The door to the Brooklyn lodging house opened slowly and Chris, Molly, and Rae walked in, with a air of despair around them. Rae and Molly were in tears, and Chris didn't seem to know what to do. Hades lifted a brow and ran over to them. "What? What happened...." She paused. "Where is Spot..."
"Duchess..." was all Chris could manage to say.
Hades' eyes widened. "She didn't..."
With a sob, Rae fell into her arms. "Why did all this have to happen?" she sobbed.
Hades hesitantly patted her head, uncertain of what to say. Looking over, she saw Molly bawling in Chris' arms. Chris didn't look like he'd hold out much longer either.
Pushing Rae back, Hades struck her cheek hard. "I know you're upset, Rae, but you have a family to look after, so pull yourself together."
Rae stopped sobbing for a moment, dumbstruck. And then she struck Hades in return. "Give me a break, Hades! I deserve some grief! I just watched my husband die!" But she wasn't quite sobbing uncontrollably anymore, which had been Hades' intent in the first place.
"Sam's awake and has been crying for over an hour," Hades said.
Sniffling, Rae wiped her nose on an old hanky and nodded. "I'll be upstairs with him then."
Hades nodded as Rae headed up the stairs. Just then the door opened and Blank came in. Molly threw herself into her brother's arms.
Blank almost fell over. "Molly! You're okay!" He hugged her tightly and then paused. "What... what's goin on?"
"She killed him..." she sobbed.
"She killed who-... She killed Spot?"
Blank looked to Chris who only nodded, before walking slowly up the stairs.
"I- I never thought she actually would..."
Molly looked up at her brother. "I want to go back home with Rae."
He nodded slowly. "Okay." He wasn't terribly thrilled about it, but he did understand.
Rae came back downstairs moments later, Sam in one arm, a bag in her free hand. "I'm going home," she said, with such a determined look that no one dared argue with her.
"I'm coming too," Molly said to her.
Rae shook her head. "Your place is here with your family."
"You and everyone back in Pleasant Valley are my family.... Andrew and Shadow are my family too... but... I just can't stay, Rae."
Rae finally nodded. "Alright...but hurry...I don't want to stay in Brooklyn any longer than I have to."
With a nod, she ran upstairs to get her things. As she went up, Chris was coming down. "Where's everyone going?"
"Home."
"Can I... is it all right if I.... go too?"
Rae nodded. "I was going to have Blank send you home anyway....Julie's really sick..."
"Julie...?" He looked terribly bothered. "I'll be right down."
Rae sighed and set her bag on the floor. Less than five minutes later, he was back and ready to go.
Molly came down only a moment later. "I'm ready."
"All right." Rae turned to Hades and hugged her tightly. "Thank you for everything...."
"If you need anything, just let us know."
With a nod, she silently motioned for Molly and Chris to follow her out.
* * *
Rae handed Sam to Molly as she slowly opened the front door of the big house.
"Welcome home," called Noelle cheerfully.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Ann and Andy squealed as they raced for the front door.
Ann stopped first. "Where's Daddy?"
Rae knelt in front of them. "Daddy's....Daddy....Daddy had to stay in Brooklyn for a while," she said, exchanging a glance with Chris and Molly over the twins' heads.
"When's he coming back?" Andy inquired.
Rae closed her eyes. With a sigh she stood and led them to the couch. She sat down and pulled them into her lap. "Remember how your real Momma and Daddy went away?" He nodded, watching her uncertainly. "Daddy had to go away too..."
Andy bit his lip. Ann started to sniffle a bit. "He... he's not gonna come back?"
"No, sweetheart, he's not..."
Ann burst into tears. "I want Daddy!"
Rae pulled the little girl closer to her trying to keep back her own tears. "I know, sweetheart...I want him too."
"Does... he not love us no more?" Andy asked.
She pulled Andy closer as well. "He did love us, Andy...that's one of the reasons he's not coming back."
"What's that mean?" he asked, frowning.
Chris walked over and knelt in front of them. "He's not coming back so that Molly and I could come back."
"I want him here! Tell him to come back!!"
"It doesn't work like that, little man."
"B-but... that's not fair! Why do they always go away?!" he wailed.
"I don't know."
Turning, he latched onto Rae tightly, as if expecting her to 'go' as well in moments.
"I'm not going anywhere, Andy," she said, rubbing his back. He didn't say anything, and continued to cling to her for dear life, sniffling and whimpering.
Rae looked up as Noelle walked into the room. "How's Julie?"
"She's doing well. Her fever has come down a bit and she's been conscious for most of the day."
Chris stood. "Can I see her?"
Noelle nodded. "Just don't give her any sudden shocks."
"I won't," he said, running up the stairs.
Cracking the door open, he peered into his sister's room. "Julie?"
She slowly opened her eyes. "Chris?"
Slowly, he entered the room and nodded. Crossing the room, he stopped next to her bed and looked at her anxiously. "How are you?
"I'm really tired."
He gave her a weak smile. "Well, at least you're getting better, right?"
She nodded slowly, "I think so."
"Good... good, that's good," was all he could think of to say.
She reached out for his hand.
Carefully, he took it. "You'd better get up and about soon." He smiled a bit. "Rae can't get this house working like clockwork like you can."
"Did you come home because of me?"
He paused and then nodded. "They went to get me."
"You aren't telling me something."
"I... Noelle said I couldn't give you any shocks right now..."
She sent him a sad look. "Please tell me."
"I... don't think I can.. I don't want you to get sicker, Julie," he replied.
A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I know something bad happened, Chris. I could feel it."
"I... just... I... don't start crying, Julie," he pleaded.
She wiped the tear away only to have another fall in its place.
Chris frowned worriedly, uncertain of what to do. Surely the news of Spot's death wouldn't be good for her health at the moment... but he didn't think this crying would either. "I'm sorry, Julie," he said, sitting beside her.
"I...it's okay," she replied, hiccupping.
"I want to tell you, but Noelle said I couldn't, sis."
She nodded and hiccupped again. "I... I guess I just have to understand."
"You'll find out soon enough," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Julie sniffed and nodded. "It's okay... I'm glad you're back home."
"Me too, sis. Me too."
Noelle poked her head in the room at that moment. "Chris, Julie needs her rest now."
"Can he stay until I fall asleep? Please?"
After a pause, Noelle relented. "I suppose it will be all right." Julie gave her a weak smile. "Just keep it calm in here," she told them, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Go to sleep, little sister," Chris said, tucking the blanket tighter around her.
"I'll try," she replied drowsily.
He sat by her side until she fell asleep, and then he walked back downstairs.
"How did she seem?" Rae asked him when he entered.
"Weak."
She frowned. "Well, Noelle said she was better than she was, so... that's good, I suppose."
Chris sat down and buried his head in his hands. "It's my fault."
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
"If I had behaved better then you and Spot wouldn't have kicked me out and I would have been here for her."
"Well... that part is true, but she could have gotten sick either way, you know."
He sighed and looked at her. "I guess you're right." He stared at Ann and Andy, both sleeping in her lap. "Do you want me to take them upstairs?"
"You can take one, I'll take the other."
He stood and took Andy from her.
"Thank you," Rae said quietly, standing with Ann in her arms. Heading for the stairs, she put the girl to bed.
After tucking Ann and Andy into bed she quietly stepped into the hall. She leaned against the wall with a quiet sob. It seemed as though the world was against her and her mismatched family. She sank to the floor and rested her head on her knees. If it wasn't one thing it was another. She just didn't think she could take anything else.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Chris looking down at her.
"I... I know it won't make much of a difference... but... I-I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
She nodded. "I know."
"I... I'm sorry this had to happen."
"Me too, Chris. Me too."
He hesitantly patted her shoulder and then went off. After all, what did adolescent boys know about comforting women?
* * *
Rae sat up in her bed suddenly when she heard a scream. Sam and Kendra were still sleeping and it didn't sound like Ann or Andy. Climbing from bed she walked into the hallway, pausing by the door to Molly's room, where she heard quiet sobbing.
Carefully, Rae opened the door and peeked in. "Molly?"
Molly sat up and looked at her, before bursting into tears again.
Crossing the room, she sat on the edge of her bed and hugged her. "What's the matter?"
"Nightmare," she sobbed.
Gently, she stroked her hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"She killed him..."
Rae hugged her tightly.
"Why did it happen?"
"I'm... not sure. Duchess just had something against Spot, I suppose."
"It's like he wasn't even trying, Rae."
"He was..." Rae frowned. "But perhaps Duchess had been right... out of Brooklyn, away from the near daily fights, he had gotten soft..."
"He was anything but that."
Rae sighed, rubbing her temple.
"I'm sorry for waking you up," Molly said, scrubbing her eyes.
"It's all right. I don't think I was sleeping too well anyway."
Molly took a deep breath. "Do you want me to take Kendra and go back to Brooklyn?"
"It's up to you. Only if you want to go," she told her, though she was wary of the idea.
Molly hung her head. "I don't want to...but Kendra and I are just a burden to you..."
"You aren't," Rae assured her.
"If you're sure."
"I am."
"Will you tell if I get to be a burden?" Molly asked hesitantly.
Rae managed a smile. "Of course... I have the tendency to be blunt, when I need to be."
"Thank you for taking us in."
"Well, you didn't give us much of a choice at first," she teased. "But you're quite welcome."
Molly smiled slightly.
"Would you like something to drink?"
Molly nodded. "Sounds good to me." They headed downstairs and Rae got them both a glass of water. "Can I ask you a question, Rae?"
"Go ahead," she said, taking a sip of her water.
"What are you going to do now? I mean, that money can't last forever."
"I'm probably going to have to get a job in town. Perhaps at one of the shops... if they'd hire a woman, that is."
"I hate to break it to you, but they won't hire you."
"Well, I'll make them," she said determinedly.
"You'd have better luck by moving back to Brooklyn."
"I'll think of something.... If worse comes to worse, we will move back."
Molly nodded.
Rae sighed, tapping her glass absently. "All of this... I guess, was too good to be true, eh?" She frowned. "Being out of the city, I thought maybe it was different, less harsh. But no.... it's not. Not really."
"This town hasn't been the same since Nick and Noelle moved away."
"Why do you think it changed?"
Molly shrugged. "Weird things started happening. Things showing up just in the nick of time. Other things disappearing. When Chris found me in the barn...I remember fainting out in the woods...how did I get to the barn?"
Rae shrugged, frowning slightly. "Odd things happened here too..."
Molly yawned. "It makes my head hurt trying to figure it out."
"Yes... it would make anyone's, I suppose," she replied quietly, though she did think about it. How was it so?
Molly yawned again. "I think I can go back to sleep now."
"All right." She nodded. "Sleep well, Molly."
"Try to get some sleep yourself."
She nodded, though she couldn't see how she was going to get to sleep in such a cold, empty bed. "This is worse than when he was in Brooklyn," Rae said with a sigh. "At least then I knew that he was coming back." She curled up on the couch and stared at the dying embers in the fireplace, tapping her glass absently.
* * *
Blank was pacing the front room of the lodging house when the door opened and Dr. Trent walked in.
"You and I," he said, pointing to Blank, "need to have a talk... in private," he added, noticing Shadow perking up to listen as she walked by.
"Take a walk, Shadow," Blank told his sister.
"But-"
He gave her a stern look.
She scowled, shuffling off, muttering something about "stupid, boneheaded boys."
Trent waited until she left, before turning back to Blank. "I have...something at my office...that might interest you...and I need your help with a little project as well..."
Blank studied Trent uncertainly. ".... All... All right."
"Can you come right now?"
"I..." He paused, scratching his head to think. Yes, he had the time, so he nodded.
"Good...we need to hurry."
With a second nod, he trotted after Trent.
* * *
Chris poked his head in Julie's room to see if she was asleep. They hadn't always been close, but trying to keep Spot's death from her was about to drive him crazy. He wanted to talk to someone, but didn't think he could talk to Rae or Molly.
The squeak of the door on its hinges managed to rouse Julie a bit and drowsily she asked, "Who is it?"
"Did I wake you up?"
"Mmm... a little," she murmured, trying to push herself up.
He walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Noelle will probably skin me alive when she finds out that I'm in here."
Julie laughed a little. "Probably," she agreed.
He smiled slightly, but then turned his face away.
"What is it?"
"It's about what happened in Brooklyn...Noelle said that I shouldn't tell you yet...but I think you have a right to know."
"What?"
"You see....Molly and I were kidnapped by this...girl that hates Spot...and..."
She leaned forward attentively, eyes wide. "And?"
"They fought."
She paused for a second, and then her eyes widened and she gasped. "Spot? .... Did... Did he...?"
He nodded, suddenly unable to find his voice.
Her lip quivered. "I was wondering why he didn't visit."
Chris hung his head. "He agreed to fight her so that Molly and I could come home."
"All because... this girl didn't like him?"
"She said something about wanting to be greater than Spot Conlon."
"That's a stupid reason to kill someone!" she exclaimed tearfully.
Chris put his arms around her. "I know, sis."
She sniffled, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's not fair, Chris."
"If things were fair, we'd still be on the farm with Mother and Father."
"I know..."
"Julie...I've been thinking..."
"What?"
"Once you're feeling better...maybe it would be a good idea for us to go looking for Father..."
After a moment, she nodded. "Yes... that would be nice."
"But that means you have to get better real quick, little sister," he said in mock sternness.
She managed a little smile. "I'll try."
"Good. Now go back to sleep," he said, kissing her forehead.
"Night, Chris. ... And... thank you for telling me."
"I...I love you, Julie."
She smiled drowsily. "You too."
Chris quietly closed the door and walked down to the kitchen were Rae was working on lunch.
"Hello... I haven't seen you around much today." She swatted his hand when he picked up a cucumber slice and ate it.
"I've been doing some thinking...and then I went to talk to Julie..."
"About what? Is she still sleeping?"
"I told her Rae."
Rae dropped the knife and looked at him. "Noelle told you not to..."
"She needed to know Rae!"
She frowned. "I suppose she did... But... I'm just worried about her health, you know?"
"I know. I am too," he said. "But she was wondering why Spot hadn't come to see her."
She sighed. "A no win situation, I suppose."
He stared at her for a minute. "Did you get ANY sleep last night?"
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "... An hour? Maybe two?"
"If you keep this up, Julie and I will leave. You have to take care of yourself Rae."
She gave him a stern look. "I am Chris... I just had a lot on my mind last night."
"Well think about this. Noelle is leaving in a few days. Who will take care of Sam, Kendra and the twins if you work yourself sick?"
With a sigh, she said, "I know Chris, I know. One night isn't going to kill me."
"Just as long as it stays one night."
She sighed. "All right... I'll try to keep it that way."
"Good. Where are the twins?"
"They should be playing in the playroom. Last I heard, Ann was trying to convince Andy that playing tea party would be fun."
"Oh dear. I think I'll take them for a walk, for Andy's sake."
Rae smiled. "Be back soon... Lunch will be ready shortly."
"We will....We'll just walk down to the old cabin and come straight back."
"All right." She squeezed his arm firmly. "And be careful."
He threw his hands up defensively. "I will. I promise."
With a nod, she released him, and he left to retrieve Ann and Andy. "Ann! Andy!" he called as he entered the playroom.
Andy looked a more than a little upset that he was holding a teacup in his hands. He looked up at Chris. "What?"
"I'm going to walk down to the cabin. Want to tag along?"
"YES!" Andy leapt to his feet.
With a sigh, Ann nodded and stood. Chris scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. She shrieked with delight and Andy scampered ahead.
About half way to the cabin Andy stopped. "Chris?"
"What?" He shushed Ann, who was singing loudly and off-key.
"Is Momma gonna go away too?"
He shook his head. "No... no, she won't." He only hoped he was right.
"But my real Momma went away after my real Daddy did..."
Well... he couldn't just explain that away. "... She will... be fine."
He sighed and fell silent. The rest of their walk to the cabin was silent. Ann sniffled loudly as they reached it.
"You all right up there kiddo?" Chris asked.
"No," she whimpered.
"What's wrong?"
"I want Daddy back."
He frowned. "I know... everyone does."
"Momma's really sad, huh?"
"Yes, yes she is," he agreed.
"Because of Daddy?"
"Yes... she's sad because of him."
"Are we gonna get another new Daddy?"
"I doubt it." And he truly did. He couldn't see Rae willing to marry anyone else. At least, not for a very long time. Ann sighed deeply and nodded. Shortly afterward, the cabin came into view.
"Can we go back now?" Andy asked.
Chris nodded. "Lunch is probably ready anyway." With a nod Andy turned and ran back to the house. "Stay where I can see you!" he called.
Andy slowed just slightly.
"Thank you."
And then Andy suddenly took off again and ran out of Chris's sight.
"ANDY!" he yelled. There was no answer. "Ann, I'm going to have to set you down... do you think you could keep up with me?"
She gulped and nodded. "I guess so."
He set her down and trotted through the forest, careful to keep an easy pace for Ann to keep up with. After all... how fast could a six year old run?
"ANDY!!" Chris yelled again.
Ann huffed beside him, calling out in a squeaky, out of breath voice, "Andy!"
Chris stopped. "I'm going to take you back up to the house Annie. Then I'll come back and look for Andy."
She was practically wheezing. Quickly, she nodded.
Taking pity on the poor girl, he picked her back up and carried her to the house.
"Tell Andy I'm very, very mad at him!" she said to Chris as they approached the house.
Rae opened the back door. "Is there a reason Andy came running into the house and ran straight up the stairs?"
"I have no idea. He just ran off... I didn't even know he came home. I was bringing Ann home so I could go look for him."
"He threw the door open when he ran in here and when I told him to come back and close it he didn't even respond."
He frowned. "He wasn't listening to me either, when I told him to stay with us."
Rae sighed. "You and Ann go ahead and eat. I'm going to go talk to Andy."
With a nod, Chris led Ann into the kitchen.
Rae took a deep breath and shook her head, before heading up the stairs. Carefully, she opened the door to the room he and Chris shared once again. "Andy?" She could see him sitting on the window seat, but he didn't answer. Entering, she walked up next to him. "Want to talk to me?"
He shook his head.
"Well, I think we do need to talk. Why did you come running home? Did Chris or Ann say something to you?"
"They wouldn't stop talking 'bout Daddy," he whispered.
Rae sat next to him and stroked his hair gently. He turned and clung to her, sobbing. "There, there," she whispered quietly, tearing up a bit herself.
"It's not fair. Why did Daddy have to go?"
"I don't know, sweetheart. I don't know."
He pulled back slightly. "Are we going to get a new daddy?" he asked.
She shook her head. "If you want one, I'm sorry.... But I don't want to get married again if I don't have to."
"Annie wants one, but I don't. Daddy's just go away."
Rae kissed the side of his head. "Well, you don't have anything to worry about."
"Did your Daddy go away too?"
"More or less.... but they're still ... somewhere," she said.
He sent her a confused look. "Where?"
"I don't know. I don't think I want to know."
"Why?"
She sighed, but remained quiet for a moment, trying not to get annoyed and upset by the questioning. "They left me in New York when I was very young."
Andy nodded and leaned back against her. Rae sat there, just holding him comfortingly.
* * *
Blank stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the house. He had been told to wait until Rae had put the children to bed before approaching the house. He still wasn't sure this was the best way to go about things... but that's what he was told to do... and Trent had given him a couple dollars for his assistance, so he couldn't turn him down.
At long last, all the upstairs lights went off, leaving one on in the living room. Watching through the windows he could see Rae sit down in the rocking chair and bury her face in her hands. With a sigh, he walked up and knocked hesitantly on the door. When she opened the door he could tell that she had been crying.
Sniffling, she rubbed her nose. "Why are you here, Blank?" she inquired.
"I have a message to deliver."
She gave him a puzzled sort of look. "What kind of message?"
"You need to go down to the cabin right away."
"What? Why?"
"Just go, Rae."
She sighed, a bit annoyed, but too tired to argue.
"I'll stay up here until you get back, or Sam wakes up. Whichever comes first."
She nodded and wandered across the grass. What could possibly be going through Blank's mind?
She noticed a small light on in the cabin as she neared it. Quickening her pace, she practically ran the last few feet. Who in the world was in the cabin? Whoever it was, they had better have prepared themselves for the beating of a lifetime, she thought. She threw open the door and gasped when she saw the occupant of the bed. "It's... it's you!" she squeaked, breathless.
"Hey, sweetheart."
She was frozen, gripping the doorknob. "Spot?" she whispered.
He was barely recognizable beneath the bruises and the dried blood. He started to reach out for her, but hissed in pain and grabbed his ribs.
She ran to his side and hugged him, despite his wounds. "You're alive?!"
"Barely," he whispered softly, trying not to wince when she touched his sore body.
She picked up his hand and kissed it gently. "How can it be?"
"She never meant to kill me...just wanted everyone to think she had," he said, although it was obviously hard for him to talk.
"Well she could have done it a different way!" She frowned, teary-eyed. "We were all so heartbroken..."
He slowly reached up and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Please don't cry."
"I'm trying not to," she said with a sniffle. "But I'm just so happy..."
"Come here," he said, motioning her closer. She did. "I love you, Rae," he said.
With a smile, this time she really did begin to cry. "I love you too, Spot."
"Can I get a kiss?" he asked.
She sniffled. "Of course you can." And she placed a soft kiss on his lips. She stretched out beside him and gently rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"Well, I don't intend to be on another woman's bad side, so I won't," he said with a tired smile.
"What happened Spot?"
"From... from what I know, she pretty much beat me unconscious and dragged me off to some other room... when I woke, she brought Trent in to see me and told me that she didn't want to kill me, but if I let anyone in the city know I was alive, she WOULD probably have to...."
"What about Blank?"
"Well... she wanted me out of town, but Trent couldn't take me, as he is always busy with his office, so she finally agreed, after my assurance- surprisingly- that he was trustworthy enough to know, and... well, now I'm here."
"Do you want to go up to the house?"
"Yes... Very much."
"Can you walk on your own or do I need to go get Blank?"
"I'll try to walk on my own. I am, after all, the mighty Spot Conlon." He gave her a weak grin.
She helped him stand and put her arm around him in support as they slowly made their way back up to the house."
Blank must have spotted them coming up the walk, because he opened the door just as they approached.
He slipped Spot's free arm around his shoulder and helped them up the stairs.
Rae was grinning ear to ear. "You're going to have to sleep well tonight," she told Spot as she and Blank helped him into bed. "Everyone is going to come visit you in the morning... probably first thing, the moment they hear you're back."
"I don't want Ann and Andy to see me like this."
"We're going to have a hard time keeping them out... They were so devastated, Spot..."
"One look at my face will probably give them nightmares. In case you haven't noticed, my face looks worse than before."
She walked into the bathroom and brought out a bowl of water and a rag. "It would help to get rid of some of this dried blood," she said, gently dabbing the wet cloth on his face. He hissed in pain. "I'm sorry, Spot..."
"I-it's okay... I'm sure my face would look a lot better without the blood..."
"I'll try to be gentle."
He smiled a bit before wincing the slightest bit again.
"Is there an empty bed somewhere Rae? I'm a little tired," Blank said.
"Yes, take whatever room you'd like."
"Thanks," he said, leaving the room.
With a nod she turned back to Spot, only to find he had fallen asleep. Smiling, she changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed next to him.
~*~
Early the next morning, there was a knock on the door and Rae could hear Ann saying, "Momma? Blank is in our house!" in a sort of tattletale voice. Before Rae could respond Ann opened the door and ran in.
"He is, he is! I told him he's not allowed here without asking but.... DADDY!" she shrieked.
Spot sat up suddenly, but hissed in pain and fell heavily against the pillows.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"
"Quiet down, Annie," Rae snapped, turning to Spot.
He gave Ann a quiet smile. "Hello, Annie."
"Can I come give you a hug?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"A very gentle one. Daddy is in a lot of pain," he said.
She crept over and carefully crawled on the edge of the bed. "How'd you get hurt?"
"It's a very long, complicated story," he simply told her. She gave him a gentle hug and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. He ruffled her hair a bit.
Andy walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. "What's Annie screamin' 'bout?"
"Daddy's back!" she screeched.
"Huh?"
She pointed at the bed and Spot gave him a little wave. "Hey there, Andy."
"I thought you went away," he said.
"Well.... Not exactly... Though I thought I did too for a little while."
Still Andy hung back, looking at the floor.
Spot looked at him quizzically. "What's the matter?" he asked after a moment.
"I'm scared that you're gonna go away again."
He smiled. "I don't plan on 'going away' for a very, very long time."
Andy looked at the floor again.
"Can't I get a hug, little man?" Spot asked.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore, Daddy."
"You won't hurt me.... Do you think you did?" he asked.
Andy shook his head. "You're bleeding and...I thought..."
"I'll be all right with a small hug."
Andy crept closer and hugged him. "I missed you Daddy."
He planted a kiss on the top of Andy's head. "I missed you too, kiddo."
Ann scrambled onto the bed. "Why is Daddy's face bleeding?"
"It's a very long... strange story," he said.
Rae rolled out of bed and ran to the washroom. She returned a moment later with a wet cloth. She sat beside him on the bed and began to dab at the blood.
Spot winced a little, murmuring his thanks to her. Then he looked at the twins. "Have the two of you been good for Mom?" They both nodded. He smiled. "If I asked her, would she say the same?"
She laughed slightly. "Actually they were very well behaved."
"Very good," he praised, and they looked relieved.
"I thought I heard your voice," Chris said, leaning against the door frame.
Spot looked up and nodded. "Chris."
"You scared us all pretty bad."
"Scared myself pretty badly..."
"If she had it in for you, why did she let you live?"
He shook his head slowly. "I don't really know...."
"Glad you're back, Spot."
"Glad to be back," he admitted. "How's Julie doing?"
"I think she's doing all right," Chris said, walking a bit further into the room.
"She real weak," Rae said, walking to the cradle and picking Sam up.
"But I think she's getting better," Chris said with a firm nod.
"What's all the commotion?" Molly asked, walking into the room with Kendra.
She had to stop herself when she saw Spot, having almost dropped Kendra in surprise. "Spot?!" she gasped.
"Morning, Molly girl."
"You're...You're..."
"Alive? So I've heard."
"But... but how?!"
Rae spoke before he could answer. "Alright everyone...enough talk for now....Spot's tired...out, out, out."
"Can we play with Daddy later?" Ann asked as she ushered them away.
"If Daddy's feeling better," Rae said, closing the door.
He smiled. "It was good to see everyone."
"And you can see them more when you're better."
"I'm glad she didn't kill me... but I don't think I'll ever understand why she just wanted everyone to think I was dead... instead of making it so."
"Maybe she has a heart after all," Rae said, sitting beside him
"Perhaps she does..." He reached out and held her hand.
Sam reached up and put his hand on theirs.
With a smile, Spot kissed Sam's forehead. "Home, sweet home."
The End.
