Chapter 1

December 23, 2039: Somewhere in Pasadena...

"Mom, we're here!" William announced as he held Halley's hand into the living room. "We brought a bottle of wine and some cheese..." he said as he took Halley's coat and hung it on the side.

Penny came out into the hallway wearing an apron and some oven mitts, smiling at them. "Sweetheart...come here and give your mother a kiss..." she said.

William looked at Halley and sighed. "She always does this like I'm still five years old." he said, making his girlfriend laugh.

"William Hofstadter you come here right now or I swear to god!" Penny yelled, putting her hands on her waist and giving him an angry look.

"I'm just messing with you mom." William said as he went to hug his mother. "Merry Christmas mom."

Penny smiled and kissed her son on his cheek. "Merry Christmas sweetie!" she said before turning to greet Halley. "Halley...come here..." she added.

"Merry Christmas aunt Penny..." Halley said while hugging Penny.

Penny slowly broke off and held Halley to look at her. "You look so amazing...I really like those shoes..."

Halley looked at her shoes and showed them off. "Thanks...Sarah helped me pick it out..."

"Well, that's one thing you can rely on my sister for." William chimed in, making them laugh. "Where's dad anyway?" he asked as Marty ran into the house, excited in seeing his big brother. "Hey buddy...did you miss me?" he said as Marty kept jumping and running around the young couple, trying to get some attention from them.

Halley got down and rubbed the dog's belly. "Hey Marty...you're such a sweet boy huh!" she said before the dog was able to land a few kisses, making Halley laugh.

"Hey...no one kisses her but me..." William said, taking the dog off Halley when the door opened, with Leonard, Howard, Bernadette and their son Michael entering the living room.

"Look who I found in the driveway!" Leonard said as Penny greeted the Wolowitz family for a little Christmas dinner with them. Marty became more excited, running and jumping around Leonard and the others, earning him a lot of belly rubs from Michael.

"Hey boy..." said Michael, rubbing the dog's head and belly.

"Bernie..." said Penny while hugging Bernadette before doing the same to Howard and Michael. "Michael...you're so handsome...and taller than your dad now!" she said while looking closely at Halley's younger brother.

"Merry Christmas aunt Penny." said Michael.

"Thanks for inviting us to dinner Penny..." said Bernadette as Leonard took their coats to hang on the wall.

"Well it was William's idea..." said Penny.

"Not to mention he's footing the bill an this one..." Leonard chimed in, making them all laugh.

"Well I guess having a son with a great career has it's perks huh?" Howard said, lightly tapping William's shoulder.

"This is just the start uncle Howard...it won't be long until I'm sending mom and dad to a weekend vacation in a beach resort or something." William said, making Howard laugh.

"Don't forget the full body massage and spa treatment sweetheart." Penny said while giving Leonard a high five.

"And those fancy cucumber drinks..." he added as they started settling down in the living room while Marty snuggled himself between William and Halley.

"Where's Sarah anyway?" asked Bernadette when they heard a loud rumbling noise from outside the house. Michael stood up and peered through the window curtains, slightly surprised with what he saw.

"Uh...aunt Penny, uncle Leonard...I think you should see this..." he said as Penny and Leonard jumped off the couch followed closely by the others as they looked at the window, seeing Sarah getting off the back of a chopper-style motorcycle, wearing a helmet and a leather jacket. The guy driving the motorcycle wore the same, complete with big leather boots and sporting a few tattoos on both arms. Sarah took off her helmet and lightly fixed her long blonde hair with her fingers while the guy parked the motorcycle, making sure it's secure and stable, before taking his helmet off. Marty jumped from the couch and darted toward the front door, barking and scratching the door, clearly sensing his big sister on the other side.

"I think I'm gonna have another heart attack." Leonard said as Penny put her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh my god..." Penny said to herself. She couldn't believe what she was seeing as Sarah and her boyfriend walked towards the house, looking like a couple of biker hoodlums or something.

"And this is boyfriend number?..." William asked her parents.

"Three I guess." said Leonard.

"Three boyfriends in three-and-a-half years...wow..." said William in disbelief.

They hurriedly went back to sit in the living room to pretend they saw nothing, waiting for the couple to come into the house. The door opened with Sarah stepping into the living room followed by her boyfriend who greeted them with a smile while Marty went into overdrive, barking and clawing his way up to his big sister.

"I'm home!" Sarah said as she saw them sitting quietly around the coffee table. "Uh, what did I miss?" she asked as she picked the dog up and cuddled him in her arms.

Leonard decided to break the silence and welcome his daughter. "Nothing honey...Merry Christmas..." he said, before kissing Sarah on her cheek.

"Merry Christmas dad. By the way, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Morgan." she said as she pulled Morgan forward to shake Leonard's hand. "Babe, this is my father Leonard..." said Sarah.

"Nice to meet you sir...Sarah told me everything about you..." said Morgan.

"Nice to meet you too Morgan..." Leonard said before Sarah introduced her man to the rest of them.

"This is my mother...Penny." said Sarah. "Mom this is my boyfriend Morgan." she added.

Morgan shook Penny's hand. "Now I can see where Sarah got her good looks from..." he said.

"That's not the only thing she got from my mom." William chimed in, making Halley laugh.

Sarah sighed. "That jackass with the goofy hair is my brother William..." she said as Moran went over to shake his hand. "..and that's his childhood sweetheart, Halley...and her parents uncle Howard and aunt Bernadette and their son Michael..." Sarah said as Morgan greeted each and every one of them.

"Nice to meet you guys..." said Morgan as Sarah did the same, giving tight hugs to Howard, Bernadette, Michael and Halley.

"And this is Marty..." Sarah said, letting the dog familiarize himself with her boyfriend. The dog suddenly growled and barked angrily at Morgan, surprising them all.

"Woah...easy buddy..." Morgan said, backing away a little from the dog.

"Marty stop it!" Sarah told the dog, turning him away from her boyfriend. "What is wrong with you?" she asked as Marty wiggled himself over her shoulder to bark at Morgan once more. William looked at his parents and gave them a silent look, knowing that Marty probably sensed something odd with Sarah's new boyfriend. "Okay...you stay at the backyard and behave...I promise I'll bring you some treats later..." she said as she took the dog to the backyard, leaving Morgan alone in the living room with her family.

"That's a nice bike you have outside." Michael said, breaking the awkward silence in the living room.

"Thanks...I've been working on that thing for ages...but she purrs like a kitten..." said Morgan as Sarah came back.

Leonard then notice something on his daughter's lower back. "Uh...honey, what is that on your back?" he asked his daughter.

Sarah turned around, seeing her dad pointing at her tattoo. "Oh this?" she said as she revealed a small butterfly tattoo on her lower back. "It looks nice right?" she said while proudly showing off her tattoo.

"Oh my god." Leonard said, trying to keep his composure while Penny sighed in disbelief.

"How long have you had that?" asked William.

"A couple of months now...and I know what you guys are gonna say." said the young lady. "And in case you forget, mom has a couple of tattoos too..." she pointed out.

William looked at Halley. "This is turning out to be one of the best Christmas ever..." he jokingly said as Halley nudged him on the side, telling him to behave.

"Okay, why don't we all go to the kitchen and have dinner..." Penny said. "Sarah sweetie...Morgan...you guys can wash up in the bathroom if you want..." she added as Howard and his family stood up and followed them into the dining area.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Morgan, what do you do?" asked Leonard. "Do you go to school or something?" he added as they ate dinner at the dining room table.

"Well I finished high school alright...but after that, I figured college wasn't for me..." he said.

"Morgan is a mechanic...he fixes cars, motorcycles...lawnmowers..." Sarah chimed in. "Basically anything with a crankshaft, he can fix it!" Sarah added.

Morgan faced his girlfriend. "I love the way you say 'crankshaft'." he teasingly said, making Sarah laugh and blush at the same time.

"Babel?" said Sarah, giving him the look and telling him to behave.

Leonard looked at Penny and can't believe what they were seeing.

"So...Sarah told me you're a scientist." Morgan asked William.

William nodded. "Yeah...I'm a physicist like my dad..."

"Wow...that's very impressive..." Morgan said. "I tried wrapping my head around math and stuff back in high school, but I guess all that stuff is not for me..." he added.

"My brother here graduated college at eighteen and got his doctorate before turning twenty-one." Sarah said.

"Wow...so you're a doctor like your dad huh?" asked Morgan.

"Uh yeah...but not the one who has access to drugs and stuff..." William said, making Halley laugh.

Morgan then turned to Howard and his family. "is that true when Sarah told me that you actually went to space?" he asked Howard.

"Yes...I went to the International Space Station. But that was a long time ago." said Howard.

"So you're an actual astronaut? That is so cool!" said Morgan, visibly impressed.

"Thanks." said Howard.

"No problem..." Morgan said before standing up. "Excuse me...I have to use the bathroom."

"Okay babe..." Sarah said as Morgan disappeared into the hallway. Sarah then looked at her parents. "Okay...I know what you guys are thinking...so let me beat you to it...Morgan is a really nice guy so can you please stop looking at him like some sort of criminal or something?" she said.

"Hey don't look at me..." William said.

"I am looking at you!" Sarah told her brother.

"What do you want me to do? High five the guy that's sleeping with my sister?" asked William as Leonard and Penny bowed their heads, wishing they wouldn't have to discuss the topic in front of everyone.

"Really? Well in case you haven't noticed...you're the guy sleeping with their daughter...and his sister!" Sarah said, referring to Halley's family, making Leonard bow and shake his head.

"That's not fair...my relationship with Halley is different..." William answered.

"Why is it different? Are you guys planning on getting married?" asked the young lady, putting the couple in an awkward situation.

"Uh..." William uttered, unable to answer his sister.

"What happened? Cat got your tongue?" Sarah asked, teasing her brother and looking directly at him. "Oh my god...are you guys seeing this?" she said as William tried to hide his embarrassment.

Halley looked at William and saw he was getting uncomfortable with the situation. "Uh babe...are you okay?"

Sarah then realized something. "Oh my god...are you? Don't tell me you're gonna..." she asked her brother as Morgan returned to the dining room, sensing the tension in the air.

William then faced Halley, holding her hands and looking straight into her eyes.

"Uh...what are you doing?" Halley asked as she felt a little uneasy.

William took a deep breath and smiled at Halley while the rest of their families look on. "Halley...I loved you since we were little...I lost you once and I'm not gonna lose you again..." he said as tears started falling from Halley's eyes, touched by what William said. She then gasped when William got down on his knees and took out a diamond ring from his pocket.

"Oh my god!" Penny exclaimed as she grabbed Leonard's arms, like an eagle's talons.

"Howie are you seeing this!?" Bernadette said as she held her son Michael close.

"I can't believe this is happening!" said Sarah as Morgan held her close, happy in witnessing the magical event.

"Halley...will you marry me?" William asked as Halley cried happy tears, unable to control her happiness.

"Yes Will...I'll marry you!" Halley said.

William slipped the ring on her finger before Halley pulled him up to seal the deal with a kiss as their families jumped and rejoiced, happy for the newly engaged couple.

"Sweetheart I'm so happy for you!" Penny said while hugging her son. "Halley...come here sweetie..." she added, hugging her future daughter-in-law.

"Congratulations son!" said Leonard, before shaking his hand.

"Thanks dad...thanks uncle Howard..." William said while shaking their hands.

"Honey...I'm so happy for you!" Bernadette said while hugging her daughter.

"Thanks mom...this is so unexpected!" said Halley as Sarah hugged her future sister-in-law.

"I knew this jackass was up to something!" said Sarah, referring to her brother. "Let me see..." she added while looking at Halley's ring. "Oh my god...it's so pretty!" she exclaimed as Penny and Bernadette joined them to look at Halley's diamond ring.

"I know." Halley said, giggling with Sarah while looking at the precious stone on her finger.

William took a long breath of relief. "I really thought Halley was gonna freak out or something." he said, making the guys laugh.

"Well just be happy that she didn't sweetheart." Penny said.

"I guess you owe me again huh!?" Sarah chimed in.

"And why is that exactly?" William asked, knowing that his sister would find a way to out herself in the center again.

"You are so clueless sometimes...don't you see, if I didn't put you in the spot, then you wouldn't have the nerve to propose to her!" she said, making her parents laugh.

"She has a point buddy." said Leonard.

"Aww come on!...she would've said yes knowing that she's having this!" William said, pointing at himself while the rest of the girls folded their arms and gave him an angry look.

"Wow...I really envy you Halley...you're gonna get married to a grade-A jackass!" Sarah said

Halley gave William a playful smile. "Don't worry Sarah...I'll just put everything in the bank and when the time comes to collect, someone's gonna pay..." she said, clearly teasing her fiancé.

"Oh come on babel...I'm only joking..." William told Halley.

Halley punched him lightly on the gut. "You really have to ruin everything huh?" she said.

"Why do I always get into trouble every time I do something nice?" William asked while looking around them.

"Welcome to my world." Leonard said, making Penny laugh.

"Our world Leonard." Howard said, making Bernadette laugh as well as they went right back to having dinner while Halley and William couldn't wipe the smile off their faces, happy with the next chapter of their lives.

"Oh mom before I forget...Morgan and I are leaving right after dinner." said Sarah.

"Really...I thought you were gonna stay here longer?" asked Penny.

"Morgan and I are going to this party later..." Sarah said. "...and don't worry, I know I'm not twenty-one yet so I know alcohol is off limits..." she added before her parents could react.

"Don't worry Mrs, Hofstadter, I won't be drinking too...you know, designated driver..." said Morgan.

Penny looked at Leonard and sighed, knowing that it's useless to argue with their daughter. "Okay...fine..."

After dinner, Sarah made sure to feed Marty in his dog house at the backyard, cleaning out his water bowl and dusting off his blanket where he sleeps. "Here you go boy..." she said while putting a bowl of food for him. Marty ate his food heartily while wagging his tail, finishing it in just a few minutes before drinking some water to wash it all down. "I'm going out with Morgan okay?" she said while rubbing his head and belly. Marty suddenly barked and growled at her. "What? Don't worry about me...I'm gonna be fine..." she told the dog. Marty then stood up and tried snuggling up to her, landing a few kisses on her neck and cheek. "Okay...how about this...I'm gonna come here tomorrow and take you out for a walk...and then I'll give you a nice long bath...your fur is so dirty and smelly..." she told her pet. Marty barked at her and stood up, landing a few more kisses on her face while wagging his tail. "Okay...okay...no need to get too excited...now you stay here and look after mom and dad alright?...and jackass too..." she said smiling Marty. The dog barked once more, telling his big sister he understood her before going back to laying on top of his blanket.

Sarah went back to the living room where Morgan was waiting for him. "I'm ready." she told her boyfriend before going over to kiss her parents goodbye. "Bye mom...bye dad..." she said, doing the same to Howard and Bernadette before saying goodbye to Halley. "Bye Halley, I'll text you later okay?" she said, hugging her tight.

"Have fun you two." Halley told the young couple.

"Come on...we don't want to be late..." said Sarah, pulling Morgan out the door. "Bye guys!" she said, slamming the door behind her.

Penny took a deep breath and sighed, still trying to process her daughter's choice before looking at her husband.

"Don't look at me." Leonard said, knowing what Penny meant by her look.

"Why can't she just date a normal, boring guy?" Penny asked.

"Oh so I'm boring now?" asked Leonard, slightly offended by his wife's comment.

"No...I'm not talking about you..." Penny said.

"But he seems like a nice guy aunt Penny." Halley said.

"Hey hey hey...you're already engaged woman!" William jokingly said, making Halley laugh.

"What I meant was, Sarah wouldn't have gone out with him if he wasn't a nice guy...right?" said Halley.

"Come on Penny...I think your daughter is smart enough to know what she's doing." Bernadette said, understanding Penny's concern.

"I know that...I just can't shake the feeling that she's doing this after that thing with Kyle..." said Penny.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Howard asked.

Penny sighed. "Well...more than a couple years ago, she kinda had a thing for him...but then he went away for this internship thing and when he came back, he already had a girlfriend." she said. "She never said anything to me but I know it affected her somehow..."

"Yeah...Halley told us about that." said Bernadette.

"And you think this is her way of dealing with that?" Howard asked Penny.

"I don't know...maybe...with how fast she's dating guys..." Penny said. "I just hope she doesn't make any stupid mistake." she added as Leonard pulled her close to lean her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry honey..." he said. "I'm sure she'll be alright."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile...

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked as Morgan took a left turn on the road.

"To your place." he said, keeping his focus on the road.

"I thought we were going to the party?" she asked.

Morgan glanced at her and smiled. "We're going to have our own party." he said.

"Ugh! You're such an ass!" Sarah exclaimed while tightening her arms around him, knowing exactly what he's planning to do to her.

"We can turn around if you want?" he said, teasing her.

"Do that and I'm gonna kill you right now!" Sarah said, making Morgan laugh.

Later in Sarah's apartment...

"Babe..." Sarah said, having difficulty in focusing as Morgan lifted her up and held her against the wall while kissing her passionately. Morgan didn't pay attention to her and continued kissing her lips and neck while slowly lifting her shirt off. Sarah giggled and wrapped her arms around him as he carried her toward the bedroom. He then playfully dropped her on the bed, making Sarah squeal and giggle before starting to undress herself.

"Merry Christmas babe..." Morgan said as he joined her on the bed.

"Shut up and come here!" said Sarah as they got under the covers before their bodies became one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a few weeks after New Year...

William was sitting in his office, typing on his computer when he heard his phone ringing. He opened his side drawer and took his phone, seeing an unknown number on the screen

"Hello?" he said, after putting it on speaker-phone.

"William, is this you?" said a woman's voice on the other line.

"Uh yeah...may I ask who this is?" he asked.

"You don't remember my voice huh? This is Erin!" she said, surprising William.

"Uh...Erin?" was all he could say as the flood of emotions suddenly came back to him. Their breakup, the heartaches, the tears, not to mention him leaving everything behind in New Jersey.

"Will...I know I'm the last person that you want to talk to...and you have every right to be angry with me..." Erin said with an apologetic voice. "And believe me, I wouldn't be calling if I didn't have a good reason to..."

"I don't know what to think right now Erin...I don't even know what to feel right now." he said, trying hard to keep himself from freaking out.

"I'm sorry William...and believe me, this is hard for me too..." Erin said, keeping herself from getting emotional. "But I want to ask if we could meet...I need to talk to you..."

"Oh?" William asked. "Uh are you here in California now?"

"Uh yes...I moved here a couple of months ago actually...for work..." said Erin.

"Okay...uh yeah...I guess we could meet up..." William said, not knowing what he's getting himself into.

"Okay great...I'll text you with a time and place..." Erin said. "Thank you William...I have to go..." she added before ending the call.

William sat back and took a deep breath, still trying to process the news that Erin is in town and that they would meet in a few days. He thought of Halley and told himself to focus on her, now that they are about to get married. He stood up and decided to make himself some tea from the office pantry as his co-workers go about their business, oblivious to the things swimming around in his head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a couple of days, William drove to a nearby park where he will meetup with Erin. He made sure to lock his car before walking to the playground where a few children were running and playing. He saw Erin sitting by a bench, scrolling on her phone. She saw him walking towards her so she waved at him.

"William, over here!" she greeted him.

"Hi Erin...it's been a long time." William said, feeling a little awkward seeing his ex-girlfriend after almost four years since breaking up."You look good." he said.

"You look great too." said Erin, giving him a light smile.

"Thanks...what is it that you wanted to tell me that you couldn't say on the phone?" he asked.

Erin gave him a weak smile. "Why don't you have a seat first..." she said while beckoning him to sit beside her. "William...I want to apologize for what happened...you didn't deserve that and I really hope you could forgive me..." she said, giving him a hopeful look.

William looked at her before taking a deep breath, knowing that bringing back the past won't do them any good. "Erin...I really didn't expect to be hearing from you again...so when you called, I didn't really know what to think...I moved on..." said William. "...with Halley..."

"Uh?" Erin uttered.

"Halley and I are engaged now...I proposed last Christmas and she said yes..." William said.

Erin smiled and touched his hand. "I'm happy for you Will...but that's not the reason why I'm here..."

"Okay...that's good to know." William told her. "But what are we doing here anyway?"

Erin took her phone and scrolled on the screen. "I'm gonna show you something and I want you to keep an open mind and not freak out..." she said, holding the phone close to her chest.

"Okay, now you're making me nervous." he said as Erin moved the phone so he could look at the screen. William saw a picture of a young girl and immediately felt fear. "Uh...who is this young girl?"

Erin gave him a weak smile.

"Wait...is she your daughter?" William asked when he realized something. "Oh my god...is she?..." he said, unable to finish his question when he realized the truth after looking at Erin.

"She's yours Will..." Erin said as William quickly stood up and backed away, unable to take the shocking news.

"Oh my god...I can't breathe..." he said as he leaned his hand on the bench, trying to keep himself together. "Is this some kind of a sick joke!?" he asked.

"I'm sorry William...gut this is not a joke...It's true...please don't get mad." Erin said.

"How can you not get mad about this!?" he exclaimed. "I just found out that I have a daughter and why did you decided to hide her from me!?" he told Erin. "I don't even know if I could believe you right now?"

Erin sighed. "William...we've been having so much sex before we broke up...and if it makes you feel any better, you're the last guy that I've been with..."

"Correction...before you broke up with me..." William chimed in, earning a death stare from her.

"Okay fine...before I broke up with you!" Erin said. "But that's beside the point now..."

"Why did you hide her from me!?" William asked.

"I was angry at you obviously!" Erin answered. "...and do you really want us to fight right now?" she asked.

William took a deep breath, seeing Erin's point. "You're right...what do we do now?"

"I'm not here to ask for any money...let's just get that out of the way..." she said. "I've got a new job now...good health insurance...and dental..." she added.

"Okay got it." William asked, understanding that this is not about him or Erin but about their daughter.

Erin nodded. "I just don't want her growing up not knowing who her father is." she said.

William nodded. "Okay...can I see her picture again?" said William as Erin gave him her phone. "She has your eyes Erin..." he said, looking closely at the screen.

"But Cassandra has your nose..." Erin answered.

"Cassandra?" William asked while looking at her. "Her name is Cassandra?"

Erin nodded. "We call her Cassie..." she said.

William smiled and looked back at the screen. "She's so beautiful..."

"And smart too...like her father..." Erin said.

"Really?" asked William.

"Uh huh...she can read now...if you can believe it." said Erin. "I saw her looking at some old magazines in the living room so I decided to teach her..." she added. "...now she won't let us leave the mall unless I buy her a story book or something."

William laughed. "Oh my god...she sounds amazing!" he said. "When can I meet her?"

"Well if you want, you can stick around so you can meet her...my babysitter just texted me and she's gonna bring her here." she said.

"Do you think she's ready for that?" William asked Erin, slightly unsure if he's ready to meet the young girl.

"Are you ready?" Erin asked him.

"Well I guess there's no turning back now." said William, knowing that it will eventually happen one way or another.

"Okay...good...I think they'll be here in a few minutes..." said Erin as they sat on the bench, having a little peace and quiet between them. "So...you and Halley are getting married huh?" she asked.

William sighed and shook his head. "Can we please not talk about it right now?"

"Why not?" Erin asked, slightly amused by his reaction. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts now?"

"Really Erin? Ten minutes ago I didn't know that I had a daughter. Don't you think I'm not allowed to freak out a little?" he asked.

"Okay I'm sorry..." said Erin. "But for what it's worth...I'm really happy for you and Halley..." she said.

William nodded and gave her a weak smile. "Thank you...I just wish she won't kill me when I tell her about Cassie..."

Erin sighed and tapped his shoulder. "I'm sorry William...but you have to tell her the truth...tell her everything...blame it on me...I can take it..." she said.

"Erin...are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah...tell her that I hid the truth from you and that you found out just now...I'm sure she'll understand..." Erin said.

"I hope so too..." William said when Erin waved at a distance, seeing her babysitter with her daughter walking towards them.

"There she is..." Erin told William. He turned and saw Cassie running toward Erin with her big smile and long black hair blowing with the slight breeze. He can't help but melt inside when he saw how beautiful his daughter was. "Hi honey bunch! Did you have fun with Tara?" Erin asked as she hugged and kissed her daughter.

"We played hide and seek mommy!" Cassie said before turning her attention to William.

Tara handed a small backpack to Erin. "I'm gonna go now Erin...I still have to pick up my brother from school."

"Okay...thanks Tara..." Erin said.

"No problem...bye baby girl! You be good alright!" said Tara before hugging the little girl.

"Bye!" Cassie said, waving at Tara as she walked away. "Mommy...who is that?" she asked, referring to William. Erin lifted the little girl to sit beside her. "This is William Hofstadter..."

William gave his daughter a weak smile. "Hi Cassie...my name is William..."

"Hi..." Cassie said, clearly shy since it was the first time meeting him. "Mommy what is he doing here?" she asked her mother.

Erin smiled and leaned over. "Sweetheart, I'm gonna tell you something but you have to promise me you won't scream or cry...okay?"

Cassie nodded. "Okay mommy..."

"Good...now William...well he is your father." Erin told her daughter, hoping she won't cry or freak out. Cassie looked up at William and slightly backed away, pushing her face onto Erin's chest, clearly shocked at meeting her father for the first time. "Aww...honey..." Erin said, holding her daughter tight and reassuring her that it's gonna be alright. "Don't be scared...it's gonna be alright..." she told her daughter.

William got off the bench and sat in front of Cassie. "Cassie...I'm sorry if this is a bit of a shock for you...but believe me, this was a shock for me too..." William said to her daughter, hoping she would face him.

Cassie tightened her arms around her mother while slightly turning her head to look at William before burying her face back onto Erin's chest. "Shhh...don't be scared sweetheart...it's alright...just don't forget, mommy loves you so much..." Erin whispered, hoping her daughter would interact with William.

Cassie slightly turned and looked at her father. "Are you really my daddy?" she asked, making William and Erin smile.

"Yes..." William said. "...can't you see we have the same nose?" he added, hoping to make the little girl open up.

"Where have you been?" asked the little girl as Erin and William looked at each other, knowing that they had to come up with an 'acceptable' alibi for the child.

William took a deep breath before speaking to his daughter. "Okay...I don't know how to say this but here goes." he said before giving Erin the look, silently telling her that he got this. "I was out of the country for a long time...for work...and I ran into some problems...that's why I couldn't come back to the States..." he said, hoping that his daughter would believe his little 'white lie'.

"What problems?" asked Cassie.

"Well...there was some problems with my work papers and some security issues, that's why I couldn't come back...and it took me a while to sort it out...it's a little complicated and hard to explain right now." he said.

Cassie nodded. "Okay... she said.

"Can I ask something from you?" William said to the little girl.

"What?" said Cassie.

William smiled at her. "Is it okay if I can get a hug?"

Cassie looked up to her mother, waiting for her permission. "It's alright baby girl...go ahead" Erin told her daughter.

Cassie then slowly leaned forward as William reached for her, hugging her tight and kissing her on the cheek, feeling a flood of emotions for the first time. "So this is how it feels huh?" he asked Erin as he felt his daughter's warmth for the first time.

Erin smiled, happy to see her daughter accepting William.

William broke off and held her daughter, looking closely at her. "You're so beautiful..." he said, completely enamored by the little girl while caressing her cheek.

"Honey...are you okay?" Erin asked her daughter.

Cassie nodded. "Does this mean that daddy would play with me...and take me to the mall...and Disneyland?" she asked, making her parents laugh.

"Sure...but your mom and I have to talk about it first...okay?" William told his daughter. "But the Disneyland thing...sure, if your mom agrees." he said.

Cassie immediately got excited. "Mommy did you hear that!? Daddy's gonna take me to Disneyland!" she exclaimed. "Can we go mommy? Please!?"

"Sure honey...no problem." Erin said, not wanting to break her daughter's heart.

"Yay!" Cassie screamed before hugging William tight.

"Ugh! I certainly won't get tired of this!" William said, happy is receiving his daughter's affection.

"Mommy, is daddy gonna come home with us?" Cassie asked her mother.

"I'm sorry honey, but your daddy has to go back to his work later." Erin said.

"I'm sorry honey...but don't worry...we're gonna see each other again soon...okay?" William chimed in.

"Promise?" Cassie asked.

William held up his hand. "I promise darling..." he said before kissing his daughter.

"Okay...why don't you go and play over there sweetheart...I'm gonna have to talk to your daddy alone..." Erin said, pulling out a stuffed toy from the bag and giving it to her daughter. Cassie took the toy and ran to a nearby tree to play with her toy. They looked at the young girl as she played alone, so innocent and pure. Erin then turned to face William."Will...please don't break her heart..." she said.

William nodded. "Don't worry Erin...that's the last thing on my mind right now."

"How are you gonna tell Halley? And your parents?" she asked.

"I'm not worried about my parents..." he said. "I just hope Halley understands when I tell her."

"I hope so too...the last thing I want is for her to hate my daughter." Erin said. "I'm totally fine if she hates me, but my daughter is a different story."

"I know...trust me, it won't come to that." William said.

"We have to go Will...are you gonna be alright?" she asked her ex-boyfriend.

"I'm gonna be okay Erin." he said as Erin stood up to call Cassie. "Cassie honey! Come here and say goodbye to your father." she said as Cassie ran toward William, hugging him tight.

"Bye daddy!" said Cassie as she began to cry.

William got down and wiped off her tears. "Hey...hey...don't cry...daddy loves you so much." he said, kissing her cheek. "I promise we'll see each other again soon...and I still have to take you to meet my parents...your grandma and grandpa I mean...and don't forget your aunt Sarah."

"I have an aunt?" asked Cassie.

William smiled at her. "Trust me...you're gonna love her..."

"Okay..." Cassie said, giving her father a smile.

William kissed her once more. "You be a good girl okay?

"Okay daddy." Cassie said as William hugged her one last time.

"And listen to your mother alright?" he said, letting her go back to Erin.

"Bye daddy!" Cassie said, waving goodbye to him.

"Bye sweetheart!" William said, while waving goodbye to Erin and Cassie. He sat back down as reality began sinking in, hoping that Halley would forgive him for what he was about to tell her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

William got back to his office and sat on his chair, letting out a deep breath before leaning back and looking up at the ceiling, contemplating on his next step. He saw a picture frame of him and Halley in one of their road trips along the Californian coast overlooking the ocean with him displaying a big goofy smile while Halley lands a big sloppy kiss on his cheek. He took the picture frame and looked closely at it, deciding that he has to tell Halley the truth as soon as possible and hope she would understand and forgive him.