Title from Miley Cyrus song. Don't own the characters.

WHEN I LOOK AT YOU.

*CATE*

Cate Cassidy ran out to the parking lot, yelling at Nathaniel Bazile. He'd ruined her life back in highschool, why was he sabatoging her career?!?!? "Cate" he begins. She doesn't let him finish. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until I was off the air??!" "Cate" he tries again,"Cate, meet our daughter, Lux."

Suddenly the world is spinning. Our daughter, Lux? She then looks at the blonde girl standing by the car. The girl looks nothing like her, but she knows its true. this is her daughter. She can't stop looking, caressing her with her eyes.

"Hi." the girl, Lux, says a little uncertainly.

"You're big!" Cate is flustered, "Not big, I mean, proportional big!" Lux smiles. "Listen I just need your signature. I'm 16 in a few days, and am applying to be emancipated."

"Ok. wait? from your family?"
"From the foster care system, she was never adopted" Baze cuts in. Cate looks at him, the guy who ruined her life. Lux has his eyes, is all she could think.
Wait, never been adopted? They had told her the baby would be adopted right away. She'd been in the foster care system? Cate was so confused.
She signs the papers, not knowing what else to do. "Do you need anything?" Cate can't stop looking at girl. She's beautiful. She realizes that the girl is still talking, and tunes back in. "I should probably take these to social services" the girl was saying.
No! she can't leave yet! The voice in Cate's head is begging for time with her child. "I can take you!" Cate offers out of desperation.
They get in the car together. Cates eyes still haven't had their fill. Lux is talking and all Cate can do is stare. "They told me you would be adopted right away." She still couldn't understand that part of he story. "Yea, you probably didn't know this, but I was born with a hole in my heart." Lux says. "I was in and out of the hospital with surgery. I was three by the time I was completely better and, well, everybody wants a baby. Well, almost eveybody." Cate could hear the subtle accusation there, and couldn't blame the girl. In foster care her whole life? If only she'd known...
"Red light. RED LIGHT!" Lux shouts. Cate runs a red light, barely missing getting hit. Lux gets out of the car "Well, thanks."
Wait she can't leave yet. Cate can't let her go without trying to explain. "It wasn't that i didn't want a baby, but I was your age! It just wasn't in the plan!"
"It's ok" the girl was so calm.
"Well, where are you going to live, how will you eat if your emancipated? Can I help?" Cate was desperate to be a part of her life, and she'd just met her again.

"Listen, I haven't had a mom in 16 years, I don't need one now." Lux's words cut into Cate like an icy blade. Cate was silent as she watched her daughters retreating back.

*LUX*

Seeing her mother was amazing. Lux had dreamed about moments like this since she was a kid.

But she wasn't a kid anymore. She was going to be emancipated. Out of the foster care system.

She couldn't let herself enjoy it.

She so wanted to run back to Cate. Have a real mom!

But she couldn't.

Cate didn't want her. She'd given her up 16 years ago.

Baze was pretty cool though, and its not like he'd known that she was born.

Still, it was better to just forget them both.

They seemed great, but she had lived without them for almost 16 years, and wasn't about to beg them to take her back.

She didn't need a mother.

Much...