DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot (of the fanfic).

Chapter 9
Dysfunctional Family

||THE NEXT DAY||

"Are you excited to see our friends?" I ask Willow as she sits up in bed and nibbles on a piece of toast. Her appetite still lacked but she was awake and smiling just as always. Leave it to Willow to smile even through the most draining of times.

"Yeah," She says, nodding her head and taking a sip from the Styrofoam cup filled with water. "I wanted to show Ric my cool needle since he likes JoJo, and JoJo knows a lot about them." She says making me laugh. Of course Willow wanted Ric to take interest in something that his girlfriend deals with daily, she's been wanting them to get married since they started going out 3 months ago.

"We'll have to see who drops by." I say, trailing my fingers up and down her back the way she enjoys. "For now can I brush and braid your messy hair?" She giggles as I shag up the top of her already bed-head and cow licked hair.

"Okay." She agrees, I reach for the brush and begin to work through her blonde locks, admiring how each curl bounce back to the perfect twirl.

"When do I get to go home?" She asks in a lighter tone, indicating discomfort.

"In a week Bug. For now, I'll stay with you and we can watch movies all day and read your book for school. Sound good?" I ask, leaning forward to look at her eyes.

"Yeah." She says slightly saddened. I place the brush away and pick her up turning her around so she sits on my lap, facing me.

"Tell me everything on your mind." I instruct softly, smoothening her hair behind her ear and taking her hands into mine.

"The room is scary, and it's really bright sometimes. I also don't like the beeping everywhere and my tummy still hurts. I don't like it here." She says, tears building in her eyes. I slide them away and hold her face in my hands.

"Keep going." I say, still noticing how tense she was.

"The food is icky, I can't go to the bathroom because I have to go in a bucket thingy, and I don't have all my favourite things here."

"What's missing?" I ask.

"My toys, and bed, and movies. Most of my books and our pictures aren't anywhere in here. I liked seeing us on the fridge and living room. It's TOO white in here." She demands, motioning to her surroundings. I nod and agree with her point on the room colour.

"Anything else?"

"No." She says, pouting her lower lip lightly.

"Bug?" I ask.

"I just want a hug." She says, tears falling from her eyes. I obliged immediately, pulling her to my chest and allowing her to sprawl out over me.

"A hug is always good. And we are always home, as long as we are together." I remind her, kissing her pale cheeks and wrapping her blanket over us.

"Is she all finished?" Paula asks, entering the room 30 minutes later once Willow dozed off.

"Yeah, thanks." I say, watching as she ushers the small cart out of the room and closes the door with her heel.

I sleep a little longer with Willow, since breakfast was served at 7 and we were still exhausted after everything that happened yesterday.

Two hours later my phone rang, reminding me of our guests that were waiting downstairs for me to bring them up to the room.

"Hey BedBug. I'm going to go bring your friends up, okay?" I ask her, her slurred words agreeing lightly as she turns her head the other direction and sinks lower into her blankets. "I love you." I press a kiss to her forehead and head downstairs quickly, where a nurse was just signing them in as guests.

I breathed out a sigh of relief and ran into the embrace of both Bonnie and Caroline. Together they held me and rubbed my back as I cried lightly and thanked them for coming.

"How is she?" Jo asks, her arm strung around Ric's. I pull back from my hug and turn to them, accepting their double embrace as well.

"Sleepy. And slightly pained. But fine I guess." I say, turning to Jeremy and enveloping my arms around his neck.

I hug the remaining people: Liv, Luke, Tyler, Matt, and Stefan before leading them to the elevators and up to Will's room. I now noticed their numerous amounts of balloons and teddy bears. Some saying "Get Well Soon", others saying "You're a Star".

"It's really nice of you guys to come by with all of that." I say, motioning to the arrangement of gifts.

"Anything for WillowBee." Jeremy says, using her nick-name that he invented.

As they enter the room Stefan grabs my arm lightly and pulls me away from the door.

"Did you see him?" He asks in a whisper.

"Yeah, I spoke to him, yelled at him, slammed a door on him, gave him some coffee, cried to him, and now I don't know what is left to do." I say, puffing at the end and crossing my arms.

"Wow, all that in one day?"

"It was a very long day." I demand in slight agony.

"Yeah, I can see that. I just wanted to know what'd you say to me feeding her some of my blood? I can heal her side and there won't be a scar." He persuades, but I shake my head.

"No Stefan, you know I don't want her knowing about all that magic stuff yet. Not until she is noticing it on her own and asks questions. For now, trusting a 4 year old with the knowledge that her uncle Stefan in a vampire as well as her Auntie CareBear, and her Unle TyTy is a Hybrid is probably not a good idea."

"Oh, and don't forget, BonBon the witch, Livey the Witch, Lukey the Witch, and JoJo the witch." He reminds me, laughing as I roll my eyes.

"Yeah I get it, it's a dysfunctional family." I say, turning around to enter the room.

"Oh and her retired Vampire Hunter Uncle Jeremy." He laughs harder and I stifle one as well, covering my mouth when it slips.

"I hate you sometimes." I throw over my shoulder, he just proceeds with his laughter as we close the door behind us.

Caroline was crouched in front of Willow, whispering things to her while the others arranged the gifts everywhere. I was grateful for this family, no matter how dysfunctional it is.

||FEW HOURS LATER||

"No, Jer you're cheating!" Willow laughed, taking back the money he stole in Monopoly.

"Oh yeah? Says who?" He asks, wiggling his face at her and tugging one of her curls.

"Says me, cause I saw you swipe it." She demands back, handing the money to Luke who was the official bank keeper.

"Sorry, I suck at my job." Luke says, raising his hands and shaking his head.

"Yeah, no kidding." Liv laughs, leaning against the foot of the bed and tossing her head back, sighing as the worlds longest game drags on.

"I'm sorta bored." Willow whispers to me after another five minutes of petty arguing over land ownership between Matt and Tyler.

"Oh thank god! Games over." I say to everyone, Liv mouthing thank you to the ceiling as she tosses her money into the center.

"That was…" Bonnie begins to say, fumbling for words.

"Awful," Willow giggles, taking my money and mixing it with her's.

"You're so cute." I say, hugging her close as she sits on my lap, and kissing her cheek repetitively.

"So what do you want to do now?" Jo asks, shutting the box to Monopoly and moving it to the end of the room.

"I don't know." Willow says, lifting her shoulders. "I'm not allowed to jump around for a month so Uncle Ty and Jer can't flip me around." She says with a slight pout.

"Don't worry Bee, you'll be back to your crazy flipping in no time." Jeremy says, plopping down on one of the many plastic chairs. Bonnie sat next to Willow and I at the head of the bed and Liv and Caroline rested at the foot, both hanging their feet over the edge to leave room for our legs.

"Can we have a sleepover mommy?" Willow asks me, turning her head to stare at me.

"No Bug, you're only allowed guests until 6." I remind her.

"It's already 5:45, maybe we should all start heading out." Ric mentions, looking to his watch.

"No, I don't want you to leave." Willow says as tears well-up in her eyes.

"Baby, we have too." Caroline says in a soothing voice, rising from the end of the bed and coming to the head. She strokes Willow's cheek and gives her brightest smile. "I love you." She says, pecking Willow's head and giving her a hug.

"I love – you- too." She replies between her sniffling and tears.

"Don't cry, angel." Liv says with a small laugh. She offers her arms and Willow wraps herself into them, allowing herself to be lifted from the bed and into a warm embrace. I hug the others while Willow says goodbye, eventually making it back to my arms as everyone heads for the door.

"Bye, Sweetie." Jo was the last to say, waving herself off as the door closed. Willow wrapped her legs around my waist and blinked her blue eyes. "I miss them already."

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-Valentina