A/N: Thank you for all the kind and supportive reviews. Now, the reason why this chapter is so late, is because I've been working on a trailer for this story. It's almost done, and I'll post the link for it soon. Like I promised, here is the next chapter. :)

Chapter Seven

I Want My Son

"So, what do you think?" Rebecca asked when she stepped into her new apartment with her son. AJ looked around the room, his eyes wide as he took everything in. Rebecca placed him down on his feet and he ran over to the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony at the back of the living room. He pressed his face up to the glass door and then turned back around to face her.

"We live here?" AJ asked.

"Yep, do you like it?" Rebecca asked again, dropping the bag that had been slung over her shoulder on the floor. AJ nodded and ran back over to her. She picked him, giving an exaggerated groan at how heavy he was getting that made him giggle. "Do you want to go see your room?"

AJ nodded again, enthusiastically. She smiled and carried him down the hallway. The kitchen was across from the living room. The bathroom was the first door on the right, then right after that was the room that would be her bedroom. AJ's room was a little farther down on the left. As soon as Rebecca opened the bedroom door, AJ's eyes grew wide.

The walls were painted a light shade of blue and the floor was hardwood, like the hallway. She and Caleb had went out and bought a few pieces of furniture for the apartment, including the chestnut dresser and the dark blue toddler bed that occupied the room. There was a play rug, that depicted a suburban town on it, in the middle of the floor. All of his toys were here, some stored away in his toy box organizer. AJ started squirming in Rebecca's arms, so she put him down on his feet. He ran over to his blue-and-yellow riding car and climbed onto to it. Rebecca laughed as he started rolling around the room on his car.

"Do you like your new room?" Rebecca asked him, when he rolled past her.

"Yeeeaaahhh!" AJ cheered. He grunted as the car hit the bed, but that didn't stop him. AJ just backed up and continued rolling along.

Rebecca watched her son for another minute until her phone started ringing. Her smile only got bigger as she answered it. "What did you get lost?" she teased. "I'll give you a hint, third floor, fourth door from the elevator on the-"

"Becky?"

The voice sent an icy finger of dread sliding down her spine and her mouth snapped shut. Trying to hold on to some semblance of calm and control, for AJ's benefit, Rebecca stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. She closed her eyes and leaned back against it. This couldn't be happening, it's been two years. This can't happen, not now.

"Becky? Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Rebecca spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and spoke louder this time. "What do you want, Adam?"

"I just want to talk," Adam rushed to say. It seemed like he wanted to get everything out before she decided to hang up on him. "Please, I'm in town. Can we meet somewhere and talk?"

"So, just because you are in town, I should drop everything and see you?" Rebecca shot at him.

There was a pause on the other, and Rebecca almost thought he'd hung up until he spoke. "I know I hurt you," Adam said, remorseful. Rebecca scoffed. "I made a mistake. I want to make amends. Please, give me a second chance."

"I gave you a second chance, Adam, do you remember that, two years ago," Rebecca told him. "Instead, you ran away, like a coward, and left me and your son."

Adam seemed to sense that she was about to hit the end call button, because he rushed on to say, "Please, Rebecca, I'm begging you! Just hear me out, then you can decide whether you want anything to do with me."

Rebecca deliberated for a moment, then finally said, "You have a half hour, I'll see you at Maggie's." She hung up before she could hear his response. Rebecca let out a loud sigh, covering her face with her hands. From inside the bedroom, Rebecca could hear AJ's Buzz Lightyear and then what sounded like toys scattering across the floor. Rebecca didn't want Adam to take away her son's happiness, she didn't want AJ to be hurt by him like she had been, more than once.

Letting the toddler play for a few minutes, Rebecca walked back down the hallway toward the living room. As soon as she stepped into the room, the apartment door opened and Caleb came in, carrying two boxes. He set the boxes down in the hallway and looked up at her.

"I made it," Caleb grinned. "And I only got lost once."

"And I didn't even have to send up a search flare," Rebecca added. "Listen, Lou just called me. She needs me to come into the diner and help with the lunch rush. I shouldn't be too long, just a few hours. Do you mind watching AJ til I get back?" She was surprised at how easily the lie she came up with it.

"No, of course not," Caleb said as Rebecca picked up her coat and purse. "But Lou couldn't get somebody else to fill in? I mean, she knew you'd be busy moving today."

"I know, but she sounded a little frazzled on the phone," Rebecca lied quickly. "Besides, I can't really say no to a little extra cash, can I?" She walked over and gave him a peck on the lips, ignoring the guilt that was already beginning to claw at her stomach.

"I guess not, but as you should know by now, that wasn't stress you were hearing, that's the way Lou always sounds," Caleb said. He leaned in to give her another, longer kiss. Rebecca let the kiss linger there for a minute before pulling away.

"I really have to go," she replied. Rebecca darted away, laughing, as Caleb made to grab her again. She reached the door and turned to face him. "I'll see you later." With that, Rebecca slipped out the door and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Adam looked exactly like he did two years ago. His blonde hair was combed back and his dark eyes seemed to pull her and everything else in like some kind of gravitational pull. Those same eyes that also belonged to AJ. He were dark, fitted jeans and light blue, button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbow. His brown jacket was draped over the back of the chair he was sitting in. It seemed like no time at all had passed since the last time she had seen him. Rebecca had to physically remind herself of all the pain he had put her through for the last two years.

Adam sat up straighter when he saw her, a smile on his face. Rebecca kept her face neutral as she took the seat opposite him. He seemed to look past her for a moment, and his smile started to slip when he realized she was alone.

"Where is he? Where is AJ?" Adam asked. "I was hoping you would bring him with you."

"He's home, happy and safe, where he belongs," was all Rebecca said. He didn't need to know anything else.

Adam nodded slowly, but Rebecca sensed he was disappointed. He cleared his throat. "Order whatever you want, it's on me," he patted the menu, then before she could say anything, he continued, "Don't worry, I can afford it. I've had a steady job for a year and it's going really good." Adam smiled as if he were proud of himself. Somewhere deep down, Rebecca felt proud of him too, but she was careful not to show it.

"I'm not really hungry," Rebecca admitted. "What I really want to know is what you want?"

"Becky, I just want to buy you lunch, please," Adam said.

"Don't call me that," she snapped and she saw Adam flinch at her words. "You think that if you buy my lunch then I'll forgive you for what you've done?"

"No, that's not-" Adam stammered. "I know that I hurt you, I don't expect you to forgive me, but..."

"But what? Adam, what are you doing here?" Rebecca questioned him, trying to keep her voice down to an acceptable volume. It was hard, though, she could feel her anger boiling over.

"I want to see my son," Adam answered. "Alright? I want to see him, I want to meet him."

Rebecca was already shaking her head and she started to get up. "And then what? You'll take off again? No, no way."

Adam reached across the table and grabbed her arm before she could get very far. "Rebecca, AJ is my son, my own flesh-and-blood. You can't just kick me out of his life."

"Let go of me," Rebecca warned him, her voice low. Adam let go automatically, and Rebecca looked down at him as she remained standing. "I gave you a chance to be a father to AJ, do you remember that?" Adam looked down at the table, ashamed. "At the hospital, right after I gave birth to him! I wasn't sure if you were coming, then you showed up in my room. You were nervous, but I could tell you were happy too. I asked if you wanted to hold him, but you said no..."

"Bec—I couldn't—I," Adam tried to interject.

"No, you don't get to talk!" Rebecca cut him off. She was aware of people turning around to look at them, but she couldn't stop the words tumbling from her mouth. She couldn't stop until she had told Adam everything she had felt for the past two years. "Not after what you did. After you promised me you would come back, when you had no intention on doing that. You know, for that first week after AJ was born, I thought you just needed time. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. AJ was crying all the time. I convinced myself that he would be better off without me. I made it as far as the airport before someone came and talked me down. If it wasn't for the good people at Heartland, then AJ would be in foster care right now!"

Rebecca covered her face with her hands and sniffed back the tears. It had been a long time since she had thought about, let alone say it out loud, that awful moment two years ago. She didn't hear Adam get up from his chair, but she did feel him take her arm and start to lead her forward. Rebecca resisted at first, until she realized that everyone in the diner must be staring at her, so she allowed Adam to lead her outside. Only when they were outside, did Rebecca shrug out of his grasp. Adam didn't fight her.

"I know your mad," Adam started. He held up his hand, stopping her, when she started to say something sarcastic. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I want to try to earn it. I admit my mistakes, and I wanted to fix them."

Rebecca shook her head, not wanting to hear anymore, and started to walk past him. "No, you can't, it's too late."

Adam stepped in front of her, holding his hands out, preventing her from leaving. Rebecca took a step back, away from his touch. "Two years ago, Rebecca, I was in a bad place, you know that," Adam explained. "Yes, I was in rehab and getting better, but I was nowhere near one hundred percent. I was still battling the demons inside me, my father's voice was everywhere I went. That's why, I ran away from the hospital, from you and our son. I kept hearing that voice, telling me I was going to be a no-good father, I was going to let my son down again and again. I ran away because I was afraid that that voice would be right, and I guess it kind of was." Adam put a hand to his eyes, sniffing, and turned so that his body was facing halfway away from her.

Rebecca blinked back the tears that had formed while he had spoke. Hesitantly, she stepped over to Adam and put her hand on his arm. He stiffened under her touch, but didn't look at her. "Adam, why didn't you just tell me? I could of—you weren't alone in this." Rebecca said gently. "I was scared too."

Adam shook his head, not saying anything, and sniffed again. Before she knew what she was doing, Rebecca leaned her head down on Adam's shoulder. A shudder ripped through his body as he tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle the sob that came. A moment later, Adam turned abruptly, causing Rebecca to take a step back.

"I spent the past year rebuilding my life, I have a stable job, a decent apartment. I've successfully completed rehab and counseling, all for that one day that I would get to be with my son," Adam pleaded. "Please, give me another chance to be a father to our son."

With Adam standing in front of like this, vulnerable and with nothing else to give, she couldn't say no, but she also couldn't say yes. She wasn't about to put her son's happiness and welfare at stake. "I can set up a time where you can come and meet AJ," Rebecca finally said. "But I have to know that you're going to stick around first before we go any farther. He's only two-years-old, he won't completely understand that much and I don't want put any unneeded stress on him."

"I understand, and thank you," Adam replied, gratefully. He reached out to hug her, but Rebecca quickly stuck her hand out for him to shake instead. Adam looked disappointed, but he took her hand anyway, folding it in both of his hands. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Just don't make me regret doing this for you," Rebecca found herself saying. She gently slipped her hand from his.

"I won't," Adam whispered. They stared at each other in silence for a couple of minutes, neither one of them moving away, but neither dared to move closer either. Finally, Adam cleared this throat. "So, um, you'll text me the day and time?"

"Yes, I will," Rebecca nodded, feeling like she just stepped out of the past. She shook herself back into the present. "Either tonight or tomorrow morning."

Rebecca walked away first, not because she wanted to get away from Adam, but because she wasn't sure what would happen if she stayed. She didn't look back as she climbed into her car and started it up. When she finally looked out the rear-view mirror, Adam was still standing on the sidewalk in front of the diner, watching her drive away. Maybe Adam had changed and would prove to be a good father to AJ, but what that meant for her, she didn't know.

~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Rebecca arrived back at the apartment by mid-afternoon. She had driven around for a while trying to calm herself down and get her emotions in check. It wasn't until she was sure all remnants of her conversation with Adam was gone from her face, Rebecca felt it safe to return. It wasn't that she wanted to lie to Caleb, she just wanted to keep him from doing something he would later regret. If Caleb knew she had gone to see Adam, he would be mad, but if she came back to the apartment in tears, that would be it. He would rush off and start a fight with Adam. Rebecca didn't want that to happen.

She knew she would have to tell Caleb about Adam, sooner rather later. But what if she was working herself up for nothing and Adam decided to disappear again? Then, Rebecca remembered the way Adam's eyes looked when he was pleading with her to let him see AJ. They were full of guilt and the longing to be with his son. No, Adam would stick around this time, at least for a little while. So, there was no getting around it, she had tell Caleb. Tonight, no, maybe tomorrow, after she had worked everything out in her head first.

Biting her lip, Rebecca unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open. The TV was on in the living room, playing an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and AJ was sitting on the floor watching, hypnotized. Caleb was sitting the chair behind the toddler and he looked over at her when she came in. Rebecca couldn't read his expression, but she offered him a small smile anyway. He didn't return it. It was then that the show went on commercial and AJ broke his gaze away from the TV.

"Mommy!" AJ screamed, getting up and running over to Rebecca. She scooped him up in her arms as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "I miss you!"

"I missed you, too," Rebecca told him, brushing his brown hair back out of his face. "Did you have fun here with Caleb?"

AJ nodded. "We watch Jake," he said. Then his dark eyes lit up as he remembered something else. "We build castle! Big one!"

"You did?!" Rebecca gasped, exaggerating her excitement for the little boy. It worked because AJ's smile got bigger. "Well, I'm going to have to see this for myself."

"In my room," AJ said, pointing down the hallway to his room.

Before Rebecca could take a step though, Caleb got up from the chair he was sitting in and came toward them. "Hey, AJ, how about you go on to your room, I want to talk to your mom about something first?" Caleb suggested. "She'll be there in a minute."

"Ok!" AJ said.

Rebecca put him down and the two-year-old ran off to his room. She watched him go with a smile on her face. "He seems to be settling in fine here," Rebecca commented, then she turned to Caleb. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble for you. I'm sorry again, for just dumping him on you like that."

"You know, AJ is never a problem," Caleb said. "But speaking of work, Lou called."

Suddenly, Rebecca's heartbeat was loud in her ears. She tried to tell herself it could mean anything, that Lou didn't necessarily rat her out. There could be a million different reasons she had called Caleb. It didn't mean that Caleb automatically know about Adam.

"She wanted to know how the unpacking was going," Caleb was saying. "I told her that it wasn't, because you were called into work. Now, she sounded confused because she had no idea what I was talking about. She never called you to ask you to pick up a shift."

Rebecca swallowed hard as Caleb locked eyes with her, his blue eyes boring into hers. Her throat went dry.

"So, if you weren't at the diner," Caleb continued. "Where were you?"

A/N: What do you think? Please review, and stay tuned the for trailer. :)