A/N: Sorry for the wait. Hope you all enjoy.
Chapter 46
Once the family had returned home Becky told Stephanie and Hunter the situation with social services and the two called them and their lawyer immediately. The two men stated that they needed to interview all family members and friends of the family to fully grasp the situation. So they set up a time for them to interview each of the girls. Stephanie and Jerry, their lawyer thought it would be best to have their interviews once they got back in the swing of their school routine. Bret argued about the urgency of the situation and the rules but Jim said that it was okay. He wanted to see the girls in their regular schedule so he agreed that it would be okay and said that they would interview family friends and neighbors first to give them time.
As the days passed Shane went back to his home and work and Vince and Linda did the same, so the house was back to normal. Becky had begun her volunteer work at Shane's gym throughout the week as the girls were still on break until the week after New years. So Becky got up every morning and Hunter or Stephanie dropped her off and she would clean the gym mats, sweep the floor, organize whatever Shane needed and help teach the younger kids in the beginner classes alongside Dean who worked with the kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, with the closer observations from CPS Stephanie decided that it would be best if Becky did more service with someone who wasn't family.
So Becky was put to work at a women's shelter where she would help do laundry there and pass out food or blankets to the women as well as keep them company and listen to their stories. The redhead had listened to more horror stories than any kid would normally sit through but the redhead didn't mind. She had lived through her own abuse and heard her sisters' stories as well so nothing these women could tell her could really upset her but some of them did make her feel kind of guilty. Hearing these womens' struggles and seeing the fear in their eyes reminded her of Marina and those girls when she attacked them. It made her feel bad. The girl had been trying her best to ignore the feeling and continue her work, looking forward to working at the gym and seeing her boyfriend. However, she couldn't help but fall into the sinking pit of depression. She didn't mention it at first though, everything was going right for the family so far and Becky didn't want to bring anyone down, but those sinking thoughts that she had when she was awaiting court were slowly coming back.
She had talked about these feelings once at her therapy session and a very little with her parole officer who came around every once and a while to check on her. However, she wasn't much help, her therapist however, told her that she probably had a disorder which made her angry called Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Her parents who were mostly immune to hearing news about their children didn't seem too bothered about the information. In fact they seemed relieved to have something to label Becky's anger with instead of just assuming her unexplained anger came from her unresolved issues with her past. However, their relaxed nature and calm reaction to this news made Becky feel...angry. She didn't want people to freak out but the lack of acknowledgement her disorder got compared to Charlotte's Bipolar disorder was slowly eating at her. She was already mentally spiraling but this was quickly pushing her further down that hole.
Her feelings went on for the remaining two weeks of their break and while Becky was on the downward spiral her sisters were all going in the opposite direction. During the break Bayley spent much of her time writing and hanging out with Dakota and her birth mother or Carmella. The absence and final acceptance of Alexa being gone had left an empty spot in Bayley's life, so she decided to rekindle her relationship with her old friend. It was her birth mother's suggestion in fact. They had been talking and Pamela asked about Bayley's friends causing her daughter to mention Alexa moving away and that she hadn't really talked to her Ex-best friend Carmella in a long time. The woman frowned at this before encouraging Bayley to talk to her, friendships like that don't just go away that easily. So that's what Bayley did. The two had hung out alone multiple times and Bayley didn't feel that nervous energy that she used to feel for the girl. Instead she just felt...happy. She was glad to have her best friend back and Carmella felt the same. So the two girls hung out at the park or at the arcade, sometimes bringing Dakota along as well. Bayley also still volunteered at the homeless shelter on Friday nights, at first she tried to just serve food but the kids that were there before begged her to sing again, so Bayley had become a regular source of entertainment for the shelter and she didn't mind at all.
As for Sasha, she began preparing for her future. She told her family the truth about what happened at the party and what happened on her "date" with the boy, which immediately sent Hunter into a rage but Stephanie managed to calm him down after a few days. The family talked about the issue with their lawyer, not wanting to do anything too drastic that would alert social services. So Sasha was given the choice to keep things quiet until this all blew over or go to the police and take Seth to court or just issue him a restraining order, both of which would cause Social Services to raise an eyebrow or two. So Sasha, against her father's judgement, decided to keep things quiet and just planned to stay away from Seth who Becky may or may not have had Dean beat up a little for his actions. Instead, Sasha spent her time at school studying and working with Finn who was helping her catch up on her work and get things in order with the twins. Finn had become an avid part of the girl's life as the two became close friends over the few weeks.
Charlotte, the cooking queen, spent her time studying as well as she wanted to catch up on everything she missed and she managed to cook every meal for the family, allowing Stephanie to focus on her company instead of worrying about feeding the family of six every night. Charlotte enjoyed being in the kitchen and often cooked to keep herself preoccupied so there was always plenty of food and only half of which made Sasha throw up. Though the extra food was often given to Bayley to take to the homeless shelter or for Becky to take to the woman's shelter. The blonde felt like a housewife to be honest. While her sisters and parents were going out to volunteer, work or hang out with friends Charlotte stayed home cooking and cleaning, and she didn't mind but Becky always made a point to state this fact every morning when Charlotte handed her a bagged lunch for her day. Charlotte had, however, been keeping in touch with Jeff from RTC as they talked on Friday's and updated each other on their lives. Jeff informed her about her friends back in rehab and their progress and Charlotte did the same. Other than talking with them the blonde also spent some time in therapy, slowly opening up and talking about her mental health and her Bipolar disorder, although she refuse to speak on her birth father.
So the girls were pretty busy for the break, but now days have passed and they were getting back into the swing of their school schedule. Becky still volunteered at Shane's everyday after school and the women's shelter on the weekends and Charlotte and Sasha did tutoring every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in their school library. Charlotte also started taking driving lessons and while she had been reluctant at first, never feeling comfortable behind the wheel after her accident when she was younger, she eventually agreed. It was something to do and it was practically a necessity with her busy family life. Bayley spent time with Carmella and she managed to make it to a few of Dakota's soccer games during the week. She almost managed to sign up for a talent show at her school, the one before ended up being canceled so it was pushed back to next month. Her family was excited for the event and Hunter and Stephanie put the flyer for the event up on the fridge. The two of them had started to get everything together with the company as they started to get a good system going between work and home. Stephanie dropped the kids off and Hunter picked them up in the afternoons so one could always get to work early or stay late to start or finish up any projects they had to get done.
So the family was moving...smoothly, which was good because their interviews were fastly approaching. Charlotte would be first, then Sasha, then Becky, then Bayley. The men were supposed to come to the house in a couple of hours so the girls all cleared their schedules, except for Becky had to go to the women's shelter today, but she would be back by the time they were ready to interview her.
"Hunter!" Stephanie yelled up the stairs as she checked her watch for the sixth time, "Hurry up. You have to pick up Becky from the shelter. I want her to be able to wash up and change before she does her interview"
Stephanie looked at her watch again before looking up as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs as Sasha trudged down wearing a dark purple sweater and light jeans, "Do I really have to wear this? It's itchy"
Stephanie pulled the girl closer so she could look at her and check her face. Sasha's bruises from Seth had healed but the girl still wore some light makeup just to be sure. She felt...vulnerable after telling her family about everything that happened and it felt like everyone was constantly staring at her stomach and her face. Stephanie smiled at her, "You look nice."
"I look like a total kiss ass" Sasha said with a straight face
"Language!" Stephanie corrected, "No cursing today, and if you don't like it you can change. I want you to look presentable but not uncomfortable. It'll just make you irritable and I need you on your best behavior"
"I know mom" Sasha groaned before she turned and headed back upstairs.
Stephanie turned and walked into the living room to straighten up a few pillows and blankets before she looked out the window to see Bayley sitting on the front porch playing her guitar. Stephanie quickly walked to the door and opened it before poking her head out to say, "Bayley come inside. It's too cold for you to be sitting out here."
Bayley groaned and stood up before coming in the house, the girl was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans that had stains on them, "It's not that cold"
Stephanie looked over her youngest's outfit before rolling her eyes, "It's January, you still need a jacket and I thought I told you to go change."
"I did change," Bayley said with a pout as she motioned her hands over her body.
"Well change again." Stephanie said as she patted the girl on her shoulder before turning to head to the kitchen, "and please look presentable"
Bayley groaned but grabbed her guitar and ran upstairs to go change while Stephanie entered the kitchen where Charlotte was cooking. The blonde wore a white turtleneck and light blue jeans under an apron and her blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. As soon as the blonde saw her mother she immediately said, "I know, I know I'm supposed to be cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready. No more cooking."
Stephanie crosses her arms over her chest and looked at her eldest daughter before saying, "At least you're dressed, that's more than I can say for your sisters"
Charlotte quickly turned off the stove and wiped her hands off on the towel before taking off her apron. The blonde moved to hang up her apron but stopped when her mother grabbed her gently and pulled her so she was standing right in front of the older woman, "what?"
"Did you take your medication today?" Stephanie asked softly causing Charlotte to nod, "good. Now go upstairs and make sure your siblings are ready. I'll clean up down here"
Charlotte nodded and rushed upstairs just as Hunter came downstairs dressed in a button up shirt and grey slacks, "Hey dad"
"Hey princess" Hunter said as he fixed his sleeves and stopped at the bottom of the steps before putting his shoes on, "Steph!"
Stephanie quickly came around the corner from the kitchen and walked over to Hunter before placing a kiss on his cheek, "You going to get Becky?"
"Yep. I'll be back in 25" Hunter said with a small nod, "Don't stress too much okay? They're good kids and we're good parents. Everything will be fine alright?"
Stephanie nodded and Hunter placed a kiss on her forehead before he grabbed his keys and left. Stephanie sighed and looked around the house before she heard Sasha yell for her, "MOM! I can't find my favorite shirt!"
"Which one?"
"My grey long sleeve!"
"You mean MY grey long sleeve!" Charlotte shouted at her sister causing Stephanie to roll her eyes
"It's in the laundry" Stephanie yelled back as she moved to head upstairs just as Bayley came running back down, now fully dressed in a button jean button up and white jeans and her hair was straight down her shoulders, "No running!"
Bayley quickly said sorry as she continued to rush to the kitchen while Stephanie rolled her eyes and went to head upstairs but stopped when she heard the doorbell ring causing her to freeze in her tracks. Bayley slowly came out of the kitchen with a cookie in her mouth as she stared at the door while Sasha and Charlotte both appeared at the top of the stairs as well, all looking at the door nervously.
Stephanie sighed and turned to open the door. She quickly put on a smile as she saw the two social workers before saying, "Hello."
"Hello, Mrs. Helmsley I presume. I'm Jim Neidhart and this is my partner Brett. We spoke over the phone" The bigger man said with a polite smile as he stuck his hand out to shake Stephanie's.
"Neidhart?" Charlotte whispered as she immediately thought of her old volleyball teammate Natalya
"Of course. Come on in" Stephanie said before she moved over to let the two men enter, "Girls! Come and introduce yourselves!"
Bayley slowly entered the living room as her older sisters came down the stairs and they all stood side by side across from the two men. Charlotte was the first to speak as she said a simple, "Hello"
Stephanie watched her girls while Jim smiled at them before saying, "Hello. I'm Jim and this is my brother in law Brett."
"I'm Charlotte. This is Sasha and that's Bayley" The blonde spoke again while Sasha and Bayley just stared at the two men
"My husband is out right now picking up our other daughter Becky. They'll be back soon." Stephanie said causing Jim to nod before pulling out his notepad and clearing his throat.
"Well...if it's alright with you, can we get these interviews started?" Jim asked, causing Stephanie to nod.
"So...What's your name?"
"Charlotte Helmsley"
"How old are you?"
"17"
"Only 17?" Jim asked with a smile causing Charlotte to nod, "Do you have your license?"
"I'm in the process of taking lessons to get it right now" Charlotte answered professionally.
"How's school? Do you like it?"
"Its...fine"
"How are your grades?" Jim asked after he wrote something down
"They're okay." Charlotte said slowly as she tried to think about her words very carefully, "I was a straight A student before I took some time off...my grades haven't dropped too bad. Nothing I can't handle, I managed to get everything back up so I have mostly Bs now."
"Took some time off? Are you talking about your time at RTC?" Brett asked causing Charlotte to nod
"Do you want to tell us about that? Why were you there and for how long?" Jim asked politely
Charlotte straightened up in her seat before saying, "I was there because I had been using drugs. It wasn't that big a deal...I got over it...went to rehab and got out after..maybe a month for good behavior and the progress I had been making."
"You must have been making tremendous progress to get out that early. Our records said you got out way ahead of schedule." Brett said as he flipped through a file.
"Yes sir. I got help. I started getting better and allowing myself to take responsibility for my actions. Besides, my sisters needed me" Charlotte asked as she sat straighter in her seat.
"Your sisters needed you? What do you mean by this?"
"I'm their big sister. I was supposed to be here to help them while they were going through things. I wasn't and that was on me. So I got myself together so I could come home as soon as possible." Charlotte said seriously.
"You seem to take on a lot of responsibility as the oldest. Would you say this is true?" Jim asked carefully
Charlotte thought for a minute before responding, "Yes. I would say so. I'm supposed to set an example for them and I wasn't doing a good job. So I take responsibility for that."
"You don't think setting an example is your parents' job?" Brett asked
"It is, and they do a tremendous job but my rash behavior wasn't helping...but I put that behind me and got help."
"Rash behavior...you mean drugs right?"
"Yes"
"How did you get these drugs you had been using?"
"This kid at school"
"Are you still in contact with this kid?"
"No"
Both men nodded and continued to write a few things down before one of them asked, "Do you get along well with your sisters?"
Charlotte frowned at this question, confused as to why they would ask this, "Yes"
"Do you all argue?"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow at the men, "Of course. It wouldn't be realistic if we didn't"
"How much do you argue?"
"About the same as any other sisters I think" Charlotte said slowly as she thought before shrugging, "I don't know."
"Have any of your arguments gotten violent?"
Charlotte paused to think, of course she threatened her sisters, and they yelled a lot or chased each other around the house, but...some of their fights had gotten violent, especially when Becky went head to head with her or Sasha, "A few times...bu-but it's very rare"
"And where were your parents during these...rare..arguments?" Brett asked
"Working"
"Do they work often?"
"They run a million dollar company" Charlotte responded sarcastically
"So is that a yes?"
"Yes"
"How often are they home?"
"One of them is usually home. One drops us off at school and the other picks us up." Charlotte stated.
"Alright. Changing the subject" Brett flipped through a few files before saying, "It says here you were put in holding after being detained at a party that had underage drinking and smoking."
Charlotte paused as her mind wandered back to that night, images of Seth running out of the house without Sasha flashed through her mind causing her anger to flare up as she clenched her fist before responding, "Yes...that was back before I went to rehab"
"And where were your parents then? It says you were signed out by an uncle." Jim asked as he flipped through his own papers, "But we have no records of said man"
"They were out...at a conference or business thing...I don't really remember" Charlotte said slowly as she tried to think, "And that night was a lot...I don't remember much of it"
Jim nodded at this before asking, "Do you have a good relationship with your parents?"
Charlotte nodded. She believed that she did, maybe more with her father than her mother since the whole drugs thing but she still knew that they loved her, "Yeah"
"Do you have a relationship with your birth father? Or your stepmother?" Jim continued to ask
Charlotte sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow confused, "What does he have to do with anything? I haven't spoken to him since I was a child and I never want to see that woman he married again!"
Brett nodded before Jim spoke, "Just standard questions. We went down to the jail and talked to him and he said he had been trying to contact you. So we wondered if you had been in contact...any calls? Letters? Anything like that?"
Charlotte looked back confused. She hasn't heard from her father in years, she never received any calls or letters from the man and for the most part she didn't even think about him. So to hear that her father had been trying to contact her was a little confusing, "I've never received anything from him...sorry."
Jim nodded at this before looking at Brett who asked, "What about your stepmother? Or Birth mother?"
"My stepmother was a jerk who wanted nothing but money and my birth mother killed herself when I was 4. So no...I haven't talked to either of them" Charlotte said with a shrug, not bothered by the question.
Sasha
"When's the last time you were taken to the doctor?"
"Last month...I have another appointment in two days"
"What did they say the last time?"
"That I was having twins...that they're both healthy right now"
"That's good" Jim said with a smile, "And where's the twins' father?"
"Out of the picture" Sasha stated in a low tone as she slowly tapped her fingers along the couch while Jim nodded and proceeded to write in his notepad while Brett raised an eyebrow at her.
"So are you planning on raising these babies alone?" He asked confused
"I'm not alone. I have three siblings and supporting parents" Sasha stated confidently, a little insulted that the man would suggest anything less.
Sasha didn't really understand why these men were here, why they were questioning her family. Of course they were anything but perfect but they were still a good family. Hunter and Stephanie supported them and cared for them in a way their birth parents never did or could. How dare these men come in here and try to question their family. How dare they try and pick apart their parents and make them seem like the bad guys.
"What do you plan to do about school?" Jim asked softly
Sasha thought for a second. She was working hard with tutors and her teachers to keep her grades as high as possible and she had read online that she could still go to school being pregnant, it was really just the staring that was a problem. By now, people already knew she was pregnant. If her growing stomach wasn't a dead give away Finn's over protectiveness of her these first few weeks back was an obvious clue, "I've been talking to my teachers and so far they are all okay with me continuing school."
"What about your parents? Are they okay with it?"
Sasha nodded, "Yeah. They've been very supportive about the whole thing"
"What are you going to do after the babies are born?"
Sasha looked at the men confused before saying, "I'm going raise them."
"You're not looking into...adoption or anything?"
"No. They're mine. I'm carrying them and I'm going to raise them." Sasha slightly snapped.
"How will you watch them and go to school after they are born? We've heard that your parents are very busy people and your sisters will be in school as well so who will watch the twins when they are only weeks or months old?"
Sasha frowned at the question. It was something she thought about for a while and she of course didn't want to drop out of school but she also knew she couldn't leave her twins alone after just being born. However, she had been planning and talking about this with her principal and teachers, "The school is working with me and allowing me to finish out my classes and finals whenever I can because the babies will be born close to the end of the school year so I'll have them and then once I've healed, on a weekend I can come in and take my tests while my parents watch the twins. Then I'll have the rest of the summer to be with them."
"Then what about next semester?" Brett asked causing Sasha to slightly grow annoyed. These men kept asking what next and what about after that. Were her answers for now not good enough? Why did they keep questioning her? Did they not believe her? Did they not think she was a good mother?, "The summer is only 3 months"
"My mother is looking into putting me in an online school that will allow me to stay home and watch the twins and keep up with my work." Sasha said practically through gritted teeth.
"Okay, but you are still only a child. You expect to stay home by yourself and handle twins while doing online courses?" Brett asked slightly sarcastic causing Sasha to grind her teeth and clench her hand
"We would hire a nanny to help while my family is out. Someone to help make sure I know what I'm doing until my sisters get out from school" Sasha explained
"But even then you and your sisters are young you don't know how to raise children. You all are-"
"I know what I am and how old I am Mr. Neidhart!" Sasha snapped cutting the man off, "I am working on my plans for the future. I'm working on the best possible way to move forward with my life and also raise and protect my children. I am a child but I have a big support system that won't let me fail. I have people who will help me and who will push me so you don't have to keep asking questions about what if and what next. I'm working on it! and I've got to say so far I've gotten a handle on everything. You two just came in here trying to poke holes in our family for what? To prove that your little investigation into our family was worth something? To show to your bosses that you haven't wasted everyone's time even though I think we all know that you have. So you decided to come in here and keep asking what next, what next and who's going to help you as if you don't expect me to succeed. Isn't your job to make sure families are good, to help them?
"Yes but we-"
"Then why the hell are you trying to pick a part mine and tear me down in the process? You keep asking questions because you don't believe in us. You don't think we're a good family but all I've told you is that my family has been nothing but supportive. They've had my back 100 percent of the way. So how dare you two come in here and try to question us! Try to question ME!" Sasha abruptly stood up and looked down at the two men who stared back at her with wide eyes. She took a deep breath before she calmly said, "I think I'm done."
Becky
"Would you consider yourself violent?"
"Yes"
The two men paused and looked at each other confused for a second before Jim cleared his throat and asked again, "Uh...I don't know if you heard the question but uh...I asked...would you consider yourself violent?"
"Yes" Becky responded again without hesitation as she leaned back on the couch flipping through a magazine, not really paying attention to the men.
"Rebecca? I don't know if you know the seriousness of this interview." Jim said slowly, "These questions are to be answered honestly and seriously"
Becky looked at the man over her magazine before sighing and closing the book. She slowly placed it down on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch before saying, "I know...and I am answering honestly. My therapist says that I have what she called...intermittent explosive disorder...a form of impulse-control disorder which makes me mad for no reason. So yeah...I'm violent."
The two men stared at her with wide eyes as she shifted in her seat and crossed her legs uninterestedly. Jim cleared his throat while Brett shook his head and wrote down in his notepad, "Do you take medication for this...disorder?"
"Nope" The redhead said simply
"Uh...okay...uh" Jim wrote something down before asking, "Are you...supposed to be?"
"I can. Or I can just go to anger management" Becky responded calmly
"A-and...ar-are you doing that?"
"No"
"okay...uh...What has been your parent's response to this disorder?" Jim asked carefully
Becky picked up her magazine and began reading, "Don't care"
Jim and Brett looked at each other before Brett leaned forward in his seat and said, "Look. We're here to get information and whatever we bring back will determine the status of you and your family. We're trying to get you to answer honestly so they don't decide to separate you four but the way you're acting makes us feel like you want to be taken away."
Becky rolled her eyes and looked at the men from over her magazine, "You want honesty?"
"That would be appreciated yes" Brett said causing Becky to nod and slam her magazine down before she looked at the two men
"Fine. Honestly...I've been working my butt off volunteering at some crappy shelter to look good for you assholes all because some punks decided to jump me in an alley. They held me down and beat the crap out of me and I defended myself! Until...it wasn't defense. HONESTLY, I bashed that one girl's head in so good that I could practically see her brain and I took out another girl's knee out with like only one swing of a steel pipe and HONESTLY, if Marina wouldn't have shot me I would have killed her in a heartbeat. You know why? Because I have some fucking disorder that they made up so they can slap some stupid label and reason on why I get so angry all the fucking time but that shit doesn't make me feel any better. No...in all HONESTY it makes me feel worse. It makes me feel angry. Surprise, surprise. So I'm sorry if I'm not in the mood to play twenty questions with you assholes."
With that Becky was fully self destructing and she stood before walking away and leaving the men speechless.
Bayley
"So you do music?"
"Yeah. I've been writing songs for a while and I've been performing at the homeless shelter for a couple weeks now. The kids really love me there" Bayley said with a smile as she thought of Dakota's wide smile staring up at her when she was performing.
"I think I've seen a video of you singing online. You're pretty good. I can see why they like you" Jim said as he wrote, not looking up at Bayley as he spoke.
"This is the same homeless shelter that your birth mother volunteers at correct?" Brett asked
"Yep. She and her husband let me volunteer and sing there" Bayley replied honestly
"How's your relationship with her?"
Bayley chuckled before answering, "It's good. She's great. Her and her husband are really nice and Dakota my half sister is the sweetest little thing in the world. It's cool being around them and having someone like her look up to me"
"Would you say that it's different being with them than being with your family here?" Brett asked causing Bayley to pause and think for a second before nodding.
"Yeah...yeah I would say it is. I mean they're both so different" Bayley said with a smile
"How so?"
"Well uh...like church and all that. I've gone to church with Pamela and her family on a sunday and it is completely different from how we spend our sundays." Bayley laughed
"And how do you all spend your sundays?"
"Well uh...recently we've gotten into this routine. Becky and dad usually run early in the mornings and Charlotte wakes up after them and makes breakfast. Then we all eventually wake up by the time Becky and our dad have come back and showered and we all eat together and then after that we usually all go our separate ways and do whatever we want. We don't usually spend the whole day together. Pamela and her family went out to eat and went to the movies and spent pretty much every second of the day together."
"I noticed that you continue to say her family. Do you not consider her family?"
"I mean...I don't know." Bayley shrugged, "She's my birth mother and I see her as that and I see Dakota as my sister but that doesn't change the fact that we each have our own families. I love my family, I've known them my whole life and I'm still getting used to having new people in my life so it's hard to see anyone other than them as my direct family."
Jim nodded and wrote this information down before Brett asked, "But if your birth mother asked you to live with her and her family...would you?"
Bayley frowned at the question. It was something Dakota kept asking and she had thought about this a lot. She loved being with them but she still felt slightly out of place when she was there, like she was intruding in their family time. Besides, Bayley loved her own family. She loved her parents and her sisters, even if they sucked sometimes, "No...I don't think so. I love my family. I wouldn't trade them for the world."
Jim smiled and nodded as he wrote in his notepad, "Focusing on your family some more...what is your relationship with your sisters like?"
Bayley thought for a second as she went down her list of sisters, "Uh well. I would say it's good. I mean my interactions and experiences with each of them are different. I love all of them but we all have different connections. Some are closer than others and some butt heads more often. I don't really have that problem because they see me as the baby. They're all very protective of me, and they all just want me to be happy so my relationship with them is good."
"Who would you say tend to butt heads more often?"
Bayley paused, she didn't know if she was supposed to answer these. She didn't want to make her family look bad but her mother told her to just answer honestly, "Uh...probably Sasha and Becky. It used to be Sasha and Charlotte when we were younger because they were so ambitious and always trying to one up each other...but they moved past it. I think Sasha and Becky moved past their problems too, but they used to butt heads for a bit"
"Do you know why?"
Bayley shrugged, "My sisters are very similar. They are all hard headed and stubborn. They act a lot alike and they just don't realize it...so who's to say what they were really arguing over. Probably nothing but...I don't know I tend to try and stay out of it"
"Have Sasha and Becky's arguments ever gotten violent?"
"Becky would never physically hurt us and neither would Sasha...there are times when things were thrown and holes were punched in the walls but...nobody ever went to blows." Bayley stated clearly
"You mention Becky...given her past with fighting and all...would you consider her dangerous?" Brett asked
Bayley paused but quickly recovered and said, "Dangerous? No! Becky loves us...she's always been very protective of me"
"So she's never been violent with you?"
"No...not physically, never!"
"What about mentally or emotionally...or maybe verbally?" Jim asked softly causing Bayley to immediately think about when Becky had yelled at her that one time outside, outing her to Sasha. Bayley slowly put her head down as she thought over what to say. If she was Charlotte she would give a very straightforward professional answer. If she was Sasha she would snap at them for suggesting anything bad about their sister. If she was Becky...well if she was Becky she doubts she would sit here and take them calling her violent. Becky was always angry, everyone knew that but she wasn't like that with Bayley. Even when the two fought Becky regretted it immediately and still showed some compassion during the whole thing. While her mother said to be honest she didn't want to make Becky look bad in their eyes. She didn't want them to take her away because she has anger. Bayley loved her sisters, all of them...they always protected her and she wanted to do the same.
"No." Bayley lied, "Becky's not violent. She's in a funk right now I can tell, but she's a good person. She's sweet to me and she's great at the women's shelter she's been volunteering at...an-and at the gym. The kids love her down at my uncle's gym."
The two men nodded and slowly wrote in their notebooks as Bayley slowly leaned back on the couch she was sitting on. She sighed lightly as her mind went to Becky. She would protect her sisters with her life if she had to. She would lie to keep them here if she had to.
Two hours later
"Thank you again for having us Mr. and Mrs. Helmsley. We got a lot out of today." Jim said as he and his partner stood at the door while Stephanie and Hunter smiled politely at them, "We'll be in contact with you both"
Stephanie nodded and thanked both of them before she slowly closed the door behind them. Once she was sure they were gone she slowly turned back to her husband who tiredly ran his hand through his hair. Stephanie carefully walked up to him and hugged him tightly, leaning her head against his chest. The two stayed like that for a while as Stephanie quietly listened to Hunter's heartbeat before she finally spoke, "That was...bad"
"Not all of it...not necessarily." Hunter quietly responded
Stephanie clenched her arms tighter around Hunter as she closed her eyes, "You and I both heard Sasha and Becky yelling at those men. It sounded pretty bad"
"But we didn't hear anything bad with Bayley and Charlotte. Two out of four is not a total loss" Hunter tried but Stephanie just shook her head and let quiet tears flow down her eyes, "They are good kids."
"They are to us...I don't know if a court will see it the same way" Stephanie said sadly
Hunter pulled Stephanie away from him carefully so he could look down at her. He took her head in her hands and slowly guided her so she was looking at him, "They will. Besides, this is our story babe. Nothing bad happens to the main characters in a love story."
"Romeo and Juliet-"
"Except Romeo and Juliet" Hunter quickly trying to cut his wife off said causing Stephanie to laugh carefully before she slowly stopped and wiped her tears. Hunter smiled at her and placed a kiss on her forehead, "You know I'm here with you babe. Right up until the very end"
"I know" Stephanie said sadly, "I still can't get over this whole thing though"
Hunter sighed and thought about something before he quickly said, "Alright. I got an idea. Go change."
"What?" Stephanie asked confused as Hunter smiled back at her, "Change? Change for what?"
"I have a surprise...for all of my girls. So change into something comfortable and warm. We gotta get going if we wanna make it by sundown" Hunter said with a boyish smile causing Stephanie to laugh but she nodded nonetheless and agreed.
"Alright. Alright, fine. I'm going." Stephanie said with a small smile before she headed upstairs.
"Sasha! Charlotte! Get dressed we're heading out!" Hunter yelled upstairs, smiling when he heard their 'okay's in response. He quickly cut through the kitchen to the backdoor where Becky was outside hitting the punching bag. Hunter carefully opened the glassdoor and stuck his head out, "Hey Kiddo. Come on in and get changed we're heading out."
"No thanks" Becky said before roughly punching the bag with her right hand
"Sorry Bex but this is non negotiable. Get changed or I take this thing down and throw it out" Hunter said pointing at the punching bag causing Becky to stop and look at her father with a raised eyebrow, "Come on. You got thirty minutes."
Becky groaned but slowly came inside, taking off her gloves as she walked. Hunter patted her on the back as she walked past him and headed upstairs while he moved to get Bayley who was in their little music room on his keyboard. The girl was slowly playing some chorus over and over again, struggling to figure out the next key. Hunter smiled and knocked on the door causing the youngest Helmsley to turn and smile at her dad, "Hey dad"
"Hey baby girl. Go get dressed. We're gonna take a family trip." Hunter said causing the girl to smile
"Really?"
"Yep. Now come on. Go change"
Bayley quickly hopped up from her seat and rushed past her dad to go get changed. Hunter smiled and quickly went to go get ready himself. After a while all the girls and Hunter were in the car and driving down the highway.
"Where are we going dad?" Sasha asked
"It's a surprise" Hunter responded
"Well how much further until we get to this...surprise?" Becky asked sarcastically
"Not much. Only about five more minutes" Hunter answered
"Can we get any clues?" Bayley aked playfully
"No clues" Hunter laughed
"Oh come on dad" Bayley said whined causing Charlotte to laugh as she looked at her younger sister, "Just one little clue"
"Yeah...come on babe." Stephanie joked, "One little clue"
"Alright...fine. One clue. It's somewhere we haven't been in a very long time" Hunter said with a smile
"That could be anywhere" Sasha responded sarcastically
"Is it the amusement park? Oh the circus! Oh is it ice skating?" Bayley asked with a smile as she listed off a bunch of places, "What about the mall? Or the movies? Or the-"
"The beach." Charlotte said as she looked out the window causing Bayley to stop listing things, "It's the beach"
Hunter smiled as the beach came into view causing everyone, except Becky, to awe at the sun setting. The car slowly pulled into the parking lot overlooking the beach which was mostly empty as the sun set on the water causing the sky to look orange and purple. Stephanie leaned forward in the passenger's seat and looked through the window, "Wow. This is beautiful"
"Yeah...I figured we could come out and enjoy the view." Hunter said before opening his door causing the others to all get out as well.
Hunter turned and smiled at his family as they all stared out at the sea. Hunter carefully began to climb up on his truck until he was sitting on the roof before he held out his hand to help Stephanie up, then Charlotte and then the others until they were all sitting on the car. Hunter sat with Stephanie in his lap and Becky and Charlotte on his left all on top of the roof while Sasha and Bayley sat on the hood of the car smiling out at the scene. The family sat quietly enjoying the view and each other. Stephanie leaned herself back into her husband's embrace before whispering, "This is amazing honey."
Hunter looked at his girls to see them all quietly reflecting on their own personal thoughts. None of them spoke but they all seemed relaxed and that was all Hunter wanted. He wanted his girls to enjoy this moment, to get their mind off of everything happening and just...sit and watch a sunset. They used to do this sometimes when the girls were much younger but they had been so busy that it was hard to find time to just sit and stare out at the sun. However, this moment was beautiful. Nothing could touch it or them and that made Hunter smile before he planted a kiss on Stephanie's forehead and said, "Yeah it is.
A/N: Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed and make sure to comment or review to let me know what you wanna see in the next few chapters. Also, don't forget to follow, favorite and all that good stuff so you can be updated for the next few chapters.