Epilogue
Amelia was nervous...
Well, maybe not nervous, but she was definitely restless. She'd been sat in that cafe for two hours now, and despite the fact that she'd mentally prepared herself for what would happen any moment from then, she'd started to think that maybe this hadn't been the best of ideas.
Granted, she'd talked to Patrick several times over the course of her twenty years of age, but actually meeting him – vis-à-vis and with no one but themselves present – was proving to be a bit of a strain on her nerves.
She'd come up with the idea last spring, when she'd begun planning her trip to Europe – the latter was a birthday gift from her parents. She had planned to spend her entire summer break touring Europe; among her destinations were England, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece… and it had somehow occurred to her that making Edinburgh her last stop would be a rather good idea. Not only because it would give her the opportunity to tour a new city, but also because she'd get to meet her biological father. Even if she'd never had doubts concerning who her real father was, she did have questions that needed answering. And the only person who could answer them, was Patrick McLaughlin. Her biological father.
So, after speaking with her parents about her idea to meet Patrick and getting their unconditional support, Amelia had arranged to meet him at The Elephant House, the coffee shop where Amelia's favourite author had written her first book. It had become a tourist attraction in the last years, and it seemed like a good place to meet Patrick. It was a public and concurred place – perfect to meet a man who, in a certain sense, was a stranger to her.
They had agreed to meet at 12:00 o' clock – just in time for lunch – but Amelia had been so anxious that she'd arrived there at 10:00 a.m.
But now, only mere minutes separated her from seeing her biological father...
Five minutes, to be precise.
Five minutes which she spent fiddling with the beautiful promise ring Jonah Sheffield had given her a week before she'd travelled to Europe. They'd spent so much time together, everyone said, that they were surprised they hadn't become a couple before now. Well, most people laughed and joked about it – her mother, and Jonah's mother did, anyway. Her father, on the other hand, hadn't exactly been thrilled.
Then again, she could have been in a relationship with a charity-donating, charming, animal-rescuing billionaire, and her father would have found something not to love. He wanted to protect his little girl from everything he possibly could, even if said little girl was now in college and could drive a car. That was probably why he'd been acting so strange on the way to the airport. He was apprehensive about her going to Europe by herself. She supposed it was only natural for him to worry. She was five thousand miles away from home, and her family. Anything could happen in the meantime.
But Amelia knew, when this was all over and done with, she could go back home and see them. She'd missed them, for all of that time. This was the last thing she needed to do, and it seemed to be about to start as the door to the coffee shop opened, and a set of footsteps came closer.
"...Amelia?" an unsure voice asked.
She looked up from her coffee, into eyes which reminded her of her father.
Well, if she was being honest, the eyes were just one of the many features which were outstanding similar to her father's. Heck, the man himself was amazingly alike her Daddy! But the hair... the hair was different.
The hair she had inherited.
She couldn't quite explain what she felt when she began to notice the many physical similarities between her and the man who had helped conceive her – the hair, the eyes, the shape of her ears...
Those were undeniable proofs that the man before her was, indeed, the man who had fathered her (biologically speaking, of course). It was like she was finally facing a part of her story which, until then, had been a mystery (and purely because she had chosen it to remain that way). She didn't hate Patrick, not in the slightest, but there had been a part of her that had been reluctant to meet him when she was younger. Mainly because she was extremely attached to her Daddy, and facing her birth father simply had been too much for her to bear. Not because she doubted what she felt for her father – Niles was her father, biology be damned – but because she hadn't known how to face Patrick; in truth, she still didn't know how to face a man she had rejected in favour of another.
That was one of the things she needed to discuss with him – her choosing Niles over him. She would never change her mind about who her father was, though – she and Niles might not share the same blood, but he was her father, and that wasn't going to change.
But she would never get to discuss anything if she didn't speak, she thought as she put on a smile and got to her feet. She needed to talk to get to that point.
"Yes! Hi, Patrick," she said and gave him a quick hug. It was only brief. She didn't feel comfortable allowing it to last too long, and she gestured to the chair at the table that she hadn't taken.
"Please, have a seat," she offered.
Patrick smiled, and nodded, "Thank you."
They took their chairs, and the waitress came over to see if anything was needed. Patrick ordered a glass of water, and Amelia thought about ordering something to eat, but decided against it. This was too nerve-wracking a moment to really eat.
"So, how are your parents?" Patrick asked, taking a sip of his water.
"Oh, they're fine," Amelia took a sip of what was left of her own drink, before replacing it on the table. "My dad...he was kind of weird about me going on this trip, but I guess it's understandable."
"Oh, absolutely," the Scottish man replied. "I mean, you're so many miles away! Any good parent would naturally be concerned."
She was grateful that Patrick had eased her into this by asking after her parents. It relaxed her somewhat. When she was younger, she had kept thinking that maybe if he met her, he'd want her to forget about what she had back at home, and start treating him like he was the only father she had. She was glad that that didn't seem to be the case. At least, not right away. They still had to get into the fine details of what they were going to talk about.
"Yeah..." Amelia said, finally feeling confident enough to start browsing the menu. "You can't imagine just how hard it was for them when I first moved out of the house when I started college!"
"I can imagine," the man said, offering her a warm smile. "I remember the feeling when my eldest, Berenice, left for college herself! What are you studying, by the way?"
So she had more siblings... her mother had told her Patrick had children of his own, but she'd never asked how many kids he had nor what their names were. She could ask about that later.
"I am studying art in Yale," she replied airily. "Hopefully, I'll get my degree in another year or two."
"That's impressive!" Patrick exclaimed. Amelia could see the pride in his eyes – she had seen it in her Daddy's eyes when she'd first told him she had been accepted in Yale. His eyes then wandered over to her left hand and they widened a little. He had seen the promise ring, but seeing as Fran had helped Jonah choose it, it was a bit more impressive (and expensive) than the regular promise ring, and it wasn't uncommon for people to confuse it with a relatively simple engagement ring.
"It's a promise ring," Amelia quickly clarified. "My boyfriend Jonah gave it to me this summer."
"Oh... he certainly sounds like a nice boy!" the man said. "And I am glad things are going so well between you two."
Amelia smiled. "Thanks. He was a childhood friend. Anyway, I am ready to order, would you like something, too?"
"Oh, that would be lovely, but just for the record, this lunch is on me," the man said. Amelia didn't argue – she knew she should allow him this.
After both of them had ordered their food – a smoked salmon for Amelia and a warm salad with toasted vegetables for Patrick – Amelia took a deep breath and braced herself. It was time to talk.
Patrick sensed this, too, and he kindly got the ball running.
"So… you wanted to see me..."
"Yes..." Amelia sighed. "I guess I just have some... questions."
He nodded, almost encouraging her to speak.
"Questions regarding my... choices," the young woman took yet another deep breath. She didn't want to beat around the bush, and part of her suspected Patrick would appreciate her being straightforward. "Are you... are you angry at me for choosing my father over you?"
Patrick almost looked shocked for a moment, and Amelia was worried that his answer would be yes.
Yes, he was angry that his own flesh and blood wanted someone else and not him.
Yes, he was angry that she had come all this way just to reject him, all over again, to his face.
Yes, he was angry that she was going to go back to America and to the man who had taken his place.
But none of that came out.
"Oh, of course not!" he nearly cried out. "How could I be? Your father is a good and honourable man, clearly, and he obviously loves you more than words can express. And I...well, if I'd been there – known about you – things might have been different. But they weren't. And he was there. You grew up with him being there, and him being with your mother. It was...only natural, really, that I was the interloper. Biology doesn't change who we love, and consider our family. I wouldn't expect you to give him up for someone you didn't know."
She was relieved that he wasn't angry, but his words made Amelia quickly wonder if he was expecting her to give her Daddy up now, after a little more talking. She was technically getting to know Patrick now, after all. Would he want her to start gravitating more towards him, to consider him her father?
She knew she couldn't do that. She might hurt him by saying so, but she refused to give up the father she already had. But she wasn't going to test those waters. Instead, she just nodded, and took a breath to ask her next question.
"Alright... but as you say, if… if things had been different, you would have liked to be my father, right?"
Why she was asking this? She didn't know. Patrick had always been this strange, faceless man – just a voice at the other end of the phone, she dared to say – to whom she owed being born, but she'd never had any type of emotional attachment to him whatsoever. Her mother had always told her that he had agreed to let her choose what father she wanted, and although she was grateful for him doing so, she couldn't understand why he'd done it.
Any other man would have demanded his right to be recognised as her father, but Patrick had allowed her to choose. He had given her the opportunity to continue her happy life in New York, even if that had meant that he'd be just a stranger to her. An important stranger who occasionally called, but nothing more than that.
What she meant to say was, why had he been so selfless? It couldn't be that he didn't want her – his calls and his worrying for her were proof that he did care for her! So why had he given her up?
Why?!
"What I mean to say is..." she gulped, feeling her voice was becoming strained with emotion, "Why did you allow me to choose? Why didn't you demand your right to be my father, like many other men would have done in your position?"
Patrick cocked his head to the side and sighed. It wasn't a disappointed or reproachful sigh, but rather a heartfelt one. Almost as though seeing her in this state was distressing to him. Gently, he reached out for her hand and squeezed it.
"Because I love you," he offered.
Amelia gaped at him for a few moments before stuttering, "Wh-what?!"
"I gave you a choice, because I love you. Amelia, when I first found about you I was surprised, yes, but elated, too. I had four children already, but knowing that I had another one filled me with joy. Now, the curious thing about being a parent, is that what you feel or want will never matter as much as how your children feels or what they want; the only thing you want for them is happiness," he stopped for a moment to take a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Amelia so she could dry her tearful eyes. "You are my biological daughter, Amelia, and as such I only want the best for you. I gave you a choice because I love you and I only want you to be happy. And if your father makes you happy, then I would never try and change your mind. As I said before, Niles is an honourable man and he will always be your father because he raised you. I gave you the choice because as long as you are happy and safe, then I am happy, too. I know I am a stranger to you in many ways, and I'd love it if we could have some type of relationship; but I would never demand you to choose me as your father when you clearly have one already. And he's done a wonderful job, if I might say."
Amelia let out a sobbed breath, and dabbed at her eyes.
She couldn't believe he was really accepting her decision like this. She still remembered, to this day, the first phone call she'd had with Patrick. She remembered how much she'd worried that he'd make her call him Daddy, when he wasn't.
She remembered how she'd feared he'd take her away from her real Daddy, when that was the last thing she wanted.
But he wasn't. He had accepted her choice – that Niles was her father, and not him.
He'd still be in her life, obviously. But he was at peace with the fact that he wasn't really family, and that there was a home for her somewhere else, with a mother and a father that she adored more than anyone.
She sniffed, trying to slow her tears, "Thank you..."
Patrick gave her a small smile, and took her hand again so that he could help her dab at the tears with the handkerchief, "Come on, dry those eyes. I can understand that must have been difficult to ask, but I'm glad you did. It clears the air. Gives us both some peace of mind, you know?"
Amelia nodded, and allowed him to have his handkerchief back.
He folded it and put it back into his jacket pocket only moments before the waitress came with their meal. Seeing as they had forgotten to order their drinks, they took the opportunity to ask the waitress for them – a diet coke for Amelia and sprinkle water for Patrick.
They didn't say anything for quite a long time, and Amelia suspected he was giving her time to calm down after the hard questions she'd made. She didn't really know if Patrick had questions of his own, but considering he had so kindly answered to her questions, she'd be happy to answer his if he had them.
And indeed, the man didn't exactly have questions, but rather a confession to make.
"You know, for many years I felt guilty," Patrick said, using his fork to play with his salad.
"For what?"
"For not being there..." the man sighed, "You see, when I first met your mother she was in a... bad place, emotionally speaking. She was trying to start anew and I remember helping her out with that. Even back then she was in love with your father..."
He trailed off, almost as if bracing himself for what was to come. Amelia knew about the circumstances of her mother's encounter with Patrick, and part of her couldn't believe her mother had been so... unwell. She had turned her life around when she'd found out she was pregnant, and Amelia didn't know quite how to feel about that, either. Had she been a sort of saviour to her mother? An incentive to turn her life around? Those questions couldn't really be answered by Patrick, but his testimony could help her have an idea of what her mother had been going through at the time of her birth.
And judging by Patrick's words, she hadn't had it easy… which made her decision to have her a lot more valuable in Amelia´s eyes. She was thankful for Patrick helping her mother out, so if he'd helped her out, why would he feel guilty?
Did he regret helping her?
"What... what do you feel guilty for?"
"Well... mainly for not being there. She was recovering and I... I got her pregnant and left. She had to do everything by herself and then... then you had to grow up without a father until Niles came along!" Patrick looked away from her, almost as though he was ashamed of himself. "I know it's irrational, but I've always felt guilty for leaving you two alone until your father came along."
Amelia frowned. She knew now that her mother had been in a bad place, and but she'd also known that Patrick had left the country before anyone had found out about her. C.C. had told her so, plenty of times.
"It wasn't your fault, though," she told him gently. "It wasn't anyone's fault. It was...an accident."
It was weird to essentially describe herself that way, but how else could she put it? The entire thing had been one huge accident. A mistake. Which, of course, she doubted her mother could regret entirely because she'd gotten her from it, but a mistake nonetheless.
"I know," Patrick sighed. "I just...couldn't help but feel bad. Your mother was my friend, and I can't help but feel like I let her down."
"But you didn't let her down," Amelia stated. "You might not have been there, but, conscious of it or not, you gave her an incentive to turn her life around. If she'd been in a bad place, she wasn't by the time I was old enough to remember things. She had me, and that helped her. And then by having me, she reconnected with my father, and we became a family. So you helped her, Patrick, in more ways than you could have known, and I think that she'd thank you for it."
Tentatively, he looked up at her and gave her a half smile. "Hearing you say this means a lot, you know? Thank you."
This time it was Amelia who reached out for her biological father's hand and held it in hers. They were clearing the air and getting rid of burdens they'd carried around for years, and it felt good...
"And thank you, for giving me the chance to live and then to choose," Amelia said. "You can be in my life, if you want, you know, but as my mother said in the past – I'll call you Patrick."
The man nodded. "I can accept that. I'd love to be part of your life as some kind of..."
"Family friend, maybe?" Amelia offered.
"Family friend it is, then!"
The two shared a laugh before they fell silent once again. They'd talked about everything they needed to talk about, and now they could enjoy the rest of the meal in peace. It took a little while, but gradually conversation – this time light and unimportant – began to flown again. It was a really nice lunch, and once they were done, Patrick paid for the meal and offered to drive Amelia back to her hotel, the Waldorf Astoria.
She was due to return to the US the following morning, and she still needed to pack! She actually couldn't wait to meet her parents and her younger siblings...
But right then, she focused on the man that had, for better or for worse, given her life. The man that had so kindly given her a choice – the man that had put her happiness before his. She valued her birth father, and his selflessness was what made her choose to permit Patrick to be in her life.
In a sense, she was quite lucky to have such wonderful fathers – biological and adoptive.
They hugged each other goodbye (and this time she allowed the hug to extend for a little while) and she went back into her hotel, ready and anxious to go back home.
Niles' sigh broke the silence that reigned inside the Brightmore kitchen. Dawn had just broken, but he'd been there for hours now.
Amelia was coming back today... she'd arrive in three hours, judging by the time.
He hadn't slept at all that night. He'd tossed and turned so much, he thought C.C. would wake up to kick him out of bed, so he decided to save her the trouble and got up himself.
He'd tried – desperately – to get some kind of rest. But he just couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw images of Amelia coming home, greeting her mother and her brother and sister...and not greeting him. Not even looking at him.
He could hear her now, chatting and laughing with everyone else in the house, telling them about all the wonderful sights she'd seen in Europe...
And then he could imagine her on the phone, and he knew who would be on the other end. It would be Patrick. She'd be telling him that she landed safely, and would go on to tell him about all the things she planned to do now that she was back.
And then she'd hang up the phone, having said "Goodbye, Daddy."
Thinking it over again almost made Niles drop the glass of water he'd poured himself and had been not sipping.
Three hours. In three hours time, he was about to greet her at the airport. In three hours, he'd actually hear it from her own lips.
"Hi, Niles".
He'd never hear her call him "Daddy" again. That title surely belonged to Patrick now. Her real father. And they'd spend time together, catch up on all the years he'd been absent from her life, and Niles would see himself not so ceremoniously edged out.
They'd go on trips together. She'd meet Patrick's other children. They'd form a new family, together, and she'd forget that he was ever the one who read to her at night, or played with her in the park, or held her when she cried.
It wouldn't matter, because why wouldn't she prefer her real father?
He'd be there, at Amelia's wedding, reduced to watching as Patrick gave her away, while he remained "the stepfather". Allowed to be there because he loved her mother, but not necessarily more welcome than that.
In three hours time, he'd know for sure he'd sent his daughter away, and let a stranger come home.
That thought alone made him want to cry.
He had been wary of this trip since Amelia had told them about her intentions of meeting Patrick, but he'd kept his feelings under wraps and had given his daughter – if he still could call her that way – his support.
He didn't want to give her up...
He'd thought he'd never feel this horrible feeling of dread again – the last time being when Patrick had first discovered Amelia existed – but fate simply didn't agree with his wishes. He had kept his pain hidden from his children and his wife during these past weeks, but Niles was afraid that he wouldn't be able to do it anymore if Amelia greeted him by his name. If that happened – and deep down he just knew it would happen – he'd probably break down right there.
Figuring it was time to start making breakfast (not to mention he'd appreciate the distraction) he got to his feet and started up his family's meal.
As usual, he could hear two sets of feet rushing downstairs the moment the delicious smell of food wafted upstairs.
The twins were awake.
"Morning, Daddy!" Hope exclaimed and gave him a hug.
"Hey Dad," Morgan greeted him. It was remarkable just how much he looked like Niles at the age of only twelve.
Niles almost couldn't bring himself to reply, but he wrestled a smile on his face and attempted to at least appear alright.
"Hey, kiddos, did you sleep well?"
"Not as well as you, I'm sure," a fourth and very familiar voice said from behind him. He could easily detect the hind of sarcasm in C.C.'s voice... she knew he hadn't slept.
She planted a kiss on his cheek, and gave him a very quick but very tight hug. He knew that she was probably just trying to provide some reassurance; he didn't know why he'd tried to hide everything from her when she could always see right through him.
They'd probably talk about it when the kids weren't in the room, but he didn't know what he'd say. What way could he say it that didn't make him sound selfish? "I'm afraid that Amelia doesn't want me now she has Patrick and I can't bear it" sounded so...wrong, considering she had to make the choice.
It was all well and good being distraught by it in his head, but when it came right down to it, it would be up to Amelia. And that was what was killing him, because why wouldn't she choose her real father? She'd made the decision to pick him when she was young, but she was older now, and she'd actually met Patrick. She could make a comparison.
Oh God, an even worse thought had just popped into his head. The thought that everything would be normal when she came home, but she'd start to make comparisons, and slowly decide she preferred Patrick to him.
He'd lose her in front of his very eyes.
He felt the coffee pot being taken from his hands, and snapped back to the present as he registered his wife putting the pot back in the machine, and taking the toast from the toaster to slide a piece onto a plate each. She then slicked them with butter, and put one plate in front of each of the twins.
There was more breakfast still to come, but it would keep them going for the moment.
The worry was awful, and it was clearly distracting him from taking care of the rest of his family. The family he loved and adored, and couldn't bear to lose.
But he was losing it, a dark part of his mind kept repeating. Without Amelia, his family wasn't complete – it would never be complete...
Even if the decision was up to her, he would never stop seeing her as his daughter. And that made everything even more painful. He had to keep it under wraps for now; there was no sense (not to mention it wouldn't be correct) to worry their other children or C.C..
So he went back to preparing their breakfast, and he then proceeded to serve it to his children and his wife. She gave him comforting looks throughout their meal, and as soon as Hope and Morgan had finished their food, she ordered them to get dressed and ready to go pick their sister up from the airport.
He knew she wanted to talk, so he didn't even attempt to begin cleaning the cutlery and the rest of the kitchen utensils he'd used to prepare breakfast. And indeed, once the twins were out of sight, C.C. closed the door and went back to the table, only this time she chose to sit on his lap.
He basked in the feeling of his wife's arms around him, and in the feeling of her cheek pressed against his.
"What's so wrong that you couldn't even share a bed with your wife last night?" she asked, threading her fingers through his hair. "You do know that this trip won't change anything, right?"
Damn... she really did know him.
"And how do you know that?" he said listlessly, knowing there was no sense in lying about his worries. Especially since his wife could read him like a book. "How do you know that she... that Amelia…?"
Niles trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to voice his fears, it simply hurt too much.
Sighing, C.C. cupped his cheek and used her palm to direct his face towards hers.
"Because you are her father," she said. Her voice was gentle, and yet somehow firm at the same time, like she meant it with love but she was still trying to drive it into his head. "She chose you, right from the start!"
He shook his head, trying to look away and feeling his eyes pricking with tears, "People change their minds all the time, though. Especially when circumstances change."
C.C. ran her thumb over his cheek, "What's changed, Niles?"
He let out a heavy, huffed breath. He wasn't getting away with this one, clearly.
"She's met him now," he replied, the words sitting uncomfortably in his mouth. "Why would she come back and see me the same way, after having met her real father? She'll get to know him, and I won't matter so much. Not when she can finally connect to her real family."
"You are her real family," C.C. insisted, actually heartbroken that he'd talk about himself this way. Like he didn't matter. "More than Patrick, even if he is her biological father."
He made a vague noise, one that almost sounded like a snort. He was just too afraid... afraid of losing his first daughter! The little girl he'd helped raise since she was five years old.
He loved her, and he didn't want to give her up to anyone.
"Niles, please," C.C. crooned, tightening her grip on him. "I know Amelia, and you are her father. She's chosen you several times over the years, and she still does. I am sure meeting him won't change anything – you are her father. You will always be her father."
He really didn't know what to answer to that. He wanted to argue because he was almost certain he'd be replaced, but he knew his wife wouldn't agree with him. The stress of the moment – or rather, the stress of all the weeks Amelia had been gone – finally got to him, and he only wrapped his arms around his wife and cried.
He kept his face hidden in the crook of her neck as he wept, and C.C. held him as she repeated soothing words.
"It's okay, lover, it's okay," C.C. hummed, rubbing his back.
He appreciated her understanding and her willingness to let him cry out his worries, but eventually he forced himself to stop. No matter what happened, they still had to go and pick Amelia up at the airport, and in order to do that, both of them needed to get ready.
"Are you sure? We still have some time if you need," C.C. told him when he voiced that they'd better get moving.
"I... I'm sure. I just... I need to take my mind off of this for a little while," Niles said as both he and C.C. got to their feet.
It killed C.C. to see him so desolate and heartbroken... he didn't deserve it.
"Alright," she cupped his cheek and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Let's get ready to go then."
And so, a good hour and a half later, the couple and their youngest children were all ready to go. They all got into the family car and Niles sped off towards the airport, dark thoughts still swivelling inside his mind.
Amelia groaned as she struggled to put her third suitcase on her baggage cart. Her grandmother Marie may or may not have had a point when she'd said she had gone overboard with the shopping, but well... she couldn't do anything about it now!
Luckily it was the last piece of luggage she'd brought with her. She was all ready to go!
She couldn't wait to see her family nor to actually sleep on her bed. The flight had been exhausting, and she'd barely slept the night before, so she truly needed to rest...
But first things first – she had to get to her family. More specifically, she had to get to her Dad. Her encounter with Patrick had been freeing in many aspects, but it had also made her crave to be with her father.
Because no amount of talking would ever change who held that title for her – Niles Brightmore, the man who had raised her, who had loved her and called her his own when he had no obligation to do so. She had chosen him, and he had chosen her, and she had missed him for all the time that she'd been gone.
She wanted nothing more than to be able to hug him again. She wanted her family – her siblings, her Mom, and the man she still called Daddy, even though she was an adult and all her friends had long since given up doing the same thing for their own parents.
She didn't care. It was the name she'd chosen for him, back when she'd still been a child. She couldn't give it up any more than she could give up the man himself. Heck, giving it up would be like she was giving up the man himself!
She wheeled her cases towards the exit, passing through without declaring anything. She could feel herself picking up speed, eager. She knew they'd be waiting just the other side. It had felt like an eternity since she'd last seen them, and she needed to be near them again...
And as the gate opened, no longer separating her from that part of the airport, she scanned the crowds...
And there they were, over to one side, and waiting patiently.
She waved at them enthusiastically, "Mom! Daddy!"
Amelia practically dashed towards her parents, pushing the cart as fast as she could. For some reason she had tears in her eyes – so did her father, for that matter.
She had never seem him smile so much in her life, not even when the twins had been born. It was almost like a titanic burden had just been removed from his shoulders. It was then when it dawned on her that maybe his father had been wary of her going on the trip not only because of the distance, but also for her encounter with her biological father.
She clearly remembered the time when she'd been the one afraid of her dad not loving her anymore and had consequently ran away. She also distinctively remembered how the man had actually gone out and looked for her. He had reassured her that nothing would ever change what he felt for her, and maybe this time it was her turn to reassure him that they'd always be father and daughter.
"Mia!" the twins exclaimed, getting to her first and hugging her.
"We missed you!" Hope said.
"Yeah! I missed having someone to annoy – the house was boring without you," Morgan offered.
"You sure did, you little pests," Amelia replied, hugging them back. When it came to their relationship, the three siblings adored to tease each other like their parents did to each other. "Good to know I have my two minions back."
"Such a heart-warming reunion!" her mother said sarcastically before she enveloped her in a hug. "Welcome back, sweetie."
"Hey, Mom..." Amelia muttered, hugging her back.
And then, as C.C. pulled away, she saw her father coming over, his eyes still watery. She smiled at him.
"Hey stranger," the young woman teased, hoping he'd remember the words he'd used when he'd found her sitting at the MET stairs. "Would it be alright if I hug you..." her grin widened, "...Daddy?"
And Niles felt like all the burdens of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He'd been so afraid that she wouldn't ever call him that again – that the title belonged to someone else now, and that this entire collection would be the end.
But it wasn't. C.C. was right. Nothing had changed.
He'd just had to hear it from Amelia herself. His daughter. Forever.
He choked out a combination of a laugh and a sob, and beamed all the while, opening his arms, "Of course you can hu-oof!"
His words were cut off by Amelia throwing herself at him, and wrapping her arms around him in the warmest, tightest embrace she could muster. He hugged her back, relishing in the feeling of having his daughter back with him, and thanking God that she had definitely decided that this was where she belonged. This was where she wanted to be.
"So," he sniffed a little as he rubbed her back. "I am still your father?"
"You weren't ever not my father," Amelia replied, squeezing him tighter briefly and then releasing him just enough to look in his eyes. The eyes she shared with him. "Who else helped me with my homework, made special breakfasts on weekends, sang and tucked me in at night? Who came to look for me, that day I left the house thinking that I wasn't loved, and reassured me that I was his daughter and could never be anything less than loved? It was all you. And I'm grateful every day for you. My father, who I have to reassure, here and now, that I never forgot the promise we made. I am your daughter, no one else's, and that's not ever gonna change."
"Oh... sweetheart..." Niles choked out, floods of tears leaking from his eyes. He held her close – closer than ever before. The fear of not having this had been irrational and unreasonable, but C.C. had been right, he had nothing to fear.
Clearly meeting Patrick had just been something she needed to do; as she'd said, to get some answers. Answers that neither he nor C.C. could have given her. He wasn't going to ask what she'd asked her biological father – it didn't matter, really. Not when it hadn't affected their bond as father and daughter.
He was just glad that he could hold his daughter again.
"I love you, Daddy," Amelia mumbled, allowing her tears to fall and wet his shirt.
"And I love you, Little One..."
Amelia chuckled. Little One? She was twenty years old! It had been years since he'd last called her that way, but maybe it was his way of expressing that she'd always be his little girl, even when she was forty years old.
"My God..." C.C.'s voice suddenly called, getting both Niles and Amelia's attention. "You two are a pair of saps! She spends only two months in Europe, and it's a cry fest!"
Father and daughter gave C.C. an unimpressed look. They knew she was joking – that she was attempting to lighten the atmosphere that had become incredibly emotional. Amelia had grown up witnessing her parents' witty wordplay, and as she grew older she'd begun participating in them. If there was something that could be said about the Brightmores, was that they all had a quick and rapier wit.
"Forgive us for having feelings," Amelia retorted.
"Yes, sometimes we forget that you don't have any," Niles joined in, delighted in the amused grin that this produced on Amelia's face.
C.C. folded her arms, pretending to be offended, "Well, I never would have expected that my own husband and daughter don't think I have any feelings!"
"Oh, sometimes we slip up and think you might," Niles smirked, putting his free arm around Hope. "But then we remember that you need to be human to understand the concept of human emotions."
"I'm this close to taking the keys and driving home by myself, you know," C.C. held her finger and thumb a little way apart, before turning and taking one of Amelia's suitcases and preparing to drag it towards the exit.
"Hey, what about us, Mom?" Morgan piped up, also feigning that he was insulted.
C.C. turned and pointed between her son and his twin.
"You two are accomplices. And I don't seem to recall either one of you coming to defend me when your father and older sister decided to slander my good name."
Niles released his children and grabbed another suitcase, leaving Amelia to take the last one, "Oh, please; "good name"? You? I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in all my life!"
"That's it! You are sleeping in the couch tonight," C.C. said, sticking her nose up in the air. She then turned to her three children and pointed a warning finger at them. "And as for you three; the only reason why I am not leaving you here is simply because I am still legally and financially responsible for you."
Amelia rolled her eyes at her mother. She'd heard the same threat countless times before. "Whatever you say Mom... now, can we please get moving? I know sleep or tiredness aren't usually a problem for demons such as yourself, but I am in desperate need of my bed."
C.C. stopped on her tracks and narrowed her eyes at Amelia. She almost couldn't bite back a grin... they weren't the perfect family, by any means, but they certainly were happy, and it showed in peculiar ways such as rounds of witticisms.
"You truly are your father's daughter, Amelia!" C.C. said.
"Why? Because I love making your life a little harder a day at a time?" the young woman replied with a smirk.
"No," C.C. gave her eldest child a condescending pat on the head. "Because you think you are funny and most of the times you are not."
And with that, the blonde turned on her heels and sauntered towards the exit, the twins hot on her heels.
Niles and Amelia stared at each other, astounded and amused in equal measure. She let out a quiet, shocked laugh, and then they turned to face the backs of C.C., Hope, and Morgan, who were all getting smaller as they got further away.
"You're not going to just lie down and take that, are you?" Niles asked Amelia.
Amelia quirked an eyebrow at him, looking all the more like him, and the thought of that made his heart want to burst.
"Are you?" she retorted.
She really was his. Little things like this only proved it all the more.
After looking between her and their rapidly departing family a couple of times, he nodded.
"You're right," he grabbed at the case he'd taken and the one C.C. had left behind, and began to march off after them. "Let's get after them!"
Stifling her laughter, Amelia took her remaining suitcase and followed him after their family.
She'd missed this, when she was gone. Meeting Patrick had been nice, but her true family was right here, in front of her. Coming back felt like coming home – it was coming home, and she didn't want to leave again, for as long as she could help it. She knew she would never go anywhere else permanently, either.
She hadn't had to go anywhere to know that this was where she belonged.
FIN
AN: Well, we've gotten to the end of yet another story! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing (we'd still love to listen tou your opinions about the three last chapters, though :-P) and we hope you enjoyed the ride!
Until the next story!
H&L