The Need to Escape

[LauraPhilly!!]

Story Title: The Need to Escape

Type of story: One Shot

Main Characters: Bianca and Heath

BTTB rating: Teen/Adult

Genre: General

Does story include spoilers: No.

Any warnings: Minor sexual content

Summary: Despite his best efforts, Heath struggles with the pressures of fatherhood. Will he be able to be a good father or will how he deals with these pressures cause him to make some dangerous decisions?

Bianca laughed happily as she lifted Sammy into her arms and twirled her around in the air. Sammy giggled, her high little voice filling the entire room. At the table, Heath was trying to spoon feed Jack, who was watching his Mummy and sister curiously. When Heath touched the spoon to his lips, Jack cried out and hit the spoon with his little hand, throwing the mushed banana across the room so that it hit the kitchen door.

Heath jumped up in frustration and threw the spoon down, retreating to the kitchen sink. Anxiously, Bianca followed him, gently rocking Sammy in her arms. She gently placed her arm on his back as he leaned over, splashing his face with water. Turning his head, he looked at Bianca, his eyebrows furrowed.

"This is harder than I thought it would be," he said, shaking his head as he stepped away from the sink. Bianca stepped back, watching him anxiously, bouncing Sammy up and down in her arms.

"Unfortunately, there isn't a book about this," said Bianca, smiling regretfully. "We always knew this wouldn't be easy."

Heath sighed, heavily, running his fingers through her head. "I'm not sure I signed up for this, Bee. This is not the life I imagined for myself."

"Life never is," she said, handing Sammy to Heath while she went to wipe the banana stain from the wall. Heath observed Sammy as she sat in his arms. Her disposition was complacent. She was beautiful; her long, brown hair hung below her shoulders, Bianca had loved it too much to cut it. As she looked up at her father, she looked at him through deep brown eyes, his own. While her looks were a mixture of her parents, her personality was that of her fathers; she was a little devil. She always refused to sit still at the table, never ate her vegetables, as a baby, she would always try to climb out of her cot. Heath sighed as he lay down his mischievous daughter on the ground. Nudging her a little, he watched as she crossed the room and went to sit beside her brother at the table.

Later that day, when Bianca had gone out to work, Heath felt like he was about to explode. Jack was having a tantrum; tears streamed down his red face as he screamed loudly and consistently. As Heath was trying to calm him, Sammy was pulling his shirt, looking for him to play with her. Heath would say no and Sammy would walk away, a sad look on her face. But minutes later, she would return, holding a teddy, a doll or a jigsaw, once again looking for her Daddy to play with her.

"Sammy, stop! Just stop!" shouted Heath, finally losing it as Jack's crying persisted.

Heath immediately regretted this as he saw Sammy's eyes water, and tears began to seep from her eyes. When Heath tried to reach out to her, she jumped back from him, running away, down the hall, to her hall. Heath heard the door close behind her and he growled as his mistake. Looking to Jack in his arms, he couldn't understand how the poor boy was still crying. Heath tried everything; he shook Jack's favourite toys in front of his face, he whirled him around in the air, he turned on his favourite DVD, but still, Jack kept crying. Eventually, Heath just stormed out of the house, Jack still bawling in his arms. He was so frustrated; it did not even occur to him that he had left Sammy alone at home.

Reaching the school, Heath searched the corridors for Bianca's classroom. Their presence in the school quickly began known as students and teachers peered out the doors as they heard Jack wails.

"Heath Braxton?" said Miles, startled, walking over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Copeland, where's Bianca?" asked Heath, desperately.

"She upstairs in the languages labs," said Miles, looking nervously to how Heath was holding Jack in his arms.

"Thanks, man," said Heath, slapping him on the arm, and running up the stairs. Reaching the labs, Heath burst open the door. What seemed like hundreds of heads turned to look at him, and Bianca, who was standing at the top of the room, was looking at him dumbfounded.

"Uh…sorry for the interruption. Bi – I mean Miss Scott, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Throwing apologetic looks to her class, Bianca followed Heath outside to the corridor, closing the door behind her.

"Heath, what are you doing here?" she hissed, as her colleagues passed them on the corridor. "What's wrong with Jack?!"

"Just take him, please," she said, handing him the wailing baby. "He's just been driving me crazy!"

"Heath, I'm at work. I can't just take the baby," said Bianca, bouncing Jack up and down in her arms. Within seconds, Jack stopped crying. Yawning widely, he lay his head down on his Mother's shoulder and fell asleep. Heath laughed in disbelief.

"That little demon wouldn't do that for me!"

"Heath, don't call him that!" said Bianca, sternly. Then, he eyes popped wide open and she looked up and down the corridor and even behind Heath's back. "Where's Sammy?"

"Oh no, Sammy!" said Heath, lifting his hand to his forehead.

Bianca quietly gasped. "Did you leave her at home on her own?!" she hissed in disbelief.

"I completely forgot about her, I'm sorry!"

"Heath, she's six years old! What were you thinking?!" cried Bianca, shock and disbelief running through her body.

"I'm sorry! It's just they were both driving me crazy! I'm not like you, Bianca; I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"That doesn't excuse you for leaving our daughter at home!" cried Bianca, daggers shooting at him from her eyes. "Look, I have to go back to work, and you have to go home now and see if Sammy is alright. Here, take him," she said, handing Jack back into Heath's arms. "We'll talk more about this later," she said, glaring at him before returning to her classroom.

Returning home, Heath laid Jack into his cot and immediately went to check on Sammy. He found her curled up on the foot of her bed, the stains of her tears on her face. "Honey, are you ok?" he said, coming to sit beside her. She nodded her head and reluctantly curled up inside Heath's outstretched arms. He lifted her up onto his lap, so her head lay on his arm, and kissed her softly.

"I'm sorry, sweety," he said, softly. "It just all gets a bit too much sometimes. But everything's fine now, ok?"

Sammy nodded and wiped her tears on Heath's jumper. The crying and happenings of the afternoon had made her tired so Heath helped her dress for bed and slipped her under the covers, smoothing her hair as she lay her head on the pillow. "I love you, Sammy," he said, quietly, kissing her forehead. She smiled up at him, and then closed her eyes and, moments later, fell asleep.

Returning to the living room, Heath collapsed onto the sofa and he too closed his eyes as he soaked up the finally quiet house. He managed to grab a few hours of relaxation until Bianca returned home and he stood up to face her, ready to hear what she had to say.

Bianca was furious. For the next hour or so, it was like a war between them. Bianca was glad that she had soundproofed the children's bedrooms because they would have surely woken up otherwise. They both screamed and shouted; Heath accused Bianca of expecting too much of him and Bianca accused him of being a bad father and not wanting their children in the first place. Their argument even escalated into anger when Heath threw a glass at a picture that hang on the wall. Bianca burst even tears and collapsed onto the floor, her chest heaving. Heath growled angrily and left the house, slamming the door behind him.

They had been stupid to allow this to happen. It wasn't fair on them and it wasn't fair on the children. As both of Bianca began to calm down after their confrontation, she remembered the afternoon when Sammy was conceived. They had acted on impulse, both of them knowing the possible consequences of their actions, yet they did nothing. They were so desperate; they wouldn't even run down to the chemist to buy the appropriate protection. And now this was where they were at.

After a few minutes, Bianca stood up from the floor and gathered up the remnants of the broken glass. As the afternoon turned into the evening, Bianca fed the children their dinner on her own. She explained to a curious Sammy that Daddy was out with his friends, enjoying the beautiful evening.

Later that evening, Bianca was getting worried as Heath still hadn't returned home. In the time that he had been away, she had come to realise that she was being too hard on him. With everything that Heath and his brothers had been through growing up, Bianca had been selfish to expect that Heath would know what the right thing to do was.

Eventually she decided to call. Stepping into the next room, she dialled his number and held the phone up to her ear. She hoped that he would listen to her long enough to allow her to explain.

*

Heath lifted his head as he heard his mobile vibrating on the locker. Sitting up in the bed, he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hey," he said, knowing from the caller ID that it was Bianca. "How are you?"

On the other side of the phone, Heath her Bianca laugh sarcastically. "As good as can be expected I suppose."

There was a pause between them again. Heath waited patiently; he knew that Bianca wouldn't have rang unless she had something to say.

"I'm sorry, Heath," she said, quietly into the phone. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he said, sighing heavily. "I shouldn't have shouted at you. You were right; I was wrong to leave Sammy on her own. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Yeah…that part was kinda stupid but I know why it happened. You just needed a way out. I have felt that before, so I'm sorry for getting angry with you. I should have been more considerate."

"Thanks," said Heath, quietly.

"Are you going to come home?" she asked, enquiringly.

"Yeah…I'm going to be home soon. You go to bed; I'll try not to wake you."

"Ok…I guess I'll see you in the morning so?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"I love you," she said, before hanging up the phone.

Heath sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Love you too."

Heath waited until the line went dead before replacing the phone. He groaned and buried his head in his hands. He shuddered slightly as he felt her hand creep down his chest, and tracing the shape of his tattoos. "I can't believe she hasn't figured it out yet," said the girl, laughing. "She must be thick."

Heath didn't say anything. He just stared out into space. Giggling, Jessie wound her arms around his waist and pulled him back down onto the bed. "I'd like to go again," she murmured, biting down on his lower lip before claiming his lips in an animal style. Grabbing her slender frame with his broad hands, Heath turned her down on the bed so he was on top of her. Allowing his male instincts to take over him, he sank into her and groaned happily as she moaned in pleasure. Jessie was good for him. She helped him escape the pressures of family life.

She had helped him for so long now, he was convinced this was the only way he could escape.

And he needed to escape…he always need an escape.

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