A/N: I do not own Miracle. I own my new shoes.
StarrShyne: My mom and her sisters all had crushes on either Ron Howard or Henry Winkler when they were younger, so, I worked it in.
Darkdestiny2000: Ellie was mad at Robbie for two reasons. One, neither Emily nor Robbie told her about it. Two, he's always threatening to kill her boyfriends f they touch her but there he is having sex with his girlfriend. Oh, and your characters show up in this chapter.
Klinoa: Yeah, Peter was a good guy and he really did love Ellie.
Anmerie: She had known Rammer for a couple of years and she was under stress.
Meadow567: Ann Arbor for me, yeah, I'm having so much fun writing this.
Emador: I fixed it and reposted it. It's fine; I need it. Well, actually, I need sleep and an ice pack. I got four hours of sleep this morning and then my friend Seth dropped me on the floor and fell on top of me.
Killerkeanegirl: I'm glad you're coming around to OC. Yeah; I figured he's actually a good guy. Johnson is going to meet his future girlfriend in this chapter.
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Patience.
Nascarchick: Ellie and Rammer? Nope, they wouldn't get it on in the backseat; they're more the couch type. Peter was a great guy.
Miraclegirl: I'm glad you loved Peter. No, she's not pregnant with anyone's kid. Peter was fun to write. (I based him on my biology lab partner and the guy who sits two seats behind me in analysis.)
Ellie's POV
I walked into the locker room after practice a week later and all the boys immediately started telling me about the Herbies in Norway. "It was so exhausting," Rammer moaned. "Ellie, it hurt more than you can imagine."
"We needed you afterwards," Jimmy said. "Your massages are amazing and none of us could walk after that."
Jack had told me about it and I'd given him a massage that had lasted over an hour. There had still been knots the size of Alaska in his back almost a week later and he was moaning in pain most of the time I was working on his back.
"But Rizzo saved us," Bah said.
"No, Rizzo was the only one of you who was smart enough to figure out what Herb wanted from you guys," I said, intentionally reprimanding them. "If you guys had thought about what he was saying to you guys and what he was doing to you, you would have figured this all out a lot sooner. I know you guys; you're not that stupid. At least, I don't think you are."
"If you knew what Herb wanted all along, how come you never told us?" Robbie asked me. "You're my sister; you're supposed to tell me these kind of things?"
"Rob, remember when you had that massive crush on Jane Turner in high school and I let you get your heart broken even though I knew she was in love with Chris Hughes?"
"Yeah, I remember," he said softly. "But you let me get my heart broken because I needed to learn that lesson on my own."
I nodded. "That's what I did here. You guys needed to learn that lesson for yourself. Plus, back in high school, that was right after I broke my leg; I needed something to do."
Robbie came over to me and hugged me. Then he took Heidi out of my arms. "You were right though. I was so mad at you back in high school, but now I'm glad you did that. Besides, I have Emily now and for that I'm the luckiest man in the world."
I smiled and went over to Jack who pulled me into his lap. I snuggled up against his warm body. "You smell nice," I whispered in his ear.
"I just got out of the shower," he replied.
"I noticed the wet hair, but I like the way the smell of your shampoo and the soap mix together. It's a good smell."
He kissed my cheek and held me closer. "So, have you found a girl for Rizzo yet?"
I nodded. "Yep, she fits absolutely all of your specifications."
"Do I know her?"
"Nope."
"Is she pretty?"
"Now you're being cheeky," I told him. "You already have a girlfriend. Why do you care if some other girl is beautiful?"
"I don't, but I'm sure Rizzo cares," he replied. "As I recall, one of the specifications was that she had to be beautiful."
"Ellie, what's her name?" Robbie asked.
"Gabby Pierce."
"She's gorgeous," Robbie said.
"Absolutely beautiful," Rammer added. "If it weren't for Erin, I'd go after her myself."
"Who's Erin?" Mark Johnson asked.
"She and Ellie roomed together Ellie's junior year of college," Buzz said. "Rammer's been in love with her since he laid eyes on her and he finally got her to go out with him back in May."
"And we've been together ever since," Rammer said proudly.
I smiled. "Well, Emily, Gabby, Erin, and a few other people are meeting us at the restaurant tonight."
"Who else is coming?" Robbie asked.
"Schyler Morgan, Vanessa Taylor, and Nina Marshall," I told him.
"Sounds like a fun time," Rammer said.
Half an hour later, we met Erin, Emily, Gabby, Schyler, Sarah, and Nina at a restaurant near my apartment. Erin jumped into Rammer's arms and he swung her around. Robbie and Emily were a little more sedate but the rest of the girls just stood there, staring at the boys. Finally, Gabby said, "All right, which one do I get?"
I smiled at her eager face. "Michael Eruzione, get over here. I've got someone who wants to meet you." Rizzo walked over and I continued, "Rizzo, this is Gabrielle Pierce; Gabby, this is Mike Eruzione."
Gabby stared at Rizzo wide-eyed. Then she whispered, "He's gorgeous, Ellie."
I smiled. "Yes, now, go talk to him. He's really nice and he doesn't bite."
She smiled shyly and walked over to Rizzo. He smiled at her and they went to sit down. Jack wrapped his arm around me. "So, they make a cute couple," I said to him.
"We're cuter," he replied. "And you, Miss Elizabeth, are the cutest of all of us."
I smiled at him. "Are you trying to suck up to me, Mr. O'Callahan?"
He kissed my nose. "I would never dream of it. My passion is for sincerity."
I hugged him. "You're the best boyfriend ever, even when you're lying."
He kissed my cheeks. "I'm starting to figure out why I love you."
"It's my stunning good looks and charming manner," I replied. I looked over at Robbie and saw him holding Heidi. I smiled; Robbie was so cute with the baby. Emily had told me that he desperately wanted to be a good uncle and he enjoyed being with Heidi, but he was terrified that he would break her.
"You want to sit down?" Jack asked me.
"Sure," I replied as we walked over to join Rammer, Erin, Rizzo, and Gabby at a table. Gabby was living up to her name and talking her head off to a very attentive Rizzo.
Erin smiled at me. "I think we just found the man of Gabby's dreams. He's just sitting there quietly and listening to her. How many men like that are out there?"
I smiled as I watched Rizzo listen to Gabby prattle about her family and her life. "Is she always like this?" Jack whispered in my ear.
I laughed. "Always, her name is Gabriella, but Gabby suits her better than anything else because that's what she is."
"She never shuts up," Rammer said.
"She even talks in her sleep," Erin added. "I should know; I'm her roommate."
Jack laughed. "Do you get to sleep at night?"
"Yeah, we have two bedrooms."
"That's good."
Jack's POVRizzo had really hit it off with Ellie's friend, Gabby. Johnson had joined us at the table, along with Ellie's friend, Nina Marshall. Nina was a petite redhead with insane curls and a generous smattering of freckles across her nose. Gabby was a tall, slender blonde with dark brown eyes. Nina was quiet, like Johnson, but the two of them weren't just sitting there staring at each other. They were talking, getting to know each other.
Robbie and Emily came over a few minutes later and Emily handed Heidi to me. "Robbie was scared of dropping her or breaking her, so he gave her to me," she told me. "And I figured you might like to hold her."
"Thanks," I replied with a smile. I loved this little princess. She had big green eyes, dark brown hair, and a smile that could melt your heart. She was clinging to my finger and staring at me. It was so weird to think that this little human being trusted me.
Ellie looked down at the baby in my arms. "She likes you."
"She likes you too," I told her, kissing her cheek.
"Yeah, well, you deserve it," she replied. "You're really good with her."
"So are you. You're a great mother for her."
She smiled and leaned against my shoulder. Nina smiled at us. "You two are so cute. Ellie, you're so lucky; you finally found a great guy who's worthy of you. I just hope I'll be as lucky in love as you are."
Ellie looked up at me. "Well, guys like Jack are one in a million, but Johnson's pretty awesome too. I have a feeling you two will go far together."
Mark smiled at me. "You know, dating Mac's sister is turning out pretty well for you."
I laughed. "Well, I always knew there had to be something good about the McClanahan family. I just never knew it would be this good."
"She is amazing, isn't she?" Rammer said.
I looked at him with new eyes now that I knew Ellie had once had a crush on him. He was a good friend and I knew that if anything had ever come of her crush, Ellie would still be with a great guy, even if I weren't that guy. "She's great," I told him. "She's always there when I need her."
"She's Robbie's twin and his princess," Rammer reminded me.
Ellie lifted her head up from my shoulder suddenly. "Erin, do you know where Nessa is?"
Erin shook her head. "Nope, she's probably somewhere with a guy."
Ellie looked around the room. "You okay, sweetie?" I asked her.
"Schyler is with Pav, Nina, Erin, and Gabby are here at the table, but I don't see Nessa anywhere."
"Maybe she went to the bathroom," I suggested.
"It's possible," Ellie conceded. "But I'm not sure."
"If you want me to go look for her, I will," I offered.
She smiled and shook her head. "Nah, she'll show up."
As Ellie suspected, Nessa showed up a few minutes later with Coxie. Ellie cringed and I shook my head. Coxie was known to be quite the ladies' man and I could think of better guys for Nessa to be with. Nessa was Emily's cousin and she was very, very naïve. She would do whatever a guy told her to do because she wanted to make the men happy. Robbie, Emily, and Ellie were all worried about her and I was starting to worry about her too. She was all over Ralph. "She'd be better and safer with Silky or Bah," Mac muttered.
Rammer and I both nodded. Ellie took Heidi from me and said, "He's a great guy, but he's just not Nessa's type. And I think someone ought to do something about it."
Mac nodded. "Bah, come here."
Bah walked over and sat down next to Ellie. "What do you want?"
"Go rescue Nessa from Cox," Mac ordered.
"Why?"
"She's not his type," Ellie told him. "She's more for you or Silk."
Bah looked at Ellie. "You want me to go steal a girl from Coxie?"
She nodded and he smiled. "My life is but to serve you, princess."
"So, got any plans for this weekend?" I asked Ellie a little later.
"Yeah, my sisters are staying with me all weekend," she replied, leaning her head against my shoulder.
"Why?" Mac asked. "Are Mother and Dad going someplace?"
"Yeah, Grandmother has pneumonia and so they're going to see her, but Jen, Nat, and Stinker need to stay someplace because they can't miss a week of school."
"OC and I will come over for dinner on Friday night," Mac volunteered. "We'd be glad to eat your cooking."
"You don't like mine?" Rizzo asked.
"No, your food is just fine," I told him. "It is just Ellie's food is wonderful and it's good to have a woman's cooking every now and then. It kind of reminds me of home. Ellie reminds me of my ma."
"Is that a good thing?" Ellie asked, looking up in my eyes.
I smiled down into her eyes. "That's a wonderful thing. Unless they're Robbie, most guys love a girl who reminds them of their mother."
She grinned and kissed me. I wrapped my free arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "I've got my girls."
Her eyes lit up and I kissed her. "And the beautiful princess fell madly in love with the talented commoner," Rizzo said.
I picked up the story where Rizzo left off. "She was one of the most beautiful woman in the world and he was a mere lowly hockey player who desperately wanted the gorgeous princess to look at him."
"Little did the handsome commoner know that the beautiful princess was dying for him to notice her," Ellie went on. "The princess had fallen madly in love with the handsome commoner the minute she laid eyes on him. She knew that they were destined to be together forever."
"One day, the beautiful princess and the handsome commoner came upon each other in the garden," Emily continued. "The handsome commoner knelt at the feet of the gorgeous princess, but she raised him to his feet and asked him his name. He said his name was Jack and that he already knew that her name was Elizabeth."
"The two spent the next few days and months together constantly," Mac went on. "But the queen did not want the beautiful princess anywhere near the commoner and she worked her hardest to keep them apart."
"But Jack and Elizabeth knew that it was impossible to keep true love apart," Rizzo went on. "And even when the evil queen had Jack exiled from the kingdom, the two still found a way to be together. Elizabeth renounced her title and went to be with Jack."
"And the moral of the story is that no matter what comes between two people, if it's true love, it will find a way to happen," Mac finished.
Ellie snuggled closer to me and I noticed for the first time that Heidi was asleep in my arms. "You two are perfect for each other," Gabby said with a smile.
Nina nodded. "You two look good together and you get along together amazingly. It seems like you two were made for each other."
"You're a match made in heaven," Erin told us.
Ellie laughed. "We've only been together for two and a half months. We don't know what's going to happen. It's going to be hard this weekend, dealing with having Kathie around. She's convinced that Jack and I need to be broken up and she'll do anything to make sure it happens."
"I hate that girl," Erin muttered.
Emily nodded. "She's evil. Jack, Ellie, no matter what she does, don't let her split you two up. You two need each other."
Ellie's little sisters weren't there when Mac and I got to Ellie's apartment Friday evening. Ellie was in the kitchen making a beef stew for dinner and Heidi was in her playpen staring at Ellie. After kissing Ellie, I scooped Heidi up and started playing with her.
Mac started making the salad, Ellie was still making stew, and I was entertaining Heidi when the buzzer went off. Ellie looked at me and said, "Keep an eye on the stew." Then she went to the door.
Mrs. McClanahan walked in followed by her three younger daughters. Jennie and Natalie hugged Ellie and rushed into the kitchen. "Robbie!" Natalie squealed, jumping on her brother.
"Ugh," Mac muttered. Then he hugged his sister. "Natalie, how are you?"
"I never see you anymore," she moaned.
"Well, you'll see me plenty for the next week."
Jennie smiled at me. "So, Jack, Mom hasn't scared you off yet?"
I shook my head. "Tell your mother I love your sister and she can't get rid of me."
Jennie gave me a one-armed hug. "Good, I like you and you're good for Ellie. Can I hold Heidi?"
I handed the baby over. "If she'll let you."
Mrs. McClanahan came in then. "Robert, come give your mother a hug."
"Hello, Mother," Mac said, giving his mother a loose hug.
Then she saw me. "Oh, you're here. I'd say how pleasant it is to see you, but seeing you it isn't pleasant."
"Hello to you too, Mrs. McClanahan," I said, desperately trying to be civil. "I hope you and Mr. McClanahan have a pleasant trip."
Before her mother could say anything else, Ellie came over to me and leaned against me. "Mother, be polite. Jack is my boyfriend."
"And I'm your mother, Elizabeth," she said. "Well, take good care of your sisters. Your father and I will call before we come home." Mrs. McClanahan kissed Kathie and left.
Kathie glared at me all through dinner, but I decided to just ignore her. After dinner, Ellie and I were washing the dishes when I remembered something. "Crap!" I muttered.
"What?" Ellie replied, looking up at me.
"Today's my mom's birthday and I forgot to call her."
"The phone's right there and it's only seven-thirty now; that means it's like eight-thirty in Boston."
I picked up the phone and dialed my parents' number in Boston. "County morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em," my sister's voice came over the phone.
"I must have the wrong number," I said teasingly. "I'll hang up and try again."
"Jackie!" she squealed. "Don't hang up! Ma, Jackie's on the phone."
"Don't call me Jackie," I barked.
"Fine, JOHN," she moaned. "Is Rizzo around?"
"Nope, I'm not at the dorm," I told her.
"Then where are you?" Annie always was the curious one.
"My girlfriend's apartment," I said trying to be as casual as possible.
"You have a girlfriend?" she squeaked. "Ma, Jack, has a girlfriend!" There was a pause, and then Annie said, "What's her name?"
"Ellie McClanahan."
"Robbie's sister?"
"Yeah." I was trying to downplay the whole thing.
"Didn't you try to beat up her brother or something?"
"Yeah."
"And you're dating her now?"
"Ma, Jack's dating Robbie McClanahan's sister!"
In the background, I heard my mom say, "Annie, give me the phone and let me talk to your brother."
"Fine," Annie sighed. "Jack, Ma wants to talk to you."
"Okay."
A minute later, I heard my mother's voice. "Jack, how are you?"
"I'm good. I just wanted to call to wish you a Happy Birthday."
"Thanks. Jack, what's this I hear about you dating Robbie McClanahan's sister?"
I sighed. "I told you about that in my letters. We started dating about two, two and a half months ago."
"Isn't she raising a little girl?" Mom asked. She always memorized my letters.
"Yeah, a baby girl named Heidi. She's beautiful, Mom. She's just so amazing; I love her so much."
"Ellie or Heidi?"
"Both of them," I said, smiling as I saw the smile on Ellie's face. "They're the best things that have ever happened to me."
"Can I talk to Ellie?" Mom asked.
"Sure," I said as I handed the phone to Ellie. "Ma wants to talk to you."
Ellie's POV
"Hello?" I said, tentatively as Jack gave me the phone.
"Ellie, I'm Jack's mother," Mrs. O'Callahan's voice came clearly over the phone.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. O'Callahan," I said, shyly. Jack wrapped his arms around me and held me close as I talked to his mother.
"So, I hear you're the lucky girl who's won my son's heart."
"I guess; we've only been together for two months, but he's an amazing guy."
"I'm glad to hear that. My son's told me about you in your letters and he really seems to like you."
"I like him too," I said. "He's sweet and I enjoy his company. He's also really good with Heidi."
"I'm glad to hear that," she replied. "When the boys play Harvard, you and Heidi will have to come over for dinner."
"I'd really like that."
"We'll make the arrangements closer to the date, but I can't wait to meet you and Heidi. But my husband and son both want to talk to Jack, so I'd better let them do that before either of them has a coronary."
I laughed and handed the phone over to Jack. "Your dad and brother want to talk to you."
He took the phone from me. "Yeah, Ma, she's amazing. I'll talk to you later." He talked to his brother and dad for a while and I had to smile at the O'Callahan manly bonding.
At one point, he said, "James, just because I beat up Mac doesn't mean that his sister would hate me forever and not date me. Ellie forgave me after I made up with her brother and we're both very happy now."
After he got off the phone, Jack wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. When we pulled apart, I saw Kathie standing in the doorway. "Why the heck are you two dating? Jack isn't good enough for you, Ellie," she yelled and then ran off.
I looked up into his big blue eyes. "I still love you," I whispered.
"And I you," he replied before kissing me again.
A/N: Please review!