Author's Note: To answer questions about my Wilmington trip you guys asked about...it was really nice. Got to see a lot of OTH landmarks like Lucas' famous bridge, Karen's Cafe,and the outside of the school. Got to go to the club where Brucas had their first date and where Brooke told Nikki that Jake and Jenny had gone to Seattle. Also got to cruise the localclubs and drink a lot of alcohol, lol! Toured the Screen Gems Studio and saw the set. Walked through the Scott living room and touched the same furniture Paul Johansson (dreamy sigh) gets to sit on. Saw Scott kitchen, Rowe kitchen, Karen and Lucas bedrooms, Whitey's office, locker rooms (where Jagielski was spelled Jagilskie) and the WB memorabilia room where the Matlock and Dawson's Creek stuff is. Overall good time and I can't wait to go back. Hope to get down thereone more time before the October charity game.

On the story side of this, thanks as always for the reviews, especially Belle. Aren't you a fiesty, cute little thing, lol? Thanks for the nice words. Glad you're enjoying this...

Jake watched the Field Hockey practice with nervous fatherly pride. Jenny was a natural athlete…strong and quick. She dominated on the field, a focused, competitive tomboyish beauty who aggressively kept on the offense as her long blonde ponytail swayed in the breeze. The team as a whole had gotten much better and he was just glad to be there to see his little girl captain them to hopefully another victory. Shortly after six p.m. practice ended and the coaches dismissed the girls. Jake stood, watched and waited as Jenny grabbed her bag.

"Good job out there", he smiled.

"Thanks", she mumbled, not looking at him. "Can I get a ride home with Amy?"

Jake narrowed his eyes.

"Jen, I came to practice and I was hoping we'd get to hang out a little bit. I was gonna take you home, maybe stop for some ice cream on the way."

"I'd rather go with the Coopers", she said.

Jake sighed. Although it was sometimes hard to say no to his daughter, it was time to exercise some of that tough love Peyton had been talking about.

"Sorry, Jen. If it's okay with Mrs. Cooper, you can go over to their house after practice tomorrow. But for now I'd like for is to hang out together."

"Whatever."

Jenny rolled her eyes and stalked over to the Tahoe. She opened the back door and threw her things inside, hopping into the front seat and slamming the door. Jake just shook his head as he climbed into the driver's side.

"You hungry?" he asked after a few miles.

"No."

"Come on. You have to be hungry. You must want something to eat. We could stop and get a burger or some pizza…"

"I said I'm not hungry."

"Okay, how about some ice cream then?"

Jenny sighed loudly and dramatically.

"No. I do not want ice cream either."

She had been in a mood ever since that incident with Teezer. What little progress Jake had been making with her was now seeming to backtrack at an alarming pace. She was angrier and more sullen than ever and as soon as the large SUV pulled into the driveway, she jumped out and grabbed her things, heading inside and up to her room.

"Jenny, wait", Jake called out, practically running after her.

"What?"

"Sit down. We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk", she folded her arms.

He sighed.

"I'm sure you don't but we're going to anyway. Have a seat and I'm going to heat up some of those hot wings you like so much and you and I are going to have dinner together."

"Whatever", she dropped her things on the floor and collapsed into the chair.

Jake pulled a bag of frozen barbecue wings from the deep freezer and tossed them onto a skillet. Along with French Fries, he made two plates, grabbed a beer and a juice box and motioned for his reluctant daughter to follow him outside onto the back patio.

Jenny sat across from him, picking at the food on her plate as she took a nibble ever so often.

"So…how's school?" he stalled.

Jenny rolled her eyes.

"It's school. It ain't freaking Disney World."

"How are you doing in class? Didn't you have a Spelling test today?"

"Yeah."

"How'd you do?"

"I passed", she muttered. "I only got three wrong."

"That's good", he smiled, happy at the sign of any good news. "And things are going okay with the team?"

"Yes", she answered, obviously growing more and more exasperated.

"What about here?"

"What about it?"

"You like it here? This is your home, Jen. Are you happy here?"

"It's okay", she answered under her breath.

"What about me?"

"You're okay, I guess, when you're around. You're just getting on my nerves now."

Jake chuckled a bit, although he was disturbed by the fact that she mentioned "when you're around".

"And Peyton?"

"I still don't like her."

Jake sighed.

"Why not?"

Jenny shrugged.

"For a bunch of different reasons, I guess. I don't know. I just don't, okay?"

"Okay. Listen, I can't make you like her. I know we've had this talk before but it would really help if you gave her a chance. Peyton loves you a lot and she's trying really hard."

"Why are you trying to convince me to like her when right now you don't?"

"What?"

"I'm not stupid, you know. I heard you guys fighting a while back and you've barely spoken since. You're pissed at her so why are you trying to sell her to me?"

"Jenny, I'm sorry you had to hear that. Grown ups don't always get along and yeah sometimes people argue. But Peyton and I are okay now. It was just a stupid fight."

"Whatever."

"She's not so bad and I think deep down inside you know that. Why don't you guys hang out sometime, just the two of you? I know she'd love that. Maybe you could go shopping."

Jenny pretended to gag.

"I'm not the mallrat type. Besides, Peyton likes hanging out with Amanda."

The last sentence came out with more emotion than the girl meant it to and that was not lost on Jake. It almost sounded like jealousy.

"That must be rough on you."

"I don't care."

"You like Amanda?"

"No. She's a bitch."

"Look, I know Peyton and I didn't ask your opinion before Amanda moved in and that probably wasn't fair. I'm sorry. Your opinion does matter around here. But the point is Amanda is here and we don't know for how long but she's been through a lot. We're just trying to keep her safe until she can find a nice, permanent home. You understand that, don't you?"

Jenny shrugged.

"I don't really give a shit."

Jake took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes.

"Okay. If that's how you feel I guess I can't change that. I can't make you like Peyton or Amanda but you do have to respect them. That's just the way it has to be. Every single day I deal with people I don't like and I have to do things I don't want to do. That's life, Jen. I'm sorry. But maybe things would be better and time would go by faster if you changed your attitude and tried to be a little nicer."

"Fine. Can I be excused?"

"No. No, you cannot be excused. I'm not finished yet. Jenny, there are things we need to talk about. I know I'm not around very much and I can't help that. It's part of my job. When the off season comes, I promise we'll spend more time together and I can take you places and do things with you but until then, when I'm gone Peyton is in charge. And she's here for you just like she's here for Amanda and for me."

"Okay."

Jake sighed.

"I…I don't know how to tell you this. Uh, your mother called when I was away in Indiana."

Jenny tapped her fork against her plate.

"What did Nikki want?"

"She, um…she's not coming back…at least for a long, long while."

"Figures."

"That means that this is your home now. You're going to be living with Peyton and me. It would go a lot smoother if you just accepted that and adjusted. Whatever we can do to make it easier or better, just let us know. We do love you. We're your family."

"Alright. Now can I be excused?"

"Talk to me, Jen", he pleaded softly. "Tell me how you feel about that."

"It's fine, okay? What do you want me to say? I'm cool with it and it's not like I have another choice if I wasn't. I'm stuck with you guys. When you aren't bugging the crap out of me, like I said, you're pretty cool most of the time. And I get it, when your stupid season is over, we'll go party with Mickey Mouse and Shamu and fish everyday and shoot hoops in the backyard. Okay. Whatever makes you feel better. And I have to be nice to Peyton and try to be her friend even though I can't stand her. Whatever. But I can't be like Amanda all the time. I can't be Miss Pretty or Miss Perfect and I'm not gonna idolize that douche friend of yours Brooke and I'm not gonna follow Haley and Peyton around like a puppy. I don't smile, I don't like to talk and I don't have that Mary Lou Retton bubbly personality."

"Okay. That's fine. No one is expecting you to change who you are inside but this angry tough kid…I don't buy it, Jen. It's not you. I just wanted you to know you can let down your guard and be yourself with us. You can trust me."

"I don't trust anyone. You know that. No hard feelings but that's how you get screwed."

It killed Jake to hear her say that.

"Is that what Nikki taught you?"

Jenny looked away.

"I taught myself", she replied softly.

"Remember how I told you that I missed you all these years and I looked for you? That's true. But did you ever ask her about me?"

"I don't know", Jenny shrugged uncomfortably.

"What did she say? Jen, what did Nikki tell you when you asked where I was."

"I don't know."

"Jenny…"

"She said you were off shacking up and doing your thing with Peyton."

Jake frowned. Now the missing pieces of the puzzle were starting to finally fit together.

"Peyton? So is that what all this is about? Did Nikki tell you I wasn't around because I chose Peyton over you?"

"It's stupid. I don't care. It doesn't matter."

"Well, I care and it matters to me. That's not the truth. All I've ever wanted was to protect you. I know no matter what Nikki is still your mom and you love her. I never wanted to talk bad about her but there are things that happened, things she did before and after you were born that just weren't right. That's why I had custody of you. When Nikki came back, I didn't want her around you until she got herself together. By then I was with Peyton but Peyton never came between me and your mother. And Peyton loved you and she helped me take care of you. She sacrificed a lot for you and we were happy once. I never wanted that to end. But Nikki took you from us even though a judge told her not to."

Jenny stared at the floor.

"Why didn't you stop her then?" she asked in a small voice.

"I couldn't. At first the court order was on her side and I hid you and I was in jail. By the time everything got reversed, she had already found you and she skipped town before the trial date."

"You went to jail…because of me?"

"Yes. To protect you and I'd do it a hundred times over again."

"And Peyton was there?"

"She was there for me the whole time. She really helped out with everything. She helped with the legal stuff and before that. We lived in her house with her and she took care of you…rocked you to sleep every night. And when you were sick and I didn't have any money, she took you to the doctor."

"She did?"

It was obvious a very different portrait of Peyton had been painted earlier for Jenny to see and the artist was none other than Nikki.

"Yes. She's a good person, no a great person with a big, beautiful heart. She has a lot of love to give and there's room for you, me and Amanda."

"Peyton likes Amanda better."

"No, she doesn't. Just give her a chance, Jen. Promise me that? At least try to make some sort of effort. Please."

Jenny didn't speak but she half nodded and took another bite of food. Jake smiled and rubbed her arm as he took a well needed and deserved swig of beer before going to clear the dishes. Her father's words rewound over and over again in her head about everything as she sat in the living room. A few minutes later, a key turned in the lock and Peyton and Amanda returned home.

"Hey, Jenny", Amanda smiled sweetly.

"Hey", Jenny muttered.

Amanda went upstairs as Peyton fumbled with some things in the downstairs office. Taking a deep, nervous breath, Jenny pulled the folded Spelling test from her bag and walked to the door.

"Hey, Peyton", she said.

Peyton looked up.

"Hey, Jenny. How was practice?"

"Fine. Um, here. I passed my Spelling test today", she handed her the exam.

Peyton looked over it.

"Good job. Did you show your dad? I'm very proud of you."

"I…"

"Peyton!" Amanda bounded downstairs. "I…oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh it's no interruption", Peyton responded. "What's up?"

"I just found that magazine we were talking about and I wanted to show you that picture."

"Okay. I'll be right up."

Amanda smiled and headed back up to her room.

"What were you saying?" Peyton asked when they were alone again.

Jenny sighed and folded the paper.

"Um, that's it. I just wanted to show you."

"Okay."

"I guess I'll see you later."

"See you", Peyton had already turned her back.

Jenny grabbed her books and drug everything up to her room. She balled up the Spelling test and tossed it in the trash can. So much for a little effort.