Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters.
Spoilers: None.
Rating: T for talk of kidnapping.
Thank you to those that reviewed! Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.
1 month since Courtney's disappearance.
Tuesday, August 16th, 1998
2:15 p.m.
Today is Tuesday, August 16th, 1998.
It has been exactly one month to the minute since the lives of the citizens of Rosewood were turned upside down.
It has been exactly one month since Wayne Fields took his daughter, Emily, and her two friends, Alison and Courtney Dilaurentis, to the park. And exactly one month since Wayne left the twins in the sandbox while he took Emily to the bathroom at that park.
It has been exactly one month since the police put out an Amber Alert, and all parents and children rallied together to put up missing person fliers.
One month ago today, 9 children lost a best friend.
One month ago today, a boy, Jason Dilaurentis, and a girl, Alison Dilaurentis, lost their little sister, and one month ago today, Jessica and Kenneth Dilaurentis lost their youngest child.
One month ago today, Courtney Faith Dilaurentis was snatched from the park by a man pretending to be a family friend.
That day, one month ago, Wayne came running out of the bathroom followed by Emily when he heard the screams of 8-year-old Alison. He asked what was wrong, his worst nightmare coming true with her answer: that man took my sister!
He ran after the man after giving strict instructions for another parent to call 911. The parents all rallied around, trying to calm the two distraught 8-year-olds as several people dialed 911, and some of the other dads ran after Wayne to help him. They ran almost 10 blocks before they heard the sirens and were forced to go back to the park.
When he got there, he explained that he had left Alison and Courtney in the sandbox while he took Emily across the park to the bathrooms. He was standing outside, watching them.
He only turned his back for a split-second to help Emily wash her hands. By the time she was drying them, he was running out of the bathroom because of Alison's screams.
Jessica and Kenneth were furious with Wayne. They trusted him with the lives of their daughters, and he went and let one of them be taken by a stranger.
Their blame went on for a whole week. It finally stopped when Jason caught his parents yelling at Wayne, refusing to let him help with the posters. Jason yelled even louder, saying they were being stupid and didn't they know it wasn't his fault, but instead the man who took Courtney?
He continued, saying that Wayne couldn't be everywhere at once and that he would never purposely put anyone's life in danger. It was the first time he has ever raised his voice to his parents or anyone else.
He then broke down in tears, the first time he cried about his sister's disappearance, and Jess and Ken realized just what they were doing. From then on, they excepted Wayne's help. They excepted his apologies of not being able to keep their daughter safe and they excepted the fact that it wasn't his fault that Courtney went missing.
A week after that incident, Wayne had to go back overseas. It was the first time that Emily had ever broken down into sobs, begging him not to go and to stay with me and mommy, please, daddy.
The girls began to shut down one-by-one after that. First Alison. Then Emily. The little girl refused to do anything outside the house and instead wants to stay with her mommy all day, curled up on the couch and watching TV.
Hanna was the next to go. She couldn't believe that it was only that morning she spoke with Alison and Courtney on the phone and by that afternoon, Courtney was just… gone.
Aria and Spencer were the last of the girls to go. Aria broke down in tears when she saw Court's favorite movie on her bookshelf. Ella came in to see her little girl in tears and broke down herself, with Mike joining in even if he didn't completely understand what was going on.
His question of "why did the bad man take Courtney, Mamma?" broke Ella's heart as she and Byron couldn't tell Mike anything other than, I don't know, sweetheart.
Spencer is the one they call 'the genius'. She's so smart and wise beyond her years. But even her big brain couldn't understand why the bad man took Courtney.
Now, here it is, one month since all of that happened. The girls aren't much better. Mel, Luke, Caleb, and Toby are so heart-broken for their friends and siblings. They want so badly to be able to help Jason, but what do you say when the reason your best friend is so upset is because his baby sister was kidnapped?
The parents all got together. They don't have any clue as to how to help their children other than to give them hugs and kisses and not-so-sure promises of the police finding the man and bringing Courtney home.
It's been a month, and their houses are full of zombies, going about their day robotically. Jason and Alison have both shut down and spend their days in their rooms, sometimes together, sometimes alone.
Jessica and Kenneth have decided they are going to treasure these precious moments with them because they realize it very well could have been both Alison and Courtney that was taken.
So, they have movie nights now. They talk about whether or not Alison and Jason want to go to school or stay home with mom and dad. They have talked with their bosses and requested time off so they can be with their two kids as much as possible.
Jessica and Kenneth talk with Peter and Veronica next door. They set up movie nights that involve the Hastings so that Jason can have Melissa and Alison can have Spencer there as a comfort.
The other parents, Ella and Byron, Pam, Ashley and Tom, are doing the same with their own children. Ella and Byron make sure to not lie, dismiss, or downplay anything that Aria and, especially, Mike may ask.
They may only be eight and six, but they have been thrown into a grown-up world without any warning or understanding of the 'whys' or 'what ifs.'
They want Mike to know that it is okay to be scared, but also that Ella and Byron are going to be extra careful to not let anything bad happen to him or his sister. And they want Aria to know that it is alright to wonder if Courtney is ok or not, and yes, she can spend another night cuddled in-between mom and dad.
They answer Mike's daily question of have the police found Courty yet? and fill Aria's request to cuddle on the couch instead of drawing in her room, and they except both of their requests to call Grandma and Grandpa each morning and each afternoon.
Byron holds his wife after she comes back to their room one night. Aria had another nightmare about her being the one the man took, and as he hears his wife cry, he lets his own tears fall.
His family and friends are in so much pain and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it.
Over at the Marins' house, Tom is taking a more gentle and hands-on approach to his son and daughter. He plays Barbies with Hanna even though the little girl isn't into it as much as she usually is. He tries to get a game of Cops and Robbers going with Luke. He gets as far as one tackle before the boy decides he just isn't up for it anymore.
Tom also takes notice of what his kids are into, even going as far as to sit through a Golden Girls marathon with Ashley and Hanna.
Ashley takes time off of work. She spends it with Hanna and Luke, just simply cuddling on the couch, making sure the two know that the police are doing every possible thing they can to find Courtney.
Tom holds his wife as she breaks down after a screaming match she had with both Hanna and Lucas. She wants to keep them inside away from any harm whatsoever, but Hanna and Luke want to help with putting the fliers up.
Ashley told them no, they yelled back that she was being unfair, and she sent them to their rooms for talking back and being rude.
Tom explained that Courtney was Hanna's best friend. She just wants to help in finding her. And then he explains how tough it must be for Luke, being 10 years old and seeing his best friend in so much pain and not being able to or knowing how to comfort him, and that both Hanna and Luke probably feel so damn useless during this time.
Ashley finally conceded and goes to talk to her kids. She tells them she is sorry she yelled and is so proud of them for wanting to be brave and help out, and that yes, they can help her and Tom put up some fliers.
Emily spends her days with her mom. It was rough after her dad left. She cried at the drop of a hat for a week straight and refused to leave the house for fear of the man coming back for her, too.
Just last week, she started to come out of her shell just the tiniest bit. She started to make cookies from scratch with Pam, and Skyped with Wayne or her grandparents.
She agreed to leave the house and go with Hanna, Luke, Auntie Ashley, and Uncle Tom to put up fliers.
In fact, all the kids agreed to go. So, today, on the one-month anniversary of Courtney's disappearance, the parents get together and explain to the kids that they will be watching them, there will be police officers around and that no one is going to let anything happen to them. One word and they can come home.
Ella and Byron reassure Mike that he doesn't have to go, but he insists. The only ones that refuse to go are Alison and Jason. And by the end of the discussion, only Hanna, Mike, and Aria have agreed to go.
Spencer and Emily decide that they want to stay with Alison, while the big kids stay with Jason. And Pam is so proud of Emily for actually wanting to stay out of the house, that she doesn't have the heart to insist her baby girl come and stay with her. Jessica and Kenneth agree to watch them.
They will be down in the basement watching a movie. It's nice for Jason and Alison to have so many friends who care about them.
So, all in all, the one-month anniversary of Courtney Dilaurentis' disappearance is filled with the kids, minus Alison and Jason, getting out of the house for the first time in a whole month.
It is filled with the parents, once again, putting up fliers in different places or replacing the ones that got soaked by that rainstorm just a few days ago.
It is filled with Melissa and Lucas and Caleb and Toby wondering what they could do to help their friends. The same goes for the little kids.
And it is filled with the Dilaurentis family wondering if their little girl is alive, and if they will ever see her again, or if she's lying dead somewhere in a ditch, yet to be found.
Here it is. An update for the last month since what happened to Courtney. The kids are affected big time by this as well as the parents. Next up will be Emily's 10th birthday, which is a 16-month time skip.
Also, unless you guys have any requests, then this story is going to start have multiple time skips, and will probably have no more than 20 more chapters before it's completed. I have lost my mojo with it, and it has been going on 3 years that I have been doing this one, so it is time I draw it to a close...
Please review and let me know what you thought. :)