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• Rio was home a little late that night- he had had to take a couple of hours out of his day to go to the bank and sort things out, and had made up the hours afterwards. Instead of going straight up for his shower like he normally did he took the oppertunity of catching Joey while it was quiet, nocking on the 'office' door before heading on in there "Hey Joey... can I have a word?" He approched the desk, reaching into his back pocket and producing the envolope that had the check inside it "I want you and Nina to have this... help cover the hospital fee's... " It was the money from his savings account- the twenty grand he had saved had been harveting some good interest- and he still have a few grand in the bank incase he needed it- and 50% of his paycheck was still going into his savings to. Its not like he needed the money anymore. (NT) -- Rio, 13:34:58 01/19/07 Fri

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• He frowned a little at the knock before he smiled a little as he saw Rio. When he was offered the envelope, he slid it open and then nearly choked on the air he was taking in. "Holy Shit! Rio, man, we can't take this, it's to much..." He shook his head, pushing the envelope back. "That's supposed to be for your house, yeah?" He shook his head again, that amount would pay off the bills and leave some left over but that was to much money to take from one person. Rio had worked hard for that, hundreds of hours in the hot sun or biting cold...it was his money. (NT) -- Joey, 13:41:57 01/19/07 Fri

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• Rio shook his head as he pushed it back to him, not taking it back "Its just money Joey... plenty more where that comes from- they make more of it every day... " He offered a wry smile before turning serious "I don;t need it man... it'll just depress me if I see it sitting there in the bank every day, doing no good to anybody. This is better... please take it.. That money was mine and Jackies - wouldn;t feel right using it without her... and she'd like that it was doing some good..." He nodded a touch before shrugging his shoulders "Besides... you deserve it... and I care a lot about Nina and I know she's not mine to look out for anymore... but I can at least help right?" (NT) -- Rio, 14:05:52 01/19/07 Fri

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• He let out a soft breath, watching his friend for a long moment before he stood up and crossed over to Rio, giving him a quick manly hug. "Thanks man, I know this will really take a load off of Nina's shoulders..." He actually almost felt a little teared up right then. This was an answer to prayers, that Rio had felt like he wanted to give them this money. It solved a lot of there problems and let him focus on just enjoying his new baby instead of obsessing on how to pay for her. His jaw clenched as he stepped back, rubbing his hand over his eyes absently. (NT) -- Joey, 14:18:52 01/19/07 Fri

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• Rio returned the hug awkwardly- he never really liked being thanked for the stuff he did- it embarrased him and made him uncomfortable, but he accepted his friends gratitude quietly. "You must be on top of the moon right now... new baby and all...." Rio offered him a smile "She's really something... I never pictures Nina as the mommy-type... but the both of you are gonna be amazing parents." (NT) -- Rio, 14:23:09 01/19/07 Fri

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• He laughed softly, shrugging his shoulders lightly as he looked over to his friend. "Crazy to think of being a dad, seriously." He shrugged his shoulders and smirked a little. "I don't know we are going to do it but we're sure as hell going to try." He grinned a little before he sat back down at his desk. "These numbers are nearly as bad anymore." He grinned a little at Rio before he went back to the numbers... She was standing at the counter, flipping through the days mail with a curious look on her face. She was expecting a letter from her daughters adopted parents but they were a month late and they had never been late for the other two they had set, at each six month interval. (NT) -- Joey/Jackie, 15:27:14 01/19/07 Fri

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• Rio left him to his finances, feeling pretty good for the first time in a while, and headed back out intot he lounge, though he paused as he saw Jackie by the counter. It was the first time he had seen her since the break up- and he just didn't have it in him to walk past her without even a hello- he just couldn't do it. "Hey..." He spoke gently, quietly, coking his head a touch. He was glad to see her up and about, he'd been pretty worried about her. (NT) -- Rio, 15:35:13 01/19/07 Fri

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• She bit her lip a little for a second before she looked back over her shoulder at him. A small smile graced her lips as she looked back to the mail. "Hey...What's going on?" She questioned softly, tuning on her heel to look at him. She missed him, desperately. It was obvious she wasn't getting a whole lot of sleep but other than that and a few pounds of weight loss she didn't look too bad. Kaden had really given her a kick start into living again. He hadn't really given her much of a choice in the matter when he tossed her fully clothed into the shower. (NT) -- Jackie, 15:41:01 01/19/07 Fri

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• He watched a moment longer before shrugging his shoulders a touch, awkward almost "Nothing... just got home... you?" She didn;t look to damaged... she looked okay. It made him ache right through to see her and know that the usual little hug and kiss would no longer be welcomed. (NT) -- Rio, 15:54:44 01/19/07 Fri

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• She bit her lip, looking up from the mail to shrug her shoulders lightly once more, copying his movement without even thinking about it. "Nothing at all..." She bit her lip a little, lifting her eyes to his, flashing him an almost shy smile. "How's Kabri?" She figured they were already together...since they had gone out the night they broke up it didn't really seem likely that he would still be single and not with the girl from his past. Her eyes went back down to her mail, pursing her lips a little. Where was that letter at? (NT) -- Jenna, 15:58:43 01/19/07 Fri

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• His brow furrowed a touch at her question and he shrugged his shoulders once more "I don;t know... haven;t spoken to her in a while... you have probably seen her since I have." Kabri was a good friend but he'd been too low about Jackie to really be too social- he;d been spending a good deal of time at the hospital with Nina, keeping her company and giving Joey a break, and since she'd been home he'd been helping her out here, "What you looking for?" (NT) -- Rio, 16:05:11 01/19/07 Fri

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• She sent kind of a strange, questioning look at him when he said he hadn't spoke to Kabri but before she could really say anything about that he asked waht she was looking for. "I was supposed to get an update from the Brownings every six months, you know? I haven't gotten one since nearly eight months ago..." She pursed her lips, her brow furrowed. "Maybe it just got lost in the mail or something...but they've always bene really prompt about getting it to me on time or early and always having her pictures taken right before and stuff..." (NT) -- Jackie, 16:12:39 01/19/07 Fri

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• He headed over to help her look, before he realised that wasn;t really his job anymore "Maybe if you called the agency? they could've lost the address or moved or something." He spoke in his quiet, almost gruff voice that he did when he was uncomfortable. "Why are you asking after Kabri? Did something happen?" He wasn;t sure if he hadn;t been told about something... it wouldn't suprise him- he was so rarely around, what with work and the fact he'd been keeping himself to himself. (NT) -- Rio, 16:16:21 01/19/07 Fri

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• She pursed her lips, tipping her head as she nodded. "Yeah, I think I will...I dunno, that makes me nervous." She shrugged a little before she looked at him once more at his words. "No, nothing happened that I know of. I was just wondering if anything happened with her and...well, you." She stated, actually being blunt for one of the first times in her life. She shifted a little, heading towards the fridge to pull out the chicken breasts that she had been thawing since earlier that morning. "Are you hungry?" She questioned, wondering who had cooked the past few days while she had been MIA. Not that it was her job anymore to make sure he was full and happy... (NT) -- Jackie, 16:23:54 01/19/07 Fri

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• "Me and Kabri? We're just friends... thats all we've ever been.... She'd Derricks baby sister..." WHich by rights made his pretty much his baby sister- since Derrick had been like a brother to him. Besides which he was still completely heartbroken over her. He followed her into the kitchen and set himself down on one of the stools at the center island, watching her "Yeah actually... but you don't have to cook for me... I'll grab somehting..." He didn;t want to put her out. (NT) -- Rio, 16:32:34 01/19/07 Fri

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• "It's alright, I was planning on making them anyway." She stated as she pulled out a few pans and started boiling some water for the vegetables. She grabbed the potatoes out of the cupboard and started dicing them up so she could make the garlic potatoes that were pretty much his favorite and just bake them along with the chicken breast she had while she continued speaking. "She doesn't view you as a friend, Rio." She stated honestly, her eyes looking up to meet his for a moment. One hand lifted to push her hair back and after a seconds annoyance she just tied it back in a low sloppy pony tail. "She doesn't treat you like a friend either." (NT) -- Jackie, 16:44:00 01/19/07 Fri

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• Rio frowned a little at that... he realised things looked a little suspicious at times... but it wasn;t like he tried to encourage it "She knows I love you... and she respects that... she'd never even tried anything - not even since we split up." His thoughts did wander then to the night of the break up- the kiss - but he didn't think that needed bringing up- they'd both consumed a ton of alcohol that night. (NT) -- Rio, 17:03:23 01/19/07 Fri

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• She just smiled wanely, as if she wasn't to sure of that before she shifted to pull over a stool and climb up on it to get to the shelf with the spices on it. Considering she was the one who did all the cooking, she really should rearrange the cabinets so getting to things was more convinient. She settled back down onto the floor and started putting seasoning on the chicken and then the potatoes before sliding them into the oven. She pursed her lips, leaning against the counter, gazing at him thoughtfully. "Do you think I should call the agency? I mean, I know she's not mine anymore and all that but I can't help but be a little worried..." She stated softly, letting out a soft breath, waiting a bit to see his reply. (NT) -- Jackie, 17:15:06 01/19/07 Fri

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• He had expected things to be more awkward than this, but it was almost like nothing had happened. They'd been together too long and loved each other too much to act any differently around each other "I'll drive you over there tomorrow if you like so you can see them in person... you have every right to be concerned- she's your daughter- plain and simple." (NT) -- Rio, 17:18:39 01/19/07 Fri

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• She nodded a little, biting her lip a bit. "Yeah, I mean, she's my daughter but she's not...I don't want to seem like some crazy stalker but yeah, I guess it's natural to be worried and they can't look at me too badly for questioning..." She really didn't want them to think she was nuts and was going to come back and steal the baby that the adopted family considered theirs back. She wasn't like that but she really wanted to know that her baby was ok and being well cared for and all that. She was just so little and innocent and tiny and she couldn't handle not knowing that she was at least ok. Her lips pursed for a moment thoughtfully before she spoke. "That would be great if you could drive me....I appreciate it." She paused a second more before she spoke again. "How come you never looked at her pictures, Rio?" It was a question she had always wanted to ask but was afraid to when they were together. (NT) -- Jackie, 17:41:13 01/19/07 Fri

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• >>(mwhaha its too long to go int he subject) -- Rio, 17:49:15 01/19/07 Fri
  • inside -- Jackie, 18:32:56 01/19/07 Fri
    • It was strange to talk about it now- when he was no longer a factor in her or the little girls life. He lifted her gaze to her as she passed hima beer, accepting it gratefully and offering a small smile, listening to her and watching her as she spoke. He'd known that she was scared to see the child and see the man who made her- and he'd shared that fear, but they'd never really talked about it before. He swallowed a touch and dropped his gaze a little, watching the condensation form beads of water and roll down to the bottom of his bottle "Could.... would it be alright if I saw them now?" He asked, his tones low as he failed to meet her gaze. (NT) -- Rio, 02:23:21 01/20/07 Sat

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• She smiled a little shyly, nodding a touch before she stood up. "I'll be right back." She stated, before running upstairs and finding the box she was looking for. She took out the envelope of carefully kept pictures and headed back down to sit next to Rio at the island this time. She carefully extracted the photo's from the envelope and pulled them out, showing him the top one first. "This is the one from the hospital when she was just born." She looked so funny, like a wrinkly old woman with a very red face. "...and this is her six month picture." She looked so different there, so much bigger and the difference was even more drastic when she gave him the year old pictures. "Her hair is so long...so blonde." (NT) -- Jackie, 08:02:34 01/20/07 Sat

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• Rio chewed at his lip almost nervously as she went to get the pictures, feeling his insides churn a little as he waited, sipping at his cold beer. He looked up at her as she returned, almost as if he wanted to change his mind, but as he took the first photo of the little girl he couldn't help but smirk a little "I didn;t think babies could look so different... Dakota looks nothing like her.... " He took the photograph of her at six months and grinned a little, saying nothing untill he saw the final one. That one he looked long and hard at, drawing a breath before nodding slightly, exhaling slowly "She looks a lot like you.... like how i imagined you looking when you were this old... she looks like a real little person there..." he cleared his throat a little and nodded, handing them back to her "She looks happy..." It did make him concerned about where the latest update could have gone to though... and he was quite anxious to get down to the agency tomorrow. (NT) -- Rio, 08:13:58 01/20/07 Sat

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• She nodded a little, her eyes lingering on the pictures before she spoke. "Yeah, she does...that's the best, you know. That's she's happy and taken care of. The parents send me some letters and stuff, updates, and they are just so excited about her. When she started walking you would have thought that she was doing algebra or something by how proud they were." She smiled a little before she cleared her throat and slipped the photo's back into the envelope, standing up to go check on the dinner that was done now. Quickly she made a generous plate for him and brought it over to him, along with silverware before she made a small plate for herself and sat down with it. (NT) -- Jackie, 08:20:51 01/20/07 Sat

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• He watched her quietly, a smile touching at his lips a little sadly before he tucked into his dinner "Its good that she has a good start in life... good oppertuneties... they can afford for her to have all kinds of experiences... music lessons, dance lessons, horse riding... whatever she wants to do..." He nodded a little, as if trying to convince himself. "And they really wanted her... and you got to choose them... so its good... really..." He nodded again, though he couldn;t help but woder int he back of his mind if they could have made it work. (NT) -- Rio, 08:29:08 01/20/07 Sat

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• She let out a soft breath, pushing around the chicken on her plate as she spoke. "We chose them." He'd been right there with her through so much, holding her hand, holding her when she was crying, supporting her decisions and giving his opinion whenever she needed it. The rest of the meal went by in a bit of silence before she stood up to take her plate and put it in the dishwasher. "I am going to go let everyone know dinner is done and turn in for the night....do you want to just let me know tomorrow what time is good for you to go?" She didn't want to interrupt any plans or anything he had and she was still pretty damn tired from all the emotional turmoil she had been going through the past few days. (NT) -- Jakcie, 08:40:39 01/20/07 Sat

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• He looked up as she finished off and nodded a little, still eating the large portion she'd served up for him "Sure... I'm free all day- I have the day off and no plans... so we could go pretty early if you want... then I offered to get the weekly groceries.... Lacey made a list but you can come along if you want... make sure she didn;t miss anything..." Nina had asked him to get a few bits and peices for the baby- milk, another bottle, diapers- that kind of stuff. (NT) -- Rio, 08:47:04 01/20/07 Sat

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• "Sure, that sounds good." She smiled softly, stepping forward towards him as if to give him a kiss for the night before she realized what she was doing and abruptly stepped back. Her jaw tightened for a moment and her eyes flashed something painful but she took a step back and cleared her throat. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rio." She stated softly, turning on her heel to head up to the stairs and to her room. She took a long shower and headed to bed to read, falling asleep fairly early into the night. She woke up on her own, without an alarm, shifting her weight on the bed and stretching out. It was weird sleeping without Rio, not being able to cuddle up next to him. Yawning, she padded down stairs in a long t-shirt and short shorts that showed off a lot of leg. She didn't think anyone would be up and she wanted to start breakfast... (NT) -- Jackie, 09:10:14 01/20/07 Sat

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• >> -- Rio, 09:50:54 01/20/07 Sat
  • That was one of the hardest things for her, not waking up to him. It was strange to wake up in the bed alone, to have silence echoing around her. She had woken up at five every morning also since they broke up because she was so used to waking up with him and getting him breakfast, seeing him off for his day and all that. She missed those quiet mornings together. She was still drowsy and half asleep but smiled warmly if somewhat absently at him when he came downstairs. "Hey...sleep ok?" She had...kind of. As good as she was expecting to these days anyways. "Hungry?" She was fixing pancakes for everyone but all she wanted to do was creep closer to him and let him hold her tightly for just a few minutes. (NT) -- Jackie, 09:58:09 01/20/07 Sat

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• He nodded in response to her question- he always dropped into a dead sleep because he worked himself so hard "Starving... If you plate some up for Nina too I'll take them up... she can;t get up and down the stairs yet- I need to heat this milk up for the baby too...." He moved closer to her so he could take the back ring that wasn;t being used, turnign on the gas and letting it light before putting the pan down over it. He was prettle close to her as he kept an eye on the milk, his bar chest just inches from her back, and he could feel the electricity between them like a magnetic pull. (NT) -- Rio, 10:05:18 01/20/07 Sat

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• Her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes closed for a moment as she just inhaled deeply, taking in the manly, masculine clean scent of him. She could feel the heat of his body seeping into hers the way it did when they were laying entwined in bed and a soft sound, almost like a whimper, escaped her lips but she covered it with a soft cough and a nod. "Alright, I can do that..." She murmured softly, getting a small plate together for Nina and handing it over to him before she reached up to get another plate, the motion sending the shirt riding up and exposing the barely covered curve of her bottom. "I was thinking we should go in the morning...that way I won't be taking up your whole day..." (NT) -- Jackie, 10:12:56 01/20/07 Sat

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• He swallowed against the thick lump in his throat when he watched the shirt rise up over her perfect form, having to take a step back to keep himself from movin his body into hers, busying himself with taking the pan off the heat and turning away from her to get himself under control as he tipped the contents of the pan bac intot he bottle, testing the temperature on his arm. "Yeah, we need to do the grocery shopping too..." he nodded in agreement, not going into the 'taking up your whole day' statement. He could think of no better way to spend his day than spending it with her... he missed her company a lot. He headed upstairs with the bottle of milk and the plate of pancakes, which he'd already covered in syrup for Nina- the way she liked them. He fed the baby for her while she ate her breakfast, staring down at the tiny little girl in his arms- unable to help but regret that he hadn;t been able to do this for Jackie's baby. (NT) -- Rio, 10:18:50 01/20/07 Sat

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• She had watched him get the bottle ready and when he disappeared up to the stairs she was a little surprised to feel the sharp hint of tears behind her eyes. He would have been good with a baby, she knew it. Her lip tugged between her teeth and her brow furrowed just a little before she gained control of herself again and worked on making him a generous plate of pancakes and syrup along with two eggs. She got him a glass of orange juice and placed it by his meal before she finally sat down with her own and started eating. All she needed to do was go get dressed and she would be set to go.. (NT) -- Jackie, 10:27:38 01/20/07 Sat

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• Rio came back down with Nina's empty plate, leaving her with the baby and the bottle. He put it into the dishwasher that they'd all chipped in to buy last summer and then went and sat down at the table with her "This looks great... thanks ba-... Jackie" He corrected himself quickly, tuckingintot he food hastly and soon scraping the plate clean. He waited for her to finish before taking her plate and his back intot he kitchen and loading it intot he dishwasher "Alright... well do you wanna head out as soon as we're dressed? Like half an hour or so?" (NT) -- Rio, 10:41:31 01/20/07 Sat

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• She nodded a little, smiling at him as she stood up. "Yeah, sounds good, I just need to get dressed and I'll be all ready." She smiled softly, watching him for a second. "I really appreciate you taking me, Rio." She stated honestly before a small blush crossed her cheeks and she turned, heading upstairs. It wasn't his responsibility to run her around or to listen to her concerns about her baby. He was just a genuinely good guy. Once in her room, she shifted to tug on a pair of well fitting, comfortable worn jeans. The brown and gray shirt she had gotten from her previous job was pulled on next and then a hat was placed on her heat to match the jacket she pulled on. Once her shoes were on she was heading back downstairs, looking around to see if he was there yet. (NT) -- Jackie, 10:44:54 01/20/07 Sat

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• He was waiting downstairs with a pair of his smarter jeans and a black sweater- looking pretty responsible, his car keys in his hand, chatting to Kaden who had stopped by to visit, talking primarily about Jackie and how she was getting on these days. He glanced up as he saw her, his dark eyes drinking in the sight she made. He loved that she'd grown her hair long and she was really growing up, growing into her body. (NT) -- Rio, 10:59:53 01/20/07 Sat

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• She smiled warmly, thinking that she loved how he looked. He looked great in just a pair of sweats and he looked just as good in a pair of nice jeans and shirt. His hair was tightly rolled, Kabri must have re-done it recently. That set a little of her good mood back a touch before she swallowed and pushed that aside, tipping her head. "Ready to go?" She questioned, buttoning up her jacket and wrapping her scarf tightly around her neck. She was such a freeze baby, always cold. As soon as he had climbed into bed with her at night she had always wrapped her body around his, he seemed to exude body heat and she was more than willing to share his to warm herself up. (NT) -- Jackie, 07:59:45 01/21/07 Sun

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• "Yeah, ready to go" He'd gotten the grocery money off Nina already and Lacey had given him a list of things they needed and wanted. He opened up the door for her and followed her out, unlocking the car door on her side first so she could get in out of the cold, before going aorund to open his side up, sliding in behind the wheel and starting the car up. He remembered the way like the back of his hand- he'd gone with her to the clinic every time she had needed to go. "I'm sure there'll be a simple explanation..." He assured her as he pulled into the parking lot, finding a space easily. (NT) -- Rio, 08:28:11 01/21/07 Sun

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• She had given Kaden a hug before they left to show that there were no hard feelings before she headed outside with Rio. It was kind of quiet for most of the ride there except for when they pulled into the parking spot in front of the clinic. A low breath escaped her lips as she looked up at it, her brow furrowed gently as she felt all the memories of the time during her pregnancy come back to her. Biting her lip, she looked over at him - looking so young and vulnerable - and nodded a little. "Yeah..I am sure..." She murmured softly, shifting to climb out of the car. Her arms wrapped tightly around herself as they went through the doors and she went to sign in before settling into the waiting room chairs. Her blue eyes were reflecting her emotions, making her look a little sad, a lot vulnerable and a bit hesitant.. (NT) -- Jackie, 08:43:15 01/21/07 Sun

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• He fell in step beside her, setting his jaw a little as he took a deep breath through his nose. He hated to be back here as much as she did- but he wouldn't have let her come alone. He stole a quick glance at her as they walked through those doors, watching her wrap her arms around herself and not even stopping to think as he let a hand rest on her shoulder protectively. This wasn't about them being together or apart- it was about him being there to support her. He sat down with her on the waiting room chair and took his arm back, grinding his teeth slowly as his dark eyes flickered between the clock above the reception desk and the door people had always come out of in the past when they'd been here. (NT) -- Rio, 08:50:23 01/21/07 Sun

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• inside -- Jackie, 09:10:12 01/21/07 Sun
  • Rio stood up just as quickly as Jackie did when they called her, following her down the hall and remaining quiet as she asked for information. He hated this place.... he'd been in and out of the system since he was a baby and these places didn't bring back anything but bad memories. His dark eyes turned to the woman as she informed them that the 'Wilsons' had passed away, and a frown instantly took residence on his features. These people were senseless. His arms enveloped Jackie and an angry scowl settled over his features, speaking to the receptionist "She should have been told- WeShould have been told... that was the agreement. We want to talk to the manager of this whole thing... Jackie gets to choose who her daughter belongs to- not you." (NT) -- Rio, 10:21:34 01/21/07 Sun

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• She took a shuddering breath, her eyes squeezed shut as she hid in the safety of Rio's chest. Tears were threatening her eyes, her breath stuck in her throat as she swallowed heavily. This was exactly what she had been afraid of to begin with, that her little girl would just get lost in the system. Her fingers twisted in the fabric of Rio's shirt for a long moment, closing her eyes and just letting him handle it because that's what he did. He took care of her, he fixed things, god, how did she ever think she could live without him? She vaguely heard the woman speak in the background. "Of course, go ahead and go into the first counseling room on the right and we'll have someone meet you in there to discuss whats going on." Jackie bit her lip, pulling back and not looking at anyone as she headed into the counseling room which had two chairs, a couch and a desk inside it. Once they were alone in there her eyes moved to Rio, tears welling in the blue depths. (NT) -- Jackie, 10:29:02 01/21/07 Sun

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• "Thank you" He muttered to the woman before following Jackie into the counselling room. He looked down at her as she stared up at his with those big blue eyes brimmed with tears, shaking his head and drawing her to him "No... don't do that... don;t cry... we'll fix this... whatever you want , we'll fix this... " He assured her, pressing his lips to her blonde hair and breathing in the sweet scent of her conditioner. "Just tell me what you want And I'll get it for you." (NT) -- Rio, 10:37:22 01/21/07 Sun

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• She just took a few moments to rest in his arms, her own arms tight around his waist as she tried to control her emotions. Her breath was shaky when she finally exhaled though she stayed in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest. "This is what I was afraid of...that she would be with people that we knew nothing about..." She bit her lip, her brow furrowed heavily. "...but I signed away all rights and now..now I don't have any say...she's not mine and she's with strangers and who knows how they are treating her? If she is happy?" She whimpered softly, her brow furrowed as she looked up at him again, taking a shuddering breath, her cheeks damp with tears. (NT) -- Jackie, 10:45:48 01/21/07 Sun

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• He brushed her blonde hair back form her face and brushed a kiss over her cheekbone, kissing away a stray tear , his thumbs moving to dry the rest "Do you want her back? Do you want to take her home with us? She's in foster care- there no agreement or time limit there- she can be pulled from them whatever time- as soon as they find a perminant family for her... and you have more claim to her than anyone else. If you want to take her home with us we can do it." (NT) -- Rio, 10:50:39 01/21/07 Sun

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• Her eyes widened at that thought and she pulled back to look at him. "I never thought about that..." Her brow furrowed a little as she thought it over before she looked at him again. "Before you didn't think it would be a good idea to keep her....what's changed now?" She questioned softly, honestly wanting to know. The big difference was, to her, that they weren't together now so maybe it would have as much influence over his life if Jackie kept her now rather than before...pursing her lips, she suddenly realized she was still clinging to him but she didn't let go this time. She needed to hold onto him, he was keeping her ok right then. Soon enough a counselor would be in to talk to them and so she needed to take the time they had alone right now to calm herself down and get her head and thoughts clear and organized. (NT) -- Jackie, 11:00:31 01/21/07 Sun

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• "We're older now... things at the house are more settled... Joey and Nina think its a good place to raise a child... why not you?" He had nearly said 'us' but had caught his thought track in time. Back when she'd had the baby there was drugs and alcohol everywhere- tons of teenage kids running around... they'd all grown up a little now, chilled out- and more importantly he had a good , perminant job that he got paid a lot of money for- maybe not a lot by like... doctors standards- but for someone with no qualifications and a police record on their files- he was doing damn good. He thought it was a good idea to talk about this now- so she would have an idea of the outcome she wanted from this meeting- so she wasnl;t just drowning in what they told her. (NT) -- Rio, 11:13:50 01/21/07 Sun

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• "I...I don't know...how to raise a child..." She murmured softly, her brow furrowed as she bit her lip and finally broke out of his arms, her hand reaching up to take off her hat and run her hands over her hair. "Plus, they are going to want to see my financial records and I don't even have a paystub or anything..." If she was the one regaining custody than they would want to see her records and she had nothing to show. The house was looking decent, sure but as far as cash flow went, she was broke. Plus, no medical insurance, no insurance of any kind....there was just so much to think about. Would her daughter be bitter against her later on in life for giving her up for that year? What kind of future could she offer her? And...most importantly, could she do it all without Rio? (NT) -- Jackie, 11:22:08 01/21/07 Sun

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• He frowned a little and ran a hand over his braided hair, thinking a moment before speaking to her in a low voice "They still think we;re together... so just play on that... we'll say we're engaged and they can see my paystubs....and I have medical insurance for me and my dependants under 18 with my job... including dental" He through in as a bit of a mood lifter, offeirng a faint, encouraging smirk "Do you think Nina knows what she's doing raising a child? You can figure it out together... and its not like your alone... Kaden and Ella and Cammy and Lacey will help out... and Joey and Jason... and me." He ended, dropping his gaze a touch "Only do this if you want to jackie... I just want you to understand that its an option for you." (NT) -- Rio, 11:29:17 01/21/07 Sun

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• inside -- Jackie, 12:00:10 01/21/07 Sun
  • Rio had listened quietly, letting Jackie have her say, nodding along and chiming in when it was appropriate, but on the whole he stayed quiet. as she spoke her final part Rio arched a brow and nodded, squeezing Jackie's hand gently "Of course..." He let his gaze shift to Jackie- he didn;t think she would mind that... anything to have Emily back he guessed. And he didn;t mind the idea of helping her to raise the little girl- if she'd let him- even if they weren;t a couple anymore. "So do we need to sign anything yet? I can bring along my paystubs this afternoon - I have the day off. How soon are we talking about this whole process going through? Because we really want Emily to be settled as soon as possible." (NT) -- Rio, 14:33:32 01/21/07 Sun

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• inside -- Jackie, 14:40:44 01/21/07 Sun
  • Rio sat in silence for a long while before he glanced over to her "No its not like that at all... I really want to do this... I went through the system... I know how it works... and I wouldn;t wanna put any kid through that... especially yours." he glanced over to her and smiled a little, dropping his gaze "I know it will be all legal and that... but if you dont want me to be a part of her life then thats alright- thats your choice... but I really hope you will let me..." He admitted. He understood that if she met someone else and got married and they wanted to adopt Emily as their own then he would have no moral right to refuse- and he was prepared for that... or at least he would be. (NT) -- Rio, 14:58:16 01/21/07 Sun

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• She smiled warmly at him, reaching over to squeeze his hand and then lifted it to brush an unexpected kiss across his rough knuckles. "She'll need clothes and toys and a bed..." She bit her lip a little, her brow furrowed gently. There was so much going on but she was so excited that she was going to see her baby. Her tongue peeked out across her lips as she leaned back in the chair. If he thought she was going to let anyone else be involved with her babies life, he was crazy. She still wasn't comfortable being alone with any man outside of the house and she wasn't ok with being touched by anyone but him unless she knew it was coming. "Let's go home, Rio, there's a lot to get ready for..." (NT) -- Jackie, 15:02:47 01/21/07 Sun

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• He shook his head a little at that and smirked a little "No- shopping first... home later... We need groceries and such or they;ll think we don;t intend to feed her... And nina needs baby stuff... and you need toddler stuff..." With that he heade dint he direction of the mall. They sped through the grocery shopping and got everything off the list- plus a few extra's for Emily- easy stuff for her to eat and child friendly stuff- before they hit the toddler stuff list. They didn;t spend a lot- but they got what they needed and hurried home with it to set things up. Rio needed to talk to Joey over all this- sorting out a nice big room for jackie and the baby. (NT) -- Rio, 15:06:54 01/21/07 Sun