Song: The Valley by Eisley. Listen! Review! Enjoy!

Real heart-breaker come and take me
To the real heart ache that everyone's talking 'bout.
You see me then you don't
But get it right,I don't believe in magic.

Fire kites drifting through the skies
Up on high I see it all the time
And from the tip top of every mountain view
From the roof I spy on room to room.

But take me home
I walk the night in the valley
Oh ohh oh
'Til everything is fine

I walked all night, and typically that's fine
But I might try sleeping for a bit.
Tell me why you know the things you do
And how'd you get there?
To be there, it must be great for you.

But take me home
I walk the night in the valley
Oh ohh oh
'Til everything is fine [x2]

I don't see everything as right
It's not right
I don't see everything as right and wrong
It's so wrong
But I don't see everything as wrong

Take me home
I walk the night in the valley
Oh ohh oh
'Til everything is fine

Take me home
I walk the night in the valley
Oh ohh oh
Ttil everything is fine
'Til everything is fine
'Til everything is fine
'Til everything is fine
'Til everything is fine

The last that Caroline had heard, Steven was in Hawaii. Kenneth had told her a few years ago that Steven dropped out of law school. Kenneth and Steven stopped talking, but Jackie still kept tabs on everyone she used to know.

She ran into Falcon at the grocery store two days ago, and he said that Steven was back in town. Although she called Steven, she didn't think that he would actually come back to Houston. He didn't seem like the type who would ditch her when they had a child together, but it had been 10 years. Ten years since that night, and she was sure that he saw nothing more to it than just having some fun.

She didn't realize that she was crying until she felt the warm tears running down her cheeks. She put her hand up to her eyes to wipe them away. She had to go meet with Tom's teacher, and Tom would know if she had been crying...

When Caroline arrived at Greenbelt Elementary school, memories enveloped her. She hadn't had many friends, but she liked the school. School was her friend. School was all that mattered. Well, that and not being noticed. Caroline had always been a wallflower, and her shyness often made her stand out even more. It wasn't until Greenbelt Elementary had combined with Greenbelt Middle that she had actually met some people who could be potential friends. She had always chosen friends carefully, and when Kenneth had transferred to her school in the 7th grade, she knew that he could trust him. Although they were never best friends, they could still count on each other.

As she neared Mr. Findley's classroom, she smiled at the fact that Kenneth was her son's fourth grade teacher. He had always wanted to start a family, and until he found a suitable wife, the kids in his class would serve at his temporary children.

Pam Harrison, the mother of one of Tom's friends, came out of the classroom. "Hi, Caroline." Pam gave Caroline a small hug. "I see you're a little late."

"Oh, I was just working a little late today." She lied. Truthfully, her lateness was the result of looking through old photo albums. All of the old pictures, many from high school, had made her feel even more guilty for not telling Steven about Tom.

"I see." She winked at her friend. "Spending a little too much time with David, I see."

"Dave and I are just friends. Nothing more… We may have kissed at the Christmas party, but that was it."

"You've got it bad, girl."

"Maybe." She admitted. "But, just maybe not for Dave.

"Oh, I see… Tom's dad?"

Caroline bit her lip. "Forget I said anything. It was a long time ago…"

"Well, you called him, right?"

"On Monday. I had to leave a message, but I'm sure he got it. He just must be surprised. …Gosh, I really hope that he can come back home sometime soon. Tom really wants to meet his dad."

"Look, sweetie. If he got the message, he'll come. Tell me, he isn't a dead beat, is he?"

"Of course not. I mean, in high school he was always on top of everything. Having a baby shouldn't take too much out of him, right?"

"Well, that baby isn't a baby anymore. He'll realize if his dad never comes to meet him."

"I know… Look, I need to meet with his teacher, so I'll see you later."

"Goodbye!"

Caroline stepped into the classroom. No other parents were here, so she definitely must be late.

"Caroline, hi. I was afraid you wouldn't come! Uh, take a seat."

She took a seat in one of the chairs near Kenneth's desk. "So, how is he doing?"

"Smart kid. Definitely. But I've noticed that his work has been dropping a little in the past few months."

"Oh, well, he's been having a rough time lately. He really wants to meet his dad. I'm not sure if he'll come back, though."

"Back? He's from here? Who is it?"

"Um…"

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's fine… It's actually Steven…Foster. From Greenbelt."

"Oh, wow. I didn't know you two were, uh, involved."

"Well, prom night makes us do crazy things."

"Oh, this all went down on prom night? What was that, ten years ago? You still haven't told him?"

"I left him a message a few days ago."

"I uh heard from Falcon that Steven's been back in town since yesterday. He didn't call you back?"

"Not to my knowledge, no. I didn't leave a number for him to call, and I don't know if he has caller ID, but I just assumed that he was still keeping in touch with someone in Austin."

"I don't know how I could get ahold of Steven, but I could give Falcon a call for you. If...if you want, I mean."

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks. So, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, yeah." Kenneth got up so he could give Caroline a hug before she left.

"I'll see you later, Kenneth. Bye."

"Goodbye."

"Come on, Tom."

On the way home, Tom asked about Steven again. "When can I see my dad?"

"I'm not sure, baby. But I'm sure it'll be really soon."

Tom sighed. Caroline's answer to his questions about his father were always the same: you'll see him soon; maybe next week. She hated lying to him, and she knew that he may never meet Steven. Deep down, she was a little afraid to see Steven again. Graduation and prom were the last times she'd seen him, and the 18-year-old Steven probably would have accepted the fact that he was a father; he would have tried to juggle his education and his career as well.

Later that night, after Tom was asleep, Caroline got a call from Falcon. She expected it to be Kenneth, but since Steven and Kenneth still weren't on speaking terms, it was better to hear what was going on with Steven from someone who had directly spoken to him within the last few days.

"So, Kenneth spoke to you about what happened today?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he did. Congratulations, by the way, on being a mom."

"Thanks, Falc. Umm, so, can you maybe give me Steven's number or something? I really need to talk to him." She heard mumbling on the other line, but brushed it off.

"Steven's staying with his mom, but he's been over a few times. I'm at the Carlson Hotel on North Hampton, right off of Jones. I'm in town for a gig. But the next time I see him, I''ll tell him that you were looking for him. Did you, uh, want to set up a meeting or something like that?"

"Yeah. S-something like that. Listen, how about the next time he comes over, can you just get him to give me a call?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay, thanks. Bye."

"See ya."

After speaking with Falcon, Caroline was no longer tired. Before she could get to sleep, she looked old photos again. Would Steven really be that different?