A/N: Important, yet kind of filler chapter.

Avery was the only other person home when the call came. Lindsay was at work, Hannah had a late class, Colton was at a birthday party, and Ben was having a sleepover with Daniel. It was shaping up to be a great father-daughter evening, with homemade fondue for dinner and popcorn on the couch for dessert. They were halfway through the dinner dishes when the phone rang, and Adam took it in the other room, leaving Avery to continue rinsing their plates and forks, humming to herself.

With going back to school, having brothers that were involved in extracurricular activities, and Hannah who needed to spend time with Adam too, Avery didn't feel like she got to see her beloved daddy as much as she used to. Sure, he always came into her room to kiss her goodnight, and was more than happy to take her phone calls when she returned home from school, but she missed their science lessons and special midday trips to new places, just the two of them. As much as she loved the rest of her family, she was glad they were all occupied tonight so she could spend some extra time with him.

She finished with the dishes and climbed off the small stepstool that she would probably only need for another inch or two, closing the dishwasher and turning it on to start. It thunked to life and she nodded in approval, wiping her hands on her apron as Thomas trotted around the corner happily.

"Did you finish your dinner, baby?" Avery asked, walking over to inspect the bowl. "Good job, my darling. And now we should put on your leash, so me and daddy can take you for a walk. Come along. Would you like the purple leash or the yellow? Good, I like the yellow best too."

She clipped the leash to the collar and walked into the living room, finding Adam sitting on the couch, still on the phone, thumb and forefinger pressed hard to his temple. She quietly sat on the other couch, swinging her legs back and forth, while Thomas jumped around in happy anticipation of their trip around the block.

"Okay, yeah. I guess… yeah, maybe we should talk about it tomorrow."

He listened for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be home around five, so anytime after that. I gotta go though, I've got a little girl here who needs to take her dog for a walk. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Tim."

"Bye Uncle Tim!" Avery shouted before he hung up the phone. "When will we see him again daddy? He brings over the best video games."

"I know. We'll see him soon. Ready to go for a walk?"

She nodded and stood, sliding her hand into his as they made their way outside. He was quiet as Avery chattered, rubbing her thumb gently over his palm and occasionally clucking her tongue at the dog. They were halfway around the block when Avery stopped suddenly, brow furrowed as she looked up at him.

"Daddy, you are not listening."

"I am, I just have a lot on my mind."

"What did I just say to you?"

"You said "daddy you're not listening.""

"I mean before that!"

"You told me about… uh… watching Sarah dance?"

"No daddy! I was talking about how Ben said that he was going to move far, far away to go to college!"

"Oh, right."

She sighed and dropped her shoulders, tugging gently on the leash to pull the dog away from the street.

"Daddy, please tell me what's on your mind. I am here for you."

He chuckled and knelt down to meet her eyes.

"I know, Tink. It's just boring adult stuff."

"I am almost an adult," she responded, enunciating as crisply as possible. "Not quite, of course, but almost."

"I'll give you that," he said, tugging on a curl and watching it bounce back. "C'mon, let's get this dog walk finished so we can watch our movie."

"Alright," she agreed, tugging on the leash once more. "When will mama be home?"

"Late. Probably after you're in bed."

"Oh. What about Hannah and Coley?"

"Right before bedtime. Hannah's going to pick him up on her way home."

"Well that is most convenient for you!"

"Yeah, one of the many reasons we love having Hannah here."

"I am so glad she lives with us. And I know I say that a lot. But I am really glad. Especially because she does my hair in very pretty ways. She is excellent with my rascally curls."

Adam laughed and squeezed her hand.

"Oh Tink, my life would be really dull without you kids."

"Not that bad daddy. You would still have mama. She is wonderful."

"Yes, she is."

Their hands swung between them as they approached home, the sun dipping lower in the sky.

"What movie would you like to watch?" Avery asked, putting the dog leash away while Adam refilled the water bowl.

"I don't know. What do you want to watch?"

"Oh, I would love a thrilling adventure."

He bit back a laugh and nodded as if he was giving it a great deal of thought.

"I'm sure we can find something. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am. You find a movie, I will get in my jammies and grab a blanket so I can cuddle up on your lap."

"It's a date."

She dashed upstairs and was back before he even pulled the popcorn out of the microwave.

"I have an idea," she started. "I would like to watch whatever movie was your most favorite when you were a kid my age."

"Guess that means we're watching E.T."

"Oh great!" she clapped, spinning in a circle. "Let's go!"

She ran into the other room and jumped on the couch, and he handed her the popcorn before finding the movie.

"Tell me, daddy. Why did you like this movie so much when you were my age?"

He sat back against the couch as she climbed into his lap, almost too big for such things. It was interesting that she would ask him such a question on this day of all days, after that phone call of all phone calls. She was quiet waiting for his answer, pulling his arm tightly around her waist and leaning back against his chest.

"I know you know that when I was a kid, my life wasn't that great."

"Mama said that your real father was not a nice man."

"He wasn't. He sometimes hurt me and Gigi-"

"Your feelings or your body?"

"Both. It wasn't a loving home like we have now."

"That is really sad, daddy," she whispered, rubbing her hand gently up and down his arm.

"It was. But there was a bright spot. When Gigi had extra money, she would take me to the movies. And the first one I remember seeing was E.T. I was six or so, and I remember watching it so carefully. It was nice and cool in the theater and we were the only ones there that day. It's one of my best memories, so this is one of my favorite movies of all time."

"I like that story so most, daddy. I can just imagine you as a small boy. I think you were probably very cute and handsome. And I think you talked like Coley and had a smile like Ben. And maybe you haved an imagination like what I have. That is how I see you as a boy, daddy. Also, no beard."

"That's pretty accurate actually."

"You know something? I think that when you remember the bad times of your life it makes you feel very sad. Of course that is okay. But you cannot think of those times and feel bad about yourself. Because your father maked the decision to be a bad man. You did not. So it means nothing bad about you. And that is what Sarah told me about bullies, that they make bad decisions and it is not my fault."

"Honey, have you been having problems with bullies?"

"Oh no, not me. A girl in my class, she had some bullies in another class, and me and some other kids standed up to them. I was just telling Sarah about it and she told me that advice. So it is used advice and not brand new, but it works just the same, like my cheap shoes."

He laughed and leaned in to kiss her cheek, lingering there and wondering how in the world he had ended up with greatest kids ever to grace the planet. It was all Lindsay, it had to be.

"Well, we had best get on with this movie! I don't wanna fall asleep before E.T. gets a chance to call his house."

"Do you think I could join a hockey team?" Colton asked, having just recounted the hockey game he had attended as part of a birthday party. "It looks like good exercise, and I'm not too bad on skates."

"We can talk about it. We'll have to find out about some teams in your age group, but we can look into it," Adam answered, delighted that not only was his son interested in something he himself enjoyed, but that it had nothing to do with books or academics.

"Sweet! Even if I don't get on a team, do you think you could teach me some stuff? And I mean more than just watching Mighty Ducks."

"Of course. I even have some gear you would probably fit into."

"Awesome. Thanks dad!"

He headed upstairs and Hannah laughed, serving up two pieces of pie and sliding one across the counter to Adam.

"I don't think I've heard him so excited about anything in his life," she noted, taking a bite. "Such a serious soul."

"Usually," Adam agreed with a nod.

"Something wrong?"

"No, not really. I guess…" he thought for a moment, cutting a bite off of the piece of pie but not eating it. "My father, he passed away yesterday."

Hannah stopped moving, taking a second to drink that in before she figured out what she could say.

"Are you sad?"

"I don't know. I made peace with all of that a long time ago, you know? I barely think about him or what happened anymore. But this forces me to give it some thought. And I don't know how I feel."

"You know, I never met the man, but I've always hated him. For what he did to you and mom, and later for what he did to Colton. I really hate him. But without him, I wouldn't have you. Without you, I wouldn't have Lindsay or the kids in my life either. And without you guys, there might not even be a me anymore."

Adam nodded, realizing again that what was now was much more important than what had been, and despite it all, he was blessed to be standing here, loving his family and being a man that any sane father would be proud of.

"I'm really glad you're here, Hannah," he smiled, reaching across the counter to squeeze her hand.

"Me too. Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going to have to help my brother with some stuff and that's probably not going to be fun, but I'll be alright."

She nodded and came around the counter to tuck into his arms, giving him a tight hug.

"I don't think kids have to make up for their parents mistakes, but if they did, you would have far exceeded all his failings. He may have given you life, but that is nothing really, compared to what you've done with it."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I think it was about two weeks ago."

He chuckled and let her go, once again wondering how he'd become so lucky in life.

"Is everything going alright with you?"

"You uh… want the nice truth or the real one?"

"Hannah."

"I'm okay, but it's been hard. It's like a default almost to want to take the invitation to parties and things, but I haven't given in yet."

"Have you been having cravings or anything?"

She shook her head and started down at her half eaten slice of pie.

"I wouldn't call them cravings really. Sometimes I have bad days that I want to forget about and it would just be easier to go have a drink than it is to deal with it. And I haven't, but that doesn't mean I'm not afraid I will."

"How do you move beyond that?"

"I come home. There's no way to get it here, no reason to want it here really, so this is my safe place."

"I'm glad it is."

"Me too."

She smiled and they finished of their dessert in silence before she bid him goodnight, headed down to the basement. He stood up from the stool and took the dishes to the sink, rinsing them off before taking the clean ones out of the washer and putting them away.

It was true that he didn't know what he was supposed to feel about this whole thing, but to add to that, he wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling at all. Truth be told, there was a wave of freedom that washed over him the moment his brother had broken the news, and he wouldn't deny the feeling of joy that came with it should anyone ask. But there was something else, settling in the pit of his stomach, something he didn't quite understand. Was it sadness? Regret?

He finished up in the kitchen and moved to the living room, straightening cushions and pillows, cleaning up little things that had been left during the day. He remembered the early days of marriage, and his constant teasing about Lindsay needing the house to be clean before she went to sleep. Fifteen years later, he not only understood, but was much inclined to need the same order before he could relax.

Chores done, he pulled the laundry from the dryer, quickly folding it into piles and putting it on the counter for the kids to take to their rooms tomorrow. He was just finishing pairing the socks when the front door opened.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted softly, giving him a little smile as she hung her coat on the hook by the door. He could tell by the look on her face that she somehow already knew, and he cocked his head to the side in question. "Hannah texted when I was on my way home."

"Oh."

"You okay?" she asked, sitting down and pulling her feet up under her.

"I think so," he answered, sitting down and taking her hand in his. "I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's weird but for the last couple years I almost forgot about him. I didn't dwell on what he did or how it made me feel or any of that. It's like once he was in prison I was able to let go. He's already stopped being a part of my life and it's only rare times when I remember it and feel bad."

"I think that's how it should be."

"I feel like a bad son because I don't have any regrets. I wouldn't change a thing. I don't feel like I missed reconciling with him, I don't wonder if he'd changed. Nothing. It's done."

"You're not a bad son, Adam. You did all you could to be simply be his son and he didn't want that until you'd moved on with your life. It's not wrong to feel nothing."

He nodded, feeling like he still needed to come up with something to regret, or something good to remember about the man. But he couldn't. The only thing that really bound the two of them together anymore was their last name, and while that had made him feel cold and lonely in the past, now it was simply the way things were.

"I think this needs to be more about my brother than me. He never had to go through the bad stuff and this is still pretty hard for him."

"Gonna go over there tomorrow?"

"Maybe. I'll call him in the morning. He wasn't very talkative tonight, just wanted to pass along the news I guess."

She squeezed his hand and scooted closer, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"You know, when we first met, something like this would have really been hard on you. And I think you've always wanted to be to the point where this doesn't hurt you or change you, and I think you're there now. I think you finally realize that you are the man that we all say you are, and you're not the person he said you were."

"I really think you mean that," he teased with an eyebrow quirk.

"Oh shut up," she laughed, leaning in to kiss him. "I'm proud of you, you doof."

"I know."

Her face suddenly turned very serious and she pressed her forehead to his, running fingertips through his hair.

"It's okay to feel it, babe. I know you have gotten some freedom from that, but it's still okay to have some emotion there. I know you, I can see that you're putting a wall up. Not to keep me out, but I don't think you've really let yourself go there yet. So we can talk about this and say it doesn't have an affect, but it's okay when you feel something tomorrow or next week or even right now."

He let that sink in before nodding in agreement, a silent end to the conversation.

"I love you. So much Linds."

"I love you more."

"Doubt it."

"Are you seriously doubting my love for you?"

"No… I mean, for the sake of argument…"

"We'll do battle about this later. Unless you want to make it more interesting."

"I never say no to interesting, babe."

"I'm glad some things will never change."