Part One: Intervening

Chapter Two: The Puff Cures Almost All

"Hailley!"

The brunette blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing in on her current subject of thought--Blaze. "Sweetie?"

"Want to join the conversation and quit staring at my beautiful face?" Blaze joked, grinning at her.

"Must be the sun. I always get distracted by it." She sat up, her moon amulet hitting with a soft thump against her chest.

"I was just sayng that we all are. With the exception of our little Blaze here, being with her little boy toy after all," Torrence repeated with sweet sarcasm, winking a blue eye at the time goddess.

"If Auriella hadn't dumped that guy Gavin, she wouldn't be either," Hailley pointed out. She watched with sudden curiosity as the blonde blushed pink, the color rising up from her neck to her cheeks.

"I... I'm happy not being with anybody. I hardly have the time. Now that it's summer, Nikolas has dedicated almost every day to practice. We have to record our demo cd soon, and we have to be in tip-top shape," Ella told them, defending herself fiercely. Oh, yes, Hailley could taste the delicious story Ella had in store for them.

"I have a huge a performance coming up, and I'm doing summer school in the mornings. I'm putting in twelve hour days with Robert. Doesn't meant I'm not horny," Torrence mentioned as a clear argument to Ella's words. Even Torrence seemd to suspect her dear friend.

Ella blew air loudly through her nose, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Maybe that's 'cause it's Robby..."

Hailley cocked her eyebrow at the two. Robert was a sore subject for Torrence. A few months back, they had dated, even though Robert knew it was wrong, being a Son of the Dark. He ended up cheating on her, and she caught him, with a fellow dancer at that. All of them knew she still had strong feelings for him.

"Maybe." Torrie shrugged, as though Ella's words hadn't bothered her at all. And maybe they hadn't.

Hailley thought that they did, though.

"Forget guys," Hailley said suddenly, flipping her hand at them in a drama queen fashion, waving the subject off to banishment for the moment.

"Oh! That reminds me. I want you guys to meet Nicky's friends!" Torrence exclaimed, latching on to Ella tightly all of a sudden.

Nicky? Blaze mouthed. Hailley shrugged. She wasn't anymore aware of this nickname than Blaze was.

"Haven't we met his bandmates already?" Hail posed quietly, remembering too vividly Adam, Ray, and Kane.

A smile lifted the corners of Auriella's mouth wider. "True, Dollface is close to the boys, but these friends Nikolas actually grew up with. They're the children of the other Sons."

"And they don't get together too often anymore," Torrence picked up, worrying her poor lip with her teeth. "I've only met some of them once, but they're really nice."

"Why are they meeting up now?" Blaze let her curiosity get the better of her.

Torrie's head tilted, and she lifted her hand to block the sun from her eyes. "Well, Berto's son, Alessandro, his mother just died. I guess none of the group really knew her well because she had a whole other family, but he was very close to her and his older sister. They are trying to comfort him for his loss."

"Do they live around here? It sounds like they don't," Hailley guessed. Something pulled at her, hearing the butcherd tale of Nick's friend. Did her mother run off and make another family, too? Derek never mentioned Corrine to her, but she remember some friends of his talking about how flaky she was. Was that how Alessandro's family was? Was his father lonely, like hers?

"No," Torrence answered, giving them a quick shake of her head. "They are coming in to stay with Alessandro's mother's aunt."

Hailley shivered at his name. How did it feel, knowing that his mother didn't love his father enough to be with them?

"When are they going to be here?" Hailley finally asked.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Hailley popped the spoon of 'Mallow Puff into her mouth, deep in thought. Her feet dangled off the stool, her toe rings glinting in the kitchen lights.

"Uh-oh. I know what this means," Derek said lightly, a kind smile on his face.

Even at his age, Derek Green was a good-looking man. He would have to be; Hailley looked extremely similar to him. He could have dated. She wouldn't have minded sharing him with a woman that would have treated him like a god.

Beyond his looks, Derek was also a great man. He was kind and even funny. Plus, he had the best thing going for him: he was the greatest father who ever lived, in her opinion.

"Welcome home, Daddy," she responded, returning his smile and holding out her spoon.

He took the offered object, eating the puff. "What's up, baby girl?"

"Nothing really. I've just been thinking."

"About? You know you never break this out unless it's serious. The last time was when you and Cameron had that fight over Conrad."

"Daddy?" Hailley looked at him as he ate another big spoonful. His brows raised as a silent reply. She took a deep breath. "Did Mom leave to make another family?"

He started coughing, choking on the marshmallow fluff he was trying to swallow, his face turning bright red. He thumped his chest a few times, clearing his airways. She blushed with embarrassment as she hopped off her stool to clap him on the back.

"Is that what you think, Hailley Tianna?" He finally asked when he could breathe again.

"I don't know," she mumbled, sticking her finger into the jar.

"Hail... Corrine just wasn't the woman to stay and raise a family. I'm okay with that. I never really loved her, but I know above everything that when I found out she was pregnant, that you would be the only thing in my life. And when we were told you would be a girl, I had a party for myself everyday," Derek confessed to her, tears glittering his eyes. "Your mother didn't want you. She didn't really want me, eithe. I have loved you everyday you have existed, Hailley. I named you. I prepared for you. Please, don't ever doubt that, baby."

Hailley shook her head, trying to hide her face from him, sure that she would start crying at any second. "I'm glad, Dad. I'm glad it's just us."

Her father gave her a sad, watery smile, chucking Hailley under the chin. "Me, too. I love you, Hail."

She threw her arms around her father's middle, causing him to drop the spoon with puff in her hair as he was caught off guard. It clattered to the floor immediately after, but neither cared. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his familiar, fatherly scent.

"I love you, too, Daddy," she sighed, not even caring that she had a goop of fluffed marshmallow dripping around in her hair.

Next Up: We back track to Marquette's funeral, and Celeste's request that Kearney and Alessandro stay with her for the summer.