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may had her suspicions that something was up with jude but she boiled it down to jude maybe having a friend she didn’t want may to know about for whatever reason. may knew she’d prod at some point, making a mental note to ask jude after dinner but that all changed. elvis had organized a dinner with the entire family, him and meredith happily introducing their engagement which left may upset. she’d been waiting for elvis to snap out of whatever fever dream he was in regarding meredith and come back to reality but news of engagement freaked may out as she thought of meredith as a permanent part of her life. after dinner and everyone was settled in their rooms, riley would be able to hear that elvis was in may’s room and the two were bickering, with elvis sounding annoyed and may audibly upset. “but think about your children. that’s all you used to think about, now look at you. i don’t even recognize you!” may had screamed out, among many other things. “you know what? i don’t have to deal with this from you. i’m going,” elvis had said on his way out of the room, scoffing as he turned the corner and left. may quickly tried to calm herself down, knocking on jude’s room door. “hey jude,” may sniffed in. “i know i said we’d go out and find a dessert place but i’ve got a killer headache. we’ll do tomorrow, okay?”

riley heard the entire thing, the fighting on the other side of the door and truthfully, she was sure meredith enjoyed every second of it. this was her play all along and it was becoming more and more obvious to everyone but elvis and now it was getting worse and far more permanent, it seemed. looking up and out of concentration, riley couldn’t even pretended to be distressed. this was a situation and one that everyone would suffer from, now wasn’t the time to panic, but it's too big of a news to not tell jude, so with her phone in hand, and jude’s contact just on the screen, riley looked up, far more alert when may opened her door. “oh, that’s totally fine, we don’t have to go,” riley shook her head, and truthfully riley didn’t know what to say to may without giving herself away at this point. “i can’t believe this is happening, and elvis doesn’t have any idea about how this is hurting everyone? i know saying something must be done is easier said, but what can we do?”

“i wish i could tell you why she didn’t get remarried. i just stopped asking,” may sighed. mays sister had been peters mother which is the only reason she was connected at all to james, but she wasn’t close enough to him to ever even try to ask about what happened between him and fiona. “i’m not sure. i feel he misses her, sure. the idea of her, the idea of having love. whether or not he still loves her? well… it’s been a long time so i can’t tell you that,” may sighed. when jude reffered to her father by name, may raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. “yeah, go,” she said. may took a while and when jude didn’t come back, she went to go and find her after taking care of the bill. getting to the girls room, she pressed her ear against the door when she heard that she was talking to someone. she could hear the tone of her daughter, the same way she got excited and exclaimed, but with someone else’s voice. may swiped the extra key card she had through the hotel door, peaking her head into judes room. “What’s going on in here? who are you talking to?” 

riley had gotten so used to video calling, she found it convenient than holding a device to her ear, she didn’t like something so unfamiliar being so close to her face. riley had made her way to the room to avoid getting caught in the bathroom by may. “jude, i’ve got another story here and apparently, may and your dad thinks my mom cheated on him,” she paused, “i think they think i belong to james––she narrowed her eyes, james is like....white, i’m not white, i don’t look white, right? i always thought of james as a father figure, but to pin me on him? that’s a little far off, huh?” riley narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. “...why are there so many stories? that are so drastically different?” she wondered, “i guess i’ll call you back, just get more out of mom if you can, and i’ll update you on what’s happening here,” she notified, “but meredith is actually the worst..” riley remarked, noticing may coming in, card in hand, “...at arithmetics,” she tried to cover it up as quickly as she could, “it’s a friend from class,” riley pretended to hold her hand over the screen, unsure if may had seen her face already, “we’re talking partners for classes after break and who we hope they aren’––can i have a minute, i didn’t realise how long i was taking, i can be downstairs in two minutes..” 

“yeah, she plays quidditch. i haven’t really talked to fiona since the whole thing happened, you know? we see eachother because of peter or at events but i haven’t talked to her – but i’ve seen her daughter,” may nodded. “mmm… well there’s your father has some speculation as to who it might be – the dad i mean. but i don’t know,” may lied. she knew it was james but she really didn’t feel like dragging a child into an entire mess. “you know what, love? when i found out i was surprised. i mean your dad and i have been close for a long time so i was around fiona a lot too and i thought i had a good grasp on her personality. and she was just as in love as he was, i know that for sure. but like i said, some people just mistakes. they fall out of love and don’t know how to get out and things just slip up. i know she’s not a malicious woman. i’m a little disappointed, still, of course. but i don’t hate her. i guess everyone is capable of the worst if things go too far, you know? it’s just a shame – your father was never the same after her. i think he’s been looking for her in other people. i don’t know why he stuck to meredith like he did… maybe he wanted something the exact opposite.” 

there was only one man that stayed so consistently in fiona’s life and it was her ‘uncle.’ for the longest riley looked up to him as her own father and to anyone who didn’t know better, they could think james and fiona were together, especially after hearing their stories about they’d almost gotten married. plus, fiona did fall in love with james at some point, though she never shared that and allowed their friendship to proceed until those feelings slowly melted away after he’d gotten his wife. “if she wanted someone else, why didn’t she ever get married again?:” riley tried to put it together, but there were too many large gaps, but riley’s mind was made up, but all she needed was to call jude and give her this side of the story. riley wasn’t sure what else to ask without giving herself away, but that was easily melting away. “so you think he still loves her? he just regrets that it had to end that way..” she wondered. “...dad isn’t in his right mind when he’s with her, mom..” riley looked away from may, “something needs to be done about her, but everyone’s too scared to because they’re afraid they’ll hurt elvis too,” she mused, concentrated on her thoughts. “could i be excused, i’m gonna run to the bathroom,” she laughed nervously, her heart picking up it’s pace not with nerves, but with anger and she needed to talk to jude as soon as she could. 

“aw, man,” may frowned, caressing the back of her daughters hand reassuringly. though may wouldn’t explicitly say it, she knew her kids knew that she hated meredith and since the woman came around it put a strain on her relationship with elvis, but she still felt uncomfortable saying anything too negative about the father of her children, at least not in front of them. “i wish i could snap him back to how he’s always been, babe. i really don’t know what happened,” she frowned. “so what happened is fiona got pregnant and it didn’t belong to dad,” may said bluntly. “she’s a good person, people make mistakes, you know?” she reminded, not wanting jude to have a bad taste in her mouth about fiona. “and your dad was willing to kind of forget that move forward because he was so in love with her. he got a dna test and all of that but she wasn’t his and fiona just… wasn’t into him anymore, i guess. things happen, right?” 

riley’s expression changed immediately as soon as she heard that she wasn’t elvis’ child. there were two different stories at work and riley was sat quietly trying to decide which one was true. of course, he mother wouldn’t lie, but on the other hand, a small part of her held onto the hope and possibility that maybe elvis wasn’t her father “who would the baby have belonged to? do you know anything about the baby, where they are? did you lose contact with her too?” riley asked curiously. and it was admirable to hear that elvis was able to let it go, but his love wasn’t unconditional if he still wanted a paternity test and left. “whichever way that story goes, in the end he still left..” riley mused, “do you think fiona would do that? you knew her well enough, didn’t you?”

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sighing deeply, may was absolutely right and every attempt to talk to elvis was proof of that. but riley couldn’t help the how anxious she became, sucking in a slow breath as her heart picked up it’s pace. something about may was so comforting that riley began the attempt to calm her nerves.  “tell me everything you can, i had no idea they were even together and now i’m trying to put two and two together on why he’s meredith is who he choses,” riley furrowed her brows, “but yeah, mainly just curiosity..”

“you okay?” may asked, picking up on the anxious disposition but not knowing whether jude was just tired or if something was wrong. “oh honey, trust me. meredith of all people is not what i expected either. i know your father is an eccentric man but i never took him for a fool,” may sighed. “fiona and elvis got together a little after she left school…” may said, leaving out how early they got together because she didn’t think it was necessary to tell her school-aged daughter that fiona was just older than her. “i don’t remember the beginning stages too much, but they were together for a long time. and she was amazing. whenever i thought about what kind of person i wanted him to end up with… she was that but better, you know? sweet, charming, intelligent, but a little grit in her; she could put him in his place. very different from meredith. she doesn’t challenge him at all, he just follows everything she says like a blind puppy…” 

“i’m fine, i just don’t get it,” she shook her head, “i just wanted to spend some time with him and he blew me off,” she tried to play off the mild anxiety and took in deeper and subtle breaths to avoid anymore obsessive thoughts. a fool, that was the perfect word for what riley had witnessed, elvis, the filthy rich innovator was an absolute fool for a woman who didn’t have his best interest in mind. to hear the dynamic between her mother and elvis was so intriguing especially from another point of view. ”...so what happened?”

may looked to her daughter and felt like something was off but now that she heard about fiona, she figured that jude was off her rocker because she was so hyper-focused on this. “the first mistake you made was trying to ask your father anything while meredith is around,” may said. she’d made a promise to herself at one point to never bad mouth any of elvis’s partners but she’d gotten so fed up with meredith and elvis since they’d been together that she’d grown too bitter to be mature. “your dad is my best friend, yeah? of course i know,” may smiled at her, leaning forward, putting a hand on judes. “i’ll tell you what i can. what do you want to know? why they broke up?” may questioned. “i’ll strike you a deal, jude. i’ll tell you if you tell me why you want to know. just curiosity?” 

sighing deeply, may was absolutely right and every attempt to talk to elvis was proof of that. but riley couldn’t help the how anxious she became, sucking in a slow breath as her heart picked up it’s pace. something about may was so comforting that riley began the attempt to calm her nerves.  “tell me everything you can, i had no idea they were even together and now i’m trying to put two and two together on why he’s meredith is who he choses,” riley furrowed her brows, “but yeah, mainly just curiosity..”

“i’m not sorry on his behalf, i’m just sorry you have to go through it. unless it doesn’t bother you, in which case, more power to you,” jude smiled. “and that’s why i feel like something is off. i really love your mom, i don’t doubt that her truth is her truth but would you at least try to ask my dad?” jude questioned. “perfect. just make sure meredith isn’t around. literally… i mean i don’t know what you think about a grown man in your room but tell him you’re having a hard time sleeping and to hang out with you in your room before you sleep, i don’t know. i trust your process. just ask and if he bitches out, he bitches out and we know that maybe this whole thing isn’t worth it,” jude sighed. “oohh, it’s a thing? good for you, he’s really cute,” jude said with a coy smile. “okay… well you see the thing is i didn’t know where you two stood and i didn’t want to act into it because you’re the one that’s going to come back home and will have to deal with it. so i told him i was tired and that i wanted to talk again in person when i was fresh but… that’s your man, i’m not kissing him. what do you want me to do?”

“we’ll deal with that later. the objective is to find out mom’s story and you successfully did that and that’s a job very well done,” she nodded, “now i need to get on your dad and get his side of the story and i’m going to take your advice, definitely,” she nodded, “i’ve got a plan.” she held her hand up in thought. i’d been a while since she heard from joon and she was actually starting to really miss him. he’d been a part of her daily routine in one form or another and now she was spending days not hearing from him at all and it felt significantly empty. “oh god––thank you, and yeah, he’s alright, i suppose. well, you don’t have to kiss him,” she laughed softly, “ummm, you two can hang out, i don’t care, he’s not my boyfriend, like i said, it isn’t official, but he comes with a crazy ex and she likes to fight and i can’t be seen fighting, so the best thing to do is to avoid him for as long as you can. i’ll explain everything to him when i get home.” she took a breath, “so you like mom, huh?”

jude looked sadly at riley, feeling for her but she knew she didn’t know the whole of it. “i’m sorry,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear so it wasn’t in the way. “apparently he thinks you belong to james. and i don’t know… if you don’t want to talk about it right now or in general i get it but something doesn’t feel right. just in my heart, it feels off. my dad isn’t the best guy in the world but i can’t imagine him leaving a child like that, not without proof,” jude told her. “you’re with dad and i’m not, get him away from meredith, you know? try to find out what happened. be pushy, appeal to him in some way, i just want to know why he’d leave. for both of us,” jude said, feeling a bit desperate for an answer. “get him while he’s sleepy and be super cute. whatever you have to,” she sighed. “good news is… well i don’t know if it’s good news but your boy yoon-jae kind of pinned me against a wall. pinned you, kissed your neck, all of that. is that a thing? you into him?” 

“don’t be sorry,” riley sighed deeply, “at least we know the truth now, right? and i’m glad we finally got an answer about what happened with their relationship,” riley said keeping her tone even and calm, instead of acting out in a way she might’ve usually done. “you can believe what you want about your dad, but if my mom said that’s the story, i can’t imagine she didn’t give him proof––and james is white. like, white descended from white, so i––whatever, moving on,” she shook her head, “i’m already ahead of you, i’ll have answers for you by the end of the evening,” she blinked, looking towards her suitcase. “oh right, there’s good news,” she chuckled softly, almost forgetting there was a second part to their talk. she can’t describe the warmth that filled her chest, while she immediately put it out with a roll of her eyes and a soft shake of her head. “it’s a thing, not officially, we’re not allowed to be seen together, the irish team and the korean team, right now are like, mortal enemies..” she leaned back against the couch, “did you get weird? he’s harmless, i promise.”

“we never tolerated being around her. when she was around i used to go and lock myself in my room. not that dad really cared about that,” jude rolled her eyes. “that’s exactly my point!” jude said, excited because she knew exactly what riley meant. “i’m quicker to open my mouth, i give looks, i let her know i don’t want her in my space. teddy just minds his business and she still treats him like shit. that’s how i know she isn’t just a jerk, you know? she’s just evil,” jude sighed. “oh it might be a little too noticeable. if only you could just kill her forever. burry her in some napa crypt that no one has even heard about,” she laughed a bit sadistically. “dad will notice. he’ll notice before she’s gone,” she shrugged. “mmm… okay well… long story short i asked your mom. straight up: is elvis taylors my dad? i don’t know, i wanted to weasel it out of her but at the same time i didn’t want to leave without my answers. i don’t want to ask question that fit the descriptor of my dad, i wanted to know for a fact. and she said yes. my dad is yours. and he left. found out she was pregnant and skipped town.”

riley could understand the desperate need to avoid her, but for one, riley wasn’t going to let that woman scare her or intimidate her, she was going to come out of this with some sort of result. riley almost made a comment about being able to put a crypt together or just to bury her alive, but she didn’t want to go further with her dark ideas. riley closed her eyes, resting her head in her hand, part of her knew this was what was going to be said, but another part of her, thought there would be a chance this wouldn’t be how it turned out. there was a long pause upon hearing just how the story went with jude’s brutally quick recap. “...and the good news?”