CB does not belong to me [though I wish it did], which is why I write on here instead of publishing my stories in book form.

So sit back and enjoy reading "A Holiday to Remember". Next posting is Sunday!

Part Three – Family Reunion

At the Nashville International Airport, two families reunited at the baggage claim after being separated by the check-in lines, since one family was flying in from Canada and the other from Alaska. Three young cubs, ranging from the age of five to nine, laughed and held paws, running around in circles. Brother and sister greeted each other, as did their respective mates.

Reddish-brown furred, green eyed Trista Taylor Rowan hugged her brother again. Sure, they'd spent the entire flight together with their families, and a few days prior to the flight together at her home in Canada, she had still missed him and seeing him again made her happy, since they rarely got to see each other. "Now that we're finally here, we can get our stuff and start our journey to home!"

The taller Taylor sibling, standing at 6'6", dusty-brown furred, green eyed Jacob towered over his 5'11" sister. "Indeed. It'll be good for the twins to have someone to play with and to give their mother and baby brother a break." He looked over at his eldest cubs, nine-year-old twins brown-furred Kenya and black-furred Kaspian, and smiled. He then glanced at his black-furred wife, Rachel, who was holding a sleeping charcoal-colored Owen in her arms. "Still sleeping, huh?"

She smiled and nodded, nuzzling her little one-year-old happily.

"I know what you mean. Aspen Gale's been driving her father and I crazy with her excitement on going to see her grandparents, Beary, and, of course, Lyra. I can't get a moment's rest." Trista put a paw on her own slightly distended belly, excited for the day when her newest cub was born. Her eyes lifted up and she glanced towards the luggage area, where her husband, Kavik "Kai" Rowan was picking up their suitcases. "Aspen, go help your father and get your suitcase!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Red-furred, with a golden T going from her muzzle to partially around her blue eyes, Aspen broke away from her friends and hurried over to her father, standing beside him while waiting on her purple suitcase to come down the belt.

Jacob gathered up his own twins and took them over to get their suitcases as well, leaving Rachel and Trista alone with Owen.

"He was the perfect flyer," Trista smiled, looking down at her little nephew. She tapped his nose gently and laughed when he wriggled it. "Ah, I love it when they're this size. Yes, you have diapers to change, but they're just so cute when they're young. They suck on your finger, thinking you're feeding them, and their mouths are so gummy!"

Rachel started laughing. "Are you fangirling my baby?"

"Damn straight!"

"I think you've spent too much time in the Yukon, sweetie."

"Hey, at least I'm not as far from civilization as Alaska!"

"Touché. But at least I have your devilishly handsome brother to take care of me on cold nights."

"When he's not out at sea rescuing boaters, you mean."

Rachel sighed and nodded. "I know he loves his job as a rescue diver, but it does worry me a lot. It's so easy for something to go wrong, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

Trista put an arm around her sister-in-law and hugged her gently. "You would either go back to your family, come stay with me, or go to our parents' home in Tennessee."

"Oh, no way. Your parents are way too chaotic with the band. Plus, I would miss my mountains, ocean, and snow too much." She shook her head. "Well, let's not put such thoughts in our mind this holiday. It's supposed to be a joyous time, is it not?"

"Indeed. I can't wait to see Beary and Lyra again. I hope they haven't gotten into too much trouble. Speaking of Beary..." Trista pulled out her phone and glanced at the message it contained. "Rachel, I think you and Kavik will have to take the rental car together with the four cubs. Beary needs to talk to me and Jacob, and he's on his way here. Is that all right with you?"

"Considering you actually called Kai by his real name, I realize this is serious, so by all means, go ahead." Rachel eyed her worriedly and sat down on a bench to wait for Kavik as Trista went to tell her brother.

.~*~.

"He swung his cane at you?!" Trista was appalled. That didn't sound like her father at all. At least, he hadn't acted that way in a very, very long time. Not since before Jacob was born and he was struggling with PTSD from the war.

"He got angry like that after the band broke up, too," Jacob murmured. "Guess the band kept him busy, and without them, and you being very sickly, well, I guess his PTSD roared up again. He tried his best, but sometimes he'd get very angry after the crash. Very angry or very sad, or neutral. He always blamed himself for losing you and Mama's coma. It's one reason why I left when I could. Tris, you were better at dealing with his mood swings than I was. But why would he start up now? He has the band to keep him occupied, he has you back, and he has Mama."

"Maybe it's because I called him neglectful. Or, rather, Lyra overheard me talking about it and told him that I said he was neglectful. I know I shouldn't have blown up at him over the missing her pregnancy and birth thing, but damn it, I was pissed about that. Why didn't he believe her?"

"Considering she'd been in a crash, and her age, I can see why he didn't believe she was pregnant. Or perhaps he was terrified of being a father again. Or perhaps he was still suffering from nightmares about the fire you two went through. We'll never know for sure. He may not be the greatest father, but he's still our father and he does love us. I'm sure he's sorry about what he did, and about your fish. Man, I didn't realize we'd be coming home to a family feud." Jacob sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry for causing all this. I didn't mean to say the things I did, and I know, deep down, he didn't mean to swing that cane or break my fish tank. Or, you know, have Tabs run off to eat my fish. I'm just glad I took off before I could say anything further about it." Beary sighed, rubbing his thumbs on the steering wheel as he switched lanes. "Or before he found out about the ticket."

"You got a ticket?" Trista looked at her youngest brother incredulously. "What for?"

"My gas pedal got stuck again, as I've mentioned before, so I got a ticket for speeding. I probably wouldn't have gotten one at all if Lyra, Fēnglì, Sawyer, and Nolan hadn't been in the car with me."

"Oh, dear. I can see why you want to keep this information from Papa."

Jacob shook his head. "Why haven't you gotten a new pedal yet? You're going to end up in an accident if you don't get that fixed."

"I've mentioned it several times before, but he's always busy... And now after this argument, I doubt it's going to happen at any point soon. Hell, I'm probably grounded by this point, too." He sighed and focused on the road. "Sorry for dragging you two away from your families for my troubles."

"No, no, it's understandable, and you are our family," Trista reasoned, reaching forward and squeezing his shoulder. "Papa just needs to find someone to talk to and help him sort himself out. He never spoke to anyone about the war or anything, and things only really got bad when he didn't have things to keep him occupied."

Beary smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "It's nice having siblings. I can't wait to see Dex when he and Roxi get back from the university."

"Dex is pretty cool," Jacob agreed, thinking about the human he considered a younger brother. "Studying to be a firefighter, right?"

"Firefighter/EMT, yeah, but also dealing with computer science, and Roxi's gonna be a teacher. Jewel and I can't wait to get to college. We've both already planned on going to School of Music and both taking business classes. Papa's spoken about me taking over the company one day, and I want Jewel to work by my side."

"Aw, our little musician," Jacob teased, rubbing his head lightly. "So, what's going on with you two, anyway? You dating yet?"

"N-No!" Beary squeaked in response, flushing under his fur, earning laughter from his older siblings.

"But you'd like to, huh?" Jacob questioned, amused.

"Well, yeah, but... I..." He shook his head. "She doesn't even like me like that."

"Are you kidding me? With the way she looks and acts around you?" Trista cracked up. "Beary, she's totally into you, and has been probably waiting for you to ask her out for ages. Haven't you noticed odd behavior lately?"

"Well, she did climb into my lap earlier... NO, WE DIDN'T MAKE OUT, JACOB!" he yelled at his brother, who was playfully making kissing noises. "Ugh, I can't talk to you. Trista, shut him up."

"Jacob, behave."

"Aw, but it's fun to tease him!"

"Ah, but you shouldn't tease him about love. You might scare him off! Jewel won't thank you for that!"

Beary groaned and rolled his eyes. "You two are ridiculous. How are we related again?"

"Well, you see, little brother, Mama and Papa loved each other very much, and that love led to-"

"GAH! No, no, no!"

The older siblings laughed loudly and shook their heads. Both quite enjoyed teasing their younger brother. When they had heard, six years prior, that their baby brother had been found, both had rushed out to see him, despite their busy schedules, and found a very odd cub who seemed to know little about being a bear. He knew how to playfight, yes, but he was also very, very gentle with fragile things. He didn't know how to climb trees, even! Not even fish like a bear, or how to sniff out the best beehive for sneaking honey. When they were finally told that humans had raised him for almost eight years, everything clicked together.

While, at first, the duo had been wary of the humans that had raised their brother – often asking questions about why he'd never been returned to their father – they soon came to enjoy their company and accept them as family, something they knew pleased Beary greatly.

"How is your human family doing, anyway?" Trista questioned, curious.

"Mom's bakery is really picking up speed. She had to hire a few more employees, and gets orders from Nashville and Shelbyville! Dad's boat shop might not do so well with Pendleton, but he, too, gets people coming in from those places, too. Dex and Roxi are doing well at the university, and Kristina is loving school, so I get to walk home with her every day, pick up my car from in front of the house, and then me and Jewel drive back to the Hall."

"How's Zeb's wife? I hear she's going to have a litter?"

"Mhm. Four, sometime in early spring. Fēnglì, Sawyer, and Nolan are excited to have more siblings, and they know they'll have to help pitch in. Méngméng's itching to get back to work, though. Ted and Jade, as far as I'm aware, are still fighting, though. Fred's got a boyfriend that's currently in France for whatever reason – I think he's a wine seller? Anyway, Tennessee and Trixie are expecting another cub, though I have a feeling it might be two." Beary glanced over at his brother for a moment. "And how is Owen?"

"Growing stronger every day. He's a very handsome cub, but that's to be expected, considering his father is just so gosh darn sexy," Jacob teased.

Beary and Trista just rolled their eyes.

"And when will yours be born, Trista?"

"Soon. In the next month or so. Gonna be a January baby!"

"Know the gender yet?"

"Genders, Beary. Turns out there's three! Oh, I love being a bear. You can hide your pregnancy so easily." She giggled and laughed at their stunned expressions. "This will probably be our last pregnancy, though. We don't want to have too many cubs, and four is a good number to have. And no, we wanted to keep it a surprise for ourselves what genders they are."

"Three? Wow. So we have a lady who's having a litter of four, you're having a litter of three, and Trixie may or may not be having twins. Although, why she even chose to have more cubs is beyond me, considering she already has two cubs that she leaves Jewel to care for when they're on tour."

"Boy, don't you sound bitter. From what I understand, Jewel offers to take care of her little brothers while they're on tour, and it's something she's used to. Plus, both her parents are famous musicians and singers. Neither can stay behind, but I'm sure if they could, they would. Should they be denied children they love and care for simply because they go on tour?"

"Well, no... but she sometimes runs herself ragged caring for those two rugrats, schoolwork, social time, and her job at the grocery store. Same with me, even though I'm only caring for Lyra and Mama at times. Papa's always busy and missing out on things." His ears lowered and he sighed. "I don't like to complain – you know I don't – but Papa's driving me crazy. I just want to be a normal teenager."

"Beary, you're the son of the manager of The Country Bears. Your life will never be normal. On top of that, you have a weird name." Jacob laughed a little and shook his head. "Hey, who is honking?" He glanced out the window as two cars – one a lime green Dodge Charger and the other a nice four-door pickup – rolled up alongside them.

Beary grinned and honked his own horn in response and gave a wave. "Jade and the Falcos. Ted's gonna get it when they get to the Hall. Looks like she brought the whole clan."

"He'd better watch his ass. I've met her father, and considering what happened between the pair of them, I wouldn't want to be in Ted's shoes," Jacob spoke, excited to see what would happen.

"I'll make sure to bake some popcorn," Trista responded with a laugh.

"You two are awful," Beary snorted.

"We're Taylors. We're supposed to be."

.~*A Holiday to Remember*~.

"Nana!" three cubs shouted as they jumped out of the big van their parents had rented and ran to their grandmother's arms as she carefully knelt down on the porch of the Hall to greet them.

"My babies!" Helen cooed, pulling them all in close, delighted to see her grandchildren. She planted kisses on all their faces and smiled brightly.

Rachel, after passing over Owen to his grandmother, and Kai watched the interaction from the van for a few moments before getting ready to unpack and put the multiple suitcases on the long trailer attached to a powerful golf cart to take to the cabins. They glanced back to the parking lot in time to see the Falcos pull in and park, and Beary's Impala arrive.

The Falcos added their suitcases to the trailer, and Officer Jade walked up to the porch to greet Helen.

"Hello, Helen. How have you been doing? Where's Lyra?" Jade questioned, setting her Ted-lookalike son, Aiden, down on the ground so he could play with the Taylor/Rowan cubs.

"P'ayin' over t-there," Helen responded, pointing to a full playground where her daughter was climbing across a railed in jumping bridge to get to a long slide.

"She's certainly come a long way, playing on that on her own," Jade mused. "Now, where's my traitor of a mate?"

Helen frowned before gesturing over in the direction of his cabin. "Wo'kin."

"Really? He gets back today and starts working instead of coming to meet us? That just furthers his guilt! Ugh!" Jade shook her head and turned to watch her son and the Taylor/Rowan cubs going to the playground. "Aiden, you be careful, and none of you push Lyra over!" Still watching them, she went back to speaking to Helen. "Where's Henry, and where are we staying on this holiday?"

"Hendri walking grounds. You stay wit' Ted?"

"Oh, hell no. Not after the stunt he pulled a few months ago. I mean, kissing a fan? Seriously? We were supposed to get married, and he goes and does that! At least he didn't sleep with that she-bear, or my father would have a new skin run."

Helen looked at her, startled. "How work?"

"Work's fine. Still partnered with the king of donuts, James." Jade laughed a bit. "Caught a robber the other day. Felt good to take him down. James and the Stones will be out tomorrow. They'll meet us at the tree farm. They're getting a tree for their place. Where's the Seilleans?"

"Right here, Jadey-lady!" Zeb called from behind her, picking her up and giving her a hug.

"Ack! Not cool, Zoober!"

He took on a look of contempt. "Zoober is my stage name, Ms. Falco." He set her back down and laughed.

Jade shook her head and looked over at Méngméng, Fēnglì, and the twins – who rushed passed them all to the playground to join the other cubs. "My, my, aren't you getting round?" she asked, looking her silver panda friend over.

"Aye, I am, but I'm still beautiful and able to kick ass," Méngméng laughed, hugging her friend. "It's good to see you again. You don't come around nearly enough."

"Work's been busy, and I'm still pissed off at Ted." She glanced at Fēnglì. "Did you get taller since I saw you last? Your stripes are filling out nicely. A lovely red." Fēnglì blushed and smiled, replying to her in Chinese, unaware of doing so, to which she responded. "You'll have your pick of the ladies, I believe. A bear with stripes is such a catch." She winked and smiled, watching as Helen went to greet her oldest children and their spouses. "How's everyone else?"

"Ted's mopey, Tennessee and Trixie are very... beddy, and Fred's just checking out butts, mainly," Zeb responded, laughing.

"Butts, huh? Sounds like him. I wish he'd settle down, though. I don't like seeing a sweet guy like him going it alone."

"He said he had that once before, and the divorce was messy. His ex was such a bitch, and she won't even let him see the kids except on their birthdays." Zeb shook his head. "He doesn't want to go through that again. That's why he and Tyroin are enjoying a long distance relationship. A... Well, to me it seems more like a friends-with-benefits situation." He shrugged. "I don't know. Only met the guy once or twice."

"Poor guy." Jade sighed and shook her head. "So how's the tour been?"

"Fairly good. Trixie, again, dominated her opening act. I think Ted's jealous that she's becoming more popular than him! Haha!"

"What about your Aunt and Uncle? Are they coming for the holidays or are they staying in Scotland with your brother, Blaine?"

"Staying in Scotland, I believe. I got them last year, so Blaine gets them this year. Next year all of us will be together with Méngméng's family, too, in Scotland. They've already sent presents for the youngsters, though. Méngméng already sent off the cards and presents, right, honey?"

"Of course, I'm not completely daft," the she-panda laughed, leaning against him. "And to your brother. It was so nice of him to go back to Scotland to help out on the farm so you could stay here and love me."

"Good girl," he teased, kissing her forehead and nuzzling her lovingly.

Fēnglì, meanwhile, went over to Beary, a questioning look upon his face. "Where's Jewel gone off to? I haven't seen her in a while. Not since she went after you earlier."

Beary frowned, ears flattening. She hadn't been in his house when he had left, had she? "Maybe... Maybe she went to see if I was at the Barringtons? Is her car still here?" He glanced at the parking lot and frowned. "No... I wonder if she tried to follow me and went the wrong way? I'm gonna head into town. You wanna come?"

"And get away from the hug fest? Oh, thank you. Mǔqīn, I'm heading out with Beary! We're going into town!" Fēnglì called, climbing into the car with his friend.

"Drive safe!" Méngméng responded with a wave.

"We will!"

.~*~.

"So, Ted, this is where you've been hiding," Jade growled as she stepped into his workshop. She'd left Aiden with the others, not wanting him to see his parents fighting. She had made sure her father, brother, and mother had not followed, not wanting them to get into it with Ted.

Ted Bedderhead sighed and put his carving tools down on his workbench. He pulled off his reading glasses and glanced over at her somberly. "Yes, I've been waitin' here for you. I knew you'd come, Jade. I also knew your family was coming to spend the holidays here, and I knew that you didn't want them to rip me to shreds."

"As much as I'd like them to rip you to shreds for your disloyalty, I did not want Aiden to grow up without a father." Jade sat down on a finished rocking chair and ran her fingers over the wood, noting the quality. "Why'd you do it, Ted?"

"Do what? That kiss? Honey, I've told you, that was not my fault. She broke through the barricade at the meet-and-greet and kissed me. I didn't want it and I pushed her away as soon as I realized what was happening. Turns out she was paid to do it so the tabloids would get a juicy story. Ask the boys and Trixie; they'll tell you the same thing. When I saw the picture printed in the tabloids the next day, I was furious! As soon as I found out, I tried calling you, but you weren't answering."

"And the fact that you didn't mention it the night before when we spoke says loads, Theodore," Jade growled. "I can't believe I trusted you. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I didn't think mentionin' it and upsettin' you wasn't worth it! I realize I should have said somethin', but by then the damage had been done and you weren't talkin' to me other than yellin'." Ted sighed and shook his head, folding his glasses and putting them in the pocket of his plaid shirt. "I didn't mean for things to happen the way they did, and if I could change it, I would. You gotta believe me, Jade. I love you."

"Then why didn't you come back from the tour and explain it?"

"Tours aren't just drivin' from location to location, honey. There is a lot of work involved, like press conferences, radio announcements, and photo shoots, the whole shebang. Also, there's the fact that if I did come back, what would it say about you? People are already sayin' nasty things about you because you left me. They're sayin' that I'm a player, and that you gave up too easily. That you only wanted me for my money. I tried to dissuade as much as possible, tellin' them that it was all a misunderstandin' and explainin' what really happened, but I see now that it wasn't enough."

Jade bit her lip and studied her mate, noticing for the first time that he'd stopped dying his fur, letting his hair and snout go gray. It was rather becoming of him, she had to be honest. His expression, normally so sure of himself, was downcast and his eyes held loneliness and sorrow. He had bags under his eyes, and he didn't wear his trademark purple John Lennon sunglasses; she didn't even see them anywhere near him. She knew he wasn't lying, but she had been so hurt by what had happened. She was aware that her mind had jumped to conclusions. "Ted... I don't know... I believe you, but right now... Things are very questionable. I love you, too, jackass, but I need time to think it over, all right? I don't want to rush into this."

Ted nodded, lowering his gaze for a bit before raising it again. "How's Aiden doin'?"

"Your mini-me doing well. He misses you, of course, and hugs that stupid plushy version of you all the time. Won't even go to bed without it. I made sure to play some of your songs for him so he'll go to sleep. It's hard for him to understand that you have to go away for long periods of time, and with what happened... I never involved him. I made sure he never knew about any of this. I didn't want his love for you to dwindle, Teddy." Jade approached him, holding out a paw to his cheek, gently stroking it. "You've grown old these past few months."

"Out of worry of losing my family. You and Aiden. I couldn't stand it if I lost you because of some stupid kiss." He leaned against her paw and sighed, breathing in her scent and he pushed his nose against her wrist fur.

"Don't be getting all friendly," she warned, voice wavering, yet she didn't pull away from him. "Helen said Aiden and I are staying here with you, since there's not enough room in the guest cabin, as my parents and brother are staying there. Aiden and I will stay in the spare room. I'm not ready to get in bed with you again."

"I understand. I'll spruce up the room for you and put fresh sheets on the bed for you. Aiden's toddler bed is still in there, and I'll make sure it's clean for him." Ted got up to do just that, and Jade backed away with a sigh.

"All right. I'll go make sure Dad or Jesse don't murder you."

"That would be nice, yeah." Ted chuckled a little before disappearing through the door leading to his cabin.

Jade watched him quietly before turning and leaving, heading back to the Hall.

.~*A Holiday to Remember*~.

Henry sighed as he hobbled down the lane, ears flat and cheeks moist from tears. He had thrown on a scarf, but not much else, preferring to shiver in the cool winds rather stay any longer in his house.

He had cleaned up what he could of the damaged fish tank and a few broken ornaments, and put the pebbles in a bag, broken ornaments in the trash, and mopped up the mess. He threw away the tank – but kept the lid and lights – before taking off on his walk, bypassing a very confused and upset Helen who didn't understand what was going on, and brushing off Lyra Hymn. He had simply grabbed his green scarf and left.

He could see the multiple cars the parking lot to the side of the Hall, and knew who each belonged to. Falcos, Barringtons, Jade, and a rental car that could only belong to his two eldest children and their families. Jewel and Beary's vehicles were just pulling in as well.

He glanced away and stopped walking, pausing to sit on a log and catch his breath. He looked down at his paw, noting the trembling as his fingers wrapped around the head of the cane. How could he have lost his temper like that? He had almost hit his child, and had broken his fish tank and killed his fish. Yes, it had been an accident, and the cat had been the one to kill and eat the fish, but still! The point was that he'd lost his temper. What if it happened again? What if he actually hurt someone and not a fish? He didn't want there to be a next time. He really didn't.

Would Beary tell? He had every right to do so. What if he told Helen? She'd be so disappointed in him, not that she wasn't already, considering what Beary had said. Had Helen really nearly miscarried because of how much stress she was under because he hadn't believed her and come back for Lyra's pregnancy? Almost abandoned their daughter because of him? If Beary hadn't been there, how would things have been different? Did Beary really hate him like it seemed? Or was he just angry and saying nonsense?

Yet, Beary was right. Henry was busy a lot. He was a workaholic. What else could he do; the work kept his demons at bay. His nightmares about the war. When the band had switched managers, Henry had acted very poorly to his family. Mocked Trista's school projects, didn't play with Jacob, and barely touched Helen in a romantic way. He suffered from terrible nightmares and sometimes went days without sleep, making him quite irritable. Things improved after the band came back to him, though, and the dark days were past. That is, until the band finally broke up, just around the time Beary had been conceived.

That pregnancy, too, Henry had suddenly found himself unhappy about. Thinking back, Henry realized how angry he had been. How he'd felt that the pregnancy had been a bad omen. New life while his sanctuary died. He had even wanted Helen to miscarry – though as soon as the thought had entered his mind, he'd dismissed it, remembering when Helen had miscarried before and how miserable she had been.

And then, when Beary had been born so small and sickly... It had angered Henry further. They ran out of money fast because of high medical bills at the birth, and then the doctor visits and medications later. Plus, Beary crying so much because of his sickness and fevers was enough to drive the already irritable father crazy. He started pulling away, not wanting anything to do with him. He wouldn't help comfort him, wouldn't play with him, and pushed him away. He was angry, at that time, and he didn't know why.

And then, that fateful night... He'd once more refused to deal with the three-year-old, despite Helen begging him to. He and her got into a verbal argument, and she finally stormed out with the keys and Beary.

The next day, Henry found out about the crash. His whole life changed in an instant. His wife was gravely injured and spent the next seven years in a coma. His three-year-old son vanished. At that time, he had had no idea that Beary had been thrown in a river by the human that had run his wife off the road.

He spent the next several years absentminded, alone, and by pushing away his son, daughter, and brother-in-law. It was only during the seventh year, when Reed started hounding him, that he began to come back. The prospect of losing his home was agonizing, but what could he have done? Until Beary miraculously arrived that day, Henry had been ready to give up on everything. Then everything started happening all at once. He got the band back together, his wife woke up, and everything had gone back the way it had been before. He treated Beary the way he should have to begin with.

So what changed all of the sudden? Why today had he acted up and gone crazy? Would it happen again? He didn't know, and he was scared to find out. What if he hurt Lyra? His blind daughter, so sweet and sensitive, yet as curious as a cat. Always eager to learn or to show off what she'd learned that day. She loved animals and flowers, and enjoyed going on walks in places with many scents.

He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve any of his children. They were too good for someone like him. Too precious. Too much like their mother – so he hoped. He prayed that none of them would end up like he had.

Fresh tears sprang to his eyes as he wondered if he really had any right to call himself a father.

Please review, as I want to know what you all think! Thanks for reading! See ya next time!