A few hours later Abigail was sleeping. It was past their bedtime, and Kate promised her daughter she would tell her about her father this week. Now Jodi was here, they were sitting at the table.

"Jodi, how can I tell her about Daniel?" Kate let her head fell into her hands. "How?"
"I don't know, squirt, but you have to. She has the right to know."
"I know.. It's just.. Not really easy to tell everything, y'know."
Jodi nodded. "I know." She let her hand rest on Kate's shoulder, and gave it a little squeeze. "I know."
"And where do I start.."
"Maybe boarding school? That's were everything started.." Jodi looked at Kate carefully. "That's where you met him."
"Yeah.. Okay. So, I'll tell her what happened at school, that's easy." Kate sighed. "And than I'll tell her about the hike.."
Jodi nodded. "Good.. You can do it," she said while she smiled at Kate.

The next morning Abigail was awake really early. She went to Kate's room and knocked on the door. "Mommy?"
Kate woke up because she heard someone knock on the door. She wanted to tell the person to go away, when she heard Abigail. She sat up and said that she could come in. A second later the door opened and Abigail walked in. She climbed onto the bed and lied down next to her mother. Kate watched her daughter while she went back to sleep. Daniel was so much like their daughter.. Right now Abigail just reminded Kate of Daniel, and she didn't want to think of him! Not after what he did..

Daniel walked towards the house, where Kate and Jodi were sitting. He sat down next to Kate and kissed her.
"Hey." Kate said to him.
"Hey, hon.." He wrapped his arms around her and Kate leaned against him. Jodi smiled. She never saw Kate so happy before.
Daniel had to go tomorrow, but he hadn't told Kate yet. He didn't know how to. He had to go, there was no other way. There was just one problem; he didn't want to leave his lovely Kate. He looked at Jodi, until she finally stood up.
"I have to go. Check on Charlotte." Nick and Tess were gone today, so Jodi had to look after her. Well – she didn't have to, she wanted to. She always liked little children, and children seem to like her – Charlotte did. She waved to Kate, who waved back. "See you tonight."
Kate looked after Jodi while she walked away. When she was gone, Daniel took a hold of Kate's shoulders and turned her to face him.
"What's wrong?" Kate saw Daniel's face turn serious and a bit sad. She looked at him carefully and stroked his cheek. "Tell me, baby.."
"I'm so sorry, Kate.." When he saw Kate look at him with questions written all over her face, he went on. "I have to go away tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, before you are even awake.."
"What! Why?"
Daniel touched Kate's face, and stroked with his finger from her forehead to her chin. Kate grabbed his hand, and hold it. "Why?" she repeated quietly.
"I just have to.." He couldn't tell her why.. But he had to. "Work."
Kate wrapped her arms around Daniel and hold him tightly. She closed her eyes and felt Daniel's arms around her.
The rest of the day they spend together, and the next morning Daniel was – well, he was gone.

Kate felt Abigail snuggle onto her lap and she gave her a little kiss on her hair. "I love you, honey.." she whispered. Abigail looked up. "Love you to, mommy!"
Kate smiled. She couldn't believe that she, this adorable little girl, was really Daniel's..

"Okay.. Do you want to know how your daddy is?" This wasn't really a question, Kate already knew the answer to it. Of course Abigail would want to know! She was the one asking Kate's head of lately.. Abigail sat up and nodded really hard. "Yeah!"
"Right.. Well, do you remember I told you about aunt Jodi and me? When we where at boarding school?"
Abigail nodded again. "That's where you met aunt Jodi, right?"
"Yes. Well, I also met a nice man there, Daniel Ponto. He was one of our teachers."
Abigail looked at her mother, her big brown eyes widened. "Is he my daddy?"
Kate gave Abigail a kiss on her nose and nodded. "Yes, he is.." she whispered.
"Do you have a picture!" Abigail jumped on the bed, she really wanted to see how her daddy looked like. Daniel, Kate and Abigail.. What would be her last name? It always was Manfredi, but she heard her aunty Tess and uncle Nick say that children would always get the man's last name.. So then it would be Abigail Ponto.. She giggled. That was weird.. She liked Abigail Manfredi better.
Kate smiled. "Hon, honey, just sit.. My story isn't over yet." She took Abigail's hands into her own. "You wanted to know everything right?"
Abigail sat down again, but she was still really curious of how her father would be.
Kate went on. "After school I didn't see Daniel for a long time. But than Jodi and I had a trip, with al old schoolfriends. What I didn't know is that Daniel would come to.. But he did." Kate stopped for a moment, and watched Abby. She looked at Kate with big eyes, and really concentrated. "We got together again, and well.. Then Daniel told me he had to go away," Kate's expression changed, even though she did her best not to let that happen. Abby didn't notice, she was too busy listening. "A few weeks after he was gone, I found out that I was pregnant.. With you." Kate smiled at Abigail and played with one of Abby's curls.
Abigail nodded. "Cool.." Kate laughed. That was really something for Abigail to say; Cool.. Everything was 'cool' with her. "But do you have a picture?"
Kate stood up and opened her closet. Abigail watched her, but didn't say anything. Kate looked for a while, but than found what she was looking for. She took it out of the closet and sat down on the bed again with an old photoalbum. She opened it. Abigail sat down next to her mother, and Kate got one arm around Abigail's shoulders. With her other hand she selected a page with a picture of her and Daniel together. "This is him."
Abigail looked at the picture and after a few seconds her eyes widened. She gasped for air. "Mommy.." she said with a low voice. Kate looked at her. "I know this guy!"

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Okay, a little bit a strange way to end this chapter, but more will come!
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