innocent trouble (Andre)

[Andre Simpson]

This wasn't how he expected things to go. He definitely didn't think that they were going to end on cake. That was weird, wasn't it? He wasn't sure. He was uncertain about everything and so he just stood there, watching her. It wasn't until Natasha brought up a boy that his eyes narrowed. Oh, he knew how to react to that. Andre had been a teenage boy once. So, maybe he wasn't a straight one, but he had gone through the phase where he was interested in one thing and one thing only. And things like that wouldn't be so private. It took someone with no common sense to not figure out why a guy would be asking that. Well, or extreme naivety, which is what he thought was happening with her. "She left you with a boy? And this boy, did he try anything with you?" He asked, his voice low to keep somewhat calm. If someone tried to take advantage of her, he was going to kill them. Okay, so maybe not kill... But-- He was going to stick with that, because it sounded best.

And Megan... Megan sounded worse and worse. He was glad that she didn't want to hang out with her. There was no way in hell that he wanted her around her at all. Obviously she was a terrible influence. It wasn't his business what was going on with her. That was her own parents problem and Andre, frankly, wasn't going to be too concerned with it. He had enough to worry about, and right now Natasha was taking up all of his worries.

[Deleted]

Natasha cracked an egg open as he asked his question. She looked at him, confused. "He tried to do alot of things. He wanted to see-" she stopped short. Natasha wasn't stupid. She knew what she was about to say was going to make him angry. If she didn't think he'd be upset with what she had done last year, she would have told him. But as it was, she was indeed smart enough to not bring up the Girls Gone Wild video she had discussed with him.

But now, she was stopped in the middle of a sentence that needed to be finished. Looking through the pantry as if that was her reason for stopping mid-sentence, she grabbed the powdered sugar and turned back to her ingredients. "He wanted to see me perform. I sang a song from Wicked, but do you know how hard it is to dance on a train?" she giggled as she added milk to her eggs.

[Andre Simpson]

"Like what?" It wasn't what Andre wanted to hear but if she had given him a different answer, he wouldn't have believed her. He wasn't born yesterday and Andre had come across an array of people, 50 percent of whom would have done a lot worse to a naive girl. So, Andre didn't need to have an imagination and he didn't think the world was perfect. It wasn't perfect. Far from it. He stepped a little closer, eyeing her as he waited for more of an answer. It would probably be close to impossible to find some random guy that had been on a train. She shouldn't have been in that situation to begin with! When Andre worried about something happening to her, it didn't seem like it was actually a needless worry. It was very needed. His dark eyes narrowed, and when she said he wanted to see her perform he nearly scoffed. He was pretty damn sure that he didn't want to see her perform a broadway song. Again, not born yesterday. Not at all.

"Natasha, that's not all he wanted. No way in hell. Did anything happen? Anything?" He asked seriously, hoping she didn't take that and inform him that a lot happened or describe everything else that wasn't relevant. Anything was an open question, but the way he stressed it he hoped would get the point across. He didn't want to have to be blunt. Normally, he had no problem with it, but it was more difficult with his own daughter. After all she was his kid. How was he supposed to talk about that with her? Yeah, it wasn't necessarily his strong point, but it didn't deter him.

[Deleted]

At least they weren't talking about Jake. Talking about having been raped after she went to a club was something she avoided talking with Megan about. She would be changing the subject every two seconds if that was the subject. But Chad was not a touchy subject for her. She put the milk and eggs on to boil and looked back at her father.

"Alot happened, daddy. It was so much fun! I went over and talked to him, he told me his name, I gave him mine. Megan was being so silly and saying all the boys at school want her. Then Megan and Duke left and Chad said he wanted to get to know me better and started asking questions."

[Andre Simpson]

"No doubt," Andre mumbled under his breath. She didn't make Megan sound any better. It wasn't his position to judge, but he really didn't want Natasha influenced by the high school's ride. Of course all the boys wanted her. Easy access got high points in hormonal teenagers and even adult men. Andre wasn't naive about teenagers. They were like mini very irresponsible adults. He considered Natasha better than that. "You don't need to be like that, Natasha. Easy girls like that are bound to get themselves hurt over and over again." Of course people wanted them, but that was it. They were a toy to be used. Sure, he thought it was wrong, but it wasn't like he could do something to change the nature of things. Someone needed to step in with her and rectify what was happening. But, he didn't think it was Natasha's place to be around her. Someone needed to go whack her parents upside the head. "Natasha, princess, that's not what I mean." It bothered him that he had to be blunt, but he couldn't just run, hide and hope the situation went away and that Natasha would have some revelation on what he was trying to ask and go to him with an answer.

"Did he try to sleep with you? Or anything close to—and don't take that literally. I'm talking anything from kissing to—just everything. I know you aren't that naive. You know what I mean." Or so he hoped. She was seventeen. Of course she had to know what he was trying to get across and what he wanted to know about. It wasn't the most comfortable conversation, but he was her dad and he had every right to know, especially if something wasn't consensual. If it was just her and a boyfriend, Andre wouldn't even dare ask. That wasn't his business unless she had something she wanted to talk about. It was someone taking advantage of her that had him worried, and more than a little pissed off at whoever would.

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Natasha giggled and shook her head when he said she didn't need to be easy. Natasha knew what that was, and she was by no means a girl who slept around. Well, not when she could help it anyways. When it came to people who didn't want to take no for an answer, that was hard to do. "I know, daddy. That's what I told Jake." Even though they weren't even discussing Jake. But his comment reminded her that she told him that she didn't want to be easy.

Then he got more blunt, and her eyes widened. "Daddy!" she gasped. How could he ask her such personal questions? "You know I can't tell you that. I don't tell anyone my special secrets." That was what her parents had called it when she came home from school in fifth grade asking questions about the sex ed video. She had been referring to it ever since.

[Andre Simpson]

"Good," He didn't want to think that she thought she had to be under any circumstance. He wanted his daughter to be safe and to know that she had every right not to be pressured into anything and that being promiscuous wasn't necessary or the way to be. To know that she knew that mattered to him. He wasn't looking to dig in for details about her relationships. But, he cared and he didn't want her to think he didn't because he would be more comfortable keeping silent. Parenting didn't always involve comfort. Hell, it usually didn't. Her going on about how she couldn't tell him that though made him frown.

"This is different. If someone pressures you or makes you feel uncomfortable, or does anything you don't want them to do, then it's okay to tell. It's right to tell. Because, they're in the wrong." Andre explained. He hoped she understood it, not wanting to confuse her more or give her conflicting information. There was a big difference between intimate secrets between a couple and a big mangled secret of one person hurting another. He didn't want her to keep those things to herself. If they happened, he wanted to know. Needed to.

[Deleted]

Natasha added the chocolate and stirred it before putting it in the pan to bake it. She heard him talk about being pressured and she stopped. Her mind flickered back to the night she went on that silly walk with Jake...and how it ended up being more than just a walk. Shaking her head, she said "No, daddy. I didn't do anything with Chad that I didn't want to do." However, she didn't look at him. She couldn't, and she didn't even understand why.

It wasn't like she was lying. Natasha couldn't tell a lie. It was impossible with her. The few tomes she tried to lie, she opened her mouth and said "daddy?" and as soon as he looked at her, she started crying. She never even got the lie out let alone get away with anything. She had not lied. It was just that she didn't tell him everything her mind was thinking about it. Keeping something from her father wasn't the same as lying, was it?

[Andre Simpson]

Andre should have been comforted by the fact that she didn't do anything she didn't want to do with the guy on the train. Instead, he was left feeling like there was more. Whether it was to that story or something else, he couldn't decipher. He watched her, his brow furrowing quizzically—worriedly. It wasn't until she started to cry that he felt the fear settle over him. Something happened. There was no way in hell that she could be having that reaction if nothing happened at all. She wouldn't be crying. And immediately, Andre was at her side and pulled the girl into his arms. "Hey, it's okay," his voice had softened, not stern and not harsh. But, he didn't know if it was okay and that's what terrified him. He would do anything to protect her. Anything. And if something happened that he couldn't stop then he was going to go out of his way and find a way to fix it, even if that meant kicking the ass out of some punk.

"What happened? And don't tell me nothing. You can tell me anything, Natasha, anything." He reminded her. It didn't matter what it was. He would listen and he was never going to turn against her. Especially not if it happened to her. In that case, there would be other people that were on his hit list. He couldn't let her stay quiet after that. She might not have said anything at all, but he wasn't stupid and he knew his own kid. If he could have credit for anything, that would be it.

[Deleted]

Natasha looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes when he pulled her in his arms. He wanted to know what happened. Natasha knew that he could handle it. Her daddy could do anything. But Natasha didn't handle talking well. Not unless it was idle 'omigod!' chatter. So when he asked, she pulled away and set the pan in the oven. She kept her back to him as she managed to stop the water works.

"Have you tried one of Emma's chocolate strawberries, daddy? They're absolutely divine!" And there was the subject change. Natasha had done this with Megan, until she finally dropped the subject. She could do it again, she was sure. Opening the refrigerator door, she grabbed a strawberry and held it out to him, giving her performance smile. Even if she was tired or not feeling well, she could always wear that smile when she bowed.

[Andre Simpson]

She was changing the subject, which was a key signal that something did happen. Already he was pretty certain that it had, but the more she tried to get out of talking about it, the more worried he became. The second she pulled out the strawberry, he lifted his eyebrows at her, giving her an almost inquisitive look. Did she think that was going to work? Andre had a lot of patience. Maybe not consistently with his temper, but with other things, he could wait forever. "Natasha... Tell me what happened. Don't change the subject." He warned her, but he couldn't get angry at her for not telling, and he wasn't. He was worried, and scared for her. Worry was a constant theme, wasn't it? He couldn't help it! She was his princess!

"I can stay here all day, night and well into tomorrow if I have to until you tell me." He said, and while he hoped he didn't have to stand beside her for 24 hours until she gave in, he wasn't kidding around. "It's important, you can't keep it a secret." Part of him was afraid to even hear it. No one wanted to hear that their child was hurt. And he definitely wasn't alone in that. But, he waited, and was going to keep waiting until she said something.

[Deleted]

"You'd get awfully tired," she stated, but she did put the strawberry back. She left the kitchen and went over by the front door, looking out the window. She didn't want to have to look up at him. Not with what she was about to tell him. She found a bird to focus on in a nearby tree and sighed. Finally, she spoke.

"Have you heard of Tonic, daddy? It's a club downtown. I went dancing once. Apparently I look nineteen." She giggled at the thought, though she wished she hadn't gotten in now. Tonic was a place she would not be going to again. At least, not without someone she knew being with her.

[Andre Simpson]

"I've stayed up longer," he shrugged. Andre was used to functioning on very little sleep, although he didn't necessarily enjoy it, he could guarantee that she'd want to sleep before he started to. Sighing, he watched her and walked after her. He didn't mind that her eyes weren't on him. It wasn't a subject he thought would be easy to tell and he folded his arms habitually as he waited for her to say something. He didn't want to rush her. He let her know that he was going to be hearing about it soon, but she could take her time in getting around to it as long as she did and didn't mind his constant presence behind her. Finally, started up. Instinctively, he frowned when she said she passed for nineteen. But, he wasn't going to lecture her on that. The worst thing he could do right now was act like she was in trouble or that going there somehow entitled someone to hurt her.

"What happened in the club?" He asked gently, doing his best not to interrupt the story too much. The less he said, the better, he imagined. He was anxious, however. He wanted to hear what happened and he wanted to take down whatever bastard hurt her. Instead of showing that side of himself though, he kept composed, quiet, and attentive. It was the least he could do. He hated to see her struggle with anything, especially if it was sharing something with him. But, it'd help, he was sure.

[Deleted]

Natasha swallowed and looked down. "I was dancing with myself for a while. There were too many people drinking to want to dance with. Then I met him." Closing her eyes, she remembered everything about him. His smile, the look in his eyes...she could see it all again.

"He said he liked the way I dance. I didn't even know anyone was watching me. He took my hand and danced with me until I realized how late it had gotten. I didn't want to make Ben or Marco angry, so I told him that I had to go. He said he was going to walk me home. Only, he didn't take me home."

Jake had been a perfect gentleman. At least, until he got her in the house. Then he wasn't so nice. He was scary. Natasha would always be afraid of that face. It gave her nightmares. She just didn't want to admit it.

[Andre Simpson]

It had to be because he had a strong feeling as to where the story was headed that anger boiled beneath the surface, directed at the boy of the story. He couldn't just be an irrelevant part of the story. His stomach churned, afraid to hear how it ended, but at the same time understood how important it was to hear it. If he ever came across the punk that hurt her, he might as well sign his own death certificate. Now, Andre wasn't seriously the murderous type, although he knew how to throw his weight around and get what he wanted. To say he couldn't be intimidating was far from the truth, but his natural disposition wasn't that way. He was more laid-back, even in posture. Listening to Natasha's recollection, however, had every muscle in his body tense. He would want to pull the pain away from either of his daughters. If anything ever happened to them, he would want to change it. No one wanted to see their kid in pain (not unless they were some sick bastard, and then they weren't really parents at all).

"Where did he take you, princess?" He asked after a beat, taking a short breath. She was doing well and Andre was afraid to push her too much. He kept back slightly, keeping calm. Even if the story upset him, it wasn't Natasha that would know about it. He wanted to comfort her, to help her, and reacting with anger towards what happened wouldn't get that accomplished, not to mention he didn't want her to mistake it for anger at her or anything that she did. None of it was pointed at her, although he wished he could have warned her away from that long before it happened. But, he hadn't... It never crossed his mind that she would be hanging out in a club. But, Andre knew better than that technically. He knew that it didn't matter where she was, that there was always a risk. Always. The world sucked like that sometimes.