Status: Won't be able to update this weekend. Super busy! Hopefully sometime during the week I'll get another chapter up.
Finding Family, Finding Love
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from CSI: Miami the only thing I own is the plot and the characters of Brooklynn and Ava.
~CHAPTER 1: FINDING OUT~
Ava Morgan rolled over onto her back while asleep in her bed, her dark hair was the only thing showing above her pink comforter. A few minutes later the alarm went off.
~What time is it?~ She thought as she opened her eyes. Pulling back the blankets looked at her alarm clock. ~Uugghh… its only 7:00. Sleep.. I need more sleep. Of course if you didn‘t stay half the night you would get more sleep.~
Knowing that she would never be able to fall back asleep she sat up slowly stretching . Yawning quietly she stood from the bed and headed to her closet. While getting dressed she could hear the murmur of voices from the direction of the kitchen or the living room. Someone was arguing, very early in the morning.
After slipping on a plain white t-shirt that showed her black bra off slightly, she grabbed a pair of jeans and her black Green Day jacket. Putting everything on she shuffled quietly out of the room. As she got closer she recognized the voices as her mother, Rachel, and her mother’s boyfriend of three years Mac Taylor. She quietly stood by the wall listening quietly.
~Mom is going to kill me if she catches me eavesdropping.~ She thought before paying attention to their conversation.
“She deserves to know, Rachel. She will be turning 21 in a few days. You need to tell her.” Mac said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ava rolled her eyes before she heard her mother answer Mac.
“It’s not that easy Mac, what am I supposed to tell her? ‘hey honey, you know your father was never around? Well, that’s because he doesn’t know about you.’ Yeah, that will go over real well. She will hate me for the rest of her life.” Rachel whispered fiercely back.
~My father doesn’t know about me?~ Ava thought. Her mother had some explaining to do. But she couldn’t make herself move from her spot. Mac’s voice brought her from her thoughts.
“Rachel, even though you never told him, you need to tell her the reason he was never around. Tell her so she doesn’t hate him for that. It’s not his fault. I know that you wanted him to have his career and become whatever he wanted. Which I know he has. I saw Horatio Caine a couple months ago, when he came up here on a case. He is a CSI down in Miami, he runs the whole Crime team. He is a great man and he cares about people. He deserves to know that he has a daughter. If you don’t want to tell him then at least tell Ava and let her decide what she wants to do. I have to head to work. Just promise you’ll think about it.” Mac asked as he gave Rachel a kiss and walked out the front door.
Ava couldn’t believe all that she had heard. ~At least now I don’t have to hate him. Do I want to know him? Maybe I should let mom that I heard them talking and take all the pressure off of her. I need to think about this.~ Ava’s thoughts to jumble in her head. Ava turned and walked quietly back down the hall to her room.
Sitting down at her computer, Ava turned it on. As the screen lit up she grabbed a large manila envelope from the desk drawer. ~Maybe this is what I really need to do.~ She thought as she opened the envelope, taking a piece of paper out she revealed a college acceptance letter. ~Maybe….maybe this is the answer…I’ll talk to mom.~
*****************************************************
Rachel sat down at the kitchen table and thought carefully about what Mac had said. Scrunching up her face she nodded and made her decision. ~Mac's right Ava deserves to know the truth. I’ll tell her and she can decide.~
She got up and quietly and walked down the hall to her daughters room. Stopping in front of the door she quietly knocked. When she didn‘t receive an answer she opened the door. She saw Ava sitting at her computer desk staring intently at a piece of paper.
“Ava, sweetie we need to talk.” Rachel said with a slight tremor in her voice.
“ I know mom it‘s alright. I heard. I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t have eavesdropped.” Ava put the paper down and looked at her mother. “I was walking to the kitchen when I heard you talking…”
“It’s okay” Rachel interrupted sitting on Ava‘s bed. “It’s really all of my fault. I should have told you when you turned 18 but I chickened out. In the end I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Ava looked away for a few beats, running a hand through her hair she sighed. “Uh, so he lives in Miami?”
She figured this would be a good way to tell her mother her decision about school. Maybe. Before her mother could answer though, Ava stood up and walked into the kitchen. Rachel followed behind her closely and began talking.
“Yeah, he lived in Florida for awhile. I met him in college. I guess I thought it was love at first sight. But by the time I graduated college, we both realized that it just wasn’t meant to be. He wanted to stay in Florida and I wanted to come back here, home to New York. We couldn’t come to a compromise. When I moved back to my parents I found out that I was pregnant. I never told your father because I wanted him to become a CSI. Its what he always wanted to do.”
Ava listened intently as she walked over to the table with some milk and a bowl of cereal and sat down. “So it’s like your saying that you didn’t want to burden him with the responsibility of a child?”
“No, I guess I was more scared then anything and I thought it was better that way. Anyway it’s your decision on whether you want to find him or not. Mac says he is still in Miami and runs the crime lab down there. I’ll back you up on whatever decision you make.” Rachel said.
Without a moments hesitation Ava answered. “I want to meet him and know him, Mac was right this morning I deserve to know but so does he. What is his name again?”
“Horatio Caine.” Rachel said with a smile.
After ate her breakfast she walked to her bedroom to think some more about how she way going to meet her father. She smiled slightly and grabbed her cell phone from her bedside table and dialed the number of her best friend Brooklynn.
“Brooke, hey.”
“Hey girl, what’s up?” Brooke’s cheery voice came over the line.
“Well for one I got accepted to the University of Miami and….” Ava paused for a minute, “…I found out who my father is.”
“What?”
Ava went on to tell her friend about the conversation with her mother.
A few hours later Ava finally hung up the phone and walked to the kitchen. Entering the kitchen she found Mac ,home from lunch, sitting with her mother at the table.
“Okay, I’ve made a decision. I’ve thought about it for awhile. I have something to show you.” She handed her mother her acceptance letter. “I’m going to move to Miami. I know that you’re not going to like that, Mom, but I’ve excepted the offer to go to the University of Miami. Now I also have another reason to go, my father. Of course there’s the fact that I want to go to college down there for awhile. I mean, I love you and I love you too, Mac. I need to do this. For me. The summer is over in a few weeks, my birthday is two days away, on Wednesday. I want to leave a few days after that. I’m going to start packing.
Before anyone could say a word Ava turned around and walked swiftly down the hall to her bedroom.
TBC…
~CHAPTER 1: FINDING OUT~
Ava Morgan rolled over onto her back while asleep in her bed, her dark hair was the only thing showing above her pink comforter. A few minutes later the alarm went off.
~What time is it?~ She thought as she opened her eyes. Pulling back the blankets looked at her alarm clock. ~Uugghh… its only 7:00. Sleep.. I need more sleep. Of course if you didn‘t stay half the night you would get more sleep.~
Knowing that she would never be able to fall back asleep she sat up slowly stretching . Yawning quietly she stood from the bed and headed to her closet. While getting dressed she could hear the murmur of voices from the direction of the kitchen or the living room. Someone was arguing, very early in the morning.
After slipping on a plain white t-shirt that showed her black bra off slightly, she grabbed a pair of jeans and her black Green Day jacket. Putting everything on she shuffled quietly out of the room. As she got closer she recognized the voices as her mother, Rachel, and her mother’s boyfriend of three years Mac Taylor. She quietly stood by the wall listening quietly.
~Mom is going to kill me if she catches me eavesdropping.~ She thought before paying attention to their conversation.
“She deserves to know, Rachel. She will be turning 21 in a few days. You need to tell her.” Mac said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ava rolled her eyes before she heard her mother answer Mac.
“It’s not that easy Mac, what am I supposed to tell her? ‘hey honey, you know your father was never around? Well, that’s because he doesn’t know about you.’ Yeah, that will go over real well. She will hate me for the rest of her life.” Rachel whispered fiercely back.
~My father doesn’t know about me?~ Ava thought. Her mother had some explaining to do. But she couldn’t make herself move from her spot. Mac’s voice brought her from her thoughts.
“Rachel, even though you never told him, you need to tell her the reason he was never around. Tell her so she doesn’t hate him for that. It’s not his fault. I know that you wanted him to have his career and become whatever he wanted. Which I know he has. I saw Horatio Caine a couple months ago, when he came up here on a case. He is a CSI down in Miami, he runs the whole Crime team. He is a great man and he cares about people. He deserves to know that he has a daughter. If you don’t want to tell him then at least tell Ava and let her decide what she wants to do. I have to head to work. Just promise you’ll think about it.” Mac asked as he gave Rachel a kiss and walked out the front door.
Ava couldn’t believe all that she had heard. ~At least now I don’t have to hate him. Do I want to know him? Maybe I should let mom that I heard them talking and take all the pressure off of her. I need to think about this.~ Ava’s thoughts to jumble in her head. Ava turned and walked quietly back down the hall to her room.
Sitting down at her computer, Ava turned it on. As the screen lit up she grabbed a large manila envelope from the desk drawer. ~Maybe this is what I really need to do.~ She thought as she opened the envelope, taking a piece of paper out she revealed a college acceptance letter. ~Maybe….maybe this is the answer…I’ll talk to mom.~
*****************************************************
Rachel sat down at the kitchen table and thought carefully about what Mac had said. Scrunching up her face she nodded and made her decision. ~Mac's right Ava deserves to know the truth. I’ll tell her and she can decide.~
She got up and quietly and walked down the hall to her daughters room. Stopping in front of the door she quietly knocked. When she didn‘t receive an answer she opened the door. She saw Ava sitting at her computer desk staring intently at a piece of paper.
“Ava, sweetie we need to talk.” Rachel said with a slight tremor in her voice.
“ I know mom it‘s alright. I heard. I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t have eavesdropped.” Ava put the paper down and looked at her mother. “I was walking to the kitchen when I heard you talking…”
“It’s okay” Rachel interrupted sitting on Ava‘s bed. “It’s really all of my fault. I should have told you when you turned 18 but I chickened out. In the end I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Ava looked away for a few beats, running a hand through her hair she sighed. “Uh, so he lives in Miami?”
She figured this would be a good way to tell her mother her decision about school. Maybe. Before her mother could answer though, Ava stood up and walked into the kitchen. Rachel followed behind her closely and began talking.
“Yeah, he lived in Florida for awhile. I met him in college. I guess I thought it was love at first sight. But by the time I graduated college, we both realized that it just wasn’t meant to be. He wanted to stay in Florida and I wanted to come back here, home to New York. We couldn’t come to a compromise. When I moved back to my parents I found out that I was pregnant. I never told your father because I wanted him to become a CSI. Its what he always wanted to do.”
Ava listened intently as she walked over to the table with some milk and a bowl of cereal and sat down. “So it’s like your saying that you didn’t want to burden him with the responsibility of a child?”
“No, I guess I was more scared then anything and I thought it was better that way. Anyway it’s your decision on whether you want to find him or not. Mac says he is still in Miami and runs the crime lab down there. I’ll back you up on whatever decision you make.” Rachel said.
Without a moments hesitation Ava answered. “I want to meet him and know him, Mac was right this morning I deserve to know but so does he. What is his name again?”
“Horatio Caine.” Rachel said with a smile.
After ate her breakfast she walked to her bedroom to think some more about how she way going to meet her father. She smiled slightly and grabbed her cell phone from her bedside table and dialed the number of her best friend Brooklynn.
“Brooke, hey.”
“Hey girl, what’s up?” Brooke’s cheery voice came over the line.
“Well for one I got accepted to the University of Miami and….” Ava paused for a minute, “…I found out who my father is.”
“What?”
Ava went on to tell her friend about the conversation with her mother.
A few hours later Ava finally hung up the phone and walked to the kitchen. Entering the kitchen she found Mac ,home from lunch, sitting with her mother at the table.
“Okay, I’ve made a decision. I’ve thought about it for awhile. I have something to show you.” She handed her mother her acceptance letter. “I’m going to move to Miami. I know that you’re not going to like that, Mom, but I’ve excepted the offer to go to the University of Miami. Now I also have another reason to go, my father. Of course there’s the fact that I want to go to college down there for awhile. I mean, I love you and I love you too, Mac. I need to do this. For me. The summer is over in a few weeks, my birthday is two days away, on Wednesday. I want to leave a few days after that. I’m going to start packing.
Before anyone could say a word Ava turned around and walked swiftly down the hall to her bedroom.
TBC…