A/N: UPDATED UPDATED UPDATED (does happy dance). This chapter is told from Flack's point of view. You'll see how much he's changed, and how much he wants to improve... I think you'll like this chapter.

Don't own them, never will, original characters are mine, song belongs to Boys Like Girls, haven't we been through this already?

Reviews always welcome

I won't try to philosophize
I'll just take a deep breath and I'll look in your eyes
This is how I feel
And it's so surreal
I got a closet filled up to the brim
With the ghosts of my past and the skeletons
And I don't know why
You'd even try
But I won't lie

Hero/Heroine- Boys Like Girls

When I first met Angela, I wasn't sure how to react. She was smart, beautiful, and had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. I'd never thought I'd be with someone who understood me so completely.

Angela Baker was my match, and I'd been stupid enough to let her go.

When we divorced I hadn't contested her decision… we'd decided it was best for Charlotte if we divorced, because we didn't want her to grow up surrounded with the notion that parents fight, therefore it's normal. Of course we'd hit rough patches before, but that one rough patch we just couldn't get through.

Now it all seemed to disappear as I kissed her again.

Her eyes opened and she smiled.

Finally, we were at peace together.

Angela and I both knew that we would have to work at it. Learning to trust each other again was going to be a long and arduous process. After all, we had divorced, had other partners, attempted to 'find ourselves', but in the end we ended up right back where we had started.

In each other's arms.

"Should we tell Charlotte?" I whispered. I can only assume she was reading my lips.

She reached up and put a finger to my lips. Very slowly, she shook her head 'no'. If Charlotte saw us like this she would really be confused. Angela and I went back together, per se, we had just taken the first step.

Nodding, I let go of her and moved toward the door. On my way out, I smiled at her again. Whatever we had now was precious, and I knew it. I didn't want to let it, or Angela, go.

I could only hope that I could hold on to her.

The next morning I rolled over to hear my phone ringing. Lifting my head, I glanced at the clock and noticed it was about 7AM.

"Huh?"

"Good morning Daddy!"

I smiled at myself.

"Good morning, Princess. How are you?" I rolled over out of bed and walked into the bathroom. I turned the water on and wet my toothbrush, putting toothpaste on just after.

"Good…" she answered. I waited a few seconds until she started speaking again. "Daddy, I want to go to the zoo today. Can we go to the zoo?"

I spit into the sink and ran the water again to wash it down the drain. "I'm sorry, honey, Daddy has to work today."

"Oh…" she sounded disappointed. I don't blame her. I would love to go to the zoo with her, but damn those psychos who decide the only way to live is to take the lives of innocent people make it hard to do so. I remember this one case where the little girl had been jumping rope in front of her house when someone had grabbed her, shoved her into the back of a truck and driven away.

Someone had been jogging with their dog and found her body three days later.

Angela had just given birth to Charlotte a week before, I was on my first day back, and it tore me inside and out. When Hawkes examined the body she said the little girl was only four years old.

The perp wasn't very smart. He'd left DNA behind at the crime scene. When we caught him I busted his balls till he cracked. I'd made sure he was never getting out of prison. In my opinion, murdering a helpless child made you more despicable than serial rapists or a cult leader convincing his band of 'followers' to commit mass suicide in order to catch a ride on the back of a spaceship headed for the moon.

I went home that day and cradled my baby girl in my arms as Angela slept.

"I'll cut down the trees so no boys can sneak into your room when you turn sixteen…" I told her.

Charlotte only gurgled in response.

I would do anything, and I mean anything, to protect my girls.

"Well, how about this…" I shut the water off and heading back into my bedroom. "If your mom says its okay, why don't you come to work with me today?"

"Okay, I'll go ask…" she put the phone down and went off to find her mother.

Instead of Charlotte picking the phone up, I felt my phone vibrate. Angela had switched on the video phone.

"We're going to visit my mother today, Don…"

"I don't see why we can't do both…" I reasoned. "What time are you done at your mother's?"

"Around noon."

"So… bring Charlotte by for lunch…" I answered. "I'm sure the team would love to see her."

I saw her ponder for a second.

"Sure…" she answered. "I'll meet you in the lab at 12:30."

So the next afternoon I waited by the lab doors for Angela to arrive. When she did, she unloaded Charlotte, took her hand, and walked her into the lab.

"Daddy!" she cried, letting go of Angela and running toward me.

"Hey!" I opened my arms as she jumped and I wrapped her in a bear hug. When I set her down, I noticed she was carrying a brown paper bag. "What's in the bag, Charlotte?"

"I made you lunch, Daddy!" her smile was enough to melt the polar ice caps. She was so proud of herself.

"You did?" I smiled. Whatever she made, whether it be bologna and cheese or melted crayons on bread, I was going to eat it. I was hungry, and I wouldn't disappoint her.

"What'd you make?" I asked, taking the bed from her and took a peak.

"I made nine peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!" she proudly announced.

"Nine?" I looked again and counted in my head. She wasn't kidding; there were exactly nine peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in that bag. "All for me? Thank you…"

"No Daddy, not all for you!" she giggled, knowing I was making a joke. "I made lunch for everybody!" she took the bag back. "For Uncle Mac and Peyton, and Auntie Stella and Uncle Danny and Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Hawkes!"

I looked over and saw Angela smiling. "Will you have her back before 9:00?" she signed.

"Of course…" I signed back, no indication of what had happened the night before.

As Angela went back outside, I took my daughter's hand and led her to the break room.

"You know, I think everyone is looking forward to seeing you…" I told her. "And I think they'll like the lunch you made." We entered the break room, where seven greedy hands each reached in and took a sandwich.

She smiled at me again, and I knew, as I'd known all along.

Charlotte was the best thing that could've ever happened to me.

No, lemme rephrase that. Charlotte and her mother were the best things to ever happen to me.

And I wasn't going to lose them again.