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Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Chapter Two-Hundred-Seven



After ten minutes of trying to get through to Josh and failing, Howie gave up and left the room. He was about to pull out his cell phone to call Brian when he suddenly ran into him in the hallway.


“What’s going on? AJ said Josh was up here bawling and that he and Chris got into some fight?” Brian asked worriedly. Howie nodded solemnly.


“It’s worse then ever Bri. He’s under his bed and refuses to come out. He wont even let Chance near him.” Brian sighed heavily and then pushed past his friend and he went into the bedroom that Josh sleeps in when Brian stays over night at the Orphanage. He went over to the bed and bent down so he could see underneath.


“Hey buddy…come out of there. Lets talk…”


“Go away.”


“Please Josh…”


“NO! I can’t come near you!”


“Of course you can, I’m your father.”


“No you’re NOT! I can’t come near you! If I come near you and be happy then Chris will only continue to hate me!”


“Then he isn’t a real friend if he doesn’t want you to be happy,” Brian explained softly.


“He is SO! I can’t live without him Brian, I can’t!” Josh sobbed. Brian sighed and he reached under the bed and gently grabbed hold of his son and he pulled him out despite his struggling. He settled him in his lap and he hugged him close and silently rocked him while he cried. Josh buried his face in his chest and cried his eyes out. He let him cry for a long time, and when he eventually calmed down to a point where he was just sniffling, Brian gently tilted his chin back so he was looking up at him.


“Are you ready to talk to me now?” he asked and Josh looked up into his caring eyes and couldn’t help but cave. He could never resist the way Brian looked at him like he was the most special thing ever. It always makes him feel good no matter how hard he tries to ignore it.


“Chris hates me…and says he hopes I die…” Josh sniffled and Brian looked surprised. He never imagined Chris would ever say such a thing. Josh always meant so much to him. “He says that he wishes my dad hurt me badly so that I could never come here…and he says he hopes I regret being adopted, and leaving him, and that he hopes I am unhappy all the time…”


“Why would he say such horrible things?” Brian asked alarmed.


“He’s upset with me…because we left him here…and because I didn’t call him all week…and spend too much time with Ellie and Kota.” Brian sat there watching him thoughtfully for a few moments and then he gently combed his fingers through his hair as he kissed his forehead softly.


“I don’t think that’s the whole reason…come on…let’s go have a talk with him.”


“I don’t want to…” Josh insisted as he snuggled into Brian. Brian got up cradling him and he carried him out of the room. He took him downstairs and outside and he glanced around the playground to see Q and Chris arguing. He walked over to them and they stopped abruptly and looked at them. Chris eyeing Josh feeling revolted.


“Q…can Josh, Chris, and I have a few moments alone?” Q nodded and he got up and walked away. Brian sat down with Josh in his lap and Chris sat down in the grass hugging his legs to his chest.


“I heard about your fight…and the strong things that you said,” Brian stated the obvious. Chris shrugged.


“Yeah, so?”


“I can see why you’re upset…and you have every right to be…I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. I do however, have just one request Chris…and that is that you don’t be so hard on Josh. If you’re going to be mad at anyone…it should be me.”


“Why would I be angry with you?” Chris asked moodily.


“Because I haven’t been very fair and for that I am sorry…you’re Josh’s best friend in the whole world and I should have thought to bring you a long…but I didn’t. You’ve been left out a lot and that is entirely my fault. So be mad at me, but not him.”


“Josh of all people should have noticed but he didn’t. He was too busy with Dakota and Elenore to think that maybe I might miss him. He didn’t think about me at all while he was gone or else he would have called me!”


“I did so think about you!” Josh snapped as even more tears rolled down his cheek. “Every day! I wished you were there every day!”


“Why didn’t you call me then?” Chris demanded. Josh fell silent. He couldn’t think of a reasonable answer to that…they all sound so pathetic. It was Brian who answered instead.


“Thanksgiving was very chaotic Chris…we were very busy getting ready for the holiday that we didn’t stop to think of much else.” Chris sat there quietly staring at Josh as tears rolled down his face. After a few moments he spoke again.


“Well I hope you have lots of fun with your new father and your new friends. I’m sorry that I can’t fit into your busy life of being a popstar’s son, Josh. Have fun…” he told him and he got up and stormed off. Josh looked up at Brian fighting back the urge to cry all over again. Brian sighed and wrapped him in his arms for a hug and Josh snuggled into him.


“I tried buddy…he’s angry and upset right now but I’m sure if you give him sometime he’ll come around. But I suggest that you put some time aside from Kota and Ellie to spend time with him…make him see that you’re still his friend.”


“Kay…”


“Don’t feel ashamed that you got adopted and he didn’t…its not your fault. You shouldn’t feel ashamed about something that makes you happy.” Brian insisted, not wanting to go a step backward in his relationship with his son. He just finally got him to call him dad and he is rather enjoying it.


~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile, Nick and Ashley decided to get out of bed and go downstairs to see what all is going on. When they got down to the lobby and had walked out of the elevator they found Doctor Johnson, Riley, Detective Stabler, Elenore, and Kevin in the lobby. Elenore has tears rolling down her face and Kevin is holding her.


“What happened?” Nick asked worriedly and he gently squeezed Ashley’s hand.


“Josh, Ellie, and Chris got into a fist fight and Ellie ended up with a bloody nose.” Nick frowned some and he gently ruffled Elenore’s hair before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her forehead.


“Kota and Sarah weren’t involved this time were they?”


“No not this time…we haven’t even seen them since we arrived here. We thought they were with you…” Nick raised his eyebrow worriedly.


“No…we thought they came down here to play with the rest of the kids…” Detective Stabler shook his head. Nick felt panic build up inside him and Ashley sensed it right away.


“Honey I’m sure they’re around here somewhere…” she told him trying to reassure him. Nick headed for the elevator but suddenly came to an abrupt stop when it had opened and two little girls came running out of it shrieking and giggling as a little boy came running out after them with a water gun. The two little girls being Dakota and Sarah and the little boy is Spencer.


“Dakota Ann Carter!” Nick demanded in a raised voice when the relief wore off and anger took over causing all three children to freeze and look up at the man who never yells at them unless for good reason.


“Yes daddy?” Dakota asked frightened. He has never used her full name in one sentence before. Not even when she is in trouble.


“Where have you been?!”


“Upstairs in Spencer’s room playing…”


“You told me you were coming down here! You had me worried sick about you!”


“I’m sorry daddy…” Dakota apologized, her lower lip quivering and her eyes watering up. “We gots sidetrackeds on the way…we forgot.” Nick sighed heavily and smoothed his fingers through his hair feeling horrible for shouting and he kneeled down in front of her and gently pulled her into a hug and she rested her head against his shoulder and popped her thumb into her mouth. Something she only does when she is scared, tired, or just upset.


“I’m sorry baby I didn’t mean to yell…you just had daddy scared. You need to try and remember to tell me if you change your mind about where you play. You know how serious it is that I know where you are.”


“I didn’ts mean to daddy…”


“I know…It’s okay,” he reassured and he kissed her cheek. He reached over for Sarah then and pulled her into a hug as well. After a few moments he stood up with them and brought them back over to the rest of the grownups with him. The only people standing there now were Kevin and Doctor Johnson. They all decided to go outside and Nick carried his two girls over to the sandbox while Ashley went over to Detective Stabler who was sitting at a picnic table. She sat on the other side of the table facing him and he raised his eyebrow curiously.


“Hey Elliot,” she greeted him softly while fidgeting with the string to the red hoodie that belongs to Nick that he insisted she wear.


“Hi sweetheart…what can I do for you” he questioned, feeling taken aback that she had approached him alone. She has never done so without Nick at her side.


“I was kind of, sort of hoping that you could do me a favor…”


“I’ll do anything for you honey, you name it and if it’s possible I’ll do it,” he told her gently, deciding that he likes this trust she is slowly beginning to have of him. Ashley was silent for a few moments just trying to gather her thoughts.


“I know you weren’t on mine and Kori’s case when my parents were…when they were killed. That you had nothing to do with it until five years later when you pulled me out of Sean’s pool nearly drowned,” she explained, swallowing hard at the mention of her near death experience. “But you’re a detective and have connections…so you would be able to figure out who the detectives that were involved are, right?” Detective Stabler nodded.


“They were named Hank and Greta. They kept your case open for a year and when they decided you were no where to be found and they couldn’t find enough evidence to keep the case going they closed it. Then five years later when you were found, I re-opened it. They are no longer Detectives in our state though.” Ashley’s face fell at this information.


“But is there something I could help you with? They filed all of your information from back then at the station…I know everything there is to know about your case so I’m pretty sure I could help you.”


“I was just hoping maybe my mom and dad left Kori and I something…like a will. I ran away and Kori ran away so obviously neither of us received it.”


“That’s a very good question…” Detective Stabler mused. “I’ll have to look into that for you…” Ashley smiled slightly but not much, as she is very nervous about the answer.


“How soon will you be able to find out?”

“Right now,” Detective Stabler answered, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, flipped it open, and dialed a number and he put it to his ear and got up and walked away to talk in private. Ashley sat there nervously twisting the string to her hoodie in he hands for a couple of seconds until suddenly Nick went over and sat next to her on the bench so his legs were on either side of it and he was facing her. She turned to face him in return and he cradled her head in her hands and smiled at her some.


“I love how independent you’re becoming.”


“Really?” Ashley asked and she couldn’t help but smile now that he was there. “Sometimes I get the impression that you don’t.”


“No, I love it. It means you are getting better…but sometimes I do enjoy taking care of you when you will let me.”


“You can take care of me now,” Ashley insisted, as she scooted closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Nick rubbed his hand over her back and kissed her forehead softly. They sat there together quietly for five minutes and then Detective Stabler returned.


“Liv made some phone calls. It turns out that they did leave you a will. She is going to pick it up now and will bring it here for you to see.”


“Should I tell Kori?” Ashley asked softly.


“It’s her parents too,” Nick answered.


“Well I can pretty much tell you right now that she wont want anything that will remind her of them.”


“She still needs to be present when you read the will,” Detective Stabler insisted.


“Kay…” Ashley replied and she got up and looked at Nick.


“Nicky, I need you to take care of me now…” Nick got up at once and he slid his arm around her waist, kissed her forehead softly and together they went off to inform Kori of the news. On there way there, however, they ran into AJ who was holding Laila who just woke up from her nap.


“Hey Ash, hey Nick…where are you two headed?” he asked curiously.

“To go find Kori.”


“What for?” AJ questioned, studying the look on Ashley’s face.


“To tell her that her parents left the two of them a will. Since both of them ran away neither of them received one. Ashley asked Elliot to look into it and he did. Liv is bring it here right now.”


“I suggest you don’t tell her until it gets here. So you know…she doesn’t have time to run away.”


“You’ve got a point,” Ashley agreed. “Do you know where she is at?”


“Upstairs. I just interrupted a make out session between her and Wiley not too long ago.”


“Ew…” Ashley complained. “I don’t need to know my sister was making out Aje.”


“Well hey, it could be worse,” AJ smirked and Ashley made an even bigger disgusted face.


“Thanks a lot Alex for those images that I wont be able to get rid of all day now!” AJ and Nick laughed. She shook her head and grabbed Nick’s hand and she headed for the door. AJ just chuckled and he carried Laila over to where Brooke is. When Nick and Ashley were upstairs they went down the hall to Kori’s room that she shares with her son and Wiley, and for the first time ever since Kori has been back, she knocked.


“Come in,” they heard Kori call. Ashley waited a minute, and then grabbed the knob on the door and twisted it open and much to her relief they were sitting up in bed talking. Kori raised her eyebrow.


“You knocked…are you feeling okay?”


“Just be grateful,” Ashley insisted, not wanting to tell her about the horrible images their brother had put into her head. She crawled onto the bed and moved over and placed herself between the couple so that she was sitting in both of their laps and she wrapped her arms around each of them. Nick chuckled and shook his head. Kori rolled her eyes but she looked at her sister curiously nonetheless.


“So. To what do we owe this pleasure?”


“I think you should come downstairs now,” she insisted.


“Why?”


“Because…I miss you…you’ve been hiding up here long enough,” Ashley replied making up her excuse as she goes.


“I wasn’t hiding,” Kori insisted. “We were just up here napping after our long drive.”


“Napping…mhm…right. Well you two seem to be wide awake now.”


“Okay, Okay…we’re coming,” Kori sighed and Ashley smiled, as she is very pleased with herself. She crawled out from between Kori and Wiley and got out of the bed and she watched as Kori and Wiley got up as well. Kori grabbed Wiley’s hoodie and put it on herself and she looked at Ashley.


“Where is my kid? I haven’t seen him since he left this room with the girls.”


“Outside spraying everybody he possibly can with his super soaker.”


“Oh boy,” Kori shook her head. “None of the other kids are getting mad at him right?” She asked while swinging her arm around Ashley’s shoulders and together the two of them walked out of the room with Nick and Wiley close behind. Nick purposely starting up a conversation with him.


“No they seem to be enjoying it. It’s a lot louder out there then usual though. Some of the other boys have joined in with the hose and water balloons…its world war 2 out there.” Kori laughed.


“Only my son…” She said and she once again shook her head.