"Hey,"

Sandy lifted her head from her book in time to see Alex run off towards the sandbox and Nora sit down on the bench next to her.

"Evie! This is a surprise. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks." she quickly jammed the bookmark into the page and shut the novel. Nora smiled faintly and shrugged. It had been a few weeks - ever since the open house at the school. After the revelation of her father, then her lack of sleep, she hadn't been very willing to interact with anyone or even in the mood to be out in public longer than she needed to. This had been largely based on the fact that she didn't want to chance running into Patrick.

After her discussion with Miles earlier in the week, she decided there was no point in hiding. If she ran into her father, she would deal with it.

"Is everything okay? I've been worried about you. Rick said you weren't feeling well."

"I've been tired. I figured I might as well let him do the majority of the work and I'd relax."

"Absolutely. Don't be afraid to give him some work to do."

"Oh I'm not. He's a complete worrywart anyway. He takes control on his own."

"Thank your lucky stars. Eric requires a month of bribery and a forklift to get him moving." Sandy rolled her eyes but shrugged. "I've put up with him this long. Might as well stay in for the long haul."

"Just guilt him a few times and he'll feel bad. Rick thinks everything is his fault and the world is his personal problem to fix."

"I'll have to try that. He's a good man. You're lucky."

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Nora nodded with a soft tone. "He's a good husband and dad."

"He adores Alex. They're a pair though. Must give you a run for their money."

"He is his carbon copy. Sometimes I worry."

They sat for a while, keeping an eye on the kids, and chatting about what had been going on recently. It was nice, relaxing, and as they sat, Nora silently berated herself for allowing things to get so out of hand. She felt like she had missed too much.

Miles stared at the closed door to Charlie's bedroom and felt like he'd rather get stabbed than have to speak with his niece. Their relationship had been tense at best - not that she was around often enough for them to see each other. He didn't want to have this conversation but she had made a rare appearance in the house and he needed to do this. Deciding to man up, he quickly knocked on the door before he lost his courage.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

There was a pause, then he heard footsteps, and she opened the door.

"Hey."

"Hi. What's up?"

"What do you know about the Patriots?"

She eyed him carefully and he sighed, leaning on the wall.

"I can't sit here and do nothing. Not when I know they might be in trouble. You were right. I was wrong and now I need your help. That guy is Nora's father. I don't know what that means for us but I need to be prepared in case something is going to happen."

"Does that mean you're joining us?"

"Who is us?"

"I've got a lot to tell you."

"How's Alex fitting in?"

"Very well actually. I'm relieved. He can be shy. Well, you saw how he was when we first moved here. He just needs some time to adjust and then he breaks out of his shell."

"Jake brought home the invitation for his birthday party. Let me know if you need any help. I'm always willing to pitch in."

"I know. Thank you."

"I don't know how the parties were back in your last town but there are a lot of kids here. By the end of my kids' parties, I'm cradling a bottle of wine." Sandy laughed. "But I will help. Always good to have an extra set of hands."

"Well, I can't have any alcohol but I'll manage." Nora let out her own laugh .

"How are you feeling?"

"Besides the tiredness, I'm good. I actually feel better than I have in a while." it wasn't a total lie. Health wise, she felt pretty good. It was the mental aspect that had been drained and that wasn't the baby's fault. She watched Alex thoughtfully for a moment and listened as Sandy babbled about her own pregnancies.

"What a nice surprise to see you out here."

Nora's back stiffened at her father's voice but Sandy perked up immediately and turned to face Patrick with a cheerful smile.

"Mr. Clayton! How are you?"

"Sandy, how many times have I told you to call me Patrick? You make me feel old. Do you mind if I join you both?"

"Of course we don't mind, do we Evie?"

"No. Feel free." Nora forced a smile onto her face as she made a quick contact with her father. There was a hint of amusement in his gaze that irritated her. He was taking pleasure out of this. She was quiet as the other two spoke and kept her attention on her son. He managed to worm a smile out of her when he met her eye across the grass and gave a toothy grin and a wave.

"What are your plans for the holidays?"

"I'm actually hosting Thanksgiving next week. A group of us in our neighborhood always get together and we rotate houses. So it's me this time." Sandy replied. "What about you? Is your family here with you? I know most of the others had someone move out here with them."

"Oh. No, they're not." Patrick's tone changed to a somber one and Nora had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "I'm here alone."

"I'm sorry. Do you have anything planned? We would love to have you join us."

"What?" Nora turned to look at her. Sandy looked up in surprise at her sudden outburst.

"I wouldn't want anyone to be alone on Thanksgiving."

"Thank you Sandy. It's very kind. I'm sure what Evie was surprised at was the fact that you would be willing to invite a almost complete stranger into your home."

"Oh she should be used to it. I practically dragged her out of her house when they first moved here. I can't believe it's been four months already since you came out here."

"Where did you move from?"

"Indiana."

"And what did you do in Indiana?"

"I took care of Alex and Rick ran a bar."

"Going back to the topic at hand, Sandy, I appreciate your hospitality but I will decline. I have made close friends with my colleagues and we have plans already for the day."

"As long as you're not alone. Where are you from originally?"

"Galveston, Texas."

"Well that explains that southern charm you have." Sandy responded, smiling with a bat of her eyes. Nora turned away, grimacing at the thought that her friend was flirting with her father. Patrick let out a loud laugh, tipping his head in agreement.

"You caught me."

"Is your family still there? Did you have a family?"

Nora shook her head, unsurprised at Sandy's bluntness at this point. What did surprise her was the story her father concocted.

"I did. I have two daughters. My wife passed away just after the Blackout. My daughters and I traveled before settling in Indiana surprisingly enough. Where were you from Evie?"

"Near Evansville."

"Oh. We were up on the lake. Beautiful little town. Then one day, my oldest, who was my pride and joy just… broke my heart. Met up with a group of unsavory fellows and ran off. It was a few years before I saw her again and when she came back, she was a changed woman. They had manipulated her and turned her into one of their weapons. She coerced her sister and they left town when their group did. I haven't seen either in almost ten years."

"Patrick, that's just awful. Did she ever tell you why she left?"

"No, no she didn't. I would imagine it had to do with the young man she fell for. She was entranced by his so-called power and his status. That one had the devil in his eyes though and she wouldn't listen when I warned her. She was young and foolish. I had hoped she would see the error of her ways but I wouldn't know. If I saw her today, I would want her to know I only ever wanted the best for her."

"I'm sure she knows that. Poor thing probably wound up alone and damaged, regretting every decision. Did you look for her?"

"For years. I searched for them and it was around this time I became active in the government. Of course back then, it was a quiet underground sort of thing. Matheson and Monroe had their hooks in everywhere. Very dangerous. You are very lucky to have lived under Governor Affleck. He has kept things moving quite smoothly out here. It's disappointing to say but I think those bombs denoting was what the East needed. Hopefully it will be able to rise out of the ashes. With the government coming in, I'm sure they'll be able to succeed."

Sandy made a sound of agreement as the boys ran over. They quickly said hello to their teacher and both began babbling the same time about ice cream. Nora was unable to focus, her blood boiling at her father's retelling of history.

"Mom!" Alex's call caught her though and she stared at him momentarily, before shaking her head.

"No. No, we're going to go."

"What?" his face fell. "But we just got here."

"We've been here nearly an hour. It's time to go."

"But I don't want to!"

"Alex, go get your toys. Come on."

"That's not fair."

"Alex," she tried to keep her voice calm, "it's getting late and I'm getting tired. I'm sure your father will take you out in the backyard if you still want to play."

"Oh, Evie, you don't have to take him home. I can bring him when we're done." Sandy interjected.

"No. That's kind but I would rather him come home. Sweetheart, please, go grab your things and let's go."

"No!"

"Alexander, enough!"

Her tone suddenly grew sharp and startled him into silence. He stared at her in shock and then a true Matheson expression crossed his face and he was glaring at her. He growled in frustration and stomped back to the sandbox for his action figures.

"I'm sorry." Nora murmured as she felt her face turn red. Sandy and Patrick sat quietly, neither commenting on the little scene that had occurred. Alex returned, still stomping and grumbling, and jerked his arm away when she went to take his hand.

"Don't touch me!" he ran ahead of her and she cursed silently because there was no way in hell she was running. She left without saying goodbye and followed her son as quickly as she could.

"Alex, stop! Alex! I swear, if you cross that street you are going to get it!"

He halted at the street light and slouched down, arms crossed over his chest. She grabbed him once he was within arm's reach and he whined, trying to twist away from her.

"Look at me. Look at me!" she waited until he was glaring at her again. "Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me? You don't run away from me and you definitely do not act like that when we are in front of people! That was so rude! You got it?"

He pursed his lips together, clearly going for the silent treatment and she gave him a small shake of the arm.

"I asked you a question!"

"Yes!" he shouted in her face. She glared down at him, then gripped his hand tightly, and nearly dragged him the rest of the way home. He fought her every step, arguing every time she said something, and finally broke down into tears about how mad he was and how mean she was.

She felt like an asshole and a dumb asshole at that. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed a cliche - even the just wait until I tell your father! - and seemed to make her realize she had no idea how to punish him.

Miles was on the porch to meet them and he watched with a wide-eyed expression as they walked up the sidewalk.

"Let go!" Alex finally managed to yank his hand out of her grasp - only because she had purposefully loosened her own hand.

"Get in the house!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm the parent and I said so! Get upstairs now and sit in your room! Don't even think about touching one of those toys in there because you are grounded! I will come and get you when you're allowed out!"

"I hope I stay in there forever!"

"You keep mouthing off and you will!"

"I don't care! You're the meanest mom ever and I hate you!"

"Hey!" Miles's sharp bark grabbed Alex's attention and he suddenly seemed aware that they were at their house. "I better never hear you talk like that to your mom again."

For a moment, their son seemed to shrink, then in the next instant he was hollering at Miles too.

"She's mean!"

"I don't care! You don't talk to her like that."

"You're mean too!"

"Good! Trust me, I can be a lot meaner than she is. Didn't she tell you to get upstairs? Act like that again and however long your punishment is, I'll triple it."

It was clear that Alex was stuck. He looked between the two of them, deciding if the next round would even be worth it. He yelled out in anger as he raced through the door and even outside, they could hear him stomping up the stairs.

"Son of a bitch!" Nora flopped down onto one of the lawn chairs and tried to get her irritation under control. "I can't believe he just acted like that."

"Babe, I could hear you coming down the street."

"If you start laughing, I'll kick you in the nuts."

"What the hell happened?"

She told him the story from start to finish, then shook her head.

"I was already mad about my dad and I had to get out of there and he was so obstinate. I didn't think it was going to be a problem and then that little demon showed up. He took off at a sprint."

Miles started laughing as he sat in front of her and she glared at him. He coughed and trailed off into silence with a sigh.

"It's not funny."

"It's not but I'm just picturing the two of you yelling at each other and him running and you not being about to catch him. I can just see it."

"Yeah and so did the whole town. Miles, I swear, I was going to hit him."

"We knew this was coming. He's not a saint."

"I never said he was one."

"Your temper and my stubbornness. Hell of a combination."

"My temper? What about yours? God help him."

"It was pretty pathetic. If us being mean was his only comeback, he needs to work on being a pain in the ass."

"I'm already dreading those days. I was so embarrassed."

"You guys sounded like a pair of cats fighting." he chuckled, wincing as she shoved his head playfully.

"I'm going to lay down."

"When should I let him out?"

"When I feel like it." she drawled over her shoulder. She climbed up the stairs and hesitated outside Alex's door. She could hear him bawling on the other side and for a moment, she felt awful but he needed to learn.

She was startled awake when she felt something move at her side. It was dark in the bedroom, the sun having gone down sometime before. The book she had been reading fell of her chest and she looked over to see Alex curled on her arm, looking quite remorseful. She groaned quietly, realizing she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she sat down. She had only planned on keeping him in his room for ten minutes or so.

"Hi,"

"Dad said to tell you dinner is ready."

"Thank you."

He hesitated, as though it was torture to get the next part out, but finally he whispered,

"Mommy, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"And I don't hate you."

"I know baby." she kissed the top of his head, hiding her smile against his hair. "I'm sorry I yelled like that but you also need to know what you did was wrong."

"I know. Dad said you only act crazy because the baby is making you weird."

"Way to undermine me Miles." she muttered under her breath. "Who told you time was up?"

"Dad did. He came in like five minutes later."

"Okay. Come on, let's go eat." he moved away as she sat up and after a second, she asked him, "Did Dad tell you to apologize?"

"No. I felt bad cause you're the best and I don't hate you. I didn't want you to be sad."

The statement made her smile and she beckoned him back to hold him in a tight hug. When they separated, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you too."