The 12th October. Virgil remembered the day like it was yesterday even though it was over 7 years ago now. He was 17 and at private school, Scott and John were at Ivy League schools (Harvard and Yale), Gordon had joined him the previous year and Alan was at a school across town. Everything was good and he had everything he could ever want. An amazing girlfriend, a great future at Juilliard, amazing family, a awesome car. Everything was perfect, well up to that day anyway. He was ditching English and smoking behind the gym at his school when his girlfriend Amber James came walking over, she looked worried and nervous, it was odd as she never ditched anything. She sat next to him slowly and tried very hard not to look at him. She seemed scared of something.

"I need to tell you something." she said her usually confident voice full of fear and worry.

"Okay?" Virgil said a little confused.

"You can't comment or say anything until I'm finished. Okay?" Virgil nodded. "I'm 12 week pregnant. I don't know whether I'm going to keep it or not but I'm not staying here. I'm going to live with my aunt and her family. I can't end your dreams of Juilliard or performing or art galleries, I just can't. I can't make you become a teen father and have to kill anything you have worked for since you were young. I need to do this myself." she explained not making eye contact with Virgil.
"You can't just tell me your pregnant then leave. It's not fair." Virgil said.

"Well I'm sorry Virgil life isn't fair. If life was fair I wouldn't be pregnant at 17 and your mom would still be here but she's not and I am so life isn't fair you got to deal with that. I am really sorry good bye." she said before dropping a picture in his lap and leaving him sitting there in a state of shock.

Little did she know at the time she did end his dreams that day, well his Juilliard one anyway. The photo, which still 7 years later holds it's place in his wallet was an ultrasound of their baby. Well needless to say he didn't take the news of his impending fatherhood that he would never actually get to live well. It started what is now known in the Tracy house as Virgil's dark days. He began to do all the things that the tabloids loved, well as he was a Tracy they loved everything he did. He drank, smoked (well he did that anyway), got tattoos, got arrested , twice (Drunk and disorderly and DUI), lost his scholarship to Juilliard and a lot of stuff that couldn't be talked about on daytime TV. Also, for the first time since his mother death his piano gained a layer dust on it. He lost his muse. Everything was no longer perfect.

This general state of depression lasted 6 months and 3 therapist who knew jack and couldn't give him meds to make happy so he didn't care. Nothing changed till 3 days after his 18th birthday when he received a letter that changed his outlook on everything. It had no return address but he knew who it was from before he opened it, the soft feminine handwriting gave it all away. It told him what he wanted to hear.

Dear Virgil

Happy Birthday, sorry it's a little late. I was a little busy on the 14th. While you spend the day they way the Tracy family always does, laughing and joking and being a normal family. I spend it doing something complete different. On the 14th May at 11:05 am Donald Slayton James-Tracy was born. Do you like the mercury 7 touch, the Tracy Tradition (A/N to those who don't know google Mercury & and look at the names.) He's beautiful Virgil, he has his daddy's brown hair and eyes. He's perfect. I can't give him up but I still can't destroy what is left of your future even after you destroyed most of it. I will always love you in one way or another and he will always know that his father loves him with all his heart. Goodbye Virgil Grissiom Tracy, the piano man that took my heart.

Love Amber James.

Enclosed with the letter was a photo of Amber holding a beautiful baby boy. His baby boy.

That's when everything changed. He quit smoking, drinking, started playing again, got his grades back up and worked towards getting himself a future again. And he got there. He ended up going to MIT and getting a degree in engineering and started working for his dad. Everything was good, well other than a minor slip up with a razor blade and his wrist and 3 months in a treatment centre and a bi polar diagnosis and weekly sessions with someone who can give him pills but that's was a minor slip up (that is important later on). His life was on track, for now.