hey guys, really making up for the lack of updating (although i was out of the country!) anyway, hope this is ok for you all. thanks muchos for the reviews, keep 'em coming!

He recognized her immediately, her long hair tousled in the wind, her smile lighting up her whole face as she pushed the young child on the swing in front of her. From the car, Scott placed on finger against the window, as if reaching out to touch his child. His eyes seemed to flicker with fear and he turned away from the sight before him.

"Oh God, I don't think I can do this…" Scott croaked, wiping his clammy hands against his trousers.

"You don't have to…but it's your choice Scott. I'm not going to make it for you," Virgil said softly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Scott swallowed nervously before taking a deep breath, looking towards his son once again.

"He looks like you," Virgil said with a smile. Scott looked at the mass of black hair that stuck out around the wide innocent blue eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks. Slowly, he opened the car door and stepped out.

"Call me when you're done. Doesn't matter how long you are Scott, I've got nowhere I need to be." Scott smiled at Virgil before closing the door over and slowly making his way towards the swings. He was almost beside her when she glanced up, her face frozen in disbelief. He wanted to say something, that it was nice to see her, that he was sorry he'd left her…but he couldn't think of what to say. Instead, he watched her eyes blur with tears. He took a step towards her before she ran into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her face against his chest. Scott immediately put his arms around her, holding her tightly as their son watched on in wonder.

XXXX

The coffee left a stale taste in his mouth, but it was the only place he could get a drink and a smoke at the same time. In the sickly yellow light of the smoky bar, Virgil sat gazing at his mobile phone, waiting for Scott to phone him. His palms were sticky against the slick polished table, he was nervous. He was really nervous for his brother. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he caught the glance of the waitress eyeing him curiously. She moved towards him, clutching the cracked plastic coffee pot.

"Another coffee?" she asked him, leaning against his table.

"Um…yeah, that's be nice," he replied.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, pouring the gloopy coffee into his stained mug. After hesitating for only a second, Virgil tried to laugh it off.

"I don't think so," he smiled. "Must just have one of those faces…" The waitress pondered over this before leaving him to his coffee, her eyes still resting on him. Virgil turned away, looking again at his phone and pleading with Scott to hurry it up a little.

XXXX

The apartment was small and sparsely decorated. It transpired Jen worked during the day, at a nursery, while her son was at school, but she was barely keeping up with rent. However, she had still managed to let her son have some sort of typical upbringing. His bedroom was typical of a boy of six. Boxes of cars were stacked beside his bed, adorned with a space themed duvet cover. Scott's eyes passed over it until he felt a little hand tug his coat.

"Do you want to play with my cars?" little Scott asked him. Scott smiled and nodded, looking to Jen for approval. She smiled in return, watching the two sit down on the carpet and pick over the various colours and types of cars. Scott picked his favourite, a smaller version of Alan's first car, a polished red Ferrari, his pride and joy. Little Scott looked at it and grinned widely, his tongue sticking through the gaps in his teeth where his baby teeth had fallen out.

"That's my favourite too!" he said excitedly.

"My little brother had a car just like this," Scott explained. "It was a nice car." Little Scott looked up in wonder at the mysterious other Scott that had suddenly appeared in his life. He didn't know him, but he felt that he liked him. It was obvious his Mom liked him. Scott ruffled the boy's hair tenderly and got to his feet, his knees cracking painfully, reminding him he was not a young as he'd like to be.

"I'm going to talk to your Mom Scott," he said. "I'll be back in a while to see more of your cars, ok?"

"Ok," Little Scott said, toddling through to the lounge where Jen sat, flicking through the television channels.

"Coffee?" she asked Scott, who nodded. He sat down at the Formica table as she settled little Scott in front of his favourite television programme.

"Is there anything I can do for you Jen?" Scott asked as she entered the kitchen, sitting down across from him.

"Stay here?" she asked, staring at him.

"Jen…you know I can't…" Scott sighed. She nodded, laughing slightly.

"Of course I do. But…if you stayed, you could be Scott's dad…you could be part of his life, and he'd know exactly who his father was…"

"Don't bribe me Jen," Scott snapped. She retreated from him, her face crumpling and her eyes downcast. Scott took a deep breath before leaning over, gently touching her knee with his finger. She didn't respond to the initial touch. He began to stroke his finger up the ridge of her knee and she slowly moved her eyes to meet his.

"I didn't want to come here to argue Jen," Scott said quietly. "We never really argued before…I don't see why we should now."

"There wasn't a child involved before," Jen said flatly. Scott sat back, breaking contact with Jen and looking towards the child, engrossed in watching some super hero type saving a city. Jen pushed her hair back from her face and followed Scott's gaze.

"I want to tell our son his daddy saves the day." At this, Scott looked back at her. It was the first time she'd used the term 'our' when discussing little Scott. During their earlier conversation, he'd been 'hers'. His heart was torn inside and seeing his torment, Jen moved towards him, standing in front of him and taking his head, pressing it against her stomach and letting her fingers run down the back of his neck and against his shoulders.

"I loved you Scott…but I get the feeling it was never being returned." Scott eased his head back and got to his feet, so he stood over Jen.

"Whenever I told you I did, you didn't want to know anymore," Scott said, in barely a whisper. Jen pushed her face up close to his.

"I did not want you coming back into my life just when I was learning to cope without you," she hissed. Scott grabbed her wrist, keeping her close to him.

"Well what the hell did you ask me here for Jen?" Her soft blue eyes flickered across his face, confused for a moment before she pushed her body against him and, standing on her tiptoes, pressed her lips against his. Scott stumbled back, wiping at his lips with the back of his hand. They kept their eyes fixed on each other and Scott cupped his hands around her face, allowing him to bend his head, lips meeting hers in a long, frenzied kiss. His hands slipped under the soft wool of her jumper, feeling the warmth of her soft, smooth skin beneath his fingertips. She eased him back into the chair, sitting facing him in his lap.

"Jen…" Scott tried to protest, but she cut him off with persistent kisses.

"Don't Scott…" she whispered, as she closed her eyes and pushed against him. The sound of the front door opening, as little Scott's subsequent yell of 'Michael', startled both Scott and Jen and she leapt from his lap, pulling her jumper down and fixing her trousers quickly. She put her finger to her lips and moved into the hallway. Scott got to his feet, zipping up his fly and running his fingers through his hair. He stuck his head around the door and saw a man, Michael he presumed, picking up Scott and spinning him round in the air. Beside him, Jen smiled, kissing Michael's cheek fondly.

"How was your day?" he asked her, his voice soft and warm.

"The usual," Jen replied immediately. It was all he needed to hear. Scott lifted his jacket from the back of the chair and slipping it on, he left quietly, as if he'd never been there in the first place, letting Jen get back to the usual.