Fortitude

The first working day of the new year dawned misty and cool. Clay's long-time assistant, Calista Johnson, was mentally congratulating herself for being the only one not to get insanely drunk at her family's New Year's Eve party when she swept into the Fortitude offices in record time. As Clay's partnership with Nathan had caused the company to blossom, Callie had finally been able to replace her rubbish old car for a reliable model. The young blonde entered the office feeling pretty proud of herself but that sensation was quickly dampened when she heard the raised voices coming from Clay's office. Remembering her mother's lessons on the impropriety of eavesdropping, Callie quickly busied herself starting up her computer to check her e-mails and such; work always piled up over Christmas break. No matter how hard she clacked her computer's keyboard, Callie couldn't help but hear Nathan's voice raise in frustration; "Why do you have to be so stubborn, Evans?" before the door banged open, and the former athlete stormed out looking annoyed.

Callie cleared her throat awkwardly, and Nathan stopped short of stomping past her desk. "Happy New Year," she said, and he offered her a strained smile.

"Same to you, Callie. Sorry if I startled you. We didn't realise anyone else was already here."

"Just trying to start the new year off on the right foot," she told him. "May I ask what the raised voices were about? You and Clay don't usually argue about work that I've seen. You've come a long way from NBA superstar."

"Thanks for that. Yeah, I don't feel quite as out of my depth as I did in the beginning; we do make a good team. This argument was personal, actually…" Nathan trailed off as if uncertain how much he should say. Callie could almost see the decision to confide in her dawning on his face and waited patiently. "I was yelling at Clay for insisting on working today, to tell you the truth. Quinn had a miscarriage over the holidays, and she's worried he's going to dive into work to avoid his feelings. I'm sure that sounds familiar. You've known him even longer than I have, after all."

"Oh no," said Callie in dismay. Her gaze flickered to the door of Clay's office, suddenly able to picture what she would find. "That's awful, I'm so sorry. How can I help?"

"I have a meeting with Troy Jamison," said Nathan, referring to his first solo client. "I'll be on the road today. Could you maybe keep an eye on him? You know Clay, he won't ask for anything, but I'm telling you, the holidays were a mess."

"You remind me a little bit of Sara," Callie told Nathan. "Before Logan was born, she came to me once asking me to take care of Clay because he's always been really intense about work. I like to think I know him even better now than I did as a green little thing fresh out of college. I'll try and talk to him, okay? Try not to worry, you'll do great with Troy out there."

"I hope so," said Nathan solemnly. "Time sure flies; it feels like yesterday I discovered this kid, and now he's got maybe one good year left. The life of pro athletes is hard. I need to talk to him about endorsements to keep him going when the game is no longer an option."

"This is why you make a good agent," Callie told him. "You know all about the shelf life of pro sports players and how hard it can be to come to terms with that. Good luck out there. Don't worry about Clay; I can handle things here." Nathan nodded at her and stepped out of the office looking grim, leaving Callie mustering the courage to face Clay's grief for the second time in her life.

At Tree Hill Elementary School meanwhile, Logan's dread was in high gear from the moment he arrived. Returning to school after a holiday always warranted presentations about what one had done over the break, sometimes about the family get-togethers and things like that. The eight-year-old slipped into his assigned seat and kept his head down, trying not to think about last year's presentation.

Tree Hill Elementary School – One Year Earlier

Seven-year-old Logan pinned up the last of the photographs Quinn had helped him choose for the latest project about his family he had to prepare for class. His life had changed so much since moving to Tree Hill at six years old, and he couldn't wait to tell his classmates about it. "My family looks kind of different from last year," he began, staring at a spot on the far wall instead of the faces of the kids watching. "My Mommy went to heaven when I was a baby. That made my Dad very sad, so he left me with my Grandma and Grandpa for a really long time. This year, he came back for me, and now I have two Moms." Logan paused to point out the photographs behind him. "Mommy is an angel watching over me, and Mama Q is our Jean Grey." Some of his classmates snickered at that, and Logan hesitated briefly but then finished: "Because I was named after Wolverine, my Dad's favorite superhero…and Jean Grey is awesome, just like Mama Q. I think Mommy would have liked her a lot, I know I do."

On the playground later that day, Logan sat daydreaming about Jean Grey and Wolverine when a shadow towered over him. He scrambled to his feet to face Bobby Ryan, who was half a head taller but scowling at him for no discernible reason. "You're such a loser, Evans," he scoffed. "If I were your Dad, I would have stayed gone; Wolverine is a total freak! Your Mommy had the right idea; at least heaven is far away from you. I bet your new Mom will realise that too and have more babies someday soon; sucks to be you."

Logan glowered at Bobby and hurled himself at the taller boy. "That's not true!" he snapped pummeling every inch of his classmate he could reach. "My Dad loves me more than yours loves you. He should just put you in jail, meanie!" Logan had barely finished his sentence when Bobby's flailing fist hit him right in the eye.

"Leave my Dad out of this, Evans," Bobby snarled, angling for another punch. But before he could touch Logan again, a pair of teachers intervened and sent the two boys to the principal's office with a stern warning.

When it was Logan's turn to speak, he closed his eyes and pictured his treasured Christmas angel before he began: "Last year on my birthday, my Mom and Dad said they were having another baby. I kind of freaked out, convinced that they were replacing me. On Christmas Eve, we were visiting my grandparents when Mom fell, and the baby got hurt. Now Dad says the baby is with my Mommy in heaven, and I get a little jealous sometimes. Mama Q misses her baby, and I can't fix that. At least this time, I know that they won't ever forget about me and the next time there's a baby, I won't freak out. This is our family now, and nothing will ever change that."

Just as the teacher was about to send Logan back to his seat, there was a commotion from the back row. Bobby had lurched from his desk towards the classroom door, barreling into Logan as he fled the room and almost knocking him flat. He was out the door before their teacher could protest, and the door slammed, leaving the room of his peers whispering speculatively.

When the school day ended, Katie dragged herself out of bed to her sister's house. She couldn't be sure that Melissa would remember Bobby's routine or that she always picked him up. "You don't look so good," was the first thing Melissa said when her younger sister landed on her doorstep, and Katie bit back a hysterical laugh at the statement.

"I could say the same to you, Dory," she teased Melissa half-heartedly, regretting it when her sister frowned bitterly. "Hey, I was just kidding," she said, looping her arm around Melissa's shoulders as they moved towards the little Ford in the driveway. "You're doing great."

"It doesn't feel like it most days," sighed her sister. "I can tell Bobby is disappointed with me, but he won't tell me exactly what his Dad did that was so bad. I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something really important."

"The list of shit Kevin has done is extensive, but I wouldn't put you through that right now. I'm sure it'll come back to you with real-life examples soon enough," said Katie darkly.

"Not helping, Kate!" Melissa protested, relinquishing the car keys to her sister. "Maybe you should drive today; my head is still throbbing."

"I've got you covered," Katie promised, stepping on the gas. They drove towards Tree Hill Elementary, verging on speeding as Katie tried to drown out her demons with the adrenaline rush of a zipping car.

The sisters had barely parked the car and stepped towards the school gates when Bobby came charging out of the building to meet them. Katie quickly stepped in front of Melissa to catch her nephew before he could knock his mother flat. "Whoa, whoa, easy there, tiger. What's the tearing rush?"

"Stupid family presentations," Bobby mumbled, his voice thick with tears. "I hate talking about Dad so much. And then that damn Evans kid was going on about how his Dad forgot about him for years, but now everything is perfect for them. It's not fair! He thinks he's so special just because his Mom died when he was a baby. I just…I couldn't hear that right now."

His every word was laced with pain, slicing through the fog of depression creeping up on Katie's mind. She tried to hug Bobby, but he stepped around her and nuzzled gently into Melissa's arms. Whether her brain could comprehend it right now or not, the kid needed his mother more than ever.

Katie was looking around at the other parents picking up their children when the red Stingray screeched into the parking lot and caught her wandering gaze. Bobby looked up at the car and scowled at the boy running towards it. "Can we go, please? I've had enough of Logan for one day." But his aunt barely heard him, distracted by the driver of the vintage car. "You were practically imagining our babies," she murmured, echoing words she had spoken many years ago. Though her arms were still around Bobby, she kept staring across at the Stingray and the little boy hugging his father. Clay eventually looked up as if sensing her intense gaze, and she saw the storm clouds form in his eyes, dark and horrified. It just wasn't fair that she had that effect on people, Katie mused, grimacing at the agent. Maybe this time, she would have better luck changing his mind about her. It would certainly be fun to try.

"Dad?" Clay could feel his pulse ringing in his ears and didn't respond to Logan until his son almost dislocated his arm, pulling so hard. "Come on, let's go home!"

"Home, right," he murmured, still staring toward Melissa's little Ford. "Sorry, I thought I recognised someone over there. Must be seeing things," Clay forced a laugh and ushered Logan into the car. He only hoped that his son couldn't tell how fast his heart was racing as he drove homeward, a phantom ache starting over his ribcage at the mere sight of the woman who had almost taken his life. Katie was the last person he and Quinn needed in their lives right now; they had already lost too much.

A/N My third update in like ten days, praying the vibes last me this time! xx