Same disclaimers as always. Last Chapter enjoy!

Chapter 23

The next day at church Chris was able to get through the service without giving anything away. It was a struggle but he managed to sit still. He could feel his Aunts eye's on him and when they stood to sing a song he looked back and they made eye contact and Chris just winked at her. She didn't acknowledge him but he could see her lips quiver a little as she tried to keep from grinning.

Nikki had come to church with one of her friends from the weekend party and talked all the way to Frank's house telling them about her weekend. When they got to Frank's the four cousins headed out to play video games, while the adults gathered to start dinner and talk. When they were all in the kitchen Erin asked them for their attention.

"I have something I am going to share with all of you and need you to listen closely and then respect my decision. Jack and I have decided to start talking again. Not just about Nikki as parents, but about the two of us as a couple. There is nothing definite, we are not getting back together but we have come to realize that there were a lot of things we never shared when we were having troubles, thinking that they would just add to our problems, when in reality if we would have brought them into the open they could have been the thing that could of kept us together because we would have learned what we needed to work on or change. I know most of you don't like him, especially his line of work or what he did to Nikki and I. But you need to remember I was a part of that equation too and as my brothers will attest I am not always the angel I appear to be."

"Got that right," Danny threw in.

"Gotta agree with Danny on this one," Jamie said with a grin.

Frank and Henry both stood there, and everyone could see that they didn't like this at all.

"Erin, how could you go back to him in any form he's a rat and a skunk for leaving you too. I can't bear the thought of him hurting you again."

"Grandpa this is my decision and I feel it's right. No matter how it works out it is what's best for Nikki. She needs to know that her parents care about her and Jack really wants to be a part of things. He realizes the mistake he made when he didn't get joint custody and he regrets it. He has apologized for the spot he put me in and wants to carry more of the load, especially since Chris has come into the picture."

Frank continued to just stare.

"Dad?"

"Dad what, you've already made it clear that you expect us to respect your decision so what difference does it make when it comes to what we think."

Linda had been biting her tongue and decided to speak up.

"Well I for one think it's a good thing not only for Nikki but for both Erin and Jack. I won't lie, I liked Jack and thought that he was a good man and we didn't always treat him fair. And if I would have been half the sister I should have been I would have told Erin that, and I'm sorry I didn't. But hopefully you two can find out what your relationship is supposed to be so that in some way shape or form you can both move forward together or at least as friends."

"Thank you Linda that means a lot. Can I ask the rest of you to back me and support me? It means a lot to me, please?"

Jamie and Danny just looked at each other and Jamie nodded first and Danny finally added his nod.

Henry then threw up his hands and said, "If that's what you want I will do my best."

Eddie just looked at everyone kind of sheepishly and said "Well to be honest with you I kind of wondered what happened in the first place and all the times I have seen Jack interact with the family has been because of Chris and I kind of liked what I saw. Sorry, but I am with Erin on this and I am rooting for it to work out!"

"Thanks Eddie" Erin said with a smile.

"Dad ?"

"Can you at least tell me what brought this all back up. It's been a couple of months since the whole Chris thing ended why now? If I am going to support it or agree to it I need to know why."

Erin looked at Linda and Linda just shrugged her shoulders.

"Your grandson basically arranged it, with all of your help, to be honest about it."

"What do you mean our help?" Frank questioned.

"Well from the first time he saw Jack and I together he has thought that there was still something there. So from the time he became a family member and accepted me as his mother he has been determined to get us back together to either make it, or at least come to a point where we could both move on with our lives and still have a civil relationship.

All the conversations that he has had with all of you weren't just to get to know you and you him, he was slyly gleaning info about Jack and me from you to try and piece together what happened between us."

Everyone got quiet as they thought about their conversations with Chris and every single one of them suddenly remembered the times that he had gotten info out of them.

"You see eventually Jack and I both came to realize what he was doing and tried to put a stop to it. Jack threatened to quit doing business with him and I grabbed him by the ear and told him that if he didn't stay out of my private life I would give him the worst case of "Irish Justice" in the history of the Reagan family. It didn't stop him."

Jamie let out a gasp, "He didn't believe you? Foolish kid!"

"Oh he believed me alright, had no doubts. The problem was he didn't care. His gut was so strong that he was willing to pay the price to do what he thought was right. He had put letters together for both Jack and I going over the things that we hadn't shared with each other and had them given to us at dinner. After we had read our own letters he then had a third one read that explained why he did what he did and that he hadn't shared our lists because he felt that if we wouldn't do it then no one should.

The problem came up when everything he put in the letters was true and both Jack and I couldn't deny them. Jack apologized for leaving Nikki and I and asked if I was willing to talk. I reminded him that I was at fault too and was more than willing to share and listen to his thoughts.

Jack laughed and said how he hated to admit the kid was right. I told him to forget about Chris that I would take care of him, and we spent the rest of the night talking. Which for now will remain between Jack and I?"

Eddie asked, "So Chris was right then, so you let him off right?"

"Yes, Chris was right, and no I didn't let him off. He knew that he had crossed a big line and that there would be a price to pay and admitted it in the letter and even said that I had a maternal duty to keep my promise."

Eddie's mouth dropped open, "You punished him anyways even though he was right?"

"He wasn't right Eddie; he was warned and told to stay out of it. He knew the consequences and accepted them. Remember dad's saying, "Sometimes there's a price to pay for doing the right thing."

"Danny you no longer hold the family record for the worst case of "Irish Justice" that has been doled out. You might hold the record for the most but your nephew now holds the record for the worst. Your wife will vouch for that. She came over and checked him out after I had finished with him."

Linda shook her head and raised her hand, "She's right and don't ask me any questions because I won't answer. But from what I have heard through the years about the punishments you all got, even you Danny, none them matched what she did to Chris."

"I don't believe it, I watched him this morning in church and I didn't notice any difference in how he sat, looked, or talked this morning." Henry pointed out.

Jamie also added, "I'm with gramps, I have been on the other side of one your "Irish Justice" sessions and it took me a couple of days before I could sit in one spot for more than a few minutes."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"You all have to remember who you're talking about. This is Chris who during his stay in the hospital never once asked for pain meds, even though he had been started on them after his surgery and coma. After he woke up yesterday afternoon he came out and sat at the island and we talked for almost an hour. Not one twitch or moan. During his spanking all I got out of him was a couple of grunts and leg kicks when I surprised him. He did eat supper on the sofa though.

But that is not the issue here. The question asked, was could you support me and give me space and Dad you are the only one that hasn't answered. I have given you my reasons in as much detail as I am willing to go. I understand your reluctance but it is what I want."

"Well a while back you accused me of not knowing my grandson. Since then I would like to think that I have changed that and admit that you were right, that he is different and special. Not in a way of taking away from my other grandchildren, but in helping me see each one of them as individuals and coming to appreciate the uniqueness of each of them.

If he was willing to endure what you did to him because he thought it was worth it then I am willing to go along and give you the space you need, with the hope that it will lead to you having a loving relationship with someone, even Jack, down the road."

Erin walked up and leaned into her father and wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "thank you dad."

"You're welcome sunshine."

Erin stepped back and addressed the rest of the family.

"Thank you all for your support, I love you all. I am also asking that no one mention anything or bring anything up during dinner. I am going to have a talk with both the kids sometime today to explain everything to them and make sure that they understand that this is just a step and doesn't mean anything is going to happen. I especially need to keep Nikki's expectations to a minimum."

Eddie then asked the question, "Do you think Chris will crow a little bit or question you as to why you punished him even though he was right and his plan worked?"

Everyone turned and looked at Erin waiting for her answer.

"Not if he's smart!"

Everyone laughed out loud at that.

"I really don't think so. Even Friday night after reading his third letter I got the feeling that he didn't feel it was his responsibility to get us back together so much as it was to point out things from a third-party perspective that we were all too close to see. Then it was up to Jack and I to work things out. If we do, great, if we don't then he has done what he felt led to do and he could walk away with a clear conscience."

Just then they heard feet coming down the steps and everyone got back to work doing their part to get dinner ready.

Everyone respected Erin's wishes and nothing was said or even hinted at during dinner. Though Chris could tell something was up because he would catch people looking at him waiting for him to do something or show something. He had a fair idea what, but felt that it was best to just let it go.

After dinner everyone helped clean up and broke up into different groups to play a game or watch a ball game or just to talk. Chris found himself alone with his Aunt Linda for a few minutes in the kitchen.

"How are you doing kiddo, you sure aren't giving anything away, by the way I saw you wink at me this morning, so I am assuming you are handling things ok."

"Ya, I am doing fine. Nothing I can't handle. Thank you for coming by yesterday. I think mom needed some support and was questioning what she did."

"Well, I can tell you that I was, until you shared with me your feelings, and then she reminded me who we were dealing with. You certainly aren't a normal child, and I can see that it might take extreme measures to get your attention or give you what you deserved.

But Chris, let's work really hard at not putting your mom in that position again. Next time try talking to her first and letting her know that her promise or threat isn't working. Maybe you can come to some kind of agreement before it gets that far. Will you do that for me?"

"Well, I can try, but you know don't you that sometimes there isn't much difference between mom and Uncle Danny. How far do you think you would get with him?"

Linda started laughing, "Well you have a point, but I do try with him Chris and sometimes he actually listens. My point is you have nothing to lose if you try and it might save you from dealing with a whole lot of pain. Unless you like the spanking you took from your mom yesterday."

"I get your point, and no, I didn't like it, I am thinking about asking her just to shoot me if there is a next time, which there most likely will be, but that would probably be too quick for her to think it was affective."

Linda again started laughing, "It is never dull with you child. I love you, go harass you cousins!"

Chris gave her a big hug and thanked here again and took off.

Later when Sean and Jack had dozed off while watching a movie Chris slipped out and went and sat on the back porch on the couch. He started thinking about everything that had happened the last couple days and then how much his life had changed in the last four months. As he was pondering his mother and fathers' words and their truth on how things would work and had gone so far Erin and Nikki walked out on the back porch.

"There you are, we need to talk, and this spot should work just fine. Chris scoot over and give me the middle and Nikki, I want you to sit here on my left."

Nikki looked at her mom with concern on her face.

"Mom is everything ok, are you ok?"

"Yes sweat heart everything is fine; we just need to talk about a couple of things with this being your last week before school starts.

Erin started talking about all the different things they needed to do between today and a week from Monday. School supplies, uniforms, books, Chris's pc and a laptop, Nikki's laptop. They needed to set down and go over the rules and rule changes that had been implemented since last school year. Erin's expectations and a reminder that if they got in trouble at school they would be in trouble at home. Erin also talked about Nikki showing Chris the ropes the first few days even though they wouldn't be spending that much time together.

She was going to let the two of them do some of the things on their own but the rest of them she wanted to be present for. Nikki was full of ideas and chatted back and forth with her mother. Chris just sat there saying nothing and trying not to show his disgust with the whole process. But considering the current state of a certain part of his anatomy he felt it prudent to keep his mouth shut.

"Chris, you ok with all of this? You haven't said anything yet."

"Ya I'm good. Don't have much to say since this is the first time for me so I can just go with the flow."

"Ok, great. I will work on lists for both of you tonight and you can get started tomorrow on the things you each need to take care of and then I will pick times and dates for when we need to all go together so you can clear your calendars."

Erin stopped talking and then just sat there saying nothing and not moving. Then she slowly looked at Nikki and then slowly turned her head toward Chris, looking like she was trying to make up her mind about something.

Nikki jumped in, "Mom, anything else?"

"Yes, yes there is Nikki, I need to share something with both of you and I need you both to let me say everything I have to say before you interrupt or ask questions."

Both of her kids nodded in the affirmative.

"Don't read anymore into this than what I tell you. Your father and I have decided to start talking with each other again and sharing and discussing some things that we should have aired out when we were having problems.

Now we are not getting back together or dating or anything along those lines. One of the reasons we are talking more is he wants to spend more time with you Nikki and be more involved in your life. Since he has been so involved with Chris it has really become evident to him how little time he has spent with you, and he wants to rectify that.

We have also talked about the four of us possibly doing some things together just for fun. Again, we are keeping it very simple to start with so don't push and don't try to rush things, everyone here clear?"

Erin looked Chris in the eyes as she said that and said more with her eyes than her voice.

Nikki was beaming as both kids shook their heads in the positive.

"Oh mom, I can't wait to talk to him would be ok if I call him? I won't push or anything like that I would just like to hear his voice right now."

"Ok, but not too long we will be going pretty soon."

Nikki ran off to find a quiet place to talk to her dad.

Erin looked at Chris who hadn't changed facial expressions or said a word.

"You feeling pretty happy with yourself right now, a little smug maybe?" Erin said to Chris, maybe a little sharper than she meant to.

"No, my backside is reminding me of the price I paid for you guys to figure this out. I hope this works for all our sake's. I just want you to have a chance to be happy mom, really happy. But I was dead serious when I told you I wasn't concerned with what happens between you two from here on out, I did my part the rest is entirely up to you guys. You have my word on that!"

"Thank you, I believe you too. You are an amazing child and I just love you to pieces, good thing too, otherwise I might kill Ya!"

Both of them started laughing and fell into each other's arms for a big hug.

"Come on let's go find your sister and head for home we have a busy week."

She wasn't wrong, Chris got so tired of shopping that he wanted to defect and go back to living on the street. It never stopped. It always seemed like there was one more thing to get or something that they forgot would pop up. It seemed like for everything they took off the list, two more would pop up.

And Nikki and Erin were constantly going back and forth about dress code or school code or some kind of code. Which in turn would start Nikki on her "showing Chris the ropes kick" and she would start spouting off do's and don'ts and what to do here and you can't go there. He almost told her to just shut up one day but controlled himself and acted interested.

The only good thing was that by Monday evening his back side wasn't bothering him at all. It still had marks but that was it.

They eventually got through the week, but it was close. He almost mutinied when it came to the uniform thing. Between his mom and Nikki taking forever and having to have every option available, which was allowed by the dress code, which they argued about endlessly, she tried to do the same with him. He could have gotten by with one, jacket, pair of pants, shirt, tie, etc. He was used to washing clothes all the time.

His mom went nuts. Instead, she insisted on three jackets, five shirts, pants, socks, then like eight ties. Chris came on glued and just looked at her with one of his patented death glares.

"What, don't look at me that way you need a little variety in your clothes, it's time you learn how to pick out a good wardrobe."

"What are you talking about? I have a wardrobe full of nice kakis and multiple silk shirts and a couple of sports coats and a tie to go with each one. I have a good wardrobe!"

Nikki, listening off to the side, started to giggle and had everything she could do to keep from laughing out loud.

"I am sorry son, but we have a ways to go in teaching you fashion." His mom continued in a slightly sarcastic voice.

That did it for Chris he turned and looked at her and with a quiet venomous voice said, "Well tell me mother dear, why in the Hell do I need 8 freakin ties!"

Erin and Nikki came to a complete stop; their mouths fell open in shock. Erin recovered quickly and in three steps was over to him and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him behind a clothes rack.

"That was uncalled for, and you just used up all your warnings for the month. Don't you talk to me that way again. I know this is not your thing, but you just crossed the line. Since you no longer seem to take this seriously, I am going to pick out the rest of your clothes and you will wear them as I lay them out for you each morning. Now am I getting through that thick Irish skull of yours or do I need to explain it from the other end?"

"No mam, sorry, it's just so much, and you don't really seem to care what I think anyways, and you basically made fun of me. I have never had these many clothes in my life. It just seems excessive."

Erin stepped back and looked at her son. He just stared at her with that look that he had developed that meant you have pushed me far enough, I don't have to be here.

She softened her look and voice and explained.

"I am sorry I should have explained it better. It is a lot, but you have to remember that Nikki and I have been doing this for years and I did it all through school too. It isn't just about the wardrobe and having options. It's about laundry, dry cleaning, and other variables. It might be down to the end of the week, and we haven't done laundry yet and you spill some coffee on your shirt in the morning or snag an item on something and tear it. If we don't have extra, then we have problems. Now, having explained that, it still doesn't excuse you for swearing at me."

"I said I was sorry and again I could make half this many clothes work."

"Do you really want to die on this hill, we are all tired and getting hungry. Could you please make it easier on all of us and just trust me. Tell you what I will pay for all of it, will that make you feel better."

Erin had tried everything else in the book with this boy maybe embarrassing him would work.

Chris just looked at her with that, are you really going to try that cheap trick with me.

"I can pay for my own clothes, and your attempt to embarrass me isn't going to change how I feel. But we agree on one thing, I am tired and hungry. So how about I pay for my clothes, and you buy supper."

"Deal!"

"Thank God," Nikki chimed in.

"Right, like you didn't take ten hours to make up your mind on anything today," was Chris's response.

Nikki took in a breath to fire back a reply and her mom stepped in.

"Enough, both of you, grab your stuff and let's go. And I don't want to hear another word out either one of you."

As they were walking out Erin offered up a silent prayer to her mother.

"Mom, I am sorry for all I put you through when I was this age."

Other than that episode the rest of the week went well. Chris got his PC and laptop for school. His mom wanted him to get a pad, but Chris hated those things except for small stuff. Even then he usually just used his phone. They had found him a spot in school it was a small room that had been used for counseling in the past. They provided a desk and Chris hooked up his stuff and tested it and everything worked.

So, by Friday they were all set. Only when Erin came home from work, and she had a surprise for them.

"I want you each to pack an overnight bag for two nights. Include a swimsuit and a nice casual outfit and some sandals or beach shoes. You have fifteen minutes, or you get left behind."

When they went to leave Nikki and Chris headed for the garage to get the in the car and Erin yelled out to them. "Not that way, we are going out front, hurry up we don't want to be late."

Nikki and Chris just looked at each other.

Chris whispered to her, "Maybe we are going with Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda or something?"

Nikki just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Beats me."

As they walked out the front door there was a dark blue metallic Lincoln Navigator sitting in the street and Erin headed for it. As she got close, they heard a door open and around the back corner walked Jack!

"Dad!" Nikki dropped her stuff and ran up to him and jumped into his arms, just like when she was a little girl.

"What are you doing here, what's going on."

"Well, your mother and I agreed on a little end of the summer back to school bash to give you a little fun before Monday. We are going up to a resort in the Adirondacks, you and your mom will have a room and if Chris can put up with my snoring we have a room too, a suite with separate bedrooms. Sorry sweetie you and your mom just have two queens. Last minute it was all I could get. So, let's get packed."

They grabbed everything and threw it in the back of the SUV then Nikki ran up and yelled, "Shot gun!" and jumped in the front passenger seat. Erin got in the back on the driver's side and said, "Guess you're stuck with me Chris."

Jack looked at Chris and in a quiet voice said "you ok with this. I am hoping the private room will make it easier for you. I wanted to say something, but your mom didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"No problem, I appreciate it though. But Jack just remember, the last time a guy laid hands on me they ended up dead."

With that Chris walked to the rear passenger door and looked back at a ghost white Jack still standing there with his mouth open.

Chris looked at him and then got a big grin on his face, "Come on Jack let's go!"

It was an amazing two days, Nikki was in seventh heaven and was reliving her childhood. For Erin and Jack things were a little awkward to start, but soon smoothed out and went fine. Though the two were never alone all weekend they did have time to talk when Nikki and Chris did things together. For Chris it was fun, but strange, but also good. In some ways he felt a part of things but in others he felt like an odd fourth wheel on a three-wheel bike. But in time it would become more natural.

They had a blast doing different things, hiking, swimming in a beautiful pool with a great slide, canoeing and then there was a party Saturday night with karaoke and dancing. Each table had to send a representative and the process was random so that the table didn't get to choose who went. They came around with a box that had little balls in it. All blue with one white. Whoever got the white had to sing. Sure enough, Chris got the white ball.

They also picked the song you had to sing, as long as you knew it.

For Chris they picked, what else, "New York, New York."

Erin was a little worried as Chris turn came, "Sweetheart are you ok with this?"

"Mom, you worried, you know you've never heard me sing. I could really embarrass you guys."

Jack spoke up, "No problem kid, have fun you will always have a seat at our table."

Nikki just gave him a double thumbs up and her big grin.

"Break a leg! Little brother"

Chris went up and just blew everyone away. He did a rendition that would have made Frank Sinatra proud and on the second chorus got the whole crowd to sing. Everyone gave him a standing ovation and he easily won the contest.

His girls were waiting on him when he got back with hugs and kisses and accolades.

They then spent the next two hours dancing and he found out that his sister and his mom were great dancers and Jack could hold his own with anyone. Chris was pretty good too, so they really rocked the house as a family!

It was truly a fun night and it ended too soon.

When they said their good nights, they each headed for their own rooms. When the guys got to theirs, before they went into their own bedrooms, Chris spoke up to Jack.

"Jack, thanks! This has been a great day and I appreciate it. I hope it's been fun for you."

"Chris my weekend was complete yesterday when I walked around that car and my daughter jumped into my arms. I have missed that for two years and that alone was worth every penny. The rest has been icing on the cake. And I have you to thank, not only for saving their lives but if it wasn't for you Erin and I wouldn't have been able to do this. You were right we needed the push. I know you paid a huge price, which you deserved, but if it wasn't for your willingness to sacrifice, we wouldn't be here. I will always be grateful.

Chris reached out his hand and Jack took it.

"We are good my friend, because if wasn't for you I wouldn't be here either. Thanks again and good night."

The next day they made it back in time to go to family dinner. Erin invited Jack privately, but Jack wasn't ready for that yet.

"Someday maybe, but let's just work on our family for a while and see how it goes, ok? And thank you for helping to make this happen it was wonderful, and I appreciate it."

"Jack, you planned it and paid for it, I just agreed with you that it was a good idea. I haven't seen our daughter this happy for a long time."

"I agree but we need to go slow, so don't let her get too high, but let her enjoy it for a while."

"You bet, see you later Jack, and take care."

"You too Erin!"

They went in and told everyone about their weekend, the guys thought it was cool, so did Linda and Eddie, the rest did their best to not throw a wet blanket on anything, especially for Nikki's sake.

Otherwise, family dinner was pretty peaceful, and Erin's and Danny's groups didn't stay long because both households had things to do to get ready for Monday.

When they got home, everyone took their cloths to the laundry room, and they got started. Then the first day clothes were laid out. Chris started to protest but Erin just lifted her right hand with her pointer finger up and put it in front of Chris's face. He stopped talking. Finally, everything was set, and Erin was happy and felt things were in order.

"Well gang we made it. I think everything is ready to go and we are on our way to a great year. Don't you think?"

Nikki looked at Chris and neither one of them said a word.

"Oh, come on guys, you have to do this no matter what, you might as well make the best of it and have a good attitude."

Chris finally spoke up. "Mom, let's just agree to disagree and let it go at that.

Erin decided to let it go. She wasn't going to die on the attitude hill tonight. Hopefully everything would go ok.

About ten Nikki headed to bed and Erin went to tuck her in.

"Mom, I don't think I need to have someone tuck me in anymore."

"You're right you don't. I do it for me because I am not ready to give it up yet. And I like to have a quiet moment with you. I enjoy some of our discussions at bedtime. I appreciate it when you share with me. But only when you want to."

"Ya, why don't we change it to "I'll be in to say goodnight," it sounds a little better. And by the way, I had a great time this weekend, thank you so much for agreeing to do it."

"It was fun, wasn't it? Make sure you thank your dad again, send him a card or call him. He really enjoyed spending the time with you. Good night sweetheart!"

"Good night mom, love you!"

"Love you too!"

Erin went back out into the living room, where Chris was looking at his phone.

"Hey bud don't you think it's time for bed. You have to get up early tomorrow. You will need a good night's sleep."

"Mom, please, don't start with the bedtime thing. We have never talked about it, but I know how much sleep I need, and I will always get it. I don't really need anything when it comes to my course load. I will get through a lot without opening a book. It will be a couple of years before I even have to try. I promise I will do my best and give it a fair shot. If for no other reason than I love you and I told you I would. So please don't hound me, this is going to be hard enough being cooped up all day."

"Alright, I will give you all the rope you want mister, but if you hang yourself for any reason, you will toe the line just the way I say, fair enough?"

"No deals on this mom just let me work through it ok?"

"I just said that I was just reminding you if it doesn't work, I will be changing some things. That's all. Please don't stay up too late, I would appreciate it. I love you and it does mean a great deal to me that you are doing this! Thank you!"

"Love you too mom, your welcome and good night!"

Nikki lay in bed still feeling wonderful about the weekend with her father and mother, and her little brother. It brought back great memories but having Chris to share it with took it to new heights. She hoped her parents could get back together, it just felt so right, but she was realistic in the fact that it might not happen. But she still had Chris. He brought a whole new dimension to her life. She was a little worried about school and Chris fitting in, but she was looking forward to having him there and seeing what affect he might have on her academics. He was able to get her to achieve more than she ever thought possible. She was truly looking forward to this next year!

Erin turned her light out and crawled into bed, tired, but she had too many things going through her mind to fall asleep. This weekend had gone wonderfully, far better than she expected. Jack had been marvelous and had gone above and beyond in his efforts to help everyone have a good time. Nikki was ecstatic and Chris seemed to enjoy himself too.

She was worried about Chris and school. She could sense that she was walking a line with what she was asking of him, but she took hope in the fact that he seemed so willing to try and please her. She had to be careful that she didn't push him over the line and cause him to shut down and not want to be here.

But she tried to remember Danny's words of advice about how far he had come and how much he had changed in just about five months. She truly was thrilled, especially when she thought back to that deadly assassin who had come into the room and mowed down those terrorists the night, he had rescued them and their city. She rarely saw that side of him anymore. He had almost shut his business down to go to school, another thing she needed to thank him for.

Suddenly she was so proud of him that she wanted to run back out and hug him and kiss him and really impress on him how well he had done.

Then she started to get excited about the new opportunities he would get at school, music, sports, interaction with kids that weren't just trying to survive but grow. The chance to help others as a tutor. She just really thought that all of these things were going to expose him to a life that he never imagined, and it would draw him away from the street life that he sometimes seemed addicted to.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what he has accomplished by the end of the next twelve months. Joe, little brother, I hope you are pleased. I haven't been perfect, but I hope you and Lizzy are as proud of your son as I am!

Chris too was having a hard time going to sleep. He had gone to bed shortly after Erin, grateful that she had chosen to not die on the bedtime hill. He wasn't looking forward to tomorrow but like everything else he had dealt with the last five years of his life he would take it head on and handle things as they came up.

He could feel himself changing though. He liked the comfort of a home, even though Erin's whole apartment could fit in one room of his "Pad". But most of all he liked being loved by his sister and his mother. It was reassuring, comforting, and a little confining, but hey you take the good with the bad, and the good defiantly out weighted the bad.

But he could still feel the street in him, and its call. He knew it was a part of him and it would never go away, but somehow, he had to learn to control it, or it could ruin him and his family.

Mom, Dad, you were right, the more I let go the easier things have been. I hope you are pleased; I have tried to listen to you. I will do my best in this next year. If you can help me in any way, please don't hesitate.

Thinking about his heavenly mom and dad and then his earthly mom and sister brought a peace and a confidence that he could do anything. So, bring on this new phase of life and let's see what things look like a year from now.

As Chris slowly drifted off to sleep, he did so with the vision of his dad giving him a big thumbs up, and his mom with her hands clasped together, held tight to her heart, with a big smile and tears on her cheeks, and she distinctly mouthed, "I love you!"

Well folks that's it. I started this about a year ago and had no clue it would last this long. I would like to say thanks to all of you that have taken the time to message me, have favorited me and the story and pointed out some things I could do better. I am planning to maybe do a story for each year of the show following Chris as he and Reagan's grow. This is in some ways an Au because I have included my favorite characters and matchups so I will only be pulling small parts of each season to include in each story. Not sure how long it will be but the first one will probably be something like Christopher (Season 1) Thanks again to all of you.