This is a bit of a longer chapter.

Hope everyone enjoys it!

He's made the drive to London multiple times over the years, he's even taken the train a few times. He's never had to make the drive for something like this though.

He still finds it unbelievable that some site thinks he has a kid he didn't know about it. Maybe he does? He thinks back to the grainy photo that she had sent him that someone had taken of them with her phone that had a camera. In today's standard, the camera was shit, but it was no mistaking that was him in it.

She had yet to offer to send him a photo of the child.

He finds himself downtown, some little cafe bistro bar that she said was quiet and had good drinks.

He has a feeling that she knows people who work there, as she said she would meet him at 5:30 pm.

He checks himself over in the mirror, it always feels a touch strange to be out of uniform, and his civilian dress pants and shirt felt much too new and not all broken into like his uniform.

She there at the bar, he thinks it's her anyway. Talking animately to someone at the bar, but her hands keep playing too with a ring on her right hand, and a bracelet on her left wrist. Her right heel was dangling off her foot that wrapped round bar stool.

She was the only redhead in the place at the moment, a dark auburn that shimmered in the light. Suddenly she turned to the door and straightens up.

She was fairly tall, and the heels only added to it, she was dressed in a green dress that had white flowers on it. It fit her extremely well.

"Ken?" She asks hesitantly?

"Rilla?" He answers and she nods her head. They stand there awkwardly before she holds out her hand to him. He takes it and gives it a gentle, yet firm shake.

"Chloe, we're going to grab the table in the corner," Rilla tells the persons behind the bar picking up her glass that seemed to be filled with only water at this moment. A waitress comes by dropping off a plate of fries, she must have ordered for them. They both order coffee which comes in its own pot.

"You look the same, older of course but the same?" he says unsure of what to say first.

"So do you," she says quietly. "This is a lot more strange than anticipated, no matter how much you wonder what it might be like?" she admits out loud.

"Why don't we just start at the beginning? We both agree about meeting at the party, and when I woke up you were already gone." Ken finds himself saying. "What happens after that?"

"Well, I manage to find my way back home, hungover by taking the bus back to my dorms," Rilla tells him. "I still don't quite remember exactly where the place was actually but I made it home and slept most of the afternoon. I was on the pill, so I didn't really think of pregnancy being a thing?"

"My friend lived up off of Wharncliffe," he tells her. "Honestly I'm not sure if I used any protection that night."

"Clearly," She says in such a way that had an edge of teasing to it. "I suppose you're wondering why I didn't choose differently being young as I was? Because I would have might have if I had known early enough?" She asks him and he nods his head cautiously.

"I didn't exactly clue in until I was sixteen weeks, it was well after Christmas, into the second semester, in my second trimester. I tried to figure out who you were at that point, no luck at all. I look back and clearly, I was in denial about it, I barely made it through that doctor's appointment. I went home in April and I hadn't even told my parents. They took it as well as expected disappointed that I didn't tell them but dad got me a doctor's appointment and mom cleared out a bedroom. They helped me get on my feet and figure out life and what was I going to do." Rilla says before taking a drink of water and another fry.

"As I said we can do a real paternity test, I'm not entirely sure how I will pull it off with a nine-year-old. She doesn't know about any of this, I never expected it, I didn't expect a school project to lead to something like this. I had come to terms that one day I would just have to explain to her that I didn't know who you were. When I wrote you those months ago, I thought you didn't care and it just moved on. Though I do want you to know I didn't do the test thinking I might find you, it was for a school project and trust me. I wasn't expecting you to pop up at all."

"I truly didn't see it until the other week, my ex-wife had it connected to an email that I didn't use. Not that this had anything to do with the revelation of my life, we were separated before this," Ken tells her not wanting to think she destroyed his marriage. "There's no one in your life? I don't want to suddenly appear and be threatening to a relationship or anything?" Ken finds himself asking.

Rilla shakes his head to him.

"I've dated here and there of course of the years, but most never got to the point of meeting the kid part. I am sorry about your marriage, you didn't have any other children, did you? Sorry, that's not my business! It's just my parent's marriage is each their second and I grew up with my siblings going back and forth between houses so it's rather normal to me?" She tells him blushing.

"No children, my job— I work for the Canadian Armed Forces. I've spent a lot of our relationship and early marriage in-between deployments. I doubt that helped us, Though last year I have fully transitioned into office work unless it is a dire need for me to go somewhere," Ken explains.

"I mean I know without a doubt that you're the only person who can be her father. I spent the long weekend crying with my high-school boyfriend told me that long-distance was too hard we should just break up. That party was the first time I had gone out since arriving at school." Rilla tells him before straightening her back.

"Mostly, I just want to be sure if the paternity test comes out positive that you're all right with this. That you want this for yourself. I need you to think about what you're stepping into, because if do you have to be in it for good. I can't let her get to know you for you to decide that it's too hard or not worth your time. I just want you to really think about this, you're welcome in her life, but I just need to be sure that it's for good." Her voice is stern, but caring with a touch of pleading in her voice.

If it would have been appropriate he would have told her that he had been ready to raise a child that wasn't his. He didn't because that didn't matter in this instant. He nodded his head carefully, watching her with a careful eye, because something in her fierce protectiveness that came with motherhood, made him only want to see more of it.

"As I said on the phone, the fact that her DNA was connected with mine and my sister is enough of a definite right now for me to move forward with this." Ken reminds her gently. "We can figure out things as we go? I live my life to honour my country, I like to believe that I would honour my family at the same time. I'm sure it won't always be easy, but if I'm in, I am in for however long she wishes me to be in her life." He settles with. It also had to be the child's choice as well didn't it?

She nods her head and takes a sip of her coffee. Deciding apparently that was answer enough for her as she changes the subject.

"I work for a law firm as an assistant, I don't think I have mentioned that. I am dismal at most things academic, but being organized and helping others be organized seems to be my calling in life." Rilla explains to him, probably trying to tell him she had friends who are lawyers and she would go do that route if needed. "It also means I love a good scrapbook," before reaching for her one bag, but al

Ken finds himself watching as she pulls out an album and lays it on the table and pushes the plate out of the way.

"She was born July 24, after spending my entire 19th birthday in the hospital cursing everything, and you despite not knowing your name," Rilla tells him.

He opens the album and he's greeted with the sight of a squished little baby who had a dark fuzz on her head. In a large shirt that said 'I was born at Summerside Hospital-PEI'

"Summerside, PEI?" Ken finds himself asking.

"That's where home is? Was?" Rilla tells him. "I fell in love with London, and moved back when she was four years old."

"Is that your parents?" Ken asks looking at an older couple, the woman with coppery red-haired a man with brown hair with a touch of curls in it holding the newborn. While the opposite page is clearly one taken at home and not the hospital.

"Yes, that is mom and dad," she nods. "And that is all my siblings, there are 7 of us in total. The ones on the left are Jem and Nan from dad's first marriage, and to the right of me is Joy, Walter and Di, from mom's first marriage. I know you would think Walter would be on my dad's side, and Jem on mom's by the hair but nope,"

"Who's beside you?" Ken finds himself asking.

"That's Lee, you see my parents thought. 'You know let's have one together with more for an even six', low and behold they had twins. So Lee is my twin, he's older by about twelve minutes?" she laughed lightly shaking her head. "They are amazing Aunts and uncles. Kenzie loves when she sees them."

"Is that her name Kenzie, Mackenzie?" Ken finds himself picking up the first time she said the child's name. It etches in into his heart.

"Kenzie is a nickname, and maybe I was still high on what drugs they gave me, maybe coincidence is just that, a coincidence or maybe it was my conscience trying to tell me something, but I named her Kennedy," She tells him, flipping the page to show the small label that would have been on the bassinet.

Kennedy Alice Blythe,

July 24th, 2007

7 LBS 4OZ—21 inch long

Mother-

Rilla Isolde Blythe

Kennedy, it was daringly close to his own name of Kenneth. What a bizarre coincidence, though he focuses in on the other name that puzzles him.

"Isolde?" Ken raises an eyebrow trying to pronounce the strange name.

"Ee-Sol-duh. Which is better than Lee's, she named him Shirley Oberon." Rilla tells him with a small exhaling laugh for her twin. "The others are Joyce Hestia, Walter Holden and Diana Juliet."

"Literary names?" Ken finds himself asking. "Shakespeare, Catcher in the Rye, Greek myths? Though I am not sure where Isolde is from."

"Arthurian Legends, Tristan and Iseult or Isolde," she explained. "Alice is for well for Alice in Wonderland, my favourite books growing up as I choose to carry on the tradition my mom started. Though Kenzie though is right into Harriet the Spy and Nancy Drew these days. Actually, she has this crazy grand conspiracy that you're a spy or something working on some grand mission. I probably let it go on too long but she refrained from asking about you so I let it slide." Rilla tells him.

"I mean I am part of the Intelligence Branch of the CAF," Ken offers with a small grin. "I mean I mostly worked on battle strategy these days and training new officers. But it's probably one of the branches that can be classified as spy ish? I think the CBC made a T.V show about CAMP X?"

"I know it, we've watched it actually. She thinks it's cool." Rilla tells him with a smile.

"What does she know?" Ken asks boldly trying to get a sense of the situation a bit more.

"She knows how you are by the one photo I took, she knows that I don't know who or where you are," Rilla tells him quietly. She flips to the end of the album, showing revealing the photo she had of them and it drove memories to the forefront of his mind.

"I've always tried to tell her the truth in an age-appropriate way I suppose? We had a little chat during the family tree project, she was worried about kids making fun of her for not knowing her paternal side of herself. I know it hurts her that I didn't have a name for you or a reasonable excuse. She is still a bit too young to be like, 'mom had a one-night slut phase, where she drunk and slept with a stranger,' but I'm sure it will happen one day, she's almost ten after all." Rilla jokes awkwardly. "She's a good kid though she's into gymnastics and also does circus school. She smart, which she didn't get from me that is for sure and has this sassy personality that will make you want to give her a high five instead of telling her to watch her mouth." Rilla explains to him.

"That sounds like my sister," Ken tells he wanting to hear more, but he pulls back. They still had to find sure, and their coffee pot was almost empty and they had been here almost two hours at this point.

"So I'll figure out how to get her to take a DNA test without giving everything away and we go from there?" Rilla tells me. "You decide what you want to do, talk to a lawyer maybe? See our options and then I can break the news to her and you can meet her. It might see if I can get her some child counselling so she can have a healthy way of processing this?" Rilla tells.

"If it tells us what we already know, what about child support," Ken finally asks.

"We can decide on that later, I make enough to live comfortably with some savings. Though I won't lie my parents do pay for Kenzie's gymnastics and circus school," Rilla tells him. "They offered though, but if you wish to contribute to her life we can figure something out?" Rilla tells him a matter of factly.

Ken finds him nodding his head. They argue about the bill, she telling him that he drove out to see her, that she would pay for the coffee and fries they had eaten. He wants to be a gentleman but gives in when he realized she wouldn't back down.

"Can I?" he asks seeing a school photo tucked into the back of the album.

Rilla shakes her head. "That's last year, take this one," she says pulling another little photo from her wallet. "Take this one as well," she tells him handing the newborn photo as well as the school photo.

Long wavey hair that was dark but under the flash shined a hint of red, along with pale skin that had a warmth to it, while she was dressed in a pair of overalls and colourful shirt. What shocked him the most was how her eyes stood out in the photo, dark grey with that touch of light purple in them.

His own eyes.