***

"Are you glad to be back baby?" Angelina asked, as she pulled into parking lot of the Abby Lee Dance Company. It had been over a month since they've been here, Eden had to travel to England for a couple of scenes in the 'Peaky Blinders'. 

"Yes! but I'm going to miss the girls in Birmingham. I can't wait to show Ms.Abby how much I've learned" Eden grinned. 

After the incident Eden found her escape in dance, pushing herself even harder than before. Angelina and Robert had both decided it was best for her to talk to someone professionally about the incident. They didn't want her holding in her feelings, it was a serious situation that needed to be addressed accordingly.

Jacob was a huge help, he was who she turned to as a confidante. If you thought the pair were inseparably before than you were wrong. Jacob's parents always joked how they should build a house for them together it would make everything so much easier. Half of Jacob's clothes were already hanging her wardrobe and vise versa. 

"Well Ms.Abby is very excited to see you! she said the phone calls are just not enough" Angelina laughed before opening the car door, into the cold Pittsburgh air. It was good to be back, the one good thing about living here was that number of paparazzi was considerably smaller if there at all.

Still weeks on the media still brought up the topic on Eden's near kidnapping. Further development had been discovered, the man in custody had squealed in order for a shorter sentence. He revealed that the situation was much bigger than they believed, it was a very detailed operation. They got the names of the men involved now, men that were currently wanted for trafficking.

 It had but the fear of god into Angelina and Robert, their security measures had tripled with the men still on the loose. It was terrifying even after years of fame they had never experience anything like it.

"Hi Ms.Abby" Eden grinned, stepping on her tippy toes to peer over the desk.

"Eden!! Darling! How are you?" Abby exclaimed rushing to pull her in for a hug. "I'm doing good, I've learned loads of new dance moves whilst I was away" she giggled, her cheeks flushing as everyone welcomed her back.

"I'm so glad your alright! You had me scared!" Abby gushed out, squishing her cheeks together. Laughing Eden pulled away, sheepishly handing over the bag of goods she had obtained for the ALDC employees in England.

"Here you go Ms.Abby, it's stuff we picked up in England" she chirped, excitedly handing over the carton of goods. 

"Oh! Thank you darling! you didn't have to" Abby smiled happily, Eden always made sure to bring something back from her travels no matter how small. It made Abby feel appreciated.  "I even got Rihanna's autograph cause I knew you liked her" Eden added absentmindedly, like it was no big deal.

Abby's face rose with glee, thanking the Jolie's repeatedly.

****

"Come girls let's move it!" Abby called from the Studio, she had just finished up a private with the very own Eden-Rose. When the girls entered they immediately swarmed her, pulling her into a group hug. The moms smiled at the girls, they were all thankful she was okay.

"Yes! Eden is back after a long month away. It's good to have her back safe and sound" Abby beamed clapping her hands in applause.

"Now I guess we have to talk about last week, Second place. The duet was fifth. It's okay everybody needs knock down a few pegs, even you Maddie. Thankfully Eden's back this week, you guys have gotten too comfortable without her pushing you guys. She set's the standard, there's dancers in their teens that wish they could dance like her" Abby ranted, it obviously didn't take long for her to fall into her normal habit of comparing Eden to other girls.

"Let's talk about the group dance... you looked exquisite but I didn't see a love story. If you want to be second then you did a great job, if you want to win you might have to go back to the basics.. I'm not going to yell at you or anything else I'll just smile" Abby trailed off letting her words hang in the air. 

The mom's  quirked their faces up in question, Abby was acting stranger than normal this week. They were expecting her to be up in arms about the girls begin second, it looked like Eden's presences had calmed her down.

"This week we will be traveling to Minneapolis Minnesota we will attend In10sity dance we've been there before  and we're going again. Now let's move on to the pyramid.. first is Mackenzie, eleven points between you and the next person, eleven points" Abby repeated in disapproval.

"Next on the pyramid Nia, you weren't feeling well we can blame that. But the legs get sloppy, the feet get sloppy and the arms get sloppy all the time.." Abby announced causing Holly to bite her cheek in displeasure, it seemed Nia was destined to stay on the bottom row.

"Next, I have Paige. Your arms out of control. I correct you but you still do it wrong. Next Maddie, you did four turns in the corner, stunning! and then you bobble on simple easy things. That cannot happen, not if you want to be a Broadway star".

Eden shuffled on her feet, pyramid's were the pane of her existence. All she wanted to do was dance.

"Next, is Kendall. Remember when I said your mom could either hurt you or help you? well this week she helped you" Abby announces, Eden watched as Jill beamed brightly. She looked beyond thrilled to see Kendall above Maddie on the pyramid. "Jill wants you on Maddie's heels chomping at the bit, I think it's a good thing. But can you reach Eden's level?.. I don't know..."Abby told the little girl, Jill's smile dimming slightly.

"That seems a little cut throat, Abby" Holly comments. Not liking how she was praising Jill for using certain tactics to get her daughter on top. She would rather her daughters talent to speak for herself, it didn't matter if she remained on the bottom of the pyramid.

"Well a dance competition it is cut throat, Holly! Now next I have Eden. Even though she hasn't been here in a while, Eden has been making massive moves in her career. She is here because of her brilliant performance at the VMA's" Abby clapped, sending the little girl a wide smile.

"Thanks, Ms.Abby"

"And next to Eden is Brooke. You are here for your stellar performance in the group dance and your solo. But don't forget the person on top of the pyramid always has a target on their back"

Eden frowned looking at the pyramid, where was Chloe's picture...

"Yes?" Abby answered, looking over to her less than favorable student. 

"What about me?" Chloe asked timidly, folding her arms in a defensive stance.

"What about you?" Abby replied bluntly, Eden furrowed her brows in confusion. Why was Abby being so abrupt to Chloe.

"Why am I not on the pyramid?" she asked quietly, weeks of Abby's harsh treatment had slowly diminished her confidence. 

"Your on suspension! You have to show me that you deserve to be on that pyramid, work hard and then maybe we'll see..." Abby reminded her. "Now the group dance is a hip-hop routine, all of you will be in it! Eden-Rose you will be doing a solo and duet with Jacob".

Smiling gratefully, Eden couldn't wait to dance with Jacob again.

"Alright ladies, separate and warm up! Mom's you can leave.

***

"Now this routine is called 'Don't ask, just tell", in  reference to the military phrase 'Don't ask, don't tell!" I want everyone to think and speak for themselves" Abby announced to the girl as they practiced the routine. It was a very easy dance to learn in Eden's opinion, she just didn't know if it was a winning number. The ALDC weren't known for their stellar hip-hop routines.

After a quick water break the headed back into the studio, Mackenzie joining them later on. It seemed she had injured her foot during the rehearsal.

"Mackenzie! Do you think you can do the group dance, cause if you can't I need to take you out" Abby asked, in front of everyone. "I can do it" she reassured, a small pout falling on her face.

"Good! I want no fooling around, no malls,no walking on cement" Abby retorted looking at all of them with beady eyes.

Eden nodded her head in acceptance before walking out of the room. It was time to start her solo, it was her first competitive solo in a month. 

***

"Hi mom!" Eden smiled in relief when she was pulled into a warm hug. The hours in the studio had been the longest time they had spent separated since the incident. 

"Hi baby, how are you?.. you happy to be back?" Angelina gushed holding Eden's face between her hands.

"I'm good mom" Eden giggled, loving the affection her mom gave her. "We started learning the group dance and it's a hip-hop routine" 

"Very good! well you have improved greatly on your hip-hop when you were in LA" Angelina reassured. "Now your routine is going to be a Contemporary piece it's.. different" Angelina laughed. "It's a winning number don't worry" 

"Ok!" Eden murmured standing in starting position waiting for instruction, a beautiful grin settled on her face as she began to dance.

"Perfect legs Eden!" Angelina smiled, there was nothing greater than teaching her daughter to dance. It was a calming experience for the both of them.

***

"Hi daddy!" Eden squealed into the phone, after a tiring day in the studio it was a relief to talk to her dad. Without failure he called consecutively everyday, unknown to Eden he feared in his heart something would happen again and he wouldn't be there again to prevent it.

The lawsuit was still ongoing, the public causing a stir for the court dates to be pushed forward. Everyone wanted to see the man and his organisation go down. Thankfully the man was speaking freely, naming people who the police could never lay significant evidences on. Things were looking up for the Jolie's.

"Hi princess, how was dance today?.."he asked smiling at her excitement. This is had to be his favourite part of the day. 

"Good! I started learning my solo today with mom and the group dance with Miss.Abby" she rambled, leaning comfortable on her bed surrounded by her pillows.

"Good! Your going to be amazing, baby! Now, how you feeling about being back?.." he asked nervously. 

"Thanks daddy, I was nervous at first... but Shane was always outside the door and mom was close by" she told him truthfully, it was something she learned that helped, there was no point in keeping it all locked up inside her.

"I'm glad to hear the princess" he sighed in relief, the tension lifting from his body.

"How was your day dad?" she asked politely, sneezing cutely down the phone. 

"Bless you" he laughed, " My day went good, love. I woke up, annoyed Susan. Did a quick workout and then I went to work" he rambled telling her every little detail of his day, they both enjoyed it. His voice was very soothing to Eden ever since she was a little girl, sometimes it was the only thing that got her to sleep.

"So Princess.. when are you going to meet the famous Eminem?" he asked in slight jealousy. Robert was a big fan of his work, no doubt about it.

"I don't know yet, mom said in a couple of weeks. I heard her talking to him on the phone today and yesterday" she replied innocently, not aware of the significant information she was giving away.

"Did you now?" he chuckled quietly, "Well you'll have to ask him to sign an album for me when you meet him, won't you?" Robert asked.

"Of course! Jacob's so excited! He told Lucas and Zachiary and supposedly they flipped out. The teacher kicked them all out of class cause they wouldn't stop talking about it" she giggled down the phone. The boys didn't seem to care, they were already in the Top 5% of achieving students in their school.

"HA! Sounds like something Jacob would do!" Robert barked out a laugh, the boy was too much sometimes. 

The father and daughter duo continued there nightly phone call before it was time for bed. With a kiss through the phone, she snuggled in for the night. Her first time sleeping in her own bed.

***

"Don't ask don't tell! Did anyone go home and ask their mom's about what that was about?" Abby asked the girls before the group rehearsal the following day. 

Eden nodded her head, not aware the others shook their heads 'no'.

"Very good! at least someone had the intuitive to do it! alright let's get your mom's down here and they can tell you themselves" Abby instructed, before telling Eden to practice her solo in the spare time they had.

"Very good! I've no doubt you'll place first" Abby applauded, a smile stitched permanently on her face. 

"Thanks Ms.Abby" 

"Have you learned your duet this morning?" Abby asks waiting for the other girls to return.

"Yes!" Eden chirped in excitement, "We learned it, just have to clean it up. It was a bit weird having to purposely wobble in the dance due to the lyrics, I just hope the judges get it" Eden rambled nervously.

"Don't worry everything you do is perfect, they'll love it" Abby reassured only causing the girls nerves to double by a landslide. Everybody expected her to be perfect and nothing less, it was a lot of pressure for her ten year old body.

Nodding in acceptance, Eden ran through her solo two more times, hoping the girls would hurry up. The group dance was still not complete, and in all honesty it was a mess. Hip-hop was defiantly not the girls strong suit.

***

Sitting at her vanity Eden closed her eyes the feeling of her mom doing her hair always put her in a tranquil state. "So my solo is up first?" she asked quietly peeping eye open to look at her mom through the mirror. In the background she could see Mackenzie doing cartwheels although she was being very careful not to place her injured foot on the ground.

When she was ready Eden stepped behind the curtain to change into her silk pj's, a very comfortable costume. She couldn't hear the mom's chatting which could only mean one thing, Abby had entered the dressing room. 

Stepping out she was greeted with a beaming smile from her mother. "You look beautiful! Darling" she exclaimed before pulling her into a hug and kiss.

Looking around she raised an eyebrow at Mackenzie who sat in a wheelchair. What had she missed?

"Eden, come over here..I want to run your solo one last time" Angelina instructed, motioning her over to the corner of the room. She didn't want her distracted on any meaningless drama. 

"Alright darling, it's time to head backstage. Let's go meet Shane shall we?" Angelina smiled, taking Eden's hand in her's. 

Once she was out the door, Eden immediately grabbed Shane's extended hand. Her confidence to walk freely in a public place had been shockingly reduced since the incident, becoming subconsciously clinger to her parents or Shane. Someone she knew would protector with everything they got.

Shaking off the nerves, she waited for her number to be called. The stares she received back stage burned into her head,  but she didn't let them bother her. It was time to focus. 'Winning was the only option', Abby's famous last word's repeated in her mind.

"Please Welcome to the stage' Neat and Clean', Ms Eden-Rose" the emcee announced, grinning at the audience who rose to their feet in greeting.

The routine it's self was unique, something Angelina choreographed with finesse.

 Eden performed it without missing a beat. When the dance came to an end, Angelina stood up in applause it was good to see her little girl on stage again.

 Where she belonged.

Thanking the other dancers who congratulated her, she hurried back to the dressing room. The duet was on in just five dances, they would only have just enough time to run through it once, if Eden ran. But running was prohibited by Abby and no doubt the producers would rat her out if she did.

Releasing her hair from the cap she let it fall freely, there was no need to put it up for their dance. The costume was replaced in seconds, it was a new record for her. They went through the motions, marking the sequence in their minds. 

"Hey! We're going to do great! I don't know many ten and twelve year old's that can learn a dance in a day and perform it like we do" Jacob stated confidently, grabbing her hand in his.

"Your right! I don't know why I still get so nervous" she giggled, pulling him in for a quick hug, the number had just been called.

"Put your hands together for our next entry in the Junior duet/ trio category, 'Unsteady'."

As soon as they exit the stage, Eden leaped into Jacob's arms. They did it, hopefully her mom was happy. For a day the routine was amazing!

Staying by the wings they waited for the last dance, awards would be beginning soon for the solo's and duets. 

"Jacob would you please stop glaring at the boy, he's going to wet himself" Eden scowled, huffing when she got no response. 

Shane bit down on his lip preventing any chuckles from escaping, it had been going on for five minutes now and neither boy was backing down. "Tell that to him! he's been staring at you the entire time" Jacob retorted, his eyes not moving off the dancer.

Grabbing his hand she tugged his attention away, "It doesn't matter! now come on it's time for awards".

Grumbling he let her take the lead, walking onto the stage hand in hand. They waited patiently for Eden's Solo Category, her nerves were growing by the second. "You'll be alright! no one compares to your dancing" he reassured, stopping her shaking hand. Smiling she let out a deep breathe, it was finally her turn.

"I will now announce our Top Ten Junior Elite Soloist of the evening.... and in first place!  Our highest Scoring Soloist of the entire day!! We have entry number 12, 'Neat and Clean', Ms.Eden-Rose. Congratulations!" the emcee announced, smiling as the audience rose to their feet in cheers.

"Thank you" she grinned looking for her mother in the audience. The sound of Ms.Abby was loud and clear over crowds screams, someone was defiantly happy she won. 

Returning to her seat, her face flushed with happiness. Now all she had to do was win the duet.

"In the Junior Duet/trio category ... in third place we have, 'War'. In second place,' Twins', and our first place goes to entry number 14...'Unsteady' the Abby Lee Dance Company"

Wasting no time the pair jump up in unison happy with their accomplishment. 

"Well done you two!" 

"Thanks" Jacob replied for them, holding the large trophy in his arms. 

***

Abby got the girls to line up, dressed in their costumes she interrogated them. The producers were pathetic sometimes.

"Raise your hand if you seen Mackenzie doing cartwheels!" 

Doing as told Eden reluctantly raised her hand, her eyes flickering over to Mackenzie pouting in the chair. Christie's hand went up too, a large grin plastered on her face.

"Eden! you saw Mackenzie do cartwheels?!" Abby asked, wanting verbal confirmation.

"Yes.. but she never landed on her injured foot. Always keeping it off the ground" Eden replied, hoping that would ease the punishments for the girl. It was all for the camera's anyway, the producers were snitches.

"Is that true Mackenzie?" 

"Yes!" she answered immediately, sending Eden a grateful look. 

"Well don't let me see you out of that chair again, understand?" she told, not waiting long enough for a response. "Right girls! March!" she yells leading her group of soldiers out the door.

Eden wasn't a fan of the dance, but she still gave it her all. But not even she could save it, their leaps were off, legs could've been straighter be the majority of them. It was a mess and they were up against tough competition. That's why Eden wasn't shocked when they received seventh place overall.  But she was embarrassed. Never had she got an award so low, maybe she needed to work harder...