A/N – "Thoughts"

Chapter 7 - Not So Happy Birthday

As Lizzie watched Todd walking around the room, packing for a business trip, she found herself getting more and more angrier. "Damn it Todd," Lizzie snarled, "Its her birthday."

"I know that," he snapped back, tired of this argument already. "But Becky is a big girl, besides she doesn't need me there to have a good time." Todd rationalized; at the very least it made sense in his head. "I bet she won't even notice me not there."

Lizzie glared at him, trying valiantly not to start screaming. "Not notice?" she asked rhetorically. "You're her father, of course she's gonna notice," Lizzie told him as she ran a hand through her hair. "You're gonna blow off your daughter's birthday for some stupid business trip you don't even have to go on?" she asked, her voice starting to get louder.

Todd rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes I had a choice but it'll look good for my career and us in the long run if I go and make sure the presentation goes smoothly. If we get this contract, it'll look very good for me which means it'll be good for us too."

"I am so tired of hearing about what's good or bad for your career! What am I supposed to tell her? Hell, what am I supposed to tell your parents?" Lizzie snapped at him. "I am sick of rearranging this family's schedule to fit around your stupid job. When was the last time you spent any time alone with your own daughter?" she asked sharply.

"Liz, I don't have,"

But Lizzie cut him off with a hand up, "When?" she shouted at him.

"Fine, I don't remember."

"That's my point. You may not act like it but the time you two spend together is important, especially to her. No matter what she says or does you are still her father and she needs you."

As Todd closed his suitcase, he sighed in defeat. "Alright," he said as he closed his suitcase. "I'll spend sometime with Becky, when I get back."

Lizzie stood there for a moment, glaring at him, "When you get back?" Turning hard on quickly on her heels, she violently flung the bedroom door open and stormed out of the room.

"What the hell?" Todd thought to himself. "Why can't she understand how important this is? I can't trust someone else with this presentation. This contract could be worth millions." Grabbing his suitcase, he walked out of the room and downstairs, "They'll understand that this is for the best interest of our family. I'm not doing it to them but for them. When I get that raise, I'll make it up to them."

The next day was Rebecca's birthday and her party. This party was more for family and friends of the family; her real birthday party was going to be next weekend with her friends. While it appeared to be a happy occasion, Rebecca could sense the tension buried deep down.

As Rebecca sat in the kitchen absentmindedly playing with a bowl of chips, she carefully watched her mother. Rebecca knew that she was pissed beyond belief at her father but was trying to hide it and not to damper the party or let her know that anything was wrong. Lizzie tried hard to shelter Rebecca from the bad side of her father; in Rebecca's eyes, Lizzie wanted Todd to have almost no faults. But it was hard, cause she did see the reality all too often.

She watched as Gordo walked up to her, said something, and then the two of them walked off into another room. "They're prolly gonna talk about Dad. I hate it when he piss Mom off so bad."

Getting up, she slowly made her way into the living room. Standing in the doorway, she watched her Uncle Matt trying to wrangle in her cousins, six-year-old Dana and four year old Sara. They were troublemakers from birth, having instinctively learned how to get into as much trouble as possible from their parents. Rebecca remembered Grandma McGuire saying, "Its karma that he now as kids that were exactly like him and its fitting that they are two girls."

"You ok?" a voice asked behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her Aunt Melina looking curiously at her. Putting on a fake smile, "Yea, I'm fine. Just watchin Uncle Matt trying to keep Dana and Sara from demolishing the living room." After breaking up and going to separate colleges, Melina and Matt had bumped into each other a few years ago and almost instantly started dating again. Almost a year after they hooked back up, they eloped to Vegas and were married.

Not really buying her niece's answer, Melina decided it was better not push any further, at least for the time being. Nodding a little, Melina walked past her and into the living room.

Rebecca smiled sadly as she watched her cousins come rushing over to their mother and Melina playfully teasing Matt. Walking away, she slowly made her way out to the backyard. She saw both sets of grandparents, her aunts, uncles, and cousins from her dad's side, Miranda, the Crafts, and even the Tudgemans. Of course her best friends were there too.

Jo was the first one to see her. "How's the birthday girl? How's it feel to be seventeen?" she asked as she crushed her granddaughter in a bear hug.

"Fine Grandma," Rebecca said as she tried to breathe. "For such a small woman, she has a vice like grip."

"Having fun honey?" Sam asked as he pried his wife off their granddaughter.

"Yea. It's a great party," she answered putting the fake smile back on.

"It a shame your father had to take that business trip," Sam said and Jo glared at him for a second as she cleared her throat.

Rebecca couldn't help but notice a slight edge to her grandfather's voice when he talked about her father. It was something she was noticing more and more from the McGuire side of her family; they weren't exactly thrilled with how they perceived Todd was treating his family. Rebecca was confused about it; on one hand, he was her father, but on the other, she was starting to agree.

As the party was winding down and almost everyone had left, Rebecca sat on the patio steps in the back of the house. She was starring at a beer she was holding that she had swiped when no one was looking.

"Hey," Jason said as he sat down next to her. Noticing the beer, he took out of her hands and opening it, took a drink.

"Since when did you start drinking?" she asked sarcastically as she watched Jason grimace and turn his head to spit it out on the ground.

Tossing the almost full can into a nearby trashcan, "Same time you did," he shot back. He looked at her curiously, "You alright?" She was about to give him the same answer she had given all day, but he cut her off. "And don't give me that bullshit you've been saying all day. I know you." Rebecca shut her mouth and just shrugged.

"Its your dad, isn't it?" Jason asked. Rebecca looked down at the ground and fidgeted with her hands. Jason closed his eyes and tried to figure out what his next step should be.

"I could really care less that he blew off my party but...its like it's becoming a habit. I think I've seen him like twice in the past two weeks," Rebecca told him. Slowly looking over at Jason, "Isn't the kid supposed to not hang out with the parents, not the other way round."

Jason just shrugged, when Rebecca or Amanda started getting really emotional over stuff, Jason got nervous and was never really sure what to do. He became self conscious, which often got him into trouble and a bigger problem.

"I mean can't he see what he's doing?" she asked, her voice cracking a little. "Can't he see what he's doing to my mom? He's hurting her, she hides it well but I can tell its there."

While she wasn't crying, Jason could tell she was really upset. Cautiously reaching out, he wrapped an arm around him. He was startled a little when Rebecca moved closer and leaned into him. Sighing softly, he tightened his hold on her. "Now what the hell do I do?"

Moments later, Amanda walked through the back door outside onto the patio. He found Jason holding Amanda closely and it caused an all too familiar jealous feeling inside her. "Cut it out. They're just friends. Besides, it's not like you and Jason are anything other than friends either."

"Hey guys. What's going on?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.

Jason looked up at her, "Hey. Uh," he stuttered, not really sure what to tell her.

"Hey," Rebecca said. "Its nothin, Jason was listening to me bitch about some stuff."

"Bec," Jason started but Rebecca cut him off.

"Its alright, I'm fine now," she told him.

Shaking his head, "Been friends with them my whole life and I still can't figure them out." Standing up, "Well than, I'm going inside."

When Jason left, Amanda took his spot next to her on the steps. Rebecca snickered, "You've got the look again," she teased. Amanda quickly looked away. "You know you shouldn't be jealous of me. I'm the one who should be jealous of you."

"Why?"

Rebecca sighed and leaned back against the higher step. "Cause you're not an only child, your dad is actually involved in your life," she paused, smirked, and looked back towards the door, "and you're gonna get the guy."

"I guess. But sometimes, it isn't all its cracked up to be," Amanda told her.

"Neither is being popular," Rebecca snickered, "Sometimes, I think about what if I could go into the past and change something and then see how it would play out now."

"What would you change?"

"I'd go back to when our parents were our age and I'd make sure that my mom and Gordo never broke up. They'd stay together and after college get married. I'd be their second child. I'd have an older sister and a younger brother," Rebecca said as she told Amanda her dream.

"What about Jason?" Amanda asked.

"He'd still be here, just a little different. Miranda would marry someone else and they'd have Jason. Instead of Gordon, he'd be umm, Jason Vasquez," she said with a small giggle.

"It's a good dream, I guess," Amanda said.

Rebecca snickered, "Don't worry, its just a dream. I like Jason just the way he is too," she than quickly added, "Just a little differently." When Amanda glared at her, she just laughed. Even though she tried to laugh it off and liked teasing Amanda about it, she was jealous that not just a guy like Jason liked her, but that Jason himself liked her.

"Wanna go see if there's any cake left?" Rebecca asked.

"With Jason in there, I doubt it," Amanda joked and they both laughed.

As the girls got up and walked back inside, Rebecca tried hard to push her father's no show out of her mind. Instead, she'd focused on the good stuff. Her grandparents had given her a lot of cool stuff, her mom had promised that just the two of them would go to the spa tomorrow, and her friends were here and they always made her smile. But still, it was hard to ignore her father's missing presence.