Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the thing you don't recognize! Song credit to Every Avenue

Thanks again for all of the reviews! I'm going to try to update as much as I can before March 5th, as I will be going away for Spring Break.

"Where were you when I needed you most?

Why did you leave me alone?

We gave up before we gave it a chance

And I don't understand."

Where Were You

Therapy with Hunter was slow and painful for the first few sessions. He had diagnosed me with PTSD and had chosen imaginal exposure as my treatment. Basically that meant that every session I told my story over and over again. So far he was confident that I had already showed some improvement, but we still had a way to go before I was truly recovered.

No one besides Hunter and I knew what we were up to. After the first initial meeting with Hunter I started taking Grace with me; leaving her with Hunter's secretary, a charming older lady in her forties, in the reception area.

My therapy wasn't my only concern at the moment either. It was already mid July and I still had not found someone to walk Cady down the aisle at her wedding. Who was there really? Yeah, she was friendly with a lot of the guys around the reservation, but no one stuck out as extra special to her besides Seth, and he was not an option.

"Who do you think should walk Cady down the aisle, Grace?" I asked as I smiled down at the little girl whose diaper I was changing at the moment.

"Mama!"

"No, silly." I laughed as I put the finishing touches on the diaper changing process.

"You know, it probably isn't a good idea for her to call you that when you're only going to be leaving at the end of the summer." Paul said from behind me.

I jumped about a foot in the air before I turned around to look up at the intruder. He was sweaty and covered in a thin layer of sawdust; probably from working on Mrs. Crane's new wheelchair ramp…even though she wasn't even wheelchair bound.

"I can't tell her not to call me that, Paul; she's a baby." I replied easily.

Ever since the sit down between Paul, Hunter, and I followed by Paul's confession we hardly ever fought. Oh yes, we disagreed, but we actually managed to do so as adults. Insults were still occasionally thrown, but never at the level they were before.

"You seem…better lately." He stated.

"I have a confession, but I haven't even told my sister yet so don't go blabbing it. I've been seeing Hunter."

"Seeing Hunter?!"

I was taken aback by his sudden outburst. What was so wrong about me seeking his professional help? He'd offered it to me for goodness sakes! And just like Cady had said, he did it for free.

"What's so wrong about that?" I asked my brow wrinkled in confusion. "He's really been helping me deal with my issues."

"OH!"

One of my eyebrows shot up at that, "What did you think I meant?"

"I thought you meant you were seeing him."

"Ah, I see." I smiled before I turned around to pick Grace up from the changing table.

I sent Paul another amused smile before I walked out of Grace's room, with Grace cuddled close in my arms. She was in the play pin and I was flipping through his receipts when he finally came downstairs to join the two of us.

"So, you're home early." I commented as he lifted Grace out of the play pin and started to tickle her tummy.

"Mrs. Crane and Mr. McAlister came to an understanding." He shrugged.

"What was that?"

"They're going to move into her house."

"What?!"

He laughed, "Apparently they've lusted after each other for years and now they've finally acted on it."

"No wonder she wanted a wheelchair ramp." I mused picturing the wheelchair ridden Mr. McAlister and Mrs. Crane locked in an intimate position. Ew gross! Sweet, but disgusting.

"Well, it's great for me. My next project is widening her doorframes."

"Why is he in a wheelchair?" I asked curiously.

"I don't really know…but judging by what I saw today he is definitely not paralyzed."

"Ew!"

His rich laughter mixed in with the sweet sounds of Grace's giggle as he continued to gently tickle her brought a smile to my face. I almost felt like a completely different person for a second as I sat there in what would look like, to any stranger, a small family moment.

After a few minutes I turned back to the receipts, looking up every once and a while to see Paul playing with Grace on the floor. Once he tired of building with her, he tried to get her to say other words besides 'Mama'. In fact he was pointing to himself and trying to get her to say Paul.

"Don't you think that's a little complex for a baby?" I asked without looking up from the numbers I was adding.

"Well, I can't have her calling me Dad. Think how that would make Hunter feel."

"Then what is she supposed to call the two of you until she's old enough to understand the difference?"

He didn't answer my question, but instead said: "You know, I've heard this before and it's probably corny. Anyone can be a Father, but it takes a special man to be a Dad."

"In that case, I've never had a Dad."

"Do you consider us to be friends?" Paul asked as he picked Grace up and moved to the easy chair. He started to rock, with her nestled in the crook of his arm. She already looked a little sleepy, and after a few seconds of rocking her eyes started to drift shut.

"Yes."

"Then is it too much to ask what happened to you?"

Was it really too much to ask? He had opened up to me and trusted me well enough to look after the baby he so obviously loved. Plus he had seen me crying for no apparent reason and I was sure after I told him my story he would understand.

"No, I guess it isn't."

I was at the point that when I related my story over and over again to Hunter I didn't cry anymore, but spilling my heart out to Paul was completely different than it was with Hunter. By the time I was finished I had tears rolling down my face, and my face felt hot. Paul watched me for a minute, an unreadable look in his eyes, before he gently placed the sleeping Grace in the play pin and sat down next to me on the couch. I instinctively turned to him and buried my head in his chest as his arms came around me.

"How could any man leave his children?"He muttered angrily as his hands tenderly ran up and down my back.

"Don't worry about it." I whispered. "It's not your problem."

"Yes it is, Sadie. I care about you; you're my friend and he hurt you deeply."

"So you do care about me? I don't just annoy you?" I chuckled after I pulled away from him and wiped my eyes.

"Yes, you annoy me, but I do care about you." He assured me.

"You annoy me too." I smiled. "And yes, I care about you too. How's that arm of yours? Do you have a nasty scar?"

His demeanor changed immediately at the mention of his arm. His face became guarded and if I wasn't mistaken I saw him try to hide his forearm casually.

"Let me see." I demanded.

He shook his head, but before he could move away I grabbed his arm and pulled it towards me for inspection. His arm was perfect; no sign that he had ever been seriously injured. My brow wrinkled in confusion and I quickly grabbed his other arm wondering if I had been confused as to which arm it was. But that arm was just fine too.

"Do you have some magical healing balm or something?"

"You could say that."

Hunter walked into the room then but stopped as soon as he saw the position we were in; me with Paul's arms out for my inspection.

"What's going on here?" He asked a bit nervously.

"Paul doesn't have a scar from that nasty cut!"

Hunter shot a look in Paul's direction; one I couldn't read. They had a brief exchange with their eyes before Paul gently pulled his arms away from me and stood up. Then the two of them walked out of the living room and outside, leaving me alone with Grace in the living room. A few minutes later I could hear raised voices outside. I sat there for a moment before I decided that I wanted to know what all the commotion was about.

I wasn't usually an eavesdropper, but this time I knew that there was no way what they were talking about could not be about me. So, that's why I ignored my conscious and snuck to the backdoor and cracked it open enough to see the two of them facing off with each other. They both looked angry, and Paul seemed to be shaking.

"Just tell me what the hell you are doing with her! She's in a fragile state; she does not need you messing with her emotions!" Hunter yelled as he took a step closer to Paul.

Paul took another step forward, "I'm not messing with her emotions."

"Well just tell me now…did you imprint on her or not?"

Before I could hear Paul's reply Grace's cry ripped through the quiet of the house causing me to jump away from the door guiltily. What was I doing spying? I didn't even know what the hell they were talking about.

When I got to Grace I immediately picked her up and inspected her diaper. That wasn't what was ailing her so I started to rock her back and forth in my arms humming a lullaby as I did so. It was her favorite; the only one I could remember from my childhood.

"Rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock." I sang as the back door opened and I heard the two of them shuffle inside.

Thankfully they were done yelling, as was Grace, who was staring at me with large glossy eyes.

"Mama." She said as one of her little hands reached out and grabbed my ear.

"Ow, that's my ear, silly!"

"Mama Mama Mama Mama Mama."

"Yes, Mama." There was no point trying to tell the child otherwise.

When I looked up from the baby in my arms both Hunter and Paul were standing in the doorway staring at me in wonder. It was a little disconcerting and I felt myself blush a little under their scrutiny.

"I'm sorry, but she's got it into her head that I'm her Mama."

"It's alright." Hunter whispered gently. "She needs one."

* * *

"Do you guys know what imprinting is?"

Both Cady and Seth looked over at me in surprise. I had waited until Mom had gone to bed to pose my question. Mostly because I knew she wouldn't have any idea and would end up asking me questions that I didn't know the answer to.

"Why do you ask that?" Seth asked carefully.

"No reason, I just heard the term used and wondered what it meant." I shrugged. "Do you guys know what it is?"

"Where did you hear it?"

"I overheard Paul and Hunter."

"Sadie! I forgot to tell you!" Cady said suddenly. "I have a flower girl. Sam and Emily's little girl, Tracy, is going to do it!"

"Aw, that's great, Cady." I replied with a smile. "That reminds me; I have something to tell you…alone."

She nodded and stood up from her position next to Seth on the couch. She led me out into the cool night air and sat down on the porch railing. I did the same and turned towards her.

"I've been talking to Hunter at his office."

"You have?! Sadie I'm so happy you've done this! How do you feel?"

"I feel a little better."

"Good." She said with a smile before she pulled me into her arms for a tight hug. "Thanks for my present."

"I still have to find you someone to walk you down the aisle." I muttered.

"I have faith in you."