Hey guys! Its been a long time since this was updated. I've been really busy with junior college, and I know a lot of people wanted this to be updated. So, luckily, I'm on Christmas break now, which means that there is going to be more updates, but I'm not sure how frequent they're going to be. I'm still a girl with a life people. Anyways, hope you enjoy the update!

Groaning slightly, Ash practically threw his work bag somewhere in his room and collapsed on the bed, fatigued from the hectic day at work. He was under a lot of pressure today and he had to submit a couple of projects that would hopefully be up to par. He closed his eyes momentarily and just tried to relax.

"You know what? Fuck you!"

Well, that didn't last too long.

His eyes opened involuntarily at the sudden voice and he sighed, knowing that he could never be in peace. He sat up and when he heard more profanities from Gary, he suddenly grew a little curious and walked out of his room. He stopped when he realized that he was talking on the phone.

"You know what man, I don't care if you cut my salary, because the truth is you've been treating me like shit these past couple months, so listen to this. I quit!" He roared through the phone. Ash furrowed his eyebrows. What the hell did he just do?

When Gary ended the call, Ash approached him. "What did you just do? Did you just quit?"

Gary sighed and ran his fingers through his spiky brown hair. "Yeah. I can't take this anymore. I've worked five years for the guy and I'm pretty sure I'm a loyal person. There's been some thefts going on, and they're claiming that it's me," he said.

"What? They need evidence for that, and I can't believe you just quit." Ash retorted.

"Ash, they've been accusing me for six months, not only for thefts, but for everything that seems out of order, and I don't know why. But I'm tired of it, I'm just not going to sit there and take shit from anyone. You know that's how I work," he explained.

Ash sympathized for his brother. He had to admit…he was right. "But, what now? Are you going to stay home and live off food?" he said, cracking a smile.

"Maybe for a bit," he said, chuckling a bit. "I don't know man, but I need a new job, preferably with someone who treats me with respect."

Ash nodded. "Yeah." Then, he raised his eyebrows in realization. "Why don't you just work with me?"

Gary laughed. "With you? Please, your job's boring. I worked at a clothes manufacturing place and you want me to work in an office with you?"

Ash's face fell a little, but he composed himself. "Hey, I'll have you know it's not the easiest job in the world. And we could use some more help around, I think we have some vacancies open."

"I think I'll pass, Ash. I'll get a job eventually."

Ash was about to protest, but he thought against it. Gary was pretty stubborn, so Ash wasn't really sure why he even bothered in the first place. And, seeing Gary jobless for now was a sort of advantage for him now, since the three brothers of the household were the main financial support. Gary had the highest salary, next to Ash followed by Drew, but now Ash surpassed him. He slightly smiled triumphantly, thinking that at least he surpassed his brother in one area.

So with that, Ash shrugged. "Okay." He saw Gary with a weird look, probably wondering why he left it at that, and he smirked to himself.

He went back to his room, satisfied at the conversation, when his phone vibrated. He put the phone towards his ear. "Hey, Drew, what's-"

"Ash, have you seen Paul?"

Ash didn't recall seeing his intolerant cousin all morning. "No, why?"

"Well, being the meddling person I am, I noticed Paul hop in grandpa's old vehicle this morning and he seldom takes his car. So, I wondered where he'd head off to in the early morning. I followed him unnoticed and saw him pull up at the hospital."

Ash now grew curious. "The hospital?"

"Yeah, I probably would have gotten more information if I didn't have to go back to work. But, I'm sure that this piece of information you have now is enough to get you curious and follow him the next time he goes there, right?"

Not particularly. Paul was a very conservative person and kept to himself most of the time. Ash respected that, and he knew Paul wouldn't approve of the idea of Ash spying on him, but yet he said, "Right. I'll keep an eye out on Paul when he gets back home."

"Dawn, what are you doing?"

Dawn whipped her head towards her mother who had a surprised look on her face. She was in the kitchen, currently with an apron tied around her waist. On the counter, Johanna noticed, were some vegetables cut, and she saw a pot on the stove.

"I'm making dinner, mom, what else?" Dawn replied, shrugging as if it was nothing. Her mother was certainly surprised. She was pretty sure that she had barely seen her daughter in the kitchen, willingly making something, especially when there were servants in the house.

"But you never make dinner." Her mom reminded her.

Dawn rolled her eyes. She stirred the contents in the pot and added in the vegetables. "Well, here I am now. Now you just sit back, relax and don't worry about a thing, okay? Lunch will be served soon."

Johanna blinked. "Dawn…are you catching a fever?"

She only laughed at that. "I'm fine, mom," she said.

Johanna smiled at the improvement in Dawn's behavior. It was as if a new and improved Dawn was standing in front of her. She couldn't believe how mature she had grown in a matter of a few days.

"Hey, what's cooking?" Serena asked Johanna and she pointed towards the kitchen, and Serena slightly gasped at the sight of Dawn cooking. "Whoa, it's a miracle!" The honey blonde gasped. Dawn turned her attention to Serena and smiled. She lowered the flame and walked up to her.

"Hey, sis. Just whipping up dinner for us tonight," Dawn said, happily.

Serena looked back at her mother, who was still having trouble believing this. "I don't remember the last time you doing this, Dawn. Do you want something?"

Dawn gasped at the statement Serena had uttered. "Come on, can't I do something for my family out of pure love and affection?"

"Well, honey, you can…but you barely do that." Johanna pointed out.

Dawn frowned. "I know. I know I've not been a good daughter or a good sister. I've just not been a good person in general," she said, sighing. "After Kenny practically dumped me, I realized that I have to stop acting so stubborn and childish. It made me realize that he never cared about me in the first place. You guys did. And that's why, I'll marry the guy that you guys choose for me; because I know that all you want is the best for me." she said, smiling.

"I know" Serena nodded. She had mentioned earlier that she had found the perfect guy for Dawn, one that would care for and love her in the long run, and she remembered Dawn saying that she'd think about her decision. "And I'm so honored that you trust me. Anyways, I have to show you his picture," she said, bringing out her phone. "He's really great, his name is-" she stopped when she Dawn's palm in front of her face.

"You don't need to show me his picture," Dawn suddenly said, bringing down her hand and straightening it.

"What?" Serena mumbled, confused.

"Dawn, what are you saying?" Her mother asked. The older looking woman and the honey blonde were perplexed at this.

"Look, I trust you guys more than anything. You told me that Kenny was just using me and I didn't believe you even despite so many warnings," she said, approaching closer to Serena. "I don't care what this guy looks like. Because honestly, looks are nothing. They're just masks that hide people's identity."

"But, Dawn-"

"No, Serena. I trust you with all my heart. I know that you've chosen the right person for me. I know you thought well about this. Didn't you?"

She nodded. "I did."

"There you go, see, there's no need to worry!" Dawn grinned.

"Yeah," she agreed, "but you're going to have to meet him before you guys get married, you know. You'll have to decide things."

"I know that, silly!" Dawn laughed and poked her nose. "But I'll do that later, okay?"

Serena still seemed a little hesitant. "Are you sure about this, Dawn?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Serena, we're not getting married tomorrow, sheesh. I'll meet the guy when I'm ready. Everything will be fine and we'll plan our wedding. Okay?"

Serena looked back at her mother and she smiled, looking back at Dawn. "Alright."

Dawn smiled. "Great. Okay, guys, I hope you're ready because it's time for dinner," she said, rubbing her two palms together as she went towards the kitchen.

It was silent for a while until Serena said, "Wow."

"So, to make paella, the ingredients we need are 3 pounds of chicken, a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil, thickly cut sausages, some-" The scene was changed to a commercial.

"Aab ki baar Trump sarkaar." (A.N: Lol) Blaze whipped his head to May, irritation growing when he realized she had changed the channel.

"What the hell? I was watching that," he said as he attempted to grab the remote but she pulled back.

"Hey, it's good to be interested in current events," Blaze heard May say and he rolled his eyes.

"Not when you realize that there's really no point in voting at all," he replied, huffing. May was about to retort when she heard a doorbell ring. The brunette set back the remote, much to Blaze's liking and opened the door to reveal Paul with a sour but yet neutral expression on his face. Paul eyed the brunette for less than a second before entering the household and walking into the kitchen.

"What's up with him? He seems more sour than normal." Blaze commented.

May shrugged. The brunette honestly tried to ignore the plum-haired man, mainly because she was aware of how conservative and temperamental he was. There were only a few occasional times where she'd actually engage in a conversation with him, but even then it would be very stiff and awkward. Though, undoubtedly, it did make her curious and it was almost as if he seemed very troubled. She wanted to help out, but she would also invade his privacy, something Paul often hated. "I don't know. Maybe he just had a bad day?" she suggested, and Blaze shrugged and continued watching his cooking shows.

"Anyways, I'm going to go pick up Anna from school," May said, while picking up her handbag, not before noticing Misty descend down the stairs.

"I would love to join you, so can I?" The carrot-top asked.

May smiled. "Sure, the more the merrier!"

Paul walked out of the kitchen with his eyes briefly closed and with a glass of water in his hand. He seemed to be in deep thought and didn't even notice when Misty had asked him a question.

"Paul?"

He shot his cold eyes towards her, his hand gripping on the glass tighter. "...What." He said, more of in a statement.

Misty's eyes softened. "I...I just wanted to ask if you were okay..." she trailed off. "You seem...off. Well, more than usual," she said. For some reason, that seemed to tick off Paul and he just growled something incoherently and stormed upstairs to his room, slamming the door in his process.

Everyone flinched. "That was probably not a good sign," Blaze said. "I'm a bit worried."

"Maybe we shouldn't get involved. This is Paul we're talking about after all," May suggested.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Misty said.

"What was that loud noise? Kids, you know it's time for my nap, and I need at least an hour," All heads towards Albus with a somewhat tired look on his face. He yawned and stretched his arms in the air.

"We're sorry, Albus, it was Paul who slammed his room door in anger. He seems to be pretty upset about something, but we're afraid of getting involved," Misty explained. Albus slowly nodded in understanding. "I don't think I even have time to be getting involved honestly, because Gary got fired and he needs a new job," Misty said, which caused Albus's eyes to widen in slight shock.

"What'd you say? My lad got fired?! Why? Where is he?" Albus questioned.

"He went out to turn in his resignation letter and talk to his boss," Misty explained.

"Hmm," Albus said, scratching his chin. "Someone needs to have a word with Paul and Gary," he decided. Everyone nodded in agreement. "But who?

It was silent when Ash suddenly barged in, holding his stomach. "Man, I'm hungry. I hope there's some good grub in the fri-" he stopped when he saw suggestive looks on everyone's faces. He sighed in realization.

"Oh great," he mumbled, knowing this was no good. "What now?"

After dinner, Johanna started to wash the dishes, and Dawn opted to help her out. Slightly surprised, the older looking woman only shrugged in response and allowed her daughter to help her out. Usually all the chores were done by Jessie and James, but Johanna decided to give them a few days off in reward for their hard work.

While cleaning up the kitchen, Dawn briefly wondered if she was making the right decision. She knew that marriage in every girl's life was a big decision. Marriage was supposed to be a sign of fulfillment, love and eternal bond. Was there going to be a guarantee that she'd fall in love with this guy after marriage? Was she really in agreement with an arranged marriage? How would she ever bond with a person that she has never met in her life?

"Dawn?"

Dawn broke her chain of thoughts and faced her mother. "Yeah?"

Johanna chuckled a bit. "You seemed to be in deep thought for a minute or two."

Dawn's eyes wavered a bit, and she gazed at the floor. "It's just...I don't know, mom. I really trust you guys," she started, making eye contact with her mother. "I know you want what's best for me. But I don't know if I'm willing to get married to...someone who I don't even know. I'm not like that, mom. I need to get to know the person before marriage and I want to be comfortable."

Johanna slowly nodded in understanding, and gave her daughter a reassuring smile. She put her hands on her shoulders. "Dear, I know how you feel. You're scared. I understand that. But do you really think that we'd let you live the rest of your life with someone without getting to know him?" Dawn didn't respond, and Johanna continued. "You will get to know him, Dawn. And trust me, you will be happy because he will keep you happy for the rest of your life. He'll give you the love you wanted from Kenny. He'll make sure you forget the pain that you're going through," she said.

Dawn's eyes softened, and the words that her mother uttered just now made Dawn wonder why she was ever doubting her decision. Her mother was so understanding and she felt really grateful for having her. "You're right," she said. "Thank you!" she exclaimed before pulling Johanna in a tight, warm hug.

Johanna easily returned it. "No problem, sweetie. I love you."

Dawn smiled. "Love you too," she said.

"Well, damn slow down on the tears. I really don't need Niagra Falls in the kitchen," Serena said in amusement, causing the two to break apart. Dawn gawked at her sister playfully. "Well anyway, I have a test tomorrow, so I need to get to sleep," she said, escaping a yawn. "Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight!" The two said in unison.

After a few minutes of silence, Dawn turned to her mother. "Hey mom, can I sleep in your room tonight? It's been a while since I slept there..." she said.

Johanna smiled at her daughter warmly. "Of course."

"This is ridiculous. I'm not doing this," Ash muttered angrily at his grandpa. Albus's expression saddened for a minute or two. "I'm not getting involved in his life, it's just not right. Besides, Paul and I have a very...strange relationship with each other. He'd only continue to hate me," he said.

"You don't know that, Ash. Look, Paul might be needing some help from somebody, but being the stubborn and angry boy he is, he's not going to admit it. Heh, reminds me of my youthful days. Ahh, I remember when I was as stubborn as that. Actually, in my college days-"

"Gramps...I really don't need another story of your college days." Ash reminded him. Albus grinned and let out a loose chuckle.

"Look, lad. Even though you and Paul might not necessarily have the best relationship, but you can fix that."

"By meddling in his business? I don't-"

"It's not meddling. I'd prefer to call it: Looking out for him." Albus protested and Ash gave him a dry look. "Look, it's what we did for your parents. We always looked out for them. That meant checking out your mother's cell phone, well when she did have a cell phone, secretly spying on her whenever she went out, and checking out who her friends with. And boy, your mother really did have a lot of guy friends. I made sure she stayed away from them all."

"Dad, I can hear you." Delia popped into the room, and Ash chuckled seeing her mother redden from embarrassment.

"Ahh, you're right in time." Albus exclaimed, and continued. "This guy, Peter, had a huge crush on her back in the day-"

"Dad! Stop it, I'm a married-"Delia stopped in her tracks, and suddenly all was silent. Ash and Albus's eyes softened. "Anyways," Delia said as she shook her head. "Please dad, no more embarrassing stories."

"Hey I'm up for more stories, in fact I'd like to hear more about this Peter guy who had a crush on mom," Ash said, chuckling. Delia put her hands on her hips and playfully slapped his shoulder, something very teenage like.

"Later, Ash. Right now, I'd like you to look out for Paul."

Ash sighed and rolled his eyes. "Gramps, I have work in the morning. You can't expect me to follow him around," he said. Then he watched Albus look at him with deadpanned eyes. And Delia was looking at his son with pleading eyes. Ash mentally groaned. He really despised his family sometimes.

"Fine. I'll figure something out." He grumbled.

"Good. Now, be sure to get up early in the morning and if you see Paul getting in my vehicle, you be ready to follow him and see what's up."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to sleep now, goodnight," Ash said before walking out the room.

Dawn shifted in the bed, snuggling closer. She smiled softly to herself before she heard a somewhat weird, wheezing sound. She opened her eyes wearily, and closed her eyes. The wheezing started to get louder and more vigorous and Dawn's eyes shot open. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and turned on the lights. She gasped in shock to see her mother holding her chest, while it was heaving up and down.

"MOOM!" Dawn exclaimed in fear as she rushed over to her, and immediately seeing her mother in a situation like this, she pulled out her cell and called 911. Tears started to flow down her cheeks seeing her mother continue to cough vigorously.

"I heard a scream-" Serena said, opening the door and her eyes widened at the scene. "What happened?!"

"I-I don't know, I got up and I saw mom having a heart attack!"

"Don't just stand there, call somebody!"

"I called 911, I'm not that dumb!"

Sirens were heard and Serena quickly ran out, and just a few seconds later, Dawn watched her mother being carried on a stretcher. Tears wouldn't stop flowing down both of the girls's cheeks, but Dawn quickly wiped it away and looked towards Serena. "Let's go, we can't just stay here, we need to get to the hospital!" Dawn exclaimed before running out of the room, with Serena following behind.

Dawn couldn't lose both her mother and father...she just couldn't.

Gahh, so sad. :(

If you guys liked this chapter, you know what to do and leave a review. (Cool, that rhymed xD) I'm not sure when this will be updated unfortunately but I will try my best!

Later, guys! See you next time!