Author's Note: Okay, this is saccharine sweet so be warned. It also violates the No Mary Sue fan fiction law, but i couldn't resist. Also, I've updated Chapter 8. Mostly added some minor details - about 3 paragraphs worth, but the basics are the same.

Thanks for the beta, FredSmith!
Thanks for reading and commenting, everybody!

Epilogue

The lights were turned off but the candles on the cake lit up the little girl's face. She flushed as her family and friends gathered around singing 'Happy Birthday'. She was six today, well, really yesterday but she'd had to go to school yesterday and everyone had had to work because it was Friday. Saturdays were better for parties because you could start earlier and everyone could stay later for dinner. Today they were having her favorites: empañadas, Pad Thai, and pizza.

She ripped open the package next to her, ignoring the card, when she noticed her dad's frown. He was good at that, telling her stuff like 'read the card and say thank you' without saying a word. But she knew he wasn't really mad. If he was, she would feel him get even more quiet and sad like she disappointed him. But her dad was so not sad lately; Mia was hanging around all the time. There had always been pretty ladies who wanted to be friends with her dad, but this time her dad asked Louisa if Mia Hsu could hang out with them more. Mia was okay, they played Barbie together and she let her put on makeup when Dad went to school at night. She had long black hair and was pretty in a different way and talked really fast in a funny way on the phone to her family. Her dad said it was Chinese. He also said he would always have a place for her in his heart; it just grew bigger to fit them both.

The present was a comic book of her as Bronca Baby, a regular kid sometimes and a bronco who could gallop super-duper fast to help hurt bunnies in the forest or gave rides to lonely children other times. Uncle Seth wrote real books for work, but he gave her a Bronca Baby comic book every birthday and Chrismukkah. Uncle Seth kissed her and she thanked him. He was her funny uncle; most of the time she didn't know what he was saying but she laughed with him anyways because he always played games she liked and took her sailing. She didn't really, really like normal comic books that much but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She loved Misty of Chincoteague and How Does It Work books best. She put the present away so it wouldn't get wrinkled and she didn't want her friends from school to think she was a baby. Her family just didn't get that she was big now. But Aunt Summer whispered to her that she would go shopping with her tomorrow. She made fancy dresses for famous people and knew the coolest places.

The next present was huge – she guessed new riding boots. She opened the card and looked for her Tio Turo to smile a 'thanks' to. He was still in his driver's uniform and laughing with Gramps. She was glad he could make it home in time for the party. He went away for weeks sometimes but they always had a special day together when he came back. Tio Turo remembered when she was born, and even when her mother was born! He told the best stories about her mother when she was a little girl.

But her favorite story that he told was about Gramps, Tio, and her dad when she was a little baby. She made him tell it over and over because he told it in so many different ways. The story starts right after her mom died and the police were worried about her. Gramps stood up really tall and made a smart speech about how nice Tio Turo and her dad were. Sometimes in the story Gramps yells and hits his hand against the judge's table and made them listen to Tio Turo and her dad. Then everyone just knew they should be allowed to live together. That was the probly the truest way to tell the story because in real life Gramps is super smart and goes to court and helps good people. Other times Tio changed the story so that the police came with guns but Tio and her dad stood in front of the house and wouldn't let them in – the bullets couldn't hurt them! Tio had a whole bunch more ways to tell the story but those were her favorites. Tio only moved out last year when he met her new Tia Anita. She got to be the flower girl, and wear a fancy dress and everything.

The next package was small, but she knew better than to think it wasn't as nice. It was a beautiful necklace. Her grandparents had lots of money but her dad said that that wasn't the important thing. She knew he was right but it sure was a nice thing to go to their big mansion and swim in the pool, and order anything for dinner over the phone. She went there on the weekends or overnight when her dad had a big test or he and Mia wanted to go away where kids weren't allowed. A few times when she came home with expensive presents from her grandma, her dad would get all red and ask me to go to my room so he could talk to her alone. Then, it was no new toys or dresses for a long, long time.

Her dad worked for Kiki - that's what she called her grandma, and only she was allowed to call her that – just like only her dad could call her Louie even though Tio Turo didn't like it. Kiki said when Louisa called her 'Kiki' it reminded Kiki of her father that died; Kiki's father made up the nickname. Kiki and her father used to do what Kiki and Louisa's dad did now - build tall buildings in Newport and small but nice houses in Chino together. Sometimes she got to wear her hardhat and go with them to make sure the buildings were built right. Kiki and her dad were always so excited when they talked about work together and sometimes they would forget she was there. But she didn't mind because she liked to see them happy.

She tore through the rest of the presents from her friends, making sure to thank each person. Everyone was finishing their cake and going in different directions now. But her dad came over to give her a birthday kiss. It was her birthday and she was the luckiest girl in the world because her family was the best in the world.

If only she had her own pony…