Lissy and Jenny sidled up to Mack forcing him to refocus his attention as he hugged them again. "It's so good to have you here. I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm missed you. Now go get something to drink and I'll fix your tacos in a minute."

Both girls looked to Tiffy who nodded for them to go on so she could be alone with Mack. "So, who's this Kristie?"

"She's the very incredible woman I've been seeing since we divorced." Mack wasn't just rubbing it in Tiffy's face, he meant it. He and Kristie never had trouble finding things to talk about. They were comfortable being together whether it was cooking dinner at his place, sharing a bowl of popcorn over a movie, hiking a nature trail – even when she teased him about his habit of pointing out various edible plants and tree bark. She understood his job and the constraints that came with it which gave him freedom to enjoy the relationship. Her independence countered Tiffy's high level of need for attention. He found himself already looking ahead – thinking long-term with Kristie, but hesitated to say anything to her about their future with her deployment looming. And now…

He looked at Tiffy, frustrated, wondering what her game was. "Why don't I feed the girls and you and I can talk tomorrow. Where are you staying?" The look on Tiffy's face told Mack her answer before she spoke.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping to stay here."

"You want to stay here tonight? I don't think that's a good idea. As a matter of fact, I can assure you that's not happening." Mack's tone was cold.

She hadn't expected Mack to make this easy, to welcome her with open arms but she had to give it a shot. "I shouldn't have left but I needed time and space to think. I made a mistake, Mack. I know that now. I want to come back and for us to work things out."

"A mistake? Yeah, I'd say you made a mistake. And you made things worse when you took my girls away from me. He kept his voice down so the girls wouldn't hear him in the kitchen but his voice dripped with contempt.

"Mack, I'm sorry. So sorry I hurt you. This was my fault," she admitted, throwing herself on his mercy. "I was lonely and made bad choices but I never stopped loving you. And I'm hoping that a part of you still loves me – at least enough to give us a chance. Let me show you that I've changed, Mack. I'm still in love with you."

Mack fought to control his emotions. He would have loved to hear these words from Tiffy months ago. For her and the girls to be there when he needed them. He had still loved her despite what she'd done. Mack knew he certainly had not been the perfect husband – some of it he attributed to his job, which Tiffy couldn't understand, but he was a mere man and he'd made his fair share of mistakes. He winced inwardly at the memory of some of them. Crystal. Damn. Was it different? A drunken mistake. Someone there for him when he desperately needed to connect and feel human again. Tiffy needing someone to listen to and support her in a way he couldn't or hadn't. Tiffy's relationship with Wilson had given her some of the things she wanted. But he still suspected there was more. Something she hadn't told him. Could he trust her? Would things be any different if they got back together? Or would they just continue to hurt each other? And what about the girls? God, how he'd missed them. He'd be willing to do just about anything to have them here again. It was too much to think about in a matter of minutes.

"Tiffy, I need to think. Things have changed and there's not an easy fix for our problems. I'm glad - you're here." He didn't want to give her false hope but he didn't want her whisking the girls away again either, "but you need to find another place to stay."

Tiffy bit her tongue, fighting the tears. At least there was a trace of hope for her to hold on to. She'd fight for them to have a future but she knew that meant not fighting against him now.

Kristie was not in a good mood when she got back to BOQ. Despite being late evening, the walk back had been hot and sticky. While a two mile walk was no big deal, the sandals she'd been wearing were hardly made for long distances and had worn blisters on both feet. The walk back had given her time to think through the sudden reappearance of Mack's ex-wife and daughters. The look on Tiffy's face had been plain as day. She wanted Mack back and Kristie gone. Well, the part about Kristie being gone, she'd get soon enough thanks to her deployment.

The whole reason she had waited to get involved with him had been to avoid situations like this. Not to have her recovering heart broken again. Once the divorce was final she thought things had been safe. Now she fought back the tears that sprung unbidden to her eyes. Maybe she'd been naïve to think that the first relationship since Eric died could be a long lasting, even permanent one. It's just that everything seemed so perfect between them. At least until tonight.

Despite the problems in their past, Tiffy had a long history with Mack. And they shared two children. The last thing Kristie wanted was to come between him and his daughters. She knew how much Tiffy leaving had hurt Mack. She didn't know for sure if he could forgive her or even if them reuniting was best for him in relation to his job in the Unit. But the girls…it was probably best for them. Dammit, it still hurt. The pain in her heart eclipsed the sting of the blisters as she removed the sandals and went to get ointment and Band-aids.