Someone had to speak first, and it wasn't going to be Dietrich. When he got up that morning, he didn't think this would be nearly as intimidating as it was turning out to be. He clutched his cue stick tightly, biting his lip and telling himself that he was going to say nothing until more time passed. He held his breath, not even wanting to make eye contact with Hitch or either of his parents. He feared that they would just rely on him to cut through the tension.

He released his breath when Hitch finally spoke.

"Mom, Dad, just so you know, I'm not going to defend… what I did." Hitch looked at the table. "It was stupid. I know."

"Then why did you do it?" Noah's blue eyes bore into his son.

Hitch glanced at Dietrich, then back at his father. "It… started… at Wake Forest. I was having a hard time making friends. I was homesick a lot. A couple of guys in my class took me aside one day and told me they knew a way to help me meet people. They weren't specific until we went to a bar in town, with a lot of girls. I couldn't decide who I wanted to get to know, and one of the guys said, 'Why settle for one?'" Hitch dropped eye contact with his father, a look of shame dominating everything else. "And it just continued from there. All because it made me popular among that particular group. It was something. Better than nothing."

"You're lucky we didn't find out about this back then," Noah said. "Your career is lucky we didn't find out, because I wouldn't have hesitated to cut you off financially."

"I know. That's why I didn't say anything. It was… fun, back then. Fun. Now, it's just embarrassing."

"Embarrassing is right," Irena said. "We didn't raise you to think that sort of behavior was acceptable, Mark."

"No, you didn't. The more it went on, the more I realized how badly it was going to hurt you if you found out. I figured it was best you didn't know, especially when the war ended and I finally accepted that it was time to stop. Stop, move on, grow up. That's it. That's all I want."

"Do we need to worry about Molly and the children?"

"No." Hitch's face reddened and his voice cracked. "No, you'll never have to worry about them. I'd never abandon them. Never let anything happen to them." He swallowed, and tears began running down his face. "I-I don't know what I can say to help you believe me."

Dietrich drew in a breath. Hitch's parents were letting their emotions get the better of them, and Hitch seemed stuck in a losing battle. Can I keep this from getting worse? "Irena, he went to me for help when he wanted to start something serious with Molly. If that does not assure you of his change, I do not know what will."

"You swear this, Hans?" Irena asked.

"Mom, you've seen me with Molly over the last few years," Hitch said. "I have never lied to her. Ask her yourself—she already knew about what happened, because I passed her up at college. I gave her a chance, and I don't regret it."

"Does your sister know about this?"

"I hope not. That'd be embarrassing."

"Precisely. You didn't think about that, did you?"

Dietrich didn't think it was possible to see someone like Irena look angry until that day.

"You didn't think about us, or Lucina."

"No, I didn't," Hitch said.

"College is one thing, but then you went and fouled things up in the Army," Noah said. "You told us you enlisted because you believed you could contribute to the war effort. Was that a lie, too?"

"No. That wasn't a lie. Sleeping around was the only thing I lied to you about. I swear."

Irena looked at Dietrich.

"He is telling the truth," Dietrich said. "As reprehensible as his behavior was, he certainly performed excellently in battlefield conditions. Make no mistake, he was a good soldier. I certainly never guessed at what he was doing away from the front whenever he and the others were briefly in my captivity. He knew how to put his vice aside while in combat. He could focus on the task at hand, and most importantly, he was doggedly loyal to Troy and his men. I would not be saying this if I did not witness it firsthand. Not only that, but I owe him a great deal of thanks, along with Tully, for helping me adjust to a normal routine after I attempted suicide. He and the others helped me learn how to enjoy life again. It was his idea to introduce me to you, after all."

Both Irena and Noah looked like they were thinking.

"I said to your son when he opened up to me about why he started this behavior in college, that I understand how destructive loneliness is. It effects everyone differently. In my case, it pushed me deeper and deeper into my depression. It pushed Troy to bottle up his emotions, and convinced him that he would never be a suitable husband until he met Shauna. It, in part, drove Moffitt to believe he was a freak of nature, undeserving of love, and convinced him that every little thing that went wrong was his fault."

"It doesn't exonerate Mark of wrongdoing," Noah said.

"No, it does not," Dietrich replied. "We all have things in our pasts that we are not proud of—"

"Not all of them involve angering someone to the point of them resorting to stalking," Irena interrupted. "It sounds like we should be grateful this is the only one. So far."

"We will put an end to this, one way or another," Dietrich said. Now he felt like he was in a losing battle. Irena and Noah were completely blinded by their own anger. Dietrich wanted to say that everyone needed to take a few steps back before saying something that they regretted, but Irena continued.

"This wouldn't be an issue in the first place if Mark—"

Dietrich snapped. "Forgive me for interrupting, but there is nothing we can do about what he did! What is done is done. I said that yesterday. I understand this is upsetting. I cannot blame you for how you feel. Look at it this way—this woman probably wants to sow the seeds of doubt and conflict within you, to destroy your relationship with your son, to make him suffer for making a false, drunken promise of marriage."

Irena glared at Hitch. "So, you were out getting drunk as well?!"

Dietrich found himself wanting to hide, and cursed in his head. Well, that did not help.

"That wasn't a regular thing!" Hitch shouted.

"You still made that decision!"

"Mom, I—"

"No. We're done. I don't know you anymore. You lied to us. We did nothing to hurt you. We supported your career. We loved you, gave you everything we possibly could, and taught you right from wrong. This is the thanks we get?" Irena's voice broke. Tears were streaming down her face.

Dietrich was certain this development was his fault. I should not have referenced the fact that he was drunk. He kept quiet, looking at the floor and biting his lip.

"You couldn't ask us for help. You had to do what would get you attention, even though you damn well knew it was wrong!" Irena shouted.

"Did you not hear what Dietrich just told you?" Hitch asked.

"I did, but it still makes no sense! Get out! I don't want to see you for a while!"

This new silence was more uncomfortable than before anyone had spoken earlier. Dietrich didn't think there was anything more he could say. Everyone was angry, and that anger needed to diffuse. Hitch broke the silence with a heavy sigh as he stood from the table and left the house, not saying so much as a goodbye.

Irena sank down to the couch in tears, and Noah went to comfort her. Dietrich stayed put, a feeling of discomfort growing inside him. The whole reason he came was because he felt he could help. Instead, he felt that he had just made things worse. He quietly returned the cue stick to its place by the pool table, and returned to the living room. Neither of Hitch's parents had moved, nor did they look at him. Dietrich felt it would be rude to leave without saying anything, especially since Hitch had just done that. Despite that, he went into the backyard. He gazed out at the coast for a moment, then noticed Raccoon coiled up in the shade of a flower bush. He went over to the bush, and sat by it. He couldn't tell if the rattlesnake was asleep or not, and the last thing he wanted to do was startle him. Dietrich moved back a little, sighing as he thought about what had happened inside.

A few minutes passed before Dietrich looked over his shoulder. He couldn't see anything in the windows of the house, so he went back to staring ahead. He noticed Raccoon stirring in the corner of his vision. "I suppose I will still be talking to myself anyway, since we cannot exactly converse. You are not Anah." Dietrich sighed. "It will feel better if it looks as though you are listening."

Raccoon was looking up at him, and Dietrich felt bad about this being the first thing that Raccoon had to deal with upon waking up. Dietrich knew he wouldn't appreciate having dilemmas like this dumped on him before he had coffee, but Raccoon was a snake, a snake that couldn't talk back and didn't require coffee to function in the morning. Snakes didn't exactly have variable facial expressions, but Dietrich had learned from Moffitt and Anah that there were a few ways to tell how a snake was feeling. So far, Raccoon was content. He wasn't rattling, wasn't reared up, and his tongue-flicking was quick and even.

"I think you can say I… what is the English term? I screwed things up," Dietrich said. "Quite badly. What am I expected to do, though? I am not going to lie—lying is why all of this started. I told Irena the truth about what had happened between Hitch and that nurse, and now…" He sighed and shrugged. "I am out of ideas. Everyone is angry. We cannot have a real discussion under these circumstances. What more can be said? Hitch's actions cannot be defended. All his parents can do now is forgive him. If they want. I can understand the fact that some crazy woman is stalking him because of his stupid choices has made that difficult."

Raccoon hadn't moved. He kept staring at Dietrich.

"Fortunately, I am not going to ask you for any suggestions. One, Moffitt is not here to convey my thoughts to you, and two, I would like to not burden you with this. However, I do appreciate you listening." Dietrich briefly wondered if he had completely lost his mind. Then again, he had been wondering that since deciding he wanted to be friends with Troy. But, here he was, talking to an eastern diamondback rattlesnake like someone would a cat or dog. At least if either of Hitch's parents came outside, they knew he wasn't crazy. Irena said she chatted to Raccoon all the time.

Dietrich looked up from the viper when the back door opened and closed. He saw Noah taking a seat on the same bench that Dietrich and Irena were on the day before. The older man looked deep in thought, then he glanced at Dietrich when the skinny German walked over.

"I take it you and Irena are still angry?" Dietrich asked.

Noah nodded, then sighed. "I didn't raise Mark to treat women like that."

"If it helps, he told me he was never forceful with them."

"Forceful or not, it's not okay. I'd be livid if someone treated my daughter like… like just a plaything to be enjoyed for a night and forgotten the next day. She's a person. A person who deserves to be loved, treasured."

"Is she married?"

"Yes, and happy. Her husband's the lead singer of a local band. They're not really known outside of this half of North Carolina, but they're happy. They're a team. They work together. I said to Mark and Lucina, 'Find someone you can work with. Even if you're doing different things in your life, find someone who understands and respects your passion.'"

"Something much deeper than just physical attraction," Dietrich said.

"Exactly. Someone you can learn from. Someone who can keep your mind sharp as you grow older." Noah went quiet again. "Did I not put enough emphasis on that with Mark?"

"I told Irena that what happened was not your fault or hers. Hitch was trapped due to loneliness. Could he have gotten himself out of it? Yes. He chose not to. He chose. I am sure that if you and Irena were made aware of this much sooner, he would have been more motivated to stop. It has stopped, and has not been a problem for many years. I know he loves Molly. Like I said, he would not have gone to me for advice if he did not. Molly does know about this and she has had no complaints with him, because he has not done anything behind her back."

Noah said nothing for another long moment. "We're going in circles with this, because there's nothing we can do. There's no erasing it."

"No. He knows it is embarrassing. It is upsetting to him now. I had tried to say inside that we all have things in our pasts that we are not proud of. I know I have killed people in battle. I deliberately blinded Troy. I almost killed him by beating him over the head with a heavy chain. You still welcome me into your home."

"When Mark told us who you were, we expected that things like that would come up. You didn't hide any of it, though."

"It is different with him because he is your son, your child, and something like this was completely unexpected."

"Yeah."

"The same principle applies. I am ashamed of my actions. So is Hitch. He does not need to be burdened with this any longer, and for that burden to come from you… I reckon it will be devastating. He wants the best for Molly and their children. Let him move on. It will give him the confidence he needs to be a good husband and father."

"Is it wrong of me to say that it feels like we're letting him get away with this?"

"No. You are his parents. It was your job to discipline him when he did something wrong growing up. However, the time for that has passed, both because he is grown up now, and because he has already learned his lesson. You could still punish him in a sense by refusing to speak to him, but unless you truly feel you need time apart to think, I do not believe it will help." Despite having done nothing physical that day, Dietrich was exhausted. There is nothing more I can say. Take it or leave it.

"Well, I would like some time to think about what you're saying, and I'll talk it over with Irena. I don't… I don't want to end all communication with Mark. For his kids' sake." Noah turned to Dietrich. "I hate to ask, but—"

"You want me to go speak with him?"

"Yeah."

"I can. I am not expecting it to go well at first, but I will give it my best try."

Truthfully, Dietrich wasn't sure what to expect. Given that Hitch had left angrily, Dietrich expected him to still be angry. While standing on the front porch, waiting for someone to answer the door, Dietrich's thoughts were rapidly swinging between questioning why everyone thought he was the best man for this job, and feeling reasonably confident that he could fix this.

Molly opened the door. "Hello, Hans," she said, with much less enthusiasm than the day before.

"Hello," Dietrich replied. "Um… I take it this is a bad time?"

"Yes and no. Mark told me what happened with his parents. Neither of us are sure what to do. We're going to take a walk through the beach park near here. I was just about to call our neighbor, but would you be alright with watching the babies?"

"Uh, sure. I can watch your children. I watched Jules all the time."

"Thank you so much, Hans. Oh, and help yourself to anything in the fridge. I just made a big bowl of vanilla pudding, with whipped cream, and there's fresh fruit, too."

"I appreciate that, Molly, thank you." Dietrich entered the house, unsure of how long he would be alone with the children. He had experience with Jules, yes, but Jules was only one child and was very quiet compared to most other children. Dietrich expected Carolyn to be easier to manage than Zach.

Hitch came into the room, still looking a bit down. "Hey, Dietrich. Do you need something?"

"I came to speak to you about what happened. I spoke with your parents—"

"Not now," Hitch said. "Let me clear my head first, okay?"

"I was about to say that I understand the need to clear your head. I already told Molly I would watch the children, so take as long as you need."

"Alright. Thanks." Hitch didn't say anything more as he and Molly left.

Dietrich could see them holding hands as they headed down the street to where a path leading to the park began. He felt bad that this had happened. Hitch made a big effort to change. Being dragged back into those memories is probably the worst punishment that could be inflicted on him. He let out a quiet sigh before going into the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea. After closing the refrigerator door, he heard a baby start whimpering upstairs. And so it begins. Dietrich went up into Hitch and Molly's bedroom, finding Carolyn in her crib. The infant looked quite upset about something, and cried when Dietrich picked her up.

"I am going to assume you want to be fed, or you need a change," Dietrich said. He checked Carolyn over as best he could, hoping it was something entirely normal and not something to worry about. He breathed a sigh of relief that she was only crying due to being hungry. Fortunately, he had experience with making formula for Jules whenever Moffitt and Vanora were out of the house. "Let us see how well I remember that, shall we?" He lightly bounced Carolyn while heading downstairs, and tried to keep her against him while preparing a serving of formula. He remembered that Jules would fuss a little less while being held, but Carolyn wasn't the same way. Naturally, she couldn't understand any of Dietrich's reassurances that food was coming, not until he was seated on the couch and putting the bottle to her little lips.

"There," Dietrich said. He noticed the baby staring up at him while she was suckling the bottle. "I know, I am not your mother, or your father. Jules gave me the same look." He was quiet for a few moments, not wanting his thoughts turn back to Hitch and his parents. He went back to looking at Carolyn. She was so small now, but soon she would be walking and talking. Soon, she would be exploring the world on her own. He didn't doubt that Hitch and Molly would raise her to be a kind person, strong-willed but compassionate. The time for teaching would come before they all knew it, but for now it was all love and cuddles—mostly. Dietrich had seen how the first few months of Jules's life took away many nights of sleep from Moffitt and Vanora. They loved him dearly, but it was quite exhausting, even with Dietrich and Anah's help. The only one who never got tired was Anah, thanks to her being a supernatural entity. It was all worth it, though.

Hitch had done all of this once before with Zach, and had agreed with Molly to have another, so Dietrich didn't doubt Hitch's capabilities of being a parent. Zach was a happy child, and Dietrich had seen Hitch playing with him. If that wasn't proof of Hitch's change, Dietrich didn't know what was.

When Carolyn was finished, Dietrich set the bottle aside, adjusting the way he was sitting in order to put the infant to his shoulder and gently pat her back. He stood to sit with Carolyn in the rocking chair, then heard the thumping of a toddler clumsily running down the stairs. He turned to see Zach entering the living room. The toddler raced past Dietrich, headed for the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Dietrich asked.

"Doggy!" Zach said.

"What?"

"Outside!"

Dietrich looked out the living room window to see the black and white collie from earlier standing in the yard. He wondered if the dog was a stray. It looked quite clean for a stray—and quite clean for a border collie. He knew they were primarily working dogs, but it wasn't unheard of to see them as house pets. Regardless, Zach wasn't going to touch it. "No. We do not know where that dog has been, or if it is friendly." Dietrich ensured the front door was locked.

"Wan' pet doggy!" Zach shrieked.

"Could you please stop yelling?" Dietrich said. "No, you are not going to pet that dog. Find something else to do." He gently pulled Zach away from the window, nudging him toward a basket of toys. Just when I was starting to think about wanting children myself… I am reminded of the toddler stage. Dietrich's stomach twisted as the vague memories surfaced from when he was little, and acting like a child was deeply frowned on by his mother. He slowly lowered himself to the rocking chair. He found managing toddlers to be difficult—even Jules wasn't immune to having tantrums—but he would never treat Jules or Zach or any other child the way he had been treated growing up. He looked down at Carolyn again, rocking back and forth in the chair, trying to push his memories back into the recesses of his brain.

Zach took a bucket of building blocks out, dragging them to the center of the living room. He dumped them out on the floor, and sat down to start stacking them.

At least I know where you are, Dietrich thought. As much as he wanted to nap along with the baby, he knew keeping an eye on Zach was more important. He made sure Carolyn was sleeping, and adjusted her so she was nestled against his chest. She stretched out her little arms and legs while making soft sounds before bringing them back closer to her body. Dietrich's heart melted. "If you do anything else that cute, I might just take you home with me. No, no, no, I could never… but you are quite close to wrapping me around your little finger."

About ten minutes passed before Zach stood and toddled over to Dietrich. "Wan' apple!"

"There is a word you are forgetting," Dietrich said. "A very important word. Have you been taught this word yet?"

Zach thought for a moment. "Wan' apple, peas."

Dietrich tried to decide whether or not he considered that acceptable. After all, Zach was trying. It wasn't his fault he couldn't quite say "please" yet. Dietrich sighed while standing up. "Alright, where are the apples kept?" He placed Carolyn down somewhere safe before going into the kitchen.

Zach was clinging to his leg, excitedly chanting for apples.

"I will not give you an apple if you continue shouting," Dietrich said. "We are inside, and your sister is trying to sleep. We do not shout inside, and certainly not while someone is sleeping. It is quite rude." Heaven help me. Dietrich pulled an apple out of the refrigerator, and set it on a cutting board. He kept nudging Zach away as he tried to work. "I have a knife in my hand. Please stop grabbing me. I do not want you to get hurt." When he finished cutting the apple, he waited until Zach had calmed down until presenting him with the cut apple. Instead of taking the bowl, Zach started crying.

"For heaven's sake, what is wrong with it?" Dietrich asked.

Zach's crying made Carolyn start to cry as well, and Dietrich was at a loss of what to do. He frantically tried to find a solution, but so far the only thing he could come up with was praying for Hitch and Molly to come back quickly. Fortunately, his prayers were answered far sooner than he was expecting. The front door opened, and Hitch and Molly walked in. They were both smiling at first, but both rushed to their children upon seeing and hearing their crying.

"All I did was give him an apple like he wanted," Dietrich said.

"You didn't peel it, did you?" Hitch asked.

"No."

"There's your problem."

"What does it matter?"

"He doesn't like the apple skin."

Dietrich gave Hitch an incredulous look.

"I know. Kids can be a little strange. He'll grow out of it. I'm sorry we didn't tell you before."

"It is alright. At least I got feeding Carolyn right."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot you know how to make formula." Hitch took the bowl of apple slices. "I'll get this fixed. You can go wait outside if you want to talk."

"Thank you." Dietrich made haste with getting outside, wondering how long it would take Hitch and Molly to get their children to stop crying. He looked through the window, seeing Molly holding Carolyn and bouncing her while Hitch was showing Zach that he was taking the skins off the apple slices.

A few minutes passed before Hitch came outside, sitting next to Dietrich on the bench. "Sorry about that. You said you talked to my parents?"

Dietrich nodded. "Well, your father. Your mother was still upset when I left. I told your father that your behavior already bothers you, and that continuing to burden you with reminders and lectures is not what you need. You have already put so much effort into changing. The last thing anyone wants is to see you set back."

Hitch was quiet for a moment. "Could you… do me a favor and keep this one thing between us?"

"Of course."

"At Wake Forest, a lot of those guys tried to convince me that my parents were just holding me back from being me. They twisted a lot of things, making it seem… true, in a way. It makes me mad, now, that they basically tried to destroy my relationship with my family. After seeing what's happened to Sarge, and learning what Moffitt and his dad went through, and especially what you went through, I'm grateful for what I have. I never should have thought about throwing it away."

"Life has a way of showing us things like that."

"Even Tully's family isn't perfect. He's still kept the moonshine running a secret, because his mom's getting up there in age, and he's worried that telling her the truth would shock her so much that… I think you can guess."

"I can understand that, to a degree."

"He won't even tell his siblings, because of the risk of it getting back to his mother."

"He must have worked quite hard to prevent them from finding out back then."

Hitch nodded in agreement. "What else did you talk about?"

"Your father said that it feels as though he and your mother are letting you get away with this behavior. I said that as much as I understand where they are coming from, the time for punishment has passed. You already learned your lesson, and the torment of memories is punishment enough. I said that they can choose to not speak with you again if they wish, but your father said he didn't want to end all communication with you, for the sake of your children."

"I'm glad he can see that. Zach would be so upset if he couldn't see his grandparents. You're right, it's… it's past time for anyone to do anything. Best to just… move on. Besides, Molly stayed with me despite knowing what happened. She was willing to give me a chance and I haven't made her regret it. I think she's the biggest proof of change I have."

"She is, as are your children. I was, admittedly, a bit frustrated with Zach. I probably would have been less frustrated if I had known about the apple skin, but…" Dietrich shrugged. "I saw you handle him. You are patient with him. Understanding."

"Well, apparently, I didn't like apple skin when I was that age, either. I also didn't like peaches because of the skin, but it made me hate everything with peaches until I was about… seven, I think, when Mom made oatmeal with peaches and cream, and peach tea. Like I said, kids can be a little strange, but for the most part, that'll pass, with patience."

"Meanwhile, the pickiest eater we know is not a child, but Moffitt."

Hitch laughed. "You're right! You can't get much pickier than Moffitt. I'll have to ask his dad if he was like that as a kid."

"I doubt Moffitt will be happy with you over that." Despite saying that, Dietrich couldn't help grinning as well. He was also glad to see Hitch smiling.

Hitch's smile faded, though, when he spotted something in the bushes across the street. "Hey, there it is again."

"What?" Dietrich asked.

"There's this border collie hanging around the neighborhood. I don't know if it's a stray or not."

Dietrich could see the collie looking at them from behind the bushes. "Zach spotted it from his window, and wanted to go pet it. No, I did not let him."

"Thanks. We're practicing with the neighbor's cat, but Zach hasn't learned yet how to be gentle with animals." Hitch paled. "I'm worried about him finding Raccoon whenever we go to my parents. So far, Raccoon doesn't show whenever we go over with the kids, but… I'm worried about something happening, like our supervision not being enough. Eastern diamondback bites are bad enough for adults. Moffitt showed me how to administer the antivenom made from his blood. I know it works. I've watched him use it several times, but it's…"

"It is far more nerve-wracking because you would be using it on your own child," Dietrich said.

"Yeah. Can I stay calm long enough for that?"

"I believe you can. It may be difficult at first, but you were able to stay calm when assisting your teammates with injuries during the war." Dietrich watched the collie for a moment. "That same dog showed up at your parents' house when we were all there a couple of hours ago."

"Huh." Hitch pursed his lips, then glanced at Dietrich. "Do you think it could be trying to tell us something?"

"I think that is entirely possible, but the question is what."

"We follow it and find out. Anah was the one who taught us to pay attention to stuff like this."

Dietrich nodded. "Alright. We will follow the dog. First, do you have any weapons?"

Hitch gave him a stunned look. "Yeah, but I don't want to hurt the dog."

"It is not the dog I am worried about. It is whatever—or whoever—it might lead us to."