A.N.: This chapter is dedicated to kittykatangel518 for being the first to review to my last chapter. I would also like to give a special thanks to Anywien and nikki007 for reviewing to every chapter up to now. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had to finish Loose Ends first.

kittykatangel518: Sorry, but I wanted the rest of the story to have an older Kat who could talk and make decisions for herself. I didn't want to make Jess so old, but it was necessary.

nikki007: Thanks so much for the review.

Zelina: funny, thanks for the review.

iluvmybeagle: Thanks for being so understanding.

CeeCeeCaffeine: Have I ever mentioned that I love your reviews? I'm a spoon though? But I wanna be a fork! No fair. I don't have any more fig newton's though. Darn. And I wouldn't actually threaten my reviewers. That's not fun.

Smiley0925: Yeah, it will be. I can't wait to write it.

Anywien; Yeah, I wish my mother was cool like that, but alas, I don't have a mother. And you got mentioned in an A.N. again, how does that feel?

Missy Moose: Thanks so much for the review. Your idea isn't plagiarizing, but I would still totally want to be your beta. Only because I want to read the story first. I wanna be special. I never get to be special. Lol. Thanks for asking, I can't wait to read it.

SingingSoftly: I can't promise the whole not killing someone. I have no idea what my fingers will type. You never know with me. And you never know if the ending will be a happy one or not.

Dragonfly: Your review came in three times. It was kinda amusing. Yeah, I would love to see Rob and Jess get back together, but it would be great if they didn't too, you know? Thanks so much for saying I'm a great writer.

monkeyAml: Sorry, I tried to make it as unconfusing as I could. No, Jess walked in on Rob in the act of cheating on her when she came to tell him that she was pregnant. The person he did it with is unknown at this point in time.

SUPERSEXY1: …Thanks.

1800iRock: Thanks for the compliment and I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I have work and finals lately. But school is over now. So I can write!

Good To Be Home

Someday

I knew that this was going to happen at some point. I just had hoped it wouldn't have come so soon. She was only fifteen! But then again, when I was fifteen I had already been beating up football players.

I sighed, "Okay, we'll go to meet your father."

She grinned hopefully and said, "Awesome, when are we leaving?"

"We can leave as soon as I call Nina. Go pack while I talk."

I dialed the number for Nina's house and Jesse answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Is Nina around?" He heard the slight shake in my voice that I had finally let come through when Kat left the room. I didn't want her to know that I had feared this day her entire life, but my nightmare was coming to life in front of my eyes. Whoever said that nightmares couldn't come true was dead wrong.

Nina came on the phone a minute later. Evidently, Jesse had told Nina that there was something wrong with me. "Jay? What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nina, Kat wants to go meet her father." My breath was coming in short ragged spurts. I needed to calm down but the panic was sending me into overdrive.

"Oh my God! How are you dealing with it?" I could hear the kids running around in the background and Jesse trying to calm them down.

"I'm going back Nina. For her. And for me I guess. I haven't been back in a few years, and I haven't seen him in thirteen. I would rather not see him again. I mean, you remember what happened the last time I say him. What am I saying? I can't see him again! Oh, what am I going to do?" I rambled. I tend to do that when I'm nervous or scared about something.

"Do you want me to come with you guys?"

"No, just do that paperwork while I'm gone and I'll be back soon enough." I gave a heavy sigh. "Wish me luck."

"Jay, you don't need luck. Sweetie, you need a miracle. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

I put the phone back on the charger and slowly turned around to go into my bedroom to pack. Kat was standing in the doorway obviously eavesdropping on our conversation. "Do you hate my dad that much?" She had tears in her eyes. She wasn't letting them fall, and I was somewhat proud of her for that.

"Kat, it's not like that. I'll explain everything to you in the car. We'll leave in the morning." I stood in front of her and kissed her forehead. "And I don't hate your father. To tell you the truth: I love him, even now. Get to bed missy, pronto."

I hardly slept that night at all. I just couldn't shake the feeling that Kat was going to choose him over me. If only she knew how much she meant to me. If she stays with Rob, I don't know what I would do. She's been the one thing that's kept me alive these past sixteen years.

Kat was eager to leave the next morning. She even woke me out of my fitful sleep at seven in the morning. I had forgotten there was a seven in the morning. Let's just say I was a bit grumpy for the first hour in the car.

"Mom, why did you leave Indiana? I mean, why didn't you stay with your parents?"

I paused to think how I could explain it. "My parents-your grandparents-wouldn't have liked me being pregnant before I even graduated high school. And on top of that, I didn't want your father knowing I was pregnant for reasons you already know."

She nodded and took a sip of her diet coke. "Do they know about me now?"

I nodded. "I came back to Indiana when you were two. I doubt you even remember it, but you did meet them."

She looked out her window, my guess so she wouldn't have to look at me when she asked her next round of questions, "Have I ever met him? Why don't you want him to know about me?"

"Yes, you have met him, but he doesn't know that you're his daughter. And I don't want him to know about you because…well, mostly because he hurt me so bad that I thought he didn't deserve you. I know it's hard, sweetie. Not growing up with a father, I mean. I've tried my best. I only hope that it was good enough. When I was growing up, my mother used to make us matching dresses and my dad said that if I was good and wore them and everything, he would buy me a motorcycle when I turned eighteen."

"What happened?" Her light brown hair was blowing in the breeze and I could almost see myself in her face for a minute there.

"I left before I turned eighteen, your uncles got things on their eighteenth birthdays. Your uncle Doug got a car and your uncle Mike got a computer with a shitload of computer stuff to go with it." I sighed.

"Do you miss them?"

This almost seemed like twenty questions, except more questions on her part and less on mine. "Sometimes. But then I think of the life I have now, with you, and I think that this is so much better."

"Tell me about my uncles."

So I did. I told her about everyone back in Indiana. Everyone from my family, to Rob's family, to my friends at Chicks'.

I finally saw the sign for my hometown. I can't believe that Kat was back with me. "We're here." I said quietly. So quietly, I thought that she might not have heard it.

I went straight to the place that felt like my sanctuary for the last year I was here. The place where I felt like I belonged and nothing could ever happen to me.

I entered the building with Kat in tow. The smoky air was actually a relief to my senses. The bartender looked at us as we walked in and said, "Hey, no one allowed in under eighteen. You gotta leave young lady."

"Aw, come on Chick. She's with me." I walked closer to him so he could see my face through the icky atmosphere of the bar.

At the sound of my voice, the entire bar went quiet and the only sound was that coming out of the jukebox. "Mastriani?"

I touched my face, breasts, and butt with my hands and said, "Yep, I think it's me."

A lot of men from one of the booths came over to greet us. "It's good to see you again Mastriani." I was enveloped in a huge group hug. And the sad part was that I really didn't mind it all that much. A few tears even escaped my eyelids and started running down my cheeks.

Chick came around the counter and said, "So, what brings you back to Indiana, little lady?"

I paused, "Kat wanted to meet her father."

They all looked over at Kat and Hank whistled, "don't you look so pretty all grown up."

I laughed, "Don't get any ideas you guys, she's my daughter and still fifteen." I only said that to ease Kat's mind. From the expression on her face, I could tell that she didn't really like my friends.

"Um, Kat these are some of my old friends. Are you hungry? We can have something to eat before we go over there."

She shook her head and sat down on one of the stools.

"Did I tell you that you still look ultra hot?" Greg put his arm around my waist and swung me around the room for a few seconds while I had a good laugh.

"So, Jess, how are you handling the whole coming back to finally tell Rob the truth thing?" Kat had finally got something to eat and we were sitting down in the booth squished together. She had really warmed up to my friends. She was laughing and having a really good time. I was too.

At least, until I looked at my watch and saw that it was already six in the evening. "Kat, we have to go."

She whined, "Oh, come on Mom, can't we stay a little longer?"

I wanted to cave, I really did. But we needed to go. "No, we have to go. We'll be back before we leave. I promise. Well, that's if you don't choose your father over me." I muttered the last sentence to myself. I didn't want her to hear my concern. But, Hank and Greg heard loud and clear. They gave me looks that obviously said: you-think-she-would-choose-him-over-you.

"I'll be back, I promise." I hugged everyone individually and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

"If you need anything, just remember that we're here for you."

When we got into the car, Kat said with awe, "I love your friends. They are so awesome. I can't wait to go back." She paused and looked at me enthusiastically, "When are we going back?"

I shrugged uncomfortably and said, "That all depends on you."

She nodded and silently looked out her window.

"I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm just saying that it's between me and your father here. You can choose either one of us. I just…don't want to lose you. And your father is a good man, and it's your choice."

"You don't think I'm ready to make it?" Her words sounded harsh to even my own ears.

"No, no, no, no. I just don't want you to make a decision that will ultimately suck." The silence after that was almost deafening.

It was a good thing that it wasn't too much longer until we reached Rob's old house. The silence was making me crazy. Rob himself didn't live there anymore, he moved out over ten years ago, but I needed to see some people before I could see him.

I knocked on the door and waited for the one person who was the best mother I could have ever asked for. "Jessie, oh my God, Jessie! You came back!"

She hadn't even bothered to hold in her tears. They were streaming down her face when she pulled me in a hug. "Yeah, it's me Mom. And it's good to see you again too." And to tell you the truth, I had tears coming out of my eyes too.

A.N.: I decided to stop there. I could have made this chapter longer, but I really need to get working on my other stories too. Do me a favor and review, please?

I just need to ask you guys a question, well actually three questions:

1.Do you guys want Kat to stay with Jess or Rob?

2.Should Rob be married already?

3.What do you think: should Jess get back together with Rob? (Only if no to Number Two)