Gabriella looked at the time the next morning: 5:30am. She felt Lilliana move beside her and sighed, turning to face her little sister. "Liv, are you ok? You've been tossing all night." She nodded. "Are you tired?"

"No I don't want to sleep."

"You've barely slept all night." Lilliana shrugged so the teen sat up, turning to the girl. "Alright, if we're both awake and you don't want to go back to sleep, what would you like to do instead?"

"I wanna go home, I wanna go back to Denver."

Gabriella sighed. "You know we can't do that."

"Why? Mama and Papa are gone and you always looked after me. We can go back to our house."

"They sold our house Baby, that's why we had to go back and get our things. We have to stay here so you're back with your parents and your brothers."

"Troy and Jakie can come with us?" She offered shyly making the junior smile.

"That's sweet but they have to stay with their parents and so do you." Gabriella thought for a second. "How about we go out to the backyard and we can go in Troy and Jakie's treehouse?"

Lilliana bit her lip. "Can we go to the park instead?"

Gabriella nodded, hoping that their little outing would exhaust her sister enough to be able to get some sleep. "Sure Liv, how about we get dressed into some warmer clothes and we'll go to the park." They got dressed and put their jackets and shoes on before heading downstairs where Gabriella wrote a note in case they weren't back before anyone woke up. 'We couldn't sleep so we went to the park. Be back soon - Gabriella.'

The two girls walked the few streets over to the park where Lilliana immediately dragged her sister over to the monkey bars and flying fox. She played on the equipment for a while before taking her sister's hand and taking them up the ladder of the playground to the cubby by the slide. They sat in silence for a few seconds before the six-year-old spoke. "I didn't really want to come to the park, I didn't want to stay at Jack and Lucille's house."

"I know you're upset about last night Liv, they're just... they're just trying to be your parents and they want you to come to them."

"But I don't want to, I don't know them and they've been mean."

Gabriella nodded. "I know, they don't mean it, they just - they want to be your parents and it's hard for them, they're just trying their best."

Lilliana shrugged, climbing into her sister's lap. "I don't want to talk about them anymore, did you and Troy have fun at your party?"

"It was ok, there were some high school things that I think you're too young for me to tell you but Troy and I mostly spent time with our friends, we played truth or dare."

"What did you and Troy have to do?"

Gabriella smiled, loving how invested her sister would get into stories. "Well Troy had to tell a secret he'd never told anyone." Lilliana immediately questioned what it was. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" The little girl nodded excitedly. "Well he said that he didn't like basketball until he was 12."

She gasped making Gabriella laugh. "What was yours?"

Gabriella sighed jokingly. "I had to pick someone in the room I'd want to kiss." She laughed as her sister scrunched her nose. "And I told them Troy because I knew him the most."

"But don't your friends know Troy's your boyfriend?"

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Liv, you're the only one we've told because I tell you everything. Troy doesn't even know that you know, we thought it was better if we didn't tell anyone."

"But why?"

"Your parents wouldn't like it Sweet Girl, I doubt they'd think it's right for us to be together if we live in the same house and they wouldn't like you and Jakie seeing it. And we can't tell anyone at school because Jack works there and he could find out."

"But I think Jakie would be happy."

Gabriella smiled. "Maybe, I guess we'll know in a while when we tell him but promise me you won't tell anyone?"

Lilliana held her pinky out for a promise. "I promise Bria, I love you."

"I love you too Livie." Gabriella could see the exhaustion slowly setting in on her sister's face. "Alright Baby, come on, let's go back home now." Lilliana nodded and they climbed down the playground before Gabriella lifted her sister into her arms and carried her home. By the time they walked in, the little girl had fallen asleep and Gabriella quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake her. In the living room, Jack, Lucille and Troy were waiting for her. "Morning everyone."

"Morning?" Jack sneered. "Are you fucking kidding me? It's 6:30am and you're walking in the door with our daughter and that's all you have to say for yourself?"

Gabriella sighed. "Please keep your voices down, she's finally asleep. I left a note on the table, we went to the park."

Lucille spoke up. "You shouldn't be taking our daughter anywhere without our permission, especially not at random times of the day."

"Look I'm sorry that this has upset you, but I have been up with my sister all night, this is the first time she has slept because of the stress you put on her yesterday. I know you're trying to be her parents, I respect that and I'm trying to help her become more comfortable with you but you've been making it awfully difficult when I have to keep consoling her every time one of you has scared or upset her. I'm not going to apologise for taking her out, she was finally calm."

Jack responded uncaringly. "If we were to get anyone involved, you could be accused of kidnapping and you'd never see her again."

Gabriella choked on the lump in her throat and Troy immediately became defensive, zoning in on his father. "That is enough. How dare you? I don't want to hear you ever accusing her of that again. Gabriella has been caring for Lilliana for five years and I have sat there watching her comfort and reassure Lilly every time you scare her." He turned to both his parents. "I watched Gabriella with her last night, we came back and she was sobbing into her pillow and within a few minutes, Gabriella had her feeling calm and safe from the damage you caused so do not start making false accusations towards her because I will stand up for her and I can guarantee you that you will lose any small chance of having a relationship with Lilly."

Lucille responded dejectedly to Gabriella, not looking at her son. "Just please don't do this again, she's been taken from us once, we don't want it to happen again."

Gabriella shook her head. "You should know me enough by now that I would never do anything to hurt her and I only want what's best for her."

"So do we."

Gabriella let the rest be left unsaid as she carried her sister up to their room, Troy following behind her. She tucked Lilliana under the covers and kissed her forehead, whispering as she stroked her hair. "It's alright Baby, I promise, I'll always protect you. I love you every day to the end of the universe, sweet dreams Livie." She looked up at Troy and the boy could see the tears in her eyes, he gestured for her to come to him and pulled her into his lap, kissing her temple and telling her to 'let it out.' She broke down before she looked up at him fearfully once she had calmed down. "See I told you, they're gonna take her from me."

Troy shook his head. "No they won't Baby, I promise, I won't let them. I will always defend you. You have done nothing wrong and I will not let them hurt my girl or my little sister, it's gonna be fine Brie."

She leant up and pecked his lips. "Thanks Troy, I'm sorry I broke down like that."

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'll always be here for you, whether it's to defend you or comfort you or even if you just want a hug."

Gabriella smiled, "you're the best."

"You are too Brie."