"And for that," said Maria with a smile, "we are grateful."

Gwen Stacy turned the TV off. She sighed and leaned against the couch. That news program made her realize that she was blessed, and she never tried to appreciate the small gifts of life. Suddenly, she heard the door open slightly. She turned to see her father walking into the room with a somber, weary face. He looked up to see Gwen. 'Has she been crying?' He noticed the red, puffy eyes of his daughter.

"Dad," she stood up.

"Honey, what's-?"

"I've been thinking, and I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I just needed to sort some things out. It's been hard for me. I've been trying to figure out who I am and what I want to be, dad. I've pushed everyone and everything away-including you-even though I know that you were just trying to protect me. Can you forgive me?"

Captain Stacy was so stunned at his daughter's apology. After a few seconds, he hugged her.

"Of course, honey."

She let go of him and looked up at him. "By the way, Dad, if you still want to move, it's OK."

He looked at her with surprise. "But what about-?"

"That's in the past now. I'm ready to move on, Dad."

He smiled, and he realized at that moment that as his daughter grew older, he had drifted apart from her. He recognized that they weren't as tight as they used to be, and they never had a moment to themselves anymore. "Why don't we get some ice cream?"

Gwen looked up at him in shock. "But Dad, it's 11 PM."

"Who cares?" Gwen smiled.

"Let's go," said her father. With that, daughter and father grabbed their jackets and left the house to enjoy what seemed to be a forgotten past time.

John Jameson hopped on the rocky, gray surface. Darkness surrounded him and his two comrades, who were staring at the beautiful blue ball covered in white, swirling clouds in front of them.

"Guess we should get started on collecting that data, right?" asked John. It was odd. In Earth, he was so distracted. He felt lonely, but here-in this strange, barren desert-he felt at home, secure, safe, and confident.

"Yeah," replied one of his fellow astronauts.

"We'll split up and meet back here," said John as he drew a huge X with his boot into the ground. His comrades nodded and left-leaving John alone. John hopped around in his suit. 'Wow, this is-'

"Ow!" yelped John. He grabbed his boot. 'That must have been some hell of a rock,' thought John as he knelt down to examine it. Oddly, unlike the other gray rocks, this one was black and shiny; it reminded him of oil. He pulled out a pair of forceps and carefully placed the rock in a plastic bag. Little did he know that this rock would change several people's lives forever.