(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)

Chapter 6: "Together Again"

December 23, 2014

Gregory watched as Trey stretched out in the passenger seat of the Jaguar. A moment later, the teenager reached out and fiddled with the buttons of the radio. The public radio station droned quietly, the host speaking quietly and gravely about the future of the president's health care reform law. "We should listen to WHOC," he announced.

He chuckled. "Why? Nana doesn't even listen to her radio station."

"But, have you ever noticed that all the hosts on NPR sound alike? Do you think it's a requirement that they whisper into the mikes?"

He shook his head and glanced over. "Would you like to listen to WHOC?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind it." Just like Caitlin and Sean when they were his age.

He reached out and pressed the satellite radio button. "The great thing about driving your own car is that you are in control of the music," he said as the smooth sound of Sammy Davis Jr.'s voice filled the interior.

"Whatever," Trey mumbled even though he grinned at him. "That was a low blow, Pop!" He accelerated onto the freeway and easily merged into the late morning traffic. "What time does Uncle Sean and Aunt Tessa's plane land?"

He glanced at the clock on the center console. "In about an hour." Sean, Tessa, and their son had taken an early morning flight out of Philadelphia. He and Trey were picking them up and then taking them to Caitlin's. We've never spent a Christmas together with all of our children. At the moment, I can't think of anything sadder than that. He glanced at the teenage boy, who blissfully scrolled through his iPhone. Oblivious to the truth. But, he was himself. Whatever had so haunted Trey these last few months had seemingly vanished. Olivia emailed him last night, after their lunch and afternoon with Trey. She seemed to think it was growing pains and nerves about leaving for Cornell in just a few short months. Cornell. His alma mater. He still couldn't help but grin.

"What's that for?" he heard Trey ask. "That face."

He cleared his throat and nonchalantly shrugged. "Oh, I was just thinking about when Sean was the same age as Tommy." It wasn't a complete lie. He had been thinking about that earlier this morning. "He was a handful."

Trey turned to him, a smirk on his face. "No kidding? Uncle Sean, the oh-so-serious math teacher, was once a handful?"

"Incredibly so. He drove Nana up the wall with his antics. Did I ever tell you about the time he finger painted the door of my study?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, you did." His laughter subsided and he asked, "But, what about you? Didn't things like that drive you nuts too?"

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about Sean's early years. How broken he and Olivia were. How it had taken almost two months for him to love the boy without fearing he would die. "Well, not as much. I thought it was funny. Sean reminded me a lot of myself. But, Nana was home with him all day and on the front lines. By the time I would get home from work, she'd pass him off to me." He sighed, remembering the way Sean would sit with his race cars on the floor of his study as he worked at his desk after dinner. Or the way it was easy to toss the work aside and join his son to play. Or the way Sean would curl up in his arms, half-asleep and breathing deeply as he just sat back and watched him.

"Hey, Pop?"

"Hey, Trey?"

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Was it weird for you the other night at dinner? Seeing Nan and Colin together?"

"No," he replied. Softly. Truthfully. "It isn't as if it's the first time the three of us were together."

He nodded, mulling that over. "Yeah, that's what I told Helena."

His stomach clenched as he asked, "Is that all you wanted to ask?" There was never just one question with Trey. He glanced over quickly and then turned back to the road. But, it was never like Trey to be so nervous. They talked about everything. No topic was ever off-limits.

You're alive
So come on and show it

"Well..." he began, his voice small, "I was just wondering if it was awkward since...I think you might still love Nan."

Trey heard his question echo, filling the brass interlude of the song. He watched Pop's face, the blank expression on it. Mom told him once that Pop had the best poker face – he needed it for his work as a lawyer. But, he didn't want that now. He needed to make sense of everything he knew. As he opened his mouth, he heard Pop say, "I do. I do love Nana."

"But, she's married to Colin."

Pop nodded. "And, I'm married to Alex."

"Do they know?"

"Colin and Alex?" Pause. "One day, you'll realize that it's next to impossible to keep a secret from the person you love."

So they knew. He wondered if they knew he was Nan and Pop's son. Probably. You can't keep secrets from the person you love. "I guess," he murmured as his heart pounded in his chest. "Aren't they upset about it?"

Pop exhaled slowly. "I hope not. How Nana and I feel about each other doesn't change anything. I love Alex and I know Nana loves Colin."

He knew Pop wouldn't want pity, so he didn't say how sorry he felt for them. How sorry he was for them and him. Nothing turned out like it was supposed to. He nodded quietly and forced himself to breathe. "But," he began after a long moment, "don't you want Nan to be here and married to you?"

Gregory's mouth went dry as he heard the question. This answer was clouded with grey and in Trey's young mind, things were either black or white. But, nothing was ever that simple, especially not this. He tried never to imagine how different his life would be if Olivia was still his wife and Trey was recognized as their son. Now, here he was, confronted with that possibility and from the mouth of the very person who had the biggest role – however unknowingly – in how things turned out. He cleared his throat, his fingers tense around the steering wheel. "Nothing," he said softly, "would've made me happier."

"But-"

"But, I don't need to be married to Nana to know how I feel about her." He felt Trey's eyes on him as he listened silently. "Our divorce changed many things, but not everything." The words came easily. The truth always did. "I love Nana. Once I met her, I never wanted to live my life without her." He heard Trey's sigh and he glanced quickly, forcing a smile to his face. "What she and I have now is something I treasure. I wouldn't change it for anything." Trey sighed again, one of confusion tinged with futility. He reached out and patted his knee. "I don't want you to worry about Nana and I."

Trey nodded, feeling Pop's hand slip away from his knee. "We're fine," he heard him say.

"It...it just doesn't seem fair," he said softly, looking forward.

"Well, that's the thing about life," Pop replied in a soft tone. "It's not always fair. Sometimes, it beats you down until you think there's nothing else it can take from you. Then, it gives you one last heartache." He turned his head slightly when he stopped talking, watching him grip the steering wheel. "What matters is how you get back up," he finally said.

"How long did it take you to get up?" he asked. After you lost Nan. After you lost me. After everything changed.

A half-smile came to his face as he looked over. "It was a couple of years. But, I found my way again."

He nodded dumbly. Years. Goddamn – he didn't want it to take years for himself. "How?"

"Truth," he heard Pop say. "Truth changes everything. Once you know it, nothing is ever the same. But, from that point on, you know everything. It can't get worse, can it?"

"Yeah," he said glumly. "Right."

Sean climbed out of his father's Jaguar and breathed deep. The ocean air filled his lungs and he turned his face up to the sun. He could feel the cold grime of the Philadelphia winter melt away in the strong sun. His son's giggle filled the air and he opened his eyes, watching as the child climbed onto Trey's back. "If he throws up, that's your mess to clean, Trey," he called out as the teenager ran in circles around the yard. Tommy shrieked with delight, his little arms around Trey's neck.

"He'll sleep soundly tonight," Tessa said and he nodded, wrapping his arm around her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly. She shrugged and rested her hands on her slightly swollen stomach. "Let's go inside. You can put your feet up and rest."

She nodded and stepped away, calling for their son. A moment later, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder and he looked over at his father. He grinned and reached over, embracing him tightly. He hardly remembered a time when they weren't close. It was almost as if the tension that existed between them during his teenage years was a bad dream. "You're looking good," he said, pulling back to admire him. "Don't even look old enough to retire."

His father chuckled deeply and shook his head, his arm around his shoulders as they walked towards his sister's house. "Not you too," he sighed.

He shrugged. It seemed hard to imagine his father as old enough for retirement. He thought of his own grandfather, his white hair and milky blue eyes. Dad wasn't anywhere near that, though they were probably around the same age. Instead, the only sign of aging was that his father's dark hair had lightened with grey and his face had softened. "I'm just saying – you've worked for...what? Fifty years? Aren't you ready to call it quits?" He grinned, hearing the laughter drift out of the house. No doubt Tessa and Tommy were in the arms of his mother and sister. "Don't you want to kick back and teach Tommy how to drive the golf cart?"

The wind stirred his father's hair as he sighed. "I can still do that in between cases," he replied with a smile.

He smirked ruefully. "Yeah, we'll see about that." He looked over to the front door, left tantalizingly open for them. "How have things been with Trey?" he asked softly. With Mom. With you.

"Better," he said. "He's been running around town with Colin's granddaughter. I think he's starting to enjoy his winter break."

He nodded, watching his father carefully. It seemed sad that his father had to lose a son in order to gain one, but that's how it felt. He couldn't help but wonder if he and his father would have reconciled if not for their bond and shared secret about Trey. But, that secret united them in a way he never thought possible. "Maybe it was just stress?" he suggested, referring to the change in Trey's behavior. He knew the change deeply worried both of his parents.

"Maybe," he allowed. "That's what your mother seems to think."

He never thought he'd see a Christmas with both of his parents again. But, here they were. The entire family – together again. "I'm sure that's all it was," he said, thinking back to the car ride from the airport. The teenager sat in the back with Tessa and Tommy, engrossed in a game with the four-year-old child. Trey was a good kid. He always had been. "Besides, it's Christmas. Nothing's ever wrong at Christmas."

"Spoken like a grandson of Thomas Blake," he chuckled as they walked into Caitlin's home.

His sister had cornered Tessa and was nodding sympathetically at whatever his wife was saying. Tommy was in his mother's arms, enthusiastically telling her about the plane trip. "The plane shook so much that Mommy got sick!" the child exclaimed, gesturing grandly.

"But, you were Nana's brave boy, weren't you?" his mother asked and he chuckled, watching his son nod seriously. "Good boy." She looked up, finally seeing him. He smiled, watching as she sighed and lowered Tommy to the floor. "Oh, Sean," she murmured, reaching out to embrace him tightly. "Oh, darling, you're here! You're finally here!"

He hugged her back, watching over her shoulder as his father scooped Tommy into his arms. "Hi, Mom," he whispered, feeling the way she shuddered against him. He looked up at her, not surprised by the tears clouding her blue eyes. She cupped his face and watched him closely, almost as if she had forgotten what he looked like. But, he understood. He noticed the daily changes in his own son. He couldn't imagine what it was like for her – for either of his parents. He and his family were thousands of miles away from each of them. Daily visits were no longer a common occurrence. "I hope you didn't go overboard with presents for Tommy."

She groaned and lowered her face in mock-shame. "But, he understands Christmas this year, darling! It's so special!" He nodded and smiled to cover the internal grimace. He could already see the baggage fees topping triple digits on their return flight next week. "He looks more and more like you every day," she continued softly, her warm hand against his cheek. She glanced over and smiled at his father. "Doesn't he, Gregory?"

"Mirror image," Dad replied, tickling Tommy's stomach.

His son giggled and squirmed. "That tickles, Poppop!"

Sean watched his parents with Tommy. He was their first grandchild, not that anyone would ever know. But, as he watched them laugh with his son, a shared light in their eyes, he could almost believe that they were at peace. He remembered the first years after their secret was born into existence. When Mom was so anxious around Caitlin and Trey. When Dad's face seemed permanently etched with sadness. But, they were different now. Maybe enough time had gone by that the pain had subsided some. Like a dull ache, it was never gone, but it was bearable.

Tessa came to his side and leaned into him. He looked down and she nodded at the question in his eyes. He took her hand and squeezed it as he cleared his throat. "Mom? Dad?" They looked over, his mother's hand on Tommy's back. "Tessa and I wanted to tell you something."

His wife beamed. "An early Christmas present, so to speak."

His parents exchanged the briefest of looks. "Oh?" his father said as his mother asked, "What is it, darling?"

His wife squeezed his hand and he began, "We had an ultrasound two days ago." He saw Caitlin come closer, a curious look on her face. Trey and Helena followed, suddenly interested. "And...well..."

His mother gasped and his father said, "Sean, you're going to give Mom a heart attack."

He chuckled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's a boy...and a girl." His mother gasped again as her hands flew to her mouth. A pleased smile blossomed on his father's face as he shifted Tommy in his arms. "It's twins."

"Twins!" his mother exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Tessa. "Oh, darlings, congratulations! How do you feel?"

"Tired!" Tessa laughed. "Though, it explains how-"

"Well," his father said as Tommy leaned his head on his shoulder, "now I understand why you were so brief on the phone when I asked about the appointment."

He shrugged, unable to keep the proud grin off his face. "I- we wanted to tell you and Mom together."

Dad nodded and pulled him close. "Congratulations, son." He nodded, clasping his father's shoulder as he continued softly, "A daughter will change you. You haven't loved anyone the way you'll love her, not even Tessa, until you hold her in your arms for the first time."

He swallowed hard as Tommy held out his arms to him. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered, holding his son against his chest.

A/N: The song in Gregory and Trey's conversation is Sammy Davis Jr.'s version of "A Lot of Livin' To Do" (music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams).