Calleigh was home alone when her cousin, Ainsley Hayes Seaborn, arrived. They hugged carefully; Ainsley was mindful of Calleigh's injury.

"Looks like you got me down here after all," Ainsley said, then started crying. "Oh, Cal, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah."

"Where are the girls?"

"Horatio took them to the beach. I didn't want them here when everyone arrived."

"Horatio, huh? This the same Horatio I hear about non-stop in your emails?"

Calleigh smiled. "How's Sam?"

Sam was Ainsley's husband, and Ainsley spoke about him almost as often as Calleigh did Horatio. "Sam's great. He . . . did Nate say anything to you about Sam?"

"No. Why?"

"He's running for Congress. Well, thinking about it. Nate and I were going to head up the campaign." Ainsley fell silent. "This doesn't feel real, you know? I keep expecting him to call or walk in."

"Me too."

"Are the girls okay?"

"Not really. Simone asked if I was going to put them in an orphanage – they've been watching 'Annie' – and Nicole hasn't said a word since it happened. I don't know what to do, Ains. I'm struggling to just get through the day."

Ainsley hugged Calleigh again, then pulled away when there was a knock at the door. "That'll be them."

Ten minutes later, the rest of Calleigh's family was seated in her living room. Ainsley opened her briefcase and pulled out Nate's will.

"Ainsley, dear," Charmaine said sweetly, "have you put on weight?"

Calleigh stifled a groan; her mother was clearly in one of her moods.

Ainsley's smile was equally sweet. "Yes, Aunt Charmaine. I'm told that happens when you're pregnant."

"That Democrat's child?"

"Well, Aunt Charmaine, he is my husband."

Calleigh was genuinely happy for her cousin. At last, one ray of sunshine in this mess. "Congratulations, Ains."

"What's your Daddy think of that?" Charmaine said.

"Okay." Calleigh decided to intervene before her mother got out of hand. "Let's just get on with this."

"A little eager to see what you get, aren't you, Cal?"

Calleigh glared at Jeff. "I just want this over with."

Ainsley cleared her throat. "Well, the terms of Nate's will are fairly straightforward. He . . . oh, my God."

"Ainsley?"

"He left his share of the firm to me."

"Don't tell me you didn't know that!" Jeff scoffed.

"I had no idea. Sam drew this up for Nate . . ."

"Well, carry on," Kenwall said.

"Right. Everything else goes to Simone and Nicole. He's left guardianship of them to Calleigh, and she gets to manage their trust funds until they're of age."

"He's trusting Calleigh with my grandchildren! She's got no sense of responsibility whatsoever—"

"I'm sorry, Aunt Charmaine." Ainsley's tone suggested she was anything but sorry. "That's what Nate wanted."

"Excuse me." Calleigh stood, retreating to her bedroom. She was lost in the past, remembering a late night conversation under the stars. Kenwall had come home drunk, so she, Jeff and Nate snuck out. Nate, holding a wet cloth to his black eye, had turned to Calleigh and made her promise they'd never let their kids grow up like that.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when Ainsley came in. "Hey. They're all gone. We're safe at last."

"I'm really glad you're here, Ains."

"You know I wouldn't leave you to face them by yourself."

"Yeah." Calleigh dried her eyes. "So, pregnant, huh?"

Ainsley laughed. "Twins. Sam's terrified. He says he doesn't think he can handle two Mini-Me's running around the house. My parents are just excited at the prospect of even more grandchildren!"

"It's great news."

"Yes, but I feel bad. One minute I'm happy and then I think about Nate . . . Weren't you scared?"

Calleigh shook her head. "There wasn't time. I thought I was going to die, and I was angry. I didn't want to. And Nate was so brave. He tackled the guy even though he had a gun."

"He saved your life."

"Seems like he was always doing that."

"Do you remember that summer I spent with you – we were what? Sixteen? – and Billy Herveaux accidentally hit you when he hit his home run?"

"Nate went straight up to him and socked him." The women laughed, then Calleigh said, "I don't know if I can do this. I love Simone and Nicole but I can't replace their parents."

"Then don't try. Just be the same Aunt Calleigh that you've always been. They're never going to forget Nate and Holly."

Calleigh hugged her cousin. "Thanks, Ains. I'm really glad you came."

"I had to support the sisterhood." Ainsley helped Calleigh lie down and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. We can talk more later."

Ainsley rifled through Calleigh's CD collection, shaking her head at the assortment of music. Though she and Calleigh were remarkably similar in appearance, in personality and taste, they were polar opposites. Calleigh had had to live with a lot more demons; it was only after Ainsley had spent a summer in Darnell that she truly understood why Calleigh was always so serious.

The girls were hanging out on the porch when Kenwall came home. In his drunkenness, he confused his daughter with his niece. Ainsley couldn't even remember what set him off; all she recalled was being so scared that he would beat her to death, and hearing Calleigh's tearful pleas for her father to stop. William Hayes never forgave his brother.

Calleigh spent the following summer with Ainsley in North Carolina, and it was only there that Ainsley saw her begin to loosen up. The next year, Calleigh was back at her uncle's house, this time with Nate in tow.

Ainsley shook her head; the past was the past. Best to leave it there. She slipped a Beatles CD into the hi fi and turned the volume low so as not to disturb Calleigh. A glance at her watch told her it was almost time for Sam to call. She packed up her papers and slid her briefcase under the coffee table. As she sat down, there was a knock at the door.

A tall red-haired man was there with Simone and Nicole. Ainsley smiled at the look of confusion on his face. So this was Calleigh's Horatio, she thought.

"You're not Calleigh." His tone was almost accusing.

Simone pushed past him and attached herself to Ainsley's legs. "Aunt Ainsley!"

"Hey Simone. Come here, Nicole. I want a hug too."

Nicole stared at the floor. Ainsley frowned, almost forgetting Horatio in her concern for the girl.

"She hasn't said a word since it happened," Horatio said.

"Oh, my. Nic, come on. Uncle Sam's going to call in a minute and he's going to want to talk to his favorite pixie-girl."

Nicole let Ainsley pick her up, but was otherwise unresponsive. Horatio followed them into the living room.

"Ainsley, is it?" Horatio said. "I wasn't aware Calleigh had a sister."

She thought it was time to put him out of his misery and extended a hand. "Ainsley Hayes Seaborn. I'm Calleigh's cousin."

She saw his eyes widen, and smiled. "I know, I know. 'But you look so a like'. It's some kind of genetic fluke." She shrugged. "We used to joke that God meant us to be twins."

Horatio nodded. "Ainsley Hayes Seaborn . . . why do I feel I should know that name?"

"Do you follow politics at all? Oh, excuse me." Ainsley practically pounced on her phone. "Sam!"

Horatio took the opportunity to study her. The initial surprise had worn off, and he could look at her now without seeing Calleigh. For one thing, she wasn't wearing a sling but there were other less obvious differences. Her hair was longer, her make up was different, she stood differently, and she had a wedding band on. The most striking difference was in her eyes; they were a deep blue, where Calleigh's eyes changed color depending on her mood.

And then he realized who she was. Ainsley Hayes Seaborn, wife of Samuel Seaborn, White House Deputy Communications Director. He remembered Calleigh taking time off for her cousin's wedding last year – Ainsley's. He'd even teased her about having to wear something pink and frilly, and she'd said her cousin had more taste than that.

"Uncle Horatio?" Simone's small hand tugged at his, drawing him out of his thoughts. "Can I have some juice?"

"Sure. Nicole, how about you? Are you thirsty?"

Nicole nodded, then raised her arms in a silent request to be picked up. He carried her into the kitchen then set her down on a counter.

"Orange juice? Mixed fruit?" Horatio acted as though Nicole's silence was not at all out of the ordinary.

"Mixed!" Simone cried.

"What's the magic word?"

She screwed up her forehead in confusion. "Abracadabra?"

Horatio chuckled. "No. What do you say when you want something?"

"Oh. Please?"

Ainsley entered the kitchen while Horatio was pouring the juice. "Hi. Sorry about that."

"No problem. Something to drink?"

Ainsley shook her head. "I'll keep the girls company if you want to go sit with Calleigh."

"If you don't mind . . ."

"Go. She needs you."

Calleigh couldn't sleep. She was tempted to take another painkiller in the hope that it would knock her out, but it was too much of an effort to fetch one. Her back was to the door, but she knew immediately that Horatio had entered, and rolled onto her back.

"Hey."

"Did I wake you?"

"No."

He sat next to her and pulled something out of his pocket. "I have something for you."

When he fastened her birthday necklace round her neck, she closed her eyes to keep from crying, and wished that they were back in time and nothing had happened.

"Will there be an IAB hearing?"

"Yes. You won't have to testify though. Everything's on tape. It's clear that he shot first."

Calleigh sat up. "I'm the girls' guardian."

Horatio cupped her cheek in his hand. "You're going to be a great guardian."

"Do you really think so?"

He nodded.

"We have to go up to DC for a couple of days. The funeral and everything's going to be there . . . God, Horatio, this is so hard. How did you ever get over Raymond?"

He put his arms around her. "I didn't. And for a while I didn't know if I could carry on, and I was ready to quit. Then one morning I arrived at work and you were in the break room and you made me a cup of coffee and gave me a hug. And I realized that I hadn't died with Raymond, that I was still alive and that there were people in my life who cared about me."

Calleigh was in tears by then. Horatio held her closer.

"Don't feel guilty that you lived and he didn't, Cal. Maybe it's selfish of me but I couldn't bear losing you."

Calleigh sought his lips with hers. Her kisses were desperate. "Help me forget. Make love to me, Horatio."

He stopped. "There is nothing I want more right now, but not like this. You're too special to me."

"But—"

"We'll have our time, Calleigh. We'll have our time." Horatio cradled her in his arms until, lulled by his heartbeat, she fell asleep.

Calleigh's cell phone was ringing. Horatio answered it before the noise could wake her and slipped quietly off the bed.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Calleigh Duquesne."

Horatio glanced at the bed; Calleigh was still asleep. "She can't come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?"

There was a sigh from the other end of the phone. "It's Dana from 'The Whiskey Stop'. Her father's here again."

"Okay. Thank you." Horatio hung up.

In the living room, Simone was playing with Ainsley's hair. Nicole sat on the floor, coloring in a picture. Ainsley smiled when Horatio came out of the bedroom.

"I've got to go out for a little while. If Calleigh wakes up, tell her I'll be back soon."

"Okay." She waved as he left, then turned her attention back to the girls. "What are you drawing, Nicole?"

Nicole bent forward to hide the picture, making Ainsley even more curious.

"Nicole? Sweetheart, what is it?"

"Just show her," Simone said.

Nicole shook her head. Simone jumped off the couch and grabbed the picture from her sister. She danced around the coffee table, waving it in the air, before presenting it to Ainsley.

"That wasn't very nice, Simone."

"Daddy says sharing is caring."

"That's true, but Nicole wasn't ready to share."

Sulking, Simone took a seat on the opposite couch, muttering something too low for Ainsley to hear. Nicole stared at the crayon in her hand, then let it fall as tears ran down her cheeks. Ainsley looked at the picture, then froze.

Four stick figures in a circle. One had its arms up in the universal gesture for surrender. Another held a gun. The third had long blonde hair and was covered in red droplets. The last stood a little to the side, crying, a yellow halo above his head.

Ainsley knelt next to Nicole. "Sweetheart, did you see what happened?"

"Aunt Calleigh told us to stay where we were but Nicole didn't listen. She never listens. I stayed."

Ainsley was crying too. She hugged Nicole. "Come here, Simone."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Oh, honey, I was never mad."

Simone jumped off the couch and ran to join the hug. Ainsley held them tight, her heart breaking. No wonder Nicole wasn't talking, she thought.

Horatio walked into 'The Whiskey Stop', wondering how many times Calleigh had come here to fetch her father. He spotted Kenwall at the bar and picked his way through the tables.

"Come on, Mr. Hayes. Let's get you home."

Kenwall squinted up at him. "My son is dead."

Horatio said nothing.

"He was such a good boy . . . The best. Not like his brother."

"Mr. Hayes—"

"Where's Calleigh? I want my little girl."

"Hi, are you the guy I spoke to?" It was the bartender. "Do you want me to put this on his tab?"

"No. I'll take care of it." Horatio settled the bill, then turned back to Kenwall, who was still going on about his children. "Mr. Hayes."

"Have we met? You look familiar."

"I'm a friend of Calleigh's."

Kenwall frowned. "Calleigh doesn't love me."

"Of course she does. Now, come on—"

"She left me. Ran away." Kenwall shook his head, then looked at Horatio suspiciously. "You sleeping with her?

Horatio hesitated. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having. "No. Calleigh and I are friends."

"She's too good for you. Too good for anyone."

Horatio sighed and sat down. "Dana, is it? Can we get two cups of coffee?"