Disclaimer: Forced to do one here. I don't own the song "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Life has this way of working that I'm not quite sure I understand. It throws you curve balls and you try to learn from them even though, sometimes, it's hard and you just end up making the same mistake again. Fortunately for me, I didn't. I learned from my mistakes. And as we are all sitting down, some of us on the floor, some of us on couches, watching Temperance unwrapping little Brina's presents, I find myself getting lost in the background music playing in our living room.

And you ask me what I want this year

And I try to make this kind and clear

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

Riley and I were the first ones to survive Febril, soon followed by multiple others. Everything happened so quickly. One minute we were in a coma and the next, we were waking up, at the same time. It's like we weant to wake at the same time. I turned to her and Riley smiled at me. That's when I knew everything was going to be alright this time. Three or four days passed before we were able to be released from the hospital and a couple more before we were back on our feet for good. Let's just say it didn't take long for things to go uphill for us.

Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings

And desire and love and empty things

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

We all went back to our jobs and schools. Things were back to normal when, a couple of weeks later, I came home from work to find Temperance sitting on our couch in the living room, a strange look upon her face. I stepped in the room, unsure of what was going. Her eyes staring at me in the blueish way they do were beginning to scare me but that fear soon vanished when a grin spread over her face. In an instant she was up on her feet and I felt her colliding with me. She pulled me close to her and I could do nothing more than do the same. I could feel her heart racing in her chest.

"I'm pregnant!"

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I don't remember much about that night except that it didn't take long for the words to sink in my mind. I lifted her up and spun her around. I was so happy. After all we had been through, a new child was truly a blessing for us. It was our second chance at starting a family together, a better one based on frienship, trust and love. Not that our family hadn't been like that before but let's just say it could have been better. Our marital problems had taken a toll on our kids. Today, I'm happy to say that things are different.

And it's someplace simple where we could live

And something only you can give

And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive

We moved out of our home a few months later. We felt like we needed a new home to start our 'new' life. At first, I wasn't fond of the idea before we found a really nice house in Winchester, Virginia. We moved in when Temperance was six months pregnant, giving us plenty of time to decorate our new baby's room.

We decided not to find out the sex of the baby because, you know, it's more fun that way. We did try picking up names but none of them sounded perfect for this baby conceived in such a dramatic period of our lives. Temperance did like the name Anthony for a boy (since we never got around to naming our 'other' boy) and I liked Zoey for a girl. So I guess we had settled for these names before the birth.

But when, three months later, Temperance gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Zoey just didn't seem like her name. She didn't look like a Zoey. We try coming up with some names while in the hospital but the poor thing ended being called 'Baby Girl' for two more whole days, until we brought her home.

"What's her name?" Lukas had asked us.

"She doesn't have one yet." Temperance had replied as she watched our baby girl sucking on her breast.

"How about Brina?"

We all turned to look at Riley, who gave us an innocent look. I frowned. Why did that name sound familiar? I turned back to my daughter and tilted my head to the left. Somehow, and for a reason I couldn't quite pinpoint, a warm and fuzzy feeling spread through me and Brina just seemed the right name to give her.

And the one poor child that saved this world

And there's 10 million more who probably could

If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So, a couple of weeks later, little Brina Zoey was being baptized. Brina: Celtic name meaning protector. Zoey's meaning: life. Even to this day, even after two years, I think that Bryn (Brina's nickname) was sent to us to protect us. For some reason, I feel like she is the reason Riley and I are still alive today. Like, from her mother's womb, she protected our lives. She made sure we got better and didn't leave too early for heaven. She wanted to have the chance to meet her father and her sister.

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I've stopped gambling and paid back my dad. I officially gave him my last cheque earlier today as a matter of fact. It was a long road but I'm happy to say that it is all over now... for good. My father has forgiven me and, from the look I can now see in his eyes as he beams at my daughter, I know he's more than happy to have a second granddaughter.

I wish everyone was loved tonight

And somehow stop this endless fight

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

I really feel like Febril was the best thing that could have happened to our family. Looking back on it, anyway. I got a new daughter and a new faith in life out of it. It's made me stronger than I've ever been, emotionnally and psychologically anyway. My immune system was damaged, of course, by the disease and I catch colds easier than before. But it's the only downside.

"Daddy! Look what Bryn got!" Riley squeals from beside me.

Riley is happier than she's ever been since we've moved to Winchester. She finally goes to the same school as her brother. She's in a regular class (with help on the side, of course) and I think it's the best thing that could have happened to her. She's made more progress in that class than she's made in three years in a special ed class. She's discovered this new confidence she didn't have before. Nobody knows where it comes from but at times, when she runs in waving her corrected homework excitedely, a look passes in Temperance's eyes. It's like she knew it already. Riley and her also share this new bond that certainly wasn't there before.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's a teddy bear!"

I chuckle because Riley seems more estatic about the bear than Brina is. But that's what's special about Riley. She gets worked up so easily in things and it's contagious. With her, things are always extraordinary. It makes me miss being seven years old. Oh my, she'll be turning eight pretty soon. Time just flies by. Of course, she doesn't act like she's eight years old. I think that she'll always be a bit less mature than the other kids her age. But it'll make her special.

The last box has been unwrapped and we are all sitting on the floor, almost drowning in colorful wrapping paper. Brina is busy examining the new ball she got from my mother. She throws it on the floor and starts laughing out loud like what she did is the funniest thing in the world. Her laugh echoes in my head even after she stops laughing.

She turns to me and smile. Her little baby blue bow on her head in her light brown hair makes her look adorable. She has her mother's eyes without a doubt. There's just something about her that makes me think I've seen her before. Every time I look down at her, I feel like I've known her for longer than just a year. Like I had met her before her birth.

"Do you want to go see Daddy?" Temperance asks our daughter. "Come on, go see Daddy."

I smile. I just love being 'Daddy'.

"Come see Daddy." I say, motionning to her to come to me at the same time.

And it's then that my daughter chooses to surprise us. Getting on her knees, she then uses her hands to pull herself up. I watch in amazement as Brina makes her first steps. Slowly, her arms extended at her side for balance, she makes her way to me.

"Oh my God Seeley! She's walking!"

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I laugh out loud and reach forward to catch her. Brina collapses in my arms just as the song comes to an end.

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

As I turn her around so I can look at her face, I can't help but think how this song truly applies to us. Maybe tonight a world isn't begin for us but it's certainly beginning for the precious princess in my arms. She's walking and she's chosen her birthday to do so. What a way to start her second year into this world.

As for the rest of us, we'll be just fine because we've found our better days.

Well I just want to say thank you for reading. I've really enjoyed writing this story and torturing all of you! (I know I'm evil!!) The surprise was not actually this chapter but was actually that the adventures for this family isn't over. I got another idea for a Booth family story. I'm not sure when I will be posting it since I have other stories going on at the moment and I want to finish those before I start the new one. So most likely in January we'll have a brand new The Booth story.

Again, hope you liked this story. I'm never mean so all of my stories have happy endings. How many times do I have to tell you guys?? lol