"Hello Stevie."

Mercedes swallowed hard around the lump in her throat as she stared up at her estranged brother-in-law. It had been over three years and she had moved on and was happy but there was still a tiny part of her that vividly remembers the pain he inflicted.

The man standing before her barely resembled the young man she encountered years ago. His previously cut, lean body filled out to a studier, more muscular build. His old shaggy bleach blonde hair was now shaved down close to his skull. And his sharp, expensive, tailored suits were now replaced with worn jeans and an old Abercrombie and Fitch shirt.

As she surveyed him she could feel him doing the same to her. She shifted uncomfortably when she met his eyes again and found them boring into her.

"Mommy?" Lily said in a quiet questioning voice as she looked between her mother and her friend's father warily. She had always been a very intuitive child and very connected to both of her parents so she read their moods easily and usually matched them. Her mother being tense and uncomfortable was bound to put Lily on edge as well and Mercedes cursed herself under her breath for not controlling her reaction better.

"It's okay, baby." Mercedes said soothingly as she ran her hands through the top of Lily's head. "Why don't you and Sean go play in the flowers some more so Stevie and I can talk."

Lily looked back and forth suspiciously between Mercedes and Stevie and even though she looked as if she may refuse at first Sean's timidly outstretched hand proved too much to resist. She gave her mother one last long look before grabbing her cousin's hand and walking towards the dwindling patch of flowers.

Stevie and Mercedes watched the children until they reached the flower patch and then they turned back to look at each other as another long stretch of silence yawned between them.

"It's good seeing you again Mercedes." Stevie said finally after the world's longest silence.

"I'm sure it is," she snorted in response as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe you remember the way we parted a little bit differently than I do because there was nothing good about the last time I saw you."

"I know…that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" She snapped.

"I…I…shit…I'm sorry."

"For what?" She asked angrily, "For what you did three years ago or being stupid enough to think we can make small talk as if none of that ever happened?"

Stevie ducked his head in shame before rubbing his hand vigorously over the back of his neck.

"I wasn't trying to dismiss what happened all those years ago. What I did…the things I said…they were unforgivable."

Mercedes met Stevie's sad eyes and she felt a jolt of sympathy that she instantly tamped down. She wasn't stupid enough or naïve enough to blindly buy what Stevie was selling just because he said all the right words. She let her guard down once with him and got sucker punched in the worst way. She wouldn't make that mistake twice.

"What do you want then Stevie?"

"To apologize."

"You just said what you did was unforgivable, so what's the point?"

"Just because I don't think I deserve forgiveness doesn't mean you don't deserve an apology."

Mercedes continued watching him warily but the peal of their children's laughter softened her enough to nod slightly at him.

He let out a whoosh of air and gave her a slight smile that reminded her so much of Sam. He motioned towards a park bench a few feet away and they made their way towards it silence before sitting on opposite sides of the bench.

Mercedes shifted uncomfortably on the bench as she waited for Stevie to start talking. She swore to herself that she wouldn't be affected by what he said one way or the other but she still wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Um…." Stevie started out uncertainly before clearing his throat loudly, "I've thought a million times about what I'd say to you if I ever had the chance but now that I do, I can't think of where to start." He laughed nervously as he wiped his palms up and down his thighs.

Mercedes fought the urge to roll her eyes but she didn't say a word as she watched him apprehensively.

"Why?" She asked simply, "why don't you start there. Why did you do it?"

"I hated him." Stevie finally said after a long pause, "He was my brother but I hated him and I held on to that for years."

Mercedes instantly bristled at his comment and shook her head vehemently before rising from the bench.

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bash my husband." She hissed at him as she glanced over at the kids, "I asked you for a reason not for a—"

"That was my reason," Stevie said plainly as he motioned for her to sit back down. "I never said it was good reason or rational or fair but it was what I felt. After our mom died I was just…empty. I needed my brother and he abandoned me and I didn't care what his reasons were I just know how it affected me. It was selfish, I know, but being angry at my brother allowed me to be something other than sad about Mom so I held on to it with everything I had. As I got older the sadness faded but the hatred didn't. In my mind he was going on with his life without a care in the world while I was stuck. Dad loved him and he was the apple of his eye—his first born. I was just the fuck-up that reminded him too much of Mom. Dad didn't treat me badly, per say, but it was clear, at least to me, who he preferred. You get compared to someone enough and even under the best of circumstances you start to resent them."

"So what now? From what Sam has told me the two of you didn't part on good terms. You visited him in his office to rub it in his face that you had 'won' and then you took your new wife and all of her money skipped town. Speaking of which, where is your wife?"

"Ex-wife." He said curtly, "Last I heard she was living in Aspen with her second—no, third husband."

"Last you heard?"

"It's been almost a year since I've talked to her, almost two since I've actually seen her in person."

"But what about Sean? If you haven't talked to her—"

"Sean barely knows who Quinn is." He interrupted gruffly, "For the first few months she was the model parent but then over time the excitement over being a new mom wore off and she realized that she was stuck with this wailing, needy baby. Our sham of a marriage didn't last as long as it took the ink to dry on the marriage license. We both wanted to stick it to Sam for our own selfish reasons but more than that I really believe that Quinn thought we could work. It didn't take long for her to realize that would never happen and she grew to hate me and I grew more and more indifferent to her. Once the baby came she focused all of her energy on him and even though I'm ashamed to admit it I didn't want anything to do with him. She had an old family house in Connecticut that had been willed to her when her father died and it was the quintessential home out of cheesy 50s sitcom. So even though our marriage was a complete farce she still got the 'perfect' family with the white picket fence that she always thought she wanted. I put up a pretense for the neighbors but in reality I stayed out in the guest house while she dealt with Sean. I can barely even recall what looked like when he was a baby." Stevie shook his head slightly as he wiped at his eyes and coughed to clear his throat, "that will always been one of the biggest regrets in my life."

"What happened, if Quinn was so involved with Sean back then what changed?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I wasn't too involved at the time so I didn't notice the change but it was definitely there. At the beginning she was like Super Mom she had him on schedule, he was well-fed, well-groomed, and always cleaner than a whistle. Over time though, the few times I did see him I noticed that he always seemed hungry or his clothes were dirty or his diaper hadn't been changed. When I asked her about she would freak out and accuse me of calling her a bad parent which would always inevitably lead to her crying hysterically and threatening to leave and take the baby. I would always back off but the more and more it happened the more worried I became. When Sean was about 18 months he got sick, just a run of the mill of flu and the doctor put him on some medicine. It seemed that he was getting better but then all of a sudden he got deathly ill and he had to be put in a children's hospital. It turns out that he was severely allergic to the medicine the doctor gave him and if we had kept giving it to him thinking it was just flu symptoms then it would have killed him. Nearly losing him changed me. I never felt connected to him, I never allowed myself to but looking at his little body in that hospital bed not knowing whether he was going to live or die just…changed me."

"I know the feeling," She said quietly as she thought back to her own baby's close call and she wiped tears from her eyes as she watched as two very happy and healthy children held hands and spun around in circles in their little patch of flowers.

"It seemed the closer I got the Sean the further away Quinn got, before too long he was in the guest house with me while she in the house by herself."

"Do you think it was post-partum depression?"

"Maybe…probably…hell, I don't know. All I know is she had an idea of what her perfect family was and as soon as it became apparent that she wasn't getting it she checked out. Sick babies were never part of the plan and neither was an asshole absentee husband. While I was busy with our kid she was busy on . She met some guy on there from California and one day with no warning she asked me for a divorce so she could get remarried. To be honest I was relieved to be free of her but I wasn't cool with the idea of her taking my son cross-country to live with some prick I didn't know. Turns out I didn't need to be worried because she had no intention of taking Sean. Her new soon-to-be husband had adult kids of his own and he had no desire to raise another one. In the divorce she signed over her rights and gave me 100,000 dollars for Sean's care…I guess she assumed that money was enough to make up for him having no mother in his life. I didn't fight her and I took the money and set up a trust for Sean. The second the divorce was final she was on her way out to California and I brought Sean back to New York.

Six or seven months had went by without a peep from Quinn but then out of the blue she started calling again saying she made a mistake and she wanted her family back. I knew it was bullshit but I'll admit I was tempted because Sean was in the 'Terrible Twos' and he was a lot to handle. I was about to cave when one day she let it slip that her husband left her, it was clear she was only trying to reconnect because once again her family didn't work out the way she wanted it to. I humored her for a while but over time the calls became less and less frequent until they stopped altogether. I found out from one of her girlfriends that she got remarried and she's pregnant again. I hope it works out better for her this time…maybe she'll finally get her perfect family."

As Stevie's words trailed off Mercedes shook her head in disbelief. Never in a million years could she imagine just give up her child and walking away. Spending a day without her daughter was unbearable, she couldn't even begin to fathom a lifetime.

"I'm sorry," she said uncertainly, not really knowing what else to say.

"Don't be," he answered with a small wave of his hand, "if Quinn doesn't want to be here then Sean is better off without her. I know not having a mom around is hard but it's better than having one present that would rather be anywhere else than with you. I won't put that burden on my son, if I have to love him enough for the both of us then I can and I will."

"Wow…" Mercedes said quietly as she stared at him, "Frankly, you're the last person I ever expected to hear talk like that."

"You and me both." He laughed, "Man…it's funny how life works out, isn't it?

"Yeah…"

The two settled into silence once again as they watched their children blow flower petals back and forth to each other. Mercedes glanced at her watch and she noticed that it was getting close to lunch time.

"So…we had better get going. If Lily doesn't have her lunch at 12 sharp it's not pretty."

"Yeah, Sean's the same way. Given how he eats now I'm afraid to see how he's going to pack food away when he's a teenager."

"Well, Lily eats like a bird so I'm sure he'll be cleaning her plate too when they get older."

Out of the corner of her eye Mercedes could see Stevie's head turn sharply in her direction. She knew she was probably getting ahead of herself especially since she didn't know how Sam would react to the news but she couldn't imagine keeping those two kids apart.

"How is he?" Stevie asked, finally addressing the proverbial pink elephant in the room.

"He's good. He's happy."

"I'm glad to hear that...no, really I am." He stressed when Mercedes gave him a look. "Back then I relished the thought of him suffering but over the years I realized how petty and childish that was. I'm glad my brother has you and your family. I truly am."

"Thank you, I appreciate that and I know he would too."

"Would he? Like you said earlier he and I didn't part ways on good terms. He said he never wanted to see me again and I don't blame him. I ruined everything."

"That was a long time ago…"

"Never is a long time."

Stevie rubbed his eye tiredly and bowed his head a long minute before looking back up at Mercedes and saying, "He's never going to forgive me and he sure as hell not going to forget. If he knew I was talking to you right now he would be livid."

Mercedes didn't say anything but she silently agreed.

"It took me almost a month to approach you."

"What?" She asked incredulously as she stared at him with wide eyes, "you've been following me?"

"NO!" Stevie answered defensively, "I'm not some creep, I haven't been stalking you."

"But you just said—"

"I brought Sean here about a month ago and I saw you here with Lily. I wanted to come talk to you then but to be completely honest I was scared to. I remember beating myself up that night thinking I screwed up a once in a lifetime opportunity to make things right with you. I figured my chance had passed but then a few days later I brought Sean back and you were here again. At the time though you were here with another woman and her kid so I lost my nerve yet again. Hell, if Sean hadn't befriended Lily—"

"You'd still be lurking in the shadows?" Mercedes asked teasingly.

"Yeah, something like that." He chuckled.

"Wait, for the last couple of weeks every time I've seen Sean he's been with an older lady. Who's she?"

"Oh, that's Miss Mary. I work from home so a few days a week she helps me out by coming and taking Sean out to the park or zoo or something like that. She's been a lifesaver."

"You work from home? What do you do?"

"I'm a graphic artist. It's been something I've been interested in since college but it was pretty much a given that I would go into the family business so I lost focus. After everything with Quinn fell apart I finally had to stand on my own two feet. I still had the money Sam gave me when he dropped me from the company so I was secure which gave me the confidence to go after my dream without worrying about finances. It took awhile to establish myself doing freelance work but it's finally paying off. I just signed a deal to publish a graphic novel."

"Wow, that…that's amazing, Stevie. Congratulations."

"Thank you." He answered and his cheeks turned a light pink as he ducked his head.

"So back to this whole stalking-but-not-really thing how often did you see us here?"

"Three or four times maybe? I was in the process of getting the deal for the graphic novel so I was really busy at home which is why Miss Mary had Sean so much. He would come home and talk about Lily every time he came from the park so I knew you were still coming here regularly. I'd like to think that eventually I would have gathered up the courage to approach you on my own."

"Either way I'm glad it happened."

"Really?" Stevie asked in disbelief, "As much as my brother hates me I still thought you'd hate me ten times more."

"I don't hate you and neither does he."

"No offense, but I highly doubt that's true, I know my brother-"

"And I know my husband." She interrupted, "I have no doubt he is going to be pissed but I think with time he will come around. Aside from me and the kids you're the closest family he has left. He's mad at you and he has been for years but he doesn't hate you."

"I hope you're right but in case you're not and he wants nothing to do with me I'd really like if the kids still had a relationship. Sean shouldn't have to suffer for my bad and hurtful decisions."

"I want that too and even if I didn't I don't think you could pry those two apart with a crow bar. To be cousins it's so freaky how much they resemble each other, right?"

"They look like Mom," Stevie said wistfully as he watched the two children play, "It's subtle but I see my Mom in Sean every time I look at him."

"Sam says the same thing about Lily."

The two sat together for a moment longer before Mercedes rose from the bench and gave Stevie a timid smile, "Maybe we can do this again sometime…maybe Sam can join us."

"I would really love that."

"I'll see what I can do."

~~~~~~~CEO~~~~~~

A half an hour later Mercedes weighed her options as she watched her daughter bounce around the elevator on their way up to Sam's office. Her words to Stevie echoed in her head but she realized that her promise was easier said than done. She truly believed all the stuff she said to Stevie but at the same time she still wasn't 100% sure it would go smoothly. Just because she knew in her heart that Sam still loved and missed his brother didn't mean he would be willing to admit that. She only had a few months left in her pregnancy and the last thing she needed was added stress or discourse in her family. She still had every intention of telling Sam but maybe right now just wasn't the right time, the only problem with that is she didn't feel comfortable essentially sneaking around and meeting Stevie but at the same time she hated the idea of keeping the kids apart for several months. What in hell should she do?

The sharp ding from the elevator broke her train of thought and she busied herself ushering her bouncing toddler out of the elevator.

"JOE!" Lily screamed excitedly as she sprinted across the room to where Joe Hart was sitting at Mercedes' old desk.

"Hey, munchkin!" Joe said with a wide smile on his face as he dipped down in his seat to catch the toddler hurtling in his direction. "How's my favorite girl been?"

"Great!" Lily answered as she reached up and tugged sharply on one of Joe's dreads. The first time she had done that Mercedes had been mortified but before she could get on to her child Joe simply reached up and tugged on one of Lily's curls. They both stared at each other wide-eyed for a second before bursting into giggles and it had been their ritual every since. Now, Mercedes just watched in fond amusement as Joe grabbed one of Lily's curls and gave it a gentle tug.

"What are doing here, little one?" Joe asked as he lifted Lily and placed her on the desk.

"I'm here to see my Daddy."

"Do you have an appointment?" Joe asked with mock seriousness.

Lily glanced at Mercedes with a confused look on her face before shaking her head almost shamefully.

"I didn't know I had to," she answered in a soft pathetic voice that had Mercedes turning her face so she could hide her smile.

"Hmmm, let me see what I can do."

Joe pushed a button on the intercom next to Lily and said, "Mr. Evans you have two visitors here to see you."

"Really? Who is it?"

"It's me and Mommy!" Lily shouted into the intercom.

"Me and Mommy? I don't think I know anybody named Me and Mommy."

"Daaaaaaddddddyyyyy…." Lily whined with an over-exaggerated eye roll, "It's me and my Mommy."

"Hmm, still don't know who that is but I guess you can come in. Let 'em through Joe."

"It's your lucky day ladies," Joe said with a wag of his eyebrows, "the boss will see you now."

Lily held out her arms so that Joe could put her on the floor and with a quick hug and another tug at his dreads she ran towards Sam's office door. Once she got there she turned back to find that her mother hadn't moved from her spot.

"Go ahead baby I'm going to talk with Joe for a second."

Mercedes waited until her daughter expertly turned the knob and pushed the door open before turning her attention back to Joe.

"So how has everything been?"

"Great." He answered excitedly, "We're in final negotiations with that client that Mr. Evans has been after. I don't want to jump the gun but I think it's almost a 100% guarantee that we're going to get the account."

"That's wonderful!"

"So how have you been? You seem a little…distracted?"

Mercedes looked down at Joe in surprise, she hadn't realized she was that transparent. If Joe noticed something off with her there is no way she would be able to hide it from Sam.

"Um, I'm good…just a little tired."

"Do you need something to eat or drink? Maybe I can go find a pillow somewhere…"

"I'm fine, Joe.' She answered with a laugh, "Nothing a quick afternoon nap won't cure."

Joe visibly relaxed so Mercedes didn't feel so bad about her little white lie. This situation with Stevie and Sean wasn't going to be cured with just a nap but Joe didn't need to know that.

As she walked towards Sam's office she quickly made the decision that she was going to wait a few days to drop the bomb about Stevie. She figured that she could start throwing out little comments about Stevie to get Sam get comfortable talking about him again, even if it were in anger. She hoped that if she made it clear that she wasn't still angry about what Stevie had done to them all those years ago then maybe it would make him more receptive to the idea of meeting with him. It wasn't a perfect plan but when the alternatives were to just drop it on him or never mention and sneak behind his back this was the best option she had.

After her quick decision Mercedes felt a little bit better about going in front of Sam and not having her cover instantly blown. For the first time since her encounter with Stevie she felt in control of the situation. The feeling of peace died a short and fiery death seconds later as she opened the door to Sam's office and heard her daughter telling her father all about her day at the park.

"….And then Mommy and Sean's daddy sat together on a bench with all the flowers and talked for HOURS."

"Really? What'd they talk about?" Sam asked in a measured voice.

"I dunno. He and Mommy are friends though, he gave her a hug when we left and said he couldn't wait to see us again."

'Is that right?"

"Yep, I can't wait either. There are still lots and lots of flowers for me and Sean to pick. Sean is my best friend…I mean, he's my best boy friend and Aubrey is my best girl friend. Can he come over and play?"

"I don't know sweetie, I have to talk to your mother."

"But she already told Sean's daddy we would see them again. Please?"

Mercedes stood in shocked silence by the door as she listened to her daughter give her warped account of what happened at the park that day. She could tell by Sam's voice and his short answers that he wasn't pleased with what he was hearing so it appeared that her plan to ease him into the Stevie conversation was a no go.

Mercedes walked and gathered up a few crayons and pieces of paper that Sam had on a small coffee table for whenever Lily visited his office.

"Why don't you take these and go and ask Joe if he will help you draw a picture."

"Can I draw a picture of you, me, Sean, and his daddy?" Lily asked as she slid off Sam's lap and walked towards Mercedes.

"Sure baby, that sounds great."

"Good," Lily answered happily as she took the coloring materials and skipped out of the office.

Mercedes followed behind her daughter and shut the door. The lingering silence that followed the soft click was excruciating and she had counted ten slowly before turning around.

"It sounds like you had an interesting day at the park." Sam said coolly once she was finally facing him. "You want to tell me about your new friend?"

"Not if you're going to be an asshole about it." She answered bristling at his tone.

"How should I be when our daughter tells me you're hanging all over some other man?"

Mercedes' head snapped back as if he slapped her and she narrowed her eyes at him before spitting out, "First of all, I highly doubt she told you I was hanging all over somebody. Secondly, she's THREE years old Sam, she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about half the time. And third the man in question is your brother!"

Mercedes instantly regretted her outburst as she watched Sam's green widen and all of the blood seemed to drain from his face leaving a sickly pallor in its place.

"Wha…what did you just say?" Sam finally choked out.

"The man I was talking to in the park today was your brother…Stevie."

"Sean?"

"Is his son with Quinn. Lily has been playing with him all this time and we had no idea."

"Have you been meeting him all this time?" He asked as if he hadn't heard her last statement.

"NO! Sean almost always goes to the park with his nanny, this was the first time I saw Stevie."

Sam nodded his head in understanding but he didn't say anything else.

"He wants to see you."

"I don't care."

"Sam—"

"No! Do you not remember what he did to us? He put us both through hell and LAUGHED about it. He didn't give a shit about us then so I don't know what the hell he could have possibly told you to make you think you give a shit about him now."

"It's a long story—"

"Humph, I'm sure it was." Sam answered coldly as he roughly raked his hand through his hair, "don't fall for his sad story Mercedes, I'm sure whatever he told you was bullshit."

"I don't think so. If I honestly though Stevie was full of it I would be the last person to give him the time of day. Its just, he seems…different."

'He's playing you."

"Sam—"

"No!" He yelled again, "I'm done talking about it. I don't want to see him and I don't want him around my family."

"What about Sean?"

"What about him?" He barked.

Mercedes' eyes narrowed as she stared into Sam's cold gaze. She loved him dearly but he was so damn frustrating when he got like this.

"Look, just because you're unwilling to make an effort to reconnect with your brother doesn't mean our daughter has to suffer."

Mercedes—"

"NO!" It was her turn to yell, "If you don't want a relationship with your brother then fine, no one is going to force you but I'm not keeping those kids apart."

"I don't want Lilliana getting attached to Sean."

"Why not? He's family."

"He's Stevie's son."

"So what?"

"So being around Sean is going to inevitably lead to being around Stevie and I don't want that."

"Don't be ridiculous. We can make sure-"

"No!" Sam shouted as he hit his desk loudly with the palm of his hand, "and that's final."

Sam's words hung heavy in the room long after they had left his lips and the dull thud from his blow to the table seemed to reverberate all around them.

Sam POV

Oh. Shit.

Sam fought the urge to gulp loudly as he watched his wife's already murderous glare darken to something even deadlier. He hadn't meant to yell or slam his hand down on the desk but all this talk about Stevie just infuriated him. Experience should have taught them both by now that allowing Stevie in their lives was only going to lead to heartache down the road. Why didn't Mercedes get that?

"Look, babe," He started in an almost pleading tone, "I don't want this to cause problems between us—"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you starting slapping tables and ordering me around."

"I wasn't ordering—"

"Save it."

He sighed loudly and pulled his hands roughly through his hair again.

"Mercedes, I'm sorry. I got upset and I wasn't thinking." He held his hands up in surrender, "don't let Stevie cause problems between us."

"You can't blame Stevie this time." She answered quietly before turning and heading towards the door.

"I thought we were supposed to be having lunch."

"I'm not hungry and it's almost Lily's nap time."

"You need to eat something—"

"Then I'll eat at home!" She snapped angrily, "Honestly Sam, I just don't want to be around you right now."

"Why? Because I'm not stupid enough to fall for Stevie's bullshit?"

"So, I'm stupid now?"

"Damn it, that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean? Because let's not forget I stupidly fell for Stevie's story so what does that say about me?"

"You're not stupid but Stevie is a manipulator and—"

"I was too dumb to figure out he was playing me?"

"No…it's just…you're a good person with a good heart and you might not recognize—"

"Oh my God," Mercedes said as she laughed harshly, "Are you really about to tell me now that I'm too good and naïve to recognize when somebody is full of shit? What's next?"

"Mercedes I think you're overreacting just a little bit."

"Oh really? Maybe I should start beating innocent pieces of furniture to show you what a real overreaction is."

The comment at the tip of Sam's tongue died on his lips as he realized that there was nothing he could possibly say in that moment that Mercedes would be willing to listen to. It pissed him off to no end that once again that Stevie managed to cause problems between him and Mercedes. He knew it was a bit irrational to blame his brother but frankly he didn't give a shit. He still hadn't forgiven him for what he had done to them all those years ago and there wasn't enough sad stories in the world that would make him change his mind. When he told Stevie that he wasn't his brother any longer he meant it with every fiber of his being. Too many things had been done and said for Sam to just forgive and forget. In time he hoped Mercedes would understand.

"I'm sorry about this, I really am." Sam said solemnly after a long moment of silence, "I love you but I can't back down…not on this."

"Well, that's a shame then." Mercedes answered in a tired, sad voice, "I thought you were better than that."

Sam ignored the sharp twinge in his gut at his wife's words and he fought to keep the hurt from his expression. Mercedes' opinion meant everything to him and knowing she was disappointed in him hurt a hell of lot more than he cared to admit.

No more words were exchanged and Sam stood in painful silence as he watched Mercedes walk out of the door. He heard Lily's tiny voice asking where he was and a few seconds later she came bounding into his office.

"Daddy, I thought we were eating with you?" She asked staring up at him with wide eyes, "Mommy says we have to go home right now."

"I think Mommy's tired sweetheart, we'll have lunch some other time, okay?"

"Okay…" Lily answered in a small voice.

Sam kneeled down and pulled his daughter into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest.

"I love you Lily-bug."

"I love you too, Daddy," came her muffled response.

He pulled away slightly before peppering small kisses all over her face causing her to squirm and giggle loudly.

"Stop it Daddy," She screeched, "my face is all wet!"

"Okay, okay…" He said making a big production of wiping his wet kisses off her face, "is that better?"

"Yes," Lily answered after patting her now dry face, "all better."

"Good. Now, you go on home with Mommy and have a good lunch and I'll see you when I get home tonight, okay?"

"Okay. Ooooooh and I'm going to show you my picture that Joe helped me with."

"What is it?"

"Shhhhh Daddy it's a seecut"

"A secret?" He asked with a laugh.

"Yes, a seecut, but you can't see it until you come home."

"I can't wait."

Sam watched in amusement as his daughter skipped happily out of his office and he realized that he felt a lighter than he had five minutes ago. Lily exuded so much joy in everything she did that it was impossible to be in a bad mood after spending time with her. That lightness and joy were just two of the many things he loved about his child and he wanted to protect it with everything he had in him which is why he was even more determined to keep her away from Stevie. This decision was what was best for everyone, he truly believed that. He had to.

~~~~~~~CEO~~~~~~

Hours later the only sound in the dining room was the periodic clang of forks scraping the plates. Sam stared at his wife across the table from him and willed her to look at him but her gaze remained fixed on their daughter who had her very own little table and chair next to theirs.

"Baby, don't fling your lasagna noodle around like that, you're going to have sauce everywhere." Mercedes said breaking the silence.

"Sorry, Mommy."

"It's okay, just try and be careful. Do you want me to cut it up some more."

"No, keep it like this."

"Okay, eat up then."

Lily turned her attention back to her food and Mercedes continued watching her like a hawk while Sam went back to trying to will her to look at him.

Finally he couldn't take it any longer and decided to try and force Mercedes into some conversation. Even if she started yelling at him it would be better than the overwhelming silence.

"So how was lunch?"

Sam saw one of Mercedes eyebrows raise, but she didn't say a word.

"What did the two of you end up having?"

Nothing.

"Hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches…?"

Nothing.

"This lasagna is really good, I think this might be your best ever, Mercedes."

Nothing.

Sam tried to calm his frustration as he watched his wife pointedly ignore him. His glance slid over to his daughter and the confused expression on her face was almost comical. If he wasn't so pissed off he might find the fact that he was essentially talking to himself funny as hell but currently it only served to incense him even more.

"So how long do you plan on doing this?"

Nothing.

"It's a bit childish don't you think?" He asked angrily, "and all of this over Stevie? That's just stupi—"

"What? Stupid?" Mercedes asked coldly, "That seems like your new favorite word of the day."

"I wasn't referring to you and you know it. I just want you to talk to me, that's all. I hate fighting especially when it's over something as stu—pointless as this."

"It's not stupid, or pointless or anything like that. This is important but you're too damn bullheaded to see it!"

"Oooooh…Mommy used a bad word." Lily said quietly as she stared back and forth between her parents with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry baby, it won't happen again." Mercedes said contritely before quickly adding, "And don't you go repeating that."

"I won't…can I show Daddy my picture now?"

"I guess," Mercedes sighed before throwing her napkin on top of her plate and pushing her plate away disgustedly, "dinner is over anyway, I've lost my appetite." She said glaring pointedly as Sam.

"Yay!" Lily answered before sliding her small pink chair away from her princess table and scurrying out of the dining room in the direction of her bedroom.

"We can't do this forever." Sam started once Lily was out of the room, "I know you're pissed but frankly I don't deserve this."

"Excuse me?"

"I shouldn't have slammed my hand on the desk, I know that and I apologize but I'm not going to apologize about how I feel or what I decide to do when it comes to my brother. If the situation were reversed I wouldn't force to you have some relationship with your dirty, lying asshole of a brother."

"If the situation were reversed, you wouldn't have to."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Are you choosing to forget what Stevie did to us or do you just not care anymore?"

"Of course I still care but if I never forgave, forgot and moved on I wouldn't be with you right now and if you were like that you wouldn't be with me."

"I—"

"Let me finish. What Stevie did to us was low and malicious and it could have ruined our lives but it didn't."

"But—"

"But nothing. Trust me I know all about what Stevie is capable of. I know what he did to me, I know what he said to and about me, I know how he reveled in the fact that he crushed both of us. I know it. I know it all but I forgive him anyway."

"Why?"

"Because hanging on to that anger and hatred wasn't hurting anybody but me. I want to be happy in my life and free of grudges and old hurts and the only way to do that is to forgive those who did me wrong, forget and move the hell on. I am happy, so, so happy because I have been able to do that. I had to do it with you, with my Dad, and now I'm doing it with Stevie too."

"What if I can't? What…what if I don't want to? He could have taken everything from me, Mercedes. If he had it his way I would have lost EVERYTHING that matters the most to me, how can I forgive that?"

"Because," She answered as she got up from her seat and came and stood at his side, "you didn't lose anything. Stevie tried but he failed, and no matter how much he changes he will always have to live with that. We don't so let it go. I don't expect you and Stevie to be thick as thieves tomorrow but I do think he's changed and I do think if you give him half a chance you would see that. That's all I wanted was for you to give it a chance and just see in him what I did. If you don't think a change is there and you want to walk away and never look back then I'll walk away with you. Just give it a chance, please?"

Sam picked up Mercedes' hand from the table and intertwined her fingers with his own. Her words made sense but even still he still had his self-installed 'Stevie Alert' that was currently going wild in his head. There was no one on Earth he trusted more than Mercedes but even still he had his reservations. He had no doubt that his family was solid as a rock but even the strongest rock can develop cracks and shatter if it's tossed up against an unyielding element long enough. If Stevie hasn't change and he was still the manipulative, malicious, lazy, selfish boy toy that he was all those years ago then Sam could be allowing an element into his and his family's life that can wreck them somewhere down the line. Or Mercedes could be right and Stevie may be the different, more mature man that she thought he was and he and Sean could be welcome additions to the family. The question is was Sam really interested in taking that risk to find out?

He looked up at his wife's pleading eyes and he realized that yes, he was. If it made her happy he would do it, simple as that.

"Daddy?"

Sam tore his gaze from Mercedes and looked down as his side to find Lily staring up at him expectedly.

"What is it honey?"

"Here's my picture!" She announced proudly before shoving a coloring in his hands. On the piece of paper was a carefully drawn grassy hill that was scribbled in with various shades of green. In one corner was an array of different colors that Sam assumed were supposed to be flowers and in the top were a bright sun and perfectly drawn clouds that he deducted where Joe's handiwork. In the middle of the picture stood five figures: A brown stick woman with an almost comically large circle representing a pregnant belly, two small children—one a light brown girl with riotous curls and one a small boy with a shock of yellow hair and two tall men that were almost identical.

"Who is this, baby?" Sam asked even though he already knew the answer.

"That's Mommy and the baby, that's me and my boy best friend Sean and there's you and Sean's Daddy. You kinda look like him." Lily said in a confused voice before shrugging her shoulders dismissively.

"That's a really nice picture sweetheart."

"Thank you! Can I go put it on my wall? Mommy will you help me?"

"Sure baby, let's go."

Lily practically yanked the picture out of Sam's hands before sprinting out of the dining room.

"SLOW DOWN LILIANA!" Sam and Mercedes both yelled simultaneously.

"She's really excited about having Sean in her life." Mercedes said once they heard Lily's quick footsteps slow to a walk.

"I can tell." Sam sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face, "I'm going to get in touch with him."

"I was hoping you were going to say that," Mercedes said with a smile as she walked back to her seat and grabbed her phone from beside her plate. She scrolled through some numbers as she walked back to his side and once she found the one she was looking for she placed the phone in his hand.

"Call your brother."

Sam looked down at the phone and stared at his brother's name. He felt Mercedes lips pressed against his forehead and he closed his eyes as he heard her whisper, "it's going to be okay."

She made a move to walk away but Sam grasped her wrist and stopped her.

"I'm sorry about earlier."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

He tugged her down and kissed her gently on the lips, he made a move to deepen it by they were interrupted by their daughter's shrill voice calling for Mercedes.

"Mmmmm….we'll finish this later." Mercedes murmured against his lips before making her way out of the dining room.

Once she was gone Sam glanced back down at the phone and stared at the screen. There was still that stubborn part of him that refused to reach out to Stevie but his love for his wife and daughter overshadowed any trepidation he was feeling.

After five minutes of stalling Sam finally decided to take the plunge. He took a deep breath and pushed the call button and put the phone to his ear and waited. Seconds later a loud ringing sound filled his ear and he held his breath as the loud clanging noise rang three times. By the fourth ring Sam had lost his nerve and was pulling the phone away to hang up but he was stopped short by a deep voice he barely recognized saying, "Hello?"

Sam froze and he felt as if his tongue was glued to the top of his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Said the voice from the phone.

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath but still no words came.

"Mercedes, is that you?"

Hearing his wife's voice seemed to knock Sam out of the haze he was currently in and he cleared his voice loudly and said, "Hello."

"Um, hi…who is this?"

"Stevie?"

"Yeah that's me, who is this?" He asked but it was clear from the change in his voice he knew exactly who it was.

"It's me…Sam. We need to talk."

A/N: I know it's been like 84 years since my last update and I want to thank each and every one of you that are still sticking with this story. I had to take a temporary second job so my free time has been non-existent for the last few months but that's over now so I can get back to my old writing schedule. As of right now if all goes to plan the next chapter will be the end of the story, however, I have some plans for a few chapters that skip ahead to the future. Also I found out a few weeks ago that I was a finalist in the 2013 Glee fanfic awards which frankly shocked the hell out of me. To whoever nominated and/or voted for me and my story words can't express how much appreciate it. Hearing about that brought me out of my funk and it helped me push past the tiredness and made me work that much harder to find extra seconds and minutes in my days so that I could finish this story.