"Come on, Jacky," coached Aster, standing a few feet in front of her as she made her way slowly down the bars, shuffling, painfully, but still moving forward. "You can do this, just a few more feet."

School had let out for the summer the day before and Aster was spending his first summer night helping Jacky practice walking. Her eyes were glued on the ground just before her feet. Over the past few months, she had managed to walk almost 6 feet of the 12 foot set of bars set up in the gym room of Tobias's house. Every night she would take time to do her stretches and exercises before moving to the bars and try to set a new record for herself. It was a slow and painful process but she was stubborn and refused to give up.

She looked up and gave Aster a shaky grin before taking another faltering step. Her arms shook, her legs burned, and her knuckles were white as she gripped the rails but she shuffled a few more feet before the world tilted dangerously and she saw the ground coming up to greet her at an alarming rate.

"Whoa there, mate," said Aster, his strong arms wrapping around her torso, stopping her before she could hit the ground.

He sat down on the ground with her as she caught her breath, her limbs trembling from the effort she'd exerted. She leaned against him, too tired to sit up on her own.

"Well done, Jacky," said Aster, smiling down at her. "You broke your record by two whole feet."

"Yay me," grumbled Jacky good naturedly.

"Chin up, soldier."

"Shut up. I'm too tired to care."

"Fair enough," chuckled Aster, pulling her into his arms and standing. "Let's get you to bed."

"You're not the boss of me," said Jacky but the effect was ruined by the smile in her voice.

Aster could tell that she was proud of herself. He deposited her on her bed in the basement.

"I'm all sweaty and gross," complained Jacky, inspecting her arms.

"I'm done with the shower if you want it," said Tooth, walking out and toweling her hair dry, streaks of purple, green, and blue she had added sparkling with water drops.

"Yes please," said Jacky, squirrel jumping off the bed into her chair and rolling herself into the bathroom to wash up.

"We're watching a movie after if you want to join," called Tooth as the door shut.

Aster stretched and sat on the couch where Nick was and watched as Sandy narrowed down the movies until at last he settled on a documentary about the ocean. By that time, Jacky was out of the bathroom, her hair damp and unbrushed, sticking out at odd angles. She wheeled over to her bed and sat on it, leaving the chair she hated so much sitting on the side. Though she was working on walking and could feel her legs, coordination and strength were still a problem.

"Are you going to watch the movie with us?" asked Tooth, pulling her multicolored hair into a high ponytail.

"Yeah," said Jack. "What are we watching, Sandy?"

Sandy signed over the couch to Jacky.

"I love documentaries," said Jacky. "And fish. If I could be any animal right now it would totally be a fish. Or maybe I'd be an arctic fox. Yeah, I'd be an arctic fox for sure. Those things are so beautiful and cunning. But I would never want one as a pet, I want a dog instead. I think a German Sheppard or mastiff would be awesome."

"There is no way you are getting a mastiff ever," said Aster, walking over to the bed. "Those things are huge and one would eat you without a doubt."

"Those dogs are as big as horses," said Tooth. "Where would you keep one?"

"You could ride it if you wanted," offered Nick.

"Stop giving her ideas, you aren't helping," chided Aster. "Come on, let's watch the movie."

Jacky climbed onto his back, laughing as Aster carried her upstairs with the others and to the big television room.

The change over the past few months in Jacky was outstanding. She laughed at every opportunity, she let other people touch her at times, and she even warmed up to Tobias. At school she excelled even with her time out and being younger than most people. Her favorite person was still Aster and the two were inseparable. They did everything together but it wasn't just a change in Jacky that was noticeable. Aster as well smiled more, was more relaxed, and had begun to allow Tobias to step in as a parental figure, even if he refused to admit it.

In the television room Sandy worked on getting the movie set up while the others arranged themselves in a comfortable heap. Tobias walked in with a huge bowl of popcorn and settled next to the teenagers on the platform he had made out of old crates and covered with cushions to make them more comfortable.

"How was your first day of summer?" asked Tobias, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

"Fantastic!" said Tooth, leaning against her boyfriend Nick while she beamed at the caretaker. "I went for a walk and Nick and I did some shopping and now we're going to watch a movie."

"It wasn't bad," said Aster. "I slept, painted, and read some."

"Sandy says he likes being out of school and he wrote a story today," said Jacky, translating the signs the others were still struggling to learn. "Sandy! I'm not telling them that, it would ruin the surprise."

"What?" asked Tooth, curiosity already clawing at her insides.

"Don't worry about it," said Jacky. "I read a book and broke my record on the bars."

"That's wonderful, Jacky," said Tobias, smiling at the young girl.

Sandy pressed play and joined them on the platform as the opening credits rolled. Before the movie was even a third of the way through, Jacky had fallen asleep, her head on Aster's shoulder. In response, Aster wrapped one arm protectively around her. It was a subconscious action that only Tobias noticed but as the older man watched not the movie but the five teenagers that had come to mean the world to him, he couldn't help but feel complete satisfaction with how his life had turned out and he couldn't wait for the joy the summer was bound to bring.

If only he knew.

*Yes, the sequel. Oh the things I have planned for this story. Thank you for putting up with the wait. I wanted to take a breather from it and get the outline done first before beginning the posting part. And don't forget my promise- there shall be love!

Wish me luck (I am not a romantic person so we shall see how this goes)!

Always- Ari