SOUNDTRACK: "Seven Nation Army" - White Stripes

MONDAY

"Kate, get up," Jared said, knocking on his bedroom door. "We've got to get going!"

After the disastrous introductions yesterday, Jared was not looking forward to spending most of the day with her. Part of him wanted to scream at her for the way she spoke to his mother, but part of him understood why she did it. From her perspective, Connie really had been the catalyst to everything. If Connie had just stayed quiet during the initial hearing, he probably would have said he was fine just paying child support and leaving Ryan to have full custody of Kate. But knowing how that probably would have ended for her, he was conflicted.

Kate opened the door and stepped out wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Vedder followed loyally by her side. He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"So I called a staff meeting to introduce you to everyone. After that, we're leaving. Vedder is gonna have to stay here," he told her.

"But he doesn't know anyone here," she protested.

"Emma will be here all day. So will Shayla. He'll be fine for a day. Besides," he said, leading her toward the downstairs living room. "When you're in school, he'll be on his own all day. I'm sure he'll be fine then, too." He made her stop on the stairs. "Stay here for a minute, okay?"

Jared walked around the corner and looked at the room full of employees in front of him.

"Alright, so I know you guys are all busy; I'll keep this short and sweet," he said. "Recently I found out I have a fifteen year old daughter," he started. "Kate, come here." Kate obeyed and walked over to him awkwardly. "This is Kate. She's staying with me from now on. If you stay out of her way, she'll stay out of yours. I don't think I need to remind you all of your confidentiality agreements in your contracts. No images or videos of her on social media without my say-so."

Kate shifted on her feet and stared at the floor, feeling a lot like an animal on display at the zoo. Emma and Shayla gave her a smile.

"And that horse-sized lump on the patio is Vedder," Jared continued, pointing to the dog snoring just outside of the living room. "He's all bark and no bite. And he drools, so don't let him near anything electric." Several chuckles went through the room. "Lastly, I need the small office cleared out; Emma, Shayla, and Reni are sharing the bigger office. Everyone else is working down here until the sale on the Compound goes through. Move everything labeled 'Kate' into the small office." He tossed the key to the storage POD to Shayla. "Shayla knows what else needs to be moved in there. I'm going to be out of the office all day. Text me if you need me."

He led Kate back upstairs and out to his car in the driveway. Vedder was standing at the gate when they got outside and she shot him a sad look.

"He'll be fine. Get in," Jared said, pulling a pair of sunglasses over his eyes.

Kate got in and pulled her headphones out of her bag, plugging them into her cell phone before putting them into her ears. The air between them was heavy with unsaid words. He wanted to talk to her about how she had acted the day beforehand, but he didn't know how. Her words didn't really bother him; it was more than she said them to his mother that bothered him. He definitely wouldn't have given two shits if she'd gone off on Shannon.

Two hours later, they pulled into the parking lot at Kate's school. Students were crossing the campus, books in hand. The buildings were newer and Jared could spot several teachers monitoring the kids as they changed classes. A minute or so passed before the kids all went inside and Jared got out of the car.

"Let's head to the office," he said.

Kate led him across the quad to a set of stairs that took them into the main lobby of the building. The office was directly to the right.

"Good morning. How can I help you today?" the elderly receptionist said without looking up.

"I need to speak with the principal on withdrawing Kate Wexler from school," he told her.

The woman looked up and adjusted her glasses. "Oh, Kate! Nice to see you, dear." Kate gave the woman a polite smile. "I will check to see if Mr. Dawson is available. Just a moment."

Jared looked around the cramped office while the secretary picked up the phone. Teacher mail boxes lined one wall and a bulletin board full of announcements took up another.

"He's free now," the secretary said. "Go on through."

Kate walked ahead of Jared like a prisoner on the way to the gallows. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," a male voice answered. Kate opened the door. "Kate, nice to see you. What can I help you wi-" the younger man stopped mid-sentence when he saw Jared.

Jared watched as the man's eyes widened and became a flustered mess. Jared had to fight a smile as he recognized all the common behaviors of a fan girl - in this case, a fan boy.

"Hi, I'm Jared," Jared started. "I'm Kate's dad." He extended his hand and the other man froze for a second before shaking it. "I wanted to talk to you about withdrawing her from school."

"I - I - of course," the principal said. "Why don't we have a seat and talk." He gestured to the arm chairs opposite his desk. "I'm Greg, by the way."

Jared sat opposite the man in an uncomfortable office-grade chair. "I'm sure Ryan told you about the custody case," he started.

"He told me bits of it, yes," Greg replied.

"Well, circumstances have changed and now Kate is living with me," Jared said. "Obviously she can't continue attending school here if she's living in Los Angeles. So I came to take her out."

Greg was too starstruck to really hear what Jared said. "Uh, right. Of course," he replied, shaking his head. "Let me get the paperwork printed and you can fill it out." Several moments of silence passed as the principal found the files on his computer. "Do you know where you're going to enroll her?"

Jared shook his head. "Not yet. It's been a little crazy the last few days. I thought I'd let Kate get adjusted for a few days and find somewhere in the meantime."

"Well, the state of California does require an active enrollment in some type of educational program for children over five and under eighteen. So I wouldn't leave it too long," Greg explained. The printer whirred to life. "Do you know what type of school? Public or private?"

Jared shook his head. "Not yet. But she did tell me that she found the curriculum very easy here. So maybe a place that's a little more advanced and her speed."

Greg nodded and smiled at Kate. "She's always been one of our brightest kids." He gathered the paperwork from the printer and slid it across the desk to Jared in one pile. "I can suggest a few schools up in the Los Angeles area, if you'd like."

Jared smiled. "That would be wonderful, thank you, Greg,". The man actually blushed and Jared had to keep from bursting into laughter. It was a first for him to encounter a male fan of his like that.

"Winterlake Academy is a great school," Greg suggested. "Small class sizes, advanced classes and curriculum, and a great soccer team. It's a private school, so that may work better for your...situation."

Jared nodded as he filled out the paperwork. "Isn't it like, mid-semester or something?" he asked. "Will that be a problem? You know, for the transfer?"

"At Winterlake it might be. Only because they only admit fifty students each year to keep the class sizes small," the principal explained. "You probably wouldn't be able to get in this year unless someone dropped out after the first semester or you...you know...bought them a building or something. But with Kate's grades and scores, she would definitely get in at the start of next school year." Greg scrolled on his computer and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "You could transfer into any public school you wanted without issues though."

Jared bobbed his head in understanding, struggling to fill out the forms. "What's your social security number?" he asked Kate.

She let out a huff and took the papers from him to fill out herself. Jared watched her zoom through it. A few seconds later, she was done.

"Excellent," Greg said. "We will certainly miss you here, Kate. I'll take you to your locker so you can clear it out."

"I'm gonna be in the car," Jared said.

Twenty minutes later, Kate appeared with an armload of things from her locker. She tossed it into the back seat before getting in the front.

"Let's swing by the house to check it out," Jared said.

"I'd rather not," Kate replied, looking down at her phone.

A bell rang and students poured onto the quad.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Just drive, okay?" she answered forcefully.

He nodded and started the car. As they got onto the main road, he could swear he caught he wiping her face out of the corner of his eye.

TUESDAY

Jared looked around the lawyer's office and sighed. At least now, he could stop having to come in all the damn time. After he had pulled Kate out of school, he knew he was going to have to get everything sorted out with the courts before he could enroll her somewhere else. So he had called Sam and explained everything. And there he sat, waiting for the younger man to come back with the documents to petition for immediate full custody of Kate.

"Alright, Jared," Sam said, coming into the room. "I've got everything we need right here." He sat down behind his desk and Jared scooted forward in his chair. "Given Ryan's sudden disappearance, we are seeking an emergency response. Since you are Kate's biological father and obviously are not a crazy person and can provide for her, I see no reason why the judge will not rule in your favor and grant custody within the week."

Jared looked down at the documents in front of him. "So I won't have to do anything else after this?" he asked.

Sam shook his head. "Nope. Nothing. Unless the judge doesn't deem you a fit provider, you should be home free. And honestly, you're worth millions, you live in Los Angeles with access to some of the best schools in the country, you have a solid support system with your family to help with Kate, and you stepped up and showed interest in her from the moment you found out about her. He'd be pretty hard-pressed to find a reason not to grant you custody."

Jared nodded. "And what about...uh...keeping this....under wraps?" he asked hesitantly, signing the forms next to bright orange sticky tabs.

"Adoptions are public record for a reason, Jared," Sam replied. "However, since it's still in the San Diego system, it might be a while before it gets out. My suggestion? Don't talk about it or draw attention to it and you'll be golden. At least for a while anyway."

Jared sighed and sat back, pushing the paper work back to the lawyer. "Is that it?"

Sam nodded. "I'll file it today. We should have an answer by the end of the week."

Jared stood and shook the man's hand. "Thank you for getting this done so quickly," he told him. "And I pray to God I never meet you in circumstances like this again," he added with a smile.

Sam laughed and walked Jared to the door. "And listen, if you need any help when people catch on - like paparazzi or tabloids or something - there are laws against photographing kids of celebrities. I know people."

Jared gave him another smile and nodded. "Thanks again."

He left the office feeling a little bit lighter. At least that was taken care of. He didn't really have any choice though. Now he just had to make sure no one found out about Kate. It wouldn't be too hard, especially since she seemed embarrassed for people to know who he was. He knew she'd keep the secret. It was other people he was worried about.

WEDNESDAY

"Sweetheart, it's not really that big of a deal," Connie said, walking in to the kitchen at her house. "She's an angry teenager. It's not unusual."

"But it's just...it's not your fault though," Jared replied. "I - it's mine."

She paused mid-movement, tea kettle hovering over the stove top. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed and ran his hands over his face. "I did this."

"No you didn't sweetheart."

"Mom, just please. Listen to me," he insisted. She was silent for several seconds and he spoke again. "Ryan came to me Friday night. He told me he wasn't continuing with the custody case since I had decided what I was going to do. I guess somehow that was an indication that I was serious about Kate. I don't know. Anyways, he told me that if I didn't take her, he would just put her up for adoption or let the state take her or whatever."

Connie cringed but remained quiet.

"So of course I agreed. How the hell could I let her go into the system? She's so smart - she does so well in school. If she went into the system, she'd go nowhere and have no future. I couldn't do that to her," he continued. "So I agreed to take her. But I couldn't tell Kate that Ryan had basically dumped her on me and ran away. So I lied. I told her that I changed my mind and wanted her to live with me full time. And since I'm her biological dad and missed out on so much of her life already, the court would side with me. I also told her that Ryan moved to Japan to be closer to work."

Connie nodded and abandoned her tea kettle on the stove. "Wow," she said simply, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah. Tell me about it," Jared replied. "So now, I have Kate thinking I pushed Ryan away and forced her to come stay with me. I want to tell her the truth and try to fix things, but I don't think it's a good idea right now. She's in a fragile state, you know? I just don't know what to do. I don't want her to hate me, but I also don't want her image of the only father she's ever known - and the only parental figure she has left - to be ruined. Ryan may be a dick, but in her eyes he was her dad."

Connie nodded again. "No, I get it. It explains her behavior, I think. I'd be pissed too if some random guy I didn't even know showed up in my life as my biological father and all of a sudden I'm ripped away from the only life I've ever known by him. I can't blame her for being pissy and angry."

"But what do you think I should do, Mom? Should I tell her?" he asked. "I mean, this is a lie that I'm going to have to keep up with for the rest of her life. This isn't something she'll forget in time."

His mother pursed her lips and was silent for a second. "Well," she took a deep breath. "I can see where you're coming from, love. But maybe it would be best if you held on to this secret for just a little while longer. She's had a huge change in her life. I mean, you remember how hard it was for you and Shannon when we moved all the time. It's the same way for Kate."

"But I can't have her going around being pissy and rude to everyone, Mom," he countered.

"I don't think telling her the truth is going to change that she's a teenage girl, love," Connie laughed. She patted his arm in reassurance. "You have to give her some time, okay? Just let her adjust to life here and then talk to her about it when things seem calmer."

He sighed. He knew she was right, like she usually was. The tea kettle started singing and she got up to take it off the burner. He watched as she poured both of them a cup of hot water and put tea bags in each mug before coming back over to sit at the table. He wrapped his hands around the mug, pulling the warmth into his body.

"Kate's had a hard time, you know? Rachel...Rachel died and she doesn't really have a mother figure in her life anymore. So I was wondering if you could spend some time with her," he suggested. "Maybe take her shopping or hiking or something. I don't know. But something. Something to get her out of the house and away from my employees would be amazing."

Connie laughed. "Well, you don't have to sell the house. You could keep living there and keep the Compound strictly for business. It would be a great way to keep the two worlds separate."

He shook his head. "You and I both know I couldn't handle being away from all of the stuff I do. I work weird hours and I like having access to everything. Plus there's no point in keeping the house, too. The Compound is big enough to keep Kate on one side and everyone else on the other." He took a sip of the tea, toying with the tea bag. "I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with both worlds combined. I can't keep her hidden forever, you know?"

Connie cringed. "I do not want to be around when your fan base figures out you have a daughter or who she is."

He sighed and nodded. "It's really only a matter of time, though. I swear to God they're like Sherlock Holmes."

"Well I know none of them are as hot as that Benedict Cumberbatch guy," Connie replied, sipping her tea.

"I'm not even going to comment," Jared answered dully. Hearing his mother's crushes was not high on his list of entertaining ideas.

THURSDAY

Jared scrolled through the Winterlake Academy web page. After Sam had suggested it, he thought it could be worth a look even if they were full until next school year. Initially the idea of sending Kate to a private school made his skin crawl a little. It seemed like an unneeded elitist exess to him. But when  he saw how advanced the programs were he knew Kate had to go there. Plus with a private school there was less of a chance of a connection being made between he and Kate. He had considered Marlborough but Winterlake was closer. And from the little he knew about her, Kate didn't seem like she'd enjoy being in an all-girls school.

Winterlake Academy was founded in Northern Los Angeles in 1987. In it's almost-thirty years of providing superior education, Winterlake has produced some of the top minds in our society. With an aim to always be on the cutting edge of technology and knowledge, we pride ourselves in our inclusion of the largest number of Advanced Placement courses available in our award-winning curriculum. The school employs professors who are highly degreed in their field of study in order to provide te best college preparatory experience possible.

In addition to challenging academic curriculum, Winterlake also offers several world class arts programs. With teachers from a wide variety of artistic backgrounds, Winterlake is proud to boast the largest artistic curriculum in southern California, having successfully placed over eighty-five percent of our arts majors at arts colleges and universities across the world. The school also has multiple state championship sports teams, including but not limited to: soccer, football, tennis, track and field, golf, volleyball, basketball, and swimming.

Jared looked at the photos of the kids wearing black, white, and red school uniforms sitting in classrooms, walking down hallways, and enjoying sunshine outside. Kate would probably hate the uniforms but she'd excel academically, which was exactly what he was looking for. If she was so busy working on school, she'd have less time to get in his way. And a 'challenging and competitive curriculum' seemed like the perfect distraction for her.

The idea of buying Kate's admittance felt strange and wrong. But he didn't really have any other choice. He found the phone number for the administration office and dialed.

"Winterlake Academy, front office. How may I help you today?" a chipper woman answered.

"Yes, uh, I was wondering if I could schedule a tour with my...my daughter? We just moved and are looking for a school for her," he replied. Saying 'daughter' was never going to become normal for him. "I know the school year has already started and your applications are closed. But I just thought, for next year, you know?"

"Absolutely. When do you think you could come in?"

"What about Monday? At eleven?" he suggested.

"Ms. Choi has availability then," the receptionist said. "She'd be happy to show you around then."

"And Ms. Choi is...?"

"Our current headmistress," the woman replied. "We will see you on Monday at eleven. Come into the main building from the parking lot and make an immediate left."

"Great, thanks," he said before ending the call.

That's another thing off the list, he thought, feeling pleased with his accomplishment.

If he kept up his current pace, he would be back on schedule. He knew he should probably call his accountant to make sure he could afford both the tuition and the hefty 'donation' he was going to have to make. Especially since the sale for the Compound had just been finalized.

He stretched and stood up from his laptop. Kate passed by him engrossed on her phone.

"Hey," he said, stopping her. "We're going to Winterlake Academy on Monday at eleven."

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Come on. You need to go to school and they're like the best in the city. You'll like it," he said.

"If you say so," she mumbled.

"So I wanted to tell you that I'm expecting the judge to finalize custody arrangements tomorrow," Jared told her. He saw her stiffen. "It'll be official."

"Sure, whatever," Kate answered.

He sighed and watched her walk away. A second later he heard her bedroom door slam.

Excellent, he thought sarcastically.