A/N: A/N: I'VE CHANGED A LOT OF EVENTS FROM LIFE UNEXPECTED. WHAT HAPPENED TO LUX IN THAT SHOW IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HAPPENED HERE. AND ALL DRASTIC OCCURRENCES THAT OCCUR IN THIS FIC SERVE A PURPOSE.

Lux's POV

When I finally realized where Eric had brought me, I couldn't help but be confused. "The beach?" I ask him in a flattened tone.

"Yeah, come on," he says as he starts running toward the sand and closer towards the water.

What the hell is he doing? I mentally ask myself as I start looking around for any sight of another person. A cop… Or security…

"Lux! Come on!" he yells out loud and I slowly begin following him, just so he would stop screaming my name.

"Dude, are you insane?" I ask him in a low voice the second I am close enough. "We have to get out of here before…"

"Before what?" he questions and I have no choice but to look at him as if he lost his mind.

"Before we get caught. It's 11:30. The beach closed like over an hour ago. We could probably get arrested or something for just standing here."

"Yeah that's a possibility…" he shrugs his shoulders. "So then we don't get caught."

"Excuse me?" I question.

"You heard me. We only get caught if we lose control and let ourselves be heard. Ah-hah," he says as puts his finger up to his temple and taps it.

"Yeah… You lost me," I admit.

"You've been telling me that you've been feeling out of control right? Out of your element…"

"So?"

"So, are you going to let a stranger tell you what you can and can't do? The beach security no less?"

"Uh…" I start but I quickly lose my train of thought when I watch him begin to take off his shirt and jeans. "Eric? Hm… What exactly is it that you are doing?" I question as I look around for anyone again, in case I have to run.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting in the water," he smiles.

"The beach is closed," I repeat. "And there are no lifeguards and…"

"I'm in control?" he says with a sly smirk, which causes me to smile stupidly too at how ridiculous he sounded. "So are you coming in?"

"Well I don't know," I tease. "Maybe, I'll stay in control. You know? I'll stay here on the sand and wait for you…"

"You can," he says as he starts backing away. "But then ask yourself this…Are you staying there because you really want to? Or because you think you're going to get caught?"

"Oh, nice one," I answer.

"…Decisions. Decisions," he taunts.

"This is officially the dumbest thing I've ever done," I confess as I look down at the freezing-cold water and my body is halfway covered in it. I look back up at Eric, who has completely submerged himself.

"But do you feel better?"

"I feel cold," I complain. "Cold and stupid."

"So, you don't feel in control?"

"…Yes," I admit. "But couldn't we have done something else that didn't involve freezing my ass off?"

"What would've been the fun in that?" he jokes.

"Ha ha. So funny," I answer sarcastically.

"You're only cranky because you haven't gotten all the way in yet. Once you dip your whole body into the water, you will get over the shock and… then you wont be so cold."

"Or… I can end up drowning. And since it's so dark, not even you would be able to save me," I taunt.

"I wouldn't let you drown," he says matter-of-factly.

"But Eric," I tease. "Then you'd be the one in control," I joke.

"Is this really not helping you at all?" he asks in a worried tone.

"I'm not sure yet… maybe? I mean, I get why you did this. It was nice. A little strange, I'll admit. But still a nice gesture."

"Well, maybe if you give me a little more, I can be of more assistance…" he offers.

Automatically, the first thought that pops into my mind isn't reassuring at all, so my eyes widen instinctively. "Oh! God, no! I didn't mean that the way it came out! Wow, and I'm always the one accusing people of horrible diction," he says as he ruffles his hand through his hair. "I am so sorry, Lux. That's not—"

I chuckle a little when I see how rattled he gets because I think it's absolutely adorable. "It's okay. I get it," I assure him.

"So?" he questions.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"Are you going to tell me how this all started? You feeling like you were losing control?"

I stare at him skeptically for a long time, "Why do you wanna know?"

"Because… you helped me. That day at the bar."

"I helped you?" I ask in confusion.

"Yeah, you don't remember? I was being offly rude to you and then you called me…"

"An asshole," I finish. "So, hold on. Wait a second… Is this is payback," I come to the realization as I stare at the water, silently cursing myself.

"No. What? It isn't. Lux, it isn't. I was just… Wow. I'm totally screwing this up tonight," he mumbles to himself. "It's nothing like that. It's just, you helped me realize that I was being a douchebag and there was more to life than my ex. So I thought this could… help you decide to take control over whatever it is that's bothering you… If it's still bothering you?"

I smile kindly, even though the thought makes me uncomfortable. Was it even an issue anymore? I ask myself.

"Okay… Let's play a game."

"Please, let's not. I can't even swim so any thought you have a dunking me into the water is not—"

"No, not like that. A guessing game, since you don't want to tell me what's going on. This way, if I suck at it, you don't have to tell me anything. Deal?"

"Uh…" I start nervously.

"I'll guess and you can tell me if I'm hot or cold. Got it?" he asks. "That way you don't have to feel like your pouring your heart out on the second date? Even though it's basically what I did on our first one…"

"Who said this was a date?" I ask him in a serious tone. The flattened expression on his face makes me feel bad so I urge him to continue. "I'm only messing with you. Go ahead. Start."

"An ex-boyfriend?"

"Cold."

"…A current boyfriend?" he says worriedly.

"Freezing."

"School?"

"Still cold."

"Your family?"

I pause as I consider the question. Technically yes they were my family but… Tasha and Bug were my real one.

"Ahah," he says informatively. "It is your family," he smiles. "Okay. Your dad? …Your mom?"

"You know what," I start. "This is kind of a stupid game."

"Lux," he says, "There's no one who has more family problems than me. Trust me."

I smile, "I highly doubt that."

"No, I'm serious. There's nothing that you can say that I probably haven't dealt with myself, so come on. Spill."

I take a deep breath and consider walking away from him and going back to the shore. How the hell would this guy be able to help me with this? I think to myself.

But part of me wants to talk to anyone at this point. I couldn't talk to Tasha because I knew she would tell me to just forget about Stef and Mike. And if Bug were actually here, he would tell me the same thing. Fern was just my social worker and she was just doing her job… I really didn't have anybody else.

"Fine. I… Well, basically…" Don't mention getting emancipated, I try to remember. He doesn't need to know your real age. "Okay. So I've been on my own for most of my life, right… and—"

"What do you mean you've been on your own?" Eric asks in confusion.

"Oh, uh, I was in foster-care. Never got adopted and I've been in so many different houses so I've always just… taken care of myself, I guess. I mean, I wasn't completely alone. I had my friends too. Tasha, the girl that was at the bar. Do you remember her?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered with sudden interest. I was waiting for a look from him. A look of sudden pity but luckily he hadn't shifted his expression much.

"Well, yeah. And recently, I found my birth parents."

"You went looking for them?"

"Not on purpose," I answer innocently but I couldn't explain why I went looking for them without bringing up the emancipation. "You know… Just to get some information, like health-wise." Did that make sense to him? I wonder.

"And how did that go?"

"It was only supposed to be like a two-second thing. I was supposed to just see them and that's it. But… there was sort of a hiccup…"

"A hiccup?"

"Well not really a hiccup but… Okay, I'm just going to go out and say it…" I take a deep breath, "It turns out that my biological parents didn't actually put me up for adoption. They thought I was a stillborn. The doctor messed up with something," I continued to rant.

"So now you want a relationship with them?"

"What? No," I answer sternly. "It's the exact opposite. They want a relationship with me. And I don't know why? All of this happened such a long time ago and… I don't know. I guess, I just feel like they are trying to force themselves and their families on me and I have no control over any of it."

"Wow…"

"That's all you have to say? Wow?"

"No, that's just… a difficult situation to be in."

"Yup."

"Well, you're an adult right? So maybe it doesn't have to be so out of your control."

"What?"

"Are they cannibalists or something?" he chuckles.

"No…but—"

"Then, why don't you want to give them a chance?"

"Because… I've been on my own for so long that…"

"You feel you don't need them?" he asks flatly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"Yeah. Well, it probably is to them. I mean, it wasn't their fault that you got put into the system, right? So why should they have to suffer even more, when they finally found you?"

"Please…They're not suffering. They're taking joy out of watching me suffer," I mumble.

"Nobody takes joy out of watching their own children suffer, Lux."

"Well you haven't met them."

"Yeah, but they're your parents."

"Just because they share my dna doesn't make them my parents," I inform them and even I understood my mistake, "Okay. Technically it does, biologically…but they don't even know me. And my mother or Stefanie, whatever you wanna call her, already has a ton of kids already. She is a mom. I get that. But she wasn't my mom. And it's like, all they want to do is tell me what to do and try to take over my entire life and I just met them less than a week ago. That's like… me letting you take control over everything I do. It's ridiculous. I'm not that five-year old foster kid who wanted her biological parents to just swoop in and pick her up from the orphanage anymore. I've grown up."

"Then tell them how you feel. Tell them that you're an adult and you can take care of yourself now. Be assertive. Let them know that you have your own life and you've been managing on your own for years, and if they want to take part in it, they're going to have to respect that…I mean, it's not like you're a minor or anything."

"…Right," I agree even though it's a lie, and he's confusing the hell out of me.

"So be honest with them. But you should give them a chance to make things right at least. If you're honest with them, maybe they'll be able to work with you and all of you can move past this… hiccup as you put it," Eric smiles. "And if things don't work out, then they don't work out. You don't have to feel like your losing control because you can't control everything. But you can control how you approach the situation. Just don't let whatever hate you think you have for them control the decisions you make, because that's when you know you lost it."

Valerie and I were inside of the elevator going up to the third floor. It felt awkward to have her come with me to the therapy session. But strangely it also felt strangely comforting as well.

"Did Fern tell you how many of these things I had to go to?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Nope… But two days a week is a little ridiculous. Don't you think?" she smiles.

I do too, "Right? Doesn't she have any other cases?"

"Guess not... Oh well, just tell her whatever you think she wants to hear and we'll be done with this before you know it," Valerie finishes with a wink.

When we walk into small waiting room, we both see Fern.

"Hey Ladies. You just made it," she said looking at the watch on her wrist.

"There was quite a bit of traffic," Valerie lies. Stopping at carvel to get ice cream and waste time does not constitute as traffic…

"It's not a problem."

"Do you want me to come in or should I wait in here?" she asks.

"You can wait in here," Fern suggests. "Thanks for bringing her, Valerie. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem," she assures her. "Lux, when you get out, if I'm not here I'm downstairs waiting in the car. Okay?"

"Got it," I answer.

Stef's POV

"I still think this is stupid," Mike insists while we all sit in Fern's office, waiting for Lux to show up.

"She's trying to help, Mike," Lena infers. "I think this will be good for us."

"How? By telling us that we can't see our own kid without her present? We shouldn't even be here," he continues to complain.

"Mike," I stop him from going on out of frustration. "If you wanna leave, then by all means, go right ahead and leave."

"Honey," my wife interrupts.

"No, Lena," I answer as I turn my head to face Mike. "I get that you're mad, but grow up, Mike."

"Excuse me?"

"You're acting just as stubborn as Lux is and frankly, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be here when you're behaving like this."

"Behaving like what? I can't voice my opinion? Isn't that what therapy is for?"

"Mike, we can't expect Lux to try if you're not willing to. Whatever your opinion is about all of this is irrelevant. You need to put those feelings aside, so that we can get through this. If you show your hostility toward Fern in front of our daughter, then she's just going to reciprocate and all of this is going to backfire. So pull yourself together or get out. But don't ruin what could be our last shot at getting Lux back because you're angry with her social worker."

The silence that follows after is long but necessary. I couldn't get riled up before this either because I didn't even want to mess this up any more than Mike might have. If he would have continued, I knew this was going to blow up in all of our faces.

Lena finally finds the courage to say something, "Why don't we all just relax so that she doesn't walk into a tense room… Mike, we don't want you to leave but we want you to try. You don't have to do it for Fern. But do it for Lux."

Short Preview of Next Chapter

Lux's POV

I keep repeating Valerie's words in my mind. Just tell her whatever I think she wants to hear. That'll be easy. I can tell her that everything is fine. Things are going great and I'm doing much better. That's simple enough.

And the second Fern opens the door to her office, I start to follow closely behind. But when I see Stef, Lena, and Mike's faces I freeze and find myself wanting to retract to where I came from.

"Fern, what is this?" I ask in confusion as try my best to refuse eye contact with all three of them, while I stand in the doorway.

Fern turns around to face me, "Come in and have a seat and we'll talk about it."

"What? No way. You told me that I had to come here and talk to you. Not that I had to come here and talk to them. You lied," I remind her.

"I didn't lie, Lux. And I never said anything about them because I knew this was exactly how you'd react. And whether you like it or not, they are your parents—"

"They didn't raise me," I retort, "And from what I can remember, Fern, neither did you," I respond back with an attitude. If I was ever going to talk to these people again, I wanted to do it on my terms. Not theirs.

"You're absolutely right, Lux. I didn't raise you," she starts as she gently pushes me inside of the room to close the door behind her. "But I have a gut feeling on this and I need you to trust me."

"This is so stupid," I inform her. "I've already tried to get along with these people. Over and over again."

"Not with me present, you haven't."

I shake my head, wanting nothing more than to say no to her. But I keep replaying last night's conversation with Eric in my head. "Fine… But if this doesn't work, it's not my problem," I say as I stare at everyone in the room until I get to Lena, "…And I don't even understand what she's doing here…"

To be continued.

A/N: Next chapter will be a bit longer. I wanted to write the therapy session this chapter, but the conversation between Lux and Eric took longer than I expected and I didn't want to cut the therapy session short so the next one should focus mainly on that.

I got a really good idea from a guest reviewer that I am planning to use somewhere in the future too. Ideas are still welcome.

And I'm just curious but what are your predictions for the first therapy session?

What would you like to see happen?

Do you think Lux's talk with Eric helped at all?

Will Mike continue make matters worse?

And how will Lena handle all of this?