Part V - Clarity:

Part B:

Philip was torn. He didn't know whether to hit Shawn or to break down crying in his nephew's arms. Truth be told, he felt like doing both...and not in that particular order. He wandered around for a little after Shawn left the loft. He had placed Claire in her crib and began to return downstairs when he heard Belle's voice carry up to the top of the stairs. Speaking words he knew he'd never forget. Words that hurt him more than words ever should have.

"That's not fair." - Belle cried. "I told you I loved you. I told you I wanted you. I couldn't let you go. I would have left Philip for you. We could have raised Claire together. We could have been a family like we've always planned. But you married Mimi."

He remembered hearing Shawn's response to that. He married Mimi, he loved Mimi, and that he would always love her. He didn't have to see Belle to know the jealousy was in her eyes. When Shawn left, Bell had tried to talk to him. To get him to come to her side or rather to see her side.

"Philip." - Belle whispered his name. "I'm so sorry." - she went to touch him and he recoiled.

"I asked you if you still loved him." - Philip stated calmly, though his blood was boiling. "I asked you before we got married. You lied to me then." - he could hide the tears in his eyes as his blood ran cold. He stepped away when she tried to touch him again. "I knew that you had feelings for him. That you always would. I just thought, you know, if I loved you enough..." - his voice quavered a little but he quickly recovered. Belle was crying but her tears didn't affect him now. "...that maybe one day, you'd love me back." - he shook his head. "I was a damn fool for thinking that."

"I do love you, Philip." - she proclaimed. "I do love you."

"But not like you love him. Never like you love him." - he scoffed, seems they had this conversation before. "I tried and I tried but I never got anywhere. You could never open your heart to the possibility that I could be the one for you. That we could fall in love. It was just Shawn. You only wanted Shawn. Even though you saw how happy he was with Mimi."

Her eyes took that jealous haze again. "Mimi hurt him."

"And you didn't?" - he countered. "You knew the truth about Claire." - he stared at her in disbelief. "She and I have always been consolation prizes to you. We were what you got because Shawn decided to marry Mimi. You didn't care about me bonding with her or her bonding with me and the fact that she and I could grow to love each other because you couldn't have Shawn. He was right when he said that you couldn't stand the thought of Mimi being a part of her life as her stepmother, but you would rather another man raise the child of the man you love...as her father? You would keep the truth in the dark, costing your daughter precious moments with her biological father all because you didn't want your best friend helping in raising her." - he shook his head and moved toward the door.

"Philip, wait!" - Belle stopped him. "Please, don't go."

Standing at the door, his back to her, Philip realized he couldn't even stand to look at her. "You know what's funny? I never thought Shawn deserved you. The way he treated you when he came back to Salem after everything with Jan. I thought he was..." - he turned and did face her. Both their blue eyes red from crying. "I was looking at you through rose-colored glasses." - he shook his head; his face taking on a disgusted expression. "I see you now, Belle. I don't like what I see."

He left after saying that. He walked to the park and sat on the bench to read Mimi's letter to Shawn. Read how she loved him and hated herself for hurting him. Read as she tried to explain her reasons for keeping this secret. He could actually see her there trying to figure them out as he read. Read as she begged for forgiveness for not only herself but for Belle. Belle was Claire's mother and as such would always be in his life. Philip remembered feeling awestruck at that. Mimi was simply a remarkable person. Even with the thoughts of Shawn and everyone else hating her, she wanted him to forgive Belle. To make it work with her, not only for his sake...but for Claire's.

He left after reading that and headed to the Brady house, sure Shawn was there.

Stepping into the Brady home, the words of Mimi's letter struck a chord in his heart.

"I think, maybe deep down inside, I've always been a little jealous of Belle. I mean, she has the world at her fingertips. But, that doesn't excuse what I've done. I'm just trying to...come up with an answer to this nagging question. Why did I do it? Why didn't I tell you that you were the father of Belle's baby? Truth is, Shawn, and I think I've grown enough to admit this, jealousy was a huge part of it. Belle has everything. The love of her family, a husband who adores her, a beautiful baby girl that belongs to my husband...and even my husband's love. Yes, jealousy was a huge factor."

Mimi was the bigger person between the two friends he realized. Where she would admit she was jealous, own up to her faults and embrace the possibility that maybe they held meaning, Belle would deny them. He knew his wife was jealous of Mimi's relationship with Shawn. You'd have to be blind not to see that, but it went much deeper than he thought. It wasn't just that Belle had lost her first love to her best friend; it was she had lost Shawn's love. That special place in his heart that was reserved only for her now belonged to Mimi. They both had been so lost and broken when they sought out to console each other. They found in each other the peace and strength they needed so badly. Looking into Shawn's face, Philip could see his nephew was just as lost as he felt.

But he was here for a reason.

Shawn was now revealed to be the father of his little girl.

And he needed to know if he would take her away like he took his wife.

"Bo. Hope." - Philip greeted his half-brother and sister in-law. They stood to leave and he stopped them. "You don't have to go. I'm sure you know what's going on. I'm sure Shawn has told you that he's..." - the words choked him. He couldn't say them. The words to him were some vile concoction that he swallowed and couldn't digest. The mere thought that he hadn't had any part in making that angelic creature tore his heart to shreds. Her golden hair, her porcelain face, those enchanting blue eyes placed so perfectly in her head. That child was not his, but he couldn't love her more if he tried.

"Yeah." - Shawn said, knowing how hard it was for Philip to say the words. Truth was, it was just as hard for him. "They know."

"I'm sorry, Philip." - Hope's voice and eyes were tender as she looked on the young man. "It's a bad situation for all."

Nodding, his eyes cast to the floor, Philip missed the subtle nod Shawn gave his parents. He and Philip needed to be alone. He waited until they were out of earshot before speaking again. "Hit me." - Shawn whispered to his uncle.

Philip looked at him confused, dazed. "What?"

"Hit me." - Shawn said firmly now. He opened his arms widely. "Come on, Philip, and hit me."

No one would ever have believed that Shawn was asking a trained marine to hit him, but he needed to know exactly what was in Philip's head. If maybe they could move past the anger and the initial thoughts of violence, perhaps some type of reasonable agreement could be met between the two men.

"What?" - Philip's face was the picture of confusion.

"Hit me!" - Shawn continued. "I deserve it. Come on, man, I slept with your wife. You were off fighting a war and I slept with your wife." - anger flashed briefly in Philip's eyes but he made no move against Shawn. "I'm the father of the little girl you thought was your own."

Something akin to murderous rage now flashed in Philip's eyes. He raised his fist to hit Shawn but nothing happened. He simply stared at his nephew. Stared at him a long while before lowering his fist. Stared at him even more as tears clouded his blue orbs and he sank to the couch. "I can't hit you." - Philip breathed out; the pain evident in his voice. "It wouldn't change anything. You'd still be Claire's father."

Shawn stood there and watched as his trained marine, formerly anger driven, and war-hero uncle cried like a baby. Shawn's heart went out to Philip. In all of this, he and Claire were the truly innocent ones and their lives were being ripped apart. They didn't deserve this. None of them did.

"You're the father of my little girl." - Philip stated, more upset now than angry. He looked up to Shawn with frenzied confusion. "How? How can I not have had any part in making something I love so much? I'm as much her father as you are." - he was defensive now. "I know her favorite toy. How she likes to be held. Did you know that she can't sleep after she takes a bath? That she loves the water. She's like..." - a small pleasant smile came to his face at the thought. It faded just as quickly. "...a little fish." - he looked over to Shawn again who had sat down beside him. Tears began to slip down both their cheeks. "Please don't take my little girl, Shawn. Please." - he begged his nephew. "I don't think I could recover from losing her. She's my world. She's my whole world."

"I'm not going to take her from you, Philip." - Shawn vowed. "I never planned to take her from you."

Relieved, if only for the moment, Philip breathed a little easier. He believed him, he didn't know why, but he believed him. "What are you going to do?"

Shaking his head, "I don't know yet." - he answered. "I..." - his thoughts drifted to Mimi. "I don't know." - silence fell between them for a long moment. Neither man knew what to say, to do, nor how to move on. The fact that they weren't beating the crap out of each other showed signs of growth. The fact that they were at least attempting to work it out showed just how far they had come in their relationship. "I do want to be a part of our daughter's life. I want her to know me as her father." - Shawn said after a moment. He looked over to Philip. "But I'm not going to take her from you. I want you to be a part of her life, too. She deserves to have all the love she can get." - he saw Philip's gaze cloud over with emotions. "I mean it. I don't know what's going to happen between you and Belle." - his own face fell. "Or me and Mimi but...whatever happens, Claire will get all the love she deserves. Just because the adults in her life are confused and intent on making their own lives hell...doesn't mean we're going to make hers one."

Philip was surprised, but kept it to himself. He hadn't realized just how much his nephew had grown up. He was sure it was Mimi's doing. He could see that it was. "I still love her."

Shawn nodded. "I know." - he replied softly.

"I was talking about Claire."

Because he knew he was lying, Shawn simply nodded again. "I know." - he lied.

"I didn't think it was possible for me to love anything or anyone as much as I love...our daughter, but I do."

Shawn allowed a small smile to cross his lips. Through all the hurt, betrayal and confusion...there was love. The love of Claire that kept everyone speaking to one another. Mimi's love for her goddaughter and her husband finally allowed her to tell the truth. Shawn's love of his newfound daughter, his uncle and his wife had him not suing Belle and Philip for full custody. It had him not filing for divorce. Philip's love of Claire had him willing to work it out with another man who staked claim to the little girl who so captured his heart. Love was more powerful than anything. And if Mimi had taught him anything...it was that love conquered all.

"I still love Belle, too." - Philip broke into Shawn's thoughts. "I don't know what that means to you or to...her, but..."

"I'm so sorry, Philip." - Shawn said. "So sorry for Belle cheating on you with me. It was wrong, and we knew it even then; we just..." - he sighed heavily. "That's no excuse. And I know 'sorry' doesn't even begin to make it hurt less, but..."

"Do you still love her?" - Philip interrupted him. "Do you still love my wife?"

If he had been asked that at any point before today, he would have denied any feelings, love or otherwise, for Belle. But today, today was about truth. It was about seeking it out, admitting it and accepting it. He wouldn't lie to Philip now. "I'll always love Belle." - he said softly. "She was my first love. A huge part of my life and...the mother of our daughter. But am I in love with her?" - Shawn shook his head. "No. I am completely, shamelessly, hopelessly in love with my wife." - he sighed again. "I just wish she knew that."

"She doesn't?" - Philip asked. He knew for a fact that Mimi knew Shawn loved her.

"She doesn't know how much I love her." - he clarified. "That I choose her above all else. I didn't do a very good job of making that known to her. There have always been three people in this marriage. Me, her and Belle. And that was my fault. Instead of making Belle let me go, making her see just how happy I was with Mimi, I coddled her. I don't know. We were on automatic pilot or something. I figured things didn't have to change that much since Mimi and I married and that was wrong. Truth is, I wasn't truly over Belle or over losing her to you when Mimi and I married."

"So, you both have had that and the secret about Claire between you this whole time?" - Philip asked, though it was more of a statement. He couldn't believe he was about to give marriage advice to his nephew, when his own marriage was in dire straits, when he didn't know whether his own wife loved him or not, but there was no point in a marriage that actually has a chance at survival simply giving up. "Do you know where she is?"

Shawn shook his head. "Her letter didn't say."

"But you could find out." - Philip hinted.

"Yeah." - Shawn agreed. "But I don't think she wants me to. I think she wants to give me some space to figure out what I want...and give her the chance to do the same."

"I've read her letter." - even as he said it, he pulled it out of is pocket and handed it to Shawn. "She knows what she wants. It's you. I think her leaving was just her giving you a chance to make a choice. She removed herself from the equation to see if you would factor her in." - silence fell for a beat. "So, what do you want?" - Philip asked. "A life with Mimi or a family with Belle?"

It didn't even take him a moment to consider. "I want my wife." - Shawn answered while staring Philip straight in the eye. "I want my wife back."

Philip smiled at Shawn, proud of him even in the midst of all the chaos. "So, go get her."

"...I keep hoping that someday we will meet again. That one day you'll be able to look at me again and think that I was once your friend. No matter where life takes us, Shawn, I always want to be your friend. And if we never meet again, know that I will look back on our life together and I won't cry, but smile. Because your love made me a better person. And the memories of what we shared together...will carry me through."

Shawn smiled at the possibility of finding out where Mimi was and going to her. Showing her that he chose her and only her.

"I, Shawn-Douglas, take you, Miriam Elizabeth, to be my lawful wedded wife. For better and for worse. In sickness and in health. Forsaking all others; until death parts us." - he smiled. "I love you, Mimi."

He felt Philip's strong hand squeezing his shoulder reassuringly and opened his eyes to meet his uncle's gaze. When their eyes locked, Philip simply repeated his statement. It was so obvious Shawn couldn't live without her, and he knew Mimi felt the same.

There would be no secrets between them now.

No questions or hidden feelings.

Only love.