Grandpa and Grandma had left earlier this morning. And Dad wouldn’t be home with Cynthia until later in the evening apparently.

That meant it was just you and Stella today.

You look down into your cereal bowl as you gnaw away on the already well-chewed mush in your mouth. You would like to have said you were in deep thought but, not really.

You were probably just coming to terms with everything that had happened in the last 72 hours.

A bad family night out.

A fight with Cynthia.

Running away from home.

Another, and this time, REAL, fight with Cynthia.

Being detained and dragged into a hospital.

And while all of this was happening, you still haven’t managed to get over every that ONE thing that made you so upset in the first place.

Those feelings had to be placed on the back burner several times sure. When you insulted your step-mom. When you were being scolded by dad. Literally every time Cynthia was in your presence.

But every time, every moment alone. You’d think about her.

Lucy.

Maybe none of that would have happened if she was still here. Still alive. You would have already finished your painting and moved on. Probably out with Sera at the mall or something.

To come home to a better sister, or no sibling at all probably.

You’d get to see a dad who was much happier with you, who didn’t have to lose sleep over you.

Greeting a mother who looked just like you and had all the same artistic passion you did.

But you didn’t have that.

You had…

”A-amber? Sweetie?”

You perk up and look over into the living room, where your step mother had up to this point been watching TV at a low volume. The still tired stegosaur was looking at you with concern in her eyes.

”Do you need anything?”

You swallow the mush you had been chewing on for probably the past five minutes and clear your throat.

“U-uhm. N-no, I’m fine.”

”D-do you feel alright? Is the temperature alright or-”

“Yes Stella, I’m fine…” Ouch...you didn’t mean to respond that harshly.

”Oh...okay...well if you need anything...I’m right here okay?”

You didn’t respond back. You just kept staring into your bowl. Poor Stella, she didn’t deserve any of this.
>She inherited a family with preexisting scars she just couldn’t heal. Marrying a widower who had a kid she had no idea would spit her out like you did.

Cynthia’s words from last night echo through your head.

”No...after your mom...after Lucy died...dad was...he was heart broken.”

”Dad was...you were everything to him...all he had...he refused to take care of himself…”

”So mom...she began to take care of you...they fell in love...they got married...they had me...because of you…”

Was she being serious? You didn’t trust her for a second. And while she SEEMED genuinely remorseful, you didn’t know whether you should trust her or not. Because, yea, she was a bitch, but at the same time, if there is one thing...ONE THING, you could give her credit for, was that she wasn’t really a liar. Sure she would just SAY she was sorry about stuff and you didn’t believe she actually was but she was always forced to do so by your parents. Actually lying was something you don’t recall her ever doing.

But at the same time...it’s Cynthia, so you had no idea how she was trying to manipulate the situation to her favor.

And the thought of it being true really bothered you. Because if it was, if you were the catalyst to Stella and Dad getting together then everything you’ve done, what you said the night before…

You look up from your late breakfast and stare at the woman sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the screen. A pit formed in your stomach. It had to be done eventually. It’s not like you could have avoided her forever. She deserves it after everything you put her through. Besides, there is only one way to find out to see if Cynthia was being honest or not.

You clear your throat and after a brief moment to gather what you wanted you say, you spoke out.

“Actually...Stella?”

With out hesitation, she turns her head and perks up.

“I…” You pause again, the room suddenly just got a lot colder.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted like that. I shouldn’t have run away. I didn’t mean to put everyone through that. Especially you.”

The gears in your step mother’s head had to turn for a moment before she could stammer out a response.

”O-oh. Amber sweet heart, we’re all just happy you’re home and you’re safe. You have nothing to be sorry about, we know you’re going through a lot right now and-”

“No. Stella, I-…” You get up from the counter and walk over to sit next to her on the couch.

“I really NEED to apologize. There had to be...I dunno, a thousand different ways I could have better handled everything. I ruined our dinner. Caused everyone to panic. Almost got arrested! All just because I couldn’t handle what I was feeling. I was stupid.”

”Aw, Amber...well...I uh…” Stella’s eyes darted to various parts of the room, desperately grasping at how to properly respond.

She was clearly not expecting you to be so apologetic, let alone speak to you, at least so soon after everything happened. With a sigh she finally looks back at you.

”Thank you...really, we were all so worried and…look we are all just REALLY grateful you weren’t hurt. You mean a lot to all of us, especially me and...ugh I can’t tell you all of the things I thought could’ve happened to you.”

She started to reach out to place a hand on your shoulder, or even give you a hug but stopped and just placed her hands back into her lap.

“Well...actually,” You start. “About all of that.”

Stella raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.

“Last night, after...y’know...the thing that happened between me and Cynthia?”

Stella nods her head, still unsure of where you were going with this.

“She uh...she mentioned something.”

”Oh?”

“Yea, she uh...mentioned...something.”

”Y-yes? What did she say?”

How the fuck were you supposed to ask this? How blunt is too blunt? You did apologize and she did say she accepted it but the woman is still clearly on edge. You wanted to be tactful with this.

“Well, so...how did you and dad...meet?” That was way too vague. And you had asked that before years ago, honestly.

”What do you mean?”

“Well...Cynthia was talking about...dad and, me and, after mom died and…”

”Oh...OH!...oh…” Now she understood. Flawless explaining there Amber.

Stella shifted a bit in embarrassment. ”She told you about all of that huh?”

“Yea, she did.”

”I’m sorry Amber. It’s not that I nor your father wanted to keep it from you it’s just...it was from a darker time. It’s not something we like to talk about in detail. We didn’t mean to keep you in the dark.”

“No, no! I don’t blame you. I get it. But like, if it isn’t too much.”

Stella shook her head. ”No, no, I can tell you the story. The basic run down anyways. My memory has gotten a little fuzzy on the detail that past...oh, seventeen-ish years.”

You nod your head and get into a position that you feel comfortable in.

”So after Lucy...well, you know, your father was in...an understandably bad place. Well, actually, let me back up. The short answer is that we all met in high school. Your dad was a transfer student.”

You nodded a long. So far this was information you already knew.

”Well...at the time, I had a crush on him, but he had started dating Luc-...your mother, a short while after arriving and, because I didn’t want to be a home breaker or anything like that I stayed out of it. Well, fast forward, and we’re back to when Lucy d-...the EVENT happened. Your dad was in a really, REALLY bad place. Like, Amber honey...people were scared for him, and you. He wouldn’t sleep, he barely ate. Whenever I saw him, or when anyone saw him, which was rare since he also never left his apartment unless he was going to work or grabbing food for the two of you, he looked like he barely bathed, or shaved or did anything to take care of himself. And that isn’t even mentioning how empty he looked all the time.”

The more Stella went on the more you were beginning to wonder where exactly you fit into all of this. Since, if he wasn’t taking care of himself...where did that leave you?

”He went from being a very out going and silly guy to just...misery. Ripley and Sam tried talking to him. Didn’t work. Naser tried, didn’t work. So, I tried. I couldn’t just sit by and watch him deteriorate like that. Besides, if he looked like that, what was going on with YOU! Well, as it turns out. You were the only thing keeping him going. He did nothing BUT take care of you.”

Oh, thank GOD! For a minute you were worried dad was borderline neglecting you.

”Oh no nothing like that.”

Fucking mumbling.

”But he was only paying attention to YOU. Not himself. He ate the bare minimum, slept the bare minimum, if he slept at all. Never went out of the house. Well, I had enough of it. So, I forced him to let me baby sit you while he was at work, or when he was out shopping. So I was at your place for quite a bit of the week. Well...as a result of that, those old high school feelings began to come back. I tried to ignore them. I really did. It didn’t feel appropriate. But...that changed one day...and...when it did, I eventually started to bring him out to do things more often. First with me, just as friends, then with everyone else. But, I couldn’t take it anymore...and one day, asked him out on a date...and Amber, when he said yes...oh...I felt like I was a teenager again.”

Stella was blushing at this point, caught in her memories.
One thing stuck out to you though, something that made her hesitate for a second during her retelling of the story.

“That’s...nice and all, but what changed? Like what happened that day?”

Stella paused and started to shift around, her blush deepened. ”W-well, I uh...Amber you have to understand that during all of this I was basically baby sitting you. Watching you, feeding you, changing you when you needed it. And...well...on some days I’d even do it with your dad home and well...Amber uh...I...*sniff* we were playing and...your dad was right there you said...you said your uh...f-first words.”

Stella hiccupped and wiped her face.

Okayyyyyy, you probably went to far with that question. “Jeez, S-stella, I didn’t mean to-”

”No i-it’s fine. It’s just...you were walking right up to me a-and...it was still so early for you and I wasn’t expecting it and...*sniff*, I-I honestly didn’t expect myself to react the way I did, I mean...ugh...Amber I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, that moment just meant a lot to me...and-”

You stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

“No no it’s...it’s okay...I guess? First words are a big thing, I’m sure dad was excited too.”

”N-no you don’t-*sniff*, you don’t understand. I mean, yes he was excited, we both were...I-I just...ugh, I’m sorry, I’m a mess.”

You pulled her closer into an embrace. Feeling extremely bad about your decision to talk to her. It was probably still too early to even try.

Now you had to find a way to make it up to her...maybe a way to make up for what you said at that restaurant to? You rubbed her back as she continued to stammer in-between sobs in your arms.

”I-it’s just...I wasn’t prepared...like...y-you said...”

“Shhhh, it’s alright, it’s alright you don’t have to say anything. It’s okay…”

“Mom...”

And then, the dam, bursts.

An eardrum piercing whine escaped her beak as she pulled you deeper into the hug, nearly cracking your spine as she did.

”Ooooooooh baby Amberrrrrr……Please, please don’t leave me again. MommawillalwaysbethereforyouIpromiseI’lllistentoallyourproblemsI’llmakesureyoualwayshavearoofoveryourheadandfoodinyourbellypleasejustpleasedon’tleavemeagain.” She rocked you back in forth sobbing into your shoulder as she did so. And you didn’t know what it was, remorse, empathy, something, but you were beginning to shed tears of your own as well.

You were beginning to realize something. Something you’ve known all this time but, never really accepted or actualized until now. The poor woman in your arms really HAS been there for you. Of course, you lost your own mother, the woman who looked just like you, who acted just like you.
But Stella? She could say all the same things you were about her. You were different, another woman’s child. But she took you in, she took care of you...she loved you. Even now, even after treating her the way you did. Even after almost breaking every bone in her OWN child’s body she still, right now even, is crying in your arms talking about how much she was worried for you and loved you.
You let your own tears escape your eyes and threw your wings around the both of you. The two of you sharing this brief moment of repentance and reconciliation.

Stell-...your mom, rubbed her cheek against yours and softened her grip, rubbing your back as well ”Amber...you are the best thing to happen to me...you have no idea. I love you.”

“T-thanks mom...I love you too.”

After sitting in a silent embrace for what felt like decades you two finally release each other, wiping the tears from your eyes.

The two of you decided to spend the rest of the afternoon just watching TV with each other, ordering take out so that neither of you had to get up and cook lunch. And it felt great. But...It wasn’t over yet.

There as still a pit in your stomach.

And while you reconciled with Stella and accepted her as your mother, that really didn’t push Lucy out of your mind. There was still a conflict in your heart.

Now instead of feeling lost and lonely without the woman who gave birth to you, there is now a duel between Lucy and Stella.

How could you possibly love both of them? What would your birth mom even feel about accepting and loving Stella as your mom? You could ask Stella herself, but, while she was friends with Lucy. There was someone else who knew her better. Someone who was closer.

And you had to apologize to him anyways. At least, when he comes back home with Cynthia in a few hours.

[POST-NOTES]
I'M NOT DEAD!!! Sorry about the...erm, month long wait almost? More than that actually. So where was I? Well, Europe! I was on vacation...again. Sorry. Life stuff you know. But that wasn't all. I had actually returned like 3 weeks ago and had written essentially nothing that entire time. Didn't even think about what chapters to write or how to write them. Still needed a mental break but, having a project be WIP for too long will slowly gnaw away at my brain until I can't take it anymore and I either kill my self or shit it out finally. Laziness isn't the only reason I'm slow to finish this story though. When ever I decide to tackle big projects like these I tend to only have the Rising Action and Climax figured out and never the Falling Action or ending. The closest thing I had to the ending for this was the little epilogue I have planned but that isn't even really connected to the story too much. Oh well you'll see in a few weeks. Basically, I tend to rush endings and I definitely DIDN'T want to do that with this. Another thing distracting me was that I'm not actually a writer...I say as I'm writing this story. No, I'm actually an artist and my plan was to finish this and then start to contribute to threads as soon as this is done and over with. I already have a WIP of Olivia in the works RN I hope to post soon. Anyways. I'm back from my break. Expect regular updates every weekend as per usual until the story is over. I'd say we have...hmmm, 2 or 3 more chapters depending on on how I structure them or cut them up. Well, See ya guys next weekend!