(Sequel) A New Day

Kenny Clark pulled a large cardboard box out the back of a moving truck, with a small grunt he lifted it up and walked towards his new home. Though, It wasn't exactly a new place for him, it was his family home that he and Zoey bought seven years earlier before they moved out of Greenwall and into Dartwin. The man stopped for just a moment and looked around, smiling as a million memories filled his mind. He could still remember the day they had moved in, how excited Zoey was when she had told him she was pregnant and when her little sister Brook bought it from them. All those memories were ancient now, but even at twenty-eight, Kenny felt like everything he and Zoey ever did was only a day behind him.

"Daddy?" A small girlish voice piped in from just behind him,

Kenny turned his head, and he easily smiled at the small redhead girl standing behind him with a small box with large letters reading out, Ellie's Things. "Too heavy, sweetie?" Kenny gently asked back as he watched the girl set the box down with a small grunt,

"No, I can do it," Ellie proudly replied to her father, "But what are you doing?" She asked with a small cock of her head,

"Oh sorry, honey, daddy was just thinking," Kenny replied with a breathy laugh, "This was my house when I was just a little boy, and I lived here with your your grandparents and even your mommy until we had you and moved to Dartwin,"

"Whoa," Ellie whispered out in awe, for the seven-year-old girl, that knowledge was nearly mystical, especially since Ellie had moved around three times in her life, the thought of being in one place for so long seemed strange, almost fictional. "So how long are we staying here?"

Kenny let out another chuckle and set his box down on the ground, kneeling down, so he was on Ellie's level, "Come here," He urged his daughter who happily ran over, throwing her arms around her father's neck, "I know we've moved around a lot recently, but I promise, we're going to be here for a long time, so get comfy kiddo,"

Just then the pair heard the front door of the house open, Kenny lifted his head and broke into a full smile while Ellie spun around, sprinting forward with a happy yell, "Aunt Brook!" Brook Irons was the near spitting image of her older sister in almost every way but she had a few defining features that she always made sure to point out when someone confused the two. Her amber hair was a shade darker than her older sister's, and unlike Zoey's crystal blue ones, Brook had a set of deep green eyes.

"Ellie!" Brook cheered. Kenny got back to his feet and merely watched as Zoey's younger sister swiftly ran from the house, picking up Ellie and twirling her around before holding her up in one arm, letting the little girl rest against her shoulder, "So kid, how have you been?" She asked while walking towards Kenny,

"Good! We get to live here with you?!" Ellie exclaimed in joy while looking over at her father,

"Surprise, baby," Kenny said with a small toss of his hands, "Aunt Brook offered us a place to stay,"

"As long as you do as I say," Brook added on while ticking the girl's stomach, "You better playhouse and dolls with me, got it?"

"Yes, Aunt Brook, I promise!" Ellie assured her while hugging the woman's neck,

Brook let out a small laugh and looked over to Kenny, "Everything all set with your house?" She asked with a curious look,

"Yeah, got it all situated...I should never have waited so long to sell, I just didn't want to leave," Kenny sighed, "And I really do appreciate this, we won't put you out for long, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a place in town,"

"Pfft, Kenny, shut your mouth," Brook denied with a small shake of her head, "I live in a three-bedroom house alone, trust me, this is perfectly fine. I'd rather you just get yourself back on your feet, save up money, then leave when you're good and ready." Kenny gave a thankful nod while Brook looked back to Ellie, "Besides, I love this kid," She grinned while ticking the girl's stomach again, making Ellie break out into a sheepish giggle, "You breaking any hearts yet?"

"No, boys are gross!" Ellie yelled back while sticking her tongue out in disgust,

"Hey," Kenny interjected,

"Is your dad gross?" Brook giggled,

"Don't ask her that," Kenny chuckled,

"No! Daddy's perfect...he's the only good boy!" Brook let out a small aw, and gave Ellie a quick kiss on the cheek, "Why don't you go inside, I got the TV on, and you can watch some cartoons while I talk to your dad,"

"Okay!" Ellie smiled before running towards the door,

"Walk, please!" Kenny gently called as he watched his daughter until she disappeared inside, "This...has been hard on her," He softly sighed,

"I'm sure," Brook nodded while approaching the man, "But how are you holding up?"

"Day by day," Kenny simply replied, "I'm trying to keep my head for Ellie's sake, honestly, if not for her, I don't know where I'd be right now,"

"No one expects you to bounce back so fast," Brook gently replied while placing her hand on Kenny's shoulder, "I'm just glad you called me, if I had known, you both would have been here sooner,"

"Well...I wanted Ellie with family," Kenny replied with a shrug, "And coming home felt like the right choice,"

"It was," Brook wholly agreed,

Kenny pursed his lips and slowly looked around the yard once again, "Fuck..." He whispered out while lowering his head and pressing his hand against his eyes, "It's a lot harder to be here than I thought,"

"Take your time," Brook murmured back while slowly rubbing her hand up and down Kenny's back. The pair stood silent for minutes, Kenny nearly breaking down but just barely hanging on, "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Kenny sniffed as he finally stood up and wiped his eyes, "It comes and goes," He softly chuckled,

"You two were perfect together," Brook warmly stated as she looked Kenny in the eye,

"Two halves of the same thing," Kenny nodded in agreement with wet eyes,

"You made her life perfect, Kenny," Brook continued, "Zoey didn't want in her life after you two were together, and I don't know if I can ever thank you for bringing my sister that much joy," Kenny let out a breathy laugh, uncertain how to respond, "Alright, you too," Brook grinned, "C'mere, Clark," Kenny leaned over and embraced the girl tightly.

Losing her big sister did a number on Brook, she thought she wasn't close enough with her sister, something that would forever haunt the redhead. Add to the fact that Brook looked up to her sister more than she could express, Zoey helped Brook through a lot during her awkward teenage years, and her sister's relationship with Kenny made her strive for a similar one. Although in the girl's twenty-five years, she'd only had one major relationship...at sixteen, which ended simply enough a year later. Since then it had been a few dates here and there, but nothing ever seemed to click the way she wanted.

So without much of a personal life, Brook pushed for a good career and as strong of a family connection as she could get. When Zoey and Kenny got married, Brook was there every step of the way, helping her plan it out, helping her pick out a dress and venue, and even keeping the little secret that Kenny had gotten her pregnant a few weeks before the wedding. A few years after Ellie was born, Brook was there again when her sister and Kenny moved out of Greenwall, taking a week off of work to simply help her sister settle in and take care of her new niece. It was a hectic time for not only Zoey and Kenny as well, which is how Kenny got much closer to his sister-in-law.

Kenny realized he could depend on Brook to help out as much as he could depend on Zoey, which instantly made the girl just as close. So, three years ago when Zoey passed away, Kenny wasn't surprised when Brook showed up on his doorstep a few days after. The girl stayed with Kenny, taking care of Ellie while helping him work through funeral plans. If not for Brook, Kenny wasn't sure what he would have done during those early months, he couldn't work, take care of his daughter, he could barely take care of himself. The grief had controlled him, and he didn't work past it for nearly two years, but by then, things had become financially difficult.

Unable to work for so long eventually meant Kenny lost his job, which quickly meant he wasn't going to be able to afford the home he currently lived in. This made him move with Ellie to another area for a short time, closer to his cousin Juliet, without a good job, he was mostly living on savings. A few weeks ago, after talking through it with Juliet, Kenny knew he'd have to move in with someone until he found steady employment that could support both himself and his daughter. Juliet repeatedly offered to put her cousin up, but Kenny knew that she simply didn't have the room, so he turned to his other family...to Brook. The redhead was immediately on board with Kenny and Ellie moving back to Greenwall to live with her, and once Kenny finalized selling off his second home, she got word that they were on the way.

Seeing the duo after nearly a year was as much of a gift to her as it was to Kenny, and she was ready to be there for them both. Kenny and Brook's hug ended after a good long minute, both needing it as much as the other. As they pulled away from each other Kenny gently rubbed her arm with his hand as he looked her over for a quick moment. With long deep amber hair, deep green eyes, a full figure, and a rather busty chest, Kenny very nearly wanted to call her Zoey, which could only make him let out a soft laugh. "What?" Brook asked with a small cock of her head,

"You just...you look like her," Kenny smirked, "Zoey said you used to hate people saying that you two looked alike, but they were right, you two do look so similar," He explained as Brook fully smiled back at him,

"Don't worry, Kenny, everything's going to get easier now that you're here with me," Brook assured the man, "Now, how much shit do I have to help you lug in?" Kenny loud out a hearty laugh and brought Brook to the back of the small moving truck,

"Not much, we sold half the furniture, the other half went to Juliet." Kenny explained as he and Brook jumped inside, "Really it's only clothes, and a few personal items for me, then the rest is Ellie's," Kenny said as he pointed to a large group of boxes,

"Whoa, how much did you buy that girl?" Brook asked with wide eyes as she began to count each of the boxes that had Ellie's childish writing sprawled on the side,

"Not that much," Kenny smirked, "She insisted on packing her own stuff, but she didn't really understand the phrase, pack tight,"

Brook nodded back with a wide smile, "That girl is totally my niece," Brook announced as she walked over and picked up two of the light boxes, "Come on, grab a box of your stuff and I'll take you to your room," Kenny followed her back out of the truck, picking up both his and Ellie's original boxes before following her into the house. "I'm putting Ellie in you and Zoey's old room, okay?" Brook softly whispered over to Kenny, not wanting to announce it to Ellie as she was unsure if Kenny would want that,

"That's fine with me," Kenny softly replied, "I think Ellie will like that, actually,"

Brook felt a little relief and nodded, "That's what I thought too," She replied while the pair began to walk up the stairs, "You, on the other hand, will be taking your old bedroom,"

"Twenty-eight years old and I'm back in my bedroom," Kenny asked as they reached the top of the stairs,

"How are your folks doing anyway? I haven't seen them since you and Zoey bought the house off them," Brook pointed out,

"They're good, loving retirement," Kenny replied with an easy smile, "My mom loves living up north in their little cottage, she always said this place was too "Busy" you know?" He lightly laughed, "And my dad just likes the fact that he can get up and do whatever he wants for the rest of his life, which for him ends up being fishing,"

"Sounds like things are going well then," Brook stated while Kenny pushed the door open to his bedroom, "I'm sure that you buying the house from them helped ease any final concerns about having enough savings,"

"Oh yeah, even at a discount this place still cost a pretty penny," Kenny agreed as he dropped his box down and slowly look around the room,

"This alright for you?" Brook tentatively asked,

"Of course, Brook," Kenny instantly replied, "This is better than alright,"

"Good," Brook and Kenny walked out of the bedroom, the pair moved to Kenny and Zoey's old room and placed the boxes of Ellie's stuff down before heading back down the stairs to the moving truck, "So did you have a chance to look for any jobs ahead of time?"

"No...I have no idea where to even start looking," Kenny sighed back,

"Well, you always know who you could talk to..." Brook said with a quick glance back,

Kenny scratched the back of his head, "I don't know, I haven't talked to them in a while, it'd be kinda rude just to approach them for a job out of the blue,"

"Kenny, they're your friends, just go down and talk to them," Brook lightly pressured,

Kenny lowered his head for a long minute, and after a moment he let out a shrug, "Yeah, alright...you're right, I'll take a drive and pay them a visit in a little bit,"

"That's what I like to hear," Brook said with near pride.

Kenny and Brook continued to unload the moving truck, separating Kenny and Ellie's stuff into their respective rooms. As they brought the last of the boxes inside, Kenny immediately began to unpack, however, Brook was quick to stop him. "Kenny, that can wait, you've got somewhere to be," Kenny nervously turned his head and Brook crossed her arms, "Come on, why are you so worried?"

"I haven't talked to Brian or Mindy in years, Brook," Kenny sighed, "The last time I spoke to Mindy was at Zoey's funeral, and that was after another few years of barely saying a word to her,"

"Did you two have a falling out or something?" Brook asked in genuine surprise,

"No, nothing that serious, it's just...people move on, grow apart, Brian and I ended up doing that, and unfortunately so did me and Mindy. I had a family to focus on, Brian had LQT.Inc and Mindy had...well, Brian. It's just awkward to go there looking for a job, expecting that some old friendship we once had to mean anything." Kenny explained with a low sigh, "Who knows if they'll even really fucking recognize me anymore,"

"Kenny, stop being so dramatic," Brook firmly stated while walking over and placing her hands on his shoulders, "Even if this is awkward for you, LQT.Inc has hands in almost every business in Greenwall, technically speaking I work for them under them,"

"What are you talking about, you're in real estate," Kenny replied with a raise of his brow, "LQT never had their hands dipped into that, it was all military contracts,"

"You haven't been home in a long time, my business was bought out by Brian and Mindy, as did half the town," Brook easily explained, "Mindy has done some great things since she took over, each division of LQT funds and supports multiple businesses. So in the end, any good job you get here will be a job under the White family."

"That's...ominous," Kenny mumbled with a set of slightly wide eyes,

"No, no, they've only done good for the town, trust me, you can trust them, and being an old friend will mean something. They'll find you something good," The redhead confidently stated, "Now you go, I'll unpack with Ellie and get her something to eat for lunch,"

"I...eh, alright," Kenny sighed as Brook lightly pushed him towards the door, "I'll just say goodbye, and uh, could I use your car? Juliet and JJ are bringing my car down, then taking the moving van back, and I'd rather not drive that down to a meeting,"

"No problem," Brook instantly agreed while reaching into her pocket and pulling out her car keys,

Kenny gave the girl a thankful smile and headed back down to the first floor, moving into the living room, quickly spotting his daughter sitting on the couch, intently watching some cartoons, "Hey, so what do you think so far? Like it here?" Kenny asked while kneeling down in front of the couch,

"I like it, daddy!" Ellie exclaimed with a wide smile, "And mommy used to live here?"

"She sure did," Kenny warmly replied, "She lived here with me for years," He added on while reaching out and lightly poking her nose, "And you know what else?" Ellie's eyes widened in awe, her mind running wild with possibilities, "You get to stay in your mommy's old bedroom,"

"I do!?" Ellie nearly squealed out,

"Yep," Brook pipped in from the entrance to the living room, "And Aunt Brook is going to help you unpack all your toys and clothes right after lunch," Ellie's head snapped between Brook and Kenny multiple times, her smile bigger than Kenny had seen in years,

"That sound fun, Ellie?" Kenny rhetorically asked with a chuckle causing the girl to rapidly nod her head, "Good, so you and Aunt Brook have some lunch, now and I'll be back as soon as I can,"

Ellie's smile slowly faded away, and she sadly looked at her father, "Where are you going?" She pouted,

"I'm going to see a few old friends, see if I can get a job so I can afford to buy you all these new toys you've been telling me about," Ellie weakly smiled for a moment but quickly fell back into an upset expression, "Is that okay, baby?"

"Of course it is," Brook quickly interrupted while walking over and taking a seat next to Ellie, "Don't you want to hang out with your amazing aunt for a while?"

"Yes..." Ellie admitted, "But...how long will you be gone,"

"Just a few hours, I promise," Kenny swore with a small smile, "Now, you want to give me a hug?" Ellie immediately threw her arms around Kenny, tightly squeezing her father, who returned it fully. "Okay, now you be good, alright?"

"Yes, daddy," Ellie nodded,

"Don't you worry about us, I got this, Kenny," Brook assured the man who slowly stood up and gave his daughter a small wave, "Bye, sweetie,"

"Bye, daddy," Ellie almost nervously replied,

"Be careful!" Kenny heard Brook yell out as he reached the door,

"I will!" He called back as he walked out, leaving his daughter for the first time in years.

---

Okay, before anyone decides to kill me, I know, Zoey dying in the time jump isn't super exciting nor was it an easy call. I originally started this sequel on my spin-off story Abandoned Paradise but it just didn't fit for me and honestly, there wasn't much to the story I wanted to tell. This one, while sad already, has a lot of things to explore like the town, where everyone ended up ten years later, as well as Zoey's younger sister Brook. So I hope you all can forgive me for deciding to lose Zoey for this thread to be made, and I hope you'll give it a chance to find out where Kenny goes from here!