A.N. I would blame my inability to write on the lack of the internet, but, well if it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't be writing now. Lol. I've been busy watching Batman The Animated Series. I love it. XD

Sorry this is so short, and that there is only one chapter and the epilogue left.

Chapter 19

The Far and Distant Future

By the time they left Las Vegas three days later, Jack was a little better. He still sometimes called out for Mildred, especially when he got upset, but he slowly losing the habit. Tiffany's last words stuck though, and he had officially decided that Nina was now his mother, and thus she was now Mommy.

It felt strange every time he called her that, although she was now answering it religiously, better to get used to it early on. She hoped that in time she would be so used to it that it wouldn't faze her at all.

Jack didn't enjoy the long drive, although he slept through most of it. They pulled the same trick they had on the way to drop him off after Thanksgiving. The darkness might have helped him, but it left them exhausted when he woke up bright-eyed the moment they pulled into the house.

Anita had at least caught a few moments of slumber, since Roger had refused to let her drive at all, and she quickly volunteered to get Jack settled while Roger showered. He grudgingly agreed, giving them both a quick kiss before disappearing into the master bedroom.

Jack loved the house, it wasn't all that bigger than his apartment, but it had stairs and more rooms to explore. His room was full to bursting, they had yet to sort through the boxes the delivery service had set there, but he was very aware of the few new things that she had set up before she had left.

And then of course there were all the presents that were stacked in the living room. Anita hadn't bothered to re-wrap any of them, but they had two very clear piles, a smaller one from 'Santa' and a larger one for Jack's third birthday, although the two occasions were three months apart and long passed.

Settling in was easy, it turned out. Jack adjusted quickly and with Roger's insight into his typical routines everything went smoothly. He seemed happy, maybe even happier than he had been, although that was harder to tell.

Anita focused much of her energy on Jack during the day while Roger was out. They read books and played all sorts of games. He was a bright boy, and he loved just about anything that pushed his abilities.

He wasn't as needy as some children could be, and he would try something for endless hours rather than asked for help. She had learned quickly that Jack could not be left alone with climbable objects, thank God for built-in shelves.

"Mommy!" he'd squealed in delight, sitting on top of the bookshelf high above her head. She had to go get a chair just to retrieve him.

Every day was much like that, running, lunch, nap, climbing, playing, dinner, bath, bed. By the time Roger drug himself in, muddy and sweating more often than not, she was worn out and achy. The constantly moving baby didn't help matters any either.

When Roger came home that day, he mentioned going up to see the mountain the next day. Anita warily agreed, there were lots of dangers to behold up there, but Jack would love to see the collies and the sheep.

"Come on, Nita. Just for a little while?" he pleaded with her, puppy dog eyes and everything.

"I - I guess," she relented, to Jack's great joy.

"Mountain! Mountain!" he shouted excitedly for the next twenty minutes, unaware of what they were actually doing.

Roger laughed, excited himself.

Anita worried about the excursion up until the moment they arrived. They got stopped halfway up by a long trail of puffy white sheep crossing the road, five mud splattered dogs among them.

"Switch!" Henry called from the back, and they watched as the dog jumped out of line and bunched the sheep back together behind him. After a few minutes, Henry approached the car, looking as rough as he had the first time they'd met. "Brought the whole family today, huh? Well come on then, get on up to the house so I can see that boy of yours."

Jack was staring out the window, entranced. "Puppy! Puppy!" he chanted quietly.

Roger obliged, following the winding trail of sheep up the gravel drive.

He hurried to unhook a very impatient Jack out of his car seat the instant they pulled to a stop, and set him on the ground as quickly as possible. It took Henry a while to get all of the sheep locked up, but once he did the little boy ran up to the each of his dogs in turn, trying to coax some affection out of them.

Fly rubbed herself against him like a cat, Zip rolled onto his back for a belly rub, and Switch attempted to play, bent forward and wagging his tail, but Flash sat unmoving, not hostile but certainly not welcoming. Henry's new dog was very sweet, she came up slowly, ducking her head and wagging her tail while they talked. She even licked Jack's face.

He loved her, giggling and petting her. "I think Jack's in love," Roger agreed, laughing. "Where'd you get this one?"

"Found her," Henry said proudly. "She was herding my chickens a few weeks back. Swift, I call her."

Roger nodded, "Swift, hm. She sure is gorgeous."

"Switch sure thinks so. I think he might have got to her."

"Puppies?"

"With talent," he said, petting Switch's shaggy head. "They should be a good bunch."

They talked a bit more, sitting on the worn folding chairs on Henry's porch, watching Jack's adventuring.

Henry had a far off look to him while he was watching Jack. "I have a grandson, you know, Harry," he said with a small smile. "He's just about Jack's age, too. He turned three in November. I've got pictures, somewhere." He waved vaguely towards the door. "Since David and Missy moved to San Francisco I haven't got to see him."

Everything got really quiet after that, and it seemed like a dark cloud had descended upon them. As it neared lunch time, Anita elbowed Roger in the ribs and they made their exit, much to Jack's disapproval.

The top of the mountain wasn't near as amazing as the dogs, even though Jack got filthy playing in the gravel pile and climbing on the stumps. The team they had up there was working hard, hauling out truckloads of junk, chopped wood. The nasty burning pit was alive with flames twenty feet tall, burning grass clippings and uprooted stumps. Black smoke clogged the air.

"It looks… better," Anita said, taking in the surroundings. "Are they just clearing it out still?"

Roger parked the truck near the base of a small rise. A massive dirt pile sat at the bottom of the rise, dark and fresh. "We started digging the foundation for the garage, see?" He led them around the pile, and pointed to the hole in the ground. Three of the men from the city were busily smoothing out the edges left by the bulldozer. "We have to finish the plans for the house before we dig that one."

"And you have two barns, and the park, and that's not to mention the miles of fences you have to put in… This is such a big project." Anita simply couldn't fathom how he was ever on to achieve everything he wanted to do, no matter how much money he had at his disposal.

Her criticism didn't faze him in the slightest, and Roger continued to grin as he defended his dream. "Have a little imagination, Nita. You'll see. It's all here, waiting for us."

It was a beautiful thought, if only they could complete it. "I know it will, if only we can pull it off."

After a tour of the other work that was going on, and being introduced to all of the dozen workers present, they finally settled down for lunch. They'd brought out a cooler full of sandwiches and other lunch friendly foods, spread a blanket out, and sat down to eat in what would eventually become they're living room.

o.O.o

It was unusual for Roger to be home so long before dinner, so Anita was determined to make the night perfect. Roger took over for Jack's evening playtime, and she got to use her best cooking skills to master supper.

Occasionally the boys would walk in to ask her questions or show her things they had done, mostly through Roger's prompting, she assumed, as he seemed so keen on watching her cook. Roger didn't have an ounce of training in the kitchen, but he did have an experienced stomach.

"I know you don't see it yet," he whispered to her as Jack stacked his blocks in the floor, the food cooking in the background, "but we make the perfect family. Someday… someday we will have it all, Nita. The farm, the family, everything."

Anita leaned against him, and for just an instant, she could see the picture he had tried so hard to make her see. Not Jack, or even Rachel, but some other small child, soft brown hair and startlingly cerulean eyes, marching his toys through several pairs of feet, both human and not. The big white house that served as home for them all, looking protectively from its hill to the farm below. It was beautiful, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, only to disappear the moment she blinked.

She smiled, the warm scent of freshly baked cookies still lingered. "I can see it, sometimes. I believe you, Roger. I do."

And so life continued, one day at a time, stressful, happy, and expectant.