Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Thirty-one, Smiling Down on You
Rating: R [violence, swearing, nudity]

Summary: Tragedy strikes the couple, cutting their visit short and causing Alyssa to fall silent.

Previous Chapter Forever and a Day

Current Chapter Smiling Down on You

Next Chapter Always Be Here

"You know," Chris's hand ran down her skin between her breasts, "before you, I hated coming back to Seattle."

Alyssa frowned, "What do you mean, before me? We've been a part of each other's lives since Seattle."

"I mean, I never liked coming back here with the band or anything. We played in Everett, not Seattle. I just felt weird being back here," he replied, lips touching her shoulder. "But with you it's different."

"How so?" she asked, eyes closing once more.

"Maybe it's because this city is you," Chris decided. "And as I love you, this city has its charms again."

She giggled, his lips in the hollow of her shoulders, "Stop that. It tickles."

"What does? This?" he kissed the spot again, though his fingers wandered over her abdomen, lightly dancing up to her ribs.

"Christopher!" she gasped between giggles. "Stop that!"

His fingers left her ribs, but his lips didn't leave her skin. Her breaths regularized from giggling and her eyes remained close, just focusing on the soft tickle of his lips and facial hair.

"God, Chris," she muttered. "You make me feel...."

"Yeah?" he stopped to look up at her face, grinning like a cheshire.

"You need to... you need to...."

Chris chuckled, which elicted a squirm from Alyssa, as that too tickled. His hand moved up to her breasts, but merely circled the skin around them, not touching her breasts at all. Alyssa groaned, shifting on the bed slightly to make his hand touch her breast.

"Silly, girl," he commented before his head dipped to kiss her breast, just above the nipple. "You're so beautiful."

"Mmmmhmmmm."

Lips moving to the other breast, he kissed it in the same position, still avoiding her sensitive nipples. She knew he was doing it on purpose. They had played these teasing games for the past two days. Kissing each other in ways they knew would drive the other insane, but never going further than that. Alyssa wasn't all sure why they weren't, but she wasn't pushing for more either. She didn't mind the way her head spun with his current caresses.

Besides after her father was settled at their house, they were going on a holiday. Where Chris wouldn't tell her. But she had a feeling these past two days sequestered in the hotel room with him was only a taste of what was to come. So she didn't press him for details at all.

His mouth moved down to lick her breast. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart stopped for a moment.

"Fire... my love," she warned.

"I know," he grinned, before moving to taste the other nipple. "I think you taste better every time."

"I'm so su—"

Her phone ringing interrupted her arguement. Listening to the ringtone, her body went tense.

"Chris, move. That's the home's ringtone," she pushed him away, scrambling for her pearly pink cell phone. "Hello?"

Turning on the bed, his eyes watched her back, unable to see her face. She did not speak, seemingly listening intently. Suddenly her tense shoulders slumped, the phone beeped, and she dropped it onto the vanity again. Without a thought he slid out of the bed, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Baby, what is it?"

She leaned back on Chris, her arms folding over his, "Daddy had a heart attack this morning, Chris."

"Is he okay?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip, "He.... he's gone, Chris."


Her eyes stared vacantly out the window, her arms hugging herself. Behind her, Chris spoke softly with the doctor. About what she wasn't listening carefully enough to discern. All she could think about was how she had finally re-united with her father, how he was finally going to be apart of her life once more, and now he was gone. He was really gone this time. He wouldn't even be around for her wedding, the wedding he had given his blessing for.

She was a horrible daughter. That's what it was. She was a horrible daughter to her holier-than-thou mother. She was a horrible daughter to her daddy who always wanted the best for her. And to punish her, whatever greater being there was above, took them out of her life, before she even had the chance to reconcile everything. She was horrible.

Tears wouldn't even colour her cheeks. How was it that she cried for days for the woman she cared little about but couldn't shed a single tear for one of the most important men of her life? Even after sitting in the morgue for some time with his very much dead body hadn't brought the tears. She couldn't cry.

A hand touched her shoulder, bringing her vacant thoughts quickly to the present. Turning slightly, she forced a smile when her eyes met Chris's. He kissed her forehead softly.

"Love, everything is taken care of here. We need to head over to the church now," he stated gently.

"Church," she repeated the word as if it were foreign.

"Miss Morgan?" the doctor spoke up. "I just wanted you to know that one of the last things your father and I spoke of was you. He was so very proud of the woman you are and so very happy that you found your perfect match in Mr. Cornell. I do not doubt that you father will be always smiling down on you."


Pulling into the church parking lot, Alyssa began to tremble. Tears were still unshed, but she could not stop her shivering. It wasn't particularly explainable either. It wasn't a cold or a frigtened tremble. It just was.

And concerned Chris greatly, but he spoke not of it. He knew she was grappling with so many things in her mind. The greatest one had to be stepping back into the church she had not set foot in since running away when she was eighteen.

The church itself wasn't anything that special. Just a plain building with the cross over the door, a few stained glass windows in the sanctuary. Plain, non-descript.... hell. At least in Alyssa's mind it was. It was equated with her mother, not her father, and in her opinion her mother was still demonized. She just couldn't get over that perception of her mother, even with her mother underground.

"Baby?" he touched her arm gently after opening the car door for her.

Her eyes snapped to his and she slipped her hand into his offered one. His arm easily slipped behind her as they headed up to the church.

The pastor, a man she barely recognized, greeted them at the door, "Miss Morgan. Mr. Cornell. I regret we meet under such circumstances. I am Pastor Bill Godwin."

Chris shook the offered hand cordially, "Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice."

"Unfortunately there is rarely more than short notice when God calls one of his own home," he stepped aside, motioning to his office. "Please come in and have a seat."

Mechanically Alyssa did as told, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. She remembered once being in that office.... no twice. The first time she had been very young and was called in after Sunday school. Her mother and the pastor had scolded her for asking too many questions, being too disruptive, talking too much during Sunday school. The second time, brought a little secretive smile to her lips. Oh if only the pastor knew his son had lost his virginity on his desk.....

Pushing the thought aside, her eyes focused on the pastor practically unblinkingly.

"Your father had given some thought to how he wished his funeral to be," the pastor claimed, opening up a file that was on his desk as he sat. "Something he discussed with me when discussing your mother's."

Had she been reactive to anything that day, she probably would have flinched at the tone of the pastor's voice. However Alyssa wasn't even feeling Chris's hand holding her supportively. She didn't really hear the pastor's words after that, mechanically nodding whenever her brain said it was an appropriate moment to do that. Later she would hope that Chris had listened intently, so someone would know what was going on. She sure as hell didn't.


Squatting Alyssa opened her arms. Toni ran towards her, giggling. Embracing the little girl, the first true smile all day graced her lips. She kissed the little girl's forehead as she stood. Toni instantly started chattering about all the things they had done at Grammy's house those three days.

Suddenly the girl's voice stopped, "Lyss-lyss?"

"Yes, sweetie," she replied, knowing Chris had stopped speaking with his mom to listen in.

"Why sad?"

Her eyes focused on the little girl for a moment, "Because my Daddy has gone to Heaven."

The little girl seemed to consider the words for a few moments, "Not worry, Lyss-lyss. Daddy and me take care of you. You be okay."


With Alyssa laying on the bed in the bedroom half of the suite, Chris sat on the couch next to Brad. Toni was playing on the floor with her toys, Nick a few feet away on his blanket with his toys as well. Chris had called Brad that morning while Alyssa was sitting with her father. Plans were instantly set into motion for all of the guys to fly to Seattle to be there for Alyssa. Tim was the hardest to track down, according to Brad, as he was out mountain biking somewhere in California. Tom would arrive the next morning from New York.

"I don't know..." Chris sighed. "She's just.... the only time she spoke at all today was when we picked up the kids. Toni assured her that we would take care of her. And for a moment I thought Alyssa might finally cry. But no. She only smiled and told Toni that she knew that. And then went back to not talking. This is different, Brad. I'm not sure how to handle it."

"Just as you are, Chris," he replied. "Keep loving her as you do. You're what she needs now. She may not say it, but you're what she needs."

"I just feel so helpless. Moreso then when she couldn't walk. At least there was something to focus on then. Now it's just..." he rubbed his face. "Things were... good too."

"Everything is a cycle," Brad stated. "But think of it this way: all things come in threes. This would be your third in this cycle of tests."

"What were the others?"

"The bank. The fire," he pointed out.

Chris nodded, "This better be the last. I'm not sure how much more we can take."