A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! Enjoy!

Chapter 13: July 2027

Autumn could barely contain her excitement. She ran around the house as Rachel chased after her, attempting to do her hair. Sheridan chuckled from her spot on the couch, looking up from her phone as Autumn dashed passed her again.

"You know, you could help me wrangle the little squirt rather than just sitting there with your face in your phone." Rachel puffed as she collapsed into the arm chair.

Sheridan sighed and threw her phone on the couch cushion beside her. "Where's the fun in that?" She laughed.

Rachel rolled her eyes as Autumn came running into the living room like a hurricane. She managed to grab her just as a knock sounded at the door.

Rachel pulled Autumn into her lap and managed to trap her with her legs.

"Can you get that please? It's probably your Dad." Rachel sighed as she grabbed the brush she had dropped beside her and began to run it through Autumn's hair.

"Fine." She sighed. She pushed herself off the couch and stomped towards the front door.

"Good morning." Finn smiled from the other side of the door.

"Hey Dad" She opened the door wide and let him into the house, just as Rachel finished with Autumn's hair and she came barrelling down the hallway towards him.

"DADDY!" She threw herself at Finn as he bent down to catch her.

"Well good morning to you too Autumn bug." He laughed as he gave her a hug before releasing her. Rachel stood further back and smiled at the interaction between her daughters and Finn. He smiled at her when she stood up and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Good morning Rach" He smiled.

"Morning Finn." She smiled. "Autumn has sunscreen on already. Sheridan promised me she put some..."

"Mom, I put it on. Relax. I won't burn." Sheridan rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

"And that's the kind of mood she's in today..." She sighed as she ran her fingers through her messy hair.
Finn sighed.
"Daddy! Do you like my piggy tails?" Autumn asked in a high pitched squeal as she pulled on Finn's grey t-shirt. "Daddy!"

He looked away from Rachel and down at Autumn who was looking up at him with big eyes. "I love your pigtails." He grinned. She giggled as Sheridan sighed and stalked away from the three of them and headed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Rachel called.

"I need to get my charger for the car..." She called back as she headed into her room.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she looked at Finn. "Good luck with her today."

Finn sighed again. The corners of her lips piqued in a small smile for a moment as she looked at him. She shook her head out of the Finn trance she seemed to be in.

"I packed a bag for you guys...there's some sunscreen, Anti-Nauseant, both kids and adult..." She listed off everything she had packed in the bag for them, including Sheridan's epi-pen.

He nodded along as he listened to her ramble. He interrupted her after a minute. "Rach, why don't you just come with us?"

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. She took in the genuine smile on his face as she bit her lip.

"Yeah Mommy! Come with us!" Autumn shouted and immediately grabbed her mother's hand. Rachel squinted at Autumn's excitement. It was a little early for such loud exclamations. "Come on Mommy! Come to Cedar Point with us! Please Mommy, please, please!" Autumn shouted.

She sighed as she looked at Finn for support. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked at her with a small smile.

"What else could you have planned for your day off?" He asked softly.

She sighed and ran her hand through her knotted hair. He was right. She didn't have anything planned other than doing some yard work and housekeeping. She had actually been looking forward to having the entire weekend to herself. It was odd that a 'Finn weekend' lined up with a non-working weekend.

Autumn continued to pull on her hand as she jumped up and down. "Please Mommy! Pleassssssse!"

"Alright." She sighed running her fingers through her hair again. "Alright, alright."

"Alright what?" Sheridan walked up behind them, her charger in hand.

"Mommy's going to come to Cedar Point with us!" Autumn shrieked.

"God Autumn, do you have to be so incredibly loud this early?" Sheridan complained.

"Hey!" Both Rachel and Finn shouted at Sheridan. She cringed.

"We can leave you behind you know" Finn threatened. "Smarten up and lose the attitude."

Rachel sighed and ran her hand over her face. "Alright, I need like ten minutes to get dressed and stuff. That okay?" Finn nodded as Autumn grabbed his hand and tugged him into the living room to turn on the TV. Sheridan groaned as she headed into the kitchen.

Rachel ran for her bedroom and shut the door firmly behind her. She opened her dresser and pulled out a pair of dark blue shorts and a light pink tank top. She stripped herself of the pajamas she had been wearing and changed quickly before running to the bathroom to get her hair under control and throw on some makeup. As she stared in the mirror, she tried to calm her racing heart. Why was she doing this? How had she let her four year old convince her to get in a car, drive two hours away with her estranged husband to spend the day at an amusement park? She rubbed her foundation into her skin quickly and threw on some mascara before deciding that she looked just fine. It was only Finn and the girls after all. No one really to impress.

She left the bathroom and walked back downstairs, heading to the kitchen to grab a few extra things for herself to add to the bag she had packed. After grabbing her sunglasses from the counter she went into the living room.

"Alright, Autumn go to the bathroom and then we can hit the road. If you're ready, Finn..." She added softly. He nodded, grabbed for the remote in front of him and switched the TV off before ushering Autumn towards the stairs to go to the bathroom.

"Sheridan, you should go too..." He mentioned as Rachel stood at the doorway to the room. They both heard her groan but went towards the stairs anyway.

"It's going to be a fun day." Finn mumbled as he watched her leave. Rachel sighed and walked out of the living room towards the front door.

"It'll be fine." Rachel sighed. She hoped. She prayed it wouldn't be awkward and that Sheridan would cooperate.

She locked the door behind her family as Autumn ran towards Finn's car in the driveway. Sheridan followed her at a slower pace. She blew out a breath as she watched her family climb into the car and tried to keep herself in check. It was just a day out with the girls. That was it. Finn just happened to be there.

Finn sighed as he helped Autumn into her car seat as Sheridan scowled from beside her.

"We're going to have a good time today, altogether. Capice?" He turned his gaze to Sheridan. He could tell Autumn was ecstatic that Rachel was tagging along with them.

"Just one big happy family with no fucking issues." She mumbled under her breath.

"Sheridan." He growled, tightening the strap on Autumn's lap belt before pulling himself out of the car. He walked around to the other side of the car and opened Sheridan's door. She turned to look at him.

"Watch your mouth." He pointed his finger at her. "Enough is enough." He stared at her for a moment before closing the door again.

He heard footsteps and smiled slightly when he saw Rachel coming down the walkway towards the car. He opened the driver's door just as Rachel was reaching the passenger side. He nodded at her and got in himself as she opened the door and slid in herself. He turned around to glare at Sheridan just as she was putting her headphones in her ears.

"Let's hit the road." Finn smiled, looking back in the rear view mirror at Autumn who grinned back at him with her plastic, pink sunglasses hiding her pretty eyes.

"Let's go Daddy!" She squealed.
He turned the car on and smiled as he looked over at Rachel before he slid his own sunglasses over his eyes and put the car in reverse.

By the time they arrived at Cedar Point, Rachel had begun to allow herself to finally relax. The car ride had been comfortable, with Sheridan squared away with her earphones in her ears and Autumn chattering in the backseat. Finn had turned on the radio half an hour into the drive, settling on Top 40 station to fill the comfortable silence.

"We're here!" Autumn squealed from the backseat as Finn pulled into the queue to pay for parking.

"Settle down pipsqueak we still have to pay for parking" Sheridan groaned as she pulled her earphones out of her ears and turned off her iPod.

"Sheridan, really?." Rachel sighed as she bent down in front of her to grab her wallet as Finn pulled forward. They were next in line. She opened the zipper and tried to hand him some money.

"Seriously Rachel?" He chuckled a little bit as he looked at her. He gently pushed her hand back towards her. "Put that away..."

She smiled at him and put the $10 bill back into her wallet before she threw it into her purse again.

They got through the booth and Finn found somewhere to park.

"Here we go! Cedar Point, the Berry-Hudson's are here to conquer you." He laughed as he looked back at Autumn. She kicked her legs wildly and squealed.

"Can you be more embarrassing?" Sheridan mumbled.

Finn groaned before he got out of the car after he parked it. Rachel followed suit and helped Autumn out of the backseat. Finn slung the backpack Rachel had packed over his shoulder as Autumn reached for his free hand. He smiled as he looked down at his little girl as the four of them walked towards the ticket booth. This time, Rachel didn't try to hand him money as he handed the ticket attendant his credit card to pay for the four passes.

By lunch time, they had conquered a good portion of the park, satisfying both girls requests for rides as they went through.

"Mommy, I'm hungry" Autumn mumbled as they walked out of the gate from the Helicopter ride. She clung to Rachel's hand and looked up at her as they walked towards where Finn and Sheridan had been waiting.

"Let's see what Daddy wants to do. I think Sheridan wants to get one more ride in before lunch."

"But I'm hungry nowwwww" She whined as they approached Sheridan and Finn.

"Autumn, you're going to have to wait." Rachel sighed.

"Daddy, I'm hungry" She whined, pulling away from Rachel's hand and lunging at Finn. He grabbed her quickly and sighed. Sheridan tapped her foot impatiently from beside him.

"I told her Sheridan wanted one more ride before we get lunch. You wanted to do the Raptor before lunch right?" Sheridan just nodded her response.

"But I'm hungry nooooooooowwwwww" Autumn whined. Rachel waited for Finn to say something.

"Sheridan, would you mind waiting until after lunch for the Raptor?" Finn asked softly. "I'm kind of getting hungry myself..."

Rachel heard her huff and knew she was probably rolling her eyes under her sunglasses. "I guess. Can we get pizza for lunch though?"

"I don't want pizza..." Autumn whined. "I want a hot dog..."

Finn and Rachel stared at each other, both inwardly groaning. "I really don't want a hot dog for lunch Mom." Sheridan sighed. They started to walk away from the ride and head off towards the main area where there were a string of restaurants for food. The first place they came upon was a pizza place, and it looked fairly empty. Sheridan looked at her parents.

Finn crouched down and looked at Autumn. "Can you please have pizza for lunch? Sheridan is being nice enough to wait until after lunch to go on her ride because you are soooooo hungry. Can you just eat pizza, please?"

Autumn crossed her arms over her chest and pouted as she looked at Finn.

"I. don't. want. pizza." She stomped her foot as she glared at Finn. "Mommy, I don't want pizza. I want a HOT DOG!"

"Fine, whatever. Give the brat whatever the fuck she wants." Sheridan threw up her arms. Rachel immediately felt any feelings of calm leave her body as she glared at her older daughter.

"Sheridan!" She exclaimed. "And that's going to get you what you want?"

"Alright, alright." Finn stood up and stopped Rachel and Sheridan from getting into it. "How about this, you guys go sit over there..." He pointed to some picnic tables "and I'll get lunch. Sheridan will get her pizza and I'll find Autumn a hot dog." He ran his hands through his hair as he looked at the three women in front of him. "Is that good for everyone? Can we stop fighting?"

Sheridan sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

"Okay Daddy." Autumn sighed.

"Rachel?"

"Whatever Finn." She let out a breath. She took Autumn's hand and led her to the tables Finn had pointed out while Finn forced Sheridan to follow her. So much for a relaxing day at Cedar Point.

Autumn grinned to herself as she ate the hot dog Finn had got her for lunch as Sheridan scowled over her piece of pizza. When Finn returned with the girls and his lunch, Rachel got up and went to get a salad for herself. There was finally silence as everyone ate their lunches. When they were all finished, Finn collected their garbage and threw it out as Rachel helped Autumn reapply sunscreen.

"Alright, here's the plan for the afternoon. We're going to do a few rides that Sheridan wanted to get to before lunch time and then we can do a few that we can all ride. Capice?" Finn stared between Sheridan and Autumn, avoiding Rachel's gaze.

"Okay Daddy" Autumn smiled as she looked up at him. Sheridan nodded her agreement. Rachel passed Sheridan the bottle of sunscreen as she went about fixing Autumn's hair. When Sheridan handed it back to Rachel, by force of habit she passed it over to Finn who took the bottle from her. Their fingers brushed against each others on the bottle. Rachel pulled her hand back immediately as Finn smiled slightly.

"Thanks" He said softly, squirting some of the white liquid into hand and applying some quickly to his face, neck and arms.

"You should put some on too Rach. Your nose is starting to get a little red..."

She touched her nose gently as he passed the bottle back to her.

When the four of them were ready to go, they started back on their mission to ride as many rides as possible.

Rachel and Sheridan stood by the gate watching as Finn and Autumn went around and around on the little roller coaster with Lady Bugs. Every time they came by at an almost glacial pace, Finn made a face at Sheridan to make her laugh.

"Dad's ridiculous" Sheridan laughed as Finn and Autumn passed them one last time. Rachel smiled at her daughter.

"He did the same thing when he went on it with you all those years ago. You probably don't remember because you were so..."

"I remember. That's one of my favourite memories. Uncle Puck and Aunt Quinn came too, right?' She said softly.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. You begged Uncle Puck to go on the Merry Go Round with you. And he did."

Sheridan smiled as she remembered the same memory, thinking of her mohawked Uncle taking her on the merry go round over ten years ago. They were interrupted when Autumn and Finn caught up to them.

"Did you see us?" Autumn squealed as she grabbed for Rachel's hand.

"I did." She smiled. "It looked like you and Daddy were having so much fun!" Finn groaned as Rachel said this. She couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"Alright, I want to go on the Pipescream. Dad, you want to ride that one with me? Might be more your speed and it will for sure make Mom sick"

It was Finn's turn to chuckle this time. "Sure, that sounds more my speed."

They walked towards the ride and Finn and Sheridan got in line while Rachel found a bench that was close with Autumn.

"Mommy, can we get some ice cream after this?" Autumn implored, as she sat on the bench with her feet swinging back and forth under her.
Rachel's eyes were zoomed in on the ride that Finn and Sheridan were about to go on. Just by looking at it alone, she felt like her stomach was going to roll. She knew Finn would be fine, but as she continued to stare she was unsure how Sheridan would fare.

"Mommy? Ice cream?" Autumn tugged on her arm.

"We'll have to see how Daddy and Sheridan do after this ride..." She looked down at Autumn who pouted, and then nodded.

When they emerged from the exit of the ride, Rachel immediately picked up the bag Finn had left with her and began digging for the anti-nauseant she had packed. She knew it would come in handy. Both Finn and Sheridan's faces were chalk white, and they both looked like they were going to throw up all over the place. She hastily opened a bottle of water and shoved the pills at them as soon as they came close enough to her. Finn took them gratefully and sucked them down before passing the same bottle of water to Sheridan.

"Dare I ask how the ride was?"

"I think I'm done." Finn raised his hands, trying not to shake his head too much. Sheridan swallowed hard and nodded slightly in agreement.

"As soon as I saw how twisty it was I knew you guys would be done for." Rachel tried to say sympathetically. She reached over and rubbed Sheridan's back.

"Does that mean we're going home?" Autumn asked softly.

Rachel sighed and crouched down to be on her level. "Are there more rides you want to go on Autumn?"

"The merry go round." She said softly. "And the motorcycles. And I still want ice cream" She pouted, looking directly at Rachel before turning her gaze to Finn. Rachel sighed again and stood up.

"I think we can manage. Sher and I might have to sit the rest out though, so if it's okay with Mommy..." He turned to her.

"Those ones sound fine to me. You alright to hang in a little while longer Sheridan?" She asked, eyeing her daughter. Some of the colour had begun to return to her face. She only nodded.

"Yeah. Maybe by the time you guys are done on those rides my stomach will be able to handle some ice cream."

Rachel only nodded. They sat on the bench for a few minutes while Sheridan and Finn collected their bearings. When they were ready, they headed over to the Motorcycles. While Rachel and Autumn rode them, Sheridan and Finn found a bench to occupy.

"Dad, do you remember coming here when I was Autumn's age?" She asked him softly as she leaned back against the back of the bench.

Finn turned his eyes from the ride where he was watching Autumn and Rachel ride it to look at Sheridan.

"I do. That was a good day." He smiled as he looked at her. "You were so little. And you had Uncle Puck wrapped around your finger that day. Even made him ride the..."

"...Merry Go Round" She added with a smile. "I remember. That was fun." There was a lull in the conversation as the ride came to a stop. They stood up and they waited for Rachel and Autumn to come off so they could walk to the Merry Go Round.

After Autumn and Rachel were done on the Merry Go Round, they hit the ice cream stand before they settled at a table to eat it. Sheridan's stomach had recovered enough that she could eat some strawberry ice cream. Autumn devoured her chocolate ice cream happily, the ring of chocolate around her mouth was evident. Both Rachel and Finn smiled as they watched both their girls. Rachel had opted for chocolate frozen yogurt while Finn slowly sipped a grape slushy. When they were all finished and Autumn's face had be thoroughly cleaned, Finn hoisted Autumn onto his back as they headed out of the park and towards the car.

The drive home was quiet, Autumn fell asleep in her booster seat and Sheridan had put her headphones in her ears and leaned back to close her eyes. Rachel kept her gaze trained out of the window as Finn drove down the highway towards home.

"I'll drop you at home and then take the girls to my place. Is it okay if I bring them back just after dinner tomorrow?" He asked softly, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. Even the radio was on so quietly that they could barely hear it.

She nodded slightly at his words.

"Do you remember the first time we took Sheridan to Cedar Point?" She asked softly, turning her attention from the window towards her estranged husband. He looked over at her, a small smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"I do. She'd just turned five the Christmas before and had been begging to go since she saw the commercial. Apparently we'd gotten cable at the apartment too soon." He laughed. "And she'd been up pretty much all night the night before because Puck opened his big mouth and told her we were going."

Rachel chuckled. "Yeah. That was so much fun. I wanted to kill him after that. That's why we made him sit in the back with her on the way there."

"We were so young back then. We had no idea what we were doing." Rachel whispered. He turned to look at her again and smile.

"We did the best we could. We were old pros by the time that trip came around."

"Old pros at 22. That just sounds weird." She laughed.

"It was our normal by then. We thought we were on top of the world that summer. I'd finished my first year of teaching, you were almost finished with your journalism diploma. We were flying high..." He added wistfully. When had everything changed?

She sighed, almost mournfully and turned her attention back to the window. They made the rest of the drive in silence. Finn reached over to turn up the music ever so slightly.

When they finally reached Lima and Rachel's house, Finn pulled in the driveway and Rachel immediately went to undo her seatbelt as he put the car in park.

"Well thanks for including me. I appreciate it." She said softly as the belt receded. She grabbed for the bag and her purse at her legs. Finn nodded.

"Thanks for coming along. It was fun." He yawned. "I'll have the girls back..."

"Dad..." Sheridan interrupted from the backseat. "Would it be okay if I stayed with Mom tonight? I..."

He looked back in the rearview mirror at her.

"Uh, yeah. But why..."

"I just want to be home tonight. If that's okay. It's nothing against you." He nodded as he caught her eye in the mirror.

He sighed before looking over at Rachel for approval. "Is that okay Rachel?"

"Of course it is." She smiled at Finn again, thanking him once more before getting out of the car. Sheridan followed suit, stopping at Finn's door to kiss his cheek before following Rachel up to the front door and inside the house.

Finn waited until they were both safely inside the house before he pulled out of the driveway and headed for his apartment.

Rachel flicked on the hallway lights as her and Sheridan made their way into the house. It was chilly in the house, as it had been locked up all day and the air conditioner had been doing its job. Rachel made her way into the kitchen with Sheridan following.

"Do you want me to make you something quick to eat?" She eyed the clock and saw that it was well after 6pm.

Sheridan shook her head as she pulled her hair from the elastic. "I was actually going to go take a shower. And then I was hoping that we could, maybe talk?"

Rachel tried not to let the surprise show on her face. Talk? Sheridan wanted to talk? Who had come and traded her daughter with one that wanted to actually spend time with her?

She shook her head from her thoughts. "Sure. Absolutely." She smiled as Sheridan nodded and walked away, heading for the bathroom. Rachel blew out a breath and untied her own hair, before pulling it back into a ponytail. She made herself a bagel and quickly ate it while Sheridan showered. The more she thought about it, Sheridan had the right idea with showering. She finished her bagel just as she heard the water shut off upstairs. She poured two glasses of ice tea and added some ice before heading into the living room and sinking down on the couch. She closed her eyes for a moment as the busy day in the sun caught up with her and her mind began to run away with all the thoughts of what Sheridan could possibly want to talk to her about. She tried not to let the worst thoughts get the better of her. She remembered her own conversations with her fathers, some that had started with similar words. One especially...the one in which she had told them Sheridan was on her way. She shook her head trying not to let those thoughts overtake her.

Sheridan plopped down on the couch beside her, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Is that for me?" She pointed to the ice tea on the table in front of her. Rachel nodded yes in response. "Cool. Thanks." Rachel smiled at her as she placed her own glass down on the table just as Sheridan was reaching over to take a sip of her own. They sat in silence for a few minutes both of them just letting the day catch up to them and simultaneously wear off.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sheridan asked after a few minutes.

"Of course. You can ask me anything." She said softly. Brace yourself was all that she could think of.

"I guess it's not really a question. But I was listening to you and Dad in the car..." She paused for a moment. "And you said when I was 5, you guys were 22."

"Right. You turned 5 in December, and your Dad turned 22 the May before, me about 9 days before your birthday..." She smiled softly, memories flooding her thoughts.

"So that would have made you..." Sheridan trailed off as she thought about what she was about to ask.

She'd always known her parents were young. It wasn't hard to determine. Once she'd learned simple addition and subtraction at the tender age of 6, she'd figured out pretty quickly that her parents were younger than those of her friends. It hadn't meant she loved them any less, and for awhile she had thought it was cool to have young parents. They'd never really talked about it, but after listening to her parents conversation in the car she figured now was the time for questions.

"Are you asking how old I was when you were born?" Rachel swallowed slowly as she looked at Sheridan intently. She nodded in response. "I had just turned 17. You were actually supposed to be born on my birthday, but you stuck it out for a few extra days. Guess you really wanted to be a Christmas baby." She smiled, remembering that day fondly.

Sheridan chewed her lip, trying to think of what to say next. She'd been right, her parents were 17. But hearing it confirmed, made her sad? That wasn't even the right word. She shouldn't be sad about how young her parents were...

"But I wouldn't change anything Sheridan. Sure, when we...when I found out I was pregnant with you, I was scared out of my mind. I was 16 and I had only been dating your father for 6 months when you came along..." She trailed off, collecting her thoughts for a moment. "I've never been more scared in my entire life but he made everything okay..." She waned as her mind drifted again to memories of that fateful day.

"It must have been hard for you guys..." Sheridan wondered out loud, her thoughts wistful.

"It was. You were born at the beginning of our senior year of high school. And if you think Grade 9 is hard..." Rachel laughed. "Try Grade 12, with a newborn."

"What did you guys do?" She asked. "I mean, I know you guys graduated together because I've seen the pictures at Nana and Poppy's. And I'm in some of them..."

"We have some of them here too." She smiled, thinking of the pictures in her head. Her and Finn in caps and gowns, a drooly six month old Sheridan in a pretty white dress with black polka dots and a red bow in what little hair she had at that time, in Finn's arms.

"Mom..." Sheridan brought her back down to earth.

"It wasn't easy Sheridan. We split our time between Nana and Poppy's and Grandpa and Granddads. Everyone worked in rotation to take care of you during the day. Mainly Nana took care of you, because at the time she worked as a nurse and her shifts worked better with our schedule. Grandpa and Granddad covered when she couldn't because they worked mainly from home. Daddy would drive me home at lunch time so I could feed you, and we got exempt from study hall so we had an extra 45 minutes added to our lunch break. It was crazy, but we made it work. We did a lot of our homework together because we had most of the same classes, and only when you were sleeping. Because once we got home from school we wanted you all to ourselves. You were our responsibility." Her voice drifted off. "I wouldn't change it for the world Sheridan."

"But you guys were so young..." Sheridan wasn't sure what she was going to say or ask. Her parents had basically given up their entire lives to raise her. And she'd been such a brat to the both of them when they both needed her understanding the most.

"We were. We were really young. But raising you was the only option." She paused, realizing how that probably sounded. "You know Grandpa and Graddad adopted me. That wasn't an easy experience and from the moment I knew you existed, I knew that I wanted you more then I wanted anything in my entire life." Sheridan nodded, her own thoughts going into overdrive.

"Do you regret it?" She asked quietly.

Rachel didn't even have to think about the question.
"Not even close. Having you, even though I was so young, was one of the best decisions I ever made."

"Even if it meant you were stuck with Dad..." She mumbled.

"No one was stuck with anyone. We stayed together and worked so hard to make it work because we loved each other and loved you so much."

Rachel gazed intently at her daughter. "Is that what you think? That I was only with your Dad because we had you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Sheridan, if that was the case we wouldn't have gotten married and..."

"But did you get married BECAUSE of me?" She asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No. I married your father because I loved him. And I wanted to have the same last name as him."

"But you don't, you hyphenated. Like me and Autumn."

"But it was important to me to add the Hudson so we were all connected. I loved him and wanted to be with him forever."

"How did you know all of this so young? I mean you were what, 18 when you guys got married?"

Rachel nodded again. "You showed me. Having you showed me what it meant to be loved unconditionally, and that love also came from your father as well. And since we already had you, the next logical step because we loved each other so much was to get married. He proposed after we graduated high school and we married the next February." She said softly.

"Do you still love Dad?" She asked quietly.

"I will always love your father. Because he gave me you and Autumn." She smiled sadly.

"Mom, you know that's not what I mean..." Sheridan trailed off.

There was silence, as the two of them soaked in the conversation they had just had. Sheridan felt like her head was heavy with the thoughts and information she had just learned weighing her down. Rachel was wondering if she had told her daughter so much. Both chewed their lips silently.

"Today was a good day, wasn't it?" Sheridan asked after a few minutes.

"It was a great day." Rachel smiled. "I'm glad I let Autumn talk me into coming."

"Me too Mom, me too." Sheridan smiled.

Thoughts?