Cece, just wear it. It means a lot to your grandparents. David signed to Cecelia in their Boston hotel room. She tossed her head back before walking back into the bathroom.
David laughed at how dramatic she was becoming, despite being only 10. Cecelia, who had decided she preferred to be called "Cece" returned wearing a blue sweater with a white "Y" on the front.
You look great. David signed.
I look like a loser. Cece signed back.
David and Cece left their hotel room and met Eva and Nick Laurent in the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
I love your sweater. Mr. Laurent signed to Cece.
I told you. David signed. Cece smiled in return.
Today was the day of the annual Harvard - Yale football game. It was a yearly tradition for the Laurent family to attend the game, as Eva and Nick had loved going as college students and continued to go every year even after graduating. This year was special as Martin, now a senior in college, was playing in the game for the final time.
Good morning! Elle signed, entering the restaurant with her husband and 2 children. She was now 29 and worked for JP Morgan as a financial analyst. She and her husband had graduated from Yale a few years prior.
Cece immediately hopped up to embrace her aunt and uncle, as well as her cousins in a hug. She signed to her grandparents, asking if Noel was coming.
He's meeting us at the game. Mrs. Laurent responded.
The group ate breakfast before heading over to the stadium and taking their side. The whole crew was decked out in Yale gear. David tapped Cece on the shoulder, pulling out a picture on his phone of him and Maddy wearing matching "Y" sweaters at his first Harvard-Yale game the year after they had started dating.
This was your mom and I at our first Harvard Yale game. David signed. She loved this sweater.
I like the sweater now. Cece signed back.
David laughed. Cece, despite not remembering her mother at all, wanted to be just like her. She loved watching her old videos and the many videos David had compiled of her.
Casey was right. After Maddy's death, David quit youtube for a year. He focused completely on Cecelia. He was also right in the sense that David eventually came back to it. He quit again after about 3 years, switching fully to TV direction and production.
Maddy hadn't gotten her wish, in the sense of David moving on. It wasn't that he hadn't moved on, but rather that he wasn't really trying to date anybody. He was so focused on his job and his daughter that dating was the farthest thing from his mind. Cecelia, however, did have mother figures. Many of them. Between Paige, Liza, Corinna, Kristen, and others, she had an army of women who were dedicated to giving her strong female role models. For this, David was forever grateful.
Noel walked behind David and Cecelia, who were looking at pictures of Maddy on his phone. He put his hand on David's shoulder, who turned around.
Noel! Cecelia jumped up and hugged her uncle. She signed excitedly about how she was wearing the same sweater her mom wore, taking David's phone and showing him the picture.
I remember when she bought that sweater. Noel smiled. It was her senior year right after she got in.
Despite not going to college, Maddy had been accepted to Yale and had even accepted her spot before deciding to do youtube instead. This was something David hadn't found out about until after her death.
Mom went to Yale? Cece signed to David.
She decided to go to LA instead. David signed back.
Cece went to greet Noel's fiancee and sit with her cousins, who were currently trying to locate Martin on the field. Noel sat down next to David.
"What a throwback" He laughed, handing David his phone back.
"I know" David smiled. "12 years ago. Crazy, huh?"
Noel nodded.
"Every time I see Cece I can't get over how much like her mother she is"
David laughed. He was constantly told this. Despite Cece looking like a spitting image of David for the first few years of her life, she was looking more and more like her mother every day. She even had the same mannerisms.
"Maddy would be so proud" Noel said, putting his hand on David's shoulder.
"You think so?" David asked.
"Are you kidding? Of course. She'd be proud of how Cece has turned out, and also all the stuff you've accomplished. Don't think I don't know you were nominated for an Emmy"
David smiled a little. The nominations had came out earlier that week and David had said nothing to anybody. Most of his friends had figured it out, but he always felt weird about announcing things like that.
"Thanks, Noel" David smiled. He had become close to Noel in the past few years, after he had went to medical school at USC. He was now a psychiatrist who specialized in grief counseling.
David looked over at Cece, who grinned at him and held up a pom pom her grandparents had passed her. He smiled back.
Can we get popcorn? Cece signed.
Yes. He signed back, standing up.
Cece hopped up and took his hand, leading him excitedly towards the concession stand. He couldn't help think that even though things had not turned out the way he thought they would, they did turn out ok. In fact, they turned out more than ok. Everything was nearly perfect.
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That's all she wrote, folks. I tried to end this on a similar note that I ended the real ending to Home.
I hope you enjoyed @ all you emos who wanted the version where Maddy died
Also my new story Collide has a few chapters out so feel free to check that out :)
