"Tomorrow night. You and Lena are going to go out" Ivy said as she walked into Stef and Lena's bedroom where the two of them were. Stef folding up laundry and Lena was reading.

Stef raised a brow as she put the shirt in the basket "What?"

"You two need a night out. It's a Friday. Nate and I will be here with the kids" Ivy looked to her "I'm giving you a free pass here"

"But are you sure that-"

"Yes I'll be fine. It's not like I'm alone and we'll be locked safe in the house"

Stef looked to Lena, who was looking right back at her. They had to admit. A nice night out for dinner with each other did sound pretty great and Ivy was right, they did need some time together away from everything. Every married couple wants and needs time together.

Ivy had been thinking about it ever since she got home. She had heard little bickers between the two of them the past few weeks, the main thing that Lena complained about being that she felt they weren't spending enough time together. They had done so much for her and this was her way of repaying them.

Lena looked to Ivy and smiled "Well thank you for the gesture babe, if you're sure-"

"Take the gesture. We want to get rid of you just as much as you want to get rid of us"

The pair chuckled as Stef grabbed a pillow and tossed it at her, which Ivy caught perfectly and placed it back to the bed as she walked over. Seeing the look on their faces "Guys we will be okay"

She looked to Steg "After we talked last night I just got thinking how we can't freeze our lives. It's what he wants"

Maybe they would be a little cautious about leaving them. But with two twenty year olds in the house that was always locked down tight, it was doubtful that anything would happen. Ivy also knew the code to Stef's safe and also learned how to shoot a gun.

Stef took her to a range once when she was fifteen, same age Frank took her and when she was in San Francisco, Jason taught her. Perhaps the only one thing she was grateful for. So if anything did go south, she would be prepared.

But that wasn't likely to happen, they knew that. So maybe Ivy was right. Maybe they should stop being nervous and push themselves out of it. Ivy tucked her hands in her slouchy pants and raised her brows to them both, taking herself out the room "I'll leave you guys to think it over"

Ivy stepped back out of their room, Stef sat down on the bed and looked to Lena, with a small smile on her face "What do you think?"

"I think Ivy is right, we need it" Lena said, looking to Stef and placing her hand over hers "About both not shutting ourselves away and that the kids will be okay. Especially with Ivy and Nate being with them, two grown adults"

"Sometimes I wonder" Stef dryly joked before lying back on the bed. Lena then lying beside her, pressing her lips against her shoulder and then her cheek "So where are you taking me?"

"Oh I'm taking you out?" Stef laughed as she rolled her body onto Lena's. Lena giggled and nodded "Damn straight"

"No we're really not" Stef shook before leaning down and pressing her lips against hers.

When stepping out from the room Ivy was greeted by Mariana as she came out of the bathroom. Ivy yelped and then sighed rubbing her forehead "Mariana"

"Sorry!"

"What's up babe? Why are you waiting outside the door and why are you smiling me like that?"

Mariana continued to have the same wide smile on her face, Ivy scrunched her up at it and shook her head, she mumbled "Stop it"

"Will you please do my hair for me? I just got out of the shower and..."

"Don't you usually do your own hair, my sweet sweet...sixteen year old cousin"

Mariana sighed and rolled her eyes "Yes but I like the wavy thing you do with your hair and I want to try it out"

"Shouldn't you have asked me this last night instead of..." Ivy looked at her watch "An hour before you need to go to school" she then looked up to Mariana again. Mariana nodded and then said with a sympathetic look on her face "Yeah...but you were crying a lot last night, you spent the whole night with Mom and Jesus for a bit too"

"Oh...right...I'm sorry, baby, of course I'll do your hair, come on" Ivy nudged Mariana to her and Callie's bedroom.

As Ivy was doing Mariana's hair, Mariana looked at Ivy from looking in the mirror "Are you going to be okay with Nate? Word got around about your fight"

Ivy then looked into the mirror to look at Mariana, she shrugged "We're fine. It just came to blows kinda of quick"

"It was really bad?"

Ivy sighed and shrugged "Y'know, the topic is just very sensitive and that got me angry then me getting angry at him makes him angry at me, you know how I can be, Mari, I have a short fuse, I get mad easily"

"Yeah we know, I remember when Brandon stole your drink from the burger shack that time and you ended up throwing him in the sand"

"Well I like a good drink" Ivy quickly defended herself

"Yeah and now instead of milkshake it's?..."

"Rum"

Mariana raised her brow "Seriously?"

Ivy nodded "Jamaican Rum. You remember that bottle Stef bought me "

Mariana pulled a disgusted face "Well that or beer" she then shrugged. Beer sounded better.

Mariana looked down at her hands and went off the subject to one that was buried underneath "I really want you to be happy" Ivy stopped doing Mariana's hair and looked at her through the mirror. She tilted her head and then whispered "You don't have to worry about me"

"I get scared for you, you've been hurt so many times...what he...I've seen the way you are with Callie too, you guys relate to each other more than we do anymore, you guys have been through the same stuff"

"Hey hey hey" Ivy shook her head to Mariana as she wrapped her arms around her "It's not like that, Mari, I've been spending so much time with Callie because I've been doing my best to get to know her, I've known you all my life, I've known Callie for almost three months now"

"You were out of my life for six years...a lot of stuff has happened"

Ivy then felt a huge weight of guilt placed on her. Mariana was right. Stuff had happened. And Ivy hadn't even noticed that she had been gone and that she had missed a big chunk of Mariana's life. Ivy kissed Mariana's head "You're right, I'm sorry...I'm sorry you've felt like I've been only spending time with Callie, it was not my intention to make you feel like I haven't been spending time with you too, tell you what,we haven't got long till the break off from school for the holidays, I promise you that we will plan a girls day, okay?"

"You mean it?" Mariana brightened up.

"Of course I do...Te amo con todo mi corazón, ¿de acuerdo? (I love you with all my heart, okay?)"

"Yo también te quiero (I love you too)"

Ivy smiled and then gave her a peck on her head and then rubbed Mariana's arms "Your hair looks great, you look beautiful" Ivy smiled brightly to Mariana with her new beach wavy hair style.

"You looking forward to the winter beach party at the end of the semester?" Mariana questioned.

"Yeah. Just can't believe winter and beach are in the same association" Ivy muttered with a small smirk which Mariana couldn't help but laugh at, Ivy raised her brows and sang under her breath as she walked over to the door "Oh sweet San Diego"

Mariana rolled her eyes and pushed her out of the door and they went downstairs together, heading to get breakfast before another day at school.

Ivy had spoke to Nate since yesterday and their little dispute but she hadn't seen him.

But they were fine. They waited five years to be together they weren't going to ruin it by this obstacle. He was waiting for her as she pulled up and approached her as she got out of her car with a big smile on his face that she returned.

He put his hands on her hips and gave a brief, soft kiss on the cheek "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm good" Ivy whispered to him, giving his arms a squeeze before they pulled apart and headed into the school.

"I talked to Stef about things last night" Ivy said, then looking to him as they strolled down the hallway and gave him a tight smile "I'm sorry for being an ass yesterday"

"C'mon you weren't an ass. It's a tense time, I get it"

Ivy looked away from him and muttered under her breath with a gentle voice "God you're such a good guy"

"You say that like it's a bad thing" Nate laughed, pulling his bag back up on his shoulder. Giving her a grin that made her go fairly weak at the knees. Ivy just smirked to him and gave im a playful light push before going into her classroom and he carried on going down the hall.

Just that little moment right there gave her butterflies and was enough to make her smile and carry her through the morning until she saw him at lunch.

When she did get to lunch, she went into his office and quickly sat on his lap as he was stuffing his face with a sandwich "We've got plans tomorrow night"

"Oh yeah? And what would those plans be?" Nate asked with a full mouth, putting his sandwich back down on the desk, sitting back on the chair and looking to her with a small smile on his face.

"Staying at my place, with the kids whilst Aunt Stef and Lena go out"

"Babysitting?" Nate teased.

"No! Come on, they're fun you know that"

"Yeah I do. That's cool, as long as I get to spend time with you" Nate smiled, pressing his lips against her arm for a brief moment and then muttered "Got a gift for you actually"

Ivy immediately covered her eyes and patiently waited. She heard Nate open up his draw and then place something on his desk. She then removed her hand and looked down to a fresh, new mug.

"You've been complaining that you need a new one. So"

Ivy laughed breathlessly and picked it up, having printed ink splodges around it and then writing in quill writing 'Don't piss off the writer, she might put you in her book and kill you off'

Ivy laughed again and turned to him "Thank you" she put her hand on his cheeks after putting the cup back down and kissed him "Lovely little gesture"

"It's the little things that matter" Nate whispered, then saying boldly before kissing her "Not all the time, though"

Ivy smirked and shook her head "No. Not all the time"

This was the Ivy that Nate knew and missed. God knows what she and Stef talked about last night but all he knew was that it has done her the world of good. Ivy reached for Nate's sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"Hey, get your own"

Ivy just shot him a smirk and wiped her hands as she put the sandwich back down.

On the other side of school, Jesus walked over to Callie, Mariana and Brandon who were all sat together and said, holding up his phone "You guys seen what Ivy's put on the groupchat?"

Mariana and Callie nodded whilst Brandon shook his head and was none the wiser. Jesus sighed to him "Dude unmute it once in awhile, it's fun"

"Maybe. What's she put anyway?"

Mariana then spilled the beans and said with an excited smile "Moms are going out tomorrow for date night so we're getting the house alone with Ivy and Nate"

Brandon rolled his eyes "Like we need looking after or something"

Callie squinted at him "It's not like that. It'll be fun. Besides I'm surprised moms even agreed to it, with everything that's going on"

"And we all know who-" Brandon quickly stopped himself. He knew that was wrong, what he was about to say. He actually forgot the context for a moment, he closed his eyes and shook his head "Sorry. Sorry I just. I'm stressed about my music, that's all"

The three of them let it slide this once, at least that time he stopped and apologised. Usually that wouldn't happen. Jesus cleared his throat and shrugged "Look, man. It'll be fun"

"Well I'm out anyway"

They all then looked at him oddly. Brandon looked to them all and then clarified to them "I've got a gig at a bar down town"

Mariana couldn't help but laugh "Good luck with that"

"What?"

"There's no way moms are going to let you do that"

Callie laughed too and then nodded "Yeah mom especially"

Brandon simply shrugged "Yeah well like you just said. Moms are out"

Jesus couldn't help but then chime in and say with a shaking head and amused look on his face and Brandon's naivety "I don't think Ivy is gonna let you go out either. She's more on edge than anyone"

"Well, Ivy isn't my one of three parents, so…"

The three of them all looked at each other but also decided to remain quiet and not argue with him on that. They would just leave it for tomorrow night where they would watch Ivy tell Brandon herself that he wasn't going anywhere. She may not be a parent, but she was the eldest sibling.

"You can trust them, just go have fun" Ivy laughed as she walked out of Stef and Lena's room. Practically pushing them out. Granted Stef and Lena hesitated because of Jason. But Ivy knew Jason, she knew that he would not go near those kids. He wouldn't go near the house, he likes to stay away. He's scared of Stef and her authority.

And with Ivy being in the house with the kids, there was no risk of a house party. Which Ivy learned about a few weeks after she came back.

Ivy convinced Stef and Lena to give the kids another shot as they were not staying over night anywhere and would be back tonight anyway. As she stepped into the hall when Stef and Lena carried down the stairs. Brandon came out of his bedroom, looking rather sharp himself. Ivy laughed breathlessly "Whoa, got someone coming round?"

Brandon shrugged and shook his head "No, I'm going out"

Ivy crossed her arms and looked at him rather confused "What? Pretty sure you were told about the plans tonight"

"I was but I'm going to a club tonight with the band"

Ivy stared at him for a moment and then shook her head at him "Brandon you can't"

"I don't recall you being my mom"

Ivy laughed "I do know that both of your moms will not let you go, everyone has to be cautious lately"

Brandon scoffed and decided to react harshly when he was being backed into a corner "Yeah...because your secrets caught up with us"

"Excuse me?"

Brandon sighed and shook his head to her "I ask you when you first came here-"

"You think I would have just come out and said it?"

Jesus overheard the conversation, he stood on the other side of his door and kept his ears peeled. Brandon shook his head again and held his hand up to her as he snapped "Sometimes Ivy I think it would have been better for everyone if you just stayed in your hole"

She went to fight back but was suddenly beaten to it as Jesus came burst out of his room and pushed Brandon away "Back off!"

"This hasn't got anything to do with you" Brandon snarled

"It has everything to do with me, I'm not going to let you push her away" Jesus grabbed Brandon by the collar and pinned him against the wall. The boys soon ended up in a scuffle. It didn't last long as Ivy pulled Jesus back and pushed Brandon away from Jesus. Brandon was rather surprised by her strong arm.

Stef and Lena quickly came back up the stairs once hearing the issue and intervened.

"Pretty rough" Brandon mumbled as he back hard hit the wall. Ivy just scoffed at him and decided to just ignore him.

"What is going on!" Stef asked as she saw one son in pure anger and another in distress against the wall "We have to pay for all the mistakes that she made back in San Francisco"

"Brandon! Are you seriously going there?" Lena sighed with nothing but disappointment in her tone.

"How dare you" Stef said to him, completely and utterly taken aback by her sons words. Brandon shook his head and tried to speak rationally "If she had stayed away from this guy then none of this would have happened"

"You have no idea! Moron!" Jesus yelled with Ivy close by as he protectively had his right arm around her waist with Ivy leaning her head against his. Brandon knew he had dug himself into a hole, his words were getting all mixed up. Saying things he knew were wrong but couldn't help but lash out when things didn't go his way. It was the way Brandon dealt with things, in this case it was not working.

"Calm down Jesus, and you. If you say anything about her like that again then…" Stef took a breath and asked "What started this off?" She asked as she looked back and forth to Ivy. With her head still resting against Jesus's she said "Brandon said he's going to some sort of bar tonight to play"

Stef laughed and shook her head "You most definitely are not"

"Because of-"

"Not because of her! Because you are seventeen years old, we'd rather you did not go to a bar especially after what happened at your little Pharm party, you need to earn back our trust in order to be able to go to places such as bars"

"But mom!"

"We won't change our mind about this, Brandon" Lena spoke with stern voice as she shook her head. Brandon didn't see on fighting back, there was no point in doing so. He wouldn't win. So he did what he always does, he stormed off back into his bedroom. Jesus sighed and listened to the sound of Ivy's soothing voice requesting for him to calm down.

She then laid a soft kiss on his cheek "Thank you brother"

That was enough for Stef and Lena to let out a small smile. Ivy turned to them and raised her brows with them as she let out a small sigh of relief "Go on"

Stef warned "Maybe we shouldn't"

"Please, I can handle a little outburst, guys, just go" Ivy said with a smile, then nudging Jesus "I got my bouncer"

Jesus gave his mom's a big grin and then after a moment. Stef and Lena walked back down the stairs and soon left the house.

As Ivy went downstairs, Nate was at the front door. She quickly ran to the door and opened it up, dragging him in the house and kissing him as passionately as she could before the two of them made their way into the kitchen where everyone except Brandon was fighting over what pizza to order.

Brandon remained upstairs and then got a phone call from Lou.

"Hi"

"Hey, where are you?"

"At home"

"What? I thought you were meeting at my place so we go together?"

"Plans changed"

"You're not coming?" Brandon then stood up and slipped his jacket back on and then grabbed his car keys and placed them in his pocket "I'm still coming, I just have to wait till my cousin and the rest of them are distracted enough so I can sneak out the back"

He sent a phony text to Jesus, telling him that he was staying in his room and doesn't want anyone to bother him, then turning his music up loud enough to make it seem more believable.

"Oh okay, hey what's the name of this dude that got us this gig?"

Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. He then clicked his fingers when he got it and said "Jacob, his name is Jacob...look I won't be long okay? Tonight's going to be fun"

Half an hour later, Ivy stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up as she heard Brandon's music blasting out. Having no idea that he has since snook out. Jude nudged her elbow as they all headed back into the kitchen, to the lounging part to place some games "C'mon"

"Sorry, sport" Ivy smiled, putting her arm over his shoulder and walking to where everyone else was. Ivy patted his back as he walked over and sat between Callie and Jesus whilst Ivy sat beside Nate and Mariana "Alright, what do we have?"

Jesus held up the two decks of cards "You gotta say the film quote to your team in an accent you pick from this deck"

Ivy raised her brows and laughed. She could do a good New York accent but that was just about as far as she could go, add pressure to that and it was going to be even disastrous. But still, should be fun.

Teams were split as Ivy and Mariana. Nate and Jesus and Callie and Jude. Nate was particularly good and when Jesus had to do it, he was good at picking up the film and accent. Basically he was a show off. Mariana was good at the accents but bad at getting the films and Ivy was the opposite.

Callie and Jude were just kind of all over the place. But they were all having fun, adding pizza to the mix and they were having even more fun.

Ivy walked over to the kitchen table to grab herself and Nate another beer when he came over to her and said with a smile "Okay you were right, they are fun"

"See" Ivy sang as she slid him a bottle, then looking up to the ceiling again and sighed "You don't think I should go and check up on him?"

Nate frowned to her and shrugged "Ivy if the guy doesn't wanna be bugged then don't bug him. It's his choice to stay up there, besides. It'd be an odd number"

Ivy let out an amused hum as she drank some of her beer and then slapped her hand into his as they walked back over to the couch and dove straight back into the game.

Stef and Lena were sat closely together in a booth. They had picked out one of the restaurants they've been to before and it was one of Lena's favourites places to dine. Great food and also being sat in a booth allowed her to play the subtle game of footsies with her wife.

Lena took a sip of her wine and then asked Stef "So, how do you think she's doing?"

Stef looked to her from looking at her wine glass and raised her brows to her ever so slightly before thinking about her question and then giving an answer "I think after the talk she and I had last night she may feel a little better, we talked for a long time. She got a lot of emotions out"

"Which is hard for her to do as it is. Forget about this"

"Well she's like me in that sense" Stef muttered.

Lena smirked and raised a brow "In every sense"

Stef just rolled her eyes, they got back onto the subject after ordering their appetizers. Stef just a breath as she took hold of her wine again and rested her back against the booth "Yeah I suppose she is like me and sometimes that can be frustrating...even for me"

"For you?"

Stef looked to her and shrugged "You know how hard it was to take my walls down"

Lena muttered a small laugh and nodded "Oh yeah"

"Yeah well she's the same. And sometimes she likes to keep them closed, even with me"

Lena reached for her hand and took hold of it "Honey, she shares thing you that she's never shared with anyone, not even Nate. You remember when you said that I was nice mom? And that the kids always choose to confide in me than you?"

Stef wasn't quite sure where she was going with this but she just cautiously nodded to her. Lena then gave her a gentle smile "Well, honey, with Ivy that isn't much the case"

"She talks to you"

"Yeah she does, we talk about things. But it's not the same, we speak of work and light things. But she confides in you, she gives you her soul. I've seen it and everyone else has seen it" she smiled even more "And it's wonderful to see"

"I just" Stef whispered, biting her lip and then carried on "I just wish I could take this away. It's like Callie…the only difference here is that Jason is stalking her"

"Be honest with me, Stef. Are you any closer to finding him?"

Stef took a sip of her wine and then sighed, clearing her throat before saying as she put the glass back down on the table "We've been trying...I have been looking non stop, so much that it's driving me crazy at work...but it looks like he's bolted. Maybe he found out some way that the police were onto him. Ivy told me that he was aware I was a cop"

"Him leaving may be safer for Ivy but it's still not getting the justice that she deserves"

"I know" Stef muttered, then shaking her head as she let out a deep breath "I know but he's never had any convictions before, Ivy said that his parents kicked him out a good while ago and apparently they don't even live in this country anymore...you can't find someone who on record doesn't even exist"

Lena gently patted Stef's leg "At least she has us and she's not cooped up in that horrible apartment back in San Francisco, she's going through this surrounded by her boyfriend who she's been in love with since she has been in diapers" she paused as Stef gently laugh, Lena then softly added "And she has her mom"

Stef looked to Lena, her expression being warm to match with the feeling in her heart. Stef squeezed Lena's hand out of gratitude. They eventually got off the topic, knowing that if Ivy could hear them having their dinner conversation being about her she would smack them both over the heads, they went out to dinner to get away from home life.

It had gotten to the point where Ivy was sick and tired of Brandon locking himself away. As everyone else was still laughing and joking downstairs, with their own music now playing. Not too loud of course. Ivy took herself upstairs, knocking on the door and calling into his room "Brandon? Brandon it's been nearly three damn hours"

She then noticed how the music had been off for a while in his room. Normally she wouldn't just bust in, but now that she was suspicious, she found it acceptable. She turned the handle and opened the door to find the empty room.

God she had been stupid, or naive. Maybe both. She scoffed, slightly amused. She remembered doing this but she didn't do this when there was a psychotic stalker roaming about. Ivy shook her head, hearing someone come up the stairs, Nate came up behind her as she looked down at her phone, muttering under her breath "Sneaky bastard"

"S'going on?"

Ivy looked to him as she motioned her hand into the room "Little shit has had us all fooled, he's not been in his room he's gone out"

She looked back down to her phone.

9:58pm

She got a text from Stef and Lena saying that they decided to go out after a few drinks at a bar. She was glad, it means they were having fun together. And it means she was given more time to find Brandon and kick his ass all the way home. She went on her contacts and called him. Making her way back down stairs, with Nate behind her.

Damn phone went straight to voicemail. She groaned and turned to Nate "Stay here with them"

"Ivy you can't go out alone what if-"

Ivy didn't have time to argue with him as the beep went off for her to leave a message as she headed towards the front door, grabbing the attention of the rest in the back "Brandon. Nice sneak out trick but I swear if you don't get your ass home soon I'll-"

She opened the door to see Mat holding Brandon up, he looked absolutely loaded. Ivy sighed as she hung up the phone and looked to Mat, who nervously shook his head as he found Ivy absolutely intimidating at times "It had nothing to do with me or Lou. He just got…"

Ivy squinted at Brandon, seeing the look on his face and how completely out of he looked. He was shivering. Ivy shook her head "He isn't drunk"

She leaned forward and cupped his cheeks as she tried to hold his head up, he was pale and cold as hell. Mat looked to her "I did think he looked a little weird"

"He's high" Ivy muttered "He's been spiked"

Brandon suddenly dropped to the floor, Ivy quickly crouched over him and cursed under her breath, lightly slapped his cheeks to try and keep him awake "God damn it. It's GHB"

Nate's brows pinched together "How do you know all this?"

Ivy didn't answer, she shook her head and cried in a whisper "Fucking Jason"

"Jason how do-"

Ivy held her hand up to Nate "Instead of asking me questions help get him into my car"

Ivy and Nate managed to pick him up and get them in the back of her car. Thank god her roof was down for once. They got him in the back, she looked over her shoulder and by now the kids were at the front with deep concern "Just keep pinching him, slapping him even, anything to keep him awake"

Nate nodded and got to it as Ivy jogged over to them "Guys try not to worry, okay? We're gonna get him to the hospital" she looked to Callie and put her hand on her worried cheek "Get the keys and drive you guys to the hospital okay?"

They all tried to stay calm and nodded, Ivy then called as she ran back down the drive "Lock up the house"

Ivy jumped in the back beside Nate and ordered Nate to drive which he did straight away. Ivy remained in the back and tried to keep him awake. She then got out her phone and hated to do it but she had to ring Stef.

She waited and waited, fearing that she wasn't going to pick up until she finally did, Stef's laugh trailed off from something Lena said and managed to finally say "Hi love"

It was impulsive, but as soon as she hear her voice, Ivy just slipped out the words "Mom!"

On the other side of the phone, Stef's heart started racing on the phone "Hi, baby, are you okay? You sound kind of shaky?"

"You need to get to the hospital"

"What? Why, why what's wrong?" Stef then began to panic.

Ivy looked down to Brandon and cried out "It's Brandon, he snuck out and he's been spiked, I don't know how much he's been given but he's in a mess and I need you I don't know what the hell I'm doing"

"We're on our way"

Ivy could hear the fear in the back of Stef's voice. Ivy nodded and then just hung up, focusing solely back on Brandon as she cried "Come on, B, please wake up" she shook him and pinched his cheeks to try and keep him as conscious as possible.

Stef hung up the phone and looked to Lena's worried face "What's going on?"

There was no time to really explained, Stef quickly got off her stool and said in a panicked voice "Grab your coat, it's Brandon"

How about that spring finale? It hurt like a bitch but was so beautifully done, especially in regards to Grace.

Also: I gather Brandon comes across as an ass in this chapter more than usual, I wrote this chapter ages ago when I wasn't a fan of him, but now his character has had seriously development over the past season I'll gladly be writing him the way he now is.