indemne.

For a December morning, the weather had been unusually crisp. Hugh supposes it has something to do with the sky; bereft of any clouds, there is no means to buffer the warmth of the sun. As such, the sunlight’s rays pass through the open windows, and the curtains sway in accordance to the morning breeze. Still, at one point in the morning, when the television screen had just begun to roll out the morning news, Hugh had stood up from his seat and moved to close them. But then the Calhoun patriarch had cleared his throat to capture his attention, only to cast him a stern though solemn look, and asked that they be left open. 

“It’ll be too hot later,” Hugh had tried to reason with him, “your body might not handle it.” But his decision had been made, and only minutes after did Hugh realize that his former future father-in-law was worried less about growing feeble as much as he was worried about feeling less alive. 

And he’s right. Given the events of weeks past, and the inevitable tragedy still to follow, that the weather stands in solidarity with them today is a fact that is not just welcomed, but embraced. He deserves a little bit of sun. 

Hours has passed since then, the programming since shifted into a feature segment interviewing some local painter. He doesn’t have the heart to take the remote control off the hand of his couch partner, who, in the middle of the man explaining the transformative abstract of black paint, had dozed off. A sentiment that Hugh deeply understands, because his own eyelids were increasingly growing heavy — that is, until a few hard knocks on the door pulls him back to reality.

And so Hugh stands up begrudgingly from his seat, mentally crossing out names as to whom the unexpected visitor may be. Probably the postman, he thinks, though the post doesn’t deliver on Sundays. More likely it is some well-meaning neighbor stating their well wishes. Most likely it is yet another homemade pie, as if the Calhouns’ refrigerator hadn’t already been well-stocked with all sorts of baked goods, all of which were futile attempts to conceal the harsh truth of his inevitable demise. 

Twisting the doorknob, Hugh has already begun preparing for his refusal when he swings the door open, only for the entryway to reveal someone whom he least expects.

“Oh.” And at this juncture the warmth of the sun turns to blistering heat. The damaging kind, too, like someone had thrust a hot fork down his throat. He doesn’t know how long it takes before he finally closes his gaping mouth, though when his words come, they are hardly any better: “I thought you were — I thought you were pie.” Well, that’s one way to greet your ex-fiancée, Hugh muses, bemused.

Theresa Calhoun’s arrival back to town was an unexpected one, and one that she didn’t want to have to make, but given the current circumstances of her fathers impending illness, she had no choice. In a selfish attempt to chase some sort of happiness of her own barely lasted like she was hoping, since she had been spending the last nine years paralysed with guilt. She loved her daughter, there was absolutely no doubt about that. But the guilt that engulfed Tess ever since Jane was born suffocated her. Knowing she was depriving Jane of her father and in turn, keeping her away from the rest of her family. Her father and sisters only ever visited during the Holidays and her birthday, since Tess refused to go back to her hometown, but the trips seemed to shorten throughout the years with her fathers impending illness. Leaving her no choice but to make an effort herself this time. One hand gripped onto the Herschel duffle bag while the other held onto the little girl’s hand standing next to her. Tess gave her daughter a small smile as she placed loud knocks against the wooden with her tiny fist. Alternatively, she could have let herself in with the key that she still kept. But once the door swung open and revealed who was standing on the otherwise, Tess had wished she did let herself in. Convincing herself that if she did, she would have had the opportunity to see him before he saw her.

Silence enveloped them, and it wasn’t until Jane cleared her throat that broke her train of thought, not realising just how much Tess was staring too. On instinct, she lightly tugged on Jane’s hand, the grip against hers tightening that she could’ve sworn she heard the little girl squirm against her grip. Instead, she jerked her closer to her as if she were protecting her. But against what, exactly? “Sorry to disappoint.” Tess responded, quite flatly as she broke eye contact, disappointed that those were the first words uttered between the two. She turned to the little girl though not before she stole a quick glance towards his direction again. “Jane, go inside and say hello. I’ll be there in just a minute.” she said, her tone changing immediately. The little girl squeezed through the man, though not before flashing him a small smile that was followed by a wave and immediately, Tess felt her heartstrings being pulled and not in a good way. Ripping her gaze away momentarily, Tess picked it back up to face him once they were alone and she was out of earshot. “What are you doing here?” she asked. The nerve she had, she thought to herself, for asking a question that should’ve so clearly been for herself.

Instead of occupying herself in her lavish villa overlooking the glitz and glamour of Cannes, France, Aspyn Cloutier had dazzled herself up in preparation for a blind date set up from her best-loved client, Sawyer Deacon. As a makeup artist, she encountered plenty of A-Listers but no one ever made a notable impression on her, unlike Sawyer from the first moment the canvas occupied her makeup chair. The moment on, the pairings friendship immediately blossomed from sharing horrifying sleepover stories from their childhood to their hidden insecurities always having to be pushed under for the sake of pleasing others first. Somehow, and someway, the topic of Aspyn’s relationship status’ had been brought into their session before a gargantuan photoshoot for Elle Europe in mere hours. There had been little true love luck on her behalf. The platinum, beach curled blonde had a personality and master list of childhood traumas due to her mother’s venture in writing childhood books of her sister, Harper, and her’s childhood. Profiting from the success of one book after another, people laid their hues heavily on the Cloutier sister and where their life would go. Everyone had an opinion on them but never one of their own children. Typical behavior from parents and having gossip about children in the limelight. Both of them were successful but strictly in career terms. Other fields were questioning. The idea of a blind date, after having to experience horrors from her other friend’s previous attempts, made her instantly want to decline the idea of even crossing Sawyer’s conscious meant her friend thought about this conversation long and hard before she could open her bigmouth. A date was set with Travis. Travis Deacon. A name that felt all too familiar on her lips without her knowing anything beside stories of his former relationships and moments with Sawyer. She knows he should be the one to share anything from his past but Sawyer was giving her the explicit upper hand in preparation for tonight. Arriving at the restaurant chosen by Sawyer, Aspyn shined in a custom made Miu-Miu Primavera Verano matching Orange set paired with fresh off the runaway’s Miu Miu block heels. Heads were instantly turning causing as mouth corners gaped from the positive responses, witnessing as the hostess was approaching her and guiding her to her table without confirmation whether she was Aspyn or not. Nonetheless, this treatment was familiar due to her success - whether she thanked her mother for the boost in her career or not. Arctic hues nearing an attractive solo figure at a table, who by the seconds inching closer, made her heartbeat jump against its confines of the protective cage. Holy crap, she never had an instant, attracted reaction like such from any former date in her past. “Travis?” Instigating a gentle questioning tone, completely unaware to act for the first time in her entire life, helplessly standing as she nervously stood there and endured a gentle beam on her light nude painted petals, “Hi,” intaking a quick breath, “I’m Aspyn Cloutier.” 

It had almost been two years since Cannes become Travis’ new home and he could honestly say that the last two years had been more enjoyable than the rest of his life. He wasn’t sure if that made him sound extremely boring, or if it took a place ride across the country to make him start living and actually enjoy it. The people were friendly, the food was better and waking up to a view of France every morning gave the Australian nothing to be ungrateful for. In Sydney, he had his own business through his very own veterinary clinic where he also worked as a vet doctor. Though with the big move to France, Travis decided to do the same here since he didn’t think it was a plan that the Deacon siblings would be moving back any time soon. Most of his days were spent at the clinic and if he wasn’t working, he was out jogging. If he wasn’t out jogging or exercising, he would find something to do to keep himself busy. If anyone knew Travis, they would know that he never liked to stay unoccupied for too long. But he liked it here, he genuinely liked it. Who knew that taking French up as a subject in high school would ever come in handy. And although his career choice had been the complete opposite of his little sisters, but that never stopped him from being at every set, premier and audition that she had. The last thing he would have ever expected from her was to set him up on a blind date. At first, he had been opposed to the idea. Especially since he agreed to go on every single blind date that she had organised for him in the past, which all went terribly wrong.

“Log?” An angelic questioning tone had flown off the tip of her tongue as the petite female entered further into the familiarity of her older brothers home. The same home where Juliette spent much of her previous years when she was going through her own heartbreak due to her former boyfriend and the unexpected death which quivered her entire world. It had been three years of his death anniversary. For the first time, in the longest time due to being numb and irrational, Juliette’s brightness had descended upon her once again. There were difficult days but things had seemed to move right along. In the process of drafting up another novel, impressed by how far ahead of her deadline she currently was, the next romantic novel was bound to be finished in the upcoming weeks. Maneuvering around the familiar lodge, immediately heading toward her brother’s office, witnessing as the mound of Carmen’s belongings have slowly started to vanish from the formerly occupied home of her brother and his once wife, glazing caramel hues noted the change but proceeded on. Knocking on the half-opened double glass entry door, the petite Stratton beamed softly at him, feeling grateful he wasn’t occupied on the phone. “Hey,” she sighed happily, hues locking onto her older brother as she entered further into the study, occupying the dark leather seat across from him which she helped pick out. “Working hard or hardly working?” A chaff escaped from off the tip of her tongue, hands resting comfortably on her newly purchased light-washed jeans, crossing her ankles as her beloved pair of Veuve Clicquot polo classics graced the outfits presence. “How did things go with Madison?” Peaked with curiosity, the younger sister needed to know details since the re-appearance of her brothers ‘best friend’ had surprised them all. “I want to see her but I know she may not remember me. I don’t want to bombard her at once so I figured to hold off for the time being,” she noted lightly. Living in Los Angeles proved Juliette perks for getting her name out to thereby mingling with other individuals who had the influence to have her on their daily time talk shows. With an event upcoming, Juliette needed to quiz her brother over what she needed to except beforehand. Large crowds still managed to make her anxious but each event after another, the insecurity faded away but didn’t mean the wallflower aspect within her didn’t creep during these times. “Someone, who told someone else, told me that Alexander Badescu will be there this Saturday?” A tamed brow rose toward him, remaining leaned back in her chair with a tiny amount of nerves crippling over her. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Having the entire rooms eye on me? I can easily make a fool of myself. You know, stumble over my words which wouldn’t have been the first time. Sure I can work the crowd for a little while but I’m no Reagan or Madison. They turn heads naturally and know how to keep the focus on them.” It was Alexander Badescu. Anyone and everyone knew about his grace to the world of classic piano and how he reinvented classic musical. Having him even appear at her event was like winning the jackpot. 

The two story home that Logan once shared with his now estranged wife finally started to feel like his own. He didn’t realise just how many things belonged to Carmen until he finally started to get rid of it, furnishing the home with his own belongings and finally claiming it as his own home. There were many moments where Logan wanted to get rid of the house and start fresh all together, but Carmen wasn’t going to come back and he was fine with that now. For a long time, Logan didn’t think he’d ever get over the dark haze that he had been living his life in ever since she left, but the more time he spent with his family and friends, it just reminded him how he should be grateful for the people that were still around. Right on cue, a familiar silhouette walked through the door and by the tone of her voice, Logan guessed at who it was straight away. “I thought I heard someone.” he smiled, pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning on and gave his little sister a one armed hug while the other was occupied with Madison’s new script. Taking a seat from across the desk, he held it up and waved it at her. “Working.” he said before placing the plain script across from him. Logan had promised to go over her lines with her, but he wanted to check out her script himself and so far, he was impressed. As if Juliette read his mind, he smiled, a tightlipped one, but still amused as how his baby sister could see right through him. Probably better than himself. “Madison’s parents are trying to do something different, and got her a role in an action film. They’ve actually done something helpful, I’m shocked.” he said, the sarcasm dripping off of his lips as he gave her a lopsided smile. Logan was never the biggest fan when it came to Madison’s parents, and most of that came from their own doing. He was overprotective and if there was anyone that needed to be on her side, Logan would always be that person. “It might help her familiarise herself with the people she was closest to and maybe she might remember something, so coming to see her might actually be a really good idea. I’m seeing her again tomorrow, you should come.” he suggested. Two of his favourite girls in the same room once again. It was almost a no brainer that the two would get along.

Considering they hadn’t had a lot of time to deal with it or talk about it, Abel knew. He knew he had to get it out of his system now or he risked bottling it up inside. And the only person he trusted aside from Milo, was their sister. “Yeah I don’t... see a reunion happening any time soon. What possible reason could she have for doing this to us? For... for making us think she was dead?!” None of it made sense to him, but it made him all the more thankful to have people in his life that he could trust. Although, this would surely ignite a few complexes he’d probably never rid himself of. If you couldn’t trust your own mother, who could you trust?! “These are questions I wish we could’ve asked but, I don’t want to see her. I don’t want to know. And I don’t know if that’s going to fuck me up in the long run, Kian, but I can’t handle this shit. She... left us behind. -- In fact, Maya’s been more of a mom than she ever has.” 

“I can’t imagine what Milo’s going through.” she started, shaking her head. “He was the closest to her.” For as long as she possibly could, Kian had been avoiding the subject and even though she so badly wanted to talk to someone about what happened, she just didn’t know how to. She had been too busy being angry, that she forgot that she could turn to her siblings -- her own twin brother. At the very end of the day, if there was anything that remained steadfast in Kian’s life, it was her brothers. “I have no idea, Abe. I’ll have to get back to you on that one because I’m still trying to come to a conclusion that makes close to any sense.” she ranted on, feeling her body tense up the more she kept thinking about their mother. Kian swore that when the time came and she decided to have a family of her own, that she’d never do this to them. “She has. She is.” Kian started, almost cutting her twin off. “She is our mother. She’s the only woman we have left that could be considered a mother.” she said, as a matter of factly before lifting her head to get a peep of his reaction. “Since we’re on the subject of people returning back into our lives... Uh, Kai and I... are kind of back together.” she paused. “I wanted you to hear it from me before anyone else.”

Forty-five days. It had been forty-five days since Noah stepped foot onto Catalina soil once again, and although the city had a sense of familiarity and comfortability to her, Noah wasn’t sure if it felt like home. Her geography during the last few days of her life never stood still, constantly moving -- which was probably the reason why she was struggling to adjust back to what was once her favourite city in the world. Catalina, London, Catalina again, Iraq, and then... Catalina again. During the first few weeks she arrived back, she spent her time surrounding herself with her family, particularly her siblings, not realising how much she had missed them or missed out on them while she was gone. There was one more family member that Noah knew she had to go and visit one day, but she kept coming up with excuses as to why she couldn’t go. ‘Work has been hectic, I just haven’t had the time’ she’d say -- or ‘I still have boxes that haven’t been unpacked or untouched, I should get to that first.’ She came up with absolutely anything and everything in the book in order to avoid visiting her own sons grave. Until today, she mustered up the courage to get out of bed and drive over to the nearest florist. For the past ten minutes, Noah had just been standing there, staring at the bouquet of flowers in front of her, not really planning to buy anything as she knew she’d come up with a new excuse -- ‘He wouldn’t like these flowers.’ Seeing the owner from the corner of her eye, Noah lifted her head and gave her a tight-lipped smile before turning on her heel, coming to the conclusion that she just wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to see the plaque above his grave and she didn’t want to think about how his body was six feet down, she didn’t want to think at all. Noah had been so deep in her thoughts that it almost didn’t register to her that she collided with another person, it was the striking pain on her side that finally brought her out of her trance. “Shit! I’m sorry.” she muttered, bending down to pick up her phone and card holder that she had dropped before standing back up to see if the male was okay. “Are you okay?” Noah asked, finally looking up to take a good look at who she just ran into. Realising who it was made her feel like she just got all the air knocked out of her -- looking at him made her feel more winded than when she ran into him. The last person she’d ever expect to see in Catalina was him, though there was a feeling at the pit of her stomach that punched her in the gut. Noah wasn’t sure if it was guilt, or if she was happy to see him but there were a mess of mixed emotions running through her body at the moment. “Rhys?” she finally called out, hoping this wasn’t some lucid dream she was having. “What are you doing here?”

Asher: Did you guys know that there's a twenty-four hour shrink two blocks away from my house? A fucking shrink. The best Westbrook had was a twenty-four hour burger truck that sold stale burgers. I think it's a sign.

At first, Elliot merely groaned into his pillow at being woken up. However long he’d been sleeping. Thought it only took a few seconds for his frame to instantly shift upwards, knowing his best friend’s voice anywhere, shock causing his eyes to widen. “What -- What time is it, Ki?” He muttered groggily. “I didn’t miss any of your shows did I? Or dinner?” His hand then lamely reached for his phone still resting on the nearby nightstand.

“It’s almost half past one in the afternoon.” Kian declared, making herself comfortable on the empty space next to him after being satisfied with how bright the room had gotten. “What did you do last night?” she questioned. In all honesty, they didn’t have anything planned but Kian knew that she missed her best friend and wanted to spend some quality time with him. Especially with how busy she had suddenly gotten at work, it was a miracle that she even got out of bed today. “You’ve never missed any of my shows, I have high hopes you won’t ever miss any.” Kian chuckled before tugging on the blanket. “But no, I’m off for the rest of the week. Which is why I’m here bothering you, now get up.”

Big crowds were never really a place of comfort which Claire found solace in. Much more less a whole ball dedicated to her, where royals from around the hemisphere were invited to. All eyes were on her the entire night, and if she were to make one wrong move and she would quite literally be the laughing stock of the Netherlands. A title that didn’t sit very well alongside the title -- Princess. It was the last thing she wanted to do, especially since her father had spent months building Claire up in favour of the public eye. But all she really wanted to do was spend time with him and get to know the father that she didn’t grow up with. She had run the risk of one parent never talking to her again when she up and left her mother alone in New York, the last thing she wanted to do was lose another one. Losing was something that Claire seemed to be getting used to as of late, first losing contact with her mother -- despite the numerous amount of attempts that her mother had tried to reach out to her own daughter, Claire refused as her plan of getting to know her father would be quickly shut down by her mother. Whatever conflict that the two had, Claire didn’t care. But it wasn’t only her mother that had fallen short of Claire’s list of estranged family members. Unbeknownst to most, she was married. She was only a college student at the time, but she knew that she married the love of her life. Though her old habits caught up to her and just like her mother, he husband received the same treatment. She wanted to have the chance to know her father, and she didn’t care about the title that came with is but apparently, he did. Being a Wellington meant that she had to follow certain rules -- rules that had been implemented from generations down of Wellington’s. Compared to her old life back in New York, a ball was a luxurious event which Claire never experienced. But to her new life as a royal, this ball tonight was more on the informal side. Halfway through the night, she spotted a silhouette that resembled too similar to Quincy. One that she could never forget, no matter how many years she had been apart from him. Even despite being away from each other, he was still her husband and she was still his wife. Spending most of the night catching up to who she thought might’ve been her husband, she kept getting interrupted. She curtsied to everybody that her secretary told her to, and she danced with everybody that her father introduced her to. After finally managing to rip away momentarily from the commotion inside, she stepped outside and immediately felt the light wind. Hugging her body, she stopped dead in her tracks as the familiar man greeted her with his back. “Quince?” she spoke, brows furrowing as she anticipated. “Is that you?” Whether or not it was who she thought it was, she questioned if his arrival here in the Netherlands was intentional or not.

The one thing Noah always knew and believed in Olivia happened to be the tenderness within her. Regardless of the pain, she had received, in which he knew she rightfully did not deserve any sort of agony in the first place, his best friend always took the high road. The distaste for Jeremy on his behalf only bittered. Even if he didn’t voice it. Instead, allowing it to fester within him, but he wasn’t the type to allow his vexation to change him into someone else. At the end of the day, Jeremy wasn’t worth it. The blond male hated what he did to Olivia but the future was endless for the female. He believed in her more than anything. Someone would mend her broken pieces. Whether it be him, as much as he hoped and prayed for a glimmer of hope, or if another lad overtook the dark hair female’s hair, Noah would just want Olivia to be jovial again. This was his happiness. “Yeah? Thank you. I can always count on you.” he repeated, knowing all too well Olivia would do anything for him. Just like he would do the same back and had during the process of the annulment. Feeling a creeping situation fall on the apple of his cheeks, grinning to himself due to the minor gesture from her. “Angry is a valid emotion,” he informed in an encouraging tone. “But,” the blond male began to insert, scratching the back of his neck where his locks were growing and soon need to be tamed. “There’s so much out there for you. It’s a chapter that can be closed. Tomorrow is always a better day, right? You have so many people who love you and so many options out there. You’ll get there.” Long by now, Noah had been proceeding with his searching by request from Olivia. Here and there, he had seen her sketchbook but never went further to snoop. It was an invasion of privacy. Yet, his baby blue hues couldn’t be fooled by the sight some of his best friend’s doodling within the lyric book. The rhythm of his heart increased within milliseconds - a sensation unlike anything before. “That’s what I’m here for. I’ll always be your personal cheerleader,” he spoke through a chuckle, not meaning physically dressed up as a cheerleader but spiritually. Allowing the diaphanous book to rest underneath in his fingertips, he took a few strides to return back to the table, not even daring to hide the childish smile brightening up his semi-tan face. “Just...” he trailed, attempting to find the right words. “A lot of doodling you have been doing inside of this book, huh?” Resting it lightly on the table, near the edge to avoid the food and possible splatters, before occupying his seat across from her. His brow shooting in her direction, persistent smile remaining on his lips as his cavernous started to fall through, “Maybe there’s a story behind that?”

Since her homecoming, often Madison noticed that she still hadn’t found her footing back in Los Angeles. Even with her parents breathing down her neck, showing her photos of her past or even worse, playing the movies that she supposedly had been in before, none of them were enough to convince her that this was truly what her past was like before. At least, it was still overwhelming to her and she didn’t know just how to handle these information just yet. So instead, diving into work and pretending to become someone else seemed like the next best option. When the cameras were on her, she didn’t need to think about the people trying to help her remember, she was always given dialogues and background information of the character she was portraying; because the truth was, the blonde wasn’t sure if she wanted to remember. Maybe she was given a second chance to live her life, but all she wanted was some space to discover her new life in her own time. Although with the last few months passed, she still came up empty, still uncertain of the decisions she made whenever she felt her parents’ eyes on her. She told herself that they both meant well, considering these were the people that shared the same DNA as her, so she often tried to remind herself that they just wanted to help her with her recovery and adapting back to her lifestyle. Brows raised at his ramble, she hadn’t gotten the chance to say another word until the waiter came and took their order. “Well, unless you give me a reason not to trust you, I guess you’ll be my best guide on my own life right now,” The blonde said lightheartedly, a genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips at Logan’s expression. Granted, her parents warned her not to trust many people in the entertainment industry, but surely, the man sitting before would be an exception. Especially if his job was to make sure she had nothing but a clean reputation to the media. He probably knew just as much as her parents did about her. “You better not let my parents hear that, they might just work you to your bone.” She joked, before nodding lightly at his latter comment. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next event, I’m glad to hear you feel the same way. I don’t mind the nice outfits, but I’d rather sit at an In-N-Out, if I’m being honest. At least they’ll have actual food there.” Madison wasn’t sure where all the honesty suddenly came from, but it was refreshing to actually be able to be honest to someone for once. “Renovation, huh?” She tilted her head to one side, not quite understanding his words. “I mean, if you ever need help, I could do with a change of scenery.” She offered, as she didn’t really want to make their working relationship as formal as the title stated. He seemed like he deserved better than that. “You’d that with me?” She asked, surprised that reading lines was something they used to do before, which only made her wonder how close they were before her accident. “It’s a heist movie, which is different to my usual work…apparently. It seems pretty interesting though,” At his question, her mind drifted briefly to the encounter she had with the woman a few months again, before nodding again. “Yeah, I— um, kind of bumped into the her once? Are you close to her?” She asked, pausing for a moment before adding. “Was I…was I friends with her?”

“Who knows, maybe I’m not who I say I am and currently have the real Logan Stratton in the boot of my car.” he tried to joke, letting out an amused laugh at his horrible attempt at a joke only for it to die down in silence. “Kidding.” he reassured, clearing his throat to conceal his awkwardness. “Probably not the thing I should be joking about right now.” he added, furrowing his brows and quickly diverting his attention to the menu as if he hadn’t scanned it about a thousand times already. That, and he memorised everything since he had become a regular throughout the years. It was the perfect in between for some peace and quiet and also good food. “You can one hundred percent trust me, and even if you’re still feeling a little unsure, I’ll always be here.” Logan smiled, giving her a tight lipped smile as he finally tossed the menu away from him since he was only really using it as a distraction from embarrassing himself anymore. “In-N-Out, huh? I’ll be sure to remember that next time.” Logan couldn’t help but smile, unknowingly letting out a light chuckle as he listened to her words. Even if you’ve changed, you haven’t really changed at all. Is what he wanted to say but stopped himself before he could get a word out, and humiliating himself, once again. “Yeah, I’m close -- you’re -- I mean, we’re all close.” he added, fumbling on his words, trying to find the right thing to say. Reluctantly, he reached out across the table and placing his hand on top of hers, giving it a small squeeze as if it was the most natural thing to do. And for Madison, it was. Affection came easy when it came to her. “It’s okay.” he reassured, even though she didn’t ask for it, he just wanted to remind her that he was always going to be here for her. Just like she always was for him when Carmen left him.

“You’re not going to remember everything and everyone all at the same time. I can... I can only imagine how overwhelming everything is for you right now. I mean, you get a random guy telling you he’s your best friend and PR agent in one... it’s weird, right?” he joked, followed by a light chuckle. “But Reagan’s a good friend, if there’s any questions I can’t answer, I’m one hundred percent sure she can.” Logan added, his tone remaining steady and reassuring the entire time he ranted on. To her, he might have sounded like a broken record but he didn’t care. He was still trying to figure out how to be there for her, while letting her figure things out for herself, because in all honesty, Logan shared a personal affection towards Madison. One that he might not have realised just yet, but if anyone saw them together, not knowing the context of their friendship, they would’ve just seen a man in love. “Are you sure? To be honest with you, I’m not really renovating... uh, my house is just filled with boxes filled with all of my ex wife’s stuff. I’m just trying to redecorate, all while trying to get rid of her rubbish.” his tone that was once laced with nothing but love and endearment whenever he spoke of his former wife now replaced with bitterness and resentment. “Yeah, we always did it.” he said, giving her another tightlipped smile. “Speaking as someone that promised to tell you the truth and also as your best friend, your parents were right, a heist movie isn’t something you go for.” he started, “But,” Logan added, holding a finger up. “As your agent, I’ve always said it’s good to be diverse with your roles. Plus, you’ll be great. As always.” he pointed out, tone confident as a matter of factly. “Anyway, I actually asked you out here not for work. You probably have some questions that I’m assuming your parents don’t or won’t tell you. And I thought you might’ve needed a friend.”

“Sophia... Sophia! Slow down!” trying to keep it down from prying eyes, but also trying to be as stern as she could so her stubborn toddler would listen. Renee half walked and half ran, trying to keep up with her daughter as she watched her hop against the sterile hospital floors, going towards nowhere in particular. “Can you please cut your mom some slack and not make me use my feet any more than I already need to today -- Sophia!” she yelled this time, stopping the baby before she walked into a patients room. The stern mom voice coming out of her and not caring about what the other hospital staff thought. After finally catching up with her, Renee bent down to scoop her up and plop her comfortably on her hip, making sure that she wouldn’t go running away again. A unsatisfied moan came out of her as she tried to protest against Renee’s hold, but the mom only held on tighter, bouncing her on her hip in hopes to calm her down. “I know, I know. The hospital is the last place you want to be spending your Saturday morning right now, but mommy needs to go and do her job, and save little babies like you.” she said, taking a sharp turn on her heel before almost running into Zander. If it wasn’t for her daughter striking up the lack of energy that Renee had been inhibiting her entire shift, this almost-run-in definitely did, finally waking her up. Something apparently caffeine couldn’t do. “Zander -- I mean, Dr. Mackinnon,” she greeted with a smile as she took a step back, adjusting the two-year-old on her hip. “Listen, what are you doing right now?” she asked, an idea popping into her head as she ignored the vibration of her pager going off. Probably another reminder that Renee should be preparing for her surgery right now. “Can you do me a huge favour right now, please, and get this little heathen off of my hands for no later than two hours?” the paediatrician asked, flashing her most toothiest smile, as if it was going to convince him anymore. “I promise I’ll pay for your breakfast for a week, or anything you want for that matter.”

Regardless of what Olivia went through, Noah always reminded her that he would never leave by these decisions. They were best friends. Raised since they were little, everything in his entire world was shaped around Olivia and nothing else. Both of them happened to have their fair differences from time to time. Noah, who allowed decisions to fester in his conscious, still remained alongside his best friend when she shared with everyone about her decision to get married to Jeremy. Jeremy was someone Noah had given a chance after chance when they were in high school. It came along with him being defensive and wanting the best for Olivia. Truth be told, he didn’t care about Jeremy but his opinions never mattered. He never wanted to overshadow Olivia. If Jeremy was everything for her, he’d just have to deal and accept her decision. It was a brutal truth. For all of the years when it was just Olivia and Noah, now, he had to share Olivia with her husband and he hated overstepping any boundaries or spending too much time to even possibly upset Jeremy in the equation. Although, the opinions from Erwin had always been shared with the Monclaire twin. They had an unbreakable bond. When both of Noah’s parents often failed in their attempts of parenting, the young blond haired boy always found comfort in Erwin giving his honest opinion. When Noah’s own relationships came to a failing point, Erwin was the man to hear all about it and voice how the situation should be handled. Of course, Noah never stayed in committed relationships for years upon years. Things happened, as he was always focused on his work. It was no surprise of Erwin’s distaste for Jeremy. He heard all about it. Never did he share light on their private conversations but it was clear, his distaste for his son-in-law wasn’t hidden and things were awkward. Now, they no longer had to deal about it. Even though, Olivia should’ve never been placed in this position in the first place. She had a heart of gold. If he could go back in time, repair the damage and know this would’ve been the outcome for her, he would’ve done everything and anything for her. It was one of the first moments when his feelings became clear as day. The way he admired her at the moment, he felt a ping of jealousy. Everything for him, ever since the moment he met Olivia, his whole life and world was shaped around the image of her. A secret he may have to live with forever.

“I’ve always been the one to take care of you and there will be no stopping anytime soon,” he soothed with a brightening beaming expression, sneaking a brief glance her way before focusing on the topic of the food in front of them. A rumble in his stomach indicated all of his waiting for their order and making way to the studio, it was time to feast on up. Having always been the type to quickly pick up on Olivia’s quirks, just a brief moment witnessing her frustration by playing the same notes over and over again, part of him figured it could be his time to come in after they eat up and help out the progress. “So,” he began, pausing to open up the plastic utensils, before opening up a few of the to-go containers, feeling the whiff of Italian food fill his nostrils. “What kind of vibe are you wanting to go with this song? Happy? Sad?” He questioned. Moments later, he heard the repeating of the tune from when he walked in earlier, softly humming to himself as ideas crossed through his mind. It was beautiful. Of course, anything Olivia did was beautiful. But, he understood why she was frustrated. All of the songs they worked on together came through its rough patches. This one would be no different. “It’s progress. We can make it work.” The optimism clear in his voice, nodding toward her in reassurance. “Liv,” his brawny voice cut through her words, clearing her throat. “If the album has to take longer, the label will have to understand. You’re not going to pull out, okay?” A sight stubborn of Noah briefly shining through, putting his foot down on the conversation. He was not one to give up and would never allow Olivia to experience this either. Following toward where Olivia was pointing, realizing her bag was in the corner, instantly up and willing to fetch what she asked for without any hesitation. “I got you. Always.” Moments on his feet later, he crouched down toward his best friends bag, rummaging through the collection of items as he accidentally fell on her songbook. He was never the type to go through someone else’s privacy but if it meant they could find a song lyric within Olivia’s creations, they could work it with the tune which still replayed constantly in his conscious. Fingers delicately grazing the book, he opened the first page to see some scribbling of ‘NM’ scattered around. He knew his activity of taking too long could’ve raised a red-flag if Olivia would’ve called out for him. Yet, something in that moment, seeing a sight of initials being written around truly questioned him. Was it him? Was there someone else Olivia had been seeing? He wasn’t an expert. Part of him was leaning toward faith and hope of it being about him. Quick with his actions, pressing his petals into a fine line, wanting to avoid a smiley sight, he found his best friends phone and returned. “Here you go,” he handed back her cell phone, shooting her a smile which he had been hiding, taking her beauty in his sea-foam green hues, feeling a glimmer of hope in return. “Stop,” he laughed at her words, shaking his head. “He’s helped me out a lot. More than my own parents at times so I love hearing from him. But, he loves you a lot.” Always to be the one to reassure Olivia, it felt so natural to him. “Liv, of course.” Relived she offered, knowing if he returned back, things would be at its ultimate peak of vulnerability. “I always want you around. Maybe we could do it next weekend?” His beam instantly brightened by the feeling of the warmth of his hand on his own as his hues never pulled away from her. “Thank you,” he whispered, his fingers intertwining with her own, returning a squeeze of appreciation to her now. Grateful for her existence and all she was willing to do for him. Even in the time of his father’s addiction. “I’ve been okay. I’m pretty much always here with you and when I’m not, I’m stuck with Tate on the couch.” 

Everything Toppy had dreamed of since she was a little girl; an adoring family, the fortune of finding her soulmate just like her parents did, a child, all came to life as fate took its time and working its wonders for Toppy and Chase itself. The feeling of her waking up every single morning to her beloved husband and their angelic, bright-eyed toddler running into her parent’s bedroom for morning cuddles had been a dream come true. There hadn’t been a single moment where she wasn’t happy since meeting Chase. Through the thick and thin, they stood beside each other and confessed they’re undying love amidst it all. It was clear they were better together rather than apart. It was clear as the winsome, baby blue sky that Chase was Toppy’s soulmate and her heart simply could never belong to another. Her beam glistening in its usual state, glistening and admiring the delight of her husband and his words in these delicately placed moments. Admiring the blissful moment of her husband and his unbreakable bond with her parents always tugging at her heartstrings. Her parents loved Chase, just like their own. It was no surprise at how well they treated him and welcomed him with wide arms when they first started dating. “That’s our little girl. We all know who she gets her running after. Her amazing, insanely attractive, yet super talented father. I’m glad you saw them. You know how much they love you around. I miss them too. I’ll call them later today.” One of those mental reminders Toppy locked in her conscious to make sometime later in the day. It meant she’d be able to even talk her angel until she went off to bother her grandpa but it would make the entire day. “Good. I want you to never forget,” she beamed proudly at her husband, shooting him a wink. The one thing she always did was felt the need to remind her husband of his importance and her endless amount of love for him. As every person near to them realized their endless amount of love was overpowering and the grandest love story. Just like the one young Toppy, with her pigtails with pink ribbons at the bottom, swinging in the backyard as she admired the beauty of her parent’s love. It was her dream come true.  “What can I say? Some of us have to be the lucky one every once in a while,” she teased back to her husband, tone as playful was ever before laughing lightly. “Oh no, no, no,” rapid to insert her words, turning on her heel before shaking at his latter set of words. “I love our daughter more than anything but mommy loves that hair,” she sweetly soothed, having reminded him constantly over how much she adored his set of locks more than anything. “Mommy has to win this round.” With that, once more shooting a wink toward his direction as her main focused fell upon the delightful sight of the surprise orchestrated by her husband. Ever since their beloved Genevive entered into their lives, family trips had been a consistent plan with them. Always making sure to plan something for all three of them, but mostly their angel herself. It had been far too long since the couple had been able to go on a trip by themselves without their daughter. It was the best surprise Toppy could’ve ever received after all of their constant working and little time to relax. And, in her usual form, this time, she was the one being able to receive a surprise. The animation of her emotions overtook her as every feature on her olive complexion glistened in the natural array of light crashing through the windows. Instant to narrow the space between the pairing, her embrace immediately tightening around her husband, as she stood on her tippy toes wanting to avoid squealing right in his ear but the tightness in her grip declared her happiness. Mouth corners brighter than ever before, the tears started to form, ready to cascade down her face before taking in her husband with an adoring look. “You really did this for me?” She squeaked through the question. Attempting to hide her emotions of happiness and eventual tears cascading down. “You are such an amazing husband and I can’t believe you were able to make this happen. Just us. Oh man, do you know the trouble we can get into?” she giggled through the later part of her words, tamed brows dancing for him. Witness seconds, her hues widened at his words, knowing she had the entire day but she was beyond excited for the adventure ahead of them. “Oh my god, I’ll have to pack first thing after breakfast because I am not letting this food go to waste.” The brunette declared before leaning toward him, pecking a kiss on his lips. “I love you so much. Thank you, baby.”

Growing up as the only child made Chase miss out on a lot of things in life, and with the career choice that he choose blended in with the controlling parents that he had, it was far from a normal childhood. The cliches that everyone heard about wanting a normal lifestyle, with a simple and normal childhood had been all true. He knew because he went through it all. Though even despite the lack of presence his parents had on his life, it never stopped him from loving his own. If there was anything that his parents taught him, it was to be a better parent to his child and a better partner to his wife. All the things that they failed to teach him, Toppy’s parents did. After meeting them is when he truly knew that family didn’t always have to be blood and you didn’t need to call a house a home. It could be something as simple as loving someone, and them loving you back and that’s what he found in Toppy. Chase found his own siblings through Madeline and parental figures through his wives parents – his own version of home that was much better than what he originally had. He loved hearing her speak about her family and the way he eyes lit up whenever she mentioned her father, or how much her mother asked about Genevieve. All the simple things meant so much to him. “You keep up with the compliments and I might just book us another surprise holiday by the end of the year.” he chuckled as he looked over at his wife. There was no question that Toppy was Genevieve’s mom, which is what made him love his little girl even more. “I didn’t want to wake you, but Gen didn’t forget to give you a kiss on the way out, so if you ever think she’s a daddy’s girl, then you’d be wrong.” he added through a light chuckle. Chase knows just how busy she had gotten lately and which is why he wanted to plan this trip sooner than later. Having a full time career in the public eye, all while simultaneously trying to raise a family without it was hard enough and a holiday was something that Chase felt like the two parents needed – wanting to take advantage of their break as much as he could. “Don’t worry, I’m not getting rid of these curls any time soon. It’s kind of my signature look, don’t you think?” Chase said, tilting his head a little to show off his unmade hair, the smile on his lips never wavering as he posed jokingly. He diverted his attention away from the food and back to his wife, sliding his arms securely around her waist as he held her closer. “And I love you. So much. You deserve every bit of it.”

“Rise and shine!” Kian announced, barging through the doors of her best friend’s room. The ballerina spent a lot of her time in Elliot’s home if not her own, so it was safe to say that she knew how to get in on her own. Going straight for her curtains, she swung them open, welcoming the morning sunlight in Elliot’s once dim-lit bedroom. “Did you forget about our plans? Come on -- chop, chop, look alive!”

“Do you ever wonder what our life might’ve been like had Mom not done what she did to us?” Abel was high as a kite, his thoughts turning sombre rather quickly after shoving half a burrito in his mouth. Sombre because, their mom had suddenly invaded their world, shedding light on the fact that she’d never passed. She’d been alive all along. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive her.” 

“All the damn time.” she said through gritted teeth. Kian sat motionless in her seat, calloused fingers gripped tighter against the glass she had been nursing in her hands. The subject of their mother wasn’t always a sensitive one when it came to the ballerina, but ever since finding out that she had been alive all these years, a part of her had just wished she was. It was easier dealing with her death, than dealing with her slander against her own family. “I don’t know about you or Milo, but I know I never will.” Kian added, turning her gaze to face her brother now. “She lied to us, Abe. For all these years. If Milo hadn’t run into her at the Hampton’s, would she have even shown up? If she didn’t want anything to do with us, she should’ve done what every other shitty parent would do and just walk out, not fake their own death.”

Several things were happening; the cab driver had noticed another passenger, probably ready to tell her off, till the man explained to him. In the meanwhile, her eyes roved over his frame, taking in the stubble and tired eyes, hair that had been nicely done but was now tousled. Alice’s eyes fell down to her own clothes; she was wearing scrubs with little seals playing with a beach ball in a repeating pattern; a favourite among the kids. Her shoes were white sneakers, muddy from the sidewalk and rain. And her hair, a colour in between rusty red and blonde was dark now, damp and unruly. She must have looked like a mess herself. “Yeah, that’s why I decided to commandeer this cab.” A beat. “I’m kidding. I work with kids, this humor has nowhere to go.” She smiled, not sure how the man would have reacted to that. “I’m Alice.” She noticed the hand later; her owns hands full with craft paper and her many different bags. It was awkward as she transferred the things to free up a hand to shake his. “Seriously though, thank you. Maybe I’ll live to see another day because my cat, her name is Zelda, will probably spare me if I get home in time for dinner. She’s this gorgeous thing, dark as the night and eyes so beautiful, one might cry. But boy, is she demanding. It’s nice sometimes, but sometimes, she’ll act like my mother.” Now that he was facing her, Alice was taken aback by the man’s features. The overall vibe combined with the smell of something in the cab, it made Alice blush a little, eyes moving slightly to the left, for she was unable to hold his gaze for long. Her hand was still in his, before she dropped it like a hot potato. She turned to face forward, leaning towards the driver to give him her address. “I’m sorry about this. Can I offer you a mint for your kindness?”

Alec couldn’t help but notice the hesitation in the cab driver from looking at him through the rearview mirror but with his reassurance, he started the car up once again and began driving to her destination. He looked down at their hands still intertwined and it shocked him how he wasn’t the first to let go. Instead of slouching back in the chair, Alec made an effort to sit straight, no matter how tired he was. He leaned back back on the chair, leaning more towards his right shoulder as he half turned his body to face hers. “Alice.” he repeated, then more in his mind like a mantra as if he was trying to memorise it. By looking at her, he could tell she was a nurse and to himself, he made a mental note of the hospital name as subtle as possible. Alec couldn’t help but let out a light breathless chuckle at her joke. “I have a kid, so I actually appreciate the jokes.” he said, pressing his lips against each other. Alec had been so tired that he couldn’t even control what was coming out of his mouth but it was definitely something he didn’t want to tell a girl he ground attractive. “Don’t mention it, I’m just glad that I could reunite you and Zelda once more.” he chuckled, butchering a joke of his own. “I’ll say no to a mint.” he started, looking over at her. “But… if I’m lucky enough to catch you on your break one day, then maybe a coffee? I think our day jobs may be neighbours.”