"Why are you here?" her voice was colder than a blizzard and harder than a bolder. River's face was unreadable as she looked between her daughter and her husband. Rebel exhaled heavily. "I hate you. I hate you so much." Dakota took notice of her fist and how her hand was trembling as she spoke. She turned towards the stairs and marched away from her parents.

River began to go after her but Dakota shook his head. "She didn't have such a good day today."

"What happened?" Ray asked.

"Actually, you did Ray. Your name and Rebel's name are plastered all over the front page of the school's newspaper, so yeah." Dakota answered quietly.

Mrs. Mills and Ray excused themselves from the room and Dakota walked up to Ryder who had said not a single word to them, he pulled off his bag and fished out the wad of cash that Rebel rightfully won. All two thousand three hundred of it, and handed it to him. "Give this to Rebel for me." Ryder looked down at the cash with an eyebrow raised of shock and question. "Do I even want to know?" Dakota shook his head. He zipped up his bag and swung it back over his right shoulder. He nodded to Ryder and he nodded back. Mrs. Mills was now leaning against the stair railing when Dakota passed her by. "Dakota..." he stopped and turned back to her, "did she hurt anybody?"

"Thankfully no." With that, he opened the door and left.

No one said anything for a while, but this wasn't the first time that silence hung over their family in such a discomforting manner. "I'm sorry." It was Ray who was the first one to break the silence.

"Say that to your daughter." River couldn't have been harsher as her rough words cut deep a scar in Ray's self-esteem. She walked away from the room and Ryder shook his head. "I told you to stay away from her. You just couldn't resist, could you Ray?" Ryder turned from his father and headed down the hallway towards his home office.

》》》》》

Dakota got home right before midnight. He was locking back the front door when a light clicked on from behind him. He gasped and faced the light. Devin Rue was sitting down in his lazy boy recliner watching his son locking the front door. "Goodnight son."

His eyes met the face of his father, startled by him. "Why are you still up?"

"Waiting for you." He said calmly.

"Why?"

"You tell me. I thought you'd be home earlier, I got worried." He explained.

"Why didn't you call the cops?" Dakota asked, walking over to the stairs.

"Did I have to?" Dakota saw the challenge in his father's eyes.

"No sir." Devin nodded at his son. "Very well then, goodnight Dakota." Dakota was about to ascend the stairs, but stopped before getting up the second stair, his father noticed and glanced up at his son. "It seems that your best friend is back to stay." For the first time in a long time his father's eyes actually showed something more than placidity, it showed true undeniable astonishment. "So, I take it you didn't hear what happened at school?" It was rhetorical, but Devin still answered.

"No, is he really back?"

"Yeah." Dakota took his father's silence as a dismissal and went upstairs to his room. He pushed open his room door, threw his bag down by his nightstand and plopped himself down on his bed. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees, rubbing the heel of his hands to his eyes. He was so tired and defeated. He didn't like not being able to quell Rebel's anger towards her father, and he for sure couldn't stop Ray from coming back from the unknown.

He froze at the sound of his door opening. Nothing was said but the door closed back and he felt the bed besides him dip under the weight of whoever sat down. A hesitant hand rested on his shoulder. "Hey bro." It was Damon. Dakota lifted up his head, eyes heavy with tiredness. Damon rubbed his back and Dakota shook his head. "I can't help her, not even if I wanted to."

"I know, but the damage is already done."

"It's not about Rebel."

Damon rose a brow. "Isn't it? I mean I know, Ray and River were joint at the hip, up until he left but if he's back after all these years, she must be just as upset as Rebel, and Ryder." Dakota's eyes caught his brother's own. "Did you suspect anything?"

"Yes, and no. As a teen I knew that Ray worked with some top secret cases and when I heard of his disappearance, I had my suspicions. I thought it couldn't be long until Ray mysteriously turned up alive somewhere, but after a few years had gone by Ryder and I dropped all suspicion. No one told us anything." Dakota nodded.

Dakota rubbed his hands to his eyes. "You should have seen her face Damon. She was so pissed and so sad, and I couldn't help her. I couldn't even attempt to help her, or feel her pain. She pretended like it was okay, but I know her, I could see that she was broken inside and she wouldn't let me know, she even got hurt in a fight. That rarely happens!" He sighed as he ran his hand over his short hair. "Why would he do that? Why did he even leave and why the fuck didn't he just stay dead?" Damon didn't have an answer for his brother, he wish he did, but he remembered how troubled Ryder would be every year his fathers birthday rolled around and he saw no sight of him. It had taken a toil on him as much as it did with Rebel, so this confusion and helpless feeling was familiar to him.

"I don't know Dakota. But there's nothing worrying can do to change anything. Go take a shower and get some sleep. You look like shit." He chuckled.

Dakota flipped him off and laughed. "Thanks."

Damon smirked as he stood. "You've had a long day. Get some rest. Goodnight." With that he left Dakota to himself.

A minute ticked away before he finally stood up and sluggishly removed his t-shirt as he headed to the bathroom.

Dakota stood under the shower as the warm spray as the water washed away the dirt and dried blood on his skin.

》》》》》

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Dakota's alarm screamed, blinking 8:00am, partially interrupting his sleep. He lifted his hand and swiped the snooze button on his screen, forgetting to turn off his alarm. He grabbed his pillow and buried his head under it. His door opened but he didn't feel like seeing who it was, so he closed back his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. The door clicked shut and he sighed as he finally was able to fall asleep again.

》》》》》

At the Mills house things weren't going as good as they normally would. Rebel had locked herself in her room and had refused to come out. She was still battling with her emotions of hurt and sadness. She barely slept the night before, her nightmares kept her restless, as they came back to taunt her in a never ending loop. It was like she was in the wrestling ring with her dark dreams and they kept hitting her below the belt again and again, until she could no longer get up.

She was weak from crying, knowing that she also managed to make her brother even more worried than he was yesterday. She barely remembered it, but her night terrors had left her in a fit, she woke up screaming, or in cold sweat, Ryder had banged against the door like a mad man on adrenaline. He worried for her but she could not muster up the energy to unlock the door for him. She didn't want to see her brother cry and she didn't want him to see her this broken. She couldn't handle that, she just couldn't.

It was 3:34pm when she finally woke up, for the fifth time that day. Someone knocked on her door, she thought it was her mom again so she didn't answer, she didn't want to face her right now. The knocking continued, then a soft, but rugged voice called her name.

Rebel shot up from her bed. It couldn't be. She thought. "Rebel honey, open the door please." Rebel shoved her covers off and hesitated before she stood up off her bed. She tentatively walked up to her door and slowly reached for the doorknob, and clicked the lock and stood back as the door was pushed open. This was like waiting for the rain to fall in a drought. When she finally saw who the voice belonged to, she couldn't help but let her tears fall.

Rebel's uncle Robert-James Mills stood there in her doorway his stature still so tall and strong. "Uncle!" She cried, stepping into his open arms, hugging him around his waist as tears burnt her eyes.

R.J Mills had been stationed at another army base for months, and he had finally returned. R.J's was a certified doctor on base, but he wasn't supposed to be back yet, but maybe he had gotten leave since he wasn't meant to stay as long as he did originally. This was good, Rebel needed at least one person who wasn't a ghost to her. "How are you here?"

"Eh, they discharged after I had completed what they wanted me for." He answered giving little away. "Does Ella know you're back?" He nodded. "She nearly tackled me to the ground when I came through the door today." They laughed and he ran a hand over her short blonde curls. "New color?"

"Yeah. You can come in." She said going back into her room. He followed her and sat down on the edge of the bed with her. "So, when can we expect you to leave your room?" Rebel smiled at him and flopped back to her sheets next to him. "How long is forever?" R.J smiled at his niece.

"Not long enough. Rebel, you can't just isolate yourself up here forever. Your brother barely got any sleep over you last night." Rebel coveted her face, pondering on what her uncle said. "Why'd they discharge you?"

R.J was about to question her but he stopped when his eyes caught hers. He sighed when he saw the tiredness in her soft eyes. "I saved a whole troop from an attack, it's a long story and it actually earned me a some good recognition too. And I then I asked to be leave, to take a break. I have a family Bell, I couldn't let them keep me away from you all." Rebel sat up, her gaze counting the floorboards as she worried her bottom lip.

"Well, lucky for me I gained back two relatives... at least with you I knew where you were." R.J nodded and rested his hand on her shoulder. "So what now?" She looked up at him with sadness now crowding her eyes.

》》》》》

Ryder didn't go to work today, he called in sick so that he'd be there whenever Rebel decided to talk. Ryder was impatient as he paced back and forth in the living room. He finally understood how Randy felt when he was pacing infront of him in the precinct. But it wasn't his fault Rebel hadn't come out of her room since last night, that kind of stuff worried someone. He had already called her school and told them that she wasn't feeling well. He hated to lie like that, but these were serious times.

"Would you sit down Ryder?" Ray said. He turned to glare at his father and snared at him bitterly. He stopped pacing and turned to face Ray fully. "You know I wouldn't be this freaked out if you had just stayed dead and left well enough alone!" He yelled. "Ryder, calm the heck down." River said in a tired tone, she too had been up for half the night worried sick about Rebel.

"You," he breathed heavily, pointing at her, "just stay out of it." No matter how mad or pissed he was, he just couldn't be mean to his mom. "I'm sorry Ryder."

"Shut up. I so don't care for your apologies Ray." He seethed. The two of them started to bicker back and forth about Rebel, while River sat there worrying about her daughter. She wondered what R.J and Rebel could be talking about.

Ray and Ryder ceased their arguing when they saw Rebel standing by the entrance of the living room. River stood up but said nothing. R.J came into the room after Rebel and stood beside her. "Why?" She asked, her voice was soft, but they heard her. The silence stretched on for a few seconds before Ray finally spoke up.

"It's a long story."

Rebel nodded her head thoughtfully. "Start talking then." Ray nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm a CIA agent Rebel."

"Go on."

"I had been in the CIA ever since I was twenty-five, by that time I was already with your mother. She, like all of you, didn't know what my real job was. It was easy first, doing paperwork etc. then after being assigned field agent, it got difficult. I went undercover once Ryder was four. I was undercover for almost nine months when I got news that your mother had been pregnant and was in labor with you. Sadly because of my type of mission, I clearly couldn't come home, but I needed to keep you all safe so your mother had to end up moving in with your uncle R.J while I was away. He had military training so I knew that you all would be protected with him.

"Then why fake your death?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"That wasn't planned... one of the men that I was spying on found out about my family and I had never planned to fake my death, but when I couldn't risk them finding any of you, I thought that it would have to do.

They thought that you all would have died alone in those woods, but I guess they didn't know how good a big brother Ryder was. Anyways, when they figured that we were dead they left well enough alone. The night of the accident things happened that weren't planned and well I couldn't come back once I knew that you all thought that I was dead."

Rebel didn't say anything for a while. She was still trying to process it all. "Did you kill whoever was after you?" Ray actually smiled a little at her question.

"Yes. I got a disguise and went back into the field and ended it."

"Why did you wait so long to come back?"

"I had to make sure that the people after me were killed. I had to make sure that it was safe enough to come back to you." Rebel pinched the bridge of her nose and moved to sit down on the arm of the loveseat. "Are you still active CIA?"

"No."

"What's your real name?" She asked, gesturing lightly with her hand.

"When I enlisted I gave myself an alias for my own safety. My real name is the one that you know me by. My bosses were mad but it was always going to be a risky job being under cover, with a fake real name."

"Do wish you never had us?"

"He frowned. "Never. I may regret somethings in my life but I do not regret having you my kids." Ray said, quite astonished with her question.

"Can I trust you?" She asked. She held her father's gaze and tried to see behind those deep brown eyes of his. Mom was right when she said that she was just like her father, their eyes matched, their face, even their mannerisms were so much alike.

"Did I ever give you reason not to... other than now?" Their gazes were so intense. Rebel could see the regret so transparent in her father's eyes, and that was it. She couldn't stay mad at him. He did do his best to keep them safe. He had to give up being a father, doing that was maybe the hardest thing a loving father could do. Rebel realized that her father made sacrifices for her, her sister, and her brother, but also for her mom too. She had every right to be mad, but she couldn't hate him for making the decision of giving them up for their own good.

"Do you know how much I missed you?" Ray whispered, on the verge of tears, but held them back, as he came up to her. "I'm so sorry Rebel, if I could change the past I would—." Rebel put up her hand to halt her father's apology. "I missed you too." Tears ran from his eyes when Rebel said that.

"I missed you too princess." Ray said softly. Rebel chuckled lightly. "It's been a long time since someone called me that." She smiled up at her dad as another tear fell from her eye, Ray wiped it away and came forward to hug his child picking her up as she hugged him tight aroujd his neck, crying on her dad's shoulder. "Don't ever leave me again." She managed.

Ryder stood there as tears ran down his face saw his father and extended an arm to his son who stepped forward and accepted Ray'd hug. "I hate you." He whispered as he gripped his arm, tears dampening his father's sleeve. Ray kissed his forehead. "Yeah, I know, but you always did." Ryder chuckled through his tears and smiled at his dad and his sister. "I'm so sorry Ryder." Ray whispered to him. Ryder nodded his head. "I'm sorry too dad."

Ray glanced over to his wife, and youngest daughter who had returned to the room. "River..."

She shook her head. "Don't. They might have forgiven you, but I don't." with that she turned and started walking to the front door, ignoring her brother-in-law as she left the house. "She'll be alright. She needs time too." R.J assured as he looked at his big brother.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Ray asked him.

"Nope. I'm looking at a ghost, Ray. But I'm happy that you're here. I did have fun being a father to your kids." The brothers chuckled, smiling when the laughter died down. "Riella?" She stepped forward as Ray set Rebel down and moved to stand before her. "I'm so sorry I missed you growing up. You look so much like you mom baby girl."

"I don't know you like they do dad..."

"I know honey, and that's on me."

》》》》》

5:08pm

After the waterworks subsided, Ryder, Rebel, Riella and Ray sat down in the living room, listening to R.J's stories of what happened while at war. He spoke about how one of the soldiers came in with both his legs blown off and the bloody surgery he did to save his life. He talked about a lot of other moments and even when he had to rush all the patients out of where they were when he found out about the bomb threats on their medical unit. Then it was Ray's turn to talk about how he and R.J would always fight over everything and anything, and the time both of them were halted off to the police station by their father because they were in a cut throat fight on the football field at school.

Rebel even added a story of how she took on seven guys in a fist fight and won. Her father joked and said that she was a spitfire like her mother when she was younger. River hadn't been back since she left after Ray's big confession and Ryder was a bit worried at the fact that she wasn't answering her cell. He called and texted her but she was either ignoring him or on the road.

The tears had been shed and the laughter was now here. Rebel was somewhat still sad, but she was slowly getting over it, and besides she didn't want to ruin what fun they were actually having, especially since Riella was finally getting to know her dad. It's been a long time since she was so happy, pushing aside the bad emotions from earlier and the uneasiness she felt over her mom not being back yet, or calling.

"Oh Bell that reminds me, Dakota left you something." Ryder said walking over to a white ceramic jar and retrieving a large wad of cash. "When I couldn't sleep last night I counted two thousand and three hundred. That's a lot o—."

"Oh my God!" Rebel shot up from the couch and ran to the door. "Wait, where are you going?" Ryder asked.

"I've gotta talk to Dakota, he must be so worried." She rushed. She grabbed her keys and yanked open the door, jumping down the stairs and hopping into Ryder's car that was parked in the driveway.