Clem's Pov:

I looked back at Louis in the backseat as we drive. "So where's Violet right now?"

He looked up from his phone after checking a message from Sophie. "She's with Sophie right now. She said they'll meet us at my house in about an hour."

I sighed in relief. It was Sophie's job to distract Violet while we were out, but we didn't tell her what we were getting. I'm sure she'll be just as surprised as Violet when we arrive with Woody...and maybe a little mad that we didn't include her in the big surprise. But I'm glad Sophie had Vi out of the house so we could sneak in without being caught and we could surprise her properly.

We had Lee drop us off in Lou's driveway and I told him that Louis could drive me home later after the big reveal. So he and AJ left leaving just the two of us. "Hey, Louis? Are you sure Violet's going to have what she needs to take care of Woody?" I asked as we walked in through the door, carrying cage at my side.

Louis smirked as he led me over to a door down the hall where we could hide the rabbit while we waited for Vi and Sophie to get back. "She will now!" He opened the door to reveal everything Violet could ever need for a rabbit. A cage, bedding, food dish, a bag of rabbit food, a water bottle, an assortment of toys and even a litter box.

I stood shocked. "Louis when did you...?"

He smiled at me walking into the bedroom. "I have my people." He winked at me. "I told you I'd cover everything."

"This...this is too much. You already paid for the adoption fee, I'll pay you back for..." He cut me off before I could finish.

Don't worry about it. This was for Violet and that's all that matters." He waved me off.

"But..."

He stopped me again and gripped me by the shoulders. "Clem, this was your idea, and that means more than anything I could have bought. You came up with this plan and I'm more than grateful to have been apart of it. This is going to help Violet and that's what matters."

I hated the fact that Louis paid for everything by himself and that he wouldn't let me pitch in to cover the cost. But he was right, what mattered most was that this helped Violet get better. And I was grateful that Louis was willing to go above and beyond, but I guess when you have the money it isn't that big of a deal. Still, I felt a little guilty at the thought of Louis having to pay for all of this on his own, but I had to accept that he wouldn't let me pay him any amount of money.

I sighed. "Okay, you win." But a smile overtook me. "Thanks, Louis."

Violet's Pov:

Me and Sophie walked in the front door of Louis's mansion, each with a Slurpee from Seven-Eleven. She was pitching me a new idea that I could write about, something about a wedding being held on a beach. Not my usual preferred writing material, but maybe I could put a spin on it about someone being denied another's affection because they were planning on marrying someone else. And I could call it, She Ain't Gonna Marry Me.

I didn't have too long to think over the details because the moment we stepped foot into the living room I was practically jumped by Louis as he ran up and hugged me. "Violet your back! Your not gonna believe the surprise we have for you!."

My mind was still trying to catch up with him and all I could think was, "What the hell was he talking about?"

"Nice to see you too," Sophie said sarcastically from next to me.

Louis still didn't pay the redhead any mind as he rushed Clem form the room before I could even say hello to her. "Quick Clem! Go get it!."

"Geeze Louis, your acting like a six-year-old on Christmas morning." I hear Clem say as she leaves down the hall.

"Seven, actually." Louis corrects her, to which I roll my eyes as I take a drink of my Slurpee. Then Louis pulls the cup from my hand and I'm left with just the straw as he sets it on the coffee table. I glare at him, but he doesn't seem to care as he tells me to sit down on this chair. I have no idea what's going on or why Louis is so hyped but shrugging it off I put the straw back in my cup and take a seat in the chair.

It's not till Louis tells me to close my eyes that I get really suspicious. "Alright, Vi. Close your eyes and don't open them until we tell you."

I cross my arms and send Louis a look that says, "Are you serious?" I'm not sure how much I really trust him at this moment. If I close my eyes I don't want to become another victim to one of his pranks. It seems like there's some big secret that everyone but me knows about, and hiding things is usually my expertise. Louis seems to always have something up his sleeve, but the fact that Clem left and Sophie isn't objecting anything is sending up red flags.

"Please, Vi. Clem has something she wants to show you and we want it to be a surprise." He pleads.

"Oh, so it's Clem's surprise now. That's just supposed to change my mind?" Though I feel like a sucker because I have to admit, it's somewhat working. But I'm not going to tell Louis that. I'm intrigued to find out what he has in store for me, but if this ends up being a trick at my expense it won't be Ruby whos going to kill him.

I let out a disproving sigh, but I close my eyes anyway. I'm pretty sure Louis whispers something to Sophie that's along the lines of, "Don't freak out." which also sends up red flags. I almost want to open my eyes because I'm afraid Louis is going to dump something on me, like cold water or flour and the thought causes me to tense up.

I can hear another set of shoes walking across the floor which I'm pretty sure belongs to Clem and that puts me at ease a bit. Clem wouldn't let Louis do anything to me...Would she?

It's not long after when I nearly jump out of the chair because I can feel something alive on my lap. My eyes fly open and I'm stunned when I see a rabbit sitting on me, but it's not just any rabbit. It's wearing this little red harness with the writing E.S.A. Support on the side. I'm in shock because I know what this is but why is it here? I look up and see smiles on Louis and Clem's faces and a shocked but excited on eon Sophie. Clem raises her arms and shouts, "Surprise!"

I don't have the words or even the thought of what to say. I'm taken back by this gesture because it's not what I was expecting. "They got me a rabbit?" I point at the animal sitting in my lap and then at myself.

Clem understands what I'm asking and nods. "He's all yours Vi. We got him from this special shelter just this morning. His name is Woody, he's a dwarf rabbit so he'll stay this small." She comes over and sits next to me. "Woody will be your emotional support animal to help you if you're ever alone. We have official papers from the ESARA that allow you to take him with you wherever you go."

She runs her hand over him before continuing. "I wasn't too sure if your parents would be okay with a dog so I figured getting a rabbit would be easier. Plus I have a friend who recommends them."

I still feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought that they did this for me. I run my hand over his head almost like I'm unsure if he's real. I can feel just how soft his fur is especially at this little spot at the back of his neck and I can't help it as a smile breaks out across my face. He's so calm in my lap and he would be pretty convincing to pass off as fake if not for the slight twitching of his nose every time he took a breath.

That's when Sophie decides to speak up. "You guys got her a rabbit and didn't tell me?" She comes over and leans down next to me to pet him. "I feel cheated in this deal." But she's smiling the whole time she's petting him.

Louis then goes in to correct her. "Actually, this was all Clem's idea, so you can thank her."

I turn to face my girlfriend and she's quick to try and deny it. "Well, I mean you guys helped me..."

But Louis is quick to shut her down. "Nope! Clem this was all your plan, you deserve full credit. Neither of us would have thought of this, you made it happen." He winks at her and I can see a slight blush overcome her face as she looks at me.

I don't even hesitate as I pull her in for a hug while still being mindful of the living creature on my lap. It's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me and it means the world to me that she'd go this far to help me with what I'm going through. In the back of my mind, I am worried about how I'm supposed to explain this to my parents or even if I'm going to be able to tell them for that matter. So I am thankful that it isn't a dog or a cat, but I don't dwell on it because I'd rather focus on this moment of happiness right now.

We pull apart and I make a heart with my hands as I gesture towards her and mouth the words thank you. I can tell Clem's embarrassed by the action and it's adorable to see how shy all of this praise makes her. Which is why she stutters over her next words. "Of-of course babe. I-I'd do anything f-for you."

She blushes and I know she means that and it's touching, but it also kind of scares me because I know the lengths she'd go if she ever found out about certain things. She clears her throat before she continues. "I-I have something else I want to show you."

She picks up this plastic bag that's at her feet that I've only just noticed now. She reaches in and pulls out this official metal tag with Emotional Support Animal around the edges and places it in my hand. I can feel the cool metal of the tag as I run my thumb over the lettering and the caduceus symbol. Then she produces these little plastic ID cards that contain both mine and Woody's name, the type of therapy animal he is, and an ID code at the top in red numbering.

"These are for you to carry around as identification when you take Woody places. They're even small enough for you to put on a key chain" She explains to me. Then we hear Louis speak up.

"Don't forget this!" he reaches into the bag and pulls out a blue lanyard with white pawprints decorating the sides. He takes one of the ID cards and slides it into a clear plastic case that hangs from the end. Then he slips it over my head and the lanyard now hangs from my neck. "There! Now it's official." He says standing back and admiring his work.

Clem shakes her head in amusement. "Louis got that for you..." She pauses before continuing. "...Aaaaand a few other...things."

I raise a brow at the way she says this and I can only imagine what Louis has done now.

"Don't tell me you guys got her a puppy too," Sophie says jokingly. Although she may be right since she didn't know about Woody either.

"Come on, will show you," Louis says standing up and gesturing for us to follow.

Clem throws everything back in the bag except for the lanyard that I'm wearing and I pick up Woody in my arms as we follow Louis down this hallway and to another bedroom. Sophie right behind us. When we reach the door Louis pushes it open and what's sitting on the bed is another shock. He already bought me everything I need to house a rabbit.

"Now you don't have to spend any money on supplies. We made sure you'll have everything you'll need." He tells me.

I honestly feel like I'm about to cry. This is too much. Everything they've done is beyond words I can express. I don't deserve this kind of treatment. I shake my head as if to say that I can't except all of this, but Louis just continues to smile. "I was happy to do this, Vi. It was Clem's idea to get you a therapy animal, so the least I could do was help pay for all of this."

I can feel my eyes water as I come up and hug him one-handed while the other continues to hold Woody. I honestly can't thank all of them enough for all this. It means the world to me. But there's still one problem nagging me in the back of my mind...How am I supposed to keep him at home?

I have Louis drop me off at home with Woody in this carrying cage that they said he came in and the bag full of official registry stuff. I told him that I'd have to bring everything else over tomorrow because I still had to figure out how I was going to pull this off. Over course I didn't tell him the last part.

I can't let my dad see him. I don't know what he'll do if he finds out I now own a rabbit. He'll probably flip out saying how we have enough to deal with already and that it's only another mouth to feed. Honestly, like he's concerned about the rabbit when all he does is waste our money on alcohol. He doesn't even work, so it's not like he's paying for it. Not that I have to buy anything for him anyway, Louis already took care of that.

To be honest it would probably go either of two ways. Scenario A, my dad simply doesn't care and barely gives the rabbit a second glance, or scenario B, he flips his shit and tries to kill him. I'm too concerned about option B to even chance it, so I'm hoping I can just hide Woody in my room. Again, thank god they didn't get me a dog. That would have been a lot harder to conceal.

I'm stuck standing in the front yard wondering how I'm supposed to get him in the house without my dad noticing and I'm thinking I might have to bring him in through my bedroom window when I notice that my dad's old, RAM truck isn't in the driveway. But what's even more shocking is that my mom's white Prius is.

"Okay, that's odd."

Mom isn't supposed to be home this early and I can't remember the last time my dad left the house, so this is definitely strange. I mean should I risk it? I think it'd be a lot easier to break it to my mom than it would be to my dad. At least with her, I don't have to worry about her trying to kill the rabbit.

I take a deep breath hoping that what I'm about to do doesn't go up in smoke as I go to open the door. I step inside and gently close the door behind me. Indeed, my dad's not here, but I know I'm not going to be able to avoid this confrontation because my mom is standing right there in the kitchen as she looks over the mail. She's still in her work uniform because I can see her name tag that reads Stephany is still on her shirt.

I freeze because I'm not sure what to do, but I must have caught her eye because she looks up and notices me standing there. "Oh, Violet I didn't hear you come in." Then her attention drifts to the cage in my right hand and I see confusion and slight worry flash across her face. "What have you got there?"

I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear because I'm really not sure how to start this conversation. Is my mom going to be concerned that I need a therapy animal? Is she going to object it? I slide off my backpack and walk towards the small kitchen table that we own and set the cage down. I open the door with a squeak as the metal pinches together to unlock it then I pull out Woody who still wears his ESA vest and I hold him so that she can see.

My mom doesn't say anything but I can see confusion, worry, and slight alarm all swimming around in her eyes. I hold up a hand to tell her to wait and I go over to my backpack and pull out one of my journals and a pencil. Then I come back and as fast as I can write down an explanation.

"This is Woody. The therapy animal that my friends got me." I push the notebook across the counter for her to read but she still won't say anything and it's starting to concern me. I bite my lip nervously waiting for some kind of reaction.

It takes a few minutes for anything to happen until she snaps out of the trance she's in. "I-I don't understand. How-how did...Where did you...?"

I grab the bag containing the registry stuff and pull out a sheet that explains what an Emotional Support Animal is and the organization that Woody was registered from and I slide it across the table. Then I pull out the medal and the lanyard with the ID card and show it to her. Then lastly I write something else down in the journal.

"I didn't know I'd be bringing home a rabbit. My friends got him for me to help with my um...anxiety. He helps me feel...safe."

I hold Woody close to my chest because my heart starts racing, not knowing how she's going to react to what I wrote. Honestly, I think anyone would freak out if their child came home with some kind of therapy animal without their parents first knowing that they even needed one.

She reads this and I almost think she's about to cry as she brings a hand up to cover her mouth. "Oh, V-Violet. Do you really feel that way?"

I sink back into myself worried about what she's going to think as I nod. She hasn't yelled at me yet, so that's good, but I think she's a bit mortified that it's gotten so bad that I need a therapy animal to help me out. I'm honestly not proud about it either, but I can never seem to let my guard down while I'm at home and I'm hoping this will help with that like Clem said it would.

She looks at me then at the document on the counter then back and a serious, but saddened look overcomes her. "Honey, is this what you really want? Do you really think you need this?"

I'm a bit surprised by the question, but I hesitantly nod anyway. I do want this, and not just because my friends gave him to me, but because I honestly think this could be a good thing for me. I just hope my mom can see that too.

I hear her sigh as she looks over the sheet again. "Violet I don't know how we're going to be able to afford to keep him?"

I quickly shake my head at this and write down an explanation. "It's okay. I already have everything I need. We don't have to pay for anything, I promise. I just want to keep him, please. He's already paid for. Louis helped me buy everything."

I let her read this and I don't know if it's alarm or surprise that's written across her face. Maybe a bot of both. She looks over at me again and she keeps her eyes on Woody for a minute as she thinks it over. Then I hear her sigh again. "Well, he is pretty small...and pretty cute." She says as she reaches out to stroke his tiny ears. "Just don't let your father see him, alright?"

I let a smile overtake me as I realize she's letting me keep him. And even better she's keeping it a secret from dad as well. I mouth a thank you to her and I can see her smile at my excitement. "It's Woody, right?"

I nod at her question. And she pets him one last time. "I hope both of you can do each other some good. You know, I miss him too, Vi."

My gaze drifts towards the floor because I know what she's implying. Or more like who shes implying. She thinks this is because I miss Jackson, which is partially true. But she doesn't know it's also because I have trauma from getting abused. I've never told her and her husband Robert sure hasn't. But I'll just let her think that. As long as she's letting me keep Woody, I don't care what she's assuming this is from.

I take the moment of silence to point at her name tag and then the time on the oven clock to ask why she's home so early. "Oh, why I'm home already?" I nod and wait for her to explain. "There was a gas leak at work so they sent everyone home early." She explains.

Then I write my other question out because I can't really explain this just by pointing. I mean, I could try, but I'm not sure she'd understand. "Where's dad?"

She reads this and I see a displeased frown cross her face as she shakes her head. "He went to the store for more beer as always. If he's lucky maybe he'll get pulled over by the police for driving while intoxicated."

She says the last part more to herself than to me and I take that as my cue to leave before she starts ranting about it. So I simply nod in understanding and close my journal.

I shove all of my things back into the bag, put Woddy back into the cage, and grab my backpack. I'm about to leave and head to my bedroom when I get stopped by her words. "Violet...I love you and...I miss your voice."

I look away shyly because I'm not sure what to think of this. Those are words that are so foreign to me in this house. I never thought my mom really cared, but is it possible that she always has and she's just never home enough to be able to express it? I honestly don't know what to think at the moment. I feel like my box of emotions was just kicked over and now there all mixed up so I can't tell how I'm supposed to feel.

So I simply give a nod of the head and continue walking. I don't bother to look back to see my mom's reaction because I don't want to know if I'll feel guilty or not.