Opening the front door Isabella walked into her mother's apartment where she primarily lived given that she spent five days of the week living with her mother and two days with her father as per the joint custody agreement. Which would continue to be upheld for another three weeks until Isabella turned eighteen and was legally recognized as an adult by the law and no longer had continue to shuttle around between apartments. Which Isabella was going to continue to do for a couple of more months before she moved into her college dorms. As Isabella walked in and shut the door behind her, she put her jacket and bag down on the armchair next to the hallway table before heading to the kitchen where she found her mother standing in the kitchen arranging flowers. Claire Delaney was Isabella's fearfully good looking mother who was a former ballet dancer who used to be the principal dancer with the New York City Ballet before retiring age 33 and taking up a faculty position at the School of American Ballet. Beautiful, brilliant and most definitely brash Claire was Isabella and Sam's mother and the ex wife of Will McAvoy.

"Hey mom." Isabella began as she took a seat at the kitchen counter and watched her mother who in Isabella's opinion was one of the most beautiful women in the world with her thick dark hair, clear blue eyes and long legs that most people could dream of and perfect for a ballerina. Isabella took after her mother in a lot of ways but not a much as Sam who was practically identical to their mother.

"Welcome home Izzy." Claire greeted with a bright smile, Isabella loved her mother's smile as it was one of those smiles that made you feel all nice and fuzzy. Isabella knew that it used to be the thing her father loved most about her mother and still did in a way, on the rare occasion her father spoke about her mother in a non hostile way.

"Where's Sammy?" Isabella asked as she looked around the room, from where she sat in the kitchen she could see into the open plan living and dining room and as such she couldn't see any of her brother's belongings. Which were usually strewn around the room, a clear sign that he had come home from school. But there was no sign that Sam was even home.

"Your brother got caught up with some things at school which is going to delay him getting home for a few hours but don't worry he'll be here. Sammy wouldn't miss tomorrow for the world." Claire assured Isabella whose stomach couldn't help but flip at the mention of tomorrow which was graduation. The day Isabella had been waiting for was almost here and she was excited but mostly nervous about the valedictorian speech that she was going to give tomorrow. Over the last few weeks Isabella had been pouring blood, sweat and tears into writing her speech hoping that it would inspire people and mostly importantly make her family proud. None of them had seen or heard her script, not even Sam as Isabella had kept it under lock and key as she didn't want any of them to see it until the big day. The only person who had seen it was her Principal who needed a copy of the speech to approve before the ceremony.

"I know." Isabella said with a small nod on her head, Sam was pretty much the most dependable person she knew and if he said he was going to be somewhere then he would be no matter what. Not only was Sam coming home to watch her graduate but to also act as a buffer between their parents who seemed to be incapable of being in the same room as each other without arguing. "So who are the flowers from mom? A new admirer?"

"The flowers aren't for me, they are for you sweetheart and their from your father…" Clair said and Isabella noted the disdain when her mother mentioned Isabella's father and her ex-husband. Whilst her mother was a very nice person, the mere mention of Will McAvoy was enough to send the former Mrs. McAvoy into a bit of a angry woman scorned. Just like Isabella's father who couldn't talk about his ex-wife without a fowl mouth tirade following.

"Oh, really?" Isabella asked as her mother handed her the card that came with the pink and purple tulips that were sitting on a glass vase on the kitchen island. She had been with her dad a mere half an hour ago to have an late lunch/early dinner together as per tradition he always took his children out for dinner the night before a big event. Given that he had work and the time that he was on the air and Isabella wanted to rehearse her speech a few more times meant that they couldn't go out to a fancy restaurant meant Isabella and Will had ordered food into the newsroom. That suited Isabella just fine, although she was surprised by the flowers that had been waiting for her at home along with the note. Congratulations ahead of your big day tomorrow Isabella, can't wait to hear your speech! Love dad. Isabella couldn't help but smile as she read the note that her dad had sent along with the flowers, although he didn't like showing it much her father was pretty sentimental.

"How was your meal with him?" Claire asked.

"Good."

"And how is your father?"

"He's no longer a suicide risk or in danger of having a mental breakdown if that's what you're wondering." Isabella stated as she thought back to the Northwestern incident and her mother advising her to have her father committed, even recommending Bellevue for him. Isabella knew her dad was rather neurotic and slightly insane and frequently displayed questionable behaviour but she knew he wasn't mad. Although the incident with the co-ed at Northwestern did give Isabella a moment of pause on the matter.

"McKenzie Hale being back in his life surely must not be doing any good to his blood pressure, it must be through the roof…" Claire dismally noted and Isabella would have been surprised at her mother's seemingly concern over her father given that Claire Delaney never had a kind word to say about William McAvoy. Sometimes Isabella wondered how an earth her parents ended up together as they had been the most unsuited couple; the prima ballerina and the prosecutor from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office and two years of courtship and six tumultuous years of marriage produced two children and a messy divorce which resulted in two very bitter people. Will and Claire both detested each other and made no attempt to hide it except from whenever the two of them were together in the same room with their children. The only good thing that ever came from the eight years of hell that was the relationship of William Duncan McAvoy and Claire Angela Delaney which both Isabella's parents frequently noted.

However if there was one thing that ever brought out sympathy from Isabella's mother towards her father then it was the McKenzie Hale cheating situation which had been going on for four months. It broke his heart and led to several problems, some of which were still ongoing. It got to a dark point that Isabella along the aloof Sam and the constantly angry ex-wife Claire were worried about him. However, despite the fact she claimed to hate Will McAvoy with fire of a thousand suns Claire Delaney was the one to step in, giving Will an ultimatum. If he didn't get help to deal with his McKenzie problem/depression then Will would never see his children again. That did the trick to say the least.

"It's getting better, the fact that they were able to break the deep water horizon oil spill first seems to have settled things down for now. Although Uncle Charlie told me that dad gave up $1 million year off his contract for the next three contract to be able to fire McKenzie at the end of every week." Isabella explained which caused her mother to laugh.

"God I knew your father was crazy, but never did I think he was truly insane…"

"He's really looking forward to tomorrow…" Isabella began as she slowly started to broach the subject of asking her mother to behave like a reasonable person tomorrow when faced with her ex for several hours, Isabella had spoken to her dad about it already and stressed that it was really important to her that the day went smoothly i.e. her parents not getting into a shouting match and trading insults with each other about anything and everything. Will had promised Isabella that nothing would happened and that he'd been on his best behaviour. Whilst Isabella knew that neither of her parents would do anything to ruin her dad, there was just something about the two of them being together in any capacity that lead to raised voice. There was something about the former spouses that seemed to set the other one off even after being divorced for almost nine years now.

"And why shouldn't he be? Your father is a man of many achievements but becoming a father is without a doubt his greatest accomplishment. To watch you and Sam grow up happy and healthy before his very own eyes, to go from children to young adults achieving so much and making your own way in the world fills him with such joy. Your father and I may not get on but I know he is so proud of you and Sammy, as am I…" Claire explained.

"Mom…" Isabella quietly said swallowing a small lump in her throat as she had never heard her mother talk so positively about her father.

"The only thing your father has ever wanted Isabella was for you and your brother to not have the life that he had and the two of you have exceeded that by so much. Both of you are more wonderful then he ever could have ever dreamt of…"