(A/N): Here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! I don't know when the next chapter will be up unfortunately, but hopefully it will be soon. Hopefully.

Family

Chapter 3

Nico looked up as Dani entered the living room looking drained, his eyes full of concern for his wife. "She's sleeping." Dani told Nico with a small smile, moving to sit on the sofa opposite her teenagers, who had finished their homework and were talking between themselves.

"She tell you anything?"

"Yeah, but I'll tell you later." Dani sighed, running a hand over her face. "I'm gonna kill Marshall Pittman."

Nico winced. "That bad?"

"Oh yes."

"Mom?" Lindsay asked, instantly gaining Dani's attention as she looked over at Ray Jay and Lindsay, who both looked nervous.

"What's up?"

"How're Aunt J, and Aunt Margot and everyone?"

"Oh, uh, Aunt Margot is on husband number four and still has the one kid, Dylan. Aunt J married a guy called Augusto and moved to Barcelona. They have a five year old called Juliana. We go out to visit every year in summer, and they visit us every winter." Dani informed them with a warm smile. Juliana and Victoria loved each other and claimed to be honorary sisters, or at least cousins, both getting into mischief at every chance they could find.

TK poked his head into the room, Victoria hanging off his neck. "Uh, Dr D, Sneako, other chicklets? Pizza's here."

Dani stood. "We'll be right there, Terrence. I'll just go and check on Juliette first."

"Oh, Little Pittman's here too? Cool, it's like a party."

"Yeah, just… don't call her that tonight, okay?" Dani asked him seriously. TK watched her face for a moment before nodding sombrely.

"Alright, Doc. If it means that much, then I'll stop myself from sayin' it."

Dani smiled as she placed a hand on TK's arm. "Thank you Terrence."

"No probs. Sneako, could you please take the human orangutan?" TK asked Nico, gesturing to Victoria, who was still hanging off of his neck and giggling. Nico sighed but pried his daughter off of TK. It was going to be a long night. He could already feel it start to drag on.

…

"Juliette? Do you want to come down for dinner?" Dani asked as she entered the guest room. Juliette was sat up on the bed, gazing down at the blank screen of her phone. "Julie? What's wrong?"

Juliette looked up, sending Dani a watery smile. "Mom called. Said da-Marshall didn't mean it and nothing bad would happen. She just couldn't lie to everyone anymore." Juliette blinked wide-eyed at Dani. "Is it bad that I knew she would lie before she even opened her mouth?"

"No, of course not." Dani assured her, moving to sit beside her. "What happened then?"

Juliette looked back down at her phone. "I told her she was lying, and that Marshall cutting me off and disowning me was her fault. Then I hung up on her and turned my cell phone off." Juliette handed Dani the device. "Can you lock it in your office for me? I don't wanna be tempted to go back because of false words and empty promises."

Dani nodded. "Of course. So, pizza?"

Juliette nodded in return, standing up and helping Dani to her feet. "Sure, Aunt Dani. Thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything."

…

The dinner table had an awkward air that night. Ray Jay and Lindsay sat together at one side, keeping to themselves. Juliette was sat between Ray Jay and Dani, with Victoria between Dani and Nico, and TK between Nico and Lindsay. Juliette glanced at the other two teens in the room before smiling gently. "Uh, hey. I'm Juliette. What're your names?" She tried to ask kindly, not sure of how to ask without demanding. It was something she'd learnt off her parents, and instead, she tried to mimic what she'd seen from Nico and Dani rather than her parents.

Ray Jay and Lindsay shared looks but stayed quiet, leaving Dani to tell Juliette who they were. "Julie, this is Ray Jay and Lindsay. My children."

"You mean the ones you have pictures of everywhere?" Juliette checked. "Cool. They finally came home." She commented after getting a nod from Dani. "Oh, Aunt Dani? I was gonna go shopping tomorrow. D'you wanna come with? My treat, I swear."

"Sweetie, you really don't have to." Dani told her gently. "I can treat us. Lindsay can come with us." She glanced at Lindsay, who nodded uncertainly. "How about, tomorrow night, we see if there are any colleges for you?"

Juliette nodded. Whilst she would be disowned and cut off by Marshall, her college fund had been placed in trust by her maternal grandfather, along with half a million dollars that would be hers to do with as she pleased when she turned twenty-one. "Okay. Maybe like fashion or something?"

Dani nodded with a smile. "Let's see what there is for fashion courses then."

TK glanced at the Santino teens. "So, uh, chicklets. You like the Hawks?"

Ray Jay nodded eagerly. "Yeah, they've been my favourite team forever! Dad promised if we ever got to the playoffs…" He trailed off at the mention of Ray Senior and he and Lindsay shared another guilty look at having brought him up in front of their mom.

Dani caught the look and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. You are allowed to talk about your dad in front of me, you know."

"But…" Lindsay trailed off and nodded, realising her mom was being honest with them. "Okay."

TK looked at Nico, who understood instantly what the wide receiver was asking and nodded his consent to Terrence's plan. "So, how about tomorrow I take you two and Little Careles on a tour of the training facility and introduce you to everyone after tomorrow's game?"

"Really?" Ray Jay asked excitedly, gazing at Dani with wide, imploring eyes. "Mom, can we, can we?"

Dani glanced at Nico before nodding. "Yes. Nico and I will be there anyway. We have a meeting with coach on Monday."

"What did I do now?" TK asked teasingly.

"Where do I start?" Nico deadpanned. "Well, there was-"

"Nope, TK don't wanna hear it." TK interrupted, placing his hands over his ears and sending Victoria into a giggling fit. "Dr D, make your man stop!"

Dani shot Nico an amused frown. "Leave off Terrence, Nico. For now, at least." She shot him a mischievous look. "Wait until he puts his foot in his mouth again and then you can say whatever you like."

"Dr D…" TK whined as Victoria and Juliette laughed at his stricken expression. "Sometimes, you're more devious than the Sneako, you know that?"

"That's one of the things I love about her, TK." Nico commented as he took another slice of pizza and placed it on Victoria's plate. "Tori, eat this piece and then you can have some ice-cream for dessert."

"Okay daddy." Victoria looked over to Ray Jay and Lindsay. "Oh, Lindsay, do you like books?"

"I guess." Lindsay replied slowly.

Victoria nodded. "Okay. You can borrow some of my books if you want to."

"Uh, thank you?" Lindsay wasn't sure how to respond to the child, glancing at her brother for reassurance, who just shrugged and continued to eat.

"Tori, can I braid your hair later?" Juliette changed the topic, smiling at Victoria as they descended into hair talk.

Dani and Nico shared a look, wondering how their lives became so hectic in so short a time.

To Be Continued…?