Chapter 1

The distant yet unmistakeable sound of wailing grew louder and Neal sighed, swearing under his breath as he set down the cutting knife and stepped away from the kitchen island. The intensity of the shrieks escalated and the front door flew open to expose the culprit - although there had been little doubt as to who was responsible for the ruckus that was presently rocking the quiet Prospect Park neighbourhood.

Sara stormed in, carrying a wailing Hope under her arm and she proceeded to set her down on the floor at her feet. She glared at her husband as the screams persisted, unwavering.

'She's all yours!' Sara declared breathlessly, her face flushed and her eyes wild.

She took in a badly needed lungful of air before continuing, her voice barely controlled. 'I'm bringing in the groceries from the car and then, I am going back out to meet El for lunch. Just so you know, there will be alcohol involved…' she added, deadpan.

Neal could tell by her barely restrained tone of voice that Sara was at the end of her tether and was summoning every shred of self-control she could muster not to blow a gasket. He stared back in commiseration, watching her turn on her heels and head back out the front door on her mission to bring in the weekly grocery order.

He took a few tentative steps and crouched down next to his screaming two year old daughter, hoping to talk her down - something he suspected from recent experience was a lost cause, considering she was still in the throes of a very intense temper tantrum. Her eyes were red, her face was swollen and tears ran down her face as her arms and legs flailed uncontrollably, all of it accompanied by ear splitting shrieks that showed no signs of letting up. Sadly, the tantrums had become an almost daily occurrence as of late and were in stark contrast to the lovely, cooperative child she'd been just weeks before.

'Hope' Neal attempted, making a concerted effort to stay clear of the kicking legs.

'Honey, look at Daddy' he tried again despite the lack of response on her part. The screaming and kicking continued and Neal marvelled at her staying power; it must be exhausting to keep that up for any length of time.

'NO!' she screamed breathlessly as the door swung open once again, revealing Sara with an armful of groceries.

Neal got to his feet and met his wife halfway, taking the bags from her outstretched arms and carrying them into the kitchen as she gave him an exasperated look and returned outside for a second load. Now that Hope had been left to her own devices, she seemed to realize that her out of control behaviour wasn't nearly as effective at drawing the attention she sought and Neal noticed her breathing begin to stutter between wails and her screams begin to diminish.

Sara strolled back into the house, taking a wide berth around her simpering daughter and walked back to the kitchen where she deposited the last of the grocery bags on the counter.

'Neal, this is getting out of hand - ' she began.

Neal cut her off by raising his hand and giving her a head nod in Hope's direction where the screaming had momentarily subsided.

'We'll talk about it later' he whispered cryptically as he brought his hand up to touch her arm. 'Go! Go to your lunch. I'll take care of it.'

Sara's stress level seemed to drop instantly as did the tension in her shoulders and she forced a smile. 'I'll be back' she said with a shrug - not that Neal had ever doubted she would.

He knew from experience that Hope's tempter tantrums were as exhausting for her as they were for the two of them and that they just needed to wait it out while she got it out of her system. He'd been on the receiving end of a couple of doozies over the past few weeks and he'd watched her cry herself to sleep on a couple of occasions, exhausted from the relentless kicking and screaming.

Neal watched Sara leave and let out a woeful sigh, fighting the urge to pick Hope up off the floor to comfort her - something he knew she was not yet receptive to, if the lingering sobbing was any indication.

The whimpering grew softer and Neal gave Hope a fleeting glance as he began to put away the groceries, ignoring her as she lay there on the hallway floor. Giving her some time to regain her composure, although seemingly cruel, was the way to go and he continued with the task at hand, giving her surreptitious glances every few seconds as the noise began to subside. He grimaced as he came across the sugary cereal Sara had bought - probably a concession to Hope's insistent pleas and he stashed the box out of sight, in the back of the cupboard while he took another gander at his daughter.

Hope's thumb was now firmly buried in her mouth as she calmed herself down and her breathing, although still uneven, had begun to slow to a more normal rhythm, the odd hitch in her breath breaking the uneasy silence in the house.

Neal made his way over to crouch beside her and now that her legs and arms had stopped flailing, he ran his hand soothingly over her hair, away from her tear streaked face.

'Are you done now, sweet pea?' he asked calmly.

Hope's eyes were drooping but she still managed to stare defiantly at her dad, her face swollen, her lips pouting and even though she had finally regained control of herself, she managed to give him a rebellious look and she shouted back insolently.

'NO!'

WCWCWC

'Whoa, whoa, slow down girl' Elizabeth said as Sara ordered her third drink.

It was early afternoon on a Saturday and although they usually kept it to one mimosa or a glass of wine with their salads, Sara had come in all guns blazing, intent on drowning some hereto unidentified problem.

'What's with you anyway?' El asked. 'Did you and Neal have a fight?'

Sara brought her eyes to meet her best friend's and let out a long suffering sigh. 'No, Neal and I did not have a fight' she answered, combative. 'It's Hope. Again. She's driving us crazy with her temper tantrums.'

'Hope? My sweet little Hope?' Elizabeth said, disbelieving.

Her goddaughter could do no wrong in her eyes; she was clever, funny, full of life and as sweet as could be.

'Now that she's hit the terrible twos, she's turned into a terror every time we ask her to do anything at all' Sara explained as she took a long sip of her martini.

'I've heard about the terrible twos' El admitted. 'But I always assumed it was more myth than anything else. Hope is such a sweet little girl.'

'A sweet little girl?' Sara repeated sarcastically, so loud that the couple at the table next to them stopped what they were doing and glanced their way. 'She's a terror. Her favourite word is 'no' and she's kicks and screams whenever she doesn't get what she wants - including at the grocery store this morning.'

Elizabeth gave her a look of empathy; she would have gladly dealt with a toddler's outburst - if only she and Peter had been blessed with a baby. Sara was so wrapped up in what had happened that morning that she missed the wistful look in her best friend's eyes and she carried on complaining, undeterred.

'It's come to the point where I'll give her anything she wants just to keep her from losing it in public. This morning, she started to whine when we got to the cereal aisle because she wanted me to get some Captain Crunch… but you know how Neal is about junk food. I finally gave in and grabbed a box… then things started to escalate. She wanted some right there in the store so I gave her a handful.'

'Are you sure that's the right way to handle it?' El asked.

Sara gave her a look of desperation. 'Probably not…' she admitted woefully. 'By the time we made it to the cash and I lifted her out of the cart, she'd gotten herself so worked up that she threw herself on the ground, kicking and screaming while everyone in the store just stared at us. I was mortified.'

Sara downed her drink and signalled for another as El watched in horror. She knew all too well that Hope's newfound independence was only part of the problem. There were other issues at play, not the least of which was the fallout from Sara's recent chemo and the uncertainty of test results every few months. She could certainly cut her best friend some slack under the circumstances.

'Is there anything I can do to help?' Elizabeth asked sheepishly.

'Would you like to adopt her?' Sara said hastily, immediately regretting what she'd said.

'I'm sorry, El. It's just… she was my sweet baby girl just a few weeks ago and now… well, I don't even know how to deal with her anymore.'

'She's a toddler who's learning to stand up for herself' Elizabeth responded wisely. 'Isn't that what you want for her? You might call it stubbornness now but when she gets older, we'll be praising her for being perseverant.'

Sara rolled her eyes. She was beyond hearing sense. She grabbed for the fresh martini and downed in it two large gulps.

WCWCWC

Neal checked the butter chicken recipe once again and reached into the spice cupboard for some cardamom. He was looking forward to having young Scott Rivers over for dinner. The two of them had spoken over the phone on a couple of occasions since the young man's release from jail and Neal felt a certain responsibility to help him make a smooth transition back to life on the outside without giving in to the allure of the life of crime which had landed him in the slammer in the first place. Neal had debated about inviting Mozzie as well, considering the two of them had hit it off, but he'd decided against it. Mozzie had a tendency to draw people into his harebrained schemes, something Scott would do well to avoid for the foreseeable future.

Memories of his first encounter with the young man flooded his mind. He'd liked him immediately upon meeting him, recognizing a kindred spirit in many ways. He and Sara had enjoyed the con they'd pulled to help him return the diamond bustier he'd stolen from Thomas Carlisle's safe in Manhattan. The kid had guts and Neal chuckled as he recalled Scott's fondness for Sara and how he'd shamelessly flirted with her right in front of him.

Neal had admired the young man's creativity and panache; he was harmless, more of a threat to himself than anyone else. But like him, Scott's lack of impulse control had led him down the path to a life of crime and he'd ended up paying a heavy price for his foolish actions. Neal had to admit it had been gratifying to help the young man see the error of his ways and he took pride in the role he'd played in bringing Scott in after the whole Carlisle debacle.

But Scott was a free man now and Neal knew firsthand what it was like to return to the outside world with nothing, starting at square one, with a huge black mark against you. If it hadn't been for June's generosity and Peter's patience, Neal had no idea what would have happened to him after his release from prison and he was determined to help Scott so he didn't have to face the world alone.

The kid had a good heart and Neal had been thrilled to hear that he'd gotten a job as a barista at a local Starbucks in order to pay for some courses in computer science at NYU. He was a genius, there was no doubt about that and if he could just learn to channel his many talents into more productive endeavours, he could avoid the pitfalls Neal had been unable to sidestep in his youth.

Although Neal didn't know all that much about Scott's family history, he suspected that, like him, the kid hadn't gotten the guidance and support he'd needed in his younger life. In the absence of such support, Neal was more than happy to help the young man any way he could, including inviting him into their home so that Scott could see that there was life after prison. Hopefully, seeing Neal living a settled life in the suburbs with his wife and daughter would help give Scott hope for the future - or so Neal hoped.

He was interrupted by the front door opening and his wife walking in rather unsteadily, followed by Elizabeth.

'Hey you two!' he called out from the kitchen. 'Nice lunch?'

Sara smiled crookedly and teetered on her four inch heels as Neal frowned. 'Oh… liquid lunch?' he asked as he took her by the arm and led her to the nearby couch.

'I thought it would be safer if I drove her home' El explained sheepishly. 'Seems she has a lot on her mind.'

'Thanks El!' Sara said, her voice slightly slurred as she let herself fall on the couch.

Elizabeth looked over at Neal. 'Sorry… but she was bound and determined to get herself in this state' she said with a frown.

'It's okay. She had a rough morning' Neal answered as he took El's arm and walked her back to the door.

'Unfortunately, you're going to have to go back and pick up your car later' Elizabeth explained as Neal shrugged.

'That's okay. We'll do it in the morning' he countered. 'Thanks for getting her home safely.'

Elizabeth gave him a last wave and went on her way, leaving her intoxicated friend in the capable hands of her loving husband.

Neal let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. He made his way back to the family room to find Sara sitting there, looking rather worse for wear.

'Hey honey, how are you feeling?' he asked as he took the seat next to her on the couch.

She looked up glassy-eyed and pouted. 'Why is our daughter a little terror?' she asked, her face sad.

Neal scoffed and brought his arm up around her shoulder, pulling her in. 'Oh, honey, she's not a terror. She's a very intelligent two year old who's trying to assert her independence.'

Sara pulled away to look into Neal's eyes, giving him an 'are you kidding' glare. 'You weren't there, Neal. She threw herself on the ground right by the cash register and everyone watched her kicking and screaming. I could barely get her out of there… and she kicked me' she moaned exaggeratedly as she showed him the beginnings of a small bruise on her arm.

'Poor baby' Neal declared wistfully as he brought his lips to kiss the blooming bruise, tickling Sara in the process and causing her to giggle. 'Look, if she didn't assert herself, I'd be worried. She's smart and we have to find ways to help her gain her independence…'

Sara piped up. 'But…'

'…without letting her do things that are dangerous and unsafe' he added.

Sara grew quiet and Neal felt her pulling him in tightly.

'Is this really what this is all about, Repo?' he asked tenderly as Sara continued to pout, not unlike Hope had done earlier. 'Or does it have something to do with that follow-up appointment we've got with Dr. Patel on Wednesday?'

Sara gave him a frown and let her head fall against his chest; she hated it when he could see right through her. Sometimes, it felt like her almost year-old cancer adventure would never end.

Neal felt her body relaxing against his and he watched with interest as her hand moved to rest on his leg, caressing it seductively in a not so subtle attempt at deflection. There were things she didn't like to talk about and he had to choose his moments carefully if he wanted to get her to open up.

Her eyes met Neal's and he could see the naughtiness lighting up her face as she pulled him in for a nice lingering kiss.

'Neaaaal' she mewled as her hand moved all the way up his thigh and squeezed gently.

'Sa-ra' he murmured in the same languid tone of voice, mocking her. 'Baby, I'm in the middle of making dinner and Hope's going to wake up any minute.'

'Awwww' she whined, trying her best to entice him into a little impromptu afternoon delight.

'C'mon honey… just a quickie' she moaned breathlessly as he tried his best not to chuckle at the sight of his inebriated wife trying to seduce him on the family room couch.

'Tipsy Sara' was a rarity and 'Saturday afternoon tipsy Sara' even more so but despite the temptation, Neal brought his lips to her forehead and kissed her chastely. He would have gladly given in to her proposition in pretty well any other circumstance but he held strong, pulling away from her. He stood and reached down to take her shoes off and lift the dead weight of her legs onto the sofa.

She gave him the best come hither look she could muster, including the old dependable batting of the eyelashes. 'You don't want me?' she slurred in mock disappointment as Neal helped her settle on the couch.

'Oh, I want you. I always want you' he murmured sweetly in an attempt to curb her advances.

He leaned down to place a sweet kiss on her lips. 'But I have a feeling you're going to fall asleep before the main event. I promise I'll make it up to you later. Now, get some sleep.'

She felt her eyelids growing heavy and Neal grabbed for the blanket nearby, covering her up and running his hand through her soft new growth of hair.

'I love you' he whispered. But she'd already drifted off.

TBC