Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Fifty-nine, Bottle of Happiness
Rating: NC-17 [violence, swearing, nudity, sexual situations]

Summary: With a new family, Alyssa and Lily work on making room for them all at the wedding.

Previous Chapter Re-arrangements to Be Made

Current Chapter Bottle of Happiness

Next Chapter Blood is Thicker Than Juice

Eyes darting up from setting the salads out, Alyssa's gaze fell on the little girl tearing through the backyard. She was tempted to shout at Toni to be careful, but instead she let Chris handle it. He was less busy anyways, just watching the steak and hamburgers on the grill. He however didn't notice his youngest daughter running about until it was too late. Toni tripped and skid across the patio. For a brief moment there was silence before it was punctuated by a loud scream. Chris turned at the sound, only to see Alyssa scoop up Toni and carry the crying girl inside.

Setting the girl on the kitchen counter, Alyssa quickly pulled out the first aid kit to cleanse and bandage anything she could. Toni was no longer yowling, but hiccuping, big tears rolling down her cheeks. Cleaning the blood away from her knees and hands, Alyssa kissed each wound before covering Toni's knees with Sesame Street bandages.

She was going to explain to Toni why she had gotten hurt. But the little girl's arms wrapped around her neck and Alyssa lost the heart to explain why running without paying attention was bad.

This was how Chris found the two, "Is everything all r—"

"We're fine, Chris," Alyssa replied, arms slipping under the girl's bottom so she could carry her back out to the porch.

"Lyss-lyss k-kiss b-better," Toni proclaimed.

Chris kissed the top of his daughter's head, "Now you know why we pay attention where we're running."

Alyssa couldn't hide her little smile at that as they headed back out to the family gathering. Toni soon wiggled back down, grinning and weaving through the 'big people's legs. Of course as soon as her arms were free of Toni, Nick wanted to be held. So on her hip he went while Alyssa finished up setting the buffet table for the barbeque, chatting with one of her cousins.

With everyone settling about chairs and tables, plates laden with food, Chris took the opportunity to stand, bring everyone's attention to him, "I just wanted to thank everyone for travelling down here to California to meet with Alyssa and myself. Words cannot suffice for the feeling your presence here strikes in our hearts and souls. It's clear from these past few hours of knowing you that it's a blessing to count you among our family. We welcome and thank you."



Pressing a stack of invitations into Caleb's hand, Alyssa hugged him once more, "See you in a few weeks, right?"

"Absolutely," he nodded. "I'll be sure that everyone gets these invitations as soon as we get home. That way you should know by the end of the week who's coming and who's not. And make the adjustments to your book."

Alyssa grinned, "Chris has told you stories about it."

"From the way he talks about it, it's the Holy Grail or something," Caleb teased. "Which is good. Keep him continuously amazed and that man will follow you everywhere."

"Somehow I don't think losing him is an issue," she replied, embracing him once more. "See you in a few weeks."



The phone rang for the fifth time that day. Unable to reach for it, Alyssa motioned to Lily to answer it. The young girl quickly picked up the cordless phone, pressing the answer button.

"Hello. This is Daddy's and Lyssa's house. How can I help you?" she said quickly.

Alyssa chuckled, attention still on the seating diagram on the floor before her.

"It's for you, Lyssa," she held out the phone. "Someone from Washington."

"Thanks, Lily. Would you go check and see if Nick is still sleeping?"

"Yep!" she hopped up and hurried from the room.

"Hello?" Alyssa cradled the phone on her shoulder.

"Is this Alyssa Morgan, daughter of Emilie and Howard Morgan?" a feminine voice asked.

"It is," she replied, setting a name on a circle.

"We've never met before, but I received an invitation to a wedding in two weeks," she declared. "Well not me, per se, but my father did."

Reaching for her book, flipping open to the RSVP page, Alyssa pulled her pen out, "Calling to RSVP?"

"You could say that."

"Then I'm assuming you're my family, right?" she paged through the the 'bride' section.

"You could say that."

"All right. How many are coming and what's the names to set at the tables?"

"Just two. Alfred and Judith."

Alyssa was completely silent, the names rolling over in her mind like balls in a Bingo cage.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I'm sure I misheard you."

"Alfred and Judith."

She was silent once more before muttering, "You're shitting me."

"No," the woman replied. "I don't know how much you know about us, Alyssa, but we're—"

"Half sisters," Alyssa interrupted.

"Yeah."

"Can you call me back in like fifteen minutes? Or give me your number so I can call you?" she requested.

"Sure. It's 509-555-1234," she replied.

"Thanks," Alyssa wrote it on an extra sheet of paper and hung up the phone without a goodbye.

Leaning back on the couch, she rubbed her temples. Things were a lot more complicated than she ever expected them to be. She not only had a family, but she suddenly had a half-sister who was supposed to be dead.

"Lyssa?" a small voice broke her cyclone of thoughts.

Opening one eye, she looked over to Lily, "Yeah?"

"Something wrong?"

"No. Not really. How about we call your dad and see when he'll be home?" she suggested. "I could use his input."

Lily nodded and picked up the discarded phone from the carpet, "He's number one, right?"

"Yep," she closed her eye again.

"Hi, Daddy? Lyssa wants to know when you're coming home... All right... No, I won't tell... Okay... Love you too," she said before hanging up again. "He'll be home any minute."

"Okay. Good," Alyssa declared. "And the other kids?"

"Still sleeping," Lily answered, moving next to Alyssa. "You okay, Lyssa?"

"I don't know yet."

Deciding that was reason for action, Lily rushed from the room, to where Alyssa had no idea. But the young girl returned not much later, a rattling bottle in her hand.

"What do you have there?" Alyssa asked, opening both eyes.

She held the small bottle out, which had a label of 'happiness' on it, "Mom gave these to me awhile ago when I was missing Daddy. They make you happy."

Concern shook her brain, but didn't reach her features. Instead Alyssa accepted the bottle and twisted off the top. Glancing in she smiled. They weren't pills, but rather Reese's Pieces.

"Which colour are the best?" Alyssa asked.

Lily settled on the floor next to her, "I think yellow makes you happiest."

"Yellow it is then. How many?"

"Three," she stated definitively, nodding.

"Three it is then," Alyssa shook out a few of the 'pills', separating three yellow ones out before returning the others to the bottle.

Capping the bottle, she set it on the coffee table, on top of the open RSVP page. Chris walked into the room just as Alyssa tossed the three candies in her mouth and took a drink from her bottle of water. His eyes went wide and he jumped towards the girl.

"What did you just take, Alyssa?" he demanded, a note of panic in his voice.

"Happy pills," Lily answered with a small nod.

His wide eyes glanced at his daughter before looking back to his fiancee, "Tell me that's not true."

She picked up the bottle and tossed it at him, "Something Susan gave to Lily. She thought it would help me."

Looking at the bottle in his hand before opening it, Chris made no effort to hide his relief, "God, Lyss, if you were..."

"I'm not stupid, Chris," she replied, making his eyes turn back to her.

"I know, it's just — wait, why did Lily think you need these?" he asked, before pocketing the faux-pills.

"I just got a very interesting phone call," Alyssa answered.

"From who?"

"Whom," she corrected, before leaning up to touch the RSVP page. "Her."

His green eyes dropped down to the page. Stepping closer, he turned his head to the side to read it better. Alyssa watched his mouth twitch as he processed the name. A moment later his gaze met hers.

"What are you going to do, Lyss?" he plopped down on the floor near her.

"Call her back and ask her to come down now. Spend the next few weeks getting to know her," she found herself saying without even a thought.

Chris nodded, "If she's willing to, that would probably be a good idea. Especially since we won't have much downtime after the wedding."

Alyssa frowned, glancing at Lily, "I had forgotten about the tour. How are we going to figure in the kiddo?"

Lily was laying on her stomach, happily colouring away on one of Alyssa's discarded diagrams, singing to herself.

"You and Susan will have to work that out," he replied. "But that's not really the issue right now."

"No. It's not."

"Do you want me to call Judith and invite her down?" Chris asked.

Alyssa shook her head, "No. I'll do it. Afterall, she's my sister."