Happy new year lovelies! Here's a gift for the new year and my 21st birthday that is creeping up way too quickly! Why am I so old? Where did the time go?

Enjoy :)

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Arizona, 2015

"Urgh, twelve hours," Zoe complained from her spot on the bed. She fell back and groaned. "And in this Arizona heat."

Max continued folding various shirts and denim shorts into a duffle bag. "That's not too bad."

"It is," Zoe moaned. She closed her eyes trying to focus on the cool breeze of the air conditioner.

Max didn't answer and instead, proceeded to check items in the bag against a written list.

Zoe spied her mom and laughed. "Relax mom."

Max gave her daughter a smile. "I'm just making sure you're prepared."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Zoe waved off her mom. "Always be prepared."

Max rolled her eyes and continued to help her daughter pack. And by help, she did everything herself.

"Twelve hours isn't bad," Iggy commented from his spot on the bed, where Max noted he wasn't being helpful at all. "We'll make it fun with good music and car games."

Zoe grinned at her uncle. "Yeah mom's CDs are a drag."

"Excuse me," Max glared at the two of them. "They're classic."

"They're old," Zoe countered. "And angsty."

Iggy nodded at his niece. "See if your sixteen year old daughter says they're too angsty, then there's something wrong."

Max rolled her eyes and continued to fold.

*.*.*.*.*

New York, 2015

Fang eyed the denim skirt Chloe was folding up and placing in her bag. He was glad that she had agreed to a girls only camp.

"Are you sure that's...appropriate?" Fang asked his daughter. "Won't there be sport?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Obviously I won't wear it when I'm rock climbing or anything dad. It'll be for the chill days. Just because it's a camp in the woods doesn't mean I'm going to sacrifice style."

Fang turned to the woman helping Chloe fold the rest of her clothing. He thankfully saw practical clothing in that pile. "You'd think she was your daughter, not mine."

Nudge laughed. "Yeah well, you're hopeless."

Chloe laughed as her dad pretended to be offended. "Hey!"

"Are you coming to the airport Aunt Nudge?" Chloe asked while she wrapped the cord around her hair straightener.

Nudge have her niece a wide smile. "Of course I am honey. Wouldn't miss it."

Fang sat himself on the edge of the bed and helped Nudge with folding. She watched him struggle to fold a t-shirt neatly before huffing and grabbing it off him. "Gimme that, you'll crease everything."

Fang held his hands up. "Sorry for helping."

"Just sit there and check that list," Nudge held out a sheet to him.

*.*.*.*.*

Arizona

"Of course it's 106 degrees today," Zoe complained from the passenger seat. Iggy was nice enough to let her ride shotgun.

Max laughed. "You'd think growing up here would make you immune to the heat."

"This is just ridiculous," Zoe huffed, fidgeting in her seat. She fed a CD into her mum's Jeep and fiddled with the AC system until she felt a semi-cool breeze hit her face.

"Time to get this show on the road," Max called out to Iggy who was making sure all Zoe's bags were secured in the back and not obscuring Max's view.

"Rodger that!" Iggy called back and climbed into the back seat. Despite his long frame, he chose to sit in the middle seat. "What's playing, Zo?"

"Queen's greatest hits," Zoe told him, kicking off her shoes and trying to cool her feet with the now cool breeze radiating from the car.

"And you said my music was old," Max grumbled.

Zoe shrugged, and Max was hit with how alike she was with her dad, "Okay fine. It's just angsty."

Max smiled. "I lived in New York in the nineties when I was in my twenties. You know that your Uncle Iggy used to be in a band?"

Zoe whipped her head at her mom. "Really?"

"Yeah, we had moved to New York when I'd finished college so I could find a job as a journalists, while Iggy was the bassist of a grunge band, Hard Copy."

Zoe chuckled. "Hard Copy? Really?"

Iggy shrugged, "Hey! One of our band member's was working at a IT company at the time."

*.*.*.*.*

New York

Chloe aimlessly flicked through her TV but it was still six in the morning so there wasn't really much going on. She continued to stuff her mouth of the sugary cereal she tried indulge in only occasionally.

Her dad settled in beside her and watched the morning show. They both hated these shows.

"Ready?" He asked her, while they focused on the main male host try to cut tomatoes for an omelette.

Chloe munched on her cereal and shrugged. "Yeah, a little worried everyone's gonna be younger than me. Or they're socially weird freaks who don't know who Pierre Balmain is."

"I don't know who that is," Fang responded.

Chloe scrunched her face up. "Dad, no offence, but you're socially weird."

Fang was about to open his mouth when Nudge interrupted him. "She's not wrong."

He pinched his daughter who just laughed. "Finish up your nutritious breakfast and we'll leave for the airport."

Chloe just smiled at him.

*.*.*.*.*

Golden, Colorado

"Why do you listen to those CDs so much?" Zoe asked her mom quietly. Iggy was sound asleep in the back, but was quite the snorer.

Her mum shrugged. "Call me nostalgic. They remind me of New York."

Zoe watched as her mom stared ahead thinking hard. She decided not to bother her thoughts.

It was a long drive, which Zoe was able to sleep for most of the journey, while her mom and uncle swapped every two hours. Once they managed to find a park within the rows of cars parked, where there parents and siblings hugging their daughters and sisters tightly, the three jumped out and took in the camp.

"What do you think?" Max asked her daughter.

She shrugged. "It's okay I guess."

"I'm sure it'll be great, kiddo," Iggy assured her, wrapping his arm quickly around her shoulders in a brief hug. "I'll go unload the car."

Max turned to Zoe, a small smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her forehead, not needing to bend down as much as she used to. She felt a small pang of pain when she thought about the other daughter she'd never gotten to watch grow up.

"Have fun Zo, and stay safe," she told her, pulling back and tucking her hair behind her ears. Zoe looked older now; she had cut her hair a few days ago to her shoulders so she no longer had to fuss with it.

"Thanks mom," Zoe told her, giving her a small smile.

"Okay, let's break up this love fest," Iggy announced, stepping in to take his turn to hug his niece. "Have fun Zo, and be sure to cause some mischief, alright?"

Max shook her head and playfully pulled Zoe away from Iggy. "No, don't listen to your uncle."

Zoe chuckled to herself when Iggy winked at her behind her mom's back.

"Well," Max sighed, finally stepping away from Zoe, "We should head off. Did you need any help with your bags?"

Zoe eyed the one duffle bag she brought and raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm good."

Max rolled her eyes and backed towards the drivers seat. "Smart mouth. I'll call in a few, love you!"

Zoe waved as her mom and uncle hopped into their car and pulled out. She mouthed a 'love you' back at her mom and uncle.

*.*.*.*.*

New York

Nudge immediately pulled Chloe in for a hug. "I'm going to miss you so much! What am I going to do with you gone?"

Fang rolled his eyes and watched the two in amusement. "Nudge, you're taking the plane with her. No need for the dramatics."

Nudge poked her tongue out at Fang and let go of Chloe. Fang stepped up to his daughter and pulled her in for a hug. He kissed the top of her head. "Have fun Clo, and stay out of trouble."

Chloe pressed a hand to her chest. "Trouble? Moi? Never!"

She laughed while Fang chuckled to himself. "Text me once you arrive."

Chloe nodded. "Sure thing dad. I'll even send you some pictures, though I don't have high hopes with my living conditions."

She grinned at her dad while he looked at her with a stoic expression.

"I'm kidding," she assured him. "Sort of."

"We should probably get to the gates now," Nudge told them through sniffs.

Father and daughter shared a look. Fang gave Chloe one more hug before handing her a designer duffle bag. Fang wondered when her daughter became interested in fashion. Oh right, Nudge, he thought to himself.

He gave Nudge a quick hug, and soon the two women in his life were headed towards the gates.

Fang smiled as Chloe turned once more to give him one more hug.

Read, review, and recycle,

- FlowerChild22