11am. Stef and Lena came through the door. Just as they did, Mariana and Jude came downstairs and greeted them "Moms!" they ran over to them and gave them a hug.
"Hey guys" Lena laughed.

"Did you have a good night?" Mariana asked, Stef smiled and nodded as she played with her daughters hair "Yes thank you baby"

"Kind of ran off huh?" Jude laughed.

"Yeah well mom and I just needed some time alone that's all" Lena shrugged with her arm around Jude. Jude understood, clearly he had been worried about the arguing, he was glad to see them leave last night for a night away, he was young but he wasn't stupid. He knew what could happen to couples, he knew the hard times they could go through, he knew because his original mom and dad had their fair share of problems and he'd hear fights all the time from them, he defiantly understood.

Ivy then came through the door "Oh speaking of nights out" Lena said as she looked to Ivy. As she soon as heard her voice, Ivy looked up to Lena and smiled
"How was yours?"

"It was nice" Ivy nodded as she walked over and gave them both hugs "You know? It was very familiar and comfortable so yeah I had a great time, what about you two?"

"Very nice"

"I bet, dirty stop outs" Ivy laughed. Stef and Lena didn't comment, they simply exchanged a satisfied look to each other.

12pm. Jesus was still asleep. It baffled the whole family that he ha been asleep for so long. Ivy had plans for today, and it included him. He was awaken by a splash of water on his face. He groaned heavily and sat up quickly "What the hell?!" he moaned to Ivy who held the now empty cup in her hand. She giggled
"It was your moms idea"

"Great...fantastic" he rubbed his eyes.

"Come on, up and at em...we're going out"

"Out?"

"Yeah I'm taking you all to the beach"

"Who is all?"

"You, Mari, Jude and Callie"

"No Brandon?"
Ivy smirked and shook her head "No, he was asked but he denied"
Neither of them were surprised. Jesus was a little annoyed and upset that his brother won't spend time with his siblings because of his anger with Ivy.
"It's fine, come on monkey get dressed and be down in ten"

"Ten?" he whined as she left the room.

"Ten! Your pretty face can handle that"

He actually took twelve minutes but they let that slide. All of the kids were downstairs and ready to go. Just as they were going to head out the door. Ivy turned to Brandon "You sure you don't wanna come?"

"I'm sure" he bluntly replied. Stef and Sharon rolled their eyes as Lena just shook her head. You could see that Ivy was trying.
"Fine suit yourself" she mumbled then looking up to the three ladies "See you later guys"

"Bye have fun and BE CAREFUL" Stef raised her eyebrows

"Don't worry" Ivy winked then leaving with the kids.

Stef walked over to Brandon and nudged him in the back "Why didn't you go?"

He simply shrugged. She sighed "Y'know B, if you keep acting like this...you'll end up losing a relationship with your siblings, Ivy is here to stay, and they love her if you turn against her a look like...like a jackass then they may turn against you and do you really want that?" Brandon sighed and said nothing.

Stef then said nothing to him and turned to Sharon "Mom don't you need to pack"

"Want to get rid of me?" Sharon laughed.

"Of course not mom I was just wondering"

"Well I'm leaving tomorrow so I've done a little"

"Okay well I'll take you to the airport tomorrow"

"Thank you sweetheart"

When the five of them got the beach. Callie got out the blanket and Mariana gotten the food out of the basket. They all sat down together and started to eat.

"Did you kiss him?" Mariana nudged Ivy in a teasing way. Ivy rolled her eyes and laughed "Of course I did"

"He seems like a good kisser" Callie said whilst gazing in her train of thought, she came back down to earth when she saw them all look at her. "Sorry..."

Ivy laughed "It's cool and he is, even when we were kids"

"Was he your first kiss?" Jude asked as he chewed on his ham sandwich. Ivy nodded "I was ten"

Ivy, Nate, Milo and Lottie were all in the park. Milo was too busy bothering Lottie. Ivy and Nate were by the big tree talking "My mom told me that highschool is harder"

"Really? My Aunts girlfriend Lena is a teacher and she said it was fun"

"Teachers are supposed to say that silly, to try and get you to go to school but it won't work on me"

"School is important Nathan"

"Not to me"
Ivy frowned "I need you to stay with me through school, as long as we have each other what could go wrong!?" she smiled to him. Nate smiled back and held her hand "I'll still be there! I gotta protect you from all those boys"

"Ha, why?"

"Because when you have your first kiss it has to be with a boy who is good for you, who cares about you"

"That's only two boys, you and Milo...and we've only known Milo for three months"

"So only I can give you a kiss?"
Ivy shrugged with a giggle. She looked at him oddly by the way he was looking at her, like he was planning something "What, Nathan?"

Quick like a flash, Nate grabbed Ivy's face and kissed her a soft and quick peck on the lips. Granted it took her by surprise. "What was that for?"

"I wanted your first kiss to be from someone who loves you and I do" Ivy laughed, Nate playfully punched her arm softly "I mean as a friend silly"
They started to walk away and back to the swing, Ivy glanced to Nate "Thanks, for my first kiss"

"It's okay, it was my first one too and I know you love me aswell" she said nothing. She got all embarrassed."My dad tells me that silence is always an answer" Nate laughed as he teased her.

"Aw that's so sweet!" Mariana clapped her hands excitedly like she always does.

"Go on then Mari, who was yours?"

"Erm Zac"

Ivy looked to Callie but didn't ask. She knew the answer, it was Liam and he wan't worth mention, she simply looked to Callie and nodded giving her a wink.
"Jude?"
Jude shook his head with a smile "No-one" Ivy smirked and ruffled his hair.
She then turned to Jesus "Well we know mine was you" Jesus said. Ivy stared to him and looked to everyone else who looked at them rather freaked out. She slapped him on the shoulder "See? Now you made us like weirdos" she looked to the others

"Lemme explain, when he was little, like when he was here for about two months maybe, he was playing outside and he tripped..."

Ivy was in the kitchen, she looked out to the window as she was getting a glass of water from the sink. Jesus was outside playing with his toy plane. He was still a little shy around Ivy. But he was still more hospitable that Brandon. She looked down for a moment to her magazine and then heard a thud and a cry from outside, she looked up curiously and then saw Jesus on the floor on the concrete part of the garden, he was holding his knee and sobbing. Ivy put down her stuff and went outside to him.
"Jesus?" He looked up sheepishly and didn't say anything, he just batted his big brown watery eyes and sniffled up from sobbing.
Ivy crouched down to his level and softly placed her hands over his that were on his knee.
"Let me look" she soothingly said. He surprised himself by doing so and letting her look.

His knee was bleeding, and it was scratched. Ivy made a hissing noise to express that it must be sore "Stay here" she got back up and went to the first aid box and got out a bandage, she walked back out and crouched back down, she first wiped the blood with a cold wet cloth and then began to wrap the bandage around his knee
"Y'know when I was your age I fell like this too, I cried for so long, but Aunt Stef did exactly this, she took good care of me and then I stopped crying...which I've noticed you have also stopped" she looked to him.

Jesus sniffled and nodded. "Does-Does she really take good care?"

"Yeah, I know she and Aunt Lena haven't been your moms for that long but trust an insider on this family, it's a good one, you and your sister are going to be just fine here" she winked to him. He smiled but then complained "It still hurts..."

"Hm, well I heard there is something that can make everything feel better"

"So I gave him a little kiss to make him feel better"

They all looked to Jesus, teasing him at him being so 'cute' as a child. "Shut up" he rolled his eyes. Ivy nudged him and pinched his cheek "Such a darling little man" she said in a sappy voice as to talking to a baby.

Twenty minutes later, Jude, Mariana and Jesus went for ice cream. They had been gone for five minutes.

"The waves look good today" Callie said looking to Ivy from looking to the sea. Ivy laughed and shook her head "Oh no you don't I don't even have a board anymore"

"So if we got a board for you right now, would you surf?"

"Maybe but Cals it's been a while"

"At least you have a talent" Callie shrugged

"Hey now" Ivy said not liking what she was hearing, she took Callie's hand. "I don't like hearing you talk like that, you're awesome at the guitar and Aunt Lena shown me your photography, you are talented, don't ever put yourself down Callie talent comes from the confidence within, and you have to embrace it" Ivy kissed Callie on the cheek. Callie smiled widely "You really believe that"

"Of course I do, you just gotta believe it too"

"Everything okay?" Mariana asked curiously as they came over with their ice creams and sitting back down.

"Yes fine, can't a cousin hold her cousin's hand?"

Callie looked to Ivy who was looking at Mariana and smirked. It felt to her like her family was growing and growing by the day. Ivy was family too and she loved that Ivy had accepted her as a cousin so quickly. She had been back for over a month now and she accepted her on day one.

A voice was then heard that came close and behind Ivy and Callie
"So is this purely family or is any old folk invited?" Ivy knew who it was. She smirked and turned around "You just can't keep away" she teased.
Nate stood with a wide grin on his face. Ivy looked to what he was holding.

"What're you doing with that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You're going surfing"

"No you're going surfing"

Ivy tilted her head and glanced to her eager cousins. Ivy felt Callie's hand give a tight squeeze. "Nate I..."

"Come on Ives"

"Ives?" Jesus laughed, Nate nodded and pointed "My name for her bro"

They all chuckled. Nate looked back to her, she smiled and bit her lip.
"Come on Ives, ready to get back in the water?"

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