Emberlynn’s eyes fluttered open. Despite her nap, she felt just as exhausted and drained as she had when she’d first laid down. Everything was a blur, and it took her a few moments to even recognize where she was. The small house was silent as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, groaning slightly.

She tried her best to collect her thoughts as she sifted through the foggy memories of her dream. It had all felt so real. Looking down at little baby Asher, still hooked up to a tiny breathing tube and several beeping monitors. Crying inconsolably just as she always did when she and Xander had to leave him behind at the hospital. Seeing both her parents walking through the front door and feeling the comfort of their embrace…

No, wait… That wasn’t a dream, she realized as her mind finally began to clear. None of it was. What she’d originally believed to be her mind’s own creations were nothing but foggy memories of what had happened that very morning.

God, I can’t even tell the difference between dreams and reality anymore… Should I be worried? Emberlynn shook her head slowly as this thought crossed her mind. She’d barely been sleeping lately, and not for the reason most parents of newborns usually suffered from lack of sleep.

It had been just over a week since Asher was born, and four days since Emberlynn had been discharged from the hospital. Every day since then had been exactly the same — she and Xander would wake up early in the morning to go to the hospital, stay with Asher all day, then come back home to feed Gucci and go to bed… Except ‘go to bed’ usually meant ‘stay up until two o’clock in the morning worrying and wondering when they’d finally get to take their baby home’. It was exhausting.

But today had been different. They’d still gotten up at the crack of dawn and headed to the hospital to see Asher, but this time it was only for a few hours. Then they headed back home to meet her parents, whose flight had landed just that morning.

Still a bit groggy, Emberlynn made her way out into the living room. Although she’d just seen her no more than an hour or two ago, Emberlynn’s heart still skipped a beat at the sight of her mother sitting on her couch. She looked like she’d just woken up too. Probably sleeping off the jet lag…

“Hey, Sweetie.” Gigi smiled warmly at her daughter as she approached.

“Hi Mama.” Emberlynn replied, trying her best to hide her discomfort. “Where’d Papa and Xander go?” She looked around for a moment, noticing how quiet and empty the house was.

“After you laid down, Xander took your father to the hotel so he could check in and drop off his bags.” Gigi explained. “And I think they said something about picking up lunch for us on the way back.”

Emberlynn nodded. She was glad her Papa and Xander were getting a little time alone together. Though they did not really view each other as anything more than a father-in-law and son-in-law, the two had formed a pretty close bond over the years. “What about you? Aren’t you gonna go check in?”

“I didn’t want to leave you alone. But it’s alright — I’ll check in tonight after we finish up at the hospital.” Gigi’s smile widened slightly as she spoke. “I’m so excited to meet Asher! And I know your father is too.”

Despite her discomfort at being alone with her mother, Emberlynn couldn’t help but smile as well. “Yeah, Lola can’t wait either. Her flight got in late last night, and she was practically begging to come with us to the hospital this morning.” She laughed softly. “But we wanted to wait til you and Papa got here so you could all meet him at the same time.”

Emberlynn did not miss the slight look of discomfort that flickered across her mother’s face at the mention of Lola. She realized with a jolt that this would be the first time the three of them would all be together since that fateful day over seven years ago…

“That’s right, I forgot she’d be here too…” Gigi very obviously forced a smile as she continued. “Xander must be so happy she was able to come.”

“Yeah, it sucks that none of the guys could get the time off with such short notice, but Jorden’s flying out next week, and Lola’s bringing Travis with her in October when she comes back…” Phoenix was also planning on coming back with his girlfriend Marie too, but Emberlynn had enough sense not to mention that part. “Still waiting on Ben to figure out when he can come… But we’ll figure it out. Xander’s got a lot of dads to juggle!”

Emberlynn tried to smile at her own joke, but it was hard. Talking to her mother was still so difficult. This was already the longest in-person conversation the two of them had had since that afternoon in Paris all those years ago. “Anyway, um… how was your flight?” She continued, trying to sound casual. “Wait, did I already ask that?” Their brief conversation from when Gigi had first arrived was still a blur.

“You did.” Gigi laughed softly. “And like I said before, it was very very long, but otherwise not so bad, all things considered?” She gave a small shrug. “I tried to sleep through most of it… And speaking of that, how was the nap?” Her mother smiled. “Sleep well?”

“Not really.” Emberlynn confessed. “I still kinda feel like I was hit by a truck or something.”

“Ah, you’ve gotta learn to get used to that feeling… Welcome to motherhood.” The older woman teased.

Emberlynn shook her head at her mother’s words. “This isn’t what it’s supposed to be like though, is it? Asher’s supposed to be home with us. He’s not supposed to be all alone at the hospital hooked up to all those machines…” Her voice was suddenly thick.

“I know.” Gigi replied, her voice soothing. “I can’t even imagine how hard this must be for you… But remember, it’s only for a couple of weeks. He’s gonna be fine. He just needs to get a little stronger before he’s ready to come home.”

She let out a soft sigh. “I know. It’s scary as hell right now, but I know he’s gonna be okay. And… I feel kinda stupid for freaking out and calling you and Papa.” Emberlynn confessed. “You guys really didn’t have to fly all the way out here so last minute. You could’ve waited…”

“Don’t feel stupid! Anybody would be freaked out in your shoes. I know I would be.” Gigi assured her. “And we were happy to come. All this stress isn’t something you and Xander should have to go through alone.”

“Yeah… it wasn’t so bad when Zelda and Tristan were here. But once they went back home, it just felt so lonely, and…“ Emberlynn shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished. “Anyway, I guess… I guess what I’m trying to say is… Thank you.” She muttered uncomfortably. “It means a lot to both of us that you came.” And despite how difficult it was to say, Emberlynn meant every word.

“Of course. But you don’t have to thank me.” Gigi replied, her voice soft. She seemed to hesitate a moment before continuing. “I know things are still…” She gestured vaguely, seemingly unable to find the right word. “But I’ll always be here for you, Emberlynn. Whenever you need it. Don’t forget that.”

Something in her mother’s words sparked a memory… One she’d meant to ask Tristan about before he went back home, but she kept forgetting. Her mind had been too occupied with worry for her newborn son.

“Mama… when he was here visiting, Tristan mentioned something about back when me and Xander first moved out here. You remember, right? When we didn’t have enough money for rent…” She began carefully.

Gigi nodded, but said nothing.

“And he didn’t really say much, but… But he almost… I guess he kinda made it sound like you, um…” Emberlynn paused. Just ask her already! She scolded herself. “Was it you?” She asked at last. “The one who gave us all that money?”

Her mother let out a soft sigh. “He was never supposed to tell you… I was hoping to do it without telling anybody, but I needed his help setting up the account.” She confessed, her lip curling into a smile for a moment. “And it turns out your Papa was planning on doing the same thing, actually. I let him pitch in every couple months… That was our compromise. So it wasn’t all me.” Gigi explained. “But either way, I was hoping it wouldn’t get back to you.”

Emberlynn’s throat felt suddenly dry. “So it’s true then… It was you. Or mostly you, anyway…”

Gigi nodded. “I know you never wanted any help, especially not from me… That’s why I never told you. I’m sorry. I should’ve said something sooner. God knows I’ve already kept enough secrets from you.” She added guiltily. “I just didn’t want you worrying about it. You already had enough going on back then…”

Emberlynn could not immediately find her voice. She’d always known that Gigi made a decent living. She used to wonder then, why her mother had chosen to live in such a tiny apartment after the divorce, and why it took her so many years to finally save up for an actual house…

But now she finally understood. It was because she was giving me and Xander thousands of dollars every year. It was nearly three years before the mysterious donations finally stopped, just a few months after Xander had gotten a promotion at work and they’d closed on their house. The timing was just too perfect. How had they not it realized before now?

“But Mama, why?” Emberlynn asked softly, still in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”

Gigi simply shrugged. “Because you were right — There’s nothing I could ever do to change what I did. I can never take back all the pain I caused you… But I figured if I couldn’t do anything to fix the past, at least I could help make the future a little easier.” She explained. “You’re my little girl, Emberlynn. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I’ll do anything to help make that happen.”

Emberlynn felt a sharp stinging in the corners of her eyes at her mother’s words. In that moment, all she could think of was Asher — so tiny and all alone in the hospital. She loved him like she loved nothing else in the entire world. She would do anything for him… Just like she knew her mother would for her.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Gigi’s face was etched with concern as she noticed her daughter’s tears beginning to form. “Do you wanna head over to the hospital now?” She offered gently. “Xander and your Papa can meet us there.”

She shook her head. “It’s not about Asher. Well, maybe it kind of is…” Emberlynn paused to take a deep breath. She suddenly knew exactly what she needed to say. “Mama, last week, when I realized what was happening with Asher, all I could think of was how much I wished you were there with me.”

Gigi’s eyes widened a bit. “Really?”

Emberlynn nodded. “Going through something like that… It reminded me how much I still need you. And being Asher’s mom helped me understand a lot of things that I didn’t really ‘get’ before, you know?”

“Like what?” Gigi asked softly. Her expression was very difficult to read.

“Like how being a mother is somehow the most terrifying and amazing thing in the world.” She explained. “And how you can love your child so much more than you ever thought you could love anything…” Emberlynn paused, shaking her head. “God that sounds so cheesy, right? But it’s true. And I know that’s how you feel about being my Mama too. I’ve just been too mad at you to let myself see that.”

Her mother hesitated for a moment before replying. “That’s exactly how I feel.” Gigi replied at last. “But you’ve had every right to be angry at me. What I did…”

“Mama, stop.” Emberlynn cut in gently. “You don’t have to say it. We both know how wrong it was. We know how much it hurt me and Papa. But I think now, I can kinda understand why you did it.” She shrugged as she spoke.

“I was so scared… I just wanted what was best for both of us.” Gigi replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wanted you to be happy.”

“I know. And I was happy. I ended up with an amazing father who loves me… And a Mama who loves me too. I’m sorry I let myself forget that. But you know what? I think I’m finally ready to start remembering… I’m done being angry.”

“What?”

“I’m done being angry.” Emberlynn repeated. “And it’ll take some time, but… I think I’m ready to… to forgive you. Or start figuring out how to, at least.” She never dreamed she’d be saying those words to her mother… but she now realized that she had to. It was time. “I love you, Mama. And I’m done holding onto this stupid grudge… I just want my Mama back.”

Gigi said nothing, but let out a heavy sob before reaching out and pulling her daughter into a tight embrace. Emberlynn melted eagerly into the comfort of her mother’s arms. She wasn’t sure how long the two of them held each other after that. They were both silent, save their sobs and sniffles. What more was there to say?

Things were still forever changed between her and her mother… But that didn’t mean Emberlynn had to spend the rest of her life shutting Gigi out or pushing her away. All that would do was hurt them even more. And hadn’t they both been hurt enough already?

For the past seven years, the pain and anger had plagued her, always lurking beneath the surface, no matter how well everything else seemed to be going in her life.

But now, maybe things could be different. Emberlynn had her dream job, the most amazing husband, an incredible father, her sweet baby boy… And now she finally had her mother back too.

For the first time in many years, Emberlynn felt ready to put all her pain and bitterness behind her. She’d been letting herself suffer for long enough.

It was finally time to learn how to heal.

—————————————

Note: And, believe it or not… that’s a wrap on Emberlynn’s gen! I know I didn’t show a lot of her and Xander’s life in Del Sol Valley, but don’t worry… we’ll see plenty of it in Gen 9! 😉 This has been one of my favorite generations, despite being another short one! I really loved writing Emberlynn and following her crazy soap opera of a story… And I hope you guys did too! ❤

Also, as an important heads-up, I will be temporarily switching my schedule to one chapter a week, on Saturdays. I am planning on using some time to build up a buffer of chapters so I can return to two a week soon… I will keep you all posted about when that happens! Hoping it will be a month at most before we finally return to the twice-weekly schedule! I know once a week makes things drag, so I apologize and also appreciate your patience! ❤

That means our next chapter will be a week from today, on September 28th! As a bit of a countdown (and to build some hype! 😛 ) I’ll be doing Gen 9 “character reveals” starting tomorrow up until Saturday’s chapter! I’ll post them on the forums, Twitter, and the A2A discord server (which, if you haven’t joined and would like to, is right here!).

Can’t wait to get to welcome you all to Generation Nine: Asher 😀 See you then, and thank you so much to all of you for reading! ❤