A/N: I'm so sorry this came a wee bit late! The holiday in the US threw me off today. But it's still Thursday in half the US, so that counts for something, right? Anyway, hope you enjoy this! ALSO! I've expanded this a bit, and it will be 11 chapters now instead of 8.

4.26.08

Draco woke up to something heavy and solid falling onto his body.

"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! It's creek day!" Scorpius then proceeded to bounce on him, relentlessly, until Draco had no choice but to grab him and throw him onto the mattress beside him. He tickled his son mercilessly while Scorpius shrieked with delight and tried to roll away. But Draco was too quick; he let Scoprius think he was getting away, only to grab him at the last second and toss him back down, where he continued his assault.

Finally, they were both laughing and breathing hard, and Draco flopped onto the bed beside Scorpius.

When their laughter died down, Draco sat up. "So you want to go to the creek today, is that right?"

"Yes!" As though he hadn't just wrestled until he was breathless, Scorpius bounded up and started jumping on Draco's bed. "Creek! Creek! Creek!"

Draco chuckled and reached for Scorpius's arm, grabbing it and pulling him back down. They started to wrestle again, but there was a tapping at the window.

"Is that an owl?" Scorpius asked.

"Looks like it. Want to let it in?"

Scorpius nodded eagerly and jumped up, unlatching the window so the bird could fly in. It went straight to the perch and sat regally, watching them.

Draco felt a weight settle in the pit of his stomach. The only letters he'd received immediately upon waking had been from Hermione, and neither of them had been pleasant. The owl hooted impatiently, and Draco sighed, pushing himself off the bed.

He crossed the room and removed the note; this time, the owl waited, and Draco's heart started pounding. He recognized Hermione's tidy writing on the envelope and took a deep breath before opening it.

Draco,

Could we possibly meet this morning? The usual place, usual time? Please send a reply with this owl.

Hermione

Draco carried the note over to his bed and sank heavily onto it. He frowned at the parchment, trying to read everything that wasn't written there. Why did she want to meet? It had been four years for her, and she'd made it quite clear she didn't want to see him. Maybe she was getting married and she wanted to tell him in person—but that didn't make sense because she was single in the future.

"Daddy? What is it?" Scorpius crawled up on the bed beside him and looked at the note as though he could read it.

"It's… a note from an old friend. Wanting to meet me."

"Does that mean we can't go to the creek?" Scorpius's eyes were wide; Draco could tell that he was trying not to be disappointed.

"Of course not! We are absolutely going to the creek. It might mean that we go a little later than usual, that's all. Is Grand'Mere here, by any chance?" Draco knew that, as Scorpius got older, Narcissa had started visiting more often, but he wasn't sure when exactly that had happened.

Scorpius shook his head. "No. Just Mother. And Kippy."

Draco cringed hearing Scorpius refer to Astoria as Mother. When had that happened? The day before, he'd called her Mum. "All right. I'll ask Kippy to watch you for a bit while I go and meet with this friend. It shouldn't take long, though. While I'm gone, you and Kippy can pack our picnic basket so it's all ready to go when I return."

"Yes! That's a good plan, Daddy!" He hopped off the bed and ran for the door, shouting, "Kippy!"

Two seconds later, the elf appeared. Draco was laughing at his son. "Kippy, I have to run out for a bit just before nine thirty, and I need you to watch Scorpius. We'll be going to the creek when I return, so I'd like you to have a basket ready for us."

"Yes, Master. Of course, Sir."

It was eight thirty; Draco had about an hour to get ready, so he showered quickly, got dressed, and joined Scorpius for breakfast. With five minutes to spare, he kissed his son on the forehead and Disapparated, landing in the same alley they had used before.

Steeling himself, wondering what she could possibly want, Draco headed into the café. Sure enough, there she was, sitting in their usual spot and looking more breathtaking than ever. He took a deep breath and headed toward their corner.

Hermione looked up when she saw him approach and her eyes shone. She gripped her mug and sat up straighter in her chair.

Draco pulled his chair out, the legs scraping on the floor. "Hello."

"Hi." Her voice belied her confident demeanor. She bit her lip and hesitantly met his gaze.

As disappointed as he'd been when she'd told him she didn't want to see him anymore, it had only been four days in his time since he'd last seen her. For her, it had been four years. She was, in some ways, probably a very different person. He wouldn't hold whatever had led to her distancing from him against her. After all, something had caused her to reach out again.

She picked up the menu and began looking at it. "They've got some new menu items. What are you going to have?"

"I'll probably just order tea. I ate breakfast with Scorpius."

"Oh!" She lowered the menu so she could look at him then, her eyes bright and excited. "How is he? He's… what, four now?"

Draco nodded. "He's four, yes."

"I suppose I can't see him because of what he might say."

A shadow of a frown rippled across his face; he couldn't imagine why she'd care. Yes, she had enjoyed meeting Scorpius as an infant, but if she'd really wanted to see him, she could have made some effort since then.

Maybe he was a little more sour at her than he'd realized.

"No, he's definitely too curious for his own good. He'd have dozens of questions for me, and then he'd tell his mother all about 'Daddy's friend,' and then she'd have questions, and I'm not willing or interested in risking any changes to my timeline."

The server came then, and her eyes widened. "It's you two!"

Draco and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Um, what do you mean?" Hermione asked with a forced smile.

"I mean, for five years, you two came here and sat at this table." She rolled her eyes. "Well, that's not quite right. Last time, you just got food to go, but you had the baby, so it made sense. Hope you dont think I'm weird for noticing; I'm just like that. I know my customers. Don't get me wrong, I wish I hadn't been working here that long, it wasn't the plan when I started, let me tell you, but it's a decent job. And I've got to put my kids through school, so I do what I have to." She shrugged. "Anyway, what would you like?"

Draco wished he could eat an entire second breakfast just to help her out. He'd completely forgotten about Olivia, the server who remembered them year after year since they'd started meeting at this cafe. "I'll have a croissant and a cup of English breakfast, please."

Hermione closed her menu and smiled. "Quiche Florentine, a side of fruit, and a chai tea, please."

"It'll be out shortly." The server beamed at them and walked away.

"I had no idea she would miss us." Hermione chuckled and tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear.

He shook his head. "Me either. It's not like we came here a lot."

"No, only once a year. I suppose we were memorable?"

Neither spoke, and the silence became awkward. Draco noticed Hermione biting her lip and frowning, and he wondered if she were trying to find something to say. But he didn't feel like she should apologize for anything.

He leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands. "Listen, Hermione. If there's something I said last time, or something I did… or didn't say, didn't do… then please tell me what it was so I can apologize for it."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh! Draco, no—it wasn't you at all, it was completely and entirely me. I… I just needed—"

Draco held up a hand. "As I told you days ago—or, years, you know what I mean—you don't owe me anything. I know we fell into a habit of meeting up on this particular day, but there was never any rule saying we had to."

She glanced down at her lap, hiding her face from view. "I know that. It's important to me that you know, though, that nothing you did or said—or didn't do or didn't say—led to me… avoiding our meetings the last few years."

He smiled at her, wanting more than anything to simply put it behind them.

"Where's the baby?" Olivia arrived with the food, setting their dishes before them.

"He's… at home. With a… sitter." Draco had to stop himself from saying that Scorpius was being watched by a house-elf. That would be a disaster; though, chances were, the server wouldn't believe him anyway.

"Aw, you'll have to bring him in next time! I bet he's so big by now! Enjoy your food."

When she was gone, Hermione snickered. "I take it he's not with Astoria?"

"Kippy, actually." He checked his watch. "And I can't stay long, I'm afraid. I wasn't expecting an owl from you, so I had to scramble with arrangements for him."

"I hadn't thought of that. I forgot that on Astoria's birthday, she basically wants nothing to do with either of you." Hermione frowned at her quiche.

The bitterness in her tone surprised him, but he didn't mention it. His croissant was warm and fresh, and steam escaped when he pulled it apart. He spread a generous serving of butter all over the exposed end, then dipped it into the raspberry jam that came with it. It was incredible. He'd have to order a few extra to take on his picnic.

"So what did you want to meet about?" It was the question he'd been dying to ask since he sat down.

"Oh! That!" She quickly finished her bite, set down her fork, took a drink of tea, and dabbed her lips with her napkin. "Yes. Well, it's just… I had to ask you something. Did you… did you know? When you said all of that about Scorpius and not wanting him to grow up with only magical children… I'm assuming you knew, because I've been talking with you—past you—about it for almost seven months now. Occasionally, I mean."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did I know what, exactly?"

"That you'd be putting an idea into my head! About starting a school for magical children from all backgrounds."

"What?" Draco didn't try to hide his surprise. "Oh, um, no, I had no idea. I mean, I knew that you started the school, but I never knew why or what gave you the idea."

Hermione laughed then. "That's so funny, because it was you who first planted the seed! Four years ago today, in fact. In the park down the street."

He nodded carefully. "I remember your name showing up on my calendar one day. I don't make my own appointments, for the most part, and when Matilda—she's my assistant—handed me the schedule one day, your name was there. I was most confused and asked her about it. She told me she didn't know what you wanted. I remember being anxious all day; I hadn't seen you since my trial. I couldn't fathom why you'd sought a meeting with me."

"This… time traveling you're doing, it's rather strange. I was fairly confident, going into that meeting, that you'd be receptive to my idea, based on what we'd talked about a few years ago, but I was so very nervous about it." She paused and bit her lip, her eyes searching his. "I told you a few years ago that I'd seen you in Diagon Alley once, and that I'd hoped, somehow, that when you saw me… something would strike you. Nothing had that day, but I wondered about when we'd actually be talking, interacting? Would there be something to indicate that you remembered things?" She shook her head. "It was ridiculous, because that version of you wasn't the one traveling through time, so of course he wouldn't have…"

"I was rather supportive, I believe." Considering that he'd known of her for most of his life, he'd been wary, but he remembered her proposal had alleviated a great weight he'd felt growing ever since Scorpius was a baby. He'd been deeply involved in some company projects then—a merger or two, a takeover, and branching into a new area—so he hadn't really noticed her then. She'd been simply a surprise blip on his otherwise monotonous radar, but it hadn't been enough to cause much disturbance.

"Yes! You were. Quite so. You encouraged the idea, gave me a list of people to approach and suggestions for securing funding. That meeting gave me everything I needed to move forward with the idea."

Draco smiled. "I'm glad. If memory serves, we met a few times over the course of the year?"

She sat up straight, her eyes bright. "We've now met four times. And you even told me that you'd be sending Scorpius to the school." A slight smile played on her lips. . "Is that how I know him in the future? Will he really be attending my school?"

"I hope there's no harm done with this, but yes. Astoria and I managed to have a conversation long enough that we agreed to send him. I think part of her was happy at the thought of having someone else being in charge of his education." He scowled slightly. "Which was probably for the best, anyway."

Hermione nodded, lost in thought. "The first year of the school begins in September. We've already identified eight Muggle-born children, and I'll be visiting each of them over the next few months to meet their parents and invite them to the school."

"Will they all be just starting school?"

"Yes, they'll all be five before the first of September. It's a bit daunting, honestly, but I've never been happier with how I spend my time."

Draco chewed his last bite of croissant thoughtfully. "What happened with the Ministry? I never heard how that came to an end."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I grew tired of butting my head against a wall. Nothing I tried—nothing!—made any kind of difference."

"I take it you never spoke to Kippy? I think I'd have remembered if you had."

"No, I couldn't even get to that stage." She sighed. "I left the Ministry about two and a half years ago. I spent a little time traveling, just being alone with myself, listening to the voice inside me telling me what I wanted to do. I asked for advice from people I care about, people I respect. In the end, though, what you'd said to me wouldn't leave me alone. Teaching has always appealed to me, but in a nebulous way. This, though… I think it's perfect."

"I'm very glad to hear that. I remember being excited at the idea and also apprehensive." He chuckled. "Here you were, offering exactly what I'd been thinking about myself since my son was born. I even went so far as to wonder if you'd read my thoughts somehow."

Her laughter was like bells tinkling in a summer breeze. He wanted to mentally slap himself for having such a sappy thought.

"So you wanted to ask me about the school?" He smiled. "I hope I've answered you satisfactorily."

"You have, but that wasn't the only reason I wanted to see you."

She paused and it was enough of a silence to make his heart start pounding, allowing his thoughts to drift to wondering about the state of affairs with her heart. He'd pointedly refused to search for information on her love life, but he now glanced quickly to her hands and felt immense relief upon finding her fingers devoid of rings.

"I also wanted to... mend the rift I created. It would appear that we're going to be... interacting in the future, and I thought... We should be friendly again."

Friendly.

His smile was tight. "There's no need. If it's me you're worried about, remember it's only been a few days."

"I think I asked you once if we were friends in the future." She leaned over the table, her gaze fixed upon him in a curious and unsettling way. " What did you say?"

Draco cleared his throat. "We aren't friends. We are friendly, as you said, when we interact, but we don't spend time together. Not like this." He indicated the café around them.

Hermione bit her lip, an action that was beginning to draw his attention. "Do you think that will change?"

"Do I think what will change?"

"You know, when you... catch up to yourself. Will we be friends then? Like we have been for one day a year since third year?"

Oh, how desperately he wanted to walk around the table, pull her out of her chair, and kiss her—soundly—until he forgot everything but the feel of her lips. Naturally, he couldn't tell her that he wanted so much more than her friendship.

"I see no reason why not." He casually sipped from his tea, noticing that he was nearing the end. He'd tried to make it last a long time, because even though, for him, it had only been four days since he saw her, at the same time, somehow, it also felt like four years. He could almost feel the long span of time, see it in her face.

She grinned, her eyes sparkling. "We can keep meeting on April 26th, at the very least. Oh! I've just realized! If you actually do divorce Astoria, it will be much easier to meet. And you can bring Scorpius! We could spend the whole day together!"

"Oh, right. Astoria. It's her birthday." He shook his head with a chuckle.

"Where is she today?"

Draco frowned. "I'm not sure, we didn't even visit her this morning. Wait, hang on…" He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember where he'd sent her when Scorpius was four. Then it came to him. "Oh, she's with her sisters and a friend at the Malfoy villa on Lake Como."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Your… family has a villa on Lake Como?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'd forgotten about it until I was desperate to find somewhere for her to go." Draco's watch beeped once, and he looked down at it, startled to see that it read ten-twenty-five. "Oh, wow. I told Scorpius I wouldn't be gone longer than an hour. I have to go."

"I see. Well, all right, you go ahead then. I'll take care of things here."

Draco pulled a Galleon from his pocket. "I don't have anything smaller, sorry."

"That's all right. Um, so, next year? Same time?" She forced a smile that was too wide and jerked her thumb toward the counter. "Wouldn't want to let our new friend there down."

He masked his surprise and the subsequent thrill that she wanted to meet him again. It felt different this time, like there was more behind her words, something extra in her eyes. He refused to consider that she might feel something for him. It wouldn't be wise at this point, since he still has three years—three days—to get through before he learned his fate.

"All right. I'll do my best to be sure my mother is in town next year. Only, we should meet for lunch instead. I'll be taking Scorpius to the creek in the morning so she can watch him after."

"Lunch is good, lunch works." She let out a breath, relaxing into the beginnings of a smile. "Maybe one? It's a weekend, so I won't have to worry about the school."

Draco nodded and stood. "Sounds great. I'll see you then. Bye, Hermione."

ooo

The first thing Draco did when he got back to the Manor was make a note in his calendar for the following year to be sure his mother would be visiting for Astoria's birthday. It would be a Sunday, so he wouldn't have to concern himself with work. Making plans again for the next year felt strange and somehow different from all the other times before. Maybe it was because it came after she had distanced herself and then wanted to resume their relationship—or whatever it was.

He was probably making more out of it than he should. With a chuckle and a light reprimand to himself, he shut his planner and went to find Scorpius.

ooo

Draco still had one question about Theo. Why had he gone after Astoria? Had that been part of his plan, to seduce her and further stab Draco in the back? Did he even truly care about her?

Maybe they had fallen in love, independent of his aspirations for streaming the company. Theo had probably promised her everything Draco wouldn't, though Draco truly had no idea what would even make Astoria happy. She had never told him. He knew one thing very clearly: it hadn't been him.

Draco realized that he should watch some of his memories to try and puzzle out what had happened with Theo, but to do that, he needed some kind of starting point. They'd been friends in school, though not very close; he hadn't known details about Draco's plan in sixth. But in seventh, they'd formed a tight bond because they, along with Blaise, were the only Slytherin students who were averse to all the extrajudicial punishments being meted out by teachers and fellow students.

Blaise had somehow escaped the terror or any reprisals for his refusal to be involved. Draco had always suspected it had something to do with his mother, but he'd never found anything out.

Since Blaise never experienced the terror, he couldn't commiserate with Draco and Theo, hence the two of them forming a very strong bond. At least, Draco had thought it was strong.

After the war, they'd returned for eighth year together, and even though they remained friends, some of the closeness was lost. Draco now wondered if it was because they had seen each other in very weak moments. Once the threat was over, maybe Theo couldn't stand that someone had seen him at his lowest. Draco had absolutely felt some of that, as well.

So they had been friends but not as close as during their seventh year. After school ended, they definitely drifted apart, but Draco never felt any sort of animosity toward him. He searched his memory for some clue about Theo's behavior but genuinely could not come up with anything.

Next, he started pulling out memories of past interactions with Theo. He watched them one after the other to see if he could find any clues. Nothing showed up until he came to the memory of his wedding day to Astoria. It was very brief, but there was a moment where he saw Theo glaring at him, then looking at Astoria as though she was everything to him.

He watched the very short scene over and over again and could only conclude that Theo had been in love with her. Whether or not he still was, Draco didn't know, but it stood to reason that he would be. Why else would he go to the extreme effort to be with her? Maybe he thought if he took over the Malfoy industries he could provide Astoria with the same life that she was used to and essentially take Draco's place.

He had to wonder, of course, if Astoria had been in love with Theo for just as long. Had she married Draco against her wishes just as he had married her against his? What a mess. Still, discovering Astoria's infidelity on the same day of Theo's takeover had to have been coincidence. There was simply no way Theo could have known Draco would show up at the office when he was supposed to have taken the day off.

Draco could only shake his head. He really had no answer and he didn't know if there was any way he could find out the truth. It would just have to wait until he could ask Theo in person.

Draco spent the rest of the evening writing in his journal. He added in everything he'd learned about Theo, and then, since he was caught up to the present, he found himself getting lost in his thoughts. He knew he ought to go to bed because his tomorrow self would appreciate it, but he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione and what his time with her meant for his future.

He definitely felt apprehension at the realization that he might have changed her life so much that, when he got back to his time, she wouldn't be the same person he had known before. It was just a thought in the back of his mind, but now he had something new to worry about. He considered whether he ought to stop meeting her, but he only had a few years left. And so far, things were progressing as he'd expected. There wasn't a whole lot he could honestly change in the short amount of time that he spent in the past; he knew one tiny ripple could have enormous consequences.

And yet.

He was selfish, really. He didn't want to cancel on her next year. He wanted to take all of the time she wanted to give him. It had been mostly her, he realized, who had continued to set up their next meetings. Not once had he considered telling her no, but he wondered now if he should have. It made him quite anxious to think about the possible consequences of him seeking her out that first day when he'd found himself in third year. In his defense, he hadn't thought it through. He'd panicked; he'd believed she would help him, so he'd gone to her, and now, he might have messed everything up.

He'd been so focused on not affecting the outcome of the war, then on ensuring that things went correctly so Scorpius was born, that he had completely failed to think about how his actions would have impacted Hermione and how her life might be altered because of him.

He couldn't do anything about it now; maybe he should talk to her.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he sent her an owl. It was late—very late. He didn't even know if she'd still be awake, and his nerves started twisting uncomfortably as soon as he'd sent the owl on its way. He panicked briefly at the thought of her not replying until the next day, but then, surely she would realize what had happened and wait.

In less than half an hour, he had a response, and he let out a breath in relief.

"Kippy!"

The elf appeared instantly. "Master called?"

"Is Scorpius asleep still? And where's Astoria?"

"Master Scorpius is asleep and has been for over three hours, Sir. Mistress Astoria is in her rooms. I believe her lights are out."

Draco glanced at the clock. "It's nearly midnight. I've got to run out for just a few minutes. Please alert me if anything happens."

Kippy nodded. "I will, Sir!"

Relieved, Draco thanked the elf and Disapparated, landing in the alley beside the café. The street looked much different so late at night, but he didn't dawdle to examine it. He hurried to the park where he'd met Hermione with Scorpius and found her there, waiting on the bench.

"Hey." He was slightly out of breath when he reached her.

"Hello, Draco." She smiled warmly, setting aside the book she'd been reading. She looked tired, and she was dressed in very casual clothes that he suspected were pajamas. "This was a surprise. What's on your mind?"

Rather than sit beside her, he started pacing. After a moment, he began to unload all of his thoughts. He rambled through the concerns he had about the implications of his trip through time, hardly pausing to breathe. Hermione was gracious and listened, not interrupting him once.

Finally, with everything out in the open, he stopped and looked at her. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry. I didn't think through what my decision all those years ago might mean for you. And I hope, more than anything, that it hasn't messed up your life. If it has I'll… I'll never be able to forgive myself."

Hermione waited a moment to make sure that he was finished, then patted the bench beside her. "Draco. Come and sit."

He obeyed mechanically, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Draco."

Slowly, he dragged his gaze over to her, afraid of what she might say and ashamed at the fact that he hadn't considered her at all until that night.

"I appreciate your concern. I really do." She was smiling kindly. "And, honestly, I've given this a lot of thought. Your decision to speak to me in third year wouldn't have altered the course of my life all by itself; I quickly put it behind me soon after you were horrible to me like usual. But the next year, you coming to me mattered, if only because you presented a fascinating magical puzzle you asked me to help you solve. I could have stayed away. After the war, coming to see you in prison was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life because I knew that it would mean… something. I didn't know what—I still don't—but if I'd simply left you in prison, then my life probably could have regained the track it was meant to take."

Then she paused and looked out at the dark park. "I chose the path I took. I knew that it meant things would be different. Or, at least, that there was the potential for that." Hermione turned toward him now, pulling one leg up onto the bench. "But, Draco, there's no telling that anything happened differently. That's the mind-boggling thing about time travel. If you're here now, if you've been traveling through time, visiting one day a year for however many years, then you were always doing that. So there is no timeline where you didn't come to see me in third year, no thread of time has been broken. This is my reality, where I spend a few hours with you every year." She shrugged. "I don't know what, if anything, is different, and I certainly can't miss what I never experienced."

He dropped his head into his hands. "But… it's just not fair, what I've done."

"Draco, I could have stopped this years ago, and I didn't. I made the choice to walk this path, so no matter what I'm missing, it was my choice." She put her hand on his arm. "Think about it this way, I chose not to go to the market last weekend. Maybe I missed bumping into an old friend, getting lunch, and re-establishing an important relationship. I'll never know, will I? And I cannot mourn all the maybes and what-ifs. I'd go mad. I accepted, long ago, that choosing to continue meeting with you would have consequences. It just so happens that I'm okay with that."

Draco peered at her through his fingers. "Really?"

She smiled. "Really. And, again, I very much appreciate your concern for me and my life. But I assure you, I'm all right."

He shut his eyes and let out a long breath, his racing heart starting to slow. "All right. Um, thank you. Though, I feel I should still apologize for dragging you into this."

"You didn't know what was going on." She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders. "How could you have? I'm really not sorry that you came to me. It's been quite an adventure so far."

Draco stared at the ground in front of him, his focus zeroed in on her last two words: so far.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like an hour. Then Hermione yawned, and Draco wanted to smack himself for being so inconsiderate.

"I'm so sorry, it's ridiculously late, and you've probably got work tomorrow." He stood up quickly. "I should let you get back."

Hermione stood as well, a smirk on her face. "Tomorrow's Saturday. But you're right, it's late. I'll see you… well, tomorrow for you. Sleep well."

Draco said good night and watched her walk to a spot from which she could covertly Disapparate. When the sound of her departure echoed through the quiet park, he sighed and turned back toward the alley.

She'd said it had been an adventure so far, implying that there would be more to come. He let himself smile at that; even though he'd met with her to apologize for inserting himself into her life like he had, she'd basically told him that it had been her choice to continue—meaning she'd wanted to spend all that time with him, too—and she'd hinted at adventures to come.

With a spring in his step despite his exhaustion, Draco made it to the alley and Apparated home.

He fell asleep with his thoughts swirling, focused in on his two new favorite words.

So far.