Disclaimer: I only own Riley. Then again, some would disagree if they saw that new girl on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She's just a little too close to what I posted last year … But I'm not rich enough to take it to court. Bum.
A/N: I posted this story before, but I wasn't too happy with it so I have changed some stuff to make it a little different. Darkanddepressed, thank you for all your help and story ideas. You rock!
Summary: The lives of Mac and Claire Taylor were turned upside down by the arrival of their teenage niece. Four years later, Riley's life takes a sinister turn when someone she left behind comes back to hunt her down…
Prologue (Mac's POV)
I flicked through the channels, unable to find anything good to watch. I eventually settled for a music channel playing soft jazz music.
"I love you," whispered Claire, as she snuggled closer into my chest. Her long, dark hair tickled my bare skin.
"I love you too," I breathed back, knowing that words could not describe the love I felt for her, the way my heart leapt every time I saw her, the way I felt lost and incomplete if she was even out of my sight for a minute.
A loud knock at the door interrupted what would have otherwise been a romantic moment. Claire sat up, rolling her eyes. One of her pet hates was late-night callers. I heaved myself up off the couch and made my way as slowly as possible to the door, hoping that if I took long enough, whoever was calling would give up and go away.
As I opened the door, the power of speech left me. There in the doorway, carrying several plastic bags and her saxophone case was my sixteen-year-old niece, Riley Jenkins.
"Uncle Mac?" She sounded like she was on the brink of tears.
Claire appeared behind me. Her mouth opened in shock as she saw Riley.
"Oh my God, Riley! What happened?" she asked, ushering her in and taking her sodden hoodie off. Underneath, Riley's thin t-shirt and skirt were soaked through. Her Ugg boots squelched as she nervously walked through the hall.
"Dad kicked my out," said Riley, her lip trembling. "H-he says I'm a disgrace to the family and that i-if I ever came back he would call the cops and-" At this point, she broke off and burst into tears. Claire hugged her and pulled her into the bathroom, where I could hear them talking, the sound of Claire running a hot bath drowning their voices out.
After Riley was tucked up in the spare room with a hot water bottle, Claire came back into the living room, clearly exhausted as she fell onto the couch.
"So what happened?" I asked. "Allan and Diane wouldn't have kicked her out for just anything."
"This isn't just anything," replied Claire. Her eyes were full of tears. "Riley is pregnant."
I shook my head. Riley was a straight A student with a perfect record who spent all her spare time on her music or at band practice. She was the kid least likely to get pregnant!
"It wasn't her fault," Claire assured me. "Her boyfriend, Ryan … well, we always knew he was twisted but Riley just didn't seem to get that. And the other night her parents were out, so … he made his move. When Diane got home, she realised what had happened and called Allan. Well, he'd never been home enough to get to know his own daughter, so he kicked her out with everything she owned."
Claire's sister Diane and her family lived in a small town outside Toronto, called Whitby. They were pretty well off, but Diane's husband Allan had to spend all of his time at his office, sifting through paperwork and making phone calls to other rich people. His three kids were lucky if they saw him once a year.
"What about Jenna and Chris? Didn't they stand up for her?"
Claire shook her head. "Allan told them if they even spoke to her they'd be out as well. They gave Riley enough to get herself here."
I was in shock. In a half hour, I had gone from a happily married man with no kids to looking after my niece and her unborn child. But I had no other choice. We were all she had.
"Well, I'm going to go down to the hardware store tomorrow, buy some paint for that room. I doubt Riley will put up with it for the next few years."
Claire smiled warmly at me, and in that moment, I knew I wouldn't change my life for anything.
