Rain (Finished)

Aerielle tried to keep the tears from falling as she looked back into Cameron's big blue eyes. "I'm so sorry....Cam...I can't do this. I...I don't know who I am. I can't let this baggage bring you down. Please," her voice broke. "Please understand me, I have to do this."1

Cameron was close to tears himself. "Aeri....please don't leave. If you need space, you can have it. Please just don't go!"2

Tears were streaming down her face as she swallowed hard. "I have to. I can't stay...I just can't. I have to do this, darling, I have to do this." Suddenly the intercom broke over the slience around them. "I have to go now."3

"Would you at least tell me why you have to go?"4

"I can't do that Cameron."5

"Are you coming back?"6

"I...I don't know. Cameron, I have to go n-now." Aerielle choked out.7

With tears streaming down his face, Cameron pulled Aerielle into an embrace and kissed her one last time before letting her board the plane. Aerielle took one last look back as she entered the tunnel. Cameron was standing there, a bittersweet smile on a face streaked with tears.8

"Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. All the world is waiting for the sun..."9

Aerielle took her seat on the plane. She had been living a lie. It wasn't fair to Cameron. She had to return to where it all started. She had to return to her past and the child she left behind. 10

.........11

She had not always been Aerielle Fontaine. She had been born Lucy Archfield in Chowchilla California. She had not had an easy life. Her father and mother were both drug addicts and therefore in jail most of the time. Lucy bounced from foster home to her parents to foster home her entire life. Lucy had even become messed up in drugs herself.12

When she turned 18, she moved in with her boyfriend Zander Colt after having a huge fight with her parents. Life with 23 year old Zander was not much better than home. Zander was often drunk and he beat her often. Three months later Lucy got an unexpected surprise.13

"You're pregnant." the doctor at the help clinic said calmly.14

"WHAT!?" Lucy shrieked. "You're lying...I am not pregnant. I can't be pregnant. I don't believe you." 15

"Like it or not Miss Archfield, you are carrying another life. You are going to need to step up and take responsibility for this child."16

"No...no this can't be...this can't be. It's not true!" Lucy punched the examination table with her hand and ran out of the clinic. She decided against telling Zander for awhile, but she was soon showing. Zander did not take it well.17

"You mean you're pregnant?" He asked with a scowl on his face.18

"Yes..." Lucy said slowly.19

"Get out."20

"What?"21

"You heard me, bitch. I don't need no kid bringin me down. You ain't no use to me anymore. Get out!" Zander pulled her off of the couch and shoved her towards the door. He took a swig of Vodka.22

"Zander please! Please don't do this...I love you!" Lucy pleaded with him.23

"I SAID GET OUT!!!!" He yelled and shoved her out the door. Lucy ran down the street, tears streaming down her face. She went down to a home for women where she stayed for the remainder of her pregnancy. Lucy got a job. She was determined to leave this life of drugs and pain behind her. The night the baby was born, Lucy left a note at her room in the hospital and snuck out. She wanted no trace of her old life, so she left her newborn baby boy behind.24

When Lucy arrived in Boston, she changed her name to Aerielle Fontaine and got a job as a waitress in a small Italian restaurant. She was pretty enough with her blonde hair and green eyes. Aerielle was one of the more highly tipped waitresses at the restaurant, especially by one guy who came in at noon every Thursday. His name was Cameron James and he was incredibly handsome with his black hair, big blue eyes and athletic figure. Aerielle couldn't help but wish she could be with him. She felt so alone, so useless. Five months into working there, things changed pace.25

"Waitress, could I get a refill on my coffee please?" Cameron aksed with a smile.26

Aerielle's heart stopped everytime she saw his smile. Gosh he was so cute! She smiled politely and said, "Coming right up!" She went to grab the pitcher of coffee sitting on the counter and made her way back to the table. Carefully, she poured the dark liquid into Cameron's cup. She smiled again when it was full and turned to leave, but Cameron caught her arm.27

"Aerielle, right? Please sit down." Cameron smiled. She blushed slightly, but sat down in the seat across from Cameron. "I can't help but notice your beautiful smile and your beautiful eyes every time I walk in here. Please allow me to take you out sometime, maybe tomorrow night at eight? I know this great place we could go to."28

Aerielle blushed again. "That...that would be great!" she smiled. "I really should be getting back to work." She stood to leave the table when Cameron caught her arm again.29

"I don't know where you live."30

Aerielle took out her order pad, wrote her adress down and handed it to Cameron. "Don't stand me up, now." 31

"I won't," he smiled as she left to attend to other customers.32

Friday rolled around, and Aerielle was busy getting ready for the date. "Does this look good?" Aerielle asked her roomate Francesca Bona.33

Fancesca looked up from the latest Glamour magazine. "Hmm, I think I like the red dress better. Grey is so drab."34

"Alrighty then." Aerielle rushed back to her room and put on her red strapless tea length dress. It was almost eight o clock when the knock came on the door. 35

"I'll get it." Francesca said. Aerielle could hear Cameron's voice from the bedroom. Quickly, Aerielle applied the finishing touches to her make-up, grabbed her black clutch and met Cameron in the living room.36

"Ready to go?" Cameron smiled as he asked. Man did he look good tonight. He was wearing a nice collared blue shirt that matched his eyes perfectly and black slacks. Aerielle nearly lost her breath. Cameron nearly lost his own breath when he saw Aerielle all dolled up. Cameron held out his arm and motioned with his head towards the door. Aerielle smiled and took his arm.37

The night was perfect. Aerielle felt safe again with a guy by her side. Cameron was fun loving and spontaneous. Aerielle was falling for him fast. At the end of the date, Cameron walked Aerielle back to her door.38

"I hope you had as much fun as I had tonight." He smiled slowly.39

"Oh Cameron, it was absolutley amazing. We'll have to do it again soon." Aerielle smiled and reached for the doorknob. Cameron caught her arm, pulled her close and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, he smiled again and walked down the hall. Aerielle stood outside the door trying to catch her breath.40

Cameron and Aerielle continued to see each other. Things were going great,except for the fact that Cameron was so curious about her past and her parents. Aerielle knew that she could not let Cameron know what she had done, who she had been. So she lied to him saying that her parents were dead and that she had lived in the midwest most of her life before coming to Boston.41

This worked for awhile, but soon it began eating away at her. Cameron was so loving to her. He told her everything, he called her often just to say he loved her. Aerielle knew that she did not deserve how good Cameron was to her, but at the same time she did not want to lose him. She kept her past quiet.42

That is, until her past came back to bite her.43

Aerielle arrived for work on a cold December Thursday. She was moving towards the kitchen when she felt a tap on her shoulder.44

"Lucy?"45

Aerielle whirled around. It was Zander.46

"It's been a long time, Lucy." Zander smiled coldy when Aerielle finally recognized him.47

"I don't know what you are talking about...my name is Aerielle." she floundered. "Excuse me, I have a job to do."48

Zander went at sat back at his table, watching Aerielle while she worked. This unnerved her. She was glad when Cameron finally came in and surprised her with a dozen roses. "I couldn't resist, my darling," Cameron said as he kissed her gently.49

"Cameron...I...this is so sweet!" Aerielle wrapped Cameron in a hug, but her eyes were on Zander. Why was Zander here? How did he find her?50

Aerielle got back to her job. Soon both Zander and Cameron were gone, and she breathed a little easier. Still she worried about why Zander was in Boston in the first place. Had he come to find her? She never had told anyone where she was going. Aerielle shuddered. Cameron could not find out about Zander. Hopefully Zander would not be here for long and she could just forget about it.51

But Zander did not leave. Zander began showing up every day at some point during Aerielle's shift. This did not stop for two weeks. After three weeks, Zander was waiting outside the door after Aerielle's shift. Aerielle pushed past him and headed off down the street.52

"Aren't you going to say hello to me Lucy?" Zander asked with cruelty in his voice.53

Aerielle kept walking.54

"Does he know that you were a stoner? Does he know that you abandoned your own son?" 55

Aerielle whirled around. "What is your problem? What are you doing here?"56

Zander walked towards her. "I just came up here to meet my new girl I met on the internet. Seeing you again was a plus. I got to meet my new girl, and now I am going to destroy your life the way you destroyed mine."57

"Wait, what?" Aerielle shot a dirty look at Zander. "Excuse me, Zander, but you were the one who kicked me out after I found out I was pregnant. You beat me every single night we were together because you were so drunk. Am I missing anything? All I ever did was love you!"58

Zander scowled. "You told the doctors that I was the father. I had to deal with that stupid kid after you left because no one knew where you were."59

"And where is he now Zander? I don't see him with you."60

"He's living with your parents." Zander said matter of factly. "Does that guy know about your past? I bet he knows nothing does he? I bet you made him think that you were some sweet, innocent girl. He doesn't know the truth."61

"And he won't ever find out, Zander. It would kill him." Aerielle said fighting back tears. 62

"Oh he'll find out. He will find out and he will leave you because he will see the true bitch you really are. What man wants a girl who would abandon her child?" Zander smiled coldly and walked away.63

Aerielle went to Church with Cameron that Sunday. She felt horrible. Zander was right. What man would want a girl who had abandoned her child without a second thought? She didn't deserve Cameron. She had been dishonest to him in the worst way possible. Aerielle had to go back and make things right again with her family. She had to own up for the mistakes in her past.64

When Aerielle got home, she booked a flight for California and arranged for a rental to get her to her parents home. She began packing everything she had.65

"Aeri, what are you doing?" It was Francesca.66

"I'm going to California."67

"Why would you do that? Why are you crying? Tell me what's wrong!"68

Aerielle spilled the whole story to Francesca. Drugs, abandoned child, everything. "You can't tell Cameron that I am leaving. You can't tell him anything. It's better off if he knows nothing, ok? Here is the address of where I will be. I don't know how long I am going to have to be there. I'll be back as soon as I can."69

"Aeri, you really should tell Cameron." Francesca said while drying tears of her own.70

"I can't do that. I just cannot do that to him." Aerielle sighed, trying to keep control of her emotions. "I have to go now." She picked up her bags and made her way down to the street. Just as she was loading her bags into the cab, Cameron came walking down the street.71

"Aeri! What's with the bags?" Cameron asked with a confused smile on his face. Aerielle looked up with tears in her eyes. "Aeri...what's going on?"72

Aerielle just got in the cab and left.73

"Aerielle! Don't go!" Cameron ran out into the middle of the street after the Taxi. He knew it was no use, and hailed a taxi of his own. "To the airport!"74

.............75

Aerielle got off the plane with her eyes red from crying nearly the whole flight from Denver. Not to mention that she had cried the three hour layover in Denver. She made her way over to baggage claim and got her bags. She was nervous about seeing her parents again, and seeing her son. Slowly she made her way to the rental car area.76

"Aeri."77

Aerielle whirled around to find Cameron staring her in the face. "Cam? How did you....what are you..." She couldn't finish.78

"I went back and talked to Francesca. She told me everything, everything including your past. I booked the first direct flight I could find. Aeri, why didn't you tell me?"79

"I didn't want to hurt you."80

"Aeri, did you think I wouldn't love you anymore? I don't care about your past. Well, ok I do a little bit. Your past is part of who you are Aeri. You made some mistakes. Who among us hasn't? Aeri, I love you and I am going to do this with you."81

Aerielle cried again, this time tears of joy. Cameron took Aerielle in his arms and kissed her. When he was done, Cameron smiled at Aerielle. "Shall we?" he said, smiling and holding out his arm. She took it. Both were ready to face the past and the future. Together.