Disclaimer: I don'w own OHF and this is AU

Ruth stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had been thinking about her past for days. It was long gone though. She had recovered her memory to a certain degree but it was slow. There was a part of her that knew who she was but she couldn't share that with anyone- not yet anyway.

"You know eventually you're going to have to tell him," her friend Maggie said.

"Mags there is nothing to tell him," Ruth replied, "When there's something to tell him, no correction if there is something to tell him I will tell him."

Ben came into the room where the two ladies were talking.

"Did I miss anything," he asked.

"Ruth got her memory back," Maggie replied.

Ruth looked at Maggie with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"I thought I might have possibly remembered who I was in my past," she said glancing at a picture of herself before losing her memory.

Ben noticed her looking at the picture.

"You think you might be..."

Ruth looked down then nodded. Conner was in school- Caroline in college about 2 hours away. There was no way that they would hear their conversation.

"I know it's crazy," she said.

"Actually," Ben replied, "It's not. It's weird but I always sort of thought so too in the back of my mind."

"But what if I'm not," Ruth said, "and then again what if I am. I can't just pick up from where I left off. I don't REMEMBER anything about that part of my life. Bits and pieces sure but nothing that would... I mean-"

He put his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed at his gentle touch.

"It doesn't matter," he said, "This is a new thing for both of us. and the relationship we have developed doesn't depend on you being who you were in the past. It's about who you are now."

Ruth smiled.

"I remember little fragments," she said.

Conner chose that moment to get home from school.

"Hey dad," he said hugging his father.

"Hey Buddy," Ben said.

He hugged Ruth too.

"I like your perfume," he said, My mom used to love that one."

Ben and Ruth looked at each other.

"Did I say something wrong," Conner asked nervously.

"Not at all buddy," Ben said, "Listen sit down a minute."

Conner sat down.

"Do you remember how Ruth lost her memory?"

"Well I wasn't there when it happened," Conner said, "But I do remember you telling me."