Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (except for Al) and am just doing this for fun and to pass the long months until Season 4.

Tim spent the next few weeks looking for his father in every shadow. Like Walt's first recent appearance, Tim was on edge, anticipating a repeat performance. But once again, Walt seemed gone although Tim was much less willing to add the words "for good" to that statement.

Al was concerned about him, he knew that. But he didn't know how to talk to her about his father. He knew that she must have heard stories, from Mindy and Tyra and maybe even Billy, but he didn't want to add to those stories. He knew that Al loved him, but part of him worried that if she discovered the true nature of the tree he fell from, well, she'd toss him in the barrel with all the other rotten apples.

But he didn't want to shut her out, either, and he knew that his usual pattern when he didn't want to talk about something was to either shut down or rely on the physical part of the relationship. It was easy to fall into the latter approach, letting his body take over and giving his mouth something to do other than talk.

At work, it was easier. He just kept busy, which meant he didn't have to talk to Billy either. If his brother was suspicious of his new-found work ethic, he didn't show it. Tim was turning all of these thoughts over in his mind as he worked on a Camaro.

"Hey, Tim," said Al, coming up behind him.

"Yeah?"

"I've gotta go out for an hour or two. Will you help Kevin with that Firebird that needs a starter motor? Also, D'Andre should be in soon – get him to enter invoices in the computer. Okay?"

Tim straightened up and looked at Al. He was a little dazed by how fast she was talking. Like she didn't want to give him a chance to ask any questions.

"Hold up there, where you going?"

"Doctor's appointment and I'm nearly late so I really have to go."

"Everything okay?" He reached out and took her hand.

"Yeah, it's just you know, like a 20,000 mile service or something. I told you a few weeks ago I had to go."

He didn't remember, but he nodded anyway. "Alright, help Kevin with a starter motor and get D'Andre to put the invoices in the computer."

"Thanks." She squeezed his hand and slipped away before he could kiss her goodbye. He watched her race out of the garage, walking about three times her normal speed, then shrugged and went back to work.

*** **** *** *** *** *** *** *** **** *** *** *** *** *** *** **** *** *** *** *** ***

Al was gone three hours, arriving back just as they were closing the garage for the day. She would have just gone home except that she and Tim had gone in together that morning and she didn't want to strand him or force Billy to give him a ride home.

He was waiting out in front of the garage for her and climbed in before the truck had fully stopped. He leaned across the seat and kissed her like he hadn't seen her in days.

"What was that for?" she asked, surprised but pleased.

He shrugged. "No reason."

"How was it?"

"What?"

"Your doctor's appointment. How was it?"

She smiled. "Oh yeah, sorry, you sort of distracted me with that kiss and now it's taken me a while to catch up. It was fine. I told you – no big deal. Just a check up."

"Good. So I distracted you, huh?"

"A bit, yeah."

He slid over next to her, put an arm around her and began to whisper into her ear the ways he planned to distract her when they got home. It was only later that night, as he watched Al sleeping next to him, that he realized she had also distracted him from asking more questions about the appointment and why she was gone longer than she said she'd be.