Alexa and Kayson

Kayson nodded, leading the officers out with another small word of thanks before turning back to his wife.
"I..." he searched her face, not really wanting to leave her alone at the current time but guessing she just wanted to be left alone for a while and do something that required thinking, rather then just sit and cry her heart out.
He guessed she was in shock, due to the lack of tears and somewhat surprised tone.
"Okay..." he whispered finally, tugging her smaller body into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head "I'll be back as soon as I can..I wont tell them anything, we'll sit them down later and explain."
He didn't want to have to tell Lily, she was much to young to be dragged into the world of death. Sara too, but she had struggled with much worse things.
"Be careful..." he whispered kissing her gently once more before pulling away, heading out to get the girls.

“I will be,” she promised, watching as he left. She knew there was nothing they could do for Sally now, but she would make sure the horses were looked after now. It was hard though, she knew as she moved towards the stables, to face the idea that she would never talk to Sally again.

She moved into the stables, working to move the hay bales to a few of the stalls and got to work spreading the bedding. It was not long though before she heard a car pull into the drive way, and someone else calling her name. Leaving the stall, she headed out to the stable doors.

“In here,” she called. “Just setting a few stalls up.” Her voice broke though with nearly every word, she knew that she was not going to be able to hide the tears now. She was surprised though when she saw who got out of the truck. Kira.

Kira only looked at her for a second, before knowing what was wrong. “They told you?” her eyes as well were red, it was clear she'd been crying as well.

“bit hard not to, but let's get the horses settled,” Alexa replied. She had to be strong for Kira, she knew the younger girl looked up to her so much. There was no chance she was going to be weak there. “Why are you not at school?”

“Teacher only day at my school.”

“Ah.”

There were five horses in the horse van. “I'll do Seattles Grace,” Alexa said. “She trusts me.” It took a lot though to get the mare into her new stall. When the horses were all in though, Alexa moved into Prince's stall. The stallion snorted. Sitting in the straw, it was then the tears came out.

That was where Kayson found her, crying heavy sobs beside her beloved stallion.
Quietly, he entered the stall as well and wrapped her into his warm embrace, muttering small words of comfort though he knew it would do little.
Just let her cry it out, he told himself, she just lost her only parent...
He kissed away her pearly tears, rubbing up and down her back with his large hands.
"Come on Alexa...lets get you up to the house," he said finally, hearing the girls and Kira settling in the last of the horses while the two unknowing girls eyed all the horses that Sally had once owned. They still had no idea why they were here, but all to soon they would.
"Come on love," he murmured, scooping her arms up and heading towards the house, ignoring the girls confused and worried looks.
"Come to the house in an hour," he told them quietly, knowing Alexa just needed some space for a moment.

Reaching the house, he entered their bedroom and settled on the bed with her still on his lap and kissed away more of her tears.
"Come on love, it will be okay," he said softly "we'll get to the end of this...we'll be alright."
The words kept repeating, he no longer knew what he was saying, but he felt his heart break slightly at the sight of her tears. He hated it when she cried, he felt as if he had done something wrong to make her so. And, as much as he felt like breaking down as well at the current time, he knew he had to stay strong for her, for all of his family.
"We'll be alright love."

She knew the girls would be confused as to why she was upset, but there was no chance she was able to talk to them right now. What she had learnt from the police was not something she could get over quickly like other things really. She couldn't really explain anything like this at the moment. The thought really was too hard to bear at the moment. At least Kira would be able to keep the girls busy for an hour at least.

Finally though, she managed to calm down. The tears stopped, but she knew that she likely looked a mess, though she had every right to look that way at the moment. Her mind was completely a mess at the moment. “Kira knows. She was the one who found... her...” She knew that they had to tell the girls, but she could not yet. Not when she was still getting past this.

“I guess we better tell the girls. Sooner the better.” She was finally calm.

Kayson nodded along with her words, kissing her forehead gently with his full lips and looked down upon her with worry.
"Are you sure your okay? I can talk to them if you wish..." he offered, hating seeing her so upset. His green orbs were sad, searching her face for something. She was so strong and rarely had she ever cried, and he tried his best to keep it that way.
He rubbed her back gently, still having that gentle, caring look in place.
"I don't mind...did you want to stay here and rest?" he asked hopelessly, he had no idea what to do. He had lost both his parents and missed them both dearly, but he remembered when it had first happened...he had been a lot worse then Alexa was! And Sally had been there so much more then her own parents.
"We have to...organize the funeral as well," he said gently, resting his chin on the top of her head and sighed.
"And make an announcement to the stable hands...." he said and sighed "I'll do all that if you want...I'm taking a while off work so I can stay around and help."
Actually he had quit, but there was not need to tell her just that yet. He had wanted it to be a surprise, telling that he was going to be home more for her and for the family and pull his weight in the dream of their ranch.

“I'll deal with the stable hands, and I'll be there for the girls. Worst of its over for now, for me.”
She smiled at him.
She didn't want him to have to deal with this alone.
“Technically, the horses and things were already mine, we finished the paperwork... last Monday.”
All those legalities had been needed after all it seemed.
Though sooner than she had wanted it to be.
“Come on, lets go tell the girls.”
She smiled at him, before heading down the stairs and calling the girls names, "Lily? Sara?"

He smiled at her warmly, nodding as he kissed her one more time and helping her from his lap and onto her feet.
"Lets go then," he said gently, leading the way downstairs as Alexa called to the girls. Leading the way into the lounge room once more, he tugged Lily and Sara both onto his lap and kissed both their foreheads.
"Hello my beautiful girls," he said with a warm smile, as they both sat on his lap.
"Hello dad," Sara grinned, kissing his cheek and looked between Alexa and Kayson, frowning slightly. She knew something was up, she was smart and knew it was up. She was old enough to understand..but Lily. Kayson sighed, unsure how she would take it.
He looked to Alexa, allowing her to start. He would finish if need be.

"You probably wonder why all Sally's horses have been coming across here this morning. While Kira has gone to get a few more of them, I may as well tell you why." Quickly she explained that she was now the owner of Leons Riding Academy.

Then she sighed looking at the two girls. "We called you home from school for a reason. Earlier, we had a visit from a pair of police officers. It was not anything nice that they had to tell us." She paused, calming her own emotions. "They told us that Sally.. is dead... murdered by the looks of it."

Kayson patted her hand gently in comfort, kissing each of the girls heads as Alexa explained to them what had happened.
Sara's eyes filled with unshed tears, burrying her face into Kayson's chest before sobbing quietly against it, he soothed her blonde hair gently, whispering words of comfort as he had been doing only moments before, for Alexa.
"We'll be okay Sara..." he said gently and she looked up at him with red-ringed eyes.
'Who would do such a thing?" she whimpered, wiping her eyes and going to Alexa, hugging her tightly and crying once more into her tears.
Kayson watched, upset that he could not comfort her. She had been close to Sally, almost as close as Alexa, but not quiet. Alexa and Sally had been another level, something he had spent years trying to understand and never had.
He sent Alexa a small, sad smile and looked down to Lily, wondering if she understood.

“We don't know yet, Sara. She was only found a few hours ago. The police will let us know though,” Alexa said, hugging her oldest daughter. There were some things that were hard to explain, but she would do the best she could at the moment. “Now you both know why I was... crying when you got home.” She sighed, knowing it would have hurt for Sara to hear about it. “I wish it was not true myself, but this time, it seems that it is.”

Lily stared at her with wide eyes, unable to understand. “Sally... gone?” she asked. She didn't understand what 'dead' meant. “She come back?” when her mother shook her head though, she gasped, though somehow she did not cry. She had had the least to do with Sally.. she barely remembered her really. "Not fair..."

The older girl sobbed silently into her adoptive mother's chest, hugging her tightly until she slowly calmed herself down, nodding at Alexa's words.
They all knew that she was close to the older woman, they all were...but she was Alexa's mother by all but blood.

Kayson hugged his youngest daughter gently, knowing she most likely did not understand what was truly happening...only that Sally wasn't going to be around any more.

She sighed as hugged Sara. There were some things that would be hard for her kids to understand until they were a bit older. This was something she wished that she had not had to tell them, but they deserved to know.

"I wish I could hang around, but I guess I have to head over to the other stables and tell the other stable workers, what has happened. Not to mention let them know they still have their job, only not there, but over here."

After all, she was the one in control of Leons Riding Academy now. That was something no one would be able to say anything different about. The sooner she got it over with, the better, that she knew at least. People needed to know.

"It won't take me long."

"We'll come," Kayson and Sara said at the same time, sending each other a small smile and Kayson sighed, guessing Alexa wanted to do this alone.
"That is...if you want us..." he said gently, knowing there was much to be done here as well. They had suddenly gained a lot more horses, meaning things needed to be moved, cleaned, feed and most importantly, ordered.
Kayson and Sara could both do that easily, knowing the way it worked.

She smiled at at them both. “I would say you can come, but this is something I have to do myself. Plus all those new horses need seeing to.”

Looking at Kayson though she added. “Could you check on Angel and Prince? Their in the paddock near the breeding barn.” He'd know what she meant by that.

She hoped that the mare was pregnant by now, she was the one which she'd chosen for her new competition horse to come from. That was something she really needed to happen, soon.

“I'll be back very soon.” She smiled again and then headed out of the room. It didn't take her long to get downstairs and across to her own little car. Though she was surprised when she saw another car pulling into their driveway. Not one she'd seen in the last six years... and that meeting had not ended lightly either.

She watched as the car got closer. Though she did switch on her own car. When the other car's door opened, she knew that she could not go right now, though she had to.

“Hello Rayne,” she called, knowing that the girl had not really liked her.

Kayson smiled slightly and nodded.
'Will do," he said, grabbing Sara's hand and Lily's so they could get to work while Alexa went to the other barn.

Rayne pulled into the driveway nervously, brown locks tied back into a messy ponytail which brushed her shoulder blades. Hands white as they gripped tightly to the steer wheel, green orbs growing wide as they landed upon Alexa standing beside her car. A shaky breath escaped her, parking the car and stepped out onto the gravel with her sneakers and faced her step-mum.
"Hello Alexa," she said quietly.

Kayson stood on the front poach, matching green orbs landing on the daughter he had last seen 6 years before on his wedding night. She looked different...cleaner then he had last seen her when she had demanded money from him in a drugged rage.
She looked younger...more innocent then before.
He told Sara to take Lily inside and moved from the doorway, approaching the girls. This was only his blood child, and he had left her. He had thought she was dead, thats what he had been told. That his girlfriend and daughter had both died in the car crash.
"Rayne.." he whispered moving to stand beside his wife "what are you doing here?"

The head snapped around as Kayson approached, landing upon his tall figure.
"Hello dad..." she said softly, looking down at her feet and sighed.
"I want to know my family," she said in a small voice, peering up from under her falling fringe "I'm clean...I don't drink and I dumped my idiot boyfriend...I have no family other then you...and I'm trying to do right once more..."
Her ivy orbs filled with unshed tears and looked rather alone, standing their by herself and Kayson could not help but take her in his arms.
"Oh Rayne..." he murmured, kissing the top of her head and looked to Alexa "I'm glad you're back.."

The words that Rayne said were a little surprising for her, but she managed to hide that from her own face. It might have been the shock from the earlier events that morning that helped her to hide the surprise on her face, who knew really?

“At least some good can come from today,” Alexa said. “You're welcome to stay with us, Rayne.” She seemed to have forgiven the other girl, knowing that she never held things against others without forgiving them.

She managed a smile. “You decided to come at a good time. I was about to head out, but I would have been back soon.” There was no doubt on her mind that the girl in front of her had changed a little bit, how much though, they would soon find out.

She looked at Rayne for a few moments. “I guess you better meet your sisters then.” Turning her face towards the house she called, “Sara, Lily, come out here, would you?”

Lily was the first to immerse, she always seemed to be the quickest when the girls were called. Sara was sllightly slower.

Looking back to Rayne she smiled. “This is Lily, who is actually my daughter, and Sara, who we took on, not long before you met me.” She chuckled lightly. It was a big family now... three kids and the two of them. “If you'll excuse me, I have to go deal with some business.” there had been nothing but kindness in her voice the whole time.

Lily grinned up at the older girl. “Hi, I'm Lily!” She did look just as her mother had at her age.

Kayson nodded his thanks to Alexa, kissing her as she passed and went to the stables.
Stepping back and standing beside his daughter, he looked down upon Sara and Lily.
"Hello Lily," she said quietly, crouching down to her level and giving her a gentle hug and sending Sara a nevous smile "nice to meet you Sara."
She cleared her throat slightly as a voice pieced though the air.
"Mummy! Get me out!!"

Kayson blinked, looking around before finally landing upon Rayne's car and seeing the little girl sitting in her chair, rosy cheeks and bright green eyes. It seemed they ran in the family.
"Coming sweetie.." Rayne called back, looking to Kayson and searching his face for a moment before getting the little girl out of her seat.
"Dad...this is my daughter...Lanial," she said quietly, sitting the wriggling bundle on her hip and faced the girls and Kayson.
"Oh.." he said quietly, eyes softening at the sight of his granddaughter "how old is she?"
"3...her birthday's the day after tomorrow actually..."
"Okay.." he said then grinned, taking the little girl in his arms and studied her "hello Lainal...I'm Grandpa Kayson and this is your Auntie Sara and Auntie Lily."
The girl nodded, long black curls bouncing along her spine obviously never been cut by blade.
"Lets go inside...I think you have some explaining to do Rayna," he said and nodded to Sara "Sara, can you please check the horses...take Lily with you."

She sighed as she drove towards her old workplace. She could see that the ploice had left, but none of the other workers could get in, seeing as yellow police tape barred the driveway out near the road. She could see a few of them were trying to figure out what had happened, but they all turned around when she pulled up and got out of the car.

"Any idea what's going on, Alexa?" one of the others asked.

"I know exactly what's happened guys. I told earlier in the morning, pretty much the moment I woke up." She sighed. “Please don't interrupt me till I've finished telling you, it's not something that was easy for me to get my head around. Still isn't.”

She sighed as they soped talking at that comment. “The ploice came by my house earlier this morning, around 7am. They had news for me that i definately didn't like. Turns out... Sally was mudered overnight, Kira found her and reported it. I don't want you guys badgering her about it, alright?”

“Why you first though?” Maureen asked.

She sighed. “I took over from Sally two days ago. I am the owner of Leons Riding Academy now. Seeing as this was not my property, but was my business they came to tell me. We don't know who did it, but none of you have lost your jobs. You're all welcome to come back to my place and work, seeing as that is the new location.”

a few of the people nodded. I saw a few pale faced older students too looking on in horror at my words. “Leons Academy is not closing down, and it never will. Not while it still has someone to run the business.” That would never happen.


The car pulled into the driveway once more, a few others following behind. The others who had worked for Sally. They had a job to do, and Alexa knew she would not need to tell them what to do now. The others headed straight to the stables as she headed into the house. Moving towards where she could hear voices she smiled as she came in. “We got afew of the others wo...” she stopped spotting the little girl in the room. “Well, who's this?”

She smiled at the two others in the room, though soon she figured out who the little girl had to be. “You... have a daughter, Rayne?” She was surprised to say the least. It seemed that perhaps, Rayne had been through something similliar to her. Not something she had been expecting this time. There seemed to be too many surprises happening today.

There were too many things happening on one day. She had another unexpected family member? At least she was good with kids. That had to be a plus for her and for Rayne and the little girl in the room. This really was starting to become a very eventful day.

They were chatting quietly when Alexa entered the house, coming to a quick standstill and eyed the child sitting on Rayne's lap.
Kayson's fisted was clenched so tightly they his knuckles appeared white, but his tense body relaxed slightly as Alexa entered the room.
"Welcome home," he said and Rayne smiled sadly up at Alexa, nodding.
"This is my daughter...Lanial."
"Grandma Alex!" the little girl giggled, jumping from her mothers lap and flinging herself at Alexa, hugging her legs.

Kayson nodded to Sara and Lily as they entered the room, saying how the others had taken all the jobs so there wasn't really anything to do.
"Lily...Sara, can you take Lanial to play please?" he asked them and they nodded, taking the bubbly child upstairs to play.
"Alexa..sit...Rayne's explaining..."

Rayne sighed, closing her eyes.
"You met the father, that night 6 years ago...he did almost every drug in the book and more..." she whispered, eyes flooding once more with tears "he got me into them as well...and drinking...I thought I loved him..."
She broke off with a sob, blinking quickly to try and pull herself back together.
"We had been going out...4 months..I think..." she continued onwards, looking at Kayson "we still hadn't..done it....and he was impatient, so...he got me high and raped me..."
Arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if trying to hold her broken body together.
"I fell pregnant...he accused me of cheating and dumped me, 3 months pregnant and with nothing other then the clothes on my back to name..." she whispered "I couldn't kill her...I loved her already....and I was a mess, so I got myself right, I don't drink or do drugs...and I wanted to come here for help...but I was to scared you would push me away."
Kayson stood, folding his arms around her sobbing body and held her as he had Alexa a few hours before.
"Shh Ray..." he murmured "it will be okay...your safe now."
He looked up at Alexa with a sad smile, knowing she understood exactly what his daughter had gone though.
"Your staying here now...you can get a job on the farm and get back on your feet..." he told her and she nodded her thanks.

Her eyes widened at what had happened to her. She knew exactly what she was feeling like right now. Only in her case the one responsible was only a little worse than the one who'd done this to Rayne. “I know what you've been through, thanks to that idiot... I went through the same thing... 8 years ago. And like you, I ended up with a daughter as well. Lily would be that child. Only the person that caused me to be in that situation made it a lot worse... seeing as he was my father as well.”

She moved over to the other two, wrapping her arms around them both. “We're both here for you, Rayne. You'll always have us.” There was no doubt in her mind about that at the moment. She cared about the girl though she barely knew her. There were some things though that had to be dealt with, she knew. That included sorting out the stable hands that were outside now. She had to explain where things went and things.

That was going to be fun. “I don't mind if you help out in the stables as well. There's always work for someone down there.” She smiled slightly, though Kayson was likely the only one that saw her smile. There was no chance that she was going to turn Rayne away. Not this time, last time though was different, and he knew it. She had been thoroughly insulted by his daughter. But now, she had moved on, and she was sure that it was the right thing to do in this instance. There was nothing in her that showed the young woman she had been back then anymore.

Rayne pulled away from her father, hugging Alexa tightly.
"Thank you!" she breathed, hugging her tightly. She couldn't believe that she understood what she had been though, despite having it somewhat worse. She had thought that Lily was Kayson and Alexa's daughter, they both looked like her somewhat..but they weren't.
She smiled slightly, bobbing her head.
"I've always liked horses...I'm willing to learn," she offered as a squeal of laughed filled the room.
"Auntie Sara!"
Rayne smiled at her daughters giggles, clearly loving the little girl with all her heart.
"Thank you again...you have no idea how much this means to me," she breathed hugging them both again and gestured towards the door "did you want me to start now?"
Kayson quickly shook his head "no dear, you and Lanial stay here and settle down...we have more then enough hands today," he said gently and Rayne sighed, not wanting to do nothing when she was already suddenly appearing on them. But at Kayson's look, she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Okay then..." she said quietly and Kayson nodded.
"I'll be out in a second Alexa...I'll just show Rayne and Lani where they can stay," he said

“I have to go check on a few of the horses anyway.” She chuckled though when she heard Kayson's answer, giving him a reproving look. “If you want to come down and take a look around, you can, Rayne.” She knew Kayson wouldn't argue with her.

“Though I'm not going to let you do any work, I might see how well you can ride, if you've had any lessons that is.” Surely that was something Kayson could agree to. “You'll find me somewhere down there.”

With a short chuckle, she was heading upstairs though and getting changed into her normal clothes that she wore around the horses. Then she was outside, heading for the stables.

“Katherine, go take Danny Boy back into the field you brought him in from, he's meant to be running with Pippy Long Stockings at the moment. I want the two of them to breed, so they stay out there until they do!” she called, spotting the familiar brown Arabian stallion.

Katherine jumped and did as she was told. “Sorry. You know what Sally wanted us to do though... all the horses come in at night time.”

“Only the finer bred ones. The ones you all don't know will stay out there, they are fine overnight.”

She nodded. “I'll pass it on.”

“Thank you,” Alexa replied. A few things had to be sorted out as she moved away from the other girl, but they did not take long. She moved on, collecting what she needed for Prince.

She had the feeling that Rayne would have ridden before, but she would probably try her out on one of the older easier horses, just to be on the safe side.

Kayson nodded slightly to Alexa, leading Rayne to where the girls were playing and grinned down at his granddaughter and daughters.
His four girls...he loved the way it sounded.
"Come on Lani...come to grandpa," he said picking up the giggling child and sighed at how old he sounded, but he loved it.
He clambered up the stairs once more, heading onto the top floor were they had several spare rooms. They always had people staying over, and had more then enough room. Alexa and Kayson had planned on having more kids one day, so a large house was always wanted.

Opening the door with his free hand, it opened to a neutral white walled bedroom with a double bed in the center of it all. The window peered down over the white stoned arena, the stables slightly to the left.
"This can be your room Lani...Mummy's will be next door?" he looked at his daughter who nodded in surprise.
"Thank you..." she said and he smiled warmly.
"No problem..your's has a bathroom as well, I thought it best you have one and not Lani...don't want anything to happen now do we?" he asked blowing a raspberry on the girls belly before putting her down to explore her room.
"That one there dear," he said opening the door to a slightly larger room with a bathroom along the wall "I'll leave you to settle in..I better get to work before Alexa gets on me."
He chuckled pleasantly, heading down the stairs once more, only to pause when he found Sara and Lily talking.
"Come on you two, work still awaiting," he said.

Once out in the yard, he found Alexa with Prince.
"Hey," he said moving to stand beside her "thank you..."
He kissed her cheek gently, arm snaking around her waist as he did so. She would know what he meant.
"So...whatcha doing?"

"Being driven crazy by telling these guys where things go. They keep bringing in the wrong horses in for the night. Originally I was only planning on checking on these two." She looked over at Angel Eyes and Prince. "I think he might have covered her, but I'm not completely certain."

She laughed though, this was what her work was always like. A hectic place where things were just like chaos, only organised chaos. She smiled as the two horses came over. She gave both of them a baby carrot. "What do you think?" she asked Kayson. "He seems to have lost all his interest in her, though he had plenty yesterday."

She thought for a moment. "I might see what Rayne's like when it comes to riding, might use Starlight." She smiled. "He'd be a good horse for her."