie's faithfulness to him. That left only one option. Jay rubbed his face with both hands. He looked around the room, then back to Lonnie and the tears in her eyes. At that moment, Jay became certain of the truth and felt his world go spinning in a way he never could have imagined.

Another Chapter! I'm thinking of coming up with chapter names, what do y'all think of that?