A/N: So, Addison and Abigail are bonding but things won't be that easy, I'm afraid to say.


A week later, Addison and Abigail sat at the table outside on the decking as they made photo frames together. Abigail stuck her tongue out to the side slightly as she put a shell on the right place and stuck it in tightly. Addison's lips curved into a soft smile as she watched the girl.

"Hmm, I'm not sure this looks good." Abigail wrinkled her nose as she looked down at the frame before she lifted her head and looked at Addison, blushing as she noticed her watching her. "What?" She asked softly.

"You look cute when you stick your tongue out to the side. You look like your dad." Addison couldn't help but tap the girl's nose.

Abigail smiled sheepishly and bit her lip. "I didn't realize."

"Don't stop on my account." Addison smiled, softly.

The girl smiled and looked back down at the frame. "Do you think it looks good like that?"

"I like it."

"Okay then." Abigail nodded and picked up another shell.

"We'll find a photo for it later."

The ten year old nodded again before the sound of the doorbell rang through the house and out onto the patio, making her look up again. "Who's that?"

"I don't know." Addison shook her head. "Your dad will get it."

"Okay." She reached for another shell and stuck it into the corner before looking down at the finished frame in her hands. Addison looked up as she heard footsteps before she saw Pete walk onto the deck with Abigail's grandparents.

"Oh there you are, kid!" Charlene looked at the girl.

"Grandma," Abigail spoke quietly and looked up at her grandparents.

"Let me look at you." The elderly woman walked closer. Abigail hesitated before she stood up so her grandmother could see her. "Hmm, your hair is longer again," Charlene observed. "And have you put on weight?"

"She looks healthy," Addison commented.

"She looked healthy before." Charlene glared at her. "And I'm not talking to you." Addison leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "We would like to spend some time alone with our granddaughter. That's why we came all the way over here to visit."

"We have things planned. You should have called," Addison commented.

"We don't have to make an appointment to see our own granddaughter," Abigail's grandfather looked at them.

"I'm not saying that you have to, but a call to say you were coming would have been nice." Addison stood from her chair.

"You want to spend some time with us alone, don't you?" Charlene looked at Abigail. Abigail looked up at her grandparents before back at Addison and Pete.

"It's your choice, Abi," Pete reassured her.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"You don't have to." He looked at her. "If you do want to, Addi and I will go inside and we'll be right there if you need anything."

"Of course she wants to spend time with us," Charlene snapped.

"You'll be inside?" Abigail looked at Pete and Addison.

"We will." Addison nodded.

Abigail glanced at her grandmother before she gave a small nod. "Okay," she whispered.

"See, I told you." Charlene looked at them.

"We'll be right there." Pete looked at his daughter and hesitated before he and Addison walked inside. Addison gave a sigh and glanced behind them as they walked into the living room.

"You almost look like you're scared of them, kid." Phil looked at Abigail.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not."

"You look it." Charlene watched her. "You don't have to be here, you know, you can come back with us." Abigail shook her head and looked down. "All you have to do is tell the woman from social services and you can come home with us."

"I like it here," she spoke quietly.

"Oh, Abigail," Charlene scoffed. "You like it here? Why? Because they buy you nice things and pretend like they care about you?"

"They do care," she whispered and glanced up at her grandmother.

"Oh is that what they tell you? And you are actually stupid enough to believe them? They don't care, Abigail. Or at least they won't care for much longer. They will get tired of you soon and then you'll wish you can come back with us."

Abigail looked between her grandparents and felt the tears build at the back of her eyes.

"You don't belong here, Abigail." Phil looked at her.

"I don't belong anywhere," she whispered, sadly, and looked down.

"You belong with us." Charlene nodded. "And we can take you back home."

"I thought I wasn't allowed with you."

"If you tell the social worker you want to live with us, they might allow you."

"Oh." She nodded slightly.

"Will you tell them?" Charlene urged.

"I don't know."

"You should before they don't want you anymore and you'll be sent somewhere completely different."

Abigail gave a small nod and looked down at the floor.

"All you have to do is tell them the next time they're here and then we'll come and pick you up."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Good." Charlene nodded before she looked at her husband. Abigail toyed with her fingers and stayed quiet.

"Don't tell them about what we talked about, Abigail, do you hear me?" Phil watched the girl.

"Why?" She looked up at him.

"Because they're just going to try to change your mind again and tell you lies."

Abigail looked at her grandparents and gave them an obedient nod.

"Good." Phil nodded as he looked at her before he turned to his wife. "Should we get going?"

"Yes." Charlene nodded. "We have a busy schedule today."

"We'll see you when we come to pick you up." Phil looked at Abigail and then back to Charlene. "Let's go." The ten year old nodded and watched them leave.


Once Charlene and Phil had left, Pete cooked dinner and the three of them sat in the kitchen together to eat. Abigail barely spoke the entire time and disappeared to her room as soon as she was finished. Addison frowned and turned to Pete as they cleaned up.

He looked back at her, his jaw tensed. "I swear if they did or said anything that upset her, I'm never letting them near her again."

"I know." She nodded. "But we need to stay calm until we know what's wrong."

Pete sighed and looked down at her. "What do we do?"

"Talk to Abigail."

"Do you think she'll talk to us?"

"We can try, can't we?" Addison looked at Pete.

"Yeah." He nodded. "We have to try."

"We need to get her to open up to us more."

"I know, but we can't force her to talk to us."

"I know that, but we can encourage her to talk to us more. Show her that she can trust us."

Pete looked down at Addison before he nodded. "Okay."

"She needs to know that she can trust us and talk to us."

"I know. We've been trying to show her that."

Addison nodded and looked at Pete.

"Let's go check on her, shall we?" He took hold of her hand. She linked their fingers together as they made their way up the stairs. Abigail had closed the door to her room and Pete knocked softly, before slowly opening it. The girl was curled up on her bed with her teddy tightly in her arms.

"Hey," Pete spoke softly as he and Addison walked inside. Abigail glanced up and then buried her head again. "Abi, what's wrong?" They walked closer to her bed. She shook her head and buried it into her pillow more. Pete looked at Addison and gave a small sigh before he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What happened? You can talk to us."

"It's okay, we won't get mad." Addison knelt down on the floor by Abigail's bed. The girl just shook her head as more tears made their way down her cheeks, soaking her pillow. "You can tell us anything, Abi," Addison reassured her. Abigail grasped hold of her teddy tighter and didn't look at them. "It's okay," Addison whispered and gently rubbed the girl's arm.

"Go away," Abigail murmured, barely audible.

"Why?"

The girl shrugged as a sob left her lips and she buried her face even deeper into the pillow.

"Abi, what's wrong?" Addison asked, worried.

"I can't tell you," she whispered between sobs.

"You can tell us anything."

"They...they said I can't."

"Who said?" Addison frowned and looked at Pete.

Pete looked down at Abigail and placed a hand on her side. "Abi, did your grandparents say something that upset you?"

"You can tell us, you don't have to worry. You won't get into trouble."

Another sob left Abigail's lips and she kept a tight hold of the teddy's fur. "I...I don't want to leave," she sniffed. "I...I want to stay here."

"You're not leaving. You've never leaving us. Who says you're leaving?" Addison's eyes went wide. Abigail gave another sniff and turned her head to look at them, her eyes red from all the crying and her cheeks wet from the tears. "Talk to us," Addison whispered.

"Why?" she whispered back.

"Because we care about you and we're worried."

"But grandma said you don't," she whispered and sniffed again. "She...she said you would get tired of me soon and...and you'll send me away."

"What?" Addison nearly yelled.

"Sweetie, you know that that is not true." Pete looked down at his daughter. "We love you."

"We are never, ever, going to send you away." Addison cupped Abigail's cheeks.

"But why did she say that?" More tears rolled down Abigail's face.

"I don't know, sweetie, but that is not true."

"You won't get tired of me and send me away?"

"Of course not." Addison shook her head.

"She wants me to tell the social worker that I want to go live with them." Abigail looked at Pete and Addison.

"Oh." Addison sat back on her heels. "Is that what you want?"

Abigail looked at them before she shook her head slightly. "No," she whispered.

"Then you tell the social worker that you want to stay. You don't have to go and live with them."

"Where do I belong though?" Abigail's eyes glistered with tears again.

"Here with us." Addison's heart broke at Abigail's words.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really." Addison nodded. Abigail nodded as well and sniffed as she looked at them. Addison turned her head and looked at Pete, sadly. He reached for one of her hands and gave it a soft squeeze.

"They'll be angry," Abigail whispered.

"It's your choice where you want to live." Pete spoke softly.

"I want to stay here," she spoke quietly. "I like it here."

"Then you'll stay here with us. You don't have to worry about them."

"They'll be angry with me for telling."

"If you want to keep seeing them, then Addi and I will talk to them first."

"Do you want to see them again?" Addison asked, softly. "It's your choice."

"I don't know."

"It's okay," Addison whispered. "It's okay."

"Can...can I just..." Abigail trailed off and looked back down at her teddy, playing with its fur.

"Can you what?"

"Can I get a hug?" she spoke quietly and didn't look at them.

"Of course you can." Addison smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Abigail. Abigail buried her face into Addison's neck and grasped hold of her shirt. "It'll be okay," she whispered and looked at Pete.

"It'll be okay," he agreed and placed his hand on their backs. "We're always going to be there for you." Addison reached a hand out for him and linked their fingers together.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Abigail whispered.

"It's what we're here for." Addison gave a small smile.

"We love you. You're our family and we want you here. We always will. Don't ever doubt that." Pete placed a kiss on the top of Abigail's head. The ten year old peeked at them as she cuddled into Addison's side. Pete gave her a soft smile and kept hold of Addison's hand.

"Why don't we have some hot coco with marshmallows and watch a film?" Addison suggested.

"Sounds perfect." Pete nodded.

"What do you think, Abi?"

"I'd like that." She nodded softly.

"Let's go downstairs then."

Abigail nodded again and the three of them got up before they made their way downstairs.