Ashley sat on the back steps of her father's porch watching the rain fall down creating thick copper colored mud with the red Georgia dirt. She wrapped her arms around her body a little tighter to stop from shivering. The grey terrycloth sweatshirt she was wearing did nothing to help her. But it was more than the cold that plagued her. She missed her kids and she missed John. Hell she even kinda missed Randy too. She sighed and swiped away the few tears she had left to cry.

"It's awful cold out here kiddo you might catch pneumonia" Chris warned her as he handed her a cup of hot coffee.

"Doesn't matter anymore" she said sadly.

"Come on everything can't be that bad" until then Ashley had not told him what had happened to cause her to be staying with him.

"You don't even wanna know" she replied.

"Tell me" he urged her having a seat next to her.

She sighed for a moment "Well I slept with Marc and John caught us and got so angry that he kicked me out"

"You slept with Marc as in John's cousin Marc?" he asked.

"Uh huh"

"Ouch! Why would you do that?" he asked in an almost berating tone.

"Because I felt like John was ignoring me so I guess subconsciously I just wanted to feel like someone was listening to me and that someone cared"

"You want to know what I thought the first time I met John?" he asked.

"This guy has a blonde Mohawk what is she thinking" she retorted.

"No" he laughed "I though this is the man my daughter was going to spend the rest of her life with"

"How could you possibly know that?" she asked amazed.

"I think it's time I told you a story"

"Oh God dad if this story starts with when I was a kid we had to walk 3 miles to school in the snow with holes in our shoes I don't even want to hear it"

"Or you could shut you mouth and listen to my advice"

When she didn't open her mouth again that let him know that she wanted to listen to him. She gave her a weak smile.

"When you were a little girl you had this imaginary best friend and you two would do everything together. You even made your mother set an extra plate at the table every time we ate meals. But one day and I will remember this day until the day I die. I had just come home from being on the road and you were sitting on the front porch of our other house very much like you are now"

Flashback

"Honey what's wrong?" he asked his five year old daughter.

She sniffled a little but didn't answer him right away. He had a seat next to her and gave her a hug.

"Why do people leave?" she finally asked.

"What do you mean sweetie?" Chris remarked confused by her question.

"My best friend left today and he isn't coming back … he told me that I didn't need him anymore and that there were other children out there who needed him more than I did"

"Oh" was all he could say. This was his five year old daughter talking about her imaginary friend but the way she was talking was way too mature for someone her age. It kinda scared him.

"As people get older they learn that they don't need their imaginary friends anymore and they disappear"

"But I still do need him daddy"

"Well if that's the case then maybe you'll see him again"

End

"I don't remember any of that" she said.

"Yeah I put it to the back of my mind too until you brought Cena home"

"I still have no idea what that story has to do with anything" she said.

"Your imaginary friend's name was Johnny" he told her "don't you see Ashley there was a reason that John was brought back into your life … maybe Johnny knew you needed him again so he came back but this time he was a real guy"

"Have you been drinking?" she asked looking at his eyes to see if he had in fact been drinking.

"No I haven't and I'm trying to be serious with you"

"Dad you have to admit that the whole me having an imaginary friend named Johnny and the whole me and John thing is nothing more than a weird coincidence" she rationally.

"Has anyone ever told you sometimes you have to have faith"

"Believe me I have faith in fact I have so much faith that I named my daughter Faith remember"

"Actually that would be John who named her Faith"

"Whatever"

"Just think about what I just told you and if you can still come up with legitimate reasons why you and John shouldn't be together that don't involve some paranoid fear that you seem to have then maybe you two shouldn't be together"

"Thanks daddy" she said giving him a hug "you always know the right things to say to put all us kids at ease"

"Now there is something that I have to talk to you about" he said.

"What is it … oh my God is something wrong … you aren't sick are you"

"No I'm fine" he assured her.

"Is it Lilian … Keegan … Connor … it's Becky's baby isn't it"

"Calm down nothing is wrong we are all just fine no one is sick or dying or anything like that" he said putting both hands on each one of her shoulders to calm her.

"Then what's up?" she asked curiously.

"Lilian wants kids" he frowned.

"And?" she asked.

"Well all my kids are grown and I'm a grandfather don't you think I'm a little too old to be at this whole parenting thing again"

"I don't think age really has anything to do with anything dad it's all up to if you have the desire to be someone's parent. Anyone can go out and get pregnant or get someone pregnant but it takes real stand up people to actually be parents. There are millions of kids already in this world who need people like you and Lilian" she pointed out "but like I said it's your decision and if you don't want to then I think Lilian would understand"

"Have I told you lately that I'm proud of you"

"You are proud of me huh … did you miss the whole I slept with Marc conversation?" she asked.

"Well that I'm not too proud of but everything else you do I am proud of. Not many people would move back in with John just because his father had a heart attack and he needed help caring for him. Some people would have just let Phinnigan stay in that orphanage or not taken in Faith. You could still be drinking"

"I just can't see people in need and not help them" she said.

"That is an admirable quality"

"Why does life have to be so screwed up right now?" Ashley asked starting to get teary-eyed.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

"I love you daddy"

"I love you too baby and things will get better you just need let everyone heal" he advised her.

"I will" she wiped her eyes.

"John is a good guy and he'll come around"

"I hope so … I really hope so"

A/N: Another update done. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.