AN: Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't upload at all in the last two days; life has been busy with work and such.

Anyway, this story finally reached 100 reviews! Yay! I knew we could do it! I had never reached this milestone before, so...thank you, thank you thank you! Your support was very much appreciated!

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it :)

Chapter 29 Ruby and Celia

The woman who Celia had never seen in six years was standing right in front of her. She was actually there, and Celia hated it. She felt so awkward. Of course, there was some part of her that felt worse than awkward. She felt sick. The scene from the nightmare she had the night before played through her mind as she stared at Ruby, and as a consequence, her stomach squirmed. She didn't exactly feel comfortable making eye contact with her mom at this point, so all she did was allow her eyes to wander.

Ruby, on the other hand, kept her eyes on Celia at all times. Her gaze was locked, her mouth hanging agape. She didn't move, which was a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it relieved Celia that she wasn't experiencing any awkward conversations or potential shouts. But on the other hand, the suspense was killing her. If she was forced to endure it for any longer, she would surely experience a problem.

"C...Celia? Is that really you?"

Celia swallowed a lump in her throat. "Y...yes Mom."

Ruby continued staring. She slowly approached until she was less than a foot away. She touched Celia's face, as if that would provide her with an anchor that would bind her to the real world. She stroked Celia's cheek gently. Then, she smiled, allowing her gaping jaw some time to relax.

And then...she hugged her.

Celia was really caught off guard by this, partly because of how quickly it happened. One second, Ruby was smiling at her, and in the next, she had her in an embrace. It knocked the wind out of her a little bit honestly.

But once the shock wore off, Celia's heart melted. Well, not into a mushy, love struck puddle, but rather, into a softened state. She was still nervous, still had lingering feelings of dread and anger over what her mother had done. But the hug mitigated them a little bit. It softened her up just enough so that she could recognize that this was a tender moment.

And then Ruby started crying.

Little whimpers and sobs escaped from Ruby's lips. She held on even tighter as the tears spilled onto Celia's shoulders. Her breathing, despite the fact that she was crying, was relatively soft. Relaxed.

This melted Celia's heart even more. She slowly hugged Ruby back.

"Mom…" she said, her voice very soft and light.

Ruby continued crying. "Baby." That one word caused Celia to feel even better, for she hadn't been called something like that in a long time. On some level, she had a nostalgic connection to that pet name. "You're alive." Ruby let Celia exit the embrace and stared into her face, little laughs escaping from her smiling mouth as the tears flowed. "You're actually alive!"

That broke Celia's heart. The joy in her Mom's voice….how badly did her running away affect her? How many sleepless nights had she spent trying to find her long lost daughter?

Those questions made Celia's stomach ache. She had screwed up. She hurt Ruby; she actually hurt her mother. Her own mother, the woman who waa always there through the rough times. She had hurt her; torn her apart. By all means, Ruby should not be welcoming her back.

And yet, she was. The look in her eyes was one that Celia had not received from anybody in the past six years. It was….love. Unconditional, amazing, pure love. Ruby...loved her. She valued her.

That realization caused Celia to burst into tears. She covered her eyes with her hands to contain the waterworks, but they still flowed. Ruby came up and hugged her again.

"Mom!" she cried. "I….I'm so sorry! I was awful; I ran away, I…."

"Shhh." Ruby stroked her back. "It's okay, sweetie. I forgive you."

Ruby...forgave her?

"Mom…." The tears flowed harder; she grasped onto Ruby. "Mama! Mama, Mama!"

So, the two of them just spent a few minutes in each other's embrace. They both cried, shedding tears that were about six years overdue. Celia never wanted to leave this moment, never move onto the next. She wanted it to last forever. If she could make that possible, by all means, she would do it.

Unfortunately, the moment eventually did have to end. Ruby slowly let go of Celia. While the tears were no longer there, the stains they left were. Despite that, she smiled like she had just learned how to do so. Celia wondered how often she smiled in her absence. She supposed she would never know.

"I am so glad you came back," said Ruby. She examined her daughter. "You've gotten so big!"

Celia let out a semi embarrassed breath. When she left, she was ten years old. It must be a real shock for Ruby to see her like this; sixteen years old and almost fully grown. She curled a strand of her hair over her right ear. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Ruby smiled. She really didn't look that bad. Surr, she had put on a little bit of weight. and her hair was styled in a bob cut rather than a longer hairstyle, but other than that, she looked exactly the same. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with the same luster that Celia had grown to adore as a child.

"I am really happy that you came back," Ruby said. She giggled. "I am a little shocked that you decided to come back in the middle of the night though." She looked at the window Celia had broken into. "And through the window no less."

Celia flushed in embarrassment. "The...the door was locked."

"Yeah, I know." Ruby beamed. "But none of that matters right now. You're finally back, you're alive and well. This is…." She smiled brighter than ever. "This is the happiest day of my life."

Celia smiled to herself. The joy in her Mom's voice was starting to rub off on her. The love Ruby felt for her made Celia's heart dance. For a split second, she forgot why she was even there in the first place.

But then, she remembered, and her heart sank. Her face fell as she realized that what she wanted to ask Ruby could ruin this happy reunion. It could forever soil it, dirty it in a way that would ruin it for the rest of time. She didn't want to sling mud over this perfect moment. But, alas, it seemed that it was a necessity.

"Mom…." Her voice caught in her throat. Was it really the right time to talk about this? Was it really necessary to ask her in the middle of the night and then leave for good? No. She didn't think so. She definitely didn't think so.

"What is it, Cee?"

Celia was brought straight back down to Earth when she heard her mother addressing her. She swallowed a lump in her throat and pointed toward the window. "I have a friend outside. Is it okay if we can stay the night?"

Ruby smiled. "Of course!"

Celia let out a relieved breath. She could ask Ruby about her dad tomorrow.