"Go away!"

There was a slam of a door, followed by a particularly dull thud.

Tony raised his eyebrow but didn't move from his spot at the counter. He glanced at the two full wine glasses sitting in front of him. Maybe he should opt for something stronger?

Barely thirty seconds after the outburst, he heard Ziva's footsteps on the stairs. She was moving quickly, but there seemed to be just a hint of a stomp in the sound. Like she was throwing a fit, too.

"That girl, I swear-"

Tony held up a hand, effectively stopping her from saying whatever half-hearted insult she had prepared. He knew it was empty - and not very productive. She needed to cool down, and the glass he held in her direction seemed the best way to do that.

"Come. Sit. Drink," He used his free hand to pat the barstool next to him.

She compiled automatically - something he found significant given her constant hesitancy in the past few days. Her thigh bumped his as she slid into place, and their fingers brushed when she carefully took the wine glass from his hand, eyed it suspiciously, and then tilted her head back to down the whole thing like an oversized shot.

"Uh, okay," He took the empty glass from her hand and pushed his own, still full, in her direction, "Rough day?"

She glared at him as she picked up the other glass and took a long sip. It made him chuckle, which was probably the wrong response. He just loved being on the receiving end of her moods.

Because she was certainly in a mood. So was Tali. And, given the interaction, he'd just bared witness to… their moods weren't lining up.

It all really started the day before. Tali had been over the moon about the return of her mother and the arrival of a shiny new toy to drag around the house and play with. But the moment Ziva stopped being fun - approximately 12:31 pm when she turned down an invitation to a tea party in favor of a moment alone in her bedroom - the relationship soured. (To be fair, it was the very first moment alone she had chosen to take in the 4 days since they met at the airport, but try convincing a 5-year-old that such things were justified.)

And yeah, he'll admit: he was momentarily thrilled with his return to the role of favorite parent.

But that ended the moment he saw Ziva's face when Tali refused to so much as look at her throughout their entire dinner that night. So he, in true DiNozzo fashion, tried to overcorrect. He planned for an afternoon running errands alone, figuring it would give the girls a chance to talk and hopefully work through this funk.

Big mistake. He came home to find them on opposite couches in the living room, begrudgingly watching an episode of Doc Mcstuffins. When confronted about the tension, each claimed that the other had done something to offend their sensibilities: Ziva had bossed Tali around, and Tali had egged Ziva on.

It wasn't until just an hour ago that Tony got the real story: Ziva had a panic attack while the two were walking to the park. She quickly grabbed Tali's arm, trying to redirect her back to the house where she could ride out her anxiety in private, but Tali had continued on forward. They talked… then they yelled… and finally, Tali took off running in the direction of the park. By the time Ziva caught up, grabbed her daughter, and successfully coaxed her back home, they were both exhausted. And pissed.

"You should go check on her," Ziva mumbled before taking another sip.

He laughed while pouring himself a glass, "Right now? Fat chance. Unless you're willing to act as a human shield."

"She is a child."

"Yeah. A child who's genetically predisposed to throwing things. At me, specifically. I live in constant fear of the day she finds the kitchen knives."

Her head dropped to her hands as she leaned into the counter, and he had half a mind to think the subtle shake of her shoulders were sobs. But turned out, she was laughing.

He took it as a sign and moved closer, slipping an arm around her and rubbing her back gently.

"Let's give her 20 minutes - " There was another dull thud from above them and they both looked at the ceiling in concern, "Okay, 30 minutes. Then we'll go."

Her head flung around to look at him, loose curls falling in her face as she eyed him, "We?"

"Yes, we," He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, "We're a team here, remember? Partners."

"Tony…" She whined, reminding him so much of the mini version upstairs.

"Don't you 'Tony' me. We give her time to cool off, then we go check on her. Together."

Then she pouted. Actually stuck out her lower lip and rested her chin on her fist. And it was so unlike her and still so darn cute… he had to make her stop or he'd never make it out of this situation.

"Hey," He wrapped his arm farther around her waist and pulled her closer to fit her face right in the crook of his neck, "We knew this would be hard. But we'll get through it."

"I just… do not understand," Their position was precarious as they both balanced crookedly on their stools, but she somehow melted into him anyway, "Things were going so well. What did I do to mess it up?"

"Nothing, okay? Nothing at all," His thumb made little windshield wiper motions against her rib cage, and he hoped it emphasized his point, "Kids are total hotheads. Ours in particular. But she'll calm down."

"She wishes I never came back."

"She said that to you?"

Instead of responding, she set down her wine glass and snaked her own arm around him.

He loved his daughter… but in that moment, he had a few choice words. Not that he'd ever voice them.

"She didn't mean it. You know that."

"Yes… that does not make it hurt any less."

There was a comfortable silence, and that only ate away at him more.

It had been his idea that the girls spend the afternoon together. His idea that Ziva try and make amends by putting Tali to bed. And they both backfired.

"She used to hit me."

Ziva lifted her head to look at him, clearly confused by his statement.

"After Cairo. She tolerated me well enough in the beginning, but once we got settled in here - once things slowed down and she started to realize that this was her new normal and Ima wasn't involved - she started throwing fits. Big ones."

She leaned back in her seat, keeping a hand on his thigh and leaning her head against the other one on the counter. Her attention was squarely on him.

"They were magnificent, really. She was quite the little showman. Some sniffles here, head shakes there, then out of nowhere she'd throw herself on the floor and start screaming. Legs flailing and hands balled into little fists. I'd try to pick her up, just try to comfort her in whatever way I could… but she'd start barreling those little clenched fists into my chest. And then she'd kick me. And push me away and pull my hair. Anything she could do to make me drop her."

He didn't realize that his expression had darkened or that he was worrying his brow so much until he felt her fingers brushing over the lines in his forehead and down his cheek.

"But I held on. I mean, she was 2 years old. It wasn't like she was hurting me much. And it was the only way I could think to really show her, you know? To prove that I was there and that I wasn't going to leave or pass her off to someone else. That there was nothing she could do that would make me go away. I think once she started to understand that, started to see me as a constant in her life instead of a passing phase, she calmed down. And eventually, the fits stopped altogether."

Her eyes grew weary as he spoke, and he knew what she would say before she even started.

"I am sorry, Tony. You shouldn't have had to do that. You should have been with her from the beginning."

"You too. But we weren't, and we can't change that. All we can do is be here now, and make sure she knows we'll always be there in the future."

Ziva huffed out a sigh and ran a hesitant hand through her hair, "Easier said than done."

"Nah, you just gotta be persistent. Eventually she'll come around."

"That worked for you?"

"Oh yeah," His arm had been resting casually against the back of her stool as they spoke, and he figured that was as good a time as any to let it drop back around her waist, "With two David women."

That made her smile. One of those soft, quiet smiles. He'd really only seen them a handful of times, but every time she flashed one, it seemed to wedge itself somewhere in his chest and follow him around for a while. God how he'd missed the way it felt.

Her hand, still low on his leg, gave a gentle squeeze, "I'm glad it did."

"Yeah," He pulled her closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder again, "You and me both."

They fell into a comfortable silence, both taking a moment to process their conversation - it was bordering on the closest they'd come to addressing the big fat elephant that'd been following them around for days - while also allowing the simple touch of their partners to soothe the sting behind every word.

Because it did sting. Those years spent apart, those secrets kept for far too long, they physically ached. And with every passing day in their new state of "togetherness", the wound seemed to fester just a bit more. Reuniting had stopped the bleeding and afforded them time to figure out the next step, but they'd have to start healing at some point.

"Okay," He mumbled gently, "Time to go. Kids not gonna check on herself."

She lifted her head, squinting across the kitchen at the microwave clock, "But it has not been 30 minutes."

"No. But things seem quiet enough up there," He slid off his stool and held up his hand in an invitation - or maybe a challenge, "Unless you're scared?"

"Of her? Terrified."

Despite her words, she took his hand and stood up as well.

"Don't worry, David. I've got your six."

His promise to watch her six became a little too literal as she stepped through the door to Tali's bedroom. He was there, half a step behind and still holding tightly to her hand, as she looked around the seemingly empty space.

She was just about to say something when a small form stepped out from her hiding spot behind the bookshelf.

"Go away," Tali said firmly with her fists clenched at her side. It lacked the conviction of her earlier outburst. "I don't want you here."

"Tali…" Tony stepped a little closer and she clearly saw him for the first time, "We're here to talk. Is that okay?"

She looked between her parents several times before giving the smallest, most noncommittal nod he'd ever seen, "We can talk. She can leave."

"That's not how this works. If we talk, then we all talk. Deal?"

He held out his hand for a shake. Instead, he got a shrug. Then he looked over at Ziva to gauge her reaction, and he got another shrug. He'd have to do this on his own.

"Alright, new plan," He let go of Ziva's hand (reluctantly) and went to pick up his daughter, "Time for a Campfire."

Tali let him pick her up and set her down on the bed. Then she huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

"Campfire? Seriously?" Ziva rolled her eyes at him as he took his own seat on the mattress.

"Hey, Campfires work. Right, T?"

The little girl shrugged.

"Should we read Ima in on the rules?"

More shrugging. This was going great.

He reached around Tali's back and motioned for Ziva to sit on the bed.

"Alright. DiNozzo Family Campfire - er - David-DiNozzo? Whatever," He shrugged off the comment - though he'd really have to ask for name clarifications later, "Rule number 1: When someone calls a Campfire, you gotta listen."

He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Tali with a pointed expression.

She sighed, "No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"Exactly. Rule number 2: For the duration of the Campfire, we are to completely, totally honest. No lying. No hiding. No downplaying."

This time he eyed Ziva, and she clearly got the message: No pretending. They'd done more than enough of that.

"Third and final rule: Every Campfire, no matter the outcome or reason, ends in a big 'ole hug. And a forehead kiss. Cheek, if you're feeling spicy."

Tali scrunched her nose and looked over her shoulder at her mom, "Spicy?"

To which Ziva gave a half-smile and vague shrug.

"Okay, briefing over. Time to talk. I called the Campfire, so I'll go first," Tony leaned forward a little, just for emphasis, "I don't like it when the two of you fight. You're my best girls."

Tali threw her head back in what seemed like exasperation, "Aba, we're your only girls."

He looked up in time to see Ziva laugh quietly, though the glint in her eye suggested the comment meant a lot to her. After years of being apart, she quite liked being looped in with her daughter.

"Astute observation, grasshopper. You're still the best though."

The little girl seemed to consider this for a moment before letting out a sigh and propping her elbows on her little knees, letting her chin fall onto her still clenched fists, "Ima started it."

Ziva opened her mouth, ready to defend herself against the attack, but he held up a hand to stop her, "Even if that were true, it's not the point. Campfires aren't for placing blame. They're for finding solutions."

"But she was mean!" Her little knuckles were white as she threw her fists in the air, "I asked her to play with me, and she didn't. We're not friends anymore."

This time Tony started, ready and willing to jump to his partner's defense. But Ziva shook her head at him, gently bringing a hand up to brush over sandy curls before speaking.

"Look, Tali… I know that I upset you when I didn't come to your tea party yesterday. That was never my intention. I was just feeling a bit… overwhelmed. And I needed a moment alone to think."

"What's overwhelmed mean?" She stretched out the word in that distinctly childish manner and added a nose scrunch for good measure.

They shared a weighted glance over Tali's head. How could they explain this to their innocent little daughter? How should they?

"It means you feel like everything is happening at once. Like there are things going on… a lot of things… and you aren't sure what you're supposed to do," Tony was listening closely as Ziva spoke, expecting to find an edge or a waver somewhere. But she seemed calm. Relaxed. Completely in control.

"Living with us makes you… overwhelmed?"

He watched Ziva's jaw drop ever so slightly. It was a bold conclusion to draw, but one that made sense in the mind of a child. She didn't know Ziva outside of the few days she'd lived there. How was she to know that the anxiety, the deep feeling of being overwhelmed and trapped, stemmed from much bigger things? Much older, much more traumatic things.

Still, his heart ached at the pain in Ziva's eyes as she swallowed to continue. Part of him knew she'd never get over her gut wrenching guilt from those years she was away.

"No, Neshama. Not at all. Coming here to live with you and your father is the best thing that's happened to me since… well… the day you were born."

"Then why?"

"Hey, Nancy Drew," Tony wrapped an arm around Tali's little shoulders and pulled her against his chest playfully, "How about we lay off the third degree?"

She frowned, "But it's a Campfire."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No, Tony, it's fine," Ziva tucked a stray curl behind her ear, before leaning in closer to her daughter, "Aba gets protective because he knows I don't like talking about these things. But you are right. This is a Campfire. No lying, no hiding, no downplaying, yes?"

Tali shrugged at that, suddenly hesitant under her mother's steady gaze.

"There are some things that happened to me a long time ago. Bad things. Scary things."

"Scary?" Tali twisted around to look at her dad suspiciously, "You said Ima doesn't get scared."

"She doesn't," He pulled her closer so her back was pressing against his side, "Just listen."

Ziva let out a deep sigh and spared him a pointed glance, "Contrary to popular belief, I do, in fact, get scared. Even now, when I'm home with you and know nothing bad is going to happen, I still get scared sometimes."

Tali was quiet for several seconds, as if slowly trying to reconcile this real Ima - the one who got scared and overwhelmed and who knows what else - with the version she'd gotten to know from Aba's stories. Finally, she spoke again.

"Is that what happened on the way to the park? Did you get scared?"

Tony would give it to her: Ziva didn't even flinch at the mention of what he understood to be one of her worst panic attacks to date (whether by level of panic or by level of response he wasn't sure, seeing as she had to wrangle a 5-year-old into submission while practically feeling like she was dying).

"Sort of. I was in a new place, surrounded by people and houses that I didn't know. My mind was racing, and I started getting overwhelmed. I wanted to turn back, and when I went to grab your hand, you started running from me. That's when I got really scared."

The little girl had good sense to look embarrassed here, "I'm sorry, Ima. I didn't mean to get you scared. I just really wanted to go to the park."

"I know, Motek. It's okay. And I'm sorry we didn't get to go."

"S'okay," She wiped a tired fist against her eye, reminding Tony that they were likely far past bedtime territory, "We can go another time, right?"

"Of course," Ziva managed a small smile, "Tomorrow after school, if you'd like."

"Really?" She looked up at Tony, "Can Aba come too?"

He ruffled her hair, "Not tomorrow, Squirt. Aba's gonna try to get some work done. It'll have to be a Girl's trip."

"Okay," She wasn't too disappointed by the idea of his absence, "You'll really take me?"

"Yes. Despite what you may think, I do want to be your friend."

Little legs kicked out from underneath a little body as Tali settled herself farther against her father's side, leaning her head back to give him a smug grin - one laced with accomplishment as if to say Ima likes me better (which he wasn't sure he cared to argue).

"But more than that, I want to be your mother," Ziva's careful emphasis on the word held a sort of self- awareness to it. A sort of recognition that the role of Mother wasn't entirely familiar to her daughter, and therefore she needed to clarify it farther, "I know I haven't always been around, but that's over now. I'm here to stay. So you can fight with me all you want, kick me out of your room a hundred times, and I'll still be here whenever you're ready to talk, okay?"

Tali nodded.

"And I will always, always love you."

Her face lit up at that, "Like Aba?"

Tony smiled. He'd be lying if he said there was no satisfaction in finally being the model parent of the family. He felt like he spent years trying to convince Tali he was like her mom, and now the tables had turned. It wasn't ideal, but perhaps it was a little poetic.

"Just like Aba. You're stuck with both of us, now, Kid. Better get used to it."

She looked between the two of them several times before nodding, "Okay."

"Okay?" Tony raised his voice in mock anger, "Just okay? That's no way to end a campfire."

He held up his arms, prompting the girl to stand up on her mattress and step into his embrace. She hung on his neck for several long seconds before pulling back and pressing a big sloppy kiss to his cheek. Then she pivoted, taking a couple of steps closer to her mom before hesitating.

After a few moments, she held out her closed fist.

Ziva's brow furrowed, "What's this?"

"It's yours," Tali said simply, then she uncurled her fingers. Tony could just barely make out an irregular glob of what appeared to be gold chain.

Ziva smiled lightly and shook her head, bringing both hands up to touch her daughter's hand and close her fingers back around the glob, "No, Yakiri. It's yours."

"But Aba said you used to wear it every day."

Ah. The necklace. Of course.

"I did. For many years," She brought a hand up to finger the pedant currently resting on her chest, "But I have this one now. Do you recognize it?"

Tali squinted at it for a moment before shaking her head.

"You picked it out for me."

"I did?" There was a small sense of wonder in the way she reached for the piece of jewelry, taking it between tiny fingers and examining the gemstone.

"Yes. A long time ago. When you were very little."

"And you still wear it?"

"Every day."

"Even when you were gone?"

Ziva brushed her thumb across Tali's cheek, "Especially while I was gone. I missed you very much while I was away. And wearing this necklace made me feel like you were always with me."

Tali paused, looking down at her closed palm for a moment before meeting her mother's eyes again, "Aba told me not to wear the necklace too much 'til I was older. He didn't want me to break it or something. But I saw him put it in the box on top of my bookshelf, so sometimes - when I got really sad - I'd climb up there and get it. It made me feel a little better, I guess."

Unshed tears sprung to there surface and threatened to spill down her cheek, but Ziva still managed a small smile, "Good. I'm glad."

Tali nodded absently, looking down at the chain in her palm again, "Hey, Ima?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

And then her tiny body was pulled into a real vice-grip of a hug, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I love you, too, Tali. So much."

"And my work here is done," Tony announced proudly after several seconds of feeling like an unnecessary audience, "Fights over, conflicts resolved, balance once again restored to the family, all that good stuff."

He stood awkwardly, but the girls didn't seem to notice. They were still locked in their embrace.

"Well, uh, Campfire is officially adjourned. You wanna finish putting her to bed?"

Instead of speaking, Ziva gave the slightest hint of a nod. But he figured that's all the confirmation he needed, so the handful of steps to the door were taken before he turned back for a final remark.

"Night, Twerp. See you in the morning."

He didn't get a response, but he didn't suppose he expected one.

"Hey," Tony mumbled, "I wanted to talk to you."

Ziva paused, towel hanging loosely from her hand where she had been scrunching her wet hair, "Am I in trouble?"

It was too easy. How was it that after all these years - all this chaos - things could still be this easy at times.

"Should you be in trouble?"

She chuckled lightly, giving her curls a few for squeezes before setting the towel on the dresser, "I suppose that depends on who you ask."

"Fair enough."

"Come in," She was gesturing to the bed now, the only reasonable place to sit in the guest room.

Still, he found it a little strange. Sure, it was technically his bed (it was his house in general, if only because dead people can't sign leases); and yeah, sleeping in separate rooms was a temporary arrangement, but the principle still stood: this had been her space for the past few days. There was some novelty in having entered it.

If she felt the same gravity in the situation, she didn't lead on. Instead she found a spot near the foot of the bed and waited for him to start.

"Look - about earlier. The fight, the Campfire, the interrogation… we threw a lot at you today."

Her smile was small, easy, knowing. Almost like she'd expected this conversation.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle. You took time to talk to your therapist and make a plan for how you wanted to navigate all this," She gestured vaguely with a hand, "I did much of the same - though my therapist lacked the credentials to practice."

"Autopsy Gremlin?"

"He drove me to the airport. Jimmy has always been a good friend."

"Tell me about it. If it weren't for him, Tali wouldn't have survived the first day with me, much less this long. He's really had my back over the years. It's a miracle I never told him you were alive."

She nodded slightly as if recognizing the strain that must have put on their friendship, but then she started moving, shifting farther up the bed and closer to him, though still maintaining a respectable distance. She settled herself close enough that she could reach out and touch his hand - which was exactly what she did.

"I came here with three main objectives. Win Tali's affection - hopefully make her understand, to the best of her ability, that my time away was not by choice and that everything I have done has ultimately been for her benefit. That I love her more than anything and that she should never question that."

He squeezed her fingers, feeling that the moment called for some brief reassurance, "Check. I think she's well on her way to knowing that."

Her lips turned down in what some might mistake as a frown, but he knew to be her shy little smile. God, what that little grin did to his heart these days. "Next was to earn back your trust."

"I trust you. With my life. With our daughter."

"But not with your heart. Not fully."

As much as he wanted to argue, he knew it was pointless. Because that was it, wasn't it? The reason he got freaked out before her return. The reason he's been sticking so closely to the therapist's advice. The reason she was sleeping in this pristine guest room instead of in his king-sized bed with him.

He must have looked guilty because she gave his hand a solid squeeze.

"It is fine, Tony. Expected, even. I put you through… hell, frankly. Not just these past three years, but before that as well. We had something good, yes? With the post elevator stuff and the baring our souls… it was good. It was real."

He wasn't so sure he was capable of responding - not with the memories of those talks, those late nights, those conversations wedged in his throat. So he just nodded.

"And I ruined everything. My father died and I… lost it. To this day, I still can't quite put into words what happened to me… but something broke. I self-destructed, and unfortunately, you were too close. One of the many casualties from the fallout."

She tugged on his arm, bringing his hand close to her face so he could feel her breath against his knuckles.

"I thought that letting you go in Israel was the right thing to do. I thought it was strong and wise and necessary. But it was none of those things. Just a bad decision - one in a long string of them I made at the time.I can't undo any of that. But I can ensure it doesn't happen in the future."

Then she kissed him - his fingers, anyway - very slowly, without breaking eye contact.

"You once told me you were fighting for me. Now it's my turn."

He had no response to that. He wasn't even sure he was capable of processing that. All he knew was Ziva was holding his hand, kissing his fingers, and looking at him like he was the only thing that mattered in the whole world - which was probably an expression mirrored on his face.

"The third thing," She smirked at him like she knew he was incapable of thoughts, much less intelligible words at the moment, "Was that I wanted to be completely honest. With you. With Tali. With myself. Clearly, there are topics that will have to be censored, particularly when Tali is in the room, but I will still talk about them. I've always used secrets as a way to keep people at arm's length, but I want my family right here."

She tugged his hand closer again, this time cupping it between both of hers and resting it on her chest, just above her heart.

"So yeah. Today was a lot. But I was ready for it. And it worked out in the end," She looked down at their tangled hands with a pointed expression, "I believe I made progress on all three fronts."

There were simple responses he could have used. You did or We all did or even a simple Good. But when he opened his mouth to speak, none of those came out.

"You're a great Mom, Ziva," He leaned forward and brushed wet curls over her shoulder, "That's what I came in here to tell you. You'll never admit it, but I know you've been worried about that. Tali is so lucky to have you."

"Thank you," They'd come full circle to that soft smile, "It means a lot to hear you say that."

"I'm lucky to have you, too."

Then a not so soft smile with a gleam of mischief in her eye, "Oh, Tony. You have no idea just how lucky you are."

And once again, it was all so easy.

"Oh? Well, I look forward to learning the extent of my profound luck."

"Say the word and I'll give you a thorough demonstration. Whenever you are ready."

"If I said I'm ready now?"

They'd been moving closer as they spoke, each comment an excuse to scoot, lean, reach. They were leaning heavily against the pillows now. Her hand was on his cheek, fingers partially raked through his hair as she stroked his skin with her thumb. He'd found himself holding her waist and squeezing slightly. He could feel her warmth through the thin material of her tank top.

"You'd be lying," Her thumb drifted down to outline his lips and she took great interest in watching the movement. Or maybe she was going to kiss him, "But it's okay. No rush. I know we've made progress, but home isn't built in a day."

"Rome," His voice came across as breathless, probably from a combination of relief and shifting blood flow. She was right. He wasn't ready. If only his other head could get with the program, "I think you meant Rome wasn't built in a day."

"I said what I said," She smiled as she met his eyes again.

There was a beat, and he knew it was his queue to leave. The conversation was over, and no post-conversation activities were on the schedule yet. But she was still stroking his face and her body was still close enough to touch… he wasn't quite ready to give that up for another night of empty sheets across the hall. He looked for an excuse to stick around, and something in her eyes told him she'd play along just fine.

So he leaned back against the pillows and gently guided her to lay down beside him. Her head fell on his chest naturally, and he snaked an arm clear around her waist to pull her closer.

"Hey, Ziva?"

She lifted her chin to look at him, "Yes?"

"I love you."

Her lip jutted out slightly, a ghost of the pout he'd seen earlier in the night, and he got the impression she'd planned on being the first to say the 'L' word like that. In person. Not across the phone with thousands of miles separating them.

But she must not have minded too much, because she soon nestled her face into his shirt and gave a little smile.

"I love you, too, Tony. So much."

Okay, I can explain.

Well, kinda. I simply don't have much time to write this semester. I'm interning and working and attending classes... it's just not ideal for fic writing. So, I'm sorry this took an entire month to post. But I can't promise the next chapter will be up any quicker. It's just sort of out of my hands right now.

But know that more chapters are coming! I have at least 2 more chapters planned, and then I'll have to think up a few more before I end with the epilogue I really wanna do.

This chapter came out way longer than I anticipated, but I think it did a lot for character/relationship building, so I hope you guys enjoy. It's conversation heavy, but they are super important conversations so I think it's okay? Honestly, I got really scared to post this like last minute so I hope it still lives up to everyone's expectations! And I hope all you super sweet readers/reviewers stick around to read my future uploads as well, even though there's gonna be longer breaks between chapters. I'm really sorry about that, but there simply aren't enough hours in the day right now.

Please review! I seriously reread like all the reviews a million times because they make me so happy. And they motivate me to write even when I'm tired from school. Basically I love them.