She stands out on the balcony, watching the sun set low over the horizon. But she doesn't quite catch the beauty. Something breaks within her today and colours everything with the ache of her sorrow. Even though she's in more pain than she has felt all year, no tears come. But, he does. She can hear his footfalls approaching her.
"Alright, love?" he asks her as he nears, winding an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm okay. I just needed a minute," she says.
He doesn't say anything, but the tenderness in the way he holds her lets her know that he knows exactly why she's been different today, distant.
"It's been four years," she tells him. "I didn't even have her for two months. It shouldn't hurt this much."
"She was your daughter, Gill, always will be. It's gonna hurt, there's no other way about it."
She leans into him briefly, forcing back her tears because she knows that if she lets just one free, she won't be able to stop the rest from falling.
She sighs, looking out at the sky just once more. This time she notices how gorgeous it is as orange bleeds into blue. She's always seen things differently when he was this close.
"I should get home," she says, pulling out of his grasp to face him.
"It's all taken care of. Let me show you something," he says.
He offers his arm in a playfully gentlemanly manner, making her smile as she takes it. He leads her to her own office, holding the door open for her.
"I know that you think it's easier to just forget, but just look at you. It's not possible. So, I thought, if you could just have the happy memories back, maybe... maybe your pain could be less," he says, gesturing at a book on her desk.
She looks at him, tears shining in her eyes as she moves to get a better look. It's a little pink photo album with a picture of Sophie slipped into the cover.
She opens the book hesitantly, seeing photos she's never seen before of her pacing the hospital floor. She turns the page to see herself holding Sophie for the first time, a wide smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
"Did you...?" she asks, fingering one of the unfamiliar photos.
"Me and Em, mostly. Some are copies of yours," he replies.
"I didn't know that you took these," she smiles. "I... Thank you."
Silent tears make their way down her face as she makes her way to him, pressing kisses over his cheeks, his forehead, and even the tip of his nose.
When she moves her lips over his, it's like the world is a different place altogether and she likes this one much better. He kisses back, placing his hands on her waist as hers wind up into his hair.
"I love you," she says breathlessly.
"I love you, too," he smiles. "Now, let's get home.
As soon as Gillian gets the door open, she is faced with a three year old child hurtling full speed towards her.
"Mommy!" she calls out as she jumps into her arms.
"Hi baby," she says, moving further into the house to let Cal through.
"Emily help me do drawing and reading and gave me macaroni!" the little girl exlaims.
"That's amazing, Cora. Was it lots of fun?"
"This much!" she replies, holding her arms out as far as she could reach in either direction.
"Wow! That is a lot."
Gillian turns back to Cal, giving him a dazzling smile before turning back to her daughter.
"It's time for bed, sweetheart," she says gently. "Go put on your jammies and I'll be there in a minute."
Cora goes running, auburn hair just a blur behind her.
"Walking!" Cal yells out and Cora complies immediately.
Gillian removes her blazer and shoes, taking a moment to rest on the couch before getting their daughter to bed. Emily stands in the corner of the room and Gillian turns to thank her for the babysitting.
"No problem, Gill. She's amazing," the seventeen year old says.
"Yeah, she is," Gill smiles, excusing herself to help Cora get ready for bed.
Cal is in Cora's room, waiting as she picks out her bedtime story. When she picks "Love You Forever", he smiles. He throws the book onto the bed, then throws Cora onto it as well, tickling her until her laughter fills the room.
Gillian smiles and pushes away from the doorframe, moving into the room. Cal is just amazing with their adopted daughter, even though they've only had her for a year. It warms her heart to see them so carefree together, especially as her biological parents had abused her before her father beat her mother to death and ended up in jail for life. Cora had come leaps and bounds from the scared little girl they had first met.
"Ready for your story?" Gill asks.
"Yes!" Cora says, clambering over into Gillian's lap the minute she sits on the bed.
"Love You Forever," she muses, tapping her lip. "Good choice!"
"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," she finishes, closing the book softly.
She blinks back tears as she moves a sleeping Cora onto the matress and tucks her in under her blankets. She kisses her head with a "goodnight, love" coined from her husband and turns to leave the room.
She's surprised to see him as she turns, watching her from the doorway. She gives him a warm, watery smile as she comes towards him straight into his waiting embrace. She can feel him smile into her hair as he holds her.
"Perfect story, huh?" he asks.
"Yeah," she replies. "It was perfect."
"You make everything perfect for me," he tells her.
She laughs, drawing away from him.
"You've gone soft," she tells him, playfully pushing at his shoulder before walking away in the direction of their bedroom
"Oy! Thought you liked that!" he exclaims, trying to sound serious although the smile in his voice betrays him.
His face is a full-on grin as he follows the sound of laughter straight to the woman he loves.
"Okay, Gill?" he asks her, as he slips into bed behind her, unable to see her expression.
"Yeah," she says, finding his hand with hers and weaving their fingers together. "I'll be just fine."
"Good," he says. "Now, where's my kiss?"
She laughs, turning to plant a soft kiss on his waiting mouth.
"Happy?" she asks, smiling.
"With you, always."
She shakes her head, tsking.
"You're such a sap," she tells him.
"You love it," he says.
And she smiles widely because she knows it's the truth, knows that being with him feels akin to something inherently like hope. And it's exactly what she's wanted all this time.
"Gill?" he asks, his voice turned serious.
"Hmm?" she replies.
"You fought for this one. And for us."
She smiles again at the fact that he always knows what she needs to hear.
"I've learned a bit about fighting for those I love," she says.
And it's true. It's the good that comes from Sophie being taken away. It's made her hold on so much tighter to the people closer to her. And no one can take them away from her now. No one can ever take her hope again.