Author's note: Hello! So this chapter is a little on the boring side, sorry :( But it's all relevant to Blue and Zed's story! Anyway, I made sure to have some cute Zed and Blue moments in there for you to make it a bit lighter :)

Please leave reviews xo

28th September 2013

Zed stepped out onto the front porch of his house, closing the door behind him. He dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and shivered as the cold hit his body. The good weather they had been having had disappeared over the past few days, to be replaced by chilly gusts of wind and heavy rain. Thankfully it wasn't raining at the moment but it was freezing cold. His long wool coat and the black beanie on his head were keeping him a little bit warmer, but his teeth still chattered a little.

He looked over at the Williamson house and saw Blue just closing the door behind her. It had been a long week without seeing her, only speaking to her telepathically yesterday to let her know that his parents had given him permission to go out with her today. It took a lot to persuade them, being on his best behaviour and constantly doing chores around the house. It was a welcome break to be going somewhere, and an even better feeling to know that she'd specifically wanted him to go with her.

A grin spread across his face as they walked towards each other, the grin more amusement at what she was wearing than anything else. She had a white winter coat on, her body slightly puffed out which made him think that she had a few layers on underneath, as well purple fluffy mittens and a purple Peruvian hat with fluffy tassels on the end. "Don't even start," she said with a pointed glare. "It's freezing and I don't care what I look like, okay? At least I'm going to be warmer than you are."

"Hello to you as well," he laughed. He lifted a hand and pulled on one of the tassels of her hat, laughing again when she hit his hand away. "Well," he said after he managed to compose himself. "You have a point there, I guess. Anyway, it's a good look for you. You're adorable."

"And you're an idiot," she snapped, but a small smile graced her face. "I'm surprised your parents let you out, Elliott never would have if I'd gotten into a fight at school."

"My folks are pretty understanding, seeing as we're soulfinders. They let me out with conditions though: I have to be back before it's dark and answer my phone every time they call. Which will no doubt be every hour. And I'm still grounded next week even though I'm allowed back to school."

"That's gonna be fun," she grimaced. "You should hear what everybody's saying about us. Jodie was terrible to me yesterday after the race because she thinks we're dating and she's insanely jealous apparently. Everyone thinks you stole me off Isaac."

"Good. It'll stop the other guys flirting with you," he joked, making her roll her eyes. "Is it really such a bad thing that everyone thinks we're dating?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be associated with you!" She replied, the laugh afterwards indicating that she wasn't being serious. "Oh, we lost the race by the way. With you and Isaac both not running, we didn't even stand a chance. It wasn't really a big shock to us all, we expected it."

"Well, better luck next time. Me and Isaac should both be back by then, I don't like the thought of being on a team with him but I'll have to deal with it."

"He's your best friend, Zed. I'm sure you'll make up."

Zed shook his head. "No, not this time. I'm sick of him. You're my soulfinder; you come first now. And if that means losing a friend, I don't have a problem with that. Especially when that friend is so disrespectful towards you. He's not worth my time anymore."

"I don't like being the reason you've fallen out with him," she frowned.

"It would have happened eventually," he replied, trying to make her feel better. "There's only so much you can take from guys like Isaac. Right then," he changed the subject, "where are we off to today? Shopping? The library? No, not the library. You already have enough books."

"There's no such things as 'enough books'," she rolled her eyes as they walked towards the Benedict's garage. She gave him a piece of paper and said, "we're going here."

Zed looked down at the paper and saw an address written on there. "Who's address is this?"

"Jon's," Blue replied after a short pause. "I'm ready for answers."

Blue climbed off the motorbike on shaky feet, having clutched onto Zed's waist as tightly as she could the entire journey here. Her hands trembled as she took off the helmet and gave it to Zed. He was looking at her with an amused smile on his face and his eyebrows raised. "You okay?" He asked.

"Um. Huh. Yeah," she nodded as she got her breath back and looked up at him in bewilderment. "I just... It turns out I don't like motorbikes that much. Why on Earth couldn't you have driven us here in your car? That would have been a lot more comfortable."

"I share the car with Yves and Xav," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Xav took it out today. Besides, I quite liked having your arms around me like that," he waggled his eyebrows. He laughed when she lightly punched his chest. "Nice house he has," he gestured behind her.

Blue turned around and looked at what was apparently Jon's house. It was a nice house, she had to admit. A proper family home, with a large front garden and a white picket fence, and a letterbox with 'The Barker's' written on it. She opened the gate and walked up the pathway to the front door, glad to have Zed close behind her. She'd told herself that she was going to come here today whether he was with her or not, but truthfully she didn't think she'd be able to do this alone. It was much too frightening.

When they reached the doorstep, she stared at the door. Ring the doorbell, she said to herself. It was only a small thing to do but she was too scared. "It's okay," Zed said gently as if he understood. He reached past her and rang the doorbell himself.

It was just a short moment later when the door opened, revealing a woman. She was of medium height and was a little curvy, with chestnut brown hair tied back. She had a questioning smile on her face, wrinkles crinkling the corners of her eyes. There was a motherly vibe to her, one that no doubt made people warm to her immediately. She adjusted her blue knitted sweater and asked, "can I help you?"

Blue was scared of what would happen after she got inside and started to talk to Jon, but she was also eager for answers. Thoughts of him and what he'd said to her when he visited the house had been stuck in her mind constantly and she was convinced that she had to do something about it now. So despite her nerves, Blue nodded her head and replied. "Yes, hi. Is Jon Barker in? I'm Blue. His daughter."

The woman gasped, a hand on her heart. "Oh of course you are, sweetie! Of course. You look just like in the photos he has of you as a little girl, you know. Oh he cherishes those. I'm Lavinia, Jon's wife and soulfinder. Do come in!"

Blue glanced at Zed as if for support before the two of them followed Lavinia into the house, shutting the front door behind them. She led them into the living room happily. The room was decorated with creams and reds, a smart TV playing some TLC programme about a bride by the looks of it. There were two leather chairs and a three-seater sofa to match, and on the sofa was a baby with dark curls, curled up under a blue blanket. Noticing her stare, Lavinia smiled. "That's Charlie, your little brother. He's nearly ten months old."

"He's cute," Zed replied to her. "You have a lovely home, Mrs Barker." It was clear to Blue that Karla had made sure her son knew how to be polite and courteous. She thought Zed's manners were adorable but also wanted to laugh at him because she'd never seen him so respectful to an adult before.

"Thank you so much! I'm an interior designer so I made sure my own home was just how I wanted it. Jon didn't have much say in it," she laughed, not arrogantly. "Why don't you two take your coats and hats off and take a seat, make yourself at home? Jon's just in the garage working on a car- I swear, he's always working on fixing cars and selling them and it's not even his job! It's just a hobby he has. Anyway, I'll go and get him." She looked at Blue and smiled as she said her next words in a sincere tone. "He will be so happy to see you, Blue. He's waited a long time for this."

Lavinia disappeared from the room and Blue took her hat and coat off, as well as one of the two thick jumpers she was wearing. She took a seat on one of the chairs, the one nearest to the door. After taking his things off, Zed squashed himself onto the seat with her, taking one of her hands in his. Usually she would blush and feel a little uncomfortable with the contact but this time she squeezed his hand in reply, thankful for the support and glad to be able to feel that he was right there next to her.

"Lavinia seems lovely," Zed commented. Blue nodded. "Easy to get along with."

Before Blue could reply – what she would have said she didn't know – their eyes were drawn to the sofa where little Charlie was stirring. As he woke up he sat up and looked around and at the two strangers in the room with him. They must not have seemed very welcoming to him as he tilted his head back and started to scream and cry.

Blue looked at Zed in horror. "What do we do with it?!"

"It?" He raised his eyebrows, a smirk crossing his face. "Don't you mean him?"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not a baby person, even when Poppy and Daisy were younger I never held them and always stayed away from them. I just don't like babies, I don't know what to do with them."

Zed rolled his eyes and stood up, crossing the room over to Charlie. As he picked the boy up and cradled him to his chest, he started to hum an unfamiliar tune, smiling at Charlie. The baby quietened down, his entire attention focused on Zed who had the look of somebody who adored babies. He looked so smitten with Charlie and for some reason that surprised Blue. What surprised her even more was how the sight of Zed being so caring towards a baby made her heart swell with affection for him and made her get all tingly inside. Zed sat back down next to her, holding Charlie on his knee and allowing the baby to play with a gold chain he was wearing around his neck.

"You look surprised that I'm so good with babies," Zed laughed. "I'm an uncle, remember? Gracie's a little older now, but Mark's still a baby and I do a lot of babysitting him. Plus Victor has twins on the way. I love children, I can't wait until I'm older and have my own. You really don't feel the same?"

Blue shrugged, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed. "I guess I'm just not like you. It doesn't come easily to me. I've never really wanted kids of my own, although I guess I'd never say never. It just..."

"Doesn't interest you? That makes sense. Trace never wanted children either and now he has two that mean the world to him. Maybe it'll come more naturally to you if you ever have your own children? That's what it's like for some people."

"Yeah. Maybe."

They sat in silence for at least another minute, the only sound in the room other than the TV being the soft murmurs of Charlie. When Lavinia came back into the room, Jon was with her. Again, his waist-length dark hair was tied back into a ponytail and the stubble on his cheek showed that he needed a shave, and he had all of his facial piercings in. He was wearing a white vest top that showed off the tattoos on his neck and his arms. The top was dirty with grease and sweat from working on the car. Stood next to small Lavinia, they looked nothing like a couple. Him with his tough, intimidating biker-look, and her with a motherly housewife look.

When Jon smiled at Blue, his eyes – which she was still stunned to see matched the colour of her own eyes – lit up and made him look a little softer than the rest of his appearance suggested. He and Lavinia sat down on the sofa Charlie had been napping on, sitting close to each other. "Blue," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. "I honestly thought you'd never come here. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see you though. It really is. It's just a surprise is all. What brought this on?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, her voice being more clear and confident than she had thought it would be. "I just couldn't stop thinking about what you said, it made me want answers. I don't like not knowing the truth about my own life."

"I can understand that," he nodded. "I myself was adopted and never found out the truth about my real parents, so I really do know where you're coming from. I'm glad you want answers. And it's nice for you to finally meet Lavinia and Charlie." He looked at Zed. "You're one of the Benedicts, right? How do you know Blue?"

"This is Zed," Blue answered. "Zed's my..." Soulfinder? Friend? Boyfriend? Neighbour? "Zed's my... Zed. He's Zed," she stammered, not knowing how to explain their complicated relationship.

Zed chuckled beside her. "She's apparently too ashamed to admit it, but I'm her soulfinder. She's told me everything that's going on."

"Good. I met your brother Victor, and his partner Hazel, during Elliott's trial so I know how powerful your family is in a lot of elements. I'm happy that Blue can be a part of your family instead of a family full of criminals which is what happened to my sister. Anyway," his attention diverted back to Blue. "I believe you have some questions, Blue?"

"I just want to know if it's all true," she said, sounding a little desperate. "I haven't spoken to my dad yet. Elliott, I mean. I'm worried that I'll upset him if it's not true and if it is... Then I don't know what to say to him. Whether I could ever forgive him."

Jon nodded as if he knew exactly how she felt, which was impossible. He had no idea what this was like. Blue forced the frown off her face before he answered her. "Everything I said was true, Blue. But don't get angry at Elliott – he and your mother both just wanted what was best for you.

"When your mother, Judith, told me that she was pregnant I was furious. At both of us. At the time, I wasn't a very good man. We were at university but I wasn't paying much attention to my studies. I was getting into trouble a lot, I was in with a bad crowd. I was very selfish and cruel. I know that isn't a good excuse for telling Judith that I wanted nothing to do with you or her anymore, but back then it was an easy decision for me. A decision that I'm still regretting to this day.

"I felt like I was so lucky when Elliott said that he'd take all parental responsibilities for you. I agreed to let him adopt you as his own, thinking I was getting the better deal. As you grew up, Judith stayed in touch with me: she sent me photos and told me how you were doing.

"When you were about four, I'd gotten my life under control and I was a better man. And I wanted my daughter. I approached Judith and Elliott, asking for visiting rights and another chance to be in your life. I begged for their forgiveness. But they weren't having any of it. They had no idea whether or not to trust that I was a good man now, they were just trying to protect you.

"I fought for you, I refused to give up on you again. They came to the decision to let me see you on birthdays, but that was it. I agreed, but it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to be a proper father. They wouldn't let me.

"Blue... I really am so very sorry. I was an idiot and you deserve better than me and I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me, but I really hope you can forgive me. I want to be in your life, I want to get to know you. I want Charlie to know his big sister, to have somebody that will never give up on him like I gave up on you."

Blue believed him. She didn't want to believe him, but she did. His story was horrible. What kind of father would do that? Why wouldn't her parents let him see her? But still, she believed him. And she believed his apology, felt it deep in her bones that he really did want them to be in each other's lives. And in a way, she wanted that too. She wouldn't ever call him dad – that would always be Elliott, no matter what – but she felt like she would be able to have him in her life and be happy about it.

"Don't be angry at Elliott and your mum," Jon continued. "They wanted what was best for you. They thought they were doing the right thing. In a way they were- Elliott was brilliant to you and he clearly brought you up well, probably better that I ever could have. I don't want to come between you and him, I simply want to be in your life. Even if it's as a friend or uncle-like figure instead of a dad. I don't deserve it but is there any chance you can forgive me and give me a chance?"

After saying goodbye to each other, Zed went into his own house as Blue went into hers. "Dad?" She called out. She hoped he was home. She wanted to tell him about her visit to Jon's house, to tell him that she wanted to get to know him and had agreed to give him a chance, before she lost her courage and kept it a secret from him. She didn't want to lie to him anymore. "Are you home?"

She rounded the corner into the living room. Elliott was on the sofa with his mobile phone in his hand, frozen. He looked up at her, a stunned expression on his face and tears in his eyes. "What's going on?" She quickly asked. "Where's Poppy and Daisy? Are they okay?"

"Your sisters are fine, they're upstairs in their bedrooms. I suppose I need to go upstairs and tell them..." Elliott spoke slowly, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he was saying.

Blue's heart started pounding faster in her chest, a bad feeling emanating all over her body. "Dad? You're scaring me. What's going on?"

Elliott looked away from her eyes, a pained look flashing in his own eyes. When he looked up at her again, he looked terrible. Horrified and grief-stricken, so desolate and depressed. "That was the hospital on the phone," he said gently. "Blue... God, I'm so sorry... Sweetheart, something's happened. Your mother... She- she was doing worse than all her doctors and therapist thought."

"What's happened?" Blue asked, voice trembling as her body shook in nervous fear.

"I'm so sorry, Blue. Your mother's killed herself."

A hint about the next chapter: Zed comforts Blue and learns why she went to Rosewood.