Older || Sequel To SOS

Forty-Two

"He— you okay, El?" Luke frowns as he sees Elodie's face.

"Ya. Just a lot. "Today was a lot." She nods.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Luke frowns, walking forward carefully to hug her to his chest.

"Good." She whispers into his chest. "He's like Peter and your dad rolled into one, and yet totally different too. But he's good, Luke, so good. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this dream to the reality I'm used to when it comes to my family, but it's real. He's real, and he's a good person, and I think he'll be a good dad to me, even starting twenty-seven years late."

Luke can't help but notice the way his shoulders relax as she says it, hearing how genuine her voice is. "I'm so happy to hear that, pretty girl. You deserve this win, and you deserve this family you're finally getting, even if it's years too late."

"He wants to meet you, and Atlas. He wants to meet everyone, and he wants us to meet the rest of my family. I've got an uncle and an aunt, three cousins, I've got a grandma." She grins up at Luke.

"We can figure that out, I want to meet him too, and all of this family of yours."

"Good, because I want you to meet them too. Now, where's our baby girl? She's got to be getting hungry here soon."

"Snuggling with someone special in the living room." Luke grins, pulling Elodie by the hand as she gives him a quizzical look.

Elodie looks up as soon as the dropped living room space come into view, smiling softly as she sees her baby girl again, swaddled up in a blanket and resting comfortably in Peter's arms.

"You did good, sis." Peter grins as he looks up. "She is so beautiful."

"I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow." She chuckles, wandering over to settle onto the couch beside her brother.

"Got an earlier flight out, I couldn't wait any longer to meet my niece." He smiles, "Luke said you were at lunch with your biological dad? How'd that go?"

"So good, the best thing that could have come from all the hell we've been through this year. I was just telling Luke, he's so good. He reminds me of you, mixed with Luke's dad. I mean, that's just my first impression, but he made me feel comfortable and that says a lot."

"Ya, I'm so happy for you, El. You deserve everything you've fought your whole life to have. This baby girl, Luke, your careers, and even finding your dads family. It's been such a pleasure to watch your life change for the better over and over since you came to us twelve years ago."

"If only that scared, defeated, and lost girl could see us now." El chuckles. "All because mom decided to foster at the exact moment I needed to be saved."

"You have made our family better too though, don't forget that. I can't imagine my life without you as my baby sister, even knowing I lived eighteen years without you."

"That's why no matter what happens with this new family, you will be walking me down the aisle in May, and I will be sharing a special dance with you. Biology doesn't change who was there through every step of my healing process, it doesn't change who gave me the knowledge and opportunity that led to meeting Luke. Even if it's not their fault or mine that they haven't had the opportunity to be in my life."

"Thank you, El. I hope you know how honored I am that you want me to be that person in your wedding, to get to give you away metaphorically like that." Peter smiles, sliding his free arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I just want to make sure you know, that plan is not changing for anything. You've earned that spot, and it's yours."

"Thank you, El. I love you, sis. And your cute little family."

"I love you too, Pete." She sighs, "now tell me about this tour you just got done with."

"It was a fun little tour, but I'm sad I missed the last couple months and this little girls birth." He chuckles, "when mom called to tell me what happened I almost quit on the spot to get back here."

"There was no need for that, Luke had us all taken care of and you couldn't have done much here. But I'm sure Atlas is grateful to be meeting her uncle Pete finally." El rolls her eyes at him. "I know I'm grateful to have the two of you meeting finally. She's gonna need her uncle Pete in her life."

"She'll always have me, and I can't wait to get to experience her first 5sos tour with her."

"Me too. She can help us tech for Luke and Michael and learn he family business from a young age." El jests.

"Absolutely, have I mentioned that she's perfect yet, El? I can't believe I get to be her uncle and protect her for the rest of my life."

"I think you mentioned it, but you can say it again. I pinch myself daily thinking about the fact that I get to be her mom, that I get to do this parenting thing and give her everything I never had as a child. Getting to do it all with Luke and our massive support system just makes it better."

"She will never question if she's loved, that's for sure." Peter nods, both of them looking up as Luke comes into the room somewhat in a rush, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Hold on, putting you on speaker." He comments to whoever is on the line, pushing a couple buttoned as he sits down on the edge of the couch next to El. "Okay, what's happening, Mike?"

"They've arrested Jessica Carson in St. Louis. She's being booked and then transferred to LA. It should take about a week." Michael's voice comes through the phone.

"They found her?" El asks, somewhat shocked by the news after so many weeks of waiting for it.

"Ya, but that's not the really big insight." Michael sounds hesitant as he says it.

"What else could there be?" Luke's forehead creases as he asks.

"She was living with Lorraine Waters who was also booked on violations of her parole and suspected attempted murder... if I'm not mistaken that's your—" "My mom..." Elodie whispers, interrupting him.

"Ya."

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I love you guys!!! Thank you for your patience with me.

~M =)