A/N: So, I pretty much fell in love with We Bought A Zoo right after I saw it. It was a great movie, and I loved Lily/Dylan. They're the cutest couple ever. Seriously. So, I knew I had to write a story for them. Sadly, there isn't a section for it yet, so I'll repost it under WBAZ when it does get a section. Anyway, here's a Lylan One-Shot talking about the reason Lily lives with Kelly.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise from this story!
"Could you talk to her? Please?" Kelly Foster practically begged her boyfriend's son. She was referring to Lily Miska, her niece.
"Yeah, of course. I was actually going to ask her if she wanted to hang out or-"
"No, she won't want to. She always gets quiet around this time of the year, but she usually talks to me. Today she won't and it's…well it's weird. She's been in her room all day and she ignores me if I go in there. It's like she's asleep, but her eyes are open. Lily never sleeps with her eyes open. I would think she was dead if I didn't hear her get up to go to the bathroom every few hours…" Kelly rambled, walking him down the hall to Lily's room.
"Okay, relax. I'll talk to her." Dylan said, rolling his eyes. He didn't honestly think his girlfriend of two months was just laying on her bed. She was probably the most energetic person he had ever met; she rarely sat still. Lily really only sat still when she was with him and even then only when he was drawing.
Not wanting to invade her privacy, he knocked on her door first. When he didn't hear anything, he hesitated. Was she really as bad as Kelly had made her sound?
"Lily? It's me, Dylan. Can I come in?" He asked, knocking again. When he received no reply, he slowly opened the door. True to Kelly's word, Lily was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't look sad or upset, just…empty. Some how, this was worse than her crying.
"Lily?" He asked timidly.
She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then shifted slightly to look at him.
"Lily, what's the matter?" Dylan asked, walking over to her bed. He had never really comforted anyone besides Rosie, and usually he just had to hug her and she would be better. Needless to say, he was a bit uncomfortable.
"Nothing." Her voice sounded dry and hoarse, like she had been crying. But her clear blue eyes weren't red, so he didn't think she had been.
"Do not give me that. You're obviously upset, so tell me what's wrong." She was quiet again, and she moved to stare back up at the ceiling.
"You don't want to know." Now that hurt.
"Yes, I do." Dylan said a little forcefully. He moved to sit down next to her on the bed and she let him. "Now, tell me what's wrong."
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I know you want to know, but it's not something you can un-hear."
"What do you mean?" He asked, laying down next to her.
"I mean, once you hear it, you'll wish you hadn't. If it were me, I wouldn't want to know." She said.
"Please tell me?" Dylan asked, turning to face her.
"Do you know why I live here? With Kelly, I mean." Her change of subject threw him off a little.
"No, not really."
"Because my mom's dead too. She was my aunt's sister, so Kelly took me in." That definitely threw him off. He felt like someone had punched him in the gut.
"I'm sorry, Lil. I know that doesn't make it better though." He admitted, reaching for her hand. It had always fascinated him; she had the longest fingers. They were delicate and pale, slender too. Dylan loved playing with them, which usually made Lily giggle, which in turn made him laugh.
"No, it's okay. It happened when I was really little, like Rosie's age."
"So, is that what this is about?" Dylan asked before he could stop himself. "Sorry, that was kind of rude…you don't have to tell me."
"No, I…I guess it's okay." Lily sighed and stared at her ceiling. She didn't say anything for a long time. "Everyone always told me I looked just like my mother. I guess I had it coming."
"Had what coming?" Dylan asked.
"When my mom died, Dad handled it a lot differently than your dad did. First he kind of threw himself into his work. Then when that didn't help, he started drinking a lot. He drank all the time, so much that he got fired. Then, he just began drinking during the day too. He said it helped 'ease the pain' and I should just keep my damn mouth shut." That really got Dylan's attention. Lily never cussed. Like, never. She hated it when he did and was trying to get him to quit.
"Then when I turned ten, he began to notice how much I looked like my mom. I have her blonde hair and pale skin. Anyway, he began acting kind of weird. He would get angry at me if I did something wrong and he would yell at me for leaving him. He would say it wasn't my time to go and I shouldn't have left him with 'the kid.' It was just yelling for a long time…then he hit me. At first it was just a slap every now and then, but then he began to hit me with his beer bottles and with his belt." At this point, tears were rolling down Lily's face. She wasn't sobbing, but she was definitely crying.
"Then one day, he left. He packed a suit case and he just left me alone at the house. Dad wrote a note, saying he couldn't handle seeing my face everyday and that I was a burden to him. He left before I got home from school. I didn't know what to do, so I called Kelly. She came and stayed with me for a week before she took me to stay here.
"Dad called me last night. He said it was my fault Mom died. She had cancer, but the chemo didn't work. Dad said that she knew she had nothing to live for and that's why she died. She never wanted me; I was an accident. He never wanted me either." Lily admitted, biting her lip. Dylan was appalled. How could anyone think Lily was an accident? Sure, she was a bit over-the-top bubbly sometimes and she got on his nerves occasionally, but she was also the sweetest and prettiest girl he'd ever met. There wasn't a mean bone in her body.
"Today's the six year anniversary of her death."
"Lily, you're perfect. Trust me, he has no idea what he's talking about."
"I'm an accident." The way she said the word accident was the same way some people would say dirty gym socks.
"Even if that's true, which it probably isn't, you are the best accident ever. If you'd never been born, I'd still be some sulky jerk who only cares about himself. Rosie wouldn't have anyone to look up to. I wouldn't have any friends or have a girlfriend." He said the last part with a light blush on his cheeks. "I love you, no matter what."
She looked up at him, and rolled over to face him for the first time.
"Really?"
"Really." He said, tucking a strand of her perfect blonde hair behind her ear.
"I love you too, no matter what." She promised, smiling slightly. It was no where near as bright as her usual smile was, but it was a start. Dylan smiled back at her, before hesitantly leaning closer to her. He didn't want to freak her out, so he was giving her a chance to back out. Slowly, she leaned to meet him. Their lips met after a few seconds, and it was nice. It was a bit awkward, given that it was their first kiss, but it was still nice. His lips were soft and warm, and her's tasted like chap stick.
When they broke apart (four seconds later [yes, they both counted]), both were smiling. Lily's real smile was back, as was Dylan's.
"If you'd never been born, that would have never happened." Dylan pointed out, making her laugh. The couple laid in silence for a second, just smiling and thinking.
"Dylan, do you think Mom thought of me as an accident? I know you never knew her, but…"
"No, I don't. Well, maybe at first, but how could anyone think of you as an accident? You're always nice, even when I'm a jerk to you, and you're funny. You always know what to say to cheer someone up and you have the prettiest hair ever." He said, playfully tugging on one of her blonde curls. She smiled and giggled, shoving him slightly.
"Yeah, well…you know how to cheer me up and you're nice when you want to be. Plus, you're the best artist I've ever seen and you can always make me laugh." Lily said, playfully tugging on his hair too.
"Hey! That hurt." He said, laughing.
"No it didn't, you're laughing." Lily pointed out.
"Yeah, I know." Dylan said, poking her.
A/N: So, did you like it? Hate it? Hopefully you liked it. Please review? It'll make me happy!