(See first part for disclaimer, notes, spoilers, etc.)

Chapter 34: "Sage"

The salty breeze ruffled Thomas' hair and he brushed a flyaway lock off his forehead with the back of his hand. Baby waves rolled gently onto the shore, staining the white gold sand a dull brown. A seagull skimmed the beach, stealing a morsel of discarded bread from a young family's picnic. A toddler shrieked excitedly as he played in the surf.

"Different than the beaches back home in Dorset, aren't they?" Olivia asked as she bent to kiss his cheek. Thomas chuckled as he closed the worn bound book, the green cloth cover faded gray. "You can't go anywhere without those," she noted as he gently placed his stubs of charcoal back in the small box, wiping the black smudges off his fingers with a handkerchief.

"Can't help it. Every place I go, there's a landscape just begging to be sketched." Thomas grinned as Olivia curled up on the stone step next to him, her head on his shoulder. "Beaches here…They couldn't be any farther away from the ones back home. You couldn't even be at seaside now."

She chuckled and leaned up, hugging her knees to her chest as she looked out at the beach. The sun was warm above, its rays a sharp contrast to the pelting ice rain that Dorset was most likely receiving.

He rubbed his hands together before setting them back on his thighs. "Now," he continued as he turned to look at Olivia, "don't you have a job to be at?"

Olivia's sigh screamed disinterest as she smirked. "I do, but the beauty in being the director of the department is that you get to make your own schedule. While you're here, I'll just be working in the mornings."

"Well then, fancy a walk up the beach with your old dad?"

She nodded and stood up quickly, extending her hand down to assist him. "You aren't old Poppy."

"That's what I like to hear." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the steps. Their bare feet sank into the warm beach, the fine sand collecting in the crevices between their toes.

Olivia gathered her hair over one shoulder and sighed happily as they strolled. "Poppy, I'm-"

"So happy that I'm here," Thomas finished with a smile. As Olivia pouted, Thomas laughed and hugged her closer. "You've been saying that everyday since I got here." He rubbed her arm and said thoughtfully, "It won't be so long between my visits again, I promise."

"Almost a year," she complained softly as she turned to the Pacific. The blue water glared silver in the spots where it caught the sun. In the distance, a large ship chugged slowly along the horizon to destinations unknown.

"I'm sorry love." They continued in silence for a few steps before Thomas asked, "How have you been since Armando died? I know how fond of him you were."

Olivia sighed and absentmindedly twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. "Quiet…and sad." She paused for a moment before adding, "It seems like we're all just struggling to get through the day. Even the most mundane activities seem to take too much time and energy. Julianna's barely left her room since the funeral."

"And AJ?"

The hair spiraled off her index finger as her hand fell to her side. She bit the corner of her lip and reached into the pocket of her father's chocolate brown trousers. The small oval of butterscotch was hard in her palm and the wrapper crinkled as she unwrapped it. "He's been working from home," she said as she popped the candy in her mouth, sucking eagerly on the sweet block. "He's going to start going back to the office next week."

Thomas tucked the gold plastic wrapper in his pocket. "That's good. Getting back to a routine helps." He leaned over and kissed the side of Olivia's head. "Armando was a good man."

She nodded and turned to face her father, a small smile playing on her lips. "He reminded me so much of you. The kind smile, the laughing eyes…" She broke off suddenly and shook her head. "It helped when I missed you."

He stopped walking and turned to her, appraising the daughter that stood before him. Her hair was dark against her tanned skin, a gift from living in a land eternally graced by the sun and warm weather all year round. Eyes that mirrored his own looked back at him, seemingly becoming a darker shade of blue as they drew color from the sea. She was healthy and alive, the whole world at her feet. Why did she look as lost as the lamb she brought home when she was seven?

"Does that happen often?" he asked, his large hands dwarfing her slim shoulders.

Olivia shrugged as her eyes turned down to the sand. It sparkled, the bits of crystal and shell dancing in the sunlight. "It's lonely sometimes," she admitted softly as she looked back up at him. "Aren't I allowed to miss you?"

"Of course you are love," he said as he pulled her back to him, hugging her close as his arms went around her. As if that could somehow protect his daughter from the terrible specter that haunted her. His arm moved back to her shoulder as he continued to lead her along the shoreline. "How are you lonely living in a house with your husband and in-laws?"

"It's a big house, Poppy," she snapped, regretting her tone a second after she spoke. Sighing deeply, she bit down on the shrinking butterscotch, wincing as it crunched loudly between her teeth. She swallowed the sugary fragments and cleared her throat as she twisted the sparkling diamond on her ring finger. "Marriage," she began slowly, "to AJ isn't what I hoped it would be."

Thomas sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "Marriage isn't easy," he conceded. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye. She avoided his eyes intently, staring blankly at the beach in front of them. "Are you and AJ going through a bit of a rough spot?"

She bit her lip and considered his question. To say that she and AJ had a few problems didn't even begin cover it. Witnessing the bitter breakup of her parent's marriage left her with the steadfast determination that she never go through the same pain. AJ's passive nature ensured her emotions would remain safe, locked away tightly in her heart. Protected from hurt and pain. Except of course from the pain she inflicted on herself by sacrificing true love and happiness for the safety of those emotions.

And then there was her father, a man with scars from his own marriage. Invoking memories of her absent mother was also something she tried to avoid at all costs. Burdening her father with her unhappy marriage and Gregory conundrum would do just that.

So she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing I can't handle."

Doubt ran across Thomas' face but he nodded after Olivia forced a smile. A breeze blew in from the ocean, ruffling the thin sleeve of his shirt and her hair. He bent down to the sand, standing back up as he brushed sand from the shell. It was pure white like powdered sugar, tiny coral colored markings painting the smooth underside. He pressed it into Olivia's hand with a tiny smile. "You're a strong woman love. Always remember that whenever you're feeling lonely."

She nodded, wrapping her fingers around the small shell. "I will Poppy." She smiled brightly at him as they continued walking.

As they wandered through the surf, the warm water christening their sand caked feet, Thomas said, "You're working now. At least that gives you something to do."

"Poppy, I think they only gave me the position because my last name is 'Deschanel'." She glanced back up at her father, the breeze stirring his thick hair. "The Chief of Staff can milk the 'Deschanel' name for countless numbers of donations, more so if there's actually one on staff."

"Can you do the job?" Thomas asked. "And do it well?" Olivia nodded. "Prove them wrong then love." They stopped walking as he turned to face her and continued, "And remember, your name was 'Blake' long before it was 'Deschanel'."

She smiled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "What would I do without you Poppy?"

"For starters," he chuckled as he kissed her cheek, "you'd have to find another person to steal butterscotch from."