"Thanks Bean." The girl tucked a few threads of hair behind her ear. She smiled at the doorway. Her heart felt so much lighter when there was nothing holding her back. That being her father, of course. She was weightless. Going to that hospital had been the most difficult thing she'd ever done in her life. Now, though? It was all over. She'd finished her task. Viktor was on his way over now. She'd given him closure. It had been such a complex thing.

She remembered it so clearly. The day she'd gone over to his house, after returning from the mental hospital. She was a mess of snot and tears, and needed someone, anyone, to hold her. When she got to the Lebedev and Davis household, Bean was the one to open the door. That had been humiliating in itself. But to her surprise, the boy wasn't angry, or upset, and he didn't smugly laugh at her for appearing in such a manner.

In fact, Bean had guided her into the home. He led her to the couch, and sat her down while she choked and sobbed. He held her shaky hands, awkward as he felt because they hardly knew each other then. That was ages ago, and they'd grown closer since then.

At that point, Mrs. Davis had come to comfort the girl. Amelia had, too. They took over a relieved-Bean's spot, and sent the boy to find Viktor. Amelia hugged Evelyn tight, keeping her secure there, while her mother assured her that she did the right thing and everything was going to be alright, and they would take care of her if she ever needed it, everything she needed to hear at the time.

The girls were only a temporary fix, though. When Viktor arrived, and pulled her into a hug, everything good flooded over her. They stood there, everything else fading away for a time. No words were exchanged. She rested her weight against his body, neither budging otherwise.

When her tears finally dried, she told him everything that her father had told her. Then it was his turn for hugs and tears. With both her, and his mom. It was the most bittersweet time of Evelyn's life, aside from her mother's funeral.

That day had been closure for the entire family. It was everything they needed to recover from the initial pain of their loss. Sure, things would never be the same again, but they all knew they could heal after that day.

Now she stared at the doorway, looking at the banners. There were three of them. One for Evelyn's seventeenth birthday (it was strange, because it was the first time she had a party that wasn't announced by her father's handwriting), the same night her world fell apart. Another for Amelia's sixteenth birthday which had been skimmed over in her state of catatonia so long ago. The final banner was for the first anniversary-remembrance of Camilo's death. Today was going to be a big day. Each event was significant, and just as bittersweet as that day of closure. It was everything they all needed.

"Where'd you say your aunt was?" Bean asked, laying out the cups. Evelyn glanced at him, hardly processing the words. When she realized what he said, she smiled. "She went to Schmidt's place. I don't think he wants to disappoint her. That, or he is secretly into her. That would be very weird to me." She chuckled into her palm. "That poor lawyer. She's always badgering him. If it wasn't for that not-letting-her-down thing, he'd probably set a restraining order in place!" The two of them had a laugh about that.

The doorknob wiggled not far from them. Their attention honed in on Viktor, who stepped through the door, a poignant yet indulgent grin on his face. He focused primarily on the final banner. It was the same one that had been hung up a year before, except the last name 'Davis' was crossed out and a red 'Lebedev' had been written in its place.

Evelyn hugged him when he walked in. She led him to the cake in the room, then left him with Bean, because she knew her best friend would surely follow. As soon as she reached the door again, Amelia was standing there. The girls smiled, exchanged hugs, and everyone gathered in the living room.

It wasn't a major party like last year. Goodness, anything but it being like last year. The four of them lazed for a few minutes, before everyone got up to get their drinks.

Evelyn smiled when Amelia started the actual party events. By dancing. She never thought she'd see the girl dance on such a day. Camilo was the one who'd taught her, after all.

Just to give her someone to dance with, Bean wormed his way over. The two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. In fact, he was red in the face, and wore the same dorky smile he used to whenever he hung around Viktor. Evelyn found it encouraging.

Viktor came up behind her. She could feel his presence in the warmth and strength looming over her shoulder. Glancing behind her with a cheeky grin, she nudged him back a bit. "At least take me out to dinner first." She teased, and his eyes rolled. "C'mon Evelyn, dance with me." He set down his cup, and pulled her to the living room where the other two danced. "Your moves have improved. Let's do it." Placing a hand around her waist, he led her.

The couples danced around each other, then with one another's partner's. It was a better birthday this year, and Evelyn decided she'd never invite people she didn't know to a party, ever again. Just being with people she cared about was much nicer.

Still, something was missing. They all felt it. Her inner being still longed for her father's presence. His protective nature, his laugh, his smile, the encouragement he always gave. The siblings yearned for their brother to be here, celebrating with them. Bean, happy as he was in this group, was still half-outcast because of the relationship between Evelyn and Viktor.

The event was over within hours. Mostly just because everyone's parents were demanding they get back home since there was school in the morning. Evelyn said her farewells, gave Viktor a peck on the cheek, and waved the three of them off.

It was a successful night. "It's going to be a successful life, too." She whispered to herself, disappearing inside, just before her aunt pulled into the drive. She heard the car door slam shut with much more ferocity than was normal for the pudgy, stout woman. "Maybe Chester finally told her 'no'." She chortled beneath her breath, eyes sparkling in enjoyment. While she threw the leftover trash away, her aunt marched in. "So, how'd things go with Chest-"

"I'm just getting ready to pack. Would you like to help me pack? I need helping pack. I mean- I need help packing. Can you help me?" Her aunt's jumbled, quickened words brought a wave of paranoia sloshing through Evelyn, until dropping in her stomach with a nauseated sense. Something had to be wrong. Why would she need to leave? It wasn't like Evelyn was too keen on having her live here, this woman was over-the-top to put it lightly. At the same time, however, Pepper wouldn't leave unless something was wrong.

"It was Schmidt. He's apparently buddies with the judge, or something? The judge was from Chicago, or something. Seen more than his fair share of murders where 'the killer actually knew what happened, and only got a couple of years' Ugh- it's not even supposed to be possible, Evelyn. It's not!" The woman didn't even realize she was raising her voice to such magnitude. "What isn't, what?" The girl followed, grabbing everything she saw that belonged to her aunt along the way.

"Criminally insane people are supposed to be trapped in there for their entire lives. They're supposed to be in there until they die!" The woman shouted, eyes narrowed in spite. The words caused Evelyn to freeze up. She was terrified. She felt sick. There was no way her father... was free..? Not after the things he'd done.

"A life of parole isn't worth these crimes, don't you agree?" The woman seemed panicked. "You don't have to live with him, Evelyn. Schmidt said he'll be over to tell you himself that it's entirely your choice. You're old enough and have enough sense in you, according to the court, that you can decide whether you want to stay with him, or with me. Now, I told him that my lovely young lady would like to stay with her dear sweet aunt, of course, but he said he'd be coming over to make sure just in case." Evelyn watched as her aunt zipped up her shiny magenta suitcase, just as flamboyant as her irksome personality. "Now, I expect you to be packed up and ready to head back to my place by the end of the day!"

It was her choice though, right? Was it really her decision? Surely she would be allowed to change her mind when she... "I actually... I think I want to stay here, aunt Pepper." Evelyn spoke with certainty, despite her lack of confidence in her decision. She was jittery, and the dumbfounded look on her aunt's face didn't help. "This isn't the time to rebel, girl!" Her aunt pleaded, but she didn't listen. She disappeared into her room.

When she came out, it was because Schimdt was at the door. "I wanted to explain to you the nature of this situation. Only thirty or so people are admitted as criminally insane a year, because it's so rarely accepted in the eyes of the court. Every year, 1500 criminally-insane patients who committed felonies such as your father are released from their places in psychiatric institutes." The man sat in the living room, gesturing for the teenager to join him. "I was able to tug as many strings as possible. If he pulls anything else, my career is out the window, assured to me. But you need a father and he had to get out of there, and I wasn't going to sit there and wait for everything to magically fall in place, because it wouldn't."

"As a matter of fact, he's not allowed to take taxis or Ubers, or even ride with anybody, for upwards of five years. He's not allowed to work in the medical field, not that they'd hire him anyway. He's been provided a job at a bread factory, where he must make perfect attendance every day for the first three months of the job, no matter what, or he'll go right back in. He also has a nine o' clock curfew, and his house arrest entails he may only leave the house for work, grocery-shopping, and family emergencies. Oh, yes, and no weaponry at all. If you feel threatened while he's cooking because he's holding a knife, you can call the police. It's your legal right, if you decide to stay with him." The lawyer glanced down at the compact group of papers beside him. "It's all here. If he infringes these, he could be sent back to the ward, or at least, he could be thrown in prison."