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Up From Here	By : aliciakristine Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Eminem/Marshall Mathers Views: 3455 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know Eminem (Marshall Mathers). I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
15.

The next few weeks were a haze in Tara's memory.
She thought only of one thing: Cameron. Would he remember her? Would he hug
her, or would he shy from her? What would he think of Marshall, who was Rob's
exact opposite in so many ways? Would he even want to come live with the
two of them, or would he want to stay in Boston? She knew the answer to that
question, and it hurt her heart. Of course he would want to stay in Boston.
Boston, not to mention Rob and Penelope, was the only thing he'd ever known.

She and Marshall met with the lawyers several
times a week. She drove herself to Aftermath during the day and met both
Marshall and the lawyers in a conference room on the second floor, and then she
and Marshall would go out for lunch. He was very busy, and he usually seemed
distracted and distant when she met him there. But at home, he was the same
Marshall she'd always known, always joking and teasing.

A week before the court date, Marshall called her
at home early in the morning. She was still sleeping, and she didn't move to
answer the phone. A few seconds later, the intercom buzzed and Helen said
"Miss Allister, Mr. Mathers is on the telephone. He wishes to speak with
you."

Tara groaned and rolled over in bed. Helen's
proper speech irked her in a way that little else did lately, and the mere
sound of her "Miss Allister" was enough to send Tara into fits. It
was especially irritating early in the morning, and she threw a pillow at the
intercom on the wall before picking up the phone. "Hey, you," she
said groggily.

"We've got a problem."

"What?" She was awake almost instantly;
her thoughts jumped to Cameron, and she thought that their custody was denied
before it even went to court.

"If the phone rings today, let Helen answer
it. Ignore my office line. Okay?"

"I always ignore your office line," she
said, confused. "What's going on?"

He sighed. "News of the case leaked. MTV
just ran a special news segment. They found out that I'm seeking custody of a
minor child, and because the original filing is publicly available, they know
your name too."

She frowned. "What?"

He sighed again, this time more impatiently.
"Look, Tara, you've never had to deal with anything like this, but it's
going to be intense. I've been out of the spotlight for a long time, and people
are more than eager to get more dirt on me. There's a headline on the front
page of The Star that says - hang on, I'll find it... Okay, it says, 'Marshall
Mathers fathered illegitimate child 9 years ago.' The story is even worse.
They're saying awful things about me, and they're saying awful things about
you."

"The girls..." She trailed off.
"The girls will find out at school."

"I already called their principal. They were
pulled out of their first classes, and Ronald is bringing him home. Ronald's a
security guard for Aftermath," he said hurriedly before she had a chance
to ask. "They'll be home soon. I'm leaving Aftermath now, but I wanted you
to know what's going on. There's already been a dozen reporters show up, and
that's just the ones brave enough to come inside. I don't know how bad it's
going to be outside."

"Is it really such a big deal?"

"Anything even halfway dealing with me is a
big deal. I'm not just Marshall Mathers to some people, not like I am you. I'm
Eminem. Look out the window, Tara. My address was listed on that filing. It's
only a matter of time before the doorbell starts ringing."

"That can't be legal. They can't just come
to your house-"

"They can, Tara, and trust me, they
will."

"You're coming home?"

"Yeah, right now." He paused, and then:
"Love you, Tara."

"I love you, too," she said softly.
"I'll be waiting."

After he hung up, she went and peeked out the
window. There was a news van parked against the curb. Her fingers went cold.
She showered and dressed hurriedly, and she could hear the girls calling for
her as she fastened the clasp on the diamond necklace Marshall bought her while
she was in the hospital. She had no idea why, but she had worn some of her
nicest clothes, and she felt strange, wearing $300 jeans in the same house she
wore Marshall's ratty sweats in. With her feet still bare, her toenail polish
chipped, and her hair unbrushed, she went out into the hallway to meet Hailie and
Laney.

"What's going on?" Hailie demanded.

"Is Dad okay?" Laney asked.

"Yes, your dad is fine."

"So why did we get called out of
school?"

Tara swallowed. "Your dad's on his way home
now. When he gets here, we'll talk about it, okay?"

Laney frowned. "You're hiding something from
us."

"We'll talk about it, I promise, as soon as
he gets here."

Hailie was on the verge of tears. "Is my mom
okay?" she whispered.

"Yes, sweetheart, she's fine. It doesn't
have anything to do with anyone but us, and nobody is hurt or sick. I promise.
We just have to wait for your dad to get home."

"I'm going to watch TV," Laney said,
and Tara's eyes widened.

"No! No, don't watch TV right now, okay?
Let's play a game. Do you want to play a game?" She was talking too
quickly, but she didn't want Laney to turn on MTV and find out from a random VJ
that Marshall had another child.

They studied Tara warily, then looked at each
other and shrugged. "What do you want to play?"

"I don't know, what do you girls like?"

The garage rumbled from the other side of the
house, saving her from the agony of choosing a game and playing it with so much
in her head, and the three of them hurried downstairs to meet Marshall. His
face was tense, and he looked like he'd aged five years overnight. Hailie
frowned when she saw him. He hadn't worn a bandana, hat, and sunglasses outside
in years. "What's going on, Dad? Why are you hiding from the
cameras?"

"Let's go in the living room," he said,
ignoring her question.

"Daddy!" Hailie said sharply, feet
planted firmly on the carpet. "Tell me right now what the big
secret is!"

He looked down at her, took his sunglasses off,
and licked his lips, a habit he had when he was nervous or annoyed or upset.
"Listen, little girl, I know you get your ass spoiled off every time you
so much as bat an eyelash, but you're not going to sit there and talk to me
like I'm shit just because you're curious. Living room. Now."

She burst into tears and ran. Laney gave Marshall
a dirty look and went after her, leaving Tara and Marshall alone in the
hallway. He sighed. "I'm so fucking bad at this. This shit stresses me out
like you wouldn't fucking believe, Tara."

"What's so bad?" she asked softly.
"What's so bad about people finding out?"

"It's not that," he said. "It's
not like I'm ashamed of you or- well, of Cameron. I'm not. I just... what are
my girls going to think of me, Tara?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," she
said. "I did."

"I'm an adult, Tara. I understand why you
did what you did. I wish you wouldn't have, but I understand. But will
they?"

"I don't know." For the first time, she
sensed that Marshall was scared, and not for himself. He didn't want Laney and
Hailie to dislike Tara. And neither did she. "Do you think they'll be that
upset?"

"How would you feel?"

"I don't know," she said again.

"Have you looked outside?"

"Yes."

"They tried stopping me as I pulled in for a
fucking statement. I told them to go straight to hell. I'm going to have to
call extra security in before I shoot all of the motherfuckers from my bedroom
window."

"You're not going to shoot anyone."

"They're on my fucking property, I'll shoot
them with a fucking AR-15 if the bastards don't want to leave."

Tara just looked at him.

"How am I supposed to tell those girls
they've got a brother?" he asked after a minute, and he looked up at the
ceiling, licking his lips furiously. "How the fuck am I supposed to do
that, Tara? How would you feel if, at ten or thirteen, your mom looked at you
and said, hey, here's a surprise, you've got a brother!"

"You didn't know, Marshall."

He pressed his lips together. "So what do I
say?" he finally asked. He sounded more defeated than Tara had ever heard
him.

"Tell them the truth," she said, quiet
but firm. "Tell them that you had absolutely no idea until just after my
surgery, and you didn't want to tell them immediately because you were afraid
of their reactions. They'll be upset, Marshall, but how can they blame you?
What did you do, aside from put off telling them by a couple of weeks?"

It occurred to her that Marshall had never given
the girls reason to be truly upset with him, and she felt pity for him.
"Come here, let me hug you." He came, but his arms hung limply to his
sides when she wrapped hers around him. "It's okay, Marshall, really and
truly." She swallowed and, making the biggest sacrifice of her life,
whispered, "And if you think it's too much, if you want to change your
mind..."

"No, Tara," he said, and brought his
arms up to hold her face in his hands. "No, that's not what I'm
saying."

"I know. You don't have to say it. If you
think this is a mistake-"

"Stop it. Would I have let my lawyers file
that suit, knowing it was public domain, if I wasn't sure, if I thought I'd
change my mind when it got a little overwhelming? Gimme a break, Tara, and some
credit while you're at it."

"I just don't want you to feel like you have
to do this."

"Of course I have to do this, Tara, but it's
got nothing to do with your expectations." He sighed, kissed her roughly,
and released her. "It's my son, Tara. How can I not do this, you
know? How can I not?"

Tara and Marshall sat at opposite ends of the
couch with Laney and Hailie between them. Both faced inward. The girls were
nervous and frightened, and Laney asked if Marshall had to go to jail. It eased
the tension a little, and Marshall assured them that no, he was not going to
jail.

"What is it, then?"

He sighed and looked at Tara, his eyes begging
for help. She borrowed Marshall's nervous habit and, licking her lips, rubbed
her forehead. "I did a very bad thing when I was young, guys, a very bad
thing. You've heard me talk about my son, Cameron, right?"

They nodded, eyes wide.

"I was married when I had Cameron, and we
lived in Boston. My husband still has custody of him. I haven't seen him in
years. The reason I came back here was to ask your dad to help me get him back.
He was the only one who could help me, and he didn't even know why."

"Why?" Hailie asked.

"When I left Detroit with my ex-husband, I
was already pregnant, though I didn't tell anyone." She felt like crying,
admitting this to the girls that loved her so much. "Your dad and I were
boyfriend and girlfriend for a long time, but when Hailie was born, I decided
that he already had too much to deal with. I told him I was moving with Rob,
and then I found out I was pregnant." She sighed. "I was pregnant by
your dad, girls. Cameron isn't my husband's son, he's your dad's."

They were silent.

"I never told your dad because, well, to be
honest, I didn't know if he even wanted another kid. You were a newborn, and he
was trying to work things out with your mom. I didn't... I didn't want to be in
the way, I guess, and I was worried that he already loved you so much that he
wouldn't love another baby, too. I know that was silly of me to think, stupid
even, but I felt like I had to do what was going to be best for the baby I was
pregnant with."

"You never told Dad?" Laney asked.

"I didn't find out until right after Tara's
surgery," Marshall said. "She wrote me a letter to read only if... if
something bad happened."

"And something bad happened, so I let him
know after surgery that he could read it," Tara finished.

The girls were very quiet. Laney's face was
unreadable, but Hailie looked confused. "I have a brother?" she
finally asked. "The very same age as me?"

"About eight months younger," Tara
said. "His birthday is August 4th."

"Mine is on Christmas," Hailie said.

"I know that," Tara said, smiling.
"I remember when you were born."

Laney interrupted. "So Dad got you pregnant
while he knew Aunt Kim was pregnant, too?"

Marshall swallowed uncomfortably. "I didn't
get her pregnant on purpose."

"But still, weren't you cheating on Aunt Kim?"

He clenched his jaw, but answered honestly.
"Yes. I guess you could say I was actually cheating on Tara. We'd been
together for a long time."

"Why didn't you pick Tara?"

"I left before he had the chance," she
said. "I didn't want him to have to choose between Cameron and Hailie. I
didn't feel that was right, and I knew that would eventually have to happen.
Besides, we were all very poor back then. I didn't know that your dad would
become who he is today. I knew he was talented, maybe better than anyone - but
still, I knew that he was white, and I didn't realize a white rapper could be
successful. Robert was transferring to a law school in Boston, and I knew
without a doubt that he would be very successful, and he was already pretty
wealthy. I wanted a good life for Cameron, and a good life for me. So I chose
that."

"That wasn't very fair to Daddy,"
Hailie said. "You didn't even give him a chance."

"No," Tara said. "I didn't. And I
regret that more than you'll ever know."

"But," Laney said, "you already
know that when you were a baby, your mom and dad were so poor you barely got
diapers. How would he have bought diapers for another baby, too?"

Hailie shrugged. "I guess you're
right."

Marshall had been very quiet, but he spoke up
then. "I don't want you to be upset with either Tara or me. What happened
was really shitty, but we're doing everything we can to make it right
again."

"How?"

"We're going to court next month to try and
get custody of Cameron."

"You mean Cameron's going to come live with
us?"

"Maybe. If we win."

"You always win in court, Daddy,"
Hailie said confidently. "Will things be much difference with a brother
here?"

"Probably," Marshall said. "But
I'm not going to stop loving you or Laney."

"Not even a little?"

"Not even a tiny little bit."

"I guess that's okay, then. What does he
look like?"

"Like your dad," Tara said.
"Exactly like your dad."

Marshall's heart clenched. "Do you think
you'd like having a little brother?"

"Sure," she said. "I think it'd be
fun. Can I tell my friends?"

"Not yet," Marshall said. "We're
going to have to keep things quiet for awhile. No matter who asks you what's going
on, you always have to tell them you don't know or that you don't want to talk
about it. Remember how bad it was when your mom got really sick?"

Hailie nodded. "I couldn't even go to school
because of the reporters."

"It's going to be like that again, but maybe
worse. And they're going to try harder to get you and Laney to talk now that
you're old enough. So you can't go outside alone, and I don't want you to
answer the door when someone knocks or answer the phone when someone calls. Do
you remember Darnell and Austin? They're going to stay with you all the time
now when Tara and I can't be around, and it's really important that you don't
try and sneak off from them. People don't always have bad intentions, but I
don't want you guys getting hurt because someone's desperate for a story."

They both nodded solemnly.

"I've never had a brother," Hailie
said, tilting her head. "Is it fun? You have one, Daddy, do you like
it?"

"Yeah," Marshall said, smiling. "I
do like it."

"Would he be my brother, too?" Laney
asked.

"Of course," Tara said. "Of course
he is."

"I guess it's okay, then," she said.
"It's going to be hard to get used to."

"It will," Tara said, squeezing her.
"It will be rough at first. But you'll like each other, I promise. Cameron's
a good kid." Her heart gave a squeeze of its own when she realized that
she didn't know if that were true anymore. She had no idea what Cameron was
like. All she knew was that he had once been a toddler that followed her around
so closely that Rob nicknamed him Shadow.

When Hailie and Laney had gone upstairs (after
being warned that there was probably news segments on TV about it, and that
they should ignore anything they heard that didn't come straight from Marshall
or Tara), Tara and Marshall sat together on the sofa. He was picking at the hem
of his shirt absently, and she watched him for a few long moments, somehow both
elated and petrified at the same time.

"Do you think Cameron would even want to
live with us?" she finally whispered.

"Who wouldn't?" he replied.

"Be serious, Marshall."

"I am being serious. What kid wouldn't want
Eminem for a dad?"

"One that's been raised in Boston," she
said, grinning at him. "Rob and Penelope don't let him listen to your
music, I guarantee it."

"That's bullshit," he said. "Every
kid should listen to my music."

"Your music is very violent."

"So are most parents."

"You're awful."

"You love me, though."

"I do," she said, putting her head
against his chest. "Did you mean what you said about marrying me?"

"I always knew I was going to marry you,
Tara, it was just a matter of when."

"Really?"

"Really. How could I not? You're the only
bitch I've ever known that can suck a dick as good as you do."

She slapped him on the thigh. "Can't you be
serious, just for once?"

"No," he said. "I can't. You
should know that by now."

"You want to marry me?"

"Doesn't matter if I want to or
not," he said teasingly. "I'm stuck with you now, aren't I? Come on,
let's go upstairs and smoke a blunt and fuck or something."

"Is that all you think about? Weed and
pussy?"

"For the most part."

Shaking her head in disbelief, she let him pull
her off the sofa and upstairs. He skipped the blunt and went straight to the
fucking. They locked the door and turned the radio on, then fell into bed
together, both half-dressed.

"What do you want most?" he asked her
as they lay alongside each other. His fingers were teasing the inside of her
thighs.

"What, right now? Or in general?"

"Both."

"Right now, I'd really like for you to make
love to me. I don't mean fuck me or have sex with me, I mean make love to me.
Have you ever done that?"

"No," he said honestly. "I
haven't."

"I'll show you."

"What about in general?"

"I'd really like for you to make love to
me," she whispered, rolling on top of him. "If I'm going to marry
you, if we're going to have a kid together... We should make love at least
once."
- 14
- 15
- 16
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