Chapter Text
“You must’ve gotten the wrong address.”
The statement in itself wasn’t exactly something Fallon wanted to be hearing right at the moment, regardless of how right it felt as the car they sat in crawled to a stop. She didn’t respond, eyes turning to take in the view to her right, slipping her sunglasses down her nose to take a look at the dingy-looking trailer sitting on its own on a decently large property. For all her mother's bravado, there was no way in hell this was actually her mother's address, right?
Turning her attention back down onto her lap, she opened her small purse to seek out the slip of paper containing the address she had been given by Alex’s Uber driver. The expression soured slightly as the addresses certainly lined up. “Either Alexis lied or her driver did,” Fallon muttered just loud enough for Culhane to hear, slipping the slip of paper back into her purse before pulling her sunglasses off entirely. “Somehow I have a feeling I already know which one it was.”
A small part of her hoped she was wrong.
With that simple statement, Fallon was already pushing open her car door. Not even bothering to wait for Culhane as she exited the car and moved for the trailer. There was really no point in knocking, she was already well aware her mother wasn’t there, one attempt at the trailer door proved it didn’t matter as the unlocked door swung open with little issue. It was only then Fallon hesitated, allowing her eyes to shift over to Culhane with a bit of uncertainty. The brief moment was enough for Culhane to step past her and enter the trailer before her, Fallon trailing in shortly after him - slowly taking in her soundings and seeming miffed by the sight.
Every inch of the trailer's appearance reeked of Alexis, down to the style of the stupid curtains. Letting out a quiet exhale, Fallon spoke - the disbelief that painted her expression just as clear in her tone. “I don’t believe this,” She spoke, her tone still steady as she slowly stepped further into the small space. Despite her guess of who was lying being correct, she still found herself surprised at exactly what she was seeing. “She told me she spends most of her time travelling all over Europe.”
“Judging from the outside of this thing, it hasn’t left Georgia in months,” Culhane’s statement was blunt but entirely too accurate to leave room for any sort of argument. “Didn’t she get a chunk of change from Blake in the divorce?”
“Yeah,” Fallon was quick to confirm as both of them paused just beside her mother's makeshift bed. “And she claims he paid her off to keep her away.”
“Then where’s all the money?”
Well. That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it?
Fallon paused, taking a moment to contemplate the question. But she wasn’t stupid, needing no more than a few seconds before realization crossed her expression as her eyes locked onto Culhane. “There isn’t,” Her eyes lit up at the revelation, despite the slightly bitter tone that tinged her following words. “She’s not here for family. She’s back because the money ran out.”
Something about having a confirmation of an ulterior motive both managed to stroke her own ego at the mere notion of being right for being suspicious, all whilst the sting of her mother's blatant disregard was a little too prevalent to completely ignore for a moment. But it wasn’t important, not when she was right.
Culhane eyed her for only a few seconds, watching the shift of emotions on Fallon’s face before opting to turn her attention away. As if knowing better than to comment. Instead, he focused his attention on the pictures pinned on a board just above Alexis’s bed. Specifically the defiled photo of Cristal with Blake. “Check this out,” he pointed out, gesturing his head toward the photos with just a smidge of amusement in his tone. “Looks like she got her hands on a wedding announcement.”
“I may or may not have done the same.”
Culhane offered Fallon a knowing look at the admittance but didn’t bother to comment, as Fallon opted to turn back toward the entrance of the trailer. At this point Fallon felt like she had seen enough, she had her confirmation that her mother was a liar and the trailer seemed too small to be capable of actually hiding anything. But the quick assumption at this hunt being done was proven wrong all too quickly. Pausing towards the entrance of the small space, her eyes locked onto another assortment of photos hanging over the sink, her expression quickly shifting into a frown. “Well, that's weird,” Was all she let out for a moment, leaning forward and squinting at the photos as if it would help her see it better. “How did she get--?”
There was an assortment of different photos of both herself and Steven all taped to the wall of the trailer at different ages, alongside a flyer for a play called Well Wishes. However, she wasn’t left long to study everything, as Culhane at her side was quick to point out a surprisingly recent photo.
“Hey, is that her with Steven?” He questioned as his finger pointed towards the photo and pulled Fallon’s attention to that specific spot. “But that looks like--”
“It was taken six months ago.” It was at that moment Fallon seemed to finally shift to anger. Reaching her hand forward and ripping another photo off the wall. Disbelief returned to her expression as she looked at the photo of herself and Steven with one of their horses. “And this one is from last summer.” Flipping the photo around only to be greeted with her brother's handwriting alongside the words ‘Thinking of you, Love Steven.’ Staring right back at her.
Oh.
“That’s why Steven’s been acting so weird since she arrived,” Fallon stated more to herself than to Culhane as all the pieces seemed to finally be slipping into place. She still found herself sitting in some place between disbelief and pissed off as she finally turned to properly address her current companion. “She’s been in contact with him the whole time.”
Dropping her hands to the side, as she attempted to deal with the series of conflicting emotions she was currently experiencing, she narrowed her eyes at the photos on the wall again with growing irritation. “I guess the question is, who hasn’t been lying to me…”
Despite the statement starting off strong, Fallon’s words tapered off as her eyes narrowed at another photo on the wall. Dropping the one in her hand onto the makeshift kitchen counter in the trailer as she reached for the additional photo, Culhane watched her in confusion as she pulled another picture from the wall.
The picture was of a stage with plastic stars and the top half of a moon covering the background alongside a band. But that wasn’t really what had caught her attention, instead, her eyes focused on what appeared to be a teenager performing on stage. In many ways, the girl looked just like her, though the black hair and purple streaks, piercings and overall darker look.
Fallon could see Culhane shift a little bit closer to her out of the corner of her eye so he could catch a glance at the photo, leaving him silent for a moment before finally speaking with a bit of surprise. “Is that you?”
“Do I look like I went through a dark and edgy phase as a teenager?” Fallon quickly quipped back with a bit of a bite to her answer, finding herself somewhat offended at the question. However, it was safe to say that any anger with her brother was only temporarily forgotten in the midst of her confusion, flipping the photo over and narrowing her eyes at Alexis’s handwriting on the back.
Jadelyn August West, Hollywood Arts Full Moon Jam 2017.
“Jadelyn?” Fallon muttered, flipping the picture over again to eye the mysterious teenager. “Who…? This was taken just this year…” There was a very heavy implication at the sight alone, enough for Fallon's expression to sour at the revelation that was quickly forming.
The secrets seemed to just keep on coming.
Between her initial visit to Alexis’s trailer to finally sniffing around her mother's new self-appointed hobbit hole (Once known as Culhane’s loft), a lot had happened. By the time she finally heard about Steven’s engagement, Fallon was completely fed up. She wanted her mother out and if that meant looking for dirt, so be it.
“You don’t even know what you’re looking for?”
Hand buried deep into her mother's bag after suggesting Liam be her lookout, she pulled her attention up to eye her (fake? temporary?) husband - hands freezing from their spot in Alexis’s purse. “I know my mom. If she’s not slinging mud, she’s probably rolling around in it. So, there’s got to be some sort of dirt around here somewhere,” But as the words were leaving her mouth, Fallon finally stepped away from the purse as her hand shoved into the pocket of the suit she was wearing. Pulling out the now folded-in-half half photo she had taken from Alexis’s trailer, and handing it to Liam. “That being said, I might have a lead.”
Liam carefully took the picture from Fallon’s hands, unfolding the photo to study whatever he had been handed and frowning slightly. “Is this you?”
“No,” Fallon answered, sounding a little miffed at being asked this question again. She let out a short huff as she was quick to direct him, “Read the back of it.”
It didn’t take much else for Liam to follow her direction, flipping the photo around and reading the words behind it, looking a bit confused. “This was taken this year?” He asked though it seemed to be rhetorical as he flipped the photo back around before looking back up at Fallon. “I’m assuming you don’t know her?”
“Nope,” Fallon confirmed, popping the ‘p’ and looking quite smug as she stepped forward and took the photo from Liam’s hands. “Meaning there's another Carrington off in LA we’ve never heard about.”
“Or West, judging by the name,” Liam pointed out carefully before frowning. “Is that your mother's maiden name?”
That question was enough to cause Fallon to pause. Pursing her lips as she mentally ran over all the little bits of information she had on the teen (which realistically wasn’t a lot). “No…” There was an implication, that this kid might not be Blake’s at all. “ Meaning my father might not know about this,” She finally let out with a snap, not that Alexis needed the extra help to make her father want her gone. But anything to stir the pot at this point, especially to possibly get Steven pissed off with her would be worth it. “Alright, so I’m looking for more information on this… Jadelyn and any other dirt I can find.”
“Alright, so considering she’s had people here, whatever she might have has to be hidden,” Fallon was left a little surprised as Liam quickly slipped into actually being helpful. The woman offered a nod of confirmation as he continued. “I’d say check behind paintings, under window jambs. An air vent is also always a good hiding spot if you ask me.”
Baffled, might be a more accurate description.
"The talented Mr. Ridley,” Fallon teased, seeming visibly amused. “This isn’t when you tell me you’re on the FBI’s most wanted list, is it? Because this family does have a type.”
“Not a criminal,” Liam was very quick to clear up, raising his hands in mock surrender and an amused, if not awkward smile. “I just like mystery novels. Besides, I also used to build houses.”
"Oh."
“I took a crash course on you, but did it never cross your mind to ask anything about me?”
She didn’t have time for this.
“Don’t take it personally,” Fallon quipped, offering a smirk before turning on her heel to heed Liam’s advice at least. Though it seemed that Liam had no intentions of really letting this go, much to Fallon's disdain. She did well enough not to show it though.
“How would you know if I did?”
“Okay,” She finally relented, already bending down and pulling open the side table beside Alex’s bed. She shuffled around her belongings as she humoured him. “So, how did you end up building houses?”
“I, uh,” Liam was quick to answer, Fallon took note of the sounds of him moving things around behind her, though she didn’t bother to look back at him. “Went to Japan to volunteer after the tsunami.”
“Hmm,” Fallon hummed, shutting the drawer and redirecting her attention under Alexis’s bed. Offering the area a quick glance on the off chance Alex’s opted not to do her due diligence in keeping her things hidden. “My dad always joked that I would marry a Democrat. Just didn’t realize he’d be a socialist, too.”
Straightening herself back up, Fallon rounded the bed. She hadn’t taken any notice at the slight squeak of one of the floorboards as she continued her search, but Liam was not Fallon and he not only noticed it - but found it out of place enough to point out.
“Oh, wait, stop,” He rushed out, causing Fallon to pause and turn back towards him confused. “Did you hear that?” When Fallon shook her head no, Liam persisted. “That spot made a different sound.” Before taking a step forward and crouching to the floor. Flipping the carpet back, he carefully began moving the floorboard out. Which, wasn’t too hard as the wood came off the floor pretty easily.
“Oh, this is sad,” Fallon didn’t bother moving forward, though she gave the hole in the floor a pitying look as Liam pulled out some jewellery before shoving his hand back into the hole on the floor. “Hiding her valuables like a paranoid, underprivileged squirrel.”
Liam didn’t bother to acknowledge Fallon’s comment, instead, his eyes narrowed on something hidden quite far back. Shifting onto his knees he shoved his arm in further before grasping a small, jade green box, before sitting back up and placing the box on the floor beside the hole. This was enough to prompt Fallon to step forward and pluck it from the floor as Liam reached in again for a thick, orange envelope.
Fallon paused, hand having been hovering over the box’s lid to take note of the incredibly suspicious-looking envelope watching as Liam opened it up and pulled out what appeared to be a green binder. Flipping it open and focusing on a page, his expression soured in confusion. “What is all this?” Shifting through some of the papers he began listing off some of the contents. “Cell phone records, immigration docs,” Before finally, he paused, pulling his head back slightly as she stood back to his feet. “A mug shot?” As Fallon moved up to Liam’s side, the box still in her hands as she kept her focus on the binder, Liam continued sounding in slight disbelief at what he was seeing. “We definitely found dirt on someone.”
The face staring back at them was none other than Cristal’s nephew and her brother's fiance. “Oh, my god. Sammy Jo?” Letting out a short huff and shaking her head, Fallon muttered an irritated; “What the hell are you up to, Alexis?” Before finally turning her attention back down to the Box in her hand, she flipped the lid open to take a look at the contents inside.
There wasn’t a lot in the box, another flyer for that play she had seen in Alexis’s trailer, another picture of her supposed mystery sibling, though she was sporting colour-streaked brown hair just a little bit darker than her own and standing beside some boy she couldn’t be bothered to study. Flipping the picture open, it simply had names and a date; Jadelyn & Beck, 2015.
Fallon frowned, turning her attention back to the box as Liam continued to go through the binder beside her. Pulling out a letter, a fairly recent one that seemed to be addressed to Jadelyn. Paired with a funny little return address on the envelope.
Ouch, must suck two have two daughters that want nothing to do with you.
Fallon was nothing if not smug about it, using her elbow to tap Liam’s side and pulling his attention back to her as she turned the letter towards him. “I got an address,” smirking as she handed Liam the box, forcing him to balance it on top of the binder as Fallon focused her attention on opening the envelope and pulling the letter out. Unfolding the letter, Fallon began to read out loud as she paced the room.
“My dearest Jadelyn,” Fallon couldn’t help but snort at that, eyes locked onto the letter - though she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I will keep this short because I know you want nothing to do with me. Knowing you, you’d just cut it to pieces before reading the entire thing. I heard your father hasn’t been home much and that certainly can’t be pleasant, getting into contact with him is somehow almost becoming as hard as contacting you. Please give me a call, You shouldn’t be alone all the time and I would like to speak to you. With love, your mother.”
“So not Blake’s kid?” Liam finally asked once Fallon finished reading the letter, though Fallon’s eyes lingered for a few moments on the letter. She didn’t look up as she shook her head, just considering the girl was a high schooler - her mother had been long gone by that point. “Do you think he knows?”
“Not a clue,” Fallon responded, folding the letter back up but not bothering to return it to the envelope immediately. Instead, she stepped over to Liam again and dropped the letter inside. Turning her attention down to the envelope she continued. “Even if he did, he wouldn’t tell either me or Steven,” With a scoff, she held up the envelope to Liam with a smug expression. “But I have one way of finding out. What do you think of a little trip to Los Angeles tonight?”
She’d had offered to go immediately, but she had to deal with the blackmail on Sammy Jo first.
After dealing with her mother's attempt at framing Sammy Jo for theft by framing her instead, Fallon had gone to the jail to see her mother. Offering Alexis a way out by trying to get her to leave, but the woman was stubborn, refusing to budge. So, with not a single bit of remorse, Fallon left her mother there without bail. By the time she and Liam were boarding the private jet for Los Angeles, her phone had already started blowing up with calls from Steven.
Figures he’d bail her out. As much as Fallon loved a good confrontation, she’d have to deal with that later.
She did have to hand it to Liam, however. Despite her husband being incredibly out of place, he seemed to relax quite easily in one of the seats across from Fallon after they both boarded. Shifting and allowing himself to get comfortable before finally looking back up to address Fallon. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to go jump a random teenager you haven’t met before?” Despite the question, his tone suggested a clear attempt at being light-hearted. Fallon, who had her eyes glued on her PearPad mini, glanced up to consider his question before shaking her head.
“She’s not just a random teenager, she’s supposedly my sister,” Fallon clarified, one of her eyebrows raising at Liam’s word choice. “And I’m not jumping her, I’m going to meet her. There’s a difference.” Fallon shifted her attention back down to the tablet in her hands, focusing on the photo of the letter she had taken and tapping the end of her pear pen on her lips. “If she’s anything like me, she’d jump at the chance to piss off Alexis. Especially with their apparent strained relationship if the letter tells me anything.”
“And if she’s not?”
“If she’s not, what?”
“Like you?”
The question caused Fallon to pause as if she couldn't believe that would even be possible. She furrowed her eyebrows, at least considering Liam's words as she finally placed the tablet down on her lap. The tapping of the pear pen on her lips simply shifted to the top of the PearPad screen as she considered the question. “Well, if she’s any daughter of Alexis… Well, it’s nothing throwing a bit of money at her won’t solve.” When Liam raised an eyebrow at this, Fallon was quick to scoff. “Don’t give me that look, it worked on you.”
Liam was quick to raise his hands in mock surrender, knowing well enough to tell when he was very clearly outmatched. She wasn’t exactly wrong, at least not the first time she offered him money. “So, what do you intend to do then?”
“We will get a hotel, I already had Sam book us one before I went to go see my mother,” Fallon began to explain, leaning back on her seat. “I’m going to go see her alone, as not to…” She gave a weird, half-hearted gesture of her hand as if trying to figure out what the right word was before finally landing on; “Ambush her. Like I said I’m not trying to jump the girl. If she’s still in high school, she should be free for the summer. I just have to convince her to come back to Atlanta with me for a few days, or longer.
Liam was considering what Fallon was saying to her, though he didn’t appear to be completely convinced this would work - at least not completely. Especially if she was still a high school student. “Shouldn’t you also be focused on convincing her father to let her go as well?”
“I heard your father hasn’t been home much and that certainly can’t be pleasant, getting into contact with him is somehow almost becoming as hard as contacting you.” Fallon mocked her mother's words from the letter, making a point of rolling her eyes as the words finished leaving her mouth. “I’m doubting her father will be much of a problem, he sounds more absent than Daddy when he’s pissed. Impressive, really.”
Finally leaning forward, Fallon regarded Liam with a small smile. “I’ve got this all figured out, I have no doubt in my mind we will be back in Atlanta with her first thing in the morning.” Whilst Liam still watched her, seeming almost somewhat unsure. There was no doubting the confidence practically radiating off of Fallon.
She had this all figured out.