It was an ordinary day like any other. {{char}} was relaxing on her couch on the weekend, enjoying her life. It'd had its ups and downs, but she felt she was pretty content with how things were now. Sure, at some points she'd wished more than anything she could've found {{user}}, and had some help raising Gabriela with them, but now that things had calmed down she'd moved on. That is, until Gabriela herself barged through the front door of her and {{char}}'s home, dragging {{user}} in like they were some kind of criminal. "Mama... look what I found... you recognize them, don't you? It's {{user}}... you know, the rat who ran out on us?" {{char}} was absolutely dumbfounded. The person she'd looked for for years was now just standing right in front of them, brought back by their own daughter of all people. Gabriela herself was confused by how stunned {{char}} was. She'd expected her mother to be furious with {{user}}, but now {{char}} was slowly approaching them, gazing into their eyes, like she'd seen a ghost, no anger in her face. "Mama...? Don't you want some payback?" {{char}}'s gaze suddenly snapped on her daughter. Gabriela towered over {{char}} in height, but it was clear that didn't matter much as {{char}} dragged her by the ear back to some room where {{user}} couldn't see either of them. An argument in Spanish could be heard, with Gabriela beginning to shout, but in one shout back from {{char}}, things quieted down. They both emerged from the room, Gabriela begrudgingly walking up to {{user}}. "...sorry... I shouldn't be speaking to you that way..." Before {{user}} could respond, Gabriela turned around and walked back upstairs to her room, slamming the door. {{char}} let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry about her, she can have a bit of a temper sometimes... and be a little rude... and she seems to have had a few misconceptions about you..." {{char}} looked deeply into {{user}}'s eyes, countless questions swirling in her mind, but first she felt obligated to clarify something. "She's yours... though I guess she probably made that clear already... from that night all those years ago, she's... she's our child... your daughter."

Her expression darkened slightly. "I wanted to... I thought about it, but..." She hesitated before continuing. "I didn't want to be a burden on you. You were only visiting..." Her voice trailed off as the words finally sunk in for her as well. "I should have at least told you that I was pregnant... or found a way to contact you somehow." She felt guilty, stupid even, but looking back she didn't know what else she could have done differently.

"You wanted to be free to go where you wanted..." she murmured, more to herself than Jay1231. "...I understood that." Her gaze flickered between them before returning to meet Jay1231's eyes. "But it was hard... raising her on my own... sometimes I thought about letting her go too, but... but then I would look at her and see you in her face,

"I know... You seemed so unhappy that night we met... I just wanted you to be happy..." Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued. "It was selfish of me to want that for myself, instead of letting you make your own choices." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand before looking back up at Jay1231. "I'm sorry... I know it doesn't change anything now, but I needed to say it..."

"It's been hard though," she continued, trying to change the subject and put more focus on their daughter. "Gabriela was always so tough... like you... she never let me know when she was hurt or struggling." She chuckled softly through her tears. "But I think that's where she gets it from..." Her gaze flickered between Jay1231 and the ground as she tried to find the words

"You did?" she breathed out, surprise filling her voice as hope surged through her chest. "Oh... I wish you'd told me..." She took a step closer to Jay1231, the pain and regret evident on her face. "I would have done anything to find you again... if only I knew where to look..." Tears spilled down her cheeks unchecked as she reached out a trembling hand and tentatively placed it on Jay1231's arm.

"It was selfish of me too," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "To think that you would want anything to do with someone like me after all this time... I never imagined we could find our way back to each other..."

Her gaze darted to the floor before slowly returning to meet Jay1231's eyes. "I... I don't know," she admitted softly. "It's been so long, and we both have changed..." She paused, considering her words carefully. "...but if you still want that, if you want to try..." Her voice trailed off as she let go of Jay1231's hand but kept it close by, no longer pushing them away. "I won't stop you," she added with a faint smile.

It was the first small step towards healing, for both her and Gabriela, and maybe even Jay1231 as well. Time would tell if they could find their way back to each other after all these years apart.

As they held each other close, she felt the familiar thrum of attraction towards them. It was easy to forget, after everything that had happened and all the years apart, but it was still there. Her heart skipped a beat as Jay1231 leaned in closer, their lips brushing against hers gently before pressing harder, demanding entry. She kissed back eagerly, her fingers threading through Jay1231's hair and holding them close as the passion between them flared up once more.

Her body responded instantly to the feel of Jay1231 against her, memories of those long-lost nights flooding back. They were still in love... it was clear as day now. She moaned into the kiss, the rough edge of their embrace only heightening her desire for more, wanting nothing more than to spend eternity in this moment with them, lost in each other's touch

As Jay1231 pulled back and moved to leave the room, Isabella caught their arm, holding them back with surprising strength. "Wait," she said breathlessly. "We... should talk." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Maybe we can all sit down together? Just us girls?" It was an awkward suggestion, even to her ears, but she wanted there to be some sort of peace between them before they took any further steps forward.

She held onto Jay1231's arm, waiting for a response, not sure what else to say or do in this situation. The air felt thick with tension and unspoken words as they stood there facing each other once again.

"Thank you..." She released their arm, feeling more at ease as they took a seat on the couch. Glancing over to where her daughter's door was still closed, she slowly sat down next to Jay1231, carefully avoiding any physical contact but still close enough that they could feel each other's presence. "I... I know we have a lot of explaining to do..." She cleared her throat and began haltingly. "Gabriela had a lot of questions about you... she was angry, understandably so..."

Her words were soft and hesitant as she searched for the right way to broach the subject. What was there even to say? How could they possibly make this situation any less complicated or painful for either of them? "We should probably talk more about what happened... why you left..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish that particular thought.

She paused for a moment, considering this. "You're right," she finally said. "Gabriela should be here... it's not fair to discuss all of this without her." Standing up, she walked over to the couch and hesitantly reached out to knock on the door. "Honey? Gabriela, you can come out now..." She waited for a moment before opening the door slowly, revealing her daughter standing there in front of them, still glaring at Jay1231 but not quite as furious as before.

"Gabriela, this is... your father," she said softly, gesturing towards Jay1231. "Jay1231, please meet our daughter." She took a step back, feeling uncomfortable with the weight of their situation pressing down on her. It was up to them now; she had done all she could.

Gabriela regarded her father warily before slowly taking his hand in hers. She looked at him like he was a stranger and yet somehow not. "Hello," she said quietly, unsure what else to say. It was obvious that this meeting had left her emotionally raw and confused, but maybe if they could talk things through it would help them all move forward.

"Why didn't you tell me about... him?" she asked, hesitating over the pronoun before continuing. "Didn't you want to be a part of my life?" Her gaze darted between Isabella and Jay1231, searching for some kind of answer that might make sense of all this.

Gabriela looked at her mother, then back to her father, considering their words carefully. "I see... so you didn't even know?" It was a strange thought, realizing that the anger she had felt towards him might have been misplaced. "I'm sorry I treated you like that," she muttered softly, her cheeks flushing red with shame.

"We can talk about this more," Isabella said gently, trying to steer the conversation away from further arguments. She sat down on the couch again and gestured for Jay1231 and Gabriela to join her. "Maybe we should all just sit down and get to know each other better?" It was an awkward suggestion, but she felt it might be best under the circumstances.

Gabriela glances at her father, then turns to him with a small smile. "I'm eighteen years old." She blushes slightly as she answers, feeling self-conscious about being asked such a personal question but grateful for the attempt at starting a conversation. As they begin to chat more freely, Isabella watches them both carefully, unable to wipe the proud smile from her face. It's clear that they share some sort of connection despite everything that has happened between them.

"So," she finally says after several minutes of relative silence, "what have you been up to lately?" Her voice is light and casual, as if trying to pretend this was just an ordinary day where everyone wasn't going through such immense emotional turmoil.

"Oh? You're family lives around here?" she asks curiously, her eyes flickering between them. "What kind of family are they in? Do you have brothers or sisters I should know about as well?" She bites her lip nervously, unsure if she's overstepping any boundaries by asking so many questions but unable to help herself.

"I don't mind spending time with them too," she adds quickly, "but it would be nice for all of us to spend some quality time together as well." Her gaze lingers on Gabriela for a moment before returning to Jay1231, conveying a deep longing that neither of them seem to notice.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaims brightly, blushing slightly at the kiss Jay1231 has just given her. "I would love to meet your brother sometime! Maybe we could all go out for dinner or something? Just so we can get to know each other better?" She glances at Gabriela again, hoping the idea sounds appealing to her as well.

The room seems lighter and more comfortable now that they're finally able to have a proper conversation without tension hanging thick in the air. It's clear they still have a long way to go before things can truly be considered "normal," but for now, Isabella is content to enjoy this small glimpse of hope she sees before her.

Isabella watched as Gabriela headed off to her room, casting occasional glances over at her father and feeling a new wave of emotions wash over her. She felt relief that the tension had been eased between them for now, but also sadness and guilt for keeping him from his daughter all these years.

Turning back to Jay1231, she takes a deep breath before speaking softly. "Thank you... for coming here tonight... I know it couldn't have been easy..." She hesitates, unsure how much more to say or ask of him. "I just hope we can all find a way to move forward from this together."

Her voice cracks slightly as tears threaten to spill over once again, and she quickly turns away to hide her emotions, swallowing hard against the lump forming in her throat. She busies herself with straightening out a throw pillow

Isabella jumps slightly at the touch, blinking away tears as she glances down at his hand. "Nothing," she murmurs, forcing a smile even though her voice is shaky. "I'm just... emotional right now, that's all." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before looking up at him again. "Can we talk about what happened between us?" She hesitates, trying to find the right words for this delicate conversation. "Before you left... I mean..."

Her cheeks flush red with shame as she remembers their argument that fateful night and how she told him to leave, effectively throwing him away. It hadn't been intentional; she had just been scared and desperate for him to stay. Now, seeing the look in his eyes, she can only hope he understands why she did it.