"Dresden would you just answer the damn door already?!" Came the annoyed shout from the downstairs bathroom.
"Yeah, alright." Harry Dresden grumbled as he trudged to the front door and pulled it open. "What ever it is, we don't want..." He trailed off he saw who was standing there. A little self consciously he tightened the belt of his bathrobe. "Susan?" He was a little more than shocked.
"Hello Harry." Susan smiled brightly then raised a pale eyebrow. "Nice place you've got here, much better than the other place."
Harry glanced behind him before stepping out onto the porch and pulling the door closed behind him. "Thanks, my apartment just wasn't big enough anymore." He shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortably.
Susan fought a frown off her face when the very man she had come to see didn't invite her in, instead he joined her on the well kept front porch. "I didn't take you for a gardener." She commented as she leaned back against a railing and tilted her head towards the flower beds in the front yard.
"I'm not. The last plant I bought died in anticipation, it didn't even make it out of the car." Harry cleared his throat. "You're looking good, Susan, and not that I'm not thrilled to see you but why are you here?"
"To see you, silly." Susan smiled. "I was in Chicago and I thought I'd pay you a visit. Though I was surprised to find out that you had moved."
Harry shifted again and shot a look at the closed door then looked back to Susan. "Well you've seen me so you'll be leaving?" He asked, hopefully, not wanting to revisit his past when he was so fond of his present.
Susan's smile faded into a frown. "What's up with you, Harry? I thought you'd be happy to see me. I've missed you so much." She whispered.
"Things change, Susan." Harry hadn't meant for that to sound so harsh but couldn't do anything about it once it was said. "It was your idea to end things, remember? I...uh...moved on."
"Moved on? What the hell does that mean?" Susan was getting irritated now. "You said you loved me." She pointed out.
Harry blinked. "That was ten years ago." He countered and crossed his arms over his chest. "A lot can happen in ten years."
Susan crossed her arms, copying his posture. "Like what?" She challenged.
Before Harry could answer, the front door opened and a curly brown head poked out. He stared at the teenager for a second until his mouth decided it was ready to form words again. "Whatsup pumpkin?"
Anna blinked. "Mom wants to know if steak is alright for dinner?" Her eyes darted from her step-father to the very pretty woman he was talking to and back again. "Is everything alright, dad?"
Harry smiled. "Steak sounds fine as long as she makes fries, I've been craving them." He rolled his eyes and knew she'd understand.
"At least you don't want them smothered in barbeque sauce and vanilla ice cream, be thankful." Anna made a face at her mothers strange eating habits as of late then ducked back inside, leaving the door open just a crack.
With wide eyes, Susan watched Harry interact with the girl. "Dad?" She asked with a strained whisper. "I haven't been gone that long."
"She's not mine, well she is, but..." Harry shrugged. "She's my step-daughter. She came to live with us four years ago when her father died in a car accident. I adopted her last year."
Susan tried to speak but she was too shocked to say anything for more than two minutes. "You're married and have a step-daughter?"
Harry winced. "I told you a lot changed." He pushed the door open, stepped inside for a moment then returned to the porch with a framed picture in his hand. "We had to find an old time photographer but we managed to get a family portrait done." He offered the picture to Susan.
Taking the heavy frame, Susan stared down at the picture. "I don't understand." She whispered, sounding lost.
"Well, you know already know Connie, my wife, and you just met Anna..." Harry started to explain as he pointed to the two most important woman in his life. "The little boy is our son, Michael; he just turned five last month." He pointed to the curly haired little boy. "And this..." He pointed to his wife's extended stomach. "This is my daughter, Jordan, who hasn't decided grace us with her presence yet." He smiled a smile of a man proud of his family. "She's two weeks late and Murph isn't too happy about it."
Susan swallowed, hard. "It's a beautiful family, Harry." She handed the picture back and sighed. "I guess ten years was longer than I thought." She pushed off the railing and headed down the steps and started up the walkway. Before exiting through the gate, she turned. "I love you, Harry."
Harry nodded in acceptance. "I know." With that said he turned and reentered his modestly sized house that was just big enough for his growing family.
As she got into her car, Susan realized something that made her heart break even more. He hadn't said 'I love you' back. He truly had moved on and she, his wife, was now receiving his love. A love that she, herself, had given up. Driving down the street, she added one more regret to her list then resolved to forget about Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Chicago's first, and only, Wizard P.I.