A/N: Thank you again to everybody who read and reviewed the last chapter. One quick note: I just want to make sure that everybody knows that I'm not favoring any one couple over the others. I'm trying very hard to keep the chapters equal, because I know everybody has their own favorite couple. Emaya, Spoby, Ezria, and Haleb each hold a place in my heart, and Alison/Noel is just a pairing I put together for this story. I have five different storylines going on in this story, so I think it's obvious that each couple would need separate chapters. I do write chapters with all the couples in it at the same time, but if I did that all the time, it would just be too hard for me. I just wanted to explain that. Wow, I rambled on longer than I thought. Sorry if I bored anyone, LOL. Here's the next chapter; enjoy :)

~ Chapter 11 ~

~~ Helping Our Little Girl ~~

Hanna

"Where goin' mommy?" Leslie asked, peering out the car window from her car seat. She had her Dora the Explorer figures (Dora and Boots) in her lap that she had been playing with, but she stopped when she felt the car slowing down. Hanna pulled the car into a parking spot in front of the boutique shop.

Hanna turned the car off, taking the keys out of the ignition. She turned in her seat to see Leslie. "We're going to see Auntie Mona for a little bit," Hanna told her. "She wants to show mommy something."

"Auntie Momo?" Leslie asked again, turning to look at Hanna.

"Uh-huh, do you remember her?" Hanna said, getting her stuff together.

"Yeah," Leslie mumbled, fiddling with her Dora toy. She wasn't paying attention and Boots tumbled from her lap and fell to the floor. The thud regained her attention. "Uh-oh!"

"What happened?" Hanna questioned, as she was just about to get out of the car.

"Boots fall!" Leslie answered. She tried in vain to reach her fallen toy, but her seat belt kept pulling her back.

"It's okay, baby, you can get it when you get out," Hanna told her, pushing open the car door. "I'm going to get Hailey out first. Just sit tight, or can you unbuckle yourself?" At the sound of her name, Hailey let out a squeal to let everybody know that she was ready to get out. Hanna laughed, looking in the rear view mirror at the baby.

"Noooo," Leslie drawled out, falling back against her seat. A strand of hair fell out of her ponytail and into her face. She swiped it back, but it only fell back in her face a second later.

Hanna got out of the car, closing the door, and going around to Leslie's side and opening the back door. She unbuckled Leslie from her car seat. "Don't get out of the car yet, ok?" Hanna instructed her little girl,

"Ok, mommy," Leslie agreed, slipping down out of her car seat to get her toy. She squatted on the floor, playing with her toys.

Hanna shut the door again, and walked around the car again. She took out the stroller from the trunk, unfolding it to its' erect state. She got Hailey out of the car and snapped the car seat onto the stroller, the baby giggling and laughing the whole way. When Hailey was secure in the stroller, Hanna leaned over to Leslie still in the car. "C'mon, sweetie, ready to go?" she said.

Leslie nodded, and started to climb over the seat to the open door with her toys still in her hand. "No, no, baby, leave your toys in the car. You might drop them and lose them," Hanna explained to her.

Leslie looked at the toys in her hand, a little bit reluctantly, and then she placed them back in her car seat. "Ok, mommy," Leslie replied. She climbed over the seats to the door again, and Hanna lifted her up and placed her on the ground. Leslie automatically held on to the stroller as they maneuvered through the parking lot and onto the sidewalk.

They reached the front door of Sparkles, Hanna's and Mona's small boutique store, and Hanna pulled opened the door. She told Leslie go in first and the little girl listened, albeit a little hesitantly. Mona rushed over to hold the door open so that Hanna could push the stroller through. Hanna and Mona greeted each other with a hug, and then Mona turned to Leslie.

"Hey, little princess!" Mona greeted, holding out her arms to Leslie.

"Momo!" Leslie exclaimed, running into Mona's arms. Mona picked her up in her arms, and Leslie wasn't really that shy around her. Leslie is usually a lot more quiet and cautious around new people, but once she knows someone isn't dangerous, she's very friendly.

"You almost make me want to change my name," Mona laughed, referring to the way Leslie said her name. It was so cute coming out of Leslie's mouth, even if it was just toddler-speak. "I see you're wearing the Minnie Mouse coat I bought you."

Leslie nodded eagerly, looking down at her coat. She looked back up at Mona. "Say hi ta Haywee," she ordered, in her sweet angelic voice, pointing down to her baby sister.

"Oh, okay," Mona replied, chuckling, aghast. She looked down at the baby in the stroller. "Hi, Hailey. Wow, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." She tickled Hailey's belly, and then she leaned over, kissing the baby's cheeks. Hailey laughed and reached out to grab a fistful of Mona's hair. However, Mona was faster and avoided having her hair pulled.

"No, Haywee, not nice," Leslie scolded her sister, jabbing her finger at the baby. Hanna and Mona laughed, and that's when Hanna got a good look at the shop.

Hanna was taken aback as she realized that interior design of the store had almost drastically changed from the last time she had been here. The walls were newly painted from the original pastel colors to a slate blue color and yellow on the trim, posts, and shelves. Also, a lot of of the racks, tables, and mannequins had been moved around, like instead some of the mannequins being at the front of the store, there was a jewelry table there.

"Whoa, Mona, this is...different," Hanna commented, not really knowing what else to say. They moved further into the store away from the door, making sure to keep their voices low because there were a couple customers shopping around.

Mona let Leslie down on the floor. "Ok, before you get mad or upset that I did this without you, I just want to say that this has been something I've been wanting to do," she started to explain. "and I think we were in need of a change, especially now. Besides, I had to do something while you were on maternity leave." She ended with a laugh, trying to avoid a fight.

But Hanna wasn't angry. "What did you mean 'especially now'?" she questioned, keeping an eye on Leslie. The two year old wasn't wandering too far, just a couple steps over to a small table holding some different types of bracelets that she was gawking at.

"Oh, just that both our lives have changed recently," Mona elaborated, biting back a wide smile. "You and your ever-growing family," She smiled at Leslie. "and I..." Mona was too excited to finish her sentence, so she just rose her left hand up in the air, palm facing inward.

Hanna gaped, taking Mona's hand to get a better look at the diamond ring on on her ring finger. "Mike proposed!?" she exclaimed.

Mona nodded exuberantly, grinning hugely. "Yes, last night!" she said, just as excitedly.

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you," Hanna congratulated her, pulling Mona in to receive her hug. The two friends hugged each other warmly.

Meanwhile, Leslie was looking at the beaded bracelets on the table. She started to reach out to touch a pink and purple infused bracelet. She stopped, however, when a twelve year old girl wandered over to the table with her father a couple steps behind her. The girl smiled and said hi to her, then asked if she could see the bracelet Leslie had been reaching for. Leslie nodded mutely, her thumb moving toward her mouth. Leslie was barely looking at the girl, she was watching the girl's father tentatively. The man smiled at her comfortingly and told her hello.

Leslie whimpered, and ran back to Hanna, just about bumping into her. Hanna looked down at her daughter, after her conversation with Mona came to an abrupt end. Leslie was whining softly, reaching up with her arms to be picked up. Hanna picked Leslie up, and the little girl grabbed onto her. Leslie sucked on her thumb, staring in the direction she had just come from.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Hanna asked her, stroking her hair to help calm her down.

"Bad man," Leslie whimpered around her thumb, pointing to the man who had spoken to her so kindly. She put her head on Hanna's shoulder, then buried her face, as if she was trying to hide.

"No, Leslie, no, he's not a bad man," Hanna tried to explain to her two year old. "It's okay, you're okay. No one is going to hurt you anymore." She rubbed Leslie's back, rocking her gently.

"She's still getting scared?" Mona questioned, concerned.

"She's fine, really. She just doesn't know how to handle strangers," Hanna explained away Leslie's actions, not making eye contact with Mona. "What kid isn't nervous around strangers?" She laughed it off nervously.

Mona just watched her carefully, not entirely sure that was the case. But she didn't say anything else about it; they just enjoyed the rest of their outing with lots of laughs.

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Later that day, the Rivers family were all at home. Hanna and Caleb were getting ready to go out for dinner, without the kids. Caleb was ready and was watching the girls while Hanna finished getting ready. Leslie was eating spaghetti-o's in the kitchen for dinner. Caleb sat next to her at the table, feeding Hailey her bottle.

"Is it good?" Caleb asked Leslie, after watching her delve into her bowl.

Leslie looked up at him and nodded smilingly, spaghetti sauce smeared on and around her lips. Hailey had her head turned watching Leslie, she wasn't drinking the milk so it was leaking out of her mouth and down her chin. Leslie saw it first. She held her spoon over her bowl and pointed at the baby.

"Uh-oh!" Leslie exclaimed. "She make mess!"

Caleb glanced down at the baby in his arms, seeing the milk on Hailey's face. "Uh-oh!" he repeated. He set the bottle down on the table and replaced it with a napkin. He cleaned her up, talking to her as he did. "Are you trying to be messy like your sister?" Hailey giggled and squealed, loudly.

"Dat mean yes," Leslie translated, laughing. Caleb gaped at her lightheartedly, brushing her nose with a clean side of the napkin. Leslie giggled, leaning back in her chair.

Caleb lifted Hailey up and leaned her against his shoulder, standing up. "Ok, I'm going to put Hailey in her swing," he told Leslie. "You finish your dinner and I'll be right back."

Leslie nodded, and spooned another spoonful of spaghetti-o's into her mouth. "Good girl," Caleb muttered, dropping a kiss on her head before leaving the room. He slid Hailey into her baby swing, making sure she was buckled in, and she immediately started swinging. She looked toward the television when she heard the preschool cartoon, Bubble Guppies. Caleb smiled at her, and then the doorbell rang. Hailey looked toward the sound, lounging in her swing.

Caleb walked to the front door to answer it, calling to Hanna as he did. "Hanna, they're here!" He reached the door and pulled it open. He welcomed Hanna's mother and stepfather, stepping back, and allowing them to enter the house.

"Thank you again for watching them for us," Caleb said, after shaking Ted's hand. "We haven't had a night to ourselves in some time now." He laughed to himself, Ashley and Ted joining in with him.

"Oh, it's no problem," Ted replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Ashley has actually been itching to see her granddaughters again."

Ashley playfully swatted at him for revealing that little tidbit. "So, where are my little angels?" she asked Caleb, anyway.

Caleb chuckled at his mother-in-law's enthusiasm. "Hailey is in her swing, and Leslie is finishing up her dinner in the kitchen," he explained to her. Ashley was already moving toward the living room before Caleb even finished speaking. Caleb and Ted followed behind her.

Ashley was lifting Hailey out of the swing, cooing to the baby. "Hello, you beautiful little baby," She hugged Hailey close to her, cheek to cheek. "You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you..." She continued cooing to the baby, fawning over her, Ted too. Hailey reached out with her little hands, touching and poking Ashley's face.

Smiling at the adoring reunion, Caleb disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a minute later with a freshly scrubbed Leslie, holding her hand. "Look who's here," he pointed out to her, motioning into the living room.

Leslie looked to where he pointed, and her face broke into a big smile. "Gram-ma!" she exclaimed, letting go of Caleb's hand and running forward.

Ashley couldn't catch in her arms, because she still held the baby, so she just knelt down and wrapped one around Leslie. "I think you've gotten taller, too," she gushed over the little girl, too. "Have you been a good girl?"

Leslie nodded, glancing up at her daddy. Caleb smiled down at her.

"She's always a good girl," Hanna added, coming up from behind the group. She smiled down endearingly at Leslie.

"Well, then, we bought something special for you," Ted announced.

"Oh, mom, you didn't have to bring her anything," Hanna told her mother.

"Nonsense, Hanna, this is my chance to spoil my granddaughter," Ashley reasoned. "Besides, we all know she deserves it." She, of course, meant Leslie's kidnapping.

Ted knelt down in front of Leslie and held out a small box wrapped in butterfly paper to her. "I heard this was your favorite," he said to her. Leslie was hesitant to take it from him, watching him carefully. Caleb guided her forward with his hand on her back, telling her it was okay to take it.

Leslie stepped forward and took the present. After a minute, she ripped into the packaging, becoming more of herself. "Fozen!" she exclaimed, holding up the movie. "Daddy, look!"

"Wow, you wanted that movie," Caleb replied, sharing in her contagious excitement.

"We are going to have a big Frozen party while mommy and daddy go out," Ashley explained, smiling, leaning down to Leslie.

Leslie looked at the adults in front of her showing her enthusiasm and happiness. A flicker of panic flashed across her face at the realization that her mommy and daddy were leaving. Leslie reached for Caleb, and he picked her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder as if she could keep him here.

"It's okay, princess, you're going to have fun here with grandma and grandpa," Caleb reassured her. "And Hailey is going to be here, too. It's going to be like a big party." He spoke to her gently, trying to make the night seem as fun as possible.

"Yeah, you can show grandma how you sing like Queen Elsa," Hanna joined in, rubbing Leslie's back. The little girl looked at her now.

Ashley gasped, "You can sing?!" Leslie looked over at her, her thumb now in her mouth, and a small smile starting to tug at her lips. Leslie finally nodded.

"Ok, you stay here and watch your new movie," Caleb finished, then he bounced her. "And you have to take care of Hailey, too."

Leslie was quiet for a few minutes, then she nodded. "Ok," she finally agreed. Caleb set her down on her feet, but she quickly turned back to Hanna and Caleb. "Come right back?" she asked, still worriedly.

"Yes, baby, of course," Hanna murmured to her, bending over and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Leslie wrapped her arms around Hanna in a hug, planting a big kiss on her cheek. "You pwetty," she said, referring to the black and silver dress Hanna wore.

Hanna smiled, "Thank you." Leslie didn't fight them when they started walking to the door, Ashley walking with them. "Ok, I've laid out their pajamas, and it will probably be easier to give them a bath together. That way, Leslie will think she's helping with Hailey so she won't make a fuss."

"Hanna, I am capable of taking care of my grandchildren," Ashley reminded her daughter, laughing.

"Ok, ok," Hanna grinned self-consciously. "Thank you again for watching them, mom." They had a quick hug, and then Hanna and Caleb left for dinner, telling their daughters bye as they went through the door.

About close to an hour later, Ashley, Ted, Leslie, and Hailey were comfortably reclining on the sofa, watching Frozen. Leslie sat in the middle of the sofa, munching on the popcorn they made and very much interested in watching Anna, Kristophe, and Olaf make the trek up the mountain to find Elsa. She laughed even if she didn't know why something was funny, and she listened intently to each song, shushing if someone start to speak. Hailey was asleep, having drifted off after a full bottle.

"Alright, I'm going to put Hailey in her crib," Ashley stated, sliding Leslie over a little from where she had been leaning against her, and standing up. Leslie looked up at her, then back to the television screen. Ashley disappeared down the hall, and Leslie's eyes flickered nervously to Ted.

"So, which one do you like better: Anna or Elsa?" Ted asked her, sweetly. Leslie didn't answer, but he didn't take offense to it, though; what little girl isn't completely absorbed in Frozen. "Can you hear it, sweetheart?" he wondered aloud. He reached forward to get the remote control off the coffee table, which caused him to lean closer to Leslie.

That is when Leslie exploded.

"Nooooo!" Leslie screamed a horrible scream. She leaped off the couch and ran down the hall, crying out for her mommy. A door slamming shut followed shortly after.

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Hanna and Caleb enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner, one that didn't consist of macaroni and cheese or strained bananas. They were able to talk without being interrupted and learn what was happening in each other's lives recently. However, that didn't stop the conversation from constantly diverting back to the subject of the children. They shared a slice of warm apple pie, as date night was starting to wrap up.

"It was so cute when Leslie sat down on the floor in front of Hailey and started playing peek-a-boo with her. And she stopped crying," Hanna gushed, smiling over her two little girls.

Caleb was laughing by the time Hanna finished. "Hanna," he said, smirking. "you did it again." He put his fork in his mouth, savoring the apple-y cinnamon-y taste.

Hanna ducked her head embarrassingly. "I'm sorry. This is supposed to be a romantic night for us, and I keep talking about the girls," she apologized. She was looking down at the tablecloth, but she couldn't keep her smile off of her face. Her fork played with piece of apple on the plate.

Caleb took a sip of his iced tea before speaking. "I was just joking with you. It's fine," he replied, reaching across the table to take her hand. He tilted her chin up to look at him with his other hand. "I could watch you smile all day and you smile the biggest when you're talking about our girls."

"Well, they are pretty great," Hanna stated.

"They're more than great," Caleb corrected her. "They're perfect." He took a deep breath, wanting to broach this next subject with extreme caution. "Which is why I think we need to take Leslie to talk to Dr. Sullivan."

"Caleb-" Hanna started to say.

Caleb held onto her hand firmly to keep her from pulling away and shutting down this topic. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I need you to just listen to me," he explained to her. "Now, I'm not saying that Leslie is damaged or tainted, everything about her is perfect to me. Which is why I can't stand to see her suffering like this. It will all be better, for her, us as a family, in the long run if we get her the help she needs sooner rather than later." He stopped, looking to Hanna and hoping that he got through to her.

Hanna squeezed his hand, and glanced up at him with tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but, at that moment, she was interrupted by the shrill sound of her cell phone ringing. They broke eye contact when she bent to retrieve her phone. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the caller I.D.

"It's my mom," she told Caleb, her tone emphasizing her confusion and a little bit of worry. She tapped 'accept' and answered the phone. "Hello?"

She listened attentively to the other end, and, immediately, her features filled with more worry and concern. There may have also been a little bit of fear mixed in there, too. She tossed her cloth napkin onto the table and picked up her purse. "Ok, we're on our way!" she responded into the phone and then hung up.

Caleb was looking at her more than curiously now, and he stood up when she did. "We have to go," she relayed to him, almost frantically. He placed some cash on the table for the bill, and felt his heart freeze with dread at Hanna's next words.

"It's Leslie."

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They made it back to the house in record time, going as fast as they could. It was a miracle that they weren't stopped by the police. They raced up to the house and flew through the front door. Hanna didn't stop and ran straight down the hallway. Her mother and stepfather stood in the hall, with twin looks of concern on their faces. Hanna was almost too afraid to ask what happened to her daughter.

"Where is she?" Hanna threw the question out there, needing to see Leslie whole and well.

"In the bathroom. Hailey is asleep in her crib," Ashley explained, trying to keep her daughter calm. "I'm sorry, Hanna, I didn't know what else do. She ran in there screaming and locked the door. I didn't know if calling the fire department would help her or just scare her more."

"What exactly happened?" Caleb questioned, as Hanna moved closer to the bathroom.

"I'm not really sure of that," Ted started to explain, since he had been in the room when it happened. "I leaned over to turn the volume up on the movie and I guess, maybe, she thought I was going to do something to her." He shrugged, feeling guilty for scaring Leslie.

Hanna and Caleb didn't blame him, however. Caleb put a hand on the older man's shoulder to show him just that. Hanna faced the bathroom door, putting a hand on it as if she could reach her little girl through the wood. She could hear muffled, frightful tears on the other side and it tore at her heart.

"Leslie, it's mommy," Hanna called through the door. "Can you open the door?" She listened carefully for Leslie's reply, nearly pressing her ear to the door.

Caleb came up next to her, his hand resting on her back in support. "Daddy's here, too, princess," he called to her. "You don't have to be scared anymore. We're here."

Next, came a loud silence that you could hear a pin drop and it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Everybody outside the bathroom practically held their breaths waiting for something to happen.

Thump. Thump-thump. Thump.

"Mommy?" came Leslie's small, quiet voice between sobs.

Hanna nearly fell over in relief. "Yes, baby, I'm here," she called, trying to keep a lid on her emotions but she could feel the tears coming. Her heart started pounding loud in her ears when she heard Leslie start moving toward the door. The lock clicked, and then the doorknob started turning. When Leslie opened the door, Hanna couldn't hold it back anymore. She fell to the floor, enveloping Leslie in her arms as her daughter fell into her.

"Mommy, mommy!" Leslie cried, holding onto Hanna just as tightly. She had tears, both dried and fresh, streaking her cheeks.

"Shhhh, you're okay, you're okay," Hanna murmured, holding onto Leslie. She looked up and caught Caleb's gaze. There was concern and relief mixed together in his brown eyes. Relief that Leslie was okay for right now, concern for her for next time. Suddenly, it clicked into place for Hanna. She gave him a nod of her head, knowing that he knew what she meant. Caleb gave her small smile that she was agreeing to this. Hanna closed her eyes, breathing in Leslie's sweet, strawberry scent and felt a couple tears slip down her cheeks.

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Two days later was when Caleb could reserve an appointment for Leslie to see Dr. Sullivan. Hanna and Caleb were both nervous about what was going to happen during the therapy session, whether Leslie was going to have another episode or not. Leslie was none the wiser, only knowing that she was spending some time with just mommy and daddy. Hailey was with her grandparents, so that Hanna and Caleb could focus primarily on Leslie. Leslie hummed quietly, happily, walking between her parents and holding both of their hands.

Dr. Sullivan met them in the reception area, a friendly smile on her face. Leslie looked up at her with curiosity in her blue eyes, then she looked at Hanna and Caleb in turn. Dr. Sullivan knelt down in front of Leslie, holding out her hand.

"Hello, Leslie, I'm Dr. Sullivan. We're going to be very good friends..."

A/N: How was it? This was another long chapter; I hope you liked it, even though it was emotion-filled. So, is Leslie on the road to healing? Please review and let me know what you think!