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This chapter isn't my usual style, but I'd love to hear what you all think about it.

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Monica folded her hands in her lap and stared out at the two people across the table from her. These were the two girls Carter had not stopped talking about all week.  The older one – though they looked remarkably close in age – glanced at Carter and Monica felt her face growing hot. John Carter was hers now. She hadn't spent months and months talking about whatever he pleased, pretending to be interested in his hobbies and quirks. No, she was going to get something out of all of her troubles and this woman – this Abby – was not going to drag him away.

After all, how many caring, handsome, young, multi-millionaires are there around the world?

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Carter put a hand on the arm of the woman sitting next to him.

"Monica," he said, barely audibly, calling her back from her thoughts. She turned to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He felt his daughter and Abby watching them and he turned away from Monica as she nodded. He smiled at the two girls – his two girls – across the table and continued to eat. He wanted to talk, he wished he had something to say, because all this quiet was killing him. He wanted to be close with his daughter. She was his daughter, for crying out loud, but he knew that she didn't think very highly of him. Not that he blamed her.

Truth is, he wasn't even sure why he had left all those years ago. At the time it had seemed the right thing to do. He and Abby were quarrelling more and more often every day. He had made some mistakes and Abby couldn't let him live them down. His family was harassing him because and Abby weren't married and work seemed to be only an escape from his life at home.

Now that he thought about it in hindsight, it hadn't been so bad.

And now, here he was, trying to get reacquainted with a daughter he didn't know while his girlfriend (for whom he had no feelings whatsoever, he might add) sat sulking by his side. It wasn't fair for anyone. And it was all his fault. He felt awful.

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Eleanor looked out across the table into the tense faces of her company. She loved her son and she loved her granddaughter and she even had a spot in her heart for Abby and they all looked so nervous and uneasy. She wished she could just find something to say to make everyone settle down.

"Well, the weather is getting nicer."

Wow, that didn't seem to work very well.

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Sara looked to her grandmother and knew that she was just trying to make it easier on everyone.

"Yeah, the alumnae picnic is coming up at my school and all the sixth graders have to go and help serve refreshments. Are you coming, Grandma? You're an alumnus; you even have your name on the assembly hall."

"We'll see." A small smile.

Sara took another spoonful of soup and looked curiously at her father. He was gazing back at her and he winked suddenly before turning his attention to his own bowl. Her mother wasn't eating much, but that was to be expected. Abby never ate much when she was nervous or under stress. Still, Sara felt bad because she didn't really hate her father anymore, and yet she thought it was her duty to despise him because of what he had done to them. What he had done to their family.

She pushed the noodles in the cream soup along on the bottom of the bowl, making small wakes with her spoon and thinking.

The woman Monica laughed out loud (very loud – Sara thought she sounded like a horse neighing) at something that John had just said and Abby chuckled. Grandma Eleanor looked at Monica with a small smirk of disgust. No one laughs like that in front of Grandma. No matter how funny the joke is. Grandma's just the type of person who people are always quiet around. Sara already disliked Monica and she had been daydreaming right through the joke, so she didn't laugh. She tried not to, but she couldn't help throwing a disdainful look in Monica's direction.

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Abby chuckled at Carter's comment. The atmosphere was lightening and by the time the main course had been brought out, everyone was much more at ease. Abby wasn't sure how the transaction from tense to calm had taken place and when it had happened, but it had.

"So, Sara, where are you planning to go for high school?" Carter asked with a smile. Sara had been rather quiet until now, aside from her comment about her school's alumnae brunch.

"Um, probably Benet or FLA."

Carter leaned back in his chair, and stretched his arms out in front of him for a second.

"Forest Lake Academy," he said with a hint of nostalgia, "I have some distinct memories of that place: snowballs on Christmas day, sneaking to the girls' dorms at night – though I only remember one successful attempt. Yes, I left quite a name for myself at Forest Lake."

Sara grinned.

"Yeah, but it's too far to commute, so I'd have to five day or full-time board and my Mom doesn't want me to."

Abby looked fondly at Sara. Sara was all she had. She really didn't want her to leave, even if she could home on the weekend. She patted Sara on the shoulder and faced Carter who was watching her little display of maternal affection with hungry eyes.

"We'll see," she said finally.

"I get a lot of that around here," Sara sighed and Abby chuckled.

"I don't think you've got it too tough around here, Sara."

Abby had a little sense of satisfaction noting Monica's bored expression. She had nothing personal against the woman, but really, she didn't like her very much.