Author's Note: Hello! I'm sorry I took a bit longer to update, but I promise that won't happen again. However, I wanted to thank you all for the alerts, favorites and reviews. It means so, so much to me. Well, on with the story! Enjoy!

Story Title: Far From Gone

Written By: ButterflyCryx

Chapter Four: Making A Move

As the kids got to sleep, Amy did a quick check-in. It became a habit of hers, something she always did when she needed reassurance. When she needed that bit of strength to keep going. One look at their peaceful faces and she knew everything was going to be okay. After checking on P.J, who was snoring rather loudly, she bravely descended the basement stairs and peeked into Teddy's room. She was careful not to slide the door too much, not wanting to wake her daughter up and upset her. She caught a glimpse of Teddy's face and smiled. She stood longer then she intended, just watching her oldest daughters chest rise and fall. She seemed so angelic, so safe. Amy knew in her heart that she would always love her baby girl. No matter what she did or said, she'd love her and wait for her with open arms. She knew Teddy would eventually come around, all she needed was time. Time to let her wounded heart heal and for her to accept the truth. Just like she knew P.J would as well. She could at least hope. Sighing, she reluctantly departed from the door and made her trip back to the living room.

If only she knew a pair of brown eyes had watched her go up the steps, finally able to go to sleep after the nightly visit she was used to receiving.

Sunday had went by in a flash and It was now Monday morning. Teddy groaned at the sun that blinded her. She looked at the alarm clock that sat idly on her bedside table. 8am. Crap. She was going to be late for school. Jumping out of bed, Teddy cursed at the air and blamed her mother for not waking her up on time. She rummaged through her closet and put on the first thing she could find. After she was fully dressed, she raced to the bathroom upstairs so she could brush her teeth and brush her hair. When she was done, the first thing she saw when she got out was her Aunt Helen.

Surprised, Teddy stopped for a moment.

"Hey Teds, what's up?" The tall, petite brunette asked as she waited for an answer.

"Uh... hey aunt Helen. What are you doing here?" She questioned, obviously not expecting the sudden visit. The hazel-eyed woman smiled then took her nieces hand. She walked her to the kitchen where Charlie was eating her favorite cereal.

"Hi Teddy!" She happily chimed while sticking a spoon full of Lucky Charms in her mouth.

"Hey Charlie. Um, where's Amy and my brothers?" The teenager asked. Helen tried to suppress the sting in her heart once she heard her niece call her sister by her first name. She gave the hungry teenager a plate of bacon with scrambled eggs.

"Your mother took them to school, then she went straight to work. You sure are a heavy sleeper, kid." The older woman commented as she drank some of her freshly brewed coffee. Teddy just stared at her. She didn't know what was going on but she was sure to find out.

"Yeah, that still doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"Oh! My bad, well I thought you could take a break from school and hang out with me today."

Teddy blinked. She loved her aunt, she honestly did, but she did not want to spend a whole day with her. Helen Blankenhooper, who was not married, was a bit nutty and had the tendency to do crazy as well as embarrassing things. Teddy remember when her mom used to be like that...

No. She couldn't think about Amy in that way. Besides, that stopped a long time ago. Teddy sighed and sat in the chair across from her little sister.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, I have this... thing in school." Teddy said, sticking a piece of pancake in her mouth. She was surprised that they actually tasted good. The Blankenhoopers weren't very good cooks, something her mother sadly picked up on.

"Eh, forget school for today. We're gonna take a drive somewhere. Sounds good?"

Teddy rolled her eyes behind her aunt's back then thought of another excuse.

"What about Charlie? If we're supposed to hang out, where will she stay?" The blonde asked.

Helen took the four year olds empty bowl then dumped it in the sink.

"Pre-school. You forgot those existed or...?" Helen teased as she began to wash the dishes.

Teddy groaned. Of course. It was Monday after all. She sighed then nibbled on a bacon strip.

"Well, since I have no say, can you at least tell me where we're going?" she tried, in hopes of convincing her. Helen handed her a glass of orange juice with a smile.

"Nope. Now, finish up so we could get this little monster to pre-school. C'mon Charlie, let's get your jacket." The aunt instructed as she took her youngest nieces hand and guided her to the living room. The weather outside was sunny but due to the approach of fall, there was a slight breeze. Teddy looked at her backyard door. She realized the deep dent in it and thought about how it got there. She put her thoughts aside and finished the last of her breakfast. Standing up, she took one last look at the door then walked out.

Gabe couldn't concentrate. Ever since he found out about his father and the abuse his mother endured, his mind had gone corrupt. The math problems on the chalkboard in front of him seemed foreign. He tried to put all of his focus on it, but failed miserably. He sighed then put his pencil down. He just couldn't get himself to forget. His mothers words swarmed in his head as he silently wondered why she kept it from him. 'They've been through hell too Helen! Bob was always drunk! They had to watch him beat me and... they just need time to heal is all.' No. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Gabe silently wondered why his father did what he did, then seemed so casual about it the very next day. He might of been young, but he knew he wasn't imagining the smile on Bob's face when he kissed Amy's cheek.

But he never really realized the flinch in Amy's face either. Or the way she would tense up when Bob was near her. Gabe knew his father went out a lot at night, even on work days. That was it. So how come he never witnessed anything? Was he that obviously?

'Why would he beat her? Why? What made him do that...'

"Gabe?" Mrs. Campbell called. Gabe picked his head up and noticed the whole class staring at him. He bashfully smiled then straightened in his seat.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" the concerned teacher asked.

"Uh, yeah." he lied, giving her a smile.

If his family were such good liars, maybe he could be one too.

Teddy couldn't remember the last time she laughed like this. As she kept flinging popcorn at her Aunt Helen, the older woman laughed and launched some back. They both giggled as the couple in front of them turned around and rolled their eyes in annoyance. They were at the Denver Cinema and were currently not watching 'The Vow'. As emotional as the movie was, they both couldn't help but think it was boring. Helen, as usual, had to throw popcorn at Teddy and caused a mini war. When the employee at the movie theater walked in and asked them to leave, the two girls instantly shut up and did as told. Once they were scolded for being too noisy and asked to leave with a warning, Teddy sadly thought the fun was over. As soon as they reached the car, Helen burst out laughing and so did the teenager.

"Man, I haven't got kicked out of a movie in ages! Did you see the guys face? He was so mad!" Helen said, buckling her seat belt. Teddy nodded her head then laughed. This was the crazy aunt she loved. No matter how embarrassing she could be, Teddy was grateful for the silly things she did, just to cheer her up. She honestly needed a break, at least Helen was kind enough to give her that. With the stress of school, her home life and her dreadful past, she needed an escape now and then.

"I know! It was so funny! We really annoyed the people in front of us."

"So what! It was a garbage movie anyway." Helen claimed as she began to drive. Teddy shook her head with a smile then looked out her window. Silence came between the two of them and Helen saw this as her opportunity to talk to her niece.

"So, how's life Teds? Talk to me."

Teddy didn't break her gaze from the window but replied.

"It's okay, I guess."

"You guess? How so?" Helen asked. Teddy watched everything rush past her as she took a deep breath.

"Well, I just... I don't know." she admitted. Helen kept her eyes on the road then dared to ask another question.

"What's been going on with you and your mom?"

Teddy looked away from the window and was now facing her aunt.

"Did she put you up to this?" Teddy questioned. Helen sighed.

"Answer me, Teds."

"No, you answer me first!"

Damn it. Helen knew she was losing her. She shifted in her seat then stopped the car. They were a few blocks away from the house so she decided to have this conversation here. She knew her niece and she knew that if things became too much for her, she'd get out of the car and run away. At least she wouldn't be far from home if she made that decision.

"Teddy, it was my idea. Me and your mom were talking last night and I-"

"Unbelievable! I should have known! I missed a whole day of school because she doesn't have the balls to approach me on her own!" Teddy exclaimed, obviously upset.

"Hey! Watch your mouth! Do you honestly think you've given her much of a choice? From what I understand, you barely give her a chance to speak Teddy."

Teddy stopped for a moment. She hadn't been very respectful towards her mother, that was true. She had her reasons. Reasons that were enough to make her despise the woman. It was her fault that her father died. She practically drove him to do it. She practically drove him to kill himself. That's what his letter that he left for them said. So why should she treat her with respect? Why should she give her the opportunity to speak to her? She didn't deserve it. Just like her dad said.

"Whatever." she muttered, folding her arms in front of her chest. Helen looked at her.

"Are you still afraid of closets, Teddy? Do you still have a missing closet door in your room?"

The younger girl shot her a look then got out of the car, rapidly walking ahead.

"You can't keep walking away from it Teddy! It's only going to come back twice as hard!" Helen yelled, as the girl wiped vigorously at her tears then continued to walk away.

Helen sat back in her seat then sighed. She knew she screwed up, but she couldn't help it. The sixteen year old was afraid of closets. When she was younger, her anxiety got so bad, that Amy had to remove the closet door just so she could sleep at night. That wasn't normal, Helen knew it. The fact that the girl still had that anxiety... worried her. She got her answer just by the way her niece reacted to the question. She got her phone out and made a quick call, taking the next step.

"Hello? Dr. Anderson? This is Helen Blankenhooper calling. Yes, we spoke before..."

"A therapist? You set up a meeting, for me and the kids, to see a therapist?" Amy exclaimed as her older sister sighed.

"Yes, Ames. A therapist. You need to-"

"I don't need to do anything, Helen! These kids are going to be so mad once they find out they have to attend a meeting so they could speak with a shrink. Jesus, I can't even..."

"Amy, relax. Just breath. This man specializes in family-based conflicts. He's a great doctor, he knows what he's doing. You need this Amy. After all of those years of mental and physical abuse..." Helen trailed off once she spotted her sisters face. She knew that look. It was the look Amy made whenever she felt sick. Whenever she remembered what Bob did to her or said to her, causing nausea to build in the pit of her stomach. She looked down at her feet and tried to concentrate on the design. She started to breath heavily and she could feel her heart beat fast. Helen rushed to her side and tried to calm her down. She had done this many times before. When Amy used to bring the kids on Saturday's, attempting to escape her husband. She would cry on Helen's shoulder and almost catch a heart attack. Helen told her so many times to leave the drunken bastard. Amy always refused, saying it would hurt her kids. She'd beg her sister not to call the police whenever she showed up with a black eye. There was this one night, when Amy showed up at her house so destroyed. It was as if she was attacked by some untamed animal, shocking Helen and the kids. P.J and Teddy were conscious of what happened but had already built a defense mechanism in their minds so they wouldn't think about it. During that time, Gabe wasn't even born yet. In fact, although Amy thought her sister didn't know (thanks to her journal entries that gave it away) she knew it was that very night when Gabe was conceived...

"I don't want to speak to a therapist. I don't want to talk about the domestic violence or the-" Amy stopped herself before she got to say it. She began to cry then started for the living room, but instantly froze when she spotted Gabe sitting on the couch.

"Mom? What's wrong?" he immediately asked, approaching her. She wiped her tears away then smiled.

"Nothing baby, I'm fine."

Just then, Teddy walked out of the basement and frowned at the sight of her mother and her aunt.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked Helen, who's face instantly tightened.

"I'm here cause I can be here, Teds. Cut the attitude."

The teenager rolled her eyes then tried to push past her mother. Helen grabbed her then made her sit.

"What in the-"

"Hush! Gabe, go get your older brother. Charlie's still having a nap so now would be the perfect time to call this family meeting."

Amy shot her a pleading look. The woman, who Gabe resembled more than his own mother, had shot her back a reassuring one. The blonde let out a shaky breath then felt her hands uncontrollably shake. Helen saw this and rubbed her back for support. Teddy watched with careful eyes and examined the two.

Something was definitely up and she wasn't sure if she was going to like it.

TBC

A/N: Please, please, please review. If you want me to continue, I need some of your encouragement. Thanks for reading!