"I can't believe how much crap this creep had accumulated here," Blake exclaimed as she close another cardboard box full of Daniel's clothes. "Are you SURE that you don't want us to burn his stuff in the backyard?" she asked her mother.

The two of them were standing in Holly's room and had been packing for the best part of the morning. They had almost finished clearing Daniel's personal effects from the house.

"Blake, we've been over this. I want to donate whatever I can," Holly said as she put a folded sweater into another box. She picked a framed picture of her and the doctor from her nightstand and stared at it for a few minutes. She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like the word "asshole" before throwing the frame in the trash can and sitting down on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Are you alright?" Blake asked, suddenly concerned. After the incident at the cabin, Holly had been forced to stay in the hospital in Boston for a few days. Her injuries had not been as serious as Cassie and Ray Bellevue's, who were still recuperating at Boston General. On the up side, the couple was also on the mend and even got to share a room in the process.

Holly nodded in response to her daughter's inquiry. "I'm fine, really. I just can't wait for his things to be out of here." She looked around dispiritedly. "Even then, I'm not sure how comfortable I will be staying here. It's as if his presence had tainted the place."

"We could get an exorcist," Blake suggested with a wink.

Holly pretended to consider it. "Or maybe just a really good cleaning team would do the trick."

They both laughed and picked up the last boxes from the bed. They carried them to the front door before going to sit on the sofa. "You know, you could always move in with Daddy," Blake said, watching her mother's reaction.

To her disappointment, Holly shook her head. "I don't think so, Honey."

"Why not? Dad told me what you said at the cabin, so I don't see why you two couldn't – ".

Holly raised a hand to stop the outpour. "How nice of your father to keep you posted," she remarked sarcastically.

"Well, half the people you know were there, so I don't see why it bothers you that I know! I AM your daughter."

Holly turned to her daughter and caressed her cheek. "I didn't mean it like that, Sweetie. It's just that I've only been back here yesterday and your father and I haven't had a chance to talk yet. Even if I wanted to leave here, moving in with him at his place would be out of the question."

"Why not?"

"Because it's too small. We'd be…crowded."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Please, Mother, don't tell me that you're going to go back on your word again."

Before Holly could reply, there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Roger opened the door and peeked inside.

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite ladies in the world," he exclaimed, beaming.

Blake jumped to her feet and pecked him on the cheek. "Hi Daddy! I was actually on my way out," she said as she grabbed her coat. "You don't mind taking the garbage out later?" she added, pointing at Daniel's boxes.

"Nothing would please me more," Roger said before taking his coat off and sitting next to Holly. Blake noticed the respectable distance that he kept between her mother and him, and she sighed inwardly. She would never understand her parents, she thought, even if she lived a hundred years.

She stood in front of the door and stared at them. "I was going to say "don't be bad", but I guess I needn't bother," she remarked with a pout of disgust. "Talk to you later."

Roger waited for their daughter to be gone to turn to Holly. "So…" he said in order to break the awkward silence.

"So…"

They glanced at each other and talked at the same time:

"Do you want some coffee?" Holly asked.

"What's the next step for us, Hol?"

Holly leaned back on the sofa and exhaled loudly. "Okay, so I guess we're having THAT conversation."

Roger leaned on his side so as to face his ex-wife. "Well, I think it's time, don't you?"

"I guess it is. I'm just so nervous."

Roger let out a brief laugh. "If it's any comfort to you, I'm probably even more nervous than you are." He caught one of her hands in his and put it on his heart. It was beating wildly. "See?"

Holly smiled and put her hand down, but kept her fingers intertwined with Roger's.

"I do want us to move forward, Roger, not backward, but the last few weeks have been quite out of the ordinary."

"I agree."

Holly raised her eyes in surprise. She had expected Roger to argue his case much more aggressively. "You do?"

"Yes, it was an extraordinary situation. I think that what we should do now is to see what real life has to offer us, and to try it on for size, if you see what I mean."

Holly nodded with a smile. "I think I do. Small steps."

They both stared ahead for a few seconds, each lost in their thoughts. "You don't regret what you said in front of Ed and Ross at the cabin, do you?" Roger finally asked.

Holly shook her head slowly. "No, although it is going to be awkward between us from now on, and I'm not sure how comfortable they will be with remaining my friends."

"I'm sorry, Holly," Roger said, squeezing her arms. Holly looked up and could see that he meant it, which made her want to trust herself into his arms. Instead, she remained safely seated in her spot.

"I can understand where they are coming from. We all know that you hurt me and that you hurt them too. I guess it's too much to ask of them to forgive you as I have. I'm only going to ask you not to antagonize them anymore. Do you think that you can do that?"

"I don't want them in my life any more than they want me in theirs. I'm just sad that you had to lose your friends because of your feelings for me."

"I'm sad too." Holly reached for his cheek and grazed her fingers along his temple down to his chin. "But I'm also relieved. For the first time in years, I'm going to try and live my life according to what's in my heart. I feel like I'm finally being true to myself. Of course, my life will necessarily change to reflect that. Some people will go, but I'm hoping that some people will remain, and that some people might even show up in this new life that we'll be creating for ourselves."

"Are you scared?"

"Very. I'm going out on a limb to be with you." She glanced his way and smiled reassuringly. "I'm not saying that to put any pressure on you. It's my call, and in a way, that is the terrifying part. I'm not so much afraid that you will hurt me than I'm afraid of trusting my judgment for once. If it doesn't work out, will it mean that I was wrong again? That I'm incapable of knowing what's good for me?"

"I think those are very relevant questions, Holly. You wouldn't be human if you never doubted yourself."

"Maybe so, but I don't want to rehash these doubts with you. It's just not…sexy," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Ha! Maybe you could see someone about it then. I was thinking about renewing my acquaintance with my old Zen master myself."

Suddenly, Holly got up and started pacing across the room. She turned to Roger and shook her head in wonder. "Look at us! Here we are, discussing our future like two mature adults. I can barely recognize us!"

Roger burst into laughter. "Crazy, huh? Maybe there is hope for us after all." He joined her in the middle of the living room and took her in his arms. "So will you be my date tonight?" he murmured after burying his face in her hair.

Holly pretended to be thinking before kissing him lightly on the lips. "Of course, I will. Dates are good, dates are great. As for the rest, we'll just see how it goes, okay?"

"What do you mean by "the rest"?

"Well, moving in together, for example. I'm not ready for that."

Roger nodded. "Fair enough. What about…" his voice trailed off when he seemed to be thinking better of it.

"What?" Holly urged him.

He looked down, slightly embarrassed. "What about the sex?" he finally said after clearing his throat. "I don't want to push you, Hol. That's why I'm asking."

Holly threw her head backwards and laughed. "Oh, Rog, we have changed, but not THAT much!" She laced her fingers in his hair and kissed him passionately. They broke off the kiss a few minutes later, flushed and out of breath.

"So it would be okay if…" Roger said, eyeing the hall leading to her room.

Holly pressed her body against his. "More than okay."

In fact, she reflected as he led her to her bed, nothing had ever felt more right than being with him in her entire life.

The End! I hope you enjoyed it :)