(See first part for disclaimer, notes, spoilers, etc.)

Pt 7: "Breakfast and a Bombshell"

The next morning, Gregory walks out onto the patio for breakfast. Sean looks up from his cereal as Gregory sits down and pours himself some coffee.

"Morning Daddy," Caitlin says distractedly as she flips through a fashion magazine. "Sleep well?"

Gregory takes a long sip of his coffee. "Fine Caity," he responds quietly.

Sean watches as his father picks up his fork and forcefully spears two of Rose's homemade Belgian waffles. "Mom still sleeping?"

Gregory glances up briefly at Sean before he continues buttering his waffles. "Yes. I'd like for her to stay sleeping as long as possible, so it would be nice if you two could keep quiet for the next few hours."

Sean nods and resumes eating his cereal. The next few minutes pass in silence.

"Daddy, before I forget…Alex Mitchum called earlier. She'd like you to call her back."

Caitlin and Sean both jump as Gregory's silverware clatters onto the table. He pushes his chair back from the table and storms angrily into the house. The patio door slams shut behind him.

"What was that about?" Caitlin wonders.

Sean shakes his head. "I don't know." He looks over at his sister. "Cait?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you-…Have you noticed anything odd between Mom and Dad?"

Caitlin's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "You mean because they slept on the couch the night before last?"

Sean leans closer to the table and whispers conspiratorially, "Partly. Mom's been looking a little stressed lately, don't you think?"

"She did look tired yesterday," Caitlin admits. "Do you think they're in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know." Sean shrugs his shoulders. "It's possible."

Both turn as they hear the kitchen door slide open. Olivia pads across the stone patio in her bare feet. Gregory's monogrammed robe is wrapped around her body and her hair is piled haphazardly on her head.

"Good morning," she says pleasantly as she kisses Sean, then Caitlin on the head. She slides easily into the cushioned chair and crosses her legs. "Where's your father?"

Instead of answering her question, Sean pipes up, "You're looking better Mom. Did you sleep well?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Olivia reaches over and scoops some fresh fruit onto her plate. She smiles at Sean before putting a cube of cantaloupe in her mouth. Her eyes fall on the empty seat opposite her. She gestures with her fork to the plate of waffles before the vacant seat. "Where did your father go?"

"He, uh, had to take a phone call. Do you want some coffee?" Caitlin asks.

"Yes, please. Thank you Cait." Olivia holds out her mug as Caitlin gently pours the steaming liquid in. "Sean, pass the milk and sugar, please." She adds the extra condiments and stirs the coffee gently.

"Daddy said you were still sleeping."

"Oh," Olivia laughs softly, "I was. But, um, the bed was cold after your father got up." The color gently rises in Olivia's face as Sean clears his throat uncomfortably. "Sorry sweetie."

Caitlin snickers as she raises a glass of orange juice to her lips.

Sean cracks a smile and chuckles awkwardly.

"What did I miss?" Gregory asks as he walks back out onto the patio. He smiles tenderly at the laughter lines on Olivia's face and the sparkle in her eyes.

"Nothing important, darling." Olivia smiles sheepishly when Gregory raises his eyebrow questioningly at her. She shakes her head slightly as if to say don't ask.

Gregory sits back down in his chair and places his discarded linen napkin back in his lap. He looks carefully at Olivia and is pleased to see some color back in her face. He also notes that the circles under her eyes are no longer so prominent.

"What type of business warranted such an early phone call?" Olivia asks as she picks up a strawberry with her fingers and nibbles on it.

Gregory sighs heavily. "Alex Mitchum."

Sean sees his mother tense and something flicker in her eyes, though he can't tell what. That's it, he decides. "So, which one of you wants to tell Cait and I what's really going on?" he asks quietly.

Olivia lets the half-eaten strawberry fall from her fingers. She rubs her neck unconsciously and angles her body away from the table. She looks back at Gregory and nods slightly at the question his eyes silently ask.

For the second time this morning, Gregory puts down his silverware. He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. "Well, Liv there's no outsmarting these kids." He frowns at the tense and tight smile Olivia sends him. He opens his mouth to continue but to his great surprise, Olivia speaks first.

"Your father and I received some news that we've been trying to deal with the past few days," she starts slowly. "Alex Mitchum is the bearer of this news. I'm not sure if the two of you know this, but she dated your father briefly when they were younger."

"It was long before I knew your mother," Gregory interjects. "It was the summer before I started law school. The summer ended and we parted ways, Alex to Europe and I to New York for law school. And that was the end of it, or so I thought."

"What do you mean 'thought'?" Caitlin asks unsurely.

Gregory's eyes briefly lock with Olivia's. "For reasons known only to herself, Alex has now decided to inform me that I am the father of her son, Casey."

"Casey the lifeguard!" Caitlin gasps after a moment. She looks to Olivia for confirmation, who nods her head. "Oh my…" she trails off.

"Are, uh, are you sure?" Sean asks. "I mean, she could be wrong."

"She isn't Sean," Olivia says quietly. "A D.N.A. test confirms it."

Sean leans back in his chair and stares at Caitlin, who looks as shocked as he feels. He exhales deeply as he runs his hands through his hair. "So, has she told Casey?"

"That was what the phone call was about. She told him last night…and she hasn't seen him since then." Gregory looks over at Caitlin, then Sean. "I don't know what Alex was hoping for by revealing this. I don't know why she waited until now."

Olivia's eyes narrow. "I'm sure she has her reasons." She picks up her mug and takes a long sip of the coffee

"Aren't we all taking this a bit calmly?" Caitlin exclaims. "I mean…My god! Casey, the guy I had a crush on when I was fifteen, is now my half-brother!" She grimaces at the thought. "Ewww."

Olivia reaches over and touches Caitlin's arm. "Cait, no one here has taken this calmly. This has thrown both of your father and I for a loop…a severe loop. Neither of us expected this. And it isn't as if your father lied about it for all these years. He never knew."

"Dad?"

"What Sean?"

"How do you feel about all of this?"

Gregory looks at Sean blankly. He looks to Olivia for help, but she simply stares back at him with concern written across her face. "I'm disappointed that Alex kept this a secret for so long. She has hurt a lot of people. Her son most of all."

"But, what I mean is…How do you feel about having another son? I mean, let's face it, clearly you and I are not the archetypal father-son relationship." Sean folds his arms across his chest and sinks lower in his chair.

"Sean," Olivia starts as puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Liv," Gregory interrupts. He clears his throat. "Sean, I spent most of my marriage being a terrible husband to your mother. With you though, I've been a terrible father to you all of your life. No excuse I offer can justify it." He pauses to gauge Sean's reaction. "But you and your sister are both so precious to me. When your heart stopped beating in that emergency room, I-…" His voice cracks and he looks to Olivia, who has tears in her own eyes. "You are…irreplaceable." He sits back and downs a large gulp of coffee.

Olivia sniffs and wipes away the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes. "This doesn't change anything," she says softly, repeating Gregory's mantra from the day before. She rubs Sean's shoulder gently. "You are still our son."

Sean stands up quickly. "I'm, I'm going upstairs."

"Sean," Olivia calls out to her son's retreating form as he walks into the house. She sighs sadly and meets Gregory's eyes. "He'll be fine," she tells him. "Just give him some time to absorb all of this." She looks over at her daughter, who has been quiet since her earlier outburst. "Cait?"

Caitlin blinks rapidly. "I have to get dressed. I'm driving up the coast with Marah today." She gets up slowly and leaves the patio.

Gregory's eyes follow Caitlin and his eyes close when she shuts the door behind her. "My god Liv," he sighs.

Olivia walks over to Gregory and perches herself on the arm of his chair. His arm goes around her waist and rests his hand on her hip. She trails her fingers across his forehead and runs them gently through his hair. He rubs her hip and opens his eyes up at her.

"It could have been worse, you know," she whispers. "Much worse."

"I know," he admits. "I'm rather relieved it went as well as it did."

Olivia smiles sadly. "It can't have been easy on them…with us as parents. They both had a lot to deal with at a rather young age."

Gregory nods in agreement. Olivia slides down into his lap and rests her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her, cradling her as if she were an infant.

"Do you think I'm a bad father?"

Olivia looks up at Gregory. "No. When I married you, I knew that you would be a wonderful father. I didn't want anyone but you to be the father of my children."

Gregory smiles wanly at her. "I look at Sean, and Caitlin too, and I just see so many missed opportunities. Things I never said or did…I never wanted to become my father, Liv."

Olivia reaches up and strokes his cheek. "Darling, you aren't your father…you couldn't be. You're trying. He never did." She cranes her neck and kisses his neck. "You aren't your father."

Gregory clasps Olivia's hand with his own and holds it close to his heart. "What would I do without you?" he whispers.

"Drive yourself mad with self-doubt?" Olivia suggests with a small smile.

He raises her hand and kisses it tenderly. "Yeah." He squeezes her hand and smiles when she squeezes right back.