Four days later.
It was Sunday, and the family had all been pitching in to clear out the garage to transfer it to Ivy's room. Ivy knew Brandon was secretly pissed deep down. But this wasn't her idea, it wasn't as if she walked in and claimed it. Although he'd probably be feeling like she did. He was certainly acting like it.
They had hardly spoke to each other. Despite what he told Stef and Lena. He was not trying. Stef and Ivy went shopping and bought things for the room. The double mattress was the first thing they got, it arrived from delivery yesterday and they were able to clear enough stuff out to have the bed fitted in. So she may have still been surrounded by crap but at least she had her own bed. In the back they had a bathroom that just had a toilet and a bath with a shower head in it, along with a sink of course. That was put in months ago due to the request of Brandon for when he had to work up all night and the band didn't like having to barge in and out the house to use the bathroom. The shower was just purely because it came in on a sale.
Along with the bed, they purchased a TV and a new phone with a new number. Which was the best thing about getting one. Gone was the old Nokia and in was the iphone 6. Everything was fine, but there was one thing that Ivy was worried about.
"I am not going to get a job" Ivy sighed, shaking her head "It's just not going to happen"
"What about your SAT scores?" Lena questioned as Ivy paced up and down the living room with her hands on her hips. Ivy shook her head and shrugged "They're good but they aren't enough to get a stable job to help pull my weight around here and don't say that I don't have to, I want to"
Lena sighed and patted the sofa "Come here, honey"
Ivy took a deep breath and walked over to the couch, dropping herself down next to Lena and slouching back, she remained silent for a moment "I don't want to get some crappy job in a scummy diner. I don't want to be like Kath. Which is what I would be like"
"That's not true, Ivy, Katherine spent all her money on alcohol and drugs as you've explained, you would be working for things so much better"
Ivy looked to Lena as she rested her arm on the end of the sofa "I appreciate your advice. But be real with me, you wouldn't want this either. I want to do something I love but…"
"Writing is still what you love?" Lena questioned. Ivy drew circles on the sofa arm with her finger and nodded as she glanced to Lena and whispered "Yeah"
Lena thought for a moment. She remembered reading the stories that Ivy would write for Mariana and Jesus, ones where she put them in situations like Jesus being in Star Wars or Mariana being under the sea with The Little Mermaid. They were good. Really good. And if anything she would have gotten even better with age and experience. She mentioned that she was writing something now but kept it a secret until it was done. Lena rubbed the palm of her hands together and then had an idea "Come to the school tomorrow"
Ivy's eyebrows pinched together as she looked back to Lena "I mean, I'm dropping the kids off. Apart from Brandon because he can drive his own damn car as he said so sweetly"
"Yes but what I mean is drop by my office, we can talk about this better there. I have someone at the school who can help us out with this"
Ivy didn't exactly follow. Lena was being very vague but if there was thing she knew about Lena, it was that you could trust her with your life. Ivy shrugged and just went with it, quite frankly she was so tired from all the heavy lifting they had been doing all day from the garage that she was just about go along with anything right now. Ivy put her hand on Lena's leg briefly as she said "Thanks Aunt Lena"
"Anything for you, my love"
Ivy smiled when she heard a loud slam come from the back door. Lena and Ivy looked over and saw Brandon storm upstairs with Stef calling him to get back down but was ignored. Stef stood at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips and letting out a frustrated deep breath.
"Babe? Is everything okay?"
Stef walked down to the living room and said in an exhausted tone "He's just having one of his little outbursts"
"About me?" Ivy said with her arms crossed. Stef just looked at her in a way to yes but also saying that she didn't want Ivy to take it personally. Ivy, with her arms still crossed stomped her feet as she she stood up and dropped her arms back down to her side, she said nothing and just walked towards the stairs.
Stef turned and watched her walk up the stairs. She would stop her but then again, Brandon kind of needed a kick up the ass. And who better to give it to him than the girl he's holding an immature grudge against. Stef turned to Lena and raised her eyebrows to her as she walked over and sat beside her, leaning her head on her shoulder "Good job I keep that gun locked up"
Lena giggled and leaned her head against Stef's.
Ivy knocked on Brandon's door and slowly opened it to see him sat at his desk, on his laptop. Brandon glanced to her as she said "I come in peace"
Ivy walked in the room to his silence and walked over to him, she tilted his head and looked at him as his eyes stayed locked to his screen. Ivy crossed her arm and rested her chin in her
right hand as she tried to gather on what to say. Ivy cleared her throat and rubbed her lips together as she dropped her hand back to her arm.
"Brandon, it's been five years, what the hell could still be wrong?"
Brandon shrugged and muttered "Nothing"
Ivy rolled her eyes and scoffed, she walked over and sat on the bed. Keeping her eyes on him, she then looked down to her rubbing palms "I don't mean to make things difficult for you, B, but you haven't spoke to me in the whole four days I've been here"
"That's not true"
"I don't even think I can string together a single sentence that you've said to me"
Brandon spun around in his chair and let out a shrug "You've got Jesus and Mariana to having a talk with, Callie and Jude seemed to have taken a shine to you as well"
Ivy shrugged "Then what's your problem? I don't want anyone to think the sun shines from my ass but I would at least like to have common family ground with you"
Brandon shook his head and looked away, Ivy leaned forward to catch his eyes again "What?"
"You are always the golden child, you know that? Everyone else thinks it's me but it's always you. Mom has always got you as some pedestal. We haven't seen you in five years, we don't know what you've been getting up to and what? Welcome you back with open arms with no questions asked"
"You want questions? Fire away"
Brandon stared at her and raised his eyebrows to her "Did you break the law back in San Francisco"
Ivy licked her bottom lip and bowed her head, letting out a shrug, she nodded as she looked back up to him and admitted wholeheartedly "Yes"
"Like what?"
"I'm not going into full detail with you. What I did was not extreme, it was things I had to do because of my situation. It's not as if your track record with the law has been so hot with the fake ID's" Brandon went to ask how she knew, but Ivy jumped ahead and answered before the question was even asked "Stef tells me everything"
"Which adds to my point"
Ivy shrugged and kept her tone polite and gentle "You're forgetting I'm an adult, we have adult conversations, and that's hard for everyone to do with you when you do things such as storming off and locking yourself in your room when things don't go your way"
"You don't know anything about me! Alright? You've been gone for five years, you're hardly even in this family anymore. You're being welcomed with open arms because you're something that mom always wanted but could never really have" Brandon snapped, then sitting back in his chair and turning back around to face his laptop screen.
Ivy clutched her hands together and looked back down to her hands, shaking her head. She let out a brief angry laugh before standing up and walking over to the door, half of her wanted to snap back because she could tear him down but she wasn't going to stoop to his level, she wasn't going to go personal like he just did.
As Ivy opened the door, she opened it to see Stef on the other side, who was just about to open the door herself. Stef saw the look on Ivy's face "You alright?"
"Perfect" Ivy sighed bitterly and walked past Stef to downstairs. Stef watched Ivy storm off and turned to Brandon, she pointed to the stairs "What was that about?"
Brandon said nothing and just sighed.
Stef stepped inside the room and slammed the door shut, slapping the palms of her hands together and clutching to them "Okay, Brandon please explain what your problem is with Ivy. Please because I really don't get it"
"Of course you don't because it has to be me that has caused the problem it can't be her" Brandon muttered.
"I know for a fact that Ivy would never start any kind of conflict with you"
"Because she's the one you love most, I get it" Brandon scoffed as he shook his head "The one you couldn't have"
Stef hitched her breath as she stared at him "Please tell me you didn't say that to her"
Brandon looked to Stef and shrugged "What does it matter?"
Stef sighed and sat down on the bed, taking a deep breath and wedging her hands in between her closed legs, with her eyes closed she shook her head and then said as she looked to him "Do you understand how much things like that can affect people? It's like saying to Jesus, Mariana, Callie or Jude that they aren't your real siblings or they aren't our real children. Saying I could never have her makes her feel abandoned Brandon, don't you get that? Ivy spent sixteen years in my care, thinking I did have her, for good. And it doesn't just hurt her it hurts me too when you say things like that"
Brandon then looked down to his hands, feeling pretty guilty. He kept his eyes locked on his hands till he heard Stef say "You know she puts her first a hell a lot of the time"
Brandon looked at her and saw how honest she was being by the expression on her face "When I first found out I was pregnant with you, Ivy began to pack a bag. Not because she was rebelling. Not because she was angry. But because she thought I'd have to send her back to Katherine to make room for you, and she was preparing herself to go. She didn't kick or scream she did it by herself"
Mike came home from work earlier than usual. Stef had to take the day off due to Ivy's kindergarten having to close for the day due to a gas leak. He took an earlier shift in order to spend some time with them.
Stef heard him come through the door and quickly made her way out of her bedroom as Ivy, last time she checked, was taking a nap in her room. Mike smiled as she walked over "Hi!"
He noticed that her smile was beaming more than ever, Mike tilted his head and shrugged "What's with the smile?"
Stef linked her hands together and raised her eyebrows "Remember how I said I have been feeling a little off, lately?"
"Yeah? Didn't think that'd make you grin" Mike said with a light laugh as he put his badge in the bowl with the keys.
"I'm smiling because there's a big reason as to why I felt sick"
Mike looked up at her, already feeling like he knew what the answer was, he raised his eyebrows to her with a small smile "Are you...are we?..."
Stef nodded and finished his sentence "Pregnant"
Mike's jaw dropped to a grin, he let out a breathless overwhelmed laugh and pulled her close for a tight hug "Oh my god! Stef that's incredible" he pulled her back and gave her a quick kiss "When did you-"
"This morning, I bought some tests last night and...I checked over and over again and it just kept coming back positive"
Mike still had a disbelieved look on his face and couldn't shake his smile as he looked down to her stomach, he then looked back to her and asked "Did you tell Ivy?"
Stef shook her head "No, no I'm waiting for the right time"
They then heard the floor creek, Mike looked over Stef's shoulder as she turned and saw Ivy stare at them.
Stef sighed and went to walk over to her "Ivy, love, I'm sorry I didn't want you to find out this way" Ivy ran back down the hall and into her room.
Stef shut her eyes for a moment and put her hands on her hips, she stared at Ivy's door and turned to Mike, putting her arm on his chest she whispered "I'm sorry, give me just a few minutes with her"
"Sure, I'll wait out here"
Stef gave him a tight smile and made her way down the hall. She slowly opened the door to see the four year old putting clothes into a bag. Stef opened the door all the way and stepped into the room "Bear, what are you doing?"
Ivy turned to her and looked back to her bag "Packing"
Stef shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it, facing Ivy she looked at her as the little girl refused to make eye contact for the time being.
"Why are you packing a bag, baby?"
Ivy shrugged and weakly muttered "Because you're going to send me back to my mom"
Stef's heart dropped, she put her hand on the back of Ivy's head which caused her to make eye contact "Now why would you think that?"
"Cause you and Uncle Mike are having a baby. You won't have time for me. You need to make room"
Stef rubbed her lips together as she stared to Ivy, she looked at the back. Ivy had packed two t-shirts and a pair of jeans along with her action men who she always prefered over barbies. Stef pushed the bag to the side and lifted Ivy onto her lap. Stef rested her head on Ivy's shoulder for a moment to then go on and say "I will always have time for you. You're my little girl, no matter what anyone says. And just because Uncle Mike and I are having a baby will never change the way I feel about you. I promise"
As Stef softly rocked Ivy back and forth, Ivy stared at the corner of her room and said "I will go if you want"
Stef kissed Ivy's cheek as she felt herself getting emotional. Emotional that Ivy would think like this at such a young age, it just makes her realise all the low expectations she hold of life in her mind due to her situation. With her lips still to Ivy's cheeks she said "I would not give you up for the world"
Stef pulled her head back as she brushed Ivy's hair with her fingers to rest behind her ears which caused Ivy to look at her and said "I swear, baby, you're wanted and you have me. Always okay?"
Ivy took her big brown eyes to Stef and weakly nodded as she muttered "Okay"
"You gonna give me a hug?" Stef asked with a small smile which passed on to Ivy's face as she took formed a loving smile and wrapped her arms around Stef's neck as she hugged her tightly, Stef closed her eyes and she wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl's waist and whispered "This baby is going to be a good thing, think of it as having a little brother or sister"
"Brother. Then I can get more action men instead of any barbies"
Stef giggled and pressed her forehead against Ivy's.
Brandon remained silent. Feeling a little stupid. Stef let out a small I told you so smile and shrugged as she stood up "So, B, she always wanted to put you first from the moment she found out about you. Don't divide yourself from your family"
Stef stood up and reached over to him, squeezing his shoulder to show that she wasn't trying to be harsh and gave him that story out of love and looking out for him. If he goes against Ivy then he has no chance in living in peace with the rest of the kids. Especially Jesus. Brandon gave her a tight smile and turned to his computer as Stef walked out of the room, letting him think about the things she had just said.
Stef walked downstairs into the kitchen, finding Ivy with Lena, pouring them both a cup of coffee. Ivy looked up to Stef and smiled to her "Hey, you want a cup?"
"That'd be nice, thanks love" Stef slid her hands in her back jean pockets and walked over to them. She knew that Ivy was trying to block out the awkward air through what just happened, she knew full well that Stef knew what Brandon said "Listen, about what he said-"
"Forget it, it's fine" Ivy shrugged "I know I always had you"
Stef smiled to her as Ivy looked back down and poured Stef a cup, Stef's eyes traveled to Lena who gave her a little wink and a smile. Ivy slid over the cup for Stef and the three women stood together, soaking up each other's company as they had a drink.
Jesus then came through the door from the garden and looked at them all in amazement "Where have you guys been! We need help out here"
They almost forgot about the slave labor they had set for the kids outside, they all laugh and began to walk out one by one with their drinks in their hand, Ivy lightly slapped the peak of Jesus's cap before pushing him back outside to the garden.
As she was clearing up the garage, Ivy was distracted in staying focused on what to throw out whilst the family was in a discussion. Brandon came back down about fifteen minutes after him and Ivy's brief confrontation, he merely muttered her an apology before jumping back into helping.
Ivy was soon brought into the conversation as Mariana dragged her into it "You're coming, right Ivy?"
Ivy looked up and stared at all the eyes being on her, she slowly nodded "Yes...yeah sure…" she looked to Stef who had an amused smirk on her face, knowing that Ivy didn't have a clue. Ivy shrugged and added "To what?"
"Jesus's wrestling match tomorrow" Callie clarified as she slapped her hand on her brother's shoulder before looking down at the box she was packing.
"You have a wrestling match on the first day back?" Ivy said a little surprised. All the wrestling matches she went to in support of Nate and her other best friend Milo, they never had them on the first day back.
"Yeah we it's kind of a practice match just to get us warmed up for our future game, but people come and watch" Jesus shrugged.
"Oh" Ivy nodded quickly caught on, she walked over to him and patted his chest "Well I'm there, bud"
"Nate will be there" Mariana subtly whispered as she past Ivy. Ivy smirked and pushed her a little "Quiet"
"He will be though" Jesus muttered with a smirk. Ivy put her hand on her hip and rubbed her forehead as she let out a sighing smile, looking down to the floor. Ivy threw her head back to the ceiling and then looked to Jesus "Don't tell him"
"You want to surprise him" Jesus teased.
"He loves surprises" Ivy whispered as she lightly punched Jesus's shoulder and went back to her area and carried on cleaning. She was soon joined by Stef standing beside her "Do I have to warn you, babe?"
Ivy looked to Stef and scoffed a laugh "About?"
Stef shrugged as she put her hands on her hips "He has a girlfriend"
Ivy looked away from Stef and took a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ear to try and avoid eye contact during this discussion, she nodded and sighed "Yeah I know" she cleared her throat and lifted her head back up "But you know we were friends before we got together"
"I know, I know. Since you were six...but you're not six anymore and you...you were in love for a long time"
"So what? You think I'm not going to be considerate to his girlfriend. Thought you raised me better than that"
Stef let out a small laugh and shook her head, rubbing Ivy's back as the twenty year old leaned down and put the vase in her hand in the box she then said "No I know that you will be considerate, but you were his first love and...I'm just saying be careful, I don't want you getting hurt"
"It's wrestling" Ivy laughed breathlessly, leaning down again and standing back up as she held the full box in her hands "It's not like it's a blind date or anything" she patted Stef's back as she walked over to drop the box off with all the others that are being relocated to the attic. Ivy then looked to the boxes of the attic and sprung on idea.
"Hey I'll take some of these up" Ivy said as she crouched down, putting one large box on top of the other and picked them up, she walked into the house, up the stairs and brought for the stairs for the attic. Ivy climbed up with a box at a time. She pushed the box in and when she got to the top, she sat up on the edge and looked around, her idea wasn't so stupid. Ivy looked to the rest of the boxes that were brought up, just scattered about.
Ivy got up and stepped in the attic. It was a good height, no risk of you hitting your head that much unless you were any more than 6'5. Which no one in this house was. Ivy pushed all the boxes into one corner of the attic, she brought the second one up and placed it with the others. Then on with her idea.
A little while later, Ivy was in Jesus's bedroom, playing a game of Mortal Kombat. Ivy shook her head and laughed as she played the game and said "You still suck"
"Do not"
"It was worth every time moms yelled at me for letting you play this I at least thought you'd pay me back by improving to actually be a challenge" Ivy teased, nudging him with her shoulder, he chuckled and shook his head as he watched Ivy's character rip off his character's head. Jesus sighed and sat back as he dropped his controller on the bed, lying back and dropping his hands on his head. All of a sudden, the pair heard Brandon yell from his room. He burst into Jesus's room and said "Who the hell touched my keyboard?"
"That would be me" Ivy said as she raised her hand.
Brandon scoffed "What'd you do? Hide it? Payback for what I said?"
Jesus sat back up on the bed and asked sternly "What did you say?"
Ivy put her hand up to Jesus telling him to leave it then pointed up "It's upstairs go see for yourself"
"See what?"
"Just go" Ivy said as she motioned her hand to upstairs. Brandon, confused at first but he did as she asked, he dragged the stairs down and climbed up. What he saw surprised him. Brandon saw that Ivy had set up his music gear just how it was set up in the garage. She was smarter than him it seems because he sure as hell didn't think of this. Brandon shook his head and bowed it down, he felt even more like an ass.
Ivy heard Brandon step back down the stairs, she didn't want to look smug but she was feeling it. Brandon walked back to the door and leaned against the frame, his hands pressed together, he looked to Ivy and nodded with a tight smile "Thanks"
Ivy shrugged "This mean you'll stopped pissed at me?"
Brandon pushed himself up from the door frame and raised his eyebrows as he walked away "Till next time"
Ivy rolled her eyes and laughed as she looked to Jesus and nudged him again before grabbing the controller again "Come on, round two of me beating your ass"
Later on that night, when all the kids had gone off to bed for their first day back at school. Ivy was in her new room, going through the last few things to throw out with Stef as Lena also had a case of school tomorrow.
"Brandon told me what you did for him" Stef said as she took things off of the shelves and turned to Ivy, looking at her slightly embarrassed expression at being made to look like a sap. Stef smiled and said "It was nice"
"Yeah well, it'll shut him up for now right"
With a faint smile on her face, Stef raised her eyebrows to Ivy as she threw over the junk in the trash bag "Honey, he's not some brat-"
"Really? Don't get me wrong no matter what he says to me I love him but not a brat? After everything you've told me...forgive me if I disagree for now"
Stef looked down at the dusty photo frame and took what Ivy said into account, she couldn't exactly argue, if it was Jenna telling her these type of stories about her son then she'd probably think he was a brat too. Stef wiped the dust away and let out a small laugh as she saw the now clear picture "Well what do we have here"
Ivy looked up as Stef walked over with her in the photo frame, turning it around and showing Ivy as she walked over. Ivy rolled her eyes and smirked as Stef continued to let out a giggle at her reaction "Remember this one?"
"How can I not? I can't believe Lena took a picture of me falling out of a tree"
Stef pointed to it "Yeah but I'm there catching you. This was just for the laughs to put it in a frame...to be fair she was going to take a picture of you just in the tree since you insisted that you could do it
"Well I did. For five seconds" Ivy laughed as she looked down at it "It was part of a dare"
"Yes I remember. You, Nate, Milo and Lottie seemed to have an act for putting yourselves into situations. There was the jumping off of the highest stairs before getting hurt, there was then of course the wrapping bubble wrap around each other's heads and punching each other... what else?"
"We filled up balloons with paint once and had our own paint ball fight in the garden"
"Ah yes. That was one for the history books I think"
Ivy shrugged as she crossed her arms "Rather do that than be stuck behind a tablet or whatever they do now at that age"
"Well I prefer that too now that I think about it. You four were the most reckless and eventful kids I had ever come across"
Ivy ran her fingers through her hair and let out a tight smile as she walked over to her bed and sat down on it. Stef turned and put the photo down "Have you been in contact with any of them?"
Ivy let out a deep breath and nodded "Yeah, Lottie. I emailed her on Friday. She's currently in New Orleans with her boyfriend, traveling for a while. She should be back by my birthday"
"Well Milo is a rookie at the police station"
Ivy looked to her and laughed "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I just remembered" Stef laughed as she sat on the bed beside her. Putting her hand on Ivy's leg "And you haven't been in contact with Nate"
"No" she said quickly "Might sound selfish but I don't want my first words to him to be over a phone or text"
"It's not selfish. You didn't get to say goodbye to him face to face, you deserve to say hello the opposite way"
Ivy smiled and looked down to her twiddling fingers "Thank you for understanding"
Stef put her hand on the back of Ivy's head as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against her forehead, then pressing her forehead against it and saying "I've got you"
Ivy smiled and pushed her off "You're getting soft in your old age"
Stef laughed as she sat back, Ivy gripped hold of her hand and stroked it with her thumb as she nodded "But I know you've got me. I've got you too"
Stef smiled and gave a quick kiss on Ivy's hand before standing up, turning to her as she picked up the bag full of junk "Sleep tight, bear"
Ivy grinned "Sweet dreams, mom"
Stef snapped out of her brief imagination as Ivy whispered "Goodnight" before getting off the bed and grabbing her pajamas. Stef rubbed her lips and cleared her throat as she shook her dream away and took herself out of the room.