A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I said I would finish this chapter before I updated my other story so I really wanted to get this chapter done with. Anyways, enjoy.

Chapter 43

Bayley slowly wiped the sleep from her eyes as she walked to the bathroom to see that the light was already on. She carefully looked up from her feet to see Becky sitting on the sink counter brushing her teeth as she typed on her phone. The redhead was already showered and dressed as her red hair was wet and she wore a red hoodie and black leggings. The Irish girl seemed to frown at her phone as she stared at it in confusion for a second before looking up at Bayley as the youngest Helmsley entered.

"Merry Christmas Bayley" Becky said around the toothbrush and toothpaste in her mouth.

Bayley gave a small nod and moved around Becky as she went to the other sink beside the redhead and began to wash her face. Bayley could feel Becky's eyes on her as the girl hopped off the counter and spit the toothpaste into the sink. As Bayley pulled her head up from the sink and splashed some water onto her face she rubbed her puffy eyes before noticing something in the corner of her eye.

The younger girl looked over to see Becky holding out a towel for her with a small smile. Bayley took it and whispered a small thanks before drying off her face. Becky frowned and cleared her throat before saying, "How are you feeling?"

Bayley took her time before answering as she placed the towel down on the counter, "I'm fine"

"Honestly?" Becky asked not believing it but Bayley didn't answer. She just gave a tight-lipped smile before reaching for her toothbrush. Becky leaned against the counter and looked at her younger sister, "Mom supposed to be here soon. She's staying until the weekend."

"Okay," Bayley said with a shrug as she stared at her reflection in the mirror while she brushed her teeth

Becky watched her for a second longer before she hopped back up on the counter and sat there with her. She didn't say anything else to Bayley, she just sat there while Bayley got ready for the day, she just typed away on her phone, looking up at Bayley every once and a while as the girl moved around the bathroom but nothing more. Bayley didn't mind, she actually liked the quiet company, she knew her sister was just trying to make sure she was okay, this was something she did before when they were younger. Whenever something happened to one of them Becky would stay close by, not saying anything, she would just sit around and provide company. This would, of course, annoy Sasha, causing the girl to yell at her and tell her to go away While Charlotte would say that she didn't need it but the others knew she enjoyed Becky's company, and Bayley herself loved it. She loved her relationship with Becky, the girl's energy was infectious so being around her made her feel better.

Once Bayley was ready she looked at Becky who caught her gaze and hopped off the counter before the two headed downstairs in silence. Sasha was already downstairs as she sat on the couch flipping through channels on the TV. She had her hair tucked behind her ears and she was still dressed in her Pajamas, which were just a grey long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She looked up at the two as they approached and sat on the couch beside her. Sasha gave Becky a once over before saying, "You do know the point of Christmas is staying in your pajamas all day right?"

"Shut up," Becky said in response while Bayley just sat there. This conversation was normal at Christmas. In the morning Charlotte was the one who would go jogging, sometimes with Becky and Hunter, sometimes with them just driving along beside her while she ran. Then Sasha would always joke about how they were supposed to sleep in and stay in their PJs all day long and they would joke around and give some playful banter, but this was different. This Christmas however, since Charlotte wasn't here it was Becky who went jogging and she wasn't in the mood to joke around with Sasha.

"Screw you too then" Sasha muttered before she went back to the TV and continued flipping through the channels.

The three sat there watching the TV in silence until the doorbell rang causing Becky to stand up and walk over to the door. Once she opened it she smiled when she saw Dean standing at the door in his leather jacket and jeans with a Santa hat on his head. He smiled at her and held up a few bags before saying, "Merry Christmas"

"You hate Christmas," Becky said with a smirk as she crossed her arms and leaned against the door

"Yeah I know but you asked me here and I decided to…" Dean waved his hands over himself the best he could with bags in his hands, "I decided to go all out for you"

"This is your all out?" Becky asked sarcastically, "A Santa hat and some gifts?"

Dean frowned but it soon became a smirk as he saw Becky laugh before she walked up to him and placed a kiss on his lips. Once she pulled away Dean smiled at her before saying, "you haven't even seen the gifts yet"

"Stop flirting and close the door!" Shane called out before he appeared behind them and stood at the door, "You two are letting all the cold air out. Hello Dean"

"Hey Shane"

"Come in," Shane said before he turned and left

Becky looked at Dean and smiled before taking his hands, "I'm really glad you came"

"I'm glad I came too," Dean said before Becky guided him inside. As he entered the living room he saw Bayley and Sasha looking over the back of the couch at him with raised eyebrows

"What's he doing here?" Sasha asked

"Dad said Dean could spend Christmas with us," Becky said as she held Dean's hand while the boy looked slightly uncomfortable under the staring of Bayley and Sasha

"Great" Sasha said sarcastically before she looked back to the TV while Bayley smiled at him

"Hi Dean, Merry Christmas" Bayley said in a small voice

"Same to you Bayley. Oh uh...I brought gifts" Dean said as he lifted the bags that he was holding in his free hand. He released Becky's hand and handed Bayley a red bag, "Uh this is for you"

"Thanks Dean," Bayley said slightly taken back by the boy's gift as she knelt on the couch cushion so she was still looking over the back of it at him and Becky as she opened the bag. Inside was a Paramore t-shirt and an iPod that was black and had Bayley's name on the back of it, "Oh my god!"

"Yeah, Becky told me that you liked their band so when I saw the shirt I thought you would like it," Dean said with a shrug

"Like it? I love it" Bayley said

"Oh and I put a bunch of their songs on the iPod, along with some other stuff I thought you might like," Dean said causing Bayley to reach up and hug him over the couch

"Dean you didn't have to do that" Becky said but Sasha silenced her

"Shut up Becky!" Sasha said before kneeling up on the couch as well so she was looking at Dean, "What did you get me?"

Becky rolled her eyes while Dean handed over a large blue gift bag which Sasha took happily, "It's just some stuff for the baby and-"

"You got me a smartwatch?" Sasha asked in slight excitement as she pulled out the watch's box and eagerly ripped it open to reveal the purple watch, "Dude, this is awesome"

"Don't mention it" Dean shrugged before looking to his girlfriend who was watching her sister's play with their gifts with a raised eyebrow. Dean took the redhead's hand and smiled before handing her a small white box which was the same size as Sasha's watch box, "And this...is for you"

Becky looked at the box with a curious expression before taking it slowly. She carefully opened it to reveal a small golden locket sitting in the box. It was like a globe on the end of the golden chain but when Becky opened it the top unfolded and revealed a string of pictures of her and Dean from when they were younger until recently. The Irish native smiled at each of the pictures before closing the locket and hugging her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before saying, "You didn't have to get us all this stuff. I was just fine with you coming in the first place."

"I wanted to get you something nice, and I know you and your sisters have been having a rough time so I thought that since you and your family were making this Christmas nice for me then I could do the same. Besides, I have one more gift for you but I'll tell you later." Dean said before kissing Becky once more before pulling away just as Hunter entered the living room

"Ah, Dean. Glad you could make it" Hunter said as he walked over and placed a hand on both Dean and his daughter's shoulder, slightly separating them causing Becky to roll her eyes at her father, "Why don't you go in the kitchen and help Shane with some stuff."

"Okay," Dean said before looking at Becky and giving her a small nod before he turned and walked off to the kitchen

Once he was gone Becky looked at her father and said, "Really.."

"Yes really. I said he could spend Christmas with us but I don't want to see you two all.." Hunter started making kissy faces and mushed his hands together causing Becky to roll her eyes before cutting off her father

"Ugh okay, okay I get it, just stop," the redhead said before walking away from her father and moving to sit on the loveseat as she put on the necklace she just got, while Sasha was fiddling with her watch and Bayley was already listening to music.

After a while, the doorbell rang so Becky stood and got it to see Stephanie standing at the door holding a few boxes and bags. She was wearing a black and white hoodie and jeans and her hair was flowing freely down to her shoulders. She smiled brightly at her daughter before saying, "Hello sweetheart how are you doing?"

"Uh fine," Becky said as her mother gave her a quick side hug while she tried to balance all the stuff in her hands, "Uh..what is all this?"

"Your grandfather wanted to go all out this Christmas" Stephanie said before playfully rolling her eyes and handing Becky the bags in her hands, "Take these and put them under the tree...you girls did put up the tree this year right?"

"...yes"

"Good. Put those under the tree and then grab your sisters and get them to come help me" Stephanie said quickly before turning and heading back to the cars that were parked outside.

Becky watched her mother confused before she turned and carried the items in her arms to the living room where the tree was set up in the corner. She placed the stuff down with a thud, grabbing Sasha and Bayley's attention as they both looked at her and Bayley took an earphone out of her right ear, "Mom's here...she wants us outside to help her bring in more stuff"

"More stuff?" Bayley asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the pile that Becky had just carried in.

"Yep"

The two girls stood from the couch and followed Becky outside to the front yard to see two new cars sitting in the driveway. One was a large, black, Ford truck with an open back that was filled with gift bags and boxes while the other was a grey, Ford explorer where Vince was sitting talking to Stephanie. Once he saw the three youngest Helmsley girls he shouted, "Ah! Girls, it is so good to see you. What do you think huh? New car! It even has the new car smell, come on...come smell it."

"No thanks," Sasha said as she and Becky stared at their grandfather confused while Bayley happily smiled and ran up to hug their mom who happily hugged her youngest daughter back. Sasha looked at Becky before stepping closer to the girl, taking the spot that Bayley had been standing in before she muttered, "What the hell is going on?"

"I have no idea"

"Ah come on, don't be scared! We got plenty to get out of the car and not all day to do it. I want to be able to sit down and eat at some point" Vince said before laughing to himself, "I need you girls to go on ahead and bring this stuff in the house and I-"

"What the hell is all this?" Hunter's voice called out causing everyone to turn and look at him as he, Shane and Dean came outside.

"Merry Christmas boys!" Vince shouted before holding his right arm out as if to show off the large gifts causing Becky to notice that he was clutching a cane in his left hand. He was dressed in a grey suit and tie and his black cane had a gold top and notches in the side of it as it bounced lazily off his right boot.

"Jesus Dad. I think you went a little overboard" Shane said as he looked at all the stuff in the back of the other truck

"I told him that," Stephanie said before rolling her eyes playfully as she ran her hand through Bayley's hair since the girl was still hugging her and had her arms wrapped around Stephanie's waist, "He doesn't seem to be listening though"

"Can you blame me for wanting to give these girls a good Christmas. At least while I still can" Vince said before slowly standing, leaning his weight on his cane.

"No I guess not," Shane said as Linda got out the passenger's seat of the car and walked around to greet her son, hugging him tightly before placing a kiss on his cheek. She was wearing a green dress and a fur coat even though it was pretty warm outside, "Hey mom"

"Hello, sweetie," Linda responded with a smile as she looked over her son

"And who is this?" Vince asked looking to Dean who had moved to stand beside Becky

"That's Dean dad. He's Becky's boyfriend" Stephanie explained causing Vince to look over the boy before smirking

"The fighter's boyfriend...Have you seen her fight?"

"Yes"

"She any good?" Vince asked with a smile as he slowly walked up to them

"The best" Dean said with a smile as he looked down at Becky causing her to smile

"Good answer," Vince said with a smirk before he hugged his granddaughters and ruffed up Becky's hair, "That one's a keeper"

"I know grandpa," Becky said with a blush while Hunter crossed the yard and walked up to Stephanie and smiled

"Hey"

"Hey," Stephanie said with a small smile as she looked up at her husband before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear

"Look I-" they both said at the same time before stopping and laughing

"I just-" the said again at the same time causing everyone else to roll their eyes as they watched the interaction

"You go first," Hunter said as he scratched the back of his head

"I just...I'm really sorry about..what happened between us. I love you and I-I don't want you to ever feel like I don't love you or respect you because I do...with all my heart. And I know that you can handle our kids and I know that I don't have to carry the whole weight of our relationship...it's just hard for me to...i don't know let go, but I-I trust you. More than anything" Stephanie said with a sad smile, "I love you, Hunter. I chose to marry you because you're the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with...and being away from you made me realize that so much more. I was angry at the time when you first brought up the idea of us spending some time apart but now...I couldn't agree more. I took this time to go get counseling...I'm not 100% yet but I'm working on it. I'm trying, because I want to be better, for you, for us, for our kids, I want to be a good mother and I-"

"Stephanie you are a good mother. I don't want you to doubt yourself, I want you to know that you are a strong and capable woman and you are a damn good mother...with a damn good support system beside you" Hunter said cutting his wife off with a smile, "I love you more than life itself Steph, and nothing will ever change that."

"I love you too," Stephanie said with a smile before the two kissed breaking up after a while to allow Stephanie to mutter, "Can I come home now?"

"Of course. The door was always open" Hunter responded as he rested his head against Stephanie's and held her in his arms, "I will miss having the whole bed to myself though"

Stephanie playfully hit Hunter on his chest before kissing him once more. Once they were done Vince cleared his throat to get their attention, "Are you two done now, Jesus it's like they're back in high school again."

"Yes dad we're done," Stephanie said with a happy smile as Hunter kept an arm wrapped around her

"Good, let's get these gifts inside so we can open them" He called out with a smile causing everyone to nod before they began bringing stuff inside while Linda helped Vince in the house and sat on the couch watching everything happen.

After a while, everything was brought in the house and the kids began to open their gifts. Bayley got a whole new guitar set with two new guitars, new picks, and strings as well as a bunch of music journals. She also got a whole homemade recording studio as she got a new keyboard, laptop, microphone and headset and a bunch of other stuff to help her with her music.

"I figured if you're going to be a musician, then you'd at least need some stuff to help record your songs," Vince said with a smile causing Bayley to hug him and thank him repeatedly.

Sasha got a bunch of new technology like a new laptop, TV, she got some jewelry and a bunch of stuff for the baby including clothes, diapers, a crib, and car seat and other things.

"Thank you" the girl responded with a smile as she looked over the baby things before placing her hand on her stomach.

When it came to Becky Vince simply handed her a beat up cardboard box in front of the girl causing her to look at him confused while Sasha snickered. Becky looked at her grandfather before slowly opening the box to reveal a video camera, DVD player and a bunch of old tapes that had written labels on them, "aw cool"

"Dad, what's all this?" Stephanie asked from her seat on Hunter's lap as the two sat in the single chair by the window

Shane smirked and leaned over the couch where Becky was sitting before saying, "Are those old wrestling tapes?"

"Some from when you were kids, some even back from when I was a younger wrestler," Vince said with a smile as he sat on the loveseat, "I know Shane has the rest in his office down at that gym of his...but I figured that you would like to see these things."

"Yeah this is all super cool grandpa thanks" Becky smiled before Shane tapped her on the shoulders causing her to turn around and look to see him holding out an envelope for her

"Speaking of wrestling...I got you something too" Shane said before Becky carefully took the envelope and opened it to reveal a single key.

"A key?"

"To the gym...I'm making you an assistant trainer there. I talked with the judge and got your volunteer hours worked out so you'll be working at the gym now...and then once you turn 18 it's all yours." Shane said with a smile

"What?"

"You're giving her the gym?" Stephanie asked confused

"Well her and Dean," Shane said before looking to the boy whose eyes widened at the mention of his name

"What?" Dean asked nearly choking on the hot chocolate he was drinking.

"I've known you since you were a kid and even though you worked for my competition for a bit, the gym was your first job and I said it before it will always be your home. So once you two are 18 you'll have it." Shane said with a shrug, "I won't need it anymore"

"Why?" Bayley asked confused

"Well I gotta focus on the company now, I gotta settle down and be serious" Shane said before looking at his father who smiled at him, "Figured that the gym is my only real legacy so I should pass it down"

"Thanks, Shane" Dean said in slight shock as Dean was handed another key from Shane

"Yeah, thanks uncle Shane" Becky agreed

"No problem," he said with a smile before Vince cleared his throat

"Are we all done, because I'm starving" Vince laughed causing Stephanie and Shane to roll their eyes at their father while Bayley agreed

"Yeah, I'm hungry too"

"Alright then you heard them, let's go eat," Hunter said before he stood, holding Stephanie as he did so she wouldn't fall from his lap.

The family dinner was for the first time in a long time normal. They talked and laughed and there were no bombs dropped, no big secrets were revealed, there was no arguing as Becky and Sasha just ignored the other all together. Vince was happy and joking with the family while Hunter and Stephanie seemed to get back on a similar page as they laughed and talked for the first time in a while. Bayley was also happy as she laughed and joked with Shane who kept making her laugh when she had food in her mouth causing her to almost choke on her food and even shoot juice out her nose when he commented on Hunter's cooking.

When they were done eating they watched the old tapes of Shane and Stephanie wrestling. They all gathered around the Tv and watched, commenting on how young Stephanie and Shane looked, how awful Stephanie was at wrestling and how crazy Shane was for jumping off buildings and telephone poles. The whole thing was…nice.

—
With Charlotte

"As RTC Olympic champion!" Jeff called out in the living room as the others sat around watching him with raised eyebrows, "Charlotte..gets to start the secret Santa."

The others clapped and cheered for the blonde as she stood and patted Jeff on the shoulders, "Better luck next time Jeff"

"Yeah whatever" he muttered before trudging over to the couch to sit beside his brother who patted him on the back before turning his attention to Charlotte.

The tall blonde stood in the center of the living room with a small smile on her face. She had her hair flowing down her back and she was wearing a black hoodie and leggings and she held an envelope in her hands, "uh well as the winner of the RTC Olympics I will be the first to reveal that I was Braun's secret santa...so uh...here"

Charlotte held out the envelope to Braun who looked at it confused before standing and taking it while Charlotte moved around him and took his seat. The giant man was wearing a black and white shirt with the sleeves ripped off and a pair of baggy jeans. He ripped the envelope open and pulled out a slip of paper before he began to read over it.

"I uh...didn't know exactly what to get you so I thought this would be best" Charlotte said causing everyone to look at Braun who read the letter again and again before walking over to the blonde and hugging her, pulling her up and out of the chair in the process, "Uh Braun?"

The giant man didn't stop hugging her causing the others to stare at them confused until Sheamus finally spoke up, "so what exactly did you give him?"

"The recipe to my blueberry muffins" Charlotte struggled to say before Braun finally released her

"Thank you," Braun said once Charlotte was back on her own feet

"Nope problem" Charlotte muttered before sitting back down

"Uh I got Cesaro," Braun said causing the boy to jump slightly at the way he said his name. Everyone watched as Braun walked over to where he had been sitting and grabbed a bag before pulling out a t-shirt from it and throwing it at Cesaro.

"Is this my shirt?" Cesaro asked from his seat beside Sheamus who snickered at him. Cesaro held up the red and white soccer jersey and inspected it with a raised eyebrow.

"You're welcome"

"But-" Cesaro started but Sheamus put his hand on his chest and shook his head causing Cesaro to pout before he stood allowing Braun to take his seat on the small couch, squishing Sheamus into the side of the couch in the process. Cesaro was wearing a black soccer t-shirt and jeans and he grabbed a bag from behind the couch, "I got Jeff"

Jeff stood and took the bag from Cesaro who in turn grumpily plopped down on the couch. The boy smirked and pulled out a homemade trophy that said RTC winner causing everyone to look at Cesaro with a raised eyebrow, "Really man?"

"What I thought you were gonna win, you always win...I wasn't expecting Charlotte to punk you like that and it was too late to change it anyway" Cesaro said as she crossed his arms and continued to slump down in his seat

Jeff smirked and laughed a little before holding the trophy and inspecting it. It was an old water bottle decorated in paper and other arts and crafts with RTC written on the label, "I'll cherish it forever"

Everyone laughed while Jeff rolled his eyes playfully before setting the gift down and grabbing his next gift to give, "I had Sheamus"

The Irish man stood and walked over to Jeff taking the bag from his hands with a smile before he pulled out an old soccer ball, "Hey it's my ball from before. I thought Ivory took this thing"

"She did but I managed to get it back"

The rest of the group smiled and laughed, enjoying their time as they finished exchanging gifts causing Matt to get a pair of socks, Dana got a pair of earplugs and Charlotte got a spare key to Ivory's chest of stowaways. When the blonde looked confused they all eagerly explained with devious looks that Ivory had a locker in her office of stuff that she confiscated from past and present patients here. It was full of phones, ipads, toys, candy-which was probably expired or melted by now- and all other types of goodies. There were two keys to the locker, both held by Ivory but one had been stolen and a copy was made by one of the past residents before it fell into the hands of one Dana Brooke.

The group laughed and spent the rest of their day watching Christmas movies and eating snacks until Charlotte was eventually led into the kitchen to cook a meal for the house. Once everything was cooked and done and everyone was happy Ivory walked into the kitchen and smiled at Charlotte.

"You look happy"

Charlotte quickly turned and looked at Ivory in shock as she wiped her hands off on her pants. The woman wore a black button-up shirt and jeans and her hair was in its usual ponytail, but Charlotte was still taken back by the woman's relaxed state. She seemed, calm and happy almost. It was weird, "Uh...I am… I think"

Ivory nodded and smiled as she walked fully into the kitchen while Charlotte moved around and continued to clean up the mess she had made. The blonde looked at her confused before asking, "Did you want some food? There are plenty of extras...they're mostly for Braun since he can eat like a sumo wrestler, but he doesn't like cranberries so there's plenty of that left over."

"No..ha-no…" The woman said waving the blonde off with a smile, "I've already eaten...I just came into the see how everyone was doing. It's not every day over half my residents are sleeping quietly in their rooms in the middle of the day."

Charlotte smiled as she wrapped aluminum foil over a pan of turkey, "The old food coma. My mother used to do it when we were younger. When her and my dad had a really busy schedule or an important business call over the summer my mom would could a huge meal for lunch so we'd all be asleep by the time they had to work."

Ivory smiled at the blonde, "Well I see it works...but that's not why I'm here"

"Why are you here exactly?"

The brunette smiled before pulling out a folded piece of paper, "This...this is why I'm here"

The blonde stared at her confused before taking the paper and opening it. She read it over for a bit before looking up at the woman with big eyes, "Are you serious?"

"Yep...Charlotte you are officially released" Ivory said with a smile, "I talked with the counselors here and they all agreed, you've been making tremendous progress here and I-"

Ivory was cut off as Charlotte quickly rushed up and hugged the woman, "Ivory...thank you"

"Don't thank me kid...you've earned this and it wasn't totally my idea. I talked with your family they asked and I agreed. You've improved, you went to all your sessions, did your school work, made friends and you seemed to liven up this place. You're a good person Charlotte Helmsley. I'm proud to have known you and I hope to never see you here again."

Charlotte smiled and clutched the paper in her hand, "You won't. I promise"

Ivory nodded, "Good. Go, say your goodbyes, pack up your things...a van will take you home in a couple of hours, hopefully, we can get you home before Christmas is over"

Charlotte's eyes widened and her heart picked up at the thought of going home, of seeing her siblings and her parents again. She smiled and looked at the paper and read it again and again before muttering, "Thank you"

"Go," Ivory said again causing Charlotte to smile before she rushed off only stopping as Ivory spoke one last time, "Oh and Charlotte...Merry Christmas"

-
At the Helmsley Home

"Woah. I knew your sister could play but she's…" Dean trailed off as he and Becky stepped out onto the porch. It was dark out now as the family opened all their gifts, they talked and watched some of those wrestling videos and were all in all...happy, "She's amazing"

"I know" Becky smiled as she stuck her hand into her back pockets and looked at Dean with a small smile.

"I mean like amazing, amazing. She should try out for those American Talent shows. Sh-she could get a record label she could ...what?" Dean stopped as he saw Becky looking at him.

"Do you really want to be talking about my little sister while we have a few and only minutes to ourselves?" Becky asked sarcastically causing Dean to laugh before he walked over to Becky and placed his arms around her waist and kissed her.

"No, I guess not," Dean said before looking down at Becky, "I actually want to talk about something else."

"Oh yeah...what exactly is it that you want to talk about?" Becky asked with a small smile.

"You"

"Me?"

"Oh yeah," Dean said with a smile, "I would much rather talk about my...sexy...smart...beautiful girlfriend, who did ghost me for a while and punch me in the face before and also pushed me down a flight of stairs-"

"Oh come on we were kids and that was an accident," Becky said before slapping him on the chest

"And I forgave you for it," Dean said with a smile as he caught her hand as it went to slap him again. He smirked before turning over her hand and kissed it causing her to roll her eyes, "But I don't know..that slap just now...that was unforgivable"

"Shut up," Becky said before grabbing his face and kissing him before the door opened behind them causing them to pull away

"Sorry am I interrupting?" Bayley asked as she poked her head out, her new guitar still slung over her back.

"Yes...but it's fine," Becky said waving her off, "What do you need?"

"Your advice," Bayley said in a small voice as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She took a small breath and brushed past her sister and Dean before taking a seat on the porch steps. She looked back to Dean after a second before saying, "Sorry to interrupt Dean"

"No it's fine," Dean said as he walked up to his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her before guiding her to the steps so the two of them were sitting down beside Bayley, "Come on kid tell old Dean and Bex what's the matter"

Bayley looked at him for a second to see if he was serious before giving a small smile, "So Alexa...she uh...she texted me."

"That's good," Dean said before looking to Becky and muttering, "That's good, right?"

"Depends," Becky said, "What did she say?"

"She told me that's she's in Ohio now. That she moved in and that she's safe. She said she loved me."

"So definitely good?" Dean said but Becky held up a finger to him telling him to wait as she looked at her sister, nodding for her to continue.

"But...she uh...she told me not to text her anymore," Bayley said sadly as her tears seemed to spark in her eyes.

"Oh Bayley" Becky said as she quickly pulled her sister into a side hug

"What am I gonna do?"

"Bay she needs space. She's dealing with a lot right now, she and her mom were attacked by her father and she had to uproot and move states away. She's going through a lot" Becky said as she ran her hands through the younger girl's hair

"I know that!" Bayley whined as she shot her head up to look at Becky, "But that's why I said I would be there for her. She shouldn't have to go through this stuff alone. I want to be there for her, I want her to be able to talk to me...I love her. If she needed me I would be there in an instant. I just...I don't get how she doesn't see that. How sh-she doesn't get that I...that I want her to be okay. That her want her to be able to…"

The girl trailed off and let her head fall back into Becky's chest as the redhead drew comforting circles on her back. Becky sadly looked to Dean who watched on sadly before thinking and clearing his throat. He looked at his girlfriend before carefully placing a hand on Bayley's shoulder, "Bayley...did you really love her?"

"Of course," Bayley said as she looked at Dean from Becky's arms

Dean nodded at this before he looked down at his hands, "This pain that you're feeling...this grief, this sadness, it's only temporary. This isn't the rest of your life...I promise you. Bad things happen to people all the time every day, we all go through things that aren't fair and you can't help those things. You can't stop life from happening to you, you can only choose how you respond and if you hold on to this hurt and this sadness then you're opening the door to bitterness and anger. That bitterness poisons you, it consumes your every being and ruins your life. And you may have a good reason to be bitter but holding on to it only makes things worse...trust me."

Bayley slowly sat up and looked at Dean fully as Becky gave him a sad smile as his foot shook and he wrung his hands before he continued talking, "When my parents left me I was sad. It hurt...so much and I cried...a lot. Every day until I couldn't cry anymore and my sadness turned into anger. I was so...so angry. I was angry at them for leaving. I was angry at the world for giving me them as parents, for giving me such a shitty hand and I was angry at myself. I was angry at myself because that was the only thing I could feel other than sadness, and I don't want your sadness to turn into anger Bayley. I don't want you to lose whatever light you have inside of you because you're holding onto sadness."

"I want you to let go of your sadness and open yourself up to something new, because before you know it...something...or someone" Dean looked up and connected eyes with Becky, "Someone will walk into your life and change everything. The-they will change every single god damned thing inside you that you thought was broken. There will be something that will make you feel whole again. It will make you feel...lighter. Like you just jumped off the edge of the world and instead of falling you're just...floating. You will open yourself up to something that will shock you and scare you...but it will also make you feel loved all over again. It will make you feel joy when you thought that wasn't possible...a-and Bayley, I want to tell you that by magic this new thing will make everything better but...that's not how it works. It won't be easy and it will take time but eventual..this pain that you feel now will just be a memory."

Dean stopped and wiped a few tears from his eyes before looking down at Bayley who was now hugging him. He gave her a sad smile before hugging the girl back while Becky wiped her own tears from her eyes.

"Jesus, I've only been gone for like a month. I didn't think you all would still be crying over me"

The three teens looked up to see Charlotte slowly walking up to them with her luggage in her hand. Bayley and Becky quickly jumped up and ran up to hug her, "Charlotte!"

"Hey guys," Charlotte said as she hugged them

"What are you doing here?" Becky asked confused while she and Bayley both quickly wiped tears from their eyes

"I got released," Charlotte said with a shrug before looking up as the front door opened causing Stephanie and the rest of the family to come outside.

Stephanie ran up and hugged her eldest daughter tightly, "I missed you so much baby girl"

"I missed you too mom"

"Okay, how is this possible?" Hunter asked as he got over to them and hugged her

"I made a few calls" Vince called from the porch as he leaned against his cane

"Dad you didn't have to-" Stephanie started but Vince held his hand up

"I talked with Ivory. She told me that Charlotte had been doing well with everything there and I wanted to surprise you all. Besides It's not Christmas without the whole family" Vince said causing Stephanie to smile before thanking her father and quickly going back to talking with her daughter.

As the family slowly moved into the house Bayley quickly hugged Dean and thanked him before heading into the house after everyone else while Becky slowed up and stood in front of Dean who was still sitting on the porch, shaking a little, "Babe. What you said to Bayley...How come you never told me any of that stuff before?"

"I didn't want to talk about it...but seeing Bayley like that...it reminded me of myself. I don't want her to turn out like me" Dean said sadly

Becky sadly smiled before leaning down and kissing him deeply, "I think you turned out pretty great."

"I had a great someone to help me," Dean said with a small smile, "Love you"

"Love you too"

A/N: Thanks for reading make sure to review what you think and what you want to see and make sure to follow, favorite and all that good stuff so you can know when I update the next chapter.