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"Baby, you got that?"

Ava glanced up, holding her little yellow suitcase with both hands. It was beaten and worn but she held it as if it were the most important thing in the world.

"Momma, is this where we're gonna live?" She asked, looking up at the brick building before her. The complex was cold and uninviting- so much so that even a six year old felt unwelcome. "Can't we go back and live with Daddy?"

Emily looked down at her daughter with tears brimming in her eyes. "Honey-bear, Daddy is... he can't be with us right now. We gotta be on our own for a bit."

Ava nodded her little head, not really understanding. But that was probably for the best, anyway.

Emily winced down at her young daughter. She had always been a daddy's girl, so this transition would undoubtedly be tough on her. Pushing the sick feeling in her stomach to the back of her mind she grabbed a trash bag and balanced it on top of the cardboard box she already had in her hands. It wasn't a positive start to the future they would now be forced to endure.

Using her hip to push the car door shut she made her way toward the building, glancing back to make sure her little girl was following closely behind. Ava struggled to keep up with Emily's longer strides, but hurried along none the less.

The complex was without a doubt one of the worst places Emily had ever thought she would raise a child. Located in downtown Atlanta, it had premium property values, with a ghetto appearance. The crime rate in this part of the city was high, especially with muggings and car break-ins. Emily never wanted to expose Ava to such a life, but it had finally become inevitable when her husband was incarcerated and it was left up to her to be the sole supporter of the family. Food and lawyer bills didn't come cheap.

Luckily, their room was on the second floor to the building; 24B. It was high enough to make Emile feel slightly better about not being broken into through a window, yet low enough that should there be a fire, they would still be able to get out without too many problems.

"Momma, it smells funny." Ava complained in her high little voice as Emily ushered her into the small apartment.

"That's just because no one has lived here for a while, Baby." She tried to comfort, even though that explanation was far from the truth. The smell was of sweat and semen. "We'll clean it real good and spray some of that citrus air freshener you like so much."

"So it can smell pretty?" Ava asked, her big blue eyes looking up at her mother.

"Yeah, baby, so it can smell pretty."

Ava smiled, dropping her suitcase in the middle of the living area then perching herself on top of it. Emily glanced around the room, making a mental note of everything that would have to be scrubbed down. She didn't want Ava even touching anything that could possibly make her sick.

Dropping her few belongings beside her daughter, Emily turned to make another trip to her car but was stopped unceremoniously by a man tapping at their opened door. The man was tall, with a day old beard and blonde hair that looked as if it hadn't been washed in weeks. He glanced the older woman up and down before offering her his hand to shake. "Hello there." He said, leaning against the door frame so she couldn't make her way past. "New here?"

Emily didn't like him immediately, trying to block his view of her child in the background. "Looks like it, doesn't it?" She responded, her voice icy.

Ava must have noticed her mother's troubled demeanor and quickly rushed to her side, gripping her little hand in Emily's back pocket.

"Oh, what do we have here, now?" The man said, kneeling down to Ava's level.

Emily felt inner warning bells go off. There was something defiantly sleazy about this guy and she didn't want him near her only daughter.

"And what's your name?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. Emily had the urge to kick him away.

"Ava."

"Well, Ava, you are probably the prettiest little girl I have ever seen in my whole life. Maybe your momma will let me come over and play sometime."

"I don't think so." Emily cut in, pulling Ava tightly against her.

The man stood, his eyes flashing at her immediate dismissal. "Where's your husband, ma'am? This isn't a very safe place for two lovely women to live alone?"

Emily narrowed her eyes. "He's at work."

The man seemed to see through her lie, grinning from ear to ear. "Right. Well, you really do have a pretty little thing for a daughter."








*







Ava gripped her duffel bag to her chest, pulling her suitcase behind her on the little built-in wheels. She hated moving. There was something extremely unnerving about packing up all your belongings and starting over somewhere completely new- especially when the only person you knew would be leaving for a tour in a week's time.

Patrick placed his hand at the base of Ava's back, guiding her through the confusion that was the Los Angeles airport. He was still hobbling around after a week of recovery, and according to the doctors it would still be another five before he was back to his regular activities without experiencing any pain. The thing about cracked ribs is that there really isn't a lot a doctor can do about them- only prescribe strong medications for the discomfort. Because of this, there was a third person to their party, and his job was carrying Patrick's luggage.

"Think you got enough stuff in here, Stump?" Pete asked, struggling to keep the strap of one bag from falling off of his shoulder while still maintaining a grip on the other. "You're gone for one week-/one week/- and you..." He pointed at Ava, shaking his finger in her face, "You bring him back all broken!"

"Oh, come on, Pete, this isn't her fault." Patrick interrupted.

"Sure it isn't." The bassist said unconvincingly, still trailing along behind them and muttering things Ava couldn't comprehend.

"He's just jealous he isn't the center of attention."

Ava forced a smile, feeling guilty all over again.

"Right." Pete continued. "Because that's the kind of attention I want; the near death kind." He shook his head, causing the hood he had pulled up to hide his identity slip slightly. "No thank you."

Patrick shrugged. "I, personally, think it's better than being about some random scandal, or anything having to do with whom I'm currently dating... or my penis."

Pete blatantly ignored the 'penis' comment. "That's because you're never dating anyone interesting- no offence, Ava."

"None taken."

"Hey," Patrick argued, attempting to defend Ava's honor. "She's interesting. More interesting than any of the girls you date, anyway."

"I'll give her one thing- she's more dangerous than any of the girls I've dated."

"/It wasn't her fault/."

"I'm right here, guys." Ava flashed them both an angry look. "Can't you do this later when I'm not around?"

Patrick rubbed little circles on her back as an apology, and Pete immediately clamped his mouth shut. This was obviously going to be an excruciatingly long car ride.

Thirty minutes later of awkward silence between the three passengers, the town car pulled up in front of what appeared to be a little blue house. Only, of course- this house merely seemed small due to the two apartment complexes flanking it on both sides. It was three stories tall, with bright yellow shutters and a wrap around porch, giving it a warm, welcoming feeling. It looked completely out of place in the middle of downtown L.A.

"Where are we?" Ava asked, finally breaking the silence, yet not able to take her eyes off of the unique structure before her.

Patrick leaned slightly toward her, planting a quick kiss against her shoulder. "It's your new home."

"What?" She asked, panic clearly evident in her voice as she turned to look at him. Her eyes pleaded with him to be joking. There was no way she could live here. "That can't be right."

He frowned, not being able to hide his inner thoughts; there had to be something wrong with the house to make her respond in this way. "Why?"

Her eyes darted from him to Pete- who just happened to fall asleep during the drive. "I can't afford to live here, Trick." She whispered, the panic not subsiding from her voice in the least. If anything, it had intensified. "I'll never have a high enough paying job to stay somewhere so nice."

Patrick groaned, as Ava calculated how much a place like this would cost to rent per month. It had to be in the tens of thousands. This was a high-dollar city and nothing this good would ever come cheap.

"Don't worry about it. You won't have to pay rent, only your portion of the utilities." He explained patiently.

Ava bit her lip, "Why?"

"Rindi, one of your new roommates owns it. Her parents bought it when they purchased the land for the other complexes, only they couldn't tear it down; something about zoning. So they just signed it over to her when she decided to move to L.A. It's completely paid off, so there really is no need for rent."

"She really owns it?" Ava said, amazed at her newfound luck. She just couldn't yet decide if it was good or bad.

Patrick pushed her bangs out of her eyes with the tips of his fingers. "Of course. Her family is loaded. Any rent money she would get from you would be just pocket change to her anyway."

Ava swallowed, trying to get rid of the nervous feeling in her stomach. She knew Patrick was trying to help by making sure she understood that paying rent really would be unnecessary, but it seemed to have just the opposite effect. She had no clue how she could ever live with someone who had so much money. For all of her life she had only associated with people very similar to herself- those struggling to get by on a day to day basis. Being here with a rock star and an heiress was not something she had ever even dreamed of- it was more like a nightmare. Ava would undoubtedly stand out as the odd one in the group- the one that just didn't quite fit in.

"Ready?" Patrick asked, taking her hand in his and pulling her from the vehicle.

Ava stumbled in his path, feeling just like the house itself- like she didn't belong.

"Patrick, this is all very nice, but-"

"You told me," He interrupted, carefully moving as to not jostle any fragile bones, "that I could choose where you live. And this is where I decided."

"Right." Ava said, not exactly convinced, but unable to come up with any real excuse. Slowly, she followed him up the short, pebbled sidewalk to the front door, waiting for Patrick to ring the doorbell, yet instead he barged right in.

"Hello...? Rindi?" He called, still pulling Ava along. "Alex?"

"I don't think they're here." Ava quickly muttered, anxious to leave the house. If no one showed then she had a bit longer to absorb these new changes.

Patrick did a good job of ignoring her. "Hello?"

"What on earth just gives you the right to just waltz right into my home..." A female voice called from somewhere above. "... yelling and screaming as if you own the place?" The voice was followed with the slam of a door and the echo of footsteps descending from somewhere in the house.

"Rindi?" Patrick asked again, a smile spreading across his face. "As bossy as ever..."

"Patrick?" A flash of blonde, and the next thing she knew, Patrick was being swept away from her in a gigantic hug from the one they called 'Rindi'. Ava winced at the inevitable pain this was going to cause. "Oh my god, I've missed you! How have you been? The mob didn't get you did they? Joe was telling me all about it. I swear if they hurt one hair on your head..."

An inaudible noise escaped his lungs.

"What?" Rindi asked again, pulling Patrick arms length away to get a good look at his face. "Are you ok? What the fuck is your problem, Patrick?"

He groaned, gripping his sides. "... chair... sit..."

Ava sighed, pulling him in the direction of a bench near the front doorway. Slowly he leaned back, obviously clenching his jaw in the process. "He has a few broken ribs." She explained to her new roommate who had a confused look marring her otherwise perfect features. So this was what an heiress looked like... something of a porcelain doll, if not for a bit of obscene language.

"Oh my god..." She whispered, placing one manicured hand over her mouth. "I am so sorry, Trick, I had no idea!" She gushed. "Is there anything I can do? Anything I can give you? Drugs? I practically have an entire pharmacy at my disposal, so you just say the word..."

"I'm fine." Patrick whispered, leaning back against the wall, letting his eyes remain closed for the time being. "Just give me a minute."

"Sure, anything." Rindi nodded, before giving Ava the once over. "Did you do this to our Patrick?" She asked, her arms folded lightly over her chest. It was hard to miss the intention of the word 'our,' causing Ava's defenses to instantly spring into play.

"Rindi, she had nothing to do with-"

"Patrick, I'm not talking to you right now." The heiress interrupted.

Ava frowned, imitating the other girl's actions and crossing her arms. First the BN and now this... "I don't think that has anything to do with you." She said, as the other girl's eyes widened. "And he isn't our Patrick, he's my Patrick, so lay off."

Rindi glared for just a moment longer before a smile spread across her face and she turned her attention back to the injured singer before her. "I like her already." She moved in, wrapping her arms quickly around Ava's shoulders. "You and I are going to get along splendidly. Welcome to Casa de Rindi."

"Casa de Rindi?" She cocked one eyebrow questionally.

"Ok, so the name needs a little work... Now, I know Alex is around here somewhere." She took Ava's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "Come on. I'll introduce you."

"But..." Ava gestured to Patrick, who was still sitting at an odd angle on the wooden bench.

"I don't think he's going anywhere." Rindi waved him off dismissively. "Now, where is Alex, I think she might be upstairs... or maybe in her dark room." She switched directions so fluidly, Ava had a difficult time keeping up- and she wasn't in three inch heals like the blonde.

"Alex?" She called, knocking on a bright purple door connecting to the living room. "She's always in here... doing god knows what..." She whispered in Ava's ear. "Ok, fine!" She called again. "We're coming in!"

With that Rindi tugged the door open, pulling Ava inside along with her.

"Rindi!" A girl screeched, covering the sheet of paper she was holding. Her dark hair flailed wildly about her shoulders, as she hurried to cover a roll of film she was holding. "I told you, time and time again, Do not come in here while I'm working!" She rolled her eyes, muttering a string of incoherent words Ava couldn't understand. "Now, if I'm going to have to shoot Rory's pictures all over again... I swear to god, Rindi..."

"I totally knocked."

The girl groaned, pulling a bright green sharpie from behind her ear and made a few little scribbled notes on a piece of rainbow paper. "Yes, well, as long as you knocked I guess my ruined pictures are worth the-"

"Patrick delivered our new roommate." Rindi interrupted, unfazed by the harsh looks she was being sent, and motioned to Ava- who managed to stand there somewhat awkwardly.

"Patrick, what?" She looked up, finally registering that Rindi wasn't the only one in the room. "Oh, hello there! I'm Alex!" She said dropping what she was doing and moved around the table at a speed that almost knocked over a tall glass of some clear liquid. Holding her hand out she gripped Ava's firmly. Unlike Rindi, who was at least four inches taller than Ava/ without /the heals, Alex was somewhat more of a short girl herself. She had dark, Spanish-like features but Ava couldn't exactly place her ethnicity. "Welcome! We were beginning to wonder when we would get the meet Trick's new girl. Imagine our surprise when he asked if there was room here for one more."

"Well, I hope I'm no problem-"

"Oh, god no." Rindi muttered. "We have tons of space."

"I'm just glad to have a normal person to be living with..." Alex joked, jabbing at Rindi like only best friends could, she pulled her long hair back into a ponytail as she searched for a pencil to hold it in place. "You are normal aren't you?"

"What kind of question is that, Alex?"

"Oh, god, you act like I'm doing something bad, here. You know the weirdo we got last time-"

"The weirdo we got last time was a friend of Dirty's, not Patrick. There is a huge difference in assessment skills between the two guys."

"Yeah, yeah, but they're both guys; totally ruled by their penis, so as soon as a hot chic walks by-"

"I know, they throw all their inhibitions out the door, but at least this time she looks normal."

Ava cleared her throat. "Hi, guys... standing right here..."

Alex smiled, showing her perfectly white teeth. "Take that as a complement, babe! The other chick was totally covered in tattoos with hair down to there... and you don't want to know what 'there' is, trust me."

Ava nodded. "You're probably right. I'm grateful to have a lack of that knowledge."

"Of course you are." Alex reverted her attention back to the picture she now held in her hand, dropping it into that same clear liquid. "But Patrick is a good guy..."

"Better than the last girl he dated." Rindi murmured.

"Hey!" Alex grabbed the closest thing within reach (a little wooden clothes pin) and stabbed it in the other girl's direction. "I am amazing and you know it."

"You dated Patrick?" Ava asked, her eyes wide. This was a strange group, that much was for sure if her current boyfriend was wanting her to room with one of his exgirlfriends.

"For like, five seconds." Alex reassured. "And it was years ago."

A knock sounded at the door and Ava was strangely relieved to see Patrick standing there. "Please don't scare her away yet, ladies. I just got her here and that was hard enough."

"Scare her away?" Rindi winked in Ava's direction, taking on an overly-dramatic air. "Do you really have that little confidence in your own girlfriend that a couple measly girls could scare her away from what could possible be true love?"

"Seriously, Patrick," Alex added, standing near Ava defensively, catching on instantly to Rindi's line of thinking. "You should put more faith in Ava. She can hold her own, you know."

"Leave Patrick alone." Came Pete's voice, slightly muffled by the loud bangs of Ava's luggage hitting the wall. "You two are always starting things-"

"Peter?" Alex tilted her head to the side slightly as Pete came slowly into view, covered completely in suitcases and duffel bags. "Go stare at yourself in the mirror for a while. That should keep you entertained, shouldn't it?"

Pete rolled his eyes, responding in what could only be considered a bored, monotone voice. "Your wit never ceases to astound me, Alexandra."

"Well, you know, I try." She smiled cattily, moving back around the huge table to the film she had been working with previously, making sure it was still hidden from view. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have a lot of developing to finish before Mr. Cochrane calls again. I actually have to do work for a living, unlike some of you... " Immediately her phone began to ring, causing Gwen Stefani's voice to echo loudly through the room. "Shit." She mumbled softly, along with a few chosen words in Spanish before answering in an overly happy voice.

"Shall I show you to your room?" Rindi asked, moving from the table and pushing her way between Pete and Patrick. She seemed less than phased at Alex's remarks and Ava followed obediently. As she passed, Patrick caught her hand for a quick moment, pressing his lips against her palm.

"I have a few errands to run." He explained, his eyebrows creasing together in worry at leaving her alone with these two girls. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself for a bit?"

Ava sighed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Of course... They're right, you know."

"How's that?" Gently, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She brushed a strand of hair across his forehead. "You need to put a little more faith in me. I'm not that easily scared off."

He laughed. "So you aren't just looking for an excuse to run? You're going to be here when I get back?"

Ava laughed as Pete loudly cleared his throat behind them.

"Ava, you coming? I totally have a surprise for you!" Rindi called from somewhere above.

Ava smiled, giving Patrick one more quick kiss before bounding off after her new roommate, not really knowing what sort of surprise to expect.

"Hey..." Pete said, catching Trick's attention. He jerked his arms about, showing all the pink and yellow bags he still had draped across his body. An irritated expression clearly covering his face. "What am I supposed to do with these?"




Ava bit her bottom lip, glancing around at the room in front of her. It was everything she could ever want and more. It was all was exceptionally clean, the mattress on the bed wasn't twenty years old, and she even had her very own connecting bathroom. Then why did it feel so strange?

Pulling out her oldest, battered yellow suitcase she swallowed the odd feeling she always got when moving to a new place. Sometimes they weren't as safe as they seem.



____________________________________________________

Ok, so I know I abandoned you all for a short time and I want you all to know that I love and miss every one of you! I have been a terrible ficwadian by keeping you all in the dark for so long with this story, but thank you so much for those of you that have stuck with it! I think you all are my heroes!

Special thanks to Alex(PunkyPromQueen) for helping me through the difficult parts (wink wink) when my reasoning skills were less than in top form. Also, thanks to Rindi for picking on me about writing another chapter. :)

Lots of love!!!
Gwen