Will drove his F-150 the hour and half drive to his sisters sleepy town. Through the narrow winding roads, trees creating a tunnel of branches, new lime green leaves and buds. We passed a long calm inlet as the sun set behind us, the water glowing in pinks and yellows and oranges. If I wasn't in the midst of a freak out I could have enjoyed its untouched beauty.

A few short hours ago Will and I had made love. I allowed him inside and it changed me in a way I never expected it would. Any doubts, any fears I had about him, about us vanished. I knew who I was now, I knew what was right and what was wrong. I knew what love was, but I also knew what it could be. I saw only possibility for Will and I.

I squirmed in my seat, I was sore. Very very sore. Our hour long shower did nothing to help this situation, it only made us very late for dinner. I blushed thinking about it, seeing Will, feeling him.

I was also freaking out because I was so far from home. It may only be forty miles but in five years I had only left the ten mile radius from my front door once. To testify against Simon. I could feel it building inside of me, like it always did in times like this. I was overwhelmed. Too much was happening and changing all at once. The air in the truck went wafer thin and I cracked the window open, I fought the urge to stick my head out like a dog. Will reached over and grabbed my hand tightly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Atta girl. Just take deep breaths." His voice was soothing me like a lullaby. Since we had been together, my panic attacks had been almost nil. Just having Will in the same room was enough to ward one off, but his voice and touch ensured they would stop dead in their tracks. "Talk to me baby, tell me what's happening."

"This is the furthest I have been from home in a while." I opened my eyes and turned my head to him.

"Baby, I am so sorry, I wasn't thinking. Do you want me to turn back." I was silent for a moment weighing my options.

"No, don't. Its just been an unexpected day."

"That it was." A shit-eating grin was plastered on his sweet face.

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face Will."

"I can't help it. I mean, I keep thinking about it over and over… and over and over… How you sound, how you taste, how it feels to be inside of you."

"Will…" I barely got his name out, I had been thinking about it too. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that… You know what I am talking about."

"Ok, ok… we are almost there anyway." He looked like a scolded child and I shook my head and laughed.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For distracting me…"

"Yeah, it was my pleasure baby."


We pulled into his sisters driveway a few minutes later, her converted summer home looked like something out a Thomas Kincaid painting. Cedar shingles, black or blue shutters, I couldn't tell for sure in dim night light. The pathway was aged brick and I didn't know if I could walk down it. I was nervous and already intimated; I was about to really meet his family.

"You ok?" Will brought his hand up to the back of my neck and gently rubbed out the building tension.

"Ish..." He let out a chuckle and just shook his head.

"Its going to be fine, seriously just relax..."

"Do they know... you know..."I had wanted to ask him this question a millions times on the ride over but I didn't have the balls. I just turned up the music and stared out the window, ignoring that elephant in the backseat. He was silent for a moment, and then silent for a moment more before he answered.

"Yeah, they do... I mean not everything…but the bullet points."

They knew who I was, what had happened. I am sure they Googled, I know I would have if I was in their position. They probably think I am a crazy money hungry slut. I knew I didn't want to do this! Damn it all to hell!

"Great... just perfect..."

"Your past is not who you are... It's just what happened... Listen…I have never brought anyone home to meet my family. Ever... So they know how important you are to me... That's all that matters. Ok."

"Ever?"

"Never ever."

I took a deep breath, and took off my seatbelt. I handed him the wine and cookies.

"Ok lets do this." I punched my right and into my palm and flexed my next from left to right.

"There's the fighting spirit baby!"


He rang the bell and I could hear a squeal of childlike excitement coming from behind it. Charlie opened the door, a broad smile on his familiar face. He was tall, lean, lanky blonde haired blue eyed guy, a contrast to Will's more burley frame. In front of him stood a fidgety little girl, unable to contain her excitement, as her father held her back. She had Will's eyes, brown and green and gold, a mop of curly light brown hair with swirls of golden blonde.

"There you guys are...We were getting worried" Charlie welcomed us in, as he and Will shook hands, passing Charlie the wine and cookies.

"Sorry, we uh… got a late start." Will said sheepishly. I blushed, thinking about why we were running so late.

"It's good to see you again Amy." He nodded making no attempt to touch me. Will bent down and lifted the little girl who giggled like he was tickling her.

"Hey there Little Bit..."

"Hi Uncle Will." She planted a huge kiss on his cheek and he set her back down.

"Kira, this is Amy..." Kira looked at me inquisitively, her lips pursed her head cocked to one side, she took a deep breath and exhaled. She was sizing me up.

"Mommy says... I shouldn't touch you unless you say it's ok... She said it would hurt your feelings. It's not nice to hurt peoples feelings..."

"No Kira its not..."

"Cameron Marcus at school told me I was ugly and that hurt mine feelings."

"You are not ugly, little bit... And you mean my feelings…"

"No Uncle will MINE feelings…not your feelings…" Will and I both chuckled and Kira turned her attention back to me. "Are you going to be mine aunt? Everyone at school has aunts but me..."

"Kira!" Tracy came in from the kitchen a scowl on her face, and a kitchen towel drying her hands. Kira wrapped herself around Will's leg... "Hey big brother." She kissed him on the cheek and pulled Kira off his leg, lifting her up on her hip. "Sorry about that Amy... she is five going on forty five... Thanks for coming tonight."

"Thanks for inviting us." I looked at Kira sideways, her eyes fixed on me. "Are you sure you're five... you look older that that...I think you're fifteen at least." She laughed the full childhood laugh, an innocent laugh of joy and days spent playing dress-up and watching Sesame Street. Sunny days… keeping the clouds away…On my way…

"No silly, I am five..."

"Are you sure... How many fingers is that?" She nodded furiously and held up five fingers.

"Mommy can Aunt Amy come color with me?" Tracy looked at me and the Will for some sort of a sign. He just nodded and smiled.

"If Amy doesn't mind."

"I don't mind if you guys don't." Kira wiggled out of her mothers grasp, her shoes slapping on the floor. She grabbed my hand without thought and Will's and Tracy's eyes went wide as she pulled me into the kitchen.

"I have an Ariel coloring book and a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book and a Hello Kitty coloring book. Which one?"

"You choose."

"I like Ariel..."

"I like Ariel too."

We sat there for half an hour, while Will, Tracey and Charlie milled around the kitchen, finishing up dinner and pouring glasses of wine. I was too engrossed, coloring in Sebastian and sharpening her crayons, like I used to as a child.

"Ok, Kira. Time for bed..."

"But Mom..."

"No But Mom. We said seven thirty and now its a quarter to eight."

"Come on Little Bit I will read you a quick story." She looked at him then back to me, then him again weighing in her mind she would rather perform this task. Will won out and she wrapped her arms around my neck giving me a big kiss.

"I knew having and aunt would be the bestest. Come on Uncle Will..."

I sat there stunned, but not shaken. Maybe because she was a child or maybe because being touched wasn't so awful now... Will was able to touch me obviously, Dalton, my mother was able to hug me again and I did in fact high five my dad watching a boxing match at Will's, Laurel has been dying to cut my hair and I think I might just let her do it and Jeff still won't touch me but I am allowed to hit him as often as I like.

"I am sorry about that Amy, she just has no filter, if she is thinking it she is going to say it..."

"She's pretty amazing...and really its fine...it's surprisingly more then fine..."

"Do you want a refill?" Tracy looked at my near empty wine glass and I nodded. She filled my glass and I could tell there was something more she wanted to say. I took a deep breath in anticipation.

"You know Amy, when Will told us about you... I had my doubts... I mean I Googled, Will asked me not to but I did... I couldn't help myself… afterwards I wished I didn't. I am sure you know what's out there…" I knew, I had Googled myself over the years. Type in Broken Arrow girlfriend and you will be amazed what will pop up. The media had a hard time figuring out what to call Simon and then a week later the Post coined the phrase the Broken Arrow and it stuck. I could tell Tracy was not judging me, she was just stating the facts as she knew them. She and Will were very much alike. They said what the were feeling when they felt it. I knew where Kira got it from.

"Tracy I know that it must be strange for you having me here…"

"Its strange that will brought someone home to meet the family Amy, that is the strange part. When he first told me about you, I have to say I was a bit shocked. Not that it was you, I mean yes that was shocking in its own right but that he was asking me advice about you… how he should approach it, if he should just tell you what he was feeling. He was worried that he would scare you off."

"Wow, I had no idea."

"And then where you guys were apart over New Years and he was such a mess I thought I have never seen my brother like this... ever... I mean you know I have seen him strung out and miserable but heartbroken... never. That's when I knew it was the real deal for him. So when you guys got back together, I wanted to meet you and see if my worries were in earnest or in vain. It took some time to get you here though... but I have never seen Will happy. Really happy."

"I really want to make him happy… because he has changed my whole life, loving me. I never thought…" My voice cracked, my eyes filled with hot tears, I pressed my lips together in an effort to hold it together. "I never thought I could trust anyone again, until your brother came along. I had resolved myself to a lifetime of loneliness, and bad dreams…Until Will."

"I think he did the same thing actually, after Maria died, the guilt he felt… he didn't think he deserved to be happy. And it sent him on a road…" The road to me I thought sadly and gladly.

"We have a small group, our dad is gone, our mother left years ago. It's me and Charlie, Kira Will... and now you..." I wiped a tear of fmy cheek and grabbed her hand, the weight of that was not lost on either of us. "Anyway I am just really glad you are here...finally…. but I'm kinda pissed you didn't make the brownie things but that was forgiven the moment I tasted this bestest wine..." We both laughed loudly together as Will made it back into the kitchen, a warm contented smiled on his face, along with a pink glittery princess sticker on his cheek. Tracy and I burst out laughing.

"What... It's my new tattoo..."