Tracey walked into her house after her date with Franklin, feeling strangely happy and excited.

"Hey, Mom - hey, Dad!" Tracey greeted warmly.

"Heyyy - Trace!" Michael called out from the couch.

"Hi, hun." Amanda said as she left the kitchen and walked over to her daughter. "How'd it go?"

"It was cool!" Tracey responded earnestly as she hugged her mother for the first time in what felt like ages, taking Amanda off-guard a bit.

"Oh- good!" Amanda replied as she hugged back with an almost unfamiliar touch.

"So, Franklin was all rightwith ya, then?" Michael asked as he left the couch and walked over.

"Better than all right!" Tracey then leapt up to Michael and hugged him tight, taking her feet off the ground for a few seconds as she did so. "Thanks, Daddy!" Tracey then let go and jogged upstairs. as her parents looked kind of in awe.

"Huh. Didn't expect that." Amanda said bluntly.

"Gotta be honest, babe - me neither." Michael agreed.


At evening time, Franklin got a phone call as he watched TV. "Ay, who dis?"

"Uh - hi, Franklin." Said a familiar female voice.

"Tanisha? What you want?" Franklin asked bluntly.

Tanisha sighed. "Look, Lamar just talked to me and said you was a bit upset about somethin'. Said you was pissed off at us fo' blamin' you fo' leavin' the hood for money when I pretty much did the same thang."

"Yeah? And, what about it?"

"Well, look. I see that I was wrong as well, and... I just hope we could be friends again, at least." Tanisha offered.

Franklin hesitated, becoming kind of irritated. "Wrong 'as well'? You mean just 'wrong', right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Man, how da hell am I even marginally in the wrong? Fuck is up wit'chu?" Franklin argued.

Tanisha hesitated. "You know what? I think Lamar WAS right; money changed you, Franklin."

"Man, how the fuck it change ME? You're the ones havin' at me fo' wantin' better things for myself than a neglectful guardian, a shitty friend, and a damn hypocrite ex! Hell, the only homie from the hood that don't resent me is Chop!" Franklin defended himself, with Chop's ears perking up at the mention of his name. "Well, it just shows who my real friends are, huh."

Tanisha became angry. "Oh, what - those fuckin' crooks you hangin' around wit'?"

"Ohhh, I'm sorry - you right. Maybe I should use all my diplomas I've earned to become a lawyer or a doctor or some shit - like you!" Franklin ranted sarcastically. "Oh, wait, you don't need that shit - you married one instead."

Tanisha sighed helplessly in defeat. "Goodbye, Franklin."

As Tanisha hung up the phone, Franklin grimaced. Chop then walked over to Franklin as he sat on the couch and whimpered at him. Franklin gave the mutt a hopeful smirk and stroked his dog's head. "It'll be all good in time, homie."


The next morning, at around 11, Tracey was knocking on the bathroom door. "Hurry UP, twerp! You're not the only one who needs a shit!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your implants on - I'm only having a piss." Jimmy called out from inside the bathroom, before flushing the toilet and opening the door.

"Finally!" Tracey said to herself, until she noticed Jimmy texting on his ohone as she walked past. "Who're you texting? Your GIRL-friend? Oh- wait, you don't have one." Tracey teased childishly.

"I do, actually." Jimmy smugly replied with a smirk as he walked to his room. Tracey's eyes widened a bit.

"Damn." Tracey quietly said to herself as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

As Jimmy shut his door behind him, he continued texting Taliana; they flirted back and forth when Jimmy sat on his desk and noticed a Lifeinvader notification on his computer. As he opened it, he saw a friend request; Packie McReary. He clicked on the profile and recognised the bald guy from Franklin's party, so he accepted. Shortly after, Packie sent him a message. 'Hey, Jimmy!'

'Oh hi, Packie. How's it going?'

'Good, man! I just had a long video chat with my boy Niko. Says you're a good kid. I'll take his and Michael's word on that, man.'

'Hey thanks man.'

'Don't sweat it - we're pals now!'


A couple thousand miles away, over in Liberty City, Niko and Roman Bellic were at Playboy X's apartment in Northwood. Niko's wife was at work as a TW employee, since it was early afternoon. Niko didn't know what to do with so much money that he hadn't earned, so he gave roughly half of it to various charities for AIDS, cancer, autism, and other illnesses and conditions. He gave some of the rest of his money to Roman, so he could more easily support his wife Mallorie and their five-year-old son. Speaking of which, Roman was sat on the couch beside Niko, playing a video game.

"Yes! Bullseye for me, baby!" Roman shouted to himself.

"Roman - keep it down, eh?" Niko boomed as he looked at his laptop.

"What? just enjoying the time away from the wives - amiright, cousin?" Roman smirked. Niko chuckled at his cousin, before they both ate some of the snacks they had on the coffee table; bags of chocolate bits.

"Hey, actually, Roman... I was thinking of going to Los Santos." Niko told Roman, causing him to slowly turn to look at him. "Thoughts?" Niko asked with a smirk.

Roman gulped down his chocolate. "Well... on the one hand, your family is here in Liberty City. On the other hand, I hear it's just as crazy as it is here - but with better weather!" Roman laughed in approval.

Niko chuckled along. "Well, you know Packie McReary?"

"Oh, isn't he the brother of Kate? The woman whose life you saved after nearly getting killed at my wedding, and then left you anyway after a few months to be a teacher in a safer area? Yeah, sure." Roman somewhat ranted.

"Yup." Niko responded casually as he sipped his coffee. "Well, Packie spoke to me earlier - said he thought I was dead, and that his mother had just passed away. So... on top of Derrick's passing, Francis being their family's outcast, and Gerald being in prison, that was why he pretty much disappeared."

"Oh, you just been browsing Lifeinvader? Well, now I see why." Roman commented. "Well, what, so you're planning on going over there and robbing the bank of LS with Packie?" Roman chuckled.

Niko smirked. "Psh. No. He's already done that, so he says."

Roman grimaced in disbelief. "Bullshit!"

"Hey, that's what I said. He told me he did it with a professional called Michael - who happens to be the father of Jimmy. He's another friend of mine." Niko explained.

"That's what you call your internet chums now - friends? Oh, so people you've never met are equal to people you've known for years?" Roman joked with a chuckle.

Niko rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Anyway, you've told me to go out there and do new things, and since I've been caught up in the last few years, maybe this could be a start?"

Roman thought for a sec. "I say go for it then, cousin! But, uh, what about the missus?"

"I'll have a word with her. See what she thinks."