It was Saturday afternoon, and Elliot was sitting in the waiting room of the doctors office waiting for his daughter to finish her therapy session. Finally she walked out of the room, looking so scared he immediately jumped to his feet.

"Katie?! What is it honey?" He shot an accusing look at her therapist who'd escorted her out.

"Nothing, it's… I'm… I'm ready to talk to you Daddy." The look on her face showed she was anything but ready, but Kathleen was determined to get what she'd been holding in off her chest. "Can we go home and order pizza?" she asked. Their plan had been to go out for lunch, but Kathleen wanted to be alone with her father when she told him what she had to say.

Elliot reached out and pulled his little girl into a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head. "Sure we can sweetheart."

The ride home from the doctors office was silent, both father and daughter lost in their own thoughts. Elliot was wondering what his daughter had to tell him that had her so scared. There were a million scenarios running through his head, and though his daughter had told him no one had done anything to her, he couldn't help doubting it.

Kathleen was wondering how she was going to tell her father the dark secret she had been holding. Everyone had always assumed that she was a Mama's girl, for they were so much alike and out of all the kids, Kathleen spent the most time with her. She guessed it was partially true, but the real truth was that she never wanted to be a Mama's girl. She wanted to be Daddy's girl, and she was always jealous of the bond her father shared with her older sister Maureen. She clung to her mother because she assumed her father didn't have enough room in his heart for two Daddy's girls and she wanted to feel most special to at least someone. Up until that night she'd gone to live with her father, she still had dreams of being Daddy's little girl but they'd all but shattered.

They returned home and ordered pizza, eating in silence until Kathleen sat down the slice she'd barely been nibbling on, and took a deep breath.

"Daddy?" Elliot looked up from his own pizza and wiped his mouth. He sat back on the couch waiting for his daughter to begin, but of all the scenarios he'd gone through, all of the possibilities of what this conversation could be about, he never expected it to begin with what his daughter said next.

"I want you to do a paternity test with me."

My heart nearly stopped. I was stunned beyond reason wondering why in the hell my daughter would make that type of request. For a while that was the only thing she said, because she was crying too hard to continue and I wondered what in the hell her mother had said to her to make her ask me something like that. When I calmed her down enough for her to continue she told me why she asked me to take the paternity test. It turns out her mother and new boyfriend had a very interesting conversation that she'd 'accidentally on purpose' overheard.

It was nearing 9pm when Kathleen returned home from studying at her friend RoseMarie's friends house. Her studying had consisted of smoking (or rather choking on) marijuana, and watching hours of stupid mindless videos on YouTube. The TV in the living room was off, and she guessed Dickie and Lizzie were sleeping. Luckily her mother was nowhere around, and wouldn't be able to observe her red rimmed eyes, and the fact that she reeked of pot. She didn't even mind that she'd seen Michael's (her mothers boyfriend) car parked in the drive. As she tip-toed up to her room, she noticed her mothers door was slightly ajar and she caught part of the conversation the two were having.

"Kathy, you know I love you, but I could never sit around and raise another man's kids. Especially that Kathleen. She's a terror." Kathleen made a face and rude gesture towards to door, but continued to listen.

"Look Michael, Kathleen… she's just going through a rough time right now. She'll get used to us, and she'll be fine."

"That still won't change things. I don't want to raise someone else's damn kids!"

"Well what if… what if I told you that you wouldn't be? At least for the most part?" Kathleen's eyes widened in shock. Her mother would actually get rid of them, just keep her boyfriend?! The tears sprang to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, instead continuing to listen.

"Kathy, what are you talking about?"

"The twins… Michael, Lizzie and Dickie are yours. You're their father. I couldn't tell you before because… you were leaving, and you still had your wife and…"

"They're mine? How do you know?"

"Paternity test." At this point Kathleen was beyond devastated, and livid. Walking forward, she pushed her mothers bedroom door open as hard as she could.

"You bitch! How could you?!" she cried, as Michael and Kathy jumped in surprise.

"Kathleen, what are you-?!"

"Is Dad really my father?! Is he Maureen's?!" she was screaming at this point, but she didn't care.

"Kathleen honey, calm down and let me-" but she was cut off.

"I'm going to live with Dad." This time when she spoke it was barely a whisper, but Kathy heard her.

"Kathleen, I have custody of you. You can't live with your father, the judge said so."

"I don't give a damn about what some fucking judge said! I want to live Daddy!" There was no way in hell she was going to stay in that house. She didn't want to be anywhere near her mother.

"Kath-" her mother began but was cut off once more.

"Let me go, or I'll tell what you just told Michael. I'll tell him that the twins aren't his." She began to wonder why her mother was so insistent that she stay. Michael had just told her he didn't want Elliot's kids around, and letting her daughter move out would rectify the situation. But then Kathleen came to the conclusion that either Elliot wasn't her father either, or Kathy just didn't want to lose the child support her father was paying until she was sure Michael was going to stick around. Finally her mother sighed. Her reasoning was the latter, and if she let Elliot find out that the twins weren't his, she'd probably lose custody of Kathleen, and he wouldn't be obligated to support the twins any longer. She couldn't allow that to happen until she was sure Michael was going to stick around.

"Pack your things, I'll drive you over."

Once again Kathleen was hysterical, and I was too shocked to do anything but hold her. I couldn't even force myself to tell my daughter that everything would be alright. I couldn't form any words at all.