A/N: Woooo. Got a little sidetracked from this with Fall to Pieces. This is the last chapter, and probably the last fic in this universe, unless I come up with something really exciting. Thanks to all those who've read from the start. You rock my world! Please enjoy and review!
Later that evening, there was a bundle of people laying on the couch together. After a filling dinner, Nick and Sara had both felt the need to be close to Carly, having been through one of the worst frights of their lives. Nick sat in one corner, his feet propped up on the coffee table with Sara's head resting in his lap. Carly was curled up against her mother, her back to Sara's stomach, all of them just laying there together. The little girl had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago, and the sight of her tiny chest moving up and down with each breath was a reassuring sight. She could've gotten hurt; she could've gotten kidnapped; but she was okay. Carly was there with them, laying in their arms.
Nolan had already been put to bed about forty-five minutes ago, and Riley was laying in the recliner right next to the couch, just watching her family. She'd been thinking back to the times she felt like an outsider in this family. Back when she'd first moved in with them, after the whirlwind of events that changed her life, Riley hadn't understood them. The feeling had probably been mutual, she realized, but little by little, she'd begun to feel part of the little family. And today, she'd done something important for these once-strangers. Carly had trusted her enough to allow her to help when she was obviously distraught. And Riley had managed to talk her out of her plan and reason with her about what she was doing, coaxing her out of that tree house and back home. Then, she'd been successfully mediating between her father and Carly. He was obviously upset with Carly, but after his conversation with Riley, he'd cooled down and approached the situation with a calmer head. The result, seeing the three of them all cozy and safe on the couch, was quite rewarding to observe.
Riley thought back to her own disagreements with her father. She'd been so angry at him for taking away her sweet sixteen party. It had been so unfair for him to take away such a milestone in her life. But was she being a hypocrite? She'd explained to Carly that Nick and Sara punished her because they cared, and wanted her to grow up to be a good person. The same thing had happened to her, but Riley sure hadn't seen it that way. Like Carly, she'd thought Nick was out to ruin her life. It had seemed he treated her so unfairly, when really, he was just looking out for her like he was looking out for Carly today. What Riley had done was really an incredibly stupid thing. Trust meant everything in this family, and she'd betrayed Nick's trust when she lied to him about where she was going and didn't answer her cell phone. Though she hated to admit it, he was even right about her friend Cody. Riley knew that if she'd still been living with her mother, she would've let her get away with it. Heck, she probably would've even had sex with him by now, because her mother provided close to no supervision. Nick made Riley expect more of herself, and more out of her life. She'd been offered a chance for a spot in one of the top schools in Las Vegas, and knew that nothing like that ever would've happened with her mother as a role model. It was all starting to make sense, and Riley was feeling horrible for giving Nick such a hard time.
Sara moved her head to look up at Nick from her reclined position with an expression that could only be described as motherly. "I think we ought to get her to bed, don't you think?" She whispered to him. When he nodded she looked back down at Carly and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. Sara kissed her hair and then gently extracted herself from behind her daughter as Nick stood up also. He himself was quite tired, but he picked Carly up in his arms, her body lifeless and her mouth opened. Sara turned to Riley as Nick carried their daughter away and smiled.
"We're gonna go to bed, Riley. It's been a long day." She walked over to the teen and bent down to press a kiss to her head also, then gently stroked her hair. "Thanks for your help today. I don't know when we would've found Carly without you."
Riley smiled weakly and nodded her head. "No problem."
"You going to bed soon too?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna go say goodnight to Dad."
Riley rose from her seat and they both began to climb the stairs, their eyes tired, and their mouths both yawning. Sara disappeared into the master bedroom to brush her teeth and get into her pajamas, and Riley felt herself wandering to her little sister's door. She watched curiously as he tucked her under the comforter and sat down on the edge of the bed. Carly seemed to have stirred a little and woken up, but Riley could hear her voice was croaky and fuzzy. Their father whispered something to her, then leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the forehead. He treated Carly, and all of them, with such tenderness and care. How could she ever have hated such a wonderful man?
As Nick stood up from his daughter's bed, he found his oldest watching him from the doorway, leaning against the frame. He smiled at her softly and gave her arm a squeeze as he stepped out, closing the door behind him. Nick figured she'd just come up to say goodnight, but was surprised to see tears in Riley's eyes. Before he got a chance to question her why, she'd thrown her arms around his neck in perhaps the tightest hug ever. Nick closed his arms around her also, not knowing quite why she'd suddenly pounced on him, but a hug was always nice. She was crying.
"Sweetheart, why are you crying?" He gently asked as she sobbed into his shirt collar.
"Daddy, I'm sorry I've been so horrible lately. I know you're trying to look out for me and I didn't understand, but now I do." Her voice was teary, but she had to get out what she wanted to say. "And I've been so awful, and I'm sorry Daddy…"
"Ssshhhh…." Nick was surprised, but he smiled and hugged her a little tighter. He didn't expect her to understand just yet, but he suspected what had happened with Carly today had something to do with this. Riley had been part of the nightmare of realizing Carly was missing; that she'd broken the rules and put her life in jeopardy by doing so. "I'm glad you realize I'm just trying to keep you safe."
She was still clinging to him and showed no sign of letting go. "And I know that if I still lived with Mom I wouldn't be doing as well at school because you pushed me to take the harder classes even when I wanted to be lazy, and you make me do my homework and Mom never did and…"
"Darlin', it's okay." He cut her off, somewhat amused that all this was spilling out. He had no idea she had these feelings inside her, and it was kind of nice to have her validate the way he was raising her. It wasn't every day a kid thanked her father for being tough on her. "I know it's not easy being a teenager. I just want you to do the best you can do, and keep safe."
Riley choked on her tears a bit and nodded as Nick placed his hands on either side of her head and pulled her back to see her face. He didn't think he'd ever seen her look so sincerely sorry, and strangely it was a big relief. Many days, it seemed the common sense he was trying to teach her went in one ear and out the other, and he was never getting through. Perhaps seeing a real-life example of why he was so protective finally got through to her. With his thumbs, he wiped away some of her tears. "You make me so proud." Nick whispered to her. "And I love you so much."
"I love you too Dad." She replied weakly and leaned in for another hug. Riley knew she was really so blessed to have two caring parents, ones that regularly told her that they loved her. While they both knew there would be more disagreements in the future, it was nice to have this moment between father and daughter. At least, Riley seemed to understand or at least consider where he was coming from.
"Let's get you to bed." He kissed her forehead before releasing her from the hug, and draped one arm around her shoulders. "I'll tuck you in."
They walked down the stairs together, and Riley wiped at her eyes a bit. Nick guided her into her room and pulled her covers back for her. Once he'd pulled them up, he handed her a couple tissues from her bedside table to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes, and in case she started crying again. He sat down on the edge of bed and rubbed her arm as she settled in.
"So, next time you're in trouble, can I use this conversation against you?" He joked, trying to lighten up the mood a little bit. Riley grinned at him and closed her eyes, shaking her head. He chuckled at her response and adjusted the covers again so she was nice and snug. "I'm kidding. I'll see you in the morning. Love you."
Riley wished him the same, and after a kiss to the cheek, he rose and walked to the door. He shut the light off, feeling the best he had about his relationship with Riley in a long time.
CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI
The general atmosphere in the Stokes household was much calmer over the next month or so with Carly's bullying problem solved, and Riley finally getting over her loss of her birthday party. She had also been much more agreeable and cooperative with her parents, less apt to challenge them when she was told no. Because of her good attitude, Nick decided to let Riley have a small get-together at their house for her birthday, just a sleepover with three friends, but it had been a wonderful reward.
The SAT's hadn't been as awful as Riley had anticipated. Sure, she'd had to wake up early on a Saturday and suffer through tons of questions, but by the end of the test, Riley felt she'd done reasonably well. When her results came in the mail a couple months later, she was pleased to see she'd received a 1980 on the test, well above the minimal requirement for Butterfield. However, it wouldn't be official that she got in until Butterfield sent her a letter. The College Board would send Butterfield a copy of the scores, and within a few days, the notification should come in the mail. The days dragged on slowly, as each day, Riley made the trip out to the family's mailbox, hoping to find a letter addressed to her. So far, for an entire two weeks after getting her score, she'd returned with only bills, catalogs, and magazines.
Finally, on a Monday afternoon, Riley took her daily trip to the mailbox to find the item she'd been waiting for. She sighed, standing by the mailbox, staring down at the letter addressed to "Riley M. Groves" from Butterfield Academy. She lifted it and let the envelope bend up and down between her fingers for a few moments, feeling the weight of it. There was no telling if it was good news or bad news from feeling it alone. Riley knew she would have to open it and find out for herself. She'd been waiting in anticipation all this time, and when the moment had finally come, Riley felt terrified. It felt like her whole life was riding on this letter. Her fingers trembling, she dropped the rest of the mail on the sidewalk and began ripping open the only envelope she cared about. Quickly, she unfolded the letter and skimmed over the contents. Riley swallowed, closed her eyes, and folded the paper back up. Gathering up the contents she had dropped on the sidewalk, she headed inside to find her parents and tell them the news.
Nick and Sara were quietly talking about what had gone on in each of their days in the kitchen, cooking dinner, when they sensed Riley walked into the room. Both looked over at the time, stopping their conversation when they saw the confused look on her face. She was holding a single piece of paper in one hand, a stack of envelopes in the other.
"Did you get the mail?" Sara prompted her, the wooden spoon she'd been stirring the vegetables with stopped mid-stroke.
"Uh-huh." She swallowed, her mouth feeling suddenly dry, as she looked at the lettering on the paper again.
"And?" Nick prompted her further.
"My letter from Butterfield came." She kept her eyes on the paper, and knew her parents were hanging on in anticipation. "I got in."
Riley heard an audible gasp of excitement from both her parents, and she let a smile creep to her lips. She looked up as they both came over and enclosed her in a warm, congratulatory hug.
"Congratulations, sweetheart." Nick told his daughter, so proud that she had actually gotten in. He knew how hard it had been to get Riley turned around from the lazy student she'd been to the straight-A honor student she was today. She'd worked hard, and he was glad that things were working out so well for her. However, Riley pulled away from them, and looked downright nervous and in a dilemma.
"I…I don't know if I wanna go there after all." She confessed, folding the paper back up neatly, setting it on the kitchen counter for safe keeping.
"What do you mean, sweetie?" Sara rubbed her arm, confused at her change of heart. "You worked so hard to get in."
"Yeah, I know." She stammered a bit, and swallowed uncomfortably. "I just…I'm not sure if it's what I really want anymore."
Both her parents studied her for a few moments silently, trying to figure out where these feelings had suddenly come from. The past two weeks, all her mind had been on was getting this letter from Butterfield. Her hopes had been riding high that she would get in, and it seemed that's what she'd wanted. Never once had she even expressed uncertainty before.
Sara stepped forward and cleared her throat, putting her hand on Riley's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go talk."
Riley looked at her father, who looked concerned, but he nodded that she should go with Sara. She was lead by hand back to her own bedroom, where Sara closed the door. They both sat on her bed, and Riley let her stepmother take the lead. The teenager felt stupid, having gone on and on for months about Butterfield, and now that her acceptance had come, she was having second thoughts. Her stepmother must think she was a real schmuck. Sara put her hand on Riley's knee and squeezed gently.
"Riley, I can tell you're nervous about getting accepted to Butterfield." She began, her tone patient and understanding. "It would be a big step, wouldn't it? Having to move schools again and make new friends. Is that what you're nervous about?"
Riley sniffled and rubbed a hand over her face tiredly. Truthfully, she wasn't quite sure why she had all of a sudden got the jitters about going to Butterfield. She'd weighed all the pros and cons before this; debated whether she wanted to start at a new school and have to make new friends; to basically be a freshman again, wandering the halls lost on the first day of school. Riley had known all this would happen, and she'd been okay with all of it until now.
"I don't know. I thought I was okay with all that. But I –" She paused and shook her head, fiddling with the hem of her shirt uncomfortably. "I don't know if it's where I belong. Everyone's so serious about school there. I mean, school's important to me, but I don't know if I can handle how hard it is."
Sara nodded in understanding. Butterfield was definitely known to be rigorous and very challenging. She knew for a fact, having talked to Catherine, that Riley would be kept busy. The reigns were tight, and the teachers were strict, but also friendly. It would be a big change from what Riley was used to, but it would be a good change. Nick and Sara had to admit that they were excited about how much homework she'd be getting. With the workload, Riley wouldn't really have time to think about getting into trouble. She'd have more chances to earn college credit, which would save them money in the long run. Overall, they just wanted her to be happy.
"Well, Butterfield will be challenging, no doubt about that." She agreed with Riley. "But, remember when you first moved in with us, when you were in all the average classes?"
Riley nodded, remembering how she used to float through school in the easy classes, not challenged at all, getting close to straight A pluses. When she moved in with Nick and Sara, they decided to put her in advanced classes. She'd hated the idea at first, having to actually put forth effort in school and spend more than a half hour on homework a night. However, once she'd actually gotten into the classes, it had been quite rewarding to work hard and get good grades.
"Well, going to Butterfield will kind of be like that. It's scary to think about how different the workload will be, and the teachers, and the students. But once you get there, I bet you'll enjoy it. It'll be a new challenge, and challenges can be fun."
"Yeah." Riley agreed weakly. It all made sense as Sara explained it, but she wasn't the one having to move into a new school that was known to be psychotically challenging. Well, she had gone to Harvard, but that was different. It wasn't high school. The kids always already had their own cliques, not sure if they wanted to let one more in, and for at least a year, you were known as 'the new kid'. It was tough starting over.
"It's okay to be nervous. But, Riley, don't give up on your dream because you're a little scared. You're so brave and strong, and I know for a fact you can handle this." She told Riley honestly. Sara had been so impressed over the years with how well Riley handled stress. The kid had been through so much, but still she managed to have a positive outlook on life. Already, she was so independent and confident that it left Nick and Sara in awe at times.
The door opened, and little Nolan poked his head inside. "It's dinner tiiiime!" He announced with a childish grin on his face. Sara smirked and crouched like she was about to hunt, then dashed across the room to scoop up her cackling son.
"We need to teach you some manners, little guy." Sara joked, holding him up high in her arms. "You're supposed to knock."
"Sorry, Mommy." His mother brought him down to rest on her hip, as she turned back to Riley.
"It's okay. Come on, Ry, let's go get some dinner."
She rose and followed her stepmother out to the kitchen area, where her father was dishing the dinner out onto plates. Riley walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his middle from the side, sighing as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"Did you make a decision?" He asked as he deposited a generous supply of green beans onto each plate. Riley was silent for a few moments as she sighed in thought.
"I don't know. I've been thinking…I wonder if my mom would even still recognize me now." Nick put down the saucepan on the counter to give his full attention to his daughter, turning around to lean back against it as she continued. "I mean, when I was living with her, I was probably the most ornery, mouthy little hellion you'd ever meet. I didn't care about school. And now I'm accepted to a place like Butterfield?"
Nick chuckled a little. It was true that at first, she'd been pretty disrespectful and lazy, which wasn't something he was so willing to put up with. Their relationship had been kind of awful at first. She hated him for having to be so strict with her, for making her work hard at school, and cleaning up her general attitude, but in the end it had made her so much better, and Riley knew it. She was becoming so much more than she ever could have been being raised by her mother. Not that she hated her mother – that was far from the truth. She guessed she just respected Nick more, and his whole way of life. She loved her mother, but she wasn't that great of a role model, and her father was like a damn saint. He seemed to always know the right thing to do and the right thing to say. She felt herself wanting to please him and make him proud, and knew that going to Butterfield and getting the best education possible would make him so happy. And she knew, once she got into it, she would be happy there too. She just needed the guts to do it.
"Well, I didn't know your mom that well, but I know she'd be so proud of the way you're turning out. You're gonna have so many more opportunities than she did with that kind of education. College is in your reach; a good job. Stuff she never had."
"Yeah. I have a better chance." Riley realized perhaps the best way to honor her mother, despite all the mistakes she had made, was to be successful in her life. She would have more choices, and a better life, if she concentrated on school and went on to college.
Later that evening, when Carly and Nolan had already been put to sleep, Riley sat on her bed in her pj's, reading her letter from Butterfield over and over again. They wanted her. They actually wanted her. She couldn't get over how special she felt because of that. Riley almost didn't notice her bedroom door open, and Nick and Sara come inside, about to hit the sack as well. When her father cleared his throat she looked up with a grin on her face.
"Sorry." She smiled, placing the letter on her bedside table. "I just can't get over it. Next year, I'm gonna be going to the best high school in Vegas."
Her parents, standing at the edge of her bed, smiled at her oozing. "So, is that a definite yes?" Sara asked her.
Riley bit her lip for a moment and then shook her head affirmatively. "Yes. I'm gonna go."
She was enveloped in a double-hug and tons of kisses from both her parents. It was going to be a bit scary, but she would always have Nick and Sara to support her when she was having trouble. Riley knew they wouldn't let her get in over her head. They believed in her and knew their daughter would do well at Butterfield, even when she hadn't.
"That's such good news, baby." Nick told her as they both pulled away from the hug. "I know you're gonna do so well."
"Yeah. I think I will." She agreed confidently.
"Good girl." Nick kissed her forehead and then looked at his wristwatch. "Do you think you can get to sleep with all this excitement?"
"Yeah. I'm actually pretty tired, and I have a big test in algebra tomorrow."
Nick and Sara helped tuck their daughter under the covers snugly. She was a little old to be tucked in, but Riley still enjoyed it. For twelve years, she'd missed out on her dad tucking her in, so it was kind of like making up for lost time.
After they'd shut off the lights, and as Riley lay there, the moonlight shining through her window, she couldn't recall a time she had felt so hopeful; so excited about her future. Her life was practically unrecognizable from what it had been three years ago, and she knew it was for the better. That night, she fell asleep with a smile on her face, dreaming about tomorrow.
A/N: The ending is a little lame, haha! I suck at endings. Please press the little purplish button!