The Fear of Falling Apart

"Good morning Miss Jessica!"

"Good morning, Emily." Jessica smiled as Emily ran past her and towards the other kids, including Amelia.

"Good Morning, Jessica."

Jessica looked up to see Brendon taking his sunglasses off. "Good morning." she smiled weakly "Are you dropping Emily off now too?"

Brendon pursed his lips and put a thinking face on for a moment before smiling at her. "For the time being. Do you want to go out to lunch with me today?"

"I'm working Brendon." Jessica answered, trying to keep it from looking like she was about to hyperventilate. Which she was.

"On your lunch." he grinned.

"I have lunch with the kids." she answered quickly, "Amelia will get upset if I just up and leave."

"I don't mind Mommy." Amelia smiled, appearing at her mom's side. "Go have lunch BDen."

Jessica looked down at her daughter in horror. Why on earth was her own daughter going against her now?

"I can't sweetie." she answered, forcing a smile. "I need to stay here with you and the kids."

"Can I cash in that rain check on dinner then?" Brendon asked.

"I don't think so." Jessica answered quickly, picking Amelia up, "I have to get back to work. It was nice seeing you."

Jessica quickly took off towards where the kids were playing but not quickly enough that Brendon didn't hear Amelia complain that she wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese and that Cool had not in fact come over the night before.

Brendon held back a sigh and placed his sunglasses back on his face. "I'll see you after school, Emily."

"Bye, BDen!" both Amelia and Emily yelled.

Brendon smiled and waved at both of the girls before leaving the classroom.

Jessica let out a soft sigh and shook her head as soon as the door was shut. "You should go on a date with BDen, Mommy." Amelia pouted.

Jessica let out another sigh and set her daughter down on her feet and moved to get breakfast ready without answering her. Amelia caught her mother's sleeve and tugged on it so that Jessica knelled down and looked her daughter in the eyes. "Please, mommy."

Jessica pursed her lips "You just want to go to chuckie cheese."

"Mr. BDen seems to like you." Amelia answered, looking down at her shoes. "Maybe he is that person who is more special than me and can be my new daddy."

Jessica's eyes got wide and she felt like she was going to hyperventilate again. "Amelia, no one will ever be more special than you. I don't care who they are, you will always be the apple of my eye."

"Why would someone put an apple in your eye?" Amelia frowned.

Jessica laughed "No one is putting an apple in my eye, honey. It just means you are the most important thing to me."

"Well you have two eyes," Amelia smiled "Can't you have two apples."

Jessica smiled at her daughter and sighed again. "Come on, honey, lets get breakfast started for everyone."

"Are we gonna have apples?"

"Sure, baby."

--------------------------

"Where have you been?" Gabe asked as Brendon came through the front door of his house.

"I had to take Emily to daycare for Claire." Brendon answered throwing his keys and wallet on the bar.

"Again?" Gabe frowned, "She has been working a lot lately."

"Yeah." Brendon sighed "It takes a lot to raise a kid by yourself. Where is William?"

"Sulking in his room." Gabe smirked.

"And he is sulking because?"

"He asked that girl who interview us out for coffee and she rejected him pretty coldly. He tried going back today to bother her again but got told she wasn't going to be in the office for the next couple of days." Gabe smiled "I believe he is now on his laptop being a creep and trying to figure out what hospital she works at so he can break his arm or something."

"I said I was going to prang my ankle!" William yelled from somewhere in the house "Not break my arm."

"Oh by jumping of a drum kit again?" Gabe yelled back.

"That happened once," William yelled back, the sound of door opening "Let it go will you? Don't you dare start singing frozen at me." he added, pointing at Gabe.

Gabe smirked but kept his mouth shut.

"You are really that desperate to get a date with a girl who got rejected by?" Brendon frowned sitting down in the arm chair to text Claire and let her know Emily had gotten to daycare safe and sound.

"Says the guy who has been volunteering to pick up and drop off his niece so he can hit on her teacher." William smirked.

"Yeah, you know if you are going to rude I'm not going to tell you I know where to find your nurse/reporter." Brendon answered, making a childish face at William before looking back at his phone.

William frowned. "How? Have you been stalking her?"

"No." Brendon dead panned "That's your job."

"Well?"

"Well what?" Brendon asked, looking up at William.

"How can I find her?"

"I already said I'm not helping because you are being rude and grumpy."

"Do I get to spend my entire vacation listening to you pine after girls you don't know or are we all going to actually hang out?" Gabe pouted, turning off the tv. "William and I have been here for three days and have yet to do anything. I'll go out to coffee with you guys seeing as girls don't want to."

"You got rejected for coffee too?" Brendon laughed.

"At least I haven't been rejected repeatedly." William shot back.

"You were rejected twice." Gabe smirked "I think that counts as repeatedly."

"Shut up, man." William growled.

"Well," Brendon smiled "It just so turns out that girl who are stalking is friends with Emily's teacher."

"How do you know?"

"Because I very highly doubt that there are two Nicole's running around Vegas that are reporters, nurses and also have a small child that they babysit who likes to draw across her face." Brendon answered, rolling his eyes. "Jessica was talking about her friend Nicole and I added it all up in my head."

"Well what hospital does she work at?" William frowned.

Brendon shrugged and picked up the newspaper sitting on the coffee table. "I don't know, I didn't ask."

"Then how on earth is this helpful to me?" William sighed "I'm getting back on the internet."

"Yes." Gabe laughed "Please, continue to be creepy."

"I didn't ask for any comment from the peanut gallery."

"How about a movie?" Gabe sighed "Lets all go to a movie. I am sick of just sitting around here while you two chase tail."

"We will go after I pick Emily up this afternoon." Brendon laughed, calm down.

"I am never vacationing here again." Gabe pouted.

"Don't pout, Gabe." William sighed, "Your face will stuck like that and I don't think the fan girls would like it."

"Yeah?" Gabe asked looking at William "Girls also don't like to be stalked." he turned to Brendon "They also don't like to be hit on at work. So why don't you both try a new approach?"