Vancouver, Canada (twenty-one years ago)-

"Close the blinds! The cops will be here any minute!" I awoke to find men scrambling around on the main floor of our house. Mary and my baby sister, Edwina, were nowhere to be found; I was alone in there with them, I guess. While I groggily rubbed my eyes descending the staircase, Daddy was racing about with the other men; they were hurried closing all the windows.

"I need you to do this for me, Micheal! It's my only chance!" One guy I didn't know the name of pleaded with my father, who was busy bolting the door shut. "I can't just turn myself into the police! What about my kids?! Edwina's only a few months old, and Kate's crazy mom and her family have been hounding the Canadian government ever since we arrived in Vancouver!" "Hey! It's not MY fault you kidnapped your own daughter!" "We've been over this; I DIDN'T kidnap her! I had to get her away from her mother and her psycho grandparents! They'll do anything in their power to drag her back to India."

The other man huffed angrily, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Look, I need you to do this for me, man. If they arrest me, they'll throw the book at me! You know they've been inching to slap me with a murder charge ever since my wife fell down the stairs last month." Daddy hissed through his teeth, shaking his head viciously. "Did she fall, or was she pushed?" "She fell! Or at least as far as they're concerned, she fell. But that doesn't matter; I CAN'T go away for murder!" "You shoulda' thought about that BEFORE you stashed five-hundred-thousand bucks worth of drugs in your warehouse!"

"Daddy?" I finally spoke up, cautiously standing that the edge of the room. Both men suddenly blinked to me, as if they hadn't realized I was there. Naturally Daddy rushed over to me with open arms, cooing at me in a softer, quieter voice. "What're you doing up, sweetheart? It's pretty late; you should be asleep by now. I'm sorry; did we wake you up?" He meant to ask with their yelling but refrained. I gazed up at his face with confused, worried eyes.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Why's everyone shouting?" "N-Nothing's wrong, sweetie. Just go on up to bed. Daddy'll be up later to kiss you good night," as my father tried- and failed- to comfort me, the other man in the room watched the scene with an intense, mediative demeanour. He took a few steps towards Daddy, keeping the front of him pointed straight in his direction. He buried his hands into his pockets.

"Micheal, if you take the rap for the drug trafficking charge, I'll get you the paperwork." "What are you talking about?" Daddy's tone was low and serious again, his head spinning slightly to eye the man. "I can get the documents you need granting you and Mary emergency custody of Kate. Her mom won't be able to get her sent back to India; she'll stay here in Canada, permanently." I had no idea what the two men were talking about, but it made Daddy's eyes suddenly grow. He said nothing for a second, letting his gaze drift out into a space as he mulled over the offer. "I'm looking at a minimum of twenty years if I do that….." He reasoned aloud. The other man nodded, maintaining a firm yet stoic tone. "My connections in the legal department can have the files drafted up tomorrow. You take the rap, and Kate'll stay here with her stepmom and new sister for good. You're probably going to be arrested tonight on an affiliation charge anyway. Might as well make this situation work in your favour."

Daddy thought it over a moment before finally, FINALLY glancing back at me. He looked at me, standing there in my pyjamas with teddy bear in hand, and smiled miserably. His hand reached up to stroke my cheek repeatedly as he spoke.

"You are so loved, Kate. Daddy loves you so much. I fought tooth and nail to get you here, and I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you here. I love you more than you can ever imagine….. Just please promise me you'll try to remember that when I'm away. You- you and your sister- are the best things that ever happened to me, and I don't regret my decision for a moment. You'll be safe here with Mary….. Just always remember that I love you. Daddy will always love you, no matter how far apart we are. You are my sun, earth, and moon. There'll never be a day when I don't think about you."

My eyes fluttered open as consciousness gradually returned to me. I found myself laying in bed, right beside a still sleeping Sasha. His mouth was open a tiny bit and his breathing was low and steady. Watching my son sleep, my hand rose up to gently stroke his cheek as tears welled up in the corners of my eyes.

I never saw my dad outside of jail after that night. Mary raised me and Edwina as a single mom back in Vancouver. I doubt she ever blamed me for Dad's arrest that night, but I struggled with guilt for a long time once I was old enough to understand what happened. That also disappeared with time and after Daddy constantly reassured me that it wasn't my fault. He told me that his real dream for me was to become a strong, independent woman; he said that before he died. It was also his dream to see his grandchildren, but that never happened….

But I know that he'd love his grandson too.

As I watched my son's face, I felt a sort of kinship, understanding that I never experienced before. I didn't feel guilty because he wouldn't want me to feel guilty. It'd eat me alive if I discovered that Sasha felt guilty for my death. That's not the way parent's logic works; our brains function differently when it comes to our kids. I never realized that before but now…. Now that Sasha is here, I understand why he did what he did all those years ago. And without hesitation too….. I can't say anything. After all, even if we can't save my life in the end, I'd still choose to have Sasha. Without a second thought, I'd have him all over again…. I'd never experienced that kind of automatic, deep, endless, profound love before, but I did…. when I looked at my son's face.

Sasha yawned, groggily opening his sweet brown eyes. "Mom?" He asked in the most adorable voice ever. My smile intensified onto him as the palm of my hand pressed down into his cheek. I didn't verbally respond so Sasha addressed me again, this time a bit louder tone. "Mom, what's wrong?" I smiled at him….. Oh, how I smiled. "Nothing, Mommy was just thinking." "Thinking about what?" My lips pressed tight together for a second as I had to remember to breathe. I wanted to tell him; I wanted to give him the same comfort that my father gave me that night so long ago. I'm grateful that my dad- above all else- made sure that his kids knew that he loved him. That was one of the greatest gifts he ever gave to me as his child, and I know had the opportunity to give that to my own son. Sasha's never known a mother's love before, but I was able to give him that now. I can give him the same solid foundation that my beloved father gave me. So if he ever goes back to his own timeline, and I'm not there, he'll still know beyond a shadow of a doubt…

I looked my son square in the eye, smiling so lovingly the whole time as I stroked his soft hair. "About how much I love you. Mommy loves you, Sasha. If you ever go back to your own time, please remember that. Remember how loved you are; how much your mother loves you." After beholding me for a long minute, his little face beamed and he closed his eyes overjoyed. His small hand came up to take mine. "Heh, Dad and Grandma always said that you loved me….." He giggled with uncontrollable glee and delight, which only strengthened my smile. "And they're right. I love you very much." He giggled, squeezing my hand extra tight. "I love you too, Mommy. I missed you so, so much." "You can always think about me if you miss me. And when you do, remember how special you are….

My sun, earth, and moon."