A lot went down in the next few weeks. Kate decided she didn't want to have
anything to do with Ashley anymore at all, and signed the needed papers to give
full custody of Christopher back to her. Zac didn't have a problem with that, he
thought it was time for him to go back to his mom anyway. But he didn't like the
way she went about it. She had gone behind his back to get the papers drawn up,
and then set them in front of him one day, telling him to sign them. Now they
were barely talking.
Natalie came back into town for the custody battle over the kids. In court
she brought up Ashley's past, as she knew at this point that the two were
together. She was desperately looking for any reason to hold onto her kids, even
if it meant saying Taylor was a horrible father who was with the woman that had
abandoned her own kids, and that she wanted her kids nowhere near her.
Arielle tried to stay out of the drama, but felt herself being sucked in. She
wanted to help by standing up in court for her dad, so she could tell the judge
what an amazing father he was. She wanted to help him gain custody of her step
brother's and sister's. But then there was that bond she had shared with Natalie
too. She was torn, because she knew that Natalie was a good mom. Her own mom was
trying to talk her out of standing up in court to help, saying it was a bad
idea.
During the short recess in court that day, the lawyer looked at Arielle
seriously, and asked if she still wanted to go up on the stand.
She looked at him nervously, and looked over at her dad. He nodded to say it
was okay with him. " Yes. I... I want to do this. My dad deserves to have them
back in his life, and I... I want to help."
" Arielle, I don't think you understand the situation. The bond you say you
have with Natalie will be ruined. She will never talk to you again if you do
this." Ashley looked at her, continuing to try talking her out of doing it.
" Mom, please let me do this for dad. I hate seeing him so sad without them
in their lives, and if I can help sway the judge to give him custody... I just
have to try. Please." She begged her.
" I know you can legally tell her what not to do, Ashley. But she feels
strongly about this. Don't you want her to learn to fight for everything she
believes in?" Taylor asked her.
Ashley sighed, feeling defeated. " Alright. But I really think this is a bad
idea."
Court was called back into session, and moments later Arielle was called to
the stand. She started by explaining who she was, and then talked about what an
amazing dad she had. She talked about how supportive he was and that just
because he was on the road a lot, didn't mean that he wasn't around when he
needed to be.
When Natalie's lawyer started asking her questions was when things got rough.
They asked her why she wasn't raised by her dad to begin with, and why her mom
never thought to bring it to his attention sooner that he was a dad. She got
defensive as they
shot questions left and right about it.
Finally when she couldn't take it anymore, she took one look at Natalie and
lost control of her emotions. " You know why my dad wasn't in my life, Natalie.
You understood me! Or at least you acted like you did. Don't just sit there and
let your lawyer shoot me down because of the situation! Don't let your hate
for my mom be the reason you don't want to have your kids around their father!"
She cried out, as tears began to stream down her face.
The judge looked at Arielle, and told her to calm down as he pounded his
gavel on the desk in front of him. He called for another short recess, and she
stepped down.
_______________________________________________
Zac looked over at his wife, who was sitting on the other side of the court
room over by Natalie. She was whispering something to her, and didn't even
notice he was looking her way. Isaac noticed his look of sadness, and gave him a
little hug. " It will be okay, Zac. Things between you two will get better."
" I sure hope so. I don't want to end up here in my own custody battle." He
told him. " If that happened..."
" It won't. Tay will gain full custody of his kids, and things will almost go
back to normal." Isaac said, feeling hopeful. " We just have to stay
positive."
Taylor noticed Zac looking so down, and walked away from Arielle for a
moment, who was still in tears. " Hey, you okay?" He asked.
" I guess. This whole thing just sucks. Kate is barely talking to me, and
here we are in court trying to help you get full custody of your kids. None of
this is right." Zac sniffled, trying to hold back his own tears. " Natalie
shouldn't be trying to take your kids away from you. And me and Kate shouldn't
even be fighting about this."
Taylor nodded. " It's not fair. You shouldn't even be involved in this. It
shouldn't be affecting your marriage at all." He sat next to his brother. " Do
you want me to try talking to her?"
" I doubt it would help. But if you want to give it a shot, go for it." Zac
told him. He stood up. " I need a drink of water. I'll be back." He walked away,
and went to find a water fountain.
Taylor looked at Isaac sadly. " I feel terrible. His own marriage is falling
apart due to this whole custody battle. I hate it."
Isaac hugged him. " We will get through this. I know we will."
Taylor hugged him back. " I hope so. I can't stand to see Zac like this. It's
tearing me apart to see this affecting him so much when it shouldn't. It has
nothing to do with him even. Kate is just making it harder because Natalie is
her best friend."
" I know. I think someone needs to talk to her. You going to or should I?"
Isaac asked.
" Go for it. Arielle is still pretty upset. I should probably stick by her
right now." Taylor said, and walked back to his daughter. He gave her another
big hug, and a kiss on the cheek.
Isaac walked towards Kate, Natalie being the first to notice them heading her
way. She pointed him out to her, and she let out a huge sigh. " What do you
want, Isaac?" She asked him.
" We need to talk about how this is affecting you and Zac. Because it really
shouldn't be. This whole thing has nothing to do with you two, and yet here you
are ignoring him when your not fighting with him. It really has to stop, Kate."
" You need to stay out of this. What me and Zac are going through has nothing
to do with you." She snapped at him.
" Maybe not. But in case you can't tell, he is really upset. He loves you so
much, Kate. It hurts him that you are going behind his back to get rid of any
trace of Ashley, when you know she is in our lives if you like it or not. She is
with Tay because she loves him and he loves her. If our family means anything to
you, if you really love Zac, you will drop the act." He snapped back, and walked
away before she could say anything more.
anything to do with Ashley anymore at all, and signed the needed papers to give
full custody of Christopher back to her. Zac didn't have a problem with that, he
thought it was time for him to go back to his mom anyway. But he didn't like the
way she went about it. She had gone behind his back to get the papers drawn up,
and then set them in front of him one day, telling him to sign them. Now they
were barely talking.
Natalie came back into town for the custody battle over the kids. In court
she brought up Ashley's past, as she knew at this point that the two were
together. She was desperately looking for any reason to hold onto her kids, even
if it meant saying Taylor was a horrible father who was with the woman that had
abandoned her own kids, and that she wanted her kids nowhere near her.
Arielle tried to stay out of the drama, but felt herself being sucked in. She
wanted to help by standing up in court for her dad, so she could tell the judge
what an amazing father he was. She wanted to help him gain custody of her step
brother's and sister's. But then there was that bond she had shared with Natalie
too. She was torn, because she knew that Natalie was a good mom. Her own mom was
trying to talk her out of standing up in court to help, saying it was a bad
idea.
During the short recess in court that day, the lawyer looked at Arielle
seriously, and asked if she still wanted to go up on the stand.
She looked at him nervously, and looked over at her dad. He nodded to say it
was okay with him. " Yes. I... I want to do this. My dad deserves to have them
back in his life, and I... I want to help."
" Arielle, I don't think you understand the situation. The bond you say you
have with Natalie will be ruined. She will never talk to you again if you do
this." Ashley looked at her, continuing to try talking her out of doing it.
" Mom, please let me do this for dad. I hate seeing him so sad without them
in their lives, and if I can help sway the judge to give him custody... I just
have to try. Please." She begged her.
" I know you can legally tell her what not to do, Ashley. But she feels
strongly about this. Don't you want her to learn to fight for everything she
believes in?" Taylor asked her.
Ashley sighed, feeling defeated. " Alright. But I really think this is a bad
idea."
Court was called back into session, and moments later Arielle was called to
the stand. She started by explaining who she was, and then talked about what an
amazing dad she had. She talked about how supportive he was and that just
because he was on the road a lot, didn't mean that he wasn't around when he
needed to be.
When Natalie's lawyer started asking her questions was when things got rough.
They asked her why she wasn't raised by her dad to begin with, and why her mom
never thought to bring it to his attention sooner that he was a dad. She got
defensive as they
shot questions left and right about it.
Finally when she couldn't take it anymore, she took one look at Natalie and
lost control of her emotions. " You know why my dad wasn't in my life, Natalie.
You understood me! Or at least you acted like you did. Don't just sit there and
let your lawyer shoot me down because of the situation! Don't let your hate
for my mom be the reason you don't want to have your kids around their father!"
She cried out, as tears began to stream down her face.
The judge looked at Arielle, and told her to calm down as he pounded his
gavel on the desk in front of him. He called for another short recess, and she
stepped down.
_______________________________________________
Zac looked over at his wife, who was sitting on the other side of the court
room over by Natalie. She was whispering something to her, and didn't even
notice he was looking her way. Isaac noticed his look of sadness, and gave him a
little hug. " It will be okay, Zac. Things between you two will get better."
" I sure hope so. I don't want to end up here in my own custody battle." He
told him. " If that happened..."
" It won't. Tay will gain full custody of his kids, and things will almost go
back to normal." Isaac said, feeling hopeful. " We just have to stay
positive."
Taylor noticed Zac looking so down, and walked away from Arielle for a
moment, who was still in tears. " Hey, you okay?" He asked.
" I guess. This whole thing just sucks. Kate is barely talking to me, and
here we are in court trying to help you get full custody of your kids. None of
this is right." Zac sniffled, trying to hold back his own tears. " Natalie
shouldn't be trying to take your kids away from you. And me and Kate shouldn't
even be fighting about this."
Taylor nodded. " It's not fair. You shouldn't even be involved in this. It
shouldn't be affecting your marriage at all." He sat next to his brother. " Do
you want me to try talking to her?"
" I doubt it would help. But if you want to give it a shot, go for it." Zac
told him. He stood up. " I need a drink of water. I'll be back." He walked away,
and went to find a water fountain.
Taylor looked at Isaac sadly. " I feel terrible. His own marriage is falling
apart due to this whole custody battle. I hate it."
Isaac hugged him. " We will get through this. I know we will."
Taylor hugged him back. " I hope so. I can't stand to see Zac like this. It's
tearing me apart to see this affecting him so much when it shouldn't. It has
nothing to do with him even. Kate is just making it harder because Natalie is
her best friend."
" I know. I think someone needs to talk to her. You going to or should I?"
Isaac asked.
" Go for it. Arielle is still pretty upset. I should probably stick by her
right now." Taylor said, and walked back to his daughter. He gave her another
big hug, and a kiss on the cheek.
Isaac walked towards Kate, Natalie being the first to notice them heading her
way. She pointed him out to her, and she let out a huge sigh. " What do you
want, Isaac?" She asked him.
" We need to talk about how this is affecting you and Zac. Because it really
shouldn't be. This whole thing has nothing to do with you two, and yet here you
are ignoring him when your not fighting with him. It really has to stop, Kate."
" You need to stay out of this. What me and Zac are going through has nothing
to do with you." She snapped at him.
" Maybe not. But in case you can't tell, he is really upset. He loves you so
much, Kate. It hurts him that you are going behind his back to get rid of any
trace of Ashley, when you know she is in our lives if you like it or not. She is
with Tay because she loves him and he loves her. If our family means anything to
you, if you really love Zac, you will drop the act." He snapped back, and walked
away before she could say anything more.