‘It’s strange,' Celeste thought as she gazed out at the sunny skies from her seat. ‘I have come so far.’ 

She continued to look out the window as she waited for her brother to meet her at the bistro that they meet up at once a week for lunch or dinner. It was the same bistro that they had all met up at months ago and it had become a sort of ritual for she and Aaron to meet up. The bell above the door tinkled and Celeste looked up to see her brother walking over. 

“Hey sis,” Aaron smiled kissing her cheek “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. Traffic was insane.”

“It’s okay, I’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

It had been just a litte over five months since they had all met up. Though she rarely talked to all of them after she went off to school - not including the twins - it was different now. She and Aaron talked every single night and she made sure to talk to Hunter and Jay as often as possible. 

Cece couldn’t believe that it had almost been a year since she left home. Thinking about her reasons for leaving so suddenly and missing out on her graduation ceremony caused a familiar ache in her chest. The pain hadn’t gone away. If she was being honest, it didn’t lessen either. But like all things in life it was something that she learned to live with. 

It hadn’t been easy bringing herself out of the ‘depression’ she was in. God, it had been so hard. The most difficult  thing that she had ever had to do. Way more difficult than dealing with the loss of her parents. But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about any of that. 

“How are you classes going?” asked Aaron

Celeste rolled her eyes with a smile “Exactly the same as last week and the week before that. How are things at the store?”

“The same as last week and the week before, naturally.” Aaron chuckled. He couldn’t help but smile at their little conversation. Instead of it being them playfully arguing about his chair back in his office at the store, it was this. It made things feel almost normal between them again. He knew it wasn’t though, it would take a long time for his little sister to get back to the person she had once been. No matter what kind of show she put on, no matter what mask she was wearing Aaron knew what really lurked beneath the surface. “Oh, wait! Something new has happened this week.”

Celeste perked up “Really? What?”

“Jessica can to the store to see me yesterday.”

“How is that something new?”

“That’s nothing new, it’s her reason why that’s new.”

“Just get to it already.” she huffed 

“She came to apply for a job and I hired her on the spot.” 

“Oh, my gosh. That’s great. She’s going to do amazing.”

Aaron laughed “Ce, it’s a grocery store. It’s not that hard of a job. But I know what you mean. I could really use the extra help now that you’re not around and Trisha moving in a few weeks.”

“Jess is definitely going to make things interesting at the store.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” he chuckled knowing Cece was right. Jessica was going to make things interesting for sure. 

So on it went. It didn’t matter that she talked to her brother every night. It didn’t matter that they met up once a week, they never ran out of things to talk about. Then again it had always been that was between them.

As their lunch began to wind down, Aaron paid that bill and walked his little sister out to her car. He wished that she would open up to him, talk to him about how she was really feeling. He had tried numerous times to let her know that Nate had been trying to find her but every time Nate’s name was brought up she shut down. Aaron didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to betray his sister by telling Nate where to find her. At the beginning it had been a lot easier to turn Nate down since he had broken Cece’s heart. But now, he just felt bad for the guy. From what he had gathered from Jessica the day before, Nate was on a mission. Had been for the last six months or so. Almost every weekend he and Brooklyn set out to look for Cece. He had gone to a bunch of the colleges and universities but of course, they were never the right one.

Nate would never think to look some where so close to home. He probably thought that Celeste would want to be as far away from Hilton Valley as possible. That may have been the case in the beginning but Cece had changed her mind at the last second, wanting to be close to home even though she knew there was a chance she would bump into Nate eventually. 

“Any plans for tonight?” he asked 

“Oh yeah,” she nodded with a smile. “I’ve got a hot date lined up.”

Aaron was taken aback. “Really?”

“Yup, with my laptop and text books. Gotta study for exams coming up in a few weeks.” she laughed 

“That’s not even funny,”

“The look on you face was.”

“Glad I can be entertaining to you.” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ve gotta head back. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, don’t want to intrude on you ‘hot date’.”

“Okay, love you bro” she whispered against his chest as she held him close. 

With a sad sigh Aaron wrapped his arms around her. “I love you too, sis. So much.”

Aaron watched as Celeste drove off and scrubbed a hand through his hair and down his face. She was not okay, no matter what she said or how she acted. He just didn’t know what to do to help her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew where to start but Cece would not like it at all. Hm, then again maybe she would.  With his plan already forming in his mind, Aaron got into his car and headed back to Hilton Valley.

~*~

Later that night Celeste was sprawled across her bed with her laptop sitting in front of her. There were texts books and loose papers scattered around her bed as well as the floor. 

“Did a tornado blow through here or something?” Maddie asked as she entered the room and tiptoed her way through Cece’s mess. 

“Yup and it’s name is finals.”

“Oh God,” Maddie groaned “I absolutely refuse to think about that dreadful word. So please, please, please do not under any circumstances, utter that word around me again. If you ask me, it should be removed from the dictionary.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and laughed before getting to her studying. Time slipped by and Maddie eventually disappeared as well. It was just nearing midnight and she was about to put everything away when her laptop pinged . Someone had invited her to join in a video call. Cece smiled when she saw who it was from and accepted it without hesitation. 

“Hey Jess,” she greeted. She hadn’t talked to Jessica in a while. 

“Hey Ce, how are you doing?” Jess asked before continuing on. “I’m not bothering you am I? Aaron said you were going to be studying so I put off Skyping till I couldn’t wait any longer.”

Celeste chuckled “I’m fine and no you aren’t bothering me at all. I’ve just finished my studies for the night. How are you? Aaron told me he hired you over at the store.”

“I’m doing good and yes, he has thank goodness.”

“What made you decide to get a job and at the grocery store no less?”

“I don’t know,” Jess sighed “I just needed to get out of the house more often. It’s crazy here.”

“What’s going on?”

“Trust me, you aren’t going to want to talk about it.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it has to do with Nate.”

Celeste felt her breath catch and her chest did that ache again. Of course it had to do with Nate. Everything always did it seemed. Couldn’t there be at least one day where he wasn’t brought up? A day where no one so much as said his name around her? Was that all just too much to ask?

Steering the conversation in a different direction Celeste decided to ask how the dance classes were going. When she left home she hadn’t known what she was going to do about the dance classes. The nearest dance studio was two town overs and not a lot of parents wanted to drive to and from just for a few classes a week. She was beyond grateful when Jay offered to take over teaching the classes since they finished early enough for him to make it to the bar he worked at for his shifts. 

Jessica went into detail on how funny it was some times. Till this day none of the girls taking the class knew that Jay was so gay he couldn’t even see straight. She also said that a lot more girls had started taking classes as well. Why? Because there was a ‘fine ass dance instructor’. They talked and laughed for a couple hours before Celeste forced Jessica to sign off and go to bed. It was after two in the morning and they both had school once the sun came up. 

After cleaning everything up Celeste got ready for bed. She couldn’t sleep though. The problem wasn’t sleep itself, just the fact that she had to close her eyes and her dreams. Every single time she closed her eyes her mind replayed everything that happened the day she walked out of Nate’s room and life. Every night her dreams would plague with things that could have been, things that would never be. With one last shuddering breath, before the tears had a chance to fall Celeste fell into a fitful sleep just like every other night. 

~*~ 

Aaron pulled up to the Anderson residence a few weeks later and let his car idle at the curb. Jessica had let him know earlier that evening that Nate was heading to New York the following morning. She said that he was going to be home for the night to spend some time with everyone before he and Brooklyn flew out. I had wanted to do this a couple weeks ago but just couldn’t find the time. It wouldn’t have mattered any way since according to Jess, Nate hadn’t been home. Aaron knew that he and Brook had been staying with his grandparents during the week since it was closer to the school he was attending. 

Shaking his head Aaron blew out a breath and switched his car before stepping out. It was now or never and he needed to stop stalling and just get it over with. Walking up to the front door he raised his hand and knocked. In seconds the door was opened and Jessica was standing there looking at him. He could tell she was confused as to why he was there, he hadn’t told her why he wanted to know the whereabouts of her brother. 

“Is everything alright, Aaron?” she asked “Did I forget to do something at the store?”

“No, no. Nothing like that at all. I just wanted to speak with your brother.”

“Oh, well he’s in his room. Go head, it’s just that way.” she said gesturing in the direction of Nate’s room.

“Thanks Jess,”

Aaron walked down the hall and stopped in an open doorway. There was a half filled duffle laying open on the bed as Nate moved from the bed dresser to the bag, filling it. Leaning his shoulder against the jamb Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and watched the boy who hurt his sister. What he was about to do may not be the smartest thing he had ever done but, if it turned out the way he hoped it would, it would be one to the best. 

“Hello, Nate” 

Nate’s body stiffened. His hand poised over the duffle, turning , wide eyed he looked over. “Aaron?”

“Can we talk? Or is this a bad time?” he asked nodding toward the bed. 

“Uh. . .sure”

“Jess tell’s me you’re heading out to New York”

“I am,” he nodded “I need to find her Aaron and if no one is going to help me - which I don’t blame any of you for - I have to do what I can. I let her walk away once, that’s something I don’t want happening again.”

“Why?” Aaron was sure he knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from Nate’s mouth. Nate’s answer was going to be the deciding fact on the out come of the visit. 

“Because I love her dammit!” Nate shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “I love her so goddamn much that it scares the living shit out of me! I was a idiot for letting her walk out that door a year ago. I was being an asshole and deserved her walking out. But. . .I love her Aaron. I need her in my life and I will do whatever the hell I have to do to get her back. If you’re here to stand in my way I suggest you leave because nothing you say or do will change my mind.”

Aaron raised a brow. “How about this, she isn’t in New York so cancel your flight. You wont be needing to hop on to any more planes to find her. All you have to do is get into your truck and drive.” He had gotten the answer that he wanted so it was only fair. 

“What? Don’t play games with me right now Aaron” Nate huffed 

“No games, I swear. She’s over at ASU.”

“ASU?” Nate whispered “As in. . .”

Aaron nodded “Arizona State University” 

Nate glared over at him. “You told me she left to tour campuses. You lied to me!” 

“I didn’t lie, she did go off on tours. She just decided to stay close to home.”

Scrubbing his hands down his face Nate looked at Aaron imploringly. “Why are you telling me this? Why now?”

“My sister’s heart was broken because of your actions and your words. Celeste says that’s she okay hell, she acts as if nothing is wrong but we all know better. I know for a damn fact that the only thing - the only person - that can help her is you. Now instead of all this conversation why don’t you get your ass moving.”

Nate looked down at his duffle, shook his head and dashed out of his room.

“Don’t make me regret this,” Aaron called after him.

Skidding to a stop in front of his door, Nate grinned. “I wont. Thank you, Aaron.”

“Good luck,” Aaron nodded. Nate smiled again before he disappeared from view. “That boy is gonna need it.”

~*~

It was official, class was out for Celeste till the next semester. Okay, well, she still had a few more classes over the next few weeks but she could take those on line.  As she sat under a tree in one of the many court yards on campus she couldn’t believe that she had finished her first year at ASU.  It felt like a life time ago that she first set foot on ASU’s campus. She had thought the university was going to chew her up and spit her out. It was so different from high school yet it was still the same in some ways.  Cece was just happy it wasn’t any thing like Hilton Valley.

Here at Arizona State University she had been just another face in the crowd. She didn’t stand out because of who she was, how she dressed, what she looked like. It was nothing, absolutely nothing like it had been back in her home town. That was something that she would always be grateful for. No one at the University knew her back story. Though most of the state probably knew of the events that took place involving a kidnaping of a two year old girl, they had no idea that she was involved. And because of that, they didn’t stare or gawk at her as she passed them in the halls. 

“Mommy!” a beautiful little voice called out from somewhere in the crowded court yard.

Celeste winced but paid the voice no heed. She wasn’t a mother. God, but that sounded like the voice she heard every night in her dreams. A voice that she hadn’t heard in. . .damn a year. It was a voice she would probably never hear again. Her heart was breaking all over again as she thoughts about what the date was. Today marked one whole years since she had walked out of Nate’s room and life. She often thought about that day, wondering if there was anything that she could have done differently. Then, she would chastise herself, she had tried. It was him who hadn’t wanted to try, who pushed her away.

“Mommy!” There it was again - that voice.

She shook her head. It wasn’t her. It was not Brooklyn - it couldn’t be. Willing the tears - that were desperately trying to make an appearance - away, Cece got to her feet. She needed to get out of there, away from the voice that plagued her. Away from numerous pairs of eyes that would bare witness to her emotional break down.

“Wait for me mommy!” Celeste picked up her pace, adjusting her bag higher up one shoulder. She felt like she was losing her mind, maybe she was.

That little voice sounded so much closer. Much too close for her liking. Whoever that little girl was calling out for was not her. She would never hear Brook call her mommy again. Her ears needed to stop playing tricks with her mind. Needed to stop making her believe otherwise. 

As she maneuvered herself through the masses Celeste cursed the lunch hour. Why, oh why did so many of the students have to have the same free hour. She didn’t want to be dodging bodies, she just wanted to find one of the twins or get to her dorm room. Whichever came first was fine by her. Suddenly her body came to a jarring halt. She hadn’t been paying attention and ran smack dab into someone. Rattling off a quick apology Celeste stepped to the left and kept moving. She could still hear the little girl calling out for her mommy in the back ground. Why couldn’t her mother just answer her already?

“Mommy, stop” said the voice just as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her legs. Cece’s heart stopped in her chest as she looked over and down at the little girls wrapped around her. A sob lodged itself in her throat as she looked into the beautiful green eyes she missed so much. “Hi mommy.”

Bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, Celeste could only stare down at Brooklyn while the little girl smiled up at her. “Oh my. . .” whatever else she was going to say cut off as she watched Nate make his way toward her. 

“Do you have any idea how hard it’s been to find you?” Nate asked. She shook her head unable to form any words, let alone thoughts. 

“Carry me?” Brooklyn asked reaching up, Celeste obliged, cradling the girl against her chest. 

“Because of my actions last year and the things I’ve put everyone through during the months following, no one wanted to tell me where you were.” he sighed “Not that I blame them, I was an asshole.”

Brooklyn giggled “Daddy said a bad word.”

“So, anyway” Nate began again “I drank myself into a stupor for a couple of months, barely making it through my first semester of classes.”

“I heard,” Celeste whispered 

“Yeah, it wasn’t my best moments.” he said with a shake of his head. “I have done a lot of stupid things in my life but letting you walk out that door a year ago was the biggest mistake of my entire life. After I got myself together I went and searched for you. Brooklyn and I went to, too many schools to count to find you. I’ve spent the last almost six months checking them all out. Thankfully though, Aaron showed up at my house yesterday as I was getting ready to fly out to New York. He came over to tell me where to find you.”

“Why? Why were you trying to find me?”

“Like I said, letting you walk out was the biggest mistake I have ever made. I drank so much in hopes that it would numb the pain I was feeling but it didn’t - not one bit. God Ce,” he sighed “I have missed you so damn much. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t have let you walk out that door. I would have told you how much I love you and need you in my life.”

Celeste eyes widened “You love me?”

“You’re damn straight I do.”

“Then why....”

“I think I’ve loved you from the moment I looked up and saw you standing in my hallway with Brooklyn. But. . .I’ve never loved anyone like I love you and I fought it like hell. I was so afraid of my feelings for you, the strength of them. When everything happened with Sam taking Brook I knew I wouldn’t be able to bare losing you. If you think about it, it’s kind of stupid since I lost you anyway. Celeste, you are everything I want and need in my life. Everything that I want and need for Brooklyn. You complete us, make us whole and I just want a chance to make things right again. I know that it isn’t going to be easy, it’s going to be damn hard. I’ve hurt you, something that I never wanted to do, but I did. I know it’s going to take a long time for you to forgive me but I will do everything and anything that I can to make it happen. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”

“Nate. . .I. .” she what? Celeste had no idea. The boy, no, man, she fell in love with was standing in front of her baring it all. Giving her the reasons behind what he did, something she didn’t think she would ever get to know. 

“Marry me” he blurted then cursed under his breath. 

“What did you say?” she asked 

With a deep breath Nate squared his shoulders, stuffed a shaking hand into his pocket and got down on one knee. “Celeste Taylor, I know I’ve hurt and do not deserve another chance with you. But, this” he chuckled looking down at himself. “This is me begging for the chance to make it all right. To spend the rest of my life making sure that you are never sad or hurt again. So what do you say Ce, will you marry the schools bad boy who happens to be a daddy?”