Since September, I'd been revising to take my Auror re-entrance exams. I may have told Astoria I was just bored and brushing up on my skills but, deep down, I'd known it would come to this. I needed to go back to work. I wanted to go back to work.

Now, five months later, I was owling Potter and setting up a private meeting.

When he stepped through my Floo, I shook his hand, eager to get right down to business. I hadn't told him what the meeting was about and he looked fairly nervous.

"Malfoy," he began. "What's all the secrecy about? Why couldn't you come to the Ministry?"

With a sigh, I replied, "I haven't told anyone what I'm about to tell you." He gestured for me to continue. "I've been studying and I want to take the re-entrance exams. I want to come back to work."

He muttered something under his breath — I couldn't make out what it was — before he responded properly. "Are you sure about this, Malfoy? As soon as James was born, I applied to come out of the field, for the most part. I only take the odd mission now."

"I'm positive. I'm going mad sitting here at home. I'm not interested in going to work for my father. And I feel like…" I got lost in my own head for a few moments. "I feel like something's missing and I need to reclaim part of my old life."

Watching his expression, I could tell he was conflicted. He'd openly said I'd been good at my job, but he was likely hesitant to let me come back because of my injuries. On top of that, I was sure he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I'd be in his daily life again. Regardless of how far we'd come, I was sure things were never perfectly easy between us.

After a few moments of consideration, Potter put on his best professional mask and detailed what I'd need to do. Before I could even think about taking an exam, he needed a letter from my healer stating that I had no issues making new short and long-term memories. I needed to prove that all of my faculties were in order with a Ministry-appointed healer, as well. My reaction time, vision, hearing, and more would be thoroughly tested.

Once all of those requirements had been satisfied, I'd have to go through both written and practical exams in several different areas of magic. If I had to guess, I'd be busy trying to satisfy these requirements for the better part of the month.

I wondered what I should tell Astoria; I didn't fancy upsetting her with the news that I was becoming an Auror again until it was official.

Once Potter finished talking, I asked, "How soon can I start the process?"

Running a hand through his already messy hair, he replied, "Whenever you want, Malfoy."

With a grin, I said, "I'll see my healer tomorrow. Try to get me booked in with a Ministry healer shortly thereafter."

Healer Ignatius Avery was most definitely paid for his discretion.

From the first time I met him after I'd woken up, I had known that. He had a terrible bedside manner, a pureblood pedigree, and was on a first name basis with my father. For whatever reason, the man never seemed to look me straight in the eyes, and I wasn't sure if that was because he pitied me or if he was hiding something. Either way, it set my nerves on edge.

"Mr. Malfoy, I don't think it's wise for you to return to work," he stated. "Your father is going to be very unhappy—"

"My father needs to mind his own fucking business," I interrupted. "Is there a physical reason for me not to return? I've no trouble making and storing new memories, both short and long-term."

Flipping open my chart, he scanned the words that he'd no doubt written. As pages turned, I grew more and more impatient. He'd been the only healer to see me in over a year. There was nothing new there for him to review. I sat in the armchair across from his desk and eyed him sceptically, tapping my fingertips on his desk.

After clearing his throat, Healer Avery said, "There are no physical problems that would exclude you from this profession, but—"

"I don't need to hear anything else from you. All I need is for you to write a letter to the Ministry stating that."

"Mr. Malfoy—"

"No," I snarled. "I have made up my mind, and if you'd like to continue receiving payment, you'll write the fucking letter. I don't know what my father or my wife has put you up to, but I'm your patient. You work for me."

Pulling a roll of parchment and a quill from his desk, he began writing the letter. When he was finished, I handed him a document I'd been carrying in my cloak. As he unrolled it, I said, "This is a confidentiality agreement. It states that you will not tell anyone — especially my parents or my wife — about anything we discussed today. I will tell them in my own time."

At my words, his face blanched. I almost felt bad; I didn't often act the part of the spoiled, petulant pureblood prince anymore. If I could avoid it, I didn't treat anyone like utter shite. However, I didn't trust any of my father's old friends. I hadn't since the war and I certainly wasn't going to start now.

Knowing he had no choice, he simply nodded and signed the document. His complexion had moved from pasty to slightly green. I couldn't blame him for feeling nervous; I'm sure he had some kind of agreement with my father as well.

Picking up both my health letter and the confidentiality agreement, I nodded to him. "Thank you, Avery. That will be all for today. I trust that I can owl you if I need anything else?"

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy," he answered. As I started walking towards the door, he added, "Have you spoken to your father or anyone else about the specifics of your accident?"

I froze. "I haven't. A flying accident is just a flying accident, after all. And from what I understand, I was alone when it happened, so there's not much to know."

"Oh…" His voice trailed off. "I see. I was hoping someone had figured out what happened to make you crash. That was all."

I shrugged. "We'll likely never know. I've been flying very little since I woke up."

And with that, I left his office.

Two days later, I was meeting with the Ministry's healer, going through a battery of tests that were meant to test a witch or wizard's mental functions. For the most part, it was a rather mundane set of tasks that had been created to test memory recall. Much to my satisfaction, I passed these tests with flying colours. It just proved that there was a strange kind of amnesia going on from the accident. I didn't have any long-term, horrible problems with a bad prognosis.

The hardest part about the Ministry's healer examination was getting out of my own house to go to it. For whatever reason, Astoria had chosen to start going out and having a social life again. Sure, the social engagements were mostly just tea parties with old friends, but she was still booked for the whole day.

Which was more than I could say for myself — I never saw anyone outside of family.

I'd had to bring Scorpius to the Manor and ask my mother to care for him for a few hours. When she asked where I was going, I told her I was looking for an anniversary present for Astoria, so I had to make sure I went back to the Manor with something impressive.

After the memory tests were complete, I sat through all the same psychological tests that I'd been subjected to the first time around. I wasn't worried about those, either. If I hadn't been flagged the first time through, I was sure I wouldn't be this time around. With a sigh, I quickly went over all my answers on the much longer, much more intricate personality assessment guide. I remembered taking tests like this one during Auror training to try and find suitable witches or wizards to be partnered with. That was somewhat interesting — I wondered how it would be examined as an individual assessment.

When I handed the test over to the mind healer, she smiled and said, "Let me get Head Auror Potter for you. I think he had a few other things for you to complete today if you have the time."

Looking at my watch, I shrugged. "I'll talk to him and see what he wants me to do."

She sent her Patronus off to Potter and he walked into the room ten minutes later.

"Malfoy. Good to see you." I shook his hand, much like I had a few days ago, and he continued, "I was hoping to get some of the practical tests out of the way. I usually don't conduct them myself, but it's been a slow day and I could use some practise, as well."

Smirking, I said, "I get to duel the great Harry Potter?"

With a laugh, he said, "Scared, Malfoy?"

"Not a chance."

This exchange was so familiar for us — even if it was reversed — and it helped set me at ease. The initial uneasiness I had been feeling vanished. If I'd been able to perform all the spells they wanted me to be able to before, I was sure I could do them now. Hell, I could still cast a Patronus regularly, even if the little otter confused the hell out of me.

Potter took me to a practise duelling room hidden in the lower levels of the Ministry. Once we were situated, he started walking me through a list of spells. I performed them all from memory, never faltering. Some of them I hadn't even practised recently, but my brain immediately knew what to do. I'd been praying for months that it would be easy for me to recall things, but now that it was happening, I found it frustrating. Spells, work, missions… they were all there.

But my personal life? Nearly nothing. Disjointed feelings and memories of Astoria, snippets of free time, nearly no memories of my own fucking house…

Potter must have seen something in my expression. "You're getting distracted by something, Malfoy. What's going on?"

Something in my head was screaming at me to talk to him, to trust him. I didn't know if it was because we'd been somewhat friendly before the accident or because he was just Harry fucking Potter, savior of the wizarding world.

"It's strange. I remember how to do everything you've asked me to do instantly, like I've just never stopped," I replied. "With most things — especially personal things — I can feel my brain trying to make connections, but it can't."

"Are you sure you should be coming back? If your brain can't make connections, I have some concerns—"

"Did you listen? It's only in regards to personal things, Potter. I've recalled all these spells immediately and know how and when to use them. I have no problem making new memories. There is no reason why I can't perform on the job. I just…" Letting out a sigh, I thought for a moment. "I just don't understand why it's not all coming back like this. It doesn't seem normal. I can't even begin to explain how confusing it all is."

Carding a hand through his hair, Potter said, "Look, Malfoy. I understand it must be frustrating, but I think you need to let it all go. Just accept that what's missing isn't coming back. I had a hard time when I shared a mental connection with Voldemort. Sometimes, I saw everything he did clearly. Other times, when I needed to or wanted to, it was much harder. And he also used it against me before I realised what it was."

A shudder ran down my spine at the thought of being inside Voldemort's head. "I've been trying, but when things like this come so easily, it's hard to stop myself from wondering why my personal life specifically is so different. It just feels… targeted."

"Maybe it's where the memories are stored in your brain?" he suggested. "I mean, I'm no expert, but maybe it's something like that."

In a way, that made sense. Maybe it was somehow tied to a more emotional part of my brain. It was something to consider later on.

Shrugging, I said, "Let's get back to it. Are we going to duel? I could use the stress relief."

With a laugh, he gestured for me to move to the other side of the room before throwing a hex at me. I quickly blocked it, ready for his attack. Holding my shield as I moved across the room, I felt more like myself than I had in a long time. As much as I loved Scorpius, I had never wanted to just sit around the house, not doing much of anything with my life.

When I fired my first jinx at Potter, I fell completely into the rhythm of duelling. We both landed a few hits, but we'd held back, sticking to more minor spells since we weren't actually aiming to kill or maim. By the end of the exercise, I was sweating and tired, my magic humming happily in my veins. I hadn't felt a release like that in almost two years.

"You're still one of the best opponents I've ever faced," Potter remarked. "I normally knock people on their arse in the first ten minutes, and we went for about half an hour."

"And you didn't knock me on my arse at all."

He laughed and conjured two glasses, filling them with water from his wand. I happily accepted it and drank quickly.

"I think it's safe to say that you're well enough to duel," he commented.

I grinned. "So what's left? Some sort of written rubbish?"

"Yeah. You can come back and do that tomorrow if it suits you."

Nodding, I said, "As long as Astoria will be home to care for Scorpius, that should work fine. I'll owl you if I run into issues on that front."

When I looked at my watch, I realised it was nearly five in the evening. My mother was likely beside herself, thinking I'd wandered off and forgotten who I was or some other ridiculous notion.

"I have to get going," I began, and Potter held up his hand.

"I do, too. I'll walk you out. You can't be wandering the Ministry on your own until you're officially rehired."

With that, we made our way to the lifts, heading for the Atrium. When we stepped out, I saw Blaise walking towards the Floo, his arm wrapped around Granger's waist. Potter stiffened beside me and grabbed my arm. "Don't draw attention to us, Malfoy. I don't want anyone to know you're coming back until it's official."

"I wasn't planning on it. I'm just… surprised. They're really a thing?" I asked.

Potter nodded. "They are. He's been good for her, actually. She never used to leave work at a normal hour."

With a chuckle, I said, "That doesn't shock me at all." After a moment, as we watched them disappear together, I slipped up and added, "Is she happy?"

"Seems to be. Blaise really helped her through a lot over the past year. She had been seeing someone else and it ended badly. She lost herself for awhile."

I couldn't even fathom Hermione Granger losing herself over a man. It just seemed… wrong on every possible level. I found myself wondering who could've held that amount of power over her.

"You know, I always fancied her," I admitted. "Even up til the day I got married. I've never met anyone else like her."

"You're married, Malfoy," he snapped. "Don't even think about going near her."

I held my hands up in surrender. "I know that. I wasn't saying that I'm going to go after her, Potter. It just sort of slipped out."

With a deep breath, he said, "Good. I'm sorry. I've just watched her go through so much over the past year. I don't think she'd be able to handle mental whiplash from you."

Wanting to end this exchange, I simply nodded and headed for an open Floo. I heard Potter call out that he'd see me tomorrow and vanished, my mind fixated on the idea of having to watch Blaise with the girl of my dreams every day for the foreseeable future.

When I arrived back at the Manor, Astoria was having tea with my mother, Scorpius playing at their feet. I was almost excited she was there; it gave my mother a reason not to ask what I'd gotten Astoria for our anniversary. I strode over and scooped Scorp up, tossing him into the air. He laughed and smiled, easing every bit of tension I'd felt throughout the day out of my body.

"Draco, where have you been?" Astoria asked.

Thinking quickly, I replied, "I had a healer appointment and then I spent some time out and about. I want to start reintegrating, so I took the day to myself."

She had a sceptical look on her face, but she didn't dare fight me on it in front of my mother. Instead, she forced a smile and said, "That's wonderful. Maybe we can take a trip to Diagon Alley with Scorpius over the weekend if the weather cooperates."

"I don't see why we couldn't."

From there, my mother invited us to stay for dinner since we were already at the Manor and Father was out of town. Knowing she was likely lonely, I relented, even though the last thing I wanted to do was listen to a whole bunch of idle chit chat and gossip from the tea that Astoria had attended earlier in the day.

Halfway through the meal, I cleared my throat and asked the most pressing question I had. "Stori, will you be able to take care of Scorpius tomorrow?"

"He's my son, Draco. I'll always take care of him," she said, a confused expression on her face.

"I should've asked if you'll be home. Sorry. I have an appointment," I began. "I'll be out for most of the day." My mother and Astoria both looked at me, waiting for further explanation. "I'm… well, you'll see soon enough. It's a surprise."

My mother, likely thinking I was referring to Astoria's anniversary gift, quickly chimed in, "I can take Scorpius if you've got plans, Astoria. I'll just be here for most of the day, waiting for Lucius to return."

When Astoria looked at me, I saw worry written across her face. It made me feel slightly guilty, but I knew I was doing the right thing for me. In a way, it was the right thing for our family in general. The Malfoy name had been dragged out of the mud, but it wasn't yet back to its former glory. I wanted Scorpius to grow up in a world where his father wasn't only known as the youngest Death Eater ever.

I wanted to be more. I wanted to be someone he could be proud of.

"It's okay, Narcissa. I'll be home tomorrow. It'll be a mummy and Scorpius day," Astoria said quietly.

Looking at my mother, I smiled. "That's great, Astoria. I'll get home to you two as quickly as possible."

When I arrived at the Ministry the next morning, Security sent for Potter. After a perfunctory greeting, he led me to a conference room in another department.

"Okay, I'm going to sit with you while you take this exam, Malfoy," he said. "Like I said, I don't want anyone to know that you're coming back until it's official. There's no sense in causing a big fuss."

I scoffed. "Are you honestly worried I'm not going to pass this written exam?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. I'm sure you're going to pass with flying colours, but you haven't talked to your family yet."

"How do you know that?"

"That fiasco of a birthday dinner," he replied. "Astoria didn't want you coming back to work, and your parents seemed ambivalent about it at best."

I had honestly forgotten that Potter had been there to witness the insanity.

"And on top of that, didn't Astoria want to have another baby? Did you two ever start trying?" Potter asked.

"No!" I said quickly. "I won't have another child. She wants it, but she carries a blood curse, Potter. Every child that we have is at risk for it, especially if we have a girl."

A look of sympathy crossed his face. "I'm sorry to hear that, Draco."

Shrugging, I said, "Can we just get started here? I want to get home at some point today, and I need to go and buy her an anniversary gift."

Again, Potter looked uncomfortable. "Absolutely. You have two hours to finish this packet."

I took a deep breath and opened it up. The moment I saw the first question, my stomach settled. This was going to be easy.

The hard part would be talking to my family.

I'd passed the exam, and Potter had officially offered me my job back. I was so excited it felt like I had drank Felix Felicis.

After a quick conversation, I'd decided on starting in early May. I wanted to give Astoria and my parents time to adjust to the idea. Potter seemed fine with that, though he did look a bit hesitant. He told me to owl him the following week to confirm.

When I'd decided to contact Potter, I hadn't thought this process would move so fast. Hell, even after we'd met initially, I thought it would take weeks to get myself re-certified. Even though I hadn't used any of my skills in years, they hadn't diminished; I didn't need any retraining.

My head was nearly spinning, my mind whirring with possibilities and excited anticipation.

Leaving the Ministry, I went and bought Astoria a set of diamond earrings. It may have been a lazy choice of gift, but my father had taught me that diamonds could be a witch's best friend, and they were the most magnificent ones I'd seen in quite some time. The shape was similar to the Malfoy ring, making it look like a set.

I stowed the earrings deep in my robe pockets and quickly Apparated home. The house was empty, so I hid the earrings in my study and tried to figure out where Astoria had gone. She hadn't left a note or any indication of where she was. It wasn't the warmest day, so I knew she wouldn't have taken Scorpius to play outdoors…

Remembering my mother's offer, I decided to check the Manor next. When I appeared in the sitting room, Scorpius laughed and clapped. He pointed and said, "Dadadadada!"

Laughing, I walked over and repeated the same greeting I'd given him yesterday, tossing him into the air and making him giggle and squeal. "What did you and Mummy do today, Scorp?"

Astoria cleared her throat. "We just did the usual — some reading, lunch, and visiting over here."

Nodding, I sat in one of the vacant armchairs, setting Scorpius down on the floor. He toddled over to my mother, and I noticed she was scrutinizing me. I was wearing traditional robes with Muggle clothes underneath them, the way I'd seen Potter and Blaise dressed the previous day, and I mentally cursed at myself.

But she didn't say anything.

"Lucius should be home soon," she stated. "I think we should all have dinner together again."

I bit my tongue and decided that I would just get it over with tonight. I'd tell everyone I was going back to work.

Seated at the dining table, I listened to my father drone on about his meetings. In my head, I thanked myself for having the sense to stay away from his business dealings. It all sounded utterly dull.

"—be gone again in a few weeks' time. I know that it's soon, but I need to get a handle on some things," my father said.

My mother reassured him, supporting his professional life. "Lucius, dear, I know that you don't like to be away from your family. If you have to travel, I know it's an urgent business matter. Get things taken care of and come home like you always do."

In response, my father smiled at her affectionately.

Steeling myself, I jumped in. "And, while we're on the topic of work, I need to let everyone know that I'll be returning to the DMLE in early May."

Astoria's eyes widened in shock, and my parents were both speechless. The only sound in the room was coming from Scorpius as he happily babbled while eating his dinner.

"Draco, I don't think that's such a good idea," Astoria coaxed, her voice gentle.

I turned my head to the side, looking at her. "Did you think I was studying for no reason at all, Astoria? I was getting ready to take my re-entrance exams. I passed today."

"You told me you weren't planning on going back," she stated, her tone strengthening.

Running my fingers through my fringe, I said, "I know. I know I said I wasn't going to, but I need to. I don't think you truly understand how miserable I am right now. I need to be useful—"

"You're more useful alive and caring for your son than you will be if you're killed in a duel, Draco," Astoria hissed, glaring at me. "I can't believe you're going to make me go through this all over again — the late nights, the trips, the worrying."

"Astoria, I talked to Potter—"

"I don't care!" she shouted, tossing her napkin down on the table. "Excuse me. I need to freshen up."

I was clearly making a mess of everything right now, pissing my wife off and making my parents worry.

My mother spoke up. "Draco, why do you want to do this? You still don't have your memory back. It could be very dangerous for you to rejoin the Aurors. You need to think about your wife and son. It's not only you now."

"I don't like just sitting at home, and Potter told me I was good at this. From the way you two were accepted at the holiday ball, I'm sure I've done some good to restore the family name by working as a Auror. I don't want Scorpius to be tainted by my past," I explained. "I don't want him to be known as the son of the youngest Death Eater to be Marked. I want the name Malfoy to be something positive before he goes off to Hogwarts surrounded by Weasleys and Potters and… Well, maybe little Zabinis."

My father had visibly stiffened as my explanation went on. "Draco, do you think that Potter and Weasley will tell their children about the war? About you, specifically?"

"No, Father, but our name is infamous. I'm sure that they'll all hear it in history classes and Scorpius will likely be the only Malfoy there," I said.

My father nodded, understanding. After all, we'd both been only children. "You're right, there won't be many children from our side at Hogwarts. I understand that, but why do you feel the need to go on suicide missions to appease the Golden Trio?"

Running a hand through my fringe, I gathered my thoughts. "It's not to appease them. It's to atone for the horrible things I did when I was younger. I treated all three of them, especially Granger, like they were less than scum. And then I joined the Inquisitorial Squad and got even worse. And then I took the Dark Mark—"

Abruptly, my father rose from the table, his voice booming in the dining room. "Draco, you had to! Your mother was in danger, and I was in Azkaban! You need to let go of this guilt. It was ten years ago, and you already worked as an Auror for five. Let someone else track the rest of them down. Let Blaise do it — he's a single man with no children; he captured Antonin and Rabastan, and killed Rodolphus just a few weeks ago."

Getting to my feet, I met my father's eyes. I was a bit taller than him now, and I knew it made him uncomfortable. "He's not single. Haven't you seen the papers? He's got his hands all over Hermione Granger."

He looked away and said, "They're not married. They don't have children. They're not a proper family."

"She's brilliant and gorgeous and strong. He won't let her get away. Who wouldn't want to marry her?" I blurted, not catching my slip of the tongue.

Both my parents froze, staring at Astoria in the doorway. I saw the anxiety crossing her face and she wouldn't look me in the eyes. However, she did glance at my father, and he stayed quiet.

"This is getting out of hand," my mother began. "Everyone sit back down to dinner. We will continue discussing Draco's return to work after the meal. Scorpius is sensing the tension in the room, and it's not good for him."

Taking a deep breath, I was the first to sit down. "I'm sorry. I should've waited until after to bring it up. I didn't think it would cause this much of a stir."

Astoria sat beside me, keeping her eyes cast down towards her demure dress, crossing her legs at the ankles like all pureblood girls were taught to do at a young age. I watched as she folded her hands in her lap and refused to eat. My comments about Granger had probably upset her, but they couldn't be helped. My father had been dismissing her like she wasn't a viable option for Blaise, and I couldn't stand it.

As much as I was envious of Blaise, I wanted Hermione Granger to get a happy ending, to find a little sliver of happiness in the world that had caused her so much pain when she was younger. If that was with him, well, at least I'd have the opportunity to be friends with her again.

If I could ever figure out why he had put so much distance between us and fix it.

The rest of the meal passed in an uncomfortable silence that was only broken by the over-exuberant toddler making noises and kicking at his highchair. Astoria stood and moved to the other side of Scorpius, tending to him.

"Excuse me. I'm going to get him cleaned up and take him up to the nursery," she said.

My mother gave me a pointed look as Astoria walked out, and I sighed.

"You owe her an apology. She's been nothing but kind and wonderful to you since your accident, and you just basically announced that you'd prefer Hermione Granger to her."

"I didn't mean it that way at all. She should know that."

My father cleared his throat. "It is always sensible to apologise to one's wife. I wouldn't discount your mother's advice. As a matter of fact, I think you should go and buy her something new from the jeweller for the Victory Ball. Something expensive."

Of course he would give advice like that. Piss your wife off, spend Galleons to fix it. Don't talk it through. Just buy pretty things to fix it.

Soon enough, we moved into the sitting room and my mother tentatively began the conversation we'd tabled. "Draco, are you sure there is nothing else you could do? Rather than being an Auror, I mean. There are other ways to restore the family name."

Astoria and my father both nodded their agreement, but they didn't speak. I had been hoping they would so I had more time to think.

"I know I'm good at it. Potter told me I was one of the best, and I did my own preliminary work rather than passing it off to Granger like most of the others do," I recounted. "And, on top of that, what if some other sect of dark wizards begins? I'd have more power to fight against them as an Auror. I will not be sucked into the darkness and used as a puppet again."

"I don't think that will ever happen again," my father said. "The Dark Lord… he was one of a kind. I'm sure Potter and his friends are doing something to monitor those who lean toward the darker side of things."

"Don't you get it, Father? I don't want our family included on that list! I don't want anyone targeting you or Mother or Astoria or Scorpius because we're seen as a 'dark' family," I stated in an assertive voice. "I want everyone to know that I stand against the Dark Arts, that I will never be that same scared man again."

Astoria grabbed my hand, lacing her fingers through mine and surprising me. She squeezed it and looked at me. "Okay, Draco. I can see this is important to you. I don't think you need to do it, but if you want to do it, or need to do it for whatever reason, I will support you to the best of my ability."

I leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, trying to send her a suggestive look before turning my head back towards my parents. "I will be as careful as humanly possible. I don't want to leave Scorpius and Astoria or either of you. Father, we may have our differences, but I've always"—I wanted to say loved, but no one expressed love and softer emotions to Lucius Malfoy—"always cared for you and respected you. I may want to be a different man than you were, but it doesn't change a thing."

A resigned acceptance fell over the room, and I started to relax. Astoria sat beside me on the small loveseat, clutching at my hand like I'd slip through her fingers at any moment. I kissed her temple from time to time, and I whispered, "I'm sorry, Stori."

My conflicted emotions were rolling through me in full force, the memories that had confused me from the start replaying over and over. Affection and annoyance, love and loathing, happiness and sorrow. More than ever, I wanted to know how I'd felt before the accident.

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, so I figured she was still a bit put out. Maybe I would have to take Father's advice, after all.

The diamond earrings would probably make an appearance before our anniversary.

Author's Note: So, now you can see where we're going... Let me know what you think!

As always, thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos, likes, comments, reviews... Whatever they're called from site to site, I'm so grateful that you've taken the time to read this.

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