The whole family, including Kermit, met for dinner. After dinner, Paul, Annie, Kermit and Peter went to the living room. It was Carolyn and Kelly's turn to do the dishes and they joined them a few minutes later. Peter was sprawled on the floor, his head resting against the couch, and he frowned as Kelly went directly to Kermit, snuggling close to him.

He wondered what his youngest foster sister saw in the close-mouthed individual. Wherever Kermit was, Kelly appeared there sooner or later. The eight-year-old girl followed him around like a puppy. To Peter's surprise, Kermit never seemed to tire of her. Peter had a feeling Kermit became a different man whenever she was around, like a flower seeing the first light of day, because the man started blooming as soon as he saw her.

Peter shook his head. How could a grown up man wear sunglasses all the time, even inside a house or in the dark? He preferred to look into a person's eyes, but he'd never seen Kermit's eyes. Peter's suspicious nature told him that the older man must be hiding something. Why else should he wear glasses and never take them off? There was something else about this man, something Peter wasn't able to put into words. It was as if Kermit was surrounded by a brick wall as high as Mount Everest. There was simply no way to see within or break down the barrier.

In fact, Peter felt very uncomfortable around him. The few times the two of them had been alone in a room were times of deep silence. Peter had tried, really tried, to get near to that friend of Paul's and talk to him, but all he'd earned were some monosyllabic or evasive answers.

Peter sighed inwardly. Listening to the animated conversation going on the couch, he felt he was the only person having problems with the man. Even Annie acted like Kermit was someone to value. She treated him as though he belonged to this family as well. Well, maybe Peter's slight aversion against the man was just because he didn't know Kermit as well like the others did. After all, Kermit was a close friend of Paul. And if Paul trusted Kermit, he should too. Still, he couldn't shake the thought that this man was far more dangerous than he appeared. Peter was dying to know what the two men talked about when they retreated into Paul's study.

Peter caught a knowing smile from Paul and quickly looked away. Paul couldn't read his thoughts like his natural father used to do, or could he? He quickly extinguished that thought. Thinking about his father hurt too much, especially after the letter he'd just written. Perhaps, it was better to stop thinking and just pay attention to the ongoing conversation.

Kelly happily bounced up and down at Kermit's side, eliciting a grunt from the green shaded man.

"Kelly, Kermit isn't a piece of playground equipment. Pay a little more attention. Remember, Kermit has an injured leg," Annie chided her gently.

The child stopped the motion right away. Her lip quivered as she peered at the athletic man. "Uncle Kermit, did I hurt you?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Kermit flashed her a hearty smile and hugged her close. "Nah, sweetie. Everything's fine. Hey, do you want to play something before you have to go to bed?"

"Yes, please!" Kelly shouted cheerfully.

Chiding forgotten, she leaped to her feet and rattled out a variety of possibilities. Her sister chimed in and after a very temperamental discussion, they finally agreed on Memory.

"Peter, you wanna play too?" Kelly asked.

"Kelly, it is, do you want to play," Annie corrected her with the patience of a mother.

Kelly merely grinned and repeated her question.

Peter shook his head. "Nah…but maybe I'll help you."

Kelly beamed. "Great! Carolyn and Uncle Kermit won't have a chance against us."

Before Carolyn had the chance to complain about the conspiracy, Paul got up and reached for his wife.

"That's our cue. Let's leave the four children alone. Have fun with your game. Annie and I will seek serenity in my study."

Kelly giggled and nudged Carolyn. "Did you hear that? Daddy called Uncle Kermit a child," she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

The grown-ups chuckled, and Carolyn merely rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on. Let's get something to drink before the game starts." She grabbed her sister and dragged her along.

Paul helped his wife up and pointed to the cupboard to the right side. "The game is up there, Kermit. You better get it down before the girls come back and start climbing on the furniture like a pair of lunatic monkeys."

Kermit grinned. "Sure, Paul. You have fun, you two."

Annie smiled back, even if she couldn't see his smile. "You too, Kermit. Keep an eye on the trio."

"I will, Annie, I will."

Kermit got up and headed for the cupboard. Peter also scrambled to his feet and went to the bathroom. When he returned, Paul and Annie had left for the study and Kermit was on tiptoe, fumbling for the game.

Kermit didn't seem to notice that the loosely fitting dark blue shirt he wore had ridden up and bared a good part of his back, but Peter did. He stifled a gasp at the sight of various bruises and whip marks covering Kermit's back. Peter felt the color drain from his face.

The dark haired man managed to get a grip of the game and pulled it down. He turned to Peter and frowned at him. "Are you okay, kid?"

Peter gulped hard, deliberately avoiding Kermit's green-glassed glare. "Y…Yeah, sure. I…I think I ate my supper too fast," he lied.

Kermit threw him another suspicious glance and then showed a ghost of a smile. "Old habits die hard, huh? I've never seen anyone eat as fast as you do, kid. Why don't you go out to the terrace and take a couple of deep breaths? If you need help, just holler."

Peter didn't hesitate. He didn't even realize that Kermit had said more than just the usual two or three words to him for the first time since his arrival. The youngster just nodded and rushed to the French doors leading to the garden. With a thud, he plopped down on the slatted wood of a bench, trying to regain his composure, but failed.

He had no idea how long he sat there, frozen to the spot, listening to the cheers and laughter from the living room. He couldn't think, even breathing was difficult. And he didn't have the faintest idea why the discovery of Kermit's hidden injuries affected him so much.

Peter gasped in surprise as a hand touched his shoulder and he tensed up in response.

"Whoa there. Sorry, I didn't want to scare you," Kermit said and removed his hand.

"I…I didn't hear you," Peter stammered.

A quirky smile played on Kermit's lips. "Figured. Listen, I just came out to ask if everything was all right with you? You've been awfully quiet." He pointed to the French doors behind his back. "Besides, the girls are missing you in there."

Peter's thoughts whirled. There were so many, he couldn't deal with all of them. Now would be a perfect time to talk with Kermit about his recent discovery, but as hard as he tried, Peter couldn't force the question out that weighed so heavily on his heart. Finally, he mumbled, "I'm okay."

Kermit tilted his head. Peter felt like a bug under the scrutinizing glare that wasn't much softened by the tinted glasses.

"You're sure? You don't look good to me."

Peter managed a wan smile and fumbled with the hem of his shirt, unable to look into the man's face.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just not in the mood to play with my sisters, okay?"

It was obvious that Kermit didn't buy his lame excuse, but he didn't dig deeper. Not bothering with a reply, the mysterious man shrugged, turned and limped back to Kelly and Carolyn.

As soon as Kermit had left the terrace, Peter buried his head in his hands, suppressing a sob. What was wrong with him? Behaving like a coward had never been his way. The bruises on the man's back spoke of great violence. What the hell had happened to Kermit? Why hadn't he'd been able to ask Kermit outright what had happened? Or was he so afraid of the answers he might get? Maybe he'd chosen to avoid the talk, because he'd also lived through violent time in his life, namely the destruction of the temple. Was he mixing up the emotional pain he felt with the bodily pain Kermit must be feeling? Was he simply worrying about the safety of his foster family? Why would he care so much about a man he barely knew and didn't really like?

The urge to run to his secret place felt nearly overwhelming. Peter yearned for the calming presence of the small brook, and more importantly, the water. It was the place he could think best and come to terms with everything…well, nearly everything. However, that wasn't an option now. Peter didn't even dare to think about what Paul would do if he were to run off into the advancing darkness. He was already in enough trouble. There was no point in getting in any deeper. Finally, the world blurred in front of his eyes as he was giving in to confusion and nagging, unanswered questions.

***

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