chapter four !

our very first show — three

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DANNY HAD TAKEN Jesse upstairs to show him his new room, leaving Joey to get settled by kicking his stuff over to the alcove.

"There we go, unpacked already." He announced enthusiastically, staring at the pile of dirty clothes with a proud smile.

His smile really is everlasting, Winnie thought as she watched him with a smile of her own, contagious too.

His carefree persona, goofy smile and soft gaze reminded Winnie of her brother. As a result, Joey was already beginning to grow on her - his presence becoming a comforting one.

"You walked through the door unpacked, Joey." DJ remarked, rolling her eyes at the older man, even though an amused smile had graced her features.

Before he could reply, Stephanie started bouncing up and down, tugging on Winnie's arm as she spoke. "Come upstairs, Winnie! DJ and I share a room now since Uncle Jesse and Joey are moving in - you have to see it. We can have a tea party too!"

The young girl's excitement was evident through her rushed and slightly jumbled words as she tried to get everything out at once, making Winnie's smile widen.

"Yeah, come upstairs, Winnie!" DJ was quick to agree with her younger sister, her face lighting up at the thought of spending time with the Gibbler girl after her being away for so long. "Not for a tea party, though. There's lots I have to catch you up on."

Pamela's death came to Winnie's mind. Is that something DJ was intending on catching her up on? Was she even open to discussing it?

Not wanting to upset anyone, especially the girls, by reminding them of their loss, Winnie made the decision to not mention Pam - not to DJ, not to Stephanie and not even to Danny.

If any of them wanted to speak to her about it, then she'd listen with open ears, open arms and a kind smile. But, until then, she would keep her lips sealed.

She was meant to be having lunch with Kimmy in a bit, but one look at the girls' hopeful gazes was enough for her to risk being a little late. "Sure, lead the way."

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The girls had taken Winnie upstairs with the intention of spending some time with her, but DJ's plans seemed to change when they walked into their room. The look of determination on her face was evident as she moved to grab a roll of yellow streamer from one of the draws.

Winnie watched the girl with furrowed brows. Confused, she looked to Stephanie for answers, but the young girl seemed to be just as clueless as her.

"DJ, what are you doing?" Stephanie asked her older sister with a frown. She just wanted to show Winnie her toys.

"Setting some ground rules." DJ began unrolling the streamer, making sure it was secure at the window before moving with it across the room. "Sorry, Winnie, this'll only take a second."

The Gibbler girl nodded, even though she still didn't understand what was going on.

"Rule number one: never touch my stuff." Clipping the end of the coloured paper to an easel, DJ turned to stare pointedly at Stephanie. "You should be taking notes." She reprimanded before continuing, "Rule number two: never set foot in my half of the room."

The yellow streamer was a divider, Winnie realised, to keep Stephanie away from DJ and her stuff. The realisation made her feel bad for both girls, especially Stephanie.

They had both lost their mother, and now they had lost their rooms too, as they were being forced to share one. However, while DJ was being more vocal about her distaste for the whole situation, Stephanie seemed to be putting on a brave face.

The irremediable sorrow that overcame Winnie made her want to hug both girls and never let go. She hated that she was away when Pam died; she hated that she had lost contact and wasn't able to be there for the girls.

Truth be told, if she had known, she would've returned home much earlier.

Sighing, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind before focusing back on the girls. She was here now, and that was all that mattered.

"Where am I meant to stand?" Winnie asked, still standing in the doorway as she looked around the divided room. "Or were you planning on splitting me as well?"

DJ looked like she was considering it before shaking her head. "Splitting you physically might be a bit hard, but we could just paint a line down your face or something."

How lovely, Winnie thought.

Stephanie grabbed hold of Winnie's hand, a reassuring smile on her face as she tugged the older girl into the room. "You're on my side, Winnie."

DJ was quick to disagree, however, scoffing as she grabbed onto Winnie's other arm, "In your dreams, Steph. Winnie's on my side."

"But you already have the door."

"Maybe you guys should just paint the line down my face." Winnie's joke was her attempt at easing the tension between the two sisters, but it fell on deaf ears as they continued to bicker.

"Speaking of the door, how am I meant to get out of here?" Stephanie's question was a good one, Winnie realised, as the only exit was on DJ's side.

"Easy. You jump out the window and climb down the tree." DJ smiled, seemingly proud of herself for thinking of the silly idea.

"No." Winnie shot down DJ's dangerous suggestion at the same time as Stephanie, who let out a sharp "I don't think so."

"Suit yourself."

"I'll find a way out." Stephanie assured, letting go of Winnie's hand.

The sudden lack of contact didn't seem to register with Winnie, though, as she continued to stare disapprovingly at DJ. "I've already found you one, Steph. The door."

DJ gasped, taking a dramatic step back as her features contoured into a betrayed expression.

Winnie was stuck between rolling her eyes and laughing at the girls dramatics, "How else is she meant to leave, Deej?"

"Not through the door, it's on my side." The Tanner girl stood her ground.

Sighing, Winnie began comically waving her arms around. "Sorry, let me just conjure up a portal for her then."

"No need, Winnie." Stephanie's voice came from across the room.

Winnie's arms dropped like her jaw when she saw the young girl trying to climb the curtains. She used the nightstand to help her reach before clinging onto the red fabric and moving herself across. But, just as she managed to reach the other side, DJ pulled the drawstring, opening the curtains and taking the young girl back to her side of the room.

Just then, Danny and Jesse came into the room carrying the last of Stephanie's stuff from her old room.

Danny's eyes went wide when he saw his daughter dangling from the curtains, a long way from the ground. "Stephanie, what are you doing?"

"Just hanging around." The blonde replied casually, making her uncle smile amusedly.

"Come on, honey, get down from there." Danny went over to help her down, grabbing her from the curtains before setting her on the nightstand.

"Alright, limbo!" Joey cheered, immediately spotting the yellow streamer when he entered the room. He attempted to shuffle under it before realising it was too low and backing away. "No way."

Jesse looked unimpressed as he watched with crossed arms. Danny and Winnie, however, watched the blonde man with fond eyes and amused smiles.

"This is a nightmare!" DJ announced, seemingly bothered as she looked around at everyone in what was meant to be her room.

Was losing her mother not enough?

"DJ, honey, I told you everything is gonna work out super great." Danny was quick to try comfort his daughter, placing an arm around her shoulder as he offered her a gentle smile. "I'm sorry. I've got to get down to the station." He informed her, his smile turning apologetic.

Pressing a quick kiss to the side of DJ's head, Danny turned to face the guys. "Try to watch my sports report this afternoon. Today starts my special two-part series entitled, "Boxers: Highly Skilled Athletes or Bullies in Shorts?"

Everyone gave him weird looks apart from Winnie, who had a thoughtful look on her face as she actually considered the question.

"Bullies in shorts, definitely." She finally decided. "If watching Rocky has taught me anything, it's to watch out for overly ambitious boxers."

Danny nodded, his eyes brimming with mirth. "I'll mention it."

"Can I have a piggyback ride?" Stephanie suddenly asked, looking up at her father with hopeful eyes.

"Sure, honey. Hop on." Danny turned and crouched, allowing his daughter to jump onto his back. He waited for her to secure her arms tightly around his neck before turning to face the guys again. "All right. Now, the baby's schedule is on the refrigerator. You guys can handle this can't you?

Jesse and Joey both nodded, reassuring Danny with promises that they'll take care of Michelle.

Danny nodded, sending them a grateful smile before looking to Winnie. "Will you be here when I get back?"

The Gibbler girl shook her head, "Most likely not, i'm meeting my sister for lunch."

Nodding once again, Danny moved to press a kiss to the side of her head, just like he had done with DJ. "It's good to have you back, sweetheart. Remember you're welcome over here at any time."

Winnie's heart swelled as she returned his smile, "Thanks, Danny. It means a lot."

Jesse watched the interaction intently and with curious eyes, wanting to know more about the girl that stood across from him. She had shown up only a few minutes ago, yet the whole family seemed so familiar with her. No, not just familiar; they were all enamoured with her.

But why?

"Bye, guys." Danny still had his daughter clinging to his back as he moved to leave the room.

Stephanie quickly turned, smirking smugly when her eyes met DJ's. "Told you i'd find an away out."

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Walking out of the girls' room a bit after Danny had left, Winnie was intending on leaving to meet with Kimmy. Just when she was about to head down the stairs, however, she heard crying coming from one of the rooms.

The baby, Winnie remembered.

Kimmy had told her a while back that Pam had given birth to another daughter, Michelle.

From the moment she had found out about the newest addition to the Tanner family, Winnie couldn't wait to meet her. She couldn't wait to care for her, love her, and make memories with her like she had done with DJ and Stephanie.

She was tempted to return home then, and she almost did if her work wasn't so unwilling to let go of her.

You're here now and that's all that matters, Winnie reminded herself once more.

The cries grew louder, tempting Winnie to go soothe the upset baby, and she almost did if it wasn't for the fact that Kimmy was most likely already waiting for her.

Forcing herself to turn away from the wailing baby, Winnie attempted to ease her own conscience by assuring herself that Jesse or Joey would take care of it. As she continued on her way down the stairs, however, the cries seemed to get louder, and it was almost like Michelle was calling her back.

How awful would I be if I just ignored a baby's cry for help?

The cries continued to grow in volume, flooding the staircase and Winnie's ears.

Really awful.

Sighing, she made the decision to just quickly check on the baby before alerting Jesse or Joey that something was wrong and leaving. That way, she wouldn't be too late for her meeting with Kimmy.

Turning back around, Winnie walked back up the stairs with excitement bubbling inside of her. A smile graced her features as she paused at the top of the staircase.

She was finally meeting Michelle.

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author's note !!

thank you for reading!

like i stated in my last author's note, i'm writing way more than i was expecting myself to for this book. this chapter was initially going to be over 3000 words, but that would've meant that you guys would've had to wait longer for an update

i've also found that writing longer chapters is a bit harder for me, so i've renamed the past chapters and decided to just go with the flow. if a single episode has to be written out across four chapters, then so be it

i hope you guys don't mind that

i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it, please don't forget to vote

- ana  ᡣ𐭩