AN: So apparently I'm a liar and this story has a bit more to go. What can I say, I love my characters. R and R if you want.

-- -- --

When Will walked through the door, I was nearly bouncing in anticipation. I stood silent only long enough for him to put his jacket on the coat peg and enter the parlor where I was waiting.

"A package," I breathed as I rose from my chair to greet him. He had been away to Boston for three days in meetings with the Superintendent of the School for the Blind. There had been talks of opening a school now where we lived and Will was anxious to see that happen.

He kissed me softly and drew me close. "I missed you," he said.

"Yes, yes," I said impatiently. "But the package."

He laughed and rolled his beautiful eyes at me. "Alright, show me this package. I take it you opened it already?"

"No," I said, taking his had and dragging him across the room to the writing desk. The package had arrived, addressed to William, and I had known immediately what it was.

I placed it in his hands and he ran his fingers over it. "Is this the surprise you've been blathering about for six months now?"

I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face. When William and I first arrived at the beach cottage, I realized I didn't know much about him at all. As we got to know each other deeply, I learned that he had studied the writing system for the blind.

The moment I learned of that I set out to surprise him with something quite special. "Well, why don't you open it and find out," I said cheekily.

He sat down and tore gently at the wrappings. I watched his face for recognition as his fingers made their way across the bumps in the cover. His eyes widened as he mouthed, 'My soul, Meek As The Earth', which happened to be the title of his most recent published book.

I hadn't read that particular book when he told me it was about the two of us. He asked me to, but I refused without explaining why. I think it had hurt him at first but he accepted my answer without question.

Now, by the look on his face, he knew why I had refused. "How did you... when did you..." he breathed.

I knelt down in front of him and put my hands on his knees. "Jacob met a man in New York who has a blind son. He runs a printing press there for materials to be printed in Braille. I sent Jacob a copy of your book and the man agreed to print it. In fact, he's currently working on your other novels, but I wanted this one first."

"I..." William said, his voice thick and low, "thank you."

Taking his hand, I pulled him up and tugged him out the back door. Our porch led directly to the beach where we had miles of private land. The week we arrived I set up a place for the two of us to sit and look out at the ocean.

We settled down next to each other in the beach chaise and I pressed the book into his hands again. "I wanted you to read this one to me," I said and kissed the side of his face.

His hands were trembling as he opened the cover and touched the dots on the first page. "Teddy-" he began.

"I want to hear the words in your voice," I said.

He cleared his throat and smiled softly. He turned to the second page where the story began. He read slowly, being out of practice, but he read clearly. "In the veritable Pandora's Box of the world, they found each other. The darkness of chaos, each shone with a spark of hope, but they were eclipsed at the beginning, hidden behind the evils of the world..."

-- -- --

"...and although they remained trapped in Pandora's box, shunned by the world, their spark of hope never wavered. Love, it seemed, would never fail, no matter how much the world protested."

I breathed out softly. It had taken us four days to get through the book, and I hadn't wanted it to end. It felt a little empty in a way, as though the book was trying to tell us that our story was over.

William set the book aside and took my face in his hands. "I love you."

I smiled and nuzzled his cheek with my nose. "I know."

He laughed gently and sat back in the chair. "What time do you think Jacob and Samantha will arrive?"

"Soon I imagine. Their train should have already arrived. I offered to pick them up but Jacob insisted they hire a carriage."

"You love him very much," William said. "I can't imagine how much you miss him."

"I do," I said with a shrug, "but I don't need him." He knew why and I didn't elaborate. The last four days, spending all of my free time listening to William read to me, was almost euphoric. Never in my life did I think I would find such pleasure out of something so simple.

I had been practicing law again, although my cases weren't what they had been. It had been three years since we'd left Boston and although I still had nightmares about Elizabeth and although at times I was nearly suffocated by my guilt of how I treated her, we were finally leaving the past behind.

I hadn't seen Jacob since the day William and I had moved, but we exchanged letters frequently and I was pleased to know that none of my reputation had followed him

I hadn't seen Jacob since the day William and I had moved, but we exchanged letters frequently and I was pleased to know that none of my reputation had followed him to New York. We had been planning this visit for some time, though it had been cancelled twice before due to Samantha giving birth and then an illness.

William, who had never properly met Jacob or Samantha, was anxious mostly on my behalf. There was only a few more minutes of peaceful silence on the beach before we heard the clopping of horses.

A surge of excitement welled up in my stomach and I could barely contain myself as I purposefully took measured steps towards the house. William was at my heels, taking my hand gently and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Will settled himself into the parlor while I paced the foyer, watching out the window as the carriage drew nearer. When it finally came to a stop, I had the door open and I was standing out on the front step.

Jacob was first out of the carriage, followed by a small girl in a dress with his fierce black hair and sharp facial features. The small girl looked up at me with wide eyes and then up at her father who was helping a rather pregnant Samantha.

Samantha looked the same as she always had, her light hair done up neatly and her face, although fatter, shining with delight as she set her eyes on me.

"Oh Teddy," Samantha cooed as she held her hand out to me.

I jumped down the last steps and pulled her in for a gentle hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Samantha," I said happily. "How was the journey?"

"So tiring," she said with a sigh. "I could sleep for a week!"

I laughed and bent down to the small girl that was standing behind Samantha's skirts. "Hello there," I said softly.

The little girl blinked up at me owlishly, a very small smile playing at her mouth. "Hello, sir," she said with a small curtsey.

I had a flash suddenly, of what my daughter might have been like and I winced. "You must be Emily."

"Yes," she whispered.

"I'm your godfather," I said.

Emily looked up at Jacob who nodded. "Remember? We told you about him on the train."

"Teddy?" she asked in a louder voice.

"Yes," I said with a grin and she blushed shyly.

Jacob scooped her up and then leaned in to give me a quick embrace. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful," I said as I gave the little girl a pat on the back. I pushed away all thoughts of Elizabeth and our unborn child in favor of enjoying the presence of my best friend and his family.

It was right then that I heard the front door open and I turned to see William standing there with a patient smile. "Perhaps we should let our guests inside, Teddy? I'm sure they're anxious to relax after such a long journey."

I realized we'd been standing outside for some time and I quickly hurried Jacob and Samantha inside. In the foyer, everyone stopped a bit awkwardly. It was the first time Jacob, Samantha and William had met and I knew it was up to me to make introductions.

"Shall we sit?" I suggested, putting my hand on the small of William's back.

"Please," Samantha breathed.

I led everyone inside and we all settled down on the sofas. "William, I'd like you to meet Jacob," I said formally.

Jacob leaned forward and took William's outstretched hand. "I've heard so much about you," Jacob said.

William smiled. "Probably more than you wanted to know."

Jacob laughed at that and sat back. "It's all been good, I assure you. I'm glad to finally make your acquaintance."

"I trust the journey was well?" William asked.

"It was very long," Samantha said.

William extended his hand to Samantha and they exchanged a quick handshake. "Would you like to retire?"

Samantha looked at Jacob longingly before saying, "Oh I'm fine."

"Dearest, I think you should rest," I insisted and took Samantha's arm, pulling her up. "No one will think you impolite."

She flushed but allowed me to pull her down the corridor to the guest room William and I had prepared for her and Jacob. She breathed as she sat down on the bed and kicked off her shoes.

"I'm so sorry, Teddy, I want to visit," she said.

"You expect me not to understand that you need rest," I admonished with a laugh and I hugged her again. "I've missed you and Jacob terribly, but we have an entire two weeks to visit and I think conversation will be more pleasant when you are rested."

She grabbed my hand and kissed it. "Thank you." Settling back against the pillows, she let me go and smiled at me. "You know Teddy," she said just before I left the room. I turned and looked at her. "You're much changed since the last time I saw you. And... and that's a good thing."

"Thank you," I whispered and left the room, closing the door behind me.

Back in the parlor, Jacob and William were seated on a sofa with little Emily between them, chatting quietly. I stopped in the doorway, taking in the sight of William with the little girl. She had evidently warmed up to him in the moment I was gone because she was snuggled up against him. William had his arm around the little girl and was smiling softly as he chatted to Jacob.

Jacob saw me walk in the room and he smiled. "Is she out?"

I laughed. "Like a light. I can't imagine how tired she must be." I settled into a chair across from the sofa. "I'm so glad to have you here, though. Are you hungry or thirsty at all?"

"I could use a drink," Jacob said.

"Juice," Emily said in her soft, whispery voice.

I moved to get up, but William was first on his feet. "Let me," he said and reached out to touch my shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

"He's more than I expected," Jacob said in a hushed voice once Will was out of hearing range. "He gets around well."

"Yes, he does," I said with a nod.

"You look happy," Jacob said and grinned.

I blushed a little and looked down at my hands. "I am. I feel guilty about it at times but... I can't deny it."

"Nor should you," he said firmly.

"I think," Will said as he came back into the room holding a tray with scotch and a juice for the girl, "we should take our drinks down to the shore."

"The shore?" Emily asked excitedly.

Jacob laughed and picked the little girl up. "Okay bunny, we can go down, but you're only to put your feet in for now."

"Alright," she said and kissed his cheek.

He set her down and relieved Will of the tray, despite both of our protests. Jacob waved me ahead of him so Will and I led the way down to the shore where we had a few chairs set up. The three of us settled down into the seats as the excited little girl began to dash back and forth, picking up shells and laughing as the water lapped at her feet.

"How is fatherhood?" I asked softly.

Jacob, who hadn't taken his eyes off of his little girl, sipped his drink for a minute before answering. "It's amazing, Teddy. I thought I couldn't feel more complete, but I was wrong."

I swallowed and looked down. I hadn't really thought I wanted to be a father but seeing the way Jacob looked at that little girl made me begin to wonder all over again, about what kind of father I would have made.

"Are you hoping for a boy, this time?" Will asked. He seemed to have sensed my plunge into melancholy because he took my hand in his and squeezed my fingers.

Jacob grinned. "I'm hoping for a healthy baby first, and then, if there is any hope left over, perhaps a boy. I would be satisfied with another daughter, though. Emily is a joy."

"She is," Will said softly.

A moment later Will found his lap occupied by said joy who had a large shell in her hands. "See what I find?" she said.

Will took the shell from the girl and examined it with his fingers. "A shell?" he asked.

"Yes. It's pretty shell."

"Very pretty," Will said with a smile.

Emily shot off his lap and raced back down to the water. Will set the shell down on his knee and I watched the smile on his lips reach his eyes. It struck me then, that although Will and I could have been wonderful parents, we never would be.

"Are you working?" Jacob asked, interrupting my long string of thoughts.

"Yes," I said. "Somehow I managed to find a job. Not as many high profile cases as Boston, but it keeps me busy."

"Are you happy with it?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," I said completely honestly. "More than I thought I would ever be."

-- -- --

Later that night, long after dinner, Emily was getting a bit fussy from being so tired and her parents were having trouble keeping her in the bed.

Just as we all thought Emily had finally gone to sleep, the small girl appeared back in the parlor clutching a book in her hands. She surveyed the room sleepily before crawling up onto Will's lap and shoving the book into his hands.

"Read me?"

Will smiled patiently at her as her parent's spluttered with embarrassment. He held up his hand to them for silence. "I'd love to read this to you, Emily, but I can't."

"Why?" she pressed. She rose up on her knees and opened the front cover of the book. "See? Right here?"

I watched, fighting down my urge to interject as William ran his hand down the page. "Dearest, can you tell me what you see with?"

"What?" she asked.

"What do you see with?"

"Um..." she said and her brow furrowed in thought. "Eyes."

"Yes," he said seriously. "My eyes are broken."

She gave a small gasp and got into his face, giving his eyes a fierce look. "They don't look broken."

"Oh, but they are," he said.

Jacob shot me an apologetic look but I shook my head. "It's fine," I said softly.

Will had now set the book aside and settled Emily back down. He had his fingers cupped over her eyes and he was saying, "Do you see how dark it is? That's how my eyes see. Everything is dark."

Emily frowned for another moment and then asked, "Can your daddy fix them?"

"No one can fix them," Will said gently.

Emily looked up at him for a second and suddenly burst into tears, throwing her face into his chest. "I don't... want... them to be broken!"

Will laughed and hugged her tightly. "It's okay, dearest, it really is. I might not be able to read you the story but I can tell you a story."

Emily sniffed and looked at her parents for a second. "Okay," she whispered.

Will took Emily's hand and together they went down the hall. I heard the bedroom door shut and I let out a breath.

"Oh Teddy, I'm so sorry," Samantha said miserably, her cheeks still pink with shame.

"Don't apologize. She's a baby, and Will doesn't mind."

Jacob rubbed his face. "We tried to explain it to her but she didn't really understand."

"It's really okay," I insisted. "She's just being honest."

"Should I go in there?" Samantha fretted a little.

I shook my head. "He's perfectly fine."

Twenty minutes passed before Will finally returned, smiling just a little. He sat down next to me and settled against my side.

"She's asleep," he said.

"I'm sorry she did that," Jacob said quietly, fiddling with his glass of brandy.

"I'm not," Will said. "I enjoyed it."

Jacob laughed. "If you ever wish for a job as a nanny, feel free to come up to New York."

We all shared a laugh, relieving some of the tension and as Samantha dozed off in a chair, the three of us enjoyed each other's company well into the night.

-- -- --

Jacob and Samantha had only three days left at the house when life took another, interesting turn. William and Samantha had gone to the market with Emily and Jacob and I were smoking cigars on the front porch, talking quietly about our different cases.

In the distance, I saw a carriage headed up to the house, and it was not the carriage Samantha and Will left in. I looked over at Jacob who was frowning into the distance.

The two of us fell into a tense quiet until the carriage came to a stop and a young woman climbed out. She was dressed simply, her deep red hair piled into a loose bun and she was carrying a small baby in her arms.

As she approached timidly, I took a good look at her. She might have been pretty once, but she was too skinny. Her skin was so peaked she was almost green and she trembled as she walked.

"Mr Hughes?" she asked in a wavering voice.

I nodded. "How can I help you?"

She put a trembling hand into the small satchel she carried and produced a telegram. "My name is Colleen Barry." Her voice was thick with an Irish accent.

"How do you do?"

"I'm sorry to approach you like this, but I'm at my wit's end," she said and gave a small sob. "Your brother..." she shoved the telegram at me.

I had a sudden feeling of foreboding as I opened the telegram and read it. Shock set in before the words did. I looked over at Jacob, my face going pale as the blood drained away from it. Jacob snatched the telegram away from me and read it.

"Dead?" he breathed.

I looked at this woman. "How do you know my brother?"

"We... I mean, he and I..." she looked down at the baby and it suddenly made sense.

"That's his child?"

"I knew James and I could never get married, but he promised to take care of her," the woman sobbed. "He knew I was ill. He wrote me before he went to prison and said I could come to you. I didn't think he was going to... going to..." she trailed off rubbed her face with her free hand. "He told me in the letter that the other prisoners weren't friendly to the killer of a pregnant woman. I didn't think he would be murdered."

I nodded dumbly, unsure what to do. "You don't have family?"

"My da died last year and he was the only one left," she said, trying to compose herself. "I don't have much longer, Mr Hughes. A week, maybe." She stopped and bounced the baby who had begun to fuss a little. "I can't... I can't let my baby be swallowed up into an orphanage. She deserves better!" Her voice was desperate as she approached me, holding the baby out.

I looked down at the infant, a myriad of confusing emotions flooding through me. The child had dark curls, like my brother, like me. The eyes were a sort of pale blue and the child's skin was pale like the mother.

I looked up at the woman and saw she did not lie. I wouldn't be surprised if she dropped dead within the hour. "What do you want me to do?"

"Take her," the woman begged. "Please. She deserves to be raised by family, with privilege, by someone who will love her." Her voice took on a completely desperate tone. "Please... don't let her die."

Without warning, the woman pressed the child into my arms and backed up. With speed I didn't expect her to have, she bolted back into the carriage and it went speeding off before I could open my mouth to argue.

I wavered and Jacob took my arm, sitting me back down into my abandoned chair. "Breathe," he commanded.

I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and I shook my head. Jacob took the infant out of my hands and I didn't protest. "My brother's child?" I whispered. "James? Dead?"

"We need to look into this," Jacob said, looking down at the infant who had fallen back to sleep. "She could easily be lying."

"I don't think she is," I said. "Look at that child. She looks just like James. Just like me."

Jacob couldn't argue as he sighed and stared down into the child's face. "She can't just dump this child into your lap, Ted."

"What's to become of this baby?" I asked.

"I don't know," Jacob sighed. "We need to go inside."

I got up numbly and followed Jacob inside. We went into the kitchen where he handed me the infant back and began to rummage around for supplies. Between the both of us he was able to come up with a makeshift bottle and warm milk to feed the babe who was now starting to stir.

"Oh god," I moaned as I watched Jacob walk with the baby who drank hungrily. "What... what is this?"

"She's quite pretty," Jacob said softly as he continued to walk with her. "She could be adopted easily."

I had a strong urge to argue with him about the orphanage but I kept my mouth shut. This was not a simple matter in the least. I was suddenly the unwilling guardian of the illegitimate daughter of my brother, who was now dead. The only other remaining members of my family were either abroad or in prison and I could think of no one to take this child.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked once the child was sated. The baby was not asleep, but rather staring wide-eyed around the kitchen.

"I don't know," I said. I was still pacing in front of the counter and I was overly anxious for William to return. "How old do you think she is?"

Jacob shrugged. "Near a year, I believe. At least nine months. She already holds her head up well." He held the child outwards and I noticed that she was rather large and she smiled, showing a couple of tiny teeth protruding from the gums. "I think that woman left her satchel on the front porch."

I rushed off to the front door and indeed, found the satchel lying there where she had been standing. I snatched it up and hurried back inside. Jacob had moved to the parlor and set out a few blankets to let the child crawl on. I had to admit that she was cute and she truly was the spitting image of my brother.

The babe could crawl quite well, and sit up on her own. She was giggling and cooing and she looked up at me with her large eyes. I felt conflicted over this. A child? What did I want with a child? True, Emily had given me morose thoughts about my own dead child, but those were just thoughts.

Weren't they?

I sat down on the sofa and opened the satchel. Inside were a few bits of paperwork and letters, a few toys and extra cloth diapers. I tipped the toys onto the floor and pulled out the papers.

"Bridget Hughes," I said aloud.

Jacob looked at me curiously. "Is that her name?"

I nodded. "Her father is listed her as James Hughes. She was born on the fifteenth of September last year."

"So ten months," Jacob said.

There was a letter along with the birth certificate explaining the mother's illness, which was not catching but was fatal. There were notes declaring the health of the child and a letter bequeathing custody of little Bridget to me.

I showed them both to Jacob who read them carefully. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I said. I watched the child chew on a small, wooden rattle for a while. "I want William home."

As though by some sort of magic, the moment those words left my lips, I heard the carriage pull up to the front of the house. The door opened and I could hear the small tapping of Emily's feet as she tore through the house.

"Daddy! Daddy we got-" she skid to a halt as her eyes fell on the baby. "Where did you get a baby?"

In that moment Samantha and Will walked into the room and Samantha froze. "What is that?" she demanded to Jacob who had picked up the infant.

"What is what?" Will asked.

"My husband is holding an infant," Samantha said with a frown.

"An infant?" Will questioned.

With a sigh, I held my hands out for the baby and approached William. "We need to talk," I said.

Will frowned but followed me into the kitchen. "Are you holding the child?"

"Yes," I said.

He reached out a hand and touched the back of Bridget's head gently. "Who is this?"

"Her name is Bridget, apparently," I said. My voice shook as I relayed the entire story. "Now she's technically mine but Jacob thinks she'd be adopted quickly if we sent her off to an orphanage."

William's face darkened. "An orphanage," he repeated. He carefully took the baby from me and nuzzled her cheek with his own. "She could die in an orphanage. How old is she?"

"Ten months," I said. The sight of him with the infant was strange.

"We could keep her," he said as he tickled her chin. The baby giggled and grinned up at him with huge eyes.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I replied, although my heart wasn't completely in it. "We don't know the first thing about taking care of an infant."

"I don't see how it could be that hard," Will said. He couldn't keep from smiling as he continued to make the infant laugh. At my hesitation, he approached me and touched my cheek with his free hand. "Let us try to spare this innocent soul a dismal existence in an orphanage if we possibly can. If we cannot, we will figure something out. But perhaps, my darling Teddy, this is fate's way of giving you back what you lost at the hands of your family."

I had been terrified to voice that exact thought which had struck me the moment I found out who that child was. Looking down at her smiling face and then up into William's hopeful one, I found I could not say no. At least, not for now.