Driving. Forever driving, dear god would this car ever stop? I huffed, twisting in my seat, and Mom glanced at me, pity and regret flashing in her eyes for a moment.

"You have questions."

It was a statement, not a question, but I answered anyway.

"Yes. Why didn't you tell us? Tell… me? I mean… how did someone like you, meet someone like him anyhow?!" Mom was amazing, true, but she wasn't anything like what Masters was known for. We had enough, but we weren't insanely wealthy.


Mom sighed and turned back to the road as she answered, her voice level and in control.

"We met in high school, Dash… my parents moved after your grandparents died, and he charmed me. We weren't anything but good friends until we managed to get into the same college, and we had a couple classes together. He had this best friend, and I think he was infatuated with his best friend's girl, though he never admitted it to me. Then, the horrible accident…"

Her words stuck in her throat and I quirked a brow as she shook her head and continued, quieter.

"Highly combustible liquid exploded in his face, that's what they all said. He was in the hospital for years, and within that time I graduated. His old roommate and theroommate's girl got married. Life happened…"

She chuckled and wiggled her brow at me.

"He got out of Wisconson Medical and we moved in. I was twenty-two, I had no clue what to do with my life after getting that deep oceanology degree… and he needed somebody to be there. His parents had disappeared while he was in the hospital, and were found mugged and left for dead some time later, he had nobody but me."

Mom hummed and pulled over into a rest stop, and as she parked she sat still, hands in her lap and pale.

"It's not surprising, looking back, that he and I fell for each other since we had nobody else and nothing else in our minds the following months. Vladimir could be closed off, and sometimes downright cynical, but when you can get his ass out of the grim side of life, he could be quite funny." Mom's lips quirked up a bit and then her glow dimmed. "If anything, I was crazier for him. I really loved him, but I knew what unrequited love was, and before I could accept that the man I counted stars with didn't feel the same way about me as I did him... well, somebody else walked into my life and swept me off my feet."

"Three weeks after living with Vlad, I met Ray. He was everything Vlad wasn't, Dash. He was a jock, and he praised my beauty… I never realized that he only told me what I wanted to hear and that he would go out finding someone who was what I wasn't. I was convinced he loved me and he was something stable that I could hold onto as I tried to figure out what to do with my life… and like a fool I clung onto it and we were married within a month. The week after the wedding, I had a doctor tell me I was six weeks pregnant. Ray and I had not even known each other six weeks… there was nobody else. Told Ray you were his, I told him you came early, and the fact you were a tiny and sickly thing helped that lie to slide by."


My throat was dry, and it hurt when I talked. "You would never have said anything, would you?"

Mom looked at me and she might as well have looked right through me. "No. Ray and I have gotten worse lately, however. Because how dare his perfect trophy wife become sick…" Her voice took on a bitter edge, and I gripped my knee to avoid tearing up. "And Emilie, even though she is Ray's… he wouldn't fight for custody, I doubt. He doesn't care about anybody but himself. And I know you kids would only be subjected to his… temper." Her hand went up to her cheek to rub the fading bruise and she sighed.

"I did what I thought was best. I was pregnant and realized how very mean Ray could be only weeks after we married. I had no skills. I was told I would need to go back to school for my degree to carry any weight, and the one skill I had –modeling- wasn't an option after I was noticeably pregnant. I depended on Ray for everything. He was a good father to you, at first. You were his pride and joy, but the job and the alcohol got to him… and you know the rest. Emilie came along because I thought a baby could restore our marriage, but I forgot there was nothing to bring back in the first place. Regardless, he kept you both fed and healthy and your essentials were always provided, something I know I can't do alone. Which is why we're going to see your real father… he will help us."

"How do you know? He doesn't know about us, right? Maybe he has a wife and kids, wouldn't this just mess them up?"

I'd never seen my mother look as grim as she did when she turned away, and she began driving again, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Last I read, he was the most eligible millionaire bachelor this side of the States. However, if he is married with kids, it's just going to have to be an adjustment for them. It's a chance I'm willing to take."


We drove in silence for hours until finally, the "Welcome to Wisconsin" sign popped into view, and Mom pulled over at another rest stop to check on Emilie. My little two and a half-year-old sister was sleeping soundly and I heard my mother whimper from the backseat.

I jerked around, touching her shoulder in concern.

"Ma? You okay?"

Her soft brown eyes were filled with tears and she grasped me, pulling me in for a hug.

"I'll miss you both so much when I'm gone. Promise me, you'll watch over Emilie. She needs her brother in her life. Promise me!"

I flinched away from the thought and pushed it from my head.

"Sure, Ma. You know I love Emilie." I grinned and she nodded, apologizing after a few seconds and heading back into the driver's seat.

It was still a few hours later that we pulled up in front of a large mansion and my jaw dropped. I knew he had been rich, but this! This was incredible.

Mom glanced at me and her lips stretched into a thin smile, nervousness dancing in her eyes. I glanced at the starry sky and glanced at the clock. Two AM. This man was gonna kill us.

She sighed and squeezed my hand, trying to reassure one of us, though I'm unsure which one. She stepped on the gas pedal and up the hill we trod, stopping at the top and getting out. I grabbed Emilie, thankful she was such a heavy sleeper.

Mom looked at me one more time and sighed heavily, looking completely spent. She leaned against the car for a few moments and then turned to me, holding out her hand. Feeling like a five-year-old again, I took it and we headed to the door.

Gods, let him like me.