Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Sixty-nine, Let the Game Begin
Rating: NC-17 [violence, swearing, nudity, sexual situations]

Summary: Alyssa learns some bad news before the couple depart for their honeymoon.

Previous Chapter An All Night Thing

Current Chapter Let the Game Begin

Next Chapter Against the Passion

Stepping out of the bathroom, over a discarded vibrator, Alyssa ran her fingers through her wet hair. Walking naked over to her suitcase, she pinched Chris's butt playfully, kissing him when he turned to her. Wiggling out of his embrace before it moved beyond just kissing, she reached into her luggage and pulled out a jade green tank top. It had actually been something she had purchased off the rack in a store not long ago. And now she just found it hilarious. Afterall how many women could actually wear a 'Mrs. Cornell' tee shirt and have it be true?

Glancing at the words on her chest after she pulled the shirt on, Chris laughed, "That's good, Lyss."

"The girl I paid in the store couldn't figure out why I was giggling so much. I just found it hilarious to go into a fan store and buy a shirt that's actually true," Alyssa grinned, pulling on a thong and then a pair of jeans.

"Wait, you bought that?" he asked, sitting on the bed to pull his shoes on.

"Yep," she nodded. "Hanging on the same rack as 'Mrs. Vedder' and 'Mrs. Grohl'. Heh, I should send that second one to Dave's girlfriend. That would be funny."

Chris rolled his eyes, "I'm sure it would be."

Alyssa stuck out her tongue, "When do we have to be at the airport?"

He shrugged, "No idea."

She stared at him blankly for a moment, "We are flying today, are we not?"

He shrugged again, "No clue."

Alyssa frowned, "Stop playing with me, Chris."

"Don't worry, Lyssa. Everything is taken care of. After brunch, we'll head to the airport and start our venture into the wildly exotic unknown," he claimed.

"Good," she replied, slipping her feet into blue flip flops. "I'm starving. Let's go meet our family."

Within minutes of stepping out onto the rooftop social area that had been set up for Alyssa's and Chris's wedding guests to brunch in, Alyssa was attacked. Two little children clung to her legs, babbling about how much they missed her. Chuckling, she pryed them off of her and squatted, their little arms wrapping around her neck.

"Careful!" she teased. "You're going to strangle me! And then what good would I be to you?"

"Don't go bye-bye, Mommy!" Toni declared. "I no want you to leave!"

"Daddy and I need a vacation. You'll have so much fun with Grammy that you won't even notice we're gone," she claimed.

"No go bye-bye!" she argued.

"We'll come back."

"No go bye-bye!" Toni's little features contorted in a very serious glance.

Sweeping her up in his arms, Chris kissed her suddenly exposed belly loudly, distracting her from her arguement with Alyssa. Toni giggled at his actions, forgetting all about what she had been discussing with Alyssa for the moment. Standing with her arms around Nick, she headed over to the breakfast buffet, hoping to get something to eat before being distracted by guests. Seeing the determination on her face, Chris fell in step with his new wife, intending to dissuade any interlopers. But it wasn't necessary as the guests let the family sit down and eat before they started to drift over to the newlyweds.



Stepping into the hotel a little over an hour later, Alyssa headed down the hall towards the bathroom. A few steps to the ladies room she was stopped by Susan. For some reason all of Alyssa's warnings went off in her body and she wasn't entirely sure that stopping was a good idea. But she did anyways.

"Heya, Susan," she greeted Chris's first wife, a soft smile on her lips.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said softly, eyes darting down the hall.

"And it can't wait until after the honeymoon?" she asked, noting how nervous Susan seemed.

"No. Not really," Susan replied. "Come sit with me in the lobby?"

Alyssa looked towards the bathroom door, "Let me do what I came this way to do first. I'll meet you in the lobby in a couple of minutes."

Standing in front of the mirror washing her hands a few minutes later, Alyssa stared at her reflection. Worry was already starting to wrinkle her forehead. Her body was tense, certain something not so nice was about to happen. For a moment she considered getting Chris to join her, but knew that was even more foolish, as the two weren't supposed to interact with each other because of the still unresolved lawsuit.

Riding the elevator to the lobby, she found Susan sitting in a rather secluded corner of the lobby away from most everyone else. It concerned her but as she had already made her way downstairs, there was no reason to not hear Susan out. It wasn't like they weren't in public if something went wrong...

"Susan," Alyssa greeted her, slipping into the chair next to the older woman. "What's up?"

"I know the two of you are heading out on your honeymoon later today and I don't... I don't want to cause you any stress, but..." she looked at the granite floor.

"What?" she pressed, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering more at Susan's actions.

"I respect you, Alyssa. You've always been such a good friend to Chris and are perfectly suited to him. And you're so very good with our daughter," she began. "Which is the only reason I'm telling you this now, before even Chris's lawyers find out."

Her heart stopped. Any statement with lawyers and Chris and Susan involved was not a good thing. And so Alyssa said nothing.

"We're filing a counter-suit against Chris," she admitted softly. "I really didn't want to do it, not with how well things are going for Lily, but my lawyers really think it's for the best."

"I see."

"And I want you to know that I don't feel what the suit claims," Susan qualified.

"What grounds are you suing on?" Alyssa asked.

Her eyes dropped to the floor again, "His relationship with you."

Her unmoving blood turned to ice. She struggled to not let hate and anger melt the ice, tried to not suddenly dislike the woman seated near her, not with as well as they had been getting along lately.

"I don't have any evidence of it, but most everyone my lawyers have spoken to, believe he and you have had a sexual relationship since you met. So we're using that as grounds to sue for full custody of Lily, without visitation rights, as well 20 million for emotional distress," she practically whispered. "I've known all along that Chris loved you, probably before even he did, before you did. I didn't want to do this. But with Chris's suit against me, my reputation—"

"No, don't you dare blame this on that," Alyssa struggled to keep her voice even, controlled. "All of this would have been avoided if you had returned what he requested, because it's not about the money, you know that."

"Alyssa, I—"

"No," she cut Susan off. "I've been more than fair with you, Susan. Not for any personal feelings for you, but rather your daughter. I love Lily as if she were my own. Her well being is more important than any of this legal shit and is precisely why I have bitten my tongue about the battle between you and Chris for the overly long period of time it has taken. I don't really give a shit about you and what you and your lawyers think is right. That little girl is the only thing that's important in all of this. And if you attempt to keep her from Chris and myself, you have quite the battle coming to you, Susan."

"Alyssa, I—"

"No," she repeated, standing. "I have nothing more to say to you. You can stay here, as this is a public location. I'll have my sister bring down Lily when she's ready, but I will have no further contact with you, Susan. If we're playing legal hardball, you better make very certain you know are ready to play against me. I won't lob gentle balls in your direction. It's one thing to block Chris's attempts; it's a completely different thing to play against me, Susan."

"Alyssa—"

"Good day, Susan," she turned on her heel and hurried to the elevator.

In the lift, surprisingly alone, she muttered a line of curses. Things had just gotten very much more complicated. And she wasn't entirely sure how to break it to Chris. Or when. She didn't want to ruin the honeymoon with him worrying too. But she didn't want to keep it from him for any length of time either.

Stepping off the lift, she headed back to the brunch gettogether, faking a smile to those she passed and spoke with as she worked her way over to her husband and his three kids. Slipping into the chair near him, she pulled Nick into her lap and kissed him, a look of concern on Chris's face at her demeanor.

"Everything okay?" he asked gently.

"No. But we'll talk about it later," she replied honestly.

That didn't settle him at all, but he smiled at Toni as she babbled about something, noticing Judith approach. As Alyssa's sister slid into a vacant chair, his attention drifted away, waving to some of his extended family as they drifted out. As the noon hour was approaching, people were heading out to checkout and head to the airport. Within about thirty minutes, the rooftop social area was vacated by pretty everyone save Chris's parents and Judith.

"So, what's up?" Judith asked, now that they were no longer interrupted by people wishing the newlyweds a happy honeymoon.

Alyssa looked to her sister, "You're going to have to take Lily downstairs to her mother soon."

"Susan's here?" Chris asked.

"Has been for some time," she answered. "I ran into her on my way to the bathroom."

Realization dawned on him, "I trust it didn't go well."

Glancing to see that Lily was happily colouring with Toni and paying not attention to the adults, Alyssa nodded, "We're being sued."

Judith's eyes went wide, "Why? Over what?"

"It's complicated," she responded. "She's trying to keep Lily apart from us. And some other stupid things."

Chris sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, "We can't tell her. She's looking forward to spending time with us."

"I know," Alyssa nodded. "And you really don't need to worry about this now, Chris. We'll worry about it after the honeymoon."

He looked over at his eldest daughter, "She can have whatever she wants, except my daughter."

"This is going to get really ugly, Chris," she stated.

He glanced at her, "I figure."

"They're going to try and use our relationship against us, Chris," Alyssa claimed.

"How so?"

"She's claiming we've been fucking since we met."

Chris's face turned pale.

"You were what, fifteen?" Judith spoke up.

"That's exactly her point," Alyssa replied.

"And he was married to her, wasn't he?" her brows knitted in confusion.

"Yes."

"Well I don't see what she really has against you. The two of you didn't really get together until about two years ago, right?" Judith replied.

"Right," Alyssa answered quickly, not about to share her and Chris's secret with Judith right then. "But everyone around thought we were fucking. They're just planning to use it to hurt our reputations. Once the public knows, their goal is accomplished. That's what it's really about."

"Don't worry about this at all, Lyssa," Judith declared strongly. "You two go and enjoy your honeymoon. I'll see what I can do about Susan."

"What can you do?" Chris spoke up finally.

"Just because I own a boutique in Idaho, doesn't mean that's what I've always done," Judith declared. "I ran the legal department in a PR firm in Cleveland for six years before retiring to live with my dad. I'll handle things here, with your permission of course."

Alyssa only hesitated a heartbeat, "Of course. I'll call Chris's lawyers and let them know about you."

Glancing at his watch, Chris frowned, "Love, we need to say good bye to the kids and head to the airport."

She nodded and stood, going over to the table where the kids were with their grandparents. Lily knew from looking up to Alyssa what time it was and she frowned, sadness in her eyes. Without even a word, she dropped what she was colouring, launching at Alyssa, her arms around her waist. Alyssa embraced her back, trying to not think that it could be the last time she hugged Lily.

"I don't want you to go," Lily stated softly. "You make me happy, Lyssa. I haven't needed happy pills since staying with you."

Alyssa closed her eyes to keep from crying, "We'll be back soon, Lily. You'll hardly know we're gone. And school will start, so you'll have that to keep occupied with."

"But...."

"I know," she squeezed the girl again. "Give your father a big kiss."

Pulling away from Alyssa, she moved to Chris. Attention on Toni now, Alyssa didn't hear the father-daughter exchange, but knew Chris would let Lily know how much he loved her as well. Covering Toni with kissed until her tears turned into giggles, Alyssa promised gifts and that she would call as soon as she could. Toni then went to her daddy while Alyssa held Nick. He was going to be much harder to sneak away from. The current plan was to distract him with toys and treats, while Alyssa and then Chris slipped away. Everyone were hoping the little boy wouldn't make a scene.

Waiting for Chris on the elevator, Alyssa wiped her tears away. She hadn't expected to cry herself when leaving the children. Not at all. But there she was, crying in the elevator while Chris made his escape casually from the kids. Stepping into the lift with her, he pulled her into his embrace, kissing her gently.

"It's just two weeks, Lyssa. Nothing we haven't done before," he stated as the elevator started to move.

"I know. That doesn't really bother me, I think. It's the possibility of not seeing Lily again," she admitted. "I'll tear Susan's throat out before letting go of that girl."

Chris chuckled, kissing her temple, "Then Susan had better watch out."