***TWO MONTHS LATER***
Somewhere in Indiana
Kate Todd sat on the old familiar tree swing. She had spent many an afternoon swinging from it and pushing her little sister when they were kids. Now as she stared up at the inky black night it was her place to think. It had been a great idea...an idea that should have stayed that way. In her mind tucked away where it rightfully belonged. Now she was hiding from her family, and fighting back tears.
"What the hell...I'm all alone out here." Kate thought to herself as the tears began to fall freely.
Nothing in the past three days had gone as planned...with the exception of the drive of course. That had been quite nice. Jethro had done all the driving. Maggie and Kate had done most of the sleeping. Not one decent thing had been said about her, Jethro or even Maggie. Everybody could fall all over Laurel, whom they saw all the time...and compliment her shoes, and her hair, and get excited about all the new words she was learning, but nobody could say a damn word about Maggie.
She couldn't decide what hurt more...all the comments about Jethro's age, or the fact that her immediate family practically ignored Maggie. It hadn't even bothered her when her mother had babbled on about mortal sin, and salvation. Kate's life was her own. If she wanted to take birth control pills, have pre-marital sex, and cohabitate with a man who was not her husband than damnit she'd do it.
Their reactions had floored Kate. It wasn't like they hadn't been warned. Kate had called her mother and explained that she'd be bringing a new boyfriend who had a foster child. Kate's mom had been thrilled on the phone, but from the moment they had arrived at Kate's parents house the attitude had shifted dramatically. So much so that Kate had refused to stay the night with them. Renting a hotel had been expensive at the last minute, but she wasn't going to listen to the harsh comments.
Charlie, her oldest and favorite brother had been especially harsh. "At least he has a lot in common with dad." He had joked about Jethro's appearance and before even getting to know the man. He had also added another, off-color comment that had elicited a sharp smack from their mother. In fact, Kate's father was the only one who had even bothered to be polite. He had gone out of his way to shake Jethro's hand...and invited him to help with the grilling. In fact, the two men seemed to be getting along rather well, and despite what Charlie thought there was quite a bit of age difference between the two men.
Kate could hear all of the nasty comments ringing in her ears, and she began sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears fell as she hiccuped and hugged herself with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
Two strong hands gently rested themselves on Kate's shoulders. The grip was comforting but it wasn't Jethro.
"Katie-bear. Stop all that crying. These things work themselves out." The low and familiar voice directed in the darkness.
Kate smiled through her tears at the nickname she hadn't been called since she was a kid.
"Daddy...why does everyone hate me?" Kate sobbed.
"Nobody hates you." Kate's father replied reassuringly without missing a beat.
"Mom thinks I'm....I'm....that I....might...burn in hell!" Kate finally exploded with anger as she stammered to finish her sentence.
"Kate...I love your mother, and she loves me, and we love our children, but after years of marriage I've come to realize she's still working on that whole judge not lest ye be judged mind set." Kate's father was doing his best to soothe his daughter's raw emotions.
"I just want to give Maggie a good life...and so does Jethro!" Kate exclaimed. Her anger had boiled over and the tears had stopped...she was no longer sad...she was furious.
"I know that...and everybody else will see that in good time." Kate's father continued to reassure her.
"You know...I probably saved her life." Kate stammered.
"I know. Jethro told me all about it. We were so worried when we didn't hear from you for weeks, but Kate I am so proud of you." Kate's father leaned in and hugged Kate as he said it.
"Thank-you daddy." Kate said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Why don't you pull yourself together, and when you're a bit more composed you can come and join us for the bonfire? I think Maggie might like her first toasted marshmallow." Kate's father added happily. She could practically hear him smile.
"I'll send Jethro over...he got quite worried when you disappeared." Kate's father explained as he disappeared into the darkness.
Kate let out a heavy sigh and stared up at the night sky. The stars were so beautiful. The sky was so clear. She made a mental note to take Maggie camping someday.
"I think you might need this." Jethro's shadowy figure stood beside the swing and he was holding a cold washcloth in his hand.
"Thank-you." Kate said as she sniffled.
"I thought Kate Todd didn't cry." Jethro said warily. Crying women were not his thing. He didn't do so well with the emotional stuff.
"Kate Todd only cries when her family treats her like the black sheep." Kate said cooly as she wiped her eyes with the washcloth.
"Why do I have this strange feeling...call it a gut feeling if you like...that Kate Todd has cried many a plane ride home from Indiana?" Jethro knew too well that Kate's relationship with her family was less than perfect.
"Every single return flight since I moved to DC." Kate said honestly.
She stood up off the swing, satisfied that her eyes were less puffy, and her composure was in check.
"I love you." Jethro said as he wrapped Kate in a tight hug and kissed her forehead gently.
"Where's Maggie?" Kate whispered her voice muffled as her face rested in the crook between Jethro's shoulder and neck.
"Carrie is changing her into her sweat suit so she can enjoy the bonfire. You know...the part of the party we weren't going to stay for?" Jethro teased.
"Carrie?" Kate asked in shock. Her sister-in-law had been the coldest of all, refusing to even shake Jethro's hand.
Carrie had also upped the heinous bitch quotient for the weekend when she had mistaken Kate's purse for the diaper bag and had "accidentally" found Kate's birth control pills. The purple packet had fallen to the floor, and opened...it's contents shamefully on display for Kate's devout Catholic family to see. Kate had been left with no choice. She scooped up the container quickly, muttered something about her complexion and shoved the packet back into the depths of her purse.
"Yeah...I don't know exactly what's going on behind closed doors, but your father is calling people into his den one at a time, and they've been apologizing to me ever since I started looking for you over an hour ago..." Jethro trailed off.
"He's on our side Jethro." Kate said as she ran a hand through Jethro's hair.
"I know." Jethro said simply.
"Let's head back...I can't wait to toast a marshmallow for Maggie. Kate said as she laced her fingers through Jethro's and gripped his hand tightly.
"I love you." She whispered in the darkness as they walked towards the glowing bonfire.
"You need some of this." Jethro said as he produced his flask from his coat pocket.
Kate gladly accepted the flask and took a large gulp of bourbon. The bitter liquid stung her lips and throat, but it felt good.
"There's my girl!" Kate cooed as she approached Carrie and scooped Maggie out of her arms.
"Mama!" Kate said happily as they made their way towards the bonfire. Maggie had been changed out of her dress and into a purple fleece sweat suit and sneakers.
"Thanks for getting her changed." Kate said simply as she looked at her sister-in-law.
"Kate...listen, I'm real sorry...for everything." Carrie said it as she looked at the ground. Jethro picked up the pace and hurried towards the bonfire, he knew the two women needed a moment alone.
"Carrie, don't worry this is a lot to spring on the family at once. I've only ever brought one other man home." Kate was sincerely accepting the apology.
"That doesn't excuse my behavior. You're an adult, and some things are nobody's business." Carrie said it sheepishly as she caught Kate's gaze in the glow of the firelight.
Kate knew that Carrie was referring to the incident with the birth control pills.
"Well, in this family you get used to the nosiness." Kate added as she rested Maggie on her hip.
"Sure do." Carrie said sympathetically. She was getting sick of her mother-in-law telling her how to raise Laurel.
"Now that this is out of the way, let's go enjoy some marshmallows." Kate said as she and Maggie approached Jethro.
"Here you go my darling!" Jethro exclaimed happily as he removed a slightly toasted marshmallow from the end of a stick.
He blew on it gently before handing a small piece of it to Maggie.
"Mmm!" Maggie exclaimed and rubbed her tummy like she always did when something pleased her.
"Marshmallow." Kate said slowly for the child's benefit.
"Daddy?" Maggie said in a questioning tone as Jethro stood next to Kate.
Kate and Jethro were both speechless. It was the first time they'd heard Maggie utter the word. Kate wasn't quite sure how Jethro would react.
"Yes I am!" Jethro said proudly as he took Maggie from Kate and held the girl in his arms.
It was midnight when Kate and Jethro returned to their hotel with a sleeping Maggie in her car seat.
"Want a beer?" Jethro asked after he had put Maggie in her crib and had removed her shoes.
"Sure." Kate said as she reached in the mini-fridge and removed two beers.
"I'm going to go get some ice for your hand." Jethro said as he grabbed the ice bucket off the end table and headed out the door.
Kate had made the unfortunate mistake of getting greedy. She had attempted to remove a hot marshmallow from a stick before it had cooled enough, and a sore blistered section of her left palm was the result of her need for a sugar fix.
"Thanks." Kate said as she opened a beer.
Kate glanced around the hotel room.
"Three nights left...better do some tidying up." Kate thought to herself. The hotel room wasn't horribly disorganized or dirty, but it never hurt to keep it extra clean.
The jacket Jethro had been wearing was carelessly thrown over an easy chair. Kate went to hang it up when a silver flask tumbled out of the inside pocket. Kate bent over and picked the flask up off the floor.
"Good luck, love Shannon and Kelly" Kate said as she read the inscription aloud.
"Shannon must be an ex-wife...but who is Kelly?" Kate wondered aloud.
She hadn't heard Jethro come back in, the sound of the door closing behind him startled her. She looked up at him sharply.
"She's not an ex...and Kelly was my everything." Jethro said as he set the ice bucket down on the table.
