Caine returned from his daily 'rounds' through the neighborhood to find his newest student already awaiting his return. Savannah was pounding her fist into the bag hanging at the end of his practice room. An uncharacteristic display for the soft-spoken young woman. Force was something Caine had to draw from her in their lessons. Now, it seemed that she had conquered that hurdle.

"I see that you are under the same misconception as my son."

Starting slightly, Savannah abandoned her attack on the bag. *How does he do that?* She had been so wrapped up in her fury and confusion that she hadn't heard him come into the room. "And just what would that be?"

Taking her hand and pulling her down to sit beside him on the mat, he explained, "That violence can dissipate anger. It does not. Would you care to discuss the source of your turmoil?"

*NO! Hell, no! That's why I'm in this mess!* thought Savannah fiercely, blushing slightly. Knowing that Caine didn't approve of THIS type of expression. Violence disturbs and peace soothes. A concept Savannah normally adhered to and believed in wholeheartedly.

She elected to give up the futile struggle. He probably knew what was wrong already. Why try to hide it? "Things are so messed up, Caine. My parents. Kermit. I just don't know how to fix it."

"Ah. Parents and children must often struggle to build a life beyond misunderstanding and resentment. You have now decided to face this obstacle?" Caine massaged her hand, hoping to draw out the anger and allow the realizations to seep into his troubled student.

"Caine...I never told my parents about Ericson and the hell Kermit and went through. Never told them WHY Kermit sent me away. I never even told them about Kermit! Now, this morning, Kermit spilled the whole story to them without my knowledge. Now, they're all over me with 'we love you' and 'we're sorry'. Why did it take that horror story for them to be on my side?"

The correct questions were coming forth. Now, the guidance could begin. "Savannah, your parents love you. As you love them. Perhaps all of you have fallen short of each other's expectations when you all should have just accepted. Now, though, there has been a hand offered. Can you not rejoice in the bridge that has been built between you, regardless of the materials used in the construction?"

As Savannah struggled to choke her pride into submission, Caine felt the powerful presence of Donald March behind him. The priest felt the complex personality of this man as he struggled with his daughter's demons. He was a protector. His masculinity cried out to control others for 'their own good.' Traits he'd shared with his eldest. Caine felt his sorrow flowing from Donald's newly-realized failure. Now, he was making the effort to bend. It required monumental effort on his part.

"Excuse me, Mr. Caine." Donald stepped into the strange environment. It was time to lay the cards on the table with his child. "May I have a moment alone with my daughter?"

Savannah rose from the floor and unconsciously assumed a defensive posture. Fighting the urge to give in. Caine gracefully unfolded and answered, "Of course. I will leave you both to your...discovery."

Donald watched the priest leave the room. After Kermit had explained how their very lives were saved by this odd man, his tolerance had increased. He planned to express his gratitude...but that would have to wait.

"How did you know I was here, Daddy?" Savannah asked curiously.

"Kermit thought you might be here. He gave me directions." The concerned father sat next to his daughter. "It's time we worked a few things out, little girl."

The battle began anew as Savannah's temper flared once more. "What's to work out, Daddy? You hate my choices. You hate my husband. And now *suddenly*, after you've heard about the incident, you're sorry for me and you feel guilty."

He choked down a sharp retort. *Not this time, baby,* he thought defiantly. Instead, he said, "Guess I deserved that. But don't you have any blame here?"

"For what?! For expecting you to support me without question. For needing unconditional love from you even when I turned out to be less than perfect? I don't think so!" Savannah stood in front of her formidable father, glaring her pent-up anger into his eyes.

"Deserved that one, too, I suppose." Donald saw his daughter in an increasingly new light. Saw himself. Dug in and resisting. It made him smile inside. He sat down on a bench beside the wall in an attempt to lessen his intimidating physical presence. Maybe offer an olive branch. "You're right. We screwed up. But, baby, you didn't give us the whole story. Never gave us a chance to understand you or your young man or the situation. You simply threw us a bomb that turned our world upside-down and said 'Here - deal with it.'"

"Daddy...I was in so much pain! Why couldn't you see it? What that man did to me...losing Kermit...being pregnant. I was nearly in shock. I couldn't think straight." In spite of her anger, the fortitude to maintain it was draining. She could read the regret in his eyes. "I needed you so much." She was moving closer to him.

"I know. I know. NOW. But, then, I DIDN'T KNOW what you were feeling. I'm not a mind reader. And you never shared it. You seemed to want to be alone when you refused to say anything so that's what we did. Sure, I was angry at the trouble you'd gotten into but, if you'd opened up, maybe I might have understood...a little...." There were tears of regret forming in his eyes. Crying wasn't something men of his generation readily allowed themselves. A sign of weakness. But, today, he felt weak. And tired. And sorry. "Can we forgive each other and work this out, baby? This is just too heavy to carry any longer."

In that moment, father and daughter connected. Both accepting the other's failure and unspoken apology. As if a barrier had been pulled from the air between them, the two fell into an embrace of forgiveness. Re-igniting that joy of contact and sighing in the release. "I love you, Daddy."

"Me, too, sugar. Me, too." Donald March welcomed his daughter's affection. Remembering her at five, in this same embrace. Remembering her at twelve holding onto him while she got stitches in the doctor's office. Remembering her tears at sixteen after her first heartbreak. Grateful to have her back.

Now, that they had mended their fence...there was another to patch. "Now," her father said, "about Kermit-"

She shook her head. "I'm STILL upset with him, Daddy. You have no idea the secrets I hold for him and he bled mine all over the family." Regardless of the sentiment, she was still seething.

"Now, you're acting like a child, Savannah. I'll admit, he's not my ideal candidate for the father of my grandchildren but the man would rip his guts out for you. Let 'im off the hook. He's a good man and I feel safe leaving him in charge of my daughter. In fact," he finished under his breath, "I pity *anyone* who crosses him."

"IN CHARGE OF ME! That'll be the day!" The words were defiant but her expression was one of amusement.

"All right, let me rephrase that. He loves you. That's all I need to know. And with the crime rate in this hellhole...he seems to have a great deal of job security."

"But it's still not fair," Savannah muttered. "He gets to tell *everything* and is let off the hook. I worry and fret when I have to tell one secret of his and that was to save his life!" Savannah sighed at her father's look of confusion. "Long story....I guess I'll tell you later if you really want to know...."

Donald smiled, deciding to let this story pass for now. "Sweetheart, it was an accident that he told us in the first place. You didn't know that, did you?" he asked, seeing her look of shock.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes," Donald nodded. "He was berating us for turning our backs on you and let it slip, thinking that you had already told us. Then, he ran out on us and I had to chase him down to get him to tell us the rest. He did, probably figuring that the whole truth was better than a piece of it that had us scared out of our minds."

"Ohhhh, Kermit...." she muttered to herself, this time, fully empathizing with the agony he must have felt as he realized his mistake. She could understand a little better now....

"So, you say you had to divulge a secret of his to save his life?" Donald asked. The curiosity was now eating at him but he resolved to wait. They've had enough shocking revelations for one day. "Well, maybe he thought he was saving your life by divulging yours."

Savannah looked at him and finally sighed. "Okay...I think I'd better have a talk with hubby-mine...."

"That's my girl!" Donald March laughed, giving her a big, big hug.

"I need to go home, Daddy. Why don't we all go out to dinner tonight? Your treat, of course." She playfully kissed his cheek. "Can you find your way back to the hotel?"

"Yes, I don't think I'm quite that senile yet. We'll just keep Kat with us so that you and Kermit can...make up." Actually, on the inside, the thought of the two of them...'making up'...and the visions that that implied knotted his stomach. She was a grown, married woman but she was still his little girl. Going off to be with a very strange man who just happened to be her husband. He shook his head to banish the mental picture. "Go on."

After she left, Donald found Caine making tea in the other room. It was time for the next apology. "Mr. Caine," Donald called as he approached, "I'd like to apologize for the other day. I can really be an ass sometimes."

Caine nodded to accept. "There is no need. I am quite familiar with the...baser qualities that a stubborn child may bring forth in a man. I have one myself."

"Yes, Peter seems to be a fine young man." Donald waved a hand to decline a cup of tea. Men simply didn't drink tea where he came from. "Kermit filled me in on the debt we owe you. Being there for my daughter, delivering my granddaughter....I owe you for saving their lives. If there's ever anything I can do for-"

"Mr. March...."

"Donald, please."

"Donald. I have grown quite fond of your daughter...and grandchild," Caine told him. "Savannah is a warm, generous young lady who has managed to bring light into the life of a man who only knew the darkness. Katherine has a powerful spirit...even now. They are both welcome to my protection at any time. It warms my heart that you and your wife have found a way back into their lives. That is payment in full."

Donald was beginning to appreciate this man. Even relate to him in some way, despite the strange and different religious overtones. But Kermit did say that he was a priest. "Now," Donald grinned, "I just have to figure out my son-in-law."

"That, my friend, will be a lengthy journey."

******

Savannah wondered how she was ever going to find Kermit. He had just disappeared into thin air. She knew he would return but she wanted to find him NOW. She'd called home. Not there. She called the precinct. Not there. She'd even bothered Peter on his day off, calling with abject apologies and asking if he'd seen him. Not there, either. Peter did add that if she couldn't find him in a few hours, he'd start searching himself. Savannah turned down his thoughtful request, explaining that Kermit just wanted some time alone and that he'd resurface when he was ready.

But she really wanted to find him. To see him. She didn't give herself much of a chance in finding him. *I'm trying to track a professional spy, for God's sake!* she thought. But he was also her husband. NO ONE on earth knew him better than she did....Then, all of a sudden, she KNEW. Making a U-turn in the middle of the street, she headed toward the park.

Fifteen minutes later, the park came into view. There he was. Sitting on 'their' bench. Twirling a dandelion in his fingers and watching the cars go by. She parked, got out, walked to him and sat down on the bench next to him. They sat in silence, not looking at each other, enjoying each other's presence, basking in their individual shame that they felt at the mistakes they had made this week.

Finally, Kermit tossed away the dandelion. "Have I screwed things up completely between us?" he asked.

Savannah could hear his pain and ached to touch him, to comfort him, but it wasn't yet time. "I know that you told as an accident," she said. "Daddy told me that. BUT you didn't have to tell them *everything*."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You didn't need to tell them about my difficult pregnancy, the trip to the hospital or the delivery. You didn't have to tell them about that car accident or every little detail about Ericson. Especially about...Ericson." The name still stuck in her throat.

"You're right." Kermit, still not looking at her, leaned down and rested his elbows on his knees. "I don't know what to say...."

"How about why?" Her tone was still soft. Inquiring, but not harsh or demanding. She just wanted to know why. "You are the original closed mouth, Kermit. You don't tell anyone *anything* unless you want to. But you told them...intimate things. About our *being together.* You must have had a good reason. At least, to YOUR mind, it was a good reason."

"I've been sitting here thinking up answers to that very question," he said.

"Don't give me rehearsed answers. I want the truth!" Savannah snapped. "I just want to know why."

"At first I thought it was-"

"Tell me why!!!"

"I wanted them to respect you, dammit!" Kermit looked up and met Savannah's shocked look.

"What?" She was completely and totally puzzled by his response. "I thought maybe...you wanted them to nurture me for all the tough times we've been through...."

"That's what I thought, too. But, I realize now that I wanted that about as much as you did." Tentatively, fully expecting her to yank her hand away, Kermit reached for her hand. She didn't move it so he took her hand in his. "You know their attitude has been driving me crazy. But not about what they think of me. I agreed with what they thought of me! That I'm a gun-crazy, paranoid old man who doesn't deserve an hour of your time. I hated the way they thought of YOU! You're the strongest, most generous, most loving person I've ever met in my life! I hated the way they looked at you, based on the little bit of information that they knew about the situation. I HAD to set them straight." He spread his hands helplessly. "Once I'd opened my mouth, I didn't stop. I had to make them see...what I knew about you...I had to make them realize what you are....Scarlett, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me....I love you so much...." He grunted a short laugh. "I never meant to hurt you any further...but I always seem to do just that."

He was defending her honor! Not trying to earn their sympathy. Savannah had totally missed the motivation. "So, you were saving my reputation...with my family?"

"Both of them acted like...treated you like you were some....Well, I just wanted them to know that what we had - Kat - came out of love. Not just sex. You didn't just jump in bed with the first...."

"Sexy guy who blew my skirt up?" Savannah smiled at his shock.

"Something like that." He moved closer to her on the bench. "I wanted them to know the kind of things you've had to handle. Things that would topple most people. But you were strong. Ericson slammed into us both like a freight train. On top of that, you had to deal with being pregnant and alone...because of me. That MEANS something to me. You could have fallen apart and rid yourself of the baby but you didn't. And," he paused, the was completely honest, "maybe I did want to see THEM feel some shame for turning their backs on you. Like I did...." He kissed her hand. "I respect you and so should they."

"Kermit." She squeezed his hand. HIS respect was the only one that mattered. God knows she didn't feel strong. Felt like a complete mess. This time, her secrets were the root of all evil. *Pretty uncomfortable shoes, sugar,* she thought, filled with empathy for the effort keeping all of his secrets must cost her husband. "I think that is the nicest thing you ever said to me."

"It's not something I just said. I MEAN it. With all that I am." Before he could continue, his mouth was filled with the gentle passion of his wife. After a long and lingering kiss, he asked, "Does this mean I'm no longer on your hit list?"

"Gee, you must be a detective!" Forgiveness rained down on the now-unburdened man in the form of more welcoming kisses. Much to the entertainment of several interested park patrons.

******

Betsy March knocked tentatively on the door, her granddaughter clinging to her and waving at nearby butterflies. Not knocking would never have occurred to her. Coming over without calling was as far out of the range of proper etiquette as she would go. Even with her own child.

Yesterday, Donald had returned to the hotel with news of his reunion with his daughter. A lightness had returned to his voice. In the space of a few hours, his resentment for this strange unknown man that his daughter had entangled herself with had faded. They had found some common ground. And then, he and Savannah had reattached the tie that had always bound them together. She had wanted to go over to their house that night but Donald vetoed her. Said that Savannah and Kermit needed some time together while they needed to have a heart-to-heart with Billy. There were perks - Betsy got to spoil her adorable little granddaughter to pieces for the evening. Even bought her two different slices of pie, even though most ended up on her face instead of in her mouth.

Billy was harder to handle but luckily, Kat had the same effect on him that she had on her grandparents. There weren't any raised voices, no slamming of silverware or dishes in the restaurant. Just plea-bargaining. Billy would look for a singing job in a *reputable* establishment in Memphis, dependent totally on parental approval, and, in return, he would go back to college to major in music while he gave the other subjects equal time. Easy. Now, if only her daughter was as simple to deal with.

Donald and Billy were combing the local mall for belated presents for the family, and was probably buying out Toys-R-Us for Kat, but, in the meantime, it was Betsy March's turn. The cab had dropped her off here and now she wanted to construct her own bridge. A bridge with a child who had always fought against her mother's control. Hefting a gurgling Kat in her arms, she knocked on the door again.

"Good morning, Mrs. March," Kermit smiled, waving graciously for her to enter. Betsy March saw his smile widen even further for his daughter. "And who do we have here?" he teased as he took the little girl in his arms. She babbled in his ear as he hugged her. "A wandering gypsy? Well, you're just so pretty, I don't think I can let you wander anymore!"

Betsy walked in, smiling at his jovialness. "Call me Betsy, please, Kermit. I believe we have put all of that formality behind us, don't you?" She glanced around, wondering where her daughter was.

"Okay, Betsy, then." Kermit smoothed Kat's black hair. "Thank you very much for taking care of our angel. Any trouble? I know she can be a handful...just like her parents!"

"No, no trouble at all. She was a delight," Betsy assured him.

"That she is," the proud father smiled, "but that doesn't mean she can't be a handful, too! Where's Donald and Billy?"

"They're out...exploring." Betsy didn't want to ruin the surprise they had planned for the couple. "I thought this would be a good time to talk to my daughter."

"Ah," Kermit said, understanding her meaning instantly. Gesturing to the sofa, he offered, "Have a seat. I'll get some coffee."

"Thank you." She never expected that Kermit could be this polite or congenial. Their previous exchanges had not indicated it one iota. Even in light of his revelations about their struggles he and Savannah had weathered, she was surprised. But he seemed to be putting all their difficult times behind him.

Kermit readied the coffee as he appraised his mother-in-law from a distance. She was so much like her daughter. Not a wrinkle. Legs crossed. Delicate hands and features. Perfect manners and style. A lady through and through. There was one difference. No matter how starched his meticulous wife appeared, she always had just a touch of the devil in her eyes. That part belonged only to him. He'd enjoyed it thoroughly last night. Quickly, he pushed that thought out of his mind as he brought the coffee.

He made another quick trip back to the kitchen for Kat and sat her on his knee while he joined Betsy on the couch. "I have to go to work soon so you ladies have plenty of time," he informed her, taking a sip from his own cup. "I'm glad you came by for this chat. It seems that Savannah and her father have worked things out."

Smiling at him, genuinely this time, she answered, "Yes. And it appears that you two have smoothed things out, too."

"Managed to wiggle off the hook once more," Kermit grinned, winking at her. Kermit couldn't help but remember the way Betsy March had tried to cover for him with his wife. Outright lying must be foreign to her. Although that did remind him of the rather large lie of omission that she was hiding. Time to return the favor. "Betsy, before you talk to Savannah, I think there's something you should know. Something she knows-"

"The marriage license. I already have that information, thank you." That family blush dusted her cheeks pink. "My son was feelin' a touch guilty and confessed to snoopin'. He's a good boy, just has to stir things up from time to time." Betsy sighed. "I suppose you find me to be quite the hypocrite in light of my actions. As does my daughter." She looked at him with his wife's green eyes.

"In my life, I've discovered that there are always many versions of the same story. I'd like to understand, if it wouldn't be prying."

"So would I, Mama." Savannah had slipped into the room as their conversation began once she'd finished dressing. The need to attack had faded. The natural compassion she felt was her guide now. She approached the couch on which her mother sat, just as the doorbell rang. She and Kermit looked at each other in exasperation. "What now?"

Kermit got up, intending to field the visitor so that Savannah could spend time with her mother, only to find, as he opened the door, that the visitor was here to see him. He took a deep breath on seeing his son. "Hi, Jim," he said with a wry grin.

Jim grinned at seeing Kat still clinging to her father, babbling a greeting. "Hi. Is it too early? I was hoping to-"

"Um...hold that thought." Leaving the door open, he went back to deliver Kat to her mother. "It's Jim," he whispered. "Should I-?"

"You go ahead," Savannah said, taking Kat and giving her husband's hand a squeeze. "It'll give us time to-"

"Right." Kermit kissed his wife good-bye, grabbed his jacket and was preparing to leave when Kat raced bck to her "flight instructor" and toddled over to greet him.

"Ba-beh-bleh-eeeeeeee!!!" she babbled as Jim crouched down to hug his newly found sister.

"And good morning to you, beautiful." Jim accepted her enthusiastic embrace, then propped her on his knee. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out a special gift. "Since I came empty handed to your party, I thought you'd like these." The major pinned a set of silver air force wings onto Kat's bright pink tee-shirt.

Kat squealed in delight at her shiny gift. Kermit commented on his daughter's excitment, "Never met a woman yet who didn't like jewelry."

"And maybe some time, when you're a little bigger, I'll take you flying in the clouds instead of over my head." Jim kissed her on the nose and he and his father left Kat to model her new prize for her mother and grandmother.

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