Any characters you recognize belong to Janet Evanovich. All mistakes are mine. Thank you for all the positive reviews and feedback, it really keeps me going. :-)

The next morning, I wasn't hungover, for which I was grateful. I turned on my phone to check my messages and there was one from my mother with a stern, "Call me". As I was sitting there, debating whether or not to call her back, my phone rang. One glance at the caller ID, and I had to answer it. "Hello, Mama."

"Mary Catherine Salvino, where in the world are you?"

I may not be hungover, but her voice was drilling straight through to my brain. "I'm out of town, Mama. I'll be back next weekend."

"That doesn't tell me where you are and who you're with. What am I supposed to tell your husband?"

Ugh. She's never going to get it. "Mama, tell him to sign the divorce papers. If he doesn't know where I am, he can't shoot at me again."

"Joseph told me that someone shot at the car you were in, but they don't know who it was. How do you even know that they were shooting at you, and not that man you were keeping entirely too much company with. What do you think the neighbors are saying about you disappearing without a word?"

I blew out a frustrated breath. "Mama, I don't care what the neighbors are saying. Cal has been very good to me these past few weeks."

She was silent for a minute. "So you're still with him?"

I just sighed. "Mama, I have to go. I'll be home next weekend."

"Don't forget about the party for Grandma Bella next Sunday."

I told her that we would be there, and we said our goodbyes. My head was pounding by the time I made it out to the kitchen. Cal handed me a cup of coffee, and I held my head while I took those first few precious sips. He smirked. "A little too much last night, Chere?"

I glared at him. "No, I just got off the phone with my mother. She called to harass me about what the neighbors think. She also reminded me that Grandma Bella's birthday party is next Sunday. Are you sure you don't want to stay down here for another month or two?"

He chuckled. "And risk her trying to curse me again?" I laughed. "Don't worry, Chere, we'll get you home on time."

We spent the rest of the morning at the house. At noon, I started getting ready for Cal's Grandmother's party. I showered, shaved, buffed, polished, moisturized, and dressed in a beautiful floral dress with a swirly skirt that Cal assured me would be fine for the party. I did my hair and makeup and walked out to the living room right on time.

I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw Cal. His suit was definitely stare worthy. He was wearing khaki slacks and a navy blazer which he filled out spectacularly, but it was what was missing that blew my mind. His tattoo was gone. It almost didn't look like Cal. I finally asked, "What did you do with my Cal?"

"It's still me, Chere."

I walked up to him and stared. I couldn't see a trace of his tattoo. It was like it was never there. "If you put on a wig and tell people that you're running for Congress, I'm leaving."

He laughed, and we went to the car. I spent the drive to his grandmother's house stealing glances at him. When we got to the house, there were people everywhere. We found Cal's grandmother in the Parlor. She gave Cal a hug and kiss and asked him, "Where's Hobbes?" I could see a faint blush crawl up his neck. At first I didn't understand what she was asking, but then it hit me. She called his tattoo Hobbes. Somehow it's fitting, but I am so going to file that away to use against him at some point.

After Cal greeted her, she gave me a hug and thanked me for coming. I thanked her for inviting me, and she told us to go ahead and mingle. Cal took the opportunity to show me the rest of the house. When we walked out to the yard, Cal tensed. I knew as soon as I saw his mother that the distinguished gentleman that she was talking to was his father.

He was easily as tall as Cal, but lean where Cal is muscular. His dark brown hair was sprinkled with gray. He looked like a doctor. Cal's mother saw us and smiled. She said something to the man she was with and he looked over at us. I took Cal's hand in a show of support as Cal's parents made their way to us. Cal bent down to kiss his mother's cheek, but I could practically feel the tension coming off him in waves. He shook his father's hand and just said, "Father."

His father nodded and said, "Calvin."

Cal's mother gave me a hug. "Cathy, this is Cal's father, Robert."

I had to let go of Cal's hand so that I could shake his father's. "Doctor Galloway."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

I took Cal's hand again. His mother kept up the conversation, asking me how my trip was so far, and whether or not I was enjoying New Orleans. Neither Cal nor his father joined in. As soon as it was polite, we went back into the house, but Cal wasn't enjoying himself anymore. After a few more hours of talking to the other guests, we said our goodbyes.

When we got back to Cal's house, Cal grabbed a couple of beers and went straight out back. I followed him, and we sat in the chairs that faced the water. I took his hand again, and we sat in silence watching the sun set, even through I'm pretty sure Cal wasn't paying attention. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes and said, "Fuck."

I went inside and got Cal another beer. When I handed it to me, he said, "I'm sorry, Chere, I'm probably not the best company right now. I didn't expect him to be there."

Instead of sitting in the chair, I sat on the ground next to Cal's chair. "What makes you think I'm out here for you? One of the men at the party told me that the mosquitoes around here are big enough to slap you back. I've always wanted to see one that big." I leaned my head against his chair.

We stayed like that for a while longer, until I actually started slapping at the mosquitoes. "C'mon, Chere, lets get you inside."

I looked at him. "Are you sure? That one didn't slap back, I don't think it was the right one."

We went back inside and I sat on the couch. Cal went into his room and came out a few minutes later. He had put his jacket away and was wiping his tattoo with a towel. I was glad to see it back. He sat on the other couch. I said, "You want to talk?"

"No."

"Okay."

We continued to sit there. "My father spent most of his life trying to live down my grandfather's reputation. Most people eventually forgot about my grandfather's role in the JFK incident, but it's always been the elephant in the room in my family. He was young when it happened, and he took a lot of crap about it, even getting into fights in school over it. He became determined to set the medical world on fire. He's an excellent doctor, but it's not like he's famous. I told you that he expected me to follow in the family footsteps. He decided that I was going to restore the family honor. I had no interest in being a doctor, so I was going to join the Navy. You know what happened with that. When I went into the Army, I found a home. While I was in basic training, my grandfather passed away. I didn't even find out until after the funeral. My father was still mad at me for joining the military. We got into one last big fight. He told me that I left my family. I told him that the Army was all the family I needed.

"I was on a mission someplace very unpleasant that went very wrong shortly after we had completed our objective. My squad was ambushed and left for dead. Most of them were. There were only two of us left. I was wounded, but still better off than Ryan, who was missing half his leg. I carried him until I collapsed. I had no choice, I had to leave him." He closed his eyes and hung his head in his hands. "I can still hear him screaming for me not to go. I don't know how far I got before I heard the shot. I made it to the extraction point. That's all I can remember before I woke up in a hospital in Germany. When I got stateside, I was sent to a VA hospital. The next day my mother and grand-mère were there. While I was in the VA hospital, I bought this house. When I was released, I came here. I got a big old 'Stay the fuck away from me' tattoo and spent most of my time watching the water.

"About a year later, I came outside and Ranger was sitting in one of the chairs facing the water. He had already started his company, and it was growing. He told me that he wanted to build a team that he knew he could trust. I turned him down. I told him that I didn't want anyone to rely on me. A week after he left, Tank showed up. He told me to quit the fucking pity party and pack a bag. I spent a lot of time on monitor duty and desk duty. Then Ranger asked me for a personal favor. A woman he was involved with had a killer after her and he needed me to guard her. You know how Stephanie is. It wasn't long before I was in the hospital with a concussion. She came to Rangeman with a cake that said Happy Birthday Florence. She's like a little sister to me. She's persistent and annoying sometimes, but you always know she would do anything for you. She helped me more than she knows, just by being a friend. After that fiasco, I started getting out on the street more. I ran patrols with some of the guys, but I found out that I have a talent for bodyguard work. Apparently I can be menacing." He smiled for the first time tonight. It was a small smile, but I'll take it. "Today was the first time I saw my father since I came home from basic. It just brought everything back at once. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there."

I got up and sat next to him. I hugged him around his waist and laid my head on his chest. I can't believe he's gone through so much. I didn't know what to say, so I sat there and held him, listening to his heart beat while my tears fell.

A/N - this was a very difficult scene to write. Cal had a hard time bearing his soul, but remember there's always two sides to every story. There's a little more angst to go before we can get to the good stuff.