"You did look beautiful, Emily Beth. I'm glad you had so much fun at the wedding. I did too."

Emily followed Soda into the church just as everyone was arriving for Sunday morning service. "When are you getting married, Uncle Soda? Do I get to wear a fancy dress then too?"

Soda carried a Bible in one hand, the other reaching out to ruffle Emily's hair as the two walked toward the front of the sanctuary. "Sure you do. But I don't know when I'm gettin' married yet. You'll probably be ten by then and decidin' you're too big to be our honorary bridesmaid."

Emily saw the wink Soda sent her way but still played along. "Oh, I could never be too big for that. Am I still coming to your place for hot chocolate after church?"

"Of course. It's our weekly date, right? We can't miss that time. Well, not again at least. I know we missed it last Sunday."

Emily took a seat on the pew behind Soda as the pair heard Vivian start playing the piano. "But that's okay because we love each other even when we're apart, don't we?"

"We sure do, sweetheart. That never goes away."

Emily leaned forward, her fingers grasping Soda's shoulder as she spoke right into his ear. "Uncle Soda, can I tell you something after church?"

"Sure. You can tell me anything. Is somethin' wrong?"

"No. I don't think so. I'm just not really sure I'm supposed to talk about it. I think it's supposed to be a secret."

"Hey, Steve. You've been a married man for over a week now. How's it feel?"

Steve joined Samuel up near the podium shortly after the preacher had concluded the service, his gaze easily finding Olivia among the mingling congregation. "Honestly? It's surreal. But I'm sure that's because of my dad and everything. It hasn't exactly been a typical start to married life."

Samuel saw Nicholas in a pew near the back row, the man still seated as the others came to greet and hug him. "You're right about that. Any idea when you'll go on your honeymoon?"

"Not yet. Liv and I aren't in a hurry. If I had to guess, I don't think it'll be before the end of July. I can't see leaving my dad before he's well into the recovery process, and I know it's a long road."

"Speaking of such things, can I have a minute with you? Privately?"

"Oh. Um, sure." Steve followed Samuel to the church office, the older man then closing the door behind them. "Did I do something wrong?"

Seeing the look on Steve's face, Samuel almost regretted the seclusion, though he believed his young friend would be grateful for it soon. "No. Not at all. I just want to ask you about something you said at the hospital, and if it comes from where I'm thinking it did, it'll be better if we're not in front of everyone else."

Steve took the chair Samuel offered to him, noticing how the preacher scooted his own chair extra close before also sitting down. "What did I say? And where do you think it came from?"

"When I told you that you wouldn't let your dad down, you said you already did. I didn't want to push you on it then, but I've been wondering what you meant. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I automatically thought about the times in the past when you've felt guilty."

"You aren't reading too much into it. I was just starting to get it then myself, but I fell into an old pattern with the guilt. I found a way to make my dad's heart attack my fault, even though I know it couldn't be. I was just so upset and scared, and that was my reaction in trying to cope with those emotions. Plus, seeing him sick brought back fears I had years ago. It was really tough for a little bit there, but I think I'm doing better now."

"Good. You know I understand how insidious guilt can be, and I couldn't go any longer without asking you about this. As much as I realize you're not just barely an adult anymore, I don't like the thought of you handling heavy issues on your own. It still scares me."

"Don't worry, preacher guy. I didn't handle anything on my own at all. Soda listened to me so much, I almost talked his ear off."

"I'm glad you two haven't changed a bit in how you are with each other."

"Yeah. Our bond just gets deeper as time goes by. But I can say the same for you and me."

Samuel tried to smile, even as he recognized his heart wasn't in it. "Yes. You definitely can."

Steve noticed the expression on Samuel's face, uncertain whether he'd call it sadness or something else. "Hey, are you okay? You brought me in here for an intervention, but you look like you need one now too."

"I am okay, Steve. I think it's just, after your dad and all, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed. I pulled you aside because I was concerned about your state of mind, but maybe my own is getting to be on shaky ground."

Steve tilted his head to the side as he looked at Samuel, at the same time reaching over to grasp the other man's shoulder. "I'm not sure that sounds like you're really okay. Come on, you can talk to me. It's my specialty."

When Samuel saw the sincerity in Steve's eyes coupled with the same features of the kid who had once disliked him, he grabbed his young friend into a firm hug. "I know it is. You grew up and became a wonderful man."

Steve felt himself grin as he hugged Samuel. "You didn't think I was so wonderful when you first met me, huh?"

"I liked you from the start. It barely took me any time at all to love you and your dad like family."

"I know it didn't. I was just kidding. So, I really appreciate the hug, but it doesn't tell me a lot about what's happening, and I want to know too. For years, you've been somebody I could confide in. Even back when I wasn't sure I wanted to know you, you showed me you were there anyway. Please let me return the favor by being here now."

"I feel so much like I've known you all your life, Steve. Yet, I haven't. I feel like I've known your dad forever too. But that's even further from being true. What will soon be eleven years is a drop in the bucket compared to the lives you already had before I came along."

"Well, for what it's worth, I feel like I've known you all my life too, and I know my dad loves you. I've gotta admit though, I'm still kind of lost on what's bothering you. Do you regret not meeting us sooner? If you do, that definitely isn't something you had any control over, and I'm sure you'd say God brought us together at exactly the right time."

"No. I wouldn't say I regret it. The timing was too perfect, especially for you." Samuel released Steve, then got up from his chair, hands in the pockets of his slacks as he paced across the office. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but it ripped me up inside when your dad had his heart attack. Once it hit me, I cried so much that I almost got sick. I'm not even sure how I got here last Sunday morning because I could barely function."

"I'm exactly the person you should tell 'cause I get it. Not just about my dad specifically, but the whole general concept of realizing something happened to somebody you love. I understand what that's like on every level."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is I didn't expect it to be like that. Not for me personally anyway. I've only known you and Nicholas for what's still a rather short time, so I didn't anticipate such a strong reaction."

"Well, that's funny. Because it sounds just right to me. Not unexpected at all." Steve got up from his chair and went to Samuel's side, his arm going around the preacher's shoulders. "When we'd known each other for less than a year, you looked me in the eye and said you loved me. We were already family. A lot of time doesn't have to go by to validate how you feel about us. A relationship doesn't need a lifetime to be deep or meaningful. Heck, a decade is a long time though, preacher guy. But, even still, if my dad had gotten sick years ago, I bet you'd have been the same way."

"I would have. I'm not sure why I'm questioning this either. I'm forty-one years old now, and I know the things you just said are true. I know time isn't the only measure of a friendship."

"I love how you put that. Take me and Soda, for example. Yeah, we've known each other since we were five, but time didn't make us to close on its own. Not even over twenty years of it. I think he and I would both say the real and true depth of our relationship has been for just about twelve years."

"You two struck friendship gold, Steve. The rarest kind."

"You did too. Maybe it happened later in life, but what you have with us has the same kind of spirit. The same kind of value."

Samuel was surprised to feel his eyes filling with tears, the emotion a result of both pain and immense gratitude. "I love you guys so much. You. Nicholas. Sodapop too. I'm so blessed to have you all in my life."

When he saw the tears in Samuel's eyes, Steve laid his head on the preacher's shoulder, much like he'd done as a teen who'd just begun to be receptive to the man's support. "And that blessing goes both ways. I think I understand what you're going through 'cause being sad and scared can sure stir up every sort of feeling and bring back memories. There's a lot of power in reflection, which I think is my other specialty. I know I've needed it to figure things out lately, and you seem like you do too."

"I hope I'm not making this harder for you, Steve. Nicholas is your dad, after all, and-"

"No. You're not making it harder. I want to help. Yeah, he's my dad, but I know that I'm not the only one who felt hurt when he had his heart attack. He's not just important to me. He's important to you too, and we have the kind of friendship where no topic is too heavy to bear."

"You can tell me anything you want, Emily Beth. That's what I'm here for."

Emily scooped a spoonful of mini marshmallows into her cup of hot chocolate as she and Soda had a picnic in the grass outside his apartment building. "I know. But Carrie wasn't even sure if she was supposed to be talking about it, so I feel funny now too."

Soda offered Emily a smile as he cut both of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in half. "Hey, we've got it made here, don't we? Peanut butter and hot chocolate. The best food for makin' conversation, I think. Carrie's been your friend for a while, hasn't she?"

"Yeah. I was only four when Ms. Nora moved there, and she started going over a lot to stay. But she says Ms. Nora's not her real grandma. It just seems like she is. She's Chris' grandma though, and he works with Daddy at the restaurant."

"Right. I knew that. It's how you got Mac."

"Uh huh." Emily looked down at her hot chocolate, her finger stirring the marshmallows around. "But Chris says weird things to Carrie."

"What kind of weird things?"

"Like he asks her questions about if anyone touches her in a bad way. Carrie says it's 'cause that happened to him."

"Oh. So it sounds like he's protective then. But, um, do you know what he means, Emily? Do you know what kind of touch could be bad?"

"I guess. Carrie says Chris told her she should tell a grown up if anyone ever touches her, you know, where it's supposed to be private."

"Yeah. He's right, sweetheart. That's real important."

"It just feels funny to me to talk about it. 'Cause why would someone touch Carrie where they're not supposed to? That sounds scary."

"'Cause it is scary, and if that happened to Chris, it must've been scary for him too. As for why, some people do bad things to kids, and they count on them bein' too afraid to tell anybody else. Maybe Chris wants to make sure that can't happen to Carrie."

"But who would do that, Uncle Soda? Who touched Chris where it's private?"

"I don't know. But I'm thinkin' it's real hard for him to talk about. I'm glad you told me though, and I'd like for you to talk to your mom and dad too, okay? This is a big subject, and I'm sure they'd like to know it's on your mind."

"Okay. I'll tell them. As long as you think that's all right. I don't want to get in trouble for talking about bad things."

Soda's heart went out to Emily, her childhood innocence making him hate even more the type of abuse she'd just been describing, as he knew all too well how it preyed on a victim's purity. "You won't, honey. Trust me. It's okay to talk about stuff, and you're not doin' anything wrong at all."

"That's what Uncle Steve does, right? Helps people talk about stuff?"

"Yeah. He listens to them and helps them figure out their problems. Especially when things are painful or hard to talk about. He's real good at it too."

"Because he went to school to learn how?"

"He did. 'Cause he had to train for certain parts of bein' a counselor, but some of it came natural to him way before he went to college. That's how he knew he wanted that kind of job. He likes bein' able to help, and he's good at relatin' to the people who come to him."

"Do you think those people ever tell Uncle Steve their secrets?"

"I'm sure they do. 'Cause they know they're safe with him. Sometimes the whole point of going to a counselor is to get things off your chest with somebody who's an expert on what to say or do."

Emily picked up her PB&J sandwich, taking a bite of it as she realized she felt relieved and much lighter. "You'd be a great counselor too, Uncle Soda. You always listen to me."

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide to look for a second career." Experiencing a flash from his own childhood as he remembered the days Steve had kept such a troubling secret himself, Soda sensed a need to take the conversation back to where it had begun. "Emily Beth, please promise me that if anybody ever touches you in a bad way, you'll tell me or your mom and dad. Or even Uncle Darry or Uncle Pony. Just someone you trust and love. It doesn't matter who as long as you don't keep it to yourself. If it ain't a secret, then the bad person can't keep doin' it 'cause we'll protect you."

"I promise. But I hope that never happens to me. Carrie says Chris is still sad about it sometimes, even though it happened a really long time ago."

"Yeah. It's a huge deal, sweetheart. One I hope you never have to deal with. But you have lots of people in your life, and if anybody ever hurts you," Soda paused, swallowing as he touched Emily's hand, the thought of his birth daughter being abused more than enough to reignite every old feeling he'd ever worked to resolve. "we'll be there, and we'll do everything in the world to keep you safe."

"I knew I married you for a reason. It smells amazing in here."

Steve felt Olivia's arms wrap around his waist as he chopped up the potatoes for the stir fry he was preparing. "So my cooking skills are what sealed the deal at our wedding, huh?"

Olivia kissed her husband's cheek, her chin then resting on his shoulder. "They helped, and the skills I found out you possess on our first night together were a big plus as well."

Steve could feel himself blushing, this moment making him remember the times he'd seen Nicholas' face turn red after he'd gotten involved with Audrey. "Oh. Um, I'm glad you were pleased. 'Cause, well, that's what it's about, right? Making one another happy and fulfilled?"

"It's even sexier that you understand that. And I was most definitely pleased. As I'm sure you could tell."

"Yeah, I could see that you were, uh, enjoying everything I did. Not just on the first night, but every time since then too."

"I enjoyed it all very much. So, enough about us and our wonderful sex. When do you think Soda will propose to Mallory?"

"He's not sure exactly when yet, but we're in the process of making a plan."

"Of course you are. I hope it's soon. I'm eager to be on the other side of wedding planning."

Steve added the chopped potatoes to his stir fry, mixing them in with the other vegetables and sauce. "Yeah. I'm eager to be best man myself. Hey, do you mind if I go over to my dad's after we eat? I only saw him for a little bit earlier, and I do need to head back to work tomorrow."

"You don't need my permission, Steve. If you want to see your dad, please go see him. I'm not one of those wives who needs to tell you what to do all the time."

Steve grinned, realizing he'd been silly to even ask, as he and Olivia had done plenty of talking about what their marriage would look like. "I know. So, you're not my bride and a ball and chain, right?"

"Precisely. I want to love you, not control you." Olivia cupped Steve's face in her hands, kissing his lips. "And, as long as I know you'll be in bed beside me tonight, I'm not concerned about where you go in between."

"So, Dad, it looks like you've gotten a little rusty in the years since we last played Scrabble."

Nicholas studied the game board that was partially covered in letter tiles, Steve's score already surpassing his own. "Well, I did just have major surgery, so I think I deserve a break. Maybe I am old and out of order, like you used to say."

Steve watched Nicholas add some tiles to the board, spelling out the word mirage. "Or maybe it's not you, and I just got even smarter." Taking his turn, Steve spelled out multiply. He was recording each of their words and points when there was a knock on the door. "Were you or Audrey expecting anyone else?"

"Not that I know of. Come in! It's open."

Steve was only moderately surprised to see Soda when the door opened, as his best friend remained a frequent visitor to the old house. "Hey, man. Come to see me beat my dad's butt at Scrabble? You should even join us and see if-"

Nicholas heard Steve stop at the same time he himself also noticed the way Soda was lingering near the doorway, the man's eyes darting back and forth within the familiar place. "Sodapop, are you all right?"

When Soda didn't reply, Steve left the table where he'd been with his dad, taking a firm hold of his best friend's shoulders. "Soda, please answer us. You look all dazed. Did something happen?"

Soda could only stare at Steve initially as he gradually realized the fog in his mind hadn't prevented him from seeking out what he needed. "Stevie. You- you were sexually abused. And you didn't tell anybody. Not your dad. Not even me. You hurt all by yourself."

Steve glanced over at Nicholas, the look they shared confirming that neither of them were hallucinating. This moment was real. He then turned back to Soda, willing to go where his friend was, even if he didn't know how or why he'd gotten there. "Yeah, buddy. You've known for over ten years now though. And I'm okay. You guys helped make sure I could be."

Soda could still see the night Steve had revealed the secret, could still feel the emotional fallout as each of them reckoned with the past and the actions of a woman who'd been dead for going on eighteen years. "But you almost weren't. More than once. So many times, I was afraid that you would die too."

Steve couldn't conceal the concern in his expression as he put his arm around Soda's shoulders at the same time he spoke to Nicholas. "Dad, do you mind if I borrow my old room for a few minutes?"

Nicholas had remained at the table with the Scrabble board, certain the scene in front of him had sprung from a logical reason, even if it was currently unclear. "Of course, Son. It's still yours."

Steve guided Soda down the hall, noticing how easily the man moved right along with him. When he got to the room of his childhood, teenage, and early adult years, the pair took seats near the window, a sheen of darkness encompassing the space that held some of Steve's belongings and his old twin bed. "So, please tell me what's going on here. You know we're both well aware of everything in my past. There's no stone left unturned as far as any of that goes, but you were talking like you just heard about it. I hate seeing you hurt, and I hate it even more if I can't figure out why."

Soda's eyes roamed the room in which he and Steve had spent so much time, the roar of the memories he'd explored years ago only getting louder. "You knew it was wrong. You knew she wasn't supposed to touch you like that. But you were too scared to tell. Too ashamed and guilty. She made you into a victim when you were too young to understand."

Steve watched Soda's eyes stare off into space, a chill going through him as he saw how detached his friend seemed to be. "Yeah. You're right. I was, and she did. But it's all okay now. I've worked through what happened to me as much as I possibly can."

"You protected me. The scariest thing was happening to you, and you didn't let her- She didn't abuse me."

Steve lifted a hand to Soda's cheek, keeping it there even once their gazes had met. "Of course I protected you. You were the best and safest person in my life when we were kids. What happened, brother? What's making you go back to this? I know you were having a lot of anxiety related to proposing, but I-"

"Emily, Stevie. It's Emily. She was talking to me today, and she said that her friend's brother was abused."

"As in sexually abused? And this is happening now? How old is he?"

"No, it was a long time ago. It's her friend, Carrie's, brother, Chris. The one who works with Samuel and gave her the cat. Emily said Carrie was telling her that Chris talks about how she should tell somebody if anyone ever touches her."

Steve let his hand fall from Soda's cheek to his shoulder, now feeling as if he'd been granted some clarity. "Well, I guess that makes a lot of sense. If I had a younger sibling, I might bring that up too."

"Yeah, but the whole subject made Emily feel funny. Like she was telling me something that she's not supposed to talk about."

"What did you say to her?"

"That Chris is right, and she's not doin' anything wrong by talkin' about it. I told her she should tell somebody if anything like that ever happens to her. She had these questions too. About why somebody would touch a kid and who did that to Chris. Even though she didn't understand a lot, she had a sense of the abuse being bad. I told her I wanted her to talk to her parents about this, and she said she will as long as I'm sure she won't get in trouble."

"Damn. Poor kid. Just hearing about sexual abuse was enough to make her scared and ashamed. Anybody who would hurt a child relies on that too. No wonder you were having such a hard time after listening to her."

Soda took another look around the room, the memories now much quieter as he reached for Steve's hand. "Yeah. I had to keep it together to talk to her 'cause she came to me for help and advice, and I love that. I love that Emily trusts me."

Steve could feel Soda squeezing his hand, also easily able to imagine where else his friend's mind had gone during the conversation with his birth daughter. "But it hurts to think she could ever be abused."

"Yeah. That hurts a hell of a lot, and I know the most any of us can do is talk to her about this kind of stuff. We can't stop if from happening if she ever comes across that sort of person."

"No. We can't. But the kind of conversation you just shared with her opens the door on the topic. If anything ever happens or almost happens, Emily will know what to do, so it won't be allowed to escalate. I know it doesn't make the thought any less painful, but she would have a clearer picture and a bigger context than what I had."

"Context? What do you mean?"

Steve let himself forge through his childhood memories, finding the gold within the most painful experiences he'd ever endured. "I mean she's heard about sexual abuse already. From Carrie talking about Chris and now from you too. She knows it's okay to talk about these things, and you encouraged her to say what she wanted to. Even better, she knows you don't blame Chris. If anything ever happens, she'll have a reason to believe no one will blame her, and she'll have at least one relationship that feels safe enough to talk about something scary and uncomfortable. I'm not blaming anyone in my life for this, but I didn't have those tools, brother. This subject never came up because people don't talk about it till it's in their faces and, as we know, not even always then. I felt so alone and like I was the only one because I had no idea about other kids being hurt the way I was. With all these factors combined, it's no wonder Clara got as far as she did in victimizing me."

Not for the first time, Soda gazed upon his best friend in awe, always taken by how he could use what happened to him to help others. "I don't know how you do it, Stevie. I mean, I know that when you talk to your clients, you can't tell them the kind of stuff you just said to me. But I never stop bein' amazed at how you can counsel people through things when you've had to deal with so much yourself. How you can listen to their stories and pain and be all right with it when you've hurt in some of the same ways."

"Well, you know it is tough for me sometimes, and without all the support I have, I couldn't do it either. If I didn't have you guys to be there in my issues and pain, being a counselor could never work."

"Emily told me I'd make a great counselor too, but I can't see it." Soda reflected on everything he'd seen and experienced, remembering the losses he'd coped with, as well as how his own struggles were intertwined with Steve's, even before he'd become a victim himself. "I didn't burst her bubble, but I'm really sure, with that kind of job, my mental health wouldn't have a prayer."