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The house was empty.

Mac Scorpio came to this conclusion as he closed the newspaper he had been leafing through for the past hour. The shuffling of pages was the only noise that had been made for hours, an idea that was still completely foreign to him.

For years, this house had been full of girls. Hairdryers and magazines and TV remotes had taken over the house for longer than he cared to admit. He had complained then, telling the girls that they needed to pick up after themselves. He had finally gotten his wish and the house remained spotless, but instead of feeling satisfied he only felt empty and lonely. No blaring music, laughter, screaming…he had no idea that he would miss the chaos so much.

He shuffled the newspaper again, if only to have some sound surround him.

He ignored the noises coming from the front of the house. His mind, always sensible, always reliable, had begun to play tricks on him. It wasn't uncommon for him to imagine the subtle sounds of the doorknob turning, or shoes being kicked into the wall instead of the shoe mat in the hallway. His life wasn't empty, nor was he overcome with loneliness. He simply missed his girls, the ones who had unexpectedly arrived in his life, taken priority, and then abruptly disappeared.

"Daddy?" She had failed to turn on the light, and now she stood in the doorway, shrouded by darkness. Her voice sounded defeated, and it was easy to think of her as she had been at five years old. She hadn't called him daddy then, that had come later. But as she lingered, hidden in the corner, he could easily envision the little girl that had climbed into his lap and insisted that kisses meant forever.

"Georgie?"

She wasted no time, but simply crossed over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the embrace, comforting her the best way he knew how as her tears began to fall freely and trace subtle patterns down her cheeks.

He was reminded of all the times she had come to him like this, attempting to shadow the steadfast and brave man she relied on. As a child she had come to him in tears, but her pain was displayed in a much more subtle way than Mac had come to expect from her sister. Maxie's pain had been obvious, racking sobs that shook her voice and tore through her body. Even as a small child, Georgie had remained silent, simply letting the tears fall. There had been no histrionics, but she appeared fragile, as if the pain was more than she could bear, more than Mac could comprehend. Mac had spared no effort in shielding her, protecting his little girl. Her silent tears were more than he could bear.

The memories overwhelmed him. Years had passed, and he was no longer her hero. Somewhere along the line he had become boring, overprotective Mac, somebody she didn't need in her life.

Fearing the worst, he pulled back slightly, "Did somebody hurt you?"

She shook her head, trying to alleviate the panic she heard building in his voice.

"Is it Dillon?"

She nodded before pulling away, "We had a fight."

"Georgie, you and Dillon fight all the time…"

"We're getting an annulment."

Mac seated himself on the couch, next to the spot where Georgie had let her weight fall only moments before.

"Isn't that a little extreme?"

She shrugged, "It was a big fight."

"Marriages take work, Georgie. People disagree and it's important that you learn to work your way through the issues, not run away at the first sign of trouble."

"But it's not like all of the other times. This wasn't a simple argument about who forgot to do the shopping. He didn't get upset at something I had done. He was attacking ME - who I am and what I believe is right. How am I supposed to just forget about that?"

"Maybe you're not. You shouldn't have to sacrifice yourself for anybody, but I don't think that's what Dillon really wants either. But you have to ask yourself whether or not this relationship is worth fighting for."

Georgie eyed the man in front of her, wondering when she had last opened up to him like this, let herself really listen to what he had to say. Over the years, everybody had repeated the same mantra to Georgie. Frisco is your father. He loves you very much. The words had always rung empty and hollow to her. How could they insist that this stranger was her father? A man who had never before laid eyes on her, had never once sent even a birthday card.

She had never understood why genetics should tie her so completely to a man she had seen only in pictures. She couldn't find any feelings to attach to his face, only finding confusion in the dark look he wore behind his eyes. Why he had left his family to embrace such a dark and dangerous job she would never understand.

Maxie had shown her how to play on Mac's emotions, and the daddy card had worked like a charm, melting his heart and causing him to submit to any request the girls had for him. But now, as Georgie eyed the weathered and caring face in front of her, she saw so much more than that. This was the man that had triple checked her closet for the monster Maxie had convinced her was hidden there, then had rocked her back to sleep when said monster invaded her dreams. The man that had worked so hard to provide for her financially after her mother's departure. The only person in her life that had put the rest of the town on hold to attend every dance recital and track meet she had ever participated in.

She felt a wave of guilt sweep over her. She had treated him horribly, even threatening to cut him out of her life if he didn't comply with her demands. And yet here he stood, giving her all of the love and support she was so desperately craving. Despite the fact that she had been so horrible to him. Despite the fact that he never really thought her husband would ever be good enough for her.

Shaking her head to remove her thoughts, she spoke once more, divulging her marital problems to her father.

And this time, when he spoke, she listened.