Diana liked to run right before daybreak. The world was quiet and just beginning to come alive. No matter where she was she found sunrise and the promise a new day would bring. She'd been in L.A. for a week and had avoided a call from Elvis since she left his house. No word from her father, what did she expect, puppies and rainbows weren't what she got out of life. She showed up in his life, got him tortured and nearly killed. He was a smart man, run fast and far.

She put on her shoes and headed for the ocean one last time. She decided to leave before she destroyed what Joe and Elvis had. In two days she would be on the beach in the Caribbean crying in a fruity drink. Her frugal farmer family had left her money and land enough to last her a lifetime. Why they had left it all to her was a mystery.

It was cool, foggy morning and she could taste the sweetness of the salt air, feel the dampness on her skin. It would be a short run today she'd hadn't slept more than a few hours the last few days. She regretted the decision of coming here. Joe had been more than capable of handling Jana without her help and now she had the answer to the question that had haunted her all of her life, who was her father? A part of her wished she still didn't know and that she had never met the man. Diana couldn't change the past any more than she could make her father or her son love her. She had repeated her mother's mistake and had gotten pregnant from the bad boy Eric, her uncle didn't approve of. Keeping Micah had never been an option for her. When Eric's family was told the baby would be put up for adoption they had threatened her family and insisted they raise him. All she ever was able to give him was the name, Micah. She and Eric had married briefly and tried to be a family, but they didn't love each other, only their son. Another failure to add to her endless list.

Diana was jolted back to reality by the feeling she wasn't alone. She moved deep into the early morning fog and felt the adrenaline rush take over. Well trained and capable of defending herself; she kept her pace steady; running was a sign of weakness. The business with Jana still had her on edge. Jana had friends; most of them had died with her at the warehouse. Steady footsteps were moving up behind her. She tried not to let paranoia win out. She wasn't the only early morning jogger in the world. The jogger moved up to her right, she looked over and saw Joe. She felt a myriad of emotions and settled on anger. She stopped in her tracks and stared.

Pike had followed Diana from the hotel; she had a good gait and pace of a long time runner, something they had in common. He thought about her a lot on the trip back to L.A. and what it would be like to have someone else in his life. He was as solitary as they come in this world, being her father would involve things he wasn't used to doing. Push him outside his comfort zone. Elvis was angry, and his tone accusing the last time he saw him. Was he just being selfish and thinking about himself? He had considered the idea of raising Peter, but decided a child needed a mother and a father. Diana wasn't a child, she was his daughter who had risked her own life to protect him, and find some kind of acknowledgement of her existence. DNA didn't lie, and neither did his instincts. He needed to do this for Diana and himself.

She was too good not to know he was there but she kept her pace steady and didn't falter. He was surprised when she pulled up short. He thought maybe she had pulled a muscle and he stopped. Her reaction surprised him.

"What do you want? Don't worry, I'm leaving tomorrow." Her tone and her stance were defensive and her eyes were angry, but sad at the same time.

"I know."

"Well, I guess there's nothing more to say, Mr. Pike."

Diana spun on her heels and took off at top speed. He could have run her down but she was angry and all that would be said between them would be angry words. She had been rejected and hurt by the ones she loved; another thing they had in common.

Pike headed home for a shower.

Diana ran as fast as she could back to the safety of her hotel room and away from her father. She took a long hot bath and ordered breakfast even though she wasn't hungry. She paced around the room angry at herself for snapping at Joe and angrier for running away from him like a child. What was done was done. She had tried and failed and it was time to move on. She hurried to the door and found Joe standing there. He was dressed like he was every time she had seen him and he was wearing the sunglasses that hid sad eyes like hers. She opened the door and stepped aside, maybe now they could say goodbye like adults. Room service was right behind him with her breakfast.

"Could you bring me another cup, please," she asked the waiter.

He brought another cup back and Joe tipped him as she went for her purse, then Joe closed the door.

She was nervous about being alone with him. Scared of what he had to say, and how she would react to it so she busied herself with the tea. She sat down on the couch, grateful she had taken a suite. He had a larger than life presence and calmness with a hint of edge most people couldn't pick up on. She had spent a lifetime trying to spot the enemy and the predator and Joe set off her signals. They sipped their tea in silence and she waited for what was to come.

"I went to the cemetery and took care of Diane's plot. I ordered a headstone."

Diana nodded. "Thank you. I've never been there."

Joe wondered why. "Are you leaving because of me?"

"No, there's nothing for me here. I did what I needed to do and almost got you killed."

Pike found her words emotionless and measured and gave nothing away. She had been taught how to handle an interrogation and he wondered if she had experienced it first-hand. He hoped not.

"You should have told me what was going on."

"Hi, I might be your daughter and someone is here to kill you. That would have been simpler, I guess."

Pike shrugged and sipped his tea. "What about, Elvis?"

"What about him?"

"He likes you, you like him."

"He's a nice guy. I could have gotten him killed, too. All's well that ends well. We all made it out alive. I am sorry for what Jana put you through. I didn't ask for any of this though."

Her hard exterior was cracking. Pike remained silent.

"Maybe you should leave now. Again, I apologize for how things went down but that's what happens sometimes, unexpected things come into play. There are no certainties in life, except death. Tell Elvis I'm sorry, too."

Pike didn't move and continued to sip his tea. "Tell him yourself."

Diana snorted softly and smiled. Two could play his game. She poured herself tea and offered the pot to Joe.

"You didn't have to come. I understand you don't want an instant family."

"It was unexpected."

"Life will do that to you."

"How old is, Micah."

"I repeated mom's mistake. I had him when I was 17. My uncle was going to put him up for adoption, but Eric's family insisted on raising him."

"You weren't a mistake." Children were never mistakes.

"Unexpected?"

"Yes, unexpected. Was Micah a mistake?"

"No. The only mistake was me being his mother. I guess I couldn't give him what I never had."

"I know."

Joe spoke volumes by saying very little. She understood what he meant.

"You're a smart man."

"It's hereditary. I don't know what I can give you."

"This is good and the occasional hug." Diana smiled.

"I can do that. Do you need money?"

"I saved a lot, those of us with language skills make a premium, plus my uncle left everything to me."

"How many languages do you know?"

"How many can I speak fluently, 8. I can translate several others, some I can't speak but I can translate."

Pike nodded. "Impressive. Good to know."

Diana walked over to her bag. "I found these when I went home. She was beautiful. You're right, Micah does look like her." She handed some old photos to Joe.

"Yes she was." Pike didn't think about the past, that's what the arrows on his arms meant. Always moving forward otherwise you could drown in the past. "Can I have one?"

"Sure I made a copy just in case."

"Smart."

"Like my father."

Joe stood up and hugged her for a long time. They were going to have to make peace with each other and their pasts.

"You should take Elvis to Fiji. He could use a vacation."

"How did you know I was going to Fiji?"

"I'm your father; it's my job to know."