Author's note: Sorry for the distance between updates, I've been moving. Now that I've moved and got everything unpacked it should be a lot quicker. Thank you for the reviews, and for reading.

Noelle woke the next morning, ate breakfast and then went to sit on the patio till her Brother, and Father got home. She was still having nightmares, and sleeping just wasn't an option right now. She watched out over the yard as animals ran around gathering food or playing. Jenna watched from the living room window.

Randy, and Bob came home around 1 o'clock that afternoon, and greeted Jenna with kisses as did the other guys who joined them.

"Where's Noelle?" Bob asked as he noticed she wasn't around.

"Outside. She hasn't been sleeping well."

Bob nodded and then pointed to the front door where Connor was standing. "Maybe he can help her feel more at home here and help ease her in."

Jenna smiled "Welcome to our home."

"This is definitely better than where Connor and Dan lived."Connor put his bag down and then headed to the back patio door, the others followed him. Noelle had her knees up to her chest, staring at nothing in front of her. He knew that look she was shutting herself out. He opened the door and walked quietly behind her.

A deer came into the yard and started to eat some apples off a near tree "I swear deer's will eat anything."

Noelle jumped up and looked like she saw a ghost."Connor?"

When he smiled she ran around and jumped into his arms "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my favorite person."

When they finally let go of each other she looked him in the face "What about school?"

"Spring break. I'm here for a few days."

She wrapped him in a hug again. That was when she noticed the others standing on the deck.

Connor led her up to the house where Randy pulled her into a hug, and so did her father.

They all went inside and got comfortable in the family room sitting on the sofas and the floor just catching up.

"I brought something for you, and your family." Connor got up and walked over to his book bag and pulled out to photo albums "I thought they'd like to get to know you, and you'd like to remember some of the fun times in the past." He handed one book to Bob, and Jenna then took the other and handed it to Noelle.

Noelle opened the album and smiled at the first picture that looked up at her. "This was my 16th birthday party. We snuck out to see Aerosmith and got stranded at a truck stop because Connor's car decided to die on us." She pointed the people out "That's Kelly, Meg, and Matt, and Zac. We decorated the booth we were sitting at and bought a bunch of cupcakes for a cake. It was a great birthday…till I got home."

Connor remembered that night "That was when Dan put you in the hospital with a concussion."He looked over at Bob and Jenna "He hit her with a tire iron, and almost cracked her skull."

Noelle turned the page and saw herself in her cheerleading uniform "My first home game as a cheerleader."

"You were a cheerleader?" Randy asked looking at the picture.

"Yeah for a whole year. Apparently you have to be coordinated to do flips and pyramids. I'm not. I can do the flips and stuff it's just the whole height thing got to me." Some laughed as she found another picture. "See I got to have some fun." She handed the photo to Randy "This was our junior prom. Connor's mom bought me my dress. She said I was the daughter she never had. We got my hair done, and then Connor took me to the dance. My mom, and Dan were out of town, and I was staying with them. Then at the after prom we headed down to the banks near the river, had a bon fire, and got completely drunk. My first and last time I ever drank, but it was so fun."

"My little sister drank?"

Connor nodded "Then she puked on my shoe."

"They'll be no more of that." Bob said with a small smile.

"Don't worry I learned my lesson. Booze and cake do not mix the second time around."

Jenna was flipping through one of the albums when some pictures fell on her lap. She looked them through and saw they were pictures of Noelle with bruises all over her face. One her hair was chopped at and she had a cut along her forehead. Another showed bruises in the shape of hands along her throat and arms. The last three showed hand prints on her legs and stomach, bruises along her thighs, and welts on her back. Jenna passed the pictures to Bob who wanted to gag. In all his years of beatings he gave and took in the ring no one looked that bad.

"Noelle when were these taken?" Bob asked handing her the pictures.

Noelle looked them over. "Different times. I'm not sure. The lawyer Connor's mom talked to said we needed proof of abuse to report my parents so every time I got beat they took pictures, and kept them for the lawyer. Dan found out what was going on and said if I ever showed anyone he'd kill me so I stopped and hid all the pictures. I told Connor and his mom that Dan destroyed them so they wouldn't get mad at me for changing my mind." Noelle looked at Connor "I'm sorry."

"Hey you're out of there now. That's all that matters." Noelle handed the pictures back to Bob by handing them to John and Randy. They both looked at them.

"I just want to get my hands on this guy one time."John said his hands making fists. Randy completely agreed.

"One time in a dark alley is all I need."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Randy got up and answered it.

"Dad!! "

Bob stood up as Becky barged into the room.

"I want my daughter back now! The police just arrested Dan, and they're saying he raped Noelle. I need her to clear this mess up, and stop with all these lies!"

"Lies?!" Noelle stood up and grabbed the pictures off of John and shoved them into her mothers face. "You knew what was going on and you didn't even care. You let him do those things to me and didn't even try to help me. Just because you were a slut who ruined her life didn't give you the right to ruin mine!"

Becky backhanded her across the face as Randy pushed her away from Noelle. Noelle held her cheek in her hand as John stood in front of her.

Becky was furious "You ungrateful little bitch! If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be born. I'm your mother."

"Gee and I should thank you for that I guess. Well thank you for ruining my life just because you ruined your own. You're great. Also you're not a mother, your nothing. You're just someone who feels sorry for their self."

Noelle ran up the stairs to her room. Bob turned to look at Becky "You come near Noelle or our house again I will have you arrested. I have friends here who can make paper work disappear for a while and evidence appear that will make sure you don't see light for a while. Think about that."

Becky swallowed a little before showing herself out of the house.

Jenna headed upstairs and knocked on Noelle's door. When there was no answer she let herself in.

"Noie?"

Noelle was lying on her stomach on her bed with her face in her pillow. Jenna sat down and rubbed her back a bit.

"What did I do?" Noelle asked after a while.

"What?"

Noelle turned her face to look at Jenna.

"Why did she have me if I was such a mistake? She never asked for child support from him so it wasn't for money. How can she call herself a mother?"

"Maybe she thought she was ready for the responsibility or that someone else would take care of you. I don't think I can answer your question completely though."

"Why couldn't she just love me?" Tears came down Noelle's cheeks as she tried to understand her life but came up short.

Jenna had tears in her own eyes as she wiped Noelle's away "I love you. No matter what, you're my daughter. You remember that."

Noelle got up and wrapped her arms around Jenna as Jenna hugged her back.

"I can't go back to them."

Jenna shook her head "You won't. I promise that as long as I'm alive you will never have to see them again, and we won't give up till you're in our home for good."

Noelle nodded. The end of her puzzle just clicked in her head. She had a home with a Mother and a Father who loved her no matter what was on her birth certificate. She had a family.