Unexpected Visitor

Kenny walked down the stairs with a clear head, something that wasn't too common for the troubled man. However, this was for once a new day he was wholly looking forward to; Kenny was prepared to spend the day with Ellie, helping the little girl get her new room just the way she wanted. During Kenny's shower, he began to see that talking with Ellie last night, reliving what happened to Zoey, was actually a cathartic experience. The brown-haired father hadn't realized just how much he feared that conversation until this morning, he never knew what to expect from Ellie's reaction, but once he found out his wife's memory was on the line, he knew he had to talk to his daughter. He protected Zoey one final time, making sure her daughter didn't think she left on purpose, and even better than that, Ellie handled it better than he could have dreamed. Kenny was more proud of his little girl than he'd ever be able to express.

As Kenny reached the bottom of the stairs he could hear Ellie's cartoons blaring from the living room, so he walked into the room with a bright smile, "Good morning, Ellie," He warmly said causing the redhead girl to spring off the couch. Kenny knelt down just in time to catch the girl as she jumped up into his arms, "And how are we today?"

"Good!" Ellie exclaimed with a rosy-cheeked smile, "Are you feeling better today, daddy?" She asked with a curious, slightly concerned look,

"Actually, yes I am, sweetie," Kenny nodded back, "Daddy got all his sad feelings out last night that way he could be happy and fun today!" He chuckled as his little girl wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him fully, "Aunt Brook told me she made you breakfast already?"

"Yeah! She made me uhhhhh, gribled cheese!" Ellie sweetly replied, though she clearly had to think hard about the name of the food,

"Oh, a grilled cheese, that's the first one you've had, isn't it?" Kenny smiled as he walked with his daughter into the kitchen, "She didn't have any of your Froot Loops, did she?" Ellie shook her head as Kenny put her down in a chair,

"No, but it was good, daddy! Can I have the gri...um, the...Grilled! Yes, the grilled cheese's more!?" Ellie asked with a large, proud smile that she pronounced the word right for her father,

"If that's what you want, I'll make sure that you get one," Kenny nodded as he walked over and lightly shook his head, "Thanks, Brook..." He mumbled under his breath as he spotted the pot of coffee the redhead had apparently made for them both to share this morning. Kenny grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup before looking back at Ellie, "So, kiddo, what were we supposed to do today? I seem to have forgotten,"

"Daddy, you're supposed to help me unpack!" Ellie whined back,

"Am I? I thought you were gonna do that, then you were going to unpack my stuff too," Kenny sighed as he walked over and took a seat next to Ellie,

"No, Daddy, you're supposed to do that!" Ellie giggled, her bright blue eyes staring intently at Kenny,

"Ah, I am, you are so right, baby. I'm glad I have you around to help me remember all this important stuff," Kenny chuckled, "You see I just forgot since I was trying to make sure to tell you about who's coming here today," Ellie's eyes grew wide, and she lightly jumped up and down in her seat, "Now who was it..."

"Who, daddy, who?!" Ellie nearly squealed ou,

"Oh that's right," Kenny sighed with a slow roll of his eyes, "It's no one special, honey, it's just your Aunt Juliet and Uncle JJ!" He suddenly exclaimed causing Ellie to let out a cheering shout. Kenny let out a laugh as Ellie got from her seat and began to jump up and down as she continued to scream with joy.

"When are they coming?! When are they coming?! When are they coming?!" Ellie asked in rapid succession,

"They're coming this afternoon, honey, which is why we'll need to get your room all set up. That way you can show Aunt Juliet everything when she gets here," Kenny easily replied,

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! C'mon, Daddy, let's goooooo!" Ellie begged as she ran over, grabbing Kenny's last two fingers in her hand and tugging him as hard as she could, "Let's goooooo, daddy!" Ellie begged.

Kenny took another sip of coffee before letting out a fake groan, "Oh, alright, I guess so," He jokingly mumbled as he let his daughter lead him back to the stairs, "Ellie, baby, I have something else I want to ask you about,"

"What?" Ellie asked with a quick glance,

"Well, daddy has a friend who lives here in town, and she has a little boy that is just around your age. We thought that maybe you two could have a little play date together, maybe even become friends. Wouldn't you like to make a new friend here?" Kenny asked with a hopeful, slightly nervous look,

Ellie thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, "Is he nice?" She merely asked back,

"I don't know for sure, but I'm sure he's very nice," Kenny assured her,

"Okay!" Ellie smiled,

Kenny let out a small relieved exhale, happy he wouldn't have to tell Nicole that any playdate wouldn't happen because Ellie refused to meet Garrett, "Good, I'll let my friend know, and we'll see about him coming over here for a little while someday,"

"Okay, but come ooooooon! Daddy, I want my room done before Aunt Juliet cooooooomes!" Ellie whined out again as they reached the stairs,

"Alright, alright, let's go then. I'm right behind you." Ellie's eyes filled with excitement and she finally let Kenny's hand go, running up the stairs, "Uh, walk young lady!" Kenny gently called out, slowing Ellie down as she reached the halfway point. Kenny followed his daughter up the stairs, reaching her room a few seconds behind her. As he entered the room, he let out a short laugh, watching as Ellie already took her head start, pulled open a box, and dumped out everything onto the floor, "Alright, where did you want these?" Kenny warmly asked as he put down his coffee mug on her nightstand and knelt down next to her.

Close to an hour came and went as Kenny helped his daughter unpack and set up her new bedroom. He carefully folded all her clothes, organized her assortment of stuffed animals in a perfect row on a set of shelves, and as well as putting her toys away in a chest at the end of her bed. He was in the midst of setting up Ellie's bed with her favorite bed set when they both heard the doorbell ring. "Aunt Julie!" Ellie all but screamed as she dove off the bed and sprinted towards the stairs, "Uncle JJ!"

"Ellie, slow down!" Kenny called as he dropped the pillow in his hand and lightly jogged after her, "Honey, I don't think that's them, they shouldn't be here for a few more hours,"

Ellie slowed as she hit the bottom of the stairs and looked up, waiting for her father, "Then who is it, daddy?"

"I don't know, baby, let's go see," Kenny easily replied as he stepped past his daughter and headed for the front door. He heard a light knocking on the door as he approached and with a raised brow, reached for the knob, pulling it open. Opening the door he found a slim, beautiful blonde woman standing before him. Her golden blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, her green eyes twinkled and she had a smile so big he couldn't even dare to compare. Tilting his head, Kenny felt an odd sense of deja vu, "Uh...hi, can I help you? Are you a friend of Brook's?"

"Kenny, it's me! Anna!" The woman exclaimed as she extended her arms out,

"Anna!" Kenny repeated, giving his forehead a quick thump with his palm before immediately stepping forward and embracing the woman, "God, please excuse me, I'm having a hell of a morning,"

Anna's laughs relaxed Kenny as the blonde gave him a tight, squeezing hug, "It's okay, I know you've had a lot on your plate, especially with moving back to town, huh?!" Anna gleamed while pulling away from him,

"Yeah, how did you know?" Kenny asked with a short chuckle of confusion,

"Nicole, after you two ran into each other, she let me know you were back in town. I figured Brook would know where you were staying or, as it turns out, that you were staying here," Anna replied before letting out a small little gasp as her eyes caught sight of the little redhead girl tucked behind her father's legs, "Oh and who have we here?" Anna asked as she immediately crouched down, "What's your name?"

"Um...E-Ellie?" The little girl squeaked back, her hands gripping onto Kenny's pants,

Anna glanced up to Kenny, the pair sharing a quick smile, "Ellie, let me guess, your mommy was Zoey, and this guy right here is big old dad, huh?"

Immediately Ellie's head poked out a bit further, "You knew my mommy?"

Anna slowly nodded, "I sure did, we were very good friends when she and your dad lived here. We used to talk and go shopping together, watch movies," Anna told watching as Ellie continued to slowly step out into the open, "And do you know what? You look exactly like her,"

"My daddy says that a lot," Ellie grinned, "He says um...my eyes are like mommy's,"

"And right he is, they are very blue, just like hers," Anna nodded while reaching out and very gently giving the girl a little squeeze on the arm,

"Do you...want to come watch cartoons?" Ellie asked with a hopeful inflection,

Anna let out a small giggle, "That sounds really fun, Ellie, but do you think it'd be okay if I talked to your dad a little?" Ellie looked up at Kenny who merely looked back fully waiting for his daughter's blessing. After a moment Ellie looked back to Anna and nodded with a smile, "Thank you very much," With that Ellie took off, scampering back into the house while Anna stood up, "She's adorable, Ken,"

"Thank you, I wish I could take all the credit but I know most of it is thanks to Zoey," Kenny glanced back as he watched his daughter disappear around the corner, "So did you need anything, in particular, Anna?"

Anna gave her hand a small toss, "Nothing so serious, I just wanted to reconnect and make contact now that you're back in town, and..." Anna hummed as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a simple white card, "I run a daycare on the weekdays from two to six in the afternoon. Most parents just end up having me keep their kids after class gets out,"

"Right, right, Nicole had told me you ended up becoming a teacher, that's so great Anna! You enjoy it?" Kenny asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against his doorway,

"Love it," Anna instantly replied, "I don't, um, have any kids of my own but I do love them. I think I owe it all to Nikki, though. When she had Garrett, I helped her take care of him so much because of that sonofabitch, Devin. I ended up finding a passion for teaching though, so if there was a silver lining, I guess that'd be it," Anna shrugged, her voice low and smile slipping away before she pulled it back, "Sorry, I didn't realize how much of a loaded topic that could be. How have things been going for you?"

"Things have gone better than I could have dreamed in the short time since I moved back here. I went down and saw Brian and Mindy yesterday, got a job in security at LQT.Inc and Brook's been an absolute godsend. Beyond that, JJ and Juliet are coming down later today with my car and taking back the moving van, so it'll be nice to see them too," Kenny replied watching Anna's eyes light up,

"Juliet and JJ are coming down too?! Oh, I hope they are staying for a little while, I'd love to get a chance to talk to them," Anna's pocket then chirped and she yanked out her phone letting out a short sigh, "Oh damn, I'm so sorry, but I have to run. If you're up for it though, I'd love to really catch up, if you're throwing a little house party or something let me know,"

"Oh, you know, I hadn't planned anything but a house party does sound like a nice idea, it looks like we'll actually have the who group back together for the first time since high school," Kenny chuckled as he gave a thoughtful look as he mulled over the idea,

"That would be wonderful, Ken, my number is on the card so let me know if anything happens, I'll be there for sure!" Anna said as she turned and lightly jogged to her car, giving Kenny a quick wave goodbye as she went.