AN: I apologized for how long it took me to update. I had actually already updated on AO3, but completely forgot to update here.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. It's mostly a filler chapter, not much plot in this one.

CHAPTER 11

Laurel and Sara return from the shopping mall a little after six, both surprised at the noise coming from the kitchen once they step inside the house. They exchange a knowing look between them before Laurel calls out, "Dad?"

A voice comes from the kitchen. "In here sweetie!"

After hanging their coats and placing their shoes on the shoe rack by the door, they make their way to their father.

Sara smiles brightly at him once their eyes cross, "Hey! Something smells good," she says, side-hugging him while Laurel walks over to join them.

"I'm making grilled salmon!" Quentin announces before he closes his eyes, hugging them tightly to him. "Boy, did I miss you girls."

Sara rolls her eyes as she steps away from his embrace. "Dad, it's only been one week. You have spent a month away from us before."

"Sara is right, Dad."

Quentin shrugs his shoulders. "What can I say, this time it's different. You're both in College, all grown up. You're growing too fast for my liking. Graduation is just around the corner, then comes marriage and possibly even kids. It all goes by in a flash."

Sara chuckles at his words as she pours some water in a glass she fetched from the cupboard. "Easy there. I'm not even in a relationship, and you're already talking about marriage?" She takes a gulp of her water before continuing, "Speaking of which-"

"Sara, could you help me bring the shopping bags upstairs?" Laurel interrupts, already guessing what her sister was about to mention. Sara frowns at her before nodding and follows her out of the kitchen, placing her glass on the counter to free up her hands.

"Don't take too long girls, dinner is almost ready!" Quentin calls after them.

Once they get up to Laurel's room, she quickly closes the door. "Sara, were you about to tell Dad that Mom's getting married?" she asks while dropping the bags on her bed.

Sara shrugs. "Yeah, he deserves to know."

"Honestly, I don't think it's worth mentioning. It's only going to hurt him."

"What? Do you prefer that he finds out after she's already married? Don't you think it would hurt him more to find out that we knew and didn't tell him about the engagement?"

Laurel ponders on her little sister's words, sighing before agreeing. "Okay. I guess that would be worse."

"So it's a deal then? We're gonna tell him?" Sara asks, offering her hand to Laurel. The older girl eyes it carefully before shaking it. "Yep, it's a deal," she says. With one last look at each other, Laurel moves to open the door. "Now let's go. I can't wait to have some of Dad's cooking again."

Once they reach the bottom of the stairs, the kitchen table is already set for them to start eating.

"Dad, you didn't have to do all this on your own." Laurel tells him while shaking her head.

"It's no problem honey. I like doing this for my baby girls. Besides, I'm sure you're both tired after all that shopping."

"Yeah, you know how Laurel likes to drag me through every single store until we conquer the whole mall," Sara tells him as she sits down on one of the chairs.

Laurel snorts at her sister's words. "Pu-lease, you can't complain since I treated you to some fancy sushi that you were dying to have," she says with a smirk after taking the seat across the table from Sara, leaving the one between them for their father.

Quentin sits down after filling both their plates with food. He loads up his plate while signaling them to start eating. "Well girls, enjoy."

"Thanks Dad, I'm sure it's delicious," Laurel says with her trademark kind smile.

A comfortable silent falls between the three of them before Quentin clears his throat. "So, how's the first week of college been treating you?"

Laurel lets out a breath at the question. "I'm already swamped with homework for several classes. It's even worse than last year."

Her father looks worried, extending his right hand to rub her arm soothingly. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetheart. But I'm sure you can handle it. You're going to be a great lawyer soon enough!"

Laurel beams at him, her eyes sparkling. "Thanks Dad!" she tells him, taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "That means a lot coming from you."

Quentin shrugs his shoulders. "It's the truth sweetie, I have no doubts about it."

He then turns to his youngest daughter, who he notices is strangely pushing her food around her plate.

"Sara?" Quentin calls, and the concern evident in his voice makes her glance up. He smiles at her, hoping to hear about her new adventures. "What about you honey? How's college life so far?"

She smiles back at him before replying, "It's calm. I haven't had many classes yet."

Quentin nods at that. "What about your roommate? What was her name again?"

"Ava-"

"Ava! Yes, that was it. How are you two getting along?"

"Oh, they have-" Sara guesses the reason for her sister's smirk just in time to silence her with a kick under the table, earning Laurel a weird look from her father.

"Everything alright, Laurel?" he asks with slight concern. She quickly nods after a glare from Sara. Quentin seems to accept the reply and turns back to his youngest.

"Sorry honey, go ahead."

"Ava's great. We are finding out that we have stuff in common, so it's nice to chat with her. I even invited her to Maya and Z's apartment on movie night, and they all got along pretty well. She's smart, and she can be really funny, too." She realizes that both her father and sister are looking at her with similar smirks on their faces, which causes her to narrow her eyes at them. "What?"

Quentin quickly glances at Laurel before looking at Sara again, shaking his head with a smile on his face. "Nothing, sweetheart. It's nice to know you like your roommate, that's all."

Sara's eyes switch between her father and sister as she decides whether or not to press the matter further. Silence falls between the three of them once more while they finish their meal.

Some time passes until Quentin clears his throat to get the attention of both girls. He wipes his mouth with his napkin before asking, "So, girls, how was dinner with your mother the other night?"

Sara and Laurel both look up from their plates at the same time, communicating with each other by exchanging a look between them. Sara nods, encouraging Laurel and trying to convince her that this is the best decision at this time.

The older girl nods back, placing her left hand on top of Quentin's right. She squeezes it softly.

"Actually, we have something to tell you."

He frowns at her before turning his gaze on Sara, who's now reaching for his free hand, mimicking Laurel's gesture.

"Is everything okay with Dinah? Did something bad happen?"

Sara shakes her head to reassure him. "She's fine Dad, don't worry."

Quentin nods at the information, looking between both his daughters. "What's the matter then?"

Laurel and Sara share a sigh, and then the eldest blonde finally shares the news. "Mom is getting married… to Steve."

Quentin stays in silence, processing her daughter's words. Eventually his shoulders drop and his body sags against the back of his chair, a deep sigh passing through his lips.

"I see…" He nods, still processing the new information. Laurel moves closer to press a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Dad, are you okay?"

Sara frowns at the scene, racking her brain. She tries to come up with a way to make him feel better, but nothing comes to mind. How can she make him feel better when the love of his life is about to marry another man? A small, unpleasant feeling settles in the pit of her stomach, one that she easily identifies as rage. Rage that seems to grow everytime she thinks about what her mother is doing. She still doesn't understand how her mother could ever, would ever, trade her father - a good, honest, brave and kind-hearted man - for an idiot like Steve. And now that they're actually getting married, it makes everything feel worse. This means that their relationship is really over. There's no chance for her parents getting back together now. Even if she hates to admit it, there was still a tiny part of her that had hope, hope that things would go back to the way they were.

Not because of her, but because of her father. She knows, she sees, how much Quentin still loves Dinah. Despite everything that has happened between both of them, the sad truth is that Quentin would take her back in a heartbeat.

"I'm okay, honey. Don't worry." Her father's voice pulls her out of her thoughts, and only then does she finally notice that Quentin and Laurel were both giving her concerned looks.

She clears her throat. "Sorry, what?"

Quentin gives her a fond smile even though his warm brown eyes still hold worry in them. He reaches his hand out, cupping her cheek and caressing it softly. "I said I'm okay Sara. You don't have to worry about me."

Sara smiles back sadly, covering his hand with hers. "We both know that's not true. I know you still love her Dad," she says, her voice breaking.

Laurel reaches across the table to hold Sara's free hand in her right one, tracing her thumb over her little sister's knuckles. "Sara is right Dad. We know how hard this is for you." She holds Quentin's gaze in hers, vehemency in her voice as she says, "But you're not alone in this. You have us. We'll always be here for you."

Sara nods her agreement before both she and Laurel get up to hug their father tightly in reassurance. He hugs back with all his might, relishing the warmth that it brings to his wounded heart. "Thank you, girls. I love you to the moon and back."

"We love you too Dad," they both say in unison, smiling fondly at him.

After the Sharpe family finishes their dinner, Ava decides to take Nora to her room so they can talk more privately.

Once inside, Nora takes a look around before saying, "Wow. This place really changed a lot. Last time I was here your bed was full of plushies, and your walls were decorated with posters of Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and all those other dumb celebrities."

Ava rubs the back of her neck out of awkward embarrassment. "Yeah… I just got fed up of constantly having to look at them, I guess?"

Nora smirks at her cousin's reply. "I can see that," she says, walking across the room to stand in front of one of the new posters that was now on the wall. "Behavioral, Cognitive, Social, Biological, Psychology, Humanistic, Psychoanalytic, Developmental and Evolutionary?"

Ava moves to stand next to Nora, a small smile on her face. "Yeah. Those are the different fields of psychology."

The brunette nods at the comment turning away to sit down on Ava's bed. Ava grabs her desk chair and sits down across from Nora.

"It's the subject you chose for College, right?" Ava nods, and Nora continues. "Your dad told me a bit about the last few years during the car ride. It's strange being here again, after so many years."

Ava's face turns into one of apprehension. "I'm sorry your trip had to be caused by a bad situation, Nora. I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. I know we haven't talked in a long time, but I want you to know that I am here for you if you need to talk."

Nora's chest constricts at hearing her cousin's kind and honest words, and she has to pull herself together before speaking. "Thank you Ava. That means a lot," she says, voice trembling slightly as she gives the blonde a thankful smile. She sniffles as she wipes a couple of stubborn tears that insist on falling before asking, "Now, tell me, why psychology? I don't remember you being that interested when we were kids."

Ava shrugs her shoulders, crossing her arms over her chest as she reclines into the chair. "I'm not sure when it started, exactly, but my interest in the human mind grew over time. One day I just knew that it was what I wanted to do with my life. And also…" She stops, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah? You can tell me, I won't judge."

Ava smiles softly at Nora's words. "Caleb. Caleb is probably the biggest reason I'm doing this."

Nora frowns at her words. Before she can ask anything, Ava continues. "He has Asperger's. It's a lighter type of autism."

The brunette raises her eyebrows at the new piece of information. "Wow, I had no idea. What does that mean, exactly, if it's okay to ask?"

Ava scratches her cheek at the question, wondering what the best way to explain it is. "Well… He sometimes has meltdowns because he has trouble accepting certain things. It's also hard for him to make new friends and maintain friendships. He has trouble expressing his feelings and simply understanding feelings in general. He's blunt, goes straight to the point which is actually one of the things I love most about him. But it's hard on him because sometimes people get really mad at him, and he simply doesn't understand why. On the other hand, he can be the sweetest kid and loves cuddling, especially with me. And he's so freaking intelligent and remembers everything."

Nora's smile grows the entire time Ava talks about Caleb. When the blonde is done, she speaks again. "It must not be easy for him, but I'm glad he has an amazing sister like you. I can see how much you love him."

Ava lets out a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, I really love the kid. I'm not that good though. He's the amazing one."

Nora chuckles drily. "I see not everything has changed."

Her cousin frowns at the comment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you still have trouble accepting compliments and thinking highly about yourself."

Ava shrugs her shoulders, avoiding her cousin's deep green stare. "Yeah well, I just don't think I'm that special."

Nora reaches out and places her right hand on Ava's knee. "Well, you should."

An awkward silence falls between them after that until Ava clears her throat, glancing at her cousin again. "What about you? Mom already told me you decided to join my College. Have you already decided on a major yet?"

Nora flashes her a bright smile, nodding. "I have. I wanna work as a social worker. I want to be able to help kids in need, finding a new and loving home for them."

Ava feels moved at hearing her cousin's confession. "Nora, that's very noble and kind of you. I'm sure you will be great at it."

Nora smiles fondly at her. "Thank you. I can't wait to start, honestly, I'm so excited!"

"Will you be staying in the dorms?"

"Yep. I hope my roommate is cool. Are you in the dorms too?"

Ava nods as a reply. "Mhm-mhm."

"Oh nice. How's your roommate?"

The blonde feels herself blush a bit, her traitorous brain reminding her of the recent dream. She picks at a loose thread on her jeans. "She's cool, we get along fine," she says, head down trying to hide her red face.

Nora smirks at her awkwardness. "Are you sure? You don't sound very convincing."

At her words, Ava lifts her head, immediately ready to defend Sara. "No, no! I mean, yes! She's nice. Sara is very nice." Especially nice to look at. She closes her eyes briefly, cursing her own thoughts.

Nora has a smirk on her face, unable to hide her amusement at her cousin's reaction. "Sara, uh? Now I can't help but be curious about meeting this Sara."

Ava rolls her eyes half-heartedly, a small smile on her face. She gets up and makes her way to her closet. "Anyway, we should change into some comfy clothes and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a brand new day, especially for you. If you're moving in on campus, we need to be there early. Mom will probably drive us in the morning, yeah?"

Nora can't help the anxiety that settles in the pit of her stomach as she lays awake under the covers on Ava's bed. She is starting to get restless, because as much as she wants to, her mind will simply not let her fall asleep.

"Ava…" she whispers, getting no answer. "Ava? Are you still awake?" she tries a bit louder.

"No," comes the reply, and Nora can hear the teasing in her gravelly voice. A second later, Ava moves to lay on her side. Nora does the same, leaving both girls facing each other.

"I can't fall asleep. I'm too nervous about tomorrow," Nora confesses. Ava can see the fear in her eyes and frowns. "Do you remember when we were little kids, and I stopped going to birthday parties and sometimes even skipped school?"

Nora nods, "Yeah, I do. You would say yes to the invitation, but then at the last minute you'd skip it."

"Exactly. You know why?"

Nora thinks for a little while but ends up shaking her head. "I never really understood what the reason was. I just thought that maybe you didn't like those people that much, and simply said yes to not disappoint them or sound mean."

"Well… It wasn't because of that, but there was a reason behind it."

"Okay. Do you wanna tell me about it?"

"I've never told anyone about it. No one, except for my dad and mom, knows about it."

Nora smiles apprehensively. "I know it's scary, but I'm the last person who would judge you. I'm really in no position to ever judge."

Ava swallows, chewing on her bottom lip as she tries to control her anxiety. It's now or never.

"I have an anxiety disorder. I have lived with it my whole life. I had a therapist for a while which helped at the time, but last year it got worse. So much worse that I graduated high school without any friends at all. They all got fed up with dealing with my antisocial behavior, and I can't really blame them."

Nora frowns at the information, reaching for Ava's hand and squeezing it softly, trying to offer a bit of support. "I had no idea, Ava. I'm sorry that you felt you had to keep it a secret for so long, but now that I know you can always talk to me about it. If we're in a place and you start feeling anxious, please tell me. I'll get us out of there, okay? No questions asked."

Ava clenches her jaw, stalling the inevitable tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Nora," she says shakily. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you that if I was able to do it, then so can you. Besides, I'll be there for you. You have a friend in me."

Nora chuckles at her words, a thankful smile on her face. "You have a friend in me too."

They spend a few minutes more chatting, slowly winding down until they start to feel tired. Nora still feels nervous about facing a new day, but she focuses on her excitement instead. Besides, she will not be facing this new phase of her life all on her own. She has her cousin by her side now.

On the other side of the bed, Ava has her own thoughts spinning around in her mind. On one hand she's excited to go back, to attend some of her classes for the first time. On the other, she can't help the nerves that settle on her stomach at the thought of seeing Sara again. The last time they were together, it almost… She's not even sure what happened, what was about to happen. She just remembers the need she felt to bolt out of the room right away, her anxiety getting the best of her. But despite all that anxiety, there's also a new found excitement whenever she thinks of seeing Sara again, of showing her the printed pictures they took on the day they met. She can already imagine the beautiful dimpled smile on the smaller blonde's face. And that's what she ends up focus on.

She eventually falls asleep with a smile, in part for being glad that her mother was right once again, as usual. It was totally worth it, giving her cousin a chance instead of listening to her suffocating insecurities and fears.