Reunions ]Lassieface[

[Myssi]

Melissa had never been a particulary tall girl, and as a result, the slender sixteen year old looked even smaller next to the giant that was her horse, Top Hat, or, as she enjoyed calling him when they were alone, Levitation.

The large crossbred wasn't a looker either. His ears seemed to big for his head, and his legs seemed too long, giving him a somewhat gangly appearance. His looks were not complimented by the handsome close-contact English saddle on his back, or the bridle on his face. But, to Melissa, he seemed absolutely fine, perfect even.

The teenager may be derived from some of the best horsemen in the world, with high-quality warmbloods meant for top-competitions in the English eventing world, but, she had been raised on a small country ranch and she was primarily a Western rider. The girl was also not much of a judge - looks were nice, but a heart of gold was her only requirement in a horse, and Levitation had just that, and a willingness to compete. She liked that about him - liked it a lot.

As of current, the pair were loping down the trails at a smooth pace, their rhythm easy and relaxed on the bright sunny morning. Melissa held herself easily in the saddle, moving with the cadence of Levi's wide strides as they swept the ground easily.

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[Onzy]

Chuck entered the barn with troublesome thoughts on his mind. His dark hair stuck to his forehead, and a helmet dangled in his hand. He had just come from giving his stallion, Noteworthy, a workout. The pair had a show coming up in London, and needed all the practice that they could get. Aldershot poked his head out over his stall door, and a small smile formed on his face. The gelding was an oddball of fun, but could be a big headache. Leading the bay from his stall, Chuck clipped him into cross ties. Rather than standing still, Polo moved around in a little dance. Chuck did whatever grooming he could like this, but thankfully Polo stood still once Chuck started putting the bridle on. The saddle was a different story. Polo puffed himself out once the girth was being tightened. Chuck tapped the gelding's side, and once the horse blew out, tightened it one more hole.

Leading out Polo, Chuck blinked in the weak sun. He put on his sunglasses and helmet, lowered the stirrups and mounted. Polo pulled his ears flat, and tried to grab the the bit. Chuck sat firm, and moved the bay forward. The trails seemed very inviting, and Chuck turned onto the sand track. Sometimes all the horse needed was a good run, but not without a warm up. The gelding looked handsome in his black leather tack and white polo wraps. Like all his other blankets and numnahs, Polo's black saddle pad had the Bass Stable logo stitched on in white and gold. Chuck had one that he wanted to give to Melissa before he left for the College, but then they had their fall out, and Chuck left that same day.

He had fallen back into his old habits, much to the shame that he felt. Chuck still had to face his daughter now that she had arrived, but his cold heart could not bear it. He didn't want to anything to do with anyone and was even rejecting his closest family. Polo shook him from his thoughts by throwing a small buck. Chuck moved into an easy canter that was as smooth as could be. Melissa had inherited his anger that was for sure, and the argument had been heated. Thinking about it, he couldn't even remember what it had been about.

Polo snorted, and Chuck glanced up and saw another rider ahead. It could only be one person that would give him a reaction of a grimace, and that would be Melissa. He knew that show-jumping ran in her blood on both sides. Everyone in his family were jumpers, world-class for that matter, but the attire didn't suit his daughter. Chuck allowed Polo back to a walk, and he walked the gelding on the buckle. His troublesome thoughts dissipated, but it didn't mean anything.

[Myssi]

When the big seventeen hand horse saw Polo he did his normal greeting routine. Stop, snort loudly, and paw the ground twice. Melissa played with his reins, stopping him from churning the nice dirt into a spoiled wreckageof deep ruts. The big bay gave a dejected sigh, but halted his behavior. Melissa chuckled at him, then, as she lifted her eyes to the other rider, she gave her own, common welcome. "Saluta-..." She gasped, her face lighting up in delight. "Dad!"

Her face held none of her previous anger. The sixteen year old was back to being her happy, easy-going self, bright and uplifting as ever. She swung down from Levi, waiting for the moment to hug her father. The satalite-eared bay gave a huge nicker of welcome, his clear brown eyes bright with the exciting prospect of meeting someone new.

Melissa smiled up at Chuck, but her grin fell quickly as her eyes furrowed. "You aren't in a cheerful mind." She told him, as though reading his thoughts through his eyes. "You're brooding again. I've told you that was a dangerous pastime. Brooding about me, I'm sure..." She scuffed her boot against the ground like a child who know's they've done something dreadfully wrong. And, also like a child, she peeked up at Chuck with her multi-colored eyes in "bambi eye" form, through her golden locks.

[Onzy]

Polo snorted and half reared. Sometimes the gelding made Smacks look like an angel. The bay definitely wasn't one for new horses. Whoa boy, easy, shh Chuck crooned softly for the horse. Polo pawed the ground and tried to rear again. Melissa had dismounted, but Chuck remained in the saddle. Call him coward, but he didn't want to be there in that point in time. It didn't warm his heart to see Melissa, but rather gave a pain in his heart. It was so easy for her to forgive, but Chuck, Chuck was one that couldn't. Hardly ever did anyone ever earn his forgiveness. That was the sad thing. He actually did love Melissa, but not even that could break the shards of ice in his heart.

Those eyes looked at him, and he stared right back. His shades blocked any emotion from reaching her, and he merely nodded at her. He was scared of what his reactions might be if he spoke. Anger? Hurt? Betrayal? All three crossed his mind, yet anger was on the top of his list. Lie! Get out! his mind shouted at him, and that was what he was planning. Excuse me. I need to go. he told her shortly.

Chuck turned Polo around and cantered back the way he had come. What Melissa couldn't hear was the ragged breathing of the male. She couldn't feel the pain that ripped in his chest. She couldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall. And preferred it that way.

[Myssi]

They say that when you murder someone, your best murder weapon is always an icicle. It's sharp enough to shatter the fragile tissue of someone's delicate heart muscle, but all your evidence, and your weapon, will be gone before the authorities arrive. I'm sure by now, you've figured out I'm not only talking physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Chuck shattered her.

The glass fragments of her hopes of her father's forgiveness pelted to earth like rain.

Melissa immediately retreated into the dark recesses of her pained mind. Blood roared in her ears to drown out thoughts, and her mechanical actions made her turn LEvi around and back to the barn.

The horse shifted into the fastest gallop Melissa could coax out of him off-trail. Cutting across the countryside, they were at the barn withen minutes. '

The good thing about English tack is that it can be shed in seconds, and Melissa hadn't been wearing her English clothes that day, so it was very easy for her to get Levi in and Sham out, and for the two of them to take to the trails in the place of the taller gelding.

The Arabian mare moved under Melissa in a familiar gait, her bare back rubbing Melissa's old, tattered jeans.

Luminscence couldn't keep all the vile little thoughts out of Melissa's head, no matter how had she tried.

Failure. Vermin. Scum. Bastard child.

[Onzy]

Chuck reached the stable block and stripped the tack off Polo. He let the gelding loose in one of the paddocks, and made his way to the tack room. The tears threatened to fall, and his ragged breathing was painful. The tack room had concrete walls, and he punched them with one bare hand. He didn't care about the pain that shot up his arm. He didn't care about his grazed knuckles and the fact that it hurt to move his hand. What he did care about though was Melissa, and he had just messed that up. He heard horses hooves in the stable block, and he knew that Melissa had just stopped. Next another set left, and Chuck knew that she also just left again.

What scared him to death though was the grey wolf that appeared to him in the first in time in 20 years. With yellow eyes, the wolf urged him to go after the one Chuck had claimed as his own.

Chuck grabbed the leather halter that belonged to Polo, and went back to the gelding. His hand throbbed, but Chuck ignored it. Polo trotted over to him, and Chuck rehaltered the gelding, this time it had two lead reins attached. In a small movement, he was mounted, and he moved back to the trails. Sham could easily be seen, and Chuck urged Polo into a gallop.

He easily sat the gelding's fast paced stride and just as quickly he caught up to Melissa. Knowing that she wouldn't stop unless forced, Chuck drew ahead a few more lengths, and then halted in the trail.

[Myssi]

Melissa heard the hooves behind her and didn't urge her mare faster. Sham's delicate cups turned to gently catch the sound of pounding. She sighed a small welcome, still confused over her owners distraught nature, but at the pace she was moving she could not inquire to Melissa about the conditions under which this erratic behavior was being performed.

You should go back, see if he'll forgive you. There must be a way for him to find forgiveness in his heart for you; you're his Little Lissy. Luminscence paused here, pondering her next thoughts. If that doesn't work, we could always give you another concussion, force near-death heart trauma, and then make you barrel race the next day.

That brought a smile to Melissa's face, and she even gave a little chuckle. The hoofbeats in the background were getting louder, faster. She turned and looked over her shoulder, surprised to see Chuck riding up behind her. What was this? She quickly his her face, not wanting to anger him more with her sad face, for he wouldn't want to feel sorry for her. She needed to gather her composure, not that picking the fragments up would be a necessarily easy process after such a betrayal.

But then he slid to a stop in front of her, and her natural reaction was to sit quickly back in her seat, shift her balance slightly, and check the reins to bring Sham to a sliding stop, angled slightly to stop the small mare from bowling Chuck and Polo over - which she would have done if given the chance. Melissa rode the stop easily, even though bareback, her stance natural, relaxed. She doubted she would ever exhibit such a level of control on Levi when she was actually jumping with him.

[Onzy]

Chuck waited for the halt from Melissa. There was a point that he thought she wouldn't stop, and that Sham would run into Polo. Thankfully the gelding was on the alert and was ready to move if the need came. He never mean't to hurt Melissa. He did love her, but he still had bad feelings towards their fall-out. Not towards her, but of the things she said. The last few months completely haunted him every night. Every night he sat in front of the whiskey bottle and drowned out his sorrows with a few glasses, but the best Bourbon couldn't help him forget.

Chuck's arm twinged, and a flash of pain crossed his face. He was really regretting punching that wall. He raised his head, and remorse was in his face.I'm sorry. I'm really am sorry. For everything. The words came out in a rush, and he wondered if he said the right things. He wasn't really into the saying sorry department...Then again, none of the Bass relatives were.

[Myssi]

Melissa hung her head in shame. "I should be the one apologizing, Dad. I said things that never should have been said. I'm the one whose very sorry." She looked up at him, remembering how lost she had felt in the last few months. She could feel the way she was changing, not physically, but mentally. She was losing herself, and she wished for her father to retain who she really was, to bring the real Melissa back.

Sham perked her ears up, looking at Chuck and snorting softly. The mare flicked her tail and shifted her hooves. The seven year old hadn't changed much in the few years that had passed. Still levelheaded, calm, and quick, the Arab had gotten a more slender build over time, and delicacy had aslo been granted to her. She still remained with her orbs on chuck, as though awaiting an acknowledgement.

[Onzy]

Chuck dismounted from Polo, each movement that he placed his hand in, hurting him even more. Obviously he had fractured a knuckle, and would need some form of treatment. He pushed the thought from his mind and turned back to Melissa. Polo followed behind Chuck, as he walked towards Sham. He rubbed the Arab mare's forehead, just under her forelock. She had grown prettier the last few months if that was possible, but Chuck wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him.

The wolf neared him, and flashed his yellow-gold eyes. The creature nodded once, and disappeared.

Lissy, he said softly. Chuck didn't know if he would actually be accepted back into his daughter's life. Then there was the small issue of Summer. Summer, the one woman he actually loved, and the one that Lissa had rejected.

[Myssi]

Melissa slid from her horse as wellstanding with her eyes watching Chuck's approach. As soon as the one word left his mouth she smiled and raced into his arms, her eyes filling with tears. "Daddy." She replied, her body quivering slightly with a tingling happiness. She buried her face in his shoulder, something she hadn't been able to do for years, and she welcomed the familiar embrace of her father.

She sensed something - make that many things - troubling him though. One was... His hand? She pulled away and immediately looked at the knuckle, tutting disapprovingly, but knowing she was most likely the cause. "Do I even want to see the other guy?" She asked him, raising a slender eyebrow.

The other problem was most likely her father's love, Summer. Melissa had rejected the woman... Something she wasn't proud of. But what else could she have done? When Chuck had told her, she felt herself become lost. Like that time when she'd gotten lost in the woods at BRRA, and Spencer had found her. What would happen when Summer rejected her? When Chuck forgot her? Would she become the little orphan girl with the imaginary friends again? The one who was always laughed at?

[Onzy]

A sigh of relief left his mouth as Melissa got off Sham and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. It had been ages since he had hugged his daughter. The best of a few months, seeing that he had only left the Academy about two months ago, but then he remembered the fall out, and it had been longer than a few months. Long since he had talked with her about general things. He had seen her decline and rejection. Obviously Jay and Spencer had a field day when the fall out happened. Chuck didn't think they liked Melissa's pain, but most likely his own

He withdrew into his own shell, and went to New York. He hadn't seen anything, no news either. He preferred it that way, but he went back. Back to Melissa, and Summer. The two girls in his life that he loved. One that was currently still in America. One that he missed dearly.