Late Night Talks

[Evan Cross]

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[attr="class","evanleft"] [attr="class","evanleft2"]

[attr="class","evanright"] Evan huffed at the implication. He wasn't that old despite the ridiculous notion which had somehow implanted itself in her head. His sisters weren't either. Both of Alex and Mikaela were married with children of their own. They would need to take a trip to California in the future, so Aria could meet her extended family. "You have cousins too." Evan could understand Aria's need to drive, though he hadn't obtained his driver's license until much later. He'd been more interested in other things than driving to parties or getting around town. A sly smile crept across his face. "I wasn't implying you weren't ready. Just that we should wait until you were healthy. Although, I didn't get my license until I was twenty, you know." Aria, unsurprisingly, didn't like his strategy when it came to boys. Sometimes drastic measures were necessary to keep teens from doing things they shouldn't. So, if anything, Evan probably needed to do more. Aria would be… less thrilled with that decision. Maybe they could take it on a case by case basis depending upon the results of those background checks, but she shouldn't hold her breath. "I could, but I'm not. I've got to watch out for my girls." Typically, when a kid threatened nuclear destruction with a computer, they knew more about technology than the outdated dinosaur of a parent. In this case, however, Evan held a PhD in engineering – his early study including computer engineering. In fact, his IQ qualified him as a genius. "You mean the social media accounts I can easily lock you out of?" If they were having this conversation, then Evan needed to be completely honest with Aria. There were times when even a parent didn't have a good answer. He still woke up in the middle of the night, panicked, and the only person who could calm him down was Vanessa. "I don't know. Mine haven't." Aria Campbell [attr="class","evanright2"]

deltra of gangnam style

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[Aria Campbell]

[attr="class","Ariatitle"]

[attr="class","Aria"]

[attr="class","Ariabox"]everything's made to be broken, i just want you to know who i am

[attr="class","Ariamain"]

“How old are my cousins?” Aria asked. There was so much about her new family that she didn’t know about, and she wanted to know more about them. Of course, the talk of cousins and other extended family members brought up another question for the sixteen year old.

“Have you told your sisters and parents about me yet?” She continued. The sixteen year old could only imagine how that conversation went, assuming that Evan had told them about how he and Vanessa were adopting her.

Aria frowned, letting out a sigh. She was ready to be off bed rest and continue on with life. She wanted things to go back to normal. “Surely if I’m well enough to climb onto counters and go to the movies later, then I’m well enough to drive” she protested.

“Did you want your license right away, or did you choose to wait until you were twenty?” Aria asked. “Because I want my license. Things just keep getting in the way and delaying it”

Pouting, Aria looked at Evan. She definitely ended up with one of the most protective dads from the sounds of it. “You’re so overprotective” Aria complained, though she didn’t mind it too much. It was nice having someone look out for her.

“At this rate, you won’t even have to worry about background checks. You’ll be scaring the guys off before it even comes to that” she continued. “I’ll end up having to secretly date someone. It’ll be like a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet”

Maybe she was being a little dramatic about it, but Aria was sure there would be a few guys that ran off in the opposite direction. And she knew that there would probably be a few that didn’t pass a background check or the talk. So a secret romance was Aria’s best option.

Of all the families that could have taken her in, Aria had to end up with the one that had a tech genius. Aria wasn’t complaining though. She liked it here and though the adoption hadn’t been finalized yet, she already felt at home and part of the family. “Except that you wouldn’t actually do that because you respect my privacy, right?” Aria asked.

“Besides, I could just read a few manuals on how to get back into my accounts and watch a few videos. You said it yourself. There’s a manual for everything” She explained. It would take a lot of work, and a lot of time. But in the event that something like that happened, Aria would give it a go.

Hearing that Evan’s nightmares hadn’t stopped yet, made Aria let out another sigh. She was grateful that he had been honest, but the sixteen year old did wish that the answer had been more helpful.

“Is that why you’re awake right now?” Aria asked, curiously. She had assumed that Evan had woken up because of the rukus she had made in the kitchen. Maybe the sixteen year old was wrong though.

“It was easier at the hospital to me. Not that I want to be back there. Too many bad things happen there” Aria explained. She tried to avoid those places as much as possible. They brought up to many memories involving her biological parents and also the precinct explosion. Though they weren’t always so bad. Aria did end up with a family because of it, though she did wish that she could’ve bypassed getting blown up and hospitalized.

“I just didn’t have as many nightmares, if any, there. It’s kind of all a blur because of the pain medicine I was given during my stay. Which I think actually helped some” Aria continued. “Not to mention, both you and Vanessa were there. That definitely helped out a lot”

She had definitely noticed how her nightmares had become more prominent since being released from the hospital.

Evan Cross

[attr="class","Ariabox2"]all this time i was finding myself, and i didn't know i was lost

[attr="class","Ariacred"]redd of adoxography

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[Evan Cross]

[attr="class","evannah"]

[attr="class","evanleft"] [attr="class","evanleft2"]

[attr="class","evanright"] One thing Evan was learning about Aria, she was incredibly inquisitive, always full of questions. Evan's sisters had all gotten married and had children younger than he had. The oldest of the three kids, at least, was around Aria's age. Evan started rattling off their ages. "Fourteen, ten, and seven." Evan shook his head in response to Aria's next question. While Aleks, Izzy, and Eva were common knowledge, his parents and sisters didn't know his own family was growing just a little larger. "Not yet. I thought we might do that together." As Aria argued her point, Evan countered with one of his own. By reminding the teen of when and where he'd found her, maybe they could finally move past the feeling well enough to ignore the doctor debate. "I had to help you down since you seem to keep forgetting that minor detail." So, until Aria could prove she was healthy, bedrest remained the best thing for her. "I waited. My own choice," Evan explained. Just because you possessed a driver's license or owned a car didn't somehow make you cooler. That's what Evan wanted Aria to understand. This was a serious responsibility – not something she needed to do because of peer pressure or cultural expectations. Evan smirked as Aria complained that he was being overprotective, but that was part of being a dad. Aria might not be related by blood, but she was still his daughter. Izzy and Eva would get the same treatment when they got older. "Don't worry. I'll relax the restrictions when you turn thirty." Evan chuckled and gave her a playful wink. Reading a few manuals wouldn't turn someone into an expert. If Aria wanted to learn more about technology and computers, it would take a lot of hard work and practice. He'd even be willing to teach her, if she were truly interested, but in their hypothetical war, she wouldn't win. "You're picking the wrong geek to mess with." Evan sighed. Talking about his nightmares wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but Vanessa had always been able to coerce responses out of him. He stayed quiet a moment, internally debating just how much he wanted to say right now. "Yes," he admitted. "I had another nightmare. That's why I'm awake." Aria Campbell [attr="class","evanright2"]

deltra of gangnam style

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[Aria Campbell]

[attr="class","Ariatitle"]

[attr="class","Aria"]

[attr="class","Ariabox"]everything's made to be broken, i just want you to know who i am

[attr="class","Ariamain"]

Aria nodded as Evan listed off her cousins’ ages. It looked like she was the oldest one out of the bunch then. “So I’m the oldest out of your parents grandchildren then” she said. That was still a weird concept to the sixteen year old.

“That would be nice. How would we even explain this though?” Aria asked. “Because somehow I don’t think the whole ‘hey not only are we fostering Vanessa’s sixteen year old desk clerk, but we’re also trying to adopt her. Did I also mention we gained custody after she was in an explosion’ explanation would go over well.”

“And I know you and Vanessa have already accepted me as one of your own, but what about your parents and sisters? Are you sure they will be accepting of the adoption?” She continued, letting out a sigh. She wanted to tell them, and she wanted to meet her extended family but at the same time a part of Aria did worry that her new extended family would think Evan and Vanessa were making some sort of mistake.

As much as Aria hated to admit it, she knew Evan had a point about her not being fully healed. Even now, she was still a little sore, and that was even before she had decided to climb on top of the counter. “I’m not forgetting that detail, I’m simply choosing to ignore it” Aria mumbled. “When is my next doctor’s appointment anyways? I want to be given the all clear already” she just hoped this stunt tonight hadn’t set her recovery back.

There was nothing wrong with waiting on getting your driver's’ license, but Aria was tired of waiting. She was ready to be able to drive rather than taking public transportation and her bike. “I’m just tired of waiting for it is all. I can only go so far with public transportation and while I love my bike and I get around fine with it, when I’m tired or it’s raining or cold then biking is the last thing I want to do.” though she hadn’t been able to do much with her bike these past few weeks. That had fallen under the ‘too strenuous’ category too.

“I don’t even have my learner’s permit yet, Evan. It feels like I’m behind everyone that’s my age because they already have their licenses, and their own cars. They’re driving themselves everywhere and not relying on the same methods I am. I think the only thing I have in common with kids my age is the fact that I have a job” Aria continued. She usually didn’t care about acting like other kids her age. She also didn’t usually care about being unable to drive, but now that there was the very real possibility of Aria being able to, the sixteen year old wanted to learn.

“If you’re not going to relax the rules until I’m thirty, you might as well just forget about enrolling me in school and send me to a nunnery instead.” Aria complained. At this rate, she really was going to have to keep any relationship she had a secret from Evan.

“Am I though? You never know, Evan. I could be really good with technology” Aria responded, smiling. She was far from it though. Aria knew enough about tech to use it, but beyond that she was clueless. Tech was never really her thing. Aria had always been more into music and musical instruments. Hand her a guitar to tune, or ask her to play piano or percussion and Aria could do it. If you were to ask her to fix a computer or hack into an account though, Aria wouldn’t even know where to begin.

“I’ll probably just stick to what I know though, playing music. That’s more my speed then anything. I’ve been playing instruments since I was six. I was even in my school’s band program until I dropped out. I miss it sometimes too. Band was probably the only class I didn’t skip” Aria explained.

Aria nodded when Evan said he had a nightmare. She didn’t say anything at first, and instead focused on collecting her thoughts together. “I had one too” Aria finally admitted. “It’s why I decided to make coffee. I don’t want to go back to sleep, not when the nightmare felt too real”

Evan Cross

[attr="class","Ariabox2"]all this time i was finding myself, and i didn't know i was lost

[attr="class","Ariacred"]redd of adoxography

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[Evan Cross]

[attr="class","evannah"]

[attr="class","evanleft"] [attr="class","evanleft2"]

[attr="class","evanright"] Evan smiled, trying to assuage the worries of a sixteen-year-old teenager. He could remember having his own worries around that age – chief among them, what college he might get into – but this was different. This was about fitting in with an adoptive family. That's the last thing a kid her age should have to stress about, but Evan wouldn't develop a complex strategy to tell his family. "That's easy," he explained. "I tell my family I have a daughter I care about. That's the only thing that matters." It was Evan's job to look after Aria – not just psychologically, but physically as well. He continued to chuckle at her stubbornness. Even though Aria wasn't related by blood, in this, she was just like Vanessa. Nonetheless, until the doctor gave the all clear, Evan wouldn't budge on the point. "You have an appointment next week." As Aria explained why a driver's license was so important to her, Evan raised an eyebrow. He didn't mind taking Aria wherever she needed to go, but her desire to be more independent resonated strongly. In her impassioned plea, there was one thing that bothered him. "You shouldn't worry about what everyone else has. You're not defined by them." Evan chuckled when Aria suggested a nunnery instead of a school. It wouldn't happen, of course, because a good education should never take a backseat. In response, he shook his head. Evan, in particular, placed a high importance on schooling. "That's not happening. You know how Vanessa and I feel about your education." It was rare that Evan met someone who could keep up with his ideas, but not impossible. He could make life incredibly difficult on someone who didn't possess the same understanding he did. His own engineering knowledge was extensive. "You could be," he teased. "But I haven't met many people on my level." Evan knew the feeling all too well. After his own nightmare, he didn't want to go back to bed either. That's part of the reason he'd trudged out into the kitchen. "We can stay up together. Keep each other company." Aria Campbell [attr="class","evanright2"]

deltra of gangnam style

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[Aria Campbell]

[attr="class","Ariatitle"]

[attr="class","Aria"]

[attr="class","Ariabox"]everything's made to be broken, i just want you to know who i am

[attr="class","Ariamain"]

Aria nodded as Evan explained how he would tell his family about her. He made it sound like there wouldn’t be any issue telling his family about how he and Vanessa were adopting a kid. “What if they ask about how you and Vanessa met me? Will we just tell them I worked at Vanessa’s company? Or would I have to explain everything that led up to that point?” she asked. Aria was fine with explaining most of her past, but she didn’t like the idea of Evan’s family knowing that she had once been picked up by the police due to possessing drugs. The last thing she wanted was to be labeled a problem child.

“I do want to meet them though” Aria continued. “Your family, I mean. Though I guess they’ll be my family too once the adoption is approved” She may be concerned about how Evan’s side of the family would react to the whole adoption thing, but she still wanted to meet them.

Aria breathed a sigh of relief. She could wait another week if it meant she would be given the all clear, though it would probably end up being the longest week ever. “I just hope I’m cleared at that appointment. I’m tired of taking it easy and I think if I have to wait any longer then a week I’ll go insane”

“I know I’m not. But it would be nice to have a license” She explained. “It would mean you and Vanessa wouldn’t have to change your schedules or anything to pick me up or drop me off at places. Though I would still need to get a car for that too”

Aria did know how her foster parents felt about her education. As much as she tried to deny and hope that she wouldn’t be enrolled in school again, she knew since day one that Evan and Vanessa were going to get her back in school. “I know. Doesn’t mean that I have to enjoy it though. I was doing just fine without it, truth be told” It was a losing battle though, and Aria knew it.

“I like the sound of that” Aria replied, smiling a little. “We could pick out a movie to watch. Or even binge watch a show for a little bit”

Evan Cross

[attr="class","Ariabox2"]all this time i was finding myself, and i didn't know i was lost

[attr="class","Ariacred"]redd of adoxography

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