AN: I managed to finish this chapter sooner then I thought I would. It's very short chapter, but a very important one. The overall plot starts picking up here. Enjoy.

The Bohemian family were assembled in the Life Café, enjoying their family night as they ate their soy burgers, with sides of miso soup and fries. During the conversations they were having, the adult Bohemians kept glancing over at James and Penny, who were constantly cuddled to one another, and having short whispered conversations every so often.

"They are so cute," Maureen voiced out loud. "If this was high school, they'd be a cinch for 'cutest couple'."

"Maureen, leave them alone," Mark requested, smiling over at his daughter and her boyfriend.

"What?! I'm not doing anything wrong," Maureen exclaimed. "Besides, I'm not the only one who's noticed them acting like a couple of newlyweds. Take that blond-haired girl over by the bar. She's been looking this way since we got here." Maureen pointed over at the person she was referring to.

"Oh, it's her again," Joanne realized, looking over.

"You know her?" Penny asked, turning to look at the young woman as well.

"She was in the subway station a few days ago," Joanne explained. "She was having trouble reading the subway map, so I helped her figure out where she was going. She seemed pretty nice, but a bit out of her element." Eventually, the conversation shifted away from the girl Joanne had helped, and moved on to how Mark's business trip had gone.

"As I told Zack and Rodolfo," Mark began, "I really didn't have much time to see the city. When I wasn't taking care of business at the conference center, I was at the hotel sleeping or eating at a restaurant with my co-workers. Although, I might go back again when I have some vacation time. Then, I might actually enjoy my time there."

"James, what's with you?" Emily suddenly spoke up. "You look really distracted about something." James immediately snapped out of a daze, tearing his eyes away from a random point by the bar.

"Uh, yeah. I...I'm fine," James insisted before glancing away, the same disturbed look on his face. After a short pause, he got up from the table. "Sammy, you stay here and color in your book. I'll be back in a moment, okay?"

"Okay," Sammy agreed, barely looking up from coloring in a picture of Thumper in his Bambi coloring book. With a gentle smile, James tousled the boy's hair and turned to head off somewhere, but just as he began to walk off, he stopped and took a moment to kiss Penny tenderly. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Penny replied with a smile. Mirroring the smile, James went off, heading out the door by the bar, unknowingly entering the same courtyard where Roger and Mimi had once confessed their growing feelings for one another years ago. This time, however, the person entering the courtyard wasn't looking for a romantic moment.

For a time, James stood silently, his face expressionless, but then a movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn his head, and he found himself facing Hannah standing under one of the glowing lights.

"Hello again, James," Hannah greeted casually with a bold smile on her face. James kept his face absent of expression as he faced Hannah.

"What are you doing here, Hannah?" he asked.

"Is that how you say 'hello', after five years?" Hannah laughed in amusement. "I was hoping for something more along the lines of 'how've you been,' or 'it's nice to see you,' or…"

"Spare me the rambling," James ordered. "What do you want?"

"Aw, can't I just be allowed to wonder how things are with you? Speaking of which, how's Sammy?"

"He's fine," James answered in a defensive tone. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Aren't I allowed to wonder about how he is?" Hannah sniffed, sounding offended. Instantly, a hardened glint formed in James' eyes, but he kept his voice calm and civil.

"After what happened to Mattie, you don't have the right to ask about Sammy." For a time, the two of them remained silent, until James spoke again.

"Earlier this week, at the Fairway Market; it was you I saw, wasn't it?"

"Guilty," Hannah admitted off-handedly, starting to examine her painted fingernails. "I was just in the area and saw you go in. I was hoping you'd come after me for a long overdue talk, but you left pretty quickly."

"Quit playing innocent, Hannah. I know you. You knew I was living here in New York, and came to that market every day hoping you'd see me, didn't you? And you followed me here as well, right? You know, that could constitute as stalking, and I know of one lawyer inside who would be willing to help me file a lawsuit against you."

"Is that right?" Hannah smirked. "There's just one teensy-weensy problem with that threat, James. Getting your lawyer friend involved would mean admitting all of your transgressions, wouldn't it? Are you really willing to risk that? You know what it might end up costing you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." James agreed, his face still void of expression. Hannah's smirk grew even wider as she slinked up to him before tracing a circle on his chest with a finger.

"Oh, and that reminds me," she began in a seductive voice, "I notice you've found yourself a little girlfriend here in New York. How lucky for you. I admit it, she's really pretty. Although, she looks real….how should I phrase it? Delicate?" Catching the subtle undertone to Hannah's comment, James' mood shifted from impassiveness to anger.

"I'm warning you, Hannah," James rounded on her, his voice filled with strong forewarnings of danger. "You stay away from Penny, and Sammy, too, for that matter. If you ever come near either one of them…"

"Then you'll what?" Hannah asked, her tone showing her vast amusement. "You'll kill me? Now who's the one trying to fool somebody? We both know, James, you don't have it in you to actually kill me." James glared at Hannah for a moment, but then dropped his eyes to the ground, defeated, a fact that Hannah visibly gloated over.

"Come on, James," she went on. "Why don't we have dinner somewhere one night? Just you, me, and Sammy. I'll be just like old times."

"The old times are over, Hannah," James stepped away, fixing her with a piercing glare. "They're over for good. Maybe the old me would have swallowed your sob story about how you've changed, and given you another chance. But that was another lifetime ago. You're no longer the Hannah I knew in high school, and you never will be again. The same can be said for me. You'll get no more chances from me. That ship passed a long time ago. I'm sorry to say you've wasted your time in coming here.

"Go back to Maine, where you came from, Hannah," James turned to go back inside. "We're finished here." Even after James had reentered the Life and shut the door behind him, Hannah stood unmoving. Her laid-back manner vanished in an instant, and was replaced by a hard glare.

"Oh, no, James," she spoke to herself. "We are not finished here. We will never be finished here."