Finally, they were set free. The gunman had relented after negotiating with the police for almost seven hours. Abby and Renee were two of the last to leave the building. Abby clutched Renee's hand, her fingernails threatening to pierce the skin on Renee's palm. Abby's make up had left black streaks where her tears had carried mascara down her face. Renee leaned close to her and told her everything was fine; that she would be okay. As they stepped onto the lawn of the restaurant they were greeted by an officer of the Boston Police Department. He asked them a few questions and made sure they needed no medical attention. After jotting down their names and contact information, he let them go. Still hand in hand, Renee led Abby to her car. They were half way there when a familiar figure ducked under the police line and asked the first police officer he saw what was happening. Renee, noticed him first and for a split second, she thought Garret might be there for her. That thought left her quickly as Abby dropped her hand and charged towards her father. He scooped her into his arms and she burst into tears again as she tried to tell him what had happened. Renee cautiously approached them. Garret was so worried about his daughter that he hardly noticed Renee beside him.

"Where's Jake?" she asked anxiously. Garret turned to Renee. She was careful not to let him see how sick she felt over the whole ordeal.

"He's with Nigel."

"At the morgue?"

"Yeah," Garret said quietly, his shaking daughter tucked under his arm, "do you need a ride?" Renee held up her cars keys as evidence.

"I've got my car, thanks." Before turning to leave, she reached out for Abby. She squeezed the girl's hand in her own. "We'll do lunch another day, kiddo,"

Renee found her car amongst a sea of police vehicles. Luckily she had just enough room to manoeuvre between them and be on her way.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was getting late and all she wanted to do was sleep until next week. But she couldn't. She had things to take care of first. She was a mom and even after a day like the one she'd had, her responsibilities as a parent came before everything else. She had never felt her role as mother as strongly as she had today. Trapped inside that little restaurant, with her life in the hands of a crazy man with a gun, all Renee could think about was her son. She wracked her brain with thoughts of what would happen to him if anything happened to her. She replayed her son's short life in her head as she prepared his lunch for the following day.

It had been just the two of them since the day he was born. Of course, her mother, until recently, had been a staple in their lives, but for the most part, their worlds revolved around each other. She'd brought him home from the hospital and was petrified. Her mom was around to teach her, but Renee was terrified of her ability as mother. She called him Jacob Walker Wallcot; Jacob, because she had always liked the name and Walker after her father. She went back to work quickly. As a single mom, she couldn't afford to stay out of the courtroom for very long. She worked her hardest to provide for him, but in everything she did, she always felt like she was coming up short. With no father figure, there would always be something missing in Jake's life. This fact weighed heavily on Renee's mind as she wrapped Jake's sandwich in plastic and slid it into his lunch box. Zipping it up, she smiled at the friendly image of Bob the Builder staring back at her. She had never thought that cartoons would be an important part of her life.

As she slid Bob the Builder into the refrigerator she heard a shy knock on her apartment door. She walked slowly towards the sound, not knowing who to expect at such an unsociable hour of the morning. She peered through the peephole and drew a ragged breath. It was Garret. Renee opened the door cautiously and smiled politely as if he were a salesman catching her in the middle of her supper.

"What are you dong here?" she asked, not intending to be rude, but sounding that way nonetheless. Garret shuffled his feet, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry," he said, "I'm sorry, I should go. It's late. I didn't mean to bother you. Sorry," he stammered, turning to leave.

"It's okay, come in," Renee said, smiling at his incessant apologies and excuses, "did you want something?" she asked. Garret slowly entered the dark stillness of Renee's apartment.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine," Renee nodded, her lips pressed into a harsh line. "How's Abby?"

"She's alright. A bit shaken up. She's with Maggie," Garret was quiet for a moment. "She said you were great in there." Renee tried to brush off what she had done as something anyone would have, but Garret wouldn't let her. "No, she said you were right with her the whole time. She said she would have been really scared if you hadn't of been there. She said you were really calm and level headed while everyone was going nuts." Renee breathed a light laugh through her nose.

"Well, someone had to be," she smiled. Silence again separated them. Talking used to be so easy, but now Renee had to fight to find the right words to say to a man who at this moment seemed familiar and foreign all at once. "Do you want a drink or something?" she asked finally.

"Yeah, sure." Renee led him into her dimly lit kitchen. She reached for a bottle and poured two fingers of scotch for Garret and three for herself. As she passed him a glass their hands touched slightly. She silently cursed her self for blushing like a school girl at the touch of his hand, thankful that the darkness of the kitchen was enough to conceal her embarrassment. He was standing close to her, but Renee made no attempt to increase their distance. After a day like today, she was glad to feel the safety of his presence.

"I wanted to thank you for getting Jake for me today," she said after a time.

"No problem. He's a great kid," Garret said earnestly. Renee smiled a proud smile. She would never tire of hearing people compliment her son. It made her feel like there was at least one thing in her life that she had done right. "I know that since your mom's been gone," Garret continued, "it must be hard for you to be working and taking care of him all on your own."

"We get by alright," Renee said quietly.

"Well, if you ever need anything, I'm always here, okay," Garret said, looking into her eyes to make sure she knew he meant what he'd said.

"Thank-you, Garret."

By now Garret had drained the last drop of colour from his glass. He sighed and set it lightly on the counter.

"I guess I'd better get going," he said quietly as he turned and headed for the door. Renee followed a few paces behind him. As he reached for the door knob she called his name in a voice just short of a whisper. He turned and found her staring at the floor, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah?" he asked. She looked up slowly.

"I was just," she started, her hands massaging one another nervously, "I was just wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Name it," he said a little too quickly.

"Will you stay here tonight?" she asked. "It's just, I'm not really keen on being here by myself, after today, you know?" Renee shrugged but Garret needed no explanation. He was more than willing to stay.

"Sure," he said quietly, "gimme a pillow and I'll hit the couch." Renee laughed nervously.

"That couch sucks. Take my room and I'll sleep with Jake," she offered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah,"

xxxxxxxxxx

Renee lay beside her son in the dark, her breath keeping rhythm with his as she tried to force herself to sleep. Her mind was moving fast and she couldn't turn it off. She just kept thinking about the day she'd had and about the man that was in her bed at that very moment. And although she tried, she couldn't stop herself from going to him. It was almost three in the morning and she had assumed he would be asleep. She leaned against the door frame and looked in on him. Everything was the same as it was three years ago. He was on his side of her bed. He lay on his side, his face pointed toward the door. He had one leg inside the blankets and one leg outside. She stifled a laughed as she remembered a time when she was welcome to stare as she did right now. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard him speak.

"What's up?" he asked groggily. Suddenly Renee was serious again. She walked carefully into her bedroom, stopping just a few inches short of where Garret lay. She sighed and looked down at him and smiled a sad smile.

"I just needed to be next to you," she whispered. Without a word, Garret shifted his body, making room for her between the covers. She lay on her back beside him and his face hung over hers. He pulled the blankets to her middle, letting his hand slide across her stomach. He felt her skin contract at his touch.

"I missed you," Renee admitted quietly. She placed a hand on his face as she searched his eyes, looking for something she could hold on to, looking for all that she had lost three years ago. But before she could find the certainty she needed, Garret leaned in and kissed her. He kissed her as if it were the first time he'd ever touched her, tentative and nervous. As he deepened the kiss, both Renee and Garret entered a place they recognized. The familiarity of his mouth on hers came flooding back to Renee with mind numbing force. Although she knew she would regret it in the morning, she let Garret make her feel what it was like to be a woman again. She had been with no man in three years and in that moment, her body ached for him.

He made love to her slowly and silently, rediscovering all the places he had missed for so long and never dreamed he'd touch again. As he moved over her delicate body he saw a flash of something in her eyes. Something he recognized, but couldn't name. It looked almost like fear. He silently wondered why she would fear this moment and could come to no obvious conclusion. He pushed the thought out of his mind as she drew his face towards hers again. Now, Garret could see her feelings written all over her face. She trembled, petrified to give herself up to him again. She opened her mouth ever so slightly as if to voice her apprehension, but Garret quickly calmed her, pressing his lips to hers. And that was all she needed. To know that he understood. To know that he cared. To know that she was safe.