There was a park by Gwen's church and sometimes she liked to go there and walk around when the weather was nice. On one of her walks, she found Sarah, sitting on one of the park benches and crying her eyes out. "Sarah?" She asked, putting an arm around the younger woman. "What's the matter?"

"I've been a bad person," she said. "I've done bad things."

"You?" Gwen chuckled. "Oh, I doubt that. You're too good of a girl!"

"No, I'm not, not really!" Sarah shook her head. "I've been debating about whether or not to go to confession about some of the things I've done. It might lift the weight off my shoulders."

"What's a pretty girl like you got to confess?" Gwen asked curiously. "I mean, I've been around and I know what I did, but you...you look as innocent as the day is long." She put an arm around her. "Would you care to share?"

Sarah took her face from her hands, her cheeks stained with tears as she stared at Gwen. "Oh, you have no idea about the horrible things I've done," she said. "I thought about coming to confess them, like I told you before; that's why I'm here. But then I thought...have I really done anything wrong? If you...if you love someone, even if it's hard for you to admit it, is it wrong for you to be with them?"

"No, why would it be wrong?" Gwen questioned.

"Cause you're happy to be married to someone else," Sarah explained. "A nice someone else, but a someone else who doesn't stir your passions the way a certain other person does. And to make matters worse, that certain other person is married and has a family too! I don't want to break up a family! Oh, it...it feels good to finally tell someone else. I've been holding it in for so long!"

She began to cry and Gwen put her arms around her. "It sounds like it's not church that you need, dear," she said. "It's a big stiff drink that will cheer you up!"

"That's a wonderful idea. I'll pay," Sarah offered, finally giving her a smile.

"Oh, no," Gwen shook her head, glad for the excuse to leave as she suspected that the longer she was in proximity to the church, the more likely it would be that Steve would appear. "It was my idea. I'll pay."

"Thanks," Sarah replied and stood up. "This could be nice. If we do it again, I'll pay next time."

But when they got to the restaurant, Gwen was dismayed when Sarah settled for water. "I know we came for drinks, but all of a sudden, I don't feel like it," Sarah shrugged. "Something is telling me that having a drink would be a bad idea!"

"Have you ever drunk at all?" Gwen questioned before diving into her gin and tonic.

"Of course," Sarah nodded. "I like whiskey sours. Daddy's a big whiskey drinker. It's what I grew up around." After she finished her water, she decided to be a little more adventurous and get a cherry soda.

"Well, that's better than water, I suppose," Gwen sighed. She still wondered what Sarah could have done that could have been so bad. "You wanna talk about...about your problem?" She pushed. "With more specifics this time?"

"I am in love with a man who's not my husband," Sarah told her. "And I don't...I don't like it because it's not like Josh is a bad person. He doesn't beat me or yell or anything like that, so why should my mind be wandering somewhere else?"

"Well, you said there's not a lot of passion in your relationship, right?" Gwen said. "And some people need passion."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "When I met Josh, I was a single mom with a full-time job and a little girl. Josh and Ellie got a long and it was nice to have someone to help me look after her. Plus, he was another adult to talk to who wasn't one of my parents, and when you have a little kid, you need that."

"And now that Ellie's all grown and married with kids of her own, things have changed, haven't they?" Gwen questioned, and drained the rest of her drink before signaling the server to order another.

"Apparently they have," Sarah shrugged. "I wish they hadn't. Or at least they would have waited to change until Sean was single and I was single." She paused and took a drink. "What should I do?" She asked. "Should I tell Josh everything? That would be the grown up thing."

"It would be," Gwen nodded. "But if you tell Josh and he dumps you and for some reason, Junior isn't able to free himself from his relationship, then you'll end up with nothing, won't you?"

"Well, yeah...but..." Sarah growled in frustration. "This is so damn hard because I deserve companionship and love and passion, right? But in order to get it, I have to be selfish. On the other hand, if I do the right, grownup thing, I get nothing! There's no good path here!" She put a hand to her head. "I need to think of something else. All this Junior business is making my head hurt. And I feel a little dizzy too."

"All right," Gwen nodded. "Any other symptoms? Do you fee nauseous?"

"My stomach hurts a little," Sarah replied. "Maybe I should go home and lie down."

"Maybe you should," Gwen nodded. "I'll walk you home and make sure you get inside okay."

"Thanks," Sarah told her as she paid for their drinks. "I really appreciate this. Cause if Josh was the one helping me, if he knew about this, he would just worry and fret and fuss and I just..."

"You don't want Josh to fuss over you and give you attention you don't feel you deserve," Gwen nodded. "I understand. Now let's get you home so you can work through this food poisoning or whatever it is."

"I hope it gets over with quickly," Sarah said as they made their way out of the bar. "I don't do well with long illnesses that leave me bedridden for days."

Gwen was correct in thinking that Steve would show up at the church. But He didn't do it for her. At least not at that point. Someone else needed Him more.

To say that He was surprised to see Junior in the church would be an understatement. This young man especially was not the sort who saw church as a helpful thing. But he was here.

"Hello, son," Steve said, sitting down next to him. "You seem troubled. Would it help you to talk about it? I'm here to listen."

Junior snorted at this offer, ready to say that he didn't feel like sharing his problems with anyone, especially not a stranger. But when he looked up, he suddenly felt more at ease and the words just tumbled out. "The woman I love and I are in a bit of trouble," he said.

"What sort of trouble?" Steve asked. "Surely it's not that she doesn't return your affection?"

"Oh, she does, and I feel the same for her," Junior replied. "We've liked each other for years. We even had a child together a while back. Ellie was a bit of a surprise."

"Yes, but a very nice surprise," Steve told him, his eyes twinkling. "I mean, I assume that."

"It took me too long to find out," Junior said. "And now that Sarah and I have finally both gotten on the same page, we can't do anything about it because I've got a girlfriend and new daughters and she's married and...well, it's horrible, frankly."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Steve said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Lord works in mysterious ways."

Junior scoffed. Wonderful. A religious nut. Just what he needed right now. "I know you mean well," he said. "But I...I really don't think the Lord could solve my problem. He's just a invisible force, you know? And even if He was real, He probably wouldn't help someone like me."

"Oh, well what would make you say that?" Steve questioned.

"Cause I don't believe in that stuff," Junior shrugged. "I believe in what my senses tell me. What I can read in books."

"Well, obviously that's not entirely true, is it?" Steve wanted to know. "Why else would you come here if there wasn't a part of you, even if it's deep down, that thought you'd get some comfort from it?"

"I don't know," Junior shrugged. "All I do know is that real life is not playing nice with me right now. I can't get comfort where I want it because the woman I truly want is unavailable and the other one has disappeared, along with my daughters, apparently, and I just...I needed a way to make myself feel better and I saw this church so I thought, 'What the heck'?"

"And is it working?" Steve prompted. "From the look on your face, I don't think you're quite convinced, are you?"

"Well, it's a nice, quiet place to sit," Junior conceded. "But when I leave, I'll just be dealing with the same problems I had when I came in. It won't have helped anything."

"If I may offer a suggestion," Steve got out, "I have an idea that might help you with one of your problems at least."

"Is that so?" Junior raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"The one concerning your girlfriend and your daughters," Steve clarified. "Go home when you can, think of them, and then look in the bathroom mirror. You should see them. You'll know where they are. That should ease your mind a bit."

"You're making that up!" Junior spat. "It's so mean of you to mock someone who is clearly in pain!"

"I'm not mocking you, son," Steve got out. "I'm..I'm trying to give you hope. Whether or not you believe me is up to you. But I really think that you'd be a lot more at ease if you had faith and did what I said."

Junior sighed and pushed some blond hair out of his eyes. "Well, all right," he said. "I suppose it's better than nothing."

"Go then," Steve urged. "See your girlfriend and daughters. You won't regret it."

Junior sighed. "I probably will regret taking advice from a crazy stranger, but...whatever." He strode out of the church then, leaving Steve to smile to himself and clean himself up before going to see Gwen.

As he was struggling with what to do next, Junior delayed going home by stopping to do errands, then he did some laundry and did his best not to look into the twins' empty room. That wouldn't help his mood.

Finally, there was nothing else for him to do but go to the bathroom and stare at the mirror.

"This is so dumb," he told himself. "It's not gonna lead to anything. No matter how hard I think of Maeve or Emma or Lexie, I'm still gonna be alone." But he stood in silence, staring at his tired reflection with bags under the eyes. And he looked paler too. He'd have to fix that.

When no one appeared in the mirror right away, he resorted to looking down at his bare feet so he wouldn't have to keep being disappointed. Then, suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Junior, is that you? What's going on?"

His head snapped up and he found himself staring at Maeve, who was holding Lexie and looking dumbstruck. "Maeve!" He cried joyfully, running to the mirror and accidentally kissing it. "I can see you! You're real and alive! And...you have Lexie! Is Emma with you too? My mother called me in a panic to say that they were gone, and..."

"Yeah, they're here with me," Maeve assured him. "You can tell your poor mother that. I'm sorry if that worries you too."

"Well, it's a bit sad to go past their empty rooms, but...now that I know they're okay, I feel a little better," Junior said. "You seem well. Do you miss me?"

"Of course I do!" Maeve replied. "I can't wait to get back to you from wherever I am. Things aren't much different here from how they were before I met you and had the girls, but once you know what the good life is, it's really hard to go back." She grinned. "So yes...I do miss you. Do you miss me?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "I'm a mess without you but I bet you knew that. Adrian and Kai have been trying to keep me on track but they suck at it compared to you."

Maeve scoffed. "I have no doubt about that, but I'm glad you have someone who's trying at least." She paused. "Any way I can help you while I'm here? We might as well use it because I don't know if it will happen again. I don't even know how it happened in the first place."

"Well, you'll probably think this is hilarious, but...I actually went to a church," Junior told her, leaning on the bathroom counter with his chin resting on his folded arms. "I went to a church and I was sitting there by myself, feeling terrible...and then this guy shows up and for some reason, I felt like I could blurt out all my problems to him. I told him about missing you and the girls and he told me to look in the mirror while thinking about you and here you are." He shrugged. "Whether or not I'll be able to repeat it, I have no idea, but at least it worked once."

"What was this guy like?" Maeve questioned. "What was his name?"

"I don't know," Junior sighed. "I'll probably never see him again. I bet he was just some drifter." He paused. "But I hope something good happens to him, wherever he is." He then continued to talk to Maeve about the girls. He was a bit surprised that she let Lucifer near either of them, but he wouldn't question her judgment. He was just glad to see them and that they were okay, cause they, all three of them, were his girls and he loved them.

"Everyone else has shown up here today," Steve observed when Gwen strode into the sanctuary. "I was kind of hoping you would too. I know you have been."

"Of course you do," Gwen replied. "Don't you know everything?"

"Well, yes, but..." He paused and then ran after her as she left. "Where are you going?" He wanted to know. "Would you rather talk somewhere else because that's fine with me!"

"Can I ask why me?" Gwen wanted to know. "Of all the women in the world, why me?"

"Cause I sensed you were strong enough," He told her. "I can't just be with any woman."

"Well, aren't you a flatterer?" Gwen got out. "It's nice but it doesn't always work on me."

"It's not just idle flattery," Steve replied. "You might find that handy later on." He paused. "My...my first wife was the jealous type," he told her. "But you know all about jealous spouses."

"Yeah," Gwen nodded. "I'd have to say I do." She paused. "Should I be worrying?"

"Not yet," Steve shook his head. "When it's time for that, you'll know. Trust me."

Gwen paused, wanting to go back to lighter conversation. "I'm sure it's not that bad." She paused. "You made a nice day today. Thanks for that." She paused. "And just to clarify: you like me because I'm strong, not because I'm beautiful?"

"Of course I think you're beautiful!" Steve told her. "You're like an angel!"

"What?" Gwen burst out laughing. "You can't be serious!" She grabbed her stomach and doubled over. "Thanks for that, I needed a laugh."

"What's so funny?" He asked. It wasn't said angrily. He sounded genuinely confused and as she got a look at his face, Gwen stopped laughing.

"Oh, my...you're serious about that, aren't you?" She asked. Her tone was quieter now. She was dumbstruck.

"I wouldn't say something I didn't mean," Steve said. "I promise I'm not an idle flatterer."

"Thank you then," she blushed and sat down in a pew, unconsciously fluffing up her blonde hair a bit. "I'm sorry I laughed. It's just that...I'm not used to people thinking about me that way, men especially. It's still kind of strange. Hard to get used to."

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "Well, I certainly hope you can get used to it," he told her. "Because you'll get compliments more than anything else from me."

Then Gwen looked him over. "You've cleaned up," she observed. "You did your hair. You put on suit. Was that for me? Don't tell me that's for me."

"Well, yes," Steve admitted. "It's for you. I thought that if you weren't doing anything tonight, you and I could..."

"Go out?" Gwen finished. "You...you wanna go out with me?"

"Why not?" Steve asked. "I could show you the world. It could be fun!"

"I've seen the world," Gwen deadpanned. "In case you haven't forgotten, I'm no spring chicken. I've been around and I've seen the world. It is what it is. I don't think I could get anything new from it."

"Oh, of course you could if you went with me!" Steve insisted. "We'll have fun, I promise." He paused. "Would it make you feel better if we went with another couple?"

"And who would we go with?" Gwen asked hesitantly. He was right. She would feel better about going out with him if there was someone to keep an eye on him.

"Whoever you felt comfortable with," Steve shrugged. "I'm sure Angelica isn't doing anything right now."

"I'm sure she is, but she's a good child," Gwen said, thinking of poor Angelica having her night ruined by having to go on a double date with her grandfather. "You know if you ask her, she won't say 'No'."

"Exactly," Steve grinned. "So we're covered. Be prepared for an unforgettable night, Gwen!" But then he kissed her, and while it wasn't a bad kiss by any means, it was still very overwhelming. "You know," she said, backing away from him. "I think it would be best to spare Angelica for the night. I just...I realized I'll have to take a rain check."

"Oh, all right," he said. "Would tomorrow be better for you?"

"I don't know off the top of my head," Gwen said, backing away toward the church door. "I'll have to see when I get home and I'll be sure to let you know."

"Okay," Steve told her. "You do that! I can't wait to hear from you!"

In her rush to leave, Gwen tripped and fell on her face. He came to help her up and held on to her until she got her balance and even a little longer than that.

"Are you all right?" He asked. Their lips were practically touching. "Will you be able to walk? I hope you didn't do anything to your ankle. Maybe I should carry you."

"Oh, no, you don't need to-" Gwen began, but stopped halfway when he did it anyway. "I didn't bring a car, you know," she said, fighting the warm and fuzzy feelings that were popping up insider her as he made his way out of the church with her in his arms. It was as if she weighed nothing to him. "You're gonna be carrying me a ways."

"I don't mind at all," he said with a smile and just kept walking. "It gives me more time to spend with you and really, that's all I want."