Disclaimer: I own none of the characters portrayed in this story. They belong to Dee Henderson. I think that's good enough, let me know if I need to add more.

All of the O'Malley's lives are turned upside down in their stories but once they find love, their lives are seemingly perfect. Well one of the O'Malleys doesn't get as lucky.

Almost Perfect

Chapter 1

Rachel O'Malley nodded her head as she set down the phone. She was near tears and if her life kept up like this, nearing a breakdown.

Jesus, it's almost Thanksgiving. Stephen needs to stop running. Let him find You. You are the only thing that can help him right now.

She needed to see Cole. She needed his arms around her. Comfort-he could tell her everything was going to be okay.

At 11:00 Cole Parker usually found himself watching television and getting ready for bed. Tonight he found his girlfriend, Rachel, fighting tears at his door. He could see she had already been crying once, he wanted to stop that from happening again. He quickly led her inside to the couch. "What's wrong, Rae?"

She blinked back tears. "My family is falling apart. No one wants to have Thanksgiving without Stephen. But he has no intention of coming back, and Christmas doesn't look good either."

Cole put a reassuring hand on hers. He knew that Jennifer's death hurt her, and the absence of Stephen only added to the hurt. "Rae, it's okay. Stephen will come home when he's ready. You know that."

"I don't know if my family can wait until he's ready. With Jennifer gone, everyone is afraid. Can we still love each other this much? Is it really worth it, knowing the pain of losing someone? That pain is almost too much. We're already growing apart. Thanksgiving could have at least pulled us together for a while. Without that, or Christmas, I don't know what it will take to get us together. Maybe I should talk to Marcus…I could call him. He'd know what to do….I don't know what to do, Cole."

"Honey, you need to slow down right now. Why do you put this all on yourself?"

"Because it's my job to be there for people, right now I'm failing my family."

He could see how this ate at her, for years all she had was this family, and if she felt like she was losing it, she was losing herself. "No, sweetie, you're not. They still call you when they need someone. They have faith in you and they know you can do your job. And look at them. They're all moving forward, and you helped them. Kate's still stopping bombers, Marcus is balancing protecting judges and Shari wonderfully, and Lisa has helped solve more cases lately than most people do in a lifetime. They are great at their jobs, and without your help, and the rest of the family behind them, they wouldn't be there today."

Rachel knew this was true, but she still felt like a failure. "How do you know they aren't hiding in their jobs?" She knew it wasn't true but somehow she needed to hear it to believe it.

"They aren't. And you know that, Rae. Lisa and Quinn are on the way back from the ranch, and Quinn's retirement is becoming finalized. Jack and Cassie are having a blast planning the wedding, and Stephen is relaxing and taking the vacation he's needed for years."

She felt reassured by his words, but even the mention of Stephen stung. "If he's so happy, why can't he come home?"

Her tears threatened to start again, and all Cole wanted was to stop them, make all the pain go away. "He's not ready. He can't get past the emptiness in the family without Jennifer. He doesn't have anyone to lean on outside the family and Meghan, and until he knows that God can help him, he won't have anyone. But that doesn't mean he's alone." He saw some of the tension leave her face. "Rachel, let me get you something to drink. It will help you relax, what would you like?"

"Do you have some of the tea I bought for you leftover?"

It was horrible. He only kept it in the house so she could drink it when she came over. A smile played at his lips. "Of course I do." He walked toward the kitchen. As he prepared her tea, he relaxed for a moment knowing the discussion wasn't over.

Lord, help her. She needs You right now to show her what to do. This family needs her and she's in danger of not being able to do her job with the stress she's feeling.

He walked back to the living room and handed her the cup.

"You hate it don't you?"

He almost laughed at the blunt question. "I can't say that it's my favorite. I'm more of a coffee person, myself. But you like it, so I figure it's best to keep it around."

She relaxed and let herself laugh. "Well at least you're thinking of me."

"Always, Rae."

Rachel let the silence turn serious. "What do I do, Cole? This family needs something and I don't know what it is."

"Just talk to Marcus. Tell him everyone needs to get together. He knows that as well as you do. Get back into each other's lives. Give Stephen a welcome home party. It doesn't matter what it is. Just get everyone together."

Rachel tensed. "And what about me?"

Cole took a breath. "Let yourself feel. You've taken everyone else's pain. Now feel your own."

Rachel felt the wall break. Everything came to the surface, and she cried. She was glad that Cole was here with her. To be by herself in this moment would have made it worse.

Cole held Rae close and gently rocked her as she let the pain sink in. When she finally spoke, Cole had to strain to hear her. "Thank you for being with me, through this-through everything."

He gently lifted her face toward his. "I love you, Rachel. I'll be here for everything. Anytime you need me." He kissed her. It was only to soothe her in the moment, but the kiss soon deepened and became more. He leaned into her and she lay back on the couch. He kept kissing her, and Rachel and Cole soon became unaware of anything but each other.