Tainted Heart

After Hope left the bar Kelley decided they should leave too. She wanted to get a goodnight's sleep for her date with Hope. Even though Hope had not confirmed it was a date, Kelley really wanted it to be a date.

Kelley, Tobin and Alex took a cab. After dropping off the couple at their hotel Kelley took her phone out from her pocket and started typing. She took a minute, or five, before deciding if she should send the message.

Kelley: Hope you got home safe. Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow. Can't wait for my tour of the beautiful Seattle ;)

Hope: I did get home safe thank you! Excited now are we? Remember I can still be a psycho killer or something you sure you still up for it?

Kelley: Never been so sure of anything in my life ;) see you tomorrow ;)

Hope: It's a date ;)

"It's a date." Kelley said to herself smiling like an idiot. The cab driver was giving her a weird look but she could care less. She had a date, an actual date, with Hope tomorrow and she was happy as she could be. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to sleep due to the excitement she was feeling.

"OK lady we're here," the cab driver said again after Kelley had failed to hear him the first time. She gave him a smile and paid him.

"Thank you, have a great....morning?" Kelley said and the guy just shook his head and drove off. "Someone's in a bad mood."

Kelley walked up the drive to her brother's house and noticed he was sitting by the stairs near the front door.

"Hey what are you doing awake this late?" Kelley asked, "is everything OK? Have...have you been drinking again?" She scanned for any sign of a bottle of alcohol but there wasn't any in sight.

"No I haven't, I couldn't sleep so I decided to just wait out here for you." He smiled at Kelley. She went and sat next to her brother.

"What if I wouldn't have come home at all?" She teased him.

"Well you would have came home at some point Kell..." He put his arm around Kelley's shoulder.

"So you're telling me you would have waited out here until I got home?" She asked with a smile on her face knowing what her brother was gonna answer.

"Just like that time you went to your prom," he laughs, "remeber me waiting until your date dropped you off, and when he tried to kiss you I scared him off."

Kelley couldn't help but get a little emotional at that memory. Her brother had always been her rock. Sure, he was a little overly protective sometimes but Kelley had always felt safe when they were teenagers. He had kicked some guys ass one time for saying his sister was a bitch. That's all it had taken for him to launch himself at the guy and make him take it back and apologize.

"Yeah I do recall, that boy never, ever talked to me again.... It's ok though, wasn't really that interested in him anyways," Kelley smirks, "or any boy for that matter."

"You are a bitch, why did I ever defend you again?" Kelley gives him a fake hurt look.

"Because I'm your favorite sister and you love me." She says.

"I do love you, and about you being my favorite...just don't let it get back to Erin, it might hurt her feelings a little." He winks at her, "Come on party animal, let's go to bed." He helps Kelley up.

"I love you too. And for the record, you're my favorite brother." Before he opens the door to the house, he looks down at the shorter girl.

"I am your only brother you asshole," he says, finally opening the door, "but I'll take that."

They go in the house saying their good nights. Kelley was just glad she hadn't found her brother like last time. She was ready for him to be ok before the kids came back home. He wasn't just a great brother, he was also a great father. He had been to hell and back and Kelley just wanted to do whatever was in her power to help him.

While she was laying in bed she went back and read her text message exchange with Hope. Again she found herself smiling that smile that she was sure was only for Hope. She set her alarm for the next morning knowing she had a good long day ahead of her. She couldn't be more excited about it if it was possible.

The next morning Kelley woke up to a very annoying ringing from her phone. She tried reaching for it without looking but found nothing. She sat up in her bed looking for her phone only to see it in the ground very far from where she was. But then she remembered, Hope. She got out of bed quickly and went to pick up her phone from the floor. She noticed she had two missed calls from Alex and two text messages from both Alex and Tobin.

Alex: Kelley let's go grab breakfast? Tobin is dying from a hangover..she won't admit it but her face says otherwise.

Tobs: I am not hungover......but I do want waffles bro.

Kelleys laughed at her two best friends. They're complete dorks, however, they're her favorite dorks.

Kelley: Well good morning to you too... Sorry I'm meeting Hope today at the cafe where I work for our date remember ;);)

Alex: Omg!! So it's a date ;);););) call me afterwards I wanna hear all about it. Let's meet up Monday before we leave for portland though, i wanna see you before we go ok hun.

Kelley: I will for sure TTYL love you guys have fun :)

Kelley looked through her favorite playlist and pressed play. She grabbed all of the things she needed, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Before she did, she shot a quick good morning text to Hope.

Kelley: Good Morning ;) hope you're not feeling too bad this morning

She went on about getting ready, trying to decide what to wear. Once she was ready, she went downstairs where she was meet by the smell of coffee and her bother's wondering looks.

"You're up early for a Sunday squirrel," he said, "and very much ready to go out and about." Kelley blushed a little bit and smiled at her brother.

"I kinda, sorta have a date..." She said it in a way her brother almost didn't hear her.

"A date?" He questioned her and gave her a look. Not necessarily a bad one but a look that asked a lot of questions without him having to actually say anything.

"Yes a date... with the most interesting person I have meet in Seattle so far." She waited for her brother's reaction. Hoping he wouldn't freak out or something.

Especially with him being very protective over her when it came to girls she was dating. She had been heartbroken one too many times by girls that only used her for experimenting. Kelley was too good, she was the most loving person he had ever meet. She was the kind of person that believed in love at first sight. The kind that would give it all without thinking twice about it. She sometimes gave too much without receiving enough, and in his eyes she deserved the best. He didn't say anything, just stood there quiet, trying to process the news about his sister going on a date.

"Say something Jerry! Something that'll make me feel less nervous about it. I thought I was ready, but seeing that look on your face makes me think I'm moving on too soon...am I moving on too soon? I mean I just meet her but I know she's something special. I really like her, and I wanna see where this goes I..." Her brother hugged her and cut her off.

"Oh Kell, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to not be excited for you. I'm sorry for being an ass. I was just surprised after....well you know what happened with Sarah, I didn't think you'd be over it this soon to start dating again. I just don't want you to get hurt little sis, but I'm happy you're meeting people. Okay, I love you, and I just want the best for you." He kissed the top of her head.

"I know, I didn't think I was ready to be honest, but I really like this girl Jerry." She sat down on a chair while her brother poured a cup of coffee and pushed it towards her. "I've only known her for a few days but I can feel it, she's different and I just...I like her." She sipped on her coffee and gave her brother a sad smile "I just don't want to feel broken anymore."

"OK but let her know that if she hurts you in any way, I will break her." He said in a very serious tone, but you could see the smile in his eyes. Kelley chuckled at her overprotective brother.

"Remind me not to let you meet her, don't want you to scare her away you ass." Kelley quickly glanced at the clock before starting to prepare leave. "I got to go, don't want to be late for my date with my amazing girl." She winked at him and waved goodbye.

"Try not to embarrass yourself." He says.

"What's the fun in that? It wouldn't be a first date with me if I didn't!" She yells back half way out the door.

Kelley arrives at the cafe with 15 minutes to spare. She walks in and goes straight to where Tim is looking at her with a hint of smile in his lips.

"Look at you looking all hot on a Sunday." He says. Kelley rolls her eyes.

"I do look hot huh! That's what I was going for, I did good." She hugs him and he chuckles.

"Oh please, you must have been turning heads all the way here girl!"
Kelley smiles.

"There's only one head I wanna turn today my friend." She laughs at how stupid that just sounded.

"Don't tell me you have a date?" She smiles a little shy at him.

"I sure do and she's meeting me here in like..." She looks at the clock, "ten minutes."

"Oh my, lucky her. But why would you want to have a date in your workplace? I mean, don't get me wrong, this place is great for first dates, but you could do better." She rolls her eyes at him.

"We're only meeting here and I'm not even exactly sure what we're doing after she gets here," she smiles, "She's supposed to show me the city today."

It was ten past eleven and Kelley wasn't smiling anymore. After talking to Tim a little more she had sat down at a table facing the door so she could see when Hope came in.

'It's only ten minutes' she thought to herself. Only those ten minutes became twenty minutes, and Kelley was about to freak out. Of course she had gotten her hopes up and now she was being played again. She got her phone out of her pocket trying to decide if she should call, but then maybe this was Hope's way of getting out of the date with her. She convinced herself that she would only wait ten more minutes.

"Kell? Babe...you ok?" Tim asked Kelley carefully.

"Oh... I uh yeah, I'm fine. Yeah, I uh...she must have a really good explanation for not showing up." Kelley said, trying to convince herself more than anything.

"Her loss, you deserve better babe." He said to her. Kelley got up and grabbed her phone from the table.

"I'm gonna go now, I uh...I'll see you Monday, ok?" She gave him a weak smile and headed for the door. Instead of taking a cab, she decided to just take a walk back home.

When she was about to turn the corner she heard her name. She ignored it, her mind was playing tricks on her but then she heard it again.

"Kelley wait... Kelley!"

Kelley turned around and brown hazel eyes meet icy blue eyes.

"Please...let me explain...I...I'm so so...sooo sorry!" Hope said between breaths. She looked exhausted, like she had been running for several blocks. Kelley didn't know what to say. She wanted to just turn around and leave, but Hope had this pull on her that just wasn't allowing her to do that.

"You've got 10 minutes explain." Kelley said with a unimpressed look on her face. Hope had never seen Kelley like this. She was disappointed, sad and looked a little angry too. That smile she would always have when seeing her wasn't there, and for a good reason, she added as an afterthought. But she wasn't about to waste her ten minutes thinking. And she definitely wasn't about to lose this date with Kelley. She would get Kelley to forgive her if it was the last thing she did.