Author's note: Oh Wow you guys are so great! I was so afraid of where this chapter went. I was just sitting in front of my computer and the next thing I knew Jude's house was on fire. So damn shocking even to me. EEEK! I am just so excited about where this story is going. I quit writing it after the first chapter. After that, the keyboard just moves as I type but the story pretty much writes itself. You guys are tuly wonderful. I open my email and my login page and I can't help but smile. Thank youSO much for taking the time to let me know what you think. You guys are terrific. Hope you enjoy what comes next. Please R&R. Smiles.

Nothing prepares you for something like this. There are no lessons on grief 101 given to students at school—it's just a plain reality that digs itself into your skin like a razor blade poised over your wrist. And it cuts deeply too because the only thing left in you when the adrenaline fades is pain.

Somewhere in the dim, mysterious world of illusion caused by the smoke that came off the house, I heard Sadie and dad yelling for me—running through the grass with it's fog machine-like tendrils of mist wrapping around their legs—clinging to them before dissipating into the night before they finally approached me, dropping to their knees to pull me into a fierce embrace. I coughed as the paramedic took away the mask before glancing as best I could through the crowd that had gathered at the side of the yard. Somewhere in all of the chaos, I had lost Tommy and I searched frantically for him as dad brushed away some of the soot from my face carefully.

"Oh God! I'm glad you're okay." Dad said passionately as I smiled and nodded at him vaguely, feeling a dead weight settle over my chest as my search through the familiar neighborhood faces came up empty for the one person that I had hoped desperately to find. Where was he?

And then I saw him—those blue eyes shining like a beacon near the edge of an ambulance, complaining (that's my Tommy) with a paramedic that he was fine before glancing up at me and catching my gaze. I smiled softly at him begging him with my eyes not to leave. He must have understood because he nodded to me slowly before turning back to the man in front of him. I sighed heavily as the pain in my chest began to fade a little. I felt like I had run a marathon—leaping in bounds over hurdles that kept getting bigger and bigger as I approached them. I had to keep telling myself over and over in my head that 'this was not a soap opera. This was my life,' as I looked over the burning debris in a mixture of sorrow and grief. Could it have been coincidence that the house had burned down the same afternoon that I discovered Tommy was married? And as soon as that question hit me, I just had to know right then—as if waiting would cause everything in me to fall apart. I looked up at dad mournfully.

"How did it start, dad? Do they know how it started?" I asked with a shiver as the wind suddenly blew under the hem of my charred shirt. Dad rubbed his eyes wearily before pulling me down again against his chest—hugging me as if he were afraid I would disappear on him.

"It was an accident, Jude. They thought it was a candle at first in the living room but I knew I had blown that out before I went to bed so they investigated the kitchen while you were being treated for smoke inhalation. The debris is still too hot to know for sure, but they found a short in one of your mom's old toasters. I had been telling her for years that it was a fire hazard, but she just shook it off. At least she seemed to have gotten what she wanted—freedom." He said as he looked over at the charred remains sorrowfully. I knew that his bitterness towards mom right now had him believing that she would be happy the property was finally gone, but I don't think even she was running away from her past so much so that she wanted it to disappear completely because that's just what it had done. Everything was gone.

So it had been an accident—a careless mistake that had probably been a time bomb waiting to happen for years but that had decided to go off on the same night I had felt my whole world crumble. But that's how life works isn't it? Everything bad always seems to happen in 'threes' and then before you it, it's all sunshine and rainbows again and wonderful opportunities get dropped in your lap. Let's just hope that the Harrison family had suffered it's threes for now—mom leaving, Tommy being married, and losing our home twice—seemed punishment enough for any transgressions any of us had ever committed—even dad's. I looked at dad then, and I suddenly realized why I had always been so close to him before—because, despite the mistakes he had made, when push came to shove, he was always there for us. He was like our anchor in the storm, and as I stared at him lovingly, I realized something else. His personality traits matched Tommy's quite a bit. They were both strong figures in my life that would slay demons to keep me safe. Wow! Two men like that in one lifetime made me one incredibly lucky woman. I took dad's hand in mine and squeezed it reassuringly as I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I looked up into Jamie Andrews face as he leaned over us warily. I could tell that the sirens and the noise had awakened him because he was still wearing an old sweatshirt and pair of faded black flannel pajama bottoms—classic Jamie sleepwear—and I found myself on the verge of crying again as he rubbed his eyes and looked in mortification at the house behind us. It had been as much his home as ours over the years, and I felt his body tense with unshed tears as he hugged me, ignoring the soot that rubbed off on his clothes. I let him hold me as the first tears finally came—dripping through the black mess on my face slowly and with difficulty.

"Everyone's okay?" Jamie asked in a whisper as he pulled back from me slowly. I nodded gently.

"We're fine Jame." I said with another small sob as the fire department motioned for us to back away from the property line.

"I hate to ask you to leave, but its time we clean this mess up a little. Is there anywhere for you guys to go?" One of the workers asked gently. Jamie started to open his mouth but was suddenly interrupted when a figure appeared behind him.

"They can stay with me. I have more than enough room." Tom said into the darkness as I looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes. Was he being serious? Stuart looked at Tom a moment almost as if he were weighing his options carefully before finally nodding in acquiescence. I tried not to grin at his decision as a female voice behind us suddenly yelled, 'STUART!" I turned swiftly to see Yvette trying to cross the yellow police tape that had been draped around our property, and I saw dad smile as he rushed towards her. She cried as he lifted up the tape and pulled her into a hug, and my eyes widened as I looked over at Sadie in amusement. Wow, the woman really cared about him, and he had left her to come stay with us. I was more than impressed. Hell, I just felt plain loved. Watching the scene for a moment, I made my way slowly over to them grabbing my sore chest as I went until I was standing only a hand length apart from the hugging couple. Sometimes it takes tragedy to make you realize what's really important in your life. Yvette noticed me then and pushed herself away from dad as she perused me kindly. I didn't even flinch as she put her hand on my shoulder and looked down into my eyes.

"Are you okay, Jude?" She asked gently even though the two of us had never even met. I smiled faintly at her as I nodded before turning to dad.

"Why don't you go home with Yvette tonight, dad. Sadie and I will be just fine." I said casually as Tommy, Sadie, and Jamie sidled up behind me. Stuart looked at the two of us uncertainly before glancing at Tom.

"Are you all sure about this?" Stuart asked as Tom nodded while Sadie tapped her foot in agitation.

"What about your wife, Tom?" She asked bitingly as Stuart's jaw dropped and my heart plummeted. Stuart arched his brow.

"Wife?" He asked as Tommy shrugged and looked away.

"I'm separated—legally." He murmured as Stuart glanced over to me with a look of understanding. I think he knew now where the tears from earlier had come from. He looked at Sadie and I with a sigh.

"I'm going to let it be you girl's decision. You can stay at Tommy's if that's what you want or you can come with me to Yvette's." He stated quietly and I knew then that this was his way of letting us know we were old enough to make our own decisions. Sadie took a step backwards as she sighed heavily.

"I'll go wherever Jude decides to go." She said haltingly as I quirked a brow at her. I knew she still had feelings for Tommy. I wasn't an idiot, and I also knew she was hoping I would pick Tom. I just looked at dad evenly—not portraying any sign of emotions as I leaned over to hug him.

"You and Yvette could use some time." I said softly as Yvette smiled gratefully at me. "Sadie and I can stay with Tom until other arrangements can be made or he gets tired of us one." I said jokingly as Stuart nodded before hugging us one more time and following Yvette out of the yard—glancing back a final time at the house with a look of despair. I felt his pain. Our eyes caught as he started to follow Yvette again, and I gave him a "we can start over, and it'll be much better this time" look as he smiled and walked away.

"Are you ready?" Tom asked gently from behind me as I nodded mutely before turning to follow them out of the yard. A paramedic stopped me on the way out—giving me something to help the agitation in my chest and informing me that I would need to see a doctor for a follow up appointment. I agreed as I watched Tom trying to cover his seats in his viper with a blanket. I couldn't help it. I laughed. He threw his eyebrows up at me.

"What?" He asked with a shrug. "I can honestly say this has been the best woman in my life—strong, dependable, beautiful, and never demanding." He said with a chuckle although he threw me a look that said "although, I thinks that's starting to change." And I felt my body tingle with another emotion entirely as he held his door open and motioned for me to enter. I climbed in carefully as he circled the car and opened his own door, and as he started the vehicle up with a roar, Sadie and I both stared back at the house in numbing shock. I could feel tears burning against my eyelids again as I stared at the curling smoke still rising from the pile.

"I hope you had house insurance, Tom." I said lightly as he chuckled from behind me.

"You know me better than that." He said as I turned back to face the front—closing out yet another chapter in my life with a bang.