It was another night of us lounging on my floor eating take-out. It was an unspoken rule, that once a week we ate dinner together. It usually happened on Wednesday after the meeting, but was starting to look forward to the nights with Dimitri. The film we choose tonight was based on a book that I was a little embarrassed to say I read, but when Dimitri said almost immediately that his sisters conned him into reading the whole series, and then the two spin-off series.

And then agreed with me that Magnus was our spirit animal.

But it wasn't the film that really shocked him, it was what I asked him.

"You don't want Mia or Lissa to go with you?"

"No, because then if it goes badly, then I have to talk about it. If I do it with you, you won't repeat it if it goes bad and if it goes well, then I also don't have to talk about it," I said as I shovelled chow mien into my mouth.

Dimitri nodded and moved his chopsticks through his chow mien as well, pursing his lips.

"And you want me to go because of the group?"

I looked at him and thought about what Lissa said, about how he wouldn't admit anything about his feelings for me. But I could see the subtle body language that he couldn't hide.

"Because I feel safe with you," I started, "And I like spending time with you. And cause I'm starting to have feelings for you."

I watched his lips twitch as he looked at me. I grinned at him and then looked down at my food, letting him make the next move. He didn't say anything right away, but instead got more comfortable on the floor beside me. I laughed quietly to myself and ate the rest of my dinner in comfortable silence, while the piece of paper with my father's information taunted me.


I sat uncomfortably in my chair. I felt like a child, dressed in nicer clothes as I waited to meet my estranged father. Dimitri seemed calm but tensed up as soon as a flashy-dressed man walked into the restaurant.

Dimitri started to speak but the said man walked briskly towards our table, another man trailing a few steps behind him. The man pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, a small smile on his face. I glanced at Dimitri out of the corner of my eye.

"You look just like your grandmother," the man said, but I recognized his voice from the phone call I had with Abe.

"Which one? I haven't met any," I returned without thinking and he chuckled.

"Both. You look like your mother's mother, and like mine. You have your mother's eyes and structure, but my colouring and hair."

I nodded and twisted the napkin in my lap. "So, you're Abe," I said.

"I am. And you're Rosemarie," he said.

"Rose," I corrected and he nodded, looking at Dimitri.

"It's good to see you again," Abe said to Dimitri and he nodded curtly.

I looked at Dimitri with confusion.

"You know my dad?" I asked.

"I didn't know his name, just his nickname. He helped my mother and I with my father," Dimitri explained, "And I still owe him a debt."

Abe waved a hand at him casually. "That can be discussed later. But for now, I assume you are here for moral support?"

I nodded and Dimitri shifted in his chair. A waiter came by and asked for our drink order. Because of how anxious I was, I immediately asked for a gin and tonic, not even thinking about the fact that I didn't have my fake ID with him. Abe smirked and asked for the same while Dimitri got a pop.

"Go to drink?" Abe asked with a grin.

I nodded and bit my lip.

"So, how long were you around before you left?" I asked.

"You were about four, just starting school," Abe said. I noticed the man that was walking in with him was seated at the table directly behind us, his eyes flicking around the room before looking at Abe.

"Who is your stalker?" I asked, gesturing to the man behind him.

"This is Pavel, my bodyguard," Abe explained. I thought it was pretty presumptuous of him to say, but I remembered what Mom said about why they went separate ways. He was on way path and her another.

Once the waiter came back to the table with our drinks, I took a sip of mine before I rubbed my hands against my pants. I glanced at Dimitri out of the corner of my eye and then looked at Abe. We had fallen into an awkward silence.

"Do you still like raccoons?" Abe asked almost suddenly like he was looking for something to break the tension.

My lips quirked. "What?"

"When you were little, you were fascinated with raccoons, even had stuffed animals that you'd sleep with. I was just curious if you still like raccoons," he said and then trailed off at the end.

Dimitri seemed confused but I smile.

"Yeah. I still think they're adorable. I have an old ratty one still, it's been around forever," I said with a laugh, scrolling through my phone. The stuffed animal was something I had had forever, toting around with me everywhere I went as a child. When I hit my teenage years, it was banished to the shelf, but in a place where I could see it in bed. Almost as if it was watching over me in my sleep.

I finally found the picture I was looking for, buried in the hundreds of photos in my gallery. When I turned my phone towards Abe, a large smile grew on his face as he took it. I was very drunk in the picture, holding it up by my face while Lissa took my picture.

"Pip," he said with a chuckle, "He's still missing one eye."

"You remember his name?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yes! God! You used to take that thing in the bathtub. You loved it. I remember once, you had it dangling out the window while we were driving, and you let go. The scream you made until we turned around to get it was something out of a film," Abe explained, and I could see the memory twinkle across his eyes.

"Got any other found stories?" I asked, giving him another opening. Abe leaned back in his chair, resting his arm across the top of the one next to him as he pondered the question. After a moment, he launched into a story about my fascination for Spider-Man, and how I would climb up on the dresser and fling myself across the room onto the bed.

"That's how you got that scar," he said, pointing to the small scar just below the curve of my nostril.

"Really?"

"You jumped off the dresser and missed the bed, hiding the bookshelf. After that, the bookshelf was moved out of the bedroom and your dresser was moved," he said stroking his goatee. I touched the scar absently and shook my head.

"I don't even remember that," I said quietly.

"Oh, you were barely three. You were a handful," he chuckled. I smiled to myself and took a moment to look over the menu, figuring that we shouldn't rush anything. Once I decided what I wanted I set the menu down, discreetly setting my hand on Dimitri's under the table. He took it quickly, lacing his fingers with mine. We kept up light chatter until the waiter came by again to take our order. We all ordered and then we lapsed back into silence.

"So, what have you been up to? School, job?"

"I'm at the same school as Mom, just a basic entry program until I really figure out what I want to do," I said with a small nod, "Mom said that you went to see her?"

"I did. She seems to be doing better. I heard about the trial, but I wasn't granted clemency until after the trial. I tried to be here for the trial so that someone was there for you even if it was a stranger."

I nodded in understanding. I didn't know what to say, but I knew that he was being honest.


I pulled the string attached to the bulb dangling from the ceiling. I hadn't been up here in years, mostly because Mom said that the floor wasn't the sturdiest, but I think it was really because she kept her secrets up here.

I was always tempted, but a part of me respected that there were parts of her life that I couldn't know. Not because she didn't want me to, but for my own safety.

"Your mom said it was by the Christmas decorations," Dimitri said and I headed towards the back, sneezing as I stirred up dust. I moved the boxes away with Dimitri and Abe's help, kneeling down to loosen the floorboard. It was a long board, and I wasn't sure where I needed to push, but Abe moved to a spot near the middle and pushed down with the toe of his shoe. There was a quiet hiss and a click, the board releasing from the planking.

"How did you know that?"

"I know your mother's trick," he shrugged and lifted the floorboard up, revealing a steel box. He pulled it up and set it down on the floor.

I flipped the latch on the box and opened it. There was an array of things in the box. Photos, letters, trinkets and mementos. There was a small felt box in the bottom of it and I picked it up. I looked at Abe and he didn't seem surprised by it, instead, a small smile was on his lips.

I opened it and sighed quietly. I always wondered about my mom, worried that she would be lonely with just me. But she wasn't single simply because of her job, but because of this.

The gold ring with the Celtic bands was stunning, and a true representation of why I never saw her with another my whole life.

"You guys were married?"

"We still are," Abe said, "Not that many people know that it."

"Does her work know?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. But by that point, I was already out of the country. And being a spouse means she can't be forced to testify in a court of law. But had we been divorced; all bets were off. Our marriage is why I was able to be granted clemency. That and I gave the United States Government information that they wanted," he explained and sat on the floor, no qualms about dirtying his suit.

He flipped through some of the photos, stopping on one with a smile.

"We didn't know it yet, but your mother was expecting in this photo," he said passing it over to me.

I looked at it and smiled. It seemed like such a simple photo of the two of them at the beach, but they looked happy. I handed it back and he flipped through the others, making comments about them or explaining the mementos. Even though I didn't know a lot about my mom, I was learning plenty about her now. I got to learn a lot about Abe without him realizing he was telling me.

Dimitri sat beside me and looked at the photos with me, pointing out a few of me as a baby.

"How long will you be in town?" I asked.

"A few more weeks. Why?" Abe asked as he flipped through more photos.

"I thought, maybe we could go see Mom together?" I said, "I think she might like that?"

Abe smiled at me and for a moment, I saw myself in that smile.

"I think she would love that more than you know," he said, handing me the next picture.


I stood at the front of the room like I had for the last year and smiled at everyone.

"My name is Rose," I said and everyone greeted me back.

"Tomorrow morning, I get to bring my mom home," I started and looked down at my feet.

"I know that this group is to help cope with the trauma we have all endured by the people we need to love us the most, and you all have taught me that forgiveness is a powerful tool. In the last year, I learned so many things about my mom, and about my dad. A man that I had never met until about nine months ago. I've learned how to grow and to heal. I remember when I was first told about this group, I slammed the door in the person's face because I felt like I was capable of coping on my own."

I stopped and smiled at Dimitri. "Now I know that he was just trying to help."

Dimitri chuckled and shifted in his seat, smiling at me as I spoke.

"I get to move forward now. I get to learn how to be myself with my mom again, and I get to know my father. I get to learn who I am again."

It changed the mood of the meeting, and a lot of people approached me after the meeting to wish me luck. Sydney asked if there was anything she could do to help prepare for my mom coming home, and I was touched. She was pretty quiet for the most part but was always kind to me.

I shifted excitedly as I watched the doors open. It was the last day of Mom's sentencing, and I was excited to take her home. Dimitri leaned back against his car, while Abe was at the house making sure everything was cleaned up and had Mom's favourite meal cooking.

When Mom stepped outside, she found me quickly and walked briskly toward me. She wouldn't be able to go back to her job, but they let her take early retirement because of the mental trauma she endured. Once she was close enough, she dropped her bag and clung to me. I hugged her tightly, her hand coming up to cup the back of my head, even though I was taller than her.

"Hi, Mom," I said with a laugh, letting her hug me tightly.

"Hi," she breathed in my ear, pulling back and cupping my cheeks. I knew that as she was looking over my face, remembering the bruises and the fractures, but I smiled at her.

"I have a surprise for you," I said as I picked up her bag and led her to the car. Dimitri leaned down and hugged Mom when she was closer, kissing her cheek and then opening the door for her. She looked at me, waiting for me to take the front but I gestured for her to take it.

She slid into the front seat and rolled down the window, resting her head against it as we drove. I always remembered loving to watch her hair move in the wind as a kid, the fiery curls move in the wind. Watching her bask in the wind and sun brought a smile to my lips.

"So, is this just a friendship, or a casual thing?" she asked, making both Dimitri and I chuckle.

"I wouldn't say causal," Dimitri said, winking at me in the rear-view mirror. I giggled quietly to myself and could see Mom smile in the side mirror.

"So, serious?"

"Yes, mom. We are serious," I mused with a grin. The last year had its ups and downs, but there were more ups than downs. Our relationship felt like breathing. I didn't have to be someone I wasn't around him, and I didn't feel like I needed to hide anything from him.

When we pulled into the driveway, Mom looked at the house for a moment and nodded, shutting the door and heading towards the front door. Dimitri wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my head.

"It'll go fine," he whispered in my ear as we followed Mom. Once we were inside, I could see that she followed her nose to the kitchen. I grinned at Dimitri and followed her, smiling as my parents embraced. I had come to grow a relationship with Abe over the years. I don't know what kind of information Abe had, or what else he had up his sleeve, but he was allowed back in the country whenever he liked.

"What are you doing here?" Mom asked, muffled by Abe's shoulder.

"Our child has been planning this for weeks. Down to the last minute," Abe said kissing her quickly. I was warmed at the sight, seeing what I could have had, but knowing that I wouldn't of wanted anything different.

When we all sat down for dinner, Mom seemed almost overwhelmed and took a moment for herself. It was something she had learned as a coping mechanism. We were all patient, giving her the time she needed to compose herself.

Dinner was shared with stories of our lives, some unheard, some fond memories. But overall, the dinner was perfect. Afterwards, I could tell that my parents wanted some time together. I offered to clean up with Dimitri, smiling to myself as I washed the dishes. I had always hated doing the dishes, but I wanted to give my parents the time they had robbed from them.

"Did the night go as you planned?" Dimitri asked, bumping my hip as he dried the dishes. I glanced over my shoulder, watching my parents have a glass of wine and talk on the couch.

"It went exactly as planned," I said with a smile.


Let me know what you think :)