You guys asked for it so here it is….CHAPTER 4!

About two hours went by of me driving in silence before Ava woke up. "Mommy," she said with a yawn.

"Yes baby girl," I answered looking at her threw the review mirror.

"Why are we going to New York," she asked, "I mean I know why we left cause Benny wasn't being nice anymore, but why are we driving so far away?"

"Well I don't want him to find us baby," I explained to her, "and I know people in New York that can help us start a new life." It was true the West Coast held no value for me anymore, ever since my dad died, back when Ava was two, I really hadn't had connections to anyone there. I would have probably come home to New York sooner if I hadn't met Benny. He was the one that took me in after my father's death and was my first friend in California, but obviously that didn't last. We started dating after a year of me living there that first year and a half of me living in the house where good, after that it started to go down hill. We would fight but at first I thought that was nothing then he would sometime grab me a little roughly but I would just yank away. After a while he started to hit me but after we fought he always begged me to stay or when we where fighting he threatened me so I wouldn't leave.

Then he got mad at Ava, who had been in the living room watching TV when we had started fighting. She hadn't done anything wrong, she just got scared when we started yelling at each other and then she started to cry. At first he just started yelling at her to stop crying. Then when she didn't he grabbed her roughly and shook her I pulled him off where then I got my bruises and cut lip. That's when I realized it was time to leave.

"Who's there," she asked pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Well your other grandparents are there," I informed her, "and a lot of mommy's friends as well."

"Is..is daddy going to be there," she whispered.

"Oh baby," I let out a sigh. She had asked about her dad a few times, when she was little I had just beat around the bush trying to avoid the subject that she may never meet her daddy. "I really don't think so."

"Where is he?" she asked me sadly. "Does he not love me?"

"It's not you at all sweetie," I felt so bad I had protected her for so long about this conversation but now she wanted to know and I couldn't hide it from her forever her. "He didn't even know about you. He went missing before I even realized I was pregnant with you but I know if he would have met you he would have loved you."

"Maybe he will be there," she said happily. I couldn't help but smile at her happy outlook. "Maybe he'll know we are coming and he will be there."

"Ava I don't want you to get your hopes up too much," I sighed. I didn't want to crush her dreams but I didn't want her dreams to be crushed when he wasn't there.

"Okay mommy, can you tell me a story?" she asked. I was so glad she had changed the subject.

"What do you want it to be about?" A story was easy enough and that would surely pass the time.

"About how you and daddy met," okay maybe that was a little harder then just any story.

I looked to see Jackson was still sleeping soundly. "Okay a story about how daddy and I met. Well once upon a time there was a very smart girl named Anna and every summer she went to summer camp with all her friends."

"And pretty," she added I turned and looked at her questioningly. "You forgot to say you where pretty." I smiled at her and then went back to driving.

"Yes and pretty," I added before I continued. "One summer when she was 12 years old a new kid came to camp. Being the new kid he didn't really seem to fit in but he was friends with one of her friends so they grew close. The one day they were playing capture the flag…"

"What's that," she interrupted.

"Oh well it's this game where you make two teams and each team has a flag and you try to get the other teams flag to win." I explained the game to her remembering it as if it was yesterday. "He was on her team and she kind of tricked him so he would get the attack by the one girl who was a bully but they won and had a good laugh about it later."

"So you guys were then friends ever since," she asked, "and then you became boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yep," I smiled remembering him. Remembering that under water kiss we shared after saved the world, so many great memories with him.

"Then why did you date Benny?" Wow these questions where getting harder to explain especially to my daughter.

"Well he went missing and I tried my best to wait for him," I explained to her. "Then I met Benny and honey he wasn't always mean to me like he is now. I was lonely and he made me happy and helped us a lot; I never stopped loving your father though never ever."

This seemed to suit her for an answer. She went quiet after that probably day dreaming about New York and her dad; she spent a lot of time day dreaming. I guess I did that a lot as well, like mother like daughter.

That's all I have for now. I know you guys probably wanted more from this chapter but I'm having a little writers block with how to connect what I have to what I need to get to. Don't worry though I always get good ideas when I'm day dreaming in school. (:

Write on,

Spunkransom12