Chapter 1- Criteria
Ella rolled out of bed, scowling at the clock. She hated Mondays. She showered, dressed, and made sure her hair and makeup were flawless. Slowly walking down the stairs, she was sickened by the scent of bacon cooking. She had told her father time and again that she didn't eat "food with a face". Besides, it was too early to eat. She just needed a cup of coffee. But Sonny insisted on cooking breakfast for his family. Ella knew that it was just one of his many ways of compensating for Carly's institutionalizing. It may have worked on Morgan, but she and Michael remained unconvinced.
Ella generally got along with her brothers. Sure, the three of them fought, but they always got through it. Especially now that they lacked a mother. Michael and Morgan relied on Ella to provide the basic motherly needs that they required, and she tried her best to rise to the occasion. Sonny and Jason had long talks about this. They didn't want Ella to miss out on her teenage years because she was playing mom to her brothers. But Ella was determined, and nothing that Sonny or Jason did convinced Ella to just be a kid.
Ella kissed her brothers and father good morning before pouring herself a cup of coffee. She was still quiet, and Sonny sighed as he looked at her. He knew that this was so hard for her. Ella had never had a stable family life, and now that she finally did, it was being snatched away from her.
"You need a ride to school?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Ah, no. Lulu's driving me" she said quietly.
"You feeling ok?" Sonny asked.
"I'm just tired" she answered as she finished her coffee in one big gulp, and Sonny knew that she wasn't just referring to her lack of sleep.
"Good morning Corinthos'! I see you've provided me with the perfect breakfast to start my day off with" said Lulu as she entered the kitchen with a flourish.
"Lesley didn't cook for you?" asked Sonny with a grin.
"Her cooking has nothing on yours Sonny, you know that" said Lulu with a grin as she took her place at the kitchen table.
Whenever Sonny cooked breakfast, Lulu always made herself at home. But no one minded. Although some found her rambunctious and bratty, Sonny knew that Lulu was a sweet girl at heart. She was just rebelling against Luke's abandonment. And Sonny knew what it was like to be abandoned by your father.
Ella brushed one lock of her dark brownish red hair off of her face and sighed.
"Are Jason and Sam coming over for dinner?" she asked Sonny.
"Yeah, I think so" answered Sonny.
"Great, Jason can help me with my history project" she said.
Sonny knew that she was just trying to make him feel better about the real reason that Ella wanted Jason to come over. Truthfully, Ella couldn't talk to Sonny like she could talk to Jason. He had been her father for the first five years of her life, and the two had an unbreakable bond. But Sonny didn't mind. He loved his daughter and he just wanted her to be able to talk to someone. He knew that Ella just needed to cry it out on Jason's shoulder, and then she could go back to her normal self.
"We should go, we're gonna be late" said Ella as she looked at the clock. "Bye dad, bye Mikey, bye Morgan" she said as she gave them all kisses goodbye and left with Lulu, who still had a piece of bacon in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.
Ella opened her locker and took out her books as Lulu did the same next to her.
"So, who's the flavor of the week?" asked Ella as she watched Lulu check out every single guy who walked by.
"I am so done with high school guys" Lulu told her as she rolled her eyes and popped her gum. "College guys- now that's where the gold is"
"Have you ever considered settling down with one guy?" asked Ella.
"The fact that you would even suggest something as prudent as that makes me worry that you don't know me at all" sighed Lulu with another roll of her eyes.
"Oh, I know you all right. Sorry, dumb suggestion" said Ella as she held up her hands defensively.
"So, how bout you?" asked Lulu as the girls started to walk towards their first period class.
"How bout her for what?" asked Georgie as she joined the girls.
"We were just discussing Ella's boyfriend. Or lack thereof" she said mockingly.
"I'm just looking for the right guy" protested Ella.
"I can see where she's coming from" said Georgie.
"Yeah, that's because you're practically married. Why be tied down to one guy? We are so young. And even once we're old, there's no fun in devoting your attention entirely to one man"
"Maybe so, but I have criteria" said Ella with a small smile.
"Criteria? Dear god, save us all" mocked Lulu.
"Criteria are a good thing. Never settle" assured Georgie.
"Let me guess these criteria. Tall, kinda nerdy, cares more about talking then sex, is willing to give you those annoying little forehead kisses, calls you all the time, devotes his entire aim profile to telling the world how much he loves you. Let's see, he should also play the guitar, be able to write you songs, and being athletic as well as slightly nerdy isn't a bad thing. You want a guy who isn't ashamed to hold your hand in front of his friends. A guy who would do anything for you" moaned Lulu.
"And green eyes would be the bow on the gift" joked Ella.
By now, she just learned to put up with Lulu. Besides, everything that girl said was pretty much on target.
"I have no idea how we can be friends sometimes" said Lulu with a smile. "I mean, seriously. You're living in a fairy tale. Do you expect him to come up to you riding on a white horse as well?"
"Just back off her Lulu" defended Georgie.
"Be careful, she may steal your committed boyfriend. He meets almost all of the 'criteria'" said Lulu with dramatic air quotes as she walked away.
"God, that girl can be such a bitch" growled Georgie.
"She's just…Lulu. It's her personality. She means well, but she has all this bitter resentment stored up in her. Her mom's gone crazy, her father's absent. She's being raised by a variety of different family members. It's hard"
"El, your mom's lost her mind too! And your father's always dealing with some sort of trouble. You were raised by a variety of different family members, but on top of it, you have two little brothers that need love too!"
"Look, can we not talk about my family. Especially my mom" said Ella as she closed her eyes to bite back the tears.
"I'm sorry" said Georgie as she hugged Ella tightly. "Hey, Carly's like, my ex-step-cousin. She's still family, just like you. You're technically my ex-step… something. Some sort of cousin" laughed Georgie.
"When in doubt, just claim cousins" laughed Ella as she walked into class with Georgie.
Georgie and Ella took their seats.
"Hey Ellie!" came a happy voice.
Ella looked up and saw her best friend (other then Lulu) walk into class. She and Sean had been friends for what seemed like forever. His dad was a police officer, and when Robin was still dating Jason, Mac had introduced Robin and Sean's father to each other so that their kids could play. Robin and his mother had gotten along pretty well, but she had since past away from cancer. Sean and Ella were really close, and other than Jason, he was the only one who was allowed to call her 'Ellie'.
"Hey Sean" said Ella with a smile as she turned to greet him.
"Hey Georgie" he said, interrupting himself with a yawn.
"You seem tired" said Ella.
"Yeah, I was up late last night. Between homework and practices…"
"Practices?" asked Georgie.
"Ah, yeah. I'm on basketball and I'm in a band" he said.
"Guitar?" asked Georgie as Ella began to blush.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Sean.
"Lucky guess" said Georgie. "Wait a second? Are your eyes green?"
"Ah, yeah, they are" he said, looking uncomfortable as Ella turned even redder.
"Hmm, interesting" said Georgie as she walked away.
"What was that about?" asked Sean in confusion.
"Georgie has an eye color fetish. She's weird like that. I only hang out with her because she's my ex-step…cousin thing" said Ella, trailing off at the end.
"You've always had a weird family" said Sean with a killer smile.
Ella just smiled at him, playing with a lock of her hair as the two stared into each other's eyes and smiled.
"Good morning" said Sonny as he walked into the warehouse.
"That has to be the most annoying phrase ever" mumbled Jason as he downed half a cup of coffee.
"Bad night?" asked Sonny.
"Sam wanted to stay up and talk about wedding details" yawned Jason. "She was babbling on about the advantages of roses until 4 in the morning"
"For a man who's marrying the woman he loves, you don't sound too excited"
"I don't care about the wedding. I just wanna get to the married part" said Jason.
Sonny laughed and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"How are the kids?" asked Jason.
Sonny knew it wasn't just a polite question that you ask a business acquaintance. Jason was worried sick about the kids, especially Ella. Jason's heart always had a special place for Ella. She was his daughter at heart.
"They're ok. Morgan still hasn't grasped what's happening, Mikey's relying on Ella, and she's letting him. She just seems so sad all the time" sighed Sonny as he peered sadly into his coffee cup.
"She shouldn't have to go through all this" sighed Jason.
"I know" said Sonny quietly. "She's too stressed. Between all of those APs she's taking, and college applications, and cheerleading, and dance 7 days a week, she has no time to just be a kid. Especially now that she's trying to take Carly's place"
"I'll try talking to her" offered Jason.
"Thanks" said Sonny gratefully, knowing that Jason was the only one who could truly get through to her. "I suppose we should go through the files then" he said as he and Jason got to work.
Jason was grateful when the work day was finally over. He wanted to get home, shower, and then go to dinner at Sonny's. He was anxious about talking to Ella all day. He was worried about her, knowing that she was taking on all this extra responsibility. Jason was about to hop on his bike when he noticed a familiar looking person with her back to him. Her hair was slightly past her shoulders, and it was dark but highlighted. Jason squinted to get a better look at her, and for some reason, he was drawn to her. Getting off his bike, he walked over to her. He was less than a foot away from her when she spun around.
"Robin?" questioned Jason in a gasp.
A/N: So, there you all go. My own way of bringing Robin back. Let me know what you think of it!