On the way home

Joshua glared at Cloe. "How dare you even think that I am going to walk away after I walk into his life! And jumping to conclusions! What the hell turned you into such a bitter woman? You tell me less than 10 minutes ago that I have a son that you gave birth to when you moved away after I didn't return when you thought I should. You married another man and HE raised him in place of me. How am I supposed to react?" He was yelling at her now. "I need to have some time to let this set in Cloe. But if I decide to meet my son, if he even is my son, then I would be there for him. Unlike you, when I commit to someone, I am there to see it through. You would have found a way to get me word of where you were going if you were serious about being with me." Joshua was livid. How dare she drop a bomb like this and then expect him to react perfectly within minutes. "And if you knew what I was all along and despise that so much, what were you doing with me in the first place? I made that commitment well before I met you!"
 
"Well how can you blame me!?" she shouted back. "You didn't leave with such grace or thought to have given me the impression that you would ever return, let alone be a good father! You are the reason I'm such a bitter woman, obviously! Time is not something that you can just declare. What am I to tell him after 12 years? He will not willingly accept you into his life, whether it is YOU who needs the time or not! He is your son after all.
"Yes, found a way to send you word of our son, just as you found a way to send me word after so many years. To hell with you! How dare you stand there and tell me you stay true to your commitments?" she spat, her hair swishing about in the wind, giving her the look of one gone mad. "To me, that means nothing! So don't raise your voice at me and question why I would have any doubts in you at this point!
"Go then! Go to your damned friends, walk away again. I'm used to it by now!" Cloe slapped him hard, giving no regard as to how Joshua would react. She had lost all her nerves trying to keep control, and it was all she could do not to throw nasty spells at him as her hand was bound tightly around her wand. She continued to glare at him, daring him to strike her back.
 
Joshua stood stunned at the slap for a quick second and then reacted. Without thinking, he grabbed Cloe by the left shoulder, putting his right hand behind her head, and pulled her to him. He kissed her with a passion that had been long pushed out of his mind. He had always loved her fiery temper.
He realized what he had done, and pulled his face away, still holding onto her. "I know I have made mistakes. I realize that. And I still am what I always was, but I don't plan on walking away from you now that I finally found you again." he said quietly. "Or from our son. It may be difficult for a while, but I want to try."
 
Cloe was caught completely off guard having expected Joshua to continue yelling or even, at worst, hit her. She was slow to react to his kiss and simply stood there bewildered, her eyes wide open with surprise.
Once he pulled away, still holding her, she finally brought up her own arms and pushed him off her. "Let go..." she said deffensively in a bitter tone, not wanting to succumb to him as her instincts were screaming at her not to make the same mistake twice. All he had were words, and for twelve years of misery, that would ever be enough. She was unsure of what she wanted now.
 
As Cloe pulled away, Joshua realized he had more of an effect on her than he had thought. She was so bitter and angry, but yet, she had told him everything in a very short period of time. There had to be hope there for something good to come from all of this. He spoke, his voice calm and soft again. "Cloe, we need to discuss a lot of things. Why don't you come to my place? I am staying near here right now. We can have a civilized conversation and figure all of this out." He was not sure how she would react, but was hopeful that she would agree.
 
Cloe's feet were rooted to the ground. She was deciding whether she should go with Joshua to his place. But after another moment, she willing accepted, nodding her head silently. She relaxed her posture, then drew up the hood of her cloak.
"Maybe we should aparate, it is pretty late," she said looking around the dark street.
 
Joshua gave a quick nod as he pulled his hood back around his head. He grasped Cloe's arm and held it firmly as he made ready to apparate. Just before he turned, he pulled Cloe closer against him, mostly out of curiosity of how she would react to him.
 
Cloe did not dare pull away as she felt Joshua pull her closer, incase they apparated improperly and she ended up in two halves, or worse. So she went with it begrudgingly, secretly wanting to be close to him. She turned with him and after less than a second, they were gone.
 

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