Hey fam!

Delayed once again, but not unexpectedly, I hope. My recovery has been going really well, and I want to thank all of you for your concern and well wishes. It means the world to me 3

I'm sorry, this chapter is a bit messy and really short. It's actually really hard to navigate fictional characters' emotions and I've spent quite a lot of time forming bases that are difficult to build upon accurately. I'm trying my very best though!

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! So many of you have been with me from the start and I can't begin to express how much that means to me! Sometimes I just sit and refresh the story statistics and squeal because there are so many people reading this story and I honestly don't deserve all of the love you've given it.

I will hopefully begin another regular update schedule within the next few weeks, so you won't have to wait as long. Feel free to check my profile progress section if you're curious as to when the next chapter of something will come out!

Anywho, enough chit chat!

-SleepingStarlight

"You know you don't have to stop and read every poster, right?"

Riley rolled her eyes, scanning the notices on the café bulletin board. They had just been about to leave, their coffee cups empty and sitting on the table behind them. "Just because you were a lonely first year, doesn't mean I have to be, Uncle Josh. I'm trying to expand my interests- spread my wings if you will."

Josh chuckled at her word choice, "Not to be a downer, but some of these might be a little out of reach, even for you."

"You're not being a very supportive Uncle right now," Riley pouted, shoving his shoulder lightly, and smiling despite her attempts not to when he began to laugh.

"Sorry Riles, but, can you really picture yourself joining archery club? I feel like that might just be asking for trouble." Her clumsiness would not be an asset in that area.

"There's other stuff on here too!"

"Really? Like what?" he questioned, a smirk forming when she remained silent for a few seconds, clearly looking for anything to prove him wrong.

And, man. He really wished he hadn't prodded her.

"Like- like… like THIS!" Riley pointed aggressively to a poster hanging next his elbow, excitement lighting up her face as she realized what a perfect opportunity it provided. She leaned over to take a picture, immediately sending it to Maya. She may have been recovering (and extraordinarily so), but the blonde could use some cheering up.

Josh took in the poster and its black, strobe-lit background and groaned. He may have antagonized his niece a bit too much. "Riley you're not going clubbing, you're not even legal."

"So?" she asked testily. They may have just made up, but she wasn't appreciating the father-like stance he seemed to be trying to take.

"How are you even going to get in?" he threw back defiantly. But his heart sank as the words left his mouth. He knew without a doubt how she would respond.

"Do you honestly think Maya didn't get us fake ID's the moment we turned eighteen?" Riley could have scoffed in that moment. As much as her uncle may have claimed to know them, he had been pretty absent those past few years. She was tired of being underestimated and could easily pinpoint the origin of her suddenly hostility. Living with Maya had taught her many things, and not being pushed around was among the first.

"I'm going to do what I please, and you're going to have to learn to live with it, Uncle Josh."

"Are you going to tell Cory?" He asked, knowing how that would pierce her bravado.

Sure enough, she faltered. He took the opportunity to take a picture of the poster himself, before taking in the name with a smile. He had been to another location a year back and it had been pretty good considering he wasn't usually the type for late night ventures, despite how old that made him seem.

Riley narrowed her eyes at his actions, watching as he read over the details. "What are you doing?"

"You know this is the opening night, right? There's going to be a bit of a line."

"Uncle Josh, what are you doing?" she repeated, suddenly becoming worried as his intentions dawned on her.

"Riley, you know you shouldn't be going to this alone." Josh reminded her gently. She may have been eighteen and living away from home, but she wasn't quite ready to do everything on her own yet.

"I wouldn't be alone," she muttered, hating that he actually made sense. "I'd be with Maya."

Josh smiled ruefully, knowing that though she already had pretty adequate protection, his brother would never forgive him if he let his two daughters (for all intensive purposes) go out clubbing… while underage… and alone. Yeah no, Cory would kill him.

He remembered the lecture he had been given before the two girls moved out. He had already done pretty rottenly in all emotional aspects concerned- it was time to take his responsibilities a little more seriously.

"She won't want you there," Riley said, feeling no regret over her harsh words despite his slight wince at the blunt truth. He deserved it and would readily admit so.

"I know," he grimaced, hating how he had hurt her, in some ways beyond repair. "I'll stay out of your way. I just want to make sure you're okay."

Riley softened, grabbing his arm and leading him outside. It had warmed significantly and sunlight peeked out behind the clouds, illuminating the brightly coloured leaves that littered the street. "I don't know if this is a good idea," she admitted softly. "Maya… she's been doing well. She's working really hard. I think it helps that she gets to choose most of her courses now. But, she needs to get out." Riley paused briefly, wondering how much she wanted to actually confide. "We may not be sneaking out of bay windows, but we're still the same two kids looking for trouble somewhere in there."

Josh paused, taking in his surroundings. Being in Philly for his childhood had demanded a certain distance between him and his older brother. Less time with his niece, (who was in all honesty more of a cousin), and certainly less time with Auggie. It didn't really matter how many spontaneous visits he would plan, because while they were fun there wasn't enough time to connect on a very emotional level. He could be as protective as he wanted, but he didn't have a lot of power over Riley's decisions and he most definitely had none over Maya's. He had heard of their expeditions a lot while growing up, even becoming jealous at times with the amount of attention the pair when they were children. They had always been enigmatic kids, and he wanted more than anything for them to keep that part of themselves.

"You guys are still those kids, you've just grown up a bit now. It's good that you want to hold on, just make sure you're still letting yourselves grow."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do, Uncle Josh." He could have groaned in that instance; he didn't mean "grow" in the way she seemed to be interpreting it.

"But, I feel like I have to take your advice with a grain of salt now," Riley teased, watching as he rolled his eyes and chuckled and they halted, waiting to cross the street.

He sighed, "That might actually be a good idea."

"You're going to have to talk to her about this at some point," Riley admitted, acknowledging what they had been dancing around for a quite a while. She may have come to terms with her Uncle's actions to whatever extent she could, but despite the closeness of their relationship, apologizing to Riley did not translate directly to apologizing to the blonde. Maya may not like it, and Riley most definitely did not, but some clearing of the air was necessary.

"I know," Josh replied, staring at his shoes and placing his fidgeting hands in the enclosure of his denim pockets. "I'll stay out of your way tonight though, you won't even know I'm there."

Riley sighed, somewhat upset that things had reached that point. But, it seemed to be for the best. "Are you sure you're even gonna make it, Uncle Josh? You're not getting any younger and don't exactly seem to be in peak condition…"

Josh rolled his eyes, "Why don't you leave that part to me."

Until the next update my dears :)))

Here's a preview:

Maya fidgeted, avoiding eye contact as she attempted to sort through her emotions. "I keep trying to move on. I do. But, I can't control it. Was any of this even real for you?"