Cheerio! I am so, so sorry I haven't updated in forever. But here I am! With a brand new chapter for you all. Enjoy.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Mike patted my shoulder just on his way to step up to the front seat of the ambulance that would take Marty to the hospital. "You don't worry." Despite his questioning he looked towards the back of the ambulance where they'd taken Marty in with worry shining from his eyes. "I'll call as soon as I can. George will soon be here."

George will soon be here

"Come on kids." I said weakly as I could hear the ambulance behind me and faced all the children that had gathered in the middle of today's heavy rain right outside the porch. "There's nothing you can do now. Get inside, go get some real clothes on. Shawn you help with the clothes, Brielle- help Peityn. Nathan help Jim. Tracie and Ella come with me, I'll help you. The rest of you can do it on your own." I suppressed a yawn. Now after all the drama, yet in the middle of it- it had taken the best out of me and I could have lied down on the floor and take a nap.

In Ella and Tracie's room I had planned to help them pick out some clothes that would be functioning for a day at the dumping ground. But well there I sat down on the bed, too far from the dressers to be able to help them, and hoped that they would find something quite right away or I would have to help them with it.

"So… is this good." I forced a smile and nodded when Tracie had gotten into jeans and a blue hoodie with a print of Snoopy, and Ella in frozen tights and a too big, white hoodie with Olaf along with the text 'I like warm hugs'. Tracie had soon left the room for God knows what, but as I tried to get myself from standing up from that bed Ella was frowning looking at me. At first I couldn't understand why, then I couldn't understand why but I wanted her to leave. Then she took the few steps in between us, crawled up onto the bed and hugged me tightly.

"You look like you're the one who need a warm hug."

"I did Ella." I said and tried to hide the shakiness in my voice. "But I'm an adult, I can take care of things myself. You just go and have fun." I could feel Ella nod towards my shoulder. She then left the room, and I was left alone.

"Hey Emma." I didn't walk downstairs until I heard George arriving. "It's okay. Mike phoned and told me what happened… he couldn't say much but Marty seems like he's going to be just fine…" He bit his lip looking at me. "Are you okay?" I nodded to hide my voice shaking, but knew I couldn't hide from neither George nor the kids that I was breaking. So with that I walked into the office and slumped into one of the desk chairs.

Sitting in the office I could hear the children and George move around the house. It sounded no different than what it would most of the time. The older children though, seemed a bit quieter than usual. I guessed they would be just as worried as me. It felt like I should do something, go and talk to them or mostly anything at all. But I couldn't get myself to stand up from that chair and get out of the office.

George came and told me something, I got that he was taking the children out somewhere but I couldn't pick up enough to hear where they were going. Then something about Luce, oh yeah- he would soon be arriving too. And a questioning if I wanted to come too. Followed by promises that George could take things on his own if I didn't feel up to it.

"You go."

"Yeah… maybe that's for the best if Luce comes… well… we'll bring you back some soda." George smiled and I made a half- hearted attempt to smile back at him. "Are you sure you're okay? You know, you can tell me if you're not and I and the children don't have to go anywhere."

"It's okay." I said in a monotone voice, afraid my voice would break if I tried to put any feelings in it. "I'm gonna do some paper work." For my lies to seem like the truth I riffled through some papers on the desk without taking a proper look on them. And as soon as George was out of the room and I could hear them all others going into the hallway and through the door, I slumped back into the chair and drew a deep, heavy breath.

"Hey Emma…" I flinched- Luce smiled coming into the office and I certainly hadn't heard him come. "Are you still here? I thought you'd gone home by now…" He didn't wait for a reply and pulled his coat off. "Gosh, it's raining… Oh and Mike called… Marty had appendicitis." Luce slumped down into the desk chair. "George has taken the kids out. They are of course… a bit stressed and everything, but someone told me bowling is just Mike's way of… yeah, I bet you know. The police have been informed about Violet. They'll be here in an hour or so… I know, I know. But the police system is what it is… Don't worry about Violet. I would bet anything she'll be back before tomorrow morning… oh yeah, Marty was it." I sniveled, sitting in the other desk chair turned away from Luce he couldn't notice the fact that I had tears running down my cheeks along with a big fat lump in my throat that threatened to just burst into an attack of loud crying.

One part of me wanted to hide it from the man behind me that I was breaking. It kept on shouting at me how weak I was, how I was being a pain in the ass for everyone that cared about me. How I wasn't even worth caring about and- louder than anything. How I certainly wasn't good enough for anyone or anything.

The other part of me wanted nothing more than to break down. And also that one's voice was loud, very loud… or rather- could have been. It was shrinking for every second I forced myself to keep quiet, and as the first part of me grew louder and louder. The part of me that would of course be more realistic (even though I couldn't understand that just now) kept on shrinking until it was just a tiny little whisper deep inside of me.

"Emma? Are you listening to me?"

I could hear Luce calling out for my attention. But it didn't really hit me I should say, or even do something in reply- well it did. But I just couldn't get myself to the point where I did it. That was until Luce suddenly stood by my side with a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

I could have lied. I could have looked up at him, smiled through the tears and nod. I could have left the room without another word and hoped that I wouldn't bother. Except I probably couldn't have- and he would have seen right through my lies anyway.

There and then something inside of me broke and kept me from lying or hiding it anymore. I lowered my gaze hanging my head even more. And while that totally and no more than annoying part of me shouted louder than ever at me that I wouldn't want to be a burden. Everything in me, myself and I wanted Luce to- not really give the answers of to why things had gone like they did, or where Violet was. But simply just hold me and then do so until there were no more tears to cry.

"Hey." Okay, with that comforting yet kind of worried tone in Luce's voice there was no turning back. "It's okay. Come here." He tugged my shirt just slightly and then wrapped his arms tightly around me. "There there… there there."

With Luce's choice of words and the way he rubbed my back it almost seemed like he had noticed me sobbing before even I had. Although, soon I did notice. And while it wasn't loud it was the kind that made my whole body tremble with every one, and I pulled my arms tightly around Luce to really feel he was there- dear God, don't let him disappear.

And he certainly did not disappear. I couldn't have cried for thirty seconds before the sobbing stopped- by itself and not me wanting to. But Luce still held his arms tightly wrapped around me, even when I tried to break away- for his sake and the sake of not being a burden and not for myself.

He just must have felt I wasn't ready to let go, because he held on tightly for good another thirty seconds. After two weak attempts to break away I stopped trying and let myself sink tighter into his embrace. Then almost flinched when Luce broke away, grabbed my hand and gently but firmly pulled me with him out of the office and through the hallway.

Soon it hit me how much I had actually craved Luce's attention since we first met. And how much every time I looked at him I would almost shiver. Well, if this was what it would take I didn't want to do it anymore. And with my hand in his as he pulled me after him towards the kitchen I just wished for this whole night to be started from the beginning. Do it again and do it right and…

"Here." Luce himself interrupted my thoughts with shoving a glass of water into my hand and gently but firmly pushed me down onto one of the chairs. "Are you better now?" Luce jumped up to sit on the kitchen island while I nodded yet leaned tiredly back towards the chair. "That's good… that's good… it's alright to cry though. Of course, it's alright to be sad. You know… you don't have to keep strong whenever things happen… I'll be here anyway… and that's been quite enough haven't it. Having me here in the future as well will make it all enough- don't you think?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the silly and self-confident way Luce was babbling. How much self- confidence could a body of a hundred and seventy five centimeters and somewhere around seventy five kilos store actually? Well, no matter how much it would be- I bet Luce had it all. And just like crying after that terrible night helped to relieve everything, laughing loud helped even more.

"Come on." Luce snorted. "It wasn't that funny." He hung his head and clasped his hands on his lap still smiling. The room fell awfully silent after the loud chuckling, and while I didn't know what to say- Luce seemed to be on about the same page. Until we both looked up when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." I hurried onto my feet and jogged through the house. Then couldn't help to rip the door open to as fast as possible see who was outside. "Yes?"

If someone would have asked me before I don't think I would have ever known how relieved I would be to see the youngest 'teenager' in town on the porch to the dumping ground. But I was relieved to see Violet, she seemed unharmed and had a policeman holding onto her shirt. And well… Violet being Violet struggled to get lose until she finally did and without another word, and certainly no apology she ran out into the hallway and up the stairs.

What Violet shouted I was no longer chocked by. It was just another part of a normal day of the dumping ground. And no matter how I would twist and turn it. Even a day like this was just another day over here. And what she shouted well… it was more alike Violet to do so than not to do so- especially along with the door slamming close behind her so hard the whole house shook.

"I HATE YOU ALL"

So. I guess that's mostly a filler but it needed to be done to get an end to those storylines. Marty had appendicitis, Emma was quite troubled by everything that happened, she's also got the biggest crush on Luce Atkins- and we all know that crushes in the world of fanfiction isn't going to get through without trouble. At last, Violet returns and well… Violet will be Violet- which pretty much means she's the youngest teenager in town.

Random fact

Yes, Ella was made wearing that hoodie only for the line of if Emma needed a hug.

See you next time