(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)

Chapter 2: "Every Mother's Child"

Gregory had been walking for forty minutes, the mid-morning sun raining down on him. He was nearly there, he noticed as a street sign came into view. Shore Circle. The address was embedded in his memory, taken from the report he had asked his lawyer to prepare.

It had surprised him that she remarried. He hadn't expected that.

A small child ran past, chased eagerly by a gang of his playmates. Choruses of "you can't catch me!" and "tag- you're it!" rang through the neighborhood. He smiled to himself, thinking back to the days when his own children raced through the house like that. Their earnest enthusiasm had inspired him in ways he had never imagined possible.

He could see her now as he walked down the street. It was a large home, standing majestically at the head of the cul-de-sac, the piece de resistance of the street. Overflowing flower baskets hung on the porch amid scores of decorations. Inflatable snowmen waved jovially from the lawn and a row of candy cane lined the walk. A collection of bikes, scooters and other toys littered the grass around the holiday ornaments.

Standing at the foot of the driveway, he watched as she unloaded large shopping bags from her SUV and carried them quickly in the house. Singsong voices drifted out of the backseat as the strain of a carol reached his ears. She rushed back out of the house, her long blonde hair flowing behind her. "I can't hear you," she called cheerfully, taking the last of the bags and closing the trunk.

The singing grew louder, more enthusiastic as she hurried up to the house and back out again. "Who wants chocolate covered pretzels?"

A series of eager shouts came back to her and Gregory took a deep breath before he began the walk up the driveway. She was kneeling into the back seat, unable to see his approach until he spoke. "Caitlin."

She looked up, surprise frozen on her face as she backed out of the car slowly, an infant nestled in her arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly as a pair of small boys jumped down and hid behind her legs.

"I came to see you," he replied, looking down at the boys in near matching outfits. "It's been a long time."

She narrowed her eyes and gestured to the boys. "Tate, Jack, please go inside."

They took off, racing each other to the house. He followed with his eyes until the front door slammed shut behind them. "How old are they?"

"Nearly four," she admitted, unable to hide her reluctance in answering.

"And this little one?" he asked, looking at the baby swathed in a pink knit blanket.

"Zara. She's five months old." She held the baby closer instinctively as he took a step to her.

"Your children are beautiful, Caitlin."

"It's just 'Cate' now, if you don't mind," she explained, wrinkling her nose at her former name.

He nodded as realization settled in the pit of his stomach. "I don't mind, Cate."

She glanced away, unable to hold his piercing gaze. "I didn't know you were being released so soon."

"Seven years is hardly 'soon'," he responded quietly.

"I suppose."

"Is that all you have to say after all this time?" he asked after several beats of silence. "I suppose?"

"Yes."

"Caitl-"

"No, Daddy. It's over. Done with."

"What's over?"

"The family and all the heartache that came with it. It's finished."

He slowly shook his head. "Family is never over, Cate. It's with you until the day you die."

"Yes," she insisted, "but not your family. This is my family now. Justin and our children."

Caitlin laughed harshly, startling the infant awake. Zara blinked her brown eyes sleepily as her mother continued, "Wake up, Daddy. We're not a family now. Mom's gone, Sean has his own life. I've put all of it behind me and I've moved on."

"Put it behind you. Moved on," he repeated carefully. "But you've still got your resentment."

"You and Mom ruined my marriage," she hissed, pain burning her eyes. "Cole and I tried to get past it, but we just couldn't make it. You killed my child and because of your sick plan, I can't have anymore. I will never forgive you or Mom for that." She caught her breath, holding her hand to shield the baby's face from the sun.

"But, you've got your children, Cate. You've got the world in the palm of your hand."

She glared. "That still doesn't change what you and Mom did. I tried to forget, but I just can't."

"Is that why you sold our home to AJ Deschanel? To forget?"

She glanced up, her eyes shining with surprise. "Mom was gone, Sean was in law school and I wanted nothing to do with it. AJ made a generous offer."

"For the home that you were raised in? There's no price on your memories, Caitlin- even if you did want to forget about all of us and the little boy you raised as your own." He watched her stiffen as the color drained from her face. "What about Trey?" he asked softly.

"Trey," she repeated slowly, as if she was speaking a foreign language for the first time. Her face fell, regret clouding her blue eyes. "I haven't seen him in nearly six years."

Curiosity got the better of him and he asked before he could stop himself: "Where is he?"

"With Mom. They moved away- out of state," she clarified.

His mind worked, taking in the information. The investigator had deduced that much. "Where did they go?"

She shrugged, drawing the blanket tighter around Zara. "You'll have to ask Sean. Mom and I weren't exactly on speaking terms when she left."

He nodded and stepped closer, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. "You're a mother now. You know what it's like to want to move heaven and Earth for you children. To want to give them the best of everything. To want to protect them from the things that would do them harm." He felt her shoulder tremble as he continued, "That's all your mother and I wanted for you and Sean."

"Sean and I never wanted the best or your protection." Her eyes fell to her daughter as she whispered, "You and Mom never understood that. All we needed were parents who weren't at each other's throats."

"Caity," he said softly, gently lifting her chin with her finger. The one that he devoted his life to pleasing. "Mistakes were made," he tried to explain. "I should know. I've had seven years to think about where things went wrong. And I realized that I could relive the past thousands of times in my mind, but it wouldn't matter."

"The past is the past. I can't change it anymore," he continued. "The one thing I can change is the future. Our future. My family. My family was the most precious treasure I had been blessed with and I lost it. You, Sean, your mother, Trey." His voice cracked and he cupped her face, not seeing the woman before him but the child she once was. "I had seven years without my family to know that I don't to endure another seven."

"No." She shook her head. "I can't get sucked into all of that again. I won't put my children through our family." She pushed his hand away gently. "Goodbye, Daddy."

Gregory watched her leave, his hand clutching the air where her chin was. He lowered his arm after the front door closed with a resounding thud. Twin faces peaked out from the break of the curtains in the front window. He waved slowly, smiling at the small waves he got in return until Caitlin drew the curtains closed.

A gust of wind blew across the cul-de-sac, rustling the holiday bells hanging from the mailbox. A memory of his own mother rushed into his conscious and he shivered, feeling her hand on his arm. A black and white movie about the appreciation of family flickered across their television set. She hugged him closer as the little girl uttered the memorable line about bells and angels wings.

Gregory turned away from the home, his hands deep in his pockets. This wasn't a film though. He really had lost it all. The family that he had fought for was gone, scattered with the four winds.