Time for another update! I am loving this fic, I hope you guys are too :3
This chapter is self beta'd, and I'm very tired right now, so forgive me for any mistakes. I will check over it again when I can keep my eyes open for longer than ten seconds!
Enjoy!
"Happy birthday!" she wakes up to see her parents beaming down at her with grins that would make the Cheshire cat jealous. Wiping the sleep from the corners of her eyes, she manages to sit up in bed with the little space that they've left her, positioned on either side of the girl.
"Hmm, what time is it?" she tiredly asks, something to distract them before they burst into singing to her. While they both have good voices, it's too early for that sort of stuff.
Rachel beams, practically giddy with happiness. "Just after seven. But that's not important." She dismisses the thought with a small wave of her hand. "What is important is celebrating your birthday!" she catches Ellie in a hug, "I can't believe you're seventeen already. It's almost ten years ago since I first met you."
Ellie feels a smile grow on her lips as she considers how much has changed in those ten years, for the good. But then comes to more pressing matters as she tugs herself out of Rachel's hug, "did you get me presents?"
"Maybe," she says in a sing song voice, "but first you need to get up and dressed."
She pulls a face, "why do I need to get dressed to open my presents?"
Her dad gives a knowing smile, nudging her side ever so gently, "you'll see. Now up, come on."
With a dramatic sigh, she rolls onto her side, eyes closing for a few minutes. "Can't I have like, twenty more minutes in bed? I'm tired." When she cranks one eye open, she finds the two of them giving her a bemused look, "I need my sleep."
"You also need to come and open your presents," Rachel smiles. When that's followed by another groan, they give her a few more minutes before ushering her downstairs. She's excited, she is, but sometimes it's just nice to allow yourself those few extra minutes in bed in the morning. Apparently that isn't her on parent's agenda as she's pushed into the living room, finding a pile of neatly wrapped presents. As usual, it barely takes her any time to delve into the pile, tearing and ripping at the paper with little care, only wanting to see what's inside.
When she's finished, she smiles toward her new set of books, which will hopefully keep her occupied for some time, along with a shiny new Ipod and other smaller presents. The handmade card from Daniel makes her smile wider than ever, as does the necklace that her dad buys her.
But that smile's wiped off her face as she checks her birthday messages on her phone, realizing that she hasn't had anything from Kate as of yet. The sadness is kept at bay when suddenly her parents share a look, then encourage her to her feet. Confused, but also curious, she lets them blindfold her and doesn't complain too much as they ignore her questions.
Clutching onto either arm of her parents, she's led through the house, the blindfold firmly over her eyes. Her steps are hesitant, especially since she's already tripped over her own feet a couple of time. "Why are you being so secretive?" she enquires of them, only to be shushed with equal levels of excitement by Finn and Rachel.
"Okay, we're going down a step," Rachel informs her, "be careful." The woman's grip tightens on her momentarily as they step downwards, keeping the blindfolded girl steady. Ellie suddenly feels the soft breeze pushing past her, the morning sun warming her face.
"What are we doing outside?"
"It's a surprise," Finn responds, barely able to control the excitement in his voice. "Right, now stop. You ready?" The anticipation bubbles away inside of her, Ellie nodding with a wide smile as she considers what could possibly be waiting for her on the other side of this blindfold. In a matter of seconds, it's removed from her eyes, leaving her blinking a couple of times at the bright sunlight. But when she does, eyes focusing on the car that definitely wasn't there yesterday. The navy car is finished with a light pink bow over the hood.
Ellie stands there in a gaze, mouth dropped open. Eventually, she comes to and bounces on her feet. "You got me a car?!" In her excitement, she doesn't notice that small squeal that escapes her lips, before she runs toward the beautiful, new car.
"Actually, it's a gift from all of your grandparents." Her parents follow her, Finn's hand coming down on her shoulder with a serious expression. "Now, remember, having a car is a very serious responsibility. And we expect you to take very good care of this. Always wear your seatbelt, pay attention to the road; if you have your friends with you don't get distracted while talking about boys or shoes or -"
Rachel gives him a small shove, rolling her eyes. "We know that you're going to be responsible, your dad is just worrying."
"I will be careful, I promise!" She manages to wrap her arms around the both of them, smiling as the three pull into a tight embrace. "Thank you so much," she mumbles against Finn's shoulder, "this is the best present ever."
"You need to thank your grandparents," Rachel reminds her with a soft smile, "but we may have told them that you've been asking for a car since you were twelve." She gently leans forward to kiss Ellie's hairline, "now I need to go and make sure that your brothers are actually ready for school and that Sarah hasn't escaped the play pen again." With a light chuckle, Ellie lets her go and instead tilts toward her dad.
"Did I ever tell you that you're the best dad ever?" she grins.
He gives a look of pure pride, "well, I'm not opposed to hearing it more often." His eyes move over the car again, "you'll be safe though, right?"
"Daddy, I'm always careful."
"This car isn't for you to pick up guys either," he says, voice devoid of any humor, "it's for going to school and important things, not... that." She gives a small scoff, raising her brow at that implication.
"And why can't I use it to pick up guys?" Ellie attempts to sound as serious as possible, a smirk threatening to push its way onto her lips. It's all worth it when she sees the color drain from her dad's face, mouth falling slack. "I'm seventeen years old," she adds, "hardly your little girl anymore."
Finn secures his arm around her, managing to breathe again. "You'll always be my little girl." He then hastily adds, "and if you are going to have a boy in the car, don't bring him where I can see him or I may do something I'll regret. Just a warning."
"Dad, not every guy out there wants to take advantage of me," she rolls her eyes; she's heard this time and time again, ever since she rose to the age where boys were no longer gross and actually kind of cute. He makes that expression again, the slightly pained one, to which Ellie only shakes her head. "I promise. There are actually some pretty decent guys out there." He scoffs, earning a playful nudge in the side from Ellie. She peers up to him, "so, can I take it for a spin?" A wide beam sets on her face, the girl swaying on the balls of her feet as she pleads with her eyes.
"I think you can wait thirty minutes until you have to go to school," he says, "you haven't even had any breakfast." With that, he tries ushering her inside the house, but Ellie pouts and whines the entire way back.
"I wanna ride my new car!" she insists, sounding much younger than her seventeen years; Finn can barely keep in a laugh.
He pulls her in for a loose hug, "soon, sweetheart."
Though not very impressed with that answer, she still goes to join Rachel and the others in the kitchen. Daniel and Caleb are enjoying their pancakes, if their stuffed mouths are anything to go by, while Sarah's face is hidden behind a mask of maple syrup and little pieces of pancake. With a small smile, she sits herself beside her sister, "you enjoying those pancakes, sis?"
"Mhmmm, yummy," she smacks her lips together, reaching for another piece.
"Are there any more, mom?"
As if on cue, Rachel places a plate of steaming pancakes in front of her. A grin instantly spreads across her face, and she choruses out a "thank you!" before diving in happily. This is starting to be a pretty awesome birthday.
She puts on another large smile as she's dragged from family member to the next in order for them all to wish her a happy birthday. Her cheeks ache with the effort, and all she wants to do is go get something to eat. Ellie is used to the townhouse having a constant wave of visitors, but right now it's brimming with people, all of which are asking her the same questions over and over. There's only so many times she can answer about school (boring as usual), or if she has a boyfriend (to which she gives a polite smile and says no, not giving them a chance to dig further). She loves her family, she does. But being the center of attention isn't exactly her forte. Rachel loves it, so does Sarah – even Caleb and Daniel have an affinity for the spotlight sometimes, but Ellie often finds herself shying away from it.
Suddenly she feels a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her into a hug from behind. "Hey baby," Rachel greets her happily, "having fun?"
"Yuh huh," she grins, "Papa and Grampa gave me $200."
She pulls away with surprise, "after they paid half of your car?" A soft smile then grows on her face, "they spoil you."
"Hey, it is my birthday," she reminds her with a smirk.
"I know, I know. But still, $200. That's a lot."
"Yeah, you never give me that much," Ellie twists herself in Rachel's arms so they're face to face.
The woman simply shakes her head in bemusement, "no, but I pay for you to eat and have a roof over your head. New clothes, night's out, the latest gadgets. Not to mention the holidays - and then there are your brothers and sister... who knew that kids were so expensive?"
"Hey," Ellie holds her hands up in mock defence, "no one made you have any more kids."
"Oh, I think your father was quite insistent on it," she gives a smirk that makes Ellie cringe.
"Mom," she draws out the word, "I don't want to think about... that with you and dad. Ever. Ew. That's just disgusting."
With a small scoff, she only shakes her head, "there shouldn't be a taboo on a man and woman loving each, Ellie. It's actually very important to have a healthy sex life -"
Placing her hands on her ears, she spins around in a flash. "Not listening, mom," she says loudly, earning herself a few stares. She spies her dad in the kitchen, and makes a swift exit from Rachel. He sips on his beer, face breaking into a smile when he sees her.
"There's the birthday girl!" he grins, pulling her to his side to place a kiss to her cheek, "um, why does your mom look annoyed?"
"Oh, she's just trying to give me the whole 'sex is natural and healthy' talk again."
He winces, then shakes his head. "Okay, I'm not getting involved in this." She silently thanks him, absent-mindedly following the conversation that he continues with Carole. While everyone seems to be giving her a few moments of peace, she whips her phone from her pocket, once again checking for any new activity. Nothing. A sigh quickly follows that, along with a flood of disappointment. Is it wrong of her to have expected something from Kate, even a simple text? She's reached out to her in order to start a relationship, and now on this first opportunity she's fallen short. Ellie feels a frown slip onto her face as her hopes of spending a birthday with her real mom begin to fade away.
With her dad now distracted, she detaches herself from his side and finds herself slipping into a quieter room for some privacy. She isn't sad, well not really. Just... she expected more. Once again, she checks her phone, this time anger brewing inside at the lack of any communication. She recalls how happy she'd been to receive the text from Kate last week, how she'd convinced herself that the two of them would have an amazing time together, pushing past the walls and learning about the other. But apparently that isn't in Kate's plan.
Ellie gives out a small huff, crossing her arms across her chest haughtily. The urge to cry is overwhelming and so sudden that she can't help giving into it, only slightly. She scolds herself for getting upset so easily, because that's not her; she isn't the girl who cries over every little thing. But something about the whole situation just sets her off, and once one tear rolls down her cheek, others dutifully follow.
Throwing her head back against the couch where she sits, she doesn't realize when the door slides open, her two year old sister toddling inside with a grin on her face. When Ellie isn't watching, her grin shifts into one of mischief, and the next second she's pouncing on the unsuspecting girl, laughing to herself at Ellie's expression. "You scared me," she tells her, using her arm to wipe away any of the remaining tears.
Upon seeing them, the smile drops from Sarah's face, and she looks to her older sister with the uttermost care in her deep brown eyes. "Ellie okay?"
"Yeah, sure," she lies a little unconvincingly, but how is she supposed to explain her predicament to a two year old? She doesn't quite understand her feelings on the whole thing herself. "I just, I'm sad that I didn't get a puppy for my birthday."
"No puppy," Sarah says with a frown, then adds, "me want puppy."
She breathes a sigh of relief at having the conversation detoured so easily, and allows a smile back onto her face. "Hmm, me too. A little fluffy puppy."
"We get one?" she sits back on her knees, eyeing the girl curiously, while her eyes sparkle with the prospect of a puppy.
"Sorry sweetie, we can't have a dog. Caleb is allergic to them."
The small pout that follows makes Ellie laugh, picking up Sarah and placing her gently on her lap, where she happily curls against her. Hugging the girl against her chest like she used to her stuffed animals, she feels her happy mood returning. Well, there's still a lingering disappointment, but there's not much that she can do about that, is there? Sarah clings back, the cuddly little thing she is and nuzzles her head against Ellie's shoulder.
Ellie kisses her forehead, then says, "don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite sister. You know that, right?"
This has the desired effect on the girl, whose face suddenly glows with pride. Chuckling, Ellie continues, "what did you come in here looking for anyway?"
"Cake," she mumbles into her shirt.
Frowning, she asks, "you were looking for cake? In here?" She proceeds to peer around, in the smallish room which Rachel uses for her vocal lessons. The main point of feature is the grand piano in the center, with a few pieces of seating scattered around. And god forbid that anyone eat in here. Rachel would go berserk. Even at the tender age of two, Sarah knows that rule.
"No, you cake," Sarah corrects herself, leaving a slightly baffled Ellie.
It's not until moments later when Caleb runs in announcing that it's time for the birthday cake that she realizes what Sarah was trying to say. "Okay, let's go." She says enthusiastically, managing a real smile as she lifts Sarah easily and leads Caleb with her free hand into the dining room where the rest of the family are gathered. While her lie was easy to convince Sarah, Rachel instantly sees the faint tear tracks on her cheeks, concern etched on her previously happy features.
"I'm fine," she insists, or more snaps – as she guiltily realizes moments later – at the woman who is on her in seconds. Rachel takes a step back, features pulling tightly together, before she nods.
"I was – I just wanted to make sure," she explains herself, reaching to take Sarah from Ellie's grasp so that she can blow at the candles on the cake ("I got it from your favorite bakery," Rachel announces with a hesitant smile briefly after Ellie's small outburst. The guilt falls on her like a ton of bricks at that moment.) She musters up a smile then, and thanks both of her parents for the party, the presents.
It's when she's contently eating away at her piece of cake that her phone vibrates, informing her of an incoming call. She snatches to reach it out of her pocket, so much that she startles Finn who's stood next to her. Her heart thumps that little bit louder as she notices the caller ID. Kate. Mumbling an apology to her dad, she slips out into the hallway to take the call more privately – or away from the prying eyes (well, ears) of her parents.
"Hey," she greets, not even giving the woman time to reply before she adds, "I thought you weren't going to call at all..." Her tone is asking for reassurance from the woman, reassurance that her minor worries about Kate not caring all that much were false.
"I'm sorry, Ellie. I've just been tied up all day." Kate then pauses, and she can practically hear the smile in her voice as she says, "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." She waits then, wondering what's going to come next.
There's another pause, and finally, "is it too late for us to do something tonight? I mean, it's only eight, but I could still take you somewhere, if you'd like."
"I'd love that," she's quickly to reply. But she has to rethink her answer, "I mean, I'll have to ask mom and dad... but I'm sure they'd be okay with it. People are already going home from my party."
"Oh, you're having a party?" Doubt crawls into her voice.
"Well, only a little one." She hurries to say, "with some family over."
"So no one will mind if I steal you for a little while?" It's spoken jokingly, but she struggles to summon a laugh from herself.
Still, she finds herself answering back with, "I'm sure they won't. But I do need to ask if I can go anywhere. It's a school night so..."
"Right, that's completely fine. Just call me back after you've asked and I'll pick you up, alright?"
"Wait, where are you taking me?" she questions with a shaking voice.
There's no hint of hesitance as Kate replies with a teasing voice, "you'll see." With that, she hangs up, and Ellie has to take a few moments to compose herself, even after the incredibly brief exchange. In all honesty, she'd expected it to be a little more heartfelt, rather than the succinct affair that it was. Shaking her head slightly, she tiptoes back to the living room, finding just her close family remaining. They smile at the sight of her, Ellie perching herself on the arm of the chair where her Papa sits.
Rachel clears her throat quietly, but not so quietly asks, "who was on the phone, sweetie?"
All eyes on her, Ellie glances down. It's only then that she notices how hard Rachel is clinging onto Finn's hand. "Well, it was um, it was Kate." The silence that follows is filled with discomfort, spreading throughout the room until everyone is under its spell. Ellie shifts uncomfortably under every gaze from the family, wishing that she could be invisible right about now. As her gaze moves around the sea of eyes, they finally stop on Rachel's. While most of the others contain surprise, hers hold no ounce of that; instead just sadness.
The woman is stiff, voice tense as she asks, "what did she want?"
Eyes moving to her father in a desperate plea for some privacy, she's relieved when he suggests they move to the kitchen. The three step inside, the door closed behind them in an instant. Rachel taps her foot impatiently, "so?"
"She wants to know if we can do something tonight."
Her dad looks thoughtful, only to be crossed as Rachel snipes, "absolutely not."
Feeling her heart drop, Ellie manages out, "why not?"
"You have school in the morning, you can't go gallivanting around with a woman that you've barely met just because she's -"
"Rach," Finn manages to silence her, hands resting on her tight shoulders. She gives a strong huff, jaw set. Ignoring this, he turns his attention back to Ellie, "did she say where she was going to take you?"
"She wanted to keep it a surprise," Ellie says quietly, hating the way that she feels guilty about wanting to do something with her own mother. This is the feeling she's been wanting to avoid the whole time, but she'd be kidding herself if she'd thought she could ignore it entirely. Her dad at least attempts to give a smile now, and she manages a shaky breath. "So... what do you think?"
Heaving in a sigh, he questions, "you really wanna go?"
Ellie nods quickly.
"Alright, let me talk to her first, while you go get ready." A grin growing on her face, she bounces her way over to him, wrapping her arms around her dad in a tight hug. With a series of 'thank you's following, she barely notices the look of shock on Rachel's face at his decision, especially as he ushers her upstairs, not before her excited phone call to Kate.
All previous dashed hopes are blinded by the sudden happiness she feels, making it so she's barely able to keep still. It's still in the back of her mind somewhere, but as it is now she chooses to given Kate the benefit of the doubt. Sure, she could've called sooner. In the end though, she did call. And the sheer relief of that is enough to keep her placated, even as she hears the muffled voices of her parents arguing over Finn's decision. They'd moved to their bedroom at some point, not that she blames them. It'd been getting pretty out of hand, and while Rachel is one for drama, when it comes to her and Finn she prefers to keep their disagreements more private.
Guilt tugs at her again, but Ellie pushes it away. Nothing is going to ruin her birthday. Nothing.
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