When it isn't Like it Should Be

by robinscorpiofan

Two months have passed since the Text Message Killer attacked, but the aftermath may be even worse than the killing spree. Port Charles is still trying to recover from the recent murders, and Emma Morgan is definitely taking it hardest. Mia Webber and Gabe Morgan are dealing with a surprise pregnancy, and Sam and Jason are struggling to keep it together. Sequel to That's Life!

11. Can't Stop This Thing We've Started

Chapter 11: Can't Stop This Thing We've Started

Characters:

Rachel Janacek (Sam and Sonny)- 23

Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17

Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Katie Morgan (Sam and John; raised by Jason)- 14

Selena Morgan (Stella and Tyler; adopted by Sam and Jason)- 4

Morgan Corinthos (Carly and Sonny)- 29

Josslyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 22

Courtney Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 17

Connor Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 16

Jacelyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 14

Chloe J Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Christian Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Lukas Spencer (Maxie and Lucky)- 16

Leah Zacchara (Maxie and Johnny)- 15

Ava Zacchara (Maxie; adopted by Johnny)- 14

Daniel Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 17

Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16

Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14

Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 23

Clay Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 22

Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 18

Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16

Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16

Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15

Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23

Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17

Noah Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 16

Spencer Cassadine (Nikolas and Courtney)- 28

Aiden Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 22

Paige Cassadine (Nikolas and Emily)- 17

Aubrey Crowell (Nadine and Nikolas)- 16

Nattie Cassadine (Nikolas and Brook Lynn)- 15

Colton Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 15

Haley Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 17

Wes Janacek (Kristina and Kiefer)- 16

Logan Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Livvie Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Molly Lansing Webber (Ric and Alexis)- 28

Addie Lansing (Ric and Elizabeth)- 16

Cameron Webber (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 29

Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24

Brendan Webber (Elizabeth)- 18

Stella Hunter (Elizabeth and Matt)- 16

Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23

Ashlyn Falconeri (Lulu and Dante)- 15

Lila Rae Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 28

Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 18

Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 17

Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 16

Grace Quartermaine (Skye)- 14

Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17

Ian Niles (Lisa)- 15

Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15

Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17

Dominic Rosco (Faith)- 14

Prue Webber (Molly and Cam)- 0

Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0

Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4

Kailey Franco (Franco)- 17

Reed Worth (Maggie)- 17

Rhiannon Deusa- 16

Lauren Grayson- 16

Brianna Edwards- 17

Deceased:

Bella Jacks (Jax and Brenda)- 15

Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15

Jazzie Corinthos (Sonny and Kate)- 14

Lola Zacchara (Claudia and Nikolas)- 14

Ben Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 15

Liam Drake (Elizabeth and Patrick)- 15

Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17

Joey Falconeri (Dante and Brenda)- 17

Trevor Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 16

Taylor Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 14

Parker Ruiz (Manny)- 16

Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15

Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15

Max Franco (Franco)- 15

Lily Mir (Leyla and Aleksander)- 15

Sam and Jason

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Jason asked for what must have been the millionth time.

Sam stopped packing her bag and turned to look at him. "Jase, we've gone over this already. I'm taking Nattie. You're staying here with everyone else."

"I don't like that idea. First of all, you're pregnant. Second, I don't want Brook Lynn to try anything."

"What is she going to try?" Sam asked in amusement.

"Something that will hurt Nattie."

"Nattie's already been hurt, and this trip is going to hurt her even more. But this is what she wants. We will get Brook Lynn to sign over her rights so that Nattie feels more comfortable in her place here. She's constantly worried that Brook Lynn will come back and take her away. If we can get her to sign over her rights, then we can have permanent custody of her and she'll know that she's part of our family for forever."

Jason nodded. "I know. But I still don't like it."

"Neither do I, but it's what we have to do." Sam walked out of the bedroom with her husband following her. "Are you going to be able to get Selena to school on time by yourself today and tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I can handle it."

"You know she can be grouchy sometimes."

"I know. I've got it."

"And you'll watch out for the other kids? Make sure they're doing what they're supposed to do?"

"I always watch out for them."

"Is Emma here?"

"Nope. I texted Claudia last night and she said she was over there."

"Awesome." Sam shook her head. "I feel so bad that our kid is practically living at their house."

"You know they don't mind."

"But I do. I want her to be here. I want her to want to be here. We need to talk to her, Jason. Something is going on with her. You've seen the way her attitude has completely changed."

"She went through a lot last year."

"We're her parents. We need to make sure she's okay. I'm sick of relying on the other kids to spy on her for us. You know they know more than what they tell us."

Jason nodded. "We'll talk to her when you get back, okay?" he put his hand on her stomach. "How are you and our boy?"

"We're okay." She leaned into his touch. "He's going to miss you for these two days."

"I'll miss him." Jason kissed Sam. "And you."

"I'm doing the right thing, right? Letting Nattie go see her?"

"You're doing the right thing." Jason reassured her.

They went downstairs and found Nattie already sitting on the couch. Her bags were packed next to her and she smiled nervously when she saw them.

"Ready to go?" Sam question.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Paige came downstairs. "Are you guys leaving?" Nattie nodded her head. "Everything is going to be okay. No matter what, you've got me. I will always be here."

"I know." Nattie hugged her older sister. "I love you, P."

"Love you too. Call me after you see her, or if you just want to talk or whatever. Good luck."

"Thank you." Nattie turned to Sam. "You know, I've never been to Chicago."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Well, I promise we can do some tourist-y stuff while we're there. This is going to be a rough trip, but we can at least try and make it a little more enjoyable."

Jason gave Sam a quick hug and a kiss. "I love you. Call me when you're there."

"I will." Sam hugged Paige, then turned back to her husband. "None of our kids cared enough to wake up early and say goodbye."

"Well, I'm not your kid, but I hope I'll do." Sam glanced towards the stairs where Mia was standing. She came down and Sam immediately pulled the teenager into her arms.

"You're close enough to my kid." She kissed Mia's forehead. "You better be good while I'm gone."

She smiled, showing off her slight dimple. "I'm always good."

"I'm serious, Mia. Don't do anything crazy. And keep our boy in line."

Mia scoffed. "Please. I've got him well-trained by now. He'll do whatever I say."

Sam laughed. "That's what I'm worried about." She joked. She hugged Mia again. "We'll be back on Saturday. Tell Gabe and Maddie and Emma that I love them. Get your schoolwork done."

"I will." Mia pulled back. Jason opened up the front door and saw Milo standing outside. He handed Sam's and Nattie's bags to him and ordered for him to take them down to the car.

"Bye everyone." Nattie said, heading towards the door. Sam followed after her.

As soon as the door closed, Jason realized he was in a house alone with seven teenagers (one of which is pregnant and hormonal) and a four-year-old. Suddenly, he wasn't as confident that he could do this on his own.

Emma

With Hunter's help, Emma had been able to sneak out of the Corinthos house that morning without seeing Zack. She had driven to school on her own and made it all the way to her locker before she had to see him. She knew instantly when he was there; not only was she able to feel it, but he also casted a huge shadow over her since he was so much taller.

"Zackary." She greeted.

"I'm sorry, okay? I don't want you to be upset with me. Maddie and I weren't trying to ambush you last night."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Just let me finish. It wasn't fair of us to corner you and expect you to talk. I know that's not how things work. I really am sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have freaked out on you guys." Emma wasn't going to admit that even she hadn't understood half of what she was saying yesterday; she had just been trying to change the subject as much as possible to throw them off and then end the conversation.

"Apology accepted." Zack opened up his arms and Emma didn't hesitate before going into them. "I need to ask you something."

Emma groaned. "God, I thought we just got over this."

"No, it's nothing bad. So, I found out this morning, which you would have known if you didn't sneak out so quickly," Emma couldn't help but smile at that, "that Izzie is getting married."

"Yeah, we already knew that."

"The wedding is on Saturday."

"Wow. That's soon."

"Of course you're invited. You know that Izzie loves you, and Spencer is your cousin so you would have been invited anyway. I was just thinking that, since we'll both be there, we might as well go together."

Emma smiled when she saw how awkward Zack was being. "Zackary Corinthos, are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

"No! I mean, if you want it to be a date, then I wouldn't mind. I'm just…" he trailed off.

She decided to help him out because he was obviously way out of his comfort zone. "Yes, I'll go with you."

"You will?"

"It's a date." She confirmed.

Zack grinned. "You're amazing."

"I know. Now let's go eat lunch." She led the way down the hallway towards the cafeteria. She knew Zack was close behind her; lunch time was one of the main times the Madison kids decided to mess with them.

She made it to their usual table and saw that Courtney, Connor, Brittany, and Maddie were already sitting down. Connor, Maddie, and Courtney were on one side, so Emma took the seat next to Brittany, which put her directly across from her younger sister.

"Hey Mads." She said.

"Hi Emma."

"I'm sorry about last night."

Maddie nodded her head. "Me too."

Even though Emma was still a little upset that Maddie had felt the need to ambush her, she wasn't going to keep fighting with her sister. She already had enough drama going on.

"So, I'm assuming you're all going to Izzie and Spencer's wedding?" Brittany asked. The others nodded. "I'm so excited!"

"Why?" Zack questioned.

"Because weddings are so much fun! Throw in the fact that it's our sister getting married and that makes it ten times better." Brittany practically squealed. "Plus, I'm sure the whole Dream Team will be there. I miss being with everybody."

"Why? It's always awkward when we're all together now." Courtney said as she shoved a fry in her mouth.

Connor rolled his eyes at his older sister. "Shut up, Court. You always talk about how you miss everyone."

"Yeah, and I do. But I hate how weird it is. Nate and Paige are so quiet and they just stare at them the whole time." She gestured towards Emma and Zack. "Chloe J acts like she's tip toeing around something and she isn't as blunt as she used to be. Gabe hovers over Mia, the two of you are stuck in your little lovebird land," she pointed to Connor and Maddie as she spoke, "which pretty much leaves just me, Hunter, Britt, and Emma to have fun. No offense to Mimi of course; I know she would party if she could."

Maddie shrugged. "She's not wrong."

"God, don't you start too!" Brittany scolded. "We're going to have fun! We can all be together and we won't be drinking since I'm sure all of our parents will be watching us. We can actually talk to each other without alcohol and fights and craziness getting in the way."

Emma stayed quiet. Why was everyone so determined to not drink? They acted like it was a new thing for them and that they hadn't all drank before the TMK stuff last year.

Courtney smiled. "You're right, Britty. I'm sure it'll be fun." Everyone else agreed and Emma felt herself nodding along, even though she knew she was going to need a lot of alcohol to get through that wedding.

Chloe J and Christian

"Well if it isn't my dear sister."

Chloe J rolled her eyes as she looked at her twin. "What do you want, Christian? I'm hungry and I need to get to the cafeteria."

"I'll walk with you." They started towards the cafeteria together. "How's your day so far?"

"We both know this isn't why you're talking to me right now."

"I just feel like we don't talk much anymore."

She gave him a look. "We talk every single day."

"But seriously, how are things? How's Brendan?"

Chloe J could feel her cheeks starting to turn up into a smile. She bit her tongue to keep it from happening; she would not be that lovesick girl. "He's good."

"Treating you right?"

"If he didn't, I would stab him with one of my Cartulo heels."

Christian couldn't help but laugh. "Good to know."

"Seriously though, Chris. What's going on?"

He decided to finally give in. "How are your friends?"

"Fine."

"You still talk to Courtney?"

Christian could practically see the lightbulb go off in his twin sister's head. She smirked, but she didn't call him out on it. "Not as much as I used to, but we talk occasionally. Why?"

"No reason."

With one look at his face, Chloe J could tell Christian liked her. "Can I give you my opinion?"

"If I say no, you're going to do it anyway."

"Very true. I think Court is awesome. I love Haley, but she was pushy and rude. Not saying those are necessarily bad things because I'm pretty much the same way, but you're not. You need someone who is more laidback and goes with the flow. That's the perfect description of Courtney."

"I didn't ask for relationship advice, Chloe." She could see that he was still smiling slightly.

"Just know that if you decided to pursue things with Courtney, you would have the twin sister stamp of approval."

Christian grabbed his chest mockingly. "Well thank God! All I've ever wanted is my big sister's approval."

Chloe J flipped her hair over her shoulder jokingly. "I am pretty important."

They stood together in the lunch line. Chloe J scanned the room, looking for familiar faces. She could see that Gabe, Nate, Paige, and Hunter were already sitting together at their usual table.

"Hey Aubrey." She heard a familiar voice and looked over as Ryan joined the lunch line. He and Aubrey were a few people back, but she could still clearly hear their voices.

"Hi Ryan." There was an awkward silence that caused Chloe J to roll her eyes. When was this girl going to get some game? She shuddered at that thought; she had been spending way too much time with Hunter. "So, I don't know if you heard, but my brother is getting married."

"No, I didn't. That's pretty cool! Which one?"

"Spencer. He's marrying Izzie Zacchara on Saturday."

"Weddings are awesome."

"Yeah."

Another silence took over as Chloe J waited to see what would happen next. She was facing forward and dead silent; she glanced at Christian and saw that he was quietly looking at her. She realized he had picked up on Ryan and Aubrey's conversation too.

"Would you want to go with me to the wedding?" Aubrey finally blurted out.

"I would love to."

Chloe J felt a little twinge in her heart at Ryan's words. She knew that it was selfish. She was dating Brendan and it was her fault that Ryan broke up with her in the first place. Overall, she was happy for him and she knew Aubrey was a good girl for him.

"How do you feel about that?" Christian asked quietly.

Chloe J shrugged. "It's none of my business."

"That's never stopped you from doing anything before."

"I'm serious, Chris. Leave it alone. Ryan deserves to be happy, and Aubrey is a nice person."

"If you say so."

Chloe J silently got her lunch. She knew that Christian thought she was jealous, but she wasn't a petty person. She didn't expect Ryan to just be miserable for forever after she ruined their relationship.

She said goodbye to her brother and went over to her usual lunch table. She took a seat next to Hunter, watching Gabe, Nate, and Paige as they debated something.

"What's going on?" she asked him.

"No clue. This is way out of my realm of understanding." Hunter admitted, grabbing a fry off her plate. Chloe J smacked his hand. "Don't. You eat my food all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm tiny. You wouldn't want me to wither away to nothing, would you?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Chloe J, you're like, six feet tall. I wouldn't call you tiny."

"First off, I'm 5'10''. Second, I meant weight wise, you idiot." She pinched his arm. He yelped, but took another fry anyway. "I just overheard Aubrey asking Ryan to be her date to Izzie and Spencer's wedding."

Hunter glanced at her. "How do you feel about that?"

"Eh, it's whatever. Chris thinks I'm jealous, but I don't really care. I have a boyfriend now. Ryan should be happy."

"That's very mature of you."

"What can I say? I'm pretty mature."

Hunter groaned. "I didn't even think about that. I have to find a date to the stupid wedding."

"Weddings are not stupid."

"They are when you're the only single one in your family."

"Zack's single."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll ask Emma to go with him. God, I'm the family loser."

"I'm sure you can find someone." Even as she was saying it, Chloe J pulled out her phone.

To: Brendan

Hey, this is a really random question, but would you be upset if I went with Hunter to Izzie and Spencer's wedding on Saturday? It's just as friends. He needs a date so he doesn't look like a loser to the rest of his siblings.

From: Brendan

Pretty sure he'll look like a loser anyway lol

From: Brendan

I don't mind. Just tell him to keep his hands to himself.

To: Brendan

You're the best.

"…or that girl in my math class." Chloe J realized Hunter had been talking to her the whole time she was texting.

"I'll go with you."

He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"You're practically begging. We wouldn't want you to look like the family loser, would we?"

Hunter studied her. "Make sure B-Dubs is cool with it, okay? I don't want to cause any problems."

"Already did." She showed him her phone.

Hunter scoffed. "He said I'll look like a loser anyway?"

Chloe J laughed. "It's true. Your siblings are pretty awesome, and then there's you."

His mouth fell open in shock. "Ouch."

"You know I'm just kidding. You're the funniest one, so at least you've got that going on for you."

He smiled, showing off his dimples. "You really think I'm the funniest?"

"Of course, as long as Britt isn't in the room. Or Zack. Or even Morgan."

Hunter shook his head. "Wow, you just keep kicking a man while he's down."

ELQ Meeting

When Edward Quartermaine was still alive, he insisted on weekly ELQ meetings for all of the Quartermaine heirs. He insisted that ELQ was a career path that any of them could end up taking and he wanted them to have the knowledge on how to run a company as successful as his.

But after his passing, the meetings had been moved to once a month. Edward had chosen Maddie as the owner of ELQ, and she appointed Jamie her co-owner; after all, she is only sixteen years old. Jamie is in charge of the company until she turns eighteen and he takes part in more of the day-to-day stuff, but he still doesn't do the most work out of everyone.

Josslyn had managed the company up until Jamie turned eighteen and even after that, Maddie let her have a seat on the board. Jamie's birthday was in December, so this was the first board meeting since he had taken over the company. Maddie was pretty sure that not everyone would be happy with Josslyn continuing to be involved in ELQ, considering she wasn't a Quartermaine.

Everyone was already sitting in the conference room when the door opened again, revealing the blonde woman. Maddie could see the confusion on the faces of her family members.

Josslyn smiled confidently and took a seat between Emma and Gabe, who welcomed her with no question.

"Alright, I'll be the one to ask. What is she doing here?" Lila Rae questioned.

"Josslyn will have a seat on the board. She has been helping Jamie and me with business decisions. Even though she isn't managing the company anymore, she is a good asset for us to have."

Lila Rae rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. ELQ is a family company. I can help make decisions, Michael can help make decision. You don't need to bring in someone from the outside."

"How about you show her some respect?" Emma chimed in from her end of the table. "Josslyn did a great job with the company while she was managing it. Beyond that, it's not your decision. Madelyn owns the company, so she chooses who is on the board. If I were her, I would take your seat away and give it to Josslyn."

"She doesn't care about this company. Her family doesn't own it. She won't make the sacrifices that need to be made." Lila Rae continued.

"Actually, Josslyn is very level-headed. Do you know why? Because she knows I'm trusting her and she wouldn't let me down. On top of that, she knows that what happens to this company affects me, Emma, Gabe, Katie, Michael, Carrie, and I'm sure she even cares a little bit about how it affects you, Lila Rae, since you are engaged to her brother. But you know what I've learned about you? Lila Rae is only concerned with what will benefit Lila Rae."

Lila Rae stood up. "That is not true!"

Gabe stood too. "How about you sit down so we can get started? Josslyn's seat on the board is not up for discussion."

"You would think you would be a little more supportive of the woman who will be your sister-in-law pretty soon." Emma commented, earning an eye roll from Lila Rae.

Jamie and Maddie got right into things, reading off the numbers for the month and upcoming events. They delegated paperwork between Josslyn, Michael, and Lila Rae (luckily, the high school kids weren't usually given any extra work to do).

Emma sat quietly and tried to pay attention. She used to play around during ELQ meetings, usually texting or having staring contests with her family members. But now that her grandfather was gone, she saw how much work her sister, Jamie, and Josslyn put into this company. She actually wanted to know what was going on.

After about an hour, the meeting ended. Michael stood up and walked over to his younger sister.

"You did a great job when you were managing the company. I'm glad that you'll be on the board." He told Josslyn.

She smiled. "Thanks, Mikey."

Gabe joined them. "Don't listen to Lila Rae, Joss. The rest of us are happy you're here."

"Thank you." She ruffled his hair, making him frown. Josslyn just laughed.

Maddie stood up, glad that that was over with. She knew Lila Rae would react badly, but at least everyone else was happy with the change. This had been her second major decision (the first being to put Josslyn in charge, then Jamie until her 18th birthday) and it went well.

Maybe she was cut out for this job after all.

Brittany

Brittany loved weddings. She was extremely happy that her stepsister, Izzie, was getting married this weekend. She couldn't wait for the reception and the fact that all of her friends would be there and they could actually hang out without (hopefully) and fights or stressful situations.

Then, she realized that she would need a date.

She had been betting on the fact that Hunter wouldn't bring a date either and then they could just play around together the whole time. But then, she found out he was bringing Chloe J (which was a little strange, but who was she to judge). She couldn't look like the family loser, so she would have to find someone.

Brittany walked into Kelly's as she tried to think up a list of possible guys she could bring with her. There wasn't anyone that she liked right now and she still felt like it was too soon to start a relationship with someone, so it would have to be a person that would understand that this was just a one-time thing.

Her thoughts drifted to her friend group. Gabe would be going with Mia, Connor with Maddie, and obviously she wouldn't bring her brothers even if they didn't have dates. That left one guy from the Dream Team- Nate. She wondered if he would mind doing her a favor. She knew he would be respectful and then she wouldn't look like she had no one.

Her eyes landed on Noah Scorpio-Drake, Nate's younger brother. She shrugged her shoulders; close enough.

"Hey Noah." She walked over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Studying." He gestured towards his biology book. "You can sit with me if you want. I need a break."

"Okay." She took the seat across from him. A waitress took her order and then she turned to the other boy. "So, how have you been?"

"Pretty good. Just focusing on school and trying to get through the rest of this year." Brittany knew it had been a tough year for him and Nate. Their mother and half-brother, Liam, had passed away last year and they were still coping.

"That's understandable." She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. But then, she reminded herself that she was Brittany Corinthos and she didn't let anything make her nervous. "Hey, can I ask you a random question? You can totally say no if you want to."

"Go ahead." As he smiled, Brittany couldn't help but compare him to his brother. If you saw Nate and Noah, you would never guess that they were brothers. While Noah has brown hair and brown eyes, Nate has blonde hair and blue eyes (which is nothing like either of his parents, though he always claimed that his Grandpa Robert has those traits). Brittany and Noah had never been close; the last time she had really spoken to him was when he found her after she was attacked by the TMK. She cringed at the thought of that. But she had known him since they were kids, he was a good guy, and if he tried to take advantage of her, she could get Nate to beat him up (or Zack or Hunter or Gabe or Connor- honestly, she had her pick of defenders).

"Would you like to go to a wedding with me this weekend?"

Noah looked slightly interested. "Who's getting married?"

"My sister, Izzie, is marrying Spencer Cassadine." Brittany sighed. "I'm sorry to spring this on you. I don't even know if you have a girlfriend. I was gonna go on my own, but then Hunter got Chloe J to be his date, so now I'll be the only single one in my family and I can't look like the family loser!"

Noah laughed. "Sure, Brittany. I'll go with you."

"Really?"

"Really. It'll be fun, and I don't want you to look like a loser."

"Thank you!" Brittany smiled at him.

"Did you specifically follow me here to ask that?"

She laughed. "No, you were just the first person I saw that I know." Her food arrived at the table. "Thank you."

"My mom would love the fact that we're sitting here together." Noah said.

"You think?"

"Mmhmm. She always liked Sonny and Jason. She loved that Nate and Emma were such good friends." He shook his head. "She would hate to see how far apart they've grown."

Brittany nodded her head in understanding. One of the biggest distances in the Dream Team was definitely Emma and Nate. She wasn't sure what had happened, but they had gone from best friends to barely speaking.

"Em's going through a lot right now."

"I know. It just sucks. I miss seeing her around the house."

She smiled sadly. "I think we all miss her." She shook her head. "Enough about that! Let's talk about what color we should wear to the wedding!"

Brittany allowed herself to talk to Noah and think about happy things instead of being overwhelmed by school and homework and dealing with the Madison kids. She vowed that, for the next few days, she would be happy.

Paige

Paige sat on the couch in the living room of the Morgan penthouse. Selena was on the other end, her gaze focused on whatever was playing on the TV screen. Katie was in the chair, her feet thrown over the side of it as she played around on her phone.

Paige was looking online to try and find a nice dress for Spencer and Izzie's wedding. Since Spencer is her brother, her attendance is mandatory, though she honestly would rather not go. She wasn't in the mood for getting dressed up and going out.

"Hey guys!" Mia came downstairs, squishing herself between Paige and Selena. The little girl immediately turned her body so she could rest her head on Mia's lap. "I found the perfect dress for the wedding."

"Can I see?" Katie wondered. "I have no idea what to wear."

"Of course." Mia showed them her phone. It was a form fitting, lacy, dark blue dress with long sleeves that would come to a little bit above her knees. Paige knew she would look gorgeous in it.

"That's cute." Paige said, Katie nodding her agreement. "I've been looking online but I can't find anything good."

"Katie, you should wear red." Mia stated. "You look great in red. P, I would look for light purple if I was you."

"I just can't find anything I'm interested in."

"Who are you bringing as a date?" Katie asked.

"Gabe." Mia answered.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I was talking to Paige."

Paige hadn't really considered that. She thought it over. She had never had to think like this before; since freshman year, she had always had Zack to bring to events with her.

Maybe Zack would be willing to go with her to the wedding. His sister was marrying her brother, so they would both already be there. How bad would it be to be there together? Maybe they could finally relieve some of the awkward tension between them.

The front door opened and everyone turned to see who it was. Emma walked in, which was surprising since she was hardly home.

Mia must have thought so too since she said something about it. "Wow, you actually know where this place is? I'm shocked since you're never home."

Emma smiled. "Shut up, Mimi. I decided that you all deserved to see me today."

"What are you wearing to the wedding?" Katie questioned.

"I don't know, I haven't picked anything out yet. Maybe I'll call Chloe J and see if Maxie has any new designs in that I can try out. I need to pick soon though because I'll have to find Zack a tie the same color as my dress."

Just like that, all of Paige's hopes flew out the window. Of course Zack and Emma were going together. Why wouldn't they? It seemed like they were never apart from each other anymore.

"I'm gonna go do my homework." Paige made an excuse so she could leave the room. She went upstairs and flopped down on her bed, hoping that Emma would stay downstairs for a little while. It would feel like salt in a wound if she had to sit around her.

She dialed what was becoming the most familiar number in her phone. "Hey P."

"Hi Nate." She sighed. "What's up?"

"Just finished up my homework. What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You sound upset."

"I'm just kind of irritated. I hate having to pick out dresses and stuff like that for weddings. I completely forgot too that I'll need a date. Why did my brother have to move his wedding up? This isn't enough time for me to prepare."

"Why don't you just go shopping tomorrow?"

"I probably will, but I have no idea what I'm looking for." She debated on telling him about her idea to take Zack. She finally decided to do it; Nate was basically her best friend right now, so he would understand. "I thought about taking Zack to the wedding with me."

"That might be nice."

"Yeah, but he's already going with Emma."

"Really? Are they officially together now?"

"I don't think so. She looked so happy when she was talking about it though." Paige absolutely hated the resentment she felt for her cousin, but she couldn't help it. Emma Morgan was perfect. "Maybe I'll just look around at NYCS and see if I can find anyone."

"I'll go with you."

Paige was shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not? You need a date and I have nothing to do Saturday. I'll go with you."

"You would really do that?"

"Of course I would."

"Thank you!" Paige smiled. At least that was one thing off of her to-do list. "I'll text you after I find a dress so you can get a matching tie."

"Will do. See you tomorrow at school."

"Bye."

Paige laid back against her pillow. Nate was a great friend. She wished that Emma still thought Nate was so great. Maybe then, the two of them would get together and Paige would have an opportunity to make things right with Zack.

The Morgans

"Selena, it's time to get up." Jason shook his youngest child's shoulder. "Sellie, you wanna help me make breakfast?"

"No." the four-year-old covered her head with a pillow. Her voice was muffled as she spoke. "Go away, Daddy."

"Selena Claire, you need to get out of bed and get dressed right now."

"No!" she threw her pillow off of her bed.

Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Selena was an angel most of the time, but she was still a child and she had her moments. He lifted her up until she was on his lap.

"I know you're tired, but you have to get up. Pick out something to wear."

"I want Mommy." She whined.

"Mommy isn't here right now, so you have me. Now get up." He put her down and she stomped over to her closet to pick out her outfit.

Jason exited Selena's room and nearly ran right into Katie. She didn't say anything and just walked past him. Clearly she wasn't in a very good mood today either.

"Everyone better be up!" he shouted as he walked down the hallway. He knocked on Maddie's door, who told him to come in. He peeked his head in. "You up and getting ready?"

"Yep, almost done." Maddie came out of her bathroom and he saw she was already in her uniform. "You might wanna check on Emma though. I haven't heard her at all and we have to leave in ten minutes."

"Got it." Jason shut Maddie's door, making a mental note that Mia hadn't been in there where she belonged, and went to Emma's room instead. He knocked on the door, then opened it when he got no response. He saw that the light was turned off. He flipped it on. Paige's bed was empty and had been made already, but Emma was still sleeping. "Emma, get up."

"Huh?" she lifted her head slowly, glancing over at the clock. When she saw what time it was, she jumped out of bed.

"Did you set an alarm?" Jason wondered.

"Yeah, I guess I shut it off." She looked towards Paige's bed. "I'm glad Paige didn't see the need to wake me up."

"It's not Paige's fault." Jason chastised.

"Of course it's not." Emma went into her closet.

Now that she was up, Jason went down the hall to the last room. He knocked twice, then opened the door. Mia was sitting on Gabe's bed with her laptop open, and he was shirtless and standing in front of his closet. Jason wasn't surprised; usually, Mia went into Gabe's room in the morning and talked to him before he went to school.

"Just making sure everyone is up."

"We're up. I just can't find the shirt I want." Gabe dug through his closet.

"What are you looking for?" Jason wondered. "Maybe it's in the laundry room."

"It's my black PCH football t-shirt."

"It's in Maddie's room." Mia commented.

Gabe gave her a look. "Why?"

"Because I was wearing it."

He rolled his eyes. "It would be nice if you would return my stuff."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "And it would be nice if you lost your attitude."

"Stop it." Jason interrupted. "Just wear something else, Gabe." His son completely ignored him.

Jason closed the door. It seemed like all the kids were in bad moods today. He went back to check on Selena and saw that she was dressed now, but just sitting in the middle of the floor. He wasn't even sure where to begin with the mop of blonde curls on top of her head. He heard someone walking down the hallway.

"Maddie!" he called out. She turned to look. "Can you help with Selena's hair before you go?"

"I really need to leave, Dad."

He sighed. "Fine. I'll just ask Mia."

"I'm sorry, but I don't wanna be late." She glanced back towards Emma's room. "Is she up?"

"She was when I went in."

Right after that, Emma's door slammed open. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a headband and she was dressed in her uniform. She had her phone and keys in one hand, and her backpack over her shoulder.

"Emmy!" Selena jumped up and ran to her sister. She hugged her.

"Stop it, Selena. I have to go to school."

"I want you to brush my hair."

"I don't have time."

"Please?"

"I said no, Selena!" she snapped. Selena backed away from her and started to cry.

Gabe's door opened and he walked into the hallway. "What's going on?"

"I need to go to school but she won't stop asking me to do her hair."

"You can't leave a couple minutes late?"

"Considering I already got up late, no Gabriel, I can't."

"Will you all stop arguing? It's too early for this." Mia walked out of Gabe's room and over to Selena. "Hey Sellie, what if I help you with your hair? I know I can't do it as good as Emma, but I can try!"

"Okay." Selena sniffled. Mia lifted her up and looked at Emma, Maddie, and Gabe, who were all staring at her.

"Don't you all need to leave?"

"C'mon, Em." Maddie grabbed her arm gently and led her down the hall.

Gabe tried to hug her, but Mia brushed him off and carried Selena back into her room. He just turned and went downstairs.

Jason shook his head. Mornings in the Morgan house were definitely rough without Sam. He heard the door slam downstairs and figured everyone had left for school. Since Mia was taking care of Selena, he pulled out his phone to call his wife.

"Hey." Sam greeted.

"Hi. Did you sleep okay?"

"As well as you can in a hotel bed. How was getting everyone up?"

"Horrible. Everyone is in a bad mood and arguing and Selena is being grouchy."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"Mia is fixing her hair for her right now. How's Nattie?"

"Quiet. I think she's nervous. We're going to meet up with Brook Lynn after lunch. I'm taking her to do a little sightseeing before, and we'll do some more afterwards. Then, we'll be home tomorrow."

"I can't wait until you're back."

"I can't wait to be back. I'm going to go shower though, so I've gotta go. Kiss the kids for me."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

Right as he hung up, Mia led Selena out of her bedroom, her hair brushed and pulled back with a headband. "She's ready."

"Thank you so much, Mia."

"You're welcome." She kissed Selena's head. "Have a good day at school."

"Thank you, Mia." Jason smiled at her politeness; maybe her mood was starting to improve.

"Alright, Sellie. Let's get you some breakfast and then take you to school." He lifted her up and carried her downstairs. He made her a piece of peanut butter toast and set it in front of her.

"That's not how Mommy does it."

Jason sighed. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

Izzie

"And you're sure you don't want to have a bigger wedding?" Claudia asked for what felt like the millionth time.

"I'm sure, Mom. Spencer and I just want something quick and simple." Izzie answered.

"If that's what you want, then I guess that's what we'll do." Claudia sighed. "I just thought my first child's wedding would be a little crazier."

"I don't like crazy. I'm sure you'll get something bigger when Zack and Emma get married one day." Izzie watched her mother smile; she knew she would love it if the two of them got married. "Let's get back to this though."

"You're right. You want Paige, Nattie, Brittany, and Brenna to be your bridesmaids, but they can wear whatever they want, and then you'll have Zack, Hunter, Colton, and Aiden be your groomsmen?"

"Yes. And I want Sophia to be the flower girl."

"And then the reception will be here." Claudia gestured to the living room of the house. "We have caterers coming and a DJ, and there will be an open bar. It should be a pretty nice party."

"Sounds good to me. I just have one more thing to take care of. Do you know where Sonny is?"

Claudia smiled. "He's in the kitchen."

Izzie walked into the kitchen to find her stepfather standing over the stove. He absolutely loved to cook, and she had a lot of memories of helping him when she was a child.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hey Iz." Sonny smiled at her. "I'm making lasagna and I need a taste tester. Want to volunteer?"

"Of course." She sat down on the barstool.

For almost all of her life, Izzie had had Sonny. He wasn't her biological father; she had been conceived from a rape and, luckily, she would never know who were real dad was. Sonny had never adopted her, but for all purposes, he was her father. He had loved her just as much as his kids, just like how Claudia loved Brittany.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmhmm." Sonny handed her a plate of lasagna. "Everything okay?"

"You know, you've always been there for me. Even when I was a bratty teenager and had a horrible attitude, there was never a time where I doubted that you loved me. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have a role model for how a man should act. You're a great stepfather."

He grinned. "Well, you made it easy. From the moment I met you, I knew you were special, Isabel."

"Will you walk me down the aisle tomorrow?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He pulled her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you. I know you've gone through a lot in the past couple years with Kiefer and all that, but you're changing your life. Spencer is a good man."

"I know."

"I can't wait until your little one is born and you'll understand how easy it is to love a child who loves you unconditionally." Sonny kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for being there for me."

"Thank you for letting me."

Josslyn and Lindsey

The first thing Lindsey saw when she walked into Josslyn's office was her best friend pacing wildly around the room, yelling into her phone. She went over and sat down; if this was a business thing, it could take a little while.

Josslyn slammed her phone down on her desk and practically screamed in frustration. Now, it was Lindsey's time to step in.

"What was that about?"

"You didn't bring Henry?" Josslyn sighed. "I was really hoping to have some godson time."

"He's with Jake. Are you not going to tell me who you were yelling at?"

"The church I want isn't available for the date Aiden and I chose."

"You'll find a different one."

"A different one?" Josslyn practically screeched. "That is the perfect one! Why can't everything ever just work out the way I want it to?"

"Joss, you need to relax. We'll look at new venues. There is something out there that will be even better, and we'll find it."

Josslyn sat down in her chair with a huff. "Who knew planning a wedding could be this difficult?"

"It's only difficult because you're stressing yourself out. Weddings are supposed to be fun. Just calm down."

"You're right." Josslyn started to look for other churches on her laptop.

"So, when are you and Aiden going to give Henry a little cousin?"

Josslyn looked horrified. "Excuse me?"

Lindsey laughed. "I was just trying to distract you."

"Henry will not be getting a cousin for a long, long time. I may have decided I'm ready to get married, but that doesn't mean I want to completely settle down. I've still got a few good years left in me."

"Get your partying done with now. Henry was up almost all night last night. I'm exhausted."

"Is that why you left my baby with Jake instead of bringing him to see his favorite person in the whole world?"

"That's exactly why. I love him, but I need a break."

Josslyn glanced at her. "Have you found something to wear to Izzie and Spencer's wedding yet?"

"Yeah, I have a dress. You?"

"Same. I can't believe they moved their wedding up."

"Some people just can't wait."

"I don't know how people don't want a huge wedding. It's not like they can't afford it."

"Because to some people, it isn't all about the actual wedding. They're more concerned about the marriage part."

Josslyn shrugged. "I guess. Are you bringing Henry to the wedding? Do people bring babies to stuff like that?"

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Henry was at my wedding, Josslyn."

"Yeah, but you're his parents and his entire family was there. Who else was going to watch him?"

Lindsey just shook her head. "He's spending the night at my dad's. It'll be the first night I haven't had him."

Josslyn could sense her best friend's discomfort. "It'll be okay. Your dad will take great care of him, and you'll get to have fun and actually sleep through the night."

"I told Jake that we should just skip the reception and go home and sleep. I'm so tired."

"Uh, you will definitely not be doing that. We're going to have fun." Josslyn shut her laptop. "Speaking of fun, I'm sick of thinking about weddings. Let's go to lunch."

Mia

That day, Selena only had a half day at preschool, so Mia had volunteered to go pick her up and spend the afternoon with her. She took her to Kelly's for lunch and then they went to the park.

"Watch me, Mimi!" Selena ran over to the swings. She started to pump her legs until she was swinging high in the air.

"Great job, Sellie! Who taught you how to do that?"

"Emma." Selena stopped pumping so she would slow down. "Emma used to bring me to the playground all the time, and Chloe J and Nate. Now she never wants to play with me anymore."

Mia sat on the swing next to Selena. She knew this was all hard to understand for the little girl. "Emma is just very busy. She still loves you so, so much."

"Why doesn't Emma ever come home?"

"Because she likes to have sleepovers with her friends." Mia wasn't sure she was saying the right thing, but she wouldn't just ignore Selena's questions.

"Mommy and Daddy fight sometimes about Emma. They try to be quiet, but I hear them." Selena looked at her, her blue eyes showing how sad she was. "Why are they mad at her?"

"Sometimes, people just don't understand everything that is going on with a person. Your parents don't know everything Emma is going through, and Emma doesn't think about how that hurts other people's feelings."

"I don't get it."

"You will when you're older." Mia decided that was enough questioning. "I bet I can swing higher than you."

"Nu-uh!" Selena giggled, pumping her legs with determination.

Mia smiled at the child's enthusiasm. She turned her head and that's when she saw Rachel walking over with Sophia. She internally prayed that she would just keep walking. She didn't feel like having an awkward conversation with Gabe's long-lost half-sister.

"Selena!" Sophia squealed.

No such luck.

Mia stopped swinging as Rachel and Sophia approached them. Selena jumped off her swing and hugged her friend (who was technically her niece, now that she thought about it).

"Hi Mia." Rachel greeted.

"Hey Rachel. Hi Sophia." The little girl waved politely.

"Mia, can I play with Sophia on the playset? Please?" Selena practically begged.

"Yeah, but only for a couple minutes. We need to go soon." The two girls ran over to the playset.

"So, how are you?" Rachel asked.

Mia stood up and they walked over to the bench near the playset. "I'm okay. What about you?"

"Pretty good. How's the baby?"

"Fine."

"How far along are you now?"

"Two months."

"It'll go quick." Rachel smiled, and Mia could tell she felt just as awkward as she did. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I just don't know how to act when I'm around Emma, Gabe, Maddie, and Katie. I want to get to know them, and I want to know Sam and Jason better. But I just feel so awkward."

"They feel awkward too." Mia reminded her. "They're young and they all have a lot going on right now. I'm sorry to say this, but you're not really their first priority. If you want to know them, you're going to have to make some type of effort."

"I'm trying…"

"But you're not trying. You don't ever come to the penthouse, or call or text them. I know it's uncomfortable for you and the whole situation is weird, but you have to remember it's strange for them too. You avoid coming around to get away from how uncomfortable it is. If you want to know them, then be there."

Rachel nodded. "I know that I need to be around more, but it makes me nervous. I don't want to overwhelm them."

"You don't give them enough credit. They're all very strong people. They can handle getting to know their long-lost sister. They might not be the most open people in the world, but they're all very understanding. I'm sure after they talked to you a few times, they would welcome you into the family."

"I don't even know where to begin."

"Why don't you ask to come over for dinner one day? Or invite them over for dinner? You have to make an effort."

"I'll call Sam this week and try to set something up."

"Good." Mia glanced down at her phone. "I've got to go. Hopefully I'll see you around. Selena!"

The girls ran over and Mia scooped up Selena. "Bye Rachel! Bye Sophia!"

"Bye Selena!" Sophia replied. Mia looked at Rachel one last time before walking away.

She knew that Rachel was struggling with this change, but she couldn't make Gabe or the others do something they didn't want to do. She thought it would be nice if they all got to know each other, but she wouldn't hold her breath on that. It would take a lot of effort from everyone for that to happen.

Nattie

"And she knows we're coming, right?" Nattie asked for the third time.

"Yes, she knows." Sam held open the door to the small diner. Nattie walked inside and scanned the room. She immediately spotted her mother.

It was so strange seeing her. It had been months since the last time, but it felt like no time passed. She still looked exactly the same.

"If you want to turn around, now is the time." Sam whispered to her.

"No. I have to do it." Nattie led the way over to Brook Lynn's table.

Brook Lynn saw her coming and she stood up. Nattie quickly sat down on one of the chairs, avoiding the hug that she knew was coming. She could see that it hurt her mom's feelings, but she didn't care. Sam sat down next to her, and Brook Lynn took the seat across from them.

"Hi, Nattie. It's good to see you." Brook Lynn began after a couple seconds of awkward silence.

Just like that, something inside of Nattie snapped. How could she sit here and act like this was a normal meeting?

"Were you ever going to come back for me?" she questioned. That wasn't what she had planned to say, but it was exactly what needed to be asked.

"Natasha, there's a lot you don't understand…"

"Then explain it to me. What do I not understand? That you didn't want to be married to my father anymore, so you left? That you didn't want to be my mom anymore, so you left me too?"

"It's not that simple. I didn't want to leave you, but I had to, okay?"

"Why? Did Dad threaten you? Did he force you to go? I want to understand. I want you to explain it to me."

"I wanted to come back for you."

"But you didn't."

"I couldn't! I couldn't take you away from her."

"From who?"

"Your sister."

"Who, Paige? My sister who you acted like a mother towards, and then abandoned her too?"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Who is he?" Nattie demanded. "Who is the guy that was more important than your family? Did you even go on tour?"

"Yes, I went on tour. When I left, I didn't plan on staying gone. But I was having so much fun on the road, and then I met Travis. You know that your father and I weren't happy together anymore, Nattie. We fought all the time and there was so much pressure on our relationship. It wasn't healthy."

"You know, I can almost forgive you for that. I heard you fighting and I know there was no way the two of you wanted to be married. But that doesn't mean you just run away! You act like an adult and you get a divorce and you share custody of your child, just like the other million people in Port Charles who do it. You don't run away and leave your husband and daughter and his kids behind so you can sleep with the drummer in your band!" Nattie could feel her eyes tearing up.

"I didn't leave you because of Travis."

"Then why did you leave? Why wasn't I good enough, Mom? Why did you leave me?" she finally started to cry. She felt Sam's hand link with her own under the table, and she was grateful for the support.

"This has nothing to do with you. This isn't your fault. I just needed a little time to find myself and…"

"Stop. I don't want to hear your excuses. You are selfish. You didn't like playing wife and mother and stepmother anymore, so you left. You abandoned us, and now Dad died and abandoned us too."

"Nattie, baby, I'm so sorry…"

"You should be sorry. I wish Paige was here so you could apologize to her too. You were basically a mother to her since she lost Emily, and now she lost two moms. But it's okay, because we have Sam and Jason now. They're going to do a better job taking care of us than you ever could."

Brook Lynn looked to Sam. "Why would you take her? She's not your family."

"She is my family. She didn't have anyone else, and even if she did, I would have fought them to take her. Nattie hasn't been with me very long, but I can already see how special she is and I don't understand why you would ever ruin that. You don't deserve her."

"Hey Mom?" Nattie waited until Brook Lynn looked at her to speak again. "Can I come live with you?" she already knew what her answer would be, but she needed to hear it. She needed to have this closure so she could move on.

"I would do anything to have you live with me, but I'm still on tour, and Travis and I are still building our relationship. We need some time, but as soon as we're settled, you can come here. I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing to me. I just wanted to make sure that you were really as horrible of a person as I thought you were. There is no amount of money in the world that someone could offer me to make me want to stay with you." Nattie pulled out a stack of papers from her bag. "I need you to sign these."

"What are they?" Brook Lynn took the papers and started to look over them.

"This is signing away your rights to me so that Jason and Sam can have custody. I don't want there to ever be a chance that you will try and take me away."

Brook Lynn studied her daughter. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, we both know you don't mean it. Just sign." She offered her a pen.

Nattie was quiet as Sam directed Brook Lynn on where to sign. She couldn't believe that her mother, the woman who had given birth to her and raised her her entire life, was willingly giving her up because she met a new guy.

After she signed, Brook Lynn looked at her daughter. "I do love you, Nattie. I will always love you."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe." Nattie pulled another paper out of her bag and handed it to her. "This is the paperwork for you to sign to receive the money that Dad left you in his will. It has Kristina's contact information on it so you can get in touch with her."

Brook Lynn took the paper without hesitation. "Thank you."

Nattie turned to Sam. "Can we go?"

"If you're ready, then I'm ready."

Nattie looked at Brook Lynn one last time. "I just want you to know that I'm going to be amazing. I'm going to be healthy and happy and positive and I'm going to love life. I'm going to do cheerleading again next year, and after I graduate, I'll go to college. I will have a great job and marry the perfect man and have perfect children. You will know nothing about that, or about who I became, and you definitely won't be able to take credit for the person I'll turn out to be. This is the last time I ever want to see you. Just know that you're the one who is missing out, not me." With that, Nattie turned around and walked out of the diner.

Senior Girls

Courtney was the one who asked everyone to go dress shopping together. Honestly, she was sick of the random tension between herself, Emma, Paige, and Chloe J. She knew the cause of things between Emma and Paige was Zack, and she knew Chloe J and Emma had drifted apart, and so had she and Paige. But there was no reason for them to all feel weird around each other. They had been friends for way too long.

"So, what is everyone thinking of wearing?" Courtney questioned. She led the way through the mall with Emma by her side and Chloe J and Paige behind them.

"I have no clue. I want something red." Emma answered.

"I was thinking blue." Chloe J added.

Emma turned around. "What about you, P? Do you have to wear something special since you're a bridesmaid?"

Courtney smiled internally. She was so, so proud of Emma for talking to Paige. She knew Emma had a lot of bitterness built up towards Paige, and it only grew with the fact that they were living in the same house and sleeping in the same bedroom (when Emma actually went home). She loved Emma, but she could be stubborn. She wouldn't have imagined that she would make the first move.

"No, I can wear whatever. Mia suggested something light purple."

"That would look good." Chloe J agreed. "Your skin tone is darker, so a lighter color would really bring it out."

"What color did you want, Courtie?" Emma asked.

She shrugged. "I don't have anything in mind. I'll know it when I see it."

The girls started to shop around. It was always harder for Courtney and Chloe J to find nice dresses since they are 5'11'' and 5'10'', respectively. Emma struggled too since she was so short. Paige's height was average, so it was usually easiest for her, and today was no exception. She was the first to find a dress, and it was light purple, just like she wanted.

"I'm going to go look in that section." Chloe J said, pointing to the other side of the aisle.

"I'll come with you." Paige followed her.

Courtney smiled at Emma. "You're doing good at playing nice."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Courtney."

"I'm being serious."

"I don't want things to be awkward, okay? Paige and I aren't really getting along right now, but she's still my cousin and I love her, so at the end of the day, I want to fix things. I don't know what Chloe J's problem is, but I want to fix that too. I'm not the type of person to be blatantly rude to someone anyway, so I don't know why you're surprised."

"I just don't want to break up any cat fights today."

"Shut up, Courtney." Emma repeated.

Across the aisle, Chloe J and Paige were searching through racks to find a good dress for the blonde.

"Do you feel as awkward as I do?" Paige wondered.

"It is a little weird." Chloe J agreed. "Everything we say sounds so forced."

"I wish things weren't like this. Why can't we all act normal?"

"You know exactly why, P."

Paige narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You still have feelings for Zack. Emma has feelings for Zack. Until you let that go, there will be awkwardness."

"So this is my fault?"

"That's not what I'm saying. Honestly, I think it's on both of you and Zack. Things didn't need to be weird, but the situation was handled in the wrong way."

"How could I have handled it better?"

Chloe J screamed internally. She loved Paige, she really did, but she didn't seem to understand how obvious it was that she was jealous of Emma and Zack's relationship. Yes, Emma had been acting a little more standoffish towards Paige since her break-up with Zack, which didn't need to happen, and Chloe J was sure that hadn't gotten better by the two of them being forced to share a bedroom. But Paige shouldn't have broken up with Zack just because her dad told her to, so she was Team Zack on that one. Paige also needed to accept the fact that Zack had a choice in who he dated, and if he wanted to be with Emma, he was allowed. But Chloe J couldn't say that to her because Paige had a tendency to get really defensive.

"You all could have talked through things. You could have spoken to Emma about your feelings for Zack and maybe the issue could have been resolved. There are ways, but this isn't what we should be talking about right now. Let's find me a dress."

A little while later, the four girls met up again, each with a dress in hand. Everyone gushed over each other's dresses and then they went to pay. The day certainly hadn't been as carefree as they would have hoped, but they could fake it until they make it.

Ava, Katie, and Jacelyn

"It's so weird seeing another bed in here." Jacelyn commented as she, Katie, and Ava sat on the floor in Katie's bedroom. "How is it sharing a room with Nattie? I can't imagine sharing a room."

"It's not bad. You know I love Nattie. Plus, she's really good about cleaning up after herself and we take showers at opposite times, so it works out. I know she's going through a hard time right now anyway, so I wouldn't be mad even if she was a little annoying. She's kind of earned it." Katie answered.

"Where is Nattie?" Ava wondered.

"She went with my mom to go talk to Brook Lynn. She hasn't seen her in months and she's going to try and get her to sign away her rights so my parents can get custody of her. Right now, she's just living here and they have temporary custody, but they want to make it more permanent."

"That'll be good for her." Jacelyn said with a nod. "Who are you guys bringing as dates to Izzie and Spencer's wedding?"

"Don't you guys think it's a little weird that everyone in Port Charles goes to each other's weddings?" Ava interrupted. "Like none of us are related to Izzie and Spencer, but we're all going."

"Technically, Spencer is my cousin." Katie pointed out.

"And my family and Sonny's family are basically related, so Izzie is practically my family." Jacelyn added. "And since you were adopted by Johnny, that makes Izzie your adopted cousin!"

"I guess, but it's still strange." Ava said. "I'm staying single. I'm going without a date. Are you bringing Colton?"

"Yeah." Jacelyn answered. There was the potential for that situation to be weird; Ava and Colton had dated last year, until they mutually decided they were better off as friends. The girls had been mature about it though, and Ava honestly didn't mind that Jace was dating him. "What about you, Katie?"

"Well I'm single, so I'm going solo." She smiled. "But I do kinda like somebody."

"What?!" both of her best friends shouted.

"Shhh, the whole world doesn't need to know." She quieted them, knowing her siblings were in their rooms and they definitely didn't need to worry about her love life. "I have study hall with Reed Worth and we sit together and he's really cool."

"Reed Worth?" Ava asked. "That kid who transferred to PCH last year?"

Jacelyn looked just as confused. "That's random."

"It's only random because I don't mind dating outside of the Crew, unlike the rest of you." Katie reminded her.

"How do you think your siblings are gonna react?"

"I don't really care. They all act like I can't make my own decisions. I'm not worried about what they think." Katie shrugged. "Besides, I think they all have enough issues of their own to worry about right now."

Ava and Jacelyn knew that Gabe would not like Katie dating Reed. But Katie was their best friend, and they would keep the secret for her. Even if it seemed like the stupid thing to do.

How did you feel about Nattie and Brook Lynn's conversation?

What would you like to see for Izzie and Spencer's wedding?

Who do you think is to blame for the awkwardness in Emma and Paige's relationship?

What do you think will happen when Gabe, Emma, and Maddie find out Katie is dating Reed?