"So, where are we heading?" Eames asked as he headed away from the city.

"We're just going away for a few days, that's all."

"And what do we plan on wearing since we didn't pack any bags?"

She saw his smile and smacked him. "I am not running around anywhere with no clothes on, Goren!"

He laughed. "A man can dream, can't he? Don't worry about it. I packed a suitcase for you and for Maggie."

"Oh, this should be good. I'm afraid to ask what you packed."

"If you need anything I didn't bring, just let your dad know and he can bring it up on Sunday."

"How long are we going to be gone?"

"Just til Wednesday."

"And work?"

"We wrapped up our last case and Deakins said 'Go.' So I made the arrangements and wanted to surprise you."

"Bobby, you surprise me every day. I guess you made arrangements for Sunday."

"Of course. Since your sister is having the family together next week for Maggie's birthday, I thought a quiet day would be nice."

"Who's coming besides Dad?"

"Logan and Barek and the captain and his wife. Lewis had to go out of town, but he'll be at your sister's next week."

"So where are we going?"

He just smiled and changed lanes.

"Connecticut?" Eames asked as they crossed the state border. "Welcome to Connecticut?"

"It's a nice state."

"So is Montana but I don't see us going there for Maggie's birthday."

"We can..."

"Don't even think about it, Goren. Why Connecticut? What's wrong with New York?"

"The place we're going is in Connecticut. I couldn't quite manage to get it moved to Manhattan."

"But you would have if it were possible."

"I don't know, Alex. I kind of like it where it is."

"You want to tell me what it is?"

"Not yet." He smiled. "But nice try."

"Can't blame a girl for trying."

He laughed quietly and looked in the rearview mirror at Maggie, who was kicking her feet against the seat and watching the scenery. "What do you think, mouse?"

"I think we're inna car."

He laughed. "Mommy wants to know where we're going. What about you?"

"I'll see it when we get there, Uncle Bobby."

He looked at Eames who replied, "I still want to know."

"When we get there," he responded. She poked him and he laughed. But he still wouldn't let her know where they were going.

Finally, he pulled into a long driveway that led to a beachfront cabin and parked the car. "What's that water, Uncle Bobby?"

"The Atlantic Ocean." It was actually Long Island Sound, but Maggie knew what the ocean was and that was close enough.

"That's the ocean?" There was awe in her voice. "It's so big! It doesn' look so big inna books."

"Nothing ever does it justice but seeing it with your own eyes."

"My eyes like it, but they can' see alla it."

He reached over the seat and unbuckled her from her carseat. She scrambled into the front seat between them and looked at the ocean through the windshield. "Can we touch it?"

"Sure. Let's go inside for a minute and then we'll go down and touch the ocean."

He slid out of the car and watched Maggie scramble down and run for the house. He looked at Eames, who was watching the waves roll in. "Surprise," he said softly."Welcome to Hawk's Nest."

"How did you do this?"

"Lewis' parents own it. They were happy to let us borrow it for a few days."

He leaned forward to look at her face, and he was rewarded by her smile and a soft, loving kiss. "You wanted to tell her here?"

"I wanted to tell her someplace special."

"You could have told her anywhere, you know."

"I want to do this my way."

"I know. I'm not complaining. It's beautiful here." She gently slid her arm around his waist and squeezed. "Quit worrying. Please. This can't go wrong on you, Bobby."

Before he could argue, Maggie called from the porch. "Uncle Bobby! Mommy! The ocean is even bigger from here! Come'n see!"

Eames looked up at him, watching his face as he looked toward the porch and the delighted little girl who was bouncing around on it. No, there was no way this could go wrong. He was going to make her the happiest little girl on the planet by telling her something she had felt in her heart all her life. All she needed now was to be told that it was true.

Maggie ran ahead of them on the beach, alternating between chasing seagulls and playing tag with the waves. Eames carried Maggie's bucket in one hand and held Goren's hand with the other. For his part, he was engrossed in watching his little daughter play with the sea.

When she came across a sea shell, she would squat in front of it and pick it up, turning it over in her hands as she carefully brushed away the sand. If it met with her approval, she would run to her mother and carefully place it in her bucket before taking off again. If not, she would gently return it to its place in the sand and run off toward the waves.

When she came across a clump of seaweed, she picked it up and carried it to Goren. "What's this, Uncle Bobby?"

"It's called sargassum. It's seaweed that comes from a different place in the ocean called the Sargasso Sea."

"Will you take me there?"

"It's not really a place you can visit, mouse. It's in the middle of the North Atlantic. In the ocean."

"Oh. What if I wanted to go someplace else?"

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, if I can."

She giggled and ran off to place the seaweed back in the sand. Eames looked up at him as he watched Maggie playing tag with the waves and the seagulls. She lightly stroked his arm and he looked at her. With a smile, she asked, "Do you like the ocean?"

He nodded. "I like the water. Ocean, bay, river, lake...it doesn't matter."

"The ocean reminds me of you."

"Oh? How so?"

"It's restless, but constant. Predictable, but not. Dependable, but always changing. And the ocean is vital for life..."

When she trailed off and said no more, he asked, "Is that how you see me?"

"Yes."

He looked thoughtful. "You're like the ocean, too."

"How's that?"

"Stormy, but beautiful...and you pack a hell of a punch."

She laughed, squeezing his hand and resting her head against his arm. He looked toward Maggie to make sure she was all right, then pulled Eames into his arms and kissed her.

The sun was setting as they sat on the beach, watching the churning surf. Maggie sat in front of Goren, digging in the sand with a small plastic shovel. Eames was looking through Maggie's collection of shells. Goren reached forward, gently fingering Maggie's shoulder-length curls. Alex's mother and brothers had curly hair, which had given him an easy explanation for where she got hers, but now he realized it was more likely that she got it from him. Twisting around, she looked at him with dark eyes that were like his own, and she smiled. The smile she got from her mother.

He gently tickled her and she giggled and jumped into his arms. He hugged her for a long moment before setting her in his lap. "I want to talk to you for a minute, mouse."

He glanced at Eames, who silently nodded and slipped her hand along his back, encouraging him. Maggie tossed her shovel into the hole she'd dug and said, "Okay."

He wasn't quite sure how to start, so he paused for a moment. Finally, his voice subdued, he said, "Your father went away."

She nodded. "I wished he would and he did."

"Are you glad?"

She nodded. "I didn' like him."

That was a general consensus. He tightened his arm around her waist and went on. "I, uh, I found out about your wishing star, baby."

Her eyes got big. "You know about my wishy star?"

"I do."

"Do you know what I wish for?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do."

Now she frowned. "You telled me you couldn' fix it."

"Because I really didn't think I could. But...do you remember when Mommy and I took you to get your blood drawn?"

She nodded. "It hurted but you getted me ice cream because I was a big girl."

He laughed softly. "Right. Well, they did some tests, and they found out that he...is not your father."

She let that sink in for a moment, looking toward the ocean with a frown. Finally, she looked back at him. "So I really don' have a daddy now?"

"I didn't say that. I said he's not your daddy."

Her eyes brightened and she asked hopefully, "Do I getta pick a new daddy?"

"I'm afraid not, mouse. You're kinda stuck with the man who is your real daddy."

She pouted. "What if I don' like him?"

He just shrugged. "You want to know who he is before you decide you don't like him?"

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I on'y want you to be my daddy."

"So you wouldn't be too upset then if I told you that I was?"

She shifted on his lap, still pouting, as the words sank in. She looked up suddenly. "You are?"

"I am."

"You really are my daddy?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"F'rever? Nobody will take you away?"

"Not a chance. This is forever."

With a squeal of pure joy, she jumped up and threw her little arms around his neck, squeezing as tightly as she could. "I knowed you could fix it," she whispered, confident in her perception of his ability to make anything right. Then, after a moment, she softly asked, "I can call you Daddy?"

"Yes, mouse," he replied. "You can call me Daddy."

He couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying, but it really didn't matter. She was happier than he had ever seen her. He looked at Eames, whose eyes were bright with happy tears. As she settled down, Maggie still held on to his neck, refusing to loosen her grip and he was content to hold her. And then he heard her voice, barely a whisper, say, "Thank you, wishy star."

As they headed back toward the cabin, Maggie walking between them and holding their hands, she said, "Do you think if I ast my wishy star, I would get a puppy?"