Chapter 3

"Well, I see you're finally got out of the shower," Dana told her as soon as Celine emerged from the bathroom to find Dana waiting on her patiently.

"I've never had a hot shower before," Celine told her. "I'm sorry if I made you wait. I was just reveling in the first hot shower I can ever remember having and I didn't realize I've been in there so long."

"Oh, I'm not upset, as you were welcome to take as long as you like in the shower. If I had never had a hot shower before, I'm sure I would have taken just as long," Dana told her kindly.

"I talked to my grandparents while you were in the shower and they're coming for a visit and should be here within a week or possibly two as they need to make certain arrangements. I told them all about you and my grandmother is eager to meet you and hear you sing and play."

What Dana didn't say was that her grandparents needed to make arrangements to have someone look after their kids while they were gone. There was a nanny, of course, but she couldn't do it all by herself as that wouldn't be fair, so they would be asking one of the family to back up the nanny for a few days while they were gone.

If Celine knew that they had young children then Dave and Lynnette would just bring them with them but Celine didn't know their secret yet and wouldn't for a good few years and maybe not at all.

"That soon?" Celine asked looking like she was ready to bolt again.

"Believe me, they'll love you," Dana said, studying the outfit she had left on the counter for Celine and it was indeed way too big. The pants were too long, but that wasn't a surprise, as she was fully grown, and several inches taller than Celine who was only 13 and short for her age due to malnutrition. Celine was swimming in the pants which looked as if they were about to fall off her because she was all skin and bones. As for the blouse it was more like a dress and went down past her waist.

"We'll go shopping for you tomorrow as it's a bit late in the day to do that now," Dana said. "I can loan you a nightgown and we'll buy some of your own tomorrow as well. We only have time to get the basics in one day, so there will be plenty of shopping trips in your future."

"I don't need a whole lot of new things," Celine protested. "Just two or three new things will be fine."

"Don't be stubborn you know you need more than a couple of new outfits," Dana told her shaking her head at the teen's pride and stubbornness. "I mean, you can't wash clothes if you only have one outfit, as that would mean washing clothes every day because you only had two outfits that you switched off every other day. Not to mention all the laundry detergent, you would waste because you were only washing one outfit. It's not that I necessarily mind doing that, but I'm sure you would mind as that would waste a great deal of money when you had to keep buying laundry detergent every other week because you used it all. You need clothes for all weathers winter, summer, spring and fall. You know how chilly it can get, though I will admit that Los Angeles doesn't get as cold as New York in the winter."

"The winters are actually pretty mild here compared to most other places and most of the time we have 65 weather even in the middle of winter, so you won't need heavy winter clothes unless you go somewhere where it's really cold in winter like New York.

"You'll need a light jacket for when it's chilly out. T-shirts, slacks jeans, several kinds of shoes, tennis shoes, flip-flops for whenever we go to the beach sandals and maybe boots Dana listed.

"You'll also need underwear and bras, as you've already begun to bud up here," Dana said pointing at her breasts.

"Do I really have to wear one of those contraptions of torture," Celine protested. "I would think they would be uncomfortable. I've never owned a bra on my life. Why should I start?"

"Because for one thing, if you sweat a lot, you can start develop a rash down under your breasts," Dana explained. "That rash can spread until you have a very painful and irritating hole in your skin up under your breasts, where the crease is. This happens because your breasts, touch your skin, and you sweat, which creates that rash.

"Trust me, it's irritating and you'll be constantly scratching, because it itches and it will also burn uncomfortably. If it gets too bad, you could get blood poisoning."

"That can really happen?" Celine asked looking down at her breasts that were just beginning to bud.

"I'm afraid so," Dana said sympathetically not bothering to tell Celine that it would never happen to her because she was immortal and healed any injuries, serious or minor.

"We could probably put off getting you a bra for at least another year until you bud a little more, but eventually, you're going to have to start wearing one, even if that's not for the next year, year and a half or so."

"I'll take the reprieve," Celine said gratefully.

"I can't really blame you for that, but really bras are quite comfortable, so long as you get one that fits properly," Dana said, even as she patted Celine on the shoulder sympathetically.

"You won't even notice you're wearing one once you get used to them," Dana, assured the young girl.

"If you say so," Celine said doubtfully.

"You'll see," Dana told the girl smiling before showing her to a bedroom that would be hers so long as she lived with her.

~~~Dana and Celine~~~

Celine looked around the room and thought it was rather nice. It was large and the walls were painted in a light blue. That was also a door on one wall, which Celine assumed was either a closet or bathroom.

Celine continued to explore the room and found the closet on the opposite side of the room where the door that she had spotted was.

So, the door, the opposite side of the room must be a bathroom then Celine thought.

This sure was a nice room for somebody the movie star had just met today, but perhaps there wasn't anything smaller, Celine thought. Maybe all the rooms had bathrooms and what appeared to be a little sitting area off to one side with a couch and a couple of chairs with a table in the middle.

The furniture looked pretty comfortable, and Celine couldn't believe her luck. That Dana Reid had heard her singing and offered to let her live with her until she was college age to where she would be sent to Juilliard, so she could refine her voice and learn to play better than she did now. The only downside seemed to be was that she would be expected to go to school to learn the things she needed to know before she went to Juilliard once she was the appropriate age.

She still couldn't believe that Dana Reid had taken such an interest in her, someone who was homeless, even if she did have a fantastic voice.

Apparently though, Ms. Dana had grown up in a musical family where at least her grandmother had been a professional singer, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Celine didn't really understand why someone as famous and wealthy as Dana Reid would care about her at all, despite her voice. She had been given an explanation, but she was still trying to understand how someone so wealthy could take an interest in someone like her.

Weren't wealthy people supposed to be selfish and keep all the money they had for themselves and perhaps their families? Celine wondered silently.

She seemed to have a vague idea that was what the wealthy were like, but perhaps there were those who were wealthy that were different from most of them like Dana Reid, for example.

"Like your room?" came a voice from the doorway, and Celine looked up, startled, as she hadn't even heard Dana approach. Then again, the hallways were carpeted, and the carpet was nice and thick, so it wasn't likely that she would've been able to hear anything like someone approaching.

There was a nice thick, pale blue carpet on the floor of her room. The carpet was the same color as the walls, and she certainly hadn't heard her footfalls, as she had looked around the room

"This is a really nice room, Miss Dana," Celine said suddenly feeling shy. "I can't believe you gave me such a nice room with its own bathroom and the closet is humongous."

"I'm glad you like it, though we can repaint and have the carpet redone if you don't like the color," Dana offered.

"Oh no, it's really nice and you're doing enough for me already," Celine protested. "I like the color I promise."

"I'm glad," Dana said her voice warm.

"As for the closet, it will soon be filled with brand new clothes with plenty of room to add to it. You'll always be welcome here, even after you are grown."

"Thank you for being so kind to me," Celine said suddenly her emotions overwhelming her to where she burst into grateful tears. "I'm nobody to you, so why would you bother to take in a homeless girl?"

"The answer to that question is simple and yet very complex at the same time," Dana told her, even as she came forward to hug the girl and dry her tears with a handkerchief she took out of her pocket.

"The simple answer is, it's the right thing to do and not just because you have a fantastic voice, though that is the reason I noticed you in particular," Dana continued.

"But aren't wealthy people supposed to ignore people like us unless they get in the way of course?" Celine said, even as Dana comforted her.

"Many of them are exactly like that," Dana admitted. "My family has never been that way though."

"I was taught from a young age about generosity and kindness. I won't say I always took those lessons too heart, because I was a first class brat when I was a child.

"I was a very self-centered child, more so than most, and was always using tears and throwing tantrums to get my way. My father Spencer always said that I would probably be a movie star, because I could certainly produce tears at the drop of a hat and I was also very dramatic.

Dana smiled in remembrance at what her father Spencer Reid had told her on multiple occasions a long time ago.

"I'm older now and more mature than I was back when I was a child and a teenager and I finally understand what my parents and grandparents knew all along."

"What's that?" Celine asked her tears having a dried.

"That generosity and kindness are their own reward. Where you do something for someone, because it's the right thing to do, not because you get something out of it," Dana explained gently.

"You're so different from anyone else I've ever known," Celine told her. "Well, other than Maestro."

"He was kind to you despite having lived on the street for years and he was taken from you at a way too young age," Dana said. "You'll always remember him and he would want you to grow up to be something I'm sure."

"He was often saying that he wished he had the money to send me to somewhere like Juilliard, but that he simply didn't. He seemed rather sad about that whenever the subject came up," Celine remembered.

"That's because it's clear to me that this Maestro cared about you," Dana said. "It's too bad you don't know his real name as we could put up a plaque somewhere or perhaps a headstone in the graveyard for him, but the grave would be empty."

"You would do that?" Celine asked amazed all over again how generous Dana Reid he was.

"If we knew his name, his real legal name then yes, I would," Dana told her being very sincere.

"Maestro is a nickname I'm sure and not his real name, the one his parents gave him. Do you know why he was called that?" Dana asked.

"Because he was a master at the guitar and when he played, you just sat there ehthralled and listened," Celine answered immediately.

"He likely had professional training at some point," Dana speculated. "You don't get to be that good unless you practice, practice and practice some more. It's quite possible he went to somewhere like Juilliard when he was much younger but somehow ended up on the street."

"I never really thought about it," Celine is admitted.

"I'm not surprised, as he was your father figure," Dana said. "I'm sure at the time you weren't curious about what his story was, as you were probably just glad to have decent food in your belly and have somewhere to get out of the weather."

"I did ask him once or twice, but he always changed the subject when I did so I knew better than to ask again," Celine said. "He told me he would tell me when I was older, but since he died, he never had a chance."

"It might've been painful for him to think about the past," Dana speculated. "We'll never know, though since he's dead."

"Yeah, he is," Celine said, looking like she was about to start crying as she remembered the only father she had ever known."

"In any case, I came in here to tell you that dinner is ready," Dana told the young girl.

"It can't be dinner time already can it?" Celine asked. "Didn't we just have lunch?"

Celine's stomach growled causing Dana to laugh.

"Your stomach thinks it's dinner time," Dana told her. "And yes, it is now 6:30 and this is usually the time I eat if I'm at home."

"Wow! the time really flew!" Celine said as her stomach growled again. "I didn't realize it was already that late."

"I'm not surprised, as you don't have a watch, so we'll have to get you one soon. By the time we got home, you had your shower and I showed you your room at least a couple hours had passed. Then you spent the rest of the time exploring your surroundings, checking out the bathroom and the huge closet. By the time you were finished, it was nearing dinnertime."

"That doesn't mean I'm not astonished that the time passed so rapidly," Celine said.

"Well, it did," Dana told her tweaking her nose playfully.

"Now young Celine, it is time for dinner and we need to go before it gets cold and the cook gets upset because we weren't there before it did.

"Believe me, you do not want to face Reggie's wrath, as he'll find ways to make our lives miserable until he finally forgives you. He says anyone that doesn't enjoy good food deserves to eat fast food for the rest of their lives, which he thinks is utter crap by the way," Dana told her young charge.

"I would love to meet Reggie," Celine said a little shyly

"Oh, you will and believe me Reggie is going to love you," Dana smiled at the young girl before rising, and hidden for the door just waiting for us to leave to proceed her.

Celine did so and then Dana led the way to the dining room.

~~~Dana and Celine~~~

A week later

Dana's grandparents were arriving today and Celine was so nervous.

Her guardian talked about them, so lovingly and affectionately that Celine really wanted to meet them, but at the same time, she was terrified. She'd had a better time the last week then she'd ever had before in her short life.

She was being fed royally as Reggie had taken to her as if she was his long-lost daughter and was always spoiling her with treats. Fresh chocolate chip cookies that were homemade and not from a mix, apple strudel, which was yummy and Celine loved it, blueberry pie that was like eating a little piece of heaven, as well as apple and peach pie.

There were also other types of cookies like sugar cookies, which she also liked, though she wouldn't say they were a favorite and also snickerdoodles and fudge cookies.

There was also things like hot chicken or vegetable soup that was so good Celine always went back for seconds and was stuffed afterwards since these things were usually accompanied by a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

Celine had also been introduced to pizza by Dana, which she absolutely adored. She loved one with sausage, pepperoni, ham, and extra cheese, and she even liked them with onions and peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. The only thing she absolutely did not like on her pizza were kippers, which were little fish that Dana said was popular in England. They were just too salty for her taste and so ruined a perfectly good pizza.

Reggie, who was from England, claimed that she had no taste and was very dramatic about it, putting his hand over his heart and saying something like oh Bella, how you disappoint me! How can you not like this exquisite treat of my country?

The way he said it and staggered around the kitchen with his hands over his heart made Celine giggle, which she was sure had been his intent in the first place.

Celine was loving her new life, but now she woke up after being here for over a week feeling very nervous about meeting Dana's grandparents, but knew she might as well get it over with since they had come so far just to see her and to hear her sing and play.

It would be rude for her to refuse to see them after they had come all this way. Besides, Ms. Dana would never let her get away with that and would likely drag her out of the room if she didn't come willingly. For a supposedly old woman, Dana was quite strong, which had amazed Celine when she had realized that. Dana claimed it was the yoga that made her so strong and flexible, but Celine wasn't sure she believed that. She also had a grip like iron that could close around her arm and wouldn't release her until Celine had been dragged where Ms. Dana wanted her to go, no matter how uncomfortable it maybe for the teenager.

She didn't want to mess it up and she couldn't help being nervous and terrified that she would. She wanted to impress Dana's grandmother, Lynnette with her singing and playing, but she'd settle for not embarrassing herself in front of David and Lynnette Rossi

"Celine are you up sweetheart?" called Dana's voice after a knock came on the door.

"Yes, I'm up Ms. Dana," Celine said.

"I've told you several times to call me, Dana," Dana said after opening the girl's door.

"It doesn't seem right to call you by your first name, considering I'm living under your roof. You're also so much older than me that it's respectful to add the Ms. in front of your name," Celine said. "Since you won't let me call you Ms. Reid I decided on Ms. Dana instead."

"It's good to be respectful to people, but my family is very informal," Dana told Celine. "We can discuss that later, though, as granda and grandmom should be here in a few hours. You need a big breakfast so you're not hungry when they arrive."

"I'm terrified about meeting them," Celine admitted.

"There's no reason to be terrified. They're very nice people," Dana told Celine, smiling.

"I am terrified and also nervous about meeting them, but what makes me really nervous is not being able to perform in front of them particularly your grandmother. Lynnette since she was once a famous musical star. I mean they've come so far just to hear me sing and play that I'm terrified I'm not going to be able to do so in front of them."

"Grandmom Lynnette will understand if you get stage fright," Dana told Celine with a sympathetic expression.

"It happens to everyone, whether you're a young girl like yourself or an adult like me. Some people just get nervous performing in front of an audience, but you need to forget they're there just like you do when you used to perform on the street for money."

"It isn't so much performing, but it's what your grandmother will think that has me so nervous. Yes, I'm used to performing in front of a large crowd, but your grandparents are different.

"When I perform in front of a crowd, those people are total strangers and I don't need to worry about their reactions, as I'll likely never see them again."

"Believe me, I do understand but you'll be fine, as they won't judge you if you get stage fright I promise you that," Dana told Celine sympathetically. "It's OK to be nervous so long as you don't let it control you. Being nervous isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just do the best you can once they arrive and that's all you can do, as they'll understand are nervous at performing in front of them, as you are only 13."

That somehow made Celine feel a little better so she relaxed a little though she still had butterflies in her stomach, but actually felt like she could eat something instead of pushing the food around on her plate.

"Better now?" Dana asked as she noticed her ward relax.

"A little," Celine admitted. "I'm still nervous just not as much. Maybe I can actually eat something now, as before I felt like I was going to throw up if I even tried."

"Believe me, I felt like that more times than I can count when I'm playing a part," Dana said with a little laugh. "Still, I didn't let that stop me and eventually I learned to play any part with gusto and enthusiasm. I learned to tune out other people. That was back when I was a young actress just starting out. Now, though, I haven't felt that way in years. I was only in my 20s then, as I went to college first, but as soon as I graduated it was off to Hollywood for me!"

"Wow! That's some story!" Celine said.

"It's basically the condensed version of my history," Dana told her, even as she kissed the young girl's cheek, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Now ups-a-Daisy young lady. It's time for you to get dressed and some of your new clothes that we went and purchased so that you look like a well-dressed young lady. It is time for us to have a large breakfast, so we're all ready for my grandparents arrival."

~~~Dana and Celine~~~

"Welcome," Dana greeted her grandparents, opening the front door once the doorbell had rung. "I'm glad you made it safely."

Dana hugged both her grandparents who didn't look old enough for the title, but who were much older than they appeared. Both had colored their hair, silver and grey, respectively, even though Dana knew it was just hair dye that would wash out, but it did make them look a little older, though their faces certainly looked young, as there were no wrinkles other than smile and laugh lines around the eyes and mouth.

"It's good to see you too, honey," Lynnette greeted her granddaughter, giving her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Dave also hugged his granddaughter, kissing her cheek affectionately.

"It's good to see you, sweetie," Dave said.

"Why don't you come in? Celine is in the parlor," Dana explained. "She's rather nervous about singing in front of you particularly grandmom. She hardly ate any of her breakfast and that's not like her at all as she usually shovels food in as fast as she possibly can."

"I'm not surprised she eats like that considering it has less than two weeks since she was living on the street and I'm sure that people can steal your food if you don't eat it as fast as possible," Dave suggested delicately.

"That's a good point," Dana admitted. "She just eats so fast I'm afraid she's going choke that's all."

"She hasn't choked yet, though I admit it's a bad habit, but I do understand why she developed it," Lynnette said. "Now, if you show us to the parlor, I believe that I can soothe Celine's fears at least a little. It's not like I've never experienced stage fright, and I was much older than she is now the first time I performed for anyone other than my family."

"Come on, then," Dana said, as she led the way towards the front parlor

"Celine, my grandparents are here," Dana called softly from the doorway so as not to startle the young girl. Once Celine had looked up, acknowledging that she was there, Dana entered the room leading her grandparents over to Celine."

"Granda, grandma this is Celine."

"It's nice to meet you, young lady," Dave told the nervous young girl shaking her hand cordially instead of hugging her like he really wanted to do, but figured it was too soon for such a gesture. After all, they had barely been introduced.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rossi," Celine said thinking that David and Lynnette Rossi did not look to be nearly 200 and in fact they looked young and fit despite their white and gray hair. Their eyes were bright with intelligence, one set of brown the other blue.

"It's nice to meet you young lady. Dana has been telling Lynnette and I all about you when we talk," Dave told Celine giving her a warm, friendly smile.

"It's very nice to meet you Celine. Dana has been singing your praises. She said you have the voice of an angel," Lynnette told the young girl.

Celine blushed right on cue.

"If you embarrass her too much, honey, she might not agree to sing and play for you," Dave told Lynnette affectionately.

"Why don't we sit down and be comfortable?" Dana gently suggested playing hostess.

Everybody followed Dana gently worded suggestion and Dave and Lynnette begin to ask Celine questions. Like did she remember her parents, her last name or where she came from and when Celine answered in the negative they moved on, as they didn't want to frighten her.

It didn't take Celine long to relax as the four of them chatted and Celine actually felt far less nervous and terrified then she had been previously.

Dana's grandparents were just so nice that she couldn't help her relax in their presence and soon she was listening to stories of when her guardian had been a little girl. Dana kept blushing in embarrassment every time her grandparents brought up something she had done as a child.

"I think that's enough embarrassing stories about my childhood for one day," Dana told her grandparents giving them a glare and they just stared innocently back at her not phased in the slightest.

When her glare didn't work, Dana simply rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Celine, if you would please go get your guitar, I would appreciate it," Dana told her ward.

"She can use mine if she likes," Lynnette offered, and both Dave and Dana stared at her if she was an alien from another planet. Lynnette never let anybody borrow her guitar, absolutely no one.

It was her baby, and it was actually like having a child as Lynnette never loaned her guitar to anyone. Lynnette was like a mother fiercely protective of her guitar, which was the same one that her mother Diana Reid had bought her a long time ago when she had shown such a strong musical talent.

Diana Reid was long dead, and Lynnette's guitar was quite valuable now, which was one reason she was so protective of it, but not the only one. That she had offered to let Celine use her guitar that went everywhere with her was so shocking that neither Dave nor Dana could think of anything to say.

"That's quite the honor Miss Celine. My wife never lets anybody else hold or play her guitar," Dave told the young girl with a smile. "She must really like you to make such an offer."

"Thank you very much for the offer, Mrs. Rossi," Celine told the elderly woman gratefully. "I gladly accept."

"Here you go," Lynnette said, as she took the guitar case she had placed beside her chair and opened the lid with a snap. Lynnette took out a beautiful instrument and Celine practically salivated when she saw it. It was a thing of beauty. The guitar was a kind of cobalt blue, and Celine could tell that the strings were in perfect working order.

"Wow!" Celine exclaimed. "I've never seen such a fine instrument much less held one."

"Well, you're about to," Lynnette told Celine with a smile as she passed over the guitar along with the pick.

"This one is a lot fancier than mine," Celine said suddenly feeling nervous again.

"Don't be nervous Celine," Dana told her ward. "Remember what I told you. You'll be fine I promise."

Celine gulped nervously but instinctively begin to play a few notes and then a few more and then no time at all she was playing with her eyes closed and everybody listened. Eventually, once Celine had gotten used to the guitar, she opened her mouth and began to sing still with her eyes closed.

Everybody listened in rapture as Celine's voice soared over the room, strong and pure and beautiful.

With a few notes, everybody was caught up in the music and Celine's voice only enhanced the experience

"You were absolutely right Dana," Lynnette told her granddaughter quietly even as Celine continued to amaze both Dave and her with her talent. "Celine has quite a talent and once she gains some experience she'll only get better. I can't wait to see how she develops. She'll certainly astonish the professors at Juilliard when she's old enough to finally attend.

"First, we need to figure out what grade level she's at, and if I need to hire her tutor to get her caught up with the grade she should be in," Dana answered.

"She knows how to read and write and do basic math because apparently her mentor that took her in made her do lessons for a few hours every day, but as to what grade level she's really at I have no idea at present."

"Well, that's something anyway," Lynnette said quietly.

They all fell silent as they continued to listen to Celine, singing even as she played on the guitar that Lynnette had loaned her.

Lynnette's guitar was a simple, classical design and didn't require any extra equipment besides a pick in order to play it. Lynnette had fancier guitars at her home in New Zealand, but this was the one she usually traveled with simply because it didn't require anything extra. No amplifiers or power cords or speakers required. It was a good guitar for beginners, and once they had learned the basics, a new guitarist could always switch instruments. A lot of guitarist had more than one guitar that they played throughout their lives.

"That was beautiful," Lynnette said with tears in her eyes as she had been very moved by Celine singing.

"My granddaughter was right you certainly have talent and I am so glad that she discovered you and brought you home, as it would be a shame to let such talent go to waste."

What Lynnette didn't say was she shuddered to think what could've happened to such a young girl out on the street without her mentor to the Maestro to protect her.

"My wife is very right that was beautiful," Dave told the young girl sincerely, and Celine felt her fears fade that she would disappoint them dissolving.

"You actually remind me of a young lady I met many years ago that had the purest voice I had ever heard, and who had already started on the path to fame and fortune but hadn't quite made it yet."

"Who do I remind you of?" Celine asked curiously.

"My wife, of course," Dave told her smiling kissing Lynnette's cheek to emphasize who he meant. "When I first met her, she was 30 and had been playing at various clubs in Las Vegas, where she was born and raised, but no one had discovered her at the time. I introduced her to a well-known music producer whose name was Blake Yearwood at our wedding and the rest as they say is history."

"Those were the days," Lynnette said nostalgically.

"That's quite the compliment," Celine beamed.

All the adults smiled at each other, and then Lynnette offered to play a few songs while they all relaxed in the parlor.

"That sounds good," Dana said when she saw how enthusiastic Celine was at that idea. "I always love to listen to you sing and play, as it takes me back to when I was a young child still living at home. I remember sitting in your music room, just listening as you practiced," Dana said smiling at the memory. "After that, I'll have Reggie fix us some lunch."

"I think we'll just go out to lunch," Dave said. "We're treating, so you might as well, just give Reggie the day off."

"That sounds really good," Dana said enthusiastically looking at his Celine, who was biting a lip.

"What's the problem, honey?" Dana asked seeing how worried she was.

"I just don't want any special treatment," Celine tried to explain her feelings. "You don't need to take me out to lunch eating here is fine."

"Oh honey, we'd be more than happy to feed you for giving us such a wonderful performance of your talent," Lynnette told her, even as she got up from where she was sitting and hugged the young girl kissing her cheek. "You could never be a bother, sweetie. I am so glad that Dana heard you singing in Lancaster Market and brought you home. Such talent as yours should not go to waste. You create beautiful music, sweetie, and this is before you've even been trained properly."

"I just want to repeat what my wife said. You'll never be a bother," Dave said being very sincere. "We both love children, which is why we had five of our own who are all grown up now," Dave said.

"A lot of people have trouble accepting what they see as charity, and I don't think Celine truly understands why we would do anything for her. She was homeless after all before I discovered her," Dana said.

"She doesn't understand that some people just want to help others instead of putting them down or trying to prevent them from succeeding in whatever they choose to do with their lives."

"She is only 13, so that's not surprising," Dave said. "Generosity and kindness aren't exactly very common anymore, which is a shame And considering the environment that you rescued her from..."

"I did explain how my family has always been, but it is a hard concept for someone who's never had anything good happen to her to understand.

"The only kind thing that's ever happened to her was Maestro taking her in, being her mentor and protector, only for him to be murdered just a few years later. Because of her experiences before now I can understand why she's having such a hard time understanding genuine generosity with no expectations of reward other than it's the right thing to do," Dana said.

"What about pizza for lunch?" Dana suggested knowing how much Celine had enjoyed her first slice of pizza.

When Celine lit up that suggestion, Dave and Lynnette were OK with that idea, as it was clear to them that Celine had loved when their granddaughter had gotten a pizza one day after the girl had come to live with her.

"I had never had pizza before a few days ago," Celine said shyly.

"Pizza is OK with us, sweetie," Lynnette told her smiling.

"I think, instead of ordering it to be delivered we'll actually go and sit int the restaurant at one of the tables," Dave said.

And so, it was all arranged. Celine still seemed reluctant if only because she didn't want anybody to spend any more money on her then they already had, especially not two people that she had only just met. They all prepared to leave the house for Dana's favorite pizza place. The pizza place was simply named Quinn's Pizza and Pasta.

~~~Dana and Celine~~~