Standing in a corner of the department store stood Brian. He hadn't given up
looking for his family, and had been in Tulsa all this time. He hadn't yet seen
Arielle, but he had seen Christopher the other day at Dairy Queen with Kate and
her kids. From there he followed them to their house, and he continued to follow
them around. He was forming a plan in his mind to get Christopher back, and
waiting for the right moment to strike.
As he watched his son throw a fit about clothes shopping, someone in the
store noticed him taking interest in them. They notified security, and shortly
after watched him as he was escorted out of the building. As soon as he was
gone, they walked right up to them.
" Hi. My name is Rachel. You may have heard of me through Arielle. I'm her
best friend."
" We have heard about you." Zac smiled, and shook her hand. " What are you
doing here?"
" Well, I'm here to watch out for her. Christopher too. With her mom gone and
her ex on the , loose, I sort of decided they needed me." Rachel told them.
Kate nodded. " That is very sweet of you, Rachel. But what about school?'
" I'm in college. Me and Arielle are two years apart." She saw Christopher
looking through a rack of jeans, and smiled at him when he looked her way.
He smiled back, and ran up to her. Throwing the clothes he had picked out
into the cart, he gave her a huge hug. " I've missed you, Rachel."
" And I have missed you. Are you staying out of trouble." She asked.
" Well, I... I'm... no, not really." He looked at her with a guilty look on
his face.
She laughed. " You never could lie to me, Christopher."
" He has been complaining big time about the clothes shopping." Kate told
her.
Rachel looked from Kate back to him. " I know you hate it, but keep looking.
You do need some new clothes."
He went back to looking, and Zac smiled at Rachel. " I'm glad he listens to
you."
" Listen, I hate to give you this news, but you need to know that his dad was
here and watching you guys. Knowing him, he has probably been following you
around for days." She told them in a whisper.
Kate panicked, and looked around them, wondering where he was. " Where is
he?"
" I got security when I saw him watching you guys and he was kicked out. But
I just... I wouldn't go home. He could know where you live."
Zac nodded. " Thank you for the warning, Rachel. Especially for getting rid
of him."
" I do what I can." She smiled. " I'm going to pay for my stuff and get out
of here. It was nice to meet you."
They said goodbye, and called out to Christopher, telling him to pick out one
last outfit so they could go.
______________________________________________________
Arielle was in her bedroom unpacking her things and listening to music on her
new ipod touch. Natalie had got it for her, thinking she might like to have some
of her dad's music to listen to. She put the music on there, and then taught her
how to use it so she could put whatever else she wanted into it. Right now she
was listening to her dad's new album with his brother's.
There was a knock on the dooor, and she jumped. " Who is it?"
" It's your dad. May I come in?" He asked.
She opened the door and smiled at him. " What's up?"
" I wanted to see if I could help with anything. Natalie is putting
Wilhelmina down for a nap, and then is going to take one herself."
" Sure. I still have so much to unpack. I'm just putting away my books right
now."
He came in and opened up a box full of picture frames and photo albums. " Are
you enjoying the ipod Natalie got you?"
" Yeah. I love it." She put a few more books onto the bookshelf, and smiled
at him. " And I love the music. It is totally awesome, dad."
" Thank you." He smiled back at her, taking a picture frame out of the box.
Looking at the picture in the frame, he sighed. It was of Ashley holding Arielle
shortly after she was born. " I should have been there."
She looked at the picture, and then at him. " Did you love my mom?"
He nodded. " Very much. Me and her were going to raise you together. But your
grandparents wanted... well, they thought it best if..."
" If she didn't have me. I know. They never looked at me the same way they do
Christopher." Arielle told him, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
Taylor hugged her. " You are so amazing, Arielle. Don't ever forget that, and
don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
She hugged him back. " Thanks dad. Your pretty amazing yourself."
_______________________________________________
As their kids played in the backyard, Isaac and Nikki spent some time
together gardening. They had some good music playing in their CD player, and
Nikki was singing along. He smiled at her, and planted some starlight roses into
the garden.
" Hey, that is womens work. You should be mowing the lawn or something." He
heard Zac call out to him.
Isaac laughed. " There is nothing wrong with me helping my wife out."
Kate followed Zac and their kids, along with Christopher into the backyard. "
I agree, Isaac. You keep doing your thing."
Nikki smiled up at them. " What brings you guys here?"
Before Zac could say anything, Everett sprayed him with his water gun, and
Monroe joined in by spraying him too.
Isaac laughed, until he started to get sprayed too. Then he playfully picked
Monroe up and started to tickle him. " Spray your brother or your cousins.
Okay?" He suggested.
Monroe nodded, and aimed his water gun at Junia as he was set back on the
ground. She giggled, and started to run away from him. They all laughed as they
watched him chase after her.
" We had a run in at the mall with Arielle's best friend Rachel. She caught
Christopher's dad watching us." Zac told them, once Christopher walked away to
play with the gameboy that went everywhere with him.
" You don't have to worry that he may have followed us though. He was kicked
out of the store. She told us not to go home because he may have been following
us around for days, and may know where we live." Kate told them.
Isaac shook his head in disbelief. " This can't be happening. It is the last
thing that we need."
" I know. But it is happening. We need to warn Taylor and Arielle." Zac
looked over at Christopher. " And we have got to make sure we keep him
protected."
" You know you can stay here as long as you need." Nikki told them. " It will
be a bit crazy, but I think we can handle it."
Kate hugged her. " Thanks Nikki. We're lucky to have you guys to lean
on."
looking for his family, and had been in Tulsa all this time. He hadn't yet seen
Arielle, but he had seen Christopher the other day at Dairy Queen with Kate and
her kids. From there he followed them to their house, and he continued to follow
them around. He was forming a plan in his mind to get Christopher back, and
waiting for the right moment to strike.
As he watched his son throw a fit about clothes shopping, someone in the
store noticed him taking interest in them. They notified security, and shortly
after watched him as he was escorted out of the building. As soon as he was
gone, they walked right up to them.
" Hi. My name is Rachel. You may have heard of me through Arielle. I'm her
best friend."
" We have heard about you." Zac smiled, and shook her hand. " What are you
doing here?"
" Well, I'm here to watch out for her. Christopher too. With her mom gone and
her ex on the , loose, I sort of decided they needed me." Rachel told them.
Kate nodded. " That is very sweet of you, Rachel. But what about school?'
" I'm in college. Me and Arielle are two years apart." She saw Christopher
looking through a rack of jeans, and smiled at him when he looked her way.
He smiled back, and ran up to her. Throwing the clothes he had picked out
into the cart, he gave her a huge hug. " I've missed you, Rachel."
" And I have missed you. Are you staying out of trouble." She asked.
" Well, I... I'm... no, not really." He looked at her with a guilty look on
his face.
She laughed. " You never could lie to me, Christopher."
" He has been complaining big time about the clothes shopping." Kate told
her.
Rachel looked from Kate back to him. " I know you hate it, but keep looking.
You do need some new clothes."
He went back to looking, and Zac smiled at Rachel. " I'm glad he listens to
you."
" Listen, I hate to give you this news, but you need to know that his dad was
here and watching you guys. Knowing him, he has probably been following you
around for days." She told them in a whisper.
Kate panicked, and looked around them, wondering where he was. " Where is
he?"
" I got security when I saw him watching you guys and he was kicked out. But
I just... I wouldn't go home. He could know where you live."
Zac nodded. " Thank you for the warning, Rachel. Especially for getting rid
of him."
" I do what I can." She smiled. " I'm going to pay for my stuff and get out
of here. It was nice to meet you."
They said goodbye, and called out to Christopher, telling him to pick out one
last outfit so they could go.
______________________________________________________
Arielle was in her bedroom unpacking her things and listening to music on her
new ipod touch. Natalie had got it for her, thinking she might like to have some
of her dad's music to listen to. She put the music on there, and then taught her
how to use it so she could put whatever else she wanted into it. Right now she
was listening to her dad's new album with his brother's.
There was a knock on the dooor, and she jumped. " Who is it?"
" It's your dad. May I come in?" He asked.
She opened the door and smiled at him. " What's up?"
" I wanted to see if I could help with anything. Natalie is putting
Wilhelmina down for a nap, and then is going to take one herself."
" Sure. I still have so much to unpack. I'm just putting away my books right
now."
He came in and opened up a box full of picture frames and photo albums. " Are
you enjoying the ipod Natalie got you?"
" Yeah. I love it." She put a few more books onto the bookshelf, and smiled
at him. " And I love the music. It is totally awesome, dad."
" Thank you." He smiled back at her, taking a picture frame out of the box.
Looking at the picture in the frame, he sighed. It was of Ashley holding Arielle
shortly after she was born. " I should have been there."
She looked at the picture, and then at him. " Did you love my mom?"
He nodded. " Very much. Me and her were going to raise you together. But your
grandparents wanted... well, they thought it best if..."
" If she didn't have me. I know. They never looked at me the same way they do
Christopher." Arielle told him, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
Taylor hugged her. " You are so amazing, Arielle. Don't ever forget that, and
don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
She hugged him back. " Thanks dad. Your pretty amazing yourself."
_______________________________________________
As their kids played in the backyard, Isaac and Nikki spent some time
together gardening. They had some good music playing in their CD player, and
Nikki was singing along. He smiled at her, and planted some starlight roses into
the garden.
" Hey, that is womens work. You should be mowing the lawn or something." He
heard Zac call out to him.
Isaac laughed. " There is nothing wrong with me helping my wife out."
Kate followed Zac and their kids, along with Christopher into the backyard. "
I agree, Isaac. You keep doing your thing."
Nikki smiled up at them. " What brings you guys here?"
Before Zac could say anything, Everett sprayed him with his water gun, and
Monroe joined in by spraying him too.
Isaac laughed, until he started to get sprayed too. Then he playfully picked
Monroe up and started to tickle him. " Spray your brother or your cousins.
Okay?" He suggested.
Monroe nodded, and aimed his water gun at Junia as he was set back on the
ground. She giggled, and started to run away from him. They all laughed as they
watched him chase after her.
" We had a run in at the mall with Arielle's best friend Rachel. She caught
Christopher's dad watching us." Zac told them, once Christopher walked away to
play with the gameboy that went everywhere with him.
" You don't have to worry that he may have followed us though. He was kicked
out of the store. She told us not to go home because he may have been following
us around for days, and may know where we live." Kate told them.
Isaac shook his head in disbelief. " This can't be happening. It is the last
thing that we need."
" I know. But it is happening. We need to warn Taylor and Arielle." Zac
looked over at Christopher. " And we have got to make sure we keep him
protected."
" You know you can stay here as long as you need." Nikki told them. " It will
be a bit crazy, but I think we can handle it."
Kate hugged her. " Thanks Nikki. We're lucky to have you guys to lean
on."