The evening adjournment had been a welcome relief. So distracted had Hamilton been by the startling revelation by Mignon at lunch that the irascible prosecutor had found it difficult to focus in the courtroom. He'd muddled through well enough, but had he been having just a normal afternoon, he would have thought through his questions of the witnesses more thoroughly and Perry wouldn't have had to object as frequently. Hamilton was also willing to bet there were a few occasions where he probably should have objected to something Perry was asking or doing, but missed because his thoughts kept drifting back to his personal issues. More than once, he'd caught Perry and Della watching him with looks of concern.

It frustrated Hamilton and made him angry with himself. He had always considered himself the consummate professional and pushed himself with great determination to give his very best in the courtroom every single time. And Perry had even hovered around the courtroom fiddling with paperwork while everyone else filed out of the courtroom. When it was nearly empty, he snapped it shut and glanced over at Hamilton who was half heartedly scrawling notes on a notepad, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere.

"Is everything alright, Hamilton? I noticed you seemed distracted up there today," Perry asked gently.

Hamilton finished the sentence he was writing and then set the pencil down and looked up at the defense attorney.

"I don't know, Perry," Hamilton grudgingly admitted. "You remember my good friend, Mignon?"

"Oh yes, of course."

"Yeah, well she dropped a rather significant personal bombshell on me at lunch today and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Mainly because I have no idea how I'm going to handle it yet."

"I don't mean to pry, Hamilton, but perhaps if you told me what's wrong I could offer a solution."

Hamilton considered Perry's words for a moment. While it was true that they were rivals in the courtroom, there was still a pretty strong bond between the two outside of it and Perry usually gave wise counsel, even in personal situations.

"Mignon and I go way back, Perry. All the way back to my freshman year in college. Her husband, George is my best friend. We were all friends along with several other people before Mignon and George got together. Before they did though, she and I slept together a few times. She told me at lunch that Larry is actually my son and not George's."

Perry's big blue eyes widened at that. "What was her reason for withholding that information?"

"She said she and George had become an item shortly before she learned she was pregnant. She'd already told George what had happened between us so she wasn't worried about telling George she was expecting. They decided together that it was in the best interest of everyone, including me and Larry, to let George raise Larry as his own. She said they believed I would quit college and go to work to support Mignon and the baby, which very well likely would have been the case. And I believe her, Perry. I've never known Mignon to tell a lie or be malicious."

Perry digested that. He had the same impression of Mignon from the brief time he'd met with her when he'd represented her son, Larry. She was a no nonsense, decisive, and direct type that didn't play games so it seemed unlikely to him as well that Mignon had been trying to hurt Hamilton. Still, it was plain as day on the prosecutor's face that he was extremely unsettled by the whole revelation. Perry could only imagine how Hamilton felt.

"And now you have a wife and children to tell," Perry voiced the problem. One of them anyway.

Hamilton nodded. "It will shock my daughters, but I told Alexandra about me and Mignon when I first got involved with her. Alex would be more shocked and worried about me finding out after so long than anything else. She'll be understanding and supportive. Telling her won't be as difficult as facing Larry tomorrow morning."

Perry's eyes lit up with humor and his signature smirk made a brief appearance. "Well, at least you know a good counselor."

Hamilton chuckled at that, grateful for the much needed attempt at levity. "Mignon said she was going to tell Larry this evening, but I have no idea what I can possibly say to him the next time I see him, Perry."

"I imagine it will be just as difficult for Larry as it will be for you, Hamilton. You'll both have the common ground of having been in the dark about it for so long. That may help to break the ice. I wouldn't try to force anything and maybe just see how things feel over the next few days. Something will happen or be said that will open the door for communication about it."

"You're right, Perry," Hamilton gave him a small, but more relaxed smile. "I'll try to stop fretting about it and get some sleep. Perhaps it will all look better in the morning."

Slapping his courtroom opponent gently on the shoulder, Perry picked up his briefcase. "Well, if you need to talk some more, you know how to get in touch with me."

"Thanks, Perry. I appreciate it."

W^^^W^^^W

The drive home in his car was plagued with the memories of the two nights Hamilton and Mignon had made love. Well, perhaps plagued was too negative a word. The memories were thoroughly pleasant and Hamilton harbored no regrets, but they came unbidden and replayed themselves in his mind like a broken record.

Hamilton and George and their circle of friends all enjoyed the typical outdoorsy stuff that men liked; fishing, hunting, sports, and so on. Occasionally, lady friends or girlfriends would tag along. Mignon was one of the few women that went because she enjoyed the activities as much as she enjoyed being with her love.

Unfortunately, as they all progressed through college and the school workloads and difficulty increased, the group found themselves with less and less time to enjoy those activities. And so it was that the group brainstormed ways to enjoy aspects of those activities closer to home. George pitched his tent right in his backyard so whenever the urge to sleep outdoors struck, but there was too much homework for a camping trip, George and Hamilton and whoever else wanted to could bum the tent in the backyard. Occasionally, they found themselves studying in it.

One particular gathering though found Mignon looking for a quiet place for a while. Since most of their friends were still inside, the tent seemed an ideal escape. Hamilton's thoughts had apparently run along similar lines as that was where she found him hiding out with one of his textbooks.

"I apologize, Hamilton," Mignon said, about to zip the tent flap shut again. "I didn't know someone was already in here."

"It's alright, Mignon, come in. I need a break from the studying anyway," Hamilton replied.

"I just need away from the noise for a little bit. They're all drinking and getting louder with each beer," she chuckled, fiddling with her ebony black hair. She hadn't often been alone with Hamilton, though she felt she knew him well. The truth was she was romantically interested in their mutual friend George and not Hamilton, though she was aware of some physical attraction to the latter. Hamilton, though not as classically attractive as George was, had a charisma to him that was compelling, an endearing smile, and a voice whose deeper and warmer tones did things to her body that she'd barely admitted even to herself.

Her sharp blue eyes caught him watching her as she played with her long hair. She knew he found her physically attractive, though she suspected that, like her, was the extent of it for him. They both knew she really wanted George for the long haul.

They were silent for a moment, both somehow understanding that there was a current of sexual tension between them and it crackled in the air like static electricity. Mignon wanted him; just physically and probably just for that night, but she needed to see if he was even game for it. Zipping them into the tent, she scooted a little closer to Hamilton who squirmed at the sight of Mignon unbuttoning her blouse, exposing a bit of cleavage to his hungry eyes.

"Mignon…," he took a ragged breath, both nervous and eager. "I don't want to hurt you or take advantage of you. We both know you really love George."

"I'm the one starting this, Hamilton. I'm sure. And I don't wish to hurt you either because you're right. I do love George, but I'm physically attracted to you as well. Just tonight, Hamilton…," she said as she pressed her lips to his.