Avery
Avery woke up and rubbed her eyes. She looked over at her clock. It was about 12pm. She'd pretty much slept from the moment she'd been home, and had a brief reunion with her parents. She wanted to hug them and she wanted to talk, but the words wouldn't come. Maybe she wasn't ready yet... but it didn't matter, what mattered was that she was home.
She got up and tied her hair back loosely, not bothering to check her reflection. What was the point? She hadn't been able to for the last few days and she'd kind of gotten into the habit of not particularly caring about her appearance.
She could hear her family in the kitchen, so she made the journey from her room there. She just wanted to be around them, to touch them, to hear them, to see them.
As she stepped into the kitchen, her eyes filled to the brim with tears and she couldn't hold them back anymore. She fell to the ground sobbing in the doorway, crying her fears out.
"Mommy, daddy!"
Walker
Walker and Diana fled the dining table to find their daughter crying in the doorway.
"Oh dear," Diana knelt down to her and pulled her hands away from her face.
She pulled her daughter into a hug and rocked her softly.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
"I think the past week has been a bit of a nightmare for her," Walker pointed out, running his fingers through his hair.
"If you need to talk about anything you can come to us baby, you know that, ok?" Diana murmured, "you know we love you."
Walker nodded.
Avery
Avery wrapped her arms around her mother, still crying but trying to speak.
"It was... so... dark... and, and, and they wouldn't... they wouldn't let me... see Tay, and I wanted to go home so badly. Mommy, I was so scared, and I couldn't... I couldn't do anything."
Avery paused, hiccuping. "I just wanted to be here again."
Walker and Christian
"Well you're here now," Diana closed her eyes, patting her daughter on the back.
Walker suddenly saw movement out the corner of his eye.
"Taylor?" he began as he turned.
"Dad," Christian replied, feeling Taylor's love for them in his head - it almost brought tears to his eyes.
Walker reached out for him, and Christian came forward to hug him.
"I'm sorry Dad. I'm so sorry. None of this should have happened. I should have let Ike take her to camp or something, he could, he could have fought for her..."
"Don't worry Taylor. It's all... We have you two back and that's all that matters," Walker insisted, letting go of him.
Diana held her arm out, and Christian bent down to hug her and Avery as well.
"But she was very brave," he grinned, sniffing a little, "she handled it a lot better than I did I think."
Diana chuckled a little, wiping Avery's tears from her eyes.
Avery and Zoe
Avery jumped onto Christian. "Tay, I thought... I thought you were really sick, I'm so glad you're ok."
Avery's tears had stopped flowing enough for her to be speaking properly again. Zoe came over from where she had been standing at the kitchen sink and gave her Avery and then Christian a hug.
"Zoe!" Avery had never thought she'd ever be so glad to see her family in her whole life.
Christian
"Hey Zoe," Christian couldn't help but chuckle a little, "did you miss me?"
He hugged both of them tighter as their mother stood and hugged her husband, watching on.
"Yes Avie, I was really sick. But they were drugging me to keep me sick, and it wore off."
He kissed her forehead like he knew Taylor did.
"I just thank God you're ok."
Zoe and Avery
Zoe smiled widely. "Yups, I missed you a lot! I'm glad you're back Tay-Tay!" Zoe jumped onto Christian's back and hugged him tightly.
Avery felt herself be enveloped in her mothers arms again and she fell against them, trying to be strong again as she remembered what her life had been like for the last few days.
Christian and Walker
Christian grinned, then pretended he was choking.
"Ack! You're gonna suffocate me!"
He chuckled, pulling her arms over his head and pulling her down for an upside-down hug instead.
It was weirdest experience he'd had for so long. Acting as Taylor made him feel... like he belonged somewhere. As opposed to being used by the people he knew. The happiness he was expressing was partly his own.
"He's going to make such a good father some day," Diana mused, watching on.
Christian looked up for a moment in surprise, but grinned. Walker just nodded.
Avery and Zoe
"But why would he want someone else when he has meeee?" Zoe ran around Christian, poking him as she went around.
Avery laughed and reached out and hugged her sister again.
"I'm so happy I'm home."
Zac
"Hey all, whatcha standing around here for?" Zac asked, poking his head in. "Can't you smell that bacon? Iker's is cooking a welcome home breaky for us."
He turned and bounded down the stairs to the dining room.
Walker and Christian
"Mmm... yes, smell that bacon," Walker grinned, lifting his head to smell the air.
"Come on kids, let's get going," Diana waved them through.
Christian got up and followed Avery and Zoe down into the dining area, Walker and Diana following close behind.
Walker took his place at the head of the table while Christian tried to remember where Taylor ususally sat. He took his place after a moment and looked up expectantly. Diana sat beside her husband as Mackie came bounding into the room.
"Avie! Tay!" he exclaimed, hugging both of them, "you're back!"
Christian chuckled, "yep, we are."
Avery
"Hiya Mack. Hey Ike, not burning the bacon this time? I remember the last time you cooked for us!" Avery teased, just happy to be sitting down with her family again. She'd never take them for granted ever again. Well, she'd try not to.
Isaac and Zac
"Thanks a lot," Isaac said, jokingly. "Bacon and eggs all almost done."
He pulled out the plates, knives and forks out of the respective cupoboards and drawers.
"Oh goody, goody, goody," Zac said gleefully, rubbing his hands together.
"You spoil us, Ike," Diana smiled.
"I don't hear anyone complaining," Isaac grinned.
Taylor and Walker
Christian watched Isaac very carefully.
Admittedly, he was torn between wanting to hug him (Taylor's fault) and wanting to choke him on the spot.
But he held himself back from both, for the good of everyone there. Besides, he was getting a free breakfast from someone he didn't really know... it just seemed like it.
"That may be because there is absolutely nothing to complain about," Walker grinned, waving his fork.
Avery
"Bacon, bacon, bacon!" Avery chanted happily, helping herself to some food and smiling at her big brother.
"Ike, now I know why I love you."
Isaac and Zac
Isaac grinned and he served the bacon and eggs.
"So, what you're saying is that you only love me for my food huh?"
"Yes. Now fork it over," Zac replied.
Avery
"Well, it's not so much your food as... our food!" Avery grinned.
She picked up some bacon and sneakily threw it at Zac.
"There you go!"
Isaac and Zac
Isaac telekinetically caught the bacon before it hit Zac.
"You would throw my beautifully cooked bacon?" he said in mock distress. "I should be insulted."
He placed it gently on Zac's place.
"Eww, no thanks, it's had Avie germs on it," Zac joked.
Avery
"I'll give you germs!" Avery licked her hand and wiped it on Zac's face, giggling.
She suddenly remembered what had happened to her and fell silent, her giggles ending with a choked back sob. "I'm sorry Zac." she whispered.
Zac
Zac wiped Avery's saliva off with his sleeve. He raised an eyebrow at her and grinned.
"I deserved that. Now, Ikers. Bacon. Eggs. More. Now."
"Where's the please?"
"Please."
"Here you go."
Avery
Avery looked around at her family, feeling relief but also fear. She was worried that something was going to happen again. It was her fault that things had turned out the way they had.
She accepted her bacon and when Ike handed her an egg, she waited till he wasn't looking and slipped it onto Zac's plate.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac began eating his own breakfast.
"Very good, very good, even if I do say so myself. Which I do."
"Ego trip!" Zac accussed.
"Whatcha gonna do about it?"
"Umm, nothing?"
"That's what I thought."