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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Chapter Eighty-Four


As soon as Nick and Ashley finished packing the few things that Nick wanted and Brian finished cleaning up the ice cream mess in the kitchen and putting the left over KFC containers in the refrigerator, they got in their two cars and headed back to Brian's house. When they walked in they found Howie, Kevin, Riley, Kori, and Wiley all sitting on the couch and the kids are sitting on the floor watching Aladdin. They all looked at them as they heard them come in though.


"DADDY!" Dakota exclaimed thankfully, and she jumped up and ran over to him. Nick crouched down and held his arms open for her and she went flying into them.


"Hi baby," he greeted her, while wrapping his arms around her. She threw hers around his neck and hugged him tight.


"I missed you," She told him.


"I missed you too honey...but see? I told you I would be back." He replied, and he pulled back a bit and looked at her. She placed her hands to his cheeks and looked up at him concerned, immediately knowing something happened.


"What happened?" she demanded to know.


"Nothing sweetie, daddy is fine." Nick insisted, and Dakota frowned some as she knows he isn't telling the truth. "I mean it Kota, i'm fine." He reassured her, and he placed his nose to hers giving her an eskimoe's kiss. "Did anyone get you and the kids ice cream?" he asked her, wanting to change the subject. He knows she doesn't believe him in the least bit.


"No, Uncle Brian was gonna but then he ran outta the house - why did he run out of the house daddy?" Dakota asked, continuing her interrogation, and Nick silently cursed at himself.


"Yeah Uncle Brian, why did you run out of the house?" he asked, turning to his best friend and seeking help.


"I um...I thought I left something in the car" Brian quickly made up.


"Did you find it?" Josh asked him curiously, as he joined Dakota's side. "You were gone for an awful long time. An' how come you three came in at the same time?"


"Yes, I found it. It was Tyke's dog treats. I was having a hard time finding them in the car so it was taking me awhile. But then Nick and Ashley drove up and helped me out." Brian explained, pulling out a little sandwich bag full of dog treats. Tyke perked up at the sound of his name and treats in the same sentence and stood up from his spot where he and Dakota were lying earlier. Dakota was about to open her mouth, as he is still not yet convinced when Nick cut her off.


"But anyway, who all wants some mint chocolate chip ice cream?" He asked, heading toward the kitchen as he heard a chorus of 'me's'. Dakota continued to frown in disapproval as she watched her daddy disappear into the kitchen. She knows that he is lying to her. She may be only four years old but she's not stupid that's for sure. She knows her daddy more then he thinks. She turned to Brian and Ashley, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her uncle give Tyke a treat and play with him and Ashley stood there watching him.


"Uncle Brian he is lying to me!" Dakota insisted stubbornly. Brian chuckled and shook his head and he looked at her.


"Well nothing gets by you, does it Kota?" Dakota didn't reply, she only continued to stand there with her arms crossed over her chest and a serious look on her face. Brian scooted closer to her and gently took her arms into his hands as he looked into her eyes reassuringly.


"Your daddy is fine honey, I promise you."


"Then why is he lying to me? Daddy tells me everything." Dakota complained, and just looking at her he can see that this is more then just about lying to her. He can see that the jealousy she has for Sarah hidden inside her, is growing.


"Because you're four years old and worry too much maybe?" Brian suggested. "He's not lying to you to hurt you Kota, he is lying to you because he loves you and he is just trying to protect you. He is fine okay? Just don't worry about it. Your uncle Brian won't let anything bad happen to him. I've got his back okay? You just concentrate on being four years old and playing with your friends. Uncle Brian will handle the rest. Deal?" Dakota sighed in frustration and continued to look worried.


"Deal," She replied reluctantly, and he raised his eyebrow at her.


"What is with that frown of yours young lady? I will not have my niece looking so unhappy like that. It's against the rules in Uncle Brian's house." He told her and he lifted her shirt so he could see her stomach and he leaned down and began to blow raspberries on it. Dakota shrieked and began laughing loudly.


"Stoooop it Uncle Brian, that tickles! That tickles!' She laughed. Brian pulled back and smirked at his accomplishment.


"Now that's more like it. Dakota Ann has the prettiest smile in the whole wide world." He told her, making her smile even bigger and he stood up with her and placed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.


"Come on munchkin! I bet your daddy could use some help with all of that ice cream," He told her, and he carried her into the kitchen with him.


"Heya Nick. My lovely sack of potatoes and I have come to see if you need any help." He announced, and Dakota giggled.


"I am not a sack of potatoes, Uncle Brian!" She insisted with a big smile on her face as she did.


"Oh yes you are, silly." He replied and Dakota giggled even more. Nick chuckled.


"If you finish scooping ice cream into the rest of the bowls Kota and I will hand it all out."


"Okay," Brian agreed.


"Who is the rocky road for?" Brian asked curiously.


"Ashley. It's the only kind of ice cream that she'll eat."


"I want rocky road too, daddy." Dakota announced.


"And Dakota," Nick added.


"But of course," Brian replied while laughing a little and he took over with getting everybody ice cream while Nick stole his daughter from him. He cuddled her close as she slid her arms around his neck and he rested his forehead against hers and gazed into her blue eyes.


"So what has my special little girl been up to all night, hmm?" he asked her and Dakota beamed at his words.


"Ellie and me played board games the whole time. It was lots of fun!"


"Wow that's cool. Did you make sure to clean up after yourselves when you were done? You know daddy doesn't like it when you leave a big mess in your Uncle Brian's game room."


"Even though Uncle Brian tells him time and time again that it's okay," Brian replied, rolling his eyes.


"Yes daddy we cleaned up. Uncle Kevy made sure we did," Dakota promised.


"That's very good of you," Nick told her, and he kissed her cheek and hugged her close affectionately. She rested her head against his shoulder and sunk into his arms comfortably. She is happy that he is back. Brian may have told her not to worry, but she can't help it. Not with all of the bad stuff that's been going on lately. If anything were to happen to him she wouldn't know what to do. He is her entire world and he is the only parent she has. She may like to pretend that Ashley is her mommy and she hopes some day she will be, but she knows she's not. Nick is all she's got. When Brian finished scooping ice cream into all of the bowls he and Nick delivered them to people. When Nick and Dakota were holding their bowls and Ashley's only, Nick went over to the lazy boy chair that Ashley had made herself comfortable in, footrest up and everything. She moved over a little, allowing him to crawl into the chair next to her with Dakota in his lap and she cuddled between them as the three of them ate their ice cream. When everybody finished their ice cream, Brian, Kevin, and Nick took the kids upstairs to the game room.


"Do you mind if you have your slumber party in here Josh? Your room doesn't have a TV yet - but it will," Brian asked as the two of them set up blankets and pillows on the floor. Josh is already dressed in his Spiderman pajamas, and all the rest are still changing.


"No I don't mind. I love this room!" Josh replied, looking around the game room like it's Disney world all over again. Brian laughed.


"You and me both, buddy." he replied. When he finished he went to the entertainment center, opened it up and he pulled out all of the kid movies that he had originally stocked up on for Dakota.


"Here are all of your movie choices. Wait until everyone gets in here and then you all can decide together okay?"


"Kay," Josh replied. Brian took his hand and brought him over to the Spiderman pillow and blankets that Josh had brought from the Orphanage and Josh laid down and Brian sat next to him and covered him up. Chance snuggled in next to Josh and Brian grinned and covered the puppy up too. Suddenly Nick walked in cradling Dakota who he had dressed into her pink My Little Pony pajamas that have the closed footies and they zip up in the front. They're also very fuzzy and warm. She has her special blanket and her Share Bear. He brought her over to her Barbie sleeping bag and pillow that she keeps at Brian's house for these purposes. He lay her down before lying next to her and covering her up.


"Daddy will you lay withs me all night? Please? I don'ts want to be left in here alone."


"You won't be alone honey, Ellie, Josh, Spencer, Chris, and Sarah will be in here with you and so will Q and Marcus. I will be right downstairs if you need me."


"Kay..." Dakota replied and he brushed some of her hair out of her face, before leaning down and kissing her cheek. A few minutes later, Kevin, Kori, and Ashley walked in. Kevin has a hold of Elenore's hand, Kori has Spencer and Chris, and Ashley is cradling Sarah. They all joined Josh and Dakota on the floor where their sleeping bags are. Elenore was placed on the other side of Josh, and Sarah was placed between Spencer and Chris. Nick and Brian helped the kids pick a movie, and then Brian put it in. When the kids were all settled, they turned off the lights and left the room, leaving Marcus and Q to baby sit them all. When Kevin, Brian, Nick, Ashley, and Kori had gotten downstairs they found AJ, Howie, Riley, and Wiley, all sitting on the couch waiting.


"Oh hey aje how was your date? Where is Brooke?" Brian asked curiously.


"I dropped her off at the Orphanage, she wanted to check on it and do some late work. It went okay, even though she had a breakdown in the middle of it..."


"Oh no…what happened?" Riley asked worriedly.


"She had a flashback...and freaked out, and ended up telling me why she doesn't trust me."


"Why doesn't she trust you?" Howie asked curiously.


"It's not my place to tell you...you'll have to ask her."


"Should I call her?" Riley asked, as she is very worried about her best friend. She placed her hand at her pocket, ready to pull out her cell phone.


"I think you should give her some time to calm down," AJ replied, taking her hand into his and stopping her.


"Was she really upset when you dropped her off?"


"If she was, she wasn't showing it. I managed to calm her down and cheer her up the best I could by buying her ice cream. She seemed okay, but it was probably all just an act until she could lock herself in her office." Riley sighed.


"I really wish she could confide in me…we're best friends, I've known her since forever. You would think she would be able to talk to me better then anyone else."


"You've gotta talk to her about it…you will understand when you do."


"Did the rest of your evening go okay for you at least? Before she had the breakdown?" Kevin questioned as he sat down on the couch and got comfortable.


"Yeah, the rest of the date went really great. She loved the dinner surprise that I had for her, it about made her cry — happy tears."


"Well that's good at least."


"Yeah…so what have all of you been up to this whole time?"


"Well Kevin, Kori, Howie, and Wiley watched the kids for a couple of hours while Riley and I went to Chase's house to get her things and bring them here, and Nick took Ashley to his house…both of them unaware that they were being followed by two of Sean's guys…and I ended up having to hurry down there and help Nick kick some ass before they run off with our Ashley." Brian began, and AJ looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Brian and Nick both began to explain to everybody just exactly what happened now that the kids are all upstairs. Ashley sat quietly next to Nick, her arm linked with his and she has her head rested against his shoulder as she listened to them. She knows exactly who Jeff and that other guy is because she's seen them both before. They were with the thugs that broke into her house years ago and had helped murder her parents.


~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile, at the Orphanage, when Brooke arrived there and had gone inside she found Doctor Johnson sitting in her office at her desk going through some of his own paperwork having to do with his patients. He looked up at her as she walked in and smiled making her smile back the best that she could.


"Hey Brooke, how was your date with AJ?"


"It wasn't a date, it was a night out with a friend. And it was just fine," Brooke insisted and Doctor Johnson rolled his eyes.


"Whatever, you can't deny that it was a date. We all know what it was."


"Yeah, yeah." Brooke replied. "How did things go here?"


"It went great. Riley managed the Orphanage until it was time for her and Brian's shift to end, then she left and I took over. There weren't any problems, it was just a normal night at the Orphanage."


"That's good…thanks for all of your help," Brooke replied appreciatively.


"Anytime."


"Do you mind if I have my office back now? I want to do some work…"


"Sure," Doctor Johnson replied, and he gathered up his paperwork and was soon walking out of the office and he closed the door behind her. Brooke went and sat in her chair and she dove right into her work letting herself get lost in it and not think about anything else.


~*~*~*~*~


"I'm bored…" Elenore complained after awhile, as she and the rest of the kids still lay in their sleeping bags on the floor while watching Peter Pan.


"Me too," Dakota agreed, and she sat up in her sleeping bag and hugged her legs to her chest as a pout formed on her lips.


"Well, here's a thought, you all could go to bed like your supposed to," Marcus suggested as he and Q are sitting on the couch.


"But we aren't tired," Chris protested.


"We could get a board game out — if you want to," Josh suggested.


"Yeah!" Dakota replied, and she sprung up from her sleeping bag and crawled over to the cabinet belonging to the entertainment center.

"Mousetrap!" Elenore insisted, and upon hearing her best friend's request Dakota pulled that box out and brought it over to the rest of the kids. She opened the box and together they all began to set it up. Sarah remained in her sleeping bag, though she is sitting up and hugging her legs to her chest as she quietly watches them. Soon after awhile, Josh noticed and looked at her.


"Sarah don't you want to play too?" He asked her and Dakota scowled at the reminder of Sarah. She worked so hard on trying to forget that she is even there. Sarah's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she looked at Josh intimidated. She's gotten so used to being invisible that she didn't expect to get invited to join them. Sarah shrugged and gave him an 'are you sure you want me to?' kind of look.


"Come on it's a fun game. You'll like it." He insisted gently. Sarah looked at him skeptically for a couple of minutes, then she scooted over to the group and Josh moved over so that she could sit next to him. She grabbed her notepad and pen and scribbled something down for him to see and when she finished she handed it to him. I don't know how to play it read.


"Oh that's okay, I will show you how. It's easy." Josh insisted, and he handed her notebook back to her. She took it from him and sat there shyly watching him as he helped the others set up the game. She isn't used to Josh being so nice. When the game was finally set up they began to play and Dakota sat there quietly next to Elenore as she watched Josh walk Sarah through the game.


~*~*~*~*~


"Wow…that's crazy." AJ replied when Nick and Brian finished explaining to them what happened. "I'm glad that you three are okay though…especially Ashley."


"Yeah, no kidding." Nick replied, as he wrapped both of his arms around Ashley and hugged her close to him protectively and she sunk into his embrace comfortably.


"So Detective Stabler said he was going to question those two guys?" Howie spoke up.


"Yup…so hopefully we will get some more answers out of this never ending Sean Puzzle…" Brian replied. "But anyway, how about we watch a movie or something?" He offered, deciding that he would change the subject after seeing Ashley shudder and snuggle more into Nick at the mere mention of Sean. He doesn't like seeing her so uncomfortable.


"Good idea," Kevin replied, and Brian got up and got out his entire DVD collection.


"Should we make some popcorn? I'll go do that if you want me to." Riley offered.


"Sure Ri," Brian agreed, and she got up and went into the kitchen to make popcorn. As soon as the popcorn was made and the movie was picked and put into the DVD player Brian turned out the lights and everybody got comfortable on the couches, the lazy boy chair, or the floor and began to watch it.