Outer Masks: Chapter 4: Secrets & Sins

It's been three days since I've seen you, I failed you, Beck. And this is my punishment.

Is this my walk to the gallows? Should I be preparing any last words?

Some humans, Beck, are a cancer, and Peach is stage four metastatic, I tried to cut out the mass before it could consume you, but now?

Best case scenario, I have to go in there and win an Oscar for kissing the ring.

Worst case… She knows it was me , and it’s all over.

Is this an ambush? Will you still love me in prison?

Although, I also have to wonder if she will now be a witness to my arrest. Joe thought as he looked to his left, staring at his sister.

“It’s not that I’m not glad you’re here, but why are you coming with me to see Peach?” Joe asked as he and Rory made their way to Beck’s apartment.

Last he checked, she and Peach did not get along, remembering how cold the two were to each other at the bar, so seeing his sister smiling while holding a bouquet of pink camellias was very strange to him.

“To check on Peach? I’m pretty sure I told you that when we met up an hour ago.” Rory said cheekily, grinning when Joe rolled his eyes at her.

“But you and Peach aren’t friends, so why are you going to see her and giving her flowers?” Joe asked again.

Joe began to regret asking as he saw the shy expression forming on Rory’s face, the woman no longer able to keep eye contact with him as her head turned away.

“Peach and I… we…. we've gotten closer, alright. We’re friends now… I guess.” Rory answered, trying to find the right words.

Friends? You’re friends with Peach Salinger? Why? How? Why is it that the women in my life fail to see Peach for the parasite that she is?

“Peach isn’t as bad as I thought, as crazy as that sounds.” Rory finished, her smile becoming tender.

The rest of their walk was silent as the siblings each took in what Rory said, both having different feelings about it.

It was not long before the group reached Beck's apartment, each feeling differently about what was to come as they waited for the door to open. 

“Hi.” Beck said cheerfully as she let the pair in, only to gasp as she took in Joe’s bruised and beaten face. “Oh, no. I can’t believe I told you to get involved in your neighbor’s shit.”

“It’s okay. It's not your fault.” Joe said as he wrapped his arms around Beck.

“God, I’ve missed you.” Beck said as she returned the embrace.

“Hey, Beck.” Rory spoke up once her brother and his girlfriend released each other.

“Hey, Rory.” Beck said, surprising the other woman by pulling her into a hug.

Okay, she’s a hugger. Rory thought as she realized how physically affectionate Beck was. 

“So, how’s Peach?” Rory asked.

“Oh, as well as can be expected.” Beck answered before looking at the siblings sheepishly, “Um, do you mind taking off your shoes? And anything that has touched other people or the subway?”

“Sure.” Joe said as he and Rory took off their shoes and jackets.

“Hey, look whose here.” Beck said as she left to go back to where her friends were sitting in the other room.

“How you feeling, Peach?” Joe said once he and Rory had joined them.

“I’m onto you.” Was the first thing Peach said when she saw Joe.

“Hmm?” Is this it? The noose, tightening?

“You play the gormless ne'er-do-well, and yet...”

“And yet?” Joe repeated.

“It was you… You're the one that warned me; I have a stalker.” Peach explained.

“Oh.” That was all Joe was able to say, but deep down he was ecstatic that he had not been caught, that Peach had not caught a glimpse of his face when he struck her with that rock.

“We're trying to figure out who it is.” Annika added, “But you know what they say, most people are stalked by someone they know.

“I mean isn’t that terrifying? It’s like I’m finally understanding the dark side of celebrity.” Peach said fearfully.

Wouldn’t that require you to be an actual celebrity? Rory thought, keeping herself from saying this thought aloud, knowing that the joke would not be positively received.

“This beauty blogger I know is on her third stalker.” Lynn said as she took the balloon that Joe bought for Peach when the other woman did not take it.

“Beck, I’d love some more tea.” Peach asked, pulling everyone’s attention back to her.

Oh, my shackled Cinderella, if Peach gets her way, you’ll be making organic concussion tonic until your beauty fades. Joe thought angrily, he hated that he failed to kill Peach, that once again, Beck was clueless to Peach’s manipulation.

“Oh, do you want some? It’d be good for your head.” Beck asked when he turned around and saw Joe’s face again.

Joe then threw a fake smile on his face, “No, I’m okay. Thank you.”

You have pages due, you have a boyfriend with a black eye, none of this is okay.

But Joe immediately changed his mind when he saw the glare that Peach was now giving him.

“Actually, I’m going…” Joe trailed off and followed Beck into her kitchen.

Rory then stepped closer to Peach, holding the hand that had the bouquet out towards the other woman. “I’m glad you’re doing better, Peach.”

Peach’s face relaxed, no longer glaring in the direction that Joe had gone, a small smile forming on her lips as she took the bouquet from Rory. “Camellias?”

“I saw them, and I thought of you.” Rory said softly.

“Oh, did you?” Peach pretended to ponder, relishing the bashful expression on Rory’s face.

They both knew that pink camellia flowers were known to represent intense longing, a gift given to someone you miss.

“Yeah, you’re the kind of person who gets stuck in other people’s heads.” Rory said as she looked away from Peach, nervously scratching the back of her neck.

Both women missed the look that Lynn and Annika shared with each other as they watched the two interact.

But the moment was soon broken when the conversation between Joe and Beck became loud enough for the rest of them to hear.

Peach’s smile died when she overheard the couple making plans for a getaway, just the two of them.

“Excuse me, Rory.” Peach said as she began making her way to the kitchen, but not before taking Joe’s balloon with her.

Rory tilted her head to the side as she confusedly stared at Peach’s retreating back, trying to understand the sudden change in her demeanor.

“So, your first thought was to get Peach flowers?” Lynn broke the silence with a teasing grin.

“I was just being friendly. Friends can get other friends flowers.” Rory said, rolling her eyes as she moved to sit next to Annika on the couch.

“Of course.” Annika said while nodding along in a mocking fashion, “You know Max said you would claim to be ‘just friends’ with Peach.”

Rory let out a groan as she leaned her head on the back of the couch, “Me and Peach are friends, I don't have a crush on—wait, you said Max told you that? You and Max have been talking?”

Over the past couple of days, Max gave her no indication that he and Annika were talking to each other. Even after the party, Max had been vague about whether he was successful with the other woman.

Annika shrugged, “He gave me his number after the party ended. We’ve been texting ever since.”

“Yep, your friend has become Annika’s latest target.” Lynn smirked, laughing when Annika flipped her off.

“So, you’re both on the same page about Max not doing relationships, right?” Rory asked, she liked Annika and did not want to see the woman get hurt by thinking that Max could want anything serious from her.

She seen plenty of girls have their hearts broken thinking they could change Max, make him into boyfriend or husband material. And Rory thought her best friend could be in a long-term exclusive relationship, but she knew Max was not ready for that yet.

Annika let out a laugh, “It’s sweet that you care, Rory, but trust me I’m not looking to settled down just yet, I still got the rest of my twenties, thirties, and maybe my early forties before I even think of finding the future Mr. Atwater.”

Rory smiled as the other two women laughed, relieved that she did not once again become the bearer of unwelcome news.

Rory smile grew when Peach and Beck returned to the room but fell when she saw Joe putting on his shoes behind them.

“Hey, where you going? We just got here.” Rory said as she walked over to her brother.

“Apparently my male energy has greatly offended Peach’s healing process, so I’ve been asked to leave.” Joe answered, glaring at the back of Peach’s head. 

“Oh, well, we can go-" 

“No, it’s fine, Rory, you stay. I’ll just run some errands.” Joe said, feeling that if Rory were there, then it would keep Peach overtly trying to seduce Peach since Rory would be there to tell him about it.

“If, you’re sure.” Rory said as she watched Joe leave the apartment.

Before she could return to the others, Rory noticed that a purse on a nearby chair was sprawled open.

Is this Peach’s bag?

But Rory shrugged this off and decided to close the purse, thinking that Peach simply forgot to close it.

She then pulled out her phone and texted Max, typing only Annika’s name and a winking emoji.

“Could I get more sugar in my tea, Beck? I just need it to be a little sweeter.” Rory heard Peach say as she entered the room, watching the woman hand the cup back to Beck.

“Alright just give me a minute, I’m going to have to grab a chair so I can reach the top of the shelf.” Beck answered.

“Oh, I can help you.” Rory said as she placed her phone on the back of the couch, not seeing the way Peach looked between her and the phone.

“The benefits of being six feet tall, huh?” Beck joked as the pair went to the kitchen.

“I'm five foot ten, not six foot.” Rory quickly uttered, having heard for most of life jokes about her being ten feet tall or being able to dunk or if the weather for her was different because of her height.

As they left, no one noticed Peach grabbing Rory’s phone and turning off the screen timeout before putting the cell phone in her pocket.

It was only hours later, as Rory was preparing to leave, that she noticed that her phone was missing.

“Are you sure you left it here?” Beck said as she and Rory began looking through the couch cushions.

“Positive. I remember putting it on the couch before we went into the kitchen to get the sugar.” Rory replied.

Peach then took this moment to slyly push Rory’s phone under the couch with her foot.

“Hey guys, I think I found it.” She said, bending down and grabbing the phone, handing it to Rory.

“Thank, Peach. You’re a lifesaver.” Rory said as she took her phone and put it in her jeans pocket.

“It was nothing.” Peach said simply, impish smiling at the woman.

She had gotten what she needed from Rory’s phone, bringing her closer to removing Joe from Beck’s side.

~X~

Peach pulled out her laptop the second she heard Beck's head hit her pillow, and she knew she was asleep. 

When she had taken Rory’s phone earlier, she had gone through it as quickly as she could, looking for anything that could prove that she was right about Joe, and by extension Rory, was hiding something.

During her search, she had taken screenshots of Rory and Joe’s most recent texts, leading to her latest round of internet research.

I was right; those two are hiding something. That story they told about how Rory became adopted by the Hayden's, there has to be something else to it, and I’m going to figure it out. She thought.

She knew there had to be more about the siblings' lives before Rory was adopted, something that the two were hiding.

But she had to figure out what it was before she could tell Beck. Peach knew that if she just accused Joe of being a liar without any tangible evidence, then she would end up looking like the bad guy.

It continued to baffle and annoy her how little there was about Joe on the internet, not being able to find much of anything about the man, as if he did not exist.

Peach scoffed as she thought about Joe’s pretentiousness, realizing that he most likely thought that social media and the internet were beneath him.

Even Rory only had the bare minimum about herself across all her social media accounts. Everything that was known about her by the public was basic information; the education she received, where she was born, her age.

Anything of substance about the woman was clearly either scrubbed from the internet or legally sealed.

The only thing that seemed strange to Peach during the newest round of research was that she had switched schools when she was in the ninth grade during the middle of the school year.

It was nothing that would indicate that there was something wrong with Rory or Joe on the surface.

But a smirk grew on her lips as Peach realized that if she wanted answers, then there were people that she could ask that would give them to her.

~X~

The Next Day  

Rory smiled as she entered her parents’ penthouse. She had seen her father at work, but it had been over a week since she last saw her mother and was looking forward to joining them both for brunch.

“Hello?” Rory asked aloud, usually when she came to visit, Amber would be waiting for her, always pulling her into a hug before questioning her on whether she has been taking care of herself and saying that she must come back home more often.

So, she was confused when she entered the apartment and saw that no one was standing in the entrance way waiting for her. Even as she entered the living room, Rory saw that this area too was empty.

“What the hell?” She murmured.

Rory soon heard her parents' laughter emanating from the dining room, it was not their fake laughs when they were in the compsny of clients or business partners, but the ones they had when it was just their family or friends.

When Rory entered the dining room, she was shocked when she saw that the company her parents were in was that of Peach Salinger herself.

“Oh, Rory! We were just talking about you, dear.” Amber said as she stood and walked to where her daughter was standing dumbfounded at the entranceway and pulling her to the empty seat in between herself and Walter, and across from Peach.

“You were?” Rory asked as she took her seat, still thrown by Peach’s presence and blatantly staring at said woman.

“We were just telling her about your first Christmas with us.” Amber said before turning towards Peach, “Oh, I remember just how cute she was when she came down the stairs that morning. And the look on her face when she learned that all the presents under the tree were for her; absolutely precious!”

“Mom!” Rory groaned as her mother continued to gush about her, she always found it embarrassing when this happened, never getting used to being put on the spot or having people talk about her in such a manner.

“Not as precious as her reaction when it was her birthday and she saw her birthday cake.” Walter added, grinning when he saw his daughter becoming more bashful.

“We should show Peach the photo album!” Amber exclaimed, always excited to show off their child in any capacity.

“Can we please not?” Rory pleaded, “Can we please talk about anything else?”

“You know, I’m quite curious about something,” Peach spoke for the first time since Rory entered the room. “How did you come to adopt Rory?”

Any happiness that Rory felt within herself instantly died, her walls rising and her body tensing as she heard what was asked.

Why does she need to know that? Is that why she’s here? Is she looking into me? Into Joe? Rory thought.

She then turned to look at her parents, seeing the difference in their expressions as they too heard the question Peach had asked. Amber still had a smile on her face, but it had become more strained and more fake. While Walter’s smile immediately slipped away, his face became passive, but there was clear hardness in his eyes as he stared at Peach.

Rory was not surprised by this reaction because for all that her parents had enjoyed talking about her to all who would listen, they did not like to discuss how she became their daughter.

“We had always wanted children, but after years of trying, we were told by our doctor that we were unable to have biological children of our own, so we decided to adopt.” Amber explained, sending a quick glance in Walter’s direction.

Walter saw this, and the scowl he had been trying to suppress finally made its way onto his face, showing the anger that had been building within him. What Amber did not say was that the reason they were unable to have any biological children was because he was sterile.

He remembered the day when his doctor had told them the news, that after numerous tests it was discovered that he had a genetic disorder that had affected the quality of his sperm, making it near impossible for him impregnate his wife.

Walter only saw this as a mark of inadequacy, a hit towards his manhood and everything that he had been taught to value more than anything else. It had taken over a year of constant fights and arguments before Walter finally gave in to Amber’s desire for them to consider other alternatives.

What followed was months of searching through countless agencies for a child that met their criteria, one that would fit seamlessly into their family.

“We spent months going from different group homes and orphanages, we almost lost hope, but we eventually came across this run-down group home for girls in the Bronx and it did not take long before we found our little Rory and she became a part of our family.” Amber finished.

Peach licked her lips, “And what about a young Joesph? I mean, they are siblings, so why not adopt them both?”

The atmosphere in the room quickly chilled, and now none of the Haydens were smiling.

“Oh, so you know Joe?” Amber asked, her cheery tone clashing with the emotionless expression she wore.

“Yes, we’ve met, he’s... dating one of my friends. I was surprised when days after the party you threw, Joseph wanted to introduce us to his little sister, and Rory was this mysterious sister.” Peach answered, “Made me realize what a small world we live in.” 

“Really? How interesting.” Walter spoke up, his gaze never leaving his daughter’s form even as she avoided eye contact with him.

Rory flinched when she felt her parents' attention turn to her, she knew how her parents felt about Joe and had purposely hidden the fact that she had been spending time with Joe since her return to the city.

Peach, being as perceptive as she was, noticed this and realized that she had found what she was looking for. “Right? I was so surprised when I learned that Rory and Joseph were brother and sister. Especially with how different they look and act.”

Rory wanted to tell Peach to shut her mouth, that she was making things worse by continuing to talk, but she could not. It was too late, and she knew that once Peach left, her parents would immediately be on her with their own interrogation.

“Yes, well, as harsh as it sounds, we did not believe that Joe Goldberg would fit into our family.” Walter explained, continuing to stare at Rory as he spoke to Peach.

“Really?” Peach asked, practically salivating with interest.

Amber quickly spoke when she saw how angry her husband was becoming, “He already had an adoptive parent waiting to take him by the time we found out about him, a Mr. Ivan Mooney, I believe. Besides, I’m sure you know that Joe does not come off as the type of person that would like to live our world, so this was the best for everyone.”

No shit. With how pretentious and arrogant he is, I’m not surprised. Peach thought to herself.

But still, Peach could not help but think that despite all his faults, Joe did not appear to be a bad sibling to Rory. In her mind, even if for some brain-dead reason Joe did not want to become the son of two successful and rich parents, he would not leave Rory behind.

This made Peach think that there was something else other than Joe ‘not being a good fit', that went into Amber and Walter not adopting him.

“That is understandable. It must have been hard to make a decision like that, but it had to be done.” Peach remarked, knowing that it was best not to push too far, especially with how Amber and Walter’s emotions had taken such a downward turn.

So, Peach quickly changed the subject, “Although, I must ask: why haven’t Rory and I met before? I always knew you had a daughter, but we never had the chance to meet despite our families being so close.”

Peach had to keep herself from laughing outwardly at the annoyed look that Rory sent her way.

Both Amber and Walter visibly relaxed as Joe was no longer the center of the conversation, but Rory knew that neither had forgotten it.

“Rory was quite a shy and nervous girl, had a challenging time making friends too. So, we decided it would best for her to come into her own more before introducing her to society.” Amber explained.

“I just wish we brought her out earlier. Maybe then she would have friends other than… Maxwell.” Walter grumbled, becoming annoyed as he thought about his daughter’s best and only friend.

“I wasn’t that bad, mom. You make it sound like I was scared little lamb.” Rory argued, ignoring her father’s comment as she already knew that trying to change his opinion on things was a losing battle, especially his opinion on Max.

“You weren’t?” Amber asked jokingly, “Because I distinctly remember you hiding behind your father when we tried to introduce you to some of his business partners. You even clung to his legs like a koala when he tried to move away.”

Rory felt her cheeks burn when she heard her parents, along with Peach, begin to laugh at her expense, and she now remembered why she did not like introducing people to her parents.

This is going to be a long fucking brunch...

~X~

An Hour Later

Peach Salinger smirked as she prepared to leave the penthouse, satisfied with what she had learned today.

“Okay, what the fuck was that about? Why are you here?” Peach was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Rory speak. The other woman had been asked (ordered) by her mother to show Peach out once their brunch had ended.

Rory glared at her as she waited for Peach to respond, clearly suspicious of Peach randomly showing up at her parents’ home and the line of questions she had for them.

“Our parents have been friends for decades, Rory, I've spent plenty of time with them before. It's not strange that I'm here.” Peach answered.

“Last I checked you just got out of the hospital after getting attacked by a stalker and yet you show up at my parents’ home and start asking shit about me and Joe?” Rory scoffed.

Peach stopped walking once they reached the front door, turning to face Rory fully. “And you find it strange that your parents were worried about me after hearing that? That they wouldn’t want to check up on me and see how I was doing after... my assault?”

Peach purposely added a tinge of fear and anger to her voice as she spoke, making sure a sad expression overtook her features. She saw the guilty way that Rory looked at her, and when she saw the way Rory struggled to find something else to say, she knew that she had succeeded.

“I-I I’m sorry, Peach. I didn’t mean to-”

Peach cut Rory off, “To what? Accuse me of trying to find out secrets about you? Or implying that what happened to me wasn't serious, like I’m not terrified every time I go outside?”

“I was just shocked; I mean this whole ‘friends’ thing between us just happened. Being an orphan and then becoming the daughter of billionaires, I’ve learned to be distrustful of people who say they want to be my friend.” Rory defended herself, but still looked visibly chastised.

“Well, if I really had bad intentions, I wouldn’t have come to your parents. That just makes seem obvious.” Peach replied with a smirk.

Rory let out a small chuckle, “Yeah, you’re right. But still, I’m sorry. I hope this won’t make everything else awkward.”

“All is forgiven.” Peach responded.

“Good.” Rory said with a smile.

“Good.” Peach repeated.

The two women fell into silence as they stared at each other, both lost in the other’s eyes. This lasted for a few moments before Peach took a step back and cleared her throat once she realized what she was doing.

“I should get going.” She quickly said, needing to get as far away from Rory as possible.

“Oh... yeah, you should.” Rory said as she opened the front door, as Peach walked past her, Rory once again stopped her. “Peach. If you need anything or you’re feeling... upset after what happened, you can call me. Or text!”

The other woman’s expression was completely blank as she stared at Rory, a thousand different thoughts circling throughout her head.

Rory began to sweat as Peach continued to stare at her, she wondered if what she said had upset Peach somehow.

“I... thank you, Rory.” Peach whispered before she turned on her heel for the final time and left.

Rory watched as Peach made her way to the elevator at the end of the hall. Once the doors opened and she stepped inside, Peach purposely kept her gaze on the elevator floor, refusing to look up until the doors closed.

“Fuck.” Rory groaned, “Why the fuck am I so weird?”

The young woman did not have time to ponder this question as her mother approached her, “Rory, your father and I need to talk to you. Now.”

Rory muttered a slew of curses under her breath as she begrudgingly followed Amber back to the living room, she already had an idea of what her parents wanted to discuss with her and was not looking forward to it.

As the pair entered the living room, Amber immediately broke away from her daughter and made her way to the long couch in the center of the room. Walter was already sitting in the center; he gave his wife a quick look as she sat down next to him before both turned their attention to their daughter.

Rory took a seat in the love seat across from them, practically throwing herself into the chair. She stayed silent waiting for her parents to start the conversation.

“You are in contact with Joe?” Walter asked rhetorically.

“I’ve always been in contact with Joe, dad. You know that.” Rory replied, stopping herself from rolling her eyes.

“But you met him, in person. Rory, you know that we don’t want you near him.” Walter said, his voice growing louder with each word.

“He’s my brother!” Rory yelled as she jumped to her feet. “You can’t force me to cut all ties to him, he’s always going to be in my life.”

“He is dangerous!” Walter screamed with equal measure as he too stood up, “You know what he did; to his own father! What makes you sure he would not do the same to you?”

“Joe would never! Joe shot Raphael to protect me and Sandy because Raphael was an abusive asshole!” Rory venomously argued.

“Rory,” Amber began, looking up at Rory pleadingly. “You are our daughter; we just want you to be safe. There’s just, there’s something not right with Joe, and we don’t want you to be caught up in his life.”

“And I’m telling you that you’re wrong. Joe would never hurt me, intentionally or otherwise. He’s not dangerous, he just didn’t get the same opportunity I did, he had to make tough decisions that I didn’t have to make, and live a much harder life than I have.”

“So that’s what this is all about; guilt?” Walter asked, staring incredulously at Rory.

“Walter!” Amber exclaimed, knowing that this would only serve to make Rory more upset.

Rory glared at her father, “It's not guilt, I don’t feel guilty! Why would you say that?”

Walter sighed, closing the distance between them, and placing his hands on Rory’s shoulders. “I am not trying to accuse you of anything, I’m just trying to understand.”

“But you’re not, I mean we have this same argument every few months. We’ll probably keep having it for the rest of our lives.” Rory groaned, growing more frustrated.

Because you refused to see reason! Walter wanted to say, but was stopped by Amber gripping his arm.

It was easier to keep Rory and Joe apart when Rory was younger and still a minor, but once she turned eighteen and moved out for college, Rory ignored their warnings to stay away from Joe.

No matter what Walter and Amber said, Rory would refuse to listen to them, still clinging to the illusion of her older brother that she had since she was a child.

“We know that it can seem like we’re being unreasonable and overbearing, but we just don’t want you to get hurt, or worse.” Amber said, calmly.

“I know that, and I appreciate how much you guys' care about me, but Joe cares about me too, he would never hurt me.” Rory replied.

Rory could tell by the looks on her parents’ faces that they did not believe, but their silence indicated that they were done with the topic, and she was glad for it.

“Okay, Rory.” Amber said resigned.

Walter then grabbed his phone and started walking towards the door, needing to leave before he said something he regretted.

“Where are you going dad?” Rory asked.

“Work.” Walter answered.

“It's your day off!” Rory exclaimed.

Rory did not get a response from her father as he quickly left the penthouse, the door slamming shut behind him.

“Seriously?” Rory muttered, not impressed with Walter’s typical way of dealing with things that pissed him off.

Amber sighed as she stared at the door, she would check in on her husband later, knowing that he would need time to calm down. It was best that Walter left before his anger could get the better of him and he exploded.

“Lunch?” Amber asked her daughter as she made her way back to the dining room.

Rory followed her mother wordlessly; Amber was known for her love of cooking and excessively cooked when she was upset or stressed, so Rory was more than fine with Amber feeding due to her hurt feelings.

And Rory could not deny that the taste of her mother’s macaroni and cheese did make her feel a bit better about her parents’ thinking that Joe was a murderous psychopath.