Once and Again 1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes:

Setting: Season Three

-Tiffany is not pregnant but involved with Jake

**** I am not sure what blood type Eli was on the show so that part is strictly fictional and created by me. ******

Thanks for reading and please review!

*Chapter One*

Ever have those moments when you step outside yourself and are able to see a situation for what it really is. It's the strangest thing but also the most free I've felt in my life. It's happened to me twice and I'm sure it won't be the last of it.

She caught my eye from the moment she walked into the party. Her made up face and lack of clothing certainly had something to do with it. I can't sit here and lie about it. My over the top buzz from my seventh…no eight…no seventh beer..well I think you get my drift. All the pot I'd smoked earlier that night factored into my free state of mind. The events of the night came flashing back to my when I saw her face again

*Flashback to December of Eli's Senior Year*

I strutted across the crowded room through a group of people with my beer in hand. I went over to introduce myself to her. To others I appear confident and sure of myself but it's an act. It always is….isn't it?

Her body leaned up against the wall as she brought her cup to her lips. I surveyed her completely once I stopped next to her. She was fully aware of my actions but didn't seem to mind. I instantly racked my brain for something smooth to open our conversation with.

"Hey." was the best I could come up with. I never was all that good under pressure. Except for those last few seconds of that final basketball fame but even then I managed to screw it up by messing up my ankle. It still gave me problems but not that night. I wasn't feeling anything.

She smiled at me seductively and said "Hey yourself."

I could tell from the look in her eyes this party wasn't the first stop of the night. I didn't really care all that much. This was my fifth party I'd attended since my Christmas break started. I knew I wouldn't be able to hide my morning after from my dad this time but then again he wasn't an complete idiot. 

"Can I get you another drink?" I asked as I leaned slightly towards her intentionally closing the gap between us.

She looked in her cup and with the blink of an eye she chugged the remaining liquid.

"Sure, that'd be great." She replied and then latched on to my arm.

The time in between was hard to account for. I remember the band starting up again, something having to do with pizza and of course a set of stairs.

I lead her down the stairs to the basement mainly because it's the first place I could remember how to get to. We stumbled down the stairs and somehow managed to find the couch before we collapsed on to one another. I felt her hands circle around my neck and pull my closer to her with urgency. I responded by kissing her harder as I repositioned myself on top of her. I moved to her neck as she ran her hands down my back and stopped the hem of my t-shirt. She grabbed hold and quickly pulled it off. Almost too quickly. I managed even in my drunken state to unbutton her blouse without taking my lips off hers. Then I reached in my back pocket to retrieve the condom I kept in my wallet.

*End Flashback*

*Present Time Beginning of Season Three*

It took me a moment to even recognize her face when she showed up at Coop's house out of the blue almost a year later. I saw her from the other room and instantly wanted to become invisible. The holes from our one night together made me want to forget even more. I peered around the corner and down the hall toward the front door where Coop stood.

"Hey, umm are you Coop?" She asked.

"Yeah, who's asking?" He asked back.

I leaned forward a bit more trying to hear their conversation without being seen.

"Sammler, what are yo.."

I spun around and quickly silenced him.

"Shut it." I scolded Ted and then motioned him to come over to me.

He stood behind me and peered over my shoulder to look at Coop.

"What are we doing?" Ted whispered to me.

I glanced back at him and then to the door.

"We're laying low that's what we're doing." I answered.

Ted nodded and then said "I've seen her before but I can't remember where."

"Cliff's winter bash." I replied knowing exactly where Ted had seen her.

"Umm you don't know me but I'm Robin. I was actually looking for Eli Sammler. I was told I could find him here." She explained.

"Of course you're looking for Eli." Coop replied a bit irritated. 

"She isn't the one night.." Ted started to asked but I finished him before he concluded.

"Yup and I rather leave my horrendous messed up night in the past where it belongs. It was a mistake anyhow. I'm outta here. Cover for me Ted." I pleaded but didn't stick around for him to answer. I bolted right out the back door and headed to my car.

"See I just need to talk to him. If he isn't here can you tell me where to find him?" She asked again.

"Sure come on in." Coop answered and then step aside to let Robin in.

"Actually Eli had to jet. Sorry you missed him." Ted interrupted almost out of breath. Coop looked at him a bit confused but Ted just smiled.

"He left?" She asked looking at the both of them.

"Umm yeah I guess." was all Coop could say.

"Sorry." 

Robin wrinkled her forehead in annoyance and replied "OK, thanks anyway."

"Bye." Ted said as she walked down the steps.

"What gives? Eli left?" Coop asked once she was out of hearing range.

"Of course, E bails." Ted answered.

Robin walked to her car and unlocked the door. I unfortunately saw her in my rearview mirror as I drove off. I'm sure she saw me too.

'Damn' I cursed to myself as I sped off.

I drove around for a while and I'm not really sure why. Maybe I was trying to clear my head or something. After about an hour, I finally decided to head home. I pulled into the driveway and parked the car. I jogged up the steps and headed inside hoping for a clear path to the kitchen. Sadly, my family was pretending their best to be the Brady Bunch at dinner but I quickly avoided it. I peeled my sweatshirt off once I got into my room and carelessly threw it on the floor. I flipped my stereo on and waited for the music to ease my nerves. I fell back on my bed and closed my eyes tightly.

I faintly thought I heard a knock on my door over the music but ignored it. Shortly, the door opened and Grace peeked her head in.

"Eli?" She called out trying her best to be heard over my loud music.

"Yeah." I answered without lifting my head off the bed.

"Phone." She declared as she approached my bed. She tossed the phone on the bed next to me and turned to leave.

"Thanks." I called to her as I picked it up.

I waited for Grace to leave before I brought the receiver to my ear.

"Hello?"

"You make it home in one piece?" Coop asked.

"Yeah sorry I bailed so quick. I just wasn't in the mood to deal with that." I tried to explain.

"Deal with what? She's just a girl. An incredibly hot one might I add." 

"That's it. She was just a girl when it was just one night and now she shows up again after all that time." I said with a sigh.

"Maybe she's back for seconds?" Coop joked as he laughed.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I can't even have a one night stand without screwing it up. Do your girls ever call you again? Umm I'm thinking no. I'm surprised she even remembered my name let alone my face." I admitted to Coop. 

"Either way, she tracked you down for a reason. Ted and I are betting our money that she wants some more Eli action." He said with a chuckle.

I chuckled a little to myself as Coop continued his point of view.

"She probably tried to move on but no one compares to drunken love from Eli Sammler."

"Sure, I bet that's it completely. I don't want a needy girl anyhow." I stated sternly.

"Whatever E, you bail next time and we're kicking you out. You hear?" He threatened.

"Ha, I'd love to hear that band. Talk to you later." I said.

"Bye."

I sat up and headed to my door to return the phone to the house. Grace or Jessie was bound to get at least another call before the night was over. Heaven for bid they miss out on the latest high school drama. I pulled the door open and froze in place.

"Hey." was all I could muster up to say in my surprised state.

"Hey yourself." She replied just like the first time we'd met.

We stood there in my doorway starting at one another incomplete silence for who knows how long. Maybe I should have pulled out a stop watch or something.

"Your mom said I could just come on out here." She said in a rambling rhythm.

"Step-mom." I corrected her.

A hurt look appeared on her face from my bluntness and she apologized.

"It's ok…so….uhh…..what are you doing here?" I asked finally trying to get to the bottom of her sudden presence in my life.

She shifted her weight and wrapped her arms around her stomach nervously.

"Oh well, I've debated for a while about coming to talk to you again for quite some time and finally decided to come." Robin answered.

I frowned a bit and said "Ok."

More silence between us occurred but she broke it abruptly.

"Do you think we could talk or something?" She asked motioning towards my room.

I thought for a moment and thought back to what Coop had just said. Was this a part two of our night together? Should I avoid my room entirely? 

"Ahhh sure come on in." I said and then moved aside for to come in. I figured talking in the house would be worse than my room and I wasn't under the influence of any substance now.

I turned towards her back and saw her walk into the middle of my pig sty of a room and look it over.

"I need to bring the phone back. I'll be right back." I declared before I left the stranger in my room.

I quickly set the phone on the kitchen counter and slipped out the door again trying my best to avoid my dad's stare again. I took a deep breath before I entered my room again. I started to close the door but hesitated for a second. I decided to close it knowing my rather large family tended to overhear conversations in which they shouldn't. 

Robin was seated on my couch next to my guitar looking at my music collection when I came back in. 

"Soooo" I said as I sat down on my bed.

I quickly glanced at her and noticed how different she looked from the last time I saw her. She didn't appear to be drunk this time and had suddenly found the yards of material that was missing from our last encounter.

"You're a completely different person sober." She stated out of the blue breaking our silence.

I looked in her eyes and nodded slightly. 

"So are you." I added.

She let out a sigh and said "God, I was so messed up that night. My memory full of holes would be a perfect indicator."

I cracked a slight smile and said "I hear ya."

I had no idea where this conversation was going at all. The truth was I didn't even know her well enough to know how she carried on a normal conversation. Maybe this was the extend of her communication skills.

"I'm sure you tried to forget what you did remember from that night huh?" She asked with a weird look on her face.

"Kind of. So why did you track me down anyhow?" I asked out of nowhere.

She looked at my carpet which mainly consisted of clothes some clean and some dirty. I watched the top of her head while I waited for her to look up again.

"I had a baby." She declared finally.

I made an o shape with my lips and asked "How long ago?"

"Two months ago." She answered without blinking an eye. She looked up at me and held my gaze.

She looked damn good for just giving birth two months ago but that wasn't the point.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked in frustration. What the hell was she getting at?

Robin's eyes darkened and she said "Are you serious? Where were you 11 months ago?"

That was the point where I was hit over the head with a shovel. A very thick shovel.

"What?? Uhhh no it can't be mine." I refuted in shock. What kind of person just shows up out of nowhere and pulls this crap? All of the walls of my small room were suddenly closing in on me.

"It is."

"How do you.....we used protection!" I stated loudly to make a point. Mentally I began to recall the condom portion of our evening but was having difficulties. She watched my eyes as I played over everything in my mind.

"We did use a condom didn't we?" I asked as I brought my head down and rested it in my hands.

"It doesn't appear like it but I guess the old it broke excuse could work here too." She answered.

I looked away from her and focused on my guitar next to her. Anything to try and keep myself from screaming at the top of my lungs in anger. Slowly I brought my harsh stare back to her.

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner? It's almost been a whole year!" I stated.

She didn't answer but only looked away to avoid me.

"Robin?"

She sighed and replied in a soft tone "I didn't know if it was yours."

My jaw dropped slightly in shock.

'God, this can't be happening to me.' I thought to myself.

"Robin, what the hell is going on? I'm sick of all these questions. Just give it to me straight." I demanded.

She shifted herself on my couch and then looked back at me.

"My boyfriend and I had been fighting about a week or so before the party. All of which contributed to my drunken state and sleeping with you. Alex, my now ex-boyfriend and I worked things out a week later. When I found out I was pregnant I didn't even want to consider it was yours. Eli, I didn't even know your name at that point. How pathetic is that?" She said but paused to regain her trail of thought.

"Alex found out the baby wasn't his after we discovered the blood type." She concluded.

"Are you sure it's mine? You slept with me while you were with what's his name. How do I know you didn't hook up with someone else too?" I shot back at her.

She glared at my and said "She's yours Eli!"

"She?" I asked in shock. All of the sudden the baby was now a she. I had a daughter! Wait, I had a daughter?

Everything was happening all too fast. This wasn't me and this wasn't my life. It couldn't be. Granted there were a few times when I'd made some poor judgment calls but nothing like what was before me now. I vaguely remember standing up to begin my pacing. I really wanted to run right out my door and never look back but something held me back. 

I'm pretty sure a track was worn down on my carpet but that was the least of my worries. Robin sat on my couch but didn't say a thing. One would think since she sought be out, she'd be your regular chatty Kathy but that wasn't the case. I was now officially beginning to panic. I glanced over at her as I wiped another drip of sweat off my forehead. She held my gaze and then finally spoke to me.

"So aren't you gonna say anything? Or are you going to continue wearing holes in the floor?" She asked as she pointed down at the floor.

I felt my anger rise and quickly reminded myself to take a deep breath.

"Robin, what the hell do you want me to say? You're the one who came to me remember. What do you want from me?" I asked with a sneer.

Her eyes darted around the room but somehow or another seemed to miss mine. What was her deal anyhow? I stopped in place and continued to look at her.

"Robin!" I called to her after a few moments of silence.

She looked over at me finally and then shook her head.

"What makes you think I want something?" She asked back.

My jaw dropped a little in shock before I answered her "Well, what else am I supposed to think? I still don't even know if it's really mine or not." My voice had suddenly rose from a hushed tone to an out right yelling level. At first I was worried someone in the house would hear me but now I couldn't even think logically anymore.

"I had a feeling you'd do this." Robin stated sounding extremely displeased. 

I glared at her comment and shot back "Well excuse me but we're talking about my life here."

"Yeah, what about mine? You want proof Eli. Fine!" She shouted back to me as she dug through her purse. A few moments later she produced a folded piece of paper and held it out to me.

I looked from the paper in her hand back to her eyes. My dreaded fear of the inevitable kept me from reaching out to take the paper.

"Take it and you'll get your damn proof." She spat at me.

I slowly managed to walk over and take the paper from her grasp. I'm not sure if it was real or just my eyes making it up but my hands appeared to be trembling as I unfolded the paper slowly.

'Come on E..buck up and be a man. A strong man.' I coached myself.

"Just a shot in the dark here but I'm guessing your blood type is A positive.......just like hers." Robin stated.

I quickly opened the paper hoping it wasn't true. But all hope was lost when the blood type on the paper matched mine. I continued to read on and saw at the very bottom of the page the final blow to it all. There was no way her ex-boyfriend could be the father according to the test results.

Mother's Blood Type: OA Positive

Father's Blood Type: B Negative

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I spoke again. 

"Robin?" I asked in a whisper as I opened my eyes again to find her looking at me.

"Yeah?"

"What's her name?" I asked finally realizing everything I thought I knew and planned was now out the window.


	2. Chapter Two

AN: I forgot to add a disclaimer. I don't own anything related to Once and Again. Thanks for the reviews so far. Please read and give me some feedback please! :) Thank you:)

*Chapter Two*

I rolled out of bed the following morning feeling as though I hadn't slept a wink. After Robin left, I sat in my room and was consumed with my thoughts. I went from being a carefree teenager to a father. I rifled through my clothes desperately trying to find something decent to wear. I quickly dressed and headed into the house to grab a quick bite.

"Morning E." Jessie said to me from the table. 

I quickly glanced at her before I opened the refrigerator.

"Hey." 

"What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" She asked as she dug into her cereal bowl.

"What do you mean?" I asked back trying to be heard over her annoying clanking from the bowl and her spoon.

Jessie stopped and looked at me.

"It's just normally you sleep until after noon and then you just lay around all day." She answered honestly. That was the truth to me. Oh how I loved those days.

I continued to work on spreading cream cheese on my bagel. Just then Lily strolled into the kitchen, coffee mug in hand.

"Well, good morning Eli. You're up early!." She stated with surprise.

"So I'm up a few hours than normal. You guys act like I've never gotten up early in my life." I grumbled as I tossed the cream cheese back into the refrigerator carelessly.

Lily watched me intently with that concerned over dramatic motherly look she used often on Grace and Jessie. 

"You still look really tired Eli. Maybe you should get a little more sleep." She said with concern.

"Yeah E, you don't look so good." Jessie piped in.

I chewed my current mouthful and shook my head in disbelief. What was wrong with my family anyway?

"Gee, thanks guys. I love you all too." I said as I tossed the rest of my breakfast in the garbage.

"No problem." Jessie replied with her adorable toothy grin.

I chuckled a bit to myself and than said "I'm headin out. Be back later." 

My mind began to wander aimlessly as I began my drive that morning. How on earth was I going to tell my dad? Or Mom? Oh God. Just the thought of what the conversation would contain made me want to curl up in a corner and die. What would the rest of the family say about it?

I looked over in the passenger seat at the scribbled directions to make sure I was heading in the right direction. The bagel I tried to eat was now sitting uneasy in my stomach. I had tried to go about it like it was no big thing. Just a normal errand but it didn't work. I was scared beyond believe for what was going to happen next.

The cool morning air felt good on my sweating forehead. It sure seemed like I was sweating a lot more these days. I took another right and that's when I saw the park where Robin agreed to meet the night before. As I drove closer I saw a women sitting on a bench with a baby stroller. I felt my foot ease on the gas as I mentally contemplated pulling a U turn in the middle of the road. I silently scolded myself and before I knew it the car was in park. I took another deep breath and then got out of the car. It felt like I was walking at the speed of light and soon I found myself standing in front of them.

"Hey" I said to Robin while my gaze fell on the back the stroller. I found myself imagining what was behind the material.

"Morning, I was beginning to think I messed up the time or something." She stated.

I shoved my hands in my jean pockets and replied "Sorry, I got a bit delayed on my way. Have you been waiting long?"

Robin shook her head lightly as she pushed the stroller back and forth.

"Good." I stammered like a total idiot. For the life of me, I couldn't find the right thing to say or do at that moment. Nothing seemed right anymore.

Robin opened her mouth to say something but her ringing cell phone stopped her. She whipped it out of her purse and quickly picked up as she gave me an apologetic look.

"Hello......oh hey... what?.... that can't be.... You've got it wrong!" She yelled into her phone.

I watched her from my place as she quickly engaged in a heated discussion with the caller on the other end.

"No, that can't be...wait, can you hold on a second?" She asked into the phone and then looked at me. "I need to take this. I'll be right back." And with that she stood and walked off to have a more private conversation.

"Wait, Robin... what..." I rebutted but shut up once I realized I alone. Not completely alone though.

All of the sudden I heard a noise from behind the stroller. I cautiously walked around and finally stood in front of the stroller. I peered inside and saw a similar pair of eyes staring up at me. It was then I felt my knees grow weak and I soon sat down. I studied the baby lying in front of me intently trying to dissect everything I saw. Her hair was covered with a hat as well as her body with a thick blanket. She was smaller than I thought she'd be... who the hell am I kidding? I had no idea what a two month old baby was supposed to look like. I vaguely remembered holding Jessie when she was a baby.

I looked over at Robin who was still talking on her cell phone. She saw me looking at her and then turned her back to me. I slowly looked back into the stroller again. Her arm had worked itself free and she began to make a few more noises. I had no idea what was going on but grabbed the handle and rocked her back and forth how Robin had before. 

I pulled the stroller closer to me and stopped it in it's place. I peered into it closer and found my hand moving on it's own. I wanted to scream and pull it back but something inside of me wouldn't let me. Jolts of electricity flew into my body as she grabbed my pinky with all her might. Her warmth circled around my finger and shot right up my arm.

"Hey there." I whispered to her out of nowhere. Her eyes looked in the direction of my voice intently. I checked Robin's location again and then looked back in the stroller.

"Hey Skye..... ummm it's uhh nice to meet you... uhhh I'm your father it seems.... kinda messed up I know." I babbled to her in astonishment about how calming it actually was. We sat in silence again as I became suddenly mesmerized by her every feature.

"Sorry about that Eli. Well, I see you two have met." Robin said as she joined me on the bench.

I nodded as I pulled my finger from Skye's grasp. I brought my arms to my chest and crossed them.

"So what do you think?" She asked.

I looked from Skye to Robin before I answered. 

"She has my eyes." I stated in a daze. It was so unnerving to look into someone else's eyes only to realize you're looking back at yourself.

"That among other things." Robin added softly.

I felt a gust of wind pass by and shuddered a bit at the sudden cold.

"It's still a little cold out here. Do you want to go and get some breakfast or something?" I proposed.

It took me a while after that to figure out just what I was feeling about everything. My life had changed in so many ways that it was difficult to process it all. I was battling how to handle things with Robin. Communication between the two of was struggled and difficult no matter what we were talking about. I saw her and Skye a couple of times before I finally decided how to tell my parents. I'm still not sure how I managed to survive that afternoon at my mom's place.

"Is dad here yet?" I asked my mom once I came up from the basement otherwise known as my old room.

She looked up from her legal pad which she was scribbling on and shook her head.

"Not yet but you told him to pick you up at 2 so he should be here soon. Are you hungry? I could fix you something to eat if you want." She suggested to me.

I sighed suddenly feeling as if I'd gone back in time to when my mom wanted to take care of everything I did and have an active role in all my decisions. Who was I really kidding? She was still like that when it came to me. At least she loosened up a bit for Jessie's sake.

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry right now." I muttered as I mentally tried to calm the churning in my stomach to a bare minimum. I had to pace myself, after all my dad wasn't even there yet and nothing had been said.

I sat down across from mom at the table and let my eyes fall to the table. I studied the table cloth and all it's delicate stitches wondering why I'd never noticed them before. I hadn't noticed a lot of things before.

"Knock knock" Dad called out as he opened the front door. Even after all the time, I'm sure it was still weird for mom to hear him say that as he walked through the door.

"We're in the kitchen." Mom called back to him.

Dad strolled through the doorway and stopped before us with his keys in hand.

"Hi Karen, Eli you ready?" Dad asked.

"Hi Rick." Was all she said to him.

"Hey, ummm Dad can you sit down for a sec? I've got to talk to you guys about something." I said as loud as I could. It felt as though I was whispering hoping they wouldn't truly hear me.

"E, we've got to pick up Lily's car at the shop before they close." He pointed out as he glanced at his watch.

I felt my forehead wrinkle a bit and then said "I know, it won't take long."

Mom looked at me and held my gaze for a second or two longer than normal.

  
"Rick, just give him five minutes and then you guys can go." Mom declared as she turned to look him in the eye.

I heard my dad sigh as I closed my eyes trying to maintain my courage under fire. Dad took his old place at the head of the table. A place I remember him sitting for numerous breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. That is whenever he was home. I reached under the table and wiped my sweaty palms off on my jeans before I began my tale.

"So, umm I'm not really sure where to begin here mainly because everything is still a bit confusing to me. I've been trying to figure out the best way to tell you guys this, but it seems there is no best way to deliver this type of information." I started as I shifted my glances between the two of them. I noted their sudden concerned looks when I stated the latter portion of my sentence.

"Well, I only found out about this about a week or so ago. I didn't mean to hide it exactly but I just didn't know how to tell you. I also didn't want to tell you because... because.." I said trailing off. I was loosing my nerve even after I had rehearsed my speech millions of times in my head.

"What is it Eli?" Mom asked me.

"E, you know you can talk to me or your mom about anything." Dad stated trying his best to be encouraging. 

I nodded as I took a deep breath and then it began.

"OK, I uhh I found out a week or so ago that I have a baby." I said and then felt the release inside as I let the information go. It was the first time I'd spoken those words out loud since I heard the news from Robin. I didn't realize my eyes had closed until the room went silent. I peered them open and was faced with the look of shock and horror on my parents faces.

Mom's pen fell from her hand as she gripped the table for support. Her mouth opened a jar but she was still speechless. I only hoped my dad would remain speechless but you can't get everything you hope for.

"What?" He asked me in disbelief. I know he thought he'd heard me wrong. But he didn't.

"I've got a kid dad." I stated as I looked him in directly in the eye.

"Are you serious? Eli, I can't believe this. What is going on with you?" He asked but I didn't dare respond. I knew he wasn't anywhere near ready for an explanation from me.

"How could this have happened? We've talked about safe sex how many times but still. When is it due?" He asked as he threw out more questions for me to keep track of.

I opened my mouth to try and respond but it was mom who interrupted me this time.

"Who is she? How did this happened? Rick how could you let this happen?" She demanded in a stern tone.

The buzz of both of them talking was becoming too much and I couldn't take it.

"God, if you two will just shut the hell up for maybe five seconds and let me talk maybe then you'll find out what's going on!!" I shouted at both of them.

"Excuse me Eli, that is no.." Mom started but was cut off by dad again.

"Eli that was completely out of line. How dare you speak to your mom or I for that matter in that tone!" He spat back at me.

I saw his body start to tense up even more with anger and his leg began to bounce. It was one of the many nervous habits we shared as father and son.

"How else am I going to get you guys to just listen to me? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to talk to you about this?" I asked them.

"It damn well better be hard considering the circumstances." Mom muttered as she brought her head to her hands.

I shook my head in disbelief. I had hoped my parents would respond slightly different but they were just like old times.

"Well, being interrupted isn't exactly helping things here. Will you just let me get it out and then you can unload all your negative comments, screams and disappointments on me when I'm done?" I proposed but didn't wait for them to respond. I then began my long explanation hoping for cooperation.

"She didn't know it was mine until she had a blood test done a few weeks ago. The baby's blood type matches mine." I said as I concluded my story with a few parts skipped over. They were my parents but they didn't need to know exactly everything that took place.

"Are you sure the blood tests are correct? Eli, this is serious here. You need to make sure that the test wasn't fixed of tampered with. If she's going to take you to court or anything like that you need to know for sure what you're dealing with here." Mom said being the first to comment on my story.

"Mom, don't you think I don't know this is serious. We're talking about me having to take care of another life here." I replied.

"That's right Eli," Dad started in a loud tone and I knew I wouldn't like where he was going "This is a major responsibility that you are unable to handle. Eli, you can't even take care of yourself here and now you've got this kid to look after. I can't believe you would be so careless and irresponsible here."

"It was an accident." I exclaimed in my own defense. I hadn't intended to get Robin pregnant. Truth of the matter, I didn't remember all the details of sleeping together.

"An accident you're going to be paying for the rest of your life. This doesn't just affect you here. You've got me, your father, and Jessie roped into this." Mom stated.

"And not to mention Lily, Grace, and Zoe." Dad added.

I had tried my best to control my anger as much as possible but that was it.

"Dad you don't know if I can't handle it yet or not but of course you'll jump at the chance to write me off as the typical failure I am. There is one thing I am sure of. I won't always assume the worst of my kid!!" I yelled as I got up from the table.

"Eli! Come back here!" 

"Eli, don't go!!!"

All came from behind me as I stormed out of the house, letting the front door slam behind me. I knew I had no car to hop into and speed away with but I had to get away somehow. I took off running down the street without looking back.

"Rick, what are we going to do about this?" 

He looked over at her and shook his head.

"I have no idea."

"I can't believe this is our kid. It's not happening to someone else's son but to our son."


	3. Chapter Three

AN: I'm so sorry I didn't update this in forever. I don't even know if anyone has really read this or not. Thanks for the reviews though. They've given me renewed effort to work on this story. Life just gets in the way sometimes but I'm working on it now. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Please read and give me some reviews so I continue. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

* Chapter Three*

I made my way up the walk as I saw my dad go into the house. I sighed in annoyance that I hadn't beat him home but realized I couldn't do much about it.

"Time for round two" I muttered to myself as I entered the house through the front door for a change.

I closed the door as quietly as I could wanting to avoid contact with him as long as I could. I had no idea if he'd informed the rest of the family yet. The girls chatter and laughter carried out from the kitchen but it was Lily's hushed voice from the stairs that caught my attention.

"Rick, I just can't believe this. What's he going to do next?" She asked him with great concern. 

"This all feels like a nightmare or something. He ran off from Karen's so quickly after he announced his news that I couldn't talk to him more about it. I'm just so angry with him right now. This wasn't supposed to happen to Eli. He's got enough on his plate to have to deal with this problem." Rick confessed in a bitter tone.

After dad's last comment I couldn't take anymore. I headed into the kitchen hoping to bypass the girls as much as I could.

"Eli! You're home." Jessie exclaimed sounding a little too excited. 

"Uhh hey Jess, Grace, Zoe." I mumbled as I stopped near the refrigerator. 

"Mom was wondering if you were going to be home for dinner." Grace stated as she stirred a pot of boiling pasta.

"Yeah she wanted to know if she should make more than one box of noodles." Zoe added with a smile.

"I'm not hungry." I answered as pulled open the refrigerator to look at the food. I never did make much sense anyhow.

"Eli not hungry? Are you feeling OK?" Jessie asked as she reached for my forehead to take my temperature. I pushed her hand away with a little more force than usual.

"Alert the media.... ELI SAMMLER HAS REFUSED FOOD!" Zoe sang near the top of her lungs.

"Urghh." I mumbled as the girls laughed completely oblivious to the sound of two people running down the stairs.

I leaned against the counter knowing all too well what was to come next.

"ELI!" Dad called out to me as he entered the kitchen.

I glared at him as Lily came in behind him. The look on her eyes told me she knew but it was a bit different than my dad's or mom's look. No, Lily's was a bit more understanding to a degree.

"What?" I grumbled back.

"We weren't done at your mom's house. How could you just get up and leave like that?" Dad demanded.

"You were at mom's?" Jessie asked me but I ignored her.

"I left because you don't even listen to me when I am there. There is no po..." I tried to say but he cut me off again.

"You can't just bail when the going gets tough Eli. We need to sit down and talk about this." Dad insisted.

Lily's eyes were on dad at first but switched to me as I began to speak. The girls began to realize what was going on but really had no clue what it was about. A verbal sparing between my dad and I wasn't something out of the ordinary for us.

"You mean so you can feel better about talking it to death." I snapped back not wanting him to feel like he won.

Lily reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Rick, maybe you two should take this to Eli's room instead of right here." She suggested in a lower more serious tone than I'd heard her use in a while.

He disregarded her and continued his ranting keeping his eyes on me. 

"Relax dad. I've got this under control. It's not that big of a deal." I concluded as I tried to head to the garage door.

I heard his fist pound on the center counter in frustration. I tended to do that to him a lot.

"No that big of a deal? It's a baby Eli!!" He stated and that's when the cat was out of the bag.

I looked back at him with a cold stare. The exact one was staring right back at me, almost challenging me to a stare down.

"Eli you have a baby?" Jessie asked in a shock.

"What?" Grace asked adding to the chaos in my head.

I looked at Jessie first and saw utter confusion and disbelief in her eyes. I saw a similar look from Grace and couldn't take anymore. I tried to speak but nothing came out.

Dad formed a sneer smile on his face and said "Yup, that's right Jessie. Your older brother is now a new father. What do you think about that?"

I felt the blood rush to my head with anger. What the hell was he doing? I had no words for him at that moment. I only pushed through the garage door and went to my room.

"Dad does Eli really have a kid?" Jessie asked looking up at him.

"Since when?" Grace added.

"Wow, is it a boy or a girl?" Zoe concluded sounding the most excited. 

Dad's eyes fell on to Zoe in shock of her question. 

"I.. uhh... I don't know." He answered and caught a hint of Lily's intense glare.

"Girls, will you go upstairs? I need to talk to Rick alone for a minute." Lily said without taking her eyes off of him.

They agreed and headed out of the room leaving Lily to unleash on him.

"Rick, what are you doing? You shouldn't have brought it up like that. Especially in that way in front of the girls. What were you thinking?" She asked him.

He tried to answer but she didn't let him get a word in "I know your angry and upset but Eli needs you." She pointed out.

"I can't handle this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Ahh I don't even know what's going on. Nothing make sense anymore." He replied in frustration.

Lily tilted her head and closed the gap between them.

"Eli needed your help and all you could do was be angry." She commented as she looked him in the eyes.

"What would you do if it was Grace? Lily, you have no idea what you're talking about." He shouted back at her.

Her eyes darkened with anger before she made her final comment to him.

"Rick, have you even stopped to think about what your son needs right now? This isn't about you, me or Grace for that matter. Eli is scared and confused more than he's ever been in his life. And when he needed some support, look what happened!" She bantered back and then left the kitchen to go upstairs.

I stayed in my room for the rest of the night lying on my bed. I had music playing but I wasn't really listening to it much. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up with a new day. A day when everything was cool again. I heard a tap on the door and knew it was her. She was the only one who knocked that way.

"E?"

"Yeah" I called out knowing she would come in soon.

Jessie slowly opened my door and peered in timidly. She looked to me for approval before she fully entered the room. I offered her a slight nod and she quickly closed the door behind herself.

"So...." She said as she sat down on the edge of my bed. I felt her eyes on me but I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye yet. 

"If you're here as a middle man for dad you can forget it." I stated rather harshly. I knew I should have been a little more careful with the way I phrased things to Jessie. She always had so much emotion running through her body that she could easily take something the wrong way.

"I'm not a middle man for dad. I came in here to see if you were ok. If you're going to be like this then I'll just leave." Jessie snapped back and then started to stand up.

I sighed loudly and reached out for her arm.

"Look, I'm sorry I bit your head off. I don't want you to go." I admitted softly.

I felt the bed move as Jessie sat down again.

"Are you ok Eli?" She asked quietly.

I shook my head as I gazed at the comforter on my bed.

"Depends on your definition of ok. Although I have to admit right now, my life kinda sucks." I answered.

"I imagine mom and dad weren't too soft on you when you told them." Jess pointed out.

"You saw our encore performance in the kitchen didn't you? Well, multiple it by ten and then it will be like you were a fly on the wall in mom's kitchen." I muttered in a feel sorry for me tone. I did feel sorry for myself and for some reason I felt everyone else around me should too. I didn't know what good it would do me but I wanted an emotion other than anger and fear around me.

Jessie sat and contemplated my comment and then finally asked the question which threw me the most.

"So do I have a niece or a nephew?"

Slowly my eyes fell upon hers and I saw my baby sister's concern for me shine through. I had hoped mom or dad would have at least wanted to know the sex of their first grandchild but I was wrong.

"Her name is Skye." I answered without taking my eyes off of hers. I desperately waited for her reactions. Anything.

A smile crept over Jessie's face and her eyes started to twinkle.

"Skye. That's a nice name." She said with a timid smile hoping it would get some emotion out of me.

I only nodded at first but then replied "At first I didn't really like the name but the more I see her, it just seems to fit."

Jessie's smile widened when I mentioned seeing Skye.

"When do I get to see her?" She asked hopefully.

I shrugged my shoulders and thought for a moment.

"Jes, I don't really know. I'm having a hard enough time figuring all of this stuff out with Robin. Not to mention my latest complications aka our parents." I tried to explain hoping my reason didn't sound a lame in my head as it did out loud.

"I understand but just don't wait too long ok?" She stated.

"OK." I agreed.


	4. Chapter Four

AN: Thanks so much for all the reviews. They mean so much and have given me a lot of ideas for the rest of the story. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I'm going to try and keep updating as soon as I can. I started school again this Monday and this semester is going to kill me before it's over. Enough of that.... previous disclaimer still stands true... Enjoy and review please!!!!

**** Chapter Four****

I woke the next morning wishing I had gotten a better nights sleep. My dreams had become all too similar to my reality thus keeping me awake into the wee hours of the morning. I rolled over in my bed and tried to fall back asleep but failed. My rumbling stomach was demanding food and I knew I couldn't hold it off any longer. I checked my alarm clock and noted the time. I eventually rolled out of bed and threw a t-shirt on before heading into the house.

I entered an empty kitchen and couldn't have been more grateful. The house was actually an eerie kind of quiet which was out of the norm. I quickly yanked the refrigerator open and desperately searched for something to fill my stomach with.

"I just got some bagels if you want one." 

I whipped around and saw Lily standing in the doorway with a coffee mug in hand.

"Oh, I didn't see them." I replied as I glanced at the bag on the counter.

I began to prepare my bagel in silence while Lily just stood there and watched me.

"Is he.." 

"He's working upstairs right now." She answered quietly.

I nodded but didn't look up at her. I didn't want to look at another disappointed set of eyes.

"I'm sorry about what happened last night. The way the girls found out and everything." Lily said to me in a soft tone.

I slowed my pace of spreading cream cheese on my bagel as she spoke to me.

"It's not your fault Lily. It's just the way Dad and I are." I said.

I finally looked up at her and held her stare for a moment. I had no idea how to read her thoughts through her eyes like I did with my parents but I was learning. Lily was a different type of parent than mine. I enjoyed her company and was glad my dad picked her to marry in the end. Lily always had a way of getting me to talk when I didn't want to and she was at it again.

"What are you up to today?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"I've got rehearsal at Coop's later this afternoon. We're trying to get some songs down for our gig next month. I've got to meet with Robin sometime today too." I answered.

Lily's eyebrow lifted at my response.

"Robin?"

"Skye's mom." I answered.

"You've got a baby girl huh?" Lily said with a small but genuine smile. I saw the twinkle in her eyes that came whenever someone mentioned babies.

"Yeah." was all I could say as I looked down at the counter for a distraction.

Just then as if on cue my dad entered the kitchen and froze when he saw me. I glanced up and saw he was still angry with me from the look in his eyes. I quickly gathered my bagel and headed towards the door.

"Later Lily." I added before the door slammed behind me.

"Is it cold in here or is it me?" Lily asked.

"Lil, he still needs to cool off before we talk again." Rick explained.

"He's not the only one."

"What do you expect from me? I have no clue how to handle this at all and on top of it, I've got to think about how all of this effects all the other members of this family." He commented.

Lily looked a bit taken back by his tone but continued "I don't expect anything more than you can give Rick. Just remember it's about Eli not the girls and how they feel right now. Oh by the way, you've got a granddaughter."

And with that she left the kitchen, leaving Rick there to process it all. He knew she was angry with him but it was just another thing he couldn't handle at that moment.

It took a few days before the ice began to melt a little between my dad and I. I won't lie and say we were back to normal happy as pie. No way. I knew he was still disappointed in me. I would have been an idiot not to see it or feel it every time he was around me. Mom was another story however.

She had let go of her angry faster than him which I was grateful for. She was rather a surprising quiet party in the matter which wasn't like her at all. Normally she had a lot to say about everything but not my daughter. 

My daughter.

I still wasn't used to saying that. Robin was still a complicated matter in my life and royal pain in the ass to be honest. I had been meeting with her for over two weeks trying to get somewhere with her. She had yet to give me a straight answer about her motives or her plans for Skye. As well as her plans involving me. She was rather impossible to talk to but I tried my best to make the most of it. I dreaded each time I went to meet her but knew it had to be done. The same gloomy feeling came over me while I waited at the coffee house for her to show up. She was always late no matter when or where we decided to meet at. I gave her some slack at first knowing getting Skye ready probably took some time but it was as if she didn't bother to try and make it on time.

I glanced at my watch again and then looked towards the door. There was no sign of her but after all she was only 45 minutes late. One time she showed up over an hour late just as I was heading for the door. She still had some time I guess. I hated letting her jerk me around the way she did but didn't know what was else to do.

Finally I grew tried and left the coffee house for home.

I pulled in the driveway and instantly noticed the garage door was open. I couldn't remember if I had left it open by mistake but it wouldn't have been the first time. I didn't see dad's car anywhere but noticed Lily's. At least she wouldn't bite my head off for making a simple mistake like leaving a door open. I quickly parked the car and then headed inside. I took my coat off and hug it on the rack before I headed into the house.

"Eli, I'm surprised to see you back so soon." Lily said with surprise over the music she was playing. She looked up from her laptop at me.

"I'm not surprised to be back so soon. I think I might have messed up the days or something." I confessed.

"She wasn't there?"

"Nope." I said as I plopped down on the couch in an exaggerated manner.

"I could have sworn it was today but it's a simple mistake I guess." She said with ease.

"Yeah, so what are you doing home? I thought you had to be at the station late tonight?" I inquired.

She turned down the music that was playing in the background as she replied "I was but I have some research to do and just couldn't get it done at the office. I've been trying to zone out with a little music and it's been going well."

I got off the couch as I said "Well, I don't to interrupt you're groove here. I'm think I'm gonna head to Coop's or something." 

"OK, thanks Eli."

I stopped in the kitchen to grab a soda when Lily called back to me.

"YEAH?" I called out as I headed back to the living room.

"Before you leave again I was wondering if you've got Rolling Stones in your music collection?" She asked.

I laughed in shock "What?"

"Rolling Stones. I don't know what your type of music is exactly but I think Jake took my Stone CDs a long time ago. Anyhow, I wanna listen to them. Do you have any I could borrow.?" She asked again with a smile.

I continued to smile as she spoke again.

"I'll be careful with it and bring it back to your room when I'm done."

"Alright Lily, I'll go and see what I can muster up for you before I go." I agreed and then flashed her a toothy grin.

"Thanks Eli." She called to me as I headed to my room.

I flung the door open and quickly headed over to me music collection. I sifted through a few stacks searching for the cd's she had requested. I was so caught up in my search almost didn't notice. It caught the corner of my eye but soon had my full attention. I took in the sight on my bed and couldn't believe my eyes. I froze in place but my mind was racing a mile a minute.

"ROBIN?" I called out in urgency.

My feet started to move and I darted into my bathroom but found no one. I searched around my small room for her but found nothing.

"ROBIN? WHERE ARE YOU?" I yelled out again. 

  
I ran towards the door and looked in the garage but found no sign of her. I stood there looking out at the empty space until I heard it. The sound that scared me the most. I slowly made my way back to my room and stood there starting at the bed. Skye's little face had grown pink as she continued to cry in distress. I obviously had woken her up with my yelling but who knew how long she had been sleeping in her carrier on my bed, in my room, at my house. All without me knowing.

"Shhhhhh baby, let's not cry ok." I hushed to her but knew I had no effect on her. Her cries just continued louder until I couldn't take it anymore.

I awkwardly reached into the carrier and took her into my arms. I bounced her for a second not knowing what else do to.

  
"Skye shhhhhh calm down. Please stop." I said to her again louder trying to be heard over her cries.

She began to wiggle in my arms as she became even more upset than before. Not knowing what else to do I bolted for the house. I held her in my arms as I entered the house.

"LILY!!!!" I called out in desperation.

I entered the living room again with a baby instead of her cds while she hung up the telephone.

"OK, I'll get to you first thing in the morning. Bye." She said and then hung up.

She looked at me standing there with a crying baby in my arms and her jaw dropped open.

"She's gone." was all I could manage to say.


	5. Chapter Five

AN: SOO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! I feel so bad about that I really do. I'm still getting adjusted to college again after having the summer off. They sure do expect students to work hard but that's ok. Thanks again for all the feedback on the last chapter. I love reading every single review so please keep them coming. They give me a reason to continue writing. Previous disclaimer stands true so go back and read it if you feel the need. Otherwise...enjoy this chapter.... sorry again it took so long. Thanks for reading! :)

****Chapter Five*****

"Who?" Lily asked me loudly trying to be heard over the wailing baby in my arms.

I looked from her down at Skye and felt somewhat in a daze. This wasn't happening to me at all. Lily's voice was so faint I almost missed it.

"ELI?"

"Robin... I just went...in my room....and....on my bed...and she wasn't there... Nothing." I babbled like a fool. Panic heightened inside my chest and I was finding it harder and harder to breathe. Skye's cries only grew louder as my chest tightened. How could something so tiny be so loud? 

"Oh God." was all Lily said.

She started over to me as I exclaimed with panic "How do I make her stop?"

Lily brushed Skye's head with her hand and paused for a few seconds over her forehead. I watched her closely praying she would fix this for me. 

"She could be hungry or wet. Were there any bags with her?" She asked as I shifted Skye in my arms again.

"Yeah, they're on my bed." 

"OK, I'll go get them." Lily stated and then started to move.

"NOO, I'll do it. Ummm here.. take her." I muttered quickly and handed Skye off.

Lily made a strange face but took Skye from me. She immediately started to soothe her cries as best as she could. I on the other hand raced out to the garage on a mission. I snatched the two bags off my bed and hurried back into the house. Skye's cries had softened a bit but she was still at it when they met me in the kitchen.

"I checked her diaper and she's dry. Look for a bottle in there. She's gotta be hungry." Lily instructed as I followed her directions perfectly.

I searched through the bag and pulled it's contents out until I found a bottle full with milk. I thrust it towards them and declared "Here."

She was gently bouncing Skye on her shoulder but didn't take the bottle from me.

"Good but let's heat it up a little first. She'll like it better that way." Lily said.

I nodded in agreement even though I was in no position to form an opinion on the matter. I was completely clueless and everyone knew it. I pointed toward the microwave and waited for Lily to nod in approval. I slammed the door closed quickly and punched some numbers as fast as I could. I wiped the small amount of sweat off my forehead as I glanced over at Lily. She looked calm even with all the noise and confusion. I on the other hand was a frantic mess as usual.

"That's probably enough." She said finally and I quickly stopped the microwave.

"Ok, here." I said hoping this would be the end of the crying.

"Now, pour a little on your wrist to see if it's too hot for her." Lily stated as she walked a little closer to me.

I wrinkled my forehead in disbelief. "What?"

"It's a way to really test how hot it is. Just drop a little bit and you'll see." She answered seriously. I thought she was just giving me a hard time about it.

I shook my head at this nonsense but did what I was told. I pushed my left sleeve back and held the bottle upside down over my wrist. 

"Give it a little shake." She suggested to me when nothing happened.

I again followed her request and a few droplets of milk came out.

"Is it too hot?" Lily asked. 

I sighed and thought for a moment.

"Lily, I don't know. It feels... like... it feels like a cup of coffee that's been sitting a little while." I answered honestly.

Lily's eyes lit up and she said "Perfect."

"Finally, great." I replied and then held the bottle out to her.

"Why don't you feed her?" She proposed with a head nod.

I took a step back and mumbled " I... uhh....no. She's crying and I don't' know what to do or the right way. You've done this before. You do it." I refused trying my best to be convincing.

Lily shook her head and replied "I already know how to do this. You don't!. Come on."

She headed towards the living room. I on the other hand stood completely still. 

"Eli come here!" She called to me.

I reluctantly followed her into the living room, bottle in hand and then sat down on the couch in front of Lily.

"OK, here we go." Lily said as she placed Skye back into my arms. I shifted a little and then looked to Lily for some approval.

"There you are. Be right back." She added and then left the room.

"Wha...ahh." I sighed and then looked down at her. I slowly moved the bottle toward her mouth and watched as Skye took it into her mouth. Then there was the silence I had been waiting for. I studied her intently while she drank quickly. So much I didn't notice Lily enter the room until she spoke again.

"Not so bad is it?"

I gave her a weird look and she just chuckled to herself. She placed a cloth over my shoulder.

"For burping when she's done." 

"OK."

Lily sat next to me and watched Skye closely. I felt her gaze drift to me and then I met her eyes. We held a stare together until I managed to speak again.

  
"Thanks Lily."

She smiled back and me and patted me on the back.

"Sure."

"I don't see what the big deal is anyway. I think Joel Perry's suspension wasn't fair at all." Grace declared to Jessie as they walked through the front door.

"Yeah, it's bogus. There are no witnesses either." Jessie added in agreement.

They wandered into the kitchen after dropping their backpacks on the floor by the stairs. They found Lily standing at the counter reading the newspaper.

"Hey Mom." 

"You're home early." Jessie pointed out just as the telephone rang. She raced over to the table and picked it up quickly.

"Hello?... oh hey.....yeah....uhh I just got home... Oh.... I know. I bet they'll plan a big protest or something for Joel." Jessie chattered as she headed out of the kitchen towards her room.

"Don't talk too long Jessie. I'm waiting for a call." Lily called out urgently to her. She looked over at Grace who's eyes were on the baby stuff.

"A protest for what?" Lily asked causally.

"What's this stuff?" Grace asked back ignoring Lily's question. She stared her mother down as she waited for her to answer.

Lily paused for a moment and debated what to say next. Finally she spoke again quietly.

"It's Skye's." 

Grace nodded and thought for a second.

"But what's it..." She began but trailed off after she got the look from her mom.

"Ohh." Grace said softly. "Is she ?"

"In the garage." 

Grace was taken back with surprise. 

  
"Do you think I could.."

"I guess just be quiet. We've had quite a day so far." Lily warned as Grace left the kitchen.

I heard a light tap on my door while I was finishing up my short chat with Coop on Lily's cell phone.

"Look man, I can't talk any longer. Let me know asap if you see or hear about her ok? Thanks... later." I said and then hung up.

I opened the door and was surprised to see Grace on the other side. Was it after 3:30 already? Where did they day go? Dad would be home soon but at least he already knew the current circumstances. Grace stood there and just stared at me with those eyes. Grace's eyes were different than any pair I had looked into in my whole life. She was so expressive with them it's as if she didn't even need to talk at all. There was still so much that went unsaid between us and unresolved. She was the only person who hadn't spoke to me about Skye and Robin. I still didn't quite know why.

"Uhh hey Grace." I said softly once I finally came out of my trance. Now I was finding it even hard to be in the same room with her let alone talk to her. Something happened once our parents got married and we moved in. Everything was different.

"Hi. I was just in the house and mom said that..." 

"You want to see her." I interrupted now knowing why she sought me out in the first place.

She broke a small smile and nodded.

I sighed and replied "Ok but I promised Jessie she could see her soon and she'd throw a fit if she caught us out here together." The last thing I needed was a fight with Jessie on top of everything else. I couldn't handle that.

I watched a bit of disappointment flash across her face but she masked it quickly hoping I hadn't noticed. But I had.

"Oh I understand. Can I get her off the phone and bring her out here now?" Grace asked.

My eyes grew and I exclaimed loudly "How long has she been on the phone?"

"Not long why?" She asked me slightly surprised by my outburst.

I glanced over my shoulder at Skye who was still asleep in her carrier even after my loudness. "Long story that will be dealt with when my dad gets home."

I looked back at Grace who was still in my doorway as she replied "I hope he's easier on you this time."

"Me too but let's face it. It's me we're talking about here."

"So can I come back? With Jessie I mean?" She asked.

"I guess." I agreed resulting in a cheerful smile from Grace. She left my doorway as fast as she appeared and went back into the house.

"Jessie!!" she called out as she knocked on her door.

"What?"

Grace opened the door and saw Jessie laying on her bed cradling the phone against her shoulder.

"I'm almost done I swear." She declared right away.

Grace chuckled a little and replied "Who cares about the phone!"

"What do you want then?" Jessie asked sounding annoyed by the interruption.

She smiled and simply said "Skye's here."

Jessie bolted up from her position with a huge smile on her face.

"What!?!"

"In Eli's room." Grace answered.

Jessie hopped off her bed and spoke into the phone "I uhh I gotta go. I'll call you later."

She hung up and followed Grace back down the stairs. They ran through the house barely pausing long enough to set the phone next to Lily. They whipped around the corner and appeared in my room out of nowhere.

"Is she really here E?" Jessie asked me as she walked into my room timidly.

"In the flesh." I said as I pointed over to my bed across the room. Grace followed Jessie over to Skye and just stood there.

"She's beautiful." Jessie gushed as she gazed down at her niece.

To my surprise Grace was speechless at that moment. I watched both of them out of the corner of my eye. Pretending not to care wasn't as easy as I wanted it to be. I glanced back down at my magazine hoping it would pull me back. From a world that I didn't want to be a part of. I was too young for it. Much too young.

"Can I hold her?" Jessie asked as she looked my direction with pleading eyes.

"She just went to sleep after crying forever a little bit ago. In a bit Jes." I answered. I didn't want that crying business to start up just yet.

The three of us stood silent in my room for a few more minutes. The silence was weird. It was so quiet I could have almost sworn I heard Skye taking each breath. Time to get out of there.

"Uhh I was just about to bring her back into the house if Lily's done with the loud music work stuff." I said.

"She's done I think." Grace said finally.

"Can I carry it?" Jessie asked eagerly.

I shook my head in agreement. "Sure but you wake that thing then you shut her up."

"She's a baby not a thing Eli!" Jessie scolded me with a swat on my shoulder. She picked the carrier up carefully and slowly left my room. Leaving Grace and I alone. Again.


	6. Chapter Six

AN: WOW!!!!! I can't believe I'm writing this again. I had pretty much put it away but then I started to get reviews. Those reviews inspired me to continue with this story as best I can. I've been busy with school, work and life in general. I'll try to work on this whenever I can. Sorry this chapter is so short. Please let me know what you think of it. :) Thanks for all the encouraging reviews!!!

**Chapter Six******

All she did was stand there looking at me. A million thoughts raced through my mind as to what she was looking at. Or what she was thinking about. Grace leaned from one foot to the other as she fumbled with her belt loop with her fingers. Her eyes perked up twice and I thought she would finally say something but again she failed. The on going silence began to take a toll on her and she started to look pained.

"Grace?" I questioned as my voice cracked a bit from the silence. I looking intently at her with question in my eyes.

She took a deep breath and finally answered me "Is something wrong?"

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"Well, uhh it's just all of the sudden you bring Skye home. My mom said you didn't want to bring her home." She stated sounding very confused. Join the club.

"I didn't exactly bring her here." I confessed with a sigh. I backed up and sat down on the corner of my bed.

"Well, then how.." Grace started but stopped mid sentence when her eyes met mine again. I locked eyes with her and barely nodded back. She cautiously made her way towards my bed and sat down next to me. I felt the mattress shift only slightly as she situated herself on my bed.

"So what exactly happened?" Graced asked.

I didn't say anything at first as I tried to collect my thoughts just right. I realized there was no right way to say any of this stuff.

"I don't even really know for sure. This is all nuts. I went to meet Robin but she never showed up. I came home and Skye was here on my bed. Alone." I explained as she listened intently.

"I take it Robin is MIA." She replied.

I looked away back to the floor. "Of course we are still talking about my life here. Everything is always messed up. If it's good then it's bound to get messed up eventually."

I heard her sigh next to me but I couldn't look at her. I felt her about to speak but she stopped suddenly. 

"Hey what are you guys doing out here?" Lily asked us from my doorway with a look on her face. I'd seen that look before. I then realized what Grace and my situation might have looked like. I looked over at Grace who had just roller her eyes at Lily.

"Nothing, just talking." She answered back with annoyance in her voice.

"Oh ok Eli, I need some help with Skye." She said to me. It was then I heard a faint scream from the house. Again. How could she have the energy to repeat her previous performance? Lily saw the look in my eyes and somehow managed to read my thoughts again.

"Jessie didn't wake her." Lily stated in Jessie's defense.

  
"Fine." I muttered in agreement and got up from my bed. I left my room and followed Lily back into the house leaving Grace in my room. I assumed she would follow us as well not wanting to stay in my room alone.

Lily stopped in the living room next to the couch and Jessie looked back at me with panic in her eyes.

"I swear I didn't do anything to her. I was just looking at her and then all of the sudden she.." She started to ramble quickly.

"It's fine Jes." I said even though it wasn't. Nothing was fine anymore.


End file.

Once and Again, Drama