A/N:

I'm sorry I left you all hanging for so long. The last weeks have been stressful and whenever I had the time to sit down and write my mind would come up with all kinds of ideas, but none for this story. I've been working on this chapter for a long time now and I struggled a lot with finishing it. Dubigail helped a lot. She motivated and inspired me to keep going and even though she won't admit it she's probably frustrated with me by now.

There is a second part to this chapter, but it's not completely written down yet. I'm working on it as we speak and I'm positive that I will post it within the next few days.

June 2000

"I hate you!"

The words were hard and unforgiving, spoken with such venom that Eric felt like someone stabbed him with the poisoned tip of a sharp knife. He cringed and shuddered involuntarily, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to shut out the unwanted emotions. He couldn't afford to lose his cool now. He had to stay calm and strong despite the hurt the words had inflicted in him. Eric opened his eyes again and spoke quietly, soothingly as not to infuriate his sister opponent even more. "Emma, please let me explain."

The ten-year old girl stared at him, her fury reflected in the way she was holding herself, body tense and hands fisted at her side. She looked about ready to lash out, if he so much as dared to take a step closer. "No!" she growled. "You knew about the summer camp! You knew that I wanted to go so bad! Who are you that you get to decide whether or not I go?"

"Emma…" Eric tried again, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Tell you what, you don't get to say what I can and can't do! You don't get to decide over my life!" she spat.

"You know that mom isn't doing so well at the moment and that she can't make decisions like that. I agree that I don't get to decide over your life, but I get to decide whether or not you can go to summer camp and I'm telling you that you can't go."

"No, you don't get to say that! You are not my father. You act like one ever since mom got sick, but you aren't. I don't have to listen to you, so stop telling me what to do!" she spat, disgust in her voice. She turned away, the anger left her momentarily and made room for sadness "Amanda will hate me now," she declared as a sob escaped her.

Eric felt bad for her and moved towards her. "I'm sorry," he soothed remorsefully and reached out with one hand to comfort her. But as soon as his fingers touched her shoulder she spun around, the fury returning with full force, and violently shoved him away.

"Leave me alone!" the girl growled, eyes flashing dangerously.

Taken aback by her unexpected physical reaction Eric lost his momentum and stumbled backwards. With the force of the blow it was a miracle that he managed to stay upright. He held up his hands in a placating manner. "Okay," he breathed. "I'll leave you alone. For now." His voice was quiet and strangely calm despite his mixed feelings.

He could understand Emmas' frustration and it hurt him that he had to deny her something that was clearly very important to her. But he was not only unable to cover the costs of the camp, he also didn't have the power to consent to the trip. Sure, he could've forged his mother's signature, but if someone – anyone found out, his chances of becoming an emancipated youth would fall to zero and that would bring countless other unwanted consequences with it that he rather not think about right now. He still wasn't emancipated after all and there was a distinct possibility that things wouldn't turn out in his favor.

The skinny youth shivered involuntarily. He really didn't want to go there right now. Turning his attention back on his sister's agitated state he realized that it was futile to think that this argument would be resolved right now. He would have to pick it up later, when she had calmed down enough to actually willingly listen to him. Sighing and schooling his features into a neutral mask he mustered his most confident voice, keeping it low and impending. "We will talk about this later, Emma."

It didn't have the desired effect, but he hadn't expected it to either and therefore wasn't surprised by the snarly comeback. "I said, go away!" She didn't even look at him this time.

In spite of being annoyed with her attitude he kept his cool and ignored her. "Make sure to make yourself presentable. The social worker I've been telling you about will be here in two hours." Eric didn't even wait for a reply and simply left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He leaned against the wooden frame and heaved a long sigh. He hid his face behind both hands, thoughts about the things he hadn't told his sister swirling around in his head. He was afraid the whole debacle would blow up in his face. Now was the worst possible timing for an argument like that and if Emma decided to tell the social worker what she had just spat in his face, the chance of the family staying together would grow a lot slimmer. He could handle Emma throwing a tantrum, but he wouldn't be able to handle the family falling apart.

He drew his hands through his curly blonde hair and then dropped them gracelessly to his sides. Not for the first time in the past months his thoughts went to Katherine. Where was she, when he needed her most? She probably would have a solution handy if she was here, but she had yet to contact him after his numerous futile attempts at getting a call through to her. If she didn't answer back soon he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to hold it together.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply he pushed himself away from the door. He needed to get ready for the social worker and there were still some things to do before that. He couldn't afford slipping up now.

July 2000

"Mom? Emma? I'm home!"

It was late in the afternoon and Eric was glad to finally be home after spending his morning working his part-time job at the university and then heading to the second job down by the beach. He hadn't had a scheduled shift at his second job today, but he could use a little extra cash. Both jobs were fun but also exhausting and he usually came home bone-tired and ready to crash. There were plenty of chores to do in the house, though and he wouldn't get his little reprieve until much later.

The teenager slipped out of his flip-flops and shook the sand out of them, put them back on and nudged the door close with his foot and put his key on the counter by the door. As he was about to unstrap his satchel that was still slung over his right shoulder lazily he heard the kitchen door open. Assuming it was either his sister or mother he turned around and opened his mouth to greet them, but stopped in his tracks when his eyes met the person standing in the doorway.

"They aren't here right now," the unexpected visitor voiced nonchalantly.

The shoulder bag lost its grip on Erics' biceps. He absentmindedly caught it right before it would have slid down completely and set it down on the floor slowly. "Kathy?" he asked in a disbelieving voice. Standing in the entrance to the kitchen was the woman who he had tried to call a multitude of times over the past two and a half months, lips curled in a warm smile and her stance relaxed. She looked comfortable and if Eric hadn't known any better, he would have thought that this was how it was supposed to be, that Kathy didn't belong anywhere else but here.

He himself was rooted to the spot, eyes taking in everything about her. The teenager hadn't seen her in over two years, but she hadn't changed much. Her hair had a few more grey strands and there were a couple more wrinkles around her eyes, but other than that she looked pretty much the same. Even the heartwarming smile that always reassured and gave hope in situations that were seemingly futile at first glance was firmly in place.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out somewhat dumbfounded, too confused by her appearance to get his brain working. He winced once he realized that the words sounded more like an accusation.

"And welcome to you too, Eric," Kathy replied, unfazed by the tone of his voice and smile unwavering. The young man blinked his eyes and looked slightly abashed. Instead of returning a greeting, though, he simply crossed the hall in long strides, barely resisting the urge to run like an eager little child and wrapped his arms around the stout woman. She hugged him back almost instantly. She could tell from the way the blonde was clinging to her and buried him in the embrace that he must have been in desperate need of drawing strength from the physical contact with another human being. Or rather with someone that could actually lend him support.

"I'm so happy to see you, Kathy," he mumbled into her hair, his voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea how much I've missed you." Eric closed his eyes and melted into the embrace just a little longer before he lessened his hold on her and took a step back.

"I'm happy to see you too, Eric." She tugged a curly strand of his washed-out hair behind his left ear and frowned. "You've grown," she observed. "And so has your hair, apparently. When did you last get it cut? You look like one of those overconfident surfers." Katherine shook her head with disappointment.

The blonde grinned at her, amused by her clear dislike of the look. "Is that a bad thing?" He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his surfer shorts and teetered back and forth on his heels.

"No, it's not," she answered truthfully, her eyes looking him up and down. "But you are not a beach boy, Eric. The look doesn't suit you. Since when do you dress like this anyways? I understand that it's summer, but those sandals are just," she stopped and fished for the right word to describe them, but didn't come up with one.

Eric grinned even wider. "They are flip-flops and they are actually very comfortable. In a few years everyone will wear them. Might be the new fashion item, who knows? And they are very practicable, too. Especially when you're down by the beach."

"I know what they're called, Eric. They have been popular before. But in my opinion you either wear real shoes or no shoes at all," she stated, throwing another disdainful glance at his footwear. "But who am I to judge? Your hair on the other hand really needs to be cut. You're not a surfer," she reminded him. His smile faltered a little and turned to a half-grimace and Katherine noticed it immediately. "Or are you?"

The boy flashed a shallow smile. "Nah," he replied easily and casually waved her off with one hand. "Don't have time for something like that." He looked away from her, hoping to feign nonchalance, but failed to fool the woman.

"But you wish to be," she concluded and nodded to herself knowingly. Eric shifted uncomfortably and it was all she needed to know. Katherine chuckled. "Personally I don't think this is a sport for you. You are not much of an athlete, Eric and surfing takes quite a lot of balance, strength and stamina. It's all about body control."

Eric lowered his head and silently agreed with a nod. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, Kathy. I know I probably won't be any good at it. Besides, I don't have any spare time on my hands right now, anyway." The teen started to feel uncomfortable and changed the topic. "You said mom and Emma aren't here? Where are they?"

Katherine raised her eyebrows at the sudden diversion, but didn't comment on it. "Your mom is just in the backyard and Emma wanted to go to a friends'. Amanda was her name, I believe?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah, her best friend. She returned from summer camp today," he explained, remembering Emma mentioning that morning that she wanted to welcome her back and spent some time to her. She had asked, if she could sleep at Amanda's, but he hadn't made up his mind yet. Frowning he asked Kathy, "Did she say something about the sleepover?"

Katherine tilted her head and looked at him askingly. "Yes. I believe she made arrangements with her friends' mother. Why?"

Eric closed his eyes and groaned. "I told her I'd decide this afternoon. She played me. Again. I hate it when she does that." He blew out a long breath and ran his hands through his disheveled hair.

The family friend frowned and scrutinized him thoughtfully. She had noticed a shift in air in the Beale household the moment she had set foot in it earlier that day and wasn't sure she liked the tension lingering in every corner. A close look at Eric showed that it seemed to take a toll on him as well. There was a weariness way beyond his fourteen years of age surrounding the boy. She didn't like it one bit. He was still a child and he shouldn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders like this.

Saddened she shook her head she put a hand on his arm and gently pushed him towards the kitchen. "Come on, I'll make us both some tea and then we're going to have a talk. There's a lot to catch up on and I want to know everything that's gone on in your life since my last visit."

Half an hour later found them both comfortable in the living room. Eric sat on the couch, one foot pulled under him, the other lazily dangling from the edge of the sofa playing with the straps of the discarded flip-flops with his toes. Katherine sat next to him, both feet firmly planted on the rug, but her upper body slightly turned in his direction. The teen cradled a cup of an expensive blend of tea in his hands while Kathy's sat untouched on the coffee table next to a plate with snacks.

"You're probably angry with me," Katherine opened the conversation and watched as Eric sipped from his tea. He looked up and frowned.

"I'm not." His voice was a mix of dismissiveness and bewilderment. He leaned forward and grabbed a cookie from the plate, took a bite and chewed slowly.

"But you should be," the woman in her early fifties replied in an even tone.

Eric frowned and shook his head once more. His multiple unanswered calls to her emergency phone number had left him helpless and on the verge of giving up and yes, he had been disappointed that the only person he knew might be able to help him was unreachable. But he had never, not for a single moment been angry with her. He didn't feel like he had the right to ask anything of Katherine. He wasn't her responsibility after all. He was merely the son of a good friend of hers, nothing more and nothing less.

Swallowing the mushy bits of cookie still left in his mouth he answered, "And where's the point in that? Wouldn't exactly help me now, would it?" He sounded weary and wise beyond his fourteen years of age, Katherine noticed once more and still didn't like it more than she had earlier.

"No it wouldn't," she agreed with reluctance. She stayed silent for a moment and then decided to call him on her observations. "You sound like a real adult now. Act like one too." She carefully kept any kind of judgement out of her voice and made sound like a casual observation.

Eric shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I'm about to become one," he stated quietly and sipped on his tea.

"So I've heard." Emma had mentioned the emancipation earlier before she had gone to her friends' house. Katherine had noticed that she hadn't seemed too happy about it and she assumed it was simply because the girl was too young to actually understand what happened. "It's causing a lot of friction between you and your sister, though, isn't it?"

The teenager nodded. "She's having a hard time adjusting to all the changes. I don't even think it's the emancipation that bothers her. It's more like the fact that I applied to be her and mom's legal guardian. She won't accept me as a surrogate parent." Eric wiped a tired hand over his face, smearing his glasses in the process. "I can't really blame her, Kathy. Mom's not in her right mind to make important decisions anymore, but I don't have that power over Emma. If I were in her place I wouldn't listen to me either."

"But someone has to put her in her place," Katherine concluded. Eric nodded absentmindedly. "I've noticed that your mother's condition took a turn for the worse," she continued. "Is that why you tried to call me?"

The teenager sighed and placed the cup on the coffee table. "Not exactly, no. But it all comes down to her in one way or another." Eric struggled to find a way to explain to Katherine what had transpired to get him riled up enough to call the emergency number. He had a hard time getting his thoughts in order, though.

"Why don't you start at the beginning? What happened the day you called me?" Katherine urged him gently and Eric found himself nodding once again. Then he recounted all the things that happened that day, the call to the principal's office, their suspicion of child abuse and him finally snapping and telling the truth, how he tried to get a hold of her and upon realizing that he couldn't reach her had decided to do his own research and finally stumbled across the California emancipation manual and made up his mind pretty much over night that this was what he needed to do.

Katherine listened, nodded occasionally and lending silent support when he needed to take a break. When he finished his tale and took a deep finalizing breath Eric felt like the weight of the whole world had lifted off his shoulders.

"Now I truly believe I'm talking to an adult," the older woman noted and took a sip of her now cold tea.

Eric blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like I have much of choice. Someone has to be strong for both mom and Emma. Dad made it pretty clear that he doesn't give a shit about us, the rest of the family couldn't be bothered either, I couldn't reach you for the past months… so yeah, it all comes down to me in the end."

There was a distinct lack of emotion in his tone. He was calm and collected and Kathy couldn't help but feel that Eric had disconnected from his emotions to protect himself from the hardships thrown at him. No child should feel the need to do that, but he had a remarkable sense of obligation. Katherine watched the flustered teenager for a long moment. "You are an admirable young man, you know that, Eric?"

He barked a humorless laugh and frowned. "Yeah, right." He washed down the rest of his tea with one large gulp and placed the cup on the coffee table.

Katherine frowned. "You are, Eric." He shook his head disbelievingly. "You are highly intelligent and compassionate and the way you stand up for your mother and sister is very honorable. It's a weight that you shouldn't have to carry alone and yet you do and that's more than any parent or sibling could ever ask for. If your mother was able to grasp the whole situation she would be very proud of you. As for Emma, she'll come to her senses. She might not fully understand what all of this is about right now, but she will get there and once she does she will look at you in a whole new light."

The blonde drew both his legs under him and hugged himself. "I hope so." He absentmindedly picked the cookie crumbs that had fallen on his lap earlier and Katherine observed the scenario quietly for a while. It was obvious that he didn't really want to talk about the topic anymore.

Heaving a sigh she broke the awkward silence that had settled over them. "Why don't you tell me about that job of yours?" Eric glanced up and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth, thankful for the change in topic.

"I have two actually. One is at Caltech that my teacher pointed out to me. The university decided they needed to adjust to the modern technology and build a web presence. Most of the people working on this project are college students and some of the professors, but they granted access for me too. It's a lot of administrator work, aspects of web design and programming, computer science and all that jazz. It's fascinating. I knew my way around a computer before that, but some of the things they taught me were just crazy. I even get to write some of the codes."

Katherine watched with fascination as he launched into explaining about what he did at the university. His eyes lit up and replaced the sadness that had surrounded him earlier. Instead of drawing into himself he gestured wildly with both his arms and looked like the excited and carefree teenager he was supposed to be. "Sounds like you really enjoy this kind of work."

Eric beamed at her and for the first time that afternoon it reached his eyes as well. "I do. I can actually see myself doing something like that in the future. Maybe not the web design, but the writing programs and security codes and discovering new possibilities of interacting via a virtual world, accessing data that otherwise would be way out of reach – all of this is something that really interests me. It's a field with so much potential and I'd love to explore that," he admitted.

His enthusiasm was infectious and Katherine was happy to see him this eager about something. "Am I wrong in assuming that the second job has something to do with technology as well?"

Eric scratched his head and his excitement abated a little. "Uh, yes, the other job is something else entirely. I help out in a surf rental shop down in Malibu beach, whenever I find the time," he explained.

Katherine nodded knowingly. "Ah, so that's where your sudden interest in surfing originates from, I assume?"

The teenager blushed and fidgeted with his hands. "Something like that, yeah. They make it look so easy and when they come back to the shop after hitting the waves they usually look so relaxed. All the stress of the day gone, as if the waves washed away all their sorrows, you know? Aside from that they are cool to hang with, easy-going, open-minded and funny." He turned to Kathy and offered a genuine smile and she detected envy and longing in both the way he spoke and the way he looked at her.

"You really want to learn surfing," she stated and watched as the blush crept even higher on his face. It was all the answer she needed. "Why don't you?" she asked with curiosity. The sheepish grin vanished from his face and was replaced by a grimace.

"I only took the job to earn a little extra cash, because the money from the university doesn't cover all the expenses. With mom out of the job for two years now there's barely anything left and I don't even know how we managed to get this far without falling in debt. That's the reason why Emma couldn't go to camp in the first place. I'd be a hypocrite if I used it for surf lessons of all things now." He made eye contact with the woman, his look dead serious. "We desperately need the money, Kathy. Every last penny of it. And I'm worried about how I'm going to juggle it all when school starts again."

She watched him closely as his eyes searched hers for a solution that would take his sorrows away, but the only one that came to mind was probably one he wouldn't want. "I'd be willing to support you financially, Eric."

He shook his head vehemently and frowned. When he spoke his voice sounded determined and a little bit angry as well. "Definitely not. First off, we're not a charity case and I wouldn't ever ask you for money, Kathy. I don't want to be in your debt. Second, the court wouldn't be pleased to see money deposited to me. They are allowed to deny my request, if they see that I'm not able to get myself a decent income. I can't take money from you, Kathy. I will work something out and if I have to work day and night when I'm not at school." He heaved a sigh and offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I got this."

It was Katherine's turn to shake her head, not believing what he had just said. "This is ridiculous, Eric. You can't be on your feet twenty-four seven."

"I have to, if I want this to work." He rubbed at his suddenly tired eyes. Kathy was right, it was ridiculous for him to think he could pull something like that off. He knew he couldn't, but in his defense he hadn't had given it much thought so far.

"Nonsense. You will not run yourself ragged just to get emancipated. Even the whole situation with your mother and sister isn't worth risking your health for. There's other ways to help you through that. Scholarships for example. With your intelligence I'm certain that you could get one." Eric furrowed his brows in confusion. "But we will figure that out tomorrow, look into all the possibilities." The teenager nodded his head slowly, but remained silent and Katherine took it as a cue to keep going. "Do you already have a date for the hearing?"

"Yes. It's on August 2," he informed her. He lowered his gaze and watched his hands with fascination whilst worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. When he continued his voice was quiet and sounded more like a child than the matured teenager he had become. "I was kind of hoping that you would come, too."

"You want me as a character witness?" He nodded and glanced up with uncertainty. Katherine's' heart swelled with emotion. She was aware of the fact that she was somewhat of a role model for him, especially since there weren't too many people in his life to guide him through this hard time. But knowing that he wanted her at the trial despite her absence in recent months made her realize just how much he depended on her to support him. Capturing his hopeful, pleading eyes with her own she reached for his hands and squeezed in a comforting gesture. "Of course I will be there, Eric."

The tension left his body and his relief at hearing those words was written all over him. "Thank you," he breathed, his voice nearly breaking with emotion. "You don't know how much this means to me, Kathy."

"It's the least I can do after neglecting you for so long. I wasn't here for you before, but I'm here now and I will be for as long as you need me to." She patted his right leg in encouragement and the moved to stand up from the couch. "Now what do you want for dinner, young man?"

Eric frowned up at her, clearly confused. "You don't have to…"

"Hush, Eric," she cut him off. "You're working nonstop and judging from what you told me you're too hard on yourself and don't allow your body nearly enough time to rest. For now you will stay here and relax for a bit, I'll take care of dinner and everything else that needs to be done in the house," she decided in an unmistakable tone of command. Eric opened his mouth in protest, but she shook her head. "I know what you're thinking. You are an independent youth and you need to prove so to the court, but guess what? Even adults have to ask others for help once in a while. Emancipation doesn't mean you have to do it all on your own. So sit right there, read a book or play a game on your computer. I don't want to see you lift a finger in the next couple hours, you got me?"

The teenager rolled his eyes, but nodded. Sighing he got up from the couch as well. "Got it. But if you need anything," he started only to be interrupted again.

"I will ask you, Eric. But that won't be necessary. I will call you when dinner's ready," she assured him and gently shoved him in the direction of the stairs.

Reviews are always a wonderful motivator.

- S.